February 26, 2013 by The Houstonian

TODAY’S FORECAST HI: 64o LOW: 41o

Evan Agostini/Invision/AP Exchange Jennifer Lawrence won the award for “Best Actress in a Leading Role” for her role in “Silver Linings Playbook,” becoming the second youngest actress in Oscar history to win the award.

Chance of Rain:

Richard McKinney says a new pope could be a new beginning

Volume 123 / Issue 11

Baseball take first series of season at home against Louisiana-Monroe

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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

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Basketball seniors look to leave SHSU with more than just diploma CONNOR HYDE Sports Reporter Michael Jordan once said “talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” Bearkat shooting guard Britni Martin accompanied by forward Sequeena Thomas blend their offensive instinct to pick apart zone defenses to lead Sam Houston State to their fourth consecutive conference tournament in March. Powering through their last leg of conference play, Martin averages 16.4 points per game (ppg.) and 80 percent at the freethrow line. From the perimeter, Martin scopes defenses and find Thomas under the basket to power for 13.5 ppg. Martin attributes teamwork with Thomas through reading where the forward expects her shot. “Ever since we’ve been playing together we just click,” Martin said. “I always know when she wants the ball and her go-to spots.” As the leading rebounder on the Bearkats squad, Thomas attacks the rim with strength to reestablish momentum finding

Martin for fast breaks into the paint. Out running opponent defenses became SHSU’s silent attack. “We’ve always wanted to be somewhat of a running team because it sometimes takes us too long to set up in our plays,” Martin said. “We’ve done a pretty good job pushing it up and getting it to one of the guards on the wing.” Martin and Thomas’s combined effort on the court sparked SHSU to climb Southland rankings. SHSU experienced a six game winning streak in conference play to rise as the top seed in the Southland Conference until dropping three consecutive games to fall to second seed. After falling to Lamar, SHSU were blown out by Oral Roberts 90-40 and Central Arkansas 71-51. “I think we all as a team felt that one [against ORU] and it hurt us,” Martin said. “Even when we played our preseason games against Big XII teams, Big X teams, big opponents we never got blown out.” Martin and Thomas now narrow their focus to one game at a time and teamwork to regain

their winning ways. “[It’s] the same mentality we’ve tried to adapt this year. Just one game at a time,” Thomas said. Martin exploded against Stephen F. Austin to break SHSU’s drought with 23 points, and secured a seed in the Southland Conference tournament in March. With regained momentum Martin and Thomas hope to reestablish, both hope to buy a spot in the NCAA Tournament to bring SHSU into the national spotlight. “In those games you got to have fun. They’re obviously the favorite and we’re obviously the underdogs so we have nothing to lose so give them all they can take,” Thomas said. As two of the three seniors on the Bearkat squad, Martin and Thomas have prepared the upcoming classes with tough love. “At first its’ just work hard every day; it goes by way to fast,” Martin said. “Just trying to talk them through and trying to guide them because we’re not going to be here forever.” —

SENIORS, page 5

Alex Broussard | The Houstonian

LEAVING A MARK: Seniors Britni Martin and Sequeena Thomas look to leave

SHSU with a championship ring and a winning legacy for the Bearkats.

Teachers, administrators protest Texas Faculty opposes education cuts at the state capitol SGA guns bill JAY R. JORDAN Staff Reporter

AP Photo/Eric Gay

MARCH TO THE CAPITOL: Teachers, students, parents and school administrators marched up Congress Avenue Saturday as

they took part in a rally for Texas public schools at the state Capitol in Austin, Texas. Approximately 2,000 teachers, students, parents and school administrators gathered at the state Capitol, insisting that the Legislature reverse $5.4 billion in cuts to public education after new data surfaced that Texas now spends less per-pupil than almost anywhere else in America.

The Sam Houston State University Faculty Senate unanimously reaffirmed their 2011 resolution to oppose concealed handguns on campus during last Thursday’s meeting. Their recent vote came in response to Student Government Association’s Senate Bill S13-02 that proposes the allowance of concealed handguns on campus in accordance with upcoming legislation. Tracy Steele, Ph.D., chair of the faculty senate, said SHSU faculty are still against having guns on campus. “I think the faculty generally feel… that we are less safe with more guns than more safe with more guns,” Steele said. The resolution the senate reaffirmed was originally issued in 2009 as a joint resolution with the body of public university faculty senates, the Texas Council of Faculty Senates. According to Mark Frank, Ph.D., former chair of faculty senate, the 2009 TCFS resolution was responding to a guns bill in the Texas Legislature that ultimately failed. “Obviously there was some disagreement from some faculty that would in particularly have a different view,” Frank said. “But it wasn’t really —

SENATE, page 6

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News

Tuesday, February 26, 2013 houstonianonline.com/news

Technology

Cellular companies move closer to phone with Firefox operating system CHRISTIAN VASQUEZ Staff Reporter A new Firefox mobile OS device will be available next year, according to an announcement made by Sony at the Mobile World Congress 2013 convention in Barcelona on Monday. This makes Sony the fifth company to commit to Firefox OS devices along with

LG, Huawei, ZTE and Alcatel. According to Techradar.com, the Japanese manufacturer teamed up with Telefonica with the goal of making a device running on HTML-5 friendly software and bringing it to market in 2014. One student from Sam Houston State University is interested to see how the device will fare next year. “It’s pretty cool to see that Mozilla’s doing their own thing,” senior student Christopher Valva

said. “I’d like to see how well it will do against other OS systems like Android or Apple.” Earlier during the conference, Chinese manufacturer ZTE became the first company to reveal its Firefox enabled phone, the ZTE Open, which will go on sale later this year. Sony plans on bringing a more premium experience, with the company amply supporting the “great potential” of Mozilla’s

mobile offering, the company announced. Bob Ishida, deputy CEO and executive vice president at Sony Mobile Communications, said that they are already at work with their device. “At Sony Mobile we continue to evaluate innovative technologies that can help deliver the premium user experiences that Sony’s consumers expect,” Ishida said. “Our engineers are now working

Former Surgeon General, anti-smoking advocate Koop dies at 96 STEPHEN GREEN Editor-in-Chief

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Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop died Monday at the age of 96, according to his 1937 alma matter Dartmouth College. Koop dedicated his time in office to, among other things, raising awareness of HIV and Hepatitis B transmission and the negative effects of smoking. Koop served in the position from 1982 to 1989 under Pres. Ronald Reagan and Pres. George H.W. Bush. “Dr. Koop will be remembered for his colossal contributions to the health and well-being of patients and communities in the U.S. and around the world,” Chip Souba, dean of the Geisel School of Medicine and Joseph

O’Donnell, senior scholar at the C. Everett Koop Institute, said in a press release. “As one of our country’s greatest surgeons general, he effectively promoted health and the prevention of disease, thereby improving millions of lives in our nation and across the globe.” Koop dedicated life after serving in his role to educate Americans about the HIV and AIDS pandemic. He was most recognized for his report on AIDS in 1986 and the way it was spread (sex, needles, and bodily fluids) and the ways it wasn’t spread. He also was a strong antismoking advocate, giving frank talks to Americans through their TVs about it’s negative effects to lead a “smoke-free nation”. He died peacefully at his Hanover, New Jersey home.

with Firefox OS Mobile and HTML5, evolving technologies which show great potential. According to Slashgear.com, Mozilla already has an app base with many apps such as Facebook and Twitter already available for the platform. Mozilla also said that the Firefox OS devices will have affordable price tags in order to appeal to more consumers.

TheHoustonianSHSU

Speech and debate team moves closer to national championships STEPHEN GREEN Editor-in-Chief The Sam Houston State University Speech and Debate team is closing in on seasonlong national rankings after their tournament in Shreveport, La. this weekend. In team debate, the SHSU squad is currently ranked at the top of the list, both as a school and individual teams. Coaches Tim and Steve Sears took home the team debate championship at the Eddy T. Shell debate tournament for their second consecutive tournament victory. They defeated the Northwest Arkansas Forensic team of This places the brothers at Submitted photo from SHSU Speech and Debate the top of the season long NATIONALS BOUND: The SHSU Speech and Debate team at teh Eddy T. Shell debate tournament. Back rankings for team debate with row left to right: John Villalobos, Tim Sears, Steve Sears, Stephen Green. Front row: Brandon Dotson, Stacy one tournament before the Hood, Kassidy Turnpaugh, and Richard McKinney. national championship. Steve Sears advanced to Mar. 21-24. University on Mar. 8 in a twoStephen Green and Stacy The team will next compete tournament swing. Hood are four points behind the semifinal round before the Sears brothers in the losing to Stephen F. Austin’s at Stephen F. Austin State season-long race, putting Connor Throckmorton. His them in second place after tournament success places winning a tournament at LSU- him in third place season long behind LSU-Shreveport’s Shreveport. John Villalobos and Richard Chelsea Anthony and varsity McKinney made it to the runner-up Kate Ryland. Hood is currently ranked at quarterfinal round but wasn’t enough to put them into the the bottom of the top 10 after the last tournament. top 10. In the varsity division, SHSU In individual debate, Tim Sears was a semi-finalist in is ranked third in season long the professional division, rankings. The team is compiled of only which places him at the top of professional season long nine active students, which is relatively small compared to rankings. Green advanced to the larger teams of more than 30. The team will compete at the quarterfinal round in the varsity division as the third International Public Debate seed before hitting coach Association national debate Steve Sears and losing on a 2-1 tournament at the University of Arkansas at Monticello on decision.

NEWS STORIES? WANT TO SHARE YOUR SUCCESS? KNOW SOMEONE INTERESTING? Contact the Houstonian News Edit Molly Waddell at mwaddell@houstonianonline.com

Page 3

Viewpoints

Tuesday, February 26, 2013 houstonianonline.com/viewpoints

New pope could mean new beginning Richard McKinney discusses the choices for Benedict’s successor

For many, the papacy is almost an ethereal position; but for Catholics the pope is God’s representative on earth. Thursday will be the last day for Pope Benedict XVI to preside over the Catholic Church. Worried about his physical and mental health getting in the way of leading the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, the pope announced that he would be the first in over 600 years to abdicate the papacy. The papal conclave is set to convene sometime between Mar. 15 and 20 of this year; however prospective hopefuls are already lining up for the chance to serve as the next pope. There are growing rumors of the possibility of Benedict’s successor not being from a European country, which would go against a millennium of tradition. The current front runners include two from Latin America and Peter Turkson from Ghana. “When I was growing up, it was presumed the pope would be an Italian,” Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the Roman Catholic archbishop of New York, said on his live radio show, “Conversation with Cardinal Dolan.”

When a Polish Cardinal Karol After decades of continued Wojtyla (renamed John Paul II) allegations and sex scandals, it assumed the pontificate, it was the would be best to have a breath of first time since 1523 a non-Italian fresh air. Originally reported in an was elected, “that was thought Italian newspaper, there have been to be an earthquake.” rumors that Benedict Dolan said. John Paul II’s is stepping down due successor and current to allegations of sex serving pope, Benedict scandals and blackmail XVI, is from Germany. within the Vatican “We don’t have to think itself. that anymore, do we?” “It is deplorable that he said. “The pope is the as we draw closer to the earthly, universal pastor time of the beginning of the church. To think of the conclave,” that there might be a pope Vatican Secretary of from North American, State, Tarcisio Bertone, Latin America, Asia, or a said Saturday, “that pope from Africa, I think RICHARD MCKINNEY there be a widespread that’s highly possible.” distribution of often Staff Reporter Latin America is home unverified, unverifiable, to 39 percent of the world’s Catholics, or completely false news stories that according to Pew Research. Africa cause serious damage to person and makes up a portion of about 16 institutions.” percent. The largest growth has Pope Benedict XVI has stayed happened in Sub-Saharan Africa. away from comments on allegations It seems beneficial, to me, for the but did address his continued conclave to look towards voting in an commitment to the church in his African pope. Perhaps this change is last sermon on Sunday. “The Lord too quick but if the church expects to is calling me to climb the mount grow in any manner this would be a and to devote myself to meditation, step in the right direction. reflection and prayer,” he said.

“This does not mean abandoning the church, but rather, so that I can continue to serve the church with the same dedication and the same love with which I have done up until now.” Perhaps the conclave could vote in the first black pope – previously having three African popes of Caucasian heritage. This seems like a radical option, but perhaps the best. The vote could help offset some of the past scandal and open up a new social door for the church. Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana seems to be an early front runner to assume the role. Last week he spoke with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour and discussed some possible progression within the church. “We need to be true and faithful to the faith which makes a church a church and we need to be true to being relevant in society in fulfillment of the mission of the Church.” Turkson said, “We may not sacrifice one for the other. So while the Church seeks to be relevant in society … we also need to have a mind on what it is that the Church believes.”

Axe-to-grind mourning mocks public deaths TAYLOR LIKENS Staff Reporter For some reason the student body of my old high school has an unusually high number of fatalities. Simply type “Caney Creek High” into Google and the fourth autocomplete option will be “deaths.” Sharing social networking sites with more than a few people from my graduating class, I can attest that when a former classmate dies public reaction can be dumbfounding. These deaths are like miniature flu seasons except instead of vomiting and congestion everyone suffers from delusions and amnesia, apparently forgetting that they had never even spoken to the victim and instead remember them as being inseparable comrades. Upon dying one instantly receives several hundred best friends they never even knew they had. And unfortunately, these “friends” will spend most of their time patting one another on the back. This sort of pattern isn’t just something that effects one little Conroe high school. All across the country we find the public has a strange, opportunistic attitude towards death. Bear with me for a moment and allow me to explain. Prime examples are the deaths of Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse. Both died of overdoses; Houston by cocaine and Winehouse by alcohol. They lived life irresponsibly and died predictable deaths (Houston famously abused cocaine for decades and Winehouse’s most famous song is quite literally about refusing to go to rehab),

yet the world wept for both of them in droves. In New Jersey, the flags were flown at the half-staff to mark the anniversary of Houston’s death. Meanwhile, Chris Kyle, one of the most accomplished soldiers in United States history, was unexpectedly killed this month by a fellow veteran who he was attempting to help cope with PTSD. His passing only had minimal media coverage and little acknowledgement from the government. Despite being the seemingly perfect candidate for national mourning, his death has been a notably quiet one. This selective sympathy reached its apex with 15-year-old Amanda Todd, who committed suicide after nude photos of her were leaked to the internet. Todd, who voluntarily flashed strangers over webcam and knowingly had sex with a young man who was already in a relationship, was allegedly harassed by her classmates for these incidents. She has since become the patron saint of teen bullying. Although dodging the torches and pitchforks is virtually impossible at this point, it is still worth clarifying that I believe all death to be a tragedy no exception. Amanda Todd’s suicide is an unfortunate event by any measure. That being said, it is still hardly a prime example of the effects of teen bullying. According to bullyingstatistics.org, about 4,400 young people commit suicide every year, over half of which are a direct result of bullying. This was almost entirely ignored by our society until the Amanda Todd incident and shortly thereafter forgotten.

Should you hate Winehouse, Houston and Todd? Of course not. They are simply human beings who made foolish mistakes; there is no reason to hate them and there is no harm in honoring them with our time and attention. Except that we don’t do it for them. We do it for us. People love a free pass to cry (for themselves). More importantly, they love the free sympathy and melodrama attached to it. We are not as bothered by death and tragedy as we pretend to be. No, if we were, the candlelight vigils would never stop. I can count on one hand the amount of public deaths that have given genuine reason for pause. I’d wager that most people feel similarly, even if their Twitter account would lead you to believe otherwise. Amanda Todd, who behaved irresponsibly and was subsequently outcast (if in an unjustifiably harsh manner), is a terrible example of the torment thousands of youths endure each day for no reason whatsoever. Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse were not remotely shocking deaths-they were hardly even relevant ones. The several students of Caney Creek who have died in recent years were barely even aware of the existence of most people who are now using their names as buzzwords. My point? Everywhere we look, there is an infuriatingly immature, disrespectful attitude toward human life. It is a selfish twist on the natural process of grieving, taking the tears shed for those who are no longer among us and making jewelry of them for our own attention-whoring. Death is too big of a deal to be used like that.

Dear Misti: New advice column to help combat students’ issues MISTI JONES Viewpoints Editor

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It’s not too late to tone up before summer ?

Colin Harris encourages students to get back up, workout at the gym Oh my God, it’s almost March. If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent the past three months burying your gross layers of fat beneath dark, dashing layers of cotton, wool, plaid and argyle alike. Unfortunately, that’s just not going to cut it for the next nine months. Assuming you still own a pair of shorts or a skirt that actually fits, within a couple of weeks the whole university is going to be subjected to those amorphous blobs you used to call “calves.” The medical term for the calf muscle is “gastrocnemius,” which is also coincidentally the sound most people are sure to make when they first lay eyes on those pasty bastards you’ve been, uh, “toning” the past few months via a diet of Baconators, alcohol and Hostess cakes. Just because you get winded parallel parking doesn’t mean all is lost though. While it’s certainly too late to get that beach body in time for spring break, when summer rolls around, you can be proud to gyrate around like an idiot on South

Padre Island, shirtless (or in a bikini top), doing the Harlem Shake, that Korean horse-dance idiocy or whatever the next YouTube craze is. All it takes is a little resolve and a lot of trips to the gym. If you’ve never been to the gym before it can be a little intimidating at first. I’ll be perfectly honest, to this day, exercising for the sake of fitness, good health or any other bullshit like that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. In my mind there are only two logical reasons to go to the gym: to get better at sports and to get better with the opposite sex. Anyway, whatever your motivation is, make a plan and stick with it. If you can only go twice a week, fine, just stay consistent and treat it like going to class: only skip if you feel confident with where you stand and have something marginally better to do with your time. Once you set foot in the gym, you may be wondering where to focus your energy. I’d start with

the weight machines, because I personally prefer to work out sitting down. Find one that least resembles one of Jigsaw’s traps from Saw and hop on. If you can’t figure out how to operate it, don’t stress. Find another. Any gym that’s worth its salt has at least three machines that da Vinci himself couldn’t figure out, so know that it’s not just you. Of course then there’s cardio, which is the absolute worst. Get this… the machine actually tells you how shitty you are at working out. Just yesterday, I burned 400 calories on the stationary bike, because, again, I refuse to exercise standing up. Four hundred calories is like two measly Cliff bars. Sheesh. However, cardio does have its benefits; heart health, stress relief, better sleep, blah, blah, et cetera, whatever. The single greatest benefit of cardio is that it presents an opportunity to pretend to watch the overhead TVs while making cautiously lingering glances to scope out all the hotties prowlin’ around the gym. Can’t really do

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that when you’re trying to figure out exactly which of the 14 handlebars y o u ’ r e supposed to grab on a Rube Goldberg COLIN HARRIS w e i g h t machine. Staff Reporter The main point is to just put a little effort into working out and I’m sure the results will surprise you. I didn’t even mention the almost fun things to do at the gym, like scaling the artificial rock wall or swimming. Hell, even driving to campus, parking, walking to the gym and then deciding you don’t feel like working out and strolling back to your car is, in and of itself, a workout in my book. Just don’t expect results overnight with that particular regimen.

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Hey everyone! My name is Misti and I’m the viewpoints editor. I’m here to help alleviate any sort of stress you have related to a range of topics. Ask me about what to do in a relationship, or about best things to do on a Friday, or even what steps to take to study better. Ask me anything! I’m here because I truly care. I’ve always been told that I am a ‘motherly figure’. Whether that’s a good thing or not, I think it’s a great way of describing the love and dedication I have for my friend’s and family’s well-being. Listening to peoples’ problems and helping them come up with a solution is something that I truly have a passion for. Now you may be asking what qualifies me to give you advice. Well, I’ve been through all kinds of troubles with friends, family, school, religion, relationships, self-image and more, which I’m sure you all have too. But I feel that these situations have made me a stronger person and because of that, I like to do what I can to help others overcome them as well. I’ve even had friends fairly recently ask me if I was in any position to serve as their ‘therapist.’ Although I am not certified or anything, many friends have come to me with their problems on numerous occasions to I can give them the best advice I can cook up. I’ve been through a variety of relationship predicaments. You name it. My boyfriend and I have been together for almost five years and we’ve had our fair share of ups-and-downs. Do you want to improve your romantic life? Do you feel that your significant other isn’t giving you enough attention (or maybe they’re giving you too much)? There are many remedies we’ve got to help couples stay together and I can share them with you. I am a college student (duh) and I’ve had my grade scares, presentation anxiety and allnighters. I can give you advice for studying, taking notes in class and more. Since I was little, I had problems with self-confidence and self-image. With help from others and getting involved with different organizations on campus, I’ve been able to overcome depression and low self-esteem to learn who I am and what I’m good at. I promise, you don’t need to be embarrassed to ask me anything you want answers to. If I don’t know, I’ll find out and come up with a solution for you the best I can. I won’t judge you at all because no question is a stupid question and no unpleasant feeling you’re experiencing should go unnoticed. Although you may not know me, I can be here for you. Your questions can be completely anonymous if you want them to be. Simply say “Dear Misti,” ask your question and sign it with any codename you want. E-mail me at mjones@ houstonianonline.com and you could see my response to your questions in the newspaper.

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Arts&Entertainment

Tuesday , February 26, 2013 houstonianonline.com/a-e

Theater to take audiences beyond stage setting in ‘Our Town’ revival Department, said. “He can even be the philosopher and changes characters throughout the show. She talks to the audience directly Audiences will go beyond the and maintains control [of the stage setting as the Sam Houston show].” Although the set design and State Theater Department presents a revival of Thorton Wilder’s props are minimal, the show will take a unique approach to “Our Town”. Opening Wednesday in the staging as the actors will use the Erica Starr Theater, the play whole auditorium to make it an interactive centers around space for the the everyday The audience is going to quesaudience. lives of citizens tion where exactly the stage is “ T h e of Corners, New because it’s all around them, audience Hampshire. is going to which is different from normal It follows the question theater productions. relationship where exactly between George the stage is -Tom Prior, director Gibbs and Emily because it’s all Webb as they go around them, from childhood which is different from normal friends to their life after marriage. The three acts explore theater productions,” Prior said. It is that minimalist approach childhood, growing up and death to the show that presented some through the story of George and challenges for the large cast made Emily told by The Stage Manager, who serves as the narrator of the up of about 20 students. “Because of the show’s play. simplicity, the acting had to be “The Stage Manager is allthere,” Prior said. “We also use knowing,” Tom Prior, director and associate chair of the Theater live sound effects like coconuts and glass bottles that have to

GEORGE MATTINGLY Arts & Entertainment Editor

“

be synchronized with what is happening on stage, which was also a big challenge.” Despite the heavy reliance on dialogue, Prior said it is part of what makes the show a refreshing experience for the audience. “We don’t have much of a set; all we need are the words,” he said. “I think it’s a great way to tell the story. It’s a refreshing idea from all the flashy Broadway productions.” Prior is hopeful the audience will come to appreciate life more after seeing the show. “I hope the audience takes away that life is very short and fleeting and that we have got to enjoy each moment,” he said. “Life just passes us by and we often forget people, places and the little things.” “Our Town” will show at 8 p.m. from Feb. 27 to March 2 with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 and $10 for SHSU students and senior citizens with a valid ID. For more information, call the University Theater Center box office at 936-294-1339.

Credit to SHSU Theatre Department

THE LITTLE THINGS: SHSU’s production of “Our Town” addressess issues of growing up, letting go and acceptance. The show opens Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Erica Starr Theatre.

Oscars offers little suprises, showcases strong performances GEORGE MATTINGLY Arts & Entertainment Editor Stars hit the stage on Sunday as the 85th annual Academy Awards gave auidiences best of the film in ‘Tonys 2.0’ fashion. Seth MacFarlane hosted this year’s Oscars and gave a performance that was a huge improvement over last year’s dismal job by James Franco and Anne Hathaway. MacFarlane was bold in his jokes, poking fun at Christ Brown and Rihanna, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and he sang a full musical number about boobs, among other acts. Although his humor was raunchy and offensive at times, that’s what is expected of MacFarlane in his performances (recall “Ted” and “Family Guy”) . Several movie musical stars took the stage to pay tribute to their genre with performances from “Chicago,” “Dreamgirls” and “Les Miserables,”. Catherine Zeta Jones and Jennifer Hudson made show-stopping performances that solidified them as top musical moments. Adele added another trophy to her shelf as she took home the Oscar for Best Original

Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

GRACEFUL WIN: Jennifer Lawrence accepts her Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in “Silver Linings Playbook” after falling on the stairs to accept her award.

Song in “Skyfall”. Her performance was classic Adele: chilling, jazzy and smooth. Add in a full choir and large projections and audiences witnessed Oscar perfection. However all the musical moments of the show made the Oscars appear more like the

Upcoming Events Feb. 25 Trumpet Solo Recital I and II at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 Concert Choir and Women’s Chorus performance at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27 SHSU production of “Our Town” opens at 8 p.m.

Tonys rather than an award show for film. There were no major surprises in who took home top honors this year. Most of the favorites such as Christoph Waltz, Anne Hathaway and Daniel Day-Lewis won trophies for their on-screen performances.

However, there were a few unexpected moments that were memorable, and some that everyone should forget. Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role in “Silver Linings Playbook” and nearly killed herself as she toppled on stage to accept her award. Despite her momentum this award season, Lawrence’s win over Jessica Chastain in “Zero Dark Thirdy” was a bit of a shock. Kristen Stewart made another awkward appearance yet again as she limped on stage to present an award, which left many questioning why she was in a room with such high-caliber actors in the first place. Michelle Obama appeared on screen to help present the award for Best Picture. Although she looked absolutely stunning, her speech was random and interrupted the flow of the show. She did not add anything special to the presentation other than her name. The underdog for Best Picture, “Life of Pi” won several awards for technical aspects of filmmaking such visual effects, cinematography and directing while “Argo” took the coveted “Best Picture”, a nice consolation after being snubbed for directing.

Page 5

Sports

Tuesday, February 26, 2013 houstonianonline.com/sports

Bearkat baseball wins two of three against Warhawks in first home series of season CONNOR HYDE SportsReporter After struggling with a 1-3 losing record, Sam Houston State baseball found their stride after clenching their first home series 2-1 against Louisiana-Monroe this weekend. Freshman Spence Rahm kindled early inning rallies hitting .375 against the Warhawks with two doubles to establish a strong presence for SHSU at the plate in SHSU’s 4-2 and 7-3 victories. Rahm made his first appearance in game two against ULM and opened with a single that sparked a six hit inning to rally in four runs in the bottom of the fourth. “I was seeing [the ball] really well. I didn’t start on Friday but I got in [Saturday] and I was seeing the ball come in really well,” Rahm said. Coming off their home opener loss to University of Houston (63) on Tuesday and series opener to ULM (2-1), pitcher Cody Dickson tossed his first complete game of the season, throwing nine strikeouts and holding ULM to two runs off seven hits. Coach David Pierce attributes the weekend wins to sound outings on the mound. “[Dickson] pounded the strike

zone with great stuff,” Pierce said. “He threw a lot of strike ones… when he threw the changeups they were just plus pitches. When you attack the strike zone with the fastball, he did a great job.” Against UH, SHSU pitchers were cornered into multiple fullcounts and high pitch counts but avoided wild pitches and walks against the Warhawks in games two and three. Pitcher Andrew Godail maintained SHSU’s strong presence on the rubber pitching six innings with seven strikeouts. “In the first four innings [Godail] was really sharp and he battled through the fifth and the sixth,” Pierce said. “The thing about Andrew is that he’s got three solid pitches, and he’s going pitch upper 80s and low 90s, and he’s gotten past the point of worrying about throwing strikes. He’s competing against batters.” Warhawk power hitter Corben Green had a stronghold on the Bearkat bullpen in games one and two, but lost steam against Godail recording with three strikeouts. “The key with [Green] is getting him to two strikes because he will chase a breaking ball if you get him there,” Pierce said. “The key for us is we’ve got to get strike one against him either with the breaking ball or really

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BACK ON TRACK: Pitcher Andrew Godail started game three against Lousiana-Monroe, which the Bearkats took by a score of 7-3 to give the them the series win (2-1). SHSU will travel to Austin to play No. 22 Texas on Tuesday.

bust him hard him.” Green hit 5-8 going into Sunday’s matchup and only reached on base once after being hit by a pitch. SHSU lineup applied the use of the entire field, spraying hits into the gaps and scored runners from scoring position. Right fielder Ryan O’Hearn swung 3-4 against

the ULM pitching rotation and legged out two runs. “I think just going into it we had an approach to make sure we didn’t get too big against the left hander. Our guys did a good job staying in the middle of the field,” Pierce said. Pierce said that SHSU’s strong plate appearances are attributed to

fighting with two strikes. “We’re starting to understand with two strikes borderline pitches umpires are going to call so we got to be able to fight those off and we had some guys doing that with great at bats.” SHSU will travel to Austin to square off against the University of Texas Tuesday at 5 p.m.

This year’s NBA trade deadline nothing special RYAN BOWERS Staff Reporter The NBA trade deadline came and went this past week with less than usual fanfare. Normally there are one or two big names that are moved, creating an interesting storyline for the new player’s team for the rest of the year. This year however, no all-star caliber players were moved despite the rumors surrounding players such as Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics, and Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks. When the biggest name player to be traded is Reddick, you know it is a less than stellar year for trading. So out of the teams that did make moves, who won, and who lost? The Milwaukee Bucks wanted to trade for Smith, but the Atlanta Hawks pulled out at the last minute. Instead they made the move for guard J.J. Reddick, who they got from the Orlando Magic. They received two other players from the Magic, center Gustavo Ayon and guard Ish Smith, while giving up forward Tobias Harris and guards Doron Lamb and Beno Udrih. Reddick is the clear focus of this trade. He has proven to be a good perimeter player and bench scorer for the Magic during his time in the league. He averaged 15.1 points per game to go along with 4.4 assists per game for the Magic before being traded. The question with this team is how much playing time will Reddick get? The Bucks already have Monta Ellis and Brandon

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But before walking the stage at graduation, both look to bring home a championship banner and a ring, fulfilling their career at SHSU. “I want a ring on my finger. I’m not talking about engagement. I’m talking about a conference ring,” Thomas said. With four conference games remaining, Martin and Thomas narrow their scope into finishing strong, preparing for the conference tournament. SHSU will square off against teams faced previously this season.

Jennings, two guards who are more talented than Reddick. How much playing time he sees, and when, might help decide if this trade was the right move to help strengthen the Milwaukee Bucks for a possible postseason run. There was a lot of talk about the Boston Celtics possibly trading away either center Garnett or point guard Rajon Rondo. Garnett refused to budge on his no trade clause and Rondo’s ACL injury presumably deterred teams from making a trade for the talented point guard. Instead the Celtics acquired Washington Wizards guard Jordan Crawford in exchange for guard Leandro Barbosa and center Jason Collins. Crawford is expected to add scoring depth for the Celtics backcourt. He averaged 13.2 points per game, 3.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 43 games with the Wizards. He is known for having a volatile temper sometimes, a la Rondo, so it will be up for the veterans on this Celtics team to ensure that Crawford becomes a key piece of Boston, rather than a detriment to a possible playoff run. The Houston Rockets made one of the more

Thomas claimed the key to clench a championship is to read her team and feed off positive momentum. “Just knowing my teammates, knowing when they’re going to shoot, just being smart about when the ball is coming off the rim, getting positioned [and] just having the desire to get the rebound is all it really takes,” Thomas said. As for advancing against the top seeds, it’ll come down to perseverance. “We know them. They know us. It’s going to be about heart,” Thomas said.

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high profile trades on the deadline. They gave up forward Patrick Patterson, guard Toney Douglas and center Cole Aldrich to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for forward Francisco Garcia, forward Tyler Honeycutt, and forward Thomas Robinson. Robinson was the 5th overall pick in last year’s NBA draft. Although Robinson has struggled in his rookie year, averaging a meager 4.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, he still has the skill set that allowed him to excel in college at Kansas and be a high draft pick. The Rockets are expecting to help Robinson

realize his massive potential and become another building block along with Jeremy Lin and James Harden for a team that wants to compete for a championship in the near future. The question will be how quickly, if at all, he realizes his potential. Unless they can tap this potential, the Houston Rockets may have sacrificed a possible playoff berth this year for contending for multiple years down the road. This trade also freed up enough cap room for the Rockets to go after a veteran top free agent this coming summer.

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University to upgrade lightning protection SOPHIE NELSON Senior Reporter

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ACADEMY AWARDED The cast and producers of “Argo” accept the award for best picture during at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. Anne Hathaway poses with her award for best actress in a supporting role for “Les Miserables”

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Sam Houston State University is currently searching for a contractor to update the lightning protection system for the Eleanor and Charles Garrett Teacher Education Center. The university needs to recertify the lightning protection system after the recent instillation of a new roof on the Education Center, and that the re-certification is just a routine maintenance project, according to Julia May, the associate director of communications. Doug Greening, associate vice president for facilities management, said that as of now, SHSU has not selected a contractor, and therefore cannot predict the date of when the system will be installed. Contractors had until Monday to make a bid to the university to provide the service, and the winning bidder will have about

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even a closely debated issue.” In the Texas Legislature, Sen. Brian Birdwell introduced the Campus Personal Protection Act that will allow concealed handgun licensees to carry on campus grounds, where it is now illegal. Pieces similar to this legislation were introduced in 2009 and 2011 by Sen. Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio). “I’m not sure why both of those bills ultimately failed, because from my understanding they were both very close,” Frank said. “This time around, it seems even more likely that it will pass.” SGA’s bill will simply show university support to Birdwell’s

two weeks to complete the project, according to SHSU’s invitation to bid document. Greening said that the lightning protection system for the Education Center is being put into place to prevent electrical damage to the building in the event of a storm. Any lightning that strikes the building will be redirected to rods placed on the ground. According to the Lightning Protection Institute’s website, lightning strikes cause $1 billion in damages per year in the US. “The cost of lightning strikes to businesses is staggering,” LPI said. “Millions of dollars are spent by corporations every year as a result of lightning damage to commercial properties. Insurance claims, destruction of equipment, fire damage, production and inventory loss can all result from a single lightning strike.” Greening said that the project is estimated to cost around $15,000, but the final figures will not be known until a contractor can be hired and the system is put into place. bill, though some say it will come without the students’ or faculty’s consent. Last Thursday, SGA failed an amendment to their bill that would let the student body to vote on whether or not it passes. SGA President Shane Rankin explains the student government’s reasoning behind the decision as being for the sake of the government’s role and the lack of student’s interest in reading the bill in full before voting. “We have been working on this bill for 3 weeks,” Rankin said. “[Students are] not going to read a three page bill, they’re probably not going to read a two paragraph bill.” Steele said that faculty senate members plan on being in attendance during tonight’s SGA meeting qat 6:30 p.m.