INSIDE
Student starts fashion blog
PAGE 2
A call for a SMU baseball team
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Hamon library recieves gift
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Mustangs to take on UAB Thursday PAGE 5
WEDNESDAY
FEBRUARY 6, 2013
Wednesday High 68, Low 57 Thursday High 72, Low 51
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scholarship
Courtesy of 123People
“Grey’s Anatomy” actress and Meadows graduate Jerrika Hinton.
SMU Black Alumni gather to honor history makers EMILY WU/The Daily Campus
Michael Beschloss (left) and Douglas Brinkley (right) were the speakers of the first 2013 Tate lecture Tuesday night.
Beschloss, Brinkley discuss presidential legacy, leadership katelyn gough News Editor kgough@smu.edu Two of the nation’s leading Presidential historians spoke about presidential legacy and leadership at the SMU Tate Lecture Series Tuesday evening. Moderated by William McKenzie, Michael Beschloss and Douglas Brinkley spent much of the hour speaking to the presidential legacy, and the necessary time needed after the end of a president’s time to accurately judge his leadership. “If we are obsessive, it’s an insider’s club of historians. I don’t think we [as a country] know enough about our presidents,” Brinkley responded to McKenzie’s question of whether we lust too much for presidential leadership. Beschloss said that in order to learn fully about the country’s leaders, we have to wait for inside sources to provide “what these people are like behind the scenes.” “Usually presidents 40 years after office look very different,” Beschloss said. Issues and “obsessions” that were escalated during the presidency often are quelled or even better understood as the country moves forward. “It’s good to wait and read
books by historians and great journalists,” Beschloss said. In terms of the president thinking about what his legacy should look like during his first term, Beschloss said, “in a selfconscious way,” he hopes such is never the case. “What the great presidents [think about is] what kinds of decisions will stand up 40 or 50 years later,” Beschloss said. Brinkley, in agreement, added that the first term of a presidency has far more immediate needs than eventual reminisce. “Their first term they have to keep this political alliance going to be re-elected,” Brinkley said. However, Beschloss was careful to caution against that same sentiment in the sense that “building to get reelected is not necessarily the best [strategy].” In regards to keeping a close eye on the polls—or, in contrast, disregarding them nearly entirely—Beschloss asserted “every president should use polls but not be governed by them.” Brinkley echoed these sentiments in his own words, saying that while presidents are not “obsessed” with polls, they do “watch [and] worry” about them. As the conversation veered further from blanket ideas and
more to specific presidencies, Abraham Lincoln was approached with specific interest and regality. “All presidents worship Abraham Lincoln because no matter how bad they have it, Lincoln had it worse,” Brinkley asserted. Referencing especially his reelection and “tough” decision not to withdraw the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln is known as one of, if not the, greatest president in America’s history. Lincoln, focused in on such difficult and controversial decisions he needed to make during his time in office. “The thing that is compelling about Lincoln is that he was not a saint,” Beschloss said. McKenzie asked both historians about Barack Obama’s legacy. “He’s a historic figure,” Brinkley said. Individually, as the first African American president, he clearly is a historical first, he said. His overall administration has also had several firsts, and Brinkley addressed the fact that he appointed the first two women to the Supreme Court, and there may very well be more female members added during his second term.
However, Beschloss spoke on a different note, marking all of the “in-progress” issues—such as the economy and foreign affairs—that are at the cusp of falling one way or another, as evidence that his legacy cannot be truly determined until their outcome is decided. “You really need to have the President, in our minds, pass into the realm of history,” Beschloss said. “40 years from now we will know and can give a definitive answer.” Moriah Momsen, a junior at the university, said that this lecture stood out in her mind because, contrary to typical moderated lectures, the two historians “pretty much agreed on everything.” “It was different. Usually at all the panels they kind of battle it out. This one was a very different tone,” Momsen said. “It brought me through our American history and my infatuation with the President.” While taking the audience through such a review of American leaders, providing stories of both presidential success and moments falling short of such, Beschloss summed up the role of the Presidential historian. “We assess who gets the credit, who gets the blame.”
Megan Grosse Contributing Writer mgrosse@smu.edu The second annual Black Alumni of SMU scholarship reception is coming up on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m., which will honor the 2013 SMU Black Alumni History Makers and celebrate the SMU Black Alumni Scholarship. “We want to show that we are supporting the future while recognizing those who helped us get to where we are today as a black community on the SMU campus,” Ashley Hamilton, SMU graduate and co-community service chair of the Black Alumni of SMU, said. The Black Alumni of SMU created the scholarship with the hopes of retaining talented black students at SMU. “Several times students have to transfer to other schools because the financial obligation is too great,” Lauren Driskell said. Driskill is the board chair for the Black Alumni of SMU. “For those that put in the work to get into SMU, we want to make sure they are able to continue and graduate.” This year Driskell hopes the group will raise at least $10,000 in donations, giving it the ability to give scholarships to two recipients, instead of one. Last year, the Black Alumni of SMU raised about $7,500 for the 2012 scholarship, which was given to Leah Johnson, a current SMU student. “The scholarship has helped by alleviating some of the financial stress on my mother, who is the sole provider for our family,” Johnson said. “The scholarship is a nice reminder
that I am being heard because it is very competitive for the scholarships here at SMU and I felt I wasn’t getting noticed.” In addition to the scholarship reception, the Black Alumni of SMU will also be honoring history makers from SMU’s past. “For our honorees, we are honoring people that we felt made a notable impact at SMU,” Driskell said. “We hope the event will recognize these individuals and also give alumni an opportunity to network together.” The 2013 History Maker Honorees include: Gerard Andrews (‘91), Kelvin Beachum, Jr. (’11, ’12), Roni Dean Burren (‘99), David Huntley (‘80), Rhonda Belt Rhea (‘77), Rev. Richard Stewart (‘60) and Yulise Reaves Waters (’02, ‘08). For the evening, the Black Alumni of SMU is excited to have “Grey’s Anatomy” actress Jerrika Hinton, an SMU Meadows alumnae, as the featured speaker. Dameron Growe, also a Meadows graduate, and Kamica King, a current SMU master’s student, will be its featured performer. The reception and celebration will take place in the Palmer Room located in Caruth Hall. Hors d’oeuvres, beverages and complimentary valet will be provided. Hamilton hopes that through the honoring of these SMU history makers and the giving of the scholarship, SMU will continue to see a development of its black community. “We are more than just athletes; we are artists and engineers, English majors and future leaders of our community,” Hamilton said.
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Senate addresses campus parking, George W. Bush Library groundbreaking Maggie jones Contributing Writer mcjones@smu.edu Club and organization financing, religious observance and movements to improve student parking were just some of the many topics that were brought to the table at the SMU Student Senate meeting Tuesday. The meeting lasted about two hours, during which members presented their topics of concern or reformation. Members gathered in the Hughes-Trigg Forum dressed in business casual attire, prepared to tackle their agenda. After declaring a moment of silence, Student Senate introduced the Vice President of Women’s Interest Network Bekah Boyer.
ANDREW ARNDT/The Daily Campus
Student Body President Alex Mace speaks to the Senate Tuesday night.
WIN plans to hold a drive for “new and gently used sports bras,” Boyer said. These sports bras are intended to make women who are victims of rape slightly more comfortable, since they are required to seize their clothes
as evidence when filing a report. Boyer continued to address another WIN event, Sex in the Dark. This event will allow students to inquire about sex anonymously by simply dropping a question into a
box. “Students can submit questions anonymously and confidentiality is promised,” Boyer said. Senate members filled the room with applause, and the board swiftly proceeded down the agenda, where Zane Cavender took the podium. Cavender addressed a question that is a regular complaint on campus—student parking. He proposed his legislation to work with Park-n-Pony to free up more student parking in the North Quad of campus. Senate members hesitantly questioned Cavender’s motion. “Just because it hasn’t happened before doesn’t mean it won’t happen now,” Cavender said. With the George W. Bush Presidential Center opening to the
public May 1, all efforts are in play to execute the opening as smoothly as possible. A program that would allow 100 SMU students to produce hand-written letters for the Bush family, welcoming their library to campus, was presented by Student Body President Alex Mace at the meeting. “I’ve been talking a lot about how we can get students involved in the opening,” Mace said, “and with the 100 letters campaign, 100 student voices will basically say welcome to the Bush family.” At the end of the meeting, Ramon Trespalacios presented a legislation to implement campus-wide reflection time on Sundays. Through this, organizations will be required to hold all Sunday
meetings after 3 P.M., allowing students to participate in all religious observances. “I have overheard a lot of students complaining that meetings, such as Panhellenic, interfere with their religious observances,” Trespalacios said. The meeting covered a variety of important topics vital in bettering the SMU community.