Vol. 79 Iss. 21

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The Angelettes

Basketball p. 8

Volume 79 Issue 21 March 8, 2013

Visit us at www.asurampage.com

SACS pays visit Wilson takes over as Student Services director ASU will have their 10 year reaffirmation visit from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) on March 19-21. The SACS visit is a process where visitors come to ASU and review the university and make sure the school meets the accreditation standards. The visit also includes discussion over the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). The QEP must focus on the student learning environment while enhancing student learning and engaging in community opportunities. There are student learning goals Rather than calling it QEP, ASU refers to the acronym (QEP) as CONNECT! This program helps students, faculty and staff engage in different communities to help better serve those communities while learning. By sending students to work in the community, they are working on community-based projects and internships as part of the undergraduate experience. ASU has been working towards this visit for the last 10 years, and the SACS committee will look back at all of the previous work the university has done. Professor of Kinesiology and director for the QEP Dr. Doyle Carter said ASU is prepared for the visit and hopes to receive insight to better the learning strategies. To read more information about the QEP check out www.angelo.edu/connect

Long years of service pays off Terrence Cain Staff Writer There’s a new Director of Student Services in town, and her name is Audrey Wilson. The former director of the ASU OneCard office has replaced Nolen Mears who retired on Jan. 31, after 29 years of service to ASU’s students. “Nolen Mears is a great person, and I am honored to have worked for and with him for the past 25 years,” Wilson said. “Mr. Mears did a fine job, and I hope that I can live up to his legacy.” Wilson has also had a long career at ASU, starting as a student assistant in the Housing Office in 1988. It wasn’t until 1995, however, that she became a full-time employee at ASU as the Assignments Coordinator. Wilson then moved up in the workplace in 1998 when she became

Photo courtesy of Communication and Marketing

the Assistant Director of Residence Life. Once again Wilson moved up the ladder at ASU as the Director of the ASU OneCard office in 2004 where she was until recently. “I enjoyed my position as the Director of the ASU OneCard office, but I was ready for a change,” Wilson said. “I applied for this position

because I wanted to be more involved in the area of student affairs.” As Director of Student Services, Wilson will be in charge of a wide range of areas from the judicial and drug awareness programs, to ADA Compliance and title IX Compliance. “I think this position is special because in the student affairs area we get to work with the academic areas to develop programs that enhance and complement the academic experiences for students,” Wilson said. “At this early stage in my new position as Director of Student Services I feel the biggest change I can think of is to get the word out about what the Student Services office is, what services are offered and how students can apply and receive these services available to them.” The party lifestyle seems to be in full effect here at ASU, and Wilson is well aware of the problem.

See Student Page 3

Check out Back to My Roots V on p. 5

Class teaches lessons outside the classroom Nursing students gain real world experience Adam Sauceda Staff Writer The Nursing Department offers an eight-week course for nursing majors that allow students to work with health programs in San Angelo and in communities across Texas. According to Assistant Clinical Professor of Nursing Ms. Rosy Hester, the course, Community-Based Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, is designed to have students think beyond care of an individual patient. “This course helps the students think of the community as their cli-

ent,” Hester said. “When you look at a community, you want to see what the vulnerable populations are.” According to the class description in ASU’s course catalog, the course “explores health promotion and disease prevention in diverse and multicultural communities and vulnerable populations.” Class members currently are working with vulnerable groups in the population, including the elderly, rape victims and patients diagnosed with HIV and AIDS. According to senior Sola Oyewuwo, whose group works with AIDS and HIV patients, the class has done two major projects.

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Photo by Adam Sauceda Nursing students have begun going outside campus limits to assess health programs and community wellness.

Remember to SPRING FORWARD on March 10!


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Events Calendar Get involved on campus! Here’s what’s going on this week. Friday March 8 RA Applications Due by 5 p.m. ALL DAY: Track and Field vs. NCAA Divison II Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama. E. James Holland Symposium Student Contest Exhibition. The contest will be daily at the Carr Education-Fine Arts Building Room 193. ASU FIRST from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Softball: ASU at Cameron University. 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. @Lawton, OK. Softball: ASU at Cameron University. 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. @Lawton, OK.

Saturday March 9 The Crazy Desert Trail 50K, Marathon, and Half Marathon. Test your racing skills at the San Angelo State Park beginning at 8 a.m. Softball: ASU at Cameron University. 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. @Lawton, OK.

Sunday March 10 Project Spring Break until March 16 in New Orleans.

NEWS

Friday, March 8, 2013

Campus visit set to encourage students Program to show student resources Allison Price Managing Editor The Multicultural Center will hold the fifth annual ASU FIRST program on Friday, March 8, to welcome high school students who are considering becoming the first in their families to seek a college degree. “This will be the first year I [am in charge of] the program,” Multicultural Center program specialist Erika Baeza said. “We have a little over 300 students attending from 12 different schools. They are sophomore, junior and senior students who are first-generation students. The program is aimed toward first generation students but is not limited to first-generation students.” First-Generation RAMS, an organization on campus for firstgeneration students, will help

with the program by escorting groups of students and giving them a tour of the school, Baeza said. “This is a beneficial program for students who are planning on coming to college,” First-Generation RAMS member Anabel Ramirez said. “As a first-generation student myself, I will be able to relate with students who might be having similar thoughts and doubts about starting college.” Baeza said the event will last all day with several sessions and speakers. “We will have a welcome session and we will have admissions talking in the morning,” Baeza said. “We will tell the students a little bit about the Multicultural Center and the programs we offer to first generation students. Financial Aid and the Freshman College will be talking to [the students] a little about the SMART workshops. Then the colleges will be doing an open house where students can go by and visit with them and ask questions. We will

have a student panel where [first generation] students will lead the panel and talk about their experiences.” Baeza said in order to keep the First-Generation RAMS program growing, she wants to help more first generation students and give them the support they need. “A lot of first generation students feel overwhelmed because they don’t have that support or background of college,” Baeza said. “Their parents don’t know what to expect. It can be overwhelming and sometimes they do leave school. Once students are enrolled we want to keep them successful and make sure they don’t fail.” Baeza is excited for the event even though it required a considerable amount of work, she said. “I hope high school students are able to see what a great school ASU is,” Ramirez said. “The staff and faculty are willing to help, and that is one of the best resources.”

Monday March 11

Is ASU where the deer and the antelopes play?

SPRING BREAK

Tuesday March 12 SPRING BREAK UCPC Weekly Meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the UC 203-204. Baseball: ASU vs. Southeastern Oklahoma State University. 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. @Foster Field.

Wednesday March 13 SPRING BREAK ALL DAY: Track and Field- Spring Break Multi-Event Baseball: ASU vs. Southeastern Oklahoma State University. 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. @Foster Field.

Thursday March 14 SPRING BREAK

Photo by Riley Mashburn

Submit event requests by 5 p.m. Tuesday for Friday publication to rampage@angelo.edu

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Applicants must: • be a junior, senior or graduate student in the 2013-2014 academic year • be a journalism/mass media major or minor, or have the equivalent undergraduate courses in journalism/ mass media • have been enrolled full time @ ASU at least two consecutive semesters prior to application • have served on the Ram Page staff in some major capacity for at least one year

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A letter of application and supporting information must be submitted to Dr. Jeff Boone, head of the Department of Communication/ Mass Media, 3rd Floor Library, B309

Application Deadline: March 28, 5 p.m.


Friday, March 8, 2013

NEWS

Livestock Judging places fifth in San Antonio Teams not intimated by big school competitors Adam Sauceda Staff Writer The Livestock Judging team continued its strong performances with a fifth place finish at the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo Collegiate Livestock Judging Contest on Feb. 23 at the San Antonio fairgrounds. The team finished second in Sheep Judging, second in Swine Judging, fourth in Cattle Judging, fourth in Reasons and seventh in Goats Judging. Judging Coordinator and lecturer Kris Ede said the finish was a team effort. “Nobody had a real bad day in San Antonio,” Ede said. “Some of the individuals had really good days which helped put us over the edge.” Graduate student Jacob Shaw, who assists in coaching the

team, said the team came in eight points short of West Texas A&M University. “It was a tough contest,” Shaw said. “But in at least one category, we beat every school that was there at least once.” The team is not intimidated by the larger schools in the competition, Ede said. “Our students do the exact same thing [larger schools] do; we work just as hard as they do,” Ede said. “We feel that one day soon we’re going to be as good as they are. We are better now than when we started the year off.” Shaw said he credits the team’s success to being from a smaller school. “You can learn a lot in a big classroom, but a smaller classroom allows you to be more hands-on,” Shaw said. “We can train the individual student better and cater more specifically to each student’s needs.” The team will look to have another top-five finish when they compete in Houston on Monday, March 1, Shaw said. “After a contest, we get back

here and talk about it so we can realize what we did wrong, and we will go practice on that particular area,” Ede said. “We have fixed one mistake and moved on to the next one every contest.” Shaw said the team has improved and that experience and hard work with a lot of heart and the want to win will them succeed. “The team got a little taste of victory in San Antonio and got their name called out a bunch of times and brought home a lot of awards,” Shaw said. “I think that sparks their desire to want to go out and win.” Individuals who placed were Sterling Yurrita, who tied for first place in the Swine Judging category, third in Reasons, ninth in Cattle and ninth overall. Hunter Brietzke finished eighth in Sheep Judging, 11th in Swine Judging and 15th overall. Other ASU team members competing include William Meyer, Shaylyn Parker, Darren Seidel and Caitlyn Van Slambrouck.

Reaching out to the community and beyond

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Library succeeds at donation drives Students respond positively, predicts more drives to come Adrianna Dabrowski Staff Writer The Porter Henderson Library held the first ever installment of a series of donation drives benefitting the Concho Valley Home for Girls/Children’s Emergency Shelter. The drive spanned two weeks, yielding hundreds of useful items and materials that will be put to use in the shelter—such materials included personal hygiene products, toys and clothing. The library intends to make this a lasting tradition at ASU, hoping to sponsor more drives in the future. The response from the student body was positive. Many students helped to ensure that those in need within the Tom Green County area could live a more comfortable life. “The students’ participation in the drive was incredible,” library media assistant Autumn Barnes said. Barnes lead the drive, even bringing in her own children to help with the setting up of the donation boxes. “We aimed to make the campus more aware of the needs these individuals have, where something like a coat or a pair of socks could go a long way,” Barnes said. “We put up several boxes around the campus in the hopes that students or faculty walking by would notice and be moved by the cause.”

Student Services to work closely with other groups on campus Cont. from p.1

“I think many people have a preconceived idea that college life is just like the movies with lots of drinking and partying with very little studying and class attendance.” Wilson said. “I believe that this notion of acceptable behavior influences not only the students but the way others react to this behavior.” Wilson will work in conjunction with other areas on campus when implementing programs that affect students and their needs. “I would like to see student groups and student leaders work with the various offices such as the clinic and counseling center and the Student Life area to help educate students about the effects of alcohol and drugs can have on their bodies, their academics and their lives in general,” Wilson said. “Perhaps showing photos of a healthy liver next to one with cirrhosis would help people see some of the physical effects drugs and alcohol has on their body.” Recently speaker Sarah Panzau spoke to ASU students on how life can change in an instant with drugs and alcohol. “Panzau’s speech was a great way to inform the students about the effects of alcohol and drugs, but it appears that when we talk about

Photo by Adam Sauceda From left: Seniors Michelle Wentworth, Anna Melby and Sola Oyewuwo locate the communities they have been to while participating in the Community Health class.

Cont. from p.1

Oyewuwo said during the first project, groups assess hospitals and clinics in other communities, interview residents and figure out any health issues the class wants to address. During the second project, teams of four or five students go to an assigned clinical site within San Angelo such as an aids clinic or rape crisis center to evaluate the program. “Our group helped the AIDS and HIV program by publicizing it more,” Oyewuwo said. “We contacted public locations such as hotels, inns and community centers to ask if we could bring and put out informational brochures about the facility.”Professional organizations now refer certain patients to the class’s services, according to Oyewuwo. Senior Michelle Wentworth said the course assesses what a community needs and allows them to apply their knowledge to seek better outcomes. “This takes all the nursing that we have learned and applies it to settings all over the U.S. whether that is a rural or urban population,” Wentworth said. “[We look for] gaps within the specific system.” Wentworth’s group focuses on home health and looks into pain management tools and cost issues for the elderly. “We look into research and background, and we go to agencies and ask what they have in place for certain [issues] that may arise,” Wentworth said. “The agencies may say there is nothing in place, so we say OK, we can put [a solution] into place that could have better outcomes for these patients.” According to Hester, the students in the course work with the leaders of health agencies to look at the issues and help come up with ways to ‘fill in gaps’ that the agencies may need help with. “It shows health leaders in the community that not only are we focused on individual care in the facilities where we go, but that we also are considering the community as our client,” Hester said. “We want to expand the students’ view to how can we impact problems before they start.” Senior Anna Melby said effective nurses need to know about the community. “Even if we are not working as a community nurse, we need to know what is going on in the community and what it lacks,” Melby said. “This is practice with someone looking over us making sure we are catching all the steps.” Melby’s group works with the rape crisis center and is doing programs in the dorms on campus about sexual awareness. Wentworth said the class can be applied [globally], and no matter where they end up in nursing, they can apply what they have learned from the course. “When we become nurses, we will actually be able to implement this [experience] into our practice,” Melby said. “So this [class] is kind of like our practice run before we do it on our own.” Some nursing students expressed interest in the course being an entire semester instead of an eight-week course. “Sometimes I wonder if we would be able to give better presentations or get a better turnout if we had more time,” Melby said. “I would like to see our program continue and have the next group of students take it up so that it would become a yearly thing and not just the nursing students this semester.” “I would like the class to be a full semester to see what we could potentially do and change,” Wentworth said. Melby said her group is planning to continue their project through April since it’s Sexual Awareness Month, despite the course ending on March 5.

alcohol and drug awareness we tend to focus on just the affects of alcohol,” Wilson said. “I think we should bring more awareness on the effects of drug illegal, prescription and over the counter drugs as well.” Wilson recently worked on student programs for those with disabilities, particularly for the blind and deaf, but would also like to help those in wheelchairs through modifications to buildings as well. Wilson will work both with students directly and indirectly to help improve their lives at ASU. “I will be working on various programs that my office will sponsor,” Wilson said. “I will also be working to help with accommodations for students with disabilities.” Wilson will work directly with those students who must see her because of a discipline issue as well. Wilson has just begun, but will be in her new position as Director of Student Services for the foreseeable future as she helps students get better access to the programs they need most. Students can get to know Wilson better and talk to her about programs that may help them by visiting her on the second floor of the Student Services area in the Hardeman building in room 203-B.

midnightrodeosanangelo.com

2 Coors Light Drafts $ 3 Enchanted Rock Vodka $ 3 Rebecca Creek Whiskey $


NEWS

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Friday, March 8, 2013

Marijuana protestors push to legalize drug Students hold signs and sign petitions. Adam Sauceda Staff Writer Students protested the prohibition of marijuana on Tuesday in the hopes of gaining support for the legalization of medical marijuana in Texas. During the protest, students spoke in favor of the five house bills, HR 698, 501, 499, 710 and 784, which all aim to end marijuana prohibition. Junior Luke Masters, a student speaker, said marijuana prohibition is a huge stifle on the economy because of the number of people put in prisons for possession. “I am for ending the prohibition of medical marijuana,” Masters said. “It is not a harmful drug by any means. There is no real reason for it at all. The government can make huge money on it by capitalizing on the

taxes and ending the drug war on it.” Freshman Pedro Ramirez said he has gone to jail twice for marijuana possession. “There was a survey while I was in jail that showed 80 percent of us that were there were there because of small marijuana possessions,” Ramirez said. Freshman Linda Warren said marijuana is a natural medicine that people can use to treat themselves, and that people should have access to this plant without it being criminalized. “When my mother was dying from pancreatic cancer, she begged me to get her medical marijuana because the opiates [commonly prescribed for pain] did not work,” Warren said. “My daughter died from cystic fibrosis and could not use opiates because it would diffuse her respiratory system.” During the protest, students signed two petitions to forward the house bills which will be sent to Texas Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn.

Photos by Nadia Sabrosa

Mat Franco Magic Show Photo by Adam Sauceda Marijuana protestors stood between the UC and library listening to student speakers on March 5.

Spring health fair draws crowd in the UC

Mat Franco showed off his magician skills on Monday night for students. Audience members were called on stage to become apart of the engaging act.

Biology students place top at Mammalogists meeting Students showcase research on skunks, bats and other animals Terrence Cain Staff Writer

Photos by Contributor Sydney Wegner

Top: Christian Herrera has his blood pressure checked by an ASU nursing student. Bottom: Brittney Roemer wears the drunk goggles while trying to walk in a straight line. The drunk goggles completely blur your vision to put you in the mindset of someone who is intoxicated.

Two ASU biology students won top prizes for their research presentations at the annual meeting of the Texas Society of Mammalogists held at Texas Tech University Feb. 15 – 17. Senior Malorri Hughes won the Vernon Bailey Award and a $400 honorarium for best poster presentation in classical mammalogy at the organismal level for her project entitled “Prevalence of the Sinus Roundworm, Skrjabingylus chitwoodorum, in Rabies-Negative Texas Skunks (Mephitis mephitis).” “Classical Mammalogy at the Organismal Level simply means studying the mammal as a whole,” Hughes said. “We would study the animal’s environment, habitat, behavior, ecological niche, etc.” Graduate student Wesley Brashear won the Clyde Jones Award and a $400 honorarium for best poster presentation in studies pertaining to mammalian cytology, evolution, and systematics. Brashear’s project on bat systematics is entitled “Further Evidence for the Basal Divergence of Cheiromeles (Chiroptera: Molossidae).” “The Clyde Jones Award is an award given for the best poster presentation in studies pertaining to mammalian cytology; a study of cellular processes, structure and function, evolution and systematics— the study of the evolutionary relationships of groups of organisms,” Brashear said. Using a DNA sequencer, Brashear discovered that a rather unique Ma-

laysian species of bat called the Naked Bulldog is the oldest species of bat in the Basal Divergence of Cherinomeles, or the Chiropetra Molossidae. 18 ASU undergraduate and graduate students attended the TSM meeting, including Krysta Demere, who presented a research poster entitled “Investigation of Bat Populations and Activity in Northern Tom Green and Southwestern Coke Counties.” Hughes’ research over rabid skunks proved to be particularly interesting for Dr. Robert Dowler, who became her mentor. Hughes’ mentor, Dr. Robert Dowler, assisted Hughes with her project. “Dr. Dowler salvages the heads of rabies-negative skunks from the Texas Department of State Health Services, and eventually they are added to the Angelo State Natural History Collection,” Hughes said. The Skrjabingylus chitwoodorum is a very common kind of roundworm found in rabies-negative skunks. Based on Hughes’ findings, this particular roundworm is causing the skunks in the San Angelo area to act erratically and exhibit signs of rabies. “When we realized how common this roundworm was, we began to wonder why so many rabies-negative skunks that had been submitted for testing were infected with this roundworm,” Hughes said. “In processing these skulls, we began to notice the presence of a parasitic roundworm that embeds itself in the bones of the skull, specifically near the sinuses.” In the future, Hughes hopes to establish a geographic distribution or seasonality in hopes of better analyzing the prevalence and intensity of this parasite in skunks. Hughes is also looking to see if there are trends in certain age groups.


FEATURES

Friday, March 8, 2013

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Winners chosen for symposium contest Work on display in Carr Education-Fine Arts building Terrence Cain Staff Writer ASU students Nicole Clemens, Sean Halstead, and Steven Salas beat back the competition with their pieces based on American films and values at the annual symposium contest Oct. 22, 2012 in the CJ Davidson Center. Jeffrey Lyons, a nationally known television and film critic with shows such as “Reel Talk” and “Sneak Previews,” gave the keynote speech at this year’s symposium. Salas won first place and a $250 for his piece entitled “Hair—A Silent Music Short.” “This was my first symposium to attend—and since I love film—I thought it would be interesting to enter the contest,” Salas said. “When [Lyons] talked about how film used to portray minorities as lower-class people, such as being someone’s maid, it amazed me because we’re not portrayed like that in film today, so my video was made specifically to show how accepting people are today of a wide range of things—from minorities to homosexuality to religious differences.” Halstead and Clemens tied for second place with a $125 cash prize for their digital pieces. Clemens’ piece is entitled “Wanted,” and Halstead’s piece is entitled “The Dollar Bill.” “Last year I attended the symposium and won first place,” Halstead said. “I didn’t go in this year thinking I’d win again, I just wanted to express how I feel about greed in the film industry in America.” Clemens’ piece was based on how celebrity status affects the average, everyday person. Clemens, like Halstead, used photo shop to put her piece together, using mug shots of celebrities with hands grabbing at them. Each contestant gave their own interpretation based on this year’s theme of how American film has influenced America’s values. Each piece was judged based on creativity, originality, technical competency and depth of thought. The judges this year were professors of art Dr. Ben Sum, Dr. Bill Doll and Dr. Martha Saywell. “We agreed first and foremost that the artwork has to respond to the symposium,” Sum said. “In addition to the content we also look at the form of quality, like design, and also that it is creative.” Sum has taught at ASU for the last eight years and was very pleased to see an increase in participation at this year’s symposium with a total of thirteen contestants. Six years ago Sum judged for the first time at the symposium where only four people entered the contest. Sum predicts that the increase he has seen over the years means things are going very well for art at ASU, but like the other judges, he would like to see more participation from other departments at ASU. Sum feels that the contest misinterprets the symposium as just an art contest. “It’s not just an art contest- it’s more than that,” Sum said. “Anyone who feels like they have something to offer to the world could enter—whether it be in other areas such as writing, film, or music.” Even though there is an earnest feeling that the symposium needs more entries, one judge feels that promotion is only half the battle in increasing entries in the symposium. “It’s kind of the nature of the beast,” Doll said. “It takes a particular type of artistic discipline to do what is required for the contest.” Doll is a fourteen-year veteran at ASU and director over the university’s theater program, as well as a professor of theater, but this is his first symposium to judge at the university. Saywell said that stretching out the awareness beyond the parameters of ASU may be what’s needed to increase entries into the contest. “If we could get more awareness out into other buildings, maybe into the San Angelo Standard Times and local coffee shops, I think it could help increase participation,” Saywell said. Saywell has been classically trained as a pianist for nearly 31 years and recently received her terminal degree in piano performance from the University of Wisconsin. This year’s symposium is her first to judge at ASU and is a newly welcomed professor to the university as of August 2012. Saywell was asked to be a judge because a music piece was entered into the contest by Savannah Logsdon, which also included an illustration entitled “Mike the Mime.” “It was just a little ditty I did based on the silent film era that I created,” Logsdon said. “I thought it would be interesting to add music to the illustration, so I composed a piece on piano for it to make it feel like my own version of a silent film.” Entering the symposium is a fairly simply task to do, but it can be very time-consuming. “All anyone has to do is attend the lecture and listen to the speech and the discussions and then respond to what they heard in either a visual art, essay, musical piece or video format within 30 days of the lecture,” Sum said. All entries at this year’s symposium will be on public display until Friday, March 8, in the Art Gallery in room 193 of the Carr Education-Fine Arts Building on Dena Drive.

“Mike the Mime” by Savannah Logsdon

“Wanted” by Nicole Clemens “Dollar Bill” by Sean Halstead

Photos by Adam Sauceda Check out Steven Salas’ short film in the Carr EFA Gallery Room 193. An award ceremony to honor the winners of the E. James Holland symposium contest was held Thursday, March 7, in the gallery, where all entries will remain on display until Friday at 5 p.m.


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FEATURES

Friday, March 8, 2013

Back to My Roots V brings entertainment

Photos by Nadia Sabrosa

With the help of African musical group Jabali Afrika, students entertained a full house. Back to My Roots V consisted of skits, singing, dancing and a fashion show. Students from the audience were given a chance to come on stage and show off their African dance skills with the singer of Jabali Afrika.

“I enjoyed the program,” junior Destiny Jackson said. “It kept me laughing, but I will always remember getting on stage and dancing with the band. I was nervous to dance but we all had fun so it didn’t matter.”


OPINIONS

Friday, March 8, 2013

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Is it really fear? Or only in our mind?

Allison Price Managing Editor Public speaking seems to be a horror for everyone. The fact that Communication 2301 (aka Public Speaking) is a requirement for every student on campus makes it even scarier. Why is public speaking such a big deal? The fear we have of talking in front of others is just in our mind. In our society today we are not conversing with each other by mouth as much. Instead of speaking with our voices, we are channeling our words into Facebook messages, text messages and tweets. Al-

Have you ever had a bad experience with public speaking?

though it is good to learn how social media plays a big part in our society, public speaking is still an important form of communication. I am enrolled in public speaking, and when I registered for the class last semester at 3 a.m., I was dreading it. I knew I had to take it, and I thought it would be better to get it done now then wait until my last few semesters of college. I am shy and quiet around people that I do not know, but if I was put into a room with a group of my friends, I could talk for hours. What is so scary about looking out at a classroom of people who are actively listening and learning about your topic? NOTHING. In my public speaking class there are at least 30 students. I would guess that half, if not more, experience the same nerves and fear that I have. I have always been against speaking in front of people if I don’t have to. Having that outlook on the situation is not helping me gain any skills for a future career where I will have to deal with people face-to-face. In the hours before my first presentation, my whole body was shaking and my nerves were killing me. My speech had to be between five to seven minutes. That seemed like an eternity. I kept telling myself it was not going to be a big deal, but the little voice inside my head said otherwise. Finally I calmed down, but when 1:50 p.m. hit, I knew in the next 15 minutes, my life would be flashing in front

“I wouldn’t say I had a “Yes, plenty of times bad experience, but it but it always turns became pretty hilariout to be funny.” ous. I farted loud in a middle school public speaking competition.”

Alexander Bryant Junior

Henry Luna Junior

of me (so to speak). The expression “the hardest part is walking out the door,” can easily describe how I was feeling that afternoon, even though I had to walk in the door. What was I so nervous for? I knew that half of the class would be listening to me when I talked, while the other half thought about when class would be over. I made it through that awful speech day and after walking away from the front of the classroom to my seat, I thought that was not a big deal. Of course, there were some parts of my speech that could have worked differently and if it weren’t for my YouTube video to mess up, I would have not been as worried. I got an email that night from my professor with her comments and grade for the speech. After reading through her comments, I made a great grade! I thought I had done worse. I did have a few points taken off because I almost talked for 10 minutes. It sure did not feel like I was standing in front of the class for 10 minutes. Overall I was happy with my presentation and I was worrying about nothing. I made the effort to stand in front of all of my classmates and not chicken out. If you are like me and do not have a naturally outgoing personality, then mostly likely you have a fear of public speaking, too. Have confidence in yourself that you can get in front of people and speak. Once you get up there and look out at your audience, the fears and nerves will drop away.

“Yes, all the time I get the giggles, especially when people smirk at me in the audience.”

Linette Castaneda Junior

“Yes, because I’m a real nervous person. My voice gets real shaky; my knees start buckling, so I end up shaking like a Chihuahua in front of large crowds”

Alonzo Chavarria Senior

“No, because ever since high school I have been in public speaking positions.”

Valerie DelaRosa Junior

Ram Page Staff

2012-2013 Angelo State University Editor: Mariah Powell Managing Editor: Allison Price Copy Editor: Rachel Riggs Online Editor: Riley Mashburn Staff Writer: Stephen Cogan Staff Writer: Terrence Cain Staff Writer: Adrianna Dabrowski Staff Writer: Adam Sauceda Circulation Manager: Mariah Powell Photographer: Nadia Sabrosa Photographer: Adam Sauceda Advertising Manager: Kaitlynn Glendinning Adviser: Dr. Cathy Johnson Ram Page ASU Station #10895 San Angelo, Texas 76909-0895 Editor: rampage@angelo.edu Advertising: rampageads@angelo.edu Newsroom: (325) 942-2323 Advertising: (325) 942-2040 Fax: (325) 942-2551 Member of The Texas Tech University System Associated Collegiate Press Texas Intercollegiate Press Association

Submit a Spring Break photo to the Ram Page! We’d love to see what your Spring break consisted of. Submit your photo to the Ram Page via email by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, for possible publication.

Be sure to include your name, classification and what is taking place in the photo and where it was taken.

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Have a great Spring Break!

PUBLISHING POLICY Published every Friday and available to students, one copy per student, the student newspaper of Angelo State University is a public forum, with its student editorial board making all decisions concerning its contents. Unsigned editorials express the views of the majority of the editorial board. Ram Page welcomes all letters. Please include your name, classification/position and a phone number and/or e-mail address for verification purposes. Letters must be signed and be no more than 350 words. The paper reserves the right to edit letters for grammar and clarity, and 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 newspaper’s office, Room 324 on the third floor of the Porter Henderson Library. Opinions in letters are not necessarily those of the staff, nor should any opinion expressed in a public forum be construed as the opinion or policy of the administration, unless so attributed.

Interesting Spring break stories? Send them in as you’re having fun. We’d love to hear all about them.


SPORTS

Page 8

Friday, March 8, 2013

Athletics to replace basketball coaches Nation-wide search began Monday Stephen Cogan Staff Writer ASU’s athletic director Sean Johnson announced Sunday afternoon that the men’s head basketball coach Fred Rike would not have his contract renewed after a disappointing 7-19 season this year. Rike ended his ASU tenure with an 88-75 win over Incarnate Word, and his record as a head coach was 9299 over seven years. Along with Rike, assistant coach Kenneth Mangrum will not be returning either, so ASU will seek to replace both coaches before the semester ends. Johnson said that the decision was not a spur-of-themoment move, but one that he and ASU President Dr. Brian May had discussed for months before making it final. “There wasn’t one game, one incident or, one issue,” Johnson said. “I think Coach Rike and Coach Mangrum did some good things, but unfortunately we just didn’t achieve despite their best efforts.” Johnson said that he looked at the body of work and noticed that the men’s basketball team has steadily

regressed the last three years. In the 2009-2010 season, the Rams had a 17-13 record, which was the last winning record ASU has had. For the past three years, Rike’s teams had 11-15, 11-17, and 7-19 seasons respectively. “Does that mean that Coach Rike and Coach Mangrum weren’t working as hard these last three years as they did the first four years? Absolutely not,” Johnson said. “For whatever reason, things just didn’t work out.” Now that ASU has decided that it needs new coaches, the search will begin with Johnson, who will use his experience and connections to find someone. “There won’t be too many people who cross my desk that I don’t know somebody who can tell me about them,” Johnson said. But what is ASU looking for exactly in their next coach? “I want a person who understands the Division II model,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t mean they have to be a Division II coach, but they understand the model.” Why is knowing the model so important? “Recruiting at the Division II level is different than Division I level because of the scholarships you’ll be working with and how you divide the scholarships,” Johnson said. “They’ll need to have a grasp of that.” Another major criterion that a coach must have is experience with college basketball. Johnson said the job demands college sports experience

because in college, the coaches have to recruit players whereas high school coaches get their players from their district automatically. “They’ve got to know the Xs and Os, but they also have got to be good at recruiting,” Johnson said. Johnson said that he has some people in mind for the job, but right now, ASU has an “open search” going for the head coach position. “I’m never going to not consider people that I don’t know,” Johnson said. “I think the worst mistake you can make as a leader of any department is to close your mind as to who you’re going to hire. Those who cross your desk who you’ve never heard of or thought may turn out to be the best person for the job.” Johnson said that he intends to dig deep into all the candidates as quickly as possible because ASU wants to fill the position before the semester ends. “To bring in a coach after school is out would be a mistake,” Johnson said. “The coach needs to be here to evaluate the kids in the program; they need to get to know each other so that when summer comes and everybody goes separate ways, everyone feels good about what’s going on with Angelo State basketball.” What will be going on with Angelo State basketball is left to be seen, but one thing is certain. Sean Johnson intends to work his hardest to make the right choices going forward.

Men’s and women’s basketball ends LSC season on winning note The Rams and Belles’ ended their season on March 2 with wins against Incarnate Word. The Rams won 8875 with an overall score is 7-19. The Belles’ won 48-36 with an overall record of 14-12. Photos by Adam Sauceda

Rams win back-to-back games Rams prepare for games over Spring Break Stephen Cogan Staff Writer The Bellarmine Knights from Kentucky came to Texas to win some baseball games, but so far have done the exact opposite. After losing to Tarleton State University on Sunday, the Knights fell to the Rams in back-to-back games to make their record 0-3 in games played in the Lone Star State. Meanwhile, this is the first time the Rams have won back-to-back games since they started their season 5-0 before falling to 10-5. Now, at 12-5, the Rams are ready to spend their spring break playing baseball with five games over seven days. The Rams won the first game 4-0 after another gem from junior pitcher Bryce Zak, who won Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Week for a second week in a row after pitching six innings of shutout ball while striking out seven batters. Zak has pitched 20.1 consecutive shutout innings in his last three starts and has a 4-0 record as a starter. The last time Zak has given up an

earned run was Feb. 2 against Ouachita Baptist University. While Zak excelled, the Rams bats struggled as they went down on strikes 12 times over the game and left the bases loaded twice. The Rams’ offense still produced four runs, with two of them scoring because the pitcher walked a Rams batter with the bases loaded. Junior infielders Tyler Coughenour and Reggie Rodriguez batted in the other two runs. Coughenour grounded a runner from third to home, and Rodriguez connected on a fast ball over the plate and blasted it over the wall about 700 feet for his third home run of the year. The Rams team has six home runs on the year. A standout defensive performance was made by senior catcher Andrew LaCombe, who kept baserunners on their bases with routine pickoff attempts and caught one stealing in top of the sixth. “We’ve got really good coaches who work us through all the scenarios,” LaCombe said. “For the most part, everything I’ve seen in a game, I’ve seen in practice with the coaching staff preparing us.” LaCombe continued the performance into the next game where the Knights didn’t have a single stolen base the entire night.

The Rams won the second game 6-4 and senior Bryant Rutledge earned his first win of the year after going five innings of two-run ball. Rutledge came back after missing last year due to injury and Tommy John surgery Rutledge walked none and struck out seven despite having trouble with his slider pitch. “I’ve been struggling with my arm slide recently,” Rutledge said. “Also going back to the injury, it was hard for me to find that same arm slide that

I had before I had the surgery, so I’ve been working on keeping my arm slide down.” Rutledge said he will get better with each outing and that the best is yet to come. Rutledge said he is also happy to see spring break come because his parents will be coming into town to see him and said he’s looking forward to it. The Rams’ next game is against Southeastern Oklahoma State University on Monday, March 12, 2013 at Foster Field at 6:30 p.m.

Photo by Adam Sauceda The Rams won their games against Bellarmine University last weekend and will play again Tuesday March 12 against Southeastern Oklahoma State University at Foster Field.


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