1/24/18 Weekly Edition

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

The Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University

The Official News Source of Sam Houston State University CAMPUS EXPLAINER, P. 2 Questions are answered about jurisdiction differences between HPD and UPD. Volume 129 | Issue 13

M.I.A. BEARKATS, P. 3 Opinion: Associate Editor Tyler Josefsen discusses the lack of students at athletic events.

GENEROSITY, P. 4 Lambda Alpha Epsilon graciously donated $5,000 to the Huntsville Police Department.

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QB TURNOVER, P. 6 SHSU had a successful early signing day, bringing in four new players including a new QB. HoustonianOnline.com

Scrubbing in at The Woodlands

Hazed and Confused:

One campus victim’s story

HUMANS AT SAM, P. 4 The prestigious educational and musical career of Lynn Bull is recognized.

School of Nursing to relocate, students argue additional fees

Sam Houston State University alumnus Monica Snell recounts her Spring 2015 hazing experience that landed Sigma Lambda Gamma a one year suspension.

Viewpoint on page 3

Ryan Reynolds | The Houstonian Photos courtesy Monica Snell

SECRETS. The black shirt that had to be worn every day for a week (top).The bandana that was used while at an “online” (bottom).

Briscoe passes torch, Daring greatness TYLER JOSEFSEN Associate Editor After a tough loss on the road to North Dakota State in the FCS semifinals ended their 2017 season, the Sam Houston State Bearkat football team was forced to resort to the old adage, “There’s always next year.” For head coach K.C. Keeler and returning players, that is certainly true; but for the group of graduating seniors, they live on only in the record books.

While the Kats’ hopes for a National Championship ended in the Fargo Dome, the seniors’ final victory of their collegiate careers came at home on the turf at Bowers Stadium with a 34-27 win over Kennesaw State the week before in the quarterfinals.

“I love this place,” former quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe said. “I love playing in front of our fans.

This place is very special to me, and for this to be my last game winning a quarterfinal game New QB continues on page 6

The Sam Houston State University School of Nursing is leaving University Plaza, and a group of students have filed a petition concerning the relocation.

TYLER JOSEFSEN Associate Editor Editor’s Note: Editor-in-Chief Ryan Reynolds contributed to the reporting of this story.

The Sam Houston State University School of Nursing is moving to The Woodlands Center this summer, and a group of students say the move will cost them around $1,000 more than they expected to pay in their final semester.

Cohort 12 is currently in its second to last semester of nursing school. They will attend their final semester of classes entirely at The Woodlands Center, accruing the $75.00 per credit hour fee that accompanies Woodlands Center courses. Their 12 credit hours in their final semester will total an extra $900 in fees in addition to the added travel backand-forth to The Woodlands Center (approximately 35 miles from Huntsville) at least one day

per week.

The students, as well as the School of Nursing faculty, were unaware during the acceptance process in Oct. 2016 that this move would eventually take place.

“We have known since last spring, so we started telling the incoming students that they would begin up here but as of Summer 2018 they would be down there,” Neill said. “There is only one cohort it affects that was admitted prior to the decision be-

ing made, and those students will graduate in December of ’18.”

Many programs within colleges at SHSU have additional fees associated with them once students are accepted. Regardless of the campus they applied to, students accepted into the School of Nursing pay a $750.00 Nursing Program Fee every semester they enroll in classes. In addition, students who enroll in classes at The Woodlands Center, irrespective of academic discipline, pay Nursing continues on page 2

SHSU students, community gather for rights RYAN REYNOLDS Editor-in-Chief The City of Huntsville held its first ever Women’s March on Saturday as men and women across the nation stood for female equality.

Women’s Marches took place all over the United States in honor of the anniversary of the first Women’s March in Washington DC last year following the Presidential Inauguration. The purpose of the marches was to voice support for women’s rights, safety and health.

Huntsville Democrats Club members Steve Covington and Andie Ho decided to organize the inaugural march in Huntsville.

Their goal when creating the event was to mirror it after the DACA march that was held back in September of 2017.

“The Democrats Club believes it is important for residents and our politicians to know that locals feel strongly about this issue, too,” Ho said, “…not just people in Houston and Austin. Women’s rights are moving forward in some respects and backwards in others.

Our goal is to fight for equality for all genders.”

Senior Psychology major Keira Tademy was one of a handful of Sam Houston State University students who participated in the Women’s March. She stood on the Rebecca Jones | The Houstonian corner of Sam Houston Avenue and 11 Street with a sign that read STUDENTS FOR EQUALITY. Over 60 people gathered around Huntsville to express their views and desires for women’s equality across the Equality continues on page 2 Saturday country.

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/news | Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Page 2

Tyler Josefsen | The Houstonian

Nursing continued, page 1 — an additional $75.00 per credit hour, something that Cohort 12 feels they did not choose to do willingly.

“We didn’t know this was going to happen, so many of us moved to Huntsville, signed leases, and now we’re all going to have to commute to our classes

and pay this Woodlands fee that is extra,” Cohort 12 Class Representative Helen Beckman said.

“It’s going to add extra cost to our tuition that we don’t see as fair because, technically, we never agreed to this.”

Cohort 12 has made faculty aware that there are restless financial concerns associated with the move. Beckman and the other

students organized a petition to formally submit to administration bearing the signatures of every Huntsville student in Cohort 12.

“Our petition is just seeing if there is anything they can do like offer more scholarships or wave the Woodlands Fee,” Beckman said. “That’s all it’s asking for, just some help.”

However, the College of Health Sciences recently experienced a change of its own. Dr. Rhonda Callaway, previously the Interim Dean of the College of Health Sciences, stepped down from that position as Dr. Rodney Runyan (formerly the Director of Family and Consumer Sciences at Texas State University) took over as the new permanent dean for the Spring 2018 semester. Neill acknowledged the concerns but must wait for the new administration to take office before she can proceed.

“We have shared those concerns with the dean [Callaway], and I have asked the students to put those in writing so we can share those with the administration,” Neill said. “With the new dean coming in everything is kind of on hold. Dr. Callaway and I had that conversation, but that is a conversation she also advised me to have early with the new dean.”

Despite Cohort 12’s concerns, Neill still feels the move is the best thing for the program as a whole in the long run. The Woodlands Center will provide better lab simulation environments and offer faculty and students a chance to be more cohesive.

“We’re going to be able to provide even more excellent simulation experience for our nursing students,” Nursing Lab Technician Beth McFadden said. “We’ve always tried to mirror what

they’re doing down there, but we’re not even close to mirroring the facilities.”

The move to The Woodlands Center has an opportunity to provide more than just an academic benefit. Of course, students will profit educationally from the better classrooms and more spacious lab simulations. Along with providing a better experience for all of its students, faculty will be able to increase their face-toface communication as they will no longer be located on separate campuses.

“It will make [communication] easier between faculty and staff because you won’t have to remember to tell both campuses something,” Neill said. “It will be easier for people to communicate with each other because they will all be housed in one location.”

Runyan took office on Jan. 16.

Stay with The Houstonian for more.

Campus Explainer:

UPD, HPD jurisdiction differences

Rebecca Jones | The Houstonian

Equality continued, page 1 — “The rise of women does not equal the fall of man.”

“I believe women’s rights are getting stronger,” Tademy said.

“However, the lack of intersectionality is holding the movement back. I participated because I think it is important to express a powerful message as much as you can, especially when it affects everyone.”

According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, women make up almost half of the workforce, yet make only 80 cents for every dollar earned by men, which is a gender wage gap of 20 percent.

“If you’re thinking about gender differences in the labor market, and in pay or promotion opportunities, you should keep three things in mind,” Associate Professor of Labor Economics Darren Grant said. “One is the fact that women on average are going to have less work experience than men, and that is going to justify some difference in pay because we learn and we become more productive through that experience.”

Another thing that factors into the pay discrepancy is discrimination, according Grant.

“Studies by economists tell us that there are differences in pay by race, gender, and ethnicity that cannot be accounted for by factors that would affect the productivity of the worker. There are also intangible factors that we can’t measure, but affect pay anyway.”

Those who stood at the Women’s Marches also stood in support for price equality.

Women are being charged more for household items than

their male equivalents on a per ounce or per unit basis with the “Pink Tax.” Common products such as body wash, deodorant, shaving gel, women’s razors and pads and tampons are more expensive than the identical male versions that are on the shelf.

Boxed, a business looking to put an end to the unequal tax, found in a 2017 study that women pay approximately ten percent per ounce more for body wash, eight percent per ounce more for deodorant, five percent more per ounce for shaving gel, 108 percent more per unit for razors and are charged a luxury tax on pads and tampons. However, Viagra, an erectile dysfunction medicine, is not taxed in any state except Illinois because it is a prescription drug. Birth control, medicated condoms and yeast infection medication are also exempt because they are considered drugs.

“Retailers see women as their biggest target,” CEO of the Retail Council of New York State Ted Potrikus said. “Research and development, following trends, meeting trends, advertising products on television and in magazines are not cheap.” Companies are willing to spend more money advertising to women than they are toward men, contributing to the price discrepancies.”

Grant credited the difference in prices to brand loyalty.

On average, a haircut costs $28 nationwide for men, and $44 on average for women. According to Grant, women are charged more for a haircut because of their loyalty to specific hairdressers, therefore businesses can raise their prices and maximize

Rebecca Jones | The Houstonian

DOUBLE UP ON SAFETY. Huntsville Police Department and Sam Houston State University Police Department work together to patrol SHSU’s campus and surrounding areas.

EMILY DAVIS News/Viewpoints Editor Sam Houston State University and the city of Huntsville have managed to maintain a strong police presence comprised of both the University and Huntsville Police Departments.

“With the increase need for security, law enforcement agencies rely on partnerships to handle the demands placed on university and community law enforcement resources,” Director of Emergency Management David Yebra said.

“Our partnership with the City of Huntsville and Walker County is strong. That relationship creates the foundation for the sharing of best practices, familiarity with how we conduct operations, and the overall climate of law enforcement on campus and in the community.”

With the presence of two police departments in the city, many wonder what the different territories under each police depart-

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ments’ jurisdiction are.

“Although we have formally defined areas designated as university property, this does not preclude UPD from taking action off of our property,” Yebra said. “As defined by the Texas Education Code, university police have jurisdiction in every county where the Institution of Higher Education owns property, rents property or the property is otherwise under its control.”

Therefore, UPD patrol all areas of SHSU Main Campus, the University Plaza, Agriculture Center, Bearkat Camp, Sam South, The Woodlands Center, Gibbs Ranch, the strip mall and any other property that is controlled by the university. However, UPD can act outside their designated jurisdiction when certain situations arise.

“Our UPD officers respond to emergency situations as they encounter them,” Yebra said. “We will concurrently notify HPD if the situation warrants additional investigation or processing that

will require HPD to handle. We will also remain on the scene until relieved of responsibility by the Huntsville Police Department.”

This means that UPD has the authority to administer citations on public streets such as Sam Houston Avenue, and respond if they witness a crime on an offcampus property such as the Arbors.

“We share emergency information in many ways that include constant communication with our respective dispatch centers, the monitoring of our respective law enforcement radio communication nets, and with specific requests for assistance.” Yebra said. “We also have events that require additional security and we plan on the involvement of community law enforcement resources to augment our force.”

Both police departments work together to establish a heavy police presence and maintain a safe environment in Huntsville.

Opening Feb. 21 at 263 I-45 South

Ryan Reynolds | The Houstonian

Check out The Houstonian’s Jan. 31 for more updates on the Whataburger relocation.

Police Blotter: SHSU’s Finest Keep the Campus Safe Jan 14th: Possession of Marijuana

An officer was dispatched to Sam Houston Village, 1600 Sam Houston Avenue, in reference to a possession of marijuana report. The occupant stated he had marijuana in the room. The officer transported the occupant to the Walker County jail.

Jan 15th: Assist Outside Agency

An officer overheard the Walker County Communications Center broadcast a report of a shooting at Emancipation Park, 300 Martin Luther King Boulevard. The officer arrived and assisted the Huntsville Police Department with providing aid to the victim. The victim had been shot in the ankle.

Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

An officer approached a vehicle in the parking lot of University Place Apartment, 2501 Lake Road. The officer detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The driver advised there was a marijuana blunt in the vehicle. The officer found additional marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle and give him a citation for the contraband found.

Jan 17th: Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

An officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle traveling northbound in the 2400 block of Montgomery Road without headlights when required. The officer detected the odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle and located a small plastic baggie containing raw marijuana leaves. The officer issued a citation for the Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/viewpoints | Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Page 3

Bearkats hibernate during sporting events

Photo courtesy StadiumJourney.com

FAN EXTINCTION? Sam Houston State University ranked sixth in the FCS playoffs, second in student population among qualifying quarterfinals teams, but last in fan attendance at playoff games.

TYLER JOSEFSEN Associate Editor Bearkats hibernating during sporting events? At a university with a nationally ranked baseball program back-to-back seasons, a volleyball team that spent the better part of the season in first

place in the Southland Conference and a football team that has been a top-five program in the country overall for the last four years, the successful athletes that take the field each night probably can’t help but wonder, “Where are all of our fans?”

Sam Houston State University has been nothing short of an NCAA Division 1 athletic prowess since 2015. The fall semester of that year saw a record enrollment of 20,120 students. Since then, our student population has only grown, with a new recordsetting 21,115 students enrolled last semester (Fall 2017). To put that into perspective, Nicholls State University had just 5,717 undergraduates enrolled last semester, and Stephen F. Austin

University totaled 12,614 students. Let’s take a look at the most recent atrocity — the FCS football playoffs.

SHSU was all-but publicly shamed after a tweet from @ FCS_STATS that ranked institutions by their secondround playoff attendance. Our university came in last (by a large margin) out of the eight schools, trailing leading North Dakota State by almost 14,000 fans. Even a school in our own conference came in more than 1,600 fans ahead of us as Central Arkansas drew 6,243. SHSU drew a “crowd” of 4,401. It is worth noting that UCA has about half of the student population of SHSU, with just 11,350 students enrolled last semester.

Even after an exciting victory over South Dakota in that second round, and a much anticipated match-up against Kennesaw State waiting in the wings, the quarterfinals spelled further embarrassment for the Bearkats.

Four schools hosted quarterfinals games: North Dakota State (with an attendance of 17,008), James Madison University (public enemy No. 1 for loyal Kats fans who drew 13,490 spectators), Sam Houston State University (who came in third out of the four schools with 5,725 fans), and South Dakota State (rounding out the field with their figure of 5,583).

All athletic events are free to SHSU students with a valid Bearkat One card, so

the problem does not seem to be financial. Even when the NCAA mandated a $5 admission charge per student for the FCS quarterfinals playoff game, the University covered that cost to maintain their loyalty to students attending their events for free.

The Athletics department gives away free T-shirts to fans who get to football games early and has multiple in-game promotions to try an increase fan attendance.

So why is it that SHSU has such poor student attendance at athletic events?

Sure, students lead busy lives; but then again, so does any university’s student body. We are an established institution with long-running athletic programs.

We don’t lack school pride, and we have the student population to compete with larger universities when it comes to fan attendance.

Is it because our student populous just doesn’t care? As a fellow Bearkat, I refuse to believe this.

I refuse to abandon faith in our students’ ability to rally behind a football team that is competing for a National Championship. I believe the problem is that our students don’t know the winning pedigree our sports teams have.

Simply put, fan attendance is low because people don’t know how good we are. Well, consider this your wake-up call. If you are a current SHSU student or a Bearkat alumnus, this is your notification: your university WINS when they take the field.

They win for themselves, they win for the school and they win for you. The least you could do is show up and support their rise to victory.

Hazed and Confused: One campus victim’s story

MONICA SNELL SHSU Alumna In the spring of 2015, the Sigma Lambda Gamma chapter at SHSU hazed me. I was physically and mentally abused for ten weeks, with each week more difficult than the last.

Almost three years after the incidents took place I decided to write a blog sharing my story in an effort to raise awareness.

Since then, I’ve received dozens of comments and messages in support of my decision. However, I’ve also received some backlash from various anonymous sources who believe that hazing is an essential part of Greek Life.

The sorority, the school and the state have very specific rules and regulations that strictly prohibit hazing. Not only is hazing morally wrong, but it is also illegal.

Sigma Lambda Gamma’s Member Education Handbook expresses that: “Hazing is any act or tradition that endangers the physical, mental, or emotional well-being of a pledge and/or member; requests, encourages, or suggests violation of city, county, state, or national law; is mentally or physically degrading; or requires a personal or menial task of a pledge and/or member, regardless of location, intent, or consent of the participants.”

As if the sisters of SLG were unaware of its own policies, during the pledge process associate members are called in

for something called an “online.”

An “online” is essentially a latenight hazing session held at one of the sisters’ apartments. These “onlines” become increasingly intense, involving various forms of corporal punishment. At one point, the sisters begin blindfolding their associate members and driving them into the middle of the woods - they call it “Going to Gammaland.”

While there, pledges are forced to do things like take a raw egg and rub it across their faces, plank on hard gravel or scream to the point of inducing vomit. All of these traditions seek to abuse and degrade the participants, and are in direct violation of both the SLG and the Texas codes of conduct.

The Texas State Law, Education code 37 states that: “Hazing” means any intentional, knowing, or reckless act, occurring on or off the campus of an educational institution, by one person alone or acting with others, directed against a student, that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of pledging, being initiated into, affiliating with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in an organization.

One might assume that those who call themselves “women of distinction” would respect and enforce the laws designed to aid and protect them, but that’s not the case. On the contrary, SLG pledges are specifically instructed to break the law.

Associate members are required to travel together, in one car, despite the number of girls in the pledge class. They’re told to “be smart” and take back roads so that police officers on patrol

don’t see them. As if that wasn’t enough, all of the pledges are also required to move in together regardless of whether it breaks any landlord/tenant agreements.

During my process, specifically, the only place available for us to live was Sam Houston Village.

Having eight girls in a small dorm for an extended period is a direct violation of the University policy. Not to mention, it’s a significant fire hazard. Breaking its own SLG code, the Texas State law and SHSU policies didn’t deter any of the members from continuing their outdated rituals.

Before rushing any organization, always make sure that you know your rights and how they protect you from associating with unrecognized chapters. The SHSU’s Greek Life Bill of Rights reads that: “Potential New Members have the right to be treated as an individual, be fully informed about the recruitment process, ask questions and receive true and objective answers from recruitment counselors and chapter members, be treated with respect, be treated as a capable and mature person without being patronized, have and express opinions to recruitment counselors, confidentiality when sharing information with recruitment counselors, make informed choices without undue pressure from others, be fully informed about the binding agreements implicit in the preference card signing, make one’s own choice and decision and accept full responsibility for the results of that decision to have a positive, safe, and enriching recruitment and new member experience.” If you’re

pledging an organization that doesn’t abide by SHSU rules, you run the risk of diluting your own Greek experience.

When filling out our pledge process evaluation forms on campus, we were told what to write in an effort to prevent any authorities from finding out what was really happening. I firmly believe that even if we had written down the truth and submitted, it wouldn’t have made a difference.

All of the information on my blog was shared with their national headquarters. These girls pride themselves on how difficult it is to join their sorority and how strenuous their process is. They talk down on other organizations and even belittle other chapters within their own organization for being “paper.”

I would have gone to the school to report them, but one of the alumnus who partook in the hazing was the graduate student assistant in the Greek Life office at the time. The SLG sisters felt invincible, and would even go as far as to brag about the fact that the people in the Greek Life office knew everything they were doing. One sister distinctively mentioned that the Associate Dean of Students for Student Conduct and Advocacy, Jerrell Sherman, was from an AfricanAmerican fraternity, and that he was fully aware of Greek Life processes one has to endure.

Keep in mind that not all Greek Organizations are the same.

There are some great brother/ sisterhoods out there worth joining. If you’re thinking about rushing, I implore you to do your research, know your rights as a pledge, and be honest. Sharing my story is the only way I could think to spark the conversation

and encourage others to speak out. If the resources that you are being provided with aren’t working for you, if they’re turning a blind eye, use any means necessary to expose those who continue to practice unsafe and inhumane rituals. Share your story, speak out, spark outrage, and demand change.

Speaking out is not easy, but it’s the right thing to do. If you or someone you know has been a victim of hazing, encourage them to be a kinder, better human being than those inflicting pain on others. Their story can “be the change,” their truth can spread, and they can help make the world a better place.

Snell’s blog post about her SLG hazing experience can be found on her blog at https:// nonsenseandshenanigansblog. wordpress.com/2017/11/27/ hazed-and-abused-my-sigmalambda-gamma-experience/.

Editor’s Note: According to Sherman, this crime did not go unpunished. A one year suspension was handed down in 2015 from the SLG national headquarters.

The national investigation fully acquitted the “unnamed” Greek Life graduate assistant, and the chapter is currently inactive.

“We tell them [Greek Life members] to just report it [hazing] period,” Sherman said. “To me, it’s wrong regardless. I would of course prefer that we [the Greek Life office] know, but if you report it to nationals or UPD, it’s going to get handled regardless. I don’t care who it gets reported to as long as it gets reported.”

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/campusculture | Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Page 4

Lynn Bull: Music professor grabbing life by the horns

Photo courtesy Lynn Bull

HUMANS AT SAM. Long-time educator and Sam Houston State University alumna, Lynn Bull is at the center of many discussion about education, music and influencing other people’s lives.

RACHAEL VARNER Senior Reporter It only takes one person to change a life. Parents or grandparents may be the first to come to mind in that respect, but it is fairly safe to say that everyone has at least one teacher that stands as a close second.

Students, much like teachers, come in all shapes and sizes with all types of personalities, passions and varying degrees of patience. To find a teacher, however, who can imitate Julia Childs, proclaim Hamish the plush Highland Cow as the class mascot, and continually lift her more-than-200 students to success is a true blessing.

Lynn Bull is a highly accomplished Sam Houston State University alumna, having earned a Bachelor of Music Education for kindergarten through grade 12 and a Master of Music in Vocal

Performance.

Her interest in music, particularly piano, began in the third grade after watching her grandmother play not only by ear, but for the silent movies of her hometown. Bull first accompanied a school band in sixth grade and first joined a choir in eighth.

“I was really inspired by my high school choir director, Milton Pullen, at Clear Lake,” Bull said. “I remember sitting in choir my ninth grade year and thinking, ‘This is what I want to do.’”

And there was really no better way to chase that dream than to learn from the best: Sam’s very own Dr. Bev Henson, a nationally recognized choral director and teacher.

Two years after graduation, Bull taught at Huntsville’s Junior High school and High School, only to be invited back as a teacher by SHSU’s Vocal Department Head, Dr. Walter Fos-

ter. After her next jumps from here to Leander to Houston, Bull found herself at The Woodlands High School (TWHS), where her first call was to Dr. Bob Horton, the head choir director and also former student of hers from Huntsville High School, who later graduated from SHSU with three degrees of his own.

“I called Bob Horton and said, ‘Is this for real?’” Bull said. “And he said, ‘Is this Lynn Bull? Are you serious?’ It wasn’t so much of a job interview as it was a, ‘We’d like to have you here,’ because I taught [him] in high school.”

At TWHS, a “normal” day began at 7:20 a.m. with the 9th Grade Women’s Choir, followed by the freshman boys, another period of freshman girls, a trip to the senior campus to work with the varsity students and, finally, she taught a course in Music Theory. Her day did not

end there, though. After school consisted of rehearsals for the All-State process, UIL, Solo and Ensemble and the theatre’s musicals.

“One of [my favorite aspects of teaching], of course, is being with the students and getting to know them, which you do in choir,” Bull said. “I think, more than anything, [my goal] is to bring beauty into students’ lives in a world where there’s not a lot of beauty anymore... to be an instrument connecting them with a part of themselves... that they don’t know is in there.”

She must have done something right.

Within the first few years of Bull working in The Woodlands, she revealed that she was five years cancer-free. Rightly deserving a celebration, she suggested her classes have a “Pink Day,” an event for which Dr. Horton jumped at the chance to bring cake. From there, it evolved into an annual party where everyone wore pink clothes and ate pink foods and drank pink lemonade – all to celebrate a beloved teacher, her life and the impact she had on theirs.

But nothing was too much for their teacher and friend.

“After Christmas, about six of the freshman girls came to me and said... they’d gone out Christmas caroling and raised money for breast cancer research, and I was so impressed by that,” Bull

said. “They raised close to $600, and it was just those six girls, so I thought, ‘You know, this is too great an idea for it to be just this one year,’ so I challenged them to keep going with it.”

The trend exploded. That next year, and every year since, the choir set aside one evening in December to walk neighborhoods around The Woodlands and raise money for breast cancer research. The event, aptly named “Caroling for the Cure,” reigns in between 35 and 75 volunteers annually. In two hours, the group has been able to raise up to four thousand dollars in donations.

The Woodlands carries on the tradition even after Bull’s retirement in 2015 after 32 years of teaching. Her time has not been spent twiddling her thumbs but rather tickling the ivories.

Besides spending much more time with her husband, two daughters and two beautiful grandchildren, she still teaches private voice lessons, accompanies several high school choirs including The Woodlands High School’s and their theatre’s production of ‘Guys and Dolls‘.

She is also a pianist for the Bay Area Chorus under her own high school choir director.

/HoustonianSHSU @HoustonianSHSU

Lambda Alpha Epsilon SHSU Online: donates $5,000 to HPD Faculty Summit

RYAN REYNOLDS Editor-in-Chief

It may be a new year, but one group at Sam Houston State University was in the giving spirit this holiday season.

Lambda Alpha Epsilon, a National Criminal Justice association, delivered a $5,000 check to the Huntsville Police Department as a way of saying thanks for their efforts during last semester.

“It was kind of a thank you for all they did during the fall,” Lambda Alpha Epsilon community service chairman junior Kylah Allison said. “I would totally do it again. Hopefully this is a start of an annual event that we do.”

Photo courtesy Kylah Allison Allison organized a one-day FIVE-THOUSAND THANKS. Sam Houston State University’s nationally “Phone-a-Thon” in an attempt to recognized Criminal Justice department gives back to local law enforcement. gather donations. The group of 29 participants dialed phones of Rankings. According to USA those in the Huntsville area and Today, US News and World Rewere proud of the response they ports, SHSU also has the No. 1 Best Online Graduate Criminal received.

“We set a goal,” Allison said. Justice program in the country.

“Our goal was to raise as much SHSU’s College of Criminal as we could and no matter what Justice continues to set national all $5,000 of it was going to the standards in the field in both repolice department. All 29 people search and practice. Those stanasked 10 or more people to do- dards are displayed by acts such nate to the Huntsville Police. as Lambda Alpha Epsilon’s doSome made $300 donations and nation.

“I am pleased, but not sursome made as little as $5. That just goes to show how willing prised, by this generous show of people were to donate to our de- support for our criminal justice professionals,” Dean of the Colpartment.”

Lambda Alpha Epsilon is at- lege of Criminal Justice Phillip tached to a Criminal Justice M. Lyons said. “I think it speaks program that now ranks third to the level of commitment our globally as of last December by students have to the field they’ve the Center of World University chosen to enter.”

SHARON RAISSI Campus Culture Editor SHSU faculty and staff are invited to the annual two-day Digital Education Summit starting Jan. 25. The summit offers resources for learning to use online tools and emerging technology to improve the online learning and teaching experience.

“Online education is becoming more and more common, especially for those students in graduate programs,” event organizer Andrew Stewart said.

“The DES (Digital Education Summit) helps the SHSU faculty to be able to take their classroom face-to-face teaching methods and apply them to an online platform. DES also allows faculty members to collaborate and share best practice methods that they have learned or currently use online.”

Those working in SHSU Online know how much the program has to offer. It has recently won six U.S. News and World Report Badges, making it a nationally recognized program.

“A large reason why SHSU Online stands out compared to other universities is the fact that online classes are taught by the same professors that teach face-to-face courses,” Stewart said. “We do not rely on a large adjunct faculty pool that reside

in various locations around the country as other universities do.”

With online learning technology on the rise, the summit hopes to bring to light tips and skills that will contribute to a better, more effective online learning experience.

“The event is free so whether a faculty member has never taught online or is a seasoned veteran of online teaching, they will learn about emerging technolog y to improve and advance online teaching and learning,” Stewart said.

Planning for this event began around this time last year.

Numerous people have put in work over the last 12 months to make sure the summit can move efficiently through all the topics that need to be covered.

“We have a great team who helps put on this event which includes making signage and artwork, designing a website and email communications, individuals who plan and organize the lighting, menu and décor, and those who reach out to potential speakers and plan the sessions,” Stewart said. “The whole department of SHSU Online helps put on the event for our SHSU faculty and many faculty members from neighboring universities.”

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The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/campusculture | Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Page 5

Holocaust Memorial Recital commemorates tragic past SHARON RAISSI Campus Culture Editor In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, a memorial recital hosted by the SHSU School of Music is scheduled for Jan. 25 in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center. Admission is free and the event starts at 7:30 p.m.

Each selection in the recital deals with either the Holocaust or Jewish influence. The recital will have an array of performances, such as music from the film “Schindler’s List” and pieces that include actual letters written by children in a concentration camp.

“I wanted to put together a recital that would musically remember the tragedy,” recital and vocal studies coordinator Deborah Popham said. “The further away from the date we get, the easier it is to forget. Music is a way to keep the spirit of those affected by the Holocaust alive, and to remember those who suffered a tragic end.”

Ten different performers

Photo courtesy SHSU School of Music

A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE. Sam Houston State University’s School of Music endeavors to honor and memorialize those affected by the Holocaust.

represent various areas of the music department: vocal, clarinet, bassoon, percussion, euphonium, violin, and piano. Popham will have a singing portion in the recital.

“The audience will hear music not typically performed, and I think it is always more interesting when put into a historical context,” Popham said. “This music and poetry helped those in the camps survive daily through this atrocity. The arts helped those in an unimaginable situation keep their humanity.”

When Popham first proposed the idea last fall, several of her colleges immediately signed on board. Other performers in the recital include: Ilonka Rus-Ed-

ery, Masahito Sugihara, Patricia Card, Nathan Koch, Saule Garcia, Henry Howey, Javier Pinell, Jinyoung Kim, and Brian Graiser.

Graiser, Adjunct Instructor of Percussion, will perform a piece based off the Jewish “Unetaneh Tokef ” prayer. He is contributing to the event because he feels that if we forget history, it is bound to repeat itself.

“This event, to me, is as much a memorial for the past as it is a defense for the future,” Graiser said. “When I hear accounts in today’s news of Nazis marching down our own American streets, chanting ‘Jew will not replace us,’ any doubts I have about the ongoing necessity of such

memorials are erased.”

For Graiser, this performance is a personal one. His uncle was a Holocaust survivor, who still tells his story to this day.

“One day, hopefully very far from now, my uncle and those like him will no longer be around to tell their stories, and on that day other people will need to take on the responsibility of preserving their memory,” Graiser said. “If we should learn anything from the Holocaust, it’s that we cannot afford to remain silent in the hopes that someone else will stand up for our lives, our dignity, and our dreams.”

Through the spirit of music, this event stands to remind us of the past and, in turn, better

prepare us for the future.

“It is my hope that the audience will gain a better understanding of what it was like during this period in history and what these people suffered,” Popham said. “The music on the recital isn’t light nor is it necessarily happy, but it is important that these voices be heard.”

This is the first time the SHSU School of Music has hosted this kind of event. The performance goes from 7:30-8:30 in the Recital Hall at the Performing Arts Center. Admission is free.

Netflix’s “Dark:” A worthwhile existential crisis Houstonian Reviews Rating: 4.5/5

LINDSEY JONES TV/Film Reviewer “The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”— Albert Einstein First and foremost, Netflix’s latest project is by no means “Stranger Things.”

There are no demogorgons, no Upside Down and no Eleven.

Nevertheless, “Dark” is an irresistible watch, weaving together

a mystery box of nihilism and morbidly interwoven destinies condemned by science. Where this German science-fiction thriller blatantly lacks in the iconic “strange” comedic charm, it dominates in crafting a bingeworthy tale of hopelessness.

Masterminds Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese constructed a series of psychological torment.

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The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/sports | Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Page 6

New QB: Dare to be great

W HO’ S T HAT

K AT ?

Clue #1: He is entering his fourth season as a head coach at Sam Houston State University.

Clue #2: He published an autobiography titled “15 to 28: A Story of God’s Love, Power and Redemption.”

Photo courtesy SHSU Athletics PASSING THE TORCH. The seniors of the Sam Houston State University football program have graduated, but there are some eager young players ready for the challenge of filling their shoes.

New QB continued, page 1 — against a great team, I don’t think I could have asked for any more.”

Briscoe’s path to Huntsville was untraditional to say the least. After playing his freshman season at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the football program got shutdown and he needed a new place to call home. He ultimately chose SHSU, turning down other schools including the University of Florida. Since becoming a Bearkat, Briscoe has led the team to three quarterfinals, two semifinals and was a two-time All-American with a Walter Payton Award under his belt, cementing his legacy as the best quarterback in school history.

Briscoe was surrounded by offensive weapons during his time at SHSU. One of those weapons was slot receiver Yedidiah Louis.

After starting his career as a walk-on, Louis not only became the most decorated receiver in

school history, but is also the Southland Conference’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

SHSU’s ground game graduated three running backs at the end of 2017, one of them being Corey Avery. Much like Briscoe, Avery also took an unorthodox road to Huntsville. After being a four-star recruit and going to Kansas University, Avery decided to leave the school and play football closer to home.

During his three years, Avery became one of the school’s best running backs, as he ranks in the top five in rushing yards and touchdowns.

The seniors’ contributions did not end with game statistics, however. Running back Javin Webb did not see the field on offense against KSU, but played an integral part in helping his team win. In preparation of KSU’s triple option rushing attack, it was Webb who approached Keeler and said that he would play that role on the scout team

during practice.

“Javin Webb came to us on Tuesday morning and said I’m going to be the starting fullback for Kennesaw State,” Keeler said.

“I mean here’s a senior that has a tough time getting on the field right now, and he wanted to find a way to help this team. When you get guys like that it all comes together.”

On the flip side of the ball was three-time All-American defensive lineman P.J. Hall, the stalwart of the Bearkat defense for four years. Hall has set school records for blocked kicks, sacks and is the all-time FCS leader in tackles for loss. He performed in the clutch when he made the final tackle of the quarterfinals game to thwart a trick play by KSU. “It was pretty great,” Hall said. “We knew they were going to throw something funny at us, and I just saw the ball carrier and I just wanted to end the play the right way, and it worked out pretty well.”

@HoustonianSHSU @HoustonianSHSU With the surplus of senior talent graduating from the program, it is easy to see the holes that SHSU will need to fill before the 2018 season. Despite the talent and leadership this senior class took with them, Dec. 20 gave the Bearkats a glimmer of hope during the NCAA’s inaugural early signing day.

Keeler and the program announced that four players signed National Letters of Intent, one of whom was 6-foot-6-inch, 222-pound, transfer quarterback Mike Dare. A graduate of Elmwood Park Memorial High School in New Jersey, Dare has two years of eligibility left after playing his 2016 season at Rutgers University and Lackawanna College in Pennsylvania in 2017.

Dare comes to SHSU with high expectations after being the No. 2 rated quarterback in New Jersey coming out of high school. “[Dare] is a special talent and should immediately add competition to our quarterback group,” Keeler said. “He is a pro-style

Clue #3: He is one of just a select few coaches in the country to have won both SEC and Big 12 titles.

guy who can also be used in the run game, and he is as polished of a quarterback as I’ve ever recruited.”

The Kats also signed three other players all out of Texas high schools: running back Alex Williams from Memorial High School in Pasadena, running back Donovan Williams from Paris High School in Paris and safety Immanuel Sutton from Keller Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Worth.

National Signing Day will be on Feb. 7.

Rec Sports rewards loyalty TYLER JOSEFSEN Associate Editor

Photo courtesy Brian Weaver CHAMPIONS. Mel Kiper’s Best Available won the 2016 Bearkat Cup.

“The Bearkat Cup is intended to promote friendly rivalries, encourage good sportsmanship and participation, and reward success.”

Sam Houston State University Intramural Sports has an annual contest that rewards their most active student participants. The Bearkat Cup is a competition that lasts the duration of the school year to crown the best all-around Intramural Sports team.

The competition is based on a points system. Teams can accumulate points by registering for

events and then gain additional points by attending and performing well in the sports they sign up for.

“We have a lot of people that play a lot of our sports throughout the course of the year,” Senior Assistant Director of Intramural and Club Sports Brian Weaver said. “We just want them to be aware that the Bearkat Cup is something that we do. We reward teams that sign up and use that same team name over the course of the year.”

Rec Sports crowns Greek

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK CHRISTOPHER GALBREATH JR. FORWARD

The Sam Houston State University men’s basketball team is 5-1 over their last six games, thanks in large part to the contributions of senior forward Christopher Galbreath Jr. Galbreath has put up double digit points in each of his last three games, including notching his eighth double-double of the season recently in a Kats win over Houston Baptist University. SHSU currently sits fifth in the Southland with a 5-2 conference record (11-9 overall).

JENNIFFER ORAMAS GUARD

Despite a rough start against conference opponents for the Sam Houston State University women’s basketball team, sophomore guard Jenniffer Oramas was a bright spot in their last victory. SHSU defeated Jackson State 74-68 in an overtime thriller, with Oramas contributing a career high 21 points.

That performance was her third 20-point game of her collegiate career. The Kats look to turn things around on the road against SLU Wednesday night.

champions as well as men’s, women’s, and CoRec. The winners have their team picture mounted on a plaque and displayed in the Recreational Sports office. Rec Sports is even trying to incorporate more prizes into the program for their winners to really try to reward their repeat users.

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