The East Texan EXTRA November 2018
Honor Guard closes Veterans’ Vigil 2019
Multimedia attracts student to state event By Ian Lucas
The Irving High School Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Honor Guard closed the 2019 Veterans’ Vigil during ceremonies Nov. 8. Honor Guard members are (left to right): Right Rifleman 1SG Hernandez, U.S. Flag Bearer 2LT Estrada, Marine Corps Flag Bearer SGM Sanchez and Left Rifleman PVT Sandoval. (Photo by John Parsons)
East Texas native Jonathan Figueroa, a 25-year-old journalism student at Tyler Junior College, attended this years Texas Community College Journalism Association convention on the A&M- Commerce campus in October. A graduate of Grand Saline High School, Figueroa didn’t make the decision to pursue a journalism degree until last fall. In fact, he didn’t have any exposure to journalism before college when he picked up a camera. “I prefer video,” he said. “I really got into editing video and photo.” He decided to study journalism in order to gain more experience doing something he loved. Neither of his parents, Armando and Rita, who emigrated from Mexico, have a background in the journalism field. “They support everything I do, but there was no influence from my parents when I got into journalism,” Figueroa said. Inspiration to come to the convention came from his professors, who he said really encouraged students to make the trip. He had never been to Commerce before this week but noted it was a helpful experience. He said he will attend the “visual storytelling” session, which was high on his list and he was also looking forward to the video-editing contest. Student journalists attended a mock crime scene that took place Friday morning then participated in a “live news multimedia” contest to develop a story through photo and video. Figueroa and a team of classmates attended the event and had three hours to submit their entry. “It was hard to get shots at the crime scene, there was a lot of people running around,” he said. He noted that it was “stressful” to get their content together in such a short amount of time. “I wasn’t expecting the accident scene,” he said, adding that while it was overwhelming, he was pleased with the overall experience. More than 100 community college journalism and mass media students from 14 schools around the state attending the convention. TCCJA is the state organization for community college student media.
The East Texan EXTRA is published as part of the Texas A&M University-Commerce student publications. Content and design of the EXTRA is the responsibility of journalism and mass media students in the MMJ214 Basic Reporting class. Staff contributors: John Parsons, Ian Lucas, Phillip Boulware, Jennifer Bussey, Drumel Cyrus, Mary Chavez, Bailea Elam, Arrion Ellis, Jazzlyn Enbysk, Lauryn Harris. Faculty Adviser: Fred Stewart
The Leader
The East Texan EXTRA
At the BA Building: The International Instittionan for Business Analytics
By Jazzlynn Enbysk
Business Analytics is one of the most important jobs on the market in the business world. It is only a section of business, but business analysis cna make or break a company in several different ways. Many companies look for highly trained analysts to help them study their business, their profit, their process, or systems and learn how to improve their business. The students in the Business Analytics program at Texas A&M University-Commerce were able to hear real advice from real
Business Analytics experts at the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) Forum for 2018. The forum was held in the McDowell Building in room 343, and offered a number of experts speaking on the a range of topics that could help Business Analytic students once they enter the professional field. It also offered the opportunity for students to join the exclusive organization and have access to exclusive job The speakers for the event included Jared Gorai, Danelkis
Serra, Stacy Pulikkathara, and Don Hartman, all speaking about the aspects of Business Analytics and what it takes to succeed in the professional world. The main speaker was Jared Gorai, the Regions and Chapters Director of IIBA. Gorai seemed incredibly passionate about business analytics and has been in the field for over 15 years. He offered a multitude of advice for the Business Analytics students, and even went as far to explain that most people that are successful,
do not start off in the business and that sometimes it’s good to get experience from many different fields that will later help you to strengthen your understanding of how business works and business analytics. Saying, “There are people that do [Business Analytics], and those who do BA without the title.” Originally from Canada, Gorai got his Bachelor of Arts Degree in French form the University of
COB
Host Homecoming 5K Fun Run/Walk The College of Business (COB) at Texas A&M University-Commerce will be hosting a 5K Fun Run/walk for Homecoming on Oct. 27th at 8 a.m.
Pictured Above: Steffany Salazar
She Means Business Let’s be real picking a major in college can be hard, and a lot of the times most students will have some doubts about the major they have chosen. Some will even change their majors several times, trying out all kinds of programs before they finally land on the one they chose to fully pursue. Some students however, can pinpoint exactly when they knew what they wanted to pursue and the kind of career they wanted to have later down the road. This is the case for Steffany Salazar, 20, a Junior in the Business Program at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Salazar is pursuing a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business Administration with a minors in Spanish. When asked if there was a event that she could relate that helped her choose her major Salazar shares a story about a particular conversation she had with her sister that really set the whole thing into action. “Originally, I wanted to become
The charge is $25 for non-student participants and free for students an Algebra I and Algebra II teach- thanks to the Campus Recreation. The money gathered from the event er for high schoolers. My career plans changed when I sat down and will be in support for the TAMUC talked to my sister about our future College of Business. goals. As a fashion design major, she had expressed that she hoped to one day own her own brand and clothing company. After talking with her, I was determined to help her out so I decided that I would pursue a business degree instead.” Salazar does make note that it was not a dramatic change of course for her saying, “ The business world had always been an interest of mine so changing my college plan was not a challenge.” As for what she hopes to accomplish in the future concerning her degree, Salazar hopes to complete a Masters degree in Business Management and have the opportunity to work other areas outside of her degree. “I am open to the idea of expanding my knowledge in other areas and in using my knowledge in other professional fields.” By Jazzlynn Enbysk
The COB invites you to come for the Fun Run, and stay for the Homecoming Tailgate starting at 11 a.m. behind the Department of Music near Frontage road. The Student Recreation Center will be available for showers for any participants that actually break a sweat while running.
The Athlete
The East Texas EXTRA
Campus Rec Expands
TAMUC Adds Tennis Court to Attrack High Schools By Arrion Ellis Texas A&M University-Commerce is adding a new outdoor facility in Cain Sports Complex that consist of new tennis and volleyball courts. The anticipated courts bring some excitement as they are expected to be up by the end of November. If you are old enough or have been apart of TAMUC’s campus long enough you know that A&M-Commerce had tennis courts not too long ago.
We even had a tennis team, but as you can tell the team is no longer existing. The courts lasted lived where Phase Three was born, leaving A&M-Commerce without tennis courts for almost two years. Now this does not necessarily mean that an upcoming team is being formed, but we can happily look forward to getting four tennis courts and two volleyball courts. Assistant Director of cam
pus recreation, Stephanie Nielsen said “we have had a big interest in tennis before I got here and within Texas and the region that we are in tennis is pretty big”. A&M-Commerce intentions for the new facility goes beyond measures with this additional piece. The courts create more and new opportunities, as the campus recreation center will start looking for people that they can staff at the courts. Also, with the facility being
built the students who are involved or who have interest in intramural sports can look forward to two new sports . “We decided to build the courts to hopefully get some highschool teams out there and generate from some interest from the community” said Stephanie. Not only will the students get the chance to experience the new addition, but so will the community. The community will also have the chance to play on the new courts and attended any events or bootcamps that might get placed there. With the referendum that
the campus recreation center went through, student fees went up allowing this move to be made. This means that the incoming freshmen will have to pay the new rate of fees and accumulated price of tuition. “If you go to Cains’ you can already see that the building is constructed, the cement is poured for the courts and the linked fence is on its way up starting to look like a complex” Be on the lookout as the complex is being built where the old baseball field use to be.
|“We decided to build the courts to hopefully get some highschool teams out there”
We have a Fishing Club? Because of his outdoorsy upbringing, Michael Wallace grew a passion for fishing that would later help him keep a club running for its second year. “Several of the best lakes are within 150 miles from here and probably some of the best fishermen attend this school but do not know about this club” said Michael. Michael noticed that other universities were being televised for fishing competitions and realized that we did not have a team,so he took action. With the affiliation with the recreational center, the club got developed spring 2017. “The club has grown since the start of it, now having 18-20 members” said Michael. The club is willing to take in anybody no matter the skill set you have of fishing. They want anyone who is interested in fishing and or wants to become more knowledgeable about it. Zach Magee, a member of the club said “It’s a social group, something that I have really enjoyed and has helped me get through tough times
By Arrion Ellis
in life” . Even though it is the Fishing Club, it’s more than just fishing. They meet and discuss things like going out for trips,upcoming events and sponsorship. Companies like Dobyns Rods and Warrior Baits give out discount codes to help out the club. The club competes nationally and regionally with other universities to qualify for championships. Their first tournament is the College ACA and it is happening this weekend in Arkansas. The league that they compete in is the Fishing League Worldwide. They predominantly catch fish like bass and trout. The goal of the competition is to catch the most fish, but depending on how big the fish is determines the value of the fish. So whoever has the most and or heaviest fish wins the tournament. “Fishing is very dynamic and changes depending on the circumstances” said Zach. The club travels often, competing in different states and depending on
Largemouth Bass! Left to right: Jacob Galindo, Michael Wallace, Fortino Gottlich that location fishing can take even more patience. Fishing can be very difficult and varies depending on the day and the hour. “It’s hard to beat mother nature” said Michael.
The Fishing Club meets bi-weekly on Thursdays at six in the recreational center or you can find them on social media @ tamucfishing.
Phase III, the Gem of Residential Life
By John Parsons Phase III’s 490 beds fill five floors, are 90 percent occupied, and houses primarily freshmen and transfer students under the leadership of staff, resident
Phase III Residence Hall
assistants, a multi-cultural peer adviser, and a faculty in residence participant. Phase III is secured with electronic locks. Study rooms are available for residents to use.
“The hall has 16 washers and dryers. There is at least one dayroom with a television set on each floor. The first floor has a dayroom with a pool table, a foosball table, and two television sets,” Justin Hall, assistant community director, said. RAs conduct programs on education, alcohol and drug abuse, sexual harassment, and mental health awareness. The next program will be building-wide and is scheduled for October on the topic of cleanliness which will help residents learn the value of staying clean, keeping their environment clean, and the need to keep the restrooms clean, according to RA Arrion Ellis, junior. “Being able to help guide freshmen to the right path they should take” is why Ellis enjoys
being an RA. Ellis helps 34 residents, men and women, make Phase III home. “Phase III is in the perfect location,” Ellis said. “Not too far from campus.” “I love my residents,” RA Alana Marsh, junior, said. Lauryn Harris, junior, multicultural peer adviser, maintains two bulletin boards to communicate with residents. Her job is “talking to residents. Welcoming them, discussing different cultures, and diversity,” Harris said. The hall “feels like home,” Harris said. This is a sentiment echoed by C.J. Falks, junior. “Awesome and family vibe” is how Falks described living in Phase III.
Photo | John Parsons
Residential Living and Learning 101 By John Parsons Residential Living & Learning has 2,800 beds spread out among nine halls and apartments and is self-funded through revenue generated through room rent according to Michael Stark, director. There are 2,500-2,600 residents, he advised. This puts the halls and apartments at 90 percent full. Part of the department’s revenue is put back to students through an employment program that includes 11 graduate assistants, 77 resident assistants, five multi-cultural peer advisers and 100 desk assistants. Residence hall exterior doors are secured with electronic locks with the newer halls also having electronic room locks while the other halls have a traditional key
lock for each room. Residents comprise 20 percent of the university’s 12,734 students. The nine halls and apartments are divided into six areas, each area is with 300-600 students and supervised by a staff member. Most full-time first- and secondyear students are required to live on campus and purchase a meal plan. “There are female-only housing areas but the majority of the residence halls have a dynamic gender style where a suite may be one sex but the neighboring suite may be the opposite sex,” Stark said. The university does not operate any coed rooms or suites outside of married student housing. Prairie Crossing houses the
Faculty in Residence Program Receives “A” Grade By John Parsons Dr. Kent Montgomery, physics chair and astronomy associate professor, is in the second of a three-year rotation with the faculty in residence program. He is joined in the hall by his wife, Ricia, an executive assistant with Institutional Effectiveness and Research. They work with the RAs and community director in guiding residents to the correct office as needed. They enjoy getting to be “the friendly people,” Dr. Montgomery said. Having a husband and wife team is like getting two people for the price of one. But, neither individual receives pay for participating in the program.
The couple holds an event about once a month, conduct morning activities during finals week and refer students to the university counseling center when needed for handling the stress of college. Dr. Montgomery helps residents with their math work when he sees them struggling and said he and his wife “enjoy being around students.” “Former university president Dr. Keck initiated the faculty in residence program as a way to encourage students to interact with faculty outside of the classroom,” Dr. Montgomery said. Studies are being conducted on whether the program is improving student retention and making residents, and their parents, feel safer.
Honors College, Regent Scholars, and graduate students who hold at least a 3.0 grade point average. West Hall includes married/ family housing but single parents can also live in West Hall. The residence halls have a faculty in residence program that encourages communication and collaboration between faculty and residents by encouraging the two groups to mingle outside of class. Residence hall employees receive training and support from the university Counseling Center, has excellent relationships with other student service departments and meets with University Police bi-weekly. The residence halls are served by University Police, a fully functional 911 system,
and emergency fire and medical services from the City of Commerce. Resident EcoReps have organized and operate a recycling program in the residence halls and on campus through the Sustainability Office. Residence hall rates range from $1,963 for rooms in Smith Hall to $3,245 for single rooms in Phase III. Rates are per semester per a department brochure. Residential Learning is set up similar to a mini-university in its style of community, social aspects, and emphasis on life skills. More information about the residence halls can be obtained by contacting Residential Living & Learning at 903-886-5797 or ResidenceLife@tamuc.edu.
“Feels like home”
Phase III is the newest residence hall
Photo | John Parsons
LSF Social Media Giveaway Drumel Cyrus
Strings Of Hope Drumel Cyrus
The Lion Student Foundation, a new service organization on campus, hosted a Social Media Giveaway on October 12th in the RSC Atrium from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. to market themselves. The Social Media Giveaway consisted of Lion Student Foundation (LSF) general members handing out buttons to passing students with the promise of an even bigger giveaway to one lucky student by 5 p.m. In return the students had to follow them on their social media pages. “There was a great turnout and we had the opportunity to get our name out there to the students and that’s what this was all about,” LSF founder Aijha (Renee) Banks said. The Lion Student Foundation raises money for students in need on campus. They began as a group of Mane Messengers, students who raise 10% of institutional funding, that saw that there were students in need of funding for Emergency Food Assistance. “There are students on campus that, unfortunately, don’t have enough funds to pay for a meal plan and LSF plans on raising money for those students throughout the entire semester.” According to the Mane Messenger’s office, last year there were over 250 students that applied for emergency food assistance but there wasn’t enough funding to help all of those students in need. LSF’s mission is to assist the Mane Messengers office in raising money for those students. “As a student who understand struggle, I feel that it’s my duty to help students in need. I’ve found myself in a position where I have the opportunity to help others so I’m willing to try my best.” LSF acquired a total of 126 Twitter followers, 106 Instagram followers, and 17 Facebook likes through their Social Media Giveaway. “I really like what LSF is trying to do for this campus and I want to thank them for the opportunity to win the Social Media Giveaway,” prize winner Keyana Simone-Kim said. Although there Social Media Giveaway was a success, Aijha Banks says that there is still a lot more to expect from LSF.
As an act of awareness for mental health the Counseling Center hosted the “Strings of Hope” event on October 10th from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Rayburn student Center Atrium. The Counseling Center provided an assortment of colored strings and small coloring cards with holes through them to any student who wanted to participate to make an encouraging creation of their own. According to TAMUC counselor Caleb Barnet events like this are what some students need to help them cope with everyday issues. “We’ve learned that students like to color. There are neurological reasons for that. There is something soothing and nonthreatening about it. It often brings us back to our childhood and to good times,” Caleb said. Strings of Hope is not only intended for people who have mental issues, it is also for any student who would like to support a friend in need of some encouragement. The Counseling Center highly urged students to make the encouragement bands for their peers if not for themselves. “We live in a society where people are so engulfed in their own lives that they forget about how other people are feeling, and there is nothing wrong with putting yourself first but everyone should be mindful of the fact that their loved ones are sometimes suffering.” This year’s Strings of Hope differs from the previous years because they put coloring cards in place of the lettered beads. This change is due to the Counseling Centers effort to produce great events that students will enjoy and grow from. “The death of Alejandro Cifuentes was disheartening and we understand that we need to do more to prevent things like that from happening again.” Caleb Barnet says that Strings of Hope is a reflection of their support for the Students Body and encourages all students to talk to the Counselors in the Counseling Center whenever they have any issues. “I understand that everyone isn’t comfortable talking about their issues with a Counselor but we host these events to let student know that we are a resource that is always available to them.”
Criminal Justice & Sociology
Criminal Justice Honor Society Making new opportunities The Criminal Justice Honors Society’s organizational objective is to recognize and promote scholarship among students to prepare professional services and maintain the ethical standards of the criminal justice field. ‘’We want to show people there’s actually good in criminal justice. We want to make a voice for ourselves. We want to inform people on the different avenues such as police, corrections, courts and make scholars out of the actively engaged members,’’ Gabriela Carreon, President, said. Carreon, who also is the Vice President of the National Society of Leadership and Success, is in charge of the Alpha Kappa Delta chapter of the Criminal Justice Honors Society. Being president holds several key responsibil-
ities. ‘’You have to be able to uphold the society to a high standard. Be able to delegate and get everyone involved,’’ she said. ‘’It means a lot because of how prestigious the organization Is.’’ Carreon, a homeland security and criminal justice graduate student, says that this chapter officially started back in the spring. She has helped organized events that would see impact on the community. ‘’We did Women in Need in Greenville which specializes in help with food, kids and schools. They’ve never got support from young adults so we wanted to change the perception of students and young adults not caring for their community. We are motivated to doing more to help our community’’ Gabriela said The club boasts several benefits that could play
a significant role in criminal justice career paths such as offering scholarships and job opportunities. ‘’It’s vital. You get a chance to make lifelong connections. Meet future workforce leaders and people such as attorneys and cops. Even, meet big head honchos,’’, she said. The organization’s president is looking to help expand the group in size and notoriety. ‘’Due to funds, Dr. White-Lewis, our department head has been the only one able to go to the international events on behalf of the club. We want to host national meets here at A&M Commerce. They have great workshops and keynote speakers. I want us to continue growing because I see a lot of potential,’’ the Pres said. - Phillip Boulware
Gender Studies Book Club to be Introduced in November
The Gender Studies book club will have their first meeting at Mugs Coffee Shop, located in downtown Commerce, on November 15 at 2 p.m. The discussion will be led by Associate Professor, Nicole Farris, Ph.D. ‘’I want students to be able to have an open space dialogue about the story as well as the ideas. I want them to understand that what we assign can transcend classrooms,’’ said Farris.
Middlesex front book cover. Photo found on Amazon.com.
This is the club’s first year being active. Dr. Farris was inspired by some of her peers to start the club. ‘’Dr. Kowalsky, Associate Professor of History at A&M Commerce, suggested it. It is open to any student or faculty member with interest in Gender Studies,’’ she said. Dr. Farris teaches an Introduction to Gender Studies course on campus, which requires ‘’Middlesex’’, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by author Jeffrey Eugenides to be read by the students. ‘’I enjoy the book a lot,’’ she said enthusiastically. ‘’It is a complex story with a lot of information and historical accuracy in regards to migration, biology, genetics, Greek war. It has great character arcs and styling.’’ The story follows two cousins who marry each other and have an intersex child due, which is a result of malformation from inbreeding. ‘’The author gets the audience to sympathize with the characters. It appeals to a variety of topics and people. It deals with sociology, gender, history,’’ Farris said. ‘’I’m excited to hear student and faculty feedback.’’ When asked about the reason to host the inaugural meeting at Mugs, she spoke highly of the coffee shop, which opened a year ago. ‘’I love the atmosphere. It’s cozy and my students like the concept of meeting somewhere different than the same classroom setting,’’, Farris said. The book club plans on meeting once a semester. She chooses from two fiction and two non-fiction stories for her class to read throughout the course. ‘’The next book might be ‘’The Handmaid’s Tale’’, a hyper-religious, post-apocalyptic story that received much success after a television adaptation for Hulu. It became popular within the last two years so I think that would be interesting to students to read’’ Dr. Farris said. - Phillip Boulware
The Scholar
The East Texas EXTRA
James G. Gee Library Sees Major Decrease in Staff At the beginning of this semester, students began to take notice of the decrease in staff within the James G. Gee library. Comments were made loudly in the Bistro section about the unusual lack of authoritative presence in the building. The simple search and investigation of current and previous library staff directories showed nearly a half decrease in names. A curious find to be sure. “During the Spring 2018 semester, four librarians retired and one librarian resigned to relocate to another area,” Lanée Dunlap, Director of Libraries for the Texas A&M University- Commerce campus, answered when asked about the sudden change. According to Dunlap, two of these staff members had spent decades as librarians, reportedly 27 and 40 years of service. While another staff member decided at the the end of the semester term to resign
By Bailea Elam
and relocate to another part of the US. “While it has been a challenge, the change was also an opportunity to reorganize the department,” says Dunlap. “I applaud the entire library team for accepting additional responsibilities during this temporary transition.” The librarian staff have certainly been faced with an adjustment, but each person has stepped up and provided service and time wherever needed. Departments that did not necessarily need certain positions, have combined certain jobs in one staff member. The library does have plans plans to refill those positions currently vacant within time. There will be notice for the positions posted within the coming week. In the meantime, the James G. Gee library continues to run smoothly and quietly.
|”While it has been a challenge, the change was also an opportunity to reorganize the department.”
The Library Hosts a Party
Let the Good Times ROAR @ the Library In celebration of the upcoming Homecoming Football game, the James G. Gee Library will be hosting a campus party just outisde the building.
This is the library’s 6th annual fall party, each year it’s own theme. The first event took place in 2013 when staff threw a Mustache Bash while last year’s was a Back-to-School party. The party will be just outside the library south entrance facing the student center. If the weather turns for worst, the event will take place inside the common areas. Students can come eat, take a snow cone, pick up some fun free items, and even take a picture with Lucky the Lion at the photo booth. The cardboard cutout of Lucky is an exact look alike! Pizza and supplies are limited but staff plan on serving
until 1p.m. “The fall party is really more of a Thank you to the campus community from the library. We want the students, faculty, and staff to know
how much we appreciate them and enjoy serving the campus community,” said Sarah Northam, Head of Research and Instruction Services at Texas A&M University- Commerce campus.
“Our annual fall party is a way to say “Hello, Everyone!” Welcome to the library, come in, grab a seat, computer, or coffee, find a friend, or a quiet place to study.”
Education Department
Dr. Kit Blount showing off the two remaining shirts for sale. Photos courtesy of Jennifer Bussey.
Merchandise Sold for Leo Tech Students to Attend Conferences Merchandise is being sold by Leo Tech to help raise funds for Math and Science students to go to conferences. The merchandise consists of 3 t-shirts designed by math and science education students. Fundraising for these conferences began when students wanted to attend the Conference of Advanced Math Teachers and the Conference of Advanced Science Teachers, but there wasn’t any funding for the tickets which are between $65 and $75 per student, not including transportation, hotel, and meals. “The students wanted to go to the confer-
ences to learn more about STEM teaching (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), so they started a fundraiser to raise the funds,” Dr. Kit Blount, director of Leo Tech, said. “The first fundraiser was a bake sale about four years ago. Although it raised a few hundred dollars, it didn’t raise enough for all of the students. That’s when they had the idea for the t-shirts.” Each design included 150 shirts, with a total of 450 shirts to be sold. Currently, one design is sold out and only 25 total shirts left. Short sleeve shirts cost $15 each and long sleeves cost $20 each. Sizes range from
small to 3XL with mostly larges left to be sold. “The Math and Science departments for teachers were treated separately from the Education Programs, so students hoping to be STEM teachers took their Math and Science classes somewhere else, but their Education classes here (Education South),” Blount said. “They did eventually merge, but students want to learn more about teaching within their fields. That’s why attending theses conferences are so important.” - Jennifer Bussey
Mandatory Meeting for Education Students Taking a Residency in Spring 2019 All education students taking a residency in the Spring semester must attend a mandatory meeting. The meeting will discuss all requirements and duties of students in the Secondary All-Level Field Based Student Teaching Program. “The goal of the meeting to have all future residents informed and prepared for their work studies,” Susan Bishop, the Assistant Coordinator for the Secondary All-Level
Field Based Teacher Education Program said. Student residencies are only available for students in their last semester of school. “This is the final event before students get into their field, “ Bishop said. A total of 46 students applied for a residency. However, the number of accepted applicants has not been released yet. In order to qualify for a residency, students must be accepted into their school of
choice and be interviewed by a staff member at Commerce. Students can chose to attend the meeting on Oct. 31 or Nov. 1 depending on their schedules. The meeting will be held in Room 104 in Education South from 3 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. Residencies start on Jan. 3, 2019. - Jennifer Bussey
TAMUC Exercise Solution to Teacher Shortage
Texas is facing a shortage in teachers within the STEM departments (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and a lack of qualified teachers. A&M- Commerce is hopeful that with its curriculum, stu-
dents will learn be prepared for the profession upon graduation. “We drill them from day one on the principles of being a teacher,” Dr. Kit Blount, director of Leo Tech said. “There is a lack of good
teachers who are passionate about what they do, “ he said. “More teachers are leaving after five years of teaching. Statistically, the majority who stay are the ones who came from an institution and trained for it, so they are better prepared.” To combat this shortage, Susan Bishop, assistant coordinator for the Secondary All-Level Field Based Teacher Education Program, said, “As teachers are retiring, new ones are coming in. It’s our job to recruit teachers, maintain teaching standards, and offer support for those future educators.” ” Good teachers generate other good teachers.” Blount said. “We try to stay current in issues related to the classroom so that An empty classroom in the Education South building. Photo courtesy our students are prepared.” of Jennifer Bussey.
Since TAMUC started as a teaching school, it’s the right place for future educators to train before pursuing their careers. “Our students are sought after because our how rigorous our curriculum is,” Blount said. “It’s not an easy profession.” Other fields lacking in teachers is the English Language Learners Department and special education programs. Within Commerce, TX alone, there are 19 languages other than English spoken within homes, and there is a lack of teachers to help these students learn English. The arts and kinesiology departments don’t suffer from this shortage. - Jennifer Bussey
JOURNALISM DEPARTMENT Mary (Molly) Chavez
A Story Is Born: How Student Writers Choose Their Pieces On the east edge of cam-
series with content creator Shane laughs.
pus lies the Journalism Building; Dawson, which many people be-
“Words cannot express the excite-
Like Jennifer, other
ment I get when a new season of
where the student run school
lieve to be a humanization Paul
students at the meeting are
“American Horror Story” begins.”
newspaper, The East Texan, is
does not deserve.
picking out stories to cover and
(excerpt from Kylah Roach’s
suggesting additional material
““AHS: Apocalypse” brings back
located. Room 113 is where staff
“It peaked my interest…
members and student writers
because personally, I don’t see
to include in print. The story
the old feel””, The East Texan,
can be found congregated to-
him as a villain.” Bussey says,
opportunities from around the
October 2018)
gether on Thursday afternoons
“There’s more to the story than
school that are up for grabs vary
“I’ve been watching since
for their weekly meetings where (Shane Dawson) humanizing
from a Korean Thanksgiving
forever,” says Roach, “I love any-
they can choose story ideas,
someone…there’s two sides
to a Professor giving away free
thing horror related.”
photo opportunities, and check
to every story.” She claims the
feminine products. Junior Kylah
up on the progress of their up
reason she feels so drawn to the
Roach, another reporting stu-
[Pictured; Top, Junior Jennifer
and coming issues. The writers
topic is because she has a love
dent, recalls a review she wrote
Bussey and clasmates sit in an East
for The East Texan mostly con-
for psychology and believes the
about her favorite television
sist of reporting students, in-
way people act can be under-
show, American Horror Story.
Texan Meeting; Bottom, Junior Kylah Roach poses with her American Horror Story review in The East Texan]
cluding ones like junior Jennifer stood by looking deeper into Bussey, who is offering to write
how their brain functions.
an opinion piece on the infa-
“I’ve always said If I didn’t love
mous social media star Jake Paul reading and writing so much I and his collaborative YouTube
would be a psychiatrist.” Bussey
Q&A With An Editor Christian Aleman is a Co-Editor for The East Texan. During meetings, what is your
website and for print.
job? I assign ideas, explain ideas to whoever shows up, see who’s interested in covering what, and explain the angle that I think
So basically, you and the other editors oversee the final copy. Yeah, in charge of putting it together.
they should take for a certain story that we have; and if they don’t like any (Stories) I ask if they
So, what’s your favorite part of that? My favorite part about be-
have any ideas themselves that
ing co editor specifically is getting
maybe they want to cover.
to see different students pick up stories and come completely with a
As one of the Co-Editors of The
finished product, I like to see what
East Texan, what do you do?
kind of angle they chose. All of
As co editor I assign story ideas, and I help edit stories to make them more clear for the
the writers work to their different strengths.
“Words cannot express the excitement I get when a new season of “American Horror Story” begins.” (Kylah Roach, The East Texan)
The Artist
The East Texas EXTRA
Cristian Ruiz: The Passion and a Purpose
By Lauryn Harris
Someone once said that if you love what you do, you’ll never work another day in your life. And for Cristian Ruiz, music will never be a form of labor. Texas A&M University-Commerce junior Cristian Ruiz became interested in music at a young age. Joining the Dallas, TX Northwood Hills Elementary Choir in fifth grade grew his hobby into a passion.
in music. “Some of the members include Mr. Rogers, Moses Hogan, and some of the great and leading musical figures of our time have been brothers of Phi Mu Alpha.” Between school, work, choir, and fraternity life, Cristian finds a way to balance the pressures of college with the support from his family and friends. “They support my passion, and obviously fund my education, they come to my concerts and they’re very supportive, I love them for that.”
“Originally it was to inspire other people the same way I was inspired to love music, to sing, to perform, and to be on the stage and in the spotlight.” Starting his college career off at Sam Houston State University, Cristian decided to make a change to be closer to home and transferred to Texas A&M University-Commerce. After doing his research on the choir department, Cristian decided to audition and received a scholarship, “This will be my third school year with the choir and I am in the top choir, the University Chorale.”
Being in choir, Cristian has traveled to many places such as, Florida, California, New York, Illinois, Louisiana and many more places. His favorite memories in choir so far have been learning the music and performances. This year he is looking forward to making more memories including performing
One Band One Sound
Featuring over 100 performers, Texas A&M Commerce Department of Music hosted a Choral Concert, Sunday September 30th with performances by the University Singers, Chamber Singers, and Men’s and Women choir of Chorale. Conducted by Georgia Kormegay, Tyler Richards, Amy Santiago Quinones, and Randall
As far as Cristian’s future in music, he plans on singing for as long as he can while giving back to his fraternity. Cristian hopes to make at a teacher’s convention in San An- money on the side for his passion tonio, where only two universities and also spread his love for music. out of the state were invited. “Just as long as you keep yourself As well as being in choir, Cristian is grounded, move forward, and nevalso a part of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfoer stop doing music because that’s nia Fraternity of America, the oldwhat’s always going to bring you est and largest fraternity dedicated back home.” to men who have a special interest
By Lauryn Harris
Hooper, the concert included a wide variety of classical music hits and performances. A highlight of the concert happened when Director of the music department Dr. Randell Hooper arranged for the men’s choir to sing songs composed by him for his 30th wedding anniversary to his wife. Wanting to surprise his wife with songs, Dr.
Hooper also sung a solo during the performances. If you are interest in the TAMUC ensembles check out their next performance, Thursday Nov. 29th at The Candlelight concert. To be a part of the Choral concert you can learn more about the university choirs on campus at www.tamuc.edu/music.