INSIDE
Valentine’s Day style picks A sartorial look at smoking Dallas’ new science museum
PAGE 2 PAGE 6
‘The Vow’ lacks heart PAGE 7
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FRIDAY
FEBRUARY 10, 2012 FRIDAY High 54, Low 29 SATURDAY High 47, Low 31
VOLUME 96 ISSUE 58 FIRST COPY FREE, ADDITIONAL COPIES 50 CENTS
Academics
SMU launches out-of-classroom initiative
SPENCER J EGGERS / The Daily Campus
Earning a total of 17 points, senior forward Robert Nyakumdi was SMU’s top scorer in Wednesday evening’s game in Moody Coliseum.
OOPS, we did it again
Men’s basketball upsets TCU at Moody Coliseum MERCEDES OWENS Sports Editor mmowens@smu.edu The SMU men’s basketball program defeated TCU with a score of 68-62 during a crosstown show down at Moody Coliseum Wednesday. Both teams put up a tough fight during the ball game, on both the offensive and defensive end. With only one minute remaining in the first half, SMU and TCU were tied with a score of 35-35. Mustangs Jeremiah Samarrippas, Robert Nyakundi and London Giles proved to be a powerful trio. However, it was Aliaksei Patsevich who set the Mustangs ahead with a 37-35 lead in the last minute of the half.
Despite their efforts, TCU’s Hank Thorns connected a lay-up to once again to tie the game 37-37. Nyakundi was the leading scorer for the Mustangs in the beginning half with 10 points, while Giles followed closely behind with seven points. Horned Frogs Garlon Green and Kyan Anderson led the men in purple during the first half with Green racking up 10 points and Anderson closely behind with eight. Returning from the half, both teams refused to let up on either side of the court. The game remained tied for the first three minutes of the half, until SMU’s Shawn Williams connected a three-point basket to gain a lead of 44-41. Shortly after taking the lead, the
Mustangs and Horned Frogs fell back into a tied ball game. The two teams continued to keep the game within two points until Nyakundi’s shot from outside the three-point line gave the Mustangs a three-point lead, 57-54. With new found lead, the Mustangs energy took on a new level, both on the court and in the stands. Once again pulling points for TCU in the final minutes of play, Thorns made a three-point shot to close SMU’s lead to only one point, 58-57. A series of TCU fouls and a lane violation assisted SMU in taking over the ball game, with a score of 68-62 and 17 seconds remaining on the clock, ultimately leading to a Mustang victory.
Finishing with a final score of the rivalry match-up snapped SMU’s five game losing streak. The Nyakundi, Giles and Samarrippas trio finished the game with points in the double digits. Nyakundi led the pack with 17 total points and five rebounds. SMU finished with 26 points in the paint and 22 points off TCU turnovers, shooting 52.1 percent from the field. TCU’s J.R. Cadot led the Horned Frogs with a total of 14 points and an impressive nine rebounds. Next, the Mustangs will faceoff with the Rice Owls in Houston, Texas for the second time in the 2011 to 2012 season. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. Saturday.
CAMPUS
EVENT
SPECTRUM represents Southern schools in conference
Expert discusses media, religion
SARAH KRAMER Editor in Cheif skramer@smu.edu
This weekend, 17 SMU students, one professor and one student from Texas Women’s University will join approximately 2,500 people in the 20th annual Midwest, Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Ally College Conference (MBLGTACC) at Iowa State University. However, what makes them stand out from the other participants in the conference is that they are the only southern school attending. Together, these 19 people will represent Texas through Spectrum, SMU’s undergraduate LGBT organization, in the largest LGBTQA college conference in North America. Working to show that SMU is a progressive campus, participation in this event alone jumped from four students last year to 18 students this year, more than quadrupling attendance at this conference. After attending last year’s MBLGTACC, Co-President of Spectrum Harvey Luna was motivated to increase activism
on campus. However, he knew he couldn’t do it alone. Once he was elected copresident, Luna brought in funds from Student Senate, North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce, in addition to private donors and other conference attendees. “[The conference] inspired me to spread the message and bring a sense of activism back to SMU,” he said. At the time, Luna was a Dedman II Senator working on two bills in Senate — one to denounce homophobia and the other to implement a LGBT seat. While the first bill passed, the second did not. In spite of the setback, Luna saw a change in attitude in the adopting of the bill. “The change of the tone from ‘we shouldn’t have the LGBT seat’ from two years go to ‘how should we implement the LGBT seat’ last year is one indicator of how insightful and influential this conference can be on individuals on matters of activism,” he said. Through this year’s theme, “The Butterfly Effect: Evolution
See LGBT page 8
MEGHAN SIKKEL Copy Editor msikkel@smu.edu Is “True Blood” the new Bible? Not exactly, but the vampire television series and its counterparts are becoming increasingly influential to viewers in today’s mediaobsessed society. And that might not be such a bad thing, an expert in media and religion told an SMU audience Thursday afternoon at a symposium on public life and personal faith hosted by the Perkins School of Theology. Diane Winston, the Knight Chair in Media and Religion at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, examined the blurred lines between entertainment and religion during her presentation in Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Hall, “Saving Grace: Ritual, Reenchantment and Redemption in a Mediatized World.” “The growing chasm between institutional religion and the American public … reflects, in part, the growing influence of media in our lives, specifically its challenge to traditional religious authority,” Winston said. She likened “True Blood’s”
Photo Courtesy of SMU News & Communication
Bill Compton to Moses to make her point. “I really don’t think that Moses has anything to worry from vampire Bill,” Winston said. “But I wanted to make the point that an increasing number of people find more meaning and inspiration in popular entertainment than they do in religious texts.” But instead of blasting the media for their role in this shift in values, Winston revealed a surprising thought: mediatized culture can be religious. Mediatization, she said, is
See MEDIA page 8
JOHNATHAN MACHEMEHL Contributing Writer jmachemehl@smu.edu Engaged Learning, a SMU initiative in the making for the past year, launched in January. The initiative focuses on students being able to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it in the community. “We recognize there are students doing research, service and internships that are really touching others lives, but the university hasn’t had a vehicle to celebrate the students,” Engaged Learning Director Susan Kress said. The initiative oversees the Unbridled Learning Project, which allows students to receive funding and support for ideas they have developed. The Unbridled Learning Project allows students to propose an idea they would like to initiate and impact the community. If selected, students must complete the project within a year and meet a set list of requirements. Three students have participated in the Unbridled Learning Project with projects such as teaching dance in Zambia, teaching photography to girls in the Dallas area, and building a database to benefit veterans. The Unbridled Learning Project should not to be confused with Big Ideas or other programs on campus that help students initiate ideas in the community, but a student can benefit from both if they participate in this project. Students who are already on projects, such as Big Ideas and the Maguire Center of Ethics, are welcome to apply to make it an Unbridled Learning Project. An Unbridled Learning Project provides students with a variety of benefits that would not have been available before the initiative started. Students can receive funds up to $2,000 for their project and have his or her project listed on their transcript. An SMU transcript only lists a student’s personal information, GPA, courses taken and whether they graduated with distinction. “My project was a photography workshop for high school girls which promoted natural beauty inside and out, including the natural beauty around them in their everyday lives,” Colby Kruger, marketing major, said. She had been waiting to do her photography project for two years but had not been able to
get funding. “It is a wonderful opportunity to make your dreams a reality... if anyone has a great idea for a project I encourage them to do it!” Kruger said. “The SMU Unbridled Learning grant made it all possible for me!” Upon acceptance, the student must complete the project by end of fall semester. They will present their work the following spring. As long as the student meets all of the requirements on their project, their work will be published by Central University Libraries over the summer. The participants are invited back for a celebration in the fall ,celebrating their publication and introducing the new project participants. Lindsay Abigail, a dance performance major, completed the project on teaching orphans in Zambia dance for a week. Abigail’s project evolved while she was working with the students in Zambia. “I was equipping them with different skills like how to have a creative outlet, how to express yourself,” Abigail said. Engaged Learning Director Susan Kress, who previously served as director of education abroad, was a driving force in the rebranding and expansion of the SMU Abroad program. She has now taken on the task of Engaged Learning. “I inherited a lot of great ideas but had to work with a small hard-working focus group to take these great ideas and turn it into a plan,” Kress said. The initiative hopes that in the future, all SMU students choose to participate in Engaged Learning. An Engaged Learning student panel, made up of representatives from a variety of lead organizations on campus, ensures it is working in the best interest of the students. Engaged Learning has also been focusing on building partnerships between SMU and the local community. Next fall, the initiative will be hosting a networking event called “Get Engaged” that will be open to the whole SMU community and allow students and faculty to meet a variety of community partners. The initiative’s Engaged Learning Day on Monday will have events around campus consisting of workshops on applying for an Unbridled Learning Project, presentations by the students who completed projects and an awareness event at the flagpole. To find out more about applying for an Unbridled Learning Project or about the day’s activities, go to www.smu.edu/engagedlearning.
CORRECTION
In the Wednesday, Feb. 8 edition of The Daily Campus, it was reported that head equipment manager Albert Veytia joined the Mustang Athletic Program from Kentucky. However, Veytia was previously with Kansas States before making the switch to SMU.