Volume 126 | Issue 26

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

The Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University

What’s happening at Sam FINALS, P.2

HOLIDAYS, P.3

PICKS, P.4

ART, P.5

DANCE, P.6

Stressing, pulling grades up and complaining about no dead week are popular

Dealing with your family over the winter break can be hard

The Houstonian’s sports staff picked their favorite players, coach and team

An art class is showing a one-night-only exhibit Wednesday

Graduating seniors will present their final choreography

Volume 126 | Issue 26

Championship rings stolen over holiday

/HoustonianSHSU

@HoustonianSHSU

@HoustonianSHSU

Families of capital punishment focus in alumnus’s photography

STAFF REPORT

Thanksgiving week was not all celebration for one Sam Houston State University football player as two championship rings were stolen from his Huntsville house.

Junior wide receiver Josh Reynolds told The Houstonian his 2011 and 2012 Southland Conference and FCS National Championship rings were stolen from his house on Normal Park Drive, along with his Xbox 360, a watch and a coin given to Reynolds from retired United States Navy SEAL and SHSU alumnus Marcus Luttrell.

Initially Reynolds thought it was a joke and did not file a police report with Huntsville Police Department. After calling the police, the officers said the robber could be someone close to Reynolds, he said.

“Before I searched the whole house, nobody had anything else missing and there was nothing obvious,” Reynolds said. “There was a lot of stuff that could have been taken that wasn’t taken. I thought someone was playing a joke on me…if it was any local going around looking at houses they would have taken a lot more.

It’s probably someone that’s close to me.”

Reynolds said he did not notice anything was missing from his room until he was getting ready for a pre-game meal Saturday before SHSU squared off against Southeastern Louisiana University for round one of the FCS playoffs.

“I was going to get my watch before pre-game meal and I realized my watch was missing and I looked over and saw my two rings were missing and my coin from Marcus Luttrell,” Reynolds said.

“They signify a big moment in my life, a lot of hard work and that I earned something.”

Reynolds said he has notified the SHSU coaching staff and is awaiting further procedures.

New course to be offered in COFAMC STAFF REPORT

A new class will be offered in through the College of Fine Arts and Mass Communications starting spring 2015.

Creative Arts Seminar (FAMC 2301) is designed to satisfy the required credit of core curriculum area five – social and behavioral sciences – and will explore the different areas of dance, music, visual arts and theatre.

The course was introduced to teach the visual and performing arts and will focus on history, theory and providing hands-on opportunities in the creative arts field. The goal for the course is to provide students basic knowledge and appreciation of the arts.

There will be a hands-on and performance component of the course and will be a level appropriate for each students experience. Students will be required to attend different concerts, plays and art exhibits where they are expected to reflect upon what they saw at the events.

Along with attending events, students — FAMC, page 6

HoustonianOnline.com

Asbestos, mold abated from AB III JAY R. JORDAN Editor-in-Chief

Brynn Castro | The Houstonian

LAST STATEMENT. Barbara Sloan discusses her upcoming book and the inspiration behind its contents. She recently completed an eight-year photography project which focuses on the families of both victims and offenders in capital punishment cases.

HANNAH ZEDAKER Associate Editor In cases involving capital crime, the victim and his or her offender are names and faces well-known in the public eye. However, the lesser known, innocent bystanders of these crimes, the family members, rarely get their stories told.

Huntsville born-and-raised photographer, rancher, SHSU alumnus and former Miss Sam Houston Barbara Sloan has been working for the last eight years to do just that.

Sloan has photographed and interviewed more than 40 different family members of victims and offenders, equally, in Texas capital crime cases to help share their stories with the world.

The project, supported and funded in part by the Huntsville Arts Commission, was at first just an exhibit in the Texas Prison Museum. However, as of the last year it evolved into a much bigger task when Sloan decided to selfpublish a book featuring her work.

“Of all the work that I’ve done all over the world, even the portraits for Andy Warhol, this is my most important work,” Sloan said.

“It’s just so emotional and every one of these people, I got very close to them and appreciate so much them telling me their stories.”

According to Sloan, self-publishing was the best option for her in producing an objective product because she was afraid other publishers would want to add in their two-cents about the controversial capital punishment.

“I promised all of these people that I would not editorialize anything about the death penalty and that this was only about compassion for them as innocent family members of the victim or the offender,” she said. “I think most people who wanted to do the book wanted to tell their side of the death penalty so to have total control, I had to self-publish and that was overwhelming to me.”

Beginning with the first black

and white portrait snapped in 2006 to the last one in 2013, the entire process took eight years with the added year it took to layout and edit the physical book.

Sloan will be holding an exclusive book signing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Texas Prison Museum for her work “Last Statement: A Photographic Study of the Families of the Victims and the Executed.” The book will be on sale starting Saturday at the Texas Prison Museum gift shop.

The photographer said setting up the interviews and actually conducting them took several months of preparation for each one. Sloan also said that she worked hard to maintain objectivity interviewing the same number of victim family members as she did offender family members.

Typically, Sloan would either interview and photograph her subjects while they were protesting outside the execution, or under less emotional circumstances at their home, church or at a restaurant.

Other stipulations Sloan had for the project included only using subjects whose cases had been completed—meaning the offender had been executed. The book goes in order of execution date beginning with those that took place via the electric chair.

“We didn’t ever want to be accused of swaying opinion one way or the other because a lot of these executions get stays and once they get a stay, it takes many, many years before it comes up again,” Sloan said.

Having a background in photojournalism as well as experience with fashion and commercial photography in New York City and oversees in Europe, Sloan has an extensive resume including clients such as National Geographic, New York Times and Andy Warhol’s Interview.

“I believe in pure journalism, nothing editorial,” she said. “What they say is the golden part of it; what I say is not important—I didn’t have that experience.”

Sloan said although she had doubts about the success of the exhibit at its inception, she quickly found that its relatability has made it one of the most popular exhibits at the museum.

“It’s just been a very successful exhibit because it’s not just about the death penalty and the prison system,” Sloan said. “It’s about life and death, it’s about forgiveness— that’s huge, especially among the victims’ families, it’s about dealing with grief and that’s something all of us can relate to.”

Sloan said she hopes that everyone involved in the criminal justice system will look to her book for guidance and insight as to how to aid the families of both offenders and victims.

“These people are all innocent and I have great compassion for them and that’s why I say everyone involved in criminal justice should have this book in their library to remind them how far-reaching the effects of capital crime are and how they have to deal with these families,” she said. “It’s not cutand-dry, there are generations of that family that will be effected on both sides.”

After an emotionally-taxing past eight years, Sloan said she feels she has finished her calling and will continue photographing less emotionally-draining subjects—her horses.

“The story needed to be told and people needed to be aware of the families’ side of it, but there’s just so many of these cases you can read until it becomes overload and I think that this is it,” Sloan said. “I think the theme of forgiveness and the theme of grieving and of dealing with the death of someone you love, that’s told. And I don’t think any more stories are going to change the way people deal with that and it’s very interesting because everyone has their own way of dealing with that.”

For more information about the exhibit or the book, contact the Texas Prison Museum at 936295-2155.

Academic Building III underwent mold and asbestos abating over Thanksgiving break after the toxins were discovered in October. Although the building was deemed safe for occupancy, the School of Nursing has opted to hold classes in the Lowman Student Center as a result.

Complaints of mold in October prompted the university to conduct air quality tests in the building, according to university spokesperson Julia May, Tests found four areas with potentially harmful levels of mold. Removing the mold also required removing the unrelated asbestos from the inside of the walls.

“The 4 locations that exceeded the accepted IAQ standards were spaces that are not normally occupied,” May said. “Two samples from record storage rooms, one from a laundry room and one sample from a mechanical room [were found]. In addition, the experts that conducted the IAQ survey stated that they did observe mold spores in areas that possibly included asbestos containing material.”

May said Texas state law requires they took care of the asbestos before they cleaned the mold. Asbestos is only dangerous when agitated and airborne but not when it’s dormant inside a wall.

— ABATE, page 6

Sigma Chi fighting for a cause ABIGAIL VENTRESS Staff Reporter The Sam Houston State University chapter of Sigma Chi fraternity will be holding its 59th annual “Fight Night” tonight.

The fraternity began hosting the charity-driven event in 1955.

Fight Night will take place at Shenanigans and Confetti’s Beach Club at 8 p.m. Attendance typically varies between 1,500 and 2,000 people.

“Fight Night is successful every year,” Sigma Chi fraternity member Shadowhawk Saldana said. “We raise thousands of dollars for the Boys and Girls Club, SHSU and the Huntsman Cancer Society.”

Students participating in the fighting are automatically entered as amateur fighters because Sigma Chi offers classes that allow students to earn a boxing license as amateur fighters. However, the main event of the evening is the professional fight.

“I enjoy Fight Night every year because we have copious amounts of alumni come down and support the cause,” Saldana said. “It brings students together and provides students the opportunity to start a boxing career.”

Admission fees will be $15 at the door, $10 presale or $30 for VIP.

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/viewpoints | Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Page 2

on finals

Organization key to rid finals stress MEIOSHIA OMESIETE Contributing Columnist Piled upon you at sky-scraping heights, your work sits dauntingly awaiting your distress signal for some possible alleviation. You cry out to the stress gods to have at least ample mercy on your partydeprived soul, but alas, your cry is muffled. It is stress-signal stifled by the endless array of study guide material dancing on your tongue, temporarily oppressing your linguistic capabilities because recitation is your golden ticket to memorization in these trying final exam times and you simply cannot settle for anything less.

Yes. Believe me, it is understood and on all accounts relatable that you have seemingly capsized in a sea of overwhelming facts, figures, charts, graphs, literature concepts and historical analysis and do not even know where to begin looking for chill in your week or possibly even day. Excitingly enough,

relaxation may be just around the corner for you.

First off, take a moment to calm down. I am not asking for your entire study session time, just any convenient moment out of your day that you are capable of sparing. No more than five minutes tops. Utilize this one moment you have taken and breathe deeply before then asking yourself what all do I really have to do that holds meaning.

List these things just in your head. Really, be honest with yourself with what holds true meaning. By that I mean things that directly affect you as an individual in this world. Whether that be a detrimental effect from you choosing not to do it or just a particularly beneficial one considering you do, do it.

These are effects on you and no one else. Once you have done that, evaluate the overall urgency and priority value of each. I mean literally looking at your internal

planner and see what daily tasks and agenda fillers fill the spaces closest to now while scheduling your time accordingly. So many people often find their routine stress-o-meter going off in the events of poor scheduling. So all I am asking of you here is to do yourself a favor and make the hard parts a little easier.

Lastly, I suggest breaks. Within your newly chronicled and prioritized schedule, create time, yes I said, create time. You may not at first feel exists, and just do something by choice. Do not take too much time, potentially compromising the schedule you have already worked so hard to manipulate to your best interest, but just a few miniscule seconds to prevent your cranium from combustion.

Make sure this activity is not something that may hinder your work ethic, such as taking a quick shot of Jack Daniels or jumping in the rotation of a quick smoke with your friends. This may result in a

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harsh backlash as you retreat into a hole you will have to dig yourself out of later on seriously attempting to create time that will not be there anymore.

Remember in all of this that freshman, senior or whatever classification you may be, finals week is a pivotal period in your college career where only the strong will survive. Darwinian fitness proves in science that the students who will become more prevalent on a college campus are those that have the traits to support their existence there (not a tested analysis).

Therefore, realize that party Thursday will not affect you after that night, but studying for that test you have Friday will. Manage your stress levels so that it does not eat you alive, chew you up and spit you out on the unsuccessful side of life. You have got four years to get it together and make it work, so do not wait for help or for a stress to claim your soul. You got this.

PAWS UP to the semester almost being over. Just one more round of exams and projects and then we have a month off.

PAWS UP to the last week of school. My brain will purge everything I learned this semester and make room for the important things in life: trash TV and video games.

So, you’ve slacked off...

How to still get an A PARBATTEE MAHARAJ Assistant Viewpoints Editor At the beginning of the semester, I wanted to pass all my classes with flying colors. I was completely devoted to making straight A’s, studying for at least an hour every night and just in general doing well in all of my classes. At this point in the semester, that has all changed. Sure, I still want to do well in all of my classes, but “C’s get degree’s” has become something that I have grown quite found of. Howev-er, C’s are mediocre, and I am not. So the problem then becomes, how do I make it through the se-mester and salvage my grade.

Extra Credit: Your professors always say that they never offer

extra credit because this is college and they are trying to prepare you for the real world. In the real world, if you screw up, you will not get a second chance.

Therefore, no extra credit. That is the biggest pile of BS I have ever heard. If you are persistent enough, your teacher will give you extra credit. Just ask, and keep asking. Ask until he or she is so annoyed by your asking that they cave and assign some sort of extra credit. Or, have your en-tire class bombard your professor all at the same time. At the point, the extra credit is bound to show up.

Bribery: The saying goes “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” So find the thing your professor loves most and gift it to them, maybe even multiple times

throughout the semester. It is sure to put them in a good mood, which in turn, is good for you. The better mood your professor is in, the better your grade will be.

Pull a “Clueless”: Honestly, if your teacher is getting some, the world is a better place. As you are work-ing with a small amount of time, you are going to have to work rather quickly. Find someone intellec-tual, attractive and mature that is willing to put time into their relationship. If your mom or dad would date said person than they most likely will be a good match for you professor... Or you could find someone who is looking for a quick hit and quit it. I guess it just depends on the situation and what the circumstances call for.

Desperate times call for desperate

measures, and sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

If all else fails, there are office hours for a reason but this is more of a last resort kind of thing.

These things always end up messy and should only be used in dire situations. Ladies, wear something low cut and that is sure to emphasize all of youe ASSests (work it, girl!). Guys, pull out those skinny jeans and muscle shirts.

Haha just kidding. But in all seriousness, work as hard as you can and finish off the semester strong.

If you have screwed up beyond repair, then beg your professors for extra credit or some sort of re-demption in order to bring up your average to at least passing.

Good luck on your finals, Bearkats.

May the odds be ever in you favor.

Is Dead Week really necessary?

ALEXIS BLOOMER Contributing Columnist Across the United States, several large universities allow a week off before finals to help students prepare for a week of exams that might determine whether or not they will pass a class. This short yet precious time is known to college students as dead week. Urbandictionary.com defines dead week as “the late night working and hardcore studying for finals that gives students a zombie-like atmosphere and causes an eerie silence and many blank, unseeing expressions.” Sadly, this is not a far stretch from reality.

I think that several students are confused about what dead week is since we do not observe it here at Sam Houston State University.

Thus, I am going to take a moment to define what it is according to the universities that implement them.

I have heard that it is a time when students get a whole week off to relax and study before finals, however, that is not true.

Several universities have stated in their guidelines that during the dead week period, regular lectures are expected to continue, including the introduction of new content, as deemed appropriate by the instructor. So basically, it is just another week of normal lectures with new material and maybe getting one extra day to study.

The people who benefit the most from dead week are in fact those that are heavily involved in school organizations or those that live in dorms. Dead week regulations state that there will be no organization meetings for the week before finals and that dormitories will require silence 24/7, which would only affect a portion of our university.

Further, dead week is known to cause more stress for students as they must prepare for the culmination of the entire semester through one final exam or project.

Larger universities use this time to assign additional assignments and give students more projects, which means that dead week for them really is not all that dead.

Editorial

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jay R. Jordan ........................... 936-294-1505 STAFF Hannah Zedaker .................... Associate Editor Dharmesh Patel .................. Viewpoints Editor Jeremy Villanueva ...................... Sports Editor Sean Smith ................... Campus Culture Editor Manjot Jawa .................................. Web Editor

STAFF, cont.

Brynn Castro ................................ Photo Editor Parbattee Maharaj ..... Asst. Viewpoints Editor Ryan Reynolds ........................... Layout Editor Jasmine Rangel ......................... Layout Editor Connor Hyde .......................... Senior Reporter Shawn McFarland ................ Senior Reporter Lillie Muyskens .................. Graphic Designer

I have heard rumors that many SHSU students are appalled that we do not allow this at our university.

However, I find that somewhat ridiculous. I am a senior at SHSU and I am taking 21 hours, not to mention working a full time job.

On top of all that, I have to take my finals early because I leave for a work event that lasts two weeks.

So, as I am flying to Las Vegas right now for my work, I am debating both sides of the issue and find that if we want to do anything to help us improve our grades, we should allow three days of the week before finals as review days in classes and then have Thursday and Friday as study days. This will help improve grades by allowing us more time to comprehend the material.

However, if you are going to complain about not having enough time to relax before finals, even after you just had almost a weeklong break for Thanksgiving, you need to reassess your college career. Two weeks off before finals would have a negative impact on

Editor’s Note Subject matter in this newspaper and on www.HoustonianOnline.com does not reflect the opinion of The Houstonian unless otherwise noted. Staff editorials are subject to the approval of listed Houstonian staff members. For more information, call 936-294-1505.

Faculty Advisor Marcus Funk ......................... (936) 294-3553

students because it would give them too much down time and it would take away from students that need that class time. We are in college now. You are not supposed to be babied in college. The way I see it is if it takes you almost two weeks to study for finals, you should have went to class more.

To me, it is not fair to those kids that have worked hard and are investing a lot of money to assure that they excel in the classroom. I do agree that a weekend does not give us enough time to study for several different topics.

However, by allowing a few extra days to study, it would help us as a whole because students would not be so tired. Either way, what happens during finals week is ultimately up to you.

An extra week will not change anything and I personally do not want to see teachers give us extra assignments like they do at larger universities. I want to wish everyone the best of luck and encourage you to be thankful for Red Bull, Starbucks and teachers that give us the day off.

PAWS UP to another semester completed. I am one step closer to graduating and getting that special piece of paper with my name on it.

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PAWS DOWN to professors coming out of the woodwork to cram last minute material they neglected to cover last month and assigning projects and papers that we were all unaware of.

PAWS DOWN to exams on the last week of school.

Why would you assign a test a week before finals?

You know who you are.

PAWS DOWN to finals.

After most of us have worked so hard all semester, do we really need to prove we know the material with one final exam that can make or break our grades.

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Tuesday’s issue ................. Friday at 2 p.m.

Thursday’s issue ............. Tuesday at 2 p.m.

Call for pricing.

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/viewpoints | Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Page 3

on the holidays

How to survive your relatives on Christmas MICHELLE WULFSON Staff Columnist ‘Tis finally the season for the second-best holiday of the year and the most magical day of them all: Christmas.

Halloween, the best holiday of the year, may have mountains of cavity inducing candy and shots that taste like smurfs liquidized sweet tarts, but Christmas has presents, and presents rule all.

But if presents rule all, why is Christmas ranked second on my holiday pyramid?

The holly-jolly holiday season tends to bring out dysfunctional families, and even though the angels have bestowed upon me the best extended family in the whole

world, I feel for those of you who do not find these reunions a happy occasion.

The onslaught of questions about your future plans may seem like ammunition reminding you that you do not actually have any, but know that they usually come with good intentions. Your family is interested in you. Bask in the spotlight and make up an impressive lie.

If lying is not your game, try conveniently taking a bite of something yummy the second your are approached. Chew slowly, but if they are not deterred by lengthy chomping, try talking spiritedly with your mouth open and let it all fly out.

Take your feasting slow and

steady. You will have a lot of “convenient” eating to do throughout the reunion. Frequent bowel movements will help clear up some space for shoveling in more (an effective practice I take advantage of when my boyfriend offers dessert at the restaurant but I have to make room first).

Sit at the kids’ table. Your knees might ram into the edges and your back might take on a slight hunch, but it is much easier to shut down a ten year old’s questions about being a failure than it is to politely escape an adult. Plus the games they play are super fun and you will probably win because you are an I-spy veteran.

Of course, my family has been blessed with double jointed limbs

and when popping your thumb out of place does not capture cool points with your younger relatives when your cousin is over there jumping rope with her arms, you may want to hit the dessert table.

My family does not trifle with anything other than chocolate for dessert and neither should yours.

Everything is exponentially more bearable when there is chocolate involved, your salty tears may even enhance your grandmother’s classic fudge.

Keep a positive attitude this holiday season. Your family is probably not as bad as they seem, but if your patience wears thin, always remember that that is what overpriced holiday alcohol was made for.

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PAWS UP to the Christmas gifts you may receive.

You may have hated getting clothes from all the relatives you do not talk to the rest of the year but now they are a godsend.

We need all the clothes we can get with the constantly changing temperatures in Texas.

PAWS UP to the monthlong winter break. After just about the longest semester ever, we all need a month off to recuperate and prepare ourselves for the next semester. Just a few more months until summer.

PAWS UP to New Year’s Eve. What other reason do we need for drinking excessively and kissing a random stranger to welcome in the New Year?

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EXCLUSIVE TO THE HOUSTONIAN:

A PERSONAL INTERVIEW WITH SANTA CLAUSE STAFF REPORT

Houstonian: Santa, I see a lot of changes from my great grandfather’s expeditions. For instance, last time I checked your compound was surrounded by ice and snow and I remember even seeing a polar bear from the barn area.

Santa Clause: Well of course since your last visit in the early 20th century we have been subjected to the effects of global warming, but thanks to the Canadian and U.S. military and even a little reluctant help from my Russian neighbors, we are in good shape. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built us this system of floats that you see attached to the house, the two barns, the warehouse, all of the workshops and the elves dormitories. The Canadian Navy, with some US Navy and Russian help, installed those specially built floats and built the walkways and docks necessary for our continued operation.

H: It appears to be a smooth operation. What differences do you find?

SC: As you know, when I started out some 683 years ago in what is now known by the geographers as Turkey, I came to some fame because of my rescue and help to a handful of children. In those days, I only used my birth name of Kristopher Kringle, but over the ages, I have collected many colloquial monikers from the peoples of different areas of the world. The most recent was your country and area where I became known as Santa Claus. If you remember during your grandfather’s visit, I believe some time in the 1930s, you had those two fellows from the Coca Cola Soft Drink Company in the visiting party and they had designed a proposed new modernized set of clothes which is the outfit I am wearing now. I

also have many more children to serve, actually in the multi millions now, so we have developed look-alike elves to cover the world so than we can get to everyone in a timely manner.

H: Tell me Santa, has being surrounded by all this water had any other effect on your operation?

SC: Well we find ourselves eating more fish because of its easy availability. Also, that lady scientist over there in Denmark tells me that the sea ice helped remove carbons from the atmosphere so the situation is not only caused by global warming but it actually makes global warming worse. But we have lived with over six and a half centuries of change, so I guess we’ll make do.

H: Well Santa, something that has always puzzled me although I have seen it with my own eyes when I was here last some eightyplus year ago, it’s about reindeer flying!

S: (After a hearty Ho, Ho, Ho) that is a question I get a lot from outsiders. As you know, there are countless numbers of these magnificent beasts wandering in herds just south of here, for instance in Lapland. They are fast, but not as fast as most horses, and often wander more than 25 miles a day. They stand about waist high to me at the withers. Did you know that their hair is hollow, so that there is air both between the hair on their thick coats and inside the hair to protect them from the cold? Also, stay up here long enough and you will notice that their eyes change color from summer to winter to aid in seeing in the drastically changing light. The herds usually have a single leader, and as many herd living animals, they are a great source of food for the local people of Lapland, the Scandinavian countries, Finland and more and although they are still wild animals, they are getting somewhat used to human influ-

ences. What happened here was that some four or five centuries ago, some reindeer, by accident of birth, did not grow to full size but did reach maturity! A team of our elves worked with the re-breeding of those tiny reindeer and, today, besides the original eight, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder and Blitzen, we have whole teams of tiny flying reindeer, including a very few with glowing bright red noses.

H: We have all heard of your love of cookies and milk, but is there another holiday treat that you are fond of ?

SC: Well, it is a little-known fact that ole Kriss Kringle is a chocaholic. Anything chocolate, especially dark chocolate, and when I arrive at a home that has sugar cookies and chocolate milk waiting, it usually throws me off schedule because I linger to take in a little more of that chocolate milk than I normally imbibe of the white milk.

H: Santa, how about this thing of you coming down the chimney, as small as most chimneys are?

SC: Sonny, it is obvious that you are not re-reading the book to some children each year like you are supposed to. You know that I have been endowed over the centuries with certain special powers and that by touching my finger to the side of my nose I can change size to gain entry through any space with or without a chimney to use. It’s no big secret or big deal. As you know from the book, “T’was the night before . . . when not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.”

Well, we learned from our barn mice. Haven’t you ever seen a mouse with a body that is 3 to 6 inches around run under the quarter to eighth of an inch of space under a door? Nothing to it when you know how.

H: And what about this stocking things?

SC: What I have learned through the centuries is that the beautiful term children does not necessarily belong only to those of few years but of all ages. In fact I find that as I travel about and meet people, that besides those of limited years, it is the so called elderly that most accept who I am and believe in me. With that I do recognize a kind of glow in those that profess to believe in my existence. So therefore, that stocking, plain or decorated, full or with little content, personally placed or gifted is a sign of that belief that crosses all social and religious lines and barriers. Some consider me a religious figure because of my presence on the Christmas Holiday but I cross religious lines and my function is to bring joy and hope to children of all ages, races, religions or any other separating factors and to bring all of good heart together.

H: Well Santa, as a newspaper we are limited by space-available considerations, so as much as I hate to end this conversation, I must ask if you have any final thoughts for our readers?

SC: Well sonny, I have to tell you that my thoughts are seldom described as final, as they go on from generation to generation.

I want to send my love to all of your fellow students down there at S am Houston State University and to your educators and the college staff, tell them I sent my wish to all of you Bearkats for a happy holiday and a great and healthy New Year and I do want to send out to your readers my favorite wish for this time of year and that is that, “I hope that I am good to everyone one of you and you can help me to perform that wish by you being extra good and extra nice to at least one extra person this year.”

PAWS DOWN to being broke. We are in college, so how do people expect us to splurge on their Christmas presents when we can barely afford to feed ourselves? What is the meaning of Christmas anyways? I am sure it has to do with presents.

PAWS DOWN to seeing all the relatives that you avoided all year long.

They are going to show up unannounced, eat all the good food and judge you for all of your life decisions. Merry Christmas.

PAWS DOWN to the massive hangover you will feel after Christmas and New Year’s. You do not think about the consequences when it is going down, but you will regret the vomiting and headache that show up the next day. Be sure to drink lots of water and keep aspirin handy. You are going to need it.

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/sports | Tuesday, December 2, 2014

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/campusculture | Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Page 5 T HE HEADL I N E S in br i e f Compiled by

Manny Jawa web editor

OVER THE BREAK •Darren Wilson, officer who shot Michael Brown in August, not indicated by a Grand Jury. The decision sparked protests across the nation. Wilson resigned from the police department on Nov. 29.

The Dept. of Justice’s investigation into the incident is still ongoing.

•President Enrique Pena Nieto outlined reforms for Mexico’s police departments after the continued protests in the nation over missing students.

•Continuing airstrikes by coalition forces in the fight against IS have resulted in large price increases and daily electricity cuts for people in Syria. A report issued by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights indicates that 785 IS members, 72 Al-Qaeda members and 52 civilians have be killed by airstrikes.

•Protests also continued in Hong Kong, where police used water cannons and pepper spray to disperse hundreds of protesters attempting to encircle government buildings Sunday.

•The 2014 Hurricane season came to an end Sunday, marking the ninth straight year since the eastern seaboard was struck by a Category 3 or stronger storm.

•Black Friday sales dropped 7 percent from a year ago according to data from research firm ShopperTrak.

•Police are investigating the death of Kosta Karageorge, an Ohio State football player whose body was found in a dumpster Sunday. Karageorge had complained of concussions and was missing since Wednesday.

Artists to show off at one-night exhibit SHELBY ESCAMILLA Contributing Reporter A semester’s worth of hard work will pay off as studio art majors showcase their talents and creativity in “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow V,” a one-night live performance and video art show put together by assistant professor and gallery coordinator Annie Strader.

The show will feature various types of art pieces from 12 different Studio Art majors in mediums of live performance, video, and video installation.

Strader said students have been intensely preparing all semester for this show. She talks about what the program is and the process of putting it together.

“The senior show is a wonderful capstone experience for our students,” Strader said. “It is exciting for all of the faculty to see the show and see how much the students have grown as artists during their time at SHSU. Students have been creating new works all semester, and towards the end, we select the works that will be included in the final show and they

refine them based on the critiques they received in class.”

Senior studio art major Amber Eggleton is one of the twelve students who will be performing at the show and said the project will pull together work from the entire semester.

“The show will be comprised of multiple different performances the we have done throughout the semester, choosing our favorites to perform again for the final show,” Eagleton said. “Along with that, there will also be installations and video pieces as well.”

Eggleton said the will allow her to perform for a larger audience.

“I believe that this show will benefit me by giving myself and the rest of our class an opportunity to perform for a larger audience,” Eagleton said. “As of right now, we’ve mostly just performed for each other, so it will be an interesting experience. I will be doing a performance with my younger brother focusing on the ideas of what it means to have a want to care and protect someone, and how that want can also become an obligation to a person.”

Strader hopes the show enlightens the artists to a different style

of performance.

“Performing in public is very different from hanging a painting or displaying a sculpture in a gallery,” Strader said. “These students are putting themselves out there in a way that most visual artists do not. I hope they have positive experiences in the show that give them the feeling of accomplishment and the desire to do it again.”

Strader said live performance art is very powerful and the audience will feel that.

“Audience members can expect a night to remember,” Strader said. “Performance art often provides unexpected and unique experiences and this show is full of wonderful pieces that are thought provoking and aesthetically stimulating.”

Strader also hopes viewers walk away with appreciation for what performance art can show.

Strader is a veteran with this show and is confident that Wednesday’s performance will be successful.

“This is the fifth year that I have taught the class and each year the show has grown more popular and our audience has become larger,”

Strader said. “I see more students wanting to enroll in the class after seeing the show. I also hear students talking to each other about their works and I see an over all better understanding of performance art in our student body and campus. We also get a good number of alumni who come back to see the show, which is wonderful to see how much the class meant to them.”

Eggleton had high praise for the show and Strader.

“This class is definitely one that changes a lot about the way you think as an artist,” Eggleton said. “You have to take all of the thoughts and concepts that you were working with before and find a way to turn them into actions that convey those same ideas. It’s a fantastic process to learn, and it is taught by an even more fantastic artist and professor.”

“Here Today, Gone Tomorrow V” will be a one-time only performance on Dec. 3 6 p.m. Performances are expected to run until about 7:15 p.m.

The show will be located at the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery in Art Building F. Admission is free.

Seniors round out gallery’s semester SHELBY ESCAMILLA Contributing Reporter Graduating senior studio art majors at Sam Houston State University get to end their last semester of college with an opportunity to showcase their semester’s work and intensive study.

“Zeitgeist 2014—Part 2” is an annual end of the semester tradition where arts students not only get to showcase their work, but students also have the opportunity to practice working in a professional setting.

The gallery’s name comes from the German word for “spirit of the times,” because the exhibited works show snapshots of the current SHSU Art Department.

The gallery will showcase artwork by graduating seniors in all different media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, and mixed media.

Students in art department chair professor Michael Henderson’s Museum and Gallery Practices class get the opportunity to act as curators for the exhibit, choosing other studio art majors’ work and informing the students of their work being featured in the gallery. These students then get to host the event as if they were curating for a museum or art gallery opening.

Students prepared for this job by visiting different museums and galleries over the course of the semester to learn about the role and responsibilities of an art curator.

Assistant professor of art and gallery coordinator Annie Strader said people can expect to see a variety of work at “Zeitgeist.” “[It is] a broad survey of work being created by current students in the department of art,” Strader said. “The students selected for the exhibit were informed by the students who are acting as cura-

tors in the Museum and Galleries class that their work was selected and they will drop work off at the gallery.”

Strader said people who come to the gallery will be informed of the work the students have been preparing all semester.

“People who view the exhibit will get a good sense of what is happening with students in the department now, showing current interests that are occupying art students minds.” Strader said Strader also commented on the tradition of having students in Professor Henderson’s class acting as the curators.

“It is part of the Museum and Galleries curriculum and happens once a year,” Strader said. “It is great practical experience for the students to curate and install an exhibit and each year it seems to have a positive impact on the student curators involved.”

The Student Satellite Gallery is located in a storefront on Huntsville’s downtown square at 1216 University Ave. It will be can be seen starting Dec. 6, through Dec. 13.

There will be an opening reception for the gallery on Dec.4 from 5 p.m.- 7 p.m.

Need a Tutor?

Friendly, helpful, one-on-one tutoring for all subjects taught at SHSU. Apply online at 99tutors.com or call 979-268-8867

JOURNEY THROUGH BETHLEHEM $1 December 5th and December 6th 6-9 p.m.

Walker County Fairgrounds, Highway 30 West Journey back in time to the tiny town of Bethlehem and experience the sights and sounds on the night of the birth of Jesus. www.huntsvilleJTB.weebly.com 936-661-1344

HELP WANTED Tutors wanted for all subjects taught at SHSU. Pay starts at

$10/hour.

Apply online at 99tutors.com or call 979-268-8867

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/news | Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Page 6

Brynn Castro | The Houstonian

FALLING LEAVES. (LEFT) Leaves fall to the ground covering a sidewalk leading to the Ruth and Ron Blatchley Bell Tower on Monday. (MIDDLE) A member of the Sam Houston State University grounds crew uses a leaf blower to move leaves off of a walkway near the Dan Rather Communications Building. (RIGHT) A sea of orange and brown leaves cover the walkway between Lee Drain Building and Ferrington Building.

Ensembles to finish fall performing season STAFF REPORT The Sam Houston State University School of Music will wrap up this semester’s performance season with a series of concerts aver the next two weeks.

“Night of Percussion,” will showcase the percussion area at SHSU through a potpourri concert

highlighting multiple on-campus ensembles. Sam Houston Percussion Group, University Percussion Ensemble and the SHSU Steel Band will perform a variety of contemporary, ragtime and latin music.

The free concert is scheduled for Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center

Concert Hall.

The SHSU Orchestra and Choir will perform at “Holly Jolly Jingle,” a winter wonderland at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands. Holiday classics and popular carols alike will be performed at the festival.

Performances are free begin Dec. 4 at 7 p.m., with gates open

at 5 p.m.

The Orchestra and Choirs will return to campus Friday to present their annual holiday concert featuring tunes such as “Silent Night” and selections from “The Nutcracker.”

The ensembles will perform Dec. 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the GPAC Concert Hall.

Tickets cost $15 for general admission, $12 for senior citizens and $5 for students.

Tickets can be purchased at shsu.edu/boxoffice or by calling 936-294-2339.

Senior dance concert to showcase student choreography SEAN SMITH Campus Culture Editor The Sam Houston State University department of dance will end its performance season with a production showcasing the work of 15 graduating seniors while also benefiting charities.

“ANAMOLY” will include a vast array of dance genres through 14 pieces. The show deals with things that deviate from what is standard, normal or expected.

The senior dance class will be accepting $1 donations to the Angelina Ballerina Stars of To-

morrow program. The charity is sponsored by the Dizzy Feet Foundation, which works to support, improve and increase access to dance education in the United States.

Senior dance major Julian Lopez said preparation for the show began far before this semester.

“The preparation for this show started several semesters ago in our Choreography I class which then followed trough to our Choreography II, Choreography III, and lastly our Senior Studio class,” Lopez said. “In Senior Studio, everyone in the class is on a production team to help produce the

show at the end of the semester.

Every person in the class is a senior and is asked to make an ensemble piece using music lights costumes and dancers. We have access to really advanced technology and are always trying to be fresh with creations and very organic always doing the unexpected.”

Lopez said this semester’s preparation brought more hands-on experience for the choreographers.

“The dancers we get are able to come to an open audition which is also put on by the senior production crew,” Lopez said. “Once we all selected our dancers, the next step was the rehearsal process.

We have a mandator y three hours of rehearsal that we must hold a week.

Along with planning all of this, we have to have a proposal and intent behind our work so that they will be of substantial value. I have the biggest cast for the show and have been dealing with rehearsal schedules, making choreography as well as costumes and finding meaning in the work that I am premiering at ‘ANAMOLY.’” Lopez said the show is the final piece the graduating seniors will present in their undergraduate careers and lets them leave their mark on the university.

“This is probably the biggest stress that undergrads in the dance department face here at Sam,” Lopez said. “We want to make something that will be remembered and break the status quo. This is our chance to prove our artistry can be substantial in a professional atmosphere.

It’s a chance to show all our professors and everybody who helped us here at sam that the time they devoted to us was well spent.”

Lopez said the department will continue senior show tradition next semester as well.

“Next semester will be a great year,” Lopez said. “Our department is growing and we plan to have the concert continue on for our final seniors of 2015. We will have a new theme and completely different show, artistry is always changing and so is our department.”

“ANAMOLY” will run Dec. 5 and 6 at 8 p.m. in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Dance Theatre at 8 p.m.

Tickets cost $8 and can be purchased at the GPAC Box Office online at shsu.edu/boxoffice or at 936-294-2339

T HE J U M PS

FAMC, page 1 —

will create pieces of work to be a part of a creative arts festival for a mid-term and a final.

The course will be offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8 a.m. and will be taught by a team of four professors. Students will sign up for one of four classes offered, then change professors and physical location throughout the semester. The groups will spend a quarter of the semester with each professor that specializes in dance, music, visual arts and theatre.

There is no prerequisite for FAMC 2301 and no prior knowledge of the arts, art forms and the creative process is needed.

The course will be listed under the Fine Arts and Mass Communications section and the four sections will be available to choose.

For more information about the course and the credit it satisfies, contact an academic advisor.

ABATE, page 1 — Sam Houston State University has received multiple complaints in years past and has performed multiple indoor air quality tests.

“As far as I know, this is the first occasion where we did not meet the Texas IAQ standards,” May said.

A container was placed outside AB III with the asbestos and mold from the build-

ing, but university officials said students, faculty and staff do not need to take extra precaution around it.

“There are no hazards to the public as a result of the ACM within the container,” May said. “The experts responsible for removing ACM from AB III have met all the state and federal guidelines with regard to monitoring or testing the air outside of the ACM containment within AB III.” CLASSES MOVED While the building is now mold free, the SHSU School of Nursing decided to move classes from AB III to the Lowman Student Center for the remainder of the fall 2014 and spring 2015 semesters, according to May. Junior nursing major Brooke Nell was moved to other buildings across campus, including the LSC and LEMIT Center.

Nell said she felt it is unfair to be moved around campus even though the alternative is just as unfavorable.

“I think it is terrible,” Nell said. “One of my friends has a persistent cough that we are pretty sure was caused by the mold.

My friends from my cohort and I all agree that we need a new building. It is ridiculous that a building we spend four days a week in, consisting of anywhere between two to seven hours, has mold. That’s my health at stake.”

Calls to faculty and staff members in the School of Nursing were unreturned.