The East Texan STUDENT NE WSPAPER OF TE X AS A& M UNIVERSIT Y- COMMERCE SINCE 1915
XCVI, No. 5, 8 pages
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Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011
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news Page 3
entertainment Page 6
sports Page 7 and 8
A&M-Commerce hosted the Southwestern Cognition Conference for the first time. Plus a new wings place in town could offer a place to go for game day.
Editor Adam Troxtell reviews FIFA 12 (after we were able to drag him away from it.) Plus, find out why 50/50 is the funniest movie about cancer....seriously.
The football team went to Kingsville for a south Texas shoot-out with the Javelinas, and they are also on the lookout for a new addition to the coaching staff.
Over $100k per semester given out in emergency loans Staff Writer Cole Leonard “No- questions- asked” $400 loans are currently being offered by Texas A&M University-Commerce to students in need of financial assistance. Upon application and approval, the loan will be distributed to the student without restraint on how the money is managed or where it is spent. The only stipulation is that the loans must be repaid by the Nov. 21 deadline or the student will be charged a $25 late fee on top of the $5 processing fee added to the loan after disbursement.
“This is generally intended for books and supplies but we have no control with what students do with the money,” Bursar Charles Robnett said. Robnett approximates that A&MCommerce lends from $100,000-$200,000 each semester to almost 500 individual students. These unsecured loans are being disbursed to students without stipulation to use for academic purposes, and the administration has no agenda planned to monitor that these funds are used properly. One anonymous senior said she would consider “taking it to the casino in Oklahoma and double it at the tables” after she was told there was
no accountability standard in practice. Undergraduate student Lacy S., who withheld her last name, praised the school for offering this loan option. “I had a car payment and bills to pay that I couldn’t because I had not received my FAFSA funds yet,” Lacy S. said. She adds, “That $400 helped me stay above water until the money came in, and I do not have to repay it for a couple months.” There are financial penalties resulting from missing the Nov. 21 deadline as well as academic punishment. Students “will accrue a 5% interest charge after the semester if it has not been paid” Robnett said. Along with the
‘Meta’morphosis at Gallery Story on Page 4
interest accruing monthly, an academic hold will also be placed on transcripts and course registration in the succeeding semesters. Students do not receive counseling about whether or not the emergency loan is the smartest avenue to consider. Robnett addresses the issue of non-repayment by stating that it “doesn’t mean you have to borrow the full $400.” He suggests that a student should be aware of their ability to repay the loan and that a smaller loan might be a better option. “If you only need $100 then request that
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Vigils held as Indian student is remembered Editor Adam Troxtell The community of international students at Texas A&M University-Commerce is “in mourning” after the loss of Indian graduate student Suman Kumar Reddy Kukunoor, Director of International Student Services John Jones said. The ISA organized prayer vigils that occurred last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. “Our Indian student population is a very close knit community, and this has had an obvious impact on the community,” Jones said. “A prayer vigil was organized on campus by the India Student Association in lieu of the concluding events for their Ganesh festival.” Kukunoor, who studied computer science, died in a car accident on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 24. The car was reportedly driving westbound in the eastbound lane,
and contained three other students that were sent to area hospitals with serious injuries. The accident is still under investigation. While Kukunoor was involved with ISA and the Indian community, his life also appears to have impacted a diverse group of students and faculty members. “We had individuals at the vigil from UPD, the university counseling center, members of ISA, international students from different countries, and staff from my office,” Jones said. “Also, at the hospitals where the injured students were, there were a number of A&M-Commerce students and members of the Indian Community in Dallas there to offer support.” Jones said the three students that sustained injuries from the accident – Swathi Thota, Mayajyothi Challabotla and Pejaswi Bhavaman – are still in the hospital and expected to recover.
Stereotypes debunked at Hispanic Heritage event Editor Adam Troxtell
jessica martin / the east texan This piece currently hangs in the university as part of the Meta exhibit that opened last Tuesday, Sept. 27. All of the art was done by alumnus Charles Michael Reid. The exhibit features many different kinds of artistic work across a multitued of mediums.
Students and faculty members spent an evening in open discussion about racial stereotypes and biases at the MIA: A Minority in America event at the Ferguson Social Science Auditorium on Sept. 27. The Hispanic Student Association (HAS) and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority sponsored the event, which featured a panel answering questions or comments about racial stereotypes. Before entering the Auditorium, attendees wrote down anon-
ymous questions and racial biases they had heard of or experienced. Those stereotypes were then chosen at random and talked about openly by the panel and audience members. “The purpose is to break down barriers from different stereotypes that people say around the world,” Amanda Berkhalter, president of Delta Sigma Theta, said. “Basically, it’s proving them wrong and letting them know that something that you may have been taught when you were younger is not necessarily true.
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Library hours to extend for more study time Sports Editor Justin Cheatham
DANICA EASTERLING / the east texan Gee Library is set to stay open for longer hours starting later this month. The move is designed to give students more access to library resources.
Gee Library will open the first floor of its building to students wanting to study later than midnight starting in late October. “We noticed that when we close at midnight we were having to tell people ‘Hey we are closing, it’s time to get up and leave,’” Director of Libraries Greg Mitchell said. “And it’s not a large number but it is still a number of people there so we began to think about it.” Mitchell said many places around campus were looked at for use as a late night study hall, but Gee library
was the most suitable to fit the needs of students. “The problem with the library is that it is a huge building,” he said. “It’s over 140,000 square feet, and our number one concern is safety. If you are open out in the middle of the night with a great big building like that then it’s very difficult to be able to control what is going on. So we began thinking of how we could limit the space and that the main thing people want is computers.” They found that installing sliding dividers like the kind found at malls would enable them to section off the first floor along with all the amenities that it contains.
“What we hit upon was a way to secure the first floor of the building,” Mitchell said. “The computer lab, the walk up scanners, photocopiers, the bistro seating and study areas are there to give people a reasonable amount of stuff there.” The new hours would be MondayThursday open until 3 a.m. and the project is set to begin in late October so the library has time to properly add the security gates and hire additional staff. “At midnight what we will do is clear out people on the upper floors of the library and that one area that is still 40-50000 square feet will stay open until 3 a.m.” Mitchell said.
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OPINION
Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011
Responsibility should receive higher value from young adults Opinion Editor Savannah Christian Being a responsible person and therefore being trusted with responsibilities by others is a quality I thought was desired by most. I was also naïve enough to think that people realized their responsibilities and took care of them - man was I wrong. There are certain things in life that I wish I could wrap my head around, and the “inability” of some to accept responsibility is definitely top five. To be responsible is a character-
istic that will be valuable for the entirety of any person’s life. It is something that is great to have in your back pocket when you get asked that famous question “What are your three best qualities?” in an interview and will generally help you be productive and successful. It shapes the character of a person and sheds a positive light. So, what reason is there to not want to be better? Why is responsibility so hard for people to deal with? For instance, Joe tells Jane to do something. Jane tells Joe she is on top of
it and will take care of it ASAP. Jane gets wrapped up in her chaotic life and forgets to fulfill the promise she made to Joe. Joe gets in trouble by his boss because the task he put Jane on did not get fulfilled and then, when asked why she did not follow through, Jane acts like she never even gave Joe her word. Why would Jane simply say, “I am so sorry, Joe. I just completely forgot to do it. I got really busy, and it slipped my mind. I will try to do better from now on.” Would it be so hard to say? Better yet, would it
be so hard to actually do? I doubt Jane would suffer from trying to be a better, more responsible person. Sometimes it is the simple things in life that cause responsibility to come into question, things like forgetting to do an assignment or simply saying no when asked to do something just because the person doesn’t
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want to take the time to do it. Then there are times when dismissal of responsibility is astonishing. For example, when you have a child, that little human is your responsibility from that point on. It does not necessarily matter if that incident was planned or if ten years into that child’s life you decide it just isn’t for you. Too. Stinking. Bad. Just because you don’t want that to be your responsibility does not mean that it should be someone else’s. It seems there are some people living around me who either cannot or refuse to grasp this concept. If you choose to live your life without any purpose, any responsibility for anything at all, that is purely your decision. But, are you really living? What is life
worth if when it comes to an end you can’t look back and be proud of your character? I say, try. At least if you accept a task or a challenge or a duty or what have you and you fail you can clean your slate and move forward, learning from that experience. So, the next time you don’t turn in your assignment, try not to feed your professor a load of crap that no one will believe anyway. All you have to do is own up to your laziness and fix it. And when you move on to bigger and better responsibilities, like the well-being of another person, if you will, don’t lie your way out of it or push it off to the side as if it doesn’t concern you. Someone is depending on you to follow through.
Writer dreams of future foreign travels Graphics Editor Jessica Martin
MARKETAUSTRALIA.INFO
Sydney, Australia reserves one of the top spots on writer Jessica Martin’s bucket list of foreign travel destinations.
THIS WEEK’S ‘PLAN B’
The other day I logged into my email account and found that the courses for International Studies had gone up. As I looked through the different courses being offered, I felt that little pull in the back of my brain. My wanderlust was flaring up again. No, wanderlust is not an STD. It’s just a new word to add to your vocabulary if you don’t know it already. Wanderlust: a very strong and irresistible impulse or desire to travel the world. I have been feeling the pull of wanderlust for quite some time now, and have begun to put together my traveling bucket list of sorts, but for now I’m only going to tell you about a handful of them. The first place I want to go is London, England. I want to eat fish and chips while watching boats on the Thames, ride the London Eye at night, visit Abbey Road and geek out at platform 9 ¾ at Kings Cross Station. I
want to ride a double-decker bus, go to Buckingham Palace and try to make the Queen’s Guard laugh – honestly though, that has to be a hard job, I laugh way too easily to even attempt that position. I want to attend a service at Westminster Abbey, catch a football match and do everything in my power to find Doctor Who and make him take me away to another galaxy. I feel like London taunts me constantly, but I know that I’ll get there someday. While I’m ‘across the pond,’ I’ll fly up to Edinburgh, Scotland. I want to visit the castles and find my ancestors names written down in the books because they were killed during war. I want to travel out on Loch Ness and find dear old Nessie, shop along the Royal Mile and try traditional Scottish haggis for the first time – it sounds awful and looks awful, but it has to be done. Speaking of something awful that has to be done – I must find out what is really under a kilt, but we’ll save that for later.
I’ve heard so much about Scotland since my mother went, and I’m dying to visit. Seeing as how I’ll already be in the United Kingdom, I might as well ferry over to Dublin, Ireland while I’m there. I want to have a pint in an Irish pub and perhaps even sing a few Irish drinking songs while I’m at it. I want to visit St. Patrick’s cathedral – but perhaps not right after visiting the pub – and take a stroll down O’Connell Street. I’ll make my way to Dun Laoghaire and softly cry to myself about the death of Gerard Butler’s character Gerry Kennedy in P.S. I Love You. Ever since that movie I’ve been dying to make my way to Ireland. Now that I’ve wrapped up my U.K. leg of the trip, I’ll travel down under to the beautiful city of Sydney, Australia. I want to see the Opera House, swim in the Tasman Sea, walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge at night and go to Luna Park. I want to go to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Retraction
by Arielle McMahon
The story “SGA raises visibility and attendance debate, no conclusive decisions” that ran in the Sept. 29 edition of The East Texan requires the following corrections: The portion of the story about ethical issues regarding SGA’s use of of room renting privileges was not accurately reported. The issue was only briefly discussed in
see the Sydney Observatory and go to Darling Harbour so I can go to Sega World, where I will relive my childhood again and again. And, before I leave Australia, I want to go up to Queensland and see the Great Barrier Reef. I’ve always loved Australia and have wanted to go for such a long time. There are so many different places that I want to visit in my lifetime, but if I could only choose a handful, these are the places I would go. I hope that I’m able to go to all of these places and more someday, but until then, I will continue to lust after my ambition to wander. I certainly know that opening my email to find an International Studies flyer waving courses about the London Eye and Jack the Ripper in my face didn’t help those ambitions. But, if you get the chance, study abroad. I’ve never done it, but if I had the chance I would grab on with both hands and never let go.
the meeting, and there was never a motion to vote for or aganist renting the SRSC for Commerce High School. Senators never intially approved to reserve a room for CHS. There were conclusive decisions from SGA regarding outreach and publicity. Also, SGA has agreed to sponsor the Mardis Gras event that was removed from the Campus Recreation schedule due to budget cuts.
Editorial: Commerce embraces ‘college town
environment’ with business acquisitions With the new Grazing Buffalo wings place being put in downtown, as well as City Fro-Yo – and others – we can’t help but stop and take a quick look around at the ever-changing city of Commerce. For many of us, this is not our first year at A&MCommerce, and, as such, we feel obliged to compliment the city of Commerce – and its citizenry – for finally realizing and embracing what Commerce is and always
has been: a college town. For our entire college careers, there has always seemed to be this resistance to change that we have felt from the “seasoned” citizens of Commerce. Until this point, it was clear that they wanted Commerce to be a “retirement city” of sorts, where just about everything in town shuts down at 9 or 10 p.m. Also, until recently, the lack of new places for people to was also a prominent
The East Texan, official student newspaper of Texas A&M University-Commerce, is published 12 times per semester during the Fall and Spring by students in reporting and editing classes. Content is solely the responsibility of the student editors and writers. The comments and views expressed in The East Texan do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of other students, staff, faculty, administration, or the Board of Trustees. The East Texan is located inside the Journalism building on the east side of campus in room 113. Single copies are available in Journalism 113 for an additional 25 cents. Letters to the editor are welcome and should be limited to 250 words. They will not be edited for spelling, grammar and libelous or malicious statements. We reserve the right to refuse publication. Letters should be typed or e-mailed and must include a signature, legal name, classification (grade level) and telephone number. Mailing address is The East Texan, P.O. Box 4104 Commerce, Texas 75428.
marker of this resistance. This, however, is no longer the case. We now have a few more fast food joints that are staying open later, as well as about half a dozen restaurants being opened in town in the last year. And, with the expected addition of another three or four restaurants in the following year, it looks like the city will be continuing to take further steps in what we, as students, think is the absolute right direction.
ARIELLE MCMAHON / THE EAST TEXAN
The East East Tex Texan an The Established 1915 Adam troxtell Editor Savannah christian opinion editor
Chancellor mills Entertainment Editor
Justin Cheatham Sports Editor
nick bailey CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR
Cliff Gibson assistant sports editor
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news
Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011
Page 3
Harp rejoins familiar Lions football team Continued from Page 1... and that’s all I’m going to say about it,” Harp said. “I didn’t like it, didn’t think I should put up with that. A couple of things that were said and repeated to me, maybe they weren’t right. I hope they weren’t right; I want to say they’re not. But, hearing them from more than five, ten and fifteen people, same thing, it’s going to change your mindset. I told coach I’m done; I’m going to take my talent and muster up a career somewhere else, maybe baseball. He said [to] go see Coach Morriss to get it resolved.” Morriss talked to Harp about his decision, and told him that he was always in a position to start, but Harp had made up his mind and signed out of the team before what turned out to be a significant weekend in the saga. “I went and talked to Coach Morriss a bit last week, and he said ‘Is this what you want to do?’ and I said ‘Nope, not at all,’” Harp said. “I’ve never quit anything my entire life; it’s one of the hardest things to do ever. This was probably one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my entire life.’ He said ‘Well, you’re one play away.’ And, of course, that one play was this weekend.”
Coaches called Harp Harp said he began listening to the A&M-Kingsville game at around halftime, right before Gallegos picked up the injury. At that moment, he received text messages from friends about how he should have waited before leaving the team. “Something told me to turn the game on my phone, and five seconds later I get texts from all over the world saying ‘look what happened, you should have stayed,’” Harp said. “I said the
KRISTIE CARD / THE EAST TEXAN
Harp drops back for a pass during the Lions’ 2322 loss to Incarnate Word last Saturday.
one thing I have to tell you all is, these texts and these phone calls about coming back and my thought process about coming back, this would not have happened if you guys had won this game or if number six was still healthy. I guess the situation is how it is, I’m going to handle the situation the best way I know how: I prayed about it.” The next day, Harp said he received a call from Coach Andrew Raiden about meeting Morriss and Lounsberry. When Harp asked what about, Raiden suggested Harp knew full and well what the conversation would be over. “[Morriss] said ‘Are you ready to play?’ and I said ‘Yes sir, I’m ready to ball,’” Harp said. “He said all this stuff about we don’t want to have any boiling water; they want it all under the table and let’s put it all in the past. I said ‘I’m down for that.’ He said that’s the only way it was going to work. I shook their
hands and went out.” Morriss said he knows the team is behind Harp as he takes the starting quarterback role. “I believe the team is 100% behind him, and I don’t think that was ever an issue, to be quite honest,” Morriss said. Morriss also said the team was fortunate to have an option of two similar quarterbacks that can fit into the offensive system. “He’s going to fit into what we want him to do,” Morriss said. “It’s not like Yogi was a perfect fit and J.J. was the step-child. J.J.’s been working all spring, summer, camp to learn the offense and to be a fit, so to speak. We’ve said all along we can win with either one of them, so we’re very blessed to have two good quarterbacks. A lot of people struggle with that; with injuries, flunk out, or people leave. Quarterbacks were born to transfer. We feel like either one of them can do the job.” Harp said he thinks he can help the team toward achieving a goal that has now become even more imperative: getting wins. He said his knowledge of the team and his belief that the team is all in one frame of mind. “We all have one thing on our mind, and that’s getting the first win of the season,” Harp said. “There’s nothing about we didn’t want to win before; just, certain things happen and certain things happen and more certain things happen, and it all leads to one thing. I’ve known everybody on this team for a good year-and-a-half now. I’ve spent the whole summer with them, we’ve grinded it out; all the stuff that goes into a team. I just think we’re all excited now that we’re going to have the opportunity to finish out the season strong and turn it around.”
KRISTIE CARD / THE EAST TEXAN
J.J. Harp (1) and Kevin Bevans (11) talk offensive strategy on the sideline.
Background on J.J. Harp Editor Adam Troxtell Junior J.J. Harp transferred to A&M-Commerce from Eastern New Mexico University where his on field performances earned him a nomination for the Harlon Hill Trophy, which is given to the most outstanding Division II player. He set an all divisions-NCAA record for most pass attempts and most pass completions in a single game. After his break-out sophomore year at ENMU, A&MCommerce convinced him to become a Lion. “What sold me was I could come in here, proba-
bly lead this team to victory, and I saw the opportunity to learn the pro-style offense,” Harp said. When Yogi Gallegos transferred to A&M-Commerce from TCU, Harp said he saw the opportunity to compete against and learn from someone that had spent time under former TCU and now NFL quarterback Andy Dalton. “I wanted to learn from him and I knew that I had done some things that he probably hadn’t done before,” Harp said. “So, I wanted to share my knowledge with him, just trade back and forth. I think it worked out for the best, we both pushed each other really hard through camp.”
Boitnott unhappy with student turnout Continued from Page 1
david grote / the east texan
A student receives career advice from an A&M-Commerce booth at the 2011 Fall Job Fair in the Rayburn Student Center.
year, concerns are getting the companies to return and the job fair’s continued growth . The Career Development Job Fairs require a professional dress code to attend, but with the low turnout, much of that was forgone. “We put this out in emails to faculty and staff, we target departments and faculty that we know the companies are here looking for their major specifically,” Boitnott said. “We do all of the leg work. The day of the event comes and I don’t know what happens, but we don’t always see the faculty support. It’s a catch-22; if we don’t have the students, alumni, and community coming through, the companies will not come back because we did not have the volume. Having such a low volume today, if we turned [unprofessionally dressed attendees] away, it would have been even less.” Cooper Terry, District Manager for Fastenal, has been coming to the Fall and Spring Job Fairs for 10 years. Terry gives the job fair growth credit to Boitnott, but feels some of the most successful job fairs come from those with
strong support from instructors. “Career Development has new leadership, Tina Boitnott,” Terry said. “She is doing a lot of the right things and it will just take a little time to get to where it needs to be. The universities I go to that have a successful turn out from the student population have strong support from the professors. They get them engaged in thinking about career opportunities.” Innovations First International also made its first appearance at the Fall Job Fair. The Greenville-based company was represented by Associate Creative Director Brandon Adams. By the end of the event Adams found three prospective students and one he felt would be an asset and already has scheduled a follow-up interview. He looks forward to returning to future job fairs at A&M-Commerce. “We do everything from robotics to toy manufacturing with robotics in mind, as well as packaging and design,” Adams said. “We are looking to open a few new brands and so we are looking to staff up in that direction.” Aside from current students, there were also many alumni in attendance.
Micheal Davis accompanied his 2004 A&M-Commerce alumna wife, Kelly Davis, to the event. “She is looking for work and I got laid off a couple weeks ago, so I’m in the same boat with her,” Micheal Davis said. Nathan Ritchey, political science junior at A&M-Commerce, visited with 18 of the 22 companies. According to Ritchey, even if the company didn’t have anything to offer him, he gathered information for friends who might find it useful. He also made sure to revisit some of the companies to leave a lasting impression and make sure they remembered not only his name, but his face with it. “I got more than I was expecting,” Ritchey said. “I was speaking to the Edward Jones table and I can meet with him on my portfolio when I get out of college and be able to start building that up to be financially secure. I scheduled some meetings with [local businesses] so they could help me understand what kinds of fields there are in the computer science field, so when I graduate I know an idea of what I can do with my degree plan and go out in the world and get a job.”
Campus rec offers childcare program Staff Writer Jordan Wright As part of the Parent Camp program, Morris Recreation Center is offering to watch children for parents that want to work out in the facility. Parent Camp allows local parents to get in a workout using MRC equipment while professional counselors watch their children. The Parent Camp program started on Sept. 13 and is held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays of every week. It is separated into two 90-minute sessions that are held from 5-6:30 p.m. and 6:30-8 p.m. “It started this semester, but this is something that we’ve been trying to do probably four or five semesters prior,” Associate Director of Intramural and Club Sports Jerome Osborne said. “We’ve been trying to figure out the staffing and the model that would enable faculty, staff, students and as well as community members to come onto campus to work out and to have a safe and productive environment for their children.”
In regards to finding a productive model, the MRC has adopted one similar to that of the Parent Camp from the summer. “We ended up mimicking the Parent Camp from our summer camp, and we took our camp counselors and they’re the ones that oversee the children,” Osborne said. “They get to read or get help with their homework while their parents go and work out for 90 minutes or take a group fitness class.” The service is open not only to students, but also university faculty and residents of Commerce, Sulphur Springs, Greenville and other neighboring areas. All children from ages 4-17 are eligible for the program. The charge for the service is a $4 per session and per child for Commerce students and $8 for community members. The MRC also makes the punch pass an available option to those that register for the program. “They’re like our day punch passes for adults” Osborne said. “Rather than pay session by session, every 15th you only pay $20.”
One of the counselors, Makenzie Brooke Ellyson, has been working with the program for about four weeks now and said the qualifications for counselors are very specific. “Mainly you have to work well with kids” Ellyson said. “It helps if you’ve worked with kids in the past.” Osborne has been pleased with the success of the program thus far and hopes to continue to watch it succeed in the future. “All of the kids that we’ve had have all come out just ecstatic and happy about our staff and the time that they’ve had with us” Osborne said. “This is probably the best program that I’ve been a part of and we greatly need participation to keep it afloat.” This opinion is also shared by student Haley Mull, who helped Osborne conceive the process by which the program would operate. “I know a lot of students on campus that are nontraditional students and parents, and the more word that gets out, the more popular it will become,” Mull said.
jessica martin / the east texan
The MRC is now offering a chance for parents to get a 90 minute workout at the facility while their children are being taken care of by professional counselors. The program is part of Parent Camp, which started on Sept. 13.
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news
Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011
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Students can escape essay requirement Staff Writer Leeana Gentry
DANAE BLESSING / THE EAST TEXAN
Dr. Robert Rodriguez and junior Eduardo Sneed discuss questions about racial stereotypes and biases given by the audience at the Hispanic Heritage month event MIA: Minority in America, sponsored by the Hispanic Student Association and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Students, faculty discuss racial stereotypes Coninued from Page 1 It’s to give students knowledge about different cultures and backgrounds.” The panel consisted of Assistant Professor of counseling Dr. LaVelle Hendricks, adjunct interim professor of social work Carla Asbill, Assistant Professor of political science Dr. Robert Rodriguez and junior and President of ANGLS – an organization supporting the needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and transexual students – Eduardo Sneed. Biases given by attendees included the idea that Latino Americans or African Americans were better dancers, women are bad drivers, and the Latino American population boom being linked to certain races being more “fertile.” All of these stereotypes, and more, were talked about by the panel as they made arguments to the contrary based on statistics and facts.
For example, when the stereotype of African Americans being on food stamps was brought up, Asbill said, according to social work statistics, the majority of the American population on food stamps is white. This is exactly what HSA President Margon Sanchez said would be the goal of MIA: to provide clarification to students that share a campus with such a diverse crowd. “People really don’t think, since it’s such a small school, that we’re as diverse as other schools,” Sanchez said. “But, it’s totally to the contrary; we have plenty of ethnicities and backgrounds here.” In the anonymous question-answer session, the panel was able to go deeper into the causes and solutions to racial stereotypes. “You have a framework in your mind, and it’s what we all have,” Rodriguez said about why stereotypes
exist. “It becomes dangerous when we act on those stereotypes and it becomes our mindset.” Both Asbill and Hendricks spoke of the importance for students to travel and experience things outside of their day-to-day routine. “We’re always going to judge each other,” Hendricks said. “It’s when we focus on those judgments when it becomes a problem. We need to experience different things; things like this that help break down those walls.” Sophomore radio/television major Kayla Furlough took part in MIA and said she felt like it was a good experience for anyone who attended. “I thought it was really good, I did like it. I felt like a lot of the stereotypical questions that everyone asked were put out in the open. They are ignorant questions, but they needed to be put out there. So, I thought it was very good that everyone got to voice their opinion.”
As a requirement to graduate, all juniors at A&MCommerce must take the Junior Level Exams (JLE.) Testing is done by either appointment or at various times at the Testing Center in the One Stop Shop. During the two-day test, students are given two hours and one topic a day to write an essay. The essays do not have a required length, but testers are advised to write enough to cover the topic. Those taking the test can use a dictionary and a thesaurus. Before taking the JLE, testers are advised to go to the Writing Center in the Hall of Languages for prepatory help. There are two ways to take the JLE; it may be administered by computer Monday through Friday at A&MCommerce. Juniors may also take the exam with paper and pencil free of charge to students. Testing dates can be found on the school’s website (www.tamu-commerce.edu.) “Written tests are given Fridays and Saturdays of the third week in October and February and on Thursdays and Saturdays in the third week in June,” according to the A&M-Commerce website. Students who only take online courses are still required to take the exam. Those testers will need a proctor, which is defined as “a member of a clergy, a librarian or anyone approved by the Director of Student assesment who is willing to sign a Proctor Security agreement.” The exams are graded by a group of faculty mem-
bers within one week of the completion of the test. Two members rate the essay on a scale of one to six. The two rates are integrated, and any score of seven or above is passing. Students can retest as many times as needed. The graders look for several different items in the essays before determining the rate. They check to see that the writer stayed on topic, their writing makes sense and their opinions are clearly stated, supporting details and the depth of the argument, the ideas are presented in logical order, writing is free of grammatical errors, word choices seem carefully chosen, and proper punctuation and capitalization is used. It is possible to be exempt from the JLE if one of several requirements is met. If a student has taken the THEA or the TASP and scored a 220 or higher in the writing section, taken the ACT and composite score was at least a 23 and a 19 or higher in the English section, taken the SAT and the composite score was 1070 with 500 or higher on the verbal section, scored a 2200 with a sub score of 3 on the TAKS, made a six or seven on the Accuplacer or a five with an 80 in writing, or completed either English 333 or 341 with a ‘C’ or better. If a student wishes to use scores from the ACT, SAT, or TAKS, they must have been in school consecutively since high school. Students that think they have met one of the above requirements, but find a discrepancy in their Degree Evaluation should contact the Testing Office.
Source for student loan money unkown Continued from Page 1 amount; we are pretty flexible,” Robnett said. “If you can’t pay it by the deadline, we will work with students on a case by case basis and do what we can to help.” Loan eligibility requires a student to be in good academic standing and to meet the GPA requirements of 2.0 for undergraduates and 3.0 for graduate students. “The biggest misconception about this loan is that students think it is based on financial aid, but it is not; this is simply a loan from the university itself,” Robnett said. Robnett also said he is uncertain where the money for this program initially
came from and that it began before anyone currently in the Bursar’s office was working at the university. “The emergency loan fund is completely separate from student tuition,” Robnett said. “This comes from an endowment fund, it predates everyone here and no one here is quite sure where it came from or how long it has been around.” The revenue generated from the loans is placed back into the endowment along with the repaid principle. Information on applying for the emergency loan can be found on the university’s website or at the Bursar’s office in the McDowell Administration Building.
Psychology conference held at Student Center Staff Writer Gabriella Martinez For the first time at A&MCommerce ARMADILLO held their annual Southwestern Cognition Conference in the Sam Rayburn Student Center Sept. 30 - Oct. 1. ARMADILLO – Association for Research in Memory, Attention, Decisionmaking, Imagery, Language, Learning & Organized perception – gave students and faculty the chance to converse with colleagues from other universities. “It’s wonderful like I really love ARMADILLO, just because it is so small,” psychology major Dawn Weatherford said. “It’s regional so you get to have conversations with professors that you might be otherwise intimidated to talk to like at the bigger conferences where there is a national scale.” Kathleen McDermott,
Washington University at St. Louis (WUSL) professor, spoke her teaching on episodic future thought and its relation to remembering. “I used to come to ARMADILLO when I lived in Texas, when I was a graduate student, so it’s fun to come back and see some colleagues and give some talks, McDermott said. “It’s really fun to mentor students and get to talk to a new generation of people coming through and hear what they’re interested in.” Another prominent person in the psychology field beside McDermott is Roddy Roediger, who is also a professor at WUSL. “It’s always enjoyable, I helped find some of these findings,” Roediger said. “I’ve always been close to my professor’s and when my undergraduate professor asked me to help with their research it helped.”
Chancellor Mills / the east texan
The Grazing Buffalo recently moved into the building previously occupied by Black Jack’s Barbecue on Park Street. All of the sauces used for the wings served at the restaurant were made by owner Rick Eickelberger, including one that requires customers to sign a waiver.
‘Buffalo’ aims to offer spice with sports Sports Editor Justin Cheatham A new wave of interest in the world of competitive eating has gripped America by the heartstrings by combining two things many Americans love; food and winning. Now, with the addition of The Grazing Buffalo, A&M-Commerce students and faculty have the opportunity to test their guts in a culinary contest called the Waiver Wing Challenge. “The waiver wing is a hot wing that my husband came up with and we have had a few people eat them,” restaurant owner Laura Eickelberger said. “It’s called the waiver wing
because we make you sign a waiver before you eat them, [stating] that you are not going to hold us liable. [They are] that hot.” The challenge pits a diner against seven wings with owner Rick Eickelberger’s secret sauce in a period of eight minutes. The catch, Mrs. Eckelberger said, was that then the diner has to wait another five minutes without anything to drink or wipe their mouth with. Completing the challenge within the rules will get the diner a spot on the “wall of pain” and eventually a t-shirt. Though the waiver wings are designed to bring in customers, it is not the only homemade sauce The
Grazing Buffalo has to offer. “My husband created all of the sauces that we have, the Carolina red is his secret recipe that he does,” Eickelberger said. “We have always wanted a wing place, but I wanted a salad bar and the burgers and barbecue kind of came with the place.” Along with some menu items, much of the décor is a flashback to the businesses’ former tenant, Blackjack Barbecue. However, Eickelberger said that they plan on redecorating and adding more televisions to view sporting events. “When I walked in here, it was The Grazing Buffalo, because it has the Indian western look,” Eickelberger
said. “I have a lot of work to still do, but we are working on it.” Though the Eickelberger’s realize the proximity to the downtown bar scene and college campus, they aim to set themselves apart from the established pack with Facebook connectivity. “I want a restaurant that just so happens to have a bar and you can have a few drinks at the table with dinner, but I don’t want this to be one of the bars downtown,” Eickelberger said. “I love the bars downtown; they are great and I have checked them out, but I want a restaurant. I want to have fun and, the wings are going to be a blast.”
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Ca mpus Life
Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011
Pugmire provides ‘loopy’ performance during concert
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Staff Writer Taylor Roussell The Campus Activities Board (CAB) hosted national touring artist Preston Pugmire in The Club on Wednesday, Sept. 28. Pugmire is known for the way he creates music by recording different sounds and beats live on stage and then playing it back to use as his band while he sings. To create the music of the evening, Pugmire used multiple objects and instruments including a guitar, deck of cards, and had a volunteer jump on stage to snap for him. During his performance, Pugmire sang seven songs including some of today’s popular songs from artists like Justin Bieber and Justin Timberlake. Pugmire also sang a love song he wrote and dedicated to his college crush and now wife. “If you want to get married write a song about her three years in advance.” Pugmire said. Pugmire’s charismatic performance was taken to another level when he began interacting with the crowd while singing with the help of a bullhorn. Pugmire carried on while dancing with an audience members and even FAITH WENBOURNE / THE EAST TEXAN serenading one audience member Preston Pugmire entertained the audience by mixing together musical loops while sitting on his lap. He was that he made with the use of instruments during his performance. able to get the audience to beeryone was very welcoming and nice,” Pugmire come a part of the show by asking everyone to said. clap along to songs during certain parts and havHe also talked about how the night before he ing everyone introduce themselves by all yelling went to a concert in Dallas and saw something he out their names at the same time. wanted to try, so he started off by singing “The “He was unique because he made all his stars at night are big and bright…” and the crowd beats and sound from scratch,” Junior Rich- finished by singing back “Deep in the heart of ard Petty said. “He was very energetic, es- Texas.” Pugmire seemed happy that it worked out pecially when he stood on the table and sang for him just as well as it did for the artist he saw through the bullhorn.” the previous night. He told the audience stories about this being Students who attended left with an autohis first trip to Texas and described the crowd as graphed picture and a free music download. You being warm and welcoming. can buy his new album Oct. 1 at www.preston“I enjoyed meeting all the students and ev- pugmire.com.
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New vaccine may be beginning of the end for HIV, trials reveal Campus Life Editor Nick Bailey The end of a medical battle may soon be in sight as Dr. Mariano Esteban and his research team has created an HIV vaccine that has been 90 percent successful in human trials. Esteban and his team have been working on developing a cure since 1999, at the Spanish Superior Scientific Research Council (CSIC) using a variation of a vaccine that was previously used to eradicate smallpox known as MVA-B. MVA-B showed promising signs in 2008 when tests were done on mice and monkeys, in which the virus created protection from simian immunodeficiency (SIV). These findings paved the way for the execution of
STOCK PHOTO: graphicshunt.com
The HIV virus can be transmitted through blood, seminal and vaginal fluids, and breast milk.
clinical trials with 30 healthy volunteers. In the clinical trial scientists injected the vaccine into 24 of the 30 HIV-free volunteers; six volunteers were injected with a placebo vaccine. Things began to look hopeful as 90 percent of the subjects developed an immunological response against the HIV virus, and 85 percent of those retained the reaction for at least one year. This process was being tested as a preventative method against HIV, teaching the body to defend itself against the virus before the infection occurs. “It is like showing it a picture of the HIV so that it is able to recognize it if it sees it again in the future,” Esteban said in a presentation of the clinical trial results of the vaccine documented on the CSIC website. “Our body is full of lymphocytes, each of them programmed to fight against a different pathogen. Training is needed when it involves a pathogen, like the HIV one, which cannot be naturally defeated.” Texas A&M University-Commerce is doing its part to help fight the virus by teaming up with AIDS Arms, the largest nonprofit HIV/AIDS service organi-
STOCK PHOTO: gizmag.com Dr. Mariano Esteban has been working on finding a cure for the HIV virus since 1999.
zation in North Texas to offer screenings for students wishing to get a medical examination focusing on HIV. The next screening dates are Oct. 14 and Oct. 28 between 1:00pm and 6:00pm. For more information, contact Student Health Services at 903-886-5853. Since the success in the first trials, the researchers will soon test the therapeutic effects of the vaccine by running trials with HIV-infected people. Despite the early successes, Esteban remains cautious of the potential cure at hand. “The treatment has only been tested on 30 volunteers,” he said. “While [the vaccine] provokes a powerful response in most of the cases, it’s still too soon [to know] if the resulting defense would be effective against an actual [HIV] infection.”
Art Gallery brings ‘Meta’ to A&M-Commerce Graphics Editor Jessica Martin
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS Texas A&M University-Commerce is the home of the largest music department in the A&M system.
Music department to fix faulty paneling Staff Writer Nikki Schmidlen In August of 2010, the Music Department of Texas A&M University-Commerce built a $29 million dollar building, but just over a year later it is under construction again, due to an issue with panels. The black panels on the side of the music build acquired streaks across them, which happened in the ionization process when the building was being constructed. After the panels were iodized, they are supposed to cure, permitting the chemical to dry, however the panels were stacked before being fully dried, causing the chemical to dissolve and works its way into the metal panels. “We have had to replace the aluminum panels at no cost to the university,” Music Department Head Dr. Chris White said. “Byrne Construction is one of the best contractors in the state… They did a phenomenal job, and they understand music buildings. We were afraid with the weather the streaks would become more prominent. So the contractor insisted on replacing them.” Dr. White explained that
A&M-Commerce currently has the largest music department in the A&M system, so a building to house this department would have some mistakes in the beginning. “For the most part we got it right,” White said. “We had a few glitches, as would be expected in a 29 million dollar building, every once in a while you forget something. If you saw our old building, this is what I called an extreme make over. [The old music building] was finished in the late 50’s for 50 music majors. We are at 250 music majors now.” While Dr. White is pleased with the growth of the department, he is also concerned with the availability of practice space for students. White has stated that while he would like to build more practice rooms on the west side of the building, he feels the athletic department deserves the area more. “I think eventually we need more practice rooms,” White said. “We have enough but there is enough competition for them, but that can be adjusted with hours… [The athletes] give their all, we need to do something for them so we can get them out of [the field house]. Lets put kids first.”
The University Gallery at Texas A&M University – Commerce is hosting an exhibition of art pieces entitled Meta by Charles Michael Reid, who received his Master of Fine Arts from A&M Commerce in 2007. Reid, who is currently a gallery director at the House Gallery in London, was unable to attend but provided a statement about his pieces. The exhibition is com-
prised of 12 pieces, the majority of which are oils on canvas, but also included mixed media pieces, and even an audio piece. His works are dominated ‘text forms,’ as he calls them. “What began as visual utterances of text incorporated into paintings, excerpts of poems, myths, and parables, became these active visual elements that evolved both on the two-dimensional surface and beyond,” Reid said. However, there are also biological and anatomical
elements littered throughout his pieces. “I have been fascinated with language for much of my life,” Reid said. “Perhaps more easily apparent at first glance, my ongoing interest in biology, anatomy and other fields of science has become the visual vocabulary by which I invite my viewers to enter my work. The resulting imagery, an amalgam of hybridized, anthropomorphic forms and shapes, borders on science fiction.” Eric de Llamas, who is a
graduate art student, President of the Art Club, and the gallery coordinator, offered a bit of insight into Reid’s work. “I’m really impressed by the abstraction of the language and text in his work,” de Llamas said. “It started out as more visible but he found that the more abstract it became the more it helped to improve his art.” The Meta exhibition will be in the University Gallery from September 27th to October 21st.
Photos from the art gallery
The works of former Texas A&M University-Commerce student Charles Michael Reid will be on display from Sept. 27 to Oct. 21.
KRISTEN KELLY / THE EAST TEXAN
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Ca mpus Life
Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011
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Historic icon visits A&M-Commerce Staff Writer Keyania Campbell The Texas A&M University-Commerce chapters of the American Chemistry Society and National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers hosted the Who Is Chemistry event featuring world-renowned scientist Dr. Mae Jemison. The event, held in Ferguson Auditorium on Sept. 28, 2011, was attended by students from Northeast Texas schools, including Paris Junior College, Greenville High School, and Clarksville High School. Visiting high school students received gift bags with admissions information and promotional items from A&M-Commerce. They were also provided lunch and given tours of the campus. The living museum portion of the event, directed by University Playhouse member Samantha Grace, was acted out by members Kym Baxter, Henry Okigbo, Jeffery Stirl, and Eduardo Sneed. They portrayed scientists throughout history by telling their stories of overcoming adversity and rising to the top of the chemical and biological engineering fields in four monologues.
Dr. Jemison spoke last, on various topics such as her time in college and in medical school, her experiences in the space program, and her childhood. “I’m a girl that grew up on the South side of Chicago, a chemical engineer, a person that loves cats, cherries, and melons, and a wannabe dancer,” Jemison said in her introduction. She also discussed her views on improving the science, and engineering education system. “It was really cool and interesting,” Clarksville High School junior Ashley Smith said. “I’m really glad I got to come. I loved listening to her. She was funny and really, really cool.” Jemison received a standing ovation for her speech and answered questions from the audience about her favorite school subjects and challenges she faced in the space program. She was presented with a gift of four framed interpretations of the Who Is Chemistry promotional artwork and backdrop for the living museum, done by Health and Human Performance major Andrew Criptenden. “I was thrown into this, but it went very well,” NOBCChE president Terrence
COLE LEONARD / THE EAST TEXAN SGA had its largest turnout with 30 students in attendance on Wednesday Sept. 28.
Students voice their discontent, SGA slow to provide solutions Staff Writer Cole Leonard
JESSICA MARTIN / THE EAST TEXAN Dr. Mae Jemison was pleased to speak to students from A&M-Commerce and surrounding areas and share her stories of college and professional career.
Brady said. “It was a good feeling to see students actually interested and inspired. It was one of those things
you envision, and want to do, but almost unbelievable when you see it with your own eyes.” v
Miss Teen Canada calls A&M-Commerce home, hopeful to experience new culture Campus Life Editor Nick Bailey
This year, A&M-Commerce admitted a bit of northern notoriety through its doors, when Canada native Cassondra Paletta became a student. Born in Ontario, Paletta stepped into the spotlight in 2008, when she was crowned Miss Teen Canada International at the age of 17. “It was a cool experience,” Paletta said. “I got to travel all across Canada; I went to all of the provinces, and I’d never been out east before and I had never been certain places out west, so it was very cool to see all the different types of sub-cultures within my country.” During her time as Miss Teen Canada International, Paletta became the spokesperson for Teddy Bears of Hope, which is an organization that donates teddy bears to impoverished children all over the world. With this program, Paletta was able to reach out and make a difference in the lives of others. “We visited schools and youth groups, and we ended up collecting 60,000 teddy bears which we then shipped to Afghanistan,” Paletta said. “They were distributed by The Red Cross and our armed forces there to orphanages all across Kandahar and the rest of the country.”
that I get to walk into the café and always see somebody that I know there and there’s pretty much always a friendly face around the corner. I really like that.” While she is happy about the relocation to Texas, there is one thing that Paletta says bugs her: crickets. For her, these insects have been a major difference in surroundings because of their abundance and size. But as Paletta puts it, “everything’s bigger in Texas.” Despite growing up in a colder climate, Paletta says she feels more comfortable in the Texas weather, and believes that she will be prepared for this year’s colder seasons as well. “I love the weather, because I am not a fan of the cold,” she said. “I love how warm it is here, and it Courtesy of Cassondra Paletta makes me very happy. Here I heard Paletta was crowned Miss Teen Canada International in you guys shut the school down for 2008, and is now studying Pre-Medical Biology here at four days because of six inches [of A&M-Commerce. snow].” Since her arrival at the A&M-ComPaletta is currently studying Premerce campus, Paletta has had to adjust Medical Biology as a part of the Interto many cultural differences coming national American University College from our neighbors to the north. of Medicine, which requires students “My first impression was ‘wow this to complete 90 credit hours in the preis really small,’” she said. “It’s very cool that I get to walk into my classes and medical program with a minimum 3.2 know the majority of people there, and grade point average.
Counseling Corner Free depression screenings Special Contributor Marty Marshjacobs
JESSICA MARTIN / THE EAST TEXAN
College life can be both exciting and challenging. Sometimes changes, expectations, and stressors can leave students feeling anxious, stressed, or sad which can lead to depression. One out of four young adults will experience a depressive episode by age 24. Nearly half of all college students report feeling so depressed at some point that they have trouble functioning. Untreated depression can lead to suicide, which is the second leading cause of death among college students. The Counseling Center will be administering depression screenings during the Disability Awareness and Resources Fair on Thursday, October 13. The fair will be located in the RSC Ballrooms from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. These screenings are offered each year as part of
National Depression Screening Day, which is held each October in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Week. Those attending will have an opportunity to complete a confidential written assessment and meet with a counselor. If needed, a referral to a campus or community resource will be provided. The free screenings also include bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder. This is the first in a series of Counseling Corner columns provided weekly by Counseling Center staff. We would appreciate your suggestions to make this column a success. Do you have an idea or question you would like addressed in the Counseling Corner? Drop us an email at: cou n sel i ngcor ner ta muc@ gmail.com.
The night’s agenda covered the organization’s pursuit of increasing visibility on campus and addressing decorum and conduct issues among the senate members. The two-hour meeting also focused on updating and revising the group’s standing rules due to non-compliance concerns and lack of membership in the SGA. Approximately 30 students attended the meeting and were met with surprise from the senate. “This is the biggest house we’ve ever had,” Senator Sarah Cunningham remarked about the flood of attendants. The senate also approved the nomination of Montel Ausbrooks for membership in the SGA, filling the organization its 16th seat with 14 still open. During each meeting the floor is opened for general student input, which gives students the opportunity to comment, criticize or address issues concerning them. This is to provide a forum for open exchange with the SGA whose duty is to act as liaison between students and the university. A handful of students took advantage of this opportunity to engage the senate with their grievances and led an offensive attack on the administration regarding the seeming adoration of incoming freshmen. “They are catering to students who aren’t necessarily raising the school’s standards instead of the students who are about to graduate,” graduate student Andrea Potter said. Potter’s issue centered on the university’s practice of focusing on attracting freshmen students and concentrating attention on caring for the needs of a “valuable revenue stream and letting graduate students and upperclassmen go by the wayside.” The students felt that the administration’s desire to increase enrollment through recruiting high school graduates is injuring their relationship with older students. Potter examples this insult
by denouncing the family housing destruction and its impact on the soon-to-be evicted residents. She has a friend who must find a new apartment for her and her family but cannot afford the increase in rent for an offcampus living site. “They have to be out by December 18, but the financial aid department won’t give them an increase in money to help them afford their change in residence,” Potter said. She found it offensive that the building is being torn down and a new building will only be offered to incoming freshman or sophomore students and said “students with families are getting screwed.” Kelly Dent, a political science graduate student, used this forum to raise her concern regarding poor communication between the administration and the students. She explained that students are completely unaware of activities and news on campus and that the university’s webpage has “ a magical, wonderful calendar with nothing on it.” One senator responded that the administration has hired a new chief information officer and that a new restructuring phase is causing several changes and slow response to student appeals regarding the matter. Prairie Crossing resident, Robert Cox, returned to the meeting to receive an update on his complaints regarding poor wireless internet in the residence halls and added upon Dent’s complaint. “As we grow we will have infrastructure problems and we must keep the administration aware they need to increase services as the campus grows,” he said. The meeting concluded with addressing concerns over non-compliance with their standing rules and motions to remove irrelevant and redundant sections in their codifications. These new rules will be amended and introduced for adoption in future meetings as well as beginning impeachment procedures for a truant senator.
903-886-2710 There’s A Little Superhero In Everything We Do! w w w. l a t s o n s . c o m
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Entertainment Entertainment
Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011
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‘50/50’ provides feel good cancer comedy Fromage du Jour Entertainment Editor Chancellor Mills
I’m quite certain I speak for everyone when I say the funniest movies out there are the ones that center on young people getting cancer and, as a result, having to face their cripplingly depressing mortality. Okay, probably not. But “50/50” was by far the funniest cancer movie that I have ever seen. The film focuses on 27-year-old writer Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who is living a healthy, cautious life with his beautiful artist girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard) and “Barney Stinson-esque” best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen). That is, until he is diagnosed with a very rare form of spinal cancer and finds his whole world crashing down around him. Despite being a movie about a young man with a very frightening, life threatening illness, “50/50” really is a laugh riot throughout. I think that the best thing the film had going for it was the fact that it decided not to be like other cancer movies. There was none of this traditional “bucket list” business. Adam doesn’t go skydiving, or go Rocky Mountain climbing or even 2.7 seconds on a bull named “Blue Man Chu.” He just keeps living his life, as if completely ignoring the cancer will somehow make it go away. This movie made me kind of hate Bryce Dallas Howard. I mean, in the trailers, we see Adam as he tries to use his cancer to pick up girls, so I just assumed that she would be playing his sister or something. But when the movie opens and they are playing all lovey-dovey, I knew I wasn’t going to like where this was going. We quickly find out that the
two have not been dating all that long, as Adam gives her “an out” when he is diagnosed, saying that he would understand if she bailed. And all seems right in the world when she decides to stay and take care of him. However, when she refuses to go into the hospital with him for his chemotherapy and starts forgetting to pick him up from the hospital, it is clear that things are about to go sideways. The funniest contribution she makes to the film is that she buys Adam a retired racetrack greyhound named “Skeletor” and STOCK PHOTO: MOVIECARPET.COM coerces him into keeping it. She After his first round of chemotherapy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character, Adam, does this by saying makes the bold decision to beat the treatment to the chase by shaving his head. that if she returns to which she has no response because him to the shelter he will be repeatedly she doesn’t get the reference and thinks raped over and over again until, even- Adam is referring to doctor on staff at tually, he would be euthanized. Who the hospital. could do that to a dog? I mean, really! As I said, “50/50” is a hilarious movThe interaction between the charac- ie throughout, but there is also a bit of ters is really what drives the hilarity in sadness in it too. I won’t give anything the film. For instance, the first interac- away, but I must say that Joseph Gortion between Adam and his 24-year-old don-Levitt’s performance is amazing, hospital therapist (Anna Kendrick) is and I guarantee that you will walk away particularly hilarious because he openly from the theater feeling very satisfied, mocks her, calling her Doogie Howser – and better for the experience.
STOCK PHOTO: NEWGAMENETWORK.COM
While FIFA 12 may stick to a lot of its old ways, the new defending system makes it a little bit tougher and more realistic, Editor Adam Troxtell writes.
‘FIFA 12’ brings welcomed improvements to franchise Editor Adam Troxtell The game designers at EA Sports are really in a difficult spot. Year after year, they have to find ways to make their leading FIFA series better within the limits of the latest and greatest technology. This is evident in their newest release of FIFA 12, which, while enjoyable, is almost too similar to the 2011 edition, minus attempted improvements to the game play that end up making the biggest difference. For instance, the opening sequence, the introduction to games and the way they structure their career mode are all carbon copies of the previous version of the game. It’s something I don’t necessarily mind, but that sense of newness and advancement is not really felt by just looking at the game’s presentation. It is pretty evident, however, when gamers are faced with defending an attack in actual game play. Players of FIFA 12 will have a revamped defensive system to get used to, which, for me – someone who always has trouble on defense – took a few games to figure out. Basically, the new system requires players to be more aware and do more than just stand between the opposing player and the goal. You have to “contain” the player
first; then, make a calculated decision on when to tackle, as opposed to flying in and pressing one button to get the ball. It makes the game more realistic, but also makes it a tad more difficult. Once you get used to the new system, the game is still as enjoyable as ever. This new way of defending is also complimented by a new impact engine that makes the game experience much more realistic. When two players collide in this game, it becomes evident quickly, as one or both will stumble this way or another. It is not without its bugs, though. For instance, many times I went in for a tackle much later than I should have, with the ball already gone. This would, in real life, be a foul, but mine were rarely called. Also, it can become overexaggerated at times, especially when approaching the goal. It might make the game play more exciting, but it can become frustrating when the smallest little bump ends up sending your player flailing to the ground (enter sarcastic remark about soccer players ‘diving’ here). Also, improved player graphics and facial expressions contribute to the more realistic feel of the game. My only real problem with this game is the AI when the gamer is on offense. Instead of players running forward at the right moment in an attack, I was
often left fuming at my teammates’ inability to see where the obvious running lane was and when to do it. After adjusting the game settings slightly, I did see an improvement; but, when the computer controlled team can find out what I’m doing before my own team even knows; it’s incredibly upsetting. FIFA 12 has managed to make welcome additions to online play. Gamers can now do more than just pick their favorite club and announce it to the world. They can also contribute to their club’s virtual success by accumulating experience points. The points you gain by playing or gaining achievements in FIFA go toward raising your prestige and your club’s position in the online FIFA world. Fans of a specific club have their experience points accumulated and thrown into a pot. The club that has the most experience points is given a specific place in the online rankings. This feature highlights something FIFA has been unable to do for years now: unite fans of the beautiful game from across the globe. Playing FIFA now makes gamers a part of something bigger, which is something few games can claim. FIFA has not failed its gaming fans with this release, but it does bring to question just how many more ways it can improve over the next few years.
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A weekly look at film cheese
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According to Jordan Wright, “BloodRayne 3: The Blood Reich” vies for the worst film ever reviewed for the “Fromage du Jour” column.
‘The Blood Reich’ delivers poorly shot, staged sequel Staff Writer Jordan Wright I’ve spoken a lot about video game based films the past few weeks. While I admit that I didn’t intend to explore this domain as much as I have, I simply can’t move past it without talking about the Uwe Boll. For those of you that aren’t aware of the German mastermind behind such classics as “Alone in The Dark” and “Postal”, Boll’s work is often cited as the reason video games should never be adapted into film. Roughly 80 percent of his films are frequently rated by most critics and film audiences alike as the worst films ever made. One of those films is “BloodRayne”, a 2005 horror action flick about a half vampire out for revenge against her father for the murder of her mother. It sucked but went on to spawn two sequels, “BloodRayne 2: Deliverance” and the film that has graced my presence this week: “BloodRayne 3: The Blood Reich.” For movie about a half vampire leading a military resistance against Nazi vampires, it still somehow manages to be the most boring film that I’ve watched in recent history. Set in the middle of World War II, “BloodRayne 3: The Blood Reich” continues the story of half vampire, half human Rayne. This time, she’s working with a resistance group seeking to combat Hitler’s army when she’s forced to feed on a Nazi soldier in order to regenerate. The feeding has caused him to turn vampire, a tactical advantage that the Nazis seek to exploit in their quest for world domination, forcing Rayne and the resistance to stop this squad from delivering their findings on vampirism to Hitler, who could become immortal. The film opens up with an assault on a German train carrying Jews to be sent to concentration camps and it is in this opening segment that you truly realize just how aw-
ful of a ride you’re in for. For starters, the film that claims to be set in Nazi Germany doesn’t have anybody speaking in a German accent. I’ve heard some British accents and even New York accents but never for a single moment did I buy that these characters were German or even in Germany. Every performance in the movie is bland and tasteless but the least they could have done was try to define their setting. Not even 15 minutes in and the illusion was broken. Not that there was much of an illusion to begin with. Like most of Uwe Boll’s movies, the low budget cinematography makes the entire world look downright disgusting. It’s like watching a bad action film shot through a lens smeared in mud. There is nothing visually appealing here in the slightest. To compound that horrendous acting and bad camerawork, the few action scenes to be had are god-awful. The camera is zoomed in to an extent that makes discerning what happens onscreen a chore and the choreography is laughable at best. Rayne brings swords to gun fights for no apparent reason and despite having deadly accuracy just seconds beforehand, every time she comes on screen with her blades, every bullet fired by her enemies magically misses. If everything I have just said about this movie sounds dry, I’m sorry but there really isn’t much to say about it. It takes what could have been a relatively fun premise and turns it into a movie so dull that it hurts. I fail to understand how a film about a day-walking vampire hunter fighting Nazis can make an hour and fifteen minutes feel like over two hours, but this has got to be one of the worst things that I’ve seen since this column’s inception. The nicest thing I can think to say about it is that it ended, and I never have to speak of it again.
Verdict: Half a Shatner
Page 7
Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011
numbersgame 586
hotshot 100
Yards of offense gained by MSU in their 45-14 win over Incarnate Word on Saturday
A&M-Commerce senior Cory Whitfield scored on a 100-yard interception return Saturday
I FOOTBALL
20th-ranked Buffaloes rout Tarleton Tarleton State may have struck early against the 20thranked West Texas A&M Buffaloes, but the Texans learned that once often isn’t enough, as the Buffaloes overcame the early deficit and rolled to a 44-13 win in Stephenville. TSU’s Nick Stephens connected with with Clifton Rhodes on the first play from scrimmage for a 70yard touchdown to give the Texans 1-4 overall, 1-2 LSC) a quick lead, but the Buffaloes (3-1 overall, 3-0 LSC) shrugged it off and cruised the rest of the way. West Texas A&M took the lead midway through the first period and never looked back, scoring 28 unanswered points over the last three frames. The Buffaloes compiled 530 total yards in the game, and after allowing TSU to gain over 200 in the first period, held the Texans to just 311 in the contest. Dustin Vaughan threw for 339 yards, eclipsing the 300yard mark for a third straight week. Nathan Slaughter hauled in a game-high five catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Stephens paced the Texans with 199 yards and a touchdown through the air, but the running game was ineffective as Evan Robertson led the way with just 27 yards on the ground.
Other scores from the LSC include:
Midwestern State 45, Incarnate Word 14 No. 22 Midwestern State rolled up 586 yards of offense in a dominating 45-14 win over Incarnate Word on Saturday. Junior quarterback Brandon Kelsey accounted for 315 yards of total offense, passing for 210 yards with three scores and rushing for a career-high 105 yards to go with another touchdown as the Mustangs hit the 4-0 mark for the sixth consecutive season. Lester Bush led the Mustangs’ ground attack with 103 yards and Forney native Peter Smith ran for 78 yards and a score. Midwestern State, which improved o 3-0 in LSC play, ran out to a 35-0 lead before the Cardinals (1-4 overall, 1-2 LSC) got on the scoreboard.
Eastern New Mexico 23, Angelo State 21 Wesley Wood passed for 370 yards and ran for 56 more, guiding the ENMU Greyhounds to a 23-21 win over Angelo State on Saturday, the first ENMU win over ASU since 2005. The Greyhounds (2-3
lscstandings
Team Midwestern State West Texas A&M Abilene Christian A&M-Kingsville East. New Mexico Tarleton State Incarnate Word Angelo State A&M-Commerce
LSC Overall 3-0 4-0 3-0 3-1 2-0 3-1 1-2 3-2 1-2 2-3 1-2 1-4 1-2 1-4 0-2 3-2 0-2 0-4
This Week’s Games Abilene Chr. @ Eastern NM Angelo State @ West Texas A&M Incarnate Word @ A&M-C Lindenwood @ A&M-K Tarleton St. @ Midwestern St.
Individual Leaders
GRAYSON GRAVES
Junior quarterback Yogi Gallegos, seen here against Midwestern State, suffered an injury during Saturday’s loss at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
overall, 1-2 LSC) took a 23-21 lead in the third quarter on a Michael Cottingham field goal, after trailing 21-20 at halftime. The Rams’ game-winning field goal attempt was blocked with 1:43 left on the clock.
Abilene Christian 51, Western Oregon 35 11th-ranked Abilene Christian got all it could han-
dle from its Pacific Northwest opponents, but Taylor Gabriel helped put the Wildcats over the top with some key returns. Gabriel set up a late score in the first half with a long punt return, then took a punt to the house from 55 yards out late in the third quarter that put ACU up for good, as the Wildcats topped Western Oregon, 51-35. WOU quarterback Evan Mozzochi passed for 365 yards and three touch-
downs, but the home team put up even better numbers throughout the evening. Mitchell Gale completed 29-of-43 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns to lead ACU, and Gabriel also hauled in six catches for 90 yards. Morgan Lineberry kicked field goals of 45,22, and 33 yards for the Wildcats, who improved to 3-1 overall. ACU will hit the road to face Eastern New Mexico this weekend in LSC play.
Passing Player
Yds TD
Wesley Wood, ENMU Blake Hamblin, ASU Nick Stephens, TSU Mitchell Gale, ACU D. Vaughan, WTAMU Paden Lynch, IWU
1505 1431 1389 1315 1237 924
Rushing Player
Yds TD
Trent Rios, IWU Woodson, TAMUK Tristan Carter, ASU Keidrick Jackson, MSU Lester Bush, MSU Brandon Kelsey, MSU
386 366 333 321 303 274
Receiving Player
Yds TD
C. Rhodes, TSU Rob Armstrong, TAMUK B. Golden, WTAMU Darian Dale, ENMU David Little, MSU
495 448 434 375 328
11 9 8 9 10 6
6 2 4 8 6 3
2 7 3 3 4
Tackles Player
Total
M. Wadley, TSU Juan Asencio, IWU Aguilar, TAMUK Cory Whitfield, TAMUC Perron Sellers, ENMU Jayson Serda, ENMU
57 42 41 38 36 36
I SOCCER
Womack, ACU continue hot start lscstandings
Team Abilene Christian West Texas A&M Incarnate Word Eastern NM Angelo State Midwestern St. A&M-Commerce Texas Woman’s
LSC Overall 5-0-1 9-0-1 3-3-1 6-4-1 2-2-3 4-2-4 2-1-3 4-3-3 2-2-2 3-5-2 2-2-1 4-2-2 2-3-1 4-5-1 0-5-0 0-7-2
This Week’s Games Oct. 5 Midwestern St. @ Abilene Chr. A&M-C @ Texas Woman’s Oct. 7 Incarnate Word @ Texas Woman’s Eastern NM @ Abilene Chr. Angelo State @ A&M-C West Texas A&M @ Midwestern Oct. 9 Incarnate Word @ A&M-C Angelo State @ Texas Woman’s West Texas A&M @ Abilene Chr. Eastern NM @ Midwestern St. *– LSC matches
Individual Leaders Points Player
Total
Leslie Brigggs, WTAMU Andrea Carpenter, ACU Kelsey Hill, MSU Krista Grimm, ACU Jade Bell, TAMUC
Goals Player
18 17 14 13 12
Total
Andrea Carpenter, ACU Leslie Briggs, WTAMU Kelsey Hill, MSU Amber Guenther, IWU Jade Bell, TAMUC
Assists Player
7 7 5 5 5
Total
Kelsey Hill, MSU Lindsay Pritchard, MSU Sam Johnson, IWU Leslie Briggs, WTAMU ?Becky McMullen, WTAMU
Saves Player
4 4 4 4 4
Total
Beatrice Soto, TWU Randi Hafele, TAMUC Victoria Puentes, IWU Sierra Cardenas, ENMU Yvette Bedoy, WTAMU
55 54 48 43 35
Lyndsey Womack and the Abilene Christian University Wildcats continued to build on the best start in program history last week, improving their LSC record to 5-0-1 and 9-0-1 overall, giving the Wildcats a five-point lead in the LSC standings. Womack, a senior from Longview, led the ACU defense last week, playing 177 of a possible 180 minutes as the Wildcats shutout both Eastern New Mexico and West Texas A&M. In the two wins, the ACU defense allowed just 10 shots, only three of which were shots on goal. The Wildcats also successfully cleared six opposing corner kicks. The two victories helped ACU tie a program record with three consecutive shutouts.
The Wildcats added to that win streak – which now stands at five – with a 4-2 win over Texas Woman’s and, most recently, a 4-1 drubbing of Texas A&M-Commerce. Womack was named LSC Defensive Player of the Week for her performance and leadership. ACU has allowed just seven goals through its first 10 matches this season, annd owns a 29-7 scoring margin in 2011. So far this season, the Wildcats have started 5-0-1 at home, 3-0 on the road and 1-0 at neutral sites. ACU will play its next three latches at home, beginning with an Oct. 5 match against Midwestern State, Eastern New Mexico on Oct. 7, and a big test against West Texas A&M on Oct. 9.
DANAE BLESSING / THE EAST TEXAN
A&M-Commerce freshman Callie Annett (4) and the Lions will return home Friday to host Angelo State.
I VOLLEYBALL
MSU’s Jordan named top defensive player by LSC
FAITH WENBOURNE
After four matches at the Texas Woman’s tournament last weekend, Jordan Neal (1) and the Lions returned home against Dallas Baptist on Tuesday.
Midwestern State University senior Kiara Jordan already owns the school record for digs in one match. Now, the former Gilmer High Schoool standout owns the two highest match totals in school history with her effort last weekend against Tarleton State. Jordan, who set the school record with 50 digs in a 2009 match against Texas A&M University-Commerce, recorded 40 more in a five-set loss to Tarleton State and finished the week with 59 in
two matches. Jordan was named CoDefensive player of the week by the Lone Star Conference, and leads the LSC with a per set average of 6.04 digs this season. Laura Macek, a senior at Texas A&M UniversityKingsville, tied the school record for blocks in a match twice last week with 11 against both Angelo State and A&M-Commerce. Macek shared the defensive player of the week honors with Jordan.
lscstandings
Team LSC Overall Angelo State 7-1 18-2 West Texas A&M 7-1 16-2 Tarleton State 5-1 11-7 Cameron 4-3 10-5 Abilene Christian 4-3 10-9 Incarnate Word 5-4 9-7 Texas Woman’s 3-4 5-11 A&M-Kingsville 3-6 7-6 Midwestern State 2-5 10-6 Eastern NM 1-7 4-12 A&M-Commerce 1-7 4-10
Individual Leaders Kills Player Jennie Hutt, ACU Flynn Harrell, TSU Amber Durand, ENMU Ashley Davis, WTAMU Adrienne Lawson, CAM Chloe Tate, TWU Kelsey Washington, TAMUK Kelle Carver, CAM
Total 231 201 184 158 154 154 153 138
Assists Player Alex Woolsey, ASU Lacy Hayes, WTAMU Jenna Risoli, CAM Caley Johnson, ACU Jessie Hartman, TSU Jordan Neal, TAMUC
Blocks Player Nikki McNorton, TSU Erin Dougherty, WTAMU Danielle Vidaurri, IWU Laura Macek, TAMUK Erika Dupree, WTAMU Rachel Robertson, TAMUC
Digs Player Lydia Werchan, IWU Kiara Jordan, MSU Lauren Beville, WTAMU Ali Insell, TAMUK Dallas Russell, ENMU Shelby Witt, ASU Julissa Ocasio, CAM Hillary White, MSU
Total 605 563 438 358 355 333
Total 80 73 64 52 49 35
Total 296 271 248 246 232 222 204 172
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sports
Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011
www.theeasttexan.com
boxscore Score By Quarter A&M-C 7
0
A&M-K 6 10
7
7 – 21
9 14 – 39
Team Stats
A&M-C A&M-K
First Downs
15
24
Total Yards
229
515
Rushing
29-104
34-110
Passing
18-38
25-40
Pass Yards
125
405
Fumbles-Lost
1-0
6-3
Penalties-Yds
3-25
9-85
Lions football looks to add staff
Time of Poss. 26:33
32:23
Individual Stats Passing A&M-C: Yogi Gallegos 14-300-0-104 A&M-K: Daniel Ramirez 16-29272-2-0, Nate Poppell 9-11-1331-1
JESSICA MARTIN / THE EAST TEXAN
Cory Whitfield, number five for the Commerce Lions, attempts to tackle Midwestern State University offense at the Harvey Martin Classic at Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, Texas.
Gallegos injured in 39-21 defeat Editor Adam Troxtell A&M-Commerce dropped to 0-4 on the season in a 39-21 loss to Texas A&MKingsville, in a game marred by missed opportunities and mishaps on both sides. Both teams lost their starting quarterbacks in the game; the Javelinas’ Nate Poppell, who has already dealt with concussion problems this season, exited the game late in the second quarter, while A&M-Commerce lost Yogi Gallegos right at halftime. “What they told me at half time was it was a shoulder sprain, and that they thought he could possibly come back, I guess ‘numb it up’ for lack of a better word, and he could play if he could tolerate the pain,” Head Coach Guy Morriss said about Gallegos’s injury. “Evidently, he couldn’t, so we’ll assess it this week and see how he is for next week’s game.” Poppell was in the game long enough to lead the Javelinas in rushing with 43 yards and go 9-11 in passing with one touchdown and one interception. On the first play of A&M-Kingsville’s second drive, he combined with receiver Sherman Baptiste on an 80 yard catch and run for the game’s first touchdown. The Lions blocked the point after attempt, keeping the deficit at 6-0. A&M-Commerce still struggled to get their offense going, but the defense made up for that on the Javelinas’ next drive. After getting all the way down into the red zone, Poppell’s pass
went right into the stomach of senior linebacker Cory Whitfield, who took the interception the entire 100 yards to give the Lions a 7-6 lead. In line with the game’s theme of unusual occurrences, the Javelinas answered when a botched field goal attempt turned into an unexpected seven points. Kicker Matt Stoll had lined up for a 37 yard field goal, but the holder Joseph Vela had trouble setting the ball, picked it up, and dodged a few tackles before running down the right side for a touchdown. The point after attempt made the score 13-7 early in the second quarter. Stoll did get his field goal with about 31 seconds left in the first half to put A&MKingsville up by nine going into halftime, but there was enough time for more bad luck to strike for the Lions. On an attempted lateral play with seconds remaining, Gallegos was tossed the ball and hit hard while trying to run down the left-side of the field. He required immediate medical attention and did not return for the rest of the game. Vela then caught a 29 yard pass for a touchdown on the Javelinas’ first drive of the second half. Stoll then added another field goal to put the home team up 25-7 midway through the third quarter. Lusby, who replaced Gallegos after former backup quarterback J.J. Harp quit the team last week, looked confident in his first action for the Lions as quarterback, and despite one interception, managed to keep the Lions in the game.
A&M-Commerce caught a break when sophomore defensive lineman Lawson Schwertner fell on a fumble inside the Javelinas’ end zone to take the deficit down to 11 points. Then, it was Lusby’s moment to make a permanent mark on the game. After throwing an interception caught by Rockeem Collins and returned for another A&M-Kingsville touchdown, the freshman marched his team back down the field and capped a 6 play, 61-yard drive with a four-yard pass to Adam Jones to give the Lions hope. Once again, it was not to be for the Lions. With just over a minute left, A&MKingsville backup quarterback Daniel Ramirez connected with sophomore Robert Armstrong on a
JESSICA MARTIN / THE EAST TEXAN
Lions are attempting to bring a new face to the weight room at Whitley Gymnasium with the search to hire a strength and conditioning coach.
Rushing A&M-C: Marcus Graham 10-53, Darryll Crummle 5-27, Travis Zacharie 10-20 A&M-K: Nate Poppell 4-34, J. Woodson9-24, Daniel Ramirez 9-23 Receiving A&M-C: Taylor Fore 5-39, Tyler Rawlings 2-28, Adam Jones 3-19, Marcus Graham 3-18 A&M-C: R. Armstrong 10-175, Sherman Batiste 3-98, Damian Couthren 5-51, J. Woodson 3-41, Joseph Vela 2-26
42-yard touchdown pass to assure the win. Armstrong was one of the offensive leaders on the night, racking up 175 yards on 10 catches for the Javelinas. Morriss said the loss came down to A&M-Commerce’s inability to come back stronger from mistakes and take the chances given to them. “We’ve just got to stop beating ourselves,” Morriss said. “We just don’t understand that concept yet. We just make mistake after mistake, we miss out on opportunities, and we’ve just got to find a way to reach them.”
Assistant Sports Editor Cliff Gibson Lion’s football coach Guy Morriss confirmed last week that A&M-Commerce is currently conducting a nationwide search for somebody to step into a role within the athletic department for strength and conditioning, which has never been filled on a full-time basis and to Morriss, this hire is extremely important. “To me, it’s a very strategic hire, and we’re doing a national search to get the best hire we possibly can,” Morriss said. “I don’t know if they’ve ever had a strength coach here, not to my knowledge. But these days, if you don’t have one, you’re behind the rest. I’m excited about it, we need a good one here.” The absence of a strength coach on campus has been a thorn in Morriss’ side since he arrived three years ago. In order to fill the need in the best way possible, Morriss has to sacrifice other coaches at certain times, which not only interrupts game planning, but can also create confusion among the athletes. “The defensive staff has been sharing the responsibilities that a strength coach would normally have. But when a kid has a question in the weight room, one coach may answer it one way, another may answer it another way,
and you kind of get fractured there,” Morriss said. “I think every dog should only have one master, and hopefully we can hire that person pretty soon.” According to Morriss, the job posting was supposed to be for 10 days, which has since expired. However, while the hire may take place in the very near future, an immediate impact is not likely. “Strength gains come real slow. It’ll probably take two years before you see the results of the program, but you have to start somewhere,” Morriss said. “The strength coach will spend more time with the athletes than us coaches do, taking care of the weight room, making sure the kids are on time and getting their lifts in. Hopefully, they’ll also have some nutritional knowledge that will be beneficial to our athletes.” Morriss said he’s extremely excited about the upcoming hire, but as for his ideal candidate, the answer was simple. “It’s got to be somebody who loves being around college kids, who’ll invest themselves in our athletic programs and have a good knowledge of what’s working or not working,” Morris said. “It’s right around the corner, and I can’t wait to get somebody in here to help our program.”