TODAY’S FORECAST HI: 77o LOW: 65o George Mattingly | The Houstonian
P4
SHSU Brass Choir showcase versatility and power on stage.
Chance of Rain:
The Houstonian’s Best of Contest is here. Find out who our readers chose!
10%
Volume 123 / Issue 16
P2
Iraq War 10th Anniversary: America should learn from its mistakes.
www.HoustonianOnline.com
P3
Thursday, March 21, 2013
SHSU student recruited to give extra life to popular video game, hopes to get published JAY R. JORDAN Senior Reporter “I’ve always been interested in things where you gave a deep level of customization and design.” Maxwell Giddens, junior computer science major, makes maps and mods for videogame company Valve’s Portal 2, a physics based puzzle videogame that requires players to use momentum and their minds to complete levels. His work alongside renowned community developer Doug Hoogland has been published on The New York Times’ Bits blog and other gaming websites. Giddens works in a program called Hammer. The program allows him to create levels inside Valve’s source engine so players around the globe can enjoy the fruits of his imagination. “It’s not just Portal, it’s the source engine,” Giddens said. “It’s not only used for editing games. You can completely build a game from the ground up. So, the idea is to get used to engines. It’s a springboard of getting to know how to build games on a broad scale.” Giddens met Hoogland in
spring 2012 and has been working with him ever since on projects such as a mod for Wibi. “We were hired to create a mod for Portal 2,” Giddens said. “The company contacted Doug initially, and [he] asked me to help him out. He was building the single player campaign, and it was a lot of work. Because of the time crunch, he asked me to build the multiplayer.” Their first collaborative mod was released in January 2013 and picked up by PC Gamer and Kotaku, both major names in gaming news. Hoogland said that Giddens’ talent was above par when compared to other map makers of his caliber. “The logic and design behind [his levels] was amazing,” Hoogland said. “… Especially for someone who [at the time] had hardly touched the tools. “It was really an honor to see somebody recognize and promote the hours I put in trying to make this the best I could,” Giddens said. Giddens’ partner Hoogland is also well known for building another custom campaign that was created as a marriage proposal for Portal 2 fan Gary Hudston. Hoogland has been working with
Valve’s source engine for more than six years. As for Giddens’ work, he has only published a few maps. However, he has more than 5,000 hours of work with the game and development tools. “I’ve been doing this for a long time,” Giddens said. “I keep a lot of work to myself. Much of the stuff I’m working on is tied up in projects for mods that haven’t been released yet. A lot of my solo work is on the back burner right now.” Giddens and Hoogland are working on a mod together and hope the have it published by 2014.
Provided by Maxwell Giddens
Jay R. Jordan | The Houstonian
Judge allows civil rights abuse Embattled senators case against UPD to continue avoid impeachment JAY R. JORDAN Senior Reporter
Provided by Isiah Carey | Fox 26
OUTCRY. This photo shows Aman Abdulaziz after UPD officers allegedly beat the former student in 2011. Abdulaziz is suing SHSU, UPD and the City of Huntsville for civil rights abuse and failure to train officers correctly.
MOLLY WADDELL News Editor A former student who filed a lawsuit against Sam Houston State University and the University Police Department alleging civil rights abuses stemming from a forceful arrest had his day in court saved by a judge’s decision. Aman Abdulaziz’s lawyer, N. Patrick Ngwolo, filed the proper documents explaining his previous late filing, and the court has accepted it on March 1 despite SHSU’s efforts to dismiss. Ngwolo had failed to turn in the Motion Leave of Court by Jan. 25, but the court gave him another extension of Feb. 6 to do so. Ngwolo then filed his Motion Leave of Court on Feb 6. saying that the reason for the late document was because Abdulaziz had not served all of the appropriate parties named in
the lawsuit. SHSU tried to get the court to strike Abdulaziz’s response from the record because Ngwolo was demonstrating “excusable neglect.” U.S. Southern Disrict Judge Keith P. Ellison accepted Ngwolo’s Motion Leave of Court. Abdulaziz alleges that he was beaten before being taken to the police headquarters, according to court documents. He said the police originally charged him with three crimes while at the scene of the incident; possession of marijuana, tampering with evidence and evading arrest. Abdulaziz was found not guilty of a fourth charge, assaulting a police officer, close to a year later. After Abdulaziz filed the lawsuit against the university, SHSU filed a motion to dismiss on Dec. 19. SHSU’s lawyer, Michael J. Patterson, Assistant Attorney General of Texas, said
Visit our website! www. HoustonianOnline.com
Abdulaziz’s motion should be dismissed because the plaintiff did not provide evidence that he was unfairly treated and that SHSU has immunity against the lawsuit. Patterson also claimed that the original complaint in the lawsuit was not clear on what the claim against SHSU was. Abdulaziz amended response to SHSU’s motion to dismiss listed all of the facts including that there is a dashboard video of what happened. He also said he is suing the City of Huntsville because they have been, “deliberately indifferent to the need for training.” Abdulaziz’s reason for suing UPD and SHSU is because of their “need to train officers in the constitutional limitations on the use of deadly force.” Ngwolo did not return repeated calls and emails for comment by press time, and Patterson declined to comment.
Follow us today! @TheHoustonian
Tuesday’s eventful Student Government Association meeting ended with little action on big issues. The proposed impeachment of presidential candidate Sen. Mike Apt (COCJ) by Sen. Robert Ferguson (CS) failed to receive the required 2/3 vote by the senate, along with four other impeachment proposals against senators with fewer charges. The charges against Apt included a dress code violation, a chamber rules violation, multiple unexcused absences, failure to report office hours, failure to attend the mandatory informational workshop for new senators, and dereliction of duty, according to Senate documents. Ferguson wrote in the impeachment letter that Apt’s dereliction of duty was showing up late to Bearkat All Paws In and then “[electing] to talk to his fraternity brothers rather than help.” Apt said that he was under the impression that Sen. Cristan Shamburger (CHSS) permitted him to do so, but Shamburger denied that claim during the meeting. During the discussion of his impeachment, Apt said why he thinks his impeachment was proposed. “I find it really odd that as soon as I start campaigning, I get impeached,” Apt said. “Be that as it may, I apologize if there are things in here that truly offended you like my dress code and the food and all these thing. I honestly do apologize.” Ferguson said that his intentions for the impeachment had nothing to do with the election. “Let me make it very, very clear,” Ferguson said. “This has nothing to do with elections because I am not running for any position or anything else.” Ferguson said that because of
his military background, he lived by the rules and saw Apt breaking them. “We are held to a higher standard,” said Ferguson. “If we cannot follow the rules then how are we supposed to expect everybody else to follow them? … The All Paws In incident was the final straw for me.” Various SGA members mentioned that this was not the first time Apt has been brought up on impeachment charges, and that his apology Tuesday night was similar to the one he gave last semester after being acquitted of similar charges. “What Mike said at the end of that meeting was the same thing he said last time,” said Attorney General Josh Beaman. “I say this in support of neither candidate.” Presidential candidate and chief of staff Ramiro Jaime commented on the proposed impeachment and adequacy of Apt as president. “[Apt] got impeached last [semester] for the same thing,” Jaime said. “How did [he] not know the rules the second time around? And also, [he] wants to be president?” Apt said on Wednesday that he talked to Rules and Regulations Chief Steven Perry about making up the mandatory meetings he missed. “I’m involved in a lot of different student organizations,” Apt said. “I’m not just in the house of SGA… It’s difficult to get in there and attend everything. But I’m making a commitment.” CAMPAIGN INFRINGEMENTS According to anonymous SGA officials, Apt broke campaign rules before Tuesday’s meeting by campaigning in the SGA Office located in the Lowman Student Center. The SGA Election Code states in Article VI Section I that “in all SGA sponsored elections, usage —
SGA, page 6