April 14, 2016

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April 14, 2016

Catcher in the rough Passion, polarity, and the unwillingness to compromise Originially setting out to discuss the apathy of millenials, Distribution Manager Sean Bates brings to light our generation’s tendency to be more talk, less action.

PAGE 2

E AST TEXAN PHOTO/ K RISTEN TAYLOR

First baseman Luci Ponce goes the distance, literally, as she reaches for an out at the April 5th home game against Oklahoma Baptist. Her efforts were mirrored by her teammates as the Lions defeated the Lady Bisons back-to-back.

Suspicious device in Gee Library still under investigation Last Tuesday, students and staff were rattled by a PAWS alert warning all to stay clear of the library.

Soon after, Facebook and Twitter feeds were ablaze with grim commentary describing the potentially explosive device that was discovered in an enviroment expected to be safe. Library Director Greg Mitchell describes the incident from his perspective.

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14 years: Ranking Guns n’ Roses from bottom to top After getting over their hatred for one another, members of Guns n’ Roses Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan are reuniting to conduct a stadium tour accross the country. To celebrate, Editor Andrew Burnes ranks their six albums from worst to best.

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If trouble was money

Multiple states grapple with marginal minimum wage hikes Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has made the $15 increase a platform of his campaign, claiming that it is “so that everyone in this Following a trend that has been ignited by this country can enjoy the dignity and basic economic year’s presidential election, California and New security that comes from a living wage.” Hillary York State have recently approved legislation that Clinton has also called for an increase to the federal will increase their state’s minimum wages to $15 an minimum, suggesting $12 an hour compared to hour over the next few years. the $15 proposed by Sanders and the states of New California was already home to one of the counYork and California. try’s highest statewide minimum wages at $10 an On the Republican end, Trump has changed hour, while New York’s minimum wage had been positions from his November 10 statement that set at $9 an hour. California hopes to wages in America are too high, since gradually increase their wages by 50 stating that American wages are too cents to a dollar a year until reaching low, but can be increased with a greater $15 in 2022, whereas New York plans economy rather than through legislative to have $15 minimum wages in effect changes. Ted Cruz has also opposed an in New York City in three years, with increase in minimum wage, claiming a slower rollout elsewhere in the state. that “the undeniable reality, the undeniWhile there are certainly many people able truth, is if the President succeeded celebrating these increases as victories in raising the minimum wage it would for the lower class, some politicians cost jobs for the most vulnerable.” Feland job creators fear the worst. Jalow Republican candidate John Kasich mie Richardson, Vice President of the has also made statements opposing an hamburger chain White Castle, came increase to federal minimum wage, preout recently denouncing the change ferring instead that such changes come in New York, a state popular with the from the state level. chain.

One explanation for the dramatic “We’re disappointed. What this increase in minimum wages in places PHOTO COURTESY/ YOUTUBE .COM such as New York or California is the means for White Castle is we really have to evaluate how we manage our Vice President of White Castle Jamie Richardson opposes a raise in the increased costs related to living in these business,” Richardson said. “About 30 minimum wage. “We’re disappointed. What this means for White Castle is places. The two states account for six of percent of every sales dollar covers the we really have to evaluate how we manage our business.” the top ten most expensive cities in the pay of our hourly workers, and that US according to Expatisan.com, a webdoesn’t include management.” site dedicated to measuring the cost of Richardson’s statements also suggested that the in the nation, New York is showing the way for- living in the United States, whereas Texas does not company may look to automating positions, reduc- ward on economic justice,” New York Governor even appear until the 26th position. While Texans ing staff, or leaving the state entirely in order to Andrew Cuomo said on April 4. “These policies may not have as high of costs to face, that doesn’t avoid the cost of increased wages. He is not alone, will not only lift up the current generation of low- mean no one would like to see an increase in their either, as the executive director of the California wage workers and their families, but ensure fairness pay. A 2015 bill to increase Texas minimum wage to branch of the National Federation of Independent for future generations and enable them to climb the $10.10 an hour never made it to ballot in December Business , Tom Scott, has also stated that he be- ladder of opportunity.” of last year, but the city of San Marcos has recently lieves the increase will have a “devastating impact The federal minimum wage has held steady at approved a mandate requiring companies seeking on small businesses in California.” $7.25 since 2009, and most states in the US, in- certain tax breaks in the future to pay a minimum “Ignoring the voices and concerns of the vast cluding Texas, have held to that. More and more of $15 an hour. With these changes, it is uncertain majority of job creators in this state is deeply con- movements have been appearing in the last few whether Texas will adopt a new minimum wage, or cerning and illustrates why many feel Sacramento years calling for a national increase, though, and continue to follow the federal government’s lead.

Joseph Alderman News Editor

is broken,” Scott said.

Democrats in the legislation seem to disagree, however, as both states passed their bills almost exclusively on the votes of that party. Governors of both states have released statements claiming that the increase is a move towards “economic justice,” as California governor Jerry Brown put it, “creating a little, tiny amount of balance in a system that every day becomes more unbalanced.”

“By moving to a $15 statewide minimum wage and enacting the strongest paid-family-leave policy

Opinion

PAGE 2

Out of sight, out of mind

A PRIL 14, 2016

Sean Bates Distribution Manager

Campus Comment

You guys know we never got Kony, right? We were all so passionate about taking him down through the power of the hashtag, #Kony2012, that it never occurred to us that he’d still be free to create chaos four years later. We still aren’t outraged that the rich are dodging taxes at an extreme level, even though the Panama Papers have now revealed just how corrupt the top earners are, and it’s unbelievable how many people make the argument that corporations have too many lawyers to be reined in, then accept it, as though tax attorneys are some sort of God-like enigmas that can’t be stopped. We still think the police don’t need body-cams and more intense legislation when it comes to murdering civilians, even though the ratio of killings by officers compared to killings of was nearly 10:1 (1,207 to 123). We’re still convinced that people should be allowed to own assault rifles, which are literally only made to kill people! They’re unnecessary for defense, because we don’t live in some crazy apocalypse in which hordes of people are attacking us in our homes! We’ve got a serious problem with ignoring genuine flaws in our attitudes for the sake of keeping the status quo strong.

I’m not trying to say that I’m some legitimate activist who is really getting things done. I’ll be the first to admit that I put my name and email on useless online petitions on a regular basis, and it makes me feel a little better about myself. The problem is that so many people in this day and age will kick and scream about any little change, whether they’re for or against it, and then little of any value gets done. Was it really so hard to take the Confederate flag down from official government buildings? No, but we revealed that people will still have to be forced to go against any insensitive ways that they may have been raised with, even if it’s a tiny adjustment. Is it so hard to sell a wedding cake to a gay couple? No, but many people still believe that gay marriage is such an abomination that trying to prevent it is worth sacrificing business or losing a job over, even though it will literally never affect anyone outside of the relationship. It’s not like you’re going to be forced into a gay marriage, so why not just mind your own business and let them do what they want?

Most people tend to look at these issues in a very one-sided manner, when there are always multiple sides to the matter.

Those who oppose the Black Lives Matter movement focus on the handful of radical looters that use the movement as an excuse for destruction, but don’t look into it any further than that. Some that are for it don’t acknowledge the fact that the aforementioned looters are taking advantage of the situation, and may not always take the time to explain to opponents of the movement that the true message has nothing to do with violence, “hand-outs” or special treatment; it’s simply a matter of wanting to be treated as individuals rather than thugs.

This column was originally intended to be about the apathy of our generation, but as I’ve written it, I’ve realized that the problem is exactly the opposite of a lack of enthusiasm for the issues. In reality, we’re so extremely passionate, polarized, and loud that we don’t take the time to come to many, if any, reasonable conclusions about how we can adjust the world for the better. We’re Americans, and if we’re going to keep shouting at the rest of the world that we’re the best, we need to stop fighting with each other and really figure out the means of finding harmony amongst ourselves. A recent campus commenter said the world needs to be less sensitive, but it’s not that we have too much sensitivity; rather, we have far too little sensibility. Let’s get out of this pattern of kicking and screaming, and just accept that to compromise is a sign of strength and solidarity, not one of weakness.

Photo Courtesy of ACEDS

One is not the Loneliest Number n=1,10,100,1000 log (n)=0,1,2,3

Ismael Isak Staff Writer There are 254 counties in the state of Texas, and together they have a population of over 27 million as of July 1, 2015. If you list of all the counties, their populations and pick out all the counties that have a population that starts with 1, for example Tarrant County has 1.8 million people and Parker County has a little over 110 thousand people so they both make our list, you will end up with 80 counties.

Now divide that by 254 and multiply by 100 we find that 31.49 percent or about 30 percent of the counties have a population with a leading number of 1. If we try the same thing with all the counties, the lengths of all the rivers, or even financial statements we would end up with the same result. This is known as Benford’s law.

Benford’s law tells us that many types of number sets should follow a logarithmic scale. Newcomb and Benford discovered this law in very similar ways; they both noticed that the pages of their log tables, which they used while working at the Nautical Almanac Office and General Electric respectively, were more used at the beginning than the end. These books stored numbers that had to do with base 10 logarithms and were used to quickly make bigger calculations. n = 0,1,2,3 10 = 1,10,100,1000 n

Whenever we raise 10 by a number we are multiplying it by itself that many times. So 102 = 10*10 = 100, the higher we go the more 10s we multiply. The lower you go the more 10s we divide by, so to go from 1000 to 1 we divide by three 10s or 1000. This means we have no more 10s but we can go lower which is why 10 -1 = 1/10. Using logarithms with a base of 10 we can do all this backward.

Thanks to the fact that log (n*m) = log (n)+log (m) we can multiply large numbers quickly using log tables. These log tables would also only need to go from 1 to 9 because we could move some decimals around and multiply by 10 or 100 so that the log table books were reasonable in size.

We would need a log table to multiply 632 by 419, which becomes an addition problem (the numbers taken from log tables are bold, and log (100) = 2). log (632*419) = log (6.32)+ log (100)+ log (4.19)+ log (100) log (632*419) = 0.8007 + 2 + 0.6222+2 log (632*419) = 5.4229 There you go the answer to 632*419 is the anti-log of 5.4229 or 105.4229, and now it is someone else’s problem.

Benford’s law doesn’t work on random things like numbers from random.org or very limited numbers like human height; it does however work on constants. The 54 million mathematical constants in Plouffe’s “Inverse Symbolic Calculator” database have 30 percent of its numbers beginning with 1.

One explanation for this is to consider the absolute difference between two numbers. The increase from 1 to 2 is the same as the increase from 8 to 9, but if we think in terms of percentage growth 1 to 2 (100 percent) is much larger than 8 to 9 (12.5 percent) which is a characteristic of logarithmic scales, or in this case Benford’s distribution.

Whenever a certain person is cooking a book they might get nervous that numbers starting with 100 show up seven times in a row, so they might move things around a bit, put some more numbers that don’t start with a 100 in there, and try to make it look even. Or for someone flipping a coin, it is very probable that

you get 8 heads in a row after a certain amount of flips. This is where Benford’s law can be used to detect fraud; the larger the number of financial statements or data that is not dimensionless, the closer they should follow Benford’s distribution.

Benford’s law does not care which units you use, currency, or base you are in, it still works. This is called base invariance which was used in 1995 by T.P. Hill to prove Benford’s law.

Benford’s law is admissible in courts and has been used at the international level to prove tax fraud and money laundering.

When Greece decided to enter the EU they provided GDP numbers that turned out to be fraudulent using Benford’s law, but it was too late to do anything about it.

In computer science Benford’s law can be helpful because you know more 1s and 2s are going to show up, so you could increase the storage space of those numbers and decrease it for the others.

Similar to knowing that you are going to receive many 5 and 10 dollar bills but not many 100 bills, you increase the space where you put those bills and decrease it for the 100 dollar bills.

Or you aren’t interested in that and have a multiple-choice test coming up and want to know how you could you beat it using Benford’s law. A team of scientists who specialize in multiple-choice tests at Brock and Trent University’s in Canada created a physics exam that contains 500 questions; the answers are nondimensionless numbers, and the wrong answers were random. With no knowledge of the subject and only choosing the lowest possible answer they received 51 percent, which is better than random chance. But when applied to an actual physics exam they did no better than chance. This is because the wrong answers also followed Benford’s law.

References: http://bit.ly/25Vhgsg

What do you think of the food served in the dinning hall?

“It’s kind of pricey and sometimes the price and the quality don’t go handin-hand. I don’t have a meal plan for that reason, because I don’t feel like I’m getting my money’s worth.”

-Eumarcus Washington

“I think it’s nice to have whenever you don’t want to go out and buy something or cook. Their food is average..”

-Diana Vasquez

The East Texan Staff

Editor Managing Editor News/Social Media Editor Sports Writer Opinion Editor Student Life Editor Lead Reporter Photographer Photographer Copy Editor Distribution Manager Distribution Assistant Faculty Adviser Phone E-mail East Texan Website East Texan Print Issue Online

Andrew Burnes Travis Hairgrove Joseph Alderman Carter Lacy Hunter Kimble Alissa Silva Todd Kristen Taylor Aaron Hwang Kyria Aho Sean Bates Michelle Whitehead Fred Stewart 903-886-5985 theeasttexan@gmail.com tamuceasttexan.com issuu.com/tamuc.easttexan

“It’s just like the food that you get when you’re in service in the military except for it’s twice as overpriced and sometimes it’s not cooked that well.”

-David Stutsman

The East Texan, official student newspaper of Texas A&M University-Commerce, is published 11 times per semester during the Fall and Spring by students including journalism students in reporting classes. Content is solely the responsibility of the student staff and writers. The comments and views expressed in The East Texan, in print or online, do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of other students, staff, faculty, administration, or the Board of Trustees. The East Texan is located in Room113 of the Journalism Building. Single copies of The East Texan are free, additional copies are available in The East Texan offices for an additional 25 cents each.

“It’s delicious. The staff is doing a good job.”

-Narayan Acharya

Letters to the Texan Letters to the Texan are welcome and should be limited to 350 words. They may be edited for spelling, grammar and libelous and malicious statements. The East Texan reserves the right to refuse publication. Letters should be typed or emailed, must include a valid signature and contact information, and can be sent to theeasttexan@gmail.com or PO Box 4104, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce, TX 75428.

April 14, 2016

News

Louder than a bomb?

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Page 3

Counseling Corner

Prevention is Possible Agnes Gonzalez Special Contributor

E AST TEXAN PHOTO/A ARON HWANG

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“It’s too bad, because we appreciate donations,” Mitchell said as he described the library’s old practice of using the afSifting through a stack of donated terhours bookdrop as a means of acquirbooks that had accumulated on a library ing book donations. “We know we’ll be book truck, a library employee was met making procedure changes. We won’t be with a heart-pounding surprise when she using the bookdrop anymore…not here or opened what appeared to be an ordinary Mesquite. It’s unnerving because it’s hard chemistry book at around 1:00 p.m. last to say when it [the book containing the Tuesday, only to discover an electronic device] got dropped off. It may have been device hidden inside a holbrought in a few days or even a lowed out cavity. couple of weeks before and it just After shaking off the inisat on the book truck until we’d tial disbelief, she immediately “We won’t be using the bookdrop accumulated a couple dozen books alerted Greg Mitchell, Director before someone sat down to go of Libraries, whose office hap- anymore. It’s unnerving because it’s through them and we can’t really pened to be on the same floor hard to say when it got dropped off. look at security footage, because it (fourth) as where the “suspicould’ve been days and days ago.

It could’ve been days and days ago.” cious device” was discovered.

“How we handle books when “It was inside a pretty goodthey’re donated will be done in a sized, hefty book,” Mitchell different manner now,” Mitchell asGreg Mitchell said. “It had slots for batteries. sured. “You can’t let it stop normal It had one battery in it and one but it did make us stop and Director of Libraries life, missing. It had wires and little think about what we can do to make electrical connections. There that process safer in a way that we was a little space around the device and arrived shortly before 4:00 p.m., accord- really hadn’t thought about before. you could see that there was some sort of ing to a report by Ryan Scott of the Com“Who would have thought that somemetallic liner [lining the cavity inside the merce Journal. body would leave something like that at book] that appeared to be made of someAccording to the same report, the unit the library,” Mitchell said. “Was it inthing like aluminum. So, who knew what from Garland brought along with them tended to be a prank? Was it somebody could’ve been underneath it? You can’t as- “what appeared to be a bomb-disposal ro- with a grudge? Was it somebody who was sume that you’re seeing everything that’s bot,” but it was never deployed even as a just goofing around and forgot that it was involved in something like that.” response team member “was seen entering in there when they dumped it off with a After seeing the object himself, Mitch- the building in full protective gear.” bunch of other books, and didn’t even ell promptly called the University Police By 5:30 p.m., the library was reopened, mean for that to happen. We don’t know.

Department and had everyone leave the but official reports from law enforcement All that’s just guess work and supposition fourth floor. An officer soon arrived, and describing the nature of the device and on our part, but as far as what the facts are, after quickly examining the device, he whether or not it actually posed a threat we know that we had this device in a holdecided that the library should be evacu- are still unavailable as the investigation lowed out book…which is sort of a sneaky ated and an announcement was made to into the event is still ongoing, according way of doing something, so it does make it get everyone out of the building, and a to UPD Crime Information Officer Lt. seem suspicious. It was deliberately made PAWS alert announcement was emailed Jason Bone. by somebody at some time.”

Travis Hairgrove Managing Editor

to students, faculty and staff shortly before 2:00 p.m., warning them to “stay clear of the library.”

Once the building was evacuated, UPD along with officers from the Commerce Police and Fire Departments made sure people kept their distance from the library, eventually also putting Halladay and both education buildings on lockdown, until the Garland Police Bomb Disposal Unit

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Have you ever had that little voice inside tell you that something is not right; that you might be in danger? Listen to it.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Sexual assault is underreported, especially on college campuses. The theme for Sexual Assault Awareness Month this year is: “Prevention is Possible”. Since sexual violence is a pervasive problem, it’s important to be aware that there are many ways to take action. Taking action involves safety, respect, equality, and accountability. Taking action along these lines can prevent sexual assault before it has a chance to happen.

Think of the possibilities.

By promoting safe behaviors, thoughtful policies, and healthy relationships the root problems can be addressed. Communication is the key.

For example: No Means No. Once the other person says “NO” all sexual activity needs to stop. It is unacceptable to use the excuse that the other person can’t stop or that it has gone too far. If you are in the backseat of a car and a police officer suddenly shines a spotlight in the car, I would be willing to bet that all sexual activity comes to an abrupt stop at that time.

One of the things that each of us can do is take a part in creating safe environments. Intervene if you see someone displaying problematic or disrespectful behavior. Promote and model healthy attitudes, behaviors, and relationships in your daily life. Most importantly, believe survivors and assist them in finding resources and help.

This past September, our university became part of the “It’s On Us” movement. Students, faculty, and staff were encouraged to take a pledge to commit to help keep women and men safe from sexual assault. It is a promise to be part of the solution by pledging to recognize that non-consensual sex is sexual assault, to identify situations in which sexual assault may occur, to intervene in situations where consent has not or cannot be given, and to create an environment in which sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported.

No one has the right to force someone else to have sex. It’s even more important to remember that, no one ever asks to be raped. Sexual assault is equal opportunity. Victims come from all walks of life. They may be any age, gender, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic group. As hard as it is to reach out after a sexual assault, it’s harder to go through it alone. Sexual assault takes away from the victim control over the most personal and private aspect of their life: what happens to their body. Nobody deserves that. Nobody.

The Counseling Center is here to listen and understands what you are going through. Don’t hesitate to call 903-886-5145 or stop by 204 Halladay Student Services. Other resources include: the Crisis Center of Northeast Texas, 903-4249999 and the National Sexual Assault Hotline, 800-656-HOPE.

PAGE 4

Campus

A PRIL 14, 2016

Marketing Communications launches new campaign to promote A&M-Commerce experience Hunter Kimble Opinion Editor Texas A&M University-Commerce’s Marketing and Communications Department revealed their new marketing theme to promote the university.

Marketing and Communications, or MarkComm, held a launch party to showcase their new marketing campaign to endorse the A&M-Commerce brand, which is servility, successability, and inspiring students that they can achieve their dreams. The new slogan is “Our Pride Runs Deep.”

According to Interim Executive Director of MarkComm Lisa Martinez, the new theme promotes the college experience of faculty, staff and students and demonstrates what A&M-Commerce has to offer.

“We’re totally about awareness of the university and of who we are,” Martinez said. “Everybody in our university needs to have confidence to tell their story under our campaign theme ‘Our Pride Runs Deep.’”

The launch party consisted of a temporary tattoo station, free food, t-shirts and goodies, and a showcase of the university’s new merchandise that feature the new slogan. Students got a chance to go on stage a share their experience of the campus. President Dan Jones was also present at the event and shared his stories of the institution.

“The Launch Party is really to allow our university community to celebrate not only our brand but our spirit and message,” Martinez said.

Every two and a half years the university will have a new marketing campaign. This year’s campaign was created from a two-week survey about faculty, staff and students’ opinion of the university. The survey was performed by MarkComm and an

A&M-Commerce’s new marketing campaign theme, “Our Pride Runs Deep” already greets all who visit the university’s website.

outside company called Steel Branding, who also made the new marketing logo.

“They work with everybody on this campus and we’re just one component of making these decisions instead of being the only

component,” Creative Director Paul Bryan said. “It’s a really nice thing to see everyone getting on board and being a part of this.”

The “Our Pride Runs Deep” theme will be around for the next two and a half years depending how successful it will be.

Premed prodigy studies what’s close to heart

Saving money is making it easier for Shahankary to travel down the road of becoming a doctor, a dream she has had since she was in the sixth grade.

“I’ve always known since like sixth grade that I wanted to go into the medical field because I’ve always felt unusually comfortable in hospitals,” said Shahankary. “I’ve really never freaked out in major situations that the average person would freak out in.”

Shahankary credits her ease with being in hospitals and emergency situations to the way she handles pressure.

“I handle stress differently than most people,” said Shahankary.

“Or, maybe not stress would be the word to use. It’s like if an emergency happens, it doesn’t hit me until after it’s over and dealt with. Like, there’s no panic. I don’t get this panicked feeling at all.”

Ultimately, Shahankary’s interests lie in cardiology and anesthesiology. Her passion for the medical field came to light because of a personal story.

“My dad almost died of a heart attack and my grandfather died of a heart attack,” said Shahankary. “My uncle has a heart problem.

There’s just like a long line of heart problems in my family, so that’s the driving force behind it I suppose.

Shahankary’s reasoning for wanting to go into the medical field is no surprise to her parents. In fact, they have backed her 100%.

Their main priority is the happiness of their daughter.

“They told me that they just really want me to be happy and successful,” said Shahankary. “Ultimately they want me to be happy with what I do, because if I’m happy with what I do, then I’m going to make money either way.”

Kerry Wilson Senior Reporter

She might be a whiz kid.

Of course, that depends on society’s definition of the term. One fact stands, however. She is a sophomore in college – and also a 17-year-old.

Kaitlyn Shahankary is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in biology at Texas A&M University-Commerce as a premed student.

In only her second year of college, she is paving her way toward her goal of becoming a doctor.

“I graduated high school a year early,” said Shahankary. “My parents didn’t want me to be out of state for college until I was 18. I did a program called BioPride here at the university before I started. I met a lot of amazing people in the science department, which is what my major is biology.”

Contrary to her current positive attitude, Shahankary originally did not want to attend A&M-Commerce. After graduating from Campbell High School one year early, Shahankary wanted to travel – even as far as the East Coast.

“I didn’t want to come here,” said Shahankary. “I wanted to be very far away from home for college. Honestly, I was looking at schools in Washington and New York.”

After participating in the BioPride Boot Camp, however, Shahankary said she grew to love A&M-Commerce.

“It’s just I fell in love with the people here and just this campus,” said Shahankary. “And I like saving money, because I live at home, so I’m saving a couple thousand dollars.”

Sights on Campus: The Natives Are Getting Restless

E AST TEXAN PHOTO/A ARON HWANG

Percussionists representing the A&M-Commerce Music Department hosted their fourth annual Drum Fun carnival in the amphitheater last Friday, encouraging attendies of all ages and musical experience levels to participate in the music making.

PAGE 5

Features

A PRIL 14, 2016

Doing it “Mexican-Style” Todd Kleiboer Staff Writer

Counseling Corner A Shot of Liquid Courage or More?

Dean Mattox, M.S. Special Contributor

“However, the best hate letter I ever got,” Alcaraz said, “told me to go back to Africa.”

When asked what inspired him to be a cartoonist, Alcaraz pointed out two things.

“A part of it was reading comic strips in my childhood,” Alcaraz said. “The other part of it was the comic strip ‘Gordo’ by Gus Arriola.”

“Gordo” was one of the longest running comic strips to first expose many Americans to Latin culture.

Alcaraz also described the influence that the Latin American culture had upon him and his work as an artist. According to him, some of these influences contradicted each other.

“It’s funny,” Alcaraz said. “Some of the influences like my homophobic brother were super backward, and at the same time super progressive because he introduced me to the Beatles and other things.”

A famed Chicano artist, writer, and most importantly cartoonist showed examples of his work at a showing held on April 4th.

Lalo Alcaraz was fresh from a visit from Harvard when he came to the university as part of the Latin America: 500 Years of History program. It was a last-minute plan put together by Dr. Christopher Gonzalez, assistant professor of Literature and Languages.

“It was difficult, but it was worth it,” Gonzales said.

“We did it Mexican-style,” Alcaraz joked.

Alcaraz focused the majority of the showing on his editorial cartoons, the most famous being his own comic strip “La Cucaracha,” with themes stretching from immigration to the Latin culture.

“My thing has always been to draw the story of Latinos,” Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz also commented on the media depiction and representation, or rather the lack thereof, of Latinos.

“I grew up in high school not seeing any other people that looked like me on television,” Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz also spoke about the meaning of his cartoons and gave his opinion on what a cartoon is and should be.

“It’s got to rely heavily on the picture,” Alcaraz said. “An editorial cartoon should be blunt and direct.”

Among some of the cartoons Alcaraz showed was “Migra Mouse”, a parody of Disney’s Mickey Mouse that dealt with immigration issues. It stemmed mainly from California’s early anti-immigration laws.

“It was just nasty when it first passed,” Alcaraz said. “So I made this.”

The fact that he was assisting Disney in producing a film made its way into the showing, and he explained that he wanted it to be a “real, authentic Mexican movie.”

The movie Alcaraz is assisting in is named “Coco” and is based around the Mexican celebration of Dia de los Muertos, a celebration honoring the dead.

Alcaraz ‘s prolific career has spanned over two decades, and he is currently a Alcaraz also mentioned some of the reactions to his faculty member at the Otic College of Art & Design in Los Angeles sometimes controversial cartoons, saying that some letters were PHOTO COURTESY / LALOALCARAZ .COM hateful, others supportive.

Hispanic Students Speak Out About Their Concerns Liliana Vasquez Reporter Students from the Hispanic population of Texas A&M University - Commerce have said that education decreases discrimination, therefore making education one of the major issues for them in the 2016 presidential election. According to Forbes Magazine’s “Americas Top Colleges,” minorities make up 45.37% of the enrollment at Texas A&M University - Commerce.

Julian Sanchez, coordinator of Hispanic Outreach program, expressed his disappointment towards the presidential candidates, identifying them all as inadequate.

“It is disappointing to see the lack of disconnection that is going on throughout our population and the hidden agendas of all political parties,” Sanchez said. “Unfortunately, as citizens and non-citizens, we really don’t understand the political system.”

Sanchez also said that, along with education, it is very important that we are building true opportunities for everyone. He mentioned the continuation of racism and discrimination that still goes on in our country.

“For a nation that is so wealthy and developed, it’s sad to see so much educated people be blinded by their own egos,” Sanchez said. “I think education is the main issue. It doesn’t mean someone necessarily getting a degree, but having enough education to take the blindfold off of everyone and accepting the diversity of different people and accepting change, especially with all Hispanic minorities that are vastly growing.”

Nuer Baeza, a mentee involved with the Latino American Mentorship Program (LAMP) at the university, believes an issue that needs to be addressed is immigration.

“I’m not the type of person that wants to make every immi-

grant legal,” Baeza said, “but I would like them to address the issue and have a solution that is realistic.”

Baeza went on to say that people do not do research. They hear what everybody else is talking about regarding a certain candidate and they base their opinions off of that. Baeza thinks people are really ignorant to what is going on with the elections.

“It is crazy and scary how it has gotten to this point with the whole Trump thing,” said senior student athlete Julia Hernandez. She believes candidate Bernie Sanders is the more rea sonable candidate.

“A major issue that needs to be addressed is discrimination, because people think that all immigrants come here to do illegal thing and

For many, using alcohol means fun times with friends, relaxing after work or school with a beer or glass of wine or even a shot of liquid courage. There are some, however, that alcohol takes to a darker place. It may become a substitute for coping skills not learned or easily applied. There are many causes of alcohol dependence. Scientists have identified a genetic predisposition but there is so much more involved. Not everyone who is genetically predisposed develops dependence on alcohol and others without genetic predisposition become alcoholics.

Misuse of alcohol is a serious problem and has effects on the individual and society as a whole. Disruption of families, traffic accidents and arrests are only part of the picture. Alcohol use has been shown to lower workplace productivity and increases the possibility of workplace injuries. Alcohol use also increases the likelihood of aggression, partner violence, and child abuse.

If you think you may have a problem with alcohol, there are some indicators you can use. Answer the following questions honestly.

Have you ever decided to stop drinking for a period of time but were unable to? Do you wish other people would stop talking to you about your drinking? Have you ever switched from one type of alcohol to another type to try to control your drinking? Have you ever needed a little “hair of the dog” or an eye-opener drink in the morning to get going?

Do you envy people who can drink without getting into trouble? Have you had problems because of your drinking in the last year? Is your drinking causing trouble in your friendships, family, or romantic relationships? Do you have a few drinks before going to a party in case you can’t get enough when you get there? Have you told yourself that you can stop any time but find you get drunk even when you don’t mean to? Have you missed days of work or school because of your drinking? Have you ever had a blackout while drinking? Have you ever thought your life would be better if you did not drink? (Questions adapted from A.A. Brochure, Is A.A. for you?)

If you answered yes to four or more of the questions above you have the potential to develop a problem with alcohol if you have not already. If you would like a second opinion you may take an anonymous alcohol screening at http:// www.mentalhealthscreening.org/screening/TEXASCOMMERCE What can we do if we are concerned that someone we care about may be alcohol dependent? First, remember that alcoholism is not the result of a lack of will or morals. Alcoholism is an illness. Try to avoid declaring them an alcoholic.

This is realization that each must come to on their own.

You should talk to them about how their drinking is affecting you. Issuing ultimatums that they must get help can cause defensiveness and may backfire. Express your concern for this person and let them know you are willing to help if they decide they want to address the issue.

If you are a currently enrolled student and would like to speak with a counselor about this or other issues, please contact the Counseling Center at (903) 886-5145. There are multiple organizations to help people address alcohol dependence and your counselor could help you find one appropriate for you.

Since 1987 the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCAAD) has designated April as Alcohol Awareness month and the first weekend in April as AlcoholFree weekend. The purpose of the effort is to increase awareness and understanding of alcoholism, its causes, effective treatment and recovery. During the Alcohol Free weekend, April 1-3, NCAAD invites all Americans to abstain from the use of alcohol for three days with the idea that those who struggle during the weekend may want to take a look at their alcohol use.

the reality is that people come here to have a better life,” Hernandez said. Commenting on the Donald Trump rallies, Hernandez found herself unable to believe how ridiculous and out of control they were getting. She believes that there is a way to decrease the hate and discrimination in the country.

“There should be a mandatory class for students at all levels where you learn about different cultures,” said Hernandez.

“Schools can provide an awareness program that opens up people minds about the struggle and cultures about people all over the world.”

C u r r e nt l y, there are three republican candidates (Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich) and two democratic candidates (Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders) still vying for their chance at the White House this November.

Entertainment

PAGE 6

Soundtrack

Burnes’ Turns 1. Phoenix

Perfect Crime: Guns N’ Roses ranked from bottom to top Andrew Burnes Editor

“Chloroform”

A PRIL 14, 2016

From the first echo of “Welcome to the Jungle” to the last, string-laden reverb of “Prostitute,” each of the six Guns N’ Roses LPs have been massive events in Rock history. Each one, while different, is a classic in its own right, containing some of the greatest Rock

and Roll music of all time, and making Guns N’ Roses the most acrossthe-board consistently fantastic Rock band in history. After nearly a sixth of a century apart, A xl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan, the three most famous and arguably consequential members of the original lineup are back in the saddle preparing to kick off a football stadium tour across the country. This

semester of this page of The East Texan has served as a celebration of a band that has shaped not only my own life, but the lives of countless others over the course of the last several decades.

So now, as we prepare for a future with a reunited, touring Guns N’ Roses, we take our final look back at their catalog and rank the albums in their entirety from worst to best.

6. Chinese Democracy PHOTO COURTESY/PIGEONSANDPL ANES.COM

Sometimes confusion is the most powerful emotion.

And if that’s what Phoenix conveys on their beautifully power chord-laden reverie on an impossibly cruel love (here, here, Brothers), then either it’s by design, or they truly have no idea what’s going on in their love lives.

“Would I long for you?/Is it up to you?” singer Thomas Mars ponders in the track’s heavily Beatles-influenced coda before the song trails off in disparagement. We’re all still trying to figure it out.

2. Lucinda Williams “Greenville”

The decade-plus long in-the-making 2008 release from an all-new Guns N’ Roses was the truest juxtaposition of Rock and Roll; it was destined to be both a damnable failure and a brilliant triumph. Amazingly, both could be used to accurately describe Chinese Democracy. Artistically, it’s on a different plane from Guns’ previous work as incredibly lush production mixes with 5-guitar wall-of-sound sonic assaults on top of Axl’s musings on depression and maniacality in his new prophetic Neil Young-esque voice that could get sentimental while still bringing the paint-peeling power of the past. Commercially, though, the album was seen as a major departure from the band’s previous outings, and was thus derided by fans of the group’s previous work. Judging from how many of the songs have been played by the reunited lineup on their tour thus far, it’s clear where Axl’s bandmates stand.

5. GN’R Lies It’s easy to write off Lies as an easy cash-in after the monstrous success that propelled Appetite for Destruction to be the best-selling debut of all time. But for the best in the world, even phoning it in can be phenomenal. Splitting the album into two distinct halves (one featuring three rollocking live covers and one original, the other three original slow burners and one self-cover) gave the LP a unique feel that the band would only expand upon with the Use Your Illusion twins. The album plays as an almost behind-the-scenes look at the band beginning to experiment in between their sell-out standing room only showcases of decadence, even if the live recordings themselves are about as live as the keyboard used to type this article. Shoutout to KISS? At the very least, as a newsman, I can totally get behind the tabloid sleeve cover, the best the band ever released.

4. Use Your Illusion II

PHOTO COURTESY/ROLLINGSTONE .COM

This incredibly simple poem about a drunken idiot that can’t seem to find the recycling bin when he reaches the bottom of his liquor glass continually builds over the course of its three-and-a-half minutes from dual-acoustic guitar picking to an epic score containing more instruments and voices than a small orchestra. Like Bob Dylan before her, Williams understood how to get the most out of her minimalism, which was all over her classic ‘90s LP Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. This is her at her most base, her most emotional, and her most genius.

3. Carole King “You’ve Got a Friend”

Aided by the Terminator-infused “You Should Be Mine,” the “younger” of the two Illusion twins was the biggest smash hit for Guns N’ Roses since Appetite for Destruction. And it isn’t hard to see why; with crowd pleasers like the political “Civil War,” the regretful “14 Years,” the positive “Yesterdays” and the sing-a-long worthy Dylan cover, Illusion II was the spoiled sibling that kissed ass and thus got more respect than the elder. “Shotgun Blues,” the single most forgettable track ever penned by the band holds the LP back a bit, but the joyfully angry “Get in the Ring” and the goose bump-inducing “So Fine,” not to mention a ballad even more epic than “November Rain” (“Estranged”) ensure that there’s more than enough classic work here to make this a can’t-miss spectacle.

3. The Spaghetti Incident?

After the suitably epic Use Your Illusion World Tour and following the departure of the creative Rock to the band’s Roll in Izzy Stradlin, there wasn’t really anywhere for Guns N’ Roses to go.

The idea of a cover album (covered in spaghetti, no less) seemed rather unappealing initially, but behind the Charles Manson controversy and questionable LP artwork was the most cohesive Guns’ record since Appetite. True auteurs of their artistic craft, the remaining members of Guns N’ Roses take obscure (and some not-so-obscure) Punk gems and make them their own, outdoing the originals on each count. The Spaghetti Incident? may have lacked the creativity of the band’s previous work, but when it comes down to balls-to-the-wall Rock and Roll, few albums ever made have done it better.

2. Use Your Illusion I Following the inflammatory success of Appetite for Destruction and expanding on the twopronged formula from Lies, Guns N’ Roses had one of the biggest launch days in history with the release of the Use Your Illusion twins as 1991 drew to a close. The “first” (and less popular) of the two is the stronger work, standing as the only GN’R release that could stand proudly outside of the shadow of the band’s debut. Everything on Illusion I was bigger than ever before; it was more violent, more turbulent and more pissed off than it’s predecessors. Axl’s grand designs took form in epics like “November Rain” and “Coma,” but it’s rager “Perfect Crime” and the infinitely badass “Dust N’ Bones” that stand out as the best of the rest. But that’s really a preference-based statement. Like The Beatles’ White Album, there was an argument to be made for nearly every track on the album, and as diverse as it is, that’s impressive as hell.

1. Appetite for Destruction

PHOTO COURTESY/BIOGRAPHY.COM

With Tapestry, Carole King was at her sing-a-long anthemic best. While “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman” and “I Feel the Earth Move” tend to steal the glory it’s this cover of her best friend and mentor James Taylor’s best song is when the album reaches its emotional peak. Adding epic piano and an even more gripping string-laden chord progression, not to mention Carole King’s massively superior voice, her take on this endlessly-relatable tune improves upon the original in every way, making it the definitive go-to for those that need music to say what they can’t say with words. Which at last count was all of us.

Guns N’ Roses’ power-packed debut is still their best work. Nearly every track on the album is a masterwork in its own right, from the late ‘80s power balladry of “Sweet Child o’ Mine” to the joyous reverie of addiction that is “Mr. Brownstone.” The band was never more cohesive than they were here, each playing off of each other in the best way possible ,or as prime influencer Joe Perry of Aerosmith would call it, “playing as a gang, which is just what you want.” Taking notes from five-member innovators like Perry’s crew and The Rolling Stones, Slash and Izzy Stradlin’ are a monstrous force, slithering with glee as Duff’s monstrous bass riffs propel the action. And Adler’s contributions can’t be overstated; according to his bandmates it was his exuberant bounce that gave the album the lusty, adolescent magic that makes it the best.

And we don’t even have to get started on Axl Rose, who meticulously sang each song line-by-line so that it would sound perfect. And it damn-near is.

A PRIL 14, 2016

PAGE 7

hotshot 28

numbersgame .374

Total number of home runs scored by Cameron’s Baseball.

The average batting average of West Texas A&M’s Softball

BASEBALL

2016softball

TSU’s Hasbrouck, TAMU-K’s Plavanich honored Texas A&M-Kingsville moved into the top spot in the Lone Star Conference standings with a 14-6 league record after taking three of four from West Texas A&M. WT and Angelo State are both a game back at 13-7.

This week marks the start of the three-game series against every other team.

LSC teams are playing a 10-week schedule with a fourgame series and three-game series against every other team.

Each four-game series shall consist of a 9-inning game Friday, a 7x7 doubleheader Saturday and 9-inning contest Sunday, and each three-game series shall consist of a 9-inning game Friday and a 7x9 doubleheader Saturday.

The overall LSC Champion will be the team(s) with the best winning percentage in regular-season conference

games, while the winner of the postseason championship will be recognized as LSC Tournament Champion and receive the league’s automatic qualification into NCAA postseason.

The championship will be played May 12-13-14, at the No. 1 seed.

LSC baseball teams are 111-86 overall this season. In the NCAA South Central Region, the teams are currently 18-7 combined versus Heartland Conference teams and 8-4 against the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK HITTER Jake Hasbrouck, Tarleton State University, SO, DH, Ault, CO, Highlands HS Hasbrouck was Tarleton’s top offensive force as the sophomore from Ault, Colorado lifted Tarleton to a pair

of wins over Angelo State in Stephenville. Hasbrouck hit .538 for the week, going 7-for-13 at the plate with two RBIs and a run scored. One of Hasbrouck’s biggest plays of the weekend came with one out in the ninth inning when Tarleton was trailing 4-2 on the verge of losing the series.

With runners on the corners, Hasbrouck drove in a run with an RBI fielder’s choice but beat out a potential game-ending double play to extend the game – one that Tarleton went on to win in the 10th inning to earn a series split with the Rams.

PITCHER Preston Plovanich, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, FR, LHP, Santa Fe, Texas, Santa Fe HS Plovanich continues to dominate in his debut season as the freshman defeated No.

Individual Leaders

ERA Player Tori Bayer, WT ............................... 1.15 Kilee Halbert, WT ........................... 1.93 Haley Freyman, TSU ...................... 2.58 Brittany Woolridge, AM-C .............. 2.62 Emily Wasinger, CAM .................... .2.76

PHOTO COURTESY/L ONESTARCONFERENCE .ORG

17/11 West Texas A&M after tossing 8.1 shutout innings...

Plovanich struck out four and allowed just three hits to improve to 3-0 on the year... he held the Buffs to a .111 bat-

ting average... the left-hander retired 20 in a row and has not allowed an earned run in 24.1 innings... in LSC play, Plovanich is 3-0 with 0.64 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 28.1 innings.

Home Runs Player Ashley Hardin, WT ............................ 14 Luci Ponce, AM-C ............................ 13 Katelyn Vinson, MSU ........................ 12 Sonora Zukerman, CAM ................... 11 Erin Knox, AM-C............................... 10 Fielding Average Player Shelby Hedrick, TSU ................... 1.000 Luci Ponce, AM-C ......................... .996 Erikka Burke, ENMU ...................... .996 Lacey Taylor, WT ........................... .996 Alexis Evans, ASU ......................... .989

Schedule April 15 Midwestern State vs. Cameron Texas Woman’s vs. East. New Mexico Angelo vs. A&M-Commerce Tarleton State vs. A&M-Kingsville April 16 Midwestern State vs. Cameron Texas Woman’s vs. East. New Mexico Angelo State vs. A&M-Commerce Tarleton State vs. A&M-Kingsville April 19 A&M-Commerce vs. Oklahoma Christian Lubbock Christian vs. West Texas A&M A&M-Kingsville vs. Texas Woman’s April 20 St. Edward’s vs. Angelo State

women’s racquets

PHOTO COURTESY/L ONESTARCONFERENCE .ORG

against the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK HITTER Kenedy Urbany, Angelo State University, JR, OF/DP/P, Helotes, Texas, O’Connor HS Urbany recorded 10 RBIs and two home runs in six games this past week. The

junior recorded eight hits with two doubles along with the two home runs. She slugged a team-high .762 and totaled 16 bases during the week. She hit .381 and scored four runs.

PITCHER Katie Dean, Texas A&M University - Commerce, FR, P, Whitesboro, Texas, Whites-

boro HS Dean went 2-0 for the Lions during the week as the team cruised to a 5-1 week. Dean tossed both of her games in the Lions’ LSC series against Tarleton State. Her first appearance of the week came in relief when she threw five innings and struck out a careerhigh eight batters. Dean’s

performance allowed the Lions to rally and take the opening game of the series 5-3. She threw a complete game fourhitter to give the Lions a 2-1 win and a 2-1 advantage in the series. Dean again struck out eight TexAnns matching her career-high. The lone run to score against her in the game was unearned.

OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD which is the top time in Division II. MEN’S FIELD Jeron Robinson, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, SR, Houston, Texas, William B. Travis Days after winning the high jump at the 89th Annual Nike Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, senior Jeron Robinson was named U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Male Athlete of the Week... the Houston native cleared 7-5 (2.26m) to set the top mark in all of NCAA... in fact, Robinson went head-to-head with Texas Tech’s Trey Culver and won the Texas Relays high jump for the top billing in the country... the senior has won three consecutive Lone Star

WOMEN’S FIELD Kami Norton, Angelo State

CONF 1-0 1-0 0-2 0-0

2016baseball Team Angelo State West Texas A&M A&M-Kingsville Cameron Tarleton State East. New Mexico

CONF Overall 16-7 23-14 15-8 26-11 15-8 24-12 11-12 23-12 9-14 15-21 3-20 10-27

Individual Leaders Batting Average Player

Avg./G

ERA Player Austin Moore, WT .......................... 1.39 Bryce Zak, ASU ............................. 2.25 Matt Shannon, ASU ....................... 2.27 Preston Plovanich, A&M-K ............. 2.38 Trevor Renfro, TSU ....................... .2.57

Conference high jump championships and is a three-time NCAA Division II Outdoor high jump national champion.

WOMEN’S TRACK Shanice Cameron, West Texas A&M University, SR, Bronx, NY, Mt. Vernon HS Cameron had successful weekend at the Bobcat Invitational. She picked up a provisional time in the 200 meters on Saturday running 24.24.

That is the eighth-fastest time in the nation this season and 10th fastest in school history.

She also anchored the 4x100 meter relay to the third-fastest time in the nation this season.

The time of 45.99 trails only Texas A&M-Kingsville and St. Augustine’s.

Team Cameron Midwestern State Tarleton State A&M-Kingsville

Dalton Perry, A&M-K ...................... .415 Daniel Ward, ENMU ....................... .387 Trace Hansen, WT ......................... .380 Cody Bower, CAM ......................... .378 Alec Humphreys, TSU ................... .336

Four take home weekly acclaim

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK MEN’S TRACK Alex Borzelin, Angelo State University, FR, Hamilton, NJ, Nottingham Borzelin ran a personal best in the 400-meter hurdles and was a member of the 4x400meter relay team at the Texas Relays. Borzelin clocked a NCAA Division II provisional time of 51.78 and was the only Division II athlete in the 400-meter hurdle final. He turned around to run a leg on the 4x400-meter relay that finished in a NCAA Division II automatic time of 3:08.38,

Avg./G

Katelyn Vinson, MSU ..................... .445 Stacey Ramirez, WT ...................... .442 Tealey Farquhar, TWU .................... .428 Sonora Zukerman, CU ................... .421 Erin Knox, MSU ............................. .413

West Texas first in Division II to 40 wins

Lone Star Conference Outdoor Track & Field athletes have recorded six NCAA Division II Automatic qualifying marks (5 men, 1 women) and 97 provisional efforts (53 men, 44 women).

CONF Overall 26-2 44-2 16-8 28-16 14-10 26-16 13-11 27-16 15-13 33-15 10-14 25-23 8-16 25-22 7-17 18-27 3-21 11-35

Batting Average Player

SOFTBALL

West Texas A&M remains atop the Lone Star Conference standings and became the first team in Division II to reach 40 wins. The Lady Buffs are 40-2 overall and 22-2 in LSC action.

LSC teams are playing a single round-robin schedule with a four games against each league opponent. The fourgame series shall consist of a doubleheader Friday and a doubleheader Saturday.

The overall LSC Champion will be the team(s) with the best winning percentage in regular-season conference games, while the winner of the postseason championship will be recognized as LSC Tournament Champion and receive the league’s automatic qualification into NCAA postseason.

The single-elimination championship will be played April 29-30, at the No. 1 seed.

LSC softball teams are 217-155 overall this season. In the NCAA South Central Region, the group is currently 5332 combined versus Heartland Conference teams and 30-13

Team West Texas A&M Texas Woman’s Cameron Angelo State A&M-Commerce Midwestern State Tarleton State A&M-Kingsville East. New Mexico

Home Runs Player Pablo Hernandez, A&M-K ................... 7 Jake Hasbrouck, TSU......................... 6 Cody Bower, CAM .............................. 6 Christian Loya, WT ............................. 6 Tyler McKinzie, CAM ........................... 5 Fielding Average Player Cole Williams, CAM ..................... 1.000 Zach Fleet, TSUB ........................ 1.000 Hunter Seales, TSUB ................... 1.000 Landon Thompson, TSUB ............. .995 Matt Waller, ASU............................ .994

Schedule April 15 Angelo State vs. A&M-Kingsville

PHOTO COURTESY/L ONESTARCONFERENCE .ORG

University, SO, Albany, Texas, Albany Norton punched her ticket to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a NCAA automatic mark of 5,259 points in the heptathlon at the

Texas Relays. The sophomore also had the No. 3 best long jump in Division II with a provisional mark of 20-1.75 (6.14m). She improved her 110-meter hurdle provisional time to 14.03 which is No. 10 nationally as well.

Cameron vs. West Texas A&M Tarleton State vs. East. New Mexico April 16 Cameron vs. West Texas A&M Angelo State vs. A&M-Kingsville Tarleton State vs. East. New Mexico April 19 Oklahoma Christian vs. Cameron A&M-Kingsville vs. St. Edward’s St. Mary’s vs. Angelo State East. New Mexico vs. Lubbock Christian

Sports

PAGE 8

A PRIL 14, 2016

Track & field has strong showing at David Noble Relays Lionathletics The A&M-Commerce men’s and women’s track and field teams had a solid showing at the ASU David Noble Relays Saturday.

“Both the men’s and women’s teams stepped up and had a solid meet competing well against some of the best individuals and teams in the Lone Star Conference and NCAA Division II level,” A&M-Commerce head coach Ross Smithey said.

After qualifying for the women’s 100m hurdle finals with times of 14.98 seconds, 15.41 seconds and 15.68 from Ashley Bassett, Jessica Clay and Ana Baleveicau in the prelims, the trio picked up fourth, fifth and sixth respectively in the finals for the Lions. Bassett’s time of 14.67 seconds was a personal best in the 100m hurdles, while Clay and Baleveicau turned in times of 15.24 seconds and 15.59 seconds.

Bassett, Beleveicau and Sarah Hogan each qualified for the finals in the women’s 400m hurdles after times of 1:02.56, 1:02.87 and 1:09.30 respectively. Beleveicau’s prelim time was her fastest time of the season. Bassett, who owns the 8th fastest time in the NCAA, turned it up in the finals with a time of 1:01.54 to win the finals.

Baleveicau also ran season best time of 1:02.39 in the finals to claim third moving her up in the LSC standings to fourth.

In the women’s 400m dash, Kamryn Mckee and Verlencia advanced to the finals with times of 57.52 seconds and 57.61 seconds respectively.

Mckee turned around and won the finals with a time of 56.93. Mckee already owns the second fastest time in the LSC. Verlencia took third crossing the finish line with a time of 57.63 setting new personal best and moving her up to two spots to fifth on the LSC performance list.

In the men’s 400m dash, Josiah Dennis and Eric Williams each qualified for the finals with times of 49.35 seconds and 49.61 seconds respectively. The duo each turned in personal best in the prelims, while Dennis upped the ante in the finals with another personal best time of 49.08 seconds to finish in fourth. Williams took sixth with a time of 49.67 seconds in the finals.

In the men’s 100m dash, Isaiah McFail and Dionte Taylor each qualified for the finals with times of 10.8- and 10.89 in the prelims. Both runners ran slower times in the finals with McFail running a 10.85 to finish in sixth, and Taylor running a 10.87 to finish in seventh.

Lanorris Garden ran the fast qualifying time in the 400m hurdles crossing the finish line in 54.41 seconds. In the finals, Garden took second despite improving his time by almost a second turning in a mark of 53.54 seconds. Garden narrowly missed his second NCAA provisional time of the season in the finals.

In the 200m dash, Shaw took sixth in the

PHOTO COURTESY / LIONATHLETICS

prelims to with a time of 25.62 qualifying her for the finals after her fastest time of the season.

Shaw, however, did not run in the finals.

Malcolm Woods made the finals in the 200m on the men’s side after a time of 22.20, while Reggie Kincade narrowly missed the finals and a personal best after taking ninth with a time of 22.40. Woods continued the trend of Lions improving in the finals, turned in a 21.91 to finish in third. He missed a new personal best by .01 seconds.

In women’s 800m run afternoon session, Jenna McLaughlin took second with a time of 2:23.46, while in the men’s 800m afternoon session Luis Osornio won the event with a time of 1:57.58.

The combination of Ahslyn Giles, Mckee, Shaw and Mackenzie Clark finished in third in the 4x100m relay with a time of 47.93 seconds. It was the final time for the Lions getting the baton around the track on the season.

On the men’s side, the group of McFail, Woods, Taylor and KIncade got the baton around the track in 41.00 seconds. The group is already the fifth fastest team in NCAA, but failed to improve on that mark while finishing in third.

In the men’s 3,000m steeplechase, Evan Luecke took third with the seventh fastest time in the LSC, 10:12.18, to finish in third.

Terra Truitt took seventh in the 1,500 meter run with a time 5:02.43. On the men’s side, the Lions took the top three spots and spots six and seven. Luis Romero, competing in his first race since winning the 2015 Indoor 800m national championship, won the men’s 800m with a time of 4:05.31. His time was the seventh fastest in the LSC. Steeven Martinez followed in the second with a time of 4:05.53, while Turner Pool

took third with a time of 4:09.47. Trevor Montgomery and Andrew Cobos ran times of 4:12.20 and 4:17.41 for sixth and seventh respectively.

Truitt turned around and won the women’s 5,000m run with a time of 18:12.05. She moves up to sixth on the LSC on the LSC outdoor performance list after her time. Mary Hammonds took fifth with a personal best time of 18:33.96.

She crossed the 19-minute threshold for the second time in her career, both of which came during the 2016 outdoor season.

In the men’s 5,000m run, Trevor Montgomery ran a personal best time of 16:03.74 to finish in third place. Sage Breed finished in seventh after a time of 16:28.23.

Mckee, Baleveicau, Shaw and Bassett finished in second in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:49.17. The men’s 4x400m relay team of Garden, Williams, Lecesne and Jordan Dennis finished in third with a time of 3:15.20.

In the women’s high jump, Hailey Nelson finished in fifth after clearing the bar at a height of 1.64m, while in the men’s high jump, Jonathan Cole finished in second with an NCAA provisional height of 2.06m.

Gage Bowles continued to build on his already impressive outdoor season in the long jump with another NCAA provisional mark. His personal best 7.53m leap won the event and gave him the second longest jump in the LSC and the fourth longest in the NCAA. DeVontae Steele took fourth with a distance of 7.07m.

Steele and Bowles took first and second respectively with jumps of 15.13m and 14.83m in the men’s triple jump. In the women’s triple jump, Selasie Koto took second with a jump of 11.16m.

Rebecca Mueller won the women’s discus

throw with a toss of 44.58m. Mueller already leads the LSC and has an NCAA provisional mark in the discus under her belt during the 2016 outdoor season.

In the men’s discus, Joseph Brown narrowly missed an NCAA provisional mark with a toss of 49.30m to take second at the meet. His throw is the fourth farthest in the LSC. Jared Machorro took fourth with a distance of 47.17m, while Case Graham and Tyler Rambo followed in fifth and sixth place with distances of 46.14m and 45.43m. Rambo’s toss was a new personal best.

Graham turned around and won the men’s hammer throw with an NCAA provisional toss of 53.86m. It was his second NCAA provisional mark of the season. Kellen Dion took second for the Lions with a toss of 52.59m. Joseph Brown and Machorro finished in fourth in fifth with distances of 49.15m and 48.50m.

In the women’s javelin, Kati Culpepper took third with her best throw of the season – a distance of 31.42m.

Alexandra VanSickle won the women’s shot put with a throw of 14.13m. It was her best toss of the year and the best in the LSC improving on her previous NCAA provisional mark of 13.74m.

VanSickle also moves into 11th on the NCAA outdoor performance list.

Rambo followed with a bomb of a throw in the men’s shot put clearing a distance of 17.64m to win the event. He set a new personal best, leads the LSC and turned in a mark that tied for fifth in the NCAA for an NCAA provisional mark.

Both the men and women’s team finished the scored meet in second place. The men’s team finished three points behind Angelo State with 217 points, while the women took second with 151 points.

Lions split with Mustangs in LSC series Lionathletics After the getting swept Friday, the Lions answered by taking both games in the second doubleheader Saturday to split the series with Midwestern State after our scoring the Mustangs 23-9.

A&M-Commerce won the first game against Midwestern State, 9-6.

The turning point of the game is wehn Luci Ponce hit a grand slam in the top of the sixth inning giving the Lions their second lead of the game 7-6. The Lions maintained their lead through the seventh inning taking the game.

Haley Colwell went 3-for-4 at the plate scoring one run and driving in two RBI with a home run -- her fourth homer for the season.

Ponce went 1-for-3 and walked twice, she scored two runs and got four RBI thanks to her grand slam racking up home run number 11 for the season.

Kylene Hatton hit the first homer of the game, she went 1-for-4 scored once and got one RBI. Hatton now has six home runs for the season.

Katie Dean got the win, she allowed no hits, no walks and had five strikeouts.

Selena Rima started in the circle for the Lions; she pitched 4.1 innings and had three strikeouts.

During the first inning, Johnna Sturm brought in two Lions, Baylea Higgs and Luci Ponce setting the tone for the Lions.

The Mustangs lead off batter hit a homer scoring one, but the Lions kept the lead 2-1.

Hatton homered through center for the only run of the third inning.

The Mustangs temporarily took the lead during the fifth inning after powering in five runs, turning the score to 6-3 in favor of MSU.

The Lions answered the Mustangs five runs in the sixth with six runs to take the lead again. After three Lions walked, Ponce took the pitch for a ride hitting a grand slam and regaining control of the game. Johnna Sturm then singled and Colwell powered out a home run plating two runs for the Lions. The Lions held the Mus-

the season.

Lynch went 2-for-3, scored a run and drove in three RBI with her home run.

Cherry also homered and went 2-for-4; she scored twice and got two RBI. Rima got the win adding to her record of 13-8 on the year.

The first inning Ponce put runs on the board right away hitting a powerful home run. She brought in herself and Higgs.

The Mustangs scored two runs off of a homer knotting up the score 2-2 during the third inning.

Cherry doubled as the lead off batter, Higgs singled then Ponce homered to center field bringing in three runs. Sturm singled, Colwell walked and then Lynch slapped a ball over the fence scoring three more for a total of six runs launching the Lions out to a 7-3 lead during the fifth inning .

The Mustangs scored one run at the sixth inning trying to close the deficit but the Lions remained in the lead 7-4.

The Lions closed the seventh inning by bringing in five more runs to polish off the game. Hatton scored on an illegal pitch, Cherie Jackson singled and got two RBI. Cherry PHOTO COURTESY / LIONATHLETICS came up and hit a home run plating tangs in the bottom of the inning leading the two final runs. The Lions held the to a 9-6 victory.

Mustangs in the bottom of the inning and won by a 10 run marA&M-Commerce came on top of the second game against gin 13-3.

Midwestern State with a score of 13-3.

The Lions Play at home next weekend for the final home series The Lions scored six runs off of homers by Ponce and Lynch in against Angelo State Friday, April 15 at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. the top of the fifth putting the Mustangs with a five-run deficit. and on Saturday, April 16 at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Senior night Ponce went 2-for-3, walked once, scored twice and got five RBI. will be Saturday and recognition will be held between the games.

She homered twice racking up her home runs to a total of 13 on