Calling all cars
Basketball’s Back
Food trucks are rolling into the Metroplex this weekend.
UTA’s basketball teams welcome the season with a bigger Maverick Madness. SPORTS | PAGE 8B
PULSE | PAGE 4B
LIFE
ABOUT LIFE Shelly Williams, editor features-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu Wednesday, October 10, 2012
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THE SHORTHORN
Finding balance in heels Nursing student finds expression in drag performances BY JOSE D. ENRIQUEZ
F
The Shorthorn print managing editor
or nursing senior Scott De La Cruz, dressing in drag is a hobby that allows him to express himself — theatrically and as an art. De La Cruz has been in theater since middle school. However, when he started attending college, he found doing theater too time consuming, especially because most of his time was taken up working on his nursing degree. He said there was too much stress, and the stress outweighed the payoff. “I just suppressed my creative side for a few years,” he said. “Then I came to UTA and it’s more liberal here. Someone suggested I do drag, so WATCH: I decided to give it Visit www. a try.” theshorthorn. De La Cruz found com/life_and_ a way to relive the entertainment to joys of theater withsee nursing senior out it taking so much Scott De La Cruz of his time. He said transform into performing drag Alanna Summers gave him a thrill of using makebeing on stage again up, a wig and — to have an audicostumes. ence to entertain. He said drag can be done a little at a time, storing ideas away for future performances rather than it being his only focus for a certain time period. His outlet to theater is also a way for him to connect with the Gay-Straight Alliance on campus. Within the last month, De La Cruz started taking drag seriously in performances. “My first time on stage was kind of scary,” he said. “I hadn’t performed in about seven years. I got stage fright and jitters. I had only been doing drag for a month and I wasn’t used to wearing heels. After performing last Thursday, I DRAG continues on page 3B
The Shorthorn: Stephanie Goddard
For months nursing senior Scott De La Cruz has been donning the alter ego of drag queen Alanna Summers for performances. De La Cruz comes from a theater background and embraced drag as an outlet to perform.
Man’s best friends seek homes Animal shelters encourage pet adoption by reducing its fees during National Adopt-a-Dog month BY BRANDON GRAY The Shorthorn staff
Every dog will have its day. Architecture freshman Jasmine Chavez said she got her first adoptive dog seven years ago when she was in the sixth grade. “I moved here from California when I was in the sixth grade, and I got her that year,” Chavez said. “She made adjusting to my new house a lot more fun. We had a huge yard, so a dog kind of made sense.” Chavez’s dog Vanilla is a female Labrador and German shepherd mix with a golden-colored coat. Chavez says Vanilla has taught her a lot of
patience and problem-solving skills. “It’s taken work trying to figure out how to arrange things so that the dogs cannot get to them, especially when she was in her I-want-to-eateverything phase,” she said. Chavez recalled the day her dog saved her life. She said she was playing in her yard at her Austin home, which borders a wooded area. She was picking up sticks when she heard her dog barking, saw her pick up something and slung it away. “I went over to see, and it was a snake. She killed it, injured it at least. At the very least, I would have gone DOGS continues on page 3B
ARLINGTON ANIMAL SERVICES All month: Adopt a dog $50, Cats $45 Where: 1000 S.E. Green Oaks Blvd., Arlington Contact: 817-459-5898
CHOOSE YOUR DOG WISELY:
The Shorthorn: Richard Hoang
Two terrier mixes lay beside each other Wednesday at the Arlington Animal Shelter. The previous owner couldn’t afford to keep the puppies.
• Figure out exactly what you want and can handle. Staffs can help to find your fit • Sort out the details such as coat type and color • Review how the local shelters operate and what are their procedures • Take your time. Visit multiple shelters until you find the pet you want, and then ask an employee for more information • Ask whether the pet has been spayed, neutered or vaccinated. • Visit with your potential pet. Some shelters have areas to get acquainted. • See how the dog responds to you — an attentive pet will be easier to train • Whether puppy or adult, look for a healthy and responsive pet. If it is friendly in a shelter, it’s likely to be friendly in a home
Source: Animalplanet.com