Volume28issue23

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

IslandWavesNews.com

GOING GREEN

Student group plants community gardens

by MICHAEL BRODE • Page 4

News

SGA elects new senators for fall semester Page 3

Also

October 5, 2017 Volume 28, Issue 23

Opinions Page 2 Entertainment Page 9 Sports Page 12

2 Opinion STUDENT PUBLICATION OF TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITYCORPUS CHRISTI

10.05.2017

Guide to taking effective notes

Jonathan Forney @jb4nay

The content of college classes can pile up quickly. Here are a few tips to help organize that content and hopefully make college a little easier to manISLAND WAVES STI | ISLANDWAVESNEWS.COM | age.

VOLUME 26 ISSUE 20 | 08.27.15 IslandWavesNews.com • Determine a format: First and foremost, when Editor-in-Chief taking notes for a class, it’s imJONATHAN FORNEY portant to treat each course independently. Is it heavy on voWeb cabulary? Are there formulas GERI LEMMONS, editor and diagrams to remember?

The nature of the course Copy Editor determines if notes should be ILLI-ANNA MARTINEZ taken by hand or digitally, if that's an option for students.

Reporters This also depends on individCATHARINA GARRETT ual preferences and learning MICHAEL BRODE styles. For me personally, I ERIN NASH take most of my notes for my AMBER CASTILLO math and science-based classSAMUEL TRUJILLO es by hand and other subjects BREE ORTEGA such as history and English, I take notes on my laptop.

Layout There are a multitude opISABELLA MOON, tions out there for people who layout assistant want to do everything digitally.

They cater to multiple content Advertising formats such as Microsoft’s ALYSSIA CRAWFORD, OneNote, which allows for assistant typed notes, supports drawQUYNHCHI QUACH, ing on touchscreen devices assistant (which is good for formulas, Graduate Assistant equations, diagrams and more TAIWO AGBAJE, visually oriented material) and advertising manager a number of other input methods.

Faculty Adviser I’ve tried OneNote and I WENDY MOORE don’t think it was for me, but your mileage may vary. When ABOUT ISLAND WAVES I take digital notes, I like to Island Waves is a studentuse Evernote. It lets me attach produced publication at Texas files such as lecture PowerA&M University-Corpus Christi.

Points and PDFs right into the The newspaper is printed weekly, note I’m creating so I can refer except during summer sessions. back to it and annotate on the file directly. For others, just Any student or University emtyping their notes into a text ployee may submit material and editor like Microsoft Word is opinions for publication sufficient for their note taking consideration. To become a needs. I recommend trying contributor, e-mail or call the a handful alternatives to see Island Waves editor. which works best for you.

CONTACT US The way I see it, if a subject 6300 Ocean Drive is mostly words, I would preUnit 5783 fer to type my notes. If a subCorpus Christi, TX 78412 ject consists of tables, figures, (361) 825-5862 equations and other visual editor@tamucc.edu aids, I’d recommend handwritads@tamucc.edu ten notes. Writing these things

Photo by JONATHAN FORNEY

Whether hand-written or digital, taking good notes is essential to succeeding in college courses.

by hand allows students to interpret them however they see fit; making notes to themselves and highlighting points of emphasis.

• Establish a system: Once a format has been selected for your notes, you’ll want a consistent way to organize them. Some people who prefer handwritten notes like to use one or two multi-subject spiral notebooks. I prefer multiple single subject spirals. For some, notebook paper with the date is enough to help sort their notes. For others, it takes a binder full of highlighted pages and dividers. It really depends on the individual.

There’s no best way to make this decision and it varies person to person.

Digital notes can be a little more complicated. People can make folders on their computer if they save text files of their notes. Services like Evernote offer notebooks and tags to keep things organized. I like using the tag system, in particular.

I have tags such as “WIDK” (standing for what I don’t know), “exam prep” and other tags to designate assigned readings or certain subjects.

The downside of these specific tags is a need to update them

regularly to keep the system as fluid as possible. But these help ensure that what I need is up to date and where I expect it to be.

A good tool for keeping track of digital notes is search. Most services allow users to search for notes by title, content and attachments (files, photos, audio clips and more). Naming files in easily searchable terms can save a lot of time when exams roll around.

• Stick to your system: The most organized system isn’t worth much to someone if they don’t use it. Sticking to whichever system you decide on is key to its usefulness. Like I mentioned earlier, try a few methods and see what works best for you. Once you find it, be consistent.

I think consistency is the most important thing to remember about being organized, especially as a student. If you write notes, try to use similar headings and notation strategies throughout. This can mean underlining words with definitions or perhaps indenting bulleted lists by topic or idea. Establish something you can recognize quickly and reliably as you study to save time. The same applies to digital notes. Be consistent across subjects and between notes to help

organize your material. Save them in places that can be found easily and makes sense to you.

This seems to be where most people give up on taking an active role in their note taking.

It's hard to adjust to a new way of doing something. The same holds true with note taking. As students, we've gone through grade school taking notes a particular way. Making the switch is not something that comes easily, but I believe it's worth it. There's always a better way to do things. A more efficient and potentially better way to jot down and retain information. Only way to find out is by giving it a try.

I think it's important to give a system some time before giving up on it because there's a chance it may be what you needed all along. Or even if that isn't the case, a failed note taking system can show what doesn't work for an individual and guide them to something more suited to their habits and particular method of learning.

Taking good notes doesn’t have to be difficult and there’s no preferred way to do it. Take some time to see what works for you and go from there. Follow these tips and maybe it can make your college experience a little easier.

Campus 3

10.05.2017

SGA welcomes new senators CATHARINA GARRETT @imacat_moo

T

he Island University’s Student Government Association (SGA) held elections for vacant senator positions on Sept. 20 and Sept. 21.

Two graduate students, Olumide Adeoye and Maria Beauford, were elected to represent the College of Graduate Studies in SGA. Elections for SGA are held twice during the school year, where students vote for candidates based on their respective majors. Votes are taken through OrgSync or in person on the designated voting days. This semester the College of Graduate Studies was the only college with contesting candidates, meaning voting in the elections was exclusive to graduate students.

Alexis Richardson, senior biomedical science major and chief justice of SGA, said student participation is a vital key to SGA’s success. “[Without] elections or students interested in running,

then we [would] not have any representation for that college or department,” Richardson said. “The main point is to let everyone know that their voice can be heard.”

Maria Beauford, a graduate student and newly elected SGA senator, said she is excited to represent the College of Graduate Studies.

“Since I have never been a part of the SGA before I am a little nervous [as well], especially when you realize that you have been chosen to represent your classmates,” Beauford said. “I [want] to be the best representative I can be for the students I was elected to represent.”

Beauford said her involvement in SGA will help bring the concerns of her fellow graduate students to the forefront of the university administration.

“SGA is [a] platform for having the voices of students heard and for addressing issues that directly impact lives on campus,” Beauford said. “It’s [great] to give back to the com-

munity as a whole by providing an open dialogue between students and the administration.”

Adeoye, another graduate student who won a senator position under the College of Graduate Studies, said having the support of his fellow students reignited his passion to help others.

“I’m excited to render human services for the general well-being of the students,” Adeoye said. “I feel absolutely elated to hold this position and I look forward to an engaging legislative year.”

Adeoye said he wants to emphasize on the need for more diversity and inclusion while in office and champion student leadership and participation within the university.

“You may be doing yourself a lot of harm if you aren’t involved with your university,” Adeoye said. “I would encourage students to see SGA and other student organizations as a way to develop themselves for life outside the four walls of this university.”

Other elected senators included Emerald Rodriguez and Clayton Swift for the College of Business, Alexis Gordon for the College of Liberal Arts, Arturo Burgueno and Haylee Haire for freshmen and Katie Seabolt for athletics. Unlike the College of Graduate Studies, these senatorial positions did not have competing candidates for office. A swearing-in ceremony was held for the elected senators on Sept. 27.

Richardson said SGA’s main focus was to address issues brought by from the students and encourage for student involvement in the association.

Those elected to office will represent the students of their respective colleges and help achieve these goals.

“SGA is a very good way to help boost your resume, learn vital leadership, communication and team working skills,” Richardson said. “It is an honor and privilege to represent the voice of all students at this institution.”

SGA Elected Senators College of Graduate Studies

Maria Beauford Olumide Ayeode

College of Business

Emerald Rodriguez Clayton Swift

College of Liberal Arts

Alexis Gordon

Freshmen Senator

Arturo Burgueno Haylee Haire

Athletics Senator

Katie Seabolt

O N L I N E

Island Waves News .com

Hispanic Heritage Month is still in full effect at the Island University. Events are slated to continue until Oct. 15. Several events have been covered

by Island Waves and more are scheduled for coverage both in print and online.

Our now biweekly news recap show “The Riptide” and biweekly podcast “The Current” are back and episodes are being posted to IslandWavesNews.com as well as our social media accounts.

Keep an eye out to see what we’ve been covering and are looking ahead to on our site.

The Island Waves team has officially added two new members. Sam Trujillo and Bree Ortega join the roster of reporters. Readers can find stories from them and the rest of our staff in print and online.

Recently we held our first promotion of the year at a Coffee and a Paper event.

There was golden ticket hidden in one lucky newspaper we handed out. The winning ticket and hammock went to Levi Collingsworth. You can see a post from the event on our social media accounts. Be on the lookout for more promotional events in the future.

Coffee and a Paper will be held every Thursday.

More content is on the way from our contributing writers. More than we could fit into each print issue. This means that more stories will be going online first to get the news out as it happens.

Make it another great week, Islanders.

ON THE COVER:

PHOTO BY MICHAEL BRODE

CATHARINA GARRETT/Island Waves

Campus 5

10.05.2017

GET app streamlines student funds with ease

JONATHAN FORNEY

@jb4nay

An app for Android and iOS devices is gaining traction at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi as an alternative to physical “Sanddollar$” cards.

The GET Mobile app heads into its second year at the Island University. The app allows users to do several tasks in less time than ever before. The primary focus of service is to give students a better way to pay for things on campus.

“It’s an opportunity for students to use their mobile phones instead of having to pull out their cards,” director of university services Reginald Wade said. “We know mobile is all the rage now.”

Students can use the GET app to replace their student ID cards for places that accept both dining dollars and meal plan swipes. Users are also shown their

balances in real time and can access their transaction histories. There is also a map to find places on campus available for students to use their loaded balances, including the Cove in the University Center, or other restaurants on campus.

“Sanddollar$” and other balances can be found in the “Accounts” section of the GET app. Students and their parents can add funds to their accounts, dining plans and more.

“Parents can add money online, but they don’t actually have the GET app.”

Wade said.

These balances are available to students as long as they’re enrolled with the university. If they have a leftover balance after they graduate, they can request to have the funds returned to them and they’ll receive a check from the university.

In addition to financial purposes, the

app can be used to report lost or stolen student ID cards and act as a scan-able replacement for them. This means students can complete eligible purchases using their phones at the register.

“I’d like to see more students using the app instead of pulling out their cards,” Wade said. “You’ve got the tool right in your hand.”

The app’s interface has a clean and modern design. For privacy-sake, there are three ways for users to access their balances and funds. On supported devices, fingerprint recognition is an option to log into the app. Users can also set up a PIN or log into their university accounts with their respective username and password.

These features came as a pleasant surprise to senior electrical engineering major Pierry Louiz.

“That’s really cool, actually,” Louiz

said. “I didn’t even know we had that [the GET app].”

University services are spreading the word about GET Mobile to get more students to use it in various ways. There are flyers at select registers on campus.

Wade said this is advertising at the point of sale.

“We’ve got a marketing guy who promotes the app on screens we have around campus,” Wade said. “Dining is our partner in getting the word out. We do periodic pieces throughout the year promoting GET.” Usage figures were not immediately available for the app, but the increased promotional focus can help bring in more users to the service.

GET Mobile is available in the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store for free for those interested in checking out the service.

Educator uses food to talk about race, culture MICHAEL BRODE @michaelbrode

O

n Sept. 26, coordinator of student engagement Delaney Foster presented Beyond Taco Tuesday an event in a series titled Unschooled designed to help students understand racial, social and cultural identity.

The purpose of the event was to demonstrate how food could help break down walls and help people understand how and where certain aspects of racism in American society come from.

Foster said food allows students to receive a culturally immersive experience when they can’t afford to travel. However, she said she believes the point of seminars like Beyond Taco Tuesday is to examine the unseen biases in the world.

“Food makes social issues more accessible to people,” Foster said. “It’s really scary to talk about racism as an idea, but we can talk about food, we can start there.”

Foster’s speech highlighted multiple aspects of how food impacts our society. Large points covered included the implications of sugar on the slave trade, American perception of Asians and Asian foods, a rather extensive history of cheeses, the well-known American food pyramid and much more.

Foster said the event was more successful than many others and she knows the reason why.

“I think the attendance showed that

everybody likes talking about food,” Foster said. “I thought it would really interest people and it did because, let’s face it, we all like talking about things to eat.”

Foster conducts her seminars in a way she refers to as a “bookless book club.”

Understanding how many people want to gain knowledge but don’t want to do the research themselves, Foster said she fills the gaps. She dives into in-depth personal research and then presents it to groups for discussion and growth.

“It’s all the things you like about a class with no homework,” Foster said.

Senior criminal justice major Antonio Alvarez was one of the attendees of the event. He said by mixing deep and emotional topics with extensive history and facts, Foster’s speeches created an atmosphere that promoted a different level of understanding for students.

“Using food as a guiding mechanism to understanding our implicit cultural biases is an incredible move on Delaney’s part,” Alvarez said. “It definitely got me to the event and kept me there.”

Alvarez received extra credit from one of his professors for attending the seminar, something Foster said is a common thing for faculty on the Island to do.

The next event in this series will be on Oct. 16 and is called Beyond Ancestry. com. This event will explore how one’s lineage can impact their everyday life.

For more information, visit the Inclusive Islander Network’s website under engagement initiatives.

Courtesy of INCLUSIVE ISLANDER NETWORK

6 Campus

10.05.2017

Art center helps to keep art alive

CATHARINA GARRETT @imacat_moo

O

n Sept. 23 and Sept. 24, the Art Center of Corpus Christi held their second annual Arts Alive Festival.

The festival featured family activities, food trucks, art vendors and interactive art projects in woodturning, ceramics and tie-dying. The opportunities for creativity were around every corner, thanks to the participation of community artists and attendees.

Mayra Zamora, a youth art teacher and member of the Art Center, taught some of Family Art Time classes held throughout the weekend.

“I love working with families because they have the opportunity to bond with each other through the arts,” Zamora said.

“I absolutely love the idea of them leaving my classroom with a beautiful memory, with the hopes of them returning to the Center and other art events.”

Young festival attendees got to make tiedye heart prints in Family Art Time classes, which allowed them to bond with their parents by completing the task together.

“I love [educating] others about the

beauty of art and what the Art Center has to offer the community,” Zamora said. “I admire Diana Bluntzer [director of the Art Center] because she is forward thinking, and rather than [shutting] down the idea of the artist she finds a way to make [their] projects a reality.”

Matthew Ochoa, a sophomore business major at the Island University and festival attendee, said the experience was one he will never forget.

“A wood turner helped me make a pen,” Ochoa said. “Everyone was so friendly and willing to teach me new things.”

Ochoa said his mother was a local artist and a former teacher at the Art Center and helped him find an appreciation for art. He discovered the importance of creative expression.

“There was so much to do and I can’t believe I’d never been until this year,” Ochoa said. “Even though my girlfriend made me come, I ended up enjoying it way more than I thought I would.”

Zamora said the festival gave both experienced and inexperienced attendees the chance to learn about many artistic mediums and participate in the process

October

th 19

Photo by CATHARINA GARRETT/Island Waves

Children take part in a Family Art Time class during Arts Alive Festival.

directly “I absolutely look forward to Arts Alive because of how engaging it is to the public,” Zamora said. “It is an out-

standing event which I hope will only grow and more of the community will come in the following years. I loved everything about it.”

11-2pm East Lawn

Campus 7

10.05.2017

Hispanic icon showcased at heritage festival SAMI BREE ORTEGA Staff Writer

S

tudents and staff at the Island University took part in Hispanic Heritage Month by watching “Selena” the movie.

Students gathered on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. to watch the film. Postcards and emails were sent out to students to inform them of this event. Hispanic food and drinks were served to help enjoy the movie even further. Attendees found something to enjoy as they watched the film.

“My favorite part of the movie was when Chris and her just decided to get married without nobody’s [sic] opinions,” freshman psychology major Gabriele Sosa said. “That was sweet. I loved her music and all the outfits she wore during her performances.”

Selena Quintanilla, also known as the “Queen of Tejano Music,” was a Tejano singer who changed lives all over the world. Selena taught young Hispanic girls it was important to embrace their ethnicity.

“When you are Mexican-American

at that time, there wasn’t anyone who looked liked me,” English professor and event coordinator Andrea Montalvo-Hamid said. “For her, she was like us, and it was acceptable to have brown hair and sing in Spanish. When she was on stage she had that ‘it factor’ that everyone loved.”

Quintanilla first started her career with her family’s band at age 10. As years passed Quintanilla soon became popular with Tejano music fans and won many awards including Female Vocalist of the Year (1985-1986 and 1989-1997) and Female Entertainer of the Year (1988-1996) from the Tejano Music Awards.

“She made a huge impact on my life,” said freshman psychology major Giannina Reyna, “My parents would take me to dances to cumbia and dance to her music.”

As a female, it was hard to make it as a singer in the Tejano industry. With great help from her family, Quintanilla pushed Tejano music into mainstream awareness.

“Since I live here in Corpus and she

was from Corpus, I feel like I can do anything, too,” said freshman prenursing student Danielle Luna, “Every time I watch this movie, I feel like there is no limit to succeeding.”

In the film, Quintanilla said she felt on top of the world and anything was always possible.

“The movie really captured the essence of her, which is hard to do in a two hour film,” Montalvo-Hamid said.

After watching the Selena film during Hispanic Heritage Month, students of the Island University will know about her and her significance toward the making of Tejano music.

For those interested in watching the movie themselves, the movie “Selena,” staring Jennifer Lopez as Quintanilla is available for purchase at many stores locally. The movie is also available for download on iTunes.

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Photo by SAMI BREE ORTEGA/Island Waves

The Selena Statue stands overlooking the Gulf of Mexico on Ocean Drive as a tribute to the Tejano singer.

4 Campus

10.05.2017

Hispanic Heritage promotes literacy with Read-A-Thon SAMUEL TRUJILLO Staff Writer

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n Sept. 26, the Spanish department at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi hosted a Read-A-Thon as a part of the university’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.

The Read-A-Thon gave bilingual readers and writers the opportunity to share some of their favorite short stories. Both students and staff were welcomed on stage to recite excerpts of Spanish-American literature and shared what their Hispanic Heritage meant to them. The readings shared ranged from personal stories to also well-known Mexican folk tales each reader felt were special to them.

“We just wanted to give [students] the opportunity to come up and read whatever it is they wanted,” Spanish professor and event coordinator Melissa Galvan said.

The hour-long event drew crowds to the Faculty Center where listeners gathered around to hear what readers had to share. Since the floor was open to everyone who wanted to read, audience members were treated to a variety of content. Some guests at the event went in with a pretty good idea what they’d hear at the Read-A-Thon, while others had no clue what to expect.

“It’s not what I was expecting at all,” freshman electrical engineering major Julio Lopez said. “I was surprised

by how diverse and personal some of the stories were. To me, this is exactly what Hispanic Heritage Month is all about.”

In all, about 20 participants, including professors and students at the university, made their way up to the stage to share the pieces they chose. Readers graced their audiences with stories about what being Hispanic meant to them in both English and Spanish.

Others recited some of their favorite poetry or read something they wrote themselves.

For the most part, these stories focused on the pride Latino Americans feel for their heritage, while also highlighting the existing diversity seen within the Hispanic community in the

United States. Galvan said this was a theme that could be seen throughout many of the Hispanic Heritage Month events on the Island and around the country.

“That’s the most important thing; it’s all about celebrating diversity, culture and heritage,” Lopez said. “Hispanic Heritage Month gives us a platform to do just that and I’m glad I’m getting to be a part of some of that.”

The University will continue hosting their Hispanic Heritage Month events through Oct. 15. You can visit hispanicheritagemonth.tamucc.edu/ for a complete schedule of events and more info about what’s coming to the Island for the duration of the celebration.

Green team welcomes student gardeners

MICHAEL BRODE

@michaelbrode

T

he Islander Green Team at the Island University has worked for the past year to construct and manage the community gardens which are now open for all students to use.

The Green Team, branded as stewards of the environment, was founded a year ago by a group of students, including senior environmental science major Melissa Zamora. In 2016, Zamora pushed for a student organization to adopt the gardens then managed by the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi environmental council.

“As soon as I saw the garden space, I realized the soil needed to be amended,” Zamora said, “I don’t even know what they were doing before that.”

In the first year of being established, Zamora said the Green Team had a variety of challenges to tackle. One of these was the blue rubber mulch, made from shredded tires, which used to be the walkway material for the gardens. Last month, volunteers from the Green Team got together and removed the majority of this mulch as a unit.

“We said, ‘You know what? If we need to start it all over again then so be it,” Zamora said. “So that’s what we did.”

Zamora said the Green Team plans to fill the cleared space back in with crushed granite, wood mulch or soil and sod in order to “create a fully natural, organic garden that we can call ours and be proud of.”

Composting is one of the largest ventures Zamora and the Green Team have brought to the Island.

“The compost coincides with the garden in that it provides fertilizer and soil amendment and nutrients to the plants,” Zamora said.

She said the composting has allowed the plants to thrive in their garden boxes, giving many students and faculty access to fresh and local produce.

Composting on campus is a multistep process managed by students such as current Green Team president Stephanie Terry. Terry centers much of her focus on bringing in outside involvement and currently works with biology and engineering students on green power and research initiatives involving the Green Team’s compost bins.

“The garden is adopted by different students, organizations and faculty on campus,” Zamora said. “They do what they will with their own garden and their own veggies and herbs that they grow.”

A large initiative on the table for the Green Team in the near future is providing fresh produce to the newlyestablished Izzy’s Food Pantry, made available to students in need.

“It’d be really cool if it [the food pantry] were run by students, grown by students, for students,” Zamora said.

Much is in store for the Green Team in the future as they roll out their plans for inter-organizational efforts, food pantry supply and, hopefully, paid student worker positions.

“We’d like to get to the point to where we keep and manage the gardens so well that we get a wait list again so that we can build more of a want for more gardens on campus,” Zamora said. “We need to prove that we can manage the gardens well so that we can bring more gardens on campus.”

The Islander Green Team is avail-

able for contact through OrgSync or any representative of the team. The Green Team often sets up a display in the Breezeway in front of the Mary and Jeff Bell library.

To find out how to get involved, visit the Green Team’s website: islandergreen.tamucc.edu or visit their social media accounts for more information.

Photo by MICHAEL BRODE/Island Waves

Stephanie Terry, Green Team president, takes care of some of the plants in the Green Team’s gardens. After a year of construction and maintenance, the gardens are now open to all students.

8 Campus

10.05.2017

Personal skills group aims to help de-stress JULIA MAURER Contributing Writer

T

exas A&M University-Corpus Christi Islanders and the public have the opportunity to take a free two-month skills program at Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi.

Starting Sept. 26, the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology is offering a public eight-week free personal skills group on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). The sessions will take place on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in the Natural Resources Building. Participants must be 18 years old or older. The group helps participants cope with emotions such as stress and anxiety, while also teaching them mindfulness and how to improve relationships.

“Part of what we do with the DBT groups and what it’s foundation is, is the mindfulness and I know this could be helpful to students who are in their final years of graduating who are debating on going into higher education,” said Rachelle Morales, a Dialectical Behavioral Therapy facilitator.

DBT is a type of therapy used to help

Photo Courtesy of THE DEPARTMENT OF COUNSELING & EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

people build on their strengths and to control their emotions. The personal skills group is based on DBT and is used to

teach the skills for coping and controlling emotions.

“It is not a counseling group or therapy,

we are only teaching the skills,” said Dr. Yvonne Castillo, director of the Counseling and Training Clinic.

On Tuesday nights the group is offered in English and on Wednesday nights it is offered in Spanish. It is a free, confidential group and it is open to the public. The sessions are located in the Natural Resources Building at the Island University.

The group is intended to help members learn the skills to cope with negative emotions. It also helps members to practice mindfulness and teaches them how to improve their personal relationships.

The group is available to students and the public, and this is the first year it is taught in Spanish. This won’t be Morales first time working the Personal Skills Group, but it will be her first time teaching it in Spanish.

“I feel really privileged to be able to work with people who do have concerns and they’re willing to start somewhere in making a change in their lives,” Morales said. “So, being able not only to help them with that but being able to offer them a service here at the school which is free of cost, its part of what I do that I love doing.”

Paint U creates involvement AMBER CASTILLO @AmberCastillo27

I

slanders gathered together to dance the night away on Sept. 23 at the Paint U party hosted by the Campus Activities Board.

Paint U took place in the Curlew Plaza by the Islander Dining Hall from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. It was a night filled with dancing and paint flying from every direction.

The event was intended to take place back in Sept. 2, but due to Hurricane Harvey, the activities board managed to work a deal out with the Glow Rage company to ensure the students could enjoy their annual public event. All students of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi were welcome to attend.

“Campus Activities Board usually put on an annual event at the beginning of the semester and it’s called Up All Night,” activity coordinator Susan Latorre said.

“Last year we had done a foam party and the board wanted to do something different with still the same amount of high energy so we got with the Glow Rage company and they had mentioned Paint U to us and we thought it was great idea.”

Political science major and campus activities director Andrew Jones said the

event was a chance to not only come out and meet new people, but also to have fun and let loose with some good music and great people.

“We always try to come up with some new fun events that we think students would like to attend,” Jones said. “Last year we were really successful with the foam party so we thought the paint party would be just as fun for students to come out and have a good time.”

Freshman biology medical science major Dillyn King said he was excited to attend one of the first major events of the semester hosted by the Campus Activities Board.

“College so far has been a good experience for me,” King said. “Having events like these really allow us to branch out, especially if you are a freshman, because we are new here and this who experience is new to us. All the events that I have attended so far have not disappointed and I look forward to what the rest of the semester has in store.”

The Campus Activities Board will host several more events this semester in case you missed out on Paint U. For those who are interested, information can be found on their social media pages under Campus Activities Board TAMUCC.

10 Entertainment

10.05.2017

‘Kingsman 2’ shoots to top of Box Office ERIN NASH

@ErinJohnnae

ALBUM REVIEW

“K

ingsman: The Golden Circle,” is one movie that will keep the audience wanting more in the action packed, violence filled and action-comedy.

Sequel to the 2014 “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” which premiered Sept. 22, centers around the joint alliance of the Kingsman and their counterparts, the Statesmen in the United States. When the British headquarters are tragically destroyed, the widespread of disease increases amongst the world and are held hostage.

The cast choice proved to be perfect, not only because of the actors from the prequel, but the addition of other famous actors/actresses propelled the film even further. The film surpassed my expectations. Each actor/actress portrayed their character to the highest ability, so much so, it seemed each gesture, accent and action movement fit the detail of the characters.

Colin Firth playing the role of Harry, Taron Egerton as Eggsy, Mark Strong re-

prised Merlin, Edward Holcroft as Charlie and Sophie Cookson as Roxy reprised their roles from the previous film along with other top celebrities joining the cast.

The Statesmen proved to involve a worthy cast with comedic agent names.

Lead Statesman Champagne was a role fully taken on by Academy-Award winner Jeff Bridges, Channing Tatum as Tequila, Halle Berry as Ginger Ale, female opposite of Merlin of the Kingsman and Pedro Pascal, who also played Javier Peña in the Netflix series “Narcos,” playing both sides of Statesman and Poppy accomplice; Tequila. The main antagonist of the film, Poppy, is played by Academy-Award winner Julianne Moore.

Taking on the title from his mentor Harry, Galahad or Eggsy, is confronted and attacked by ex-Kingsman trainee Charlie, whose arm was detached and he lost his vocal chords during the Valentine

Photo courtesy of TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

The cast of ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ entice viewers to visit the theatre this month.

attack as in the prequel. As Eggsy is with his girlfriend Tilde, played by Hanna Alstrom, visiting her parents, the King and Queen of Sweden (played by Bjorn Granath and Lena Endre), missiles target and destroy Kingsman headquarters and almost all agents except for Eggsy and Merlin.

Surrounded by the pressures of relationship and being a Kingsman, Eggsy soon finds himself on the other side of the world siding with the U.S. to help save it from being held captive by a new

slow-killing poison in recreational drugs that can only be reversed by a known drug lord named Poppy.

This is a great film I would encourage people to see if you’re a fan of action movies with incredible graphics and creativity. From the production to the directing pioneered by the great writers of box office hits like: “X-Men: First Class,” “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” this film only made me want to purchase another ticket to watch it again.

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$8.50 LUNCH $9.50 DINNER

Entertainment 11

10.05.2017

University prepares for dance festival ANNA GUETTLER Contributing Writer

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tarting Sept. 29, Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi will host the 18th annual Bailando International Dance Festival in partnership with Corpus Christi Concert Ballet.

The dance festival began in September of 2000 and hosts works of dance performed by companies from all over North and South America. Both students from the Island University and members of the community are invited to participate in this weekend-long festival to learn more about this art form.

Bailando’s involvement helps to stimulate growth of the arts at the university and throughout the Coastal Bend, said Jilissa Cotton, the founder and coordinator of the event. The opportunities offered on campus and educational outreach program help to encourage young people to be more active and teaches them about some aspects of arts education.

“Texas A&M students that want to participate [in Bailando] get to take the classes for free, and I think that’s an amazing

opportunity and that’s for any A&M student on campus,” Cotten said. “Then, tickets to the concerts are $5 cash. I mean so we’re trying to make it extremely affordable and make it so that is not the reason to not be able to be a part and to enjoy it.”

Mariela Navarro, TAMU-CC Alumna and Bailando participant, said she enjoyed the community involvement during years of participation in Bailando.

“I think it definitely gives the community an opportunity to experience an art form in a way that they otherwise wouldn’t have an opportunity to,” Navarro said.

Navarro spent a lot of time with the dance community on campus and participated in the Bailando Dance Festival for four years.

“My favorite part [of Bailando] was that I had an opportunity to be absolutely immersed in every part of dancing like performing, taking classes, watching performances, and then listening to what, like, these professional choreographers and teachers have to say as adjudicators,” she said.

Cotten started this festival 18 years ago

Courtesy of TAMU-CC SAMC

in partnership with Nancy Sulik, the artistic director of the Corpus Christ Concert Ballet. Together, they created a festival

that promotes dance for both Islander students and members of this community.

People come from all over the state to watch these performances and to participate in these classes. “There’s something in it for everyone,” Cotten said.

This year’s Bailando Dance Festival will feature guest artists including Ad Deum Dance Company, Ballet Austin and Noblemotion Dance Artists. They will teach classes and performing at the Island University as well as encouraging community outreach.

“There’s so many things in every performance so like, you’re never bored and especially if you’ve never danced, I think it’s the best time to go and see all the different kinds of dance,” Navarro said.

“Why not do it for a weekend?”

During the Bailando Dance Festival there are a variety of experiences offered to university and members of the local community. There are three concerts and there are open-level classes that are offered for any level of dancer . All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

For tickets, show times or more information, visit ccbailando.com.

Poets promote Hispanic heritage and culture SAMUEL TRUJILLO Staff Writer

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n Sept. 21, the third annual Hispanic Heritage Poetry Reading took place in the Mary and Jeff Bell Library at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

Spectators gathered to watch poets Juan Perez and Dr. Javier Villarreal recite their selections of personal poems that they felt captured the spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month. Trisha Hernandez, one of the event’s organizers said a message of unity, acceptance and pride was the goal of the poems.

She said the Hispanic Heritage Poetry Photo by SAMUEL TRUJILLO/Island Waves Reading exposed students to new ideas Dr. Javier Villarreal recites his poem “Viva la Vida,” Villarreal was one of the two guest poets at and concepts, which was what Hispan- the Hispanic Heritage Month Poetry Reading. ic Heritage Month was all about.

“It’s a great way to bring attention to ceeded to read through his poems dealt with Mexican folklore, what it a minority group because it brings cus- which touched on his childhood, fam- meant to be Mexican-American and toms, traditions and norms into focus, ily and Mexican culture. He said the what it was like to be rejected by which is important to me,” Villarreal poem he was most excited to recite American culture. said. was one called “Viva la Vida.”

After Villarreal’s final address The event started off with an in“I like this one because I put myself wrapped up, Perez took the stage with troduction by Villarreal, where he into my mother’s shoes and explain an uncensored message of brotherly explained what the poems he chose why she’s just happy despite the state love. Perez’s poems were more on the meant to him and how they related that she’s in,” Villarreal said. political side as they dealt with topto his Hispanic heritage. He then proSome of the other poems he recited ics such as President Donald Trump,

Mexican rights and lack of societal ac ceptance. Perez said he was especially passionate about Latino-American rights and how it all started when he was growing up .

“They would treat [all Mexican Americans] the same,” Perez said “The things that I’ve seen drive me.”

All of Perez’s poems were written within the past year and really grabbed the crowd’s attention with their con troversial messages. Perez said his goal was to use historically prejudiced phrases ironically to spread a message of brotherly love.

When asked about what she though this poetry reading represented, Her nandez, said the event celebrated both her culture and her heritage.

The university will continue host ing their Hispanic Heritage Month events through Oct. 15. You can visi hispanicheritagemonth.tamucc.edu for a complete schedule of events and more information about what’s com ing to the Island University.

For more information on the work of Dr. Villarreal and Perez from the event, visit the website of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s College o Liberal Arts.

12 SPORTS

10.05.2017

High school volleyball star shines at Island AMBER CASTILLO @AmberCastillo27

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or junior defensive specialist Madison Woods, volleyball has always been a huge part of life. She has been playing the sport for nearly a decade.

The 20-year-old was born in San Antonio, Texas where she attended Tom C. Clark High School and was a four-year letter winner. She graduated high school in 2015 and thought she had everything figured out when she previously committed to attending New Mexico State. It wasn’t until she realized she wanted to stay a little bit closer to home when she discovered Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Woods first began playing volleyball back when she was just 10 years old. She always knew from the start of her young career that the sport would be something more than just an after-school activity.

“I knew at the age of 14 that I was going to be a college volleyball player,”

Woods said. “I worked hard and was in club teams to make it happen.”

When Woods decided she no longer wanted to go to New Mexico, she decommitted and consulted Morgan Williams, someone who she played club volleyball with. Williams was already committed to the Islanders so she recommended Woods to check out the team and university.

“When I came to visit the campus, I absolutely fell in love,” Woods said. “I knew right then in that moment that I wanted to play for the Islanders, plus it would be closer to home.”

Coming to the Island was not so difficult for Woods because not only was she close to her family, but she would be playing with Williams once she got there.

“Being able to play with Madi is great,” Williams said. “She is so athletic and gets the team hyped up with her energy. I’m glad that we were actually able to get to play on the same team.”

Woods had been a star volleyball play-

er since high school. She led her team, the Cougars, in second place at district and landed them a spot in regional finals during her senior season. In her final two seasons as a high Courtesy of GOISLANDERS.COM school athlete, she helped the Cougars to a 62-26 record, which included a 36-11 record during her senior season. During her final season she registered 838 digs to go along with 46 aces.

Woods was first-team all area while also being named to the Texas All-State Team and All-Star Blue team during her senior year.

Woods showed how much she wanted to be a college volleyball player in high

school and continued to prove she was college-level material.

In 2016, Woods played defensive specialist for 29 matches, she recorded a career high of 251 digs on the year, added 10 aces on the service line and helped the Islanders to a second consecutive Southland Conference Championship and NCAA Tournament.

The Islanders are very familiar with each other this year. A significant portion of the roster is comprised of returning players.

“We have half returners this year, so the chemistry is great because we all know how we play,” Woods said. “The freshmen have also meshed really well with us as well so I’m excited to see how the rest of the season goes.”

The Islanders volleyball season is already initiated. Fans can come out and support Woods and the team at the home games at the Dugan Wellness Center. For more information visit goislanders.com.