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Volume 125/ Issue 13

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Thursday, February 27, 2014

STATE

Courts rule on LGBT, phone privacy JAY R. JORDAN Associate Editor While others states are debating LGBT rights and individual liberties, two judges in Texas made landmark rulings Wednesday for both.

Texas Same-Sex Ruling United States District Judge Orlando Garcia declared Texas’s ban on gay marriage unconstitutional, citing the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the unconstitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 2013.

However, Garcia stayed his own decision in order to allow a higher court review it. Because of this, his ruling won’t take any immediate effect until the U.S. Fifth Circuit court rules on the case.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said he’s already begun the process of sending the decision to the higher court.

“This is an issue on which there are good, well-meaning people on both sides,” Abbott said in a statement Wednesday. “The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled over and over again that states have the authority to define and regulate marriage. The Texas Constitution defines marriage as between one man and one woman [per a 2005 Constitutional amendment]. If the Fifth Circuit honors those precedents, then [the] decision should be overturned and the Texas Constitution will be upheld.”

The decision came from De Leon v. Perry, a 2013 case involving two gay couples who each sued the state to have their marriages

legally recognized. In the majority opinion, Garcia said while he agrees states define marriage, the Supreme Court’s overturning of DOMA in 2013 gave the states the option to “discriminate against same-sex couples.”

“The issue before this court is whether Texas’s current definition of marriage is permissible under the U.S. Constitution,” Garcia said in the ruling. “Texas’s current marriage laws deny homosexual couples the right to marry, and in doing so, demean their dignity for no legitimate reason.”

Garcia backed his ruling by looking at other states’ samesex marriage-favoring rulings, including a 1993 case in Hawaii making it the first state to allow same-sex marriage.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)

condemned the new ruling and said it was a “troubling display of judicial activism.”

“The court’s decision undermines the institution of marriage,” Cruz said in a statement. “Our Constitution leaves it to the States to define marriage, and unelected judges should not be substituting their own policy views for the reasoned judgments of the citizens of Texas, who adopted our marriage law directly by referendum.”

However, Sam Houston State University’s LGBT advocacy group’s president said while he’s grateful for Orlando’s ruling, the fight for same-sex marriage shouldn’t be a fight at all.

“The ban still remains in effect, but we celebrate this important progress in the fight for equality

in Texas,” Gamma Sigma Kappa President Cody Brannan said. “It shouldn’t be an achievement to be permitting human rights and dignity to people. This is what we’re entitled to the day we are born.”

Unlawful Search and Seizure?

Shadowed by the breaking of Orlando’s decision Wednesday, another Texas judge ruled in favor of the expansion of civil liberties in a case involving the Huntsville Police Department.

The Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that the searching of mobile phones requires a warrant under the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.

The court ruled 8-1 in favor of —

CIVIL, page 6

BAN LIFTED

IN BRIEF Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed senate bill 1062, the divisive right-to-refuse service legislation, yesterday. The bill was intended to grant businesses the right to refuse business to any person’s they saw fit. Brewer claims the bill threatened the economy and potentially drove away events, like the Super Bowl.

Russian troops are on high alert and America is prepared to open its wallet as new prime ministers are proposed in the Ukraine. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has promised not to intervene and U.S. Secretary of State has recently offered $1 billion in aid.

A scientist in Kansas believes he has found a way to stop tornadoes from tearing apart Tornado Alley.

The scientist has suggested the idea of building several walls across the states. Each of the walls would be 1000 feet high and 150 feet wide.

A senator from West Virginia has requested that the United States ban the use of cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Dogecoin.

The movement would destroy the use of any anonymous payment methods within the states.

Associated Press

PROGRESS. Couples Cleopatra De Leon, left, and partner, Nicole Dimetman, second from left, and Victor Holmes and partner Mark Phariss, right, talk with the media after as they leave the U.S. Federal Courthouse. The two homosexual couples are challenged Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage and have taken their case to federal court. Judge Orlando Garcia ruled the sam-sex marriage ban unconstitutional Wednesday in San Antonio, Texas.

CAMPUS

UPD group bridging gap with students

CONNOR HYDE Editor-in-Chief

After a 10-hour patrol night shift, Sam Houston State University police officers typically return to their homes to rest, workout or file paperwork.

Yet, a group of University Police officers have sacrificed their leisure time to develop a leadership program to bridge the gap between the SHSU community and the police department.

Conceived in 2012, UPD’s Community Outreach Effort (CORE) has become the

department’s leading initiative to educate students and citizens about a variety of issues such as alcohol safety. Sgt. Candice Sherbenou, Senior Officer Kevin Hansford and patrol officers Jeffery Butterworth and Austin Gay are pillars in the evolution of CORE. According to Sherbenou, although CORE is conducted during the officer’s off time, they do it to see a difference in SHSU students through educational dialogue and proactively engaging with the community.

“We try to get out there,” she said. “Not only are we a part of

this university community, but the university is a part of the Huntsville community. It all encompasses each other.”

According to Hansford, improving trust and respect between UPD and the student body is the backbone in CORE’s mission to educate students. For this relationship to be achieved, communication with different student organizations and UPD is essential.

During SHSU’s Infraternal Council’s Bid Day, CORE reached out to the various fraternities on campus to discuss protocol involving alcoholic beverages.

Sherbenou said because the event is associated with drinking, she wanted to touch base with each fraternity to discuss safety.

Since initial contact, Hansford said the relationship between CORE and the fraternities on campus has strengthened.

Phi Gamma Delta fraternity president Alejandro Perales said since he first listened to CORE’s presentation about safety with alcohol he invited the officers back to his chapter speak extensively on the subject.

“It’s really important,” Perales said. “Guys like to go out and have a good time, but if something ever

happens you know who to call. It’s about saving somebody’s life.”

According to Perales, CORE’s emphasis was to throw out the fraternity stereotype of underage drinking and driving. Signs of alcohol abuse including alcohol poisoning, sexual assault and university penalties were tackled instead.

“There are social events and things like that and half the chapter is under [21], half the chapter is over and so it’s that barrier if you’re going to drink responsibly and you’re underage, —

CIVIL, page 6

Begin your job search in the field of Criminal Justice at the Criminal Justice Career Fair!

Wednesday, March 5, 2014 | 10:00 a.m. - 2 p.m. | LSC Ballroom Learn more @ shsu.edu/careerservices

Page 2

News

Thursday, February 27, 2014 houstonianonline.com/news

Huntsville eateries inspected LOCAL

CHRISTIAN VAZQUEZ Contributing Reporter

Restaurants in Huntsville are scurrying to prepare for the latest round of health inspections as February draws to a close.

In January, 25 randomly picked restaurants were inspected. Out of the selected, there were 12 As, 10 Bs, two Cs and one F. Restaurant’s inspection scores are based on a grading scale of offenses ranging from: 0-10 (A), 11-20 (B), 21-30 (C) and 31 or

higher (F). The numbers on the grading scale are then subtracted from 100 to get the final letter grade.

Fast food joints such as Whataburger and Long John Silver’s both scored seven and six, respectively. Rey Y Z scored 18, Jif-E Mart #1 scored nine and campus eatery Old Main Market scored a 26.

A re-inspection occurs when the establishment receives 20 or more points for health code violations.

City of Huntsville Health

inspector Kristy Avritt said hot/ cold holds are the most common violations and receive a five-point deduction each. According to city health inspector Deven Merchant, employees struggle to conform to standard health protocol.

“We’ve also seen employees not using gloves and leaving open drinks in the prep area lately, which is three points,” Merchant said.

Avritt said they are also seeing the exact opposite problem as well.

“The one thing that still sticks

in my mind as one of the worst things I’ve seen are employees washing their hands with gloves on,” Avritt said.

While health inspection reports account for flaws in sanitation regulations in restaurants, they are also used as a guideline for owners to improve in certain areas.

This is the case for Bandera Grill where its health inspection score improved from 35 to 18 in the last two months.

Bandera Grill’s owner German Rincon said that there were issues with sanitation in the past because

training cooks on sanitation was a time-consuming process.

“It used to be where cooks would take a class at [SHSU] for sanitation certification, but now it’s all done online,” he said. “And some employees have someone else do it for them, so they don’t know anything about it.”

Rincon said he spent $7,000 on fixing all of the drains in his restaurant last year.

February’s health inspections will be available online in two weeks, according to Avritt and Merchant.

CAMPUS

Campus pirating risky for school, students JENNIFER JACKSON Contributing Reporter Downloading torrents of copyrighted material using Samnet can lead to severe consequences, according to Sam Houston State University’s copyright infringement policy.

Whether a student is using an on-campus computer or in a dorm using the network, torrent software, which is used to more efficiently transfer files including music, television and movies, runs the risk of exposing SHSU’s network to viruses and spyware besides the violation of copyright laws.

Often students are unaware of what illegally downloading music or movies can do to not only their personal computer, but also the university’s system.

When either uploading or downloading media, the student may be sharing files and information stored on their computer that were unintended to share. These could include student’s private information and the university’s information as well.

Despite the risks, the university does not scan the network for use of the software. Action is only taken if a copyright owner contacts the school regarding a suspected violation.

One student, who chose to

remain anonymous, admitted to pirating movies while using Samnet.

“I’ve downloaded a few movies, but I was never sent any notifications,” the student, who is a senior, said. “But I also didn’t download the software, I just download it straight from the Internet, so it doesn’t seem like there is much the school can do unless they watch everything we do.”

According to SHSU’s copyright infringement policy, once a copyright owner contacts the university, the school will send notification to the corresponding student. The student must respond within 48 hours or risk losing access to the network and receive

fine up to $50.

If sent a notification, students must contact and make an appointment with the school’s copyright officer, Ann Holder.

They must remove all of the copyrighted material from their computer and prove they understand the risks of torrenting.

Consequences become more severe each time a student is caught torrenting. Upon a third notification, the student’s access to the network will be immediately disabled and could remain disabled for six weeks. The University’s Student Disciplinary Committee will take action, possibly banning the student from the network entirely, and the student could be fined up to

Mass Communication student looking for experience? Write for The Houstonian! Meetings on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. in Dan Rather 210

CAMPUS

Kaleigh Treiber | The Houstonian

New Mass Comm graduate program coming fall 2014 HANNAH ZEDAKER Senior Reporter A new graduate program in Digital Media at Sam Houston State University is accepting students for fall of 2014.

The M.A. program in Digital Media offered by the mass communication department is a two year, 36 credit hour program offering two different emphases that students can choose from: digital media production and digital media studies.

According to Mass Communication Department Chair Jean Bodon, Ph.D., the program is designed to prepare students for the evolving media markets or prepare students for a Ph.D. later in their academic career. “[It’s] basically looking at the future to get people ready for the job market of tomorrow rather than the job market of yesterday,” Bodon said.

All students take a few courses in common such as digital media history and theory or social media, but then each emphases offers specialty courses such as documentary scriptwriting or critical theories of digital media.

According to mass communication assistant professor Robin Johnson, Ph.D., who helped develop the master’s program and is the graduate program coordinator – the program hopes to accept an initial group of 15-20 students. “[This] graduate degree allows you to step up your skillset and allows you to think more broadly about digital media trends and the management of digital media project,” Johnson said.

The program breaks down to 24-credit hours of required courses in either digital media studies or production, six credit hours of free electives, and six credit hours of thesis research or a thesis project creating digital media.

According to Bodon, mass

$150.

The policy is based off of the school’s Internet service provider (ISP), Suddenlink, which follows the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. According to a Suddenlink representative, the law helps protect against illegal downloading of copyrighted material like movies, music, and software.

“As an ISP, Suddenlink and other ISPs, must implement a policy of terminating Internet service of customers who repeatedly share copyrighted files,” the representative said.

communication businesses are moving towards an emphasis on digital media.

He added the program will be an initiative to make sure students are able to keep pace with new technology in the newsroom.

“Everything right now is digital media, it’s a huge, huge business which is expanding so fast in the world that it is essential that we become the leader on looking at the future rather than reacting to what has been done before,” Bodon said. “We need to be the ones creating Facebook and those new forms of communication rather than following and studying those trends.”

Although the majority of instruction will be held at the SHSU campus in The Woodlands, some components will require the technical facilities and equipment at the main campus in Huntsville, meaning students may have to commute.

“I’ve been here now for three years and I am going to try to expand what we have and what we already have is really good but we need to go a little bit further,” Bodon said. “We need to face reality with the demands of the students.”

According to Bodon, the benefits of having a master’s degree include finding better jobs, being better at a particular craft, and being more marketable.

“My hope is that we will be successful, that students will be able to be the leaders in the field within the next few years, to create a better product, and to continue improving what we have, because it’s something we cannot ignore, it’s something we have to be ahead of in the field rather than react to,” Bodon said.

For more information about the program, visit www.shsu.edu/programs/ master-of-arts-in-digital-media/index. html.

Johnson is also the faculty advisor for The Houstonian.

shsu.edu/recsports

Page 3

Viewpoints

Thursday, February 27, 2014 houstonianonline.com/viewpoints

NATION

Dating apps cheapen love NATALIE PETAIA Columnist As we turn into a society more and more dependent upon technology, computers and the Internet, it only makes sense that our dating games would move online too.

Now I know products like Match.com and Christian Mingle have been around for what seems like eons, but what I’m referring to is college dating - not super serious, not for the professional crowd and most importantly, fun.

Gone are the days when we relied on word of mouth to stay away from that one sleaze ball.

Gone too, the days where we would head to the bar with friends and meet some cute stranger or walk into class the first day and scan the room for someone to sit beside who would not make your compulsory core science class a

complete waste.

Apps like Lulu and Tinder have taken over.

Lulu is an app for women that basically acts like your entire female cohort rolled into one.

Women can log on and rate their friends, exes or crushes on a range of categories from their appearance to their commitment level. Not only this, but they can also make a list of the guys best and worst attributes which all add up to a rating out of 10.

Tinder is for both men and women and the best way to describe it is like windowshopping or online shopping for someone of the opposite sex.

Once you’ve logged onto the app, photos pop up of other Tinder users nearby, and you can decide to like them (swipe to the right) or discard them (swipe to the left.)

Harsh I know, but it is efficient, and the poor discarded person is none the wiser. As for those you like, if they’ve liked you back you can message each other.

I was scrolling through with some girlfriends, and we came to the same conclusion: women are nasty and cruel. Not that there weren’t some nice reviews, but the vast majority were scathing.

Would you give the guy who broke your heart a raving review

so some other girl can swoop in?

Lulu is like Rate My Professors - if you want to use it go for it, but I wouldn’t take anything on there that seriously. Second be careful if you do decide to scroll down Lulu. I am not sure I wanted to find out that my best guy friend is #manscaped or someone I’ve known since birth is a #sexualpanther. Finally if you decide to go on and write a review, be gentle. Sure, he may have broken your heart but unfairly blasting him in a public place won’t help anything and isn’t particularly classy.

As for Tinder, it’s nowhere near as brutal as Lulu, but it just seems kind of “skeezy.” Just like sites such as Chat Roulette, I feel like Tinder is just another excuse for people to creep on and judge one another. In fact it’s like a vicious cycle. There wouldn’t be a need for Lulu if girls didn’t rely on Tinder to meet hook-ups.

It’s much easier to hide things about yourself online than in person. Maybe if we kick it old school a little more, we wouldn’t wind up being shocked when this seemingly perfect guy with the perfect profile turns out to have imperfections. Remember, the Internet is not reality.

Word on the Street: What do you think about Taco Bell offering a breakfast menu?

“I don’t really care too much for Taco Bell at all. Kudos and good luck to them. I will definitely not be participating in that” -Katherine Williams Junior, Victim Studies

“I think I’m going to get some breakfast from Taco Bell” -Timothy Watts, Sophomore, Criminal Justice & Computer Science

STATE

Equal protection for all STEPHEN GREEN Web Editor Traditional marriage advocates everywhere collectively gasped when a stronghold of anti-gay rights suffered a potentially fatal wound.

Federal Judge Orlando Garcia ruled Texas’s ban on gay marriage unconstitutional Wednesday after a week of bad news for LGBT communities in Uganda and Arizona.

Many traditional marriage advocates say that marriage is a privilege not a right. While on its face this makes sense, it’s actually not true. People may not have a right to marry as a service by itself – much like not everyone has a right to chocolate just because the supermarket sells it to one person.

But because the government is – and must be – involved in the awarding of official marriage certificates, it has to be a right.

This right to equal protection is true on the federal level especially because it works with marriage issues such as tax filings, federallyfunded hospital visitation rights

and federal student aid.

A government must be one of all its people and apply the law equally. States must follow the same process. Anything protected by the government, therefore, must be applicable to all people at the national and state level as highlighted in United States v.

Windsor in 2013.

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote a derisive and decisive opinion that said the federal definition of marriage “singles out a class of persons deemed by a State entitled to recognition and protection to enhance their own liberty.” This affirms the idea that the government cannot demean a subset just because their personal choices are in conflict with another’s moral views.

This is the same for the unfortunate LGBT people born in Uganda. The government doesn’t just refuse them the same rights that everyone else receives – like marriage – but they explicitly target and humiliate them as seen in recent legislation.

Just because the Ugandan government feels a group of people is “disgusting,” this gives them no right to wield the intimidating and final power of government force to ruin their lives. Human rights include equal protection under all governments – not just progressive ones.

These attitudes stemmed from ultra conservative religious people who see LGBT people as sinners. Unfortunately, not all

Christians feel the same way. The Ecumenical Catholic Church, Evangelical Anglican Church in America, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the U.S. Episcopal Church, the Church of Denmark, Church of Norway, and Catholic Diversity Church in Brazil all are LGBT-affirming just to name a few.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s vetoed legislation allowing businesses the right to deny people service if it would confound the owner’s religious beliefs.

This primarily applied to those providing wedding services, such as bakers and photogpraphers, who felt they weren’t just providing a service to gay people, but also endorsing their lifestyle.

In terms of principal and equality under the law, I agree with Brewer’s decision. The federal government already forces public accommodations to serve protected classes like race, religion and sex. Sexual orientation should be included in light of the bill’s clear intent.

Equal protection under the law is one of the most important rights that every person across every country should enjoy. This is especially true in the United States where we’ve made similar and clear constitutional statements after the Civil War regarding race.

When the government is involved, it’s an all-or-nothing game. You get protection or no one does. LGBT issues are no different.

“I practically eat their every day. I think breakfast would be great, I can’t wait for that” -Nicole Hernandez ,USAF

“I think it would be beneficial for them. In the morning if you’re really hungry it may be good” -Nicole Seagren, Criminal Justice Freshman

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The Houstonian Editorial

The Houstonian was named in the top 100 college newspapers for journalism students by JournalismDegree.org. Members of Associated Collegiate Press and Texas Intercolligiate Press Association.

EDITOR’S NOTE Articles, letters and cartoons by Houstonian staff members or others in this paper are their own and not the opinion of the Houstonian, unless it is noted as such. Submissions and letters to the editor are welcome. Please send submissions to viewpoints@houstonianonline.com. Articles may be edited for grammar and spelling at discretion of editor. Unsolicited oppinions should be 150 words or under. Please contact us if you wish to submit anything longer. Deadline for submission is by 5 p.m. on Mondays or Wednesdays.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Connor Hyde ........................................................................................................................................936-294-1505 FACULTY ADVISER Robin Johnson..................................................................................................................................936-294-1499 STAFF Jay R. Jordan .................................................................................................................................Associate Editor Colin Harris...................................................................................................................................Viewpoints Editor Jeremy Villanueva..................................................................................................................................Sports Editor Kizzie Frank.............................................................................................................................Entertainment Editor Stephen Green...........................................................................................................................................Web Editor Kassidy Turnpaugh.............................................................................................................. Assistant News Editor Dharmesh Patel.........................................................................................................Assistant Entertainment Editor Marissa Hill........................................................................................................................................Sports Reporter Hannah Zedeker.................................................................................................................................Senior Reporter Steven Snook.............................................................................................................................Multimedia Reporter Samantha Zambrano.............................................................................................................................Layout Editor Lillie Muyskens..............................................................................................................................Graphic Designer Staff Reporter(s)..................................................................................................... Kaleigh Treiber, Alex Broussard

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Arts&Entertainment

Thursday, February 27, 2014 houstonianonline.com/a-e

TELEVISION

Two broads navigate big city

DHARMESH PATEL Assistant A&E Editor

Navigating through New Your City is no “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” but two girls in their twenties attempt to scrape by through hilarious and often unfortunate situations in Comedy Central’s new series “Broad City.”

Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer were able to successfully transition their YouTube-based web series into a fully produced cable television show with the help of social media outlets.

“Social media is what made the show,” Jacobson said in an interview with the Houstonian.

“We both came from social media jobs [so] working within blog outreach and search engine optimization at the time that we started the web series [and] we really tried to use social media to promote the show.”

The comedic duo met at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York and created the web series “Broad City” based on their personal experiences while struggling to make it in the Big Apple after graduating from college.

According to Jacobson and Glazer, the idea of the series stemmed from their two-year friendship and their improv team, which eventually culminated into

the scripted show it is today.

“The show definitely focuses on post college life,” Glazer said.

“They are trying to make it after this four year vacation.”

Within two years they took their YouTube series to Comedy Central and attracted Amy Poehler as an executive producer, who managed to snag big name guest stars like Janeane Garofalo and Fred Armisen.

Despite their new celebrity status, the comedians remain humble and credit much of their success to the power of social media.

Jacobson said they would post videos on YouTube and then use Facebook and Twitter to make announcements and draw in viewers.

The importance of social media is something that is stressed in classrooms here at Sam Houston State University.

“Social media has to be an integral part of our lives,” SHSU Mass Communications professor Lachrystal Ricke Radliffe, Ph.D., said. “We use it to facilitate a great deal of communication and we are hard pressed to find people who do not use social media is some manner and as new media platforms emerge, our use of these sites will only proliferate.”

What is interesting about a show like “Broad City” is that it clearly indicates the importance

Linda Kallerus | Comedy Central

THE BIG APPLE. Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer laugh at people in unfortunate situations while out and about in the “Broad City” of New York. The duo spends another day as usual, gossiping about any victim they lay their eyes on.

and emerging dominance of social media sites in changing the way information is consumed by the masses.

“We hope that we continue to make more [episodes], but we both also have solo projects that we do on the web,” said Jacobson

Oscar hopefuls favored OSCARS

SEAN SMITH Contributing Reporter

From major studio hits to obscure indie productions, the best of the past year in film will be celebrated Sunday at the 86th Academy Awards.

The Oscars bring together actors, producers, writers and various other artists of the film industry to champion the best, brightest and most creative works of the year. The Academy Award is the epitome of awards that defines Hollywood’s greats.

However, crowning a winner in many of the top categories is not easy and voting by more than 6,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will come to close calls and narrow finishes while others will be landslide victories.

The highly sought-after award for best actor is predicted to go to Matthew McConaughey for his role in “Dallas Buyers Club.”

McConaughey, whose first nomination is this year, lies ahead of Leonardo DiCaprio, who is still looking for his first Oscar despite having been nominated five times.

Freshman film major Steven Ramirez believes DiCaprio is worthy of an Oscar for his work in “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

“I think every film he has been nominated for was good enough for him to win,” Ramirez said. “He definitely deserves one.”

Another race to watch is for best supporting actress. Oscar rookie Lupita Nyong’o from “12 Years a Slave” and last year’s winner for best actress, Jennifer Lawrence, are the apparent leaders for this category.

Lawrence, who is nominated for her work in “American Hustle,” won the Golden Globe and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award earlier this year. Nyong’o bested Lawrence at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Critic’s Choice Awards, usual signs of an impending Oscars win.

Nyong’o’s breakout performance may spark an amazing career, but Lawrence has had amazing roles in several films and shows consistency in her acting. Either actress could win, according to Ramirez.

According to the Huffington Post, critics believe “Gravity” has recently moved ahead of “American Hustle” for best screenplay. “Gravity” is also favored to win best director with Alfonso Cuaron, though “12 Years

when asked about the future.

“Broad City” airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. on Comedy Central.

LOCAL

Gen. Houston letters reveal a softer side MARISSA NUNEZ Contributing Reporter

Associated Press

FOURTH TIME’S A CHARM? Leonardo Dicaprio has been nominated for four Academy Awards during his tenure in Hollywood. Dicaprio is up against Matthew McConaughey for best actor in the 2014 Oscars.

a Slave” director Steve McQueen is close in second.

On the other hand, many categories have clear frontrunners. Best supporting actor is expected to go to Jared Leto from “Dallas Buyers Club” and best song to “Let it Go” from Disney’s “Frozen.”

The New York Daily News suggests that while critics have been divided over Cate Blanchett’s performance in “Blue Jasmine,” her recent BAFTA win has landed her in the lead for best actress.

The award for best picture has become a complicated category in recent years. 2009 marked a change in the Oscar nomination system allowing up to 10 films to be nominated in this category.

Once dominated by independent films, movies produced by major Hollywood studios have gained traction in the Academy Awards’ top category.

Since 2009, more than half of the movies nominated have been major studio productions.

Last year, “Argo” became the first major studio film to win best picture in five years.

Five of the 10 films nominated this year have been produced by major studios such as Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros.

Thomas Garrett, assistant professor of mass communications, said the world of making and marketing films has changed forever. Independent filmmakers have been migrating to outlets like HBO, Showtime and Netflix where they are given more creative freedom and less

restrictions by studios.

“I believe this Hollywood doesn’t necessarily make films, they market them,” Garrett said.

“Hollywood began not only marketing the film as a creative concept, but as budgets, stars and box office returns. Many times, the only thing of concern is who’s in it and how much did it cost.”

Senior film major Blayne Saldana agrees that major films with larger budgets attract big name stars and draw larger audiences. “’Gravity’ has Sandra Bullock so people are going to go see it,” Saldana said.

Despite star-status cast members and an estimated budget of $100 million, Saldana felt the film lacked creativity in writing.

“It didn’t have much of a story,” he said. “There was really no character development.”

Where the film lacked in story, it made up in special effects.

Saldana believes it bested James Cameron’s “Avatar,” winner for best cinematography, visual effects and art direction in 2009.

“I liked the camerawork and the way it looked,” he said. “It was a step up from ‘Avatar,’ which people thought was the epitome of technological movies. This one went even higher.”

Recent major studio movies such as “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Les Miserables,” “Inception,” and “Toy Story 3” have been successful at the Academy Awards. Some films, like Ron Howard’s “Rush” start as independent films, but are then picked up for production by a major studio.

The 86th Academy Awards will be hosted by Ellen Degeneres and airs on Sunday on ABC.

Huntsville citizens have been given a rare opportunity to see a more intimate side of the lives of Gen. Sam and Margaret Houston with the display of written letters between the Texas hero and his wife.

“The Letters” on display at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum’s rotunda features four letters between the Houstons and showcases their strong convictions about serving family, faith and being devoted to loved ones. The exhibit will run through April.

“We think of Sam as this big public figure and Texas hero but he deeply loved his wife,” Museum Curator of exhibits Casey Roon said. “The beautiful words he uses to express that, signing his letters with ‘thy devoted husband,’ shows a softer side than what we think we know.”

The letters allow visitors to see into the lives of the Houstons during the time they lived in the Woodland Home.

“Throughout their marriage they were constantly writing each other. That was their only form of communication,” Roon said. “So, I made sure to pull letters that were from a time period when they called Huntsville home.”

The idea behind the unique exhibit stems from a legend about Margaret Houston and the heartshaped catalpa leaf. According to the story, she would fold one in every letter and mail it to Sam Houston while he served as senator in Washington, D.C. Along with the letters, the exhibit includes the “Mother of Pearl” letter opener owned by Margaret Houston and the letter opener Sam Houston whittled himself, as well as his Tennessee red marble paper weight that sat on his desk during his time as governor.

“This exhibit is more than meets the eye,” Roon said. “There won’t be another one like it.”

For more information about the exhibit or about the Sam Houston Memorial Museum visit their website or call 936-294-1832.

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Lillie Muyskens | The Houstonian

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Page 5

Sports

Thursday, February 27, 2014 houstonianonline.com/sports

BASEBALL

SHSU contenders in college classic CONNOR HYDE Editor-in-Chief Sam Houston State Bearkats’ baseball squad has asserted themselves as a force in Texas college baseball since 2012.

After running through prominent programs including Rice University, University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M and Baylor University the past two seasons, the Houston College Classic round-robin at Minute Maid Field this weekend will bring the Bearkats to a national spotlight.

Slated to open the tournament against Texas Christian University, the ol’ saying “defense wins championships” will yet again prove itself with the Bearkats often-overlooked arsenal in their bullpen.

Although TCU ranks in the top 20 of the NCAA’s standings, a weak schedule through the third week of play is the only factor in favor of the Horned Frogs.

Starting pitchers Tyler Eppler and Ryan Brinley have heightened their spotting in the strike zone, which has proven key to SHSU’s success on the bump. It was a factor in the Bearkats’ Tuesday victory against Rice. Yet it’s the .964 fielding percentage nine games into the 2014 season that has the Bearkats vacuuming up opponents.

Centerfielder Colt Atwood’s instinct on angles and situational plays give a reputation of a lockdown outfield and a dangerous alleyway to challenge.

Atwood’s arm strength has been challenged throughout his career as a Bearkat and has Don Sanders Stadium’s third base as dead man’s alley.

The Bearkats faced a wave of top ranked Texas teams that are

Alex Broussard | The Houstonian

DIGGING IT OUT. Infielder Corey Toups chases down first in a match against Dallas Baptist University Monday night. SHSU is looking to transfer their success in their opening matches into the weekend’s contests at the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park.

familiar faces in July during the chase to the NCAA College World Series.

Yet, head coach David Pierce and company weren’t phased.

SHSU tallied 39 runs against Texas A&M, UT, Baylor and the University of Houston compared to their opponents’ cumulative 31 runs.

The Bearkats’ threat is two-fold.

So far SHSU has garnered a team .328 batting average with 58 RBIs. When compared to the

tournament’s strongest threat, University of Houston – .248 team batting average – the Bearkats’ offensive production alone will hold strong against championshipcaliber pitching.

However, the hot bat of Cougar first basemen Casey Grayson has elevated Houston through the opening weeks of the 2014 season. The Cypress Woods high school graduate is returning from a series of knee injuries into his junior year; yet as a senior he

has exploded for an early and impressive .348 batting average.

When compared to SHSU’s own Ryan Farney – .500 batting average – singles and doubles in the middle of the lineup will keep the Bearkats rolling through opponent pitching.

Farney initiated a third-inning rally against the Owls Tuesday for the Bearkats to jump to an early 2-0 lead. Once again, SHSU’s pitching held off the No. 10 Owls.

The Houston College Classic

will represent a reiteration of the unsung power SHSU has reigned upon top Texas teams. Although the Bearkats have yet to move beyond the Regionals in the chase of the NCAA World Series, this weekend’s round-robin will set the tone for the remainder of the season through the Southland Conference and the post season.

FOOTBALL

Alex Broussard | The Houstonian

NEW FACES. When K.C. Keeler became the head coach for Sam Houston State football, Keeler said he would bring in coaches he’s worked with in the past to mix them in with Texas football.

New coaches settle at SHSU MARISSA HILL Sports Reporter In Texas, football isn’t just a sport. It’s a culture. From young children playing touch football in backyards to the varsity ‘Friday Night Lights,’ the pigskin has a storied history.

In the upcoming 2014 season, Sam Houston State looks to build upon its own football history with the addition of a new coaching staff.

In January, SHSU hired K.C. Keeler to take the reins of Bearkat football.

Transitioning from Delaware to Texas, Keeler knew his staff had to be ‘Texascentric,’ but he still wanted some coaches from outside to get the needed balance.

Rounding out the new coaching staff of SHSU football are offensive coordinator Phil Longo, defensive coordinator Brad Sherrod, and defensive line coach Phil Petitte.

Longo comes to Huntsville from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania where he commanded a blazing “Air Raid” offense that averaged 43.3 points and 536.5 yards per game.

Despite being in a different locale, Longo doesn’t believe that changes the game.

“The game is the game, and I’ll approach it the same way I always have,” Longo said. “We are going to coach positive, play positive and worker harder than we think is possible.”

Sherrod is a familiar face to Keeler as he coached under him at the University

of Delaware for three seasons. In 2010, Sherrod’s first season, the Blue Hens compiled a 12-3 record, landing them in the FCS title game.

Delaware led the nation in scoring defense and ranked fifth nationally in total defense.

Petitte is making his third appearance on a Keeler staff, as he previously coached with him at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., and Delaware. At Rowan, Petitte led the Profs to seven NCAA Division III playoff appearances, four of those campaigns being the championship finals.

With SHSU inking a signing class of 13, Longo said he is excited by the caliber of coaches and athletes he’s seen.

“The high school coaches in Texas are outstanding with regards to their commitment they make to the game,” he said. “As a result, we get a high character kid that has a greater knowledge of the game and has been exposed to the disciplined environment it takes to be successful.”

Keeler said he is pleased with how the new players and staff have meshed in a short period of time.

“The coaching staff that stayed and the guys we brought in did an unbelievable job getting guys here and showing them what this place is about,” he said.

With one of SHSU’s top goals being centered on winning championships, the Bearkats will embark on their campaign with spring football practice.

“The process of building a championship program is never easy,” Longo said. “But we are going to have fun doing it.”

Page 6

News

Thursday, February 27, 2014 houstonianonline.com/news

Kats upset ranked Owls, 3-1 BASEBALL

KYLE KELLY Staff Reporter

Sam Houston State University’s baseball team upset No. 10 Rice University 3-1 in Houston Tuesday with a strong outing from the Bearkat bullpen.

Tuesday’s win was the Bearkats fourth over the Owls and sixth out of the last eight showdowns between the two ball clubs.

SHSU starting pitcher Ryan Brinley tossed seven strong innings, only giving up one run on two hits. Closer Jason Simms entered the game in the ninth inning to record his third save of the season.

Owls’ pitcher Matt Ditman did not fare well on the bump, surrendering two runs on five hits in his five innings on the mound.

The Owls would call to the bullpen three more times before the last out in the ninth inning.

The Bearkats’ bats jumped on Ditman in the top of the third with middle infield duo of

CIVIL,

shortstop Jake MacWilliam and second baseman Ryan Farney.

MacWilliam and Farney slapped two consecutive singles for centerfielder Colt Atwood to move them on the corners for first baseman Ryan O’Hearn.

O’Hearn continued his hot hitting streak that now stands at 11 games with a big RBI single to score McWilliams from third, followed by designated hitter Anthony Azar’s RBI single to give the Kats a 2-0 lead.

Brinley proved that two runs was the only insurance needed as he held the Owls to one run to claim his first win as a Bearkat.

“This is just a great ballgame for us,” head coach David Pierce said. “We got a great pitching performance from [Brinley] and for the most part played good defense. We got some timely hits, and we capitalized on some mistakes.”

The Bearkats will travel to Minute Maid Park in Houston this weekend to participate in the College Classic against Texas

Courtesy GoBearkats

SWING ON. Junior first baseman Ryan O’Hearn continued his hitting streak Tuesday night with a RBI single. O’Hearn is now on an 11 game hitting-streak for the Bearkats.

Christian University, Texas Tech and University of Texas.

“We’re ready to go into Minute Maid this weekend,” Pierce

said. “We’re going to face some tough teams, but we have a lot of experience going into it. The excitement for our team will be

great.”

SHSU’s first match in the Classic will be against TCU Friday at 3:35 p.m.

groceries, for which a person loses all privacy protection once it is checked into a jail property room.”

cooperation of the community, it’s very difficult to police,” he said.

“You have to have the community’s understanding of what our job is.

It’s a two-way street.”

Outside of university’s scope, CORE has been involved with Huntsville and Walker County events including National Night Out, Huntsville’s Christmas Parade, Fall Festivals and the annual Strike Out Abuse bowling tournament sponsored by the Sexual Assault and Abuse Free Environment (SAAFE House) in Huntsville.

In the future, CORE plans to visit with residence halls and sororities to broaden their reach on campus.

JUMPS page 1

2010 Huntsville High School student Anthony Granville, who claimed his rights were violated

by HPD Senior Officer Everett Harrell.

Court documents state Anthony Granville was arrested and charged with a class C misdemeanor for disrupting school transportation.

Upon his arrival at the Walker County Jail, Granville’s personal effects, including his cellphone, were taken from him and placed in storage. Under the impression Granville was in possession of a lewd photograph taken inside a HHS restroom, Harrell went to the jail and searched

through Granville’s phone for the photograph without a warrant.

Harrell found a picture of another HHS student urinating in the school’s bathroom, which was allegedly photographed by Granville and ultimately lead to him being charged with a state jail felony for being in possession of improper visual photography.

Harrell said at the time of the arrest, he was acting within his constitutional jurisdiction by searching through Cochran’s phone.

“At the time, three years ago, [I] could search any property that was in possession of the jail,” Harrell said. “If they came in with pants, jacket, backpack, cellphone,

once it’s turned over to the jail, it becomes county property. That property lost its expectation of privacy and could be searched.”

Judge Cathy Cochran, who wrote the majority opinion for the court, disagreed with the notion that suspects lose their expectation of privacy of their mobile phone data while booked in a jail. “[Granville] did not lose his legitimate expectation of privacy in his cellphone simply because it was being stored in the jail property room after he had been arrested for a class C misdemeanor,” she said in her opinion. “We reject its argument that a modern-day cellphone is like a pair of pants or a bag of

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you’re breaking the law,” he said.

Sherbenou said the presentation helped give the fraternity experience to grow.

Joe Thornton, UPD Field Training Officer and CORE member, said the program has helped not only students, but the Huntsville community understand the role of police officers. Thornton added the culture of the community helps dictate the interaction between officers and citizens.

“If you don’t have the