INSIDE
SMU comes back, loses in triple overtime
Mental illness week begins
PAGE 2
Guns keep people safe
PAGE 4
Brown Bag Dance Series starts
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PAGE 6
MONDAY
OCTOBER 7, 2013
MONDAY High 82, Low 57 TUESDAY High 84, Low 59
VOLUME 99 ISSUE 21 FIRST COPY FREE, ADDITIONAL COPIES 50 CENTS
CAMPUS
Students show off talent ADRIANA FERNANDEZ IBANEZ
Contributing Writer afernandezib@smu.edu
As an SMU ambassador toured prospective students carrying the traditional SMU backpacks around the on-stage imaginary campus, the Southern guide, a Cali “dude,” and a British boy with his overbearing mother comically introduced the audience to the talent show’s performances. These were unexpected masters of ceremony but the bigger surprise was one of the winning acts. Dan Li won the individual category and the Southern Gentlemen won the group category of the 38th Annual Family Weekend Talent Show at the Caruth Auditorium Friday night. “It’s just great to be part of this group,” said Southern Gentlemen singer Vinnie Mahal, who recently became part of the group as a freshman majoring in vocal performance. He attributes his positive experience with fellow singers to their humor and support. The Southern Gentlemen were praised by screaming girls in the audience as they performed. The 20 male students danced and sang a cappella to Bruno Mars’ “Treasure,” but what the audience didn’t expect was the stand-up comedy act by Chinese student Dan Li. “I don’t care about the money. I just want to save $12 to get in,” said the first-year, as he joked about not wanting to pay for a ticket to the show after being awarded $400 for placing first. The 19-year-old filled the packed auditorium with laughter as he made fun of himself and how he has adapted to U.S. culture, stating that he wishes to represent the Chinese minority group and “share my life story” as this is what inspires his jokes. Li’s parents weren’t able to see his performance because they are in China but he was glad other parents attended. Visiting parents were entertained
REBECCA KEAY / The Daily Campus
The renovation of Fondren Library is expected to be completed in 2016.
Fondren Library gets second century makeover CHRIS COYNE / Rotunda Yearbook
The Mustang Mavericks perform at the 38th Annual Family Weekend Talent Show Friday night.
CHRIS COYNE / Rotunda Yearbook
CHRIS COYNE / Rotunda Yearbook
Senior Michael Saunders dances.
Julian “JSpear” Spearman performs at the Family Weekend Talent Show.
by the different acts presented throughout the Disney-themed night. Some were able to see their sons and daughters perform. Being part of the talent show 25 years ago, Maren Titmas had the opportunity to watch her daughter perform in it. “I was very proud of her,” Titmas said, describing how she felt about her daughter, Tori Titmas, performing with her fellow masters of ceremony, Elizabeth Galbraith, Joshua Kezar and Michael Saunders. Saunders also surprised those
who didn’t know about his talents as a dancer. He joined the secondplace winning dance. Performed by the SMU Hip Hop Crew, the dance was full of acrobatics and dramatics that mixed hip-hop with the Disney theme of the show. But the philosophy and Spanish double major didn’t expect to win anything. “The Hip-Hop Crew has only been a group for two weeks,” Saunders said. The winners of third place in the group category were the Mustang Mavericks with their country
dancing to “Sorority Girl.” The second and third places for the individual category were awarded to the piano performance of “Deep” by Julian “JSpear” Spearman, and Oakheart, who played “Golden,” an original piece. Other acts that received a favorable reaction from the audience were: “Roar,” by Uche Ndubiz, “Princess Diaries Waltz,” by the Ballroom Dance Club, “Mirrors,” by the Belle Tones, and “Awesome,” by the Voices of Inspiration.
STUDENT LIFE
MALLORY ASHCRAFT Food Editor mashcraft@smu.edu SMU parents stopped by Fondren Library Friday for an open house event to hear about the Central University Libraries’ renovation plans for the Second Century Campaign. The renovation of Fondren Library has a projected cost of $19 million and an estimated completion date of 2016. Plans for the renovation include the enhancement of group and individual study rooms, restoration of reading rooms, advancement of digital programs, preservation and expansion of print collections, new areas for public exhibits and a café. The renovations will facilitate learning by providing students with optimized spaces for studying, researching and working on projects. “There’s no question that you’re not just coming to the library to read books, you’re coming to work with your fellow students, to work on papers, to do group presentations and so on,” said Gillian McCombs, dean and director of the Central University Libraries.
Many of the ideas for renovations came from the Student Advisory Council, an open group of students who meet regularly with librarians to provide feedback, voice complaints and offer suggestions for improvements. One renovation that McCombs hopes will benefit students is the interior redesign of the study rooms. The currently existing rooms are so popular that they must be booked weeks in advance, but the interior renovation will create space for additional rooms. McCombs also emphasized the importance of the advancement of digital initiatives and technology upgrades at the library. “Our role is actually to be a technology leader,” said McCombs. “Things that we try to do today you cannot do without technology. Not a thing happens in a library without technology.” Nine-hundred thousand books in the SMU library collection are electronic. McCombs described the integration of books and technology in the library as a
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PROFILE
Students present Engaged Learning projects at symposium DIANA MANSOUR Contributing Writer dvmansour@smu.edu SMU’s Engaged Learning fall symposium attracted students, parents and staff to the HughesTrigg Student Center Forum last Friday to witness the students’ achievements with the program. “The projects are always very exciting,” said Kathleen Tibbetts, SMU Office of Public Affairs. “The program is still so young but it has produced so many exciting presentations and they seem to get better every year.” Presentations included graduate and undergraduate students from the University Honors Program, Richter Fellows, the Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility and the Engaged Learning center. The Engaged Learning program is taking knowledge to a different level. Students are exposed to a different classroom, the world. They are then forced to take what they learned in the classroom and use it to develop their research while at the same time learning from this new environment. The program is focused to make betterrounded students. Miller Walker, a senior French major, said the program helped
Courtesy of Paige Peterson Photography
Professor Martin Camp, Dean of Students at Dedman School of Law, teaches a class.
Camp brings international experience, law background to Faculty-in-Residence KATELYN GOUGH Assignments Desk Editor kgough@smu.edu ELLEN SMITH / The Daily Campus
Director of Engaged Learning Susan Kress talks with a student at the Engaged Learning fall symposium in Hughes-Trigg Friday.
him experience being a teacher to underprivileged children and helped him prepare for his future as a professor. He was able to show how the students’ self-esteem improved after just six weeks of learning French. Jordan Fields, a senior communications major, said Engaged Learning helped her get hands on experience developing
the Spanish Club communications strategy. It not only developed the club and helped them triple their membership but also created a solid approach that can be used by future students in the club. An Phan, a senior communications and Spanish major, said the experience with
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Editors’ note: In August 2014 SMU will debut the Residential Commons on-campus living model. Eleven Faculty-in-Residence were selected to live among students. This is part two of 11 FiR profiles. Martin Camp, Dean of Students at Dedman School of Law, has been announced as one of the Faculty-in-Residence program members to live in the new residence halls beginning Fall 2013. A graduate of the
University’s law school himself, with two of his three children also having graduated from his alma mater, Martin said the campus “being [his] home [once again] seemed to be the perfect combination.” Martin said his experience working in his field prior to becoming an adjunct professor and, now, the dean of students, provides him “perspective that’s a little different than an [undergraduate professor].” All resources combined, he believes it will provide students the best of opportunities. “I’m a little different from a lot of people in academia in that I was a lawyer for 25 years before I came
here to be Dean of Students,” Camp said. “None of the residents [next year] will be my students, but any of them may be interested in...what I teach now or what I lived when I was a practicing lawyer.” Camp, who has served as Director of the SMU Law Oxford program for the past two years, also “had the opportunities to be in residence during the summer” with that program. His international experience reaches beyond even that through some of his work as a lawyer, prior to returning to SMU. “When I was in my law firm...I
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