April 9, 2013 by The Houstonian

TODAY’S FORECAST

HI: 84o LOW: 69o

Photo courtesy Michael Morton

More then 120 students from all over the state marched to the Texas capitol to raise awareness for issues in higher education on Tuesday, April 2.

Chance of Rain:

20%

Fischer v University of Texas case soon to be decided by high court

Potential soda tax

MOLLY WADDELL News Editor

Sodas, along with other sweetened beverages could soon be taxed in Texas. State Representative Joe Farias’ House Bill 779, which could increase the tax on sweetened beverages, sweetened beverage powders, or sweetened beverage syrup that contain natural or artificial sweeteners, was referred to committee on February 18. If passed HB- 779 would tax retailers, which could mean the consumer would bear the weight of the tax. The bill also says the payment of the tax is on the manufacturer, distributor or wholesaler. One Sam Houston State University Student believes that health is not a matter of the government. “I feel as though these are lifestyle decisions that should not be directed towards the government,” Brion Robinson, psychology major, said. “If that

upin Texas

includes Capris Sun, I don’t want to pay for Capris Sun.” The tax “is one cent for each ounce or fractional part of an ounce of a sweetened beverage.” The revenue from the taxes would go to the promotion of children’s health programs. Another student thinks the bill will keep people from buying these drinks, thus decreasing childhood obesity. “I feel like if this is going to lessen obesity and childhood obesity, the cost would cause people to buy less of it,” Jasmine Mc Cants, business administration major, said. “Kids wouldn’t drink all of it and wouldn’t gain weight and get sick. I think it is a good thing.” In 2009 nearly 66.8% of Texas adults and 13.6% of Texas high-school students were reported to be were obese, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. According to the bill, sweetened beverage

8 oz

means a carbonated or non-carbonated nonalcoholic beverage that contains natural or artificial sweeteners such as individual cans of soda. Sweetened beverage powder means a solid mixture of basic ingredients used to make, mix or compound sweetened beverages, like individual drink mixes. Sweetened beverage syrup means a liquid mixture of basic ingredients used to make, mix or compound sweetened beverages, such as fountain drinks. New York is going through a similar situation as Mayor Bloomberg implemented a ban on sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces. This ban was supposed to start Monday according to CBS News, but State Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling Jr. stopped it. Tingling wrote the ban would be “arbitrary and capricious” because it applied only to some drinks. He wrote, “...a host of other drinks contain substantially more calories and sugar than (those) targeted... Including alcoholic beverages, lattes, milk shakes, (and) frozen coffees...” Bloomberg implemented the ban because he has called sugar-sweetened beverages a leading cause of obesity according to CBS news. If passed the bill will take affect September 1.

29% tax* *Numbers based on approximate retail value. Tax would be on retail businesses and not necessarily felt by customers.

5% tax* 16 oz

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

53% tax* 10.6% tax*

“Evil Dead” film gore, blood take away from movie quailty

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Statue soon to greet one-millionth visitor SOPHIE NELSON Senior Reporter

Sophie Nelson | The Houstonian

The Sam Houston Statue Visitor Center and Gift Shop is currently running a campaign to promote the landmark as they near the celebration of their millionth visitor to sign their guestbook. As of Feb. 15, the day the campaign started, the visitor center was short by 23,000 signatures. On the morning of April 8, only 8,192 more signatures were required to make one million. Director of Tourism for the Center, Kimm Thomas said that the center hopes to have reached their goal by National Tourism Week, which is May 4-12. Thomas explained that the City of Huntsville Tourism and Cultural Services Department has created a web-based campaign so they can boost tourism not only for the visitor center, but for the entire city of Huntsville. “By promoting Huntsville

through the millionth person campaign, we will create a greater excitement and awareness of Huntsville as a destination,” Thomas said in an earlier press release. “This will draw tourists into our area, which will increase visitor spending and in return will grow state tax revenues that can lead to economic development.” The website for the campaign is www.sam houstonstatueonemillionthvisitor. com and includes a special Facebook promotion for the most creative, most liked and oldest picture of the statue, as well as other cash and prize giveaways up until the millionth visitor signs the book. The prizes for the Facebook photo winners will be three $250 Visa gift cards and the millionth person will received $500 cash. Thomas said the millionth person can be anyone in or out of Walker County, but the other $10,000 in cash and prizes provided by the merchants of Huntsville will be awarded to

visitors to the center who do not live in Walker County. “Merchants who donate to the campaign will be featured on Web sites leading up to the day their donated items are given away,” Thomas said. “We hope highlighting some of the unique vendors we have here in Huntsville will bring even more visitors to the City.” The statue was created 18 years ago and has seen people from over 115 countries. Thomas said the center would love for students or organizations from the SHSU campus to adopt the statue for volunteer purposes. She also urged the people of Huntsville, as well as the college students, to come visit the statue. “By promoting Huntsville through the millionth person campaign, we will create a greater excitement and awareness of Huntsville as a destination,” Thomas said. “If you haven’t visited the statue before, now is the time.”

Bill would leave fate of more programs in TSUS hands JAY R. JORDAN Senior Reporter The fate of programs with low student enrollment over a five year period at SHSU soon could lie in different hands. The Texas Legislature is considering changing the decision-making power over low-producing programs from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to the boards of regents governing public universities, including the Texas State University System Board of Regents, which governs SHSU. House Bill 1351, filed by State Representative Poncho Nevárez, attempts to give rural universities a fighting chance to keep admissions up.

The coordinating board’s rule for low-producing programs dictates that if 25 or fewer students enroll in an undergraduate degree program within five years, the program is either eliminated or consolidated into another degree program. The rule also carries over to masters and doctoral programs if they don’t enroll 15 or 10 students, respectively. After an institution is notified of its elimination-pending programs, it can choose to terminate or consolidate the programs in question. Another option for universities is to request an extension on the time it should theoretically take to fulfill the required enrollment, though the ultimate decision of the program’s fate is up to the coordinating board.

HB 1351 would hand the decision over to each university’s board of regents, potentially saving low producing degree programs from termination. Nevárez’s Legislative Director, Leo Aguirre, said that the current THECB rules discriminate against smaller rural schools like SHSU. “Because of these [rules], access to certain degree programs have diminished in many parts of the state,” Aguirre said. “More specifically, public universities and community colleges in remote or rural areas who offer degree programs to students who would not otherwise have access to them.” “To allow graduates to be able to function within an increasingly globalized economy, helping lowproducing programs to become

more productive is a necessity especially in rural areas in the state, not to eliminate them,” Aguirre said. Lucy Heston, an assistant director at THECB, said that most of the final decisions on closing a program is based on saving money. She said that estimates show nearly $73 million has been saved after four years of using the low-producing programs rule. According to Heston, the latest low-producing programs list sent to Texas universities gave Sam Houston two LPPs. Various university officials were unable to say which programs were under fire. Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Jamie Hebert could not be reached by press time. SHSU has had 16 programs

deemed as low producing since the program started in 2010, although none have been eliminated, according to THECB documents. During last year’s review, Sam Houston’s master’s program in chemistry was under consideration of being eliminated but received a temporary extension in order to fill the enrollment deficiency, according to department Chair Richard Norman. “The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board gave our program a “temporary exemption” of two years to increase our numbers, and as I said, we have done so for the Fall 2007 through Summer 2012 period,” Norman said. HB 1351 has yet to leave the higher education committee. It would take effect on September 1.

Page 2

News

Tuesday, April 9, 2013 houstonianonline.com/news

State

UT students “Invest in Texas” to better education HANNAH ZEDAKER Contributing Reporter More than 100 students from the University of Texas marched to the state capitol in hopes of pushing legislation emphasizing higher education on April 2. “Invest in Texas” is a campaign comprised of more than 30 student organizations including the UT Student Government, the Senate of College Councils and the Graduate Student Assembly. “It’s really important for students to get out there, especially at the capitol, and talk about why it’s important that they [the legislators] fund higher education,” President of the Student of College Councils, Michael Morton said. “They really like hearing from the students as opposed to just administrators because we provide a different point of view.” When students at Sam Houston State were asked if they would be willing to do what the students of UT did last week, they agreed—if only the capitol were closer. “I definitely think we should start an alliance like ‘Invest in Texas’ here at SHSU,” freshman Ileana Bolaños said. “We are misrepresented a lot of the time and rather than legislators just assuming what we need, we could tell them directly.” Bolaños said that if more campuses came together like UT the effects could be far-reaching. “We could let our voices be heard, not just in our specific campus, city or state, but maybe even throughout the country,” she

said. “What UT is doing is very admirable and more campuses, including ours, should form groups like this.” No matter what campus a student may belong to, every student has a voice which freshman Matt Minner, member of the Student Government and Senate of College Council said, should be used to its full potential. “I think it is crucial for many students to participate in stuff like this,” Minner said. “The government is here to serve us. However, if we don’t speak up, they don’t know what we want from them. The more students participate, even if it is just writing letters to your representative, the more they will have to listen to what we have to say.” The campaign was established during the legislative session of 2011 and is designed to help the students and faculty of UT by getting their voices heard. Morton said a total of about 200 students are involved in “Invest in Texas” this year, although, just a little over half of them actually marched last week. “It’s not just a one day event; we work year-round, beginning each summer, to lay the groundwork for our platform and work months in advance to plan the actual march day,” he said. “It’s really cool to see so many different people from all parts of campus come together for one cause that affects us all.” This year’s platform had four major points including: adequate funding and increased financial aid, allowing UT to determine its admission policy, proper

Provided by Michael Morton

“Invest in Texas”. The UT students campaign to push higher eductation legislation took a step forward when they marched on the capitol to speak and represent their school.

representation of students in the Board of Regents, and lastly, each campus in Texas to be able to determine its own concealed carry policy. Put more eloquently, the platform was: “Keep Us Affordable, Keep Us Competitive, Keep Us Safe, and Keep Us Represented.” “We definitely made a difference and an impact,” Morton said. “Right now, only 13 percent of our total funding is covered by state appropriations. Of course, we won’t know the entire affect we had on legislation until later on, but I think funding will definitely

National

Fisher under review at SCOTUS KASSIDY TURNPAUGH Staff Reporter

A verdict may soon be reached on higher education affirmative action. The Supreme Court is reviewing the case Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin in an effort to come up with a decision on whether UT Austin’s admissions policies are racially discriminating on an unfair basis. Abigail Fisher, a white student from Suglarland, Texas, was denied admittance to the Texas university in Fall 2008 and filed suit claiming that her Fourteenth Amendment rights had been violated in favor of “minority applicants with lesser credentials,” according to case records. At the time of Fisher’s application, UT Austin did not have an Affirmative Action policy as it adhered to the top 10 percent rule, which allowed automatic admission to a public Texas school for any student in the top 10 percent of their graduating high school class. Officials said the policy has changed to the top seven percent due to the sheer number of applicants. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in favor of the university in late 2009. After a lengthy review of the case the court came to a unanimous 3-0 decision that

get increased.” Freshman Matt Minner who marched last week, is a member of the Undergraduate Business Council which also means, he is a member of both the Student Government as well as the Senate of College Councils. “I personally marched because I saw it as a way to directly improve my school,” Minner said. “I got the chance to represent UT and really make a statement that the issues we were bringing up were important and that we were not going to sit back without our voices being heard.”

Campus

Final four COFAMC dean candidates to visit campus MOLLY WADDELL News Editor

Susan Walsh| AP photo

REVIEW. Abigail Fisher outside of the SCOTUS after stating her case.

Fisher had no grounds for the suit and dismissed the case, deciding that UT’s admission policies fit within its rights as a university. After the lower court’s decision was made, Fisher’s attorney filed an appeal to the Supreme Court. The case is now in review along with the precedent set in Grutter v. Bollinger, which found the use of race in determining admissions to be acceptable under the Fourteenth Amendment and Equal Protection Clause. Gene Roberts, the Director of Student Legal and Mediation Services, said the Fisher case is one in a long line of similar cases. “Several of the judges seemed to have questions about whether Fisher had standing to bring the

case because she did not attempt to re-enroll at the University of Texas,” Roberts said. “The harm analysis is one that the court has struggled with in a variety of cases and it will be intriguing to see how the court resolves that issue.” If overturned, universities nationwide could have to take race out of the decision process completely. UT Austin has warned that overturning the landmark case would require mass reevaluation of admissions policies throughout the United States, according to case records. The potential dissolution of affirmative action is unclear because of the tight political split on the court. It is unknown when deliberations will come to a close.

The dean search for the College of Fine Arts and Mass Communication is almost over. The large pool of candidates has now been narrowed down to four according to a press release. According to the press release the four finalists will give a presentation to faculty and staff and visit with members of the campus over two-day periods. John de Castro, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and search committee chair, is looking forward to the next step. “We received over 60 applications from well qualified applicants and interviewed 10 candidates at a neutral site,” de Castro said. “From these the search committee has identified four outstanding finalists. We are truly excited to introduce these remarkable leaders to the SHSU campus and community.” The four finalists for the dean position are Joseph Kline, dean of Fine Arts at Eastern New Mexico University; Gary Mortenson, director of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Kansas State University; Mary Robbins, interim dean of the College of Fine Arts

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

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

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

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

Winners will receive a FREE Ignite the Night t-shirt. 2nd Annual

Ignite The Night

Facebook.com/ TheHoustonianSHSU

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

Wednesday, April 10th from 6:00pm.

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

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

Not only did the students march to the capitol, but they also were able to present their platform to the legislators. “I’d say the coolest part was going into the offices of various senators and representatives and just being in the capitol in general,” Minner said. “I definitely think we made a difference. We got our platform in front of so many representatives. We definitely made our presence known. They saw that the issues that we were bringing up have to be addressed.”

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and Mass Communication at SHSU; and Ronald Shields, professor in the Department of Theatre and Film at Bowling Green State University. The first candidate arrives Thursday. The second candidate is scheduled to be on campus April 15-16, the third on April 18-19, and the fourth on April 22-23. The presentations to faculty and staff are scheduled for each candidate’s first day at 3:45 p.m. in CHSS 140. “The on-campus interviews allow the students, faculty, staff and community to get to know each candidate and evaluate his or her fit with the culture and vision for the future of the College,” de Castro said. “The committee welcomes input from all stakeholders as it reaches the final stages of the search.” Kline served as department chair at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Mortenson previously served as the head of the department of Music at KSU. Robbins served as department chair for Language, Literacy and Special Populations at the College of Education at SHSU. Shields previously held the position of chair of the department of Theatre and Film at Bowling Green State University.

Page 3

Viewpoints

Tuesday, April 9, 2013 houstonianonline.com/viewpoints

Sometimes two-party elections offer terrible choices for voters

Cyber bike ride serves virtually no purpose, promotes obesity KASSIDY TURNPAUGH

C. Harris examines the race between Stephen Colbert’s sister and former S.C. governor

Staff Reporter

he beauty of actually getting outside nowadays is that the weather is a bearable temperature, a rarity in itself within the lovely state of Texas. A large part of people actually getting exercise are taking advantage of the fantastic activity of biking. There is mountain biking, road biking and track cycling, just to name a few. Now there is even cyber bicycling. Yes, cyber cycling. Of course if you visit the new Cyclodeo site it will tell you it is made to simulate safety and weather conditions on the road. The journey is simulated through the application of GPS tracking and a video feed of potential routes. It provides the entire sightseeing adventure of biking within the confines of your own living room. You never even have to get off of your couch. Let’s not dance around the point here. This is the laziest and most absurd way of seeing the world. While we’re at it let’s be honest here, no one is going to use this ‘planning device’ for scouting routes; it will just inevitably become one more way to enable the lazy masses. Even for those using it for planning trips there is no way to actually predict the maneuverability of the conditions until you actually hit the roads. Much like the terrible Joseph Gordon Levitt film, “Premium Rush” depicted, the only way to know how to work around the obstructions and slow moving pedestrians is to get up off your ass and go outside. Don’t even get me started on the impossible idea of predicting wind resistance or difficulty for each individual. In addition there are dozens of cycling apps already available that could be used to determine safety. Not to mention the fact that they are portable and actually cover a much larger area than Cyclodeo. Sitting through the lengthy video is an unbearable 17 minutes too long that I will never get back from my life. The video just lamely rolls through the streets without any sound which most will know is typically replaced with the necessary cursing fight actual bike riders get in with their inconsiderate motorist counter parts. It is riddled with the obligatory stop lights and minute after minute of shaky GoPro camera work and in the end absolutely nothing has been learned. Just because you record yourself riding a bike doesn’t mean it tells you how safe a route is. There is no report of people getting hit and no weather documentation; it is all just a senseless video. Don’t expect Cyclodeo to become a smash hit as it reaches few and satisfies even less all while unwittingly promoting obesity.

COLIN HARRIS

Staff Reporter

nder almost all circumstances, a U.S. Congressional special election would be of little interest to anyone living outside the affected district. However, given the prominence of the candidates involved, the May 7 contest for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District promises to be one to watch, if only for the entertainment factor. After easily winning the Democratic primary last month, Elizabeth Colbert Busch faces off against Republican ex-governor Mark Sanford for the seat vacated by newly appointed Sen. Tim Scott. Colbert Busch has a background in business. She’s currently working as director of Business Development at Clemson University’s Restoration Institute and has chaired numerous business and trade organizations. She comes from a large family, being the eighth of 11 children, but even if she’s elected to Congress it’s doubtful she’ll ever be as wellknown as her youngest brother, Stephen, host of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.” Though Colbert Busch has a fantastic resume, she owes her

MORGAN MEARS Staff Reporter

eing an undergraduate, I tend to be open to all the advice and helpful hints about college life that anyone wants to send my way. I’m always willing to listen. However after reading Kathleen Gerson’s “No Need to Marry Young” story on CNN, I may have to change that stance. In the story, Gerson explains how Princeton Alumnus, Susanne A. Patton wrote a letter to the university’s newspaper, The Princetonian, arguing that female undergraduates should focus on finding a husband on campus, and not just their education and their career. I can honestly say that I am forever grateful that no one offered me such advice while I was an incoming freshman. In her letter, Patton wrote to her alma mater “find husbands before you graduate,” arguing that female undergraduates should find a potential husband while they are at college. Patton believes

have found it; the secret that searching for from the beginning. But nothing happened. I feel everyone has been wanting to hear. Now, brace yourself. There healthier. I think my heart is happier is, I have discovered, a “silver bullet” – though my stomach fights it for effective weight loss. I know sometimes. Salads became the staple this is crazy – but I finally found at most of my meals, but I became nothing but a couch something that works! potato when I got home. Okay – ready? Diet and Did anyone see “The exercise. Wizards of Waverly Place: What? Were you The Wizard’s Return”? expecting a pill I watched it about four you could take that times. I needed something somehow magically more than this sedentary slimmed you? Or a lifestyle I was resigning special kind of saran myself to. wrap you enclosed I grabbed my tennis your body in? I know shoes – and noticed the – I was too. If you recall, earlier this year RICHARD MCKINNEY holes that had developed during their tenure in I made a decision to Staff Reporter the back of my closet. I go vegetarian. I was couldn’t work out in those. hoping this would kick start my healthy lifestyle. Well, I checked my bank account – and after fighting with pizza grease, plopped right back down on the abandoning most pasta, and a couch to await a chance to purchase severe break-up with Little Debbie myself some new Sketchers. Then a week passed – or was (leaving me a little bitter to the little girl) I found the get up and go I was it two – and I found the ability

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they will never again be surrounded by men who are as smart as or smarter than they are. Patton fails to realize that we live in the year 2013, not the 1950s. Girls go to college to further their education and ready themselves for their future careers, not to earn a degree. According to Patton, not only do you need to find a husband in college to have a successful, fulfilling marriage but you must waste no time and snag them before their nineteenth birthday. She argues that “every year, you lose the men in the senior class and you become older,” and that if you wait until you are a senior then you “will only have the men in your own class to choose from.” As if trying to figure out what we want to do with our lives isn’t already stressful enough, now girls have this narrow-minded and traditionalist woman encouraging them to marry young. Patton fails to recognize that a majority of young marriages tend to end in divorce, according to the National Center for Health Statistics 60 percent of couples who marry between 20 and 25 are destined for divorce.

As if encouraging girls to focus on finding a husband rather than their education or career wasn’t bad enough, Patton then goes on to explain that for most female undergraduates “the cornerstone” of their “future and happiness will be inextricably linked to the man” that they marry. Personally, my happiness is not reliant upon others, my happiness is centered around myself and doing what I want to with my life; not if I have a man or not. Rather than encouraging young female undergraduates to focus on finding a husband while they are in college, Patton and others should be encouraging them to follow their own dreams. If that means finding the love of your life in college, then good for you, but do not let your education fail because you are solely focused on finding a man who is “as smart or smarter” than yourself. Focus on school, and if your prince charming happens to make his way into your life during your college career, then kudos, but don’t stress if you can’t find Mr. Right during your time at Sam Houston.

Veggie Tales: exercise crucial for weight loss

PAWS UP to the Mass Comm. Dept for winning many on-site and previously published awards at Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.

Faculty Adviser

had a clue where Sanford went. The mystery of the missing governor was solved when Sanford flew back to the U.S. and explained to everyone where he had been. He came clean about the affair, yet instead of acting contrite he was remorseless. He described his mistress as his “soul mate” and appeared deeply in love, despite a 20 year marriage that yielded four children. All this is immaterial though, because by leaving the state he was elected to be chief executive of, without disclosing his whereabouts, Sanford proved himself unfit for public office. Being governor is an important job and the star-crossed lover displayed callous disregard for his office and its responsibilities. So in about a month, the voters of SC-1 have an important decision to make. Should they vote for the candidate who seems to represent views many disagree with or should they vote for the candidate who seems to represent Sanford? If I lived in the district I would vote for Colbert Busch because while I can overlook marital infidelity among public officials, a complete dereliction of duty (which is precisely what Sanford did) is a bridge too far.

Princeton Alumnus encourages girls to focus on love rather than grades

PAWS UP

Robin Johnson

according to brot h e r plan during a debt of his first six gratitude for and a half plugging her years in candidacy office. The on his show, married causing his Sanford legion of fans even had to consider the time opening their for an affair pocketbooks All photos courtesy of Bruce Smith | Associated Press with an and making a political donation during an off- Argentinian woman. From his year special election when campaign accounts the relationship, which started in 2001, didn’t become contributions are hard to come by. As far as ideology is concerned, sexual until 2008. If the past few decades have Colbert Busch is an across the board liberal. She’s pro-choice, pro-union, taught us anything, extramarital pro-Obamacare, pro-gay marriage, affairs aren’t enough on their own to derail a political career. You have etc. Normally those positions would to do something truly special, like be unsuitable for a candidate solicit a prostitute in the bathroom, looking to represent the people of have a lovechild with someone on SC-1, a district which Romney won your campaign staff or send pictures in 2012 by 18 points. The fabled of your underwear-clad genitals all “generic Republican” candidate over Twitter, in order to face any real would trounce Colbert Busch, political backlash for infidelity. One fateful week in June 2009, even with her famous maiden name. Unfortunately for the GOP, Sanford did something truly special her opponent’s negatives are a bit with his affair. He flew to Buenos harder to swallow than a generic Aires to spend several moonlit romantic evenings with his lover Republican. Sanford was first elected governor without notifying anyone. Nobody of the Palmetto state in 2002 and on his staff, not the lieutenant reelected to a second four-year term governor, none of his immediate in 2006. Everything seemingly went family nor any member of the media

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to trudge to my car and drive to Payless to purchase the shoes. Now, here is where it gets really intense; I proceeded to leave them in the box for a week and not use them. When I finally pulled them out, I slipped them on, laced them up, tied them and sat back down on my couch. Well you have to break them in, don’t you? It was here when my cognitive dissonance started revving up. I couldn’t live with myself knowing that I just simply wasn’t trying. I started walking more; to friend’s houses, to church, to work. Of course, this might be because I used up my last bit of gas getting to Payless Shoes. Whatever the reason, I was walking more. It felt good. It was nice to finally see myself actually working. Then I got gas in my truck and back to the couch I went. I am happy to report that my walking lasted longer than Britney Spears’s marriage though – which feels good. Recently, I noticed the scale

Staff Reporters Morgan Mears Christian Vazquez Carian Parker Richard McKinney Colin Harris Ryan Bowers Kassidy Turnpaugh

taunting me in my bathroom. I usually ignore it as it stares accusatorily at me. I couldn’t resist. I had to check how much I weighed after a few weeks on my veggie diet. After recovering from the black out, I decided it was more imperative than ever to get back to the gym. So, that’s what I did. I set my alarm and woke up – apparently, there is time before the sun comes up – and went to the gym. I enjoyed it. For the record, don’t be afraid to go. I used to think I needed to lose some weight before I could be seen, but everyone is there to get in shape. So, get up and go! They even started putting little inspirational quotes on the machines – thank you, rec sports! There you have it. The secret that everyone has been waiting on – diet and exercise. I enjoy the vegetarian diet. I will keep that going forward, but I will also implement a more strict exercise regimen – though it’s not hard to be stricter than nothing.

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Page 4

Arts&Entertainment

Tuesday, April 9, 2013 houstonianonline.com/a-e

Music series opens with rockers, blues duo

Local artists enthrall crowd with energy, fresh original sounds

ALEX DIAZ Contributing Reporter Music lovers and fans from all over gathered on the lawn of the Walker County courthouse Friday evening to listen to local bands the Anthemeers and the Gypsy Davies. The performances comprised the first installment of the city of Huntsville’s Main Street Music series; an event at which local artists perform every Friday from April 5 to May 10. The Anthemeers, an eccentric sextuplet echoing Broken Social Scene and Fleet Foxes, performed first, washing the crowd in their unique brand of college rock. From anthemic ballads to fast-paced rhythmic rock the group entralled the crowd with an energetic and positive vibe that translated into a frenetic but cohesive performance, well rounded in both emotion and musicality. The band closed with “Becoming Something” sending the gathered listeners off in a tidal wave of good feelings.

Photo courtesy of Gypsie Davies Facebook

ROCKING OUT Lead vocalist for The Gypsie Davies Willian Tyler Ezzell performs at a live show in 2010. The group also includes Arthur Shane Doyle, who plays guitar. The duo opened the Main Street Music Series on April 5.

“It was a wonderful performance, really great production and a really

professional sound,” said local musician Miranda Hightower. Next up were the Gypsy

Davies, an acoustic blues duo. The band went through a medley of blues standards like “Fever”

and “St. James Infirmary Blues”, mixing in clever covers of Britney Spears and folksy originals along the way. The performance was soulful, gripping listeners with raw, bluesy angst, conveying a sound akin to the softer efforts of artists like the White Stripes or Jeff Buckley. Vocalist William Tyler Zell ventured out into the crowd, singing acapella without the aid of the mic, bringing true spirit to the set. “They have a lot of heart, a lot of genuine intention,” Huntsville resident Mary Brett said of the band “they’re just down-home good.” Overall, the performance was great beginning for the weekly music series, and was itself a great example of local musical talent. The bands, the fans, and the atmosphere were all positive, and the music well done. The next concert in the series will be held on April 12 with artists Zachary Keane Crocker and Mary Brett. For more information, call the Huntsville Main Street Program ay 936-294-5920.

Jazz artists revive tunes, captivate audiences ANGELA BEEL Contributing Reporter

AP Photo| Sony-Tri-Star Pictures

CREEPY, NOT SCARY: Despite its overwhelming gore and blood, “Evil Dead” earned $26 million in its opening weekend at the box office.

Gore overwhelms plot, in ‘Evil Dead’ ZEKE OSBORN Contributing Reporter

There have been a lot of movies, especially with how much development has been made in special effects, that have really made use of blood and gore to properly tell their story. However, “Evil Dead” takes this to an all new level as the movie sacrifices a compelling plot and frightening sequences for the never-ending fountain of gushing blood and gore that is thrown at the audience through the majority of the film. The story opens with a group of friends gathering at an old family cabin in order to help the youngest in their group, Mia, played by Jane Levy, overcome a long lasting drug addiction completely cold turkey. The tough battle seems to start out alright until the group finds an old demonic book that, upon reading a few words aloud, releases an ancient demon that possesses Mia and thus the story takes a turn for the worse. From this point on in the movie, the plot from writers Fede Alvarez, Diablo Cody, and Rodo Sayagues who have all worked on other horror films, is never explored further, such as where this book came from, who this demon really was, or just what exactly it ultimately wanted. Only that through the devouring of five souls would it be released from the gates of hell to prey upon the living. Instead of furthering the plot line, the

movie completely becomes an all out gore-fest that never takes a break. After the initial 2030 minutes that introduced the characters, the gore doesn’t stop until the end credits begin to roll. I have never been one to really be bothered by gore, the most I’ve ever had to do was look away from the screen for a few seconds and then be perfectly fine because the scene had moved on and the gore was over. This was the first movie where I could literally not sit still, constantly shifting from the uncomfortable feeling director Fede Alvarez created. There was even a point half way through the movie where I felt like I was going to be sick if I continued watching further. There was not even a single moment within the film where fear was a factor. This is not a horror movie by any means. It is a shame, if the movie had actually explored the story a bit more or added more of a fear factor to cause the audience to jump out of their seats from time to time, then it would have leveled out the extreme overuse of gore and ultimately made this a better movie. There is absolutely nothing else about this movie that would give a compelling reason for someone to watch it other than fans that enjoy constant blood and gore within their films. Others, like myself, should avoid “Evil Dead” like the plague as it will do nothing but sicken you and possibly cause you to prematurely leave the theater if you have an even weaker stomach than I.

Guest artists earned a standing ovation from audiences as they showcased the sounds of jazz during the evening concerts at the third annual Bill Watrous Jazz Festival at Sam Houston State University Friday and Saturday. The performances were held at the Performing Arts Center and ended both jazz filled nights with powerful performances. Special guests Bill Watrous, a famous trombone player and trumpeteer Bob Mintze , as well as the SHSU Jazz Ensemble, c h a r m e d audiences with their soulful renditions of jazz hits. The concerts were a part of the four day festival of performance and education for middle and high school students, who performed and attend workshops by Mintzer throughout both days. The night of concerts began with Watrous and the Jazz Ensemble playing an upbeat song titled “Lowlife”. However, it was Mintzer who captivated audiences as he took the stage to play some of his original songs. Mintzer joined the SHSU Jazz Ensemble on stage to play one of five songs he penned. The first song was upbeat and soulful. Mintzer captured audience members’ attention during his solo on the tenor saxophone as his fingers glided across the keys. The song titled “March Majestic” got audience members involved as they joyfully clapped along with the beat during one of

the SHSU Jazz Ensemble and an old friend of Mintzer’s, Richard DeRosa, took over on the drums. The performance was cheerful as the duo closed the concert with a powerful performance, leading the crowd to give a standing ovation. Audience member and music student Katie Delafuente said she enjoyed the last performance most. “Bob Mintzer and Bill Watrous are such great artists,” Delafuente said. “It was great.” B r i t n e y Bundick, another member of the audience, agreed. “ I thought it was really good,” Bundick said. “Bob Mintzer was amazing and Watrous’s playing was like singing through the trombone.” “Never let me go” spiced up the night right from the opening, with a solo by Watrous and Yolissma Vance | The Houstonian Schneller. Mintzer’s solos. Watrous excited guests Mintzer called his “A Brazilian not only by his skilled trombone Affair” as a samba-esque groove” playing, but by his interesting piece, and again, got the audience tales of his experiences as a jazz moving along to the music. musician. As Watrous concluded “Lester Jumps Out,” the the final song, audience members longest song of the night, was cheered and gave them a loud riddled with solo performances applause. by not only Mintzer, but Watrous Audience member Dawn and members of the jazz ensemble Craig, said that the night’s as well. Aric Schneller, director performances showcased true of jazz studies and leader of the passion for music. festival even sang a solo during “It was beautiful. The sound the song. filled the whole room,” Craig The night ended with a said. “It was very powerful and performance by Mintzer, Watrous, very passionate.”

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Page 5

Sports

Tuesday, April 9, 2013 houstonianonline.com/sports

Bearkats hammer Huskies, 8-2 CODY LEWIS Sports Editor Sam Houston State earned their first Southland Conference sweep of the season against Houston Baptist University Sunday at Sam Houston Softball Stadium. Senior third baseman Shelbi Tucker’s grand slam in the first inning was enough to secure an 8-2 Bearkat win. Haley Baros threw her fifth complete game and is now 7-7 on the season. She held the Huskies to four hits and struck out four different batters. The win was the Bearkat’s fifth in a row and they improved to 9-6 in the Southland Conference. They are 23-18 overall. “Shelbi came through,” Kats head coach Bob Brock said. “We seem to always do well on Sundays.” Houston Baptist scored in the top of the first inning, just as they had done in the previous two games to give them an early lead. The Bearkats responded with a fiverun first inning. The first run came from sacrifice fly by designated player Hillary Adams and the rest from Tucker’s grand slam to dead center. Lori Earl got the start for HBU but was

only able to record one out before giving up four runs, none of them earned. Kendall Stiefel pitched the next three and two third innings, allowing four runs on four hits. Three of them were earned. Sarah Shotton pitched the final two innings and allowed no runs and one hit. Short stop Tiffany Castillo was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fourth inning to score one more run and a two-run single by Adams gave the Bearkats an 8-1 lead. Second baseman Alyssa Coggins, who had a walk-off single to win game one of the series, had two of the five Bearkat hits and scored a run. “This is a team that can have quality hits,” Brock said. “I think this year we can get by with five or six hits.” First baseman Kim Damian led the Bearkats in putouts with 14 and catcher Ashley Isbell followed with three. HBU’s last run came off a seventh inning solo bomb from Victoria Sanchez. The Huskies fell to 6-9 in Southland Conference play. SHSU will have a three-game series against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi on Saturday and Sunday. Alex Broussard The Houstonian They return home for a series with Nicholls SWEEPERS: Shelbi Tucker connects for a grand slam as the Bearkats sweep Houston Baptist. State starting April 20.

Bearkats sweep McNeese, move to second in SLC CONNOR HYDE Sports Reporter Sam Houston State has slowly climbed the ranks of the Southland Conference after an uncertain pre-conference season. Now, sitting atop the SLC standings, the Bearkats are powering through conference rivals with their recent three game series sweep against McNeese State this weekend at Don Sanders Stadium. A two-run homer from right fielder Romeo Cortina sparked a fourth inning rally for the Bearkats in game one after a stagnant three innings. The Cowboys showed life in the third inning taking the lead 2-1, but Cortina’s momentum from the fourth carried into the fifth inning for another two runs to extend SHSU’s lead 5-2 to close the evening. “I wouldn’t say he’s a power guy,” Assistant Coach Philip Miller said regarding Cortina. “He’s capable of bunting and running. He’s done a great job for us…he wasn’t out there

that he’s been a projectable draft body. to begin with. He’s worked his way He throws with good velocity and has into the mix [and] comes up with a good breaking ball. I think he’s a big hit that lets you know he’s done a better job in his mental driving in runs.” preparation,” Miller said. Cody Dickson was on the Centerfielder Colt Atwood rubber in SHSU’s late game rally headed the Bearkat lineup with and pitched six complete innings, three hits in the top of the lineup allowing two runs off four hits. for a 5-2 game two victory. Dickson currently represents Accompanied by catcher the Bearkats’ pitching strength Anthony Azar, Atwood set the with seven starts and a 5-2 tone early for the Bearkats to go record and 3.06 ERA. Reliever up on the board with a hit in the Michael Burchett solidified a first inning to make the score Bearkat victory with the save, 1-1. Azar broke the three inning pitching three complete standstill with a three-run homer for innings and allowing three a 4-1 lead into the sixth inning. hits against 12 batters. “He’s a worker, he’s a tough kid and Miller said Dickson likes to compete,” Miller said referring remains consistent to Azar. “[He] came through big in a with his approach on crucial time in the game and busted the the mound but has game open.” improved his mental Azar’s homer was the second preparation. consecutive long ball to “The main thing is Alex Broussard | The Houstonian

spark a Bearkat rally against the Cowboys. Pitchers Andrew Godail and Jason Simms silenced McNeese, combining six-and-onethird innings and two earned runs to hold the Cowboys to only two runs. For the sweep, Azar returned with strong plate appearances driving in three runs to run-rule the Cowboys 12-2 in game three. Starting pitcher Caleb Smith struggled early, allowing two runs in the first inning. The Bearkats responded quickly in the bottom of the second and piled on runs in the third, fourth, fifth and seventh. Insurance runs from Crotina, Azar and Hayden Simerly knocked off McNeese from the top three in SLC rankings and SHSU replaced the Cowboys in the second spot. The Bearkats will travel to College Station to face off against Texas A&M Tuesday at Olsen Field. Opening pitch is at 6:35 p.m. SHSU will square off against Lamar University for their first road conference series this weekend with game one at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Beaumont.

Southland Conference Standings

Baseball

Southeastern La. Sam Houston State Texas A&M- CC Stephen F. Austin McNeese Central Arkansas Lamar Oral Roberts Nicholls Northwestern State

7-2 7-2 6-3 6-3 5-4 4-5 4-5 4-5 1-8 1-8

Softball McNeese Northwestern State Sam Houston State Lamar Southeastern La. Nicholls Central Arkansas Houston Baptist Stephen F. Austin Texas A&M-CC

10-3 9-5 9-6 9-6 8-7 8-7 7-7 6-9 5-10 2-13

Page 6

Minor in

HUMAN SERVICES Great for majors in Psychology Sociology

Philosophy

Learn to give a helping hand

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shsu.edu/see/humanservices SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Mass Comm dept. wins across the board at annual competition HOUSTONIAN STAFF Students from the Sam Houston State University Mass Communication Department won several awards at the annual Texas Intercollegiate Press Association state convention in Fort Worth, Texas. The group competed in more than 20 on-site competitions where they won the inaugural Director’s Trophy, which goes to the school that earns the most on-site competition points. This year’s convention was the first to feature such an award .“We know SHSU has really good students but when they go into competitions like sports reporting or Spanish news and dominate the field, you realize how truly outstanding they are. I couldn’t be more proud of each one of them,” Debbi Hatton, adviser for KSHU 90.5 the Kat, said. “Every mass communication department in the state wants to win this trophy, so we definitely have a target on our backs. Our response...bring it!” “SHSU’s Mass Communication Broadcast students have become the students to beat at TIPA,” LeeAn Muns, mass communication broadcast general operations manager, said. The students are members of SHSU student media: KSHU 90.5 The Kat, KSHU Channel 7 News, and the Houstonian student newspaper. There were 489 students

from 66 colleges and universities competing in the on-site contest. The only TIPA member schools not competing were University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M - Prairie View and Texas Southern University. Eleven students won an on-site award, which helped SHSU secure the sweepstakes award: • 1st Place - Sports Writing for the Radio - Trent Scott • 1st Place - Sports Writing for TV - Bryce Leasure • 1st Place - Radio Advertising - Jacqui Villafranco • 2nd Place - News Writing for TV - Bryce Leasure • 2nd Place - Breaking News Video Package Kessler McLaughlin • 2nd Place TV Advertising - Pete Petitti • 2nd Place - Radio News Anchor - Meagan Herring • 2nd Place - PR Press Release - Misti Jones • 3rd Place - Editorial Cartoon Kassidy Turnpaugh • 3rd Place - Spanish Radio News Anchor - Jacqui Villafranco • HM (4th Place) - TV News Anchor - Stephen Green • HM (4th Place) - Feature News Photo - Connor Hyde • HM (4th Place) - Print News Writing - Jay Jordan “Once again our journalism students faced a lot of great competition from universities all over Texas,” Robin Johnson, Ph.D., Houstonian adviser, said. “Winning the first director’s trophy for overall on-site competition excellence throws down the gauntlet for future competitions. We

are the university to beat.” The student media also submitted their work for Previously Published awards. KSHU 90.5 the Kat won an award in every possible category, including radio documentary, feature story, production, public affairs, sportscast, public service announcing, spot news, and overall excellence. KSHU Channel 7 news won five awards in documentary, audition tape, production, news feature, and sports feature. The Houstonian won 10 awards for previously published in advertisement design, general column writing, sports column writing, non-photo illustration, in-depth reporting, information graphic, opinion page design, single-subject presentation, special edition (Election issue), sports column writing, and sports feature writing. “There are several students who won multiple awards,” Johnson said. “Brandon Scott is a true talent at column writing. Stephen Green’s success with print, online and broadcast journalism and Misti Jones’ success at radio, print and public relations show that SHSU produces mass communication majors who will succeed at any opportunity that comes their way.” Stephen Green, editor-inchief of the Houstonian, was re-elected to his position as student President of the statewide organization. He served as President during the 2013 convention and as Parliamentarian during the 2012 convention.

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