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A n g e l o S ta te U n i v e r s i t y’s s t u d e n t - r u n n e w s p a p e r s i n c e 1 9 3 6
Friday, February 23, 2018
www.asurampage.com
Volume 84, Issue 19
Photo by Brit Raley SGA senators vote to table discussion of the joint congress bill until changes are made to it. The bill is in regard to a Vet-
erans Affairs Clinic.
“Don’t touch my hair”encourages natural beauty
Black history month con- our stories,” Soza said. “Peotinues with “Dont Touch ple need to know that even the sad stories you can learn My Hair” Sydney Faison Contributor
Students at ASU got the opportunity to attend “Don’t Touch My Hair” Feb. 15 in the Plaza Verde clubhouse. “Don’t Touch My Hair” is part of The Melanin Experience in celebration of Black History Month. Resident assistant Dymyn Rock and student hall director Maya Jones hosted the event, which focused on eliminating stereotypes relating to hair and skin. The event featured an autobiographical presentation from Lorina Soza. “We are all human, and we all have the right to tell
something from it and the person giving that story can help other people grow.” The event discussed many stereotypes about ethnic hair. “People can learn that it is culturally insensitive to touch someone’s hair without permission or make remarks that are inappropriate just because they don’t understand,” Soza said. The Melanin Experience is a month long series of events promoting the diverse population here at ASU. Soza said that the event is a stepping stone to know that many cultures can open your eyes and doors to something
See HAIR page 2
Meal plan changes
SGA discusses several new bills
Rosanna Aguilera Staff Writer The Student Government Association discussed changes to the meal plan in its meeting on Monday night in the Junell Center VIP room. The Caf is going offline in fall of 2018 and is to return in fall of 2019. Sophomore senator Brayden Woods said the building is being remolded. “It’s a two-step process; the infrastructure is being replaced, and then renovation
Photo by Marsalis Mahome Shkendra Freeman, sophomore, places a yellow strip of
paper on natural hair to express her positive views on it.
is making it look nice and getting it out of the 80’s,” Woods said. Student Body President Emily Hecox discussed changes to meal plans for the coming year. “They made it to where you have three meal exchanges each day, max, but there are no time restrictions so you can use them anytime you want,” Hecox said. Hecox said that more food items will be included on these meal plans. For example, Einstein’s Bros. Bagels currently
See SGA page 2
Photo by Brit Raley Senators listen intently in Mon-
day night’s meeting. Both support and concern were raised for the different topics discussed.
Rams take aim Rams Clay Target Team places sixth at competition Robyn Simkins Contributor
At the end of the competition, members are awarded with trophies and chances to win endowment money that can help with competition costs. The RCCT will compete
next in the ACUI Collegiate National Championship in San Antonio from March 2631. This competition is expected to include over 1,200
See CLAY page 2
The Rams Clay Target Team (RCCT) recently took 14 students to compete in the ACUI Lower Midwest Conference Championship Feb. 10-11 in San Antonio. The competitions require a 12-gauge shotgun and a clay target thrown into the air, though certain events are set up differently. The competition is judged by a collection of individual scores, individual high overall scores and team scores after participating in all events; as a team, the RCCT achieved 6th Contributed Photo Jacob Bird takes a shot at a clay tarplace out of 10 colleges. get during the Rams Clay Target Team competition at “Coming out ahead of such large schools such as OSU or the National Shooting Complex. the University of Texas is always a good thing,” Kurtis Students and tattoos Page 2 Neal, the team’s academic advisor, said. Korean Student Association Page 3 The top 5 shooters repRam and Belle Track Page 4 resenting ASU were Colton Cmerek, Coleman Pittillo, Softball and Baseball Page 4 Braden Williams, Jacob Bird and Taylor Cleaveland.
For more student news follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ASURamPage
NEWS
Page 2
2.23.2018
WHat do you think about body ink?
Students share their thoughts on tattoos
Christian Hunick Staff Writer The Ninth Annual West Texas Tattoo Convention is coming to the McNease Convention Center Feb. 23-25, providing an opportunity for tattoo enthusiasts at ASU to get ink from prominent tattoo artists. According to the Pew Research Center, more and more college-aged people are embracing body art as the new paradigm for self-expression; 38 percent of millennials reporting to have at least one tattoo. As expected, the percent-
SGA page 1 has 50% of their items on the meal plan, but 100% of
Photo by Brit Raley Emily
Hecox, senior, discusses some topics with a smile during the SGA meeting. HAIR page 1
new. Soza works with Ram Family Connection to help with transitions for parents and students as they enter ASU.
age of people with tattoos decreases with older generations. Only 32 percent of individuals from Generation X (age 30-45), 15 percent of the baby boomers (age 46-64), and six percent of the Silent Generation (age 76-93) have one or more tattoos. Given these statistics, one might expect to see nearly four out of ten students at ASU boasting tattoos; however, 70 percent of millennials, the generation that describes most current ASU students, say that their tattoos are generally not visible. Although the rate of tattooing among young people is increasing, those without tattoos are still in the majority.
Senior Sungyun Park is one such student who does not have any tattoos and would rather stay ink-free. “I have never had one before, and I don’t think I would get one later,” Park said. Freshman Jenna Wells, on the other hand, has several, each of which has a special meaning to her. “I have one on my shoulder of a magnolia flower because it was my mom’s favorite flower,” Wells said. “She passed away not too long ago, and I wanted to get a tattoo to remind myself that even though she is gone, a part of her still lives on inside me.” Wells acknowledged that although most people seem
their items will be on the meal plan in the fall. The percentages for Subway will grow from 48% to 74%. Hecox said the Gold meal plans will cover either 21 or 15 meals per week, three per day. The Blue meal plans will cover 120 meals or 80 meals, total. “The Blue goes up a little bit, and the Gold makes more sense if you live on campus,” Hecox said. Hecox said the cap prices per meal are $5.50 for breakfast and $7.50 for lunch and dinner. “That is the price because there are less options for breakfast and usually less students will utilize a breakfast option and the $7.50 for lunch and dinner because there is
a more variety of options for that time frame,” Woods said. “Right now, if you buy a sub on the meal plan, then the sub, chips and drinks are covered, but if you just get the sub you still use the whole meal, so it’s the same thing,” Hecox said. “You can use a meal to buy a milkshake, but you still use the whole meal.” They are also looking to increase the hours so students have more time to get their meals. Hecox said that this plan is mostly finalized. “The contract isn’t set in stone, so there is still some wiggle room,” Hecox said. The senate also discussed a joint congress bill that the Texas Tech University Systems
The event featured a presentation from the stylists at the All About You hair salon. One of the stylists said that they do braids and fades for all shades. AAll About You stylists discussed the importance
of keeping hair in good condition and gave tips for practical hair care like avoiding combing your hair when it is dry. There were prizes and refreshments at the event. Some trivia questions included “How often should you trim your ends?” and “Who invented the first brush?” The Melanin Experience will continue with upcoming events such as The Apollo: Open Mic Night and Angelo Speaks.
Photo by Marsalis Mahome Attendees at the event enjoy
a presentation by Lorina Soza from the Ram Family Connection.
Events Calendar
Friday 2/23
ASU Annual Writers’ Confrence Mayer Auditorium All Day
Plaza Verde: The Apollo Open Mic Night 7-10:00 p.m. ASU Theatre: An Evening of Short Student Plays 8-10:00 p.m. Modular Theatre, EFA
Saturday 2/24 Lonestar Rugby Conference Tournament Intramural Fields 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (Continues into Sunday) Softball vs. WNMU 1-5:00 p.m. Mayer Field Women’s Basketbal vs. WNMU 2-4:00 p.m Junell Center Baseball vs. Colorado StatePueblo 2-8:00 p.m. Foster Field Basketball vs. WNMU 4-6:00 p.m. Junell Center
UCPC: Spring Family Weekend Concert featuring Masego C. J. Davidson Center, UC 7-9:00 p.m. ASU Theatre: An Evening of Short Student Plays 8-10:00 p.m. Modular Theatre, EFA
Sunday 2/25 Softball vs. WNMU 2-4:00 p.m. Mayer Field
Baseball vs. Colorado StatePueblo 1-4:00 p.m. Foster Field
Tuesday 2/27 UCPC/Plaza Verde Angelo Speaks: Be You, featuring Ebony Stewart Plaza Verde 8-10:00 p.m.
Thursday 3/1 Softball vs. St. Edwards 4-8:00 p.m. Mayer Field
Planetarium: “Seeing: A Photon’s Journey” 7:00 p.m. “Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West” 8:00 p.m.
Contributed Photo
Photo by Axel Marcenaro Hali Johns, senior, proudly
shows her tattoo. Johns’ ink commemorates her late grandfather with a flowered design and date. to be accepting of her tattoos, she is still required to cover them up at work. “There’s still a stigma about your tattoos being visible in the workplace,” Wells said. “It doesn’t make much sense to me, but I have to be careful
what I wear so I don’t get in trouble.” Students interested in checking out the West Texas Tattoo Convention can purchase tickets online. Single-day passes are $15 and a pass for all three days is $30.
are involved in regarding the support of the Veterans Affairs Clinic that will be built in Lubbock in conjunction with the University Medical Center. Hecox said the four universities in our system take the bill to their individual senates and make adjustments. “Then we come together and pass the bill as an entire system after we pass it is individuals,” Hecox said. Hecox said their job is to offer their support for the clinic. “The legislation was made to say we support the building of this, so by passing it, it shows that as a system we support the building of the VA clinic by the federal government that is going to im-
pact our veteran population in West Texas and West Texas healthcare as a whole,” Hecox said. Hecox said the bill will be passed on March 8, but ASU’s senate has no control over it because the building is federally funded. Hecox also mentioned that on March 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be an HPV vaccine event in the UC. “If you haven’t had your HPV vaccination you can come get one of those rounds there; it is a three-round vaccination,” Hecox said. Hecox said students must bring documentation to get the final round if they have had the first two already.
CLAY page 1 shooters from all over the United States. The final lineup of this particular competition was as follows: 1. Fort Hays State University – 1462 2. Schreiner University – 1433 3. Texas A&M – 1411 4. Texas A&M Corpus – 1396 5. Connors State College – 1366 6. Angelo State University – 1287 7. Oklahoma State University – 1275 8. Trinity University – 1273 9. University of the Incarnate Word – 1272 10. University of Texas – 1269 ”I feel that the skills and mentality developed in learning and competing in the clay target sports are definitely good attributes to have in life.” Neal said. “These games are both individual and team based at this level and the
drive and tenacity needed to be successful are certainly great things to learn and take into a career or into the classroom.” The RCTT was created in the Fall of 2015 for students interested in clay target sports. Clay target sports are often heard of as skeet shooting, but other types include trap and sporting clays. As of right now, the team consists of 35 student members and two volunteer coaches. The team practices every Thursday and Sunday at the San Angelo Claybird Association. Club dues are $50 a year and students are responsible for some practice and competition costs. Grants and outside funds are pursued to help offset the costs of the club and competitions. Students must be enrolled and in good standing with their schools, they must be enrolled in at least 9 hours and have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher in order to compete at the collegiate level.
Short On Everything
Patrick Fleming Cartoonist
2.23.2018
FEATURES
Beyondthe
Music professor does double duty as teacher and performer Aubree Bailey Managing Editor Dr. Jeff Womack is a professor in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at ASU. “My official responsibilities are as a professor of oboe and bassoon, and I’m the music history professor,” Womack said. Womack also teaches a core class. “Additionally to those, I teach a section of Introduction to Music online every other semester. In the alternate semester, I teach a section of Introduction to Music that is for music majors in the fall, which is a little bit more demanding.” He also holds applied lessons, where he instructs stu-
C lassroom
dents one-on-one with their chosen instruments. Womack’s early interest in music started in an unusual place. “I didn’t start band until the eighth grade, but as a kid we watched cartoons like Bugs Bunny and Road Runner, and also The Smurfs,” Womack said. “I was always very engaged by the music. Those musicians were phenomenal, and I heard this sound in one of the cartoons, and I asked, ‘What is that?’ A friend was there, and he said, ‘Oh that’s a bassoon.’ And I said, ‘That’s what I want to play.”’ “I was very interested in classical music even before I knew what it really was,” Womack said. “There was a commercial on TV for a collection of romantic orchestral music, and I asked my parents for that for my eighth birthday.”
Getting to know ASU’s faculty and staff in a new light
Womack attended Berea College to obtain an undergraduate degree in Music Education before he pursued post-graduate education. “I got a master’s and doctorate from Illinois State and Louisiana State.” Womack said. “My doctorate is in music and music performance, specifically of the bassoon.” In addition to instructing classes, Womack also gives a faculty recital on campus at least once a year, most recently on Jan. 30. He was accompanied on percussion by Trent Shuey, ASU’s assistant director of bands and percussion instructor. The performance was entitled “Contrasts: Music for (mostly Solo Bassoon),” and they played “Bachalicious” by Ryan Hare, “24th Caprice” by Niccolo Paganini, “Le Tombeau de Mireille” by Henri Tomasi, “Blues for Contra”
Home away from home
The Korean Student Association Eunice Tibay Staff Writer
The Korean Student Association aids students in adjusting to life in an American university and shares Korean culture with American students. “We just help Korean students help adjust in American culture,” KSA president, Youngkwan Kim, junior, said. Youn Seo Jo, vice president, shared how KSA helped him get settled when he arrived in San Angelo. “When I first came to ASU I was like here at San Ange-
lo Airport and I didn’t know what to do at first,” Jo, sophomore, said. “But KSA went out to the airport, and they helped us come into the school and get into the dormitories, so it was really helpful. They have provided us with many kinds of information with getting adjusted to ASU, so it was very helpful.” KSA also helps its members with processing information about what they have to do and assists them with services like bringing water bundles back to their dorms. “In my opinion, as one of the international students, it’s really hard for them to do some service[s],” KSA Treasurer and freshman Yoon
Kwan Khang added. “So if they are Korean, we can help them process some information about what they do and what should they do, so we are here.”
Eunice Tibay Staff Writer The ASU Meat Market provides students an inside look at meat processing and sells fresh meat products with a 10% discount on Fridays. “I think it’s proactive as it gets the community involved,” sophomore Rut Zapata said. “And it also gets students involved.” The Meat Market sells beef, goat, lamb, and pork products that are fresh or fully cooked. “There are primarily two freezers holding vacuum packed products,” instructor and research associate Robert Cope said. “One is fresh products that have not been cooked and the other is fully cooked product.” Customers can find ground meat, steaks and meat chops in the fresh freezers while sausages, bacon and smoked briskets, among many others, can be found in the cooked products freezer. Located on the Management, Instruction, and Research Center on 7945 Grape Creek Road six miles north of San Angelo, the Meat Market is part of the Food Safety and Product Development (FSPD) Laboratory. Students majoring in An-
imal Science and Food Animal Science can observe at the FSPD lab how processing meat is done. “Students will have the opportunity to see the process of taking market animals all of the way to the finished product,” Cope said. “The Meat Market allows us to be responsible and utilize products produced through this process. It is important for them to understand the process regardless of where they are in the production sectors as they are all dependent on the other.” Cope also stated that students who are planning on getting into the meat industry can get a platform to do research projects, which can help them in job placements. In addition to selling meat, the Meat Market also does custom harvesting of meat products, including harvesting, aging, processing and packaging.
by Michael Burns and “Pimpin” by Jacob Ter Veldhuis. Womack said his favorite part of the job is“all of it; it’s very interesting. Most of us in the department are teaching faculty. In addition to that, many of us also perform professionally in one capacity or another.” Although maintaining both aspects of his career can be difficult at times, Womack said they are immensely beneficial to each other. “The demands of performing professionally are very high, and continuing to be able to work at that level helps me constantly keep fresh all the things I need to remember while playing, which carries over directly into teaching.” Womack described his job overall as the perfect career for a musician. “It’s kind of an ideal situation because I love to perform,
Korean students are encouraged to join if they want to share their culture and meet new people. “They can join our organization if they want to adver-
Contributed Photo Members of KSA gather during a
meeting.
Meet the Meat Market
ASU”s Meat Market offers special service
Page 3
Photo by Brit Raley Dr. Don
Topliff competed in professional rodeo before he received his doctorate.
I love to play my instrument, but I am especially enthusiastic about the teaching because I love seeing the students get it and lights click on and great stuff starts happening.”
tise about Korea because our events are, like, most of them are about diversity at ASU, so I think they can join if they want,” Jo said. “And also if they want to meet new people, they can also join this organization.” In addition to helping out the students, KSA also hosts events showcasing Korean culture throughout the semester, such as the Korean Lunar New Year Party and a Food Party this coming March at the Caf. KSA is also in charge of the Korean Tutoring Program for students interested in learning Korean and sharing Korean and American cultures.
20% Discount for enrolled ASU Students, Faculty, and Staff
Wisdom Teeth removed in our office with Intravenous Anesthesia for your comfort We also place Dental
Implants for missing teeth
A referral from your dentist is NOT needed for wisdom teeth and implant consultation. That extra visit is not needed. For most other oral surgery it is usually best to see your dentist first and have a referral.
Dr. William A. Buche
Board Certified Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon
Photo byAxel Marcenaro A student waits for lunch in
3015 Green Meadow Dr. San Angelo, Texas 76904 325-949-1288
www.drbuche.com
the Ranch Smokehouse. The Smokehouse is located in the Crossroads Café next to Create and Chik-Fil-A.
Photo byAxel Marcenaro Ms. Cook serves a faculty
member at the Ranch Smokehouse in the University Center.
SPORTS
Page 4
2.23.2018
Rams outrun the competition
Women and Men’s Track Teams place in multiple events Rosanna Aguilera Staff Writer
The No. 6 Angelo State women’s indoor track and field team added two new national marks and an event title on Friday at the Texas Tech Matador Qualifier in Lubbock, Texas. Senior Kami Norton got a new personal record in the 60-meter hurdles. She got a NCAA Division II provisional time of 8.57, moving her up to No. 8 nationally. The personal time she beat was 8.59. Sophomore Daisy Osakue won women’s shot put for the third time of the indoor sea-
son; she had a throw of 49’7.25” (15.12- meters). Junior Brie Dewbre threw a toss of 40’-11” (12.47- meters), earning sixth place. Freshman Raeana Mayo placed seventh in women’s weight throw with a toss of 48’-11.75” (14.62- meters). Juniors Heather Shaffer, Taytum Morris and Kelby Pope placed fourth, fifth and sixth in pole vault. Pope cleared 11’-5.75” (3.50- meters), while the other two Rambelles cleared 12’-00.50” (3.67- meters). Morris’ mark is an NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark; she is ranked No. 20 in Division II. Senior Kaitlin Lumpkins placed third in women’s high jump, clearing 5’-9.75” (1.77-
meters). Sophomore Trenadey Scott also got a personal best in long jump with a jump of 18’3.25” (5.57- meters). Senior Kelsey Warren placed fifth in the women’s mile with a time of 5:26.53. For the Rams, freshman Carlos Galvan got a mark of 49’-7” (14.99- meters) in men’s shot put, placing seventh. Galvan also placed fourth in men’s weight throw with a toss of 53’-1.75” (16.20- meters). Senior Mason Myrick got fifth with a throw of 51’-11.25” (15.83- meters). Sophomore Zach Cabrera placed fourth in the men’s 3,000-meters with a time of 8:53.26; this was his first race of the indoor season. Junior Ayodeji Adedokun
File Photo by Brit Raley Isaiah Martin, junior, leads an opponent in the
hurdles. Martin is from San Antonio.
File Photo by Brit Raley Ashley Dendy, senior, begins
taking an opponent on the curve. Dendy ran the 60-meter hurdles in 9.10 seconds in the Texas Tech Matador Qualifier on Feb. 16. got sixth in the men’s 60- meter hurdles with a PR of 8.31. Sophomore Michael Rodriguez placed eighth in men’s
File Photo Brit RaleyKami Norton, senior, flies through the air
in the long jump. Norton was named the Lone Star Conference Track Female Athlete of the Week.
Belles hit homerun; Rams strike out
Belles win three games on the road; Rams lose 2 Rosanna Aguilera Staff Writer
The Belles softball team started its Lone Star Conference games Feb. 16-18 at Texas A&M Kingsville, going 3-0, and the Rams baseball team won one game and lost two at Lubbock Christian.
The No. 2 softball team had scores of 7-3, 5-1 and 6-0; these games earned the team 12 straight wins. “It was a huge weekend to be able to go on the road and get three Lone Star Conference wins,” Head Coach Travis Scott said. Scott said senior pitcher Brandy Marlett played well in game one, and senior pitcher Morgan Hill continued to
triple jump with a mark of 42’-11.50” (13.09- meters).
dominate. “We had some big home runs and did a lot of the little things really well considering we had two starters out of the lineup,” Scott said. “We were able to get production out of everybody, which is encouraging.” The Ram’s game scores were 4-1, 5-12 and 4-5. Head Coach Kevin Brooks said junior pitcher Tyler Les-
ley did a great job throwing strikes and letting his defense play behind him in game one. Lesley pitched eight strong innings. “Those guys stay involved and made some key plays and big moments, and we ended up getting the win,” Brooks said.
In the final game, Brooks said senior pitcher Shane Browning pitched well “but the wind was blowing out and they hit three fly balls that got over the fence.” Both teams will be at home this weekend.
Ram Page Member of The Texas Tech University System Texas Intercollegiate Press Association
Editor-in-Chief Kaitlin Trujillo
Managing Editor Aubree Bailey
Staff Writers
Rosanna Aguilera Christian Hunick Eunice Tibay
Photo Editor Brit Raley
File Photo by Brit Raley Tyler Lesley, junior pitcher, throws the ball to his teammate,
Andrew Morales, junior first baseman, to tag the runner out.
Photographer
Axel Marcenaro
Cartoonist
Patrick Fleming
Circulation Manager Douglas Kurtz Faculty Adviser Dr. Cathy Johnson
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PUBLISHING POLICY
File Photo by Axel Marcenaro Madison Greenwell, senior, is focused and ready to
bat. Greenwell is from Flower Mound, Texas.
Published every Friday and available to students, one copy per student, the student newspaper of Angelo State University is a public forum, with its student editorial board making all decisions concerning its content. Unsigned editorials express the views of the majority of the editorial board. The Ram Page welcomes all letters. Please include your name, classification/position, phone number and/or e-mail address for verification. Letters must be signed and be no more than 350 words. The paper reserves the right to edit letters for grammar and clarity. All letters are subject to laws governing obscenity, libel and privacy. Deadline is 5 p.m., Monday. Submission does not guarantee publication. Letters may be mailed, e-mailed or submitted at the Ram Page office, Room 324 in Porter Henderson Library third floor. Opinions in letters are not necessarily those of the staff. Opinion expressed in a public forum should not be construed as the opinion or policy of the administration, unless so attributed.