October 16, 2012

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Likens: Affirmative action does not belong in a higher education system.

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University begins Haven program to encouage SHSU diversity

Volume 122 / Issue 14

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SHSU defeats Nicholls State in 41-0 blowout on Saturday

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Campus News

Enrollment, credit hours on steady rise By the numbers

12

18,478

SemesterCredit Hour Growth

Fall 2 0

17,61

Enrollment

7

Fall 2012 219,285

11

Sam Houston State University is on a pattern of steady growth according to information released by university officials.

Fall 2012 enrollment is at about 18,478 students, a nearly 5 percent increase from last year’s 17, 417 students according to Heather Thielemann, Ed.D., vice president for enrollment management. Thielemann said the growth includes increases in the number of undergraduate students, new transfer students as well as returning undergraduate and graduate students.

In addition, Thielemann said this this semester brought along the largest freshman class with a 17 percent increase over last year, equaling about 333 more students.

University growth can be attributed to several different factors, said Thielemann.

First, she said more students were applying and being accepted to SHSU between last December and January, an increase she attributes largely to the success of the football team last season.

“We saw about 2500 more applications than last fall,” Thielemann said.

Another reason for the increase has to do with the university marketing strategy.

“We started program marketing last year for twelve undergraduate programs chosen each year for growth by the deans and the provost,” Thielemann said. “There seems to be growth in all of the

Fall 2 0

GEORGE MATTINGLY News Editor

Fall 2011 208,564

Eric Fite | The Houstonian

programs and at least six show ten percent increase [in enrollment] over last year.”

Each of the twelve programs is promoted through online advertising, individualized posters and handouts.

The addition of the Banner system has also helped make the enrollment process easier for students.

“Before, our old system could only hold up to ten to twelve thousand students,” Thielemann said. “Banner [the new system] is very dynamic with new upgrades that we can use. It helps [SHSU] stay on the cutting edge.”

The Banner system manages different aspects of the university processes online such as the admissions, payroll, MySam and

DegreeWorks.

Now that Banner has been implemented Thielemann said university officials are working on improving internal efficiency with the management system.

While tuition costs could be a contributing factor to enrollment increases, Jaimie Hebert, Provost for Academic Affairs, said it is difficult to compare SHSU costs with other Texas universities outside of the Texas State University System because of course fees.

Course fees are attached specifically to a course according to Al Hooten, VP for Finance and Operations.

“SHSU and other entities of [the Texas State University System] do not charge course fees,” said

Hooten. “… Other entities in Texas, who charge course fees, publish lower tuition and fees than a comparable TSUS entity but make up the difference in revenue by charging course fees.

A student enrolled in entities other than a TSUS school may be charged course fees and thus their total bill will often be higher than a comparable TSUS entity.”

With the increase in enrollment comes the increase in semester credit hours, which also is an indicator of university growth, according to Although the numbers are not official, Hebert said the number of credit hours taken has shown a 5 percent increase from 208,564 to 219,285.

“Credit hours are a better measurement of growth because

Presidential candidates’ education plans leave SHSU students playing waiting game JAY R. JORDAN Staff Reporter A common frustration among students in higher education is the cost of student loans, as well as the availability of other forms of federal financial aid.

The presidential election this November will decide the course our nation takes on issues important to young adults, including education reform.

President Barack Obama signed the Student Aid and Responsibility Act into law. It increased the amount of federal funds to individual Pell Grants in 2010 to $5,500, and subsequently will increase by the rate of inflation plus one percent. The new program impacts nearly eight million students nationwide, and at least 650,000 in Texas.

Obama also reformed federal student loans and the rates at which they are borrowed. The change was apart of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 and entails a decrease in the amount of income used to repay student loans (from 15 percent to 10 percent) and will forgive graduates of their debt five years sooner than before (from 25 years to 20 years after graduation).

Opponents to President Obama’s plan say that it will cost too much of taxpayer’s money, and further an entitlement society.

Governor Mitt Romney says

it shows the number of courses we offer,” Hebert said. “As we grow, we offer more courses and that’s actually how we are funded.”

This fall the university opened 248 new sections for students.

Hebert added to deal with increases, the university funds each college as if they were hiring new adjunct professors to teach each new section with the hope of adding more professors to a tenure track.

“It’s important to maintain a balance of semester hours offered by tenured track and adjunct professors,” Hebert said. “As the student body grows, we look to get more tenure track professors for research productivity and improve our students’ educational environment. We handle the initial increase [in credit hours and sections offered] with adjuncts and then new tenures later.”

Both Thielemann and Hebert also noted growth in online classes, another contributing factor to credit hour increases.

Hebert said number of credit hours delivered through online classes rose five percent from last year, an increase he attributes partially to more departments offering online courses.

However, university growth has not come without its own set of challenges.

“Having growth is such a great thing, but now we’re looking at getting more funding from the state legislature,” Thielemann said.

President Dana Gibson said —

GROWTH, page 6

Crime

Assault using homophobic slurs under investigation STEPHEN GREEN Editor-in-Chief

AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File

EDUCATION GAME Former governor Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama will square off in the second presidential debate tonight at 6 p.m. The debate will center around foreign policy and is also the townhall debate.

on his campaign website that he will “strengthen and simplify the financial aid system,” while “[welcoming] private sector participation instead of pushing it away.”

Romney’s running mate Paul Ryan proposed a budget for the 2013 fiscal year. Under this budget, Pell Grants will be severely diminished, according to US News’ Student Loan Ranger, and more than one million students will lose eligibility.

Jessica Groves, a Sam Houston State University freshman business major, says that she doesn’t think that it’s right for the government to cut back on the grants.

“If you have the money for other stuff [that is less important],” facebook.com/TheHoustonianSHSU Groves said, “why can’t you spend

it on people who need it?”

With potential budget cuts looming in government, areas that involve education seemingly targeted by the Romney campaign.

During the first presidential debate of this election cycle, Romney said that he would “stop the subsidies to PBS.” PBS and NPR are non-profit, viewer/listener supported and government subsidized media outlets that provide free educational programs to areas that can’t afford other mediums of education.

Romney’s plan would privatize the two outlets making them for-profit organizations that will compete alongside some of the biggest media corporations in the world. Critics of pulling funding

from public media cite TLC, which was originally a NASAdriven educational channel that was privatized and now shows “Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo.” Romney published a plan for restoring our education system in May 2012 titled “A Chance for Every Child”. In this plan, Romney clearly states his opposition to Obama’s reform to student loans by saying, “while President Obama’s idea of sound advice to student borrowers is a promise that their loans will be forgiven if they cannot afford to repay them, Romney supports private-sector involvement to ensure students are clearly informed about their obligations when they apply for —

EDUCATION, page 6

An assault of a male Sam Houston State University student is under investigation, according to police officials.

The male filed an official complaint on Oct. 3. He said he was attacked on Sept. 30 outside of the music education building near 17th Street and Ave. I. The victim said two unidentified white males physically attacked him repeatedly while yelling homophobic slurs.

University Police Department deputy chief James Fitch said the case is in its early stages.

“We’re in between a rock and a hard place,” Fitch said.

“The large time gap between the assault and the reporting makes it difficult.”

A second assault was reported on Oct. 4. A female filed a complaint with UPD after she said she was beaten on Sept. 11 by two unidentified white males, who also used homophobic slurs in the same area as the first assault.

Fitch said it’s unclear if the two are related but that there are several similarities.

“There are two things that are constant,” Fitch said. “Both incidents used slurs, and they happened in the same area.

So, it’s a possibility [they are related].”

The victim of the Oct. 4 complaint chose not to pursue charges against the assailants.

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News

Tuesday, October 16, 2012 houstonianonline.com/news

SHSU to educate students, faculty on LGBTQ issues SOPHIE NELSON Staff Reporter

McKinzie Brocail | The Houstonian

SPREADING AWARENESS. The Haven training has gained support from members of Gamma Sigma Kappa (GayStraight Kats) on campus. GSK also hosts events during Pride Week every year to promote awareness and support of the LGBTQ community at SHSU.

The Counseling Center and Department of Residence Life at Sam Houston State University are looking to educate faculty and students on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning community on campus as they host the first Haven training sessions on Wednesday.

Haven is a campus-wide effort begun in 2009. It was created to promote inclusion and advocacy on campus so that faculty and staff members could provide a “safe zone” for the LGBTQ community to discuss issues without having to worry about being discriminated against or admonished for their sexual orientation.

Maryim Ilahi, Ph.D., staff psychologist for the SHSU Counseling Center, said “the training will provide LGBTQ information, available resources, and discussions on LGBTQ topics and how it relates to the college culture, collaboratively discussing LGBTQ equality, promoting awareness and understanding of LGBTQ concerns, presenting information on how to be a helpful and effective ally, and providing valuable resources for

LGBTQ concerns”.

The training sessions have gained support from students on campus.

Andrew Colarusso, president of Gamma Sigma Kappa or Gay Straight Kats (GSK), commended the idea of the Haven program.

“I think the Haven will be a great resource to help people feel comfortable with their sexuality and [will] also help others to become more educated on the topic,” said Colarusso.

Jessica Oswald, Vice President of GSK, also believes Haven will help to bridge the gaps between different groups on campus.

“We believe that Haven training can only enhance knowledge of our community,” Oswald said. “Having people of difference generations interested in knowing more about how to sensitively approach those of various sexual orientations gives us hope for more reach out from other communities.”

The first Haven training will be held in LSC Room 302 on Oct. 17, from 3-4:30 p.m. for faculty and staff and on Oct. 24, from 7-8:30 p.m. for students.

License plate reader headed to Walker County MCKINZIE BROCAIL Senior Reporter The Walker County Comissioners’ Court approved the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) grant for the purchase of a license plate reader on Oct. 9.

The license plate reader, also known as automatic license plate readers (ALPR), track license plate locations through stationary cameras. They are becoming routinely used in police cars where they are mounted to the dashboard, however Walker County is only buying one standalone camera.

The lone stationary reader will be set up somewhere unrevealed in Walker County and will record the plate, time, date and location of every car that passes. The reader stores the information. “[The grant] was approved; now we’re waiting,” Butch Davis, Walker County’s Chief Deputy and Emergency Management Coordinator, said. “It has to go back to the Feds to release the money.”

The information stored can aid police in finding stolen vehicles or missing persons. While police can use the data in cases against criminals, it can also be accessed by anybody who files a public records request.

“It’s good, but potentially bad if it gets in the wrong hands,” Michael Doherty, senior criminal justice major, said. “The good part being: we will be able to catch car thieves faster and potentially criminals… we could use it to find somebody after a recently committed crime.”

Other people felt that the information gathered through the reader could too easily fall into the wrong hands as well.

“That’s kind of creepy,” Josefina Trevino, freshman education major, said about the license plate reader. “We already have stalkers and don’t need them looking up our information.”

The SHSP grant was applied for in this year’s fiscal budget.

According to Davis the grant money should be received towards the end of the year.

From U.S. Department of Transporation

ON THE LOOKOUT. License plate readers track license plate locations through stationary cameras. They are normally mounted on police car dashboards. Walker County will be buying on stationary camera like this one.

Texas Secretary of State visits to promote voting STEPHEN GREEN Editor-in-Chief The Texas Secreatary of State visited Walker County on Oct. 11 to promote voting in adults and students.

Hope Andrade, the Texas Secretary of Stae, visited with Walker County election officials, including county Tax Assessor Diane McRae, to help prepare for the upcoming election.

“We have heard wonderful things about this county and the way things are run,” Andrade said.

Andrade specifically promoted early voting and the benefits it comes with.

“In Texas, last year, we had a 60 percent early voting turnout in the state,” Andrade said. “In the past, Texas hasn’t been the greatest in voter turnout but it’s time to change that.”

Many pundits consider Texas to be a “red state” meaning it will swing toward the Republican party in the November 2012 election. Andrade said this shouldn’t keep people from going to vote.

“Your vote counts,” Andrade said. “It saddens me when I hear people say ‘My vote doesn’t count.’”

She cited several examples of local elections where the decision of who became the officeholder came down tot he flip of a coin.

“The selection of our leaders shouldn’t depened on the flip of a coin,” she said. “That’s not the way it should be.”

She also said that all information to find out if someone is registered to vote, where to vote, and when can be found on the Secretary of State’s website. In addition, her office has released a free app so that all of the information is available on iPhones or Android.

It also allows users to remind their friends to vote on election day on Nov. 6.

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Viewpoints

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Ally Week: A thank you from LGBT community

Richard McKinney recognizes, appreciates ally supporters Last week I wrote about ‘National Coming Out’ day and this week is Ally Week. It is a time when we recognize that we have people supporting us, helping us; we recognize that people are there for us and with us. I neglected to discuss allies in my last piece. Not because I forgot or just dismissed them. See, allies are so necessary, integral, and beautiful that I felt I needed to write something entirely dedicated to them – after all, they have an entire week set apart to recognizing their support.

Now, when someone comes out, people have to search within themselves, sift through their beliefs, sort through their education, maybe even strip away some of their learned behavior to decide whether or not they will come out in support. In many ways, I feel this process is even more difficult than coming out.

For years, celebrities have not

only come out as gay but have come out in support. One of my favorite comedians, Kathy Griffin, has long since held to her ideals of providing support for the LGBT community. She marches in parades, speaks at events, mentions it on her shows and specials – for her, it’s not something that should be on the backburner. For her, it is necessary now. And that is what this week is about.

Ally Week is meant to show that the LGBT community supports those that support them.

It’s meant to convey a sense of thankfulness that other people are aiding our souls, rather than deteriorating and diminishing our spirit. The comfort that can be given with a simple, “I accept you,” is almost unimaginable. And that is why this week is so important.

Allies give so much to the LGBT community that it is just a short,

RICHARD McKINNEY Contributor simple idea to thank them. Thank them for everything they do, for supporting, for aiding, for building up the spirit of those that have long since been torn down time and time again.

Whenever derogatory words are spat at people in the cafeteria, whenever a high school kid walks out to find his locker defamed with words of hatred, whenever two people are arrested for trying

to create a life together, allies are there to help; to provide words of comfort and a place to sit in a cafeteria, to provide a helping hand in cleaning a locker and a heart, to offer support for a couple attempting to build a family.

This week exists to thank those individuals. They do not have to take any of the detestable actions, they do not have to hear the words – they can choose to walk by, to be deaf. Instead, though, they choose to listen, to fight, to rally, to support, to be involved.

It is remarkable, to me, that allies, time and time again, come out in support – when it is so much more difficult.

I think it’s time we recognize the LGBT community not just as those individuals who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered but as the community of individuals who choose to take a stand against defamation. I think the time has

come to recognize what they do.

I think it is now more imperative than ever to recognize allies as not only members of the LGBT community but as the livelihood.

It doesn’t take much to say ‘Thank you.’ It’s only two words.

Those words hardly compare to all the fighting Allies do. Those words, though, are the only thing that can be said.

So, thank you, Allies for being there; for allowing us to come to you when we are troubled or in pain. Thank you for giving us a place to sit, an extra rag to clean off the marker and ultimately a helping hand to pull us from the deepest pit of despair.

This week is Ally Week. And it is meant to serve as a reminder that no one can face life alone. It is meant to remind us to say thank you – as often and blatantly as possible.

Thank you.

Local leaders fall flat with Twittergate accusations

Brandon K. Scott says officials should focus on real city issues Imagine telling a joke, a long joke that takes setting up the punch line in a perfect and concentrated way. Just as you’re about to hit the listeners with the moment they’ve all been waiting for, in walks the subject of the punch line itself in a real and ironic way, doing the things you’re making fun of it for.

That’s what our local leaders in Walker County are doing with the investigation into parody Twitter accounts of Huntsville City Council members.

These accounts, which poke fun at councilmen like Keith Olson, Don Johnson, Lydia Montgomery and Clyde Loll, have been around for more than a year and tweets often come during the city council meetings, satirizing the council and pegging them as largely incompetent buffoons.

Actually, @FakeKeithOlson is already lending his opinion on the Twitter probe: “I believe the investigation into fake Twitters is ‘serious business.’ In other news, $1.4 million deficit & a 10.5% tax-hike go unnoticed.”

Or how about the parody account’s thoughts on homecoming?

“I’ve been waiting for Homecoming week

all year. It’s the week all those be making the important pesky #shsu students finally decisions in the city went to go home, right?” the office that’s supposed to be That’s a jab at Olson’s prosecuting real crimes in the “anti-student” reputation, county, and complained about which can be traced back being made fun of. And on to being against an SHSUTwitter, no less. exclusive city ward during Not only that, but instead of the redistricting process last District Attorney David Weeks year. Same was the case with – obviously a man who studied Johnson and Montgomery. law and should be familiar with Sometimes the jokes on the the First Amendment of the parody accounts toe the BRANDON K. SCOTT Constitution – informing them line of being inappropriate, of how absurd any claims of Staff Reporter which I personally find illegal activity would be, he took hilarious. Usually, though, it to the real life Texas Rangers. it’s just a bunch of goofy, harmless humor Not Walker Texas Ranger. Not the Texas for someone who might spend too much Rangers that you hoped would be in the time following the snooze fest that is World Series this season (the one Nolan city government (the most impactful Ryan runs), but the actual Texas Rangers. and essential form of government for Apparently they’ve been investigating individuals, by the way).

Twittergate since August. Weeks went to the So how did this cornball of a city council Rangers instead of local law enforcement to respond after having enough of these avoid an obvious conflict of interest but he satirical tweets? By taking the matter to the wanted to see if tweets violated harassment Walker County District Attorney’s Office. laws.

No, I’m serious. People who are supposed Maybe it’s just me, but it sounds like this

story involves a lot of people who don’t use the Internet very often, or perhaps don’t have good reception on whatever farm they live on.

And guess what? The Texas Rangers are actually investigating it. Check and mate.

Let’s just point out that this chain of events make those parody accounts seem far more genius and spot on in its message than originally perceived.

The purpose of the accounts was just to have fun at the council’s expense. What ended up happening as a result of the council’s response to the accounts and the subsequent responses of law enforcers, the point the accounts were trying to make in a subtle way have been brought to the forefront of the broader conversation that I know the makers of those accounts have been longing to have.

That starts with a simple question for what seems to be really simple folks: do the people at City Hall have a clue, and anyone else in leadership positions around here, for that matter?

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UT Austin affirmative action breeds reverse racism TAYLOR LIKENS Staff Reporter I’d make a crack about how University of Texas at Austin’s good/bad football season is about to be spoiled/made worse by controversy, but I don’t really care about football. That being said, I’ll skip the pleasantries and cut right to it.

Abigail Noel Fisher is suing UT for declining her application back in 2008 and for more than just petty revenge. Fisher is suing because she believes UT’s Affirmative Action policy ruined her chances of admittance.

Maybe some of you just woke up from that nap you started in 1960.

Abridged, Affirmative Action is essentially the government’s policy on promoting ethnic diversity. The method used to go about this, however, has a long history of getting people all riled up and lawsuit-y, on account of the fact that it does so by requiring organizations employ a certain number of minorities. No exceptions.

Although well-intended, Affirmative Action is a

Editorial Staff Robin Johnson

counterproductive attempt at righting the wrongs.

As far as the numbers go, blacks and Hispanics, who tend to occupy most of Affirmative Action’s efforts, aren’t even the most disadvantaged races in American society. That title easily goes to Native Americans, who statistically suffer from the highest rates of poverty, depression, alcoholism, and suicide of any race in the country. But somehow, Affirmative Action is almost exclusively reaped by the least minor of minorities.

If Affirmative Action were a movement actually about assisting the disenfranchised, rather than an ill-informed guilt trip on the part of the government and white people in general, things wouldn’t be quite as simple as “On a 1-10 scale, how dark are you?” So why does Affirmative Action miss the mark?

Actually, it’s an identified phenomenon called the Availability Heuristic. For those of you who don’t know what that

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means, and don’t want to Google anything up that just sounds like it was pulled from a random page in a Michael Crichton novel, the Availability Heuristic is best described as a common mistake we all make, wherein the mind assumes a particular event occurs more often than it actually does, simply because they’ve heard about it a lot.

And that’s exactly where Affirmative Action falls on its face. What Affirmative Action attempts to combat is racisminduced disadvantages when more or less, life-altering racism has pretty much left the building.

Yes, it happens but it’s not even close to being on the scale one would gather from watching the Oprah show. Considering that heavy cases of discrimination are generally enacted on a personal level, maybe it’s not necessary to have a nation-wide policy that affects every individual in the country.

Even Supreme Court Justice Sandra O’Connor specifically stated in the early 2000’s that she felt Affirmative Action would almost certainly become obsolete

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within the next 25 years.

However, I’d also imagine she wouldn’t have predicted that before the end of that same decade, Barack Obama would win the 2008 election, Neil Tyson deGrasse would become everybody’s favorite astrophysicist and Eminem would become certifiably ‘blacker’ than either of those guys combined.

Colorblindness is occurring at an exponential rate.

The only difference between a reasonable policy and blatant prejudice is a proper justification.

If there is no justification for Affirmative Action that can’t be proven to be unlikely or outright incorrect (which seems to be the case), then the policy is 100 percent, stone cold racism.

And it’s not just racist against whites either. Without probable cause, Affirmative Action is basically a condescending way of telling minorities they’re too incompetent to survive competing against good ol’ white folks.

Oddly enough, Affirmative Action is apparently to breeding casual racism as sneezing into peoples’ mouths is to breeding the

flu. People tend to feel negatively about anyone who got their job because the boss was behind his quota on employing minorities, and minorities who actually earned their positions have their accomplishments tarnished by the fact that they likely could have gotten it anyway.

Because of this, I’ve heard more otherwise intelligent people say irrational, racist sounding things during Affirmative Action discussions than anywhere else-like a catalyst for some ignorant form of Tourette’s. Ignorettes, if you will.

It’s a surefire way to reinforce resentment between peers who are already separated by the assumption they wouldn’t like each other’s music.

Not one to go around knocking down sandcastles, let me offer my own suggestion: rather than assume all disadvantaged people are minorities, and that the disadvantaged are best cured by thorough coddling, why not focus effort on preventing the alleged disadvantages in the first place?

Why not?

Is it because I’m black?

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Arts&Entertainment

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Christian groups deliver strong messages to students in intimate concert, deemed success CHRISTINA BAUMANN Staff Reporter A Sam Houston State University senior opened up for hip-hop act Beautiful Eulogy at a concert on campus Thursday. The student, Cody Miles, is a solo Christian rap artist who threw the free concert at Old Main Pitt.

More than 300 students packed into the stone steps around the pit and immediately warmed up to Mile’s performance. After performing several of songs, he invited his best friend, senior Michael Rodgers, on stage to perform with him.

Miles and Rodgers combined to perform a unique style. Rodgers played guitar and sang backup vocals while Miles rapped the verses.

This gave the audience what Miles said he loves about oldschool hip-hop. Miles also added an additional verse to one of his songs that he made the audience promise to keep a secret before finishing his performance.

“This verse is not allowed to leave Old Main Pitt. I’m not kidding, I’ll walk off stage right now,” Miles said.

Audience members held up their pinkies and promised.

Beautiful Eulogy out of Portland, Ore., was the headliner.

Many of the audience members were familiar with their music. The three members of this band made an excellent team and performed well. The audience members really got into the performance.

After they finished with their performance, one of the band members informed the audience that he had been asked to give a small message. The audience members encouraged him to continue.

He began his message by defining leadership and what four qualities make for a good leader: honesty, forward looking, competency and inspiration.

After explaining these qualities, he challenged the audience to ask themselves who they are following.

“I really liked Beautiful Eulogy’s teaching of spiritual leadership,” said Stacy Monks, a senior who attended the event.

“I think it was a good message for everyone and serves as a reminder of who we should be looking to as a role model and a leader. I also really enjoyed the concert. It was really relaxed, but everyone seemed to be having fun and enjoying the music.”

This concert was a success.

Everyone performed well and the audience enjoyed every bit of it.

“I’ve seen Cody perform before,” senior John Vandivier said.

“He was on top of his game.

I never knew about the band Beautiful Eulogy before. The style and quality they presented was both unexpected and high quality. The turnout was great, the sponsors were great, a quality sound system and the stage location were all cool, but at the end of the day it was the quality of the performance that mattered.”

DJ Sermon was the first of three acts, and he worked the audience with a mix of hip-hop tunes.

Monster Energy Drinks sponsored this event and handed out free drinks to everyone before, during and after the concert.

With the great quality of sound, excellent performances and an entertaining evening full of secrets, sermons and free Monster energy drinks, this event deserves 5 out of 5 paws.

Samantha Villarreal I The Houstonian

SHARE THE PASSION. (top left) Senior Cody Miles, sings his heart out for the audience. (bottom left) Braille, Odd Thomas and Courtland Urbano of Beautiful Eulogy get the crowd pumped. (bottom right) DJ Sermon kicks off the night with his mix of hip-hop tunes. (top right) The audience puts their hands up as Beautiful Eulogy sings.

SHSU Alum returns, shares writing experiences

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CHEYENNE SIMPSON MOLLY WADDELL Staff Reporter A & E Editor Storyteller, author and Sam Houston State University alumni Ron Rozelle returned to share his creative writing experience and story about the 1937 New London school explosion in his newest book, Thursday and Friday, “My Boys and Girls are in there.”

A spark from a sander ignited the worst school disaster in United States history, killing more than 300 people, most of which were children at 3:17 p.m. on March 18 1937 in New London, Texas.

When Rozelle decided to write about the school explosion, he set out to tell the story for those who have never been able to talk about it and for the children who were never able to go home that Thursday afternoon.

Before writing the story, Rozelle wanted to hear first hand from those who were affected by the explosion. He shared the story of Bill Thompson, a fifth grader at New London School who was sitting in an English class at the time of the explosion.

A few moments before the explosion Bill had switched seats with Ethel Dorsey so he could be closer to Billie Sue Hall, “whose dainty curls and wide smile had caught his attention…” Rozelle wrote in chapter 9 of the book.

Bill survived while Ethel didn’t.

There are 100 more stories like Bills which are told throughout the book, which covers both the horrifying details and terrifying first-hand experiences of that unforgettable day.

As Rozelle read excerpts he described what it was like to sit next to the people that this disaster affected and listen to their stories.

Rozelle said that at times he wanted to cry, but he had to listen to their stories so that he could tell them, but many times at his desk he found himself in tears as he wrote about the stories of the New London children.

Friday, Rozelle talked about creative writing in the Evans Complex.

Rozelle first became mesmerized with writing when one of his college professors read “The Dead” by James Joyce.

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Cheyenne Simpson I The Houstonian

GIVING BACK. Rozelle’s books were on sale for $25, at the event and all proceeds went to “Friends of Literature”, an organization on campus

“How did a human being reach inside himself and come up with that,” Rozelle asked.

Although Rozelle was inspired by this piece of literature he didn’t write a creative word for 25 years.

Rozelle made sure the audience would not wait 25 years to write.

Rozelle said his first story that got published wasn’t on purpose.

He was feeling down one day and started writing memories of his father, who had died recently of Alzheimer’s. His wife read what he wrote and urged him to send it into a publisher.

He received more than 32 rejection letters, but instead of letting them bring him down he took the constructive criticism they gave him and applied it to his story.

Once “Into That Good Night,” was published his books just kept coming. He learned a lot about creative writing and shared with the audience.

Rozelle said that everyone is given the same toolkit for writing but how they use that toolkit is their voice.

“If you’re committed to the craft, you work every day,” Rozelle said. “My time is 4 o’clock every morning.”

One of his writing secrets was finishing the days writing in the middle of a thought so he knew he

had something to come back too.

Rozelle finished by saying he doesn’t believe in writers’ block.

“It’s okay to write badly because at least you’re writing,” Rozelle said.

Rozelle is author of six books including a memoir of his father entitled “Into That Good

Night” and “The Windows of Heaven” which tells the story of Galveston Texas’ great storm of 1900.

Many of Rozelle’s publications were available for $25 at the book reading, in which all proceeds went to “Friends of Literature”.

Rozelle is starting a biography.

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Sports

Tuesday, October 16, 2012 houstonianonline.com/sports

Bearkats pop Colonels with heated play CONNOR HYDE Sports Reporter Despite the 41-0 win, playing all four quarters and finishing was the motto for the Bearkats in Sam Houston State University’s conference matchup against Nicholls State University Saturday “The main point of this game was [to play] four quarters,” junior linebacker Jesse Beauchamp said.

“Last game and all the other games we played good at times, in quarters, but we never really finished the game. This is the first game we actually came out and played hard every quarter and did what we needed to do.”

SHSU offense scored 41 unanswered points and posted 451 total yards against NSU’s defense as quarterback Brian Bell became SHSU’s second all-time leader in passing touchdowns after completing two touchdowns and led the SHSU offense with 180 passing yards. Along with Bell, running back Timothy Flanders claimed the title of the all-time leading scorer in SHSU football history with 270 total career points. “[We] did a good job playing four quarters,” Coach Willie Fritz said. “We did a really good job offensively controlling the clock.

In this day and age it’s really hard to get a shut out.”

The Bearkats were slow to attack in the first half with a scoreless first quarter. Flanders broke the scoreless matchup with a two yard touchdown rush early in the second quarter. The junior running back would strike two more times in the third quarter to add to his total of 67 rushing yards on the night.

“We went down the field early on them,” Flanders said. “We actually scored in the red zone… we just kept going, [and] kept

Courtesy of: Gobearkats.com

A TRUE FACTOR: Linebacker Jesse Beauchamp was named Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week, after leading Sam Houston to two shutouts in the last three games. Beauchamp had six tackles and two assists including a sack for a loss of eight yards.

rolling.”

Bell’s first of two passing touchdowns came in the second quarter with a five yard completion to receiver Melvis Pride after driving 46-yards down field. Bell would connect for 18-yards with receiver Chance Nelson in the last seconds of the third quarter to give the Bearkats a 38-0 lead going into the fourth quarter.

“We really weren’t worried about the score,” Flanders said.

“We just wanted to keep going out there and keep driving the ball [and] take the time off the clock and keep scoring touchdowns.”

Beauchamp, who was named Southland Conference Defensive

Player of the Week, headed the Bearkat defense. The Bearkats held NSU to only 258 total yards.

Beauchamp had six tackles and two assists including a sack for a loss of eight yards.

Early in the game NSU abandoned their running game to combat SHSU’s dominant defensive line.

“That’s what our defense is set up to do,” Beauchamp said.

“We stopped the run early so they become one dimensional and just passed the ball. We’re used to a lot of teams doing that so we were ready for it.”

Overall the Bearkat defense racked up five sacks for a loss

of 29 yards as well as containing NSU’s offense to 17 first downs.

“We just played assignment sound when it counted and it worked out good,” Beauchamp said.

Saturday the Bearkats return home to line-up against conference rival McNeese State University for SHSU’s homecoming.

“We’ve had a tough stretch of five games on the road basically here after the beginning of the season,” Fritz said. “Finally we get to go back home.”

Saturday the Cowboys lost in a close match 26-27 to Central Arkansas at home. Currently McNeese is 4-2 overall but is 1-2

in conference.

Last year SHSU overmatched the Cowboys with a 38-14 victory.

According to Beauchamp to continue to be victorious for the rest of the season the Bearkats need to have repeat performances similar to Saturday’s.

“The job we did [against NSU] needs to keep happening,” Beauchamp said. “We just need to keep doing what we’re doing.”

Kickoff against McNeese state will be underway 7 p.m. at Bowers Stadium.

For tickets and more information, visit www. gobearkats.com.

Rangers looks to rearrange lineup JEREMY KLEIBER Staff Reporter Rangers fans, now that our team is experiencing the ALCS from the wrong side of the DVR this year, what will we do next? Same thing we do every off-season...try to take over the West.

Although it wasn’t quite being one strike away from a World Series title twice, Texas’ premature postseason departure still stings. By playing general manager for the next five months, Rangers Nation will hope to arrange a lineup that resembles one of Nolan Ryan’s meat slogans- “All Beef, No Bull.”

There are numerous ways to play “Tetris” with the team’s talent, but I’ll keep the readers’ stamina in mind and primarily focus on the immediate issues- free agency (with a possible bonus round of starting rotation talk).

With suitors lurking in the shadows, there is no doubt free agents Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli will hear “cha-ching”s and whispers to play ball elsewhere. If the Rangers decide to “see other people,” they could find themselves scrambling to replace a combined 67 long balls and 184 runs batted in from last season.

And let’s face it, with Arlington’s new found expectancy, Ranger fans aren’t interested in a rebound.

Gather ‘round friends for the “joke de jour” that was overheard this past weekend: “How can Felix Baumgartner skydive from outer space on Red Bull, but Josh Hamilton can’t hit a fastball on it?”

This brand of back-handed jest, of course, brought to you by ocular keratitis-- the caffeine induced vision problem that sidelined Hamilton late this season. This joke also illustrates, despite Hamilton’s monster numbers in 2012, Ranger Nation’s overall frustration with his “streakyness” down the stretch, preventing Texas from clinching the West and ultimately moving on to their third straight Fall Classic.

Sometimes baseball can be a very “what-have-you-done-for-us-lately” type of sport. Sadly this is the disease that Hamilton has fallen victim to.

His video-game like production from the heart of the line-up in 2012 was overshadowed by the “bloopers

by the bay” in Oakland in the final series of the season, among other inconsistencies.

Reality dose: If a suitor offers Josh $25 million per year for the next six seasons-- which is highly likely-- the Nolan Ryan/Jon Daniels shopping duo may have to let him go. If he is still on the market, and all it takes to secure him is a two or three-year commitment and some cash (wishful scenario), the Rangers front office would have to jump on it.

Or, you could take the approach adopted by Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News: “The idea is not try to replace Hamilton’s power but to add speed and athleticism.”

As Hamilton’s future in Arlington is uncertain, John Fogerty’s fitting tune “Put me in Coach” escalates from a dark, undiscovered corner of the dugout.

This would mean trusting Craig Gentry (vs. lefty pitching) and Leonys Martín (vs. right-handers) with centerfield. Martín could develop into the everyday man as the season ages. Since the Rangers have already invested $15.5 million in Cuban sensation Martín, maybe it’s time to see if the price was right.

The Rangers optioned Martín to Round Rock during spring training in 2012. After batting .344 with a .414 OBP and .547 slugging percentage with five home runs in 31 games for Round Rock to start the 2012 season, the Rangers promoted Martín.

Talented center field possibilities also include B.J. Upton and Jacoby Ellisbury, but that is an entirely different can of worms.

Now on to the backstop. The Rangers could and should invite catcher Mike Napoli back to the party in Arlington. Even a one-year deal proves pretty steep though, as analysts estimate the possible extension to be worth at least $8 million. Granted, his timely 54 HRS in only 221 games this past two seasons would be deeply missed.

But what if we did part ways with Nap? Sure, Giovanni Soto is the 2008 NL Rookie of the Year and showed signs of a few bursts of brilliance this season, but he can’t carry the whole load.

—

RANGERS

page 6

Page 6

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

~~JUMPS~~ EDUCATION,

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federal student loans.”

In this plan, Romney also states that “America is fast becoming a society where education is unaffordable, a government loan is an entitlement, default is the norm, and loan forgiveness is the expectation.

America needs a new normal, where college is affordable and paying off debt is achievable.”

Romney’s plan is to bring in more thirdparty lenders and gut their regulations so that they will be able to lend more, which relieves the government of having to fulfill the need of many new students.

Maxwell Giddens, a third-year design major at Sam Houston State University, says, “I definitely don’t think that it should be purely privatized. I think that both should be competitive of each other.”

The two candidates will square off in the second presidential debate of the year on Oct. 16.

RANGERS,

page 5

A.J. Pierzinski had the best offensive effort of any free-agent catcher in the majors this season (.278 AVG, 27 HRs, 77 RBI in 135G). But, there are some downsides: Almost 36 years-old, he would probably require $10-$12 million and the metro-sexual highlights in his hair often outnumber his highlights on ESPN. Nonetheless, Pierzinski is a 15year veteran with premier postseason experience, and could do significant work with Texas’ young starting rotation.

Also, keep eyes on discount catcher trades for Cleveland’s catcher Carlos Santana or Toronto’s J.P. Arencibia.

There is also a list of available former Texas Ranger catchers piling up for grabs, including Rod Barajas, Gerald Laird, Matt Treanor and Yorvit Torrealba.

The Rangers need, realistically, two more starters to beef up the opening day rotation and a couple more to fill out the eight or nine-man batch it will take to finish out the season. With the injuries

of Colby Lewis and Neftali Feliz, the Ranger’s $35-$45 million of “play money” is most likely to be invested here. I have some intriguing nominees for you.

Zack Greinke lands in the free agency pool after having a 15-5 season with both the Brewers and Angels this past season.

He recorded a 3.38 ERA, 212 1/3 innings and 200 strikeouts- which makes him a key target for teams in need of restocking.

There is also Ricky Romero. He is coming off a sub-par year with the Toronto Bluejays, going 9-13 with a 5.77 ERA, but has potential as an intimidating ground-ball pitcher. Romero has yet to give up a home run in 13 1/3 career innings in Arlington, and might be able to make some noise at the bottom of the rotation if he can keep his walks down to a minimum.

These moves would contribute to a Darvish, Harrison, Greinke, Holland and Romero rotation in April, with Colby Lewis returning for the final third of the season.

Are we over-thinking things a bit?

Possibly. Is this allowed as devout sports fans? Definitely. In the words of Rangers Manager Ron Washington: “That’s just the way baseball go.”

GROWTH,

Samantha Villarreal| The Houstonian

DUO. Cody Miles and his singing partner Michael Rodgers, had unique blend of music. Rodgers played guitar and sang backup vocals, while Miles rapped the verses.

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in her State of the University Address in Sept. said she will be addressing university funding among other items at the next legislative session.

Hebert noted other challenges implementing SHSU culture to online courses, but said the university is looking at ways to adapt.

“We have a task force optimizing and navigating of our website and how we transition our Sam Houston culture online,” he said. “The task force was started over the summer and is studying that question.”

The university is awaiting the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to certify the official numbers.

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