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XCV, No. 9, 10 pages
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Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010
County elections
Perry returns for third term James bright editor
The East Texan is pleased to bring you its first election coverage issue. We worked to put together all the information you need concerning who your representatives are at the county, state and federal level after the elections on Nov. 2. We would like to thank all those who stayed up late with us election night, getting up-to-date information from our live blog at theeasttexan.com
Governor Rick Perry retained his position after a race filled with negative advertising from both sides. The race was called only an hour and a half after the polls closed. Perry gave his acceptance
speech shortly after 10:00 p.m. after being introduced by his wife Anita. “Folks, Texas has spoken,” he said. “Texans are optimistic, they believe Texas is heading in the right direction.” Perry said although times have changed, what Americans want has stayed the same. “Freedom still matters
greatly to people all across the country,” he said. “Our citizens are tired of the government killing jobs. The people are fed up.” As a Republican, Perry said he does not think he will be alone in his victory tonight. “When the outcomes of this election are certified, we will see a substantial conser-
vative presence in both the Texas House and Senate,” he said. “We are one day closer to seeing the changes we want in Washington.” Protecting the people’s money is an area Perry promised he would work on in his next term. “We need to be ready to
See GOP page 4
GOP dominates Hunt County
Weather
Thursday H: 65 L: 38
Friday H: 61 L: 35
KAT HUFFINES / THE EAST TEXAN
State House Representative Dan Flynn (R) ran unopposed in the Nov. 2 elections. Flynn said he thought these elections would be the calmest Hunt County elections in recent memory. There were only three contested races in Hunt County. For a full election recap, turn to pages four and five.
Saturday H: 65 L: 38
Athletic cuts open more student services fees Adam troxtell sports editor
Sound off Which departments should get more money? Sound offs updated Friday night
Online Poll
Did you vote? Polls updated Wednesday night
Approximately $1,064,810 was made available in Student Service Fees (SSF) due to cuts in the amount of money the Athletics Department received in the 2011 fiscal year, which began at the beginning of this semester, according to documents obtained from the office of Vice President of Business and Administration Bob Brown. Associate Vice President and Director of Financial Services Alicia Currin is also a faculty representative in the SSF Committee, which is mostly comprised of students who decide how much money campus organizations receive from Student Services. She said the committee allocated money with the athletic fee in mind. “When that fee was passed, the students were promised there would be more money put into this pool,” Currin said. “So, we pulled about $800 thousand out of athletics, so that was $800 thousand more that the students had. Plus, there was some onetime money of
around $129 thousand.” The Athletic Department saw a complete cut of money they received from SSF for scholarships, down from $805 thousand in the 2010 fiscal year, and an $82,813 decrease in the amount of operational money. Now, the athletics department only receives $502,705 from SSF for operational purposes. The decrease comes after the Athletics Department actually requested more money from SSF, more than $1.6 million for scholarships and more than $1.1 million for operations. Athletic Director Carlton Cooper said the requests were made because there was no way of telling how much money the department would receive from the athletic fee. “You don’t know exactly
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what you’re getting; it’s a guesstimate of what you’re going to get from the athletic fee,” Cooper said. “At that time [when the referendum passed], you still cannot budget on something you don’t know you’ll have. So, during that time the Student Service Fee Committee met in the spring, and they met after the athletic fee had passed. When they met, we still had an opportunity, just like any other
entity on campus, to ask for funds, so that’s what we did.” Cooper said the athletic fee was to help the department become fully funded, in addition to making more SSF funds available. “The purpose of it was to get an athletic fee so we could get fully funded,” he said. “By getting the support from the students, it would free up money to
See FEE page 3
OPINION
Page 2
Wednesday, Nov. 03, 2010
www.theeasttexan.com
Writer criticizes Vampires need to just go away Homecoming ads JARED WATSON DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR
CALEB SLINKARD MANAGING EDITOR The lack of school spirit on this campus has been cause for concern ever since I began attending in 2008, especially when it comes to as A&MCommerce attempts to attract and retain more and more students each year. This year’s Homecoming festivities were particularly disappointing, although this had nothing to do with student spirit or participation. The university has been hit or miss in successfully marketing its events to students in recent years. A great example is the recent football game between A&M-Commerce and Tarleton State, which was broadcast live on TXA 21. The first televised game in school history had less than 2,000 students, alumni and visitors attend. I am almost always disappointed by student attendance and participation in most universitysponsored events. That’s why I was particularly frustrated with a set of Homecoming videos that were recently produced by A&M-Commerce. It is not that these videos were poorly made. In fact, the quality and shooting of these videos was impressive. It was the content, or lack thereof, that left me wondering why we spent time, money and effort in creating these short clips. In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, then my point is made. If you didn’t see these videos, then how effective were they, really? If you haven’t seen the videos, then let me break them down for you. There are five “Spirit” videos on the Lions Media YouTube channel, one of which was featured on the front page of the A&MCommerce website for a few days leading up to Homecoming. The videos are between 15 and 31
seconds long and feature A&M-Commerce students and the A&M-Commerce mascot, Lucky the Lion. The first video, titled “Psycho Spirit,” shows an A&M-Commerce female student in the shower being startled by and subsequently dancing with Lucky. The scene is a reference to a very famous scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” “Situation Spirit,” the second video, consists of Lucky pumping his fist for a few seconds before lifting up his shirt to reveal a well-toned stomach, paying homage to the popular MTV show “Jersey Shore.” The third video, “Raw Spirit,” is a sweeping shot of three students eating raw vegetables and Lucky sitting in front of a huge piece of raw meat. “Wild Spirit” depicts A&M-Commerce Student Government Association President Taylor Fore giving a speech before being tackled by Lucky. The final and most ridiculous one is “Big Spirit.” This video shows Lucky walking into a figure drawing class on campus and exposing himself amid “oohs” and “aahs” from the class. Now whether or not you find these videos humorous or appropriate is a matter of preference. Personally, I thought that they were a relatively irrelevant combination of pop-culture references. But let’s look at the purpose of the spirit videos and see if they were able to accomplish it. Obviously, these videos were intended to increase school spirit for Homecoming. How exactly, I have no idea. None of these videos encouraged students to attend specific Homecoming events or provided relevant information about Homecoming. Just a short clip, a “spirit” reference, the date of Homecoming and a website. None of these videos made me want to attend a Homecoming event. I wasn’t entertained or informed. If the university really wants better attendance at A&M-Commerce events, then maybe they should work at actually advertising these events instead of simply demonstrating their aptitude for shooting and editing short video clips together.
Not too long ago, the store manager of the retail outlet that I work at came running giddily up to me, uncontrollably excited at a piece of news she had just received. “Guess what we just got?” she asked. “It’s not what I think it is, is it?” I responded. “Yep! Reservation barcodes for ‘Twilight: Eclipse!’” That’s right, she was super excited about giving customers the chance just to pre-order the third installment of this wretched cinematic crap-sterpiece. The details are fuzzy now, but I seem to remember her jumping up and down and giggling. I make it no secret that I think the “Twilight Saga,” as it is now pretentiously called, is a blight on the Earth. It takes four novels and God knows how many pages to tell a story I can explain in one sentence: A girl falls in love with a vampire, who she eventually ends up with forever. That’s it. Story over. Never mind the fact that Stephenie Meyer writes with a nauseatingly flamboyant style like she’s Jane Austen’s second cousin, and seems to use a thesaurus to replace every word she writes in an enterprise to resemble a
EDWARDSGOLDENEYES.COM
Vampires have had their time in the spotlight and now is the time for them to finally die, writes Jared Watson.
personage of elevated brilliance. I mean an attempt to seem like someone much smarter. But the real crime in all this “Twilight” hysteria is the innumerable number of copycat works it has spawned in its wake. The Sookie Stackhouse novel series (which inspired the HBO show “True Blood”), the “House of Night” series, “The Vampire’s Assistant,” “The Vampire Diaries,” and “My Stepmother’s Next-Door Neighbor is a Vampire” are all flying off the shelves of bookstores around the world. And I only made one of those titles up. And it’s no coincidence that zombie movies have
made a huge resurgence as a result of this nonsense. After all, if one set of bloodthirsty ravenous killing machines can be rebranded into fantasy love interests for hopelessly lonely middle-aged women, I mean teenagers, why can’t another? I mean, for God’s sakes, there is a movie called “The Penguins of Madagascar: I Was a Penguin Zombie.” I’m being completely serious. It can’t be long before someone writes an entire series of novels about a sparkly zombie who is irresistible to a vapid woman who nobody really understands. Maybe they’ll be played by Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez in the
movie adaptation. But after my store manager made her exciting announcement, she asked me “So, what question are you going to ask every person that comes in your checkout line?” “Who do you like in the World Series, the Rangers or the Giants?” “No, ‘Would you like to reserve your copy of ‘Eclipse’ today?’” she said. “To me, that’s like asking if they’d like to reserve poison. The substance or the band.” And I absolutely meant it. I’d rather force people to listen to “Talk Dirty to Me” until the end of time than make them pay for “Eclipse” once.
Retractions This letter is a response to “Yard show starts off spirit week” printed in the Oct. 28 edition of the East Texan. The letter is unedited. Dear Editor. I was reading the paper after some of my peers pointed out the grammatical errors and fictional facts, and I came across the statement about the police intervention. Now, when first reading this my mind flows back to understand the motive behind the “fact”, I didn’t find one so I called the paper and I asked about the statement and an editor informed me about previous incident with the police for this event and that the writer may have gotten that info from the police. I have been in attendance at this school for three years, going on my fourth. I cannot recall a time where for a STRUT-OFF that police was called out. Now if the writer wants to comment on the police coming to a traditionally African American event, he needs to state the purpose behind the comment. When reading the comment it
seemed bias to me that of all the events, that I have gone to the article written did not include police intervention remarks. Don’t say certain events need police and some don’t without proving what you say. How about adding that police wasn’t needed in every event, instead of singling this event out (because that’s what you re doing, in a sort of nice way). The question still remains the importance of acknowledging the police coming? What is meant by that comment? What are you try ing to say? Along with the writer’s need for exploitation of the” good behavior” of the event , his run on sentences, he also completely misrepresented Kappa Delta Chi sorority, inc. on its status as a Hispanic Greek organization. This sorority has Hispanic Founders, but doesn’t discriminate any other race. KD Chi is a multicultural sorority that has majority Hispanic members in this chapter, but like I said they are a diverse group of LADIES. That statement can deter future prospects into believing that stereotype that was previously
published. In the end, I did find that remark and others offensive and I think that it would be best to send people who are not foreign to NPHC and IFC and its audiences. Sincerely, Commerce Students: Brittany Edwards & Veronica Luciano Editors’ Response: After talking with Kappa Delta Chi President Carla Montaneras, the East Texan would like to acknowledge the following corrections: Kappa Delta Chi is a Latina-founded multi-cultural sorority and not a Hispanic sorority as described in the article. This was the second time Kappa Delta Chi competed in the Yard Show, not the first. The writer’s comment regarding police involvement was done in poor taste, but was not in anyway racially motivated. Antonio Wright was co-director of Patsy Cline, not director as written in the article “Wright utilizes creative, artistic nature” printed in the Oct. 21 issue of the East Texan
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news
Wednesday, Nov. 03, 2010
Page 3
...fee opens up finances for university groups CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
help other areas on campus for students, and that’s what I think it’s doing.” He also said it was normal for the Athletics Department to request as much as it did. “We’ve pretty much asked somewhere in the same neighborhood every year I’ve been here,” he said. “I wanted students and the people in the committee to really know what it costs to run athletics. We didn’t get most of it, we didn’t get it in the athletic fee either, but you have to ask.” The Athletics Department is not in any financial danger after not receiving the desired funds, according to Cooper. However, he did say the department would be asking for more money from SSF in the future. “Basically, we were asking for what we felt we needed to fully fund a proper Division II program,” he said. “I wouldn’t be a very good athletic director if there was an opportunity for money and I didn’t ask for it. If there’s an opportunity for money out there, and it’s good, I’m going to ask for it.” Dean of Campus Life and Student Development and Chairman of the SSF Committee Brian Nichols would not elaborate on why the committee decreased the amount the Athletics Department received, but he did say what the committee was looking to do. “One of the things I’ve asked the students to do as
GRAPHIC CREATED BY KAT HUFFINES
chair of the committee has been to look at those things that are going to have a direct impact on the lives of students,” Nichols said. “I’ve set that same tone every year. As you review a proposal, while they all have merit, you have to ask will students see a benefit from the money they’re paying back into the services they are receiving.” Among the main beneficiaries of the extra money available was the Morris Recreation Center, which received a $30,892 increase.
Director of Campus Recreation Jorge Juarez said the majority of that increase went to the hiring of one person. “This person is in charge of keeping up all the maintenance, grass fields, turf, and the picnic area,” Juarez said. “We have the ropes course, they have to maintain that. They probably have about of 170 acres of land they need to cover.” The Children’s Learning Center also received an increase, up $67,600 from last year. Nichols said there was a
valid reason behind this increase. “The majority of users of the Children’s Learning Center are students, parents who are students here,” Nichols said. “It makes it possible for many of them to go to the university. Without that childcare, a university degree wouldn’t be within their reach. They’re on a budget that has started the year for a very long time where we were funding them at a level below which they could break even at the end of the
year.” Nichols said this was a milestone year for SSF, and allows for more growth at A&M-Commerce. “What this year did was to really put us over the top,” he said. “Now we have the money to create the campus life that students have asked us to create. You have enrollment going up, you have facilities going up, and now you have the financial resources to compliment the first two. That’s what we needed to have happen.”
A&M-Commerce suffers tragic loss of student staff reports
The Texas A&M University-Commerce flag was at half-staff Thursday, in memory of 24-year-old Kayla Roberts, who was the victim of a shooting that occurred Monday in Lamar County. Funeral Services for Roberts, a resident of Paris, were conducted Wednesday. She had previously attended Paris Junior College and was scheduled to graduate from A&M-Commerce this December. verdantpanda.com On Monday, Roberts was at the home of Eddie Seven of the women arrested in the Walmart thefts were students at A&M-Commerce. All 11 women posted Young in the commubond and are awaiting trial. nity of Powderly, when Young’s estranged wife, Salida Young, is said to have approached the two and fired several shots, striking and killing Roberts. Salida Young then returned home where she tion department were not returned was withheld. James bright as of press time. In all cases, the women were editor Six of the students were identitaken to the Commerce Police fied as Laquishia Johnson, Jasmine Department for booking and subEleven women were arrested Malone, Traquella Gentry, Brittany sequently transferred to the Hunt for theft over a 48-hour period Johnson, Elexus Alen, and Lantisha County Jail for arraignment. All of between Oct. 21 and Oct. 23. Seven Blizzard. All will face a state jail the women were out of jail on bond are A&M-Commerce students. felony, according to Suarez. He said as of press time. According to a press release the six of them walked into the The release closed with a statefrom the Commerce Police Departstore together planning to commit ment regarding theft and its potenment, the cases were all reported acts of theft, which is considered tial consequences. at the Walmart store located on organized crime. “The main focus that we at the Highway 24/50. Commerce po“When there are more than three Commerce Police Department lice officers took the 11 women people involved, it’s considered orwould like to remind people is that into custody after Walmart’s loss ganized criminal activity,” he said. shoplifting does not pay,” the reprevention team detained them on The seventh A&M-Commerce lease said. “All of these women face charges of theft. student, Alissa Taylor, will not face criminal charges as well as civil “They have a good LP team charges for organized criminal litigation and a criminal record that there, so thieves beware when you activity. The other women were will follow them around for the rest go into Walmart,” Public Informaidentified as Commerce residents of their lives.” tion Officer for the Commerce PoPatricia Dreas, Shasha Brown, The case has been turned over lice Department Alex Suarez said. Tangelia Brown and a 17-year-old to the Hunt County Prosecutor’s Calls to Walmart’s loss prevenFarmersville resident whose name office.
Eleven arrested over three days in Walmart theft ring
KAYLA ROBERTS
had just shot her 9-yearold son Dalton, and took her own life. Dalton remained on a ventilator and in critical condition as of Wednesday at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. Monday’s incident is alleged to have been brought about by a heated divorce case and upcoming child custody hearing between Salida and Eddie Young.
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elections Elections
Wednesday, Nov. 03 , 2010
www.theeasttexan.com
...GOP takes top seat make tough decisions without raising taxes,” he said. Perry’s opponent, former Houston Mayor Bill White, conceded the race at nine p.m. He congratulated his opponent and although he said he expected the margin of defeat would narrow throughout the evening, he did not think it was small enough for him to overcome. He said he was thrilled with
the work of his staff. “I appreciate all the tens of thousands of Texans who supported this camp,” he said. “I hope this campaign has been worthy and I thank you all for your support. They’re the most remarkable group of people we’ve ever worked with.” White said the work done by his supporters created a new coalition of Texans. “You’ve created a bi-partisan
movement that wants Texas to move forward,” he said. White reserved his greatest praise for his constituents. “We cannot express the honor my family and I have felt from the confidence you’ve had in us,” he said. This race was considered by many as a test for Perry, who may be gearing up to run for president in 2012.
Latham one of only two democrats to win in Hunt County JAMES BRIGHT EDITOR
Texas State Senator Robert Deuell (left) and County Court Judge Andrew Bench.
The hotly contested Precinct 4 County Commissioner race ended Nov. 2 with incumbent Jim Latham (D) retaining his position. The race was neckand-neck throughout most of the evening, with Latham taking the lead and winning the race by 400 points when the final results came out. “I’m very tired,” Latham said. “This was a long and hard campaign.” Latham’s opponent, Frank Janda (R), said KAT HUFFINES / THE EAST TEXAN the voters got what they David Bench check results at the Republican watch party in Greenville. Bench is the father of wanted tonight. “A 400 point victory says it all,” he said. Janda said there was only one thing he could have done differently to want me to continue.” down our throats by the Federal win the race. His impressive victory margin government,” he said. “That “I could have was expected from his may change somewhat now. The changed to the constituents. Obama healthcare plan is manDemocratic party,” he “I am as confident in [Deuell’s] dating some things for us to do, said. election as I am in the sun coming so as a physician, I would hope to Latham said he plans up tomorrow,” Don Forse, Dr. help with that. “ to continue his work Deuell’s chief of staff, said. Texas’ education system is one along the same path he has during the last four Deuell already has plans for of the senator’s major priorities. years. his next term as senator. “Whatever we have to do to “We are going to “It’s my hope that we can write do it in the best way possible continue the same proa budget that’s fair to all the peo- to protect the taxpayers and do grams we have,” he ple of Texas for the services we the right thing for the people of provide and how much or how Texas,” Deuell said. “Education is said. “We are up to the little we tax them,” he said. a big priority of mine with 80,000 Deuell was particularly critical new kids a year in Texas public of the U.S. government’s healthschools, so hopefully we can fund care bill. public and higher education in “We have to sort out the the way that we need to.” healthcare that’s being thrust
State Senator Deuell retains position CALEB SLINKARD MANAGING EDITOR
State Senator Dr. Bob Deuell defeated Kathleen M. Shaw by a margin of 13,653 votes to 3,891. The East Texan called Dr. Deuell’s victory shortly after 9:30 p.m. Dr. Deuell, the Republican candidate, has served District 2 since his first election in 2003. The senator took his victory as a stamp of approval from the voters. “It’s gratifying in the sense that having been a senator for eight years, that the people in the district still want me back,” he said. “They’re sort of telling me I’ve done a good job and that they
challenge.” Janda said he thinks Hunt County is a Democratic Party stronghold, which also contributed to his loss. “The Democratic Party stood up and spoke tonight,” he said. This race – like many this year – was littered with negative comments, most of which came from Janda. Latham said he thinks that is the biggest lesson that can be learned from this year’s elections. “I don’t run campaigns like that and the people responded,” he said. “I hope this a lesson to anyone who runs, period.” Janda said he plans to return to taking care of his family and his business, but said he does not know if he will run again in four years. “It just depends on how I feel in four years,” he said. Latham said after he gets some rest, he has a pretty specific plan on how he will get back into the swing of everyday work. “First thing is to get all my signs back, and then it’s back to business as usual,” he said.
Watch Parties
Gubernatorial elections offer no good options JAMES BRIGHT EDITOR This column was written well before the results of the 2010 gubernatorial race were published. But that doesn’t really matter. Regardless of what happened Nov. 2, the result was pre-determined, and that’s why we are screwed. Four years ago, Texans were presented with a veritable cornucopia of voting options. Granted, some were a bit odd, but they certainly seemed better than our current governor. From the charismatic Friedman to the Austinshaking Strayhorn, voters only had themselves to blame for allowing Heir Perry another four years in office. Things are a little bit different this year. The great dictator of the Texas GOP has returned, but his
one and only opponent is equally off putting. Former Houston mayor Bill White lacks the confidence Perry exudes so easily. Considering the fact that Perry seems to think he has the office of governor locked up for as long as he wants, it would be difficult to match his swagger, but White doesn’t even come close. He looks downright terrified competing at this level. Still, appearances can be deceiving; it’s what these two gentlemen have done while in office that really solidifies them as terrible options. Let’s start with the incumbent. I have amassed a laundry list of complaints with this man. After all, he has given me a decade to gather material for this column. But in the interest of time, let’s look at his greatest shortcoming – advocating the Trans Texas Corridor. This little doosie was the Texas leg of the River Trade Corridor, a toll road that would give easy entrance to the United States from Mexico without those pesky custom people to deal with. I don’t think it’s necessary to state the obvious flaws with
this plan. After all, the whole idea was canned, but why would anyone, not to mention a Republican Governor, advocate this idea? It’s dangerous, reckless and downright pointless. All this road would have done was create potential security risks and add to the ever-increasing drug problem in the states. Sadly, it doesn’t appear the candidate from the left side of the world is much better. White’s biggest concern is clean energy. He cut his teeth working with Congressman Bob Krueger developing energy policy. I’m not saying this kind of work isn’t important, but it lacks vitality for the governor’s office. The drug war that has spread all over Texas’ southern border should be the primary concern of both candidates. White has no experience in this area. He was not a mayor who attacked drugs in Houston. He was a mayor who reduced litter and traffic. Crime reduction was not an area he excelled in as mayor, so why would he as governor? The weird irony is that it seems the problem is that a candidate with too much experience is up against one with too little. There is no middle ground. On top of that, so much nonsense has been slung around this year that it’s hard to know who’s a worthwhile candidate and who isn’t. A successful campaign cannot be built on the grounds of vote for me over the other guy. That mentality has lead the way in not only the gubernatorial race, but all races this year.
KAT HUFFINES / THE EAST TEXAN
Several children showed up to the Republican watch party in Greenville to support Judge Steve Tittle, who won his race.
MEGAN CAREY / THE EAST TEXAN
Several former inmates who were exonerated thanks to DNA testing attended the Democratic watch party. They spoke on behalf of Craig Watkins, whose race for Dallas DA ran down to the wire.
www.theeasttexan.com
ELECTIONS Elections
Wednesday, Nov. 03, 2010
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Watch Parties
KAT HUFFINES / THE EAST TEXAN
The crowd at the Republican watch party in Greenville awaits the returns of the Nov. 2 elections. Several Hunt County politicians showed up to wait with their constitutants for the results.
JUSTIN CHEATHAM / THE EAST TEXAN
Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins managed to hold on to his position despite a heated election in which Watkins’ morals and qualifications as a prosecutor were called into question.
Watkins retains DA position ADAM TROXTELL SPORTS EDITOR
KAT HUFFINES / THE EAST TEXAN
Right to Left : volunteer for Robert Deuell, Nathan Derr Jr., Nicolas Bahm, 9, and Deuell’s Campaign Manager Trey Bahm. Trey Bahm said, “Senator Deuell should be fine in this election. He is seeking his third term. He wants to continue to serve the people.”
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Winners denoted by *
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Graphic created by Kat Huffines
In the race for District Attorney for Dallas County, incumbent Craig Watkins (D) won over Danny Clancy (R). The race went right up to the final ballots, as Watkins ran out with just 51 percent of the vote with 208,222 total votes compared to Clancy’s 202,974 votes for 49 percent of the total count. “I’m not the DA for South Dallas, I’m the DA for Dallas County,” Watkins said in a speech to the Dallas Democratic watch party in the early hours of Wednesday morning. “So let’s move forward hand in hand to make sure we put politics and procedures in place so that Dallas County will lead the nation in what it means to put adequate public safety in place. Thank you for your vote.” The race between Clancy and Watkins was a heated one, with both camps calling the other out on their respective pasts. After winning, Watkins advocated a bi-partisan approach. “Let’s put aside the Democratic or Republican hat that we may wear during the campaign and say that after the elections, come tomorrow, we’re going to govern the citizens of Dallas County and do what’s in their best interests,” Watkins said. One of Watkins’ major platforms involves DNA testing for those convicted of past murders to prove if they are really guilty. Many of those exonerated, including Watkins campaign volunteer Johnnie Lindsey, were present for Watkins’ appearance at the watch party.
Lindsey said he felt his opposition throughout the campaign often misrepresented Watkins. “I believe he has been treated unfairly,” he said. “Number one, they have made false allegations about him, they have made false allegations about his staff. This is the nastiest race that I’ve witnessed, and I’ve been around awhile.” Watkins said he was happy with the setup of Dallas County and thinks it can work out for the best. “The last four years, I’ve been advocating for the resources necessary to make sure we have adequate public safety in Dallas County,” he said. “The voters have spoken, and now we have a commissioner’s court to ensure the District Attorney, the highest law enforcement official in Dallas County, will have the resources necessary to make sure the citizens of Dallas County are protected.” He said he has used the past four years to learn more about what it takes to be a Dallas public official and plans to use that experience in his next term. “I appreciate the challenges I’ve had over the last four years, because I’ve learned a lot,” he said. “I’ve learned how to maneuver and to do things in a certain way to make sure that, at the end of the day, we are governing for the citizens and not for any political gain. So, as we go forward with the new elected officials in Dallas County, I challenge you to do what’s in the best interests of the citizens who elected you. This is an opportunity to set an example.”
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Life Campus Life
Wednesday, Nov. 03, 2010 www.theeasttexan.com
Every year A&M-Commerce hosts the Veterans Vigil, an event designed to honor men and women who have served in the United States military. This year the Veterans Vigil will feature an opening ceremony, lighting of the Vigil Flame, a military flyover and numerous receptions.
A&M-Commerce to host annual Veterans Vigil this week STEPHANIE NORMAN CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR A&M-Commerce’s 2010 Veterans Vigil will take place Nov. 3 through Nov. 6. A&M-Commerce hosts this annual vigil to honor men and women who have served in the U.S. military. The committee of volunteers organizing the program includes community leaders, faculty and staff, and students of A&M-Commerce. “It’s an honor to help set up this program,” Veterans and Military Specialist Jessica Gossett said. “It’s a way we can give back to our veterans on campus and give back to our community. I can’t think of a better way to honor those men in my family than to serve on the Veterans Vigil committee.” Events will begin
Wednesday in the Sam Rayburn Student Center (SRSC) with a discussion on Diversity in Dialogue with Robert Dotson in the Traditions room from noon to 1:30 p.m. The opening ceremony is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 4, in the Conference Room of the SRSC with Major General (Ret.) Christopher S. Adams as the keynote speaker. Following the ceremony, the vigil flame will be lit and burn continuously until 3:00 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, when it will be extinguished. The Vigil site will be in front of the SRSC on the walking mall. Gossett said the community and all students are encouraged and welcome to attend all scheduled events for the Veterans Vigil. A Veterans Vigil Youth Program for sixth grad-
ers from surrounding area school districts is to be held from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Friday, Nov. 5, in rooms A, B and C of the SRSC. Then from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Career Development will host a Veterans Appreciation reception in the SRSC foyer. At 6:00 p.m., the AFROTC Reunion will take place upstairs in the SRSC. Saturday, Nov. 6, the Vigil will continue with campus tours from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and a luncheon at 11:30 a.m. with Major General John M. Speigel as the guest speaker. Closing ceremonies will begin at 2:00 p.m. with the extinguishing of the Vigil Flame and a military flyover between the Science Building and the SRSC. Paige Bussell is serving as the chairperson for the
Veterans Vigil Committee. It is her first year on the committee, but she has worked at the university for 15 years. “I look forward to chairing this committee and honoring those who have served our country,” she said. The posting of a guard on the Vigil site is an important aspect of the ceremony. Volunteers typically dedicate one hour of their time guarding the flame. There are 50 volunteer positions, but fewer than 10 remain. The campus bookstore is giving a 10 percent discount on all clothing, supplies and gifts in conjunction with the Veterans Vigil Nov. 4 through Nov. 6. Individuals interested in volunteering may contact the Veterans and Military Services Office at 903-886-5123.
Balancing the Books Gender and Money
NATHAN HARNESS SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR As director of the financial planning certificate program at A&M-Commerce, I am often asked questions such as: What is the best stock or where should I be putting all my money right now? What is interesting is that these questions most often come from males. Females are much more likely to ask me questions such as: How much should I be saving or what kind of portfolio makes sense? As a college student, most readers are probably quite aware of the obvious differences between males and females. This Mars-verses-Venus divide can be even stronger in the financial realm and can create numerous money pitfalls. In the subsequent text, I want to address a few of the common financial mistakes that males and females are prone to commit. As a college student, I remember the concept of having a portfolio as seeming rather foreign when one of my more difficult daily financial decisions was whether to pur-
chase ramen noodles or microwave burritos, but the more informed you are now, the better decisions you can make in the future. In a shortened format, it is near impossible to address all of the reasons behind these differences for male and female financial decisions. I want to quickly tackle two such issues: overconfidence and risk tolerance. Overconfidence is an inaccurate assumption of your ability and is one of the most detrimental behaviors to financial planning. Research shows that males (as compared to females) are much more likely to overtrade their portfolios and assume their level of financial sophistication is greater than reality. This can result in as much as a 3 percent loss in portfolio returns every year for overconfident males. Females, on the other hand, tend to gravitate toward lower risk investments. While this may seem like good financial behavior, it can result in much lower levels of wealth over time and oftentimes an under-allocation to stock-based assets, which are important in a portfolio for long-term wealth.
What are the implications for these gender biases? Well, males must be aware of their innate predisposition toward overconfidence in their ability to make financial decisions. As a male graduate entering the workforce, you will face many complex financial decisions regarding your benefits, compensation and even the cost of living. It is very appropriate to assume you are not an expert at understanding all of these financial components and should spend time researching or asking others for help in making these types of decisions. As a female graduate, spend time educating yourself on the advantages of a diversified portfolio containing risky assets. When taking that first job understand your limitations, but don’t limit the universe of financial opportunity. If you are interested in learning more about personal finance and gender financial issues, consider taking an elective in personal finance from the College of Business and Technology.
Veterans Vigil Schedule • Opening Ceremony Nov. 4, 11:00 a.m. SRSC
• Lighting of the Vigil Flame Nov. 4, 12:20 p.m. • Veterans Vigil Youth Program Nov. 5, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. SRSC rooms A, B and C. • Veterans Appreciation Nov. 5, 10:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m. SRSC Foyer • AFROTC Reunion Reception Nov. 5, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. SRSC rooms A, B and C • AFROTC Decade Reunions and Campus Tours Nov. 6, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. • AFROTC Reunion Luncheon Nov. 6, 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. SRSC rooms A, B and C • Closing Ceremonies
Nov. 6, 2:00 p.m. Between SRSC and Science Building
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CA MPUS LIFE
Klypchak inspires JARED WATSON DIGITAL-MEDIA EDITOR
Though Assistant Professor of Acting and Directing Dr. Carrie Klypchak is most visible as a part of the University Playhouse, most recently as director of "Iphigenia," it is not her main focus at A&M-Commerce. "I consider myself a teacher first and everything else second," she said. Even when she is directing shows for the Playhouse, she always has education in mind, and that goal influences the types of plays she selects for her students. "When I am directing a show, it's not only important for me to put up a quality product at the end," she said. "It's important to me that all my students learn throughout the process and that I choose shows that feel like they will offer educational opportunities and growth for my students; shows that will challenge my students so they can grow as actors and designers." Department of Mass Media, Communication & Theatre Professor Dr. John Hanners thinks this focus is one of Klypchak's biggest strengths. "She always chooses something challenging, both for the students and the audience," he said. "And there's an educational reason behind every play." So, when Klypchak was searching for her sixth play to direct at A&M-Commerce, Don Nigro's "Iphigenia" seemed like a natural fit. "I found the play online and really loved it because I felt like it
really provided a lot of challenges, both for the students and the audience," she said. "In theater, I think it's really important to do different types of theater for our community, because one of the reasons people go to the theater is to be challenged to think in different ways. And because of the complexity of the show, I thought that it provided good challenges for our students, so I really loved it." Klypchak said she was surprised to learn that the play had never been performed before, and used a 21st-century method to try to bring the play to A&M-Commerce. "I Facebook friended Don Nigro and thought he would never get back to me," she said. "But he did, almost immediately. So we had a conversation via Facebook and e-mail, and he told me to contact [his publishing company] to see if I could get the rights to do the world premiere." Klypchack's first love was not the classroom, however, it was the stage. "I think I was in my first show when I was four," she said. "I think maybe I was a Martian or something. I loved it." Her interest in theater grew stronger and more serious in high school, so much so that after graduation, she decided to pursue it full-time, far away from home. "I left and went to New York when I was 18," she said. "I just went off and did it." While in New York, Klypchak attended professional acting
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Wednesday, Nov. 03, 2010
Students win awards
school, studying under renowned teachers such as Randolph Pearson, Larry Arancio and the late Allyn Winslow. Though she was a successful working actor, she soon felt another calling. "I loved living in New York," she said, "but I knew my passion was to teach." She then left the stage for the university, receiving her Master's degree from Southwest Texas State University, and her Ph.D. from Bowling Green. She has now been a professor at A&M-Commerce for five years. Klypchak still performs in the professional acting world, however, as she is the literary manager and a core collaborative artistic member of the Capital T Theatre company, which is based in Austin. "I've been with them since almost since the inception of the company," she said. "I'd worked with the artistic director (Mark Pickell) in the past, and he approached me to get involved. It's a little complicated since I'm so far away from Austin, so a lot of my practical work has to take place during the summer, which is why wI don't teach during the summer here a lot of the time." Klypchak said keeping one foot in the professional world is a vital component to keeping her teaching relevant.
CALEB SLINKARD MANAGING EDITOR
PHOTO COURTESY MATT PLUMMER
"It's important for me to stay involved with my professional theater company because it offers me different perspectives that I can offer my students about working in professional theater," she said. "Everything I'm doing professionally feeds the work that I end up teaching my students here." Hanners also thinks it to be a tremendous advantage. "She is a professional working artist," he said. "So students learn the latest techniques from the professional stage." Klypchak said that the answer to the question, "What is your favorite play?" is one that changes with each new production. "Two months ago, my answer would have been ‘The Bird and the Bee,' because that was the last thing I did with my students," she said. "Now, it would be ‘Iphigenia.' Part of it is that I put so much of myself and my heart into what it is that's going up there that I truly fall in love with the work and with the script. Whatever is the most recent becomes my favorite."
A&M-Commerce sent two charter buses full of undergraduate and graduate students to the eighth annual Texas A&M System Pathways Student Research Symposium Oct. 22-23. While there, the students displayed posters and conducted oral presentations on their various research projects. “The Pathways Research Symposium is now in its eighth year and is designed to give students from across the [A&M-]System universities the opportunity to present their research results,” Dr. Allan Headley, dean of graduate studies and research, said. “But, more importantly, to encourage them to continue their education through to the doctoral degree. The Pathways to the Doctorate is a program dedicated to increasing the number, quality, and diversity of Master’s and doctoral graduates across all disciplines within the Texas A&M University System.” Five A&MCommerce students who attended the contest won awards for their presentations: Mathematics – Overall: Venkata Nagendra Raja Jadandhyam, 2nd Place, Master’s Level; Discipline Winner: Venkata Nagendra Raja Jadandhyam, 1st Place; Agriculture – Discipline Winner: Kali Gates, 3rd Place, Master’s Level; Computer Science – Discipline Winner: Surendra Chakrader, 2nd Place, Master’s Level; Physical Science – Discipline Winner: Jeffrey Sun, 2nd Place, Undergraduate Level. “I was really surprised to actually
win something,” Sun, a junior chemistry and biology major in the Honors College, said. “I didn’t know we were being judged until I got to the conference. It definitely served as a good motivation to go and attend more conferences, and present my research.” Headley was impressed by the A&MCommerce contest award winners. “Gaining five awards says a lot about the quality of our presentation because there were approximately 400 poster presentations in various categories,” he said. The symposium was not simply for science majors, however. Senior sociology major and Honors College student Evan Carpenter found the conference a useful experience. “If you’re going to go to graduate school, you’ll need experience presenting,” he said. “It’s a great place for people who are in the beginning stages of their research to gain important feedback and new insight on their projects.” Headley is confident in the benefit available to A&M-Commerce students who attend Pathways and various other conferences throughout the year. “I would definitely encourage our students to participate in upcoming symposia, not only the Pathways, but regional and national conferences,” he said. “The experience gained by the student in organizing their research results and most important communicating these results about their discipline is a tremendous experience and benefit to each student.”
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Art Scene Scene
Wednesday, Nov. 03, 2010 www.theeasttexan.com
A weekly look at film cheese
insidepulse.com
“Mutant Vampire Zombues from the ‘Hood!” never makes an attempt to move beyond a clever name. pcgamer.com
“Mutant Vampire Zombies” proves movie titles are not everything JARED WATSON DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR I’ve explained my method for finding these movies in the past, but most of the time, just the title is enough to make me think it’s perfect for this series. So it is with “Mutant Vampire Zombies from the ‘Hood!” the 2008 horror film that was released on DVD on May 18 this year. With a title that bombastic, the film begged to be seen, which makes my utter disappointment in all aspects of the film that much more tragic. The film starts out as a gritty cop drama until a solar flare blasts out from the sun and hits the Earth, turning everyone not in conveniently-placed bomb shelters into what one of the hiphop cliché gangsters calls “Vampires! Bloodsuckers! Nosferatu! Dracula, baby!” Except they’re really not. That is the biggest flaw of the film: at no point do any of the monsters do anything vampire-like. They’re not mutants either. They’re just zombies. Plain old zombies. And that’s fine, but the movie tries to sell us that they’re something more complicated than that just by throwing a couple of random lines in here and there about mutations and bloodsucking, and, sorry movie, I’m not buying it. Plus, the movie makes no bones about the fact that it intends to be a black racist
stereotype. The logo to the film is written in the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” font, and the tagline is, “It’s the end of the world, yo!” It’s only fitting then that the only recognizable actor in the film is C. Thomas Howell, who starred in the 1986 comedy “Soul Man,” in which he spends the majority of the movie in blackface. “Mutant Vampire Zombies from the ‘Hood!” manages to be even less subtle. One of the characters even recites Samuel L. Jackson’s immortal line from “Snakes on a Plane,” substituting “zombies” for snakes, but leaving all the f-bombs intact. Gore in zombie movies is a given nowadays, but this movie is needlessly and explicitly graphic in several scenes. There are depictions of zombies doing sex acts numerous times, and it never fails to be cringe-inducing without ever advancing the story at all. And for all the nudity and blood and guts, “Mutant Vampire Zombies from the ‘Hood!” is incredibly boring. Basically, nothing happens for minutes at a time, and then it’s punctuated by two seconds of overthe-top sex, violence, or sex and violence. It certainly shocks, but not in any kind of way that draws the viewer in. If you want to have a reaction akin to “Eww! Gross! Why am I watching this?” 10 to 15 times in 90 minutes, this is your film.
Verdict: One Shatner
“Mutant Vampire Zombies from the ‘Hood!” seems to be a clever title that someone thought they could turn into a movie without having to write a script, or hire actors, or do any production work whatsoever. They thought they could simply put guys in zombie makeup, throw in stereotypical thugs spouting hip-hop lingo, two tablespoons of nudity, two cups of gore, throw it all in a blender, hit “liquefy,” and end up with a movie. Well, they thought wrong. - Jared Watson Digital Media Editor
Next week:“Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl”
The sequel to the popular “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” video game features an engrossing plotline and satisfying action, but its disappointingly short game time is a frustration, especially for gamers who spent $60 for it.
Despite improvements “Force Unleashed” video game falls short by ending too soon JORDAN WRIGHT STAFF WRITER Imagine sitting down to watch the most satisfying action film that you have ever seen in your life, only to have the film cut off half way by somebody stealing $30 from your wallet. Once the situation is taken care of, you return to finish watching your movie, only to discover that it was never interrupted, but was actually finished. These feelings of surprise, disappointed anticipation and anger at the loss of precious money, essentially summarize my experience with “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2,” the biggest Star Wars disappointment to come along since Episode 1: “The Phantom Menace” hit theaters. Set several months after the Light Side ending to “The Force Unleashed,” TFU2 opens up with a clone of Starkiller, the Jedi protagonist of the previous game who sacrificed
himself to save the Rebel Alliance, being told by Darth Vader that he is a failure like all of the clones before him, and will be executed as such. Refusing to accept such a fate, the Starkiller clone escapes the facility and seeks out the Rebel Alliance, attracted to them by the original Starkiller’s memories. As engrossing as the story is and grows as it goes along, it is undercut by the brevity of the game. In terms of game play, TFU2 is a vast improvement over its predecessor. This time around, Starkiller uses two lightsabers, which allow for customization of individual sabers to boost attack, increase healing and utilize a variety of other different effects. The combat itself is much smoother and more fluid than the original, making every combat engagement fast and satisfying. Even cooler than the lightsabers combat, are the Force powers, ranging from awe-inspiring to con-
sistently amusing. Powers like Push and Lightning make the player feel like a demigod, but the little things like the Mind Trick are what I fell in love with. The joy of hypnotizing an entire squadron of Storm Troopers into killing each other under the idea that everybody surrounding them is a spy, is something that I will never get sick of. With the exception of a few frame-rate stutters, TFU2 is one of the most satisfying action game experiences I have had in years. Every possible praise that I can heap upon the game, however, becomes almost moot by the unacceptably short length of the game. At eight missions total, the game is over after a mere five hours of play. It would be different if the experience was brought full circle by the end, but the game closes so abruptly that almost everything suffers because of it. To say that the story ends on a cliffhanger would be to imply that
there was actually an ending to begin with. The game doesn’t properly end, it simply stops. Just as the plot was taking shape, and right when the clone Starkiller’s character arc was truly beginning, the credits roll at what feels more like a halfway point than the conclusion of a building storyline. Worst of all, at a price of $60, the investment becomes instantly questionable once you realize that you plowed through the bulk of the game in an afternoon. I fail to understand why this has come to be. I would have gladly waited a year, even a year and a half, for a campaign two times longer than this. Had such a thing happened, I would have gladly dropped $60 for a nearly perfect action game, as well as the best piece of Star Wars lore in recent history. As it is however, “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2” is a solid weekend rental, but nothing more.
“Saw 3D” provides same gruesome thrill ride MEGAN CAREY ART SCENE EDITOR On Halloween weekend this year, I had very mixed feelings and I believe anyone in my position would feel the same way. Who wouldn’t feel a little apprehensive at the prospect of watching the gore-fest that is the “Saw” franchise in 3-D? Then again, who wouldn’t do a little jig of happiness as they glimpse the bright light at the end of the tunnel that could potentially mean the end of the “Saw” franchise? I’m more than a little tired of the annual “Saw” release, which, up until this point, seemed to have reached a perennial status. The 3-D aspect, which is new to the “Saw” movies, seemed to have attracted audiences to win “Saw 3D” the number one grossing movie over weekend with $24.2 million, but in my opinion, it was the attached statement “The Final Chapter” that really cinched the viewers. As sad as it may be, it’s human nature to watch destruction, pain and horror. Case in point: the site of a car wreck where traffic is at a standstill so people can gawk and rubberneck.
The East Texan Editors’ Picks
It’s hard to rationalize paying money to see a movie that epitomizes human torture and is stock full of grotesque images every single year. Audiences probably coughed up the $12.50 to go see “Saw 3D” because, hey, it’s going to be the last one. Why not? “Saw 3D” presents nothing new to those who are familiar with the previous “Saw” films. There is a flimsy plot with reoccurring characters you think will never die, plenty of over-the-top blood and gore scenes you want to look away from, but just can’t. Last, but not least, there are numerous gruesome traps. Director Kevin Greutert, who directed last year’s “Saw VI”, was brought back to direct this film, which would actually be the seventh “Saw” film. This was surprising considering “Saw VI” boasted the least impressive turnout of any of the preceding “Saw” films. Greutert definitely knows how to scare since he also directed “The Strangers” (2008), which really freaked me out. Now, I don’t know if it was Greutert’s doing, but some very excellent plot decisions were made as well as an inclusion of a character we haven’t encountered for, let’s see, five “Saw” films. Dr. Lawrence Gordon, the survi-
vor from the first film, who ended up sawing his own foot off, makes an effective cameo with fake leg and all. He is also tied in to the universal “Saw” franchise plot, but it’s too complicated to even begin to explain. As with most “Saw” films, there is a main torture plot. Sometimes this plot includes one person and their mistakes they must pay. As in “Saw V,” it is a group of seemingly unconnected people who must fight for survival. In “Saw 3D,” the torture plot revolves around Bobby Dagen, a faux-survivor who lies about surviving a jigsaw trap in order to make money and achieve fame. Needless to say, he pays the price for his lies in a painful way. I hope it’s true. I hope this is the last “Saw,” because I don’t think I could sit through another constant stream of brutality that has me intermittingly flinching and giggling in surprise at the awfulness of the film, as well as its insistence of including shots of people’s innards splayed on the floor. Having said that, this was one of the more enjoyable “Saw” films, so for those who enjoy a good hour and a half of wanting to throw up, but knowing you won’t, knock yourself out.
“This movie ended about thirty minutes before it should have, but Rifftrax made it bearable.” - Jared Watson
theringmastersrealm.blogspot.com
“While George A. Romero’s depiction of zombies may have scared people in the 60’s, I just found it funny.” - Caleb Slinkard impawards.com
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SPORTS
Wednesday, Nov. 03, 2010
Page 9
A&M-Commerce junior soccer player Evan Stanberry (right) concentrates while sitting next to former teammate Lindsey Durham during a halftime team talk at the A&M-Commerce Soccer Field in the 2009 season.
Spirit, dedication mark Stanberry’s style of play JON MCDANIEL STAFF WRITER Since coming to play women’s soccer at A&MCommerce in 2008, junior Evan Stanberry has become a standout defender. “She is a vital component of our team,” sophomore teammate Katelyn Ross said. “She doesn’t ever quit, and she is tough to beat as a defender. She might be small, but she’s feisty and you won’t get past her without a fight.” Stanberry said she was not always this way as a player. “I’ve been playing for about 17 years,” she said. “In the beginning, when I was a little kid, I would always be the one goofing around and climbing
all over the goals. When it became competitive and I joined select, I really was influenced by the many coaches who helped me and coached me along the way. My own competitive nature is the reason I’m the player I am.” After playing and graduating from Wakeland High School in Frisco, Texas, Stanberry had to adjust to the college style of play. “It’s different playing in college because you don’t have practice throughout the summer and everything, so you have to hold yourself accountable and push yourself so you are ready for the season,” Stanberry said. “Soccer is demanding and by being a student athlete, you have to
manage your schedule a lot. Sometimes it may feel like a job because you’re tired or stressed from class, but pushing through it and working hard is the life of a student athlete.” Despite being second on her high school team with eight goals as a senior, Stanberry has fit in perfectly as a defender for the Lions. “Evan is a crucial part of our defense,” junior midfielder Jordan McCarty said. “She is a very consistent player, who always works hard and gives 110 percent. She is one of the best oneon-one defenders in our conference and her hard work pays off. She is an incredibly valued member of our team and a significant contribution.”
Stanberry and her teammates have different practice routines depending on whom they play. “Our practice regiment depends on what type of team we’re going up against,” she said. “We’ll work on our defense depending on if the team likes to play the ball in the air or if they play mostly on the ground. Right before games, we’ll put on our warm-up album, which is mainly rap music. By 3:00 p.m. I’m just sitting around wishing the game would start.” Stanberry said this year has stood out because of the amount of first-year players coming in and immediately having to see regular game time. “This season has been different from the past
seasons because we knew it was going to be a learning process and building year,” Stanberry said. “We had to have new people really step up because we had a lot of strong leaders and players graduate.” With the Lions’ record currently at 7-5-3, and the last three matches resulting in ties, Stanberry said she thinks the team’s record is not an accurate representation of their effort. “I believe we should be seated higher,” Stanberry said. “A lot of the scores don’t reflect how we played, but we will work through one game at a time with our coach preparing us.” In their time off from practice and games, Stanberry said the team
enjoys spending time together off the field. “We have potluck once a month and some of the players left early,” Stanberry said. “We decided to pull a prank on them. We texted them and told them they had to go get their uniforms from the locker room at night, when it’s pretty creepy in there. We jumped out and scared them, which was a lot of fun.” After Stanberry finishes playing soccer and graduates, she said she hopes to continue her education in psychology. “I plan to get my Master’s in clinical psychology,” Stanberry said. “I enjoy talking to people and helping them work out whatever problem they may have.”
...soccer team finishes season with MSU losss continued from page 10 from the near post in only the 7th minute of play. After a period of back and forth soccer, MSU began to pile on the pressure again and nearly got another goal before halftime. Senior Kendra Clemons saw her long-range effort palmed up and off the crossbar by Hafele. Freshman Mickey Brown’s follow up attempt was saved from point blank range by the Lions’ junior shot-stopper. A&M-Commerce began the second half with perhaps their best chance of the match. After failing Senior quarterback Adam Farkes gets set to hike the ball during the A&M-Commerce Homecoming game against Southwestern Oklahoma. to clear their lines, MSU gave the ball up to Haight who had to stretch to get a shot off. Mustangs sophSPORTS INFORMATION held to a season-low 260 A&M-Commerce took the went to Hamilton, who omore goalkeeper Mallory yards in the loss. Josh momentum into the halfbroke through three plays Whitworth stretched out The Texas A&M Birmingham was held time break with a 40-yard later for the go-ahead to get one of her seven University-Commerce to a season-low 55 yards touchdown pass from touchdown to put A&Msaves on the afternoon football team ran out the on 19 carries and backup Farkes to Adam Jones on Commerce in front, 31-24. and preserve the shutout. final 1:26 after a missed quarterback Landon Greve the final play of the half. With 5:30 left in the Later in the half, someextra-point attempt by completed 16 of 22 passes The momentum game, a punt by the thing not usually seen host Central Oklahoma to for 177 yards, a touchquickly shifted back Lions Cameron Frosch in soccer occurred. After snap a three-game losing down and an interception. to UCO when the host was downed at the Whitworth settled a ball streak and pull out a 31-30 The Lions scored on Bronchos took the openUCO 1. Greve and the down in the penalty win on Saturday afternoon their first two possessions ing kickoff back to the Bronchos moved down area with her feet, Piper in Edmond, Oklahoma. to build an early 10-point Lions 3. On the next play, the field and went 99 instructed his team to not A&M-Commerce (3-6, lead in the game. Central Birmingham scored the yards on 4-for-4 passing challenge and make the 2-3 LSC North) senior Oklahoma recovered a first of his two touchand the running game of goalkeeper pick up the quarterback Adam Farkes fumble in the end zone to downs to tie the Birmingham, culminating ball. This resulted in two (pictured) completed 22 cut the lead to 10-7 until game at 24. in the two-yard touchor three minutes of nothof 38 passes for 278 yards the Lions came back with Neither team managed down run with 1:26 to go. ing before regular play and two touchdowns. a touchdown of their own to do anything until A&M- However, it was the extra resumed. Sophomore running on a nine-yard touchdown Commerce took advantage point attempt that proved “They play with eight back London Hamilton run by Hamilton. of a short field, late in to be the difference. subs and we play with had his best day as a Lion, With a 17-7 lead, UCO the third quarter. With Up next for the Lions one,” Piper said. “It was running the ball 23 times rallied to tie the game on the ball at their own 49, is the final home game, halfway through, so I for 90 yards and two more a 25-yard field goal by facing 3rd and 4, Farkes Saturday, Nov. 6 at wanted to give our girls a touchdowns. Chris Robbs and a 14-yard found an open Taylor Fore Memorial Stadium at 6:00 five minute break so we Central Oklahoma touchdown pass from who took the ball down p.m. when they host could have a go at them (2-7, 1-4 LSC North) was Greve to Bryce Davis. to the UCO 16. The Lions East Central.
A&M-Commerce snaps 3 game loss streak
for the last 20 minutes. I thought that was a smart thing to do.” In the 66th minute of the game, senior midfielder Brittany Subia gave MSU a two goal advantage. After building up around the A&M-Commerce penalty area, Subia sent a shot from about 16 yards out sailing to the left of Hafele and into the corner of the net for her first goal of the season. Haight was sent off for the Lions on 82 minutes after getting her second yellow card of the match. After that, A&MCommerce could not manage to make any real goal scoring chances. “They weren’t good enough,” Piper said about his team after the loss. “We got beat at our own game and beat by a better team today. Our first half was a joke.” Piper admitted his tactics for the latter part of the match were to preserve a low score-line, as goal differential was a factor in the Lions’ LSC tournament hopes. “As a coach, it’s not always as simple as winning and losing,” he said. “If we lost this game 1-0, we’re in the conference tournament, which was our goal. Our goal was to win the game, but the way we were playing I thought we could get beat by five. It was a definite worry, so we had to change tactically to not give up five goals.”
Page 10
sports
www.theeasttexan.com
Wednesday, Nov. 03, 2010
LSC Women’s Soccer Scores: Oct. 29 Angelo State 3, East Central 2 Eastern NM 2, SW Oklahoma 0 W.T. A&M 1, Central Okla. 2 Midwestern 3, Texas Woman’s 0 ACU 0, A&M-Commerce 1 Incarnate Word 1, NE State 2 Oct. 17 Incarnate Word 3, East Central 2 Eastern NM 0, Central Okla. 3 W.T. A&M 3, SW Oklahoma 0 Midwestern 2, A&M-Commerce 0 ACU 3, Texas Woman’s 2 Angelo State 1, NE State 0
Standings
A&M-Commerce senior Chelsey Haight tries to run with the ball away from a defender during their final home match last Sunday afternoon.
Women’s soccer grabs last tourney spot ADAM TROXTELL SPORTS EDITOR A crucial weekend ended with the A&MCommerce women’s soccer team barely clinching the final Lone Star Conference tournament spot on Sunday. The previous Friday, a wonder goal from midfield by senior defender Megan Monroe gave the Lions a 1-0 win over the then table-topping Abilene Christian University. That result helped A&M-Commerce’s Sunday opponent, Midwestern State University, clinch an LSC regular season title with a 2-0 win over the Lions. The game against ACU began with both teams getting solid chances. Just over 10 minutes in, the Wildcats had a chance to score off a corner kick, but Lions junior goalkeeper Ranid Hafele, who had eight saves on the night, was quick to get a glove up and keep the score level. Later, A&MCommerce freshman Brittni Ong, in her first start as a Lion, played a
pass through for senior Chelsey Haight. ACU goalkeeper Elliott London quickly came out to challenge and got a piece of both Haight and the ball. Haight tried another shot off the rebound, but London was quick to get back and put the ball out for a corner kick. When the Lions got a free kick at midfield in the 35th minute of the game, Monroe stepped up to launch the ball into the ACU goal area. This time, the ball carried a bit further than usual. Junior Devon Herrman jumped up to challenge London for the ball, but needed no help as it sailed over the goalkeeper’s head and into the net. The goal is Monroe’s first ever in a Lions shirt in her four years playing. “I really didn’t care who scored it,” Monroe said. “I didn’t even know I had scored it. I really thought it had hit Devon [Herrman]’s head, and then everyone started running toward me and I was like, ‘I got it! I got my first goal.’ It feels good just to have one under my
belt before I leave.” The Wildcats immediately went to work searching for an equalizer. Freshman and top goalscorer Andrea Carpenter had a curling shot saved by Hafele, and that was followed by a strike from Ashley Simon going just wide of the net. Keeping that goal advantage proved more and more difficult as the second half went on, but with the shots falling just in favor of ACU 15-13, A&M-Commerce did not go without its own scoring chances. A free kick from just outside the box by Herrman sailed a few feet over the cross bar. One of the best chances for ACU came when one of sophomore Julie Coppedge’s three shots on goal was saved by a sprawled out Hafele. The game became more tense in the dying moments, as Abilene Christian junior Ashley Holton, sophomore Lexi Stirling, and senior Kendall Cooper all received yellow cards in the final 15 minutes of play. A&M-Commerce freshman Taylor Hunt
also received a caution from referee Phil Oschner. “The game was no different than eight others we’ve played in the conference, and we just happened to win that one,” Lions Head Coach Neil Piper said about the win. “The girls worked hard and I thought they deserved a win. I just thought it was very similar to the other games we’ve played.” Piper also praised the defensive efforts of his team. “Those guys [ACU] score a lot of goals, and I thought they had three or four really good chances to score, and that’s all we held them to,” Piper said. “It was a good win.” The Lions could not produce the same kind of fortune in their next encounter, losing 2-0 to a dominant Midwestern State team. A&MCommerce was out-shot 23-9, and Hafele had 14 saves on the night. MSU began their scoring early on, when senior Brandy O’Neal turned in a corner kick see Soccer page 9
Storm defeat Lions as Bond leads team A triple-double by Texas A&M UniversityCommerce freshman Kayla Bond was not enough as the Lions dropped a 27-25, 25-11, 25-22 decision to Southeastern Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon in Durant. The freshman from Denton had 11 kills, 11 assists and 12 digs in the loss for the Lions, who fall to 12-14 overall and 3-9 in the Lone Star Conference. Sophomore Rachel Robertson added eight kills and senior Rachael Shelton tallied a team-high 16 assists. Southeastern Oklahoma State (9-14, 5-7 LSC) utilized a balanced attack including a double-double by Lunden Azuara with 14 digs and 10 kills in the win. The Savage Storm out hit the Lions by a .258 to .081 margin in the win. The two teams battled back and forth through-
out the first set, tying the contest on 10 occasions. Facing set point, the Lions scored the next three points to tie the set at 24. The two teams exchanged side outs until a service ace and a kill by Azuara led the home team to the first set. In the second and third sets, the Savage Storm led from start to finish. In the second set, Southeastern Oklahoma out hit the Lions by a .429 to a -.094 margin. While in the third set, A&MCommerce had six blocks and a balanced attack for the Savage Storm, which included six different players. The Lions will wrap up the regular season with three matches in four days at the A&MCommerce Field House, starting on Wednesday, Nov. 3 against Texas A&M-International at 7:00 p.m.
LSC Women’s Soccer Tournament Schedule *Games to be hosted by Midwestern State University Thursday, Nov. 4 A&M-Commerce v. Angelo State, Noon Central Oklahoma v. Incarnate Word, 2:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5 Winner of noon match v. Abilene Christian, 5 p.m.
1) *Midwestern, 15-2 (10-1) 2) *Abilene Christian, 14-3 (9-2) 3) *Angelo State, 12-5-1 (9-2-0) 4) *Incarnate Word, 9-4-1 (6-1-0) 5) *Central Okla., 10-7-1 (6-4-1) 6) *A&M-Commerce, 8-6-3 (4-4-3) 7) W. Texas A&M, 8-7-3 (4-6-1) 8) N’eastern State, 7-6-5 (3-5-3) 9) SW Oklahoma, 7-10-1 (3-7-1) 10) Texas Woman’s, 4-12-2 (2-7-2) 11) Eastern NM, 5-13 (2-9) 12) East Central, 5-11-2 (1-9-1) * = Qualify for LSC tournament
Winner of 2:30 p.m. match v. Midwestern State
LSC Football Scores:
LSC Volleyball Scores:
West Texas A&M, 49 Incarnate Word, 10
Sunday, Nov. 7 LSC Tournament Final NCAA Tournament Games run from Nov. 12 to the national final on Dec. 5 in Louisville, Ky.
Oct. 30 ACU 3, Incarnate Word 1 Texas Woman’s 3, ECU 0 UCO 1, Midwestern 3 ASU 3, A&M-Kingsville 0 SW Okla. 0, Cameron 3 A&M-Commerce 0, SE Okla. 3 Eastern NM 1, Tarleton State 3
Angelot State, 20 Abilene Christian, 33 A&M-Commerce, 31 Central Oklahoma, 30 Northeastern State, 21 East Central, 48 A&M-Kingsville, 56 Southwestern Oklahoma, 17 Southeastern Oklahoma, 20 Eastern New Mexico, 55
Nov. 2 Midwestern 3, Cameron 1
St. Edward’s 3, Incarnate 0 NM-Highlands 1, Eastern NM 3
Standings
Tarleton State, 26 Midwestern State, 31
Standings
North Division 1) N’eastern State, 5-4 (4-1) 2) East Central, 4-5 (4-1) 3) Eastern NM, 4-5 (2-3) 4) SE Oklahoma, 3-6 (2-4) 5) A&M-Commerce, 3-6 (2-3) 6) SW Oklahoma, 2-7 (2-3) 7) Central Oklahoma, 2-7 (1-4) South Division 1) Abilene Christian, 9-0 (5-0) 2) A&M-Kingsville, 8-1 (4-1) 3) West Texas A&M, 7-2 (4-1) 4) Midwestern State, 7-2 (3-2) 5) Angelo State, 3-5 (1-5) 6) Tarleton State, 2-7 (1-4) 7) Incarnate Word, 2-7 (0-5)
1) ACU, 24-3 (12-0)
2) West Texas A&M, 22-8 (12-0)
3) Angelo State, 16-10 (11-1) 4) Tarleton State, 21-8 (7-5) 5) Midwestern, 14-13 (8-5) 6) Central Okla., 18-10 (6-6) 7) Texas Woman’s, 9-17 (6-6) 8) Incarnate Word, 8-13 (5-7) 9) SE Oklahoma, 9-14 (5-7) 10) Eastern NM, 13-14 (4-8)
11) A&M-Kingsville, 10-14 (4-8) 12) Cameron, 9-17 (4-9) 13)A&M-Commerce, 12-14 (3-9) 14) SW Oklahoma, 9-20 (2-10) 15) East Central, 4-15 (2-10)
Lions Sports Week v. Angelo State
Thurs. Nov. 4
Noon LSC
v. A&MKingsville 7 p.m.
Tourney LSC
Friday Nov. 5
Saturday Nov. 6
Sunday Nov. 7
Tourney
Semifinals
v. East Central 6 p.m.
v. Incarnate Word 2 p.m.
LSC Champs. Meet Abilene, Texas
LSC
Tourney
Semifinals
Monday Nov. 8
Tuesday Nov. 9
Wed. Nov. 10 Lions sophomore Rachel Robertson goes up to spike the ball.
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