November 6, 2012

TODAY’S FORECAST HI: 71o LOW: 50o George Mattingly | The Houstonian

Director Rod Laurie, who’s credits include ‘The Contender’” speaks to students.

Chance of Rain:

0%

UPD makes felony drug bust at univesrity dorm room

Volume 122 / Issue 20

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www.HoustonianOnline.com

LIkens: Disney shouldn’t make new Star Wars trilogy after buyout

P4 P3

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Next leader to be selected today

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

AP Photo/David Goldman

GOV. MITT ROMNEY Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts speaks during PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA speaks at a campaign event at the Fifth Third Arena on the University of Cincinnati campus, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, in Cincinnati. a campaign event at the Patriot Center at George Mason University, Monday, Nov. 5.

Where to vote:

101 102 103

When to vote:

7 a.m. 7 p.m.

104 201 203

Walker County Justice Center 717 FM 2821, Huntsville Walker County Annex 1301 Sam Houston Ave. Ste. 101, Huntsville Cook Springs Baptist Church 1936-A SH 75 N, Huntsville Northside Baptist Church 1207 FM 980, Huntsville First Presbyterian Church 1801 19th Street, Huntsville West Sandy Civic Center Corner FM 3179 & FM 1791, Huntsville

204 205 206 301 302 303

Walker County Fairgrounds 3925 SH 30 W, Huntsville Elkins Lake Conference Center 634 Cherry Hills Drive, Huntsville Huntsville Fire Station #1 1987 Veterans Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville Huntsville ISD Transportation Building 95 Martin Luther King, Huntsville Calvary Baptist Church 1135 U.S. Hwy 190, Huntsville Dodge Volunteer Fire Department 28 Dodge Oakhurst Road, Huntsville

304/305 401 402/403 404

Riverside Fire Department 2341 FM 980, Huntsville University Heights Baptist Church 2400 Sycamore Avenue, Huntsville Phelps First Methodist Church Dorrell Road @ Watson Lake Road, Huntsville New Waverly First Baptist Church 60 Fisher Street, New Waverly

GO VOTE!

(check voter registration card to find the correct precinct number, or find out on the Texas Secretary of State website)

Campus News

Plans set for BSM building renovation CODY MILES Staff Reporter Plans to demolish and reconstruct the Baptist Student Ministry are underway, according to BSM Director David Griffin.

Architects were assigned to design a new facility after it was determined that various structural and mechanical issues would be otherwise too expensive to repair.

“A new building would alleviate these issues, plus allow us to produce a building that will work more efficiently and be more aesthetically appealing on campus,” Griffin said.

The university made an offer to buy the BSM building at a market price in January, but the BSM declined the offer to take on its own reconstruction project.

“We declined to sell because our mission is very much tied to our location and is aided by it,” Griffin said. “One of the benefits of having a new building is that we will be here another sixty years. The campus is constantly improving; we want students to come here. We want to build something comparable to what the school is building.”

The near-60 year old building, located down the hill by Old Main pit, facilitates the various

functions of the Baptist Student Ministry, including free meals on Wednesdays and various biblestudy groups during the week.

The BSM also sponsors lectures from touring apologists.

“It really is impossible to guess how many students have been impacted by the ministry in the building, but the answer would have to be very high; the BSM’s roots here are very deep and at times in its history this was one of the top BSMs in the state,” Griffin stated.

Nevertheless, students who frequent the BSM are excited to see a change.

“The condition of the BSM is a little outdated” said bible-study leader Jonathan Cantrell. “Much of the work that we put into the BSM to keep it running is not worth the cost. The building is so old we have to do a lot of up-keep on it.”

Megan Laurie | The Houstonian “The building is outdated and FACELIFT. The Baptist Student Ministry is planning to rebuild after declining the space could be better utilized,” an offer from the university to buy the building in January. said on-campus missionary, Grace Holik.

The new facility will include able to be air-conditioned on its will come during the six to nine month construction project, one large room, two classrooms own.

“That will be important in the during which time the BSM’s staff with a dividing wall and space to store equipment for Soul Lifters summer when the students aren’t will likely operate out of one of Gospel Choir. It will also have an around but the office staff is,” office space that is separate from Griffin said.

The largest logistical problem — BUILDING, page 6 the rest of the BSM and will be

University working to improve IT efficiency, responding to faculty technology issues GEORGE MATTINGLY News Editor Sam Houston State University is looking to improve problems with Information Technology policies and server access identified by faculty members after the last President and Provost Roundtable discussion last month.

During the discussion, faculty members noted frustrations with balancing innovation with inefficiencies within IT @ SAM. More specifically, some professors addressed problems with procurement policies, access

to the university network and low functionality using a Windows operating system.

Edward Blackburne III, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair of Economics, said his problems with IT@SAM stem from the procurement procedure and IT@ SAM polices.

“Unfortunately, all IT-related items require several levels of approval,” Blackburne said. “For example, if I require a new mouse or keyboard, I cannot simply order one online or purchase through an approved vendor.

Rather, a new keyboard or mouse

requires the department chair to ‘spec’ out the proposed purchase and then submit for approval. The approval process takes several days and many times, rather than being approved, we are asked to clarify or otherwise further demonstrate our need.”

According to Mark Adams, Vice President for Information Technology, the department has entered strategic planning with Academic Affairs and the office of Finance and Operations to correct these issues by the 2014 fiscal year.

“We are working to better

define procurement categories to minimize unnecessary questions and processing,” Adams said.

“We are also working with IT and various groups around campus to expedite processes and improve efficiency where possible. We do believe we have improved processes since last August, but know there is still room for improvement.”

Faculty members also noted difficulties with operating on a shared computer network with students, which can slow down —

IT, page 6

NATION & WORLD

AP Photo/ Queen Elizabeth Hospital

•

The sister of a man accused of shooting Pakistanian Malala Yousafzi has issued her an apology in a CNN interview.

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

•

President Barack Obama is ending his campaign trail where his 2008 campaign began: Iowa. He will hold a rally there on Tuesday before the voting day ends.

AP Photo/The Tampa Bay Times, Scott Keeler

•

Former-governor Mitt Romney will end his presidential campaign in New Hampshire, where he began in January. New Hampshire is being called a toss-up state for this election.

Follow us today! @TheHoustonian

•

Apple’s lawsuit against Google has been dismissed by a federal judge on Monday. The suit claimed patent abuse on Google’s Motorola Mobility.

Page 2

News

Tuesday, November 6, 2012 houstonianonline.com/news

Student arrested after marijuana bust

Male student found with nearly eight ounces of drugs in BKV GEORGE MATTINGLY News Editor A male Sam Houston State University student was arrested on charges of drug possession early Monday after nearly half a pound of marijuana was found in his dorm room, police said.

Asheton Thomas, 18, was arrested after university police discovered 7.97 ounces of marijuana in the room in Bearkat Village, according to a police press release.

Some of the marijuana, police said, was individually wrapped in small bags and was found with a scale.

An officer was dispatched to Bearkat Village at around 2 a.m.

Monday on a suspicious odor call. Once on the scene, the officer determined the smell of marijuana and made contact with the residents who gave consent for the officer to search the room.

Thomas was charged with possession of marijuana greater than five ounces, which is a state jail felony and carries a sentence of 180 days to two years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.

The case will also be referred to the Dean of Students and the Department of Residence Life.

Photo provided by Chief Deputy James Fitch

DRUG BUST. Asheton Thomas, 18, was charged with possession of marijuana early Monday morning after officers found nearly half a pound of drugs in his dorm room at Bearkat Village. Thomas faces a sentence of 180 days to two years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.

Speakers to highlight issues Search for new surrounding ‘Henrietta Lacks’ COFAMC, Education SOPHIE NELSON Staff Reporter The Bearkats Read to Succeed program is hosting a series of programs and events this week relating to the book selected for this year’s freshman to read.

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” chronicles the story of cells taken from a woman, Henrietta Lacks, without her knowledge that eventually became one of the biggest breakthroughs in science.

The book also follows the tale of Lacks’ family as they deal with their unwanted newfound fame.

The Juried Art Show opened Sunday and will be open in the Lowman Student Center Art Gallery until Friday. The show is composed of art submitted by students that relates to “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lack”.

Rhonda Callaway, Ph.D., an assistant political science professor and chair of the history department, will discuss issues of women’s rights in the cancer treatment field. The presentation will take place in LSC Room 320 on Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m.

Following Callaway, Donovan Haines, Ph.D., an assistant chemistry professor, will give a

presentation over the relationship between chemistry and cancer from 11 a.m. to noon in LSC 320.

Later on Wednesday, Diana Buccafurni-Huber, Ph.D., an assistant philosophy professor, will be lecturing on the moral value of dignity in relation to biomedical research from 3 to 4 p.m. in LSC 320.

Bernadette Pruitt, Ph.D., an associate history professor, will be moderating a Hot Topics Expert Panel Discussion over the issues raised in “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”, such as, race, disease, gender, and education. The discussion will take place Wednesday in the Olson Auditorium from 5 to 7 p.m.

On Thursday Todd Primm, Ph.D., an associate biological sciences professor, will address the science of immortal cells and their relationship to cancer. The presentation will be held in the LSC Ballroom from 9:30 to 10:50 a.m.

To conclude the week of programs, Sonny Lacks, the son of Henrietta Lacks, will be on campus for an interview by students discussing his firsthand perspective on the ethics and race issue of the commercialization of human tissue. The interview will

take place Thursday in the LSC Ballroom from 3 to 4 p.m. A book signing will be held following the interview. For more information, visit the calendar of events on the SHSU website.

Provided by SHSU website

READ TO SUCCEED. The Bearkats Read to Succeed program is hosting a series of programs and events this week relating to the book selected for this year’s freshman to read. The events will feature speakers discussing issues brought up in “The Immortal Life of Henriette Lacks”.

Facebook.com/TheHoustonianSHSU

Visit our website! www.HoustonianOnline.com Follow us today! @TheHoustonian

deans continues

MCKINZIE BROCAIL Senior Reporter Two colleges at Sam Houston State University are currently in the process of searching for new deans.

The College of Fine Arts and Mass Communication and the College of Education are in different stages of their searches.

A search committee is currently being formed to seek out a new dean for the College of Education for next semester.

Dean Genevieve Brown, Ed. D., of the College of Education is retiring in January after 46 years in the education field. Throughout her career, Dean Brown has spent 28 years at Sam Houston State University, and since 2002 she has been the dean of the College of Education.

The College of Fine Arts and Mass Communication (COFAMC) has had an interim dean, Mary Robbins, Ed. D., since February. The college formed a search committee in August to seek out a permanent dean.

The committee has a long journey ahead of it, but it won’t be making alone.

“We’re about to open bids from

search firms who will be assisting us in the search,” John de Castro, member of the COFAMC search committee and Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, said. “After selection of a firm, we’ll go to work with them in defining the parameters of the position and search.”

Search firms are becoming commonly used to find candidates to fill positions in higher education.

“Search firms are very good at developing a rich and diverse pool of applicants,” de Castro said.

“They are able to find candidates who may not be actively looking for a new position.”

Hiring a search firm is looked upon as professional from both search committees and possible candidates.

“Search firms are very good at thoroughly checking out potential candidates.” De Castro said. “The best universities use search firms, and candidates can sometimes view universities that do not [use them] as second-tier organizations.”

The Houstonian will continue to update on the searches for new deans as information becomes available.

Page 3

Viewpoints

Tuesday, November 6, 2012 houstonianonline.com/viewpoints

Self-segregation barrier on campus inevitable, reversible

I voted...

Morgan Mears says SHSU students unintentionally, naturally separate themselves by race despite the campus’ diversity

Every year, people go to the voting polls to cast their ballots and they are also given an “I voted” sticker as a reward. The Houstonian feels that “I voted” does not give the justice to the feeling of participating in America’s most noble act and has come up with more creative sticker ideas. Here are some example of what we would like to see in the future.

ed voter fraud

Looking around Sam Houston State University, many people would agree that we are a diverse group of students from right here in Huntsville to foreign exchange students from many places across the world.

In 2011, the student population was mostly comprised of 61.4 percent white, 16.5 percent Hispanic, 15.5 percent black and 1.3 percent

In

TAYLOR LIKENS Staff Reporter

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Further tightening their grip on every conceivable piece of media that matters, Disney purchased Lucasfilm last week for $4 billion, giving them exclusive rights to the Star Wars franchise. George Lucas, now 68, claimed it was a calculated decision to ensure a proper future for Star Wars, which Disney is absolutely certain to give. For better or worse.

The deal was a major victory for Disney, as owning Star Wars gives their property values more of a boost than Jed Clampet’s. That’s saying a lot for a corporation that already owns such centerpieces as Marvel Comics, ESPN, ABC, various radio stations and Hulu.

At this point, it’s hard to imagine that Disney couldn’t create a small island civilization with a functioning economy and rich pop culture.

Perhaps that’s why for the public Disney now owning Lucasfilm causes understandable discomfort.

Disney already owns the known universe and monopolies tend to make people uneasy. However, if this development is anything, it’s less of a tragedy and more of a mixed blessing.

Oddly enough, Disney buying out Lucasfilm was responsible for the largest wave of amnesia in world history. In a matter of days, everyone in the world seemed to completely forget that they hated what George Lucas had done with Star Wars. The revisions to the original trilogy are almost unanimously considered vandalism, with Lucas refusing to release the original cut in modern formats, and the prequel films were largely dismissed as utter disappointments.

Now, quality of future materials will be hardly the issue. After all, think about what sort of movies Marvel made before being purchased by Disney, if you haven’t already forced yourself to forget about them: Daredevil, The Punisher and the first Hulk movie.

Compare that to Iron Man or The

Avengers. Overall, Disney has a strong history of doing rather well with what they take under their wing.

Don’t get me wrong. There are horrible things on the horizon and they won’t be small in number. As much as you thought Star Wars whored itself out in the past, it’s nothing compared to the coming storm. Disney is going to shove a faucet up Lucasfilm’s million dollar unmentionables and pound it on the head till the world is drowning in a thousand times the merchandise it already is; most of it quantity over quality.

Disney already has plans to launch a new Star Wars trilogy in 2015 and you can guarantee that “budget” won’t be a word in its vocabulary. It will be quite interesting to see how much money it’ll take to get Mark Hamill on set or how much cocaine it’ll take to get Carrie Fisher onto a Stairmaster.

Star Wars is--by any means that isn’t referring to Jabba the Hutt-sitting pretty. The big problem

here isn’t the future of Star Wars.

It’s the future of the fans.

Disney is notorious for being overprotective of its copyrighted material, which makes owning what are probably the most popular and widely referenced pieces of film ever somewhat problematic.

Fan films and other innocent uses of the source material were once welcomed by Lucas, but if Disney has its way, whistling the Star Wars tune in a group of more than four people is likely going to land you with prison time, at least until the material is claimed by the public domain.

Just don’t hold your breath on that one. With Disney holding the keys, it’s virtually impossible for us to see Star Wars shed its copyright within our lifetime. Details spared, in 1976, Disney singlehandedly caused copyright laws to turn monstrous. Corporate authorship now runs for 120 years.

It may not be in a galaxy far, far away but it is definitely going to be a long time.

Students lack independence, initiative

George Mattingly encourages students to be independent thinkers and learn to answer their own questions in class ecided

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simply because we go with the familiar.

If a student grew up only having friends of the same race or in a neighborhood that was exclusively people of the same race, then they are more likely to hang out with those of the same race. We do it because “normalcy” is what we feel most comfortable with.

We are not taking advantage of experiencing diversity when it comes down to it. We spend our time with those who we feel most comfortable with. In many cases, it tends to be those of the same race.

Students at SHSU need to stop selfsegregating in order for our school to truly become a “diverse population of students.”

One way to stop self-segregating would be for students to join a club or an organization that is not composed solely of their own race.

Students should join something for the fun of it rather than join because most of the people are of the same race or from the same place.

Star Wars episode Disney buyout

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MORGAN MEARS Staff Reporter

Asian.

While our population is diverse, as students we tend to segregate into different groups across campus.

Everyone knows that if something is going on around campus, the first place to check is the mall area in front of the LSC. However, when groups arrange themselves and set up their tables for handing out flyers and bake sales, it’s as if there’s an invisible line dividing the mall area with white students’ tables on one side and black students’ tables on the other side.

There isn’t a rule at SHSU or an actual line that states students must segregate and table on separate sides of the mall area according to their race. We, inevitably, do this ourselves.

When you look at the group of friends a student has, the majority of their friends are made up of the same race. From classes to parties, we all tend to hang out with people of the same race, not because we are racist, but

Editorial Staff Robin Johnson

Throughout this semester, there has been a trend of laziness among students, one they should have overcome whenever they left their parents’ house and stepped on a college campus. Students have gotten used to having their hands held at every step instead of realizing that college requires something called independent thinking.

In a few of my classes, the professor has to waste time answering questions from the students about homework, due dates and the possibility of extra credit instead of using the time to teach the class. Many students fail to realize that the answers to all the questions are easily available on the class syllabus or on Blackboard.

In another example, one of my friends told me one of her classmates has repeatedly asked for copies of the class notes when she was never absent, just too lazy to take her own notes. In addition, I have received emails from classmates asking me about our class schedule and notes. All this is completely baffling to me, especially for young adults.

How can you expect to be successful in your career or even graduate if you cannot use

Molly Waddell

A&E Editor mwaddell@houstonianonline.com

Stephen Green

Matt Frazier

Editor-in-Chief 936-294-1505

Web & Multimedia Editor mfrazier@houstonianonline.com

George Mattingly

McKinzie Brocail

Misti Jones

Connor Hyde

Cody Lewis

Eric Fite

sgreen@houstonianonline.com

News Editor gmattingly@houstonianonline.com Viewpoints Editor mjones@houstonianonline.com Sports Editor clewis@houstonianonline.com

independent thinking to do something as simple as check Blackboard or use a pen and paper to take notes?

Independence comes along with the college experience. However, it’s being horribly misused. Being independent is not limited to having no curfew or going out whenever you want; it is a chance for you to grow as an adult to figure things out for yourself.

One way to exercise your independence is by using your resources. At SHSU, students have many resources to help students answer

Staff

Faculty Adviser

936-294-1499

GEORGE MATTINGLY News Editor

Senior Reporter mbrocail@houstonianonline.com Sports Reporter chyde@houstonianonline.com Graphic Designer efite@houstonianonline.com

Megan Laurie Multimedia Reporter

Samantha Villarreal

Multimedia Reporter

Samantha McCarl Copy Editor

Brandon K. Scott Sophie Nelson Jeremy Kleiber Cheyenne Simpson Jasmine Brown Morgan Mears Allyson Wiley Taylor Likens Jay Jordan Karmen King Cody Cobb Cristina Baumann Caitlin Adamcik

a lot of their own questions including MySam, Blackboard and DegreeWorks. If you have a question about financial aid, degree progress or grades, you can access these resources with a few clicks of a mouse. If you still do not get the answers you need, then you begin to ask questions. It saves your time and saves time in the classroom.

Another way you can help save your own time is to realize that college is different from high school. The professors are not here to coddle you through classes. They are here to give you the tools and information for you to generate original ideas and do the work on your own. This may be a shock for some people, but that means you actually have to think. Although it may be challenging and give you headaches, independent thought will only benefit you in the future. Many employers and graduate schools will appreciate you more if you can think independently and take initiative.

Next time you want to ask the professor or classmate a question, first ask if you can answer it yourself and remember that the answers are for you to find out.

Business Staff Paty Mason

Business Manager 936-294-1500

pmason@houstonianonline.com

Stacy Hood

Advertising Manager shood@houstonianonline.com

Daniel Brown

Ad Executive dbrown@houstonianonline.com

Christina Molina

Delivery Manager cmolina@houstonianonline.com

McKenzie Smith

Production Manager msmith@houstonianonline.com

Brianna Drisdale

Promotions Director bdrisdale@houstonianonline.com

Account Executives Steve Sears

ssears@houstonianonline.com

Keelani Cabrera

kcabrera@houstonianonline.com

Ad Deadlines Tuesday’s Issue Friday at 5 p.m.

Thursday’s Issue Tuesday at 2 p.m.

Page 4

Arts&Entertainment

Tuesday, November 6, 2012 houstonianonline.com/a-e

Hollywood director gives advice to film students, shares industry experience MOLLY WADDELL Arts & Entertainment Editor

Rod Lurie, director and writer of “The Contender,” was a part of the Speaker Series hosted

by Raven Films. Lurie visited campus Thursday and Friday and discussed how he got into the film industry and gave advice about getting into the business.

Most of Lurie’s films are about politics and war. The first piece of advice Lurie gave was inspiration.

“The best thing to do is to study what you want to make films about,” Lurie said. “In order to be really good you must be masters of what you want to make films about.”

Lurie went to West Point because he was always interested in war and politics.

Lurie is offered movies to write or direct frequently, but if it doesn’t inspire him, he turns it down.

“If you direct a movie, it is going to take you over a year. That is a long time,” Lurie said. “You better be inspired. If you’re not, you will be dragging your ass to work every day.”

Lurie gave three main pieces of advice to students who want to be involved in film.

“If you’re hoping to waltz out of here, get your ticket to LA and just walk on a set, that’s just not going to happen,” Lurie said.

The first thing he suggested was making short films.

“It is not that expensive to do and when you’re done with one do

George Mattingly | The Houstonian

CONTEND. Ryan Haberern, member of Raven Films, moderated the Rod Lurie Speaker Series. Lurie discussed his experiences in the film industry and gave advice to students aspiring to join the business.

another,” Lurie said. “When you make one, and you think it is good enough to send onto film festivals, send it. In fact send the bad ones too…the film festivals [are] where you will get discovered.”

Lurie said no one is going to read a screen play; they’re too long. With a short film they can see your work in seven minutes over lunch.

Lurie’s second piece of advice was to take any job offered in the film industry.

“Take the job, get experience, make connections,” Lurie said.

The final piece of advice is to go where films are being made.

“Don’t stay in Texas until it has film incentives,” Lurie said. “If you go to Louisiana--Shreveport or New Orleans or Baton Rouge--you go to New Mexico, Atlanta and Memphis, sometimes Richmond, Va. You don’t have to go to Los Angeles.”

Lurie said sit and wait until a movie comes to town and “like a

bullet out of a gun,” go apply for jobs.

Lurie told how he got into the business and what he was originally inspired by.

“When I was a kid I was a film geek and drove my parents crazy…

I always wanted to…be involved,” Lurie said. “I remember I watched ‘Ben-Hur’ and I saw that chariot race which is maybe one of the best action scenes ever made, and I said ‘That’s what I want to do I want to be involved in that, even if

Wreck-it Ralph for gamers young, old

SAMANTHA MCCARL Copy Editor

Disney’s latest animated feature, Wreck-it Ralph, featured some familiar faces in gaming, like Pac-Man and Bowser, and new characters from original games.

This movie, released Friday in theatres across the country, will be a favorite for video game fans and non-gamers alike.

The title character, Wreck-it Ralph, hails from the fictional arcade game, Fix-it Felix, Jr. where Ralph (John C. Reilly) is the villain known for destroying a large apartment complex in a matter of seconds. Unlike many video game villains, Ralph knows the loneliness of being unwelcome, unwanted and unappreciated by the citizens of the game. He leaves his own game to seek a medal to prove that even bad guys can be good guys sometimes.

While the arcade is closed, Ralph goes through two other games, gathering a small cast of

Associated Press

WANTED. Wreck-it Ralph is a story about a video game villain who wants to be accepted. It brought in $49.1 million opening weekend. This is the strongest debut for a Walt Disney animation production according to CNN.

main characters, and ends up in a fictional game called Sugar Rush, which is a racing game with a sweets theme. The little girl he meets there, Vanillope (Sarah Silverman), has some problems of her own. Ralph helps her out, then destroys the work and helps her again to eventually save the game.

The development of the movie’s main plot has its lulls. The beginning is moving and allows the audience to connect with

Ralph. Felix (Jack McBrayer) becomes a disliked character for his treatment of Ralph. In the other games he goes to, Ralph is also instantly met with rejection.

The audience can’t help but feel bad for him; he goes through so much for just a little recognition.

With three games designed for this movie, the graphics between them are varied and fitting to their worlds. With the Fix-it Felix, Jr. game, it shifts between traditional

8-bit graphics and 3D graphics.

The movement of the characters is jerky, like one would expect.

In the first-person shooter game, the graphics are highly detailed and stunning in this aspect. Even Candy Rush, which is reminiscent of a giant CandyLand board, has the perfect cutesy effects. It all helps immerse the viewer and draw them into the plight of the characters.

The slight love story to it all is a little distracting and a unexpected.

Between who will not be said, but for anyone who has seen the movie, it can be said that while adding an interesting dimension to some things, it could have been left out. The talented voice actors shined, including the always fabulous Jane Lynch, and each fit their roles well.

This movie caters to video game fans, children and just about everyone. It has some fantastic jokes that may go over the heads of children, and the graphics are well worth it. It is highly recommended to see in theatres if the chance arises. Overall, it is well worth the 90 minutes.

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OBAMA HAS GOT

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Huntsville Public Library celebrates Day of the Dead showcasing history, artwork

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CAITLIN ADAMCIK Staff Reporter Huntsville Public Library held a Day of the Dead celebration Thursday. Beth Williamson held the event with her advanced Spanish class.

Williamson gave a short lecture about the Day of the Dead.

According to Williamson, the celebrations last for two days. It is believed that on the first day, children visit the living, and on the second day, the adults come and join the celebrations.

Williamson also discussed how the Day of the Dead has nothing to do with witchcraft verses the Greek legend where the dead are more like zombies and surface the earth in search of blood. The Mexicans believe that the spirits of the dead come to visit their loved ones and cause no harm.

“I started celebrating it [Day of the Dead] because the second of November is my birthday,”

Williamson said. “And that’s part of the sequence of events and it was an excuse to have a party and bake something and invite people and we had a lot of fun doing it.”

There were tables with student contributions such as artwork.

On one table there was a vintage picture of a couple, a drawing of La Calavera Catrina, skeleton figurines and sugar skulls.

Another table had food and refreshments including coffee and special bread for this particular holiday called, pan de muertos.

The bread was an acquired taste.

Some tables had Mexican cook books that included the recipe for pan de muertos.

There was an object similar to a Christmas pop-up card. It illustrated a scene in Mexico during the Day of the Dead celebrations.

Williamson puts on this event every year and teaches a free class at the public library for people who want to learn Spanish.

Caitlin Adamcik | The Houstonian

CELEBRATE. The Spanish class at the Huntsville Library made a pop up Day of the Dead Christmas card.

“I’m very pleased [with the success of the event],” Williamson said. “And it’s a lot of fun and people think of things to bring and share.”

I have to melt butter on popcorn.’”

Lurie became a film critic after leaving the army in ‘87.

He thought that was the way to become a producer.

“It’s the worst thing you can do because the film makers remember what you said about them,” Lurie said.

Lurie got into the business by making a short film that won him a couple of film festivals and gained him some attention. He then wrote a couple of screen plays that people wanted to produce, and he said only if he directed it.

Lurie also shared some stories about people he worked with. One was about Kate Beckinsale who was in ‘Nothing but the Truth’ that Lurie directed and made a cameo in.

“I had gotten to know Kate pretty well, we became very good friends. She is just a delight,” Lurie said. “I go to do the scene with her…and [after she said her line] I said ‘Wait a second that’s not Kate Beckinsale.’”

Lurie froze up, called cut and had to go deal with it. He applauded the actors in the room saying it was very hard to do because the actor has to become a different person.

‘Nothing but the Truth” was never released because the company releasing it went bankrupt, according to Lurie.

Lurie also attended the “Pink Out” football game against Southeastern Louisiana.

Guest speaker discusses art use by women CHEYENNE SIMPSON Staff Reporter Women are neither complicated nor simple. The art and memories they collect cannot be mimicked nor recreated because like everyone else they each hold a personal identity.

That was the message given to more than 100 students and faculty by Melinda Barlow, Ph.D., an Associate Professor of Film Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Thursday at SHSU. The Art Department invited Barlow to speak to students about her work, “Collecting Women: What We Treasure and Why.” Using multimedia, Barlow discussed the ways women have used art, film, found objects and personal mementos to express those various aspects that define personal identity.

Drawing from examples from her personal collection of art, the experimental films of Marjorie Keller, and found art home movie collected by Jeanne Liotta, Barlow said that representations of women are fraught with multiple meanings.

Take the tutu. In each collection, representations of girls in tutus signify purity even though the name is derived from a French slang term for the derrière.

Barlow discussed women’s desire and what women cherish, hold onto, and seek out using examples from films, art and literary works of women. The images used in the discussion can be found at www.colorado. edu/filmstudies/faculty/mbarlow. shtml.

Barlow is a historian and curator who specialized in work by contemporary women film and video makers, while also writing about the art of mentoring women.

While organizing more than 50 local and national mentoring workshops, Barlow has also contributed to numerous art, film and theater journals. She is the recipient of the several film and teaching awards.

Her current work is a book on film, female identity and art collecting titled, “My Museum: A memoir in Art” which includes her latest published essay in the UT-Austin online journal FLOW, “Who Was That Masked Woman?: Rediscovering the Hidden Mother.”

Page 5

Sports

Tuesday, November 6, 2012 houstonianonline.com/sports

Bearkats reign supreme over Lions,70-0 CONNOR HYDE Sports Reporter Even with a sheet of rain flooding the field, the Sam Houston State football team ran 10 unanswered scoring drives against Southeastern Louisiana Saturday at Bowers Stadium to remain undefeated at home since 2010.

The Bearkats offense posted 575 total yards in their 70-0 landslide victory against the Lions. Running backs Timothy Flanders and Keshawn Hill combined for 284-yards and four touchdowns, and led the attack in the second half after an hour-and-a-half weather delay.

“We just had to come out and play fast,” Flanders said. “[The] offensive line did a very good job, we had a nice game plan [and] they came out with different schemes like they always do. Teams always play us different. We mainly just had to stay focused and stay true to our keys.”

Brian Bell continued to add to his record totals connecting twice in the end-zone.

After the Bearkat defense forced a three and out and a 10yard punt return from receiver Trey Diller, Bell found Chance Nelson open down field for a 70yard touchdown to extend the SHSU lead 35-0 midway through the second quarter. Bell would connect with Torrance Williams for 23-yards in the end-zone to close out the first half 42-0.

As rain began to pour in the second half, so did the Bearkats running game.

Fifty seconds into the third

quarter, Flanders broke through the Lion defensive line and found open space for a 71-yard touchdown run to ignite the SHSU running game. Altogether Flanders would have 84 rushing yards in the second half, averaging 16-yards per carry.

According to Coach Willie Fritz, his team came out of the locker room focused despite the heavy rain.

“Our guys weren’t screwing around. They were in [the locker room] focused and ready to go out and play,” Fritz said. “I told our guys the thing I’m most proud of [is] we had that break for [an hourand-a-half] and our guys came out and played with a lot more energy and passion in the second half.”

SHSU did not let up going into the fourth quarter with a 56 point lead as Hill ran for two more touchdowns.

Linebacker Darius Taylor commanded the Bearkat defense with 10 tackles after serving his one-game suspension last week.

Overall SHSU’ defense held the Southeastern to merely 224-yards and nine first downs.

“I know that our defense is one of the best in the nation right now, they always have been,” Flanders said. “It all starts from fall camp when we go good on good, you can really tell how good our defense really is.”

Saturday’s matchup was the Bearkats second defensive shutout, and fourth consecutive game to hold opponents’ offenses to one touchdown. According to Fritz, Saturday’s shutout can be attributed to reading Southeastern’s running formations early in the first half.

Megan Laurie | The Houstonian

TAMED: Timothy Flanders breaks into open space against the Southeastern Louisiana defense. Flanders scored two touchdowns and posted 146 total rushing yards in Saturday’s 70-0 shut out.

“[Southeastern] is a little bit similar to Lamar [offensively] with their three and four man front,” Fritz said. “We just did a nice job reading the double option and triple option early.”

With one conference game left to play in the season the Bearkats

have proved themselves to be playoff-ready. Overall the Bearkats have outscored opponents 212-17 in the last four games.

“Confidence wise I really feel like we can get on the field and really play anybody,” Bell said.

“And like Coach Fritz said, we’re

taking it one game at a time.”

SHSU will hit the road again Saturday to face off against Northwestern Louisiana State in Natchitoches, LA. for a 3 p.m. kickoff.

Tickets are available at www. gobearkats.com.

BearKatmosphere steadily rising at Bowers Stadium JEREMY KLEIBER Staff Reporter

In 2011, former Houstonian Sports Editor Zach Birdsong wrote an inyour-face article entitled “Occupy Bowers” criticizing Bearkat fans for their infamous low attendance records at the Sam Houston football games. Since then, Bearkat Nation has responded with a phenomenal movement.

In 2012, the recent surge of orange and white, or “Bearkatmosphere,” has been hard not to notice. Over time, Bowers Stadium has steadily bounced more and more decibels off the backside of Newton Gresham Library.

The Bearkats averaged a regular season home attendance of only 6,000 fans in 2009 and 6,337 in 2010; with a low of 2,817 fans against Central Arkansas in 2009. In the marquee undefeated 2011 season, Bowers housed 7,190 fans per contest. The team’s following, of course, drastically increased in 2012, tacking on 2,162 more fans per game with 9,352. The attendance record of 26,185 at the “Battle of the Piney Woods” this season at Reliant Stadium also spoke volumes of the epidemic, bringing the show to an NFL. Quarterback Brian Bell, often considered the nucleus of the new spirit swell, credits the crowd for playing a vital role in the game’s momentum at Bowers Stadium and on the road. “The fans here at Sam Houston have obviously changed over the past three years,” Bell said.

“Going into Baylor and having a great crowd gave us a lot of confidence… I remember a couple times our defense was on the field and it’s usually supposed to be quiet in a big venue like that, but our fans got loud and helped draw a couple offside penalties. Even here at Bowers, the numbers are growing. Our crowd, showing the support that they do, gives us a lot of confidence going into these home games knowing we have a true home-field advantage.”

Understandably so, this phenomenon is said to be a direct bi-product of the FCS National

Championship appearance, an undefeated football season, a March Madness appearance, three straight Orange Pride titles, a Co-ed Cheer title, and a National Rodeo Championship all within a few years.

The “SHSU Call Me Maybe” video swept YouTube, numerous Bearkat plays were featured on Sports Center’s “Top Plays”, and the program received larger venue invitations (Reliant Stadium, Pizza Hut Park and Kyle Field). All of these ripples in the media support one notion: Bearkat Nation is for real.

The Sam Houston spirit has not stopped with just infecting the student body. Dean of Students John Yarabeck came out on the winning side of a light-hearted bet with Stephen F. Austin’s Dean of Students earlier this season. After the 51-43 victory over the Lumberjacks, SFA’s dean was sentenced to wearing an orange necktie around Nacogdoches for a day.

Yarabeck, who has consistently bled orange for the last decade, admitted the bet was proof school spirit is at its highest.

“The comparison is night and day,” Yarabeck said. “When I first got here, you’d almost see as many other school shirts as you did Sam Houston shirts.

To be honest, everything was kind of revolving around people going to class—which they need to do— but there wasn’t that sense of pride that there certainly is now. Now you go and it’s hard not to see people in orange shirts.

“The whole school coming together and generating spirit feeds on everything. It’s like momentum, when you start winning games; the players learn how to win. When you start having spirit, like when the Kat Krazies were created about five years ago, that puts it up a notch too. Guys painted out in orange banging on a metal sign…that kind of unnerves the opposition.

“All these things worked together and generated positive feeling for our sports teams and a real pride in SHSU. What’s not to be proud of? Look at how the student body has grown- the word is getting out. It all fits together for the betterment of our university.”

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Page 6

News

Tuesday, November 6, 2012 houstonianonline.com/news

~~JUMPS~~ —

BUILDING, page 1

the local Baptist churches.

Some of the ministry’s most popular events will be held on campus or on church grounds while the building is under construction.

Moving forward, the architects are currently working on a design that will await approval from a local feasibility board. Afterwhich, the board will begin a time of fundraising. Then, construction —

IT, page 1

functionality.

“The fact is that it is harder today than it was five years ago for me to transfer files to a server on campus (There is now ssh/scp access and no publicly available VPN server),” Blackburne said.

“Firewall rules prevent me from accessing my research server from off-campus.”

President Dana Gibson addressed these challenges at the roundtable discussion, saying that while the university currently operates on a local network, IT is in the process of implementing an enterprise system to help these challenges.

“Now we don’t have an enterprise system because we’ve never spent the funds to build an enterprise solution,” Gibson said.

However, the process of creating a solution has not come without its own set of challenges concerning campus security, according to Adams.

“At this time faculty desktop computers reside on the same network as the campus ERP system,” Adams said. “This means that if a faculty/staff desktop were compromised then there is a higher risk to the safety of university confidential data.

By allowing VPN access you essential[ly] join your off-campus computer to the network and create a similar situation….”

Adams said that the difference

will begin only after enough money is raised for the project, meaning only the freshman class will be able to use the new BSM, according to Griffin.

“It’s our belief that only through a holistic education will students be trained and equipped for everything that comes at them in life,” Griffin said. “Our building is an extension of that mission, where we provide a place to meet, hangout, and discuss matters of spiritual importance.” is that the university can take measures to lessen the risk to confidential data on campus computers, while having no control over personal computers.

However, he said the university is close to completing a new system to help these issues.

“It’s been a two year project,” Adams said during the roundtable discussion. “It is a changing culture on our campus. The final hardware was installed this summer so now we’re going through campus to get configured. The estimate is next summer to have it finished and allow [more flexibility].”

Blackburne said the problems with functionality are connected to the university’s use of the Windows operating system, which limits professors who use the network for research.

Adams countered this, saying the university offers faculty members the choice between Windows PC or Mac for their desktops and laptops and is open to working with faculty to offer more flexibility when it comes to research.

“We have some faculty [members] that are doing specialized research that are utilizing other operating systems such as Linux for specialized research,” Adams said. “Faculty that are interested in research projects like this can contact IT@ Sam and we will work with them to find a solution.”

Debate for Internet anonymity continues JAY R. JORDAN Staff Reporter

Michael Brutsch is the “IRL” name of Violentacrez, an anonymous Reddit user who created controversial subreddits such as r/Jailbait. Gawker News published his true identity in early October causing outcry over the decreasing anonymity of Internet users.

Modern day online interaction revolves around anonymity.

Users are often asked to create usernames to mask their true identity if their posts aren’t published under “anonymous” in online forums, and this luxury is under attack by online moguls like Google and Reddit.

Many different subreddits, including r/TodayILearned, Reddit’s eighth most popular forum section, have vowed to ban posts containing links to any of the Gawker Media outlets in protest of its publication.

In a post regarding the new rules on the forum, moderator

TIL_Mod says that the reason for the ban is due to “…an egregious violation of the Reddit rules, and an attack on the privacy of a member of the Reddit community.”

He also said, “Please be aware that this decision was made solely based on our belief that all Redditors should being able to continue to freely express themselves without fear of personal attacks, and in no way reflect the [moderator’s] personal opinion about the people on either side of the recent release of public information.”

Users in support of the ban say that the principle of anonymity on the Internet is the reason for the protest.

Rylea Ducote, a freshman criminal justice major, is a proponent of Internet anonymity.

“People can use it as a way to express themselves anonymously,” she said. “I believe being anonymous on the Internet is very important.”

Google now encourages its YouTube users to use their real name in an effort to make its infamous comment threads more civil, some say.

Ducote said, “It makes you fill out your name anyway, so I think changing your username to your name is unnecessary.”

According to YouTube’s official blog, they are “… giving you the ability to change how you appear on YouTube, with the option to use your Google+ profile on your YouTube channel.”

While the blog post doesn’t show intention, many say that it is in response to a recent NY State Senate bill introduced by State Senator Thomas F. O’Mara.

According to the bill, its purpose is “to amend the civil rights law, in relation to protecting a person’s right to know who is behind an anonymous Internet posting.”

The bill is still in the state senate.

If passed, it would drastically change the way Internet users interact and collaborate.

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