University Press March 21, 2019

UNIVERSITY PRESS

The Newspaper of Lamar University

Vol. 95, No. 19 March 21, 2019

Shooting hits home for LU alumnae Olivia Malick UP managing editor

Three people were killed and three were injured in a shooting in Utrecht, Netherlands, Monday. The shooting occurred on a tram near the 24 Octoberplein stop.

Lamar alumnae Tammie Nolte, who moved to the Netherlands in 1995, saw the breaking news on her television as she was preparing for a lunch meeting. She instantly thought of her 15year-old son, Adam, who takes the same tram to school every morning.

“My first thoughts were, ‘That’s my son’s tram stop.

What time did he get to

Nolte said that she always felt safe living in the gun-free country for 23 years. She and her family take the same tram almost every day to and from work and school. Her children have ridden their bikes to school alone from an early age, she said.

“I have looked at other shootings and terrorist incidents with empathy, changed my profile picture in support, or wondered what that must feel like to be in the crowd when someone runs a truck through the street knocking down people,” Nolte said.

“But to be honest, those did not impact me or touch my Tammie Nolte’s son Adam, right, and his stepfather, John Leijendekkers, load his bike in Nolte’s car, Monday. The couple picked Adam up after his school was locked down following a shootSee UTRECHT page 2 ing in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Courtesy photo by Tammie Nolte

school? What time did this happen? Where is my son?

Why isn’t he answering his text?’” Nolte said in an email interview. “This isn’t supposed to happen here.”

Nolte’s son was unharmed, but he remained at school under lockdown until around 5:30 p.m., at which point the shooting suspect was still at large.

“The schools did not have a protocol for this kind of situation,” she said. “Our school locked the doors, counted kids, and watched live local TV and police reports on Twitter. They sent email updates and updated messages on the school website. What else could they do?”

Latina Power Panel set for today

UP photographer, Abigail Pennington, won second place in the on-site sports action contest with the above photo at TIPA, held March 14-16, in Corpus Christi.

Tiana Johnson UP contributor

UP, LUTV collect 20 awards at TIPA Lamar University students from the University Press and LUTV earned 20 awards at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, held March 14-16 in Corpus Christi.

University Press staffers won six awards in live on-site competition, as well as 13 awards for previously-published work.

“On-site competition is tough as the students compete against all the other attending schools, so to win anything is an accomplishment,” Andy Coughlan, LU director of student publications, said. “We only have five students competing, so to win that many awards is a testament to the quality of work they are capable of.”

Staff writer Cade Smith earned second place in the Print Sports Writing category for his coverage of the Corpus Christi IceRays hockey game against the Lone Star Brahmas. Staffer Abigail Pennington earned second place for Sports Action Photo at the same event.

Pennington and photo editor Noah Dawlearn earned honorable mention for the Two-Person Photo Essay. Managing editor Olivia Malick earned honorable mentions in both the Editorial Writing and Copy Editing competitions. Editor Cas-

sandra Jenkins picked up the UP’s honorable mention for Best-in-Show newspaper.

In the categories for work previously published during 2018, Smith placed first in the Breaking News Photo category for his picture of the police station after wind damage during the spring Cardinal View.

Second place awards went to Malick for Static Info Graphic and General Column. Jenkins earned second place for Photo Illustration and former editor Shelby Strickland placed second in the In-Depth Reporting category. Former staffer Eloisa Lopez earned second in the Static Ad Design category.

LUTV’s Emily Sterling, Zion Tyrell and K. Thorne placed second in the Sportscast Video category.

Third places went to UP staffers Cade Smith for Sports Game Story, Kennedy Smith for Sports Column, Taylor Phillips for Advertising/PSA Video and Malick for Photo Illustration.

The University Press was named third in the Overall Excellence category, after picking up a second-place award at Texas APME two weeks ago.

The Latina Power Panel discussion will be held today, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., in 100 Science Auditorium.

Guests speakers include alumni Jacky Hernandez and Carolina Ramirez, and students Melissa Torres and Hope Flores.

“The students and the alumni will be the stars,” Catalina Castillón, moderator of the panel discussion, said.

“They wanted to find women who were inspirational. The speakers were chosen by students and Dr. (Miguel) Chavez.”

The alumni will offer their experiences to inspire students’ success.

“College is about trying to answer those philosophical questions,” Castillón said. They are here to say, ‘Listen, I was you once. Look what I am now — and yes, you can make a dif-

ference.’”

Castillón said one of the topics to be discussed will be activism.

“They are going to talk about how to improve our society, how to engage in social activism and how to try to achieve social justice,” she said.

“I want them to motivate (students) to act, because I think action is important.”

The Beaumont Latino Oral History Project, Lamar’s Center for History and Culture of Southeast Texas and the Upper Gulf Coast, the LU history department, the Walter Prescott Webb Society, and the Unidads Scholar Program are all supporting the event.

“I believe that the angle is, we are creating history, and we have to look back at what it

was,” Castillón said.

Flores, who is president of the Webb Society, said she brings a different perspective from the other panelists as she is biracial.

“I was more nervous than excited about the panel because my background may be quite different from the other panelists,” she said. “But now I believe that this may become more of a strength than a weakness, because I may be able reach a different audience than my fellow panelists.”

Although the event is called the Latina Power Panel, Castillón said all students are invited.

“This should not just be for women,” she said. “It should be See LATINA page 2

SGA elections to begin March 26 The student government association is in the midst of their campaigning period as most offices are available for the 2019-2020 school year.

Candidates have until March 27 to campaign.

The polls will open March 26 and close the day after at 5 p.m. Results will be posted 24 hours after the closing of the voting polls.

Candidates running for president include Cesar

Delgado, Michael Mitchell and Edward Doan.

Candidates running for VP include Luis Espinoza, Jackson Dolce and Kennedy Williams. Secretary/Treasurer candidates include Jennifer Caltzontzin and Haya Alani.

To cast your vote visit lamar.edu, go to self-service banner, personal information and click answer survey.

See TIPA page 2

— WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH —

Former radio host recounts ‘Wylde’ life Editor’s note: Second in a three part series about how women have made an impact in the media fields in Southeast Texas.

Olivia Malick UP managing editor

Larry Spears, Jr. Debbie Bridgeman

It was 1995 and Debbie Bridgeman, then known as Debbie Wylde, was on her way to Chicago from Kentucky to cover a Duran Duran concert for WDDJ 97 FM. She remembers the posters she had of the band on

www.facebook.com/UPLamar

her wall in the 1980s and said the moment seemed surreal.

She made an aircheck for lead singer Simon LeBon where she asked her listeners for their favorite song and LeBon had to guess which song they had chosen. LeBon correctly guessed “The Reflex.” When they took a photo afterwards, LeBon asked Bridgeman to sit on his lap — her favorite memory of working in radio, she said, smiling. It was in that moment that Debbie Wylde became more than a radio personality.

Bridgeman, now the community relations specialist for Beaumont Independent School District, began her journey in media as an intern at an Austin radio station in college, a path she didn’t expect to take.

“I was a journalism major and I wanted to be the editor of Rolling Stone magazine,” she said. “I went to the University of Texas at Austin and in the College of Communications, you have to take two courses outside of your major and at that time it was either radio, TV, film, speech or ad-

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vertising.

“I wrote on the yearbook staff at UT for all four years, so I thought radio sounded like fun. I took my two classes and then it was time for me to go (tell) my dad, ‘Hey, I think I’m going to change my major,’ and so I changed it to radio.”

Bridgeman interned at B93 in Austin her sophomore year after a chance meeting with the station’s morning host.

“I had been at a nightclub, and See BRIDGEMAN page 6

www.twitter.com/UPLamar

INSIDE

Thursday, March 21, 2019 University Press

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Page 2

“Defeating racism, tribalism, intolerance and all forms of discrimination will liberate us all, victim and perpetrator alike.”

—Ban Ki-moon

Celestine to present REDtalk Tracy Guill UP contributor

Tanya Celestine will present “Committed to Learning,” the latest Lamar University REDtalk, at 1 p.m., Wednesday, on the sixth floor of Gray Library. Celestine will speak on the importance of students’ commitment to their academic goals.

As an academic advisor, Celestine said she wants to ask students what they are doing to make a commitment for their academic goals.

“I want to get into the minds of our younger students,” she said. “What are you going to do to commit to your commitment with yourself,

UTRECHT

students to branch out and join different organizations.

“Get involved with the university, to where you’re focused on university life,” she said.

Celestine said she hopes to give students insight on what it actually means to be a college student.

“Gain insight on the importance of getting involved, gain insight on the importance of keeping your mind structured,” she said.

Celestine also has advice for when students decide to change their majors.

“I always tell them, have you googled that industry?” she said. “Have you seen where the demand is? Are you

willing to move there? If it’s not demanding here, you have to move where its demanded.”

Celestine said she wants her REDtalk to be a real conversation with the students.

“I didn’t want the setting to be Power Point,” she said. “I want to talk to the students, look them in the eye, have them be engaged with me.

“Some students may not even know why they’re here.

They may feel like, ‘Oh, this is just the next step.’ But why are you here? What are you going to do while you are here?”

Free Frito pie will available for attendees.

For more information, contact Kelly Williams at 8807209.

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family personally. I take this tram to work. That is close to home, work and school.”

Tuesday was a difficult day full of emotions, Nolte said.

She said she cried as she drove to work, and that while she wanted to take the tram, she wasn’t ready yet, and imagined that it was probably a light tram day.

Nolte said she also wasn’t sure if she could put her son

LATINA

with Lamar University? Because you have decided to access higher education — what are you going to do about it?”

Celestine said she will be specifically speaking to freshmen and sophomores.

“This is serious business,” she said. “This sets the tone for later on in life.”

Celestine said students need to take their commitment to learning to a different level.

“A lot of our students come in and play so much,” she said.

“I want them to understand the importance of this, of being here. Not just come here and follow your friends. It’s so much more serious than that.”

Celestine said she advises

back on the tram.

“A New Yorker friend living here told me, ‘Anything can happen anywhere,’” Nolte said. “‘The World Trade Center collapsed on 9/11, so they built another one just as big. It’s scary and you probably won’t put him on the same tram Friday. But in a week or a month he will be there again. We process it, then deal with it and then get

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for all. I want them to gain understanding, knowledge and other perspectives, to open their minds and inspire them to continue learning.

“I think this is a good idea, and maybe this is something that should be done every year or every couple of years.”

Castillón said she be-

lieves that events like the panel can inspire students.

“Some people might say by doing this kind of thing you do not change anything,” she said. “This is an opportunity to learn about a group of people here at Lamar that have gone through many things.”

For more information, call 880-8530.

back to what was normal.’”

While the situation is still surreal, Nolte said she is trying to remain strong for her children.

“Someone at work knew a dad who tried to help and got shot,” she said. “Someone's son was dating a girl who got shot. A colleague was walking her dog when the Dutch SWAT team ran by in vests with guns and told her to just

TIPA

keep walking.

“They caught the shooter one block from her house.

That's close to home. That's not normal. And I guess now, ‘That happens here.’”

The 37-year-old suspect Gökman Tanis was arrested eight hours after the shooting, but Utrecht police have not identified him as the sole assailant, nor do they know his motive as of press time.

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Jenkins earned honorable mentions in both the General Column and Feature Story categories.

“It’s nice to see the staff pick up awards in a variety of categories,” Coughlan said. “In today’s media landscape, it is important that we are teaching students to be well rounded.

More importantly, the newspaper gives the students a chance

to perform under deadline conditions that reflect the professional environment. I think that is reflected in the live-contest awards.”

TIPA is the oldest collegiate journalism organization in the country, celebrating 110 years this year.

It currently has 60 member schools, both four- and twoyear institutions.

NOTICE

The University Press can be read online at www.lamar.edu/university-press Advertising rates can be found on the site, along with practically all information that a person might be looking for.

CALENDAR

March 21

Criminal Justice Career Fair Setzer Student Center Ballroom 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

March 21

InterFaith Panel — Women in the Holy Scriptures Landes Auditorium 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

March 21-24

‘The Comedy of Errors’ University Theatre Thurs.-Sat. — 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Sun. — 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

March 23

LU Men’s Tennis vs.

New Orleans Thompson Family Tennis Center 11 a.m.

March 27

College of Business Spring Festival Galloway Business Building 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

March 27

REDtalks presents — Committed to Learning Sixth floor, Gray Library 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m

March 28

Inspirational Woman Award Luncheon Eighth floor, Gray Library 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

March 29

LU Women’s Tennis vs.

Stephen F. Austin Thompson Family Tennis Center 2 p.m.

UNIVERSITY PRESS • Thursday, March 21, 2019

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MEASLES MAKE A COMEBACK Discussion of deadly disease circulate among U.S. Claire Robertson UP contributor

Measles, a disease that as recently as 2000 was declared completely eliminated in America, is back.

On March 8, the Texas Department of Health Services confirmed 11 cases this year.

Four other states have reported outbreaks in 2019. An outbreak is defined as three or more cases of a disease. On March 12, New York City reported 158 confirmed cases in Brooklyn and Queens, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Washington state reported 73 cases by March 14.

“Measles is a serious respiratory disease that is very contagious and can be deadly to infants and young children,” Shawn Gray, director of the Lamar University Student Health Center, said in an email interview. “It can lead to pneumonia, life-long brain damage, deafness and death.”

Before 1963, measles was the leading killer of children in the world. Approximately 500,000 cases in the U.S. were reported to the CDC annually. In 1963, the measles vaccine was licensed, lowering cases in the U.S. by more than 99 percent, according to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.

Between 2000 and 2016, reported cases of measles continued to drop 87 percent, preventing 20.4 million deaths worldwide according to the CDC. Since 2000, reported cases of measles in the U.S. ranged from 37 to a high of 667, due to the highly contagious disease being spread by international travel. Outbreaks are likely to happen in areas with unvaccinated communities.

The year 2018 saw 17 reported outbreaks of the measles, affecting roughly 300 people. Most of these cases were concentrated in New York

and New Jersey, primarily in unvaccinated Orthodox Jewish communities where travelers brought the disease from Israel — 82 travelers to the U.S., according to the CDC. This was more than triple the cases from the previous year.

However, 268 cases of the measles have been reported to the CDC in the first 10 weeks of 2019.

Measles is highly contagious.

It is an airborne disease that can linger in an area for up to two hours after an infected person has left. Nine out of 10 people exposed and are not immune will contract the disease.

Once contracted, a person can be infected for seven to 18 days. There is no treatment for a measles infection, although patients can take fever reducers to alleviate some discomfort.

The most effective way to avoid contracting measles is immunizations. The MeaslesMumps-Rubella vaccine is delivered in two doses when a child is 12 to 15 months and four to six years old.

“Vaccines have side effects,” Gray said. “But most are mild such as redness, swelling or soreness at the injection site.

Allergic reactions are rare.”

The CDC reported only 33 cases of allergic reactions from nearly 70 million doses of the measles vaccine since data collection started in 1990.

Risks of the vaccine can be found online at vaccines.org.

Risks are also communicated at the time of vaccination by a printed pamphlet.

“Children with serious medical conditions, like cancer or diseases that suppress the immune system, are reasons not to vaccinate,” Gray said. “Prior serious allergic reactions to a vaccine would also be a reason.

Gray said herd immunity occurs when a large percentage of See MEASLES page 4

UP graphic by Olivia Malick

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MEASLES

Thursday, March 21, 2019 • UNIVERSITY PRESS

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the population has been vaccinated against a disease. It protects those who are not vaccinated or who have compromised immune systems, like children younger than one, pregnant women and people with cancer, HIV, AIDS, and other diseases.

“Less disease means less transmission,” she said.

Some parents still choose to not vaccinate their children.

Savannah Palk is a certified pharmacy technician and homemaker in Lumberton. Her daughter, Estelle, is three-years old and unvaccinated. Palk has an autoimmune disorder and eczema. Her daughter also has eczema and is considered immunocompromised.

Palk became concerned with having a “clean” lifestyle when she was pregnant with Estelle. “(Clean) means almost all organic, fresh veggies and fruit, and grass-fed organic beef,” Palk said. “Sometimes, I make my own natural soap and I use natural cleaning products as often as possible. Our skin is our biggest organ, so I’m researching all these lotions and reading ingredients, and when it came to vaccines, I was like, ‘OK, let me read these ingredients and how many have been tested on children.’”

Palk said she is concerned with vaccine ingredients like thimerosal.

“Thimerosal is a preservative in vaccines given to infants that might be a cause of autism,” Gray said. “Those studies were very small and basically inconclusive to a direct causal link.”

A study published by the Annals of Internal Medicine in March, researched whether the MMR vaccine increased the risk of autism in 657,461 children. The study found that MMR vaccination does not increase the risk of autism in children. The study is available online, for free.

Palk said she has an ethical aversion to vaccines.

According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, some vaccines, such as chickenpox, rubella (included in the MMR vaccine that protects against measles), and hepatitis A are made using fetal embryo fibroblast cells. These cells are needed to hold together connective tissue. The cells were first obtained from elective termination of two pregnancies in the 1960s. There is no need for a further source of fetal cells beyond these.

Palk said she is opposed to abortion for religious reasons, therefore Estelle would have a philosophical exemption for the MMR vaccine.

In 2018, a study published by the Public Library of Science, found that non-medical exemptions weaken herd immunity, arguing that measles outbreaks have increased with growing public opposition to vaccines. Philosophical belief exemptions have risen in 12 states, including Texas, which has “hotspot” areas of measles infections in Fort Worth, Plano, Houston and Austin.

In place of vaccinations, Palk uses alternative medicine, including seeing a holistic doctor, and supporting the immune system with vitamin C and Elderberry syrup.

“The measles is not that big of a deal,” she said. “My parents had it. Once you get it, you have lifelong immunity. I just think that there are more kids that have more of a chance of reaction from the vaccine than from the disease itself.”

Palk said she has been criticized for her choice to not vaccinate Estelle.

“I’ve been very open about being proeducated choice,” Palk said. “Some people have been very ugly and said we need to go live in another community or, ‘I hope your child gets it and dies.’ It’s very hurtful.”

One pediatrician refuses to keep Estelle as a patient without vaccination, and Palk said she has lost friends because of her choice.

“I’m not a mom-shamer,” Palk said.

“We’re all trying to be the best we can be.

If a mom feels it is the best choice for her family, then go for it — as long as you tried to make an educated choice.”

Gray said there is little information available on the safety and effectiveness of integrative therapies for the prevention and treatment of MMR. “Holistic practices use essential oils etc. to boost the immune system in order to fight off diseases,” she said. “If your immune system is immature or compromised, then it is difficult to fight disease if you don’t have the foundation to start with.”

In the last few weeks, Facebook announced it will no longer recommend groups or pages that spread vaccine misinformation identified as false by the World Health Organization, although it will not remove content from personal pages. In February, Amazon removed anti-vaccine documentaries from Prime Video and YouTube disabled advertisements on anti-vaccine videos.

For information about measles and vaccines, the CDC and World Health Organization are reputable resources, Gray said. The CDC updates information weekly about reported measles cases.

Texas vaccination laws harm at-risk communities

The saying “it takes a village to raise a child” has been around forever, but in reality, it only takes a herd — herd immunity.

Since January 2019, 159 cases of measles have been confirmed across 10 states — of those, eight were in Texas.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness that is spread by contact with an infected person through coughing or sneezing. The Texas Department of Health Services reported measles is so contagious that an individual who is infected will spread it to 90 percent of the people they come into contact with who are not already immune.

According to the Oxford Vaccine Group, to achieve herd immunity for measles, 95 percent of the population needs to be vaccinated. So how does herd immunity work? Every day we come in contact with millions of germs, and if enough people get sick from a certain germ (such as measles, chickenpox, meningitis, etc.) an outbreak can occur.

To prevent an outbreak, enough people in the community must be vaccinated. Herd immunity not only protects individuals who can’t receive vaccinations, but also helps eradicate disease in the community.

The Centers for Disease Control rec-

Commentary

Abigail Pennington UP contributor

“The community will suffer in the shape of tombstones.” ommends that children get the first dose of the MMR vaccine at 12 to 15 months, and a booster at four to six years. After two doses, the MMR vaccine is 97 percent effective and protects against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (chickenpox).

However, most children infected with measles are too young to receive the vaccine or have only had the first dose. In some cases, children who are immunocompromised or allergic to additives used in vaccines are unable to receive them. For this reason, herd immunity is necessary.

However, maintaining herd immunity within a community is becoming more difficult with the growing anti-vaccination movement. In 2013, Texas passed a law allowing parents to exempt their children from vaccinations for personal or religious beliefs. Texas reported that around 57,000 students from kindergarten to 12th grade opted out of vaccinations in 2017. According to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, that is an increase of more than 4,000 students from the previous year.

Unfortunately, Rep. Matt Krause, a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, filed a bill in the Texas legislature earlier this month that would make it easier for parents to request vaccine exemptions. If the bill passes, the number of students opting out of vaccines is expected to rise rapidly — making herd immunity harder to maintain and putting those who can’t receive vaccines for medical reasons at a higher risk.

Texas needs tougher vaccination laws that limit exemptions to medical reasons, not laws that make it easier to opt out. If legislators continue to cater to the antivaccination movement, the community will suffer the consequences in the shape of tombstones.

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ARTS Vincent comes alive

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UNIVERSITY PRESS

Thursday, March 21, 2019

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Courtesy photo

MFAH EXHIBIT SHOWS VAN GOGH MORE THAN ‘STARRY NIGHT’

hen most people try to conjure up Vincent van Gogh, they think of famous paintings, such as “Starry Night” and “Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear.” “Vincent van Gogh: His Life in Art,” on display at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, through June 27, lets viewers find the man behind the paintings in an easy, informative way.

The exhibition layout lets the viewer feel as though he or she is experiencing his life — or at least the decade that was his entire career.

The entryway boasts a large reproduction of a van Gogh selfportrait before widening into a larger room with copies of some of his most famous works. This serves to introduce visitors to van Gogh’s art as an overall concept before truly submerging the viewer into each individual stage of his life.

Courtesy photo

At the press preview, March 7, curator David Bomford quoted van Gogh’s response to someone telling him he painted too fast — “If someone says you paint too quickly, look at them and say, ‘You are looking too fast.’” To truly understand Vincent’s art and life, one should take it slow and let go of any previous expectations about fine art or Vincent van Gogh.

After viewing the opening hall, which was brightly lit. with the walls painted blue and white, the next room, in contrast, was dark with a few framed photos spotlighted on one wall and a large blown up version of one of van Gogh’s letters to his brother, Theo, on another.

The room introduces van Gogh’s first steps of study and a reproduction of an early painting, “The Potato Eaters,” shows van Gogh’s interest in peasant

life as he saw it. The subjects in “The Potato Eaters” are real people, and their portraits hang nearby. “Head of a Woman Wearing a White Cap” is daunting as one stares at her face, with its deep lines and mouth set in grim tightness, which provokes deep feelings of sadness as one imagines the hard life she lived.

The next room is larger and more spacious as it moves to van Gogh’s second phase — becoming an artist. The walls contain dark, black and white sketches of trees without leaves, an oil painting, “The Old Church Tower at Nuenen,” shows a house on a hill, laborers work in drawings such as “Reaper,” “Peasant Woman Cleaning a Pot” and “The Digger.” The room even has a glass display case which showcases the many writing and drawing tools van Gogh used throughout his lifetime.

The adjoining room, separated in orange and white painted walls, follows van Gogh’s move to Paris, and features a self-portrait inspired by pointillism. The gallery shows how his style changed as he became under the direction of his

brother, Theo, who had become a well-known art dealer. The selfportrait is awash with dots of blue, red and green — the blues turning purple as the pigment faded over time.

Pencil sketches are done in bright blue hues, and some of his first still-life paintings like “Roses and Peonies” and “Vase with Gladioli and Chinese Asters” adorn the walls. Highlighting the period is an oil canvas called “Le restaurant de la Siréne á Asniéres,” depicting a restaurant in Paris full of people and color.

The exhibit layout flows as it illustrates each period of van

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Gogh’s career. What starts in a dark room, with dark paintings and rough sketches that spoke of van Gogh’s struggles in the Netherlands, slowly blossoms into wider rooms, bright lights and paintings that burst with color and vitality as van Gogh searches for light and recognition in southern France.

The final room is split into several sections. On the walls hang magnificent images of landscapes in every medium, of every size and of every color. The paintings give a sense of being in the countryside —blues and See VINCENT page 6

UP photo by Cassandra Jenkins Top, Vincent van Gogh, “The Langlois Bridge at Arles,” May 1888, oil on canvas, WallrafRichartz Museum and Fondation Corboud, Cologne. Top right,Vincent van Gogh, “Head of a Woman Wearing a White Cap,” November 1884–May 1885, oil on canvas, KröllerMüller Museum, Otterlo, the Netherlands. Left, Vincent van Gogh, “Self-Portrait,” March–June 1887, oil on cardboard, van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation). Above , the opening room of the exhibit boasts a large map of the areas van Gogh travelled in during his career , as well as several reproductions of his most famous paintings.

Story package by Cassandra Jenkins

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Thursday, March 21, 2019 • UNIVERSITY PRESS

BRIDGEMAN

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we had a radio station come out and do an open remote broadcast. The guy that was there was the morning guy, He gave me his card and said to call him if I ever needed anything,” she said. “I called — and I didn’t know if he’d remember me, but he did — and I asked if I could get a tour of the radio station. Then he told me about the internship.

“I didn’t know what an internship would entail but I went for it.

He asked me to be there at 6 a.m. the next day. I had to answer phones and take requests — New Kids on the Block was very popular at the time — and I had to pump up callers before they got on air if they’d won a contest or something.”

After graduation, Bridgeman began a full-time job at the station and eventually was able to get her own shift as a character on the morning show. She moved to Nacogdoches as a partner on a morning show and became the station’s news director.

“From there I was in Kentucky and then a music director at a rock station in Missouri — then I was promoted to program director,” she said. “I was program director over two stations at the time and was then promoted to again to iHeartmedia. I saw a job opening in Beaumont for director of programming, so I came down here and was over four stations here.

“I helped start Cool 92.5, which wasn’t on the air then. It was really nice being a part of getting a station from the very beginning.”

From 1993 to 2003, Bridgeman got to attend concerts and meet musicians and live the life

VINCENT

Courtesy photo

Debbie Bridgeman, then known as Debbie Wylde, above, was responsible for manually changing tracks when she worked at WDDJ 97 FM in Kentucky during the 1990s. she had imagined. But as she moved up in her career, her role became more managerial and behind-the-scenes, but she missed being on air.

“Being on air is why I got into that profession,” she said. “I was voice tracking for the midday shift on Big Dog 106 and I said, ‘Give me one hour. I’ll go in and push tracks’ and that was fun.

“I could still do remotes and stuff like that, but it wasn’t why I got into it, so I ended up going to Fox Radio to do the morning show where it was all on-air broadcasting. We were really getting involved in the community and talking about serious topics.

It was really cool, but then I had a child, so I got out of radio.”

Although she was working in a male-dominated industry, Bridgeman said that she felt equal to her male colleagues, although

the experience of parenthood in the media industry is different for a woman than a man, she said.

“It’s very hard to do a morning show and wake up that early when you have a newborn — there’s no daycare open at 4:30 a.m.,” she said. “If you really want to be successful, oftentimes you have to move around a lot more to get experience — you’re always moving to a bigger city to reach a bigger market. I wanted to be a mother, and I didn’t want to move them around every two or three years.”

After her son was born, Bridgeman worked for the Better Business Bureau as communications director, a position she held for a decade. Three years ago, she applied for her current position at BISD. Working in public relations gives her the opportunity to be dedicated to her family, as well as

being able to be involved in organizations like the Press Club of Southeast Texas, which she joined in 2003 and is currently president.

“I could still do some radio, but I got to do TV as well,” she said. “I was back and forth still doing radio, but also doing more public relations.”

Bridgeman said that she still loves radio broadcasting, but that as technology advanced, it has become a less personable experience.

“I could just talk to people, and I learned that you can’t think about the fact that you’re talking to millions of people, you have to imagine that you’re talking to that one person in their car,” she said.

“Now, everything is programmed on computers. I remember when I had to plan bathroom breaks because I was responsible for hit-

death.

“The Garden of the Asylum at Saint Rémy” shows how van Gogh’s struggles came out in his art. Hanging next to the garden painting is a sketch of “The Weeping Tree,” which is black and gloomy compared to the vivid colors of the garden, showing the raging difference inside of him in those trying times. His

final paintings were of wheat fields and are hung up in the exhibit in succession for viewers to ponder over as they leave.

One leaves the exhibition with a sense of art’s power of expression. It goes farther than just what is placed on a canvas, it’s a background story, it’s history, it’s imagination and reality at the same — it’s a place and a

ting a button at an exact moment so the next song would play — no one gets that experience anymore.”

Bridgeman said that it’s important for women to be involved in media, particularly in radio, because it’s a male-dominated industry even to this day.

“Men and women just think differently,” she said. “Especially when you have human naturetype topics. You know it’s one thing when you have a hardcore male anchor and he’s trying to be ‘Mr. Nice Guy’ with a sympathetic topic, but then you have a female that’s really getting down and saying, ‘Hey, let’s get to the situation, let’s work this out.’ Men and women are just built differently — it’s important to have both views.”

Though media has come a long way in terms of equality between men and women, Bridgeman said that it’s strange to think about the areas where there’s still disparity.

“When I think back to when I was growing up, I didn’t know any women that did radio, it was all guys,” she said. “You had women who played the side role, but they rarely ever got to be the main host — and that’s still true today.”

Bridgeman said that the most important thing that she’s learned throughout her career is that women are just as capable as men in anything they choose to pursue.

“There’s still this perception that men can lead better than women,” she said. “Women are making big strides in all sorts of industries, and I think they will continue to do that — as they should.”

from page 5

greens in “The Langlois Bridgeat Arles,” rows and rows of blue flowers in “View of Saintes Maries de la Mer,” and the capture of a gray rocky hill in “Les Rochers.” Vincent van Gogh’s paintings depict the beauty of towns, fields and rivers. It inspires one to want to travel and see these places in real life.

The sketch, “Café Terrace on the Place du Forum,” was made with a reed pen and ink with graphite on laid paper, and the scene perfectly captures how one pictures a French café would look.

The last section of the exhibit takes the viewer through van Gogh’s time in an insane asylum, his release and ultimate

feeling that Vincent has laid out in front of us.

“Vincent van Gogh: His Life in Art” tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for senior citizens, military, college students and youth, and children 12 and younger are free. MFAH members are also free.

For more information visit, www.mfah.org.

7

SPORTS

UNIVERSITY PRESS Thursday, March 21, 2019

ONE MORE SHOT Lady Cards to host South Alabama in WNIT, Friday Cade Smith UP staff writer

The Lady Cardinals ended their regular season 24-6 overall (17-1 SLC) as back-to-back Southland Conference champions and were seeded No. 1 in the Southland Conference Tournament in Katy. However, they lost in the semi-finals to the Abilene Christian University Wildcats, 79-88, Saturday.

“I thought that we played pretty good basketball for three quarters,” head coach Robin Harmony said. “We were up by 10 with the fourth quarter. I think Moe (Kinard) played a great game, Miya (Crump), our freshman that was our post, and Ashlynn Miles, they played awesome.

“We really didn’t get good effort out of Chas (Barrs) and JP (Jadyn Pimentel). I mean you got to have the stats. When you are that primary player that we’re counting on, we need you to come through. We can’t have just three players playing well — we have to have five. The bright lights came on and they didn’t do what they needed to do for 40 minutes.”

Harmony said despite the loss in the tournament there were many highs that outweighed the lows.

“I think the highest of the season is that we won our conference back-to-back 17-1,” she said.

“We beat Texas A&M at their place which was a money game — it was a national recognition game for us, the first one. We were 20th in the nation midmajor which gave us national exposure.

“Chastadie breaking the steal record nationally, which will probably never be broken again just because of the style of the game. When it was 20 years ago that record was set, you could just about kill somebody to get the ball from them just as long as you didn’t draw blood. Now you can’t really touch them — a touch these days is a foul.”

Harmony said another high of the season was beating the University of the Pacific in the Montagne Center.

“At Christmas, they were a very good team,” she said. “They were a top 50 team, I don’t know how they ended up in the season, but I know they were ranked 50th in the country when we beat them.

“I think the only low for the season was losing to Abilene Christian in the tournament.

There were not many lows just a lot of highs to the season.”

The Lady Cardinals will lose senior star players in Barrs and Kinard as they will be graduating this year.

“That is what they are supposed to do,” Harmony said.

“They are supposed to come as fledgling little Cardinals — push them on and they fly out of the nest. They want to continue to play basketball. With Chas and Moe, they need to form in these games, so it helps them — whether it is the WNBA or the European Leagues. They are great leaders and put us on the national map — it is time for them to move on in the next chapter in their lives.”

Both Barrs and Kinard have been invited to WNBA tryouts in the Final Four in Tampa, Fla. later in the year, where representatives that include agents and head coaches scout out future players.

“They have the ability to make it,” Harmony said. “It depends on the need of each team. There are only 12 members to the team compared to the 15 we have.

They easily could make a team and be impact players for whichever team they make — they can definitely go to Europe and play as well.

“Once they are done with playing basketball, I know Moe wants to pursue the criminal justice area being a detective or

something like that. If you asked Chas what she wanted to do, she would probably say business or something like that. I think they will be successful no matter what they do.”

The Lady Cardinals will participate in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament, against the University of South Alabama Jaguars, Friday, 7 p.m., in the Montagne Center.

“We know that South Alabama in the Sun Belt is a very good team,” Harmony said. “Obviously, we watched them play and heard about them the other night. I happened to watch them in their championship game against Little Rock.

“Even though their RPI is not as good as ours, they are talented and athletic, and it is going to be a tough matchup for us. The only thing we have going for us is that it is at home and we play better here at this gym.”

For the Lady Cards, winning the game against South Alabama would mean not just advancing in the tournament, but also keeping their 42-game home win streak alive.

“Obviously, we don’t want to lose or mess up that win streak,” Harmony said. “Sooner or later someone is going to beat us here — it is just a matter of time. That is not what we are concerned about right now. We are concerned about bouncing back from Katy, getting a win at home

UP photos by Lakota Jaton

Shedricka Pierson, sophomore guard, top, battles through defenders on her way to the net. Miya Crump, freshman forward, goes for a layup during practice in the Montagne Center, March 19. and seeing where it takes us. The win streak is the furthest thing in my mind right now.

“South Alabama plays a lot of man, they have a great post player, they can shoot the threes.

It is going to be a battle, they are

a higher conference than us. We got to tie it up and battle, it is going to see what kind of character we have.

“We want to fight for the 40 minutes and give it everything we have.”

WWE fan finds community in sport

When I was younger, I had a dream of becoming a professional wrestler. I don’t mean one of those wrestlers who compete in college and for National Championships. I had a dream of being one of those guys you see on television with a company like WWE. As I got older, I started to become aware of how difficult professional wrestling is and how hard it is to make it in that business. However, I still wanted to have a part in the business, even if it wasn’t being in the ring.

Commentary

Caden Moran UP contributor

When I got to the age of 16, I realized my love for writing when I started writing articles about professional wrestling. I have spent the last three years writing for a website dedicated to the sport.

I have been a fan of professional wrestling my entire life and I still get asked one question, “You know that stuff is fake, right?”

Yes, it is “fake” in the sense that is a scripted and predetermined product. However, when it comes to the production, skill and passion, there is much more to it than being considered “fake.”

Professional wrestling is one of the best forms of entertainment out there. WWE, in particular, is a well-organized and delicately-prepared company that takes its weekly shows seriously. They write speeches and interactions, called promos, for their talent.

They plan out their production and how they want their cameras to move, as well as graphics and audio. They plan out their matches and set up rivalries between talents that can last months. Creative teams pitch ideas for new storylines

UP graphic by Caden Moran

and characters.

Professional wrestling is more than two guys going out in the ring “fake” fighting. It is an entire process that feels like a movie or television show.

The rivalries play like an emotional rollercoaster that is entertaining to watch. In almost every match, there is a story is being told.

Commentators add to the story and emotion — stories of redemption and revenge, or of brutality and betrayal. These

moments are filled with pure joy.

Imagine rooting for your favorite actor who has worked so hard to win an Oscar, and after a number of failed attempts, they finally win. That feeling is incredible, right?

When my favorite wrestler fails to win the championship over and over again, and then finally wins, I feel the same way.

There is no better feeling.

The sport draws some of the best and the most passionate

fans. We are a community of people that come together across social media and in person every day to talk about what we love. I have met some of the best people through our shared love for wrestling. We share thoughts and opinions on specific wrestlers, stories or shows — we also argue as well.

We are united in our mutual love and respect. The sport brings us together and we stick together.

Page 8

Thursday, March 21, 2019 • UNIVERSITY PRESS

OUTDOOR PURSUITS CREATES ADVENTURE FOR LU Morgan Collier UP contributor

Whether it is gently rocking a hammock side-to-side while relaxing with friends, or suspended 40 feet in the air on a rock wall, Outdoor Pursuits offers a range of options for students with a sense of adventure.

“Outdoor Pursuits has a very wide variety of options for students, faculty and staff to really get a feel for outdoor adventure type stuff,” Eric Hernandez, recreational sports program coordinator, said. “Our student workers really take pride in their work and are always willing to assist, teach, train and mentor anyone who wants it.”

Located at the Sheila Umphrey Recreational Sports Center, OP provides students and staff the opportunity to climb a 40-foot rock wall that covers 1850 sq. ft. Participants can work towards the “Mile High Challenge” which involves climbing the rock wall 132 times to complete one mile and climbers will receive a free t-shirt and their name on the “Mile High Challenge” board.

“On a weekly basis, Outdoor Pursuits operates the rock-climbing wall from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and it is a chance for students to come and either try for the first time ever or, for our regulars, explore some of the more challenging routes,” Hernandez said.

Rock wall manager Marcus Rodgers, Lumberton senior, has climbed the wall approximately 600 times since he started attending Lamar University and has completed the “Mile High Challenge” several times.

“I completed the challenge twice in one semester and I complete it at least once every semester,” Rodgers said. “It’s really great just having fun, but also for the strength training that comes from climbing different ways.”

For Grace Granger, Groves sophomore, completing the milehigh challenge became a part of her daily schedule after attempting to climb the wall on the second day of last semester.

“A few weeks before the end of the semester, I was near comple-

UP photo by Noah Dawlearn

Leonard Ifield, a mechanical engineering student from Port Arthur, climbs up the rock wall in the Sheila Umphrey Recreational Sports Center, Tuesday. tion of the challenge,” she said. “I couldn’t help but feel a little sad that it was almost over.”

Over the course of the semester, Granger said, the OP staff trained and mentored her to do more challenging tasks such as lead climb — a technique where climbers clip their rope into carabiners hung from the wall in regular intervals as they climb, instead of attaching themselves to a rope.

“Since I was coming in every day, I got to know the staff pretty well,” she said. “Since I loved the staff, coming to the rock wall and encouraging my friends to climb, I was excited to apply to become part of the OP team this semester.”

Outdoor Pursuits also runs team building and is highly re-

quested by different groups around campus, Hernandez said.

“We started out with crate stacking every week, but due to the lack of participation from the challenge, we have created other team building exercises,” he said.

“Team building has many different activities and we prescribe them based on what the requester is looking for.”

Last fall, Hernandez said, OP put on about 55 team building exercises for Cardinal Communities, student organizations and Student Tutoring and Retention Services (STARS).

“We have activities that are meant to get people that they’ve just met for the very first time, a little bit more comfortable with each other,” he said. “Then we get some for people that have been a

team already for years and they just want to improve different forms of communication.”

Team building is offered at no charge for campus-related groups, but also offers the program to outside companies as well, Hernandez said.

“For a small fee, we extend the program to outside companies, which is new to us,” he said. “I’ve had people call me from Exxon that wanted to do team building for 60 plus employees.”

Team building manager and Port Arthur junior, Jennifer Galindo said she enjoys the variety of the programs she runs.

“Every group I get is different so even though it’s the same activities that I do all the time, the experiences are different,” she said.

On top of rock climbing and team building, OP offers free S’mores every Thursday at the Rec Center patio to students and staff.

“S’mores was one of the very first things that Outdoor Pursuits did, because it was around back when I was a student here,” Hernandez said. “Before, there wasn’t a whole lot of marketing outside of the Rec, so whenever I came in, I started going to tell people about it and now I send my students to go pass out flyers and invite people and we’ve seen more growth in that way.”

Hernandez said about 10 percent of everyone that enters the Rec Center participate in S’mores. The event is held regularly from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“Our student employees run the event and get to talk with the students who attend the event about Outdoor Pursuits,” he said.

“All of this comes to no cost at the students and to accommodate for dietary restrictions, I bought some vegetarian marshmallows to get everyone out here and to let them know that we do care.

We want everyone to be comfortable and have a good time.”

With everything OP offers, they also have Project Chill – where student get to sit in hammocks and relax – every Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. near the Cherry Engineering building, and allows students to check out equipment

such as tents, sleeping bags, hammocks, canoes and other outdoor items.

Hernandez said one of his future goals is to restore the adventure-ship program, a program where Outdoor Pursuits would go on outdoor adventures and outdoor trips.

“Some of the ones they’ve done before had been like canoeing in Austin, and some of the places in the San Marcos area,” he said. “It’s to get people into the outdoors and into the wilderness to really experience outdoor pursuits.”

Overall, Hernandez said as interest grows, he will start to add to the current program options available.

“There is so many different things we could do, but it depends on participation,” he said.

“If someone came up to me and said they were interested in doing something like rowing, I would do my best to explore what’s within reasonable limits to do here.”

The best part of the job, Granger said, is getting to help the students.

“A lot of students that come in for the first time don’t have much confidence in their ability to climb, which gives me an opportunity to encourage them,” she said. “The best part is seeing them go farther than they thought they could, and finding enjoyment in that.”

Rodgers said the climbing is fun, but he enjoys how laidback and friendly it is at Outdoor Pursuits.

“That’s what made me start climbing in the first place,” he said. “Everybody is chill, easy going and always helps each other out.”

Hernandez said he takes pride in his student employees.

“When I came into this position, I told myself that I would always strive to get everyone to the highest standard of excellence,” he said. “Now, I’m really impressed with the quality of students that we have working right now.”

For more information, visit lamar.edu/ outdoorpursuits, or call 880-8847.