University Press March 22, 2018

UNIVERSITY PRESS

The Newspaper of Lamar University Vol. 94, No. 19 March 22, 2018

Nobel Laureate to lecture Wednesday Cassandra Jenkins UP managing editor

The Lamar University Academic Lecture Series presents a distinguished lecture featuring Dr. Kip Thorne, winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics. The free public event will be hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences on March 28 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the University Theatre.

“First of all, he is going to give a talk on the movie “Interstellar”

and the science of it,” Philip Cole, professor and chair of the department of physics said. “He was a science editor for this movie, which came out in 2014, one year before the discovery of gravitational waves came out.”

To accompany Christopher Nolan’s film, Thorne has written The Science of “Interstellar,” which reveals that the movie’s jaw-dropping events and neverbefore-attempted visuals are grounded in real science. He also introduced wormholes into mod-

ern science fiction and movies through his work on Carl Sagan’s novel and film “Contact”. He is the author of the bestselling book “Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein’s Outrageous Legacy.”

Thorne is also among the world’s most influential scientists. A co-founder the billiondollar Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) project, a collaboration of more than 1,000 researchers from more than 20 countries, he

and his team made history by proving the direct existence of gravitational waves, a discovery that won him the 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics and earned him a place on TIME Magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential People.

“In 1915, Albert Einstein developed the general theory of relativity,” Cole said. “This is basically how space time operates with gravitational fields — mass makes big bending of space See THORNE, page 8

Kip Thorne

physicality & grace

Shane Proctor’s photo from the Winnie Rice Festival is a national finalist in the SPJ awards.

UP, LUTV students win nine SPJ awards, four advance to nationals The University Press earned eight prizes and LUTV one at the Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Awards, held March 3 in San Antonio.

Noah Dawlearn was named a winner in the Breaking News category for his photo for “Sheltered,” depicting a family being evacuated to the Montagne Center in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Hannah LeTulle was named a winner in the General News Photographer for her photo of a flooded nursing home evacuation. Shane Proctor was named a winner in the Feature Photography category for her picture of the Winnie Rice Festival.

LUTV’s Jennifer Yacuta was named a winner in the Television Sports Reporting category for her story “Knocking Out Addictions.”

See SPJ, page 4

Rachel Curtis and Aaron McClenclon practice for “Dance Unleashed” in the Studio Theatre, March 7.

UP photo by Noah Dawlearn

‘Dance Unleashed’ to take to stage Friday through Sunday Cade Smith UP staff writer

Lamar University’s spring dance concert, “Dance Unleashed,” will be held in the University Theatre, Friday at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at

2 p.m. The show will include a variety of dances and feature a guest performance by performers from Tainan University of Technology in Taiwan. “‘Dance Unleashed’ is the faculty dance concert that takes place in the spring,” Golden Wright, LU theatre and

dance chair, said.

Wright said that the department puts on two shows annually, “Fall and Recovery” which takes place during fall See DANCE, page 2

Le Grand Bal fundraiser set for Saturday Sierra Kondos UP staff writer

UP photo by Sierra Kondos

Edgar Sanchez, graphic design senior, left, Sunny Rae Breland, studio art junior, and Brandi Hamilton, photography senior, work together on setting up the artwork for Le Grand Bal’s silent auction in the Dishman Art Museum.

www.facebook.com/UPLamar

Lamar University’s College of Fine Arts and Communications will host its annual Le Grand Bal fundraiser, Saturday, from 6:30 p.m. to midnight.

The black-tie affair fundraiser is in two parts, Donna. M. Meeks, art department chair, said. It begins with a silent auction of original artwork in the Dishman Art Museum at 6:30 p.m., and continues with food and dancing in the newly-renovated Setzer Student Center, at 7:30 p.m. “(The auction) gives people who participate in the Bal an opportunity to support visual art by direct purchase of an artist’s work,” she said. “That is how we raise money for students and scholarships.

Every year, Le Grand Bal committee members select honorees recognized for their contributions to the arts. This year’s honorees are Albert Nolen and Keith Carter.

www.lamaruniversitypress.com

Nolen is a Beaumont realtor, retired educator, newspaper columnist and wellknown supporter of the arts in Southeast Texas. Nolen worked for the Angie Nall Hospital, where he was part of pioneering efforts to teach students with learning disabilities. He also served three years as president of the Art Museum of Southeast Texas Board of Trustees.

“Albert Nolen has given so much back to the community,” Meeks said. “He is a persistent and consistent arts supporter.

We want to thank him for all that he does for Lamar and the community.”

Carter, whose photographs have been shown in more than 100 solo exhibitions in 13 countries, is a recipient of the Texas Medal of Arts. Thirteen books of his work have been published, and he has been featured in two documentary films — “A Certain Alchemy,” by Anthropy Arts, and See FUNDRAISER, page 2

www.twitter.com/UPLamar

QUOTE OF THE DAY

INSIDE

Thursday, March 22, 2018 University Press

DANCE

Page 2

FUNDRAISER

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.

LU department of theatre and dance chair Golden Wright, left, watches as Rachel Curtis, Aron McClenclon, and Raven Cormie rehearse a number from the upcoming “Dance Unleashed” concert, March 7.

from page 1

and “Dance Unleashed” in the spring.

“We did that so people could differentiate between the two,” he said. “Every piece of choreography is different. We try to have a well-rounded concert towards not all the same genre or same style.”

Last year’s “Dance Unleashed” featured a variety of dances including tap and swing, post-modern work and aerial dance.

“This year, what is a little bit different about last year, is that we are going to have Tainan University of Technology’s department of dance,” Wright said. “Their dance team is going to perform a couple of works at our concert. They were guests of ours two years ago, we performed with them last year, we really have developed a great relationship with them.”

Wright will be doing a modern dance work with some of his students for the concert this year.

“I will be using a set piece, using lots of partnering and physical contact,” he said.

“There are tons of physical movement in my piece, the set piece will be used to the best of my ability to create new movement, I am very passionate about it.”

Wright said that he started working and practicing on his piece with his students last semester.

“The main piece we have been practicing since September, and another one of my pieces I have been working on since January,” he said. “The amount of time it takes to practice a piece just depends on the work involved in the piece.”

Raven Cormier, junior dance major, is one of many dancers that will be dancing in several of the performances featured at the show.

“I am excited about the performing in

NOTICE

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”

— Henry Ford

UP photo by Noah Dawlearn

the show,” she said. “There are a few new pieces that are different from what I usually have done in the past, it is very exciting for me.”

Cormier said she is looking forward to performing Wright’s piece in the show.

“I am excited about the wall piece that Golden is doing,” she said. “The piece is a very physical one because we are having climb over, stand and flip on an eight-foot wall.”

In addition to Wright, LU dance instructor Lou Arrington has been working on a piece of her own in the performance.

“The choreography I am putting together for this year will be a taste of the ‘20s,” she said. “Last year my performers danced to swing music with the jazz band.

Theatre dance forms to me shows a snapshot into the dance styles of the time periods.”

Arrington said that when deciding on what era to showcase she found a song that she liked and made her think of the 1920s.

“I felt like going in that direction, it is historical and people will see the dance

styles from that era,” she said. “The ‘20s was during Prohibition so the performers dress according to the styles of the flapper girl and gangster.”

Arrington said she will also showcase her work with a ballet solo from one of the dance majors.

“The performance will be an excerpt from the ballet ‘Cinderella,’” she said.

“Those are mainly the parts I will be showcasing this year.”

Sarah Vickery, junior dance major, who is also featured in the show, said that she focuses on honing in her skills in her performances.

“The practice schedule is not too bad for me,” Vickery said. “For one piece we put in about four to six hours a week.

When I am preparing for a performance I make sure I am paying attention to my technical rehearsals, and when given new material I go over it on my own time.”

Tickets are $7 for students, $10 for faculty, staff and senior citizens, and $15 for general admission.

For more information, call the box office at 880-2250.

from page 1

“Keith Carter: The Artist Series,” by Ted Forbes. The Los Angeles Times called him a “Poet of the Ordinary.”

“Keith Carter holds the Walles Chair in fine arts, a high honor in a university,” Meeks said. “The Beaumont native is famous internationally as a photographer of Texas. He has wide gallery representation, with Texas State being one of them, displaying 1,000 of his images in the Witliff Collection.”

Students are participating with faculty and staff in helping to raise funds that benefit the arts instruction.

“The art show showcases student talent,” Meeks said. “So, our art students will put in art work to sell. Student involvement styles represented in the show go from realism to abstraction.

You will even find fantasy artwork in there.”

Sunday, after the event, any unsold

work will be available at minimum bid from noon to 2 p.m.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for LU students to begin their own art collection here at Lamar,” Meeks said.

Tickets for the Setzer Student Center portion of the event are $250 per a person. Entry to the silent auction is free.

For more information, visit www.lamar.edu/fine-arts-communica tion/le-grand-bal.

CALENDAR

March 22

Jazz on the Lake Event Centre, Downtown 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

March 26

QEP: “Pathways and Corequisites: The New Normal” 101 Landes Auditorium 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

March 23

Anamaria Effler presents: The What, Why, and How of Ligo 108 Archer building 3 p.m. to 7 p.m

March 26

Fiction and Southeast Texas Gray Library, 8th floor 5 p.m. to 7 p.m

March 28

Q&A session with Nobel Laureate Dr. Kip Thorne 101 Galloway Building 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

April 4

REDtalks presents: Why we need to talk about alcohol Gray Library, 6th floor 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

April 10

Educators’ Career Fair McDonald Gym: Shiela Umphrey Recreational Center 1 p.m. to 3 p.m

EDITORIAL

3 UNIVERSITY PRESS Thursday, March 22, 2018

Quality time on a dime UP illustration by Olivia Malick

Cheap date night options for college couples

Let’s be honest, the only reason for this column is because I’m broke.

I’m a college student with two jobs, bills I can hardly pay, and an empty wallet. But, we’ve all had that urge on a Friday night to pick up our significant other, forget about work and school for a while and just have fun — until we check our bank accounts and find we’ve got about $50, maybe less.

Sure, I could lug my way to Houston or Lake Charles, but that’s extra money for gas, meaning less money for everything else. So, from one broke college student, here’s some ideas for a local date night on $50 or less.

The No. 1 rule for spending less on a Friday night — don’t go out on Friday night. The weekends are designed to be expensive and crowded. I’m a server and a bartender at a local restaurant and Fridays and Saturdays are my biggest money-making

Commentary

Cassandra Jenkins UP managing editor

nights, so I’ve had to get crafty with date nights during the week.

My favorite? — breakfast dates.

Breakfast dates are overlooked, but they are not only fun, but they are also cheaper than dinner dates.

The cheapest steak at Outback is a 6oz sirloin for $12.29. Of course, that’s not including appetizers, drinks and desserts. A stack of pancakes at IHOP costs about $8.99 and you’ll most likely get the same full effect. Not to mention, you’ll save a ton without all the extra alcoholic drinks and appetizers that usually come with dinner.

After breakfast, my significant other and I are at about $25, give or take. That leaves $25 to go.

Time for a movie. At 10 a.m., the movie tickets at Tinseltown are available at an early bird price of $6.22 each, or on a Tuesdays (discount day) it’ll only cost $5.40 for all showings at any time. Boom! $5 saved. You can take that extra money and buy snacks, although you’ll probably still be full after the pancakes.

Not a movie person? Too crowded? Too many babies screaming and people talking? No problem. Whenever my girlfriend and I don’t feel like leaving our habitat, we just drive over to 2nd and Charles in Parkdale Mall and grab a DVD for about the same price as a movie ticket — and we get to keep it.

Need some intimate time out in the sun? If it’s a beautiful day,

UPeditorial Take time to refocus

There are approximately seven weeks left in the spring 2018 semester. For some, that means graduation preparations and plans for a future beyond Lamar. For others, it means a continuation of classes, albeit with one eye on the upcoming summer break.

It can be hard to make it through the second half of the semester, especially knowing that the stress of finals is just around the corner. But don’t fret — here are some tips to make it through the next seven weeks.

First, set goals. An easy way to keep track of what’s left to accomplish is by making a list of everything that needs to be done and finishing them one at a time. When one task is completed, move on to the next and so forth. This makes the weeks go by faster — instead of looking at the rest of the semester as days to get through, it is a to-do list that becomes more rewarding every time something is checked off.

Second, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If there is a class or a subject that is particularly challenging or hard to understand, talk to a professor, or look for classmates and colleagues who understand the topic. By doing so, it gives us a chance to understand something that has troubled us and is one less thing to worry about.

Third, don’t stress too much. It’s easier said than done, but often times our anxieties are born out of fear, and we can’t let them get in the way of what we have accomplished so far.

Finals are important, but they are not the end all be all. The second half of the semester can be a time of accomplishment and fun. It’s all how you look at it.

ends are your only days off, there are still ways to have a great night without breaking the bank.

One of the best perks of being a college student is getting things free or at a discount.

If you feel like dancing, Friday nights at Dixie Dance Hall are college nights. Enjoy a free cover before midnight with your college I.D. Have two-left feet? If you are lucky enough to be in a relationship where both partners enjoy sports, then go out to eat at Buf-

falo Wild Wingz, watch whatever game is on and don’t forget to ask about your 10 percent student discount. I consider this a date anyway.

So, yes, being a college student is stressful and, yes, date nights are definitely harder when you’ve got no time and no money, but your love life should never suffer.

Finding time for each other is an important part of a relationship, and there are plenty of cheap and fun date options — you’ve just got to make the effort.

A case for armed teachers When 17 students and teachers were shot and killed by an expelled classmate with an AR-15 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Feb. 15, the question of gun control and school safety was thrust once more into the spotlight.

In the midst of the usual calls for restrictions on gun purchases, background checks, and mental health procedures, there were calls for teachers to be armed in the classroom.

As a single mother with a son in a public school, and as an ex-safety officer for Lamar University police department (albeit unarmed), I believe that teachers should be able to exercise their second amendment right to bear arms to protect themselves and their students if they are attacked by a shooter. It would make me feel more secure knowing my seven-yearold son is protected in the classroom.

Saul Cornell, a professor of history at Fordham University, argues, in his book “A Well-Regulated Militia: The Founding Fathers and the Origins of Gun Control in America,” that early modern English political theorists and jurists often described the right to defend oneself as the first law of nature.

However, philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke de-

Commentary

Sierra Kondos UP staff writer

Editor............................................Shelby Strickland Managing Editor.............................Cassie Jenkins Staff ........................Hannah LeTulle, Olivia Malick, ................................ Antonio Del Rio, Vy Nguyen, ......................................Sierra Kondos, Cade Smith, .....................................Matt Beadle, Konnor Segura

Business Manager ...............................Jason Tran Advertising Assistants....................Gabbie Smith ........................................................Eloisa Lopez Advisors Andy Coughlan and Stephan Malick Member of Texas Intercollegiate Press Association

pack a light lunch and a blanket, and spread out a picnic at the Beaumont Botanical Gardens.

This date is essentially free, except for the cost of food.

Beaumont also has several museums to visit, including the Babe Zaharias Museum, the Steamboat Museum, the McFaddin Ward House, the Spindletop and Edison Museums, to name a few. Most museums are free or rarely more than $5.

Now, I know that everyone’s schedule isn’t the same. If week-

Letters Policy

scribed a world without government or law as a state of nature, a primitive and dangerous world in which each person could use deadly force whenever they judged it necessary. In such a world each person is judge, jury and executioner.

They argue that society and government are designed to provide the security and certainty unavailable in the state of nature. In exchange for the benefits of living in a world governed by the rule of law, individuals, with a few well-defined exceptions, give up the right to use deadly force.

English common law spells out these exceptions in considerable detail. Individuals are legally obliged to retreat from attack and are not allowed to stand and fight, unless retreat is physically impossible. The only exception to the legal is in one’s home where deadly force may be justified, but one has to demonstrate that there was no other alternative to repel or subdue one’s attacker.

If the teacher is a substitute for a parent while the child is at school, then surely one can argue that the school becomes a substitute for the home.

There have been 30 mass shootings in the United States this year, and it’s only the third month. Of these, 17 have been in schools.

Kenneth S. Trump, President of National School Safety and Security Services, argues that teachers who are armed are not the answer.

“Suggesting that by providing teachers, principals, custodians, or other school staff with 8, 16, 40, or even 60 hours of firearms training on firing, handling, and holstering a gun somehow makes a nonlaw enforcement officer suddenly qualified to provide public safety services devalues our highly trained police professionals and is a high-risk to the safety of students, teachers, and other school staff,” Trump said.

He said that educators enter a profes-

Individuals who wish to speak out on issues should send a letter fewer than 400 words in length to Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 10055, Beaumont, TX 77710, or drop letters off at our office in 202 Carl Parker Building. The writer’s name, address, telephone number and ID number must accompany each letter. Letters received without this information cannot be printed. Letters may be edited for length, grammar, style and possible libel.

Opinions expressed in letters are not necessarily those of the UP student management. Letters by the same writer on the same subject will not be published. Poetry and religious debates will not be published.

sion to teach and serve in a supportive, nurturing role with children. To ask them to abruptly kick into the mindset to kill one of those same students in a second’s notice is not realistic. He adds that police officers train their entire career and enter each traffic stop and individual encounter with a preparedness and life-safety mindset that is different from the professional training and mindset of educators.”

However, in the Parkland shooting, Scot Peterson, an armed school deputy, rushed to the Florida high school building where terrified students ran from a killer, but then sat outside for about four minutes without going inside. He was investigated for his lack of response and resigned his post at Broward County.

In June 2016, I began working for the LU police department to assist the students, faculty and staff, with things like unlocking vehicles, changing tires, writing parking tickets, taking calls for medical help, to locking and unlocking campus.

After orientation, I had to go into a training room and watch videos of what kinds of things cause mass hysteria, and real footage of school shootings was one of them. The video that haunts me showed a high school boy walking down the aisle of a classroom and picking off his defenseless classmates one by one. As I watched them drop onto the floor or topple over their desks, there was not an officer in sight, but there was a teacher.

If that teacher was armed, and was in the room with the children — not facing a position of whether to enter a danger area — then maybe the loss of life would be minimized. Armed teachers would be in the position to help local sheriffs and police chiefs who do not have enough deputies or armed officers to assign to schools.

It may a controversial viewpoint, but my boy’s life, and that of his classmates, is priority one.

The opinions that appear in editorials are the official views of the University Press student management as determined by the UP Student Editorial Board. Opinions expressed elsewhere on this page are the views of the writers only and are not necessarily those of the University Press student management. Student opinions are not necessarily those of the university administration. ©University Press 2018

Page 4

Thursday, March 22, 2018 • UNIVERSITY PRESS

Jazz Orchestra to perform free concert today Antonio Del Rio UP contributor

Beaumont will be getting a touch of jazz tonight as the Lamar University Cardinal Jazz Orchestra performs at the annual Jazz at the Lake series.

The free show kicks off from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the downtown Event Centre.

The orchestra will be led

by Rick Condit, director of jazz studies and associate professor of saxophone at Lamar.

The city-sponsored event will also feature the Jimmy Simmons Group led by former LU President Emeritus and jazz saxophonist, Jimmy Simmons, and Los Angeles-based, critically acclaimed trombonist, composer, arranger, and vocalist, Scott Whitfield.

“The students and I are really looking forward to Jazz at the Lake,” Condit said. ”We enjoy getting the opportunity to share our music with the public. The students in the Cardinal Jazz Orchestra are extremely talented and work very hard in preparing for a concert. So, by the time we hit the stage, they are more than ready.”

Condit said that the event will be an opportunity for the community to get immersed in jazz music and learn about the genre in a

SPJ

setting that has something for everyone.

“It provides an opportunity for the community to gather together in a relaxed atmosphere after work or school and enjoy good local entertainment, refreshments, and have some fun,” he said. “One of our missions is to educate the public through our living history demonstrations of live jazz music — an original American art form.

“Many people do not hear jazz often and don’t really know how to identify it when they do, so we like to think we may be introducing them to something new and fun to listen to. And, once they hear it they, will want to come back again.”

Condit said that the lineup at the Jazz at the Lake event will be comprised of multiple talented musicians.

“We have a great lineup for the show which includes, Scott Whitfield and Jimmy Simmons,” Condit said. “Scott is one of the finest jazz trombonists alive today. He has performed all over the world with a veritable who’s who of the great jazz musicians.

He is also a very good teacher and a nice guy. I try to bring people like him to Lamar in order to inspire the students and, obviously, for the public to enjoy.

“Jimmy Simmons, well,

UP photo by Antonio Del Rio

Members of the LU jazz band prepare for their upcoming concert, “Jazz on the Lake.” he has been an inspiration to our whole community.

He is an inspiration and an especially strong supporter of our music program. He gives freely of his time and has been extremely encouraging to our students, not to mention the fact that he is also a fine jazz musician.

We are all very thankful for his presence.”

De’Vionne Jones, sophomore, and the lead trombone player for the Lamar Cardinal Jazz Orchestra, said he and members of the jazz orchestra have been preparing diligently for the

event.

“I am very excited for the jazz band to perform at the upcoming concert. I believe that performances are where musicians come to life,” he said. “I’ve been playing trombone since the age of 11. This is my ninth year on the horn. I know I’m prepared, and I know the rest of the orchestra are also ready to put on a great show as well.

“What I am anticipating the most for our upcoming performance is the spontaneity that is presented when the ensemble tackles

a performance. The ensemble shines when we play publicly, and the performance allows us to display the growing musicianship of all members in the ensemble.”

Jones emphasized the bond that is shared between he and his bandmates and that is what will make Jazz at the Lake more than just a show.

“The ensemble is an assortment of personalities,” he said. “One thing we share outside of musicianship is a great sense of humor. Playing with the ensemble is a fun experience.

We really push each other to be great and are brutally honest. Despite the ambition behind the ensemble’s purpose, the nature of the group is good overall.”

Jazz at the Lake will also feature an all star rhythm section from Houston, including drummer Joel Fulgham, pianist Pamela York, and vocalist Sharon Montgomery. Also joining the group will be New Orleans bassist, Ed Wise.

For more information, visit discoverbeaumont .com.

from page 1

The winners will advance to national competition against the other 11 regional winners.

Results will be announced later this spring at the national convention in Baltimore, Md. Finalist awards were given to UP staffer Elisabeth Tatum in the General News category for

her story on the nursing home evacuation, and to Cassandra Jenkins and Olivia Malick in the Sports Column Writing category for their collected columns. Photographer Matt Beadle was a finalist in the Sports Photography category and contributor Alyssa Stevens

was named a finalist in the Editorial Cartooning category for a series of works.

The University Press staff as a whole was honored as finalists in the Best Student Magazine category for UPbeat.

“I am delighted that we had a good showing at SPJ,” adviser

Andy Coughlan said. “The awards are open to all student media in Texas and Oklahoma so the competition is tough. I think it speaks well to the quality of work produced by the staff.”

Lamar competes in Region 8. Honorees received award

certificates and first-place winners will compete at the national level among other regional MOE winners from the 12 SPJ regions at the national convention in Baltimore, Md. The awards represent work published in 2017.

UNIVERSITY PRESS • Thursday, March 22, 2018

Page 5

Women in politics Recognizing leaders of yesterday, tomorrow Olivia Malick UP staff writer

For centuries, women were not recognized for their achievements simply because of their gender. This has begun to change with women becoming more prominent in every aspect of society — including leadership roles.

During the 2016 presidential election, America saw Hillary Clinton become the first female presidential candidate of a major political party, and while she did not win, although she led the popular vote, it marked a new era where women could reasonably expect to be president. “(Women) are now tackling leadership roles,” Bianca Easterly, assistant professor of political science, said. “Not to say that women of previous generations (haven’t done so) — we know of pioneers, but they’ve been just that, pioneers. There hasn’t been this sort of mass acceptance that women can lead and be major players — it’s been one or two women who have led the way.”

Easterly said that because of Clinton and Minority House Leader Nancy Pelosi, political opportunities have opened up for women.

“We see these women who are leading the way in politics and shaping politics today, and I think that’s huge in setting a new path for younger women,” she said.

According to TIME Magazine, since President Donald Trump’s election, more than 26,000 women have launched their own campaigns. Easterly said that women still face many challenges when running for office, and that societal standards for women are indicative of a larger problem.

“Whether it’s conscious or subconscious, there’s this patriarchal sort of ideal that leadership and knowledge have to be from a man,” she said. “I find that very much to be the case in higher education. Students tend to be more accepting of what my male col-

leagues say, and the things that I deal with in a classroom, my male colleagues don’t deal with any of that — it’s an acceptance of men leading, men teaching, men having knowledge. We’re seeing a slow shift in that but it’s still very challenging to accept women as leaders.”

Easterly said that the patriarchy’s notion of women serving in subordinate roles to men has had a detrimental effect on how women are perceived when they take on leadership roles in politics.

“There comes this notion that women have to support the men, the decision-makers, not that they can be supported by men, but that women have to support the men,” she said. “What comes with that is the disrespectful undertones, the sexual harassment and (seeing) women as objects.

We still play into that.

“For example, whether or not you like Sarah Huckabee Sanders as the Press Secretary, her appearance is discussed much more than any other Press Secretary we’ve ever had. There’s still this expectation that women can’t just be knowledgeable — you can’t just be well-spoken, you have to be attractive, you have to be appealing. And it’s not just men putting that expectation, women put the same expectation on other women. So within the patriarchy, we have got to move beyond the subordinate roles of women — certainly the objectification of women as well.”

During America’s 241 years of existence, there has yet to be a female president, and compared to men, the amount of women in Congress is small. In 2016, a record number of women were elected to the Senate — four. In other nations, women have taken on leadership roles compatible with the American presidency, such as Theresa May of the United Kingdom, and Angela Merkel of Germany, who serve as Prime Minister and Chancellor respectively.

“It’s absolutely time for a female president,” Easterly said.

“We’re prime for change. We’re seeing women function in these leadership roles around the world, and as a progressive, advanced nation — at least as we’d like to believe we are. This is certainly the next direction — if we are as evolved as we’d like to be and really contend with the rest of the world, we can no longer cling to the status-quo.

“We will continually be behind as a superpower, and perhaps no longer be identified as a superpower, if we continue doing the same things we’ve been doing.

That includes having the same leadership, the same ideas, the same policies. Not to say that if we elect a woman it’s all going to be this new progressive kind of stuff, but what it will bring is a different perspective.

“The way a woman sees the world is not the way a man sees the world. So, I think it’s time, not only for a female president, but for an Asian president or a Latino president — it’s time for us to change the way we have been doing things in this country if we want to compete with the rest of the world.”

Easterly said that prominent political figures like Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Maxine Waters encourage other women to run for office because of representation.

“There is an area of focus in political science called descriptive representation and how important it is for certain populations to see people who look like them,” she said. “The literature on women in politics in political science certainly speaks about the importance of women seeing other women in politics, and it helps to see other people who look like you, who you can identify with in some kind of way, and are doing the things that you want to do — it makes it easier.”

Easterly said that women who feel that they can affect change by running for office should do so,

1. Tammy Baldwin, current U.S. Senator; 2. Tammy Duckworth, current U.S. Senator; 3. Mary McLeod Bethune, civil rights activist; 4. Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State; 5. Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India; 6. Aung San Suu Kyi, current State Counsellor of Burma; 7. Angela Merkel, current Chancellor of Germany; 8. Dianne Feinstein, current U.S. Senator; 9. Janet Reno, former U.S. Attorney General; 10. Eleanor Roosevelt, 32nd U.S. First Lady; 11. Ann Richards, former Governor of Texas; 12. Elizabeth Warren, current U.S. Senator; 13. Frances Perkins, former U.S. Secretary of Labor; 14. Elaine Chao, current U.S. Secretary of Transportation; 15. Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State; 16. Nancy Pelosi, current U.S. House Minority Leader; 17. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, current Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; 18. Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska; 19. Sandra Day O’Connor, former Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; 20. Margaret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister; 21. Abigail Adams, 2nd U.S. First Lady; 22. Michelle Obama, 44th U.S. First Lady; 23. Theresa May, current British Prime Minister; 24. Sonia Sotomayor, current Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; 25. Kamala Harris, current U.S. Senator; 26. Hillary Clinton, 2016 Democratic Presidential Nominee; 27. Shirley Chisholm, former U.S. Congresswoman; 28. Jeannette Rankin, former U.S. Congresswoman; 29. Carol Moseley Braun, former U.S. Senator; 30. Kirsten Gillibrand, current U.S. Senator UP graphic by Olivia Malick

despite the challenges.

“Do not quiet that fire inside to help influence policy,” she said.

“Don’t ignore it. We need smart,

young, eager, capable people who want to solve all of these social problems. We need new ideas.”

Page 6

Thursday, March 22, 2018 • UNIVERSITY PRESS

Texas Primary first in U.S. 2018 Senate race heats up, voter turnout hits all-time high Olivia Malick UP staff writer

Texas held the first primary election in the United States on March 6. Primary elections are where candidates at the municipal, state and federal levels are selected by voters in every jurisdiction in America to represent a party in general elections, including the presidential election.

“Before a candidate can compete with a competitor from another party, he or she must win the primary election against members of his or her party in a primary election,” Bianca Easterly, assistant professor of political science, said.

“In the event no candidate receives an absolute majority (at least 50 percent of the vote), a runoff election is held between the two candidates receiving the largest number of votes.”

According to Gallup, Texas has shifted from a solid Republican, or “red” state, to a competitive “swing” state, meaning that Texas is no longer a guaranteed Republican vote like it has been in the past decade. This trend can be shown in the current U.S. Senate race between incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz and his challenger, Rep. Beto O’Rourke.

Cruz received 85.3 percent of 1.5 million votes in the Republican primary, and O’Rourke

received 61.8 percent of 1.03 million votes in the Democratic primary.

“It’s not surprising that voter turnout in the Republican primary is higher than the Democratic primary in Texas, but what is interesting is how many more Democratic voters participated in the primaries than they typically do in our state,” Easterly said. “Texas has an open primary system, which means that voters do not have to register with either party to participate, but you can only participate in one during the same election cycle — it’s difficult to know whether the numbers reflect party loyalty or support for candidates affiliated with a particular party.

“We will have a much better sense of what’s going on during the general election when one candidate is representing each party for each race. It’s been 15 years since Texas had a Democratic senator, so a win

by O’Rourke would be monumental.”

Because Texas is no longer considered a deep red state, political pundits have been speculating whether or not Texas could “turn blue,” or lean more Democrat, in the midterm elections. Right now, Republicans hold 51 of 100 seats in the Senate, while Democrats hold 47, and Inde-

pendents hold two. There will be a total of 33 seats (eight Republican, 23 Democrat and two Independent) open in Nov. 2018.

“There are two factors that determine whether flipping the seat will shift majority power to the Democratic Party in the Senate,” Easterly said.

“Democrats and Independents would need to defend all 25 of their open seats and win two Republican seats to become the majority party (with 51 seats), so a potential win by O’Rourke would be significant, but its impact in national politics is dependent on how well Democrats do nationwide in November.”

Voter turnout was up from recent years, especially for Democrats, who had their highest number of voters in a midterm primary since 1994, according to the Texas Tribune. The website Vox reports that turnout doubled from 2014 and beat the 2016 presidential election turnout by four percent. Primaries are known to have lower turnout rates than presidential elections, but overall, voter turnout was steady. Republicans usually have higher voting turnouts, especially in early voting, and so far, 2018 is no different. Voter turnout nationwide is a mainstream issue that many politicians are trying to combat. Only 58 percent

of eligible voters voted in the 2016 election, and Easterly said there’s a multitude of reasons as to why people don’t vote.

“First, voting requires political knowledge,” she said.

“People will not believe they can affect government if they don’t know much about it. Second, voter identification laws make it difficult for some voters to have the necessary identification to vote. Third, voting takes time.

“Increasing electoral power means voters must spend more time learning about the candidates. The League of Women Voters voter guides are particularly useful in locating nonpartisan information about most candidates, but it is particularly difficult in judicial elections where little information is available about how the candidate adjudicates.

“Finally, our government doesn’t make voting easy.

Some democracies hold elections on weekends or make Election Day a holiday which would undoubtedly improve voter turnout.”

Texas’ election results may show an overall trend in primary results to come, but Easterly said that the biggest change to occur so far in the 2018 election is who’s running for office.

“The ‘pink wave,’ as it’s

called, is drawing a large class of Democratic hopefuls, particularly in red states,” she said. “According to the Center for American Women and Politics, more than 50 women ran for Congress and 110 Texan women sought local offices in the primaries. The fact that more than half of the congressional candidates won their primaries or advanced to runoffs is encouraging. Nationwide, women are not only interested in changing the balance of power in statehouses and Congress, they are eager to transform the role of women in politics.”

Primary elections are not always reliable indicators of what may or may not happen in succeeding Presidential Elections, and Easterly said that a lot can happen between now and November 2020.

“The general election may provide some insight about the 2020 Presidential election, but there are still far too many days between 2018 and Election Day 2020 to make any reliable predictions,” she said.

“For example, Donald Trump didn’t announce his candidacy for the presidency until June 16, 2015, about a year and a half before the 2016 Presidential Election, so anything can happen between now and then.”

LU to present outdoor concert honoring John Philip Sousa

A John Philip Sousa outdoor band concert will be presented by the Lamar University concert bands and the community band of Southeast Texas, March 24, at the Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum on the Lamar University campus. The concert will begin at 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free.

Food and drinks available for purchase.

The concert will celebrate the music of the Magnolia Band, a local Beaumont band conducted

by Harry Cloud (a dentist) and his Magnolia Refinery bandsmen (now a part of ExxonMobil) as conducted

by Sousa in January 1924.

At that time Lamar Univer-

sity was beginning its second semester (on land donated by Magnolia) and the Magnolia Band was nationally famous for playing the inaugural broadcast of KFDM (“For Dependable Magnoline”) on Beaumont’s first radio station.

In the afternoon, the festival will feature Lamar University’s top two con-

cert bands (the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band) as well as the Orange Community Band of Southeast Texas (the successor to the Magnolia Band) playing music from America’s “Golden Age” while Beaumont was a booming oil town in the historical reproduction setting of the Spindletop Museum.

The “Magnolia Blossom March,” written by Harry Cloud and published by the Magnolia Petroleum Corporation will be played next to Sousa’s great marches and other staples of the concert band literature. A historical exhibit will show items from the concerts.

Food and fun will be provided in the Spindletop

Saloon—including historical reenactors, the Spindletop Blacksmith, and members of the Lamar Music faculty singing and playing popular songs from the era such as the “Lucas Geyser March Song” celebrating Beaumont in all its glory.

7

SPORTS

UNIVERSITY PRESS Thursday, March 22, 2018

HEARTBREAK IN KATY Lady Cards hopes dashed in 68-74 semifinal loss Cassandra Jenkins UP managing editor

For the second year in a row, the Lady Cardinals basketball team found themselves standing in the middle of the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy, March 10, preparing for the semifinal round of the Southland Conference Tournament. The No. 1 seeded LU team was picked as a sure winner to make it the NCAA tournament for the first time in decades, but the Lady Cards saw their chances at a championship come crashing down, again, after a devastating, 68-74, loss to the Lady Colonels. But the resilient LU squad did not go down without a fight.

“I think that we picked a day, altogether to not show up as a team,” head coach Robin Harmony said. “But, the positive part here, is that we did have a great year and we still have some basketball left. Now, we just need to regroup and see what we can do to prepare for this the following year.”

Although the Lady Colonels were the first with points on the board, the lead did not last long as Lamar battled back within minutes of the first quarter to tie the game up at 8 with 5:16 left.

LU took the lead after senior Baileigh O’Dell hit her first three of the night to give them a twopoint advantage. The Lady Cardinals held that lead by as many as 12 until midway through the second quarter. Nicholls came close to tying the score again after a layup by Bryanna Wash-

ington brought the score to 2825 within the first four minutes of the quarter, but a quick response by LU senior Kiandra Bowers and two free throws by sophomore Chastadie Barrs returned the lead to seven points.

A combined effort by Barrs and junior guard Moe Kinard sent the Lady Cardinals into the locker room with a comfortable 38-30 lead — and that’s where it all went wrong.

Coming out into the third quarter Nicholls was firing on all cylinders as Southland Player of Year, Cassidy Barrios hit her first three of the game 30 seconds into the half. Two made free throws and a jumper closed LU’s lead to only one point, 38-37. A fastbreak later, the Lady Colonels took the lead for the first time in the game, 38-39 holding Lamar to zero point for three minutes.

Kinard finally broke through the offensive shutdown to hit a layup, 40-47, but the drought severely damaged the Cardinal offense as they struggled to catchup, leaving the third quarter down by 10, 47-57.

The fourth quarter was a true battle of talent as the Lady Cards fought to see another SLC game matching Nicholls point for point. LU’s leading three-point shooter, Baileigh O’Dell, started hitting shots at an alarming rate to cause the composed Nicholls team to panic. In the last two minutes, O’Dell hit another three to come within three points of tying the score at 68, which she did 30 seconds later with another three-point shot. The Lamar

UP photo by Cassandra Jenkins

LU senior Kiandra Bowers battles four Lady Colonels for the ball in the Leonard E Merrell Center in Katy, March 10. The Lady Cardinals lost 68-74 to the No. 4 ranked Nicholls team in the semifinal round of the SLC tournament. crowd roared to their feet as they saw hope for an NCAA tournament bid. But, Nicholls’ Cassidy Barrios was not ready to go home as she hit two points with 46 seconds left. Sophomore Tykeria Williams followed suit hitting two from the goal line and two more free throws by Nicholls eventually sealed the game for the Lady Colonels as they left with a 68-74 victory.

Senior Kiandra Bowers hit her 12th double-double of the year and 36th of her career with 14 points and 18 rebounds. Moe Kinard led the team in scoring with

21 points and O’Dell hit 18 points to tie for second on LU’s career 3point list.

“These kids just have to know, that they have to show up no matter what and forget about everything else,” Harmony said.

“We had a great attendance, our fans came out to watch us. It was set up perfectly for us to be successful and it was nobody’s fault but Lamar’s. You can’t blame the officials they did a great job (and I don’t say that often), but they did. Our fans were in it for us, so it was just us and there was no excuse.”

After Katy, The Lady Cards participated in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament where they fell to the TCU Horned Frogs, 68-80 in Fort Worth, March 15.

The Lady Cardinals had an exceptional year going 22-8 overall and 17-1 in conference. The 201718 squad was undefeated in the Montagne Center hitting a perfect 13-0 mark along with a school record 14-game winning streak. Kinard led the team with a total of 447 points and Barrs tied the NCAA single-season record for steals at 191.

UCA Bears top Cards, 57-67, in first round of SLC tourney Cassandra Jenkins UP managing editor

UP photo by Matt Beadle

LU junior Josh Nzeakor tied his career-high 23 points i in Lamar’s 57-67 loss to Central Arkansas in the opening round of the Southland Conference Tournament.

The Lamar men’s basketball team had a tough loss in the first round of the Southland Tournament falling to the Central Arkansas Bears, 57-67 at the Merrell Center in Katy, March 7.

“Today, we lost to a better team,” LU head coach Tic Price said. “Central Arkansas was the better team, their kids played harder than us.

They beat us on the boards.

In the second half, they scored a much higher percentage than us, as a result we are going home packing.”

The Cardinals came out of the gate playing hard as they stuck by the Bears point for point throughout the entire first half. UCA’s Jordan Howard was the first with points on the board hitting a free throw a minute into the game, but LU junior Josh Nzeakor responded with a layup 12 seconds later to take a one point advantage. But, neither team was willing to give up the as they battled back-and-forth for the next 18 minutes without gaining more than a three-point lead.

In the last two minutes of the half, UCA finally took the advantage with a three-point shot by Howard to boost

their score 27-31 before being fouled and adding two more points to the score, 33-27.

But, the Cardinals weren’t going down without a fight as a layup by Nzeakor followed by a Torey Noel jump shot sent the Bears into the locker room with only a two-point lead, 33-31.

Right off the bat, the Lamar squad came off halftime ready to take their first conference tournament victory as Nzeakor wasted no time hitting two layups and a free throw a minute into the second half to up the Cards, 36-33. LU would go on an unstoppable run as they held Central Arkansas off from scoring more than one point for the next four minutes.

The Bears finally broke through the barrier after Howard scored three points, by that time the Cardinals had already built their lead to as many as eight points, 4436. Lamar kept the lead until half way through the second half when the Bears tied the game at 50 with 10 minutes left.

Lamar regained the lead with a layup by Nzeakor and a three-pointer by senior Zjori Bosha, 55-52. However, a three-point shot by UCA’s Hayden Koval tied the game up again at 55. Seconds later,

a fast break layup by UCA’s Mathew Mondesir was just what the team needed as they took the advantage, holding the Cards to only two more points for the last eight minutes to take the game 57-67.

Nzeakor finished the game with a career high of 23 points and eight rebounds.

Nick Garth and Zjori Bosha followed with nine points apiece.

“Despite the loss, what I like about this team, is that we could have folded during the year, but we didn’t,” Price said. “We have to accept the loss and hopefully, somewhere, in some tournament, we’ll keep playing.”

The Cardinals got another chance at postseason play after being invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, March 14, where they fell to the University of Texas San Antonio, 69-76.

Lamar finished 19-14 overall and 11-7 in the Southland Conference. The Cardinals averaged 75.8 points per a game with a 6.2 scoring margin. Weisbrod led the team with 14.6 points per a game followed by Nick Garth with 13.6 and Nzeakor with 12.5.

Price said despite losing their fairytale ending, the future of Cardinal basketball still looks bright.

Weisbrod 1-of-8 SLC players invited to NBA Pre-Draft Camp

Lamar University senior Colton Weisbrod has been invited to an NBA Pre-Draft Camp, hosted

by S.W.O.T. Technologies, announced organization officials Saturday morning. Weisbrod is one of only eight Southland Conference players invited to the tryout camp. In addition to working out for NBA scouts, there will also be professional league scouts from teams in Eu-

rope and China.

The camp will follow an NBA format with participating players competing in 5-on-5 games under NBA rules, as well as shooting drills. The camp will also test athleticism, speed and agility. It is run by experienced former NBA front office personnel and coaches.

A two-time first-team All-Southland Conference selection, Weisbrod

scored just under 1,000 points and pulled down more than 500 rebounds during his two-year LU career.

A former junior college All-American, Weisbrod once again finished ranked among the league leaders scoring nearly 15 points and eight rebounds per game. The Nederland, Texas, native also ranked among the league's best with eight double-doubles.

Weisbrod played in and started all 33 games this season and averaged a near double-double despite facing double and triple teams on a nightly basis. Weisbrod scored in double figures 23 times, including six 20-point outings and a career-high 38 against Central Arkansas.

He also recorded double-digit rebounds nine times during his senior campaign.

He led the team in scoring 12 times during the 2018 season, and posted team-high rebound honors 16 times.

A two-time All-district selection, Weisbrod was a member of a senior class that helped change the culture at Lamar University. Weisbrod guided Big Red to back-to-back postseason appearances. Prior to his arrival, Weisbrod had not advanced to post-

season play since the 2011-12 season.

The camp will take place March 27th and 28th in Atlanta, Ga.

Page 8

Thursday, March 22, 2018 • UNIVERSITY PRESS

South Texas State Fair open today Vy Nguyen UP staff writer

The Young Men’s Business League of Beaumont will kick off its 75th annual South Texas State Fair at 6 p.m. today. The fair continues through April 1 at Ford Park off Interstate 10 and Major Drive.

The fair was originally hosted by the City of Beaumont from 1904 until the YMBL took over 75 years ago and turned it into an annual festivity with an average of 260,000 attendees each year, Jay Johnson, South Texas State Fair chairman, said.

Entry is $4 for seniors 65 and over and youth ages 3 to 12 ,and $8 for adults 13 to 64. Entry is free for kids 2-years and under and unlimited ride wrist bands for all ages are $35.

“We have various promotions for entry tickets on different days of the fair,” Johnson said. “Opening night will include free unlimited rides wrist bands and free admission for the first 30 minutes.

March 25 will be the HEB Fair Share for Hunger where fairgoers are admitted free when they bring six non-perishable HEB product can foods.

“March 26 will be the Flint Hills Resource $1 Night, where patrons with coupons that are available at area Neches Federal Union loca-

THORNE

tions are admitted for $1. March 27 will be the Education First FCU Family Fun Night, where patrons with coupons available from educationfirstfcu.org are admitted free.

“March 29 is the Military/ First Responder Appreciation Night, where admissions is free for active, retired, reserve military, National Guard and disabled veterans along with active First Responders. April 1 is Free Admission for those with six empty Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper product cans.”

A lot of people’s favorite thing to do at the fair is to eat the carnival food that they can’t normally get at any other times of the year, Johnson said.

“We will have the core fair items like pork-a-bobs, funnel cakes, shrimp-on-a-stick, corndogs, etc.,” he said.

Johnson said there is a kids’ zone that has attractions geared towards younger children that will include various carnival rides, exotic petting zoo, camel and pony rides, and for the first time, a water show production.

“All shows are costumed, choreographed to music, fast paced and exciting production featuring World Champion and World Class professional divers, gymnast’s and stunt men performing an assortment of springboard and tower

diving from as high as 80 feet,” the YMBL website states.

The petting zoo will have a range of animals from the exotic to the average farm animal.

“They will have kangaroos, llamas, baby goats, miniature cows and yaks,” Johnson said. “They also have a parakeet screened enclosure where the children can go in with feeding sticks, so the birds can eat the seeds off of their hands.”

Another event available for younger children to participate in is the Junior Livestock and Poultry Show located at the Livestock Barn, he said.

“They showcase sheep, goats, lambs, steers, hogs, and chickens,” Johnson said. “The winners get ribbons and buckles.”

Other attractions include the Classic Mustang Car Display in the Exhibit Hall and the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show in the Patio Area, Johnson said.

“The action-packed Lumberjack Show features log rolling, log rolling dogs, chopping, sawing, axe throwing, dragster chainsaw, tree climbing,” according to the website.

There will also be different vendors set up inside the exhibit hall along with the display of works from the School Art, Quilt and Photography con-

tests, Johnson said.

Ford will be on display with free interactive games, giveaways and prizes while highlighting Ford’s vehicle lineup according to the website. Texas Marine will have more than 40 boats on display covering a variety of types and models.

The fair has a variety of musical entertainment each year and this year’s line-up includes George Dearbonne & Branded, Generation, Phillip Griffin Band, Hillbilly Vegas, Roger Cowan, David Joel, Truck Stop Gamblers, Hannah Belle Band, Cody Cooke, The Bayou Outlaws, Caylan Daughrity Solo, Benny and Sheryl Brocato,

an idea to the National Science Foundation and they started building this detector, called the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO).”

The LIGO project used a pair of gigantic laser interferometers to measure a change thousands of times smaller than an atomic nucleus, as the gravitational wave passed the Earth. “(The laser) was built and they did two runs with them,” Cole said. “It was the biggest project the Science Foundation had ever done. There is one in Livingston, La. about 200 miles from her and there is one in Hanford, Wa.” Thorne and his students also invented quantum non-demolition technology to control the

quantum behavior of humansized objects, and they pioneered the modern theory of wormholes and time travel.

In his decades-long career, Thorne has personally trained many of today’s world leaders in research on black holes and other relativistic phenomena. In September 2015, LIGO helped open a radically new window onto the universe, based on the discovery of ripples in the fabric of space time called gravitational waves — part of Einstein’s theory of relativity.

For this discovery, he and his collaborators were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics, three-million-dollar Breakthrough Prize for Fundamental Physics, the $500,000 Gruber Prize in Cos-

mology, the 1.2 million Shaw Prize in Astronomy and the one million Kavli Prize in astrophysics.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2017 to Thorne, along with collaborators Barry Barish and Rainer Weiss, for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves on Sept. 14, 2015, when the universe’s gravitational waves were observed for the very first time. The waves, which were predicted by Albert Einstein a hundred years ago but thought impossible to measure, came from a collision between two black holes. It took 1.3 billion years for the waves to arrive at the LIGO detector in the U.S.

UP photo by Hannah LeTulle

Bryce Shaver Band, Bernie Alan Band, Larry Tillery Blues Band, Kenny and the Klassics, Fuzz Gusty Band, Tin Pan Alley, 6 String Mafia, Spencer Marks, Preacher and The Ghost, Still Cruisin’, Riders Ford, Drug Store Gypsies, Lamar University Section 51, Will Carter Band, Jack Nelson Band, Wesley Pruitt Band, Black Water Mountain, Champagne Room and Grupo Leo Band.

“I want people to come to the fair to enjoy themselves and leave knowing that they were glad they went,” Johnson said.

For more information, visit ymbl.org or call 832-9991.

from page 1

mass makes big bending of space time. It was a big idea which broke away from Estonian physics. It was groundbreaking and complicated, but people saw some predictions and it became beautiful.

There was a prediction called gravitational waves. This is basically that the space time fabric of the universe can ripple and could be measured, a very small thing, hard to detect.”

Gravitational waves spread at the speed of light, filling the universe, as Albert Einstein described in his general theory of relativity.

“People thought that (the waves were) impossible to detect at first, until the early to mid 60s,” Cole said. “In 1983, Kip Thorne with two colleagues took forward

Colloquium “The What, Why and How of LIGO: The challenge of gravitational wave detection” Anamaria Effle Staff Scientist at LIGO in Livingston, La. Friday, March 23 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Thorne was elected to both the US National Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy of Sciences, and for his science accomplishments, he has been awarded the Swiss Albert Einstein Medal and the UNESCO Niels Bohr Gold Medal. He is the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, Emeritus at Caltech.