TODAY’S FORECAST
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Alex Broussard| The Hosutonian
The SHSU baseball team lost series to Oral Roberts University in three games.
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Sodomy laws still on books in some states shows they’re behind the times
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www.HoustonianOnline.com
Volume 123 / Issue 26
“Pirates of Penzance” to open in SHSU Theatre department
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Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Kats rally to help victims of explosion CHEYENNE SIMPSON Multimedia Reporter In the midst of homework, exams and presentations, Sam Houston State University students took time out of their busy lives to raise more than $2,000 to help a town in need. Bearkats rallied together last weekend to help the town of West, Texas, recover from an industrial explosion that killed 14 residents, injured 200 and destroyed more than 50 homes and business buildings. Metrisa Wagner, president of KHRASH (Kinesiology, Health, Recreation Association for Sam Houston) said she wanted to join forces with other organizations so that a bigger impact could be made in helping the citizens of West recover. “We are really grateful for all of the donations,” Wagner said, “We are really grateful that the student body, the staff and faculty stepped up and the corporation we had with the administration… they have shown so much support to make this student initiative happen.” While KHRASH organized the fundraiser, 14 other organizations joined the cause, taking their respective buckets around campus collecting as much money as they
could. Even though the purpose of the fundraiser is to raise money for the residence of West, students still took the opportunity to have a friendly competition to see who could raise the most money in one day. Block & Bridle, an animal science organization, placed first, collecting more than $400. Psi Chi came in second by raising more than $200, and Raven Films were third, collecting more than $100. Other participating organizations were Student Nurse Association, APICS, SGA, Zeta Phi Beta, Lambda Chi Alpha, Omega Phi Chi, Lambda Theta Alpha, With A Grain of Salt and an individual participant, Alex Cuevas. Robert Ferguson, a sophomore biology student and SGA senator at SHSU, said he is proud of his fellow Bearkats and their efforts to help families like his. Ferguson said he has family in West who’s home was destroyed in the explosion. After raising money on campus, students traveled to West to handdeliver the aid Donations to the town of West can be made through KHRASH or the Department of Student Activities.
Photo by Metrisa Wagner
SMALL DONATION, BIG ISSUE. Members of KRASH hand deliver the money the organization and 14 others to victims of the explosion that rocked the town of West, Texas. A fertilizer plant caught fire and eventually exploded killing an unknown number of citizens and firefighters and leveling buildings in the vacinity.
North Korean threat becoming ‘more serious’ for South
AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon
PERCHED AND WAITING. A South Korean army soldier rests on an armored vehicle during an annual military exercise in Paju near the border with North Korea, South Korea on Monday, Apr. 22 due to increased nuclear tensions.
JAY R. JORDAN Senior Reporter The threat of nuclear war with North Korea may not be a likely worry for many students at SHSU, but for South Korean students and other students on campus with family and friends in the Asian nation, the threat is getting more
serious every day. North Korea’s latest threats have put the nation on the United States’ radar. After North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un came to power in 2011, nuclear threats have grown. Jong-Un claims to have nuclear warheads ready to strike against South Korea, and many missile
tests attest to these claims. Although, many military experts say that it is highly unlikely that North Korea possesses the nuclear warheads, according to Fox News. International student Seogyeong Park is from South Korea and said that while there is a threat from North Korea, life in South Korea is still relaxed.
“Korean people tend to forget easily, especially for North Korea’s threat,” Park said. Actually, many Koreans think ‘that’s just nothing, maybe they need rice, money, or something’. Especially, men think this way more than women do, since they trained a lot in army and they believe war will not happen that easily.” Before Park came to SHSU, North Korea bombarded the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, killing two soldiers, two residents and injuring about 20 people. “After that bombardment, it was tense, but soon the tension was decreased,” Park said. “I think until both countries communicate it won’t be changed, but as I said [earlier] a lot of Korean people live normally already.” Park said she decided to attend SHSU because she wanted to experience different cultures that she couldn’t experience in South Korea. She is a double major in international trade and English. Junior accounting major Brittany Cook also has ties to South Korea. Her childhood friend is stationed with the U.S.
Army in South Korea. She said that he has been in South Korea for a little over a year. “He’s coming home for a week in May, but then he’s going back until September,” Cook said. “He was going to stay, but when all of this started happening with North Korea, he asked to be transferred somewhere else.” Cook said since tensions with North Korea escalated, communication with her friend has become scarce. “He’s limited on what he can say,” Cook said. “It hasn’t gotten bad enough to where they’ve been put on lockdown, but we also used to talk on a daily basis and I haven’t talked to him in two weeks.” Though President Barack Obama doesn’t believe North Korea has the capabilities to possess a nuclear warhead, he said that Jong-Un should stop threatening nuclear war. “Now is the time for North Korea to end the belligerent approach that they’ve been taking,” Obama said. “Nobody wants to see a conflict on the Korean peninsula.”
Bill orders increased transparency to help educate students on cost SAMANTHA DAVIS Staff Reporter Texas Senate Bill 1531 was proposed to increase education students on these costs and what they can do to combat them, according to the Texas legislator who authored the bill. The bill requires “general academic teaching institutions to provide first-time entering undergraduate students, including transfer students, a statement that compares the average total academic costs of graduating in four, five and six years,” according to Texas Sen. Kel Seliger’s (R-District 31) higher education bill analysis. Senior mass communication major Stephanie Bray said knowing costs earlier can stave
off potential financial pitfalls later in educational careers. “Money is a big reason why people don’t get to go to college,” Bray said. “I had to take a year off between my freshman and sophomore year because I underestimated the costs. It’s definitely useful information that students need to know. It makes you think about not changing your major, wasting time as an undecided, and more.” The average tuition cost per academic year for students at Texas universities is $7,625 for 15 hours. The bill also requires schools to supply an estimate of the average pay lost by recent graduates due to late graduation. In addition, SB-1531 requires schools to include informational tools detailing steps that students can take to graduate on time, as
well as offices they can contact for assistance. “As the youngest of three and the first to go to university right after high school almost completely blind, I think it’s a pretty decent idea so new students can get an idea of what they are dealing with,” freshman forensic chemistry major James Ross said. Some upperclassmen say they go their entire academic career and not find out crucial information until too late. “If students exceed 120 hours, they will be charged out-of-state tuition, which students usually don’t know,” junior English major Regan Joswiak said. “If they can have access to the costs of graduating in four, five, or six years, they will be able to see just how expensive it will become.” If passed the bill will take effect
George Mattingly | The Houstonian
EL GATO OPENING. SHSU President Dana Gibson, and mass communication chair Jean Bodon cut the ribbon for the new SHSU Spanish language radio station, KSHU 90.5 HD 2 El Gato.
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News
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 houstonianonline.com/news
Henderson tapped Facebook testing paid messaging as new art chair CHRISTIAN VASQUEZ Staff Reporter
MOLLY WADDELL News Editor The Art department has hired a new chair from within the department. Michael Henderson, art professor since 2001 has been selected as the new chair after previous chair Tony Ship stepped down in the fall 2012. “The Art Department is continuing to grow and has a lot of opportunities and challenges in the coming years,” Henderson said. “The faculty has a lot of ideas and plans for the future. I am excited about the opportunity to serve the department as chair and hope I can help the faculty and students achieve some of their goals.” Henderson was initially hired to teach computer animation and graphic design. He helped develop the degree program in Computer Animation. Henderson currently teaches studio art courses in painting and drawing, museum and gallery practices, and the history of animation. Henderson is also a founding member of BOX13 ArtSpace in Houston. Henderson has many goals for the art department, including the development of a new degree and for the art program to have its own building. “Another goal of the department is to increase our visibility in the community,” Henderson said. “We are working to
bring more people from the local and university communities to the exhibitions in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery, and other events like the Animation Festival and the Art Auction, which takes place April 27. ” Henderson was selected by a pool of candidates following a national search according to interim chair Wayne Barrett, music professor. Barrett said that the art department selected their chair differently than most departments do. “In the art department after all of the finalists have been presented the search committee meets with the entire faculty and the whole faculty votes,” Barrett said. “It is very inclusive. He really was chosen as finalists not only by the committee but by the whole faculty.” Barrett said that Henderson got the job because of his leadership and knowledge of art at the college-level. “He has strong attributes, and the fact that he has been in the department a number of years and he has proven and demonstrated his leadership skills and knowledge about art programs,” Barrett said. “The faculty has a lot of confidence in him. He is sort of a go-to person on the faculty when things come up.” The university is seeking accreditation from NASAD (National Association of Schools of Art and Design). Henderson will begin his new position in the fall.
Facebook is looking to supplement their earnings and tight spam by implementing micro-transactions with their messaging service. The social network IPO has begun experimenting with their new business model by charging UK users up to £11 ($17) to send messages to celebrities such as Olympic diver Tom Daley and others outside their friends list. Currently when someone you have no mutual friends with a facebook contact the message is sent to an “other” folder instead of the inbox. Facebook is experimenting with change to this system by allowing users to send messages directly to a stranger’s inbox, but at a cost, according to theverge.com Students at SHSU were not happy about Facebook’s new direction. One student talked about how it could hurt her business. “I really don’t like that idea,” sophomore student Brooke Dodd said. “I run a business that kind of relies on Facebook messages with my clients. That stuff adds up after a while.” Another student said that the move is only good for the rich. “The money goes straight to Facebook, so it really only benefits them and celebrities who don’t want to be bothered,” junior student Viktoria Kareva said. At this stage of development, Facebook stated that they are trying
to prevent spam. “The system of paying to message non-friends in their inbox is designed to prevent spam while acknowledging that sometimes you might want to hear from people outside your immediate social circle,” Facebook said in a statement. “We are testing a number of price points in the UK and other countries to establish the optimal fee that signals importance.” This fee gives the sender the opportunity to signal to a receiver that you do not know, that you should be listened to. It’s similar to a LinkedIn pro account. Though unsurprising to some, this is still a big move for Facebook. Back in 2004, micropayments were difficult to make because of a lack of infrastructure and cost, but today there is a burgeoning market for ultra-low cost services. One student understood the cost, but said she wouldn’t do it. “I mean, I can understand why they’d charge that much to message a celebrity,” freshman student Chelsea Flores said. “It’s not [a] necessary thing to do. But yeah, I still wouldn’t pay for that.”
Photo by Metrisa Wagner
Facebook spent all of last year becoming a mobile company, with the new Home becoming a way to extend its mobile presence. According to Musically.com: “Facebook ended 2012 with 680 [million] mobile Monthly Active Users (MAUs), with more people accessing it daily from phones than on the web (more mobile Daily Active Users (DAUs) than web DAUs, in Web 2.0 parlance). Mobile accounted for 23% of Facebook’s ad revenues in Q4, up from 14% in Q3. That’s $305 [million] of mobile ads in Q4 alone.” However, Facebook plans to not rely so much on its ad revenue. The fact that they’re implementing charges for messaging exemplifies that notion. According to Forbes. com: “The further Facebook dives into mobile, the more stressing ads will be as a revenue source—yet Facebook relies on ads for 85% of its revenues. No media company wants to be in that position.” In January, Facebook was ridiculed for setting a $100 (£61) fee to contact Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg.
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Mingling with the Media Tuesday, April 23, 2013 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
James & Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center Concert Hall There is no charge to attend. For more information contact the President’s Office 936.294.3415 or events@shsu.edu.
Sam Houston State University
Page 4
Viewpoints
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 houstonianonline.com/viewpoints
Houston, we have a problem
North Korean negotiation conditions are Cable providers, CSN Houston need to broadcast Astros misguided COLIN HARRIS Staff Reporter
STEPHEN GREEN Editor-in-Chief
It’s not even June, and as a baseball fan, I’ve already found myself repeatedly wondering aloud, “Why can’t I watch my beloved Houston Astros strike out a dozen times tonight and lose by six or seven runs?” The answer is fairly cut and dry: My cable provider is Suddenlink. The Astros are broadcast on Comcast SportsNet Houston. Suddenlink (and every other major cable or satellite provider not named Comcast) doesn’t include CSN Houston among its channel packages. This has actually been a problem dating back to October, the beginning of the NBA season. CSN Houston is also the local broadcaster of Rockets games, but because there are more nights off during the NBA season and better opportunities to see the Rockets on national TV the absence of CSN
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KASSIDY TURNPAUGH Staff Reporter
Lawrence v. Texas was a landmark gay-rights case that tore through Texas and the entire United States in 2003. The U.S. Supreme Court decided by a 6 to 3 vote that the government could no longer criminalize sodomy. This was a huge moment not only for the gay community but for every person who ever enjoyed a blow job or cunnilingus. As most everyone knows, when something is banned by the Supreme Court it is effectively banned throughout all of the United States, so the biggest issue here is the fact that 17 states still have sodomy bans in their penal codes. Not only did someone neglect to do their job and erase these laws but they also forgot to inform the police that they could no longer enforce them. First off I’d like to say to that one guy: You had one job. Next, it seems almost impossible for such a massive oversight to be made. It has been 10 years, and yet we still see people arrested and charged under sodomy laws. In 2009 a gay couple
THE HOUSTONIAN STAFF
Reduce, reuse, recycle. That’s what they teach us throughout our many years of school, but at Sam Houston State University, this does not seem to be a huge priority. The university does offer its students a few ways to recycle, but it fails to initiate a ‘going green’ plan and has not informed students of the different recycling options available to them on campus. And sometimes finding a place on campus to recycle is like searching for a needle in a haystack -- it’s almost impossible. College students are always in possession of recyclable products, but they never know where to dispose of them nor do they want to search campus for a recycling bin that may or may not be there. So what do students do instead of searching the campus aimlessly
Molly Waddell
News Editor mwaddell@houstonianonline.com
Cody Lewis
Sports Editor clewis@houstonianonline.com
sgreen@houstonianonline.com
Matt Frazier
George Mattingly
A&E Editor gmattingly@houstonianonline.com
Misti Jones
Viewpoints Editor mjones@houstonianonline.com
was arrested for kissing in public. This case resulted in the Texas Senate finally getting off their asses and striking the sodomy and anti-gay laws, according to an article on gayapolisnews. com. Yet as this article was being researched a quick glance into the Texas Penal Codes 2012 edition shows that sodomy or “deviant sexual intercourse” as defined by PC 25.02 of the Texas Penal Code, is still punishable as a third degree felony requiring two to 10 years in prison and up to $10,000 in state fines. The continuous supply of misinformation to law enforcement agencies via the state has caused more than its fair share of issues. It has added to the massive back up in court cases across the nation, cost the government countless amounts of money in consequential lawsuits and aided in the bridle of the struggle for sexual equality, according to an article by the Associated Press. If this had been any other law there never would have been allowance of such a deliberate oversight. The Associated Press reports the antisodomy law was voted to be moved off the books by the Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee
Wednesday, but that is little comfort for those who were wronged in the 10 years it took to change. The repeal still has to be approved by the House and Senate. While there will most likely always be some form of opposition to the idea of gay marriage or sex, the world needs to embrace changes as they come. If not society then at the very least the government, the system built to protect and serve its people, should have the decency to act in good faith. There is no good faith in the denial of one group’s rights. Apparently court rulings are no longer the law of the land but instead tedious suggestions. At least that is what Texas and 16 other legislationviolating states seem to view the ruling. Inevitable rebellion and uprise will continue as the truth is revealed. The fact of the matter is that states across the nation have been wrongfully treating and lying to their citizens for a decade. The time to lay docile against the ‘law’ has ended and the time to become informed is now. The only way to protect one’s self nowadays is to know the law better than any politician ever could, as they’re clearly not going to help anyone.
SHSU should go green already
Editor-in-Chief 936-294-1505
helped fund the construction of the ballpark, so shouldn’t they at least have the option of watching their team on TV? Houston Mayor Annise Parker attempted to organize a meeting between the parties involved earlier this month. She said, “I encourage all sides to get together. I don’t have a role in this, but as a fan, as someone who cares about sports in Houston, this situation is intolerable and they need to get together and get it done.” If the Astros had entered the season as a favorite to make a deep playoff run, I have no doubt that CSN Houston and the local cable providers would have already worked out a contract. As Parker said, “the situation is intolerable.” What’s most intolerable about it is that the two sides are going to use an abysmal Astros season as an excuse to not hammer out a deal that should have been done months ago.
Courtside: Texas butts heads with Supreme Court
Editorial Staff Robin Johnson
Unfortunately for CSN Houston, their timing couldn’t be worse. Their biggest bargaining chip, 162 Astros games, is worthless as the team appears to be headed to their third straight season with the worst record in baseball. Attendance has been abysmal. TV ratings were way down even before the broadcast shifted to CSN Houston from Fox Sports. There was one game, one of the few the Astros won last year, where the Nielsen rating for the broadcast indicated that only about 1,092 households were tuned into the game at any one time. For at least the near future, there doesn’t appear to be much demand for the Astros. This shouldn’t matter though, because they are a professional sports franchise in one of the four major leagues in North America. Even during their worst years as a team, the players still represent the city of Houston and should be broadcast to a majority of homes in the area. Taxpayers
Misti Jones | The Houstonian
North Korean officials put forward their negotiation conditions on Thursday amid concerns over the country’s nuclear developments. The DPRK announced that for any talks with the United States or South Korea, the two countries should “immediately stop all their provocative acts against the DPRK and apologize for all of them.” The North Korean National Defense Commission also said talks would only cease if the United Nation released their strict sanctions, some of the toughest in the history of U.N. sanctions. Unfortunately for them, it’s just not going to happen. Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, is showing how immature he is as a leader in this terribly played bluff. The U.S. and other member countries of the U.N. Security Council have repeatedly admonished any attempts by the North Korean government to begin nuclear weapon testing. That council includes China, North Korea’s only true ally. President Barack Obama and the Japanese government have warned Kim Jong Un to not continue nuclear testing. At the point that North Korea’s only international buddy says, “Hey, you’ve probably gone off the deep end,” there is probably merit to this. The U.N. won’t let North Korea become nuclear, and they sure won’t release their sanctions. It’s not certain whether North Korea has nuclear weapons that could reach the United States, or even have the ability to. However, the nuclear tests the country has performed in the past few months is scaring their neighbors, Japan and South Korea. Rightfully so. But the threats from North Korea, or unwillingness to participate in actual negotiations, is a sign that the Dear Leader needs to get in check with reality. The United States has more than 5,000 nuclear weapons ready-to-go. More than enough to turn a small country like North Korea into shiny glass. If North Korea thinks threatening the wrecking ball of international politics is going to help, it won’t end well for the people of North Korea. Japan sits as one of the most important countries in the world, widely supported by almost the entirety of the U.N. (sans China). They won’t put any risk to the Japanese. Neither would the U.S. Releasing sanctions would almost be the equivalent of a free pass for additional nuclear testing. The same goes for discontinuing military drills south of the DMZ. Any rational leader would notice all of the odds stacked against him. It seems as if this is only a move to gain some type of respect on the world stage after filling the clown shoes his father left for him to flop around in. The people of the country are poverty stricken and starving… much more deserving of attention than literally a kid who found his dad’s gun. Kim Jong Un needs to turn away from the military binoculars and look at the internal devastation that sits in front of his face. Maybe then he’ll earn a place at the international kitchen table.
Houston on my cable package didn’t seem so astounding. Like most disputes between cable networks and providers, the standoff between CSN Houston and every cable provider not named Comcast is exclusively about money. CSN Houston rightfully believes that its channel is on par with the regional Fox Sports channels and should thus be made available on basic digital cable. The cable companies know that broadcasting CSN Houston isn’t free and wish to levy the burden of those costs onto consumers. So we’ve arrived at an impasse. According to the Houston Chronicle, roughly 60 percent of Houston-area households with basic cable service are unable to get CSN Houston right now and unless they want to commit to an expensive evening affair at downtown’s Minute Maid Park, they can’t watch the Astros. This is a problem.
Online News Developer mfrazier@houstonianonline.com
Ashley Baker
Online News Director abaker@houstonianonline.com
Connor Hyde
Sports Reporter chyde@houstonianonline.com
for a recycling bin? They throw it all away in the trash. According to Boston College, the average college student produces 640 pounds of solid waste each year, including 500 disposable cups and 320 pounds of paper. Americans also throw away 25,000,000 bottles every hour. We believe the university should increase recycling initiatives to reduce the amount of plastic, glass, cardboard, paper and aluminum waste. There should be compost bins in Old Main Market and other dining areas, recycling initiatives available in each building and every residence hall, and bottle/can recycling all around campus especially near Paw Print and South Paw. This transition into an eco-friendly campus would not be a difficult one and should become a matter of more importance to the SHSU community. For years, SHSU organizations
Monty Sloan Copy Editor
Sophie Nelson
Senior Reporter snelson@houstonianonline.com
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Multimedia Reporter csimpson@houstonianonline.com
Jay Jordan
Senior Reporter jjordan@houstonianonline.com
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Production Manager & Graphic Designer
kstallings@houstonianonline.com
have tried recycling programs that haven’t stuck. In 2010, “Recycling Wednesdays” encouraged students to donate newspaper, glass, cardboard, paper, plastic and cans, but today, the initiative is no longer active. SHSU should transition from orange to green and encourage students to reduce, reuse and recycle materials. It should implement a plan of action to get the whole campus involved in helping our ecosystem. Biosphere Recycle Center in Texas City calculates that the average American will throw away 600 times his or her adult weight in garbage, recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees and each of us generates on average 4.4 pounds of waste per day per person. Don’t let SHSU become a part of the statistic. If we create initiatives to reduce our waste, we could significantly impact our community and our world.
Staff Reporters Morgan Mears Christian Vazquez Carian Parker Richard McKinney Colin Harris Ryan Bowers Kassidy Turnpaugh Hannah Zedaker
PAWS UP
PAWS UP to Ann Compton for visiting SHSU and speaking to students today.
PAWS UP to Shelby Hardy for becoming SLC champion in women’s golf.
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Sports
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 houstonianonline.com/sports
Bearkats fall to Oral Roberts CONNOR HYDE Sports Reporter Sam Houston State baseball sits with a 9-6 conference record, losing their top three ranking in the Southland Conference standings after dropping two of three games against Oral Roberts this weekend. Starting pitching was once again a problem against the Golden Eagles with another short outing from Bearkat ace Cody Dickson. He lasted one-third of an inning, allowing six runs in game one’s 8-4 loss. Dickson issued three walks and gave up two hits for an ORU rally before Michael Burchett came in relief with the bases loaded and down 3-0. Burchett gave up a single up the middle for two runs, supplemented by a squeeze play for another run. After strong early season performances, Dickson’s ERA has quickly jumped from a respectable average to a teetering 5.67 with 17 runs allowed in his last four innings pitched. Freshman Dirk Masters tossed four complete innings to hold ORU to a single hit, however SHSU’s offense struggled against Oral Roberts pitcher Alex Gonzales, who went eight innings and allowed four runs.
Alex Broussard | The Houstonian
SAFE!: Jessie Plumlee slides safely into third base in Sunday’s 6-4 victory against the Golden Eagles.
Sparse singles and 10 runners left on base crippled the Bearkat lineup with a .270 batting average against Gonzales. Third baseman Kevin Miller and left fielder Luke Plucheck connected for multiple
hits in the series opener but could only tally two runs combined. Hitting woes lingered into game two for the Bearkats, with only four hits in nine innings to lose the series in game two with a 7-2
loss. Starter Andrew Godail completed seven innings on the mound before an avalanche of eight runs from ORU’s bats in the top of the eighth.
Jason Simms came in for relief but only lasted three batters after giving up a single and issuing two walks. Alan Scott followed by Derek Barosh, snapped ORU’s rally. Plucheck kept the Bearkats close with a solo homerun to even the score 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh. The junior left fielder accounted for both of SHSU’s runs and showcased his glove with a diving catch in the top of the inning to save a run from crossing the plate. The Bearkats avoided the sweep with a 6-4 win headed by Hayden Simerly to close the series. Simerly drove in centerfielder Colt Atwood and catcher Anthony Azar to take a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. ORU tied the board in the top of the second from a leadoff double to take an eventual 3-2 lead in the top of the third from a two out double. Second basemen Jessie Plumlee and Simerly broke the tie with a double into the gap with support from a solo homerun into rightcenter from Simerly for a 6-3 lead in the fifth. Burchett secured a Bearkat victory coming in with two outs in the ninth inning for his fourth save of the season. The Bearkats return to Don Sanders to square off against University of Texas at Arlington
NBA playoffs start with boring blowouts by top seeds RYAN BOWERS Staff Reporter The NBA playoffs started this weekend, and many potential storylines fell flat. Unfortunately, this leaves fans thirsting for more, but there are still more games to be played and more stories to tell. James Harden of the Houston Rockets playing his former team the Oklahoma City Thunder was supposed to be a good match up. The Memphis Grizzlies and the
Los Angeles Clippers played one of the most exciting playoff series last year, and it’s expected that this rematch will be just as close. The first game of this series was anything but that. And of course the Los Angeles Lakers clinching a 6th seed on the final day might give them motivation enough to upset the San Antonio Spurs. Just about every game was a blowout, with the favored team winning. The only close game was between the Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets.
But even though the games may have seemed missing the close game intensity that most fans thirst for in the playoffs, there are still plenty of potential thrillers to follow as the NBA playoffs keep rolling. Even though the Nuggets and Warriors appear evenly matched, the rest of the series may depend on how well Warriors point guard Stephen Curry can carry his team against a very talented Nuggets defense. Warriors forward David Lee suffered torn hip flexor early in game one, which will keep him out for the rest of the series. What it means is that the Warriors lose their second biggest offensive threat, leaving Curry to ratchet up his play if they want to win and advance. The Clippers-Grizzlies matchup is expected to be a close one, as these two teams played down to the final minutes of their playoff matchup last year that went down to a final winner take all. Even though it’s just one game and no one is panicking yet, it appears the Grizzlies need to find some answers. Zach Randolph of the Grizzlies held the Clippers big man Blake Griffin to an even keel. But the rest of the team had no answer for the Clippers PG Chris Paul. Griffin’s play dominated the game and allowed the Clippers to hold a comfortable lead over the Grizzlies until time expired. If the Grizzlies can figure out a way to play better defense, this series will be just as exciting as last year’s. The most talked about series is the Spurs-
Lakers matchup, if only because the usually dominant Lakers did not secure a playoff spot until the last day of the regular season, and they are without Kobe Bryant for the rest of the playoffs due to his Achilles injury. If the Lakers wanted to pull off the upset, Lakers center Dwight Howard will have to carry the team. But in game one, even Howard’s double double (20 points, 15 rebounds) wasn’t enough as the Spurs played their typical selves and ran all over the Lakers’ injuryriddled roster. Missing their All Star PG Steve Nash as well, the Lakers simply could not keep up with the always aging but always resilient Spurs roster. Every year the Spurs are expected to finally falter due to their old age, and every year they beat father time and advance in the playoffs. The first question as this series progresses, is how the Lakers will respond, if the players around Howard can pick up their game and help him secure a victory or two. The other question lies with a peculiar signing by the Spurs just before the playoffs, when they picked up veteran Tracy McGrady. Even though he played zero minutes in game one, it will be interesting to see if and when he plays in the series. Maybe the teams will even themselves out and the rest of the first round of playoff games will be more exciting. But if not, there’s always next round to make up for what may turn out to be some very underwhelming first round NBA action.
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Arts & Entertainment
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Pirate parody sails into theatre A rambunctious group of sword-wielding pirates will take the stage on Wednesday as the Sam Houston State University Musical Theatre Program presents a revival of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance”. The show is a two-act comic operetta originally premiered in 1879 and reimagined by Joseph Papp in 1980. The story focuses on Fredric, who was mistakenly apprenticed as a pirate for many years instead of a pilot. When he meets Mabel, a daughter of the Major-General Stanley, the two Graphic by the SHSU Theatre Department attempt to maintain their love PIRATE PARODY: ‘Pirates’ was written as a among the zany background parody of composers Verdi and Schubert.
of pirates, policemen and the general. The songs of the show were written as a parody of several composers including Verdi and Schubert. SHSU’s production of “Pirates” will take on the 1980s revival that pulls songs from the original Gilbert and Sullivan score, but with different instrumentation to modernize the sounds. “This show is unique because we haven’t done an operetta recently,” director Penelope Hasekoester said. “The reimagining gave the songs more a pop rock swing to them and made [the show] more modern with contemporary references.”
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Check out these stories and photos at www.houstonianonline.com/a-e *Dance Spectrum to honor professors in “Departures” on Thursday. *Student designers wow audiences in NAACP Fashion Show
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While the sound is modern, and magical to help capture Hasekoester said it is some of the mood of the beach,” the most complex music in Hasekoester said. “There is theater. nothing about this show that is “It is not a language and meant to be subtle.” music that we learn every day,” ‘Pirates’ will also be more she said. “It’s all a very specific than just another theatre style and sound.” performance but a dedication Even with to the complex to late dance professor Jonathan music, much of the 33 member ‘Jonny’ Charles, who died in cast took on the additional Feb. Charles was a long-time challenges of performing teacher and choreographed through sword many musical battles and productions swinging on Jonny and I wanted to do at SHSU. ropes throughout something light. It was Hasekoester said the show. always meant for us to have Charles was part “We had a fight fun and play with, and I think of the inspiration choreographer the show achieves that. for the show. from Houston “Jonny and come in and I wanted to do teach the actors -Penelope Hasekoester, something light,” how to director of ‘Pirates’ she said. “It was h a n d l e always meant for them on stage,” us to have fun and play with it Hasekoester said. “It and I think the show achieves was complex but I don’t that.” consider it a challenge Hasekoester hopes the because that’s what makes audience will enjoy all the work the show more fun. It’s just put into the show and takes about making sure they’re home the show’s central themes safe so they can enjoy it.” of hope and doing what’s right. Hasekoester said the “The main character, Fredric, costumes are also meant always tries to do what’s right,” to be satiric and ironic to she said. “The show is hopeful help bring the music to and I hope the audience leaves life. The costumes include happy—if not happy then at bright, colorful coats least humming the songs.” “Pirates of Penzance” will and glitter lime pants to capture the pop-rock feel open Wednesday at 8 p.m. and will show through April 27 with of the music. The elaborate set a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. in includes a large ship and the Showcase Theatre. beach setting along with a For ticket information, call grand estate at night. the Theatre Box Office at 936“[The set] is fantastical 294-1339.
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GEORGE MATTINGLY Arts & Entertainment Editor
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