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TUESDAY, SEPT. 20, 2011 VOLUME 86 ■ ISSUE 18
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Texas, OU clear path to leave Big 12 Regents at both schools give presidents authority to seek new conference ties By JEFF LATZKE and JIM VERTUNO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP) — Oklahoma cleared the way Monday for its possible departure from the Big 12, with university president David Boren demanding the league move toward an equal revenue-sharing model and create stability or
else lose the Sooners to the Pac-12. Rival Texas also moved closer to the door, raising the prospect that one of the nation’s biggest conferences could lose its two richest, most powerful programs. After being granted the power to choose a new conference home for the Sooners, Boren said he is focused on only two options: a fractured Big 12
School of Music cancels annual Madrigal Dinner Tech event began in ‘75 By GLORIA LERMA STAFF WRITER
For now, the celebrating is gone. The Texas Tech School of Music’s Madrigal Dinner has been canceled, leaving behind 35 years of tradition in the Lubbock community. It was a big The Madrigal Dinner, which decision to began at Tech in 1975, is a recreation of a renaissance dinner in make. I feel England celebrating Christmas sad to see it for 12 days in December. not happening, The event was typically hosted and I’m sure in a ballroom decorated to restudents feel semble an ancient castle, where the same way.” members of the Tech Madrigal Singers played the parts of king, Liza Muse queen, jester and medieval guests. Publicity Officer Choir students would sing a blend of Christmas and classical songs, and voice professor Gerald Dolter would write a script which varied from year to year.
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Professor establishes scholarship program United Supermarket employees benefit
By TYLER MYATT STAFF WRITER
Jim Wetherbe turned a one-time $5,000 speaking fee into something Texas Tech students who work at United Supermarkets can use for years to come. “It’s a great feel-good story for Texas Tech,” said Wetherbe, a professor at the Rawls College of Business. The Jim Wetherbe Scholarship Program is something Wetherbe initiated with his one-time donation, but United eventually expanded it into a full-fledged annual scholarship program. PROGRAM continued on Page 2 ➤➤
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that isn’t currently suitable or the expanding Pac12, which already claimed Oklahoma’s conference rival, Colorado, last summer. “The status quo is certainly not stable,” Boren said. “That’s one of the things we’re weighing: Can it be made stable?” Texas counterpart Bill Powers, granted similar decision-making power by his regents less than
UP IN SMOKE By MORGAN CRUMP STAFF WRITER
Marijuana has been used recreationally for many years, and the controversial topic of its legalization in Texas continues even on Texas Tech’s campus. Marijuana is a mind-altering psychoactive drug containing more than 400 chemicals including tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is believed to be the main chemical ingredient producing its psychoactive effects, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. According to the Phoenix House’s Center on Addiction and the Family, far more young people use marijuana than any other drug, even with the rise in prescription drug abuse. Among young people who use drugs, approximately 60 percent use marijuana only. Ryan Looney, a senior public relations major from Midlothian, said he thinks the legalization of marijuana would be a good thing if it were treated like a controlled substance like alcohol or tobacco rather than a drug. “I think if we just took marijuana off the pedestal it has been put on, there might not be such a ‘I have to try it’ factor,” he said. “I think usage rates among youths might actually decrease. Regardless of whether it is legal or not, it’s a plant that naturally grows on this Earth, so it’s always going to be around and people will be able to get a hold of it if they want it bad enough.” Nick Haskins, a senior management information systems major from Leander, said there would be pros and cons with the legalization of marijuana. “You might find that when you legalize marijuana, the use of other drugs such as heroine or cocaine could increase,” he said, “but, then again, it would also reduce the amount of law enforcement on drug trafficking that we currently have.” Haskins said he thinks the government is determining a way to legalize marijuana under two conditions: finding a way
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an hour later, said he would consider options “including continued participation in the Big 12” but made no mention of the Pac-12, the ACC or any other potential destinations. The Big 12 has BOREN moved to the brink of extinction just one summer after the remaining 10 members pledged to stick together, then hammered out a $1.2 billion television contract. They decided not to create a conference network similar
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to the ones in place by the Big Ten and Pac-12, not to split revenue equally and not to create any barriers to Texas’ creation of the Longhorn Network through a 20-year, $300 million agreement with ESPN that proved to be POWERS divisive. “I would simply say it is not a strong vote of confidence in the conference office that this has happened in such a short period of time,” Boren said.
Red Raiders weigh in on marijuana legalization
for the government to profit off legalization, and regulating how much someone can use. Looney said just because something is a law does not mean there is no room for change in our country. “Smoking marijuana is situational,” he said. “If you allow it to affect your job or relationships with friends and family, it can be a problem, but I know plenty of people that smoke regularly, make good grades, hold down jobs and are in control of their lives.” Looney said he rarely hears about people getting into marijuana-related fights or car accidents. He said he thinks people who smoke weed tend to “chill out” and are not as aggressive as they may be when they are drunk. Haskins said he also knows several people who use marijuana and have their lives on track. SMOKE continued on Page 2 ➤➤
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