November 2012 by The Special

Texas A&M University Commerce

The Special November 2012

The Special is an online magazine produced by journalism students at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Content and production are the responsibilities of the students. The Special is produced twice each fall and spring semester. Contact: The Special, Texas A&M University - Commerce, Box 4104, Commerce, Texas 75429 (Email: tamuc.special@gmail.com). Staff: Allison Drummond, Gizem Baydar, Lorena Gonzalez, Seoyoung Cha, DaHye Chae, Jiho Jun, Jiyoun Jung, Gwiwon Nam, Dupora Yun; Design: Jessica Martin; Faculty Adivser: Fred Stewart

Table of �� Page 3

Gangnam Style

With Change Comes Unity

Living the Dream

All That Jazz

Kim's Gets Cooking

Climbing to Greater Heights

Illustration by Joseph Alderman

Gangnam

Style

eople all around the world are going crazy about the song “Gangnam Style,” also known as the ‘horse riding’ dance, and PSY. PSY, the artist from Korea, is enjoying the incredible popularity of the “Gangnam Style” album world wide. Park Je-Sang, or PSY, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, rapper, dancer, and record producer. He produced his sixth album in July. Singer PSY has become the first South Korean pop star to make it to the top of the U.S. billboard chart with his song “Gangnam Style.” ‘Gangnam’ is a specific area in Seoul, South Korea, same as Beverly Hills in the U.S. The song means that a guy who is not from ‘Beverly Hills,’ even though he does not look rich or is not handsome, he keeps saying ‘I am Beverly Hills man.’ PSY uploaded his video to YouTube.com, and the video took off. With more than 430 million views, it has set a Guinness World Record as the most “liked” video in YouTube history and the debut single and dance are No. 1 in more than 33 countries. The video opens with PSY lying on a beach chair, wearing shorts and a button down shirt, in the middle of a playground with a child dancing next to him. It then cuts to PSY walking down the aisle of a horse stable stylishly

By Dahye Chae and Seoyoung Cha dressed up in a suit but he is then seen partying with elderly people on a bus instead of at a trendy club with the slim, self-obsessed citizens categorized with Gangnam. This when we see for the first time the signature horse riding dance. His dance, called ‘horse riding’ dance, has created a worldwide sensation. It can be seen on YouTube being mimicked, exaggerated and performed by individuals and groups around the world. PSY gave an outdoor concert in Korea and it featured 80,000 fans bobbing and bouncing in unison to the beat. The horse riding dance is being performed by children, the elderly, business executives, marching bands and more. It has created a dance craze unseen around the world since the Twist in the 1960s and the Macarena in the 1990s. First, loosen the upper body, and cross the hands. Bounce the lower body with crossed hands. It will look like you are riding a horse. The speed gets faster as the ‘horse riding’ dance continues. The song is popular, not only in Korea, but around the world places such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia. It reached No. 1 on the Korea pop (K-pop) chart and No. 2 on Billboard’s album chart for seven weeks. Celebrities such as Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Justin Bieber support him and like his

song and dance. “It was funny,” Michael Sells, Texas A&M UniversityCommerce student, said. “I first heard this song through YouTube. It made me laugh. I also heard this song in the club ‘Graham Central Station’ in Austin. I understand the part ‘hey, sexy lady.’ I think this song means nice dressed man acts like a fool. Although I could not understand it all, it has comic sources which can be applied to everyone.” People have made various parodies of “Gangnam Style,” changed ‘Gangnam’ to whatever, such as Chicago, London and so on by using their dialect or cultural emphasis. They also made creative and funny music videos and uploading them to Youtube. “I am very proud of the popularity of Gangnam Style,” Kyubin Kim, a student from Korea, said. “I was surprised and enjoy listening to ‘Gangnam Style.’ When [Americans] listen to this song, they feel happy as they dance to a chant though they do not understand what the meaning is.” “I was questioned about the Gangnam Style a few days ago,” Minyoung Kim, a student from Korea, said. “I realize how it is popular and influential all around the world. I am likely to hear the music in the cafeteria and look at the people who dance following the song.”

Unity

With Change comes

New Commerce mayor and longtime professor Dr. John Ballotti has high hopes for bringing together the community and the University.

He has been the mayor of Commerce for less than a year but a well-respected senior lecturer in speech communication at Texas A&M University-Commerce for about 11 years. Since the election, Dr. John Ballotti has been dividing his time and responsibilities between the university and city. Ballotti said a house burned down in his neighborhood a couple years ago and it needed to be destroyed, but it had not been taken care of and had become an eyesore in the community. So he talked to several of his neighbors who were city council members and they suggested that if he wanted something done efficiently, then maybe he should run for mayor. “Sue Davis, who is on the city

council, said, ‘if you don’t like what’s going on, run for mayor,’” Ballotti said. “That was the ticket that started Ballotti for Mayor.” Ballotti has been interested in politics since a young age so he thought it was time to give back to the community. So between city meetings and phone calls, Ballotti works on exams and assignments for his classes, a balancing act of splitting his time between the university and the city. “Since Dr. Ballotti has become mayor, I think he has had a really positive influence on campus,” Suzanne Stormer, junior speech communication major, said. “He has done a good job balancing his duties.” One of Balloti’s goals for the Commerce community is to look at the infrastructure system.

by allison drummonD and gizem baydar The city is currently working on a three-year program to improve streets around the university. The city is funding some of the construction and so is the university. This will help unify the community and A&MCommerce. “Infrastructure is certainly a problem. Sidewalks around my neighborhood were built 96 years ago,” Ballotti said. Roads and streets are being ripped up shortly, and the reconstructions are expected to be completed in the next two or three years, according to Ballotti. “By the time freshmen that are coming in (to the university) now graduate, we will have new roads in Commerce,” Ballotti said. “My ideas have been to build the symbiosis between the city and the

university and to work on beautifying the city.” Dr. Ballotti also aims to encourage more students to consider living in Commerce after graduating. The official numbers show that A&M-Commerce has surpassed 12,000 students with the Fall 2012 enrollments and with this growth at the university comes growth in the community. This is a catalyst for Ballotti’s goal of building up businesses in the community. “The university is bringing the students in and I think the city should do as much as they can to try to keep the students [in Commerce]. I am certainly encouraging new businesses and talking with the city council about how can we bring new businesses into town, get started, and sustain them. Then hopefully some of the new businesses will be appealing to the students,” Ballotti said. Besides the infrastructure system of Commerce, Ballotti is interested in getting Commerce designated as a retirement community. “There are a lot of people in the Dallas area retiring and wanting to get out of the Metroplex. [The location of Commerce] is an ideal situation for them because we are only 50-60 miles away and Commerce is just an hour away from the major airports,” Ballotti said. “Another strength of the city is the fact that the city council members and I usually seem to have the same goals in mind for the city. There is not a lot of argument amongst us. All council members are trying to better the city and it makes things go smoothly when everyone has the same mind set,” Ballotti said. Ballotti said the relationship between

the university and the city has been excellent. “ (A&M-Commerce) President (Dan) Jones has been willing to work and cooperate with the city to help integrate the two,” Ballotti said. “During the (election) campaign, there was a comment that everyone who runs for city council wants the university and city to work better together, but in reality - it does already.” Both Jones and Ballotti have had meetings to work something out should a problem or concern arise. Ballotti said they have an open door policy and Jones is most cordial if a meeting is needed. Ballotti encourages more people to attend city council meetings and become involved in the city government. He also would like for students at A&M-Commerce to go as well. This not only promotes being politically active on a local level, but it can promote being active on a grander scale such as presidential elections. Stormer took Ballotti’s political communication class and went to a city council meetings for the class. “It was an interesting experience getting to see my professor conduct a town hall meeting and use his authority to help get things done,” Stormer said. Since being elected mayor, Ballotti said what has shocked and surprised him most are the time elements and how many people have become interested in him. “While dividing my time between town meetings and business meetings and with university lectures, my calendar is busy everyday. However, another surprising thing is having a lot more people interested in me and doing interviews. It is a real treat.”

ColtonBlack

ďż˝ream LivinG The

Songwriter The Search for the Next Great American

when I turned 12.” Black feels that he without guitar, he wouldn’t be the same person. “I think playing guitar has shaped me into the person I am today,” Black said, “because my love for it has made me the musician that I am today.” Jesse Jackson, a junior political science major and a friend of Black, has taken the challenge of getting Black's name out there. "My real passion is in advertising and graphic design," Jackson said. "I don't know if I would ascribe a title to what I do, other than a friend who has some skills that really wants to see Colton succeed." Jackson runs a clothing brand, titled Stars and Elevators, and uses the company to support local music and get the word out about the

All photos by Jessica Martin

Colton Black, a junior liberal studies major at Texas A&M University - Commerce, is competing with thousands of other musicians around the nation in the Guitar Center Singer Songwriter 2 Contest. "The top prize is a four song EP recording session," Black said, "and you get to play on the Jimmy Kimmel show." The competition is ranked by the number of hits, or 'likes,' that the artists receive on the various social networking pages that they've created for the contest. Black, who is 21 years old, has been playing guitar for a large portion of his life. “I've played the guitar for about ten years now,” Black said. “I started playing around on it when I was 11 and I got my first acoustic

by Jessica Martin musicians in the community. "I started my brand Stars and Elevators for the sole purpose of having the ability and the platform to do this very kind of thing support, whether monetarily or otherwise, artists in my community that I truly believe have the talent to succeed," Jackson said, "I get a great deal of joy from being able to be a part of that success." Black is one artist that Jackson can see gaining success, and not just locally. "I think once he solidifies his sound," Jackson said, he's really going to grow in the public eye as an artist." Black is not just a guitar player, but is well-versed in many instruments. "I play a lot of instruments. Playing guitar, cello, ukelele, most

"I believe as an artist, I am set apart by both my variety of interests in dif ferent and contrasting musical genres and giving myself more musical influences to work with." any string instrument, piano, [and] drums has allowed me to see music from each musicians perspective." Black has started a musical group in Commerce with Cole Humphrey, using the impromptu name The People Need to Hear. "The People Need to Hear is a band name that I am playing with," Black said. "It is the semi-official name that I am calling [us]. We are currently doing a lot of work practicing, honing in on our talents and ability to play together, and writing a lot of songs." However, while Black has high hopes for going big in the Guitar Center competition, he also wants to keep it local. "[The People Need to Hear] just want to build really strong roots in Commerce to solidify our playing and our ability to put on a good show in front of a small crowd," Black said. "Once we get that going, we definitely want to expand our reach outside of the Commerce community." Humphrey, a sophomore liberal arts major at A&M-Commerce, says that Black differs from other musicians. "There are several things that set Colton apart from other musicians," Humphrey said. "His songs and recordings have a very distinct sound that may have similarities with other works but the two things I'd say that he

has which is so lacking in most musicians is identity and direction." Humphrey also feels that Black has the ability to create his own style within his music. "His songs have an interconnectedness about them just because of it being Colton's handiwork," Humphrey said. "He makes each song his own. Most people can't do that. And he's motivated by ideas and concepts with a lot of the songs he writes, and that added direction only makes for an even better experience for the viewer." Black shares these same sentiments, sharing his interest in a variety of different musics. " I believe as an artist," Black said, "I am set apart by both my variety of interests in different and contrasting musical genres and giving myself more musical influences to work with." Black plays many different genres of music, and because of this he displays his ability to adapt as a musician and songwriter. "I really feel like the genres that I play vary depending on the mood I am in," Black said. "But I think my music is very ambient, perhaps alternative rock." To listen to and like Black's page for the Guitar Center contest, visit his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ thepeopleneedtohear?fref=ts.

"I think my music is very ambient, perhaps alternative rock."

All That Jazz Incoming professor and saxaphonist Dr. Chris Beaty looks to make an already budding saxaphone studio an even greater success.

Joining Texas A&M UniversityCommerce this fall after a 12-year tenure at Eastern New Mexico University, Dr. Chris Beaty brings more than 25 years of experience in teaching and performing saxophone to the department of music. A native of Sacramento, Ky., Beaty grew up the son of a farmer and thought that his own path would follow suit. “I always wanted to farm,” he said. However, it was with the influence of his school band directors, upon picking up the saxophone at 10 years old, that he moved away from farming and into music, saying, “They got me believing in music as a career.” With that in mind, Beaty attended Austin Peay State University (Clarksville, Tenn.) and received his bachelor of science degree in music education, at the time expecting a career

much like his high school mentors, saying, “I went five years thinking I was going to be a band director.” However, it was with the recommendation of a professor that Beaty looked into continuing his education, leading to a scholarship at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. “Teaching took a back seat,” he said. It was while at the Conservatory, however, that Beaty started seriously thinking about performing, having played some at a brew house across the river in Kentucky and at King’s Island Theme Park during the summers, thinking to himself, “I might actually be able to play professionally.” After seven years of continuous schooling, Beaty was ready for a break. It was around this time, upon receiving his master of music

By Clay Dyess degree at the Conservatory, that Beaty moved back home for a few months. The break, however, did not last, as he soon received word from a friend that there were openings for performers on cruise ships so Beaty spent the next year and a half sailing the Mediterranean and working for two separate cruise lines. Eager to get back into the educational aspects of the saxophone though, Beaty returned home and took his first college teaching job at his alma mater of Austin Peay in the fall of 1993. “It was my first college job,” he said. “It got my foot in the door and gave me my first classroom teaching experience.” After spending almost four years there, Beaty moved to Memphis to complete his doctor of musical arts degree in saxophone performance at the University of Memphis. Recently married at this

The saxaphone studio has room for growth. The quality should continue to get better. The faculty is top-notch. time to his wife, herself a violinist, Beaty “made his first home in Memphis” and remained there until 2000 teaching while his wife performed in an orchestra. The new millennium found Beaty receiving a position at Eastern New Mexico University, a full-time position with benefits, something he thought important as a new father. “It was teaching what I felt qualified to do… subjects like jazz improvisation, pedagogy and a combination of things.” He was not only teaching, but performing as well. Making friends with the Bert Dalton Trio, a musical group in New Mexico, Beaty released an album of music called “Sax in Santa Fe.” “I just felt at the time I’d taught and played enough [to put out an album],” he said. The album contained 12 tracks, three of which are originals that Beaty himself created and the rest standards in the jazz family. “I think it came out pretty well. You never know how the final product is going to come out.” In 2011, Beaty took his first and only sabbatical during his tenure, choosing to travel to Latvia from January to June as a visiting professor of jazz studies after also becoming a recipient of the Fulbright Scholar Grant. During his time in Latvia, Beaty taught an eager student base just

recently learning the nuances of jazz music and had the opportunity to perform with the Riga Saxophone Quartet, as well as others, and travelled the country lecturing as part of the U.S. Embassy Outreach Program. Earlier this year, Beaty attended the 2012 World Saxophone Congress held at St. Andrews University in Scotland and performed a newly commissioned composition by Canadian composer Nic Gotham with his former teacher and mentor Allen Rippe. It was soon after that the opportunity to work at A&MCommerce came about. Looking for a change, Beaty learned of the opportunity at A&M-Commerce and interviewed, eventually getting the job, and now has big plans for the program, saying, “The saxophone studio has room for growth.” Beaty says the university will have its first graduate assistant devoted to jazz next semester. “The quality should continue to get better,” he said. “The faculty is top-notch.” Along with his teaching responsibilities at A&M-Commerce, Beaty and his wife both teach at Rockwall High School, with Beaty having 12-13 students, noting that all the music directors and their assistants at Rockwall High School are A&MCommerce alumni.

Kim's Gets Cooking After arriving in America from Korea and holding several jobs including working in a laundry, Kim Dae Young has established himself in the local business community and as owner of Kim’s Donuts in Commerce, he has become a common sight for university students and faculty. “I have been working at this donut store almost 10 years since 2002,” Kim, who lives with his wife in Dallas and makes the commute to Commerce. “Of course, I could work in a bigger city like Dallas or Greenville, but I like the small town. They are kinder than bigger city people. Also, we like the quiet place,” Kim said. “Someone thought we could

make more money in the big city than in the small city, but actually we had worked in Dallas and we moved here. I am satisfied with our income here, also we have store regulars come in here,” he said. Kim’s Donuts, located on Live Oak, opens at 5 a.m. and closes at 1 p.m. “Donuts are a kind of breakfast, so we open early in the morning, so many people come to our shop and buy fresh donuts,” Kim said. After closing the store at 1 p.m., he starts to make donuts for next day. Many of the Korean students attending Texas A&M University-Commerce like Kim’s Donuts. “I like donuts, but the campus

By Jiyoun Jung and Gwiwon Nam cafeteria’s donuts are too sweet. But, Kim’s donuts are different. They are very tasty. Kim makes a spicy sausage donut, and I think many Korean students like this donut,” Sooyeon Ma, A&M-Commerce student, said. “Whenever I come here to buy donuts, I can feel his affection. He is very generous,” Sun Lee, Korean student, said. A customer comment on the website “yellowpages.com” stated, “best donuts in town. Great service. They always throw in a few extra donuts.” He makes many kinds of donuts every day and his selections vary, depending on the day. A customer comment on the website “urbanspoon.com”

"Of course, I could work in a bigger city like Dallas or Greenville. But I like the small town. They are kinder than bigger city people." stated “the best donuts ever. The owners are very sweet. Try the croissant sandwiches, they make them to order.” “We have different kinds of spicy sausage donuts and those are the most popular menu item here,” Kim said. The primary customers are usually residents of Commerce, A&M-Commerce faculty and many of the Korean students attending the university. “Residents and professor are our main customers, but also many of the Korean students also come into our store also,” Kim said. Before the donut shop, Kim had different experiences in America including working in

a laundry and cleaning shop. “It was really hard to get a job and earn a living in Korea, so I moved to America and found jobs in the laundry shop and also held several other jobs,” Kim said. “Many Koreans move here at that time and they are still working in Dallas. Laundry shop was really a normal job to Koreans because it wasn’t as expensive to start a business,” he said. He said thanks to the different jobs he held, the various experiences helped him in preparing for his business. “I thought a donut store would be a really good business, so I started to bake

donuts,” Kim said. On the website “bundle. com,” Kim’s Donuts is ranked the No. 1 bakery around Commerce, based on real customer spending behavior. The website’s “Bundle Score” for the business “is based on comparing the overall popularity of the business, customer loyalty, and other statistics derived from real spending data, to those of other bakeries in the Commerce area.” It is also a business with flavorful perks because “I usually eat some of the donuts to check them out,” Kim said. “I really like my donuts and my favorite is the spicy sausage donuts,” he said.

Greater

Climbing to

Heights

By gizem baydar Getting all the attention is not amusing anymore. He’s lost count of how many people wanted to take pictures with him. His needs are hard to meet, and custom-made clothes are expensive. Mouhamadou Abdoulaye “Ab” Ndoye is a 7-foot tall player on the Texas A&M University - Commerce basketball team. At 22 years old, Ndoye is growing at the rate of half an inch per year. Ndoye said that he has always been the tallest wherever he is. “At first I was like ‘wow this is amazing’, but then it started getting annoying,” Ndoye said. “I was like ‘get over it, you see me every time’. When I got really used to it, I stood there and people just started looking up to me and thought that I’m really cool.” His height is even recognizable by his teammates, who are almost as tall as he is. Ndoye’s teammate and roommate, 6-feet 8-inch tall Craig Fofang is one among many people who are amazed by Ndoye’s height. “I think he is very tall and that even makes me feel short,” Fofang said. “It is a huge advantage to have him on t he team.” Ndoye owes the start of his basketball career to his height. If it weren’t for his height, he would have had no interest in

playing basketball. “I just got tall and started playing basketball when I started college,” Ndoye said. Ndoye started his career at New Mexico State University and transferred to A&MCommerce two years ago. “I transferred to [A&MCommerce] because I needed some new insight,” Ndoye said. “I thought it was boring out in New Mexico.” Ndoye won two awards for his performance on the basketball court including Most Outstanding Defensive Player and Lone Star Conference Leader for Blocked Shots. “Abdoulaye’s size and length provide us a distinct advantage because most teams we play do not have a 7 footer,” Lions assistant coach Bobby Taylor said. “His ability to block and/ or alter shots makes us a really good defensive team.” Aside from his success in basketball, Ndoye is a welleducated, culturally diverse young man. Originally from Senegal, he moved to the United States five years ago. His parents have been living in New York City for more than 35 years, but they wanted him to be raised in Senegal to experience the culture. “My mom wanted me to be born in Senegal culture. She went back home to ensure traditions and ceremonies. It

was a big deal in Senegal since I was the first child in the family,” Ndoye said. Ndoye doesn’t have an American citizenship or permanent residency like his parents do. “I did not apply for a green card. I’m not stuck on or in favor of being a citizen of United States,” Ndoye said. “I just came here for basketball.” Ndoye is a double major in computer science and business administration, and knows six languages including; French, Wolof, English, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese. “Basketball won’t last forever,” he said. “Getting education is more important to me than basketball. The way I grew up, I put an emphasis on education.” Being tall presents plenty of obstacles for Ndoye, including challenges in finding clothes, driving a car, not able to fit where everybody else fits, and needing to eat a lot of food. “One time he woke up from his sleep because he was having a nightmare and hit his head on the light on the ceiling and broke it,” Fofang said. “I have to be successful, and make my way up for a bright future and career because I need to have a lot of money,” Ndoye said. “I have tall-people-needs and it costs way more than regular-people-needs. I need more money to afford it.”