February 19, 2015

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UNIVERSITY PRESS A THIRTEEN-TIME ASSOCIATED PRESS MANAGING EDITORS AWARD WINNER

The Newspaper of Lamar University Vol. 91, No. 16

Thursday, February 19, 2015

LU sets record in spring enrollment, credit hours KRISTEN STUCK UP MANAGING EDITOR @kristenstuck Lamar University released its official Spring 2015 enrollment figures Tuesday. In spring 2014, Lamar saw recordbreaking credit hours, and the secondhighest head count for a spring semester. This semester, Lamar saw an even greater turnout, with both credit hours and head count reaching spring records with 149,369 credit hours and

14,052 students enrolled. “Both of these are all-time Lamar spring enrollment records going back to 1923, so we’re really excited about that,” Kevin Smith, LU senior associate provost, said in a phone interview. Lamar is up 4.58 percent in head count and 2.03 percent in credit hours compared to last spring according to Smith. “We are up this spring with 14,052 students enrolled compared to last spring’s 13,437 students,” Smith said. Most of the growth that the

spring semester holds is in the Science Technology Engineering an Mathematics (STEM) fields. Head count growth in the master’s in computer science program was noteworthy, up 95 students, or 170 percent. Social work and criminal justice was up 67 students, or 10 percent, counseling and special populations was up 206 students, or 17 percent, and the engineering fields grew 380 students, or 23 percent, Smith stated in a press release. “Most of our growth was in engi-

neering and our online programs in counseling and special populations,” he said. In the press release, Smith also states that semester credit hour growth was the most dramatic across the engineering departments, primarily in the master’s programs, which was up 42.6 percent. This spring’s credit hour total is up 2,975, compared to last spring’s 146,394 total. “That’s a two percent increase from last spring,” Smith said.

UP Photo Elizabeth Grimm

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Boomtown film, music festival to take place Feb. 26-28

FAMILY FRAGILE AS ‘GLASS’ TENNESSEE WILLIAMS’ DRAMA TO OPEN FEB. 26 IN STUDIO THEATRE ELIZABETH GRIMM UP STAFF WRITER

ELIZABETH GRIMM UP STAFF WRITER Excitement comes in many forms, but film and music brings out passion in people. The Boomtown Film and Music Festival will bring the community together, Feb. 26-28. “It encompasses everything,” Christina Trujillo, board member and marketing volunteer, said. “We have panels, we have live bands, we have independent films, (and) we have a film contest. And this year we’re specially screening ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail.’” The festival will screen a wide variety of movies. “We’ve got experimental shorts, featurelength films — we have music videos,” Trujillo said. “We even did a 48-hour film contest where people could participate locally, and in two days have to conceptualize scripts, film and edit an entire film. It’s about five minutes and they have to incorporate song from one of our musicians.” Trujillo said that the festival allows for creativity. “My favorite thing that we do is that you have to spin a genre,” she said. “In the past, you would have to combine two genres, so it always gets really creative. You’d get things like film noir

UP Photo Elizabeth Grimm

Jim (Thomas Gentry) and Laura (Sydney Haygood), top, get to know each other during a rehearsal of “The Glass menagerie” Feb. 11, in the Studio Theatre. Tom (Chaz Romero), above, reflects as Amanda (Chloe Sullivan) prepares Laura for a date with the gentleman caller.

“The Glass Menagerie” is a play that only consists of four roles — Amanda, Tom, Laura and Jim — but this small cast explores big themes that ultimately reveals their inner turmoil and how they push one another to their breaking points. Lamar Theatre will present Tennessee Williams’ classic play, Feb. 26March 1, in the Studio Theatre. “It’s a story of family in depression-era St. Louis, and a lot of it is really based on Williams’ life,” director Joel Grothe, LU assistant professor of theater, said. “The main character is Tom and Tennessee Williams’ real name was Thomas Lanier Williams, and that character is based on him and his upbringing. “He had a sister who was disabled, who suffered from anxiety and had a lot of problems. His mother was, I think, sort of in the same category. I think there was some similarity. And his father was not around very much. Tennessee Williams’ father was an alcoholic and a traveling salesman.” Grothe said the play is a reflection of Williams’ feelings toward his sister, Rose. “(She) ultimately had a lobotomy and was pretty much incapacitated and committed — that’s one part of it,” Grothe said. “The other side of it is Williams writing about the degrada-

tion of the South and the southern ideal. This kind of idea about virtue and chastity, and all these things that southerners imported from the Victorians when they came over to the United States and how it’s not unlike the American dream — is kind of a sham, is what he’s saying.” The play frequently shows up in high school and college courses, and Grothe believes that the play is still important. “From an educational standpoint, it resonates still — very strongly,” he said. “I’ve always said ‘Death of a Salesman’ was the greatest American play. Having worked on this, I feel like this one’s just as good.” The play focuses on the connection one has with one’s family, Grothe said. “I think you can expect a very interesting, conflicting — familiar in some cases — well-told story,” he said. “Everybody’s got something, some issue of some kind, and how they handle it. And it is a play about mental illness in a time when people didn’t really accept that kind of thing. But regardless of how you feel about your family, your mother’s still your mother. You have a connection to that person you can’t get away from.” Tom, played by Chaz Romero, has a passion to get away and fulfill his dreams. See GLASS, page 4

See BOOMTOWN, page 2

LU Ambassadors seek applicants KARA TIMBERLAKE UP CONTRIBUTOR Application packets for 2015-2016 Lamar University Ambassadors are available through March 6 in the office of alumni affairs, located in 102 Rudy C. Williams Building in the John Gray Center. Ten openings will be available for new Ambassadors for the fall semester. Lamar Ambassadors are a select group of students who represent the student body at official university events, and perform service at LU and in the community. “Our ambassadors are integral in fostering positive relations among alumni and community supporters at a sundry of public functions, as well as serving the

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university in helping recruit qualified, prospective students,” Shannon Copeland, director of alumni affairs, said. “The group is highly involved on campus and is well informed about the university and what it has to offer.” Copeland said that the role of an ambassador encompasses a variety of duties. “Their responsibilities range from greeting guests at events, going to Houston to talk to alumni, and helping the President with the Red Room receptions,” she said. “When the President needs student representatives, he looks to the ambassadors.” Copeland said that the program provides opportunities to connect accomplished students with important

constituents. “Through their experiences, ambassadors are able to make meaningful connections with fellow students, as well as alumni, strengthening critical bonds and opening up future pathways,” she said. “They are provided opportunities for leadership development and team building, and are privy to events that help them hone etiquette and networking skills that are immeasurable to future successes.” Ambassadors showcase the diversity of discipline, classification and ethnicity at Lamar, Copeland said, adding that the diversity of ambassadors illustrates an environment of outreach for all See APPLICANTS, page 2

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Lamar University Ambassadors pose with president Kenneth Evans. Application to become an ambassador are open through March 6.

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