The East Texan STUDENT NE WSPAPER OF TE X AS A& M UNIVERSIT Y- COMMERCE SINCE 1915
XCVI, No. 9, 8 pages
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Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011
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news Page 3
Our news pages this week are dedicated to the recognition of non-traditional students. Read more on our main story and about Cyndi Matthews, who is getting a doctorate.
entertainment Page 6
Coldplay is back with their new album, Mylo Xyloto. Plus, our entertainment editor breaks down Timberlake’s first appearance in an action-packed drama.
sports Page 7 and 8
Read about the volleyball and soccer teams as they both had come-back victories. Also, football traveled to Abilene to face the 19th ranked Wildcats.
Stats indicate continued non-traditional student growth Staff Writer Mitzi Y’Barbo It used to be that college students were 18 to 22 years of age, coming straight out of high school; anyone else was called a “non-traditional” student. The number of students enrolled at Texas A&M UniversityCommerce this semester who are older than 25 is 6,172, and of that number, 2,297 are male and 3,875 are female. This leaves only 4,973 as what has been known as the ‘typical’ student. The total A&M-Commerce enrollment for Fall 2011 is 11,672. The term non-traditional typically refers to anyone who fits into any of the following categories: 25+ years of age, delays enrollment (not entering higher education directly from high school), a re-entry student (has left school and is returning), works full time (35+
hours per week) while enrolled, is considered financially independent for financial aid purposes, has dependents other than a spouse, received a GED or a high school certificate instead of graduating, or is a single parent. The A&M-Commerce Technology Visioning Project, conducted by the Visioning Task Force and chaired by Department Head and Professor of Psychology and Special Education Tracy Henley, was published in December 2010. Presented as part of the President’s Spring Address, published January 13, 2011, it lists competitive advantage as a driver for higher education. The specifics stated were: 1. A growing pool of non-traditional students, 2. Shrinking pool of traditional students (e.g., according to the census between today and 2020 there is expected to be no growth in the population age bracket 18 to 24 year olds.), 3. Pressure
to be more competitive to attract quality students and faculty. Connie Mears, associate director of operations and special services for Texas A&M University-Commerce, served as faculty adviser for the Non-Traditional Student Organization (NTSO), when she came to the university in 1994, through 1997. The organization was first recognized on campus in October, 1987 and was known as OASIS, the Organization of Adult Students Involved in School. According to Mears, campus populations are “totally different now than 10 to 20 years ago” when a non-traditional student was an “anomaly on campus.” “It’s much more likely you’d be sitting by a 30-year-old than an 18-year-old now,” Mears said. “The playing field has evened out. Honor societies used to be more con-
Gravity defied at Rec Center
centrated; women and gender groups were more prevalent. Now they are more focused on disciplines.” Mears said it was a “new phenomenon” and many such organizations were being formed on college campuses. Some other names were SODA (Students Older Than Average), and NTSO, which the A&MCommerce group became in 1990. Mears got two of these programs up and running: the group at A&M-Commerce, and a group at Texas State University, where she had previously worked and served as that group’s adviser. The main purpose of the group at that time was to help acclimate students to the school, advise them and answer questions. At that time, Mears said, “the organization was thriving and had good membership with great officers.”
Exemptions granted to degree plans after President Jones appeal Editor Adam Troxtell
amanda luke / the east texan Kaitlin King (left) and Sam England (right) climb the rock wall at the Morris Recreation Center during the annual Gravity Check competition last Saturday. Students, faculty and local citizens are invited to compete in various climbing games and test their skills on difficult routes.
•See Past Page 3
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has granted two-year exemptions to the master of arts in sociology and master of arts in Spanish degree programs at A&M-Commerce. At an Oct. 27 meeting, President Dr. Dan Jones made an appeal to the Coordinating Board on their decision to begin the elimination process for the degree programs. Both would have been phased out by Fall of 2014 under the proposal, but Dr. Jones and other administration involved in the appeal were successful in their case. The Coordinating Board reviews degree programs in universities across Texas every year and will decide whether or not they merit more funding based on graduation numbers over a fiveyear period. Universities can appeal decisions, and this was the second appeal for these degree programs made by A&M-Commerce after the first was denied.
“There were some programs in which the denials were upheld, so Dr. Jones did a good job presenting our case,” Interim Associate Provost Dr. Sandra Weeks said. Now, the departments that run the degree programs have two extra years to meet Coordinating Board quotas before they undergo another review. Head of the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department Willie Edwards said the department will soon begin the process of increasing MA in Sociology graduation numbers. This includes a student focus group, an expansion of the Graduate Recruitment Committee’s region of contact, online classes, and establishing a teaching certificate in sociology. “The department will continue to encourage/recruit those students in the undergraduate programs, within the department of sociology and across the university, to consider pursuing a graduate degree in sociology,” he said. “The department appreciates the work President Jones put into making the appeal.”
Evangelist makes controversial remarks Sports Editor Justin Cheatham A controversial traveling evangelist, Jesse Morrell, made a stop outside the Sam Rayburn Student Center Oct. 26, to spread his personal views on religion. Morrell has visited over 80 campuses in 27 countries spreading his views through “open air” demonstrations condemning college students’ lifestyles. He wore a sign for this occasion warning groups ranging from gangster rappers and immoral women to socialists and pornographers. “I’m here trying to talk to college students and get their attention, I think I have been pretty effective,” Morrell said. Students and faculty alike gathered around him with mixed feelings about his message. “I think he is setting himself up for failure,” freshman Marissa Martel said. “Everyone is pretty much making fun of him and I think he is just judging everyone. I mean, we are college kids and we party and everything; so, he is basically saying everything we do here is wrong.” Morrell bounced between traditional views of Christianity and extreme
interpretations on the Bible. “I have no problem with women working, I bought my wife a cookbook,” Morrell said. The University Police Department sent an officer to control the crowds and make sure the students remained safe. Although the university did support his right to the first amendment, they chose not move him to the East Circle by the McDowell Administration Building, the zone that used to be designated for free speech situations. “The university is in the process of changing those around, so we do not have any clear-cut free speech zones at the moment,” Lt. Jason Bone said. “I think Dr. Jones is looking into that. This kind of came up yesterday, so in this particular case we played it by ear. He was not really hurting anything where he was at, but maybe next time we might move them a little bit down because one of the issues was that some of the crowd was standing in the street and that is obviously a safety issue.” As well as “preaching”, Morrell also answered questions from students in the crowd to try and clarify his train of thought. “He is preaching to people about
not sinning but kind of contradicting himself in a way saying that you can’t be perfect but at the same time ask for penance if you do sin so he is kind of talking himself in circles,” Sophomore Nathan Bullock said. “I do not think there is any problem expressing opinions, because we have freedom of speech; but, he needs to be real clear about what he is talking about without contradicting himself.” Many students were visibly upset at Morrell’s views, some to the point of arguing their own religious views. The Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) said they had several students come in and ask for advise on dealing with the evangelical. “It is unfortunate, but I think there are people who call themselves Christian who don’t really understand what the bible teaches about the character and nature of God,” Director of the BSM Joe Schmidt said. “I’m sure he thought he was being faithful to God’s commands to be a witness and to warn people about the consequences of their choices, but his attitude was very condemning and judgmental and whether he realized it or not he was being very self-righteous; those are all things that Jesus himself condemned repeatedly.”
david grote / the east texan Jesse Morrell speaks to a crowd of students outside the Student Center.
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011 www.theeasttexan.com OPINION Writer transforms into Spiderman for Halloween A man’s view on fashion
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Entertainment Editor Chancellor Mills My story begins two years ago when I discovered a website where I could spend about $40 and order my very own spandex superhero costume. The selection was pretty awesome, too. There
was Superman, Spiderman, Green Lantern, The Flash and even a few Power Ranger ones. Despite all of this awesomeness, I didn’t take advantage of the site that year for two reasons: 1) I was still a bit chubby and I didn’t need anything that would emphasize that; and 2) I didn’t have any money to spend. Skip ahead to last year. I was living with my best friend and we started thinking at the beginning of September about what we wanted to be for Halloween. There was going to be a party in his hometown and a bunch of people had already decided to go as superheroes. Then, I remembered the site from the previous year and I knew what had to be done. Unfortunately, the selection had been trimmed a bit and both of our first choice costumes were no
longer available. We were a bit deflated, but we decided to settle for me being Spiderman and he being Black Suit Spiderman. We ordered them that night because we were so excited. We even paid for expedited shipping. This is where things become less awesome and begin to turn depressing. We each received e-mails from the company producing the costumes around the beginning of October saying that our costumes were being shipped and we could expect to receive them the week before Halloween. It was cutting it a bit close, but we didn’t care as long as we get them in time. One thing I should probably mention… the company was based in China. So, needless to say, we didn’t get our costumes until the week AFTER Halloween. We were disap-
pointed, to say the least. So, can you guess what I’m going as this year? Go ahead. Guess. That’s right. I’m going as the damn Spiderman! No more slipping on my costume and just chilling in my apartment, or taking out the trash. I’ll tell you what else: I’m going to get my money’s worth this year. I plan on attending not one, not two, but three separate Halloween parties! And that’s not all. Basically, between now and Nov. 1, I will be spending all of my free time “Spiderman-ing” it up. I’ll be climbing into trees and jumping down on “evildoers” at night. I’ll be climbing anything and everything that I can. I am going to be spraying so much webbing at everyone that Commerce will be forever unclean. My spidey senses are telling me this is going to be a good Halloween.
Editorial: Degree programs saved, staff appreciative A& M - C o m m e r c e r e ceived some great news at the end of last week when the Coordinating Board granted exemptions for MA in Spanish and MA in sociology degree programs. The more opportunities we have for students, the more diverse we become as a university, and this can only be a good thing. We praise the efforts of President Dr. Dan Jones and any faculty members that helped him in his appeal, as it was clearly helpful in keeping these degree programs alive. To lose these degree plans could mean losing students and, possibly, faculty to other un iversit ies, t hereby h i nder i ng ou r g row t h. We also feel the need to point out the fact that the work is not over. Now, the sociology and criminal just ice depart ment has to come through on its promises to increase
g r a du a t i o n r a t e s . T h e same goes for literature and languages. The problem will not fix itself. We hope these departments realize the value of this opportunity and do not waste a moments breathe in making sure graduate students get all the chances they need to receive the degree they truly desire. Also, we are baffled at the initial decision to not appeal for t he bachelor of science/arts in athletic training degree programs to be taken off the elimination plan. From what we h ave gat her e d, t he university is proud of its course in sports science. This is a degree program that has offered students t he chance to gain real world experience working with various A&M-Commerce sports programs, a nd a ny de c i s io n t h at might allow that to dwindle can only be negative.
Sports Editor Justin Cheatham Let me start this out by admitting that I am not the most fashion-minded guy on campus. In fact I would probably come close to the bottom of the best-dressed list. My most recent purchase was a shirt that says Star Wars; not exactly Express material, but I have been trying to make a conscious effort to wear nicer clothing to look more professional during my work at another paper. Now this might be just from the places I regularly shop (Kohls and pretty much anywhere cheap. I am still a college student) but I have noticed an alarming trend among men’s dress shirts not having breast pockets. I looked through my fathers closet just to see if this was a current trend or if mens clothing used to have ample pocket space, and they did. Now ladies, you might not understand why breast pockets are important to us males,
but we have a clear lack of storage space. Females enjoy purses packed to the brim with everything from medicine for ANY occasion to pepper spray. Plus most ladies have a different size purse for any occasion that range from the size of a large billfold (a clutch) to something you would have to check at the airport (a weekender). The amount of stuff a guy can carry is limited to what he can fit in his pants pockets; so basically a wallet, cell phone, keys, a small pocketknife and maybe a pack of cigarettes if the pants you chose that morning have deep pockets. Pants with deep dockets are a dying breed as well, fashion seems to be removing pocket space in all mens clothing. I need more space. Right now if I want to reach my keys I pretty much have to dig in my pocket for roughly a minute while the people around me think I’m playing pocket pool. There are options now that winter is upon us like jackets with pockets but then you have to account for everything in that jacket anytime you take it off and hang it when inside; not very convenient. A satchel bag or briefcase is also an option but you face the stigma behind a man carrying a bag. That is why I think the fashion world needs to bring back the breast pocket, strictly for storage space.
ARIELLE MCMAHON / THE EAST TEXAN
THIS WEEK’S ‘PLAN B’
by Arielle McMahon
Writer questions professionalism, agenda of appeals court Staff Writer Cole Leonard The day I received my $30 ticket, my car had broken down and I had to borrow someone’s car to drive to school. Naturally, I was running late due to problems with my vehicle, so when I arrived at school I did not have the time to get a temporary parking permit or I would have been late for class. I felt that I had a strong case for an appeal because I held academic attendance as a higher priority to being tardy thirty minutes with valid parking.
After explaining my case, the financial loss, and the fact that I had to skip class just to attend the appeal panel, I was confident that my money would be refunded. The deliberations were held in secret, and I returned to hear the decision. Appeal denied. I didn’t understand. Did they not hear my reasoning? Why would they deny me after hearing my story? I asked the appeals court how and why they made their decision, and the response was terse and without merit. “We voted to deny your appeal because you should have been late for
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.
class and picked up a temporary permit, “ one of the tribunes said, “your teacher would’ve probably let it slide this one time.” This appeal was a complete mock to common sense and academic integrity. The decision upheld that obtaining a temporary parking permit takes precedence over attending class. So I demanded an appeal to the denial of my appeal. I’d had enough. From the very beginning, when I heard that I had to attend an appeal panel just to get my $30 refunded, I thought it was ridiculous. All of this for something
as silly as a traffic ticket? What a waste of time and resources? After I appealed their decision the Star Chamber refused to talk with me further on the matter and they told me to leave the room so they can judge the other traffic violators waiting outside. “Is my appeal not as valid as the others waiting outside?” I asked. “Are you really putting a time limit on this already unfair appeal system?” The adviser again told me to leave the room and that they would deal with me when they finished with the students waiting outside.
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
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And so I waited, talking with students, as one by one, their appeals were denied. There were a few lucky ones that were approved, but the rest left embarrassed and rejected. Two hours later, I returned to the tribunal who had already predetermined my fate. Denied again. The whole basis of the university’s traffic appeal meeting is flawed. Shouldn’t the voting panel be fairly represented? Instead of an all student panel, the tribunal should be composed of one student, one faculty member, and one administrator.
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Fred Stewart Faculty Adviser fred_stewart@tamu-commerce.edu
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news
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011
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Cyndi Matthews works and studies on campus all while keeping track of her three children, two of which are enrolled in college.
Matthews balances PhD with work, three children Staff Writer Mitzi Y’Barbo
mitzi y’barbo / the east texan
An elementary education class of mostly non-traditional students works on a group project. Statistics from the U.S. Census and Department of Education point toward a potential rise in the number of non-traditional students in university’s across the nation.
Past organizations supported non-trads Continued from Page 1... The organization had fundraisers and provided a food pantry for the students, offering canned foods, diapers or any other items needed to help them get by. NTSO provided “family friendly programming” with movie nights, children’s night out, and holiday activities, such as ‘Snapshots with Santa’. Mears moved on to work for Student Organizations, and Dr. Bob Folden, assistant professor in the department of business administration, took over as faculty adviser in the 1999-2000 term and worked with non-traditional students until about 2006, when membership and leadership began waning. “[Members were] leaders in the community and excelled on campus, there weren’t many who were willing to step up and take an active leadership role to help drive the organization,” Mears said. “Most were willing to just sit back and look in.” At this time, NTSO decided to affiliate with Alpha Sigma Lambda, a national honors organization, to increase support and resources. The local chapter at A&M-Commerce was Alpha Zeta Chi. To be considered for membership, a student must be at least 24 years old, have a GPA of at least a 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have a minimum of 24 completed semester hours at A&M-Commerce, have 12 credit hours earned in Liberal Arts/Sciences, and be currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program.
ASL sets aside the first week in November each year for national recognition of non-traditional students. Campuses across the nation have special activities planned during the week for these students and their families, and end the week with induction ceremonies. Folden said students “returning after the prime years, juggling family, work and school, while still excelling, should be significantly recognized.” The students who qualified for membership in Alpha Sigma Lambda would be recognized at an induction banquet each spring. They received certificates and pins, and were given achievement cords to wear at graduation. At the last banquet, Folden said there were 50 to 60 people in attendance, with about 40 actual ASL members, and called the organization “a need.” Folden also said he thinks it helps tie students to the university for the “long-haul”, with former students becoming donors, having created a positive connection while here because of being recognized for their achievements. Changes of staff in the student activities and leadership department saw this program “fall to the wayside” said Mears. The organization did not register to be recognized for the Fall of 2009, thus dissolving according to Deepti Vanguri, assistant director of student activities and special events. Vanguri said the organization could be reestablished if there were enough student interest. An organization needs 10
members and a constitution to petition for recognition on campus. Many campuses, such as the University of North Texas, also coordinate with the Transfer Center in planning joint activities, and offer monthly newsletters, according to Dantrayl Smith, coordinator of special populations at the University of North Texas. A 2010 report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), says that the number of non-traditional students is at 37.9 percent of all undergraduates enrolled. The U.S. Department of Education issued a report in September, 2011 projecting enrollment in postsecondary institutions between 2009 and 2020, to increase 21 percent for students from 25 to 34 years old, and by 16 percent for students 35 years and older, with an 8 percent increase in men and 16 percent for women. According to the Department of Education, 13 percent of those now enrolled in school are single parents, up from 7.6 percent in 1993. The nontraditional student population is the fastest growing segment of college student enrollment, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Reports (October 1996). There are many reasons for these increases. Some persons may have never attended a college or had to stop going for personal or financial reasons. Others are returning to update their professional skills or to increase advancement potential. Some have served in the military or been homemakers and are now looking to start a career.
There’s scarcely been a time when school was not part of Cyndi Matthews’ everyday life. She currently shares the label of college student with two of her three children. Matthews went directly into college from high school and earned a bachelor’s degree with a double major in psychology and human resource development from Brigham Young University. She then began working toward her master’s in organizational behavior, which took six years to complete, during which time Matthews also got married. She and her husband were students together during that process and got their master degrees at the same time. Matthews and her husband moved to this area and started a family. In 1991, after working part-time and having begun a family, she enrolled at Texas A&M University-Commerce to begin working on her second master’s, this time in counseling with a social justice perspective working with minority and marginalized populations. She earned this degree in 1996. She had another child, worked part-time and was a stay-at-home mom until 2007 when she decided to begin work on a PhD. “My middle child had the hardest time,” Matthews said. “She was in middle school at the time, and she still really needed that ‘mom time,’ so we had to make sure we scheduled that in. I had to explain to her the difference of doing my PhD. That it was important for what I wanted to do, and that by doing it, I could support her and her college, that
my college would help her go to college.” Matthews said her 14-yearold son is used to them both being in school, he has pretty much grown up with her having been a student. “He still wants to sit and talk, have a part of me when I get home,” Matthews said. “For so long it was just he and I. Just last Saturday, we both had work to do on the computer, so we set a timer for half an hour and switched off for seven hours. It can be frustrating, but was worse when more kids were still at home, but it makes it fun. We both got done, and for me it made me really focus with my time.” Matthews is currently writing her dissertation, with an emphasis on work with the LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and intersex) population, and should graduate in May 2012. As of this semester, she is a paid staff member in the Counseling Center. “I have to compartmentalize, it’s really tough,” Matthews said. “The biggest struggle is balancing the three of them, at work, focus on work, and at home, focus on home. You just have to say ‘it’s homework time’. When the kids were younger, nap time would be mommy’s homework time. Trying to find that time is really tough.” Being a non-traditional female student “is tough,” Matthews said. This is especially true with the day-today expectations of being a wife and mother. “It’s not like being 18 and saying ‘my time is my own, I can decide what clubs to join and when to do my homework,’” she said. “As women we’re taught to take care of everything, but if we do, we’ll drive ourselves nuts.”
Thefts rise according to crime stats Adam Troxtell Gabriella Martinez Crime statistics from 2010 released by the University Police Department earlier this month show a slight increase in burglary arrests at A&M-Commerce. There were 21 arrests made for burglary last year, 17 of which occurred in Residence halls, compared to 19 in 2009. “By far, what we deal with most will be property crimes like thefts,” Lt. Jason Bone of UPD said. “That’s what we deal with more than anything: thefts and burglaries.” Eight of the 21 burglary arrests occurred from incidents at Whitley Hall. Calls to Whitley Hall Director Gwenn Young were not returned as of press time; however, Smith Hall Director Jessica Gamez, who has previously worked at Whitley as well as New Pride, said Residential Life makes an effort to help students prevent theft on their own.
“We encourage residents to keep their rooms locked at all times, not to let people borrow their keys, not to let strangers walk into the building behind them after they slide their cards at the doors, and to make sure they register all of their expensive items,” she said. Bone said part of UPD’s prevention efforts is to get students to register their items so they can be identified. “We have been doing a lot of crime prevention type programs where we are encouraging people to write down their serial numbers, make and models of their electronic devices,” Bone said. “We actually have some brochures you can download over the Internet or you can get them up front. Now, that doesn’t prevent something from getting stolen, but it helps us get it back much quicker.” There was also a drop in the amount of liquor law and drug law arrests from 2009 to 2010. Gamez said hall directors and RAs try to prevent
these crimes by appealing directly to residents. “We set a good foundation at the beginning of the semester during floor meetings and one-on-one conversations,” she said. “With the residents, we let them know we have a zero tolerance policy for drugs in the building and under-aged drinking/ irresponsible drinking.” RAs conduct regular room inspections to deal with health and safety matters and are trained to identify potential hazards in the rooms; however, Gamez said they are not told to search for any illegal substances, as that is a duty for UPD. “We don’t train our RAs to be police officer’s; that’s not their job,” she said. “We are not out there looking for drug paraphernalia or anything like that. We teach them to do a good sweep of the entire room, but we are not opening anything. We are not the police; we are here to support the residents, to be mentors and friends.”
adam troxtell / the east texan
The University Police Dept., headquartered in Henderson Hall, recorded an increase of burglary arrests in 2010.
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Ca mpus Life
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011
www.theeasttexan.com
McCarty, Arriola take homecoming honors Graphics Editor Jessica Martin
Homecoming festivities have ended at Texas A&M University-Commerce and the k ing and queen have been chosen. Esteban Arriola, a senior Education and Kinesiology major, was elected Homecoming King for 2011. “I’d never been a part of any school campaig n for homecom i ng or prom i n high school,” Arriola said. “This was a great experience for me and for sure a saved memory. Winning homecoming k ing is amazing, but I’m just another student on campus. It’s great to know I have people who care for and support me.” Arriola graduated from Edinburg High School, plays on the men’s basketball team, is president of the Sigma Chi fraternity, and is a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee.
“To be a student at Texas A&M - Commerce is a great thing,” Arriola said. “I became part of a great tradition at this university. It has a golden rich history, and being a part of it has truly been a blessing. The life and education I have gone through and experienced on this campus has made several impacts on my life, and all were positive.” Jordan McCarty, a senior Political Science and History major, was elected Homecoming Queen for 2011. McCarty graduated from Denton Ryan High School, is a member of the Honors College, Women’s soccer team, the Chi Omega sorrority, and the Alpha Chi fraternity. She has previously been a member in t he St udent Government Association, the Student Honors Council, Phi Alpha Theta and a representative for the University Honors Council. “I think to be queen is an
incredible honor.” McCarty said. “Not only does it show who you are as a person, but also the respect and honor your peers have for you.” McCarty reflected on what it meant to her to be homecoming queen. “I a m proud to repre sent Texas A&M University Commerce as Homecoming Queen for 2011 because I think that the Homecoming Queen should embody the purposes for t he un iversity, support the school in all areas, and represent the student body as a whole,” McCarty said. She is also proud to be a st udent at Texas A&MCommerce. “I am also proud to be a student at Texas A&M - Commerce, because of the pride and tradition that our school has,” McCarty said. “It has been a memorable experience to be a student at Texas A&M - Commerce.
JESSICA MARTIN / THE EAST TEXAN Jordan McCarty and Esteban Arriola were elected King and and Queen for the annual Homecoming in 2011.
Students seek answers to secretive flyers, find ‘Doctor Who’ fan club Enertainment Editor Chancellor Mills Students at A&M-Commerce may have not iced some strange posters showing up all over campus that depicted a blue police call box or simply read “Vote Saxon,” as well as a time, place and location. These posters were actually a way to let st udents k now about the time, place and location of the first meeting of a new “Doctor Who” club that is being started on campus. Political science professor Dr. Jeffrey Herndon and junior history major Sarah Hays founded t he group because they are both big fans of the show. “Herndon and I actually talked on two occasions for about 30 minutes about Doctor Who – theories behind it and what not,” Hays said. “So, we were thinking about how cool it would be if we started a Doctor Who club or organization. I figured it would be cool to start a group even if we just get together and discuss things.” According to Hays, the posters for the first meeting featured elements from the show, in order to ensure that the right people showed up. The blue box on the poster is known by fans as the TARDIS, which is the primary
mode of transportation for “The Doctor.” “Dr. Herndon and I had various ideas about how we’d get the word out, but we bot h ag reed t hat t he advertising had to be slightly mysterious,” she said. “We thought ‘Wouldn’t it be cool i f we j u st st uc k a TA RDIS up with a date and a t i me a nd p e ople u nderstood what it mea nt?’ If students put two and two together and showed up, it would be even more exciting. Instead of just slapping up an obvious advertisement, we thought stirring up a bit of curiosit y might be more fun.” The club had its first meeting on Thursday, Oct. 20. There were about two dozen students in attendance. “The meeting actually went really well and I was excited to see the number of people that attended,” Hays said. “We seem to have a substantial number of Doctor Who fans on campus, and many of these fans were clever enough to understand the mysterious flyers that made up our advertising. There was a lot of enthusiasm from everyone involved. I definitely think we have the potential to be a very active organization that delves into the different aspects of comedy and philosophy within the show.”
While he is a co-founder of the group, Herndon explained that the group was Hays’ idea and that he would be merely acting as the adviser for the group. “This was an idea that Sarah had and she came to me with it and I was gung-ho about it,” he said. “[My job will be] to make sure we get rooms scheduled as we need them, make sure that the cops are here to let us into the building, and take care of that kind of stuff.” One student in attendance
for the first meeting was sophomore pre-med biology major Ella Harper. Harper said that she was excited about being in the group – mainly because she would finally have somebody to talk with about the show. “I’m looking forward to actually having people to talk about ‘Doctor Who’ with, because before now I know all of two people that watch the show,” Harper said. “And it gives me even more of an excuse to talk about ‘Doctor Who’ all the time.”
A new study has shown that alcohol consumption, next to time studying, is one of the biggest predictors of a student’s grade. This study came from George Mason University and it was by a doctorial candidate named Tom Wyatt. It suggests that time spent drinking lowers grades; even students who have above-average GPA’s, but also reported above-average alcohol consumption, could have higher grades if it were not for drinking. However, Gail Johnson, associate professor in the p s yc holo g y de pa r t me nt at Texas A&M UniversityCommerce, has seen otherwise in her experiences. “I have found that students who tend to abuse alcohol, have a problem with retention,” Johnson said, “A lot of research I’ve seen shows that
a lot of those students abusing alcohol make the same GPA as those that don’t drink. But, they don’t stay in school.” Johnson pointed out that alcohol abuse and dependency are two terms that people need to distinguish. “Abuse could be drinking then doing behaviors you wouldn’t normally do,” Johnson said. “It’s drinking then putting yourself in danger.” Dependence, on the other hand, means your body has adjusted and your body needs that alcohol over the long term to feel functonal. “One of the problems with college students drinking, is that if you drink heavily in college then you may be setting a pattern that will last the rest of your life,” he said. “Drinking is a decision that people make in their adult life but it always needs to be an educated one.” David Daniel, a junior and music major at Texas A&M-
Don’t forget to check out Word on the Street each Wednesday at: www.theeasttexan.com/campus-life
SGA talks internet, community relations Staff Writer Jordan Wright
ILLUSTRATION BY JESSICA MARTIN / THE EAST TEXAN “ Vo t e S a xo n ” p o s t e r s w e r e p l a s t e r e d a r o u n d c a m p u s i n h o p e s to raise awareness for the first meeting of the Doctor Who Club.
GPA, retention measured against alcohol Staff Writer Janna Harrell
Word on the Street
Commerce, believes that there could be a balance between good grades and alcohol. “I always st udy before I d r i n k, sc hool a lways go es f i rst,” Da n iel sa id. Another student, Lindsay Pope, Junior and Biology ma-
jor at the school, thinks that it is up to the student whether they are going to choose alcohol over good study habits. “ D o yo u r h o m e wo r k , then party,” Pope said. “It always depends on someo n e ’s m a t u r i t y l e v e l .”
STOCK PHOTO: WWW.GAWKER.COM A study by George Mason University found that alcohol consumption can lower grades because of time being used to drink rather than study.
The Student Government Association held a session in the Pride Room on the second floor of the Sam Rayburn Student Center on Wednesday, October 26. Held from 6:00-7:30 pm, the officers involved discussed ways to improve student life and several other matters. The meeting was called into session at approximately 6:00 pm. Among the scheduled items on the meeting’s agenda was the discussion in regards to the internet of Prairie Crossing. Several complaints have been made by residents of Prairie Crossing claiming that their internet service is inadequate, compared to the rest of the campus. Chief Information Officer Anwar Karim spoke regarding the quality of Prairie Crossing’s internet service, claiming that the source of the issue is the limited bandwidth that they have and that they are looking into ways to improve the situation but are currently limited in what they can accomplish.
Among the suggestions made in regards to improving the state of on campus internet for residents as a whole, was the suggestion to adopt a pricing model for higher quality internet, similar to internet service providers. In addition to the discussion on Prairie Crossing’s internet quality, three more senators were elected into the SGA. After introducing themselves and explaining what they hope to accomplish for the school, they were given the oath to recite and were given rank after about 10 minutes of deliberations. The final topic discussed at length was in regards to the mini golf course. A senator pitched the idea of whether or not to hold some sort of student event on the facility in an attempt to reach out to them and establish a good relationship with them. Given the size of the student body in comparison to the size of the facility in question, the matter was voted to be deliberated on further before a decision is made.
www.theeasttexan.com
Ca mpus Life
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011
‘Dino Math’ helps students measure up to TAKS tests
JESSICA MARTIN / THE EAST TEXAN Third graders from northeast Texas schools will be able to learn measurements skills at the annual Dino Math Measurements program. The program is aimed at teaching students TAKS skills to improve test scores.
Staff Writer Ridges Munnerlyn The Northeast Texas Children’s Museum recently launched their annual math program, Dino Math Measurements on Oct. 18, and it is set to run until Nov. 22. The program is designed for third graders to learn about different measurements. It runs for two hours on different days throughout the week. Third graders come from all over the northeast Texas area to learn about different measuring skills and have hands on practice at measuring different objects. Sharline Freeman, executive director, sees this as a great opportunity for the kids to learn and to raise money for the museum.
“I think it’s important for people to realize that the museum is not just a place to play, but can be a learning environment,” Freeman said. “We hope that when they come in and see the museum, they would want to come back and play with either their parents or their grandparents.” In Dino Math, third graders practice different measuring skills and measurements of the dinosaurs throughout the museum. Measurement was chosen as the main subject because it was the objective most often missed by third graders on the TAKS test. The cost for enrollment is $5. There are about 700 third grade students enrolled in this year’s program, which
is about 400 less than last year. This could be due to cuts in field trip funds for school districts. Different stations are set up with different activities and measuring tools. They use tools such as 100 lbs of rice and a rocker balance to measure grams and ounces. Other tools are also used to measure quarts, pints, and galloons. Each station is set up in a way that teachers would have a harder time doing in the classroom. Kay Moore, museum staff, said the program is a great success and will carry on in the future as long as they have good participation. “The program helps with kids’ education in multiple ways and gives ex-
posure for the museum,” Moore said. “I can see how excited the kids get when they walk in and they love it. It’s good advertising as well, because the kids that live further away have the chance to come back to the museum and play. It’s an additional learning environment along with what they learn in school, except it’s more exciting.” Three teachers as well as three assistants conduct each session. There are also currently 78 volunteers to the present the program. “I look forward to working more with the kids and expand the program. All the kids want to come back to learn and play more” Freeman said.
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Counseling Corner Stress Relief Special Contributor Marty Marsh Jacobs “Ar r r r rgggggg h h h h!” This is not “Pirate Speak.” It’s simply stress reverberating through the halls of A&M – Commerce. Stress is that cramp in the neck, headache producing, grinding of teeth, sleep robbing, heart racing, hole in the pit of your stomach. Stress is like a burglar. It slips in unnoticed and steals from us those things that are valuable or personal. Then it robs us of our patience and tolerance toward ourselves, fellow students and family. Everyone experiences stress as some point. Students, faculty and staff can all be affected. Let’s face it; college can be stressful. We are now at midterm. Students have exams, presentations and papers to complete in addition to classes and co-curricular activities. It is common to find increased stress at midterm and final exam time. This stress can lead to test anxiety. There are some basic things you can do to cope with stress. First, learn to relax. Slow, deep breathing
can help stimulate the relaxation process. Pay attention to your diet. As tempting as they are, avoid junk foods and stick with a balanced diet. All night cramming can overload your brain and create more stress. Do your best to get enough sleep, especially before a major exam or presentation. Get some exercise. Walking is a good stress reliever. When you take care of your body, you’re better able to manage stress. Take care of your feelings. Talk things over with someone you trust. Don’t bottle things up. Learn to express your feelings. Ask yourself if you are overreacting to a situation that can be changed. Focus on what’s going right in your life, not just what’s going wrong. Be realistic about your goals. Do your best not to take on too much. Pay attention to exactly what is triggering your stress and recognize what you can change. See if you can reduce your stress through prioritizing your goals or time management techniques.
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. Counseling Center, 204 Halladay Student Services, 903-886-5145
Horses contract illness, equine club teaches aid
Annual vigil set to honor armed forces Staff Writer Susan Dagenais Texas A&M University – Commerce is honoring the men and women who have served their country during times of military action this year with the 20th annual veteran’s vigil titled ‘Remembering Our Armed Forces.’ The event will begin at the Sam Rayburn Student Center Pre-Function Area on Thursday at 11 a.m. Following a brief ceremony, a vigil flame will be lit and burn continuously until it is extinguished on Saturday at the closing ceremony. Dr. Joe Webber, former Dean of Students will light the flame at 12:30, after the opening reception. According to Paige Bussel, A&M–Commerce University Registrar, one important aspect of the Vigil ceremony is the posting of a guard at the site. Sentries generally serve in onehour shifts for as many or as few shifts as they choose. With some open slots still available for standing guard, 27 people are scheduled for post times. “A guard stands every hour from 12:30 p.m. on Thursday until the closing ceremonies end on Saturday at 2:30,” Bussel said. “They are not all students; the guards are volunteers from all over. Dr. Wendell Edwards will be the first post.”
The opening reception will present military officer Dr. Richard Owen Proctor, who is also an A&M– Commerce alumnus, as the keynote speaker. He served in the U.S. Army between 1964 and 1991, advancing from Captain to Brigadier General. “Usually a different branch is recognized [each year] but this year we are dedicating the vigil to all branches - thus the title ‘Remembering Our Armed Forces’,” Bussel said. The event will continue Friday with a t-shirt sale, face tattoos, free popcorn and drinks at 11:00 a.m. and a working military dogs demonstration at 1:00 p.m. The event will wrap up with closing ceremonies on Saturday at 2 p.m. with a performance by the University Chorale, Ms. Lou Ann Petty, singing ‘A Soldier’s Wife’, the extinguishing of the vigil flame and a military fly-by between the SRSC and Science building. Veteran’s week will also include a 10 percent discount at the A&M–Commerce bookstore Nov. 3 - 5 and the Veterans Benefit and Job Fair at 11 a.m. at the SRSC on Nov. 2.
903-886-2710
20th Annual Veterans Vigil
REMEMBERING OUR ARMED FORCES Wednesday, November 2nd
11:00 a.m. Veterans Benefit & Job Fair SRSC Conference Rooms A, B & C
Thursday, November 3rd
11:00 a.m. Veterans Vigil Reception SRSC Pre-Function Area 11:30 a.m. Opening Reception SRSC Conference Room C 12:20 p.m. Processional to Vigil Site
Friday, November 4th
11:00a.m. T-shirt sale Free Popcorn & drinks Face Tattoos 1:00p.m. Working Military Dogs Demonstration Wathena Temple
Saturday, November 5th
2:00 p.m. Closing Ceremonies Special Performance by The University Chorale A Soldier’s Wife performed by Ms. Lou Ann Petty Extinguishing the Vigil Flame Military Fly-by Between Science Building and SRSC
Bookstore- 10% discount all day on clothing, supplies or gifts (Nov. 3-5)
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
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS The equine program is taking this opportunity to teach students about handling situations such as this.
Staff Writer Leah Allen A sickness known in the equine community as strangles has affected several of the Texas A&M UniversityCommerce horses since the first week of school. Streptococcus equi, or strangles, is similar to the common human illness strep throat, according to Equine Sciences Lecturer Lindsey Walton. Just as can be witnessed in the humans, symptoms for the horses include fever, cough, runny nose, and inflation of the throat causing difficulty to breathe, hence the name “strangles.” Fortunately, Walton said that only about one third of the fifteen riding horses caught the illness. A majority of those affected were weanlings, which are horses under a year old. “Younger horses catch it easier,” Walton said. A similarity is seen in the way that children catch strep throat easier than adults do simply because of their weaker immune systems. Strangles is contagious and common in high traffic barns. The A&M-Commerce Equine Center has traffic almost constantly with college classes, camps, personal
training, events, shows, and other activities. Walton said that the bacterium for strangles is potent, meaning it does not die easily. It can be carried on clothes and can sit on a fence post for days. The vaccine for the illness has not been perfected. Walton said that a lot of people do not even use the vaccine because it is only in the fiftieth percentile; however, Walton also said it is possible for the horses to die if left untreated. Just as strep throat affects the throat area, strangles can cause the horse’s throat to swell up so much that it cannot breathe and can literally be “strangled” to death. The A&M-Commerce equine program has used the opportunity of having sickened horses to teach students how to properly handle such situations. “It’s bad when they get sick, but it gives our kids the chance to learn,” Watlon said. Walton said that fortunately the strangles epidemic is dying out with only two horses left sick, leaving plenty of horses to ride and train on for all of the activities and classes the Equine Center holds.
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Entertainment Entertainment
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011
www.theeasttexan.com
Fromage du Jour A weekly look at film cheese
STOCK PHOTO: MOVIE-FLUSH.COM
STOCK PHOTO: COLLIDER.COM
According to Chancellor Mills, Justin Timberlake is mostly successful in pulling off his first big role as the protagonist in an action-based film, in “In Time.”
‘In Time’ presents fantastical dystopia Entertainment Editor Chancellor Mills When I first saw the trailer for “In Time,” I had two reactions. The first was astonishment at the pure brilliance of the story line. The second was skepticism at whether or not rom-com actor and former N’Sync-er Justin Timberlake could pull off a role as the protagonist in a very action-based movie. After leaving the theater, I must say that Justin really exceeded my expectations. The premise of the film is that, in the near future where time is the currency, people stop aging at 25 years old, leaving them with one year left to live and, ideally, earn themselves more time on their biological clocks. The story starts with a 28-year-old Will Salas who is living with his mother and working hard just to wake up with more than 24 hours on his clock. Then, one night, through a small act of heroism, Will saves a man who turns out to be over 100 years old with over a century of time left on his
clock. After a brief, admittedly self-righteous conversation with the man he just saved (Henry Hamilton), Will learns that the rich have been frequently increasing the price of living for the poor in order to stay wealthy and basically become immortal. It’s after this that we get one of the signature lines from the trailer where Will says, “If I had that much time, I sure as hell wouldn’t waste it.” Of course, anyone who saw the trailer knows what happens next: Hamilton gives all of his time to Will and makes him put his time where his mouth its Naturally, Will sets out on a rampage to seek justice, but only after the issue hits home when the cost of a bus ride goes up causing his mother to have to run to meet Will before her time runs out and she dies. What ensues is an hour-and-a-half of Will seeking to fulfill a vendetta against a man named Philippe Weis by kidnapping his daughter, coercing her and going on a Bonnie and Clyde-style crime spree where they knock off several time banks and redis-
tribute time to the poor. As I said previously, the story of “In Time” is a pretty brilliant one. It really made me think about what I would do if there were no credit cards and being down to my last penny meant that I only had a second to live. Can you imagine how frugal everybody would be with his or her “money”? The acting in the film was acceptable and nothing more, save for a few of the characters that die in the first half hour. The death scene with Olivia Wilde as Will’s mom was absolutely heart wrenching and very moving. They are heading toward one another as Will runs desperately to give his mother some of the time that Hamilton gave him, only to have his mother’s time run out a split second before he can reach her. I almost started crying. Overall, I would definitely recommend seeing this film, if for no other reason than the eye candy of Justin Timberlake and the scenes that involve a naked and lingerie-clad Amanda Seyfried.
Coldplay sticks to what fans love, despite a few hiccups Editor Adam Troxtell
Coldplay has always been a band that can take sound and make it anything they want it to be. They have found ways to take something brand new, mix it in with what they do best (the piano playing abilities and hypnotizing voice of Chris Martin and the perfectly timed guitar riffs from Johnny Buckland), and yet still produce something everyone recognizes as simply Coldplay. The same is true for their latest release, “Mylo Xyloto,” although album number five is not without its flaws. One thing I have always loved about Coldplay is when they design a song to get the listener/concert goer’s feet tapping and heart beating, they end up doing even more than that. This album is full of those songs, like “Hurts Like Heaven,” the already fairly popular singles “Paradise” and “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall,” and a few others. They are songs that you just can’t help but smile about, with Martin’s anthemic vocals mixed with a variety of sounds that combine for an overall pleasant yet empowering sound to the ear. It’s those downtime songs that prevent this album from being better. Great examples of previous Coldplay tracks that would fit this description would be “The Scientist,” “Trouble,” or “The Hardest Part,” and similar songs on Mylo Xyloto do not come close to matching up. Only one, “Us Against the World,” is worth mentioning in the company of the great ballad-like Coldplay songs from albums past. The other thing that really took this album down a grade for me was
STOCK PHOTO: UNCRATE.COM
According to Editor Adam Troxtell, Coldplay’s newest album, “Mylo Xyloto,” tries hard, but fails to live up to expectations, based on Coldplay’s past albums.
the song “Princess of China” featuring Rihanna. [Aside from the fact the Barbadian good-girl-gone-bad mixes poorly with the rest of the band], the overall sound is so far off from anything else heard on the album. It seems so out of place, and that’s hard to do given this is a band that uses a multitude of sounds in almost everything they do. I feel like this could have been saved as a bonus track or single that we would hear for a few weeks on the radio and then forget about. It’s around the time of “Princess of China” that the album just becomes slow; however, it quickly picks back up in colorful fashion. Soon, the song “A Hopeful Transmission” (perhaps named this as if to say the band are ‘hopeful’ listeners haven’t tuned out at this point) acts as an opening of the veil to shed more and more light. Then we hear the Coldplay we all know and
“I’ve never felt so tickled and educated at the same time.” - Graphics Editor, Jessica Martin
love return for the last two songs of the album, which I, personally, cannot wait to see performed live. Another thing I, unexpectedly, enjoyed on the album were songs like “A Hopeful Transmission” that simply serve as instrumentals to get from one point to another. The opening title-track even does this. These 30 to 40 second songs serve as a sort of pivot point as Coldplay moves seamlessly from one sound to another. This is another great album from a fantastic band that fans will undoubtedly enjoy. The problems only arise when the band strays from the path of rhythmic guitar riffs complimenting pianos and synthesizers. The slower songs are far from the best, but when mixed in with the fantastic sounds we have grown to love, they do enough to make “Mylo Xyloto” an enjoyable experience.
Editor’s Picks
Despite the success of its predecessor, “Ninjas vs. Vampires” is disappointing, according to review Jordan Wright.
‘Ninja’ sequel becomes worse than the original Staff Writer Jordan Wright Having been at the viewing of “Ninjas vs. Zombies” that my predecessor reviewed approximately a year ago, I remember finding myself in disagreement with him over the quality of the film in question. Sure it was an amateur production and a lot of the nerd jokes and references felt unnecessarily forced but the movie as a whole was handled by people that you could tell genuinely wanted to do it. The enthusiasm of the cast in addition to the utterly preposterous nature of the scenario in question, its ridiculous plot and the numerous jokes that actually did work helped make it, at least for me, the standard by which I judge nearly all movies that go into this column. I can only wish that I could say the same for its sequel, “Ninjas vs. Vampires,” which unfortunately suffers from a case of identity crisis. “Ninjas vs. Vampires” picks up after the ending of the previous film “Ninjas vs. Zombies,” which established the threat of vampires for the Ninjas of the first film to fight. The first third follows newcomer Aaron, who was attacked by vampires of the film only to be saved by the Ninjas. Upon his rescue, he investigates the matter and ultimately uncovers the secret battle between the Ninjas and Vampires and is ultimately recruited by the Ninjas to protect the innocent from the Vampires. What’s unfortunate about this case is that his story is not very interesting. His acting is all over the place, his girlfriend serves virtually no purpose beyond being a very minor damsel in distress
and he seems to exist for no other reason than to hit the film’s quota for “Twilight” jokes before the first half, with most of them being the tired sparkle and glitter jokes that were starting to get old last year. It doesn’t help that there’s no clever lead-in to them either, giving jokes that are already tired, bad delivery. Fortunately, once the Ninjas return to steal their own show back, the movie picks up exponentially. Their sheer charisma and chemistry with one another, in addition to some of their random ramblings about nerd culture in general is as enjoyable as ever. If only the movie stuck to its strengths in the field of non sequitur comedy, than I wouldn’t have much to complain about. Unfortunately, Ninjas vs. Vampires makes the big mistake that any comedy can make. It takes itself far too seriously. As the film progresses, it moves further and further away from its roots of parody. The jokes are fewer and further in between this time around, ridiculous aesthetics of the costumes notwithstanding, and the action is shot so close up, that it becomes harder to discern what’s going on. The slow ham-handed drama between the Ninjas doesn’t help matters either, slowing down a film with an already slow start to a crawl. I wanted to like “Ninjas vs. Vampires,” I truly did. Unfortunately the more I mull it over, the more I realize just how unsatisfied I was with the experience. The ingenuity and charisma of its cast keep me from hating it, but where “Ninjas vs. Zombies” is a film that I proudly promote to my friends, its sequel is a film that I don’t think I’ll be revisiting any time soon.
Verdict: One Shatner
“I never understood the true hilarity of stupidity until I saw this show.” - Editor, Adam Troxtell
Page 7
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011
numbersgame 21
hotshot 430
Consecutive matches without a loss by the Abilene Christian women’s soccer team
Passing yards by Dustin Vaughan in West Texas A&M’s win over Central Washington
I FOOTBALL
Midwestern clinches share of LSC title Midwestern State improved its best start in program history to 8-0 by rolling to a 57-34 win over Eastern New Mexico on Saturday at Greyhound Stadium. The win clinches at least a share of the Mustangs’ second LSC title and first since 2009, when MSU claimed part of a tri-championship with Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Kingsville. The eighth-ranked Mustangs rolled up 492 yards of offense, including 339 on the ground, paced by sophomore Keidrick Jackson, who rushed for 128 yards. Junior quarterback Brandon Kelsey completed 12-of13 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 84 yards and another score. Lester Bush added two scores that helped the Mustangs take a 35-20 lead into halftime. Eastern New Mexico had 441 yards, led by quarterback Wesley Wood, who completed his first 12 passes and finished with 299 yards and four touchdowns. Midwestern State converted all six red zone opportunities Saturday, bringing the Mustangs’ season total to 43for-43 with 40 touchdowns. The Mustangs have now won 10 straight against ENMU.
Other scores from the LSC include:
lscstandings Team Midwestern State Abilene Christian West Texas A&M Tarleton State A&M-Kingsvillle Incarnate Word Angelo State Eastern New Mex. A&M-Commerce
West Texas A&M 49, Cent. Washington 35 The 20th-ranked West Texas A&M Buffaloes outscored the Central Washington Wildcats 28-14 in the second half, on the way to a 49-35 non-conference victory at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Dustin Vaughan completed 32 of his 42 passes for 430 yards and four touchdowns, including a 70-yarder to Brittan Golden late in the fourth quarter to put the finishing touches on the Wildcats. Golden moved into third on the all-time school list for receiving yards and finished the game with 170 yards.
Tarleton State 48, Incarnate Word 10 Tarleton State exploded out to a 31-0 halftime lead and added seven more points before Incarnate Word got on the scoreboard for a 4810 victory Saturday over the Cardinals. The Texans (4-5 overall, 4-3 LSC) picked up their third consecutive win of the season and stayed in the top half of
LSC Overall 7-0 8-0 5-1 6-2 5-1 6-2 4-3 4-5 3-3 5-4 2-4 2-6 1-5 4-5 1-5 2-7 0-6 0-8
This Week’s Games West Texas A&M @ Midwestern Millsaps @ Tarleton State Eastern NM @ A&M-Commerce Angelo State @ Incarnate Word Abilene Chr. @ A&M-Kingsville
Individual Leaders Passing Player
Yds TD
Rushing Player
Yds TD
Receiving Player
Yds TD
Mitchell Gale, ACU.............2582....... 19 Dustin Vaughan, WT...........2533....... 21 Wesley Wood, ENMU.........2440....... 21 Nick Stephens, TSU...........2353....... 17 Daniel Ramirez, A&M-K......1630....... 14
JESSICA MARTIN / THE EAST TEXAN
Cory Whitfield (5) and Joel Wren (12) bring down an Angelo State player during the Lions’ homecoming loss to the Rams on Oct. 22. The Lions host Eastern New Mexico this Saturday for the 2011 home finale.
the LSC standings, while the Cardinals (2-6, 2-4 LSC) lost their second straight. TSU quarterback Nick Stephens threw for 325 yards and four touchdowns and also rushed for a score in just three quarters of work. Tarleton State finished with 523 total yards during its homecoming game.
A&M-Kingsville 36, Angelo State 33 Despite committing a season-high seven turnovers, Texas A&M-Kingsville earned a 36-33 triple overtime win against Lone Star Conference foe Angelo State on Saturday. With less than 90 seconds
remaining and no timeouts, the Javelinas were pinned at their own five-yard line trailing 23-20. The Javelinas marched down the field and set the stage for kicker Matt Stoll. The sophomore proceeded to knock in a 49-yard field goal to tie the game and force overtime.
Jon Woodson, A&M-K.........701......... 6 Brandon Kelsey, MSU..........670......... 7 Tristan Carter, ASU..............663......... 7 Keidrick Jackson, MSU.......648........ 14 Jimmy Pipkin, MSU.............601......... 6
Brittan Golden, WT..............765..........8 Clifton Rhodes, TSU............738..........3 Taylor Gabriel, ACU.............649..........6 Rob Armstrong, A&M-K.......626..........8 Darrian Dale, ENMU............619..........6
Tackles Player
Total
Marquis Wadley, TSU...................... 100 Cory Whitfield, A&M-C..................... 84 Jeremy Aguilar, A&M-K.................... 71 Juan Asencio, IWU.......................... 63 Jayson Serda, ENMU...................... 62
I SOCCER
lscstandings
Team LSC Overall Abilene Christian 13-0-1 17-0-1 Midwestern State 9-4-1 11-5-2 Eastern New Mex. 6-5-3 8-7-3 A&M-Commerce 6-6-2 8-8-2 Angelo State 5-6-3 6-9-3 West Texas A&M 5-8-1 8-9-1 Incarnate Word 3-7-4 5-7-5 Texas Woman’s 1-12-1 1-14-3
LSC Championships Quarterfinals Nov. 3 #3 Eastern NM vs. #6 West Texas #4 A&M-C vs. #5 Angelo State Semifinals Nov. 4 #3 or #4 vs. #1 Abilene Christian #5 or #6 vs. #2 Midwestern St. Championship Nov. 6 Semi winner vs. Semi winner
Individual Leaders Points Player
Total
Kelsey Hill, MSU...............................27 Andrea Carpenter, ACU....................27 Brionna Minde, A&M-C.....................25 Leslie Briggs, WT..............................24 Krysta Grimm, ACU..........................21
Goals Player
Total
Andrea Carpenter, ACU....................12 Leslie Briggs, WT..............................10 Brionna Minde, A&M-C.....................10 Kelsey Hill, MSU.................................9 Krysta Grimm, ACU............................9
Assists Player
Total
Kelsey Hill, MSU.................................9 Ashley Craig, ACU..............................6 Lyndsey Womack, ACU......................5 Brionna Minde, A&M-C.......................5 Samantha Huston, A&M-C.................5
Saves Player
Total
Beatrice Soto, TWU........................107 Randi Hafele, A&M-C........................90 Sierra Cardenas, ENMU....................69 Morgan Harrison, ASU......................66 Victoria Puentes, IWU.......................58
Field set for 2011 LSC Championship Six teams will make their way to Abilene this week with one similar goal - winning the conference title. The 2011 LSC Women’s Soccer Championship tournament is set to begin Thursday and run through Sunday, with a winner earning a spot in the NCAA Championship tournament. Defending champion Abilene Christian will host the event after capturing the regular season title with a stellar 13-0-1 record in conference play. The Wildcats will look to use the home-field advantage to capture their second-consecutive LSC title, winning
the tournament last year as the No. 2 seed and earning their first-ever NCAA Championship appearance. ACU will receive some stiff competition from a field of scrappy teams, including Midwestern State and A&MCommerce. ACU and second-seeded Midwestern State will have first round byes while Thursday’s first round action has (4) A&M-Commerce matching up with (5) Angelo State, and (3) ENMU facing (6) West Texas A&M. The semifinals will be played Friday and the championship game is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday.
FAITH WENBOURNE / THE EAST TEXAN
A&M-Commerce freshman Stephanie Neely fights for the ball during a recent conference match.
I VOLLEYBALL
Four teams battle for final seeds
FAITH WENBOURNE / THE EAST TEXAN
Jordan Neal (1) and Breanne Snyder (15) reach high to block an opponents shot during a conference match at the Field House.
The 2011 volleyball season is entering its final week, and four teams will be battling to secure the last two seeds in the Lone Star Conference tournament, scheduled for Nov. 10-12. The tournament will feature the top eight teams from the regular season, and six of those spots have been locked up, leaving two more up for grabs between four teams who are still in the running. Midwestern State, A&MKingsville, Incarnate Word, and A&M-Commerce are all vying for the last two slots, but the roads the teams take will vary in difficulty. MSU (7-10 LSC) is currently seventh in LSC play, and can
clinch a spot with a win and a loss by A&M-Commerce (5-12 LSC). A&M-Kingsville and Incarnate Word only have two matches remaining, and both teams sit a half-game ahead of the Lions at 6-12. Both teams can clinch via winning out plus any loss by the Lions. A&M-Commerce sits in 11th-place, but is still very much alive. The Lions can clinch by winning out plus a loss by either Incarnate Word or A&M-Kingsville. West Texas A&M, Angelo State, Abilene Christian, Tarleton State, Texas Woman’s, and Cameron have all clinched postseason berths.
lscstandings Team West Texas A&M Angelo State Abilene Christian Tarleton State Texas Woman’s Cameron Midwestern State A&M-Kingsville Incarnate Word A&M-Commerce Eastern New Mex.
LSC Overall 17-1 27-2 15-2 26-3 11-6 17-12 10-7 16-13 10-8 12-15 8-9 14-12 7-10 15-12 6-12 14-13 6-12 11-16 5-12 10-15 1-17 5-22
Individual Leaders Kills Player
Avg./S
Kelle Carver, CAM.......................... 3.93 Rachel Robertson, A&M-C............. 3.75 Jennie Hutt, ACU............................ 3.73 Viktorija Jablonska, TWU................ 3.69 Ashley Davis, WT............................ 3.42 Adrienne Lawson, CAM.................. 3.41 Flynn Harrell, TSU........................... 3.27 Amber Durand, ENMU.................... 3.16
Assists Player
Avg./S
Lacy Hayes, WT........................... 11.26 Alex Woolsey, ASU....................... 11.09 Jenna Risoli, CAM........................ 10.20 Jordan Neal, A&M-C....................... 9.90 Haley Rhodes, ACU........................ 9.62 Kennedi Catano, ENMU................. 8.47 Sondra Cui, A&M-K........................ 6.77
Points Player
Avg./S
Rachel Robertson, A&M-C............. 4.61 Kelle Carver, CAM.......................... 4.29 Jennie Hutt, ACU............................ 4.13 Viktorija Jablonska, TWU................ 3.99 Adriennne Lawson, CAM................ 3.82 Ashley Davis, WT............................ 3.68 Flynn Harrell, TSU........................... 3.64
Digs Player
Avg./S
Kiara Jordan, MSU......................... 6.09 Kelsie Edwards, ACU...................... 4.96 Julisa Ocasio, CAM........................ 4.88 Lydia Werchan, IWU....................... 4.83 Ali Insell, A&M-K............................. 4.82 Lauren Beville, WT.......................... 4.81 Emily Klein, TSU............................. 4.53
sports
Page 8
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011
Lions rally to beat UIW 3-2 Sports Editor Justin Cheatham
JARED HORN / MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
Sophomore setter Jordan Neal had a career high 65 assists, all of the teams assists against Incarnate word.
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The Texas A&M UniversityCommerce Lions (10-15, 5-12 LSC) rallied from a two set deficit to overcome the University of Incarnate Word Cardinals (10-14, 5-11 LSC) three sets to the Cardinals two Oct. 27. The Field House looked bleak as UIW took the first set 25-23 and kept the momentum rolling in the second, 25-17. The Lions were out blocked 3-1 and out dug 40-28 before the teams took their intermission but the momentum would soon shift after Head Coach Craig Case talked with the team about what needed to be done to finish with a win. “We were just not defending very well,” Case said. “They were hitting so clean and we did not have an answer for anything they did. I thought they were better than us in serving and in transition. They were a better team offensively as a team than we could dream of being a defense, so I basically said that if we can touch the ball we should be blocking it
because if they get a kill and we touch it that means they wanted it more.” The Lions bit back in the third set, showing their presence at the net with three blocks and 17 kills. Sophomore Rachel Robertson contributed 5 of those kills and finished the night out with a career high 24 kills and also 10 digs. “We were down two sets and we knew that if we did not want our season over then we had to win our next three so we kept fighting and hung in there,” Robertson said. That fifth set we were like ‘We are ending this’ and we came out really hard in that fifth set. It’s the best we have played all year.” It was an outstanding night for many Lions as freshman Ezon Onditi had a breakout night with a career high 14 kills and 15 digs, marking her second double-double and sophomore Jordan Neal had a personal best with 65 assists, accounting for every Lion assist of the night. “Every team we have beaten this year we have not beaten them because we are better than them, we beat them because we wanted it more,”
Case said. “That is what we had to do and that is the only talk we talked about, it didn’t matter what happened in the first two sets, we had to win three sets.” Although the Cardinals fought back in the fourth set, it was not enough to stop the Lions march to a 25-23 win. The fifth set showed the Lions true resolve as they started the set 6-2 and held UIW to finish 15-5 on an Onditi ace. But the night was not all positive for the Lions, Coach Case admitted that his team made mistakes early that they must work on to finish the season strong. “We have to address our defense and we may do film but we are playing a really good offensive team this weekend and we have to find some answers defensively without losing the first two sets,” Case said. “At some point our luck is going to run out so we have to make sure that we are a little sharper. It may be that we just sit down tomorrow as a team and watch some film and see what Kingsville is going to try and do to us so we can be prepared for that.”
Football team drops to 0-8 for first time in history Editor Adam Troxtell Despite a third quarter surge, A&MCommerce (0-8, 0-6 LSC) once again failed to grab their first win of the season in a 40-28 loss to the nationally ranked Abilene Christian University (6-2, 5-1) last Saturday, Oct. 29. “We could have easily won this game, but our old nemesis came around,” Morriss said. “We had holding, then we false start, get a personal foul, and then the coaches get in the act; we’re just not good enough to overcome ourselves. The kids fought their tails off, I was really proud of the effort.” Abilene Christian did not look like the 19th ranked team in the nation, especially when quarterback Mitchell Gale had his pass picked off by A&MCommerce’s Marcus Fore. Eventually, ACU did score first, and it came from the first play of their second offensive possession. Running back Daryl Richardson made a few Lions defenders miss before breaking off on a 78-yard run for a touchdown. With the Wildcats up 7-0, Richardson then decided to do it again. This time it was a 46-yard touchdown run, and at this point ACU looked as though they
would cruise to victory. The Wildcats had to settle for a field goal from kicker Morgan Lineberry on their next possession, but then Lions quarterback J.J. Harp’s second interception of the game resulted in a pick-six for ACU, giving the hosts a comfortable 24-0 lead with 9:21 left in the second quarter. The next ACU score came from a controversial call by the referees. On a Wildcats punt, Lions wide receiver Taylor Fore decided to let the ball drop; however, it hit an ACU player, bounced back off of Fore, and the Wildcats recovered the football. After initially saying it would be the Lions’ ball, the officials reversed the decision, saying that because Fore touched the ball, it was live and could be recovered by either team. That lead to a 35-yard touchdown pass from Gale to Darian Hogg, giving ACU a 30-0 lead. The Lions fought back, however, and did not get out of the half scoreless. After recovering a fumble on the ACU 24 yard line, A&M-Commerce finally capitalized on their opponent’s mistake when Harp found Tyler Rawlings on a 20-yard pass to breathe life into the Lions’ offense. Lineberry added another field goal just inside the second half for ACU, but
FAITH WENBOURNE / THE EAST TEXAN
Sophomore Brionna Minde scored the first goal against Texas Womens on Oct. 28.
Lions finish season with 2-1 home win, fourth in conference Editor Adam Troxtell A&M-Commerce’s Jordan McCarty made her senior night a special one by scoring the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Texas Woman’s University. The goal came with just over five minutes left in the game and about three minutes after sophomore Brionna Minde had tied the game off a blocked McCarty shot. “Honestly it probably wasn’t
the best shot I’ve ever taken, but knowing it went in and putting us ahead with a few minutes left in the game, it really boosted my confidence,” McCarty said about her goal. “Finishing the last home game with the win is just something you can’t replace. It was a great ending to a perfect season.” McCarty almost got a goal early on when her chance on goal came close to going in. After using her first touch to get around a defender, McCarty set up a shot with her second then
then the Lions’ running game came alive to give them a fighting chance. Once again, the A&M-Commerce defense set up Harp and company with a short field by recovering another ACU fumble. Running back Darryll Crummie finished off the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run to make the score 33-14. A&M-Commerce then held ACU to a punt before putting themselves firmly back into the game. A nine-play, 57-yard drive was capped by a sevenyard Marcus Graham touchdown run to put the Lions within 12 points with two minutes left in the third. In the final frame, ACU was able to kill off the game with a 12-play, 79-yard drive that chewed up some clock and resulted in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Gale to Ben Gibbs. Gale finished the game 19-31 passing for 254 yards and two touchdowns. A&M-Commerce added another touchdown to keep the game interesting. After driving down to the ACU two yard line, Harp connected with fullback Jarrett Golightly for his first touchdown of the 2011 season. Harp had a fairly good outing, going 36-59 for 297 yards and two touchdowns and an interception.
floated a left-footer just over the cross-bar from a tight angle. Freshman Cadie Annett also came close to producing a goal. Her run forward down the right resulted in a cross that found McCarty rushing forward. The senior deflected the ball toward goal, but it clanged off the post and was cleared out for a corner. Then a lapse by senior goalkeeper Randi Hafele lead to the game’s opening goal. TWU got a free-kick about 28-yards out, and Rebekah Ledet hoofed the ball toward goal and over an unsuspecting Hafele. The Lions did not set up the usual defensive wall 10 yards away from the ball, which could have had a significant impact on the resulting goal. After testing the TWU defense time and time again, the Lions finally got the breakthrough when McCarty’s shot on goal was saved by goalkeeper Beatrice Soto but fell right into the path of Minde who finished to the lower-left corner. A&M-Commerce then got a corner minutes later. The ball was partially cleared by the Pioneers, but only as far as freshman Samantha Huston. Her scuffed shot ended
up at McCarty’s feet, and the senior rainbowed the bouncing ball over Soto and just inside the far post for a dramatic late winner. “I thought she played great in the first half and for about 20 minutes in the second half she didn’t touch the ball,” Head Coach Neil Piper said about McCarty’s performance. “But, the game found her and she did well out there. I thought it was one of her best games, and we dominated from start to finish. I’m glad they won.” The Lions play Angelo State in the first round of the Lone Star Conference tournament today at 1:30 p.m. Piper said he believes his team can get past their struggles to capitalize on scoring chances and the Lions can do the job against the Rambelles. “I think we’re going to create chances,” Piper said. “We’ve played well against everyone we’ve faced, and some days we score in bunches and some days they just go wide. I was hoping we would save some for the conference tournament. Looks like we’ve got Angelo State first, and I don’t want to change much. We’ve had good luck against them.”
COLLIER WHITEFIELD / THE EAST TEXAN
Quarterback Jj Harp threw for 297 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.
‘Dig Pink’ night a 3-0 success Staff Writer Gabriella Martinez Texas A&M University –Commerce celebrated their “Dig Pink” night Oct. 25, and ended their two game losing streak against Texas Woman’s University in three sets, 25-18, 25-15, 25-20. “It was a good win, Texas Women’s is one of the hottest teams in the conference right now,” Coach Craig Case said. This game seemed to be the turning point within the second half of the Lions season (9-14 overall, 4-11 LSC). “It’s the first time we’ve played a great team defense in a long time so it’s good to see us do that, and we did a lot of little things that we talk about doing,” Case said. “So, I’m really pleased with that and I thought everybody played well and we’ve had some problems with inconsistent play that we didn’t have tonight. I didn’t look at anybody on the court and feel like they weren’t ready to go and weren’t focused.” Sophomore Rachel Robertson dominated offensively with 16 kills, more than any other player from Texas Women’s or A&MCommerce. “I didn’t do it alone,” Robertson said. “We were passing good. Jordan was setting really good so we were just in sync tonight.”
Sophomore Jordan Neal contributed much to the Lions success with 35 assists, but not yet reaching her goal of 75 assists in one match. “I’m excited, I haven’t broken the record I wanted to,” Neal said. “I’ve gotten close but I haven’t gotten there yet, that’s my goal.” Junior Erin Harman of TWU gained 14 digs, the most of the match, as junior Viktorija Jablonska gained the most kills on the opponent’s side with 12. In the first set the Pioneers dominated in kills yet the momentum shifted towards the Lions. “The last set I felt like that’s when we were playing our best and so I was pleased with that,” Case said. “We just got to keep winning. We can’t even think about what the options are. We’ve just got to go out and got to win and play well. If we play well, I think we got the chance.” Case said that the support from being at home would help the team on its route to the Lone Star Conference tournament. “The nice thing with our schedule is five out of our last six matches are at home and if you win five out of your last six, you feel pretty confident going into the conference tournament,” Case said. “It’s critical to continue to get great support.”