RAM RAM PAGE PAGE
EST. 1936
ANGELO STATE UNIVERSITY
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FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2019
VOL . 85 ISSUE 25
ASU organizations recognize April as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month
Students learn about sexual consent at black dress event Kierstyn Wiley, staff writer The Multicultural Center teamed up with Title IX and Counseling Services April 10 to host an event to raise awareness of the importance of sexual consent. The event, Little Black Dress Doesn’t Mean Consent, brought students and faculty to Room 114 in the Houston Harte University Center to discuss why consent should be talked about in relationships. “You should never feel like your problems are not relevant,” said Aaron Espinoza, student assistant for the Multicultural Center. “You will be heard; you will be understood. This is a really big problem, so it takes big steps to move forward. It can be hard sometimes, but don’t feel ashamed, don’t feel afraid, because the help is out there.” April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which seemed like the perfect time to discuss the subject of consent. “Multicultural Affairs is very invested for all communities and, in April, we like to provide a little more education about what it is to be in safe relationships and what it is to have consent,” said Erika Baeza, director of multicultural and student activities programs.
The workers gave students the opportunity to ask questions about why consent is an issue and how it should be handled. “I know firsthand what it is and what problems can arise from it and, for me, I want people to be aware that it’s okay to come forward regardless if you’re male or female,” Espinoza said. “It’s a shame thing, but we want everybody to know you can come forward.” The event was black dress and black tie, which helped those in attendance understand that even when someone may look nice, there should always be communication about what should happen next. “Those are important conversations to have so we don’t have suffering populations on campus; so bad things don’t happen,” Baeza said. “If we’re proactive about it, then we’ll have a safer campus. All we want is for you guys to thrive in your college experience.” Many people don’t report misconduct, but the three organizations encourage everyone who experiences harassment or assault to report it. “It’s important because everyone deserves to be respected, loved and cared for without fear,” Baeza said. “We need to give a voice to those who cannot speak and give that psycho-
Photo by Ian Saint: Students show their support of victims by making buttons to raise awareness for sexual consent.
logical and emotional support. We’re all humans. We all deserve the same thing equally, and we want people to know what healthy relationships are so they don’t fall into the bad ones.” Those in attendance had the opportunity to make buttons with different phrases on them to support victims of negative sexual experiences. Students were also given diffuser bottles and light-up cups to take home with them. “My advice is to be direct,” Baeza
said. “I know it’s uncomfortable a lot of times, but it’s part of the college experience to start building your identity, and building your voice, and that’s super important. Your ‘no’ must mean a ‘no,’ and ‘yes’ a ‘yes,’ and it must be understood as that, as well. I think that if we have more of those conversations, we’ll have less of the violence or any of the awkwardness in any relationship.”
UCPC hosts fourth annual Drag Rave featuring Shangela and Monique Heart Performers danced and lip-synced to music as they strutted down the catwalk Sydney Faison, staff writer The University Center Program Council on April 9 presented the fourth annual Drag Rave in the C.J. Davidson Conference Center. The event featured Shangela and Monique Heart, former competitors on the television show “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” “It was an amazing event and I personally enjoy drag shows especially since the performers walk way better in heels than I do,” senior Anisa Galvan said. “I really am glad the school is allowing more diversity and representation for the LGBTQ+ community and the fact that we are educating more people on this is really needed, considering we are a generation that is making change each day.” The performers danced and lip synced to music as their dazzling outfits were stuffed with dollar bills from audience members. “I think Drag Rave is an amazing collaborative effort between the different organizations to promote awareness and knowledge about drag and the LGBTQ+ community,” Kiana Hollins, UCPC president, said. Performers stepped off the stage to interact with audience members who sang and danced along to the music. “It was a wonderful event with many unique performers who are enthusiastic about what they do,” senior Destiny Chapman said. “I am always entertained whenever I come to the drag shows since the performers are engaged with the audience.” Attendees applauded and cheered as the performers came together during the closing of the show. Flowers were given to the performers. After the event, audience members had the opportunity to take photos and get autographs from the performers.
Shangela said that sometimes in life, people will not always support or like you but, in the end, you have to remember that in order to make it in this world you have to love, like and support yourself. We must look at ourselves and love who we are because people will want to be attracted to you, she said. Nick Ellis, UCPC art and film committee chairperson, said he wants people to know that drag queens are normal people who are making a living entertaining people. “Just because a man likes to dress as a woman or vice versa does not make their interests, profession or hobbies less than,” Ellis said. “Drag queens have made names for themselves in television, film, music, fashion and so on causing it to become a prominent staple in pop culture. Although drag is more mainstream than ever, there are still people that think of it as weird. I want to break that stigma and show students that drag is an art form and although it can be subjective, it shouldn’t be something to be afraid of.” Ellis said his biggest rewards get from putting on the drag show each year is being able to showcase inclusivity by providing a safe space for LGBTQ+ students bringing awarness to drag performance and allowing students the opportuniy to learn more about the culture. Ellis said he had seen this show transform tremendously over the past few years. When it first started, they only had three local performers and two sponsoring organizations. “As the years went on, the collaboration with student orgs and Greek Life has grown, the number of attendance has grown and the number of performers continue to grow,” Ellis said. “I am so proud of how this event has impacted the Ram Fam because
Photo by Axel Marcenaro: Aruba Water takes the stage with a latin twist to the music and dance. The CJ Davidson was packed for the event, with numerous student organizations and students showing their support for the LGBTQ+ community.
without the support we received over the years, we would not have made it to the 4th year. The continuing success
of this event will help it continue to be a staple at ASU for years to come.”
Spanish Club raises over $1,500 for artists at fundraiser Members sold bracelets, headbands and bags to raise money how much money they were able Sophia Gravatt, staff writer ASU’s Spanish Club held a four-day fundraiser at the end of March to support independent artists. Ciara Stednitz, Spanish Club president, said the fundraiser was motivated by a desire to help enterprising artists from developing countries in Central America. “We opted to sell their handicrafts at their prices and send them all proceeds,” Stednitz said. “We could have raised the prices and kept the difference for the club, but decided against that.” Twenty-one students volunteered their time to manage the sale, which raised a total of $1,525 by selling 250 bracelets, 11 headbands and 10 bags. Stednitz said she was surprised at
to raise. She said she thought they would raise around $500, but that the products sold themselves. “It was fun and surprising to see how students reacted to the fundraiser,” Stednitz said. “Each product featured a tag with the artist’s information and picture, and students loved sifting through the hundreds of items to find the one that spoke to them the most.” In addition to the fundraiser, the Spanish Club has held quite a few other events, such as partnering with AMAS and the Multicultural Center to host a Day of the Dead event where students could decorate sugar skulls. They also held a fundraiser during
continued, page 2
2 NEWS
04.19.2019
Rams take down Hilltoppers on Little League Night at Foster Field ASU crawls back in seventh inning to take the game
Photo by Ian Saint: Fabian Muniz, No. 4, hurls the ball right into the strike zone. The Rams took a 26-8 win over Cameron University on April 6.
Rosanna Aguilera, editor-in-chief The ASU baseball team on April 9 outscored the St. Edward’s University Hilltoppers 16-10 at Little League Night. The Rams were down 7-1 before earning a nine-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning to take the lead and come out victorious. The game began with senior Lachlan Mayo coming to the plate. He accounted for both of ASU’s runs up
until the fifth inning by getting two solo shots. Junior Josh Elvir hit a pitch for the team’s third solo home run of the game in the fifth inning. The Rams continued to trail the Hilltoppers 8-3. Both teams got two runs each in the sixth inning and then the game came undone for St. Edward’s in the seventh inning when the Rams scored nine runs on seven hits and a couple of errors.
After adding two more runs in the eighth inning, ASU took the 16-10 comeback to extend their winning streak to five. After this game, the Rams now lead the nation with a .348 batting average, a base percentage of .467 and scoring an average of 9.5 runs per game. Elvir has national rankings, as well, leading the nation with a .613 base percentage. He is also second in batting average with an average of
.469 and second in slugging percentage with a percentage of .980. The Rams also defeated Eastern New Mexico University in a fourgame, out-of-town series April 12-13. In Friday’s double header, ASU won 15-2 and 11-1. In Saturday’s double header, they won 15-2 and 15-10. ASU will return to Foster Field on April 26-28 to face Texas A&M University-Kingsville in a four-game series.
Parking services plans to discontinue E parking zone
Director of parking services clarifies parking restrictions Kierstyn Wiley, staff writer Parking Services on April 8 joined the SGA in the Junell Center VIP Room to discuss old and new parking and transportation procedures for the upcoming fall semester. SGA welcomed Sandra Kaye Rosser, director of OneCard and parking services, and Jessica A. Manning, director of business services, to share recent statistics and explain why the E parking zone and shuttle services may no longer available. The E parking zone gave students the opportunity to pay half price for a parking pass and park their vehicles at lot P21 off Jackson Street at Foster Field from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. “Essentially, this is the budget development period,” Manning said. “We are looking at our budget for FY20 and developing what we are going to need. In doing that, we are evaluating the efficacy of the decisions we made and some of the services we are providing.” The purpose of the shuttle service and E parking zone were for ASU students to get to class early and not have to walk in bad weather, but the utilization of these options has failed to meet expectations. “The numbers really do not justify maintaining the shuttle service,” Manning said. “We’re seeing an average of about six to eight riders per day and many of those are students who don’t purchase a parking tag at all and are walking in from somewhere else. As far as the extended lot parking participation, we’re seeing, most days, zero vehicles parked there
and on the busiest days, we’re seeing two to three.” With the low amount of people that have bought E parking passes for the semester, it is not enough to warrant the continuation of this option. “There was only a total of seven E permits this year: five full-year ones and two spring only,” Rosser said “We’re assuming students would prefer not to park in the E lot and we are assuming that it may need to be discontinued. It does not seem to be cost-effective to keep it an E zone, and we’re considering moving it back to an ABCD lot.” Rosser said parking lot time zones and regulations are often misinterpreted, as well. “B and D lots are enforced from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.,” she said. “Then in the A and C lots, the sign states from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Many people take that to mean that after 1 p.m. or after 4:30 p.m., they can park in those lots without a permit at all, and that’s not the case. It’s enforcing the zone. After 1 p.m., other permit types [A and C] can park in a B or D lot or vice versa.” Manning said the zone enforcement times needed to be clarified since it does seem to be confusing to many students. “Coming from the personal experience of other colleges I looked at, freshmen weren’t even allowed to have cars if they were living on campus or the minimum walking distance was sometimes a mile,” Sonja Hale, at-large senator for SGA, said.
Photo by Ian Saint: This week’s SGA meeting had a presentation over parking and the E lot. There is a proposed ending of the shuttle service from the E lots and returning them to ABCD lots.
“There are parking options, it’s just you do have to walk. For me, you have parking options and just have to be willing to walk.” Students were encouraged to contact Parking Services with any comments or inquiries.
Spanish, continued which they sold Mexican hot chocolate and donated conchas, a Mexican pastry. The funds went towards buying five Thanksgiving dinners for families in need. “Next week, we are making up little pinatas while we watch a movie and chow down on nachos,” Stednitz said. She said the club will sell the pinatas during dead week, from April
“If you have issues with parking, come talk to us,” Rosser said. “If you get a citation that you don’t feel you deserve, come talk to us. Our door is open, and we are always willing to discuss issues, problems, questions and suggestions.” 29 to May 1 at 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the area between the Houston Harte University Center and library. Their goal for this fundraiser is to put money away for next year. “This year, Spanish Club has been more active than ever,” Stednitz said. “We hope to continue to build on the traditions we’ve established. We have seen growth, as far as membership is concerned, but would love to see more.”
3 OPINION
04.19.2019
Participating in Lent I decided to participate in Lent this year for the first time. I made this decision to see if I could make progress as a person mentally, emotionally and physically. For Lent, I decided to give up ramen, fast food, candy and negative thoughts. I used to eat ramen almost every day and I started relying on it heavily as a meal. Fast food always makes me feel weak or regretful after eating it, so I wanted to make a change. Instead of fast food, I enjoy home-cooked meals or meals from different places on campus. Sometimes I would buy so much candy that I would get a sugar rush and be very hyper, then feel dehydrated. I made the decision to cut candy out so
I could focus on staying hydrated. Instead of candy, I eat fruit so, that way, there is still some sugar intake for me to enjoy. I gave up negative thoughts so I could have a healthier mindset. I also decided to write a letter of gratitude to four individuals who have impacted my life in a positive way. I think it is important to give thanks on other occasions besides holidays or favors. I encourage people to give up something they know is bad for them and replace it with something good to see how they improve as a person. Once I see my progress, I will make the decision to cut these things out for the rest of my life, if I can.
Sydney Faison, staff writer
“Watch the giants fall” This semester, I have been working on self-confidence and self-love. My favorite song to remind me of my strength is “Giants Fall” by Francesca Battistelli. She begins by singing, “Everyone’s telling you to let go of what you’re holding to. It’s too late; too far. You’re too small; it’s too hard. Throwing water on that spark.” She tells us not to be afraid of any giants in your way because anything is possible with God. “So, step into the fight; he’s right there by your side,” Battistelli sings. Then, she says my all-time favorite verse: “The stones inside your hand might be small, but watch the giants fall.” I get the chills hearing that. It’s the perfect metaphor. We might not always have the best cards dealt to us, but we don’t need them. She basically says that if God will bring you to it, he will bring you through it. She goes on to talk about how bold and brave we could be if we actually lived this way. “With childlike faith, miracles could happen; mountains would start moving,” she says. Imagine if everyone lived like we would win no matter what. I believe we are all destined for something great, but we don’t live like it; I know I don’t,
at least. Sometimes I have doubts about God’s plan. For example, I recently wasn’t awarded a scholarship and lost a job I had lined up. I was upset until my boyfriend comforted me. “Maybe the person who they are passing that scholarship over to needs it more than you,” he said. “Maybe that other person needed that job more than you because you’re going to get different blessings.” I am glad that someone else will be blessed with those things because I trust that God has something in store for me that I don’t know about yet. I don’t understand it now, but I have to trust that he will hold me and make the giants fall. I showed my dad this song and he loved it. Then he asked me “...what are your giants?” I didn’t know how to answer because when I look at my life, all I see are blessings. On a daily basis, I worry about school, work, bills and many other things. Those aren’t really giants, though. Any giants that have been in my way have already fallen. I hope and pray that I can continue to use these small stones in my hands to fight off the giants and watch them fall.
Rosanna Aguilera, editor-in-chief
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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.
4 FEATURE
04.19.2019
ASU softball outscores Texas A&M-Kingsville in series Seniors are recognized at final home LSC game
Rosanna Aguilera, editor-in-chief to end the game with a win. The ASU softball team on April 12-13 won two of three games against the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Javelinas. In game one, the Belles won 7-6. ASU started the game trailing 6-1 early, but the Belles came back to the plate and scored three runs in both the third and seventh innings to win. Sophomore Hatty Shope was the first Belle to get on the board with a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning. Three RBIs came in the third inning to bring the Belles within two runs. In the seventh inning, the comeback started with freshman Avery Zeigler’s RBI triple, which led to freshman Ashlyn Lerma hitting a bunt to score her teammate and tie the game. Senior Taegan Kirk tied the ASU career doubles record at 65 with a hit into the gap to walk it off. Junior Victoria Vasquez came onto the mound in the second inning to relieve sophomore Makayla Corbin. Vasquez finished the final 5.2 innings of the game with only three hits, three walks and three strikeouts
In the second game of the doubleheader on Friday, the Belles lost 7-3. TAMUK scored in the first, second, third and seventh inning to clinch the game. Lerma had a 2-3 showing with a run and was 4-5 at the plate on the day. Senior Taylor Fogle and Zeigler also had two solo shots each. In game three, ASU took the series finale 8-5 during Senior Day for the final Lone Star Conference home game of the season for the Belles. Freshman Logan Graham finished the game with a 2-3 line while collecting four RBI and her first career home run. The Belles were the first to score when Graham brought in Zeigler and junior Jade Strother in the bottom of the second. In the third inning, junior Karina Rocha hit a grand slam that was followed by a two-run hit to left center field to conclude the game. The Belles will have the Lone Star Conference tournament on May 3-4, with their opponents yet to be announced.
Photo by Ian Saint: Karina Rocha rounds third after sending one sailing over the fence for a grand slam. The Belles scored a total of six runs in the actual inning alone.
Student are encouraged to “continue the quest” at ring ceremony
Class rings are presented to students to celebrate milestone
Student Snaps @makayylaa_24 I’ve almost completed my first school year at ASU. This place truly has a part of my heart. Also, do you even have school spirit if you don’t wear ASU colors in a single outfit?
@arissatrevino3 Truly admiRING
@tylerlynnc Chapter of the year has a nice ring to it
@rob_wood_23 Just a bunch of Lions and Rams that jump with sticks
Photo by Axel Marcenaro: Justice Medina, senior, signs his name after receiving his ring onstage with Dr. Brian May. Proud families of students filled the room and many cheered, took photos and recorded the milestone event for seniors.
Sydney Faison, staff writer The Alumni Association presented the ring ceremony on April 12 in the C.J. Davidson Conference Center. Students who purchased their class ring were invited to bring their family and friends to celebrate this milestone as they receive their ring from Dr. Brian May, ASU’s president. “What makes ASU so great is the students,” said Dr. Javier Flores, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management. “You all really are the heart of our university.” Flores explained that the rings tell a story and the students are the voice of the rings. “My ring represents all of my hard work I have put into accomplishing my goals,” senior Leeann Losoya said. “All of the stress and studying has paid off and I am one step closer to where I want to be. My family has kept me motivated during these past years here at ASU since they are always encouraging and pushing me to be the best I can be.” Flores said the rings represent teamwork, friendship and good communication skills. “I am a first-generation college graduate and I am proud of myself for never giving up.” senior Lisa Hernan-
dez said. “My mother has always believed in me and I want to make her proud.” Hernandez plans on getting her secondary certification to teach high school math and eventually coach volleyball. Each ring shows the state of Texas with a star marking the city of San Angelo. They are engraved with the quote “continue the quest,” with the quest representing man’s ability to soar beyond the shackles of ignorance, misconception and into a new life of freedom. “This ring is a milestone for me, showing that I reached my overall learning career as a first-generation student,” senior Maria Bravo said. The students wear the ring with the school name facing them. Upon completion of the commencement ceremony, the graduates will turn their ring around with the name facing outward. This symbolizes that the graduate is now ready to face the world. “My desire to succeed in life keeps me motivated and this ring represents my hard work and dedication to my education,” senior Briana Renteria said.
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