Volume 25 Issue 30 by Island Waves

March to the Polls

Wendy Davis visits the Island University

Islander Revue showcases talent

PAGE 5

photo by CONNER TICHOTA

Texas governor candidate Wendy Davis (D) marches with students to the O’Connor building where early voting took place on Oct. 29.

by JAMIE FINK news reporter

n Wednesday, Oct. 29, gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis held a free speech rally inside the Hector P. Garcia Plaza on the campus of Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi to address the Islander students and march them to the polls for early voting. The Island University was one of six stops Davis had on her campaign trail as she spent the day crisscross-

ing the state to encourage people to get out and vote during early voting. Davis, who was late to the event, addressed the crowd in the hot Texas sun as soon as she arrived. “I’m so excited to see your bright and smiling faces out there,” Wendy Davis, current senator, said. “We have six days left until this election, and nothing could define better what I am fighting for than all of you gathered here today.” As part of her speech, Davis addressed the importance of her cam-

paign and the fight she is doing to bring the money back to Texas for education and state schools. “We have been campaigning for over a year, and nothing is more important than what we are fighting for in this campaign, and for the support of public and higher education,” Davis said. “I held a filibuster in 2011 for the $5.5 billion budget cuts to our schools, fortunately for us we killed that bill. However, Governor Perry called us back and the bill passed.” see WENDY DAVIS on page 3

Local trivia night at the Surf Club

PAGE 7

Combat Human Trafﬁcking

Symposium to raise awareness on local issue by NATALLY ECHEVERRIA contributing writer

here is a global problem occurring every day, human trafficking. Most people are not even aware that they could easily be a target of human trafficking. “[My] goal is to bring awareness to those people who have fallen into that trap,” Texas A&M-University Corpus Christi student Brittney Holland said. “Anyone is at the possibility of being trafficked…It’s everywhere, everywhere and it’s sad.” There have been 20.9 [reported] million victims of human trafficking

since 2013 according to a study done by the International Labor Organization. The trade of humans, as defined by Oxford dictionaries, is for the purpose of sexual slavery, forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker. Human trafficking has become such a local issue that the Island University is trying to make the public aware of the issue by presenting a symposium of “Combating Human Trafficking” beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday Nov. 12 in the Warren Theater. The symposium is sponsored by

the World Affairs Council of South Texas in conjunction with the Island University’s Communication and Media department and Communication Club. The symposium will consist of presentations by Dr. Anantha S. Babbili and his students Holland, Evan Paret, Julianna Salman, Kyla Radford and Sneha Prakash. The symposium will also have a presentation of the film “Not My Life,” a film about human trafficking and modern slavery, followed by a keynote speaker, who is a survivor of sex trafficking, and several other speaker presentations. see TRAFFICKING on page 3

Islander Invasion: Basketball season

PAGE 10

VOLUME 25, ISSUE 30

editorial 2 ISLAND WAVES

a student publication of

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

island waves staff CONNER TICHOTA editor-in-chief

11.06.2014

The Reading Corner

A continuation of the college reading secrets series

MARIAM AMAYA

advertising manager

JUSTIN VU NGUYEN

advertising assistant

AUBREY DANCER layout editor

THI NGUYEN

layout assistant

JAMIE FINK

news reporter

TREY SEAL

entertainment reporter

JEREMY PAPE

sports reporter

MARK MARTINEZ

distribution manager

WENDY MOORE faculty adviser

JESSE DELEON

graduate adviser

AMY KOTULSKI staff adviser

write us a letter The Island Waves accepts letters no longer than 250 words. Letters are subject to editing. Send letters to the editor via email at editor@tamucc.edu.

about island waves The Island Waves is a student-produced publication at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The newspaper is printed weekly, except during summer sessions. Since A&M-Corpus Christi has no journalism department, Island Waves is supported by student fees and advertising sales. Any student or University employee may submit material for publication consideration. To become a contributor, e-mail or call the Island Waves editor.

by DR. DEBORAH CULBERTSON reading specialist

or the month of November, it may seem that doing college stuff is second nature. Maybe the homesickness is relieved by Thanksgiving holiday. Maybe the trip home was too far to travel, so the newness of cooking turkey was met with unwavering courage, and a group tackled the big bird and fixings. So what comes next? Preparing for the finals that are on the way comes to mind. This year’s column discussed the dam of procrastination creating a flood of school work…lesson learned. Then the reading specialists discussed and modeled the notetaking and annotating, as a gift students give to themselves in the reading of texts and assignments. The next jump is studying for midterms and finals. What are some ways to best tackle the beast? Since annotating and note taking has been a best friend, it is time to take out everything for the semester to put content into some organization that leads to the big picture called

a content class. Most professors’ goal is to provide details to your content area in a way that leads an overall understanding of their class. It is up to a college student to create a large visual of the content. Maybe even list the discourse vocabulary words that are important to the subject. Mind mapping the content is a technique that works for most of the learning styles. Look at a mind map. The central idea is in the middle with large categories linked to the center with lines, and details dangle from each. The words to describe the strategy sound complicated, but a simple google search reveals how easy creating one can be. Then hanging this on the wall of a living space gives a constant reminder of the links. Visuals are so cool. For others, studying in groups works wonders for the memory. Bring serious study members to the group. This technique can turn into a party if the members are not serious about the content. There are times for play and times for work. Study is a time for some serious application and verification of facts for each class.

Reading Tip Go over all the old notes and reorganize them. This technique is a great way to review and rethink ideas and concepts that were from the beginning of the semester The library has rooms that students can reserve for study sessions. The rooms have white boards. The interesting thing about study groups is that students remember more material if they teach it to others. Hence, the rewards of dividing the information and becoming an expert on that part while another member does another part can yield highly positive results. Teaching is a great way to study content. Portfolio work is great. Especially if you students have all their papers in one place so they can gather a portfolio. If the procedures of organiza-

tion have waned this semester now is the time to gather and begin again to make certain all the papers required are gathered. If students begin early, they will not be scrambling at the very end of the semester. It is not uncommon that a student waits until the end then cannot get things done in time. Many an A student has become a D student because of that very issue. To make an appointment with a reading specialist, register online at http://casa. tamucc.edu/wc.php or come to the CASA tutoring center.

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Write to us. Send letters to Editor@tamucc.edu

news

11.06.2014

WENDY DAVIS

ISLAND WAVES

continued from page 1

Davis discussed how the passing of this bill has greatly affected Texas and schools across the state. Schools had to close their doors and more than 25,000 educators including 11,000 teachers lost their jobs. Students were placed into over-crowded classrooms. “This is why when I started my campaign I started talking about education, talking about my plan to make sure that every 4-year-old in this state has access to full-day pre-k, making sure that our teachers are paid more for what they are worth and closer to the national average,” Davis said. “Teachers in Texas are paid $8,000 a year less than the national average.” Davis addressed how big of a problem this is especially in Texas, with the type of strong economy that Texas has. Davis talked about her commitment to early college high schools and dual credit college classes being more available to students all across the state. “I want to ensure that first generation college students, like myself, can have the accessibility to these programs and classes,” Davis said. “I want to make sure that every child in this state regardless of who they are or where they’re from has the opportunity to become whatever they dream of being.” After Davis addressed the crowd about her plans for education within her campaign, Davis spent a few moments describing what it was like to check her own name on the ballot. “On Monday, when I looked down at that ballot and I checked my name as the next governor for the state of Texas it was a very emotional moment for me,” Davis said. “I reflected on when I was a little girl, scared, and struggling with a single-mother who only had a ninth-grade education taking care of four children. If someone had told me back then that one day I would be standing before you as the gubernatorial candidate for Texas one day, I wouldn’t have believed it.” Davis accredited her success to the fact that her state believed in her, they invested in her, allowing her the ability to go to community college and then on to a four-year university because the state had grants available for her to go to school. After her speech, Davis along with student campaign organizer Kristian Thompson, led a march of students to the polls in the O’ Connor building where students could take advantage of early voting and place their vote for governor and other candidates who are running for office.

Students show support for Davis’ education policies.

Sophomores Ashley Cooper and Anissa Rameriez show their support for Davis’ campaign.

Freshman Steven Henriquez attends the rally to vote for the first time.

TRAFFICKING The keynote speaker will be a main part of the symposium. As part of the panel of special guests, she will be giving her personal narrative about her experiences and what happened to her when she was trafficked as a young teenager. “She is the real story actually behind the whole thing,” said Dr. Anantha Babbili, communication professor at the Island University and chairman of the board for the World Affairs Council. The goal is to achieve a more personal experience of the symposium with her survival story. The panel also includes Texas State Representative Todd Hunter, Judge Brent Chesney, and a representative from Children-at-Risk. The panel will begin their

photos by CONNER TICHOTA

continued from page 1 presentations at 12 p.m. Human trafficking is a lot more local than what people expect. “Texas is in the top five states of human and child trafficking with Houston being the second largest city [for human and child trafficking],” Babbili said. Brittney Holland only further stressed the severity. “There have been cases here locally and that’s the big thing that people do not understand,” Holland said. “They think it is global and that it’s other countries and it’s not here in the U.S. but really it’s like in Portland… They don’t really understand the realness of it and it happening so easily.”

Babbili and his students request that members of the Islander community get involved in the fight against human trafficking and to start by getting informed at the “Combating Human Trafficking” symposium. Currently they are working with certain professors on trying to make the attendance of the symposium as an extra-credit assignment. Approximately the first 200 attendees will receive a free box lunch to enjoy during the symposium. For more information on the “Combating Human Trafficking” symposium please contact Dr. Anantha S. Babbili at anantha.babbili@tamucc.edu.

news 4

11.06.2014

Ecologist Cares for Coral ISLAND WAVES

by JAMIE FINK news reporter

n Friday, Oct. 31, Dr. Peter F. Sale, senior adviser of the Institute for Water, Environment and Health at United Nations University presented a global crisis presentation entitled “Coral Reefs, Coastal Populations and Climate Change” at the Harte Research Institute. Sale, a marine ecologist with more than 40 years experience in tropical coastal ecosystems, currently leads the Connectivity Program within the Coral Reef Targeted Research Project as well as Coastal Zone Management in the Arabian Gulf. His presentation focused on how the global decline of coral reefs is affecting coastal populations, and how the climate change crisis is impacting coastal ecosystems. “I enjoy coming to universities and finding out what’s going on and what people are doing,” Sale said. “Science is a exciting activity, plus the opportunity to present ideas to a new group of people and maybe someone will be touched and get that spark to do something.”

People who have traveled within the last couple of years to the Caribbean or anywhere between the two tropics, have probably seen the beautiful coral reefs. They have magnificent shades of colors and abundant life. However, they might have also seen a white reef also known as a bleached reef. “A bleached coral reef is strangely beautiful, but it is also dying,” Sale said. “Not only are these reefs dying, but most cases of these reefs dying are the direct result of human activity.” More than 1.3 billion people live within 62 miles of a tropical coastline, mostly in developing countries, and this is where the problems lie. Most of these developing countries do not have adequate sewage and irrigation systems. Thus, the runoff of feces and chemicals such as pesticides are running into the nearby oceans affecting the coral reefs. Overpopulation, high tourism numbers, overfishing and coastal pollution are all things that humans do directly that affect the coral reef ecosystems. Sale’s coral reef research has taken him to Hawaii, Australia, the Caribbean, the Middle East and many places in between.

“I have done research in these areas and have seen the direct affect we as humans have on these coral reefs and if we don’t do something about it soon we won’t get to enjoy them much longer,” Sale said. Sale has used his fundamental science research to develop and guide projects in international development and sustainable coastal marine management. Sale was also able to give students and faculty a little insight of how they can become involved. “For those who are wondering how they can get involved with coral reefs and help protect them there are two options,” Sale said. The first is if you are really dedicated and this something that really interests you there are careers. There are going to be more because there are more pressures on the environment everyday. If it’s not something you want to do as a career. There are lots and lots of organizations and volunteer activities you can become involved with Sale said. For a complete list of distinguished speakers at the Harte Research Institute visit harteresearchinstitute.org.

Freedom isn’t free: Ceremony honors military past, present by JAMIE FINK news reporter

n Nov. 11, Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi will honor veterans during a ceremony beginning at 11 a.m. The program will include speakers President and CEO Dr. Flavius Killebrew and Christopher Herod, Student Veteran Organization president. “Chris is a United States Marine Core veteran and currently serves in the Army Reserves while also balancing his duties as SVO president and as an Island Ambassador,” Student Engagement Coordinator Elisabeth Stephens said. The ceremony will take place on the Island University campus in the Hector P. Garcia Plaza. Everyone from A&M-Corpus Christi and the Corpus Christi communities are invited to attend. “As a university, we have a total of 1,223 students categorized as military, which includes students enrolled in the ROTC Islander Battalion, active duty service members, veterans or military dependents,” Stephens said. There will also be a Veteran’s Day social from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on the East Lawn. All Islander veterans and their dependents are invited to attend. Hotdogs and hamburgers will

be served and there will also be yard games such as corn hole and spike ball. “The biggest help we need from everyone, including students, is to help get the word out,” Stephens said. “The ceremony is open to everyone, but the Veteran’s Day social is specifically for veterans and their dependents. We want to see as many people as we can.” This day and event is an opportunity for everyone to celebrate our veterans and give them a chance to socialize and build community. “Participating in Veteran’s Day events helps students and the Corpus Christi community as a whole. It helps us acknowledge our veterans and the sacrifices they have made,” Stephens said. “It helps us thank them for everything they’ve done.” Veteran’s Day was originally established as Armistice Day to mark the anniversary of the formal end of World War I on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. In 1938, Congress made Armistice Day a legal holiday to be dedicated to the cause of world peace. Later, in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day Proclamation and declared Nov. 11 as Veteran’s Day as a way to honor and celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in WWI.

features

11.06.2014

ISLAND WAVES

r e d n a l Is e u v e R by JESSE DELION graduate advisor

he impressive crowd that gathered at the Performing Arts Center on Friday, Oct. 24 was clearly excited. The fact that it was Parents’ Weekend was a big part of it. The near-capacity crowd in the expansive auditorium area included several moms and dads who sat waiting for the lights to go down and curtain to go up on this year’s Islander Revue. Within minutes, the air was filled with electrifying yet familiar beats as this year’s Islander Revue harked back to a decade when “Friends” was the top television show and artists as diverse as Ricky Martin, Sir MixA-Lot and the Backstreet Boys ruled radio playlists. It was obvious that for this year’s Islander Revue, the 90s were definitely back to help celebrate the 15th year of this popular Islander

tradition. The Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi’s Student Foundation presented Islander Revue. Whataburger and Dr. S. Trent Hill, vice president for Institutional Advancement sponsored this year’s Islander Revue. Hill also served as the grand master of ceremonies. The popular talent show shines the spotlight on the various student organizations that take to the stage to perform a variety of comedy sketches and dance routines. The show is also the highlight of Parents’ Weekend, said Lori Garza student foundation director of engagement. “Islander Revue is one of the most popular and well-attended Islander events,” Garza said. “It is also very special because it brings together students and their organizations and their parents and families, as well.” The show featured an assortment of dance and comedy routines from

campus organizations such as Zeta Tau Alpha, Alpha Gamma Delta, Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Delta Delta and Kappa Sigma as well as special appearances by Islander Cheer, Islander Athletics and Islander Improv. The judges for the evening were Lydia Blanco, casting director for Spotlight Talent Studios, Rudy Gonzalez, general manager of Whataburger, Jeffrey Janke, Islander Alumnus, and Cynthia Turner, vice president of the Islander Alumnus Association. The judges certainly had their work cut out for them. They had to rate such notable performances as Alpha Gamma Delta’s tribute to “Space Jam,” Kappa Sigma’s soulful routine that included a Boyz II Men sequence and Gamma Phi Beta’s dizzying time travel escapade that took them from the ‘70s to the ‘90s. But it was Delta Delta Delta’s spirited bus ride through ‘90s dance

hits, highlighted by a campy sendup of the movie “Clueless,” that took the night’s top honor. Zeta Tau Alpha took second place and Kappa Sigma followed in third. Delta Delta Delta is no stranger to winning, as they were the judges’ top vote-getters at last year’s Islander Review as well. But coming in first gives the group the opportunity to give back in a really big way. “The women of Tri Delta will donate the $1,000 prize money to St. Jude’s Research Hospital to go toward ‘Tri Delta Place,’ a short-term housing facility for families of St. Jude patients,” said Michelle Ross, spokesperson for Delta Delta Delta. “My sisters and I look forward to Islander Revue 2015.” In addition to offering plenty of entertainment, Islander Revue’s revenue from T-shirt, DVD and ticket sales help the Student Foundation raise money for student scholarships.

Members of Kappa Sigma take the stage at this year’s Islander Revue.

To learn more or become an Achieve Partner please visit achievepartnership.tamucc.edu

photos courtesy of TAMUCC.EDU

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR ACHIEVE PARTNER

Members of Delta Delta Delta, who took top honors at this year’s Islander Revue, perform their tribute to 90s movie Clueless.

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ISLAND WAVES

MYASPENHEIGHTS.COM/INTERESTLIST

12.1.2014 The biggest is getting bigger.

entertainment

11.06.2014

SMASH from the PAST

Game Review: Super Smash Bros. for 3DS lives up to console standards by TREY SEAL entertainment reporter

n the summer of 2011, Nintendo announced that its long-running “Super Smash Bros.” series would be making its handheld debut on the Nintendo 3DS. At the time, fans were skeptical. The series is notable for its fast-paced nature that keeps players on their toes. One would think that the smaller dimensions of a handheld game system (screen and controls) would be an ill-fit for the series. However, the game is just a further testament to the fact that Nintendo is home to some of the greatest game designers in the industry. “Super Smash Bros.” for the 3DS brings new meaning to the word fan service. The games’ lineup of all-star fighters (51 characters total) is the best that the series has seen to date. Veteran characters such as Super Mario, Link and Sonic the Hedgehog join the likes of newcomers such as Pac-Man, Mega Man and “Punch-Out!!”s’ Little Mac. One of the best parts of the new game is the variety of fighting styles. Each fighter has his or her own unique strengths and weaknesses that separate he or she from the rest. For instance, Little Mac adheres to his boxing roots by being strong on two feet. However, if Mac jumps in the air, he is at a significant disadvantage compared to other characters. The variety offers players the chance to find the fighting style that fits them best. In addition to the character variety, the game has 34 unique arenas for players to fight on. In addition to the brand new arenas, there are a few remastered fan favorites from previous games. The attention to detail on each one is truly remarkable. In addition to the standard series such as “Super Mario Bros.”, 2D games such as cult hit “Earthbound” and “Pokemon” have their worlds brought to beautiful 3D life. When it comes to “Smash Bros.” trademark 4-player battles, this game doesn’t disappoint. Even with the reduced processing power of the 3DS, the system manages to still run the game at a smooth 60 frames per sec-

ond (the pinnacle of gaming frame rates) in single and local multiplayer. In addition to the local multiplayer mode, the game has an online mode that allows players to battle others from across the globe. There were plenty of occasions where the game struggled to keep up with the frantic action occurring on-screen. It never ruined the game but it did somewhat hamper the experience on occasion. The game isn’t just a pure multiplayer experience. There is plenty of fun for players to have when not around an internet connection or other competitors. This includes a classic mode that has the players competing against a range of characters in one on one battles that lead to a final showdown. Players are given the option of changing the difficulty setting of each playthrough. The higher difficulty, the greater the rewards including character trophies. In addition, a single player mode known as All-Star allows players to compete with groups of characters that are ordered by the year of their debut. For instance, players begin by fighting Pac-Man (1980), Donkey Kong (1981), and Mario (1981) until reaching characters such as Shulk from “Xenoblade”(2010). The character trophies are a fascinating look at Nintendo’s long history in gaming. Each fighter in the game has a trophy that is awarded upon completion of the single-player classic and All-Star modes. In addition to fighter trophies, there are various trophies from games that range from obscure Japan only releases to popular side characters of major franchises. Overall, “Super Smash Bros.” 3DS is a highly entertaining fighting game that doesn’t mind putting a serious attitude on the wacky world of Nintendo. Don’t let the fighting game connotation scare gamers away from it. The “Smash Bros.” series is notable for its easy to understand controls that let even the most novice of players hold their own. Gamers who love “Smash” or have any fandom for Nintendo in general, will definitely love this game.

photos by TREY SEAL

photo by NINTENDO.COM

ISLAND WAVES

by TREY SEAL entertainment reporter

hursday night usually isn’t synonymous with nightlife and Corpus is no exception. In order to take advantage of the usually slow Thursday night, the Executive Surf Club hosts a weekly “Geeks Who Drink” trivia night. The competition takes place on the Surf Club’s back patio. The quizmaster reads off a list of questions that range over a wide variety of categories. The topics can be as widespread as geography and sports history. The game spans over nine rounds that entail eight questions apiece. Teams compete to answer the most correct answers. In-between questions quizmaster Kyle Bauer, a Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi theater minor, plays various songs that epitomize geek culture. Participants are allowed to play solo but teams are encouraged. Each team is limited to no more than six players. Bauer has been hosting “Geeks who Drink” trivia events for about a year now. He started by hosting the event at the Sparrows Landing in Flour Bluff about two years ago. “I really enjoy the atmosphere, its really laid back,” Bauer said. “The people here are really cool too, its always nice to see new faces.” John Stanford and Alan Lebowski have been attending the event for several months now. “People here are always cool and in good spirits,” they said. Stanford and Lebowski are two of the top participants in the coastal bend area and have played in regional tournaments due to their local success. “Geeks who Drink” occurs simulta-

neously in several markets across the United States. The company is based out of Denver, Colo. According to the company website, the questions are assembled by dozens of quizmasters, writers and fact-checkers. The questions asked are then sent out to every participating venue across the nation. The official name for this type of event is a pub quiz, which finds its roots in Irish tradition. The pub quiz concept was started in the 1970s by UK company Burns and Porter. The eponymous owners Sharon Burns and Tom Porter toured around the region presenting the quizzes to breweries as a marketing strategy to bring business on slow nights. Many venues picked up the concept and it began to spread across the region. Over time, the activity became so popular that more than 10,000 teams were playing on a weekly basis. The BBC then became involved and pitted top participants from around the region against one another. The concept spread to the United States around the ‘90s. In the years since it’s arrival in the US, it has spread across many metropolitan areas. There are multiple venues in town that host “Geeks Who Drink” trivia. On Tuesdays, Cassidy’s Irish Pub hosts the event and Murdock’s hosts on Wednesdays. The prizes vary by bar but Surf Club and Cassidy’s both offer bar credit. Murdock’s on the other hand has cash prizes for its top winners. Since entrance is free, participants are encouraged to support the bar by purchasing food and drinks. If residents find themselves in the middle of the week with an empty night, take some friends and head on down to test skills and knowledge.

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ENTERTAINMENT calendar

entertainment ISLAND WAVES

movies

Theory of Everything

Interstellar

Big Hero 6

A group of explorers make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.

The special bond that develops between plussized inflatable robot Baymax, and prodigy Hiro Hamada, who team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.

Follows Eddie Redmayne as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, world-famous as the author of A Brief History of Time, opposite Felicity Jones. The movie explores the excitement of the 1960s for Stephen as he studies at Cambridge University. At the dawn of a brilliant lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work, he falls passionately in love with arts student Jane Wilde. Their relationship leads him through personal and scientific challenges and breakthroughs, and as his world opens up he opens up the entire world to new ways of seeing.

Nov. 7 - PG13

Nov. 7 - PG

Oct. 17 - R

cd releases

Nov. 4 Arca - Xen

Arrica Rose - Wavefunction Deptford Goth - Songs Hideout - Rookie Mega Fortress - Believer Mother Mother - Very Good Bad Thing The Doobie Brothers - Southbound Dirty Beaches - Stateless Gold Lake - Years Dean Blunt - Black Metal

Nov. 10

Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways Jeremih - Late Nights: The Album Legitimate Beef - Grinder Machine Heads - Bloodstone & Diamonds The Voyeurs - Rhubarb Rhubarb Vladislav Delay - Visa

Nov. 11

2:54 - The Other I

photos and info courtesy of METACRITIC.COM

Cult of Youth - Final Days Dream Police - Hypnotized Hookworms - The Hum Moonlight Towers - Heartbeat Overdrive Ne-Yo - Non-Fiction Nick Jonas - Nick Jonas Pink Floyd - The Endless River

Jessabelle Returning to her childhood home in Louisiana to recuperate from a horrific car accident, Jessabelle (Sarah Snook of Sleeping Beauty) comes face to face with a long-tormented spirit that has been seeking her return -- and has no intention of letting her escape.

Nov. 7 - PG13

sports 10

11.06.2014

Islanders “invade” their home turf ISLAND WAVES

Men’s basketball team throw out an awesome performance at the annual Islander Invasion.

by JEREMY PAPE sports reporter

he men and women’s basketball teams at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi hosted Islanders Invasion on Thursday, Oct. 30, at the Dugan Wellness Center. The event usually draws a pretty large crowd of people, all who are eager to watch both squads in action. “It feels good [to have the fans watching us],” men’s sophomore

guard Emmanuel Toney said. “It’s always good to have an opportunity to show the work we have put in. It’s also great, because we have a big crowd. It feels like a game atmosphere.” That big crowd is due to several factors. “The reason our crowd keeps growing is because our program keeps growing,” junior forward Ashanti Plummer said. Also helping to make the crowds larger is the fact that student enrollment has been growing over the past few years.

photo by THI NGUYEN

“With more wins, [we gain] more fans,” Plummer said. “I think that this event is going to go really [well], and will bring awareness to our team.” The event has helped to boost game attendance numbers as well. “I had been told not a lot of people attend the games,” Toney said. “[Now], I’ve heard from classmates telling me how excited they are for this year because of last year’s success.” The festivities start with an introduction of the men and women’s teams. Then, the teams participate in a three-point shooting contest.

“We usually involve people from the crowd [in the three-point contest].” Toney said. “[The event is] about us connecting with the crowd.” Pleasing the crowd is something that members of both teams love to do. “This year, we’re a lot better at interacting with more people, and making more friends. I feel like last year, we were a little shy,” women’s junior guard Shay Weaver said. Chadwick expressed his readiness for the season to start. “I’m not a big offseason guy. April, May, June, and July is an eternity,” Chadwick said. “To me, [being at Islanders Invasion] is a ‘finally’.” The event is a great opportunity for the teams. “[Islanders Invasion] is an opportunity for us to showcase how hard our players have been working, and how much they want to represent the university,” Chadwick said. Along with the three-point contest, there is also a slam dunk contest. “The slam dunk contest is my favorite event,” Toney said. Plummer’s favorite event is also the slam dunk contest. “[It’s my favorite because] it’s the last event, and everyone is really excited for it, and who doesn’t want to see people jump high in the air and dunk the ball!” Plummer said. All of these events work to build anticipation for the upcoming season, both from fans and players alike. “I’m beyond excited to see how much we have grown and come together,” Weaver said. “We’re a completely different team than we were last year, even though we only have a few new people.” Soon, both squads will get to prove themselves with fans in attendance.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:

Taking the court by JEREMY PAPE sports reporter

he Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders women’s basketball team will soon be opening their season. Last season, the team took a major step in the right direction, going 18-12 per year after posting a 4-25 record. Even with their improved record, the team’s youth was one obstacle they faced. “We had a lot of freshmen playing a lot of minutes, and it’s very difficult

to put players in there that have no experience and [to] be good early in the season,” head coach Royce Chadwick said. “Last season we had so many new players. We didn’t know each other’s tendencies, we hadn’t played together. We didn’t have good chemistry,” Chadwick said. Not only did Chadwick have to adjust to all of the new players, but the returning athletes needed to get familiar with each other, too. “We had a lot of new talent come in, and you can win a lot of games with talent,” junior forward Ashanti Plummer said.

Once the team became familiar with each other, their play as a unit became much stronger. “I think chemistry-wise, toward the end of the year, [the improvement] definitely helped us win more games than we would have the year before,” Plummer said. Last season, the team grew right in front of the crowd’s eyes. That growth kept them competitive for the entire 40 minutes. “I think that our team worked really well at executing toward the end of the game,” Plummer said. “We would just start really really slow, and we’d have to pick it up,

which is very hard to do,” Plummer said. Whether a team is successful or not, that success or blame never falls solely on the players. “[Our assistant coaches] did a really good job finding players for us that fit our system,” Chadwick said. Chadwick is entering his third season at the helm for the Islanders. In college athletics, there is a large amount of personnel change, as seniors graduate, and freshmen and transfer students arrive, which can affect the team’s performance as a whole. see WOMEN’S BASKETBALL on page 11

sports

11.06.2014

ISLAND WAVES

Islander Baseball

celebrates Halloween Kids of all ages had the opportunity throughout the night to become a part of the game and run the bases.

A member of the Islander baseball team took full advantage of getting to wear his Halloween costume, as he dressed up as a member of the Robertson family from the hit show “Duck Dynasty.”

Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pitches a strike.

photos courtesy of TIM MCCAUGHAN

A member of the Islander softball team volunteers during the Islander Halloween game, at one of the booths where kids had the opportunity to carve and decorate pumpkins.

WOMEN BASKETBALL “This is the first team we have had [here] that is solely our players,” Chadwick said. “Last year, we were playing with some of the old regime’s players, and some of ours, and it took ours a while to gel,” Chadwick said. The injury bug has bit the team already, as sophomore guard Brittany Mbamalu and senior guard Shola Adebayo have both suffered knee injuries that will keep them out all season. This is a heavy setback for the Islanders, as Mbamalu and Adebayo are the top two returning scorers for the team. Even with those setbacks, the team’s goals remain intact. “Everyone’s goal first is the conference championship,” junior guard Shay Weaver said. “Even if we don’t get it this year, then we think, ‘okay, next year’,”Weaver said. As the university has grown, the crowds at the games have grown.

continued from page 10 “When there is a lot of people there, it makes us play better,” Plummer said. Of course, in many cases, seeing a large home crows makes the team execute more efficiently. “It’s more fun and exciting. If I pass to Ashanti, and she makes a shot, the crowd gets excited and we get excited,” Weaver said. “It’s a good way for us to interact, and it makes us want to play better.” Coaches took notice of a strong home crowd as well. “I’ve been [coaching] for about 30 years. This is the best home crowd I’ve had at any place I’ve been,” Chadwick said. “[The crowd] has been loyal, even when we were not very good.” With the student population growing, the people around the program do what they can to make sure students can attend the games. “We try to open the season every year with as many games on campus as we can possibly have, so it’s

easier for our students to get there,” Chadwick said. The team will play an exhibition contest at the Dugan on Sunday, Nov.

9 at 2 p.m. Their first regular season contest will be played at University of Houston on Nov. 21 at 6 p.m.

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