March 5, 2015

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The Newspaper of Lamar University Vol. 91, No. 18

Thursday, March 5, 2015

‘Weaving’ a Woman’s World LAMAR’S WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATIONS TO KICK OFF TODAY AT LADY CARDS BASKETBALL GAME LAUREN VAN GERVEN UP EDITOR @thegerven Since 1980, Women’s History Month has been celebrated in March.

During this time, people across the country remember and celebrate women who have made a difference throughout history. This year’s theme is “Weaving the Stories of Women’s Lives.”

Several events are scheduled on campus to celebrate the women of Lamar. The celebrations will kick off today during the Lady Cards basketball game against Sam Houston State

in the Montagne Center.

“Jason Henderson, the athletic director, has agreed to let us use that game to recognize women athletes,” Cynthia Parra, assistant director of multicultural programming, said.

“They are going to get as many women athletes as they possibly can, not only to cheer the team on, but to recognize them at halftime.

“It’s a very important game, because the Lady Cards are in second place in the conference. If they beat Sam Houston, they will get a first round bye in the Southland Conference tournament, so that’s a big deal.”

Fixed tuition plan offered at Lamar

Parra said that all eight women’s teams will be recognized at half time.

There will be a tribute to women’s history, written by Vernice Monroe, special assistant to the president.

“They’re also going to try to have the participants at the halftime show all be women,” Parra said. “It’s going to be women participating against women. It’s all promoting women.”

Events will continue Monday, as the Student Government Association will hand out flowers to women around campus for International Women’s Day. “March 8 is International Wo-

men’s Day, but we’re going to celebrate that on March 9,” Parra said.

“This is the second year that SGA is handing out flowers. They are going to go to each building and give flowers to faculty, staff, students and administrators, in appreciation for women’s history.”

That same day, the Quad will be filled with posters featuring photos and facts about important women.

“We’re making these posters,” Parra said. “We got together all of our women’s groups — all the sororities, feminists of Lamar and other groups.

They were all invited to a meeting,

and this is one of the things they said they wanted to do. On the back, the posters have one sentence (about the women depicted on the front). All of these will be staked in the Quad, so people will be seeing a couple hundred of these pop up on March 9.”

Student groups were asked to send in a list of who they would like to see depicted on the posters, Parra said. Women illustrated range from sorority founders to Sally Ride, the first American women in space.

For more information, visit http://lamar.orgsync.com/org/multi cultural.

Sculptural Dimensions 3D INVITIATIONAL TO OPEN FRIDAY AT ART STUDIO

BROOKE STINEBRICKNER UP CONTRIBUTOR Lamar University students who are eligible have a chance to be among the first to apply for a fixed tuition price plan. The Guaranteed Price Plan accounts for anticipated increases in tuition and mandatory fees for four years.

“House Bill 29, passed by the 83rd Texas Legislature, requires institutions of higher education to offer a fixed tuition price plan to first-time incoming freshmen and transfer students,” Cammie Pool, Lamar assistant director of cash management, said during an e-mail interview. “The Guaranteed Price Plan allows these students to pay the same rate for 48 consecutive months, eliminating tuition rate increases.”

Pool said prices are set and do not change for 48 months as long as the student abides by the guidelines of the plan.

“Students entering the plan pay the same fees as all other students, but (pay) an increased tuition amount,” she said. “These rates remain the same for the 48 months. Rates will be posted on each institution’s website.”

There are no set hours for each semester, but the plan is based on the idea that most bachelor degrees take four years to finish, Pool said.

“Any student who meets the requirements to enroll at Lamar University and follows the guidelines for the Guaranteed Price Plan is eligible,” she said.

Pool said certain programs might have additional costs, such as lab fees, music fees and distance learning. She also said that housing and meals are not covered under the price plan.

“Students should take an average of 15 hours per semester to stay within the 48 month set rate,” she said. “The student (who goes over four years) will not be able to reapply. Any semester over the

ELIZABETH GRIMM UP STAFF WRITER

UP Elizaeth Grimm

See PLAN, page 2

Sculpture can be presented as colorful, creepy or even humorous. It offers the opportunity for viewers to analyze and perceive their own theories over what the sculpture stands for — digging into the viewer’s mind, into the dark and hidden places, to where new ideas will form.

The Art Studio Inc. will host the “Sculpture Invitational,” March 7-27. The show opens with a reception, 7-10 p.m., March 7.

TASI is located at 720 Franklin Street in downtown Beaumont.

“It’s an all sculpture show — doesn’t really feature a lot of ceramic pottery or functional ware,” Elizabeth French, TASI assistant director, said. “I wanted to show more non-functional, three-dimensional artwork, so it’s ceramic, metal sculpture, found objects (and) maybe plaster.”

French said she wants people to leave with an understanding of sculpture. The idea came from something she noticed about the studio’s membership show entries “The entries had been real light on sculpture,” she said. “It’s mostly paintings and two-dimensional things and photography. So I thought I would do an invitational.

I had an opening on the schedule and we decided to do a sculpture show because we haven’t had one in a while.

“There aren’t a lot of opportunities for viewers to go see an entire show of just sculpture and the different things that it can be. We have pedestal sculpture, traditional things that either go on the floor or the pedestal, but we are also going to have some

Beau Dumesnil strings together bones, Feb. 26, in the Art Studio. The piece will be featured in the “Sculpture Invitational” which opens Saturday.

LU civic orchestra to present ‘Suite’ Concert BROOKE STINEBRICKNER UP CONTRIBUTOR Music comes in all arrangements and sounds, but the Lamar Civic Orchestra’s upcoming concert is sure to be “suite.”

A suite is an instrumental arrangement consisting of dances in the same key, series of movements or pieces, and the orchestra will perform their spring concert at the Lamar State College-Port Arthur Performing Arts Center, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Kurt Gilman, associate professor and chair of the Mary Morgan Moore department of music, said he is looking forward to what the concert has to offer.

“Opening the concert is Respighi’s ‘Ancient Airs and Dances,’ a suite of four dances that comes from ancient, medieval renaissance-style dances that have been orchestrated by a 20th century composer,” Gilman said. “They sound, in the melody and See CONCERT, page 8

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See SCULPTURE, page 5

Losing an hour’s sleep? Don’t blame farmers FOOD PRODUCTION NOT DEPENDENT ON ‘DAYLIGHT SAVING’ CAITLIN DUERLER UP CONTRIBUTOR During the first week of March, many Lamar students and faculty grumble about losing an hour of sleep, as clocks are set an hour ahead for Daylight Saving Time.

“Eventually you get used to it, but the first couple of weeks, you’re out of it,” Lamar freshman Annah Smith said.

Besides the effect DST has on our natural sleep patterns and bodily circadian rhythms, many students question its function in today’s world.

“Didn’t they used to do it because of farming, and it helped

with the number of hours and having to get up earlier depending on how much sunlight is available?”

Torrance Cobb, Beaumont junior, said.

Popular belief is that DST was created for agriculture, with farmers needing more sunlight during planting and harvest seasons.

However, 21-century farmers in Texas are using technologies that are able to carry out tasks 24 hours a day, regardless of sunlight.

Charles Simmons Jr. has been involved in agriculture for 11 years at the Dishman Farm in China. Originally a welder, he sought a career farming because of its job stability. Despite producing billions of pounds of rice over the span of his employment, Simmons still employs his welding skills, as well as developing a few others.

“Farming has a lot of need for welders, electricians, plumbers,

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UP Caitlin Duerler

Farmer Charles Simmons Jr. adjusts the controls for his GPS enabled tractor. mechanics,” he said. “It is a very diverse field to be in.”

The Dishman Farm produces rice, wheat, beans, energy, cane and hay. Although sunlight is a relevant factor during the planting season, GPS-enabled tractors in-

crease the number of hours farmers are able to run various implements, such as planters and spray rigs.

“As soon as the sun comes See DAYLIGHT, page 2

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INSIDE Thursday, March 5, 2015 University Press

QUOTE OF THE DAY

NOTICE

“I am not afraid of storms as I am learning how to sail my ship” — Louisa May Alcott

The University Press can be read online at www.lamaruniversitypress.com. Advertising rates can be found on the site, along with practically all information that a person might be looking for.

Check out the student handbook at: http://students.lamar.edu/student-handbook.html To download a pdf of the campus safety brochure, visit http://students.lamar.edu/campus-safety/index.html

Page 2

PULSE CALLING FOR SUBMISSIONS THROUGH APRIL 30 KARA TIMBERLAKE UP CONTRIBUTOR Pulse, Lamar University’s student literary magazine, is accepting submissions. The deadline is April 30.

“Student-initiated for over half a century, Pulse was designed to showcase and promote various forms of student writing at Lamar University,” co-editor Casey Ford said. “Initially, Pulse emphasized creative writing, but it has expanded to include critical writing that includes analytical essays and nonfiction pieces.”

This year’s edition will be centralized around the theme “Exploring the Rhythms of Diversity.” Ford said she and co-editor Michelle Lansdale wanted to choose a theme that allowed for a broad range of topics.

“Culturally and historically, we are in a place where some people might say that is past diversity issues,

but I don’t think that’s the case,” Ford said. “Discussing diversity — not just of race, but also of gender and age — is relevant today.

“Diversity is definitely an undercurrent at Lamar. There are so many fascinating cultures that intersect here. Anyone can find something to write about under that umbrella.”

Pulse offers rewards in several student-writing categories, with modest cash prizes to the winners, Ford said.

There are four poetry awards being offered: The Eleanor Poetry Award, Barnes Poetry Award, de Schweinitz Poetry Award and Rowe Poetry Award.

There is a Pulse fiction award for undergraduates, a Pulse fiction award for graduates, and the Rowe Analytical Essay award for undergraduate and graduate critical essays. The awards are given to undergraduate

and graduate students separately.

Students should e-mail lamarpulse@gmail.com for a submission form that contains guidelines.

“Student editors will select which pieces will go into the issue of Pulse,” Ford said. “From that selection, the faculty will choose award recipients.

The editing and judging process is completely anonymous.”

Ford encourages all students to submit their work, adding that Pulse is not just for English majors. All graduate and undergraduate students at Lamar University and Lamar Institute of Technology are eligible.

“Other voices from across the disciplines are needed to fully represent Lamar,” Ford said. “To truly honor our theme of diversity, we need a diverse pool of voices.”

Pulse plans to release the newest volume by November, Ford said.

“Students whose work has been

chosen to appear in Pulse will be notified by the beginning of the fall semester,” she said. “The winners for the 2015 edition of Pulse will be notified later in the fall semester.”

The magazine is also seeking contributing editors for this year’s publication.

“Any student who wishes to participate should email Pulse, and they will be kept in touch from there,” Ford said. “The more people, the better the editing process. No experience is needed to be a Pulse editor, however, he or she should have some idea as what constitutes as a nice line in poetry or a plot in a story. The editing process itself is easy and will be done with a rubric.”

Copies of Pulse are available in the Maes Building.

For more information, contact lamarpulse@gmail.com or visit https://www.facebook.com/lamarpulse

CALENDAR March 5 Women’s Basketball vs. Sam Houston State Montagne Center 5:30 p.m.

Basketball vs. Sam Houston State Montagne Center 7 p.m.

LU Faculty Brass Quintet Concert Rothwell Recital Hall 7:30-9 p.m.

March 6 Baseball vs. Northwestern State Vincent Beck Stadium 6 p.m.

Softball vs. Houston Baptist Lamar Softball Complex 3 p.m.

Softball vs. Houston Baptist Lamar Softball Complex 5 p.m.

March 7

PLAN ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Continued from page 1 continuous 48 month/four-year span will revert to the current tuition and fee charges.”

Initially, tuition for students not in the plan will be cheaper than for students who are in the plan, Pool said.

“It will be cheaper the first year and possibly the second year, but at the current tuition increase rates, the third and fourth year on the guaranteed plan will be cheaper,” she said. “The student will be locked-in to the guaranteed price plan rate of their first semester.”

Pool said that Lamar offers the plan to the students as a budgeting tool. It is up to them to weigh the odds of expected increases in the tuition and fees.

The plan does not change a student’s eligibility for financial assistances, but the aid will not change to cover the higher cost of attendance.

“At this point, the students who have chosen to be in the plan are paying an increase in tuition and the same mandatory fee rates, but in the long run it will probably even out or be an economic advantage for the student,” Pool

Baseball vs. Northwestern State Vincent Beck Stadium 2 p.m.

said. “Students should weigh the expected increases in tuition and the probability that they will complete their education in four consecutive years.”

The plan started in the fall of 2014, during which three students opted in, and this semester two more students joined.

Pool said all three of the fall students have continued on the plan for the spring 2015 semester.

A student who joins the plan but later decides to opt-out will not incur penalties, Pool said.

“The student will revert to the current tuition and fee rate,” she said. “But more than likely they paid out more for the first two years than they would have if they were not in the plan.”

Application forms are available at www.students.lamar.edu/paying-for-school/guarant eed-price-plan.html. “(Students) could possibly benefit financially by saving money due to the increase in tuition over the four year period,” Pool said. “(The Guaranteed Price Plan) is a tool for students to budget their cost of college and it may give them incentive to complete their degree according to their four year plan.”

Softball vs. Houston Baptist Lamar Softball Complex 1 p.m Football Red & White Spring Game Provost Umphrey Stadium 7 p.m

March 8 Baseball vs. Northwestern State Vincent Beck Stadium 1 p.m.

March 9 Tennis vs. Bryant Univeristy Thompson Family Tennis Center 2 p.m.

Business Start Up Checklist Seminar Galloway Business Building 130 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Industriasl Carillon Concert ft. Duo Korusa Mobil Oil Federal Credit Union 7:30-9 p.m.

To submit a listing, click on the calendar link at lamaruniversitypress.com

/$0$5 81,9(56,7<

Student Leadership Awards ³ The Bess Gentry Award for Outstanding Senior Woman ³ ³ The C. Robert Kemble Award for Outstanding Senior Man ³ ³ The Ann Shaw Award for Leadership ³ UP Caitlin Duerler

Farmer Charles Simmons Jr. checks the technology in his tractor that allows for accurate weather planning.

DAYLIGHT •••••••• Continued from page 1 up, we want to get going,” Simmons said. “But the way the tractors work now, most of them steer themselves, so you can fill up your planter and run them 24 hours a day. We tend to do that, because the idea is we only have a small window of opportunity to get the seeds into the ground.”

Simmons said that a 24hour workday is not uncommon. Farmers want to increase their output and take advantage when weather is optimal.

“Working hours are seasonal,” he said. “From midFebruary to November, hours will escalate during planting and harvest season. In winter months, the workday is about 10 hours. During planting or harvest season, they can go as long as a 24-hour shift depending on what we’re working on.”

Even though the winter workday is shorter, tasks tend to be situated mostly in the office rather than in the field.

“During the winter we are mostly working on contracts and loan papers, and shop work and equipment repair,” Simmons said.

In planting and harvest seasons, timing is very important when working with rice — especially in the coastal region.

Simmons has to take into con-

sideration rainfall and temperature when running planters for seeds, spray rigs for pesticides and cultivators for harvest.

“The earlier in the morning you can put the chemical out, the better,” he said.

“Colder or warmer days tend to affect the spray pattern and the drift. There are times of the year when timing is ver y important on what time in the day it is. The way the crop feeds into the combine when you’re har vesting, if it’s warmer, dryer outside, we can run faster. When it gets colder, the plant gets denser and we have to slow down. Towards the end of the day, it slows down the whole process. The earlier the better, but you got to let the dew dry off.”

Working hours during harvest season are particular sensitive due to the nature of the rice plant and the effect of morning dew.

“During harvest, however, we can’t begin cutting rice until the sun has a chance to knock the dew off the grain,” Simmons said. “Which doesn’t happen around here until 10, 11 o’clock, and then we run until dark, before the dew sets back on the rice and we have to stop cutting.”

Farmers used to rely on the almanac to predict climactic conditions. In the 21st century, however, many online

resources are available through agricultural websites that report optimal conditions for planting and harvesting, as well as information concerning crop varietals.

“We have a lot of rainfall in this area, and we are always trying to beat the rain,” Simmons said. “The almanac will sometimes predict rain patterns, but it is irrelevant today.

When it’s dry, we are running — when it’s wet, we are hoping it will dry.”

Atmospheric conditions are not the only factors determining the farmer’s work schedule. In order to be active in the supply and demand consumer culture, famers must follow bureaucratic policy.

“The insurance won’t let you plant it before March 15, or it won’t cover it,” Simmons said. “So March 15 is when we start planting it.”

Whether or not clocks are springing forward or falling back, farmers are working around the clock. Advanced technology, such as the GPSenabled tractors, are not replacing the farmer, but rather allotting him more time to push paper.

Daylight Saving Time may have served a function in the old days to conserve energy, but now it’s just a way to lose an hour’s sleep — an hour that the farmers are already using to put food on the breakfast table.

All current Lamar University students are encouraged to apply for the 2015 Student Leadership Awards.

The Office of Student Engagement seeks to recognize those students who have made a lasting positive impact on our university through exemplary leadership and service, outstanding scholarship, and achievement.

Winners will be recognized at the annual Toast to Leadership awards banquet on April 22. For complete details, visit lamar.orgsync.com/awards.

Applications Due: Friday, March 13 at 5:00 pm /$0$5 25*6<1& &20 $:$5'6

University Press Thursday, March 5, 2015

Page 3

CELEBRATING WOMEN’S HISTORY

UP photo illustration by Desmond Pickens

LADIES OF LAMAR LEAVE LASTING LEGACIES Over its 92 years of history, Lamar has seen many influential women, but if we must pick out four to form a Mount Rushmore of LU, we would pick the following. Mary Campbell, left, was one of the most honored women of Lamar. Today, she remains immortal on campus, as one of the dorms is named after her. Mabel Rothwell, second from left, was

an accomplished painter and musician. She later donated funds to build the first Methodist student center on campus. The Rothwell Recital Hall is named after her. Ida Caldwell McFaddin, second from right, established an award to go to the graduating student who displays the most exemplary citizenship, which, along with the C.W. Bing-

man award is probably the oldest on campus. Bess Gentry, far right, former dean of women, and head of the department of women’s health and physical education, gave endless contributions to make Lamar the university it is today. The Bess Gentry Award was established in her honor, and one of the dorms on campus carries her name.

Women’s accomplishments need recognition, equality Feisty, airhead, abrasive, whiny, bossy, bubbly, emotional, frigid, frumpy, pushy, sassy.

These are just a few of the words that are used to describe women that don’t apply to men. All of these words once held harmless gender-equal meanings, but have become something different — and normally negative — when applied to women.

March is Women’s History Month and this year’s theme is “Weaving the Stories of Women’s Lives.” The theme gives the opportunity to weave women’s stories, both individually and collectively, into the fabric of our nation’s history.

The purpose of Women’s History Month is to increase consciousness and knowledge of women’s history — to take one month of the year to remember the contributions of notable and ordinary women in hopes that the one day it will be impossible to teach or learn history without remembering these contributions.

Women have made great strides in the years since the beginning of the American feminist movement. But, women have yet to enjoy being a true equal to their male counterparts in careers, in pay, and in government representation.

Women outnumber men in the United States. According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, as of December 2013, there

COMMENTARY

by

Kristen Stuck

were 161 million women compared to 156.1 million males. Women outnumber men two to one at age 85 and older.

Women in the United States earned a measly 78 cents for every dollar that men earned in 2013. The median annual earnings of women 15 or older working full time was $39,157. Men’s median earnings was $50,033.

It doesn’t matter who you are or where you came from, it’s easy to see that there is something wrong with those numbers.

Women continue to be underrepresented in the STEM professions at the university level and beyond. According to the National Science Foundation Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, in 2013 only 29 percent of the employed engineers and scientists in the United States were women, and only 19 percent of the engineering ma-

jors were female.

Slowly but surely, women are making their way into greater positions.

Women now hold more positions of elected office in the federal government than ever before. Currently, women hold 104 of the 535 seats in Congress. That breaks down to 20 of the 100 seats in the Senate, and 84 of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives.

According to Census.gov, in the fall of 2013, 10.9 million women were enrolled in undergraduate and graduate school.

Women comprise 56.2 percent of all college students.

In the 2012 presidential election, 63.7 percent of female citizens 18 and older voted, compared to the 59.7 percent of their male counterparts.

We are making sure that our voices are being heard.

Before 1970, women’s history was something that was barely looked at, nevermind studied. Since then, however, women’s history has undergone a metamorphosis.

Today, most universities offer a women’s history course, and most major graduate programs offer doctoral degrees in the field.

Women are powerful, beautiful creatures. We are stubborn and hardheaded, but at the same time, incredibly soft and gentle.

We’ve continually been told that we are

Lamar victorious at TASCM Student Quiz Bowl Team Lamar emerged as the state winner in the TACSM Student Quiz Bowl held Feb. 26 in Austin.

Lamar’s team of four health and kinesiology students participated in the annual competition, hosted by the Texas chapter of American College of Sports Medicine, the leading organization in the world in sports medicine, Rick Carter, professor of health and kinesiology, and the team’s advisor, said.

“This is the second year we have participated in the Quiz Bowl competition and these students showed they were the best in Texas,” Carter said.

“The last two years, the winning team from the Texas region has won the national competition, so these students have a lot of pressure on them.”

The team, comprised of Catherine Wu, Lubbock, Kollin Kahler, Waco, George Urebe, Houston and Hannah Boyett from Jasper, are all exercise science/fitness management majors. They will travel to San Diego and compete in the nation competition May 26-30. Twelve regional winning teams will compete before an expected audience of more than 25,000.

Kahler and Wu participated on

the 2014 Quiz Bowl team.

“The department of health and kinesiology does a very good job of preparing us for the same sort of questions the ASCM would ask in the Quiz Bowl,” Kahler said. “Part of our success is due to studying the Quiz Bowl guidelines, but the majority is due to the three or four years of health and kinesiology preparation in the classroom. We showed that Lamar can compete with any school in the state, especially in sports medicine.”

More than 20 Texas university teams competed in the Quiz Bowl, included the University of Texas, Texas

A&M University, Baylor University, University of Texas at El Paso, and Texas Christian University.

The competition is a Jeopardystyle format with teams answering questions on sports medicine topics such as nutrition, cardiovascular physiology, electrocardiogram, environmental physiology and anatomy.

ACSM is a multi-disciplinary professional and scientific society dedicated to the generation and dissemination of knowledge concerning the motivations, responses, adaptations and health aspects of people engaged in sports and exercise.

Lamar’s winning TACSM Quiz Bowl team, George Urebe, left, Hannah Boyett, Catherine Wu and Kollin Kahler

Courtesy Image

not equal to the men around us, but we never listen. We push on no matter what we are told, and we will continue to do so until we are all on a level playing field.

However, to do so, it must start with each individual woman.

To affect real change, we have to have equality when and where it matters.

Women must perceive themselves as equal when and where it matters.

We must make our choices in life and be empowered by the knowledge that it was our choice, no matter what we choose to do with our lives — whether we decide to be a stay-at-home mom, or a lawyer on her way to a spot on the United States Supreme Court.

Society must also realize that no matter which life each woman chooses, it is hers, and hers alone to choose, and the decision was not made lightly.

Hopefully, this year’s theme will help women to think larger and bolder, and give men a fuller understanding of the female experience.

Knowing the achievements made by women throughout history challenges stereotypes and upends social assumptions about who women are and what we can accomplish.

Kristen Stuck is UP Managing Editor

Sanaz Alasti to lecture on ‘Future of Death Penalty’ “The Future of the Death Penalty,” a colloquium sponsored by the Beta Xi Chapter of Phi Beta Delta, the Honor Society for International Scholars, will take place March 9, in observation of the 2015 National Criminal Justice Month.

Sanaz Alasti, professor of criminal justice and director of the center for death penalty studies at Lamar University, will lecture, 2:30-3:45 p.m., in Landes Auditorium in the Galloway Business Building.

Early in March, Alasti was at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences conference in Orlando, Fla. This Beta Xi Colloquium will draw heavily from her presentation at that event as well as her study of capital punishment across the world.

Alasti’s academic credentials span the globe from Teheran University School of Law to Harvard University School of Law. She has been a scholar in residence at the Law Library of Congress as well as an invited faculty mem-

ber for the NATO International Institute in Italy.

Her work at Lamar University has included directing the Center for Death Penalty Studies and teaching honors, undergraduate, and graduate courses in criminal justice, death penalty, juvenile justice and legal research.

“The Future of the Death Penalty,” is the first of several colloquies planned for 2015 by the Beta Xi Chapter of the Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars.

For more information about the 2015 Beta Xi Colloquia, email Jesse Doiron, Beta Xi coordinator, at jesse.do iron@lamar.edu, or call 880 8564.

For more information about Alasti’s presentation, email sanaz. alasti@lamar.edu or, salasti@lamar .edu, or call 880-8549.

Sanaz Alasti “Nobel Peace Prize Nomination for Samereh Alinejad” is available for viewing on YouTube or at www.change.org.

Page 4 Thursday, March 5, 2015

University Press

University Press Thursday, March 5, 2015

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Irish-American celebration expands to include homeland TIM COLLINS UP CONTRIBUTOR To many, St. Patrick’s Day is a fiercely Irish tradition that serves as the perfect excuse to drink dyedgreen beer, wear kitschy “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” T-shirts, drink McDonald’s Shamrock Shakes and sing “Danny Boy.” St. Patrick’s Day, however, has been an American tradition since the birth of the nation, and has only in recent years become a source of national pride in Ireland.

The celebration in America dates back to 1762, predating the birth of the United States by 19 years. It was begun by Irish immigrants serving in the British army, and saw a resurgence at the turn of the 20th century amidst rampant anti-Irish sentiments throughout New York City and Boston.

St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, however, has mostly been a simple religious observance until recent years.

In 1995, the government of Ireland instituted the St. Patrick’s Festival, a national celebration of all things Irish, which takes place from March 14 to 17. The event began as a one-day parade through the streets of Dublin, but now features parades, pageants, a grand marshal, a march through the streets by opera singers dressed as giant dolls, an Irish whiskey and beer festival, and a “Going Green” campaign, in which many of Dublin’s most prominent buildings are lit in green.

New York City, home of those first Irish pride parades back in 1762, annually hosts a parade featuring bands, bagpipes, and dancers marching up Fifth Avenue and 44th Street.

In Australia, Sydney hosts a parade the Sunday before St. Patrick’s Day, and celebrates Irish pride by lighting the Sydney Opera House green.

Although a largely American celebration begun by

Irish immigrants, St. Patrick’s Day is actually named after an immigrant to Ireland from Great Britain. St. Patrick served as a bishop and missionary in the mid-fifth century.

He was not a devout Catholic, and it wasn’t until he was captured by pirates and sold to slavery in Ireland that he devoted his life to God. When he escaped after six years of servitude, he returned to Ireland to spread Christianity among its pagan population. He would use the three-leaf clover to explain the trinity to the Irish, equating each leaf to the father, the son, and the holy ghost living in one being.

One legend suggests he drove the snakes from Ireland by chasing them into the sea. Modern science suggests, however, that Ireland was never host to snakes, so it’s possible this particular incident is apocryphal.

St. Patrick’s Day has a long and varied history as both an American and Irish tradition, and over the years has evolved from being a source of Irish-American pride to a source of international revelry, celebrated in Australia, New York, China and various other places across the world.

If history is any guide, St. Patrick’s Day will continue to evolve in the years to come, and will remain a touchstone of international Irish pride.

UP illustration

by Lauren Van Gerven

SCULPTURE •••••••• Continued from page 1 pedestal, but we are also going to have some things that can hang from the ceiling and hang on the wall.”

French invited a variety of local artists to participate, and she said it is exciting, as she will not know what people are submitting until a few days before the opening.

“I just kind of asked people — there’s not a theme,” she said. “I didn’t want it to be limited to certain things, so it’s pretty much whatever they feel they want to show. We’re just celebrating sculpture.”

Karen Dumesnil, Art Studio tenant, collaborates on assemblages with her husband Beau.

“Sometimes, working on a project with another person, like my husband, is very challenging because your ideas can be very different,” she said. “(You) talk about something ahead of time and kind of agree on how something is going to look. Each (person) works on it, or you can just do half of it and hand it over to the other person and it can kind of surprises you on what they’re going to do. That’s kind of what we usually end up doing. I’ll do some parts and he’ll add his own.”

Dumesnil said there are dark elements present in her work, but they’re not meant to scare people.

“I don’t want anything too creepy even though I like skulls and monsters and all — I’m really not going for creeping people out,” she said. “To me, they’re playful. I was brought up Catholic so they don’t view the skull thing as satanic — it’s more of a reminder that this world is impermanent and that life goes on after this one. So skulls aren’t supposed to be Satan, they’re supposed to be like you’re going to die and then you’re going to be reborn.

“At some point, when I was a kid, I realized you see skeletons and they’re supposed to be scary but something tells you that you have one inside of you, so it’s almost like you have a little friend living inside of you — it’s just a playful thing to me.”

Beau Dumesnil said that there are a lot of good artists in the area.

“I think what’s often overlooked is just how much, pound-for-pound, we have to offer in the arts for this area, as opposed to a large city,” he said.

“You take Houston and Dallas, by numbers, you’re going to have a lot of people in the arts community and some different metropolitans focus different types of arts. Austin is music and theater — here nobody knows about it but we have it all. We have a very vibrant art scene and we all overlap each other’s events — we help out each other. You don’t have a whole lot of that in Houston or, let’s say, Dallas.

They all have enough numbers to stand alone, but it doesn’t feel so much like a sense of community.”

Ideas can be sparked by sitting at a table, Beau Dumesnil said.

“We kind of feed off each other and feed off of other people here,” he said. “We can sit here at this table and come up with the coolest idea for a show or collaborative installation or

UP Photo Elizabeth Grimm

Karen Dumesnil paints a skull that will form part of a piece for the “Sculpture Invitational” at The Art Studio. The show opens with a reception, 7-10 p.m., Saturday. some other nonsense. We all do what we call ‘riff,’ where we talk about it and then someone actually does it and it’s like, ‘Oh wow.’”

Dumesnil said he wants the show to be a success, not only for the work, but also for the chance for people attending the reception to meet the artists.

“We enjoy the social aspect of it,” he said. “It’s always nice to have a piece and to participate in the show.

It’s not so much, ‘Well, what were you thinking?’ People come up and say, ‘Hey, it’s nice to see you guys or that’s really nice.’ It’s a big rush when you sell out stuff.”

Tenant Sandra Laurette said that sculpture ranges from one end of the spectrum to the other.

“Many of my sculptures over the years have had to do with clouds, and many have had to do with house (type) structures,” she said, pointing out a piece in progress. “This is more like a temple structure and temple for the clouds, and there will be waves — they’re over here in the preparation area. Currently, I’m working on a long series that is called four and twenty black birds. Which means that somewhere before the end there will be 24 black birds.”

Laurette’s interest in nature is shown in her artwork.

“I like grackles — I like all birds,” she said. “I like grackles because they make a sound that is so unchirpy, it’s a wonderful sound. They’re just flamboyant — the males just strut around like young men in a bar on Thursday night. When I was a child we would travel 50 miles over to my grandpar-

UP Photo Elizabeth Grimm

Sandra Laurette works on her sculptures in the Art Studio that will be featured in the “Sculpture Inviatational.” ent’s house, which was not far from Lake Huron and I don’t know why, but I could tell we were close to the lake by how the clouds and sky looked.

“I don’t see that anymore, but there are a lot of things that I knew or could do as a child that I cannot do anymore, it’s kind of like the power children have that adults lose. That power of what clouds tell you from what you see, is worthy of honoring.

For at least 20 years, I’ve made sculpture about clouds. This is one more and this one goes into a temple and it will be over a lake. The temple is to honor nature and all that she gives us.”

Also included in the show are Lotus Bermudez, Linnis Blanton, Greg Busceme Sr., Sheila Busceme, Craig Clark, Kelly Costlow, Suzanne Garrett, Forrest Goodhue, David Granitz,

Meredith Jack, DJ Kava, Julie Lee, Joyce Philen, Brittany Tanton and Caleb Sims.

The Sculpture Invitational promises to challenge the viewers perception of what sculpture can be. It is more than just a carving in stone. It runs the gamut of artistic media and ideas.

For more information, call 8385393.

Page 6 Thursday, March 5, 2015

University Press

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G ood Luck Cards $ Lady Cards on your 2014-2015 Season

SPORTS

7 Thursday, March 5, 2015

UNIVERSITY PRESS

‘BIGGEST GAME IN LAMAR HISTORY’ LADY CARD SOFTBALL THRASHES NO. 25 UT, IN AUSTIN TOURNEY TYLER LINDER UP CONTRIBUTOR The Lamar Lady Cardinals softball team saw its six-game losing streak come to an end in style at the Texas Invitational in Austin.

The team went 4-1 on the weekend, including a stunning 91, run-rule rout of 25th-ranked University of Texas.

“We went to Mississippi State where we didn’t hit well, we didn’t play defense well, and our pitching was bad,” head coach Holly Bruder said. “Then we go to Louisiana Tech the next weekend, and they just dominated us.”

The Lady Cards rebounded from disappointing weekends, defeating defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champions Texas Southern twice, 13-1 and 6-1.

They also beat the defending Ivy League champions, Dartmouth, 6-2 in the first game of the weekend, before falling to them Saturday, 5-4.

However, the biggest win of the weekend came Saturday afternoon, when the Lady Cards shocked UT. “Going into last weekend, our focus was working on our pitching and defense,” Bruder said. “Hitting really has not been our problem, and usually never is, so let’s just focus on defense, supporting our pitcher — we just reinvented the wheel in the week leading up to the tournament in Texas.”

Lamar saw their hard work come to fruition in the first game of the tournament defeating Dartmouth 6-2 in a game where the Cards committed no errors.

The Cardinal offense set the tone early as they took a 4-0 lead by the fourth inning and never looked back.

Freshman Lauren Napoli lead the Cards to the victory,

going all seven innings, surrendering two runs on seven hits.

“Napoli got ahead of hitters, got them to chase high and low, and then got some big strikeouts,” Bruder said. “So that kid has really turned the page this past weekend.”

The second game of the tournament saw the Lady Cards blast Texas Southern 13-1 in a mercy-rule victory. Lamar scored two runs in the first, three runs in the second, and then opened up the game with an eight-run third.

“Texas Southern is known for their speed on the base paths, and with Lauren Dannelley pitching, there were to be a lot of ground balls,” Bruder said.

“They were going to try and steal on us, so we anticipated they were going to steal every bag and focused on communicating with each other.”

Saturday morning, Lamar faced off against Dartmouth for the second time that weekend but the result was not as good, as they fell to the Ivy League school 5-4. The Lady Cards committed two errors and surrendered two unearned runs as a result.

“Dartmouth is a good team.

Their win this year was against Auburn,” Bruder said. “We knew after putting up the numbers that we did, that we would be seeing their ace this game. She just moved the ball very, very well and instead of us putting up seven or eight runs we put up four, and it turns out that four just wasn’t enough.”

After the loss to Dartmouth, Lamar had to face its biggest test of the season in the shape of the Lady Longhorns.

“We went into that game after losing to Dartmouth saying this could be bad,” Bruder said.

“But, I walked in and said, ‘You want to win the biggest game in Lamar history? You want to put yourself on the map? Then beat a ranked-25 Texas at their place.’

We had nothing to lose.”

Bruder said she gave the job of containing UT’s hitters to freshman pitcher Napoli.

“She did very well during the first weekend of the season,

she did very well against Baylor and LSU during fall ball — I had confidence in her, even if she was not pitching to her best prior to this weekend,” Bruder said.

Napoli took her coach’s trust and ran with it as she held the Longhorn hitters to just a single hit. That came in the form of a solo home run that broke up the no-hitter in the bottom of the fifth.

“She fooled their hitter by changing her strategy each at bat, throwing in change-ups to keep them off balance,” Bruder said. “Each of their kids batted three times. She mixed it up during each of their at bats. She did a phenomenal job pitching a onehitter to Texas.”

Bruder said the defense backed Napoli up.

“Stephanie Mewson had a couple of unassisted double plays, and that just doesn’t happen in softball,” Bruder said.

“Our outfield did their job, the catcher did her job framing the pitches — it was just a great team

victory.”

Lamar took the field one more time against Texas Southern to cap off the weekend with a resounding 6-1 win.

“This is the game I was worried about the most,” Bruder said. “After playing so well against Texas, it would be so disappointing to take a little off and lose to a Texas Southern. I just didn’t want us to be too confident or too cocky and go into the game with the mindset that we can beat anyone without trying.”

The Lady Cardinals return to action in their first home series of the year with a doubleheader, Friday, when they open up the new Lamar Softball Complex against Southland Conference foe Houston Baptist University.

First game is scheduled for 3 p.m., followed by the second game of the double header at 5 p.m. The Lady Cards wrap up the three-game series, Saturday, with an afternoon matinee at 1 p.m.

Photos courtesy LU Media Relations

Baylie Comeaux, top, is greeted by the Lady Cardinals after a home run against UT, Saturday. Lauren Napoli, above, threw a one-hitter against the University of Texas Lady Longhorns.

JAMEISHA EDWARDS, THE COMEBACK KID JUNIOR GUARD OVERCOMES INJURY TO LEAD LADY CARDS COTY DAVIS UP CONTRIBUTOR

Photos courtesy LU Media Relations

JaMeisha Edwards leads the Lady Cardinals in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game.

An athlete’s worst nightmare is injury. And when an athlete is one of their team’s leaders, the sense of letting teammates down just increases the disappointment.

Lady Cardinal JaMeisha Edwards knows exactly how it feels. In the space of six games, the shooting guard went from wondering if she would ever play again, to a string of stellar performances to lead the team to the Southland Conference tournament.

In a 73-58 victory against Abilene Christian, Feb. 5th, the Lady Cardinals trailed 40-29 at halftime, before going on a 27-5 run in the second half. In the midst of their comeback victory, Edwards scored a career-high 29 points, 22 coming in the second half.

The win was more than just another victory for the junior from Crockett — it was a testimony to overcoming adversity. Edwards called it a blessing.

“It’s been a long road back since my injury, and to be able to play and step up when my team needed me the most, was truly remarkable,” Edwards said.

During the 2014 season, Edwards was one of the top players for the Lady Cardinals. In her second season, she started all 31 games, averaging a career best 12.4 points a game, and helped LU bring home the Southland Conference regularseason championship.

Heading into the season, Edwards said she felt the future was bright as she and her teammates prepared themselves for the upcoming campaign. Her goals were no different from the team’s goals.

“Even though we won the SLC championship, we fell short in the conference tourna-

ment,” she said. “So heading into the new season, our No. 1 goal was to build off of last season’s success, and finish what we started last year.”

However, three weeks before the start of the season, the expectations were put on hold when head coach Robin Harmony announced that Edwards was out for the season, due to what was thought to be a career-ending shin ailment.

“I have been playing basketball since I was five, and to be told that my career was over was one of the toughest days of my life,” Edwards said.

“I only played one year here at Lamar, and I did not want to be known as a one-year wonder. Having one great season and to never play again — it was a devastating blow for both myself and the team.”

After receiving the news from doctors, Edwards said the hardest part was breaking the news to her teammates and coaches.

“Not comparing myself to Kobe (Bryant), but it’s like when he went out this year,” she said.

“When a team loses a player who contributes so much to their team, it’s always going to be tough.

It was hard at first, but we had a bigger picture that went far beyond just one player.”

During one of the most challenging moments of her life, Edwards said she found support from her family and friends. However, her biggest supporter came from her old teammate and friend Gia Ayers.

“She kept me motivated,” Edwards said. “She encouraged me to be an athlete in the classroom by studying and staying on top of my grades. Gia was just a really good mentor, who was there when I needed someone to talk to. She inspired me to come back and be the best at it.”

At first, Edwards said she felt her career was over. However, after two weeks of not playing and watching the team from the sidelines — which saw the team lose five of its first six games — a desire to play started to burn within her.

“It was hard not playing,” she said. “I used to be on the sidelines, like, ‘Coach, forget what the doctors said, sub me in. Let me play!’ It was hard watching my team — players I have grown — without me in the game that I love.”

Edward said once she made up her mind to

come back, the main challenge she encountered was the mental aspect of playing through her injury.

“Pain is more mental than it is physical,” she said. “I love this game so much, and I wanted to contribute and help my teammates. I was determined not to let this injury get in the way of my career and this season.”

While working endlessly with doctors, a strategy was designed to protect Edwards and allow her to resume playing.

Edwards said that receiving the news that she could play again was one of the greatest blessings of her life. She returned to the Lady Cardinals’ line up in a non-conference game against the Huston-Tillotson Lady Rams. In her first game back, Edwards played just eight minutes and made the most of it, finishing with nine points, one rebound, and one assist in the 95-47 win.

“I was nervous, because I hadn’t really played since I was told my career was over,” she said. “It all happened so fast. My first shot of the game was an air ball. However, once I had hit my first three, it did not take me long to get back into the rhythm.”

Edwards has been nothing but spectacular for LU since. She is the team’s leading scorer, averaging a career-best 15.8 points, while shooting 41 percent from the field. Most importantly, the Lady Cardinals have a winning record of 14-7, and are second in the Southland Conference.

As the Lady Cardinals prepare for the Southland Conference Tournament, Edwards said that she is grateful to be a part of the team’s success this season.

“It’s unbelievable,” she said. “Every time I look back, I cannot believe I went from not being able to play to helping my team, to be in a situation to win another ring. It’s truly a blessing, and I thank God for it.”

Edward said that the thing she has learned during this experience is appreciation.

“Before my injury, there were times were I use to be like, ‘Ugh, I don’t want to go to practice today,’ or even some games where I didn’t want to play. However, knowing how close I was to losing it all, I just appreciate every moment.”

Page 8 Thursday, March 5, 2015

University Press

— WORLD VIEW — Nghi Ngo, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, senior What is the most common misconception about your home country?

People think we are still in a war, or that we are a communist country. Actually, we are just a normal republic. It is a small country in Asia, so not many people know too much about it, but we have everything in Vietnam. We have mountains, beaches, jungles — everything. Our country is shaped like an “S,” from north to south. The western part of Vietnam is surrounded by Cambodia, so there are jungles and mountains, and the eastern part of Vietnam is the coast.

What would you like people to know about your home country?

We have a very special culture, which has been around for many years. The language and the food are really distinguished. The weather is beautiful. The north gets all four seasons, but the south only gets sunshine and rain. The people are really friendly and helpful. People are really close.

They think of others, more than themselves. Life in Vietnam is so flexible. You can have $5 and it will last the whole day.

What is a big cultural difference between the U.S. and your home country?

Everything is really close in Vietnam. We live so close to each other. If something happens to you, everyone will know what happened. The transportation is very different.

We have a lot of motorbikes. Because the city is surrounded by buildings and houses, the roads are smaller. We have lanes for cars and motorbikes, but there are so many motorbikes. You will be shocked if you go there.

What would you like people in your home country to know about the U.S.?

I tell them, when I am living here, I have more freedom.

People are not as close to each other here, so they do not interfere with others’ lives a lot. At home, no matter what you do, people are going to know, because everyone is so close. Sometimes it can be frustrating, but sometimes it is good, because you know that people care for you. Here, you have the same lifestyles, but we are just closer over there.

Compiled by Mason Malmay

World View is an ongoing series that aims to spotlight the international diversity that adds to Lamar University’s rich culture

Lady Cards top Incarnate Word; clinch at least tie for second in SLC GRANT CRAWFORD @GRANTLAMARUP UP SPORTS EDITOR The Lamar Lady Cardinals defeated Incarnate Word’s Lady Cardinals, 81-64, Saturday, to clinch no worse than a tie for second place in the Southland Conference, and brings the team to 16-12 overall (13-4 SLC).

Guard JaMeisha Edwards put on a dominant offensive performance, racking up a career-high 35 points, 25 of which came in the first half. Edwards went into the locker room shooting 1012 from the field, and 4-6 from behind the arc.

“JaMeisha was on fire in the first half,” head coach Robin Harmony said.

“If she plays well, then we play well. I wish we didn’t have to go to half time.

She would have broken a lot of records.”

Edwards said it felt like an ordinary game.

“I go out the same way for every game,” she said. “I just try to take care of my team.”

Lamar finished the first half with a 50-35 lead, shooting 65 percent from the field. Harmony said it’s easy to stay relaxed on the sidelines when the team jumps out to an early lead.

“Offensively, we pretty much were on key,” she said. “We hit our free throws for a change. When you put the ball in the basket, it takes care of a lot of your problems, whether you don’t like a call, or you give up a bucket. As long as we come down and answer back, we’re fine.

“We kind of clowned around a bit there. They came back on us, and got to within 13. These guys don’t realize that seven, eight minutes is not a lot of time on the court, and you don’t want to give a team hope that they can come back.”

Kiandra Bowers finished with a double-double, Saturday, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. “(Bowers) has been working on her game,” Harmony said. “We have been all over her lately. She can be unstoppable, and she’s just a sophomore. We put a lot of pressure on her, because when we can score inside and outside, we’re unstoppable offensively.

“I believe she also took four charges. I would talk more about the four charges that she took, rather than the double-double.”

Freshman Baileigh O’Dell recorded a career-high eight assists, and added 10 points. She said having a player of JaMeisha Edwards’ caliber makes it

much easier to play well.

“It takes pressure off of yourself, and other people,” O’Dell said. “They sort of swarm around her, so it makes passing easier.”

A freshman from Verdigris high school in Oklahoma, O’Dell has played in every game for Lamar this season, and has started 26 games. She said she’s seen her abilities on the court grow.

“A lot of it is probably coaching,” she said, nervously watching her coach’s reaction. “I’ve never had somebody quite as in-your-face as coach Harmony. She’ll tell you what you need to know, when you need to know it. And, if you don’t perform, she’ll sit you.”

Harmony said the team will need O’Dell’s type of team basketball when it comes time for post-season play.

“You have to give credit to our post players,” she said. “She’s giving them the assists, and now they’re finally starting to finish. We’re not missing as many little chippies as we did before. Baileigh can score, she can pass, and do it off the dribble. We need to play together, unselfishly as a team, and we generally do that on offense.”

Despite Lamar forcing 31 UIW turnovers, Harmony said that she still needs to see improvement on the defen-

sive side of the ball.

“When we press them on three quarters of the court, that’s when we’re really making them turn the ball over and getting easy transition points,” she said. “I think we need to fix our court-oncourt defense. We’re just not doing fundamental things that says we hang our hats on defense.”

The Lady Cardinals will have their final game of the regular season today, against Sam Houston State. A victory will ensure the team’s sole position of second place, and will earn them a bye to the conference tournament’s semifinals.

“Sam Houston is also playing for their life to get into the tournament,” Harmony said. “With this win, we get the second seed. Trust me, it’s going to be on my mind.”

“Last year — what happened to us in the semifinals, when we got upset….”

Harmony’s voice trailed off at the memory of that upset loss to Northwestern State.

“We have to get to the championship game and see what happens,” she said. :Our players have to make sure they’re concentrated on that as well.”

The game against SHSU will tipoff at 5:30, in the Montagne Center.

CONCERT ••••••••••••• Continued from page 1 rhythms, antiquated, but the harmonies are more modern, so it is a very clever suite.

“We also have one more suite that we are doing, Anatoly Liadov’s, ‘Eight Russian Folk Songs.’ So we have a suite of eight movements representing different folk song styles from Russian folklore.”

Gilman said the concert will also feature Greek and Norwegian dances and end with a Greek piano concerto, for which Jacob Clark, assistant professor of piano, will be soloist.

“He is doing just the first movement,” Gilman said. “It is a very famous piece and a very exciting movement. It uses the full force of the orchestra and it has incredible display of the piano — it is a great ending number for this concert.”

The orchestra is made up of undergraduates and graduates, and is also open to community players, faculty and area music directors.

Gilman said that, as a conductor, he has to take several factors into play when choosing a program.

“The program is usually based on what we think the audience wants to hear and also the ability of the musicians to perform that work well,” he said. “I use a lot of different online sources that show different community orchestras, and I get ideas from them. Sometimes, we have connections to all the music publishers so I know what is out there. These days, from YouTube, you can hear if it is appropriate for your group or not.”

Gilman said he tries to pick music that appeals to a wide range of interests.

“I hope (the audience) appreciates the diversity of anywhere from antique dances to Scandinavian dances to Russian folk songs, and then the always wonderful experience of having a piano soloist with a full symphony orchestra,” he said. “Each one of these dances or songs of the suites is uniquely different but related to a central topic. Some parts of the concert the audience will feel like dancing, and part of the concert they will feel like singing. Anyone who has ever studied piano will be in awe of Dr. Clark’s virtuosity.”

For more information, call 8808144 or visit www.lamar.edu/music.