Vol 120 | Issue 4
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Publishing since 1913
Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University
Library considers moving to 24-hour system, pg. 3
Visit us on Facebook: “The Houstonian SHSU”
Women sweep UTSA, pg. 7
INDEX Viewpoints ....... pg. 2 A&E ................... pg. 5 News .................. pg. 3 Sports................. pg. 7
From Hollywood to Piney Woods CONNOR HYDE Contributing Reporter Burning incense masks the aroma of disinfectants and A&D ointment. Rob Zombie booms from the stereo system obscuring the insidious buzz of the tattoo gun. Skin, blood and ink needled into permanent artwork are only admired once by the artist before their masterpiece walks out of the studio. Gerald Theiler may be old school but he has surgical precision with a tattoo gun. Theiler’s reputation was molded by tattooing at major conventions throughout the United States. Musicians such as Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee are just pocket change to the celebrities that Theiler has had the privilege of working on. Bands such as the Dangerous Toys and Korn are just pages and photos in his extensive portfolio. “It was circumstance,” Theiler said. His work with celebrities came with the opportunity of demonstrating his tattooing ability. Dabbling in acrylics and oil paints, Theiler began his career as a teenager from Galveston experimenting with different
mediums of paint. “I’m completely self taught” Theiler said. “I’m self educated when it comes to art technique.” His artistic style developed and expanded as a tattoo apprentice. He apprenticed for two years under a student of Bert Grimm; a pioneer artist from St. Louis that renovated and developed the traditional style of tattoo in the early twentieth century. Theiler started his apprenticeship scrubbing grimy toilets in the back and earned his way to designing his own tattoo pieces. “I was the shop bitch... the low man on the totem pole,” Theiler said. “It teaches you everything in the industry”. Outside of his apprenticeship, Theiler intensively studied Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body after long nights of toilet scrubbing. He strove to understand the muscle structure and skin textures of the human anatomy to become adaptable under different circumstances a tattoo artist may face. As an artist outside the tattoo industry, Theiler’s personal style developed and embellished into bold statements parallel to Grimm’s traditional style of
Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian
TAT IT UP. As an artist outside the tattoo industry, Theiler’s personal style developed and embellished into bold statements parallel to Grimm’s traditional style of bold lines and powerful colors. Theiler interprets modern images and events then composes them into artwork both haunting and elegant.
bold lines and powerful colors. Theiler interprets modern images and events then composes them into artwork both haunting and elegant. Theiler settled in Huntsville early in the millennium. The quiet coziness of Huntsville’s country side and homey atmosphere attracted Theiler to found his own tattooing business. In 2003, Theiler opened shop to
the Yellow Rose Tattoo Studio on Sam Houston Ave. He and his staff are dedicated to producing tattoos as an art form while enjoying the freewheelin’ motorcycle lifestyle. In their nine years of service, Theiler’s studio has won awards at conventions throughout the past five years and has employed talented and respectable artists. Recently Theiler enjoys his career in quiet solitude. Cruising in on his Harley and
Local club sues city Shenanigans, Tarvin claim police cause loss of revenue STEPHEN GREEN Editor-in-Chief A lawsuit against the City of Huntsville currently in a U.S. District Court alleges the Huntsville Police Department violated civil rights violations and led to a loss of business at Shenanigans, a nightclub in the city. Darrell Tarvin and D&S Entertainment, operating as Shenanigans, is suing the Huntsville claiming that Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment violations by the Huntsville Police Department led to a “legal debt and damages due….by reason of systematic abusive actions,” the lawsuit says. Former Police Chief Allwin Barrow is also listed as a defendant
individually for his role in the allegations. “[The city] engaged in conduct to shut down [Tarvin and D&S Entertainment’s] business concern,” court documents say. “[The city] employed a ‘full court press’ to cause [the] business to suffer materially. The defendants, by their actions caused… customers and patrons to stop patronizing [the]…business causing a loss of income.” In February 2011, Tarvin sent a letter to the city requesting more than $285,000 for alleged civil rights violations that came after Shenanigans was shut down for a wook to investigate after the Dec. 30 stabbing of John Wayne McCrary, according to a Feb. 16 article in the Huntsville Item. “Through embellished information, my client’s business was wrongfully shut down for a week, causing financial losses as well,” Huntsville attorney Bennie Rush (who represented Tarvin at the time) said in the article. “Thereafter, the full court press was instituted and patrons were harassed and driven away by the Huntsville Police Department.” William Helfand, attorney
opening his studio in the early evening to enjoy a cup of coffee while sitting in his barber chair, Theiler enjoys the peaceful pace that Huntsville moves at. Theiler is the owner and lead tattoo artist at his studio. Monday’s and Wednesday’s they are open 4 p.m. to midnight. Tuesday’s as well Thursday’s through Saturday’s the studio is open 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Sammys nominations open to public MISTI JONES Senior Reporter
Meagan Laurie | The Houstonian
UP TO SHENANIGANS. Shenanigans is a club in Huntsville frequented by locals and Sam Houston State University students.
representing the city, said he doesn’t think Tarvin has a case against the city. “It’s not at all inappropriate for the police to charge someone who is breaking the law,” Helfand said. “If anyone that is a patron
of the bar is found to be violating the law, they are subject to being charged with the crime and fully prosecuted by the court system.” The parties will hold a conference on May 2, 2012 to discuss the specifics of the case.
The 18th Annual Sammy Awards, the university’s official student awards ceremony, will be held April 11 at 6 p.m. in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center’s Payne Concert Hall. Sam Houston State University and the Department of Student Activities will host the event to recognize and honor the campus’ finest student leaders, organizations and their advisors. All university students, faculty and staff are permitted to go online and fill out a nomination form for students to win these awards before 5 p.m. on February 6. However, the students nominated must have at least a grade point average of 2.5 and must complete the required number of hours for their classification. A total of 25 awards will be bestowed upon individuals chosen by a committee. “There are 13 committee members including representatives from each of the six dean’s offices of each college,” — SAMMYS, page 3
SGA considers abandoning Homecoming election responsibilities to focus on students’ daily concerns AMANDA MORGAN Contributing Reporter Every year, the Student Government Association (SGA) sends out a Homecoming election email to the more than 17,000 students attending Sam Houston State University (SHSU). Included in this email are the names, pictures and brief description of all of the candidates for both SHSU’s Homecoming king and queen. A couple of bills are usually attached below the candidates
information, in order to let the student body voice its opinion on certain ideas or topics. Unfortunately, this next Homecoming, there might not be an election email sent to students from the SGA. Recently, there has been discussions about halting the election tradition and handing it off to another organization. Joseph Le, College of Business Administration Senator and Technology Committee Chairman for SGA, explained SGA’s intentions and reasons for wanting to drop the annual elections.
“SGA wants to pass along the large portion of the responsibility to Student Activities” he said. “They have more resources to perform the Homecoming duties”. T h e Homecoming elections have been a significant part of the duties of the Student Government for many years.
Le assures that the Student Government has good intentions regarding the forfeit of most of the Homecoming duties. “ We ’ r e passing the duties along so that SGA can concentrate on the day-today concerns of the student body,” he said. No physical bill, concerning
“We’re passing the duties along so that SGA can concentrate on the day-to-day concerns of the student body....”
the removal of SGA from having majority control over the Homecoming election duties, has been put into writing; the notion has only been discussed between the members of the Student Government. It will be interesting, however, to see what will happen if talking leads to any action happening in bringing a bill, that hands over control of the Homecoming elections, to life.
Viewpoints
Page 2 Tuesday, January 31, 2012
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I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks Williams, Fritz thank everyone who supported the football team
Bobby Williams Athletic Director
V
ince Lombardi once said, “The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.” Our accomplishments on the field are certainly attributable to the hard work of our players, coaching staff, trainers and equipment personnel, athletic
department and university administration, including the support of President Dr. Dana Gibson. The accolades bestowed on our entire team are well deserved. An undefeated regular season, undisputed Southland Conference Championship and an NCAA Championship appearance are big time achievements. However, the seeds of success were planted much earlier and there are many people to thank. We’d specifically like to thank the student body for turning out with unprecedented support. The energy you delivered matched the intensity on the field of play and gave us that home field advantage we’ve long strived to reach. The life you brought to Bowers Stadium was incredible and equal to any
in the country. The pictures of our orange clad and boisterous crowd delivered by ESPN to a national television audience not only made you feel proud to be a Bearkat, but made a statement that this is a program to be reckoned with. We look forward to building on the good work we’ve started together. Our mission is to transition from a competitive football “team” to a “program” that challenges for conference championships and post season play year after year. This mission includes you. Positive energy breeds positive energy and when the student body brings it, trust us, it makes a difference. The team notices, recruits notice and once in a while the whole nation takes notice. We look forward to
To orange...
Daniel Becker wants students to support our athletes
H
the playoffs instead of silly bowl games). Division I means that athletes on our teams are some of the absolute best throughout the country. Don’t believe me? Check out their bios on gobearkats.com. You will literally find hundreds of all-district, all-state and MVP high school or junior college accolades. So when you go out and watch the Kats compete you are watching a very high level of collegiate athletics. And the best thing about all this? Because the athletic fee supports athletics, students are season ticket holders to all SHSU sporting events. Meaning that with a valid student ID, you can get into any sporting event you want for FREE! I don’t know about you but I LOVE free. Try asking a UT or A&M student about free… And let’s talk about seats and being close to the action. You, for free, can sit in places every game that students of other schools would pay hundreds for. Now I know some of you are skeptical. You think that because the Bearkats aren’t on ESPN every day they can’t be worth your time. I was skeptical too. As a freshman I didn’t go to very many games. Then I decided to try it out and I got hooked. I think you will to if you give it a try. If you love sports, there’s probably something for you. I don’t know if you heard but our football team just went 14-1, making it all the way through the playoffs to some game or another (note sarcasm). Our men’s basketball is the second winningest Division I team in Texas over the last ten years. Baseball has won the Southland Conference Tournament three of the last five years. Soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball and softball have become perennial contenders in the conference tournament. Bowling made the national championship in their first season. Track and Field has won seven conference titles in the last ten years. Do I need to go on? I think you get my point. Find out when teams play, and lots of other information, on gobearkats.com. Don’t have anyone to go with or want to stand up and cheer the whole time? Get linked up with the Kat Krazies, you’ll enjoy it. Thanks for taking a few minutes to read my thoughts and kudos if you read the whole thing. I hope to see you out there and remember, take off the t-shirt! -Daniel is a mass comm major.
Senior Morgan Davis took second in the pentathlon with 3,494 points, the fourth best finish by an SHSU athlete ever. Women’s basketball team sent UTSA out of the SLC with 2 losses.
... or not to orange? Jessica Furdock thinks the incentives on spirit Friday aren’t enough
E
very Friday is Bearkat Spirit Friday, yet you don’t see swarms of people in orange on campus like you would expect. It is widely known that you are supposed to wear orange at the end of the week, but students don’t seem to be doing it. So why aren’t students wearing orange? According to the Sam Houston website, the purpose of Bearkat Sprit Friday is “to encourage students, faculty and staff at SHSU to wear Bearkat apparel every Friday in support of SHSU.” In addition, Student Activities hand out various items to students in Sam Houston apparel on certain Fridays. My first year at SHSU I would try to wear orange every week in hopes
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of getting something for free. To my dismay, that never happened. After three years, I have never seen this group handing out items or have known anyone to get any. Slowly over time, I wore orange on Fridays less and less until I stopped completely. After talking to a few students, the most answered reason for not wearing orange was that they lost interest because it didn’t seem like a ‘big thing’. Although it is known and encouraged to wear orange, students seem to need a bit more incentive to continue showing their spirit throughout the semester. Loss of interest isn’t the only factor in why orange isn’t being worn. Fridays have fewer students on campus due to not having class or simply skipping. Other reasons include, needing to dress up for a class or meeting, not having any clean SHSU shirts, or just not looking good in orange. These reasons could account for the lower than majority of students participating. Even though students know to wear orange on Bearkat Spirit Friday, some just need a different or bigger push to follow through and support Sam Houston by wearing orange. -Jessica is a mass comm major.
The individual opinions on the Viewpoints page are not necessarily affiliated with the view of The Houstonian or SHSU. The Houstonian is published semi-weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is a news publication of Sam Houston State University, a member of the Texas State University system, and is produced by students. It is self-supporting and welcomes all advertisers. Those interested in placing ads or classifieds should call 936-294-1495. The Houstonian is a member of the Associated Press and the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.
Karmen King
zbirdsong@houstonianonline.com
and in the community. This was one of those very unique times where everything seemed to work in unison towards the greater goal. We believe this is the just the beginning of an exceptional era for our university and our community. We look forward to building something special here in Huntsville and we look forward to building it together. Thank you.
We’re Number 2! Wait, what? Who really wants a t-shirt telling everyone we lost?
Editorial Staff
kking@houstonianonline.com
Willie Fritz
Head Football Coach
The Women’s Professional Soccer League had to suspend operations while the sport is on the upswing in the States due to financial problems.
All comics courtesy Creators.com
ey Bearkats, my name is Daniel Becker and I’m a 5th year senior here at SHSU hopefully graduating in May. I’ve seen a lot of Sam Houston through the years and I hope you’ll take a moment of your time and let me make two polite requests of you. First, PLEASE “take off the t-shirt”. Yes, I’m talking to you Mrs. UT shirt walking across campus. And you Mr. I wear an A&M baseball cap every day to my History class. I’m talking to any SHSU student who wears another college’s apparel on campus. Before most of you freak out on me, let me clarify. No, I’m not asking you to throw away a perfectly good t-shirt or cap or whatever and no, I’m not asking you to stop rooting for the team you’ve been cheering for since you were three. What I am asking, NICELY, is that you don’t wear that stuff on campus. Let me tell you why. There are people on this campus working their butts off to represent YOU, yes YOU, the students and facility of SHSU. How do I know? For the last two plus years I have worked for the SHSU Athletic Department and seen it happening all year round. Whether it’s the cross country team waking up at 4:30 a.m. to run 10 miles, the volleyball team weightlifting at 5:30 a.m., the football team spending hours breaking down tape from other teams and figuring out a way to go 1-0, or countless other examples, athletes here are doing all this plus dealing with the normal stresses of college life. Then those hardworking people have to walk across the same campus you and I do every day and see far too many people wearing clothing from another school. Can you put yourself in their shoes? Try to imagine that you’re working your absolute hardest to improve yourself and your team every day, then going to class and seeing yours peers representing another school that you’ve probably had to compete against. It’s just disrespectful to their effort. I’m not saying that is anyone’s intention, but it’s true nonetheless. Even if you don’t care about sports I’m asking you to respect that, our athletes’ hard work. Second, if you’re a sports fan, you should check out the Kats! I’d like to take this opportunity to clear something up. The Bearkats compete in Division I athletics in ALL SPORTS with football competing in the FCS (meaning they can make
building this program together and, above all, thank you for your support during this special time. We’d also like to thank the cities of Huntsville and Conroe who stepped forward to aid with financial contributions that assisted us in making it possible to secure the bid to host three home NCAA Division I Football Championship playoff games and allowing us to provide a discount ticket to our student body. This was uncharted territory for Sam Houston athletics. Thank you also to our alumni, faculty & staff, fans, corporate partners and donors who assist in funding and supporting our program. It was an extraordinary year on the field, at the box office
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Page 3 Thursday, January 31, 2012
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Google makes changes to search engine Changes anger other social network sites
Photo courtesy of google.com
GOOGLE YOU. The new personal search engine that shows all of the search history for the user signed into Google, is now available when a user activates it.
FELICIA ERNEST Contributing Reporter Google has launched a new personal search engine feature called “Search Plus Your World” that incorporates and features results from its own Google+ social network in users’ results, signifying the Internet giant’s growing competition with other social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Twitter and a growing chorus of online privacy advocates responded harshly to the new feature, saying that Google has going too far. The new personal search engine allows users to integrate their Google+ photos, update their status and post, and use the follow feature. When a user who has activated the new feature performs a Google search, not only will the
regular search results appear but data from his or her Google+ account will be used to tailor the search results. Twitter, the popular microblogging site, issued a statement of concern about Google’s new feature, saying that Twitter’s strength for breaking news will be undermined. “We’re concerned that as a result of Google’s changes, finding [breaking news] information will be harder for everyone,” Twitter officials said via email to blogger MG Siegler. “We think it’s bad for people, publishers, news organizations and Twitter users.” Others warned that Google’s new feature is an invasion of privacy. Patrick Dixon of globalchange. com said that many users do not want to have their search history stored at all because of privacy concerns, while the Electronic Privacy Information Center said it may complain to the FTC about potential privacy and anti-trust concerns. Google responded to Twitter’s complaints by pointing out that Twitter didn’t renew its agreement with Google to display Twitter results using its Google Realtime search results feature.
SGA senator pushes 24-hour cycle on library
Holder said. MOLLY WADDELL According to Holder the four-acre Associate News Editor building would cost too much to keep A senator in Sam Houston State University’s Student Government open all day for study purposes. Due to Association is trying to change the library health codes, the library cannot just open one room because then there would be no to a 24-hour system. restroom available. Shane Rankin, a senator “In order to keep the for SGA, has asked that the library open 24/7 we would Newton Grisham library go understand the also need more people to to a 24 hour system. VP & “I work,” Holder said. “[That] Provost of Academic Affairs need for a quiet leads to more money, which Jamie Hebert said during the Jan. 24 meeting that place to study, but could eventually lead to a raise in tuition.” they will temporarily open there must be an Holder believes if the the library for 24- hours library should be spending during finals week. alternative” more money, it should go During this time, Hebert towards resources. told Rankin, the library will “I understand the need study the traffic and make for a quiet place to study, an assessment from there. -Holder but there must be an “Based on current alternative,” Holder said. “I statistics of students who honestly don’t know where that would be on leave between 11 a.m. and 1 a.m. there is not a need for a 24-hour system,” Ann Holder, this campus.” San Antonio College, at 20,000 students director of library services said. does not have a 24-hour library, while Holder said when this issue first came Rhode Island University, at 15,000 students up last year before Thanksgiving break, few students were leaving between 11 p.m. and does use a 24-hour library. Library hours currently are Mon-Wed midnight. 7:30 a.m. - 1 a.m., Thu 7:30 a.m. - 12 a.m., Holder said that there are resources online Fri 7:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., that it should make it easy for students to sit and Sun 2 p.m. – 1 a.m. at home in their desk and do research. “All but one database is open 24/7,”
Meagan Laurie | The Houstonian
LONGER HOURS. The library recieves students every day but the director of library services thinks it is not enough to stay open for 24 hours.
SAMMYS,
UPD Update January 30, 2012
block of Sam Houston Avenue for the Class C Officer was dispatched to Misdemeanor Offense of January 26, 2012 2401 Montgomery Road Public Intoxication by a (Bearkat Village parking Minor. Officer spoke with area) at 11:41 a.m. in complainant, via reference to a reported January 27, 2012 telephone, at 3:18 PM damaged vehicle. Upon who stated that individual arrival, officer met with Officer responded to the attempted to have a key complainant who reported 1800 block of Avenue produced that belonged to that his vehicle suffered I at 1:09 a.m. (near the the University. It should damaged while it was LSC) in reference to be noted that the key is legally parked. Damage an intoxicated female. not made to be duplicated. consisted of a dent and Upon contact, the officer The complainant provided scratches to the right front noted that the female the department with key fender and bumper area. was vomiting and largely and suspect information. unresponsive. Walker A copy of the incident County Emergency report will be forwarded January 29, 2012 Medical Services were to the Department of A female university summoned to the scene Residence Life for review. student (age 20) was and the female was arrested in the 2500 transported to the hospital for further evaluation.
~12th Class Day~ Feb. 2 is the 12th class day.
It is the last day for students to drop without a “Q”, and recieve a 100% refund. It is also the last day for students graduating in May 2012 to file their degree applications.
page 1
Associate Direct of Student Activities, said. “When students or organizations are nominated, they give us information and answer questions we give them. We send this information to the committee and take off the names so the committee won’t show bias. The committee then reads through the candidates and makes decisions. We come together and ultimately decide the winners.” Each year, selective individuals and organizations are designated awards such as “Outstanding First-Year Student”, “Outstanding Social Sorority” and “Outstanding Cultural Organization”. This year, there is a new addition to the organization recreational category, “Outstanding Recreational Organization” award. According to the official Sammys webpage, the ceremony will now include an award from each of the six colleges at SHSU. A remarkable student from each college will be nominated by his/ her professors and chosen by the respective dean.
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University president, Dr. Dana Gibson, will also present the four “Sammy Awards” on stage to the selected individuals. An annual luncheon honoring all recipients for “The Sammys” is expected to continue the week following the awards ceremony. This year’s emcees were announced as senior SuZanne Kelley and sophomore Risa Mitchell along with announcer, freshman Tyler Finzel. In past years, the emcees introduced performances by groups such as SHSU dance, theater and opera. “The SHSU Jazz Ensemble will be on stage throughout the duration of the ceremony,” Cooper said. “We haven’t secured the other performances yet, but we try to utilize the entertainment and art groups that we have on campus to perform at the Sammys.” Everyone is encouraged to participate to enjoy performances by many different SHSU groups as the university honors individual students and organizations for their service to the campus.
Arts & Entertainment Concert reunites alumni, profs.
Page 5
Tuesday January 31, 2012
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Former dance students perform, share experiences GEORGE MATTINGLY Arts & Entertainment Editor
Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian
CHOICE TO MAKE: The dancers in “Memory’s elision remembered” used tubing to represent something different for each dancer to be escape from or be consumed by.
Alumni, professors and students were reunited through the art of dance at the Alumni Reunion Concert held on Saturday in the Performing Arts Center Dance Theater. The concert brought alumni from different facets of dance back to the university to perform and present their work. The 10 performances included a wide variety of styles ranging from aerial dance to hip-hop by dancers of all ages. Alumnus Alicia Carlin combined dance and acrobatics in her aerial performances of “Farewell Julie Bird.” Cloth became a tool for her as she climbed high above the audience, using the cloth for support, and was an accent to different positions and poses that made her appear like a bird taking flight. In “Memory’s elision remembered,” choreographed by 2011 graduate Amy E. Llanes, five dancers used tubing to explore the idea of choice. The movement was harsh and embattled as some dancers fought to escape the tubing while others were consumed by it. “The dancers helped create the story,” Llanes said. “I like my dancers to have their own
connection to the dance and the audience.” While the concert served as a platform for alumni work, it also allowed professors and alumni to reconnect and share their experiences. “It’s nostalgic,” Jana Anderson, 1990 graduate, said. “I feel like our faces should be in the other building and not [the new Performing Arts Center].” Dance professor Dana Nicolay said the dance program has come a long way. “It’s very rewarding to see [the alumni] come back and appreciate their time here.” While most graduates have gone on to dance professionally and tour the country, others brought a different perspective of the dance world to students. As a teacher, 2006 graduate April PollardChaney gave advice to students who want to pursue teaching. She said the most important thing for students to do is to research the job market to find more opportunities for teaching. For most alumni, being able to perform in the brand new PAC was one of the rewarding parts of the concert. “We never had this,” Anderson said. “It’s a pot of gold. It’s something we always anticipated and dreamed of and it’s here. It’s something that should be cherished and appreciated.”
Social site sparks ‘Pinterest’ NICOLE GABLER Contributing Reporter Pinterest is a crafter and DIY maven’s dream. The neverending collection of recipes, fashion ideas, and inspirational quotes has captured the minds of millions. The impulse to scroll down and see the next cute puppy picture or quirky wedding decoration is almost addicting. The site has been inspiring users for almost two years and is now one of the Webs Top 10 social networks, according to tracking firm Hitwise. Its meteoric rise in popularity spreads beauty and cleverness with each post. Their goal to connect everyone in the world through the “things” they find interesting is taking social media by storm. “I think Pinterest is an interesting format, something that hasn’t simply been modeled after a previous social media site,” said LaChrystal Ricke, Ph.D, who
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studies social media. “It makes connecting with people that share similar interests, without “friending” them and disclosing a bunch of personal information, really easy and fun.” The mash-up of tattoo ideas cake recipes and baby bunny photos sparks innovative projects across the Web and serves as a virtual scrapbook that lets users share and collect ideas. Browsing the endless roll of ideas can be refined by using the search bar. Type in “Valentine’s Day cupcakes”, and a sea of culinary creations pops up. Checking out other users’ boards is also a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests, according to the Pinterest website. The site has also intrigued the students and alumni to flex their creative muscles, while some have discovered educational benefits of it. “I love the education section because I am doing my student teaching right now and it is a great resource for lesson ideas as well as being able to see professional teacher’s tips and tricks,” senior Michelle Greenwalt said. “Bottom line, I am addicted.” Pinterest is used for the practical and whimsical. Users have gone to the site to plan their weddings up to the smallest detail, create outfits and find new recipes to try. “It’s fantastic,” Angela Olsen, SHSU alum, said. “It allows you to look at an object and see beauty in it that you may not have ever seen. Search a regular everyday object like ‘mason jar’ or ‘pallet’. There are endless ideas.”
Faculty artwork to be featured in new exhibit SOFIA MEDRANO Contributing Reporter
Christian Pratt | The Houstonian
Nine faculty artists will showcase their original work in the 52nd Annual Faculty Art Exhibit to be held through February 16 in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery. The exhibit will feature pieces from a variety of art media including painting, sculpture, animation, digital art, photography, mixed media collage and drawing. “This year we decided to limit the number of faculty exhibiting in order to allow for each faculty artist to exhibit a broader range of their work,” Annie Strader, Assistant Professor of Art and Chair of the Gallery Committee, said. About half of the art faculty will showcase their work this year, while the other half will make up next year’s exhibit. Assistant Art Professor of Animation Edward Morin will kick off the first of two artist talks on Feb. 2, where he will be speaking about the development of his studio arts practices over the last 10 years. “The two artworks I have in the show include kinetic and multimedia elements,” Morin said. “Both are meditations on solitude and isolation.” Assistant Professor of the W.A.S.H. program, Valerie Powell, will be giving the second artist talk on Feb. 9 to discuss her work and her inspiration behind it. “I hope viewers spend time with the piece,” she said. “I have hidden layers of things, meanings and memories in installation.” Both artist talks will begin at 5 p.m. in Art Building E, room 108 with a reception to follow in the Geeslin Gallery beginning at 6 p.m., offering students a chance to speak with the artists about their work. “The faculty understands this exhibit as an opportunity to share their creative research with their students, colleagues and the community,” Strader said.
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Basketball teams battle UTSA for last time in regular season
Womens team scraps and claws way to 67-55 victory
Mens team gets out run, falls on road, 78-66
CODY LEWIS Sports Reporter
KARMEN KING Viewpoints Editor Fans at Johnson Coliseum were treated to both a wrestling match and basketball game Saturday as the women’s team took on the Roadrunners in a rough and tumble game. The Bearkats would pull out a victory, 67-55 in a game marred by 48 total fouls (21 SHSU - 27 UTSA). The defense pressured the Roadrunners early and for the first 10 minutes of the game, UTSA was unable to score a field goal. “Attacking first is something we have been working on so that was a major focus this game,” sophomore guard Jasmine Johnson said. Despite the early lead, the Kats went into the locker room trailing by one at the half, 24-23. Though they were down, the Kats weren’t going to give up without a fight. With seven minutes left in the game the Kats tied up the game at 44. The score went back and forth until a three point goal by senior Khamra Echols at the 2:39 mark put the Kats in the lead for good, 56-53. “We knew they were going to come in ready for a fight, so
Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian
FIGHTING THE WAY TO THE HOOP. Junior guard Britni Martin tries to get inside the paint against the University of Texas-San Antonio. Martin led both teams with 17 points as the Kats were able to defeat the Roadrunners, 67-55.
we knew we would have to step up and match the intensity they would bring,” Echols said. Bench scoring has been a problem in the past for the Bearkats. However, in this game, two freshmen, guard Sally Clavelle and forward Jazmin Wiley, came off the bench to combine for 15 points, six and nine respectively. “We just try to come in and help the team,” Wiley said. “All you
want to do is win. We’re trying to win a conference championship and we know we need more people scoring off the bench for us to win.” Forward Sequeena Thomas struggled early on but recorded her 13th double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and pulling in 13 rebounds. Overall the Bearkats shot 34 percent from the field (20-59),
scoring 24 points in the paint. Britni Martin was the leading scorer for both teams finishing with 17 points, and Johnson added nine with five rebounds and five assists. Next, the Bearkats will travel to Lake Charles to take on the McNeese State Cowgirls. That game will take place on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Mens team set to take on Toledo in Bracket Buster ZACH BIRDSONG Sports Editor Toledo University was announced on Monday as the Bearkat men’s basketball opponent during the NCAA Bracket Buster that is set to take place in February. Toledo (10-11) will be taking on their second Southland Conference team of the season, as they faced Texas State in San Marcos on Nov. 18. They would end up losing a close one to the Bobcats, falling 94-91. This year’s field of teams competing in the Bracket Buster includes 142 teams from 16 different conferences, including all 12 teams in the Southland. Sam Houston (8-13, 2-5 in SLC) is one of six teams in the Southland that will be hosting the Bracket Buster. The game against Toledo is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday Feb. 18.
The Sam Houston State men’s Basketball team dropped the second game on their two-game road trip with a 78-66 loss to UTSA on Saturday night. The loss is the Bearkats (8-13, 2-5 in SLC) third in a row and second consecutive on the road. This was the first game since January 14 that three or fewer points didn’t decide the final score of a Bearkat basketball game as they were coming off a one point loss in overtime to rival Stephen F. Austin. The Roadrunners (14-7, 6-1 in SLC) on the other hand won their fifth straight on their way to sweeping the Bearkats this season, their last year as a member of the Southland Conference. In July, the Roadrunners are leaving the Southland to join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Sam Houston’s Steve Werner scored 27 points and had nine rebounds in the loss. Konner Tucker had 17 points off the bench with Demarcus Gatlin and Marcus James each scoring eight points. The Bearkats were simply outplayed as they only held one lead at the beginning of the game of two points. UTSA had five players that scored in the double digits including Melvin Johnson, who scored 18, Alex Vouyoukas, scoring 14 and Kannon Burrage scored 13 to contribute to their win. UTSA also shot 42 percent from beyond the arch to Sam Houston’s 25 percent. The Roadrunners forced 22 Bearkat turnovers and turned them into 22 points. They also had 24 points from the free throw line compared to Sam Houston’s 16. The Bearkats did, however, outscore the Roadrunners 24-20 in the paint and out-rebound them 40-23. They also had a better shooting percentage with 45 percent. Sam Houston comes back to John Coliseum to face the defending regular season Southland Conference champions McNeese State, who has eight returning players, from that team. Tip-off for the game will be on Wednesday at 7 p.m. For more information about the team, including questions about scheduling, visit gobearkats.com.
Womens track team travels, competes in UH Indoor Invitational Foster, Davis have standout weekend in competition JOHNNY PERES Contributing Reporter The Sam Houston State track & field team traveled south to the University of Houston for the Houston Indoor Invitational competing against stiff completion this past weekend. Their competition included host University of Houston, University of Texas, Stephen F. Austin, and Texas State. Scattered amongst the competitors were unattached Olympic hopefuls including the top two women 60m sprinters in the world, Murielle Ahoure and Laverne Jones-Ferrette. The fierce competition the Kats faced was an excellent measuring stick of where the team is at and how they needed to improve. Head Coach David Self elaborated that the main purpose of these early meets are to help the athletes improve in their individual events and to prepare for the Southland Conference Championship meet later this year.
Some of the SHSU standouts during the meet were sophomore Sunday Foster and senior Morgan Davis. Foster placed 2nd in the women’s 200 meter run (25.16) and took 5th in the women’s long jump (5.6 meters). Davis, who is second all-time at SHSU in pentathlons, placed 2nd in that specific event. In five events: she placed 1st in the shot put (10.95 meters), 2nd in the 800 meter run (2:28.36), and 3rd in the women’s high jump (1.59 meters). Other notable performances included: two top 10 finishes in the women’s pole vault, a top 10 finish in women’s triple jump, and SHSU placed 2nd in the women’s 4x400 relay. In the 3,000 meter run, junior Alyssa Dooley finished in the top 10 among collegiate athletes and in the process broke the school record in the event (10:10.86). “It was exciting. It was my first time doing the event,” Dooley said. “The coaches thought I had a chance to break the record so they put me in the event.” This is not the first record she broke this year. In the first meet of the year, she broke the school record in the mile run (5:04.62). The Kats are looking to improve on this past weekend as they travel to Kansas and compete in the Wichita State Invitational, that begins on Friday. For more information about the women’s track team, visit gobearkats.com.
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