WHAT’S INSIDE? Senior dancer’s dreams to come true Popular vote won’t change election results Dance ‘Radiates’ during Spectrum show
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LACK OF FOCUS RESULTS IN 6-4 LOSS
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Volume 125/ Issue 27
Facebook.com/ TheHoustonian Thursday, April 24, 2014
Men’s golf sweeps Southland GOLF
JEREMY VILLANUEVA\ Sports Editor In the fall, senior Albert Miner said the Bearkats men’s golf team would win the Southland Conference championship. On Wednesday, Miner’s statement was affirmed. The team captured the championship Wednesday in McKinney, Texas, at the Stonebridge Ranch Country Club by taking the lead on day one and never looking back. “This was a tough golf course, but the best team came out on top,” Miner said. The championship is the Bearkats third conference championship and first since 1994 and will advance them to the NCAA Regionals. “Now we’ve got a conference championship and an automatic NCAA berth,” head coach Brandt Kieschnick said. “It’s been great.” The Bearkats headed into the final round of the championship with a 10-shot lead over rivals Stephen F. Austin State. Although the Lumberjacks fell back in the rankings to third, the Bearkats had to fight off Southeastern Louisiana from clawing at the title.
Courtesy GoBearkats
CHAMPIONS. The Sam Houston State University men’s golf team poses after winning the Southland Conference tournament in McKinney. Junior Zach Cabra headed the leaderboard to help SHSU win its third SLC championship.
SHSU ended the tournament six strokes ahead of SLU for the conference championship. Junior Zach Cabra placed first individually after battling backand-forth with Central Arkansas’ Pep Angles. Angles held a oneshot lead heading into the last round, but choked in the last two holes of the tournament, bogeying and double-bogeying the last two holes respectively to end the tournament five-under.
“Battling against Pep was a lot of fun,” Cabra said. “He is a tremendous player.” Cabra hit three-under in the front nine. Although Cabra shot a double-bogey on the last hole, it was enough to finish the round even and ended the tournament six-under, edging Angles by a shot. “When I knew I had a threeshot lead going into the last hole, I just made sure I did what I had
to do to win,” Cabra said. “I played a little more conservative than normal, but I knew we already won as a team, and I just wanted to make sure I secured the win individually.” Going into the tournament, Miner received texts from SHSU golf alumni telling him to bring home the team title, he said. “It feels great that we came through and won the first golf conference since 1994,” Miner
said. Miner finished the championship tied for fourth with a final overall score of two-over to add to his standout spring season. “I struggled a bit on the putting green,” Miner said. “Overall, I am glad with the way I played. I couldn’t ask for a better senior year.” Junior Logan Boatner finished on the outside looking of the top10 at a tie for 11th. Freshman Klein Klotz shot 12-over for the tournament, but still finished top-20 in his first collegiate season. Klotz tied at 19th. Although junior Andrew Johnson ended the tournament tied at 44th shooting 25-over, it would be enough for the Bearkats to take the win. “[I] couldn’t have asked for a better team,” Miner said. “We have such a great coaching staff and a great group of guys and we just worked so hard.” The time and location for Regionals has yet to be determined. “Our team is peaking at the right time, and we will continue to work hard like we all do,” Cabra said. “We look forward to regionals.”
IN BRIEF
INFLATOPIA
As the battles continue to rage on Ukrainian government officials are forced to face a dwindling amount of options to regain control. Despite having reached an agreement in Geneva last week Russia and Ukraine continue to fight on, with Ukrainian leaders ordering a relaunch of military compains. Ukraine has officially regained control of the East from proRussian militants. Bodies continue to be pulled from the waters where a South Korean ferry sank last week, leaving more than 150 people dead and nearly 150 still missing. Many of those who died were students at a nearby high school. After the incident the assistant principle of the aforementioned high school committed suicide. A rise in suicides amongst those who have lost loved ones is becoming a major concern for South Korean officials.
Connor Hyde | The Houstonian
INFLATED. Junior computer animation major Jacob Medina crouches down inside one of the five inflatable, abstract designs for the annual “Inflatopia” art project, Tuesday. The inflatable is one of the final projects of the Workshop in Art Studio and History class at Sam Houston state University.
The Late Show introduced its soon to be new host, Stephen Colbert Tuesday evening. Colbert for the first time appeared as himself rather than his “Colbert Report” conservative character.
CAMPUS
SGA presidential race still undecided STACY HOOD Contributing Reporter Despite the fact that the polls have been closed for two weeks, the Student Government Association’s presidential election is far from over. The Supreme Court, comprised of Sam Houston State University faculty and students, decided Wednesday that the Election Commission needed to hold a new hearing after an appeal was
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made by presidential candidate Spencer Copeland claiming the Election Commission did not act fairly when it decided to accept a protest by one of the candidates. Presidential candidate Osermen Emmanuel Omoegbele claimed the ballot was unfair to him because his legal name was used instead of the name he campaigned under. Copeland’s appeal claimed the commission was in violation of the election code. Copeland argued to the
Supreme Court that by accepting Omoegbele’s petition, the Election Commission was unfair and did not act within their guidelines. The Supreme Court decided that the Election Commission received Omoegbele’s petition properly. Copeland further argued that the commission was in violation of the election code by not giving him the opportunity to speak when they ruled on Omoegbele’s petition. The Supreme Court ruled that
both presidential candidates will have an opportunity to be present to defend their case in the Election Commission’s hearing. Copeland said that although he wished the decision would have ended the election, the ruling made by the Supreme Court was fair. And Omoegbele agreed. “The ruling the Supreme Court made was absolutely fair,” he said. Supreme Court Justice Frank Parker argued the SGA Election Code is not clear and
needs changes in order to avoid confusion. “I wish y’all would go in there and fix your election code,” Parker said. “What every person sitting here will tell you that this thing has so many loopholes because it’s our opinion who decides what is clear, concise, and fair. “ The election commission hearing is scheduled for Thursday evening.
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Page 3
News
Thursday April 24, 2014 houstonianonline.com/news
CAMPUS
Dancer’s dreams turned reality HANNAH ZEDAKER Senior Reporter
When Sarah Hammonds was only 9 years old, she dreamt of being a professional dancer. Now, 13 years later, the senior dance major and marketing minor’s dream is becoming a reality. After graduating cum laude May 10 with a bachelor of fine arts degree, Hammonds will be moving back to her hometown of Dallas to perform in her first full season as a dancer with the Dark Circles Contemporary Dance (DCCD) company—a program she has been a part of for the last five months. The DCCD Company originated in South Korea four years ago and bridged the cultural and geographical gap last spring when they created a branch in Dallas. “I would like to be able to find a way to strengthen the dance community in Dallas through the creation of an arts alliance of some sort,” Hammonds said. “Dallas has so many beautiful performance and rehearsal spaces, but I would like to see them being utilized even more.” The company will be performing over the next several months traveling across Texas and even to New York. One of the company’s performances will take place in October at the Dance Gallery Festival at SHSU. Prior to her college career, Hammonds trained in classical ballet at the Ozsoy School of Ballet in Duncanville, Texas, where she discovered her passion for dance. Hammonds later attended the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, one of the top five magnet schools for the arts in the nation. She graduated with high honors in 2010. Since joining the SHSU dance department, Hammonds has performed in more than 30 productions and has also participated in several dance intensive summer programs to perfect her craft. Hammonds has been a student and guest dancer for assistant dance professors Andy and Dionne Noble, who own the dance company Noble Motions based out of Houston, for the last four years. “Every time one of our students has success and does what we train them to do it’s incredibly rewarding,” Andy Noble said. “After four years of working with students, you develop bonds with them, so I’m very fond of Sarah and am sad to see her go but this opportunity for her is tremendous.” Andy Noble said he has high hopes for what he thinks will be Hammonds’ bright future. “The most important things about being a working artist is having work ethic, professionalism and talent and I believe Sarah has all three of those qualities,” Andy Noble said. “She has many years ahead of her, and I’m excited to see how she will continue to learn and grow as both a dancer and person.” Hammonds said she believes that the last four years she has spent at SHSU have adequately readied her for her future career. “When I first came to SHSU as a timid freshman, I never would have thought that I would be prepared to face the real world,
but now that I have been preparing for it for the last four years I can say that I cannot be more ready,” Hammonds said. “Of course I am going to miss the people of SHSU, my experiences and the beautiful campus, but I am excited to apply the things that I have learned in college to my life, and try to make an impact on the lives of others.” During her four-year-long career at SHSU, Hammonds has been an active participant on campus in a wide range of organizations and activities. “During my time at SHSU I wanted to really give back to this university by becoming as involved on campus as I could,” she said. “I have had a blast giving back to SHSU, and I hope to continue doing so after graduation.” Hammonds is a member of the Student Alumni Association, the Greek Honor Society, Orange Keys, the Golden Key International Honor Society, and the Elliot T. Bowers Honors College. In addition, Hammonds is also executive vice president of her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, president of Order of Omega, and has served on several committees including the bid day committee, brag day committee, the elections committee, and the logistics and marketing committee for the Pantheon. “My experience while attending SHSU have been some of the most fun memories that I can think of in my life,” Hammonds said. “I have met so many amazing and talented individuals, and I am thankful that I have been able to call them friends and colleges. The experience of being a student and a leader on Sam Houston’s campus will be a memory that I will not forget” Hammonds is also the vice president of programming for the Orange Keys, chair of marketing for Raven’s Call and has also volunteered as a Bearkat camp counselor for three summers and a new student orientation leader for one summer. Just last week Hammonds received the highest award that an individual can receive “The Sammy Award” at the 20th annual Sammy Awards and was also a homecoming queen nominee in 2013. In addition to living out her dream, Hammonds also plans to work as a small business sales representative for the DallasFort Worth area having recently signed a contract with Automatic Data Processing, Inc. starting June 2. Hammonds said she plans to continue to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House Charities to support her sorority’s philanthropy. “I am really looking forward to applying the things that I have learned at SHSU, and to make an impact on the lives of others,” she said. “I am looking forward to creating my own path and following it. My dream has always been to become a professional dancer, and to have the ability to live out that dream everyday has truly been a blessing. I hope to continue keeping the art form of dance in my life forever.” Hammonds’ last performance as a part of the SHSU dance department will be a production called “Radiate,” which opens Thursday and will have three more performances Friday and Saturday.
CAMPUS
FBI gives study abroad tips CONNOR HYDE Editor-in-Chief The FBI recently released a list of tips for students studying abroad in an effort to bring light to the dangers of unknowingly, or knowingly, becoming involved in espionage activity. Although students at Sam Houston State University haven’t experienced espionage activity, according to university officials, the SHSU Study Abroad program trains and informs students similar to the FBI’s list of tips and suggestions. Study Abroad Coordinator Cassie Cure said she gives a safety orientation presentation before faculty and students leave to travel abroad. Of her list of priorities, travel warnings issued by the U.S. Department of State remain priority number one. According to Cure, close to 200 SHSU students are expected to travel abroad to destinations including, but not limited to, Chile, China, France, Italy, Ireland and South Korea. According to the Institute of International Education, more than 280,000 American students studied abroad in 2013. “A lot of these students have never been out of the country before and it’s a whole new experience,” Cure said. “For those students who are going through exchange programs that aren’t faculty led, I’ll sit down with them and go over travel warnings and different tips.” On the FBI’s statement, tips regarding suppressing personal information on social media and minimizing activity with “questionable government affiliations”
ensured student identity protection. However, according to Cure, remaining in groups and avoiding “looking like a tourist” is just as effective. “We try and tell students to try and blend in with the locals and get to know them and don’t be wearing your Texas t-shirt,” she said. “That kind of says ‘Hey I’m American. Pick on me.’” Junior history major Samantha Toback, who traveled to Chile through the study abroad program, said students who are first-time travelers are properly prepared by faculty and study abroad. According to Toback, one of the tips the study abroad program emphasized was passport protection and storing valuables. “[SHSU] did a really good job in telling them don’t flash your money everywhere, keep stuff stored, don’t take all of your expensive stuff and don’t talk to strangers unless it’s a shop attendant,” Toback said. “Just be smart.” Toback said her interaction with Chilean government officials was limited; however, she said she said she was advised to be as respectful as possible. International student Endri Sulaj, senior economics and international business major, echoed Toback and said the study abroad program prepared students before traveling overseas. “We were trained in the food, the people and the culture so we don’t make some cliché mistakes,” Sulaj said. “The main thing they most emphasized was to stick together.” For more information regarding SHSU’s travel abroad program, visit www.shsu. edu/dept/international-programs/studyabroad/.
Courtesy Dat Nguyen
A DREAM COME TRUE: Senior dance major Sarah Hammonds performs in a production choreographed by Travis Prokop. According to Hammonds, she has wanted to be a professional dancer since she was 9-years old. She will join the Dark Circles Contemporary Dance Company after she grates in May.
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Viewpoints
Thursday April 24, 2014
Word on the Street:
Pop vote won’t matter NATION
Who is your celebrity crush and what would an ideal night with this person be?
STEPHEN GREEN Columnist
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“Selena Gomez. You gotta have dinner, and of course dancing. (Dinner) has to be Italian food with some nice wine. We’d have fruitful conversation and end the night with a moonlit kiss.” -Patrick Hawkins Business Management Senior
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New York is the most recent state to join a movement to effectively bring the popular vote to the United States presidential election. Ten other states – Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois, Hawaii, Washington, Massachusetts, District of Columbia, Vermont, California, Rhode Island and New York – have all also joined the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact for a total of 15 electoral votes. While the entire country switching to a popular vote could change the outcome of elections, I don’t see it being a sweeping rewrite the rules. For starters, it might need explaining how our presidential elections work. This is because according to a 2011 survey of 30,000 people by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 57 percent of elected officials and 66 percent of the public know what the Electoral College does. The Constitution requires state legislatures to appoint electors to meet and determine which candidate on the presidential ballot gets their votes. The number is based on how many senators and representatives the state has in Congress. All but two states give every electoral
events bombarded only 12 states,” he wrote. “Meanwhile, at least 35 states — small and large, Eastern and Western, Democratic and Republican — received less than one-hundredth of a percent of the attention they would likely receive under a national popular vote for president.” All of the states that have currently signed the compact sent their electors for Obama in the 2012 election and are thought of as “safe” votes for Democrats. However, this doesn’t mean all that much. One thing we know is that even though people have identified as Democrats more than Republican in the last 73 years (except by one percent in 1995), many don’t vote. In fact, only about 55.8 percent of Americans vote during presidential elections on average. The name of the political game will still be driving the voter base to the polls. While reporting on the Walker County Democrats Molly Ivins Dinner, I noted Texas Democratic Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa say that the reason Texas has traditionally voted Republican is because Democrats can’t drive voters to the polls. “There’s no silver bullet here,” Hinojosa said. “There’s no magic way to turn this into a blue state. The way you do it is realizing that we have all of these people who make up our allied groups ... they are not voting. Someone recently said, ‘Texas isn’t a red state, it’s a nonvoting state.” Any politicians or parties who fret over a national popular vote should worry less about how the votes are tabulated and turn their focus towards nominating presidential candidates who appeal to the nation at large.
NATION
“Leonardo DiCaprio. We would go out during sunset and take a romantic stroll. After the sun sets, he would dance with me in the moonlight, but no major kissing. Then we would enjoy an outdoor meal at night. Also, it would be cool if there were fireworks going off while we eat.” -Laura Forbes Food Service Management Junior
Rancher should back down
“ BRENT LEITH Columnist
A peaceful resolution to the standoff at the Bundy family’s ranch near Bunkerville, Nevada, will only come when Cliven Bundy owns his responsibility to the American public. Unfortunately, such a resolution has proven elusive for more than 20 years. When the Bundy family founded the ranch in the late 19th Century, it was taken for granted that the public land near the ranch was theirs to graze cattle on. Grazing use of public land was, in “Kristen Wiig. The date would have to be on fact, an incentive for ranchers to locate a Saturday night, so I could watch her do her to and develop the American West. work. After the show, we could party with Bobby As could be reasonably expected, the Moynihan and get real messed up. Then she would rules that govern grazing on public land have changed in the century since the invite me back to her fancy loft in New York City Bundy family started its ranch. and have a couple of laughs over a bottle of red The first major change was the wine. After a passionate love-making session, she Taylor Grazing Act of 1934. The act would call Lorne Michaels and tell him how good I required ranchers to obtain permits am.” and pay a fee for grazing on public -Pete Russell land. The 162 million acres of public land covered under the grazing act have Broadcast Production Senior been maintained by the Bureau of Land
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vote to one candidate depending on who won the popular vote in that particular state. Looking at the 2012 election, Mitt Romney won 57.2 percent of the vote in Texas, so he gained all 38 of Texas’s votes in the Electoral College. The U.S. presidency is the only office elected in this way. Most critics of the system says that it favors large states with the most electoral votes like New York, California, Texas and Florida; and denies states with small populations like the Dakotas, Wyoming and the District of Columbia. States signing the compact are pledging to mandate all of their electors, regardless of which candidate appeared on more ballots within the state, to vote for the winner of the national popular vote. Take the 2000 election of George W. Bush. He won the electoral vote 271 to 266, but lost the popular vote to Al Gore by 540,000 votes. It’s happened three other times: In 1824 with John Quincy Adams, in 1876 with Rutherford B. Hayes, and in 1888 with Benjamin Harrison. Opponents of the coalition have claimed the movement will shift campaign activities from entire states to urban centers – traditionally strongholds for Democrats – and that it purposely skirts the Constitution to help their own cause. Supporters claim that it will spread out campaign spending to every state, not just a few states. Reuters blogger Rob Richie better explains than I can how campaign spending is affected under the Electoral College system: “For the last few presidential cycles, more than 98 percent of general election campaign spending and campaign
Management since it was formed in 1946. Ranchers that grazed on the Bunkerville allotment, including the Bundy family, paid grazing fees for decades. Then in 1993 the rules governing grazing on the Bunkerville allotment and other nearby public land were changed to protect the habitat of the endangered desert tortoise. One of the changes was a limit on the number of cattle that could be grazed on the protected land, which Bundy says forced him to reduce his herd by 90 percent. An opportunist at heart, Bundy rebelled against 60 years of grazing regulation and stopped paying grazing fees. He has continued to graze his cattle for free on public land since 1993, at times fighting the Bureau of Land Management in court. Bundy has given two distinct rationales for his refusal to pay for his use of public land. The first is Bundy’s claim that his right to use the public land for free is inherited because his family began the ranch before fees were levied for grazing. The court dismissed this claim, finding that public land in the American West has been continuously maintained by the federal government since the land was purchased from Mexico at the conclusion of the U.S.-Mexican War in 1846 and that no record exists of any special rights to the land extended to the Bundy family. Bundy’s second claim is perhaps more preposterous. He alleges that the land ought to belong to the State of Nevada, and therefore, the federal government
has no authority to approve permits or levy fees for the use of the land. This claim is nothing more than an attempt to justify the shirking of his responsibility in the face of overwhelming evidence that his other claim is baseless. In early April, after 20 years of non-payment, the Bureau of Land Management moved in to seize any of Bundy’s cattle occupying public land and to potentially auction the cattle to cover an estimated $1 million in fees Bundy has accumulated since he initiated his petty protest. That brings us to the present, when the Bundy family and their supporters, including members of paramilitary organizations, armed themselves and met Bureau of Land Management employees on public land, threatening deadly force over seized cattle and unpaid fees. Despite the show of force and support, Bundy stands alone. As many as 16,000 other ranchers nationwide graze on public land. They obtain their permits and they pay their fees. They don’t deny their responsibility to the American public for use of its land, nor do they allow their grievances with land use regulations to escalate to violence. The federal government cannot, and indeed will not, slink away from this fight. Allowing Bundy to dispute his tax assessment with threats of violence is not a feasible option as it opens the door for others to do so. Only when Mr. Bundy accepts his responsibility will this time bomb be defused.
The Houstonian Editorial
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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.
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Arts & Entertainment
Thursday April 24, 2014 houstonianonline.com/a-e
PREVIEW
SHSU dance radiates on stage KIZZIE FRANK A&E Editor
Courtesy College of Fine Arts and Mass Communication
LIGHT SHOW. A dancer poses during the opening act of Dance Spectrum “Radiate.” The spring Spectrum performance opens doors Thursday at 8 p.m. and runs through Saturday with a final matinee.
Candles, metallic floors, and strobe lights will create a unique setting for Sam Houston State University’s Department of Dance show entitled “Radiate” at Concert Hall Thursday. During the Spectrum Dance production, several professors along with guest artists and SHSU senior dance major, Cordarrel White, bring their original creations to the eyes of students and locals. Recently representing SHSU at the American College Dance Festival in Austin, Texas, White’s original piece “Passionate Savage” will make a reappearance. His work will be included amongst guest artists Stefanie Nelson of Stefanie Nelson Dance Group based in New York City, and Professor Gregory Nuber, formerly of the Mark Morris Dance Group. Nuber’s piece “Danse Macabre”, or “dance of death”, is set to a
score by Camille Saint-Saens. The costumes in this piece are extravagant and medieval. Extravagancy is what most of the pieces in “Radiate” embodies with intricate lighting and plenty of lifts. Assistant Professor Dionne Noble leads the shows in collaboration with mass communication film major Jonathan Kinsey to creat their piece “a CrB”. The title of this first piece is named after the brightest star in the constellation, “The Northern Crown”. The piece opens with a single spotlight, fog, and four large floor screens that will mirror every move made in front of it. The dancers, one of which is White, walk onto the stage to dance in the spotlight only to sit and watch their peers dance in front of them. The screens part, revealing an interstellar atmosphere that beam out onto the walls of the venue. Contemporary dance may dominate the show, but it will not prevent Department Chair Jennifer Pontius’s on pointe piece,
“Ballet Suite”. This piece brings the first upbeat piece to the show. Dancers prance into view with corsets and sheer skirts with smiles on their faces. This number will provide the light heartedness of the show. In the second half of Spectrum, Assistant Professors Andy Noble and Dionne Noble utilize technology, and unlikely materials to create a fluid environment. In their piece, the Nobles collaborate with SHSU’s dance technical coordinator David Deveau. Stage floors are lined with mirror-like plastic, ricocheting the overhead lights onto the roof and walls of the venue. The audience is bound to be submerged in lighting, unique costume designs, and are subject to witnessing a thought provoking show. “Radiate” begins Thursday at 8 p.m. and will continue every night through Saturday. There will be a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee. Tickets are $15 General Admission, $12 for Senior Citizens and $5 for students.
REVIEW
‘Boondocks’ revival lacks creator’s spark
DHARMESH PATEL Assistant A&E Editor
After a split with the series creator and a hiatus that lasted nearly four years, “The Boondocks” finally managed to return Monday night on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. The controversial animated series based off of Aaron McGruders’s newspaper comic strip follows the perils of two African American brothers living in the suburbs with their stubborn
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grandfather. Monday night’s premiere saw the return of all the original characters including the young black militant Huey Freeman, his wannabe gangster younger brother Riley and their bad tempered Granddad. Despite the the fact that the show was off the air for so long, the loyal fan base returned in record numbers. According to the Los Angeles Times, 1.4 million viewers in the demographics of adults 18-34 tuned in on Monday night. It was the number one show on all broadcast and cable networks and the highest rated primetime show on Adult Swim in the last five years. It even surpassed the NBA playoffs on TNT and “The Voice” on NBC. However, the episode itself did not focus on these main characters. Instead, it revolved around Tom Dubois – a lawyer in the series – and his attempt to please his disgruntled wife with the help of a famous gangster rapper “Pretty Boy Flizzy”. Pretty Boy Flizzy was an obvious spoof of real life rapper Chris Brown and his legal and personal problems. His fictional on-again-offagain girlfriend was even named Christanna after singer Rihanna. The relaunch of the show was greeted with both record breaking viewership and
The Associated Press
BACK ON THE AIR. (From left to right) Riley, Granddad and Huey Freeman get ready engage in yet another altercation. “The Boondocks” return after a four year hiatus and brings back all the original characters in the process.
concern from loyal fans. Sam Houston State University mass communications freshman Alexis Reese was uncertain of the direction the show would take before watching the premiere. “I feel with the loss of the original creator Aaron McGruder, the direction of the show may not have the same feel and original vibe that its viewers are used to,” Reese said. “I still believe that the ratings will skyrocket.” Even though McGruder’s departure from the series was made clear after his name was completely removed from the opening credits, he has not
completely disappeared from the limelight. The Hollywood Reporter stated that he is currently working on his new half hour live action series entitled “Black Jesus” for the same network that plays “The Boondocks”. Even though he is no longer associated with the show, McGruder has no hard feelings about his time with the original series. “As the world now knows, ‘The Boondocks’ will be returning for a fourth season, but I will not be returning with it,” he said in a personal statement. I’d like
to extend my gratitude to Sony and Adult Swim for three great seasons.” SHSU senior dance major Laquane Anderson felt that the first episode lacked some major aspects from the original series but will continue to watch. “Even though the new season looks aesthetically different in animation style and has taken a new direction on humor, I will still tune in every week to see if it can still capture the essence of the original series,” Anderson said. New episodes of “The Boondocks” air every Monday at 10 pm on Cartoon Network.
TV
‘Game of Thrones’ upsets with rape scene MARISSA NUNEZ Contributing Reporter The habitual display of blood, guts, sex and violence that fills the episodes of “Game of Thrones” are normal things for viewers to see on the HBO show every week. However, this past Sunday, viewers were witness to what has been called “the most disturbing scene,” since the series began. In “Breaker of Chains” we see the Lannester clan gathered together inside “The Great Sept of King’s Landing” viewing the body of the late King Joffrey
Baratheon. Once everyone has left, Jaime Lannester (Nikolaj CosterWaldau) forces himself upon his sister Cersei (Lena Heady) and sexually assaults her. Despite her protest, he continues his advances in front of her dead son’s body. The scene has caused rapid controversy with many condemning the scene all over social media. Author George R.R. Martin got involved and made a statement via his personal blog. “I do regret if it has disturbed people for the wrong reasons,” Martin said. Even though the scene was shocking, it wasn’t the first time Cersei and Jaime Lannester had sexual intercourse. In the pilot episode, viewers were introduced to the siblings taboo relationship and later find out that Joffrey is in-fact their son. Even though past sexual encounters may have been consensual, this time was blatant rape. “Rape is an ugly reality and one that can’t be ignored, but when TV shows address the issue they often try to “explain” why the character
committed the assault, but there is NEVER any excused for rape,” President of Abuse Survivors Support Group Shannon Lowry said. Director Alex Graves told TrueHollywoodReporter.com the reason behind the scene was to show Jaime’s inner-struggle between being in love with his sister and being traumatized by his family. Joffrey symbolizes this struggle because he is their first born. “He is their lust, and their love – their everything,” Graves said. With such a widespread fanbase and demographic, having over 14 million households tuning in each week, Sam Houston State University freshman psychology major Elizabeth Ross said it can have a negative impact on its younger viewers. “Un-consensual sex is never ok, but when a popular TV series casually displays it, it makes sexual assault seem more normal and acceptable,” Ross said. Lowry said the show of such caliber can have a detrimental effect on its viewers and their perception of rape. “It is TV portrayals such as this,
that perpetuate a culture of rape, where rape somehow becomes normalized, and people downplay the violation against humanity that rape is,” Lowry said. In 2013 the World Health Organization reported that 35 percent of women worldwide experienced either intimate partner or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. In a 2012 study by the Center for Disease Control, it was concluded that 19 percent of undergraduate women have experienced sexual assault since entering college. “This shows that most rapes are committed by someone known to the victim, and that if the rapist and the victim had a previous relationship it somehow makes it less of an injustice, is an outrage,” said Lowry. “If sex is not consensual it is rape, end of story.” Rape and other sexual content continues to be the forefront in “Game of Thrones” but people are starting to notice the reality of the situations and a finding their voice to express their concerns. “Game of Thrones” airs Sundays on HBO at 9pm.
Page 6
Sports
Thursday April 24, 2014 houstonianonline.com/sports
Kats crumble under Tigers SOFTBALL
MARISSA HILL Sports Reporter
Alex Broussard | The Houstonian
STEALING SECOND: Pinch runner Amy Pelton checks for a possible steal to second in Sam Houston State’s softball first meeting this season against Texas Southern on March 18’s 7-3 win. The Bearkats weren’t able to complete the season sweep on the Tigers, losing Wednesday night’s contest 6-4.
WOMEN'S SOFTBALL STANDINGS SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE 2014
1 MCNEESE STATE
12-5
4 NORTHWESTERN STATE 10-9 2 SAM HOUSTON STATE 13-7 5 ABILENE CHRISTIAN* 3 LAMAR
7-7
12-8
*INELIGIBLE
FOR
POSTSEASON
Lillie Muyskens | The Houstonian
Sam Houston State came away from Memorial Park with an unexpected loss from the bats of the Texas Southern Wildcats Wednesday night. The Bearkats dropped the non-conference game 4-6, which leaves SHSU standing at 24-21 for the season. The last time these two ball clubs tangled was in midMarch where SHSU toppled TSU 7-3. According to sophomore outfielder Jennie Kieval, they didn’t take the Wildcats seriously for this contest. “We came out taking them lightly when they are a very good hitting team,” she said. “We thought we were going to come out with an automatic win.” Despite the loss, freshman third baseman Hannah Marino anchored the Bearkats at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. TSU drew first blood in the opening inning, posting two runs to the board. SHSU’s offense got off to a slow start in the second as the Bearkats tallied their first run. The third inning was scoreless during the third inning, but the Bearkats saw a spark during the fourth inning, posting two more runs and tying the contest at 3-3. However, Wildcats third baseman Anisha Richardson belted a three-run homer in the fifth inning to gain the edge over the Bearkats. “They just came out hitting and it took us awhile to adjust to their pitching,” Kieval said. The Bearkats will return to Southland Conference action this weekend against Texas A&M-
Corpus Christi at Chapman Softball Field. The Islanders are sitting towards the bottom of the conference with a 7-12 record. SHSU won the series against TAMU-CC last spring, winning two games 10-2 and 8-5, respectively. The Islanders hold senior pitcher Constance Brandenburg in their arsenal. She started 25 games in the circle for TAMU-CC last season, pitching two shutouts. Her steeliest performance came against Big 12 powerhouse, Kansas. Brandenburg led the Islanders in their 1-0 shutout over the Jayhawks, recording a career-high nine strikeouts. She also led the team with 62 strikeouts for the season. With only two weekends left in conference action for softball, the Bearkats hold second place in the league, making the Islanders series crucial. “We are expected to win against them,” Kieval said. “But we can’t take them lightly because they have beat some of the best teams in our conference.” TAMU-CC brought out the broom against Lamar last weekend, who currently sits one game behind SHSU in third place. “This weekend’s games are very important,” Kieval said. “We need to win them to keep in second place.” The main priority for the Bearkats right at the end of the regular season is staying focused, Kieval said. “It’s one game at a time,” she said. First pitch is set for 1 p.m in Corpus Christi.
BASEBALL
Alex Broussard | The Houstonian
HOMETOWN HERO: Leadoff hitter Colt Atwood takes a swing at a University of Houston pitch. The Bearkats finished the game with nine hits to take the 5-4 win over the Cougars after losing to Houston last Tuesday.
Late rally sparks 5-4 win KYLE KELLY Staff reporter
Designated hitter Hayden Simerly had a strong outing at the plate Tuesday night to push Sam Houston State to a 5-4 victory over the 12th ranked University of Houston at Cougar Field. The final and deciding run came off a sacrifice fly from shortstop Corey Toups to bring Simerly home to top an offensive juggernaut performance of nine hits for the Bearkats. “I thought we had great at-bats all night, and we pitched well in spots and well enough to win the game,” SHSU head coach David Pierce said. Simerly ignited the Bearkat offense in the first inning with a double to the gap and later moved to third on an error by the outfielder. Catcher Anthony Azar knocked in Simerly with a RBI groundout. However, the Cougars capitalized on two runs in the bottom of the third for a 3-2 lead. The Bearkats would tie things up in the sixth but would have to overcome another one-run deficit in the seventh and eighth. Leftfielder Luke Plucheck chipped in an
RBI to right field to get the lead back for the Bearkats in the eighth inning, but the Cougars would answer in the bottom half to tie things up. SHSU would tack the one-run lead in the top of the ninth and shutout the Cougars to end the game. “We just kept grinding it out all night,” Pierce said. “Houston has a great team and this is a great win for us.” The Bearkats had trouble on the mound. After starting pitcher Dylan Ebbs worked out of a bases loaded situation in the first, he would only pitch another 1 1/3 innings. Ebbs finished the night giving up two earned runs and rendering five hits before being replaced by Austin Ray. Pierce would call his bullpen five more times before the game was over, struggling to find a rhythm until the final three innings. Closer Ryan Brinley recorded his third save of the season to end the match. The Bearkats will return to Don Sanders Stadium for a weekend series against Southeastern Louisiana University. The first game of the series is scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Page 7
Sports
Thursday April 24, 2014 houstonianonline.com/sports
NCAA
NCAA owes more to athletes COLIN HARRIS Viewpoints Editor Mark Emmert should keep talking. The NCAA CEO is doing wonders to advance the cause of student-athlete compensation during his recent media tour. His mission was ostensibly to make the case that college athletes are rewarded enough for their labor. Boy did that backfire. Emmert’s appearances on national sports talk shows like Mike & Mike and the Dan Patrick Show last week did little to quell the growing outrage about the treatment of NCAA athletes. “If we’re providing the full cost of attendance and the student doesn’t have to reach in their own pocket to pay for their education, they’re getting all the things they need,” Emmert said on Mike & Mike. One can debate Emmert’s qualifications for determining the needs of student athletes, but that’s entirely missing the point and the CEO’s biggest folly. The question that needs to be asked is not whether or not student athletes are getting what they need, but if they’re getting what they deserve. Scholarships and room and board were equitable compensation 50 years ago, when the amateurism of collegiate athletics extended beyond the playing field, but with ever-increasing TV revenues, corporate sponsorships throughout stadiums and a growing list of deep-pocketed donors, it appears the only NCAA participants who aren’t directly gaining from the contemporary benefactors are the players themselves. In 2012, the NCAA itself accrued $871 million in revenue, with 52 separate public universities bringing in more than $50 million each for their own coffers. The schools with massive bottom lines include the obvious athletic powerhouses with coast-to-coast fan bases (Texas, Ohio State and Michigan were the top three in net revenue) to BCS conference schools whose popularity is limited to alumni and regional appeal (Texas Tech, Oregon State and Iowa State make the list, even though all three are dwarfed in revenue by in-state rivals). The point is there’s a lot of money in college sports, and it’s not just the Alabamas and the Penn States of the world that enjoy it. Without a doubt, some of the new revenue indirectly helps athletes. Pro-level training staffs, private dining halls and topnotch tutors at the most profitable athletic departments are certainly major perks for the 21st century scholar-athlete. These amenities also help universities make their current crop of athletes more competitive on the field and aid in the recruitment of prospective athletes. The improved infrastructure and staffing are tantamount business growth. And make no mistake, the NCAA is a business. If a company experienced a major financial windfall, and tried to justify stagnant wages by citing new office furnishings, employees would be apoplectic. Athletes shouldn’t accept nicer weight rooms as fair bonuses for the increased revenue stream. Furthermore, as schools earn more and more from sports and consequently invest that money into equipment and staffs, which rival professional sports franchises, claims of amateurism ring hollow. If the coaches and medical trainers and dieticians and sports psychologists and groundskeepers and concessioners
The Associated Press
MAKE YOUR CASE: NCAA President Mark Emmert answers a question at a news conference April 6. Emmert is on a media blitz, appearing on multiple sports radio programs. Emmert has aruged that college athletes are already fairly compensated for their work.
and marketers and stadium architects and personal seat license salespeople are all comparable to their pro sports counterparts, what exactly is amateur about this enterprise, other than shielding massive amounts of money from those most responsible for its proliferation? The only amateurs in this scheme are the student-athletes who can’t even earn endorsement money from private companies like Nike and Gatorade without eschewing their scholarships and NCAA eligibility. Letting athletes profit off their own likeness is one step in the right direction. In a roundabout way, schools already earn merchandising revenue from individual players. Almost every maroon Texas A&M jersey with a “2” on its back owes its sale to Johnny Manziel. Yet when the Heisman winner allegedly autographed a bundle of memorabilia for a few hundred dollars, it spawned an NCAA investigation and a slapon-the-wrist, half-game suspension. Kentucky Men’s Basketball Coach John Calipari, himself a two-time scofflaw of the NCAA’s byzantine rulebook, outlined a thoughtful 13-point plan to repair the NCAA in a forthcoming book he authored. Some of his suggestions, like cash stipends for players and allowing athletes to take out loans against future earnings, deserve robust debate before adoption. Others, like an exemption for coaches to give their players $50 Christmas gifts, should be put in place immediately. The NCAA - and more broadly, college sports - is experiencing a boom. Revenues are higher than ever, media outlets broadcast more sports and teams, and stadiums keep growing and adopting cutting-edge
technology. As the collegiate athletic paradigm shifted towards consumerism, athletes got left behind. People who insist a free ride to college is
compensation enough, like the NCAA CEO, are ignoring the difference between “enough” and “right.”
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Same credits. Less cost. This summer, save money with affordable classes that transfer back to your university. Classes start June 2. Register now. LoneStar.edu/Register LSC-North Harris
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Music By: Stoney LaRue, Casey Donahew Band, Jason Cassidy, and Bart Crow Band Admission to Festival: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM: $5 After 5:00 PM: $10 Senior Citizens: $2 10 & Under W/ Adult: Free
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Page 8
NEWS
Thursday April 24, 2014 houstonianonline.com/news
Mallory Collins | The Houstonian
BEHIND THE SCENES. (Left) Emcee Meagan Bridges reviews her script while fellow emcee Angelic Ortiz has make up applied before the 20th annual Sammys Awards. (Right) Announcer Chris Young records his script during rehearsal for The Sammys.
What it takes to host The Sammys HANNAH ZEDAKER Senior Reporter MALLORY COLLINS KELSEY JOLLY ROBERTO GUAJARDO Contributing reporters Everyone remembers the students and faculty who walked away with awards at the 20th Annual Sammys last Wednesday. However, most people don’t recognize the months of preparation four Sam Houston State University students put into hosting and announcing the ceremony. Senior mass communication majors Manny Martinez and Meagan Bridges, joined by dance
major Angelic Ortiz hosted the 20year tradition while sophomore mass communication major Chris Young announced the awards. According to Young, the students were selected at the end of January and rehearsed biweekly with each session lasting two to four hours each. “I was not nervous until after the audition—that’s how I get,” Bridges said. “I’m pretty confident going in and then afterwards I just bite my nails and think about everything until I know if I got it or not.” Young said he doubted his abilities after his audition. “I didn’t really think I was going to make it,” Young said. “I was really surprised whenever I got the email. I was excited for the
possibilities and I knew it would be a good networking opportunity for me.” Martinez, who had previously worked with Bridges, said he was excited to find out they both had made it and that he was thrilled to get to work together again For Ortiz, one of the most exciting things was getting to see how her hair and makeup could look when done professionally. However, not all of the hosts felt the same way toward cosmetics. “I had to get my makeup done which is weird,” Martinez said. The cast went through multiple wardrobe changes throughout the night and although the boys had to wear makeup they got the better end of the deal, according to Martinez.
the way you want
“I had a suit and they said it was fine so I just had to find bow ties which coordinated with the girls’ dresses so I had it pretty easy,” Martinez said. According to Ortiz, the chemistry between the three hosts as well as the announcer was almost effortless. “Megan’s energy, Manny’s kind of like Mr. Voice himself and then I’m kind of like the calming, sensual one in the center,” Ortiz said. “I’m a grown woman, I have to have the power and the essence to capture an audience.” Having also been an emcee for the Miss Sam Houston pageant, Bridges said her experiences at SHSU have helped her tremendously in gaining confidence in public speaking.
“With the Sammys you’re bringing a lot of people on stage who haven’t gone to rehearsals with you,” Bridges said. “You’re bringing deans up and students who don’t know if they’ve won or not—people who don’t know if they’re going to be on stage at all. So you just kind of have to prepare yourself during practice to guide these people who don’t know what they’re going to do on stage.” The quartet worked collectively to continue the tradition seamlessly, while helping to epitomize the university motto. “I’m proud to be the announcer of the Sammys,” Young said. “I’m proud to be able to give back to my university; to these people who show that the measure of a life is its service.”
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