The Houstonian by The Houstonian

Vol 116— Issue 12

Huntsville, Texas

Three bills up for vote

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

If you are willing to pay for bus service, how would you prefer to pay for it? 3%

Renovations and shuttle service legislation to be included on homecoming ballot By Kolby Flowers

Contributing Reporter

Three pieces of university legislation, all of which call for fee increases, will be put to a student vote on Oct. 12-13. These referendums will be put on the homecoming election ballot and were passed by senators of the Student Government Association during the 2010 summer senate session. SGA Chief of Staff Kendall Scudder was a sponsor of the Sense of the Senate SS10-03, which would bring back the Sam Shuttle

Service. “Something I have always vowed to take on is the issue of parking,” said Scudder, “Parking is just a big mess. The Sam Shuttle will be the most comprehensive and cost-effective way to address this issue.” The original Sam Shuttle service ended in May 2009. It was once funded by passenger bus fares, along with contributions from SHSU, Lone Star College, and the governments of the City of Conroe and Shenandoah and The Woodlands Township. “The three government entities withdrew their funding after one

Pay-per-trip

semester,” said David Kapalko, Assistant Director of Parking and Transportation, “Service was cut back in response to low ridership, which resulted in cancellation of the service.” SS10-03 calls for a fee increase of $20 to support the shuttle service. According to a survey conducted by the Parking and Transportation Department, 65 percent of 1055 students surveyed are willing to pay a fee to access the bus service. — See SGA, page 3

17% 34%

Purchasing semester-long bus passes Transportation fee w/ tuition and fees Higher parking permit prices

46% Sampling error (± 2.75%)

Chart courtesy of Kolby Flowers

FACTS AND FIGURES. According to a survey conducted by the Parking and Transportation Department, 65 percent of 1055 students surveyed are willing to pay a fee to access the bus service.

New home for the arts Kats ruffle feathers

Health center to offer free flu shots By Jessica Priest

John Rudolph| The Houstonian

SEE Entertainment page 4

SEE sports page 5

Photo contest results

Zeta Think Pink Week 2010

Associate News Editor

Students may receive the influenza vaccine free of charge today through Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Atrium. Students must present their Sam ID to receive their flu shot, administered by the SHSU Health Center. Health Center officials also ask that students wear short sleeves in order to speed up the process. There will be an area to disrobe with privacy screens, but an easily accessible injection site will make the process faster and more comfortable, according to Health Center Interim Director Sarah Hanel. The vaccine will not be administered to those who are pregnant or nursing. Students 17 years of age or younger must present a parental consent form prior to receiving the vaccine. Supplies are limited and will be administered on a first-come, first-served basis. A separate date will be designated for faculty and staff members later, once the second shipments come in, according to Hanel. For more information about the influenza vaccine or the administration process, visit www.shsu.edu/healthcenter or call 936.294.1805. Can’t make it to the LSC today or tomorrow? These Huntsville locations are administering flu vaccinations for a price:

Zetas will be on campus from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the LSC mall area to help raise money for breast cancer education & awareness on campus. Students are invited to come by and support in the fight against breast cancer. On Tuesday and Wednesday: -Voting will begin for guys' best chest contest. -Kats for the Cause tshirts go on sale along with honor/memorial pink balloons. For more information contact: Marisa Eaves- mee003@shsu. edu Jordan Hayes- jah048@shsu. edu.

Eric Zwernemann || Team two

FIRST PLACE. Team 2, “The Bachelor” with Jonathan Tenant, Ian Parisi, Karina Peña, Justin Millard, Laura Cardiel, Drew Alexander, Shsu Lambda-Ladies, Sam Savarino, Edward L Graham, Cody Carpenter, Wesley Wheeler, Manuel Veyna III, Michael Kemble, Ryan Davis, Matt Farris, Clayton Whitehead, Gelasio Olvera Jr. , Thaddeus Dryden, Nolan Stewart, Adrian Mauricio Calautti, Austen Hyde, Eric Zwernemann, Laura Martinez, Cyntia Grimaldo.

The Houstonian held a photography contest last Monday through Thursday for Greek Week. All entries were emailed to our staff and then uploaded to The Houstonian’s Facebook page.The photo with most “likes” are the winners.

Read more about the Greek Week success. SEE Campus page 3

•Walmart Supercenter – (Mollen Immunization Clinics) 141 Interstate 45 South, Huntsville, TX, 77340 (877) 279-3588 Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

INDEX Viewpoints................page 2

•Kroger Pharmacy 111 I-45 South, Huntsville, TX, 77340 (936) 291-7977 Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. •Palais Royal – (Mollen Immunization Clinics) 2 Financial Plaza, Huntsville, TX, 77340 (877) 279-3588 Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This information was provided by Flu. gov, a web site managed by the U.S. Health and Human Services.

Become a fan of The Houstonian on Facebook

Campus.................page 3 Entertainment........page 4 Sports....................page 5

Michael Peel | Team three

SECOND PLACE. (above) Delta Xi Nu, Sigma Rhomeo, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and Kappa Sigma of team three present “Making the Band”

Hilary Craft | Zeta Tau Alpha | team eight

THIRD PLACE. (right) Zeta Tau Alpha, Omega Delta Phi and Phi Delta Theta come together for Greek Week team eight, with “The Kardashians”

Special...................page 6

OPINIONS

Page 2 The Houstonian

Comedy Corner

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Letter to the Student Body Dear Sam Houston Students, Staff and Faculty and Alumni: The Houstonian would not survive were it not for the continued involvement and dedication of the SHSU student body. We welcome all column submissions and letters to the editor. If at any time you feel the need to express an opinion, please do not hesitate to e-mail your thoughts or drop by our office in the Dan Rather, room 210 in the communications building. We look forward to hearing from you and thank you as always for your continued support of the Houstonian. Brandon Scott Opinions Editor bscott@houstonianonline.com

Puzzles for the day

Puzzle courtesy of Sudoku-Puzzles.net

Corrections:

In the Sept. 30 issue of The Houstonian, the byline for the article entitled “Freshmen center of debate” should have been attributed to Kolby Flowers. Also, in the article titled, “Debate team dominates in Arkansas”, the meeting location should read

Comics courtesy of comics.com

Dan Rather building Rm. 201

Consequences and repercussions Clayton Goss challenges readers to consider their actions as well as the subsequent consequences. It does not take me to tell you that life is both incredibly unique and complicated. Everything we have done, do, or going to do is shaped by the decisions that we make on a daily bases. One thing that really stuck with me was something my economy professor said in lecture: “there is no such thing as a free lunch.” Even if there is no monetary value on the meal, you are still allocating time to the lunch, thus wasting resources. The consequence of a free lunch is a spent hour of your life on lunch, whereas you could have been doing any number of other things. Just as, the consequence of you reading these ramblings, is a wasted few minutes. The time that could have been spent studying, Facebook-ing, or flirting with that attractive individual over there. The reality is that all of our decisions carry consequences. These consequences can be calculated risks, unintended, or even necessary for your decision. Nevertheless, they exist. What surprises me is how many of us don’t realize that those consequences exist. It’s not just us, as individuals that all too often fail to make that realization, but our leaders as well. The federal government consistently fails to realize consequences of policies, such as Cash for Clunkers. Cash

for Clunkers was the government inspired stimulus package for the automobile industry, by offering incentive for drivers who traded in old “gas guzzlers” for new cars. While the program was deemed a success, the car industry was overall hurt because sales were pulled forward by Cash for Clunkers. This means everyone had new cars, and the automotive industry stopped selling for a few months.

seat. South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford claimed to be hiking the Appalachian Trail, while actually on a yacht off the coast of Argentina with his mistress. There is a long reason why these public figures made the decisions that they did. They could have felt they would never have faced the consequences, or that they were simply above them. However, these governors had power and the people’s trust,

“What concerns me the most is the failure of individuals to realize the consequences of simple decisions... Many of us fail to realize the fact that the impact of our decisions determine how the world treats us .” The mortgage crisis in 2008 was a giant consequence of the greed of an entire industry. However, failure to see consequences goes beyond policy. Our newsfeed is riddled with politicians who simply could not handle the consequences of their actions. Elliot Spitzer resigned from his position as governor of New York, after he admitted to have involved himself in a high priced prostitution ring. Rob Blagojevich (aka the human hair piece) was impeached after attempting to sell Barack Obama’s senate

and chose to misuse it. It’s not just power that causes consequences. What concerns me the most is the failure of individuals to realize the consequences of simple decisions. Most of us understand the consequences of spending time on Facebook when we should be studying, or that decision to have just one more drink. Yet, many of us fail to realize the fact that the impact of our decisions determine how the world treats us. By hanging out with friends, we sacrifice time we could have spent with family.

By spending too much time with your significant other, you can lose your friend. By going to a party, you have lost a chance to be there when your friend needed you. By poking too much fun at your brother, you could end up pushing him away. By spending too much time fixing a problem, you have created a thousand more. These decisions are the reason why (all to often) small problems turn into galactic problems. We really need to open our eyes and realize that our decisions carry consequences to them. These impacts are not unique to just to us as individuals, but on the people around us. The more we realize the consequences of our actions, the easier it becomes to preemptively solve problems. That realization may help us stop ineffective policy, save a career, or simply avoid some drama. It may take a while, though. I’ve dealt with my mistakes and been handed the consequences. Since every decision carries with it, some form of consequence, here’s a warning. Be prepared. Be prepared to be held accountable for your decisions, and be prepared to face the consequences from your actions. Because those consequences will happen, as sure as there is no such thing as a free lunch.

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 selfsupporting and welcomes all advertisers. Those interested in placing ads or classifieds should call (936) 294-4864. The Houstonian is a member of the Associated Press.

The Houstonian Editorial

FACULTY ADVISOR Robin Johnson.....................................................................936-294-1499 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Meagan Ellsworth...............................................................936-294-1505 SECTION EDITORS Jessica Priest..................................................................Associate Editor Brandon Scott.....................................................................Opinions Editor Mike Silva...........................................................................Sports Editor Thomas Merka...........................................................Entertainment Editor Jared Wolf.......................................................................Graphic Designer STAFF Lotis Butchko.................................................................Sports Reporter John Rudolph.......................................................................Photographer Jessica Gomez......................................................................Photographer Erin Peterson.......................................................................Copy Editor

Advertising BUSINESS MANAGER Brittany Hampton...........................................................936-294-1500 STAFF Branden Price.....................................................Advertising Manager Kyle Mackey...........................................................Account Executive Chelsea Boyd..........................................................Account Executive

Advertising Deadlines

Tuesday’s Issue............... Friday at 2:00 p.m. Thursday’s Issue........... Tuesday at 2:00 p.m.

Clayton Goss is a guest columnist for The Houstonian. He is a junior criminal justice major and captain of the SHSU speech and debate team.

Campus Greeks divide and conquer

The Houstonian, Page 3

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian

BRING IT ON. Eight teams competed in a tug of war during the Greek Games on Friday. Pictured (from the left) is Team 4, The Girls Next Door, which consisted of Alpha Tau Omega, Sigma Lamda Gamma and Sigma Gamma Rho and Team 5, The Real Housewives, Apha Delta Pi, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Sigma Lambda and Alpha Phi Alpha. The Greek Games also consisted of competitions like syrup chugging, car cram and an ultimate relay.

Greek Week winners 1st place

Zeta Tau Alpha Delta Theta Omega Delta Phi 2nd place Sigma Chi Zeta Phi Beta Kappa Delta Chi

3rd place

Sigma Sigma Sigma Delta Tau Delta Omega Psi Phi

By Meagan Ellsworth

and Jessica Priest Editor-in-Chief and Associate News Editor A Leukemia patient with a rare blood type was among those who benefited from Greek Week, which came to a close on Friday. “We got a call from one lady whose sister received the blood,” said Jerrell Sherman, Greek Life coordinator. “Her sister has leukemia and she received the blood from one of the Tri Sigmas we have here on campus, who has a rare blood type. It was really touching … It’s rare to hear back from a family who received it.” Other highlights from

Residence Life completes costly repairs By Jessica Priest Associate News Editor Repairs to the six dormitories affected by the water damage at Sam Houston Village accumulated in late September cost the university $12,000, according to Residence Life. The work was completed last Friday and consisted of replacing wet sheetrock and/or dried out wet sheet rock. The damage was caused by a ruptured pipe in the dorm’s fire sprinkler system. This incident, which occurred on Sunday, Sept. 19, caused a fire alarm to go off in the dorm and more than 500 students were evacuated, multiple

university sources said. The University Police Department responded to the fire alarm at 10:25 p.m., but the Huntsville Fire Department was not called because there was no fire, Deputy Chief James Fitch said. The exact cause of the leak is unknown, but Jeff Vienneau, director of maintenance and facilities for Residence Life, suspects an initial leak, combined with a build up of water pressure, is to blame. Although Vienneau could not be reached for a comment Monday on the details of the repair and fire safety system testing, SHV residents have confirmed the sixyear old fire sprinkler system has been tested several times in the past week by outside parties.

Greek Week include: •Sponsors raised $1,500 for the United Way during the Greek Week charity bowl-athon on Monday, according to Sherman. •Students who participated in the Greek Week “Can Castle” competition, which took place in the LSC Mall Area on Thursday raised an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 cans of food, Sherman said. All food items were donated to the Good Shepherd Mission. •Greek organizations also descended upon the Johnson Coliseum Thursday night to support the SHSU volleyball team. They made up 90 percent of the crowd, according to information obtained by Sherman from the Athletic Department.

“I received an e-mail from Joe Lind, the assistant volleyball coach…He really appreciated us coming out,” Sherman said. “The volleyball team is really trying to ramp up and get more students to attend the games, so for the Greeks to come out in that kind of way, it really helped them to do good and win the game.” •Greeks reached a total of more than 400 community service hours during the team Community Service day on Tuesday. From 3 to 5 p.m., the eight teams, which consisted of nearly 30 people, volunteered at non-profit organizations such as YMCA, The Senior Center for Walker County Hospitality House and the Good Shepherd

Mission, among others. “When you add up how many people were there for that day, we got a lot of good feedback,” Sherman said. “Some of the places really want us to come back, [and] some individual chapters adopted places, which they are going to work with throughout the year.” Overall, Sherman said he hopes this year’s charitable efforts will improve the negative image of Greek Life portrayed by the media. “It was a really good and successful week,” Sherman said. “It exceeded expectations, and it really helps us image wise…These are just great people doing great things.”

Shedding light The mother of a 20year old Alpha Chi Omega sorority member, who committed suicide after being raped by a friend, will share her story with SHSU campus on Thursday. The event will raise awareness about the domestic violence. The lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom. Free wristbands and T-shirts will be given at the event. For a full story, pick up next Tuesday’s issue of the Houstonian.

The Game of

GR E E K The race to the finish line

(Bottom left) The eight teams participating in the Greek Games rest on a hill at the Intramural Field No. 1 on Friday. (Top left) Students chug syrup to help earn points for their philanthropy and team. (Top right) Greek participants consume 10 atomic wings from Wingstop during the Amazing Race program, which also took place Friday afternoon.

Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian

From SGA page 1 However, only 16 percent of students surveyed would prefer to pay for the service by increasing fees. 45 percent of students surveyed would prefer to purchase a semester long bus pass. “Looking at the numbers, many students want to pay for the bus service in many different methods,” said Scudder. “However, students are coming to the consensus that this

still needs to be there and are willing to pay or it regardless of how its done.” SGA Vice President A. Rene' McKelvey also sponsored the legislation and believes the Sam Shuttle is greatly needed. “A number of students on campus do not have transportation,” said McKelvey, “The shuttle would hopefully run from The Woodlands to campus and around Huntsville, giving the students options to cut expenses.” Other fee increases to be voted on are those

dealing with renovations of the Lowman Student Center, Health and Kinesiology Center, and the Recreational Sports Center. According to the legislation, the LSC was built for a campus capacity of 12,500 students and serves as the epicenter of student life. The bill, SS10-01, calls out the LSC's lack of adequate access in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and lack of access to the mall area. SS10-03, the bill to increase fees for

renovation of the HKC and RSC, says that it’s essential for SHSU to provide adequate facilities for students to conduct efficient health practices, as well as to function at a level that enables it to compete with other schools. The bill also states that 100 percent of students surveyed by the Recreational Sports Center supported the idea of paying an increased cap amount in order to have a functioning support center.

ENTERTAINMENT

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

A grand affair

The Houstonian, Page 4

Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian

An evening of food, fun and friendly conversation welcomes the arts to their new home on campus By Alyssa Dupree

Contributing Reporter

As cars lined Avenue J waiting for their turn to park, students, faculty, family and members of the Huntsville community filed into the Performing Arts Center on Thursday evening for the Building Dedication and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. A sea of attendees filled the building with a constant, friendly chatter, indulging themselves in the array of food and beverages that were provided for all guests. Outside in the courtyard area, a smaller group of people began to gather for a jazz performance. Guests were seated at tables that held bouquets of fresh-cut flowers, and more began to trickle through the doors as the Jazz Ensemble and Jazz

Lab bands began to entertain guests of all ages. The full, boisterous performance set the perfect ambiance for the beginning of the evening. Their hearty sound brought smiles, applause and, even, laughter when they dedicated an altered version of “In The Mood” for Dr. James Bankhead, School of Music Director. Dr. John C. Huber, Math Professor and Director of the Reeves Center for Mathematics Education, was also in attendance, accompanied by his wife Flo. Dr. Huber played the bassoon in SHSU’s first symphony in 1969. “The music department has come a long way since then,” said Flo Huber. As the sun began to set and the night carried on, many guests retreated back inside to catch one of the various performances being held throughout the building.

Inside of the Dance Hall, seats filled quickly for a special fourpart performance from the School of Dance. Excited chatter turned to silence as the curtains drew back to reveal a line of women in all black. Quickly following was a women’s ballet trio before a male and female duo took the stage to “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, featured in the movie Once. The intense dance captured the audience’s attention, who exploded with applause at the pieces’ conclusion. The final piece of the performance was a male and female group tap dance number. The high energy dance brought cheers and applause before sending guests off on a high note. Across the lobby in the Concert Hall, the Wind Ensemble took the stage at 7 p.m. The sounds that emitted from the full-size band filled

Preview: SHSU production of ‘Nine’ opens Wednesday Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian

By Thomas Merka

Entertainment Editor

The curtain opens on the SHSU Theatre Department’s fall musical production of “Nine” on Wednesday night at 8 p.m., but I had the chance to sit down with Director Larry Smiglewski on Monday afternoon to get a sneak peak at what audiences can expect from this unusual show. Smiglewski is serving his second year as an assistant professor of theatre here at Sam Houston and this is his second mainstage production. Last fall, he directed “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” but this show appears to be a completely different type of musical. “It’s not your standard musical comedy,” Smiglewski said. “We don’t have big production numbers that are silly and fun. There are like really awesome songs in the show but it’s not traditional, like ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ or ‘Oklahoma.’ It’s more of a play with a really awesome score to it. “The way the show is set up isn’t the traditional sing a song move to the next scene, sing a song move to the next scene. The book and the whole style of the show is non-traditional. It’s totally different than what most people will expect when walking into a musical.” According to Smiglewski,

‘Nine’ takes place inside the mind of Guido Contini, a film director, and deals with all the women that have influenced his life, both in the past and the present, as he tries to create a new movie. “He realizes he’s not always been the best person, and he’s trying to figure out his life and right some of the wrongs in his past,” Smiglewski said. “As he’s living in the current day he is also engaging with memories that he pulls from different times in his life.” These memories and encounters with the people in Guido’s past build the message Smiglewski wants to convey to the audience. “I think that every interaction, every person, every memory in our lives helps make us the person we are as we grow, and we never stop growing,” he said. “There’s a lot of that underlying theme in the show, of reflecting on the past and making yourself a better person in the future. That’s what we’ve really been working towards in the show.” Working to build this message has been no easy task for those involved in the show, but Smiglewski feels that the experience has been well worth the hard work. “This has been one of the best casts I’ve worked with in years,” he said. “Everyone has been really supportive

and wonderful. The crazy thing is, we usually don’t start our season with a mainstage musical because they’re so big. I think the last day we had off was Labor Day. So, it’s been really fast and really furious and a lot of intense time put into this. “The flip side of that is it has made everyone so excited about it, because we’ve been working so hard and spending so much time together. The experience has been a really terrific experience for me and I hope for all the cast as well.” Performances of SHSU’s production of ‘Nine’ will run October 6-9 with curtain opening at 8 p.m. There will also be a 2 p.m. matinee performance on Saturday, October 9. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for students. For more information or to reserve tickets, contact the University Theatre Center box office at (936) 294-1339. COLLEGE SKI & BOARD WEEK breckenridge

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the two-story hall flawlessly and with ease. During the ensemble’s finale, the crowd began to clap along with the song before bursting into applause in recognition. “I have a lot of friends in the band and I play the tenor percussion, so I thought I’d come out to support everyone,” said Garrett Tagliabue, sophomore history major. Immediately following the ensemble, men and women of the chorale filed onto the large stage, filling it from side to side. The women wore matching, floor-length, black gowns, while the men were in sleek tuxedos with white bow-ties. The chorale opened with accompaniment from an organ, and the beautiful harmony of the two proved that the acoustics of the hall had all of the vibrant, reverberating sounds of a cathedral.

“[The PAC] is awesome, I love it and I’m so glad we have it. I’m in recitals all the time, so it’s really great to have somewhere to practice,” said Tagliabue, whose favorite performance of the evening was the Symphony Orchestra. In addition to the dance, choir and band performances, the Faculty Chamber Strings and Piano, Faculty Chamber Winds and Brass and Faculty Chamber Voice, Guitar and Harp groups all performed in the Recital Hall. The Department of Theatre and Dance also hosted performances from the cast of Nine in the Erica Starr Theatre throughout the night. “This is absolutely the most wonderful thing,” said Flo Huber. “The building is so wonderful and modern. It is going to benefit [the University] immensely.”

SPORTS Kats attack in Cardinals’ nest Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The Houstonian, Page 5

Kats Stats SHSU FOOTBALL RESULTS SATURDAY, Oct. 2

SHSU 38 Nicholls 10

A Closer Look

Key Player: Tim Flanders

John Rudolph | The Houstonian

ROAD KILL. The Bearkat football team stomps Lamar in SHSU’s first road win of the season. Saturday marked the Kats’ first victory away from Bowers Stadium since Nov. 8, 2008.

By Lotis Bucthko Sports Reporter

Beaumont – It’s been 21 years since Sam Houston State University played Lamar University in football. The last meeting between the two teams ended in a 41-0 route with SHSU, who used a practice squad quarterback for the game. The Bearkats finally got their revenge by way of a 38-10 beating of the Cardinals on Saturday night. “I thought we did a great job of stopping them defensively early on in the game,” Head Coach Willie Fritz said. “We made them play a long field early on.” SHSU started slow on defense, allowing a 30-yard pass to open the game. But the defense settled in after that, forcing Lamar to punt and never allowing them to get anything going. The defense constantly pressured

the Cardinals’ quarterback Andre Bevil, who had average 300 yards passing a game. He was able to hit 310 yards against the Bearkats, but had only one touchdown and was sacked three times. The Kats defense completely stopped the Cardinals’ rushing. In fact, they lost 23 yards, overall. “We are going pressure you, that’s part of our philosophy: try to get to the quarterback as much as we can,” said Fritz. “Our corners and safeties are going to play with confidence back there, I feel like we have some guys who can cover back there. They’re not going to have to cover for very long especially if we are going to bring one more guy than you can block.” For the first time since last season, Sam Houston had a punt return for a touchdown. Brandon Closner returned a punt for 39-yard touchdown and sparked the SHSU offense, putting them up 7-0.

After the punt return touchdown, the Sam Houston offense came alive. The real edge for the Bearkats came through the play of Tim Flanders, the standout red-shirt freshman transfer from Kansas State. He recorded his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game, adding a 25-carry, 153-yard, threetouchdown game to his resume. Flanders scored twice from a wildcat formation --both times from inside the 20-yard line-- and one other touchdown. Fritz was happy with the offense, especially with the running game. “That’s a big part of our game plan,” Fritz said. “We want to control the running game and I guess we had 100 yards rushing today and they had less.” Freshman quarterback Brian Bell was efficient during the game, contributing 171 yards passing and a touchdown with no interceptions. He was continually able to escape

pressure and, when plays broke down, he made them with his feet. Aided by the defense and special teams, the offense played surprisingly well with two freshmen in the backfield. “Well, it all started with the special teams. They got good returns and gave us good field position,” Flanders said. “The defense started good and helped out too.” Since the Western Illinois loss, the Bearkats have seemingly turned into a new team. “We knew it was on us,” said Darnell Jones. “If someone puts up 56 points, that’s on us, the defense. We need to do what we do best and get after the quarterback.” Fritz seems happy and is optimistic about the team’s future. “We made some improvement from last week,” said Fritz. “We are going in the right direction heading into conference play.”

Youth shows glimpse of bright future By Mike Silva Sports Editor

John Rudolph | The Houstonian

WALK IN FOR SIX. Tim Flanders (above) trots to the end zone. He ran for 153 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday’s win at Lamar.

Do you hear that? That rhythmic thud that has been absent for so long, and has just started to pump out of nowhere? That’s the pulse of the Bearkats football team. And it’s beating pretty hard. Just when everyone counted them out, the Kats have silenced the critics and given fans of the university something to be excited about. After being blown out 34-3 and 56-14 in consecutive road games to start the year, the dormant Bearkats have found life. Their first victim of 2010 was GardnerWebb, who traveled to Bowers Stadium only to be dominated, 30-14. But SHSU didn’t stop there. The next opponent was Lamar, who once was a fierce rival. The Kats visited Beaumont and trounced the Cardinals in their house, 38-10, to flip the script on what seemed to be a lost season. The fact that SHSU answered to an 0-2 start by winning back-to-back games to get back to .500 shows that this team has character and the drive to win. But the most impressive thing about the Bearkats’ current winning streak is how the team has done it. New faces in the lineup have made names for themselves with SHSU’s newfound success.

Kats no match for UTSA By Mike Silva Sports Editor

The Sam Houston State volleyball team stood no chance when it hosted UTSA in this weekend’s Southland Conference showdown. The Roadrunners (9-9, 3-1 SLC) never trailed in their three-set sweep of the Bearkats (7-12, 1-3) and rolled SHSU, 25-17 25-13 25-16. Briana Mason and Kendra Rowland led the Roadrunners’ attack with eight kills each. Carli Kolbe’s eight kills led SHSU, and Kim Black and Camille Alfaro added six apiece. Kym Loving totaled 20 assists, and Kaylee Hawkins led with 21 digs. “I’m not going to say we played flawless, but we just kept them out of system,” UTSA Head Coach Laura

Groff said. “We served so tough, and we dug some incredible shots that they hit. I think the frustration just got the best of them.” Errors on behalf of the Kats highlighted the match. SHSU committed 40 errors total, including 24 hitting, four return, six serving and six setting errors. UTSA recorded a .255 hitting percentage, whereas SHSU hit for just .026. “Volleyball is a game of errors and if we let the errors affect us, which we really did today, then we’re not going to get out of a rut,” SHSU Assistant Coach Joe Lind said. “It’s also a game of momentum, and we just gave all of the momentum to UTSA today. We need to find a way to regroup as a team and swing momentum to our side.” The Kats grabbed their first conference win on Thursday

night in a five-set nail-biter over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Johnson Coliseum. Instead of riding on the momentum of a tough conference win, SHSU was unable to keep it together and looked past UTSA. “I think we might have overlooked them a bit,” Lind said. “They’re a good team. We were just flat and didn’t have a lot of team energy. We played as individuals and we need to find a way out of that.” The loss drops SHSU further down the ranks of the SLC West Division in a tie for fourth with Texas A&MCorpus Christi and Stephen F. Austin. The Bearkats return to action Wednesday night, when they host Stephen F. Austin with hopes of climbing from the bottom of the SLC standings.

Freshman transfer Tim Flanders has been a force this season, from the time he first touched the ball. He got four carries at the end of the season opener at Baylor and showed enough to earn himself the starting job at running back. Flanders has already left his mark on Bearkat history. He is the first freshman running back ever for SHSU to rush for three 100-yard games in a row. His impressive streak has also tied him with Joe Rauls for most 100-yard rushing games (3) in an entire season for a freshman runner. What’s scary is that Flanders is hot and there are still seven games left in the season. His 453 yards has him at the top of the Southland Conference in rushing this season. Another new face that has changed the complexion of the team is freshman quarterback Brian Bell. Bell’s number was called midway through the Western Illinois game. Until Bell stepped foot on the field, SHSU had accounted for just three points through five quarters of play. Since then, the Kats have scored 82 points. Four games of the season have just provided a preview of what’s to come for the next couple of years of SHSU football. With Flanders and Bell at the helm of the offense, the Bearkats will be a tough competitor, with Southland supremacy in their sights for the future.

Running back Tim Flanders (left) has dominated opponents, rushing for 453 yards this season. This week’s Southland Conference offensive player of the week leads the conference in rushing through four games in 2010. John Rudolph | The Houstonian

UPCOMING GAMES SATURDAY, Oct. 9 SHSU at Nicholls

STANDINGS McNeese State Central Arkansas Stephen F. Austin Texas State

1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Nicholls Southeastern La. Northwestern State Lamar*

0-0 0-0 0-1 1-3

Sam Houston State 0-0

(2-2) (3-1) (3-1) (3-1)

(2-2)

(1-3) (1-3) (1-4) (2-3)

*eligible in 2011

VOLLEYBALL RESULTS THURSDAY, Sept. 30

SHSU 3 Texas A&M-CC 2

SATURDAY, Oct. 2 UTSA 3 SHSU 0

UPCOMING MATCHES WEDNESDAY, Oct. 6

Stephen F. Austin at SHSU

STANDINGS EAST DIVISION Central Arkansas Lamar Nicholls Northwestern State Southeastern La. McNeese State

5-0 4-1 3-2 2-3 1-4 1-4

WEST DIVISION

3-1 3-1 2-2 1-3 1-3

Texas State UTSA UT Arlington Stephen F. Austin Texas A&M-CC

(14-6) (8-8) (10-7) (10-7) (9-12) (6-13) (10-8) (9-9) (8-10) (8-11) (7-10)

Sam Houston State 1-3 (7-12)

SHSU SOCCER RESULTS FRIDAY, Oct. 1

SHSU 3 Central Arkansas 2

SUNDAY, Oct. 3

SHSU 1 Northwestern St. 2

UPCOMING GAMES FRIDAY, Oct. 8

McNeese St. at SHSU

SUNDAY, Oct. 10 Lamar at SHSU

STANDINGS Lamar UTSA Stephen F. Austin McNeese State Northwestern State

2-0 (4-6-1) 1-0 (6-5) 1-0-1 (8-3-1) 1-0-1 (4-7-1) 1-1 (6-7)

Southeastern La. Central Arkansas Texas State Nicholls

0-1-1 (7-2-3) 0-1-1 (4-5-2) 0-1 (6-5) 0-2 (6-4-1)

Sam Houston State 1-1 (5-7-1)

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LEADING BY EXAMPLE. Carli Kolbe (above) led SHSU with eight kills in Saturday’s Southland Conference loss at home.

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