2011-10-27

The East Texan STUDENT NE WSPAPER OF TE X AS A& M UNIVERSIT Y- COMMERCE SINCE 1915

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Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011

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news Page 3

entertainment Page 6

sports Page 7 and 8

See who won the talent show last week, and read more about the dedication of Pride Rock and the Music Building.

Batman is back in the new ‘Arkham City’ video game, and we review ‘Paranormal Activity 3’ without ‘spoiling’ anything.

All of the recaps from homecoming games over the weekend, including two big home matches for women’s soccer.

Degree elimination proposal reaches deadline day Editor Adam Troxtell The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board will make a ruling today on whether or not to go ahead with plans to eliminate certain A&M-Commerce degree programs.

Currently, a master of arts (MA) in Spanish, MA in mathematics and MA in sociology would be phased out by the end of August 2014, while a bachelor of arts or science in athletic training would be gone by Fall 2018.

The issue was brought up in the Sept.

6 Faculty Senate meeting, in which Interim Associate Provost Dr. Sandra Weeks presented the situation.

Since then, A&M-Commerce won an appeal for a two-year extension for a master of science in math-

ematics, which was also proposed for elimination by the Coordinating board. The appeals for MA in sociology and MA in Spanish were denied, and President Dr. Dan Jones will make one last plea for these degree programs at today’s Coordinating Board meeting.

“They have a state-wide review every year of the programs, and they have standards we have to hold to,” Weeks said. “They have benchmarks that are required. The coordinating board looks at the data we recorded, the number of graduates, and we either hit the mark or we don’t.”

The Coordinating Board’s proposed thresholds cover a five-year period, in which a certain number of students must graduate with a specific degree. The requirements are 25

students in five years for associate and bachelors degrees, 15 students in five years for masters degrees, and 10 in five years for doctorates.

“They are all good programs,” Weeks said. “But, not enough students came here in those programs.

We have good faculty. It’s not about the quality of faculty or the curriculum; it’s just a timing thing.”

A&M-Commerce did not appeal the elimination of the athletic training degree plans, because so many students in that program will switch majors or universities before graduation time.

“We did not appeal that one, because, historically, they can get students in, but it’s almost a premed major, and our students are not pre-med students that get into that

program,” Weeks said. “Therefore, by the time you get to graduation rates, you may start with a freshman class of twenty, but we’re not even graduating one or two. They go into another program.”

Students in programs targeted for elimination are given time to decide if they want to try and finish at A&MCommerce in a similar degree plan or go to another university that has a more well-established program.

“Depending upon where they are in their program – if they were a freshman or a sophomore – they might say ‘you know, it will look better on my credentials if I went to a university that has an ongoing program,’” Weeks said. “We will provide them options to complete their degree here, or if they chose to go some place else.”

Schedule of degree program phase-outs under current proposal Masters of Arts in Spanish Aug. 31, 2014 Masters of Arts in Mathematics - Aug. 31, 2014 Masters of Arts in Sociology - Aug. 31, 2014 Bachelor of Arts/ Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training - Aug. 31, 2018 *A two-year temporary exemption for Masters of Science in Math has been granted to A&M-Commerce.

New hall is ‘Pride’ of campus

Cole leonard / the east texan Few cats can be seen eating and drinking out of bowls around campus, specifically those found around the library where feral cats used to gather.

Feral cat numbers fall amidst feeding debate Staff Writer Cole Leonard

Danica easterling / the east texan Director of Residential Living and Learning Dennis Koch (center) cuts the ceremonial ribbon with Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp (left) and A&MCommerce President Dr. Dan Jones (right) at the dedication of Pride Rock residence hall last Friday.

Campus Life Editor Nick Bailey The name game is finally over as Texas A&M University-Commerce officially names the new student hall Pride Rock Oct. 21.

The ceremony opened with a welcoming and remarks from Director of Residential Living and Learning Dennis Koch and University President Dr. Dan Jones. Texas Senator Robert Deuell and State Representative Dan Flynn were also present and spoke before the students.

Representatives from the Regents Scholars gave a small presentation and gave the Residential Living and

Learning staff a special gift from their recent trip to Cambodia to show their appreciation.

Students at the ceremony were able to relax and enjoy multiple attractions and interact with the guests and Residential Living and Learning staff.

“We had a bounce house and all kinds of activities that residents could do to enjoy the day,” Resident Assistant Gilbert Arevalo said. “After a pretty long week with mid-terms this is really relaxing. We gave out shirts to the residents with the name of the new hall on it as well.”

Earlier in the semester, students were able to submit ideas for the

name of the new hall to the office of Dennis Koch. The name Pride Rock was submitted by a student living in Whitley Hall.

“For the new hall, some of our higher up administrators were tossing up some ideas, but nothing really seemed to fit,” Hall Director Susan Cohn said. “I think the honor in a student getting to name a residence hall on campus is a great way to tie in what we’re doing here; having the student input included.”

The naming of this building will be tied into the next three phases of changes within Residential Living and Learning.

•See State Page 3

The mysterious vanishing of the campus cat population has prompted some staff and student concerns over their whereabouts and well-being. Over the past few years the feral felines flourished around the university grounds; however, reports show that as little as four remain.

“Over 20 cats have disappeared in the past year alone and it is really sad,” Sherry T. said, who requested to withhold her last name. Sherry has worked at Texas A&M UniversityCommerce for several years and has grown affection for the six generations of cat litters she has witnessed.

“This is their home and they don’t know any place else,” Sherry stated. Her fondness for the cats has been saddened by their dwindling numbers and she is curious to find out what has happened to them.

Barista at the campus coffee shop, Tyler Wishard, felt that neglect for cat welfare on campus caused the death of several cats over the summer.

“On different occasions I showed up to work and found dead kittens in the bushes,” Wishard said.

He believes that malnutrition and dehydration caused

the cats’ demise and mentioned rumors of an email that threatened disciplinary action to employees found feeding the animals. No record of this email could be located and still remains unconfirmed.

A source inside the facilities department stated that “some people are feeding the cats and have to do it after dark or in the morning before the sun comes up.”

She requested to remain anonymous and withheld the identity of the individuals who are supplying water and food for fear of reprisal from staff management.

Gail Johnston, Associate Director of Libraries, is worried about student health concerns stemming from the feral population. The library has been a central area for many of the cats due to its location to the bistro and the dumpster on the side of the building.

“When these cats are being fed it is also attracting raccoons and skunks,” Johnston said.

A file on her computer has a collection of pictures she has taken showing raccoons rummaging in the cat food and the man-hole underneath the library.

“Raccoons are the most prominent carriers of rabies,”

•See Cats Page 3

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011 www.theeasttexan.com OPINION Camaraderie, involvement missing between university and community

Page 2

Graphics Editor Jessica Martin The longer I am here at A&M-Commerce, the more I am astounded by the relationship between the community and the university.

Now, before anyone gets their panties in a wad, let me just point out that I am in no way pointing fingers at anyone.

And if I am, I’m pointing them at everyone. I think the students, faculty and administration of this university are just as much to blame as the community.

For one of my classes, my midterm was to write about the history of Homecoming here on campus. So, I went up to the fourth floor of the library to do some research in the special collections and found some quite interesting things.

At the 60th anniversary of Homecoming at A&M-Commerce in 1952, there were 7,000 people at the Homecoming game.

If you’ve been to a Homecoming game here in the past few years, you know that this is certainly not the case. In fact, Homecoming

was altogether cancelled due to weather conditions last year, and there didn’t seem to be any type of response from anyone, whether you were a part of the university or the community.

I also found that there were so many different activities for Homecoming that involved the community, such as a Homecoming parade, banquets and dances that all enticed the community to come out. Don’t get me wrong, I know that we have events on campus that do encourage the community

Cartoons not necessary for quality child development

Opinion Editor Savannah Christian Did you know that apparently in order to have a “good” childhood it is necessary to watch cartoons? I suppose that is probably a common thought, but it is one I do not follow. I always knew it was “different” that I did not like cartoons as a child, but I had never been told it was actually bad – until yesterday.

It has never affected me in any way, good or bad, that I didn’t watch the “Rugrats” or “Ninja Turtles” at any point in my life. But, when my fellow staff members at The East Texan heard about this earlier in the week, they were astonished and appalled at my lack of cartoon knowledge. I tried to explain to them the reasons for this absence of knowledge, but they were way too busy freaking out to listen.

I do not feel as though I missed out on my childhood or lost knowledge because I chose not to watch cartoons or children’s television networks when I was young. To be honest, I just thought they were stupid. I don’t mean that to be snooty or rude; that was simply what I thought.

It was not as if I never watched a single children’s show in my childhood years.

I liked Barney and Mr. Rogers and a few of those somewhat educational shows.

However, Cinderella and her fellow princesses and creatures like Winnie the Pooh with all of their cuteness had no appeal to me. I had a strong dislike for anything girly as a child, which direct-

ly ruled out all Disney movies except for “Beauty and the Beast” and “Toy Story.”

The truth is I didn’t spend much time in front of the television at all. If I was watching shows, it was likely something stimulating that I could learn from.

My mom will tell you that I started watching the Spanish channel on our television at a very young age. I was fascinated by the language and would stare at the screen in awe as I tried to figure out what the actors were saying. I was a nerd. What am I saying? I AM a nerd.

So, aside from a select few shows, I was either rolling around in some dirt, playing anything involving a ball, writing stories or teaching class to my imaginary students. I was extremely active as a child and didn’t really find watching television to be fun. My favorite times to watch shows were when my sister would be watching one of her teenager shows like “Dawson’s Creek” or “Saved by the Bell.” She is seven years older than me and has always been my biggest role model. I looked up to her in everything I did

as a child and wanted to be just like her. As a result, I grew up a little quicker than most as I tried to be seven years older than I was.

Despite my lack of cartoon history, I have turned out to be quite normal, whatever “normal” is. I make good grades, I hold down jobs and I can take care of myself quite well. I wouldn’t say there are any major character deficiencies in me, and if there are, they most certainly did not root from cartoon absence.

So, for all of you readers out there who didn’t watch “kid shows” when you were a kid or who have a child who maybe doesn’t like to watch them, I assure you, it will not because of a flaw in your character nor will it ruin your child’s future. And if there is something wrong with you or your child’s future, I am fairly certain it is not from a lack of cartoon watching.

In my opinion, the youth of society is actually far too consumed with the internet, video games, smart phones and shows. It would do those kids some good to go play outdoors or do something different for a change.

Editorial: New residence hall name is immature When we first heard the students of A&M-Commerce would play a role in naming the new residence hall, it sounded like a fantastic idea. It seemed like a great way to make students a significant part of campus life not just for this semester, but also for years to come. Then, we heard the chosen name would be Pride Rock and immediately put our faces into our palms.

How could an institution of higher learning such as our university even remotely consider naming a new residence hall after a fictitious cartoon location from a Disney movie? Don’t get us wrong, we all love The Lion King, but seriously?

This is a four-year university, not an amusement park.

And are we supposed to believe this was the best choice of all the possible names submitted by students? What about any former faculty or some famous alumni? It is embarrassing for us as students to know people considering attending this university will see one of our residence halls is named after a rock formation from a child’s movie.

We thought A&M-Commerce was a university where people would enter as adolescents and leave as well-rounded adults. Naming a residence hall after something so childish cannot be any more opposite.

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.

with negative connotations.

So I urge students, faculty and administration to do your best to communicate with the community.

Go to local businesses, talk with people of the community and wear your school’s colors proudly.

However, I also urge the community to get involved with the university. Come to sporting events, talk with students when you see them out and about and don’t be afraid to come to the community events at the university.

Letter to the Editor Hello, Homecoming was best in the early 1960s. The parade lasted about an hour, and it was common to have 12-18 bands marching in it.

Floats were quite elaborate.

People lined the streets of Commerce for the parade which went from City Park to downtown, and out Live Oak to the stadium.

All the bands did a mass performance at halftime in the formation of ETSU, and they provided lots of business to Commerce restaurants. The stadium was almost full to its capacity of 12,000 at that time with the band members, the university crowd, and local citizens.

The last time I attended homecoming (3 years ago), I was amazed at how little the university offered for anyone. The art and photography galleries ended their exhibitions the day before homecoming, the theater ended the run of a successful play the weekend before homecoming, and the parade had one guest band (from Leonard).

Plan a better parade. Keep galleries open. Have a theater production. Have some concerts in the new concert hall. Have a couple of stages on campus with bands performing. Have several shows scheduled at the Planetarium. Have open house in all the buildings for community members and former students to see INSIDE the campus. Create a schedule that allows multiple

options for seeing any one event rather than having attendees have to deal with the two things that matter most to them being scheduled at the same time.

Invite community businesses, organizations, and individuals to participate in planning the activities as well as being a part of the activities. Ask the community to have some activities of their own. Coordinate the scheduling to limit overlapping. Don’t consider the game to be the reason for homecoming. (Schedule a matinee theater performance or a concert to begin after halftime and see what happens!) Have several activities scheduled on Friday evening and possibly Sunday morning/afternoon to accommodate all these options and to turn homecoming into more of a festival than a day.

I grew up in Commerce.

If you want interaction between the university and the community, you need to plan more to promote it. I won’t return to the campus just for a football game even if it is also my hometown I would be visiting. Homecoming used to be bigger than the Bois d’Arc Bash, and I think that event began because the university quit having the kind of homecoming it once had. Maybe you should try to coordinate and have both homecoming and the Bois d’Arc Bash on the same weekend.

Randell Drum

ARIELLE MCMAHON / THE EAST TEXAN

THIS WEEK’S ‘PLAN B’

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.

to come out, but when I go to these events, I only see a few people that aren’t associated with the university.

The Homecoming parade died out in the 70s, and I feel that camaraderie between A&M-Commerce and the community slowly began to die along with it.

I wish I knew where that relationship between the University and the community disappeared to.

I’m shocked that a school this size in a town this small is rarely recognized within the community, and when it is, it’s

by Arielle McMahon

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

ARIELLE MCMAHON STAFF CARTOONIST

CONTACT

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theeasttexan@gmail.com facebook.com/pages/The-East-Texan-Online twitter.com/TheEastTexan ADVERTISING:

Jessica Martin Graphics editor

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news

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011

Page 3

Feral cats disappear from campus Continued from Page 1...

Johnston said. “They leave feces and are very destructive.”

Johnston mentioned an incident when raccoons were found crawling through the walls and ceilings in the library. One day a raccoon fell through a panel in the ceiling and landed in the library causing extensive damage and potential dangers to students.

“My problem isn’t with the cats but where they feed them,” Johnston stated. She said the problem is perpetuated due to students and staff continuing to feed them outside of the library building rather than a safer place on the periphery of campus grounds. She is unaware of the mass disappearance of cats and believes that the extreme summer or other wild animals might be to blame.

The city of Commerce Animal Shelter was contacted regarding the over-adozen missing cats. They insist that the city has no traps set in place on campus and have not been called to capture the animals. Becky Glass of the Commerce Humane Assocation, a local nonprofit shelter, was unaware of the issue.

“We have not removed any cats from the campus and have nothing to do with it,” Glass said.

The Commerce Humane Association has a history of working with the feral cats when they participated in a pro-

gram on campus developed by Dr. Robin Reid, professor in the department of Literature and Languages. In 2003, Reid constructed a Trap, Neuter, and Release program based on the successful program at Texas A&M University- College Station.

The TNR program at A&M-Commerce collaborated with an organized student group and the Commerce Humane Association. The program was funded by private donations and never received any money from the university.

“This program was shut down when the head of facilities, David McKenna, decided that the feeding stations attracted vermin,” Reid said. “The president shut down the program and ordered that no feeding take place.”

The cancellation of the program resulted in an increase of the cat population.

“Despite presidential order, there were and are people feeding on campus,” Reid stated, “When feeding is done without a TNR program, this results in kittens.”

In Fall 2009, Reid proposed a new trial program in collaboration with science faculty that would take a feral cat census and re-establish the cancelled TNR program.

“This program would be more extensive than the earlier one, with the goal of grant-writing to support the program in the future,” Reid said.

With support from the University

administration, Reid’s effort was initiated with collaboration from the science department’s Dr. James Cain, professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences.

The census took place during the spring and summer of 2010 but the research ended prematurely when Dr. Cain left the University for another Job. Efforts to restart a program have hit a wall.

“The effort fell apart,” Reid said.

“I did not have the energy to try to pursue the proposal without additional faculty or staff support. Until we have science faculty who are willing to write the grants or to help with the grants, we are sort of in limbo.”

In regards to the large amounts of missing cats, Reid said she has “no idea how many have gone missing.”

She said she was never given the figures from the cat census and believes that she had “heard a variety of rumors about what happened to the animals.”

Reid has not been able to verify any of the claims.

Some students and staff view the animals as a comforting compliment to the demands of college life and wish the cats to remain in a healthy environment.

“I think it is cruel to see these skinny cats go hungry and that they aren’t being fed,” history grad student Gina Bennett said. “They add an element of domesticity. We are the Lions, and it is only appropriate to have the felines on campus.”

danica easterling / the east texan

Congressman Ralph Hall speaks at the Pride Rock dedication ceremony.

State officials speak at Pride Rock dedication Continued from Page 1...

The next phase includes the creation of a new hall to house 500 students.

Many students were in attendance at the ceremony, and took pride in the name and being able to be a part of A&M-Commerce history.

“I feel its a pretty good name,” freshman Jerrel Vinson said. “To be honest the first thing I thought of was The Lion King, but I like it. I feel really fortunate to be living in this dorm, and I think that the name fits.”

After the ceremony, Pride

Rock residents were invited to a free dinner on the lawn with the Residential Living and Learning staff.

Freshman Wren Frasier summed up her feelings of the event and believes that the process and ceremony have helped students take pride in their hall.

“I think it really awesome,” she said. “I think that the name give the hall more character. I don’t know how many people actually have the opportunity to look back and say they knew the guy who named the new freshman hall. I’ll look back with pride.”

Music Building dedicated in dignitary-filled ceremony Editor Adam Troxtell

jessica martin / the east texan

Head of the Music Department Dr. Chris White speaks at the Music Building dedication ceremony last Friday.

White, along with other officials, was instrumental in getting the Music Building’s design and construction.

The Music Building was officially dedicated at a ceremony and concert inside Finney Concert Hall this morning, nine months after it was originally supposed to happen.

The ceremony was scheduled for last February, but was canceled due to inclement weather. A&MCommerce President Dr. Dan Jones was first on the list of speakers that included President Emeritus Dr. Keith McFarland and United States Congressman Ralph Hall.

One of the first duties perormed by Jones when he was named president in 2008 was to take part in the ground breaking ceremony for the Music Building.

“We are here today because of the imagination, determination and commitment of so very many people,” Jones said in his speech. “President Emeritus Steve McFarland led the university through the complex steps of planning, proposing, funding and designing this building, a process that required insight, patience, and a healthy portion of faith.”

Jones also praised State Senator Robert Deuell and State Representative Dan Flynn for their efforts in securing funding and support for the construction of the Music Building.

“Senator Bob Deuell and Representative Dan Flynn worked tirelessly to convince their sometimes skeptical colleagues in the state legislature that A&M-Commerce truly merited their confidence,” Jones said.

Deuell is also known for playing the drums, and he said he greatly respects A&MCommerce music department faculty for what they do.

“You have earned this building by the work that you do,” he said. “I have a deep appreciation for the people who taught me how to play music. The reason the music department at this university is so good is because of the faculty and their dedication to the students.”

Flynn said the building was an example of how much he has seen A&MCommerce change during his time in office.

“There’s nothing in the state of Texas that can match what we’ve been able to do here. In my tenure as state

representative, I have seen this university grow and flourish under the vision of Dr. McFarland and watched Dr. Jones come in and just make it grow. This music hall is another example of leadership. “ Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp was also in attendance in his first visit to A&M-Commerce since taking his current position.

The ceremony was also filled with performances by the brass ensemble, “Mane” Attraction Jazz Ensemble, piano division, chorale, “Panimation” Steel Drum Ensemble, and the wind ensemble.

Jones praised Music Department Head Dr. Chris White and everyone involved with the department for their hard work.

“Dr. White worked closely with faculty, students, architects, contractors and donors to ensure all of the pieces of the building would, when assembled, harmonize like a Mozart concerto,” he said.

“Of course to our faculty and students, whose talent and genius remind us every day of the limitless potential of the human spirit, we say thank you.”

Rapper wins ‘Super’ talent show Staff Writer Susan Dagenais The week of homecoming festivities continued with the Super Power Talent Show in the Rayburn Student Center on Oct. 19, where students showcased their various talents to the community and a panel of judges. The event was presented by the Campus Activities Board (CAB) and hosted by comedian Paul Varghese.

Laquinlan Loudermilk, chair of company, lecture and poetry for CAB, organized the talent show. The event was first presented three years ago, but Loudermilk has sponsored it for the last two years.

“We had over 500 students in the conference rooms last year, this year we expect a bigger crowd,” Loudermilk said.

While audience members weighed in on who they believed would win the competition, the three judges –

SGA President Adria Green, Recruiter for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions Brittney Johnson, and SGA Senator and Morris Recreation Center Special Event Programmer Sarah Cunningham – made the final decision.

“I am very excited, I know we know we have talent [on campus],” Green said. “I am anxious to see the show.”

Peerless Mentoring Program student and freshman Cameron Smith won first place and $300 for his rapping skills.

“I feel awesome, I am ready to get on Facebook and tell everyone I just won $300 for a talent show,” Smith said. “This is the first time I have won this much money for performing. I can count on both hands how many times I have performed.”

According to Smith, he has a lot of talented family members and that his mom has always been supportive, and that his first call would

be to his mother. “[My mom] would have driven an hour and a half to be here tonight if she didn’t have to work at five tomorrow morning,” Smith said.

“I have been doing this since fifth grade, but I have only been rapping seriously like I do now for about two years.

This is what I want to do with my life. I want to do what I enjoy doing, not wake up every morning and go to a job I don’t want to be at.”

This year’s emcee, Varghese, assisted in ushering in the performers while keeping the crowd entertained and laughing.

Varghese headlines at clubs in the state of Texas and was just on Comedy Central last week, and he said he enjoys campus crowds.

“This crowd tonight was energetic and I love that,” Varghese said. “I have been on the college tour since the middle of August. It’s always cool; college crowds are super nice and supportive.”

david grote / the east texan

Freshman Cameron Smith raps his way to first place at the Super Homecoming Talent Show in the Rayburn Student center on Wednesday, Oct. 19. Smith also received $300 for his performance.

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Ca mpus Life

www.theeasttexan.com

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011

Greek and Friends host first homecoming meet and greet, share stories of Old E.T. with guests Staff Writer Janna Harrell The new ETSU ‘80’s Greek and Friends organization held their first ever Meet and Greet at the Holiday Inn on Friday, Oct. 21, as part of the homecoming weekend.

Ricky Beeler, Sigma Chi alumni of Texas A&M University-Commerce came up with the idea when he came to homecoming in 2008. Since that time, he was bothered by the fact that he did not see anyone other than fellow Sigma Chi’s.

“Back in the day we were all friends,” Beeler said, “we would always get together and go out, and support each others’ events.”

In April of this year, he reached out to another alumni, Lori Vincent, a former Chi Omega, and shared with her his idea

AMANDA LUKE / THE EAST TEXAN Members of Greek and Friends shared stories and regaled in the memories of their collegiate years.

of having a reunion of all of the Greeks from the 1980’s.

“I loved the idea,” Vincent said, “I think it’s time that we begin something like this.”

Since April, they have worked with other alumni to schedule the event, which was first planned to be in Rockwall; however, Beeler wanted it closer to home.

“I wanted it to be associated with Homecoming and A&M-Commerce,” Beeler said, “that way we could visit each other and current students and faculty.”

Attendees had different Greek letters on their nametags but reminisced as if they were from one organization.

There were stories of jaws broken in Powder Puff football games, a brawl after a KD Sing Song with the boys still wearing their Winnie the Pooh and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves outfits, and a fraternity’s sign being burned by a bow-andarrow on fire during the same event. However, there were also many more stories of friendship, and those friendships were still prominent today.

Beeler said he hopes this reunion weekend would not only benefit the alumni, but current students as well.

“We want them to come back year after year,” Beeler said, “I don’t want them to leave then let 20 years pass before they come back.

Our suggestion as the eighties group’s rivalry is good and fun, don’t let that get in the way of what’s important. They need to be supportive of each other in order to stay alive. There

AMANDA LUKE / THE EAST TEXAN Alumni from A&M-Commerce came back to spend time with their once-fellow students as well as meet current students and join in the homecoming festivities.

are several organizations that were here in the eighties that aren’t here now.”

The members of ETSU ‘80s Greek and Friends want this reunion weekend to be an annual event and hope to see their numbers multiply with each year.

Beeler said that they are doing everything they can to spread the word of this reunion.

The Alumni Association asked current art students to create a postcard to send to all of

the Greek alumni and found 2,700 of them from 1980-1990.

As the organization grows and years pass, Beeler believes that there could be an ETSU ‘80s Greeks and Friends scholarship fund.

“I think that we’re too early of an association to start thinking of a scholarship now,” Beeler said, “but if we continue to stay together, I could see one given later down the road.”

Wind Ensemble delivers first performance SGA talks technology, of semester for an almost full concert hall ‘State of the campus’ Staff Writer Josh Stoltenberg The Texas A&M University-Commerce Wind Ensemble opened its fall concert schedule Oct. 13, performing five songs in front of an almost full concert hall. Under the direction of Phillip Cle-

mens, the performance was composed under the theme of “Libera Me”, meaning “deliver me.”

“We did well for our first concert.” Alex Ford, a clarinet player and music performance major, said. “There were a few things we could do better.”

Marketng and Communications The Wind Ensemble performed their concert themed “Libera Me” Oct 13 for the first time for A&M-Commerce students and the community.

The song “Liberation,” which included the University Men’s Chorus, also contains the song “Deliver Me”, a Roman Catholic responsorial that is sung immediately after Requiem Mass and before burial of the coffin, asking God to have mercy on the deceased soul at the Last Judgment.

“I enjoyed the concert.”

Douglas Boney, a student at A&M-Commerce said.

“My favorite song was Liberation.”

Other songs performed by the Wind Ensemble were “Singularity”, “Allerseelen”, “Danish Bouquet”, and “Dance of the Jesters”. “’Singularity’, a fanfare for brass and percussion, uses material from a piece I wrote for orchestra in 2007,” according to composer Mark Scott’s program statement. “The piece, ‘Countermeasure’ explored how music could sound ‘against the measure’

through prolonged hemiola, unexpected silence, and repetition of thematic ideas.”

“Allerseelen” translates literally to “all souls” and refers to “All Soul’s Day,” which is a holy day in the Catholic church year where the departed faithful are remembered.

“Allerseelen” was composed by Richard Strauss, who was one of the major transitional composers from the Romantic era of music to the modern era.

“Danish Bouquet” is a three-part collaboration composed by Percy Aldridge Grainger, Frederick Fennell, and Ira Hearshen. “Dance of the Jesters,” composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, is a piece played in “The Snow Maiden,” a play written by Aleksandr Ostrovsky.

Other events for the band that are coming up are the Jazz Ensemble concert on Oct. 28, and the Fall Band concert on Nov. 17.

Indoor mini-golf course brings new entertainment to Commerce area Campus Life Editor Nick Bailey The city of Commerce has seen the arrival of multiple new businesses this year, and Eagle Golf and Gift aims to be on par with the community, as Commerce’s only indoor mini-golf course.

The entire attraction is located inside in Commerce’s historic downtown area, and has been designed to keep the establishment on the green.

“We built it from recycled materials,” co-owner Stormy Smith said. “The glaciers are old carpet and plaster. The pirate ship is an old fence that we tore down, and these are real trees that we’ve sanded down.”

Smith explained that since their opening, the weekends have been the best, but they aren’t done setting up attractions.

“It’s a little bit slow because we haven’t had a grand opening, because we don’t have the birthday rooms finished, and we don’t have all of the arcade games that we

want,” Smith said. “We’re getting pinball and we’re getting a basketball [game].

We’re working on the birthday rooms, so we hope to have them open soon.

Eventually we’ll have some snacks and some souvenirs.

We don’t have all of that yet, so we haven’t had a grand opening yet.”

Eagle Golf and Gift is a dream realized for co-owner Durwood Smith, according to Ms. Smith. While the Commerce location is their first site, the Smiths are considering franchising the business once things become stable.

“We’ve had a couple of offers to expand outside of Commerce,” Smith said.

“Right now, we’re really focusing on this location before we start setting up in other parts of Texas.”

Mini-golfers from Texas A&M University-Commerce are able to take advantage of a student discount offered

by Eagle Golf and Gift with a valid Lion Card, as well as half price on the second round of golfing.

Campus Life Editor Nick Bailey

Family housing was the main discussion point at the Student Government Association meeting on Oct. 19 in the Sam Rayburn Student Center Pride Room as multiple students from Texas A&M University-Commerce chose to voice their opinions about the recent housing situation.

“Three of the dorms are all going to be student-less come December 18,” SGA Student Advisor Taylor Fore said. “Letters have been sent out to all of the families that live in these dorms informing them of the process.”

Also on the agenda was the matter of technology on campus, specifically issues with internet speed. According to SGA Vice President Senate Chair Adam Haney there will be a presentation presented by the head of the information department.

“We will have the CIO here next week,” Haney said. “Anyone who has particular issues with the technology on campus, this would be a great time to come and ask him directly.

I know students have had a lot of issues especially with broadband within the residence halls.”

Two A&M-Commerce students were nominated for SGA positions by President Adria Green. Michael

Edmonds and Kelly Dent were allowed time to voice their reasons for seeking membership into the organization, and answered questions from current senate members.

“I was interested in joining SGA because I recognized that we are at a campus that is currently going through a transition phase,” Dent said. “The administration is not fully communicating its goals, and maybe the student body does not fully understand, and that’s where I think SGA has a role to play in communicating for the students to the administration, and for the administration back to the students.”

Both individuals were voted in, bringing the number of senators to 20.

During the meeting, Green proposed the idea of having monthly broadcasts so that SGA could speak to A&M-Commerce students more often.

“It would be kind of like a state of the union, but mainly a state of the campus address,“ Green said.

“We’re looking at doing one a month maybe, just to start off so students can be aware of what’s going on.”

SGA will meet again to further discuss these present issues as well as others and invite any students wishing to voice their concerns to attend.

Don’t forget to check out Word on the Street each Wednesday at: www.theeasttexan.com/ campus-life

NICK BAILEY / THE EAST TEXAN The Eagle Golf and Gift storefront (above) can be seen when entering downtown Commerce. Much of the interior (below) is created using recycled materials and real trees and leaves.

www.theeasttexan.com

Ca mpus Life

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011

In lieu of bonfire, students keep spirit bright at Glow Out party Sprots Editor Justin Cheatham Though the traditional homecoming bonfire and fireworks were cancelled due to the burn ban Commerce is experiencing, students still poured into the Rayburn center to participate in the first Texas A&M University-Commerce Glow Out. Glow Out offered students a chance to party with free glow sticks, necklaces, bracelets, hats and swords while getting ready for the homecoming football game the following day. The event had 9 holes of cosmic mini-golf, a superhero Olympics, glow in the dark twister, a dance competition and a live DJ to keep the party rolling.

“We were disappointed that we could not do the bonfire and fireworks show because it is a long-standing tradition and we are trying to plan another event later in the year where we can include that so we can still give the students that experience,” Director of the student center Wendy Morgan said. “Really we did not want to not have any event because we wanted to keep the

momentum high because of homecoming so we tried to think of something that would still be a glowing type of event that was kind of the same theme as the bonfire and fireworks and so we came up with the glow out idea and the cosmic golf using the superhero theme from homecoming and it all lights up better inside than outside so that’s how we made the decision.”

Taking the title of A&M-Commerces’ first dance queen and and prize of Lion Cash was graduate student Tomesha Jones.

“It was actually spur of the moment because I didn’t know there would be a dance competition,” Jones said.

“They called on a couple of us to dance and I participated. I thought the event was really fun, I loved the glow sticks and I hope they put on another one next year.”

Dj Dupree aka Devon White is currently a student at A&M-Commerce and also a Campus Kings Dj with several friends.

“I liked the vibe, I like that we get different people of different races so I can play a variety of different music so

Courtesy kanchha gurung Students at the Glow out received accessories to illuminate the party, including hats and bracelets.

it is not just one genre,” White said. “I get tired of playing the same thing over and over. I like that I can mix it up and play a little reggae, a little top 40, a little hip-hop, old school and new school.”

Despite the bonfire being cancelled, students and staff alike enjoyed the original idea of a Glow Out. “I think it is good, I don’t think we have had the same kind of attendance that the bonfire and fireworks would have had but it is kind of a different event. It is kind of hard to get the word out for a new event versus something everyone knows about but I think everyone here is having a good time.”

A look back at homecoming: From E.T.S.U to TAMU-C Graphics Editor Jessica Martin Homecoming at Texas A&M University - Commerce, originally called East Texas Normal College, has been acknowledged on campus since the university’s beginning; however, it has not always been associated with football.

The University did not begin printing the yearbook, “The Locust,” until 1920, but the 60th anniversary of homecoming was recorded in the 1952 issue, placing the first homecoming celebration in 1892, just three years after the university’s founding.

Although universities currently celebrate homecoming during the fall, it was originally celebrated in the spring semester.

“Homecoming was actually celebrated in the early years in May. There was a celebration called May Fete that served as the homecoming,” Andrea Weddle, head of special collections at the Gee Library, said. The word fête is French for festival.

While many Texans associate the celebration with their Alma Mater’s football team, football and homecoming didn’t begin to coin-

cide until the 1950s.

The homecoming football game did not begin appearing in “The Locust” until the 1950 issue, and the 1952 issue commemorated the 60th anniversary of homecoming at the university,

formed. The Homecoming Queen, Rita Jennings, and her attendants, Ann Patrick and Jo Ann McCord, were presented. Then the bands formed in letters across the field, ‘Welcome Lion Exes.’”

The 60th anniversary also

LIBRARY ARCHIVES May Fete and the Court during part of the 1938 homecoming celebrations.

then called East Texas State Teachers College.

“At the 60th annual Homecoming Celebration, over 7,000 people were on the campus at [East Texas],” the 1952 issue of “The Locust” read. “At the afternoon game between East Texas and Stephen F. Austin, 20 visiting bands were present.

At the half time 16 of these groups, with the ROTC band and [East Texas] bands per-

had activities such as a bonfire, fireworks, and a homecoming dance. Images of the fireworks and bonfire from the 60th anniversary can be found in the Special Collections section of the library at A&M-Commerce.

“Homecoming was a day of greeting old friends, viewing the parade downtown, and watching the football game,” the 1952 issue of “The Locust” read.

While different areas of the homecoming celebrations tended to come and go, one thing that always seemed to stick around was the homecoming parade.

However, it finally saw its end in the 1970s.

“The annual parade, long one of the favorite homecoming activities, remained popular during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s,” Donald E. Reynolds wrote in his book, “Professor Mayo’s College: A History of East Texas State University.” “In 1976, however, it fell victim to a combination of escalating expenses, declining enrollment, and increasing percentages of commuters among the students. Although it was briefly revived at the end of the ‘80s to commemorate the University’s centennial, the parade was again abandoned as the ‘90s began.”

At different points throughout the years, there have been events such as banquets, dances, bonfires, fireworks, pep rallies, and parades.

However, there have also been more unusual events such as cow chip throwing contests, hot dog spirit rallies, golf tournaments, and door decorating contests.

Homecoming competition decorates campus Staff Writer Leah Allen In an effort to encourage school spirit among students and campus organizations, the homecoming committee put together a banner, window, and doordecorating contest in which nine creative organizations received plaques for being the best of their categories.

The purpose of the contest was, “to get the faculty, staff, and students involved in the homecoming,” success coach and director of the contest Stephanie Pinckard said.

The contest was open to all departments, organizations, and housing residents giving them the opportunity to compete for a prize by entering their names and using their creativity to design and display an image that they believed portrayed school spirit.

The judging took place on Monday, Oct. 17. According to Pinckard, the judging panel consisted of a diverse group from different aspects of the university. They varied from students to instructors to campus employees in order to get different perspectives so the judging would be fair.

Plaque awards were presented, Oct. 19, at the Hot Dog Spirit Rally just outside the Sam Rayburn Student Center. Hundreds of students came to the rally where there were free hot dogs and baked potatoes, a performance from the Lion cheerleaders, and addresses from various speakers. Near the end, the winners for the contest were announced.

Page 5

Counseling Corner The ‘in’ crowd Special Contributor Rick McCraw College is an exciting time of life. It’s a time of learning, growing, and self-awareness. There are so many distractions from studies. You are away from the prying eyes of parents and family with an opportunity to stretch your wings and live the college experience to its fullest potential.

But, there are pitfalls in this opportunity for growth, learning, and becoming aware.

I will call your attention to the words ‘becoming aware’ and ask that you remain alert to behavior involving alcohol and other substances that could put a crimp in your college experience.

Alcohol and other drugs can be predictable and effective ways to change how a person feels - at least in the short-term. With time, some people find their alcohol or other drug use problematic. The harm or risk of harm associated with the substance use outweighs the benefits. Substance use may be problematic when you: •Have difficulty meeting responsibilities at home, work or school •Use more than you intended despite wanting to cut down or quit •Need the substance to cope with everyday life or particular experiences •Organize other events or needs around your substance use •Need increasing amounts of the substance to have the same effect •Feel sick or moody without the substance, but feel normal upon resuming use

•Have tried unsuccessfully to reduce or cease use •Find yourself using as a way to maintain your friendships As with anything that’s overdone, there are consequences to consider. You might notice diminished academic performance, conflict in intimate relationships, sleeping problems, and depression. You may experience unwanted sex, sexual coercion, or sexual difficulties. Many times there are legal or judicial entanglements, financial concerns, and alienation of friends and family. You may have difficulties with chronic colds or infections as well as a loss of interest or pleasure in things you used to find enjoyable.

It can sometimes be hard to admit that your alcohol or other drug use has become a problem, especially if you still enjoy aspects of the use. Think about whether you would like to change your use in some way, such as what you use, how much you use, and when or how often you use.

The Counseling Center website offers a confidential, online alcohol screening to help you recognize problematic behaviors. The Counseling Center is also the place to discuss your concerns and explore alternatives with a Licensed Professional Counselor or Psychologist who will help you develop and put into motion a plan designed to change your substance use patterns. If the online screening suggests that you seek help, please contact the Counseling Center, 204 Halladay Student Services, or call 903-886-5145.

Ideas or questions for the Counseling Corner?

Drop us an email at: counselingcornertamuc@ gmail.com. Previous articles can be found on the Counseling Center website.

Art Day set to bring art students to university Staff Writer Keyania Campbell The Texas A&M University-Commerce Art Department will be holding its annual recruiting and workshop day, Art Day, on Oct 29.

Formerly accompanying Mane Event Day, Art Day is a day full of meals with the other guests, and 14 workshops with the art faculty in their respective disciplines.

High school juniors and seniors are invited to come and work with the professors and will also have the opportunity to have five of their best works judged in a portfolio contest with the chance to win a scholarship.

“Our goal is recruiting,” art department administrative assistant Julie Phillips said. “We charge for it and put the money away for scholarships to offer prospective students.”

A&M-Commerce junior

Rashid Lane praised the art department on their recruiting tool.

“This is a great way to get to know what kind of professors are here, and see their work if you haven’t before,” Lane said.

Students from the DallasFort Worth area, Waxahachie, Paris, Clarksville, and other districts in northeast Texas will be attending.

“We send a mass email out to art teachers to let them know about it,” Phillips said.

In the three years she has been with the art department, Phillips thinks that the event has been a success.

“The students that come here like it,” she said. “I know of about eight students that attended it and enrolled in our program.

There are a lot of juniors that come and come again during their senior year because they like it.”

LEAH ALLEN / THE EAST TEXAN The Mane Messengers, along with many other organizations on campus decorated to compete and show school spirit.

For each of the three categories of window, banner, and door, there were three awards to win: Best overall, most creative, and best depiction of theme.

The best overall window winner was the College of Education and Human Services Mentor Center, the most creative was Berry Hall, and the best depiction of theme was the College of Business Dean’s Office.

The awards for best overall banner went to the success coaches, the most creative was the Registrar’s Office, and

the best depiction of theme went to Enrollment Management.

The best overall door was the Sociology and Criminal Justice Society, the most creative was the English Language Institute, and the best depiction of theme was the Mane Messenger.

These images and all other entries, seen across campus prior to the homecoming football game Saturday, Oct. 21, were designed to depict Lion pride and show support for the school and the team.

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

Page 6

Entertainment Entertainment

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011

www.theeasttexan.com

Third ‘Paranormal’ film ties up trilogy Fromage du Jour Entertainment Editor Chancellor Mills

A weekly look at film cheese

When it comes to “sleeper hits” in horror, I have to say that the “Paranormal Activity” movies are, by far, the best in the genre. That’s not to say that they are the best of the horror films.

There are plenty of films out there to make you scream, but I just think that these films are great.

Audiences have been aware of the plot of “Paranormal Activity 3” (PA3) since the very first film. It is set in 1988, with sisters Katie and Kristi as children living with their divorcee mother Julie and her videographer boyfriend Dennis. The weirdness starts off almost instantly in this prequel to a prequel.

After spending some time home alone and hearing strange noises coming from a closet in the girls’ room, Dennis decides to set up cameras in their room and Julie’s bedroom. However, unlike the previous films, we are able to confirm, early on, the relative size and shape of the demon behind all the PA films.

I’ve talked briefly in my PA2 review from last year about how the importance for the film to evolve cinematically from the first to the second to the third. PA3 did this spectacularly with the introduction of an oscillating camera that Dennis fashions out of a broken fan. From that point on, every time the audience is shown footage from this agonizingly slow-moving camera, I could feel myself letting out large sighs

STOCK PHOTO: GETTHEBIGPICTURE.NET

According to Chancellor Mills, “Paranormal Activity 3” finally reveals that the real reason all of the “activity” began was because of *SPOILER*.

of anticipatory anxiety.

Something interesting in this film was that, because the demon is acting as Kristi’s imaginary friend Toby, there seems to be a certain playfulness – to an extent – about the things that he is doing. On some nights, Kristi can be seen talking to him near one of the cameras and running around the house playing with the demon. However, this whimsy ends the moment Kristi refuses to do an unknown task for “Toby” and says she doesn’t want to talk to him anymore.

I was very shocked to see where all of Toby’s violence was focused once he did become violent. Aside from people outside of the family, it was actually Katie who received quite a lot of ag-

gression. Apparently, it is Toby’s plan to just abuse the hell out of Katie until Kristi become a little more compliant.

And, to his merit, it worked.

Turns out that all he wanted was for the girls to visit their grandmother.

Isn’t that just the sweetest thing you ever heard? Okay, so there is more to it than that. Turns out the big reveal is that the *SPOILER* is part of a *SPOILER* that wants to *SPOILER* the *SPOILER* and kill *SPOILER* because *SPOILER* didn’t want to *SPOILER* more *SPOILER*.

The end result was the third film in a series of bone-chilling horror flicks that make me afraid to be alone in my apartment at night.

‘Arkham City’ sets new high for Batman franchise

STOCK PHOTO: THEPARANOIDGAMER.COM

In a dramatic deviation from “Arkham Asylum,” players get the opportunity to actually fight alongside the villain Bane in “Arkham City,” Jordan Wright writes.

Staff Writer Jordan Wright In 2008, Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” arrived at theaters to rave reviews and reception alike. Based on the iconic DC comics character Batman, the movie was a strong argument for the validity of comic book-based films as Oscar-contending works of art and is responsible for popularizing Batman to mass audiences once more. It’s only fitting that the sequel to 2009’s critically acclaimed “Batman: Arkham Asylum” become the video game equivalent of “The Dark Knight,” providing not only a fantastic simulation and representation of the character but ultimately, one of the best games of this year.

Set one year after “Arkham Asylum,” “Batman: Arkham City” starts with a bang at the first second and only continues to improve from there. The player begins the game as Bruce Wayne, attending a protest to close down the Arkham City program, in which the criminals of Arkham are moved into a closed-off city section to fend for themselves.

With the threat to the city obvious, Wayne’s campaign to put the criminals back onto Arkham Island is a noble one that is cut short when he is thrown into the city section by project coordinator

Hugo Strange, who knows that Bruce is, in reality, Batman. Upon retrieving his gear, dropped into the city by Alfred, Batman seeks to get to the bottom of what Strange really hopes to accomplish with Arkham City.

Unlike its predecessor’s throwaway plot, existing purely as an excuse for a Batman simulator, the story behind “Arkham City” is intense, engaging, and genuinely compelling. The opening starts with the player having to dodge and defend as Bruce Wayne in handcuffs, but the game is so cinematic that it becomes easy to question what is a cutscene and what is actual gameplay.

Needless to say, the game’s sense of immersion plays a significance role in its overall greatness. The controls are as responsive as ever and possibly even more so. Combat has been given even more variety than “Arkham Asylum,” and gliding with Batman’s cape has been tightened up significantly. This is very good, because a grand majority of navigating through Gotham City in the game is done through a combination of gliding and grappling. Movement in the game has a sense of parkour about it, with Batman moving more elegantly as long as you keep up momentum.

Gotham City itself is bustling with life. The criminals chatter, try to mug each other, start gang wars, and none

“I love that show.”

- Campus Life Editor, Nick Bailey

of this is a part of the actual main campaign. Batman can even confront several villains in between his primary missions, like the Riddler, Zsasz, and Bane, whom you actually work together with on a mission. The sheer amount of variety and content feels endless.

All of this is compounded with the excellent voices of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as Batman and The Joker respectively. Both reprise their roles from “Batman: The Animated Series” and are iconic enough to sleepwalk their way through the roles. However, Conroy and Hamill bring their A-game, giving performances significantly more emotive than they have in the past. If this really is Hamill’s swan song as The Joker, he at least went out with a bang.

Prowling the streets of Gotham is a feeling like no other. The moment I saved a pacifistic prisoner from an impending murder at the hands of one of the Joker’s gang members, not as a mission, but as an optional circumstance that just happened to occur while I was in the area, I knew that this game had exceeded my expectations. “Arkham City” doesn’t just break the curse surrounding licensed games; it shatters it, becoming what may not only be the best-licensed game of all time, but the best game of the year, hands down.

Editor’s Picks

STOCK PHOTO: MOVIEBERRY.COM

According to reviewer Jordan Wright, the poster for “The Bill Collector” promises Danny Trejo, but fails to deliver.

Movie poster misleads with false advertising Staff Writer Jordan Wright If the concepts of monotony and false advertising were to have a bastard child based on an unpleasant one night stand, that child would be “The Bill Collector”. Imagine if you would, a cheesy, brightlycolored poster posing the question “Your Money or Your Life” while featuring Mr. Machete himself, Danny Trejo, wearing a business suit and fedora. How did this go so horribly wrong?

Let’s get false advertisement out of the way first.

Chances are if you’re reading this, the poster that you’re looking at for the movie is very prominently featuring Danny Trejo as the star. The movie is about an hour-and-a-half long, and he’s in for roughly 10 minutes; that’s generously rounding up. Right from the jump, I was lied to; but, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Trejo’s plays a sidecharacter and crime boss named Uncle Frankie, who is seeking to collect on debt owed to him by the actual protagonist, Lorenzo Adams. Lorenzo’s boss has stepped away from his bill collecting agency to take a vacation and has left Lorenzo in charge of things while he’s gone. With his boss on vacation for 18 days and Frankie looking to collect his money in 18 days, leaving behind his nephew Omar to watch over him, Lorenzo fires the entire staff and replaces them with unpaid workers of a city mission desperate for work opportunities under the pretense of being a free, two-week training program for people down on their luck – all the while scheming to gather all of the profits he intends to save on worker’s paychecks and use it to pay back Frankie.

If the above synopsis of the plot didn’t make it blatantly obvious, our main character is not very likeable. This wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for the fact that everybody seems to be aware of it except for the movie itself. Lorenzo himself has even admitted several times how screwed up both he and what he’s doing is. Despite this, the movie seems desperate to paint him in as sympathetic a light as possible, but it just doesn’t work. Yet as unlikeable as both he and his situation is, these alone are the least of the movie’s problems.

The movie as a whole is just so incompetently made that it’s not even funny. The lighting is bad and makes everything on camera look cheaply produced, the music sounds like embarrassing rejected elevator “muzak,” and the camera work is just atrocious. Watching it, I had an odd sense of déjà vu that guided my thoughts toward a similar poorly-crafted drama that went on to become a cult classic, Tommy Wisseau’s “The Room.” Unfortunately, where “The Room” was a terrible movie reinforced by the hilariously bizarre performance of Tommy Wisseau, there is almost nothing in “The Bill Collector” worth recommending.

There are a few preposterous moments in the first half involving Lorenzo’s attempts to escape Omar, but they don’t do enough to make you forget just how overall mean-spirited the movie is.

“The Bill Collector” comes in low due to how ineptly made it is, but once it attempts to turn itself into Christian propaganda about the impact of church redeeming a corporate scumbag it becomes rather infuriating. It’s not quite the worst I’ve seen, but it’s easily a contender for the top five.

Verdict: Zero Shatners

“It’s the most offensively hilarious show of all time.”

- Sports Editor, Justin Cheatham

Page 7

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011

numbersgame 1,287

hotshot 19

Combined yardage in Saturday’s football game between Midwestern St. and Abilene Christian

Consecutive matches played by the ACU women’s soccer team without a loss

I FOOTBALL

MSU’s record-setting day leads to rout In what looked to be a typical battle of ranked teams on paper, Saturday’s game between 12th-ranked Midwestern state and 9th-ranked Abilene Christian was anything but typical.

The Mustangs (7-0, 6-0 LSC) rolled up a school-record 740 yards on offense on the way to a 70-28 thrashing of the Wildcats (5-2, 4-1 LSC) in a battle of LSC unbeatens.

The Mustangs improved their best start in school history and put up more yards against ACU than any other team in history. The teams combined for 1,287 yards.

The Wildcats drew first blood with the first of three touchdown passes from Mitchell Gale, but it was all Midwestern State from that point on.

Keidrick Jackson gave the Mustangs the lead for good with 3:30 left in the opening quarter and the Mustangs scored three more times in the second period to build a 35-7 lead at halftime.

Redshirt-freshman Jake Glover connected with Vernon Johnson on a 99-yard pass play late in the game to tie an NCAA record.

Jackson paced the Mustangs with 129 rushing yards and three scores. Jimmy Pipkin ran for 94 yards and Lester Bush added 58.

Gale totaled 413 yards on 32-of-55 passing with three touchdowns. ACU returns home Saturday to host winless A&M-Commerce.

Other scores from the LSC include:

lscstandings Team LSC Overall Midwestern State 6-0 7-0 West Texas A&M 5-1 5-2 Abilene Christian 4-1 5-2 Tarleton State 3-3 3-5 A&M-Kingsvillle 2-3 4-4 Incarnate Word 2-3 2-5 Angelo State 1-4 4-4 Eastern NM 1-4 2-6 A&M-Commerce 0-5 0-7

West Texas A&M 52, Eastern NM 21 The 24th-ranked Buffaloes from West Texas A&M racked up 659 yards of total offense en route to a 52-21 win over Eastern NEw Mexico in the 25h Wagon Wheel game between the two schools.

Dustin Vaughan threw for 402 yards and for touchdowns on the night, while leading the Buffs to victory and improving to 5-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference.

The Greyhounds dropped to 2-6 and 1-4 in LSC play.

West Texas A&M won for the 14h time and sixth straight year in the annual Wagon Wheel Rivalry.

Aarhon Flores, in his first career start, rushed for 130 yards and Lance Ratliff had a career night with 173 yards on five catches with two touchdowns.

ENMU quarterback Will Wood managed just 161 passing yards. He managed to throw a pair of touchdown passes.

This Week’s Games A&M-Commerce @ Abilene Chr. Midwestern St. @ Eastern NM A&M-Kingsville @ Angelo State Incarnate Word @ Tarleton State Central Wash. @ West Texas A&M

Individual Leaders Passing Player

FAITH WENBOURNE / THE EAST TEXAN

A&M-Commerce quarterback J.J. Harp takes a crushing blow from an Angelo State defender during Saturday’s 45=14 homecoming loss to the Rams.

Tarleton State 41, A&M-Kingsville 34 Tarleton State picked up its secnd win in as many weeks and spoiled homecoming for A&M-Kingsvillle, winnning 41-34 over the Javelinas.

The Texans (3-5, 3-3 LSC) used a number of big plays and scored the final 14 points

of the game to snatch victory from the hands of the home team, which dropped to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in conference play.

Nick Stephens completed 26-of-45 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns while Clifton Vaughn ran for 12 yards and a score to go with five receptions and another

touchdown to lead the Texans. The Javelinas held a 468428 advantage in total yardage and quarterback Daniel Ramirez led the way with 339 yards and two touchdowns on 30-of-41 passing. He was also picked off twice.

The Texan defense also recorded three sacks and forced a pair of fumbles.

Yds TD

Wesley Wood, ENMU Mitchell Gale, ACU Nick Stephens, TSU Blake Hamblin, ASU D. Vaughan, WTAMU

1697 1610 1478 1443 1387

Rushing Player

Yds TD

Receiving Player

Yds TD

Woodson, TAMUK Trent Rios, IWU Tristan Carter, ASU Keidrick Jackson, MSU Lester Bush, MSU

C. Rhodes, TSU Rob Armstrong, TAMUK B. Golden, WTAMU Darian Dale, ENMU C.J. Akins, ASU

471 452 384 374 346

530 530 448 426 420

Tackles Player M. Wadley, TSU Cory Whitfield, TAMUC Aguilar, TAMUK Juan Asencio, IWU Da. Jackson, TSU

12 12 8 9 11

4 6 4 10 7

2 8 3 3 2

Total 72 51 50 49 44

I SOCCER

lscstandings

Team Abilene Christian Midwestern State Eastern NM A&M-Commerce Angelo State West Texas A&M Incarnate Word Texas Woman’s

LSC Overall 11-0-1 15-0-1 8-3-1 10-4-2 5-3-3 7-5-3 5-6-2 7-8-2 5-5-2 6-8-2 4-7-1 7-8-1 3-7-3 5-7-4 1-11-1 1-13-3

This Week’s Games Oct. 28 Incarnate Word @ Angelo State Eastern NM @ West Texas A&M Abilene Chr. @ Midwestern St. Texas Woman’s @ A&M-C Oct. 30 Eastern NM @ Midwestern St. West Texas A&M @ Abilene Chr. Nov. 3-6 LSC Championship

Individual Leaders Points Player Andrea Carpenter, ACU Brionna Minde, TAMUC Kelsey Hill, MSU Lesley Briggs, WTAMU Brandie DeBacker, ASU Jade Bell, TAMUC

Goals Player Andrea Carpenter, ACU Brandie DeBacker, ASU Brionna Minde, TAMUC Lesley Briggs, WTAMU Jade Bell, TAMUC

Assists Player Kelsey Hill, MSU Lindsay Pritchard, MSU Sam Johnson, IWU Leslie Briggs, WTAMU Jade Bell, TAMUC

Saves Player Beatrice Soto, TWU Randi Hafele, TAMUC Victoria Puentes, IWU Sierra Cardenas, ENMU Morgan Harrison, ASU

Total 25 19 18 18 18 16

Total 11 8 8 7 6

Total 6 4 4 4 4

Total 79 69 58 51 43

ACU women claim regular season title When the Lone Star Confeence women’s soccer tournament begins next week, there’s no doubt who the team to beat will be.

Angelo State’s Wildcats have already earned the regular season title, ensuring themselves of the top seed at the LSC Championship, which will be played Nov. 3-6, and can enter the tournament with an unbeaten record if they can handle business against West Texas A&M to close out the season this weekend.

Abilene Christian (15-0-1 overall, 11-0-1 LSC) is currently riding on programbest winning and unbeaten

streaks, which stand at nine and 19 matches, respectively.

The Wildcats have won every match this season, except for a 1-1 draw with Incarnate Word on Sept. 16.

During their dominant season, the Wildcats have outscored opponents 39-9, and have nine shutouts.

With the top seed, ACU earns the opportunity to host the LSC tournament, and will look to repeat their 2010 effort, when the Wildcats played as the No. 2 seed and beat both Angelo State and Midwestern State en route to its first NCAA Championship appearance.

FAITH WENBOURNE / THE EAST TEXAN

A&M-Commerce freshman Jade Bell looks to move the ball upfield during a recent conference match.

I VOLLEYBALL

Regular season coming to a close

FAITH WENBOURNE / THE EAST TEXAN

Ezon Onditi and the A&M-Commerce Lions will host two conference volleyball matches this week on Thursday and Saturday.

With two weeks left in the regular season, teams on the bubble will be looking for key conference victories to help secure berths in the Lone Star Conference Championship tournament Nov. 10-12.

Angelo State and West Texas A&M, who each sit atop the conference standings with identical 14-1 records, are the only teams who have clinched spots in the LSC tournament, but a few others can join them this week.

Abilene Christian is certainly in good shape with a 9-5 conference record, and can clinch a spot in the tournament with just one more victory. Other teams such as Tarleton State (8-6)

and Texas Woman’s (8-7) are just a couple of wins away from securing their place in the postseason.

Midwestern State (7-8), Cameron (7-8), Incarnate Word (6-10) and A&MKingsville (5-11) are all on the bubble, but pretty much have control of their own destiny.

A&M-Commerce (3-11) would essentially need to win out and get quite a bit of help to pull off a miracle run into the tournament. Eastern New Mexico (1-14) has been mathmatically eliminated from postseason play.

The tournament will be hosted by the team with the best record in LSC play.

lscstandings Team Angelo State West Texas A&M Abilene Christian Tarleton State Texas Woman’s Midwestern State Cameron Incarnate Word A&M-Kingsville A&M-Commerce Eastern NM

LSC Overall 14-1 25-2 14-1 24-2 9-5 15-11 8-6 14-12 8-7 10-14 7-8 15-9 7-8 13-10 6-10 10-14 5-11 12-12 3-11 8-14 1-14 5-19

Individual Leaders Kills Player Kelle Carver, CAM Jennie Hutt, ACU Adrienne Lawson, CAM Rachel Robertson, TAMUC Viktorija Jablonska, TWU Ashley Davis, WTAMU Flynn Harrell, TSU Amber Durand, ENMU

Avg./S 3.97 3.79 3.56 3.54 3.33 3.31 3.28 3.20

Assists Player Lacy Hayes, WTAMU Alex Woolsey, ASU Jenna Risoli, CAM Jordan Neal, TAMUC Haley Rhodes, ACU Kennedi Catano, ENMU

Points Player Rachel Robertson, TAMUC Kelle Carver, CAM Jennie Hutt, ACU Adrienne Lawson, CAM Viktorija Jablonska, TWU Flynn Harrell, TSU

Digs Player Kiara Jordan, MSU Lauren Beville, WTAMU Julisa Ocasio, CAM Ali Insell, TAMUK Lydia Werchan, IWU Kelsie Edwards, ACU

Avg./S 11.07 10.98 10.44 9.81 9.00 7.94

Avg./S 4.38 4.30 4.17 3.99 3.66 3.65

Avg./S 6.17 5.07 4.89 4.84 4.76 4.67

Page 8

sports

COLLIER WHITEFIELD / THE EAST TEXAN

Receiver Seth Smith was J.J. Harps biggest target catching 7 passes for 37 yards.

Lions rammed into 45-14 homecoming game defeat Assistant Sports Editor Cliff Gibson

In front of the largest home crowd of the season – including alumni, new Hall of Fame inductees, and members of the homecoming court – the A&MCommerce Lions sputtered and stalled until well after halftime.

By the time the Lions got on track, half of the spectators had left, and Angelo State had put five touchdowns on the board before eventually cruising to a 45-14 victory over the winless Lions at Memorial Stadium.

A&M-Commerce (0-7 overall, 0-5 LSC) managed to gain just 52 total yards in the first half, while the Rams (4-4 overall, 1-4 LSC) built a 21-0 lead at the break that helped end a four game losing streak. The 0-7 start by the Lions is the worst since the 1926 team finished their season with the same record.

No team in program history has ever started a season with eight straight losses.

Angelo State was without starting quarterback Blake Hamblin, who had passed for

more than 1,400 yards this season, but backup quarterback Jake Strickler filled in nicely, completing 17-of-22 passes for 209 yards and a career-high four touchdown passes.

J.J. Harp led the Lion offense – albeit with some misleading numbers – passing for 238 yards and an interception while completing 29-of-40 passes. Most of Harp’s yardage came during garbage time, when ASU already had the game well in hand. Harp passed for just 64 yards and an interception in the first half.

Senior receiver Taylor Fore hauled in six passes for 44 yards, giving him 112 receptions for his career and moving him into fifth on the career receptions list at A&M-Commerce. Fore is just five catches from passing Dudley Slice for fourth on the all-time list.

Cory Whitfield recorded his fourth-straight game with double-digit tackles, finishing with a game-high 12, while Joel Wren and Matt Claggett each had nine tackles for the Lions.

Brynn Roy added six tackles

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011

and a sack.

The Rams started the scoring with a 72-yard drive that ended in Carter’s 10-yard run. Jarred Martin booted the PAT for a 7-0 lead that stood after one period.

In the second quarter, Strickler tossed the first of his four touchdown passes as he hooked up with Joey Knight on a 5-yard score. Strickler connected with Quinn Reels late in the half for a 4-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 21-0 lead at the break.

While the Rams moved the ball with ease, the Lions were atrocious on offense during the first half, failing to gain a first down in the opening period and ending second quarter possessions with two turnovers and another punt. The Lions’ inability to run the ball was a factor once again, with minus-12 yards at the half and minus-16 yards entering the fourth quarter. A&M-Commerce finished the game with just five yards on 26 rushing attempts.

Angelo State didn’t skip a beat after halftime, driving 76 yards downfield with the second half kickoff and scoring on Strickler’s 4-yard pass to Carter for a 28-0 lead. But instead of answering back, the Lions had the door slammed shut, punting to Angelo State on the ensuing possession only to have it returned by Paul Mason for a 70-yard touchdown that made it 35-0.

The Lions got on the scoreboard late in the third, as Marcus Graham punched it in from a yard out. Jacob O’Neil kicked to make it 35-7. But Strickler wasn’t done, throwing his fourth and final TD pass early in the final stanza. Martin kicked the extra point and also a field goal later in the fourth to up the score to 45-7. Jamar Mosely scored for the Lions with a few seconds remaining on a 5-yard run.

The loss was the fourth straight on homecoming for the Lions, and ninth consecutive loss overall, dating back to 2010 when the Lions lost their last two games of the season.

Attitude change is only thing that can lead to win Assistant Sports Editor Cliff Gibson To be honest, I expected to see a different A&MCommerce football team at Saturday’s homecoming game. During the drive to the stadium I had put together this formula in my head that added up to a new attitude, something along the lines of: tired of losing + homecoming + motivational speech from former Dallas Cowboy = WIN. Unfortunately, once the game began, it was the same old crap. It was so bad Saturday, even Head Coach Guy Morriss could not stand to watch it anymore, passing up a chance to score before halftime, and letting the clock run out instead.

I guess I psyched myself out. I mean, I had thought of all the reasons why the Lions could have won and had pretty much convinced myself with the “You just can’t lose your homecoming game” speech.

The Lions had it all working in their favor (the first time I’ve written those words this season). They were playing in front of a homecoming crowd, against a team that had lost four straight and had just received a huge motivational boost from former Dallas Cowboy Russell Maryland, who happens to know a little something about winning (National Championship at U of Miami in ’87 and ‘89 and three Super Bowls with Cowboys, XXVII, XXVIII, XXX).

In my head, it was a recipe for victory. Too bad it did not turn out that way.

Instead, that homecoming crowd I mentioned? Well, they were never really into the game anyway, and a large portion of the home support left after halftime. I mean, it’s beginning to look like Greenville High School football games out there, where the best show on the field is at halftime, and all of the “band fans” leave immediately after.

That team that entered with a four-game losing streak? Well, they

actually played with a chip on their shoulder, which is what I expected the Lions to do. They played like it was their homecoming, not ours, and dominated from start to finish.

Most disappointing of all, the extra boost from having a Super Bowl-winner on campus must have worn off pretty quick. I saw no attitude, no emotion (except the hanging head of quarterback J.J. Harp after yet another poorly thrown ball), nobody getting teammates fired up.

The lack of emotion, paired with Morriss’ “let’s just get the hell out of here” strategy made one thing very clear to me – the losing attitude is INFECTIOUS. The funny thing is, I heard on three separate occasions Saturday the very same statement, “This team will not win until the attitude changes.”

My only question is, will Morriss … or better yet, will Athletic Director Carlton Cooper do anything about it?

www.theeasttexan.com

FAITH WENBOURNE / THE EAST TEXAN

The loss to Abeline Christian Oct. 23, makes three straight for the Lions.

Lions fall to undefeated ACU Editor Adam Troxtell Homecoming weekend woes for Lions fans continued Sunday afternoon as the women’s soccer team dropped a 2-0 decision to top of the LSC table and undefeated Abilene Christian University.

Both goals came in the second half of the match that was, otherwise, fairly even.

A&M-Commerce actually beat ACU in total shots 16-10, but the Wildcats were able to put their chances away.

“I thought it was a pretty even game, and I thought in the second half we started out OK,” Head Coach Neil Piper said. “We gave up a very soft goal. We left the best player in the conference wide open, and she took advantage.”

ACU’s first goal came just over four minutes into the second frame. Julie Coppedge took the ball to

the edge of the Lions penalty area before slipping a pass through to Lone Star Conference leading scorer Andrea Carpenter who applied the finish. It was carpenter’s 25th goal of the season.

After the goal, the Lions picked up the pace of their attack and produced a few scoring chances, but they were mostly from the outside and mildly threatening.

There was a controversial moment in the match when ACU was awarded a penaltykick for a foul called against A&M-Commerce sophomore Eva Brutto. Wildcats junior Krysta Grimm put away the spot kick for ACU’s second goal, and Piper said this was definitely a game-altering moment.

“I thought the penalty changed the game; I’m very dubious about that call,” he said. “Once they went up 2-0, I thought we kept going at them. I thought the pen-

alty ruined the game, and on another day we win. But, they’re undefeated for a reason.”

The first half was even throughout, as both teams had golden chances for goals but neither was able to capitalize. Abilene Christian’s best chance came when Grimm sent a pass into space for sophomore Whitley Lindholm, who sent her first-time shot sailing over an on-rushing Lions goalkeeper Randi Hafele and the crossbar.

The Lions had two long-distance shots in the space of a few minutes that could have given them the advantage before half.

Freshman Jade Bell’s foray into the attacking third was stopped, but not before she got the ball to senior Jordan McCarty who beat two defenders and sent a shot to the low corner.

London’s diving save kept things even and gave A&M-Commerce a corner. ACU initially got the ball clear, but freshman Cadie Annett got the ball back for the Lions and sent a shot screaming just wide of the left post.

The loss leaves the Lions at 7-8-2 for the season and 5-6-2 in LSC play with just one game remaining. Piper said Friday’s final game at home to Texas Woman’s at 7 p.m. is crucial going into the post-season. In order to qualify for the national tournament, A&MCommerce would have to have at least a 50 percent record coming out of the LSC tournament.