Electrical engineering student Ethan Anderson has spearheaded the revival of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers robotics team. Texas
INTERNATIONAL
Red Raiders create global impact
Students for Justice in Palestine fundraises for Gaza resident
By BRAXTON CASTLES
Digital Content Manager
Over a year ago, Gaza’s towers filled the sky. Now, Adhem said, only two towers reach the skyline.
Of the many buildings destroyed, Adhem, a 21-year-old Palestinian, said his apartment was one of them. Adhem asked his last name be removed.
At first, Adhem said he replaced the glass each time it broke. That was until the efforts seemed to become redundant, and he settled for plastic tarps. Currently stuck in his warruined apartment along the Gaza Strip, he is applying for a transfer document to Egypt for displaced individuals in Gaza.
“We began to put tarps and blankets over the window as a temporary solution,” Adhem said. “Some walls were destroyed between me and my neighbors, so I boarded it up with plywood I found on the street.”
Texas Tech’s Students for Justice in Palestine is fundraising to aid Adhem in affording the transfer document.
Adhem’s interview with The Daily Toreador was translated by Lubbock local Hazem Alhattawi.
While Adhem lives 6,971 miles away, his story made it to Tech’s SJP organization. His need for a transfer document has only increased after the ceasefire, which went into effect on Jan. 19, ended on March 18 by a surprise bombing from Israel.
“Adhem got connected to
us through Asmaa (a member of SJP),” said Sam Fursanebusaad, a senior chemical engineering student from Dallas and SJP president. “They know each
other from an online languagepractice chat room.”
Last semester, SJP decided philanthropy would be a major part of the year-old organization at Tech, with its goal to help provide a small sense of relief through financial aid. SJP started raising money with Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, where they earned $2,864 for eight families.
“We decided that
PHILANTHROPY Tech pitcher launches cancer-awareness campaign
By ANDREW GOODRICH SportS reporter
Texas Tech pitcher Zach Crotchfelt is spearheading a cancer-awareness campaign through Tech baseball, the most recent addition to a life he’s dedicated to serving others.
it for so long let’s try and figure out an answer.”
to the Miracle League of East Alabama every time his hat flew off.
we want to help individuals in Gaza who we are directly connected to, like Adhem,” said Yessenia Cantero, a junior creative media industries student from Lubbock and SJP creative director. “We want to help bring any sense of relief we can.”
Adhem said growing up, he became accustomed to a different type of stability in the middle of on-and-off again wars.
“You adjust,” he said.
Adhem grew up in the State of Palestine, which has been in a 76-year conflict with Israel over issues such as territorial occupation along the Gaza Strip and West Bank, water rights, security, regime differences and more according to the United Nations website.
“I would take a small little Vespa to get me from home to school,” Adhem said. “But the bombings took everything away. The college (Islamic University of Gaza) is in ruins, and I had to put my goals on hold to survive.”
PG. 2
Crotchfelt’s WREC CANCER campaign is aimed at raising money for children fighting cancer, a disease that hits close to home for the Jackson, New Jersey, native.
“I have so many family members that have had to deal with different types of cancer,” Crotchfelt said. “There’s so many people that have had to deal with it, that a lot of people can relate. I know a lot of people would be willing to support. We’ve been dealing with
FUNDRAISING
The junior pitcher is donating $3 for every strikeout the Red Raiders’ pitching staff throws during the season. Each dollar goes to Covenant Hospital to help children and their families with treatment, meals or any things they might need.
The idea was inspired by former Auburn University teammate Chris Stanfield, whose Hats off 3 campaign donated $3
Crotchfelt’s team goal is 650 strikeouts. The program is at 165 strikeouts as of March 27, according to Tech Athletics.
Although he was nervous to introduce the idea, due to the financial and time commitment, Crotchfelt said he was ecstatic when the staff embraced it.
“My initial thing was, ‘I want everyone to be involved,. This isn’t just my thing. I love all you guys, and I want everyone to be involved and all of us to do something good,’” Crotchfelt said.
Tech student tackles nutrient deficiencies in India
By MARIANNA SOURIALL eDitor-in-Chief
Texas Tech student Shristi
Subudhi dreams of becoming a pediatrician, but she isn’t waiting for the white coat to begin helping others.
A believer in affordable health care around the world, Subudhi started Power Up With Protein.
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Her goal is to raise $5,000 via GoFundMe to buy protein packs for families within Odisha, India, assisting with the financial burden.
“This project is really to highlight that there are developing countries that need this support,” Subudhi, a second-year from San
The fundraiser is designed to support families in India facing protein deficiencies derived from a primarily plant-based diet.
Antonio, said. “If we can support, it's great to do so and be a part of something bigger outside of yourself. It’s just helping out as much as you can, wherever you can.”
She was first connected to the town through her father who grew up in Odisha. The village is considered to be in rural India where inflation is high and access to health care is low, Subudhi said.
While she knows people are
wary of making monetary donations, Subudhi said she hopes the personal tie will show others she is closely connected to the residents there.
Budankayala Subudhi, her father, said despite being 25 years removed from the town, people in Odisha still recognize him and his family as the town is small and everyone is acquainted.
However, just as the small-
town feeling has not changed, the dietary issues have not been resolved either.
“There, it is expensive, and also it’s not easily available for the rural areas,” Budankayala Subudhi said. “They’re not even aware of them (proteins), and they don’t even let the doctor prescribe proteins because of the cost.”
RCOS members volunteer with children in need
illnesses and homelessness.
By JACOB LUJAN Managing, MultiMeDia eDitor
Ashlynn Franks began her two-hour shift at Family Promise of Lubbock, volunteering with children undergoing homelessness.
Franks, a first-year student and member of Texas Tech’s Raider Children Outreach Society, joined children as they created Play-Doh animals out of varying colors. While initially put off by the bird-poop-covered tables, she watched as the children began to smile more, later turning into laughs as they became more social. Franks said their joy changed her perspective entirely.
RCOS was created to bring positive experiences to children in Lubbock facing disabilities,
“(The children) made joy out of something like Play Doh which was so dirty and gross, and they’re happy about it,” said Franks. “It shows how thankful you can be for just the little things in life, and it's just such so eye-opening. I think for them to be so little, that's what they see. You can learn so much from that.”
Volunteering with organiza -
tions like Family Promise of Lubbock, Ronald McDonald House, Children’s Home of Lubbock and Ramirez Elementary School members of RCOS not only help children but also connect to their inner child, said Hamza Hashmi, co-founder of RCOS and a fourth-year biology major from South Lake. “I’m sure we’ve all wished we could be young again, so to play with these kids just kind of brings you back to those positive feelings when life was a lot simpler,” Hashmi said. Created in the summer of 2023, RCOS has a member fee of $25 per semester, and any Tech student can join.
RCOS provides weekly opportunities like Family Promise,
March 27,
CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 INTERNATIONAL notice, despite being in a no-risk area of the country. Yet, like many others, he soon realized safety was never guaranteed. On Sept. 10, 2024, BBC confirmed Israel had targeted humanitarian zones, shattering the illusion that any place in Gaza could truly be safe.
Adhem fled his home on several occasions because of the bombings Gaza faced from Israeli fighter jets. Each time he fled, he came back to a little less of home and a greater amount of destruction. A floor of the tower would be completely knocked off after the bombings, Adhem said.
Adhem did not just lose his home — he lost many conveniences, such as grocery stores.
CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 FUNDRAISING
Shristi Subudhi said she has always felt called to help, and the fundraiser is a step toward a life dedicated to serving others.
“When I was a kid, like six years old, I knew I always wanted to be a doctor,” Shristi Subudhi said.
“I know it’s very cliché, but I've always wanted to be a doctor. I've never wavered from that goal.”
While she didn’t decide to become a doctor until the age of six, Sujata Subudhi, her mother, said she always knew her daughter would grow up to care for others.
Her mother shared stories of how Shristi Subudhi
No longer searching through an aisle, he had to wait for humanitarian aid.
No electricity meant that every day he had to haul water up four floors from his building’s water source since there was no way to pump it.
“The current electric systems are the solar-powered homes,” Alhattawi said. “You rent out time to charge things like your phone, flashlights and come back a day later and pay the specific amount.”
When the ceasefire was called on Jan. 19, Adhem immediately applied for a transfer document to get him to Egypt. The document is $5,000, which SJP helps fund through selling stickers, bandanas as well as setting up a link to directly donate through financial service platforms.
“My dad lives in Egypt, so I am trying to get over
there too,” Adhem said. “I don’t want to leave my home, but I have to. It’s survival.”
Despite the daily challenges, Adhem is working to rebuild his life elsewhere. But he is not alone in his loss. The United Nations stated 1.9 million individuals have been displaced.
“Humans are fundamentally based in community and compassion. We are naturally capable of having an inherent understanding of one another,” said Ameer Yadak, a master’s student in experimental psychology major from El Paso.
His father was born in a small village outside the West Bank, and much of his family has also been forced to flee.
“I have family members who have been affected by the genocide,” Yadak said.
“The majority of my family has fled to Jordan. They’re safe now, but they left everything behind.”
The organization’s function for students who join is to enlighten and educate Tech students about Palestinian history, culture and current struggles through diverse and engaging programs that aim to foster understanding and compassion.
Those interested in donating or joining the organization can follow the SJP Instagram or attend a tabling event on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the afternoon outside of the Student Union Building.
“We want to lead these students on to getting a better understanding of what it means to be human,” Fursanebusaad said.
looked after her siblings, even at the age of three.
“She has a brother. They are only one year apart,
and when they were in preschool, they were going together,” Sujata Subudhi said. “Shristi was 3 ½ years
old at the time. My younger one, was 2 ½ years old, and when they used to have that lunch time, she used
to feed my son first, then she used to have her food.”
Having watched Shristi Subudhi take care of others all her life, her mother said she knows the fundraiser is another thing her daughter will not give up on.
“Her commitment to serve and her passion makes me proud every day — every day,” her father said in similar sentiments.
“I find a reason to get a smile on my face because of her.”
Shristi Subudhi said she raised $210 so far and will keep the fundraiser open for however long it takes to reach the $5,000 goal.
“Oftentimes, there's the trust issue that's there, so I want to be as transparent as possible,” Shristi Subu -
dhi said. “Once we get more funding, over the summer is when I'm planning on actually purchasing these packages and giving them out.” Donation links can be found on the PowerUpWithProtein Instagram account and “Power people with Protein!” GoFundMe page. Shristi Subudhi is also a community adviser, and she said flyers for the fundraiser can be found at Wall/ Gates Residence Hall.
“I just wanted to see if I can make an impact in the state where my family is from, and gain awareness, which is bigger than just Texas Tech,” Shristi Subudhi said.
Tech student revives robotics competition team
By GRACE HAWKINS L a Vida Editor
After six years of dormancy, Ethan Anderson has brought back the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers robotics competition team at Texas Tech.
“That’s something that I noticed that Tech doesn’t really have,” Anderson, an electrical engineering junior from Fort Worth, said. “Something where universities can compete against each other, and that was why I wanted to restart this program.” Anderson was previously in the Robotics and Advanced Tech Society organization but craved the competitive aspect of
robotics.
“Their organization was mainly service-focused,” Anderson said. “They were building robots to serve the Texas Tech community, which is great, but what I was looking for was more of a competitive setting.”
Even when I told him, ‘Last time someone tried to do this, it did not go well,’ he was still passionate and wanted to get it going.
DEREK JOHNSTON
TEXAS TECH ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING PROFESSOR
As a former faculty adviser for IEEE, Derek Johnston, an electrical engineering professor at Tech, was surprised Anderson decided to take on the challenge of reestablishing the team.
“We had shelved this robotics competition and had no intention of going back to it, and he took it upon himself to re-stand up this team and take on
this challenge,” Johnston said. “Even when I told him, ‘Last time someone tried to do this, it did not go well,’ he was still passionate and wanted to get it going; he has some determination.”
After several months of preparation, Anderson and his teammates have finalized their fire-fighting robot for the IEEE robotics competition on March 29.
The robot’s goal is to navigate through a field of obstacles to find a heat source simulated by a heat gun, drag a water hose to the simulated fire and extinguish it.
“There are three rounds, each with different tasks. The first round is finding your way to the fire,” Anderson said. “In the second round, the fire is removed, and in the third round we will use a hose latch, and we latch onto an amount within the game field, and then we bring the hose to the fire.”
The most challenging part, Anderson said,
is finding time to build within members’ busy schedules and working through trials and errors.
Cowboy Bail Bonds
“It’s very easy to get stuck,” Anderson said. “We’ve gone through about three different iterations for our relative navigation system because part of the project is to track where we are relative to our start point and figure out where the fire is based off of that.
That’s been very tough.”
Johnston has assisted the team through their challenges and helped work out solutions for addressing these particular quirks.
“I’ve been asking them leading questions and just helping them work through the problem,” Johnston said. “They’ll come to me with a particular idea. For example, a sensor that they were going to use to detect the wall for navigation — I sort of helped them out
by saying, ‘Well, I don’t think that sensor is going to work,’ and I suggested an alternate sensor.”
Despite the challenges the team faced, the robot is ready for competition. Anderson said the most rewarding part of this experience is watching his teammates grow as engineers.
“Some of us were in Project Lab, but there are others who don’t have a whole lot of project experience,” Anderson said. “I really love that about the team, that we have people from so many different levels of experience, so we’ve been able to establish mentoring relationships within the team. I think that’s been a really good growth experience for everybody all around.”
JACOB LUJAN/The Daily Toreador Iman Samer Altabaa leads an absentee funeral prayer for the lives lost in the Israel and Gaza conflict following a protest led by Texas Tech’s Students for Justice in Palestine at Red Raider Plaza April 26, 2024.
JACOB LUJAN /The Daily Toreador Shristi Subudhi is raising money through Power Up With Protein, a fundraiser she launched to support families in India lacking protein nutrients. Her goal is to raise $5,000 in total.
JADON CHESNUTT /The Daily Toreador
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers robotics competition team is constructing a fire-fighting robot at the Reese Technology Center March. 9, 2025. The competition will take place in late March.
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which is a two-hour win-
dow where students can play and interact with children, building bonds and relationships with the youth.
This experience of interacting with the youth of Lubbock provides students pursuing fields in pediatrics with real-world experiences, said Janaea Pedregon, a second-year biology major from El Paso and event coordinator for RCOS.
The real-world experiences that members get out of volunteering additionally serve as “happy places” for members like Pedregon, who look to get away from class loads.
“I love working with kids. I think they make your day so much better,” Pedregon said.
“I always say if I’m having a
bad day and there’s a Family Promise event, I’ll go. I’m here for an hour and a half, or however long I am here, and my day is 10 million times better.”
Students wanting to join can attend RCOS’ next event in the United Methodists Children’s Family Room at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Members of the organization said there’s nothing like giving back to others.
“It takes a very special kind of person to be able to do that because it’s not a fun job to see kids not be happy,” said Skylar Allen, a first-year pre-nursing student from Blum. “The impact of you being there for them, and showing them this isn’t forever and saying, ‘We’re gonna help you through this.’ It’s definitely bittersweet but it’s very rewarding.”
Couple dances through 25 years of Tech basketball
By CORY WHITMAN SportS reporter
Attending a Texas Tech men’s basketball game in the United Supermarkets Arena, one may have noticed a pair of Red Raider fans dancing on the jumbotron followed by a loud cheer from the crowd.
That dancing pair is husband and wife Tony and Phyllis Hopp.
The 25-plus year season-ticket holders can be seen at every men’s basketball home game and are one of the staple attractions found in between the action.
“About five years ago, (Tech Athletic Director) Kirby Hocutt came up to me, I was somewhere in Lubbock, and he told me that he loved it,” Tony Hopp said. “I asked him if I embarrassed him because we were dancing and he said, ‘Oh no, Tony, keep dancing. The students love it.’ So that’s kind of what got us dancing all the time.”
The Hopps are both Tech alumni. Tony Hopp graduated in 1981 and Phyllis Hopp earned her degree in 1983.
Phyllis Hopp grew up loving the Red Raiders, with both her parents and grandparents attend -
ing Tech, and said she recalls fond memories of growing up around the basketball program.
“I’ve been going since I was a little girl,” Phyllis Hopp said. “My grandparents had season tickets when it used to be the bubble. In those days, you could bring kids, and kids could sit on the steps for free. So, they would bring me when I was a little kid in the early ‘70s and late ‘60s.”
Outside of the gameday environment, Tony and Phyllis Hopp live normal lives in the Lubbock community. Tony Hopp has a career as a postman while Phyllis Hopp is a Spanish teacher.
Even while going about typical lives in the South Plains community, the couple is recognized for their vibrant dance moves on a regular basis. Tony Hopp said the two were even recognized outside of the United States on a cruise in Mexico.
“We’re eating and this girl comes up the stairs and comes over with her father and goes, ‘Oh my gosh, y’all are the ones from the Texas Tech basketball games,’” Tony Hopp said. “She wanted a picture with us with her dad and all that. It was
Students of Tech also recognize the Hopps and their level of commitment toward the Red Raiders.
Jonah Valverde, a junior biology major from El Paso, said he looks forward to the couple being shown on the jumbotron and always shows his support.
Professors, students detail penny cancellation impact
By CHRISTIAN JETER L a Vida Writer
Texas Tech students and professors conclude the benefits and drawbacks to the cancellation of penny minting in the United States.
On Feb. 9, President Donald Trump announced an order for the United States Treasury to halt the minting of the penny due to its high cost of production relative to its actual value.
This change comes after 233 years of the penny being minted, according to the 2024 annual report by the U.S. Mint.
An emeritus professor of finance in the Rawls College of Business, Scott Hein, said it is logical to stop creating pennies due to their inefficient production cost of 3 cents.
sign major from Burleson, said he does not often rely on physical currency, but many people still do use change to pay for their products.
“For me, I pay strictly digital, and I usually don’t carry cash or coins around,” Tucker said. “Although, I do know a good chunk of people still do pay with cash, and a lot of people use their spare change to get the exact amount they need to pay
more and more problems if more coins get cancelled,” Brock said.
“Maybe in some ways, we’ll stop using the coin process altogether, and it’ll just be dollars or something similar.”
Hein also said the nickel, which costs 13 cents to produce, might receive a halt in minting as well.
“It costs more to produce a nickel than its value in the marketplace as well, and I think even slightly more so than the penny from an economic perspective,” Hein said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point they make an argument to stop producing the nickel as well.”
“It is more expensive to produce a penny than it turns out to be worth in the marketplace, which is a sound reason to cancel minting,” Hein said. “It’s a reflection of financial reality and an important reminder of how prices have gotten out of hand and really escalated in recent years.”
for.” Allison Brock, a second-year creative media industries major from Lubbock, said she thinks further coin cancellation could cause more issues to arise in currency use, such as paper money replacing change as a whole.
“I think with the penny being such a small amount of money, it’s not a massive issue, but I think it could cause so funny.”
“My friends and I always cheer when we see them to be honest,” Valverde said. “You know, the student section is always super rowdy when they come on screen cheering for them. It’s great to see them at every game committed just like us. I think it only adds to the experience of Tech basketball.”
In the case Tech makes the Final Four in San Antonio, the two plan to attend and support the Red Raiders as they have for many years.
“We love the Red Raiders, and we like having fun at the games because it just makes it fun,” Tony Hopp said. “It’s part of the pageantry. The whole facility with the palm, the cheer, the game itself, the electric atmosphere. It adds to everything.”
Dwayne Tucker, a fourth-year graphic de -
Despite the end of penny minting, Hein said coin usage has been reduced in recent years and most transactions will continue to be used in the same way as before.
“Stopping penny minting does not mean people are going to now find they need these coins to use for purchases — people will continue to use credit cards, debit cards and digital transactions instead of using coins and currency,” Hein said.
MAKAYLA PEREZ/The Daily Toreador
Tony and Phyllis Hopp react to being on the jumbotron at Texas Tech men’s basketball game versus the University of Colorado at the United Supermarkets Arena March 5, 2025.
ALUMNI
JACOB LUJAN/The Daily Toreador
First-year pre-nursing students Ashlynn Franks, left, and Caroline Duley hold a little boy’s hand as he rides the slide at the First Family Promise of Lubbock Center as they volunteer with Texas Tech’s Raider Children Outreach Society March 24, 2025.
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Junior pitcher Tyler Boudreau is one of several teammates on the pitching staff who will donate to WREC CANCER. The Canadian is pitching in $5 a strikeout.
“It’s incredible what he (Crotchfelt) does,” Boudreau said. “We all want to be a huge part of that, and we are all going to support that immensely.”
Angela Crotchfelt, Zach’s mom, said she was astounded when she found out the team supported her son’s campaign.
“The support that Zach has gotten since he has stepped onto the Texas Tech field and campus has been nothing shy of what I could hope for being 36 hours away from him,” Angela Crotchfelt said.
While the social media
NEW LOOK
platforms, WREC CANCER shirts and wristbands weren’t in place until Feb-
ruary, the plans got rolling last August. Angela Crotchfelt said she was in
full support when Zach told her about it.
“He thinks with his heart
more than people give him credit for,” Angela Crotchfelt said. “It gets me a little emotional.”
Although Zach Crotchfelt and his teammates visited many patients at Covenant Hospital, multiple times, one experience resonated with him the most.
Zach Crotchfelt met a child with mannerisms similar to his cousin who has a disability. Zach Crotchfelt said he played Fortnite with the patient just as he did with his cousin and said making him smile brought him to tears afterwards.
“To see a kid, who I don’t think had been smiling that much, to see him smile and get to talk about stuff that he likes, it’s just no better feeling,” Zach Crotchfelt said. “You see his face light up, and you feel really good about yourself. I came back here afterward, and I was in tears. I couldn’t keep it
together. It just hit me so deep.”
Ultimately, the lasting impact he makes on people is what will complete his life’s legacy, Zach Crotchfelt said.
“At the end of the day when I’m beneath the ground and I’m gone, what have I contributed to society? What legacy have I left behind?” Zach Crotchfelt said. “I think if everybody helped the person next to them, we’d probably be in a much better place as a society and a country and everything. I just try to embrace that with everything I do day to day.” Donations can be made at give.covenanthealth. org. Zach also has requested that donors type ‘wreck cancer’ in the notes section at bottom of the form so he can track their progress.
@AndrewG_DT
Self-made barber cuts path to Tech football
By TY KAPLAN SportS Editor
Ivan Ortiz, stationed behind a red barber chair at the Uncommon Man Barbershop inside Texas Tech’s Womble Football Center, said he was patiently awaiting the arrival of his new clientele.
Having cut hair in the Lubbock metropolitan area for multiple years, Ortiz was already familiar with a few of Tech football’s players and coaches, but that day was different.
Ortiz was no longer the local barber — he was the first and only barber to work directly for Tech football.
“That’s one thing I can take to the grave with me — first Texas Tech barber in history,” Ortiz said. “I’m appreciative in the shoes and the role that I play at the facility because everybody knows me as the Tech barber now, and I take pride in my work.”
Staff and players of the football team have had ties with Ortiz since 2022 when he gave his first haircut to former Tech defensive end Tyree Wilson.
Working at the Union Barbershop, Ortiz brought in a steady flow of Tech clientele and built a following throughout the team over the years.
However, in September 2022 Ortiz was asked by his boss to prioritize one of his clients over
DEFYING ODDS
the rest: Tech Associate Athletics Director for Football Administration Antonio Huffman. Ortiz was in the middle of cutting a client’s hair and had another queued in line, so he thought on his feet and asked the client in line if he could jump Huffman ahead in exchange for a free haircut.
“After that, Huffman and me, we’ve been locked in ever since,” Ortiz
said. “Before they broke ground, he had asked me if they put a barber shop in the facility, would I be down to go cut over there? And I was like, ‘Yeah. Hell yeah. That’s dope.’ Like, who can say no to that?”
In January 2022, before meeting Huffman, Ortiz’s son was born two months early. At the time, Ortiz said he was bouncing between jobs and felt he was doing nothing with his life.
Now, with the help of Huffman and Tech football, Ortiz said he’s in a position to ensure his wife and son will manage if anything were to happen to him.
“I didn’t want to leave struggles behind,” Ortiz said. “I want to leave an inheritance, where he’s got money put up, something that’s gonna benefit him in the long run, because I’m not gonna be here forever.
While Ortiz’s son is growing up alongside his father in the barbershop, Ortiz’s childhood was spent in a town without a licensed barber.
Ortiz was raised in Lorenzo in a low-income household with split parents. He played six-man football at Lorenzo High School and loved to draw.
One day after practice, a teammate asked the group if anyone could cut hair. Ortiz’s father had cut
hair in Mexico and left behind a pair of hair clippers in the split, so Ortiz offered to give his friend a buzz cut.
“Back then, everybody got a one all over with just the edge up. I really thought it was, like, art,” Ortiz said. “We didn’t have a barber shop in the city, and nobody had a lot of money, so I wouldn’t charge nobody nothing. I did it for free.”
Since that moment, Ortiz never put down the clippers. He got his first iPhone in eighth grade and watched YouTube tutorials while practicing on his little brothers.
However, when graduation came around, his dreams of going to barber school were brought to a halt.
“None of my brothers went to college. I was going to be the first one,” Ortiz said. “They (Ortiz’s parents) wanted to have one of their kids go to college and graduate. I tried to make them happy. It didn’t work out that way.”
While he was not the first brother in his family to graduate college, Ortiz can now say he is the first Tech football barber, and that is something he said he is very proud of.
“Seeing them on TV, I’m like, ‘There’s my haircut.’ Yeah, that’s pretty cool. That’s a cool thing, too, to do,” Ortiz said. “No one expects a kid from a small town to be a Texas Tech barber.”
@TyKaplanDT
Arendt’s record-breaking career built on resilience
By PETER PIERUCCI SportS rEportEr
No woman in Texas Tech track and field history ran a sub-2:05 minute 800 meter race before her, let alone hold every program record in the race.
For any athlete, these accomplishments are not an easy feat, but Fanny Arendt has done it all and with double scoliosis.
“I’ve had a lot of issues with my back because I have double scoliosis. So there’s a lot of issues that come with running a lot of miles,” Arendt said. “It’s a lot of stress on the back, and I had a stress injury in my back last year.”
Arendt said she was diagnosed with double scoliosis when she was 3 and was required to wear a corset from the ages of 5 to 17.
Even though the struggles that come with double scoliosis are not something she can completely get rid of, Arendt said, it’s something that she can manage a lot better.
Arendt wasn’t alone though. Her twin sister Noa Arendt was also diagnosed with scoliosis and needed to wear a corset as well.
Noa Arendt’s scoliosis wasn’t as severe as her sisters, but Noa Arendt felt better because they could work through it together.
“I remember talking to her about it, how it bothered her when she was a little bit older,” Noa Arendt
said. “But it was definitely nice. It wasn’t just one of us when we were younger.”
Noa Arendt said her uncle, Frank Arendt, helped Fanny Arendt work on stability in her back and build her core with a strengthening program he wrote for her.
Doing more work on a bike has helped relieve stress from her back, Fanny Arendt said, and has allowed her to practice more.
“That has helped me get rid of almost all of the pain at least,” Arendt said. “I’ve been able to train multiple weeks in a row, and months now in a row, so that’s re-
ally good.”
Head track and field coach Wes Kittley said he’s proud of Fanny Arendt’s toughness and determination throughout the season.
“It’s one of the toughest, if not the toughest, events in the Big 12,” Kittley said. “Everybody has good 800m people, but she hasn’t been beaten this year.”
With the outdoor season underway, Fanny Arendt said she hopes to make 800m history for Luxembourg and be on the biggest stage.
“My main goal, obviously, is the Olympics,” Fanny Arendt said. “But breaking the two-minute barrier would be great for me because no Luxembourger runner has done it before.”
JACOB LUJAN/The Daily Toreador
Texas Tech football’s barber, Ivan Ortiz, gives quarterback Behren Morton a haircut at the Uncomman Man Barbershop inside Tech’s Womble Football Center on March 26, 2025.
JACOB LUJAN/The Daily Toreador
Texas Tech junior left-handed pitcher Zach Crotchfelt winds up his pitch while Tech faces the University of California Irvine at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park Feb. 22, 2025.
JACOB LUJAN/The Daily Toreador Texas Tech middle distance runner Fanny Arendt competes in the women’s 800 meter race in the Big 12 Indoor Track Championship at the Sports Performance Center March 1, 2025.
Wes Kittley
Texas Tech track and field coach Everybody
HEALTH & HUMAN SCIENCES
New CHHS department adds health opportunities
By ALLIE SCOTT Staff Writer
The Texas Tech College of Health & Human Sciences appointed Nichole Morelock as the founding chair of the Interdisciplinary Human Sciences department, effective March 1.
Morelock has served as interim chair of the department since the fall semester and said her combined studies help her understand people and their problems, making her a strong fit for the department’s research focus.
“I was program director for Counseling and Addiction Recovery Sciences and loved that position, but as time went on, I really grew to love the new department,” Morelock said. “I believe in what they’re building and doing.”
Morelock received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Missouri State University, a Masters of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from Tech and a doctorate in Marriage and Family
Therapy from Tech.
The department is the first of its kind at Tech; one degree pathway allows students to complete both a bachelor’s degree from the CHHS and a bachelor’s degree from the Tech Health Sciences Center School of Nursing, according to the CHHS website.
For the degree track, students focus their first 60 course hours on the bachelor of science in Human Sciences degree program and then apply to the School of Nursing to complete the dual degree.
The dual BS and BSN degree in nursing and human sciences provides a unique education designed to thoroughly prepare students for a career in nursing. It offers an opportunity to learn a holistic approach to nursing and health care, according to the CHHS website.
“It’s another route to help prepare them for nursing school,” Morelock said. “It gives them an academic hope. We have centralized advising. We’ve got engaged faculty who can help them
THE ODDS RISE educates on sports betting risks
By NOAH DAVILA Staff Writer
As March Madness rolls on, students may find themselves tempted to place game bets online. Whether from talking to peers, watching games or listening to influencers, it can be difficult for students to avoid the massive phenomenon that is online sports gambling.
Research from the University of California San Diego shows roughly 95 percent of sports bets are placed online due to the increase of legal sportsbooks and its advertisements.
Texas Tech’s Risk Intervention & Safety Education aims to educate students on the risks posed by this growing trend. RISE Vice President Catherine Cespedes said sports betting companies promote “riskfree bets” or “bonus cash for new users” on social media, which creates an approachable image for young adults with newfound independence.
“Young adults, particularly males, are more likely to engage in sports betting due to its social nature and the perception of gambling as a skill-based activity rather than pure luck,” Cespedes said.
Citing an article from the American Psychology Association, Cespedes said young adults face a higher risk of developing gambling addiction than older participants. According to the article, nearly 25 percent of problem gamblers have taken out loans or maxed out credit cards to continue betting.
Factors like financial difficulties and an increased likelihood of substance use can combine to place a heavy burden on the gambler’s mental health.
“A lot of gamblers use it as a means of escape,” Cespedes said. “Maybe they are dealing with social pressure or financial issues, and the high of winning a bet gives them a temporary distraction. They can then create an association between the two and escape to gambling when faced with something challenging without ever having to address the actual issue.”
One issue young gam-
really consider all their options.”
While the Interdisciplinary Human Sciences Department was announced in early 2024, the programs housed within the department have been around for decades.
“Both Family Consumer Sciences and Education and Human Sciences have roots in the traditions of the college, and so it just made a lot of sense to bring them together into one department, especially as they were growing,” Morelock said.
There are 10 degree options within the department. The primary degrees are in human sciences or family and consumer sciences education.
Students can choose three areas of concentration. However, the students will have to communicate to their adviser why they are choosing their specific areas of concentration.
blers face is the idea that gambling is rooted in skill and, once mastered, can provide the gambler with easy money, Cespedes said. This can develop into a dependence on sports betting as a solution for financial issues.
“Many people think gambling is a skill-based activity, that if they just do enough research they can ensure that they’ll win,” Cespedes said. “‘I’ll just pay this bet quickly because I need to pay X, Y and Z,’ but that’s not the case. Now that they are down $100, they feel like they need to throw in $200 to make that back.”
Cespedes said the negative effects of sports gambling are not limited to the gambler, as the fallout from their behavior can spread to loved ones.
“A lot of individuals don’t understand that their behaviors change because of addiction,” Cespedes said. “Individuals with addiction could withdraw themselves because they’re so blinded by their addiction. They can go into an emotional spiral if their gambling isn’t going well and turn that negative emotion on other people. That support system eventually deteriorates.”
Members of RISE understand it is impossible to stop students from gambling and instead work to educate students on how to be more responsible about gambling and aware of its effects.
“Anything could become an addiction,” Cespedes said. “ … It’s just really having that self discipline, understanding the risk and being willing to educate yourself, and understanding the problems and solutions.”
For more information on gambling addiction, students can reach out to the Student Health Services or Risk Intervention and Safety Education.
“A lot of students believe that if they have a problem they’ve hit rock bottom, they can’t do anything else. We all slip up sometimes,” Cespedes said. “If you ever need a help or a lending hand, there’s someone out there that’s willing to give that to you.”
Many students in the program are targeting health careers and they usually choose two areas of concentration within the college and one outside, Morelock said.
Some students in the program will target the family consumer sciences education, Morelock said. Some may go on to be teachers, while other students who further their education work in fields from corporate training to curriculum development.
Many students within this department target health careers, Morelock said. They usually get a degree in health sciences, and a concentration within the Health & Human Sciences department can help set them apart on applications to medical school.
“I love seeing students succeed, whether it was in CARS or in this new department — that’s my goal,” Morelock said. “My passion as an educator is helping students reach their goals, and the neat thing about this department is that we can reach a wide variety of students and kind of help them customize the route to their goals.”
ROBERT LOOPER/The Daily Toreador
Nichole Morelock was appointed chair of Texas Tech’s Interdisciplinary Human Sciences Department in March. She previously was director of Counseling and Addiction Recovery Sciences.
COLUMN
Suspended military aid to prevent further U.S. debt
In early March, Presi dent Donald Trump or dered a pause on military aid to Ukraine.
The decision came af ter a meeting with Ukrai nian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 28 where Trump expressed dissat isfaction with Ukraine’s commitment to peace negotiations with Russia.
This decision by the Trump administration may be beneficial for the United States.
The U.S. has played a massive role as the main supplier of weapons to Ukraine to fight against Russian troops.
According to the U.S. Department of State, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. has provided $66.5 billion in military assistance.
Since Trump took of fice in January, there have been policy changes to ward the conflict, such as suspending intelligence sharing with Ukraine, to further press Zelensky to make peace with Russia and seek help from other countries.
Trump said he felt this pause was necessary as the Trump administra
tion is tired of American taxpayers’ money being sent to a war they have nothing to do with, and Zelensky not committing to a plan to have the con flict end in peace.
On March 11, the Trump administration lifted the suspension of military aid and in telligence sharing with Ukraine in hopes it would agree to enter a 30 day ceasefire. If it did not, the U.S. would no longer support Ukraine.
The U.S. has been the key supporter in the con flict. Suspending U.S. mil itary aid does not guar antee other EU countries will give Ukraine just as good of resources as the U.S. because some do not have the funds to do so. This is beneficial for the U.S. and helps it go in the “America first” di rection prioritized by the Trump administration.
The U.S. can use tax payer dollars for things that benefit America such as fixing roads, health care and more resources for its own military and first responders.
The pause on U.S. mili tary aid also puts EU lead ers in a position to step in more to resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
@JoshLoubrielDT
PUZZLE
The DT Crossword: Two-Faced
ACROSS
1. For him, in retail 5. UV protection measure ment 8. Results from TNT 14. Beauty brand famous for skincare 15. “You’ve got mail” corp. 16. “Crisis on Infinite ___” (DC comic book arc) 17. “ ___ it” (fate’s decree) 18. By means of 19. Display, or hide 20. 22. Leaks slowly 23. Supervise, or fail to notice 24. Exceeded a speed limit 26. Perfect score, on IMDb 27. First nationwide TV information channel 28. Inexperienced indi vidual
31. Police for students, in brief
32. Evil being 34. Direction opposite of NNW
35. State of having two opposing parts or, a word that is showcased in 19‑, 23‑, 51‑, and 57‑across 37. Suffix for critic and journal
40. Actor Zac ___ who played Troy Bolton in “High School Musical” 41. Device often referred to with a redundant “Machine” 44. “No need to panic” 46. Agreement in Paris 49. “Excusez‑ ___!” 50. Satisfy to the fullest
51. Approve of, or penalize
53. Type of spotted bean
56. Right on target
57. Support, or hinder
58. Coastal inlet
59. Letter‑shaped sup port beam
60. Full of intense en thusiasm
61. Country’s economic indicator, abbr.
62. Name of Disney princess who arrived to a royal ball in a pumpkin
63. Fixes one’s gaze on
64. Suffix for godd‑ and actr‑ 65. “Buy low, ___ high!”
DOWN
1. Like Raider Red and the Masked Rider 2. Gradual changer
3. Expression of disap proval, in Spanish
4. Scornful smile
5. Get at a discount
6. Toxic weapon that may utilize a frog
7. Type of container used in science classes
8. Eleanor Roosevelt’s successor as first lady
9. Delicate fabric used on cuffs and collars
10. What a cop can law fully put someone under
11. Siberian grasslands
12. Sliding‑block maze game on dailytoreador. com
13. Government issued ID digits
21. Alternative to Inc.
25. Doctor with sick beats?
28. Protein building blocks
29. Word, in French
30. No particular one
33. Chess rating system
35. Animal’s lair
36. Extraterrestrial craft
37. Hypotheticals
38. Coastal city
39. Danny DeVito film about a telekinetic
6 year old
41. Good‑hearted and good‑natured
Possible reason for being rejected from a roller coaster
Ore extract
Generate, as com puter graphics
Pops a top off
Spot in a hospital
Military boss, infor mally
Takes a stab at
XAVIER GONZALES/The Daily Toreador
Joshua Loubriel is a sophomore political science major from San Antonio.