Vol 120 | Issue 11
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Publishing since 1913
Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University
HKC rockwall reopens after being flooded, pg. 3
Visit us on Facebook: “The Houstonian SHSU”
Basketball teams win over Northwestern State University, pg. 5
INDEX Viewpoints ....... pg. 2 A&E ................... pg. 4 News .................. pg. 3 Sports................. pg. 5
Campus political groups focus efforts on upcoming elections SOFIA MEDRANO Contributing Reporter The anticipated presidential elections are approaching and student organizations on campus have begun setting up tables on the mall area to prepare students for voting and promote their choice of candidate. Wednesday afternoon, the NAACP teamed up with Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority to do voting registrations on campus, followed by a “Crash Course” in the evening to show the history of blacks in voting. “We’re basically trying to get as many people signed up as we can,” Cortnie Crayton, president of NAACP said. “If we don’t stand up for ourselves, nobody is going to do it.” As the race between Republican candidates heats up and new conflicts arise with the Obama administration, several political student groups have taken it upon themselves to educate the student body about the presidential candidates running for office. Derek Zarosky, president of the SHSU College Republicans group says they have been promoting the republican primaries all year by featuring republican candidate speakers at their meetings and volunteering with the Walker County Republicans. “We are not allowed to endorse a single candidate alone so we support every
republican that is running for an office,” Zarosky said. Similarly, the Bearkat Democrats are required to support all democratic candidates; however they are fully supporting President Obama because they do not see a primary challenger for him. The Bearkat Democrats are reaching out to students with several planned events this semester including a mock congress, where all four political groups on campus will participate, and a “Why Are We Democrats?” forum. “We try building coalitions with other groups on campus to broaden our member base and to ensure that we get differing opinions on issues,” Cristan Shamburger, president of Bearkat Democrats said. Other political groups who are clearly supporting a specific idea or candidate have now begun to emerge on campus as well, such as the most recent Youth for Ron Paul campaign. “We as young people want to hear the cold hard truth about the problems and the solutions to fix them,” Thomas Glenn, president of Youth for Ron Paul said. “Ron Paul is the only presidential candidate on either side of the aisle that is willing to make the tough decisions.” Glenn and his group are currently —
ELECTIONS, page 3
Sofia Medrano | The Houstonian
POLITICAL ACTIVISM. NAACP members Kayren Alexander (left) and VIce-President Warren Akrie are two of thousands of college students working to register other students for the upcoming, and other national elections.
Bearkat All Paws In recruits record number of volunteers
STEPHEN GREEN Editor-in-Chief
Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian
SGA TOWNHALL. Student Government Association held their university-wide town hall on Wednesday night to discuss issues important to students. Panelists discussed parking fees, financial aid, and the possibility of a university sponsoered shuttle for students in addition to other things. Panelists included; David Kapalko, assistant director of parking and transportation; Lisa Tatom, director of financial aid; Mark Adams, associate VP for information technology; Elisa Crosslan, director of IT client support; and Valerie Muesham, assistant dean of the College of Business Administration. SGA meetings are held Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in teh Lowman Student Center, Room 320.
Living alone in the university environment JESSICA LUNDSTROM Contributing Reporter College is a time of learning. Students learn skills associated with their desired degree but they also learn how to live on their own without the help of mom and dad. Some student’s have apartments with friends or significant others, but others opt to live alone.
According to the New York Times Census Map online, 34% of those in the Huntsville area live alone. With a large student population, many of them are Sam Houston State University students. Jonny Peres, senior mass communication major, has been living alone for a year and a half. He came to the decision of living alone after feeling a “mix of discomfort with sharing my personal space with a stranger and trusting that stranger.” Most apartment complexes in Huntsville will match you with a random roommate if you don’t already have one. It can be a way to meet people who you otherwise would have never met. But the chance of getting matched with someone who you do not get along with
is enough to push a lot people towards one bedroom apartments. Stephan Nysveen plans on living in a one bedroom next year for just that reason. He graduates in December and doesn’t “want to stick my roommate with a random stranger” after he finds someone to take over his lease. But there are some upsides to not having a roommate. Peres likes that everything is right where he left it. You never have to clean up after someone else’s mess, and you won’t disturb someone if you come home late. Living alone does have its drawbacks. One bedroom apartments tend to have higher rent and utility rates since there is no one to share that cost with. And if you —
ALONE, page 3
A record number of students have signed up to participate in Bearkat All Paws In after the deadline ended on Wednesday, according to BAPI officials. Sen. Kolby Flowers (CFAMC), BAPI volunteer coordinator, said the event, which is sponsored by Student Government Association, more than doubled the number of volunteers from Spring 2011. As of Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. the deadline for registration closed. The number of volunteers currently registered is more than 720 university community members. This is more than double the more than 300 volunteers during the Spring 2012 semester. “We are reflecting [the university motto] in our daily lives,” Scudder said. “Students are looking for a way to give back and really represent what this university is all about.” 51 groups and teams are signed up, the Zeta sorority being the largest with 74 volunteers. “I’m looking forward to meeting some great folks and giving back to this great community that has given us so much,” Scudder said. SHSU President Dana Gibson, Ph.D., said in a BAPI press release that community involvement and student service are a part of the complete university experience. “I hope this leads students to a life of service as engaged citizens of Texas,” Gibson said. “This day is a huge benefit to the community and I respect the students’ dedication of service.” Gibson will join featured BAPI speaker and Dean of Students Jon Yaraback at the event that day. BAPI will also host a voter registration drive for students and community members who wish to. In addition, they will host a book drive for Premiere High School in Huntsville. They say any books are requested. BAPI will occur on Saturday, Mar. 6.
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