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Jan. 26, 2017
Could of Been Better
Law Makers Convene
Dining with the Dean
Track Thrives
Web Editor Todd Kleibor summarisizes melancholic views over the year 2016.
Proposed ban on transgender restrooms and more to be voted on in this year’s state legislative session. PAGE 3
Student organizations are invited to discuss issues with the Dean of Students over lunch.
Lions hit first NCAA Division ll provisional qualifying mark for nationals.
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Crosswalk Crisis In response to last semester’s vehicle-pedestrian collisions, Director of Safety and Risk Management urges students to use the pedestrian hybrid beacons correctly.
A student crosses Culver St. in front of Whitley Hall, utilizing the newly installed pedestrian safety system Alex Medrano Opinion Editor Last semester, there were two separate incidents in which students were struck while walking to or from the university with one student ending up in intensive care. As a result, concerns about pedestrian safety immerged in regard to the crosswalk in front of Whitley Hall on Culver St. and the one that extends across State Highway 24, connecting Smith and Berry Hall to the main campus. “Whenever we got together after the last incident, we were like ‘What else can we do?’” Director of Safety and Risk Management Derek Preas said. “There’s got to be other things we can do.” Between the fall and spring semesters, the university installed a new pedestrian safety system, called a “pedestrian hybrid beacon” in both the Highway 24 and Culver Street locations, since they are both high traffic areas for drivers and pedestrians. “We reached out to a lot of different entities…a lot of different representative’s ideas, and after thorough research and talking to some of the nation’s best minds about crosswalk safety, we were introduced to this type of technology,” Preas explained. “And, after more research and study, the decision was ‘Yes. Let’s do this.’” The new system is the result of collaboration between the city, the university, state representative and TxDot. The collective groups have been doing information campaigns to increase awareness about the new beacons, the benefits of driver and pedestrian compliance, and how to use. Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) is user friendly. The pedestrian pushes the button and the light flashes yellow to warn upcoming drivers. The light turns solid yellow, and finally solid red. While the light is solid red from the driver’s vantage point, the pedestrian sees a “walk” indicator, and can begin crossing. The PHB allows little to chance by having a system for the drivers imitating stoplights and still with a “Walk”/”Don’t Walk” sign for the pedestrians.
E AST TEXAN PHOTO/ JASON NAM
“Another reason why we chose the Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon is the amount of pedestrian and driver compliance,” Preas added. “It is around 90 percent compliance. The ease of use, the accessible type options that come with this, the audible cues, the visual cues the Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon was top notch. You can’t get any better than the PHB.” Although the system is one of the best, there are already issues on the user side. Instances of students not using the system and walking through have come up. ”Last night, I went out there for 30 minutes and I had to stop three people because they just wanted to walk right through it,” Preas said. “You can’t forget. You have got to hit that button. There is going to be human error on anything that we do. It’s all the user. It’s how the user uses the technology. We can put every bell and whistle, but if a student makes the decision not to hit that button there is not much we can do about that. We can issue warnings, put out build boards, send out e-mails, we can send out people like we did the first three or four days and stop every student. “We are considering every avenue to try to train people,” Preas assured. “Crosswalks are crosswalks. If you, as a human being, make the active decision to close your eyes and walk straight into a street, there is no amount of training that’s going to fix that.” The university’s Department of Safety and Risk Management has been promoting their information campaign of the PHB through mass e-mails to the faculty and students, flyers on campus and around town, training for the RA’s, and sending people periodically to help out pedestrians with the new PHB system. “We are discussing seminars and meetings but there is not an exact plan for a specific meeting,” Preas said. “I am currently working on revising the new student orientation and getting some information for that. We have done a large campaign to get out information to the mass public, E AST TEXAN PHOTO/ JASON NAM Continued on page 3...
“Crosswalks are crosswalks. If you, as a human being, make the active decision to close your eyes and walk straight into a street, there is no amount of training that’s going to fix that” -Derek Preas, Director of Safety & Risk Management
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Opinion
JAN. 26, 2017 You have an opinion. Voice it. Vote in weekly surveys on tamuceasttexan.com
2 0 1 6 : An Emotionally Draining Year For All Todd Kleiboer Web Editor 2016, a year of high-profile celebrity deaths, dreaded elections, and horrific attacks across the world - the year of increasing divisiveness, the year that is determined to never to be forgotten for the wrong reasons. In almost every realm of life, the bad luck of 2016 infiltrated, but there have been some redeeming qualities for me personally. In terms of politics, it could have been better...much, much better. The election seemed more divisive than it had ever been, and both candidates of the two major parties were supposedly the best(?) representatives of their parties, which I believed to be false. An actual elephant and donkey would have been better candidates, I believe, and at least everyone would have agreed that both animals weren’t inherently evil. The final nail in the rotten coffin was the final result of the brutal campaigning: the election of now President Trump. What awaits the American people in the next four years of his presidency is unknown and makes some nervous, but let there be hope among the American people for a
time where the candidates they select may actually act in their interest. Socially, 2016 was a year of turmoil. Police shootings of unarmed civilians became more apparent than ever with the fatal shooting of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, and those are only the high-profile ones. The issue of bathrooms, of all things, came to the forefront as North Carolina passed a law requiring transgenders to use public bathrooms that match their biological sex, not gender identity, two very different things in definition, and now other states, including Texas, are considering similar bills such as SB 6 which limits transgender students of public high schools to the bathroom of their biological sex. However, 2016 provided the moment of clarity that might allow 2017 to become the year where we start down the long path of resolution. This year was also a year of ISIL attacks out of desperatation to prolong their fight. With forces closing in on several key points in ISIL’s organization, they retaliated by increasing attacks. This lead to the Brussels bombing in which dozens were killed and hundreds injured, and to the Orlando shooting in which nearly
a hundred people lost their lives, and attacks that lead to nearly a thousand people dead in the most roiling countries. It was also a year of domestic attacks that had nothing to do with ISIL, such as the Dallas shooting where five officers died and nine others were injured. No one expects these violent acts to happen, and sometimes the only precaution we can take is to have hope we can surmount anything that confronts us. However, this year held some happier events for me personally, but it was mixed with more melancholic ones. I finished my first year of college, and I studied abroad for the first time (and hopefully not the last time) in Sweden. I finally started on my undergraduate thesis, an arduous project, but one I need to complete to graduate. However, regretfully three of my high school classmates died in car accidents, which was devastating coming from a small school where I knew everyone’s name. It was an ambivalent year for me, to say the least, but 2016, with all its tragedies, allows for all of us to grow through adversity. It could teach us a lesson that despite the tragedies of the world, sometimes it’s the smaller victories that count for much more, but also the closer losses could prove to be too much to handle.
President Trump: A Foreign Policy Neophyte David Oualaalou Special Contributor Editor’s note: This column is by special contributor Dr. David Oualaalou, a professor of political science at Texas A&M UniversityCommerce, and a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and the Waco Tribune-Herald
At last, the sun went down over our divisive presidential election. A new day begins when global affairs analysts and strategists alike try to construct a blueprint of what American foreign policy under President Trump might look like. Will a stream of tweets be enough to do the job? Hardly! We need to think seriously as to where our country is headed. President Trump has raised his right hand and has been sworn in to faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. While I leave this part to constitutional lawyers to deal with in case Mr. Trump bends the law, shreds the constitution, or deploys any tactics that undermine our long standing tradition, my focus in this piece is on what kind of foreign policy Mr. Trump will embark upon. What are the three key issues I believe will require his immediate attention? First, I believe the Middle East takes the lead. It is as though the region is not lacking its share of conflicts. It now has to add another one represented by Mr. Trump, a foreign policy novice, yet with the ongoing upheavals that presage more agitation and shake-up an ever-changing region. While pundits inside the beltway fear that Mr. Trump will pursue an isolationist foreign policy, current
events on the ground (the Syrian Civil War, Yemen’s upheavals, and Iraq’s ongoing sectarian violence, among others) may end up determining his policies toward the region. But, don’t assume for a second that Mr. Trump’s approach (a wishful thinking) is a furtherance to President Obama’s extrication of the U.S. from the Middle East. Those who lamented Uncle Sam’s meddling may finally get their wish. On the Syrian front, for instance, I predict Mr. Trump will coordinate with the Syrian regime (an effort facilitated by Russia) to deal with ISIS. It will be a far cry from the U.S.’s harsh criticism and long standing position on the Assad regime. Mr. Trump’s objective is to restor calm through the restoration of the Assad regime as the latter now calls Trump a “natural ally” for fighting “terrorists.” As to the Iran deal, Mr. Trump needs to understand that ditching the deal the West reached with Iran would certainly free Iran from any restrictions vis-à-vis uranium enrichment. One thing is sure: if Trump moved forward with his plan, Russia and China will most likely not support the re-implementation of sanctions. That in itself will start to show cracks in the Trump Administration’s approach to global affairs. Conversely, Mr. Trump could wait and see what the outcome of the upcoming Iran’s presidential election is. Will Mr. Rouhani, the current president of Iran, be reelected? Or, will someone who’s much more of a hardliner ascend to power? I do not see how Russia and China will relinquish their newly found access to the Middle East through Iran. Needless to say, Western companies lining up to enter the Iranian market will be furious and might hinder the Trump administration’s efforts
if and when it becomes clear that entry into Iran’s market is sabotaged by the Americans. As to Iraq and Yemen’s ongoing turmoil, it is very hard to ascertain where Mr. Trump stands, given his limited understanding of the core issues there. I am hopeful, though, that members of his cabinet will advise him well, as long as they do not pursue a militarized U.S. foreign policy, given how some retired military brass have been selected for cabinet positions. Of note: to defeat ISIS, Mr. Trump must understand that without the cooperation of Iran and Russia for (that particular matter) his efforts are doomed to fail. Second issue is China. Mr. Trump will be hard pressed to tune down his rhetoric, because when it comes to China, context matters. It is very easy to blast the other country until you realize how easy it is for that country to sink your economy because it holds much of your debt. It is easy to play hardball and flex your muscles until you find out your leadership and credibility on the world stage amounts to nothing, because a single vote from China in United Nations Security Council (UNSC) could paralyze the U.S. politically. One thing is sure: the cancellation of the TranPacific Partnership or TPP will certainly be gift to China. Hence, China may soon find itself the sole guarantor of the glbal free trade. As to the One China policy, I am confident that once in the oval office, Mr. Trump will find it very challenge to reverse a 40 years policy that came to define U.S.-Sino relations. Upsetting this balance will have serious economic, diplomatic, an deven military ramifications. The same approach could be said about South China Sea dispute. Washington should see the writing on the walls when China, recently, decided to install
more advanced weapons in the South China Sea. Is China sending a message to Mr. Trump? It is a defiance of the tribunal’s recent rulings? Or, it is China’s way to cement and project its global power? The answer is yes, yes and yes! Third, Russia! It is unwise to underestimate what the Russian president, Vladimir Putin might do, knowing full well now, that the election of Mr. Trump eases his {Putin’s} worries about the U.S. intervening in his strategic plans. It is a forgone conclusion that Mr. Trump will not get tough on Russia. After all, when one evaluates the members of Trump’s cabinet, it becomes evident that Russia will have freer hands in its backyard to do whatever. The Balkans will be the area to watch for in the upcoming months. In light of the possible scenario, it is a forgone conclusion that Russia’s military approach has been an instrument of Mr. Putin’s foreign policy. So, if and when Mr. Trump lifts sanctions on Russia; supports Moscow’s annexation of Crimea; and allows Russia to test its new firepower in the Syrian theater, the West should expect the unpredictable Russia to be more aggressive. It is as though the uncertainty and unpredictability of Mr. Trump goes hand in hand with Russia’s impulsive behavior, especially toward what might take place in the Balkans. Let’s be realistic: Europe is weak and more divided than ever and I do not see how it could replace the U.S. leadership, whatever left of it. My fear is that in the absence of U.S. direction, the Western world may be on the last stretch of its hegemonic journey. In that case, look for China to fill the vacuum left by America’s withdrawal from the global stage and Russia to rebuild its lost empire. Pretending otherwise is shortsightedness!
Campus Comment: What are your goals for this semester?
“I definitely want to get my G.P.A. to a 3.0 or higher.” -Fernanda Deleon
“To get comforable with my sources around here. Since it’s my first semester here on campus I want to get to know the area.” -Bryce Spindle
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News
JAN. 26, 2017
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Texas Legislature Faces Less Counseling Funding, More Issues Todd Kleiboer Web Editor With less funds to work with and more controversial issues to confront, the 85th Texas Legislative Session shapes up to be a political and financial game of Twister as they debate bills dealing with transgender bathroom policies to the overworked Child Protective Services (CPS) to public education. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been the most out-spoken supporter of Senate Bill (SB) 6, the Texas Privacy Act, authored by state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, even though the bill has been heavily criticized by activist groups and other lawmakers. “This legislation codifies what has been common practice in Texas and everywhere else forever — that men and women should use separate, designated bathrooms,” the Lieutenant Governor said in a statement. “This issue is not about discrimination — it’s about public safety, protecting businesses and common sense.” Critics of the bill point toward similar legislation passed by North Carolina, which received immense backlash and business loss. “Dan Patrick’s attack on transgender Texans is a dangerous, politically-motivated assault on the rights of his own constituents,” Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin said in a statement. “Patrick and his anti-LGBTQ friends in the legislature have clearly learned nothing from the self-inflicted damage caused by North Carolina’s discriminatory HB2 law and want to throw away $8.5 billion in revenue from lost visitors, businesses, sports leagues and major entertainment groups.” However, Senate Bill 6 might be lost in the myriad of other proposed bills facing the legislature, and other lawmakers, especially those in the Texas House of Representatives, are not as keen as Patrick or Kolkhurst to take action on bathroom policies. Texas House Speaker Joe Straus is among them. “There’s been a lot of work put into our state’s economic success. We want to continue that success, and we want Texas to keep attracting the best and the brightest,” Straus said in a quote from the Texas Tribune in a speech to the Texas Association of Business. “[My constituents] are also watching what happened in North Carolina, and they are not enthusiastic about getting that type of attention.” There will also be a financial undercurrent to all proposed bills as the legislature is constrained to a smaller budget than last session because of the weakening of the
Texan oil industry. This may affect how much can be spared for incumbent programs such as public education and reduces the likelihood of the creation of new programs or increased funding for programs that are in need of it. The beleaguered Texas CPS will be a priority in the legislature as reports come out about backlogged cases and overworked employees. Measures to support the agency have been taken such as the approved hiring of 829 workers and pay raises to lower the high turnover rate of CPS, but lawmakers will consider long-term solutions during this session. Funding for mental health facilities and treatment will also on the agenda for many of the legislature, and Straus regards as one of his top priorities this session. A report released by a House committee warned of future consequences if Texas did not resolve issues with the mental health system currently in place. “The opportunity to improve our mental health system this year is real and it’s important,” Straus said in a Texas Tribune quote from a news release. “A smarter approach to mental health will improve treatment and care while saving taxpayers money.” In terms of public education, school vouchers will be debated between the two chambers of the state congress with the Senate endorsing them and the House balking at any attempt to pass such a bill. With a smaller budget, funding may be less for public schools, but no major cuts are expected to be passed.
PHOTO COURTESY/FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS
Safety & Risk Management collaborates with City of Commerce & Texas Dept. of Transportation to improve pedestrian safety on campus
Corner
Controlling Intertia Caleb Barnet, M.S. Whether you are new student jumping into the 2017 Spring semester or an experienced veteran with one or more semesters under your belt, welcome home Lions! For those of you who return, I hope you were able to enjoy a reprieve from deadlines, savor home cooked meals, and delight yourself in uninterrupted sleep away from roommates and alarm clocks. Nevertheless, let’s be honest and acknowledge that it is possible that some college life followed you home over the break. Did you catch yourself calling family members “Dr. __” or “professor __”? Did you notice yourself cringe when nearing a book? Was it difficult to rid yourself of your night-owl sleep schedule, pace yourself and not inhale your food, or forget that showering at home doesn’t require flip-flops? Some habits can be difficult to shake. It is almost as if once we develop a routine, and follow-it, inertia sets in. Isaac Newton’s first law of motion states that objects at rest stay at rest and that an object in motion retains its course unless acted upon by an external force. You, dear Lions, are about to embark upon a new semester. Spring 2017 is loaded with potential. As you begin to transition into college life, whether this is your first or final semester, you are going to face “inertia”. You might find that you want to continue your wintry-break sleep schedule and diet. You might also find that despite your best efforts, your diet and sleep schedule resist any changes you try to implement. If this happens, do not fret. You are capable of making the transition. You got this! You are simply fighting your body’s inertia or tendency to want to continue the relaxed pace of life you enjoyed over the break. The key to helping yourself make the transition to Texas A&M University-Commerce begins with simply noticing your inertia. Notice and remind yourself how great it was to sleep, to eat, and to breathe freely over the break. Now remind yourself that you can continue to enjoy these things (and even have more of them than ever before) if you plan accordingly. As 2017 begins, encourage yourself to establish a routine. Obviously academic success will require planning ahead for studying, homework, and assignments but it also requires allotting time for sleeping, eating, exercising, and fun. There is also no need to make 2017 an unsocial year. Add social-life to your routine. The key is to add everything you want to your routine, but to do so in a balanced way. Be forewarned: Spring 2017 will also include stress and heartache; perhaps both aplenty. The key to a happy 2017 is to establish the routine that you want and to stick to it. I have reason to believe that if you develop a balanced 2017 routine (and you stick to it) you will find that you can control your own inertia as opposed to it controlling you. For extra tips, ideas, resources, or assistance setting up your healthy routine, fighting inertia, managing stress, increasing sleep hygiene, or increasing self-compassion come see us at the Counseling Center, 204 Halladay Student Services, 903-886-5145.
Continued on page 3... but it only goes so far as our community. You have to remember these are state highways, and so we aren’t going to be able to reach everybody on these roads, but we have reached out to our local communities.” Since last semester’s two incidents, the university is hoping this will improve pedestrian and driver safety. The Department of Safety and Risk Management will continue their information campaign and awareness over the new crosswalks system. If there is any doubt or sense of unease for the pedestrian, they advise you to use the facilities around you wisely and to be aware of your surroundings. Questions regarding safety on campus can be directed toward the director of Safety and Risk Management at 903-468-8781 or the University Police Department at 903-886-5868.
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Signs like the one above, explaining how to use the pedestrian hybrid beacon (PHB) system safely, are located on both ends of the crosswalks in front of Whitley and across State Hwy 24.
903.886.2710
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Jan. 26, 2017
Campus
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Dine With The Dean Isabella Garcia Staff Reporter
The Dean of Students, Tomás Aguirre, hopes to foster beneficial relationships with those on campus by hosting Dine with the Dean. Students and student organizations have the opportunity to create connections with Dr. Aguirre as they share a little about themselves over a meal together. To partake in this program, contact the dean at tomas.aguirre@tamuc.edu. “Hopefully through this interaction,” said Aguirre, “students understand that I can be that voice for them, that when they come to me with these concerns, I make sure that the right people are made aware of them.” Dine with the Dean is just one of the many events Aguirre does to become closer to students. He has designated Open Office Hours on Wednesdays from 3-4 p.m., and Thursdays from 10-11 a.m. This allows any student to walk into his office without appointment in need of honest guidance or simple conversation. His office is located on the second floor of the Halliday Building in the Campus Life and Student Development Suite room 201. When Dr. Aguirre is not in his office, he can be seen around campus at various school events. He is also very active on his social media where he posts pictures of his involvement alongside different student groups. He can be found on his Twitter and Facebook at @TAMUC_ DoS. “You can’t be an advocate for someone if you’re not present,” Aguirre said. “My thought is, if you can build relationships with students when they’re not in a crisis, then when they are in a crisis they know who to reach out to because they’re comfortable with you.” Not only does the student or student organization have the chance to meet with a significant member of this university, but they are also given a free meal. The food is kindly presented by Sodexo, the same company in charge of campus dining services. Through this private occasion, students will have the time to discuss their problems and worries to someone of authority with our best interests in mind.
“What I hope they walk away with is feeling like they’ve built a relationship with an administrator on campus,” Aguirre said. “I hope that they have a better understanding of what the Dean of Students does. The Dean of Students serves as a student advocate, so it’s my job essentially that faculty and staff, president, and other administrators know what your needs are and what your concerns are right now.” Dine with the Dean was created by Tomás Aguirre for students to acknowledge who he is and become aware of how he can help. “The bottom line, it’s about supporting students,” said the Dean. “I have the training and the power to support students, but if students don’t know you exist or if they don’t feel like you’re approachable, then what does it matter?”
R.O.S.E of Sharon: Beauty in Brokenness Demi Hargrove Staff Reporter R.O.S.E. of Sharon is a women’s ministry here on campus. They will be hosting their 2nd Annual Women’s conference “Beauty in Brokenness” February 21-22. R.O.S.E. of Sharon has been making way on campus since fall 2015, and they have gained a good following since then. “It really is a sisterhood” secretary, Jonnique Johnson describes it. The Women’s Conference is not just for women, men are welcome too. In fact they will have a
segment call Iron Sharpens Iron for men starting at 4pm and concluding right before the actual conference commences. The conference will start promptly at 6:00pm. There will be live worship, testimonials, panel of anonymous questions, guest speakers which includes Yollande Kayembe (R.O.S.E founder), Sarah Jakes-Roberts (daughter of Rev. T.D. Jakes), and many more. Uniquely Bynded, New Beginnings Multicultural Gospel Choir, and Neon Flame Mime Ministry will be performing. You are in for a treat by attending this conference. To attend, R.O.S.E. of Sharon’s E-board ask that you RSVP at: BeautyInBrokenness.EventBrite.com. Not mention all of this is Free. See you there!
Humans of Commerce -Student stories, student lives-
What’s the biggest misconception as a student athlete?
- That most of us are just dumb jocks. Probably the
most thing people look at us saying, “Oh you’re a student athlete. It’s going to be a hard time caring about your grades when all you care about are sports.” There have been a few 4.0 students on the team but a lot of us are above a 3.0 G.P.A. Now there are some that are struggling but they aren’t struggling that much. It’s just a big deal of people thinking we are dumb when it’s not the case at all.
Haden Willis
- Freshman, Kinesiology
Documented by : Jasmine Baker and Alex Medrano
Features
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JAN. 26, 2017
For the Love of Music Demi Hargrove Staff Reporter The New Beginnings Multicultural Gospel Choir (NBMGC) has been on campus since 2010. They have performed at many events around campus, the community of Commerce, and surrounding areas. Student and choir director Trey-Cean Allen has described the NBMGC as a family. “We provide an atmosphere that consists of peace, love, and unity within song for Christ,” Allen said. The NBMGC has a sound like no other. When performing, they get the crowd off their feet, and the audience can tell they are truly led by the Spirit. This reporter has had the opportunity to see them perform and I can say they did not miss a beat. Their song selections and the energy of the choir are both phenomenal. The joy that each choir member has for singing is clearly noticeable. This choir is anointed. For anyone interested in seeing the NBMGC perform, they have video recordings of some of their rehearsals and performances on their Facebook page at: “New Beginnings Gospel Choir TAMUC.” They will be performing live at the Black History Month Kick-Off march on Feb. 1. They will also perform at the Beauty in Brokenness Conference (hosted by R.O.S.E. of Sharon) Feb. 21 and 22. Those interested in joining the choir can come to rehearsals at the Wesleyan on Mondays from 4pm-6pm and Wednesdays from 6pm8pm, and pay the semester fee.
GoFundMe Gives Generosity a Helping Hand Acacia Muñoz Staff Reporter The online world-changing platform¬, GoFundMe, has not only helped the lives of my individuals, groups, and organizations, but it has also helped many scammers get away with crime. The No.1 personal fundraising website was launched back in 2010 and has now raised over $3 billion. They serve a community with more than 12 million donors. The “easy to use” platform has 4 steps to help users in need. First, one must create a fundraising campaign, second, share the campaign with family and friends on Facebook, Twitter, and email, third, accept all the donations and last, enjoy the results. As of October 2016, every donor’s donation is protected. Before then, donors had no right to request or receive a refund. Once they gave a donation, their money was gone. According to the press release, the company launched the GoFundMe Guarantee Policy. “GoFundMe wouldn’t exist without the empathy of our donors, and the GoFundMe Guarantee is about protecting their generosity with the industry’s first and only guarantee,” Rob Solomon, GoFundMe CEO said. “We want every donor to know that we have their back. It’s a big deal to give, and we want there to be complete peace of mind when you donate on our platform.” Orlando police Chief John Mina warned GoFundMe users to be aware of the fake misleading online campaigns, according to Orlando, Florida’s local news media, News 6. The report stated Master Sgt. Debra Clayton, a 17-year veteran of the force, was shot on the morning of January 9, by a murder suspect at the Walmart at North John Young Parkway and Princeton Street and declared dead. Family and friends immediately created a campaign to raise money on GoFundMe. “Unfortunately after tragic events there are evil people out there who are looking to take advantage of our community, Orlando police Chief John Mina said. The report mentioned how two false fundraising campaigns were put up on the platform. One campaign used the name of Orange County Deputy Norman Lewis, who died the same day as Clayton. The Orlando Police Department then made a Facebook post regarding the report. “So many people have asked how they can help,” the post read. “We want you to be aware that there is only one official Go Fund Me page for OPD Master Sergeant Debra Clayton, and it is this one. Please don’t let your desire to help lead to your being scammed.” Scammers continue to mislead many by creating false campaigns. Thus, before people decide to give a donation, GoFundMe warns them to only give to the people they trust and know.
New Beginnings Multicultural Gospel Choir Fall 2016 lineup
PHOTO COURTESY/NEW BEGINNINGS MULTICULUTRAL GOSPEL CHOIR
Liberal Studies professor teaches courses in heavy metal ...and more Manuel Ramirez Staff Reporter
sponds, “When those things can work your way into a schedule it’s a nice opportunity.” When asked on what has made his job worthwhile, Dr. Klypchak thought back to the first week of the spring semester. “I was giving my little lecture over the course, and there two moments where I saw light bulbs pop over people’s heads,” Klypchak beamed. “Whenever that happens...whenever folks get that ‘Oh wow. That’s how it works’ or ‘Wow. I get it’ look, those are the greatest moments. That’s the most rewarding moment for me as a professor.” Dr. Brad Klypchak currently resides in Commerce, TX with his wife, Dr. Carrie Klypchak, who also teaches acting and directing in the theatre Department.
Located on the second floor of the Hall of Languages is the office of Liberal Studies professor Dr. Brad Klypchak. Raised in a small town in Illinois, Klypchak pursued various degrees from electrical engineering and psychology before finally majoring in Sports Psychology at the University of Illinois. “I became more and more and more interested in how people come to engage the world,” Klypchak said. “While I was at the University of Illinois, that’s where I ended up finding myself along the path of taking an interest in sports and Sport psychology specifically. But during that period of time as well, I became aware of looking at leisure through an academic lens and that was probably the beginning to putting me towards where I am now.” After getting his Bachelors at the University of Illinois, he went on to get an M.S. in Sports Studies at Miami University and given the opportunity to teach. With his previous and current multidisciplinary studies he had looked through a variety of realms in the academic field that his career in Sports Psychology began to stifle after awhile. “I was getting a little constrained with just sports as a topic and I had discovered that there was this graduate program that was popular culture studies,” Klypchak recalled. “That’s when I applied and got accepted into Bowling Green State University. I did my Ph.D. there; which was giving me the chance of looking at similar things to what I was doing within sports but in a broader fashion. The Ph.D. for American culture studies is inherently interdisciplinary, one is pulling from multiple fields in order to get toward the concentrated topic of one’s interest and that was just a natural fit for me. Something like a Liberal studies program is perfectly suited to where I’ve come from” In 2007, Dr. Klpchack got his Doctor of Philosophy in American Culture Studies at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Another passion that Dr. Klypchak has is rock music, specifically heavy metal; as he had aspiring dreams to be a DJ at a young age. “We had to do a career project, so I did my project on wanting to be a disc jockey,” Klypchak explained. “With a résumé of having a Ph.D., to become a disc jockey, my fourth grade teacher said I probably have a little bit more education than what you need.” Utilizing his passion, he has written various articles for scholarly journals as well as a book about heavy metal musicians. He has offered courses such as his “Music and Gender as Narrative.” It’s not everyday one gets to teach about rock in an academic and schol- The cover of Dr. Klypchak’s “Performed Identity,” a book exploring the contextual circumstances surounding arly manner, to which Klypchak re- the development of heavy metal music, both as an artform and a business
PAGE 6
Entertainment
Animated features of 2016: An Overview Manuel Ramirez Staff Writer
I’ve enjoyed the Kung Fu Panda films with Jack Black as the rolypoly warrior and got really excited for the third installment after Kung Fu Panda 2 ended on cliffhanger. I loved every minute of it. From Po’s humble origins being fully explored, the village of the Pandas, martial art fights, an intimidating villain voiced by J.K. Simmons (Whiplash, Spider-Man Trilogy), and seeing Po evolve from apprentice to master. Balancing comedy, action and drama Kung Fu Panda 3 is a satisfying conclusion (hopefully) to this action-packed trilogy, proving that DreamWorks can deliver good material. Zootopia was quite the crowd pleaser that I didn’t expect a movie with anthropomorphic animals to have such heavy themes. A cute and sometimes dark movie that puts a lot of emphasis on its message that it leans to being a little preachy as well as a tedious third act, but makes up with its likable leads Judy Hopps (Once Upon a Time’s Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Arrested Development’s Jason Bateman). Best thing of the movie: the DMV sloths, they are by far the funniest gag of the film that never gets old. Storks was the biggest surprise for me coming from Nicholas Stoller director of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Neighbors and screenwriter of the atrocious comedy Sex Tape. Playing on the children’s tale of storks delivering babies, an orphan named Tulip (Total Drama Island’s Katie Crown) and a stork named Junior (Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Andy Samberg) go on a wild ride in delivery a baby while dodging countless of obstacles including a wolf pack voiced by comedy duo Key & Peele. While its comedy does descend into juvenile humor, it makes up for some surprising heartfelt moments where I was tearing up in the theater. While Ratchet & Clank doesn’t break the video game movie curse I was looking forward to the voice work, and I must give the film credit for keeping the original voice actors of the main leads from the games. It’s nothing grand or special and I can admit it has its flaws but I still had a good time with it. Sing was another good time flick with its ensemble cast and karaoke jams; another film were I enjoyed the voice work and still remain surprised that they got Stewie Griffin himself, Seth MacFarlane, (Ted and Family Guy) to be in a kids movie. Finding Dory was unnecessary but does a better job with handling supporting characters in a lead role than Cars 2 or The Penguins of Madagascar; loved Hank the octopus (Modern Family’s Ed O’Neill) but wasn’t pleased on the portrayal of Marlin and Nemo who were the heart and soul of the first movie.
Kubo and the Two Strings is a sight to behold but was mixed on its ending and I couldn’t help but notice some striking similarities between Kubo and Harry Potter; both films have Raph Fiennes for crying out loud! Finally The Little Prince, I still don’t know what to make of it. Some scenes touched the heart while others left me perplexed and wanting more, give the film a watch and see what you make of it.—it’s available on Netflix. I’ll give Sausage Party points on its creativity but its vulgar and crude humor was not my cup of tea and that’s coming from someone who enjoyed Deadpool. The Secret Life of Pets manages to be cute and that’s it. With the exception of a few side characters everyone ranges from generic to pointless and a slow plot that picks up in the middle only to succumb to a rushed ending. The one highlight Pets has is a scene where the dogs hallucinate in seeing singing and dancing sausages; having seen Sausage Party that same day it made it more hilarious. The Angry Birds Movie came closer than any video game adaption on trying to be good but its only saving grace is the main hero and villain. I must ask how did Sean Penn end up in this movie. His entire dialogue is nothing but grunts. Also, this film was aimed for kid’s right? I really wanted to love Moana but its generic use of the Disney formula and its clichés made it such a lackluster with Maui being the only bright spot. Another letdown was DreamWorks’s Trolls that it’s over abundance of color and happiness would scare a My Little Pony character; as for its song covers Sing made better use of it. In what is the fifth installment, Ice Age: Collision Course serves as a reminder how great the first film is and how it got worse with every sequel made. Seriously, Blue Sky put this franchise on ice while you have the chance. Anybody remember The Wild Life? Good, let’s keep it that way. A very loose adaptation of Robinson Crusoe that involves the most unbearable voice work I’ve ever heard. Rounding up the bottom of the barrel is Norm of the North a film that critics have labeled as the worst movie ever made and I wholeheartedly agree. This film has nothing appealing and is an insult to animated movies. What was originally a Direct-to-DVD movie, it’s confounding how this got a theatrical release from Lionsgate the same company whose previous animated film was the critically acclaimed Shaun the Sheep Movie. You would think Rob Schneider voicing the main lead would have provided a clue that this was s train wreck from the start. What will 2017 have to offer? Will Cars 3 and Smurfs: The Lost Village succeed over their dismal predecessors? Will The Star follow in The Prince of Egypt’s footsteps? Are The Boss Baby and The Emoji Movie doomed from the start? Regardless, I’m looking forward to this new batch.
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events Reboot Imogené Wofford Entertainment Editor Neil Patrick Harris has brought his version of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events to Netflix. If you remember Jim Carey played in the motion picture of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events that came out in December of 2004 that was based on the novel series. The movie was supposed to follow in the footsteps of the books, by the same name; however, it didn’t do as well as the directors had hoped, so the plan of taking the sequel books to the big screen was a no go. I don’t really indulge in shows that are produced by Netflix, but when I heard about this reboot I had to take a look for myself. I heard about the series from Harris himself. Now! I know what you’re thinking, “what?!?! How did you hear that from Neil Patrick Harris, you don’t know him.” Well you’re absolutely correct, I don’t know him; but he made a guest appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, which just so happens to be my favorite daytime talk show of all time—yes I believe that her show is better than Oprah’s, how can you blame me it looks like so much fun on DeGeneres’s show! Like seriously, if you had the opportunity to go to a talk show, how could you not choose the Ellen DeGeneres Show? During Harris’s appearance he and DeGeneres talked about his, then, upcoming Netflix series, Lemony Snicket’s a series of Unfortunate Events. They showed clips of the new series on the show and I couldn’t stop laughing, so I decided to mark my calendar or Jan 13, 2017 because that was the release date for the series. Unfortunately when that day came, I had forgot to check my calendar, but it was okay because it wasn’t like the series was only going to be available for a day or two; so that weekend, after the release date, I made sure that I checked the show out. Now if you’re anything like me, you are a binge watcher. You cannot watch anything without binging and only taking breaks to eat, or at least that’s how I am. This is the actual
reason that I don’t watch too many Netflix produced shows because I will binge, binge, binge, and binge until I have a headache and my eyeballs are dry from forgetting to blink. This is a show that I had to give a chance because of the leading actor, Harris. I only find him funny in small increments, like when he says something funny on How I Met Your Mother; whereas, when he’s talking for a long period of time, I’m like “you’re trying way too hard to make me laugh…this isn’t funny…changes channel.” Needless to say, I actually enjoyed the series and Harris was very funny in his role as Count Olaf, who took on several identities to try and obtain legal guardianship over the three Baudelaire children, and gain access to their fortune. One of my favorite parts of the Netflix series was that the cast was mainly actors and actresses that I had never heard of, nor seen before. There were only a few big name cast members that included Harris, Alfre Woodard and the guy behind the voice of Kronk, from the Emperor’s New Groove, Joe Swanson, and nearly every animated character with a deep voice, Patrick Warburton. The Even better part was that these A-list actors only popped up every once in a while, besides Harris—I mean he is one of the main characters. Woodard played the “fierce and formidable Aunt Josephine” who lived in a rickety house on top of an unstable cliff 100 ft. above Lake Lachrymose, her part was only 15 minutes, and she was only in one episode. Warburton, on the other hand, played the role of Lemony Snicket, and narrated the episodes. I enjoyed his part because it made me feel as if I was in the twilight zone and I needed to solve the big mystery. It was also quite interesting for me to see him in a serious role where he was a tad bit solemn and stern, since I’ve only seen him in animated films as a happy sidekick. The only downside of the series for me was that I felt like the adults were so naive and oblivious to Count Olaf and his treachery and deceit, like seriously that went through the same dilemma each episode: they get out of his grasp, he disguises himself and finds them, tricks their guardian, the children try and tell the adults but no one believes them he kills the guardian, the adults realize it’s him, he gets away. I also enjoyed how the theme song, sung by Harris, told you what would happen in that episode—every episode had a different song to match the events that would happen in that particular episode. Another drag is that it only had eight episodes and I finished them, so now I have to wait for the second season.
JAN. 26, 2016
Netflix Newbies A handful of Netflix produced shows that came out in January that you may be curious about, and want to check out.
Degrassi: Next Class Teen Drama Season: 3 Episodes: 10
iBoy Action, Crime, Sci-fi Movie: 1 hr. 30 min. Release: Jan 27, 2017
The Investigator: A British Crime Story Crime TV Documentary TV Mini-Series Season: 1 Episodes: 4
Terrace House: Aloha State Reality Season: 1 Episodes: 24
JAN. 26, 2017
PAGE 7
finalscore
hotshot
104-103
2.3
A&M-Commerce narrowly defeated West Texas A&M in this harrowing double overtime game at the Lion’s home court.
Angelo State Women Basketball’s Taylor Dorsey’s average number of steals per game, leading the conference. Dorsey also leads the conference in number of steals at 36.
Lone Star Conference Athletes claim spots on academic honor role
Men’s Hoops Team Tarleton State West Texas A&M A&M-Commerce UT-Permian Basin Cameron Midwestern State Angelo State A&M-Kingsville East. New Mexico West. New Mexico
Conf. Overall 7-2 16-3 6-3 18-4 6-3 14-4 6-3 14-4 6-3 13-6 5-4 12-6 4-4 12-4 3-5 10-7 1-8 7-12 0-9 2-15
Individual Players Points Player
Points
Chavlovich, David (WT)
426
Francis, Daeshon (UT-PB)
338
King, Quay (ASU)
328
Evans, Jordan (WT)
310
Camidge, Ridell (TSU)
301
Points Per Game Player
P/G
King, Quay ASU)
20.5
Chavlovich, David (WT)
20.3
Francis, Daeshon (UT-PB)
18.8
Albert, Malik (A&M-C)
18.8
Lacy, Johnnie (UT-PB)
16.8
Three Pointers Player
3Ps
King, Quay (ASU)
70
Chavlovich, David (WT)
60
McPherson, James (UT-PB)
58
Camidge, Ridell (TSU)
58
Evans, Jordan (WT)
58
Schedule
PHOTO COURTESY/ _ FXR VIA FLICKR.COM
The Lone Star Conference announced Tuesday that 1,190 student-athletes have earned Commissioner’s Honor Roll honors for the 2016-17 fall semester. Eastern New Mexico placed the highest number of studentathletes on the honor roll with 171 members. West Texas
A&M was second with 164 honorees, while Texas A&MCommerce ranked third (139), and UT Permian Basin was fourth (136). The final count included 326 students with a perfect 4.0 GPA for the semester. WT led the list of flawless marks with 48 individuals, while ENMU
PL AY ER S
OF T H E
had 46, and A&M-C 45. Football topped the list of perfect marks with 40, followed by women’s soccer with 39, softball with 36, volleyball 33 and baseball 26. The Commissioner’s Honor Roll is announced at the conclusion of the fall and spring semesters with student-athletes
Last Week:
Last Week:
42 points
6 shots blocked
14 rebounds
14 rebounds
against
against
Angelo State
Angelo State
&
&
A&M-K
A&M-K
Men’s Basketball
Last Week:
33 points
Team
January 17th Cameron AT Midwestern State
83-74
January 19th
16 rebounds
21 rebounds
against
against
7-3
8-8
West Texas A&M
6-4
13-6
Texas Woman’s
5-5
12-6
4-6
9-7
Cameron
4-6
6-10
Midwestern State
2-8
5-11
West Texas A&M AT Tarleton State
91-73
UT-Permian Basin
2-8
5-11
UT-Permian Basin AT A&M-Commerce
84-61
West. New Mexico 0-10
4-13
Individual Players
January 21th
Points Player
Points
West. New Mexico AT A&M-Kingsville
77-58
Dorsey, Taylor (ASU)
295
UT-Permian Basin AT Tarleton State
76-64
Gutierrez, Jordan (WNMU)
295
Watson, Sasha (WT)
278
West Texas A&M AT A&M-Commerce
104-103
James, Savanna (CAM)
264
84-68
Gay, Artaejah (A&M-C)
249
Points Per Game
Women’s Basketball: Italics denote winner
Player Dorsey, Taylor (ASU)
18.4
January 17th
Gutierrez, Jordan (WNMU)
17.4
Saygo, Kenesha (TWU)
16.6
James, Savanna (CAM)
16.5
Hailey, Mackenzie (TSU)
15.1
Cameron AT Midwestern State
94-76
East. New Mexico AT A&M-Kingsville
63-52
UT-Permian Basin AT A&M-Commerce
74-67 64-57
&
&
West. New Mexico AT Angelo State
Midwestern
A&M-C
105-52
Midwestern State AT Texas Woman’s
66-65
January 21th East. New Mexico AT Angelo State
76-72
West Texas A&M AT A&M-Commerce
78-60
Cameron AT Texas Woman’s
77-63
UT-Permian Basin AT Tarleton State
67-40
West. New Mexico AT A&M-Kingsville
71-62
Softball
Track And Field Team
13-5
Tarleton State
A&M-Kingsville
Tarleton State
February 3rd Bayou Bengal Invitational A&M-Kingsville New Mexico Classic Lubbock Christian East. New Mexico Angelo State Grizzly-Buffalo Clash West Texas A&M
14-2
7-3
72-64
WNMU
Schedule
8-2
A&M-Commerce
97-61
West Texas A&M AT Tarleton State
January 28th Pittsburg State Invitational Lubbock Christian Angelo State Tarleton State A&M-Commerce East. New Mexico J.D. Martin Invitational Midwestern State (W’s)
14-3
Angelo State
East. New Mexico AT A&M-Kingsville
January 19th
16 points
Conf. Overall
East. New Mexico 10-0
West. New Mexico AT Angelo State
East. New Mexico AT Angelo State
DEFENSIVE: Sammy Allen, UT-PB
Last Week:
Women’s Hoops
Men’s Basketball: Italics denote winner
DEFENSIVE: Daeshi McCants, EMNU
OFFENSIVE: Delvonte Pierre, Cameron
org. A complete list of all honorees from each university can be found at their respective athletics websites, and Texas A&M-Commerce’s honoree list can found at lionathletics.com.
S COR E R EC A P
WE E K
Women’s Basketball
OFFENSIVE: Mikaehla Connor, EMNU
qualifying based on grade point average for the current semester. To be eligible for the honor roll, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.30 GPA for the current semester and be on the roster. A complete list of all honorees from all universities can be found at lonestarconference.
January 26th West Texas A&M AT East. New Mexico A&M-Commerce AT Midwestern Tarleton State AT Cameron UT-PB AT West. New Mexico January 28th A&M-Commerce AT Cameron A&M-Kingsville AT Angelo State UT-PB AT East. New Mexico Tarleton State AT Midwestern West Texas A&M AT West. New Mexico January 31st Arlington Baptist AT UT-PB
Conf. Overall
Angelo State
0-0
0-0
UT-PB
0-0
0-0
Texas Woman’s
0-0
0-0
East. New Mexico
0-0
0-0
West Texas A&M
0-0
0-0
Midwestern State
0-0
0-0
A&M-Kingsville
0-0
0-0
Cameron
0-0
0-0
A&M-Commerce
0-0
0-0
Tarleton State
0-0
0-0
West. New Mexico 0-0
0-0
Schedule
February 3rd - 5th Southeastern Regional Invitational Cameron Midwestern East. New Mexico Southern Arkansas Tournament A&M-Commerce Tarleton State
Desert Stinger West. New Mexico West Texas A&M Texas Woman’s Florida Tech Marriot First Pitch Classic Angelo State Lady Chap Invitational UT-Permian Basin
P/G
Three Pointers Player
3Ps
Taylor, Whitney (MSU)
43
Decker, Alie (WT)
41
Roher, Kaylin (A&M-K)
40
Caro, Briana (UT-PB)
37
Battese, Ava (CAM)
33
Schedule January 26th A&M-Commerce AT Midwestern Tarleton State AT Cameron West Texas A&M AT East. New Mexico UT-PB AT West. New Mexico A&M-Kingsville AT Texas Woman’s January 28th Angelo State AT Texas Woman’s A&M-Commerce AT Cameron Tarleton State AT Midwestern UT-PB AT East. New Mexico West Texas A&M AT West. New Mexico January 31st West Texas A&M AT UT-PB
Page 8
Jan. 26, 2017
Sports
Game schedule J an. 28 : Wom en’s Ba sk et b a ll @ Cameron
J an.2 8: M en ’s Bas ket bal l @ C ame ron
Dec. 1: Wo men’s a nd M en’s Tra ck @ Pit ts bur g S tat e Inv it at io nal
Lions Stride with Pride to Nationals Evan Lueke Staff reporter The Lions started 2017 with a Division II national best with the Men’s Distance Medley Relay team consisting of Austin Yaeger, Steeven Martinez, and Erick Quiroz winning with a 10:09.74. With the flat track conversion, the Lions hit the first NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark for nationals. Devon Sanders also hits a provisional mark in the men’s 60 meters, winning the top time in the heats with 6.84 and only being .01 second off the school record. Kellon Alexis earns a provisional qualifying mark and sets a national record for Grenada with a throw of 17.34 in the men’s weight throw. Mackenzie Clark in the women’s triple jump was one centimeter short of the school record with a distance of 11.39 meters. Gage Bowels and Reggie Kincade finished top five in the men’s long jump with Bowles leaping 7.02 meters and Kincade with 6.72. The Lions won three events led by Ricky Romero who hit a provisional mark in the men’s 800 winning it with a time of 1:53.58; Romero sits fourth currently in the Division II 800 meter run. Romero also was the first leg of the winning 4x400 meter relay with a time of 3:22.76. Quiroz was the second leg, followed by Josiah Dennis, and Dedrian Windham as
the anchor. Devontae Steele won the men’s triple jump with a time of 14.69 meters. Bowles was the runner up with 14.35 meters. Alta Abbott hits a provisional mark in the women’s high jump at 1.65 meters. Alexandra Vansickle throws for a provisional mark in the shot put with a throw of 13.65 meters. Florian Obst earns a provisional mark in the men’s pole vault with a throw of 4.70 meters. Ashley Bassett ties her own school record in the women’s 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.93. Aaron Lecesne sets a new school record in the 600 yard dash with a time of 1:14.16, breaking the previous record by 1.71 seconds. The Lions look ahead for the next meet on the Schedule returning to Pittsburg, Kansas where they started the indoor track season. The next meet is January 28, 2017. Featured above is sophomore Ashlynn Giles.
E AST TEXAN PHOTO/ EVAN LUEKE
Men’s basketball ranked fourth in South Central region
Josh Manck Lion Athletics
E AST TEXAN PHOTO/ EVAN LUEKE
The Texas A&M UniversityCommerce men’s basketball team fell one spot to fourth in the South Central Regional poll in this week’s 2016-17 D2SIDA Men’s Basketball Division II Media Poll. The Lions are currently 14-4 overall after a thrilling 104-103 double overtime win over West Texas A&M on Saturday. A&M-Commerce was ranked third regionally and 19th nationally in last
week’s polling. A&M-Commerce received 35 points overall. The Lions face two other teams in this week’s top 10 in action this week, as they travel to Midwestern State on Thursday and to Cameron on Saturday. Both teams are currently tied for eighth in the regional poll. In the first meetings of the year between the teams, the Lions defeated Midwestern State and lost in overtime to Cameron. This is the ninth release of the rankings this season. The polls are calculated by the rankings of various media members,
with a first place vote worth 10 points. The South Central Region consists of the Lone Star, Rocky Mountain Athletic and Heartland conferences. The poll will be released weekly until the NCAA rankings begin. The Lions are one of seven teams from the LSC in the rankings. Tarleton State is ranked first in the region, followed by UT Permian Basin, West Texas A&M, and A&M-Commerce. Angelo State is in seventh and Cameron and Midwestern State are tied for eighth.
Women’s basketball
jumps to No. 7 Josh Manck Lion Athletics For the fourth time this season, the Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team is regionally ranked. The Lions jumped to their highest spot yet on the list, coming in as the No. 7 ranked team. The results of this week’s 2016-17 D2SIDA Women’s Basketball Division II Media Poll were released Monday. This is the ninth release of the weekly rankings this season. The poll is calculated by the rankings of various sports information directors, with a first place vote worth 10 points. The South Central Region consists of the Lone Star, Rocky Mountain Athletic and Heartland conferences. The Lions are currently 13-5, having picked up three wins last week, including a win over No. 10 West Texas A&M on Saturday. It was the first win over WT for the Lions in 15 games. A&M-Commerce is one of four teams from the Lone Star Conference in the rankings. Eastern New Mexico is tied for second in the region. ENMU leads the LSC with a 10-0 record in conference play. Angelo State is ranked fourth, with an 8-2 record in conference. WT is ranked 10th. The Lions are currently tied for third place in the LSC, owning the tiebreaker against Tarleton State. The Lions are 7-3 in conference action, having played each team one time through. The Lions now start the rotation again. They face Midwestern State on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Wichita Falls. The Lions will then travel to face Cameron on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Lawton, Okla.
E AST TEXAN PHOTO/ EVAN LUEKE
2016-17 D2SIDA Women’s Basketball 2016-17 D2SIDA Men’s Basketball Media Poll, as of January 23, 2017 Media Poll, as of January 23, 2017 Rank School (First Place Votes) 1. Colorado State-Pueblo (6) 2. Eastern New Mexico 3. Regis 4. Angelo State 5. St. Mary’s 6. Colorado Mesa 7. A&M-COMMERCE 8. Fort Lewis 9. Colorado-Colorado Springs 10. West Texas A&M
Record Points Prev. 19-0 60 1 14-3 51 4 15-2 51 3 14-2 42 2 15-3 36 5 13-4 27 9 13-5 19 Rec. Votes 14-5 18 8 13-6 17 7 13-6 6 6
Rank School (First Place Votes) 1.. Tarleton State (2) 2. UT Permian Basin (3) 3. West Texas A&M 4. A&M-COMMERCE 5. Fort Lewis 6. Colorado Mines 7. Angelo State 8. Cameron 9. Midwestern State 10. Colorado State-Pueblo
Record Points 16-3 47 14-4 43 18-4 39 14-4 35 17-3 29 16-3 28 12-4 23 13-6 13 12-5 13 12-6 4
Prev. 1 9 2 3 6 4 8 7 5 NR