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WHAT’S INSIDE? Scrutiny of Colbert misses point of satire ‘Noah’ film goes against Bible’s current Tennis injuries continues to hurt play

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TOMORROW’S FORECAST

HI: LOW:

BASEBALL PLUMMITS IN SLC STANDINGS

84o 70o

Alex Broussard | The Houstonian

Chance of Rain:

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20%

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Volume 125/ Issue 20

Facebook.com/ TheHoustonian Tuesday, April 1, 2014

CAMPUS

Mold, bugs found in Old Main food JAY R. JORDAN Associate Editor Students have come forward with photos of moldy sandwiches and bug-laced salads that came from Sam Houston State University’s eatery Old Main Market.

Senior saxophone performance major Reese Burgan said he bit into a moldy burger bun Saturday. He said he and his girlfriend also saw mold on multiple buns on the grill as the food was being prepared.

“First of all, we had to check [our buns], and we shouldn’t have to check,” Burgan said. “It was just ridiculous.”

This wasn’t the first incident last week at Old Main Market.

Sophomore music education major James DeBose, Jr. said during his lunch Wednesday he found a bug in the lettuce he was using for a salad.

“They’re supposed to be washing the lettuce before they put it out to eat,” DeBose said. “It kind of makes me wonder, you know, I come in here often to eat salads. Is this the first time, or is this the first time I noticed?”

DeBose said as a student, and ultimately as a customer, he expected better service from the on-campus dining facility.

“Everybody’s paying thousands of dollars just to use this facility, and they’re not being careful enough,” DeBose said. “I could have easily eaten that [bug], gotten some sort of disease and whatever could have happened.”

Old Main Market was subject to a city of Huntsville random health inspection in January when they scored 26 points in

Provided by Reese Burgan and James DeBose, Jr.

MOLD MAIN MARKET. These photos of a moldy bun and lettuce bug were sent to the Houstonian on Sunday after they were taken last week by senior saxophone performance major Reese Burgan (above) and sophomore music education major James DeBose, Jr. (right).

violations for improper cooling, improper cold hold, improper hot hold, dented cans in the dry storage, low water pressure at hand washing stations, and broken pans and utensils. During their mandated reinspection in February (since they made over 20 points in violations), they managed to correct every “critical” violation, according to the city report.

The average violation score for the eatery is 15.75 points in deduction since December 2012. Since then, Old Main Market has received more violation points each time they were inspected with three in December 2012, 15 in April 2013, 19 in August 2013 and finally 26 in January 2014.

Burgan said since Old Main Market is new and markets itself as a healthy option for students, it should strive to be just that.

“I read online that Old Main got a ‘C’ on their health report,” Burgan said. “I think that if they’re going to advertise Old Main as being a healthy choice for students to dine, then they should follow up on their word.

That includes basic things like sanitation, food quality checks and whatever else they need to do to make that happen.”

SH Dining Services issued a statement Monday, stating that they are trying to fix the problem.

“At SH Dining Services, we order fresh bread and produce daily,” the statement said. “We are working with our vendors and setting procedures in place to ensure this does not occur in the future. We will continue to monitor the process.”

SH Dining Services advises students, faculty or staff who find problems with their food to report it to a manager immediately.

Power outage puts Huntsville in the dark HANNAH ZEDAKER Senior Reporter Extensive damage to power lines in the Huntsville area caused a nearly 24-hour power outage as a result of a severe thunder storm that slammed the city Friday.

According to Andy Conner, the senior multimedia specialist for Mid-South Synergy, the outages began at 5:30 p.m. Power wasn’t fully restored until 1:55 p.m. on Saturday.

Roughly 2,900 clients in the Huntsville and Madisonville areas were unable to turn on their lights and televisions or keep their refrigerators cold.

“There was just such a large number of power outages caused by lightning and high winds that crews were having trouble playing catch up as the storm progressed,” Conner said. “Our linemen did a great job and took care of outages

as quickly and safely as possible during the storm.”

One of the main causes of the interference with the power lines was due to hazardously positioned trees, he said.

“During inclement weather like the system that moved through on Friday, high winds, along with dead trees in our service territory, [were] a major contributor to power outages,” Conner said.

According to Ronnie Hale, a Customer Service Representative for Entergy, Friday’s storm was so destructive, it called for the need of a backup crew.

“Certainly we regret that customers had to be without power for that long—that’s our top priority, to restore service as quickly as possible,” Hale said.

“We even brought in additional crews to help the local crews to try to shorten the time frame.”

According to Conner, Mid-

South Synergy utilizes Geographic Information Services to help with their research to stay prepared.

“As a cooperative, we are always trying to be proactive in our approach to maintaining our power lines,” Conner said. “It is our mission to provide a quality service for a reasonable price.

Currently the cooperative employs a GIS department to research data such as lightning strikes in our area to increase efficiency and reduce outage time.”

While businesses on the east side of Huntsville couldn’t service their customers due to the power outages, many businesses on the west side that retained power gained the customers the other businesses lost.

“We benefited from the power outage because we had all the business,” McDonalds Manager Angel Munoz said. “We doubled our sales that we have on a normal

Saturday.”

Likewise, the Sonic on Sam Houston Avenue also increased their profits as a result of the storm.

“We were very busy, being one of the only restaurants open in town,” Sonic Manager James Ferguson said. “It seemed like everyone wanted Sonic those two days.”

According to Conner, MidSouth Synergy will continue to work toward improving their response-time to outage reports.

“In the future we will continue to invest in appropriate technology for the cooperative and implement it into our infrastructure in order to improve our response, in case of an emergency, to ultimately reduce outages times,” Conner said.

Clients can reach the MidSouth Synergy call center to report power outages by calling 936-8255100.

CAMPUS

President’s future in hands of Senate JAY R. JORDAN Associate Editor Student government could have one less member after Tuesday’s general Senate meeting.

Student Body President Ramiro Jaime, Jr. received impeachment charges March 25 for allegedly breaking multiple Student Government Association rules outlined in the Rules and Procedures.

Charges include his alleged failure to appoint six members to the election commission, refusal to allow the Senate to adjourn a meeting without the presence of quorum, and refusal to allow points of order.

Other charges include his alleged refusal to acknowledge motions to overturn a ruling of the chair, unilaterally dismissing two different general Senate meetings, and a “failure to act in a manner befit-

ting to president of the student body in dealing with the members of the student government and student body,” according to the impeachment document.

Jaime, in his defense, said that the reason for his impeachment was personal and had nothing to do with his actions since other members of SGA have allegedly broken rules but haven’t had impeachment charges filed against them.

“They’re trying to impeach me because then [Student Body Vice President Kolby Flowers] becomes the president, and he gets to appoint the election commission,” Jaime said to The Houstonian on March 25. “I’m calling them out. They’re corrupt.”

Jaime also said he doesn’t believe some of the charges are legitimate, including the matters of ap—

SGA, page 6

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IN BRIEF Beardless men need no longer worry. A new surgery has made it possible for anyone to grow a beard. Facial hair implants have begun to gain traction with the patchy beard growers of the world and may be the next step in reclaiming one’s manhood.

The International Court of Justice ordered Japan to stop all whale hunting.

Japan annually holds and permits a whale hunt that has for years earned the scrutiny of numerous nations. Australia challenged Japan’s whaling program leading to the ruling Monday.

Dating site okcupid has removed the sites Mozilla Firefox compatibility after discovering that Mozilla’s new CEO is an opponent of same sex marriage equality. The site continues to support Opera, Safari, Internet Explorer and Google Chrome.

During military drills Monday, North Korea fired at South Korea over the demilitarized zone.

The artillery landed in the South Korean limits of the surrounding water. South Korea responded by firing back into the water surrounding North Korea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claims to be ordering a partial withdraw from Ukraine.

Further details on the movement of Russian troops are unclear at this time. The Russian prime minister arrived in Crimea on Monday to discuss social and economic reform.

Page 2

News

Tuesday, April 1, 2014 houstonianonline.com/news

CAMPUS

April Fools’ prank hits Google Maps KASSIDY TURNPAUGH Assistant News Editor The hunt is on.

The annual Google April Fools’ day celebratory prank has already taken the world by storm by way of a Google Maps update.

Every year, Google amuses its users with an April Fools’ Day prank. This year is no different as people around the world have joined in on the hunt for virtual Pokémon via their smartphones.

As of March 31, Google in conjunction with Pokémon has released an update for iOS and Android phones that use Google Maps.

In this update, users are now able to search the map of the world and find Pokémon that they can then capture. The app then sends said pocket monsters into a newly developed Pokedex file.

This new time-killer also comes with a “challenge” to those interested. The opportunity to become a Pokémon Master and make your 8-year-old self proud is now within arm’s reach.

“Time to become a Pokemon master,” said @Bearkat_Barbie in response to the challenge.

Google has released a video detailing how to become the world’s only Pokémon Master by capturing at least one of every Pokémon in the world.

“I just caught a Luxray on Google Maps,” tweeted @darealJuicyJeff.

“Wait what? So seriously, open search and in google maps app and press start. Catch em all!!”

The prank has garnered more than its fair share of attention on social media sites, and it has also gathered a bit of suspicion.

This isn’t Google’s first experience in pulling off a hoax either. In fact they have been doing this every year since 2002.

In 2013, Google presented Google Nose, which was alleged to be a search engine for smells.

They also introduced a treasure hunt to Google Maps, sending thousands of users searching for imaginary riches.

While Google may dominate in the April hijinks, they are not the only ones celebrating.

In one demonstration of a sense of humor, and knowing its —

FOOLS, page 6

WORLD

Global Center trains overseas CONNOR HYDE Editor-in-Chief BEIRUT – With developing technologies and the growing use of social media as news sources, arts and culture beat reporters across the world are struggling to bridge the gap between critique and gossip.

In an effort to educate and train international journalists covering the arts, Sam Houston State University’s Global Center for Journalism and Democracy (GCJD) co-hosted a cultural journalism conference in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday and Friday.

Journalists from various countries including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, United States, England, France, the Netherlands and Spain gathered to discuss techniques to strengthen reporting in arts and culture.

According to co-host Samir Kassir Foundation’s executive director Ayman Mhanna, the conference was focused on bridging the gap between quality reporting and informing readers of cultural issues and events within their area.

GCJD executive director Kelli Arena said the main goal for the conference was to create an environment for information sharing, debate and discussion about covering arts and culture.

“To be given an opportunity to share thoughts with journalists who cover the same beat you do in different parts of the world is invaluable,” Arena said.

The conference offered two panel discussions and different sessions discussing techniques, including the role of the Internet and video to add depth to culture reporting.

Eric Gonon, vice president of digital media at Louise Blouin Media, offered diverse approaches when using video to complement quality reporting within the arts and culture beat.

“In many ways, arts and culture gets pushed out and isn’t covered as much,” Gonon said. “The idea is to keep the quality up, keep the journalism at high standards and to tell good stories. No matter what the media, no matter if it’s the web, if it’s newspaper, if it’s video, it’s about telling a good story.”

According to Mhanna, the use of video and using the Internet as a tool is pivotal to enhance coverage of arts and culture, not

Connor Hyde | The Houstonian

FREEDOM OF PRESS. (Top) Kelli Arena, executive director of Sam Houston State University’s Global Center for Journalism and Democracy gives her final comments to close the arts and culture training conference in Beirut, Lebanon. (Left) Washington Post reporter Katherine Boyle answers a question from listeners

only in Lebanon, but in different countries as well.

Mhanna said there is a disconnection between cultural journalists working for established media organizations and the growing new art scene.

“These are not getting enough coverage, and there [aren’t] enough skills to identify and understand their culture,” Mhanna said. “The Internet is nothing but a tool. If [reporters] knew how to use it smartly, they

would be able to provide quality reporting, deeper reporting that some new reporters can provide.”

To offer a different perspective to culture reporting, Washington Post cultural reporter Katherine Boyle discussed the business side to the arts. In her presentation, Boyle discussed the importance of data and the flow of money within the art industries.

“I think it’s funny whenever I talk to people in Washington who know my work, or who know what

arts reporting in D.C. is, they’re always surprised on how much numbers play a role, and data is important,” she said. “They don’t really realize how the creative industries are so affected by that as well. I’ve always have had the opinion that arts is a business beat.”

In Lebanon, Mhanna said political reporting drives media organizations with arts and culture issues losing readership.

Because most media organizations in Lebanon are politically connected through funding, the aim is directed towards serving a political purpose of their owner.

However, the arts and culture sector has survived, he said.

Other trainers included exercises for reporters in attendance to practice new approaches to their stories.

Mhanna said with these exercises, he hoped they provided a source of inspiration.

The GCJD is currently planning another conference with the Samir Kassir Foundation to discuss coverage on the oil and gas sector in Beirut during the summer.

TECH

Site lets students rate course syllabi JENNIFER JACKSON Contributing Reporter With registration opening last week, stressed students will be scrupulously choosing which classes they will be taking this summer and fall.

A new website, Syllabusrate.com allows students an inside look into a class before actually registering for it.

The site works similarly to Rate My Professor, but instead students are able to upload, view and rate actual syllabi from classes. This allows for students to see the workload of the class, grading policies, even how strict the professor is about attendance.

Creator Bryan Krajewski came up with the idea in January 2013 after his own personal experience of choosing classes.

Krajewski is a sophomore business major at the University at Buffalo in New York.

“I was a student who would register for the maximum amount of credit hours each semester, get the syllabus on the first day of class, then add and drop courses until I finally got a course load that I liked,” Krajewski said. “The current college and university system is rigorous and students need every advantage that they can get.”

To upload a syllabus, students must create an account, provide the course number, the professor’s name, and the time of the course. The syllabus is rated

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out of five stars and users are able to leave comments about the course.

Junior theater major at Sam Houston State University Emily Allen said the site would definitely be helpful in choosing what class to take.

“It would be useful to see other student’s feedback about a course and see what the syllabus looks like before making a choice in taking that class,” Allen said.

The site launched December 2013 but already has 25 to 50 schools with participating students, according to Krajewski.

“We passed out flyers, gave away free merchandise, and had different representatives go to different schools to spread the word,” Krajewski said.

Krajewski has reported all positive feedback from users so far.

While many university students who create websites might hope to be the next Mark Zuckerberg, Krajewski says he is not in it for fame or fortune.

“I want the site to provide help for other students like me,” Krajewski said. “I didn’t create it just to make money.”

Krajewski hopes the site will continue to grow and become a central hub for students when choosing classes.

Currently, no students from Sam Houston State University have uploaded a syllabus to the site. However, SHSU users who register can search for the university and upload the first syllabus.

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May 15, 2014

Page 3

Viewpoints

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

SHSU deserves a new SGA SPENCER COPELAND DREW CARSON TYLER LIVEZEY SAMUEL IREDIA ROBERT FERGUSON SGA Ticket

Student Body, It is yet again time for the annual Student Government Association elections. Over the last year, you have seen and read many concerning articles. We saw everything from impeachments to resignations to Supreme Court hearings, all of which are deeply troubling.

With all of this controversy, I am sure many of you have lost faith in one of the only institutions you have to raise concerns to the University Administration and seek solutions to your problems.

Most of you reading this don’t

even know what the Student Government Association is, and even fewer of you care. This makes me cringe. Our university system affords us a great opportunity to make real changes in the lives of each and every student, a task not truly seen or felt in many years.

Why is it that an institution that has the opportunity to make real changes hasn’t? The only reason the Senate isn’t doing great things is due to the caliber of its leaders.

While much of the current leadership has little to show for a year in office, let me tell you about the good we have done.

Tyler Livezey and Spencer Copeland took charge of Bearkat All Paws In and, with the help of the Senate, had one of the largest turnouts, more than 800 volunteers, in its five-year history. As a team we have been championing safety and compliance with the law here on campus. The University Affairs Department, chaired by Spencer

Copeland with members Robert Ferguson and Samuel Iredia, led the Senate in creating a report detailing safety concerns, code violations and other student concerns.

Not only did we create this report, but we also worked handin-hand with the administration to follow through with your concerns. We have worked not only with the university but also with the Huntsville City Council to try and solve student concerns.

Due to the work of Ferguson, sidewalks are being laid near University House, and special crosswalks are being installed throughout the city for visually impaired students.

In terms of interfacing with the University, Drew Carson has led a project with the help of numerous university departments that is looking into standardizing the architecture on campus.

When faced with student concerns about class requirements

that appeared to be either unethical or even illegal, we were the leaders in the Student Government Association who worked with department chairs and deans to try and solve your problems.

Outside of SGA, you know us.

We are your fraternity brothers, we worship with you in your small group, we stand next to you in your squad for 6 a.m. workouts, we are your ambassadors, we are your leaders and your followers, and most of all, we are your friends.

We have been here for you, we are here for you, and we will always be here for you.

It is time that we have a change in our government. It is time that we stand up and be heard.

We deserve an SGA that really works for you. We deserve better leadership. We deserve a new SGA.

PAWS UP

PAWS UP to April Fools’ Day: Just play it safe today, and assume everything you read or hear is a lie, including this newspaper.

PAWS UP to MLB Opening Day: No matter which team you support, they’re in the race, except the Astros.

SOCIAL MEDIA

#CancelColbert misguided MONTY SLOAN Columnist What does it take to get on Twitter’s bad side?

Stephen Colbert found out Wednesday after a tweet from his hit television show’s account (not Colbert’s personal account) made one “Twitter activist” so pissy she rounded up her fellow twitterizens, got good and angry and made the hashtag #CancelColbert a thing.

The offending tweet?

“I am willing to show #Asian community I care by introducing the Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever.”

Well, that is pretty offensive, but as some of you quick-witted readers might know, Colbert’s show is satire.

The tweet was part of a long joke highlighting Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder and his plan to found an organization to help “original Americans” and try and lose some of the bad press he’s received over his refusal to change the Redskins name.

You see kids, by doing the same thing Snyder’s trying to do, only in a slightly more “in your face” manner, Colbert has not only made it obvious why Snyder’s plan is outrageously offensive, but he’s made it comically obvious. This is

satire.

Suey Park, the writer and activist who started the #CancelColbert hashtag, doesn’t like satire. Or maybe she doesn’t get it. She claims to understand the concept several times in her tweets, a claim that is always followed by the statement “I’m a writer.”

What does Park write? She blogs at website called Critical Spontaneity and tweets. A lot.

She’s most known for her work on Twitter coming up with hashtags like #NotYourAsianSidekick, #BlackPowerYellowPeril and #HowIMetYourRacism. As far as I can tell, that doesn’t make her the Ernest Hemingway of our generation and certainly doesn’t mean she should end every tweet with “I’m a writer.” Just who is she trying to convince, other Twitter users or herself?

Park hit gold with #CancelColbert as Twitter was flooded with the tag by left wing and Asian activists pissed at Colbert for the tweet he didn’t send. Right wing celebrities like Michelle Malkin, author of “In Defense of Internment,” got in on the act too, excited for a chance to watch the left eat its own.

The hashtag eventually got enough legs that it made headlines and Park was invited to be on HuffPost Live, where host Josh Zepps told her, “No one’s minimalizing your experiences, no one’s minimalizing your right to have an opinion. It’s just a stupid opinion.”

Deadspin also posted a piece critical of Park’s campaign and its taking attention away from Snyder and his real-life acts of overt racism.

Things got weird. Park took all the negative press to mean that she, as a woman, wasn’t being

taken seriously.

Park and her 10 or so best Twitter buds all changed their accounts to have “male” names.

The now named Stewy Park (later “Hulk Stewy Park”) began tweeting a bizarre rash of tweets about hitting the gym, drinking protein shakes and hanging with her “dudebros.”

In a conversation with one of the other gender changing twitterites she explained the genius behind the sex change.

“DUDE – I thought we didn’t get satire though Punked ya,” she tweeted.

Ummm, excuse me? Someone stop the train. What the fuck?

Who are you punking? What is the satire here? What injustice are you shining light upon by changing your twitter name and calling your friends “dudebros?”

We clearly can’t stop here, nope.

Park kept the crazy going on into late Sunday night, toggling that caps lock key and shooting out five tweets in three minutes “explaining” that her new plan was to “act crazy” because no matter what, everyone is just going to write her off as crazy anyways.

Specifically, people will consider her crazy, because she’s an Asian woman, certainly not because she is indeed having a breakdown and at least temporarily crazy.

One tweet eloquently described her new plan.

“MY NEXT PHASE OF THIS SHIFTING PUBLIC PERSONA IS ‘PERFORMING CRAZY’ AS A POLITICAL STATEMENT ON RACE/SEX BEING READ AS CRAZY NO MATTER WHAT,” which she further explained when she typed “BECAUSE WHITE MEN’S JOKES ARE FUNNY AND NUANCED, BUT WOMEN OF COLOR ARE READ AS LITERAL AND ONE-

DIMENSIONAL NO MATTER WHAT.” No Stewy (Suey?), Colbert’s jokes are funny and nuanced because he and his team of writers are funny. Your jokes aren’t funny because you haven’t told any jokes.

You just broke down in front of the world on Twitter.

Hey, I’ve been wrong before, but never on such a public stage.

Social media is a scary place to screw up, but no one at the Huffington Post contacted me for an interview when I cried in class over my first F in the Sixth grade.

Unfortunately, this story doesn’t have a wrapped up ending, Park has sent out more than 300 more tweets since I began writing this article. Currently she’s engaged in a feud over the #builddontburn hashtag that she believes is an attack on her.

I wonder what the intern who shot out that original tweet on The Colbert Report’s account thinks about all of this. The real issue here is how much attention one twitterer’s hissy fit has taken away from the very real issue of Snyder and his offensive new organization.

Regardless of where one falls on the debate over the NFL franchise’s name, at least there’s a vibrant and productive conversation to be had on the legacy of Native American representations and pejoratives as sports mascots.

By turning an over-the-top joke about Dan Snyder’s misguided attempt to atone for his team’s controversial name into a debate about satire, Park turns the spotlight onto herself and her 140 character grievances.

This does nothing but subvert the legitimate concerns of Native Americans about an NFL team named the Redskins.

PAWS UP to SHSU Softball: First conference sweep of the year this weekend. Keep it up!

PAWS DOWN

PAWS DOWN to Facebook: The social network bought a virtual reality company last week.

Finally, you cannot only see, but EXPERIENCE, all the Futurama memes your creepy ex-suitemate posts Saturday nights.

PAWS DOWN to Caterpillar: The machine manufacturer is accused of skirting a $2.4 billion federal tax obligation. That’s a lot of money.

PAWS DOWN to University of Arizona: Riots broke out around campus after the school’s NCAA Tournament loss. Sports is no reason to riot, no matter the result.

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

Tuesday, April 1, 2014 houstonianonline.com/a-e

REVIEW

‘Noah’ misses the boat for many PARBATTEE MAHARAJ Contributing Reporter God was angry and flooded the world but even though “Noah” was warned, he still missed the boat.

“Noah” has received some pretty heavy criticism from movie goers and critics alike since its release Friday.

The movie is based on a Biblical story from Genesis 6-9, but director Darren Aronofsky’s interpretation should be taken with a grain of salt.

In the original story, God was displeased with the wickedness of men on Earth and in turn sent a great flood to rid the world of sinners.

However, before this subsequent reversal of creations, He gave detailed instructions to the righteous man Noah to build an arc that would save himself, his family and two of almost every animal found on the Earth.

According to Faith Driven Consumer, a group dedicated to living all aspects of life through faith, the movie does not convey the message of the Bible verse giving the movie only two out

of five stars in the Overall Faith/ Biblical Reference category.

“While the dominant biblical theme of God’s decision in Genesis 6-9 to destroy the world because of mankind’s overarching wickedness and sin is clearly presented in NOAH, the messianic message of the ark as a safe vessel through which God’s righteous ones will be delivered from the coming judgment is lost,” the reviewer wrote.

There were numerous discrepancies between the Biblical and film versions of the story, and the Faith Driven Consumer was not afraid to make their displeasure unknown.

“Oddly, biblical themes not found in the Genesis account are present in NOAH, including a barren womb miraculously opened not by God, but by Methuselah, who is depicted as a magical wizard with supernatural powers dispensing godly wisdom from his guru mountaintop cave.”

Among the other categories Faith Drive Consumer ranked “Noah” were Faith-Compatible Depiction of Character and Character Relationships (two out of five), Faith-Compatible Depiction of Situations (2.5

and pieces from other religions and mythologies.

“This is an immense, weird, ungainly, often laughably overwrought and silly movie, an amalgamation of elements from various literary and cinematic forebears. Aronofksy will rightly be criticized for adding a lot of images and notions that make Noah’s story less, rather than more, special,” Seitz said.

A more positive review came from Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers claiming “this is not in any The Associated Press kind of scripture. This is saying, DON’T ROCK THE BOAT. Noah, portrayed by Russell Crowe, leads his ‘What if any of this happen?’” family and animals aboard the arc as the flood begins in the movie “Noah.”

What appear to be semi-positive reviews on first read actually seem out of five), Family Viewing has a problem with “Noah.” more like jabs at a failed attempt “Noah is a bizarre movie,” Stability (two out of five), and to reach those who watched it for Entertainment Value (1.5 out of Matt Zoller Seitz, movie critic the Biblical appeal after closer for rogerebert.com said.

“More five). inspection.

“In the run up to the release of specifically, ‘Noah’ is writer“In the case of ‘Noah’, Noah, we asked our community director Darren Aronofksy’s Paramount has left untold millions whether or not they would be interpretation of the story of of dollars on the table. This movie Noah and flood.

He’s made a few satisfied with a Biblically-themed will be remembered by the faith movie which replaces the Bible’s changes. Okay, more than a few. community as an epic missed core message with one created by Way more. This is the Book of opportunity, ” said Stone.

Hollywood, and 98% responded Genesis after a page one rewrite.”

Even though the “Noah” was Some of the things Seitz that they would not” Chris the highest grossing film at the Stone, founder of Faith Driven criticized is how Aronofksy box office this weekend, not even incorporated earlier film Consumer, said. stone giants from the heavens It seems that Faith Driven adaptions of the story into the could keep it afloat as it continues movie and how there were bits Consumer is not the only one who to sink with faith-based audiences.

DANCE

Senior dance thesis highlights trust KIZZIE FRANK A&E Editor To chassé into the final leg of Sam Houston State University’s dance season, two senior dancers collaborated to personify trust and inner conflict.

SHSU dance majors Travis Prokop and Alicia Carlin choreographed and designed their concert entitled “Nuance.”

In a two part show, Prokop and Carlin interchanged dancers in various aerial and contemporary styles.

With a packed house, the show opens with Carlin’s work, titled, “Heart Strings.” The first piece was well populated with seven cloths attached to the ceiling, two of which were looped around a steal ring in center stage.

Carlin’s half focuses on the ability to trust the equipment the dancers weaved their bodies in and out of. To add imagery to the underlying theme of trust, Carlin said the aerial techniques with climbing the cloth stresses the trust between her and Prokop.

“There is one where Travis has to hold up one of the dancers while they’re both suspended in the air,” Carlin said. “I was thinking about how could I take it and give it more meaning than just people climbing on a cloth.”

Self-trust, trust in a group and blind trust were all a part of Prokop’s work, he said. During his segment, the dancers needed to trust each other to not drop, cut, or run into walls, he said.

In one of his pieces, Prokop casted a girl that dances with scissors for the entirety of the dance. She playfully twirls around on the ground, and ends up balancing on his knees as he sits in a barber’s chair.

Prokop also brought back one of his pieces entitled “Waiting Room” that was originally performed a few years ago and starred Prokop. However, Prokop allowed senior dance major Cordarrel White to take his place in the cast.

The music in the show ranges anywhere from the “Aladdin” soundtrack, to Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata,” in an effort to appeal to a wide range of the audience, Prokop said.

“We want to appeal to more than the people we see every day,” he said.

According to Prokop and Carlin, they trust that the audience will have enjoyed their work as much as they did.

At the end of every piece in each half, the audience rose to their feet, producing a roaring applause in the Concert Hall.

According to junior Forensic Chemistry major Jonothan Love, the lighting of the performance was different from what he has seen at other performances.

“You don’t see lighting like that in every show,” he said. “It was overall an excellent thesis.”

For more information about upcoming shows and performances visit www.shsu. edu/academics/fine-arts-andmass-communication.

Dat Nguyen | The Houstonian

HOLDING ON. Travis Prokop and Alicia Carlin have choreographed a thesis concert as a stepping stone in their climb to graduation.

Travis Prokop (LEFT) hangs onto, dancer, Abby Flowers, displaying their vulnerability to one another.

The two trust eachother enough to be suspended in the air by a mear strip of cloth. At “Nuance” dancers climbed and made a leap of faith to the other side of Prokop’s wall of trust (TOP).

REVIEW

Memoir brings light to softer hardships RAVEEN JOHNSON Staff Reporter Emmanuel Sloat shares negative and positive life experiences in hopes of inspiring and healing in his book of short stories, Bring Forth the Light.

If there ever came a time where the life of one being could be used to inspire the masses, that time would match the exact moment that Emmanuel Sloat decided to publish his memoir, “Bring Forth the Light.”

Sloat shares his personal beliefs and life experiences as a medium, healer, and human being in hopes of encouraging people to let go of their egos. He also focuses on holding tight to a life that is filled with love, light, freedom and inspiration.

Although his stories seem to be a bit hard to believe, the book’s

themes are directed to help people understand that circumstances do not have to determine choices when it comes to loving and letting go.

Throughout the memior, Sloat talks about the defining moments in his life that have molded him into the person that he is. Some of those moments are as casual as meeting a stranger at a bus stop.

With 21 chapters, the memoir is more like a collection of short stories. Each story teaches a different lesson, but they also tend to revisit the same points that were made in previous chapters.

There is no particular order in the way that the chapters are arranged. The arrangement makes the book more relatable, as the events in our lives are also not arranged in any particular order.

The theme throughout the book is mainly inspiration and light,

most noticeable in the quotes that he places at the end of every chapter.

At the end of chapter 14 he writes “be someone’s inspiration” in response to a woman named Martha who was denied membership to a church because of her skin color.

Each quote is laced with some message of love or inspiration and placed specifically where they are so as to confirm the message of the chapter if the reader may have missed it while reading.

“Love is always the key to happiness,” Sloat said at the end of chapter 16. He realized that the love he displayed with his wife affected people around him in a positive light.

Sloat frequently discusses times when spirits of the deceased will speak through him, or his wife, in order to reach other people and

to reaffirm his purpose in this world.

Sloat’s reemerging theme of honesty can be easy to overlook when the grammatical aspect of the book seems to be neglected.

There are instances where the stories seem rushed with missing words, lack of punctuation, and plenty of misspellings to drive your inner English teacher up the wall.

Initially, it is difficult to accept the “uniqueness” of the book and of its author, but it is easily appreciated towards the closing chapters. It turns out to be nothing but a person sharing his own life with the rest of the world.

Come celebrate our most beloved citizen.

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Page 5

Sports

Tuesday, April 1, 2014 houstonianonline.com/sports

SOFTBALL

SHSU dethrones Lamar in sweep MARISSA HILL Sports Reporter

Alex Broussard | The Houstonian

REVAMPED. After falling Tuesday night 12-0 to Baylor, head coach Bob Brock’s squad turned things around to sweep first place Lamar University this past weekend.

The broom came out this weekend at the Bearkat Softball Complex as Sam Houston State completed the sweep against Lamar on Sunday in an 8-3 rout.

The Bearkats defeated the Cardinals in a doubleheader on Saturday 1-0 and 3-2, knocking Lamar out of first place and into the third spot in Southland Conference standings.

Junior shortstop Tayler Gray credits the series sweep to their game approach.

“We set specific goals and we accomplished them,” she said. “We were solid on both ends of the game.”

SHSU used sacrifice flies to their advantage in the doubleheader, wielding the weapon in the sixth inning of both contests.

Another weapon in the Bearkats’ arsenal was senior pitcher Shelby Lancaster, who pitched her second shutout this season in the series opener.

During her tenure on the mound, she spread five hits over seven innings of play.

In the second game Saturday, SHSU appeared on the scoreboard first with a run from freshman infielder Tori Koerselman in the bottom of the first inning.

Koerselman drew a walk and reached second from a sacrifice fly. The freshman infielder found home plate from a single from senior outfielder Cecilia Castillo.

Lamar tied the game up in the third inning and then capitalized on two SHSU errors, giving the Cardinals a 2-1 advantage.

However, sophomore catcher Tiffany Castillo answered the Cardinals with her fourth home run of the season, tying the game 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth.

Senior second baseman Alyssa Coggins sealed Lamar’s fate in the bottom of the sixth with a triple to right centerfield. She was brought in by first baseman Sarah Allison, giving the Bearkats the 3-2 victory.

“We knew it was going to be tough playing Lamar,” SHSU head coach Bob Brock said. “We needed

to stay focused on Sunday.”

The momentum carried over into Sunday’s game for the Bearkats as they capitalized on a Lamar error early that allowed Koerselman on base quickly followed by a double from the bat of junior Hillary Adams.

Tiffany Castillo came behind the Koerselman run and slammed a homer, giving SHSU a 3-0 lead.

The Bearkats continued to pour their offense on as Adams led-off the fourth inning with her 29th career home run.

The Cardinals cut the lead down to two in the fifth inning, 5-3, but Allison batted in two more runs to seal the victory.

“We are on a high right now,” Gray said. “We’re going to do everything we can to stay on it.”

SHSU will begin a seven-game road swing next week, opening up with Northwestern State on Saturday.

First pitch is set for 2 p.m. in Natchitoches, La.

BASEBALL

Demons demolish Bearkat baseball ROBERT SANDOVAL Contributing Reporter

The Bearkats lacked consistency and firepower this weekend during their threegame series against the Northwestern State Demons, dropping the series 2-1.

SHSU continues to fall in Southland Conference standings, now ranked ninth after two devastating weeks to open the conference season.

The Demons set the tone early in the series, demolishing the Bearkats 12-1 Friday.

Although the Bearkats rebounded with a 9-4 win in game two, SHSU dropped the series Sunday with a 3-1 loss. SHSU’s bullpen struggled to maintain composure on the mound as 11 Demon batters were beamed at the plate.

Following a two-hour rain delay Friday, The Bearkats’ offense was limp as they could only muster one run off freshman Hunter

Courson’s homerun in the ninth to avoid the shutout.

Starting junior pitcher Tyler Eppler held off Northwestern State through the eighth inning, allowing only three runs. He left the game in the hands of freshman Seth Holbert, junior Cole Foster and sophomore Jordan Church.

And the Demons offense took advantage of the changes on the bump.

Northwestern State torched SHSU for nine runs, including eight that were unearned, in the ninth inning.

However, there was a spark of light Saturday when SHSU turned things around to even the series at 1-1, with strength at the plate.

Centerfielder Colt Atwood headed the offensive charge finishing the afternoon 3-for-5 and two RBIs as the Bearkat lineup fed off his production. First baseman Ryan O’Hearn connected for three hits and two RBIs. Overall the Bearkats connected for 15 hits and drove in nine runs with production stemming from the front three and bottom of the lineup.

“We actually left some runs out there but when you get six hits and four RBIs from your one and two hole hitters, you’re usually going to have some production and we got some production from the bottom of the order too,” head coach David Pierce said. “Overall we have a very balanced team, and if we can get things going we can put pressure on people.”

The Bearkats set the pace for the game with a four-run fourth inning, which proved to be the difference maker. SHSU

maintained their pose, holding on to a 7-3 lead after the fourth and never giving the Demons a fighting chance.

Freshman Sam Odom got the win on Saturday after he came onto the mound to replace starter Dirk Masters.

Masters only lasted three and two-thirds innings after allowing three runs. Odom played maid, cleaning up the line-up by pitching five and one-third innings and only giving up one earned run on two hits.

The win set up the rubber match for Sunday.

The Bearkats slipped back to sloppy ways with dormant bats. SHSU only managed to edge one man across home plate off of junior outfielder Hayden Simerly’s line drive homer.

The Demons’ bullpen breezed through the Kats’ lineup as Steven Spann and Austin Tanner combined for five strikeouts, seven hits and one earned run.

Senior Bearkat starting pitcher Jason Simms tossed five innings and gave up two earned runs on five hits. Senior Alan Scott handled the Demons in four innings of work, giving the Demons one hit and no earned runs.

However, hit batters played a key role in the series closer, as the Demons had five base runners from hit batters.

“It was one of those days where we didn’t pitch well at that moment of truth when we needed to,” Pierce said.

SHSU will look to clean up the mistakes on the mound as they head to Oklahoma to face Oral Roberts for a three-game series.

First pitch of the series is Friday at 6:30 p.m.

TENNIS

Injuries continue to strain Kats AUSTIN SMITH Contributing Reporter It was the same ol’ thing.

Just a different day.

Sam Houston State tennis lost 1-6 to Central Arkansas Friday at the McAdams Tennis Center, falling for the seventh straight time in what has been a very chaotic season for the Bearkats.

After Saturday’s loss, the Bearkats have sunk deeper in Southland Conference standings, ranked 11th above University of Incarnate Word and Oral Roberts.

Senior Imke Jagua, senior Kayla Stevenson and freshman Isabella Costa each lost their singles matches 0-6, 2-6.

Senior Natalie Petaia lost the third singles spot in a tiebreaker before sophomore Karen Martinez won the fourth singles spot in a tiebreaker.

The Bearkats were forced to withdraw from two matches in the number three doubles match and the number six singles match due to injuries to senior Olivia Battye and sophomore Maddie Mortimore.

“Everyone knew it would be a challenge

playing with only five and having to have everyone on the team move up in the lineup,” head coach Jim Giachino said.

“It’s very difficult to give any team in our conference the advantage of free points and hope to win.”

The lone bright spot of the match was Martinez’s win. Martinez, a first year transfer student, has improved after falling into a mild slump.

“Karen is a great fighter,” Giachino said.

“No matter where I put her in the line-up, I know that she is always going to have a chance to win her match.”

Giachino said he does not know when Battye and Mortimore will be able to return from their injuries.

“We really have no idea when [Battye’s] concussion will allow her to start training and competing again, and the same goes for Maddie’s calf,” Giachino said. “Until that happens, the rest of the team simply has to step up, put more on their shoulders, and fight through adversity.”

The Bearkats return to action Saturday as they travel to Texas-A&M Corpus Christi before heading out to San Antonio for a match against Incarnate Word Sunday.

Be sure to follow @HoustonianSport on Twitter for all things Bearkat sports!

Page 6 Tuesday, April 1, 2014 houstonianonline.com/news

CAMPUS

Bills to change homecoming, Senate

JAY R. JORDAN Associate Editor

Student government could change who’s allowed on the Homecoming ballot for each respective position, Homecoming King and Homecoming Queen.

Student Affairs Chief Alex Rangel wrote and sponsored Senate Bill S14-21, which will remove the gender qualifications for each respective position.

“It’s something that I don’t think serves any purpose,” Rangel said.

“The division of homecoming representatives, for one male and one female to be coupled off, sends a very tangible message about what we look like as a campus.”

The bill will mend the Student Government Association Election Code by eliminating each reference of “male” when in the context of a prospective homecoming king and “female” with the prospective homecoming queen and replace them with “student.” The bill will also change the filing name requirements from full first and last name to “last name and preferred first.”

“I think opening it up to allow anybody run for whatever position

they’d like to allows students the ability to express themselves and the student body to decide how they want to be represented in such a way to be limited,” Rangel said. “I do believe having a male and a female representative in that context does limit the university and limit the student body in how we choose to express ourselves.”

Rangel is also introducing Senate Bills S14-20 and S1422, which will, upon ultimate approval by students, make the executive branch a separate entity from the student Senate and create a speaker of the house.

Currently, the student body president holds the position of the senate’s parliamentarian. Rangel said this is a practice seldom used in student governments.

“It makes sense that the Senate should be able to take actions and act independently from the student body officers, because the decisions of the Senate don’t have anything to do with the president,” Rangel said. “The president’s elected to represent the student body as a whole, and we, as Senators, are elected to represent our colleges.”

Independent research conducted by Rangel, coupled

with his experience in this year’s general senate meetings, led him to write and sponsor this legislation.

During 2014’s Bearkat All Paws In, he spoke with members from Stephen F. Austin State University’s SGA who run their meetings similar to the way the legislation is proposing.

He also said the change will model the United States government more closely in sharing the three-branch system.

“I found that this is something that’s common,” he said. “I know we’ve tried really hard to model our structure for our student Senate after the way that Congress is set up and to be reflective of that, so we can truly be learning about the process and have our lessons we learn here to translate meaningfully into the real world. I believe this is a step towards that.”

SGA will meet in the Lowman Student Center room 320 at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Follow us today! @TheHoustonian

Brynn Castro | The Houstonian

AGAIN. Student Affairs Chief Alex Rangel reads similar LGBT legislation Nov. 19, 2013. Rangel has been proactive with his role of student affairs chief by introducing moe than 5 pieces of LGBT equality legislation.

JUMPS

SGA,

page 1

pointing members to the election commission.

“They stated… that I refused to do this, and I refused to do that,” Jaime said. “I’m not refusing to appoint anyone.”

As for Jaime unilaterally adjourning multiple meetings without the Senate’s vote, he said he had to power to do so since the SGA Constitution didn’t state he

couldn’t.

“There’s nothing barring me from adjourning the meeting,” Jaime said. “The [SGA] Constitution is supposed to be a restriction, that’s all it’s supposed to be, and if it’s not stated, that’s the thing. I didn’t break any rule, because there’s no rule.”

However, Jaime also agreed that the rule stating that “all that’s allowed” in a Senate meeting with no quorum is a quorum call,

motion to recess and motion to adjourn. In the March 18 special session in which Jaime adjourned the Senate without its approval, there was at least a motion and a second to adjourn by two senators.

FOOLS,

page 1

customer base far too well, TicTacs announced its plans for a

new shake-less pack. Instead, the iconic breath mints will roll their way into silence.

Virgin America and and thermostat maker Nest Labs have even joined in on the fun with the new “personalized climate control at 35,000 feet.” The airline boasts its new individual climate control as a revolution not unlike seatback entertainment 20 years ago.

Domino’s also decided to show off its bread bowl-spoofing edible

pizza box. Made using a “patented crust technology,” according to the pizza giant, it is perfect for “sharing tearing and dipping.”

Of course, each of these should be taken with a grain of salt.

Still all in good humor and fun, companies continue to tout their ability to think outside of the box for each hoax they produce.

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