EST. 1936
ASURamPage.com
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2019
VOL. 86 ISSUE 05
American Chemical Society’s magic show ignites excitement on Family Weekend
ACS magic show captivates students and inspires future chemists By: Mbulelo Maqungo, volunteer writer
What’s in store! -Lies in our sex lives Page 2
-Volleyball Page 2
ing to take a break came to the Cavness Science Building to learn about the world of chemical reactions and experiments. Kevin Boudreaux, co-adviser for the ACS, led the demonstration through the periodic table highlighting fun facts about helium, hydrogen compounds and luminol reactions. From dissolving Styrofoam with common nail polish remover and lighting gun powder cotton balls ablaze to showing the different reactions of helium and Photo by Ian Saint: WOOOOSH! Alcohol vapor burns in a spectacularly hydrogen balloons under high heat, the ACS team colorful display. captivated the attention of the 78 people in attendance. The American Chemical “We had more people Society on Sept. 28 held a free magic show for the public in the than expected.” Boudreaux said. Houston Harte University Cen- “I’m so pleased with the turnout.” ter. The ACS has been or During fall Family Weekend, busy families look- ganizing shows like this one for
over 10 years, with increasing success on each outing. “I’ve repeated many of these experiments for years and it’s still exciting to see the reactions.” Boudreaux said. Contrary to popular belief, ACS isn’t just an organization for chemistry students. Many students, like junior Tuan Nguyen, have an interest in chemistry and use that to support their other passions. “I’ve always loved chemistry,” Nguyen said. “Even though I’m a biology major, I feel like being able to pull from both studies helps to expand my field.” Many of the people in the audience were impressed with the different demonstrations and chemical reactions. “The potassium nitrate-sulfuric acid cotton balls made a pretty big explosion,” freshman Hilary Johnson said. “My mom is an elementary science teacher and she recorded the whole show to show her students back home.”
-Football Page 2
-Travis’ column Page 3
-Sidewalk Survey Page 3
-Study abroad! Page 4
The American Chemical Society has been chartered at ASU for almost 30 years, opening students up to networking and publication connections within an international chemistry community. Many of its members, like junior Taylor Parmer, aspire to show just how fun chemistry can be to the general public. “Chemistry is in everything,” Parmer said. “It’s rewarding to show how widespread and entertaining the field can be.”
2 teams entered undefeated, 1 remained ASU defeats MSU 28-6
Jeremiah Devereaux, staff writer
The ASU Rams on Sept. 28 battled against the Midwestern State University Mustangs at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field. Both ASU and MSU came into the game undefeated with a record of 3-0. However, only ASU remained undefeated by the end of the night. Opening the first quarter, ASU chose to receive the ball to their advantage. Senior Payne Sullins threw for three consecutive first downs: one to junior Keke Chism, one to senior Lawson Ayo and back to Chism for a large gain. Sullins then threw to freshman Austin Landry for the first touchdown of the game, followed by the extra point from senior Connor Flanigan. On defense, junior Josh Quinton made the first sack of the game against MSU. “I really believe in what coach Clark was preaching all week,” Quinton said. “If we played to the best of our ability, we would
win. The sack was what my guys set up for me, so without them, I couldn’t have done it.” ASU gained more yards in the first half when a deep ball from Sullins connected with Chism, which put the team closer to the endzone. Senior Lloyd Howard III then brought ASU within inches of the goal line on a run. Sullins then ran for a 1-yard touchdown, which brought the score to 14-0 after the extra point from Flanigan. During halftime, the Ram Band performed Aretha Franklin’s 1968 classic “Think.” The 1st Community Credit Union also held its Kick for Cash contest. Sophomore Salisu Yahaya kicked the ball and won. In the second half, the Rams put two more touchdowns on the board with a 27yard pass from Sullins to Chism in the third quarter and a 5-yard pass at the beginning of the fourth. “I felt amazing after giving it my all and putting my team in the best position to
win,” Chism said. “We needed it and so did our city.” MSU would score one touchdown at the end of the fourth quarter and fail in their two-point conversion attempt, which brought the final score to 28-6. “It doesn't matter about the opponents,” said Adam Clark, assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. “We just need to study the right way, and stay prepared, and we will continue to improve and do everything in our power to make that happen.” After the game, ASU celebrated their victory with fireworks. Photos by Cora Bishoppetty:
Below Left: Alfredo Fernandez, sophomore, gets ready to snap the ball. Fernandez came to ASU from San Antonio, Texas. Below: A family gazes at the firework show that took place after the football game against MSU. Family Weekend happens once every fall semester.
10.4.2019
Shedding light on lies
Professors share insight and stats on lying in relationships
Sophia Gravatt, staff writer A Texas Woman’s University professor on Sept. 27 gave a lecture followed by a Q&A session in the C.J. Davidson Conference Center. Dr. Christian Hart, psychology professor, talked about lies in our relationships and sex lives. “Lying in romantic relationships is not all that uncommon,” Hart said. Researchers have found that people admitted they told lies in approximately 10% of the conversations they had with their spouses, Hart said. When it comes to unmarried romantic partners, the amount of lies increased to about one-third of those interactions. Hart and ASU associate professor Dr. Drew Curtis conducted a study that looked at benevolent deception and romantic relationships. The study investigated if people engage in deception and if they expected their partners to as well. “We asked people questions about different forms of altruistic lying and we used a scale called the ‘lying and amorous relationships scale,’” Hart said. The scale asked people about whether or not they think they should lie to their partners. “We also reversed it and asked, ‘do you think your partner should do that to you?’” Hart said. “Males think it is more appropriate for them to lie to their partners than females. Another thing we found is that both males and females thought ‘I should lie to my partner,’ but felt less strongly that their partner should lie to them.” Another aspect they looked at is lying in the context of people’s sexual relationships. “I had two students who were interested in this topic,” he said. “They created an open-ended qualitative study where they
Photo by Cora Bishoppetty: Dr. Christian Hart, a Texas Woman’s University professor, uses an analogy of fireflies and how they are attracted to one another. Hart and ASU professor Dr. Drew Curtis conducted a study on deceit in romantic relationships. asked people ‘have you ever lied to your sexual partner, and what about?’” He said the study found that most lies involved deceiving their partner about their enthusiasm to have sex. “We noted that a lot of these lies were benevolent,” Hart said. “Lies that are presumably told to spare the feelings of someone else.” Mckenzie Webb, junior, said she attended the lecture for her abnormal psychology class. “I thought it was really interesting,” she said. “I didn’t realize the statistics were that high.”
Belles on a winning streak
Volleyball defeats three teams over three days
Ashley Rodriguez, staff writer The ASU Belles volleyball team from Sept. 25-28 defeated three teams at home to extend their winning streak to five games. On Sept. 25, the Belles competed against the Lubbock Christian University Chaparrals and won with a score of 3-0. In the first set, sophomore Kailyn Gilbreath had nine kills and junior Lindsey Ledyard racked up seven assists. During the second set, senior Haley Coulter led the Belles defense with 11 digs. To conclude the game, senior Makenna Hanssen ended the third set with 11 digs and a service ace. The Belles then faced off against University of Texas Permian Basin on Sept. 27. ASU scored another win, defeating UTPB 3-0. The winning streak continued as the Belles played their final game of the week against the Western New Mexico Mustangs, winning with a score of 3-0. This win brought the Belles to a conference record of 5-0 and an overall record of 13-1.
E L L ! E B H A YE Photo by Cora Bishoppetty: Makenzie Griffin, senior, spikes the ball towards the UTPB players during the first set. Griffin, from Jourdanton, Texas, spiked a total of 3 balls.
Belles beat Rattlers, tie Dustdevils ASU soccer conference record moves to 1-0-1
Ashley Rodriguez, staff writer
The Belles soccer team competed in two games on Sept. 26 and Sept. 28 with one game ending in victory and the other closing with a tie. On Sept. 26, ASU defeated the St. Mary’s University Rattlers with a score of 3-1 in their conference opener. In the first half, ASU scored two goals. The first goal came from senior Ally Warren with an assist from junior Avery McNeme. Trenadey Scott, senior, would score the second goal of the half with freshman Valerie Solis and junior Emily Keoughan credited with an assist. The final goal came from McNeme in the second half with Solis credited with her second assist. The Belles then faced Texas A&M International University on Sept. 28, with the game ending in a 3-3 tie. Warren, with an assist from Keoughan, put the first point on the board within seven minutes of the first half for the Belles. In the second half, Scott scored a goal for the Belles with Keoughan earning her second assist. Shortly after, the Dustdevils took charge and scored, which brought the score to 2-1. TAMIU would go on to score another goal, tying the game 2-2. Later in the second half, sophomore Kylie Hampton scored a goal, which put ASU in the lead 3-2. However, towards the end of the second half, the Dustdevils came back to tie the game. Photo by Ian Saint: Avery McNeme, forward and midfielder, dashes between defenders. The game went into overtime, with neither McNeme scored against St. Mary’s University. team able to score to secure a victory. The game would end in a 3-3 tie.
Think before you share
10.4.2019
Travis Hunter, copy editor
Picture this. You’re sitting at your computer, or holding your phone in your hand, browsing through one of various social media platforms. You scroll past all the viral videos, vacation photos and memes until, suddenly, you see it. It’s the headline of an article about a celebrity or politician who has done or said something absolutely abhorrent to your sensibilities. You’re incensed. Infuriated, even. You hit that share or retweet button faster than you’ve ever done anything in your life, adding your two cents of condemnation before dispersing it to everyone you know. And just like that, you’re part of the problem. This is an easy trap to fall into. Headlines are designed to catch your eye and pique your interest so you’ll click on them and share it with others. This desire for virality often leads to headlines that devolve into sensationalism and outright misinformation in order to drive traffic to a website. While this practice is unbecoming of any news organization, no outlet is immune, and the public isn’t helping. According to a study from the Pew Research Center, 52% of American adults said they’ve shared false news stories via social media but didn’t know the stories were false when they shared them. All it takes is one person to absent-mindedly share a false story and it cascades, spreading like a virus until our discourse is muddled and ignorance thrives. Thankfully, there are precautions we can take to ensure we’re not adding to the problem. First, don’t stop reading at the headline. A headline isn’t al-
ways indicative of the story therein, so it’s wise to actually click on the story and read it fully. Only then can you assess if it is factual or not. Secondly, don’t give in to confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is when you intentionally seek out information that validates your preconceived beliefs or ideas. When we give in to it, we don’t allow skepticism to seep in because we want to believe the worst about people we don’t like, whether it’s true or not. Be skeptical, even if you don’t want to be. Next, consider the source. What would an outlet have to gain by forwarding such a narrative? Who owns the publication and what are their interests? It’s not conspiratorial to say money has power that could influence a publication to get behind an agenda, so it never hurts to see where the money is coming from. Try your best to only seek out the most reputable of sources. Also, investigate whoever wrote the story. Are they trustworthy or is their credibility a bit murky? Do your own research and don’t be swayed a certain way without the proper facts to back it up. Lastly, friends don’t let friends misinform. If you see someone share something online that you know to be false, point them in the direction of the facts. You don’t have to be cruel about it, but a correction could go a long way. We all have the capacity to do better on this issue. In the aforementioned study from the Pew Research Center, only 10% of respondents believe this problem will improve over time. While that statistic is depressing, we don’t have to accept the status quo as a foregone conclusion. If we can make an effort to consume media responsibly, see past the headlines, engage in regular fact-checking, be mindful of sources and keep each other honest, we can all be part of the solution. Feel free to share.
Sidewalk Survey
If you had to eat only one thing for the rest of your life what would it be and why?
“I would choose pizza because there’s not really a limit on what toppings you can get. So, you’re pretty much getting everything.” –Andrea Johnson, senior
“It would probably be…this is going to sound silly, but pizza is my favorite thing to eat. I think that there’s a lot of variety of pizza. You switch up the type of sauces, cheeses and toppings.” – Steven O’Dell, senior
“It would probably be apples. “If I could only eat one They’re nutritious, full of juice thing for the rest of my life, and are really tasty.” it would probably be raw almonds. It’s a healthy alter native and they taste good.” -Khyleigh Coffee, sophomore -Andrew Mayfield, junior
Editor: RamPage@angelo.edu Newsroom: (325) 942-2323
Ram Page ASU Station #10895 San Angelo, Texas 76909
Copy Editor Travis Hunter Staff Writers Sophia Gravatt Ashley Rodriguez Jeremiah Devereaux
Member of The Texas Tech University System Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Editor-in-Chief Axel Marcenaro Photographer Cora Bishoppetty
Circulation Manager Jeremiah Devereaux
PUBLISHING POLICY
Photo Editor Ian Saint Designer Dominic Rodriguez Faculty Adviser Dr. Ellada Gamreklidze
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.
Pack your bags, see the sights
10.4.2019
Study abroad program expands with new destinations Ashley Rodriguez, staff writer Cora Bishoppetty, photographer ASU’s Center of International Studies during the Summer I semester in 2020 will give students the opportunity to study abroad in Hawaii and, for the first time, Japan. The Tourism and Cross-Cultural Communication trip will be led by associate professor Dr. JongHwa Lee and sponsored by instructor Teri Freitag. The travel dates will be June 1 to July 1 and students will spend one week in Honolulu, Hawaii, followed by three weeks in Tokyo, Japan. While Lee and Freitag are both in the department of communication and mass media, this study abroad program will be open to students of all majors. On the trip, students will gain knowledge of cultural geography, history, cultural studies, communication, politics and identity through the lens of tourism, Lee said. “With all of its pitfalls and shortcomings, the idea is tourism is a form of intercultural experience and communication,” Lee said. “It gives us a very interesting opportunity to learn about how culture, communication and identity interact with each other and tell us something profound about today’s age and the people living in today’s time.” Lee said the trip will provide chances for students to engage in self-reflection. “People are running towards something as much running away from something,” he said. “Travelers want to feel part of something larger and more powerful than themselves; an impulse that has always been deep within the heart and what it means to be natural.” Students interested in applying for the trip must have a 2.5 GPA or better, Freitag said. They are currently looking for 10 undergraduate and 10 graduate students with at least one semester of completed coursework. Applications can be found on
Friday 10/4
-Ram Band Concho Classic 10:00am *San Angelo Stadium -ASU Football at Tarleton State 6:00pm - 9:00pm *Stephenville, TX
RamPort. Students can click on the study abroad link under the academics tab. A few of the places students will get to visit include the Pearl Harbor Memorial, Hanauma Bay and the Tokyo National Museum. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg on all of the things we have planned,” Freitag said. “We have historic, cultural, nature tours...they will also have an opportunity to go out and explore some on their own.” According to the ASU website, the basic cost of the program will be $6,000 and students will also be responsible for an estimated $1,760 in tuition and fees. For more information, students can contact Dr. JongHwa Lee at Jonghwa.lee@angelo.edu or Teri Freitag at tfreitag@angelo.edu. For the full video interview tune in to Ram TV. For the audio interview, listen to Ram Radio.
Events Calendar
-Theatre: Gruesome Playground Injuries 8:00pm Daily (to Oct 5) *Carr Education-Fine Arts Building
Saturday 10/5
Travis Hunter, copy editor
Sunday 10/6
-Annual Brisket Cook-off 8:00am - 6:00pm *LeGrand Alumni and Visitors Center
Monday 10/7
-Second Line down the Mall 12:00pm *University Mall -Homecoming King and Queen Nominee Presentation 7:00p *C.J. Davidson
Tuesday 10/8 -Cafecito: Free Coffee 9:00am - 12:00pm T/TH (to May 28) -Angelo Serves: Homecoming Edition 11:00am *UC lobby -Ram Remembrance Ceremony 7:00pm *C.J. Davidson
Wednesday 10/9 -Step Contest Prelims 6:00pm *C.J. Davidson
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