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Bearkat bucks should model Bevo Bucks New and veteran bands to wow in 2014 Basketball transfer duo brings team spark

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SHSU signing day brings future Bearkats

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Volume 125/ Issue 7

Thursday, February 6, 2014

CAMPUS

Student representative to talk access codes JAY R. JORDAN Associate Editor Sam Houston State University students have the opportunity to have their concerns with the university heard on the state level in February.

The Texas State University System Board of Regents meets quarterly to discuss issues presented by eight different universities, one of which is SHSU. Deadline for the university to submit proposed agenda items was Jan. 23, although it is unclear

what items SHSU brought to the board.

However, the BOR Student Advisory Board is where students have an avenue to voice issues they find important.

Student Body President Ramiro Jaime, Jr., serves on the board and hopes to bring the use of textbook access codes (and how he thinks they’re bad for quality education) to the knowledge of TSUS. “You go to class, and you have to purchase books for that class and, hey, that’s college, I get it,” Jaime said. “But a lot of professors… require you to buy

IN BRIEF

an access code, which vary [in price] but is somewhere usually around $100. It directs you online to online sources where they have homework, quizzes and tests.”

Jaime said this takes the teaching out of teaching in college and is a trend that he hopes to be stopped.

“All a professor has to do is show up to class, read a PowerPoint and then you take your homework, quizzes and tests online,” he said.

“Then all the professor has to do is go online, get your grades and turn them into the university.

We don’t need to pay professors

$90,000 to read me a PowerPoint and send me to an Internet site.

I’m paying tuition to be taught, not read a PowerPoint.”

The cost of these access codes is also of concern to Jaime, and he hopes to address professors and the university about this issue in order to have it resolved by Fall 2014.

During the 2012-2013 Student Government Association administration led by thenpresident Shane Rankin, the organization hosted a series of open forums for students to come and present the issues they

hoped to have addressed during that year’s meeting. Jaime said he will host these forums again in conjunction with SGA’s Student Affairs Committee.

“The idea is there,” Jaime said.

“Student affairs is starting up, so we hope to have that done real soon.”

The Board of Regents meeting will be held Feb. 27-28 at Texas State University in San Marcos.

The final agenda for the meeting will be available Feb. 13. All Board of Regents meetings will be streamed online starting in 2014.

EXECUTIONS

Former American Idol contestant Clay Aiken recently announced his bid for Congress.

Aiken plans to take on Republican Renee Ellmers for the North Carolina seat. In addition, Aiken will also race against at least two Democratic candidates.

Senator Mark Warner has declared his support to have Justin Bieber booted from the United States.

Since being arrested in Toronto last week a petition in favor of deporting Bieber has been gaining signatures at an increasing rate. Warner is the first senator who has supported the petition openly and has made it known that he is more than willing to push for Bieber deportation.

The United States has begun the motions to provide aid to Ukraine.

Turmoil has taken a handle on the nation since an uprising against the government began to capitalize in Dec. 2013. Russia has been providing aid to Ukraine allegedly in a bid to maintain control of the nation. A recent withdraw of Russian aid has left an opening that America and Europe hope to use to convince Ukraine to ally with them.

Rapper DMX and former neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman are set to step into the ring and duke it out. Out of a pool of 15,000 applicants, Zimmerman was selected to face DMX in a boxing ring. The fight is set to take place March 1.

Snowboarder Shaun White has withdrawn from the slopstyle contest at this year’s Winter Olympics after suffering a minor injury on the new course.

White noted the high risk of injury as the reason for his withdrawal.

White still plans to compete on the halfpipe next week.

Never say Reddit never did anything for you.

One kid recently started a Youtube channel under the name Sir Fedora and has since gained internet fame at an accelerating rate. Sir Fedora posted his first video yesterday and after being picked up by Redditors he has rapidly gained hundreds of thousands of followers.

Jay R. Jordan | The Houstonian

OPPOSITION. Texas Death Penalty Abolitionist Movement member Joanne Gavin sits in front of Huntsville’s Walls Unit. Suzanne Margaret Basso, 59, was executed Wednesday for the murder of Louis Musso in 1998. Basso reportedly lured Musso to Texas in hopes of being married, only to brutally murder him for insurance money. Protestors surrounded the northwest corner of the prison in opposition to the state-sponsored execution.

NATION

CVS announces stores will no longer sell tobacco HANNAH ZEDAKER Senior Reporter Tobacco products will no longer be sold at CVS stores as of Oct. 1, 2014, the company announced Wednesday.

CVS will be the first drug store chain to take cigarettes off of the shelves of its 7,600 locations nationwide. CVS CEO and President Larry J. Merlo said in a press release that the decision was made in order to promote a more health-conscious society as well as the philanthropic ideals of the company.

“Ending the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at CVS/ pharmacy is the right thing for us to do for our customers and our company to help people on their

path to better health,” Merlo said.

“Put simply, the sale of tobacco products is inconsistent with our purpose.”

According to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking is the cause of more than 440,000 deaths each year in the United States. In addition, smoking increases the risk for coronary heart disease, stroke and lung cancer.

“CVS Caremark is continually looking for ways to promote health and reduce the burden of disease,” said CVS Caremark Chief Medical Officer Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., M.P.H. “Stopping the sale of cigarettes and tobacco will make a significant difference in reducing the chronic illnesses associated with tobacco use.”

The managers of Huntsville’s

local CVS store and their competitor Walgreens declined to comment regarding the corporation’s decision.

Triyanka Meste, the manager of local gas station Bearkat Junction, said CVS’s decision to no longer sell tobacco products will increase business at the gas station.

“It’s all right because there are kids around and we’re right across from the university so more kids will come to our store to buy cigarettes now,” Meste said.

Sophomore and General Business Major Kayla Beck at Sam Houston State University, who smokes, said she disagrees with CVS’s decision to stop selling tobacco products.

“Honestly I think it’s going to hurt CVS because people aren’t going to buy their cigarettes there

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anymore obviously,” Beck said. “It will probably help other vendors because now [customers] are going to go somewhere else like Walgreens.”

Although Beck said she does not purchase tobacco products from CVS, she agreed that if she did she would not be happy with this decision.

“That would really suck especially if it was a store that I bought cigarettes from,” she said.

“What if I was in a town where all that was open was a CVS and they used to sell cigarettes but now they don’t—that would really suck and I’d be really upset.”

Beck said CVS’s decision will potentially have an impact in their total sales as a pharmacy and convenient store.

—

CVS, page 2

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“The Letters”

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Page 2

News

Thursday, February 6, 2014 houstonianonline.com/news

STATE

Basso executed for 1998 murder BRYNN CASTRO Contributing Reoprter

Suzanne Margaret Basso, 59, was executed Wednesday after 15 years on death row for the kidnapping and murder of Louis “Buddy” Musso in 1998.

Winston Cochran, Basso’s attorney, filed an appeal stating that Basso was not mentally competent to face execution and that she suffered from delusions.

The appeal was denied Wednesday.

Basso was only the 14th woman to be executed by Texas, a state

where more than 500 convicts have been executed since 1976.

According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Basso lured Musso, a 59-year-old mentally disabled man, from his home in New Jersey with false promises to marry him. The report said she and five co-defendants then killed Musso in hopes of gaining the proceeds from his insurance policy.

Basso led the group, which included her son, and encouraged them to repeatedly beat Musso with baseball bats, belts, steel-toed boots, hands and feet.

According to the New York Daily News, court d o c u m e nt s showed that Musso was abused days before his body was discovered.

He was BASSO washed in a bleach and pine cleaner solution then scrubbed with a wire brush. Basso then dumped his body on the side

CAMPUS

All your sexual questions will be answered.

Sam Houston State University’s gay straight alliance, Gamma Sigma Kappa, is offering students an opportunity to ask questions about sex while remaining anonymous during a “Sex in the Dark” event Thursday.

The program, led by Student Health Center’s programing coordinator Lisa Clarkson, licensed vocational nurse Frieda Turner, and registered nurse Alice Stenstavoid, is geared towards educating participants in a noninvasive manner.

“Each question is written on a Post-it note, the notes are collected, and then the lights are turned off in the room,” Clarkson said. “The facilitators are at the front of the room with a flashlight and will read each question and then answer them. We also allow other audience members to give feedback but only if comments are respectful.”

Gamma Sigma Kappa President Cody Brannan said the event is being held to uphold the organization’s mission of providing and advancing knowledge on LGBT issues and culture.

“We hope to empower the students to further their education, whether it be with content like this that is pretty

private,” Brennan said. “The more they know the safer they will be with sex.”

Due to the anonymity of the program, a wide range of questions are expected to be asked from general sexual education to LGBT-related questions to “unconventional questions that are not usually answered in basic sex education curricula,” according to Brannan.

Senior psychology major Timmy Child said he believes that this program will really help younger participants get answers to questions they have without feeling embarrassed or judged.

“It is a great thing; there is a lot of young generation members of LGBT that don’t know specific things or have no one to ask them about,” Child said. “It will get people to be honest about the questions the want to know because they are not physically asking it.”

Brannan said the program is there to address questions from the LGBT community that isn’t taught in schools.

“By hosting this event and making it public, we are empowering the on-campus LGBT community and its allies by preparing them for sex and providing an educational environment where all questions remain anonymous,” he said.

“Sex in the Dark” will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Lowman Student Center room 304.

JUMPS

CVS,

page 1

“How many people want to go to multiple places when they can just go to one? I definitely think that it will hurt their profits, I guess in more than one way,” she said. “Not just from selling cigarettes but now people aren’t going to buy others things if they can go somewhere else.”

Regardless of the criticism the controversial decision may attract, Merlo said he is confident that the decision will help both their company and its customers.

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“As the delivery of health care evolves with an emphasis on better health outcomes, reducing chronic disease and controlling costs, CVS Caremark is playing an expanded role in providing care through our pharmacists and nurse practitioners,” Merlo said. “The significant action we’re taking today by removing tobacco products from our retail shelves further distinguishes us in how we are serving our patients, clients and health care providers and better positions us for continued growth in the evolving heath care marketplace.”

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sparked after the execution of Mexican national Edgar Tamayo who was put to death for the 1994 murder of Houston police officer Guy Gaddis. Lawyers for Tamayo claim that their client was denied access to his consulate, which is required by a treaty between Mexico and the United States.

Despite a final appeal for Tamayo’s life, he was executed three hours after the scheduled time.

The next Texas execution is scheduled for Ray Jasper, who was convicted of murder, on March 19.

CAMPUS

GSK hosts sex-ed event STACY HOOD Contributing Reporter

of the road in a suburb of Houston where he was later found by a jogger.

Several protesters stood outside of Huntsville’s Walls Unit on Wednesday hoping for a stay of execution.

Ellis Ansari, a protester and member of the Texas Death Penalty Abolitionist Movement, said the death penalty is discriminative.

“The death penalty targets poor people, people who don’t have enough money to hire a bonafide attorney, mostly people of color,” Ansari said.

Just last month, controversy

Kaleigh Treiber | The Houstonian

SURPRISE. Rules and Regulation Chief Steven Perry announces a last-minute piece of legislation creating an interim secretary position during the final minutes of Tuesday’s Student Government Association meeting. The bill sparked immediate opposition from Student Body President Ramiro Jaime, Jr., who said there’s no need for such legislation.

Legislation leads to veto JAY R. JORDAN Associate Editor This week’s Student Government Association meeting ended in the first presidential veto in at least four years, according to Student Body Vice President Kolby Flowers.

After a relatively smoothrunning meeting, conflict erupted when Rules and Regulations Chief Steven Perry presented S14-10, a bill creating an interim secretary position until a permanent secretary is selected. Although the bill was a noble attempt at filling the void of a secretary, according to Student Body President Ramiro Jaime, Jr., it was unnecessary.

Jaime had already used his presidential power of recess appointment to appoint Sen. Jacob Ratliff (COCJ) as the acting secretary since Chaston Pruitt resigned in January. This led to Jaime using his presidential veto during the appointment process by the Senate.

“The way it works, whenever a spot is vacant, the president is allowed to make a recess appointment and that person will

assume the position until the next meeting,” Jaime said.

Jaime referenced Rule 8, Section F of the SGA Rules and Regulations that states, “During recesses of the Senate, the Student Body President shall have the authority to make recesses appointments that shall last until the next meeting of the Senate.”

Since the appointments expire at the start of each Senate meeting, Jaime must reappoint Ratliff after each meeting until the position filled.

Perry said he believed it was the right decision to present the legislation to ensure the official duties of the secretary are being filled.

“When I proposed the legislation, I did so under the understanding that the confirmation process could take several weeks, and I wanted the make sure the duties of the position were covered during that time,” Perry said.

Perry brought the legislation to the floor just before the meeting ended during the open-forum section of the meeting. Jaime said the matter by which the legislation was presented was below the

standard he set at the beginning of the year. During the first month of his administration, he said he expects a 24-hour notice to the senate and executive board of any legislation brought to the table.

Perry failed to meet this standard.

“I was blindsided,” Jaime said.

“Maybe some other senators knew about it, but I didn’t know about it. We already have something in place.”

However, Perry said he and the rest of the senators didn’t know about Jaime’s recess appointment.

Jaime has narrowed his secretary search to two contenders, Ratliff and Student Affairs Chief Alex Rangel, and he will appoint one of them during the Feb. 11 meeting.

“I still think the legislation is, overall, a good solution to the problems faced by the recess appointment process,” Perry said.

“If the Senate chooses not to confirm a nominee next week, I will request that we fill the interim position.”

SGA meets Tuesdays in Lowman Student Center room 320 at 6:30 p.m.

Page 3

Viewpoints

Thursday, February 6, 2014 houstonianonline.com/viewpoints

CAMPUS

Meal plan should include local spots

STEPHEN GREEN Web Editor Bearkat Bucks and meal plans are a requirement of all freshman at Sam Houston State University and many others. Unfortunately there is a divide on where these can be used.

Campus food locations accept the tender – well except for the bookstore – as well as the Old Main Market dining hall. But unlike other towns with similar programs, no local businesses accept Bearkat Bucks. The university and local businesses should be cooperating with each other to make them available in more locations.

One way to do this is to adopt a similar meal plan program as the University of Texas at Austin.

Rather than meal plans they have Dine In Dollars that are an amalgamation of SHSU’s meal plan and Bearkat Bucks. It is a declining balance account that are only accepted in campus-owned locations that are in residence

halls.

They also have Bevo Bucks that are a different type of declining balance similar to Bearkat Bucks.

They are available in all 56 oncampus locations and 73 offcampus businesses that sign merchant agreements. On top of the ability to use Bevo Bucks at all campus locations - including food courts, the bookstore, convenience stores, etc. – they can be used at gas stations, tanning salons, barbershops, chain and fast food restaurants, and even a waxing salon.

If SHSU were to adopt a similar policy to this, students could use their meal plan declining balance to eat at any food location on campus, not just Old Main.

If businesses in town and the university worked together, students might be able to use their Bearkat Bucks at Target to buy larger pants, because there are no healthy eating options on campus.

More health conscious offcampus eateries could pick up Bearkat Bucks and give students more options. It could also be cheaper for students. Some businesses offer weekly specials for Bevo Buck users that Huntsville businesses could do as well.

Using this method, or a similar one, as several benefits for the community and university.

The university and citizens of Huntsville haven’t always gotten along. Taking proactive measures

like this would show the city that the university actually wants to be a part of the community rather than a fiscal island that does its own thing.

It’s imperative that the Huntsville citizens and university get along to make SHSU a destination school for more than its classes. People don’t go to Texas A&M or UT just for the academics – although that is a major reason.

They also go for the entertaining atmosphere that the locals help create. It’s a two-way street: Everyone must get along to make SHSU’s image better.

Adopting a dual-declining balance system would also be fiscally beneficial for students, the university and the local businesses.

By offering incentives to get into the system – like more credit than the cash you put in, discounts at businesses and coupons – more people should buy in, thus increasing the university profit.

This would attract students to buyin even if they aren’t required to have a meal plan. Local businesses that accept the credit also look more attractive because, in the minds of students, it doesn’t cost them money.

The current system is too restrictive and creates a barrier between the university and Huntsville that needs to be torn down. Dr. Gibson, tear down this wall.

Word on the Street: Why do you think you would be a great on-air personality for the Channel 7 news team?

“I think I would be the best anchor for Channel 7, because I’m very bubbly. I’m very outgoing.

I have a distinctive voice and I love news.”

-Amber Treybig Mass Communication Sophomore

“I think I should be on the news team, because I’ll tell the truth, I’m prompt and I have great hair.”

-Brent Arents Mass Communication Senior

NATION

Bieber on typical downward spiral

COLIN HARRIS Viewpoints Editor By the time you finish reading this sentence, Justin Bieber may or may not have fatally butchered a child prostitute with a machete in a Bangkok alley during a heroin-inspired fugue state while mourning the death of Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

Starting an article with a baseless accusation is obviously imprudent, as is writing incessantly about Bieber, but the kid just can’t stay out of the headlines.

If I were to write some pearlclutching outrage harangue grounded in reality, such as a piece about his abuse of flight staff on his private charter or his quixotic adventure to find a baptism pool in New York City, odds are he would engage in even more ridiculous behavior overnight.

By the time this issue made it to campus, my article would no longer be timely, just stale garbage to add to a compost heap.

I only write from experience.

Two weeks ago, I decided to shamelessly fish for Houstonian Online page views by covering Biebs’s egg-related vandalism in Los Angeles. Sometime between the article’s online publication and the print version making it to campus, police arrested Bieber for drag racing a rental car in Miami while high on Xanax or something like that.

What the fuck, man? The puerile ass-hat won’t even wait for the ink to dry on countless articles absconding him for the Calabasas egging incident before he decides to allegedly drag race a rental car in Miami while high.

The halcyon days of covering a teenage star’s collapse have long since passed. The Olson twin with the cocaine habit let her benders metastasize fully in tabloid rags before binging again. Nowadays, trying to keep up with the 24/7 Bieber news cycle is akin to taking the same benzodiazepines he apparently does prior to drag racing. Twelve hours after an event, it’s impossible to recall what the spoiled Canuck teen actually did, but you can’t help but feel a pang of guilt about some unforeseen consequences.

At the rate he’s going, Bieber will die young. That’s partially why the guilt develops. The biggest source of regret and shame for me though comes not from the star, but rather

his willfully ignorant fan base that make Beatlemania look like an opera crowd. Preteen girls wailing “we love you, Justin!” and “this is the greatest day of my life!” as he’s frog-marched from jail to jail throughout the continent should not be the norm.

It’s one thing to scream and faint when the colored lights are flashing and Bieber is gesticulating around on stage in his sequined finger gloves, crooning about his “baby,” but to elicit the very same reaction by getting booked for donkey punching a limo driver in Toronto is frightening and revolting and any other pejorative you can imagine.

Teenaged girls are going to freak out over performers with a boyish smile because they’re teenaged girls. However these girls all have parental figures in their lives who need to have a heart-to-heart with them. Listening to Bieber’s music, watching his YouTube videos, following his social media and seeing him perform live are all perfectly acceptable levels of Bieber fandom. Getting heart palpitations from the glee of seeing your idol face criminal charges is creepy and not the sort of behavior that should be encouraged.

“I think I would be really good for Channel 7, because I have a funny, outgoing personality. I really like to inform people as to what’s going on in the news and what’s going on in their lives.”

-Cheznay Dones Mass Communication Junior

“I think I would be the best anchor for Channel 7, because you can’t forget a face like this and you can’t forget a voice like this. I have what it takes, and I love news.

What more could you ask for?”

-Taylor Perry Mass Communication Senior

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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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Page 4

Arts&Entertainment

Thursday, February 6, 2014 houstonianonline.com/a-e

NATION

Artists to shake music airwaves DHARMESH PATEL Assistant A&E Editor Music pushed the boundaries in 2013 with Beyoncé dropping a surprise visual album, Lorde ruling the airwaves and Kendrick Lamar getting stubbed on music’s biggest night.

This year will be no different with many up-and-coming artists expecting to release new music and embarking on massive world tours.

After the release of “Watch the Throne” in 2011, Jay-Z and Kanye West have alluded to a follow-up to their platinum selling album in multiple interviews. According to The Boombox Online, the hip-hop duo has been busy with various side projects including solo albums and clothing lines.

West told Philadelphia’s Radio Station Power 99 that he would like to release a new album by summer, and he is also working on a remix for “Black Skinhead” with Miley Cyrus. Jay-Z has not made any mention of new projects but instead stays busy with various business ventures said Complex Online. This does not stop the rumor mill from anticipating “Watch the Throne Part 2.”

Forbes Online calculated that

the “Watch the Throne” tour grossed $48.5 million in the United States alone.

“During peak weeks their joint concerts yielded close to $3 million per night, far better than two solo shows would have earned, and without the expense of setting up two concerts,” Forbes staff reporter Zack O’Malley Greenburg said.

Other rap/hip-hop artists to look forward to are Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa and Dr. Dre. The largest radio-friendly genre is pop and some of music’s biggest names are expected to release new albums. MTV projects that Taylor Swift and Rihanna will be topping the list in 2014.

Swift is currently touring for her 2012 album “Red” but has been working on new music for months, according to Swift.

“I’m so obsessed with where [the album] is right now because I think, for me, the goal is that we start coming upon a sound that’s different from everything that we’ve done before, an identity to a new record,” she told Rolling Stone Magazine.

While Swift is breaking from her country music roots, Rihanna is working with her producers David Guetta and Nicky Romero on what is sure to be the next club anthem.

“It’s gonna be out of the box for me... in a really smooth way,” Romero said to MTV. The “Pour It Up” singer has consistently released a new album every year since 2005, excluding 2008, and many students at Sam Houston State University are looking forward to what she will crank out this year.

“She’s amazing. ‘Pour it Up’ was my favorite song so far,” freshman mass communication major Danielle Martin said. “She’s so unique and different. Men and women listen to her.”

Christina Aguilera, Ke$ha, U2 and Shakira are just a few additional pop artists that have been busy in the studio prepping for album releases.

No musical list would be complete without rock ’n’ roll, and Bruce Springsteen has already announced his upcoming CD release entitled “High Hopes.”

“High Hopes” will be a compilation of covers by other artists as well as newly recorded versions of previously recorded tracks from his own discography according to the New York Daily News.

Metallica, despite having a 3-D movie in theaters in 2013, did not release any new music.

They recently sat down with The Oakland Press to discuss

upcoming projects and a possible album release in the near future.

“We have sifted through a lot of the stuff and pulled the cream of the crop — it’s just sitting there waiting for us to take it to the next level,” Metallica lead singer James Hetfield said.

Perhaps the most anticipated album of 2014 will come from the multi-platinum record selling, diamond certified, Grammy and Oscar winning artist Adele.

Adele’s “21” was released in 2011,

and she is long overdue for new music, according to Craig Rosen of Yahoo! Music Online.

This speculation is furthered fueled by reports that the “Rolling In The Deep” singer has been rumored to be collaborating with mega-producer Ryan Tedder, who has worked with the likes of Beyoncé, Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson according to All Music Online.

Lillie Muyskens | The Houstonian

CAMPUS

SHSU professors host civil rights screening RAVEEN JOHNSON Staff Reporter In observation of Black History month, the Huntsville community

and Sam Houston State University students are gathering to discuss the civil rights movement and other historical events Feb. 6, 18 and 26.

Hosted by SHSU, a group of history professors are leading “Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle,” to inform the history and present struggle of

GIRL SHY WITH AN ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK PERFORMED LIVE BY

TWO STAR SYMPHONY

civil rights.

Through historical films and forums, residents and students will able to discuss issues surrounding the ongoing movement.

“The core purpose is to get people thinking and talking about issues of race, freedom, and equality,” said Erin Cassidy, associate professor of Newton Gresham Library.

Cassidy created and planned the event to shed light on specific issues that are often overlooked or given less attention than necessary.

She teamed up with the National Endowment for the Humanities and three SHSU professors to present three different films that explore various aspects of the civil rights struggle.

The first film, “The Abolitionists: The Life of Frederick Douglass,” will discuss Douglass’s work as an abolitionist and an active leader in helping slaves.

Assistant History Professor Lindsey Swindall is hosting the viewing and will follow the film with a discussion with the audience that further discusses Douglass’ impact on America today.

The next viewing will focus on

the issues of equal protection in the state of Virginia. Associate History Professor Jeffrey Littlejohn, Ph.D., will show “The Loving Story: Breaking the Law for Love,” a film about an interracial couple that faces discrimination.

“I want to talk about the historical issues of racial segregation and integration,” Littlejohn said.

Littlejohn added he plans to dissect the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection clause and show that despite its promises to protect the equal rights of everyone, there are still unwritten exceptions to the rules.

Cassidy, Pruitt, Swindall and Littlejohn said they hope to blend the younger and older generations and inspire them to learn more about the struggles that have been overcome and the struggles that still need to be acknowledged.

For a full list of times and locations, visit library.shsu.edu.

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RANDY ROGERS BAND • JOSH ABBOTT BAND TURNPIKE TROUBADOURS • WILLIAM CLARK GREEN KEVIN FOWLER • JOHN D. HALE • AMERICAN AQUARIUM ZANE WILLIAMS • CROOKS • SHINYRIBS SPAZMATICS • AND PEOPLE'S CHOICE

Page 5

Sports

Thursday, February 6, 2014 houstonianonline.com/sports

FOOTBALL

Signing day focuses on roster holes CHRISTIAN VASQUEZ Contributing Reporter Less appears to be more for Sam Houston State’s head football coach K. C. Keeler as he nabbed 12 recruits and one transfer for National Signing Day Wednesday, down from 19 in 2013.

During the National Signing Day conference, Keeler emphasized bringing a dynamic recruiting class with four defensive and eight offensive recruits.

Keeler and his staff only had two weeks to build a recruiting class but managed to bring in a big haul in terms of size with the average height and weight at 6 feet 1 inch and 217 pounds.

The former Delaware head coach said he had accepted the fact that prospects were going to leave with a new head coach, but he said he is confident in the recruiting class he reeled in.

“We knew we were going to lose some of them [with Fritz leaving], but we could really fit in about 13,” Keeler said. “It actually worked out given how many we got and how good [the recruits] are. You can never worry about the ones that you lose; it’s the ones you take.”

Keeler said he is centering his offensive playbook from an old-fashion approach, big and powerful linemen. A counter to Fritz’s athletic front line.

Mansfield Timberview recruit Dorian Brown and recruit Wyatt Pennington, who is from Catoosa High in Tulsa, Okla., both fit the bill for Keeler’s plans on the offensive line. “[For offensive linemen] I’ve seen bigger guys in the Colonial Athletic Association than I do in this league, but I see a lot of athleticism,” he said. “We want to be a little bit bigger and more physical.”

Although the class was smaller this year, Keeler said 13 recruits was the “magic number.” SHSU is only allocated 63 scholarships for a 91-man roster and remains a deal breaker for potential recruits.

“We were recruiting hard and being honest with them, and the numbers all worked out in our favor,” Keeler said.

The wild card for Keeler’s recruiting class is Grand Prairie High School quarterback Jaylen Fails.

“He’s a [very] special athlete that can play wildkat, slot, safety and quarterback,” Keeler said.

Alex Broussard | The Houstonian

NEW COACH. NEW TEAM. Head coach K.C. Keeler discusses the 13 new additions to his football program. Keeler had two weeks to recruit after being hired on Jan. 23. According to Keeler he emphasized filling holes on offense.

“He has a lot of potential at quarterback first, but there are a lot of things we can do with him if that position doesn’t work for him. He can do a lot of things.”

Although Keeler said he is aware that there are holes in the

wide receiver position, he has two premier receivers: Allen High School’s Grant Finney and Millwood High School’s Alfonso McMillian.

As for defense, Keeler is keeping options open for a potential role

shift.

“Defensively, yeah there might be a transfer in our role,” Keeler said. “That’s why we left a little money there for a transfer in the future.”

BASKETBALL

Transfer tandem ignites Bearkat basketball

MARISSA HILL Sports Reporter

The trip from Huntsville to Liberal, Kan. was lengthy – 615 miles to be exact.

That’s the distance Sam Houston State’s head men’s basketball coach Jason Hooten traveled to find the spark he needed for his Bearkats.

SHSU had already positioned itself as one

of two dominant defenses in the Southland Conference, but that complementary offensive flare was still missing.

“We weren’t scoring well the season before,” Hooten said. “Scoring ability was something we needed.” Once in Liberal, Hooten found himself at Seward County Community College looking at the missing pieces to his puzzle in Jabari Peters and Kaheem Ransom.

“They can score,” he said. “But they can also distribute the ball, and they play well with the team.”

The duo was dynamic as they led the SCCC Saints to a 14-2 league record along with a Jayhawk West Conference title in 2013. Ransom garnered first team allconference and all-region honors in his SCCC career, averaging right at 16 points and 2.4 assists. Peters found his home behind the three-point arc for the Saints, draining 48 shots and averaging 13 points for SCCC. Even though their junior college careers were coming to a close, opportunities to continue playing at the Division 1 level were presenting themselves.

“We had attention from Florida Atlantic and University of Texas-Arlington,” Ransom and Peters said.

Despite how well they played together, coaches didn’t see the perk when considering bringing the duo to their program as a tandem.

Except Hooten.

“I knew if we offered both of them, we had a better chance of getting them down here together,” Hooten said.

With the final pieces to the puzzle in place, Hooten and company began this season with a vengeance. The Bearkats opened up their first month of play with a 7-3 record, the best season start for the men’s program in five years. That fiery start included the last second thriller against James Madison in the Lumberjack Etech Classic. With 14 seconds remaining on the clock, Peters sank the game-winning threepointer, giving SHSU the victory.

However, Peters is no stranger to winning.

“Seward was the only place I really ever won,” Peters said. “I just wanted to continue

Connor Hyde | The Houstonian

CHANGE IS GOOD. Transfer guards Kaheem Ransom and Jabari Peters warm up before practice at Johnson Coliseum. The duo has dominated play to become the face of Sam Houston State University’s men’s basketball.

the mentality I got there and become a better player here.”

With only eight conference games remaining, the SLC race is heating up and the duo is looking to raise another banner in Johnson Coliseum, Ransom said.

Currently SHSU trails conference leader Stephen F. Austin State, with another championship within reach.

“We just wanted to maintain that winning mentality that was already here and build on it,” Peters said.

SOCCER

Soccer adds three on signing day JEREMY VILLANUEVA Sports Editor Three players signed National Letters of Intent to play soccer at Sam Houston State University on during Wednesday’s National Signing Day. Defenders Robin Lee from Mesquite Horn High School, Ronald Reagan High School’s Ashley Long and midfielder Caitlin Schwartz from Claudia Taylor Johnson High School became the newest additions to SHSU’s squad.

“I feel these three players can have an immediate impact on our team,” head coach Tom Brown said. “I am excited to see how these three will fit into our team.”

Lee enters SHSU coming off a re-torn ACL she suffered last year. At Mesquite Horn, Lee led her team to three second places in district and receiving second-team All-District in 2013. For her club team, Sting 97 Royal, Lee led her team to 2013 State Cup Championship and Region 3 quarterfinalist.

“She is very good on the ball and can create attacking opportunities,” Brown said.

“She can play as either a central or wide defender. She is strong in the air and good at winning balls.

Brown is also adding Long to his defensive line. He plans to use Long as a central

defender or on the outside, he said.

At Ronald Reagan, Long earned firstteam All-district as a junior and secondteam honors her sophomore year. She is also played select for Classics Elite Soccer Club where she played in the USYS National Cup League from 2010-2013.

“We are very excited about Ashley joining our soccer team,” Brown said. “She is a strong tackler who is very good on the ball.”

In addition to tacking onto his defense, Brown signed a promising midfielder to his team in Schwartz. Schwartz is a threetime all-District midfielder and a threetime Johnson Hero Cape Award. She played alongside Long for the Classic Elite Soccer Club, where the duo won the State Classic League in 2013. Long was named Classic Elite’s MVP in 2012.

“Caitlin is an exciting player who can score goals from midfield and also sit deep to be a ball winner,” Brown said. “She also has a very good touch on the ball to start combination play with her teammates.”

Although this year’s signing class is a lot smaller for SHSU than last year’s nine signees, Brown isn’t worried about the size of the class because he knows he’s getting three great players in Lee, Long and Schwartz, he said.

“I am excited to see how these three will fit into our team.”

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