The Houstonian

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Vol 116— Issue 9

The sky’s the limit

By Mike Silva Sports Editor

The excitement is peaking for the highly anticipated Bearkat Family Weekend.

With as many as 2,200 registered participants, the festivities planned for this Saturday are building a lot of hype and eagerness for what is being referred to as one of the biggest events of the year.

“Looking at the amount of people registered for this weekend, this looks

Huntsville, Texas

Graphics by Jared Wolf | The Houstonian

to be one of o u r largest turnouts this year,” said Kimberly Spradlin, Program Coordinator for the Dean of Students office. “Our goal is to get parents engaged on campus and show them that their children made the right choice by coming to Sam Houston.”

The events planned for Bearkat Family Weekend will be centered around the SHSU football team’s home opener at Bowers Stadium.

Pregame activities include a U.S. Army helicopter fly-over, a special guest appearance by the Houston Texans cheerleaders and the SHSU band's march from the mall area to the Bearkat Alley tailgate.

The tailgate will comprise of a tour of a U.S. Army 18-wheeler, a rock wall set up by ROTC, a display of the Veterans Resource Center, as well as food and music.

There will also be a postgame fireworks show, sponsored by Magic In the Sky of San Antonio, along with a "Hillcrest Ford Heroes" halftime salute to military veterans and Walker County police and fire department emergency service personnel.

“We want to give back and show our respect and honor to those that keep our community safe,” Hillcrest Ford General Manager Justin Wright said.

— See FAMILY, page 3

Bar protest averted

‘Wetback Wednesday’ discontinued after drawing attention

INDEX Viewpoints................page 2

Campus.................page 3 Entertainment........page 4 Sports....................page 5 Special...................page 4

Become a fan of The Houstonian on facebook

By Brandon Scott Viewpoints Editor

A controversial drinking special at the local Draft Bar, named “Wetback Wednesday,” has been replaced with a new theme, bar owner Don Shipley said.

Originally, Wednesdays called for discounted Mexican beer at the bar.

But in light of recent public pressure, management is now rethinking its choice of words.

“I realize that the sensitivity of certain people was being affected by the words that we thought was a catchy phrase,” Shipley said. “That’s when I decided we needed to change that.”

Last Wednesday, the public response to the phrase, which had been in place for more than a year, was minimal.

However, with attention from Sam Houston State University professors and community members, the objections to “Wetback Wednesday” began to escalate.

President of the Huntsville League of United Latin American Citizens council, John Escobedo said he passes the bar frequently, — See BAR, page 3

Follow us on twitter @HoustonianSHSU

Mike Posner, performs at Houston House of Blues

By E. Jay Miranda

Contributing Reporter

John Rudolph | The Houstonian

LAST CALL. News of the Draft Bar’s controversial drink special title spread quickly through the media including Houston’s Univision channel 45. A press conference was held on Wednesday to announce the name change from “Wetback Wednesday” to “Wild Whiskey Wednesday,” which avoided a protest from community members that was supposed to be held Wednesday afternoon. Pictured above from left: League of United Latin American Citizens-- Huntsville President, John Escobedo; Draft Bar Owner, Don Shipley and his daughter, Draft Bar Manager, Dena Shipley.

— See POSNER, page 6

Repairs in order for late night water damage

Capital campaign exceeds $61 million University officials have announced that the Share the Vision Campaign officially wrapped up on August 31 with more than $61 million in commitments received.

The campaign total surpasses the $50 million goal that had been announced in 2006.

The fund-raising effort was a five-year campaign that met nearly a year ahead of schedule and its attainment announced in early August.

The campaign generated approximately $25 million for scholarships. More than $4 million was given for faculty endowments and $12 million for academic program endowments.

Nearly $3 million was committed for construction projects and in excess of $10 million for annual programs and projects.

Remaining funds accounted for about $7 million.

“We are so pleased,” said Frank Holmes, vice president for university advancement. “If it had not been for the downturn in the economy, the campaign would have been completed almost two years ago. Our alumni and supporters have been enormously generous.”

As many as 15 donors to the campaign made commitments of at least $1 million, and five of them were for at least $2 million.

Of the donors, 11 made immediate contributions and

Recent college grad Mike Posner delighted spectators with his performance in Houston this past Monday at the House of Blues.

Many can recognize him from his hit single, “Cooler than Me,” an ode dedicated to a former crush, which he first recorded in his dormitory. Two years later, “Cooler Than Me” has been a smash hit, peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and being played in syndication around the U.S.

pledges, and four made deferred gifts provisions through wills and trusts.

“In addition to the extraordinarily generous giving by alumni and friends. The university was fortunate to have received support from more than 20,000 donors,” Holmes said. “Gifts of all sizes combined to make our campaign a success.”

The number of donors has increased from approximately 2,100 prior to campaign preparations beginning to more than 8,800. Annual gift income has risen from a five-year average of $2.5 million prior to campaign preparations to an average of $7.5 million over the past five years.

“The success of the Share the Vision Campaign has helped to create a new culture of philanthropy for our university that will continue to grow,” said University President Dana Gibson.

“Thanks to the outstanding efforts of [former university president] Jim Gaertner [Ph. D], who is now president emeritus, Campaign Chair Ron Mafrige and his Executive Leadership Council, and our wonderful advancement staff,” Gibson said. we are much better positioned to meet the challenges of today and to enjoy success with future fund-raising projects and programs.”

By Jessica Priest

Associate News Editor

Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian

Life, said there was no foul play. Instead, he suspects an initial leak, combined with a build up of water pressure, is to blame for the six-year old fire sprinkler system’s malfunction.

“It’s kind of ironic, but we had three leaks simultaneously,” Vienneau said.

“It was separate pipes in different locations throughout the building coming from the attic…, but probably what happened was that one of them sprung a leak, and the other two were about to start leaking at some point, so the extra pressure from when it did break, and the water surging into the pipe, are probably what caused the other two to go.”

More than 500 students living in the Sam Houston Village residence hall were evacuated Sunday night after a fire alarm went off, due to a ruptured pipe in the fire sprinkler system, multiple university sources said.

The University Police Department responded to the fire alarm at 10:25 p.m.

It acts as first responders when alarm systems are set off on campus and determines whether reinforcements are needed.

In this case, the Huntsville Fire Department was not called because there was no fire, Deputy Chief James Fitch said.

Although the exact cause of the leak is still unknown, Jeff Vienneau, the assistant director of facilities and — See SHV, page 3 maintenance for Residence

VIEWPOINTS

Page 2 The Houstonian

Dear Sam Houston Students, Staff and Faculty and Alumni: The Houstonian would not survive were it not for the continued involvement and dedication of the SHSU student body. We welcome all column submissions and letters to the editor. If at any time you feel the need to express an opinion, please do not hesitate to email your thoughts or drop by our office in the Dan Rather communications building. We look forward to hearing from you and thank you as always for your continued support of the Houstonian.

Brandon Scott Viewpoints Editor bscott@houstonianonline.com

Thursday, September 23, 2010

The individual opinions on the Viewpoints page are not necessarily affiliated with the view of The Houstonian or SHSU. The Houstonian is published semi-weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is a news publication of Sam Houston State University, a member of the Texas State University system, and is produced by students.

It is self-supporting and welcomes all advertisers. Those interested in placing ads or classifieds should call (936) 294-4864. The Houstonian is a member of the Associated Press.

Letter to the editor, This is an appropriate time to restate a better plan since there are rumblings coming from the halls, or perhaps the bowels, of congress with respect to the need for a second bank bailout.

Congress gave the banking industry $700 billion, now it is offering them another $30 billion. Millions of the taxpayers supplying the money for these bailouts were, and still are, facing foreclosure.

There was nothing in the $700 billion bailout to help them and there is nothing in the new $30 billion bailout to help them. Read the following scenario. Perhaps it fits you, or someone you know.

Paul and Linda bought a home for $150,000. ABC bank financed one hundred percent of the purchase price at 4.5% interest. Paul was laid off, leaving the family with one income for a period of time.

He replaced the job he lost, at a 30% loss of income.

While Paul was off work the value of his home decreased

in value by 35%. Paul and Linda still owe nearly all of the $150,000 loan principle on a home that is now worth only $97,500.

Paul and Linda are now months behind on their mortgage payment. They cannot afford the high mortgage payments and the bank’s collateral now appraises 35% lower than the principle amount of the loan.

Nevertheless, Paul and Linda, we need you to bail out the banks a second time. By the way, like the first time you get nothing in return and we also need for you to bring your home mortgage current. Pay up!

I believe it made more sense to bail out Paul and Linda when the first bailout was funded. However, I did propose an alternative plan to the bill passed by congress to use the same $700 billion to bail out the banks, Paul and Linda. Yes, the same $700 billion could have been used to bail out everyone.

The bank should have been required to write down

Paul and Linda’s mortgage, to the current appraised value of their home, $97,500, cutting the interest rate in half. After the mortgage was re-written the bank could have applied for $52,500 from the federal bailout fund; the difference between loan principle and current appraised value of Paul and Linda’s home.

What is wrong with that plan? The bank would have gotten bailout money. Paul and Linda would have gotten a lower interest rate and a lower principle value of their loan.

What about the interest due the bank on the arrears?

It should have been written off but I am open to paying that arrears out of the bailout funds. Make everyone whole. No problem. My issue with the legislation enacted by congress was the fact that homeowners like Paul and Linda were not made whole.

What about the fact that banks would still have been making 100% loans on appraised home values? This is something many believe

contributed to the downfall in the first place? Since the taxpayers put up $700 billion to bail out the lenders, why not continue to help out both the taxpayer and the lender? The new loan could have been written for 95% of appraised value, paying the equity out of the bailout funds.

Is it water under the bridge now? No, we can still revisit how those funds were used and correct injustices to taxpayers supplying those funds.

Let’s also learn from the first bailout mistakes. Before any bank receives money from the new $30 billion bailout, let’s require the bank to receive this bailout money only as it pays out those funds in the form of a small business loan. No bulk handout of funds. No exceptions.

- Michael Phillips www.onlinemajority.com

Comedy Corner

Put it off Mike Silva on the gift of procrastination Procrastination. It is an act that we can all identify with and practice, especially as college students.

If you procrastinate and put things off until the last second like I do, then you do it for several reasons: laziness, doubt, and just because.

Being last-second about things is elementary in my everyday routine.

I go to class, where I sit and listen to a lecture for over an hour, then I go to yet another class to do the same thing. When my time on campus has finally ended for the day, I go home and relax.

Which is exactly what most students understandably do. The last, and I mean absolute last, thing I want to do is revisit the very things that I just spent the last three hours of my life absorbing. I want to escape that which I just endured, so I turn to procrastination.

Most people will argue against procrastination, with reasonable debate.

“If you get it done with as soon as possible, then you won’t have to worry about it later,” is a common phrase associated with the anti-procrastination discussion. This is true, but why worry about it immediately? Either way you have to get done whatever it is you need to get done. Take some time off in between, gather your thoughts and attack it

with a fresh mindset.

“When you do something at the last possible minute, you get no time to reexamine your work and correct your errors.” This too is true. But think of it this way: with this mindset you are more accident-prone, thinking to yourself ‘oh, I can always go back and fix this,’ essentially adding to your workload. And when do you go back and fix it?

At the last possible second, therefore rendering procrastination inevitable. So why not do it all at once?

If you are a master of procrastination, which I believe I am, then you have also adapted to working well under pressure, which in effect makes your margin of error smaller, increasing your attention to the work at hand.

Don’t listen to people that tell you otherwise. If you’re the kind of person that likes to get things done early and that works for you, then stick to it. But for those procrastinators, the same rule applies. If you’re good at putting things off to the last second, why change your ways? It’s like I always say, “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”

Mike Silva is the sports editor for The Houstonian. He is a senior broadcast journalism major.

The Houstonian Editorial EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Meagan Ellsworth...............................................................936-294-1505 FACULTY ADVISOR Robin Johnson.....................................................................936-294-1499 SECTION EDITORS Jessica Priest..................................................................Associate Editor Brandon Scott..............................................................Viewpoints Editor Mike Silva...........................................................................Sports Editor Thomas Merka........................................................Entertainment Editor Jared Wolf.......................................................................Graphic Designer

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Thursday, September 23, 2010

CAMPUS

2010

Career Expo

Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian

CREATING CAREERS. Approximately 87 employers spoke with SHSU students in the Bernard Johnson Coliseum on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pictured are several students mingling with police officers from the Baytown Police Department. The Career Expo is an event for students and alumni wanting full-time jobs, internships and graduate programs. It is hosted annually by Career Services.

The Houstonian, Page 3

Ruck march to raise awareness SHSU students can help military servicemen and women “carry the load” during the inaugural five-mile “Military Ruck March” on Sept. 25.

The event will commemorate and bring attention to the physical, mental, and emotional difficulties that the military and veterans endure on a daily basis.

“Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, thousands of Americans have borne the burden of fighting and dying in multiple theaters of war as well as those civil service men and women that bear the brunt on the lines here at home, keeping us safe,” said Jacob Buillion, the Veterans Resource Center recruiting coordinator, in a press release statement. “This is a march to commemorate both the efforts of those still serving, those whom have served, and for those that never came home.”

The competitive march will begin at 8 a.m. at the southwest corner of the Westhill Mall parking lot. Registration will begin at 6 a.m., followed by an opening ceremony.

Participants can enter the event individually or as a team. Prizes will be awarded in 18 categories, with divisions for military personnel carrying 45 and 60 pound rucksacks, civilians and individuals.

The cost to participate is $100 per military team of four, or $25 per military individual, carrying a 45-pound sack; $60 per military team of two, or $30 per military individual, carrying a 60-pound sack; $80 per civilian team of four, or $20 per individual; and $15 per individual civilian or military personnel carrying no rucksack.

All proceeds benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, Huntsville Police Officers Association and Huntsville Volunteer Fire Department.

The event is sponsored by the SHSU Veterans Resource Center and Collegiate Veterans Association.

For more information or for registration forms, visit http://www.shsu.edu/~reg_www/veterans. html and click on the WWP Ruck March link, contact Bullion at 936.294.4079, or stop by the Veterans Resource Center, in Estill Building Room 104.

Lending a hand Annual fair offers volunteer work

By George Mattingly Contributing Reporter Sam Houston State University states that, “the measure of a life is its service.” Yesterday, students had a chance to live up to this motto by taking advantage of several volunteer opportunities presented at the annual Volunteer Opportunities Fair.

Several non-profit organizations, from Huntsville and the surrounding area, set up booths in the LSC Mall Area to show how to get involved in the community.

The agencies ranged from animal welfare to theater to senior citizens care. This

gave students a diverse selection to choose from.

“The purpose of the event is to make it more accessible for students to interact with community representatives for the chance to volunteer” said Rommel Abad, the program coordinator for Leadership and Service Programs, who heads the event, put on twice a year.

The Volunteer Opportunities Fair is the bi-product of the American Democracy Project and the mind of Brandon Cooper, who began the event about 5 years ago at SHSU as a way for students to fulfill their civic duties as Bearkats.

Many students were excited by this prospect, and some

From BAR page 1 but never noticed any racially provocative advertisements until his phone continued to ring.

“A couple of days ago, my phone started ringing off the wall,” Escobedo said. “The majority of the calls were asking if I knew about the Draft Bar’s Wednesday special. That’s just something that’s unheard of here in Huntsville.

“When I found out who the owners were, I called Don and explained to him how offensive the word is to a lot of people, not only Hispanics but other members of our community. I explained to him the historic value of the word and how it came to be.”

Shipley, 64, says he never associated with racial nuances that impacted people so intimately. Yet, he has been accused of being careless and even racist by students at SHSU. “Although I am not Hispanic, I am a minority, and I believe it is offensive to other minority cultures for a business to publicly ridicule a particular ethnicity

From SHV page 1 Six dorm rooms, each housing two students, received structural damage. No personal property was ruined, except for a few rugs, and Vienneau said he believes obtaining alternate living arrangements for the residents affected by the leak will not be necessary.

“The damage is not so bad that we have to move them out, but we will provide them with a place to go if they choose,” he said.

Where the residents will go has yet to be determined, said Joellen Tipton, the director of Residence Life. The University Hotel is just one of the possible options.

“At this point, we are full on campus,” Tipton said. “The university hotel might be [an option], if they are available, but they book up quite frequently for different conferences…We do have

students didn’t know certain agencies existed.

“I volunteered at the animal shelter last year, and I wanted to find out more about other ways to volunteer,” said sophomore Raven Mullins.

“My favorite was the Montessori School, because I love kids and I thought it was a cool, interesting way to teach them.”

Tomorrow’s Promise Montessori School is an organization which involves children in a more active, individualized way of learning.

For more information, visit the web site of the Center for Leadership and Service at http://www.shsu.edu/~org_ cls/.

Jared Wolf | The Houstonian

HOME SWEET HOME. Representatives from the Hospitality House attempted to recruit volunteers at the Volunteer Opportunities fair Tuesday. This organization is a facility serving the physical and spiritual needs of prison families by providing temporary shelter, food, counsel and witness.

because they think it is funny, or all in fun and games,” said Ashleigh Armstrong, a senior English major.

“Whether they change the drink special's name or not,” She said. “I will not be a patron of the Draft Bar in the future because it's obvious that they have no respect for the feelings of minorities.”

The theme was established more than a year ago by a Mexican-American bartender, who refused to comment.

Shipley, who bought the bar in May, kept the special with the support of his staff who he said is more than 40 percent Hispanic.

“We continued with it because it was there,” Shipley said. “We never had a complaint up until recently. On the basis of just one complaint, I made the statement that we weren’t going to change it. Then it kind of mushroomed from there, and it became apparent that we had a real issue.”

In an interview with khou.com, bar manager Dena Shipley, who is Don’s daughter-in-law, at first adamantly defended the business’ use of the word, as well as management’s right to continue using it.

"We are not going to be persuaded by someone else’s opinion or views or moral values,” Dena Shipley, who is part Hispanic herself, said. “We have the right to put up whatever we want on our board."

Despite her initial reaction, the Draft Bar is changing “Wetback Wednesday” to “Wild Whiskey Wednesday,” and will replace the theme with “Fiesta Fridays,” where the specials from before still apply.

Community members planned to protest the Draft Bar on Wednesday evening, until they learned that the name would be changed.

Escobedo said that he thought the Shipleys intended no malice with their promotion, but they subsequently fell into a political issue.

“There is an undercurrent on both sides of the issue, of hatred and divisiveness.” Don Shipley said. “That’s what concerns me. My bar is not the venue to resolve the undercurrent problems in our society. That’s one of the reasons I want to defocus things. I think we have a larger issue that needs to be resolved.”

a showroom that we could possibly relocate students to.”

Repairs will be made as quickly as possible to avoid structural complications, especially in bedrooms affected on the first and second floor of the building, where Vienneau says water trickled down inside of the walls. “[When water is inside of the walls,] it holds moisture within the wood framing, so we have to cut the sheet rock to let the air circulate there,” he said. “If you let it sit there for too long, it will mold, and, of course, we’re not going to allow that to happen.”

All of the repairs, which include replacing sheetrock, painting walls, and shampooing and drying out carpets, will be completed by no later than next Friday.

Residence Life does not currently have an estimated cost of the repairs.

“We are looking at labor for the extraction of the water and for drying out everything. We’re going to have to cut into some of the walls possibly, so

it could probably get quite expensive,” Tipton said.

A full report of the incident and its cost of repairs will be completed next week.

SHV had a similar situation occur in December 2009. The building’s fire sprinkler system leaked after one of the pipes had frozen. Still, Residence Life officials assert that all safety systems are well maintained.

“All of our fire sprinkler systems are inspected once a year by an outside contractor HG Fire Systems],” Vienneau said. “We follow code on that.”

Meetings

The next general Student Government Association meeting will take place Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Lowman Student Center Room 320. For directions, call its office at 936-294-1938.

From FAMILY page 1 “We like the idea of the family coming together for this event. Family makes the community and we just want to show gratitude for all of the services these people perform every day.”

Check-in for the event will start at 8:30 a.m. in the Lowman Student Center Atrium.

Before the pregame activities, there will be campus tours, socials with SHSU administrators, a Honors Program parents luncheon, a Bearkat fiesta broken into two groups and the Carnival on the Concourse.

“This is my last semester at Sam and I really want to experience something with my family here before I

go,” senior criminal justice major Rene’ McKelvey said.

“I think it’ll be a lot of fun participating in everything with my family.”

Students look forward to sharing their collegiate experience with their loved ones at the Bearkat Family Weekend and “This is a good chance for parents to come spend time with their kids and have a good time together,” said Giffert Wiley, Jr., a student assistant for Dean of Students office. “The students are here Monday through Friday, but the parents aren’t. This provides an opportunity for them to see what Sam Houston has to offer as a whole.”

Got news tips? Please contact Associate News Editor Jessica Priest at jpriest@houstonianonline.com.

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Thursday, September 23, 2010

ENTERTAINMENT

The Houstonian, Page 4

A true insomniac

By Shanay Lemon

Contributing Reporter

Drawing in audiences by the masses to the arrival of his highly anticipated mixtape “Synthesis,” [Jamal.] and the artists of the up and coming rap label, Insomnia Music Group, put their hard-hitting beats and versatile subject matter to use in restoring the consciousness and authenticity in the rap genre.

Jamal “[Jamal.]” Jones, 23, one of the founders of Insomnia, formally known as D.O.R (Definition of Real), started with a group of friends from the Alief area of Houston, TX, all with passions for expressing creativity through rap music.

“Basically, D.O.R was the child and Insomnia is the man, grown up.

We learned from our mistakes, we gained a lot of experience, so now Insomnia is really true key to a lot of the music we make now,” said [Jamal.]. Along with fellow label mates Riva Rhymez, 21, and Harmonik, 19, Insomnia has progressed in networking, including the development of a marketing department. With merchandising on the way, Insomnia is spearheading their label to an expanding business with promises of greater success to come.

[Jamal.] is currently at work on his mixtape titled “Synthesis” set to come out on Dec. 5, 2010. The 18-track mixtape introduces his experiences and growth as a rising artist.

“My early work was more, in my words ‘angry,’…So now my style is more relaxed than it was…. more me as a person, instead of me as

From Posner page 1

Before taking the stage, up and coming pop-rock band 2 AM Club and electrohop group Far East Movement had the crowd amped up with their well received performances.

Though relatively unknown, 2 AM Club had the audience swaying early on with their catchy hooks and sultry melodies. They capped off their performance with their hit “Worry About You,” which has been featured on the Hollister Co. online playlist since this summer.

Far East Movement was next. Donning pressed dress shirts and dark shades, the Los Angeles-based group had the crowd won over even before the first few bars of their set. Within minutes, their electric house single “Like a G6” had the audience on their feet, solidifying their status of having one of the more memorable songs of the evening.

With their set complete, the short intermission had spectators on their toes in anticipation for the headlining performance.

As the stage curtains pulled back, Posner had already found his place on the keyboard, serenading listeners with an acoustic lullaby. Sporting his Duke

an artist,” said [Jamal.]. “Synthesis” covers topics ranging from the lack of authenticity in rap music in the track “Take it Away,” to the loss of his mother and appreciating the women closest to him in the emotional “Let the Song Play.” Through it all, he has considered himself to be the cause of his ongoing success in the track “Dream Merchant,” currently available on i-Tunes.

Insomnia Music Group has continued to gain airplay and exposure through performances and appearances in cities around Texas, New York, and California. The label has also accomplished a growing fan base overseas in countries from Germany to London.

After a sold out concert with top-selling recording artist Trina

last year, Insomnia Music Group is continuing to grab the attention of professional DJs and established producers, including DJ Whoo Kid and Shadyville DJs. “The reason behind Insomnia, as you know it’s a sleeping disorder, we feel that our music can’t be slept on…,” said [Jamal.]. The men of Insomnia Music Group have brought the restless energy of “Synthesis” to Sam Houston’s 90.5 The Kat with the track “I Wanna Rock” with [Jamal.] featuring Riva Rhymez, last semester. The label is currently preparing to promote their upcoming projects at the South by Southwest Music Festival in early 2011.

For more information on Insomnia, upcoming appearances, and show dates visit iamjamal.com.

Photos courtesy of Clyde | Troy and Schlegel Photography

INSOMNIAC. Insomia artist [Jamal.] having fun during a photo shoot (left) with producer Harmonik (right).

alma mater with a leather blue jacket, he warmly greeted the audience with the words, “My name is Mike Posner. Thank you for having me. “ With live band in stow, Mike Posner delivered an electric performance. His stage presence was unparalled that evening, elevating the crowd to an alltime high from start to finish.

During his set, local rap icon Bun B took to the stage, contributing his stylistic rhymes to “Mirror’s Edge”, a song that he helped create on Posner’s remix album, One Foot Out the Door.

After the show, the night continued on with the official after party hosted in the Foundation Room within the venue.

A lush atmosphere, DJ’s livened the VIP area as attendees celebrated the night away with Red Bull on hand.

Having the opportunity to personally meet Mike Posner was an unforgettable experience. After being escorted into his green room, I found myself in front of a humble man. Full of life and soft-spoken words, I had only one question to ask him.

“Based on what you’ve experienced so far in life, what would be your advice to college students today? “ His reply? “Be yourself. Instead of trying to be like everyone, do what you love. Then good things will happen to you.”

Photo courtesy of Trendland.net

Chamber Music Concert ends on a high note

By Alyssa Dupree

Contributing Reporter

As the fall semester passes by, the number of activities and special performances that occur seem to overflow the small boxes on the calendars of many Bearkats.

More often than not, students are left with a tough decision between two or more activities. However, on Monday evening, students, faculty and guests sat in on the Chamber Music Concert, part of the Guest Artist Series.

Monday’s installment was hosted by the School of Music and featured members from the Houston Symphony, as well as one former member of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.

The guest performance was held at the Performing Arts Center, SHSU’s most recent building, which is home to music, dance and theatre majors.

As the seats began to fill and the excited chatter died down, Houston Symphony violinist Rodica OanceaGonzales and cellist Jeffrey Butler emerged in black

evening wear, instruments in hand. Following behind them was pianist Dr. Iloka Rus, Assistant Professor of Piano at SHSU. Once the three settled in, Joseph Haydn’s Piano Trio in G Minor, Hob. XV:25 began to fill the room. With expertise, the cheerful and warming piece was seemingly flawless from start to finish, and the trained hands of all three brought the song to life.

“It was absolutely beautiful,” said Lori Lemon, a junior Music Therapy major. “I love stringed instruments.”

Shortly after the end of Haydn’s piece, Houston Symphony players Mihaela Oancea-Frusina, violinist, and Wei Jiang, violist, joined Gonzales, Butler and Rus. The more-ominous Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op. 34 by Sergei Prokofiev was brought to life instantly with the help of former Alabama Symphony clarinetist Danny Granados, and the sextet had all of the liveliness of a full orchestra.

After a short intermission, Gonzales, Butler and Rus entered the stage for one last trio, this time playing Piano

Trio, Op. 87 by Johnnes Brahms.

“I was really excited about hearing Dr. Rus. I’ve never heard her before,” said Lemon, who plays flute and piano, and is part of SHSU’s Concert Choir.

The concert was truly a treat for all those in attendance.

More importantly, the concert showcased just how wellcrafted the PAC’s new rooms are, as the acoustics of the room seemed to burst with a sound that engulfed the nearly-full house.

The next installment in the Guest Artist Series will happen Friday, Sept. 24 at 7:30pm. The concert will feature guitarist Joseph William.

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SPORTS

Thursday, September 23, 2010

The Houstonian, Page 5

Home, sweet home Kats Stats SHSU FOOTBALL UPCOMING GAMES SATURDAY, Sept. 25

Gardner-Webb at SHSU

STANDINGS

Central Arkansas Lamar Stephen F. Austin Texas State McNeese State Northwestern State Southeastern La.

0-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 1-0 0-0 0-1

Nicholls

0-0

(3-0) (2-1) (2-1) (2-1) (1-1) (1-2) (1-2)

Sam Houston State 0-0

(0-2) (0-3)

VOLLEYBALL

File Photo | The Houstonian

BRINGING THE GAME HOME. Head Coach Willie Fritz (above) talks X’s and O’s with the Bearkat football team, who seeks win number one of 2010 in this weekend’s home opener.

By Mike Silva Sports Editor

The Sam Houston State football team will see its first action at home this weekend.

The Bearkats will take on GardnerWebb this Saturday at Bowers Stadium for the 2010 home opener in the Southland Conference “Toyota Game of the Week.”

Desperate for a win, SHSU (0-2) will face a big test when they host the Runnin’ Bulldogs. GWU stands at 2-1 for the season, having just come off a demoralizing loss at home against Western Carolina. After enduring backto-back road blowouts, the Kats are poised and ready to clinch their first win of the season.

“After falling behind 0-2, going for a win this week will be huge,” quarterback Bryan Randolph said. “We want to get in a good groove before heading into conference play.”

In the teams’ second all-time meeting, the Kats look to grab another win in the series after their 49-33 win in

Boiling Springs, N.C., in 2008.

SHSU will have a favorable matchup against the Bulldogs with regard to the GWU defensive style.

The Bearkats, whose offense has emerged as a run-powered unit, will face a defense that has allowed 534 rushing yards in three games this season, an average of 178 yards per game.

Tim Flanders, who has 196 rushing yards this season, will likely see more touches against this suspect run defense.

“This weekend, I just want to follow the line and chip away. To get the run game working, we’re going to keep chipping away until that big play breaks out,” Flanders said. “Our offensive line is tough and it keeps improving, so I think we can get a lot accomplished behind them.”

On the flipside, the Bulldogs have an elite pass defense. As the fifth pass defense in the nation, GWU has allowed 340 yards in three games, which is just over 113 per game. Furthermore, the defense has surrendered only two touchdowns through the air, has gathered three interceptions and accumu-

lated 10 sacks already this season.

GWU has more of a balanced offense, with threats spread out throughout the field.

The Bulldogs have a pair of quarterbacks in John Rock and Chandler Browning that have combined for a pretty solid passing attack to this point in the season.

Rock has thrown for 375 yards on 33 of 60 passing for three touchdowns and five interceptions.

Browning has completed 33 of 54 passes for 291 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Led by Juanne Blount, who has rushed for 227 yards and two touchdowns, GWU has a balanced attack on the ground, as well. The offense has averaged 129 yards rushing per game through several contributing backs.

SHSU will have a lot to prove on defense. In two games, the Kats have allowed 90 points and 1005 total yards.

Facing another competent offense will be no easy task, but the SHSU defense is ready to prove something to the Bearkat fans.

“We need to create takeaways and force turnovers this week if we’re going to win,” linebacker Will Henry said. “We need to work on ball awareness and tackling. There hasn’t been anything [Baylor or WIU] have done that we couldn’t stop. We stopped ourselves with missed tackles and missed assignments.

“We have to be mentally and physically tough if we’re going to be a good defense.”

UPCOMING MATCHES THURSDAY, Sept. 23

SHSU at Central Arkansas

STANDINGS EAST DIVISION Nicholls Central Arkansas Lamar Northwestern State Southeastern La. McNeese State

1-0 1-0 1-0 0-1 0-1 0-1

WEST DIVISION Texas A&M-CC Texas State UT Arlington Stephen F. Austin UTSA

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Sam Houston State 0-0

John Rudolph | The Houstonian

GROUND ATTACK. Running back Tim Flanders (above) will play a pivotal role against Gardner-Webb.

Wanted: A Win

Sports reporter Lotis Butchko discusses the impact that winning at home leaves on fans

(8-5) (9-6) (5-7) (8-5) (8-9) (5-9) (7-7) (7-8) (6-7) (6-8) (6-8)

(6-9)

SHSU SOCCER UPCOMING GAMES FRIDAY, Sept. 24

Prairie View A&M at SHSU

STANDINGS

Nicholls Southeastern La. Stephen F. Austin Central Arkansas Texas State UTSA Northwestern State

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

(5-1-1) (6-1-2) (6-3) (4-3-1) (5-4) (5-4) (5-5)

Lamar McNeese State

0-0 0-0

(2-6) (2-7)

Sam Houston State 0-0 (3-6-1)

CROSS COUNTRY Sam Houston State Sports Information

The term ‘must win game’ is as overused as any term in sports. But for the Bearkats, this Saturday is truly a must win. The Kats are on a three-game losing streak going back to last year, and this appears to be the first truly winnable game for Head Coach Willie Fritz.

Adding on to this weekend’s extra large plate is that it’s also the first home game of the year and it’s family weekend. Which brings me to the real point of this column.

Every year, the students of Sam Houston State show up for one, maybe two, football games, and the rest of the year the bleachers are as barren as Rosie O’Donnell’s refrigerator. This school has no school spirit to speak of but we do have a chance now.

Fritz and his team have to win this game because re��� gardless that the Bearkats have lost two straight games to start the season, for a lot of fans, and new students, this will be the first time any of them get to see the team. And there is no way anyone shows up again if the players go out with no effort and get beat down. I think they could kiss the home field advantage away for the year.

While a lot of this lies on the coaches’ shoulders, some of this has to be taken by quarterback Bryan Randolph and running back Tim Flanders, who has been exceptional in the opening games.

The Bearkat program has struggled in past years, not making the playoffs in quite some time, but no one is expecting a playoff run right now. Instead, the fans and, really, the entire school just want something fun to watch.

The Sam Houston cross country teams travel to Memphis, Tenn., this weekend to compete in the Memphis Twilight Classic hosted by Christian Brothers University.

More than 500 athletes representing 27 teams will compete in this year’s races along with several unattached competitors. This marks the Bearkats first trip to the Twilight Classic.

“We wanted to do something different this year and go to a larger meet than we typically do,” cross country coach Jesse Parker said. “This is one of the largest meets in the Southeast and we’re excited about having an opportunity to compete.”

The meet will mark the first time this season the Bearkats will run their entire team.

After being held out of the first meet of the year, sophomore Kylie Fitzgerald and senior Molly Farrell will compete for the women’s team as freshmen Ryan Saam and junior Matt Stephenson will run for the men.

This will be the Bearkats first competition since the Morriss Invitational Sept.3. Sam Houston’s scheduled competition at Texas A&M two weeks ago was canceled due to adverse weather conditions.

“Training has been going very well the past few weeks and we are a bit healthier right now than we have been at this point in previous years. That is encouraging,” Parker said. “We were hoping the women would have had a chance to race a 5k and the men an 8k prior to Memphis, but I think we are as ready as we could be at this point in the season. I know the athletes are excited about this opportunity.”

The women’s race begins at 8:20 p.m. Saturday and the men race at 9:00 p.m.

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