Hilltop Views S t .
E d w a r d ’ s
U n i v e r s i t y
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Volume 28 | Issue 4
Hilltop 8 Entertainment: Views talks with stars of “The Social Network.”
Viewpoints: The Editorial Sports: St. Edward’s 14 Board 12 takes on the new 2015 volleyball player strategic plan.
returns from international sand competition in Turkey.
University hires lobbyist Andrew Weber aweber2@stedwards.edu
St. Edward’s University now has a presence in the nation’s capital. The university contracted McAllister and Quinn, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm. The lobbying firm hopes to secure $1 million in funding for equipment for the John Brooks Williams Natural Science Center north and yet-to-be-constructed south building through the U.S. House Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. The school hired the firm last November to identify government programs to provide funding for improvements to the university and has since given $63,000 according to the U.S. Senate Lobbying Disclosure database. The lobbying firm signed an open-ended agreement with St. Edward’s managed through the president’s office that can be terminated at any
time, according to President George Martin. The firm is contracted with other private universities similar in size to St. Edward’s, like St. Xavier University in Chicago. Martin said the university chose the firm because of the flexibility of the contract and the firm’s background with educational institutions. “We were looking for government funds that are available for science education,” Martin said. “And right now there is an alignment of federal agencies that want to promote science education.”
Free speech zone wanted Anna Whitney awhitne@stedwards.edu
Science
The Williams south building is part of Martin’s 10-year Master plan for St. Edward’s, established at the beginning of his tenure in 2000. The potential funding received for the building is part of an interest in government to provide money for science, technology, engineering, and Christina Villarreal
Government | 2
hilltopviewsonline.com
The government funding the lobbyist secures will help pay for a new wing of the science building.
St. Edward’s University students are petitioning the Student Government Association to pass legislation to create a free speech zone on campus. A free speech zone is a specified place on campus where students may voice their opinions without interference from their universities. Junior Nicole Seligman, co-leader of the on-campus feminist group Women Empowerment, said the idea to send the letters came from various students concerned about St. Edward’s voice speaking over their own, especially after the university rejected gay rights group Equality Texas from its nonprofit fair because its position on gay marriage conflicted with
Catholic teachings. “I think after disagreements between student groups and Campus Ministry, the university assumes that the students don’t care enough to speak out for change,” Seligman said. Seligman and other Women Empowerment members distributed letters during a meeting on Sept.. 23 so that members could sign and send them to their SGA senators. The letters request that SGA work to establish a free speech zone on campus. Seligman said that the letters are now being distributed to students at random. Some administrators of public universities have restricted protests to free speech zones, believing that they prevent the protests from interfering with Student | 3
Funding and space hold up childcare proposal Megan Ganey mganey@stedwards.edu
The St. Edward’s University Faculty Senate and administration continue to discuss childcare, but lack of space and funding are presenting challenges to the proposal. In 2008, the Faculty Senate voted in a subcommittee that would research the in-
“If they had to build a facility, cost would be prohibitive.”
-Faculty Senate President Mary Rist terest on campus childcare. The report found that there was interest in supplying this
service, and so the committee has continued to look into options.
At the meeting, the childcare committee recommended that St. Edward’s “hire an independent consultant” to investigate “alternative approaches” and that “members of the committee be involved in future meetings with vendors.” Fred Taylor from Bright Horizons Family Solutions, a childcare provider in Hous-
ton that focuses on employersponsored childcare, found a previous Hilltop Views article online and contacted the university, expressing interest in working with St. Edward’s. Taylor was unable to comment because he is in the process of researching options for St. Edward’s. However, he is not contracted by the university to do so.
“What we want is a good study,” associate professor of New College and co-chair of the subcommittee Craig Campbell said. “He is representing a company that is only one company.” The subcommittee reported to the senate on Sept. 17 that Taylor had talked with Committee| 3
Page 2 | NEWS
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 | Hilltop Views
Government funds needed for university programs Continued from page 1
math education, Martin said. The building will feature classes for physics, computer science, mathematics, and science and perspective according to Cynthia Naples, interim dean of the School of Natural Sciences. Naples said that the new building will differ from the north building and will feature more of a focus on computer-based labs, not the chemistry and biology labs featured in the north building. While the funding will provide new equipment for the south building, it will also fund changes in the north building. “We need to replace the old equipment we use in the labs for biology and chemistry,” Naples said. “And the computers need to be updated, too.” Test tubes, chemicals, lab tools, and glasses required for labs and experiments need to be replaced. The equipment
will serve classes like anatomy and physiology, and other classes within the fields of biology and chemistry Naples said. The south building will also provide study lounges, computer labs, and tutorial centers open to all students and will provide room for classes of all kinds. It will be located between Woodward and the current north building and will be opening in fall 2013, Martin said.
Wild Basin
In addition to the House Water and Energy Appropriations bill, St. Edward’s seeks to discover more funding possibilities for other projects like the Wild Basin Nature Preserve. The Wild Basin program, which St. Edward’s acquired in April 2008, provides hands-on learning for students of natural sciences. St. Edward’s spokeswoman Mischelle Diaz said that she hopes the partnership with McAllister and Quinn will
Christina Villarreal
The university plans to replace science equipment.
provide resources for students and a chance to earn experience in the field. “These lab instruments that will be used to integrate field based science experience with classroom research,” Diaz said. The preserve creates real world opportunities for science students to study species unique to the area. Students also participate in a census of some species throughout
Mango teaches languages Patrick Jones pjones4@stedwards.edu
Scarborough-Phillips Library has acquired the online language learning application Mango Languages. This service will be available for free to all St. Edward’s University students and faculty with Internet access. Mango offers all languages taught at St. Edward’s and many more. The university acquired Mango in May and has begun promoting its use this semester with the return of the general student body. With Mango, students can learn foreign languages as well as use a translation tool. Once an account has been created, the user can track his/her progress and even practice correct pronunciation. There are three levels of learning, one for common practice and polite conversation, one for users
looking for an average grasp on the language, and the highest level gives students an “in-depth and comprehensive language and grammar skills.” Foreign language students and faculty can also use Mango to learn English. “[Mango] is offered for free online through the library’s website,” collection development librarian Kady Ferris said. “All you need is an Internet connection and your St. Edward’s ID.” Students do not have to be enrolled in a foreign language class to use Mango, which librarian, instruction coordinator and associate professor Anna Stewart sees as an advantage. “You don’t have to be taking Spanish to learn Spanish,” Stewart said. “The people that I have talked to have been really enthusiastic about it.” Registration of an email account is also required.
The service is otherwise free to use at student and faculty’s leisure. “The university looked into programs like Rosetta Stone, but it would have required students to rent laptops with the software on it,” said Ferris. “Mango is much easier to access anywhere.” Senior Amanda Pinget said that she would be interested in creating an account. “I was thinking of going to Angers soon and I wanted to learn French,” Pinget said. “I was looking into Rosetta Stone but it’s really expensive.” Mango can be accessed through the library’s section of the St. Edward’s Web site under language and linguistics in the databases link. Mango offers 22 languages total, including Greek, Russian and Portuguese.
the area every year. Future funding would also provide opportunities for internships and for collaborative research aimed at preparing students for careers in science and technology, Diaz said.
CAMP
The university hopes that the contract with McAllister and Quinn will provide funding in the future for the CAMP program at St.
Edward’s. Established at St. Edward’s in 1972, the College Assistance Migrant Program provides funding for college education for migrant farm workers and their families. The program currently receives most of its funding from the U.S. Department of Education Title V grant system, Martin said. Through the contract with McAllister and Quinn the university hopes to find alternative means to fund scholarships and financial aid for students in the program, which serves 35 students each year. As with many private education institutions, St. Edward’s is also familiar with lobbying through the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. The organization works as a spokesperson for hundreds of private universities and colleges across the U.S., Martin said.
Recently, the group supported the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which provides a raise in the Federal Pell Grant for students, from $5,550 in 2010 to $6,900 in 2019, in addition to keeping interest rates low on subsidized federal loans, according to the Committee of Education and Labor’s website. The university also receives a great deal of funding through the federal grant system. In the past year, St. Edward’s received $6 million in federal grants to support programs across campus, Martin said. “Everything the university does, whether seeking grants, designing a campus plan or deciding what programs are created, the basic question that has to be answered is - does this enhance the mission to educate our students?” Martin said. “And if it doesn’t it shouldn’t be on the table.”
Hilltop Views | Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Committee continues to discuss childcare option Continued from page 1
Executive Vice President and Provost Sister Donna Jurick and said that there was no way to make money out of
need to have a bake sale.” One of the major challenges facing the proposal is finding a space that could house a childcare facility. “We’re using all of our
[Jurick] saw the need, and she is worried about the money ... We may need to have a bake sale.” - Craig Campbell, childcare subcommittee co-chair
the situation. If childcare were to be offered, it would have to be cost-neutral or revenue positive. Jurick has declined to comment until after she has met with the committee. “[ Jurick] saw the need, and she is worried about the money,” Campbell said. “We may
space on campus,” professor and faculty senate president Mary Rist said. “If they had to build a facility, cost would be prohibitive.” Rist said that it is still in the discussion phase because, although the senate has done research to establish interest, it hasn’t done enough on
what the fiscal options could be. “We established interest, and now we are brainstorming because there is not a pot of money dedicated to [childcare],” Rist said. As of now the question still remains as to where the committee is headed and how the possible childcare could be implemented. At this point, Rist said, there is not enough information to draft any official proposal. “If we can establish that this can be cost effective, then we have to see what the next step is,” Rist said. “But we don’t know what that is.”
JOIN
NEWS | Page 3
Student group pushes for protected speech We advocate being informed about every facet of an issue.”
Continued from page 1
the daily functions of the university, according to the First Amendment Center’s website. But students have not always been satisfied that the zones provide a strong enough protection of freedom of speech. Students from public universities across the country have sued their schools, claiming that free speech zones violate their First Amendment rights. Two students at the University of Texas at El Paso sued their school for its free speech zone policy in 2003, hoping to establish unrestrained expression on campus. Seligman believes that free speech zones are what students at St. Edward’s need. “St. Edward’s students have a wide range of opinions that may or may not coincide with the university’s
- junior Nicole Seligman values,” Seligman said. “A free speech zone would give students a place to speak out and educate the university as a whole.” Junior Karissa Eudy, SGA’s chair of Student Outreach and senator of the School of Education, said she is working with other members of SGA to turn the letters they’ve received into an action plan. “It’s a fantastic idea and we want to do our best to make it a reality,” Eudy said. Eudy said that the idea to establish a free speech zone must be drafted into legislation and passed through the Legislative Initiatives
Committee prior to being brought before the Senate. She said the idea will be discussed this week in SGA’s Executive Board meeting and will probably be presented to the association as a whole within the next two weeks. If SGA does establish a free speech zone, Seligman said that she hopes groups other than Women Empowerment will use it to educate students. “We advocate being informed about every facet of an issue, and I can’t imagine why St. Edward’s would choose to stifle learning,” Seligman said.
Get paid to write and take photographs!
Hilltop Views
Come to the weekly meetings Wednesdays in Trustee 116 at 4:50pm.
Page 4 | NEWS
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 | Hilltop Views
Police auction off unclaimed bicycles, accessories Patrick Jones pjones4@stedwards.edu
St. Edward’s University Police Department held an auction to raise money for Campus Ministry. The auction raised over one thousand dollars for campus ministry, a 200-300 dollar increase from the last year’s auction, according to Program Coordinator for Communications at UPD Stacci Hamilton. “UPD doesn’t make any
Angelica Alaniz
New College student Tod Ruge bid on a calculator.
profit off of this auction,” Hamilton said. “We just want to give back to the community.” The money raised at the auction goes into a scholarship fund for alternative Spring Break and will provide at least five students with scholarships, according to Assistant Director of Campus Ministry Monica Frazier. The items that UPD auctioned off consisted of lost and found items collected
around campus over the past year. “All items were held for at least 30 days,” Hamilton said. “We tried contacting anyone we could about these items, but we didn’t get any response.” Some choice items gathered in the past year include bicycles, jewelry and handheld gaming systems. UPD also auctioned several designer sunglasses from brands that included Oakley, Fossil and Ray-Ban.
Hamilton said that the two bicycles they auctioned probably received the most bids, and that the bid for one of the bikes had reached at least $50 before the auction ended. After the auction had ended, UPD donated the remaining 20-30 items, mostly clothing, to the Salvation Army, Hamilton said. UPD plans on holding two additional auctions next semester, including one in January, according to Hamilton.
K-12 public schools face cuts as budget deficit looms April Castro Associated Press
As the single biggest consumer of state money, the Texas public education system stands to lose millions of dollars as the state grapples with a looming budget shortfall that could exceed $18 billion. Education Commissioner Robert Scott has suggested more than $260 million in cuts from the state’s almost $40 billion education budget for the next two years. Some of those would reach into the classroom, eliminating money for new science labs, textbooks and teacher development, recommendations that have infuriated teachers. Gov. Rick Perry’s “budgetary policies are wrecking the public schools and jeopardizing our children’s future,” said Rita Haecker, president of the Texas State Teachers Association. “The governor can talk all he wants about school savings ... but most districts and educators are already stretched so thin, there is little, if anything, left to save.” The state budget shortfall will be the driving force behind almost every decision the Legislature makes when it convenes in January. From state parks and highways to health care programs for the poor and disabled, state agencies are bracing for the fiscal bloodbath. Much like the state, school
districts are facing declining budgets of their own and many superintendents say they’re digging into reserves and cutting basic programs and staffing just to keep up with rising costs. But Texas has so far avoided the crisis faced in other states, such as shortened school weeks in Oklahoma and delayed payments to schools and state employee furloughs in California. The hatchet is falling at a time when experts say the school financing system in the state needs a major overhaul to avoid another lawsuit and to make sure schools keep pace with costs of booming enrollment, higher costs on such necessities as utility bills and transportation. Any efforts to fix the system would likely take more money — money the state won’t have this year. In some cases, the struggles are exacerbated by a 2006 law that froze state aid to districts without allowing for the costs of changing demographics or inflation. Opponents say that provision, which was intended to keep wealthier school districts from taking a hit in the amount of state aid they receive under revised funding formulas, has built arbitrary winners and losers into the system, violating a requirement that school funding be largely equal among districts. The two major candidates for governor — one of whom
will inherit the almost $40 billion school system and its 4.8 million students — both say spending on public education should be a priority, though neither will offer specifics on where cuts should or shouldn’t be made. “I don’t know,” Democrat candidate Bill White said when asked if more state money should be invested in public schools.“I think as governor, I will convene a broad based group of stakeholders to consider the adequacy and the equity of school funding finance formulas. There seems to be a broad consensus that there are arbitrary inequities, in part resulting from the complex patchwork of the system. “In light of the financial mess that Rick Perry has left the state in it’s unlikely that issue will be resolved in the first legislative session.” Perry said that even though he considers education a priority, it won’t be exempt from budget cuts. “There is no place in state government that should be exempt,” he said. Texas is facing a shortfall that budget officials say could go higher than $18 billion. The recession has pushed state tax receipts down, but the state is also on the hook to fill a hole of about $11 billion left by federal stimulus money and other state savings that were used last year but are no longer available. Added cost pressures from
increased enrollment in public schools and health care programs, decreased property values and spikes in health care costs all contribute to projections of a multibillion dollar hole. Because the Texas Constitution tightly restricts government borrowing, lawmakers will have to make up for the shortfall by cutting government programs and services, raising taxes and fees or other accounting maneuvers. The budget proposal for the Texas Education Agency would ax millions of dollars for a teacher mentoring program and other continuing education opportunities for teachers. It also would cut $35 million that was set aside in the last budget to help schools build new science labs to go along with a new requirement that high school students take four years of science classes. Plans to buy new science and English textbooks also are being delayed, a decision that could leave many students with decade-old books. Scott, who was appointed by Perry, has asked lawmakers to spare state funding for pre-kindergarten programs and a teacher incentive pay program that Perry has championed. The suggestion has riled teachers who dislike Perry’s pet merit pay initiatives but want more opportunities for professional development.
Jessica Gallagher, a seventh-grade English teacher at San Antonio’s North East school district, said she can go without new textbooks in her classrooms and she never expected to get bonuses when she became a teacher. But it makes her angry that the state is worried about saving teacher incentive payments while her students are losing access to dropout prevention programs and money for physical education and fitness. “We have a large population of morbidly obese children,” Gallagher, a White supporter, said. “I’ve never seen kids this big in my life. If they’re going to cut the physical education requirement, they’re going to continue down this path that ultimately could result in death for some of them.” But in a recent interview with The Associated Press, Perry again refused to get into specifics on proposed budget cuts before he can sit down with legislators and hear from experts. “I’m not ready to say that just because an agency said, here is our legislative appropriation request, and here’s
Corrections
where we meet your and the lieutenant governor’s and the speaker’s request to reduce 10 percent, I’m not going to get into whether for that agency, that specific amount is right or not. It’s frankly not productive at this time.” The issue of adequate school funding has been a grievance since the battle of the Alamo, when Texans complained that Mexico had failed to establish a public education system. Since then, the state has been in and out of court over school funding, most recently in 2006. That’s when a court order forced Texas to act or face statewide school closure. The 2006 plan was designed to shift the burden away from local property taxpayers, replacing a portion with revenue from a revised business tax and higher cigarette taxes among other things. But the new business tax has not generated as much money as expected, and a structural shortfall has been cemented into the system. Associated Press Writer Jay Root contributed to this report.
The article “Meet the SGA Senate candidates” on page 2 of the Sept. 22 issue of Hilltop Views contained an error. Madison Shaft is running for Hunt/LeMans senator. On page 9 of the same issue, the article “Shakira album on horizon” incorrectly identifies author Danny Salazar’s e-mail address. His e-mail is dsalaza4@stedwards.edu.
Hilltop Views | Wednesday, September 29, 2010
GAMES | Page 5
games Look for the answers to both games in next week’s issue!
Answer to last issue’s Sudoku:
FEATURES
Page 6 | Hilltop Views Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Meatless munchies for all appetites Molly Williamson
There are plenty of ways to celebrate National Hug a Vegetarian Day every day.”
mwilliaj@stedwards.edu
On Friday, Austinites embraced their inner herbivores for Hug a Vegetarian Day. Although St. Edward’s University doesn’t officially celebrate this animal-friendly holiday, there are plenty of ways to explore vegetarianism year round. Try a new food, recipe, or restaurant. There are many ways everyone can be involved. Even for those who aren’t too fond of leafy greens, Austin has much to offer for hungry vegetarians close to campus. Just down Guadalupe near the University of Texas campus, Veggie Heaven is serving “Healthy Vegetarian Cuisine with a Delicious Oriental Flavor.” Veggie Heaven is one of the most well-known and loved restaurants among St. Edward’s students, even those who aren’t vegetarian. The restaurant offers cheap, delicious food, and they serve it quickly. One of their most popular dishes is the Protein
Courtesy of Veggie Heaven
Veggie Heaven in Austin offers vegetarian options.
2000, and while it sounds like something a body builder would eat, it tastes just like chicken. For only $6.95, the dish doesn’t leave much room for complaints. Veggie Heaven also delivers, so if you’re one of the lucky few living in the Guadalupe area, it is a healthy, delicious option. Closer to campus is Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse. Located on South First Street, the small restaurant was started as a means to bring people together to enjoy fresh, healthy vegetarian food, and to reflect the area of Austin
surrounding it. According to bouldincreek.com, the coffee house provides, “fairly priced wholesome food and a wide array of tasty beverages, and have shown vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike that veggie fare can be both flavorful and satisfying.” For those under the impression that eating meat-free food means eating strictly salad, Bouldin Creek is a pleasant surprise. One standout dish is their “Kool Summer Sammich”: grilled ciabatta bread, chipotle pecan pesto spread, roma
tomato, red onions, sprouts, cucumbers, field greens, and carrots. If that sounds a little too veggie-friendly, try the Veggie Chorizo taco, which also includes eggs with Cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese. Bouldin Creek is also dog friendly, and customers often bring their four-legged friends along while they enjoy their vegetarian cuisine. Other popular vegetarian restaurants in Austin include Casa de Luz, a vegan restaurant; Koriente, a restaurant and teahouse; and Mother’s Café and Garden. Another appetizing option is to try out a few vegetarian recipes at home. There are several quick and easy dishes, like a Grilled Green Apple and Gruyere Sandwich. Prep time for the meal is only five minutes, and
cook time is eight minutes.
Ingredients:
•8 slices of bread •8 teaspoons of softened butter •1 Granny Smith apple, sliced thinly •1-½ cups of grated Gruyere cheese •4 tablespoons of honey •A pinch of salt and pepper It has the same preparation and method of cooking as grilled cheese, so it’s not too foreign to make. Just spread the butter on each slice of bread, layer the apple slices, cheese, and honey on each piece, then top it with the remaining bread. Once the sandwiches are golden brown, you have a healthy dish that can be enjoyed by both vegetarians and nonvegetarians.
For a more indulgent vegetarian snack, Veggie Pizza is easy to make and will be ready in 25 minutes. After preheating the oven to 350 degrees, bake one can of refrigerated crescent roll dough until it’s golden brown. Once it’s cooled, spread a mixture of cream cheese, sour cream, and dill. Finally, veggie lovers can top the pizza with whatever vegetable they prefer before letting the final product chill for about five minutes. For more information and recipes on vegetarian or even vegan food, there are several helpful websites online that have an abundance of recipes, including Happy Herbivore, Urban Vegan, and Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. Whether it’s trying out a new vegetarian restaurant, using a new recipe, or trading a cheeseburger for a tofu burger, there are plenty of ways to celebrate National Hug a Vegetarian Day every day. Try something new, tell a friend, and most importantly, don’t forget to hug a vegetarian.
Freshmen take to the great outdoors, learn to lead Sara E. Sanchez ssanchei@stedwards.edu
To encourage leadership skills and bonding, the class of 2014 traveled 45 minutes outside of Austin to Pedernales Falls State Park for a day filled with exercise, meditation and references to the freshman summer reading selection. The retreat, sponsored by the University Programming Board and Leading EDGE, took place the weekend of Sept. 17. While at Pedernales Falls State Park, around 35 members of the freshmen class enjoyed a two-mile hike that included walking across a river and stepping over countless anthills.
Participants engaged in activities such as being led blindfolded by a partner down a part of the trail, crossing the river hand in hand, and making new friends. The course of the hike was also paired with discussions about Greg Mortenson’s “Three Cups of Tea,” the common freshman summer reading assignment. “I read ‘Three Cups of Tea’ as a Student Orientation Leader. It’s a great story,” said junior Amarette Edmonson, director of Leading EDGE. In order to register, students had to sign up, sign a release, pay $5 and prepare for the hike. “I first found out about the hike in the Ragsdale Center from the table that was tak-
ing applications. In learning more about the event, I signed up quickly,” freshman Cynthia Gurrola said. “The hike did help improve my leadership skills through some of the interactive activities, such as guiding a blindfolded partner through the path, or strategizing different ways that I could help the people alongside of me cross the river while holding hands,” said freshman Christopher Bynoe, who is currently running for freshman senator. “There were many opportunities to take initiative and enhance my leadership skills along the way.” After completing the hike, participants walked to a view overlooking Pedernales Falls and meditated on the hike,
“Three Cups of Tea” and their own lives. Students reflected on how Mortenson wrote about exhibiting leadership skills throughout his journeys in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and students were presented with opportunities to follow in Mortenson’s footsteps. “It was an awesome experience to create a connection between a class and the outdoors,” Edmonson said. The most difficult physical challenges students faced were crossing a river hand-in-hand and being led blindfolded by someone they hardly knew. “Crossing the river was the most challenging part,” freshman Melissa Mendoza said. “It was kind of slippery and
Sara E. Sanchez
The class of 2014 Adventure Leadership group.
I was afraid of falling.” After the all-day hike, students and leaders took university vans to Nutty Brown Café for warm food and good laughs.
Although Adventure Leadership is not new to St. Edward’s, participants are guaranteed a new experience.
Hilltop Views | Wednesday, September 29, 2010
FEATURES | Page 7
New library goes green Wesley Gardner wgardne@stedwards.edu
The Austin Public Library is waving its environmental flag with the opening of their newly relocated Twin Oaks Branch. The city of Austin of has teamed up with Hatch Partnership Architects to produce a building that sports some truly innovative ideas. The branch re-opened on Aug. 21 in what used to be the South Austin Post Office building. The central concept behind the new Twin Oaks Branch, located at 1800 South Fifth Street, revolves around the rationing and recycling of both energy and resources. “The library itself, by nature, is green,” said Kanya Lyons, spokesman for the Austin Public Library community. The new establishment comes equipped with a new day lighting control system. which judges the amount of sunlight present and adjusts indoor light accordingly. The library also put a 25.2-kilowatt solar energy system into use to help bolster its image of going green. The amount of power saved by use of this solar energy
system is equivalent to the amount of energy necessary to power three large houses, according to Lyons. “I just love how conscious Austin is becoming with energy issues,” Austin local Bridget Fisher said. “This building is proof that there are better, more efficient ways to expand our city and all it has to offer.” The architects also implemented a rainwater harvesting system to take advantage of the rain. The built-in irrigation system can take a very limited amount of rainfall and distribute it amongst the plants and greenery decorating the outside of the building. The consumption of building resources was also taken into consideration. Bricks brought in from the recently demolished South Austin Post Office were recycled for use in the library. The building reinforces its structure with the addition of 15 timber trusses made up from a reclaimed Douglas fir. It is estimated that the use of these tree trusses has saved approximately 30 trees. The Twin Oaks Branch Library kicked off its life cycle with an opening celebration that hosted more than 3,000
Austinites. Locals enjoyed access to more than 48,000 books, magazines, periodicals, CDs and DVDs. Food and beverages were also provided, along with some smooth, relaxing tunes courtesy of the Academy of Jazz Players. Over 4,000 items were checked out on the opening day alone. The Twin Oaks Branch was first opened in 1956. Its humble beginnings can be traced back to a tiny, 300 square-foot space outside an old shopping mall on East Oltorf. The branch has since moved three times before finding its current home at the much cozier, 10,000 square-foot location on South Fifth Street. If you’re looking for a wide array of books to peruse, or even a quiet, comfy couch to enjoy them on, this new library has you covered. From its green ideology to its quaint, charming appearance, the Twin Oaks Branch library has a little something for everyone. P.S. Make sure to visit in your energy-efficient vehicle if you have one, because there’s a priority parking space for hybrid cars with your name on it.
Dyan Cannon
The new Twin Oaks Branch of the Austin Public Library opened Aug. 21.
Students, profs mingle David A. Crawley dcrawle@stedwards.edu
When the bells rang at noon on Sept. 8, a handful of professors and a small number of students gathered in a third-floor room in Fleck Hall. Before long, a spirited discussion on the BP oil spill was in full swing, with intellectual discourse, laughs and free food being enjoyed by all. This is the Fusion discussion group, an informal and open gathering of students and professors. Organized by administrative coordinator Kate Rosati and philosophy professor Jack Green Musselman, the group aims to gather the perspectives of professors and students in a discussion about a variety of topics. The discussion for the day’s meeting was focused around the Rolling Stone article, “The Spill, The Scandal, and the President,” that appeared in the June 24 issue. The article dealt with the Obama administration’s reaction to Bush-era corruption and its role in letting BP “get away with murder,” as it said on the Rolling Stone’s website. Professors didn’t take long to reach a general consensus about the article – that it was largely critical towards the Obama administration, perhaps more so than for the Bush administration if it had been dealing with the same crisis. Overall, the meeting was more of a discussion than a debate, with points being laid out and being expanded upon by other professors, rather than countered. Musselman says that this isn’t always the case. In fact, he likes it more when it isn’t. “The meetings tend to be on topical things, like homosexuality in the church. Before the school year
started there was a meeting on women in the workplace, which got a huge turnout,” he said. “I like what gets people hot and bothered. People here are so polite. It’s very sweet. But I like when there’s a line in the sand.” Regardless of whether the gathering ends in debate or discussion, Mussleman has noticed some common
in the discussions in addition to doing other class work. “They’re thinking about these topics all the time,” Rosati said. “It’s sort of the nature of the job. Here at St. Edward’s, we stress the importance of staying on top of current events.” Rosati said that new faces and higher student atten-
Work is being done to make Fusion the ideal informal dicussion experience.” themes in every meeting. “The discussions tend to run liberal,” he said. “There’s no clear-cut conservative or libertarians that show up. It’s a shame, because I know that there’s a contingent on campus.” Another common theme that emerges within meetings, one that emerged in the Sept. 8 meeting, was the question of the individual’s role in the big picture. “A big question throughout the meetings is, ‘What can I do?’” Mussleman said. While overall response and participation to the meeting is generally positive, professors would like to see more students in the mix. “I would like to have a few more students attend the meetings. I want to have an even playing field,” said Rosati. “I want them to sit down and talk to their professors without being graded.” Rosati cites the intimidation factor and a general inability to get the word out about the meetings as possible factors for low student attendance numbers. She also states that these topics are more intertwined with the professors’ jobs, as opposed to the students, who would be participating
dance levels would be significant improvements to the meetings. “We get a lot of the same faces each time,” she said. “I like that, but I want more people to show up. I think more people would like it if they knew how good the atmosphere is, and how laidback it is.” Musselman agrees with the sentiment, but also has his own ideas. “One of the things we’ve discussed is asking regular attendees to bring an article they’ve written to discuss,” he said. Doing so would make the meetings a lot more personal, and create the heated debate scenario that Musselman enjoys. Work is being done to make Fusion the ideal informal discussion experience. The meetings, though spirited, can only become more well-rounded as attendance grows. Professors feel positively towards the meetings as a whole, but lament the low student attendance numbers. “I’d like to see more students show up,” Musselman said. “The faculty is very approachable.”
Page 8 | Hilltop Views Wednesday, September 29, 2010
ENTERTAINMENT
Actors talk Facebook flick Holly Aker Caroline Wallace haker@stedwards.edu cwallac2@stedwards.edu
First, mankind utilized tools. Then, a little bit of time passed, some stuff happened, some people died of some diseases, and the American Revolution spawned the United States. After that, some more time passed, and a truly world-changing revolution took place in a 21st century Cambridge, Mass. dorm room: The Facebook Revolution. All hyperbole aside, as we click Facebook on our favorites bar, skip login as our presets are already saved, check our notifications and update our statuses, Facebook has become an integral part of our modern lives. But when you can check the social networking site a dozen times a day, who really stops to think about life B.F. (Before Facebook)? The new film “The Social Network,” written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher, chronicles the meteoric, controversial rise of Facebook, a story that audiences are sure to find messier than changing their relationship status to “it’s complicated.” It’s no secret that Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg was not on board with the project. Sorkin based his screenplay on the book “The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal” by Ben Mezrich. The film centers on deposition hearings between Zuckerberg, his former best friend and business partner, Eduardo Saverin, and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, twin brothers who had the original idea for a Harvard social networking site. “Every story can be told from a few different perspectives,” Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Zuckerberg, said in a recent interview with Hill-
Holly Aker
Armie Hammer and Jesse Eisenberg star in the film.
top Views. “This movie tells a story from three different perspectives, and they are all right in a way.” With Zuckerberg critical of the unwelcome biopic, Eisenberg had to find different methods for getting to know his character. “The best thing I had to prepare was Aaron Sorkin’s wonderful script and his characterization of Mark Zuckerberg,” he said. “So even though it’s based on a real person, the most helpful resource was Aaron Sorkin’s creation.” Eisenberg went to great lengths to connect with his character, including taking fencing classes and studying Zuckerberg’s habits and posture. “The level of accuracy and the efforts put into maintaining realism were pretty farreaching,” he said. This was a theme echoed throughout the production, even down to the costume designer, who hunted for every video she could find of Zuckerberg and then set about trying to obtain dupli-
cates of all of his clothing. Armie Hammer, who plays the Winklevoss twins, also put extra effort into doing his characters justice. Hammer conducted research on the
there are some things that the actors could only mimic. “I gave the script to my cousin who’s a computer programmer, and I asked him to explain some of it to me,” Eisenberg said, admitting that he isn’t nearly as computer-savvy as his character. “The more I was taught, the less I learned, because it’s so complicated. I bought ‘C++ For Dummies,’ which is a coding book, and read the opening paragraph and was lost.” But even if the film’s stars don’t have the real tech-savvy skills to have developed something like Facebook, just like all of us, they have the opportunity to use it. Hammer, who admits to having a profile that he checks on a lunar cycle at best, sees both sides of Facebook. “It’s really an amazing tool in terms of making the world smaller and flatter,” he said. “One out of every 14 people on the planet has a Facebook, so you have to think this thing has to be doing something amazing for people. But there’s also that [other] side of Facebook where it gets
This movie tells a story from three different perspectives, and they are all right in a way.” -Jesse Eisenberg
town in Connecticut where the twins grew up and took a look at Harvard’s student handbook. But research was nothing compared to the physical demands of the role. In addition to being Harvard graduates, the Winklevoss twins are also Olympic rowers. Hammer spent hours working with a coach to get into shape for the strenuous rowing scenes in the film. But even with all this research and efforts to be as true to character as possible,
dark, where you have people who become … narcissists and they spend eight hours a day on Facebook … and have nothing to show for it except maybe their eyes hurt.” In the end, perhaps the story of Facebook’s creation has the same mix of pitfalls and pleasures that define Facebook itself. “It has the ability to be this incredible tool for good,” Hammer said. “But then, like everything else, it also has that flip side.”
Film shows head cases with heart Amber Burton Rachel Winter aburton3@stedwards.edu rwinter@stedwards.edu
“It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” the latest film from Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck starring Zach Galifianakis, offers audiences a coming-of-age story for the Prozac generation. Amidst the hustle and bustle of a career-crazed high school in New York City, 16-year-old Craig (Keir Gilchrist) decides that he cannot cope with the intense academic expectations and contemplates suicide. But, at the last minute, he changes his mind and commits himself to a psychiatric ward at the behest of a suicide hotline. The movie is based on the life of author Ned Vizzini, who penned the novel of the same name. “I think [the story] has to do with not feeling alone and not internalizing your problems,” co-director Fleck said in a recent phone interview with Hilltop Views. “I think it’s very easy for us to think that our problems are our own…and I think that opening up and sharing is okay. And I hope…if someone depressed is going in [to this movie] they come out thinking, ‘You know what? I’m not alone.’” In the ward, Craig meets Bobby (Galifianakis), who has spent years in and out of treatment due to suicide attempts. Galifianakis said he was drawn to the role because of the script. “I had seen the other movies [Fleck and Boden] had done, and I had a lot of confidence in them,” Galifianakis said. “I like characters that are fragile and a little bit on the edge. I feel like Bobby was certainly both of those, even though he’s kind of the ‘sage’ to Craig … he still has a couple weak-
Associated Press
Actors Zach Galifianakas and Emma Roberts star in “It’s Kind of a Funny Story.”
nesses.” To prepare for his role as Bobby, Galifianakis did a lot of research on mental health, and spent time with actual patients. “I went to a couple of mental facilities in New Mexico and kind of observed and took notes,” Galifianakis said. During his stay in the psychiatric ward, Craig begins to learn how to harness his artistic talent and interact with others. While there were messages in the film for audiences to take away, Gilchirst sincerely hopes everyone will simply enjoy it. “I think that’s the main purpose of film … to take [people] out of their normal lives,” Gilchrist said. “People gather a message about hope, or I don’t know, finding people and how I guess connections with other people can be healing.” And what does Galifianakis hope that audiences will take away? “Society puts too much pressure on young people, and it’s bad…well it’s good for people who work on ulcers, but it’s bad,” he said. “Chill out, young ones, chill out. And those that are chilling out too much … go clean your room and study some.”
Hilltop Views | Wednesday, September 29, 2010
ENTERTAINMENT | Page 9
Norton discusses “Stone”
FANTASTIC FEST
Caroline Wallace
“Stone” premiered Friday at the Paramount, with Edward Norton in attendance.
Caroline Wallace Holly Aker cwallac2@stedwards.edu haker@stedwards.edu
It’s mid-afternoon at a rural Michigan farmhouse at some indeterminate point in the past. There’s a stillness in the air. An incessant buzzing breaks the quiet. Buzz. A bee hovers near a windowsill. Buzz. A woman stares into the distance. Buzz. She’s pondering the realization that her marriage has gone stale. Buzz. Soon thereafter, we are transported to a loud, grungy, urban prison where we see two men meet for the first time. At first glance they are visually opposite: one an older gentleman in a suit and tie sitting professionally behind a desk, and the other, a hardened felon with cornrowed hair and a defensive demeanor. There’s a dissonance between these two environments that persists throughout “Stone,” a new film starring Robert De Niro, a parole officer weeks from retirement, and Edward Norton, a troubled yet cunning inmate desperate to expedite his release from prison. Determined to capture the authentic atmosphere of prison, director John Curran and Norton spent time in a real Michigan prison before shooting the film. One inmate in particular became
the inspiration for Norton’s character, Stone. “I happened to meet a guy [and] I was so hypnotized by him that I had John come over and meet him,” Norton said in a recent interview with Hilltop Views. “We walked out and John was like, ‘If you could get anything like that, that would be amazing.’” Norton and Curran also shared the script with many of the inmates for feedback on the dialogue. “I would say 60 percent of the lines from ‘Stone’ were changed based on the way these guys articulate,” Norton said. “They would go through the script with us, and we would literally say, ‘How would you say that.’ Virtually every line that was in the script has a spin on it from these guys.” This feedback that Norton and Curran received was very helpful in giving them an insight into the minds of the prisoners. “The best thing that came from getting to talk to these guys is the sense of how they viewed the process of getting judged by other people,” Norton said. Combining Stone’s actions in the script with the suggestions from the real prisoners, Norton grounded his depiction of Stone by grasping some of his more prominent character traits. “His anxiety is really real,” Norton said. “His despera-
tion is really real, and his conviction that he deserves to be listened to and that he deserves to be reconsidered is real.” But not everything about Stone can be easily understood. The closer Stone gets to his release, the more layers of his personality are revealed. A spiritual awakening, whether real or imagined, transforms him into a very different human being than the one seen chatting with De Niro’s character, Jack, in the opening scene. The film itself is not dissimilar. “John leaves you with all these hovering questions about spiritual life and how revelation comes to you and how epiphany comes to you and whether things can coexist,” Norton said. “I’ve come to recognize that a common quality in many directors that I’ve worked with and whose films I’ve liked as a fan is the ones who leave some real ambiguity.” Norton believes that ambiguity can create a more personal connection with the viewers. “To me, with a film like this, if you’ve done it well, what people end up doing is projecting a lot of themselves into the film and their own issues and their own things, and at that point you’re starting to achieve something really interesting,” Norton said.
Caroline Wallace
Tim League talks “Buried” with director Rodrigo Cortes and Ryan Reynolds.
Holly Aker
Thomas Haden Church talks to press at the “Zombie Roadkill” premiere.
Holly Aker
David Dorfman on the “Zombie Roadkill” red carpet.
Page 10 | ENTERTAINMENT
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 | Hilltop Views
MOVIE REVIEW
Teen comedy delivers easy laughs Leslie DeLaRosa ldelaro@stedwards.edu
There were a total of about five scenes in “Easy A” in which the audience was not laughing hysterically. Upand-coming actress Emma Stone plays her character Olive flawlessly in this new movie. Olive has an untarnished reputation for following rules, staying out of trouble and being virtually invisible. But after her best friend Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka) basically pressures Olive to lie about losing her virginity, the rumor spreads like wildfire throughout her high
Associated Press
Easy A stars Emma Stone.
school, catapulting her into the spotlight. Soon Olive finds fellow schoolmates paying her lots
of attention she had never received before (whether that is a good or a bad thing is up to the viewer to decide). Olive’s life becomes a downward spiral full of gift cards, coupons and discounts for the high price of her lies. Told through Olive’s video blog, Olive reveals how her wardrobe came to include a scarlet “A” as she tries to set her wrongs right. Through every entry, we discover a new layer of the story that unfolds in trying to get Olive’s life back on track and getting the school’s religious group to stop condemning her to hell. This movie turned out to be more akin to a John Hughes’ “Pretty in Pink” or “Sixteen
Candles” than a “Mean Girls” type of movie. Although the movie might seem at times a bit cliché, the witty banter and comical dialogue saves it from being just another chick flick. Although there are many references to Nathanial Hawthorn’s book “The Scarlet Letter,” the movie follows Olive’s story from the opening to closing line, rather than becoming a modern version of the classic novel. With a cast full of familiar faces including Amanda Bynes (“What I like About You”), Penn Badgley (“Gossip Girl”), Dan Byrd (“A Cinderella Story”), “Easy A” is a hit among teenagers and adults alike.
SEU alum’s music career takes off Danny Salazar dsalaza4@stedwards.edu
St. Edward’s University alumna Grace Pettis is no stranger to success. The 22year-old Florida-born singer/songwriter has achieved more in her short years of life than most do in a lifetime. Pettis graduated from St. Edward’s in May of 2010, and since then her life has moved at unimaginable speeds. “The past year has been crazy,” she said. “I released my first album, graduated from college, got married, started my career and moved across the country, in one year. It’s not a plan I recommend.” Although Pettis was born in Florida and moved to Alabama later on in life, she considers herself a native of the Yellowhammer State. “My family has lived in Alabama for generations,” she said. “Life there was interesting. Alabama is underrated and misunderstood. It’s full of contradictions, which is something I relate to.” Pettis will be playing a number of shows in her home state this November. Pettis fell in love with Austin from previous visits, and
after graduating high school, she moved. Without stepping foot on the St. Edward’s campus, she decided to enroll. “I was right at home in all the weirdness,” she said. “That’s why I moved to Austin, along with it being a great place to grow as a young musician. It’s still my favorite city in the world by a long shot.” Along with having a musician as a father, Pettis attributes her love for music to artists such as Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. She said there is not one single event in her life that led her to singing—it is something that has always been a strong part of her life. “It’s like breathing,” she said. “It’s always been my first reaction to everything. After every major breakthrough or life-changing experience, and nowadays, on the coattails of any little idea, my first response is songwriting, singing.” Music is not the only fuel in Pettis’s life. “There’s more to life than your talents or your career,” she said. “I want to be a good human being. I want to serve God and love my husband,
‘Tique of the Week Wendy Cawthon Matt Frazier wcawtho@stedwards.edu mfrazie2@stedwards.edu
‘Tique of the Week is an Austinwide search for unique and interesting antiques. With dozens of antique shops around Austin, one-of-a-kind items from the past are not in short supply. Each week we’ll find a new favorite item and feature it as our “Tique of the Week.” The search for our first Tique of the Week brought us to South Congress’s “Uncommon Objects.” This antique store has been a staple of SoCo since 1991 and is filled to the brim with furniture, décor and odds and ends you won’t find anywhere else.
If you’ve got some spare time to walk around the shop, some relic of the past is bound to catch your eye. This week, we stumbled upon the eyeglasses drawer in the jewelry section. Upon digging (carefully digging that is, they are antiques after all) through the selection of 1940sand-’50s-era prescription frames, one pair stood out. A pair of 1940s-era sunglasses was hidden at the bottom of the drawer. The gold, rhinestoneencrusted frames would have made Elton John proud. However, if glasses aren’t your thing, “Uncommon Objects” has other drawers full of jewelry, wallets, belt buckles and a wide selection of accessories that are definitely “tiqueworthy.”
Rodney Bursiel SEU alum Grace Pettis released her self-titled debut last year.
family and friends.” Pettis released her self-titled debut album last fall to open arms from critics and the general public alike. A mix of folk and pure emotions fuel her project and bring her honest words to life. She said there is not any specific message her music conceals. She sees her lyrics as a way to respond to her own life and process its everyday happenings. Pettis married Chris Lopez, also a St. Edward’s alumnus, this summer. When Lopez’s work as a youth minister took him to Virginia, she followed. Currently, Pettis is touring the country in support of her debut album. She is in charge of her own image, managing
and booking, as well as the overall outcome of her music. “It’s a lot like starting a small business,” she said. “It’s a ton of work.” In October, Pettis will bring her tour through Texas with recording artist Billy Crockett, who she considers a “musical hero and a mentor.” Pettis has a sincere and humble demeanor, which is palpable when listening to her music and interacting with her. “I’m honored to have been asked for the interview,” she said. “It made me feel like a real rock star. A smattering of general goodwill for the whole St. Edward’s community. Have some chicken tenders in Ragsdale for me.”
Wendy Cawthon
This week’s tique is from Uncommon Objects.
Hilltop Views | Wednesday, September 29, 2010
ENTERTAINMENT | Page 11
Dog day afternoons found at Austin “Yappy Hours” Duval Hilbert
There is normally some grooving live music as well as special prices on coffee and drinks.”
dhilber@stedwards.edu
Attention all literate dogs, dog owners and dog lovers: There is no place better to get your tail wagging than in Austin. While Austin’s various walking and hiking trails are neat, another new animalfriendly trend is developing in the area, and it’s called Yappy Hour. Yappy Hour isn’t just about enjoying the drink specials you’ll find in bars around Austin. It is geared more toward satisfying animal (specifically dog) needs in a new and original way. The event also benefits the owners. Gone are the days when dog owners would have to choose between rushing home after work to let the dog out and grabbing a happy hour drink with friends. Currently, Irie Bean Coffee Bar at 2310 S. Lamar Blvd. hosts a Yappy Hour on the last Friday of every month.
Angelica Alaniz Cassandra Kokoska brings her Miniature schaunzer, Joe, to Yappy Hour at the Wyndam Hotel.
Austinities can meet new dogs and their owners from all walks of life at this happy hour for dogs. A typical Yappy Hour consists of dog training tip sessions, doggy pedicures and shopping for doggy gear at the location. What’s more, there is normally some grooving live music as well as special prices on coffee and drinks. Nancy Cusick, who works and runs trainmydogs.com, extensively helps with putting on the monthly doggy fun, as the website sponsors the hour. In the past, there has also been Yappy Hour at Dogadillo Dog Boutique at 12912 Hill Country Blvd., and other coffee shops may
soon be taking notice and starting their own Yappy Hours. However, it seems like Yappy Hour is designed to be a large event, so it just may stay at the Irie Bean for now in order to keep the crowd. Nevertheless, if you and your four-legged friend are looking to try something unique and meet new people at the same time, then attending a Yappy Hour may be right up your alley. Dogs from all walks of life mingling together and having fun—what could be better?
MOVIE REVIEW
J.P. not crazy, just acting Molly Williamson mwilliaj@stedwards.edu
Maybe it’s the beard. Maybe it’s the gut. Maybe it’s the ridiculous indulgence in cocaine, cigarettes, strippers and rap music, but something about “I’m Still Here” is unbelievable—which is exactly what Joaquin Phoenix wants the audience to think. In 2008, Phoenix announced his retirement from acting, but that wasn’t what had people questioning his sanity. Phoenix made it widely known that he was leaving acting to pursue his dream of rapping. The Oscar nominee immediately drew massive amounts of attention, and clips from his rap performances began to circulate on YouTube. Phoenix’s increasingly erratic behavior culminated with a disjointed, incoherent interview on Da-
vid Letterman’s talk show, causing viewers to wonder who this new man was. It turns out Phoenix didn’t lose his mind, but he’s just been in character for the last two years. Phoenix’s brotherin-law, also the director of the film, Casey Affleck, acknowledged that the film had been staged after its release in September. A handful of other well-known performers, including Ben Stiller, Jamie Foxx and Sean “Diddy” Combs, were also in on the joke. The film is an experience in and of itself. The new Phoenix, or “J.P.,” as he calls himself, is a pudgy, hairy, disheveled-looking version of the celebrated movie star. Frequently shown yelling, cursing and generally making an idiot out of himself and his employees, Phoenix pulls out all the stops. And whether he’s engaging in illicit drug use with prostitutes
or jumping off of a stage onto an audience member, an everpresent cigarette always accompanies his antics. Combs’ cameo in particular adds an additional element of insanity to the film. After repeatedly calling Combs and following him from California to New York to Florida, Phoenix finally schedules, and is on time to, a meeting with the hip hop producer. Phoenix puts in his CD and starts to sway to the sound of his voice, which is undecipherable. Even as someone aware that the film was staged, Combs’ reaction steals the scene. “I’m Still Here” is utterly shocking, yet completely enjoyable. The dreadlocked, highly distressed J.P. is one of Phoenix’s most fascinating characters to date.
SPORTS
Page 12 | Hilltop Views Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Trip to Turkey full of sports and sand Megan Ganey mganey@stedwards.edu
Spending a month on the California beaches is how most college students would like to spend their summer, but for one Hilltopper, countless hours on the sand was a hard-earned ticket to Turkey. After training in Austin and playing in beach volleyball tournaments around Texas, junior Courtney Trevino went to a USA Volleyball tryout in Dallas on June 4 and was selected with a small group of other players to train under USA coaches in California. Trevino trained from July 5 to mid August when she had to return to St. Edward’s University for in-
door volleyball training. During her time in California, Trevino and a friend won the California Beach Volleyball Association’s Laguna Open on July 17. Based on a successful summer of playing, training and earning a Triple A rating (just below professional status), Trevino was selected to compete and represent the United States in the Federacion International de Volleybol in Turkey. She was one of eight players representing the country, four men and four women. Although Trevino and her teammate, Chelsea Rashoff, lost in the first round of qualifiers, she said it was an experience she will never forget. “Culturally, it was one of the coolest things,” Trevino said.
“It is amazing how something as simple as a game with a ball and a net could bring so many people together.” Trevino’s experience represents an alternative way that St. Edward’s students are representing the university around the world. “One of the biggest push for St. Edward’s University is global understanding, and it was great that one of our student-athletes was able to visit a different culture and get immersed with people from all over the world,” head volleyball coach Sean Donahue said. The other U.S. team won the tournament, defeating Brazil, and Trevino was there to cheer on her teammates. “Talent-wise, the US is one
Sports Information
Trevino trained under USA coaches in California
of the best in the world, and as a country we are doing really well,” Trevino said.
Donahue said that although the team missed Trevino for part of the season, what she
will bring back will be worth the wait. “This experience will help her in many facets of the game, like ball control, blocking and shots, but I think leadership may be the biggest thing she will come back with,” Donahue said. “When you represent your country on a grand scale you kind of naturally become a little more of a leader.” Trevino said it has been difficult transitioning back into a regular class and volleyball schedule, especially with a broken finger on her left hand, which will put her out of play for a few weeks. Still, she is eager to get back. “It was a great experience and hopefully I will get to do it again,” Trevino said.
Men and women’s golf teams already swing strong Emily Blasdell eblasde@stedwards.edu
Sports Information
Wallis Spears led the Hilltoppers in two tournaments
The St. Edward’s University golf teams are looking to build on last year’s success. Both men and women’s teams have competed in two tournaments in their fall season so far this semester. Men’s golf The men’s golf team ended last season ranked 23rd, winning three tournaments and finishing in the top five in eight events. They started their fall season tied for 20th in the nation by the Golf World/Nike Preseason Coaches’ Poll. As of Sept. 22, they were ranked 10th according to Golfstat Head-to-Head rankings. In August, they were also named all-academic by the Gold Coaches Association of America. Their first tournament this fall, the Charles Coody Classic, was held Sept. 13-14 in
Abilene, Texas. After ending day one tied for third shooting four under par, the Hilltoppers ended the tournament in sixth place after shooting 13 over par. Senior Mitch Cahill led the Hilltoppers shooting par and tying in 17th place. Freshman Daniel Northington placed second among the Hilltoppers and tied for 25th in the tournament by shooting two over par in his first collegiate appearance. Men’s golf placed sixth again, tying Northeastern State in their second tournament, the Northeastern State Golf Classic held Sept. 2021. As a team, they shot 14 over par. Cahill again led the Hilltoppers, shooting four-over par and tying for 28th place. Their next tournament is the MGA Division II Midwest/South Central Regional Oct. 12-13 in Jefferson City, Mo.
Women’s golf Last season, women’s golf placed in the top five of nine events and won two tournaments, including the Heartland Conference Tournament. They then advanced to the NCAA West Regional for the fifth year in a row. They started their fall season ranked 11th in the nation. They have since moved up to seventh, the highest St. Edward’s women’s golf has ever ranked. Their first tournament this season was the Drury Fall Shootout Sept. 13-14. The team placed second out of 20. At the end of the first day, they were in first place with a team score of 20 over par, eight points ahead of second place Dallas Baptist University, but after constant rain the second day, they fell seven points behind final first place, Nebraska-Omaha. Sophomore Wallis Spears
led the Hilltoppers, shooting six-over par in the two-day tournament and tying for second place. “We have had a couple slip ups but if one player fell down we all kind of picked it up and were able to post good numbers,” sophomore Jacy Benites said. Their second tournament was the Sonoma State Women’s Invitational Sept. 20-21. The Hilltoppers placed third out of nine shooting a total 61-over par. Spears again led the Hilltoppers, shooting 10-over and placing seventh. Benites was second among the Hilltoppers and tied for 14th place in the tournament by shooting 18-over par. Their next tournament is the Central Oklahoma Classic Oct. 4-5. “We know where we stand and our potential,” Benites said. “We are a good team and know we can go far.”
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 | Hilltop Views
Women’s volleyball not able to serve up a win Kelli O’Donnell kodonne3@stedwards.edu
The St. Edward’s University volleyball team’s Heartland Conference winning streak is over due to a loss to Arkansas-Fort Smith. The Hilltoppers lost threestraight sets to the Lions, 2125, 21-25 and 28-30. “Our consistency during this game was like a rollercoaster,” freshman setter Mary McNamara said. “We would be on a high of amazing plays, and then go to a low of mental errors.” In the first set, St. Edward’s found themselves ahead in an early 16-10 lead, but Arkansas-Fort Smith surged ahead at the end by winning the last three points of the set, giving the Lions the win. The Hilltoppers and the Lions battled point-for-point in the second set, keeping the score extremely close. However, Arkansas-Fort Smith went on to win the last seven points of the set, giving them their second set win of the match.
The Hilltoppers, looking to keep the match alive, matched every Arkansas-Fort Smith point in the third set for a 13-13 mid-set tie. The Lions then went on a seven-point run, putting them up 20-13. St. Edward’s fought back with five unanswered points, but eventually fell to the Lions in a two-point loss. Junior Whitney Rhoden led the Hilltoppers with ten kills and nine digs, and junior Ashley Vander Hey had nine kills and 13 digs. Sophomore Michelle Hundt came away as dig leader of the match for the Hilltoppers with 23, and senior Chelsea Barsamian racked up 30 assists. “Our team feeds off of each other in both good and not so good aspects,” McNamara said. “For example, when we make an unforced error, we tend to feed off of it and continue making errors until we can make a great play instead of being consistent with good plays.” Senior Stacie Robertson said that the team men-
tally checked out during the game. “After the game our coach told us in the locker room that the only thing stopping us from being a consistent team was our mentality,” Robertson said. “I think our coach was right because the biggest reason we lost against Fort Smith was because we weren’t prepared mentally for the match.” McNamara also said that the team needs to address errors. “Volleyball is a game of mistakes, so it is going to happen, but the small errors can be eliminated when we are focused on doing little things,” McNamara said. Head coach Sean Donahue said that the team just gave away too many unforced errors against Fort Smith. “When we lose focus we give up points,” Donahue said. The Hilltoppers are back in action on Oct. 1 when they take on Wasburn in the Washburn Regional Crossover in Topeka, Kan.
Hilltop Views Archives St. Edward’s lost its first conference game to Arkansas-Fort Smith in three consecutive sets
SPORTS | Page 13
Sports Commentary
Round Rock Express parts ways with Astros
Wikimedia Commons-Austex Dell Diamond, home of the Express, is located in Round Rock, just north of Austin
Brendan Yancy byancy3@stedwards.edu
The past few seasons for Austin’s own minor league professional baseball team the Round Rock Express have been disappointing to say the least. The Express have had six consecutive losing seasons, and they haven’t posted a winning record since 2006. Baseball America has also ranked the Round Rock Express as the worst team in Triple-A for two years in a row. To make a dismal situation even worse, the Round Rock Express wrapped up their season losing 11 of their last 13 games, and finished a disappointing 30 games under .500, a TripleA and Round Rock Express worst. However, the future is looking brighter for the Round Rock Express given one Texas legend’s recent involvement in the team. The man who some say was responsible for bringing baseball prominence back to the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex will now be bringing that prominence to Austin. Hall of Fame pitcher No-
lan Ryan, who co-owns both the Texas Rangers and the Round Rock Express signed an agreement on Sept. 16 to end the Round Rock Express’ 11-year affiliation with the Houston Astros.
Triple-A and Double-A baseball teams have sent 16 players to the major league club this season and have been ranked first and fourth consecutively among minor league systems by Baseball
Now that the long awaited agreement has been made, only time will tell if the Express’ move will be successful.”
The Round Rock Express will now begin a four-year deal as Triple-A affiliates with the Texas Rangers. With Ryan and the Texas Ranger’s General Manager Jon Daniel’s recent involvement, Austin area baseball might be seeing its better days sooner than later. The Texas Rangers and their minor league system have done incredibly well over the past few years due largely in part to Ryan’s influence and upper management changes in the organization. The Rangers’
America. After nearly making the playoffs in 2009, the Rangers have just clinched a spot in the 2010 playoffs for the first time since 1999. Now that the long awaited agreement has been made, only time will tell if the Express’ move will be successful. However, given Ryan’s outstanding track record with both major and minor league teams, the Express will be back in full force for next season, and they will not disappoint.
VIEWPOINTS
Page 14 | Hilltop Views Wednesday, September 29, 2010
OUR VIEW
Five-year strategic plan needs clarity Earlier this month, George Martin, St. Edward’s University’s president, unveiled the strategic plan for 2015. Though the goals are admirable and extensive, they are also vague and somewhat intangible. This plan rivals even the previous 2010 strategic plan in ambition, but is not without its flaws and unanswered questions. The new plan promises to make the university a more global, diverse campus prepared for an increasingly global community. In order to do so, the plan incorporates four specific goals: maintain a relationship with the Holy Cross and Catholic heritage; improve and broaden students’ abilities to meet their educational goals; em-
phasize the university’s ambition to create more partnerships abroad and increase the student body; and improve facilities and classroom capabilities. If the 2010 plan laid the foundation for competing with other small private schools, the 2015 plan seeks to establish a truly distinct identity. However, today’s campus issues suggest that cracks in the foundation still need to be filled. The university’s relationship with its Catholic heritage is in a transition period that will become more strained as the university grows. Recent issues like the rejection of Equality Texas, a gay rights group, by the oncampus non-profit organiza-
tion fair and controversies with PRIDE, a universitysupported gay student organization, reflect this transition. St. Edward’s needs to determine what role Catholic
least clarified if the Church is to remain relevant to the student body. Issues like gay rights, as well as diverging political views, interfaith dialogue and social issues will
The world has changed since Fr. Edward Sorin founded St. Edward’s...” values should play in its decisions, and to what extent. The world has changed since Fr. Edward Sorin founded St. Edward’s in 1881, presenting modern challenges that the university must face boldly. The university’s Catholic values must be updated or at
only become more important and complex as St. Edward’s seeks a more diverse student body. The plan also suggested implementing three-to-five new academic programs within the next five years. Combined with new international
partnerships, St. Edward’s is taking a step in the right direction by providing students a truly global perspective. But fulfilling these goals requires a considerable amount of funding. St. Edward’s raised $70.3 million for the previous plan and hopes to raise another $70 million for the 2015 plan, according to the “Austin Business Journal.” However, these funds are not guaranteed. Inadequate funding has already impeded several campus construction projects. Meanwhile, tuition and fees have increased significantly, with no signs of slowing. The university has surely considered these issues, but students need to know exactly how they will be affected.
While the main goal of the plan is to extend the university globally, St. Edward’s also plans to increase the student body from 5,300 to 6,000 within the next five years. This makes sense from a business perspective and will increase the prestige, but students cannot be reduced to numbers. Although they may only spend a few years at St. Edward’s, their lives are forever shaped during that time. Sorin founded the university to primarily educate students’ hearts and minds, not to make profits or accumulate prestige. Considering all that will change in the next five years and beyond, this goal must remain the foundation of the university.
DREAM Act does not give amnesty to illegal minors Rina Gandhi rgandhi@stedwards.edu
The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors, or more popularly DREAM, Act has been around since 2001, but it only recently gained national attention when Senator Harry Reid decided to attach it to the defense bill, which has passed consecutively for 48 years. This year on Sept. 21, defense bill S.3454 was four votes short of moving on to general debate. Republicans unanimously voted it down. Many have condemned Senator Reid for wanting to tack it onto the DREAM Act, suggesting it hurts the democratic system. Strategically, it was a very smart decision. The DREAM Act failed by seven votes to reach general debate in 2007 as a stand-alone bill. Attaching it to a bill that most assumed would at least progress to general debate was a clever way to begin debate regarding the act.
Associated Press
Senator Harry Reid attached the DREAM Act to defense bill S.3454.
Some argue that the act will force alien minors to join the military. But are there not people who join the military specifically as a way to receive free education anyway? We generally consider that a permissible motivation for U.S.
citizens. Why should the motivation for joining suddenly matter now? If individuals are willing to risk their lives for our nation, they should have that opportunity. Is it so hard to believe that these individuals
genuinely want to serve what is probably the only country they have known through the military service? This bipartisan act is well supported by both parties. However, in this society where immigrants are frequrntly blamed for rising crime, poverty and unemployment rates, Republicans withhold their support rather than risk the future votes of their party. With that in mind, let’s examine the DREAM Act and quell some misconceptions. The act does not give illegal immigrants citizenship. It gives individuals who entered the country illegally as minors and who have met other provisions, including graduating from high school and demonstrating good moral character, temporary legal non-resident status. This is essentially a temporary green card, giving them time to either earn an undergraduate degree or serve in the armed forces. If they meet the require-
ments within the allotted six years, they may then apply for a permanent resident card. They are not guaranteed a resident card above anyone else; they are given an equal opportunity to apply. These individuals must still finance all of the relevant fees, fill out all of the proper forms, provide all of the correct documents, pass a background check, have the means to support themselves, get a medical exam and pass a tough interview. Then, if everything checks out, they receive a green card. Not citizenship, but a green card. They still cannot collect many public benefits, like welfare or social security, for ten years. They still cannot vote. They still can be deported for committing a crime. And they may apply for citizenship no sooner than five years after receiving the card. This act does not promise or immediately give any individual citizenship. These individuals are not criminals out to steal our
jobs. They are essentially Americans. They did not voluntarily cross the border illegally. They were brought as children by their parents from countries all over the world. They have completed or are about to complete high school. They have not committed crimes. They are comfortable using the English language. Many do not remember living anywhere but the United States. This country is their true home. Each year, 65,000 of these Americans graduate from high school. We can give these 65,000 people the ability to fight for their country or earn a college education. It is irrational to think that we will be able to deport even a fraction of these innocent individuals, burdened by the choices of their parents and circumstance. Why not let these minors help our nation economically, socially and culturally? Why not give them the opportunity to legally become what they essentially already are—Americans?
Hilltop Views | Wednesday, September 29, 2010
VIEWPOINTS | Page 15
Tea Party divides Republican voters Danny Salazar dsalaza4@stedwards.edu
A group of conservative candidates backed by the Tea Party movement recently won several Republican primaries in some crucial states. It might not be easy to predict how this will affect the outcome of the general elections in 2010, but it has made clear the confusion of many Americans regarding just what the Tea Party is all about. For many who thought the Tea Party movement was just a group of very misinformed, Glenn Beck-loving conspiracy theorists, the news of Tea Party candidates beating
traditional Republican candidates in the primaries truly comes as a surprise. Whether this marks the beginning of the Republican Party’s end or simply the formation of a third and far more conservative party is hard to predict. What has become clear is that the movement’s surge in support will not go unrecognized. Throughout this year, the Tea Party movement has been fueled by political allies. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and the seriously confused Fox News personality Glenn Beck are attempting to assert themselves as Tea Party leaders in the famously leaderless movement. This
Hilltop Views 3001 S. Congress Ave.#964, Austin, TX 78704 Phone: (512) 448-8426 Fax: (512) 233-1695 seuhilltopviews@yahoo.com www.hilltopviewsonline.com Proctor Anderson Tristan Hallman Editors-in-Chief Megan Ganey Haleigh Svoboda News Editors Phil Bradshaw Jake Hartwell Viewpoints Editors Holly Aker Caroline Wallace Entertainment Editors Amber Burton Rachel Winter Features Editors Emily Blasdell Kelli O’Donnell Sports Editor Shaun Martin Head Designer Andrew Hatcher Blair Haralson Sara Reihani Designers
Nicole Ryder Advertising Designer Daniel De Los Santos Christina Villarreal Photo Editors Sharla Kew Videographer Arianna Auber Copy Chief Wendy Cawthon Stephanie Grogan Anna Whitney Copy Editors Samantha Littlepage Advertising Manager Gio Reyes Business Manager Jena Heath Faculty Adviser
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.
could lead many to believe that some Republicans are rebranding themselves as Tea Party candidates at the cost of the Republican Party’s key players. This turn of events may actually benefit the Democratic Party. It is well known that President Barack Obama and the Democrats are currently struggling to maintain their majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Obama currently has approval ratings in the mid-tohigh 40s among the American people, according to Gallup. Those numbers are not bad for a Democratic president in recent history. However, the
statistic still has some shaking in their boots. Tea Party candidates may have won against other Republicans in the primaries, but once voting opens up to entire state populations, Democrats probably still have a fighting chance. It cannot be assumed that the Tea Party candidates will indeed lose once the voter group is expanded. However, it does spur the discussion of whether the displayed irrationality of some in the Tea Party movement will prove detrimental against the unified Democrats. Although Tea Party candidates may be strong and popular amongst Republi-
This turn of events may actually benefit the Democratic Party.” cans, they may not garner the same support from Democrats and ever-important Independents once the polls open. As expected, the growing number of Independent voters in this country will be the ones to either propel the Tea Party movement forward or put it to rest.
With Senate Republicans’ efforts to block the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the slow or apparent lack of economic recovery and continuing war in the Middle East, Democrats need to not just retain, but win over as many seats as possible in November to keep the Obama administration’s agenda on track. Without the Tea Party’s involvement, traditional Democrat and Republican candidates would have a relatively even chance of winning. Yet Democrats could gain an advantage if the Tea Party divides the Republican Party on ideological lines
Lady Gaga makes meaty statement Jon Wayne Martin jmartinv@stedwards.edu
Lady Gaga’s little monsters were shocked and confused on Sept. 12 as the international pop sensation accepted the award for Best Music Video in a dress–with matching hand bag, head piece and shoes–made entirely of uncooked red meat. Earlier in the month, the musician was featured on the cover of the September issue of “Vogue Hommes Japan“ sporting a bikini fashioned out of the same raw material. The mass confusion here lies not in the uncooked flesh covering her flank, but in the nature of her intentions. Did the pop star drape herself in steaks to draw attention, or is she creating a metaphor for some greater cause? If Gaga’s intentions were to wow the crowd with something original, a dress made of animal flesh was not the right way to go. In fact, “Project Runway” star Tim Gunn criticized the dress, calling it “uncreative.” Instead, this fleshy fashion
statement was merely part of a special recipe for Lady Gaga’s own equal rights stew. The award-winning musician’s real mission was to shed light on a civil rights issue that has yet to thaw out. As usual, her unorthodox sense of fashion led to much media attention. By wrapping herself in meat, the artist had hoped to create headlines drawing attention to the potential repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a controversial military law prohibiting all openly homosexual men and women from serving in the United States Armed Forces. Though her metaphor was a little on the lean side, the real meat came when Gaga proclaimed in Portland, Maine, on Monday, “Equality is the prime rib of America, but because I am gay, I don’t get to enjoy the greatest cut of meat my country has to offer.” Senate Republicans succeeded Tuesday in derailing the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs stated
Associated Press
Lady Gaga accepts her MTV Video Music Award.
that he didn’t think this was, by any means, the moment of definite decision for the repeal of the law, and that the Obama administration will continue its efforts.
It is unclear whether any government official will be making a public appearance in a red meat suit.
Page 16 | PHOTO ESSAY
Escape to Lost Maples Photos by Angelica Alaniz Lost Maples is located in Vanderpool, 150 miles southwest of Austin. The journey to Vanderpool is an adventure in itself. Enjoy the hill country and get lost in Lost Maples this autumn.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 | Hilltop Views