The Prairie Issue XV

the

Prairie

Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012

The sTudenT newspaper of wesT Texas a&M universiTy

Sunny 67°F | 36°F

Volume 94, Issue XV theprairiewt

the_prairie

www.theprairienews.com

Follow us online

WTAMU’s Student Senate works to fill vacancies KrysTina MarTinez assisTanT ediTor

A

s of Jan. 26, the WTAMU Student Government has 22 vacancies in its senate.

According to the Student Government Constitution, the Senate must have at least 51 percent or two-thirds of their seats filled to meet quorum.

On their first meeting on Jan. 23, the Senate barely made quorum with 25 senators seated.

According to Cheryle Dill, administrative assistant of

Student Affairs, these vacancies are typical.

“We’ve had more or fewer [vacancies in the past] and [the Senate has] still been able to function,” she said. In the past, senators have resigned due to conflicts with school or work.

Kay Hagar, assistant vice president of Student Affairs, explained that being a senator can be demanding.

“It’s very hard to predict because [Senate] is a commitment,” she said. “[But the vacancies] are not a showstopper.”

With 22 vacancies to fill, the Senate has to work quickly.

“Not having a full quorum puts a strain on the senators in it,” Student Body President Brandy Roberts said. “Students aren’t diversely represented.”

Vacancies can be filled when a student who meets all the qualifications shows up to a meeting and are voted in by other senators. However, some may wonder why Student Government isn’t holding open elections.

“Election participation is low,” Dill said.

Although students can now vote via Internet, Hagar pointed out that despite the convenience, there is also a lot

of work that goes into open elections.

“It’s not simple to do open elections,” she said. “You can’t keep hitting people up for stuff.

It’s not that [students] don’t care, it just takes time.”

However, Roberts stated that Student Government is doing several activities to reach out to students.

“We will have open forums where senators will engage with students about student concerns,” she said. “We’ll also have a question-and-answer in the JBK with Dr. Patrick O’Brien.”

Both Hagar and Dill are

confident that the vacancies will not hurt the Senate.

“If the [issue] matters to the students, they can bring it to the senators,” Dill said.

SENATOR VACANCIES College of Fine Arts & Humanities - 2 College of Agriculture, Science, and Engineering - 4 College of Business - 1 College of Education and Social Sciences – 5 College of Nursing and Health Sciences - 3 Freshman - 2 Graduate – 5

Men’s basketball takes down Kingsville Javelinas

Buffs hold TAMUK scoreless for 13 minutes and 23 seconds range and 0 for two from the line before finally hitting a three-pointer with 6:37 left in the half.

“Everybody just did their jobs and played really good defense,” said junior Donald Sims.

Despite the Javelinas’ Reed Wallace’s buzzer beater, the Buffs took a 31-15 lead into halftime. WT owned the paint, outscoring TAMUK 14-2 during the half.

MaTThew waTKins sTaff wriTer

T

he WTAMU Buffalo basketball team welcomed the Texas A&MKingsville Javelinas to the First United Bank Center on Jan. 28. WT took advantage of a very slow start

by TAMUK to pick up a 69-40 victory.

The Buffs are now 13-6 overall and 7-5 in Lone Star Conference play.

The Buffs defense started the game extremely strong, not allowing a single Javelina point through the first 13 minutes and 23 seconds of the game, on route to an early 19-0 lead.

During the stretch, TAMUK was 0 for 11 from the field, phoTo by MeLissa bauer-herzog 0 for six from three-point

InsIde

Men’s basketball continued on p. 4

phoTo by MeLissa bauer-herzog The Buffs prepare for the tip-off.

David Henderson defends WT’s net.

sporTs:

news:

enTerTainMenT:

CaMpus Life:

feaTure:

Women’s Basketball wins second straight game.

WT students voice opinion on texting and driving bill.

Try your hand at Sudoku, Try Squares, or Crossword!

ACT to attend Professional Development Conference.

Texas Tech Celtic Ensemble will visit WT on Feb. 2.

Page 4

Page 3

Page 7

Page 5

Page 2

the

Feature Prairie Cultural opportunity dances its way into WTAMU 2

January 31, 2012

www.theprairienews.com

Daniela Fierro StaFF Writer

I

n their first visit to WTAMU, the Texas Tech University Celtic Ensemble will give a free performance at 7:30 p.m. in the Northern Recital Hall on Feb. 2.

The ensemble is sponsored by the Guest Artist Series and the College of Education and Social Sciences and they will also give a master-class for all WT students from 2 to 2:30 p.m. the same day.

“The master-class is an opportunity to learn traditional forms of Irish and Scottish musical dance in a participatory environment,” Dr. Richard Rose, assistant professor for the Department of Education, said.

Before the performance, the 16 members of the Ensemble will teach the students of the master-class.

“It’s mostly entertainment,” said Rose. “It will be similar like the River Dance except on a more intimate scale and they will learn about Irish and Scottish culture.”

Dr. Christopher Smith, Director of the Celtic Ensemble, said the Ensemble will perform both dancing and listening music as well as songs from Counties Kerry and Cork in Ireland.

“The area is called ‘Sliabh Luachra’ or ‘The Rushy Mountain’ and from the Highlands and western Islands of Scotland,” said Smith.

According to Smith, the ensemble will sing in Irish, Scots Gaelic and English and will dance the eight-person figures or “Irish sets”. Many instruments such as fiddles, flutes and guitars will

Marketing Phil Schiller pointed out that textbooks are heavy and destructible.

They are not meant to last long, and used books have previous highlighted areas and markings. The new app is set to fix this entire problem.

“The book is theirs,” Schiller said. “[Students] can mark it up and not worry.”

Most students are excited about the change.

“I would probably use the iBooks app to buy books,” WTAMU senior Shawn Boyd said. “Maybe it will bring some legitimacy to a very corrupt textbook industry. They publish new editions of books when the authors have only changed a few words, then they raise the price. Now they won’t be so expensive.”

The problem with the idea, however, is the initial cost of buying an iPad.

Some students, such as senior Julia Greif, would rather have a paper copy of the book rather than purchasing the electronics.

“I don’t know if I’d consider buying an iPad just for the purpose of textbooks.

also be playing.

“We certainly want everyone to feel they can enjoy the music and dancing in whatever way they wish,” Smith said.

“But we believe in the capacity of this music to create a sense of joy.”

If they manage to create a connection between the community, Smith said they will feel like they have succeeded.

“I’d be interested to go,” Cali Saye, an Animal Science major, said. “It’s a part of culture that not everyone gets to see every day.”

New iBook version challenges textbook industry Sheri GibbS StaFF Writer

L

ast week, Apple announced the release of the iBooks 2.

The new version of the application boasts the ability to buy textbooks, which created buzz about what this means for the textbook industry and students who must use them.

The iBooks 2 partnered with textbook production companies such as Pearson, McGraw-Hill, and Houghfton Mifflin Harcourt to produce “e-textbooks,” which would cost $14.99. The free app is predicted to revolutionize the textbook industry by allowing students to purchase them on the iPad, instead of the paper edition, at a lower price.

Apple’s Senior Vice President of the

Prairie

Staff 2011-2012

Reporter- Ashley Hendrick Reporter- Melissa Bauer-Herzog Editor- Maria Molina Assistant Editor- Krystina Martinez Reporter- Ryan Schaap Reporter- Matt Watkins Web Editor - Georgia Romig Reporter- Lisa Hellier Layout- Kati Watson Reporter- Brittany Castillo Faculty Adviser- Butler Cain Reporter- Sheri Rogers Reporter- Chyna Tinney

That’s quite a hefty purchase for just textbooks,” said Greif. “Being a senior and an AD/PR major, I don’t think that books costs are too high; but for someone who is a freshman, they might want to consider this.”

Reporter- Jordan Fry Reporter- Daniela Fierro Reporter- Monica Gambert Reporter- Jessica Chandos Reporter- Jessica Bartel Reporter- Sarah Floyd Reporter- Jacob Cain Photographer- Alex Montoya

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

- First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

The Prairie is a student-operated publication 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 students. The editorials that appear on these pages represent the opinion of the Prairie editorial board. The views expressed by other columinsts are the writers’ opinions and do not necessarily reflect the board’s views. Advertising rates are available upon request at (806) 337- 2090 or at theprairiewt@gmail.com. WTAMU Box 60754, Canyon, Texas 79016. The Prairie is distributed on Tuesdays during the semester and has a circulation of 1,500. It is printed by The Amarillo Globe-News.

3

the

Prairie

News

WT students voice opinion on texting and driving bill

Lisa heLLier staff Writer

T

he danger of texting while driving is an issue being debated from the local to national level. “[Texting] is becoming a way of life that is being accepted by every generation that is on the planet right now. From what I’ve seen personally, it encompasses everybody,” Chief of Police Dale Davis said.

Texting while driving can be a hazardous habit that distracts drivers from the road.

“Anytime we do something other than focus all of our attention on our driving abilities, those abilities diminish significantly because of something else we’re doing,” said Davis.

Minor and fatal accidents often happen to distracted drivers.

“I had a friend that actually passed away because she was texting and driving,” said junior English Education major Rebecca Sinclair. “She ran off the road and got all the way to the other side of the interstate, and it was a spilt interstate, and got hit head on. Texting and driving is not okay.”

This past summer, Texas Governor Rick Perry vetoed the legislativeapproved HB242 bill, which was designed to ban text messaging while driving.

Perry vetoed the bill, believing that educating the community on safety precautions acted as a better solution.

Davis believes that when the federal government “jumps on board,” states will have to follow. He believes withdraw from funding might even be an incentive used until state legislation passes the law.

Locally, the Amarillo City Commission recently discussed the matter and unanimously decided to recommend city leaders outlaw texting while driving within city limits.

“I think texting and driving should not be allowed due to the fact that most people don’t pay attention and its more likely car wrecks happen,” sophomore Mass Communication major Faith Hinojosa said.

Texas has two major laws dealing with the concern of cell phones and driving. One ban prohibits teen drivers from using cell phones and text messaging devices. The other ban prohibits the use of handheld cell phones in school crossing zones.

“Well, it will be real interesting to see what the state legislature does,” Davis said. “They’ve targeted teens, but what we got to do is look at it as a whole. I think looking at teens [means] we’re just looking at one area. I think we need to look at it as a broad picture.”

Sushic provides options for students and faculty at JBK Jessica chandos staff Writer

O

n Jan. 27, Sushic, a Japanese cuisine restaurant was opened in the JBK. It is housed where the Tortilla used to be, which has now moved to the Grill.

Many students are looking forward to having a new place to eat sthat offers a wider selection of food than the campus has previously offered.

“It would be nice to have something different to have around here,” Isaiah Benjamin, a junior Music Performance major, said.

For some, it is a reminder of home.

“At home I eat [sushi] a lot,” Benjamin said. “I come from a big area and around here, you just don’t see it all the time.”

Other students say that they may try it under certain circumstances. “[I] might go depending on the prices,” said Alejandro Guerra, a sophomore Music Education major.

Not only is Sushic going to be a different kind of variety compared to the JBK, but also compared to the alreadybusy Dining Hall.

Josh Schneider, a Dining Hall employee, said that the opening would “more than likely cause a few days of being slightly slower [at the Caf].”

JANUARY 31, 2012

www.theprairienews.com

the

SportS Prairie Women’s basketball wins second straight game 4

January 31, 2012

www.theprairienews.com

Melissa Bauer-Herzog staff Writer

T

he Lady Buffs were in action on Jan. 28 for the second time in two days to take on Texas A&M- Kingsville. While the team had to fight to hold onto the win on Jan. 26, that wasn’t the case on Saturday night as they handed TAMUK a 32-point defeat.

PHoto By Melissa Bauer-Herzog WTAMU took an early Joni Unruh goes on the defense. lead when Casey Land the Javelinas to open up the made a three-pointer, but scoring in the second half, but Kingsville would grab the lead turned on the heat for the rest until Kenisha Harris made of the half, going on an 8-0 run a pair of free throws at the to lead by 13. The team would 12:05 mark. The teams would go on a scoring spree for the continue to trade the lead for next 20 minutes, scoring 39 most of the half until WT went points. The team would also on an 8-2 run to leave the half play excellent defense, only with a 30-23 lead. allowing TAMUK to put 14 The Lady Buffs would allow points on the board.

Men’s basketball continued from p. 1

“That’s what we wanted to do tonight, get in the paint and get stops where we can,” senior David Henderson said.

The Javelinas started slowly in the second half as well, giving the Buffs two turnovers in the first 2:13 of the half.

WT took advantage of having outscored the Javelinas 26-4 in the painted area to take a 49-26 lead with 11:56 to go in the game. TAMUK was unable to bounce back from their start as the Buffs led by

PHoto By Melissa Bauer-Herzog Lionel Foster brings the ball back to WT’s zone.

“We just never settled down and got in a rhythm in offense,” Head Coach Krista Gerlich said. “So, I thought we did a better job of that in the second half. But the kids just did a good job on really being focused on the first three minutes of the second half and kind of putting the dagger in [TAMUK] instead of letting them hang around.”

The team’s 69-37 win kept alive their six-game winning streak over the Javelinas, dating back to 2009. Devin Griffin would lead the team in points with 17 with Kenisha Harris following closely behind with 14 points. The win takes the Lady Buffs to an overall record of 11-8 and 9-4 in the Lone Star Conference.

“With every win we gain, [it’s] another step to our goal so we’re just trying

31 with 53 seconds remaining.

“I think we played very good defensively, not just early, but the whole forty minutes,” Head Coach Rick Cooper said. “I thought we did some things much better tonight.”

The Buffs will try and stay fresh until the Feb. 8 matchup against Abilene Christian. Tip-off from the FUBC is set for 8 p.m.

to get better,” Forward Devin Griffin said. “I think it’s way easier to correct things off of a win than off of a loss.”

The Lady Buffs enter the final month of the regular season with a return to the court on Feb. 4 to take on Texas Women’s University at 2 p.m. in Denton.

“It’s going to be a big challenge [going into the final month of the season], especially against Tarleton who’s undefeated and Midwestern who’s only lost one game,” Guard Aly Sherman said. “But I feel like this [win] is helping build confidence and we have to take it one game at a time.”

5

the

Prairie

Campus Life

ACT to attend Professional Development Conference Jessica Bartel staff Writer

W

TAMU’s Agriculture Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) will be attending the 2012 Professional Development Conference. The Texas Tech ACT chapter in Lubbock will host the conference from Feb. 23-25.

The three-day event will encompass guest speakers, tours to American Cotton Grower’s, Llano Estacado Winery, and plenty of opportunities for chapter discussion. Dr. Tanner Robertson, advisor to the Agriculture Media Communication students, will guide the group.

“ACT provides a forum outside of the classroom for students to share their knowledge and opinions of effective ways to communicate agriculture and

Ag. endeavors to multiple audiences,” Robertson said.

Even though the group is led by six women, all with Agricultural Communications degrees, they welcome and urge students of any degree and gender to join.

“We have a passionate officer team, and we hope to spread that passion to others of any degree,” Lacey Roberts, President of ACT, said According to Equine Business student Dalton Coberley, his experiences with ACT gives him a positive outlook on the group’s future.

“It is nice to hear all the views on all the issues plaguing the agriculture industry,” Coberley said. “It gives me hope for the future.”

ACT meets monthly at the Agriculture Education Center. The next meeting will be Feb. 7 at 6 p.m.

SIFE hosts conference for local high school students

ryan schaap staff Writer

W

TAMU’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) hosted a “Leading the Way” conference Jan. 26 to give local high school students a taste of what college is about.

“We try to teach students how to focus on problems that are going on in the community and find a solution for it,” Erin Stodghill, project manager for SIFE, said.

“We will give them a local problem that they will be able to see and touch and try to find a solution for.”

Student Body President Brandy Roberts welcomed the students and spoke about the importance of leadership.

“I think teaching leadership to high school students is very important because for me, I had to learn the hard way without having a conference like this,”

Roberts said.

Dr. Lavelle Mills, Associate Dean of College Business, also spoke to the students and gave them teamworkbuilding exercises, which included pre-planning and strategically stacking tinker toys as high as they could without the tower falling.

“I’ve learned some skills on how to be a leader and skills that I might use in the future.” Ashlea Vonkhamphra, a junior from Caprock High School, said.

CORRECTION: William Mimbs was also a Killgore Research Grant recipient. The Prairie regrets the error.

January 31, 2012

www.theprairienews.com

the

Campus Life Prairie Journal of Multiculturalism goes beyond America 6

January 31, 2012

www.theprairienews.com

Writers from around the world contribute to WT’s publication Ashley hendrick stAff Writer

W

hat started out as an idea twelve years ago for an academic journal has become a globally-recognized publication.

“We have people from Korea and people from all over the world published in our journal, right here at WT.” Dr. Gwendolyn Williams, associate professor of Education and editor of The Journal of Multiculturalism in Education, said.

It is an original publication from the Education department at WTAMU. It collects the multiculturalism research of students and professors all around the world and explores

how different cultures impact education.

“We wanted to provide an outlet where people could talk about the studies they have done and broaden their readership so people could learn more about multiculturalism in education,” Williams said.

According to Dr. Angela Spaulding, dean of Graduate School and Research, the journal brings WT a sense of pride and leadership in research amongst other academic entities.

“For West Texas A&M University, it brings acknowledgment of our research culture and our desire to be a leader and promoter of multiculturalism in education,”

Spaulding said.

Spaulding said the idea of multiculturalism in education doesn’t stop in the journal. It continues off the pages and helps unite different cultures found in day to day lives.

“Multiculturalism in education provides a mechanism for understanding and celebrating diversity, as well as decreasing divisions created by cultural misperceptions,” Spaulding said.

Multiculturalism not only affects education but every aspect of life, according to Williams.

“In some cultures, people with disabilities were stoned or put to death at birth,” Williams said. “In other cultures, people

with disabilities are revered and honored. It has a big impact on every aspect of your life.”

According to Dr. Amy Andersen, department head of Education, studying multiculturalism means taking one more step toward recognition and acceptance in each other’s different cultural backgrounds.

“I thinks it’s important that we’re aware, and that we make our students who are planning to be teachers, very aware of culture and how that can affect their classroom when they’re a teacher,” Andersen said.

Despite its effect on dayto-day lives, the focus of multiculturalism begins in the classroom with students and teachers, Williams pointed out.

“I think focusing on multiculturalism education broadens our students’ perspective of the world,” Williams said. “It impacts those people who are going to go out and teach the future generations.”

The journal is set to come out four times a year, but because of the global scale in which it operates, so many submissions mean that the goal is not always reached.

“It hasn’t happened yet where we publish it four times a year, but that’s our goal,” Williams said. “As we continue to grow, I think we’ll be able to reach more people.

Already we probably have more submissions then we can handle.”

7

the

Prairie

EntErtainmEnt

January 31, 2012

www.theprairienews.com

Last week’s answers

the

Prairie Faculty Recital hits a high note with WT students 8

January 31, 2012

www.theprairienews.com

1.

3.

2.

Alex MontoyA

4.

StAff PhotogrAPher 1. (L-R) Joey De La Garza (FR.), Nick Stephens (SOPH.) and Marthew Molinar.

2. (L-R) Anthony Rivera (Grad.), Dustin Lindsey(JR.) and Gery Mcmillan (JR.) set up chairs for the faculty recital.

3. (L-R) Denise Parr-Scanlin and Choong-ha Nam perform “Pieces for Four Hands.”

4. (L-R) Sophomores Emily Irvin and Ashley Rubio help set up for the recital.

WTAMU presents “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” MoniicA gAMbert StAff Writer

T

he WTAMU theatre department will perform “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The play opens its doors from Feb. 9-11 and Feb. 15-18 in the Branding Iron Theatre.

Reilly Downes, a senior Musical Theatre major, will be playing role of Hyppolyta, the queen of the Amazon.

Downes recommends the play for its mystical qualities.

“It will leave you questioning the idea of dream versus reality. The comedic attributes of Shakespeare’s writing bring to life out-of-this-world characters,” said Downes.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” written in 1590 by William Shakespeare, takes place in Athens in ancient Greece.

The play is a light-hearted comedy about

the difficulties of love.

Lysander and Demetrius are both in love with Hermia but Hermia’s heart belongs to Lysander. Helena is headover-heels in love with Demetrius, but the love is not mutual.

The dilemma becomes more confusing when Oberon, king of the fairies, commands a mischievous fairy named Puck, to make Demetrius fall in love with Helena by means of a love-potion flower.

Julia Rucker, a junior Musical Theatre major, saidthat the play is regarding love, passion, magic, and dreams.

“Hermia is in love. Who doesn’t enjoy being in love? She has the opportunity to fight for her love after Lysander is accidentally put under a spell that forces him to love her best friend Helena,” said Rucker.

According to Kyla Williams, a sophomore Theatre Performance major, audiences will be captivated by the story.

“This play is like a tapestry, there are several stories interwoven. I know audiences will be astounded when they see all of the hard work,” said Williams, who will play the role of Helena.

The rest of the cast also found their roles to be fascinating and entertaining.

Samantha Green, a junior Theatre Performance major, has fun with her role of the mischievous fairy, Puck.

“There are no limits or boundaries, Puck is a trouble maker who basks in all the chaos that he creates,” said Green.

Eric Harrison also enjoys his role as Theseus, the duke of Athens.

“I really enjoy the uniqueness our director Stephen Crandall, along with all the designers, contributed to the play,” said Harrison.

Terri Henson, a Technical TheatreCostume Design major, said she enjoyed working on the production.

“Getting the opportunity to design

the wigs and make up for ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had at WT,” said Henson. “This play exhibits everything from Victorian aristocrats to wild fairies and the hilarious fierce creatures of the play within the play.”

Greene also said that the Shakespearean production was fascinating to work on.

“It embodies all the most wonderful and entertaining aspects of theatre,” said Greene. “It’s beautiful from the very beginning. The set, costumes, and characters are enchanting. Aside from the beauty, it is ‘fall out of your chair’ funny. I have no doubt the audience will leave laughing.”

The play is free to WT students, faculty and staff. Tickets cost $11 dollars for adults and $8 for senior citizens and children 12 and under.