Volume 126 | Issue 9

Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014

The Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University

What’s happening at Sam ENFORCER, P.2

MUSEUM, P.3

PARKING, P.4

FOOTBALL, P.5

MAP, P.6

A look into the life of a student parking ticket enforcer

Enjoy a free visit to the Sam Houston Memorial Museum

Find out what students are saying about the parking situation on campus

Is Jared Johnson the right starter for Bearkat Football?

Look at how many parking permits are issued v. how many spots exist

Volume 126 | Issue 9

THE HEADL I N E S i n br i e f Compiled by Manny Jawa, web editor

/HoustonianSHSU

@HoustonianSHSU

@HoustonianSHSU

HoustonianOnline.com

TOO MANY PERMITS More permits have been issued by the Department of Parking and Transportation than there are parking spots, according to records obtained by The Houstonian. However, a new parking lot is in the works.

ISIS BEHEAD FRENCH NATIONAL

SITE Intelligence Group, a U.S. terrorism watchdog, reported yesterday that Jund al-Khilafah, an ISIS-allied extremist group in Algeria, released a video showing the beheading of Hervé Gourdel, a French mountaineer that was abducted earlier this week. The group threatened that Gourdel would be killed if France did not end its airstrikes against militants in Iraq within 24 hours. France, a member of the coalition aiding working to combat the ISIS threat, has been conducting reconnaissance flights over Iraq and was a part of a recent mission that took back control of the town of Amerli, Iraq. French President Francois Hollande, speaking to the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, said the attack would not affect France’s role in the fight against ISIS. The New York Times, citing Pentagon officials, reported the destruction of ISIS could take years to complete.

MY EDUCATION, MY VOICE

High school students from some schools in Jefferson County, CO. staged a walkout for the third straight day in protest of proposed curriculum changes. The walkouts started last week when some classes had to be canceled after numerous teachers staged a “sickout.” Since then students from as many as six schools have halted classes by leaving and protesting in the streets. The new curriculum proposed for Advanced Placement U.S. History (APUSH) classes by a majority conservative board would stress patriotism and American achievement while discouraging civil disobedience. The Texas Board of Education also rejected the national APUSH framework in favor of a state-mandated history curriculum.

Brynn Castro | The Houstonian

DOUBLE PARKED. Students’ cars (right) sit double parked in the parking lot across Avenue J from White Hall. Students often use this tactic to combat the lack of parking on campus. The university is working to get more parking on campus but is only net gaining approximately 100 spaces by summer 2015.

CONNOR HYDE Senior Reporter JAY R. JORDAN Editor-in-Chief LESLIE CORDOVA Staff Reporter

The Department of Parking and Transportation has issued 3,627 more registrations than parking spots, according to documents obtained by The Houstonian. Officials have said the parking scales have not tipped quite yet as the university is pursuing different solutions.

Traditionally, SHSU has issued approximately 2.2 parking registrations per available parking spot, according to the 2020 Campus Master Plan and McDaniel. However, this fall the ratio has swelled to 2.6 cars per spot.

Although Sam Houston State University has traditionally issued more registrations compared to the amount parking spots, Matt McDaniel, director of parking and transportation, said the growing ratio is “in troubled waters.”

McDaniel said the increase stems from a growing population of busier students.

“Not only is the growing population a concern now,” McDaniel

said. “People are staying longer after class, and it’s causing congestion in those areas.”

Currently, there are 2,605 available commuter parking spots, 2,077 residential parking spots and 1,042 faculty parking spots – 7,755 spots overall. However, 6,835 commuter registrations, 1,966 residential parking registrations and 1,465 faculty parking registrations – 11,382 registrations overall – have been issued as of Sept. 12, according to parking and transportation documents.

McDaniel said parking “can sometimes take a back seat” to university infrastructure improvements like new buildings and classrooms. Moreover, as the university continues to build with new buildings, the amount of parking spots have incrementally decreased, according to McDaniel. For example, 58 residential parking spots were available before the construction of the new Student Health Center in the north district. At the moment, there are 19 available parking spots within that lot.

“I believe the university knew we were going to grow. I don’t know if

it was known it was going to happen this fast,” McDaniel said. “It’s going to be a game of catch up as far as parking.”

Student Body President Spencer Copeland agrees with McDaniel but said population growth is not currently a problem for SHSU but is on the horizon if not addressed in the near future. Copeland has met with the Department of Parking and Transportation, University Police and University President Dana G. Hoyt to discuss parking on campus.

“The right people are aware of the situation,” Copeland said. “I think that we need to be cautious and look into how we expand population wise and infrastructure wise…because of the landscape, geography or politics it is difficult to keep pace with the population growth. That is not necessarily a major problem as of right now.

It could be in the next couple of years.”

With the exception of parking garage annual passes, there is not a limit of parking registrations issued each year. However, McDaniel said a cap on registrations could come

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS

The American Library Association released its list of most controversial books of the year earlier this week as a part of “Banned Book Week”. The “Captain Underpants” series topped the list for the second year in a row after being reported for containing “offensive language” and being “unsuited for age group.”

Other books on the list included “Fifty Shades of Grey,” “The Bluest Eye,” “Looking for Alaska” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”

SAMSUNG LAUNCH

Samsung’s curved edge Galaxy Note 4 will making its debut in South Korea on Sept. 26th and then launch in China before the end of September.

—

PARKING, page 6

Pirkle Building to break ground summer 2015

NEWSPAPER PHONE HACKING (NOT US)

Publishers of the Daily Mirror and the Sunday Mirror, Trinity Mirror Group, admitted yesterday that some of its journalists engaged in voicemail hacking. Trinity Mirror Group has set aside nearly $15 million to cover compensation and court costs. Four victims who were hacked have been confirmed, 19 claims are registered at the English High Court, and a further 10 alleged victims indicated their intentions to sue. The BBC reports that most of the alleged hacking occurred when Piers Morgan served as the Daily Mirror Editor.

in the near future. This semester prices of parking decals rose by 10 percent, according to McDaniel.

“This next year we’re really going to have to focus on that because we’re seeing the results of that,” McDaniel said.

NEW PARKING Planning for a new parking lot is underway, but concurrent construction could limit the net gain of parking spots.

“We’re building a brand new lot with [approximately] 450 spaces,” Al Hooten, executive vice president of finance and operations, said.

“We’re looking to try to complete it in phases so we can open up as much parking as we can as soon as we can. Now what’s being displaced is a number of existing parking spaces that are just north of what used to be the Richmond Apartments [where the new residential complex will be] and also the site where the Pirkle Building is going.”

The Texas State University System Board of Regents approved in May the expedited construction of a parking lot in SHSU’s south

LESLIE CORDOVA Staff Reporter

Brynn Castro | The Houstonian

FIGHT THE NIGHT. Lt. Jason Sullivan (center) with the Walker County Sherrif ’s Department shows off equipment used by their department at the UPD-hosted Bearkats Fight the Night event in Bearkat Plaza on Wednesday.

Greeks combat hazing stereotypes SEAN SMITH Campus Culture Editor Two sororities and one fraternity at Sam Houston State University have come together in hopes of bettering the name of Greek life during National Hazing Prevention Week.

Sigma Sigma Sigma, Phi Gamma Delta and Lambda Theta Alpha have worked together throughout the week to raise awareness for the act of hazing in Greek life across the nation, and will continue today and tomorrow.

Greek stereotypes are what National Hazing Prevention Week attempts to correct, according to Sigma Sigma Sigma vice president of operations True Hernandez.

“I think a lot of people are apprehensive towards joining Greek life,”

she said. “They think they will be hit or stuck in a trash or whatever TV and movies portray Greek life to be. We are about our philanthropies and our community service and brotherhood and sisterhood.

It’s not about being better that you or being more superior to you. It’s about being together.”

While the event is a national project, Hernandez said that spreading awareness at SHSU is Sigma Sigma Sigma’s main priority. “[Sigma Sigma Sigma] nationals is 100 percent against hazing,” she said. “It has its own program for it, and we’re trying to show that to the rest of the councils.”

While the three organizations are from different councils, Michael Gonzales, Phi Gamma Delta star packet, fundraising and financial chairman, said this presents a good opportunity for different

Greek groups to work together for a good cause.

“It’s good to have relationships with any Greek organization,” he said. “I think that Greek is Greek no matter what council you are in. We’re all here for the same reasons, to wear our letters proudly and represent our sorority and or fraternity. I think it’s a good thing that we can all come together and do an event to better the name of Greek life.”

Gonzales said that Phi Gamma Delta’s headquarters sent a representative to give an alcohol education and hazing class that helped members become aware of the issue.

“It’s not necessarily that it’s going on, but it’s to raise awareness so people understand that [Greek life] —

GREEK, page 6

The Fred Pirkle Engineering and Technology Center will be a new addition to campus with construction beginning mid-summer 2015, according to SHSU spokesperson Julia May. It will be located next to the Forensics Science building, in place of parking lots P24 and part of P26.

As for the Pirkle Building, it will have three floors. The first floor will be the engineering level, the second floor will be for agricultural programs and the third will be a graduate students and faculty area where students can go to seek assistance.

Talk of the technology building began a few years ago with alumnus Frederick Pirkle, founder of Therm-Omega-Tech, Inc. Pirkle graduated from SHSU with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial arts in 1970 and a Master’s degree in industrial technology in 1974.

Pirkle had a general background in engineering and technology and with those interests, wanted to create an environment to help other individuals go into the same field.

SHSU received a pledge agreement in the amount of $25 million from Pirkle for the construction of a technology building. This will cover the entire cost.

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/news | Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014

Page 2

A day in the life of a parking enforcement officer HANNAH ZEDAKER Associate Editor Among the crowded parking lots around the campus of Sam Houston State University, weaving in and out of vehicles are students dressed in highlighter-yellow tshirts who issue parking citations.

Although students at SHSU revel in the fact that they don’t feel like ‘just a number’ in class, where professors actually know them by name, the University Police Department parking enforcement student assistants are known only by their UPD-issued name during their shifts.

PC-7, a senior criminal justice major, is one of those students who has served as a parking enforcement student assistant since spring 2013. Per this student’s request, this article will refer to him only by his work name, PC-7.

As with many college experiences, PC-7 said he took a hold of this opportunity to better prepare himself for his future beyond SHSU. “I applied because I thought it would help me build experience working for a police department and also because I enjoy being outdoors and being active, not sitting behind a desk,” PC-7 said.

According to PC-7, the appli-

cation and interview process for working with UPD is very similar to that of any other job pursuit.

Applicants have three different options as far as what realm of enforcement they would prefer to work in: dispatch, parking enforcement or foot patrol.

“The police department is mainly looking for people who are trustworthy and a hard working,” PC-7 said. “Good grades, no police record and references obviously make a difference, too. I say trustworthy, because in this job I am not being monitored 24/7 by my boss.

So once I walk out the doors of the parking and transportation office, my boss is trusting that I will go out and do the job they hired me to do and do it well.”

PC-7 said he begins his typical work shift showing up 15 minutes prior to his shift to check out his gear which consists of a handheld for writing tickets and looking up vehicles, a printer for printing out tickets and a radio for communication with dispatch. This equipment costs approximately $6,000, according to PC-7.

Parking enforcement student assistants have no specific parking lot jurisdiction and cover every parking lot on campus, including those of dorms and other on-campus residences. The only parking facil-

ity the students do not patrol is the on-campus parking garage.

“Once I check out my gear, I head out to the parking lots and write tickets wherever I see a violation,” he said. “I am assigned to all areas on campus, so I try to make every day different by working the lots in a different order each day. From there, I just walk around looking for violations and issue tickets until the end of my shift.”

At any given time between 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., there are two to three parking enforcers patrolling the campus and looking for parking infractions. According to PC-7, an average shift for him consists of writing an average of 35-45 tickets. These tickets can be written for things such as parking with an expired permit, a permit that does not follow the parking lot’s color code, having no permit at all or even double-parking.

“It is hard to say which lot I write the most tickets in due to the fact that the number of tickets can vary each day in each lot,” PC-7 said.

“Although, I would say lately the stadium parking lot has been the largest producer of tickets. Most of the tickets I write are for no permit, which is a $40 fine.”

PC-7 said he has seen students —

OFFICER, page 6

Brynn Castro | The Houstonian

CITING. Parking enforcement student assistant PC-7, writes a ticket for a vehicle not in compliance with campus parking policy, during a patrol shift .

SGA approves homecoming budget for crown and more TEDDI CLIETT Staff Reporter

Jay R. Jordan | The Houstonian

CONFUSION. Senator Troy Ross (center) listens to Student Body President Spencer Copeland and Treasurer Samuel Iredia converse about Homecoming.

As Homecoming creeps closer, preparations for the crowning of King and Queen are in full swing.

Student Government Association approved the budget for a few homecoming must-haves Tuesday, like the tiara, crown, sashes, scepter and King and Queen pin set.

To cover all the items and allow for some financial leeway to cover unexpected costs like shipping or taxation, the budget is not to exceed $200.

In order for the orders to be placed, SGA must go through a bureaucratic process.

In the simplest of terms, first, the homecoming committee agrees on what should be ordered. Next, the president (or vice president, if the president is absent) and the

treasurer compile a budget for the needed items and present it to the senate. If the budget is passed and approved by Phyllis Barrett, administrative coordinator for the dean of students, SGA places the order.

SGA Treasurer Samuel Iredia, whose responsibilities include keeping an accurate record of all transactions wanting to be placed by members of SGA, signing off on the budget and overseeing the placement of the orders, explains what happens if the amount of money needed exceeds the predicted budget.

“SGA has a reserved budget called the [senate] discretionary which has money in the case of any unforeseen expenses that need to be allocated to any department, which will [then] be motioned and approved by the voting members, of course,” Iredia said. “[However,]

we have increased the budget for the homecoming departments, as well as various others, with the aim of having a substantial amount of work done.”

Last year’s homecoming budget of $2,000 was increased by 25 percent in order to allow committee growth and productivity.

“This year, we are striving to transcend previous years of budgeting and allocate more money towards who we work for, the student body, and much less to ourselves,” Iredia said.

If the opposite occurs and the budget goes over the predicted amount needed, the excess money goes back into the student discretionary fund to be used on other projects.

Homecoming festivities will kick off on Oct. 6 at noon in the Bearkat Plaza and will continue through Oct. 11.

Round table discusses employability ATF special agent gives career advice

HANNAH ZEDAKER Associate Editor

During a faculty roundtable Sept. 23, the president and provost of Sam Houston State University discussed the qualities they look for both in employees and in graduates.

The discussion was based off of the book “Creative Confidence”

by Tom and David Kelley, an article in Forbes entitled ’15 Traits of the Ideal Employee’ written by Ken Sundheim, and the IBM 2010 Global CEO Study: Creativity Selected as Most Crucial Factor for Future Success.

While University President Dana G. Hoyt and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Jaimie Hebert headed the roundtable, various faculty and staff including Student Body President Spencer

Copeland filled in the rest of the conference room with their questions at-hand.

Some of the questions addressed during the discussion included ‘what are the thoughts on personality traits as the key to hiring,’ ‘what attributions make someone effective as a faculty or staff at SHSU,’ ‘does creativity equal innovation,’ and ‘are there common values or attributes for SHSU graduates?’

“It’s one things to have the skills for a job, but there might be eight people that all have those same skills,” Hoyt said. “The biggest aspect in turnover is when people don’t have the same values, no matter how excellent they might be there still is that cognitive dissonance.”

Some of the results of using “creative confidence” include, but are not limited to, being more comfortable with uncertainly, having

the ability to leap into action, not resigning to the status quo, acting with greater courage and being more persistent in tackling obstacles.

Hoyt emphasized the importance of the interview process in applying for jobs and how certain personal values are a better fit for certain jobs. Other topics discussed related to values the administration of SHSU want to see in both their students and staff included, the changing demographic, the difference between introverts and extroverts and the culture that sets the university apart from others.

“Overall, I think we do a very good job of working to help our students,” Hoyt said. “I have lunch with about 25 students three times a semester and I’ll ask them ‘what do you like about Sam?’ or ‘why did you choose Sam?’ or ‘what would you change about Sam—besides parking?’ and what they like the most is that they feel like the faculty know who they are and are willing to help them and that’s not just once or twice, we hear that over and over and over again. Obviously, that’s a part of what the culture is here that might be different than somewhere else. It’s not one student here and there, it’s the big majority of students at those lunches.”

KIMBERLIN MOORE Contributing Reporter Criminal Justice students packed the Hazel B. Kerper courtroom in the Beto Criminal Justice Building of Sam Houston State University yesterday to get a better understanding of the on-goings of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from a firstperson point of view.

ATF special agent Alex Johny presented at the first “Real Talk with CJ” event of the fall semester.

During his speech, Johny discussed the agencies that make up ATF and gave advice to aspiring ATF agents in the crowd.

The mission of ATF is to enforce firearm laws and reduce violent crime. To accomplish this goal, the ATF is broken down into two bodies: Industry Operations Investigators, who conduct investigations and inspections to find suspects, and Special Agents who enforce criminal law that lead up to arrests.

The Arson and Explosives portion of ATF comes into play whenever an investigation is too big for a local fire department to handle. At that point, ATF will step in and as-

sist with the investigation.

According to Johny, agencies tend to work together when solving an investigation because each department plays a different role in solving a case.

“You may spend two years or more on the same case, but you can impact society whenever it’s solved,” Johny said.

Going into the criminal justice field, Johny said that he was stereotyped as being too small for the job and told he wouldn’t be able to do it. Despite that, he said there is a place for everyone that wants to be in ATF. “Anything you want to do, you can do,” he said. “Just put your mind to it.”

While criminal justice majors are in a competitive field, Johny gave students advice on how to effectively interview and apply for jobs. He encouraged them to develop their own brand to set themselves apart from the rest.

“You have to brand yourself and become your own biggest fan,” Johny said. “When you’re competing with everyone for the same job, you have to make sure you’re the best candidate that there is.”

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The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/campusculture | Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014

Page 3

Honor Society to pay tribute to late Robin Williams SAVANNAH WOODWORTH Staff Reporter The Delta Delta chapter of English honor society Sigma Tau Delta will pay tribute to the late Robin Williams Friday as they start a series of charity events scheduled throughout the semester.

The charity events involve a free screening of one of Williams’ films every month where the honor society will sell popcorn for $1. The money to be raised during the event will be matched by Sigma Tau Delta, and all proceeds will go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the charity Williams’ supported.

Sigma Tau Delta will screen “Dead Poet’s Society” Friday in the Evans Complex room 105 at 6 p.m.

“We have never done anything like this before,” Heather Robbins, Sigma Tau Delta’s president, said.

“We hope the entire Evans Theater

in room 105 is full, but 50 or so might be a more reasonable turnout. Everyone in the English [department] felt the tragedy of such a great loss when Robin Williams passed away. It was in this grief that we found ourselves redirecting our ideas for charity outreach.”

Stephanie Rodriguez, Sigma Tau Delta’s historian, recommended the idea of a fundraiser in Williams’ name on the chapter’s Facebook page.

“The SHSU motto that ‘the measure of a life is its service’ holds true to our society.” Rodriguez said. “We commit to various charity events every semester and this one seemed most appropriate.”

Faculty and students of the English Department have shown support and encouraged the fundraising effort.

“Good Will Hunting” will be shown Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. and “Good Morning Vietnam” will show Nov.

17, also at 6 p.m. Both will be screened in the Evans Complex room 105 and everyone is encouraged to attend.

Robbins also encouraged Bearkats to attend the Literary Masquerade/Fall Mixer on Oct. 31 and the Cards Against Humanities Game Night in early November.

Along with these events the chapter plans out reach out to the Good Shepherd Mission and SAAFE house to help register voters.

“These events are open to everyone, and we hope they provide an opportunity for fellowship and support of the craft,” Robbins said.

Sigma Tau Delta is an international English honor society, with their Delta Delta chapter present at SHSU. The group will hold a meeting Friday before the screening of “Dead Poets Society” at 5 p.m. in the Evans Complex room 105.

Creative Commons

Free Sam Houston Museum visit courtesy of Smithsonian PARBATTEE MAHARAJ Assistant Viewpoints Editor Just like Ben Stiller’s character in “Night at the Museum,” students at Sam Houston State University will have the opportunity to explore and learn about something that has significance to the small town of Huntsville … Minus the talking characters.

Sam Houston Memorial Museum will open to students and the general public for free as the museum is participating in the Smith-

sonian Magazine’s 10th annual “Museum Day Live!” on Saturday.

This occasion is a nationwide event with more than 1,400 museums participating. The free event is hosted by the Smithsonian Magazine in light of all Smithsonian Museums offering free admission all day, every day.

“We are excited to participate in this annual event,” Megan Buro, Sam Houston Memorial Museum marketing coordinator, said. “It is an opportunity for visitors to take advantage of free admission to the

museum to learn about Gen. Sam Houston and the legacy he and his family have left Huntsville and the United States.”

As the museum is part of the university, it is dedicated to preserving the memory of Sam Houston.

“The museum complex includes approximately 15 acres, including the main museum, which houses the major collection of Houston memorabilia; and two original, preserved Houston residences, the Woodland Home and Steamboat House, as well as a law office, kitch-

en, and other exhibit structures,” Buro said in a statement.

This will be the fourth year that the university participates in the event. The university originally started participating in the program thanks to former director Patrick Nolan, Ph.D. “I am continuing the museum’s participation in this program,” Buro said. It’s a great way to get the museum’s name out there.

One never knows [whose] interest you may pique. Someone may have been wanting to visit the Sam

Houston Memorial Museum, so this may encourage them to come to Huntsville.

According to Buro, there were more than 400,000 attendees at last year’s event. This year, the event is expected to break last year’s record with even more attendees.

Those who are interest must download a “Museum Day Live!” ticket, which is good for two people, through the Smithsonian website: Smithsonian.com/museumday. The museum is open from 9 a.m - 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Career fair attracts students to employers

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Catherine Stallard | The Houstonian

EXPO. Sam Houston State University department of career services hosted a career expo and graduate/professional school fair Wednesday in Johnson Coliseum. The event brought more that 120 organizations to campus and connected students to future employers. The career expo allowed current students to network with a multitude of businesses and post-undergrad programs. Graduate and professional school representatives from programs such as Baylor University, Rice University and The University of North Texas were present to meet with students.

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The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/viewpoints | Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014

Page 4

What students and faculty really think about parking

PAWS

up

The last thing we as students need to worry about is parking in order to make it to class. Unfortunately, the situation has become elevated and students and faculty members alike are speaking out about their parking adventures.

DHARMESH PATEL Viewpoints Editor Driving from lot to lot, circling like vultures and even stalking other students in a desperate attempt to find parking should sound familiar if you commute to campus and (take this with a grain of salt) take advantage of the ample on campus parking. The last thing we as students need to worry about is parking in order to make it to class. Unfortunately, the situation has become dire and students and faculty members alike are speaking out about their parking adventures.

The following questions were asked in order to get a better understanding of the parking woes on campus: Do you commute to campus?

Have you ever had a problem finding a parking spot?

How long have you searched for a parking spot?

Have you ever been late to or missed classed because you couldn’t find a parking spot?

Cassidy McCullen Mass Communications Senior “Yes, I commute to campus. I make it a point to arrive on campus 20 minutes before class, because I like to be early to get settled in and prepared for lecture. But on numerous occasions this semester, I have been late because of the lack of parking spots. I think that this is ridiculous for many reasons, but the most aggravating thing is that I paid to have an available parking spot on campus, therefore I should not have to spend 30 plus minutes circling the school. They CLEARLY gave out more parking permits than they have parking spots. That’s like selling 200 tickets on a plane that only has 100 seats.

“The worst situation I have had (thus far) would be when I arrived at school with almost 25 minutes before my 11:00 class, and at 11:20 I

still hadn’t found a spot. I’m talking ANY Green Lots (which my permit is for), general parking, parking garage...it was all taken. I ended up missing class completely for something I had no control over, and it’s obviously not an excused absence.

Basically, if you are going to continue increasing the number of accepted students, be sure that you have the right campus to do so.”

Candice Williams Marketing Junior “It’s absolutely horrible. The school needs to stop accepting so many people and tearing down so many parking spaces that students need. Stop selling so many parking passes if you know there is not enough for all the people. And the residents parking…they need to cut some of them to because obviously they are already here. I was actually late to class today.”

Alexis Reese Mass Communications Junior “I do drive to school and its extremely unpredictable. Every single day you never know if you’re gonna get a parking spot or not. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the busiest days at school so just getting here is ridiculous. Even the other days its a problem like to day I had to park

by Bowers [Stadium] and I barely found a spot. There is also a rumor going around that the president thinks the parking situation isn’t a problem and that she is actually tearing up a parking lot to build a new building and she wants to take away parking spots.”

Michael Condit Senior “It’s a little bit hard to find parking in the mornings. Normally it’s pretty packed. It can take up to 15 minutes of time or more to find a spot and its pretty frustrating and I’m usually about 5 to 6 minutes late to class. I see people constantly circling the parking lots trying to find a spot so I think they should definitely do something about it.”

Sandie Graves Criminal Justice Sophomore “I feel that it is very irritating because I’m always late to class because there is no parking. The school needs to come out here and actually see what’s going on.”

Corian Allen Marketing Freshman “I live on campus but I drive

to football practice in the morning and I have to find somewhere to park as far as going back to my resident building. I can only park in the blue lots and there is usually nowhere to park. I am late to class all the time and either you park illegally or you don’t make it to class on time.”

Irvin Anthony Cooks Political Science Junior “The parking places that are available on campus I can’t really park at because I don’t have the proper tags and most of the time they don’t really specify where you can and can’t park. There are no signs or tag requirements and I have gotten tickets for parking there. I have to drive around at least 3 times just to find a spot.”

Theresa Pitts Animal Science/Pre Vet Senior “If you get here past 8 its hard to find any parking near campus and it’s pretty much the same as me walking from my apartment. I circle about 30 minutes looking for a spot and I’ve been late to class.”

Janna Miller Animal Science Senior “I live 15 minutes away from school so I get here at 7-7:15 to school just to make sure I get a parking spot. I don’t have early classes but I come early just to get a spot because if I don’t then I’m circling 30 minutes to an hour and I’ve done it before. Its not fun.”

Kyssemee Bradley History/Mathematics Junior “I do commute to school. There’s like 200 parking spaces and 20,000 students. I circled the parking lots the other day for like an hour. I’ve been late and have missed class because I’ve couldn’t find a spot.”

Erica Camacho Biochemistry Senior “It’s terrible. Sometimes its takes like 30 minutes and I’ve had to miss class because I couldn’t find parking. You have have to circle the parking lot over and over and people get so aggravated. You have two people waiting for the same parking spot and nobody is willing to budge and I’m always running 5 to 10 minutes late. You don’t get that camaraderie that you’re supposed to have coming to school because everyone is already aggravated.”

Tre Smalls Accounting Sophomore

“Everyday of the week I have problems with parking. I’m always late to class. One time I had to circle around for 40 minutes to get a spot.”

Jennifer Murphy Pre Nursing Sophomore “I don’t commute to school because I live on campus but I have had issues with parking. Whenever I use my car its usually really hard to find an empty parking space and I’m constantly driving around looking for a spot. I work on campus and have been late and I have to call them and tell them that I’m looking for parking.”

Conner Graham Mass Communications “There’s just not a lot of spaces on campus especially in the afternoon.

I’ve spent 20 to 30 minutes looking for a spot and I have friends that have spent over an hour and even missed class.”

Marcus Rodriguez Mass Communications Senior “I commute from College Station so parking on campus is crucial. I’ve literally had a problem locating a parking spot every single day and I’m always running late to class and have even been counted absent because I was late to class.”

Alicia Cantchola Communication Studies Sophomore “I have to beg my roommates to drop me off at school every morning because trying to find a parking spot is a nightmare. I’ve spent 30 minutes driving around the lots and just gave up and ended up driving back home and walking to school. I’ve missed classes and been so late to class that it wasn’t even worth the time.”

Julio Medina-Lopez Spanish Professor Sam Houston State University “I don’t live far from campus but being a professor I have a lot of materials to carry with me. Not being able to find parking is a major problem and even as faculty we don’t have preferred parking.”

Cheri Hudgeons History Professor Sam Houston State University “I don’t normally have a problem with parking…I can always find a place.”

How to see signs of distress on campus

ABIGAIL VENTRESS Guest Columnist Early in the morning of Sept.

13, 18-year-old Hannah Graham was abducted in a seemingly safe and quiet college town that would appear strikingly similar to Huntsville. Despite its small-town, welcoming feel, Charlottesville, Virginia, has had at least four female students of the University of Virginia go missing since 2009 alone.

According to ABC Online, in 2009, the remains of Morgan Harrington, a female student who was attending a school concert prior to her abduction, were discovered on a Virginia farm and today no arrest has yet been made. Police are in-

vestigating if the disappearances are connected.

Following the disappearance of Hannah Graham, the university has increased patrols and expanded the hours of the late-night transportation service for students.

The University of Virginia should have already enforced top-of-theline safety after the first disappearance of a student. I think that a red flag definitely should have gone up after the first missing person incident and prompted the university to make security improvements immediately. It should not have taken five years, four missing students, and four broken families to finally make enough of an impact for the school to notice the security problem. Having a reputation for poor student safety, is not good for a university. Normally, a university would do everything in its power to rid itself of this damaging reputation.

Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr. was hired by the University of Virginia in 2012 with two assault charges along with several other convic-

Editorial

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jay R. Jordan ........................... 936-294-1505 STAFF Hannah Zedaker .................... Associate Editor Dharmesh Patel .................. Viewpoints Editor Jeremy Villanueva ...................... Sports Editor Sean Smith ................... Campus Culture Editor Manjot Jawa .................................. Web Editor

STAFF, cont.

Brynn Castro ................................ Photo Editor Connor Hyde .......................... Senior Reporter Lillie Muyskens .................. Graphic Designer Alex Broussard ............. Senior Photographer

tions. A university should not hire anyone with a criminal record, especially, to work with or around its students. Allowing a felon to work around college aged kids is asking for trouble. The University of Virginia should have paid closer attention to background checks and behavior of its employees. The university should feel a sense of guilt for not doing all that could have been done to prevent this.

Though Hannah Graham is not suspected to have been abducted on campus, there could have been a significantly lower chance of her abduction if the university had provided a service for its students accessible during her time of abduction. Late Wednesday afternoon, police arrested 32 –year-old Jesse Matthew in Galveston, Texas.

He is suspected of taking part in the kidnapping and is being transported back to Virginia.

SHSU students are fortunate to attend a safe university that offers a 24 hour escort service for its students without a reputation for having a large number of disappear-

Editor’s Note Subject matter in this newspaper and on www.HoustonianOnline.com does not reflect the opinion of The Houstonian unless otherwise noted. Staff editorials are subject to the approval of listed Houstonian staff members. For more information, call 936-294-1505.

Faculty Advisor Marcus Funk ......................... (936) 294-3553

ances. Also, Sam Houston provides easily distinguished emergency buttons all over campus in case of any emergency no matter the time.

Student safety should be top priority, especially, after gaining a reputation for missing females with no return. The University of Virginia should have updated its security and accommodated to the growing demands of society long ago. This incident could have simply been prevented if the University of Virginia had been considerate of its students’ safety.

I think students everywhere will be thinking more cautiously such as traveling in pairs, carry mace or pepper spray and being aware of their surroundings after hearing of Hannah Graham. There are services available where a student or faculty member can escort you safely to your dorm or car. My advice is to always be aware of your surroundings and take every precaution in order to prevent a situation such as that of Hannah Graham.

PAWS UP for last season’s TV shows are FINALLY on Netflix. Because I already didn’t have a hard enough time going to class …

Priorities.

PAWS UP to the Autumnal Equinox and the much cooler weather in Huntsville. I can finally pull out my UGGS and scarves.

PAWS UP to Museum Day on Saturday, September 27. The Sam Houston Memorial Museum will have free admission. Let’s be honest: we all love FREE things.

PAWS

down

PAWS DOWN to the AC blasting in all the buildings on campus. I like the cold, but I don’t want to freeze to death.

PAWS DOWN to the incredibly long lines at the LSC during lunch hour. I have skipped too many meals and must start packing my lunch for now.

PAWS DOWN to not getting a new iPhone. I’m still stuck with this old dinosaur. The Smithsonian called and wants to acquire my 5S as an antique.

Advertising BUSINESS MANAGER Paty Mason ........................... 936-294-1500 ADVERTISING MANAGER Stacy Hood ............................ 936-294-1495

ADVERTISING DEADLINES

ADVERTISING STAFF Advertising Executives ....................... TBD Joey Peters ....................... Delivery Manager

Tuesday’s issue ................. Friday at 2 p.m.

Thursday’s issue ............. Tuesday at 2 p.m.

Call for pricing.

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/sports | Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014

Page 5

SHSU struggles at QB, is Johnson best fit?

CANAAN CADWELL Staff Reporter

Alex Broussard | The Houstonian

THROWING. Sophomore Jared Johnson was named starting quarterback right before the season started. In his four games at starter, Johnson is 84 for 150 passing with five touchdowns and four interceptions.

Sam Houston State knew it would be an interesting season on the football field after losing fouryear starting quarterback Brian Bell.

The Bearkats haven’t had a smooth transition replacing Bell, as they enter Southland Conference with a 1-3 record.

SHSU saw two quarterbacks play in a blowout performance to Colorado State-Pueblo on Sept. 13 at Bowers Stadium. Quarterback Jared Johnson struggled against the ThunderWolves, and the Bearkats were forced to put in their sophomore backup quarterback Don King III during the second half.

Johnson completed 14-26 pass attempts with a total of 72 yards and failed to get the ball in the end zone. Conversely, King finished with five passes for 74 yards and a touchdown.

Even though King threw an interception, the Bearkats were able to move the ball more efficiently

CSUP upsets SHSU, snaps Bowers AMSHI STEPHENSON Staff Reporter Sam Houston State will travel to Beaumont for the first serve in Southland Conference play Saturday against Lamar.

The Bearkats finished 7-6 in preseason and are hoping to start SLC 1-0. The seven victories are the most wins for a SHSU volleyball team going into their league opener since 1994.

The Cardinals will host the Bearkats and are looking to get their first victory of the 2014 season after wrapping up the preseason with a 0-12 record. SHSU defeated the Cardinals 3-1 in the 2013 season.

“I believe we are a higher caliber team,” senior outside hitter Devaney Wells-Gibson said.

The Bearkats have three true freshmen and ten returning play-

ers, including Southland Player of the Year Wells-Gibson.

Currently, Wells-Gibson is ranked ninth in attacks per set, 13th in kills per set, 18th in points per set, and is ranked 13th in the nation in total attacks.

Both teams have powerful, game changing middle blockers including Lamar’s go to player Cortney Moore. Moore was ranked 13th in the Southland Conference in attack percentage, averaging 2.67 kills per set last season. She leads her team with 20 solo blocks.

SHSU sophomore middle blocker Shelby Genung had her career high 17 kills in the preseason victory over SLC’s Oral Roberts. Genung leads the team in blocks totaling 25, but she is the second leading scorer for the Bearkats with a total of 69 kills and 10 services aces.

The setters from both teams have

great track records. Lamar’s Ashley Ellis started as a freshman last season and the Bearkats’ Michelle Griffith got her start as a sophomore.

Ellis played in 33 sets last season and totaled 239 assists, averaging 7.24 per set. Griffith is ranked fourth in the league in assists with 370 in 38 sets for a 9.74 average.

Lamar is also led by junior middle blocker Cortney Moore, sophomore right-side hitter Chelsea Grant and sophomore outside hitter Autumn Taylor. In tournament play against Northern Arizona, Moore led the Cardinals’ offense with 19 kills losing in four sets. Taylor dominated the Louisiana Tech match with 17 kills while Grant added 14 kills to the scoreboard.

See more at houstonianonline.com/sports

with him in the game.

“I’ve should’ve made a decision earlier,” head coach K.C. Keeler said at the press conference after the CSUP game.

The Bearkats gave up eight sacks against CSUP, but Keeler did not blame on his offensive line. Johnson was slow to get rid of the ball in the pocket.

Some Bearkat fans were pleased when King III took over the snaps but think starting him would be a stretch. Moreover, they would at least like to see him on the field more often.

“As bad as Johnson has been, it would be nice to see King III get some looks,” alumnus Tim Jeske said. “Split playing time and who does best, roll with them until we get someone solid. Quarterback play is a huge concern, one of many.”

Junior kinesiology major Jaylon Ross was happy to see Johnson replaced against CSUP and hopes to see him get more playing time.

“King III should be the starting quarterback because the offense has more of a rhythm when he

was in the game,” Ross said. “Even against LSU, even though they were down by many, the offense was just clicking on all cylinders.”

Bearkat fans have seen good and bad flashes from their starting quarterback in Johnson, especially in a huge Alabama State victory when he threw for 386 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions.

However, Johnson only has that one win under his belt after four games.

Redshirt freshman John Roderique has also been tossed into the conversation for taking the Bearkats’ snaps. Before the season, he looked like a dangerous threat for the starting role.

During the CSUP game, fans tweeted about wanting Roderique seeing playing time.

All three quarterbacks have taken snaps with the first time. Still, Johnson is the probable starter for Saturday’s Southland Conference kickoff against Lamar in Beaumont.

Nelson shoots first win, SHSU ends second JEREMY VILLANUEVA Sports Editor Sophomore Paige Nelson has been an elite golfer for Sam Houston State, but she lacked one accomplishment at SHSU: first place individually at a tournament.

At the Fred Marx Invitational in Monroe, La. on Tuesday, that all changed. Nelson earned her first individual win as a Bearkat, leading SHSU to a second place team finish only four strokes behind host team Louisiana Monroe.

“Winning my first tournament opens a flood gate of many more wins to come,” Nelson said. “This is only the beginning.”

Nelson shot a season and career best in the second round at the Bayou Desiard Country Club with

a score of 70. The two-under par performance was her career best.

She completed the tournament Tuesday shooting a 73 third round, finishing four strokes ahead of second place ULM’s Ines Fend.

“There was no doubt in my mind that I couldn’t win,” Nelson said. “I went to the tournament with the mindset that I was going to win. I knew I could do it, all I had to do was be patient.”

The Bearkats finished ahead of Southland Conference opponents Houston Baptist, Central Arkansas, Stephen F. Austin, McNeese State and Incarnate Word.

SHSU returns to the course next Monday at the Oral Roberts Shootout in Tulsa, Okla. at the MeadowBrook Country Club.

See more at houstonianonline.com/sports

Lillie Muyskens | The Houstonian

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/news | Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014

Page 6

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PARKING, page 1

district that would ultimately accompany a new dorm facility. Multiple university officials have said the lot’s construction was sped up to accommodate parking spots lost to new building projects in the works.

However, other projects will simultaneously reduce the amount of spots gained.

According to TSUS documents, the South Residential Complex will consume approximately 230 existing parking spaces across Avenue J from White Hall once construction begins in February 2015. Doug Greening, associate vice president for facilities management, said the Fred Pirkle Technology Building will consume 134 existing parking space as well once construction commences in summer 2015. This means that while approximately 450 new parking spots will be constructed, the university will only have a net gain of approximately 100 spots by summer 2015.

“We know parking is an issue,” Hooten said. “We are trying, overall, in our Master Plan, to move parking out of the interior campus and put it in the exterior, primarily for safety. There are too many students walking across streets.”

Hooten said most of the university’s construction efforts, other than the new parking lot, will take place next spring.

“Enrollment will be down in spring semester, so the demand of parking will be less than it is here in the fall,” Hooten said.

“It’s pretty tight right now. We’re trying to start the parking lot as quickly as we can for it to be completed. So the pressure will not —

GREEK, page 1

isn’t what TV has made it out to be,” he said.

“We’re just here trying to better ourselves and trying to grow.”

While the national awareness program lasts only a week, Gonzales said that haz—

OFFICER, page 2

trying to get away with a lot of things regarding parking including trying to make their own parking permits, duct-taping parking permits to windshields to allow easy transfer from vehicle to vehicle, and even using old tickets to try to avoid getting issued a new one.

This semester is the first time parking enforcement student assistants were issued personal t-shirts instead of communal vests to wear during their shifts to enhance their visibility and ensure their safety. PC-7 said although this is more comfortable and sanitary, especially in the Texas heat, during the winter, the visibility of the t-shirts may prove to be difficult feat to overcome.

“I enjoy the outdoors, so to me the best part about my job is being able to work outside and walk all around campus,” he said.

“One of the worst parts about the job is having to work in bad weather conditions.”

Like any job, being PC-7 has both its pros and cons.

“People at Sam Houston are typically

be as significant as it is right now, and by fall 2015 everything will be in place as far as the new parking lot being totally completed.”

Greening said they are hoping the parking lot construction can commence in October, although no date has been announced.

OTHER RESOURCES In the meantime, McDaniel said the university is also studying converting some spaces in residential parking lots to include commuters.

“We’re working on a search program, there are a couple of resident lots – Ravens Village and Bearkat Village – where we’re seeing around 45 to 50 spaces that aren’t being used,” McDaniel said. “We always want to see 100 percent usage in our lots. If that doesn’t change we’re going to open those up to community usage.”

McDaniel said he is looking to partner with different groups to develop alternative options to driving on campus. Of the options, Rideshare – a carpooling program – has been discussed extensively. The program would allow students to carpool with other students to and from campus.

“What we’re trying to do is come up with a carpool permit program to where if you are making that dedication to minimize the amount of cars on campus we’ll have a reserved spot waiting for you,” McDaniel said.

Currently, students who live in certain off-campus apartments have shuttles provided by the complexes getting to and from campus. McDaniel said the apartment shuttles “have been a relief to us.” ing is never tolerated and he hopes students start doing research on Greek life at SHSU. The groups will have a table in the mall today and tomorrow from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

For more information on Greek life at SHSU, visit www.shsu.edu/greeklife. very friendly,” PC-7 said. “But occasionally someone will shout out obscenities to me and call me names when they drive by. That is not common and doesn’t really bother me, because those are normally the ones who got tickets for failing to buy a permit.”

Like many students and faculty on campus, one of the biggest concerns of PC-7, as both and student and an SHSU employee, parking is one of his biggest concerns.

“I feel it is important for faculty and staff to follow parking protocol, because parking incorrectly on campus, like in a no parking zone, is a safety hazard and could cause problems in the event of an emergency,” he said. “Also, when people park on campus without a permit, or park in the wrong lot, they are taking spots away from those who did pay for a permit and deserve to get the spot they paid for. My main suggestion is to just get a permit and park in the lot designated for that color. If you have a permit, park in the correctly colored lot, and park within the lines. You can easily avoid getting a ticket.”