INSIDE
Roadkill: It’s what’s for dinner
The art of the homeless
PAGE 4
TV newscasts fail to inform
PAGE 6
Student art displayed in Pollock
PAGE 7
PAGE 5
WEDNESday
april 9, 2014
Wednesday High 79, Low 48 Thursday High 82, Low 57
VOLUME 99 ISSUE 79 FIRST COPY FREE, ADDITIONAL COPIES 50 CENTS
2014 is ‘Year of faculty’ Claire Kelley Contributing Writer ckelley@smu.edu The bells of SMU’s Fondren Science Building ring out an old hymn, reminding the campus that it’s noon. Gordon Birrell walks into his German literature class, chats with a few students individually in German, then begins the hour by announcing that he won’t be administering a midterm, a statement that’s met with a cheerful chorus of “dankes,” “thanks” in German. Today, the professor is sporting one of his signature unusual neckties, a maroon one covered in lions, zebras and giraffes. “My favorite is the gorilla tie because I didn’t notice until my junior year that the big silverback gorilla has a little gorilla under its arm,” senior Madi Spence said. Spence, a biology and German double major, has been one of Birrell’s students since her first year at SMU. Spence said she appreciates Birrell’s brilliance and involvement in his students’ lives, in addition to his charismatic wardrobe. Whether it’s their clothing or their kind gestures or their senses of humor, professors at SMU in every department are inspiring their students. As a part of its Second Century Celebration, SMU has declared 2014 “The Year of the Faculty,” during
Lyle begins datacenter systems degree JEHADU ABSHIRO News Writer jabshiro@smu.edu
CLAIRE KELLEY / The Daily Campus
Gordon Birrell sports one of his signature unusual ties during a discussion with his German Literature students.
which the university will recognize extraordinary achievements by its staff. The faculty is made up of more than 700 full-time professors, so it’s impossible to give each one a shoutout. The efforts of good teachers, however, do not go unnoticed by their pupils. Professor Mark Fontenot, for example, is a favorite among computer science students. Trevor Youngblood, a senior who decided to major in the field, appreciates Fontenot’s proficiency in teaching students who have no prior
knowledge of the material. “I went into his class knowing absolutely nothing,” said Youngblood, “and I came out confident in my programming abilities.” First-year JD Francis is another fan of Fontenot and values the way he makes himself accessible to his students. He’s had breakfast with the professor several times, and the first morning was particularly memorable. Fontenot’s students convinced the restaurant staff that it was his birthday. “They brought him out some
dessert and he was really mad at all of us,” Francis said. “And there was a balloon guy who brought [him] a balloon hat.” Fontenot isn’t the only professor who dedicates time outside his teaching schedule to students. History professor Jeremy Adams hosts a weekly teatime in his home. Senior history and philosophy major Ali Aenehzodaee calls Adams his history department mentor. He recalls a day during his freshman year when he went to Adams’s office
FACULTY page 4
Athletics
SMU will offer a new master’s degree in datacenter systems engineering in fall 2014. A typical student would have a bachelor of science in an engineering discipline, computer science or one of the quantitative sciences or mathematics. “This is a multidisciplinary masters degree program, first of its kind,” said Senior Associate Dean of Lyles Volkan Otugen. “This program puts Lyle School of Engineering at the cutting edge of datacenter engineering leading the world in this arena.” The program, opened to full-time and part-time graduate students, is available on the Dallas campus and through the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering’s distance education program. Current professionals in industry and government, as well as undergraduates in engineering, science, mathematics and business preparing to enter the field are expected to enroll. “This new MS degree program addresses an urgent need in datacenter industry by educating engineering
Lauren Castle Contributing Writer lcastle@smu.edu
Courtesy of SMU Pom Squad
The SMU Pom Squad heads to the NDA Collegiate Dance Championships to win a fourth title.
at Nationals. “Since we are doing jazz, it’s kind of something that everyone can get and can clean,” CoCaptain Emily Wolfe said. “It’s really fun and exciting to watch.” Derrick Schrader, a choreographer based in Los Angeles created SMU’s routine. At Nationals, the team will be judged on a variety of categories including technique, choreography, degree of difficulty and uniformity. Each category is worth 10 points. “We will have only those two minutes to prove to the judges that our artistry, technique and synchronization is among the best in the nation to earn a spot in the National Finals,”
MASTERS page 5
Congressman caught cheating ASSOCIATED PRESS
heavy competition. Some teams have dance majors. According to Todd, Meadows School of the Arts does not allow dance majors to be on the Pom Squad. Unlike SMU, a few of the schools in the division do not have basketball teams. This allows the teams to devote more time to practice. “We are competitive. If we go out there and put our best foot forward we will be competitive we can go to finals,” Todd said. Due to the open division, any dance style can be performed. Before the start of the season, the seniors on the Squad voted to perform a jazz routine
professionals and managers in a complex, highly technical and rapidly evolving industry,” Otugen said. “SMU’s datacenter systems engineering MS program will prepare professionals for leadership roles in this fast growing field.” According to the U.S. Department of Labor, at least four million workers currently are associated with datacenter operations, and that is expected to increase by 800,000 in 2016. That number will increase by an additional 2 million by 2018. Approximately 70 percent of these workers will have bachelor’s degrees or higher. Approximately 50 datacenters exist within the greater Dallas area. “Our society has become intimately linked to a variety of digital networks including social media, search engines, e-commerce, gaming and big data,” Dean of the Lyle School Marc Christensen said in a press release. “Data center design is a fascinating challenge due to the millions of dollars lost per second of outage.” The degree is built around five core courses that address the industry broadly, while offering
Nation
SMU pom squad competes in nationals The SMU Pom Squad does more than sideline dances. Fresh off from competing at the Collegiate Championship of the American Dance/Drill Team, the team is heading to Daytona Beach, Fla. After a two-year hiatus, the team will be competing at the National Dance Association Collegiate Dance Championship Wednesday through Sunday. Preparation for Nationals started in the summer. The first step was to qualify at the NDA Collegiate Camp. This will not be the first time the squad has competed at NDA. SMU is a three-time title-holder. The team won the Division 1A Open national title in 2006, 2008 and 2009. SMU was the first team to win a title in the division. The last time the Pom Squad competed was in 2011. SMU’s Coach Lori Todd believed it was time for the squad to focus on SMU and game days. “They have worked so hard at redefining who the SMU Pom Squad was,” Todd said. Only two members on the team have experience competing at NDA. “It is also extremely exciting for Emily and I to be able to share this experience with the other girls on the team,” Co-Captain Tracy Olson said. “We both competed our freshman year and their determination to compete and do well energizes us to finish our season strong.” At NDA, the Pom Squad will compete against 17 other college dance teams from around the country, and faces
Academics
Olson said. Before heading off to NDA, the team performed its competition routine for the SMU community. The team hoped to bring awareness to their hard work and dedication. “Since not a lot of people know the difference between Pom and Cheer, I think it is a good thing for them to see what we can do,” Wolfe said. “The fact that we are trying to make it such a big event is really important so that we get support from the people we are supporting all year.” After Nationals, the SMU Pom Squad will be holding tryouts for the 2014-2015 team April 26-27.
Republicans kept their distance Tuesday from a Louisiana congressman who asked for forgiveness after a newspaper published a video it says shows him kissing a woman who isn’t his wife. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said he was pleased U.S. Rep. Vance McAllister offered an apology. But Cantor declined to say whether he thought the Louisiana congressman should remain on the job, as the fall-out threatened McAllister’s November re-election. McAllister spokeswoman Jennifer Dunagin said Tuesday that the woman in the video, Melissa Peacock, “voluntarily resigned effective yesterday.” McAllister apologized in a statement late Monday pledging “to do everything I can to earn back the trust of everyone I’ve disappointed” after the video surfaced. The GOP congressman hasn’t returned calls from The Associated Press, and Dunagin didn’t answer questions about whether McAllister intended to continue his planned re-election bid. But in an interview with The News-Star, he said he’ll be on the fall ballot “unless there is an outcry for me not to serve.” The freshman lawmaker ran as a political outsider, noting he’d never been to Washington before he was elected to Congress. He relied on his own personal wealth and the national and local attention drawn to his election bid with an endorsement from the bearded men of the popular “Duck Dynasty” reality TV show. But he also ran on a platform of faith and family, raising questions about whether McAllister’s apology will be enough to
satisfy voters who supported his candidacy. Cantor, of Virginia, said McAllister’s constituents deserved the apology. He said he would “reserve further judgment” on the burgeoning scandal. The Ouachita Citizen posted what it said was Dec. 23 surveillance video from inside McAllister’s congressional office in Monroe, showing McAllister and a member of his staff kissing. The surveillance video was filmed just a month after McAllister won a surprise landslide victory in a special November election to represent Louisiana’s 5th District, covering the northeastern and central regions of the state. A political unknown only months before the campaign, McAllister managed to defeat the establishment candidate and presumed front-runner with little outside help and no heavyweight fundraising. Jason Dore, executive director of the Republican Party of Louisiana, wouldn’t answer questions about whether the GOP congressman should stay in office or resign. “We’re certainly disappointed in the news about Congressman McAllister. His family and constituents definitely deserved an apology, so we’re glad he issued a statement.” Dore said in an email. Joshua Stockley, a political science professor at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, said the video could generate election competition for McAllister. “Before this happened, crickets were chirping. No Democrats or Republicans were seriously looking at this race as a possibility,” Stockley said. “There are some names floating around now.”