Last Ram Page issue of the semester!
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Ram Page Angelo State University’s student-run newspaper since 1936
Friday, April 29, 2016
www.asurampage.com
Volume 82, Issue 27
Diversity Week aims to raise awareness
Ranked best college for Hispanic students Recognized for integration of all ethnicities Miguel Luna Staff Writer
py Hour & Diversity Dialogue took place from 2-4 p.m. with smoothies. On Thursday, the Real Deal Soul Food was hosted with a focus on African-American and featured food and activities. “The diversity dialogues for Men and Women’s Happy Hour were a great opportunity to exchange ideas,” Baeza said. “It’s an opportunity for students to interact with facul-
BestColleges.com named ASU for the second year as one of the Best Colleges for Hispanic Students. Only 50 schools are ranked. “This is a great thing,” Director of the Multicultural Center Erika Baeza said. “Dr. May is highly supportive of initiatives for Hispanic students.” In the 1930’s, the first Hispanic student enrolled at ASU. In 2010 ASU was named a Hispanic-Serving Institute. After a school reaches Hispanic enrollment that surpasses 25 percent of undergraduate enrollment, a school can be named an HSI. The U.S. Department of Education also provides a five year grant when a school is named an HSI. “The grant is to provide services not just for Hispanics students, but all students across the university,” Director of Grants and Operations Brandy Hawkins said. Hawkins oversaw the HSI grant which deals with Title V. ASU ranked No. 44 on the list. Most of the schools were listed due to location or high
See DIVERSE page 3
See RANK page 2
Photo by Luis Montoya
Students gather outside of the Multicultural Center for the Men’s Happy Hour event for Diversity Week.
Students and faculty embrace differences together Luis Montoya Staff Writer The Multicultural Center hosted the first ever Diversity Week with Women’s Happy Hour and Diversity Dialogue, which kicked off on Monday. “The purpose for Diversity Week is to bring people together,” Director of the Mul-
ticultural Center Erika Baeza said. “We want to bring awareness to diversity. While we are all different, we can come together and build a pluralistic society on our campus.” With the theme of “Deconstructing Labels,” the weeklong event about diversity and unity among the student body presented events such as Men’s Tie Tuesday & Women’s Little Black Dress. Students were asked to wear the color black in support of sex-
ual assault awareness. On the same day, Tuesday, Asian Pacific Islander heritage was celebrated, which focused on cultural education, henna tattoos and traditions from Tonga. “It’s important students get involved in Diversity Week because you can meet a lot of new people,” Daniel Tohyup Lee said. “By getting involved in school events, one will learn more about the programs the school offers.” On Wednesday, Men’s Hap-
Year ends with new clubs 13 new student organizations began during 2015-2016 Luis Montoya Staff Writer
With the year reaching its end, it’s time to recognize all students and organizations that have done so much for ASU and the community. This year alone, many organizations were created and all have done something important for their cause and its members. Winner of three Rammys this year, the Culture Exchange Program has helped integrate over 150 international students and has created over 1,600 hours of community service. Not only that, but it has increased the diversity of social groups at ASU. “The Culture Exchange is important for integrating international students and helping them feel at home in
America and at ASU,” President of CEP Peyton LaBauve said. “I encourage compassionate students interested in service to contact me to become involved with their own match in the Fall.” Another rising organization is I Heart Yo Sneaks “This semester we have donated over 100 pairs of sneakers and have combined over 150 hours of volunteering service,” senior President Henry Mahome said. “We are planning next semester to have more events and shows for our organization.” For Hope Long, senior and president for the Foreign Language Singing Club, her plans are to reach out and seek more members. The club is based for students who have an interest in singing music in other languages besides English. “I firmly believe that learning songs in a foreign language will help with language reten-
Photo by Josh Lopez
New SGA president Peyton LaBauve meets with representatives of new clubs that were officiated during this academic year. tion,” Long said. “I want the club to be about having fun and learning about other cul-
tures and languages through music.” HeForShe, led by their pres-
ident Sazza Dahal, has been very active on campus. Help-
See CLUB page 4
NEWS
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4.29.2016
Top military spouse friendly school ASU ranked in top 100 for accomodating service members and their families Miguel Luna Staff Writer
ASU’s strong support towards military spouses and children earned the university a spot on the “Top 100 Military Spouse Friendly Schools.” Victory Media, which features magazines and websites to help military and their families, released the list. No official rankings are placed and the list is alphabetized. ASU was named a “Military
Friendly School” in the fall of 2015. This played a factor making the Military Spouse Friendly list. “Our program is friendly and affordable to the lifestyle of our service members and to their families as well,” Director of the Veterans Educational and Transitional Services Center Susan Williams said. In 2012, the VETS Center was created as a project to see the reaction from the student body. Currently, the center remains a permanent entity of the university and is located in the UC. “However, when applying for the benefits they can be very confusing,” Margaret
Schawb, spouse of a military personnel, said. The VETS Center plays a major role in allowing veterans and their families to be welcomed on or off campus. “We help dependents and military step by step in every process and filling out forms,” Manager of VA Benefits Jessica Bond said. Victory Media views not only the resources that a university has for veterans and families but also the social support provided by the student body, faculty and staff. “As a non-traditional student, it’s hard to get on the same level as the rest of the students in the classroom,”
zation. “We try to bring in people who will educate veterans and their dependents on the benefits they’ll be receiving,” Bond said. “The university does a great job of providing all these resources,” Williams said. “Especially here at the VETS Center where they are all welcomed to be comfortable and feel at home.” Other Texas schools that were listed included Dallas Baptist University, Texas State University, University of Texas El Paso and University of the Incarnate Word.
Events Calendar
Continued from RANK page 1
volumes of Hispanic students. ASU was listed because of the encouragement to integrate all ethnicities in the student body for the HSI standing. “It’s important to make ASU more inclusive for everybody,” Baeza said. “Creating programs students can identify with will help build a foundation for this.” Universities across the country are recognized for their extensive research. While research does occur at ASU, it is not the main focus for professors. “The main purpose is teaching and making all of these resources available for the students,” Hawkins said. Professors are one the many sources that provide Hispanic students with support. “The student life is absolutely fabulous with being inclusive,” Baeza said. “It should be home away from home, which it is for many and that’s what we want.” In 2011, another HSI grant was received to increase the number of stu-
Schwab said. Professors also provide a welcoming environment to students who are military spouses. “Professors talk with respect and understand the situation we’re in,” Schwab said. Schools competing for a spot on the list answered questions in categories that ranged from military support on campus, graduation and employment outcomes and military spouse policies. “We try to make transferring feasible for everyone that enters in here,” Bond said. The VETS Center is also in the process of helping restart the Student Veterans Organi-
dents. The grant specifically targeted Hispanic and low-income students, completing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Civil Engineering professor Dr. Alex Mejia, is an advocate towards bringing more Hispanics into the STEM fields. “This college came from the community and has a long and diverse history of representing the students,” Hawkins said. “The representation of the student body is who we are.” Hispanic students are, at times, first generation students. For this reason, they look for institutions that support Hispanic students. BestColleges.com used acceptance, retention, graduation and enrollment rates then compared them to member schools in the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. “ASU should be like coming home,” Hawkins said. The HACU is an organization that protects educational rights of Hispanics students.
Saturday 4/30 Pro-Life Rams Spring Conference 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Plaza Verde Clubhouse: Theatre: “The Crucible” 8 p.m. Modular Theatre
Sunday 5/1 Theatre: “The Crucible” 2 p.m. Modular Theatre
Monday 5/2 Supporting Multicultural Males: Webinar Part III 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Hardeman 206 College of Business final exam study party 3 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Rassman Building
Tuesday 5/3 Color at the Library! 2 p.m. Porter Henderson Library
Wednesday 5/4 Rams Clay Target Team 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. 12026 US Highway 67 S, San Angelo
Thursday 5/5 Cinco de Mayo: The Battle of Puebla 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. University Center Lobby Theatre: “The Crucible” 8 p.m. Modular Theatre ASU Philosophy Club Death 9 p.m. - 11 p.m. University Center
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NEWS
4.29.2016
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Earth Day celebrated
“We came together to finACS engaged students by ASU organizations team up to spread awareness ish our initiative when we had offering free tie-die for any the Earth Day celebration this type of material in hopes to about the enviroment past Friday,” Soza said. “It was raise funds.
Alora Ferarra Staff Writer ASU’s Multicultural Center partnered up with the American Chemical Society on April 22 to host an Earth Day celebration to spread awareness about the environment. The Earth Day event brought ASU students together in front of the UC with music, tie-die T-shirts and food to share the importance of donating to those in need and protecting the environment. “The Multicultural Advisory council is a group of students that come together to help us organize all our multicultural activities that [students] see out here monthly,” Lorina Soza, multicultural program assistant, said. “Then on the side, we do our own initiatives.” Soza said they have a variety of initiatives focusing on human rights, diversity issues and in this case, the enviroment.
a year long initiative and we partnered with the Katrina organization.” The Katrina organization chose to gather denim for families in desperate need for housing Soza said and the Habitat For Humanity came in with Blue Jean Go Green and recycled all the denim into insulation, free of cost. “It took off like wild fire,” Lorina Soza said. “So you can find Blue Jeans Go Green on a lot of campuses, a lot of people are raising awareness to this cause to collect denim all over the nation.” The Multicultural Center requested no funds during the Earth Day celebration but focused on bringing awareness to their cause to gain denim donations. “We collected 310 pairs of jeans,” Soza said. “Our goal was only 100 because 100 jeans is what it takes to make a panel of insulation. So with this, we’re able to make three panels.”
“For any student organization to raise funds, they have to stipulate it by donations, they can’t ask for a certain amount,” Soza said. Other organizations were asked to participate in Earth Day to help spread enlightenment throughout the student body. “I went and it couldn’t have been a more beautiful day,” freshman Sloan Ball said. “The music was great, the ambience was light and friendly, and the tie-die was super cool. A lot of students came out and I think they definitely achieved their job in spreading awareness.” The Multicultural Center also had a project on the side Soza said after finishing their year-long Earth Day initiative. They recycled t-shirts they collected from other organizations and provided the students with all the supplies they needed to personalize their ecobags in whichever way they wanted.
Continued from DIVERSE page 1 ty and staff.” With help from many organizations, Diversity Week was made possible through students’ initiative. The idea behind the event came from a newly forming organization, Brotherly Love, which focuses on mentoring students from K-12 grade and teaches them the values of leadership. “The organization is slowly building,” said Michon Dunn, junior and founding member of Brotherly Love. “People should join Brotherly Love because everybody has that drive
in helping the next generation of students and helping the youth as they get to college.” With the last event on Friday, Hispanidad: the game Loteria was played and Aguas Frescas were provided as refreshments to celebrate Hispanic culture. President of AMAS and senior Myriam Barrera said Diversity Week is important because it is a celebration for everyone. “Diversity Week celebrates differences,” Barrera said. “However, these differences
are also the ones that unite us as a whole.” Students and faculty involved in Diversity Week said that the week is a time to reflect on what makes us unique and how those differences bring us together. “Everyone is appreciated and celebrated,” Baeza said. “It’s our mission to build a pluralistic society and make a positive difference and to bring people together and participate in making ASU proudly diverse.”
Photos by Summer Almaguer Top: During Diversity Week women discussed topics like dress code, stigmas and bullying. Bottom: Female faculty, staff and students gatherd in the Multicultural Center to enjoy snacks and discuss gender equality.
Contributed by Lorina Soza
Student gets creative and resourceful by making a bag out of old t-shirts on Earth Day.
Retiring professors say goodbye Faculty reflect on their time at ASU Hanna Schindler Editor-in-Chief When each semester comes to an end, ASU says goodbye to many that call this campus home, and this year a few professors who have spent many years as part of the ASU family will be retiring. Ms. Martha Tafoya, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Nursing, Dr. Mary Hartje, professor in the Department of English and Modern Languages, Dr. Dennis Pate, professor in the Department of History, Dr. John Barbour, professor in the Department of Political Science and Philosophy, Dr. Laurence F. Jones, professor, department chair and Director of Center for Security Studies in the Department of Security Studies and Criminal Justice and Dr. Mark S. Sonntag, professor and the Director of University Planetarium in the Department of Physics and Geosciences will be moving on to the next chapter in their lives this academic year. “I’ve been here 31 years,” Sonntag said. “I will really miss the students of all ages and the comradery of the Physics and Geoscience faculty.” During Sonntag’s three plus decades with the university, he upgraded the planetarium twice and was able to get funding to build and equip an astronomical observatory. Hartje began teaching in the fall of 1976 with a fresh MAT in English from ASU in hand. “In my English 1301 class, I sat a young Dr. Brian May,” Hartje said. “After teach-
ing for a couple of years, I took time off to pursue my Ph.D. at Baylor University and give birth to three beautiful daughters. I began, again, at ASU as a tenure track faculty member in 1992.” Throughout Hartje’s time here, she said she particularly enjoyed the in-depth class discussions about literature, all of her students, chairing both the Humanities Lectureship Series and ASU Writers’ Conference Honoring Elmer Kelton and the many laughs she shared over the years with her colleagues. Tafoya has worked at ASU for 21 years and will retire at the end of this semester. “I’m happy knowing that I’m leaving having made a difference in so many students’ lives,” Tafoya said. Barbour has worked in the Department of Political Science for 26 years. He said developing the Master of Public Administration degree and serving as its director has been one of his greatest endeavors while at ASU. Pate started at ASU in 1980 and said he has been coming to teach history every day for 36 years. Jones began teaching in 1990 and has served as the Director and Department Chair in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Security Studies at ASU. All of these faculty members have spent much of their lives at ASU and have contributed to the campus, to make it what it is today. They will all be missed as they move on to new and different endeavors in their lives and the Ram Page wishes them a sincerest farewell.
FEATURES
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4.29.2016
Academic year comes to a close Review of events that occured during fall and spring semesters Alana Edgin Managing Editor This academic year hosted some major events that affected the world and the student body at ASU. Events like the same-sex marriage law, the upcoming campus carry, new clubs and diverse celebrations dominated the year. Back in the fall of 2015, ASU saw changes that would eventually affect campus life. The addition of the new civil engineering major in that se-
mester helped ASU gain many new students. Two new laws were passed by the Texas and United States governments. These were for same-sex marriage becoming legal, which was celebrated through the nation, and the Campus Carry Law, which will come into effect next semester. “I would have to say that my favorite part of this school year was not only the legalization of same-sex marriage, but the Coming Out Day event during October of the fall semester and the Drag Rave,” President Ashley Douglass of Rams Plus said. “The Coming Out Day event was the first time since I came to this school that I
Photo by Summer Almaguer Junior Nick Zavala holds onto the ball during the first ever Inner-Tube Water Polo game.
saw an overwhelming support and acceptance for the LGBT+ community on campus.” Rams Plus hosted ASU’s first ever Drag Show and Drag Rave during the annual Pride Week celebration as well, which rocked the campus. Hundreds of students and community members packed the C.J. Davidson Center on April 12 to see a group of drag queens, including mascots Roscoe and Bella, entertain the masses. “Even at the Drag Rave, we did not expect that many people to come and to be so accepting,” Douglass said. “When I saw the overwhelming amount of people having
fun and willing to learn about things they didn’t know at these events, I saw the potential for greater things to come for the acceptance and tolerance of students not only for LGBT+ but for straight students as well. Hopefully in the years to come, there will be a normality associated with the LGBT+ community, especially here at ASU.” The Campus Carry law became a hotly debated issue earlier in 2015 with many universities and communities on opposite sides. Due to its recent passing, all colleges will allow concealed handguns on campus. “I feel like it will make
Photo by Josh Lopez Free glow sticks cover the table at the first ever Drag Show.
campuses safer,” sophomore Mikera Walker said. “While I don’t personally plan to carry a gun, knowing others will do so will provide another layer of protection for students.” Besides these three hot topic events, ASU’s Multicultural Center had a hand in many events, such as Diversity Week. The week consisted of many lectures, culture nights and food events that aimed to help students learn about other cultures. “I was really happy to see Pride Week celebrated on campus, as well as Diversity Week,” sophomore Caroline Cline said.
Photo by Marsalis Mahome Soroities battle it out at the Spring Sing Event.
Continued from CLUB page 1 ing in Pride Week and Diversity Week, HeForShe has maintained a membership of over 100 students. This organization focuses on gender equality. Plans for the upcoming semester consist of collaborating with Title IX for the “Girl’s Night Out” and “Boys Night Out” programs. Love Your Melon raises awareness for childhood cancer. A maximum of 20 members are allowed to join the crew and there is a waiting list for when the club is full. President Vanessa Alvarado said this semester that LYM has
sold more than 60 products. With ASU adding Civil Engineering to their program, the Engineering Council was created. President Deyton Riddle says the club has been growing. The organization has been involved during Engineer’s Week, Story Time with Preschoolers and Lee Middle School Outreach and attended ASCE Texas-Mexico Symposium hosted by Texas Tech. “We are currently working on having our organization become an established American Society of Civil Engineering Students and working with
the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering,” junior President Deyton Riddle said. “Our organization helps CE majors form connections with other CE majors, as well as the San Angelo community.” For film enthusiasts, ASU has the Student Film Club, with their president Ethan Lankford. He said the club was organized to work with others who enjoy film and video. So far, they have worked locally with “Steam Media” and even for the Rams football club. “Plans for the future include working with a business called
Round III media,” senior Lankford said. “We also have more short films in the works and another big project that we can’t disclose at this time.” A sports team that gained attention is the Men’s Soccer Club. The team has been playing away and home games. Led by President Sam Fowler and Vice President Matthew Stewart, the team is readying themselves for next semester by setting up a date for tryouts. The team has also applied for the Texas Collegiate Soccer League. Although they are only in their first year, the
team has played big universities such as Texas Tech and plan to continue this trend in their upcoming season. Another new club on campus is the Lions Campus Club, with their purpose to prove forum for open discussions, encourage service-minded people serve the community and promote ethical standards in commerce, public works and private endeavors. Other new organizations on campus include the Lacrosse team, the Agriculture Student Association, the Ram Clay Target Team and Write Now.
Greek Life’s
yearly donations
Fraternities and sororities give back to the community Alora Ferrera Staff Writer
Greek Life donated to a variety of charities this academic year to help improve the lives of others and to encourage a positive change in the community. Greek Life consists of different fraternities and sororities that play an active role on ASU campus to provide learning experiences that contribute to the development of leadership, intellect, service and life-long friendships. “We helped raise over $10,000 with Laura W. Bush Institute alone for breast cancer research,” said Tyler Grif-
fon, President of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternitiy. “We partnered up with them to put pink ribbons on the stone sheep all around town. The citizens of San Angelo then could take pictures with the sheep, and post it on their social media with the hashtag #PINKOUTSANANGELO. For every picture posted with that hashtag a bank donated $2 to the cause.” Griffon said the Laura W. Bush Institute sold shirts to help with the total of $10,000 and he believes it was a great way to bring awareness in San Angelo and raise money to find a cure for a deadly disease. Other members of Greek Life also donated throughout the 2015-2016 academic year. Delta Zeta donated 70 units of blood, Tri-Beta donated 120 units and ASU as a whole donated 370 units. Each unit
Photo by Summer Almaguer
Freshman Alan Velasquez gets prepped to donate blood for one of Delta Zeta’s blood drives. helps up to three people. Angelo State is the second largest donor base in the area for United Blood Services, Donor Recruitment Representative Sean Richey said. “It’s important to donate blood and clothes because there are people out there who are not privileged to have a different pair of clothes every day of the week,” Griffon said. “And it’s obvious why it is important to donate blood be-
cause there are people in very bad health circumstances that really need blood for whatever problem they are having.” The best way to encourage and rally students to participate in donations and events is to have members show up to whatever is going on, Griffon said, and to be excited to give back to the community. “Being positive and enthusiastic is a contagious feeling that just takes a couple of peo-
ple to get a whole group to feel that way,” Griffon said. Students can also be reassured in knowing their donations can save lives and provide for the less fortunate. “Knowing the quality of somebody’s life can get better just from a blood donation, or some old clothes you no longer use really makes it a no-question choice for me,” junior Jannik Hartmann said. “You can literally save a life.”
OPINIONS
4.29.2016
Falling into place
Summer Almaguer Photo Editor
A
t a very impressionable 13 years old, my grandfather gave me a questionable piece of advice that has bothered me for several years. It is only recently that I realized how wrong he was. I was in the eighth grade and we were spending the weekend with my grandparents. My grandpa was in the garage working on his cars and my grandma sent me out to take him some sweet tea. There is where I sat down and I watched him work. He started asking me questions about school and my hobbies. I began telling him how well I was doing in school and how I wanted to become a doctor. I will never forget the moment that followed. He looked at me and said, “That’s great, mija. You know your aunt and your sister are very beautiful and they can find rich husbands to support them, but you need to go to college.” For almost nine years, I have let that statement taunt
me. I began to believe that I would never be attractive enough for a successful man to like me. Because I have darker skin and hair than most of my relatives, my only option was to make a life for myself. When I was younger, this realization broke my heart. What if I wasn’t good enough for college? What if I can’t make it on my own? Even after his statement, I still love my grandfather with my whole heart because I know he didn’t say it to intentionally hurt me, and I have never been mad at him for telling me this. Instead, I intend to prove him wrong. I use his statement from years ago to motivate myself. Here I am now, a couple weeks from graduating. I may not be on the road to becoming a doctor like I hoped many moons ago, but I still intend to make a life for myself. Not because I am unattractive, but because I don’t need a man to support me. I can make it on my own not because I have to, but because I want to. Though I don’t have a concrete plan or a certain career path I am following, I know that in time and through hard work I will find a career that makes me happy. I don’t need to be married right out of college and I don’t need to start popping out babies any time soon. All I need to do is worry about myself and what makes me happy and everything else will fall into place.
Page 5
Sayonara
Dustin Dodson Copy Editor
I have limited space here to say goodbye, so I’ll make it quick. All 20 of you readers out there will be happy to know that I won’t be editing the Ram Page anymore. Next semester brings a new copy editor and whoever it is; they’re probably much more qualified than I am. Yes, much like most of the staff, I’m also leaving for greener pastures. I have one grueling year left in graduate
school and I plan to focus the bulk of it on my thesis and teaching. I will now use the rest of the space I have left to refer you to my favorite movies: Surf Ninjas. It’s an early 90’s movie about surfing ninjas, it stars Ernie Rays Jr. and Rob Schneider. I can only pray that future generations look back at it with more respect than those uncultured critics that initially reviewed it.
Comradery of Pokémon
Alana Edgin Managing Editor
A
week ago, I was coming back from a night out with my friend. It was around 10 p.m. and I was just walking my way to the entrance when this girl in a Sonic uniform typed in her access code. This girl noticed my Pokémon Squirtle lanyard. She
broke into a huge smile and started telling me about her Pokémon memorabilia, which reminded me of my own love of Pokémon. I’ve loved Pokémon ever since it came out in the 90’s. I collected the cards, the figurines and I didn’t missed an episode until season four. As the greatest of my siblings, I deemed it upon myself to educate my two brothers on the importance of this amazing show. Slowly, they caught my Pokémon love and we began having little play fights with the figurines. I even picked my younger brother’s middle name to be Ash, just like Ash Ketchum. Soon, I caught on to Pokémon games, and I was in love again. I needed that GameBoy Advanced. To my
childhood surprise, it was there on Christmas Day. A gorgeous silver GameBoy Advanced was nestled in a silver case. Pokémon Ruby was unwrapped a little later. I’m not sure my family saw much of me the rest of that day. To this day, 20 years after Pokémon came into the world, I’m still in love, and I love that others my age and older still enjoy it. It’s become an essential part of my family life and relationships. My friends from my junior college play the games, as does my boyfriend. My little brothers, now a sophomore in high school and an eighth grader, still play, collect, watch and even read all the Pokémon news. I love Pokémon and those who love Pokémon.
2015 UNIVERSITY CENTER 2016
PROGRAM COUNCIL
Thanks You!
We want to thank the students of Angelo State University who have supported our events, all the amazing organizations and departments we have collaborated with, all the faculty and staff that continue to encourage us, and most of all to our outstanding committee members that have helped all year long. Allison Romo
Alyssa Tavarez
Andy Garcia
Austin Rodriguez
Axel Corral
Ayodeji Adedokun
Bailey Gray
Blaire Bennet
Derek Borgan
Elisabeth Wensel
Jessye Mulamba
Kara Naegli
Katie Fidler
Katy Ralph
Kelsey Velez
Kiana Hollins
Makayla Porter
Marissa Aguilera
Olivia Talamantez
Pooja Bhakta
Rachel Boezinger
Selene Corcino
Serena Cajas
Slater Isabell
Victoria Rendon
Wyatt Ferguson
Zachary Cabrera
Mariela Rodriguez
Marissa Guerra
Macheala Sifuentes
We could not have done it without all of your help!
OPINIONS
Page 6
4.29.2016
Goodbye; it’s Steven’s Spins been real Hanna Schindler Editor-in-Chief
I
will be stepping down as Editor-in-Chief for the fall 2016 semester in hopes to pursue other endeavors. Although I am leaving with a somewhat heavy heart, I feel that it is the right decision at this point in my academic career. I have learned so much this semester! I’ve not only learned things that will be helpful for my future career goals, I have learned things about myself I never knew. I will truly miss the staff members that made this job so enjoyable. They have worked extremely hard this semester. They dealt with my late night phone calls, gruelingly long text messages trying to get situations straightened out and last minute changes to stories and photos because others hadn’t worked out. They have been my teammates through it
all and the paper wouldn’t be what it is without them. I feel like we have grown so much this semester and together have made a wholesale change in presentation, content and readership of this paper. We are far more active on social media than ever before, updating our website and social media platforms throughout the week and are actively trying to project student voices. The Ram Page has gained close to 200 followers on Twitter this semester and heard encouraging feedback from students and faculty. This is the last issue of the semester and I will be passing the Editor torch off to Alana Edgin who will begin in the fall of 2016. Edgin is excited to start the position and plans to continue to represent student voices and further pursue stories that are of student interest. I hope the paper continues to thrive and achieve more in the coming semester. Without this experience at the Ram Page, other opportunites wouldn’t have come my way and the friendships I have with the staff wouldn’t have been made. I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity and am excited to find out what the future holds. Thank you ASU!
Steven McKeown Contributor
K
nown for exploring multiple musical genres like folk, bluegrass and pop simultaneously, Canadian indie-rock band The Strumbellas released their third studio album on April 22. Their new LP “Hope” demonstrates the band’s power at their full-potential and is by far the album of the semester. The opening track and lead single “Spirits” sounds like an amped-up Lumineers song of folk-pop fusion, while “Shovels and Dirt” starts off slow, but builds to a powerful chorus in which Simon Ward sings, “I got a head full of darkness, and darkness is good,” followed by the chanting “I put a banjo up into the sky, it keeps us moving” in the bridge section. The third track, “We Don’t Know,” ditches the indie-folk feel for an alternative-dance
vibe during the chorus, and “Wars” is a mountain anthem that hikers all over the world should sing in unison. Its sunny side-up lyrics like “I don’t sing well, but I got a lot of heart” make the sun rise no matter what time of day it is. The opening to “Dog,” with its sweet mountain peak guitars, is very reminiscent of the style Fleet Foxes perfected, while its follow-up track, “A Hired Band,” with its swelling trumpets, is strikingly similar to Van Morrison’s song “And It Stoned Me.” The tune includes a country guitar that just begs for a long road home in the daylight. The starry synths and choppy guitars in “Young & Wild” give the track an unexpected electronic or alternative-folk feel, and “The Night Will Save Us,” a more steady song, has a sweet violin that sounds like a sunset over millions of sunflowers. While the song itself is in the indie genre, the accompanying violin screams 1980’s country. “I Still Make Her Cry” is a touching song that serves as the album’s softest and slowest ballad. Most of the instrumentation takes a break in order for Simon Ward to lend his best whisper-style vocals. The tenth track “David” features the most rock and roll guitars on the LP. By this point, Ward seems exhausted, creating the feeling that the entire album has been recorded as a single performance.
The closing track, “Wild Sun,” is a fantastic way to end the record. It has dark-rooted lyrics and a haunting chorus that will leave one feeling a bit empty but satisfied at the same time, like a hungry man wandering throughout a dark, serene forest. “Hope” is a fine blend of folk rock and alternative pop, and there is so much variation on this record that a dull moment never appears. Listeners get a handful of guitars, pianos, strings, brass and even electronic elements. From the violin solo in “We Don’t Know” to the guitar solo at the end of “David,” there are surprises around every corner. However, the passion on this record remains the band’s most powerful weapon and greatest instrument. Even when this album slows down, it’s never boring. The album has 11 tracks, but it feels like 22, mostly due to the fact that every song is so dense and intricately layered with colorful, beautiful and gorgeous instrumentation, vocal harmonies and infectious melodies. No song feels weakened by another; every single track has enough strength to stand on its own. Like viewing the surrealistic cover art, the more one listens, the more one will find, and that is exactly what a great album should be. “Hope” is truly an example of great music because it is truly a work of art. Anyone who disagrees can go jump off a cliff.
What have you enjoyed most this semester at ASU?
Beth Simmons
Staff
Freshman “How chill everyone was here on campus, and how you can walk around campus and feel at ease. The campus has been really laid back.”
Estefania Lozano
Logan Garcia
Sam Cantu
Sophomore
“Probably just getting to hang out with my fraternity brothers. I was part of Greek Week, IFC and Greek Council. Classes have been okay.”
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Editor-in-Chief: Hanna Schindler Managing Editor: Alana Edgin Copy Editor: Dustin Dodson Photo Editor: Summer Almaguer Graphics: Charlotte Lin Online Manager: Austin Stafford Advertising Manager: Mckena Peregrino Photographer: Josh Lopez Sports Writer: Sam Fowler Staff Writers: Alora Ferrara, Miguel Luna, Luis Montoya Circulation Manager: Matthew Cummings Cartoonist: Johnny Le Adviser: Dr. Cathy Johnson
Cartington Burnett
Sophomore “The RA life, being part of the residential program and everything that it entails.”
Senior “Going to the ASU baseball games.”
Ram Page
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Freshman “Spring Fest this semester was great, seeing everyone come together and hang out.”
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Sophomore “Getting to DJ for the Drag Rave. I loved giving back to the school that has given so much to me. Everyone came together to support the LGBT community.”
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4.29.2016
SPORTS
Page 7
Softball steals series
Belles break Cameron to enter LSC tournament Sam Fowler Sports Writer
Softball took three games from Cameron University April 22 and 23 in a four game series. Game one looked to be the start of a huge weekend for the Belles with regards to regional rankings as they took game one 8-3. After falling behind 1-0 in the third inning to a solo homerun by the Aggies, the Belles responded with authority. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the third inning, sophomore Madison Greenwell delivered a bases clearing triple to put the Belles on top 3-1. Junior Alexis Evans then brought Greenwell home with a sacrifice fly to make the score 4-1. Freshman Bailey Wallace then ripped a double before advancing to third on a throwing error. Fellow freshman Becky Wilhelm delivered an RBI single to score Wallace and cap the Belle scoring in the inning with the score at 6-1. Back-to-back Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Year Brandy Marlett worked around a one out double by the
Aggies in the top of the fourth inning to avoid any damage to the Belle lead. In the bottom of the inning, senior Lanie Robinson led off with a double before sophomore Brooke Mangold advanced her to third on a bunt single. Sophomore Ciara Shepard stepped up with an RBI single to bring the lead to 6-1. After a base hit by Kenedy Urbany put Shepard in scoring position at second, Greenwell delivered her fourth RBI of the game with a single to right field to put the lead at 7-1. Despite a pesky Aggie squad trying to chip away at the lead, scoring two more runs in the game, the pitching of Marlett down the stretch of the game was lights out. In her seven innings pitched, Marlett struck out seven batters while only giving up three runs in the victory. In game two, the bats started to go cold for the Belles as four of their 11 runs were of the unearned variety in the victory. The Belles found a fortuitous event in the bottom of the third as the Aggie pitcher threw five illegal pitches to score five runs for the Belles. Lanie Robinson recorded her second career homerun in the game to drive in two runs for the Belles. Greenwell launched her second bases loaded triple of
Photo by Summer Almaguer
Rambelles congratulate Cameron after their final home game on April 23. the night to score three runs for the Belles. Despite an 11-4 lead, Urbany struggled on the rubber for the Belles in the seventh inning giving up four earned runs, a homerun with a hit batsman as the Belles narrowly hung on for the 11-8 victory. Game three was a pitcher’s duel with Marlett getting the start again for the Belles in a narrow 2-0 victory. The sophomore from Henderson, Nevada delivered another complete game shutout giving up just two hits in seven innings pitched and eight strikeouts in the victory.
After Wallace’s RBI single in the first inning and sophomore Brooke Mangold’s RBI single in the second, the bats went silent for the Belles and it carried into the final game of the series. Marlett threw her second consecutive game in game four but could only throw five and a third innings before sophomore Morgan Hill took over as relief. Through six innings, the Belles still had a goose egg in the run column and could not find a rhythm in the batter’s box as they had just one hit through six innings.
Robinson proved she was not ready to give up in her last game at Mayer Field as she delivered a two run single in the bottom of the seventh inning to bring the Belles within three runs with the score at 5-2. Junior Kelly Johnson looked to continue the rally with an RBI single to score Robinson and bring the Belles within two runs but the rally was too little too late as the Belles fell 5-3. Now the Belles travel to Canyon for the Lone Star Conference tournament on April 29 where they will face Texas A&M-Commerce.
Rams sweep Buffaloes Track takes
home titles
The Rams and Belles take home titles and national marks Sam Fowler Sports Writer
Photo by Summer Almaguer
Senior Jayden O’Dell throws a strike at his opponent from West Texas A&M.
Baseball tied for first place conference title Sam Fowler Sports Writer Baseball completed a thrilling three game sweep of West Texas A&M April 22 and 23 to tie for first place in conference. Senior pitcher Matt Shannon delivered his fifth win in a strong performance in the 2-1 win over the Buffaloes in game one. Senior pitcher Graylon Brown came on in the ninth inning and, after giving up a run to make the score 2-1, recorded his fifth save of the season. Senior Paxton DeLaGarza was quiet throughout the game going 0-3 at the plate before delivering the eventual winning run with his homerun in the sixth inning. Games two and three both saw the Rams on the ropes against the Buffs in the April
23 doubleheader. In game two, the Rams were held to just one run through the first five innings and down 5-1 going in to the sixth inning. DeLaGarza scored two runs and put runners at second and third base on an error by the WTAMU third baseman to make the score 5-3. Junior Jay Gonzales tied the score with his two run single. A pair of one run doubles by Steven Pinales and David Goggin put the Rams on top 7-5 going into the top of the seventh. Brown came on to shut down the Buffs in the top of the seventh inning and preserved the 7-5 victory and recorded his sixth save of the season. Game three saw the Rams facing the same 5-1 deficit they had conquered earlier in the day. Once again, down to their final six outs, the Rams rallied in the eighth inning. Senior Jarryd Klemm
sparked the rally with his RBI ground rule double to push the score to 5-2. After a Pinales’s single advanced Klemm to third base, junior Tyler Coolbaugh delivered an RBI single to plate Klemm and make the score 5-3. With the bases loaded, sophomore Elias Aguirre plated two runs to tie the game at five. Senior Sam Kohler gave the Rams a 7-5 lead with his two run single to right field to end the Rams’ scoring in the eighth inning. Brown pitched two and a third innings of relief, giving up one hit for the Rams in the 7-6 win for his fifth winning decision of the season. After the sweep, the Rams now sit atop the conference standings tied with Texas A&M-Kingsville for first. The Rams will travel to Oklahoma April 29 and 30 to face Cameron University in a three game series.
Ram and Belle track and field combined for three individual titles and 10 national marks on April 24 at the Michael Johnson Classic at Baylor University. Senior thrower Asrael Arad moved up to seventh in the Division II ranks with his sixth javelin title with a throw of 214 feet and seven inches. Sophomore Kami Norton defeated the Division I competition to win the women’s 100 meter hurdles with a time of 13.91 seconds to move up to 11th in the Division II ranks. Norton also finished fourth in the 400 meter hurdles with a
time of one minute flat. Sophomore Austin Watson took home his third 3,000 meter steeplechase title of the year with a time of nine minutes and 27 seconds. Senior Luis Perez earned an invite to the national meet with automatic qualifying time of 46.51 seconds in the 400 meter sprint which placed him fourth in the event. Junior Celsey Randolph moved up to 20th in the Division II pole vault ranks with her season best height of 12 feet and five and a half inches. Junior Amber Graham threw a Division II provisional mark of 152 feet and nine inches to move to 13th in the nation and top of the Lone Star Conference. Next up for track and field is the Lone Star Conference meet May 5 through 7 in Stephenville.
Contributed by Communications and Marketing
Senior Luis Perez leads the pack of runners.
SPORTS
Page 8
Best of the Season
4.29.2016 Sam Fowler Sports Writer
Soccer:
Volleyball:
Football:
Ram Basketball:
Belle Basketball:
The Belles started the season with a difficult five game road trip. Through the five games, the Belles came out with an unbeaten 4-0-1 record before returning. In a game with nationally ranked Dallas Baptist, the Belles went down 1-0 in the first half before scoring three unanswered goals to win the match 3-1. After thrashing the UT-Permian Basin, the Belles suffered their first loss of the season to an old foe in Texas A&M University-Commerce. The 8-2-0 record earned the Belles their second regular season conference title in three years. The Belles hosted the LSC tournament for the second straight year, but fell to West Texas A & M Univeristy in the semifinals. Following the conference tournament, the Belles hosted the Division II South-Central Regional Tournament for the first time in program history and received a first round bye in the tournament. However, the Belles’ season was cut short with a narrow 1-0 loss to St. Edwards in wet and dreary conditions. The Belles finished with an overall record of 14-4-1.
Volleyball had an outstanding season that saw them win the LSC tournament and the right to host the Division II South-Central Regional Tournament. The Belles started off the season winning seven of 10 matches. They later opened conference play by defeating rival Tarleton State in a match they won 3-1. The Belles won 13 of their final 14 matches with the lone loss coming to Tarleton away at Stephenville. The loss proved to diminish the hopes of hosting the LSC tournament but that did not stop the Belles. With the tournament held in Stephenville, the blue and gold faithful showed up after the Belles knocked out WTAMU and Texas Woman’s to reach the final with Tarleton. The Belles took out Tarleton in five sets to win the match 3-2 and claim the LSC tournament title and host the regional tournament. After wins over Regis and Colorado School of Mines, the Belles fell to Arkansas-Fort Smith. They narrowly outlasted the Belles in five sets with the fifth set score of 15-13. The Belles finished with a 33-6 record.
After a 2014 season where the Rams claimed the LSC tournament title and first playoff win since 1997, there was a lot of promise to the 2015 season. At the beginning, it looked as though the talk was validated by the Rams 4-0 start to the season where the Rams defeated WTAMU for the first time in 10 years. The Rams bolstered the highest NCAA ranking in school history at No. 6. The Rams then dropped the next two games to Midwestern State and Commerce before narrowly beating a struggling TAMUC team. The win looked to spark the Rams back in the title hunt before Eastern New Mexico’s triple option gutted the Ram’s defense for 601 rushing yards and 46 points in the loss. After a win against Tarleton on senior day, the Rams traveled to Commerce for the first round of the LSC playoffs. Commerce completed a comeback and narrowly defeated the Rams 36-35. The Rams then traveled to Eastern New Mexico again for the third place game of the LSC tournament. The Rams beat the Greyhounds by 63 points. They finished with a 7-4 record.
Head Coach Cinco Boone took over the high flying Rams. Despite it being his first season at the helm, the expectations were high for the former assistant coach. Boone and the Rams rose to the occasion with a 25-7 record and bid to the Sweet Sixteen. The Rams won their first 12 games before falling to Commerce and Tarleton. The Rams did manage to hold strong at the start of the season and never scored less than 70 points per game until conference began. While the Rams didn’t break many records, they were a stellar team on the court and a top contender in the LSC. After a loss later to WTAMU, the Rams won five of their final six regular season games. In the LSC tournament, the Rams defeated Kingsville and Tarleton to reach the final where they fell to Midwestern State. In the regional tournament the Rams reached the final and Sweet Sixteen where they met with Tarleton for the fourth time in the season. However, the result did not go the way the previous two matches had as the Rams fell 77-72 to conclude the season.
In the first year under Head Coach Kevin Baker, no one knew what to expect aside from a better 2015-2016 season. Baker delivered a much better season and exceeded expectations. With a win over Division I opponent Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, it was obvious Baker was here for the long run. The consensus opinion was solidified when the Belles defeated WTAMU not once, not twice, but three times en route to their first LSC tournament title since 2005. Following the championship, the Belles earned a bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Colorado School of Mines for their first playoff victory in 10 years before No.1 ranked Lubbock Christian ended the Belles’ season in the second round as the Belles finished 24-8 on the season. The Belles managed to break personal bests and university records from game one. Low expectations were quickly destroyed when the Belles beat Arlington Baptist University’s Lady Patriots on Nov. 17 with a final score of 108-67. This was the first game since 2000 that the Belles scored 100 in a single game.
Top Left: Senior Kyle Washington looks for an open teammate while Photos by Summer Almgauer lineman Lance Layton holds back the defense Top Right: Sophomore Tiffany Dang manuevers the ball around the defender from St. Mary’s University. Bottom Left: Junior Taylor Dorsey drives the ball inside to make a lay-up. Bottom Middle: Senior Tre Bennett keeps the ball from the defense while driving up court. Bottom Right: Volleyball seniors Maggi Jo Keffury, Kelsey Blauser and Katie MacLeay pose for a senior photo.
Photo by Danny Meyer
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