TEXAS TEXASA&M A&MUNIVERSITY–CORPUS UNIVERSITY–CORPUSCHRISTI CHRISTI || ISLANDWAVESNEWS.COM ISLANDWAVESNEWS.COM || VOLUME VOLUME26 26ISSUE ISSUE23 20 || 09.17.15 08.27.15
Unblemished Classic
See more photos on pg. 8
Go BLUE Give GREEN
Annual fundraiser keeps Island University operating year-round
by GERI LEMMONS staff writer
G
o Blue Give Green is a campaign geared toward raising money for the campus and the students that attend Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Go Blue Give Green is a monthlong campaign to help raise money for scholarships, endowments and many more things that are needed around campus for the staff and students. Blair Sterba-Boatwright, faculty co-chair of Go Blue Give Green and Island University science and engineering professor, said this is a great opportunity for students and staff to help their community. “We are just starting so things around this campaign are still growing,” Sterba-Boatwright said. Anyone can make a donation to this campaign to help out with its cause of helping students. Small or large gifts are accepted in order to help make student dreams come true. The fund raiser was started last year as a way to help bring students
and staff together in a way that has never happened before. It offered a way for people to raise awareness about giving back to their alma mater and always being able to help those that are either teaching or the ones learning. Student Foundation president Elizabeth Parker said this is a great opportunity for faculty and staff to see students work. “It is nice seeing how much it has grown and see how much it is growing,” Parker said. “It is some-
INDEX OPINION 2 | NEWS 3 | CAMPUS 4, 5 | ENTERTAINMENT 6, 7 | SPORTS 8
thing that they, the students, faculty and staff, have never done before and it helps them all try to strive for that one common goal.” Monday Sept. 7 was Tag Day, a day that people could recognize the donors and who has given to the university by seeing a tag. Donors display a banner on their office doors along with “I Gave” stickers. So far the campaign and the money being raised are still growing. The Go Blue Give Green program will last for a whole month,
so there is plenty of time for others to donate in the meantime. Some of the money goes toward helping with department programs all around the school. There are different membership levels involved with the whole campaign. There is the Island Club that features donations that range from $50 to $99, followed by the Century Club, which goes from $100 to $249 and Dean’s Society, which goes from $250 to $499. There is see GREEN on page 3
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opinion
ISLAND WAVES
09.17.2015
Discover Supplemental Instruction at TAMUCC by KELSEY FLORES copy editor
a student publication of
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
island waves staff JAMIE FINK
editor-in-chief
KELSEY FLORES copy editor
KARA HERRERA layout assistant
GERI LEMMONS
features reporter
ISAAC PAIGE
sports reporter
LUIS GOMEZ
advertising assistant
ELI T. BERKE
photographer
WENDY MOORE faculty adviser
A
s we bid farewell to summer and say hello to Fall 2015 students are facing a semester of new classes, copious information and professors. I know from personal experience that sometimes the classes and all the information we are trying to absorb may become challenging and seem overwhelming at times, especially for the freshman students who may not know what to expect their first year. With that being said two words come to mind, Supplemental Instruction [SI]. SI is an academic assistance program that has proven to be extremely helpful by improving student performance and understanding of the course material. The objective of SI is based on core curriculum courses offering students educational support. SI is structured to reinforce the current courses students are enrolled in. They offer coursespecific study, problem solving and testpreparation strategies. So for the students of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi who are looking for a way to become more
successful in their classes attending SI sessions is a great place to start. Students may begin utilizing SI sessions within the first week of classes should they choose to take advantage of this opportunity. I can attest from personal experience to the effectiveness of SI sessions due to the fact that after attending I came away with a better understating of the material. SI is available for numerous classes and will accommodate most schedules. In my case I specifically took advantage of the economics and history SI sessions that definitely had an positive impact and the results made a world of difference in my educational journey. One of the advantages of SI is that you are able to spend additional time asking questions and learning the course material that has helped me to better comprehend my courses. And as an added bonus SI has helped to reduce my stress level for obvious reasons. Recognizable gains of .5 and 1.0 grade points have resulted comparing SI students to non-SI students. Check with your professor, Center for Academic Student Achievement or CASA to
inquire if SI is connected to your class, as not all courses are SI applicable. Supplemental Instruction is not the only resource available under the CASA umbrella. They also offer tutoring services, a writing center and reading tutoring to the students of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The SI leaders as well as all of CASA are there to help students become empowered in their education. Put your best foot forward and take advantage of the opportunity offered by SI. You will discover how it can better equip you to do your best. All SI sessions are offered free of charge to all students of Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi. So do yourself a favor and involve yourself in SI. SI classes are scheduled based on the availability of the SI leaders. SI sessions are located in the Glasscock Center (CASA) in room 108A and 108B. For more information regarding SI please feel free to contact Leticia at 361.825.5933 or Amy at 361.825.2618 with any questions you may have or visit their website at http://casa.tamucc. edu/si.php.
Five best apps for college students by ELI BERKE photographer
contact us 6300 Ocean Drive Unit 5783 Corpus Christi, TX 78412 (361) 825-5862 write us a letter 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. 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.
L
ife is hard, and college life is harder. So to combat this, man invented the smartphone with its hundreds of thousands of useful apps that have made college life more bearable. And while sadly, an app that writes your 1000 word essays for you has yet to have been invented, here are 5 apps for your smartphone and/ or tablet that I believe every college student should have. Note: all these apps are available for iOS and Android, however none of them are available for windows. 1. Dictionary Brought to you by dictionary. com, this app is a dictionary and thesaurus in your pocket, helpful for coming up with better words than “stuff ” or “show” when writing an essay. Using bigger words will surely help bump that B essay to an A essay.
2. Blackboard Mobile Learn (Free) You know that god awful website that you have to use for almost all your classes? Well here is the app for that, right on your smartphone, and it is so much easier to navigate and use then the website. While the app doesn’t allow for everything that you could if you used blackboard on your laptop (i.e. turn in homework), it gives you the perks of getting notifications whenever a grade is posted, last minute messages from your professors to the class, and being able to see any content posted by your professors. Always be up to date on your classes with this app on your phone! 3. Google Drive (Free) If you’re like me, you’re always on the go, barely home, and there’s always
an essay or a project needed to be done. I could carry around my laptop and hard drives, but its extra weight and I love my computer too much to risk hurting it. So for always needing to have certain files on me, there’s google drive. Provided, it does require internet or Wi-Fi, but it’s perfect for working on essays on my phone in between classes, and transferring pdf ’s, photos, word, PowerPoint, or excel documents to other computers. It beats carrying a thumb drive or portable drive around since it can be accessed by phones and any computer connected to the internet. 4. Gas Guru (Free) Raise your hand if you hate paying expensive gas yet also hate that it’s necessary to drive cars!!! I can almost see the smirk of anybody who drives an electric or hybrid reading this. Shut up, this one
obviously doesn’t apply to you. Gas guru allows you to see which gas stations are around you and which of those stations has the cheapest prices. It may only be six cents cheaper, but it six cents you can use on food or tuition, and it adds up. 5. MyScript Calculator This doesn’t beat a graphing c a l c u l a t o r, but its way handier than your phone’s standard calculator app. Turning your handwriting into equations, this app can process basic functions, exponentials, logarithms, all the way up to trig and inverse trigonometry. Super helpful for anyone with math or math based classes. Obviously these aren’t the only helpful apps out there, just the five I’ve found to be most useful for me. But if anyone does invent or know of an essay writing app out there, let me know!
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news
09.17.2015
December graduation applications due
ISLAND WAVES
by JAMIE FINK editor-in-chief
T
he Fall semester may have just started, but for students planning on graduating in Dec. from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi only have until Sept. 23 to submit their application without having to pay extra. However, there are many steps that must be taken in order to submit the graduation application to registrar before one can actually graduate. The first step that has to be done for students applying for graduation is to complete a graduation check. “There are several graduation checks,” said University Registrar & Director of Veterans Affairs Michael Rendon. “The most important thing a student can do is go and log into their Degree Planner and see where they are at. We also encourage students to meet with their academic adviser and find out if they are on track to graduate.”
The University requires graduation applications so that the institution will know who and just how many students will be graduating. This is done so that the University can decide whether or not they will need to separate the ceremonies based on colleges or if they will be able to have them all at the same time. “We have to think about the venue and at some point we do not want to run a foul of the fire marshall,” Rendon said. “That’s how we make the decision if we need to break up the ceremonies. We want to keep it where students can invite one or as many family and friends as they want.” Rendon said that a student enjoying their day is the most important part of any commencement ceremony. Graduation applications are used as way to let the Registrar’s office know that students have completed their academic program. It shows that the students have been active participants
within their academic program and have followed the traditions for academia. To start the process for graduation students should first see their advisor. The advisor will then be able to tell the student if they are eligible to complete the graduation application or not. Once the student has approval from their academic advisor, the student can then fill out the graduation application by logging into their S.A.I.L account. If students need help filling out their graduation application they can also visit with their advisor or set up an appointment with the Registrar’s office to help complete the application. “It has become really convenient for students,” Rendon said. “I moved away from a lot of paper based functions during my tenure here. I have tried to make things like this more accessible and available 24/7 that way it’s not a piece of paper that could get lost.” Rendon said that he wants the
Registrar’s office to be as transparent as possible when it comes to any kind of applications or paperwork that has to be done. “It’s kind of like when you go on to Amazon,” Rendon said. “You go on at your convenience and you know that in two days you’re going to have your package. I want our systems to work that way.” The regular graduation application period ends Sept. 23. The application has a fee of $40. For students that miss the Sept. 23 deadline, do not worry a late application deadline runs from Sept. 24 through Nov. 29 allowing students up until the week before the final week of school to apply for graduation. However, the fee does increase after the regular deadline. For more information about the graduation application visit with the academic advisor or visit the Registrar office located in the Student Services Center.
GREEN continued from page 1
the Provost’s Society, which ranges from $500 to $999. The last level, which is the highest level, is the President’s Society, which is $1,000 and up. For more information about Go Blue Give Green and how it helps Texas A&M University-Cor-
pus Christi and its students go to tamucc/gobluegivegree.edu. If anyone is interested in contributing to the Faculty/Staff Campaign or wants more information, please contact anyone on the list on this website http://facultystaffcampaign.tamucc.edu/contact.html.
Photos by JAMIE FINK
Above: In Bay Hall Suite 221, a poster is displayed to promote the campus-wide Go Blue Give Green campaign to raise money for the campus and students who attend the Island University. Left: Kellie Smith, Professional Assistant Professor for Communication and Media, displays her Go Blue Give Green banner on the door of her office.
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR ACHIEVE PARTNER
To learn more or become an Achieve Partner please visit achievepartnership.tamucc.edu
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campus
09.17.2015
ISLAND WAVES
W.O.W. helps students get connected by GERI LEMMONS staff writer
D
Photos by ELI BERKE Top: Members of the Anime Club proudly advertise their booth to students during the Org Fair in the Breezeway outside of the Mary and Jeff Bell Library. Above: Members of the Islander Cheer Team lead the crowd in some basic cheers during the annual President’s Picnic. This year’s picnic was held inside the newly renovated UC Lonestar Ballroom. Bottom left: A student helps attract other students to her club by offering flyers and candies. Bottom right: Sophomore Emalee Keim signs her name to be added to a mailing list for Student Volunteer Connection.
uring the first couple of weeks at Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi there have been different events held around campus to showcase various types of clubs and activities offered around the school. These events are all linked together and are part of Waves of Welcome. These events include Girls night out, Aloha Days, Presidents Picnic, Island Bash, and Up All Night. All of these events were put on by different organizations such as the Campus Activities Board, Islander Cultural Alliance and others. A committee decided upon all the dates for the events for the first two weeks of school. Assistant Director for Media and Special Events Amy Kotulski said that when the committee meets they propose dates and times of events different groups would like to host. “We make sure that no events overlap, and that there are hopefully multiple events a day,” Kotulski said. “We try to add new events each year, but have a few traditional events as well.” Three events that have done well so far are the President’s Picnic, Up All Night and the Islander Expo. The President’s Picnic drew in a large crowd this year and it was a success just like the previous years it was thrown. This year’s Islander Expo attracted 300 students this time around. The expo invited local business to come and show students what all they have to offer. One of the businesses that was there was the South Texas Botanical Gardens. They brought
different animals from several types of birds, bearded dragon, to even snakes. Another event that was a success was the Up All Night event. This event was held at the University Center and was put on by CAB and ICA. This event had different activities in different rooms featuring Henna tattoos, portrait drawings, karaoke and blow up slides. Senior Erin Spann, Campus Activities Board member and biomedical science major, said in the past CAB would do Up All Night as a homecoming event but they wanted to bring it back in a different way. They wanted to have it during the Waves of Welcome so that incoming freshmen and new students could come at the start to see what it is all about. “We partnered up this year with different organizations and one of the groups we partnered up with was ICA and they had the idea of bringing Henna,” Spann said. “The karaoke idea came about when we were thinking of different ideas that would be really fun. Karaoke is a big hit all around the world so we decided that it was a good idea to incorporate that idea.” Most of the events such as Up All Night were geared towards helping students find different things they can do around campus and different organizations that someone can join. The whole point of the Waves of Welcome at TAMUCC is to welcome students to the campus and show them what the school, different organizations, and different local business have to offer the students.
5
news
09.17.2015
ISLAND WAVES
Students clean up Island University
Photos by ELI BURKE
On Saturday, Sept. 5, Student Volunteer Connection offered students the chance to clean up and help beautify Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Above: Student participant picks trash out from between rocks. Right: Reed Horton helps lug heavy bags of garbage to trucks and cars to be hauled off to the dump Bottom Right: A group photo of all who helped to clean the beaches. Below: Students walk the length of the beach in search for trash to collect.
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campus
09.17.2015
ISLAND WAVES
Summer colors come to an end... or not
FASHION COLUMN by MYELEENA GONZALEZ contributing writer
S Photo courtesy of TARASEEWACK.COM
ummer is still in play, but it will be gone soon. Enjoy one’s self with all the half cut clothing, flip flops, shorts and training clothes because they will soon be extinct for the year. The fact that summer includes bright garments, calls out for white bottoms to match perfectly. Sad to say there is a fashion rule on no white bottoms after Labor Day. Fashion is not what magazines say, instead it is the persona one was born to be. So one can either follow what fashionistas wear or simply just take tips and create one’s own outfit. The word fashion has broad and various definitions, but it is created for one’s self. Take advantage of the bright colored clothing because the season of fall begins on Sept. 23 this year. Now, bright colors are not a definite no in the fall, but most people feel as if bright colors cannot be used. The fun thing about fashion is, matching does not have to be followed. Ladies and gentlemen, mix one’s colors as one pleases because the fashion world does not have to control everyone’s choices. If everyone followed what the expert fashionistas say, this world would be uniformed. Different aspiring individuals are what make this world unique especially with clothing trends that people set for themselves. It may seem obscured, but everyone has it within himself or herself to arrange different styles out of the ordinary garments to make one outstanding outfit. The mirror should always be one’s favorite object when it comes down
to clothing. A mirror reflects what it sees and shows one what must be changed. For example bright, summer solids go well with stripes and stripes match polka dots. Bright colors can be mixed within each other no matter how many different colors are within one’s outfit. Courage needs to be defined every morning because one should not be afraid of what people are going to say just because their attire is bombarded with a variety of patterns or colors. It may seem unnatural to just wear random garments, but do not be afraid. Personality is shown throughout what one wears. Colors can describe one’s mood on a particular day and one’s point of view on fashion. One should wake up in a great mood in the morning so one’s outfit can be spontaneous and out of the ordinary. Do not be afraid to take the word of fashion to another level. There is so many different types of outfits and they are all totally different from each other. There is the professional look that says, “I’m here for business, but I can be fashionably late.” The casual looks says, “I just feel like being normal today and I am not doing anything special anyway.” The workout look is what is very popular now days and that look says, “I am in college,” or “Comfortable is always better and I do workout.” There are countless other looks but it all depends on the particular individual and what occasion one is dressing for. Men and women have the same fashion levels even if one can not see it. Just know that fashion varies, there is no right or wrong.
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entertainment
09.17.2015
Bravo! series gets Double Sharp ISLAND WAVES
by MYELEENA GONZALEZ contributing writer
T
heatre is beautiful, romantic, tragic and comedic. Music and theatre tie so well together because the symphonies of each blend as one. Music is used in theatre as so is theatre used in music. Double Sharp piano duo is coming to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi as a free show open to the public. This concert combines amazing piano masterpieces and very detailed costumes will have audiences go through 19th Century Russia in the Soviet era. Double Sharp consists of two Russian pianists whose names are Natasha Marin and Maria Demina, as well their fashion designer Vera Chernova DeFehr. The audience’s journey will include a part of Gloria and Robert R. Furgason Bravo! Series. The show will take place on Monday, Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. Amy Jackson, sophomore nursing major, said she knew nothing about the show. “I’ve heard that it is definitely an extraordinary show,” Jackson said. “The fact that it includes no lyrical music is my favorite part. Piano has an amazing tune and the music is so fine and beautiful.” The concert consists of a one-hour long music program. The program will perform works composed by Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Arensky, Khacharturian, and Scriabin. Rare masterpieces written for two pianos will be played and an exciting high element of fashion will be distinguished. “The fact that the duo includes other concepts other than just
music caught my attention quickly,” Jackson said. “It made it interesting and made me curious of how the show will turn out.” Both Marin and Demina graduated from the St.Petersburg Conservatory. Double Sharp has won the Grand Prize at the Piano Regional Duo Competition and it regularly appears in live concerts nationwide and on the radio. They started winning grand prizes since their premiere performance in June of 2008 in Los Angeles at the Museum of Art’s Bing Theater, according to their website. Freshman and future director Ashley Patillo said she is majoring in theater arts with the focus on directing and acting and believes that this show is going to be one for the books. “The true beauty of music and theatre will be exposed and I know for a fact everyone will fall in love with their performance because I have heard terrific feedback on them,” Patillo said. “I find it so infatuating that they throw it back to the 19th Century and that audiences will be able to see music through my eyes after they realize how amazing it is.” “This piano duo is very famous throughout the nation so it is a privilege to be able to see them and for free. I would pay as much as it was to see them because I know for a fact I am not going to regret going to the concert,” says Patillo. If anyone is interested, some Upcoming Bravo! Series concerts for the 2015-2016 season are Michael Martin Murphey’s “Cowboy Christmas” on Monday, Dec. 7; “The Book of Goddesses” on Friday, Jan. 29, The Sacred Ensemble on Friday, Feb. 5, 2016.
Check Out Island Waves Online www.islandwavesnews.com Twitter: @IslandWavesToGo Issuu: issuu.com/IslandWaves
Photo courtesy of PAC.TAMUCC.EDU
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sports
ISLAND WAVES
SPORTS COLUMN
Injured players deserve better care, attention by ISSAC PAGE staff writer
09.17.2015
Islanders dominate first home series
S
ports have become larger than life and to some people a contest between two teams is more than just a game. There is a lot of time and money invested in sports these days. Essentially sports have become a business. When you throw money into the sports equation it creates grounds rich for scandal and corruption. So much so that it begs the question of whether or not enough is being done to protect the athletes. Whether you are a student athlete or a professional athlete who plays sports competitively, you have to ask yourself that question. Think about it the organization or school an athlete plays for wants them for what they can do for them on the field or hardwood. What is s going to happen if something happens to them and they cannot play? If an athlete gets injured the organization they play for cannot benefit from them which means that the team cannot vie for wins. Sometimes an athlete will get injured when the team needs them the most. That creates added pressure on the athlete. The athlete might feel like they will let their team down if they do not play and they might risk further injury by trying to play injured. Head injuries, specifically concussions, have become a hot topic today in the world of sports. Bernard Hicks, former football player at the University of California, Berkeley. During his tenure at the university he suffered from multiple concussions and now he is suing his alma mater with the claim that coaches and training staff did not warn him about the long-term neurological effects of head injuries. The coaches and training staff are supposed to be looking after these athletes and their interests, however sometimes it seems like they are doing the opposite. There are concussion protocols put into place to determine if players should or should not be inserted back into the game after they suffer a head injury, but at times those protocols seem flawed. For example Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors was kneed in the head during an important game in the NBA playoffs. He underwent the NBA concussion protocol and it was determined that he did not have a concussion because he was not showing concussion-like symptoms. Thompson was put back in the game and not too long after that he started bleeding from his right ear and he had to be pulled from the game again. He did not return to the game after that. After the game was over Thompson began to develop concussion-like symptoms. He began to suffer from dizziness and he even vomited. Both of those are classic examples of a concussion. The Warriors released a statement stating he did not have concussion-like symptoms at the time of the injury, and began to develop them after the game. It was just a way to exculpate them. They should have known better than to put him back into the game. When things like this happen to athletes who can be trusted? Who looks after them? Coaches and trainers are the people players are supposed to trust to have their backs.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball went undefeated during their weekend home opener at the Comfort Suites Islanders Classic with victories over Texas Southern and UT-Rio Grande Valley. Above: Madeleine Doud and Kristyn Nicholson combine for a block against Texas Southern. Left: Senior outside hitter Ivy Baresh sends a serve against UT-RGV. The Islanders swept the Vaqueros 3-0 both days of the Islander Classic. Below: Ivy Baresh, Hailey King and Kate Klepetka prepare for an oncoming serve from UT-Rio Grande Valley during the first day of the Islander Classic.
Photos by JAMIE FINK