March 26, 2013 by The Houstonian

TODAY’S FORECAST HI: 61o LOW: 38o AP Photo/Seth Wenig

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McKinney, Harris debate the necessity of taxes on large fountain drinks like the one New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg attempted to pass but was struck down

SGA conducts safety walk to find problem areas on campus at night

Volume 123 / Issue 17

www.HoustonianOnline.com

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Officials: Hazlewood, Hazlewood Legacy Acts prove to be massive burden on institutions of higher education STEPHEN GREEN Editor-in-Chief A bill meant to fulfill the dreams for many veterans and their children has become a nightmare for universities in Texas. The Hazlewood Act along with its expansion, the Hazlewood Legacy Act, has become a burden on the higher education system, according to Sam Houston State University officials. “It’s one of those extremely well meaning laws that had unintended consequences,” Al Hooten, vice president of finance and operations, said. The acts grant tuition and fee waivers to veterans as well as their spouses and children respectively. They are nonreimbursed, which leaves the universities to cover the cost by shifting around money in their budgets. Hooten said the programs have taken a sharp rise in popularity since 2011, two years after the Legacy Act was passed.

“Our total has gone way up,” Hooten said. “The university has to qualify to every qualified veteran.” This year, the acts have caused a loss of more than $5.25 million to SHSU alone. The Texas State University System has felt a combined total of more than $21million, an increase of 33 percent from 2012. The Hazlewood Act allows veterans to take up to 150 credit hours free of tuition and fees. The Hazlewood Legacy Act allows a veteran to pass on all unused hours to spouses and children. At SHSU, more than 1,200 students, about six percent of the student body, are on these waivers. This sudden cost to the school has forced officials to channel money from “essential areas”. “We set aside a large block of funds to hire additional full-time faculty,” Hooten

997 Recipients

$681,396

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the cost. Jaimie Hebert, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs, said not being able to hire full-time faculty, which includes professors, assistant and associate professors, could eventually cause issues

with degree accreditation. “The percent of credit hours taught by tenure track faculty going down,” Hebert said. “We’re not jeopardy of hitting below 50 percent. If something isn’t done about waivers we could drop down to that mark.” Once a university drops below 50 percent, they will have issues getting their degrees accredited. Degrees coming from universities without accreditation are viewed less than those with accreditation. Currently, Hebert said approximately

Texas Legislature in talks of increased education funding The state legislature moved to increase the budget for Texas public schools and universities March 21. The move, headed by Rep. Jim Pitts, came along when the House Appropriations Committee unanimously approved a $193.8 billion state budget proposal which would be used, in part, to assist college students in need of financial aid. The first of Pitts’ bills includes a $1 billion addition to school funding in the two-year budget, while the second bill asks Pitts’ panel to make a $500 million addition to schools in a separate emergency spending measure. Specifically for institutions of higher education, the House panel’s budget would increase spending on grants by $150 million providing aid for 87 percent of eligible college students, while the Senate’s $195.5 billion budget, passed on Wednesday, would add $115 million and cover 80 percent. In 2012, Sam Houston State University was given a budget of $72,560,000 by the state. However, the school’s final expenses for that year amounted to over $84 million meaning that SHSU had to come up with the nearly $12 million on its own.

Although spending limits are constricting, lawmakers may be able to increase the budget assuming there is an increased economy over the next few years, delegated by comptroller Susan Combs. Additionally, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Tommy Williams also expressed that the Senate may be able to increase the budget. PUBLIC SCHOOLS In 2011, $5.3 billion were cut from the education budget which caused state-wide teacher layoffs, larger classes and less accessibility to resources. With the potential passage of this new legislation, the money cut from two years ago, and possibly even more, could be replenished. Pitts’ proposal includes two separate budget bills covering $3 billion of the cuts which Pitts said, should be debated by the full House over the next two weeks. With the potential passage of this legislation, Texas public schools could rehire teachers— with a potential pay raise, decrease class sizes, maximize security, increase financial aid opportunities and possibly even lower tuition for students. Although Pitts has the full support of all 27 members of his committee, he said he’s not sure how much he’ll receive from the House and the Senate. Pitts said he hopes to take the bill to the House floor on April 4.

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$3,628,677

$1,434,067

Recipients

$5,254,087

FY 2012

FY 2011

718

FY 2013

said. “We had to take that entire block of funds to cover the cost that is rising significantly.” Hooten said money was also shifted away from maintenance and other support staff to cover

FY 2010

HANNAH ZEDAKER Staff Reporter

Jones: Straight couples are ruining the sancity of marriage, not gay couples

75 percent of classes are taught by tenure/tenure-tracked professors. However, some colleges are moving closer to the problem area. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is down to 60 percent, according to Hebert. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools manages the accreditation of the degrees at SHSU. Hebert said SHSU is also inpart known for a student’s access to tenure/tenure-tracked professors rather than being taught by part-time faculty, something they are trying to protect. The university also had to reduce the size of faculty and staff salary increases as a result. Hebert said the university is doing its best to be efficient in the face of the so many cuts. “Bottom line: the entire institution is operating extremely efficiently,”

Kayla Stallings, Stephen Green | The Houstonian

Hebert said. But it won’t last forever. “Our deans have done a wonderful job at becoming more efficient at using faculty salaries,” Hebert said. “We’re reaching a breaking point where we can’t get more efficient.” Both Hebert and Hooten said the problem isn’t the intent of the acts, but the implementation. “[Hazlewood and Legacy Acts] are a wonderful idea,” Hebert said, “the fact the state did not recognize the fiscal impact on the institution is what our problem is.” Hooten said the university is in talks with legislatures in Austin to solve the problem. “We’re showing the legislators the cost,” he said. “We all want to recognize the success that a veteran has done. But we’re asking the state to recognize that cost, the state made that cost.” Numerous bills are being talked about to make changes to the bills, however, none have gotten enough support to be the frontrunner for change. TX Sen. Leticia Van De Putte (D-San Antonio) introduced the Hazlewood Legacy Act in 2009. She also recognizes the issues. “I would like to help mitigate some of the constraints faced by our universities because of Hazlewood,” De Putte said to KHUF FM 88.7. “We want our campuses and universities to be veteran friendly and not to be afraid to do that because of cost concerns.” Hooten said the future is uncertain for the bills and how the university will deal with it. He said, “It’s going to be a real problem if nothing is done about it.”

SGA candidates ousted from spring elections ‘I Like Mike’ ticket disqualified by election commission JAY R. JORDAN Senior Reporter The Student Government Association’s Supreme Court decided not to review the disqualification of the I Like Mike ticket running for the SGA executive board. The decision came on Monday, three days after the ticket petitioned to have the SGA Election Commission’s decision reversed. Sen. Cristan Shamburger (CHSS), Vice President Kolby Flowers, and sophomore education major Stori Ellis all formally protested the I Like Mike campaign to Election Coordinator Cody Hatcher on Thursday. After members from both sides of the issue argued their respective positions, the election commission decided to disqualify each member of the I Like Mike campaign. In a statement, Hatcher said that the supreme court’s decision was the last chance for the campaign to be submitted again. “As a result of the court’s decision not to hear or rule on the

case, the decision of the Election Commission will stand,” Hatcher said. “In addition, because there is no appellate to the Supreme Court, this is the final decision on the matter.” In a joint statement by Flowers and Shamburger released Monday night, the two SGA members said that they are pleased with the checks and balances taking effect. “It’s important for Student Government to hold itself accountable,” Flowers said. “With the decisions of the election commissioners and supreme court justices, it’s a clear example that this system works.” Former Vice Presidential candidate Ashton Winfree said that the I Like Mike ticket was treated unfairly in a biased and unethical way. “During the hearing, both sides were heard but both sides were not [equally considered],” said Winfree. “Our ticket provided substantial evidence for each protest in black and white: written statements and photos. …All we wanted was a fair chance to become future seat holders on the SGA executive board. We did not

get that opportunity.” In her statement to The Houstonian, Shamburger said that she expected rule breaking from the I Like Mike ticket. “Sen. Apt and his ticket’s decision to blatantly disregard the rules show a serious case of misjudgment,” Shamburger said. “This does not surprise me seeing as this ticket lacks the experience necessary to make the right decisions.” The list of charges include breaking election code rules by campaigning outside the official allotted campaign window by having its Facebook page published before campaigning started (Article VI Section B) and campaigning inside the SGA office by candidate Apt (COCJ) (Article VI Section H). Other protests on the letter to Coordinator Hatcher include utilizing alcohol, or in this case the Draft Bar in Huntsville, to solicit votes (Article VI Section K). Members of the I Like Mike campaign were Mike Apt, Ashton Winfree, Alexis Bloomer, Lauren Fenn and Hailey Wyant.

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News

Tuesday, March 26, 2013 houstonianonline.com/news

Campus

SGA looks to make campus a safer place JAY R. JORDAN Senior Reporter Members of Student Government Association are trying to create a closer relationship with students by directly addressing their grievances and concerns. A new committee is being formed for fall 2013 that will be a direct medium to solutions for students’ issues. Sen. Spencer Copeland (COCJ) wrote the draft for the new committee’s procedures and modeled it after the Dean of Students Office’s procedures. “We have a lot of students coming up to us and saying ‘hey, we see an issue with this,’ it’s kind of hard to tackle that issue without having any set plans and procedures to handle that,” Copeland said. “… We’re trying to have a system to work all the time, no matter what the problem is.” Copeland said that the committee is still in its infant stages and won’t be operational until next semester. The heart of the committee is to revamp the relevance of SGA on campus.

Key Problem Spots Needs a call box Lighting issues

SAFETY WALK In an effort to make the Sam Houston State University campus safer, faculty and SGA members took a tour of campus and identified dangerous areas and trouble spots on March 19. SGA Vice President Kolby Flowers and Copeland collaborated with

Molly Waddell | The Houstonian

SAFETY FIRST. SGA members walked all over campus to find problem areas and places that were not safe for students. They are going to turn in these areas to Facilities for them to make better. They could add lighting and add call boxes so if students are in trouble they could call for help.

the Facilities Department and the Office of Dean of Students on their safety walk and hope to fix potential problems with lighting, call boxes and limited sight areas. “[Facilities] does an excellent job,” Copeland said. “In fact,

most of the issues we found were already documented on their end and are already being fixed.” Copeland said that issues with areas where members of the university community and campus visitors are at increased

State

Proposed Senate bill would close majority of Texas abortion clinics MOLLY WADDELL News Editor A bill going through the Texas Senate would require all abortion facilities to be at the same minimum standards as required for outpatient surgical centers. Senate Bill 537, filed by Sen. Bob Deuell, Sen. Donna Campbell and Sen. Charles Schwertner, who represents Huntsville among other cities, is currently at the Health and Human Services Committee. “The minimum standards for an abortion facility must be equivalent to the minimum standards adopted under Section 243.010 for ambulatory surgical centers,” SB 537 states. According to the authors and sponsors statement of intent, 38 of the 44 clinics that provide abortion services in Texas do not meet these standards. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists submitted a testimony in opposition to the bill. “ACOG opposes SB 537 by Sen. Deuell because it requires additional standards for abortion facilities that are unnecessary

and unsupported by scientific evidence,” the testimony, written by Lisa M. Hollier, chair of ACOG, said. “It harms the public health by creating obstacles in access to safe, legal and accessible abortion services.” Hollier said that the bill could possibly close an estimated of 37 facilities. “These facilities may not have the resources required to bring their buildings to ASC [ambulatory surgical center] standards within the timeline of the bill,” Hollier said. Planned Parenthood also opposes the bill. “Planned Parenthood is at a high quality of care already,” Alejandra Diaz, communications specialist for the Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, said. The bill’s sponsors said that moving abortion clinics under these guidelines will provide Texas women choosing abortion the highest standard of healthcare, but Diaz disagreed with that contention. “This bill has nothing to do with the health and safety of women,” Diaz said. “There is no medical

standing to this bill.” Section 243.010 says the facilities must contain minimum standards applicable to any ambulatory surgical center for the construction and design, including plumbing, heating, lighting, ventilation and other design standards necessary to ensure the health and safety of patients; the qualifications of the professional staff and other personnel; the equipment essential to the health and welfare of the patients; the sanitary and hygienic conditions within the center and its surroundings; and a quality assurance program for patient care. The bill’s sponsors said that miscarriages are excluded from the definition of abortion and physicians’ offices and clinics that perform less than 50 abortions in any 12-month period are excluded. This act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house. Deuell, Campbell, and Schwertner were not available to comment by deadline.

risk of violent crime are those that they want to see eliminated. Along with the proposed additional committee, Copeland hopes that SGA is restored to its intended operational state of representing and helping the

student body of SHSU. If students recognize problematic or dangerous areas on campus, they are urged to contact Facilities at (936) 294-1868.

UPDate March 18, 2013 While conducting a traffic stop in the 5000 block of Sam Houston Avenue at 12:45 a.m., the officer determined the driver was in possession of contraband. The driver was arrested and charged for the State Jail Felony offense of Possession of a Conrtolled Substance, and the Class B Misdemeanor offense of Fictitious Registration. Officer located a suspicious person (responded to area after hearing police radio broadcast) in the 2600 block of El Toro Drive at 2:35 AM who was very intoxicated. The male was arrested and charged with the Class C Misdemeanor offense of Public Intoxication.

March 17, 2013 While coducting a traffic stop in the 3000 block of Sam Houston Avenue at 1:22 a.m., the officer determined that the driver did not have a driver’s license. The was arrested and charge with the Class C Misdemeanor offense of No Driver’s License. While conducting a traffic stop in the 900 block of 11th Street at 11:42 PM, the officer determined that the driver did not have a driver’s license. The driver was arrested and charged with the Class C Misdemeanor offense of No Driver’s License.

March 15, 2013 While conducting a traffic stop in the 1500 block of Sam Houston Avenue at 11:22 a.m., the officer determined that the driver was wanted on an outstanding warrant of arrest. The driver was arrested and transported to the Walker County Jail.

AP Photo/Statesman.com, Alberto Martínez

NEW MEMORIAL. Bob Wright, left, is comforted by a fellow veteran at the end of the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument groundbreaking ceremony Monday, March 25, 2013 in Austin.Wright was a combat medic who served in Vietnam from Nov. 1969 to Nov. 1970.

Page 3

Viewpoints

Tuesday, March 26, 2013 houstonianonline.com/viewpoints

Students debate hard on soft drinks M

Public education, not soda bans, best cure for the obesity epidemic

ust two weeks a g o New York City, at the behest of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, was set to ban certain s u g ar y b e ve r age s COLIN HARRIS over 16 Staff Reporter ounces at various establishments. The ban was poorly crafted and subsequently thrown out by a judge on March 11 due to its arbitrary nature. Convenience stores were exempt while burger joints weren’t. According to Jacob Sullum at Reason.com, one could order a venti white hot chocolate with whole milk and whipped cream (640 calories) from Starbucks but not a venti black coffee with four teaspoons of sugar (60 calories) because the first drink contained milk. That’s right, any drink made up of 50 percent or more milk would be immune from the prohibition, because, I suppose, Bloomberg thinks his constituents are all babies. In the end, liberty won though, because the ban was selective and filled with loopholes that made little sense. However, it’s troubling that there are people in power who believe the proper role of government is something as menial as determining portion sizes. Advocates of the ban will point to growing obesity rates and note

that we’re all going to become just like the lard ass humans in “Wall-E” and something must be done. They’re sorta right. According to the Center for Disease Control, 35.7 percent of American adults are obese. That’s a problem. Unfortunately, trying to regiment the dietary habits of all citizens due to the fact that a third are fat and gross is completely the wrong approach to this epidemic. It’s meddlesome and inconveniences the majority of the population who are not obese and can drink a 20 ounce soda without a cheesecake to compliment the beverage. The solution lies in education and stigmatization, not outright prohibition. Health classes in public schools need to start treating obesity the same way they treat venereal disease. Show kids the end results of poor decisions and hopefully freak them out enough that they start living healthily. We all remember the video in health class with the super cool and super foxy slut who goes to a bunch of parties, takes pills from strangers all the time, and gets gang-banged every weekend. Then she got sick, went to the doctor, found out she had AIDS and died all miserably. Lesson: don’t have drugaddled unprotected sex at every opportunity or you will probably get AIDS and die. Nobody needed to ban parties and sex. Why not take the same approach to eating? Start your video with some uber badass James Dean type chowing down on Dorito tacos and cinnamon twists, looking cool as shit, on top of the world. Then cut to him elbows deep in a bucket

of KFC and shot gunning cans of Pepsi by the 12-pack. He goes to the doctor wanting to know why his black leather motorcycle jacket doesn’t fit any more. Doctor peers down his glasses and says, “Well, cool cat, looks like you’re putting on a little weight. Maybe you should eat a vegetable or start exercising.” Cool guy responds, “Who the hell are you to tell me how to live my life? You don’t know me, man. I’m outta here!” Then he stops by the vending machine on the way out the door to grab some pork rinds and a candy bar for the ride home. After he makes his selection, he clutches his chest. Heart attack. Dead before the pork rinds hit the bottom of the machine. Lesson: even cool people can get fat and die from it. That’s how you impact society. Train children from a young age that actions have consequences. It might feel amazing to eat a pint of Haagen-Dazs every night before you go to bed but pretty soon you’ll turn into the mom from “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” Eww. Soda bans and the like are grossly unnecessary primarily because they make life harder on people who aren’t obese, like myself. A little public education and some social stigma about being disgustingly obese might cause all the fatsos to take control of their lives and start eating properly. There’s nothing inherently wrong with a Big Gulp or Route 44 soda. Drinking five of them a day, though, may cause some unwanted horizontal growth.

ayor Michael C. Bloomberg of New York recently attempted a change in how people enjoy their drinks. This, of course, sparked some heated finger pointing from the people in line to get their Big Gulps – well that’s assuming that these people aren’t sitting on the couch with a straw directly into a 2-liter. This may come as a shock to those of you reading this, but America is one of the most obese countries in the world. I suppose it’s those fundamental rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of diabetes. Bloomberg’s horrible problem with butting into the lives of his peasants – I mean, community – has led to the ban of cigarettes and trans fats, and requiring chain restaurants to post calorie counts; all of which seemed terrifying at the time they passed. Personally, I don’t think Bloomberg’s proposal of sugary drinks is all that bad. Well, I suppose an outright ban may not be the way to win people to your side, but what he’s attempting is not inherently evil. Consuming unhealthy foods constantly only aids in the growing epidemic of obesity. Furthermore, this leads to higher blood pressure, increased chance of heart problems, and various other medical problems. Now the problem with this is what’s known as externalities. It works something like this; because you have increased likelihood of medical illness you increase health insurance costs of everyone else, which puts an undue burden upon the rest of society. A way to solve this may be an outright ban, but possibly the

adoption of a sin tax. I’m sure you know what this is – basically an increased tax imposed u p o n something undesirable. Putting a sin tax on RICHARD MCKINNEY unhealthy Staff Reporter foods has actually been shown to decrease consumption of the foods. Across 20 years, according to a study published in the Archives of International Medicine, incremental increases in the price of unhealthy foods resulted in decreases in consumption. Furthermore, the study showed that a 10 percent increase in cost was associated with a seven percent decrease in caloric intake of sodas. A $1 increase in soda price was associated with about 124 calories less per day and 2.2 pounds less body weight per day on average. This is why I salute Bloomberg for attempting a reform in the way we consume drinks. I think it’s something that should be pushed through congress, personally. It will help curb some of the obesity problems (which I know will never be fully solved without changing an increasingly sedentary lifestyle), help offset some of the externalities for health insurance, and lead to at least some benefit from the increased tax revenue. Good job, Bloomberg – keep up the good work!

Soda ban step in right direction to fight obesity

Letter to the editor To The Houstonian: I read with interest “Potential Increase in Tuition and Fees Proposed to Texas House of Representatives” published March 21, 2013 on Houstonianonline.com. I would like to take the opportunity to set the record straight so your readers may be fully informed as to what these bills seek to do as there were several inaccuracies and omissions contained within the article. House District 18 is lucky to have a wonderful institution like Sam

Houston State University growing at the rate it has been growing over the last several years. Accordingly, the SHSU Student Government Association passed resolutions in support of increasing the fee caps due to the current facilities not meeting the expressed needs to the institution’s enrollment growth. In fact, in a recent student election where more than 20 percent of the SHSU student body participated, almost 64 percent voted in favor of the Lowman Student Center fee increase. House Bill 2491 and House

Bill 2313 were brought to me by the Texas State University System to accomplish these goals. As you note, the bills increase the caps on student center and recreation fees. Importantly, the TSUS Board of Regents may not increase these fees by more than 10 percent per academic year without the approval of a majority of students who participate in an election called for that purpose. This is an important safeguard provided by both bills. Finally, it is great to see The Houstonian taking part in the

political process by informing its readers of what is happening in Austin during the legislative session, but I would be remiss if I did not mention that you published in your article the wrong house district number, bill number and type of fee discussed in HB 2491 and omitted several key pieces of information as to how these bills originated and how they would be implemented. In the future, I hope you will not hesitate to reach out to me to discuss any legislation pending before the Texas Legislature so my staff and I can

make certain that you have all the correct information at your disposal. We are here to serve and assist you in whatever way possible. I look forward to working with you and the rest of the student body at SHSU. Eat ‘em up, Kats! Sincerely, State Representative John Otto House District 18

Divorced straight couples ruin sanctity of marriage Misti Jones says straight couples are ruining marriage more than same-sex couples

I read an article from CNN called “Straight marriage is the real issue” that really got me thinking. It’s not same-sex marriage that the public should be worried about; it’s heterosexual marriage. People seem to think that gay and lesbian couples’ right to wed would ruin the sanctity of marriage, but isn’t it already being ruined by half the married couples in today’s America? Right now, only nine states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex marriage while obviously all states allow straight couples to marry. This week the Supreme Court will hear two same-sex marriage cases, but no matter the outcome, the crisis of American marriages will still be a major issue. Does it not alarm anyone to know that the divorce rate of straight couples is on the rise? Approximately 40-50 percent of marriages in the U.S. will end in legal separation if the current trends continue, according to Americans for Divorce Reform. What this means is that whenever straight couples stand on the altar and say “I do,” they could flip a coin and ‘call it in the air.’ And have we forgotten about certain celebrities such as Britney Spears, Kim

Kardashian and Tiger Woods child, isn’t that what we want?” who have completely tossed Yes, it is. I understand that the idea the sanctity and importance of of two people from the same sex getting marriage down the drain? Does married, adopting children and raising getting married for money, them poses a lot of questions. Could committing adultery, or staying they teach the children to be gay? Will married for a few hours not do the children be scrutinized for having greater harm to the supposed two dads or two moms? Possibly, but ‘sanctity’ of marriage? children find anything to make fun Society has a problem with of each other for. The fact is that two same-sex marriage because the gay parents would still be giving an institution of marriage between orphaned child, foster child or any a man and a woman leads to child the opportunity to be cared for MISTI JONES procreation while same-sex Viewpoints Editor and loved. marriage does not biologically In a speech that went viral, 19-yearcreate children. old college student Zach Wahls spoke about his Same-sex marriage does not affect experience growing up with two moms: “The heterosexual couples. In fact, gay or lesbian question always comes down to, well, ‘Can couples may be raising a child better than a gays even raise kids?’ …And then I raise my straight couple could, especially those who get hand and say, ‘Actually, I was raised by a gay divorced. couple and I’m doing pretty well.’ …The sexual “The reality is we really need foster and orientation of my parents has had zero effect adoptive parents, and it doesn’t matter what the on the content of my character.” relationship is,” Moira Weir, director of the job Wahls explains in his speech that his and family services department in Hamilton family—raised by two mothers—is the same County, Ohio, told the New York Times. “If as any other family; they attend church, eat they can provide a safe and loving home for a dinner, go on vacations and, of course, bicker.

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“The sense of family comes from the commitment we make to each other,” Wahls said. “To work through the hard times so we can enjoy the good ones. It comes from the love that binds us. That’s what makes a family.” According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of children who grow up in singleparent homes is on the rise. Currently, 48 percent of American children are now born to unmarried women. Children with two parents grow up with more financial and educational advantages, according to the bureau. A study from ThirdWay.org states that children who are born to single parents have more disadvantages in life than children born to married parents. That’s not to say that single parent homes can’t raise a child successfully, but if two loving parents, no matter what gender, supply love and support to a child, why should it matter if they are homosexual? This is why same-sex marriage is so potent in today’s times. If it is shown that two parents contribute to greater instance of success, then it is imperative that we allow people who truly mean “’till death do us part” to wed and raise a family.

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Arts&Entertainment

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

Writer charms audience with debut novel

Michael Kardos shares readings, captivates crowd with realism ANGLEA BEEL Contributing Reporter A fiction writer charmed students and faculty with his words as he came to share his work with the campus community at Sam Houston State University on Monday. Writer Michael Kardos read sections of his novels and shared his experiences as a writer with students as part of an ongoing series of events sponsored by the SHSU MFA Program in Creative Writing. The night began with a reading from two chapters in Kardos’ acclaimed novel, “The Three-Day Affair”, to a room full of eager students and faculty. The book can be described as a crime novel but not in the typical sense. It is about three friends who met at Princeton and who find themselves involved in a kidnapping. Although this is Kardos’ debut novel he is also the author of the short-story collection “One Last Good Time”, which was also well-received by critics. Kardos began with a passage from his novel that began when the characters first met in college and then continued with another chapter that finds them struggling as adults. Kardos’ ability to portray the scenes in the novel really captured the audience’s attention. His expression when reading the passages worked to enthrall

Photos by Yolissma Vancce | The Houstonian

ENGAGING THE CROWD: Writer Michael Kardos read sections of two of his novels and signed copies for students and faculty on Monday in Austin Hall.

audience members in the story and he had them laughing throughout the event. After the half-hour reading, Kardos welcomed questions from the audience and answered them in a way that had them laughing and curious to know more. At the end of the event, his novel was available for purchase and Kardos stayed to sign copies. Audience members really enjoyed the reading and found the passages from the book very interesting. “He was a very frank and honest writer. I really liked his freshness and the unexpected word choice and topic. It was very nice,” audience member Jenny Seay said. “I liked that he was very engaging with the audience. He was very friendly and very funny.”

Word on the Street:

What is your favorite Mike Epps movie? ‘All About the Benjamins’ is my favorite because you can tell [his jokes] are not part of the script. He’s naturally funny” -Cadeshia Williams Sophomore nursing major

“In ‘The Hangover’ he was funny because it was a small role but he made a lasting impression.” -Gerard Reyes Junior animal science major

“‘Next Friday’ was his best because it was like his big debut.” -Josh Miller Senior mathematics major

“I loved him in ‘Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins’. The things he says don’t make sense that I can’t help but laugh.” -Jackie Bahr Junior education major George Mattingly | The Houstonian

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A creative writing minor and attendee of the reading, Alex Scott, enjoyed the event and thought Kardos was very entertaining. “I thought it was great,” Scott said. “I liked it so much that I got both of his books.” Graduate student Chad Meiners was impressed by the reading and felt like it went well. “It was well received and everyone was laughing at his jokes. So I thought people really enjoyed the story and I thought they learned a lot about what he had to say about the art of writing,” Meiners said. “I was very impressed with his reading and his work and he had some very good advice to tell students and to faculty as well.” The Creative Writing program will host author Tim O’Brien on April 3-4.

Forced acting makes “Admission” forgetful ZEKE OSBORN Contributing Reporter

Director of “American Pie” and “In Good Company”, Paul Weitz’s latest movie “Admission” wasn’t exactly a box office hit. The movie can be described as a romantic comedy that was somewhat entertaining, yet there was nothing about the film that made it really stand out. So much so that I could not even remember the names of the main characters upon leaving the theater. The film follows the mundane life of Princeton admissions officer Portia Nathan, played by Tina Fey, whose job decides the fates of thousands of university hopefuls. Her life suddenly changes when she meets the gifted and intellingent student of local teacher John Pressman, played by Paul Rudd. When she finds out that the student is really her son Jerimiah, played by Nat Woolff, whom she gave up for adoption, Nathan must deal with being a mother to a son whom she barely knows and a budding romance with Pressman. Despite having a cast with famous comedic actors such as Rudd and Fey, the humor throughout the movie was very dry and hardly ever resulted in much laughter. It seemed as if the script, written by Karen Croner who hasn’t worked on a hit movie since the 1990s, focused too much on the drama with Nathan trying to reconnect with her son for an

Listen to “Freshly Popped Culture” with George Mattingly and Misi Jones every Friday at www. houstonianonline.com/a-e/ pop-culture-podcast

Matinee

(any movie before 6pm)

Adults $5 Children $3

AP Photo/Focus Features, David Lee FAKING IT: Tina Fey and Paul Rudd’s forced chemistry distracted from “Admission” and left something to be desired by the audiences.

emotional undertone, and thus the comedy aspect of the movie really suffered. There needed to be a better balance between the two elements to make it a more wellrounded as a romantic-comedy. The idea of Nathan finding her long-lost son was an interesting take for the storyline that was engaging to watch. However, it felt like Weitz was trying too hard to hit the audience with an emotional impact through the storyline. When, in actuality, the audience won’t really know what to feel at the end of the movie besides a simple satisfaction and nothing more. As for the relationships between the characters, especially between Rudd and Fey, their interactions felt forced and not really smooth at all, which disrupted the flow of the movie. Any romantic scenes between the two main actors were placed in random spots that made it awkward to watch. For example,

whenever they started kissing it catches the viewers off guard because there was no romantic build-up before. It was more like the actors were saying their lines and then the director yelled at them to kiss at that one moment. The result was an unnatural flow of scenes. While there is definitely closure with all of the characters by the end of the movie; the ending felt too rushed as if the director just wanted to ensure he tied up all loose ends rather than making it a natural part of the movie. The result was a film that was disingenuine and less captivating than it should have been. Overall, Admission is not a bad movie, it’s just forgettable. Bland characters, an imbalance between the romance and the comedy, and a rushed conclusion leaves this movie with an average rating of 3 out of 5 paws.

Art and Poetry Contest for 2nd Annual Ignite the Night: An Anti-Sexual Violence Program

Dr. Maryam Ilahi, of the Student Counseling Center, is accepting poetry and art submissions regarding sexual violence or abuse. send to:

Dr. Maryam Ilahi Email: MAI005@SHSU.EDU Mailing Address: Box 2059 Huntsville, TX 77341

Deadline for submissions is Thursday, March 28, 2013 by 5:00 p.m. Please include your name, address, phone number, E-mail address, and whether you are a student, faculty, staﬀ at SHSU or a community member. Poems may be read at the Ignite the Night Program on April 10th (your anonymity will be respected if you request it) All submissions will be returned after the event. Selected submissions will be displayed in the LSC Atrium April 3‒10

Winners will receive a FREE Ignite the Night t-shirt.

2nd Annual

Ignite The Night SHSU Counseling Center along with several university and community organizations are collaborating with Huntsville, Texas community to create the 2nd Annual Ignite the Night event.

See new website for movie times huntsvillemovies.com

(936) 291-0248

Facebook.com/ TheHoustonianSHSU

Wednesday, April 10th from 6:00pm.

The Ignite the Night is to promote awareness about and honor survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence on campus and in the broader Huntsville community. Includes speakers and performances

For more information, please contact Dr. Maryam Ilahi at (936) 294-1720

Page 5

Sports

Tuesday, March 26, 2013 houstonianonline.com/sports

Bearkats back to winning

After dropping two consecutive series, the Bearkats defeat Texas A&M Corpus Christi CONNOR HYDE Sports Reporter Starters Cody Dickson and Caleb Smith tossed strong outings against Texas A&M Corpus Christi to claim games one (50) and three (5-3) to clench Sam Houston State’s conference series opener this weekend. Dickson pitched his second complete game shutout against the Islanders Friday with 11 strikeouts as Smith set the tone for the Bearkats in game three with 7 strikeouts and 6 2/3 innings Sunday after Saturday’s extra inning 6-5 loss. The Bearkats (12-11, 2-1 SLC) pitching rotation has struggled early this season establishing strong performances from their pitching rotation and maintaining leads from the bullpen. According to head coach David Pierce, although his pitchers threw strong innings against the Islanders, they’re not where he wants them to be quite yet. “Caleb has some good stuff but he just got high in his pitch count because he tends to leave the ball up,” Pierce said. “I think the fastball was down in the zone but his slider was very average [Sunday]…He did struggle early and he was very good at Baylor so back to back good starts. Wasn’t a great start in his mind and he wants to finish the game.” Smith agreed with Pierce claiming his slider hasn’t been as strong as they’d like and is still struggling to habitually claim the strike zone with first pitch strikes. Andrew Godail’s strong performance in game two went into the sixth inning, but walks and errors continued to cripple the Bearkats bullpen in late innings. “What we need to do is to quit worrying about failing and we got

Alex Broussard | The Houstonian

STEPPING UP: Romero Cortina hit .364 with five RBI’s against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi over the weekend.

to quit worrying about the results instead of freeing our minds up and put the pressure back on the hitter,” Pierce said. “It’s a lot of mental stuff that’s not allowing us to play the game like we’re capable and until we release some of that tension and enjoy the competition, bottom line is we’re going to be a .500 team.” SHSU held a 5-3 lead into the top of the ninth inning in game two when an Islander rally sparked from a Jordan Lee walk followed by two singles from Dominic Lopez and Cody Stephens to even the board five to close the half inning. The Bearkats were

unable to respond with a quick bottom half run and headed into extra innings. Stephens connected in the top of the 11th for a clutch single to score Jason Lee from second to break the tie and close game two with a 6-5 Islander win. “It’s disappointing we worked hard to get that lead in. To see it vanish in the end is really disappointing,” Romero Cortina said. Cortina swung .364 against the Islanders with five RBI’s including a fourth inning rally in game three to extend SHSU’s lead 3-0. “I was just seeing a pitch to

drive and he threw me fastballs and I just swung and hit them, it’s that simple,” Cortina said. “See the ball hit the ball just trying to get a good approach and he threw me a pitch I could hit so I drove it.” Despite struggling in game two, SHSU’s pitching rotation silenced the Islander’s strongest stick, Jonathan Gonzales. “All weekend we wanted to pound him hard away and get ahead and basically elevate him and get him to chase the breaking ball,” Pierce said. “I just think we attacked him very well. He’s very good against pitchers soft in the

zone. He’s very good on hitter’s count with pitches middle/in, we just stayed one pitch ahead of him.” SHSU’s offense connected for a .275 team average against TAMCC and continues to show strong execution in situational at bats and in small ball. Third baseman Kevin Miller and first baseman Ryan O’Hearn sparked a seventh inning rally for two insurance runs in game three with a string of singles to score Hayden Simerly and Carter Burgess. Miller rallied the Bearkats in game two with a slash swing to score Burgess from second and crossed home plate form a Shea Pierce single in the eighth inning. Miller and the latter half of the Bearkat lineup remain the stronghold of SHSU’s offensive attack; accounting for seven of the Bearkats’ 15 runs scored against the Islanders. Pierce said that the top of the lineup set the tone with disciplined plate appearances followed by an aggressive bottom half of the lineup. “Ryan Farney set the tone with a couple of base on balls in the top of the order and that makes guys get deeper in the counts and if you can strive to be disciplined and aggressive in the zone then we get opportunities,” Pierce said. With the early season starters cooling down, bench players, including Cortina and Pierce, have stepped in for Simerly, Spence Rahm and Jesse Plumlee to continue the Bearkats’ strong offensive presence at the plate. “Our bats are hot and I’m sure we’ll [continue] to play [well],” Cortina said. The Bearkats return to Don Sanders to square off against Rice University Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Kats avoid three game sweep with help of long ball CONNNOR HYDE Sports Reporter Coming into their second series of the season, the Sam Houston State softball team avoided a Lamar sweep by Lamar, defeating the Cardinals 6-4 Sunday afternoon. The Bearkats looked promising squaring off against Lamar, winning six of their last seven games. The Cardinals halted the Bearkats’ momentum, sweeping SHSU 9-4 and 5-4 Saturday with help from the long ball. Lamar first baseman Amber McDowell connected twice for two homeruns against SHSU pitcher Shelby Lancaster in the third and sixth inning of game one. McDowell connected big again in game two in the seventh inning to send SHSU into extra innings. Throughout the series the Cardinals accounted for six home runs and a triple with support from catcher Beverly Corry. SHSU’s leads were short-lived as Lamar’s offensive countered any Bearkat rally. In game one, Lamar snapped SHSU’s 4-3 lead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth (two unearned) then gained insurance with a home run in the sixth inning. In game two, Cecilia Castillo put SHSU on the board first with

a solo homerun in the top of the first. Castillo crossed home plate in the fifth inning on an unearned run. Senior outfielder Kim Damien evened the score accompanied by Ashlee Isbell to give SHSU a 4-3 lead in the seventh. Lamar responded with their sixth home run to force extra innings to claim the day sweep in the eighth inning 5-4. SHSU avoided the series sweep Sunday with a 6-4 victory with the aid of the long ball from Shelbi Tucker and Castillo. Castillo ignited the Bearkats early in the first with a double and crossed the plate from an RBI single from Hilary Adams. Tucker extended SHSU’s lead 2-0 with a solo homerun in the top of the second and received insurance in the fifth from an RBI single from Adams for a 4-1 lead. Castillo connected for her second homerun of the day for two runs in the top of the seventh. Meme Quinn (4-4) picked up the win with support from Haley Baros who acquired the save. SHSU will travel to Houston for a midweek game against conference rival Texas Southern Tuesday at 4 p.m. The Bearkats will square off against school and conference rival Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches Friday and Saturday for their third conference series. Games begin at 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Listen to the C & C Sports Factory podcast every Friday on Houstonianonline.com/ sports

Page 6

News

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Campus

Technology

Hacking social media sites Financial Aid ofﬁce creates help become easier with cookies program for graduating students CHRISTIAN VAZQUEZ Staff Reporter Internet users may want to keep an eye on their cookie jar, because a new discovery has linked cookies with hacked social media accounts. Internet researcher Rishi Narang discovered a flaw in the way cookies are used by Twitter, LinkedIn, Microsoft Outlook/Live, and Yahoo. According to Australia’s SC Magazine, Narang found that cookies can be “stolen and used” in a “session fixation” attack. A session fixation is a method of hacking that tricks a victim into using a session identifier chosen by the attacker. If successful, it represents the simplest method with which a valid session identifier can be obtained. One student at SHSU however didn’t find the

exploit a big deal. “If I got hacked like that, I wouldn’t really care,” senior student Christopher Valva said. “It’s just a Twitter account. It’s not my entire life.” If an attacker can intercept cookies while the user is logged in, the attacker could effectively convince the website that their browser is the original user’s browser, gaining “unfettered access” to your account. Not even a password change could keep the attacker out. It goes without saying that this form of hacking only works if the user is logged in, because the cookie is deleted when the user logs out. LinkedIn is an exception however, because sometimes it retains a user’s cookie for three months. Rishi Narang evaluated about how this new exploit affects session management security in his blog.

“Ever since the session management grew complex,” Narang wrote, “its correlation with security has gone for a toss.” SC Magazine also reported that they were able to duplicate Narang’s method to test this exploit’s effectiveness. According to their test, “[They were] able to access various Twitter accounts by inserting the respective alphanumeric ‘auth_ token’ into locally stored Twitter cookies using the Cookie Manager browser extension.” The process of intercepting cookies is tedious and troublesome, but it is hardly beyond the scope of an experienced hacker’s ability. Users of any site should take heed and log out after their session.

AP Photo

COOKIE JAR. A screenshot of the twitter account for the BBC’s weather service on Thursday March 21, 2013. Supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad appear to have hijacked the Twitter account for the BBC’s weather service. The hackers identified themselves as members of the Syrian Electronic Army, a group that has carried out a string of web attacks against targets .

AP Photo/Providence Day School, Katie D. Kirkland

PILOT WHALES. In this photo made available by the Providence Day School in Charlotte, N.C., shows students left to right, Montana Roberts, Bayley Cron and Rachel Rolband, assisting one 19 beached pilot whales on Noordhoek Beach in South Africa Sunday, March 24, 2013. The students on a goodwill mission for spring break, came upon the rescue mission and worked to keep the whales alive for three hours.

SOPHIE NELSON Senior Reporter

Graduating students with loans need to be aware of what they have to do when repaying their loans after getting their degree. The financial aid office has designed a program that will help students with repaying their loans. According to Kimberly Nettles, a counselor in the financial aid office, the department will be hosting a booth across campus in various locations on different days that will be staffed by different counselors from the office in order to answer questions students may have and to give information about the required exit counseling. “This is our first time trying this type of program on campus, and the main goal we are trying to achieve is to reach graduating students every semester.” Nettles said. “ The program is for students who have taken out loans during their college career, and is meant to serve as a reminder that those students need to complete exit counseling, as well as giving more information on what to expect about repaying loans after college.” Nettles said that the information table will be set up all day with handouts available, and counselors will be there to provide any assistance needed, including help finding out who the lenders and servicers are in the student’s loans. Computers will not be included at the site for students to

Loan Payments Program Schedule

Tuesday 3/26 Smith-Hutson Building Dance Theatre Lobby Lee Drain Building Atrium

10am-12pm 1pm-3pm 2pm-4pm

Wednesday 3/27 Art Building Picnic Area

2pm-4pm

Thursday 3/28 School of Music Atrium

2pm-4pm

Tuesday 4/2 CJ Building Lobby University Theatre Lobby

10am-12pm 2pm-4pm

Wednesday 4/3 2nd Floor Thomason Bldg 1st Floor Dan Rather Bldg

10am-12pm 2pm-4pm

Thursday 4/4 CHSS Front Lobby

10am-12pm

Friday 5/3 College of Education

TBA Kayla Stallings | The Houstonian

EDUCATION. This is the first time that the counseling center has implemented a program like this that eductates graduates.

actually complete their exit counseling. Studentloans.gov, the federal website for student loans, is where students are required to complete the exit counseling. According to the website, the exit counseling topics include: understanding the loans,

plans to repay the loans, ways to avoid defaulting, and how to make finances a priority. Nettles said if none of the dates are convenient for a student, they can still come to the main office for any assistance they need.

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