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THURSDAY, NOV. 12, 2020 VOLUME 95 ■ ISSUE 13

LA VIDA

SPORTS

Teacher candidates in TechTeach excel despite changes.

Tech track & field adds talent with 2021 signing class.

Undecided major offers benefits for college path.

OPINIONS

ONLINE

INDEX

Follow The DT on Social Media to catch this week’s Word on the Street featuring members of the Texas Tech community.

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ONLINE

LA VIDA SPORTS OPINIONS CROSSWORD CLASSIFIEDS SUDOKU

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CAMPUS

RENDERING COURTESY of Parkhill Smith & Cooper

New USDA facility to bring educational opportunities

By ADÁN RUBIO News Editor

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) presence in the Lubbock community has continued to grow, as most consider West Texas an epicenter for cotton production.

Through a partnership with Texas Tech, this presence in the Lubbock community may further increase.

Representatives from the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Cotton and Tobacco Program (C&T) and Tech announced a partnership by signing a cooperative agreement during a groundbreaking event on July 1, 2019 that would establish a new cotton classing facility on campus.

Construction of the facility, which started in April, will be located north of 4th Street on Texas Tech Parkway and across from the Rawls Golf Course.

Darryl Earnest, deputy administrator of the USDA AMS C&T, said the objective is to have the facility completed and going through its commissioning by July of 2021.

That would allow for time to move

in and be ready to grade the fall 2021 crop, which will probably start in late September or early October.

The USDA AMS C&T has 10 cotton classing facilities across the nation, and Lubbock is home to one of those facilities at 4316 Ironton Ave., Earnest said. The Lubbock facility is one of the department’s largest facilities.

“So, as we were looking at our long-term plans for facilities, we determined that that facility that we’re currently in pretty much was reaching the end of its usable life, if you will,” he said. “The facility was constructed in the late ‘80s; it’s gone through a lot of changes as have our operations in the last three decades.”

The Lubbock facility, which is a little undersized and does not fit the future of cotton classification, has undergone internal adjustments to meet cotton-classing requirements, Earnest said. But for the long term, the department needed a new facility and had to figure out where in the Lubbock area to place it.

“But it then dawned on us that we already do some collaborative

work with Texas Tech, mainly their [Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute],” he said, “and so, we started thinking about the opportunity, essentially, for us to construct the facility either close to campus or maybe on campus, which would allow us to have a little bit more of a substantive partnership with Tech.”

With the cotton classing facility in Lubbock and a USDA Agricultural Research Service facility located at 3810 4th St., Earnest said discussions about establishing another facility on or near campus started around three years ago. He said he made a lot of trips to Lubbock over the past few years to discuss with members of the university about this possibility and to determine how USDA AMS C&T could collaborate with Tech.

“The former chancellor and the current chancellor were both excited about the prospects of us being on campus and working with them, and so, it has kind of all evolved from there,” he said.

This facility will be the second largest classing facility in the world, Billy Breedlove, vice chancellor for

Tech System Facilities Planning and Construction, said in a statement.

“This project is the first time the USDA Cotton and Tobacco division has teamed up with an entity of higher education for a cotton classing facility,” Breedlove said, according to the statement.

The facility will be responsible for grading, or classifying, all the cotton grown in and around the West Texas region, Earnest said.

The facility can classify upwards of 3 million to 4 million samples of cotton a year with each sample representing a bale of cotton grown in the region.

“We get a lot of attention, domestically and internationally, in our operations because we’re the only entity in the United States that does this cotton testing,” he said.

“We grade 100 percent of the crop.

With so much of the U.S. cotton exported to other countries, we get a lot of attention about our testing because we test every bale of cotton.

We’re probably the only country that currently does that.”

Looking at the facility construction site now, Earnest said one may

not see a lot of visible work, as a majority of the construction, so far, has consisted of a lot of prep and underground work.

“I think you’ll really start seeing the building come out of the ground in November where you’ll actually start seeing the part of the aspects, see walls being built and metal structures being constructed, and that’s when you start really seeing a facility start to be built, and I think that’s when you’ll see a lot more attention, especially from around campus.”

Ronald Robbins, associate deputy administrator for operations at the USDA AMS C&T, said the new facility in Lubbock will be the most state-of-the-art cotton classing facility the department has in the nation and probably the world.

Insulated concrete form surrounding the cotton classing lab, state-of-the-art chillers, boilers and conditioning systems and an underground baler all are features the upcoming features will have, Robbins said.

SEE COTTON, PG. 2

CAMPUS

Tech receives recognition for support of Hispanic students

By ADÁN RUBIO News Editor

Diversity and inclusivity efforts at Texas Tech have been aimed at supporting the student body’s minority populations, the biggest of which is the Hispanic student population.

As Hispanic student enrollment has been increasing at Tech over the past few years, so do efforts to provide this group educational opportunities.

Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine ranked Tech No. 33 for total Hispanic enrollment at four-year schools in its 2020 Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanics list, according to a Tech news release.

In Fall 2019, Tech’s Hispanic undergraduate student enrollment was 9,495, which is 29.56 percent of the 32,125 total undergraduate student enrollment, according to the Tech Institutional Research Factbook. The total number of Hispanic students enrolled that semester was 10,381, which is 26.8 percent of the 38,742 total student enrollment.

These numbers increased by Fall 2020, when Tech’s Hispanic undergraduate student enrollment reached 9,846, which is 29.6 percent of the 33,269 total undergraduate student enrollment, according to the Factbook. The total number of Hispanic students enrolled this semester is 10,992,

which is 27.26 percent of the 40,322 total student enrollment.

Tech was designated a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in 2019, according to the Tech HSI website.

This designation requires a university to maintain a Hispanic undergraduate student enrollment that is more than 25 percent of the total undergraduate students enrolled.

As a HSI, Tech is eligible for as much as $8 million in U.S. Department of Education grant funding that can be used to help increase retention rates among Hispanic students, according to the Tech HSI website.

The Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine list also recognized other efforts in educating Hispanic students and helping them graduate.

Along with the No. 33 ranking for enrollment, Tech also ranked in three top-10 categories, which include being No. 3 in architecture, No. 5 in human sciences and No. 9 in agriculture, according to the news release. Tech also ranked No. 36 in the top 100 schools for total bachelor’s degrees awarded and No. 58 in the top 100 schools for total master’s degrees awarded.

Simply being recognized for Hispanic student enrollment and for these different efforts to better serve the Hispanic campus commu-

nity could impact Tech in different ways as well.

Paul Ruiz, lead administrator in the Tech Office of Institutional Diversity, said demographics is one reason Tech being recognized for these efforts is important. He said Texas is a majority-minority state, and the fastest growing segment of society in Texas is the Hispanic population.

“I think any institution of higher education that’s looking to be relevant in the future is going to be focused on the fastest growing segment of the student population, which is Hispanics,” he said.

At Tech, there are a lot of programs, academic courses and resources that are focused on Hispanic culture and the Hispanic student population that are offered to all students, Ruiz said. There also are multiple student organizations that consist of a large number of Hispanic student members.

“From all of those different ends, the student services, the student organizations and the academics, there’s a lot of focus on not just Hispanic students, but events that appeal to, you know, people interested in Hispanic culture,” he said.

In addition to the resources available on campus, Tech’s reputation compared to different institutions in the nation is another factor

that could further spotlight its HSI status and contributions to the Hispanic campus community.

Tech is a Research I (R1) university, which is a doctoral university where research activity is very high, according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

There only are 16 R1 institutions that are HSIs, Ruiz said. R1 institutions are the top institutions in the country regarding academics and reputation, so the university is lucky to be considered an R1 institution that can collaborate with other R1 HSIs. “They’re working at building a coalition of R1 institutions that are HSIs for us to promote our status as a HSI,” he said. “So, I think that when you’re one of 16, that really kind of puts you in some rarefied air.”

Through this coalition, Ruiz said there can be opportunities for these institutions to exchange graduate students, visit each other’s campuses and utilize programming that can build upon Tech’s HSI status.

“It looks like a great group of organizations that are looking to turn this HSI status into a real plus not just for the institution, but for the students as well,” he said. “We talked a lot about the kinds of things we can be doing for undergraduate

students and graduate students as well as faculty and staff.”

Being a HSI allows Tech to have these relationships with other institutions, which will hopefully benefit Tech students and faculty, Ruiz said.

“I think we got several areas of the university that are kind of plugged in and making strides with respect to taking advantage of our HSI status,” he said.

In addition to collaborating with other institutions and other campus programs, Ruiz said Tech Undergraduate Admissions has focused on the growing Hispanic student population on campus.

Jason Hale, executive director of Tech Undergraduate Admissions, said there are several factors that have contributed to the growth of the Hispanic student population on campus. As the demographics in Texas have changed, he said the department wants to ensure the campus is reflective of the demographics in Texas.

“Undergraduate Admissions has tried to make sure that we’re diversifying our student body,” he said. “We’ve had some specific outreach and recruitment efforts to attract Hispanic students to Texas Tech University.”

SEE HSI, PG. 2

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NEWS

NOV. 12, 2020

COTTON “

CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 “It’s got an underground conveyor system that evacuates cotton to our balers in the back,” he said. “So, they will receive anywhere from 50,000 to 60,000 samples a day.”

There also will be a conference room that overlooks the lab operations, Robbins said.

The conference room is one feature of the new facility that will have functions similar to an interactive classroom, such as audiovisual screens, Earnest said.

“But you’ll have the benefit if a lecture is going on or some type of interactive classes going on about something that correlates to our operations whether it’s fiber testing, whether it’s electronics and our machines or whatever,” Earnest said.

“You’ll have the ability to walk over to the window and actually look down in the operation and see what you may be talking about.”

The new facility will have a significant impact on Tech and the Lubbock community,

Earnest said.

“I really believe where this is gonna probably impact Tech the most is, obviously, we want to utilize the Texas Tech students,” he said. “There’ll be opportunities for internships as well as just learning through classroom learning or whatever research projects may be involved. So, there’s going to be a lot of opportunities for learning, educational exchange but also for employment and intern potential.”

With Tech graduates already on staff, Earnest said they would love to see more Tech students being interested in working for USDA AMS C&T after they graduate.

Since the facility has been designed for other purposes, the department also wants to make it a collaborative location for its work with Tech.

“So, if there’s some research that’s going on that Tech’s doing that it might involve fiber research or something that we’re doing in collaboration with them, maybe part of another agreement, some of that work can actually take place in our

facility,” Earnest said.

The facility’s space and functions have been designed to allow for classes at Tech to utilize the facility to learn more about cotton fiber properties, automation, analytics or any part of the cotton classing process, Earnest said. Although, the facility will not be limited to Tech and local industries.

I really believe where this is gonna probably impact Tech the most is, obviously, we want to utilize the Texas Tech students.

DARRYL EARNEST USDA AMS C&T DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR Since the USDA AMS C&T set the gold standard for cotton testing, Earnest said a lot of countries look to them to learn and emulate cotton testing methods. USDA AMS

HSI

CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 It is important for Hispanic students to know that they will have a place here at Tech, Hale said.

Along with providing access to the institution, he said letting students know what services and support systems are available on campus is another part of the department’s strategy.

With Tech being a quality research institution and other programs the university offers, Hale said it lends itself to more exposure. Students of all backgrounds are drawn to Tech.

To ensure students understand what programs are available and how different they are compared to other institutions, Hale said the admissions team works with academic colleges on campus.

By strengthening partnerships with other entities on campus, he said Undergraduate Admissions gains connections they can refer students to for more information.

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C&T cotton classing facilities receive multiple visitors who take tours every year.

“So, we wanted to set this facility up also knowing that we’re going to get a lot of traffic through there, not only from the academia that we’ll see from Tech or the domestic industries, but international visitors as well,” he said. “So, it’s a multifunctional-type facility unlike any other facility we currently have.”

Regarding prominent opportunities for those of the Tech community, Eric Hequet, Horn Distinguished Professor in the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute at the Department of Plant and Soil Science at Tech and associate vice president for research, said in the cooperative agreement Tech and USDA AMS C&T representatives signed in July 2019, there is a provision for research.

“They want, also, us to work with them to try to improve the system,” he said regarding the quality of the data collected at the facility.

Regardless, Hequet said there may not be a lot of hiring of Tech students right

when the facility is completed, as establishing the facility is a big operation that consists of multiple steps to get it ready for the crop season. For research activity, he said not a lot may occur prior to 2022.

“But as soon as this is done and everything is running smoothly, I fully expect we will have more and more work with them,” he said.

In addition to the cooperation with members of USDA AMS C&T, Hequet said most faculty and students in agricultural disciplines at Tech will get a first-time experience with the new facility, as most of them probably have not seen a cotton classing facility. With the facility being on campus, people will better understand what a cotton classing facility entails.

“At Tech, I think we are the only one in the nation where we can go from basic research in genetics and genomics up to textiles,” he said.

With the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute and multiple USDA facilities in Lubbock Hequet said

USDA LUBBOCK FACILITIES

“The other thing, I think, we’ve been very intentional was our community outreach and making sure that we were involved in the community,” he said regarding efforts to reach more prospective students, especially Hispanic students.

Undergraduate Admissions has tried to provide prospective Hispanic students across the state with opportunities to communicate with an admissions counselor, Hale said.

“We, over the last few years, have strategically placed admissions counselors in some of the areas where there’s a high population of Hispanic students,” he said.

Alesi Hernandez, vice president of HSS and a senior construction management major from Odessa, said with increasing Hispanic student enrollment on campus, current and prospective students may perceive they are included at Tech.

“It definitely gives them some kind of voice to feel

like they’re being heard,” she said.

It is important that not only Tech is recognized as a HSI but also as one of the leading universities for educating and graduating Hispanics, Hernandez said.

“I feel like one of the main factors for prospective students who decide on choosing the university is they want to see more people like them,” she said.

Priscilla Colmenero, president of the Tech Hispanic Student Society (HSS) and a senior accounting major from Caddo Mills, said Tech being recognized for its inclusivity efforts for Hispanic students helps people fully realize these efforts and influences them to attend Tech.

“But when they hear that Texas Tech is a HSI and then now that Texas Tech is recognized as one of the leading universities for Hispanics to go to, that makes it even better,” she said.

At other universities, Hispanic students may not feel as included as they would at

Tech, Colmenero said. “[The recognition] makes them want to reach out to more organizations, be a part of Texas Tech because they feel like Texas Tech is inclusive with the Hispanic community,” she said.

In addition, the enrollment and recruitment efforts consisting of diversifying the campus may have other impacts as well.

Ruiz hopes Hispanic students will choose Tech for an excellent education, he said.

“I think that the numbers are helping us focus on that group that will be leading this state in the very near future,” Ruiz said.

Whether it be campus opportunities or the growth in Hispanic student enrollment, Ruiz said the recognition of university inclusivity efforts for Hispanics will have a lasting impact.

“Certainly, it’s something that we should be proud of,” Ruiz said, “and I think it’s certainly something that sets us up for success in the future.”

•

• •

The new U.S. Department of Agriculture cotton classing facility will be located north of 4th Street on Texas Tech Parkway and across from the Rawls Golf Course.

A Lubbock cotton classing facility at 4316 Ironton Ave. A USDA Agricultural Research Service facility is located at 3810 4th St.

adding a new cotton classing facility will lead to additional research opportunities.

“That’s a concentration of cotton researchers that is humongous,” he said. “You have dozens and dozens of Ph.D.s working on cottonrelated topics. So, putting all of these guys together, we’ll create new opportunities on campus.” @AdanRubioDT

@AdanRubioDT

@DailyToreador www.dailytoreador.com

CAMPUS

LA VIDA

Page 3 thursday, nov. 12, 2020

Teacher candidates in TechTeach program excel despite changes

By HANNAH ISOM Staff Writer

Texas Tech teacher candidates within the TechTeach program have faced different circumstances this semester working during the pandemic.

With the rise in COVID-19 cases and the uncertainty of how education will be delivered in the spring, how candidates for this program will operate has been considered by members of the college.

TechTeach is a clinically intensive, competency-based program designed to prepare teachers who will improve the academic achievement of K-12 students, according to the Tech College of Education website. It is among the first in the nation to combine in-depth clinical experiences with opportunities to improve effective teaching behaviors in order to impact student learning.

Doug Hamman, department chair of the Teacher Education Department at Tech, said for the most part, things have proceeded as normal for teacher candidates despite initial concerns schools would not return to face-to-face instruction. When spikes began to occur in schools where candidates had been placed, they met with students to make sure they were taking proper precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

However, Hamman said COVID-19 has affected the program, but students have adapted in different ways, such as increasing the use of video capture to give feedback to teacher candidates and modifying class meetings to online or hybrid.

“We’ve responded masterfully,” Hamman said.

Site coordinators have had to adjust the way they give feedback to students to accommodate the districts, Hamman said.

Sherre Heider, professional development facilitator for the TechTeach program, said it

was helpful site coordinators already were familiar with Zoom since it was used to communicate with each other.

Before COVID-19, site coordinators would observe teacher candidates as they taught and then pulled them into the hallway immediately after to give feedback.

“You want to know what you’ve done well or what you need to work on right away,” Heider said.

It was important to the professional development facilitators to continue this immediate feedback when site coordinators cannot enter classrooms or students are teaching virtually, Heider said. All summer, they researched, brainstormed and developed a few ways to continue this practice.

Some days, the teacher candidates might want to Zoom in at a certain time, and site coordinators will observe that way, Heider said. On other days, the mentor might want to Zoom in at a certain time, and site coordinators will then schedule one-on-one Zoom meetings with the teacher candidates, so they still get feedback.

Another way they observe students is by having the teacher candidate record themselves as they teach, Heider said. Later in the day, the candidates will meet with their site coordinator via Zoom and share their recorded video. The site coordinator will give feedback on the video as they watch it together, giving them freedom to pause the video and point out specific parts.

Though most feedback is given orally, Heider said they have started to increase their use of handwritten feedback.

“It’s not our first thing that we want to do, but it’s still valuable,” Heider said.

The feedback site coordinators give to candidates is based off a certain rubric and there are three main factors that are considered, Heider said.

First, all feedback must be connected to the rubric in

ADELIN BLACKMONThe Daily Toreador

The College of Education, located at 3002 18th St. provides an update on the TechTeach program. every way, and then feedback needs to be connected to student learning, Heider said.

Lastly, the feedback must provide actionable next steps, and it should not tell how students did well or poorly without giving them information on how to work on it.

“There’s no perfect rubric out there, but it’s aligned and very similar to the ones Texas teachers use,” Heider said.

This gives teacher candidates an advantage as they go out into the field as a teacher because they already speak the language, Heider said.

There were worries that teacher candidates would not feel as though they got a valuable education from all the virtual changes that have been made, but feedback has showed the opposite, Heider said.

“It means our communication has been well, we’re working together, it has been like a team effort,” Heider said.

Not only are candidates getting face-to face experience, they are also learning how to effectively teach virtually as well, Heider said, making them more marketable in the field.

Amy Hickman, professional development facilitator in the Tech College of

Education, said in her position, she helps support the site coordinators with their teacher candidates all the way from the local program, which is juniors and seniors at Tech, to the rural districts.

“The most important part, I think, is the support we give site coordinators, and the impact we have to help support teacher candidates become the most effective teachers they can when they come out of our program,” Hickman said.

Because they have had to get creative and change the way they do things, Hickman said that site coordinators coaching has increased.

“We used to get in our car and drive from campus to campus and walk classroom to classroom to check on them and give them feedback,” Hickman said. “Now, we’re able to use leverage technology and we could be from the north side to the south side of Lubbock just by clicking on Zoom.”

If a student candidate is exposed or tests positive themselves, they report to the local district contact, Hickman said. The program relies on the district and Tech to guide students on what to do afterwards.

If symptoms are minimal

and students are feeling well, Hickman said they encourage candidates to support their mentor virtually. They can assist by helping provide lesson plans, planning activities or creating presentations for their mentors.

“Some have even continued to attend virtually via Zoom and run small groups while they’ve been in quarantine,” Hickman said.

If a mentor is asked to quarantine, a substitute teacher will take their place. This al-

lows the teacher candidates to step into the lead role because they have been with the class and know what is going on, Hickman said.

Many teacher candidates are applying to be substitutes in the districts they are student teaching in following this semester.

Locally, teacher candidates have not had much change due to COVID-19 and have been able to remain in their placements most of the time and continue to help their mentors, Hickman said.

In the spring, districts where students are teaching are planning to continue the same way they did this fall, enabling teacher candidates to continue their training, Hickman said.

Despite the changes in modality in certain aspects of the program, such as communicating with site coordinators, Hickman said she believes teacher candidates feel like they have gotten a lot out of student teaching this semester.

The changes in modality also have been beneficial from a coaching standpoint, Hickman said. They have learned a lot and believe many practices started during COVID-19 will continue post-COVID-19. @HannahIsomDT

OPINIONS

Page 4 Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020

COLUMN

@DailyToreador www.dailytoreador.com

Undecided major offers benefits for college path I

t’s OK to go into college not knowing what you want to do.

It’s OK to declare yourself as undecided.

This is something I wish I knew before coming into college. From a very early age, the public school system forced the idea that I had to know what I wanted to do when I grew up.

In middle school, I was forced to decide if I wanted to take “high school” style classes that would put me on track to go to college or take normal classes and have a more difficult time preparing for college.

I had to make this monumental decision at the age of 11 when instead I should be worried about collecting silly bands and the world ending for the first time.

The life-changing decisions didn’t stop there.

My high school class, Class of 2018, was the first year the Texas public school system introduced House

Mateo Rosiles is a junior journalism major from Lubbock.

Bill 5 and what are know as endorsements to graduate.

Endorsements are tracks that students must follow and complete their elective courses in.

House Bill 5 mandates that every student picks one of the following endorsements: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Arts and Humanities, Multidisciplinary, Business and Industry and Public Service.

Of course, I was dead set on majoring in engineering when I got to high school as I had spent all of middle school going to an engineering camp. It wasn’t until my junior year of high school when I realized that I didn’t have a passion for engineer-

ing and was only going to major in it for the money.

My senior year, I changed what I was going to major in to kinesiology because my cousin majored in it. I loved being an athletic trainer, and of course, the money was a big motivator again.

Throughout high school, I took elective classes in science, math, business and many others. When I graduated, I graduated with my high school diploma with an emphasis on STEM and Arts and Humanities.

I remember in high school the students would rank each of the endorsements with multidisciplinary being seen as the worst to be in because it meant that you didn’t know what you wanted to do in life. I have to admit that I was one of those people who thought I was better than those who decided to go down that track.

Now, my opinion has changed. It’s extremely OK

to go into college undecided, and I would recommend it to incoming students who aren’t sure if they are majoring in something they love. I went into college as a kinesiology major but switched three times.

I went from kinesiology to RHIM to university studies. For those who don’t know, university studies is where a student can major in their fields that don’t relate to each other and doesn’t technically graduate within any of those majors.

It is designed to help students test the waters before deciding on what to major in. This is where I found a passion for journalism and for law and looking back on it, I wish I came into college as undecided.

Kinesiology and journalism are in two completely different fields, and coming into college, I wish I had the chance to test out both fields before I spent two years in kinesiology and

decided to switch, adding another year to my degree.

I came into college with the mindset of going into the medical field because that was what middle school and high school prepared me for.

I even swore to myself that I would never major in any field that was writing intensive and grammar heavy.

I was one of those people who thought I was better than those who decided to go down that track.

Look at me now, I am loving college and my experience. Even though it has been a struggle coming to terms with having to add an extra year, I know I will find it worth it in the end because I know I have found something that I love and will be happy to do as

a career.

Switching into university studies for a semester also made me find another thing I am passionate about, law.

Take it from someone who was dead set on kinesiology because I thought it was going to be something I loved and was a last-minute choice because I thought I had to come into college knowing what I wanted to do.

It’s OK to not know what you want to do when you come into college but at the very least have an idea of what you are passionate about. Being undecided is OK. College is the time for you to explore who you are and what you like. Expand that into the world of academics.

It will save you time and money, and in the long run, you will find something that you can see yourself doing for years to come. This is your life, find what you truly want to do for the rest of it. @MateoRosilesDT

COLUMN

Sports foster unity, community among fans In the famous words of Nelson Mandela, “sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.”

Growing up in an active family, both in my general household and extended family, sports and competition was a part of my life.

My father never had sons to do the typical football game or weekly comparing fantasy football rankings.

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EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Chase Seabolt (806) 742-3395 editor@dailytoreador.com Managing Editor Mallory Rosetta managing@dailytoreador.com News Editor Adán Rubio news@dailytoreador.com La Vida Editor Natalie Cervantes features@dailytoreador.com Sports Editor Zach Richards sports@dailytoreador.com Opinions Editor Mateo Rosiles opinions@dailytoreador.com Multimedia Editor Autumn Bippert photo@dailytoreador.com Digital Content Manager Madeline Diffee online@dailytoreador.com Copy Editor Emma Sipple online@dailytoreador.com

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COPYRIGHT INFORMATION © Copyright 2020TexasTech University Student Media/The Daily Toreador. All DT articles, photographs and artwork are the property of The DT and Student Media and may not be reproduced or published without permission. The DailyToreador is a designated public forum. Student editors have the authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval.

Nalani Nuylan is a junior journalism major from Leander.

However, he didn’t let the fact of having four daughters stop him.

He made it a point to take us to games of all sorts. I remember going to football games, baseball tournaments, hockey matches, watching soccer games and surfing competitions. Living in Southern California as a child made it fairly easy for us to have an active lifestyle because of the weather, which allowed for frequent hiking and camping.

These experiences gave me the opportunity to connect with people, each in

their own individual way. I made friendships with my childhood soccer teammates.

When I was hiking the harder trail and made it to the top, fitness junkies were impressed and congratulated me. When I was calling plays and live reporting my high school football games, I had multiple people asking me the rules and reasoning behind referee calls. However, with every interaction, I always noticed my dad smiling proudly.

It’s because of my dad, and with a little help from my mom, that my sisters and I all took part and love sports and active activities. I love soccer, and I am down for the occasional volleyball match.

One sister followed behind mom’s footsteps and participated in track and

field. My other sister is the real fitness freak because she has done gymnastics, dance, soccer and now cheer.

Due to our athletic and competitive nature in my house, my family and I were definitely expressive when we attended sporting events. When a game or match was a nail-bitter, none of us had a voice when we got back home. We shout so much that sometimes we lost our voices halfway through the game.

Now that my siblings and I are old enough to go to our school games the sense of community and unity are even more pronounced. The motion of rallying behind a commonality as a community is an awesome sight to see.

Obviously, COVID-19 has hindered on things, but

we’ve gotten to the point where we are adapting to the changes.

As basketball season comes into full swing, I’m interested in what the season holds. Given that our men’s basketball team made it to the Final Four two years ago, the stakes and the excitement are higher.

I love soccer, and I am down for the occasional volleyball match.

Frankly, basketball isn’t my cup of tea. But now that I’m a Red Raider, why not adopt the newfound love for the sport? Sports is a universal entertainment that connects people. Pope

Francis puts it this way, “sport fosters contact and relationships with people who come from diverse cultures and walks of life.”

I personally can’t wait to see what Tech’s basketball culture is like. I want to experience the new sense of belonging. I want to feel the excitement in the air.

I want to hear the chants in the student section. It may look very different than what we’re used to, but the romanticism of overcoming obstacles is what will make this season of life memorable.

Sports provide the momentary escape, community and unity that we all need.

The shared experiences we have together is something to treasure. Find that piece for yourself, and I promise it won’t disappoint. @DtNalani

COLUMN

Anomaly of business boom amid pandemic Evan Ray is a junior DMPC major from Sugar Land.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many people to go through rough times.

Many lost their jobs and struggling to find one now.

In addition, many businesses have suffered greatly and will see the effects of this pandemic years from now. However, there are a few businesses out there, that have actually picked up their sales or overall earnings.

Such businesses will be transitioning back to a nonpandemic environment likely in the next year or two when vaccines become available widespread.

It begs the question: will

they keep their business and sales or will they plummet at the first indication that the pandemic is finally over?

It is important to note the types of companies a business that managed to thrive in the past year.

An obvious field that has benefitted tremendously is the food delivery business.

Apps like DoorDash, GrubHub and Uber Eats, gained huge amounts of both customers and drivers ever since restaurants shut down back in March.

Even as many restaurants will soon open up to larger and larger capacities, these delivery apps are holding strong.

Meanwhile, a titan of the retail industry is Amazon. It is a large force to be reckoned with before the pandemic.

As stores closed, people began to only buy

from Amazon.

Another field that has grown enormous is the video conferencing software, known as Zoom. As we all know, as students, it has become widespread practice to hold lectures, office hours and even tests on Zoom.

All of these software, apps and businesses have one thing in common; they all allow the customer or user to access their wares, goods or services remotely.

This is the pretense that has allowed business to flourish in a state where in some cases, they might almost have a monopoly on the business.

Now will these business booms continue post COVID-19? It really is a case by case scenario, but generally speaking, businesses like Amazon and DoorDash that already had

a base of customers/users before COVID will likely continue to thrive without slowing down very much at all.

It is a large force to be reckoned with before the pandemic.

The pandemic has brought them many new customers, and it’s likely many of them will stay.

Meanwhile, it would be a safe guess that services like Zoom, that got their biggest boost of their lifespan during the pandemic, would likely dwindle once there is no longer a need for them.

However, there might be hope, as many of these services have brought unfamiliar consumers to be-

come familiar with their service or goods.

An example of this is people likely using Zoom instead of competition, like Skype, when such a service is needed.

These times have proven to be some of the hardest economic challenges of this generation, and it is putting our work ethic and patience to the test.

While many of us were laid off or let go, there were some lucky corporations that actually benefited.

It is very possible these lucky businesses will shortly disappear postpandemic and be seen as nothing more than a fad of a different time.

But just as they business adapted and adjusted to the pandemic; they may do the same once we return to normalcy. @EvanRayDT

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Texas becomes 1st state to surpass 1 million COVID-19 cases AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas became America’s first state Wednesday with more than 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, as sporting events were canceled and the border city of El Paso added mobile morgues in anticipation of virus deaths overwhelming hospitals for weeks.

LETTERS The Daily Toreador welcomes letters from readers. Letters must be no longer than 300 words and must include the author’s name,

Texas leaders gave no indication of forthcoming restrictions as the state passed the grim milestone and recorded more than 10,800 new cases on Tuesday, which set a new daily record and is the highest since July. The virus that is surging throughout the U.S. has been unsparing

signature, phone number, student ID number and a description of university affiliation. Students should include year in school, major and hometown. We reserve the right to edit letters. Anonymous letters will not be accepted for publication. All letters will be verified before they are published. Letters can be emailed to dailytoreador@ ttu.edu or brought to 180 Media and Communication. Letters should be sent in before 3 p.m. to ensure the editors have enough time to verify and edit the submission.

across Texas: The top county official in Fort Worth is pushing to halt youth and school sports, and medical tents were set up outside hospitals for the first time in the rural Panhandle.

“We were certainly hoping we would be in a bubble and not have to go through the things that larger com-

munities were having to deal with because we were in — quote — rural Texas,” said Cory Edmondson, president and CEO of Peterson Health in Kerrville.

“But that quickly came to a halt, and we realized we’re not immune to this,” said Edmondson, whose hospital in the Texas Hill

GUEST COLUMNS The Daily Toreador accepts submissions of unsolicited guest columns. While we cannot acknowledge receipt of all columns, the authors of those selected for publication will be notified. Guest columns should be no longer than 650 words in length and on a topic of relevance to the university community. Guest columns are also edited and follow the same guidelines for letters as far as identification and submittal.

Country now often has more than 10 COVID-19 patients admitted, double the usual number.

State health officials Wednesday reported 6,779 patients in hospitals, a spike of 609 in one day — one of the highest oneday bumps since the state started keep track.

EDITORIALS Unsigned editorials appearing on this page represent the opinion of The DailyToreador. All other columns, letters and artwork represent the opinions of their authors and are not necessarily representative of the editorial board, Texas Tech University, its employees, its student body or the Board of Regents. The DailyToreador is independent of the College of Media and Communication. Responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies with the student editors.

SPORTS

@TheDT_Sports www.dailytoreador.com

TRACK & FIELD

Page 5 Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020

Tech Track and Field adds talent with 2021 signing class

By ZACH RICHARDS Sports Editor

In 2019, The Texas Tech Track and Field team made history on June 7, 2019, when they won the first NCAA Championship in Tech Athletics history.

Now, they garner a well-rounded, accomplished recruiting class for the 2021 season.

Led by head coach Wes Kittley, who has held the reigns of the program for over two decades, the Track and Field program has been on a nationallyrecognized recruiting trail.

In line with any program, recruits tend to gravitate toward successful programs. For Kittley and the Red Raider track team, there is no short of success.

Under Kittley, the program has garnered 28 NCAA Champions, 257 First Team All-Americans, 13 Olympians and several more prestigious honors, according to Tech Athletics.

Now, the program is reaping the rewards of national-level success from all over the world in top-tier recruits.

From Lagos, Nigeria, is the newest Red Raider, Onaara Obamuwagun. Known for the triple jump, Obamuwagun took her talents to South Plains College to compete in her first collegiate events.

FILE PHOTO/The Daily Toreador

Texas Tech Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Wes Kittley holds up the National Championship trophy at 11:45 a.m. on June 9, 2019, at the Sports Performance Center. Kittley is welcoming a new class of signees in 2021.

She showed her ability quickly as she broke the school record in her first outing with a 43’ 3.75” jump, according to South Plains’ website. After her jump, she tabbed her name second all-time on the junior college record list and earned USTFCCCA National Athlete of the week following.

On a national scale, Obamuwagun was a U-20 Nigerian and African triple jump champion, while also earning an NCJAA indoor TJ championship, according to Tech Athletics. Now, Obamuwagun will continue her decorated career in red and black.

Another out of country talent, Marco Vilca, will join Tech as a transfer from St. Augustin De Aregupa. He was born in Arequipa, Peru.

The distance runner excels in the 400 meter and the 800 meter events. On a national scale, he has won a litter of events.

First place in the South American U-20 Championships and a pair of second place finished in the South American Indoor Championships are just a few of Vilca’s honors.

One of the youngest signees, Mara Hering, is traveling to Lubbock from McGregor high school.

As a high jump specialist,

Hering has revealed her potential in a very limited amount of time. In fact, she is Texas’ reigning 3A high jump champion after starting her career in 2019, according to Tech Athletics.

She also is the No. 5-ranked high jumper in the nation with a career best of 5’-8”.

The next addition to the Track and Field program will come from their Big 12 counterpart, Baylor.

Jalen Seals, the Fort Worth native, will be a Red Raider in 2021.

Seals is a nine-time Big 12 scorer as a triple and long jump competitor.

According to Tech Athletics, Seals has numerous NCAA meet experience. His personal best for triple jump is 51’-11.75”, and for long jump is 25’-3.5”.

Next, for men’s high jump, Tech is acquiring the best 4A high jumper in the state of Washington in Cole Omlin.

The Ferris High School product, however, is versatile across all jumping events. He has competed in high jump, triple jump and long jump, while collecting top-tier finishes in all.

Omlin jumped 6’-7” in high jump, 47’-4” in triple jump and 22’-10.75” in long jump, according to Tech Athletics.

The versatile jumper will

give Tech options, while providing a unique skillset for Big 12 competition.

One of the most efficient, victorious hurdlers in NJCAA, Demisha Roswell, will round out her journey from Kingston, Jamaica, to New Mexico Junior College and take the next step to Lubbock.

The hurdler, according to Tech Athletics, has won a title at every NJCAA Championship meet she has been part of.

Another high school product, Grace Cunningham, is the fourth jumper that will

sign to Tech for 2021.

Cunningham adds more versatility with the ability to switch between high jump and long jump.

The current senior comes from Silverado High School, but was born in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Tech’s jumping unit has grown tremendously with the 2021 signing class so far.

The Red Raider Track and Field program will take another stride toward a national title with the addition of numerous signees. @ZachRichardsDT

MEN’S BASKETBALL

2021 Forward Jaylon Tyson signs with Tech basketball

By RYAN MAINVILLE Staff Writer

Jaylon Tyson, who is currently the sole member of the Red Raiders’ 2021 recruiting class, signed his national letter of intent on Wednesday.

“We signed who we think, no disrespect to anyone else, is the best player in the state of Texas and one of the best players in the country,” head coach Chris Beard said during a media availability on signing day. “High-character family, love of basketball, has been coached at a high level, so we’re excited to see him here . . . Jaylon I can’t wait to coach you.”

Tyson committed to play for Tech earlier this year in May. The 6-foot-7 forward is listed

as a four-star prospect by ESPN, 24-7 Sports and various other recruiting outlets.

Tyson was named to the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) All-State first-team as a junior after averaging 24.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last season, according to Tech Athletics.

He also led John Paul II High School to their first ever TAPPS state championship last year.

“They showed love from the jump and didn’t hop on the wave after and showed mad love ever since,” Tyson said in a statement released by Tech Athletics. “Also always gives me ways to get better. Tech has the best head coach, assistants, trainers and strength coach in the country.

I’m looking forward to winning

a national championship.”

Tyson’s precise jump shot is the most noticeable part of his film. He can make a variety of shots from multiple places on the court. He also has high-flying athleticism that allows him to finish at the rim with crafty layups or emphatic dunks.

Tech is often credited for recognizing Tyson’s talent earlier than other schools. Tech was one of the first Power 5 Conference schools to offer the forward and is the only school Tyson has had official visits at, according to the recruiting outlet Rivals.

“Chris Beard and has staff have proven, once again, to be ahead of the curve when it comes to Jaylon Tyson,” Eric Bossi, who is the National Basketball Director at 247Sports,

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said in a statement released by Tech Athletics. “They identified him early in the recruiting process and have landed a big wing who can shoot from distance or attack the rim.

“Tyson has been improving at a rapid pace over the last year and is a player who should thrive once he arrives in Lubbock.”

Beard sees resemblance of multiple former Red Raiders in the forward.

“He has the love of the game like a Davide Moretti,” Beard said in a media availability. “He’s got the length and athleticism of a Jarrett Culver, he’s got the scoring tenacity of like a Jahmi’us Ramsey, he’s a basketball junkie like a Matt Mooney, so we see a lot of greatness in Jaylon.” @RyanMainvilleDT

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SPORTS

NOV. 12, 2020

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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Gerlich announces inaugural signing class

By ZACH RICHARDS Sports Editor

On Wednesday, Krista Gerlich announced the signings of three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent.

Next year, the Lady Raiders will welcome Chantae Embry, Saga Ukkonen and Lana Wenger to the program.

To begin the trio of recruits stands 6-foot-1 Chantae Embry from Norman High School in Norman, Oklahoma. The forward, according to ESPN, is a fourstar talent with a 91 scouts’ grade. She also lands as the No. 14 forward in the country.

During her junior year, Embry averaged 16.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, according to Tech Athletics.

She helped lead the Tigers to a 24-1 record and an astonishing conference, district, regional and area championship, respectively.

The current senior garnered Suddenlink First Team All-State honors by MaxPreps

FILE PHOTO/The Daily Toreador

Krista Gerlich, head coach of Women’s Basketball, talks about her family’s transition to Texas Tech during the Wreck ‘Em Tech Athletics Breakfast on Sept. 3, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. Gerlich and the Lady Raiders will open their basketball season on Nov. 25, against UTRGV. in 2020 and USA Today Second-Team Oklahoma in 2018.

The Lady Raiders will have a versatile, three-level scoring threat come 2021.

Next, Saga Ukkonen from Helsinki, Finland will join the Lady Raider basketball

program from Mäkelänrinne High School. The 5-foot-9 point guard could be the next floor general for Tech after the departure of Big 12 Freshman of the Year Chrislyn Carr.

Ukkonen played three

seasons with the FBA Märsky club team in Helsinki, according to Tech Athletics.

Last season, she averaged 8.8 points, 1.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds. However, the two-way guard showed her defensive prowess with 1.2

steals per game as well.

The Finnish guard has a history of championship and high caliber runs on big stages. On the 2016-2017 season, Ukkonen helped lead her team to a U-19 Finnish Championship, according to Tech Athletics. In the past two years, her team has finished as runners up twice.

She also has history in international competition, helping her team to a pair of WU-18 Nordic Championships in 2018 and 2019.

The true point guard will travel to Lubbock with sights of continuing her basketball career on the Big 12 stage.

The third recruit could potentially be the next center for the Lady Raiders; however, her presence does not end within the paint.

According to numerous recruiting outlets, 6-foot-4 Lana Wenger out of Futures Academy can stretch the floor efficiently.

As a sophomore, she averaged 13.8 points, 11.1

rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.6 steals per game, according to Tech Athletics. The same year, she was named MVP of the West Coast Jamboree and the Most Outstanding Offensive Player in the same tournament.

As her stats might suggest, Wenger gets it done on both ends of the court, and her adaptation to the modern way of basketball could only serve to further the Lady Raiders pace and space system.

This recruiting class is the first of many for Tech head women’s basketball coach Krista Gerlich, and the talent from all three signees is reflective of the work load of Gerlich and her staff already.

“We needed kids who are some hard workers and coachable. All of that goes with trying to build a culture,” associate head women’s basketball coach J.C. Carter said. “I definitely think they’ll all be really good fits for us.” @ZachRichardsDT

SOCCER

Soccer signee Kaitlyn Giametta ready for collegiate play

By ARIANNA FLORES Staff Writer

The Texas Tech women’s soccer program has signed Kaitlyn Giametta to their roster for the upcoming season.

Giametta is from Prosper, Texas, and plays for the (DA) FC Dallas U-18/19 program, according to Tech Athletics.

The five-foot-five striker has garnered numerous accolades for both her school and club programs.

For Prosper High School, Giametta lettered two years, including her freshman year; she led her team from the striker position and won the Prosper Independent School District MVP as well.

As a freshman, Giametta tallied 482 minutes on the season through 10 varsity

games, according to Max Preps. She had 14 goals on 41 shots as well.

However, Giametta handles her business off the field, too, earning a 4.5 GPA. On the club soccer scene, the FC Dallas program is known for producing talent.

Players such as sophomore midfielder Hannah Anderson, freshman defender Elise Anderson, sophomore midfielder Haley Smith and junior goalkeeper Sydney Malmstrom were all products of the FC Dallas program at one point before their time at Tech, according to Tech Athletics.

The 2021 high school graduate said she loved everything about the Tech campus and people.

“I chose Tech because

when I got on campus and visited for the first time, it just felt like home. Everything about it just felt like it was the place where I wanted to be,” Giametta said.

The future Red Raider said her parents put her on a recreational soccer team, and her talent and passion blossomed.

“I played a bunch of sports when I was younger, and then I just stuck with soccer because I just loved it,” Giametta said.

During the 2019 and 2020 season, Giametta has played in a total of 21 games and has started in 17, according to U.S Soccer Development Academy. The midfielder has also scored a total of 17 goals within the year.

“I am hoping to bring a

side of competitiveness,” Giametta said. “I always want to win, and I just want to go out there, and I want to score a lot of goals and just have fun with it.”

About three other players signing to the Red Raider roster are from the Dallas and Fort Worth area. Giametta said she has played or been in contact with some of her future teammates.

“There is quite a few in the Dallas area that are in my class, but also I’ve gone to the summer camps besides last summer because of COVID,” Giametta said. “Over the summer a few of us got together before COVID really broke out and shut us down.

Also, through social media here and there.”

Giametta will join the Red

MANDI MCDONALD/The Daily Toreador

Tech soccer head coach Tom Stone gives direction to the Tech soccer players during their match against West Virginia at 7:15 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, 2020 at the John Walker Soccer Complex.

Raider roster along with 10 other incoming signees for the upcoming 2021 season.

The signing class includes includes a large number of student-athletes from a variety of positions.

Stone has added five de-

fenders, four forwards, one midfielder and a goalkeeper.

However, the Red Raiders’ sights are set on concluding the current season against Kansas State on Nov. 13. @AriannaFloresDT