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Ram ASURamPage.com
Vol. 86 Issue 13
January 24, 2020
University Center hosts memorial display
What’s in store!
ASU opens semester mourning the loss of a departed Ram
New Equipment
Mbulelo Maqungo, staff writer
Pg. 2
Master’s program Pg. 2
Away games update Pg. 2
Sidewalk Survey Pg. 3
Loneliness Pg. 3
Ax on ‘Flix Pg. 3
Ready, Set, Go Pg. 4
Amongst the daily commotion of diners and visitors in the Houston Harte University Center hangs a lone blue and gold flag in remembrance. Student Affairs and the SGA on Jan. 17 placed an ASU flag underneath the main stairwell in honor of a student who passed away. Twenty-one-year-old Ulises Valentin Frausto, junior, from Roby, Texas, passed away on Dec 15, 2019. The management and marketing major was one of two casualties of a 2 a.m. car accident along Loop 306 by Furniture Row. Beginning early Friday morning, students and faculty had the opportunity to pass by the tribute and share stories of Frausto’s impact. “Ulises made every person he met and every situation they may be going through feel valued,” sophomore Mackenzie Subia said. “Even when we were in high school, he always tried to lift other people up.” During his time at ASU, Frausto spent time as a member of the Association of Mexi-
can-American Students. “Ulises was a close friend of mine since we both started class here and joined AMAS around the same time,” said Cody Vasquez, AMAS recruitment and alumni chair. “I didn’t know a lot of people at first, but he and a few other guys instantly gravitated towards me and formed a close group. He was a real down-toearth guy.” AMAS President Eryck Rodriguez said how easily Frausto’s personality brightened people's days. “I personally met him through Cody one evening and he was so comfortable to talk to,” Rodriguez said. “He had such a distinct laugh.” Originally, Student Affairs, SGA, and MSAP collaborated during Homecoming to pay homage to current students and alumni who have passed away, but inspiration from other universities helped lay the groundwork for a new tradition. Dr. Javier Flores, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, said
the concept of a flag memorial came from Texas Tech University, ASU’s sister school. “Since our main flagpole isn’t on a path most folks often pass by, we came up with the idea to place the flag in an area with high traffic to bring it to the student's attention,” Flores said. Flores said he hoped through this tragedy, the campus community can come closer together by sharing their experiences for those who might not have known Frausto. “This gives our students, faculty and staff, the Ram Fam, an opportunity to gain even the slightest bit of closure or healing while in mourning,” he said. “Ulises has the kindest soul I’ve met,” junior Kimber Ragan said at the memorial. “If there’s one way I want him to be remembered, it’s with that smile that could light up an entire room.” Photo by Cora Bishoppetty: Ulises Frausto’s portrait shines in the limelight, located in the Houston Harte University Center. Frausto was a junior majoring in marketing and management.
A unique building provides unique challenges Construction of the ASU Mayer Museum continues despite delays Ixchel Sotelo, staff writer As the second week of the spring semester comes to a close, the construction of the ASU Mayer Museum is underway and the structure of the building is starting to take its form. “Right now, the slab has been poured and the steel is going up on it, so that’s been really exciting because you can really start to see the shape of the building at that point,” said Cody Guins, director of facilities planning and construction. “It’s pretty abstract.” According to a 2018 Ram Page story, the 13-month project was said to be completed in early 2020. Due to delays in permissions for expenditures and design features, the museum’s completion date has been moved to September of 2020. “We wanted it to be a unique building on campus,” Guins said. “We feel that we have a really beautiful campus and we wanted to make sure that we didn't put something extremely abstract, but at the same time, we wanted something special because this is a special building.” In order to tie in the aesthetic of the buildings on campus while making the museum stand out, the building will feature the same type of facade materials as the other main buildings, but will have a distinct form with various angles. With hopes of attracting the commu-
nity, Guins said a lot of time and thought was put into the building. Once completed, the community can expect various exhibits including work by the visual arts department, the West Texas Collection and a gallery space with a full-size Tyrannosaurus rex. “ASU has a really good connection with the San Angelo and West Texas community and we want the community to come on
campus and experience ASU,” Guins said. “We want the community to be very much involved and this facility is really going to help us keep that going.” Photo by Ian Saint: Sunsets over the construction of the new museum on campus. Construction of the new gallery will cost an estimated $14.2 million.
2 News
Mass media department debuts new technology
1.24.2020
Ram TV updates film equipment after receiving donation Ixchel Sotelo, staff writer
Through a donation by the administration, ASU’s Ram TV studio received new equipment upon beginning the spring semester. “There wasn’t enough money going into the studio to keep it functioning,” said Don Plachno, interim director of Ram TV. “At one point, we only had one headset that was working. Most of our cameras weren’t functioning the way they should. A lot of the equipment was broken down or beyond repair.” Before receiving this equipment, students in mass media classes used iPhones and Androids to film their projects, which would frequently get lost, Plachno said. Now, students will receive kits with indie-film quality equipment including Canon EOS 77D cameras, Sigma lenses, i9 processors, adaptors, XLR recorders, wireless headphones and more. Equipment for the Ram TV studio includes teleprompters, tally lights, a wireless soundboard and camera pedestals. Photo by Ian Saint: Isaac Wilkerson, senior, shows off Ram TVs new Canon 77D “When I started working here in 2015, we bacameras. The new equipment replaces the much larger broadcast cameras and smartsically didn’t have a functional studio,” Brianna Ray, phone mounts previously used by Ram TV. assistant director of Ram TV, said. “Over the last couple years, we’ve gotten a lot of new equipment, so now, we can actually produce newscasts and air them live.” With the new equipment, Plachno said students will be able Plachno said his vision for Ram TV does not stop there as they are to produce film-festival-worthy projects, potential resume material, hoping to expand and connect more with students through a potenamong other possibilities. tial smartphone application. “I’m really excited to use the new equipment,” freshman Josue “With this equipment that came in over the break, we are now Gutierrez said. “It will be very helpful when taking pictures and vid- at 100 percent,” Plachno said. “We are a fully functional studio. We eos and it will be beneficial to future students.” have been extremely lucky. I love this job. I truly love this job.”
ASU climbs national listings Multiple programs bring home various accolades
Ashley Rodriguez, staff writer Four of ASU’s online master’s degree programs gained national recognition for the 2019-2020 academic year. The four programs honored included master of education in guidance and counseling, master of education in educational administration, master of science in professional school counseling and master of arts in curriculum and instruction. “Any time a program is listed on a national ranking list, it brings recognition not only to the program, but also to ASU,” Associate Professor Lesley Casarez said. “I have many students who contact me as interested in the programs that we offer, and this will just increase the interest.” Casarez said the use of practitioners in the field has been vital to the program’s success because they are able to provide a view into the practice of actual professional school counselors. “It is rare that programs are able to have the practitioners in a program and I think it has been key to our success,” she said. Associate Professor Twyla Tasker said online programs have grown in popularity because of the flexibility that students are seeking. “We have worked to continuously improve in order to remain competitive,” Tasker said. She said the national ranking will allow more potential students to investigate online graduate programs at ASU. “It is an honor to be nationally ranked because a national ranking means that our program has been compared to others throughout the United States and identified as one of the strongest,” said Kinsey
Hansen, the program adviser for the master’s of education in educational administration. “The national ranking acknowledges and supports the students' hard work and dedication in completing the program and upon graduating, students know their accomplishments are significant having completed a program nationally ranked.” The full list of ASU’s online master’s program rankings originally listed on ASU’s official website: M.Ed. in guidance and counseling - No. 2 of the top 25 affordable accelerated master’s in psychology online programs (BestCollegesOnline.org) - No. 5 of the top 20 accelerated master’s in school counseling online programs (CollegeValuesOnline.com) - No. 7 of the top master’s on counseling degrees online (CollegeValuesOnline.com) - No. 20 and “most experienced faculty” of the best online master’s in school counseling degree programs M.Ed. in educational administration - No. 3 and “most affordable” of the best online master’s in education administration degree programs (Intelligent.com) - No. 13 of the 25 most affordable online master’s in educational leadership and administration degrees M.Ed. in professional school counseling - No. 9 and “best in the south” in the best online counseling degree programs (Intelligent.com) M.A. in curriculum and instruction - No. 12 of the 20 most affordable online MAT degrees (TopEducationDegrees.com)
Away game updates: Basketball: M W E O N M ASU men’s basketball on Jan 18 defeated EastE ern New Mexico University 74-70 in Portales, N New Mexico. The Rams are now 11-3 in season ASU women’s basketball on Jan. 18 gained a victory over Eastern New Mexico University 70-60. The Belles are 9-5 overall in the season and 6-4 in conference. ASU women’s basketball on Jan. 16 lost to rivals the West Texas A&M Buffs 79-58.
and 7-3 in the Lone Star Conference.
ASU Men’s basketball on Jan. 16 fell short to West
E BBEELLLLE! YYEEAAHH!
3 Opinion
1.24.2020
Sidewalk Survey:
“To be a happier person and not let little things add conflict to my life.” -Nydia Rodriguez, junior
What is your New Year’s resolution?
“Rely less on coffee and “My New Year’s resolution is to caffeine to get me through become a better man of word, the day.” continue to build on that and all.” –Emma Hooks, junior -Trevor Flores, junior
“Mine was to get fit. I feel like a lot of people have it though, it is pretty cliché. I was already into it, but now I am focusing more on my diet.” –Michael Moseley, junior
Loneliness comes in all shapes and sizes Cora Bishoppetty, photographer In this modern digital age, loneliness has become one of the most discussed and prevalent topics that have come to light recently. Many studies and articles have been written over this ever-growing epidemic among developed countries and whom it affects most. A majority of articles and recent findings have reported that loneliness has been more frequent in people who are 50 and older. However, as an aspiring educator, I think we need to focus on how loneliness is affecting our children. Most people may think, “Now wait a second, children?” Yes, children. According to The Week, loneliness is defined as “the emotional state created when people have fewer social contacts and meaningful relationships than they would like—relationships that make them feel known and understood.”
Ax on ‘Flix
Every child has their own story and their own home life. Having those meaningful relationships are vital to the social-emotional development of a child. You develop those social-emotional connections throughout your life; from the time you hear your parents’ voice when you are born and until you are old, dissing the youngest generation. Sadly enough, a lot of children are not getting social-emotional development because they are lonely. After school, some children come home to an empty house. Children then begin to lack the nurturing side of their parents’ presence. This all goes back to children not being able to build those meaningful relationships. Yes, children do have school and friends, but not every student is good at making friends or has the knowledge or skills to communicate their feelings and needs. This loneliness then leads to many other problems. Loneliness consumes the whole body and mind of a person, regardless of age. Scientists and doctors have found that it can cause people to get sick more easily and they are more susceptible to depression. When
In this week’s film pick, Axel reviews “Jojo Rabbit”
Axel Marcenaro, editor-in-chief
While trailers may have shown the film to be an outrageously insensitive comedy from the perspective of the Nazis, “Jojo Rabbit” proves to be a heartwarming tale of self-discovery and coming of age. The film centers around a young Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) who’s become a Nazi fanatic since his father has been away at war. He holds every ambition to join Germany’s ranks, but none of the ability, which is proved after he blows himself up at a Boy Scoutslike child training camp. His failure as a Nazi seems to be his greatest internal struggle until Jojo discovers his mother is sheltering a young Jewish girl in their attic. “Jojo Rabbit” basically takes an extremely dark subject and inputs ridiculous characters and situations to help the audience see both the seriousness and absurdity of war. The jokes are very “spoofy” and sometimes are a bit much, but they tend to find a laugh in the audience’s childish side, which isn’t out of place since children are at the center of this film’s themes. The film does take a lot of inspiration from Wes Anderson’s aesthetic, but feels crafted to a much lesser degree. Visually, there are Ram Page ASU Station #10895 San Angelo, Texas 76909
Copy Editor Sophia Gravatt Staff Writers Ashley Rodriguez Jeremiah Devereaux Ixchel Sotelo Mbulelo Maqungo
children become sick, they aren’t able to go to school, which is some kids’ only access to others. When children are lonely, they start to dread the end of the day because, soon enough, they will be walking into a house of empty chairs. Eventually, that starts to consume their whole mind and body, which then distracts them from what they are supposed to be doing. Loneliness is affecting our children’s education. Education is vital for making our children better citizens of the world. With that in mind, it is a wonderful thing that society is now starting to recognize the ever-growing epidemic of loneliness. It is not just prevalent in people who are 50 and older. Loneliness comes in all shapes and sizes, races and creeds. We need to now shift our focus over to our younger people. Children should be focused on learning, thriving and growing. Once a child cries because they do not want to go home due to the loneliness they feel there, we know we are failing as a society.
shots right out of Anderson’s handbook being overly symmetrical, overly awkward and overly color-coordinated. Yet, “Jojo Rabbit” is missing the complexity and richness of detail that makes Anderson’s shots feel so enticing. The film also hosts a few jokes reminiscent of an Anderson movie, but where Anderson would wittingly leave it subtle, director Taika Waititi continues, pushing it a bit over the top. This isn’t to say the film is done poorly, but that it follows more of a typical comedy’s approach with only hints of the artistic subtleties needed to truly push the film into something greater. While, it may seem a bit controversial at first, the film holds some very stand-up themes about war, innocence and humanity. For ages, Nazis have been an easy target to label the bad guy in any movie. “Jojo Rabbit” does something daring when it decides to make Germans the focal point of the story and show us how humans are on both sides of the war, how good people simply get caught in the crossfire and how innocent souls can be led astray when their questions are not answered truthfully. A theme still relevant and necessary of consideration today.
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PUBLISHING POLICY
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Published every Friday and available on campus and online. 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. Ram Page welcomes opinions from anyone who would like to share. If you would like to contribute, please email us. Do include your name, major (if applicable) and classification/position. The paper reserves the right to edit submissions for grammar and clarity, and all submissions are subject to laws governing obscenity, libel and privacy. Deadline is 5 p.m. on a Monday. Submission does not guarantee publication. Opinions 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.
4 News
1.24.2020
Ready, set, go: first steps in business Small Business Development Center hosts a training event Jeremiah Devereaux, staff writer
The Small Business Development Center on Jan. 14 held a professional seminar at the Business Resource Center in downtown San Angelo. “Tonight is our essentials to business startup class,” Dezaray Johnson, the program coordinator at the ASU Small Development Business Center, said. Johnson said the class was for anyone interested in starting a business or someone who recently opened their doors. “We talk about all the requirements they need to run their business so they are more prepared,” she said. Before the seminar, everyone introduced themselves and talked about their goals. Some of the topics covered
included management, marketing and information technology. “My advice is to be a knowledge-seeker,” Johnson said. “A lot of people understand what they want to do and what their passion is, but need help with the management part of things. That’s where our center comes into play.” Johnson said she hopes students get the chance to follow their dreams and encourages anyone who wants to become a business owner to come and ask questions to reach their potential. The SBDC will host their next training event Feb. 4 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Photo by Cora Bishoppetty: The Business Resource Center, located on North Chadbourne Street, presents a variety of small business factors to ASU students and members of the community. Cynthia Murillo and her partner Javier Murillo own a local mobile company called Javier’s Holy Water. s
Accepting submissions for our monthly entertainment page Creative writing, art and photography Send submissions to rampage@angelo.edu
Events Calendar Friday 1/24
-Art Exhibit: SGCI Members Traveling Exhibition 9:00am - 5:00pm M-F (to Feb 17) *Carr Education-Fine Arts Building, Gallery 193
Angelo State University Mission Statement
Mission Statement Angelo State University, a member of the Texas Tech University System, delivers undergraduate and graduate programs in the liberal arts, sciences, and professional disciplines. In a learning-centered environment distinguished by its integration of teaching, research, creative endeavor, service, and cocurricular experiences, ASU prepares students to be responsible citizens and to have productive careers.
Vision Statement ASU strives for excellence by fostering an innovative, collaborative, and supportive learning environment that enables a diverse student body to achieve success as citizens and professionals. Values Opportunity - Innovation - Engagement
Saturday 1/25
-Girl Power 10:00am - 2:00pm *McNease Convention Center -Live2Lead - Leadership Development Experience 10:00am - 3:00pm *Houston Harte UC 203/204 -ASU Women’s Basketball vs St. Mary’s 2:00pm - 4:00pm *Junell Center -ASU Men’s Basketball vs St. Mary’s 4:00pm - 6:00pm *Junell Center
Monday 1/27
-SGA Senate Meeting 7:00pm - 8:00pm *University Center -Faculty Music Recital(Amy Huzjak) 7:30pm *Eldon Black Recital Hall
Tuesday 1/28
-Official ASU Ring Sales 10:00am-3:00pm *Houston Harte UC -Delta Sigma Pi: Dogs and Deltasigs 11:00am - 1:00pm *Blue Canpoy Area (Outside UC) -UCPC: Concert Committee Meeting 4:00pm - 5:00pm Weekly (to Apr 21) *Houston Harte UC
Wednesday 1/29
-Kappa Delta Rho: Recruitment 10:00am *UC -TEAS/Allied Health 10:00am *Vincent Building-Testing Center 291 -Part-Time Job Fair 1:00pm - 3:00pm *Houston Harte UC