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Sept. 15, 2016
Crosswalk Close Call
9/11 Remembered
Soccer Win 2-1
Student seriously injured at crosswalk in front of Whitley Hall Saturday, Sept. 10., and is in critical but stable condition. Page 3
Reporter Christian Aleman speaks with students and staff about their memories of those tragic attacks that took place 15 years ago. Page 5
Lady Lions begin their quest for their third consecutive LSC tournament championship with their first home game of the season. Page 8
Free From Fear
East Texan reporter and international student Jason Nam returns to Commerce after duty called him back to South Korea. Page 2
Travis Hairgrove Editor “Racism, both then and now, is illogical, insane and irrational, but we try to be like scholars and write about it in a rational, sane way…and it’s hard to write about insanity in a sane manner,” Dr. Robert L. Green, a colleague and personal friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., said in a conference room packed with over 300 A&M-Commerce students, staff, faculty and Commerce residents Thursday, Sept. 8.
Lifelong civil rights activist delivers some of Martin Luther King’s lesser-known advice to a younger generation
Pleased by the good turn out, the 82-year old Green shared stories from his lifetime of experiences battling ignorance and flawed, racist thinking, all of which are also related in his recently published memoires, At the Crossroads of Fear and Freedom. “I was in Birmingham, Ala. and I must have been 28-30 years of age,” Green recalled. “I wanted to get my wife a little gift, so I went into a department store. In Birmingham, at that time, blacks and whites could not ride the same elevators up, but they could ride the same elevators down. I wanted to find out what was going on. Now, I’d learned in the South, how in those days, when you asked questions, you were always polite, you always said ‘sir,’ and you weren’t arrogant. You ‘took low,’” Green explained. So, I went to one of the young assistant managers, and said, ‘Young man. I’m not from around here. Why is it that blacks and whites can’t take the same elevator up, but they can ride the same one down?,’” Green said. “He stopped and thought for a while and he said, ‘Well. I guess that’s just the way we do things around here.’ I thanked him, and started to walk away. Then he said, ‘Hey. Come back, here. I think I might know the answer.’ He said, ‘If a woman or man who’s white is about to get on the elevator to go upstairs to buy some goods, and they blacks getting on the elevator, they won’t get on it. Once they get up there, though, they gotta come down.’ I thought about that and how irrational discrimination is.” Even though racial discrimination in the ‘60s is often associated with the South (and understandably so, especially as many in the A&M-Commerce community are aware of the fact that their institution was, at one time, one of the last remaining holdouts who stubbornly resisted federally-mandated school desegregation), Green made clear that bigotry often leered its head in northern states, too. In 1962, upon completion of his PhD in Educational Psychology at Michigan State University, Green began his long fight for the right to own a home in the Big Ten college town of East Lansing, Mich. “Realtors wouldn’t sell us a home in town, nor would they wouldn’t rent us a home,” Green said. “They told us directly, ‘We don’t sell to blacks, we don’t sell to Jews, and we don’t sell to Indians [Native Americans]’ They [the realtors] were direct. They would tell you directly to your face. “So, I ended up suing maybe three or four realtors,” Green continued. “I filed lawsuit after lawsuit, trying to buy a home. I wasn’t trying to rob anybody. I was just trying to buy a
home.” Of his time working with Dr. King, Green explained that one of the things the civil rights leader doesn’t get credit for, is encouraging the black community to “conquer the fear” instilled by generations of racially motivated violence. “Martin Luther King Jr. used to preach about death a lot,” Green said grimly without a trace of his usual wit. “One of his favorite sayings was ‘Black people, you’re not going to be free as a people until you overcome your fear of death. You can’t be afraid to die. You have to be willing to give your life for freedom.’” My dad, though, was a fearful man,” Green said. “My dad would say, ‘Boys…you be careful, obey the police, don’t get in trouble, and do the right thing. My poor sisters weren’t even allowed leave the house.” One day, several years later, I asked my dad to tell me something that he’d never told anybody else,” Green continued. “I told him it was for a history of the family I was writing, and I had to badger him. He finally broke down and told me, that when he was 14 years of age, his best friend was lynched…hung from a tree,” Green said to a silent room, packed with people transfixed on his every word. “I asked my dad why he was lynched, and my dad said he probably did nothing other than not being respectful enough to white men. Back then, white male lives mattered. Black lives didn’t. I asked all eight of my brothers and sisters if dad had told them about the lynching, and he hadn’t told any of them,” Green explained. “He held that in all those years. The shame, humiliation…not being able to act out, and being fearful.” Toward the end of his speech, Green drew parallels between the Civil Rights movement fought in Dr. King’s day the racial conflicts and arguments that persist even today. “All lives matter, yes, but black lives matter, because I know the history of black people in this country,” Green said. “I’ve read it, I’ve studied it, I’ve lived it, and I’ve seen it. Some people say the Black Lives Matter movement leads to violence, but when I was attempting to buy a home East Lansing, I was called a radical,” Green reminded those in attendance. “I was called a trouble maker. I had black and white students who’d march with me around city hall, and when some of them would threaten to burn city hall down, they said I was inciting violence. I wasn’t inciting violence. I was trying to buy a home. These young people that you see in the streets today, saying ‘black lives matter,’ they’re just trying to bring attention to people.” Dr. Green’s p r e s e nt a t i o n was the first in this year’s Sam Rayburn Speaker Series. The next one will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 22. and will feature Laura Jackson, survivor of numerous addictions, as well as sexual, physical and mental abuse.
“Realtors wouldn’t sell us a home in town, nor would they wouldn’t rent us a home. They told us directly, ‘We don’t sell to blacks, we don’t sell to Jews, and we don’t sell to Indians [Native Americans]’ They were direct. They would tell you directly to your face.”
Opinion
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Sept. 15, 2016
Fountain of Youth
Ediorial Cartoon by Julius Chilundika
Alex Medrano Staff Writer
Campus Comment
As a person grows older, it has often been said that they should outgrow behaviors traditionally associated with children, but today’s popular culture is extending “childhood” into adulthood and tailoring entertainment with a childlike whimsy toward adults. With coloring books made exclusively for stressed out adults, Cartoon Network’s popular television show Rick & Morty, and even an animated movie that is exclusively for mature audiences (that truly tests the imagination of what the terminology of “food porn” means), a vivid image is painted of adults taking over the childhood medium. It seems adults are running away from the mature state of mind and to the PokeStops located on every corner. The latest trends are adult coloring books, which are more intricate versions of the ones made for children. They have become a multi-generational fad among baby boomers to millennials. Being marketed as a therapeutic tool allows the adult to almost regress to childlike simplicity. With the newfound popularity, it reduces the amount of disapproval one would receive for coloring in a premade outline. The adult coloring books range from complex mandalas to broad-themed books such as inspiration, relaxation, or de-stress, which seems to be working. The never-ending workday finishes. Instead of retreating to social media or petty family dramas, the sensible adult is picking up their pencils and putting an elephant into a Technicolor kaleidoscope that mimics a Finn and Jake mid episode adventure. Cartoons have evolved throughout the decades, and in today’s society, a father and daughter can sit down and enjoy Cartoon Network’s Regular Show together. With most popular cartoon shows being branded and shown in popular shopping destinations, such as Hot Topic, expansion has been allowed for the once limited animated world to involve aging adolescents. The definition of who should be watching cartoons has dissolved, and writers for shows include content for all ages. For instance, in Steven Universe, Pearl gives advice that a 7-12 year old would have a hard time understanding with “Humans just lead short, boring, insignificant lives, so they make up stories to feel like they’re a part of something bigger. They want to blame all the world’s problems on some single enemy they can fight, instead of a complex network of interrelated forces beyond anyone’s control.” Shows that once revolved only around a singular plot of good guy always beating the bad guy in the end have introduced themes that incorporate depression, existentialism, and social issues. With this, these shows have gained wider audiences and made a market for R-rated movies. The box office seems to be dominated by older moviegoers, immature and mature. Deadpool (based on the Marvel comic book character) showed the industry that inserting the 17 and up rating did not adversely affect its audiences, with it being one of the showstoppers so far of 2016. It opened an innovative method of combining hardly hidden innuendos with issues of today through humor. And, it is not just R-rated movies that draw out the 17+ crowd, but the biggest blockbuster of the summer, PGrated animated feature Finding Dory, was just as important to 23-year-olds as it was to 6-year-olds. With wars and political scandals littering the screens of news agencies, and having to work eight or more hours per day in order to graduate from college without drowning in debt, it is nice to have a de-stress method. Whether it be coloring in a meticulous fashion or watching something that triggers the right side of your brain, the appetite for nostalgia is growing.
There and Back Again Gwiwon Jason Nam Staff Writer What did you do just a few months ago? Did you take summer classes? Well, it might seem odd to some of you guys, but I was serving my mandatory service as a conscripted policeman just a few months ago. Yes, I am from South Korea, and we have a mandatory military service duty. I was watching Guardians of the Galaxy at a movie theater in Korea around two years ago (I was not in the military at this time). I was starting my first semester at Texas A&M University-Commerce four and a half years ago. Now, I am a returning student. I am writing this at the Gee Library. How strange is that? In five years I came here, went back to Korea, did my military service and came back again. It’s like a circle. At first, my feelings about Commerce were that it was fine - not good, but not bad. I expected that my life in America was going to be busy and exciting as I watched American movies and drama. But, in reality, it was a small university town. I missed Korean food, and I missed my friends back from my lovely hometown. I missed good transportation systems, so that I could go wherever I wanted to go. I had difficulty understanding all of
Language Institute. There have been many different changes to the facilities at A&MCommerce. The library now has a back door. They also have a 3D printer available for student use. How cool is that? The cafeteria is bigger than before. There was not a Phase 2 dormitory. The pharmacy next to Whitley Hall is new. Commerce is such a kind and lovely city. The people here remember me. I met professors that I took classes from, and they remembered me and welcomed my return. I am happy to be back here. I am struggling with English again, but my new friends and professors are helping me. We don’t know what the future holds. For me, when I was in high school, I didn’t know that I would later study abroad. I didn’t know I would go to the military service in the middle of my college career. What I experienced could happen to anybody. If you are a freshmen or a returning student, you might feel difficulty adapting to the new environment. If you are going to graduate school soon, you might be scared of the professional world. But, don’t worry. You will make it. Just take a look around you. Find someone who can help you and be positive.
Which animated shows do you still watch?
“I watch Fairy Tail. It has really impacted my life. The main message it gives you is about friendship and familly, that they’re always there for you.” -Manuel Godoy, Freshman
“Naruto. It’s entertaining. I really don’t feel like I’m watching a cartoon when I watch it. In a way it’s like an action type of thing.” -Darius Branley, Sophomore
The East Texan Staff
Editor Travis Hairgrove Managing Editor Alissa Silva Sports Editor Ricky Moser Opinion Editor Kerry Wilson Entertainment Editor Imogené Wofford Web Editor Todd Kleiboer Photographer Kristen Taylor Copy Editor/Distribution Manager Kyria Aho Distribution Assistant Michelle Whitehead Faculty Adviser Fred Stewart Phone 903-886-5985 E-mail theeasttexan@gmail.com East Texan Website tamuceasttexan.com East Texan Print Issue Online issuu.com/tamuc.easttexan
my classes because of my bad English language skills. However, I was able to overcome my hardship. I just decided to think positively. I smiled all the time. And then, guess what? People started to be close with me, and I asked them for help. They sincerely helped me a lot. Eventually, when I had to go back to Korea for my military service duty, I did not want to leave here. I started to fall in love with Commerce, Texas. During the military service, it was super boring and hard. All training and work, and there were plenty of rules and regulations. I shared a space with 30 guys. Can you imagine a small and thin Asian guy like me spending time training and working as a conscripted policeman during 21 months and still alive? I was able to get over it, because I learned how to get used to being at a new environment away from Commerce. When I returned to Commerce, I found that it was different than when I left. All of my friends graduated. I miss them. Some of them even got married and left Texas. I was very happy to meet my old friend, Caroline Carlson. She was an undergraduate student before I left for Korea, but now she is a graduate student and she is teaching international students at the A&M-Commerce English
“I watch Spongebob a lot just because it’s entertaining. I always watched it and I still will.” -Aja Gay, Sophomore
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.
“Popeye. It’s funny. Whatever we’re expecting of our body, if it already has spinach, we can defeat the bad guys. ” -Gunaseelan Damilchezhian, Graduate Student
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News
Sept. 15, 2016
Pedestrian Struck at Crosswalk Kerry Crews Chief of Police A young woman was struck by a vehicle at the Whitley Hall crosswalk on Culver Street. On Saturday, Sept. 10, just minutes after 10 p.m., officers with the Commerce Police Department responded to the Whitley Hall crosswalk on Culver Street on a reported struck pedestrian. Upon arriving, officers determined that an 18-year-old Commerce resident had been struck while crossing the street. The woman was transported to a DFW area hospital via helicopter. Officers at the scene were able to determine that the young woman was walking northbound and had entered the crosswalk. As she
walked into the westbound lane of Culver Street, she was struck by a black pick-up truck. At the time, the crosswalk lights were flashing and the truck failed to yield the right of way to the pedestrian. The young woman is in critical but stable condition as of last check. The woman was arrested at the scene on unrelated traffic charges and has been transported to the Commerce Police Department where she is being held. Investigators with the Commerce Police Department will be handling the investigation and at this point, we are asking anyone that may have witnessed the incident to contact the Commerce Police Department at (903)886-1139.
Shop ‘til you drop...in Commerce
Last Spring, when he was campaigning for the office of mayor, Wyman Williams addressed the challenges of building and improving city services in a town in which over half the property is tax exempt. So far, since being sworn into office on May 17, Williams has devoted much of his time having conversations with citizens of Commerce about ways to improve the flow of tax revenue for improvement of wastewater facilities, repair to the city’s streets and improving its downtown area. “We’re not in a position to increase revenue by increasing taxes, because we have so little taxable property, that an increase in taxes is hardly noticeable in revenue, and that’s the reality of our town,” Williams said. “We have a large portion of our town that is forever tax exempt, and
it’s not just the university. The city owns a lot of property - the churches, other government entities such as the hospital district, and Commerce ISD all make for a large amount of property that is not taxable. Those things are true for every town, but the thing that makes our town different is the size of our university,” Williams explained. “It’s a large number of acres within our city that produce no property tax to offset costs that we must pay as citizens to provide services to the thousands of people who come here every day but don’t live here. And, students who live on campus in campus housing don’t pay property taxes, so the ongoing conversation I will have for as long as I am mayor is the importance of sales tax.” City services can be improved, simply because 1.5¢ of every dollar spent toward the purchase of a taxable item within in our city helps our city,” Williams contin-
ued. “Half a cent goes to economic development, and one cent goes directly to our city government. Sales tax makes up 22 percent of our budget, so it’s something that’s very important and it’s something we can increase if we can just get enough votes to realize. So, it’s worth one’s time to buy a competitively priced product within the city limits of Commerce, just for your own benefit, to improve city services. I’m not asking people to spend more money, I’m just asking them to direct their purchases here in Commerce…just a simple thing, and you actually improve the ability of the city to provide services.” Due to this difficulty with acquiring sufficient tax revenue for the further development of city services, Mayor Williams, who also works as Interim Vice President of Institutional Advancement
Continued on Page 5...
Police Department Hosts Academy Alissa Silva Managing Editor The Commerce Police Department is hosting their fifth 14-week class of Citizen’s Police Academy with the help of the Commerce Fire Department for the first time Monday, Sept. 19. In order to understand the Commerce Police Department and its policies and procedures, the academy was established to educate citizens and anyone else interested in learning about police work. Classes will be held on Monday nights from 6 pm to 9 pm. Participants must be 18 years of age, of good standing in the community, have to pass a background investigation, and also have to be Commerce residents. “The chief likes us to be really involved in the community,” Public Information Officer Alex Suarez said. “He likes that we can open up our doors and be there. We get more support when people know that’s where the idea came from. A lot of people would ask what happened to my report or why there isn’t an investigation going on-so what we did was brought in citizens to teach them.” Classes include presentations, lectures, and hands-on experience activities such as putting on SWAT equipment, seeing special response team mock entrances, and witnessing DWI simulations where they see someone drink alcoholic beverages at certain time intervals so the citizens can observe the changes in behav-
ior that someone exhibits from sober to intoxicated. The fire department will be adding a segment by letting the participants dress in their equipment. “Every Police Citizen’s Academy is different, they [the citizen’s participating] all have different personalities,” Suarez said. “They bring in a whole different assortment of questions; they bring in different backgrounds. So it’s different and we learn from them because it’s not the same every time. We tailor what we talk about to that class. It’s a learning experience for the both of us.” With classes ranging from 6-20 par-
ticipants, topics covered will include Patrol Procedures, Criminal Investigations, Crime Scene, Building Searches, Firearms, Traffic, Criminal and Juvenile Law, Crime Prevention, Special Operations, Jail Procedures, DWI and Communications. The fire station will cover building fire inspections, fire hydrants, and equipment used. Everybody from the police and fire
Counseling Corner
Developing a Study Routine Tameca Minter, M.Ed., LPC, NCC Special Contributer
E ast Texam Photo/ Travis H airgrove
Travis Hairgrove Editor
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department will be introduced to the academy’s students and every night they will meet officers on patrol. “They [citizens] see all these officers in the street, pulling people over, or see them at the store,” Suarez said. “They don’t really know them, so we bring them in and introduce them and let them talk about themselves and their personal lives, so it gives them a different perspective. It’s not just a police officer but Marcus; he has three daughters and a son…that kind of thing. It’s a personal thing. So they no longer just see them as the badge.” Following the success of the first class, a Commerce Police Alumni Association was created intended as a community resource for citizens. The first year they bought the police department a restraint chair and continue to volunteer for community events. “In Commerce, we have that percentage that aren’t going to be receptive to the police department, just like in any city, Suarez said. “However, we’ve had a pretty positive outcome in our community. A lot of people know us. We have a Facebook page, we have a Twitter account we keep everybody involved in what we do. We try to give as much information as we can that way people know their Commerce Police Department.” Commerce Police Department will also be hosting a National Night Oct. 2 6-9 pm and welcoming anyone to come enjoy the hot dogs, kid activities, and conversations.
We are back in session, and it is time for you to develop a study routine. Creating a plan of action can be a daunting task; however, if you choose to not place those important due dates on your calendar then you will find yourself stressed and overwhelmed. We often add to our own distress, when we choose to put off projects, papers and studying until the night before the exam or due date. What can you do to prepare yourself for today? Consider following these Ten Steps to alleviate the impeding stress: 1) Mark your calendar with the due date (provided in the course syllabus). 2) Block-Off three days prior to the initial date. 3) Avoid making any additional plans—as this will cause a distraction. 4) On Day One, draft notecards (plain, lined or f luorescent) with key terminology. 5) Take frequent 10-minute breaks in between each set of terms (for 20+ terms). 6) Review the key terms before bed. 7) During your breaks, consume healthy snacks (trail mix, popcorn, etc..) and remain hydrated. 8) On Day Two, read each chapter and draft an outline. Divide the total chapters by the number of hours and focus on the material. Take frequent 10-minute breaks in between each chapter. 9) Review the Outlines before retiring to bed. 10) On Day Three, spend half of the day reviewing the key terms and take a 30-minute break. Consume a small meal (filled with a good source of protein and vegetables) and stay hydrated. During the second half of the day, review all outlines and you are ready for the exam! The same method can be used for drafting papers, with a final day spent on revisions. Preparing yourself for either task is crucial to success, so avoid simple distractions like Facebook, Snapchat, etc... Three Quick Tips for drafting papers in three days: 1) Day 1 - Organize your ideas into sections: a) abstract, b) introduction, c) body d) conclusion, e) sources, f ) future implications, and g) reference page—for further research or study. 2) Get sticky notes and label each section. Post them on a wall with free space, or a poster board (if applicable). Gather all sources and organize them in alphabetical order under your reference section. Create additional sticky notes with the name of each source to be used in the desired order in your paper. Draft bulleted thoughts that you would like to include under each section (a – f ). 3) Day 2 – Create a written draft of your organized thoughts on the computer, following the information you have posted on your wall or poster. Do not forget to select either APA, MLA, Chicago for the specific formatting style required by your professor. 4) Day 3 – Take your completed draft to the Writing Center, located in the Hall of Languages – Room 103, for assistance with grammar, formatting and clarity of expression. If you are short on time, then upload your drafted paper to the Online Writing Lab. For the specifics on accessing the OW L, submit a request to them via e-mail at: writing.tamuc@gmail.com. Stay ahead by planning in advance, and following the guidelines provided by your professors. Ask questions for clarification and reward yourself by visiting the Counseling Center’s Relaxation Room to destress. You may just find that inner peace that you have been missing.
Campus
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Sept. 15, 2016
Make Your Calm Roar Todd Kleiboer Web Editor Students experienced miniature horses, a scavenger hunt, and an education about mental health issues that commonly affect students and the services the Counseling Center provides at the Make Your Calm Roar event held on the 8th. “We wanted students to begin prioritizing their mental health issues in the coming semester,” Counselor and Outreach Director Agnes Gonzalez said. “This is a preventive approach rather than having something like this during finals week like De-Stress Fest.” This is the first year of Make Your Calm Roar, and it much resembles De-Stress Fest in that it features soothing animals such as two miniature horses, Button and Cinnamon. Studies have shown that animals help relax people, and Gonzalez wanted “something unique” to attract the students. Interestingly, one of the miniature horses, Button, was a dwarf, a rarity as that particular defect occurs in one birth out of 26,000, and that defect can cause some serious health issues. Button was relatively healthy, though, and even if Button was smaller than usual, owner Deborah Daffron, who has been bringing her horses to the university for 11 years, ensures her docility. “They [miniature horses]go to nursing homes, hospitals, and some horses even act in shows,” she said. “I mainly use them for therapy. They love people.” When the event started, people gathered around the
two horses, stroking their backs and petting them on the head. Others wrote suggestions for future horse names at Daffron’s farm or showed interest in buying a miniature horse, and some students were just eager to have this at the university. “They’re adorable,” student Kenny Adams said. “I took like 17 pictures with them. I’d love to see more of this.” A scavenger hunt was also in progress during Make Your Calm Roar, and the prize for completing the four-step hunt was a free T-shirt. The first step was the miniature horses for relaxing, and the rest of the steps has a theme. The second step was “Develop Resilience”, the third step “Practice Mindfulness”, and the fourth and final step was “Commit to Growth”. “It was a good experience in seeing what the Counseling Center does and what services it provides to the students,” senior Karen Ibarra said after finishing the scavenger hunt. “I liked it.” Almost all of the Counseling Center staff were involved Make Your Calm Roar, and Assistant Director and Counselor Nick Patras greeted students who managed to find the Counseling Center on the second floor of Halladay, and he gave a basic tour of the Counseling Center and provided more information on what the Center did. “We provide individual, or private, counseling and group counseling in which there would be no more than 10 people,” he said. “The purpose of this event is to educate East Texan Photo/ Alissa Silva the students about mental health issues that could come up Senior Ana Baleveicau enjoying the ponies in between class time. during the semester.”
Free Legal Advice Offered on Campus If ever in need of advice or assistance, Doctor Jay Garrett offers legal council with landlord, criminal and family law, contracts, employee rights, consumer protection, and also serves as notary public. Isabella Garcia Reporter Similarly to how a student might only notice the free (or rather prepaid) health services offered on campus when they have the flu, it’s likely that they won’t think about legal matters unless a problem arises. For this reason, the university offers free legal advising to all students in need of guidance in that area. Students may recognize Dr. Jay Garrett as a professor in the College of Business for legal studies, but outside the classroom he also serves as the official legal advisor for students and staff on campus. “So, whether it be dealing with getting your deposit back from a landlord, creating a patent for an idea, wanting to get a divorce, or some kind of issue with child custody, then we can provide services with all those,” Garret said. “I’ve done things from helping students change their names, to assistance in
immigration matters, to anything you can name in the legal arena.” The types of legal council Dr. Garrett offers include landlord, criminal and family law, contracts, employee rights, consumer protection, and he also serves as a notary public. A student’s privacy is also top priority and thus Dr. Garrett keeps all such discussions confidential. “I guide you through everything,” Garrett said. “You would prepare the documents, then I would guide you through getting those documents to court and then I would go to court with you to see that it got done correctly.” While Dr. Garrett offers advise on a broad range of legal matters, he is not authorized to represent a student in a complaint against the institution. Chances are everyone will ultimately have to deal with a legal matter, whether they are still in university or have long since graduated. Garrett’s goal is to guide a student through a lawful
International student mentorship program to have their kickoff event Gwiwon Jason Nam Staff Reporter Lion Cousin Program will start off with an event on September 19 at the Rayburn Student Center. Lion Cousin Program is a mentor program coordinated by International Student Scholar Services(ISSS) setting up to help American students and international students are paired for a semester to learn about each other’s culture. According to International Student Coordinator Ginger Gonzalez, the kickoff meeting is basically an informational meeting. “Students come and have a presentation about Lion Cousins and what is involved in the program,” Gonzalez said. Student can apply from now until Sept 23nd, and at the last week participants will be notified who their partner is. This program has been going from Fall 2012. ISSS said international student has the chance to positive impact a student’s perception about the U.S. and make their study abroad a wonderful experience. “We have about 30 pairs of students last semester. They regularly had a meeting and had a boiling night, movie night and the various events participations,” Gonzalez said. “I hope we have about 30 to 40 pairs of students in this semester.” In this semester, ISSS have new plans for the program. One of them is Tailgate event, so it starts with icebreakers for students
to get to know each other. “Even one of our participants past time, they started with lion cousin for a semester, but they got really close and became a cousin for entire academic years,” Gonzalez said. One of last semester’s Lion Cousin participants Sophomore David Palstring said, “It’s an eventful experience. We went to Easter Egg event and coffee hour. We had a lot of fun. Many American students should join this program for being able to travel to other country without cost, time, and etc.” His lion cousin Kamrul Hasan, graduate student from Bangladesh, said they are still keeping touch each other and having a time. “This program was a great experience to get to know each other learning culture and food. Actually as an international student, it is really hard to integrate with American. But, through this program, I could be apart of them. Integrating with local people is to get a lot of help.” Hasan said, “I strongly recommend to apply this program. I think this is also a spot of the study.” Gonzalez also said, “It is a great way for students if they are working on becoming global scholars through the QEM program. They will get credit for participation of this program. One of our school missions is making us to be more global. And this program is the way to be global.”
process in order to take away some of that anxiety that comes from such an unfamiliar procedure. It becomes a learning process that creates a vital impact on the life of a student in the real world. “This is a university and one of the aspects I try to go with is that as a student you need to learn how to deal with legal issues because in your life you will have legal issues at some point in time,” Garret said. “People need to have some comfort that they can deal with this.” His office is located on the second floor of the Halladay Student Service Building inside the Counseling Center. Students can email him to set up appointments for Wednesday afternoons 3-6 p.m. In the case of more urgent matters, he receives phone calls for scheduling faster appointments that can be in his office or classroom.
Pride Alliance Welcomes Brenda Perez Staff Reporter Pride Alliance on the Texas A&M University-Commerce campus is an organization that welcomes any students and staff on campus as well as members of the community who are interested in supporting the LGBTQ community. The Pride Alliance will host a number of events for the 2016- 2017 year off kicking off with their Campus Tour taking place after their first general meeting of the year on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. “The Pride Alliance will show their members around campus and give members resources for their future classroom or personal needs such information includes the counseling center, tutoring opportunities, and many more,” President of The Pride Alliance Andrea Martinez said. October will bring Ally Week and National Coming Out Day on October 11; both important events to support and recognize those who have taken the initiative to be recognized and to thank those who continue to support them. “An Ally is a person that supports the LGBT community and The Pride Alliance recognizes all people, students, non-students, faculty and staff that support the community,” Martinez said. “National Coming Out Day is a day dedicated to those members of the
LGBT community that have welcomed and recognize their identification.” One event The Pride Alliance is planning that will help make a difference for everyone regardless of sexual orientation will be their Anti Bullying Campaign. The Anti-Bullying Campaign will run from Nov.7 through Nov. 10. “The Anti- Bullying Campaign will include ‘Take What You Need and Give What You Can, a positive note exchange and Random Acts of Kindness, where participators can exchange acts of kindness with others,” Martinez said. The Pride Alliance works to reach out to students and non-students who may feel like they don’t have anyone to turn to and may feel alone. “I want to reach out to as many students and non-students as possible and tell them to join us for a fun and enjoyable time at our meetings,” Martinez added. “We are in the Student Center every Monday at 7 p.m. These dates and events are only the beginning. I wish to bring so much more to campus soon so difficult conversations are made easier to have.” Anyone who would like further information regarding The Pride Alliance and a full list of their upcoming events can email theallianceofpride@gmail.com or follow them on Facebook TAMUCPrideAlliance.
Features
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Sept. 15, 2016
Williams Lends Memories of Sept. 11 Tragedy Still Burn Helping Hand Continued from page 3.. Christian Alemon Staff Reporter
at A&M-Commerce is excited about Interim President Ray M. Keck’s vision and efforts to create a “university village” to make living in Commerce more attractive to faculty and staff of the university. “Dr. Keck is moving on that issue this week, because he wants it to happen,” Williams said. “The way he proposes it is he would work with a builder or a number of builders, possibly beginning on already held land that the university already owns, between West Neal and Monroe. The university owns several pieces of property there now, but the idea is for the university and a private contractor to build houses that will be for sale to university employees, with an agreement that when that employee wants to sell it, the university has the first right of purchase. There would be an agreed upon method of appraisal, so that the exit would be simple for the individual when they’re ready to go.” I have been told that there have been several universities through the country that have used a similar model, but it solves a lot of the concerns of a potential resident if they work for the university, and it benefits the city immensely, because once the buyer possesses the house, it goes back on the tax rolls just like anybody else’s house,” Williams explained. “Then, when it’s sold, it goes back to the university which is nontaxed, until the next buyer buys it, but it gives a person an assurance that they’re gonna get an easy exit by having a guaranteed sale on their house.” It’s innovative for our university to be proactive and actually want to purchase more property in the area to do this,” Williams said. “Dr. Keck likes the idea of having employees very close to students, and having them interact… and the more people who live here, the better the opportunities we’ll have for retail to thrive. That’s all related, so he’s being very proactive in helping build our town.”
15 years ago, on Sept. 11, 2001, the United States was jolted by attacks carried out by al-Qaeda at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the field in Pennsylvania. Two students, a professor, a veteran, and a survivor shared their memories of the events of that day that marked history. “A person hollered out that a plane had hit the building,” Carmen Muñoz, survivor of the attacks and author of Character of the Soul: An Eyewitness Account of 9/11 said. “I had been through the building maybe twenty minutes earlier.” From the seventh floor of the ¬¬Federal Building on Broadway, Muñoz said she could see the North Tower on fire. It was from there that she witnessed the second plane strike the South Tower. “I stood there frozen where I was standing for quite a while,” Muñoz said. “I couldn’t move.” It wasn’t until a manager yelled at her that she grabbed her belongings and ran for safety, away from the chaos, according to Muñoz. “That night when I was looking for a hotel, there were F-16s flying back and forth, back and forth, back and forth,” Muñoz said. Meanwhile, other individuals managed to hear about the incident while driving, already after the attack occurred. “As I got in my car, the radio was on and the radio announcer said that a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers,” Dr. Robert Rodríguez, Associate Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University – Commerce, said. “By the time I actually arrived at the retreat location [a work trip], the announcer said ‘The World Trade Center has fallen. It is no more.’ It was completely unbelievable. In that moment, at that time, we didn’t fully realize the significance of what had just happened.” Rodríguez, having been born in Brooklyn, New York but not living in New York at the time still felt a personal attachment to the tragedy. “But for my family in particular it was quite impactful because, not a lot of people know this, but I was born in Brooklyn, New York and my family lived in New York for about ten years and my early childhood was there and so, of course, to see the emblematic buildings reduced to rubble was beyond shocking and extraordinarily sad,” he said. Although fifteen years have passed since the attacks of Septem-
ber 11, 2001, Rodríguez shared some words he abides by in response to the occurrences. “We have to continue on with our lives. We can’t let that incident, as horrific as it was, keep us or future generations, from living our lives, travelling and moving on. If we restrict ourselves out of fear, in a way, the terrorists have won,” said Rodríguez. “I absolutely refuse to let the terrorists win.” Marine veteran and accounting major, Mike Ihrer, had just dropped his youngest son off at school and was on his way to work when he heard about the terrorist attack on the radio. “We had this TV in the kids’ area at work, and I moved the TV to the register and we watched it all day long,” Ihrer said. “It was sad, it was really sad. You sit and you watch it and pray for the families. My heart went out to them.” As a veteran, Ihrer said he “wanted to go over and take care of the people who did all of this” at the time of the attacks. “It’s something I’ll never forget.” The younger population, although they were only kids at the time, were able to recall the events as they learned later or from memory of the day. “I was homeschooled and it was pretty much because we were watching TV that we found out about it,” Jared Peckham, graduate student in agriculture, said. “I didn’t really hear about it for a day or two, but I can remember the footage of the man jumping out of the building.” Yet, even as a child then, looking back, Peckham recalled the first responders’ actions as they rushed into the buildings even as they were still lit ablaze. “The fact that the dust is still there and had firefighters running in to save lives; you can’t say anything about that.” Sophomore biology major, Jobanet Flores, only four at the time of the events, recalled how she heard about the attacks. “I heard about it in school in third or fourth grade,” Flores, said. “It took me a while to understand the whole thing. Knowing about the person, knowing they had a family, it’s easier to understand. It didn’t affect me personally, but yes, I felt bad.” The fact that Flores was only four at the time has not changed how she understands the attacks from fifteen years ago. “In society, it’s still something that hurts people,” Flores said. “It’s still a very relevant topic and people are still mourning to this day.”
Talkin’ About our Generations Kerry Wilson Opinion Editor Texas A&M University-Commerce’s office of Training and Development welcomed motivational speaker Julie Burch to speak in a webinar titled “Customers Across Generations” with the theme “Celebrate. Educate. Communicate” on Sept. 8. In her webinar, Burch highlighted the fact that for the first time in history, four generations of people (traditionals, baby boomers, generation X-ers and millennials) are in the workforce together. “We are all different,” Burch said. “With all these generations out there trying to work together, live together, and geez, just exist together, it can be challenging. I find this interesting. Do you know that this is the first time in history – I mean in history, that we have four generations simultaneously in the workforce? It’s not the first time we’ve had four generations, just four generations in the workforce together.” Burch mentioned that with four generations
of people working together, there are often misconceptions in verbal communication. She emphasized the importance of carefully choosing words among colleagues and people outside of work. “What you say matters,” Burch said. “It matters. It matters to you and it matters to the people around you. Not just the people you work with – your boss, your co-worker, your employees, vendors and customers – it matters to the people in your personal life as well – your loved ones, family and friends. Your words impact others.” To help foster an understanding of the different generations, everyone was asked to share what they thought about each generation. During this, Burch described the qualities of each generation and the time in history during which each one grew up. Burch compared this exercise of understanding and appreciating each generation to the idea of working in another country and having to understand the differences in culture. “Let’s say that, for example, you get to work, and your boss says ‘Congratulations! You’re getting a huge promotion and a big giant, fat raise,
and we’re sending you to India, and you’re going to be in charge of the entire India operation,’” Burch said. “Now I don’t know about you, but if that happened to me, the first thing I would do is Google India, right? Because wouldn’t you want to know ‘Oh my gosh, well what business practices does India use? How do they approach time management? How do they approach negotiation?’ We would want to learn about them so that we could communicate and interact with them better. That is exactly what I mean by celebrate, educate, and communicate. We want to educate ourselves so we understand them. Then we can be more flexible and adaptable in how we deal with them.” Mandy Shaw, Training and Development administrative assistant, said that working with different generations of people in the workforce has been and continues to be a learning experience for her. “Well, I have to learn how to think like they do,” Shaw said. “For instance, even in older or younger generations, they see things differently and they think differently. I have to be open-
minded. I’ve learned that. But, I have to kind of think like they’re thinking or ask them to expand on what they’re thinking, so that I can see what they see.” For Jessica Adams, coordinator of the Center for Professional Development, thinking includes eliminating the stereotypes that generations tend to put on one another. Adams said her (millennial) generation is looked down upon. “Some of them, their parents are more involved in their past 18 things, like college and jobs and stuff,” Adams said. “When the older generations look at us, they lump everyone together in a negative light. I don’t care for that.” Even with the cynical connotation, however, Adams still found hopeful insight in being a millennial. “I’ve learned that I relate more to the other generations than my own,” Adams mentioned. “But, I did learn some good things about my generation, some nice things as opposed to all the negatives everyone likes to say.”
TAMUC Alumna Publishes 13 Books in Four Years Brenda Perez Staff Reporter
Texas A&M University -Commerce Graduate Colleen Hoover has found considerable success as an Indie author publishing 13 young adult Photo Courtesy/H ans Bawary novels since 2012. Hoover graduated from A&MCommerce with a Bachelors in Social Work and worked for Child Protective Services a few years before going on to work for the Women Infants and Children program. While Hoover was working at W.I.C, she wrote her first novel Slammed in 2012 and self published it on Amazon where it was discovered by a popular blogger who helped launch the author. By 2013 Hoover quit her job to pursue a career as an author and was quickly picked up by Atria Publishing Books with whom she signed a contract to republish her novel Slammed and her second novel Point of Retreat. With the exception of her first novel Slammed all of Hoover’s novels have made it to the New York Time’s Bestseller list. In 2013 Hopeless reached number one on Time’s bestseller list where it stayed for three weeks. Several of her books have been optioned to be made into films most recently Slammed, Confess and Ugly Love. The author was approached in 2015 by producers from Hackybox Pictures, Cody Hackman and Nick Bateman, who expressed their interest in purchasing the rights to Ugly
Love. “I got an email from Cody, one of the producers, about wanting to meet to talk about the book rights. They are based in Toronto and I was scheduled to be in Canada the following week for part of a book tour. We met and discussed the film and I was very impressed with their enthusiasm for the book. We had a contract in place several weeks later,” Hoover said. In 2015 the author was awarded Goodread’s Choice Award for best romance of 2015 for her novel Confess. In 2015 she expanded her credentials into charitable work. Hoover, with the help of her family, started a non-profit organization that donates its proceeds to other non profit organizations. The Bookworm Box started as an online subscription box that mailed two signed novels and author swag to subscribers. With the help of volunteers who help pack the boxes once a month they have been able mail more than two-thousand boxes a month. The Bookworm Box grew into a storefront by June 2015 and began selling books in the store as well as their subscription service. In 2015 The Bookworm Box was able to donate $300,000 to several different charities and by July of 2016 has surpassed $500,000 since their launch in February 2015. “I just wanted to help people now that I was in the position to do so,” the author said. Hoover’s latest release It Ends with Us released in August 2016 and is quickly looking to do just as well as, if not exceed, the author previous
Entertainment
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Sept. 15, 2016
Ace Plays to a Full House Sam Stevens Staff Writer This year’s annual Block Party took an exciting turn when Ace Hood, the well-known rapper from South Florida, stopped by to put on a show for the hundreds of excited students there to see him. Unlike the previous year’s headliner (Waka Flaka Flame), Hood came on stage in a timely manner around 8:15 pm, and gave quite a performance. The set list for the night included his well-known hits, such as “Bugatti” and “Hustle Hard,” as well as some new material. While Ace Hood was undoubtedly the highlight of the evening, this year’s opening acts put on quite a show as well. First up was Sunny Sweeney. Sweeney is a Country artist from Longview, Texas, who’s classic sound was well received by the country music fans that were present. Although the crowd was still gathering during Sweeney’s performance, she definitely got some attention as she played through a full set list of original music. Next on stage was Luke Wade, the aspiring soul singer from Dublin, Texas. Wade was made famous in 2014, when he made it to the quarterfinals in the seventh season of The Voice, the well known singing-based talent show. His set list for the night included mostly original work, although he did throw in a few covers. With the combination of country, soul, and rap artists, the Block Party definitely had an appeal to students of all backgrounds and preferences. This was Texas A&M University - Commerce’s seventh an-
nual Block Party, the first being held in 2010 and headlined by the Josh Abbott Band. Every year is filled with fun activities, food, giveaways, and lots of live music. This year was no exception. As students walked through the gates and got their wristbands, they were given free colorchanging cups, hats, tank tops, as well as vouchers for food and drinks. Sodexo catered the party, providing a barbeque themed dinner complete with turkey, chopped beef, beans, macaroni, and cornbread. Walking through the large crowds of people, it was easy to get lost in the multitude of activities. While most people were content with sitting back and watching the live music, there was also a carnival-style dart shooting game, as well as a stunt man. The stunt man, Shel Higgens, had multiple acts throughout the night, including escaping a straitjacket while on a unicycle and jumping rope while on stilts. However, perhaps the most Ace Hood performing. dangerous of his stunts was when he juggled four Tasers while balancing on a wooden beam. Overall, the evening seemed to go as planned. The turnout was consistent with previous years, and many students left pleased.
E ast Texan Photo/Sam Stevens
A Walk of Art Imogene Wofford Todd Kleiboer Editors
Rebeka Boling discussing her artwork.
E ast Texan Photo/K risten Taylor
Encrypting a Life, Rebeka Boling.
E ast Texan Photo/K risten Taylor
Texas A&M University-Commerce’s art department had an art walk on Sept. 6. The art walk was an event for graduate students and faculty to display the concepts that they enjoyed the most. Rebeka Boling, Katie Richie, Carol Riendel and Michelle Miller are students; while Robert Bird, Michael Odom, Joseph Daun and Michael Miller are faculty members. For her pieces, Boling asked her subjects a couple of questions, took their answers and converted them in a text converter, and added them to the subjects’ photos. “I wanted to go further; change the outcomes, I wanted to depict the personalities of the different students of A&M-Commerce,” Boling said on her Encrypting a Life exhibit. Glitch text pieces are created by changing the base codes of wording, which is done by taking the words and putting them in a generator that changes their appearance; Michelle Miller also glitched pictures for her pieces that were a part in the Art Walk. “Since this is me taking over the picture, I like to think the message is that nature always takes over whatever man has made,” she said. Richie used her artwork to recreate the seven steps of Erikson’s Theory of Development.
“I wanted to tell people that life isn’t through yet. There are still many challenges to overcome,” Richie said. Bird painted “Dreams” and “Watermelon.” “[For Dreams] It’s kind of representative of when you leave something behind, you always take something with you to the new place you’re going,” Bird said. Riendel used clay to create masks of the elderly. “The elderly still have stories to tell, and I wanted to show that in my work.” One mask resembled her elderly Cuban neighbor who speaks to her in Spanish. Odom painted a “non-place,” which is a place that people pass through but do not recognize. Daun, who teaches sculpting, put together an abstract structure representing his process of making a sculpture. Michael Miller, who was Associate Professor of Art and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Art, created mixed media paintings. “One blooms where one is planted, and in the mash-up of cultural mores and imagery, in the detritus of a tacky, disposable world, beauty can be discovered and created,” he said.
All Summer Sixteen Manuel Ramirez Staff Writer Summer at the movies was filled with highs and lows, but at the box-office it was mostly lows, literally, as audiences didn’t flood the movie theaters as they used to. So what did the cinema offer that it failed to attract audiences? The summer began on a hopeful note with Captain America: Civil War, as we saw our favorite Marvel heroes battle each other on the big screen with newcomer Black Panther, and the return of everybody’s friendly neighbor Spider-Man. Horror movies, whether they were good or bad, managed to make millions at the box-office; but it was The Conjuring 2 and The Shallows that scared audiences with poltergeists and sharks. Animated films were another success with Seth Rogen’s raunchy Sausage Party drawing an appetizing crowd with adults, while The Secret of Pets staring Louis C.K and Kevin Hart drew in the other half with kids; but, it was Pixar’s Finding Dory that got both young and old audiences to come together as it became the highest grossing film of the year. Hollywood gave its usual dose of sequels, reboots, and remakes and ended empty handed. Sequels underperformed as they
failed to surpass its predecessors; while they weren’t all terrible and made a modest amount of money, it didn’t reach the quota that movie studios were hoping for with films like Star Trek Beyond, X-Men Apocalypse, Jason Bourne, and Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising. Other films like The Nice Guys, Kubo and the Two Strings and The BFG earned praise from critics but bombed at the boxoffice. Among the film franchises Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows performed poorly at the box-office and with critics, but, unlike other franchise potentials in the similar position, it still has a chance for a third installment thanks to its merchandising. Hooray? While Ghostbusters caused quite the uproar before its release, Suicide Squad caused a bigger rift between fans and critics as it received the same polarizing reception like the previous DC movies Batman v Superman and Man of Steel. Let’s hope next year’s Wonder Woman can deliver a more welcoming DC film. You would think after The Lone Ranger, Transcendence and Mortdecai, filmmakers would learn that just because you have Johnny Depp in your movie it doesn’t guarantee a success, the people behind Alice Through the Looking Glass learned this the hard way as it crashed and burned at the box-office. Fran-
Photo Courtesy/ Flickr Creative Commons
chise potentials like Ghostbusters and The Legend of Tarzan didn’t earn enough money for a second film, though in the case in WarCraft, it was a hit in China and rumors have emerged of a possible sequel with the catch that it won’t be released in North America due to its dismal performance. Independence Day: Resurgence failed where Finding Dory succeeded in capturing the nostalgia and spirit of its previous film as it also crashed and burned on arrival; but, none tanked harder than BenHur and Matthew McConaughey’s Free State of Jones. Both films joined the list of 2016 box-office flops with Gods of Egypt, Zoolander No. 2, The Brothers Grimsby, and The Huntsman: Winter’s War; films that no one
saw or remembered ever coming out this year. While it’s true that this summer was filled with less hits and more misses the fall and winter season look promising with Doctor Strange, Star Wars: Rogue One and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find The.. Summer 2017 will give us Spiderman: Homecoming, Despicable Me 3, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Wonder Woman, and War of the Planet of the Apes. Not to mention a fifth Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean film. (sigh). Lets hope they do a better job than what we got this year.
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Sept. 15, 2016
finalscore 68-7
hotshot 5
A&M-Kingsville roll over the Simon Frasier at this home game, improving to 2-0 for the first time since 2012.
Number of strokes that West Texas’s woman golfer Mattye Mason won her first collegiate tournament.
Women’s Track & Field WT’s Leeper named finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year
2016football
Team Conf. Overall East. New Mexico 1-0 1-1 A&M-Kingsville 0-0 2-0 UT-Permian Basin 0-0 2-0 Midwestern State 0-0 1-0 A&M-Commerce 0-0 1-0 Angelo State 0-0 1-1 OK. Panhandle 0-0 1-1 West Texas A&M 0-0 1-1 Tarleton State 0-0 0-2 West. New Mexico 0-1 0-2
Schedule
September 17th OK. Panhandle State AT West. New Mexico A&M-Commerce AT East. New Mexico Angelo State AT Tarleton State Midwestern AT Texas A&M-Kingsville West Texas A&M AT UT-Permian Basin
women’ssoccer
Team Conf. Overall Angelo State 0-0 3-0-1 Texas Woman’s 0-0 2-1 Midwestern State 0-0 2-1-2 A&M-Commerce 0-0 2-2 West Texas A&M 0-0 1-2 East. New Mexico 0-0 0-2-1 UT-Permian Basin 0-0 0-3-1
Schedule
West Texas A&M women’s track & field AllAmerican Bri Leeper made history again on Wednesday afternoon as she was named as one of the 30 finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year. The 30 women selected – 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions - represent 13 sports and a host of undergraduate majors, including biology, accounting, criminal justice, education, engineering and computer science. Leeper joins Emily Brister as the only Lady Buffs in school history to be named a top 30 finalist. Brister, who was named a finalist in 2009, finished her career as
the school record holder for points and was a three-time Lone Star Conference female athlete of the year. “This year’s top 30 honorees have achieved remarkable things during their time in college,” said Sarah Hebberd, chair of the Woman of the Year selection committee and director of compliance at the University of Georgia. “They are model student-athletes for generations of young women to come, and we are immeasurably proud of their accomplishments.” Leeper is one of 10 Division II student-athletes selected from the 142
conference nominees. The 30 finalists have won a combined 12 national championships, 9 Elite 90 winners and 49 All-American honors. The average GPA of the group is 3.92 as 25 student-athletes have been named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. The Amarillo native is a two-time recipient of the Elite 89 award and earned the President’s Award this past year’s WT Athletics Awards Banquet. This past spring at the 2016 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships Leeper ran the second leg on the 4x100meter relay that finished third in a school record time of
Three pick up weekly acclaims
Eight games are on the schedule this week including one Lone Star Conference contest and seven non-conference games. Midwestern State, Texas A&M-Kingsville and UT Permian Basin started the season with wins in non-conference action last week. OFFENSIVE Myles Carr, Texas A&M University Kingsville, SR, QB, Arcadia, Calif., Arcadia Carr surpassed the 300-yard mark in the 2016 season opener, completing 23 of his 28 passes for 313 yards and three scores... Carr, who began the game 8-of-8, found Jordan Photo Courtesy/L onestarconference .org Thomas twice and Chris downed inside the 20 and a long punt Cooper late in the game to of 57 yards. seal the win... he has thrown three or LSC FOOTBALL ON ESPN3 more TDs four times in his Javelina A pair of Lone Star Conference career and the win led the Hogs to their first season opening victory since football games are part of the 2016 Division II Football Showcase 2012. schedule and will be broadcast on DEFENSIVE Josh Wydermyer, Midwestern State ESPN3 and WatchESPN. UT Permian Basin will host University, SO, S, Pflugerville, Texas, West Texas A&M on September 17 in Hendricks HS the Falcon’s first LSC football game Wydermyer made a career-high eight tackles in his first collegiate start in the program’s initial season. The league opener for both teams will leading Midwestern State to a 31-19 win over Truman State Saturday night kickoff at 7 p.m. from Ratliff Stadium. For a second straight season, at Stokes Stadium in Kirksville, Mo. A&M-Commerce will host a national The sophomore from Pflugerville broadcast on October 8 as the Lions spearheaded a defensive effort that welcome Midwestern State. The limited the Bulldogs to 255 yards of game starts at 7 p.m. total offense and just 85 in the second NCAA Division II announced half. 18 of the 22 regular-season football SPECIAL TEAMS games that will be carried on ESPN3, Bailey Giffen, UT Permian Basin, FR, PR/KR, Bryan, Texas, Rudder HS WatchESPN and American Sports Network, after the division entered Giffen was perfect in his first a three-year agreement in 2015 to college game, connecting on a pair deliver Division II athletics events. By of 27 and 30 yard field goals and all comparison, only seven games were three of his extra point attempts. The televised in the 2013-2014 seasons. freshman punted five times with two
Photo Courtesy/L onestarconference .org
45.34. She is one of only three Lady Buffs to have earned three or more All-American honors in a career during the outdoor championships. Leeper recently graduated with a degree in broadcasting and electronic media in May with a 4.0 GPA and was named the 2016 Lone Star Conference Outdoor Track & Field Academic Runner of the Year. During her time at WT, she was heavily involved in Buff Branding and raising money for Make-A-Wish foundation as a member of the Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT). The selection committee will now choose and
announce the nine finalists, with three from each division, at the end of September. Then, from the pool of nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will determine the 2016 Woman of the Year. The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2016 Woman of the Year will be named at the annual banquet Oct. 16 in Indianapolis, Ind. West Texas A&M Director of Athletics Michael McBroom and West Texas A&M Men’s and Women Track and Field Coach Darren Flowers both congratulated Bri on her national achievement.
Score Recap
Football: Italics denote winner September 10th
A&M-Commerce AT Delta State OK Panhandle AT Arkansas-Pine Bluff Simon Frasier AT A&M-Kingsville Arizona Christian AT UT-Permian Basin West. New Mexico AT East. New Mexico Southwest Baptist AT Tarleton State West Texas A&M AT CSU-Pueblo Angelo State AT Northern Michigan Women’s Soccer: Italics denote winner
40-28 20-16 68-7 49-34 37-16 31-28 26-10 47-41
N.M. Highlands AT West Texas A&M Adams State AT East. New Mexico
3-1 2-0
A&M-Commerce AT Central Oklahoma Midwestern State AT A&M-International St. Mary’s AT UT-Permian Basin Fort Lewis AT Angelo State
2-1 2-1 3-1 0-0
West Texas A&M AT Lubbock Christian Dallas Baptist AT Texas Woman’s
Cancel 1-0
September 8th September 9th
September 10th September 11th
Adams State AT UT-Permian Basin 4-0 N.M. Highlands AT Angelo State 2-1 Fort Lewis AT Midwestern State 1-0 St. Edward’s AT A&M-Commerce 2-1 St. Mary’s AT East. New Mexico Cancel Volleyball: Italitcs denote tournament/winner (all not listed)
September 8th
Lubbock Christian AT Tarleton State
September 9th & 10th
Westminister Invitational Western New Mexico Florida Southern/Terrance Hotel Classic Texas Woman’s Tarleton Invitational A&M-Commerce Eastern New Mexico Tarleton State Thunderwolves Classic A&M-Kingsville
3-2 3-1 1-3 1-3 1-3 3-1 3-1
September 15th West Texas A&M AT S.W. Oklahoma State Southern Nazarene AT Midwestern State September 16th Angelo State AT Western State Harding AT A&M-Commerce Oklahoma Baptist AT Texas Woman’s September 17th Southern Nazarene AT West Texas A&M September 19th Southwest AT East. New Mexico September 21st UT-Permian Basin AT Angelo State
2016volleyball
Team
Angelo State
CONF Overall 0-0
9-1
A&M-Kingsville
0-0
8-1
Tarleton State
0-0
7-1
West. New Mexico 0-0
6-3
East. New Mexico 0-0
4-4
Midwestern State
0-0
4-4
A&M-Commerce
0-0
4-4
West Texas A&M
0-0
4-4
UT-Permian Basin 0-0
4-5
Texas Woman’s
0-0
3-5
Cameron
0-0
2-6
Schedule
Italics denote tournaments September 16th West. New Mexico AT A&M-Kingsville West Texas A&M AT Cameron A&M-Commerce AT Tarleton State UT-Permian Basin AT Midwestern State Texas Woman’s AT Angelo State September 17th Texas Woman’s AT Angelo State East. New Mexico AT A&M-Kingsville UT-Permian Basin AT Cameron A&M-Commerce AT Angelo State St. Edward’s vs. West. New Mexico West. New Mexico vs. Midwestern State September 20th Midwestern Sate AT Cameron Texas Woman’s AT A&M-Commerce A&M-Kingsville AT St. Mary’s Angelo State AT Tarleton State New Mexico Highlands AT East. New Mexico
Men’s & Women’s Cross Country September 16th Hardin-Simmons Invitational UT-Permian Basin Angelo State University of Arizona Invitational Western New Mexico Islanders Splash A&M-Kingsville Southern Stampede A&M-Commerce
Page 8
Sept. 15, 2016
Sports
Game schedule Sept. 16: Soccer vs. Harding (7 p.m.)
Sept. 16: Volleyball @ Tarlton State (6 p.m.)
Sept. 17: Football @ Easter n New Mexico (1 p.m.)
Sept. 17: Volleyball @ Angelo State (2 p.m.)
Lady Lions Roar in Home Opener Ricky Moser Sports Editor
E ast Texan Photo/ K risten Taylor
Sept. 11 marked the 2016 home opener for the Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team as they seek their third straight Lone Star Conference tournament championship. The Lions and their two time LSC Coach of the Year, Neil Piper, entered the game against the 2-0 St. Edward’s Hilltoppers with an overall record of 1-2 after playing games in Florida and Oklahoma. Both teams showcased good defense early on, highlighted by some great saves by A&M-Commerce sophomore goalkeeper Caitlin Duty. Duty had five saves in the first half alone. The first goal of the afternoon would be set up by a corner kick midway through the first half as senior forward Vicky Back located the ball in the air and headed it to the far post. “I had plenty of space and the ball came straight in and I knew it was going in the goal. I wasn’t very worried,” Back said. Head coach Neil Piper and A&M-Commerce went into halftime with the 1-0 lead over St. Edward’s. “I thought we were very aggressive. This is a very tough team we’re playing and we have to keep it up,” Piper said. “We just need to take care of our set pieces a little bit more.
I think we could have had a couple more goals on set pieces but we just have to be careful defensively because they’re dangerous. We can’t give them an inch.” The Hilltoppers came out of halftime the more aggressive team, however, taking nine shots and scoring just six minutes into the second half. Tied 1-1 after 90 minutes, the game went into a 10 minute overtime period but A&M-Commerce wasted little time putting the game away for good as freshman midfielder Michelle Kotlik kicked in the game winning goal from near the penalty shot area just 35 seconds into overtime. “I didn’t realize that is was sudden death so I still thought it was like high school and we still had to play the rest of the game so once I saw everyone rushing the field it was an unreal feeling,” Kotlik said. Coach Piper knows the 2-1 win was an important game for his team going forward. “This was a hard game for us, we hadn’t beaten this team in a while and we looked second best in the second half and we survived it and luckily we got the goal in overtime,” Piper said. “We just have to keep working on the little things… and use this momentum and get a streak going.” A&M-Commerce’s next game is Friday night at home against Harding. “We just need to play our game, listen to the coaches, play the balls in the channels and be tough,” Kotlik said.
Running Back Runs Records
Alissa Silva Managing Editor
Lions senior running back Richard Cooper received one of the highest preseason recognitions. LSC head coaches, sports information directors, and media representatives throughout the region handpicked Cooper as the number one Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Year. “I appreciate the award, because of the respect from the league,” Cooper said. “At the end of the day, it’s still a preseason award based on what I’ve done. I’m already looking forward to this season.” Cooper was named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Back of the Year his junior year after leading the Lions with 1,331 rushing yards and an average of 110.9 yards per game. He was also named D2Football.com All-American, All-Lone Star Conference First Team, and Lone Star Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, during the Nov. 9 Angelo State game. “When I first started football, it was just something I loved to do and I was good at it, so I take it as a blessing. I had to work for sure, but also blessed. Without the work, I wouldn’t be where I am.” His football lifestyle began by playing little league in Houston at the age of six. After playing every skilled position, Cooper was always designated as his favorite position, running back. “I’ve been putting the grind in, but this past summer, I’ve been
really ‘turnt’ up just because I feel like this is the year. This is my last year; this is my senior year. We’re the starting class, we came in here as freshmen and really changed up the whole school around. This year will tell it all, it’s either make it or break it.” Ranked sixth in school history in career rushing yardage, Cooper has set a personal goal to surpass his own record in route to setting a new school standard. He hopes to put the icing on his career with an opportunity to play professionally after graduating. In pursuit of that ambitious goal, Cooper focuses on the mental aspect of preparation for games just as diligently as he does the physical. “I try to focus in and play the game in my head,” Cooper said. “I go through preparations throughout the week and throughout practice including the mental reps I put in and the game film I watch. I also listen to music to get my mind right, any ‘turnt’ music with a good vibe like Chief Keef or Rick Ross.” Cooper is an inspiration to his younger teammates like sophomore Tristen Slaughter. “He’s more of a leader by exampletype of a dude, he does things right 9
No. 8 Lions surge to 40-28 win at Delta State Lion Athletics The No. 8 Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions scored 23 consecutive points to push to a 40-28 win over Delta State University at Parker Field on Saturday night. With the key win, the Lions move to 2-0 on the season, while dropping the Statesmen to 1-1. The Lions opened the scoring on the first drive of the night, as Kristov Martinez capped off an 11-play, 54-yard drive with a 38-yard field goal. Hatari Byrd intercepted a pass on Delta State’s first series and returned it the to the Statesmen 9-yardline. Cooper ran around the right end for a touchdown on the ensuing play to make it a 10-0 game with 10:02 left in the opening quarter. After Delta State drove 58 yards for a touchdown, the Lions were set up in great field position by a 48-yard kickoff return by Buck Wilson. Cooper punched it in from eight yards out on the fourth play of the drive to push the lead to 17-7 with 6:38 left in the first quarter.
out of 10 times,” Slaughter said. “He’s knowledgeable about the game and the things he does, so he answers my questions well and then he can also show me as well.” Cooper summed up his team role by saying, “I consider myself a natural leader. I put in the hard work. “My goals this year are to put up some numbers, win the national championship for the school, and take Commerce somewhere it’s never been. As a team, we are definitely capable of this.”
Photo courtesy/ Lionathletics
Richard Cooper carried the ball a total of 22 times for 87 yards against Delta State, Saturday.
Delta State scored the next two touchdowns on Chris Robinson carries of 1 and 2 yards to make it a 21-17 lead for the hosts with 8:45 left in the half. The Lions retook the lead with 7:10 to play in the half on a 66-yard touchdown pass from Luis Perez to Lance Evans, making it a 24-21 lead that would remain into the halftime break. A&M-Commerce kept the heat on in the second half while shutting the Statesmen down. Gabe Rodriguez came in for a short yardage situation and scored a 3-yard touchdown to cap a 7-play, 88-yard drive and make it a 31-21 Lion lead with 9:38 left in the third quarter. Martinez drilled a 35-yard field goal just before the end of the third quarter and the next Lion drive ended on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Perez to Wilson, making it a 40-21 lead with just under 10 minutes in the fourth quarter. DSU scored a touchdown with a backup quarterback running the offense, but the Lion defense stepped up and forced the hosts to turn the ball over on downs twice in the final four minutes. A&M-Commerce quarterback Luis Perez completed 17-of-23
passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns to lead a Lions offense which did not turn over the ball all night. Richard Cooper carried the ball 22 times for 87 yards with touchdowns of 9 and 8 yards. Lance Evans had four receptions for 123 yards and a 66-yard touchdown. Linebacker Hatari Byrd had 11 solo tackles and an interception with a 26-yard return The Lions’ defense did not allow DSU to score with quarterback Tyler Sullivan on the field, picking off the Harlon Hill candidate three times. In addition to Byrd, Garrett Blubaugh and D.J. White picked Sullivan off. Kristov Martinez was perfect in the kicking game with field goals of 38 and 35 yards as well as four PATs. The Lions head west to Eastern New Mexico for their Lone Star Conference opener on Saturday, September 17. Kickoff at the new Greyhound Stadium on the ENMU campus is set for 1 p.m. Mountain Time.