University Press, April 21, 2016

UNIVERSITY PRESS Nicholson wins SGA runoff

The Newspaper of Lamar University

Vol. 92, No. 18 April 21, 2016

Cleaning ‘Gray’ water

Kara Timberlake UP managing editor

The result of the Student Government Association run off, held April 12 and 13, is in.

Senior Dillon Nicholson was elected secretary-treasurer. Nicholson faced Danelle Sanders after neither received the required vote total in the first round of voting, March 29 and 30.

“I was glad our hard work paid off,” Nicholson said. “I’m just really excited to serve in this capcity.”

Nicholson’s term will begin in the fall.

Courtesy photo

Senior Dillon Nicholson won a run-off election for Student Government Association secretarytreasurer.

Texas historian to keynote HHS induction Allison Pipkins UP contributor

Texas State Historian Bill O’Neal will be the keynote speaker at the induction ceremony for Lamar University’s Phi Alpha Theta, the national History Honor Society, induction ceremony, April 28, at 6:30 p.m. on the eighth floor of Gray Library. The ceremony and speech are open to the public. Attendees are welcome to have dinner for $22 with reservation.

“We feel privileged to get a man of his note to come and speak to us,” Ken Poston, Lamar history instructor, said, adding that it is a coup to get O’Neal to attend the induction.

O’Neal currently serves as the appointed Texas State Historian, and traveled around Texas speaking to clubs and organizations about the history of the state. He is an award-win-

Texas State Historian Bill O’Neal

ning author and active parttime radio host. His second term is coming to an end in October.

During the ceremony, five students will be added to the 25 students in Lamar’s chapter of Phi Alpha Theta. Any student that has 12 hours in any history courses, with a history GPA of 3.1 and an overall GPA of 3.0, can apply for induction. This year’s inductees are graduate students Courtney Rhodus and Grayson Meek, and undergraduate students Karli Pittman, Taylor Blount and Jacob Melancon.

Faculty advisor Mark Mengerink said the members of Phi Alpha Theta are involved in many different fundraising activities, primarily helping to raise funds for students to attend different history conferences all over the county.

“Recently, we had four members attend a conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, that the majority of the fundraising money went towards,” he said. “At these conferences, it’s more than just a social gathering, although there is a lot of that.

It’s an academic conference where they go and listen to other historians present their papers on their current research.”

Students may apply for membership for a semester fee of $5 and a one time national fee of $40. Membership is open to all majors.

For more information, email kposton@lamar.edu or mark.mengerink@lamar .edu.

UP Josh Aych

Engineering senior Adriana Salazar examines the algae-contaminated water from the John Gray pond.

Student project to beautify pond Sarah Sanders UP contributor

Clogged with algae, the decades-old John Gray pond stands at the edge of campus. It has begun to attract mosquitos and emit a strange odor from its waters whose rainbow-sheen near the shore comes from an oily film floating on the surface.

Engineering seniors Cory Bobbitt, Alan Gruenstein, Adriana Salazar and Billy Wilson have spent the last two semesters getting to the bottom of the pond’s problems, assisted by professors Jerry Lin and Jospeh Kruger, as well as Lamar’s first lady Nancy Evans.

The team has proposed a beautification project to clean up the pond and presented their proposal to the Student Government Association, April 11.

Salazar said that a plan to use professionals to clean the pond was originally proposed, but SGA stepped in to fund the project. The team of students managed to come up with a more affordable solution.

The main problem with the pond is stagSee POND page 5

UP Sarah Sanders

A turtle in the John Gray pond is covered with algae.

LU honors to visit political convention Dillon Nicholson UP contributor

Four students from the Reaud Honors College have been selected to attend the

Victoria LaFleur

Democratic and Republican National Conventions in July as part of an Academic Seminar program sponsored by The Washington Center.

Attending the DNC are Tara

Ryan Sherer

www.facebook.com/UPLamar

Hoch, sophomore political science major from Beaumont, and Madison Marino, sophomore economics major from Vidor. Attending the RNC are Victoria LaFleur, junior accounting/finance major from Port Neches, and Ryan Sherer, junior business management major from Nederland.

Each student will specialize in an area of focus, such as media and communications, party affairs, and general convention planning, wherein the students will work side-by-side with professionals in each respective field.

“I’m excited to utilize the skills I’ve gained through my

Madison Marino

writing internship with Lamar’s Office of Public Relations in an area so closely related to my major,” Hoch said, who plans on pursuing the media and communications

www.lamaruniversitypress.com

Tara Hoch

emphasis.

“It’s just such an amazing opportunity, to see history in the making while also applying See REAUD page 2

www.twitter.com/UPLamar

INSIDE

Thursday, April 21, 2016 University Press

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If we do not lay out ourselves in the service of mankind whom should we serve?

— Abigail Adams

Page 2

Arts and Sciences honors excellence Jolie Basye UP contributor

Lamar University’s College of Arts and Sciences hosted the 17th Annual Academic Excellence Student Awards at 2 p.m., April 15, in the John Gray Library.

“These students have created a University Culture here at Lamar that represents the very best academia has to offer. A culture that embraces diversity, and a culture that fosters a mutual respect. A culture as you have learned first-hand that recognizes and appreciates unending hard work,” Joe Nordgren, College of Arts and Sciences interim dean, said.

The students that were honored in the ceremony averaged at least a 3.75 GPA for the spring and fall semesters of 2015 and have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.75 at the end of the Fall 2015 semester.

“This is a very competitive group of students who strongly represent the College of Arts and Sciences,” Pat Heintzelman, English and Modern

REAUD

Languages professor and chair of the ceremony, said.

The College of Arts and Science majors range from Biology, English and Modern Languages, Social Work and many more. There were over 132 students who received recognition at the Academic Excellence Student Awards.

“From having smelly hands to being doused in formaldehyde, there is a very wide diversity within the College of Arts and Science. It does not matter what class they are in, the students are all collaborating together,” Nordgren said.

The professors from all of the different majors were present to award their students when they were recognized.

“I just want to thank all of the faculty and they are very actively involved in every student’s life in the college.

The ceremony is ultimately for the students, but just goes to show the direct testament of the mentorship that the faculty provides for the students.”

All students with a 3.750 GPA were awarded a certificate and students who obtained a 4.0 GPA were awarded a

certificate and a medal to be worn at graduation.

“I feel incredibly honored and blessed to have a wonderful support system from both family and the College of Arts and Science,” Kristi Sonnier, biology major, Hamshire-Fannett junior.

All honorees must have completed the year as a College of Arts and Science major and carried at least 12 hours each semester.

“This college is very competitive and it took a lot of dedication and self-discipline to say ‘no’ to any extra time that I might have had and to say ‘yes’ to more studying for school. I tend to study about 40 hours a week and it is all worth it. I am a biology and predental major and the competitiveness here is preparing me for dental school one day. Knowing what the requirements are to be accepted into dental school really help me stay focused and keep my grades up,” Sonnier said.

For more information, visit the College of Arts and Science page at lamar.edu.

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.

April 21

Lamar Toastmasters End of Year Bash

Cherry Engineering Building, Rm 3204

2:20-3:20 p.m.

April 22

Lamar Opera Theatre: Die Fledermaus

Rothwell Recital Hall 7:30 p.m.

Self Defense and Bystander Intervention Training

LIT Multipurpose Center 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

Scientific Truth in Audiology: The process

SPHS Building, Room 170 10-11 a.m.

Faculty Forum

Gray Library, 8th floor

from page 1

what I’ve learned in the classroom. This election is certainly historic, and I’m eager to see which Democratic candidate will be announced as the nominee,” Hoch said.

Such political fervor is shared by the participants across party lines.

“The opportunity to go to the Republican National Convention has been something I’ve looked forward to ever since the election cycle started, so whenever I saw that I could actually do that, I went, ‘Absolutely, I’m going to apply for that!’,” Sherer said.

For others, this experi-

NOTICE

ence serves a more preparatory function. “(I’m) interested in running for some kind of elected position, either state or national, and I’m going to get my foot in the door, into the political world,” LaFleur said.

The selected students also wish to bring back their knowledge and experience to the local community.

“I hope we’re given a very nice chance to represent our university and bring back the knowledge that we are given at the Washington Center’s program and further get people involved with the political process,” Sherer said.

“We’re going to do papers and presentations about our experiences, and then we’re going to present them in the fall to local organizations like the Beaumont Rotary Club and Lions Club,” LaFleur said.

The students anticipate a positive impact on Lamar’s campus as well.

“I want to present to Lamar, to students, because I know college students – it’s very hard to have that amount of time to be politically aware of the issues and we could help them with that by simplifying what they see from the media so that they (will) make a more aware de-

cision whenever it comes time for elections in November,” LaFleur said.

In addition to providing the students with an opportunity to build professional skills and give back to their community and student body, they said this program serves as an historic opportunity.

“The two parties have one common goal: they both want to make America the best that it can be, and I believe that anyone who goes to either convention is going to get a top-notch experience because they’re making history no matter what,” Sherer said.

1-3 p.m.

April 23

2016 5k Walk to End Lupus Now

Setzer Student Center 8 a.m.

Spanish Language learning workshop for educators

Beaumont Children’s Museum 8:45 a.m.-1 p.m.

Lamar Opera Theatre: Die Fledermaus

Rothwell Recital Hall 7:30 p.m.

3

OPINION

UNIVERSITY PRESS April 21, 2016

No success like failure Reflecting on educational value of sometimes falling short Failure can be frightening.

After all, this is life. You only get one shot at it, so you’d better make it a good one. Failure doesn’t have to be something that causes hyperventilation and sleepless nights, however.

The other day I sat for a test and realized as I read the questions that I didn’t know any of the answers. It might as well have been written in an alien language. It’s safe to say that, unless there’s a generous curve, I failed that test, but there is something I can learn from that.

For one, did I study? Well, no.

Obviously, everyone understands the importance of studying for a test, but not everyone understands that studying for every test is a good idea. Lesson learned. Next time, I’ll study.

Failure as a learning tool also doesn’t just apply to small failures. Think about any relationship you’ve had that fell apart and think, “Did I learn something from that?” Perhaps someone was too clingy. Perhaps someone was too jealous.

Perhaps one was a dog person and the other a cat person.

Commentary

Tim Collins UP staff writer

Whatever the cause of the failure, there can always be something to be learned, even if it’s that sometimes relationships fall apart for no reason whatsoever. Life can be filled with random circumstances.

That’s why it’s good to learn how to deal with life’s random punches in the face.

Growth isn’t always blooming flowers and budding cacti.

Growth can be an ugly, painful process, and it can lead to something that isn’t always pretty.

That’s why it’s important to pay attention to how we learn from failure. There’s that old adage that, “Whatever doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger.” But it only makes us stronger if we learn something from it.

After all, how a person handles failure can be just as important as how a person handles success.

Think of every successful musician or actor or TV chef, and there are probably years of struggle and failure at work that made them into the people they are today. There are exceptions, such as celebrities who are born into wealth and fame and who don’t have a care in the world beyond the fact that they didn’t get the right color Lamborghini for their birthday, but I think it’s important to understand that they may be missing important life lessons, such as it doesn’t matter what color your Lamborghini is.

UPeditorial Take a break from end-ofsemester stress

It’s that point in the semester — assignment deadlines are fast approaching and finals are right around the corner. College students everywhere are hitting the libraries and counting down the days until summer.

As the semester speeds to a conclusion, the workload can be quite overwhelming, full of stress and allnighters.

However, while chaos ensues, it’s important to remember and take a break from the studying frenzy.

Taking a break can be a great way to reenergize and help you stay at peak mental condition.

Here are a few strategies to get our minds off school.

First, find ways to laugh daily. Whether it’s watching a funny YouTube video or watching squirrels pop out of trashcans and attack innocent bystanders in the Quad, look for opportunities to find humor in everyday life.

Laughter relaxes the body, decreases anxiety and boosts immune systems, proving the old maxim “Laughter is the best medicine” true.

Second, carve time in your busy schedule to hang out with loved ones. While succeeding in college is important, so is fostering relationships.

Friends and family are often the biggest form of encouragement. These people will be the ones who celebrate your academic achievements or perhaps mourn the lack thereof, depending on how your semester goes.

Third, go out and get some exercise. Working out relieves tension, improves mood and boosts brain function. So not only will you be doing your body a favor, but your mind as well.

If anyone needed extra encouragement, just think – every minute spent working out is a minute not doing homework.

Although studying is important, so is emotional and physical health.

Editor ......................................Grant Crawford Managing Editor.................Kara Timberlake Photo Editor ...................................Josh Aych Web Editor..............................Melissa Conley Staff ..............Desmond Pickens, Haley Bruyn, .....................Coty Davis, Trevier Gonzalez, ...................Tim Collins, Elizabeth Grimm, .............Carolyn Kondos, Kyle Swearingen, .....................................Brandianne Hinton Advertising .............................Melissa Conley

What matters is what you do with your success once you’ve got it.

Success and failure in love, work and academia are all part of the learning process we go through in our lives — failure even more so, since we encounter fail-

ure more often than we do success. That’s why it’s important to learn as much as we can from every little failure.

As the great Irish playwright Samuel Beckett said, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter.

Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”

UP illustration

by Brandianne Hinton

Take time to take care

The end of the semester is almost here and the reality of finals is going to come crashing down on students before they know what hit them.

OK, maybe that is a little dramatic, but this is the time of the semester where stress starts to get the better of students. Logic flies out the window and the only thing students can focus on is the threat of failure and the pressure of due dates.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “I haven’t eaten today,” “I got three hours of sleep last night,” “This is my third pot of coffee today,” or something equally horrifying.

Um, hello? Have you forgotten that you’re a living being with basic human needs? Why is there this prestige around treating yourself badly? Imagine if you were your own parent. Weird, yes, but go with me. If a parent doesn’t feed a child regularly, give them water, or let them rest, child services would take that child faster than you can say “cu-

Commentary

Haley Bruyn UP staff writer

Letters Policy

mulative short answer final exam.”

Sadly, there is no law about treating yourself badly. But if you’re mature enough to be in college, you’re mature enough to take care of yourself like the overgrown child you are.

Some students proclaim their lack of sleep like a victory over biology. What I hear, though, is, “I can ignore all of the alarm bells in my body and deny my brain and body the rest it desperately needs to function properly.”

Now, I know all-nighters are inevitable for some people (myself included), but there is no reason to go 48 hours without at least five or six hours of sleep.

Your body needs that sleep. Your brain needs it. Sleep is when your brain is turning all of that information you’ve crammed into you head into long-term memories so you can recall them later.

It’s science.

You’re not going to do well on a test if you fall asleep in the middle of the essay section.

Food is hard to remember sometimes, I get it. Stress kills the appetite for some people (mutants, I think) but it’s really important to give your body fuel.

Think of yourself as a car. If you don’t put gas in the tank, you aren’t going anywhere. If the battery is dead, nothing is going to start. You see my point here?

Your body is an organic machine, and without the proper fuel, there is no way you can function.

Your brain works better when you eat. Keep a bowl of popcorn

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 200 Setzer Student Center. 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.

or almonds near your computer, pre-prep a ham and cheese before you start that 10-page essay, and reward yourself with something sweet every so often as incentive to keep going.

It’s surprising how much of a difference steady blood sugar can make.

I know caffeine is as vital as air to many college students (just ask my editor, Kara) but coffee or soda is not always the best choice. Remember how in “The Wizard of Oz” the Tin Man is stuck because he has no oil on his joints? Oil is to Tin Man, as water is to human. Our bodies are made of water. Our brains are made of water. We need water, and we live in a country where it’s safe to drink out of just about any sink.

What I’m getting at here is that everyone should be drinking water. Your body will thank you.

If I don’t get enough water, my back hurts, my head aches and my eyes itch.

Also, pee breaks are good for the soul. It’s a legitimate excuse to get up and walk around (which you should be doing anyway).

Yes, school is stressful and self-care is hard to make time for, but in the long run, ignoring your body’s needs isn’t giving you extra time to study. It’s slowing you down so you have to take that extra time to make up for the biological funk you’ve put yourself in.

So take some time to make sure you’re taking care of your body, not just your GPA.

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 2016

Page 4

Thursday, April 21, 2016 • UNIVERSITY PRESS

Engineers, artists collaborate on sculpture Tim Collins UP staff writer Students walking through the Cherry Engineering Building may have noticed new paint on the walls, new furniture in the offices and wall art showing engineering students at work.

Campus beautification doesn’t just stop at trees and flowers, and next semester will include two kinetic sculptures in the lobby of the building.

“The idea is people walk in, they see something cool and it makes a statement,” Dean Srinivas Palanki of the College of Engineering said. “I mean, if I have a high school student who is contemplating Lamar, there’s something I should be able to point to and say, ‘Look, students don’t just come to class and then go home. Here’s something that’s not even in the curriculum.’ It’s an opportunity to be involved on campus and do something that you can come back to 10 years later and say, ‘See that thing? I built that!’”

Over the summer, six students from the College of Fine Arts and Communication and four from the College of Engi-

neering will submit designs for two kinetic sculptures, one wallmounted and one free-standing, for placement in the Cherry Engineering lobby. All involved students will receive a $500 scholarship, and there will be a $3,500 prize for first place and a $1,500 prize for second in January 2017.

A $25,000 gift from Maryann and Don Lyle, Lamar alumnus and a member of the College of Engineering Advisory Board, is funding the project.

Lyle said that while Lamar has in the past been a commuter campus, it has grown over the years to a place where a large percentage of the students now live.

“I think if you’re going to have students want to live there, it needs to be a beautiful place to live,” he said. “It needs to be a place that they want to stay. I think, when transforming the campus into a resident campus, one of the necessary steps is going to be campus beautification. We’ve taken the first step and gone a long way there, but we need to take the second step.”

Lyle said he got the idea

when visiting Washington state.

“My wife and I were visiting a friend on Orcas Island,” he said. “There’s an artist who lives on Orcas, a rather unique artist whose name is Anthony Howe, and he does kinetic sculpture. He has several of his sculptures outside and they’re just fantastic, absolutely beautiful. I saw that and I thought, that’s a combination of art and engineering that sounds like it’d make a great project at Lamar.”

Lyle said that he’s also looked to other campuses for inspiration.

“If you want to see a couple of examples of engineering and art, we live in La Jolla, California, which is the home of the University of California in San Diego,” he said. “Sitting on the roof of the engineering building at UCS, kind of wedged into one corner of the roof at an angle, is a house. That’s a piece of art you can actually go in. It’s a little goofy art, but it’s art nonetheless, and that’s a combination of art and engineering.”

Palanki said that this project

UP Tim Collins

Dean Srinivas Palanki stands with a model oil platform in the Cherry Engineering Building Lobby. is an opportunity for the colleges of fine art and communication and engineering to cooperate and show that engineering can be beautiful.

“When you think of kinetic sculptures, it has to move,” he said. “The sculpture has to move. When it’s indoors, you don’t have wind, and that’s where engineering comes in, because we want to make it move either through solar power or a motion sensor.

Think of something that will

move when someone walks by it. It fits in with our overall plan to beautify the building.”

While Lyle’s original idea was for an outside sculpture, he said he hopes this project will lead to larger, outdoor kinetic sculptures.

“Think about a few of those on campus and what an attention getter that would be,” he said.

For more information, call the College of Engineering at 880-8741.

Tram sees challenges as blessings in disguise Elisabeth Tatum UP contributor College campuses are full of people from all different backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures. However, most of them have one thing in common — they are young, loud and opinionated.

This makes Tram Dinh an anomaly.

For a start, she is quietly spoken. She is also 42. Oh yes, and she is a nun.

The early childhood education major came to the United States from Saigon City, Vietnam when she was 21.

“My entire family came, cousins and uncles and aunts,” she said. “We all lived in Houston. It was much different than Vietnam.

“I always wanted to become a nun.

But in Vietnam, the communists don’t allow you to wear the habit or to openly

practice as much as in the US. I never really saw nuns or anything like that until coming to America — it was very secretive, almost.”

Before attending Lamar, Tram went to community college in Houston for about three years, before taking time off to become a nun. She has been at Lamar for two years.

“It took about 10 years to become a nun,” she said. “Before I was one, I just went to school and was a cashier at a grocery store to help my family.”

Tram said she is family oriented.

“My entire family has always lived together, “she said. “I think that is important, to have family. Family is the foundation for everything that children need. Just like teachers. If the family or teachers aren’t good, then the child won’t learn to do right in the world.”

Tram tuned her thoughts back to her time growing up in Southeast Asia.

“When we lived in Vietnam, our mother only wanted for us to get an education,” Tram said. “She did not want us to have to work, just learn. School is not free there; you must pay to go to public school. My mother would end up working multiple jobs so that we could all go to school full time. It was so hard for her, but she never complained.

“She said she worked so hard because she never got those opportunities and she always wanted to

learn — it was hard for her growing up.”

Tram has faced her own set of challenges since coming to the United States.

“It was tough to come to Lamar at first, my first language is not English,” she said.

“My classes have been difficult. I told myself if you want to succeed you have to work hard, do your best, and soon you can do what you love.”

Tram said that surprisingly, English is her favorite subject.

“I have had some hard classes, but they end up becoming my favorites,” she said.

“Like a lot of my English classes, they have been challenging — and psychology, too, but those are also my favorite classes.”

Tram is extremely organized, especially when it comes to her daily schedule at the Queen of Vietnam Mission House in Port Arthur.

“I go to church, pray, go to school, come home and do homework and cook and clean,” she said. “We have a lot of community nights where we get to play board games and learn together. We share the gospel with each other, and we share about our days.

“Before I go to sleep I always pray and clear my conscience, it’s called reflection.

I have to turn out my lights at 11 pm.

Sometimes I have to ask for permission to study past then if I have to. There are four nuns at the mission — three of us are in school.”

While her schedule may be precise, she must always be prepared for it to change.

“After I graduate I will be moved, every

‘“I told myself if you want to succeed you have to work hard, do your best, and soon you can do what you love.”

— Tram Dinh UP Elisabeth Tatum

year we are moved,” she said. “You shouldn’t dwell and get attached to one place.”

Even if Tram is still enrolled in school she may be moved — there are no exceptions.

“It is a hard thing to think about, but I took the obedience vow, and if they need me I will follow,” she said. “I’ve moved four times to different communities all around Texas. I know it is for the good.”

Tram attends mass daily where she meditates and prays.

“If I don’t have that, I feel like I can’t give my all to other people,” she says. “I think you’re are giving the fruit of your meditation to other people.”

Tram said she has a soft spot in her heart for children, but teaching was not her first career choice.

“Before, I wanted to become a nurse, but once I entered the convent I changed to teaching,” she said with a smile. “I want to be able to leave a good mark on children. Children need teachers. Teachers make the world go round.

“I want to teach at a Catholic school, I want to teach second graders. That is the cutest age of a child, they are the best.”

While younger children are her preference, she said she still enjoys teaching weekly confirmation classes to teenagers.

“I feel bad for teenagers today, they all have to try so hard to fit in,” she said. “I feel so sad for them. I didn’t have to experience that.”

She relates being a nun to the process of becoming a teen.

“It is hard, very difficult,” she said.

“There is temptation in everything, but I know that with God I can do all things.

Only God can make me feel better, not the temptations.”

Tram’s positive disposition has taken her far in life but she doesn’t take any of the credit for it.

“Nothing is impossible with God — look at me, I am proof,” she said. “I want to help others. I want to educate the future generations to do good in the world.

“We need more good in the world.”

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UNIVERSITY PRESS • Thursday, April 21, 2016

Page 5

QR Codes opens museum experience to deaf Daniel Pemberton UP contributor

People with disabilities are often alienated and cut off from opportunities that many of the population take for granted.

Southeast Texas is home to around 1,500 deaf citizens, and Lamar instructor Cain Chaisson and interpreter Kim Hunt have teamed up to make at least one experience more accessible.

The pair have developed a Virtual QR Code tour of the Fire Museum of Southeast Texas, with another tour for Spindletop/Gladys City Boomtown Museum scheduled for the fall.

“I have always been interested in using technology to make areas more accessible,” Chaisson, an instructor at the department of deaf studies, said. “So for us, the question was how can we give the deaf full access to an exhibit without an interpreter, so they can discover it at their own pace.

“Really, what we needed was an equivalent to audio tours, something the user could easily walk around with. We assigned a QR code to each display at an exhibit. Once the code is scanned by a smartphone you are linked to a YouTube video.

In the video, we have a deaf language professional — someone who themselves is deaf — and a language specialist, signing information about the exhibit.”

Chaisson said it took approximately six months to put the Fire Museum exhibit together.

“This is with the help of 10 or so undergraduates and cameras, lighting equipment, audio and editing software — thou-

sands of dollars that we have paid out of pocket,” he said.

The department has applied for grants but Chaisson said that money is hard to come by.

“Grants are our best case scenario right now because we cannot sustain this project pro bono — money has to come from somewhere,” he said.

“These installations take a lot of time and effort on the part of the museums, so we have not asked them to pay anything.

But the fact is, we cannot keep doing this without some sort of monetary contribution.”

Although it has been a challenge, Chaisson said that the program has been a success.

“Our launch at the Fire Museum was a very big deal,” he said. “We had about 200 deaf from the Southeast Texas area, as well as Houston and Katy, attend the event.”

Chaisson said that 35 students from his department volunteered for the event, helping people download the app and UP courtesy photo showing them how to scan the Members of the deaf studies and deaf education department volunteer at the Virtual QR Code tour launch at the Fire code.

Hunt, a native signer and Museum of Southeast Texas. daughter of deaf parents who those just passing through.” through working at the same ready to go when I arrived as has been a multi-certified interAlthough some local exhibits signing agency and found they chair,” Clark said. “I thought preter for more than 30 years, take temporary measures to ac- had similar goals. the project was a wonderful ophad the original idea for the commodate the deaf, Hunt said “(Hunt) wanted our com- portunity for our department to project. she knew a more permanent so- pany to help provide access to become more visible. I have “As a little girl, born and lution was necessary. museums and tours,” Chaisson people who have been in this raised in Beaumont, Texas, and “A recent boat tour of the said. “I just thought of how we department for years tell me the daughter of deaf parents, I Neches River was interpreted, could do the same thing, but that they see more signing on grew up seeing communication which brought temporary ac- without the need for an inter- campus now more than they access not available or denied to cess to the history of the city preter to be present. That is ever have. my parents and their deaf and surrounding areas in ASL,” how the whole project really “That is what these projects friends,” she said. “It has been a she said. “The deaf community began.” are all about, exposing people to lifelong dream of mine to break was finally getting the same inDiane Clark, chair of deaf a small segment of society that this communication barrier and formation that everyone could studies and deaf education at is so often looked over. It remake museums and exhibits get on this audio tour. But the Lamar, said she has high hopes minds people that we are here.” permanently accessible for all of community yearned for more.” for what the project can do.

For more information, call the deaf who live locally, or Hunt and Chaisson met “Cain had the Fire Museum 880-8170.

POND

UP Josh Aych

Tim Mousseau speaks with a student after his lecture, April 14.

Survivor raises campus sexual awareness Hesham Jamal UP contributor

Tim Mousseau presented a lecture titled, “Retaking Our Story: Reframing the Sexual Assault Conversation,” at Lamar University, April 14.

Mousseau is an author and lecturer for CAMPUSPEAK, an organization that provides transformative learning experiences to educate and inspire students for success in their college years and beyond, according to its website.

“The only time we talk about sexual violence is when it has happened to someone we know or on campus,” Mousseau said. “We only talk about it once we care, because it’s finally a part of our story, but once we talk about it at that point, we’re too late.”

Mousseau is a self-described tattooed hipster in his early 20s.

However, he is a male survivor of sexual assault after being drugged, something he learned about later through an anonymous letter and photos.

It was a long process before Mousseau could accept that he could not change the past and he eventually decided to make a positive change.

Mousseau’s presentation, sponsored by LU’s division of student engagement, covered what constitutes sexual assault, how to prepare for a safe sexual encounter, and how to support the survivors. He said that one in four women and one in 16 men will be sexually assaulted in college.

“It is critical to break down the stereotypes that only men perpetrate sexual assault against women,” he said. “Both genders can be victims of and also perpetrate sexual assault.”

Mousseau encouraged attendees to reframe how they view sexual assault, take action to possibly prevent assaults, and to consider sharing their stories so others can learn from them.

Confidential support is available through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at (800) 6564673, or at online.rainn.org.

from page 1

nation, Bobbitt said.

“The algae that is growing is filamentous algae, which pretty much just stacks up on top of each other,” he said. “Without a high flow, it’s difficult to break up the algae and it gets all matted. That’s what you see in shallow areas, especially around the edges.”

The team borrowed equipment from the geology department and went out in a canoe to measure the depth of the pond, mapping it out as they went, Salazar said.

Once they determined the volume, and tested water samples collected by Gruenstein and Bobbitt, the team were able to come up with a number of possible solutions, which they then put through a matrix to find the best in terms of time, cost and aesthetics.

The team found that the best solution was aeration through fountains and underground bubblers, which Salazar said will increase circulation and oxygen levels.

Two floating islands were also suggested, to provide an aesthetic appeal and provide shelter for wildlife, which the team says the pond is rich with despite the algae overgrowth.

“There are lots of little perch out here, which people like myself call bait fish,” Bobbitt said. “I’ve also seen at least two bass, and one time there was a crane.”

The wildlife also includes ducks, turtles, shrimp and crawfish, Salazar said.

“The turtles are sometimes covered in algae because there’s just so much of it,” she said. “The algae also prevents other plant life from flourishing.”

Another problem is the amount of trash that has built up in the pond, Bobbitt said.

“The oil film on the surface of the water is partially from the ducks, but also from chip bags that people throw nearby,” he said. “The wind blows them into the pond. It’s really sad. If they put in one or two more trashcans by the bridge and parking lot, and maybe a few signs, people might stop littering.”

Salazar said that decomposition due to lack of circulation is the cause of the odor. The team’s solution would not only eliminate the odor, she said, but also prevent mosquitos from breeding.

The team said they believe the improvements will make the pond

Trash and algae litter the John Gray Pond. Four engineering seniors have proposed a beautification project to clean up the pond.

UP photos by Sarah Sanders

more beautiful and more pleasant to be around. They said they envision a bright future for the pond, which they see as a hidden treasure.

“This isn’t just a place where students come, but the community, too,” Bobbitt said. “We’ve seen kids from the neighborhood come over here a lot. I hope that the pond will become a gem on campus for everyone to come relax.”

Wilson said he hopes the pond

will be a venue where people can hang out.

“Maybe they can put up some benches or tables, and people can come out here for social events or just to study,” he said.

The team said they hope the project will be completed before May graduation, “My hope is that people will enjoy the pond,” Salazar said. “We wanted our project to leave a footprint here at Lamar.”

Page 6

Thursday, April 21, 2016 • UNIVERSITY PRESS

LU students create computer graffiti ences through story, and teaches IBM design thinking practices through active learning.”

The program runs three times annuLamar University recently hosted an ally, lasting nine to 10 weeks, and has IBM workshop, March 30, where 31 stuhistorically taken on cohorts of 15 with dents and faculty members learned about the Maelstrom Internship Pro- each session, O’Bryan said.

“Our target candidates typically have gram from program leader Devin O’Bryan. The workshop was held on the at least one or two semesters/quarters left,” he said. “This is for both undersixth floor of Gray Library.

“Based in our flagship design studio in graduate and graduate students. There’s Austin, Maelstrom is IBM’s software de- an experiential emphasis on active learnsign internship program,” O’Bryan said. ing through design thinking, radical col“Maelstrom hires student-designers to laboration and emotional intelligence.”

O’Bryan said that the students particprototype empathically-inspired experiipating in the internship are required to live in Austin. However, the program provides housing and transportation.

Throughout the course of the workshop, participants also learned about having a career as a graphic designer for a company like IBM while getting a hands-on experience. The students were taught lessons such as the ability to work empathically and deliver something with, O’Bryan said, a “universal sense of soul.”

Senior graphic design major Gwendolyn Mumford said that a lot of times, during school, it can be hard to keep that philosophy in mind, especially when deadlines are fast approaching.

“But when every design choice is made with intent, the overall design improves exponentially,” she said.

April Gray, computer science junior, said IBM has the right ideas when it comes to not only keeping their conThe results of student brainstorming at the IBM sumer base in mind, but also in trying to workshop in the Gray Library, March 30. understand the consumers differing

Morgan Collier UP contributor

Students gather at Gray Library for an IBM workshop, March 30. needs.

“I have always believed that accessibility is what has set apart the successes of different products,” she said. “Even more important than function is how the consumer can use it and what affect it has on them.”

LU alumna Heather Hussey said she believes that design thinking is not only important to her career as a graphic designer, but it is integral to how she designs.

“Design thinking allows me to evaluate a problem from a number of perspectives to help me arrive at the best solution,” she said.

Workshop attendees created Quick Response (QR) codes within images

UP courtesy photo

such as a hammer, truck, stamp, camera, ice cream and pillow. Participants also worked together to draw different designs for a Spindletop/Gladys City Boomtown Museum brochure.

Marisol Lua-Figueroa, graphic design senior, said she looks forward to future workshops.

“They offer a great way to help us get ready for the real design world, and give us the opportunity to experience how design studios and firms work,” she said.

“They are of great help in not only building your design thinking skills, but also your team skills.”

For more information on the Maelstrom Internship or about IBM, visit www.ibm.com.

Lamar opera presents ‘Die Fledermaus’ Alexandra Sokolova UP contributor The original production of Johann Strauss’ “Die Fledermaus” took place in Vienna, Austria, in 1874. Lamar University Opera Theatre will present a modernized version of the opera set in Beverly Hills, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m., in the Rothwell Recital Hall. Tickets are $10.

“The way that we modern-

ized the show is not only for our students to relate to the storyline a little bit better and understand the characterization better, but that’s also for a community that is going to come in and see the show, so they relate to the popular culture aspects of it,” Serdar Ilban, director of Lamar Opera Theatre, said.

The dialogue will be in English, with the songs in German.

They will be translated into English and projected on a

screen for the audience.

“I’m a strong proponent for performing all operas in original languages, because pedagogic aspects of singing change completely when you translate opera to any other language from its original,” Ilban said.

“It becomes less effective vocally and musically.”

Ilban said he incorporated color-blind casting.

“We take a lighthearted approach to interracial relationships,” he said. “For example,

an African-American singer or Hispanic singer or WhiteAmerican work together perfectly fine. Why can’t the rest of a world do the same thing?

There’s always an underlining message.”

Kristin Tuttle, Friendswood senior, plays Rosalinda Eisenstein. She said the show has been a difficult but fun experience.

“Once you learn the music and start playing with the character, it’s just very entertain-

ing,” she said. “It’s big learning experience — the German part of it is really difficult, but it flows very naturally when you get it in your body and really learn what the words say, not just trying to memorize it. This is when it begins to take a life on its own.”

During a recent rehearsal, Ilban had a simple piece of advice for the students.

“Don’t do it for a grade — do it because you love it,” he said.

For tickets, call 880-8144.

The End is Near!

Final UP edition publishes on April 28 Advertising Deadline April 22 Orientation Advertising Deadline May 6

Contact Stephan Malick advertising@lamaruniversitypress.com

7

SPORTS

UNIVERSITY PRESS April 21, 2016

Lady Cards capture fourth consecutive SLC Ian Criss UP contributor With the fourth straight Southland Conference Championship in the books, the Lady Cards Golf team’s focus turns to preparing for Regionals, May 5-7.

“I know that we will face some serious competition and the better players will attack the pins from this distance,” head coach Jessica Steward said.

“We’re going to stay grounded mentally and approach the postseason one day at a time. We won’t think about what the next step might be until we earn that ticket.”

Steward said the Lady Cards will focus on their wedge play.

“We could still be a lot more accurate from 40 to 80 yards,” she said. “If they can keep an ideal mentality in the face of adversity, their scores will be more consistent and they will be more successful.”

Junior Wenny Chang became the fourth LU women’s golfer since 2011 to earn medalist honors in the SLC championship.

“She has literally medaled at our last three tournaments,” Steward said.

Senior Taylor Stockdon completed her last season as a Lady Card having won the conference title all four years. Steward said that Stockdon will bring her experience to the team next year in a different role.

Courtesy photo

The Lamar golf team pose with the SLC tournament trophy in McKinney, April 13.

“We are fortunate to have her serve as a graduate assistant next season, so she will still be around to serve as a good role model for the ladies, and can continue to share her experience and knowledge,” Steward said.

Post-season tournaments a mental challenge, Steward said.

“So it’s important to practice playing under pressure while managing nerves,” she said. “I also believe that we are the most prepared team — we make sure

to analyze the course and develop a strategy that works best for everyone. We make great decisions on the course that definitely set us above our competition.”

Steward said the team has exceeded expectations.

“I think everybody wrote us off and thought we wouldn’t be competing for the championship title,” she said. “However, we are very proud to say that we proved them all wrong.

“In the spring, our worst finish was a tie for third. We are proud to claim two runner-ups and three tournament wins.”

For more information about regionals, visit www.ncaa.com/ sports/golf-women/d1.

LU Ultimate disc club offers fun, competition Danielle Sonnier UP contributor The flying disc slices through the air as it glides to its receiver. Bodies clash as players stretch out for an interception. The disc is secured, and the players brace for its next flight.

This is not your average backyard game of catch — this is “Ultimate.”

Lamar University Ultimate is a campus club that competes in tournaments at colleges around Texas.

Sophomore Josh Khoury said Ultimate is like a never-ending pass play in football.

“The only difference is, when the pass is completed, the guy that catches it is now the thrower and the process repeats until

you either score, the disc is dropped, or the other team (intercepts) a disc your team threw,” he said. “If the pass is incomplete or the other team catches it, they are now trying to do that same process to score.

And after every score, there is something similar to a kickoff in football.”

The group consists of 13 members who meet biweekly at the Ty Terrell Track to practice for future tournaments. Team president R.J. Newsom said the practices focus on the fundamentals of Ultimate disc play.

“We figure out each player’s strengths so we can utilize them when competing,” he said, adding that the formula for a great team is hard work

and contributions from everyone.

“You can have a whole team of great athletes, but if one player struggles then the whole team will struggle,” he said. “To be a good team member, it takes dedication, self-sacrifice and hard work. A good teammate strives to be the best he or she can be for the team.”

The concept and goals of Ultimate are simple, Newsom said.

“It is not like any other sport yet it has a little of every sport in it,” he said.

Khoury said it is the intensity of the sport stands out more than its simplicity.

“What makes it more See ULTIMATE page 8

Josh Khoury, top, makes a diving catch during a game of Ultimate Disc at the Ty Terrell Track on Lamar campus, April, 7.

Kinsey Miller, right, throws a disc underhand.

UP photos by Danielle Sonnier

LU men’s tennis takes SLC regular season title Kourtney Thorne UP contributor Lamar University’s men’s tennis team will compete in the Southland Conference Tournament, Saturday and Sunday, in Nacogdoches, after wrapping up the regular season title.

“We have been training very hard, we lost in the finals of the conference tournament last year, but through that loss it has motivated the team to train harder and get stronger,” Scott Shankles, head coach said.

The team has had a season record of 155 and won the regular season championship, April 13, against A&M Corpus Christi. The biggest competition at the tournament will be Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Nicholls State, Shankles said. Despite

having beaten both teams during the season, he said, those teams play with a lot of aggressiveness and emotion.

“We’ve had some teams dominate the conference over the years, but I think we’ve prepared the best that we can this season,” Shankles said.

Russian junior Nikita Lis has played in the conference tournament three times and said all the players have worked hard to get this far.

“Physically we are prepared,” he said.

“The thing is to get mentally prepared and we showed that by winning the regular season. We will use the rest of the time to get prepared for the conference tournament. I don’t see any reasons not to be ready.”

For more information, visit www.south land.org

Cards fall to Cowboys in diamond matchup Zjori Bosha UP contributor A strong wind was blowing in as the Lamar Cardinals dropped a 1-0 decision to McNeese State in Southland Conference action at VincentBeck Stadium, Sunday.

It was only the Cardinals third loss in the past 20 games as they rose to No. 25 in the national rankings.

The Cowboy’s lead-off batter came around to score the only run of the game in the first inning.

“This was a tough loss for us and we are disappointed in the outcome, but we have to learn from these types of games,” outfielder Brendan Satran said. “I think that if we all stay on the same page and keep improving then we will have a chance to be very good. We just have to keep working hard and continue to make improvements as we dig deeper into the season.”

Lamar (26-10, 11-4 SLC) had a few opportunities to get back into the ball game, but a couple of double plays in the second and sixth innings killed their rallies.

“This is a very special group of kids and we fought hard, but the thing that we can take away from this series is a lesson learned from a negative standpoint,” head coach Jim Gilligan said. “It came down to who did the best at not making mistakes, and we gave up the only run of

the game to their lead-off hitter. We are a power-hitting team but the wind was against us today, so today was not a home-run hitting day. We just have to learn from this game and get ready for the next one.”

Wind gusts were recorded at 22 miles an hour and never let up the entire game. Both teams squared up pitches that were cut down into the wind.

“We were swinging the bat pretty good so we have to stay on top of that,” Gilligan said. “We’re going to learn from this game and improve on the minor errors that we made.

As of right now, we are trying to eliminate our weaknesses. I think that we have the ability to get better if we keep working hard, and continue to eliminate our mistakes and weaknesses.”

The Cardinals dropped a conference series fro the first time this season, losing Saturday’s game 4-5, after opening the series with a 5-1 win, Friday.

The Cardinals return to action Wednesday at 4 p.m., as they take on Texas Southern at Vincent-Beck Stadium in non-conference action.

The next two Southland Conference series will be on the road, at Houston Baptist, April 22-24, and Incarnate Word, April 29-31.

For more information, visit Lamarcardinals.com. Tickets are $3 for children and $7 for adults.

UP Josh Aych

Jimmy Johnson, top, pitches to a McNeese State hitter during LU’s 1-0 loss at Vincent-Beck Stadium, Sunday. Stijn van der Meer makes a diving stop at shortstop.

Page 8

Thursday, April 21, 2016 • UNIVERSITY PRESS

Outdoor pursuits encourages students to go outside Francisco Alverez UP contributor Kevin Zabala will never forget the feeling in his stomach last summer as he looked over a 40foot cliff and into the deep water below. The water at Inks Lake State Park, just northwest of Austin, was once again deep enough for safe cliff jumping.

This was Zabala’s first time cliff jumping, and after canoeing all day with Lamar’s Outdoor Pursuits, he finally mustered the courage for the plunge ahead. But even at a height of just 20 feet, the human body typically hits water at a speed of 25 mph.

ULTIMATE

“It felt like I was falling forever, but after it was over I was definitely glad I did it,” Zabala said.

Outdoor Pursuits is a student-run organization at Lamar University whose mission is to encourage and equip the community for outdoor activities, coordinator Tyler Florence said.

Activities include camping, backpacking, indoor and outdoor climbing, canoeing, slacklining and much more.

Florence said he wishes more people were involved in outdoor recreation.

“People tend to overvalue what they experience personally and undervalue whatever falls

outside of that,” he said. “That’s alarming because people are increasingly choosing to spend all of their time indoors.”

One of the popular activities are the adventure trips each semester, Florence said. There is one more trip, “Chillaxin’ at Niederhoffer Lake,” planned for the spring. Niederhoffer Lake is a private lake within the Sam Houston National Forest in Hunstville. The trip is set for April 23 and 24. The cost of the trip is $15, which includes food, gear and transportation. Registration deadline for is April 21.

Outdoor Pursuits also hosts activities in the Sheila Umphrey Recreational Center, including

an indoor, 40-foot climbing wall in the Rec Center. The wall is open Monday through Thursday, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.

They also hold team-building initiatives that help groups become more cohesive and united, Florence said. The organization helps groups on campus with relatively simple tasks such as playing games to encourage group bonding, or with more difficult tasks like working on trust and communication.

Outdoor Pursuits also rents gear for various activities. Purchasing a $10 co-op membership through the Rec Center allows for unlimited rentals of outdoor gear, including back-

packs, canoes, water coolers, tents, hammocks and more. The service is available to all active LU students, staff, faculty and alumni.

“I wish more people were involved in outdoor and adventure recreation in general, whether it’s through our organization, another entity or simply of their own accord,” Florence said.

A complete list of Outdoor Pursuits programs and services are available at www.lamar.edu/ outdoorpursuits.

For more information, email tflorence@lamar.edu, or visit the Outdoor shop in the Recreational Center, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

from page 7

intense is, when you’re playing structured Ultimate, you’re actually playing for something rather than just goofing around with your friends,” he said. “When it’s actually time to play for real, you give your all, and that leads to more intense games.”

Though the club is co-ed, only one current member is a female.

Junior Kinsey Miller said she enjoys the game regardless of who is on her team.

“I am on the team because I

Ultimate disc rules relate to football by catching and throwing until a team is in the end zone.

like working hard and seeing the outcome,” she said. “I love running and I like the variety of things that can happen in Ultimate.”

The hardest part about being the only girl is the level of aggression she must handle while on the field.

“Guys just sort of have a one up on everything,” she said. “They are naturally faster and stronger, so I have to work really hard to try to keep up. Sometimes, it is a little tough because they are usually a little faster than me, but I make it up on offense by making good throws and by being strategic with my cuts and where I run. It is very easy when I am the only girl to not play as hard or to make excuses for bad throws because I am playing guys, but I have found that if I give it my all, I can actually hang with them.”

Miller, who has been involved with the sport since sixth grade, said Lamar’s team is not the only one where women are outnumbered.

“When we play other teams, it’s very rare that they have any other girls, and if they do they’ll only have one,” she said.

Khoury was also no stranger to Ultimate before he started playing with the Lamar squad. He

played backyard disc with friends, but said the transition between backyard and club Ultimate was tough.

“It’s way more technical than when we just messed around playing,” he said. “But once I started to get the hang of it, I much preferred playing it like it’s supposed to be played. People who play competitive Ultimate are actually really good, which leads to much more intense and higher quality games.”

Newsom, who said he did not play prior to being on Lamar’s team, has now been playing for eight semesters. The senior said he enjoys the competition provided by the games and practices.

“I enjoy the higher level of dedication and structure involved with competitive Ultimate that you don’t always get with pick-up or backyard,” he said. “On a college club team, guys and girls play for more than just fun. Athletes want to be better and compete at higher levels.”

Being involved with the club has also given Newsom the opportunity to get more involved with Lamar and to network with students, he said.

“It has given me a way to stay healthy, burn energy, and relieve stress — it has allowed me to just

UP photos by Danielle Sonnier

A member of the Ultimate disc club makes a diving catch at the Ty Terrell Track, April, 7. have fun,” he said.

Khoury said he can break his love of the game down into three parts.

“I like the sport most because I’m pretty good at it, it’s a great way to stay in shape — and I think the flight of the disc is really awesome looking,” he said.

Membership on the Ultimate team is also a way to meet new people, Khoury said.

“Once we start going to bigger tournaments, I’ll meet all kinds of Ultimate players from many different universities,” he said. “I think that’ll be a pretty cool experience.”

The team is scheduled to play a sectionals tournament Friday

and Saturday in Kyle. Lamar will take on teams from SFA, TSU, TAMU and more.

Of the five games they played, they only won one game.

“Our biggest problem is that we are the only team that has mostly new people,” Khoury said.

“The other teams have guys that have been playing together for years. I think we will be better once we get to that level.”

For more information, email lamarultimate11@gmail.com, call 880-7862, or check out Lamar Sports Clubs on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Details about joining the team can also be found at the Sheila Umphrey Recreational Center.