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VOLUME 92 • ISSUE 8
Kappa Delta hosts Shamrock-n-Run 5K MORGAN BERNARD Managing Editor | mrb056@ latech.edu
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unners sporting four-leaf clovers and other lucky charms participated in the Shamrock-n-Run 5K on Mar. 17 in Lincoln Parish Park. This annual St. Patrick’s Day run is a fundraising event hosted by Louisiana Tech’s Kappa Delta Sorority. Lizzie Hummel, president of Kappa Delta, said the Shamrock 5K serves as a way for the sorority’s local and national philanthropies, the Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home and Prevent Child Abuse America. “Twenty percent of the money from the race goes to Prevent Child Abuse and the other 80 percent goes to the Methodist Children’s Home here in Ruston,” she said. “We really find that community is key. We love Ruston and like to be involved with the community as much as we can.” Hummel, a junior biomedical engineering major, said she is honored to have these opportunities and connections by being a part of her sorority. “Putting on Shamrock is a team effort,” she said. “Without the support of our chapter and
Photo by Morgan Bernard
Members of the Ruston community gathered in Lincoln Parish Park to participate in Kappa Delta’s St. Patrick’s Day 5K race, which benefited the Methodist Children’s Home. the community we would not be able to put this on. Kappa Delta has supported the Methodist Children’s Home for a long time, so to be able to continue that relationship is amazing.” Tyler Brown, a race participant, said this was his second
year to be a runner in the Shamrock 5K and he enjoyed it both years. “The hills in the park make it a little difficult at times but it is still lots of fun,” he said. “I was a little worried at first about rain, but it turned out to be a nice day with
great weather for a race.” Brown said he likes the Shamrock 5K because it is a way for him to be involved with the local community. “I love running, so being able to do something I enjoy while giving back is awesome,” he said.
“I was born and raised in Ruston and am always looking for ways to be included in my community, and this is a fun and easy way to give back that anyone can do.” Maddie Patton, Kappa Delta’s vice president of community service, said she was excited by the large turnout of race participants. “We had close to 420 people sign up for the run,” she said. “Recently, these numbers have grown a lot and I think it has to do with what we do with the community. We had an Eskamoes night and a Newks night which got the word out. People also know that we do this every year now, so it is something they look forward to.” Patton, a junior marketing major, said she sees the Shamrock 5K as more than just a fundraising event for her sorority and its philanthropies. “Shamrock really bridges the Methodist Children’s Home with the rest of the community, especially college students,” she said. “Most of us just come in and out of Ruston on I-20. This lets people from other sororities and fraternities — or anyone oncampus in general —know about the great community service and philanthropic opportunities Ruston has to offer.”
Hood named administrator of the year TAMARIA WILLIAMS Staff Reporter | tmw055@ latech.edu Louisiana Tech’s highly ranked nursing program continues to thrive as Donna Hood was recently awarded Nursing School Administrator of the Year at the Nightingale Awards Gala in Baton Rouge. The Nightingale Awards Gala recognizes achievements of nurses across Louisiana in a variety of categories. Nursing school administrator of the year honors the registered nurse who is responsible for the administration of a school of nursing or division within a school of nursing and in the past year has demonstrated excellence in achievement in this role. Hood, who’s the director for the nursing program at Tech, said it was quite the honor to be select-
ed since several nursing school administrators from across the state were nominated. “This award reflects the body of work that goes into making this a premier nursing program in the state,” she said. “It is not an achievement of one person; it is an achievement of the entire Louisiana Tech nursing program.” The nursing program has been recognized at the state level for the past three years. “We were selected as the Undergraduate Program of the Year two years and now this award,” she said. “Although the LSU program was selected this year, Louisiana Tech’s emphasis on quality is recognized beyond the state of Louisiana by employers, future students and the state board of nursing.” Hood said she hopes recognition at the state level serves as a motivator for students.
“This is a very demanding curriculum, but our faculty and students go above and beyond what is required in a nursing program,” she said. “Together we are achieving the level of excellence that is a hallmark of this university.” Tara Haskins, a professor in the nursing program at Tech, said Hood’s award reinforces her leadership and impact in nursing. “Dr. Hood makes decisions that are focused on student academic progress, preservation of this program’s positive impact in the community and always futurefocused on the needs of nursing and healthcare,” she said. “She recognizes the strengths of her individual faculty and supports our individual talents.” For the past two years, Tech’s nursing program has had a 100 percent pass rate on the National Council Licensure Exam, a stan-
Photo courtesy of Donna Hood
Nursing faculty members Norlyn Hyde, Donna Hood and Nancy Darland pose with Senator Rob Shadoin at the Nightingale Awards Gala. dardized exam that determines a student’s eligibility to receive their license to practice. “You don’t get that kind of achievement without solid lead-
ership,” Haskins said. “Dr. Hood possesses the qualities of attention to detail as well as thinking outside the box. That combination is not often found in one person.”
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2 • The Tech Talk • March 22, 2018
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ASA showcases African teas at tasting BRYN YOUNG News Editor | bjy001@latech.edu The African Student Association showed off their organization as well as several samplings of African teas in the plaza for their tea tasting Mar. 13. The tasting was the first event for the new organization that hopes to help bring Louisiana Tech’s African community together according to ASA vice president Mercy Karanja. “ASA is a new organization on campus; it was founded in May 2017,” Karanja said. “ASA aims to bring the African community together, enable easier integration of African students into the American lifestyle and system and to educate and spread the African culture with other students and the Tech community at large.” Karanja said that this event is a lead up to the first ever Africa Night, which will be held at 5:30 p.m. Apr. 21 in the
TONK. “We will be serving a couple of courses from African cuisine and will have entertainment ranging from traditional to modern songs, dances and skits,” she said. “We will be having the first set of auditions to narrow down on the entertainment on March 24.” Karanja said she thought the event was successful and hoped those who showed up for tea left with a better understanding of African diversity. “We were impressed by the number of people that showed up,” she said. “We ran out of cups, got new ones and ran out again. We also ended up extending the event by an hour due to the great turn out. We hope those who attended the event enjoyed the tea we served as well as interacting with some of our members. We also hope that everyone in attendance was able to appreciate the diversity of the cultures of individual coun-
tries in Africa rather than generalize the culture of Africa as a continent.” ASA member Hanna Jembere said the group decided to host the tea tasting to show a different side of African culture that many Tech students may not have known about. “Africans are famous for coffee,” Jembere said. “For example, I’m Ethiopian and coffee originated in Ethiopia. So we’re famous for coffee, but we asked what is something we could do differently that people are not used to in the morning like tea. So we all decided to come up with teas since each country in Africa has different kinds of teas.” Jembere said that to many in Africa tea is bigger than coffee and the ASA wanted to share the tea culture with Tech students. “I can speak for Ethiopia; younger people don’t drink coffee there. Coffee’s for old people, but young ones drink tea in the morning, the afternoon and at night. When you
Photo by Bryn Young
ASA members pass out samplings of tea from Senegal, Kenya and Ethiopia. come back from school, it’s tea time.” Jembere said that it was fun getting to share her culture with fellow students. “It was so cool,” she said. “People were trying them and seeing which one was their fa-
The concern for TOPS continues for students across Louisiana TAMARIA WILLIAMS Staff Reporter | tmw055@latech.edu As the summer session approaches, the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students scholarship may be facing some severe changes to its budget. TOPS is known to assist thousands of Louisiana students at funding their college tuitions. This year, the budget may be cut by 80 percent, compared to two years ago when it was cut by 30 percent. Benjamin Rice, the Student Government Association president, recently sat down with the SGA members and wrote a resolution demanding full funding for TOPS. “It’ll be in the summer when they can raise taxes,” he said. “So we can’t say that we will have TOPS unless they raise those taxes.” Rice said on Apr. 11, students from the University of Louisiana System plan to travel to Baton Rouge to lobby on behalf of higher education. “The focus for students right now is TOPS,” he said. “But it’s not just TOPS that gets cut; it’s higher ed funding.” Rice said if the budget gets cut, he is concerned high school students in Louisiana will attend college out of state. “There’s a lot of effects
RICE that are going to happen if this happens besides just TOPS,” he said. “When we cut TOPS and when we cut higher education, it just sends the wrong message to the high school students we want to keep in Louisiana.” Aimee Baxter, director of financial aid at Tech, said she encourages students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and other documents that the office of financial aid might request. “We remain optimistic that a solution will be found that keeps full funding for TOPS and higher education,” she said. “We are expecting lawmakers to convene in second special session in late spring to address issues including those for TOPS funding.” Baxter said 87 percent of first-time full-time freshmen receive TOPS
at Tech. This academic year, over 4,400 students received the scholarship. “To encourage students to complete the FAFSA and other requested documents, the Financial Aid Office is giving students the opportunity to be entered in a drawing to win free textbooks for fall 2018,” she said. “Our office has received over 10,600 FAFSAs for 2018-2019 and we already have a winner from our contest that ended in December.” Donovan Manning, a secondary education major with a concentration in social studies, said TOPS contributes a significant amount to his financial aid. “If the budget gets cut by 80 percent, then I’m going to have to increase my loans by 80 percent,” he said. “That’s if I have that eligibility.” Manning said although he’s not going to be in attendance April 11, he plans to write a letter to the representatives and elected officials in efforts towards the program. “There’s really nothing a student can do to prepare for a cut,” he said. “The decision is probably going to be last minute, especially for freshmen. That might determine if they go to college at all.”
vorite. It’s good to see people appreciating your products.” Luke Hansen, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, said he thought it was a great event and enjoyed trying the teas and meeting the ASA members.
“I thought it was a very good way to meet the members of the ASA,” Hansen said. “I thought the tea was delicious. It was a very successful event for what it’s purpose was, which was to let people know this club exists.”
Louisiana Tech celebrates Women’s History Month HANNAH JONES Staff Reporter | hej006@latech.edu March is the month designated to remember and appreciate the lives and actions of women across history. Louisiana Tech celebrated Women’s History Month by hosting historian, professor and author Jessica Wilkerson’s presentation “Who Gets to Speak for Appalachia? Women, Gender, and Historical Memory” Mar. 15 at 4 p.m. in Wyly Auditorium. Wilkerson presented a historical and political analysis of the Appalachian region. Comparing the media portrayal of this region to the realities of the demographic residing there, she discussed the political effects these skewed images have caused for women, specifically. A large part of Wilkerson’s presentation included interviews with various women struggling to speak out for their rights as women. The battle with politics became one for livelihood as these women often lost husbands and were not compensated as they believed they should be considering their daily efforts in raising their children and maintaining a household. “I think some of the themes that come up in this history are important for women and people today,” Wilkerson said. “So
these struggles around caregiving — who does it, how is it valued, do we have the resources to do it well — this is a debate we are still having in contemporary American politics.” Bringing to light the Appalachian women’s plea for compensation for their caregiving lifestyles, Wilkerson tied these women, exiled from society by the media’s portrayal, to the feminist movements (particularly, those in quest of welfare) occurring across America during that time. David Anderson, associate professor of history, valued Wilkerson’s work as a fresh look into the history of gender discrimination and representation that could provide understanding for today’s society. “[Women’s history] is a growing and vibrant field right now,” Anderson said. “Asking what is work, how is it gendered — these are questions that are as relevant today as ever.” By acknowledging these problems, historians then analyze the enacted solutions, determining their effectiveness and then translating the historical context to today’s society. Julia Vanchiere, president of the History Society, attended the event in her support of widening the view of historical activism. “Many groups of people are underrepresented in the stories of history that
we hear even though they are truly active in real life,” Vanchiere said, a senior double major English and history. “In the case of women’s history, there’s a sort of historical import of a male workforce doing hard physical labor that’s more important than what women do at home or women doing hard physical labor.” Raising awareness of these often obscured pockets of human (whether female, black or other minority and discriminated groups) activism is has a twofold effect. “I think women’s history is really crucial and vital still,” Wilkerson said. “By studying women’s history, it gets us to a different set of themes in American history. It raises new questions that we should be asking, and it also represents over half of the population of the United States. This recognition of vital components to civilized society such as an entire gender inspires proactive change and improvement to the imperfect world of human life. “I think women’s history is really crucial and vital still,” Wilkerson said. “By studying women’s history, it gets us to a different set of themes in American history. It raises new questions that we should be asking, representing over half of the population of the United States.”
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March 22, 2018 • The Tech Talk • 3
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FROM THE EDITOR
MANAGEMENT
Don’t be a jerk
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Starla Gatson
MANAGING EDITOR Morgan Bernard
NEWS EDITOR Bryn Young
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STARLA GATSON Editor-In-Chief | sjg021@latech.edu
W
hat if I told you it was possible to express your beliefs on social media without name calling or belittlement? A far-fetched idea, I know, but believe it or not, some people are actually able to speak their minds without tearing others down. Everytime I log on to social networking sites, especially Facebook or Twitter, I get a little more disgusted. Posts of memes and funny cat videos are a rarity and status updates spewing hate are becoming the norm. This has to stop. Everyone has different opinions that range from heavy topics, like religion and politics, to lighter subjects, like art and entertainment. I think it is 100 percent OK to share those beliefs with others. In fact, I encourage it; it is so important for us to be familiar with
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Tech Talk welcomes letters to the editor. However, we reserve the right not to print anonymous letters. We also ask that each letter be accompanied by a telephone number, address and classification or title. We will not print the telephone number. Viewpoints should be mailed or brought to The Tech Talk office, 138 Keeny Hall, by 4 p.m. the Friday prior to a Thursday publi cation. Letters should be mailed to The Tech Talk, P.O. Box 10258, Ruston, LA 71272. Emails should be sent to techtalk@latech.edu. You can also submit letters online at www.thetechtalk.org/home/ lettertotheeditor/. Louisiana Tech University is com mitted to the principle of provid ing the opportunity for learning and development of all qualified citizens without regard to race, sex, religion, color, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or veteran status for admission to, participation in, or employment in the programs and activities which the University sponsors or operates. For Title IX information, see University Policy #1445 at http://www.latech. edu/administration/policiesand procedures/1445.shtml.
what other people believe, whether we agree with them or not. Knowledge helps us solidify our own convictions, and having proper conversations about them can truly be beneficial. The problem, however, lies in how we debate. Instead of using knowledge to support our beliefs, we resort to personal attack. This argumentative approach, known as the ad hominem fallacy, is the root of many of our problems. It is a fallacy because the person is irrelevant to the substance or soundness of the belief, and resorting to this approach hinders genuine discussion of the topic at hand. To put it simply, nobody wins by personal attack. This is a fact I feel we are all aware of, yet for some reason, it continues to be the primary approach to argument. But why are we so threatened by anything that differs from us? Why are we afraid to ask questions, and why do we
get so defensive when others get the courage to inquire? Do not misunderstand me; I am not naïve. I do not expect every conversation to be peaceful, and I do not expect us all to sit in a circle, hold hands and sing “Kumbaya” around a campfire. I know sometimes, when one is particularly passionate about a subject, emotions can get involved and things can get intense. I do, however, expect us all to know why we believe what we do. Instead of arming ourselves with insults, we can be equipped with knowledge to support our convictions. Facts allow us to learn from one another and grow together as a society. Knowledge is powerful; hate is nothing but a hindrance.
Starla Gatson is a senior communication major from Farmerville who serves as editor-in-chief for The Tech Talk.
MORGAN’S MUSINGS
Toys R gone? MORGAN BERNARD Managing Editor | mrb056@latech.edu
W
e all know society changes over time, but who would have thought toys would ever become irrelevant? In recent news, I have seen stories about Toys ‘R’ Us officially closing its doors. It’s honestly heartbreaking to know I will never get to live out my childhood dream of visiting the iconic toy store. Many claimed its closing was due to low sales as children today prefer iPads. While technology is important in today’s world and is something I use gratefully every day, it makes me sad to hear it is being favored over real toys. How do kids have real fun and imagination when all they do is look at a screen? Maybe it’s because most of my childhood was without technology that I see it this way. There was no such thing as an iPad, or even iPod touch, until sixth grade. Therefore,
most of my time before then was spent playing with toys while watching Disney movies on repeat in the VCR. Today, kids grow up alongside technology and are able to use it better than most adults. I have seen with my very eyes a four-year-old unlock an iPhone. These kids can barely go to the bathroom by themselves, but they know how to take selfies. Does that not worry anyone else? However, growing up with technology will become a major advantage for kids as they grow. They will be so accustomed to it that they will have no problems like adults do today. I think we can all agree it is truly cringe-worthy to watch anyone’s dad type out a text with his index finger. I will even admit to not knowing much about technology, though my family thinks I’m a cyber engineer every time I reboot the Wi-Fi. I know Toys ‘R’ Us shutting down doesn’t automatically mean all toys are completely gone from the face of
the earth. Obviously, kids today still play with toys, just not as much as we once did. While this shift to technology is relatively new, it has been happening over a longer amount of time than we think. They may not have been iPad minis, but Gameboys and Nintendo DS’s were everything in elementary school. Nintendogs will always have a place in my heart. My point here is that there are both pros and cons to growing up with or without technology. I was lucky enough to experience a little bit of both in my childhood. While I am not as technologically advanced as some today, I am capable of working my way around a computer. However, I am also capable of entertaining myself when the battery goes dead. Morgan Bernard is a junior communication major from Echo who serves as managing editor for The Tech Talk.
FROM MY MIND TO YOURS
The return of March Madness ANDREW BELL Sports Editor | agb022@latech.edu
A
h, the annual return of March Madness is upon us. Amidst all the madness that a college student’s hectic schedule can provide, there aren’t many things better than kicking back and watching the chaotic 64-team NCAA Basketball Tournament play itself out. It’s more than likely that everyone reading this has a Tournament Challenge bracket (or multiple ones) that’s already been busted. To be honest, we all know it’s virtually impossible to actually predict a perfect bracket, considering no one in the Tournament Challenge’s history has ever done so, and there are literally over nine quintillion possible outcomes for each NCAA Basketball tournament, according to mathforum.org. Every March, all of the college basketball junkies download the ESPN Tournament Challenge app and fill out their specific bracket, in
hopes that they are the sole winner of the grand prize of about $20,000. Whether it’s a 12-seed upsetting a 5-seed, an 11-seed upsetting a 6-seed, or, hell, even a 15-seed upsetting a 2-seed (Duke, I’m talking to you), something unforeseen happens to bust up your bracket literally every single time. So with this crushing inevitability, why do we always come back to it? You could say it’s the money. That’s not a bad answer, considering the grand prize used to be a lot more than $20,000, and $20,000 itself is not a bad prize for downloading an app and filling in spaces with sports teams. But there so many gambling opportunities out there that if someone gets their kicks from risking it for the biscuit, they could go elsewhere for their thrills. If you ask me, the reason people get so attached to their brackets and are so eager to fill them out every year is due to the ties that people create to these teams after they have something riding on them. Even after
your bracket gets somewhat busted, there still are Tournament Challenge groups that decide their winner by the highest score, so you don’t necessarily have to have a perfect bracket to win, just the most accurate one. While people attempt to beat out their friends for the best bracket, they are watching the teams they picked, hoping and praying their picks win. Through this process, you become familiar with these teams and their players. This is a totally unique experience, considering that there is no other sports-related process like this. While you’ve already filled out your brackets, your work isn’t done. Keep an eye on the teams you’ve selected and you might be surprised at how much you learn about them.
Andrew Bell is a sophomore communication major from Alexandria who serves as sports editor for The Tech Talk.
How can we help the homeless? L
ast week The News Star reported that the DeSiard St. Shelter was likely to run out of money to operate in the coming weeks. This shelter is Monroe’s only overnight homeless shelter and provides services to 30 or more men per night but can only house up to seven women per night. That was already not enough to help all those in need in the area, but following the closing of Monroe’s Salvation Army shelter last August, the places that homeless in the area can stay are slowly dwindling to nothing. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2016 survey, on a given night 549,928 people across the United States were homeless. That number includes people from all age groups with 22 percent being children. Homelessness even affects those like us on college campuses across the United States. In 2013, nearly 58,000 students identified as homeless on their Free Application for Federal Student Aid. With such prevalent homelessness across the nation, it is a shame for shelters to be forced to close their doors on those who need help the most. Something has to be done and that something can start with students. Most people would consider the job of helping the homeless as one for the government. After all, the government is meant to help the people and has the resources to do so. But many times that is not the case. Even with government intervention, it can be difficult to aid the homeless adequately and, in most cases, these people cannot wait for a law or budgetary spending motion to be passed. They need help now, not in several months. Although it may seem like a problem too big for students to fix, we most certainly can lend a helping hand. It is of the opinion of The Tech Talk that students should reach out with both their time and money to help the less fortunate and homeless. There are several groups that students can donate to in the northeastern Louisiana area that will help these people such as the United Way, the HOME coalition and the Domestic Abuse Resistance Team. Even though many of us complain about our lack of money and $0.02 account balances, we can still give our work as volunteers. We encourage you to seek out local shelters, food banks or charities and find out if they need volunteers. The work may be unpaid but the real payoff is helping those who cannot help themselves.
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4 • The Tech Talk • March 22, 2018
Newest Marvel film lacks in unique villain character Black Panther HHHHI ASHLEY LAMBERT Staff Reporter | apl007@latech.edu After the death of his father, the king of Wakanda, T’challa (Chadwick Boseman) travels back to his home country to take his rightful place as king and uphold the responsibility of becoming the Black Panther. Once home, he faces conflicts in his attempts to become king and assume all responsibilities. In almost every aspect of the movie, this was an immaculate film from the wardrobe choices, the visual and special effects, camera angles to most all of the casting choices. Black Panther’s villain was my main point of concern. While Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) is a decently developed villain with a good, yet unoriginal, backstory of the young boy from a rough neighborhood who was orphaned at a young age. The acting portrayed by Jordan was subpar. Granted, Jordan is quite nice to
Marvel Studios
Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and T’challa (Chadwick Boseman) face-off in “Black Panther.”
look at and has done well in other roles, this role seemed to be too parallel with the role he portrayed in “Creed”. He hardly changed anything from this character from that and it was noticeable. He
used the same facial expressions, accent and tone in his voice and persona. He could have made this role much better than the final product portrayed. In a way it felt like halfway through production
they realized that Jordan was not as prepared for the role as anticipated. They may have cut out some scenes because it was as if, for a lead villain he did not have as much screen time in the movie
as a typical lead villain should typically have. The mirror between “Black Panther” and “Lion King” was absolutely stunning and made it more in-depth and emotional. When T’Challa speaks to
his father from the afterlife under the tree it is a beautiful rendition of the way Simba would speak to Mufasa in the stars of the night sky. The portrayal of the Dora Milaje was spectacular. These strong women warriors not only took on how the comics described their capabilities, but also encompassed the actual warrior women of Africa, the Libyan Amazons .These Amazonian warriors from what was originally North Africa are where the director drew inspiration for the warriors’ wardrobe for the movie. Overall, I give this movie a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars. The movie was so well put together, the wardrobe was on point, and special effects were stunning, and the scenery was magnificent. Furthermore, the majority of the acting was absolutely on point, but where one lacked the others made up for it. I digress. Overall, this was a wonderfully put together, well-told film that is well worth the watch and hype it brought to the cinematic world.
“A Wrinkle In Time” fails to impress fans A Wrinkle In Time HHIII HANNAH JONES Staff Reporter | hej006@latech.edu Alongside the myriad of reboots of old films, this month Disney introduced the fantasy adventure “A Wrinkle In Time,” a movie based off the book of the same name by Madeleine L’ E n g l e . H o w e v e r, perhaps a more accurate way to describe this reboot — there was an original film produced only 15 years ago in 2003—is to say that it is loosely based on the novel. Growing up, I fell in love with L’Engle’s novel “A Wrinkle in Time”, finding myself in the protagonist, Meg Murray. She is the epitome of adolescence, struggling in school and life in general due to the insecurities. She feels alone in her family — her two younger twin brothers being normal kids, her mother being not only a brilliant scientist, but also beautiful and kind, and the absence of her father with whom she felt the most connection. The only one in her family, besides her dad, whom she connects with is her youngest brother, Charles Wallace, who is seen as strange by everyone (even
his own family) except Meg. Of course, in this description of the book, the 2018 reboot of this beloved tale has already missed the mark. Where are the twins? And Charles Wallace was certainly not adopted as portrayed at the beginning of the film (which has major dialogue influences later during the climactic scenes), nor did he speak to anyone outside of the family. Besides these seemingly minor, though majorly affective, plot deviances, the 2018 film appeared to attempt visually stimulating cinematography and CGI effects in order to create the universe in which “A Wrinkle In Time” occurs. However, there were few scenes that explored these vast realms. Even within the scenes containing the various realms (which due to plot cuts there were less of than in the novel), dialogue and close-ups choked out any emotional response to the captivating landscapes. Dialogue was another greatly overused asset in the film. Much of the dialogue was repetitive, particularly pertaining to Meg’s need to find and love herself. Pep talks are wonderful, yet in good movies, the audience does not need twenty of the same conversations between a protagonist and the mentor to understand how the character feels about herself. It is called body language. And a cohesive and
clear plot. (Or was this movie supposed to be simply an extension of “The Oprah Winfrey Show”?) Meg draws the reader or viewer in with her universalism. Most of humanity struggles with insecurities at some point in their lives. As an effect of these insecurities is her negative attitude, though she is never explicitly violent in the novel. Her actions at the beginning of the film were shocking. And Mrs. Whatsit — such a dear character for her self-sacrifice in giving up her life as a star to diminish the darkness — is reduced in the 2018 film to a whimsy, flirty, down-right silly character who seems to have no sense of the seriousness facing the children and the universe. But despite the plot and production defects (perhaps it is just personal preference to not see close-up shots of actors for 75 percent of an adventure film) it was the unacceptable injury to the characterization of each character that produced regret for the precious $8.50 wasted on this movie. “A Wrinkle In Time” was neither visually appealing nor emotionally stimulating with so many defects and deficiencies. Unfortunately for those involved with the film, the past couple of years and millions of dollars spent in producing this film were wasted in this poor attempt at a beloved classic.
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March 22,2018 • The Tech Talk • 5
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More Talk
Mr. Tech
Crowned
O Photos by Gabrielle Boyce
Zach Harper, a freshman mechanical engineering major, was crowned by Mr. Tech 2017 Marshall Schoth (below) and will reign alongside Miss Tech 2018 Samantha Hawthorne (above).
STARLA GATSON Editor-in-Chief | sjg021@latech.edu
n March 15 in Howard Auditorium, young men vied for the title of Mr. Louisiana Tech 2018. The annual event served as a fundraiser for the Children’s Miracle Network. Zach Harper, a freshman mechanical engineering major from Sarepta, was crowned the winner and will represent the university alongside Miss Tech 2018 Samantha Hawthorne.
Harper and Hawthorne with predecessors Schoth and Anna Blake.
Harper poses with the university’s Miss Louisiana contenders, Blake, Jordan Duran, Adrianna Iennusa, Hannah Harper, Ana Deloach and Hawthorne.
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6 • The Tech Talk • March 22, 2018
Tech edged out by in-state rival ANDREW BELL Sports Editor | agb022@latech.edu The Louisiana Tech women’s tennis team brought ULM down to the wire in a heated match March 13, but eventually wilted under the intense play of the Warhawks. After coming out victorious in the doubles matches with victories from the duos of Sonia Chen/Claudia Oravcova and Nadja Manjon/Angela Lorenzo, the Lady Techsters and Warhawks took part in some highly competitive and intense singles battles. Tech started singles off with a (2-6,1-6) loss from freshman Karla De La Luz, followed by a (6-1, 6-1) win by the reliable junior Sonia Chen. ULM then tied the match up at 2-2 with a win over Tech freshman Andrea Perez-Lopez. The next match to end was one that got particularly heated, between Tech sophomore Nadja Manjon and ULM sophomore Karolina Snita. Manjon and Snita bickered over a couple of questionable calls regarding whether one of their returns was in or out. The animosity hit a boiling point when one of Snita’s teammates seemed to tell Tech’s Manjon that she was cheating, after Manjon called a ball out that ULM did not agree with. There was some back and forth between the players before Tech’s head coach, Amanda Stone, conferred with the players and decided to place one of ULM’s resting players as an official to make sure the calls were accurate, because the game’s sole official was busy officiating other matches. Head coach Stone said she did not want to get into the animosity of the game too much but did give a quick remark about the questionable calls regarding the match between Manjon and Snita. “It’s a rivalry,” Stone said. “You know sometimes when that happens, people think balls are in or out so maybe nobody’s in the
Photo by Donny Crowe
Tech freshman Claudia Oravcova returns a serve against the ULM Warhawks in her successful attempt to come back from match point to tie up the sets, and eventually win the match. wrong; it just gets so heated.” Snita stood victorious at the end of the match, defeating Manjon by a score of 1-6, 4-6. Following the drama from that match, Tech trailed 3-2, with Tech freshman Claudia Oravcova tied 1-1 sets with ULM freshman Teadora Radu, battling it out in a door-die match. Radu built a 5-4 lead over Oravcova with match point coming up, and it seemed as if Tech
was doomed, but Oravcova fought back with her back against the wall to win three straight sets and take the victory away from Radu. “Claudia had an incredible match today,” Stone said. “She came through big on her courts. She’s played really good tennis but she has struggled finishing her matches, and today when we really needed her, it came down to basically just gutting it out. Both players were tired but she just re-
fused to go down, so I was really proud of her today.” Oravcova’s win tied it up 3-3, with a final tie-breaking match ahead. Tech’s final match was between Tech senior Angela Lorenzo and ULM senior Karolina Silwanowicz. Lorenzo was playing just her third match since coming off of a leg injury, and fatigue set in after she got off to a lead, winning her first set 6-3 but allowing Silwanowicz
to fight back from behind in the second set and squeak by 6-7. With sets tied 1-1, Lorenzo was outdueled 1-6 in the final set to give ULM the 4-3 victory over Tech. “(Lorenzo) is still getting back in shape,” Stone said. “But she gives us everything she has. She’s a fighter, and when she’s 100 percent I’d bet on her. If she was 100 percent, I’d say we would’ve won today.”
Diamond Dogs sweep Rice LA TECH ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
Photo by Donny Crowe
Mason Robinson launched a three-run blast in game one for his first-career home run, during Tech’s threegame sweep of Rice.
The Louisiana Tech baseball team secured a 6-4 win in game one, and a 7-3 triumph in game two in a Saturday twin bill over the Rice Owls. The Bulldogs clinched a series sweep with the pair of victories in front of a crowd of 2,006 from J.C. Love Field. LA Tech (15-6, 3-0 C-USA) combined for 25 hits and 13 runs in Saturday’s sweep, while holding the Owls (9-13, 0-3 C-USA) to 13 combined hits and seven runs. “I’m so proud of our guys,” head coach Lane Burroughs said. “It’s so hard to sweep anybody in a three-game set in college baseball, but our guys stayed with it all weekend. They showed toughness, perseverance and endurance. I’m proud them for hanging in there and finishing it off today. It’s a little different start to league play than we had last year, so hopefully we’ll build off this. We aren’t sneaking up on anybody now. We may have a lot of new players, but sweeping Rice will
serve notice around the league, and teams will be ready for us.” Senior shortstop Dalton Skelton was unconscious at the plate throughout the weekend, hitting .538 with two doubles, a triple and a home run. Skelton notched a team-high 14 bases through the series, while slugging a teamhigh 1.077. With a base hit in each game this weekend, he also extended his team-best hitting streak to 13 consecutive games. As a team, Tech hit .365 for the weekend, paced by seven different Bulldogs notching four or more hits throughout the three-game set. Tech pitching held the Rice lineup to .189 batting average, while striking out 20 over three games. With the sweep, Tech has now won nine of its last 12 meetings against the Owls, and improved to 10-2 at the friendly confines of J.C. Love Field this season. Tech returns to action with a pair of midweek contests, taking on Northwestern State on the road on Tuesday night, and hosting ULM on Wednesday evening. The ‘Dogs return to C-USA play next weekend on the road at UAB.