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March 2, 2017
Can’t Stop The Bus
For a Rainy Day
Panhandling Prohibited
Men’s Golf Goes Strong
Staff Reporter Acacia Munoz vents on what she sees as the inconsistency of the university shuttle service. PAGE 2
Atop the roof of Whitley Hall, there soon may be a weather radar installed to give early severe weather warning. PAGE 3
With Greenville recently instating ordinances banning pandhandling, Commerce panhandling ordinance came into light. PAGE 4
The men’s golf team place second overall at the Rattler Invitational, their best finish in the past eight years. PAGE 8
Athletic Fee Referendum
TAMUC PHOTO/EDITED BY TODD KLEIBOER
TAMUC Students will soon vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to increase the athletic fee ...with the promise that more tuition money will be used to hire new faculty Travis Hairgrove Editor With pending state legislation that includes a senate bill proposing the freezing of tuition at state institutions of higher education for the next four years and another calling for each college or university to reduce their budget by 15 percent for the next academic year, growing universities like Texas A&M University-Commerce (that already have a shortage of faculty to fulfill the demands of an expanding student body) are faced with a dilemma when it comes to the hiring of more instructors. Recently, President Ray M. Keck III was given permission by the Texas A&M System Board of Regents to pursue a possible solution to the problem – to hold an Athletic Fee Referendum in which students would vote over whether or not to raise the athletic fee (which all students pay) to more substantially fund athletics so that less of the revenue that comes into the university through tuition has to be used for that purpose and it can be allocated instead for the salaries of new faculty. “Right now, $3.6 million is going to the athletic side of the university out of your tuition money,” Keck said at the beginning of a Student Government Association meeting last Wednesday, as he explained observations he’d made about the university’s budget since coming on board in June. “We need to move that money back to the academic side, and we can’t do that unless we raise the athletic fee, and we can’t raise the athletic fee unless the student body agrees to do it.”
“One of the things that I’ve heard is hesitation or worry about whether or not we’ll really, really do what we really, really say and spend it on the academic side. There must be an audit trail [as required by the Board of Regents] that says the money is going where you say it’s going.”
-President Ray M. Keck III One of the “catches” with a student referendum, though, is that (since Fall 2014) Texas universities are required to offer incoming freshmen a fixed tuition rate that will not increase for four years. In addition to this, the Texas A&M System Board of Regents enacted a policy that also keeps students’ fees locked
in at the same rate as they proceed through their undergraduate education. This means that if the “yes” vote wins in this referendum, the fee increase will only effect next year’s incoming freshmen and each class after that. “Our athletic fee is $10.99 per semester credit hour, everywhere else in the system is 20-something, and West Texas A&M is $32,” Keck said. “There is a dilemma in that no one who votes on this will pay the higher fee…but if this referendum fails, I don’t know what we’re gonna do, because we don’t have another source for new money to create more faculty lines.” While it is estimated that a $21-per-semester-hour increase in the athletic fee would result in an additional $866,000 in funding for the university, multiple members of the Student Senate expressed concern over whether or not the additional funds would, in fact, be used for the hiring of new faculty. “One of the things that I’ve heard is hesitation or worry about whether or not we’ll really, really do what we really, really say and spend it on the academic side,” Keck said as he encouraged them to pass a motion to support and host the Athletic Fee Referendum before presenting it to the student body as a whole. “There must be an audit trail [as required by the Board of Regents] that says the money is going where you say it’s going. So, if I wanted to do something squirrelly with this fee like make a bigger pond to fish in, I might get away with the idea for about a month before someone figured it out and stopped me dead in my tracks. I can assure you, if the fee passes, the money will go where it’s supposed to go.”
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M ARCH 2, 2017
Opinion Not so Magic School bus
You have an opinion. Voice it. Vote in weekly surveys on tamuceasttexan.com
Acacia Munoz Staff Reporter
The shuttle service on and around the Texas A&M University-Commerce campus has been provided for over a year now, yet the “free” service is not what we all anticipated. Not too long after I was leaving Phase ll Residence Hall to get a head start on my walk to class. I was walking out the front door and from afar I saw the shuttle. Of course, just like any other student would react, I was so relieved and overjoyed. I immediately got on and told the driver to take to the journalism building. A few seconds later, three other students also entered the bus with everyone going to a different location. Many of the professors on campus believe no student should have no reasonable excuse to be late to class since we have a way of getting there. Now, let’s be honest with ourselves and the Department of Safety and Risk Management, the transportation service is not what we all hoped for or actually need. The shuttle I got on that day did not take me to class. It instead gave me and another passenger, who was headed towards the same direction as me, an entire tour of the campus. As a result, I was 10 minutes late to class. Walking from Whitely Hall to the Hall of Languages or Binnion hall can be great exercise, especially for the average
C ARTOON BY: JULIUS CHILUNDIKA
college student. Yet, the hot Texas heat is just around the corner and the long 20-minute walk will not be benefiting our health in the way we all presumed. Even the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has warned us about the extreme dehydration and headaches that could come into place.
Other high known institution like Texas A&M University and the University of North Texas also have a transportation service for their students, faculty, and staff. The difference between our institution’s service and theirs is the fact that they obtain and follow a bus route schedule. I have colleagues who have been waiting for a change for over a year now. Perhaps this service would not be such an enormous issue if we were to see every single shuttle in service instead of just one. After all, we are paying for this service in our student fees, aren’t we? Some of us cannot afford to be waiting around for the shuttle. We are college students running on a tight schedule. The average college student expected to work 30-45 hours outside of class per week. We still have to keep up with exercising, properly eating three meals per day, as well as keeping up with our social life. How are we supposed to manage our time to be successful during these significant four years of our lives? Another major issure with this transporation system is how students are only allowed to be taken to WalMart and Brookshire’s. Students should also have transportation to Greenville, Texas. We all know that there is not much in this small city. We want more options. With all due respect to our institution, if we want to improve and be highly recognized someday then we have to change by making these minor changes. I was not expecting to see so many of friends run after a shuttle in college. It can be humorous in a way, but once you are in their shoes, it is a whole different story.
Vacation? More like Stay-cation Gwiwon Jason Nam Staff reporter
PHOTO COURTESY/ FLICKR
The current state of the media is in chaos with lots of controversial issues being discussed. It is hard to find any happy news these days. A lot of readers love to read about controversial opinion articles, but this week’s column will deal with a subject that will give you a breath of fresh air. Some of you may never read this story because you are struggling with your math exam on Thursday. Hey, relax. Happy news is coming, spring break will be here soon. Spring break is approaching and many of you are going on some great vacations. It starts on Monday, March 13, but most of you will be out of your dorms by Friday night, enjoying yourselves. For many students and faculty, it is a chance to take a vacation, go to the beach, to have fun, or maybe time to go traveling around the world. However, this year, why don’t you just stay in your home and have
your own time instead of travelling with friends to the beach or other popular destinations? You could stay in your room and get some sleep and relaxation. This does not mean you are wasting your spring break; It is good to get out of school or controversial issues just for a few days. Travelling somewhere could be a huge burden, considering the budget and time. You may even feel tired when you get back to classes from the break because of exhaustion from the trips. Although we cannot anticipate this Texas weather, the weather is getting warmer, but it would still be wonderful to find a quiet place to hide away with a good book. You can take a nap under the sunshine, hang out at home, sleep in and maybe put in a few extra hours of studying if you are concerned about grades for the rest of the semester.
Campus Comment: What was the most memorable Spring Break you’ve had?
“Went to Florida and went to rich communities.” -Kyle Doherty, junior
“Go back home and help my parents on the farm.” -Galina Novak, junior
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Travis Hairgrove Alissa Silva Christian Aleman Alex Medrano Imogené Wofford Todd Kleiboer Ricky Moser Manny Ramirez Acacia Muñoz Evangelina Morales Isabella Garcia Gwiwon Jason Nam Kristen Taylor CJ Cannon Nancy Ruiz Kimmie Thompson Fred Stewart 903-886-5985 theeasttexan@gmail.com
“When I went to South Padre in 2015.” -Shuk Thapa, junior
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.
“When I traveled to the Grand Canyon.” -Alonso Gallegos, senior
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.
News
M ARCH 2, 2017
Page 3
Scanning the Counseling Corner Boundaries: Scary Skies The Ultimate Art of Self-Care
By Tina Yang, PhD Boundary is an invisible and dividing line that serves to protect and take care of ourselves physically and emotionally. It helps us understand our needs and know what our limits are, moreover, it helps us develop and maintain healthy relationships. Without boundaries, we don’t know where we are in relation to others; our interactions with each other would be chaotic and out of control. To some people, setting boundaries may be a challenging concept to implement because of its common myths and negative associations. Some may view setting boundaries as a selfish, rebellious, or disobedient act. Others, when contemplating on setting boundaries, may have feelings of guilt or worries about how they might hurt others or be hurt by others. Setting boundaries is a skill that doesn’t come naturally without learning. This concept needs to be nurtured and practiced for us to be good at it. Below are a few tips for establishing appropriate boundaries: PHOTO COURTESY/GLENN R ICART
CASA radars provide early warning for severe weather in more localized regions, allowing for flexible reponses and increased preparation time.
Todd Kleiboer Web Editor Atop Whitley Hall there may soon be a CASA (Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere) radar installed pending the finalization of the grant for its construction, giving the surrounding area a warning of severe weather that more distant radars may fail to register in time. “The CASA radar is part of an initiative that the North Texas Council of Governments is working on, giving eight sites throughout this region to have a new age in state-of-the-art radar protection for areas east of the Metroplex,” Safety and Risk Management Director Derek Preas said. “They were interested in placing somewhere in this vicinity, after working together… [with many organizations], we decided on Whitley Hall.” CASA (Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere) is a partnership between the world of academia, government, and industry to develop a more responsive and revolutionary radar system. “Today’s weather forecasting and warning systems utilize data from high-power, long-range radars that have limited ability to observe the lower part of the atmosphere because of the Earth’s curvature,” CASA’s website reads. “This means that meteorological conditions in the lower troposphere are undersampled, leaving us with precious little predicting and detecting capability where most weather forms.” Whitley Hall was a logical
choice for the placement of radar because it is the tallest structure in Hunt County, and it is also the tallest structure between the Hunt County area and Dallas main hub where the data from the CASA radar will be sent. “It’s the prime location for Hunt County,” Preas affirmed. “Anything else is lower in height, so it won’t be as prime as Whitley Hall would be. If it’s not going to go there, it’s not going to anywhere.” The radar will give the region more advanced protection from severe weather by scanning in the lower regions of the atmosphere that conventional radars may not be able to map accurately, and it allows local organizations a faster response time and larger window for preparation. “The idea behind this radar is that it’s going to provide an additional layer of protection from weather that radars from the Metroplex can’t pick up here,” Preas elaborated. “That’s why it’s an advanced radar system.It’ll pick up things closer to the ground level that are further away from Dallas, and that provides additional notification and protection during severe weather.” While the data will be sent to the Dallas branch of the National Weather Service, it can also be used for research purposes by the university and its interested faculty and students, building avenues for valuable environmental research. “The amount of data the CASA radar is going to collect is fairly immense, and so research capabilities open up which are very valuable for our university,” Preas pointed out.
“In the future, we might have additional research because of this. It’s two-tone effect for us: we get the weather protection and we, [the university] as partners, get access to that data.” The radar is relatively small, its dimensions being three by three by six feet, and once it is installed into the framework and foundation that will be the bulk of the construction, it will be hardly noticeable from the ground. “The radar is already existing,” Preas said. “What has to happen on top of Whitley Hall is the laying of framework and foundation for the radar. There’s going to be some ironwork fabrication to make the stand to hold the radar. This radar is not going to be a big satellite dish that you’ll see from miles away. You won’t even notice that it’s on top of Whitley Hall.” The price tag for the construction of the radar is about $475,000, but the grant, which is still not yet finalized by county, will cover about 75% of the cost. The remaining 25% will be paid by a combination of the university and county agencies that support the installation. The completion date, if the grant is finalized soon, is roughly mid-2018. “It’s an extensive project,” Preas said. “We’ve got to run cables from the ground up 13 stories.We’ve got to connect all the data, connect all the wires, and fabricate the framework. We won’t see this [severe weather] season. Next season, we probably will.”
1. Be aware of our feelings and body sensations. “How do I feel when engaging with this person?” Pay attention to any uncomfortable or dislike feelings. Ask ourselves what is causing this discomfort? What about this comment or request from the person that is bothering me? For people who cannot immediately identify feelings, it is helpful to pay attention to any physical signs, such as headaches, stomachaches, or changes in the body heat. 2. Be honest with our feelings. When growing up, we may have been told that showing emotions is a sign of weakness, and therefore, little by little, we learn to bottle up emotions and sometimes to the point that we may not know how we feel anymore. However, recognizing and being honest with our feelings is an important prerequisite in learning to set boundaries. There are no right or wrong feelings—they just are. Name the feelings instead of interpreting how we ‘should’ feel. 3. Assert our self. Communicate in a gentle but direct and firm manner. Yes, we can be gentle in our voice, yet firmly communicate our feelings and stand up for ourselves. At times, we may have to be more direct with some people than with others. To assert ourselves, we can use a sentence like this, “When you (describe the behavior that bothers us), I feel (express and name our emotions), and I want (state specific behaviors we want to see from another person). 4. Give our self permission. Honor our feelings and give our self permission to say no. It is an important step of self-care. Sometimes, we want to set boundaries but don’t want to just say no, we can propose alternative options. For example, we can say something like, “I cannot help you with (request) immediately, but I am free in two hours (be specific with available time), would you like me to help you then?” Remember, we have to be comfortable with whatever options we provide. If discomfort feeling still arises, it is perfectly fine to just say NO. 5. Know that you have a choice. As an American philosopher and psychologist William James put it, “When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice.” So, yes, it is our choice and right to verbalize and set the kind of boundaries we want with another person. At the same time, it is another person’s choice as to whether or not or to what degree he or she wants to change. Our choice then is to decide how much physical or emotional distance we want to keep with another person based on their response. 6. Learn to Reach Out. As humans, we cannot live alone; we all need help or support at some point in our lives. Allow ourselves to say yes when others volunteer to help or ask us if we need anything. This does not indicate a sign of weakness. It shows that there is a mutual trust between us and the person offered help. Therefore, it is important to reach out to someone with whom we feel safe and trust. When help is received, allow ourselves to say thank you instead of say sorry.
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Page 4
Student Aspires to Bring Back Oldest Hispanic Civil Rights Organization
Christian Aleman News Editor
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) seeks to improve the political, educational, and economic condition of the Hispanic population in the United States in addition to searching for equality for the Hispanic population in general. A sophomore at Texas A&M University-Commerce is attempting to bring the organization back to campus after years of absence. “We want to inspire people to be future leaders, work as a better team,” Pedro Mondragon-Lopez, sophomore and organizer of the group, said. Mondragon-Lopez held an interest meeting for the organization in mid-February to get an idea of who would be open to join and said it had a “shaky start.” “But I’m not giving up on that, we’re going to try again,” Mondragon-Lopez said. “Dr. Fuentes, right now, he’s been one of the one’s that helped me get the flyer out to start the meeting,” Mondragon-Lopez first got involved with the organization in middle school through a science and college experience class that was organized by LULAC. From there, he learned more about the group and became a member. “I just joined because I liked science in the eighth grade,
but I just joined and they invited me to come to Texas Women’s University and that’s where I got an introduction to what LULAC was and that’s when I started to get interested,” Mondragon-Lopez said. Even as a member, Mondragon-Lopez continued to learn about the organization and what it does for the community through meetings and activities put on by LULAC. “I got introduced to it by Rey de los Santos (Director of LULAC National Educational Service Centers, Inc. in Dallas, TX),” Mondragon-Lopez said. “I didn’t think LULAC was a lot until the end of my senior year when I went to Washington and I figured out LULAC is not just small, its’s a huge organization that does a lot for Latinos.” Founded in 1929, LULAC is the oldest Hispanic civil rights organization in the country. It responds to the needs of the Latin American community as the time and place deem necessary and “divert[s] to different ways to help people,” according to Mondragon-Lopez. “It opens your eyes to new things; you can see things in a different perspective than you thought you saw and then you get to learn about a culture that is different from others,” Mondragon-Lopez said. There will be another interest meeting on March 7 at the Sam Rayburn Student Center in Innovation Room A at 6 p.m. For more information contact Pedro Mondragon-Lopez at pmondragon@leomail.tamuc.edu.
PHOTO COURTESY/ VCLULAC.ORG
Panhandling becomes Issue in Hunt County Imogené Wofford Entertainment Editor
PHOTO COURTESY/ FLICKR
I’m sure we’ve all seen panhandling one time or another…someone standing on the side of the road, holding up a piece of cardboard with something like “Will work for money” or “spare change”. Panhandling, sometimes referred to as soliciting, has become a growing issue in Hunt County. Greenville City Council adopted an ordinance to regulate panhandling earlier this year, similar to the city ordinance of Commerce. According to a spokesperson for the Commerce Police Department, “soliciting is illegal within the city limits and is classified as a class c misdemeanor.” In accordance with Texas law, a class c misdemeanor is punishable only by a fine because it is the lowest level of criminal offense, with a maximum fine of $500. Many local businesses do not allow panhandling, or solicitation, on their property. “We do not allow soliciting here at all,” Broc Hohenberger, manager at Brookshire’s said. However, if it’s for a group, or a fundraiser, some places allow it.
“We do not allow soliciting here, unless it’s for bake sales and such,” Bethany Whiteknight, manager at Dollar Tree, said. It does seem like there is a double standard because organizations like a school band, a little league team, or local fire fighters are allowed to do it, as long as it has been approved by the business, that they will be in front of, that they may be soliciting in front of their business. Why is that? Why are organizations allowed to do it? How come when there’s an organization involved, and they’re standing in the street asking for money, it’s seen as soliciting. In order to solicit on the Texas A&M University-Commerce campus, individuals must go through the Dean of Students’ office and obtain permission. “City ordinances do not apply on campus as this is state property,” University Police Department Lt. Bone said. It’s seen as socially acceptable; but when you have a homeless person doing the same thing, it’s seen as panhandling, an illegal act, a nuisance to drivers and citizens of the community. For more information on city ordinances, and policies, regarding panhandling and solicitation, visit the City of Commerce’s website or visit the Commerce Police Department.
HSA Throws Event to Break the Ice Isabella Garcia Staff Reporter On Friday, Feb. 24, the Hispanic Student Association hosted a Stoplight Party in The Club of the Rayburn Student Center from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. During this unique mixer, different colors indicated a guest’s relationship status which allowed singles the opportunity to mingle with other available people. The Stoplight idea is borrowed from the traffic light signal colors. In this case, red means that the person is already taken or not open to a relationship. Yellow usually means “maybe” or that the person is unsure, but is still open to advances and conversation with other people. The color green means that the person is single and open for a relationship. Admission was three dollars for males and two dollars for female students. The profit raised will benefit the organization and go towards future events that the Hispanic Student Association is planning on hosting, such as “Mr. and Miss Diversity”. This future event will be co-hosted with two others, the African and Caribbean Student Associations. “The Stoplight Event was a fundraiser for our organization”, said Paulina Monternach, Secretary of HSA, “the officers and I wanted to do something fun that wouldn’t only involve the members of the organization, but the whole student body at Commerce. We wanted more people to know what HSA is all about.” In preparation for their event, the organization informed students and sold tickets in the Student Center Atrium and North Patio. The Hispanic Student Organization created this event as an entertaining party where people could meet others in person as opposed to through social media which is common today. A Stoplight Party is helpful in minimizing the tension and nervousness that comes with new introductions towards pro-
spective partners or colleagues. This social event allowed students to meet and mingle with new people. The colors help give a simple indication about a person’s relationship status and therefore prevent any confusion. The event featured DJ Ayo, a current student, on music throughout the night. Guests dressed to impress as they mingled among each other and danced along. There was a mixture of music played, from english to spanish. The party also offered free glow sticks as favors for the individuals who attended. Although the Hispanic Student Organization is meant to increase awareness and open new opportunities for the Latino(a)s and Hispanic community, the organization also hopes to ease students into the University life and strives to encourage involvement in all students. They host a variety of events during the school year that provides students from all backgrounds the opportunity to get involved and learn about other cultures. Their meetings are
PHOTO COURTESY/ FLICKR
held Monday nights at 6 p.m. in the Innovations room of the Student Center.
Features
PAGE 5
M ARCH 2, 2017
BioPide Bootcamp: Empowering Freshmen Spencer Nelson Staff Reporter Incoming freshman have a chance to see if biology is what they want to pursue in their college career. The Biology department of Texas A&M University-Commerce has the summer program, BioPride Bootcamp, offered to incoming freshmen. This program is a four day orientation for biology and environmental science majors. This program shows students what college lectures are like, test taking skills, study skills, team building exercises, presentations from UPD, the library and other student service organizations. It was based off of the program from Louisiana State University called BiosLSU and has had great success in their past. “This program is to educate and empower students rather than weed them out,” Dr. Venugopalan (Venu) Cheriyath, Assistant Professor of Biological and Environmental Science said. “The whole idea about having this program is to empower students with what they should be doing and the skills they need to have so they can really succeed.” Dr.Cheriyath has been an assistant professor for the Biological and environmental science department since 2011. He said that with this
bootcamp raises retention rates for the biology students from a range of 63 to 75 percent to a range of 85 to 95 percent and that every department should have a similar program to this since many high school students do not now what their passion is when
One World Center Advocates On Climate Change, Poverty Isabella Garcia Staff Reporter One World Center organization is a nonprofit research program where they teach people the importance of motivation and empowerment to fight against poverty and climate change all over the world. They offer two programs called Bike for Change, which allows people to probe the sources and impressions that Climate Change has on the inhabitants and land while they prosper and develop their mind, and Fighting Shoulder to Shoulder with the Poor, which works to take action against poverty. Bike for Change is a program open to any-
nal months in America consist of sharing the team’s discoveries with similar groups, in person, online, and by preparing an event on campus. Similarly, Fighting Shoulder to Shoulder with the Poor, is an 18 month program separated into three parts, six months each, where each period has a similar purpose to the other program. Participants focus their studies on poverty in communities in Africa and how their conditions may be affected; health, education, economic opportunity and survival. “Studying global issues in an international team and working together with locals in another continent (Africa) has made me see traveling as a natural part of learning - or living,
“I felt like I gained as much as the people whom I volunteered for.” - Alise Miluna
40 Days of Sacrifices: Catholics Celebrate Lent Acacia Muñoz Staff Reporter The month of March is more than just March Madness for faithful Catholic believers, it is an opportunity to grow in faith as the Lent season begins. “Lent for my family and I is a time of repentance, fasting, and preparation for Easter,” Jackie Oyervides, freshman at Texas A&M UniversityCommerce said. “It is also a time of self-examination and reflection.” This 40-day period takes place March 1, Ash Wednesday, through April 13, Holy Thursday. The ashes received on Ash Wednesday are a symbol and reminder of everyone’s mortality. The belief is that we begin from dust and our bodies will be dust once again after our death. As the priest put the ashes on an individual’s forehead in the form of a cross, he says the words, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” “This day is also a reminder that Jesus gave his life up for us,” Omar Ramirez, sophomore at A&M-Commerce said. During these sacred days, Catholics who are 14 years old or older are required to abstain from eating meats on Ash Wednesday and every Friday until Good Friday. This sacrifice is an imitation of the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert without food nor water. Even though many Catholics believe certain meats such as chicken
can be eaten but they cannot. The list includes pork, beef, duck, ham, and turkey. “We suffer a little bit to make ourselves better, better people, and become closer to God,” Quinn Sicking, graduate student at A&M-Commerce said. “So Lent for me is like a challenge, but a challenge that I embrace, like an athlete before a game.” Any individual who is 18 years old or older is required to eat only one full meal on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The only exception to this fasting if an individual is older than 60 years old or has a medical condition. Catholics also have penitential practices for the entire season of Lent. They are not regulated by the church but by each individual’s conscience. “As a cradle Catholic, I can always clearly remember Lent as an experience because I remember nuisances that we observed as a family, which my mom upheld and us kids had to go along with, such as long Church services, fasting, giving up stuff like TV, and no meat on Fridays,” Sicking said. “I’m generally glad that we did those things then, and I still do them now, because they give me experience that sticks with me, reminding me of what it means to be a Christian and a Catholic.” Lent is also observed by Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, and Methodist churches, among others.
En Español
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one willing to dedicate their time to learning more about the after-effects of climate change and the impact it has on people. Following a crew of climate connoisseurs, volunteers will bike through Central America in order to learn more about the natural habitat, neighborhoods, and communities that inhabit them. This opportunity gives people the chance to establish networks to swap ideas and information. The program is broken into three periods, three months spent preparing in the U.S., four months biking through Central America, and final two months reflecting and teaching others. During the first period, the participant is introduced to their teammates and team leader. They begin their preparation with bike training and directing studies about Climate Change in order to become more literate in the topic. Partnerships are formed and the travel routes are established. Traveling begins in the second period, where the full team will bike straight through the U.S. or Mexico to Central America. The participant is in charge of documenting their experiences from interviews, landscapes, journal entries, and more as they continue to read more about the issue. The fi
they come to college. The Honors College encourages this program to see if their students are really going down the path that they are really passionate about. Otherwise this could result in students wasting a semester in a major that they wind up not being passionate about. In BioPride Bootcamp, the students who attend go through lectures and courses to prepare them for the classes they will be taking in the near future. Along with learning from college courses, the students practice test-taking skills by taking exams from the biology department. Lab experience will also be involved in bootcamp to get hands on learning over what the labs present. Cheriyath said that this program is beneficial to student’s social skills. The ones who attend are usually seen in the classroom with each other after they attend. Registration for BioPride Bootcamp is through the university website on the biological and environmental science page. The cost of it is $325 with housing and $293 without housing. “My main passion is to educate and empower students,” Dr.Cheriyath said. “Especially for the first generation college students when most of their family members or the community from where they are coming, most of them are not aware what it takes to succeed in a university.” TAMUC PHOTO
for that matter.” said Alise Miluna, a previous participant of this program. “The program pushed me towards activism and worldwide friendships beyond Facebook.” Through this program, participants are able to prosper physically and mentally as they expand their perception on the world and the obstacles that other countries deal with daily. People will develop their personality and become more compassionate about the environment and non-profit sector. “I felt like I gained as much as the people whom I volunteered for,” said Miluna. “This is because everything - the crazy adventures on the road, the intercultural challenges and discussions about development, the wild nature and the simple, practical lifestyle - was a major life lesson.” In order to apply, volunteers must submit an an online application that can found on their website at https://oneworldcenter.org/, and pay an enrollment fee of $500. There are introductory meets online or over the phone for volunteers to learn more about One World Center, program conditions, and fundraising for the trip. The first team will begin preparing in September 2017.
Para los fieles católicos el mes de marzo significa algo más que March Madness, es una oportunidad para crecer en la fe, porque es el inicio del tiempo de la cuaresma. “Para nuestra familia, la cuaresma es un tiempo de penitencia, ayuno y preparación para la Pascua”, dijo Jackie Oyervides, estudiante de primer año en Texas A&M University-Commerce. “También es un tiempo de autocrítica y reflexión”. Este período de 40 días tendrá lugar este año durante los días 3 de marzo, iniciando con el miércoles de ceniza, hasta el 13 de abril, Jueves Santo e inicio del triduo pascual. Las cenizas que se impone y se recibe el miércoles de Ceniza es un símbolo y un recuerdo de la mortalidad que todos tenemos, su significado es que somos polvo y después de nuestra muerte, nuestros cuerpos serán polvo nuevamente. Cuando el sacerdote o el ministro pone la ceniza en la frente de una persona en la forma de una cruz, él dice las palabras, “Recuerda que polvo eres y en polvo te convertirás,” o “Arrepiéntete y cree en el evangelio,” incitando, pues, a la conversión y al cambio de vida. “Este día también es un recordatorio de que Jesús dio su vida por nosotros”, dijo Omar Ramírez, segundo en A&M-Commerce. Durante estos días sagrados, los católicos mayores de 14 años de edad están obligados a abstenerse de comer carne el miércoles de ceniza y todos los viernes hasta el Viernes Santo. Estos sacrificios son un signo de penitencia e imitación de los cuarenta días que pasó Jesús en el desierto sin comida ni agua. Algunos alimentos en esta lista incluyen carne de cerdo, res, pato, jamón, pavo etc. Hay algunos católicos que creen que ciertas
carnes blancas como el pollo se pueden comer, pero no es así. “Sufrimos un poco para hacernos mejores, mejor personas, y acercarnos más a Dios”, dijo Quinn Sicking, estudiante de posgrado en A&MCommerce. “Por tanto, la Cuaresma para mí es como un desafío, pero un desafío que abrazo, como un atleta antes de un partido”. Todas las personas mayores de 18 años, aplica la obligación de comer solamente una comida completa los Miércoles de Ceniza y el Viernes Santo. Pero hay excepciones a este ayuno, por ejemplo, para personas mayores de 60 años o que tienen alguna condición médica. Además de los ayunos y abstinencias, Los católicos también tienen otras prácticas penitenciales para toda la temporada de cuaresma. Estas no están reguladas por la Iglesia, sino por la conciencia de cada individuo. “Como un católico cuna, siempre puedo recordar claramente la Cuaresma como una experiencia porque recuerdo los fastidios que observamos como una familia, que confirmó mi mamá y nosotros los niños tenía que ir acompañada, como siempre los servicios de la Iglesia, el ayuno, renunciando a cosas como el televisor, y no la carne el viernes”, dijo Sicking. “Estoy contento de que por lo general esas cosas que hicimos entonces, y lo sigo haciendo ahora, porque me dan la experiencia que quedo conmigo, recordándome de lo que significa ser cristiano y católico”. La Cuaresma también ha sido heredara y observada por otros cristianos como los anglicanos, ortodoxos, luteranos, y las iglesias metodistas, entre otros.
Entertainment
PAGE 6
M ARCH 2, 2017
Artful Judgement Web editor, Todd Kleiboer, attended the Juried Student Art Exhibit that was held on Feb. 21, and gives a rundown of the night’s events,winners and specific pieces that stood out amongst others. Todd Kleiboer Web Editor Students were recognized and received awards for their artful expertise at the 2017 Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition on Feb. 21, their work was judged by Juror Ryder Richards, a wellknown artist from the Dallas area. “I came into the juror’s process thinking I was open-minded and found out that I was highly opinionated and reactive,” Ryder’s juror statement read. “Naturally, I want the work in the show to invoke intent and thought before all else, but sometimes the dedication to the piece as an object or the sheer whimsy of it bypassed intellectualism.” Guests were allowed to walk through the gallery and consider the works, which varied from ceramics to photography to sculptures, for a short time, and then the exhibition was fully introduced by Art Department Head Dr. William Wadley, who thanked Richards for working as the juror. “These things are not easy to sort out,” Dr. Wadley pointed out. “There’s a lot of talent always, and the decisions that the juror makes are really difficult to make, but we have a great show here thanks to Ryder.” While most of the award announcing was handled by Richards, Dr. Wadley announced three recipients that won awards slightly separate from the juror process. The President’s Award went to Monica Williams for her work “Tropical Headpiece”, and Nicole Glenn had her work “Me, Myself, and I” purchased for an undisclosed amount. The Department of Art Award was given to Broussard for “State of Panic”. Richards then first recognized the Honorable Mention recipients and their work: Jose Cabrera for “Bending Nature”; Stephanie Williams for “Antropocene”; and Carly Rose for “What Irks You? Gum on a Shoe.” The Undergraduate Excellence Award was given to Lilian White for “Hive”, and the Graduate Excellence Award winner was David Namasky for “For(e) My Love”.
In an interview after the announcements were made, Richards explained the juror’s process and how difficult it could be to decide the winners from the multitude of pieces that were presented, comparing it to the editing process of poetry. “So when I came into the gallery, there must have been over a hundred art pieces, and I started to walk around a bit. I probably spent an hour looking at art pieces,” he said. “And after a while, certain pieces started to stand out to me, having something about them that I found compelling. After spending some time with the works, I started pulling some of them out. It took us an entire day, but we ended up with the pieces E AST TEXAN PHOTO/TRAVIS H AIRGROVE and selected the winners.” A sculpture of an elephant made of balloons. The third place winner indulging in the consumption of commercial items for comfort or was Chelsea Weaver’s work “Smitten”, and the second place win- pride that conflict with humble or environmental themes. ner was Derek Walker for his work “Industrial Teapot”. Finally, “I have a tendency just to play,” Namasky said when explainthe Best of Show Award, the ‘first place’ award essentially, was ing his creation process. “When I make art, it’s like ‘I’m going to given to David Namasky for his piece “My Little Secret”. take what I have around and make it. It’s really sort of a play piece “My Little Secret”, according to Namasky, is a commentary on where I just had all of these little parts and put them together and the hypocritical consumer modesty that people tend to have while saw what happened.”
Harry Potter & The Great Wall Fails the Pitiful Child to Block Critiques Opinion editor, Alex Medrano, expresses her disappointment with the newest installment to the Harry Potter book collection. Alex Medrano Opinion Editor With almost a decade since the last Harry Potter book, the mention of new additions became a fervor of reminiscing and introduction to a new generation. The book, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” excited readers. Although not written by J.K., she had endorsed and made the book solidified as what would happen. The day the book came out, it reminded me of a smaller scale of the crowds from the original series. Getting there at midnight, dressing up, and waiting around talking to other people purely about Harry Potter. The book brought the magic back for a little while. I finished the book in one night but after the first chapters I had to force myself to continue. There was a major warning sign as to why the book disappointed me, the fact that it was meant to be a play so it would no longer have the careful attention to detail that became a Rowling stamp. Maybe with the play, you could invoke the feeling and draw out the audience from the Harry Potter shell. This is coming from someone who has read the books countless times and whose global destination was Universal Studios, “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.” I was prepared to love the book even if it was mediocre. But the book was just strange.
It centered on Harry Potter’s child named Albus Severus and Scorpius Malfoy (Draco’s boy) and time traveling back to “Goblet of Fire.” (Spoilers from here on) The book was written like it was half-assed. My expectations were high and they were never once touched. There are shout-outs to almost every character whether living or dead to the point where it became an obvious gimmick. The plot was “Prisoner of Azkaban” but done poorly. When finished with the book it feels like I read for four hours for nothing. The character development was absent. There were opportunities to present an LGBTQ+ couple between the two main characters, which would have given the book some life. But instead made the conversations progressively awkward and a weird love triangle with the villain of the story. It seemed like they had 20 different ideas and all of them would have been great if they went for it but instead tried to put all these strange ideas together and it became hogwash. But the thing that made me step away from the book was the Bellatrix and Voldemort lovechild. It quickly went from being tolerable to badly written fan-fiction that was trying to emulate a crappy soap opera. I would give the book two out of ten stars because it did get a chuckle or two out of me during the beginning. But since J.K. did put her mark of approval, I am going to be apprehensive about reading the new books she is said to be working on.
Moge’s
o v i e s
Staff reporter, Manuel Ramirez, breaks down The Great Wall, and why it was a box office disaster.
Logan
Manuel Ramirez Staff Reporter There is some enjoyment to be found in The Great Wall. In terms of a good movie, no; more like in the appeal of something found on the SyFy channel or Direct-toDVD pile. The cartoony plot is about the Chinese Empire defending the world from an army of monsters. What kind of monsters you may ask? The kind that emerged from a fallen meteor and since then, the great wall was built in order to withstand their attacks. Basically, they’re aliens. Matt Damon (The Bourne Trilogy) and Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones) play two mercenaries who are out to steal gunpowder, only to find themselves caught in the cross fires of both armies and wind up aiding the Chinese in their fight against these extra-terrestrial brutes. I couldn’t help but compare The Great Wall to the 1995 film Waterworld and was surprised on the similarities they both shared. From the movie beginning with the Universal logo then zooming in on the globe as the audience is given the opening exposition, instead of a post-apocalyptic water environment we have a monster invasion or in this case an alien invasion minus
the flying saucers in an ancient time period and lastly, switch out Kevin Costner with Matt Damon as the lead hero who wants nothing to do with the main conflict but gets dragged into it anyway. Among the positive parallels, the visuals, production design and costumes are impressive along with an epic score and creative combat sequences; Waterworld with it’s Mad Max look in the ocean, whereas The Great Wall has a Lord of the Rings feel with its battle sequences; ambitious projects that unfortunately lacked spark. In a bigger coincidence, The Great Wall is already sharing Waterworld’s feat of boxoffice disaster. That’s a shame, with reports of being the most expensive film ever made in China and marking Zhang Yimou’s English language film debut, (helming critically acclaimed martial arts films like Hero and House of Flying Daggers) it’s not performing well at the box-office. To sum it up, The Great Wall is short of a few bricks to render it completely sturdy. It looks nice but lacks that majestic touch. Fun Fact: The screenwriting team consists of Max Brooks, author of the zombie apocalypse novel, World War Z and Edward Zwick who’s no stranger to Asian culture having directed The Last Samurai starring Tom Cruise training as a samurai.
Entertanment editor’s choice movies to see this weekend. Before I Fall
Leap
Action/Adventure
Drama
Animation
Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart
Zoey Deutch, Jennifer Beals
Elle Fanning, Dane Dehaan
Logan risses out of the shadows to protect a young mutant.
A teenage girl relives one specific day and learns the truth about her life.
A girl runs away to pursue her dream of becoming a ballerina.
M ARCH 2, 2017
PAGE 7
finalscore
hotshot
75-67
69
WNMU Lady Mustangs earn their first and only conference win this season against A&M-Kingsville in this comeback win.
Braxton Sides’ number of strokes to open up the St. Mary’s Invitational, a career low for Sides who finished second overall.
Basketball Championship brackets set for conference showdown
Men’s Hoops Team UT-Permian Basin Tarleton State West Texas A&M A&M-Commerce A&M-Kingsville Cameron Angelo State Midwestern State East. New Mexico West. New Mexico
Conf. Overall 14-4 23-5 13-5 22-6 12-6 24-7 10-8 18-9 10-8 17-10 10-8 17-11 7-11 15-11 7-11 14-13 7-11 13-15 0-18 2-24
Individual Leaders Points
Player
Points
Chavlovich, David (WT)
608
Francis, Daeshon (UT-PB)
513
King, Quay (ASU)
472
Albert, Malik (A&M-C)
445
Lacy, Johnnie (UT-PB)
445
Points Per Game
PHOTO COURTESY/EVAN LUECKE
The men’s and women’s brackets for the Lone Star Conference Basketball Championship March 2-5 in Allen, Texas, was decided Saturday night as the league’s basketball teams wrapped up the regular season. Eight teams from each league, sixteen in all, have advanced to the LSC Championship Tournament and the postseason begins with first-round games on Thursday, March 2 for the men and women. For the women, Eastern New Mexico and Angelo State shared the LSC title with
identical 16-4 league records. The Greyhounds earned the No. 1 seed via tiebreaker. For the men, UT Permian Basin claimed the LSC title with a 14-4 league record in their first year in the conference. Tickets for all fourteen games are available through Ticketmaster outlets and Ticketmaster.com, as well as the Allen Event Center box office. Single-session tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students. All fourteen basketball games will be streamed live free of charge through the LSC’s GameCentral portal
PL AY ER S
OF T H E
(http://portal.stretchinternet. com/lonestar). In addition to supporting desktop and laptop computers, GameCentral’s responsive design will support mobile devices as well on devices like iPad, iPhones, Android. The LSC Women’s Basketball Tournament Champion earns the league’s automatic qualification to the 2017 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball South Central Regional held March 10, 11, and 13 at a site to be determined. The winner of the South Central Region will advance to the
WE E K
Women’s Basketball
OFFENSIVE: Taylor Dorsey, ASU
15 rebounds
Player
3Ps
McPherson, James (UT-PB)
97
King, Quay (ASU)
92
Chavlovich, David (WT)
83
Evans, Jordan (WT)
82
Lacy, Johnnie (UT-PB)
77
Schedule LSC Championship Quarterfinals March 2nd (G2) Angelo State AT Tarleton State (G4) UT-Permian Basin AT Midwestern March 3rd (G6) West Texas A&M AT A&MKingsville (G8) A&M-Commerce AT Cameron Semifinals March 4th (G10) G2 Winner vs G6 Winner (G12) G4 Winner vs G8 Winner Championship Game March 5th G10 Winner vs G12 Winner
Women’s Hoops
February 23rd
Team
Conf. Overall
100-98
Angelo State
16-4
22-4
Tarleton State AT UT-Permian Basin
86-74
East. New Mexico 16-4
20-7
A&M-Kingsville AT West. New Mexico
74-61
West Texas A&M
15-5
A&M-Commerce
14-6
20-8
Angelo State AT East. New Mexico
82-66
Tarleton State
12-8
13-13
Texas Woman’s
11-9
18-10
A&M-Commerce AT West Texas A&M
22-7
Cameron
9-11
11-15
A&M-Commerce AT UT-Permian Basin
86-69
A&M-Kingsville
8-12
13-13
&
Tarleton State AT West Texas A&M
74-65
Midwestern State
5-15
8-18
WNMU
Tarleton
Angelo State AT West. New Mexico
79-73
UT-Permian Basin 3-17
7-20
West. New Mexico 1-19
5-22
A&M-Kingsville AT East. New Mexico
53-51
30 rebounds 17 points
against
against
Tarleton
Tarleton
&
&
A&M-C
A&M-C
PITCHER: Kenedy Urbany, ASU 13 strikeouts .93 ERA
at Texas A&M Kingsville
Team
Conf. Overall
Angelo State
6-0
17-1
West Texas A&M
3-0
17-2
Cameron
5-1
15-4
East. New Mexico
4-2
9-13
A&M-Commerce
2-1
10-5
A&M-Kingsville
3-3
8-5
February 25th
Player
February 23rd Tarleton State AT UT-Permian Basin
Individual Leaders Points
Women’s Basketball: Italics denote winner
DEFENSIVE: Sammy Allen, UT-PB
.667 average
Angelo State (W’s)
15.9
Three Pointers
&
6 RBI
Cameron (W’s)
17.8
Lacy, Johnnie (UT-PB)
A&M-C
HITTER: Karina Rocha, ASU
Texoma Chevy Dealers Invite
18.3
Albert, Malik (A&M-C)
ENMU
Softball
Cameron (M’s)
18.9
Francis, Daeshon (UT-PB)
against
14 assists
A&M-Commerce (M’s)
20.3
King, Quay (ASU)
against
40 points
Lub. Christian Chaps Invite
Chavlovich, David (WT)
23 points
Men’s Basketball
Schedule
S COR E R EC A P
P/G
5 steals
OFFENSIVE: Johnnie Lacy, UT-PB
Golf
The LSC men have a 165111 overall record so far this season. In the NCAA South Central Region, the men’s teams are currently 21-6 combined versus Heartland Conference teams and 14-4 against the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The LSC women are 159-137 overall. The women’s squads are currently 14-9 combined against the Heartland, and 9-9 versus RMAC teams, which are the other conferences in the NCAA South Central Region.
Men’s Basketball: Italics denote winner
DEFENSIVE: Maddison Wild, WT
48 points
March 6th
Elite Eight to be held March 21, 22 and 24 in Columbus, Ohio. The LSC Men’s Basketball Tournament Champion earns the league’s automatic qualification to the 2017 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball South Central Regional held March 11, 12 and 14 at a site to be determined. The winner of the South Central Region will advance to the Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, S.D., on March 22, 23 and 25. The bracket layout for the championships can be found at lonestarconference.org.
Player
67-58
A&M-Commerce AT West Texas A&M
79-51
Texas Woman’s AT Cameron
103-90
A&M-Kingsville AT West. New Mexico
75-67
Angelo State AT East. New Mexico
89-82
February 25th A&M-Commerce AT UT-Permian Basin
78-69
Tarleton State AT West Texas A&M
73-69
A&M-Kingsville AT East. New Mexico
85-71
Texas Woman’s AT Midwestern State
56-51
Angelo State AT West. New Mexico
93-50
Points
Gutierrez, Jordan (WNMU)
526
Dorsey, Taylor (ASU)
461
Saygo, Kenesha (TWU)
455
Hailey, MacKenzie (TSU)
409
Watson, Sasha (WT)
402
Points Per Game Player
P/G
Gutierrez, Jordan (WNMU)
19.5
Saygo, Kenesha (TWU)
19.0
Dorsey, Taylor (ASU)
17.7
Hailey, Mackenzie (TSU)
15.7
James, Savanna (CAM)
15.3
Three Pointers Player
3Ps
Caro, Briana (UT-PB)
72
Decker, Alie (WT)
71
Softball: Games won & lost
Taylor, Whitney (MSU)
62
February 24-25th
Taito, Niva (UT-PB)
57
LaGrande, Sierra (UT-PB)
57
Angelo State
3-0
Schedule
LSC Championship West Texas A&M 3-0 Quarterfinals in March 2nd Cameron 3-0 (G1) Cameron vs Angelo State Texas A&M-Kingsville 3-0 (G3) A&M-Kingsville vs East. New A&M Mexico Tarleton State 2-1 March 3rd Kingsville East. New Mexico 1-2 (G5) Texas Woman’s vs West Texas A&M (G7) Tarleton State vs A&M-Commerce Semifinals Conf. Overall WNMU AT Texas Woman’s (DH) Schedule March 4th ENMU AT Midwestern (DH) March 8th Tarleton State 3-3 11-8 March 3rd Cameron AT A&M-C (DH) St. Mary’s AT Angelo State (DH) (G9) G1 Winner vs G5 Winner A&M-K AT UT-PB (DH) Midwestern State 2-4 9-11 (G11) G3 Winner vs G7 Winner WNMU AT Texas Woman’s (DH) WT A&M AT Tarleton (DH) Championship Game Texas Woman’s 1-5 9-10 Cameron AT A&M-C March 7th March 5th O.K. Christian AT ENMU (DH) UT-Permian Basin 1-5 3-15 WT A&M AT Tarleton (G13) G9 Winner vs G11 Winner Midwestern AT O.K Pan. (DH) ENMU AT Midwestern West. New Mexico 0-6 0-18 March 4th A&M-K AT St. Edward’s (DH) Lub. Christian AT Tarleton (DH) A&M-K AT UT-PB
Softball
Page 8
Sports
March 2, 2017
Game schedule
Mar ch 3 : S oft b al l v s C am e ron ( 6 p .m . )
Wo me n ’s g o l f : M ar c h 6 -7 L i o n In v i t a ti o n a l @ Ta n g l e wo o d
Mar ch 4 : S oft b al l v s C am e ron ( 1 p .m . & 3 p . m. )
Despite weekend split Lady Lions end season on high note BJ Laudermilk Staff Reporter The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team concluded their regular season last week by splitting a pair of games on a road trip, but reached a milestone that had only been accomplished one other time. The Lions lost their first game of the trip on Thursday, a 79-51 defeat at the hands of West Texas A&M, causing a split in the season series and putting the Lions one game behind the Lady Buffaloes in the conference standings. A&M-Commerce did not hold a lead at any point in the game and were outscored by the Lady Buffs in every quarter except the second. Krystal Pickron led the Lions with 16 points, most of which came from her three-point shots. Artaejah Gay was the team’s leading rebounder, grabbing seven, while Khala Riley had five assists to lead the squad. The Lions rebounded on Saturday to conclude their regular season with a win, 78-69 over UT Permian Basin. It was their 20th win of the season, their second win over UTPB on the season, and only the second time the team has had that many wins in a season, the first coming ten years ago in the 2006-07 season. A&M-Commerce made another come from behind victory, outscoring the Falcons 24-11 in the fourth quarter. Gay scored a career high 31 points to lead all scorers in the win, including 11 in the fourth quarter. Riley grabbed a game high ten rebounds in the contest, while she and Pickron led both sides with five assists apiece. The Lions finished the regular season at 20-8 and 14-6 in conference play, good enough to qualify for the fourth seed in the Lone Star Conference Tournament. A&M-Commerce will play fifth-seeded Tarleton State in the quarterfinals on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. at the Allen Events Center in Allen, Texas. The Lions have two wins over Tarleton State already this season, winning 89-74 in Stephenville, and 74-64 in Commerce. Should the Lions keep winning, they would play in the semifinals on Saturday and potentially play for the conference championship on Sunday. A win Sunday would qualify them for an automatic berth into the NCAA South Central Regional tournament. A&M-Commerce would need to finish among the top eight teams in the region to qualify for the tournament without a conference title. The Lions have their second-best season in program history already, and this one is far from over. With so much still on the line, this team will now attempt to make this season even more memorable.
Best round in eight years nearly seals win
M e n’s g o l f : M a r ch 6 - 7 Ch a p i n v i ta ti o na l @ L ub bo c k
Lions Fall Prey to Falcons Quarterfinals against Cameron slated next
Dareious Scott Staff Reporter The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team finished the regular season with an overall record of 18-9, after suffering an 86-69 loss to the UTPermian Basin Falcons on Saturday. Montrell Little had a team high of 12 points, and Trey Seymore had 11 points along with three assists. Trey Washington and Dorian Armstrong both contributed 10 points. UTPB shot a phenomenal 52.6 percent from the field while the Lions were shot only 37 percent. Following the loss, the Lions finished fourth in the Lone Star Conference with a conference record of 10-8 and are set to play against Cameron in the quarterfinals of the LSC playoffs. Their game will be ion Friday Mar. 3, in Allen, TX and will tip off at 8:30 p.m.
In the past, the Lions have split the season series with Cameron, losing the first matchup in overtime 81-74, but won the next matchup 73-65. The winner of the two will go on to play the winner of UT-PB and Midwestern.
PHOTO CREDIT/ LION ATHLETICS
Lions Softball Drop Two Against St. Mary’s
Dareious Scott Staff Reporter Following their best round of golf in eight years, the Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s golf team placed second at the Rattler Invitational, last Tuesday. The Lions finished with a total score of 586, four points behind Henderson State who finished with 582. Halfway through the first round of the tournament, the Lions found themselves tied for sixth with a score of 300. But in the following round, every member of the Lions shot par or better, being the only team in the tournament to do so finishing the round with 286. Hagan Wood finished in third place with an even-par 144 and shot a 1-under par 71 while Grayson Benavides tied for fourth place at 145 (+1) after his even-par round. Nick Louy tied for 24th at 149 (+5), was five strokes better than he was in the first round, and shot an even par in the tournament. Garrett Landers tied for 72nd finishing at 163 (+19). The Lions now focus their attention towards the Lubbock Christian Chap Invitational. which takes place on March 6-7.
PHOTO CREDIT/ LION ATHLETICS
E AST TEXAN PHOTO/ K RISTEN TAYLOR
Thomas Kent Staff Reporter The Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team dropped two games to the No. 3 team in the country, St. Mary’s, on Saturday. After three weeks on the road to start the season, the Lions finally got to play at John Cain Family Softball Complex in front of their home town fans. Unfortunately for them, neither game ended well, despite two great starts. A&MCommerce scored in their first home inning of the season when Chelsea Slider reached first base on a fielding error by St. Mary’s first baseman, Allesandra Ortiz. With the bases loaded, Baylea Higgs scored. The Lions held their lead at 1-0 until the fifth inning when freshman sensation Kinsie Hebler hit a two-run single up the middle, bringing Ciera Nunez and Tyler Oppenheim around to score, giving them a three-run lead. Starting pitcher Katie Dean, who came into game one with a 5-1 record, pitched her way out of jams all afternoon, stranding ten St. Mary baserunners, until the Rattlers offense erupted in the seventh inning for six runs. The Lions couldn’t answer in the bottom of the seventh inning and took the 6-3 loss. Dean tied her career high in strikeouts with eight, which is a season high for her in 2017. Higgs, Nunez and Oppenheim each stole a base in the loss. Game two started off with a bang as Hebler led off with a team leading fourth home run of the season and gave the Lions another first inning lead. The second inning brought
more offense for A&M-Commerce as they batted around to take a 5-0 lead. The first two runs came on a single from Higgs that scored Nunez and Oppenheim and moved Hebler to third base. After Higgs stole second base, Mariah Jameyson singled, allowing Hebler and Higgs to score easily. Higgs, who went 3-for-4 in game two, went on to steal another base giving her a team-lead 14 total on the season. Jameyson went 2-for-3 with a walk at the plate and stole two bags of her own while Oppenheim stole one. All five of the runs were charged to St. Mary’s starting pitcher Hope Russell who was replaced by Ashley Mills. The Rattlers didn’t wait as long to answer the second time around as they scored three runs in the third inning on a two out. The bases were loaded, double off the bat of Brenda lparagiurre, following a Lion error that let the inning continue. In the top of the fourth, St. Mary’s Kristal Salinas hit a solo home run and Alena Moreno hit a two-run homer with Olivia Van Hook on base. Those six runs were enough for the Rattlers to move to 16-2 on the season as the Lions had no answer for Mills. She went on the pitch the rest of the game, allowing just three hits in 5 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and two walks. With the win, Mills’ record improved to 4-0 and A&M-Commerce starter Courtnee Jones’ record fell to 1-1. A&M-Commerce’s record slipped to 10-6. The Lions will resume Lone Star Conference play when they host Cameron in a three-game series over the weekend. Friday’s game against the Aggies is at 6 p.m. and the double header on Saturday will start at 1 p.m.