UNIVERSITY PRESS
The Newspaper of Lamar University
Vol. 95, No. 20 March 28, 2019
Health services help students with stress Dallas Rector UP contributor
UP photo by Noah Dawlearn
Yogi Edwin Bhadrapala, yoga professor, leads LU students in some stress relieving activities during their yoga session in the Fitness Studio at the Sheila Umphrey Recreational Center, Tuesday.
Have you ever felt stressed about finals or midterms? Or are you just stressed out by college in general? Well, you are not alone and there are many ways to fight that stress here on campus. “Overstressed students are generally the most common students we see here at the Student Health services building,” Marie Culik, assistant director for health and education services, said. “It’s quite often when we see students that they don’t actually know how to deal with stress properly or address the first symptoms like acne, muscle tension or headaches. If these aren’t addressed early, then they can get out of hand very quickly.” The Student Health Center offers many different ways to help students who are either overstressed or
overworked. With four counselors on staff, students who are feeling mentally over-burdened are encouraged to reach out to the service. “We always tell students that if your stress is impairing your ability to function, we suggest you see one of our stress counselors,” Culik said. “Our counselors act like social workers and they will work with students to find the source of their stress and help them create plans to combat it or connect them to the appropriate resources here on campus.” Some students may find the idea of talking to someone else about their personal problems embarrassing. One professor is actively trying to help solve that problem through silent meditation. “I use meditation as a way to practice the art of equanimity which means being able to keep yourself See STRESS page 2
Negative news BCP to prompts less present readership ‘Harvey’ Rachel Hellums UP contributor
According to a 2016 study done by the Pew Research Center, younger generations viewed news media in a more negative light than the five previous years. “I think the news focuses on everything that’s wrong, which is something we need to hear, but sometimes I feel like we should discuss something going on that’s good instead of all negative,” Mason Mathews, Lumberton senior, said. “People watch it when they first wake up in the morning, and I don’t want to start my day off paranoid, anxious or depressed because I’m hearing all these things that are happening that are bad.” Even corporate communications senior Amari Vann said although she reads the news, it can be overwhelming. See NEWS LITERACY page 8
YMBL FAIR
UP photo by Cassandra Jenkins
FOR MORE PHOTOS SEE PAGE 4
April 5 to 20 Vy Nguyen UP staff writer
Mild-mannered Elwood P. Dowd has a friend, Harvey. The problem is no one else can see the six-feet tall rabbit but Elwood. Trouble starts when Elwood introduces Harvey to his friends and family, including his socialclimbing obsessed sister, Veta Louis and niece, Myrtle Mae, who find the invisible pookah a societal embarrassment. Beaumont Community Players will present the Pulitzer Prizewinning play, “Harvey,” written by Mary Chase, April 5 to 20, in the Betty Greenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Director Bert Smith said that he loves directing comedies or musicals, and “Harvey” is an elegant, wonderfully funny and beautifully written play. “The thing about it, is by the end of the show, you’d be pretty convinced there really is a pookah involved with Elwood P. Dowd,” he said. James Jackson plays Elwood and said that Elwood’s carefree and in-the-moment character thrives on being purely pleasant towards people, which he can relate to. “In today’s world of mindfulness, I believe that Elwood is fully aware, as he likes to be wherever he is and he enjoys every moment,” Jackson said. “That’s kind of what today’s consciousness is
UP photo by Noah Dawlearn
James Jackson practices his lines in a run-through of the Beaumont Community Players upcoming production ‘Harvey,’ Thursday, at the Betty Greenberg Center. leaning towards, and if I can be just like him, I would love it.” Not everyone can be as pleasant as Elwood. His sister, Veta, played by Rachel Cain, tries to put him into an insane asylum. Elwood walks out of the asylum and didn’t have a clue what was going on. His pleasant demeanor means things always ends up in his favor. “That’s what they always say, ‘Watch out for him, he’ll always get the best of you,’” Jackson said. “But he’s not trying to, because he’s just being and enjoying himself.” Cain said Veta struggles with balancing her love for her brother and for her daughter. “On one hand, she loves her brother, and she doesn’t want to commit him, but on the other
hand, she also loves her daughter,” she said. “Veta can’t get her daughter into this societal group of people and get her married off, because her brother is such an embarrassment.” People can relate to Veta’s character because we all give into societal pressure, Cain said. “I think we’ve all experienced that at some point in our life, doing what we think society says we should do as opposed to what we feel in our heart is right,” she said. The play showcases acceptance of people who are different, Cain said. “By the end of the show, Veta learns to accepts her brother for who he is — and his rabbit,” Cain
See HARVEY page 7
— WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH —
Reporter achieves dream through truth Editor’s note: This is the last in a three-part series about how women have made an impact in the media fields in Southeast Texas. Olivia Malick UP managing editor
Monique Larry Spears, Batson Jr.
All it took was one assignment in a high school journalism class and encouraging words from her adviser for Monique Batson to realize that she was meant to be a journal-
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ist. Almost 20 years later, she said she made the right decision. “Our first assignment in intro to journalism in high school was to pair up with a neighbor and write kind of just a little profile about them,” Batson, now city editor and web producer for the Beaumont Enterprise, said. “My neighbor was a girl — I didn't know her, we’d never met before, and we each interviewed each other and then sat down and wrote the paper. “When I was done reading
mine aloud in the class, my teacher said, ‘You are a newspaper writer.’ I never really thought about that before, and I thought about how much I enjoyed just being able to interview and write, and I knew that's what I wanted to do. There was never any other option for me.” Batson said she figured she’d be an author someday due to her love of writing stories, but once she discovered her love of journalism, there was no going back. Batson was drawn to print
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journalism as opposed to broadcast journalism for several reasons, she said. “I tried both broadcast and print in high school — we had our newspaper and broadcast and then a little bit of radio,” she said. “I found that I really liked to tell the story and that you were allowed more freedom in newspaper writing, more time to kind of get all the story and really showcase your writing skills. I wanted to focus on See BATSON page 7
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INSIDE
Thursday, March 28, 2019 University Press
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Peace and justice are two sides of the same coin.” Page 2
—Dwight D. Eisenhower
Theatre, dance get special notice Claire Robertson UP contributor
Lamar University’s department of theatre and dance received recognition from the American College Dance Association’s South-Central Conference for the piece “Fragmented,” held at Texas A&M University, March 7—11. “Fragmented” was originally a four-minute-long piece choreographed by Golden Wright, department chair, in fall 2018. An extended 12minute version was created for the ACDA Conference. “The piece is about relationships and how you interact with others,” Wright said. “It’s called ‘Fragmented’ because you only see a piece of it at a time. You only see seconds of it
STRESS
and everybody dances with everybody.” Only 12 pieces were selected to be recognized at the ACDA Gala show out of 48 pieces submitted. Wright said “Fragmented” is the fourth LU dance since 2006 to receive this recognition. “The campus hosting the conference brings in a diverse group of three adjudicators,” Wright said. “They know very little about the pieces that are being adjudicated. They know the title of the song, the year it originated and the title of the piece.” Wright said it is an honor and a challenge to be selected to do the Gala show. He said organizing dancers to move around the stage between light cues was as complicated as
choreographing what was seen by the audience. The dance is performed on a mostly dark stage between spot lights that fade in and out. “There are 10 dancers and there were 53 different light cues within a 12-minute dance,” he said. “So, it’s calm up front and then it’s really hectic running around in the back.” The performance was challenged by more than just the choreography. Wright said the first attempt by the dancers was thwarted by a corrupted music replay. “We actually had to stop the piece,” Wright said. “The dancers really handled it in a professional manner.” Wright said the adjudicators gave feedback on every piece performed at ACDA.
“I was really excited that they talked about how well-trained our dancers were,” Wright said. “And that we came from a phenomenal institution.” Wright said the critiques from the adjudicators provide important feedback about the performance. “Fragmented” will be shown at the spring dance concert, “Dance Unleashed.” Tickets are on sale now for the performances, April 12 and 13 at 7:30 p.m. and April 14 at 2 p.m. in the University Theatre. The family-friendly performance will show original choreography by the department faculty in ballet, hip-hop, modern, jazz, tap, and contemporary styles. Tickets are available at lamar.edu/lutdtix
as ways to treat high levels of stress and to help one relax and breathe past their stresses. Stanley said there are campus sessions for students to attend, including one she leads. “The session is free for any students and staff to participate in and we meditate in Room 113 in the Communication building starting at 3:15 p.m. every Wednesday,” Stanley said. “It really is amazing to try because there are so many different ways to meditate and there is something that works for just about everyone.”
For those seeking something a little bit more physically active than a meditation session or a meeting with a counselor, the Rec Center may have a few more options for students to try out. “We offer a wide range of classes like yoga, total body conditioning, Zumba, cardio kickboxing, cycling, pilates, and water aerobics to name a few,” Jodi Broussard, associate director of programs for recreational sports, said. “We think that these classes are absolutely great ways to burn off stress
and all students, staff, and alumni are welcome to try any of the free classes that we offer here at Lamar.” College can be a stressful time for anyone and the campus provides these resources to encourage anyone to reach out to constructively cope with it. For more information about meditation contact ruth.stanley@lamar.edu and for Rec Sports programs contact jbroussard25@lamar.edu For more information about Student Health Services call 880-8466.
from page 1
together and stay calm in the midst of a storm which is something I’ve struggled with,” Ruth Stanley, instructor for the Communications and Media department, said. “I normally teach a class for people with high anxiety about public speaking, so I was already learning techniques about breathing and how to stay calm. Someone recommended that I try a silent meditation retreat and the experience was life-changing.” Meditation has been slowly moving into modern medicine
LeTulle, Smith earn awards in SPJ contest The Society of Professional Journalists announced their 2019 finalists for the Region 8 Mark of Excellence Awards, Tuesday in Stephenville. SPJ recognizes excellence in journalism across the nation in both collegiate and professional settings. Former University Press photo editor, Hannah LeTulle, won in the feature photography category for her photo “The Good, the bad, the tatted” in the spring 2018, April 26 edition of the UP and her photo advances to nationals.
Current UP staff writer, Cade Smith, received the finalist award for his sports game story about LU football titled “Blocked!,” published in the fall 2018 Oct. 18 edition of the University Press. According to their website, SPJ is the nation’s most broadbased journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism. To become a member visit spj.org/join.asp.
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CALENDAR
March 28
Inspirational Women’s Award Luncheon Eighth floor, Gray Library 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
March 29
LU Women’s Tennis vs. Stephen F. Austin Thompson Family Tennis Center 2 p.m.
March 29
LU Softball vs. Central Arkansas (Doubleheader) LU Softball Complex 4 p.m.
March 29
LU Baseball vs. Nicholls (Doubleheader) Vincent Beck Stadium 6 p.m.
March 30
LU Men’s Tennis vs. Rice Thompson Family Tennis Center 11 a.m.
March 31
LU Women’s Tennis vs. Sam Houston State Thompson Family Tennis Center 2 p.m.
April 2
International Poetry Reading Sixth floor, Gray Library 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
April 2
“Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” International Men’s March Circle Drive of the Setzer Student Center 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
UNIVERSITY PRESS • Thursday, March 28, 2019
Page 3
Reside Beaumont celebrates tradition Tiana Johnson UP contributor
When Brooke Buckmaster moved to Beaumont, she wasn’t sure what the city had to offer. “I moved to Beaumont about a year and a half ago, and was not really calling this place a home,” she said. “At the beginning of last year, I made an effort to dig my heels in and find things that made Beaumont feel like home. I was overwhelmed by how much there was here.” Buckmaster decided to organize Reside Beaumont, held March 23 in the Jefferson Theatre, to show how much this community has to offer. “That is the heart behind it,” she said. “I think there are a lot of people that either go to school here, or come here for work, and are looking for things to help call Beaumont home. So I thought, what better way than to share all of that in one day.” Reside is a celebration of all things Beaumont. “I think there are always new things to learn about your city, whether you have lived here for 20 year or four months,” Buckmaster said. “The goal for today was to leave with some nuggets of inspiration to start your own things, or have a newfound appreciation for the community you are in. Reside was all about finding your niche.” Buckmaster partnered with the City of Beaumont to create the event. “If all of the citizens of Beaumont had the warmth and the wanting to do things like Brooke did, what a great city we would have,” Mayor Becky Ames said. “She came to Beaumont and at first she thought, ‘Oh I do not know,’ but then as she looked at all the different things we had happening, she was excited and wanted to put on this event.” Reside was created to dispute the misconception that Beaumont has nothing to offer. “Sometimes we are our own worst enemies,” Ames said. “I hear so many times that there is nothing to do in Beaumont, but there is. We have a great city. You do not have to drive an hour and a half away to find great food, to find great art and to find great people.”
Ames said the guest speakers are some of Beaumont’s most relevant and critical creators. Becki Steadman is co-founder of the Beaumont Farmers’ Market. “In 2008, a friend and I got together, and we were talking about how much we enjoy going to farmers’ markets in other communities,” Stedman said. “We enjoyed seeing the local foods that were seasonal, listening to their music and visiting with their farmers. We were a little disappointed that Beaumont did not have a market.” Stedman and her friend decided to start the market here. “We were really determined that we would have this in downtown Beaumont, and the city was very generous and offered us the location in front of the public library on Main Street,” Stedman said. “In May of 2010, we opened downtown with six vendors, and by the time we closed at the beginning of October, we had 18.” Sharon Begnaud is co-founder of The Giving Field, which supplies fresh food to soup kitchens. “I used to work at the soup kitchens a lot, and they had a lot of canned and processed foods but not a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables,” she said. “The soup kitchens do a good job, but they just do not have the budget for these great fruits and vegetables.” Begnaud had a one-acre piece of property, and decided to use it to help the kitchens. “We thought it would be great to have raised vegetable beds out there and send everything that we harvest to area soup kitchens to feed the hungry,” she said. “It was a great vision, and our community rallied around it.” The Giving Field is now six-years old, and in that time has donated more than 40,000 pounds of food to area soup kitchens. “It is because of our community that this works,” Begnaud said. The theme of Reside is finding one’s niche. Greg Busceme, director of The Art Studio, Inc., said he wanted to bring his passion to his home town. “What I felt about Beaumont at one point was, that if I am going to live in it, I need to have something to live for,” he said. “That is where the studio came up, this is
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where my passion was. “In a lot of ways, my life has been following paths, and I do not know where they lead but it is always nice to follow them.” Artist Herman Davis attended the event and said that he got more than he expected. “I have learned a lot about the museums and different people,” he said. “I now know I can go around, and just how they started Reside, I can do this for myself from where I am at in my community and not just look for someone else. I can start for me. Because that is where it starts from, you.” Guest speaker Glenda Hughes, founder of Blumen Farms, said she wanted to impact her community after returning from living abroad in Germany. “We did not choose Beaumont, Beaumont chose us,” she said. “Coming back after being overseas, realizing that I wanted to have a place in the community and that we would be here longer, is how the local
farm started.” Hughes was not the only speaker who said she realized that Beaumont was where she belonged after travelling. “My heart is here,” Rachel Wilson of Wild Earth Texas said. “Beaumont can get a bad rap of being boring. If you think that, then you are not looking hard enough. There is so much happening here, and there is so much diversity in our community. There is so much in the arts and the museums. There are so many different people brought here by the plants, that it just creates this melting pot of unique and interesting people.” Members of the audience left with a new-found appreciation for Beaumont. “I think we need to be more fearless in terms of our community,” Dallas native Michelle Dawson said. “Change the cultural message that Beaumont is not worth your time, and spread the message that Beaumont is awesome.”
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FAIR DAYS
UNIVERSITY PRESS Thursday, March 28, 2019
The South Texas State Fair is an annual event fundraiser for the Young Men’s Business League held March 21-31 at the Ford Park Entertainment Center. It is the third largest fair in the state and the only one entirely run by volunteers. It features a wide variety of carnival rides, food and drink venues and entertainment. This year’s fair includes two new shows, “The Stunt Dog Productions Show,” the world’s largest
UP photo by Lakota Jaton
and original stunt dog show and “The World Class High Diving Show,” by Watershow Productions which showcases new and innovated high dives, gymnastics and stunts. This weekend will feature the Livestock and Poultry show, tonight, Friday, Saturday and Sunday all day. Tonight is military/first responders appreciation night which will include free admission for active, retired, reserved military, National Guard, disabled veterans and active first
responders with a valid I.D. Tomorrow is ride wristband Friday where special unlimited ride wristbands will be $35. Saturday is kids’ day where kids 17 and under from noon to 3 p.m. will get free entry. Sunday, the final day of the fair, is Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper Cantastic Sunday where participants who bring in an empty or full six pack of Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper product cans get in free. For more information, visit www.ymbl.org.
UP photo by Noah Dawlearn
UP photo by Cassandra Jenkins
A carnival worker, top, operates the popular ride, “Spin Out,” during the South Texas State Fair at the Ford Park Entertainment Center, March 21. A local vendor, top left, makes smoothies out of their tent. The sky fly, above, is a popular ride as it takes participants high in the sky in swings. Food vendors from “La Salsita” food booth, middle left, prepare a taco plate for customers while sporting large sombreros. “Stunt Dog Show Productions,” perform a variety of tricks with their rescue dogs, bottom left, two or three times every night while the fair remains open. Another carnival worker, left, operates the “Spin Out” ride.
UP photo by Lakota Jaton
UP photo by Noah Dawlearn
UP photo by Lakota Jaton
BETO FOR PRESIDENT
OPINION
5
UNIVERSITY PRESS
Thursday, March 28, 2019
UP graphic by Caden Moran
O’Rourke is best fit to defeat Trump in 2020 It doesn’t feel that long ago that Donald Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United States and the political climate of the country shifted. It has been a long and con-
Commentary
Caden Moran UP contributor
troversial few years for the president, and with many Americans demanding immediate change, 2020 could be the year that change comes to fruition. Beto O’Rourke, former U.S. Representative from Texas’ 16th district, formally announced that he would be running for the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election. O’Rourke, who was narrowly defeated by Texas Senator Ted Cruz in the 2018 midterm elections, could have the best chance to be the change many Americans want. The El Paso native has been making his presence felt in the political landscape since running against Cruz last year. In what should’ve been an easy win in the Republican dominated state, Cruz squeaked by O’Rourke with 50.9 percent of the votes. Compare that to the 2012 midterm elections, when
Cruz won 56.6 percent of the votes. O’Rourke’s performance shocked the nation and the Republican party. What made the election significant was the rise in voter turnout. Four years ago, Texas ranked near the bottom in turnout, but in 2018, Texas ranked sixth in the nation and saw an 18 percent rise, with voters between the ages 18-29 increasing five times as much compared to the 2014 election. The young voters rallied behind O’Rourke from the beginning, and it nearly paid off. Beto O’Rourke is the best choice to represent the Democratic Party during next year’s presidential election. As of now, there are 16 Democratic candidates vying to have a chance to become president. Of those 16, three stand out among the rest. O’Rourke, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, and Massachu-
setts Senator Elizabeth Warren are the candidates who have the national presence and track record worthy enough to run in 2020. O’Rourke and Sanders have the edge over Warren due to their performances during their respective elections. The biggest thing that separates O’Rourke and Sanders is their age. The Senator from Vermont is a staggering 77 years old. If Sanders were to win the 2020 election, he would be 78, making him the oldest president ever elected. To put that in perspective, Ronald Reagan was 73 when elected to his second term. Reagan went on to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, which affected his presidency and decisions. Age is a big variable when it comes to presidential candidates. Beto O’Rourke is 46 years old.
If he were to win the election, he would only be 47, tying him with Barack Obama as the fifth youngest President elected. O’Rourke’s age plays a big factor in his chances during the election, especially with young voters. He may not be the youngest of all the Democratic candidates running, but his relatively young age should take him far. The process leading up to the 2020 election will be a difficult one for Democratic voters. However, with O’Rourke proving that he can take his opponents to the limit, and with his ability to connect with young voters, he should be the favorite to win the Democratic nomination. The current state of the country is a mess, but if Beto O’Rourke were to be the one to take on Donald Trump in 2020, then maybe America can finally be great again.
UPeditorial Get vaccinated, it’s better for everyone
It always seems to be flu season. People get sick all year round and it’s important that people do whatever they can to protect themselves and those around them from getting preventable illnesses. In addition to the flu, there is also a measles outbreak in Texas with 14 cases having been reported so far in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s easy to forget to get a vaccination — we all get busy. We may think we are invincible at times but unfortunately we are not. Walgreens on Calder and Kroger Pharmacy on Phelan offer both a flu and MMR, or measles-mumpsrubella, vaccine. Yes, it’s a hassle to keep up with all the vaccinations, but it’s so worth it to be able to protect yourself from these diseases. Also, by getting yourself vaccinated, you protect those who are either too young to get vaccinated, or too sick. Do the smart thing and stay healthy. Unless you can’t get a vaccine for health reasons, there’s no need to put others’ lives in danger.
Editor..........................................Cassandra Jenkins Managing Editor...............................Olivia Malick Photo Editor...................................Noah Dawlearn Staff....................................Cade Smith, Vy Nguyen, ................... Eleanor Skelton, Abigail Pennington, .......................................................... Tiana Johnson, ..............................Claire Robertson, Caden Moran, ........ Rachel Hellums, Lakota Jaton, Dallas Rector Business Manager........................................An Vo Advisors Andy Coughlan and Stephan Malick Member of Texas Intercollegiate Press Association
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Thursday, March 28, 2019 • UNIVERSITY PRESS
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BATSON
Thursday, March 28, 2019 • UNIVERSITY PRESS
from page 1
my writing skills and kind of be behind the camera. I know it’s cliché, but I don't know that I picked print writing as much as it kind of picked me.” Batson started college at Lamar in 1999 and began writing for the Beaumont Enterprise the following semester for one of their satellite newspapers in Hardin County when she was 19. She said she owes her career to Rachel Cox, her first editor at the Enterprise, who gave her a chance when she was still in college with no experience. “I went to my interview with newspaper clippings from high school— I had literally nothing under my belt and she gave me a chance,” Batson said. “She spent four years working with me and helping me develop and kind of learn how to do news reporting and making sure that I understood (Associated Press) style, and just really worked hard to make sure I had all the tools I needed. If it weren't for her having taken a chance on me, I may never have gotten an opportunity to continue in this business.” Journalism gives reporters the opportunity to tell a wide array of stories, but they aren’t all happy ones, Batson said. “The most memorable thing that I’ve covered since working at the Enterprise was the 2012 Jefferson courthouse shooting,” she said. “I was working on the daily cops reporting web desk. I had the scanner on my desk and we were listening as it started coming in — shots were being fired and it was just a chaotic scene, and we were trying to get reporters dispatched and pho-
HARVEY
tographers out to the scene and get reports back on what was happening. That entire day was just chaos.” Batson said it’s important for people to be involved in whatever they’re passionate about, regardless of gender. “I was very fortunate that I came up in this business surrounded by women,” she said. “I've never felt the fact that I was a woman hindered me from anything. I do think, as women, we have a tendency to kind of put a ceiling on ourselves and try to push ourselves above it because we feel like we have to prove something. I've learned that's not necessarily the case, but it is a little bit of a driving force for all of us. “We want our media business to be like any other business with all voices and all different representatives, but it's just important, really, that women do whatever it is they’re passionate about and don't let up off the gas.” It’s imperative that Women’s History Month is celebrated, because there are stories that need to be told, Batson said. But those histories should not be condensed into one month. “We need to be teaching our children constantly, and make sure the younger generations are aware of these things and the struggles of women or whoever in the past, but I also think it needs to be done all 12 months instead of just one here and there,” she said. “I understand the focus, but it’s a conversation that we need to keep having. I look at Women's History Month like I look at Mother's Day — I'm
going to be a mother the next day, too. I'm still going to be a woman next month, and still going to be in this business. I think it just needs to be a constant conversation, and it's good to have the time to focus on it, but it is something you shouldn't just focus on for a month.” A mother of four, Batson said that it isn’t always easy to balance motherhood and a career in journalism, but it also isn’t impossible. “I do find that there aren’t as many parents in the media business because anybody that works in media understands that it is very unpredictable and can be a grueling schedule,” Batson said. “There are late nights, there are meetings, there are weekends — it’s very unpredictable and it is extremely hard to balance both family and work. “I found that a lot of people I know go on to something with a more stable schedule once they have children. I was fortunate when my children were younger that their father was really supportive of my career and I didn’t have to struggle as much to make sure they were taken care of. “But it was not always easy. I worked nights for a little while doing page design and not getting home until midnight and not seeing my kids. I would take them to school in the morning just to spend 10 minutes with them and this is what we did for two years. It’s not easy to do, but it’s not an excuse. If you want your career and you also want to be a good mother, you’ll find a way to do both — and we did, we found a way.”
sion, and that was a terrible time in the history of the world,” he said. “I think that really and truly, ‘Harvey’ is almost more relevant today than it was then. “We’ve got a lot of people that don’t get along. We pretend to be offended and we villainize everybody we don’t trust or like — we need an Elwood P. Dowd around, who is always pleasant.”
Smith said there’s a quote that Elwood says to his psychiatrist, ‘You know doctor, I know what my family thinks of Harvey, but I often wonder what Harvey’s family thinks of me,’ which makes his character so refreshing. “There’s a reality to this good presence in the world that he wants to relate to, and he seems
UP photo by Olivia Malick
Monique Batson, city editor and web producer for the Beaumont Enterprise, right, assists Erica Apodaca, reporter, with gathering police reports for the morning news, Friday, at the Beaumont Enterprise. Batson said that the most important thing she’s learned in 20 years as a journalist is that there is more than one side to every story. “Everybody has multi-facets and you can’t just take what you hear about another person or situation at face value,” she said. “Everybody deserves the truth. Everybody deserves to be looked at from two sides. Every situation deserves to be looked at from two sides. Everything deserves to be weighed heavily and considered from every possible angle, and we really just need to make sure that everybody gets a fair chance.” Batson said that she does not believe print journalism is a dying industry and that there will always be a need for stories to be told. “The way stories are presented changes, just like it does
in any industry with anything,” she said. “When I started in this business, we had dial-up internet and it was something we didn’t get to use often. We actually had to get up and go to the library and look things up and find people in phonebooks. “Some reporters nowadays have memories of phonebooks, but they always grew up with the internet and aren’t really aware of how dynamic that’s become in this business, how incredible it is to be able to do so much research right there from your desk. There will always be a need for print journalism. There will always be a need for in-depth storytelling. There will always be a need for laying out facts and weighing situations — it’s just a matter of how it’s presented and how we consume it that’s going to change.”
to always do well by always just being nice to people,” he said. “We need that. We need somebody who accepts everybody for exactly what they are and doesn’t make judgements. “One of Elwood’s famous lines is, ‘My mother taught me that you either have to be oh-sosmart, or oh-so-pleasant — I choose pleasant.’”
Show times are 7:30 p.m., April 5, 6, 12, 18, 19 and 20 with a 2 p.m. matineé April 13. Tickets are $23 for adults, $21 for seniors and students, and $12 for children. BCP is located at 4155 Laurel in Beaumont. For more information, visit www.Beaumontcommunity players.com, or call 833-4664.
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said. Smith said as his cast and crew dive deeper into the play, they notice little subtleties, references to things and ways that the characters interact, and the interests between the characters are more than meets the eye. “Harvey is written in the 1940s, which is right after World War II and the Great Depres-
Don’t think of it ass “summer school,” whicch (in the way, way back) was for students who were beh hind. That model is so 20th centur y. Instead, think of o it as lighter coursework, more flexible scheduling and d graduating sooner with signifi ficantly less debt. Yup…tha … t ’s some smar t thinking rig ght there! With more than 60 00 transferable and comp pletelyy ONLINE p course offerings in n Maymester and Summeer I and II terms, TCC Connect Camp pus makes it easier for am mbitious students to complete their p prerequisites and core cu urriculum quickly (8-week classes) an nd affordably ( just $64 per er credit hour for County residents). By completing 15 hourss in just two months, you’ll be an a entire semester closer to your degree, saving time and money m that can be used for other dreams.
Summer Te S Term One Begins i June J 3 Summer Te erm Tw wo Begins July 8 Registration Opens Aprril 1 Visit tccd.edu/summeronline to learn more.
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Thursday, March 28, 2019 • UNIVERSITY PRESS
NEWS LITERACY “We have this era of fake news so usually (students) don’t know where to get news from,” she said. “Sometimes we have bit clips where we only see little bits, but there’s so much news coming at them at once that they don’t know where to start. I have the internet, I have the radio, I have television. I have all this to get this one answer and it’s so much information for one subject.” Michael Saar, interim instruction assessment coordinator for the library, said the challenge for many people, regardless of age, is how to determine what a legitimate news source is. “So, what is ABC News’ website, is it abcnews.com? They (people who intentionally misrepresent fact) can replicate the look of that site, have a fake story that comes from abcnews.co.com, and to someone who's not really paying attention, you think you're on ABC News's website and you're reading this outrageous story,” he said. According to a study done by the Pew Research Center in 2017, 67 percent of Americans say they get their news from social media. “I get a lot (of news) from social media,” Mathews said. “It can be very biased, too, but if you carefully read everything, not just one side of it, you can develop your own opinion based on facts.” Ken Ward, assistant professor of communications and media, explained how getting news from social media can backfire. “If something is outside of our field of vision, we don't have to interact with it,” he said. “As a result, we stick with what we know, meaning that issues that are affecting others either don't appear in our feed or comes from sources that serve our own biases. As a result, our knowledge of the world becomes narrower and narrower.” Saar said what people see on social media platforms has a lot to do with algorithms used by Facebook and Twitter, for example.
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“It is difficult to separate out what is accurate from what isn't because almost all the sites present themselves as very accurate and reliable and they don't necessarily have signs,” he said. “That's one factor. “Another reason is that information is very easy to share, especially when you get in closed environments like Facebook or Twitter. Within those environments, their algorithms lend to the creation of filter bubbles and echo chambers where, if we are friends on there and we have similar political or ideological perspectives, we're going to share that information. We won't really question it because it already aligns with how we view that material.” Ward said news intake is often based on “topical communities.” “We've fractured away from a local community into topical communities,” he said. “We now center ourselves around ideas rather than around a place and that's not an entirely bad thing, but the problem is that the ideas that we center around are typically basic concepts like politics, or cars, or drug culture and as a result, geography-based culture is just the people sitting in the same room as you. “We're not as centrally concerned with that group and that is what most of these news publications are centered around.” In 2016, Pew Research Center published a survey about civic engagement and news habits only to find that the people who were the most active in the community were the ones that watched the local news. “Nothing is more important than your community,” Ward said. “We obsess over national issues because we can collectively obsess over them and because it’s profitable for national news publications to provide that information, but when we're talking about the things that actually affect our day-today lives and the people that we interact with — the people that we care about — those are local issues. “Those are community issues. And when we live in a
UP photo by Caden Moran
Daniel Johnson, Beaumont freshman, reads a copy of the University Press in the lobby of Gentry Hall, Sunday. community like this one, unless we are really focusing on improving our community and trying to find ways to interact in a meaningful way with the people around us, our community stagnates and we all suffer as a result.” Ward said the health of a community is expressed through its social capital and that this can be distorted through our online communities. “Social capital is the idea that the relationships you have with certain communities is a real asset,” he said. “The more organizations that people are part of and the more they get out into the community they live in and interact with different groups, the more opportunities they have to engage with a diverse set of people and ideas. “It's a certain kind of wealth that you get because you get better information and you learn about more opportunities. You can rely on people to watch your back because you're watching their back. There's this idea of assumed reciprocity.” Ward said that turning on Netflix or some other digital community dilutes social capital. Instead, social capital is being isolated and centered in
the home, relationships with immediate family or roommates, instead of this larger group. Saar said there are specific things people can do when reading news. “What you believe is really important to pay attention to when reading the news, too,” Saar said. “I would look for who's providing the information. It depends on the context, so if I'm going back to look at a study, I'm looking at what credentials the authors have. “For journalistic stories, unless the journalist is really wellknown, the name probably won't help much in that case. I might investigate the publication. What kind of reputation do they have? Are they coming from a liberal bias? Are they more factual reporting or are they more analytical or are they just opinion pieces? You can look at the language presented within a story to help get a sense of any potential biases that exist. “I always look for what I call ‘emotionally-charged rhetoric.’ So, anything you read it seems to compel an emotional response from you. It could be really happy. It could be really upsetting. So, for example, something like ‘What the doc-
“Don’t get just as angry as that headline in your Facebook feed might get you. Please read the story before you share it so that you know what it is saying.” — Michael Saar tors won't tell you about something- something will infuriate you,’ and you read that all the doctors are hiding stuff from you and you’re upset. It gets an emotional response out of you. It tells me then that it's at least trying to persuade you to feel a certain way about the topic.” Saar adds that people should have accountability for what they share. “Most importantly I would say to share responsibly,” he said. “Don't get just as angry as that headline in your Facebook feed might get you, if you feel you really got to share it. Please read the story before you share it so that you know what it's saying and correspond to that.
‘NEXT MAN UP’ Cardinals wrap up
SPORTS
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UNIVERSITY PRESS
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Courtesy photo
2018-19 season, 20-13 Cassandra Jenkins UP editor
The Lamar University men’s basketball team wrapped up their 2018-19 season with a 2013 overall record and 12-6 record in Southland Conference play. The Cardinals overcame a rough start to the year to turn around and hit a ninegame winning streak before falling to New Orleans, 72-76, in the second round of the SLC tournament, March 14. “The season showed a lot of character and showed a lot of poise from our players,” head coach Tic Price said. “They could have thrown in the towel, but they stayed the course and showed some resolve. I was pleased the way we finished, it’s not always how you start — it’s how you finish, and we had a strong ending.” LU faced the No. 4 ranked University of New Orleans Privateers after defeating the Houston Baptist Huskies by two points the day before in Katy, 81-79. The Cardinals stayed close to New Orleans through the entire first half, ending it only two points behind at 42-40. The match was a back-and-forth battle up until the very last few seconds when the Privateers pulled away from the tie to land a threepoint shot and the foul. The Privateers sunk both free throws to seal the game and end LU’s comeback season. “Obviously the last game didn’t end how we wanted it to, but I still think our kids gave a good fight,” Price said. “We were inches away from getting to the semi-finals. The other team hit a tough shot. We did a pretty good job defending 17 and a half seconds out of the last 20 seconds. They had no shot but to take the three. We defended the drive, we were in
gaps and we contained the dribbler. “The kid looked at the clock, realized he had to shoot it and he made it. In my opinion, you get what you earn. They earned the right to move on and we didn’t. It’s survive and advance — we didn’t survive.” The turbulence of the season led to a lot of highs and lows for the 2018-19 squad, Price said. “We had some injuries along the way,” he said. “We had a couple of suspensions that I thought affected us. We had to change our game plan on the fly in those cases, but it’s always been the next man up. That’s pretty much how it was for the whole year, but I think the next man up responded well — they didn’t back down. I think we had some disappointments in terms of our focus from a couple guys on the team, but I think overall our body of work was good for the year.” Price said he saw a lot of progress in the team’s style of play, focus and determination from the beginning of the season to the end. “Our free throw shooting got a lot better,” he said. “We got more focus and made sure we knocked down those shots. I thought from a rebounding standpoint, Christian Barrett came in and gave us the boost on the glass we needed. Everybody was focused on Josh (Nzeakor) and Christian took advantage of that opportunity. Davion Buster also came in at some real crucial times throughout the year and didn’t play like a freshman at all. He gave us some valuable moments.” Price said the senior leadership was another invaluable asset as both forward Josh Nzeakor and guard Nick Garth leave the team after four seasons at LU.
“Our senior leadership on the court was really good,” he said. “I thought Nick and Josh both did a superb job in making sure that we never gave up and fought a good fight. As seniors, that’s all you can ask. I think that they could sense that their careers were winding down and they saw an urgency to compete at a high level, because that’s what we got from both of them.” Price said with both Garth and Nzeakor leaving the team, he has seen promise in the freshmen to fill those shoes. “Our freshmen were a value to the team,” he said. “Grehlon Easter started a few games for us when Nick was out. I thought he didn’t hurt us at all. He understood how you get on the court and how you stay on the court. He had good energy and good effort. Davion Buster gave us a good presence, too. He probably wasn’t on other teams scouting reports at first, then he started playing so well and I think they started noticing his contribution to our team. Both freshmen played some big minutes in some crucial times.” Price said as he looks to the future, he wants to see more improvement from start to finish. “We were very inconsistent early in the year,” he said. “I hope that because everyone got playing time throughout the year, that there will be some carry over from game experience. They have been battletested and they understand that they have to maximize that moment and seize it. Hopefully, they will understand that it’s very tough to get a win and they will have to really grind it out, not quit and keep fighting.” Price said the recruiting process for the 2019-2020 sea-
son has already begun and he looks forward to a new season and new team. “Recruiting is what everyone is doing now,” he said. “You don’t get days off. You have to continue to try to build your program, build your culture and I think we are on track to add some pieces to make us a better team.”
Christian Barrett
LU home win streak snapped in WNIT loss Cade Smith UP staff writer
The Lady Cardinals basketball team lost in the first round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament to the University of South Alabama Jaguars, 71-72, in the Montagne Center, Friday, finishing their season 24-7 overall and 17-1 in Southland Conference play. “We lost our composure,” head coach Robin Harmony said. “We shot 68 percent from the free-throw line. We had freethrows to hit, if we had made those free-throws it would have made a difference. We had some point-blankers to put back up and we didn’t execute on them.” With the loss, the 42-home game win streak for the Cards has ended. The streak began Nov. 16, 2016 against the University of St. Thomas with LU winning, 95-49. “I guess you don’t really believe it is happening,” Harmony said. “It was three years that we didn’t lose. You just have to start again — we will start again. I don’t think our kids were 100 percent focused, even the guys on the bench. They weren’t engaged, we have to grow up a bit and mature. “If you aren’t the one in the game or you are not the one we are going to — people get in their feelings. That is something we have to work on as a team.” The Lady Cards shot 32.4 percent (23-of-71) from the floor, 27.6 percent (8-of-29) from the three-point line and 68 percent (17-of-25) from the free-throw line.
UP photo by Cade Smith
Miya Crump, LU freshman forward, dribbles the ball down the court against South Alabama defenders in the first round of the WNIT, Friday, in the Montagne Center. In the first quarter, both teams traded baskets for the first two minutes tied at 5 until guard Moe Kinard scored five straight points, first on a fast break layup and a 3pointer putting the Cards ahead 10-7. The Cards hung on to the lead and stretched it to four after Kinard hit another 3-pointer. The Cards would hold on to the lead for five minutes until Jaguar’s forward Antoinette Lewis hit a layup to put them ahead 15-17 with 2:28 remaining. The Jaguars held their lead to one after Kinard hit a fast break layup to end the quarter 1920 in the Jaguars’ favor. In the second quarter, South Alabama stretched their lead to six points, 25-19, after a pair of free-throws from guard Damaya Telemaque. With 8:09 left in the
quarter, Kinard got a technical foul for slamming the ball on the ground and bouncing into the stands putting her out of the game temporarily. With Kinard out, the Cards slowly chipped away at the lead and Kinard returned to the game with 6:19 remaining. The Cards took the lead with 4:50 left after a layup by guard Chastadie Barrs put them ahead 26-25. LU continued to extend the lead to four points, 31-27, after another Barrs layup. The Jaguars then shrunk the lead to two, 32-30, with 1:28 left. The Cards closed out the half by scoring the final four points in the quarter leading 36-30, going into the locker room. In the third quarter, in the first minute and a half, the Cards
stretched their lead to eight, 4234, after another three from Kinard. After the lead was trimmed down to four, 42-38, Kinard added five straight points to put the Cards in the lead at nine, 4738, with 6:50 left in the third. LU then extended the lead to 11, 5746, after a layup from guard Angel Hastings. The Jaguars scored the final two points of the quarter as LU led, 57-48. In the fourth quarter, LU guard Shedricka Pierson hit a layup returning the lead to 11, 5948. South Alabama continued to fight and trimmed the lead to five, 59-54, after a Lewis layup with 7:34 left in the game. LU then stretched the lead to seven, but the Jaguars fought and trimmed the lead down three, 62-59, after
guard Alexis Sykes hit a three. The Cards continued to hold on to their single possession lead with 1:57 left. LU led 68-65, after center Umaja Collins hit a free throw. On the next possession for South Alabama, guard Shaforia Kines hit a 3-pointer tying the game at 68. A minute later, a free throw by Lewis put the Jaguars ahead by one. With 49 seconds left in the game, Kinard fouled out forcing the Cards to substitute in Pierson. LU battled, but guard Ashlan Miles’ 3-point buzzerbeater bounced off the rim leaving the Cards defeated by two, 71-73, at the end of the game. Kinard led the Cardinals with 36 points in the contest as she hit six 3-pointers for a third-straight game. “I just wanted to get the ball in the basket,” Kinard said. “If I did that then I felt like the rest of the team could contribute — that I could get them going as well.” Barrs scored 14 points and recorded five steals, which gave her 192 on the season. She now holds the NCAA single season record for which she tied last year with 191. Kinard said after the loss she reflected on her time at LU and how much she has grown over the years. “I just want to say thank you (Harmony) for believing in me,” she said. “I came from the University of Houston, and the atmosphere here is so much different. I love my fans and everybody. I am going to miss it a lot — I just left it all out there on the floor.”
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