The Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University Vol 117— Issue 27
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Mingle with the media, Page 4 Photo Courtesy of Priority One
Index
Viewpoints..................................page 2 Special.........................................page 3 News............................................page 4 Special................................,........page 5 Sports..........................................page 6 Special................................,........page 7 Special.........................................page 8
Photo courtesy of SHSU Athletics
Tori Benavidez leads Kats despite loss, Page 7
Students help The Houstonian and Blood Center save lives
An estimated 50 donors gave blood at The Houstonian’s first blood drive Tuesday. One donation can save 14 infants or three adult lives. This means as many as 700 infants or 150 adult lives could be saved by the effort. Thank you for your support.
Tuning in
Kats ready to change channel on cancer By Kolby Flowers Senior Reporter
Relay for Life will kick off Friday evening at 6 p.m. at Bowers Stadium to raise funds for cancer awareness and prevention. The SHSU chapter currently has 86 teams registered with over 1100 participants including students, faculty and other university community members, according to Event Chair Kalyn Cavazos. Relay for Life is a 12 hour fundraiser where participants can form teams who raise money to be donated to the American Cancer Society. We are really excited for Friday night,” said Cavazos, a senior criminal justice major. “We are asking that each team have one representative on the track throughout the night.” — See READY, page 4
Jessica Gomez| The Houstonian
KATS CARRY ON FIGHT TO FIND CURE. As many as 500 students participated in the 5th annual Relay for Life held last April at Bowers Stadium. Prior to the event, the teams raised $20,000. A grand total of $29,436 was raised to aid in the search for a cure for cancer. With extra money being submitted after the event for teams who were not able to make it, the university surpassed its goal. Colleges across the country have raised over $7 million for cancer research. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S., and, according to the American Cancer Society, was responsible for 562,340 deaths in 2009.
Two-day Student Government elections sparks protest, heated online debate By Erin Peterson
Associate News Editor
On-going elections kicked off in the wake of a heated online debate and an early morning protest Wednesday. THE DEBATE Several anonymous commenters left their thoughts on The Houstonian website as to which party was the most qualified.
The debate centered around Student Government Association Chief of Staff Kendall Scudder's column, featured on page two of Tuesday's issue of The Houstonian, supporting SHSU We Do Work (the A. Rene McKelvey, Jimmy Williams, Tyler Eberhart, Audrey Williams and Courtnie Crayton ticket), or rather condemning the Bearkats for Bearkats ticket (the campaign supporting Mariel Kanene, Drew Milburn, Jake
Price, Meagan Lee and Ahmed Adewodu). In his column, Scudder addressed the controversy surrounding presidential candidate Kanene's history with the Student S e n a t e , detailing his impeachment among other things. — See ELECTIONS, page 4
(LEFT) Presidential candidate endorsed by SHSU We Do Work, A. Rene McKelvey. (RIGHT) Presidential candidate endorsed by Bearkats for Bearkats, Mariel Kanene.
Wildfire blazes through more than 200 acres
Polls remain open until 6 p.m. today for the Student Government Association’s 2011 Executive Board and Senate race.
Photos by Jessica Gomez| The Houstonian
Chief’s quick response saves homes near Pinedale Road By Jessica Priest
Web/Multimedia Editor
MARK ROBINSON, FIRE CHIEF AT THE PINE PRAIRIE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Mark Robinson was driving back from Crockett on I-45 Wednesday morning when a smoke cloud seven miles north of Huntsville caught his eye. Luckily, Robinson was no ordinary driver. Robinson, who is the Fire Chief at the Pine Prairie Volunteer Fire Department,
called the smoke sighting into dispatch at 11:30 a.m. It’s a call that may have saved at least 10 homes near Pinedale Road. “Right now, we have the fire contained,” Robinson said during an interview Wednesday night. “But if the wind changes or anything else, it could be a whole different ball game tomorrow.” — See Flames, page 4
Photos by Jessica Gomez| The Houstonian
TEXAS TROUBLE. “Since the fire season began, Texas has reported 7,807 fires across the state that have burned more than 1,528,714 acres and destroyed 244 homes,” Governor Perry said.
Viewpoints
Page 2 Thursday, April 28, 2011
houstonianonline.com/viewpoints
STAFF LISTING Robin Johnson
FACULTY ADVISER (936) 294-1499
My sitdown with liberty
Lotis Butchko discusses the positions of the Libertarian Meagan Ellsworth party with Lovers of Liberty President Morgan Freeman EDITOR-IN-CHIEF (936) 294-1505
mellsworth@houstonianonline.com
Erin Peterson ASSOCIATE EDITOR
epeterson@houstonianonline.com
Stephen Green VIEWPOINTS EDITOR
sgreen@houstonianonline.com
Brandon Scott
SPORTS EDITOR
bscott@houstonianonline.com
Jessica Priest
WEB/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
jpriest@houstonianonline.com
Mike Silva SENIOR EDITOR
msilva@houstonianonline.com
Thomas Merka
A&E EDITOR
tjmiv@houstonianonline.com
Kolby Flowers SENIOR REPORTER
kflowers@houstonianonline.com
Jared Wolf
GRAPHIC COORDINATOR
jwolf@houstonianonline.com
Lotis Butchko
SPORTS REPORTER
lbutchko@houstonianonline.com
Jessica Gomez PHOTOGRAPHER
April Sanders COPY EDITOR
Brittany Hampton BUSINESS MANAGER (936) 294-1500
bhampton@houstonianonline.com
Gurpreet Singh
ADVERTISING MANAGER (936) 294-1503
gsingh@houstonianonline.com
Chanel Montgomery PRODUCTION MANAGER
Chelsea Boyd
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
cboyd@houstonianonline.com
Chrystal Golden
COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST cgolden@houstonianonline.com
AD DEADLINES Tuesday’s Issue
Friday 5 p.m.
Thursday’s Issue - Tuesday 2 p.m.
The hardest people to argue government. I am of course with are people who stick for a lot of public funding, so to their arguments because this idea seemed terrible to regardless of what you put in me. front of them they will not I argued that the rich should budge. Such was the case be paying higher taxes and this week when I sat down that would help fund the poor with SHSU Lovers of Liberty to get off their feet. She said, President Morgan Freeman. the market would decide if No, not that Morgan Freeman. they could get off their feet. Freeman is a freshman from As you can tell, this went Montgomery, Texas and by nowhere. far one of the most politically But the best part of the knowledgeable students on Lotis Butchko night was when we talked this campus. The one thing about presidents. She talked Sports Reporter she does well is stick to an about how much she disliked argument, and when she says President Barrack Obama. she is a libertarian, she doesn’t stray. I jumped on the argument and defended After debating on Facebook for the past him. She said she hated the policies and the three weeks, we finally had time to sit down Affordable Health Care Act. She eventually and talk about politics. We first started coming and said she hadn’t liked any of the talking about the basics of libertarians legislation he had passed. I saw this as my and the flaws that I thought were in their opportunity to ruin one of her arguments. system. For those politic-lite fans we have I went through a couple of Obama’s ideas, out there, Libertarians essentially believe most of which she swatted down like dead that government should in no way interfere flies. with our lives unless we are causing harm Finally, when I had her exactly where I to each other. They don’t believe they wanted her I launched into my argument. should pay taxes, so as I like to say, they “You said you don’t like any of his acts, are anarchist with an army. right?” The first argument I tried to test Freeman “Yes,” with was about public schools. I said that “What about the Fair Pay Act” without taxes we couldn’t fund public She gave me a puzzled look and asked if schools, and if we couldn’t fund schools I could explain it a little more. The Fair Pay how would people get educated? This led to Act was a bill Obama passed saying that a 20 minute conversation about schooling. women had to make the same pay as men We both agreed schools were terrible, but I in the workplace instead of being paid cents was for reform while she was for going to a on the dollar to what a man makes. private school system with church schools Freeman paused, dipped her head a helping out on the side. I clearly disagreed, little and thought about it for a second. saying that was insane and that the poor She looked across the table at a friend and would be left to suffer from no school, and looked back at me. Finally she smiled and to her credit, she stuck to her guns saying said, “You know, I disagree with that too. that people could educate themselves better The government has no place in telling than the system could. employers how to pay people.” That is an argument I could go over for My head dropped, crushed by the fact hours, but we disagreed on much more that regardless of what I had she was killing than that. The next issue came about when my arguments. For Christ’s sake, she just we talked about taxes. Freeman, with her said she shouldn’t be paid equal to me. So Libertarian views, believes in a flat tax in I shook my head and laughed, because that the form of sales tax. Flat tax arguments are was my best shot of the night. nothing new to me, but a flat tax in sales We had a couple more laughs, but finally taxes was something I was shocked to hear just settled it with a smile and a thanks for because no money would be available to coming out. the government. This would pose a huge Call Libertarians what you will, and trust problem in funding programs, unless, me I will, they will stick to their roots. of course, you believe in a very limited - Lotis is the Houstonian Sports Reporter.
Space, the forgotten frontier Karmen King says to skip watching the royal wedding, instead pay attention to the Columbia space shuttle launch The big event is here! This Friday! You’re watching, aren’t you? By the way, I’m not talking about the royal wedding. Space Shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to make its 25th and final launch tomorrow at 2:47 p.m. CDT. This is an end of an era. This is also a national tragedy. In May of 1961, President John F. Kennedy spoke at Rice University, “I believe this nation should commit itself, before this decade is out, to landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth.” Thus began our great space race with the Soviet Union. This age was full of tragedy, yet
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. Stephen Green Viewpoints Editor sgreen@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) 294-4864. The Houstonian is a member of the Associated Press and the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.
there were many triumphs. longer be the ones sending We won the race, we were them there. Instead we the first to put a man on the will rely on other nations, moon. and possibly private Then, people started corporations, to send our wondering where the scientists to explore the program would go next. universe. After all, we had met This means we are no Kennedy’s challenge; we longer taking the lead in had beaten the Russians exploration and discovery. to the moon. Why bother This comes at a time when continuing funding a space our students are falling program? behind the rest of the After the near-tragedy of world in math and science. Apollo 13, these questions Could this be because we became increasingly no longer have a national frequent. And shortly goal of exploration and thereafter the Apollo achievement? Maybe, program came to an end. maybe not, but it doesn’t We weren’t done help young students become exploring though. Next eager to learn about the came the international universe around them when space station and unmanned there’s no goal to aim for. trips all around the galaxy, We are meant to be including our neighbor explorers. Mars. Again people asked Captain James Cook why we bothered. Here I wrote this in the journal will borrow a quote from of his voyages in 1771, my one of my favorite “I had the ambition to go television programs, The not only farther than man West Wing, “Because it’s had gone before, but to go next. Because we came out as far as it was possible to of the cave, and we looked go.” This not only inspired over the hill and we saw fire. several of the astronauts Then we crossed the ocean during NASA’s heyday, but and we pioneered the west I believe it should help us then we took to the sky. The inspire the next generation history of man is on a time of young scientists to line of exploration. This is explore what possibility lies what’s next.” beyond where we are now. Due to massive budget Sadly, the nation has just cutbacks our manned space quit caring about the space missions are coming to an program, and therein lays end. Does this mean the US the real tragedy. is no longer sending our astronauts into space? No, - King is a recurring but it does mean we will no columnist.
CORRECTION The headline titled “Money management center going unused” should have read “underused.” From “Behind closed doors” Sen. Zaffarini requested information from all institutions under the Texas State University System, not all Texas insitutitions.
Editorial: SGA Supreme Court violated free press The Student Government Association has been in the limelight often this year. The Houstonian has covered its internal conflicts, heated elections and the assorted meetings it has hosted. One event that bothers us that is unassociated with the Senate or Executive Board is the secretive behavior of the third branch of SGA – the Supreme Court. In the midst of election preparations, several Supreme Court cases arose about the validity of sections of the SGA election code. In an attempt to give the petitioners and the Senate fair coverage of the trials as well as to act as a watchdog over a governmental body with decision-making authority that affects the university and the student body, we asked permission to enter these meetings. Instead of being permitted to attend these government meetings that are supposed to be open to the public under the Texas Open Meetings Act, what surprised us was Chief Justice Frank Parker’s refusal to permit us access. The deliberation of the meetings could have been harmless, innocent and completely just, but we and the student body will never know. Parker’s decision to make the meetings private also goes against SGA’s Rules and Regulations. We’ll start with the SGA. The Senate passed a Judicial Procedures Reform Act, which requires the Supreme Court to hold an open meeting that allows “any member” of the university to be in attendance. If they were to violate this rule at any time, the Senate could consider the ruling invalid. The court skirted this rule. The Texas Open Meetings Act, or TOMA, was established in 1967 “to help make governmental decision-making accessible
to the public,” according to the TOMA handbook. It’s a long set of rules, so here’s the short version; section 551.001 to 551.146 says that all meetings of governing bodies in Texas are to be open to the public unless they file under one of the seven exemptions. It is our opinion that the SGA is considered a governing body per the definitions listed, including the SGA Supreme Court. According to TOMA, the media should have been notified of the meetings held by the Supreme Court. If a closed meeting were to be held, it must first have held an open meeting to say what exception it would file under, none of which we believe the court qualified for. If not, the court had to hold an open meeting. The following is a list of qualified reasons to close a meeting: consultation of a lawyer, deliberations regarding real property, contract negotiations in commissioners courts and Texas facilities commission, personal matters (disciplinary hearings), and several specific government bodies. At every point, we have shown Parker the rules and laws that forbid him from closing the meeting, but the public was still denied a chance to see how a governing body reached its decisions. This is a blatant violation of the public’s right to know how its elected representatives make decisions that affect them. It is a violation of our rights as students to know what is going on. And finally, this is a violation of the press’ right to be the voice of the student body and uncover the truth. Business being conducted in secret meetings is never trustworthy. It is certainly not in keeping with the traditions of a representative democracy.
News
Page 4 Thursday, April 28, 2011
houstonianonline.com/news
Trio to unite for Kat’s Meow
Guest speakers Mickey Herskowitz, Kelli Arena and Peter Roussel will be featured at Priority One’s third annual Kat’s Meow: Mingling with the Media event today from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Dan Rather Communication Building in Room 125. The three mass communication department chairs will share their past experiences working with the media, as well as the current state of the media. Following the discussion, the floor will be opened up to those members of the audience who want to ask questions. Mickey Herskowitz is currently in his sixth year as the Warner Endowed
Journalism Chair at Sam Houston State University after a distinguished career as a sports columnist for the Houston Chronicle and Houston Post. As one of the country’s most prolific writers, he has published 59 books, including bestselling autobiographies with Dan Rather, Mickey Mantle, Howard Cosell, Gene Autry, Nolan Ryan and actresses Bette Davis and Gene Tierney. Kelli Arena, the Emmy award-winning correspondent, has reported for nearly 25 years on major news stories for the international news network CNN. Highlights include: The September 11th attacks, Hurricane Katrina, the Tokyo Sarin gas attacks, the London financial center bombings,
the US election debacle of 2000, the market crash of 1987 and the terrorist trials at Guantanamo Bay. Peter Roussel is a Houston native, an author, radio/television commentator and public speaker. In 2009, he was appointed to the Warner Chair of Journalism in the Department of Mass Communication at Sam Houston State University. His public relations career began in 1966 and has included experience with five firms in three cities, including serving as a managing partner of Numann Roussel Public Relations from 1996-2003. For more information on The Kat’s Meow, contact Anna Middleton of Priority One by e-mail at AEM016@shsu.edu.
Kelli Arena
Peter Roussel
Mickey Herskowitz
By Erin Peterson Associate News Editor
Colleges unite for town hall meeting By Chrystal Golden Communications Specialist Students from the Colleges of Humanities and Social Sciences, Education, and Sciences were invited to a town hall meeting hosted by the Student Government Association on Wednesday. “A town hall is an opportunity for students to openly express the problems they are facing here at SHSU,” Senator Le’Antranell Gipson of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences said. “In return, SGA works on coming up with solutions to these problems.” With snacks and refreshments in hand, members of SGA, as well as non-members, participated in a relaxed discussion about various topics that concerned the students. Wednesday’s discussion surfaced a multitude of topics, ranging from financial aid to the bees swarming trash cans on campus. But, two topics in particular dominated the conversation. “Parking, without a doubt, is one of the most
From FLAMES page 1
Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian
BURN BAN. The Assistant Fire Chief of the Huntsville Fire Department John Hobbs recommends: No outside fires, outside cooking or burning of garbage. He also suggests cleaning around the house.
Become a fan on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter @HoustonianSHSU Please recycle your copy of The Houstonian From ELECTIONS page 1
“[Kanene] was unanimously impeached less than a year ago from [SGA], not even voting against his own impeachment, for malfeasance and dereliction of duty,” Scudder said in his column. “I know this because, as chief of staff, it was my responsibility to track productivity and attendance of all senators, resulting in myself being the individual that rolled out the articles of impeachment last fall.” The resulting online comments featured postings by several anonymous readers who either strongly supported Scudder's column or attacked his argument. Those who attacked his argument chose to focus their sights on SGA Vice President A. Rene McKelvey, who is currently running for SGA president under the SHSU We Do Work ticket. “Why would I support someone that isn't even supported by the president leaving SGA that thinks she isn't right for the job?” one anonymous reader asked. However, SGA
UPD Update April 26, 2011 Officer was dispatched to the intersection of Bowers Boulevard and Avenue J in reference to a fire. Upon arrival, officer observed that the power pole was on fire as a result of a lightening strike causing damage to electrical wire contacts. Residence Life was contacted and advised of the situation since student housing was effected.
President Ryan Bridges, who incidentally chose to provide his name in the comment field, chose to take a neutral approach to the debate after watching it escalate. “As student body president, my job is to speak on the behalf of the student body as a whole in all public matters, and endorsing any single candidate or ticket, in my view, would be tantamount to saying 'the student body supports this candidate',” Bridges wrote. “Contrary to what was implied by someone else on [this comment thread], my lack of support for Ms. McKelvey does not stem from my thought that she, and I quote, 'isn't right for the job,' but from my longheld belief that support for anyone would be a misuse of my position.” Instead, Bridges encouraged the student body to “vote for the person who you honestly think will be the best person to represent the students of this university.” During Tuesday's meeting of the Executive Board and Student Senate, however, Bridges took another approach. While he reiterated his statement that he would not officially
support either group, he recognized SHSU We Do Work as being a “better choice.” Several senators, including Jason Tilton of the College of Business, noted at that point that no members of Bearkats for Bearkats were present at the meeting. “Look who's not here to defend themselves,” Tilton said. While the Bearkats for Bearkats ticket was under much scrutiny on Tuesday, they, too, presented a column in Tuesday's issue for the student body to read and consider. In the column, the ticket addressed their hopes for the next year. “We have created six initiatives, which we look to implement during our year in office, that will cater to all students and create opportunities for student involvement within [SGA],” Bearkats for Bearkats wrote. “These six areas will address improvements in academics, mental and physical awareness, Bearkat Pride, civic engagement, leadership and transparent representation.” Bearkats for Bearkats cited ambitions to promote academic success both
Firefighters successfully battled and contained a more than 200-acre wildfire that threatened to spread out of control. The nearly 45 dispatched firefighters, seven of which were SHSU students, were most successful when they plowed dirt into the affected area, Robinson said. “[We were] robbing the fire of its fuel source, [and] dirt can’t burn,” Robinson said. Pine needles served
important issues in the eyes of Sam students.” Chief of Staff Kendall Scudder said. “Textbooks are also an issue. We should be pushing to allow students the ability to rate their books within teacher evaluations and also for more environmentally friendly digital options.” Once the issues have been talked about, SGA members then returned to their office to work on plans that will hopefully solve the problems addressed in the town hall meeting. “We will take the necessary steps to implement all that was discussed,” Senator Chidera Eneh of the College of Criminal Justice said. Wednesday’s town hall will be the last one for this semester, but SGA plans to have more beginning in the fall of 2011. “Every individual college represented in SGA must have two town halls a semester, so there are plenty of opportunities for students to attend these special meetings,” Gipson said.
as the key stimulants of the fire and traditional methods used to extinguish fires would have been useless in this situation, he said. “There’s just simply not enough water to put [wildfires] out,” Robinson said, highlighting the fact that several air drops made from the tankers on the scene only made a small dent in the fire. “The best way is to take away the fuel from the equation and your fire will go out on its own.” Robinson said that the Texas Forest Service will continue to monitor the
City wears denim, raises awareness
By Hugo Lopez Contributing Reporter Sexual Assault & Abuse Free Environment (SAAFE House) encouraged local business to allow their employees to wear jeans during Denim Day yesterday to raise awareness about sexual violence. Denim Day in LA & USA is an annual award winning sexual violence prevention and education campaign where employees wear jeans to work. The event was created after an Italian court case caused international outrage when the judges did not convict a male driving instructor who raped his female student. The reason the judges did not convict the rapist was “because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex,” said the chief judge. A SAAFE house spokesperson said local area businesses did call in to confirm that their employees did indeed wear jeans to work. The Huntsville SAAFE House 24 hour crisis lines are (936)291-3369 and (936)327-2513. situation on Thursday, and make sure the fire does not get out of control. He does not expect the fire to be completely extinguished until next Monday. “It will be an on and off process,” Robinson said. No structures have been damaged, and no people have been injured. “We had one fireman get a pine needle in his eye, but he washed it out and went right back to work,” Robinson joked. “We’re real fortunate that no one was hurt.”
Cavazos said it’s important for students to be involved with Relay for Life because they may one day be affected by cancer. “This is directly helping to raise money for cancer awareness,” Cavazos said. “It is up to the future, which is us, to solve this epidemic.” “Huntsville alone has over 300 cancer survivors and you could be helping your self out in the future
if you are ever diagnosed,” Cavazos said. “All the money goes to research, patient care and to further legislative action by the government.” Cavazos said that Relay for Life is the biggest fundraiser hosted around the world for the American Cancer Society, an organization that is dedicated to helping persons who face cancer, according to its website. “We will have bands out, DJ's out, free food, games and prizes,” Cavazos said.
“Everyone needs to come out and help raise money to fight this disease.” Relay for Life will be held in Bowers Stadium pending favorable weather conditions. “If the weather doesn't cooperate then we will move to the parking garage,” Cavazos said. There is still time for students to join a team or start their own. For more information, contact Cavazos at KRC021@shsu. edu or visit RelayforLife. org/samhoustontx.
within and out of SGA, to “implement a wellness initiative” and “educate students on living a healthy lifestyle,” to utilize “artwork throughout our campus that promotes Bearkat pride” and to increase “service opportunities for student involvement,” which will “be the key to improving student relations and interaction with both university and SGA affairs.” THE PROTEST On Wednesday, Kanene filed a protest against the SHSU We Do Work ticket, stating that they continued to campaign past the allowed time. In Tuesday's meeting, Election Commission Representative and Senator Christina Smith reminded those in attendance that, in accordance with the SGA Election Code, campaigning within the computer labs was to stop by 8 a.m. on Wednesday and that the rest of the signs around campus were to be taken down within 48 hours of the polls closing, meaning 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 30. Kanene's protest called into question the SHSU We Do Work ticket's sandwich boards on the mall, stating that the candidates “have not adhered to the Election
Commission's instructions pertaining to campaigning procedures.” Election Commissioner Ruby Guerra responded to Kanene, stating: “As of 8 a.m. this morning, all active campaigning must have stopped, this includes distributing campaign materials, actively soliciting votes through social media or campaigning to solicit votes. Any sign that was posted during the campaign period may remain there for two days, but no new campaign materials may be distributed.” “Though I do understand how this could have created mild confusion,” Guerra said, “this is not in violation of the current election code.” GETTING TO KNOW CONSTITUENTS Bearkats for Bearkats also called in their column for students to join them on the mall Tuesday to voice their concerns or ideas about the coming school year, which many did – on the backs of the ticket's t-shirts. While Bearkats for Bearkats took to the mall area, so did members of SHSU We Do Work. “We passed out cupcakes and talked to students about
their concerns,” McKelvey said. “We heard a lot of good things that need to be done or taken care of. Coming out here was a good idea.” Voting ends Thursday at 6 p.m., and results will be announced within 24 hours of the close of the protest period. The protest period ends at 6 p.m. on May 2, which is two full class days after the polls officially close. When results are official, they will be displayed on the SHSU home page, www.shsu.edu; the SGA office window, LSC 326; and announced to all members of the campus media. According to the SGA Election Code, officer candidates may only win by receiving a majority of the votes, and senate candidates may only win by receiving a plurality of the votes, meaning that the 15 senate slots for each college will be filled by the 15 candidates that receive the most votes. To vote, students will need to check their SHSU e-mail for a link to the online ballot. For additional information on the election, visit www.shsu.edu/sga/ elections.html.
From READY page 1
Arts & Entertainment
Page 5 Thursday, April 28, 2011
houstonianonline.com/a-e
The school that built us Talented Bearkats to return to SHSU for night of performances By Erin Peterson Associate News Editor Bearkats new and old will be returning to campus for Encore Performance, an evening designed to spotlight current and former students with exceptional talent, on Saturday night. Allen Shamblin, Gary Powell and Eboni Adams are three such alumni. Shamblin, business administration graduate, is now an award-winning songwriter. “The House That Built Me,” the song that Shamblin co-wrote with Tom Doublas, recently won the Country Music Association’s Song of the Year award, as well as Miranda Lambert, the artist that performs the song, her first Grammy award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. The song also won Lambert “Single Record of the Year,” “Song of the Year” and “Video of the Year” awards from the Academy of Country Music. “That night was surreal,” Shamblin said about the night he and co-writer Tom Douglas won the CMA award. “As a songwriter we spend so much time hoping something we write will connect with someone, but when your peers recognize your work, that’s another blessing.” “I was at Sam Houston for several years and grew
to love Huntsville. My time there was very important to me,” said Shamblin. “It’s my time to give back and I’m thankful I can do that and share my successes with Sam Houston. And if it helps with their Performing Arts, it makes me that much happier.” Shamblin will not be returning to Huntsville alone. When told he could fill his time in ENCORE any way he chose, he called on buddies Mark Wills and Mike Reid, who have each recorded several songs that have reached No. 1 on the country music charts. The trio will perform songs separately and together as they fill one set of the show. Powell, now the owner of a successful music production studio, graduated from Sam in 1974 with a degree in vocal performance and conducting, then returned for his master’s in choral conducting in 1976. He went on to become a prestigious music producer, with five of his productions going gold and two going platinum. After graduating from SHSU, Powell became the teacher, both briefly as a temporary replacement at Texas School for the Blind and then for seven years at the University of Texas at Austin. He said his time at the School for the Blind gave him “insight
Photo courtesy of Brian Blalock
PAYING IT FORWARD. Alumnus Allen Shamblin, cowriter of Miranda Lambert’s hit “The House That Built Me,” will return to campus on April 30 with friends Mark Wills and Mike Reid to perform as part of the ENCORE event that will raise money for performing arts students. to how music is perceived by observing and learning from blind musicians.” Powell opened Powell Studio Productions in 1978 and his catalog has sold over 45 million albums. Some of his favorite and most exceptional projects involved working with children’s singer Joe Scruggs and with Walt Disney Records. “I was thrilled to restore their orchestral scores for many of the most loved songs in American popular music history [for Walt Disney Records,] starting with Pinocchio from 1940,” said Powell. “I re-recorded the songs with Austin’s best
Inflatopia A student assembled an inflated jellyfish on Wednesday in the LSC Mall Area. It was just one of the nearly 20 different approaches to the same W.A.S.H., or Workshop in Art Studio and History, class’ assignment. The projects are on display today (Thursday) from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
symphony players while casting and coaching the singers to match the original performances.” Of these beloved songs, Powell says “When You Wish Upon A Star” was a “real highlight.” Since 2001, Powell has worked with Miramuse in talent development, putting together cultural events and musical productions. He is still currently working there and with his own production company. When asked what inspired him to pursue a musical career, Powell replied with, “The Beatles,” but the realization that music was what he wanted
to do with his life happened “in an instant” while on his way to Texas A&M for his freshman semester as a premed student. He spent one semester at A&M before transferring to SHSU to chase this dream. “28 years later, I worked with Sir George Martin, the Beatles’ producer, on his personal album ‘In My Life,’” said Powell. Powell’s advice for those aspiring to achieve their own dreams? “Develop a keen eye for opportunity and learn how to position yourself to be where opportunity is most likely to happen—and have the goods when it does,” Powell said. “Under this, the most likely reality, remember that everybody gets their turn at bat, as long as they know how to
build a bat and have hired a pitcher.” Adams, a 1999 dance graduate, is now making a name for herself as a choreographer after dancing in musical productions for Celine Dion and Tony Bennett. “We feel so fortunate to have so many alumni willing to come back and help us,” Dana Nicolay, dance professor and interim dean of the College of Fine Arts and Mass Communication, said. “It is very exciting.” Encore Performance will take place in the concert hall of the Performing Arts Center at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night. For tickets, $75 each, contact the box office at 936-294-2339.
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Sports
Page 6 Thursday, April 28, 2011
houstonianonline.com/sports
Kats Stats SHSU BASEBALL RESULTS
TUESDAY, April 26 SHSU 8 Texas A&M 5
UPCOMING GAMES FRIDAY, April 29
Southeastern LA 6:30 pm
SATURDAY, April 30
Southeastern LA 2:00 pm
SUNDAY, May 1 Southeastern LA
STANDINGS
1:00 pm
Texas State Stephen F. Austin
15-6 (28-12) 15-6 (25-15)
Southeastern La. UT Arlington UTSA Lamar Nicholls McNeese State Central Arkansas Texas A&M-CC Northwestern St
12-9 (28-15) 12-9 (24-18) 11-10 (19-23) 9-12 (23-19) 9-12 (20-21) 9-12 (20-22) 9-12 (19-21) 8-13 (23-21) 5-16 (15-27)
Sam Houston State 12-9 (28-15)
MEN’S TRACK
A. J. Edwards, junior from Brenham, has become the second Sam Houston men’s track and field team member to be named as Southland Conference outdoor “Athlete of the Week” for the 2011 spring season. Edwards earned the honor with his performance at the Michael Johnson Classic Saturday hosted by Baylor University. Edwards took first place in the men’s long jump with a leap of 26 feet, 7.75 inches, not only the best long jump in the Southland Conference this season but one of the top marks in the nation this year. The leap was less than an inch short of the meet record. The junior broke the Sam Houston long jump school record by one and a half feet. Earlier this year, senior Chris Cralle received the Southland men’s outdoor track and field weekly honor after winning the hammer at the Texas Relays. Next action for the Sam Houston outdoor track and field men and women will be at the Northwestern State Demon Invitational in Natchitoches, La.
twitter.com/HoustonianSport
Kats go down in double-header Brandon Scott
bscott@houstonianonline.com
Outfielder Tori Benavidez went four-for-four in the both games of a nonconference doubleheader Wednesday afternoon but Houston Baptist picked up wins in both games, handing Sam Houston softball losses of 7-5 and 7-1. The Huskies jumped out to a 7-0 lead with a run in the bottom of the first inning and six runs in the second frame of the opening game. Benavidez led a two-run rally in the top of the third with an RBI double. First baseman Kim Damian added the first of two sacrifice flies for the second run. The Kats scored three more runs in the top of the fifth inning when outfielder Alex Survant walked with the bases loaded and Damian again brought in a run from third base with a hit to the outfield. Courtney Schoneman took the loss in the pitching rotation. Shelby Lancaster came in as a relief pitcher in the second inning and blanked HBU for the next three frames. Tomi Garrison pitched the final inning, her ninth consecutive game to
Photo courtesy of SHSU Athletics
SOFTBALL.Outfielder Tori Benavidez went four-for-four in the both games of a non-conference doubleheader pitch at least one inning for the Bearkats. After three scoreless innings in the second game, Erin Burford singled, reached third base on a double by Cecilia Castillo then scored on an error to give Sam Houston a brief 1-0 lead. HBU picked up two runs in the bottom of the
Johnson bids farewell
fourth inning on a home run by Callie Herrington then added three more on a pair of doubles by Mollye Mlcak and Kate Maddock in the fifth inning. Castillo was the losing pitcher in the second game. Sam Houston dropped to 19-29 with the losses while Houston Baptist upped its record to 31-22.
Shortstop Hailey Wiginton went 2-for-4 in the first game, moving herself with five hits of setting a new school record for career total hits. Lauren Boone set the current mark with 226 hits from 2003 to 2006. Wiginton currently has totaled 222 career hits in 203 games since becoming a Bearkat in 2008.
Sam Houston now returns home for its final Southland Conference series at the Bearkat Softball Complex this year. The Bearkats play host to Southeastern Louisiana. The series begins with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday and the final game at the same time on Sunday.
Photo courtesy of SHSU Athletics
JOHNSON. There were a dozen or more of Johnson’s former A&M players who returned to Olsen Field because it was his final visit. Their presence and their words of praise spoke volumes about Johnson, who had a replica of his No. 7 Aggie jersey unveiled on the outfield wall before the game.
Brandon Scott
bscott@houstonianonline.com
COLLEGE STATION – Ninth inning heroics from Chris Andreas helped the Bearkats upset No. 6 Texas A&M 8-5 in 12 innings on Tuesday night at Olsen Field. Pregame ceremonies included Texas A&M honoring SHSU head coach Mark Johnson by retiring his No. 7 jersey. The thrilling end to Johnson’s time at Olsen field heightened the emotions of what was certainly an extraordinary win. “It was a real nice win,” Johnson said. “They have a good ball club. We gave them three runs, but the guys were able to battle back and get the win. I really appreciate the fans who came out here tonight and it was a real honor to have my number retired
here.” Andreas, who had homered in the first inning to put the Kats on the board, came through again in the ninth inning. Braeden Riley led off the inning with a single, then Andreas went the opposite way for a two-run shot that just sailed inside the left field foul pole to tie the game at five. After the Bearkat pitchers worked out of a couple of jams in the 9th and 10th innings, the Kats finally broke through in the top of the 12th. Greg Olsen connected on a 1-out single and Kevin Miller followed with a walk. Daniel Nottebart followed with a single to load the bases. Jake Arrington finally gave the Kats the lead on a groundout that scored Olson. A wild pitch then brought home Miller and an infield single that hopped over the outstretched glove
of third baseman Andrew Collazo scored the third run of the inning for the Bearkats. Matt Shelton, a regular weekend starter who came on in relief in the 11th, shut down the Aggies to record six outs and notch his sixth win of the season. The Bearkats jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the game. After Andreas’ solo shot in the first, they put two more on the board in the second inning. With two outs, the Kats connected on four consecutive singles, including a pair by Luke Plucheck and Ryan Mooney to score runs for the Kats. SHSU will be back in action this weekend at home as they take on Southeastern Louisiana. The Kats will look to keep the momentum going heading into the series in which they are currently tied for third in the Southland Conference with the Lions.
Men’s golf places sixth Photo courtesy of SHSU Athletics
Brandon Scott
bscott@houstonianonline.com
Fort Worth - Blaine Weiterman and James Glenn both tied for tenth place in the individual competition to lead the Sam Houston men’s golf team to a sixthplace finish at the Southland Conference championships held Monday through Wednesday. Weiterman and Glenn each ended with 54 hole totals of 219. Weiterman’s threeday card read 77-66-76-219 while Glenn posted a 77-68-74-219 total. The 66 by Weiterman on Tuesday tied the Sam Houston record for lowest 18-hole score in Southland Conference tournament competition. Kort O’Leary placed 34th with a 7575-79-229 while Jeff Litwak tied for 46th, carding an 85-79-78-242. The Bearkats’ fifth player, Justin McKay, shot a third round 74 but did not place due to a disqualification for signing a wrong scorecard in Tuesday’s second round. The tournament was played on the par 72, 7,304-yard course at Waterchase Golf Course. UT-Arlington won 2011 men’s team championship with a score of 291-282289-862. Lamar was the team runner-up with a 872 total, followed by Southeastern FORE. Kort O’Leary placed 34th with Louisiana 873, Central Arkansas 884, a 75-75-79-229 while Jeff Litwak tied Stephen F. Austin 885, Sam Houston 895, for 46th, carding an 85-79-78-242. UTSA 896, Texas State 898, Nicholls 904 and McNeese State 921.
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