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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, March 2, 2018
www.asurampage.com
Volume 84, Issue 20
Photo by Axel Marcenaro The Belles Softball team rushes the field to welcome in Karina Rocha after a home run hit. This was one of two
home runs Rocha hit this game.
Cheerleaders earn national title
ASU Coed Cheer squad competes at national level Kaitlin Trujillo Editor-In-Chief
The ASU Coed cheer team earned its first national championship title Feb. 24-25 in Anaheim, CA. “They have worked so hard this season,” head cheer coach Kaylee Feece said. “They have faced adversity almost at every turn, and yet every time they came out stronger. To watch them be able to bring home the national championship was just the best feeling in the world.” The team was awarded first place for Large Coed Team – Four-Year University, third place for mascot and fourth place for all-male stunt group. “The competition was
great,” Cade Pence, sophomore, said. “There was a ton of energy. There were so many people everywhere supporting us, from our coach to our mascots. It was absolutely amazing.” The team beat out schools like Idaho State and Arizona State. “It was amazing,” Megan Espinosa, senior, said. “We all freaked out with excitement, yelling and screaming. We were all just so proud of each other.” 12 cheerleaders and two mascots represented the blue and gold throughout the twoday competition. “Competing as a whole is pretty much a rush of adrenaline and anxiety all at the
See CHEER page 2
Rams rumble for fitness UREC offers fitness challenge
Eunice Tibay Staff Writer Students of all fitness levels participated in the Ram Rumble Feb. 26 at the CHP Gymnasium. Four fitness stations, the Body Weight Battle, Broad Jump & 40 Yard Dash, Tac it On and Deadlift & Vertical, were set up around the gymnasium for students to challenge and rate themselves based on their performances. “It’s really just for anyone who wants to come get a good
Contributed Photo The ASU cheer squad celebrates their national championship title.
workout in and then see their fitness level because of the combine-style events that we have,” Amber Graham, graduate assistant for fitness, said. “So we can kind of see where you’re at among ASU students and see how fit you are compared to other people.” Within the four stations, there are two single events and six workout events. In the former, students were given two attempts to try and reach their target scores, while the latter gave students 12 minutes to get as many reps
See RUMBLE page 2
Photo by Axel Marcenaro Kay Dornes, senior, deadlifts
95 pounds 18 times in under a minute. Students were able to chose which weight set they wanted to compete with.
Rugby qualifies for Denver Rugby falls short in state championship, looks to Denver for redemption Kaitlin Trujillo Editor-In-Chief
much more exciting to be a part of it.” The Rams kicked off the tournament with a blowout against Texas State. The Rams held off the Bobcats, winning 57-0. “We were able to run the system well and had good mo-
mentum,” Timmons said. “I was a lot more physical this weekend than other games due to the weight of the games.” The team’s next match was against the University of Dallas, who the Rams beat in the
Ram Rugby placed second in the Lone Star Conference See RUGBY page 3 tournament Feb. 24-25 and secured their spot in the Cowboy Cup tournament in Denver, Colorado. ASU hosted the tournament for the first time ever. “It was a nice change of pace being able to hold this tournament here,” junior wing Stetson Timmons said. “We were able to show the school just who we are and give people something new to watch since it was all-day Rugby.” ASU fans filled the stands at Photo by Kaitlin Trujillo Tyshir Newsome pushes tothe Intramural Fields to cheer ward the try zone despite being pulled back by two on the team. “Playing in front of the players from the University of Dallas. home crowd with as many people that showed up was Holland Symposium winners Page 2 thrilling,” junior flanker JereI Heart Yo Sneaks Page 4 my Sumners said. “Of course we have our share of fans that Ram and Belle Basketball Page 6 enjoy coming out to watch, but being the state tournaSoftball and Baseball Page 8 ment with so much more people watching made it that
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Page 2
NEWS
Holland Symposium encourages creativity
“Cry for Creativity” wins first place Brit Raley Photo Editor
Laura Dooley, senior, won first place and a $200 prize on Feb. 17 with her sculpture in this year’s Holland Symposium Student Contest. “Winning not only helped me financially, but it also encouraged me to continue to embrace my ability to create,” Dooley said. “This innate
sense to replicate my experience and emotion is greatly inspired by my admiration for God and his creation.” Randy Hall, co-chairman of the Holland Symposium on American Values and professor of art, said students had to attend the symposium first and then create a response related to the topic to enter the contest. Art, music, and research papers are all possible creative responses, according to Hall.
Contributed Photo Contest judges Chris Stewart and Dr.
Carolyn Gascoigne pose with award winners Vincent Tanner, Austin Stafford, Laura Dooley, Ricardo Lara and Randy Hall. CHEER page 1
same time,” Espinosa said. The team was excited for their performance to start so they could show off their hard work. “We were standing behind the curtain, all waiting very patiently to hear our name called,” Pence said. “There was a promo video right before we went on so the anticipation started to get to us because the promo video seemed like a million years. So when they finally called our name it was kind of like this ‘okay, here we go. It’s now or never.’” Preparation for the competition was tough. “They’ve pushed their bodies through the early morning
On Oct. 16, 2017, Dr. Zeynep Tufekci presented “Machine Intelligence and Humanity: An Alien in Our Midst” as the topic for this year’s responses. Students had a month after the symposium to respond to the lecture with their creative pieces. Dooley entered her piece, titled “Cry for Creativity,” as her creative response to the topic. “It was meant to be a long and involved process,” Dooley said. “It stresses that we have lost the art of creating with our hands.” Dooley said she originally entered for the chance to win money, but once she started working on her sculpture, she found more significance. “It became about creation, along with the beautiful creativity that we so casually surrender to technology, simply because we have turned art into an inconvenience,” Dooley said.
The contest is open to all majors, and any students enrolled at ASU can enter. Hall said that there were only five entries this year, much less than previous years when they received over 20 entries. Dr. Carolyn Gascoigne, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, and Chris Stewart, department chair of Visual and Performing Arts, were this year’s judges. “The judges have $500 to work with. They can award that money anyway they see fit,” Hall said. “This year they gave an award to each person that entered. However, some years are different.” Karra Aguilar received second place and $125 for her digital print titled “Modern Brother.” Austin Stafford received third place and $75 for his painting titled “Forged in the Name of Homo Sapiens.” Vincent Tanner and Ricardo Lara each received honor-
3.2.2018
Contributed Photo Laura
Dooley’s winning sculpture, titled “Cry for Creativity.”
able mention and $50 for their sculptures. “It was such a wonderful experience,” Dooley said. “I would hope others would accept the challenge.” The next symposium and contest will be in Oct. 2018.
and the late nights and the worth it in the end,” Espinosa pinosa said. “We’ve given so at us and ask ‘ASU? Where is three-a-day practices,” Feece said. much to the school, and we that? I have no idea who that said. “They were all worth it. I After returning to San An- just felt the love coming back.” is.’ It felt great to walk away kept promising them that they gelo, the team was greeted at The squad is proud of how from the competition with would all be worth it, but you the airport by ASU fans. they represented the school. people being like ‘That’s Ancan never promise a national “It felt great to come off of ”It felt great representing gelo State University. They’re championship. I’m glad that’s that plane with everyone wait- ASU,” Pence said. “When we from Texas.’ We put our name how it played out.” ing there supporting us,” Es- went there people would look on the map.” The team had over 100 practices before boarding their flight to the west coast. “Preparation for this competition was endless,” Pence said. “We were all so tired, but we came in ready to work and we got it done.” Their hard work paid off when their name was called and the first place trophy was in their hands. “The amount of time, effort, sweat, blood, tears and every- Contributed Photo The fourth place Contributed Photo Roscoe and Bella celebrate thing that went into it was all male stunt squad performs. their third-place win.
RUMBLE page 1
Photo by Axel Marcenaro Haddan Stokes, sophomore,
performs a set of kettle bell swings. In this station of Ram Rumble, students were asked to complete a series of three different workouts, all revolving around the kettle bell.
Photo by Axel Marcenaro Taré Ward, senior, leaps for
the record in the Ram Rumble challenge. Ward was a strong competitor in all of the challenges presented.
as they could for the designated workouts. In addition, the event also promoted the UREC’s fitness classes and encouraged students to be healthy. “We want to offer fitness events to kind of encourage our students to get healthy and learn about what we do at UREC,” Graham said. “This is a good showcase for our fitness instructors, our fitness classes and everything like that.” The event is divided into the advanced, intermediate, and beginner categories with separate divisions for men and women. Winners for each category and division are determined by the number of points they earned from participating in the whole event. Graduate student Caitlyn Buck won first place in the female advanced division with a total score of 2043, while Taré Ward, senior, finished second with a total score of 1941. “It felt good, but it was exhausting,” Buck said. “It was a lot harder than I was expecting, but we just got to stick to it.” “It felt really good,” Ward said. “I was able to push myself and hit goals that I thought weren’t even achievable like in the deadlift. I didn’t know I can push that much weight.” Austin Woodruff placed first in the male advanced division, garnering a total score of 2297 while Damon Butterfras and Joshua Williams
placed second and third, respectively, scoring 1980 and 1975. In the female intermediate division, Herani Gebre emerged first place with a total score of 1962 points. Lindsey Woodruff followed Gebre with a score of 1892 and Kay Dornes came third at 1816 points. Malik Jones finished first in the male intermediate division with a score of 2285. Bryce Kennedy, second place, and Oscar Mendoza, third place, accumulated 2224
and 2140 points respectively. Melina Bustamante won first place in the female beginner division with 2103 points. Following her were Amanda Saenz, second place, at 2094, and Alicia Ferreria, who finished third, at 1994. Moses Ruzovivo took home first place in the male beginner division with a total of 2378 points. Diosel Rivengood placed second at 2085 points, while Ramiro Rodriguez placed third with a total of 1966 points.
Events Calendar Friday 3/2
Tuesday 3/6
Rock Climbing and Camping Trip 2 p.m. Mar. 2 - 8 p.m. Mar. 4
Official ASU Ring Sales 10 a.m. Mar. 6-3 p.m. Mar 8 UC
Saturday 3/3 Lake House Open for Season All Day ASU Lake House and Facility
Women’s HIstory Month Celebration 11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. UC Lobby Etiquette Dinner 6:30 - 8 p.m. UC
Monday 3/5 SGA General Senate Meeting 7 p.m. Free HPV Vaccination Clinic 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. UC Plaza Verde: Cafe Study 7-10 p.m. Plaza Verde Teacher Education Symposium 7 p.m. C.J. Davidson Center
Wednesday 3/7 Crossroads Live/ Talent Show Auditions All Day to Mar 8 Softball vs Univertsity of Oklahoma 1-3 p.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m. Mayer Field
3.2.2018 RUGBY page 1 state championship last year. The Rams had to fight harder in this match but walked away with a 35-10 victory over their rivals. “They’re a tough team, but we always beat them,” senior inside centre Brian Signorelli said. “It’s still a fight every time.” For the final game of the tournament, the Rams took on the University of North Texas. After a hard-fought match, the Rams lost 35-22. However, the season is not over for the team. They will compete in Denver March 2425 for the Cowboy Cup.
NEWS
Page 3
“The preparation for Denver will be just like any other day for us at practice really,” Sumners said. “We always take practice very serious and focus on what we need to do to defeat the opponent. Of course, there will be a little more fire expected going into the Cowboy Cup, and we will definitely have that going in.” The team prides itself on their chemistry and brotherhood. “This team means everything to me,” Sumners said. “If it wasn’t for Ram Rugby, I probably would not have stayed in school like I have. The natural bond and love we all have for each other makes it feel like we are a giant fam- Photo by Kaitlin Trujillo The Rams perform a chant before the final game of the tourily.” nament.
Photo by Kaitlin Trujillo Jeremy Sumners moves the ball down-field,
covered by his teammates.
Photo by Kaitlin Trujillo Stetson Tim-
mons sprints to the try zone.
Photo by Kaitlin Trujillo Lucas Snitkin maneuvers past a member of
UNT Rugby.
Photo by Kaitlin Trujillo Kenny Roller pushes through the
University of Dallas’ defense. This was Roller’s fourth trip to the state tournament.
Photo by Kaitlin Trujillo Rugby Team Cap-
tain Tadeo Canon Masjoan goes for the conversion kick.
Photo by Kaitlin Trujillo Tyshir Newsome fights for the ball in the line
Photo by Kaitlin Trujillo Cesar Escajeda fights to stand after a member
Photo by Kaitlin Trujillo Brian Signorelli lands in the try zone for his
Photo by Kaitlin Trujillo Anthony Signorelli looks for a teammate to
out while being lifted in the air by his teammates.
first try of the tournament.
of the UNT defense grabs his waist.
pass the ball to as he moves down the field.
FEATURES
Page 4
3.2.2018
Overcoming the odds
Student battles adversity and succeeds Christian Hunick Staff Writer
Senior Megan Steffek was diagnosed with dyslexia in the fourth grade, but through hard work and determination she has become an honor student involved with numerous organizations at ASU. Steffek was born in Houston, but her family moved to south Austin when she was two years old. “My parents didn’t want me just to get the city feel of life: they wanted me to also get the country side, so during the summer and winter break I would go stay with my grandparents in Hallsville,” Steffek said. Steffek said she discovered her love for animals during her visits to the country, prompting her to pursue a career as a veterinarian.
“I would help my grandfather work cows when I was younger and watch the whole process. I was very interested in shots, branding, and working with large and small animals.” When Steffek was in elementary school, her teachers noticed that she struggled to keep up with the reading levels of the other children. Test results revealed that she had dyslexia, a learning disorder that affects reading and related language-based processing skills. “It’s hard for me to focus on the words I’m reading because I will see them one way, but when I read them out loud I will say them flipped,” Steffek said. Students with dyslexia are often allowed extra time to complete exams and can have questions and answer choices read aloud. Even with these accommodations, Steffek said she still felt she had to work
harder than most students. In high school, Steffek made the decision to read the test questions herself instead of having them read to her. “I figured I wasn’t going to have someone to read for me for the rest of my life, so I might as well get used to doing it on my own,” Steffek said. Now, Steffek prepares to graduate from ASU with a degree in animal science and a double minor in chemistry and biology. In addition, she is a member of the UCPC Concert Committee, Beta Beta Beta, Delta Tau Alpha, Block and Bridle, Order of Omega and Sigma Kappa; she is also a co-chair of the Homecoming Committee, a student orientation leader and a First Gen Rams mentor. Steffek plans to apply for vet school in Sept. at A&M, the University of Georgia, the University of Colorado, and several others.
Contributed Photo Megan Steffeck has overcome obsta-
cles in her life to be where she is today.
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I Heart Yo Sneaks
Students combine passion with service
Christian Hunick Staff Writer I Heart Yo Sneaks is a fairly new organization at ASU that serves the community by col-
Contributed Photos
lecting and refurbishing gently-used sneakers to donate to people in need. “It feels good to give back to someone who doesn’t have what you have,” club president Majeed Asubiaro said. “I didn’t grow up having every shoe I wanted, so I had to
Photos by Brit Raley ASU athletes were recognized for academic
excellence Thursday, Feb. 22 during halftime at the Ram’s basketball game.
work for them. If I can give back a pair to someone who wants that type of shoe, it feels good.” Asubiaro said I Heart Yo Sneaks became an official Registered Student Organization last year. “We were on campus for a year unofficially, but last year was our first year as a registered organization,” Asubiaro said. Alumnus Henry Mahome III started the organization with the help of a small group of friends. Since its founding, I Heart Yo Sneaks has collected hundreds of pairs of shoes and hosted several shoe drives. Members and volunteers clean the sneakers they receive to make them look like new. The shoes are then then donated to schools, charities,
and shelters for women, children, and homeless. “We also went to Houston for the Hurricane Harvey relief, and we donated about 100 pairs of shoes to another shoe drive they were having for the city,” Asubiaro said. Those who would like to donate shoes can either bring them to one of the shoe drives or give them directly to an organization member. According to Asubiaro, drop boxes around campus may be set up in the future to make donating easier. One thing the club is hoping for is the donation of more women’s and children’s shoes, as the most commonly donated type of shoe is men’s sneakers. “We want to be able to provide for a larger audience, es-
pecially kids,” Asubiaro said. Anyone who wants to serve their community is welcome to become a member or volunteer with I Heart Yo Sneaks. “You don’t need a collection of limited edition shoes,” Asubiaro said. “It’s a special interest organization, so that means anyone can come and join us, and we will be happy to have them.” Members pay yearly dues, but volunteers can also sign up to help with individual shoe drives free of charge for community service and volunteer hours. Students can follow @loveyosneaks on Twitter and iHeartyosneaks on Instagram to stay informed on upcoming shoe drives.
3.2.2018
FEATURES
Beyondthe
Library director recounts his 22 years at the Porter Henderson library Aubree Bailey Managing Editor After 22 years of dedication to the improvement and modernization of ASU’s Porter Henderson Library, Dr. Maurice G. Fortin, the library director, is retiring. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in history, a master’s in history and a master’s in library science, as well as a doctorate in higher education administration from what is now known as the University of North Texas, Fortin worked fifteen years at UNT in multiple positions. He also participated for five years in the Texas County Records Inventory Project. Fortin arrived at ASU in 1996 and became instrumental in the revitalization of Porter Henderson Library. “One of the reasons I chose a smaller school such as ASU was because I felt like I could have a bigger impact on a smaller campus. The campus was very far behind on technology.” Since becoming library director, Fortin has supervised over $1.5 million in grant -funded projects, such as the project that established the
C lassroom
West Texas Collection in the UC. Fortin has also helped the library make the shift from traditional bound volume collections to online collections and journal subscriptions to increase information students can access, as well as make their studies more convenient. Perhaps one of his most apparent contributions to the library was the remodeling of the first floor, now known as the Learning Commons, and the addition of private study rooms, group work rooms and a quiet study space. “We were lucky to get 120-150,00 people coming through a year. When we remolded the first floor and made study rooms it more than doubled the amount of people coming through,” Fortin says. He also says he enjoys seeing the reactions former Rams have upon seeing the positive changes in the library: “One of my most enjoyable experiences is when we have tours coming in and the parents went to school at ASU 10-15 years ago. You should watch the expressions on their faces when they walk in the door. Invariably one of them comes up to me and asks, ‘Why didn’t you have this when I was here?’” Though Fortin will no longer work in Porter Henderson
Getting to know ASU’s faculty and staff in a new light
library as of April 1 of this year, he still has ideas for what could be in the library’s future, such as the addition of a maker space. “A maker space,” Fortin explained, “is a move that many university and public libraries are making for collaborative learning. The current trends in industry are for collaborative work; if we don’t prepare you to be successful when you leave ASU, we haven’t done a good job.” Besides his passion for collaborative learning, Fortin also believe information literacy is a key tool to learn in college: “One of the most valuable things you take away from your college experience is not necessarily a piece of paper, but hopefully you have learned how to learn. Part of that is information literacy. Information literacy isn’t about finding information but evaluating information. To me that’s [teaching students information literacy] one of the most important of being an academic librarian.” Fortin has also participated in many prominent campus organizations and committees. These include his roles in the Deans and Department Chairs group, University Curriculum Committee, chair of the Library Committee, and previous servitude on the
Students PAWS and help
Students volunteer with local animals Eunice Tibay Staff Writer
Page 5
She also shared how she had formed a friendship with the person who adopted one of her foster dogs, and that seeing the dogs change after being adopted is one of the things she loved. “Once you get a dog out of the shelter, it changes drastically, even in the first two weeks that you have it,” Smith said. Rogers works with mostly with dogs, though she has worked with cats as well. Rogers also works with pitbulls, educating people and debunking the negative stereotypes typically associated with the breed. “A lot of times in the shelters, you get a lot of pitbulls, and a lot of people are usually very afraid of them, to work with them,” she said. “I really liked showing people that, ‘Hey! These are perfectly fine
Graduate student Sascha Smith and senior Meghan Rogers, driven by a passion for finding places pets can to call home, volunteer for Concho Valley PAWS. According to Smith, volunteering includes helping at adoption events by walking dogs and having them meet people during the weekends. People can also volunteer to become foster parents of their shelter animals, like Smith did. Smith, who has fostered three dogs and adopted one of those since she began volunteering in July 2017, stated that the experience was worth the trouble. “Being a foster is a lot more work because you have to take a dog into your home,” Smith said. “And then, once you take it into your home, you kind of commit to keeping it until it gets adopted.” Despite it being difficult to part with the first dogs she fostered, she still felt rewarded by the experience. “It’s tough, but it’s super, su- Contributed Photo Meghan Rogers smiles with one of per rewarding,” she said.
dogs she volunteers with.
dogs.’” Like Smith, Rogers said that being able to give pets a new home is one of the best parts of being a volunteer. “Not only do you get to save a dog’s life or a cat’s life, you get to help out a family,”
Photo by Brit Raley Dr. Maurice G. Fortin has been at
ASU for 22 years.
University Master Plan Committee, Academic Master Plan Review Committee and the University Technology Committee, among others. Fortin plans to stay busy during his retirement by traveling, enjoying time with his son and granddaughter and helping the monastery in Christoval to catalog a large
collection of religious based works in multiple languages. On behalf of the student body, the Ram Page would like to extend well-wishes to Dr. Fortin in his retirement and express immense gratitude for his service to ASU and the state of Texas.
Rogers said. “They get a new family member, and it’s just rewarding on both ends. It’s really such a great experience, overall, and it definitely makes you a better person.” Both Smith and Rogers encourage other students to volunteer. “It’s great because you get
to be there for them and help them,” Smith said. “It’s rewarding.” “They do a great job of finding all these animals homes,” Rogers said. “It’s a great organization that works to help save dogs and cats and I think everyone should work to help that.”
Ram Page now accepting applications for 2018-2019 Editor-in-Chief Applicants must: • be a junior, senior or graduate student in the 2018-2019 academic year • be a journalism/mass media major or minor, or have the equivalent undergraduate courses in mass media • have been enrolled full time at ASU at least two consecutive semesters prior to application • have served on the Ram Page staff in some major capacity for at least a year
Photo by Axel Marcenaro A kitten takes a break from
playing with his brothers to investigate a Ram Page camera man. PAWs takes care of many kittens just like this one, in need of a home.
Application deadline: March 27, 5 p.m.
If no applications are received, exceptions may be considered. A letter of application and supporting information must be submitted to Dr. Herman Howard, head of the Department of Communication & Mass Media, 3rd Floor Library, B309
Page 6
OPINION
3.2.2018
Pineapples: From Luxury Good Live Intentionally to Everyday Food
Eunice Tibay Staff Writer Pineapples are delicious, and they are on the list of fruits I really love. I am also Team Pineapples on Pizza. That said, there is one thing about pineapples I would like to talk about; and no, I am not going to argue about why pineapples being on pizza is fine, as passionate as I am about the subject. That discussion is for another day. Moving on to my actual topic: some time last year, I found out that people in 16th-18th century Europe were obsessed with the pineapple, and it was, in fact, a symbol of status and power due to its rarity and skyhigh price tag. Considering how common it is to consume pineapple today, I found it surprising that this fruit was once a luxury good meant to show off how rich and powerful someone is to be able to afford such an ex-
otic fruit from the New World. For those who weren’t as wealthy, there were also pineapples available for rent, simply for display at parties, and also, again, to show off to guests how much money the renter had. The pineapple obsession was wild. Artists began incorporating the pineapple to their art, and put them in napkins, wallpapers, and even as the roof of a mansion. Look up Dunmore Pineapple on Google. You won’t regret it. King Charles II of England even commissioned an artist to paint a gardener presenting him the exotic fruit. In addition to that, pineapples were also symbols of hospitality and could be found decorating the gathering areas of large homes. But why was the pineapple so expensive? Pineapples only grow in certain areas with tropical climates like Brazil and the Caribbean. One of the only places in Europe that successfully grew pineapples were greenhouses in England and the Netherlands. The process of bringing the fruit back to Europe from the New World was pretty expensive. High demand and low supply pretty much cemented the pineapple’s fate as a fruit for
the rich and powerful. Then James Dole, the Pineapple King, happened. Dole began a pineapple plantation in Hawaii in the dawn of the 20th century with the hopes of being able to produce and distribute the fruit to the world through his company, which eventually became the fruit company that we know today: Dole. To make the long story short, he was successful in doing so. Now, we are able to enjoy pineapples without the need of selling a limb just to be able to shout to the world, “I own a glorious pineapple!” So the next time you buy or eat a pineapple, remember that many people in history would be very glad to be in your place if it meant they could own a piece of that sweet and sour fruit too.
Kaitlin Trujillo Editor-in-Chief I read a quote on Pinterest a few weeks ago that really resonated with me: “live less out of habit and more out of intent.” Those words made me pause and evaluate the level of intent that I live my life with. Do I make my choices subconsciously and haphazardly or do I seek out opportunities to optimize the impact I have on my world and those around me? I want want to live my life in such a way that the choices I make mean something
more. I want to think of others and be sensitive of the world around me. I want the words that I say to be uplifting and glorifying to the Lord. If I want all these things to be true, I have to do things differently. I can’t continue to do life by my checklist, I need to seek opportunities to talk with people, serve and learn. It is easy to fall into routine, and routine is not a bad thing, but you can lose so much in that. Convenience is a roadblock to adventure. If we only do life inside familiar parameters, we will never know what lies outside our comfort zones. I am a firm believer that seeking discomfort produces the most exhilarating and worthwhile experiences. The choices we make everyday have a ripple effect. What we do today can completely change our tomorrows. This life is too short to be lived on autopilot.
Short On Everything
Patrick Fleming Cartoonist
Ram Page Member of The Texas Tech University System Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Editor-in-Chief Kaitlin Trujillo
Managing Editor
Faculty Adviser Dr. Cathy Johnson
Aubree Bailey
Staff Writers
Rosanna Aguilera Christian Hunick Eunice Tibay
Photo Editor Brit Raley
Photographer
Axel Marcenaro
Ram Page ASU Station #10895 San Angelo, Texas 76909 Newsroom: (325) 942-2323 Advertising: (325) 942-2040 Fax: (325) 942-2551
Cartoonist
Editor: rampage@angelo.edu
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Patrick Fleming Rosanna Aguilera
Student Snaps #White Coat Ceremony
Copy Editor Jodi Erickson Circulation Manager Douglas Kurtz
PUBLISHING POLICY
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, Want to see your ASU photo in next week’s issue? Tag us on Instagram @asurampage unless so attributed.
Have an opinion you want to express? Write a column and email it to RamPage@angelo.edu
SPORTS
3.2.2018
Belle Basketball clinches conference
Belles beat out ENMU for No. 1 seed Rosanna Aguilera Sports Writer
The Belles basketball team won its game over Eastern New Mexico University 59-56 Thursday night, making them 20-5 on the season. This win marked their third straight season with at least 20 wins. With less than a minute remaining in the game, the teams were tied at 56. Senior guard Marquita Daniels brought the ball down after a timeout, driving into the lane and drawing a foul. Daniels made both of her free throws. Senior Madi Greenwood made the final free throw, making the final score 59-56. Daniels was the leading scorer for the team with 19 points and five rebounds. Senior guard Keanna Kelly had nine points, all three-pointers. Junior Guard Dezirae Hampton was the only other player for the Belles to finish in double figures. She scored 11 points and pulled down seven boards. “We made it a big impact to run at the shooters, and I think that affected them,” Hampton said. “We knew how big of a game it was and knew there would be a lot of pressure, but in the end we defended and got the win.” Sophomore forward De’Anira Moore was the leading rebounder for the team with 15 rebounds. Head coach Renae Shippy said she was proud of the way
the team played. “Obviously you have to hand it to Eastern New Mexico, forcing us into so many turnovers and holding us to just 59 points,” Shippy said. “That just shows how great of a defense team that they are.” Shippy said the Belles don’t usually turn over the ball. “For them to be able to force us to into 20 turnovers, we have to give them credit,” Shippy said. Shippy said she’s proud of her girls for handling the adversity of struggling to score and turning over the ball and still getting the win. Shippy said ENMU had long, athletic guards who pressed them the entire game. “You have to give credit to them because it worked against us,” Shippy said. Shippy said the team did a much better job of executing and thought this came from the leadership of four seniors out on the court. “I think that made a huge difference because they were determined and decided how it was going to be and their defensive effort was phenomenal at the end,” Shippy said. Shippy said their four seniors are great players and phenomenal people. “They’re fun to be around and have great leadership, and we’re going to miss them,” Shippy said. Hampton said they plan to win the senior night game for the seniors. “We’re a close team and love each other like sisters,” Hampton said. The four seniors on the team are Keanna Kelly, Madi
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Photo by Brit Raley Dr. Brian May, his wife Patti May and Dr. Don Topliff congratulate
the Belles with hugs after their win against Eastern New Mexico. The Belles are going into Lone Star Conference Tournament on March 1 as the number one seed.
Photo by Brit Raley Madi Greenwood,
senior point guard, calls a play as she makes her way to the basket. Greenwood made the final free throw to give the Belles the 59-56 win. Greenwood, Ekiya Gray and Marquita Daniels. The Belles won their Senior Day game against Western
Photo by Brit Raley Dezirae Hampton, ju-
nior guard, gets airborne as she aims for the basket. Hampton helped the Belles win with 11 points.
New Mexico University 86-31. The team will start the Lone Star Conference Tournament in Frisco March 1 against Tex-
as Woman’s University.
Ram Basketball edges out Eastern New Mexico Rams get win as they head to the Lone Star Conference tournament Rosanna Aguilera Sports Writer
Photo by Brit Raley Ja’Michael Brown, junior guard, maneuvers around Eastern New
Mexico defense as he makes his way to the basket. Brown had a career-high on 10 assists that night.
Photo by Brit Raley Ran Tut, senior for-
Photo by Brit Raley Will Adler, junior ward, pushes through the defense as he forward, goes for a layup after Brandon goes for a layup. Tut helped the Rams Williams, redshirt senior forward, passwin with two blocks and seven points. es him the ball. Adler made back-to-back three-pointers against ENMU.
The Rams basketball team won its game in a second-half comeback against Eastern New Mexico University 86-83 Thursday night. The Rams stopped ENMU in the second half, forcing overtime and winning the game. The lead shifted between teams in the first half, but the Greyhounds went into halftime with a three-point lead. In the second half, ENMU continued to increase their lead to double-digits until the 6:40 mark, when the Rams recovered. Junior guard Davion Cole-Johnson played a big role in the team’s comeback, earning 16 points throughout the game. Head Coach Cinco Boone said the team didn’t do well on rebounds. They were out-rebounded 48-37. “I didn’t feel like our defense was that tight in the first half, giving up 43 points,” Boone said. Boone said they made adjustments in the second half. “I thought our guys had a better fight and guarded the ball a little bit better; to go from 43-28 points is a big reason why we were able to get the game into overtime,” Boone said. Junior guard Ja’Michael Brown led the team with 26 points and earned his first career double-double with 10 assists.
“The win was really big, coming in off of a 0-3 slump,” Brown said. “This game was a bounce back game for us; we really needed it.” Brown said they always want to protect their home court and get a win. “It’s going to give us the hungriness and have us really to come in and play,” Brown said. Boone said overall it was a crazy game but a good win for them. “We had different guys step up and make some big plays at different times,” Boone said. Boone said Eastern New Mexico shocked them by playing a zone defense. “They hadn’t played that much zone in the last month, and they jump out here and play it,” Boone said. “Our guys just adjusted and fought through adversity.” Boone said they had a specific goal for the week. “We’ve been calling it ‘senior week’ instead of ‘senior day’,” Boone said, “Tonight was for the seniors.” Boone said they wanted to send the seniors out on a 2-0. “That’s been our chant; that’s going to be our echo,” Boone said. Boone said he thinks they won the game with their preparation the days before the game. “We’re proud to be able to come out with a win,” Boone said. The Rams will start the Lone Star Conference Basketball Tournament on March 2 in Frisco at the Dr. Pepper Arena.
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SPORTS
Belle Softball sweeps up
Belles improve to 17-1 on the season Rosanna Aguilera Sports Writer
The No. 5 Belles softball team got a four-game series sweep against Western New Mexico University Mustangs this weekend at Mayer Field. The scores of the games were 8-0, 8-0, 12-0 and 4-3. The team is 17-1 on the season and 6-0 in the Lone Star Conference. They had a combined 16 runs on 20 hits, while WNMU had three runs on eight hits. “We had a really good weekend,” head coach Travis Scott said. “We played well and hit balls hard all weekend.”
The Belles took a 1-0 lead in the beginning of fourth game and didn’t score in the fourth, fifth or sixth inning. Senior pitcher Morgan Hill only allowed three hits and zero runs through the first five innings. The Mustangs passed the Belles making the score 3-1 going into the bottom of the seventh. Senior Brooke Mangold and senior Danae Bina both scored to tie the game. Brandy Marlett, senior, began pitching at the top of the seventh, striking out three Mustangs. Sophomore Jade Strother brought in the final run to win the game with a hit from ju-
Photo by Axel Marcenaro Bailey Wallace, junior, sprints
for first base. Wallace is an infielder from Rockwall, TX.
nior Bailey Wallace. “We had huge performances this weekend,” Scott said. Sophomore Karina Rocha had four home runs on the weekend. Scott said the team batted well in the first three games. “We ran into a little issue there in game four, but you have to give Western New Mexico credit; they played well in game four,” Scott said. Scott said that winning the game in extra innings was probably what they needed instead of run-ruling WNMU again. “I know it sounds arrogant, but to be in a tight situation, that is something we are going to deal with later on in the
Kaitlin Trujillo Editor-In-Chief Ram baseball split its fourgame series against Colorado State University - Pueblo Feb. 23-25, winning the second and fourth games. In game one, the Rams lost 10-9 after an attempted comeback in the seventh inning. The Rams had eight errors in the game, which is the second most in a single game in ASU program history. “It’s hard to win when you have eight errors and they just got the three earned runs,” head baseball coach Kevin Brooks said. “We can’t just give games to people, but we seem to have done that a lot this year.”
On Saturday, the team split their doubleheader, winning the first game of the day 3-0 before dropping the second game 3-2. Tyler Lesley, junior pitcher, started the first game of the day for ASU and threw seven innings, striking out four batters. Shane Browning, senior pitcher, was on the mound for game three and struck out nine batters. “I thought Tyler and Shane did a great job,” Brooks said. The Rams came back in game four, shutting out CSUPueblo 10-0 to split the series. Redshirt freshman Carson Childers took the mound and struck out seven batters, followed by freshman Trent Baker, who also struck out seven batters. “Carson did what he’s done
Scott said he had hoped to get freshman Makayla Corbin and Meagan Hilll some pitching time, but it didn’t work out. “In a no-hitter situation you have to leave them in there instead of pulling her with a big lead,” Scott said. “They’ll be ready if we need them in the future.” Scott said they have the off weekend next weekend after St. Edward’s University on Thursday; fireworks will follow after the game. “Hopefully we have a big crowd to come out watch us put some fireworks out here during the game and a true fireworks show afterwards,” Scott said.
Photo by Axel Marcenaro Karina Rocha, sophomore, catches a pop fly. Rocha also hit
two home runs against Western New Mexico.
Ram Baseball splits series
Rams fight to even series against Colorado State Pueblo
year,” Scott said. “I loved the way our kids responded.” Scott said Wallace in particular had some huge hits, one to tie the game and the last to win it. Scott also thought that Strother had a big weekend and Marlett was sharp with pitching. “She was a smidge off here early in the season and wasn’t feeling 100 percent, and now she’s back to being the pitcher that everybody is used to,” Scott said. Scott said Hill also continues to throw extremely well. “She may not have had her best stuff today, but she was still good enough to win the game,” Scott said. “I’m pleased with both of them.”
3.2.2018
all year, and when you give up just two hits it makes it hard to lose,” Brooks said. “Then Trent Baker came in and was just dominant for three innings, and those guys just set the tone, and everybody else followed behind.” Childers pitched for six innings, giving up only one hit. “I’m just trying to do my job: throw strikes and help the team get back in the dugout so we can score some runs,” Childers said. The Ram’s offense struck quickly in the first inning. Michael Urquidi, junior, hit
a one-out single through the right side and Bradley Mathiowetz, redshirt junior, followed with another single. Nicholas Novak, sophomore, was hit by a pitch to load the bases with still just one out, and Jacob Boston, senior, brought in all the runners with a double to right center field. Urquidi scored again in the third inning on a double from Novak, who brought Urquidi home again in the fifth inning on a ground ball. The sixth inning was another offense attack from the
Rams with 4 runs scored. The Rams plated one more run in the eighth to score the tenth and final run. “I thought today was the first day that we showed up, in my mind, to go out and whoop somebody all year,” Brooks said. “That has to be your mentality every time you show up, and it was good to see. Now, we got to keep that going moving forward.” The Rams, now 9-5 for the season, will take on Eastern New Mexico March 2-4 in Portales, New Mexico.
Photo by Kaitlin Trujillo Jacob Boston, senior third and first baseman, slides safely
into second base. Boston hit his first double of the season against CSU-Pueblo.
Photo by Kaitlin Trujillo Michael Urquidi, junior out-
fielder, celebrates Parker Tadlock’s base hit. Urquidi scored three runs in game four.
Photo by Kaitlin Trujillo Elias Aguirre, senior outfielder, rounds the bases. Aguirre
scored two runs for the Rams in game four.