The Prairie Vol. 95 No. 14

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NEWS

Controversy over class rings heats up.

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SPORTS

January 22, 2013 • Vol. 95, No. 14

SMS encouraging flu shot for all Laci McGee RepoRteR

F

lu season has arrived and, according to the Centers for Disease Control, it’s not going away any time soon as the flu makes its peak during the months of January and February.

According to Luanne Rickwartz, medical director of Student Medical Services at WTAMU, the best way to treat flu symptoms is to take Tylenol or Advil, drink lots of fluids and get plenty of bed rest. There are antiviral medications, but the flu must be caught in the early stages for these medications to be effective and, they are expensive.

Student Medical Services recommended that everyone get a flu shot this year. Some students, however, advise against the shot as the vaccine may not stop someone from getting the flu altogether, but only prevent them from getting sick longer. “[The vaccine] is totally not worth it,” Mattie McAlavy, junior English major, said.

PAGE 2

Lady Buffs triumph over Tarleton State.

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OPINION

Has gun control gotten out of control?

PAGE 11 CHRIS BROCKMAN/THE PRAIRIE

Other students, such as senior English major Luke Dyer don’t bother getting flu shots because they say there is no actual risk of getting the flu at all.

“The supply is limited and healthy adults are not at high risks,” he said.

According to Rickwartz, a healthy life style is the best way

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not to get sick. Washing your hands often, a good diet, vitamins and staying hydrated are all helpful ways people can stay healthy during the flu season.

Rickwartz also said that if there are sick people in the home, make sure to wash all dishes well to kill any viruses on the surface. If you do get sick, see a

doctor right away.

Students who are interested in getting a flu shot can stop by Student Medical Services and receive one for $15. If a student wants a flu vaccine but cannot afford it, Student Medical Services will allow the shot to be paid for in increments.

FEATURE

Students jazzed after professional jazz concert.

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NEWS

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WT class ring prices spark controversy Haiduk recipient of 2012 IBM award Hunter FitHen reporter

W

hen the school year comes to an end, graduation is one thing that is sure to be on every senior’s mind. Some graduates purchase class rings to commemorate the event, while others feel no need to do so. However, Steve Myers, a recent 2012 WTAMU graduate, feels that even though some graduating seniors may want a class ring, a few negative factors may cause them to change their minds.

According to Myers, class rings at WT are considerably

more expensive and do not have many styles of rings to choose from.

“My girlfriend wanted to buy me a class ring for graduation and I immediately went to the Jostens web site, having a couple other class rings from them, and was told they couldn’t help me,” Myers wrote in an email. “Turns out, Herff Jones, which is the exclusive supplier for graduation materials, also has exclusivity on WT class rings. So I went to their web site to design the ring I wanted and was also denied.

Seems at WT, graduates have a very, very limited selection, no birth stones, no newer styles,

nothing really special and yet the price for the ring I’m getting is over 200 dollars more than the style I really wanted to order from Jostens. I understand quality control, but Jostens and Jones’ rings for other colleges offer way more variety and evidently at much more reasonable prices.”

According to the local Herff Jones, all of the styles and options they offer for other colleges aren’t available for WT and they are not sure if or when they will be. The WT Alumni Association is the official provider of the WTAMU class ring and gives students the ability to order online

or even visit the Buffalo Courts Alumni Center. Rings are available to students who have completed 90 hours.

For some students, the variety of class rings offered at WT is not worth the money spent to wear them.

“I didn’t get one in high school, and it’s something I’m not really in to,” Katelyn Ward, junior Agriculture Education major, said. “Personally, I think it’s too expensive for what they give you.”

Other students have a more objective way of looking at the issue.

“I came to college to earn a

degree,” Daniel Bonds, sophomore Sports and Exercise Science major, said. “I can see why someone might want a class ring when they graduate, but personally it’s just not that important to me. I think class rings can also seem like a fraternity thing to some people, which might make them less popular to students who aren’t part of one.”

It is still unclear as to whether or not WT and Herff Jones will be offering more variety of rings at lower prices in the future.

a few more lights and possible stations to call security would make me feel safer having one of my female friends walk around at night.”

Though security is not a huge issue to some WTAMU students, gun control still sparks debates. Senior English major Kelsey McClure believes that gun regulations should be stronger because Americans no longer need to arm themselves in the same manner as they did

in the past.

“I understand the second amendment and the rights it allows, but I also know that, that particular amendment was to help arm the militias, as at the time the U.S. did not really have a strong army,” McClure said. “I think that, sure, you can have a gun but not everybody needs one anymore. There should be better regulations on who can actually get one.”

Freshman Music major Gar-

rett Breaux said that he is not a gun fanatic, but he is not against the right to bear arms. Instead, he believes in stricter regulations to obtain a weapon.

“I think there should be certain restrictions for where they should be allowed,” Breaux said.

Even though some are satisfied with the idea of having more restrictions with gun control, others feel as though it is violating their second amendment rights and is not going to

help with crime.

“I feel that gun control is not going to solve any of these problems,” Rivera said. “‘We feel that stricter laws will prevent more shootings’. No, they won’t. The crazies and criminals will find weapons and get them illegally and continue what they are doing. They don’t believe in the law, and I don’t see why we have to hinder those citizens who actually understand what guns do and are safe about it.”

Kati Watson

Tyler Anderson Brittany Castillo Hunter Fithen Alex Gonzalez John Lee Laci McGee Megan Moore Tori Nicholls

Students debate on school safety in wake of Newtown rebekaH St. Clair reporter

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ver since the Newtown school shooting, security and gun control have been on people’s minds as of late. Even college campuses are not exempt from students’ concerns on security.

“I feel that the school’s security is not too heightened, but it’s just enough,” Tim Rivera, senior Music major, said. “But with the way things have been going,

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The Prairie is a student-operated newspaper at West Texas A&M University. It functions to inform, educate and entertain readers accurately and responsibly. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the administration, faculty or staff.

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Phoebe Sinclair rePorter

P

aul Haiduk, coordinator of the WTAMU Computer Science program, received the 2012 IBM Faculty Award. The award includes a $20,000 prize to benefit the program. Haiduk has been teaching for 40 years, with his most recent stint at West Texas A&M. “I got started teaching when I was working on my master’s degree,” Haiduk said. “The faculty here at WT invited me to teach alongside them. It was my first time thinking about starting a career in teaching.”

After starting a teaching career at WT, Haiduk continued on to teach computing after receiving his doctorate.

“There is a critical demand right now for software development students. It’s also the toughest degree to discipline yourself to go to school for.”

Because of Haiduk’s research and dedication toward the computer science program at WT, students are beginning to realize the potential in this field.

“Until now, I had no idea computer science was such a high demand field to go into,” Yesenia Castro,

freshman Math Education major, said.

“When I was asked to revise the computer science program, I wanted it to be for the twenty-first century,” Haiduk said, who is continuing to expand on the award. “I then was approached by IBM to see if WT could incorporate super computers in our programs.”

Haiduk, after conducting research, concluded that involving super computers in computer programming would be a viable option.

“This fall alone we have seen a 40 percent jump in enrollment to our computer science program,” he said.

Students around the campus are interested in seeing the program grow.

“After hearing about the recent peak in enrollment, I began to think about computer programming as a major,” Yvette Lujano, a freshman English major, said.

Right Paul Haiduk, recipient of 2012 IBM award

PHOTO COURTESY OF COMMUNICATION & MARKETING DEPARTMENT

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NEWS

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WTAMU hosts 5th annual Timed Events SIFE hosts business competition at WT Alex GonzAlez RepoRteR

LEFT A contestant at the WT Timed Event Championship ropes a calf.

RIGHT Top: Contestants await their turn to compete.

Bottom:Two contestants attempt to rope a calf.

PHOTOS BY ASHLEY HENDRICK

For more Timed Event photos visit theprairienews.com

Almost, Maine opens at WT Megan Moore reporter

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n Thursday night, Jan. 17, the cast of Almost, Maine received a standing ovation for their 7:30 performance.

“It just got me hooked the first time I read it,” Julia Rucker, Musical Theatre graduate and director of the play, said.

“This play is about love. Its normal situations that you don’t expect and has little bits of magic throughout.”

Almost, Maine is characterized as a comedy and consists of a variety of different scenes of relationship situations, with cast members taking on multiple roles.

“It’s really funny and shows love in a different perspective and makes you leave happy,” Jackie Brockman, junior Elementary Education major, said.

Aside from the ovation, the play was not without hiccups. The cast had a few obstacles to overcome for the performance when cast member and main character, Lauren Bowler, had a medical emergency prior to Wednes-

day nights performance.

Kaylie DeLauri, junior Musical Theatre major, stepped in for Bowler for the duration of the performances.

“It’s like a totally different experience jumping into a role. It was a really good learning experience,” DeLauri said.

Rucker asked DeLauri to take the role after Wednesday night’s performance had concluded.

“I wasn’t involved before,” DeLauri said. “I was just going to usher the show. I took the script home and studied it a few times before bed.”

Rucker handpicked the play and had to have it approved by the department before it was selected. She expressed words of gratitude and pride to each of the cast members after the show.

“We have had to really pull together and be strong, and we have,” Rucker said.

The play, being translated into almost every language, is one of the most produced plays in the country. This was the first time it hit the stage of WTAMU.

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his is the second year that WTAMU’s SIFE program has sponsored the Moses Business Plan competition. The top three winners were all awarded by funds given by WTAMU alum Harold Moses, who started to fund the prizes because he felt that creative business savvy students who wanted to start their own businesses needed to heighten their awareness and abilities when it came to business plans, ideas and dealing with investors.

“It’s a practical application of inventing an idea and wrapping a business plan around it,” David Terry, executive director of business services at WT, said.

This year, Business major Vitaliy Skorodziyevskiy won the competition with his business plan about a computer repair business.

Junior marketing major Miriam Shattuck won third place with her business plan of a retail store called Go Figure Mommy, which

would deal with maternity wear.

“I was glad I was able to get the experience and the knowledge I learned,” said Shattuck. “This is something I would honestly like to pursue further down the line, and the overall experience was great.”

The Business Plan Competition required each contestant to attend a How to Write a Business Plan session hosted by Terry.

“Helping provide the concepts and helping young entrepreneurs to grow is why God put me on this planet,” Terry said. “I was really excited to host the sessions.

Great crowds came in. It’s a great program, and even greater opportunities.”

Dana Versmessen, senior International Business major, submitted a Pool Buddy business plan, which is a pool security system.

“It was really fun, but more importantly, really helpful,” she said. “It helped me figure out what I need to work on next time around.”

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SPORTS

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A war without the nukes WT outlasts Lions to Lady Buffs’ shooting defeats Tarleton Keltin Wiens KWts sports Director

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t’s certainly no secret that the NCAA has made millions of dollars just off of television contracts in recent years, and they hope to make more in the coming seasons.

Universities are bolting from their geographically alike conferences to move to a different conference in the hopes of finding roads paved with Benjamin Franklins. The better recruits you have, the better conference you can play in and the more eyeballs that are paying attention to your university, the more money your athletic department can make.

According to a study released on Jan. 16, competing under the NCAA’s vast umbrella of unrivaled control and governance of competitive collegiate sports is not a cheap venture. The study, published by the Delta Costs Project at the American Institutes for Research, took a look at the spending of Division I universities in 2010 (the most recent year available) in terms of spending per athlete and spending per student.

Not surprisingly, the study found that the SEC spends the most on their student athletes, with the institutions spending an average of $163,931 per student athlete. The Big 12 is second, spending over $131,000 per student athlete. The Big Ten spends $116,000; the Atlantic Coast Conference: $103,000; the Pac-10 (now the Pac-12) and the Big East: about $102,000 each.

The average for all Football Bowl Subdivision schools is right around $92,000 per student athlete. If you want to be the

best, like the SEC, you have to pay for it.

This study also revealed where the money is going. The Division I schools spent just over one-third of their money on coaches, contracts and other financial compensation, 20 percent on facilities and just over 11 percent on games expenses and travel. But a further analysis of where the money comes from is a different story. In the toptier institutions, over 25 percent of the money comes from ticket sales and almost 22 percent comes from television contracts and NCAA contributions, while only two percent comes from student fees. The opposite is true for the lower level Division I schools. Over 62 percent of money in athletic budgets in the smallest section of FBS schools comes from student fees and institutional support, whereas only seven percent comes from TV deals and NCAA contributions.

With renegotiated television contracts in the coming years that are worth about $1 billion, the payout for the top institutions and conferences will continue to grow. In other words, the big dogs will be making more and the small dogs will be making less. Where the money comes from also tells another story: the large amount of money that comes from television deals and NCAA contributions to the top-tier of college football’s powers proves that the NCAA is concerned about the ratings that the big universities bring.

But perhaps the most disturbing number differential is the difference between the athletics spending and academic spending. The FBS schools’ average spending is $13,628

per student. In case you may be wondering, that’s in the ballpark of 6.7 times less than what schools are spending per student athlete. In the SEC, it’s really bad: the best conference in the nation spends 12.2 times as much on their student athletes than their rank and file students.

Finally, from 2005 to 2010, the rate of athletic spending has risen by more than double the rate per year than academic spending. All of this in an effort to compete.

Why? Why is athletic spending going up at an alarming rate, even if it may be sinking budgets? I think it all starts with recruiting. Schools are ramping up their competition for the highly prized recruits like never before. The universities will spend and spend and spend to make sure that their prized recruit gets everything he needs to bring in more money into the university. Big-name coaches, stadium expansions and the trendiest uniforms are what the recruits expect out of those schools that may come calling.

Here in America, we believe that “all men are created equal.” There is not the same expectation about collegiate athletics in the eyes of the NCAA. With new contracts, the NCAA is facilitating inequality in college football and forcing the small FBS schools to rely more on their students to keep pace in football’s “arms race.” It is a sad day in American sports when institutions of higher education preach equality and fairness in the name of education during the week and that idea is not carried into a stadium on a Saturday afternoon.

end two-game skid Matt WatKins sports eDitor

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he WTAMU Buffalo Men’s basketball team hosted the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions on Jan. 16 at the First United Bank Center in Canyon, Texas. The Buffs defense had a strong performance, holding the Lions more than 20 points under their season average of 77 in a 67-53 win.

Senior Darnell Jackson opened the scoring for WT by hitting a three-pointer, followed by twoconsecutive threes by junior Barry Johnson. The Buffs would build on this start to take a 13-8 lead with 14:12 remaining in the first half. WT would score 17 points to TAMUC’s 16 for the rest of the half to go into the break with a 30-24 lead.

“In practice, we’ve been working on defense, defense, defense,” Jackson said. “That showed on the court tonight.”

Jackson and Johnson led the Buffs offense at the half, scoring nine points each. Senior Donald Sims followed up with six points of his own. WT was 12 for 22 for 54.5 percent from the field and

four of seven for 57 percent from downtown at halftime.

The Buffs would come out on a 24-11 run to take a 53-35 lead with 7:52 left in the second half.

The Lions would battle back and cut their deficit down to 59-51 with around three minutes to go in the game. However, WT would finish the half outscoring Commerce 8-2 to earn the win and end a two-game losing streak.

“I thought we played pretty hard, but we had some breakdowns in the last four minutes that should not have happened,” Head Coach Rick Cooper said.

Jackson led the Buffs in scoring with a career-high 16 points.

Sims finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds and Johnson had 11 points on the night. WT was 24 of 56 from the floor for 43 percent and six of 13 for 46 percent from beyond the arch.

The Buffs now stand at 11-4 overall with a 3-4 mark in Lone Star Conference play. WT will return to action when they travel to Eastern New Mexico University on Jan. 23. Tip is set for 8:30 p.m.

John Lee SportS reporter

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he West Texas A&M University Lady Buffs used strong shooting to defeat conference leading Tarleton (11-4) in front of more than 1,200 fans at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville, Texas on Jan. 19.

The Lady Buffs are now .500 at 9-9 and 5-4 in conference play.

“Any road win in the LSC is exciting but especially at Tarleton,” Head Coach Krista Gerlich said. “[It’s a] very tough

place to play. The girls knew they had to stick together, follow game plan and fight through their runs.”

The Lady Buffs were led in shooting by sophomore Chontiquah White with 23 points and nine rebounds, while junior Devin Griffin had 17 points and 10 rebounds.

“Both of those girls are crucial to our success. They are capable of performing like that every night and they are starting to do that,” Gerlich said.

“They are both pretty special.”

The first half was all Lady Buffs as the TexAnns never gained the lead. Several different times the Lady Buffs led by seven, nine, and five. Tarleton was led by juniors Kiara White and Brianna Bledsoe with 16 and 14 points, respectively.

The second half didn’t change as the margin of victory would increase as high as 13 at one point in the game.

“They are hungry,” Gerlich said. “They want to continue to

win. It’s taken a while for this team to gel but they are doing it at the right time.”

The Lady Buffs have now won four of their last five games after starting the season 5-8, but Lady Buffs Head Coach Krista Gerlich knows there is still work to do.

“We have to continue to stay focused and not lose our momentum,” Gerlich said. “We need to guard without fouling and rebound. Those two things have been key for us all year and

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we have to continue that.”

The Lady Buffs return to action Jan. 23 at Eastern New Mexico in Portales, N.M., at 6:30 p.m. local time. The Lady Buffs then host Eastern New Mexico on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 4 p.m.

“It’s so hard to play the same team back to back,” Gerlich said. “I like that we play there first, but we will have to make sure we approach both of those games like we approached this one.”

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ENTERTAINMENT

GAMES

January 22, 2013 | theprairienews.com January 22, 2013 | theprairienews.com

Valve confirms rumors for new console Preston thomas rePorter

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alve Software, developers of series such as Half Life and Portal, has confirmed Internet rumors of a move to hardware production by announcing its intention to enter the console market in force with devices bearing Valve’s popular digital distribution platform, Steam. In an interview with The Verge, CEO Gabe Newell revealed many details about the plans surrounding the hardware and the future of Steam.

In addition to their own console, which will be an extremely open and modifiable setup, Valve has partnered with a number of different manufacturers to create a variety of devices tailored to running Steam in the living room and across the home. Planned features for

Valve’s own box include running Linux as the base operating system, being open to modification and installation of other programs and operating systems and the ability to connect to multiple screens including mobile devices. Users will be able to access their favorite websites and applications such as Netflix or social media through the box.

Any program that can run on a PC will be available to download. Customizability is an important factor.

“This is not some locked box by any stretch of the imagination,” Newell stated.

The prototype designs exhibited at the 2013 Consumer Entertainment Show range in size and shape, but the overall emphasis is on compactness and convenience. Xi3’s Piston is an especially sleek device designed to take advantage of Steam’s Big

Picture mode, which optimizes the interface for use on televisions and other large screens.

While the compactness may be an attractive feature to college students with limited space, the speculated price range of $500 to $1,000 may be a turn off on this particular model. Other manufacturers and Valve itself have yet to reveal their own devices or predictions for pricing.

In addition to the console itself, Valve is looking to innovate in controller technology as well. In standard controllers the company is looking to create controllers that are extremely precise and lag free for gamers, but Valve is also developing new methods for interacting with media.

Of motion recognition controls, Newell said, “We’ve struggled for a long time to try to think of ways to use motion in-

put and we really haven’t [found any].”

Instead, the company is focusing on biometric input and wearable computing. Valve employee Michael Abrash discusses some of the plans for an augmented reality style controller and user interface in his blog Ramblings in Valve Time, posted April 13, 2012.

“The underlying trend as we’ve gone from desktops through laptops and notebooks to tablets is one of having computing available in more places, more of the time,” Abrash said.

“The logical endpoint is computing everywhere.”

Microsoft Studios executive and industry veteran Phil Harrison cautions Valve on its plans, saying “Entering the hardware business is a really tough business; you have to have great fortitude… you have to have deep

pockets and a very strong balance sheet.”

Valve will indeed be in a difficult position breaking ground in a market already controlled by three major companies. Even with the resources its revenue from Steam can provide, competition will be fierce not only from the likes of Microsoft and Sony, but also from the third party developers whose own products will be in competition with Valve’s own. Still, Harrison welcomes the development as good for gaming overall.

“Any new entrant, without being specific to any company or brand or product, to the games industry is ultimately a good thing, because it helps validate, grow and enhance consumer excitement and consumer interest in our category,” Harrison said.

“So, ultimately, it’s a win for everybody.”

slaves. The group is approached by a German immigrant dentist named Dr. King Shultz, played

by Christoph Waltz, who wishes to purchase Django. Soon it is discovered that Dr. Shultz is a bounty hunter who needs the help of Django to hunt down a trio of killers working for a plantation owner whom Django was previously owned by. With this, the bounty hunter team of Django and Dr. Shultz set out as a team. Throughout the movie, Django is introduced by Dr. Shultz to everyone they come across as a free man. Everyone Django meets along the way is almost in a state of shock, especially when seeing a black man ride a horse.

When Calvin Candie, a semicharming plantation owner played by Leonardo DiCaprio,

is confirmed as the owner of Broomhilda, (Kerry Washington), who is Django’s wife, the team set out to rescue her. Candie’s plantation, known as Candyland, is used for male slaves to participate in “Mandingo fighting” where they are forced to fight to the death. Candyland is also where we meet Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson), a house slave who has just as much contempt for his own kind as the white folks do.

The Quentin Tarantino that I know and love is definitely alive and well in this film, in all of its gore mixed with a healthy dose of comedy. With each shot of a gun or slash of a knife, the blood spews from the victim like rain. Toward the end, a gunfight erupts at Candyland, where the blood literally rains down ev-

erywhere, covering every inch of the house. With each encounter Django and Dr. Shultz have with others, there is a comedic approach to the harsh situation that mixes very well with the gore and drama. Some of the acting is a tad bit overacted, but this is part of Tarantino’s genius.

Foxx, Waltz and DiCaprio are the top actors of the movie, in my book.

Despite all of the recent criticisms, Django Unchained creates a valid image of how slaves were treated in those days. The film is certainly not for the weak stomached, but if you are a Tarantino fanatic like me, you are sure to be pleased with his ingenious direction. Two thumbs up, five stars or however you want to put it. Way to go, Mr. Tarantino.

Django Unchained: not approved for weak stomachs

Brooke self rePorter

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irected by the infamous Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained is the new flick that is causing a bit of controversy. Due to several mentions of the “N” word, (when I say several, I mean the word was used at least 30 times throughout the movie), Django Unchained has been under scrutiny amongst many Americans.

However, it is the nature of the director and should be expected after his previous films such as Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill and Inglorious Basterds.

Django Unchained is set in America’s Deep South before the Civil War. We meet Django, a slave played by Jamie Foxx, as he is being transferred to new owners along with a few other

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OPINION 11

January 22, 2013 | theprairienews.com

Grammy-winning musician visits WT Gun Control: To serve and protect?

Juan Paiz RePoRteR

J

eff Coffin & the Mu’tet held a clinic for WTAMU music students on Jan. 16 and 17, giving the WT Jazz I Band an opportunity to perform live with him and his group at the GlobeNews Center last Thursday.

The Mu’tet is led by three time Grammy award winner Jeff Coffin, composer, educator and saxophonist from Dave Matthews Band and Bela Fleck & the Flecktones. Coffin and the Mu’tet held scheduled classes at Mary Moody Northen Hall such as an improvisation clinic and various clinics with the WT Jazz Band and the Rhythm Section.

“Each class was scheduled for an hour but easily ran for two hours,” Dr. Nicholas Scales, assistant professor of Double Bass, said. “After the two and a

half hour class on Wednesday night, they just hung out with the students doing lessons. It was like a jazz fair on stage. It was unbelievable.”

The Mu’tet consist of Bill Fanning on trumpet, Chris Walters on piano, Felix Pastorius on bass, five time Grammy winner Roy “Future Man” Wooten on drums and three time Grammy winner Jeff Coffin.

“They’ve been here in our midst for days working with us for countless hours,” WT School of Music Clarinet Professor Douglas Storey said. “Not only are these guys fabulous musicians, they are fabulous human beings. I want you to know they have truly enriched our lives.”

Not only were the WT music students inspired by Jeff Coffin

& the Mu’tet, but the students inspired them as well.

“I think the best way to describe my rehearsal with Jeff Coffin was that I was completely ecstatic to be there,” Dustin Trahern, junior Pre-Medicine major, said. “From the moment he started our rehearsal you could feel his passion for the music.”

“It sure has been a pleasure getting to work with the students, getting to know them a little bit,” Coffin said. “We’ve had great times. It’s been really inspiring to us as well. This has really sparked a lot of creativity with them, a lot of inspiration and a lot of things that will really last as they become teachers, educators or performers. It has really been a great pleasure to work with [them].”

The Mu’tet takes its name

JUAN PAIZ/ THE PRAIRIE WT students perform with saxaphonist Jeff Coffin(left) at the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts.

from the word “mutation”, reflecting Coffin’s idea that music must continue to change and mutate in order to grow.

Coffin strives to expand himself, his band mates and listeners, with music inspired by his wide musical interests.

“He encouraged us to really feel the music and tell our story through our playing, and we all really took everything he said to heart,” Trahern said.

Storey had a connection last year with Coffin’s manager and decided to check with them and see if it was at all possible for Coffin to hold a clinic at WT. Coffin’s management eventually came forward and said that Coffin & the Mu’tet were actually available.

“I am constantly reminded how fortunate I am to attend a place like WT with so much talent,” Michael Marin, junior Music Education major, said. “I met Jeff Coffin, one of my favorite saxophone players ever. To say that I was extremely stoked would be an understatement.”

Bringing Coffin to WT was made possible through student service fees, which have been used to take WT bands to the University of Northern Colorado for the Greeley Jazz festival, one of the largest jazz festivals in the nation.

“I saw Jeff Coffin perform two years ago at a jazz festival and I’ve been a fan of his ever since,” Trahern said. “He’s been a huge inspiration to WT’s Jazz program and we thank him for all the lessons he taught us.”

Jeff Coffin & the Mu’tet not only affected the WT

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ver since the tragedy of the School of Music but the outside Newtown school shooting, community as well with their the topic of gun control performance at the Globe-News has been sweeping the United Center for the Performing Arts States into controversy. How in Amarillo. much right does a citizen have “I would say it has been to bear arms? What “arms” does a great thing for the School this imply? Are we talking semiof Music, a great thing for automatics or assault weapons? our students and even the Should everyone be allowed a gun, panhandle community,” Dr. or only those who can handle one Jessica Mallard, dean of the responsibly? Who is considered Sybil B. Harrington College of responsible enough?

Fine Arts and Humanities, said.

Naturally, as acting President “This year instead of just of the United States, Barack helping our jazz groups get an Obama put in his two cents on experience we gave something Wednesday, Jan. 16, and signed to the whole community, not 23 executive actions that would, just WT,” Scales said. hopefully, prevent more gun According to Trahern the WT violence in the future. Sounds Jazz students were inspired by great, right? the performance.

While this list of legislation “He really rekindled our love may indeed prevent more gun of jazz and I feel like we easily violence, fear still tugs at the gave our best performance hearts of many Americans who because of him,” Trahern said. practice the second amendment Scales said he is hoping to on a daily basis. For them, this organize more events like Jeff is just one more step closer to Coffin & the Mu’tet in the future taking away their rights to bear by bringing in enough musicians arms. For others, these 23 actions to form a jazz festival at WT. mean more protection from gun“This is a great opportunity for us and it’s also a great opportunity for the school,” Coffin said. “It’s the first time they’ve done this. Hopefully this would be a stepping stone into bringing other clinicians in and also bringing us back. It would be a lot of fun.”

On behalf of the group, Coffin had a few last words to say after his concert Thursday night.

“The hospitality was incredible, the people were great, the band sounded great, a lot of people came out to the show,” Coffin said. “It was a two thumbs up experience for sure.

I’ll just like to say how fun it was.”

wielding criminals.

Another important question to pose and ponder, though, is this: when have criminals actually followed the law?

It doesn’t matter how many laws the government puts in place to prevent gun violence.

Criminals don’t obey laws. That is why they are called criminals. If a mind is psychologically unstable enough to make the decision to get a gun and start shooting people, there’s nothing that will change that mind. If there is a gun to be obtained, and they are determined enough to obtain it, they will get it, law or no law.

This isn’t a matter of impeding on the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens either. It’s a matter of public safety. Making it harder for criminals to obtain a weapon to kill also makes it harder for law abiding citizens to obtain a weapon to protect. In every bank robbing scheme ever displayed on the big screen, the first thing robbers do after declaring a hold up is rid the security officer of all weapons, and rightly so. No

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criminal with a gun wants to go up against someone else with a gun. Smart criminals will make sure they are the only ones who can do any harm. Ridding normal citizens of the right to bear arms simply makes a criminal’s job easier, helping them to disobey the laws.

There has been, and always will be, bad people in this world.

Creating more laws does not get rid of those bad people. It just gives them more laws not to

follow. As Plato once said, “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.”

Not to say the President’s signature on the 23 orders is completely useless. Maximizing law enforcement’s efforts to prevent gun violence will definitely help and providing incentives for schools to hire resource officers is much needed.

The big question is why weren’t

these actions being implemented this intensely years ago?

The only real way to begin ridding the world of violence is by giving our children the love and encouragement they need to grow into wholesomely good people. That is where it starts.

Keeping an eye on and nurturing the psychological welfare of children and young adults can do wonders to their attitudes and values toward others.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

“Do you think there should be more or less gun control?”

The Prairie will be asking a Question of the Week every Tuesday through Facebook and Twitter. Reply to our Question of the Week post on Facebook or use the hashtag #ThePrairieAsks on Twitter to respond. Student responses will be printed in the next edition of The Prairie.

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PHOTOS

January 22, 2013 | theprairienews.com

This Week in Photos: First Week of School Alex MontoyA & thoMAs Koenig Photo editor & PhotogrAPher

Caroline Castro (Sophomore), Rachel Hill (Freshman), Meghan Bass (Freshman), and Denise Hibbits (Freshman) attending the Seventh Day Slumber concert.

Seniors Trent Mahaffey, Daniel Innis, David Atkeisson, and Ashlie Zinolli wait outside the Legacy Hall before the start of the concert.

Guitarist Jeremy Holderfield playing live in the JBK Legacy Hall.

JBK food court was busy during the first week of classes.

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Alanna Soliz (Amarillo College) reads poetry at Open Mic Night.

Junior Tori Sills (foreground) gets work done in the Student Sucess Center’s HUB.

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