HILLTOP VIEWS
St. Edward’s University • Wednesday, September 12, 2012 • Volume 32 • Issue 1 • hilltopviewsonline.com
University mourns professors
Sara Sanchez
Nikki Hill
ssanchei@stedwards.edu
nhill2@stedwards.edu
Kristina Schenck kschenc@stedwards.edu
It was a sad start to the new school year as the university community mourns the loss of three veteran St. Edward’s professors, all of whom taught at the university for several decades. Edward Shirley, Jean McKemie and Harald Becker, all age 58, held a total of nearly 77 years of teaching at St. Edward’s combined. Shirley died unexpectedly on Aug. 15 while recovering from shoulder surgery; McKemie died Aug. 21 of breast cancer; Becker died Aug. 8 of pancreatic cancer. Edward Shirley, a theologian, taught classes that ranged from topics such as meditation and religious studies to the infamous Christian Themes in Harry Potter course. Previously, he served as president of the Faculty Senate and was one of the first faculty advisors for PRIDE, an LGBTQ student organization on campus. More than 500 people attended a memorial service for Shirley at the univer-
IT examines outages
Courtesy of SEU Marketing Students and faculty remember Harald Becker, Jean McKemie and Edward Shirley (left to right).
sity on Aug. 25. Colleagues reported that former students traveled from as far as California for the event. Speakers included Father Lou Brusatti, Bishop John McCarthy and Shirley’s son, Matthew. Described by colleagues as gregarious and curious, Shirley was known for his sense of humor, tendency to incorporate banjo playing into class lessons and popularity on Facebook. “He was always playful. He brought together playfulness and rigor in ways I’ve never seen before,” said Steven Rodenborn, a professor of religious studies. Students loved being around
him, even though he would take off points for not having a staple in the right spot.” During the eulogy, Matthew Shirley talked about his father’s passion for teaching. “My father told me he wasn’t trying to create the best theologians…he was trying to create better human beings. And this was the perfect place to do it,” Shirley said. McKemie, professor of mathematics joined joined the university community in 1988, where she made many of her professional achievements, including being named the first Brother Lucian Blersch Professor
for her academic research. McKemie was also a highly sought-after member of university committees. McKemie always put her students first, up until her last days teaching at St. Edward’s in Spring 2012. Her students, colleagues, family members and friends remember McKemie as a voice of reason and a problem-solver in mathematics and in life. “Jean offered advice when she was asked and seemed to know just how things should be,” said Cynthia Naples, a professor of mathematics and friend of McKemie’s.
The first weeks of school have been interrupted by server and network problems and outages, causing problems and frustration for both students and staff. “The service outages experienced in the past three weeks are not all due to a singular core problem,” said Claire Dunn, IT communications coordinator. According to Dunn, the outages during the first week of school and the outage on Sept. 5 shared root causes, but different initial events. The root cause and initiating event of the Sept. 7 outage were unrelated to those of the first outage. “The initiating event [of the Sept. 7 outage] was a five-
minute network outage, during which our routing protocol was disrupted, which effectively took down servers and storage in two locations on campus,” said Dunn. In response, St. Edward’s Digital Infrastructure team conducted a five-hour outage on Sept. 8 in order to more fully address network and server issues. “[The Digital Infrastructure team] proceeded to topologically change the way two server and storage sites on campus communicated to one another,” Dunn said. No data was lost during or after the outages and network maintenance. Dunn said the Digital Infrastructure team is continually making and planning changes to improve network stability.
EDITOR’S NOTE The Hilltop Views website recently underwent a makeover. The site, which has been unavailable since May, has a new look, fresh content, and will be up and running live as of today. This is all part of our plan to provide the community with quality, accurate news coverage online to accompany the weekly print edition of the paper. As always, we encourage feedback on our content in the comments section under each story. Visit us on the web at hilltopviewsonline.com.
PROFESSORS | 2
6 | LIFE & ARTS
7 | SPORTS
11 | VIEWPOINTS
An inside look at the London 2012 Olympics from a fellow Hilltopper, an attendee.
The workout room in the RCC gets a new look and soon, Topper-adorned dumbbells.
An opinion piece questions Gov. Rick Perry’s stance on women’s health issues.
2 NEWS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
Natural Sciences Center expansion, library renovation underway Adam Crawley dcrawle@stedwards.edu
Last year, St. Edward’s University began the construction of a new science building, as well as the renovation of the current library. Tim Toney, the project manager for the library renovation, said the construction team has made considerable progress in the library’s interior renovation. “We took an active library and took it down, gutted mechanics, fiber-optics and other systems on the inside,” Toney said. “At this time next year, they [the students] will be studying in it.” The most important factor in getting the project done in a timely manner has been “the willingness of the design team to work together with contract management staff,” Toney said. The new extension to the John Brooks Williams Natu-
ral Sciences Center is also proceeding on schedule, according to Michael Peterson, the associate vice president of the facilities office. “We are working to schedule and things are going according to plan,” Peterson said. “The rains in July that went for eight days really didn’t help, but you can’t control the weather.” The projects come with some parking concerns for students, however. The construction of the science building has reduced the amount of available student commuter parking due to the loss of the parking lot adjacent to the existing science building. Current commuter parking options are the parking garage, the lots behind Premont and Doyle Halls, the RCC lots and the side of the road next to the Alumni Gym. Resident parking remains unaffected.
Until the construction projects are completed, Peterson reminds students that construction sites can result in heavier traffic. “We would like to get the word out that construction sites are inherently dangerous places,” Peterson said. “We would implore students to move north of the construction site when driving or walking, and go towards the core of the campus.” Toney said the library is expected to finish on July 31, 2013. The new science building will be available to students beginning Fall 2013, Peterson said. Additionally, students are reminded that the library has moved to the third floor of Doyle Hall, located in between the arts building and Premont Hall. Students seeking to check books out or do library research can do so at the new temporary library.
Photo by Joe Arellano Construction on the Natural Sciences Center is expected to be complete by the Fall 2013 semester.
Professors inspire, leave impact on St. Edward’s community Continued from page 1
A memorial service was held at the university on Sept. 8. McKemie’s brother, former doctoral student candidate Richard Mason, and professors in the School of Natural Sciences were among the speakers. Outside of her academic and professional life, McKemie had many passions and talents. McKemie lived on a farm in Dale, Texas with her husband, Willy, where she loved the country life and considered it the balance to her mathematical mind. She volunteered at local farms and frequently shared fresh fruits and vegetables with her
friends and family. McKemie was a singer/songwriter, an avid reader and even dabbled in skydiving in the 1970s. Originally from Bavaria, Germany, Becker moved to Austin in the early 1970s to study at the University of Texas at Austin. He began teaching at St. Edward’s in 1986 and taught classes up until the end of the Fall 2011 semester. During his time at St. Edward’s, Becker taught German language classes, the Literature and Philosophy section of Freshman Studies, and several courses in the Honors Program including German Nationalism and Parzival.
“He was so passionate for being a Bruce Springsteen about everything he taught. enthusiast. It was more than teaching “Every year, whether you for a grade, it was teaching to share “He was so passionate knowledge,” said about everything he taught. Kyle Strohschein, an alumni It was more than teaching who graduated for a grade, it was teaching from the unito share knowledge.” versity in 2010. Strohschein changed his ma-Kyle Strohschein, on Harald Becker jor from biology to English writing and rhetoric after taking liked it or not, you were goLiterature and Philosophy ing to celebrate Bruce Springwith Becker as a freshman. steen’s birthday in class,” said Students remember Becker Yvonne Abercrombie, who for his youthful personality, graduated from the univerquirky stories, appreciation sity in 2011. for the little things in life, and Becker traveled to Taos,
New Mexico nearly every summer to teach at the German Summer School, where he once served as Director of the language immersion program, and worked with students over the years who went on to teach English in Germany and Austria with Fulbright Scholarships. “Harald was the backbone of the Fulbright pipeline on our campus,” said Caroline Morris, director of fellowships at St. Edward’s. “He urged all his students to apply to teach or study in other countries, to read the novel ‘The Ugly American,’ and to go abroad with curiosity, humility and respect for other cultures.”
Ten of 17 St. Edward’s students and alumni who were recipients of the Fulbright Award since 2004 taught English in Germany. Two other students went on to teach English in Austria. “Harald was a close, inspiring mentor and guide for each of them,” Morris said. Becker is survived by his mother, father, brother, and German Shepherd, Leica, named for the first dog to travel to space. A rosary service will be held for Becker on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel. A memorial mass will take place at the Chapel on Saturday at 10:00 a.m.
NEWS 3
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
PROFILE
Dean of Humanities returns to her Texas roots Jenna Jaco jjaco2@stedwards.edu
Sharon Nell begins her first year as St. Edward’s University new dean of the School of Humanities this fall. When Father Louis Brusatti stepped down from the position last year, a search team interviewed applicants from across the country. They chose Nell, a former associate dean of arts and sciences at Loyola University Maryland. Nell is a native Texan. She lived in Fort Worth and Richardson then later she received her undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Houston and her Ph.D. from Rice University. She has also worked at Texas Tech University and was the department chair of modern languages and literature at Loyola before her most recent position there. Her background is in French literature and culture. Nell cites the incentive of studying abroad in Paris as one of her biggest motivations for enrolling in college. She has taught French language and literature for 20 years and travelled to France 12 times, at one time living there for two years. In an interview with Hilltop Views, Nell discussed her new position, the experiences that brought her to St. Edward’s and her excitement for the future of the university.
How she became the new dean of humanities
“It was very odd. We have family who live in Austin, and every time I’d drive by on I-35 and see St. Ed-
ward’s I would think, ‘If there’s ever a job there, I’m applying for it.’ Then last October, I was looking on the Internet at one of the sites that posts jobs at universities, and I just put in the search words ‘dean’ and ‘Texas,’ and this job came out. So I applied. “You never know what’s going to happen with these jobs; in a way it’s like putting a message in a bottle and throwing it in the ocean... It worked out very well. It worked out better than I could have ever hoped.”
On her Texas roots
“I love Austin. I’m from Texas. I lived in Houston for 18 years, and I was born in Midland. When I was Courtesy of SEU Marketing growing up, I lived in Fort Sharon Nell is a Texas native with a love for French culture. Worth really briefly, and I lived in Richardson for cool to be here. We’re quite So we’ve got some things two years before moving to excited.” that are kind of on the hoHouston right before my rizon in that regard. senior year in high school... Her plans for her time here “But other than that, I’ll “Well, there are a lot of be supporting the proSo I’m a native Texan and, what can I say? I love Aus- things that are changing grams in the humanities. right now at the univer- It’s all very exciting. I was tin. “I have four kids, and my sity... Right now the School not working mostly with oldest daughter lives here of Humanities is divided humanities departments in Austin. My daughter into areas, and we are going before coming here. In my went to the University of to be working on changing work as associate dean [at Texas for her Loyola], I was working undergraduwith programs that were in “I’m very excited to ate degree. natural sciences, all gradube back working with So she lives ate programs. So I’m very here and all languages, and theater, and excited to be back working the time she with languages, and thejournalism, and writing, was at UT, ater, and journalism, and and all of the humanities we would writing, and all of the huprograms again.” come down manities programs again. and visit. It’s all very cool.” -Sharon Nell, dean of humanities And my Her relationship to Holy husband is a native HousCross values and the tonian, and all of his cous- those areas to departments. ins lived in Austin. So we It will mean that instead of Strategic Plan 2015 know Austin, and it’s very an area coordinator, we’ll “Loyola is a Jesuit school; have a department chair. it was founded by the So-
ciety of Jesus. But there are a lot of things that are very similar [to St. Edward’s]. One of the keystones of the Strategic Plan is global preparedness, and one of the pieces of that has to do with study abroad. I’m very enthusiastic about that, not only because I’ve taken students to France, but because to me that was really the defining moment of my own time as an undergraduate. I spent a year in France as an undergraduate with a group and an on-site director, similar to the situation in Angers. “So I guess that’s part of the thing that really impresses me about St. Edward’s, that there’s this brilliant idea to create portal campuses in countries around the world and to send faculty and students where you can learn the language, learn about the culture of the country and really see things from the perspective of the people who live there.”
On what she looks forward to the most in her new role
“I’m really looking forward to getting to know the French program, obviously, and all of the letters programs – writing, English literature, as well as finding ways to support photocommunications, theatre, art. I mean, it’s a very rich school, so I’m really looking forward to experiencing the richness of the cultural life in the School of Humanities with the students, with the faculty, and becoming part of the community.”
KNOWING YOUR SGA St. Edward’s Student Government Association kicked off the semester with its first senate meeting Sept. 6, and with a new year comes new members of SGA. Check out who’s representing you during the 2012-2013 school year. SGA meetings will be held Thursdays at 7 p.m. in Fleck 306. President: Brady Faglie Vice President: Nairod Woods Chief Justice: Matthew Thompson Chief of Staff: Ledarrion Allen Communications Director: Juliann Butz External Affairs Director: Patricia TorresRengel Secretary to the Senate: Kylie Pavlich Chief Financial Officer: George Kuhle Internal Affairs Director: Anthony Schoggins Senators: Octavio Sanchez Harrison Hadland Nicole Bradley Colin Stonecipher Hunter McLaughlin Olivia Parker Michael Cimino Alex Barray Pasquale Mattozzi Perouza Parsamian Gabriel Puente Justices: Siera Capiro Nash Urrita Bobbie Lopez Zachary Gil-Mata Vacancies: Big Event Director Court Clerk Parliamentarian
4 NEWS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
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Games will return in our next issue
LIFE & ARTS 5 Two former students tie the knot in the chapel WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
Brooke Lewis blewis@stedwards.edu
Family and friends gathered on the St. Edward’s University campus to attend the wedding ceremony of Marett Hanes and Steven Stern, both St. Edward’s graduates. The wedding was held Sept. 1 in Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel. Hanes and Stern met during Hanes’ freshman year. They were both serving as tour guides for the school. The beginning of the ceremony featured vocal performances from a variety of singers including Hanes’ younger sister Elliett Hanes. Other vocalists played their part in the entertainment, singing classic musical theatre songs
Courtesy of Marett Hanes and Steven Stern The newlywed couple has always been big fans of Disney, as evidenced by their trip to Disney World
before the bride came out, which paid tribute to Hanes’ theatre background.
As the wedding party proceeded into the chapel, guests were greeted with the famil-
iar school colors of blue and gold adorned on their outfits. Finally, all eyes were on
the bride as she entered the chapel and walked closer to her groom. With each step, the grin on her face got even wider. The groom also shed tears as he watched Hanes walk closer towards him. The wedding ceremony brought in some Catholic traditions. Tears flowed throughout the wedding as Bible scriptures were read. Even the priest could be seen wiping his eyes during parts of the ceremony. The most emotional part of the wedding came when Hanes and Stern read their hopeful prayers for their married lives. As they read their hopes and dreams, tears flowed easily from the audience and the couple themselves.
Hanes described how people always tell you to marry someone that makes you laugh and she said that with Stern, she knew she would be laughing for the rest of her life. After Hanes and Stern were pronounced man and wife, the new couple walked out of the chapel and into the rest of their lives. A chorus of “Fantasies Come True” from the musical Avenue Q swelled throughout the chapel. “Her wedding was like a Disney movie. She is a Disney princess,” said junior Leslie Nix, a friend of the bride.
Q&A
Alumnus Matt Hines speaks on ACL, success and St. Ed’s Mitch Harris rharris7@stedwards.edu
The Eastern Sea, who played at this year’s Hillfest, is not only a local favorite. The band, led by St. Edward’s graduate Matthew Hines, has become a national indie music phenomenon and will be performing at the Austin City Limits festival for the first time this year. Here is what Hines had to say about the band’s success: Hilltop Views: You are a St. Edward’s graduate correct? Matthew Hines: Yeah, I went here from 2005-2009. Majored in English Writing and Religious Studies... I had a great time here. I
had probably the best possible time I could have had... I did so much I would’ve never gotten to do... I was valedictorian. HV: I didn’t want to put you on the spot, but... So this band of yours, how did it start? MH: It started the summer before I moved to St. Ed’s. I was still living with my parents in the Woodlands, but it really didn’t take any form until I came here... The first couple records I made on my laptop, I did in BMH. HV: So St. Edward’s does not have a music major. Do you think that hurt your career in any way? MH: That’s a tough question... I don’t think I would have even joined the music
major if I was one. I did all sorts of music stuff here: four years in Madrigals, three years in the choir... If there was a music major, the program would be different from the one I participated in. HV: So you’re playing ACL this year. How’s that feel? MH: Equal parts surreal and interesting... I’ve been a fan of the festival for a long time. In a way, this embodies some of my goals for the band... When you’re in a band, you want to be up there with the bands you respect and love... I believe that we deserve it and this is only the beginning of things to come... It’s all about getting ears, and putting ACL
Photo by Amy Barrientos Hines gets practice for Austin City Limits while playing guitar on the far left at this year’s Hillfest.
next to your name perks a lot of people’s ears up. HV: So what’s next for the Eastern Sea? MH: I can’t wait to do international stuff. Got to get
to Europe. Got to get to Asia. That’s what’s on my mind. HV: Anything you want the Hilltop Views readers to know?
MH: Tell them to come see our ACL aftershow. We’ll be playing at Stubbs after the Shins... It’s gonna be a cool show.
6 LIFE & ARTS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
OLYMPICS COMMENTARY
Gold medals make golden memories for this Olympic spectator
Photos by Curran Kelley
Mitch Harris rharris7@stedwards.edu
The 30th Olympiad of the modern era took place over the course of several weeks this summer. From July 27 through Aug. 12, London was overrun with more than 10,000 athletes and an estimated 500,000 spectators from 204 countries. By some strange combination of years of planning and dumb luck, I ended up with tickets to 11 Olympic events throughout the 15-day period. In case you were not one of the 219.4 million Americans to watch the Olympics, making it the most watched event in television history according to the Nielsen ratings, here is what you missed. “For the first time in Olympic history, all the participating teams will have female athletes. This is a major boost for gender equality,” said President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge. Michael Phelps became the most-decorated Olympian of all time. He took this title from female gymnast Lar-
issa Latynina, “Team U.S.A. had the who won 18 medals for the highest medal count Soviet Union beof the games with 104 tween the years of 1956-1964. total metals, 46 of Phelps won six which were gold.” more medals in London, bringing his total medal count to controversial coverage of the 2012 games. The network 22—18 of which are gold. The U.S. women’s gymnas- cut out portions of the opentics team, a.k.a. the Fierce ing ceremony that did not Five, took gold in the team specifically relate to Americompetition for the first cans, delayed events so they time since 1996. No one could show them during was more impressive than primetime, and did not show 17-year-old Gabby Douglas, events that the U.S. did not who also won the gold in the have strong competitors in. A Russian man came up all-around individual. Best of to me as I was standing outall, I stood about 15 feet away side the NBC tent, trying to from her. Although not quite as get on the Today Show, and much man-power as China’s, asked, “What is this crowd?” I explained to him that it London’s opening ceremony was Americans trying to be was very theatrical and very English. Under the direction seen on NBC—a major U.S. of acclaimed director Danny television network. “Ah, the ones who screw evBoyle, the ceremony told the erything up?” he replied. story of London’s history Yes, the ones that screw evfrom the industrial revolution to the modern digital erything up. Despite our poor coverage, age. Cameos included the bethough, Team U.S.A. had the loved Mr. Bean, James Bond actor Daniel Craig, and the highest medal count of the games with 104 total medals, Queen herself. NBC was under fire for its 46 of which were gold. One of the top three mo-
ments of my life was in Wembley Stadium, standing up and singing the national anthem as loud as I possibly could. I was draped in an American flag and the U.S. women’s soccer team had just spent the last two hours in a fierce battle against Japan. But as Hope Solo, Megan Rupino, and Abby Wambach took the stand, I may have cried. The Olympics are the pinnacle of human athletic achievement. I am honored to have witnessed the events I did and cannot wait to head to Rio in 2016.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
Transit stages original works and classical adaptations
Courtesy of Transit Theatre Troupe The actors of Penelope, which opens Sept. 22, don swimwear for the play’s swimming pool setting.
Willa Goldberg wgoldbe@stedwards.edu
veloped,” Harris said. Harris also mentioned the upcoming show, “Penelope” by Edna Walsh. “We have done all sorts of different styles of plays to enrich the minds of students,” Harris said. “[Penelope] is a fun and different kind of style of play that Transit hasn’t produced, so I’m excited for the turnout.” The play is a modern adaptation of a classical Greek
All the world, or at least St. Edward’s University, is a stage to the students involved in the Transit Theatre Troupe. This semester the five year-old Troupe will continue performing rarely-produced theatre that involves theater and nontheater students alike. This year, the Troupe will again facilitate the New “... it’s all studentWorks Festival. The Festival albased, you do really lows students feel like we built this to submit a from the ground up.” short play revolving around -Brittany Allyson Peters the Freshman Studies theme: “How to Survive a Zombie tale. It focuses on the charApocalypse: Dystopias and acter Penelope as four men Sustainability.” vie for her attention in the The submissions will then absence of her husband, be reviewed by troupe offi- who has been occupied for cers. Auditions are held and the last 20 years fighting students can apply to direct the Trojan War, accorda production, according to ing to the Collegiate Link Leah Harris, Managing Di- event on the Transit Theatre rector of the Transit The- Troupe’s page. atre Troupe. “Penelope” will be per“It’s always such a great, formed at 8:30 p.m. on creative process to watch Sept. 22, Sept. 23 and Sept. completely new work be de- 30 behind St. Joseph’s Hall
and Arts Building, according to the Transit Theatre Troupe’s Collegiate Link page. The Troupe is a site-specific theatre company and has previously had shows behind the Carriage House and on the Holy Cross Hall lawn as well as various other locations across campus according to Harris. “It really is up to the director and their vision on where their show best fits. So look around, we’re everywhere,” said Harris. One Troupe member shared her opinion about the benefits of being part of the troupe. “It’s a great way to get an opportunity to do theatre,” said sophomore Troupe member Brittany Allyson Peters. “I…like that it’s all student-based, you do really feel like we built this from the ground up.” Information about the New Works Festival, “Penelope” or other Transit opportunities will be available at the Troupe’s annual Back to School Mixer, which will be held on Thursday, Sept. 13 in Fleck 315 at 5 p.m.
LIFE & ARTS
7
8
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
Women’s soccer recruits 19 freshmen Shelby Cole scole2@stedwards.edu
The women’s soccer team is one of the youngest teams on campus, thanks to an added 19 freshmen recruited by head coach Nick Cowell. The team opened its season with wins against New Mexico Highlands, Adams State, Metropolitan State and Regis University. Freshmen Jessica Traves and Taylor Wiseman scored the two goals to seal a victory against the New Mexico Highlands Cowgirls. The Hilltoppers outshot the Cowgirls throughout the game. Though the Hilltopper defense was tested, goalkeeper Danielle Licarione made six saves to secure her
Sports Information Junior Kelly Davis celebrates her goal against Regis College.
first career shutout. This win marked the seventh straight season-opening win for the Toppers. Adams State opened their game by scoring a goal with-
in the first five minutes; the Hilltoppers countered with two goals to come out with a win. Sophomore Megan Anderson scored the Hilltoppers’ first goal to tie, and
freshman Lauren Heller put the team ahead with her first collegiate goal. Heller went on to score two more decisive goals in this weekend’s games. So far, a freshman Hilltopper has scored a goal in every game this season. Traves medical red-shirted last year, giving her freshman eligibility status this year. She scored her first collegiate goal against New Mexico Highlands. “I was so eager to play all of last year. Now that I am able to play, I definitely do not take this sport, my passion, for granted,” Traves said. Traves’ eligibility status brings the freshman count to 20. The Hilltoppers welcomed nineteen new play-
ers to the team this year —enough to field an entire team plus substitutions— setting the team’s roster at 35. Team captain and lone senior Olivia Collado said the huge pool of freshmen brings a lot to the team. “Having a lot of new girls on the team can mean that more people drop, but it also means that more people bring more talent to the team in various ways such as experience, speed, and technical ability,” Collado said. Cowell cites past success as inspiration. “We don’t have any concerns. We expect to win conference and make the NCAA tournament, as we have done five out of the last six years,” Cowell said.
Recreation and Convocation Center gets facelift Sara Sanchez ssanchei@stedwards.edu
Hilltoppers were welcomed back to campus with signs of change, including construction on the new science building and library renovations. Though these projects are incomplete, there is one operative change: the newly renovated fitness center at the RCC. “If we cannot go bigger, we need to go better and more effective,” said Director of Campus Recreation Andy Lemons. The fitness center has been repainted, has new rubber flooring and has undergone a deep cleaning. There are also new signs and posters to make the center look more welcoming and clean, Lemons said. “The old, worn down
wood floor was aesthetically unpleasing,” Lemons said. In addition to structural updates, the center has all new strength and circuit training equipment and free weights. New dumbbells with the Hilltopper goat logo will arrive within four weeks, and there are plans to bring in new cardio machines during the year. “All pieces are designed to be user-friendly and intuitive in nature—anyone can come in and feel comfortable,” said Lemons. “[The center] did not feel like a welcoming or encouraging space.” According to Lemons, only students who lifted in high school or current athletes typically used the weights. Now, he said, there is an increase in general student usage.
The renovation took about a year’s worth of planning, and the final approval came in April. The renovations occurred over summer break. “We did what made most financial sense and best sense for the hours and space available, and we had a quick turnaround,” said Lemons. When Lemons first came to St. Edward’s in 2009, he assessed areas of need by surveying students in what they wanted from Campus Recreation. He said group fitness and concern about the amount of facility space for fitness and wellness were among the top concerns. Lemons said the hardest part has been getting the word out. “Facebook and other university office pages have been effective, but the best thing
SPORTS CALENDAR MEN’S SOCCER Sun. 9/16 | 1:00 p.m. vs. Midwestern State
WOMEN’S SOCCER Sun. 9/15 | 1:00 p.m. vs. Dallas Baptist
VOLLEYBALL Sat. 9/15 | 11:00 a.m. vs. Southwest Oklahoma State Sat. 9/15 | 7:00 p.m. vs. West Texas
WOMEN’S GOLF Mon. 9/17-Tues 9/18 Angelo State Concho River Classic, San Angelo, TX
MEN’S GOLF Mon. 9/17-Tues. 9/18 The Brickyard Invitational, Indianapolis, IND
MEN’S CLUB SOCCER Sat. 9/15 | 3:00 p.m. vs. Texas State
WOMEN’S CLUB SOCCER Sat. 9/15 | 1:00 p.m. vs. Texas State
RUGBY Joe Arrellano The gym is now home to all-new machines and free weights.
is word of mouth,” said Lemons, who is trying to make sure freshmen are aware of the renovation and Campus Recreation’s services. There is a before-and-after photo album of the new center on Campus Recreation’s Facebook page. Lemons says
they have emailed past participants of GroupX and other Campus Recreation participants, but lack not a comprehensive list. The RCC’s hours are posted on the Campus Recreation page on the Think St. Edward’s website.
Sat. 9/15 | 10:00 a.m. vs. U of H, UT, Rice at U of H
CYCLING Sun. 9/16 - Mon. 9/17 Reveille Peak Ranch
SPORTS 9
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
GroupX fitness program touts record attendance yet again
Column as I see ‘em
Football commentary returns Nolan Green ngreen2@stedwards.edu
Column as I see ‘Em is your weekly fix for all things NFL.
AFC East-Patriots
Hilltop Views Archive Participants in GroupX’s Zumba class dance their way into shape in the Alumni Gym.
Monique Moreno mmoreno8@stedwards.edu
GroupX is a fitness program on campus that provides students with an opportunity to work out without having to hit the gym. The program, which has run for two years, uses atypical fitness exercises such as Zumba and kickboxing to help people feel healthy and happy. This year has drawn recordbreaking numbers of student participation. “Just the other night, we had 106 people show up to Zumba. I seriously have the best job ever,” said Alice Adams, a fitness instructor for multiple classes. Sophomore Sarah Dawson also leads several classes, including upper body blast and one of the abs blast classes. Dawson says that GroupX classes serve as great individual workouts, as participants perform at their own pace and to their own abilities. “GroupX is available for all levels. The best thing about GroupX is that even though it is done in a group setting, each workout is individualized, meaning each person takes it at his or her own level,” said Dawson. GroupX classes are also tai-
lorable to different levels of experience. “We show modifications for every movement we do, so someone who is new to working out would be able to perform the moves without getting fatigued or injured,” said Dawson. The program continues togrow in popularity among freshman, and this year is no exception. “Last year, 68 percent of the passes were bought by freshman. Based on the new faces... coming into the programs so far, it seems like the trend will continue,” said Andy Lemons, Director of Campus Recreation. According to Lemons, the number of people attending GroupX classes has so far averaged 37 people per class with night classes being the most popular. These record averages mean that GroupX out-performs similar programs at schools like Texas State University and the University of Texas. “I was really motivated to start attending the GroupX classes because I love fitness,” said freshman Megan McNinch. “I was on the volleyball team in high school, and knowing that I wouldn’t be able to play a competitive sport for fitness in college,
I wanted to find something else to do.’” Some participants cite GroupX as a good alternative to running or other typical fitness exercises. “GroupX is unique because it brings people together in a different way,” said Dawson. “It is a healthy way for students to come together within their community to make new friends, build relationships and release stress.” These classes are judgmentfree and esteem-boosting. The classes were offered at the beginning of the semester for free as a trial period, but the free trial period ended this past Monday. Many students find the price for participating in GroupX to be reasonable though. “The cost of the pass does not deter me from continuing the classes at all. Having access to all of these amazing classes and great instructors is a steal for $25,” said McNinch. “Also, investing $25 of my own money will be a motivator to continue to attend classes and get my money’s worth.” Cash, checks and Topper Tender are accepted as forms of payment. Passes are handed out on a first-come, firstserved basis.
With the weakest scheduling in the entire league, Tom Brady and Bill Bellichick will make their 10th season together a breeze. Two top defensive draft picks and the usual high-powered offense will take the Pats deep into the post-season, barring major injury. Patriots will go deep into the playoffs.
AFC North-Ravens
Losing linebacker Terrell Suggs will pose more of a challenge to the Ravens than the team has faced before, especially when their schedule has them facing 12 pro-bowl quarterbacks during the 17-game regular season. Offensively, Joe Flacco (entering the final year of his contract) is poised to have a career year helped by the transition to a no-huddle offense. On top of that, the Harbaugh brothers have been gold as head coaches, combining for a record of 25-7 last season. Look for similar results in 2012.
AFC South-Texans
The Texans won the division and their first round playoff game with a backup quarterback and an injured Andre Johnson. Peyton Manning is in Denver for 2012. Matt Shaub is only getting better and really taking control of the offense, leading one of the
most balanced teams in the league this year. Arian Foster will be the prime concern of most defenses, allowing Shaub to open up the passing game with two rookie wide receivers and an underrated tight end in Owen Daniels. Texans go deep into the post season.
AFC West-Broncos
Peyton Manning, enough said. AFC championship contender.
NFC East-Giants
Last year’s Super Bowl champions will be hardpressed to repeat their success. Their running back tandem of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw has been split up, leaving Bradshaw as the only ball carrier for the G-men. Eli Manning, with some new faces on the offensive line, will need to continue improving, but will most likely not be able to pull off the seven fourth-quarter comebacks required of him last season. Defensively, the Giants are as solid as ever with Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul dominating the defensive end position. Giants go one round into the playoffs.
NFC North-Packers
After going 15-1 last season and facing the second easiest schedule in the league, the Packers are again predicted as Super Bowl hopefuls. Aaron Rodgers looks to continue his reign as league MVP, helped by a healthy offensive line and the usual suspects in his receiving corp. Clay Matthews and A.J.
Hawk promise to bring the defense back to the 2010 Super Bowl-winning state, and with Charles Woodson swapping between the cornerback and free safety positions, offenses will have to adjust to him. The addition of Cedric Benson at the running back position will add some balance to their offense. Look for the Packers in the Super Bowl this year.
NFC South-Falcons
Brand new defensive and offensive coordinators grace the Falcons coaching staff this season, including Mike Nolan, one of the best defensive coordinators post-2000. Quarterback Matt Ryan and his offense is undergoing a lot of change switching to an aggressive, fast-paced offensive plan including no-huddle. With Nolan at the helm of the defense, Atlanta will no longer have to put up massive numbers to win games, allowing the offensive play-calling to be refined. Atlanta makes the playoffs, but not much more than that.
NFC West- 49ers
Ex-Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh orchestrated a complete turnaround for the 49ers in one season and looks to continue improving the young West Coast team. Alex Smith stepped into the role of quarterback, and Frank Gore will continue to dominate the ground game. With one of the most underrated defenses in the league, San Francisco is a favorite for the NFC championship.
10
VIEWPOINTS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
OUR VIEW
Recurring network outages cause frustrations On Sept. 5, computer labs around campus were dark and deserted. Students and staff alike struggled to go about their daily routines because they rely on access to Wi-Fi and online resources. The campus was in a state of confusion. As early as Aug. 29, server complications slowed down the St. Edward’s network. What started as a technical hiccup quickly turned into a campus-wide crisis, culminating in server outages on Sept. 5, which began around 8 a.m. and were not fully resolved until 7 p.m., according the St. Edward’s Computer Help Desk’s Twitter. During this time, services like Blackboard, EdWeb, Edshare and Zimbra were unavailable. Additionally, students, faculty and staff experienced
difficulty even connecting to the Internet. But the Sept. 5 outages were not the end of the computer problems on campus. Zimbra and Blackboard were down again on Sept. 7 for a short period. The Computer Help Desk maintains a Twitter feed in addition to a newsfeed on their “Think” page on the St. Edward’s website. These feeds are intended to give students updates on the status of the campus computer network, especially during computer crises. Unfortunately, for those relying on the campus internet, these updates were unreachable. The recent service outages have illuminated just how much students and faculty at St. Edward’s rely on services like Zimbra, Blackboard and
Edweb. Students and faculty Talking in person may seem also rely heavily on the cam- like an obvious solution, but pus Wi-Fi. When these com- finding a professor at a moputer services are unavailable, “The St. Edward’s tasks that were once effortless community simply become frustratcannot fuction without ing. a reliable system of It is fair to say that we have beonline resources and come extremely network access.” dependent on our campus network. It is a facet of our education that we have ment’s notice does not seem come to expect. When our feasible when students are expectations are not met, used to the immediacy of the education can no longer run Internet. Many students do smoothly. When Zimbra is not keep hard copies of sylunavailable, it becomes dif- labi for their classes, so they ficult for students to contact might forget the location or professors or each other. Im- time of a professor’s office portant correspondence may hours without Blackboard or not happen on time because the directory on the univere-mail is unavailable. sity’s website.
Moreover, St. Edward’s has recently pushed faculty to use less paper, relying more on online resources than on paper copies. But if students and faculty cannot access online resources, a lack of paper copies makes things much more difficult. It would be practically impossible to run a class without paper or online resources. In order to prevent future Internet woes, St. Edward’s Digital Infrastructure team continues to work towards network stability. However, the frequent outages of resources like Blackboard and Zimbra continue to exacerbate current technological problems. The Computer Help Desk’s Twitter feed demonstrates the constant state of flux within the computer network. One tweet
says online resources are available then the next says resources are unavailable. With students and faculty relying on Wi-Fi and online resources, St. Edward’s IT department should have anticipated problems at the beginning of the semester, and there should be a better chain of communication to let students and staff know about the state of the Internet. The Sept. 5 service outages lasted the entire school day, throwing a wrench in most students’ and professors’ schedules. If the outages had been fixed earlier, the interruption of daily activity would have been less intense. The St. Edward’s community simply cannot function without a reliable system of online resources and network access.
Chick-Fil-A controversy raises questions of goods and politics Mitch Harris rharris7@stedwards.edu
In recent years, there was little question as to my whereabouts between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursday nights. My love for fried chicken and my college student budget led me to Chick-Fil-A on Ben White every week for College Night. This glorious event provided me free or discounted menu items in exchange for a glance at my valid St. Edward’s I.D. However, I was disheartened when I discovered that CEO of Chick-Fil-A, Dan Cathy, openly spoke against gay marriage earlier this year. When asked in a CNN interview on July 19 if
Wikimedia Commons Chick-Fil-A’s public anti-gay marriage position sparked protests.
Chick-Fil-A supported the “traditional family unit” as opposed to gay marriage, Cathy said, “Guilty as
charged… we are very much supportive of . . . the biblical definition of the family unit.” Now, this shouldn’t have
been a surprise. This was the first time anti-gay sentiment was publicly stated by the CEO of Chick-Fil-A, but the company has been giving money anti-gay groups for years. The restaurant is closed on Sundays. They have been known to play Christian music inside all locations. There were signs. Regardless, Cathy’s comments led to a swarm of posts on my Facebook feed. Most were either calling for boycott or applauding Chick-Fil-A for sticking to its beliefs. But things are not always black and white— sometimes they’re a shade of deep-fried golden brown. By attending St. Edward’s
University, students are financially supporting the Catholic Church, an institution which openly condemns gay marriage. If one boycotts Chick-Fil-A for this reason, our student enrollment should dwindle? The Salvation Army is a large, iconic American charity. In 2011, they provided more than $2.6 million in social services to more than 30 million people according to their end of year financial report. Should one completely ignore the positive contributions to society made by the Salvation Army because they have a history of promoting and funding anti-gay legislation? Should people stop
shopping at Urban Outfitters because CEO Richard Hayne supported Rick Santorum’s conservative Republican presidential campaign? Each purchase we make comes with a set of politics surrounding it and things are too interconnected for there to be one right answer. So to those who believe civil rights are more delicious than waffle fries– good for you. To those who want a separation of politics and chicken– good for you as well. While I may no longer be dining at Chick-Fil-A on Thursday nights, I encourage you to make an informed decision for yourself. Just please, keep it off my Facebook news feed.
VIEWPOINTS11
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
Russian Riot Grrrl band brings the ruckus on a global scale Jonathan Coker jcoker@stedwards.edu
A YouTube video zooms in on what looks like circus performers moshing in front of a church. Brash punk music blares, flustered security guards stumble, and bystanders clutch their pearls. It is unclear what exactly is going on, but whatever it is, it is causing a commotion. The group of performers are not circus performers, but feminist punk band Pussy Riot, and the uproar they caused has earned them not only worldwide attention, but jail time in their native Russia. Pussy Riot formed in 2011, opposing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan to run
Wikimedia Commons Pussy Riot’s conviction has inspired protests around the world.
for office again. The group is composed of over 10 members, known for wearing brightly colored balaclavas while staging guerilla shows
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Hilltop Views is a weekly student newspaper published by the School of Humanities and serving the community of St. Edward’s University. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the university, whose mission is grounded in the teachings and doctrine of the Catholic Church. Letter Policy: Hilltop Views welcomes all letters to the editor. Letters may be edited for space, grammar and clarity. Letters will be published at our discretion. Anonymous letters will not be printed.
full of anti-Putin rhetoric in the streets of Moscow. On Feb. 21, the infamous event took place in Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral.
It lasted less than a minute. The impromptu performance included sporadic dancing, rough-housing, and mock prayer. The group also chanted a “punk prayer” which exclaimed, “Virgin Mary, Mother of God, become a feminist” and “Put Putin Out.” What the feminist group considered political performance art, Russian officials considered “hooliganism inspired by religious hatred.” Officials arrested three Pussy Riot members by March 15. On Aug. 17, all three women were convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment. Shouts of “Shame! Shame!” were heard from the courtroom. Even more condemnation was heard around the world, with musi-
cal provocateurs such as Madonna, Björk and Green Day all speaking out in defense of Pussy Riot. Yet, this brand of uber-political, angst-driven disobedience seems anachronistic in this day and age. Pussy Riot describe themselves as a “Riot Grrrl” group, an explosive music scene associated with third-wave feminism that originated in the 1990s by bands like Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney and Huggy Bear. So what’s a feminist group harkening back to the 90s doing in 2012? Reminding us all that speech is not as free as we think. Pussy Riot did not do anything violent. It seems the only thing they hurt was the
Russian court system’s ego. You would think that with such a hefty conviction, Pussy Riot’s defiant acts would have involved some kind of brutality, but they were merely protesting their country’s current political state with a song. Russia has a historical discomfort with feminist activism. Thus, when a gang of women erupted onto a religious site, shouting about removing President Putin from power and Mary’s lack of feminist identity, it is easy to see why some people were offended. But this hardly warrants jail time. Becoming larger than their bold sound, Pussy Riot has reminded us all that music can still cause political riots.
Rick Perry ignores Texas women’s needs Lesli Simms lsimms2@stedwards.edu
For those of you who do not know, our esteemed governor Rick Perry enacted a new law that barred Planned Parenthood from Texas’ Medicaid Women’s Health Program. As a result of this drastic exclusion, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced in March that all federal Medicaid funding for family planning would be terminated since Medicaid law states it is illegal for a state to restrict a woman’s ability to choose a medical provider based on the services they provide like abortions. Perry had already cut twothirds of the state’s family planning budget. Simply put, Perry is trying to throw Planned Parenthood out of Texas because they give women the option of abortion even though it is a prov-
en fact that less than five per- a mixture of nurses, former cent of Planned Parenthood’s Planned Parenthood clients, funds go towards abortions. politicians from across Texas, Call me naive, but I had Planned Parenthood supassumed a hearing informally “Approximately entitled “Save the Texas Women’s 140,000 Texan women Health Program” depend on the TWHP, would be more than a debate so I think it is accurate about abortion. I to say Perry ignored thought it would address all aswomen.” pects of women’s health, like breast cancer screenings, well wom- porters, Texas Right to Life an exams and prenatal care. staff and supporters wearThe auditorium was too ing fetus shirts and waving small to accommodate the pamphlets. Everyone had the 200 attendees who came out opportunity to give testimoto either support or oppose nials supporting or opposing Perry’s unprecedented deci- Perry’s decision. sion to cut the Texas Women’s I want to say how amazing Health Program (TWHP). and uplifting the hearing was, Approximately 140,000 but let’s analyze and digest Texan women depend on the the implications of this hearTWHP, so I think it is ac- ing. The hearing was indictive curate to say Perry ignored of whether women’s health is women. The audience was a priority for our governor.
Our governor’s crusade to rid the state of abortion services has gone too far and could potentially cost lowincome women their lives. He is making this issue about abortion, ignoring women’s health. Breast cancer survivors and women newly diagnosed with cervical cancer asked Rick Perry to reconsider and remember the health of women. Health professionals, retired and still practicing, asked our governor and his minions to reconsider forcing them to surrender to his political ideology instead of adhering to their medical ethics. The fact that women had to start an online petition to get their governor to acknowledge their existence is pitiful. Rick Perry is undoubtedly placing political ideology over the health and wellness of Texas women.
12 PHOTO ESSAY
A Hilltop Wedding Alumnni Marett Hanes and Steven Stern met on the Hilltop, later engaged here, and recently married in Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel. Photos courtesy of Marett Hanes and Steven Stern
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS