ampus
VOLUME 102 • ISSUE 21
FEBRUARY 9, 2017
FIRST COPY FREE, ADDITIONAL COPIES 50 CENTS
Weekly CELEBRATING 100 YEARS 1915 - 2015
Views from the Boulevard
SMU student leaders weigh in on campus race relations
SPORTS
FASHION
Mustangs defeat Tulsa, 76-53
Valentine’s Day gift-giving guide
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SMU student leaders share views on race relations KAY RODGERS Contributing Writer clrodgers@smu.edu Junior Mackenzie Jenkins has lived on the SMU campus for three years now after graduating from a private high school where she was often the only black student in her class. She is active both on campus and in the Dallas community and is involved in a variety of organizations dedicated to the advancement of minorities, including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and the Association of Black Students, where she currently serves as president. Jenkins was harassed by two students at her first on-campus demonstration three years ago, influencing her opinion on race relations both in America and at SMU. “Ferguson and Black Lives Matter were just beginning to become prominent my freshman year,” Jenkins said. “We did a demonstration at the flag pole and two guys walked by and said ‘F Mike Brown, he deserved to die!’” This comment shaped Jenkins’ perception of the university’s on-campus environment. “It was obviously disappointing; I was like, ‘Well I guess this is what this campus is,’” Jenkins said. “I think it is very evident that race relations aren’t good on campus when things like that happen.” Jenkins is just one of the 61 percent of African-Americans who believe race relations are generally bad in America, according to a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center. According to the results, the majority of African-Americans reported having experienced discrimination based on their race at some point in their lives, compared to only one-third of Caucasians. The results also found that Caucasians are less likely to report they perceived unequal treatment when compared to African-Americans. SMU professor Matthew Wilson, an associate professor of political science and an expert on public opinion, said the last few years have not been a great period for race relations in the United States. According to Wilson, racial tensions, which have been high due to numerous controversies, were brought to the surface during the presidential campaign. “Trump’s election has emboldened certain segments of ‘fringe opinion’ among white nationalists,” Wilson said. According to Director of Multicultural
Student Affairs Creston Lynch, racial tension on the SMU campus has recently increased as well. “It happens more often than we’d like it to,” Lynch said. Lynch, who has worked at SMU for 10 years, think there are still significant racial issues on campus based on what he hears from students. “We have heard from several of our students from underrepresented populations, particularly African-American and Hispanic populations, that there are some challenges,” Lynch said. “We’ve made some progress, but there’s certainly still a ways to go.” The recent election has influenced perceptions of race relations both on campus and across the country according to many student leaders at SMU. Senior and president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council Jessica Mitchell believes that race relations on campus are representative of a larger national issue. “It’s very much so, ‘There’s no problem, we all kumbaya together!’ – even though there’s only one black person in the class … I feel like that’s the sort of the climate on campus,” Mitchell said. “They just don’t even realize that there is a problem because it is not being widely talked about.” Mitchell also thinks that structural and cultural barriers to equality still exist for minorities in America. “We are still a society where people are using racial slurs, people are still threatening other people, the KKK is recruiting out in the open the day after the election,” Mitchell said. “It is definitely a society that hasn’t really confronted its racial history, but also a society that still is divided in terms of belief on race.” However, not all African-Americans agree with Mitchell. Sophomore Dennis Stewart believes race does not play a factor in one’s opportunities for success. According to Stewart, his father’s success as well as his own personal experiences are examples of how race does not hold minorities back in America. “When I first moved here I got a job at Bank of America where my manager was black and everyone that worked there was white,” Stewart said. Stewart doesn’t think race has anything to do with the amount of success a person can achieve in this country. ”I think that depending on how much effort someone puts in it, regardless of their race, they can achieve whatever they want.”
Photo by: Kay Rodgers
SMU student leaders Matthew Lucci, Nikki Fletcher, Blake Rainey, Shelby Hill and Jessica Mitchell.
However, according to the Pew Research study, only 42 percent of AfricanAmericans believe the country will make necessary changes to put blacks on an equal footing with whites. Jenkins believes the conversation should change from equality to equity. “In a lot of my classes we talk about equality versus equity; you could give everybody X, but you have to tailor it so that people from Y community have the resources they need,” Jenkins explained. “Minorities have opportunity, but we haven’t looked at equity yet.” In America, 38 percent of whites report they believe enough changes have already been made to give blacks equal opportunity, compared to only 8 percent of African Americans. Matthew Lucci, a Lyle senator in the 103rd SMU Student Senate, believes minorities in America already have the same opportunities for success as anyone else. Lucci claims there are more opportunities for minorities, particularly in the Lyle school. “There are several opportunities that are available to minority women within Lyle that aren’t available to someone like me, even if they had exact same background that I did or if their family made twice as much as mine did,” Lucci said. “I think in the future, things like that need to be fixed.” Overall, white Americans are more likely than African-Americans to report that the state of race relations in America are generally good. However, many white student leaders on campus have expressed contrary beliefs.
Junior and Armstrong Commons President Shelby Hill thinks that because most people in America aren’t overtly racist, they often completely ignore the idea that there may be a larger problem in our society. “Another way that racism manifests itself is indifference,” Hill said. “I didn’t see any acts of racism growing up in Frisco, but since I got to SMU and met people from more diverse backgrounds I’ve realized that racism is still a thing.” Student-body President Blake Rainey also believes that the country is currently facing increased racial tensions and says that he has noticed tension on campus. “When you have such a majority of one race that makes up a student body, you’re naturally going to have tensions,” Rainey said. “Unfortunately it is an issue, and I think that we do a lot of work to try to combat that and bring people together.” Nicki Fletcher, vice president of Student Senate, expressed enthusiasm at the work she believes SMU is already doing to improve race relations. “There are absolutely tensions, you can’t say there’s not. They exist in a ton of capacities across our campus, unfortunately, as they do across the U.S. and on other campuses,” Fletcher said. “Fortunately, I do think that there are a lot of good things moving on our campus now that are trying to tackle those problems in a real way.” Recently, the Student Senate Diversity Committee has taken efforts to create an inclusive campus for all students by hosting several events promoting diversity. Read the full story at www. smudailycampus.com
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Grit-psychologist Angela Duckworth speaks at Tate Lecture LILI JOHNSTON Contributing Writer lsjohnston@smu.edu Renowned psychology professor, co-founder of the Character Lab and author of the best-selling book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Duckworth took the stage at McFarlin Auditorium on Jan. 31 as part of the SMU Tate Lecture Series. “Working hard over a long period of time” is “Grit,” the phenomenon honed by Duckworth. Grit is the human trait that Duckworth has studied for a decade and a half, but it has been a marvel without a name since the 19th century. Sir Francis Galton studied characteristics of high achievers: “ability combined with zeal… talent only in combination with passion and perseverance,” Duckworth said. There have been psychologists since then who have also delved into the trait that leads to supreme, high achievement. In her research, Duckworth has determined qualities necessary to fostering the trait. The necessity of talent plays a minor role: “talent counts, but effort counts twice,” she said. “No matter what you can do ... if you don’t apply effort, your skill disappears,” Duckworth said. As an “Asian girl living in New Jersey ... I played piano,” joked Duckworth, illustrating how the talent she worked to foster as an adolescent by the demands
Photo by: Facebook
Dr. Angela Duckworth
of her parents led her to abandon piano shortly after beginning. Maybe piano wasn’t Duckworth’s destiny. Although there are those with inborn talent, yet innateness doesn’t discount effort. Even if LeBron James was born to play basketball, “even world class experts were at some point world class amateurs,” Duckworth said. The 10,000-hour rule states that if you spend 10,000 hours doing any one thing, you will become an expert at it. But Duckworth says that’s not enough. “It’s the quantity and the quality of effort and practice,” she said. IDuckworth did a case study on Scripps National Spelling Bee winner Kerry Close in 2006. Close followed the four cruxes of deliberate practice: set a stretch goal, focus 100 percent (yes, get off your phone), get feedback, and reflect and refine. It was with this deliberate practice, the discomfort of learning, “more effortful and less enjoyable,” that Close received the honor, Duckworth said. And it is with deliberate practice that one develops Grit. But it’s not the only factor. “One must truly be
interested to be passionate,” Duckworth said, even if “it’s over a lifetime of experience that we learn and attune our interests.” There’s also cultivation of purpose. Experts must “understand the broader work into which their work fits,” Duckworth said. From the findings of Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, Duckworth notes that a person must believe in the power of what it means to be human, that “we are learning machines” with a destiny to discover. So, with passion, deliberate practice, purpose and siding with the growth mindset, one can build Grit. Where does happiness fit in, though? “I always get the question, ‘but I want my kids to be happy,’” Duckworth said. “But happiness and Grit aren’t an either-or,” Duckworth explained. Hence, there’s always the time when one wants to give up. To quit. Is dropping out a lack of Grit? It does diminish the skill; it does counteract those 10,000 hours. “I think young people need to know that dropping out is ok,” Duckworth said. “But sometimes we drop out too early.” “Sisu” is Finnish for insides – literally “guts.” What Google Translate doesn’t tell you, though, is its other entendre. Sisu is like a battery pack, a superpower. “If you’re losing, pull out sisu,” as Duckworth’s Finnish graduate students explained to her. But what the Fins tried to describe in metaphor, Duckworth has described tangibly – Grit.
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Student Senate convenes for first meeting of the semester LILI JOHNSTON Contributing Writer lsjohnston@smu.edu Senate advisor Jennifer Jones addressed the chamber to state the “99.9 percent chance” that “Student Affairs can take over the Boulevard.” The shift in power is ongoing. The 103rd Student Senate convened for its weekly meeting Jan. 31. Associate Provost for Curricular Innovation and Policy Dr. Peter Moore spoke first. Moore revealed that a large number of students unintentionally complete the courses and hours required for minors, but never declare them. A notification system will work to ensure students’ efforts are accounted for. Moore also has a “working group” in progress for a system of recommendation. “Class suggestions” is one of the features, but identifying similar students, classes they took, and providing recommendations based on that information, is also possible. The current pass-fail class characterization attempts to alleviate the pressure of performance and prioritizes the interest in learning. Yet current pass-fail class options reach maybe “four per semester,” Moore said. Thus, the administration wants to allow departments to select “gateway courses,” allowing more class options for students in the pass-fail offerings. The classes may also be used for class credit—for majors, minors, or general education requirements (a facet absent from the current system). In an attempt to increase
student interest in classes, Moore noted efforts to incentivize students to complete courses sequentially. He used the example of U.S. History, a class separated into two courses, each satisfying the same UC requirements. A new system, on the other hand, would allow the latter class to satisfy other requirements so that students who are interested in history are not deterred by the second course’s redundancy and minimal-UC, boxticking payout. Moore and the other officers in charge are attempting to implement the proposals in time for the Fall 2017 semester. Also within the academic realm, Student Senate submitted a proposal to extend the course drop deadline. With nearly universal student support and significant administrative support, prospects seem positive. Last semester’s polarizing, discrimination-fueled events spurred President Blake Rainey’s additions to Senate by-laws. Rainey has enacted changes to establish “an institutionalized ad-hoc committee on campus inclusion,” he said. The committee would only be active when called upon. It would provide urgent responses to current events in the form of letters, events, forums, etc. Furthermore, Rainey also moved to implement charter freezes. Campus organizations that consistently receive Student Senate funding can lose it temporarily (notably without being able to immediately reapply for funding) as consequence for “extreme discrimination and hate
crimes,” Rainey said. He reiterated that the freezes would only be an extreme measure. Both the ad-hoc committee and the charter freezes are part of Senate’s effort to help target discrimination on campus to put “us in the best position to respond when they occur,” said Rainey. Diversity Committee chair Cecily Cox addressed efforts to bring together students from College Republicans and College Democrats. The effort is “to unify them,” she said, especially in the midst of current events. Cox School of Business Assistant Dean Jim Bryan proposed a Town Hall for BBA students. Bryan noted a gap between Cox students and the school’s administration. Communications chair Claire Hemerling was swift to voice news regarding campus dining. Student Senate worked last year to extend the dining hours of Arnold to 10 p.m. According to Hemerling and the SMU Dining website, hours have since been rolled back to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday. Dining concerns – from hours to options, from Pony dollars to accessibility – are addressed by Student Concerns Chair Rebecca Silensky. Silensky urged the student body, with near unanimous dismay on the topic, to submit feedback to the dining administration directly, with contact information on the SMU Dining website. They may also talk to Silensky, who meets with Dining once a month.
George Takei speaks at SMU ALLISON PLAKE Assignments Editor aplake@smu.edu Beloved actor, author and activist George Takei spoke to a packed house at McFarlin Auditorium on Feb. 2 as part of the Upstander Speaker Series hosted by the Dallas Holocaust Museum and SMU’s Embrey Human Rights Program. As Takei walked out on stage, he opened with his famous one-liner “Oh my,” as the crowd roared and applauded. Takei is famous for his role as Hikaru Sulu in the series “Star Trek.” The lecture turned somber as Takei began to reminisce about his childhood experiences of living inside Camp Rohwer, a Japanese-American internment camp in Arkansas. “This was a grotesquely abnormal time,” Takei said.
Photo by: SMU
George Takei “There is an irony in liberty and justice for all.” Takei remarked on his vivid memories of the day he and his family were stripped from their Los Angeles home in April 1942 when he was only five years old. “The terrorizing sounds of when they ordered us out of our home are seared in my memory,” Takei said. Takei was quick to acknowledge parallels between President Donald Trump’s recent executive order
implementing a “Muslim ban” on seven countries and that of Executive Order 9066, which was set in place by President Roosevelt following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. A strong supporter of LGBTQ rights, Takei shared with the audience his personal struggle with being gay while trying to maintain his acting career. Prior to speaking at SMU, Takei was a guest on “Think,” hosted by Krys Boyd of KERA, where he poignantly shared his perspective on living life as a closeted gay man. “There was this constant needle-prick anxiety that I would be exposed,” Takei said. “I hid who I really was in my acting career.” His lecture ran long, but that did not faze the crowd as they hung on to every word.
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SMU Athletics announces 2017 Hall of Fame inductees OLIVIA PITTEN Sports Editor opitten@smu.edu At the annual Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony on Friday, May 5, six former SMU athletes will be inducted into the SMU Athletics Hall of Fame. The 2017 inductees include: George Hardie, Rod Jones, Krista Wilson Klein, Ricardo Prado, Oscar Roan and the late Richard Quick. Hardie led the SMU tennis team to two Southwest Conference championships in 1973 and 1975. Hardie was also an
extremely decorated individual player. He was a four-time AllAmerican singles player who finished runner-up in the NCAA singles championship match his senior year. After he graduated, Hardie competed professionally in the Australian Open. Jones was a key member of both the men’s track and field team and the football team from 1982-1986. His collegiate track and field career included membership in the 1983 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championship team and the 1986 NCAA
Photo by: SMU Athletics
SMU Athletics Hall of Fame welcomes six new inductees in 2017.
Outdoor team. The
Championship four-time
All-
American track and field athlete obtained honors in the mile relay (1984), 1600m relay (1983 & 1986) and the 400m (1986) before deciding to join the NFL draft. Jones was drafted in the first round (25th overall) in 1986 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played 11 seasons in the NFL. Klein is one of the most decorated divers in all of SMU history. During her time at SMU (1987-91), Klein collected an abundance of accolades, including NCAA Diver of the Year and Texas Woman of the Year in 1991. The two-time NCAA champion, six-time Southwest Conference champion and eight-time All-American founded the G.C. diving team in 1994. She currently coaches the G.C. team, the No. 1-ranked competitive diving team in the U.S. while both her sons compete on SMU’s swimming and diving team.
Prado earned 12 AllAmerican honors and five SWC titles throughout his time on the SMU men’s diving team 1983-86. Prado also won five NCAA Championships: three in the 400-yard medley (1983, 1984, 1986) and two in the 200-yard medley (1983, 1984). After his time at SMU, Prado represented Brazil in the 1984 Olympics, where he competed in five events and won a silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley. Roan was a member of both SMU’s football and basketball teams. As tight end on the football team, Roan scored eight touchdowns for the Mustangs and collected 888 receiving yards on 48 catches. Roan also played a single season of basketball for SMU and earned the Most Valuable Newcomer award for his efforts in the 1973-74 season. He entered the NFL draft in 1975 and was drafted in the third round by the Cleveland Browns. He was nominated for Rookie of the Year in the 1975-76 season before continuing to play for the
Browns until 1978. Quick played an extremely vital role in the history of SMU swimming and diving. The two-time AllAmerican and three-time SWC champion was a member of the SMU swim team 1963-65. After graduating, Quick returned to SMU to be the assistant men’s coach (1971-75) before leading the women’s team as head coach (76-77). Quick then went on to coach the U.S. team at six Olympics, helping the women’s team acquire 16 medals in the 2000 Olympics. After coaching the women at Texas (1984-88) and Stanford (1988-2005), Quick concluded his coaching career as a five-time NCAA Coach of the Year with 13 NCAA national titles and an induction into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. SMU students, fans and alumni can look forward to the induction of these six accomplished student-athletes on May 5 at Moody Coliseum. Tickets are expected to go on sale sometime this month.
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Brown’s career-high lifts Mustangs over Tulsa, 76-53 REECE KELLEY GRAHAM Sports Writer rkgraham@smu.edu When SMU guard Sterling Brown was a freshman, he averaged 19 minutes per game and played a major role for the Mustangs in their breakout 2013-2014 season. Three years ago, Brown’s contributions were mainly defensive. His ability to defend on the ball and attention to detail made him one of Larry Brown’s favorite names to call to the scorer’s table. Brown finished his freshman season averaging only 4.4 points per game. Fast forward to his senior season, however,
and the development of his offensive skills has made him one of the most feared glue guys in America. Brown’s three-point shot is even more feared, having made 54 percent from deep his junior season, the best percentage in the American Athletic Conference. Brown continues to get more looks from the perimeter this season, and for good reason. Everything was clicking for the senior Saturday night in Tulsa, so much so that SMU head coach Tim Jankovich never subbed him out of the game. Brown shot 60 percent (9for-15) from the field and 57 percent (4-for-7) from threepoint range. His career-high 27 points exceeded the winning
margin in SMU’s 76-53 win over Tulsa. In recent memory, trips to Tulsa have gone the Mustangs’ way in recent memory, with SMU having won its last six games in the Reynolds Center. The Mustangs have not lost to the Golden Hurricane on the road since 2010. Oklahoma has been good to SMU in other ways too. Since 2014, the state has become a major pipeline for the program’s recruiting efforts. Shake Milton was the first major piece SMU recruited out of the state. In his freshman season, the Owasso native scored 24 points in his homecoming. Playing with the confidence of a sophomore, Milton was
Sterling Brown’s career-high 27 points covered the winning margin in SMU’s 76-53 win over Tulsa.
Photo by: Mollie Mayfield
poised to have another big night, and he delivered. Milton added 19 points of his own and hit five shots from deep on the night, bringing his total career three-pointer count at Tulsa to 12 in just two visits. Freshman guard Dashawn McDowell, another Mustang from Oklahoma, left the game in the first half after taking a knee to the head while on the floor under the basket. McDowell was able to walk off the floor but did not return. His status remains unannounced.
Forward Semi Ojeleye scored in double figures for a 23rd time this season, finishing with 16 points and six rebounds. Ben Moore grabbed 10 rebounds and added four points. Guard Jarrey Foster finished with eight points and five rebounds. Even with big individual performances, the Mustangs were not perfect. Tulsa scored 15 points off of 14 SMU turnovers and a sloppy night of ball security led to fewer looks at the basket.
Moore and Foster combined for only nine shots from the field. The Mustangs’ sound defense made up for their turnovers, holding the Golden Hurricane to just 37 percent shooting overall. It was the 13th time this season SMU has held its opponent to 40 percent shooting or less. The Mustangs have now held their last 17 opponents to 66 points or less. SMU will host Cincinnati at Moody Coliseum Feb. 12 at 3 p.m.
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‘The Comedian’ has its moments, but they are few and far between RILEY COVEN Arts and Life Editor rcoven@smu.edu Robert De Niro’s latest venture is in Taylor Hackford’s “The Comedian,” in which he plays the titular character Jackie Burke. Burke is an aging star whose best years are behind him. After Burke gets sent to prison for assaulting a man at one of his shows, he is forced to do community service in New York, where he meets Harmony Schiltz, played by Leslie Mann. He quickly becomes interested in Schiltz, who recognizes him as the star of her father’s favorite television show. After working together a few times, Burke invites her to his niece’s wedding. While Burke wants to remain
in the background, Schiltz and his niece encourage him to do a quick set as the latter’s wedding gift, against the wishes of his brother and sister-in-law (played by Danny DeVito and Patti LuPone, respectively). After a dirty, raunchy and genuinely funny piece, Burke and Schiltz leave with a little more affection for each other than before. The film is a dark comedy and a romance but doesn’t know where to draw the line. It’s funny only due to Burke’s source material. The romantic subplot, which is probably the most interesting feature of the film, falls short in nearly every way. The romance between De Niro and Mann is believable only for the actors’ performances, which are the highlights of the entire film. The story twists and turns at a grinding pace and tries to
invoke some shocking moments that become mundane after a few moments due to slow pacing. The film has good intentions and the story is heartfelt at its base, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired, which is especially annoying when it has such great talent to work with. The talent is easily the best part of the film. Between De Niro, De Vito, Mann, Lupone and a great turn from Harvey Keitel, the acting prowess on screen is terrific. Each has their own moment in the film that saves the otherwise boring and uninspired story, but it’s not enough for the entire movie to succeed. The family dynamic between Burke, his brother and his sisterin-law, as well as that of Schiltz and her father (Keitel) are
interesting comparisons but there is not nearly enough attention drawn to the possible mirroring they could achieve. The film draws from a basic storyline that is pretty simple. Burke gets arrested, he meets Schiltz, he falls for her, and complications arise. The problem is that it doesn’t do nearly enough to separate itself from any other film in its place. It’s reminiscent of Judd Apatow’s “Funny People,” in which Mann plays nearly the same character. The only redeeming quality of the film outside of its performances is the soundtrack. A film filled with blues and jazz renditions that flow over the dreary New York backdrop make the transition scenes a little more interesting. It’s not a great thing, however, to have the transition scenes
Photo by: Facebook, The Comedian
Leslie Mann (left) and Robert De Niro in “The Comedian.” be more compelling than the majority of the film. The aforementioned dreary backdrop sets an interesting tone in the beginning of the film but becomes much more confusing when the characters travel to sunny Florida while the music continues. Not much is aligned properly. While the elements of an enjoyable movie exist within
“The Comedian,” it’s like picking out needles in an occasionally funny haystack. “The Comedian” is a movie that had many of the typical features of a good film, but was one in which none of them were put together. In another attempt it might make a solid film but for now it’s nothing more than a poor showcase of many talented actors.
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How to convince your date that you did not procrastinate on Valentine’s Day KELLY KOLFF Assoc. Arts & Life Editor kkolff@smu.edu Whether the day just slipped your mind or you want some cheaper, fun alternatives to your run-ofthe-mill dinner date, The SMU Campus Weekly has you covered on date ideas for Valentine’s Day.
Go to an art museum Located in the heart of the arts district downtown, the Dallas Museum of Art is free and easily accessible. There's something romantic about strolling through galleries and looking at all of the works the museum has to offer. Go ahead, contemplate the art. Feel intelligent while you squint at a Monet.
Picnic in a park You can easily go to Klyde Warren after that great DMA date or try the
Trinity Groves walking trail. Have a nice homemade lunch or pick something up from one of the various food trucks at Klyde Warren. If you're lucky, you'll get to see some dogs at the dog park as well. Perfect date.
Drive-in movie theater This one requires some driving, but it's worth it. Galaxy Drive-In, located in Ennis, is a unique spin on the classic movie date.
Hot chocolate and ice skating at the Galleria Ice skating is an age-old date idea, and as long as no one breaks any bones it will be a success.
Visit the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens The botanical gardens are actually cheaper than the Dallas Arboretum, which you may have already visited anyway. If you have the time, take a trip to Fort Worth and look at all of the beautiful
flowers. Tell your date that the flowers don’t compare to their effortless beauty. Then win Valentine's Day.
Picnic on the top of Binkley Parking Garage This is by far the best view on campus. The ledge is wide enough to sit on comfortably while you eat gruyere and carved ham sandwiches.
All the single ladies (and gentlemen) Now, if you’re living the single life, don’t let the fear of a lonely Valentine’s Day stop you. Have a “Palentine’s” day with your closest friends the day/weekend before. Go out for brunch at Porch or The Rustic for some delicious food and good company. You won't be disappointed. In the wise words of "Parks and Recreation": treat yo' self.
Judah & the Lion brings ‘Folk Hop’ to Dallas KELLY KOLFF Assoc. Arts & Life Editor kkolff@smu.edu One group looks to shake up the music world with its new show stopping genre: “Folk Hop.” Some would question the pairing of banjo and hip-hop beats, but Nashville-based band Judah & the Lion are here to convince you that that exact mix will have you singing along to their songs after the first chorus. Judah & the Lion cite hiphop and folk musicians such as Beastie Boys and Mumford and Sons as inspiration for
their own genre of music in high demand across the country. They have a sound that blends Imagine Dragonslike vocal intensity with the mandolin-laden twangs that folk fans love. Their powerhouse single “Take It All Back” from their sophomore album “Folk Hop N’ Roll” ranked No. 1 in Alternative Radio for three weeks straight. The band spent most of 2016 touring to promote the record and continues the momentum in 2017, having recently performed
on Conan. Judah & the Lion have been supporting the alternative hip-hop duo Twenty One Pilots on their ‘EMØTIØNAL RØADSHØW’ arena tour. They will be stopping in Dallas at the American Airlines Center on Feb. 22, a show that fans will not want to miss. After wrapping up the arena tour, Judah & the Lion are heading back out on a West Coast headlining tour with Icelandic folkrock group Kaleo starting March 18.
Delbert McClinton discusses music in the ’60s, touring, his new record KELLY KOLFF Assoc. Arts & Life Editor kkolff@smu.edu Multi-Grammywinning blues artist Delbert McClinton will be coming to the Granada Theater Saturday, Feb. 18 to promote his new album “Prick of the Litter.” His career spans decades and his music has played in the homes of many. I was lucky enough to talk with McClinton about his career and the new record. Campus Weekly: What was it like working as an up-andcoming blues artist in the ’60s? Delbert McClinton: What was it like? Well the best part about it was that all those guys were still alive, and I learned from them. CW: That’s what I thought was so interesting, that you started in a time that was integral to blues. DM: Well, it was, but you have to live a while past something like that before you can really realize what a fortunate time it was to be in the business of trying to replicate or add to the blues genre. Well I got to work with those guys and uh, Jimmy Reed, Sonny Boy Williamson, Freddie King, Big Joe Turner and several more. Me and the band back in the ’60s. So it was, I know I was in the right place at the right time then, but it’s even more profound now because they’re all gone. You asked me what it was like; that’s what it
Photo by: Facebook, Delbert McClinton
Delbert McClinton (center) and his blues group
was like. That was the thrill: the fact that those guys were there. And I could watch them, and I could learn from them. CW: What were some of the most important things you learned from them? DM: I learned to never leave my wallet in the dressing room while I’m on stage. You learned firsthand a close-up view of what black people, well, how they were treated. Um, for example ,I can remember when we played with Jimmy Reed and those guys, they had to stay in the socalled black hotels. We’d pick them up there and take ‘em back and there wasn’t ever a place in the world you could go and eat so it was an awkward thing. And I always
thought that was bizarre, ever since I was a little kid and saw a Sears & Roebuck store, two fountains: one for white and one for colored. I remember asking my parents, “What is that?” and got some uneducated, ignorant answer. So you know, being active with those guys who were heroes of mine it was very educational. CW: Did you ever imagine that you would win three Grammys? DM: You know, I never thought about that. I’d been chasing the dream my whole life and fortunately been able to do that and I think get better at it. So I’m a very fortunate guy. I don’t have to ask anybody permission to do anything. And I like that.
10 | Thursday, February 9, 2017
OPINION
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Resolution passes on diversity, inclusion Student Senate has had a busy start to this semester, passing legislation relating to diversity, inclusion, and their ability to respond to concerns regarding diversity and inclusion on campus. Student Senate held a referendum to add three seats representing new sections of campus. The referendum, which passed on Jan. 26, added a Student Athlete Seat, a Queer Student Seat and a Military Veteran Seat. Additionally, a piece of legislation was introduced to establish an Ad Hoc Committee on Campus Inclusion and to establish charter freezes. The initial legislation proposed two resolutions, one enabling the Student Body
STAFF COLUMN
NOAH BARTOS Opinion Editor nbartos@smu.edu
President to call together a Committee on Campus Inclusion and another resolution allowing organizations to have their charters frozen by the Organizations committee. Initially, there was student outcry over the bill as students perceived the bill could be used to target free speech, thinking that the ad hoc committee had the power to freeze charters. In response to student concerns, Senate added two sections clarifying the purpose of the bill and inserting
additional wording into the existing resolutions, clarifying the authority of the ad hoc committee and the process for charter freezes. The bill was passed in Student Senate on Feb. 7. The ad hoc committee on Campus Inclusion, according to the wording of the bill, “will have no disciplinary authority over any organization or member of the SMU community” and is primarily targeted at organizing statements and responses to any future issues regarding diversity and inclusion. Furthermore, charter freezes will be handled by the Office of Student Conduct and will not be enacted until completion of a full investigation. Charter freezes must be
approved by 2/3 vote of Student Senate. Overall, the clarifications of the bill make it much more clear in its scope and purpose. The diversity committee is not a disciplinary body but will be utilized to improve SMU’s response to inclusion issues in the future, while the resolution on charter freezes allows for additional disciplinary actions to be taken if needed. Student Senate was smart in responding to student concerns on the bill – the updated legislation is far clearer. Provided that the committee remains within its intentions and bounds as stated in the resolution, it will facilitate response to diversity concerns in the future while not posing a threat to student organizations.
Trump building on Obama’s legacy Can President Donald Trump possibly be building on Barack Obama’s legacy? There are certainly some things that Obama left behind, particularly in relation to executive orders and the power of the presidency, from which Trump has benefited. While many might think that Trump has signed an unprecedented number of executive orders upon assuming office, the truth is quite different. Comparing the first 12
STAFF COLUMN
NOAH BARTOS Opinion Editor nbartos@smu.edu
days of Obama’s presidency to Trump’s, Trump has signed seven executive orders compared to Obama’s nine. Obama had to contend with a Congress controlled by the opposition party, necessitating
his expanded use of executive orders. Trump has used this legacy to make sweeping enactments and orders upon his first days in office. This is not the only legacy that Trump has to build off of. Obama was the first president to use Twitter. While Trump may have been a Twitter user before taking office, this social media outlet is another way in which Trump is expanding and carrying on
some of what Obama did in office. However, most of this is purely ironic as what Trump is doing with these expanded precedents is undoing years of Obama’s legislation and work. So while Trump may be paralleling some of Obama’s actions, their styles appear to be are completely different and Trump seems to be using this “building” of the legacy primarily to tear down that of his predecessor.
Thursday, February 9, 2017 | 11
SMU Campus Weekly
FASHION smudailycampus.com/style
Valentine’s Day guide to giving the perfect gift GABRIELLA BRADLEY that gives you an itchy, ugly Style Editor sweater every year, but you gjbradley@smu.edu Not all gifting is equal. While Christmas gift giving can be stressful, it is far different than giving gifts on Valentine’s Day. If you give a dud gift at Christmas, chances are that that person will forgive you – think of that one aunt
still love her anyway. However, if you give a less-than-amazing gift to someone for Valentine’s Day you can consider yourself single the minute that look of despair appears on your significant other’s face as they open the box. The stakes are especially
high during this holiday and gifting mishaps simply will not do. So whether you are shopping for your sister, best friend, or significant other, here is a gift guide that will take a little bit of stress out of your Day of Love – and hopefully keep you out of the dog house for the time being.
EMPLOYMENT Best jobs on campus! Love working with people, setting your own flexible schedule and seeing the results of your hard work in print? Join the Student Media Company advertising team today! We are looking for two very specific types of student: those with a gift for gab who will go out and visit business owners and managers in the community to sell ads, and those who communicate brilliantly through images to design ads in all of our publications. If you think you want to go into the ad game upon graduation, find out for sure by working with us. Ad sales fund this operation, so what you do here actually matters. Build your resume with real-world clips and actual sales records you can show potential employers. While we are housed on campus, sales positions are all considered off-campus jobs.To apply, send cover letter and resume (include design clips if applying for a design position) to smucw_ads@smu.edu or go to bit.ly/studentmediastaff.
FOR RENT
Clinique Happy Gelato Cream for Body $35 - Clinique ‘Pop Lip’ color & primer $18 each - Sugarfina Sugar Lips candy $48 for 6 - Levtek Whisk Me Away Wine bag $10 - Rough Draft large pink notebook $16 - Kate Spade 2017 12-month agenda $27 - Valentino Rockstud small zip-top camera bag $1,395 - Oscar de la Renta long-beaded tassel clip-on earrings $395 - Sydney Evan large 14k yellow gold and diamond Love necklace $1,610 - Betty Large cosmetics gold glitter bag $60 - Kate Spade ‘Posy Court’ heart dish $20 - Apple Watch 38mm rose gold $270 Surya Je T’aime throw pillow $36 - Prada saffiano leather heart keychain $310 - Ban.do Love Potion flask $25
Great House 10 minutes to SMU. Near White Rock Lake. Cute updated University Terrace home features gleaming refinished hardwood floors, kitchen with granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances, backyard with wood deck. Baths are updated, with master featuring over-sized shower, close to DART Rail Station. 1422 sq ft living space 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 living areas 15 minutes to Downtown 10 minutes away from Central Market, Trader Joes and Whole Foods 2 car garage Back Yard Deck Security System with Cameras Sprinkler System Central Heat and Air Available now 214-693-3871 2300 a month 1000 deposit
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Crossword Across 1 Subj. for a non-native speaker 4 __-top: Beatles' style 7 Much of "Star Wars" FX 10 Clumsy type 13 __ Michele, 8-Down co-star 14 "The Princess Diaries" princess 15 Tetris shape 16 Sporty truck, briefly 17 War film with a cast of 60-Across? 21 "Rock and Roll All __": Kiss hit 22 Reckon 23 Custardy dessert 24 Thrown for a loop 26 Cool, once 27 Campus groups 28 Newspaper with a staff of 60-Across? 31 Dough for ramen? 32 Square __ 33 Traveler's aid 37 "Hamlet, thou art slain" speaker 42 Political __ 43 Big name in big tractors 44 1969 hit song by a group of 60-Across? 50 Write in code? 51 Actress Ramirez of "Grey's Anatomy" 55 __ d'Alene 56 Mideast sultanate 60 Off-putting sorts? 63 Pie choice 64 Like bread knives 65 Well-to-do 66 Unpredictable Down 1 Twisty-horned antelope 2 Photo app effect 3 Founder of Taoism 4 Sport for Ronda Rousey, for short 5 Aromatherapy array
6 Outmoded public convenience 7 Center of moral corruption 8 TV show with mashups 9 Down with something 10 Wanted one 11 Bothered a lot 12 Fronded plants 18 Mediocre marks 19 Sonnet, e.g. 20 Do maintained with a pick 25 Kids' summer activity 27 "Another word for nothin' left to lose," in a Joplin hit 29 __ Aviv 30 Genetic messenger molecule 33 The Scooby gang's Mystery Machine, e.g. 34 Ode preposition 35 Spell 36 QB's mishap
38 Dream state letters 39 Technical foul signal, in basketball 40 West ender? 41 Place 45 Centipede home? 46 Stimulated 47 "Oh, now __ it!" 48 All-in-one vacation 49 Eliot's weaver 51 Canned meat used in Hawaiian cuisine 52 "The Good Dinosaur" dinosaur 53 Reddish horse 54 Source of cartoon explosives 56 Other, south of the border 57 Castle defense 58 Basic class with easels 59 Tiny time pd. 61 Siegfried collaborator 62 PDX info: Abbr.
12 | Thursday, February 9, 2017
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