April 23, 2015

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

The Newspaper of Lamar University Vol. 91, No. 22

Thursday,April 23, 2015

A dance through ‘Ballyhoo’

ED BEGLEY JR. TO LECTURE ON SUSTAINABILITY TIM COLLINS UP CONTRIBUTOR

Natalie Sells, left, Alyse Morrell, Joseph Jordan, and Robert McDonald rehearse a scene for "The Last Night of Ballyhoo" in the University Theatre, April 20.

LU THEATRE PRODUCTION TO EXPLORE PREJUDICE KARA TIMBERLAKE UP CONTRIBUTOR It’s Atlanta, December 1939.

Christmas is drawing nigh, “Gone With the Wind” is debuting, and war in Europe is drawing closer — but the biggest event for the Freitag household is Ballyhoo, the social event of the season.

Lamar theatre will present Alfred Uhry’s comedy, “The Last Night of Ballyhoo,” beginning April 30 in the Studio Theatre. Performances are set for 7:30 p.m., April 30-May 2, with a matinee at 2 p.m. on May 3.

“The play centers around the schism between the Freitag and Levy families, who are of Jewish-German ancestry, and those they encounter of Jewish-Russian ancestry,” director Brian LeTraunik said. “There’s an odd hierarchy there among those two groups, where the German Jews tend to think they’re a little bit better than the Eastern European Jews.”

UP Kara Timberlake

LeTraunik said the title of the play holds a double meaning.

“One of the big issues of the play is the huge elite social event going on in Atlanta, called Ballyhoo,” he said. “Part of the drama is who is going with whom. At the last night of Ballyhoo, there is a big conflict that arises, a culmination of the conflicts that have occurred throughout the play.

“However, not only is it the last night of this Ballyhoo, but also World War II has just started with Hitler invading Poland, so it’s also the last night of Ballyhoo as they know it for a lot of the Jews.”

The play explores Jewish identity, including prejudice inflicted on Jews by other Jews, a theme that LeTraunik said resonates with him personally.

“In my own family, my father’s mother was German-Jewish, and she would always look down on my mother and her mother, my grandmother, because they were Russian Jews,” he said. “She always felt that they weren’t good enough somehow; they weren’t as cultured or refined as she was.

There was a lot of animosity. I never really understood that.

“So, the issue in the play is something I’ve seen present in my own family. Dealing with discrimination and prejudice, even amongst a cultural group, still exists today.”

The play is a comedy, however, and deals with the heavy issues in a

UP Kara Timberlake

See BALYHOO, page 2

Adolph (Joseph Jordan) and Boo (Natalie Sells) have a family argument during rehearsal of "The Last Night of Ballyhoo," April 20, in the University Theatre.

Actor and activist Ed Begley, Jr. will lecture on environmental sustainability as part of the Academic Lecture Series at 7:30 p.m., May 5, in the University Theatre.

“Since we’re upping our sustainability efforts, we wanted someone like him to come and talk about how you get started, because we’re so far behind doing sustainability projects in this part of the country,” Alicen Flosi, Lamar director of sustainability, said. “It’s embarrassing, really, how far Beaumont is behind the rest of the nation. We’re recycling, now, so that’s a big thing, but there’s so much more we can do.”

The office of sustainability spreads awareness of how to deal with waste in the present while not compromising the environment of the See BEGLEY, page 2

Red nose sale set for April 30 in front of SSC CHARITY OGBEIDE UP CONTRIBUTOR Lamar students Brandon Stacey, Wesley Gifford and Charles Ray will sell red noses and give away prizes in the front of the Setzer Student Center, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., April 30.

“Red nose day is a national event to help lift children around the world out of poverty,” Stacey said. “Red nose day was started about 25 years ago in the United Kingdom by a nonprofit organization called Comic Relief, which has raised over a billion dollars since then. Comic Relief uses humor to bring awareness to the sitSee NOSE, page 2

Doiron lecture to recount personal encounters with genocide BROOKE STINEBRICKNER UP CONTRIBUTOR “I suddenly realized my experience overseas has brought me time and time again into this odd horror of genocide.”

Jesse Doiron, instructor of English, will recount his experiences in a presentation titled, “The Holocaust, Then and Now — A Personal View,” April 30 at 1:30 p.m.

April is Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month, and Doiron’s talk will coincide with a Bosnian Genocide exhibit, on display on the sixth floor of Gray Library through April 30.

Doiron said that the idea for the talk came out of a conversation with Steve Zani, director of the center for teaching and learning enhancement.

“He and I have known each other for a long time, and he knows that I have been doing some research on the Holocaust known as the Shoah, (which) is related to the genocide of the Jews by Nazi Germany,” Doiron said.

Zani suggested Doiron share his

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research and experiences. Doiron said he is interested in how genocide is a concept, a historical fact, and a recurring sociological horror.

“It is one of those things that it just pops up every now and again,” he said. “So the Bosnian Herzegovina genocide was one that was a recent memory. Right after the crisis in Bosnian Herzegovina, we had a lot of Bosnian students come to our campus. The reason was because we had a professor who came from Bosnia and she brought in a number of Bosnian students — I had almost all of them in my classes. Well that kind of brought up this interesting juxtaposition of genocides.”

Doiron said that through the students, he encountered different stories about genocides — and the only way to pass on a story is to share it.

“When I lived in Spain, I had a very dear friend named Gerhardt Lenhoff,” Doiron said. “Gerd, I called him. Gerd had a ‘finca’ or a country home outside of Madrid.”

Doiron said the pair were sharing a glass of wine in the back of the

‘finca’ when he learned about Lenhoff’s past.

“He had escaped the extinction of the Jews and dug himself out of a ‘wagon’ — that is what they called railway cars in Europe,” Doiron said. “He dug himself out of the floor and this railway wagon that was stuffed with human beings being transported to the camps in Eastern Europe. Gerd knew that they were all going to die.

He and another young man, with their bare hands, were able to burrow through the bottom of the ‘wagon’ and they escaped. No one else in the railway car followed them, that always amazed me. What was it about Gerd, this young man who was in his teens, what was it about him that gave him the power, first of all, to dig his way through, and why did other people not follow him?”

Doiron said he thought the story was magnificent but frightening at the same time, and that he wants to be able to pass the story on to others.

“Years later I found myself in Ukraine where I was a teacher and an administrator, and I worked for a very

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UP Brooke Stinebrickner

Jesse Doiron looks through photographs as he prepares for his lecture, “Then and Now — A Personal View,” set for April 30 in Gray Library. powerful man,” Doiron said. “The man was George Soros. He also escaped Nazi Germany. That again was this ironic twist — I was not there, I

did not escape, but I kept running into these people who made it out of Nazi See GENOCIDE, page 3

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INSIDE Thursday, April 23, 2015 University Press

BALLYHOO ••••••••••••• Continued from page 1 light way, LeTraunik said, adding that the comedy makes the play more palatable to the audience.

“It’s not a knock-down-dragout comedy,” he said. “On a bigger level, it’s very funny, and it’s a bit of a universal story. It speaks to anyone who has ever felt that they’ve been displaced. Everyone feels left out at some point, even among his or her own friends, family, or whatnot.”

Joseph Jordan, who plays Adolph, the leading man of the Freitag household, said the play holds significance.

“The play brings to light prejudice that can exist among those of the same religion and culture,” he said. “I hope that audience members leave the play knowing that even with different backgrounds, love conquers all.”

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Only perfect practice makes perfect.”

— Vince Lombardi

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Page 2 Beulah “Boo” Levy, played by Natalie Sells, is characterized as a nononsense woman.

“Boo is about as subtle as an anvil, which I think is a perfect way to describe her,” Sells said. “Boo is very obsessed with the social order of things in that day and age, and she is a believer in keeping up appearances.

Her personality oozes with sass and sarcasm, which is super fun to play.”

Sells said she has very little in common with the character.

“I am a personal believer in, ‘If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all,’ whereas; Boo is not,” she said. “She is an older Jewish woman whose main ambition is to secure her daughter’s future; I am a Catholic college student making sure that I have everything together to graduate on time.”

While the play is a comedy, there are some dramatic elements that have a bigger meaning behind them, Sells

said.

“The play has a lot to say about family, love, and dysfunctional relationships,” she said. “I hope that the audience leaves the theater talking about the show. I also hope that they leave with a respect of other people’s beliefs and a new understanding of a culture that may not be their own.”

Alyse Morrell plays Lala, Boo’s daughter, said the play is powerful because it resonates with people today and shows how dangerous prejudice can be to our society.

“I hope the audience sees the humor in the play, but also that they think about what it means,” she said.

“There shouldn’t be a line or barrier between groups of people based on social backgrounds, race or religion, because at the core we are all just people and that is what matters.”

LeTraunik said he hopes to tell a story that people might not be aware of — a story of lateral prejudice.

BEGLEY •••••••••••••••••••••••••••

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Continued from page 1

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future, and has employed several sustainability initiatives, including Begley’s lecture, Flosi said.

“He and his wife, Rachelle Carson-Begley, just built a new house,” Flosi said. “It’s supposed to be ‘America’s Greenest House.’ The only energy they use is what they produce, and the only water they use is what they capture.

He did a show with his wife a while back as well, ‘Living With Ed.’ He’s more involved with the environment than she is, so it was about trying to leave a low carbon footprint with someone who cares a lot and someone who just cares a little. And Bill Nye, the Science Guy, was his neighbor, so they would compete to try to have projects.”

Begley is best known for his role as Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the television series “St. Elsewhere,” for which he received six Emmy Award nominations, and he has been a strong advocate of electric vehicles and environmental sustainability in Hollywood since the 1970s.

For more information, call 880-8612, or visit www.lamar.edu/sustainability.

uation of children in poverty. They use entertainment to create a positive change in the world.”

The red noses cost $1, with 50 cents from each sale going to the charity.

“I believe that we all should, in some way, be participating in a cause that will help alleviate some kind of issue in the world,” Stacey said. “In this case, it’s child poverty.”

Stacey works at Walgreens.

“I had a customer come in the other day and make a donation. When I mentioned to her that the donations are going towards children in poverty, her first response was, ‘When I was growing up, I didn’t have a lot of money,’” Stacey said. “I think there is a sense of empathy for people who might be going through struggles that we have gone through in our past. As students I think we should be connected to something bigger than ourselves.”

Stacey said he is excited to participate in something that can make an impact.

“The charity that we are excited to help is ‘Charity: Water,’ which provides clean water solutions all over the world,” he said. “They are one of the 12 organizations that receive funds from Red Nose. According to the World Health Organizations, every week 30,000 deaths

ture story category.

Porter also placed second for general magazine cover design. Contributor Michelle Burdett placed second in both critical review and feature story, contributor Lainie Harris placed second in general magazine feature photo, former graphics editor William Jones placed second in general magazine picture story, contributor Coty Davis placed second in sports feature story, web editor and advertising representative Melissa Conley placed second in ad design and contributor Lane Fortenberry placed second in news feature story.

Third-place awards went to Moore in sport page design, former photographer Jared McClelland in feature photo and former editor Chelsea Henderson in feature page design.

Receiving honorable mentions were Jones for sports action photo and general news photo in the general magazine category, Henderson for opinion/editorial page design, Van Gerven for general magazine column, and Jones and Aych for general magazine picture story.

LUTV’s Candy Rodriguez won three awards.

She received first place honors for television news feature story, placed second in the television audition tape category and placed third in television news non-feature story.

“I’m excited,” Gordon Williams, LUTV advisor, said. “Candy has grown tremendously as a reporter, and I think this is a good sign for LUTV as we try to establish our presence and increase the productivity of our program.”

UP Molly Porter

One of the color run photo’s from Molly Porter’s first-prize winning picture story.

“Discrimination exists even among smaller cultural groups,” he said. “Acknowledging that prejudice is something we deal with — that prejudice permeates all aspects of society — can allow society to bring change.”

LeTraunik said the characters deal with a full spectrum of emotions, from which the audience can find something that resonates with them.

“Human beings are the same at their core,” he said. “Regardless of anything that may divide them – race, class, religion, or background – at the core we all love and feel loss. The play serves as a reminder that in the face of great tragedy, all the petty differences just don’t matter. Ultimately, whether we’re Russian Jew or we’re German Jew, we’re still the same.”

Tickets are $7 for Lamar students with ID, $10 for faculty, staff and students, $15 for general admission, and are available at the box office, or by calling 880-8250.

CALENDAR April 23 Faculty Recital: Robin Smith, Mezzo-Soprano 7:30-8:30 p.m.

April 24 Baseball vs. Incarnate Word Vincent Beck Stadium 6 p.m.

Alumni Baseball Tailgate Party Vincent Beck Stadium 5-6 p.m.

Wind Ensemble and Concert Band Spring Concert West Brook High School 7:30-9 p.m.

April 25 Baseball vs. Incarnate Word Vincent Beck Stadium 2 p.m.

Tennis vs. New Orleans Thompson Family Tennis Center 2 p.m.

April 26

LU students win 24 awards at TIPA Lamar University students won 24 awards in competition of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association for work published during 2014. The University Press earned 21 awards in the newspaper and magazine categories, and LUTV picked up three awards for broadcast.

The awards were announced at the organization’s annual convention, held April 8-11 in San Antonio.

The awards included five first-place honors.

The UP received honorable mention for overall excellence, which was judged on three consecutive issues.

“It is always nice to be recognized for doing good work,” Andy Coughlan, director of student publications, said. “Ultimately, the work is its own reward, but winning awards is a tangible validation of the efforts and skills of our students.

They reflect well on the university.”

The newspaper and magazine awards were spread over 12 UP staff members.

“It’s great to see this many staff members win awards,” Lauren Van Gerven, UP editor, said. “We’re a good group and everybody knows what is expected, so it’s nice to see that the hard work is paying off.”

In the Newspaper Division 2 category, sports editor Grant Crawford earned first-place in the sports news story category. Also taking first place were former sports editor Chris Moore in the headline-writing category, former photographer Josh Aych, in the news photo category and contributor Molly Porter in the pic-

NOTICE

Baseball vs. Incarnate Word Vincent Beck Stadium 1 p.m.

April 27 New (and not so new) Music from Nick Rissman Mobil Oil Federal Credit Union 7:30-9 p.m.

April 28 occur from unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions and from that 30,000, 90 percent are children under five years old.”

Stacey said the idea for the drive came from a class project.

“My group was looking around trying to find ways we can get involved with a particular charity,” he said.

“We knew we wanted to partner with an organization that could reach a larger group of people than we could by ourselves. We ended up finding out about Red Nose day through Walgreens.”

Students who are unable to get to the Setzer Student Center for the event buy a red nose, or make a donation at Walgreens.

For more information, call Stacey at 289-5798.

Annual Scholarship Dinner Montagne Center 7-9 p.m.

Cardinal Jazz Singers Rothwell Recital Hall 7:30-9 p.m.

April 29 Baseball vs. Texas Southern Vincent Beck Stadium 4 p.m.

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

University Press Thursday, April 23, 2015

Page 3

Hooked on Classics SALENA PARKER Salena Parker likes to hang out with dead composers. The English major and Writing Center tutor likes to listen to classical music while she studies. “I like classical music,” the Vidor senior says. “It helps me meditate and absorb knowledge for essays and writing assignments.” Her favorites are Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi and Bach. If Salena needs to memorize something, she writes it down repeatedly on a piece of paper, or uses notecards to quiz herself. “Music obviously helps with the memorization process, too, because it helps you relax your mind while you’re trying to absorb knowledge from the printed page,” she says. While most 23-year-olds might listen to rap or rock, Salena prefers the old masters. “Most of the time I have classical music playing in the background while I’m reading or studying for a test, or working on a group project,” she says. “Sometimes I find myself humming.” Salena says memorization is an important tool when studying English literature or deconstructing the history of the English language for her courses. “Life is a distracting thing, and music can help you focus on what’s in front of you rather than what’s on your phone or on the Internet,” she says. Life may be distracting, but the music of dead composers brings focus to it.

Text and photo by Tim Collins For more People, check out UPBeat magazine, inserted in this issue

Civil engineering to host concrete canoe competition A dozen Lamar University civil engineering students are working hard to ready Big Beau, their canoe, for the 2015 Tex-Mex Regional Competition.

This year, preparations for the annual competition extend beyond the research and construction to include serving as hosts for the April 23-25 competition, the first at LU since 2004.

Lamar’s student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers will host the competition for the Texas-Mexico Region.

Over the course of the school year, more than 200 teams of civil engineering students log thousands of hours researching, designing and constructing unique concrete canoes and participate in regional events like the one Lamar will host with the goal of advancing to the ASCE national competition. Winning teams will advance to the 28th annual national competition hosted by Clemson University in South Carolina June 20-22.

“This is a major event for Lamar University because it brings in a lot of engineers and showcases the university,” Justin Vasek, Santa Fe, Texas junior. said.

Vasek, who is ASCE chapter treasurer, and ASCE chapter presi-

dent Gerardo Mata, a senior civil engineering major from Beaumont, are in charge of hosting the competition.

Joining Lamar will be teams from the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, Rice University, University of Houston, UT San Antonio, A&M Kingsville, UT El Paso, Texas Tech University, UT Tyler, UT Pan American, UT Arlington, Universidad Autonoma Del Estada De Mexico, Universidad de La Salle Bajillo, Universidad de Las Americas Puebla and Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.

“I’m excited for all the teams and professionals to arrive,” Vasek said.

“We worked hard to prepare for their visit, and are excited to showcase all our university has to offer, especially in engineering.”

Competition consists of both academic and athletic events, and the scores are divided into four components each worth 25 percent of the team’s final tally. The teams will arrive April 23. Competition begins in earnest early the next day as each team will set up their concrete canoes and prepare to make technical presentations of their design papers.

Each canoe must pass a swamp test to

ensure it will float when completely submerged in water. Judges will consider the presentations, displays and aesthetics. On Saturday, teams will arrive at Boomtown USA in Vidor to compete in five races: men’s sprint and endurance, women’s sprint and endurance, and a co-ed sprint. The day is completed with the announcements of the winning team.

“The competition is a great experience to see different teams’ perspective from design to construction of the canoe and to share the trials and tribulations it takes to get to the competition,” said Beaumont junior LaDonna Waters.

Joining Vasek and Waters on the team are Jessica Sezikeye, Bujumbura, Burundi, junior; Johnita Goodman, Houston, junior; Gerardo Mata, Beaumont, senior; Michael McDaniel, Baytown, senior; Michael Bourne, Port Neches, senior; Molly Duge, Brenham, junior; Remington Whitt, Livingston, senior; Berenice Villalpando, Jasper, junior; Brandon Belaire, Groves, junior; and Gwen Cormier, Beaumont, sophomore.

Lamar’s canoe, constructed with a carbon fiber mesh and concrete matrix using a lightweight aggregate is

GENOCIDE •••••••••••••••••••••••• Continued from page 1 Germany.”

In 1991, the year the Soviet Union collapsed, Doiron was living in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.

It was also the 50th anniversary of a Nazi Holocaust that occurred in the city of Kiev, Ukraine.

“It was called Babi Yar,” he said. “The Nazis, who occupied that part of Ukraine, rounded up all of the Jews in the city, marched them out to the ravine and shot them all. They had a monument and a celebration there, but I realized while I was there, that there was this residual denial that had happened — residual, anti-Semitic, very prevalent — and when I would ask to go see Babi Yar, people would ask me, ‘Why do you want to go there?’

“It took me a long time, but I finally asked two of my high school students. They asked me ‘Why?’ and I said, ‘I’m a teacher I just want to see it.’ and they said ‘OK, fine.’ It took us a long day because of mass-transit. They took me out to Babi Yar on a misty rainy day, very similar to the day the Jews were marched out to Babi Yar and killed, it was one of those wet days. When we got to Babi Yar – I’m Catholic – I was seized with this tendency of vibrations, kind of a mystical experience. I fell to my knees and I began to pray.”

Doiron said it was a surreal outing – part field trip, tourist stop, sociological study and spiritual transcendence.

“It was very dramatic for me to realize that what had happened — 100 thousand people being killed,” he said. “Women and children so brutally shot, and some of them not even dead when they were buried, that (they were asking) ‘Why go out there? Why pray?”

In 1997, Doiron found himself working in the Republic of Georgia, where he came across a refugee camp that once was the Iveria Hotel, that was converted into an IDP camp for internally displaced persons.

“Families were living in the same hotel room, multiple families in the same hotel room,” he said. “I realized, in this small country, so few million people, there was a great deal of dislike for each other.

“There was this desire to separate. It was hard to have friends if you were on the wrong side, and I started putting it together that you convince people that the others are evil, the others are subhuman, the others are animals, we need to kill them all, we need to get rid of them.

That is how genocide takes place.”

Doiron has encountered another refugee camp when he vacationed in Jordan.

“This camp looked like a city,” he said. “It had been in existence for so long, that instead of tents or wooden structures you had buildings — three or four story buildings. They built it up. It

Courtesy Photo

The Iveria Hotel in the Republic of Georgia which was converted into an IDP camp for internally displaced persons in 1997. was still considered a refugee camp, where the Jordanians separated themselves from the Palestinians. Again, this idea of ‘the other.’

“Atop a hill overlooking a Palestinian refugee camp, my taxi driver-cum-tour guide explained to me in a mélange of Arabic, French and English what a mess his country was in because of Israel, America, and religion.”

Doiron said there is a repetition, an irony that is surrounded, associated and drawn into the memory of the Holocaust.

“Bohdan and Sophia Trylowsky, my parents-in-law, told me what it was like to be part of the German juggernaut that swept through Ukraine and forced them from their homes,” he said. “Sophia was a child in a German labor camp. Bohdan was a boy on a farm in occupied Poland. Eventually, both ended up in displaced persons camps at the end of the war.”

Doiron said that he hopes these stories can show how genocide takes place and what it does to people.

“The stories, as a collection of narratives, demonstrate that genocide is not a single horror in time,” he said. “It has been repeated. That such horror can be repeated is an aspect of the horror. A single event, a single story would not convey the point of historical repetition that I hope to make in the presentation.”

Doiron said the stories, both his and the people he has met, are what really bring the audience a sense of reality.

“You can see pictures, I can show you these pictures, and pictures are worth a thousand words,” he said. “It’s one thing to view a picture and read, but it’s another thing to view the picture and be able to talk — to have the chance to see someone smile or cry, to have that powerful experience.”

Courtesy Photo

Members of the American Society of Civil Engineering seal their concrete canoe in preparation of the competition which takes place today through Saturday. expected to perform well, Vasek said.

“A lot of work goes into testing sample mix designs, developing a mold, and designing the display.”

“The theme for Lamar’s Big Beau, our canoe, is ‘Living on the Bayou.’ The design focuses on life in Southeast Texas and celebrates the individuality and creativity of the peo-

ple who live here,” Vasek said. “The weekend of competition always ends up being a fun celebration of all the hard work put into each team’s creation.”

“This competition is a great opportunity to apply the skills we have learned to a real-world problem,” Berenice Villalpando added.

University Press Thursday, April 23, 2015

Page 4

BUSINESS STARTUP SEMINAR SET FOR TODAY Fischer to discuss ‘City of Lights’ in pair of lectures, April 24, May 1 SALIH JABBAR UP CONTRIBUTOR

Lamar University’s Small Business Development Center will host a Business Star t up Checklist seminar, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., in 116 Galloway Business Building. Admission is free and the seminar is open to the public.

“These seminars are great way for the Lamar University Small Business Development Center to give back to the community, and to help those who are looking to start a business, but don’t know where to begin,” director Dave Mulcachy said. “We help develop the basic skills needed to star t up a business. We also provided consult on what insurance a new business owner should acquire.”

Event coordinator Chantelle Brockett said Lamar University has offered the business start

up seminars for more than 20 years, and has held the checklist seminar for the past seven years.

“What we expect ever yone to leave with is the ability to understand what a business takes to star t up, and to learn from our advisors to help make an informed design on moving an idea to a business,” she said.

Ana Pereda, an event advisor, said the seminars were designed to help people looking to start a business. “(They help) develop the necessar y skills used to analyze the current market to help show how a business is managed and maintained along, with skills such as bookkeeping and management,” she said.

For more information, visit www.lamarbmt. sbdcnetwork.net, call 880-2367, or email david.mulcahy@lamar.edu.

Art department to host iron pour workshop, demonstration, May 1-2 MARRISSA BONNER UP CONTRIBUTOR Lamar University’s art department will team up with the Texas Atomic Iron Commission for an iron pour workshop and fundraiser, May 1-2.

“The department of art has rich history with iron pouring,” Kurt Dyrhaug, professor of sculpting, said.

Dyrhaug said this is the first pour that has focused on fundraising, and all of the proceeds will go to the department of sculpting area for student travel and future visiting artists.

Professional sculptors Dewane Hughes and Hans Molzberger will lecture in the Dishman Art Museum at 5:30, May 1.

Iron pour demonstrations will be held May 2

in front of the Dishman Art Museum.

“Our goal is to have a safe and successful pour,” Dyrhaug said. “Students in my Sculpture and Design II course will cast their own work, along with a number of alumni and a few visiting artists.

“This process is a wonderful tool for recruitment, and gives our community an opportunity to see first-hand our department and the sculpture area.”

Visitors will be able to purchase a mold, for $20. which they can carve and design. The molds will be poured and participants will be able to take the product of their work home.

T-shirts will be available for $20.

To reserve a mold, email Kim Steinhagen at kim.steinghagen@lamar.edu.

Annual Greek Week to begin Sunday BRYSON WILSON UP C ONTRIBUTOR The Lamar University National Pan-Hellenic Council Greek Council host the annual Greek Week, Sunday through May 2. This year’s theme is “Undisputed Battle of the Year.”

The festivities begin Sunday with a ser vice at Antioch Missionar y Baptist Church. On

Monday, NPHC will host a cake cutting in the Setzer Student Center Arbor at 11 a.m.

Aliyah Thomas, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated historian, said she is excited for Wednesday’s barbecue at Cardinal Park.

“It is a time for the students and Greeks to come together and socialize — and we can also get to know you better,” she said.

The week will culminate with a step show at the Jef ferson Theatre at 7 p.m., May 2.

FAITH ROLAND UP CONTRIBUTOR Julia Fischer, professor of art history, will host “Art Trip to Paris,” a pair of free presentations about Paris, 1 p.m., Friday and May 1, at the Miller Public Library, 1605 Dowlen Rd. in Beaumont. Admission is free and open to the public.

“Paris is one of those cities that everyone wants to visit,” Fischer said. “My talks will highlight the masterpieces and history of one of the most popular museums of that city, along with the royal palace at Versailles.

So while we might not be able to get to Paris, you can still learn about the City of Lights in Southeast Texas.”

The April 24 presentation is “A Tour of the Musée d’Orsay.”

“A former railway station, the Musée d’Orsay houses some of the most famous 19thcentury works in the world,” Fischer said. “In this lecture, we will examine Édouard Manet’s role in the birth of modern art in works like ‘Luncheon on the Grass’ and ‘Olympia,’ and how these works influenced Impressionist

and Post-Impressionist artists like Monet, Renoir and Degas.”

The May 1 presentation is titled “Walking the Footsteps of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette: A Tour of Versailles.”

“In the 17th century, King Louis XIV transformed his father’s hunting lodge at Versailles into an enormous palace with elaborate gardens,” Fischer said. “Less than a century later, Queen Marie Antoinette called Versailles her home, spending lavishly while the rest of France starved. In this lecture, we will not only investigate the visual imagery of these two monarchs, but we will also take a tour of the architecture and gardens of Versailles.”

Fischer says the presentations are designed to educate, inform and entertain both those who enjoy art and those who do not.

“These talks are designed for the general public and you don’t need to know anything about art,” she said. ‘I am interested in community outreach and making art and art history accessible to everyone.”

For more information, call the Miller Library at 866-9487.

Cheer tryouts set for May 2-3 ARIANA JONES UP CONTRIBUTOR Lamar University’s Spirit Team will host open tryouts for 2015-2016 coed cheerleading, May 2- 3, in McDonald Gym. “This year for tryouts, I am expecting to start from the bottom,” assistant cheerleading coach Destini Ray said. “I’m losing some of my close friends and veteran cheerleaders who have been a part of this program for quite some time.”

Ray said she expects to keep standards high.

“I am a firm believer in having a team of 12 dedicated and hardworking individuals, rather than a team of twenty five just to have numbers,” she said.

Tryouts will begin at 8 a.m. and end around noon. Candidates are expected to be present both days. Candidates must be a full time student at Lamar and have a minimum 2.0 GPA. Candidates should bring a completed application which may be downloaded

at lamar.orgsync.com/org/cheer.

“My passion for cheer really didn’t start until I became a part of Lamar’s team,” Adrea Rugg, officer and third-year member of the squad, said. “To be honest I only tried out my first year for the scholarship, but after my first week of practice I fell in love with cheering and everything the spirit program strived for.”

Cheerleader Adonis Bateaste said he did not imagine himself as a cheerleader when he was in high school, but now cannot imagine not being part of the team.

“It has made such an impact on my life that it’s almost impossible to see me as Adonis if I didn’t cheer,” he said.

Applicants should wear cheer shorts, fitted top, and cheer shoes for female cheerleaders, workout shorts, shirt, and athletic shoes for male cheerleaders.

Candidates will be required to learn the fight song and a short cheer that will be performed throughout the tryout process.

For information, email art.simpson@ lamar.edu, or call 880-2306.

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Hhomes iistori storiC AGED TO ttour our o Ë

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PERFECTION.

THE 1856/1889 JOHN H. HUTCHINGS HOME

Nine homes. Two weekends. Numerous special events and more.

Tickets on sale now at galvestonhistory.org.

University Press Thursday, April 23, 2015

Page 5

Page 6 Thursday, April 23, 2015

University Press

Artistic ‘Tales’ Thesis exhibition to feature work by eight students CAITLIN DUERLER UP CONTRIBUTOR The Dishman Art Museum will host the Student Thesis Exhibition with an opening reception at 6:30 p.m., May 8.

Works by eight graduating seniors will be presented in “Thereby Hangs a Tale.” The title, decided unanimously by the group, comes from Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” — when used in colloquial speech, the expression leaves listeners on the edge of their seats, waiting to hear an exciting stor y, Melinda McWhite, New Orleans senior, says.

The artists at this year’s show transcribe their stories into images, allowing the viewer to reflect on individual experiences and imagination,

and leaving the show with their own interpretations.

“You look at the work and you are encouraged to read something in it,” McWhite says.

The students’ works represent a sur vey of media, from photography and graphic design to painting, drawing and sculpture.

Kristyn Thrash, Forrest City, Ark. senior, brings her own point of view to classic fairy tales. Her largescale works combine painting and drawing to expose viewers to the practical processes in play and provide psychological aspects to subject matter, like in a scene of Alice falling down the rabbit hole.

Using large format photography and the resources at the darkroom, Eric Adams, Silsbee senior, said that

by capturing images of his nieces and nephews on the property where they live, he hopes to tell a story of growing up on a dead-end road in Silsbee.

“Working in my backyard is the most honest place for me, and I believe the work is as honest as I can make it,” Adams said.

McWhite, a post-baccalaureate painting student, turned to art after 30 years of practicing law. Her large tableaus present swirls and flecks of colors and textures.

“My series starts with literally splashing paint on canvas and examining the patterns it makes, and from that, developing forms with modeling and depth — all the things you would come to expect in representational paintings but it represents nothing,” she said. “What it represents is up to

UP Caitlin Duerler

Eric Adams, Silsbee senior, lays out photos for the Senior Thesis Exhibition.

UP Caitlin Duerler

Meredith McWhite, post-baccalaureate student from New Orleans, works on one of her paintings for the Senior Thesis Exhibition. the viewer — you look at it, you decide what it means to you.”

Besides just personal narratives and interpretations, the group also explores psychological aspects of the human condition.

Kelly Costlow, Batson senior, is preparing a series of sculptures exploring the similarities between humans and other species. By ascribing animalistic characteristics to the human form, she aims to expose the psychological relationship between humans and animals.

On the same spectrum, photographer Kelsey Lefleur, Port Neches senior, hopes to reveal the beauty in cosplay, where participants dress up as fictional characters often from popular anime shows.

“Working with digital photography, I am creating a series about costumes and cosplay,” she says. “It is not just a bunch of weirdos dressing up.”

Storytelling elements are also important to the graphic designers in the group. By developing and building brands, graphic artists project a narrative that advertisers can use to attract consumers.

Caleb Lebouef, Port Neches senior, applies skills he developed in the graphic design department to develop his own clothing and design

company to address a niche market.

“I am creating a Christian company called Anchor Apparel, making several T-shirts, packaging designs and other accessories to go with it,” he says. “I want to bring my own viewpoint to the market.”

Graphic designer Diana Chavèz, from Guanajuato, Mexico, uses her designs to create and brand a hypothetical, luxur y cosmetic brand call “Diosa,” Spanish for Goddess.

Rather than use computer-generated graphics to promote a company, Houston native Darryl Robbins uses hand-drawn elements in his works to question the ethics of large, fast-food companies.

“My posters attack fast food commercialization and the obesity epidemic in America,” Robbins says.

The group say they attributs the knowledge and skills developed during their undergraduate study to the facilities and faculty at Lamar.

“We have a diverse group of folks that are teaching us,” Adams says.

“They all have very specific perspectives, but are not biased on others — they are well informed on each other’s media.”

The show will be on display through May 22. The Dishman Art Museum is located on the corner of Lavaca and MLK Parkway.

TODAY is the last issue of the University Press for the spring semester The next issue of the University Press will be Thursday, Sept. 3.

Advertising and Editorial deadlines are noon, Monday Aug. 31.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and visist lamaruniversitypress.com

The LU dance team perform during last year’s spring dance concert.

Courtesy Image

Dance team to present spring show ‘Ten’ LAINIE HARRIS UP CONTRIBUTOR The Lamar University Dance Team will present the 10th anniversary spring show, “Ten,” at 7 p.m., May 8-9, at the Jefferson Theatre.

The show consists of two acts. The first act will feature numbers from “Women Making History,” the 2014 spring show.

“This year we are going to repeat that act for the first act, then the second act is going to be “Ten,” so for next year, “Ten” will be the first act, then we’ll have a new act for the second act,” Hayley Rodriguez, head officer of the Lamar University Dance Team, said.

Each show has a theme, which the dancers express through each performance. Last year’s show emphasized on important women throughout history. ‘“Women Making History,” highlighted all the important women in history,’” Rodriguez said, “And this year we are doing “Ten,” and it’s a dream — a little girl, she wakes up from her dream, and she has this dream of the whole show — and we brought back dances the LU Dance Team did previously. We didn’t do the same choreography, we just revamped with what style, and talent, that we have now.”

The show will feature a variety of styles.

“We have lyrical, jazz, salsa, hip-hop, an Egyptian number from last year — it’s not typically “Egyptian dancing,” but we’re trying to portray Egyptian - contemporary, all different styles,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said that Brixey Blankenship-Cozad, dance team coordinator for Lamar University, did the choreography for the show, and brought in guest cho-

reographers including local choreographer, Eric Hoggins, and Los Angeles choreographer, Kavita Rao. The team begins preparing for the show at least seven months prior to the performance date, with each member working together to make the show a success.

“We are not just the dancers of the dance team, we help with costumes,” Rodriguez said. “If (Blankenship-Cozad) says, ‘This costume needs rhinestones all across the top, go,’ all the girls will get together and do it, or “This feather duster needs rhinestones on the handle,” everyone gets together, everybody does it.”

In addition to helping with costumes, the members collaborate on the projected backdrops.

“We have slideshow screens for the back drop and everybody gets together to see which picture would portray the best with each dance,” Rodriguez said.

“Everybody gets together, and works together, from the banners to contacting media. So we are not just the dancers, we really do need every single person on the dance team working together to pull off something like this.”

Rodriguez has been a part of the dance team for three years, and said that, the week prior to the show the dancers will devote up to 30 hours a week to practice.

“The week of the show we spend every day in the theatre, practicing from 4 until 11,” she said. “It’s kind of crazy, because it’s near finals and we’re kind of stressed, but we really want to do this, and everybody really pulls together.”

Each member learns five to seven dances for each act, Rodriguez said, but the new dance team members, rookies, learn 12 to 14.

“Within the past week we’ve finished at least three dances and I thought, “Wow, I know how a rookie feels right now — overwhelmed, like I can’t remember anything,” she said. “But coming to practice, day after day, you finally get it — but it made me remember how it was to be a rookie.”

This is Nederland junior Jessica Cloud’s first year dancing with the team.

“At first it was overwhelming, but now, seeing the show altogether, it’s rewarding,” she said.

“It’s really coming together, and I’m ready to show all the hard work we have put into the show.”

Cloud said that, she has been dancing for 16 years. She stopped for a couple of years to play volleyball, but began dancing again in 2014.

“I realized after my first couple of years in college that dance truly makes me happy,” she said.

“I feel blessed to be a part of such an amazing program here at Lamar. We have all grown so close to one another, and have become a close-knit family.”

This is the second year for the team to have a two-night show. Rodriguez said that they had a good turnout last year, and look forward to an even bigger turnout this year, with it being the 10th anniversary.

“We try to reach out to as many people as we can, especially since it’s our tenth anniversary, we really want people to come celebrate it with us,” she said.

Tickets are $10.

For information, call BlankenshipCozad at 880-2306, or email brixey.blankenship@lamar.edu.

For information on the Lamar University Dance Team, visit the Facebook page, or follow them on Instagram at _LUDANCETEAM.

SPORTS

7

RISK vs. REWARD

Thursday, April 23, 2015

UNIVERSITY PRESS

ATHLETES MUST BALANCE FUN, POTENTIAL EARNINGS AGAINST LONG-TERM HEALTH ISSUES LANE FORTENBERRY UP CONTRIBUTOR From the first time they strap on the pads in Pee Wee football, kids dream of the bright lights of the NFL and multi-million dollar contracts. For a lucky few, that dream may become a reality, but for most, it will never be more than playing for the love of the game.

However, football is a hard-fought contest, and that love that comes with a risk.

Recently, San Francisco 49er linebacker Chris Borland retired after just one season due to fear of concussion injuries and their risks. Lamar University head coach Ray Woodard says if a player came to him with the same decision, he would not attempt to sway him.

“I think that each individual has the right to decide what they feel is best for them — I respect the decision he made,” Woodard says. “Fear of injury is a part of our game. I would address that.

If the player had multiple concussions or was suffering from concussion-related symptoms, then I would not attempt to make them continue to play.

I do not feel that is my place.”

The health effects of football have been in the forefront of the news lately. Retired players sued the NFL, accusing the league of not warning them about concussions and their symptoms.

They are trying to force the league to offer baseline medical exams for retired players, monetary awards for diagnoses of ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE, a neuropathological finding diagnosed after death, and education programs and initiatives related to football safety.

NCAA concussion protocols have been enhanced and enforced in recent years due to the number of players experiencing symptoms. The NCAA will give $70 million for testing and diagnosis of former and current student athletes as a part of a lawsuit against that organization.

A study by Harvard and Boston University shows that 26 of 27 potential concussions go unreported.

“We have a consistent policy in place dealing with football concussions and its symptoms,” Lamar head football coach Raymond Woodard says. “Once a player shows any symptoms whatsoever, our athletic trainer takes over and it is completely out of the coach’s hands. We do not attempt to practice or play a player until he is cleared by our trainer and medical team.”

Woodard said he would not let a player return to the game if he shows concussions symptoms. It’s up to the athletic trainer and medical team, not the player.

Lamar offensive lineman Bret Treadway says he has suffered many injuries in his 10 year football career.

“I’ve had two torn labrums in both hips and a torn labrum in my right shoulder,” he says. “I may have had two small concussions throughout my career, but neither were diagnosed and symptoms usually left the morning after football games. Although, once a concussion occurs, even the small hits damage the brain more.

“I played through every injury I have had during a game. I usually kept it to myself. There’s really nothing you can do for labrum tears except surgery, and that injury, although painful, can be played on. However, your brain isn’t meant to take the constant pounding of 220-plus-pound grown men hitting you head on. As a player you are encouraged to come off of the field by the trainers if you have any concussion symptoms, but some coaches, on the other hand, sometimes push for the player to keep playing.”

Treadway, however, doesn’t believe the protocol is the problem — he believes it’s the players not wanting to sit out of the game.

“Players know their coaches want them to continue to play,” he says. “College coaches today played in a different era of football when they were in college. In that era, players were encouraged to play with stingers, dizziness, etc. because there was no scientific evidence behind concussions.

Most of those players that are now coaches feel they are perfectly fine, even though they played through the concussions, so that encouragement of playing through concussions is still pushed in today’s era.”

Suffering multiple concussions over a long period of time can lead to serious injury, Dr. James Holmes says.

“It is sort of like a bruise to another part of the body,” he says. “Blunt force causes tissue damage which has to heal and over time can lead to scar tissue and nerve damage.

“Providing more information about concussions to players would be very beneficial — making it known that concealing a head injury is not toughing it out, it’s putting yourself as a player in more danger. It will take time and more understanding for players and coaches to realize what the long term effects of suffering concussions can and will do.”

Dr. Holmes says muscle, bone and joint injuries can lead to pain at older ages.

“Traumatic injury to muscles and joints will ultimately lead to a degenerative process and will start to break down the joint and ligaments surrounding that joint, which will lead to wear and tear, and eventually lead to severe arthritis and sclerosis of the body,” he says. “Also, depending on the extent of the hamstring injury, our body is really good about compensating and getting used to using what is available. Playing too much with hamstring injuries can, over time, cause scarring of the muscle tissue affecting its performance, and also lead to nerve pain as the sciatic nerve runs through the belly of the hamstring muscle.”

The ultimate question players have to face is, “Is the risk of injury to your body and complications down the road worth the experience and salary of playing football at the NCAA and NFL level?”

“I wrestle more with this the older I get,” Woodard, who played in the NFL for five years, says. “I loved playing football, and have so many

26 of 27

concussions go unreported

Conditions linked to concussion include: ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE UP Desmond Pickens

fond memories and great experiences related to the game. I owe the game a lot. It molded me into the man I am today.

“On the other hand, at 53, I feel the toll the game has taken on my body every day. I too had many variations of concussions and related symptoms. I feel that it will impair the quality of my life as I grow older. That is a grave concern of mine. I know I certainly would have answered this question differently 30 years ago. I now realize that as great as I feel the game of football is and all that it has done for me, it has been a tradeoff. I think the individual has to decide if it is worth it to them.”

As a college player now, Treadway says it really depends on the injuries the player suffers while playing.

“Brain injuries, as well as back and neck injuries, are not worth the salary or the joy of football,” he says. “I feel that other injuries are worth the salary and joy of football, as long as it will not prevent me from doing regular activities later in life.

“I have thought about hanging the cleats up, but as of now, the joy of the game is worth the pain. I’m sure it will get to a point when the pain is not worth the joy and when that time comes, I surely will hang my cleats up with no regrets.”

Men’s tennis heads into SLC ranked 2nd GRANT CRAWFORD UP SPORTS EDITOR @GRANTLAMARUP After defeating the University of New Orleans six to one at the Thompson Family Tennis Center, Sunday, Lamar’s men’s tennis team heads into the Southland Conference tournament, Saturday through Sunday, with the second seed for the first time since 1982.

“We feel very great about it,” Lamar head coach Scott Shankles said. “We’re excited that we were able to finish as high as we did. We’ve worked very, very hard all season.”

Lamar (13-10, 4-1 SLC) will have to face UNO again this weekend for a chance to move on to the championship match.

“My expectations are very high,” Shankles said. “One of our goals was to win the regular-season title. We came up short.

We made it to the conference finals last year — we came up short, as well. So, we feel like we can win it this year. It’s going to take a lot, since we’re playing a single elimination.

“We have New Orleans first, and I know they are going to be gunning for us harder than they did last week, so that will be a very tough first round.”

After a tough road trip to South Carolina over the spring break, the team made a big turnaround, Shankles said.

Lamar won five of seven matches folUP Grant Crawford lowing spring break to finish out the regular Senior Mikko Rajamaki practices at the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Courts, Tuesday. season.

“We knew we were finishing up nonconference, and we felt like there were more matches we could have won,” Shankles said. “We all just had a meeting and decided that we needed to practice better, and that would give us a better chance to have a high conference finish.”

One player not to be overlooked is Lamar’s Nikita Lis, who was awarded the SLC player of the week for the second time this season.

The sophomore helped lead the Cardinals to their victory, Sunday, first, defeating Timo Kranz in straight sets 6-1, 7-5. He then joined forces with Jeandre Hoogenboezem to claim an 8-4 victory over Kranz and Romain Lefevre.

“Our No. 1 player (Lis) has done a great job at line one, but people need to take note of his doubles, and his record,” Shankles said. “His spring record alone is 17-0. He has not lost a single match at all in the spring. So, he’s been huge for us.”

The Southland Conference tournament will be hosted by Lamar, and played at the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center, Saturday and Sunday.

“It’s always fun to play at home, in front of your fans,” Shankles said. “You get to sleep in your own bed — eat at whatever restaurant you want to. There’s just something special about playing at home, and we’re really looking forward to playing in Beaumont.”

The match against New Orleans will start at 2 p.m., Saturday.

UP SPORTS BRIEFS Women’s Golf The Lamar Lady Cardinals golf team fired a three-round 307-296289—892, Wednesday, to win the 2015 Southland Conference title. The victory earns them the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Regional Championships.

Lamar defeated Central Arkansas by nine strokes. The victory was also a piece of Southland Conference history for the Lamar women, becoming the first program in conference history to win the title three years in a row.

Senior Nghi Ngo became the only player in Southland Conference history to win three championship rings, and just like in previous years, she played a vital role, Wednesday. Ngo tied for eighth with an 80-74-73— 227.

The Lady Cardinals return to action May 7, when they open play in the NCAA Regional Championships.

The site was still to be determined at press time.

Baseball Lamar tried to strike a ninth inning rally, but eight runs conceded in the middle three innings were too much for the Cardinals to overcome in their 8-6 loss to Baylor in Waco, Tuesday.

LU will play Incarnate Word at 6 p.m., Friday, at Vincent- Beck Stadium.

Page 8 Thursday, April 23, 2015

University Press

MONOLOGUE SHOW TO CELEBRATE MOTHERHOOD, MAY 9 KYLE SWEARINGEN UP CONTRIBUTOR “Motherhood is something we can all talk about, laugh about, cr y about — either from the perspective of being a mother or from the perspective of having a mother,” Summer Lacy says.

Lacy is part of a cast of local writer who will present “Listen to Your Mother,” a live reading performance at 7 p.m., May 9, in the University Theatre.

The show will feature personal monologues about motherhood. The performance is part of a national movement started by blogger Ann Imig.

“She noticed there weren’t a lot of things around Mother’s Day that celebrated mothers,” codirector Jennifer Williams says. “So she decided to start this show, and it kind of blossomed into what it is now.”

All of the stories are true and written by the cast members.

“It gives a platform for women and men to tell their stories, and for the community to see motherhood from all viewpoints, cast member Tiara Little says. “There is space for every type of mother. It also brings all kinds of people together.”

Lacy says that motherhood is a common experience, but can also be an isolating experience.

“Us mothers can be hard on ourselves and on each other,” she says. “We can judge quickly and harshly, we sometimes compete and compare. That made it all the more meaningful to sit in a room full of people from such different backgrounds, with such a vast array of experiences, and to laugh and cry together over the one thing we all have in common – motherhood.”

The cast includes Williams, Little, Lacy, Donna Gail Ellis, Tassie Kelas Hewitt, Christina Morales, Nicole Huffman Hollins, Betty Davis-Pruitt, Andy Coughlan, Lauren Van Ger ven and co-director Elaine Alguire. Ramona Young will emcee the event.

The show will be recorded as part of the national campaign.

“Ever ything is recorded and put on YouTube afterward, so it is half social media event as well,” Williams said. “We don’t just connect with the immediate audience at the show, but we are also able to connect with ever yone else who watches the video.”

Tickets are $12 at http://www.brownpapertick ets.com/event/1189043, or $15 at the door. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Julie Rogers Gift of Life Program.

— WORLD VIEW — Olcay Cihan, sophomore, Durban, South Africa What is the most common misconception about your home country?

Most people think we live in rural areas and that we live in trees, that is just joking, but many do not believe we are as technology advanced as we are. They also assume that I can speak more than one language and a lot of people in South Africa can, but I cannot. My Mom can speak two languages.

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

People work together a lot more, even though there have been rough times there has been a lot of progress towards people working together and looking towards the future optimistically instead of stereotyping these people.

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

In the cities people live together really

well. People from different religions get along very well. You will obviously have your bad pods but in my experiences in the city people get along better. People in South Africa do not form cliques as much as they do here in America. Like, people in my school were not in cliques, I was only exposed to it a little.

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

A lot of people know about things in the U.S. because of the news, there is a lot of information about America out there, and so I guess it is more on a personal level. Americans are very accepting of people outside of their country, I know there are some prejudices that are undeniable, but for the most part I have been welcomed with open arms by Americans.

They are honestly just curious about where I come from and everything about my country. All people ask me when they

first meet me is about South Africa, and I like that because Americans are honestly curious.

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

City of Beaumont to host annual trash-off AMANDA MARSHALL UP CONTRIBUTOR The City of Beaumont will host its annual Trash-Off May 2, from 9 a.m. to noon.

“We have had a Beaumont Trash-Off for the last four years, each year it gets bigger and better,” Angela Thomas, administrative assistant for the City of Beaumont, said. “Every year the Trash-Off becomes even more of a success. We pull city employees and citizens together to accomplish a common goal — to help rid the city of unsightly litter.”

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the event and will continue until 9:30 a.m. The registration booth is located at the Event Centre, 700 Crockett St. Four locations have been selected for this year’s cleanup — Ozen High School, Amelia, Ster-

ling Pruitt Activity Center, located at 2930 Gulf Street and the Old Voth Road area (near Roy Guess School). Cleaning supplies will be provided at each site, along with trash cans and recycling bins.

The first 500 volunteers to register will receive a free Tshirt. Water, coffee, and snacks will be available. Maps of target cleanup areas will be provided.

Litter on the streets is a growing problem in the community.

Kevin Asabere-Danquah, Houston sophomore, said he has participated in the Trash Off for the past three years.

“Since high school, I have taken part in this fun way to clean the community. Now that I’m a Lamar University student I plan to get the community even more involved in this annual clean up,” he said. “The view of litter really,

really grinds my gears. I don’t understand why people don’t inspire to keep their community clean. If there’s a trash can why not make use of it.”

Following the clean up, volunteers may report back to the Event Centre for a free pizza lunch.

Precious Duru, Houston sophomore, said she participated in last year’s event.

“I really take pride in helping my community,” she said. “There was so much I learned from

being a part of the Trash-Off. I learned that the community is responsible for the condition of the city, and we have to be the ones to maintain the beauty in it. Overall, this is my favorite time of the year and the Trash-Off is really fun — I meet so many new people every year.”

The Beaumont Trash-Off is held in conjunction with the statewide Texas Trash-Off. For more information, call 880-3770, or visit www.beau monttexas.gov.