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VOLUME 92 • ISSUE 14
Top Dog champion announced BRYN YOUNG News Editor | bjy001@latech.edu
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usiness and engineering students got their moment in the shark tank April 27 at the annual Top Dog New Venture Championship as they pitched business ideas to a panel of judges. The groups of Louisiana Tech students competed to earn up to $8,000 in prize money and a six-month stint in Tech’s incubation space. The four-judge panel was made of business professionals with experience in entrepreneurship who listened to entrepreneurs pitch businesses from ridesharing to medical technology. Debbie Inman, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Information Technology, planned the event. She said it is not only a great educational opportunity to build student business skills, but also chance for students to start their own business. “It is an educational tool first,” Inman said. “We do have some teams that start up as a result of going through this process. They take their project and start a business. Our last year winners are now a start up. They are in our student in-
Photo by Bryn Young
The competition’s first place winner, Hemocycle, pitched a plan to mass produce a product that recycles blood during surgeries. cubator here on campus.” Inman said this event important because it gives students a chance to gain valuable skills to make them more marketable to busi-
nesses looking to hire in the I-20 area. “Potential employers are very interested in them because it trains students to analytically think,” she said.
“It trains them to support their findings in a public presentation. It forces them to think about market opportunities with different projects. Those are all things employ-
ers want their employees to have, so we are also a job prep tool.” Five checks were given out at the end of the competition to the groups with
the best ideas ranging from $100 to $3,000. This year’s first place winner was the group Hemocycle, who pitched a plan to mass produce a product that can recycle blood during surgery. The group was comprised of Ryan Botts, Joshua Jacobs, Colton Patterson, Steven Pirvu and Caitlin Snell. Botts, an industrial engineering major, said the win was a great prize for the work the group put into the project. “It feels really good,” Botts said. “We were very surprised, but pleasantly surprised. We’re glad our hard work paid off.” Pirvu, a biomedical engineering major, said they wanted to do something helpful that they could accomplish quickly and easily with their skills. “We made phone calls to different hospitals and different people across the globe to find unmet needs in the medical industry,” Pirvu said. “After putting them on the whiteboard, we narrowed them down by what would have the largest impact and help the most people and was also feasible for a one year project. We wanted something we could accomplish using our skill sets as engineers and business students.”
Psychology doctoral program earns national ranking DESTIN SHIMER Staff Reporter | dcs033@latech.edu
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he Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology awarded Louisiana Tech’s psychology doctoral program with the number one ranking in their Applied Development and Opportunities category March 26. These awards are annually bestowed by SIOP on programs that have been particularly influential and successful in the American psychology realm. Donna Thomas, depart-
ment chair of psychology and behavioral sciences, said this ranking is representative of the staff and students who work to ensure prime opportunities for doctoral students to execute their training. “Our program is based on the hard work of our faculty and students to provide these experiences,” Thomas said. “Most of our students are full time and work very hard to ensure the success of our program.” The program’s professional consulting team is
headed by faculty but ran by students. Thomas said because of this, experiences that doctoral students have had opportunity to garner have helped them land jobs at various companies nationwide and globally. “Students from our program have graduated and gone on to take jobs at CenturyLink, Frito Lay, Google, Pepsi Co. and many other notable companies,” Thomas said. “They leave our program with hands-on experience and practical knowledge that other new
graduates just don’t have.” Because the award recognizes the opportunities for psychology grads at Tech, the department hopes future grad students willing to take a more hands-on approach to their studies will apply for the upcoming year. Steven Toaddy, head of psychology, said he expects the ranking will garner a lot of attention, therefore attracting a larger future applicant pool. “I would hope that our program’s recent ranking helps signal to current, pro-
spective and prior students the program’s focus on applied experience,” Toaddy said. “This will help our program to further tweak itself to accentuate its strengths and to acknowledge its shortcomings and to lend us some credibility when we offer guidance to other programs that seek to prepare practitioners for careers in our field.” Toaddy also said the reason he thinks Tech’s received this honor is a direct result of the attitude of the program’s students. “I suspect that what sets
us apart in this ranking is our students’ enthusiasm and willingness to celebrate their opportunity,” Toaddy said. Khristian Shaul, senior psychology major, said the program’s ranking is a very attractive facet of their program and entirely contributes to her decision to apply in the future. “I knew their doctoral program was accredited,” Shaul said. “Now, if I get accepted in the future, I can put on resumes that I attended the No. 1 nationally ranked doctoral program.”
NEWS
2 • The Tech Talk • May 3, 2018
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STEAM hosts drawing workshop ANDREW BELL Sports Editor | agb022@latech.edu
The STEAM Initiative club showed just how creative they can be by hosting the last session of their drawing workshop in honor of Maker’s Month. The final workshop of its April series was hosted April 25 as the club — consisting of math, science and art based subjects and activities — brought Louisiana Tech art professor Whitney Causey in to teach students at the workshop in the F. Jay Taylor Visual Arts Center. She walked through the art of figure drawing and taught the students aspects such as shades, shadows, shapes and lights as a student posed for a portrait. Causey drew a demo as the students observed and mimicked to the best of their abilities. She said this workshop is an extension of her passion for
teaching and art. “I truly love what I do,” Causey said. “Teaching students to look beyond what they know and focus on what they see is something that can be applied in many aspects of their lives. So I find that when I teach a drawing workshop I am inspiring students to not only be creative through drawing, but take what they learned from the creative process and apply this to everything.” Causey said she hopes the drawing workshop can continue in the future and wants to be a part of it going forward. “I feel that the STEAM Initiative and the figure drawing workshop gives students from multiple disciplines the chance to come together and learn from one another,” Causey said. “The drawing workshop is a wonderful event that I am happy to be a part of now and in
STEAM marketing chair Nick Hobbs sketches model Ellen Herrington. the years to come.” Sophomore studio art major Akeylah Wellington is the president of STEAM Initiative. She
said she hopes to inspire students who may not be art majors to still be involved in activities like figure drawing and feel
Photo by Precious Brown
welcome to participate. “I want to promote this as an area of positivity,” Wellington said. “And I want to let people know
that it’s okay to walk into this space and not really know anything at all but still want to participate. A lot of the people in our club (who) are STEAMaffiliated are not art majors and that’s really great. That’s one of the things that we really want.” An example of a nonart major who attended the workshop is freshman electrical engineering major Elizabeth Kibodeaux, who said she hopes the workshop would improve her understanding of structure from an anatomical standpoint. “I’ve been drawing for a few years,” Kibodeaux said. “And when I saw there were figure drawing classes, that was one thing I needed to work on: anatomy of figures and proportions. So I figured this would be a good learning experience. I honestly didn’t expect it to be so immersive, but It’s been really awesome.”
Student Health Center holds annual wellness fair STARLA GATSON Editor-in-Chief | sjg021@latech.edu Yoga demonstrations, spinal screenings, a Zumba demonstration and massage therapy were just a few of the offerings of Louisiana Tech Student Health Center’s annual wellness fair. The event, held April 24, marked the 24th annual fair and was held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Center. Paige Pickett, Student Health Center director, said the purpose of the wellness fair each year is to educate Tech students and the Ruston community on
the resources available to them. “It gives them an opportunity to get wellness checks done, and a lot of education is obtained,” she said. “They learn new trends in the health field. We have almost 80 booths here, so it’s a great turnout.” The event included booths from local health and wellness providers including Ruston Fire Department, Better Living Market, Gibson’s Fresh Grocer and Ruston Apothecare. Brooke Stiglets, of Ruston Apothecare, said she thought the fair was a great way to not only promote local businesses but also make health services
more easily accessible to college students. “A lot of college kids are from out of town and don’t know where a pharmacy is, and they’ll try to go to the more wellknown places,” she said. “But if you put yourself out there, maybe they’ll come see you; you’ll definitely get your business up and maybe make their experience of Ruston much better.” Stiglets said she thinks events like the wellness fair are particularly beneficial to students because in many situations, discussions about living well can become confusing. “Some students are able to
do their research and understand it, but sometimes it gets really complicated,” she said. “I mean, there’s things about stretches and certain exercises that even I don’t understand sometimes, so it’s definitely better to get out there and be able to talk to somebody and have it simplified for you.” Rachel Dickson, a senior chemical engineering major, said she thinks events like the wellness fair are helpful in aiding college students like herself maintain a healthy lifestyle in college because they add more informative aspects to health. “I have a lot of friends who
go work out on a regular basis in the Lambright, which is a huge, wonderful resource for us, but also, I think it never hurts to be a bit more educated about it,” she said. Dickson said she thinks to an extent, Tech students are knowledgeable about health, wellness and the resources available to them, but believes there is still more to learn. “There are a lot of resources that I’ve only recently heard about that we don’t necessarily get as much exposure to that are super helpful, like wanting to start a diet and how to go about that healthfully,” she said.
Delta Sigma Pi celebrates recruitment week DONOVAN ROBBINS Staff Reporter | djr029@latech.edu Delta Sigma Pi demonstrated what their fraternity is all about for their annual Recruitment Week. From April 23 to May 3, Delta Sigma Pi showed off their fraternity to students seeking to enter the business world. They hosted a number of events throughout the week, such as the Delta Sigma Pi informational, Alumni Luncheon, How to tie a Tie, Netflix and Chill, Lobby Day, Cafeteria Clean Up and a
professional event which was a collaboration with Alpha Kappa Psi. Carolyn Chadwick, president of Delta Sigma Pi, said the main objective for Recruitment Week was to give students the chance to join Delta Sigma Pi and to prepare them for when they step out into the real world. “We try to make sure all of our students are prepared with the soft skills that they need for after they cross the stage,” Chadwick said. “That is our main goal.” The Delta Sigma Pi
Informational was held April 24 and the goal of the event was to inform students about the fraternity and encourage them to think about joining, Chadwick said the informational discussed several aspects of the fraternity. “We discussed our organization and chapter history, benefits of joining, some of our notable members, exclusive scholarships we have for the members of our organization and basically just ongoing and upcoming events to let everybody
know we are out here,” she said. The fraternity also took time to relax during the week with their Netflix and Chill event. Chadwick said the Netflix and Chill event was organized to give students a chance to relax and socialize with each other. “It is a social where we sit together, collaborate, watch a movie and chat about everything we are going through in class and how we are getting ready for finals,” she said. “We take the time not only to work hard but to relax as
well.” During the informational, Javaryae Clark, a senior sports marketing major, shared his experience in Delta Sigma Pi. He said the events and the fraternity itself were beneficial to students. “Delta Sigma Pi is one of those fraternities where you can get the professional side of it and the social life of an actual fraternity,” Clark said. “I have been in Delta Sigma Pi for two years, and I have made multiple connections with different types of people.”
Another event held during Recruitment Week was the Alumni Luncheon. Jeanda Turner, a sophomore economics major, said the event had a good turnout and everyone got to talk and network with each other. “It went really well; we had alumni coming from different areas like Bossier and Monroe, and we also had brothers, faculty and staff come to enjoy the food and socialize,” Turner said. “We got to communicate and form relationships with different people.”
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STARLA GATSON Editor-In-Chief | sjg021@latech.edu
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hroughout the decades, trends have floated in and out of popularity in America. The standards of what is hot and what is not have changed year after year, and the American population has quickly adapted to each new trend. From the poodle skirts of the ‘50s to the bell bottoms of the ‘70s to the present day skinny jeans, people have done their best to keep up with the times and prove to themselves that they are just as “cool” as the person next to them. These social trends seem to dictate how we live our lives. We often spend hours searching magazines, social media apps and the internet to find out things like what food we should eat or what music we should be listening to. As I watch the latest trends become yesterday’s news in just a matter of weeks, I begin to wonder:
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Tech Talk welcomes letters to the editor. However, we reserve the right not to print anonymous letters. We also ask that each letter be accompanied by a telephone number, address and classification or title. We will not print the telephone number. Viewpoints should be mailed or brought to The Tech Talk office, 138 Keeny Hall, by 4 p.m. the Friday prior to a Thursday publi cation. Letters should be mailed to The Tech Talk, P.O. Box 10258, Ruston, LA 71272. Emails should be sent to techtalk@latech.edu. You can also submit letters online at www.thetechtalk.org/home/ lettertotheeditor/. Louisiana Tech University is com Louisiana Techprinciple Universityof adheres to mitted to the provid the equal opportunity provisions of ing theand opportunity learning federal civil rights for laws, and does and qualified not development discriminate on of theall basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, citizens without regard toage, race, sexual orientation, marital status, or sex, religion, color, national disability. origin, age, disability, marital Title IX Coordinator: Flournoy status, or veteranCarrie status for Executive Assistant, Title IX & admission to, participation Compliance Coordinatorin, or employment in theWyly programs and President's Office, Tower 1620 Phone: (318)the 257-3785 activities which University Email: flournoy@latech.edu sponsors or operates. For Title IX information, see University Policy Section 504 Coordinator: Annie Jantz Division of Student Affairs #1445 at http://www.latech. Keeny Hall 305 edu/administration/policiesand Phone: (318) 257-2445 procedures/1445.shtml. Email: ajantz@latech.edu
appearance rather than personality and character. Opportunities for interpersonal relationships are often missed because too much focus was put on physical traits or “trendiness.” Society seems to have become taken over by fads and social trends. We have allowed ourselves to be so consumed in popular culture movements that they have become a basis in determining a person’s value. Whether or not a person wears the newest Ralph Lauren jeans or uses the latest Kylie Jenner lip kit does not determine his worth. There is no harm in following the trends, but we must be careful that they do not consume our lives. We should celebrate those who dare to step away from the trend the same way we do those who began it. Starla Gatson is a senior communication major from Farmerville who
serves as editor-in-chief for The Tech Talk.
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who decides what is “in” and what is “out”? Why are these short-lived trends and fads so important, and why do we let them dictate how we live our lives? It is not my intention to state that anyone who follows a trend is negative. Personally, I find myself looking to magazines or social media sites for clothing or music recommendations from time to time. My issue is neither with trendsetters or those who are obsessed with the latest fads. The real issue lies in the effect these trends sometimes have on today’s society. To put it simply, it seems as if different styles and preferences equal abnormality. Ever-changing trends in fashion and music have become so significant to society that they unfairly determine a person’s social status. Many of the free-thinkers who have chosen to disregard social trends are often unfairly labeled as “weirdos” or “outcasts.” They are unfairly judged based on outward
Very cool, Kanye DESTIN SHIMER Staff Reporter | dcs033@latech.edu
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here were you when Yeezy declared his Trumpism? Perhaps you were walking through the Quad, “The Life of Pablo” surging through your earphones. You nodded along to the beat, the lyrics really resonating with you although you have not a single broad in Atlanta. Upon opening the Twitter app, you see it. “My MAGA hat is signed,” Kanye has tweeted, attaching a photo of the crimson red cap with that infamous phrase emblazoned upon the panel in Vinegar font. There, on the brim in black permanent marker, it lay: our Commander in Chief ’s entirely illegible, angular signature, its width spanning almost all eight inches of the bill. Following the phrase were exactly 30 flame emojis. Is this Yeezy? Yeezus from Chicago? Kanye’s beloved Chicago Donald Trump claimed was “a di-
saster, a total disaster?” The Donald Trump who insinuated most Mexican immigrants, legal and not, are rapists and drug runners? The Donald who referred to men who organized a nazi-tinged white supremacist rally as “good people?” The Trump who spent $85,000 in advertising fees rallying for the death of the innocent Central Park Five black teens? The answer to all is yes. There are many layers to Kanye’s perspective, and it is completely impossible to discuss them without mentioning the reason his support for Trump is so jarring. Kanye is a black American. Eighty-seven percent of black voters are Democrats, so his support for a Republican politician is statistically uncommon. He is also what the GOP considers a “Hollywood Elite,” a label created to dehumanize successful left-wing artists and other liberal millionaires by declaring them “too rich to get it,” so his wealth, pedestal and influ-
ence are somewhat unusual traits of a typical Trump supporter. But that is oversimplifying this. The reason we are all kind of freaking out about this situation is not because Kanye came out of the Republican, red tie-filled closet. It is because his support for Trump also means his approval of the national neglect of marginalized groups. Hip-hop and rap music are deeply rooted in the expression of people of color’s struggles and journeys through a society that does not value their existences in the way it does Caucasian people. Kanye’s political views are seen as contradictory to his art, which acknowledges the stifling of people of color’s freedom by a racist, Caucasian patriarchy. But, you do you, Yeezy. Destin Shimer is a sophomore theater and political science major from Shreveport who serves as a staff reporter for The Tech Talk.
NERD TALK
A true adversary DONOVAN ROBBINS Staff Reporter | djr029@latech.edu
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n antagonist is an essential aspect to any good story. They can literally make or break a story depending on how they are presented. If an antagonist is presented poorly, the story could lose a lot of its depth and the audience could lose interest. There are certain things an antagonist has to be able to do in order to be considered an effective adversary. One thing that makes a good antagonist is motivation. The villain has to have clear motivation for their actions. Take the Joker from “The Dark Knight” for example. Instead of simply wanting money or power, he wanted to cause chaos and expose Gotham for what it really was. He wanted to expose the fact that anyone can stoop down to his level given the opportunity, and he wanted to show Batman and all of Gotham how flawed their justice really was.
The thing I like most about Joker’s motivation is that it is actually realistic. It is not hard to imagine that there are people like the Joker in our civilization. The kind of people who want to expose society and make others stoop down to their level. I feel like giving the villain a strong motivation that is also realistic can really add a lot to a story and give the villain more character. Another thing that is essential for any great villain is being able to attack the hero’s weaknesses. A villain has to be able to exploit these weaknesses in order to truly instill a sense of fear into the protagonist. For example, taking the hero’s loved ones hostage can be considered as exploiting their weakness since the hero would likely do whatever they could to get them back, including cooperating with the villain. An adversary also should be able to give the protagonist difficult decisions. These decisions should be able to affect the main character on a psychological level and give
them some sort of inner conflict. For example, the Joker gave Batman several difficult choices throughout “The Dark Knight.” The most notable one would be Batman’s decision to save Harvey Dent or Rachel Dawes. In the end, he decided to save Rachel but due to Joker’s false information, he ended up saving Harvey instead of Rachel. Joker was able to get Batman to make a difficult decision and deceive him, and I think this is the kind of action that is fitting for a proper antagonist. All in all, there are other things that an adversary needs to be capable of in order to be considered a good opponent. To me, an antagonist is the most important part of the story and having an antagonist that is done right can make almost any story great. Donovan Robbins is a sophomore graphic design major from Vicksburg, Mississippi, who serves as a staff reporter for The Tech Talk.
The problem with peace in North Korea E
arly April 26, the world witnessed a spectacle many thought would never come: a peace meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jongun and South Korean president Moon Jae-in. The historic summit started with the two leaders shaking and holding hands in the demilitarized zone that separates the countries. They discussed the ideas and processes of ending the Korean War (which, yes, is still ongoing) and denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. This meeting is an enormous step towards starting peace talks and reunifying Korea. Most of the diplomacy work can be contributed to South Korean efforts to work with their Northern counterparts, but as the talks move forward, the spotlight will shine on the United States and how they handle the tense relationship with the rogue nation-state. In the long history of the Korean War, there has never been such a great or precarious position for a chance for it to finally end. Here at The Tech Talk, we hope the talks finally solve one of the world’s greatest crises, but we also acknowledge a few loose stones on the path to peace. The greatest of these issues is that of human rights violations by the Kim regimes over the past decades. For as long as North Korea has been a dictatorship, there have been rumors of labor camps and extreme punishments. Citizens of the country have been starving and distitute for the betterment of the high ranking officials that rule them. If we are to move towards peace, we must not forget the crimes of the past. Those who have taken advantage of their people should stand trial for the crimes they have committed. The second threat to peace talks is the state of relations between the United States and North Korea. As many can guess, our president’s chaotic nature can be seen as a threat to North Korea and they demand to know they are safe from U.S. attacks if they are to give up their nuclear weapons programs. Beyond that, the U.S. has repeatedly pushed for denuclearization only to have it blow up in its face as the tensions detract from the peace process. We believe the U.S. should take steps to ensure the process of denuclearization is beneficial to both countries and holds nations accountable for breaking with the deal. The final threat is a lack of clear vision for the future. This meeting, while very historic, did not set in motion any specific plans for the goals agreed upon. North and South Korea have agreed to end the Korean War at many points in the past, but all of those amounted to nothing. If peace talks are to start, there must be a specific plan towards the goals of unity and safety. These talks are fragile and should be handled with care and forethought. The path to progress is long and winding, but this meeting was a good start. Maybe, by next year, there will be a substantial amount of moving forward. But until these problems are addressed nothing will change on the Korean Peninsula.
4 • The Tech Talk • May 3, 2018
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Tech theater presents Shakespearean tragedy STARLA GATSON Editor-in-Chief | sjg021@latech.edu Acts of division, betrayal and murder ran rampant in Stone Theatre with Louisiana Tech theater department’s production of Shakespearean tragedy “King Lear.” The play, which ran April 24-29, tells the tale of an arrogant king who wants to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. His plan goes awry as his children plot and scheme for the largest share of land and eventually throw the entire kingdom into disarray. Paul Crook, a directing and acting professor in the theater department, served as director of the production and said he believes its political tones are what have kept “King Lear” relevant throughout the years. “We thought this show would be a great challenge for all of our students — those who work onstage, as well as those who work offstage,” he said. “Shakespeare stays relevant for performers and audience members alike because he wrote about issues that all of us recognize. While ‘Lear’ deals with politics on a grand scale, it’s also a story about family political dynamics, and that’s something that we can all relate
Courtesy of Justin Jones
Tech’s theater department ran the production of “King Lear” April 24-29 in Stone Theatre. to in our own lives.” The 34-member cast included Masters of Fine Arts candidate Lyndsay Manson in the titular role of King Lear. Graduate student Brit-
tany Butler and senior Olivia Willcox played Lear’s daughters Goneril and Regan respectively. Emilia Meinert, a senior theater major who played
Lear’s youngest daughter Cordelia, said this is her sixth performance with the university theater department. “I always love working
with my friends, the director, Paul B. Crook, and any newbies that decide to join the world of theater,” she said. She said she most en-
joyed getting to witness the audience’s reactions to each scene. “Shakespeare is tough, but it can be better understood when watching a staged production,” she said. “So I hope the audiences gained a better understanding and respect for Shakespeare while enjoying themselves during the show.” Jasmine Frazier, a junior interior design major, said she most enjoyed the lighting effects used throughout the play. “The actors are amazing, and I love the projection that’s going on; that’s something new they’ve been working on,” she said “And also with the lighting strikes and how they wrap around the columns and the stairs and everything, it’s just really nice.” Frazier said she thinks supporting theater and performing arts is important because it provides a greater appreciation for it. “I never really was into plays and then my friend dragged me along,” she said. “You just fall in love with the art. There’s so much to theater as well, and you can be a part of any of it, like lighting or stage designing or anything like that. I think that’s really amazing and can show you a new world.”
‘Rise’ falls short in originality Rise HHHII TAMARIA WILLIAMS Staff Reporter | tmw055@latech.edu High school theater just got a little more interesting with the new NBC series “Rise.” The show centers on high school students, teachers and parents in the small, fictional town of Stanton and, just like in a real setting, everyone knows each other. Desiring to do something different and meaningful with his life, English teacher Lou Mazzuchelli proposes to take over the theater department, forcing him and previous theater head, Ms. Wolfe, to work together to produce the upcoming spring musical. In light of his new position, Mr. Mazzu decides to replace the planned production of “Grease” with “Spring Awakening,” a musical about teenagers coming to terms with sexuality, abortion and death. This adjustment creates conflict among the school and parents, leaving the production underfunded and having Lou and Ms. Wolfe become resourceful of what the department already has. With “Rise,” you get to witness behind the scenes of what it is like putting on a big musical in addition to the harsh realities that goes along with it. Because of this, you have characters
NBC
Ms. Wolfe (Rosie Perez) and Mr. Mazzu (Josh Radnor) in “Rise.” that people can relate to on an emotional level. At Stanton High, there is the transgender student with an amazing voice, the kid with an alcohol addiction, the talented performer coming to terms with his sexuality and a teenager who becomes pregnant. Within the first few episodes, you get to witness the characters’ powerful voices develop into their own. Each character has their own issues they’re currently going working through, which is displayed by their emotions during their musical numbers. With this, it is clearly implied that the theater program serves as the students’ safe space, where they can go and be themselves without being judged by the world. On a different note, the show takes me back to a “High School Musical” perspective, where Troy Bolton and Robbie Thorne,
portrayed by Damon Gillespie, seem to be cut from the same cloth. Robbie is a character that breaks the status quo as he struggles to balance his musical debut with being the star player of the football team. “Rise” may have a few unoriginal plots, but somehow it still keeps you watching and excited for what the next episode will reveal. Even though the show is still trying to come into its own, the first seven episodes display the potential that it has to grow as a series of its own. “Rise” is the perfect show that portrays theater life along with the reality of growing up in a small town. I give this show a 3.5 out of 5 stars because even though some of the plots have already been seen by other projects like “Glee,” it does have the potential to become one of the most talked about shows today.
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Behold the Bard The Say My Name Shakespeare Festival, hosted by Sigma Tau Delta and the Louisiana Tech department of literature and language, celebrated the life of the famous playwright MORGAN BERNARD Managing Editor | mrb056@latech.edu
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ouisiana Tech students got to experience medieval combatting, puppet shows, essay presentations and more during the Say My Name Shakespeare Festival. The Department of Literature and Language and the Rho Gamma chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society, hosted the twelfth annual Shakespeare Festival on April 26 in the George T. Madison Hall Shakespeare Garden. The festival consisted of many events including poetry competitions, sonnet readings and performances by Tech’s theater department. Emily Varisco, president of the Rho Gamma chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, said the festival was meant to celebrate the arts while also remembering Shakespeare through his works. “The purpose of this day is to celebrate the life of one of the greatest English playwrights, if not the greatest, to ever live,” Varisco said. “His works altered both literature and drama in innumerable ways. But perhaps what’s most incredible about his works is the subjects are still relevant today after all these centuries. His life deserves celebration, and we usually hold the event on the last Wednesday of April since both his date of birth and death are in April.” Varisco, a second year English graduate student, said she believes students were able to gain more from the event than just seeing theatrical performances. “I hope attendees gain a greater appreciation for Shakespeare and his works since his works are often criticized as being difficult to understand,” she said. “Whether or not we realize it, he has influenced us all since he contributed so much to the English language. We celebrate to show that Shakespeare can be fun and entertaining as well as educational.” Varisco said she was excited to see a large turnout at the festival, as a lot went into planning it. “This year we were lucky enough to preview a scene from the theater department’s production of “King Lear,” which they are performing at Stone Theater all this week,” she said. “Also, sonnets were presented in various languages, along with readings of original, modernized sonnets. Amazing essays and presentations were given by faculty members. In addition to all of these great events, to celebrate the performance of “King Lear,” there was also a puppet show performance
of a revision of the play entitled ‘Queen Lear.’” Mackenzie Bell, a freshman biomedical engineering major, said attending the festival opened her eyes to opportunities on campus where she can enjoy the arts. “I don’t get a lot of chances to go to things like this in the biomedical engineering curriculum,” Bell said. “When my friend mentioned she was coming to this Shakespeare event, I was actually really excited to come with her. I didn’t know much about Tech’s theater department and other organizations like this on campus, so it was interesting to learn a little bit about them.” Bell said going to the festival has encouraged her to get back into her interests of theater and writing. “I was in theater all four years of high school and loved performing,” she said. “I forgot how much fun it was until I saw these people performing today. You can tell this is their passion. Whether it’s poetry, stage fighting or performing with puppets, everyone was enjoying themselves and it showed through their performances.” Eric Andrews, a junior history major, said this was his second year to attend the Shakespeare festival, and his favorite part was watching other Tech students perform works such as sonnets, essays and poems. “I have always loved Shakespeare’s work so it’s a lot of fun to talk with other people about it and enjoy this unique atmosphere,” Andrews said. “Along with hearing some of his original stuff, you also get to hear other famous writers’ works, and even things from faculty and students. It’s a great opportunity for people who enjoy literature, writing, history — all of these things — to come together and talk about what we love.”
Theater professor Paul Crook narrated parody puppet show, “Queen Lear.”
Photos by Autumn Manry
The day’s events included readings of Shakespearean sonnets (above) and a stage combat demonstration by students of Tech theater department (below).
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6 • The Tech Talk • May 3, 2018
Lady Techsters take down Aggies in two-game series MORGAN BERNARD Managing Editor | mrb056@latech.edu
Photo by Donny Crowe
Junior pitcher Preslee Gallaway winds up for a fastball.
Louisiana Tech’s Lady Techsters dominated Utah State in a two game series April 27 and 28 at Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. For the first game, Tech (33-18) won with a score of 5-3 and brought in another victory against Utah State (17-29) in the second game with a final score of 2-0. These two wins helped the Lady Techsters in keeping their number one spot in the Conference USA standings. At the beginning of the first game Friday, the Utah State Aggies took a 2-0 lead, but were quickly brought down by Tech when junior Morgan Turkoly hit a single, stole second base and advanced to third after another single by senior Katie Smith. Junior Jazlyn Crowder followed with a twoout single, bringing Smith into home plate and tying the game at 2-2. In the fifth and sixth innings, the Aggies threatened to get ahead of the Lady Techsters, but were brought down both times by junior pitcher Preslee Gallaway. In the top of the fifth, Utah State’s Jazmin Clarke stole a third run for Utah due to an infield error by Tech. However, Gallaway managed a strikeout and a flyout, keeping another runner stranded on third. In the top of the sixth, the Aggies had runners placed on second and third that were ready to score, but Gallaway struck out Clarke, keeping Tech in the lead. In the bottom of the sixth, redshirted senior Ali Galaz singled and moved to second after a walk for freshman Bayli Simon. Sopho-
more Marilyn Rizzato brought the two runners in with a bunt, scoring runs four and five for Tech. For the final game of the series, Gallaway pitched 6.2 innings of shutout softball, bringing Tech to a 2-0 win against Utah State. The Lady Techsters swept the twoday series with this win, bringing them to 17 wins in their last 18 games. Tech took the lead in the bottom of the second with a run stolen by Crowder after Utah State’s first baseman, Bailey Lewis, threw the ball away trying to get Crowder out on third. In the third inning, Tech managed another run, bringing the score to 2-0. With two outs, freshman Sloane Stewartson singled and walks by Crowder and Galaz loaded the bases. Simon then hit a single that brought in pinch runner Kailey Anderson from third base. Neither team scored runs the rest of the game, but Tech’s defense stayed strong, not allowing Utah State to score once. Only four baserunners got past Gallaway the entire game — three hits and one walk — while striking out eight batters. Turkoly and Crowder were also impressive in the outfield as they helped Gallaway keep the Aggies under control. Turkoly made a diving grab in foul territory for the final out of the first inning. Crowder also made a great a catch, diving in centerfield and denying Utah State’s Bailee Trapp extra bases. The Lady Techsters head back to Texas May 5 for a three-day series against UTEP in El Paso before making their way to the C-USA Tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, May 9.
Diamond ‘Dogs put down by Ragin’ Cajuns ANDREW BELL Sports Editor | agb022@latech.edu Coming off of a five-game winning streak, the Diamond ‘Dogs were humbled by the Ragin’ Cajuns in classic beat-down fashion. Dominating offensively and defensively, ULL (24-20, 10-9 Sun Belt) got their revenge on Louisiana Tech (29-15, 13-6 CUSA) by a score of 9-4 April 24, after Tech laid the smackdown on ULL a week earlier. Tech had trouble slowing down the offense of ULL all night, due to the troubles starting junior pitcher David Leal had with errors early on. Leal had three costly errors in the first two innings, aiding in the four runs scored by the Cajuns in those two innings. To add to Leal’s already tough outing, he allowed six hits, five runs and two earned runs in five innings. Head coach Lane Burroughs said he is confident Leal will shake back from this performance, as he has had an overall successful season, with a 1.70 ERA and 3-2 record coming into this game. “I think David got a little sped up,” Burroughs said. “(ULL’s) offense had something to do with that, and once all of (the errors) happened, I think he got out of
his rhythm and he wasn’t as good as he has been. But he’s human, and he’s been good every time out. He’s been good for us all year, and he’ll be back out there next time we need a win.” Pitching was far from the only issue Tech had in their midweek in-state rivalry game, as their bats suddenly cooled off after previously scoring 10 or more runs in five straight games, including a 15-2 victory against ULL April 18. Tech hit 5-for-27 from the plate and only scored one run through the first eight innings, before getting a few — too little, too late — runs in the bottom of the ninth. This was much to the displeasure of the offensive-minded Burroughs, who attributed the loss to a lack of firepower on offense and missed opportunities defensively. “We didn’t dominate average plays, which is something we talk about in our program all of the time,” he said. “I thought we let some very average plays get past us, and that stuff happens, but it really snowballed. The disappointing thing to me was that we’ve been so good offensively and our chain got busted tonight. There were some links that absolutely got destroyed in our chain and we had been doing so well (previously), but I’m disappoint-
Photo by Precious Brown
Redshirt sophomore Hunter Wells started off hot, with a single in the first inning against the Ragin’ Cajuns. ed we didn’t play better tonight.” Tech currently sits at third place in the Conference USA standings, a game and a half back from first-place Southern Miss. After two weekend series against Western Kentucky (2021, 10-9 C-USA) and Middle
Tennessee (22-20-1, 7-11-1 CUSA), they will travel to Southern Miss (30-11, 14-4 C-USA), in what should be a crucial conference matchup. “For whatever reason, it seems like we play better on the road,” Burroughs said. “I don’t know
what that’s all about but it just seems like at home, especially in these mid-week games lately, we haven’t been playing good. So we took one step back, and we have to take three forward. If you’re gonna be an elite program, you don’t take nights like this off.”