September 29, 2011

Vol 119 | Issue 11

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Publishing since 1913

Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University

Taking Back Sunday gears up for Sammypalooza, pg. 5

KAT Links For more information about Sammypalooza ‘11, visit sammypalooza.com.

Social Media Policy creator defends project, pg. 2

INDEX Viewpoints ...... pg. 2 A&E ................. pg. 5 News ................ pg. 3 Sports ............... pg. 6 Special .............. pg. 4

Curiosity made the Kat

Rather talks journalism, optimism

By Stephen Green Associate News Editor

Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian

THE PRODIGAL SON RETURNS. Dan Rather, Sam Houston State Teachers College Class of 1953 and long-time anchor of CBS Evening News, returned to SHSU for one night only to “Mingle with the Media,” hosted by Priority One and the President’s Office.

A young man came to Huntsville to attend Sam Houston State Teachers College on what he “believed to be” a football scholarship.

In the fall, the coach called him to his office and said, “They tell me you’re interested in journalism.”

Then the coach said, “I’m here to tell you, you should go with that.”

Sixty-one years later, Dan Rather came back to his alma matter to share his knowledge and opinion on that career his coach jokingly urged him to pursue.

He was the guest for the Mingling with the Media event hosted by Priority One and the President’s Office Wednesday night.

“My most indelible memory from my time at Sam Houston is how much the teachers cared,” Rather said. “They cared first and foremost about molding you as a person…and — See DAN, page 4

Lagoon offers SGA reserves right to approve Blue “Bearkat Wednesdays”

By McKinzie Brocail Senior Reporter

The university’s Student Government Association passed two legislations during Tuesday’s meeting in response to the recent social media policy hype.

Senators voted to pass the Fair Policy Review Act (FPRA, F11-01) and the Senate Resolution F11-02.

The policies state that in regards to topics with an academic nature, the university must consult the Faculty Senate and SGA. Kris Ruiz, SHSU’s Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communication, spoke at the meeting for approximately 40 minutes about the new Social Media Policy.

She stressed that the policy is proposed, and that it is not approved, however, they are making groups sign contracts for something that is supposedly only in a “beta test mode.”

“If you agree to the Facebook guidelines, then you’ve basically agreed

to our policy, a lot of [Facebook’s rules] we don’t even address in the policy,” Ruiz said.

She spoke of the benefits of joining the proposed Sam Houston social media community.

“We have over 30,000 active monthly users [on Facebook].

This benefits the community because it gets a more diverse conversation and gets [groups] listed in a public-use directory, access to trademarks and marketing help. The more buzz we can build, the greater number of people we can use. The SCVNGR [gaming platform] will be available to users. [This all] increases relevancy of content, we don’t want to be boring,” Ruiz said.

When asked repeatedly by a senator if the marketing team would write an article to be published in The Houstonian regarding the policy and clarifying its content for readers, they said they were working on a draft.

“This has nothing to do with personal freedom of speech. If

group [that joins our social media community] says something negative about SHSU, we can’t touch that either. Threats, pornography, and copywritten material [is what we would remove].

Facebook’s list is more extensive than ours. “ Ruiz will be meeting with the Faculty Senate today.

Joseph Le, a former SGA candidate for president and senator was denied entry into the Senate on Tuesday by a vote of 138-10 (13 positive votes, 8 negative votes, and 10 abstentions). To become a senator requires 2/3 approval of the Senate.

At last week’s SGA meeting quorum was not met, leaving the association unable to do business, resulting in the possible impeachments for senators that have not been attending meetings.

In Tuesday’s meeting, five senators were named as having the 10 necessary signatures on their petitions against them for impeachment.

These five senators have the option to resign

or fight the charges in front of the entire Senate.

In old business, Student Body President Tyler Eberhart readdressed his dedication to the Texas wildfire relief. SGA is still collecting water and meat vouchers for the firefighters as well as items for the victims who have lost their homes.

SGA recently drove down 120 cases of water (nearly 3,000 water bottles) for the firefighters.

“If there is something we can do, we should be doing it,” Eberhart said.

SGA has partnered up with SHSU’s Greek Week for their donations to aid the wildfire relief as well.

In new business, to become more involved in the community, SGA will have at least one senator at all Huntsville City Council meetings from now on.

Senator Dylan Staton, a freshman of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, was appointed for the Election Commissioner for homecoming.

McKinzie Brocail | The Houstonian

AT THE OASIS.

The Blue Lagoon in Huntsville off of I-45’s exit 123 hosts “Bearkat Wednesdays” offering discounted admission to students with a Bearkat Card.

This oasis in Huntsville has two lakes and multiple beaches where students can scuba drive, swim and camp. “This place could be like the San Marcos River. It’s secluded and beautiful,” said Mike Ruggeri, an SHSU business major. The Blue Lagoon offers a one-week scuba diving class that counts as a Kinesiology credit at SHSU.

Sam Houston Village closing

By McKinzie Brocail Senior Reporter

File Photo

UNDER REPAIR. About 265 students will be relocated in the spring when SHV closes for repairs.

The Sam Houston Village (SHV) dorms will completely shut down in the upcoming spring semester for repairs and renovations.

Currently, SHV is only half occupied because of the need for repairs, the other half is offline.

SHV’s construction was completed in just under a year in Aug. 2004 and has periodically had problems since then.

The facility needs to replace individual HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) condenser units throughout the building,

waterproof the walls of the parking garage and it needs to meet certain American with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

Officials say the building poses no danger for residents.

The construction was supposed to begin Sept. 1, but currently has not.

According to Julia May, the assistant director of SHSU’s Communications Office, the university is in the process of securing a contractor for the necessary repairs.

Sam Houston will find a place on campus for residents currently living in the SHV to live in the spring. At halfcapacity, there are roughly

265 students in SHV. Typically, SHV houses freshmen only, however, this semester, it was open to all students. Each suite is twobed and two-bath and has a living area and a kitchenette with a microwave and underthe-counter refrigerator.

The original builder of the SHV facility was Capstone Building Corporation and they will not be the company doing the renovations.

Repairs are to be finished Aug. 2012, in time for students to move in for the fall semester.

The Houstonian will update this story as information is made available.

Viewpoints

Page 2 Thursday, September 28, 2011

houstonianonline.com/viewpoints

Robin Johnson

FACULTY ADVISER 936-294-1499

Erin Peterson EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 936-294-1505

University VP explains policy

Frank R. Holmes details the proposed social media policy

epeterson@houstonianonline.com

Stephen Green ASSOCIATE EDITOR sgreen@houstonianonline.com

Karmen C. King VIEWPOINTS EDITOR

kking@houstonianonline.com

Kolby Flowers WEB AND MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

kflowers@houstonianonline.com

McKinzie Brocail SENIOR REPORTER

mbrocail@houstonianonline.com

Jessica Gomez PHOTOGRAPHER

April Sanders COPY EDITOR

Christian Pratt

GRAPHIC COORDINATOR

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Chrystal Golden

COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST cgolden@houstonianonline.com

Today in history: 1789 – The United States Department of War first establishes a regular army with a strength of several hundred men.

1789 – The 1st United States Congress adjourns.

1907 – The cornerstone is laid at Washington National Cathedral in the U.S. capital.

1951 – The first live sporting event seen coast-to-coast in the United States, a college football game between Duke and the University of Pittsburgh, is televised on NBC. 1966 – The Chevrolet Camaro, originally named Panther, is introduced.

1988 –NASA launches STS-26, the return to flight mission, after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

1990 – Construction of the Washington National Cathedral is completed.

2005 – United States Senate confirms John Roberts as Chief Justice of the United States.

2008 – Following the bankruptcies of Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual, The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls 777.68 points, the largest singleday point loss in its history.

State

Last year, preparations began for the implementation of a social universe network at Sam Houston State University, which would incorporate voluntary membership and the strategic use of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, among other platforms, to connect the SHSU family and interested individuals to the university and to each other.

After reviewing social networking policies from other universities across the nation and making sure the mission of the Sam Houston State University was in no way compromised, the Marketing and Communications Department has begun to “roll out” the various platforms within the social universe with guidance from a proposed

Up

SPORTS EDITOR

zbirdsong@houstonianonline.com

To the Sam Houston University Community:

Paws

Zachary Birdsong

social media policy, the first being for Facebook.

Those who are familiar with Facebook know that it is a great communication tool, not only providing for the dissemination of information, but also for interaction and feedback.

The proposed SHSU Facebook policies and procedures conform to the Facebook Platform Policies, which are required for SHSU (or anyone) to have a Facebook page. These can be found at http:// www.facebook.com/terms.php and stipulate that all Facebook users understand the rights and responsibilities associated with privacy, sharing content and information, safety, registration and account security, and protecting other people’s rights. If we violate the policies of Facebook, we understand that they can shut down the entire SHSU page.

Under the proposed SHSU social media policy, no group is obligated or required to “opt-in” to the university’s social universe network. Just because a university department or organization has a Facebook page, it does not mean that they will have to join the SHSU Facebook platform. However, there are advantages to joining the network. Membership provides access to a much larger audience, allows use of trademarked SHSU

“Paws UP” down.

branding on your accounts, and offers increased opportunity for sharing content relevant to your specific group.

Please note that the SHSU Social Media policy draft does not apply to personal Facebook pages. It is designed for academic and other university departments, social groups, and various student organizations.

Those groups interested in joining are asked to complete an application and provide administrative rights to the Marketing & Communications Department. This is done primarily to increase SHSU’s ability to respond to a crisis or emergency situation, so we can quickly communicate throughout the social media community by keeping our faculty, staff, students and others informed.

The issue of free speech and freedom of expression has surfaced over the past couple of weeks with regard to the SHSU social media policy. For those who believe that the policy has language in it that interferes with these freedoms, that is not the case. If groups have been following Facebook policies, they will not have issues with the university’s policies.

In its current state, the policy is a “draft document” which is guiding our roll-out phase and is being made available to the

university community, so that potential members can have an idea of expectations should they choose to join the SHSU social universe network when it is fully available. The policy was designed to strengthen the university’s brand and assist members with reaching the audience they are trying to engage—not infringe on individual rights.

Social media is in a constant state of change and growth, and the SHSU media policy will be a “live” document to reflect those changes.

There will be revisions as needed, and a university-recognized Social Policy Committee will be in place to review and evaluate the policy periodically. Members of the committee will include representatives from the Faculty Senate, Staff Council, and Student Government Association.

The opinions and suggestions of our faculty, staff and students are very important to us. Sam Houston State University has long been a place where ideas are freely exchanged and views are respected.

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Sincerely, Frank R. Holmes Vice President for Advancement

to gas prices going

University

Paws Down

STAFF LISTING

“Paws DOWN”

to football being ranked 16th. We deserve #1!

Editorial: Banned Books Notable 1. Harry Potter 5. Of Mice and Men banned 14. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn To Kill a Mockingbird books 21.

22. Gossip Girl from 34. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Things 2000- 67. ARound Time to Kill 2009 78. The Joy of Gay Sex Moby Dick; Great Books Heart of Expectations; we wish Darkness; A Separate had Beowulf; Peace; been A Midsummer Canterbury banned Night’s Dream; Tales from *The Houstonian does not The Iliad; condone banning books. high just thought these The Crucible We school* were boring or tedious.

T h e r e a l w o r l d Lisa Osborne bemoans the stifling of education I am the person in the Dean of Sciences Office who gave the approval for the Free Speech Wall in the LDB Atrium last Thursday.

I also think if people read the Texas Penal Code, section 42.01, which you stated in your article, the code refers to the use of language that is UTTERED intentionally or knowingly that would tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace, usually an intended altercation, verbally or physically. “Fuck” and other words people might find offensive were WRITTEN on the Free Speech Wall, but they were not being UTTERED, or shouted, as people who want to incite an altercation or riot or panic would do. So, the campus police were most certainly NOT acting within their jurisdiction.

Our University Community would benefit by having something permanent installed,

perhaps in the open Mall learning curve, and their area, or LSC, for students to University experience can write their opinions so that set them on the right path, it becomes the “norm” and and it is part of our duty to not just a special occasion help guide them along the thing, a “yippee, let’s go way. University students write something on the Free are learning how to handle Speech Wall since it’s up issues in our complex today!” type thing. society, to see things from I was really surprised other points of view. We when I asked Morgan are doing our students a Freeman about how often disservice by thinking we a Free Speech Wall had are protecting them when been used on campus, we limit free speech because and she said it’s been 17 there might be words used years!? Is that true? That is that they might consider embarrassing to me as a part vulgar or offensive. Let of a University Community, them make up their own even if I am just staff. What minds about such things! some faculty and staff forget A college education is is that our jobs exist because more than just the pursuit OF and FOR the purpose of a degree, but also an of educating our young education in learning to people/citizens, not just an open the mind and use education which will help logical thought and thus our them gain employment, but behaviors, actions and deeds education about our real will be logical.

World - all the pleasant and not so pleasant aspects, and how to think about them and - Lisa is a Staff Assistant in the College of Sciences Dean’s how to handle them.

Life is just one big Office.

If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.

— On Liberty, John Stuart Mill Can you imagine your life without Harry Potter?

If you’re anything like my friends and I then that answer is no. If it were up to a group of overzealous parents and administrators most people would not have had the opportunity to read these books. According to the American Library Association (ALA), the most requested book to be censored, well actually books, was the Harry Potter series by British author JK Rowling. The various reasons given for the request included: occult/Satanism; violence; anti-family; and religious viewpoint.

The above quote from JS Mill sums up perfectly the queasiness we feel at the very thought of censorship. The books that pepper the top 10 banned books list year after year

are considered in some circles to be great American classics.

Recent events have only served to highlight that censorship is still an issue in a supposedly free society.

But, it’s not like attempts at censorship are even that fruitful. People don’t stop writing these books. People don’t stop making Playboy or Hustler. People don’t stop creating.

It should not be the case that one person, or one tiny group, has the power to decide what you or I can read. Under no circumstance should a group of over-sensitive, critical individuals be allowed to restrict access to material based solely on their interpretation of a literary work, when other readers may or may not agree with them.

Recent event have only served to highlight that censorship is still an issue in a supposedly free society.

But, it’s not like attempts at censorship are even that fruitful. People don’t stop writing these books. People don’t stop making Playboy or Hustler. People don’t stop creating.

Letter to the Student Body 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.

Karmen C. King Viewpoints Editor kking@houstonianonline.com

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 936-294-1495. The Houstonian is a member of the Associated Press and the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.

News

Page 3 Thursday, September 29, 2011

houstonianonline.com/news

Comaraderie through shared hardship

By Jessica Jones

Public Relations Team

Nearly 450 local supporters gathered for the Veterans Success at Sam 2nd Annual “Carry Their Load” 5-mile Ruck March Saturday in the southwest parking lot of the West Hill mall. Participants in the march were given the choice to imitate the life of a soldier which meant carrying loads that normally range from 25-60 lbs along with the additional mental and emotional loads soldiers carry as well.

“The first mile was like a cake walk but as we got on to the hills, all we could think was how much longer,” Mass Communication Dept. administrative assistant Deanna Briones said.

“When we got to the end, however, I felt like a real soldier.”

Briones is married to a military veteran and decided to participate in the race, carrying a 6.5 lb load.

With the passing of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, this march served as a commemorative way of recognizing those who are serving, still serving

Linsey Jones | The Houstonian

RUCKMARCH. “Carry Their Load”, participants in the march were given the choice to imitate the life of a soldier which

meant carrying loads that normally range from 25-60 lbs along with the additional mental and emotional loads soldiers carry as well. or those who never came Sam, had a special way of enforcement branches to The event was not home from their military viewing the march. gain an understanding of only for retired military duties. Jacob Bullion, “Its purpose was to be a the ‘load’ that we carry personnel, or family thereof; Recruitment Chair for the metaphor to those outside as servicemen for our all students were invited to SHSU Veteran’s Success at of the military and law country,” Bullion said. participate as well.

Greek Week brings fraternities, sororities together to raise money

Photo courtesy Today @ Sam.

FOR THE CAUSE. Fraternities and sororities, from every area of campus are coming together this week to raise money for local charities and organizations. This year they hope to raise $10,000.

By Misti Jones

Contributing Reporter

Sam Houston’s Greek Week unites the four councils of Greek Life in hopes to raise money for charities. This weeklong event hosts fundraising activities aimed at one goal: helping the community.

This is Greek Life’s biggest philanthropy opportunity and every year they succeed in raising thousands of dollars for the community. Last year, Greek Week raised over $4,000 for various charities and this year will be no different.

Their goal is to collect a minimum of $10,000 this year to donate to Autism Speaks and Wounded Warriors Support Center.

All funds collected at the end of the week will be evenly dispersed to the two charities.

The theme of Greek Week this year is “League of Extraordinary Greeks” and 25 Greek organizations are split into eight teams competing for “points” and the Greek Week trophy, presented at the Sam Houston versus UT San Antonio game.

Greek Week began a day over $1,300 in one night, earlier this year compared to requiring a $50 entry fee for previous years to squeeze in each team. more activities for all who On Tuesday, Sept. 27, participate.

Greek Life Sunday, paired with Sept.

25, B. Valley hosted the “It’s been great. Blood Center k i c k - o f f Greek Week to donate of Greek blood for Week by gives us pledges those in need. recognizing a chance to spend The Greeks American invited the with the c o m m u n i t y heroes. The time k i c k - o f f older members to come out field day and donate invited local and allows us to as well.

H u n t s v i l l e work more as a That night, p o l i c e the Greeks officers, fire team...” relaxed at departments, Forum Luau soldiers pool party and their sponsored by families to come celebrate Double Dave’s. their courageousness in “We definitely increased serving the community. our number of sponsorships On Monday, Sept. 26, this year,” Senior Mariel the Greek community held Kanene, Interfraternity a “service blitz” consisting Council Philanthropy of 400-500 members who Director and Greek Week donated three hours of their Executive Board Member time doing community said. service at various locations With the help of the around Huntsville. These Program Council and acts varied from Green Student Government Acres Retirement Home to Association, Greek Week Sam Houston State Museum has been able to give and even to highway clean away more than ever. On up. The campus wide dodge Wednesday, Sept.

28, ball tournament raised Greeks were able to collect

large amounts of canned goods and non-perishables, which they built into “can cities,” fit for the super hero theme.

The cans were donated to the Good Shepard Mission and Fire Relief.

“It’s been great. Greek Week gives us pledges a chance to spend time with the older members and allows us to work more as a team while getting to know each other,” Freshman Larissa Mallen said when asked how her experience has been so far.

Thursday, Sept. 29, the “Amazing Race” will commence. Four members from each of the eight teams will collect clues and hints around campus to different locations in hopes to be the first to enter the Greek Games at Pritchett Field.

During the Greek Games, sorority and fraternity members will compete in relays such as “car cram”, human pyramid, tug-ofwar, a wing-eating contest, and an ultimate relay, according to the Greek Week Facebook page.

Friday, Sept. 30, Order of Omega will host a Faculty Appreciation, invite only from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. The event will provide refreshments for those who attend and will show appreciation for all professors and faculty. The Greeks encourage everyone to go to 3 Spoons between 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., sign the roster for a certain Greek team, and they will donate 25 percent of the proceeds to the philanthropy. The Greek Life also encourages everyone to attend Sammy Palooza featuring Taking Back Sunday that night at 8 p.m.

And finally, Saturday, Oct. 1, marks the grand finale of Greek Week. At the SHSU tailgate, there will be a chili cook off and a hot dog eating contest.

Any outside team may sign up for the cook off with a $50 registration fee and the chance to win “best community chili.”

During the halftime show, the winning team of Greek Week will receive a trophy and the honor of their chapters of the 2011-2012 year.

From DAN page 1

shaping your character.”

Rather said his journalism professor, Mr. Cunningham, instilled in him the belief that he had the ability to achieve great journalistic heights.

“He told me on graduation day in 1953, ‘You have what it takes to make it to the top,’” Rather said.

Rather did eventually make it to the top of CBS news, he served as their anchor for 24 years from 1981 to 2005, and 20 years as a correspondent before that.

Out of that experience, he said journalists just starting out of college are entering a “rough and tumble” career field. However, his biggest advice had nothing to do with courage, instinct or grades.

“Writing is all important…it is the bedrock of anything now called media,” Rather said.

“To anybody looking for a job outside of college, I can’t guarantee you’ll be rich and famous, but if you can write….you will be able to get a job and be able to keep a job.”

But, Rather said, just learning how to write isn’t the only step to be taken.

“If you dedicate yourself to a lifetime of ever improving as a writer, you will improve yourself…not just your craft,” he said.

He didn’t speak only to journalism students in the packed room in the Performing Arts Center.

The most important trait to have, Rather said, is curiosity.

“Wanting to learn,” Rather said. “Be curious about physics; be curious about journalism, whatever it is.”

Because of that trait, Rather said his favorite course was library science, because it “taught you how to follow your curiosity.

“To this day, it was probably the most important course I took [at SHSU],” he said.

In addition, Rather spoke about the current state of the press, especially for new reporters.

“In journalism, the biggest change is in the deterioration in ethics,” Rather said. “[It’s] the lowering of standards in what is ethical, what is moral, what you should and shouldn’t cover, and how you cover it.”

He attributes the change to the increase in technology and the

“I decided to participate in this march because I work for the Veterans office, am a former Marine Corps member, and it’s for a good cause, ” sophomore Brenda Alanis said.

The march raised approximately $5,000, which will benefit the Warrior and Family Support Center (Brooke Army Medical Center), The Huntsville Police Officers Association and The Huntsville Volunteer Fire Dept.

Bullion said he was surprisingly pleased by the large turnout. “I didn’t expect the numbers nor as much support.”

The Veterans Success at Sam office is designed to help those who have served and are serving transfer into the life of academics at Sam Houston State University.

Formerly known as the Veterans Resource Center the office changed its name in September 2011 to better reflect the program’s purpose to offer service and assistance to SHSU veterans.

“competitive pit,” referring to increased competition for news stories.

Over his career, he covered five international wars, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and interviewed every President from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Barack Obama.

However, Rather said the events that changed him the most was the civil rights movement.

“It was the end of institutionalized racism,” Rather said. “We had and still have racism in this country, but we are a better country. But it was remarkable to watch the end of the legal racism.”

When he attended Sam Houston State Teachers College from 1950 to 1953, where he served as editorin-chief of the Houstonian, the college only had an enrollment of 900 students.

He said the small classes and professors made his education unique.

“I was given to believe you could do anything you set out to do,” Rather said.

In addition to his career at CBS, Rather has worked for the Associated Press, United Press International, and currently HDNet on his show “Dan Rather Reports.”

The future of journalism, Rather said, is unclear, but he has high hopes.

“I’m an optimist by experience and by nature,” Rather said. “The journalist is in what the Catholic Church calls an interregnum, where the old order is gone, and the new order is not yet in place.”

Approximately 150 people attended the event that featured Rather being interviewed by University President Dana Gibson and former deputy press secretary to George Bush and mass communication professor, Peter Roussel.

The idea for the event began last year in February as a class project for the students of Priority One, a public relations firm headed by students in the mass communication department and other students who take the class.

“The press’ independence, fiercely independent status is the red, beating heart of freedom and the kind of government we have,” Rather said.

“At its best, journalism is a noble craft…one absolutely vital and absolutely essential to the innards of a free people.”

T S A L S E I L P P WHILE SU

A MEMBER OF THE TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM

Arts & Entertainment

Page 5 Thursday, September 29, 2011

houstonianonline.com/a-e

Taking Back Sunday reforms sound By w Birdsong Sports Editor

Taking Back Sunday will be headlining Sammypalooza on Friday, and surprisingly the band looks the same as it did in 2003.

That year band released their first released their first studio album, Tell All Your Friends. Shortly after the release of the album, the band lost two members guitarist/ backup vocals John Nolan, and bassist Shaun Cooper left the band after a dispute amongst members.

Over the past seven years, Taking Back Sunday operated under two different lineups, but at the end of 2010, the band made a startling announcement that stated Nolan and Cooper were re-joining the band.

“Our drummer Mark (O’Connell) was pretty instrumental in making it happen,” Nolan said. “He had been unhappy with the state of the band for a long time. So we started talking to them about this idea of bringing Shaun and I back into the band. It was kind of an amazing thing. We all had just gotten to this place where we were ready to work together again, and we were excited about it.”

After the announcement, the band got back into the

studio and released their fifth studio album, selftitled, Taking Back Sunday.

“We felt like this is a definitive album for the band, especially with us coming back together with the band,” Nolan said. “We just felt like this defines Taking Back Sunday. That’s how we felt and we thought self-titling it would be the best way to get that across.”

“The initial writing sessions came extremely easily. Almost immediately when we got back together and actually got in the room and starting writing, we put together about ten songs in the first week that we were writing together. So right off the bat it clicked really easily.”

Recently, the band released their second single off the album entitled “Faith (When I let you down).”

Unlike their previous music videos, the video for “Faith” features a comedic style to it with a character named the OMGWTFTBS Cat. “The idea came from the Director Chris Mar, and he’s been a friend of the band for a while,” Nolan said. “It was a crazy sounding idea when he first pitched it but the more we thought about it and the more that we talked about it, we just decided it was going to be a cool direction to go. And we had total faith

Photo courtesy of Phillip Graybill

OMGWTFTBS: After losing two members in 2003 and getting back together in 2010 to release their fifth album “Taking Back Sunday”; the band will headline this year’s Sammypalooza on Friday at Johnson Coliseum.

in him to make it something that really worked. I think we all felt ready to take ourselves a little less seriously then the band had in the past.”

The band is touring to promote its new album, and on the band’s set list, they have incorporated a cover of “Existentialism on Prom Night,” originally performed by Straylight

Run, Nolan’s former band.

“That was something that rest of the band wanted to do,” Nolan said. “They wanted to do a Straylight Run song. I think it’s in the spirit of acknowledging that the past is the past.”

“I’m totally comfortable letting Adam sing it. I sang that song at every show that Straylight Run played in five years. I still love the

song, and am very proud of it, but I think it’s appropriate if Taking Back Sunday is going to do that song, that the singer of the band is going to sing it. I think it’s cool to hear his take on it too, because it’s different.”

Nolan admitted that he isn’t familiar with Huntsville, but none the less is still excited at the opportunity to play

Sammypalooza.

Doors to Johnson Coliseum will open Friday at 7 p.m. and Vertical Horizon will open for Taking Back Sunday at 8 p.m. For tickets and more information about the concert, visit the Recreational Sports department of Sam Houston’s website.

One man orchestra plays a single instrument

By George Mattingly

Arts & Entertainment Editor

Flute, strings, brass and even an entire orchestra were among the range of sounds that guest musician James Welch was able to coax out of a single organ when he performed at the Performing Arts Center on Tuesday.

The performance was a part of a series of concerts this week hosted by the School of Music and featured eight selections ranging from classical music from Bach to contemporary music of 20th century composers.

The performance also made use of the electric organ which uses sampled sounds from a real pipe organ to

make digital sounds. and fun and then became Each piece that Welch warm and dark with large p l a y e d resonant aimed to sounds. It s h o w c a s e “By memorizing, you s h ow c a s e d different variety own the music and aof sounds sound of the organ. plus, I wanted to see if r a n g i n g At times it I could still do it.” from tuba to sounded trombone to like a full chimes. orchestra The piece with strings, filling up the titled “Improvisation on room with big, loud sounds, ‘Hymn to Joy’” explored and at other times exposed the classic theme of “Ode individual instrument to Joy.” It started with the sounds such as flute and recognizable theme and brass instruments. then transitioned to a “One of the nifty things darker sound that made the you can do with electronics piece unique and interesting is acoustics,” said Welch. to the ear.

“So tonight, we’re in a Welch played “Symphony cathedral.”

No. 5,” made up of five In “Sonata in D minor” by movements, completely by Bach, the sounds were light memory which displayed powerful cathedral sounds and still managed to showcase technical skill with fast-moving notes in the opening. The next movements calmed down to a more peaceful sounds COLLEGE SKI & BOARD WEEK breckenridge

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of exposed flute and strings.

Welch also showed his skill on the organ by playing a pedal-only section.

For music students, the concert was something to watch despite having a single performer.

“By sitting so close, you can see the detail he puts into

playing by using his feet on the pedals,” said freshman piano performance major Kara Reed.

“I can imagine listening to a full orchestra sitting here,” said freshman performance major Heather Woitena.

The concert was also a chance for Welch, who

received a standing ovation, to highlight an instrument that not many get to see.

“Most organs are hidden, but I got a chance to play where people can see you,” he said. “By memorizing, you own the music and plus, I wanted to see if I could still do it.”

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Page 6 Thursday, September 29, 2011

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Running game brings wins

By Zach Birdsong Sports Editor

The SHSU football team, now 3-0 for the season, prepares to host the UTSA Roadrunners this Saturday and hopefully make it an even four.

Last week, the Kats were dominant on offense and produced 373 yards on the ground. Most of those yards came from running back Tim Flanders, who ran the ball for 191 yards and five touchdowns, a new SHSU record for most rushing touchdowns in a game.

“That’s part of our make-up, we want to run the football,” Head Coach Willie Fritz said.

“We’ve done a nice job of distributing the ball amongst a lot of different people, and not just Tim Flanders. He is our main cog in the offense, but I think our quarterback Brian Bell is making great decisions, especially in the option game.

“We also have Richard Sincere back there who has been making a lot of great decisions as well.”

Despite what the score read, the Bearkat defense played well last week through three quarters, only allowing 200 plus yards. In the fourth quarter against New Mexico is when the team really struggled giving up over 200 yards.

The Bearkat defense stands No. 3 nationally in rushing defense (59.3 yards per game) and ranks among the nation’s top 25 FCS teams in both quarterback sacks and tackles for loss.

Sam Houston’s defense

Jessica Gomez| The Houstonian

BREAKING THROUGH. Wide receiver Ryan Wilson rushes the ball out of the Wild Bearkat Formation against Central Arkansas. The Kats used this formation and multiple option plays to confuse the Bears defense and won the game, 31-10. With a dominant running game, the Kats are a perfect 3-0 on the season.

leads the Southland Conference in scoring defense (20.33 points) and is third in the league in total defense (338.33).

“We really played well the first couple of ball games against Western Illinois and Central Arkansas,” Fritz said. “We’ve had a lot of different guys that have played well for us.”

The Roadrunners (2-

2) are in their first year as an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision independent and coached

by Larry Coker, former Miami coach who led the Hurricanes to a national title.

“In this profession, sometimes there’s a lot of jealousy amongst coaches,” Fritz said. “(Coker) is one of the few

Triathlete competes in China

By Zach Birdsong Sports Editor

After enduring cold weather, rain and a difficult course, Hannah Gerber, Ph.D, an assistant professor in the College of Education, returned from China after competing for Team USA. Gerber was invited to be a part of Team USA and competed in the ITU Triathlon World Championship in Beijing.

The competition lasted from Sept. 7 to 11 and consisted of many different events.

“It was definitely an interesting and enjoyable experience,” Gerber said.

“I had never been to China before, but it was a whole different culture.”

In her specific competition, Gerber started with a 750 meter swim, then a 22 kilometer bike ride and finished with a five kilometer run. In total, Gerber finished with a time of one hour and 26 minutes.

“The course was very technical,” Gerber said.

“Because it’s the World Championship, it was what they call ‘spectator friendly,’ so it was multiple loops for the TV crews to be there and the spectators in the stands.”

“My swim was okay. I swam around 14 minutes, which is fairly slow for me at that distance. And then I biked very conservatively so I didn’t crash. My run was really good, considering I was cold since it was 52 degrees that morning. I ran a 21:20, so I was happy with my run. I was treated for hypothermia after that, so the fact that I could still move I was quite happy with.”

As a former cross country and track athlete at Florida State, Gerber got into triathlons after suffering an injury one year in school.

After graduating with her undergrad and master’s

Photo courtesy of Hannah Gerber

RUNNING. Hannah Gerber, an assistant professor at SHSU, competes in the 2011 ITU Triathlon World Championships that was held Sept. 7 to11, in Beijing, China.

degrees at Florida State, she went on to study at the University of Alabama.

While working toward her Ph.D, she discovered the university had a triathlon team, so she joined and competed for the team.

Last year, Gerber competed in nationals and qualified for Beijing. From May on she was involved in hardcore training at Tri On the Run Fitness Center in Houston.

There she had three coaches her worked with on different aspects. Her training included weekly track workouts, speed workouts, workouts on the bike and lifting weights.

Tripoint and Stimpact were the two companies that sponsored Gerber

before and during the competition.

“I had an amazing sponsor that I really want to thank for everything they helped me with,” Gerber said. “Whatever I needed they provided for me.”

Gerber has already qualified for next year’s championships in Auckland, New Zealand. If she stays healthy she will represent Team USA again in 2012.

SHSU has a triathlon club, and anybody requesting information is told to visit the Recreational Sports department website.

Information about the ITU Triathlon World Championships, and other triathlon events, is available online at triathlon.org.

guys that I haven’t heard a bad word about from anybody. I think it shows the class as well as the discipline these kids play with. We told our players this is the hardest playing team we’ve played to date.”

While the defense for the Roadrunners hasn’t been spectacular, the team has done a good job

at stopping teams from running the ball.

“They aren’t unbelievably complex at what they are doing,” Fritz said. “They are a strong team with strong tendencies. They do a nice job of making sure that players get leverage at all times. We are going to have to throw the ball.

They are going to get their

safeties involved in run support, and we’ve got to throw the ball effectively.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Bowers Stadium. Tailgating will occur before the game in Bearkat Alley, in the north part of the stadium. For more information about the game, including ticket sales, visit gobearkats.com.