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March 10,2021
Winter Storm Rocks Commerce
Brianna Patt
M anaging Editor
Texas A&M UniversityCommerce has been subject to power outages and water system loss in light of the massive winter storms that hit the state. The storm originally caused A&M-Commerce to shut down Feb. 12 as a result of the inclement weather. By Sunday, Commerce had received over four inches of snow. The school closure was extended through the week with classes set to resume Feb. 22. Commerce ISD originally announced it would be closed
The Garvin Lake fountains were frozen during the storm
Feb. 10. District officials eventually reported that they return to business as
usual Feb. 22 as well. This storm has not just affected Commerce
Photo | John Parsons
education. Public radio station KETR reported Feb. 17 that the water
system was down across Commerce. Citizens were advised to boil
their water prior to drinking it to remove damaging bacteria after it comes back on. The City of Commerce began sending water into town Feb. 18 at 7 a.m. As of Feb. 18, city staff had still been working on water services, according to KETR. Hunt County had 11 power outages as of Feb. 19, according to Oncor. Click the link below to check power outages by county: https://stormcenter. oncor.com/external/ default.html/ reports/8a3a024866cb-4e05-b7d8649e570562d5.
Student Service Fee funding meetings to be held From the Office of the VP for Student Success & Dean of Students:
Ferguson Hall
Photo | John Parsons
Please be advised that the Texas A&M UniversityCommerce Student Service Fee Advisory
Committee will hold meetings to review and discuss FY2022 Student Service Fee requests. All meetings and presentations are open to the public. SSF funding decisions will be made in the context of the Texas A&M
System definition of Student Services Fees (Education Code; Sec. 54.503). Presentations are currently scheduled for March 29-31, 2021, with Committee Meetings to follow. Final Schedules will be posted on the
Dean of Students site at: http://www.tamuc. edu/CampusLife/ DeanOfStudents/ Funding%20 Opportunities%20 in%20CLSD/default. aspx.
BSU offers a variety of events to the university Aliyah Sabir Staff Reporter The Black Student Union is a cultural organization at Texas A&M UniversityCommerce that serves Black and African American students and faculty. Primarily, their goal is to enhance educational opportunities for Black students and to raise awareness of political and cultural issues faced by the demographic. “BSU is a great org bringing awareness to things that are going on around the world dealing with Black excellence or the problems that can be solved,” Derrick Sneed, junior, said. “I heard about BSU at ManeStreet. I liked the
variety of events they offered for interacting with students.” The first Black Student Union was founded in 1966 at San Francisco State University, a primarily white institution. According to JaKyra Givens, junior, it was a safe place for the Black community to gather after segregation. She also heard about BSU at ManeStreet in 2019. “I like the community that it builds. It brings Black students closer to one another,” Givens said. Black Student Union is open to all students, though, regardless of race. “We have general body meetings every other week on Thursdays at 5:30 in
Traditions at the Student Center,” Givens said. But the BSU extends beyond the Black community and the Commerce campus, reaching out to other organizations, raising awareness of global issues and doing community service. Cultural organizations play a large role on campuses, surrounding students with similar individuals and exposing them to other groups as well. “I feel like diversity isn’t taught that much in the classroom, so that’s where the organizations pick up the slack. They aren’t closed off to one specific culture so all of the students here have the opportunity to experience different cultures,” Givens added.
Agang Tac shoots for two during the LSC quarterfinal game
Photo | John Parsons