The Houstonian by The Houstonian

Huntsville, Texas

Vol 114 — Issue 13

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

HOMECOMING

2009

Kick-off party starts homecoming week Thanks to sponsorship from Student Activities, kick-off party thrown to jump start activities

Joe Buvid | The Houstonian

We’ve got spirit. SHSU cheerleaders perform for the crowd during the kick-off party held Monday afternoon near the fountain. The theme for this year’s homecoming is honoring the 50 years of Sammy the Bearkat. Today’s daily event includes Make Your Own Ceramics, to be held in the mall area, starting at 11 a.m.

STUDENT LOANS AND PRIVATE LENDERS

Law would make government sole provider of student loans By Meagan Ellsworth Associate Editor

The House said yes, the senate is debating, and students who receive Stafford loans have a reason to be concerned. The Student Aid and Fiscal Act, is making its way through Congress, an act that would require all colleges and universities to use a federal direct loan program for their student loans, eliminating private lenders such as Bank of America and Sallie Mae by as soon July 1. That means the government would be the one and only provider for student loans. “At this university, most of the long term loans are Stafford loans, and that’s the program that is being discussed for elimination or shall I say replacement. I don’t want to scare the students too much,” Lisa Tatom, Director of the Financial Aid Department said. “I don’t know for sure if it will be a phase out or cold elimination. People are kind of afraid that it will be a cold elimination.

One student shared his thoughts about the elimination. “I’m here on scholarship, so I don’t really benefit from Stafford loans, but I guess it would be a good idea for those who don’t really have a lot of money, for the government to take over. Either way you have to pay it back, but it’d be an easier process to go through because Stafford loans takes so much time to get the process through before the money actually gets there,” Tyler Jones, SHSU freshman, said. In the past, before the credit crunch hit, lenders would compete on prices, some would offer lower interest rates and would buy down loan fees based on competition. “If this legislation passes then that all goes away, there won’t be any competition there won’t be any choice for students, you get one loan, it’s from the federal government. Like Henry ford said, ‘ you can have any color car you want as long as it’s black,’ well that’s what you’re going to get in stu-

WHAT’S ON THE WEB Visit our website to participate in our latest poll or post your comments on the stories in this issue at houstonianonline.com!

SAFE SCHOOLS

SHSU in top ten for safe schools By Jessica Priest

Contributing Writer

Krystal Jackson | The Houstonian

Cutting out the middle man. Should the Student Aid and Fiscal Act officially pass, it would make the United States government the sole provider of student loans.

dent loans,” Bob Murray, Vice President of Corporate Communications, USA Funds said. Less choices leaves one student with her own doubts about the elimination of private lenders. “I don’t know how I feel about the government being the sole provider. If it restricts students on finding a good deal on their loans, and if it will affect all private lenders and banks, I

don’t think it will be too much of a positive thing,” Rose Carrillo, SHSU Junior, said. One concern is the rush to have an entirely new loan program and process by July 1. “It may be difficult for some schools, because you can’t just wait until then to get your work done, you have to give your processes and your communi-

— See LAW, page 4

FEATURE PRESENTATION

Entertainment editor Kevin Jukkola grades the film The Invention of Lying. SEE page 5

While some students find themselves a bit on edge after learning that Huntsville is home to nearly 9,000 prisoners from all over the state of Texas, others feel confident that Sam Houston State University remains a safe and secure campus. “I think that it’s safe here because it feels like we have more security in place because the prison is so close to us,” said Terry Thomas, a senior broadcast journalism major. Ollen Hoasey, a sophomore English major agrees, “I am not worried about a prison break because prisoners are not trying to stick around [the university area].” It is easy to see why one would feel that way especially since Huntsville is home to the

Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Now, the Daily Beast, a New York-based news website has compiled a list of list of 25 universities they have determined as the “safest colleges”. Sam Houston State University has secured the 10th spot, followed by two other Texas universities: Texas A&M (No. 24) and Texas Woman’s University (No. 25). The Web site based its list on analysis of crime statistics that occurred on and near the campuses that are reported annually to the U.S. Department of Education as required by the Clery Act. These crime statistics included murder, assault, sexual offenses, and robberies for the two most recent years of data. “To be fair, even the numbers

— See SAFE, page 4

Fall Teacher Job Fair to be held Wednesday, Oct. 7 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Johnson Coliseum. INDEX

Nation & World...page 4

Opinions................page 2

Entertainment........page 5

Campus................page 3

Sports....................page 6

OPINIONS

Page 2 The Houstonian

THE ROSTRUM

“Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.” Napoleon Bonaparte French General and Emperor 1769-1821

Not 100% effective. Clayton Goss

discusses the importance of

changing the format of sexual education in schools. The health care bill amendments failed by a vote of 15-8 in committee. Before you make a joke about how the Democratic party is ineffective, (Why don’t you want a democratic waiter? They fail to give you a bill!), they did pass one thing: more funding for abstinence only sex education. Abstinence only sexual education preaches one thing and one thing only: please, please don’t have sex. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting deferent results. So why do our policy makers continue to believe that abstinence education is worth our time and, more importantly, our money? How naive do we think kids are? About one-third of girls get pregnant before the age of twenty, and the state with the highest teen birth rate is Mississippi. Ironically, Mississippi is also the state with the highest number of people who profess religious values. In fact 10 of the top 15 states that rank highest in religious beliefs are also in the top 15 of teen birth rates. Why is this so shocking?

Well it’s because (spoiler alert!) kids have sex! It’s hard to imagine them not wanting to. Sex is everywhere in our country. In music, TV, movies, and the internet, sex is deeply embedded in our society. Look around you, how many sexual references are near you on your TV, your computer, or on the cover of a magazine? Sit through almost any prime time network show and observe just how much sex you actually see. And it’s not just network sitcoms or dramas; there are even sexual references in cartoons! Lets just go ahead and pretend kids are too young to notice. The problem is, (like the very politicians that passed this bill out of committee), abstinence only sex education says one thing while society says another. Anyone else find it funny that we tell kids that they should save their sexual experiences until marriage and then go watch the premier of Desperate Housewives? Since we are not planning on changing our sexually driven culture anytime soon (it’s just too much fun), lets

change how we teach kids about sex. Just like that test coming up, pretending kids wont have sex, does not mean its not going to happen. So lets give kids a fighting chance, teach them about contraceptives. For those who think this simply encourages sex, watch TV. It’s already happening whether you like it or not. Almost half of 15-19 year-olds have had sex. If we truly want to combat teen pregnancy, let’s teach kids the proper measures, to protect themselves. Imagine being sick and simply not knowing about a treatment that could have prevented it. Our society tells kids to go have sex and our education system offers no way to do it safely. Since we have not, and will not be successful in discouraging teen sex, let’s protect them. We need to teach kids about such things as condoms, birth control, etc. Kids deserve to know how to protect themselves if they chose to participate. But why should we talk about it in schools instead of at home? Isn’t it the parents’ job to teach kids about sex?

Well, the reason why it does need to be taught in schools is because clearly and statistically it’s NOT being taught at home! The whole reason schools exist is to teach what cant be taught at home. We teach evolution in public schools, despite some parental objection, because it is a theory that people can chose to accept or not. Why not give kids the same option? Let’s just say, if you are going to chose to have sex, please do so safely. Why do we mandate a sexual education course and not include safety? We need to truly combat teen pregnancy by teaching our kids how to be safe. If out government feels that it is necessary to continue to throw money at our sexual education dilemma, lets make sure that bill is worth it. Unless we finally start giving kids a fighting chance to be safe all we’re doing is leaving kids as the butt of a bad and impractical joke. Clayton Goss is a guest columnist for The Houstonian. He is a sophomore Criminal Justice major and is the co-captain of the SHSU Speech and Debate team.

Key Words: Honesty (Box) is not the best policy. Adam Key talks about the UPD’s new “Silent Witness” program. Like most college students, I spend a good amount of my week on facebook. From reuniting with people that I didn’t particularly like back in elementary school to hiring day laborers to harvest crops on my virtual farm, it’s got everything a procrastinator could want. Of all the applications available, there is however one that I absolutely cannot stand: Honesty Box. Honesty Box functions like this. If you have this application active on your page, any facebook user can send you a message anonymously. When the person clicks the send button, the message is sent to one of several servers across the country where information about the sender is removed. Following that, the application sends you the message. Given the multiple levels of security and encryption, it is practically impossible to discover who sent you the message unless they tell you

themselves. The general idea behind this application is that people will be more honest with each other if there is no fear of repercussion. While this looks good on paper, it rarely, if ever happens in practice. Given the cover of anonymity, individuals use this application not to say things they were afraid to, but as a way to demean each other. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten messages about how someone hated me or thought I was a bad person. But the worst part of Honesty Box is the rumors. We’ve all seen what happens when gossip spreads throughout a social circle. Fights happen, friends become enemies, and the groups are torn apart. Honesty Box gives a chance for rumors to start with absolutely no accountability. Unlike when gossip spreads through social circles, there’s no chance to

trace the rumor to its source. In fairness, the problems caused by Honesty Box are mostly of our own creation. We should be able to take these messages with a grain of salt and to just hit the delete key when we get these rumors. However, the real problem comes now that the University Police Department has started using their own Honesty Box. In a program started this year, dubbed Silent Witness, the University Police Department at Sam Houston State University accepts anonymous tips on crimes committed by students via its website. Functioning in much the same as Honesty Box, the program will undoubtedly suffer many of the same problems. Given that they cannot be held accountable, individuals can abuse this tool and spread rumors about their classmates. The difference here is that the worst thing that can

happen as a result of a false rumor spread via Honesty Box is hurt feelings, but one sent to Silent Witness can, at worst, result in incarceration. It is not unforeseeable that students, angry with others after a fight, would seek revenge by making a false police report. Even if there’s never an arrest made, simply being questioned by the police can be traumatic. There is a reason our founding fathers wrote our right to face our accusers into the Constitution. Silent Witness cuts into this right and should be discontinued immediately. The UPD officers, like all peace officers, swore to protect our Constitution. They should do their jobs.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

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 email your thoughts or drop by our office in the Dan Rather communications building. We look forward to hearing from you and thank you as always for your continued support of the Houstonian. Addison Reed Opinions Editor dar015@shsu.edu

Teen Birth Rates and Religiousness in the U.S. Birth Rate

Religiousness

Mississippi

New Mexico

Texas

Arkansas

Arizona

Oklahoma

Nevada

Tennessee

Kentucky

Georgia

Louisiana

Alabama

South Carolina 13

North Carolina 14

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

Got on opinion? Visit www.houstonianonline.com to post your comments and thoughts to these or any other article you’ve read this year. 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) 294-4864. The Houstonian is a member of the Associated Press.

The Houstonian Editorial

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kristina Salazar...............................................................936-294-1505 FACULTY ADVISOR Patsy Ziegler.....................................................................936-294-1499 SECTION EDITORS Meagan Ellsworth........................................................Associate Editor Addison Reed................................................................Opinions Editor Lotis Butchko....................................................................Sports Editor Kevin Jukkola........................................................Entertainment Editor Thomas Merka.....................................................................Web Editor STAFF Kristin Meyer.................................................................Senior Reporter Mike Silva......................................................................Sports Reporter Joe Buvid..............................................................................Photo Editor Krystal Jackson.................................................................Photographer Heath Wierck.......................................................................Copy Editor

Advertising BUSINESS MANAGER Tammie Nokes..................................................................936-294-1500

Adam Key is a recurring columnist for The Houstonian. He is a Communication Studies graduate student and is the Head Coach of the SHSU Speech and Debate Team.

STAFF Brittaney Pires.....................................................Advertising Manager Samantha Berezowsky............................................Account Executive

Advertising Deadlines

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

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Get with the program Residence life gives alternative ways for a fun-filled night without jail time

CAMPUS

The Houstonian, Page 3

Make your own Ceramics By Kaima Akarue Contributing Writer

By Blake Myers Contributing Writer On a campus of nearly 17,000 students, only 3,145 live in the on-campus Residence Halls. Many of those complain of boredom and mediocrity, then hang out off campus, and get their excitement in the form of DUIs, MIPs, and nights in jail. What do the Resident Advisors have to say to these students? Get with the program. Programming consists of all the fun, informative, social events that the RAs of the residence halls on campus put on for their residents. “The purpose of programming is to strengthen educational and social development for students in the residence halls,” said Katy Pelton, Residence Area Coordinator for the Department of Residence Life. Programming is a safe and exciting way for the hall to build its community, and for people to get to know each other the best way they can: by having fun together. Programs can have a wide variety of subjects, such as Estill Hall’s “Powderpuff,” where the RAs taught the girls of the hall the basics of football, and then attended a Bearkat game together after some free food, or even Sam Houston Village’s “Condom Olympics”, where students were educated of the dangers of sexually transmitted infections and proper condom use. Residents raced to see who could put a condom on a banana the fastest, and whose condom balloon could fly the farthest. On Sorority Hill, an officer came out to teach everyone some basic self-defense moves for their “Learn to Fight Back” program. And that’s just a small example of the many fun events all over campus. “Attendance for the programs keeps going up. We’ve had about 30 people at most events, and as many as 110 at White Hall’s ‘Backyard Bash,’” said Ms. Pelton, “and those numbers just keep going up as the halls fill up.” These events were held in the first six weeks of school, but October has even more programs in store. On Oct. 7, White Hall will decorate its lobby like a 1920s speakeasy and play the card game “Mafia”. Oct. 13 plays host to Belvin’s “No Boys Allowed” featuring a girl’s night focusing on Women’s Health, and Jackson-Shaver will be having a Field Day at Pritchett field teaching the basics of five popular sports on the same day. Late October will be having four Halloween programs all over campus, with King Hall’s “Safe Trick-or-Treating” and Raven Village’s huge “Fall Festival.” Programs are not only for those that live in the halls. As long as you are not disruptive, anyone is welcome to attend. Just look for publicity around the halls, it can get pretty creative, like Sam Houston Village’s giant-size board game spaces leading to the lobby for “Are You Smarter Than A 2-Year-Old”. They’re always overflowing with free food, prizes, and information, so it never hurts to stop by for a pamphlet and a snack or two. So if you find your on-campus friends complaining again, just seek out an RA and ask them to point you in the direction of the nearest program. Chances are it will be closer than you think, and who knows? Maybe you’ll even enjoy yourself while learning something.

Student Activities is giving students the opportunity to create some art of their own. Make Your Own Ceramics will be held in the Mall Area today by the Student Lowman Center. Need a little stress reliever, have a slight gap in between classes or perhaps you just want to witness the creations of your classmates, stop by anytime from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., to give support or participate in student events. Student Activities always have something planned, so if you’re interested in future affairs and/or want to get involved in any organizations, there is a calendar on the Sam Houston website.

Joe Buvid | The Houstonian

For more info, questions, or for help locating the calendar contact Student Activities at 294-3861.

Joe Buvid | The Houstonian

Follow up: ROTC inducts new members into the Bearkat Battalion

Tuning in to NBS broadcast journalism and production majors discuss upcoming events and trips By Jarod Knight Contributing Writer The Sam Houston chapter of the National Broadcasting Society held its annual meeting last Wednesday, in the Dan Rather building, to discuss the upcoming events of field trips and conventions plus possible t-shirt ideas. The NBS is an organization for students who are either broadcast journalism majors or broadcast production and help network with other professionals in their respective fields and make

some new friends along the way. The group is currently making plans to attend both regional and national conventions this year, with the regional convention being held in Austin Nov., 21 and the national slated for this coming March in Dallas. This is the first time for both conventions to be held so close to Huntsville allowing a chance for the group to attend. The conventions are designed so students and other professionals can attend seminars, network, and present productions. The

organization is really trying to make it to these because, “We really want to get our name out there and win some awards,” NBS president Heather Itzen said. Other than attend conventions the NBS will also travel on group field trips to visit news, radio, and production stations in the area. In the past they have visited KBTX-H 11 and FOX Network studios in Houston. Currently they are working on being able to visit Austin and go to Austin City Limits and attend an actual studio production in order to see

just how a professional studio is would be set-up, run, and shot. The NBS is always looking for new members who are interested in the broadcast field. Meetings are held on Wednesday’s at 6 p.m. in Room 125 of the Dan Rather building. For more information, contact president Heather Itzen at HAI001@shsu.edu or go to the national website at www. nbs-aerho.org.

“The NBS is always looking for new members who are interested in the broadcast field” Organization meetings are held on Wednesday’s at 6 p.m. in room 125 of the Dan Rather building For more information contact President Heather Itzen at HAI001@ shsu.edu or go to the national website at www.nbs-aerho.org.

NATION & WORLD

Page 4 The Houstonian

From SAFE page 1

reported to the Department of Education are frequently criticized as imperfect and, indeed, schools are regularly fined for noncompliance,” the article said, “Additionally, in determining our methodology, we made numerous fairminded but necessarily subjective decisions.” Not included were universities with enrollments of fewer than 6,000 students, graduate only, two-year schools, and commuter colleges. Of the 25 on the list, only five are larger than SHSU in terms of student population. SHSU’s population is listed as 16,496. “[This list] is a reflection of the hard work performed by officers of this department, and the support of our University community,” said University Police Department Director Chief Kevin Morris. While University Police

do experience their fare share of crime on campus, they are most concerned with property crime. Morris suggests that students continue to be aware of their surroundings and contact their department at 936294-1794 if they observe any criminal activity or suspicious behavior. The University Police Department also urges students to take advantage of their property registration program now located on their website. This program will ensure that UPD has the serial number of any property that they have so that if it gets stolen, they can enter it in a state-wide database of stolen goods. “This way if an officer ever comes across that property, we can get it returned to the owner and hopefully prosecute the person who had taken it,” said Deputy Chief James Fitch. UPD is also in the process of establishing a reporting system in which they can get

out information to students, faculty, staff, and parents in non-threatening emergency situations. “We already use KatSafe for emergency notifications, but we wanted to get other information out to all parties that is relevant to their safety,” Fitch said. “I am excited about being named the 10th safest school; however, we are not going to just rest on our laurels. I want our department and our officers to strive to be number one. Safety of all students, faculty, and staff is our main focus,” Fitch added. The Daily Beast also composed a list of 25 universities with the biggest crime problems. Both lists can be found at http://www.thedailybeast. com/blogs-and-stories/200909-24/the-top-25-safest-colleges/. To check out SHSU’s crime statistics please visit http:// www.shsu.edu/~upd/stats. html.

NEW VACCINE BREAKTHROUGH

Vaccine-like shots help fight cocaine addiction (AP) — Vaccine-like shots to keep cocaine abusers from getting high also helped them fight their addiction in the first successful rigorous study of this approach to treating illicit drug use The shots didn’t work perfectly, but the researchers say their limited success is promising enough to suggest the intriguing vaccine approach could be widely used to treat addiction within several years. The results come just days after that government agency announced plans for the first late-stage study of an experimental nicotine vaccine designed to help people quit smoking. The NicVAX vaccine has been fast-tracked by the Food and Drug Administration, and the research will be paid for with federal stimulus money. The cocaine and nicotine vaccines both use the same

approach, stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies that attach to molecules of the drugs and block them from reaching the brain. In the new study, cocainefighting antibodies helped prevent users from getting a euphoric high and led nearly 40 percent of them to substantially cut back or stop cocaine use at least temporarily. With more than 2 million cocaine abusers nationwide and no federally approved treatment, the results “are good enough — better than having nothing,” said lead author Dr. Thomas Kosten of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He developed the vaccine used in the study. The study appears in October’s Archives of General Psychiatry, released Monday. The research involved 115 cocaine abusers also addicted to heroin who sought methadone treatment at a New Ha-

ven, Conn. clinic. Methadone treats heroin addiction, not cocaine, but it requires repeat clinic visits. That made it easier for the researchers to work with and track the cocaine abusers, Kosten said. Over 12 weeks, nearly all participants got five shots of cocaine vaccine or a dummy substance. They were followed for an additional 12 weeks. All participants also attended weekly relapse-prevention therapy sessions, had their blood tested for antibodies and their urine tested for cocaine and heroin. Overall, 21 vaccine patients — 38 percent — developed cocaine antibody levels high enough to prevent a cocaine high. In this group, 53 percent stopped using cocaine more than half the time during the study, versus 23 percent of those with lower antibody levels.

From LAW page 1

cations to your students and parents well before July 1,” Murray said. “There are many schools that are very concerned that this change is being made to hastily and is going to cause them some real headaches and could even disrupt student loan services next academic year. Despite the issues that Murray said students should be concerned about, he also said there are some good points to the legislation. “There’s a $40 billion increase in Pell grant funding, the federal grant program for low income students, so there are some good provisions in it, but there are also some real down-sides to this bill for students as well,” Murray said. The congressional budget office estimates that the bill would save $87 billion over ten years by cutting private lenders out of the picture. “Student loan borrowers pay interest to the lender. That’s what lenders do, they use money they have on hand, they lend it, and make money off of it, it’s called interest,” Murray said. “In this case instead of that interest going to lenders, it would go to the federal government. That’s where the bulk of the savings come from, instead of the borrowers paying the interest to lenders they are going to pay it to the federal government.” Murray said the other difference is that the federal government can borrow money more cheaply than the private lender can in some cases. He also said it appears the federal government would make more money than they currently do

under the student loan program where lenders participate. “Ranked for 2009, even the program in which they participate makes money for the government, but the direct loan program appears to make much more money for the government then the program in which lenders participate,” Murray said. “That’s where they come up with these supposed $87 billion in savings. Now $7 billion would be administrative, so the net would be $80 billion.” At present the new Stafford loans are fixed interest rate loans. For the last two years, interest rates on subsidized Stafford loans for undergraduates with financial need, has been a lower rate each year, if they are stepping that rate down to 3.4% by the year 2011, but would expire under the law that enacted it in 2012. Then the rate would become variable and go back up to 6.8 percent, which is what most Stafford borrowers pay. “It would change each year but the benefit would be the maximum rate could never go higher than 6.8 percent. So yes, some of those loans will go back to a variable rate loan but the maximum cap on them would be lower then it had been before. “ The variable rates wouldn’t apply to graduate students, medical students, nor would it apply to unsubsidized loans. A host of services that lenders and student loans guarantors, such as USA Funds, currently offered in the program in which lenders participate could disappear. “We do an extra measure of support to students who are having difficulty making their loan payments, so they don’t end up into fault. We do finan-

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 cial literacy programs, we provide loan counseling services, college planning and access services, all of those services that are now provided by lenders and guarantors could go away under this legislation,” Murray said. Murray said USA funds supports an alternative model that provides savings for increased student aid, but doesn’t inflict some of the “down-sides” of the house bill. “There’s an alternative model out there that also saves tens of billions of dollars a year that could fund most of these student aid enhancements that the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act does, including the $40 billion in Pell grant increases, but it doesn’t eliminate lenders from the program,” he said. USA Funds also supports the funding for services provided by student loan guarantors and other types of nonprofit, and state agency organizations, who provide loan counseling, financial literacy, borrower assistance and repayment. Although the direct lending will be new for most, for others it’s old news. “Direct lending has been around for several years. A lot of universities already have it, which is a good thing for us because that means all the bugs have already been worked out. Because it was very problematic when it first came into existence,” Tatom said. For more information about the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, go to www. house.gov and visit the Committee on Education and Labor page. Concerned students are also encouraged to contact their State Senator about the piece of legislation.

Check out page 4 to see what is happening in the United States and around the world.

ENTERTAINMENT

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

GADDIS GEESLIN ART GALLERY

Universal Possibilities: The Artwork of Michiko Itatani James Ashworth

Contributing Writer

Sam Houston State has the honor of presenting Michiko Itatani’s latest gallery, Cosmic Theater II – HyperBaroque & Moon Light / Mooring. Through in depth perception by intertwining landscapes with texture, Itatani properly executes a universe of limitless possibilities. Her gallery sheds new light on the ebb and flow of ethereal structures, and her paintings approach architecture through the lenses of an astronomer, delicately suspending reason with fantasy. This dichotomy is further expressed by the themes of the gallery. Speaking in terms of her motif, Itatani challenges the eye by combining Eastern and Western styles of design. Furthermore, her work is concentrated on illuminating the heavenly in an earthly setting. For example, in her painting Cosmic Sleepwalk (HyperBaroque CS-3), the artist places globes inside a library, depicting a universal consciousness, and that knowledge can transcend from the celestial to the soil. Her images conjure orbit and interplanetary connections, while keeping the observer’s feet firmly placed on the ground. Itatani’s textured geometric lines seemingly jump off the canvas, drawing the observer into a world of her own imagination. One striking example of Michiko’s style is her use of crosshatched lines. This theme is present in several of the displayed paintings. She overlaps the crosshatching in sheets, creating an illusion of layered directional light.

Another quality is her use of pointillism, which further accents the orbital themed gallery. Itatani is a native of Japan who migrated to the United States to study at Chicago’s School of the Art Institute. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts from the Institute and began teaching there in 1979. She is known as one of the most astute in her field, receiving both the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and the Illinois Arts Council Artist’s Fellowship. She describes her creative process as “gathering various fragments from experiences, events, documents, literature, history, science, myths and customs.” She contends that on a personal level, painting is a “diagram of some of those possibilities, consisting of painting vocabularies that are both fascinating and painful for me at the same time.” Accordingly, her work varies from the vibrant and colorful to the foggy and opaque. Her paintings tell a story, chapter by chapter, of one person’s pursuit of intelligence, even at the cost of worldly embodiment. Michiko Itatani shows that knowledge can be found in the most unexpected corners of our universe. Cosmic Theater II will be displayed at Art Building F in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery from Oct. 1 through October 29. On Thursday, Oct. 8, Mrs. Itatani will be speaking in the Art Auditorium from 45 p.m., and there will be a reception afterwards from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Anyone interested should make this trip to view her paintings. It would be worth your while.

SHSU STUDENT EVENTS

College Humor visits SHSU: Laughter ensues Victoria Craven

Contributing Writer

The Official CollegeHumor Live Tour was held at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 5 in the LSC Ballroom. The event was hosted by Streeter and Jeff and starred Jake and Amir with Dan Levy as the special guest. The event was put on by Program Council, Student Activities and M.I.S.S. It was a packed house, with ver 600 students showing up to watch the comedic performance. “It was a really good event, very funny,” student Nyco Holliday said. During the whole hour and a half show, laughter filled the room. The show was very interactive. At one point, the CollegeHumor comedians pulled up an audience member and had him sing to a Miley Cirus song. “They did an amazing job. The whole act was based on stuff college students would go through, it was very relatable to the

student body, ” said Ashley Poyer, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Program Council. Poyer said the theme was a “...teaser about what we go through and how some of the choices we make are not always thought through, but at the end of the day they all work out.” Homecoming t-shirts were given to students that attended. CollegeHumor is a comedy website that features content that would appeal to a college-aged demographic. It was created by Josh Abramson and Ricky Van Veen in 1999. CollegeHumor is known for being a leading website for the younger comedy loving population. CollegeHumor.com has over 10 million readers per month. The site features an assortment of original and usersubmitted videos, pictures, articles, and links. Videos from the event should be on posted CollegeHumor.com for millions of people to see.

At the Movies with Kevin: The Invention of Lying Kevin Jukkola

Entertainment Editor

Ricky Gervais has been widely regarded as a comic genius, but he proves to be a philosophical one with his insights in “The Invention of Lying.” His newest effort is filled with a vast number of poignant, intriguing observations, including those about religion, celibacy, truth, faith, and the afterlife. Although those subjects may seem to overlap, Gervais specifically illustrates distinctions within the context of their applications in this alternative world. “The Invention of Lying” is bold in dealing with these issues in a story that treats them with profound sincerity, which is often something that is not permitted in most modern day, dumb-down comedies. That said, this is also a consistently funny and clever movie about a man who will do anything other than lie to have the woman of his dreams accept him, and all of his physical and emotional faults, as the companion she has always wanted. Gervais plays Mark, a pudgy man who lives in a world where humans have not evolved to the point where they possess the gene for lying. He works as a screenwriter at Lecture Films, a production company in which movies effectively show people sitting on a seat and simply reading straight from history without the ability to embellish. Obviously, these films are boring and say absolutely nothing about human nature, but there is hardly any other choice without the ability to illustrate deceit. Mark is fired from his job and can no longer afford his luxurious living, forcing him to withdraw the final $300 from his account to hire movers. At the counter, he comes up with the brilliant idea of asking for $800 to pay his rent and the teller gives him the money, believing that the bank must have made a mistake in his account balance. The remainder of the film ba-

Entertainment Poll of the Week A historical narrative is a film that focuses on a specific event in history by examining certain real life or fictional characters that surround that period of time. In “The Invention of Lying,” Lecture Films produces movies that show people reading about major historical events, so what is the best historical narrative of the decade. Choices: -Black Hawk Down -Charlie Wilson’s War -Cinderella Man -Frost/Nixon -Good Night, and Good Luck -The Grey Zone -Hotel Rwanda -Seabiscuit

Bearkat Classifieds Real Estate 3 bed, 2 bath for rent. Central heating/air. Washer/dryer connect. Stove, fridge, dishwasher. 2712 Old Houston Rd. Call 438-8203

Classified Rates • Rate: $1.50 per line, per issue • All ads must be paid in full prior to publication • No refunds • Lost and found ads are free • Deadline: For Tuesday’s paper is 12 p.m. Thursday For Thursday’s paper is 12 p.m. Monday

Hangin’ with the Guys. The stars of College Humor laugh it up backstage before bringing hilarity to the adoring crowd.

The Houstonian, Page 5

Note: The Houstonian is not responsible for any misleading or misinterpretation of advertisements.

Birthday coupon. Mark (Ricky Gervais) tries to amend what he just said about premarital sex after learning about his special present from Anna (Jennifer Garner) in “The Invention of Lying.”

sically chronicles the manner in which he uses this discovery as a way to become rich, while still keeping enough integrity and dignity alive to be considered a decent individual by most standards. Ricky Gervais exposes a vast amount about his acting talents in the film with some touching and dramatic moments that have not been revealed in his previous work. His writing talents were already well-respected with such efforts as the original interpretation of “The Office” on BBC , but the expansion of his acting here is a revelation. Gervais is often in the same scene hilarious, pathetic, boisterous, and sad without ever seeming like he is stretching for authenticity. If is not clear by now, this film once again proves that Jennifer Garner is a real actress. She again plays a character whose sunny disposition hides much of the concerns that drive the direction of her life. This is somewhat similar to the character she played so brilliantly in “Juno.” I don’t want to make this sound like she is repeating her performance because this is a different character with a unique set of moral values in a completely alternate world. The one thing the characters do share is a similar smile that overwhelms internal turmoil con-

stantly ravaging her psyche. The supporting performances are satisfactory, but I think the writing does them a lot of favors by regularly giving them sharp one-liners to rattle off at each other. “The Invention of Lying” believes that religion would not be instituted if only truth were allowed. There has been a misconception that Gervais is then being condescending toward religion because of this view, but I believe it is the exact opposite. Gervais is actually saying that, whether or not you believe in religion, how can it be bad to have people believe in something that gives them peace and makes them live with a set of ethical principles in an effort to achieve a better afterlife? The film also raises other questions that could point out some faults, such as: If nobody can lie, why do they have to speak about every brutally honest observation they have about one another? The answer is because then it would not be as funny. Also, wouldn’t being a genetic match be secondary to spending your life with the one you love, except for the assumption that science would be much more advanced without religion, because wouldn’t lying to your heart be just as detrimental? The answer to that is this is not tackled be-

cause then there would not be any conflict in the story. Maybe I am thinking about these thoughtful issues too much, but with a film that contains this many deep insights, I do not think that is the case. Overall, these are minor quibbles. “The Invention of Lying” is funny and sweet, even if it is predictable, and the one question that must be asked is: Could you ask for anything more in a comedy?

The Invention of Lying

Stars: * * * 1/2 Grade: B+ Running Time: 107 min. MPAA: Rated PG-13 for language, including some sexual material, and a drug reference. Cast: Ricky Gervais (Mark), Jennifer Garner (Anna), Jonah Hill (Frank), Rob Lowe (Brad), Tina Fey (Shelley). Written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson.

SPORTS

Page 6 The Houstonian

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Bearkats smother the Pumas

Sam Houston State roared to a victory over Saint Joseph College Mike Silva Staff Writer

The Sam Houston State Bearkats improved their record to 2-2 this weekend after rolling the St. Joseph’s Pumas, 41-0. Saturday’s game marked the first shutout for the Bearkats defense of the year and its first since the 2000-2001 season. Before the game, the Bearkats were allowing opponents to score over 45 points per game. Saturday, Sam Houston State allowed zero. The Bearkat defense recorded two sacks for 11 yards and forced three turnovers, including a pair of interceptions by safety Trey Wilder and defensive end Edward Decambre, and a fumble recovery by linebacker Darnell Taylor. The Bearkats held St. Joseph’s to only 126 total yards for the game. “Our defense is made to bring a lot of pressure and force turnovers to get the ball back to the offense and we really got things to work today,” said Edward Decambre. “We have a young defense but we’re learning. We worked really hard today. If we can con-

tinue to play like this, we can win conference.” The offense ended the game with 371 yards, a number that is deceiving to the unit’s success. Throughout the game, the Bearkat offense often had a short field to play with. The great starting field position was made possible by the defense, who forced seven three-and-outs and 10 punts. On 16 offensive possessions, the Bearkats’ average starting field position was its own 47 yard-line, including six possessions in which the drive began in St. Joseph’s territory. “Anytime you don’t allow the opponent to score, it’s just really hard to do,” said head coach Todd Whitten. “The defense played well and I think we had them outmanned. We have a good pass rush and I think it’s going to continue to get better and better.” Along with the great defensive play, the Bearkat offense also had a nice day. Blake Joseph completed 17 of 24 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns, along with a seven-yard touchdown run to lead the offense that gave St. Joseph’s headaches for the entire game. Chris Poullard led the rush-

ing attack with 71 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown. James Aston also had a solid game running the ball with 57 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown. Jason Madkins was once again a presence in the passing game. Madkins caught three passes for 87 yards and a touchdown, including a long 43-yard catch that set up a touchdown run by Poullard. Darnell Jones also contributed by adding three catches for 31 yards and a touchdown. “We came out a little sluggish, maybe because of the rain delay, but we played pretty well and it was nice getting a win today,” Joseph said. “I think the offense is really starting to come together. We’ve got a good offensive line, good receives, just a good overall unit. We still got a lot of thing we need to work on. But I think we can score points on anybody.” After starting the game with back-to-back three-and-outs, the offense finally got things going on their third drive of the game. With a good mix of runs and passes, the Bearkats drove down the field to score the first points of the game. Following the seven-yard touchdown run

by Blake Joseph, Sam Houston State took the lead, 7-0. The Bearkats continued to add on to their lead and scored touchdowns on their next two possessions to extend their lead. Following a pair of touchdown runs by Aston and Poullard, the Bearkats took the lead, 21-0. St. Joseph’s threatened to answer on the next possession by driving deep into Bearkat territory. Following a 33-yard run by running back Jashon Banks, St. Joseph’s found themselves in Sam Houston State territory for the first time in the game. With the ball on the Bearkat 12-yard line, the Pumas moved backwards-following two penalties and a sack. St. Joseph’s attempted a 47-yard field goal to get on the scoreboard, but failed to do so. This would be their last play in Bearkat territory. Sam Houston State moved quickly on the ensuing drive to add on more points before the half. They succeeded as Miguel Antonio nailed a 30yard field goal to give the Bearkats a 24-0 lead at the half. The Bearkats came out in the second half and contin-

Joe Buvid | The Houstonian Top: Going no where. Bearkat defense jumps on Saint Joseph College. Bottom: Jail break. Chris Poullard breaks free for a run.

Joe Buvid | The Houstonian

ued to dominate. They scored on their next two drives with a pair of touchdown passes to Madkins and Jones to gain a 38-0 lead.

Sam Houston State extended their lead to 41-0 following a 27-yard field goal by Miguel Antonio two drives later.

Women’s Volleyball

Bearkats beat down Mavericks

Sam Houston beat UT- Arlington to move to 3-1 in conference play, placing them second in the Southland Conference Amy Turek

Contributing Writer

The Bearkat volleyball team faced off against fellow conference team, UT-Arlington on Saturday at Johnson Coliseum. The Bearkats rallied from behind after dropping the first game to win 3-1. The match started out evenly, but unfortunately 10 errors came from the Bearkats in the first game alone. They lost 25-20. The girls quickly picked up their play in the second game and only allowed the Mavericks to win 14 points. Four of the Bearkats’ 25 points came from kills by senior Anna Ferguson. The Bearkats fell behind early in the third but captured the lead at 12-12 and held on to the lead for the remainder of the game, winning 2518. Once again, Ferguson stepped up and made 8 kills for the Bearkats. They dominated the Mavericks early in the

fourth game, leading 9-1 but a series of serving errors and attack errors allowed the Mavericks to tie the game at 23-23. However, the Bearkats were able to pull out the win, winning two points in a row. The match ended with a kill by sophomore Carli Kolbe. “They started a little slow,” said Head Coach, Brenda Gray. “But as a coach, you just have to know when to light that fire to get them going.” “I think Anna Ferguson deserves recognition,” Gray said. Ferguson racked up 19 kills in the course of the match. “I couldn’t do it without my teammates,” she said. “It takes three of us to make that play.” Saturday’s win over UTA brings the Bearkat conference record to 3-1, tying them for first with Lamar University. Their next game is on Thursday, Oct. 8 against the Texas A&M –Corpus Christi Islanders in Corpus Christi.

ANNOUNCEMENT

For the first time in Southland Conference history Sam Houston State University swept both positions for the player of the week award. Carli Kolbe and Kaylee Hawkins won the offensive and defensive players of the week award respectively. Kolbi plays outside hitter and Hawkins plays libero. For both Kolbe and Hawkins this is their first time receiving the award. As well as the teams first of the season. Throw down. Katie Phillips sets up for a spike during warm ups.

Joe Buvid | The Houstonian