UNIVERSITY PRESS
The Newspaper of Lamar University
Vol. 93, No. 12 December 1, 2016
Blue walls engulf Quad for renovation Tim Collins UP managing editor
Students attending Lamar University may have noticed the blue wall surrounding the Setzer Student Center and the Quad. While the Setzer Student Center and the Quad are undergoing renovations, both will be closed for the public safety. “All projects cause inconvenience, but, in compliance with federal and state regulations and insurance requirements, it is necessary to fence off the active construction site to ensure the safety of students, employees and visitors,” Brian Sattler, director of public relations, said in a release. “When and where feasible, walkway access will be retained or restored as the project continues.”
A walkway will be added from the Family and Consumer Science building to the Archer Physics building. “Careful thought and planning has gone into ensuring that during this period the university will be able to provide the same level of support to LU students, student government, clubs and organizations,” Sattler said. The Barnes and Noble bookstore in the Setzer Student Center will remain open. Students can find the entrance by the Archer Physics building. Additionally, the Food Truck Landing, which accepts Dining Dollars, is between Gray Library and the Dining Hall. “When the project is completed, Lamar University stu-
See WALL page 6
UP photo by Noah Dawlearn
A student peers through the blue tarpaulin wall that surrounds the Quad and the Setzer Student center, Tuesday. The wall will remain in place while renovations are being completed.
Woodard fired as football coach after seven seasons Elisabeth Tatum UP contributor
Lamar Director of Athletics Jason Henderson announced on Nov. 21 that head football coach Ray Woodard will not return for the 2017 season. Woodard has been head coach since the program returned in 2010, and was the longest-tenured head coach in the Southland Conference. “We would like to thank Coach Woodard for all that he has done for the Lamar University football program,” Henderson said. “It still remains our goal to compete for championships and to put our student-athletes in a position to be successful on the field and in the classroom.” Lamar’s 35-10 Loss to Nicholls State, Nov. 3, secured Lamar’s sixth losing season in seven under Woodard. “I don’t agree with the decision, but I respect it,” Woodard said in the press conference Nov. 21. “We should have been competing for a Southland title, and we had opportunities but we didn’t do it.” Cards have a 34-46 record since 2010. Lamar is 17-30 in Southland Conference games. This season’s record was 3-8 after the loss to McNeese, giving the Cards their worst season since the program’s revival. The team was picked to finish fourth in the Southland Conference this season, but finished in ninth after the loss. Players showed their support for the coach on Twitter after the news broke. “Thank you Coach Woodard for allowing me to live out my dream and play college football when no one else did,” injured running back Kade Harrington tweeted. Average attendance at games has dropped from 16,078 in 2010 to
Health Clinic to host De-Stress Week events Alonea Jones UP contributor
The Lamar Health Clinic will host De-Stress Week on campus, through Dec. 8, featuring a series of events designed to help students cope with the stress of finals. The clinic traditionally holds the event at the end of the spring semester and this is the first time they have offered it in the fall, Marie Culik, Lamar health education specialist, said. “If students are looking for a really good distraction, Lamar Alive! has setup workshops where you can build your own phone case,” she said. “If students need to get prepared for stress week, then we’re doing stress-release kits. If students need more of physical relaxation there will be yoga, water yoga and stress dodge ball. “Students who need to keep their hands busy can participant in making their own ‘Orbeez Squishy Stress Balls,’ which is made from beads, water and balloons. Students can also attend the STARS game night.” A “Build Your Own Phone Case” and “Light Up Lamar” will be held today at the Student Organization Annex. “Build Your Own Phone Case” will start at 11 a.m. and “Light Up Lamar” will start at 6 p.m. See DE-STRESS page 2
UP file photo
LU football coach Ray Woodard, who was released Nov. 21, pictured at the national signing day announcement in Feb. 2015. 7,429 this season. Lamar’s loss to Incarnate Word, Nov. 12, saw 5,566 fans in attendance, the lowest since the program was brought back. “We felt like we needed to take the program in a different direction,” Henderson said. Woodard will be paid a buyout of
$100,000 because his contract was terminated a year early. He had previously signed a three-year contract extension in December 2014
Trangender • Josh Yawn Wish Kid • People Humane Society and more
See WOODARD page 9
OSU student reacts to attack Trevier Gonzalez UP multimedia editor
A man drove his car into a group of students at Ohio State University, Monday, before attacking onlookers with a knife. At 9:52 a.m., Ohio State police officer Alan Horujko made a call to dispatch concerning a gray Honda Civic that had jumped a curb and hit approximately seven to eight students, The Lantern, OSU’s student newspaper, reported. After Horujko reported, “Officer in trouble,” the driver of the vehicle, a man armed with a knife, exited his vehicle and began attacking individuals. At approximately 10 a.m., Haleigh Staugler, a freshman at OSU, who said she overslept her 9 a.m. class, checked her phone.
“I immediately had, like, 26 texts from friends ask me where I was, telling me to stay put,” she said in a phone interview with the University Press. “I immediately just went into our group chat, no idea what was going on, and I asked them, ‘Um, guys, what the heck is happening right now? Like, why is everybody texting me?’ “I found the alert from my school that said, ‘Active Shooter on campus. Run, Hide, Fight.’ That’s when all of my friends started replying back in the group chat, they were like, ‘Where are you? There’s an active shooter. You’re not out, are you?’” LUPD’s public information officer, Cpl. Jarrod Samford said OSU’s ‘Run Hide Fight’ message, trademarked by the City of Houston, is
www.facebook.com/UPLamar
similar to the principles found in the Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) program he teaches at Lamar. “It’s avoid, deny and defend, just like, ‘Run Hide and Fight,’” Samford said. “You avoid the situation if possible. If you cannot avoid the situation, you do things to keep the person from getting to you. Deny them access to you and the people that are around you. And then, if that doesn’t work, and they still are able to get in, you have to defend yourself — you have to fight, like your life depends on it, because it probably does. “But I think, if you just tell the average person without them having any understanding of those See ATTACK page 2
www.lamaruniversitypress.com
See magazine insert inside www.twitter.com/UPLamar