February 7, 2013 by The Houstonian

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Volume 123 / Issue 6

Dance graduate students to present master’s thesis concert, “It Begins With a Dream” in PAC on Thursday and Friday.

Frazier: Boys Scouts of America needs to include athiests, agnostics and non-religious members

Sam Houston State University announces 2013 signing class

www.HoustonianOnline.com

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Veterans respond to women in combat roles SOPHIE NELSON Senior Reporter After a ban on women being allowed to fight in combat was lifted the nation was left wondering what is next, and if the move was wise. Veterans of the armed forces on the Sam Houston State University campus all spoke against the idea, objecting with many reasons why women should not be allowed in every area of combat for many reasons One SHSU veteran, who chose to remain anonymous, said that the move was a bad idea and would not work out well in the future. “I have nothing against the idea of women in combat, it’s just the fact that women are built differently than men, which is something I believe will cause huge problems,” the veteran said. “Personal hygiene for women is different from mens’ and is not suited for open combat.” The veteran said the problems could also be legal and safety issues. “Sexual harassment or rape charges and even pregnancy will be issues with guys and women living in close quarters for long periods of time,” the veteran said. “And one of the biggest threats of all is having women on the mission could —

COMBAT, page 6

AP Photo | South Dakota National Guar, Sgt. Andrew Turner

Dodge ‘farmer’ commercial grows on nation Suspect

charged with assault at SHV

AUDRA BERRY Staff Reporter Ram Trucks’ two-minute “Farmer” ad featuring a slideshow of rural Americana photos scrolling through a scratchy recording of Paul Harvey’s famous “So God Made a Farmer” speech, originally delivered to the Future Farmers of America Convention in 1978, has received a positive reception in the agricultural community. The advertisement received overwhelmingly positive reception across the nation and was the most commented about advertisement in social media, according to Bluefin Labs, receiving more than 402,000 public comments and tweets. The advertisement also sparked a 55 percent increase in search activity for Dodge’s Ram Trucks brand according to the Wall Street Journal. The success of Dodge’s marketing campaign came through the increased surge in recognition of related topics including farming, agriculture and the National FFA Organization. Google Trends shows the FFA internet search activity comes close to rivaling that seen during the agricultural education organization’s annual convention held each October. “It definitely brought agriculture to the forefront of people’s minds for at least two minutes,” SHSU graduate Krystin

SOPHIE NELSON Senior Reporter

Provided by Dodge Ram Trucks YouTube

AG SUPPORT: Dodge Ram Truck’s two-minute “Farmer” commercial has positively impacted the Ag community.

Bodden said, “that in itself is an accomplishment [for the agriculture industry].” This is good news for the agriculture industry, especially agricultural educators and colleges, like Sam Houston State University, that support agricultural related degrees.

“I had a high school student call me after [the ad aired] and told me she wanted to be an ag teacher,” Doug Ullrich, Ph.D., agricultural education professor. “Imagine, an ad having an impact like that. It’s great!” “The ad was voted most memorable of [the] 2013 [Super

Bowl],” Veronica Plant, SHSU graduate said, “and it’s not only ag people who watch the Super Bowl.” Although the agricultural community has seen success, viewers have criticized the religious undertone.

A Houston man was arrested in the early morning hours on Feb. 2 for allegedly assaulting a Sam Houston State University student later determined to be his girlfriend according to University Police Chief Kevin Morris. According to Morris, dispatch sent out Officer Dan Barrett at 4:27 a.m. after seeing part of the assault on one of the many cameras that are installed in the Sam Houston Village dorm. A UPD press release stated the suspect was visiting his girlfriend, as he was not a student. The man was arrested after Barrett investigated the situation and charged the man with a Class A Misdemeanor of assault causing Bodily Injury Family Violence. The condition of the female student was not available due to the investigation still ongoing.

CHL bill introduced to gain student support JAY R. JORDAN Senior Reporter A bill introduced to the Sam Houston State University Student Government Association will put student support behind passage of the concealed handgun license holders to carry on campus bill that will be going through the Texas Legislature. Caucus Chair for the College of Business, Joshua Beaman introduced Senate Bill S13-02

on Tuesday during SGA’s weekly meeting. “[The bill] allows us to say yes, as a student body here at Sam Houston State, we’re in support of being able to protect ourselves,” said Beaman. “The purpose of it is so show our support to the state to say that we want something changed, either allow us to protect ourselves more, or budget more… cops, more security guards in buildings.” Beaman announced during the

meeting that he did not want this bill rushed through SGA without the student body’s consent first. “I don’t want to be that senator… that forces this through in one meeting,” Beaman said. “This is such a big issue. This is being talked about in the national media, it’s being talked about around the state. I feel [the students] have the right to come and talk, show their opinion, so that… if it passes it doesn’t backfire on [SGA].” College of Education senator

William Searuggs voiced his support for the bill during the meeting but petitioned to have an amendment added to the bill that every CHL holding student, faculty or staff member be reported to UPD. “I would like for there to be a little more regulation,” Searuggs said. “Just to have a little more safety for myself, I would rather the people who have CHL licenses here at Sam Houston State… to —

BILL, page 6

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News

Thursday, February 7, 2013 houstonianonline.com/news

Campus

SHSU history dept. hopes to peak interest in African American history MOLLY WADDELL News Editor

The Sam Houston State University History Department is hosting a Black History Month speaker and film series aimed at learning about the major developments in Black History. Professors will talk about different things that affect African Americans and films featuring black history will be shown, according to Director of Graduate Studies, Jeff Littlejohn, Ph.D. Littlejohn wants students to walk away from this series wanting to learn more about African American History. “We hope that the speech and film series will encourage students to develop interest in African American History and to realize many of the challenges that have taken place in the 20th century that have been results of the grass roots activists,” Littlejohn said. “Many activists are taking great risk to stop discrimination between 1865-the mid-20th century. “ Associate history professor at SHSU Wesley Phelps, Ph.D. is discussing the war on poverty in Houston and the way that African Americans were affected by that poverty at 9:30 a.m. Associate professor, Bernadette

provided by the history department

Pruitt, Ph.D. is giving a brief overview of her upcoming book, “The Other Great Migration: Rural African Americans Move to Houston, Texas.” In her book

Pruitt talks about the way that African Americans from East Texas migrated to Houston and how they affected Houston at 11:00 a.m.

Students voice opinions to SGA JAY R. JORDAN Staff Reporter Students voiced their concern over issues facing the Sam Houston State University in the first of two Student Government Association focus group meetings happened on Tuesday. SGA representatives will be travelling to Austin to speak to the Texas State University System Board of Regents meeting in Austin. SGA Vice President Kolby Flowers opened the forum asking what problems the students are having with parking on campus. “The quality’s not great for parking,” Brian Jacobs, senior history major said. Jacobs said the number of spots was sufficient in his opinion, but the low dips and large potholes in campus parking lots make arriving on campus a risky endeavor. SGA President Shane Rankin said there isn’t much the university can do right now. “Sam Houston State, the university itself is kind of landlocked right now,” Rankin

provided by SGA

VOICE. The first SGA focus group was a succes, be a part of the second one on Feb. 12 at 4:00 p.m.

said. “There isn’t a whole lot of area where we can build. Stuff has to come down for other stuff to go up.” Students and SGA members also said that Katsafe’s response time isn’t sufficient enough for it to be effective and recalled the delay of notice for the recent Smith-Hutson Building alert. “My classes are in the business building,” SGA Chief of Staff Ramiro Jaime Jr. said “I got a text message saying that classes are cancelled until further notice. Then I got another text message at 2 p.m., after my class, that classes will resume at 11… and I already missed my class.”

Flowers said the problem could be associated with the number of students. “[Katsafe messages] roll out over time, since there are so many people to send the messages to,” Flowers said. “That’s definitely something that we’ll portray to [the Board of Regents].” Another grievance students posed was the amount of student services the school offers, and how many counseling sessions each student is allowed during the school year. “If you do have to go to counseling, you’re only allowed 12 sessions a year,” Senator of College of Science Robert Ferguson said. He said that this isn’t enough for students with severe depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. The lack of support forces them to either drive to another counseling center in Houston or deal with those issues in “other ways.” The SGA will host a second focus group on Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Room 304 in order to gauge student opinion for a better representation of SHSU students.

Littlejohn will be talking about intra-racial disagreements within the civil rights movement and the way lawyers within the NAACP deal with these disagreements at

12:30 p.m. “Most of the time they [The NAACP] only get small cases, but even when they do get big results like Brown vs Board of Education the results take years, even decades,” Littlejohn said. Visiting assistant professor, Lindsey Swindall, Ph.D., is also giving an overview of her book, “Paul Robeson: A Life of Activism and Art.” Swindall’s book is about one of the great radical activists of the early 20th century, Paul Robeson at 2 p.m. Visiting assistant professor, Lila Rakoczky Ph.D. will be talking about the contribution African Americans made in WWI and the racial discrimination they faced at 3:30 p.m. The films being shown are: “The Help” on Feb. 11, “Red Tails” on Feb. 12, “Freedom Riders” on Feb. 18, “Malcolm X” on Feb. 19, “Citizen King” on Feb. 26 and “Neo African Americans” on Feb. 27. The films being shown in the series will be on their respective dates at 6:00 p.m in the Olson auditorium in Academic Building 4. A discussion will follow the screenings. Professors from SHSU and other universities will speak on campus on Feb. 19 in the Lowman Student Center, room 315.

OUYA game console to be sold at all major retailers this June CHRISTIAN VAZQUEZ Staff Reporter OUYA, the android app-based gaming console that is sweeping the gaming world by storm, will be available in all major retailers such as Amazon, Target and Best Buy in June. The Rubik’s Cube sized console will be priced at $99. Students at Sam Houston State University are divided about the announcement. “Android mobile gaming on a console is awesome,” freshman student Samira Williams said. “It’s totally legit.” Another student doesn’t like it because it is not his kind of game. “I wouldn’t like the OUYA for myself. I’m pretty picky when it comes to games,” freshman student Kristopher Beverly said. “I think it’d be better for those who are really into indie games.” The console came to fruition from Kickstarter.com, a crowd-

sourced funding website. The OUYA project raised $8.6 million last August. According to Wired. com, OUYA sold over 68,000 through it’s Kickstarter campaign alone. The company is continuing to offer pre-orders through their website Ouya.tv. Gaming developer DoubleFine announced today that they, along with the Words With Friends creator, have partnered with OUYA. They won’t have to purchase expensive software to create their projects; they can do it straight from the console. As for the question of OUYA’s potential success, Williams is very positive about it. “I definitely think it will because the portable convenience gives it an edge”, Williams said. Beverly, however, feels cautiously optimistic. “I think it will to an extent”, Beverly said. “But I don’t know if indie games will pick up enough popularity for it to succeed in the long run”.

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Page 3

Viewpoints

Thursday, February 7, 2013 houstonianonline.com/viewpoints

Boy Scout leaders should ‘be prepared’ to include more

Matt Frazier says BSA should include not only homosexuals but also atheists, agnostics and non-religious members

The Boy Scouts of America announced today it has delayed the decision to lift the ban on homosexuals until May. The BSA has been accepting input from everyone, both members and non-members, on whether they are for or against the ban being reversed. Currently, numbers are not known for which side has larger numbers, but things are looking quite promising. If this passes in May it will be a great step forward from the BSA. However, even if the ban is lifted, Scouting will still not include everyone. In addition to historically excluding homosexuals, the BSA has also had a policy against atheist, agnostic or non-religious members. The BSA’s argument for this is different than the argument for excluding homosexuals. They cite the Scout Oath, which mentions “Duty to God” and the Scout Law, stating “A Scout is Reverent.” The ideology of some nonreligious people is that they are “their own god,” doing the best they

can for themselves and includes non-Christian the benefit of others. religions such as Buddhism, Given the wide range Baha’i, Hinduism and of religions that the Zoroastrianism. BSA accepts, there There is even a religious is no reason that the medal program in the non-religious cannot BSA for many religions, be accepted with including the four their own personal previously mentioned. On philosophies. Deron the path to Eagle, religionSmith, a spokesperson related requirements are for the BSA, said that a rarity, if at all. At most changing the policy campouts and summer MATT FRAZIER toward atheists was not camps there is an optional considered. It makes the Online News Developer religious service held. Some policy change against troops attend it as a whole homosexuals a disappointment as it while others let their members seems like only a baby step to be all decide individually if they wish to inclusive. attend. Many would argue that the BSA It would seem absurd if the BSA is a religious organization therefore really believed that the non-religious excluding non-religious members cannot be good Scouts. The lack of makes sense. In reality, it seems belief in a god or godlike figure does more like religion is hardly a part of not make a human being any less of Scouting. a functioning, moral and upstanding The only religious requirement member of society. is belief in a god or godlike figure. The BSA is all about developing This means that as long as a member the character young boys as they has a religion he is allowed in. This grow older. It simply does not make

sense to say that those without a religion cannot develop character and morals. That can be safely said because plenty of people live their lives and accomplish great things for the world, all without having a religion. George Orwell, Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe and Hellen Keller were all atheists. Would these people have made great Scouts if the BSA had existed in their time? Absolutely, we know they accomplished great things and lived with high morals in their lives. It can also be safely said that atheists make great Scouts because many of them already are Scouts, some even have achieved the rank of Eagle. Right now they have to keep their beliefs, or lack thereof, hidden because they would be removed from Scouting if the wrong people were to discover them. This probably sounds quite familiar, as it is exactly what homosexuals in Scouting have to do. Hopefully the BSA will make that end in May.

North Korean nuclear tests are nothing but bark TAYLOR LIKENS Staff Reporter Kim Jong Un, ruler of North Korea and Porky Pig look-alike, recently declared a new era aggressiveness against the United States, which he assures us is nothing like any of their past eras of aggressiveness. This time, much to the dismay of the international community, North Korea has taken the first few steps towards walking the walk with a series of nuclear missile tests and blatant threats that their missiles are “aimed at” the United States. Of course this was hardly crazy enough. Not to be outdone by their own past eccentrics, the North Korean media uploaded a video to YouTube that some (me) have called “the infallible masterwork of modern cinema.” The video—which has somehow been misinterpreted as hostile—depicts a Korean man peacefully dreaming of the sweet, fiery destruction of Manhattan Island to the tune of “We Are the World,” featuring visuals from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The video was later removed on account of copyright infringement. On a side note; there was not a single joke in the above paragraph. Look it up. Apparently having forgotten that this is the

sort of charade North Korea pulls just about every other week, many Americans found themselves suddenly nervous at the thought of confrontation with the idiots of the East. Rest assured when making a list of things that are worth fearing, North Korea should probably land somewhere between the Amish and aggressive hamsters. A direct attack on the U.S. is not advisable for a nation whose economic strength and military might is roughly that of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Phrases such as “suicide mission” fail to describe how self-destructive any acts of legitimate hostility would be for North Korea. Be that as it may, the real concern lies not in North Korea itself, but their alliances. A war with North Korea could, on paper, potentially result in the United States butting horns with China. The Korea/China alliance, however, has about as much reliability as anything else built in North Korea. As time passes, it becomes ever more obvious that China would abandon North Korea should push come to shove. In 2010 the notorious Wikileaks released a document detailing China’s willingness to support a unified Korea, under the condition it would be ruled by the South Korean government. The year before, China’s vice foreign minister was quoted as having said that

North Korea behaved like “a spoiled child” to gain American attention. Meanwhile, in light of recent events, Hua Chunying of the Chinese foreign ministry announced that China will “oppose any behavior… not beneficial towards the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.” You see, whether they’re an honest, redblooded American or a godless robo-communist Chinaman, pretty much nobody has much interest in starting a third world war. There isn’t really much for either nation to gain, it’s bad for the global economy and can be hell to get out of the carpet. Not to mention the fact that China and the United States are so economically codependent that a war between them would be as reasonable as siamese twins attempting to murder one another (hilariously). Ultimately not much has actually changed. North Korea isn’t any more insane than it’s ever been and the United States is no more vulnerable to them. North Korea is still just the fat kid hiding atop the jungle gym, wailing across the playground about how his imaginary friends are going to beat us all up one day. I learned a phrase recently and have been waiting for some time to use it. Now I can. Calm yo tits, ladies and gentlemen. Calm yo tits.

Letter to the editor Dear Editor, I am writing in response to Richard McKinney’s February 4 article, “Becoming a Vegetarian: Quitting Cold Turkey.” It is no surprise that Richard would adopt a healthier, more humane diet: According to a study by foodservice provider Bon Appétit, the number of college students who identify themselves as vegetarian has risen by 50 percent since 2005 and the number of vegan students has more than doubled during the same period. Students are horrified to learn that cows have their throats slit while they’re still conscious and that chickens are scalded to death in hot water. It’s simply not the kind of industry that students want to support. In addition to enduring cruelty, farmed animals produce about 130 times as much waste as the entire human population of the United States does. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the runoff from factory farms pollutes our rivers and lakes more than all other industrial sources combined. From the smallest community colleges to the largest state schools, vegan options are everywhere nowadays, as a direct result of student pressure. Dining staff should look to schools such as the University of North Texas, whose all-vegan dining hall, Mean Greens, serves up exciting vegan fare for students. Richard and his fellow students interested in adopting a more compassionate diet should visit peta2.com to request a free vegetarian/vegan starter kit. Sincerely, Kenneth Montville College Campaigns Assistant People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

PAWS UP

Applebee’s commits social media suicide

Morgan Mears says Applebee’s needs to admit its wrong doings

H e l l hath no fury like an Appl e b e e’s scorned. L a s t week an Appl e b e e’s employee, Chelsea Welch, was fired after MORGAN MEARS taking a Staff Reporter photo of a c ustomer’s receipt and putting the image on Reddit. The ex-employee shared the photo because of what was written on the receipt. According to ABC News, Alois Bell, a St. Louis pastor, crossed out the 18 percent gratuity that was included on the receipt due to the size of Bell’s party and instead of placing a different amount in the place for the tip she wrote in a zero and then left a note that said “I give God 10% why do you get 18?” After finding a photo of her receipt online, Bell returned to the same Applebee’s and demanded that the woman who originally served her, as well as the woman

who posted the photo be fired. Applebee’s reportedly fired the employee who posted the photo of the receipt. Even from the point of view of a Christian, the actions that Bell and the St. Louis Applebee’s took were wrong and completely uncalled for. Bell may give God her 10 percent every month as a tithe, but it isn’t supposed to come from someone’s tip. A tithe is when someone takes 10 percent of their income and they give it to a religious group, normally they give the money back to their church. While restaurants may strive to drill the old saying “the customer is always right” into their employees, in this case it just isn’t so. Bell wasn’t right; while the note itself is justifiable, placing a zero on the tip section of the bill was not. As if firing the woman didn’t bring Applebee’s enough embarrassment and criticism, when Internet users took to the restaurant’s Facebook page they were stunned to see that many of their comments that had been deemed “negative” by those in charge of the page had been deleted late the same night that they had been posted.

According to ABC News, around 2 a.m. the Applebee’s Facebook team began removing or “hiding” comments on a status they had posted to try and alleviate some of the harsh worded attacks that were coming their way. They hid comments on the update that could be viewed as negative or comments that described Applebee’s as an uncaring and heartless establishment. After realizing that their comments were being removed, users started replying with sarcastic remarks such as “Anyone else wondering if Applebee’s hired the pastor to delete our comments?” Soon after their comments had been removed many of the users were tagged in a status update from the Applebee’s page. The status went on to say that they valued the users as guests and hoped they would continue to visit their establishment but that they did not know the full story behind the incident and why Ms. Welch was fired. It was a nice gesture but it lost any and all meaning when the same status update was copied and pasted minutes later only with different people tagged in it.

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Most people would stop there, not the Applebee’s social media team. According to rltwordpress.com, Applebee’s then began to reply back to users, and tag them specifically in comments in which the Applebee’s team tried to cover up their mistake in firing Ms. Welch. The media team then commented on how they are deeply upset that the public was upset with them, they were still in the right. The media team then stated that Applebee’s had done no wrong because the Facebook users that were comment on the update did not know the “full story.” Applebee’s list of mistakes continues to grow as the controversy goes on. From firing Welch, to hiding “negative” comments on Facebook, Applebee’s and its social media team seem to have a bit of growing up to do. The only way to end this controversy is to hire Chelsea Welch back to calm the public. The next step would be to fire its media team and hire a completely new one. Applebee’s needs to step up and admit its wrong doings and stop hiding from the issue like a child.

Staff Reporters Morgan Mears Taylor Likens Karmen King Carian Parker Richard McKinney Ashley Prchlik Ryan Bowers Christian Vazquez Audra Berry

PAWS UP to signing day at SHSU. We welcome the new signing class of 2013.

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Page 4

Arts&Entertainment

Thursday, February 7, 2013 houstonianonline.com/a-e

Dance to take audiences inside ‘Dreams’ uses large projections to depict months of work by both students life-sized playing cards that bring and is one of the last steps in the feelings of seclusion to life on becoming a Master of Fine Arts. stage. Next, Harrell and Amison will “I researched Freud and his complete the writing portion ideas of free of their thesis and I’m nervous but I’m also present their research association which is allowing the really excited,” Harrell to a committee of mind to associate said. “During my two and faculty members in different thoughts a half years in grad school the dance department. to dreams and I discovered choreography Despite being how they form,” is my passion. nervous, Harrell said Harrell said. the concert represents “I also looked -Laura Harrell, graduate a rewarding end to a into Carl Jung’s student long process. work on active “I’m nervous but imagination and using dreams as I’m also really excited,” Harrell therapy. The choreography is my said. “During my two and a half own form of therapeutic release.” years in grad school I discovered However, putting the concert choreography is my passion. has not gone without some It’s ironic that my show is about obstacles. dreams and this is my dream come “I have an intense design and true.” working with walls has definitely “It Begins with a Dream” will been challenging because we begin at 8 p.m. on both nights in had to learn how to incorporate the PAC and is free for everyone them with the dancers,” Harrell to attend, however tickets are said. “Kiera has more than thirty required for entry. dancers in her concert, so that For more information call the becomes a challenge to make sure box office at 936-294-2339. they’re all on the same page.” “It Begins With a Dream” represents the culmination of

GEORGE MATTINGLY Arts and Entertainment Editor

DREAMING Two students incorporate fabric with partner work to depict another facet of dreams in the thesis concert of “Fragments of a Mind”.

“

George Mattingly | The Houstonian

Two dance graduate students will take audiences on a journey through dreams and history as they present their Master Thesis Concert, “It Begins With A Dream” tonight and Friday. Held in the Performing Arts Center Dance Theatre, the concert will feature the choreography of Kiera R. Amison in “An American Dream”, which tells the story of the struggles and experiences faced by African American people throughout history. “The sections travel forward in time from the abolition of slavery depicting the challenges and triumphs African Americans faced as well as exploring the emotion of these shared experiences,” Amison said. The concert will also explore the mind through dreams in “Fragments of a Mind”, choreographed by Laura Harrell. The choreography draws inspiration from psychology and the science of dreams. One section called “My Nest”

SHSU DJ to compete in Houston contest GEORGE MATTINGLY Arts & Entertainment Editor One Sam Houston State University student will compete in a Red Bull Thre3Style University DJ contest this weekend with the chance to move on to the regional competition. Ashton Winfree, senior double major in marketing and management, will compete against four other DJs from four other universities including Prairie View A&M University, and Rice University. Each contestant will have 15 minutes to incorporate three different music styles in their set with the chance to win $1,000 and the chance to compete in the regional contest in Dallas.

Contestants will be judged based on their skills, originality and creativity, track selection and audience response. Winfree said his time deejaying for several campus fraternity and sorority events at SHSU has helped him to prepare for the contest. “[Deejaying] has definitely helped me to connect with the audience and get a feel of what the audience likes, which is a big part of winning the contest,” Winfree said. “I just want to bring my own style and personality to the contest and put it all into the turntables. The competition will be held on Feb. 9 beginning at 10 p.m. at Warehouse Live in Houston. Tickets are free for everyone.

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Sports

Thursday, February 7, 2013 houstonianonline.com/sports

2013 signing class will add depth to O-line CONNOR HYDE Sports Reporter Sam Houston State’s offensive line will experience new renovations as coach Willie Fritz announced six offensive linemen to join his squad for the 2013 season during Wednesday’s signing ceremony. With the large senior class departing from the championship program, Fritz and his coaching staff had holes to fill up front and in the defensive secondary with the large 2013 signing class. “The two primary areas we wanted to of make sure we did a good job of is with our offensive line and our secondary,” Fritz said. Of the 19 recruits honored, Fritz emphasized the strength of the incoming offensive line class’s mobility and size. With the average height of the incoming linemen class surpassing six feet and pushing close to 300 pounds, Fritz and his staff wanted players who could step in immediately and integrate quickly into their offensive scheme. “We are looking for guys who can play for us sooner rather than later on the offensive line,” he said. “I think we’ve maybe raised the level of competition of who we are going against…there’s a lot more competition than we’ve had in the past.” Offensive lineman Aaron Sowell of Katy High School is expected to contribute to SHSU’s success up front in the 2013 season. As a member of the undefeated State Championship Katy Tiger squad, Sowell’s exposure within a championship program will anticipate him as a four year starter as a Bearkat.

Connor Hyde | The Houstonian

THE NEXT STEP: Offensive line coach Bart Tatum (left) and head coach Willie Fritz (right) announce 19 high school prospects joining the Bearkat team

for the 2013 season. Five of the 19 recuits were all offensive linemen, and some will have a chance to start next season.

“He’s got the mass at 285 pounds that we think he can [contribute immediately,]” Fritz said. “When it comes down to two players and one guy is from a championship program and the other guy is from a .500 ball club, you’d rather have the guy from the championship program.” Merging offensive explosiveness and defensive ball awareness will be a pillar of the Bearkat secondary with two recruits playing on both sides of

the ball. “We are really trying to find those explosive offensive players who can also play on the defensive side of the ball,” Fritz said. “You got to have more explosive players covering those explosive players on the other side of the ball.” Rice High School All-State honorable mention Ragan Henderson will look to see time offensively and defensively as a running back and possible linebacker. Rushing for 2,109

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and 23 touchdowns in his senior season, Henderson broadens SHSU’s already established running attack behind Timothy Flanders and Keshawn Hill. Integrating the 2013 signing class within the current program was effortless with the assistance of the veteran players, Fritz said. “It’ll start now getting the guys fully enrolled and coming here for some spring ball practices,” Fritz said. “We’d like to get as many of these young men here in the

summer as we could start them in their academic careers and get them in the weight room.” With the promise of a strong signing class, Fritz reassures bringing a national championship to SHSU. “We’ve got to continue to keep striving to get better and better student athletes each and every year,” Fritz said. For a full list of the 2013 recruiting class, visit www. gobearkats.com.

Alabama once again takes No. 1 recruiting class on 2013 National Signing Day RYAN BOWERS Staff Reporter National Signing Day for College Football, an event that is as big as the NFL Draft for some fans, has come and gone. At the top of the class rankings were the usual suspects. Alabama, Florida, Ohio State and Notre Dame hauled in the top four classes according to ESPN.com. You can also find Michigan (6), Louisiana State (7), Florida State (9) and Georgia (10) in the top ten. There were surprises in the top rankings however, as Ole Miss hauled in the number five recruiting class in the nation, fending off questions about its recruiting tactics and whether any rules were broken in helping it achieve such a lofty ranking. With a total class of 28 signees, Ole Miss was able to sign many high profile players that boosted their rating with expectations that these players will have an immediate impact on the win-loss record for the next few years. Players included the No. 1 overall recruit DE Robert Nkemdiche, whose brother plays linebacker for the Rebels, Nos. 1 and 2 Offensive Tackles Laremy Tunsil and Austin Golson, No. 1 Wide Receiver Laquon Treadwell and No. 2 Safety Antonio Conner. There were many who said Ole Miss being able to land so many recruits had to mean that some rules violations took place. After all, this is a football team that is playing in a conference with recruiting giants such as Florida, Georgia, Alabama and LSU. The football team has not won the SEC championship since 1968 and they have never won the SEC West. Their win against Auburn last year stopped a 16 game conference losing streak, so it’s understandable why so many people have a hard time believing that they could gather so many top recruits so soon. According to head coach Hugh Freeze, however, there were a lot of individual factors that equaled the program being able to sign so many top players. “There were some unique circumstances. It was a perfect storm,” Freeze said. Ole Miss wasn’t the only surprise however. Texas A&M is clearly riding the high of beating then No. 1 Alabama and winning 11 games with the eventual Heisman winner Johnny Manziel by reeling in a No. 8 class ranking with a whopping 34 commits. Texas seems to be losing its luster

with certain players as it reeled in just a No. 15 ranking after a decade of usually hauling in a top 3 class. Other schools who surprised people with their rankings were North Carolina (20), Vanderbilt (22), Baylor (28) and Kentucky (36). These are all teams that occasionally make it into the top 50, but almost never higher. There were surprises from individual players as well, as some very high profile athletes either picked schools after refusing to reveal earlier who they were leaning on or stuck by their commitments after mounting pressure to change. Christian Hackenberg, the No. 1 QB in the nation, honored his commitment to Penn State even though there was some pressure to swap colleges considering the Nittany Lions are banned from bowl or postseason games for the next two years. Mackenzie Alexander chose Clemson as his choice college. Alexander, the No. 2 CB and No. 4 recruit overall, refused to give any indications as to who he was leaning towards signing his letter of intent with days to go before the official signing day. Reuben Foster, the No. 1 Inside Linebacker, originally chose Auburn in July and commemorated the decision with a tattoo sporting his new team’s logo. But by signing day he had recalled his commitment and instead chose rival Alabama. One practice of recruiting, that is a norm for top teams was in full swing on Wednesday was the practice of over signing. Eight teams in the top 15 class rankings signed over 25 players. According to NCAA rules, a team may only sign 25 total players with each recruiting class. However, there are ways around that number, and the top teams continually take advantage of the loopholes. The two most common reasons that a team will over-sign are expecting a couple of players will not qualify academically or later decide to be released from their letter of intent. Another way to avoid the scholarship cap is by gray-shirting certain players. Essentially this means the player will commit to the school, paying their own way the first semester at the school and sticks with the football team, then he will be offered a scholarship in the spring when the offer would count toward the next years recruiting class rather than this year. It will be interesting to see which players drop out from a team’s signing class as they prepare for the fall.

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Tuesday, February 5, 2013

COMBAT,

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jeopardize her counterparts’ safety if they are more concerned with protecting the woman from harm than carrying out their duty. Finally, there’s a physical issue in that most women are not as strong as men, and therefore cannot do what is necessary on the front lines, like carrying shot comrades or dragging them to safety.” According to an article written by Kathleen Curthoys in the Army Times, the concerns differed among sexes with women being concerned about “sexual harassment, different physical ability compared with male combat troops, and husbands in combat situations with women”. The men were more concerned with the difference in physical ability. Brenda Alanis, a United States Marine Corps veteran and former SHSU student, also felt strongly against women fighting in active combat. She said she did not

February 5, 2012

think America was ready for women to die in the same numbers as the men do. Alanis also said that unless she needed to, she would never want to go fight on the front lines. “I don’t know of anyone, man or woman, who would be excited to go and take a chance on dying,” Alanis said. “If it happened though, I would go out there, be one of the boys and do everything in my power to bring myself and my team back home safe.” Ryan Leonard with the Collegiate Veteran’s Association felt that the move was a positive step, for both the army and women, and even encouraged the move to allow women to enroll in selective service. “I don’t have a problem with women in combat as long as they meet the same physical fitness standards as males,” Leonard said. “I would also like to see women register for selective service now. Sometime in the 80’s, the Supreme Court ruled that they did not have to register be-

cause they were barred from combat roles. Since that’s no longer the case, they should also be allowed to register for selective service.” Sam Houston ROTC was not available for comment.

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inform UPD so [they] will at least have record with who has it and who doesn’t have it.” Beaman agreed that there should be a provision in the bill that states UPD maintain a list of CHL holders, but only on the grounds that they don’t make those names public. “They should have to notify UPD,” said Beaman. “On that same note, I hope that UPD does not make that list public.” SGA will vote on the bill in two weeks after student consultation. SGA is asking that students attend their meetings in room 320 in the Lowman Student Center on Feb. 12 and 19 in order to voice their opinions and concerns with the bill.

UPDate

While checking on a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot associated with Raven Village (2133 Avenue I) at 12:45 AM, officer identified three male university students who were smoking marijuana and in possession of contraband prior the officer’s arrival. The owner of the vehicle was arrested and charged with the Class C Misdemeanor offense of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (131890). While conducting a traffic stop in the 2600 block of Sam Houston Avenue at 12:16 AM, officer determined that the male driver (of Conroe, Texas) was wanted on two outstanding warrants of arrest. The male was arrested and transported to the Walker County Jail (131888).

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