Beautiful inside and out
Grounds personnel take care of more than upkeep
photo by Isaac Page
Texas North All-Stars win see on page 8
Mary Poppins play review
photo by Amber Quaid
photo courtesy of tamucc.edu
by GERI LEMMONS feature reporter Grounds personnel help with all of the important upkeep that takes place around campus. They do a job that not only deals with keeping the campus clean but also they deal with the plants and the animals they come in contact with at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi. The grounds personnel are a part of what keeps the school running. Grounds personnel’s jobs are to make surethecampusstayscleanbypickingup all of the trash that is left on campus and taking care of the lawn. However they also take care of the recycling program, the plants, the grass, road repair, sign repair,andareinchargeof moving allof the furnitureoncampus.Theytakecareof all of the little things that most would not
even think about from day to day. With a job that requires up-keep of the campus area, the ground personnel is there to get the job done quickly and easily. JohnSanchez,thegroundssupervisor atTexasA&MUniversity-CorpusChristi, said his job starts in the morning with first taking care and feeding the cats and then with helping all of the volunteers that lend their time in the morning. “After I am finished with taking care of all of the morning chores I do, I then start with the many things I have to do to makesurethatthecampushasitsregular up keep every day,” he said. When Sanchez first started working at the Island University there was an issue between the school and Sanchez and his team that resulted in them leaving the school to work for a company that was outside of the University. However after much negotia-
tion, Sanchez and his team came back to work for the school and has been a partnership that has worked together for a long time. He has now been helping out for more than eight years. Keeping the campus clean while also keeping it vermin free is the double job that the grounds personnel have to do on a daily basis. One of the good programs that the grounds personnel are responsible for is the recycling program. It is said to be very efficient and helpful. This program has been the thing that has kept the campus clean and eco-friendly. Another thing that the grounds personnel does is keep Texas A&MCorpus Christi vermin free. Any animal that would be considered an unwelcome guest are captured, see GROUNDS on page 3
Women of History: Ida B. Wells
see on page 5
photo courtesy flickr.com
Online Briefs
I
f you are hungry for more stories be sure to check out IslandWavesNews.com this week.
Here are a few stories online that are available: -Video Game Violence opinion by Josef Dean -Seinfeld preview by Jesse DeLeon -Female Armpit Hair opinion by Cyma Mayes -American Immigration Nightmare by Isaac Page.
An African-American, a journalist, an activist, a suffragist by JAMIE FINK web editor
I
n the past couple of weeks, months even, there has been a lot of talk about women in power and women who have changed the world. Women are finally getting the recognition for their advancements and courage. In just a few short years, we will
INDEX OPINION 2 | NEWS 3
see our first woman on the $10 bill. The beginning of women’s history month corresponds with our first woman of history segment. On her 153rd birthday, she was honored with her very own Google Doodle. She was described as an African-American, a journalist, an activist and a suffragist, just to name a few. Google CAMPUS 4
described her as “fearless and uncompromising,” this is referring to Ida B. Wells. Huffington Post described Wells as a “fearless journalist and all-round badass.” According to her Google Doodle, Wells was a voracious reader, a gifted writer and orator. see WELLS on page 3
ENTERTAINMENT 5 | SPORTS 7-8 |
photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org
VOLUME 26, ISSUE 18
2
opinion
07.23.2015
ISLAND WAVES
“At one point yesterday, the hashtag #PrimeDayFail trended above the #PrimeDay hashtag” -Forbes
a student publication of
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
island waves staff AMBER QUAID
managing editor
“Reading tweets about #PrimeDayFails is more exciting than #PrimeDay itself” -Steve Tanner
JAMIE FINK web editor
KELSEY FLORES copy editor
“2 hours 53 minutes and 47 seconds until that 48-pack of toilet paper is mine! #PrimeDayFail”Aleksandra Stone
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“Feels like #PrimeDay is a Goodwill Outlet store in the Cloud, only I have to wait 2 days for shipping. #PrimeDayFail” -Julie Riley
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contact us 6300 Ocean Drive Unit 5783 Corpus Christi, TX 78412 (361) 825-5862 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.
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photos courtesy of twitter.com
by AMBER QUAID managing editor
A
mazon.com, a global giant in online ordering, has just gone through its first Prime day on July 15. Amazon’s Prime Day has been equated to an online Black Friday or cyber Monday, which is a close description in my book. I do not feel that prime day is a great deal nor do I understand why people were so excited about this day. I love to get discounts and bargains and hunt the Internet for the best deals daily but why do we need a day that designates when the deals are? It is a gimmick. Understand that as I am conveying my opinion that I am an Amazon Prime user. According to Time.com “while not all customers were pleased with the deals, Amazon sure was,” and this was because “order growth worldwide was up 266 percent over the same day in 2014. Sales rose 18 percent above Black Friday 2014, the company’s previously biggest event of its type.” Like I said this was a gimmick not only to get more money on that single day, but to also get more people to buy Prime accounts. In February of this year the USA Today stated “that puts membership at almost 40 million” (talking about Amazon Prime accounts). Though a fourth of those were reported to be free trail membership accounts, Amazon Prime still has a large audience to attract to a paying account because only 45 percent of Amazon accounts have Prime. It was shown that Ama-
zon Prime users are more likely to shop exclusively on Amazon for this reason and shop more often because of the “discount” that Amazon offers with “free” shipping. Wal-Mart got in on the gimmick with their discounts and deals of their own and called it “Rollback Day,” beating Amazon (even with free shipping) on many deals. The reason all this began was a promotional celebration of Amazon’s 20th Anniversary. I figured that after 20 years of making a profit on their customers they would actually give them a deal they wanted. This was not the case in most situations. Amazon Prime user, Roy Buckingham, tweeted “A Diane Keaton T-Shirt, with a 5 pack of brass knuckles AND ham?!?! DREAMS CAN COME TRUE” and attached the #PrimeDayFail. Twitter user @Tannerman said “Reading tweets about #PrimeDayFail is more exciting than #PrimeDay itself.” According to BGR.com “customers ordered an estimated 34.4 million items on the day, which is a truly remarkable number given how much people complained about the quality of the items on sale.” The deals on Amazon Prime may have been a success for some due to the volume of merchandise sold. According to Amazon.com members ordered tens of thousands of Fire TV Sticks in one hour, making it the fastest-selling deal on an Amazon device ever. The fire tablet sales on Amazon exceeded sales on Black Friday of last year. Members ordered thousands of e-readers and thousands of Echos in just
15 minutes. Customers also ordered 56,000 “Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy” sets, 47,000 Televisions sold, which was 1,300 percent year-over-year growth, 51,000 Bose Headphones (compared to eight the previous Wednesday), 14,000 iRobot Roomba 595 Pet Vacuum Cleaning Robots (compared to 1 the previous Wednesday), and 12,000 Fifty Shades of Grey Unrated Edition on Blu-ray (compared to 121 the previous
Wednesday). So for those Amazon Prime users who got their deals I hope the item becomes of great use to his/her everyday life. For me this will be a day like any other and if I happen to find a deal on something I was purchasing anyway, bonus points. Amazon Prime Day is a gimmick so do not buy into the hype. I’m not saying do not shop on Amazon, I’m just saying do it on your terms, not theirs.
3
news
07.23.2015
ISLAND WAVES
“Change is never easy, you fight to hold on, and you fight to let go”
“One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap”
-Ida B. Wells a suffragist
-Ida B. Wells an activist screenshot courtesy from Google.com
WELLS continued from page 1 Sweetness was simply not her style. Fearless and uncompromising, she was a fierce opponent of segregation and wrote prolifically on the civil injustices that beleaguered her world. “She is probably best known for the suffragist parade on the eve of Woodrow Wilson’s inaugural about 100 years ago,” said Department of Communication chair Amy Aldridge Sanford. “Alice Paul, a white suffragist, told Wells that she had to march at the back of the parade with the other black women. Wells wanted to march with all of the other women from the Illinois delegation. So during the middle of the parade, she just marched up and joined the white women from Illinois.” By her mid-20s, Wells was the editor of the Memphis-based Free Speech and Headlight, were she
continued to be the brutally honest young woman looking to battle inequality even after her printing press was demolished by mobs who opposed her message. “She called out injustices at any costs,” Aldridge Sanford said. “She did bold things like that all the time with no apologies whatsoever.” Wells’ journalistic days did not stop there, however. Wells became the first female African American journalist in the United States when she became a paid correspondent for the Daily Inter Ocean, which was depicted in the Google Doodle. Wells later became full control of the Chicago Conservator. Wells’ advancements for equality began at a young age. Seventy years before Rosa Parks would refuse to give up her seat on an Alabama bus, Wells would already have been thrown off of a train for refusing to give up her seat for a white male. Wells recorded the encounter in
GROUNDS continued from page 1 animal control is called to come take care of the problem and help get rid of whatever animal is causing trouble on campus. At the same time, grounds personnel also takes care of the animals that have been allowed to
be here, such as the cats. They feed, trap, take the cats to the vet, and raise money for them. They even have to do the hard job of taking some animals and having to put them down if they cause any harm to anyone while at the school.
photo courtesy of TAMUCC Flickr
her writing, stating that it took the conductor, the baggageman and another man to succesfully drag her out of the seat. Wells lived in Chicago for the majority of her life. Chicago is where she met the father and husband of her four children. Even after her marriage, Wells continued her strong-willed fight for equality as she insisted on keeping her own
“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them” -Ida B. Wells a journalist
last name, becoming Ida WellsBarnett -a radical move for the time period. Chicago would also be where Wells would die in 1931 due to kidney failure at the age of 68. Google said it best, “We salute Ida B. Wells…for her journalistic mettle and her unequivocal commitment to the advancement of civil liberties.” In the following month, our Island Waves reporters will be writing a column diving into our unique history and discovering how our world has changed for the better. We will be doing this by exploring the women who have helped change the history and tradition of our country by breaking the norm, and changing the way men perceived the job of women to be. This special edition will be in the second edition of every month during the 20152016 academic year, leading up to Women’s History Month.
4
campus
07.23.2015
Cats kept safe thanks to volunteers
ISLAND WAVES
by GERI LEMMONS feature Reporter
A
t Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi the grounds personnel take care of the many animals that come in contact with the school, from foxes, skunks and even cats. Yes, they really take care of the cats. They make sure having the cats on campus is not only safe for them but also safe for students and faculty. The grounds personnel make sure that the campus feels like a home away from home for the cats. The cats are fed, neutered and are up to date on their shots. The grounds personnel and volunteers make sure the cats are safe from the other animals that might cause harm. John Sanchez, the grounds keeper supervisor, said when he first got here there where skunks, foxes, raccoons, possums and many other animals on campus. “I think that people forgot that this was at first the place that animals called home and now it is a place that is inhabited with humans,” Sanchez said. “But over the eight years there has been a total of 154 cats that have been here on campus but some have had to be put down over the years.” Over time one of the biggest prob-
lems has been trying to make sure the cats that come in are fed, do not have rabies, and that there is enough funding for the cats to be taken care of. Students and other people living in the area donate their money and time to help the grounds personnel take care of the cats in the morning. Student volunteers dedicate about 90 minutes of their morning to come and help feed the cats and take care of their needs for the day. In total there are about 50 cats are recorded to live on the campus. Most stay around the library area is where they will get fed. Most cats that live here have a life span of about five years. The school started its program in July 2009, about nine months after the city began capturing feral cats. “There are feral cats all over the city, but it’s less of an issue here because of the program we have,” said 2010 University spokesman, Marshall Collins, said. Another big issue that used to exist was that the higher management did not like the cats being on campus because they thought that the cats would bring in rabies and other unwanted effects. At one point the funding to take care of the cats was lost, but thanks to donations and volunteer work they are able to keep up with the demand.
photo by AMBER QUAID
One of they many cats the grounds personnel take care of. The cats are fed, neutered and are up to date on their shots.
The majority of the cat population comes from students who live on campus, students who have graduated but for some reason were unable to keep their cats, or people who live in the area and who want to leave their cat in a place where they know they will be taken care of. Keep in mind that every day the grounds personnel are always looking for people who want to volunteer to
help out with the cats. However students must remember that when it comes to the other animals, such as skunks, foxes, raccoons, possums, animal control takes care of them if any issues should arise. For more information about the grounds personnel or to volunteer to help with the cats go online to physicalplant.tamucc.edu or call them at 825-2328.
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5
entertainment
07.23.2015
ISLAND WAVES
Play Review
by AMBER QUAID managing editor
S
upercalifragilisticexpialidocious is the only way to describe the newest musical at the Harbor Playhouse. On July 10 the playhouse opened their stage to the Broadway musical “Mary Poppins.” his American musical fantasy brings the story of a household where the father is too busy for family due to his job, the wife has had a status in society change, and the kids are running wild around because of the lack of supervision. That is until there is a change in the wind and Mary Poppins comes along. “A carpetbag, a parrot head umbrella, and a change in the wind can only mean one thing, Mary Poppins,” said Emily Sarah Moore, director. “Mary teaches us that anything can happen if we just get out of our own way and that is what we have tried to do with this production.” The five time Oscar Award winning production of “Mary Poppins” has been turned into a Broadway musical and brought to the Harbor Playhouse stage. Through the direction of Emily Sarah Moore the show filled the house opening night. The show had some minor changes from the original book and movie edition to make it suitable for the stage but still kept all the magic and wonder of the original production.
T
“I love the way they sing, the whole choreography, the energy,” said San Antonio resident Alma Sherrill. The show consists of two acts and has a 15-minute intermission in between. In act I there are scenes such as “Jolly Holiday” and “A Spoonful of Sugar.” During the intermission there is a lounge to stretch ones legs and a concession stand to curb peoples thirst or appetite. In act II there are scenes such as “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” and “Step in Time.” Throughout the musical there is a man behind the scenes making sure all the music and performance go smoothly. This man is Eli Gonzalez and he making his music director debut with “Mary Poppins.” Gonzalez is a sophomore vo-
cal music major at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and has been involved at the Harbor Playhouse for the past five years. In addition to Gonzalez there is another university student in the production, Sabrina Salizar. She plays the role of Queen Victoria as well a as chimney sweep. The whole cast and crew consists of more than 60 people in total. “I feel so honored to have worked with this amazing cast and production team,” said Gonzalez of his directorial debut. “I was terrified when I started because I had never music directed on my own before. The amount of professionalism and patience they showed me made me feel like I was doing something
photos by Amber Quaid
TOP: The whole new Broadway experience of “Mary Poppins” are captured through excellent performance, costumes and choreography. LEFT: Bert (played by Peter Howard) adds an extra zing to the song “It’s a Jolly Holdiay” with an eyecatching suit and choreography. ABOVE: Mrs. Corry’s talk shop is full of conversation and leads into the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious song and dance number. RIGHT: Mary Poppins (played by Lauren Moore) gives Jane Banks (played by Cara DeGaish) a spoonful of sugar during the musical number to help clean up the mess.
right. I felt right at home doing what I love. I am so proud of this production. I will never forget this experience.” The show will continue until Aug. 16 with performances on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday and Saturday performances start at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday performances begin at 2:30 p.m. Tickets can be ordered in advance and are sold at the box office. “The show is incredible,” said Sherrill. The Harbor Playhouse,,annually, hasmore than 700 volunteers, actors, technicians and support staff that give their time.For more information go online to www.harborplayhouse.com or call them at 888-7469.
6
entertainment
07.23.2015
ISLAND WAVES
photo courtesy of deviantart.com
by JOSEF DEAN contributing writer
O
n June 1, PC gamers got a chance to play as a genocidal sociopath in the Adult-Only (AO) rated twin-stick shooter, “Hatred.” There was significant media furor before the game’s release. Game reviews were bursting at the seams with bloviated self-righteousness that one would assume the Polish indie title had set a new record for depicting wanton pixelated violence. It does not, and if it were not for the game’s premise it would have quickly been relegated to bargain bin status. As game critic TotalBiscuit put it in his video review of the game, “I’ve seen more brutal stuff in ‘Game of Thrones,’ I’ve seen more brutal stuff in ‘Mortal Combat,’ I’ve seen more brutal stuff in [‘Grand Theft Auto’]… Hell I’ve seen more brutal stuff in ‘Splatter House.’” The violence may look shocking to those who do not play many video games but it is actually very tame – bland even. And while many selfstyled “progressive” gaming sites such as Polygon were quick to claim this was a step back for gaming. Is it really? While the premise is disturbing, in the end players are just shooting cardboard cut outs in a surprisingly mild manner. John Walker said as much in his negative review for RockPaperShotgun.com though he still could not resist insulting supporters of the game throughout his shoddily constructed piece, calling them “jejune” in his opening sentence. Still, for some – brutal violence or lack thereof aside – “Hatred” represents a red line that must not be crossed. One Steam forum user (a digital game distributor for Windows, Mac and Linux) felt the need to ask for the game’s removal from Steam’s library in a post on the community forums. “This game should not be on Steam nor any other serious platform. You
have heard of Anders Breivik, […]? I’m feeling very uncomfortable about this. Please remove this game from Steam. Sometimes, there are red lines which just must not be crossed, disregarding formal legal stuff which might allow it or not. Please have some dignity.” And there is the crux of the issue some people have with the game. Anders Breivik was a Norwegian nationalist. In a brutal terrorist act in 2011 he killed eight people in the bombing of a government building in Oslo and later shot and killed 69 more people at a political recruitment event according to the U.K. publication The Guardian. In “Hatred” the gamer plays as a sociopathic mass-murderer… throughout the game the player will mow down hundreds of innocent civilians and police officers until finally the U.S. military has to intervene. The argument that this game could inspire such acts in real life hinges on the idea that the game itself elicits some sort of emotional response from the senseless violence, which it does not. As TotalBiscuit puts it, “this mass slaughter isn’t effectual [at eliciting a reaction] in any way. To me it doesn’t matter that they’re innocent people, they’re innocent pixels.” In essence players are just killing pixels on a screen for points. Players have been dismembering their opponents in video games for years and trying to link video games to violence is nothing new. The popular PC game “Doom” was blamed for the Columbine shootings. By today’s standards its archaic design and Stone Age graphics would never be mistaken for a murder simulator. Gaming machines have only been getting stronger and gamers are used to seeing blood, gore and viscera flying everywhere in glorious HD. If “Doom” inspired violence with its paltry attempt at simulating violent spectacle logic would indicate that today – where ripping people’s limbs off in vivid detail is common
place – violence would have gone up. But it has not instead it has gone down. Violent crime across America has gone done drastically over the past 20 years, but “perceptions haven’t caught up to the decline of crime” as the New York Times put it in an article sharing the same name. Gun violence is on the downswing. Mass shootings, according to data compiled from police reports and the
FBI by criminologist professor, James Alan Fox, have remained stable. While not ideal it certainly does not support the idea that violence in video games, which is ever becoming more graphic, incites barbaric behavior in real life. That does not stop the media however from looking at what video games mass shooters used to play and the attempt to find some cause other than individual choice.
7 Islanders reflect on attending World Cup sports
07.23.2015
ISLAND WAVES
by ISAAC PAGE contributing writer
I
Photos courtesy of twitter.com
n recent light of the United States women’s national soccer team winning the 2015 World Cup, we at Islander Waves took it upon ourselves to interview the head coach and a member of the Islanders women’s soccer team. Shanna Caldwell is the head coach of the Islanders women’s soccer team and she attended the World Cup Final against Japan on July 5 at BC Place in Vancouver British, Columbia. “It was an amazing atmosphere, the fans took over all of Granville Street [major street in Vancouver, British Columbia] and for about a half a mile it was just a wave of the American Outlaws [fan club of the U.S. men’s and women’s national soccer team] and just every fan there was just marching into the stadium,” Caldwell said. “Almost 53,000 people just cheering and going crazy for the U.S. was pretty cool.” Jessica Berdan, a junior and defender for the Islanders women’s soccer team, reflected on what it was like to attend the United States vs. China quarter-final at Landsdowne Stadium in Ottawa at the World Cup. She comes from what she describes as a “huge soccer family” and she’s been
playing soccer since age 4. “Being at a game in person is totally different than just watching it on TV, in my opinion,” Berdan said. “You’re surrounded by so many people that just are so into the game and it’s just a different atmosphere.” The women’s victory brings a lot of exposure to the U.S. women’s national team. The 2015 Women’s World Cup Final was the most-watched soccer game in United States history and with their victory over Japan; they became the most-successful country to ever play in the World Cup, having won their third title. “A lot of people used to watch just the men’s team and the men’s sports,” Berdan said. “So with the girls performing the way that they did and coming out [and] getting their third star on their jersey, I just think that says a lot for women’s sports just around the world. It brings a lot of attention to the U.S.” Caldwell said the win was not just exciting for women in the sport. “I think also it got a lot more youth girls more involved, but it also exposed young boys to how great the game of soccer is,” she said. “Whether it’s men or women, I think they have a lot of new fans on both sides, young boys and young girls.”
TOP: USA members Megan Rapinoe (15) and Julie Johnston (19) celebrate with team captain Carli Lloyd after the U.S. defeated Colombia enroute to the 2015 FIFA championship. LEFT:Jessica Berdan, a junior and defender for the Islanders women’s soccer team, attended the United States vs. China quarter-final at Landsdowne Stadium in Ottawa at the World Cup.
8
sports
07.23.2015
ISLAND WAVES
Whataburger Field hosts All-Star Game,
HOOKS WELL REPRESENTED
photos by ISAAC PAGE
Both teams, coaches and umpires stand and salute the American flag during opening ceremonies at the All-Star game at Whataburger Field on June 30.
Balbino Fuenmayor is ready to tag out runner on first during the All-Star game.
During the homerun derby the teams coaches pitched to the players.
by ISAAC PAGE contributing writer
J
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une 30 marked the 79th annual Texas League All-Star Game, which showcased the talents of the most outstanding players thus far into the 2015 season in an exhibition game between the Texas North All-Stars and the Texas South All-Stars. The venue was Whataburger Field, home to the Corpus Christi Hooks. The Hooks were well represented for the game with seven of their players earning a selection and two of them starting for the Texas South All-Stars. The starting pitcher for the Texas South All-Stars was the Hooks’ very own Chris Devenski, a 24-yearold up-and-coming right-handed pitcher with a 7-1 record and a 1.16 earned run average. “It’s exciting, man. First time in pro-ball starting [an all-star game],” Devenski said. “I had a little jitters when I woke up, but you know, as the day went on, it’s coming to grasp what’s going to happen and I’m pumped and I’m excited to go.” Chris Devenski went on to start, pitching two perfect innings, striking out two batters, and not allowing any hits, runs or walks. First baseman Conrad Gregor was the other Hooks representative start-
ing for the Texas South All-Stars. “Just to be representing the Hooks in an all-star game is an honor,” Gregor said. “To be starting along Chris Devenski as the lone Hooks starting [an] all-star game is just quite the honor and humbling and I’m real excited to be able to go out there and play for the hometown Hooks tonight.” Before the All-Star Game commenced, there was the Home Run Derby, in which another Hooks AllStar, Tyler White, participated. “I’m just here to enjoy the moment, just have a good time, get to meet all the guys, and it’s an honor to be selected for the Derby and the All-Star Game,” White said. “So I’m just trying to have a good time and come out here and not really put any expectations on it, just tryin’ to have fun, and go out here and do my best.” White went on to dazzle fans and players alike en route to winning the Home Run Derby. The All-Star game was hotly contested until the eighth inning when Jorge Bonifacio of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals hit a solo home run, breaking a 4-4 tie. The Texas North All-Stars went on to tally on four more runs for insurance and defeat the Texas South All-Stars by a score of 9-4 in front of 7,370 spectators.
“Just to be re p re s e n t i n g the Hooks in an all-star game is an honor” -First baseman Conrad Gregor