10/26 Edition

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016

The Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University

What’s happening at Sam HALLOWEEN, P.2

NEW SEASON, P.4

LETTER TO EDITOR, P.6

VIDEOGAMES, P.8

CROSS COUNTRY, P.10

Program Council to host their 10th annual ‘LSC Takeover’ in the Ballroom.

The Houstonian reviews the third season of ‘Black Mirror’.

SHSU students response to article about the BLM movement.

Viewpoints Editor, Arturo Mosqueda talks about games of the Horror genre.

SHSU XC looks to run the table at the Southland Conference Championship.

Volume 128 | Issue 09

Early Voting Breaks Record

/HoustonianSHSU

@HoustonianSHSU

Intramural Numbers Affected, Programs Adjust to Construction

ETHAN HORN Campus Culture Editor

Morgan Phillips | The Houstonian

TOWN CREEK PROJECT. Huntsville’s Town Creek Project has eliminated intramural fields two and three for the fall semester and has caused a decline in intramural participation. The fields are expected to be completed by Nov. 1.

RYAN REYNOLDS Sports Editor @Ryan_Reynolds A handful of construction projects have plagued the campus of Sam Houston State University this fall semester.

The projects include: the renovation of Johnson Coliseum, the new biology building and a new residence and dining hall, but one project in particular has taken an extended amount of time to complete and has forced a major university department to adjust.

This project is the construction of both Intramural fields two and three.

A part of the city’s Town Creek Project, Huntsville voted on renovating the fields to help with the town’s recent flooding issues.

Construction of intramural fields two and three began in May in order to fix the problem as quickly as possible.

The intramural fields were labeled as one of the main sources of the high water level because back in the 1960’s railroad tanker cars were placed underneath the fields in order to help flow the water to the creek. 56 years later, those tanker cars are now outdated, rusted and deteriorating, which has left portions of the creek enclosed with these underground structures in place, while other parts have

LSC Theater

Front Page, News, CC Layout 10-25-16.indd 1

remained exposed.

Senior Assistant Director of Intramural and Club Sports Brian Weaver said that FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, discovered the issue.

“FEMA, came in and they did a survey in the city of Huntsville because the city has had flooding problems,” Weaver said. “They looked at some stuff and they actually traced the problems back to our intramural fields. They said that the reason why the rest of the city was flooding was because our intramural fields weren’t draining properly.”

The SHSU Rec Sports department and intramural sports

— INTRAMURAL, page 10

Humans of Sam Houston: Police Chief Kevin Morris RACHEL VARNER Staff Reporter People don’t have to throw themselves into the line of fire to be a hero. They don’t have to run into a burning buildings or tame crowds or provide emergency assistance.

Many make these sacrifices on a daily basis though. Either that or they are preparing for and ultimately trying to prevent those moments. Director and Chief of the Sam Houston State University Police Department, Kevin H. Morris, is one of those heroes.

But Chief Morris didn’t plan to be a hero. He didn’t even know exactly what he wanted to do as an adult. It wasn’t until his senior year of high school, when his father introduced him to the Conroe PD sergeant and tagged along on his nightly shift that his engineering hopes shifted toward public service.

“I got to ride around in the city I grew up in, and until then I hadn’t realized how sheltered I was from all of the things occurring around me that I’d never seen before,” Chief Morris said.

Morris further describes his nightly shifts with the Conroe PD sergeant.

“It was like going to a circus, but not sitting in the audience,” he said. “It was like I was in the in the center of the floor and seeing all the motions going on and I was thinking, ‘Wow, that looks like a lot of fun!’”

That experience led Morris to become a student at Sam Houston State University, which is known for its criminal justice program.

He enrolled in 1992, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice, and has experience in leadership and management.

“I started working as a student assistant writing parking citations in ‘94, then became a police officer and kind of slowly worked my way up to the top,” Morris said.

“I became the chief of police in September 2008.”

The Department of Public Safety has three main duties: parking, policing and emergency management. In addition to that, the chief does most of the department’s budgeting, and he

Wednesday, November 9th 6:00 - 7:00 pm

SGA to Host Safety Walk SARA REYES Staff Reporter

@TheEthanHorn

Early Voting has begun in Walker County, and turnout has seen a noticeable uptick.

Beginning on October 24 residents of Walker County started casting their ballots in one of the most talked about Presidential races in decades.

Here in Walker County more people are turning out for early voting than in previous years. On the first day 1,278 people came out to represent their respective parties.

This supports the larger narrative going on around the country, both Harris County and Dallas County have reported record numbers.

Dallas County specifically shattered their 2008 record high of 34,415, almost doubling it as 58,213 people voted.

To put these numbers in perspective, traditionally around 50 percent of people cast their ballots early in Texas. In 2012 around 20,000 people cast ballots in Walker County, with approximately 10,000 coming from early voting. After two days of availability, Walker county has already served over 3,000 voters, 3,077 to be exact.

According to Google search data, more people are interested in reading about the election than ever, with more than 20% more people searching for the presidential debates than in past elections.

With the largest number expected on the last day of early voting, the early swell could lead to record numbers from Huntsville and the surrounding area for total voter turnout.

Texas has 18 million eligible voters but only 13 million are registered. Walker County plays a part in this trend, with only 20,000 voters turning out on average over the past 3 elections while there are upwards of 40,000 eligible individuals.

Early Voting is available to all registered voters in the state of Texas. Huntsville has polling places around the city, locations are available on the Walker County website.

For those venturing out to the polls be sure to bring at least one valid form of photo I.D. Besides the Presidential race, the ballot features three spots on the Texas Supreme Court and three propositions for the city.

The entire Houstonian staff encourages all of our readers to get out and vote; America is a nation founded on the principles of

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dESTI N ATI0N

encourages involvement in the community.

“Our jobs aren’t just making traffic stops, and things of that nature,” Morris said. “But being involved in our community, so that we don’t appear intimidating.”

When it comes to crime, missing or stolen property is the most common issue. In most cases it occurs because students accidentally leave their cell phones in a classroom or the library, and by the time they come back for it, it’s gone.

“Every year, especially during freshman orientations, we really try to promote the ‘hide, lock, take,’ so if you’re going to leave your stuff in your vehicle or room, hide it so that it’s out of sight and out of mind,” Chief Morris said.

The department’s website and students’ My Sam accounts also have a link to a property registration form, so that if their property is lost or stolen, and someone comes across it, it can be returned to its owner.

While that matter may seem

On a campus a big as Sam Houston State University there is bound to be ways in which the university can improve. Safety concerns is one area that students across campus have expressed could be improved.

The Student Government Association at SHSU will host their semi-annual Safety Walk on campus next Wednesday, Nov. 2. at 6:30 p.m.

SGA President Jacqueline Bolden said this event has been going on for many years as a way to get students involved with their campus.

“Historically the safety walk has been used to observe areas in campus deemed unsafe and areas that need beautification,” Bolden.

All students, staff and faculty are welcomed to this walk. Interested people will meet up in front of the LSC stairs outside. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes and weather appropriate attire.

Last week members of SGA were out tabling in the LSC Mall Area and surveyed many students to find out which areas feel unsafe to them or might need more attention in the future. Some of the concerns that are noted and will be examined at our event are: lighting, sidewalks, parking areas, and construction.

If you have more concerns, stop by the SGA office in LSC room 326 and fill out a safety survey before the event, that way SGA can review and include the concerns.

Over the past weekend several SGA Senators did a simple walk through of the Safety Walk route to be taken on foot and in go-karts for those with handicaps.

The walk will go around and through several main traffic locations on campus including the intersections by the Johnson Coliseum and Bowers Stadium, the Library, the Lee Drain and Farrington buildings, and around the Old Main Pit. Bolden will be attending her third walk on campus and wants students participating, to not only look at safety concerns, but also to focus on areas of campus that need general improvements in appearance, like a simple power wash to get rid of algae.

“This is also a good opportunity for students to directly voice to us (SGA) any positive changes they would like to see on campus,” she said.

University Police Department will also be in attendance during the walk for any questions.

— CHIEF MORRIS, page 4

Free Pizza and Drinks, first come first serve.

Must have an active Bearkat OneCard to participate in the event.

Attend 3 workshops and your name will be entered into a drawing for one of our $400 scholarships.

Don’t let spring break, break your bank! Come brainstorm with the SMMC and get some great ideas for fun on a budget!

Student Money Management Center 919 Bearkat Blvd.

Student Services Annex 936.294.2600 - smmc@shsu.edu shsu.edu/smmc

@SHSU_SMMC

10/25/2016 10:16:49 PM

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/news | Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Page 2 T HE H E A DLI N E S i n br i e f Compiled by: The Houstonian’s Media Practicum Students

NURSE CHARGED WITH EIGHT MURDERS

Canadian police charged nurse Elizabeth Tracey Mae Wettlaufer for the murder of eight patients she took care of in Caressant Care Nursing Home. The murders occurred from 2007 to 2014 and police say seven of the victims died from fatal amounts of drugs administered to them. The motive to the murders is unclear at this time.

EARLY STARTS

VOTING

Early Voting in Texas for the presidential election began on Oct. 24. This year, Texas counties broke records for the amount of people that came out to the polls. In Harris County alone, over 67, 000 people showed up for early voting.

Spokeswoman for the Secretary of State says that the numbers are expected to rise. This is reported to be the largest amount of early voters in Texas.

APPLE’S ANNUAL SALES ARE DECLINING

Apple’s sales have fallen for the first time since 2001. The record was $234 billion in 2015, but they fell to $216 billion this year. The decline was because they didn’t sale as many iPhones this year as they did last year.

FOUR KILLED AT THEME PARK

A malfunction occurred on the Thunder River Rapids ride at Australia’s largest theme park Dreamworld, which resulted in the death of two middle-aged women, and two middle-aged men. This is known to be one of the safest attractions at the park where even a two year-old can ride. However, this is not the only malfunction this park has faced in the past few months and is being shut down.

Witnesses are being offered counseling.

‘LSC Takeover’ to Give Students a Fright HOLLY GRAY Staff Reporter @holy_holly13 Sam Houston State University’s Program Council is hosting the tenth annual LSC Takeover celebrating Halloween today from 7 to 10 pm. Every floor of the LSC will be taken over by events and attractions.

Vice President of Internal Affairs Grant Bridges said the LSC Takeover would be a good alternative to other activities in Huntsville during this week of

Halloween.

“There’s a lot of things that are going on at the bars in Huntsville around Halloween, and this is an event where students can come to enjoy themselves but not feel pressured to be in an environment that they don’t feel comfortable in,” Bridges said.

DJ Adonis will be preforming at the Takeover. He also performed at the Fire Fest pep rally.

There will be face painting, photo booths, free food by Aramark, and in the theatre the movie Freddy VS Jason will be showing.

Some of the new attractions

this year include laser tag in the ballroom, a pumpkin carve off competition outside the LSC run by Student Government Association, and a costume contest. The winner of the costume contest will take home a free Keurig. There will also be other take home prizes such as customized license plates, dorm room necessities for students, and more.

“This event gets students involved,” Bridges said. “I didn’t have to post a volunteer callout, about 40 or 50 of them came to us asking to volunteer. It takes all aspects of the student body to

come together and make this event a whole.”

The Program Council spent $10,000 planning this event to make it even better than the years before.

“Right now we are a suitcase college,” Bridges said. “A lot of students will get up and leave when their classes are over and go home. So we are trying to make Sam home. We have these events so it doesn’t feel like you come here just for class. It gives students an opportunity to experience things they wouldn’t have if they didn’t come to Sam Houston.”

Memorial Musuem Priority One to to Host ‘Pumkin Feature SHSU Carve Off’ PR Graduates

STORMY TORRES Staff Reporter

CAITLYN CAIN Contributing Writer

The Sam Houston Memorial Museum is having a pumpkin carving contest on tomorrow from 4-6 p.m. to raise money for the upkeep of the museum.

The event requires those who wish to participate to bring their own pumpkin as well as their own carving tools.

There are three categories that are available for people to enter: Youth (ages 6-18), Bearkat (all SHSU students), and Community Member (everyone else).

Staff member at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum Taylon Black said there is a recommended donation rate.

“There is a recommended $3.00 donation, but all of those funds will go to maintaining the museum grounds as well as the museum itself,” Black said. “This will be my first year being a part of an event like this, but I’m very excited for it.”

There will be winners selected in each category at the end of the contest. Prizes will be given out to each of the winners respectively.

Sophomore Chloe Oyerly was quite interested in learning more about the event.

“I’ve witnessed some events

“I’ve witnessed some events like this in high school but not so much in college. It should be pretty entertaining to watch, so I might go see it actually- or even enter it!”

- Chloe Oyerly Sophmore

like this in high school but not so much in college,” Oyerly said.

“It should be pretty entertaining to watch, so I might go see it actually- or even enter it!”

The entire community is encouraged and welcomed to stop by and watch the contest too. For more information, contact the Museum Education Department at (936)-294-3153 or visit the museum’s website samhoustonmemorialmuseum. com

Priority One, the student public relations firm, will host We Are PR! on Nov. 1 at 3:30 p.m. in Dan Rather Communications Building room 301. The event will feature a six-member panel comprised of Sam Houston State University graduates and former Priority One members.

The discussion will focus on the career paths of each panelist; the transition from student to young professional and how they achieved their current, successful positions.

The event is free of charge and open to SHSU students, faculty, staff and the public.

Peter Roussel, advisor to Priority One and Philip G. Warner Endowed Chair in the Department of Mass Communication, will lead the discussion.

“We Are PR! will be a case of recent graduates from the Department of Mass Communication, who were also members of Priority One, providing current students with insights on how to secure a job in

a communications-related field,” Roussel said.

The Priority One alumni will also answer any questions current students may have.

The former Priority One members will include Kirsten Hinds (Spring 2015) who now works at Anthony Barnum Public Relations, Amanda Calderon (Spring 2013) working at On the Mark Communications, Dallas Tippitt (Fall 2015) who has a job at Dallas Kaye Communications, Stephanie Jones (Fall 2015) who works at Texas A&M Experiment Station, Janayn Evans (Fall 2013) working at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and Christina Bielstein (Fall 2014) who has a job at the Houston Ballet.

The goal of We Are PR! is to help students interested in the mass communication field, especially those concentrating on public relations and advertising in giving an idea of what the job market is like right now and if SHSU helped them in preparing for it.

For further information or questions, contact Priority One member Caitlyn Cain at ccc040@ shsu.edu or 214-783-1246.

Students Reflect on Austin Film Festival Experience BRANDI GOULD Staff Reporter

“I learned a lot about how the festival runs and some awesome knowledge on script writing.”

@_Branndayy The Film Society of Sam Houston State University recently had the opportunity to go to a film internship in Austin Film Festival.

Elisa Hermann, mass communication professor at Sam Houston said the students gained this opportunity by submitting a simple online form.

“The students applied to the opportunity online by submitting their personal information and answering some pertaining questions regarding their interest in the internship and why they believed to be qualified,” Hermann said.

President of The Film Society, Khoi Nguyen was one of the seven SHSU students who was able to attend the festivals.

“There’s so many things that I learned throughout the festivals, from pitching session, to movie distribution, to the actual festival operations,” Nguyen said. “I enjoyed every single moment of this internship.”

Another SHSU student that went to the Austin Film internship Jordan Brown is also one of the Film Society members.

At the internship, Brown felt lucky to see one of the upcoming films to be released in wide-release before the public.

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“My favorite part about the trip was getting to see a movie called ‘La La Land’. A couple of us got to go on Saturday and the movie was absolutely amazing,” Brown said.

“It was written and directed by one of my favorites. We got to see it before it comes out in December.”

The experience of the Austin film festival showed Brown new technics on basics that will be vital to the rest of his career in the mass communications field.

“I learned a lot about how the festival runs and some awesome knowledge on script writing.” said Jordan Brown.

After many of The Film Society members attend the Austin Film internship, this means big things are coming from The Film Society as an organization. These students’ futures seem bright.

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10/25/2016 10:03:45 PM

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/news | Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Page 3

Delta Xi Nu to Raise Domestic Violence Awareness ABIGAIL VENTRESS Senior Reporter @AbigailBlaine Delta Xi Nu Multicultural Sorority Inc. will host their annual Clothesline project on the yard from 11:00 to 3:00 p.m. today. The event is held to promote awareness of domestic violence against women.

“The Clothesline Project is our main event for October,” Programs Chair for Delta Xi Nu Alexandra Limon said. “I like that it is an interactive program that gives students and faculty an opportunity to share their stories,

love and support for victims of Domestic Violence.”

Delta Xi Nu began doing the Clothesline Project in Fall of 2011.

Since then, other chapters of Delta Xi Nu have adopted the idea to their campuses.

“When we first decided to host the Clothesline Project,” Limon said. “We wanted a program that could bring students together and set us aside from other organizations whose philanthropy is also Domestic Violence Against Women. Recently, other organizations here at Sam have adapted it as well.”

Participants of the Clothesline Project are provided a plain white

shirt to decorate in honor or in support of a loved one affected by domestic violence or to tell their own story of an experience with domestic violence. The shirts are then hung up and displayed for the school on a clothesline.

“The Clothesline is a visual testimony of violence against women used to advocate awareness on Domestic Violence,” Limon said. “It advocates awareness of Domestic Violence on our campus and so that students know that this is a big issue that continues to go on.”

All students and faculty are allowed to participate in this event, and there is no fee to participate.

ROTC Partners with SHSU Women’s Basketball for Leadership Training STAFF REPORT Continuing a decade long tradition, The SHSU Women’s Basketball team and the ROTC program completed their annual Joint Leadership Training Exercise at Gibbs Ranch on Thursday, October 20. The athletes from the two teams worked together in groups of six to complete challenging leadership obstacles designed to test their problem

solving abilities in a fun and safe environment. During the event, the ROTC program guided the activities and had fun while demonstrating their expertise.

Similarly, the Women’s team demonstrated courage, teamwork, innovative thinking, and leadership skills as they conquered the field leader reaction course with their ROTC counterparts.

The amusement of getting muddy and sweaty, combined with the camaraderie and new friendships

made this a superb event. The teams finished together with a quick meal and capping off a great event for the two programs. Each of the new found warrior athletes reported that they had a blast and can’t wait to have fun again in the spring when the Women’s team hosts a mini camp for the ROTC Cadets. During this event, the tables will be turned and the Cadets will have to step up to demonstrate their basketball prowess!

Student Center Expansion to Break Ground Next Year ELISABETH WILLASON Staff Reporter @ewilla_ In February of 2017, Sam Houston State University Student Services is aiming to break ground on the Lowman Student Center expansion.

The expansion includes a new Kat Klub that includes a bowling alley, a game room and a pub as well as new food concepts.

At this time, Student Services aims to have the expansion finished and open to the student population in time for the fall semester of 2018.

“We’re hoping to break ground February of 2017 so that it’s ready for the fall of 2018,” the Vice President of Student Services, Keith Jenkins, Ed.D. said. “Then we’re hoping to get into the renovation in May of [2019].”

In November, the Student Services staff will be meeting on

campus with the Board of Regents to get final approval on the plans for the expansion and renovation – a project worth a total sum of $65 million.

On top of a new Kat Klub, the expansion will also feature a grand ballroom and new meeting rooms that can be used for events on its second floor, as well as a skywalk from the parking garage to the new building that will provide a way for students to get from the parking garage to the mall area without being exposed to weather conditions.

The renovation of the LSC, slotted to start in 2019, includes renovating Einstein Bagels, the art gallery and the foyer to expand the on-campus bookstore.

During the renovation, the bookstore will be temporarily moved to the ballroom.

Aramark will also be renovating the bottom floor of the LSC in order to make the eating area more functional and less congested – so that students can get their ChickFil-A fix with less hassle.

“We’re hoping to break ground February of 2017 so that it’s ready for the fall of 2018.”

- Keith Jenkins Vice President of Student Services There isn’t any word yet on what will become of the current Kat Klub, but Jenkins and the rest of the Student Services staff are listening to what students would like to see in the renovations throughout the process of planning.

To get more information contact Jenkins at the email rca_kej@shsu. edu or call 936.294.1871.

Participants may also design more than one shirt.

“Every year we try improving the Clothesline Project,” Limon said. “This year we have received funding from the Campus Life Development Fund.”

According to Limon, this money was used to purchase t-shirts for students to have.

Students will paint on a shirt for Delta Xi Nu’s clothesline, post a picture with it, and use #B earkatsBreakTheSilence.

Then, the student will be given a Clothesline Shirt.

“This will help spread awareness via the internet with the hashtag and with the t-shirts,” Limon said.

“Students and Faculty can get involved by educating themselves and their community on these issues, and by learning to speak up and not just be a bystander.”

Each year, students and faculty gather to decorate shirts for the clothesline. As people pass by the clothesline full of shirts, they are able to view the designs of those affected by domestic violence.

“We receive good feedback from non-Greek organizations and students who come and participate in our clothesline,” Limon said.

“We are looking forward to having a bigger crowd than last year and more shirts to display on our Clothesline Project.”

Professor, Author to Inspire Sam Students MASON GONZALES Staff Reporter @UltraMason54 Any writer will tell you that it is incredibly difficult to get your work published. Sam Houston State University Master’s in Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Publishing and Editing will host Debra Monroe as a part of the Craft Talk to educate and inspire students.

Monroe will be on campus tomorrow in a series of events throughout the day. Starting at 3:30 p.m. she will be holding a Craft Talk in room 212 of the Evans Complex.

Then at 5:30 p.m. Monroe will read from her works in the Ralph W. Pease Auditorium in the Evans Complex.

Monroe is a published author and is currently an English professor at Texas State University.

Her writings include four pieces of fiction and two memoirs.

Her first published novel was “The Source of Trouble”, a collection of ten stories, in 1990 and received the Flannery O’ Conner award for it.

Her other published works are “A Wild, Cold State” “Newfangled”, “Shambles”, “Outskirts on the Normal”, and her most recent memoir “My Unsentimental Education”.

The program director Scott Kaukonen has been the involved in organizing Monroe’s visit to the campus.

“We seek to bring distinct and diverse voices to campus, and to provide access for our creative writing students to some of the best writers and teachers of writing at work today,” Kaukonen said.

According to Monroe, she enjoys visiting college campuses and engaging with students. Monroe is a first-generation college student herself and acknowledges that writers visiting her college made an impact on her.

“Given my childhood, even getting a college degree was improbable,” Monroe said. “My desire to be a writer felt like a piein-the-sky dream. Having visiting writers come to our tiny campus meant the world to me. One said to me once: ‘Every writer comes from somewhere. Everyone can’t be from New York or Boston or Los Angeles.’ Meeting a living writer was inspiring. I enjoy meeting students and hearing their questions.”

Monroe will give some interesting tips on inspiration and how writers need to know how to work without it.

“Inspiration is important,” Monroe said. “But working when you’re uninspired—working on other sections, problem-solving the stalled-out section—is more important.”

Routine is another piece of advice Monroe touches on with future writers.

“Develop a routine of writing even if you’re not in the mood,” Monroe said. “Save the best part of your day to work. And prepare for a day job to pay bills. If you are too broke and working too many lowdollar jobs to have the time or the desire to write, that is not working.”

There will be a book signing held afterwards. Students will be able to purchase one of her books at the event and all students are welcome to attend this free event.

TH E P OLI C E B LOTTER Compiled by Tricia Sims Associate Editor

OCTOBER 23, 2016 16-14695, Stolen Property, 10:15 PM: An officer was flagged down in the 1500 block of Avenue M by a male student. The male reported that his bicycle seat was stolen while secured to a bike rack located at Bearkat Village (2400 Montgomery Road). An offense report was completed

OCTOBER 21, 2016 16-14570, Sexual Assault, 12:36 AM: An officer was dispatched to Huntsville Memorial Hospital where the complainant reported a sexual assault occurred in a men’s restroom of the CHSS Building (1901 University Avenue). The complainant stated that on October 17th they met with a male whom they met through a dating app. Upon meeting with them, the complainant stated that they no longer wanted to go through with the encounter; however, accompanied the male into a restroom in the building. Based on the initial information that has been provided, there is no identifiable information that would suggest an ongoing threat to the university campus. An investigation into this incident is ongoing.

16-14591, Suspicious Incident, 1:50 PM: Officers responded to the 700 block of Bowers Boulevard in reference to a report of a suspicious incident. A caller reported seeing a black Volkswagen Jetta driving in the area with a fake shotgun pointing out of the window. The complainant was able to provide pictures. Officer were unable to find the vehicle in the area; however, the vehicle was located a short time later where the owner stated that his minor child was playing with the fake weapon and shooting planes in the air.

OCTOBER 20, 2016 16-14554, Duty Upon Striking, 6:53 PM: An officer was dispatched to Estill Hall parking area in the 1500 block of University Avenue where the complainant reported that their legally parked vehicle was damaged. Upon inspection, the officer noted damage to the vehicle’s left front driver’s side door.

16-14555, Welfare Concern, 7:09 PM: An officer was dispatched to Belivn-Buchanan Hall (1008 17th Street) to assist with a student who was in distress. The officer was able to provide for further university resources to help address the issues of concern.

16-14558, Criminal Mischief, 8:42 PM: An officer met with a complainant who reported that their vehicle was damaged while parked in the Bowers Stadium north parking area. Damage to the vehicle was found on the driver’s side door lock cylinder and observed damaged to the door handle. An offense report was completed.

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10/25/2016 10:03:58 PM

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/campusculture | Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Page 4

‘Black Mirror’ Returns SHSU Welcomes For Another Season Parents to Campus ETHAN HORN Campus Culture Editor @TheEthanHorn Black Mirror can at times be greater than the sum of its parts.

When a piece of media tries to tackle problems, or even potential problems, in society it sets out to do something counterintuitive.

That isn’t to say the job is unimportant; media and mass media are placed in such a way that it is of utmost importance. The challenge is that media is entertainment, and being confronted by criticism can be hard, the opposite of what entertainment was originally created to do.

Black Mirror is an anthology series; in every episode a different scenario is played out in which tech goes awry. The show has been called by many a modern day “Twilight Zone”, a series dedicated to filling an audience with dread through stories which in many ways reflect society. The Black Mirror series episodes leave the viewer queasy but outraged at the current state of things.

The third season, the first bankrolled by Netflix, successfully continues that trend while taking tentative steps in new, worthwhile directions.

Across all the episodes Black Mirror’s creative minds demonstrate a deft hand at posing interesting scenarios in lush environments. Every shot in each episode feels crafted, chosen specifically.

The visual language is also strong, in the first episode the work is full of cleek technology and pastel colors while in the second the locations seem lived in and perfectly suited for the tone.

The storylines themselves can vary wildly on execution. A common factor is commitment to long, uninterrupted shots of ‘hard’ moments. When other dramas might cut the camera to help relieve the audience’s uneasiness, Black Mirror keeps it going for 30 more seconds, they want you to feel uncomfortable. Sometimes this decision doesn’t play to the desired effect, instead acting as a buffer between the audience and a scene when it causes detachment and boredom in the viewer.

The scenarios are across the board intriguing, though the time it takes for the audience to believe that can shift anywhere between 5 minutes and half of the episode. If you tend to turn something off if it doesn’t grab your attention you’ll probably turn off a couple of the episodes, but sticking to the end regularly makes up for the slow starts.

The commentary Black Mirror wants to talk about covers a broad spectrum with varied criticisms.

Some are highly specific, the final episode is built to condemn the mob mindset and anonymous lashing out of online social media users. Other episodes are broader, touching on the possibilities of augmented reality or criticizing the blind ambition of tech industries. There was a real danger here

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to make the stories inhuman and clinical, but at the center of each arc is a human character that acts as an enormous point of empathy for the viewer.

For fans of past seasons, a few episodes take Black Mirror into new, uncharted territory. One episode, rather than issuing a warning, imagines wonderful possibilities. Another is set in the here and now, throwing out the trappings of near-future to tell a dark, twisted story that could be happening to you or a neighbor. These sort of deviations from the traditional point to the future of the show, a promising one at that.

One problem viewers may have with Black Mirror, and justifiably so, are the points the series tries to make. Often they make strong cases for the ideas they want to spread, but the ideas are antiseptic, almost as cold as the antagonists in the stories. There is no room for redemption when the other options are all terrible. Watching it can be painful at times not just because of the subject matter but the mindset these views come from, one without much hope in fellow humanity.

Black Mirror is an incredibly well made, often excruciatingly poignant show that believes the worst about humanity. If everyone watched the six-episode series and took its messages to heart it would be hard to argue that things wouldn’t get better. But in telling stories to that end it often forgets to come up for air.

Black Mirror Season 3 is now available on Netflix.

AMARI JONES AND KHARAH BELL Staff Reporter Bearkat Family Weekend kicks off on Oct. 18 and The Dean of Students is ready to show Bearkats and their families what Sam Houston is all about.

Starting October 18, students’ family and friends will be arriving at Sam Houston for events specialized just for them.

Each family will have an opportunity to explore Sam Houston, attend a pep rally, and end the weekend off with the big game against TSU. This weekend is for students to show off their campus, and give their family insight into what Sam Houston has to offer.

Dean of Students Event Coordinator, Chelsea Smith thinks Bearkat Family Weekend is a great opportunity for everyone attending.

“We host Bearkat Family Weekend because we want our parents to have that experience of what it feels like on a typical campus event environment, and we want parents to connect with their students and see the university through their eyes.” Smith said.

Bearkat Family Weekend will host different events all weekend for the parents and students to be included in.

The events include several lunches hosted by different organizations, and open houses from some of the colleges here on campus.

There will also be plenty of

“We host Bearkat Family Weekend because we want our parents to have that experience of what it feels like on a typical campus event environment, and we want parents to connect with their students and see the university through their eyes.”.”

- Chelsea Smith Dean of Students Event Coordinator campus tours, a parents meeting and an alumni reception.

There are also some very special events planned like the Classic Car Cruise-In, Family Feud, Family Fun Fair, Pioneer Skills at Bear Bend Cabin, and Coffee with the Administrators.

The Big Family Weekend Pregame Tailgate will be right before the game starting at 4 p.m., and to close out Family Weekend there will be an Interdenominational Christian Worship Service in the Farrington Pit from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

For more information on the events hosted at Bearkat Family Weekend visit the SHSU website at http://www.shsu.edu/dept/deanof-students/weekend/schedule. html.

The Jump — CHIEF MORRIS, page 1 trivial, it’s a simple service that combines students’ and officers’ efforts to ensure cooperation, security and relief on campus.

But not all tasks are so easily resolved. About three years ago there was an accident, where four students crashed into AB IV. Three were killed and one walked away.

“That was a really rough day, especially when a lot of officers have kids,” Chief Morris said. “I have kids that were about the age of those in the vehicle, and it really tugs at you.”

That incident, while horrific, only reinforces the university’s need for a police department.

“That’s why we make traffic stops, that’s why we make arrests when people are intoxicated – so that it doesn’t put you or others in danger,” Chief Morris said. “We don’t take joy in doing that, but we do take joy in our jobs and in providing a safe environment for students, faculty and staff to make sure that they succeed, and I think that’s the most rewarding part of it.”

Yet, surprisingly, it’s not so much engaging in activities that might be inherently dangerous, like drinking and driving, which are the biggest threat to students’ safety, but rather not being aware of one’s surroundings.

The danger occurs when – if something is happening, or is about to happen – someone can’t articulate where they are.

That’s when it becomes much more difficult to provide the assistance an individual is looking for.

“So often when I go through campus, I’ll see people buried in their phones and with their ear buds in, or in a relaxed mode,” Morris said. “We don’t often have many incidents or serious threats, so it’s very easy to become complacent.”

Ways to avoid this include knowing your location at all times and staying informed about things happening around campus.

“One of the biggest things has been the development of

“Our jobs aren’t just making traffic stops, and things of that nature,” Morris said. “But being involved in our community, so that we don’t appear intimidating.””

- Kevin Morris Director and Chief of the Sam Houston State University Police Department the KatSafe web page, which is one click away from our main website,” Morris said. “There will be a little bar across the bottom of the page saying, ‘Hey, there’s something going on,’ or, if it’s not an imminent threat, but there’s still something you should be aware of, the icon changes color.”

The university police department’s web page also lists every offense on campus. It’s generated daily, and students can view a little blurb about what the officer did, or what occurred, or maybe what a bystander recorded.

Another safety tip concerns what to do when something does happen.

“If you see something that looks suspicious or out of place, the next step is to alert someone so they can come check it out,” Morris said. “Once you make that phone call, then you can start filming or taking a picture or posting about it.”

This advice applies even to the recent “clown activities” around campus. Social media has really pushed the issue because people can save photos taken anywhere and exaggerate them. Usually the images are dark and the background isn’t clear, so people just see a clown and assume it was sighted nearby.

“I only have one investigator, and this has tied up a lot of resources,” Chief Morris said.

“And we have yet to come across a person who has actually seen a clown. It’s frustrating because for some people it’s just a game, but others take it seriously.”

But this shouldn’t deter students from contacting the authorities if their gut is telling them something is off. They are here to provide a safe, positive environment for students, and they don’t want to make light of any concerns.

“What I like about working on a university campus is that the people here are looking for an education,” Morris said.

“We’re dealing with some really good people, so we’re not always dealing with incidents that are bad.”

Like Chief Morris, there have been a number of people who worked as officers while they attended SHSU, and are now taking on challenging duties across the country. They work in the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Texas State Highway Patrol, one recently retired as a captain of the United States Army, another flies Apache helicopters and some are in the Secret Service.

“You hate to see them leave because they’re really good,” Morris said. “They want to do something bigger and better, where they can specialize, and that makes you feel good too.”

Student safety and success are the university’s top priorities, as it accomplished with former students such as these.

“I don’t know if everyone here sees that or not, but the faculty and staff are here 100 percent for the students,” Morris said.

“Every day presents something a little different, and I always learn something new. That makes me proud to work here.”

10/25/2016 10:31:19 PM

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/campusculture | Wednesday, October 26, 2016

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‘Hush’ Impresses with New Take on Genre THE HERMIT Staff Reporter “I can come in anytime I want.

And I can get you, anytime I want.

But I’m not going to. Not until it’s time. When you wish you’re dead... that’s when I’ll come inside,” unidentified man said.

If you are a die-hard horror movie fangirl (or guy), it would be no surprise that you sat in a movie theater to see The Boy, 10 Cloverfield Lane, The Shallows, The Purge: Election Year, The Conjuring 2, Blair Witch, Lights Out, or Don’t Breathe sometime this year. However, not all films that premiere in theaters turn out perfect, and not all limited releases are forgettable and a waste of time.

One example of an impressive under-the-radar movie is psychological horror film “Hush” directed by American film director, film producer, screenwriter, and Editor Mike Flanagan, who is known for his work in “Oculus”, “Hush” will keep any horror fan shaking in suspense with intense sounds, claustrophobic settings, and its ability to make moviegoers actually care about the lead character.

The movie stars Kate Siegel who plays Madison “Maddie” Young, a young author who lives selfisolated in a cottage in the middle of the woods. She may be the perfect victim due to her isolation, but she is not insignificant (some main characters can be outshined by their antagonistic counterparts).

But Maddie is different, she is deaf, she is mute.

Home invasions as a genre are not new. Being conveniently isolated from civilization is nothing new either. Having a deaf and mute main character in a home invasion film is new. The overarching premise is overused, but the circumstance is original because it focuses on the lead’s perceptional disadvantage when faced with a life or death situation.

Instead of just dropping this character in the middle of the woods and having a masked man (John Gallagher Jr.) walking in the woods see her house the film leaves out those boring trappings, allowing the viewer to create their own pre-scenario. Flanagan used a combination of simple exposition and great attention to sound to keep reminding the audience that our main character is deaf and mute. When Blumhouse Productions and Intrepid Pictures pop up in the title sequence you immediately notice that there is no sound. The infamous door slam from Blumhouse Productions that makes anyone flinch in their seats is muted. Flanagan shoves in your face the fact that there is a perceptional barrier between the deaf world and the hearing world.

The intense sounds also work to make the whole situation and setting seem overwhelming and claustrophobic to the point that audiences will be flinching at every creak and gasping at every knock.

The sizzling of Madison’s dinner on the stove and the beeping messages from her Apple computer reminds

you that this woman cannot hear anyone coming, that she has to rely on sight to notice that someone is there. This adds to the tension, the anxiety, the feeling that this man can walk into her house, without her being aware, and kill her.

Despite the fact that the man is on her turf, it is obvious that he has the advantage.

The setting also adds to the claustrophobic air.

Having Madison living in a house made of too many glass windows and doors in the middle of the woods has a desired effect of vulnerability. The huge space surrounding Madison adds to the feeling that the man can kill her at any opportunity, when he feels like it. That not only makes Madison frightened, but it effectively scares the audience. The audience becomes just as paranoid as Madison; probably even more so because we can hear the man coming.

Flanagan was effective; I was choking in my seat, eyes wide and hands clenching my shirt. In the first 30 minutes, I was paranoid and I felt sympathy for Maddie.

In horror films, not all of the victims are likeable. And when they are not likeable, you want them gone in a violent scene of gory satisfaction. In “Hush”, the exposition was simple, explaining that for personal reasons, Madison has decided to isolate herself, and her family and friends are worried about her emotional well-being.

I know that she is deaf and mute.

I am continuously reminded of that reality in the film, and I feel sympathy for her disadvantage in

Reading Program to Discuss New Book KEITH Staff Reporter

Sam Houston University professors and members of the CHSS Diversity Committee, Dr. Ervin Malakaj and Dr. Jeff Littlejohn have recently started a new program called the Diversity Reading Program.

The program was established over this past summer “to facilitate important discussions and establish programming related to diversity and inclusion,” Co- Founder of the Diversity Reading Program, Dr. Malakaj said.

The Diversity Reading Program currently is covering, Ta-Nehisi Coates, “Between the World and Me”, which is about a father writing a letter to his son about what it

is like to live as a black man in America.

“We wanted to address the police violence against African Americans that we read so much about this summer hoping to raise awareness about the diversity of our student body and community,” Dr. Littlejohn said.

Dr. Malakaj spoke on the idea behind the program.

“The Diversity Reader brings an important book addressing a vital topic of our times to the broader SHSU community. We hope to engage students, faculty, and staff in transformative discussions,” Dr. Malakaj said.

Only two meetings this semester have been schedule, one already passed but for those who are interested, the next meeting will be held on November 2 at the Vortexan to continue to discuss, “Between the World and Me”.

“Participants are broken up into small groups. The idea is that you don’t sit next to people you know, but next to people you will get to know. Then three themes with accompanying quotes [are presented], which are intended to be starting points for group discussion,” Dr. Malakaj said.

Dr. Littlejohn discusses the goals of the program and hopes for further discussion among SHSU students and faculty about important issues occurring in today’s society.

“We hope that as we move forward in the coming weeks, students will reach out to their peers and faculty members to get involved in a more robust discussion about the racial, ethnic, class, and gender differences that too often divide us,” Dr. Littlejohn said.

Film Festival to Display SHSU Student Works ETHAN HORN Campus Culture Editor @TheEthanHorn Sam Houston will be hosting a Sci-Fi film festival in the Lowman Student Center Theater Nov. 2 as part of a weeklong series of events focusing on this year’s common reader, “An Astronauts Guide to Life on Earth.” The festival is open to all students to participate and attend.

The book follows Col. Chris Hadfield, an astronaut who has spent more than 4000 hours in space. After returning Col. Hadfield catalogued the most impactful, resonant and outrageous events to help himself and the reader better value life on Earth.

The events begin Oct. 3 with the Fine Arts Reception and Awards Ceremony. Besides beginning the next few days of events, the Reception will announce awards related to the common reader, such as scholarships and winners of essay contests, will be announced.

Over the next three days a handful of speeches will cover broad topics all around the STEM fields and welcome a number of speakers to Sam. On Tuesday, Nov. 1 Astronaut Chris Hadfield himself will be present to deliver a keynote and sign books. The keynote begins

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at 2 p.m. and will be held in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.

The next day a panel is scheduled at 11 a.m. bringing together some of the brightest professors from around campus to discuss the past, present and future of The Great Space Race. Mass Communications Adjunct, Professor Frank Krystyniak, History Department, and Clinical Professor Zachary Doleshal, and Mike Yawn, Political Science Department and director for SHSU’s LEAP Center will all share expertise on the matter.

At 2 p.m. Dr. Lisa Brown, with Sam’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction, will present a lecture titled “Women in STEM at NASA”.

At 6 p.m. is the week’s biggest event, the sci-fi film festival. The film festival is the first of its kind, allowing any student at Sam to enter a project.

“The 1st Common Reader Film Festival: Sci-Fi is a collaboration between the Film Program and the Common Reader Program at SHSU. It originally had the goal to stimulate our Film students to create films that incorporated the themes of the Common Reader,” Assistant Professor of Mass Communication Elisa Herrmann, who also coordinates the Film Program said. “But after noticing great interest from other students as well, we decided to open the festival to all SHSU students who

would like to submit a short Sci-Fi film to the festival.”

The festival is becoming a recurring tradition, with each year’s theme determined by the common reader. The ceremony and viewing will begin at 6 p.m. in the LSC Ballroom.

“If this year’s event is successful, we intend to keep it going yearly, always choosing a different theme for the festival, one that incorporates the chosen book of the year,” Herrmann said.

On Thursday there will be another lecture from Dr. Renee James, SHSU Department of Physics, at 11 a.m. The lecture focuses on how scientists view other planets from space based observation stations, and it’s titled “Bird’s Eye View: Seeing Worlds from Outer Space”.

The events on campus will end with a luncheon to honor the entire faculty involved with the week and the completion winners.

The final event of the week will occur later that night at the Observatory. The Taurids meteor shower runs annually from September 7 to December 10, and the nights with the highest concentration happen to be Nov. 3 and 4. The organizers request anyone attending the Star Gazing to arrive while there is still daylight and that they bring a flashlight.

this situation that has been forced on her in the middle of the night.

There, in total is all the setup there was and all that was needed. For whatever reason, she needed to have time to herself, complete the ending to her book, and find something that she has obviously lost in herself before the movie started.

I also respect how Flanagan decided to leave that specific piece of information out Why did she come out here? It added to this psychological madness. In a world where everyone tells everything about themselves to strangers, I liked how this movie kept her past in the dark. It kept me guessing and it will keep you guessing. Does Madison know this killer? Does this man know who Madison is? Is it connected to her isolation?

The mask the killer wears could have been utilized much better by Flanagan. The man takes off the mask when he meets Madison face-to-face (behind a glass door anyway) and leaves it off till the very end. This movie lost some of its scare when it decided to go that route. The white mask, as you can see, is terrifying. I refuse to look at it to this very day. The mask made the man more inhumane because you could only see his emotionless eyes. The man was not human with the mask on, but when he took it off, the audience could look at him like he was just another killer.

One thing that kept popping up was Maddie’s hesitance to fight back. When people are in life or death situations, most would run away from the threat. It is when

they have nothing else to lose that they find the courage to fight to the end. This movie depicted an accurate response to a fight-orflight situation. As she waits for the man’s next move later in the film, she analyzes all of her options. If she runs, she dies. If she waits for the man to come into the house (because all he needs is a rock to break the windows), she dies by his hands. It is when she has no other options that she decides the best option is to fight. I admired that this movie showed how a person in this situation might actually think. We see action movies all the time and wish we were those awesome characters who can handle themselves well when things start going sideways, but we all know that we would duck and cover when tables start flipping and bodies start falling.

Despite some missed opportunities, “Hush” brought satisfying paranoia and fear to a well worn genre. Flanagan’s attention to even the most subtle noises forces the audience to be hypersensitive to sounds, knowing the person fighting for her life cannot. The reactions are natural; Madison does not have latent skills or superpowers, nor is she an overly whiny and unlikeable character. I can say that “Hush” is one movie in particular that convinced me that I can find enjoyment in lesserknown movies.

If you like to feel sleep-with-thelights-on paranoid, then “Hush” is the perfect movie for you to see this Halloween.

Teacher Fair to Help Students Find Jobs MASON GONZALES Staff Reporter @MasonUltra54 Where there are students, there are teachers. In order for a student to become a teacher one must earn their bachelor’s degree, but after getting that degree not everyone knows how to complete the transition.

On October 26 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. the LSC ballroom will be the location for the Fall Teacher Career Fair.

“Initially, years ago, we started with the job fair and it is to get our students employed, we want them to graduate and have a job waiting for them on the other side of that stage,” Career Services Counselor Arica Castleberry said.

“We’re also particularly using the fall job fair, because it tends to be a little smaller, using it as a teaching opportunity for our students that are in our program,” At the fair, there will be multiple booths and groups for attendees to interact with.

“In the past we have had a variety of things go on. For some of our larger school districts, we’ve had them interview on the spot, some of them talk to our candidates and then pass their information along to the appropriate school personnel to find where they may be a good fit,” Castleberry said.

“In other cases, it’s to just get their name out there. There’s a variety of different approaches depending on the school districts.”

School districts in attendance include, but are not limited to Alief ISD, Alvin ISD, Beaumont ISD, College Station ISD, Willis ISD, local Huntsville ISD, and many more school districts found throughout Texas.

There will also be school districts from other states, such as Nevada.

Any Sam Houston student is

welcome to attend. Organizers also encourage all to attend even if you’re not an education major but are considering entering the field.

“We encourage our junior level students to attend also. So, that they can begin networking and understanding what the job fair is going to feel like and what the expectations of them are going to be when it is their turn seeking a job.” Castleberry said.

Students who plan to attend are required to dress in professional attire, if you are not professionally dressed the event has a no acceptance, no exceptions policy.

Professional attire is identified to be neutral colored business suits, suit pants for men or women, as well as suit dresses for women.

“We encourage all our students, whether they are actual teaching candidates getting ready to graduate this semester or if they’re in one of their block classes, where they are going to be in teaching next semester to attend.

We encourage all of them to dress professionally,” Castleberry said. “The phrase I generally use understands that the person that may be interviewing you may be from a different generation.

With that understanding dress accordingly. Conservative dress, dark colors, subtle, no short skirts, no super high heels, and well groomed.”

Students should also bring a resume to the fair and ready to be interviewed by potential employers.

“Also, we recommend that they have a portfolio with their resumes inside, and if they are targeting districts in particular, I really encourage them having them very organized. As well as, having plenty of resumes and on resume paper,” Castleberry said.

Resume paper can be purchased from any store that distributes office supplies.

For the entire article visit HoustonianOnline.com.

10/25/2016 10:04:27 PM

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/viewpoints | Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Page 6

Letter to the Editor: BLM JAREN CRIST Contributing Writer

The recent article concerning Black Lives Matter focuses on “truth.” The writer believes that the truth at hand is that BLM is based on a fallacious worldview.

A worldview that is rooted in lies and— as he points out—lies kill. I agree that an erroneous worldview being held by a large group of people is potentially dangerous.

Viewing the world as something that can be bent and manipulated to your will is dangerous. Denying facts and statistics can be dangerous and promoting hate, lies, and biases, can all be dangerous.

Ironically, as the writer urged his readers to be wary of some of these dangers, he was simultaneously committing them. Black Lives Matter is not a hate group. Just like in any group, there are radical members who perform actions that do not reflect the goals of the majority. Judging the entirety of a group based on the minority is an incredibly flawed approach. To liken BLM to a group founded in hate, like the KKK, is just ridiculous.

This position highlights a bigger issue. Why is it that BLM must be held accountable for the actions of the few?

Normally radicals are just that, radicals. I mean, doesn’t the word “radical” suggest that their views are not that of the majority?

I do not condone the vengeful killing of police officers and neither does BLM. In

the same way that one officer’s actions do not reflect the entire occupation, the same courtesy and argument must extend to other groups. The issue is not that people of the movement inherently believe that police are racists. The very name Black Lives Matter says nothing of the police themselves. It focuses on the issue of black lives being lost in encounters with policemen.

I do not consider myself a member of the BLM movement. Although I agree with the mission of BLM, I am not one to get involved in movements. I am not that active of a person. I say this to demonstrate that even as someone that doesn’t identify with the movement, I still see the issues facing us. At the end of the day, people are being killed unnecessarily in some of these encounters. Regardless of their past they were a human being; they were a person that mattered to someone. They were beloved children, fathers, uncles, cousins…and now they are gone.

Attacking BLM for the violent minority misses what the point of the whole movement is; it also exemplifies and magnifies why it needs to exist. There seems to be a phenomenon where Blacks in America are held accountable for actions of the few. In his book, “Between the World and Me,” Ta-Nehisi Coates points out this issue: “Indeed, you must be responsible for the worst actions of other black bodies, which, somehow, will always be assigned to you.” Simply equating the movement with violence denies and degrades the

experience and perspective of those in it. It denies the existence of bigger issues.

It denies the very feelings that motivate people. It denies an experience that is central to the identity of a person. We are our experiences of the world and that can never be taken from us. It is something we hold sacrosanct and must protect with the utmost necessity. This is why BLM exists.

There are African Americans who feel threatened by the treatment of other people of similar characteristics. As a black male myself, it is impossible for me to distance myself from the other black males who have been killed. Sure, I have never been arrested; I have never had a problem with the police. But none of that matters in this context. My history is not readily available to anyone upon first encounter. You cannot see my past by simply looking at me. What people can see is my gender and the color of my skin, and those defining traits link me to many of the same people that have become martyrs for BLM. BLM is a natural response to the many threats that challenge our experience. We seek to affirm ourselves. In this movement, people are saying that we matter. Nothing more or less. And, we do matter. Whether you agree with BLM or not is one thing.

I believe there is a certain heaviness to the idea that any group feels the need to exclaim their presence and remind the world of the inalienable rights that come with existing.

What’s the

WORD ON THE STREET? What are you dressing up as for Halloween this year? And what will you be doing?

What are you drssing up as for Halloween this year?

“Dressing up as a cat!”

Trump v Clinton: Truth Reveal

COLTON HAAS Viewpoints Writer

Last week, we walked through just a few things that both the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees said about themselves and about their respective opponent. This week we are going to talk about the truth.

Unfortunately, it seems like many on the left and the right have made a concerted effort to ignore said truth. Shall we begin?

During a CNN interview, Clinton made the almost laughable claim that she is the most transparent candidate not only compared to Trump but in all of presidential history. Citing her release of tax returns and other miscellaneous documents that Trump had not released.

In a vacuum, her argument is sound.

However, during the many hours of committee meetings with FBI Director James Comey and with the release of thousands of emails by WikiLeaks, there has been a “Wizard of Oz”-ian type reveal as to the true nature of Clinton’s so called transparency.

Clinton stated that no classified information was sent or received over her private server. FBI Director James Comey said that to be false. Clinton stated that there were no emails marked classified that she sent or received on her server, Director Comey determined that to also be false. Clinton stated that all work related emails were turned over to the state department, also untrue.

Speaking of emails, WikiLeaks recently released over 20,000 of Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign chairman, John Podesta’s, emails to the public. With emails surfacing that has been a “Pay to Play” system in Hillary’s circle, Clinton’s transparency narrative seems weak at best: From RT.com, Abedin says the “King has personally committed approximately $12 million both for the endowment and to support the meeting” and that “the condition upon which the Moroccans agreed to host the meeting was her participation. If HRC [Hillary Rodham Clinton] was not part of it, meeting was a non-starter.”

Donald John Trump. What I can tell you from the get-go is that Trump’s lies do not seem to carry as much weight as Hillary’s.

That isn’t because Trump is any different as a person or a politician, because believe me he is, but rather because his lies do not affect as many people as Hillary’s.

For example, Trump has recently been called out for his “locker-room” talk with Billy Bush. Subsequently, Anderson Cooper during the second Presidential debate forced Trump to answer whether or not he had ever sexually assaulted women in the ways he spoke about in the recording. Of course Trump responded “No.” The very next day multiple women from all over come out and describe exactly the things he did and they just so happened to fit the words said during his “hot-mic” incident.

On March 17, speaking about the presence of WMD’s in Iraq, Trump said that he never accused President Bush of lying about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Stating, “I didn’t say lie. I said he may have lied” when not two months prior he said Bush did lie about WMD’s in Iraq during a Republican primary debate.

On March 9, Trump stated “Eight weeks ago, they signed a budget that is so bad. It funds ISIS.” In response to his statement, POLITICO wrote, “The omnibus spending bill, passed in December, is not strictly a budget, and it’s not clear what part of it Trump thinks gives money to ISIS.” Whether you are on the left or the right, one thing we can all agree on is that both of these candidates are pathological liars.

While Trump’s lies, as they stand, do not seem to have as much of an impact on the American people as Clinton’s, one could only wonder what it would mean if he were President. By the same token, with the depth and corruptness of Hillary’s lies, one could only wonder what it would mean if she were President.

Great movies to watch on Halloween!

Alien

Jeepers Creepers

-An original Sci-fi masterpiece.

-The first of an epic trilogy.

Halloween Town

Blair Witch Project

-The disney classic that needs to make a comeback.

-If you love Salem as much as we do, watch this.

Shaun of the Dead -This off-beat comedy will lighten up any Halloween party.

AMANDA Sophmore

“Dressing up as a Pirate and making cupcakes.”

DIANA Junior

“Going to the movies and a Halloween party with friends.”

SHELBY Freshman

“I am dressing up as Regina George from Mean Grils!”

MEAGAN Freshman

“Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad.”

Nightmare Before Christmas -Remember, Christmas is two months away.

Beetlejuice -Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.

MEGAN Senior

Rocky Horror Picture Show -Once a production, now a great option for movie night.

Tucker and Dale vs Evil -Tucker? Dale? Evil?! What more could you want?

Corpse Bride -You’ll be married to this scary thriller.

“Sadly I will be working this Halloween weekend.”

KATTY Senior

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10/25/2016 10:18:48 PM

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/viewpoints | Wednesday, October 26, 2016

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An Open Letter To Those Who Still Don’t Get It DEONDRE B. MOORE Contributing Writer

Dear People (The ones who still don’t get it), Black Lives Matter, all of them. For some reason, some people still do not understand what we mean when we say “Black Lives Matter” or why Black Lives Matter is an imperative movement for African Americans. Which is part of the problem.

With clear and concrete evidence of racial profiling, police brutality, systematic racism and racial injustice, there are some people who are still trying to tell us that there is no real issue. Some even argue that we, African Americans are the problem, not the system or the police. And then we have that group of individuals who continue to try to take what belongs to us, and make it fit them so that they aren’t made to feel uncomfortable.

Well guess what? If you feel uncomfortable when you hear or see “Black Lives Matter,” it’s probably because deep down, you know the reason we are saying this. Somewhere deep down, you know that in American, All Lives Don’t Matter, because if they did, we wouldn’t be in the middle of another civil rights movement. Yet, here we are.

Now, before I jump into the issues outside of the Black community, let me address what “Black Lives Matter” is for us, within the Black community. Black Lives Matter was created after Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, and dead 17-year old Trayvon was posthumously placed on trial for his own murder. Since then, the movement has and does get most of its attention when we see or witness the murders of Black and Brown men & women at the hands of police. For some who truly don’t understand the purpose of Black Lives Matter, they would say that’s all this movement is about, addressing the

murders of innocent men and women who are killed by those who are supposed to protect us. However, it’s so much more than that. Black Lives Matter is also about affirming those within our own community. It’s about affirming the lives of Black queer and trans person, those who have lost their way, those who are disabled, women, men and all Black lives regardless of their gender identities.

Black Lives Matter is about supporting one another and shedding light and love on some of the worlds most marginalized people. It’s about affirming Black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.

As of lately, we have seen more and more Black and Brown men & women murdered at the hands of police, some of which, were unarmed. We have seen a man (Alton Sterling), shot and killed by police, in front of a corner store for simply making a living for his family by selling CD’s. We’ve seen a Black man (Philando Castile), licensed to carry, get shot in front of his girlfriend and daughter, for doing exactly what an officer told him to do, which was to take out his identification and license to carry. We’ve seen a Black man (Eric Garner), choked to death by the police, for selling cigarettes, on a corner, which may have been his way of providing for his family.

A Black woman (Korryn Gaines) was shot, while holding her baby, by the police, when they unlawfully kicked her door in. The list goes on and on and on, to the point of where it becomes traumatizing. It’s hard waking up and looking at the news, or on social media, and seeing another man or woman, who looks like you, murdered by those who are simply supposed to protect and serve us.

What’s worse than that is seeing that justice is hardly ever served in these cases. It has become routine to see what is happening.

Officer murders Black man or woman, they get paid leave during an investigation, the media tries to find all the negative stuff they can about the victim, if the officer gets charged with anything, they may go to trial, and most of the time, at most, lose their

job. That’s not justice. That’s taking the life of someone, and getting away with it. That’s privilege.

It leaves many of us sad, angry, hurt, filled with rage, and some, even vengeful. There is only so much you can expect from people before they start to retaliate. What also makes us upset, is when people try to take a movement (Black Lives Matter) and try to change it (All Lives Matter/ #Blue Lives Matter) to make it fit them, even when it was never intended for them. First, there’s no such thing as a Blue life. That would mean that you are giving life to an occupation. It’s a choice to work as an officer, and it’s a choice to wear that badge and that blue uniform.

For me, being Black isn’t an occupation or a choice. Being Black is not something I had control over. However, I’m unapologetically Black and walk in my body every single day.

As far as that whole “All Lives Matter” thing is concerned, well, if you believe that, then you should understand why we are saying, “Black Lives Matter.” All lives have not been faced with oppression. All lives were not forced here on ships, dehumanized for centuries and made to be slaves. All lives were not told that they were three-fifths of a person.

All lives didn’t have to march just to get the right to vote, and all lives don’t wake up and see people of the same race as them being killed at a disproportionate rate by police all over the country. Now, no one ever said, that other lives don’t matter, we know they do.

But for centuries, we have been faced with oppression, poverty, a system that was never intended to work for us and inequality in this country. At this point, we are tired and will not tolerate it any more.

I’ve seen racism happen here on campus, in the Bearkat One Office, and watched as the university and our President, take it lightly, and place the situation “under investigation.”

However, it hasn’t been something I have taken lightly. I have met with the Dean of Students on multiple occasions about the issues that have bothered a great number of Black student on this campus, and they

could not even tell me what was being done to handle this employee of Sam Houston State University, who took to Twitter and lashed out at a student by using racial slurs and derogatory language toward her. I even requested a meeting with our President, Dana G. Hoyt, and was told that, “she’s too busy” for even an hour out of her week, to meet with the victim of this incident, our NAACP president, and myself. Yet, I see her on campus, handing out food on the yard, and finding time to participate in homecoming activities. It has been an issue that SHSU has tried to keep quiet and under the radar, but if we allow it to happen once and give that person a slap on the wrist, and then it happens again and again, then it becomes a trend, kind of like the killing of unarmed Black men & women.

This is just the beginning of a very long overdue conversation, and I am just getting started. Some will get it after this, and some still won’t, and some never will, because they don’t know what it’s like to be a Black man or woman in America, and that’s ok. Just make sure that if you don’t get it, you refrain from speaking on a subject as if you do. The Black students at this University won’t sit and allow racism to go on, especially when we pay, just like everyone else, to be here. We know that when we come together, things change.

When we come together we see the strength in numbers. We know that even if our President, the staff, or administrators won’t stand for us, we have each other, and that we will stand together against any injustice, racism, or inequality. Not only at this campus but all over this country, because injustice anywhere, is a threat to us everywhere. We know our worth and we know that our lives matter. Here at Sam Houston State University, we know, that all, BLACK LIVES MATTER! Sincerely, A Black ma…..no, An Unapologetically Black Gay Man

Pro-Life Movement Needs To Reject Trump

NICK WARD Viewpoints Writer

This is probably the hundredth opinion piece you have seen attacking Donald Trump, and for good reason; there are just as many criticisms towards Trump.

His policies are awful; he has lied more in this election than Clinton, and has more scandals surrounding him. However, what I want to focus on are his misguided views and comments surrounding abortion.

One of the most talked about statements from last week’s debate were the two candidates’ stances on abortion, with special focus on late-term abortions. Trump was against abortion, promising to appoint pro-life judges, saying it would automatically reverse Roe v. Wade. He then focused on late-term abortions, describing a misleading situation only for the purpose to awaken emotion.

Hillary, in contrast defended late-term abortions by saying that the only time this kind of abortions happens is when the mother’s life is in danger. The general consensus was Trump being criticized for uninformed comments, and Hillary being applauded for hers. Despite this, the pro-life movement had a different response attacking

Hillary, and supporting Trump, being summed up in article shared around on Facebook.

The article was published by conservative news site, Mad World News and was written by the founder’s wife, Christy Lee Parker. Parker, a former nurse, who describes Clinton as a “forked-tongue demon,” and says her comments were inaccurate and a bold-faced lie to promote fear-mongering. She also praises Trump’s comments for describing it as it is. She then ends with her saying don’t vote for Hillary to stop another baby from dying a horrific death.

Mrs. Parker is correct in the fact that Hillary’s comments were inaccurate, since late-term abortions are never performed for the mother’s safety. However, there are various facts that she gets wrong, or ignores shown in another article published this week.

This one was published by the liberal-leaning Huffington Post, and was this time written by Dr. Jennifer Gunter, an ObstetricianGynecologist or OB/GYN. In this article, she addresses the fact that Clinton’s statements were inaccurate because at nine months it would just be delivered as said before, but Trump’s comments were even more misleading.

She explains there’s actually no such thing as a nine-month abortion, because at that point they would still actually deliver the baby (which isn’t “ripping the baby out”), and the only time it happens is when birth defects are so severe that it’s incompatible with life. She also explains that the pro-life movement focusing on late-term abortions is no good for their cause because their only focusing on 1.3 percent of the abortions that are performed, not having much of an effect on lowering abortion.

This story is one of best representations of my frustration toward the pro-life movement’s

Editorial

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treatment of Donald Trump during this election, and the methods and actions of the prolife movement. I fully support and sympathize with the purpose of the pro-life movement to lower the rate of abortion and eventually end it. The problems are their views, methods, and irrational attitude they use in their attempt to end abortion.

Instead of considering the reasons why women have abortions, and how to combat those reasons with other options; they would rather instead just picket or pray outside of abortion clinics, and other ineffective methods. They are also so eager to immediately give in to anyone who preaches pro-life policies, including Mr. Trump despite how misguided his ideas and proposed policies actually are.

As shown previously, Trump has gained a talent for using and manipulating the pathos within pro-life activists with his sympathetic comments for all the unborn babies. The problem is his comments as shown before are scientifically inaccurate, and is just nothing but pathos. However, his main promise that has rallied the pro-life supporters to side is his promise with the Supreme Court. Trump has promised to appoint Supreme Court justices that are pro-life and doing that will automatically overturn Roe v. Wade. That sounds great, but it doesn’t work like that. A president can’t ask the court to reverse a decision. A case that challenges the initial decision would have to happen, which has happened before, but has always ended with the court supporting Roe v. Wade, even if the court has a conservative majority. Then there’s the problem that would arise if abortion was outlawed again.

The Lancet, a medical journal conducted a study

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showing that the abortion rates in countries that outlawed were not only the same, but higher than countries where abortions were legal. These then result in unsafe abortions (abortionists lacking the medical skills), which according to the World Health Organization, 22 million of them are performed every year. This then results in the deaths of 47,000 females, and 5 million gaining disabilities.

While some will argue that they brought it upon themselves, keep in mind that it’s sometimes not the female in this situation who decides to have the abortion, especially within countries where females are treated like secondclass citizens like the Middle East. In North America and Western Europe where abortion is legal, we already have the lowest abortion rates and unsafe abortions. Outlawing abortion might give us a fake sense of

accomplishment, but it won’t solve the problem.

Abortion is horrific and tragic, but if the pro-life community wants to actually stop abortion, they need to consider why females do get abortions, and how to offer other solutions to that reason.

It may have the same feeling as picketing outside of an abortion clinic, but we need to be open to the solutions that work. We also need to lobby for better childcare assistance for lower-class mothers, once the baby is out of the womb. Finally, we need to stop giving in to politicians who whose uses it only as a pandering method, and whose policies are proven to be unrealistic and ineffective.

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Page 8

You Don’t Have To Do Everything

MASEY WHITE Viewpoints Writer When you think of college, you think of classes, a busy schedule, organizations, parties, opportunities, hanging out with friends and living on your own. However, handling all of these without hurting yourself mentally and physically is a daunting task. While it isn’t impossible, it is incredibly difficult. When you think of college, you don’t think about being too tired to wake up for class because you were up

late the night before attending a club meeting and doing homework. Going weeks without interacting with friends isn’t the first thing that pops in your mind, and you certainly don’t think about being too busy to eat. However, for some people it is. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the idea of an ideal college experience that you begin to overwhelm yourself. When that happens, all of the other aspects of your life suffer. Doing too much sometimes causes you to not perform to your optimal performance and can quickly begin to affect your health.

I have found that when I say yes to everyone and everything, I end up getting more stressed, busy and worn out. I often get to the point where I cannot complete the tasks asked of me because I am too far stretched out. It also begins to affect things in my own life. I become too tired or stressed to complete my own homework, get sleep or even remember to eat.

I have found that by telling people yes, even when I can’t complete the task, I affect my own health (physical and mental). By not saying no, I am in turn not able to help people to my full potential.

It is important to find the balance between helping yourself and achieving a worthwhile college experience. However, this may mean that you miss out on a few achievements, but it is worth it to be able to do things to the best of your ability. It is also essential to be able to determine what you can complete without

pushing yourself past your limits.

You also need to learn that, in some cases, you need to put your own needs before others.

It is important to take care of yourself and ensure that you are getting priorities done before trying to take on others. Take a mental health day every once in a while. Leave one day a week where you don’t take on extra burdens.

Learn how to say no to people when you have too much on your plate.

I’m not saying that it is impossible to handle all of these things. Some people love to be busy and are capable of taking on everything and still maintain their sanity. However, if you’re not one of those people, it’s okay to recognize that and adjust accordingly. It doesn’t have to affect your college experience. You just have to find a healthy balance.

So here’s to making YOU a priority. To feeling OK with being selfish once in a while and setting aside some “me-time.” Here’s to making the most out of your college experience without harming yourself in the process and allowing YOU to achieve greatness. Here’s to not always being the superhero, and most importantly, here’s to saying NO.

History of Horror In Video Games

ARTURO MOSQUEDA Viewpoints Writer

Jump scares, anxiety, screaming and the feeling of being terrified. We have all experienced these feelings at least once in our lifetime while playing horror or scary video games. The horror genre has a vast history in the gaming world. From titles such as Resident Evil to newer games like Outlast, we can all agree that the horror genre in video games has come a long way from its roots.

The first ever horror video game was Haunted House for the Magnavox Odyssey, the world’s first console that released before the widely known Atari Pong home gaming system ever did.

Haunted House was a two-player experience that you could enjoy with a friend. The owner of the game would put a plastic overlay on top of the TV screen with two blinking lights. One person would play as a “ghost,” and the other would play as the “detective.” Person playing as the detective would leave the room while the person that controlled the ghost hid their blinking light somewhere in the game. Once the detective came back into the room, he had to explore throughout the game’s map layout and find where the ghost was hiding. Not scary in the least, but it introduced the mechanic of cat and mouse that would be adopted in future series.

One of the earliest games to feature the horror genre is a survival horror video game by the name of Monster Maze in 1981. What is the most interesting about this game is that it didn’t feature the stereotypical vampire or zombie monster that was popular during that time, but a big Tyrannosaurus Rex. You couldn’t fight the T-rex in the game, you had to run away and hope it didn’t kill you. Notifications would appear displaying the T-Rex’s “anxiety level”.

As you can see, the sense of being chased by something that could do harm to you was an ever rising fashion.

In 1996, Capcom released what would be the first of the “survival horror” game series that we would all come to know today. It was supposed to be a simple remake, but Resident Evil constructed a new world in the history of horror gaming. Resident Evil revolutionized the survival aspect of the survival genre used in video games by centering in on the experience and emotions brought in the game. The use of limited resources, monsters and enemies that give no chance of survival to the player and characters in game that had a more human characteristic aspect to them brought the game to life. The overall success of this game had a positive contribution to the franchise and helped the success of the PlayStation sky rocket in sales. Capcom quickly released Resident Evil 2 in 1998 with better graphics, great story and tons of secrets to be found. Many

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developers and companies soon hopped on the bandwagon and attempted to replicate the game; most of them never gained traction and popularity, but there was one particular game that recreated the survival horror franchise and became an instant success.

Silent Hill was one of those “replicated” games from the Resident Evil era that had a great success in the gaming business. It had the same survival horror aspect as RE but improved upon it in many ways. SH introduced an immersive narrative story that focused on a father searching for his missing daughter in a mysterious town covered in fog. Introducing the psychological horror element in a relatable scenario such as finding your lost daughter is what made the game a fan favorite to many.

This drove Silent Hill to automatic success in a most terrifying way.

The two games emphasized on exploration and solving puzzles while surrounded in this spooky atmosphere. Resident Evil played more on the traditional jump scare and low quality voice acting, which was due to the fact that they were presented with a low buddet in order to make the game. Silent Hill took their horror genre in a different direction, with disturbing creatures and a deserted scary town which brought a sense of uneasiness to the player.

Both games featured combat in their system, but was a secondary aspect to the gameplay.

The primary feature was basically to run away.

By the time the PlayStation 2 and Xbox was released, survival horror games had established itself as one of the most popular genres in the gaming market. Titles such as Fatal Frame and the Siren games brought in the Japanese horror inspiration and brought combat almost entirely out of the gameplay.

Around this time, the generation’s console horrors were in the time of the “golden period.”

Developers could generate realistic scares through refined visuals and audio animations.

Some of the best horror games didn’t just happen on console by the way. In the past five to six years the PC indie scene has churned out some of the best horror games to date.

With an emphasis to explorations, atmosphere and well-crafted storytelling, indie developers were able to show their skills to the whole world without having to dive into a big budget to prove their stance in the gaming world.

Frictional Games, the company that made their mark in horror game history created the

unforgettable Amnesia: The Dark Descent, considered to be high up on the list as one of the scariest games ever. The game does many things right that adds to the overall experience for those who play it. It does an amazing job in scaring the people who play this game. The setting of Castle Brannenberg, where The Dark Descent takes place, the ominous background noises and lack of self-defense is the reason this game is everyone’s favorite horror game which was influenced by PC developer Headfirst Production’s Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. The sense of always being watched and not know what made that sound gave me chills that ran down my spine. I guess I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie when it comes to horror games! This is the sole reason The Dark Descent is one of my favorite horror games to date.

In the years that followed, we did have some flops in the horror industry that are noteworthy. Dead Rising 2, Resident Evil 6, Amy, The Darkness 2, Alice: Madness Returns and F.E.A.R. 3 could not deliver the same horror as other titles. Fortunately we were gifted with great efforts like The Last of Us and Metro: Last Light that focused on the apocalyptic setting.

We are currently living in the horror game renaissance; we are seeing games from indie developers such as Slender: The Eight Pages, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Outlast and the sad cancelation of Silent Hills’ PT. These are all examples of what is called modern horror.

No combat, dark visual atmosphere and first person.

Bloodborne was fun hack and slash horror title while Until Dawn and SOMA featured better adventure horror gaming with high production values.

We can agree that today’s horror games are mainly indie, putting themselves apart from the AAA companies. With the release of VR platforms, people will have another way to be able to get that adrenaline rush from horror games. Games in the past might not scare us anymore, but there will always be the next title that revolutionaries the meta of scary games right around the corner. We have many great horror games to look forward to that include Allison Road, Outlast 2, Friday the 13th and Routine.

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Fall Tennis Ends With ITA Regionals SHSU Takes the Trophy CHRISTINA NICHOLS Staff Reporter

The S a m Houston State University tennis program had a strong showing at their last tournament of the fall season in Waco over the weekend.

While there was no team placing at the Division I Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Championships, individual players and doubles teams for SHSU put up a fight against some of the top player in Texas.

“We played well,” head coach Rob Hubbard said. “ We had some advances in the main draw and deep into the consolation, which is huge.”

Sophomore Ema Barkovic made it to the semi finals in her bracket after she defeated Stephen F. Austin’s number one player, Denise Maxl. Barkovic fell in the semi final round to Valeria Lopez from

the University of Texas Arlington in a three set match. While Barkovic defeated Lopez in the first set 6-2, she fell 3-6 and 4-10 in the last two sets.

Junior Khee Yen Wee also made a huge stride in her bracket, but fell in the semifinals to Maria Kononova from North Texas University in a two game set of 2-6 and 2-6.

In doubles, Barkovic and junior Mila Milanovic made it to the quarterfinals, but were defeated by Eva Dench and Alex Jones from Texas State University 1-8.

Hubbard said the fall tournament season has been preparation from the regular season.

“Everything we have done this fall was in preparation for January,” Hubbard said. “We have upped the strength and conditioning and improved doubles play.”

The strength and conditioning improvements have paid off and caught the eye of another team at

the regional tournament. Hubbard said a coach approached him and said he did not see a more in shape team than the Bearkats at the ITA tournament.

With the hiring of Hubbard as the new head coach, he has brought a change of culture to the tennis program. Along with the improvement of strength and conditioning, Hubbard has been working with the team off the court as well.

“It is very important that the team is really close,” Hubbard said.

“They have done a really good job with team building and they are all in for trying to change things in a more positive direction.”

The regular season will start back up on Jan. 13 at the McAdams Tennis Courts in Huntsville.

The team will take on Prairie View A&M, but until then, the team will be working on their main goal of making it to the Southland Conference Championships.

END GAME. The SHSU tennis team concluded their fall season on Monday with the ITA Regionals in Waco, TX.

CHRISTINA NICHOLS Staff Reporter The Sam Houston State University bowling team traveled to Orlando, Florida over the weekend to participate in the Wildcat Invitational, where they took home first place.

Last weekend’s victory was a historic win for the Bearkats.

While it was the first official win of the season, it was also the second consecutive tournament win for the 2016-17 schedule and the first time the team has taken first place in two separate tournaments back to back.

“It’s pretty exciting to win two [tournaments] in row,” Head Coach Brad Hagen said. “Mentally, that is a huge uplift.”

Starting Sunday as the number two seed, the Bearkats began the day with a loss against the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Following the defeat, the Bearkats matched up against Stephen F. Austin and defeated the Lumberjacks, which set the team back up against the Red Wolves for the title match.

In the title match, the Bearkats and Red Wolves split the first two wins, but SHSU went on to take the last three victories to defeat the third ranked team in the country in a best of seven series.

“On Sunday, we were back to our original game plan, which was super beneficial for us,” Hagen said. “It definitely helped with confidence a lot when the official plan was back in play.”

On Saturday, the Bearkats

went 4-1. The team started the day with two wins against Monmouth and Bethune-Cookman University. The only loss of the day was against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, but the day ended with two more victories against Tulane University and Texas A&M Prairie View.

“The field dictated how we played the lanes on Saturday,” Hagen said. “We had to change on the fly and we didn’t execute as well given there was some hesitation on what worked the day before but didn’t work on Saturday.”

The Bearkats completed the first day of the tournament as the number one seed with a record of 3-1. Over Friday’s four matches, the team averaged a score of 202 and defeated North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, ASU and Alabama State University.

To prepare for the Fairleigh Dickson University Jamboree next weekend, Hagen says the team took a much-needed mental break on Monday, but will jump back into a regular practice schedule as the week progresses.

“This past weekend was mentally exhausting for us, travel wise,” Hagen said. “On Tuesday, we will get back to work and on Wednesday we will tighten up the screws so we can head out the door for New Jersey on Thursday.”

This weekend the Bearkats will be in Elmwood, New Jersey for the FDU Jamboree.

Volleyball Season Nears Final Stretch Sports Reporter Gabriel Myers breaks down the Southland Conference standings and what to expect.

GABRIEL MYERS Sports Reporter @G_Myers33 Volleyball season is already coming down the final stretch, and with some Southland Conference teams having as little as five games remaining, the Southland Conference tournament is on every team’s mind. The top eight teams in the conference will make the conference tournament, and the race for those eight spots is very tight at the moment. The separation between the fourth place team in the conference, Sam Houston State, and the eighth place team in the conference, Southeastern Louisiana is a game and a half.

The Texas A&M Corpus-Christi Islanders are number one in the conference with a perfect 10-0 conference record.

The Islanders have been dominant in conference play this season, dropping only four sets in 10 conference games, and have been taken to five sets only once. The Islanders were the overwhelming favorites to win the conference in the preseason, and so far they have done nothing to change that.

After the Islanders, Stephen F. Austin, Houston Baptist, and Abilene Christian round out the top four. However, ACU is not eligible for the conference tournament this season, so that means Sam Houston, who is fifth, would move up to the fourth spot. Incarnate Word is currently seventh in the conference, but is also not eligible to compete in the tournament. After fourth place SHSU, there are five teams within two games of each other battling for the last four spots, and for seeding.

Of the teams eligible for the conference tournament, nobody besides TAMUCC currently holds more than a two game winning streak. There is a lot of parity in the conference, and it shows in the standings. So many teams are close in the standings, and when they play, it’s obvious on the court how evenly matched these SLC teams are. The conference tournament could hold a few surprises considering how evenly matched the competition is.

First team all-conference, and player of the year awards are also up for grabs. Lamar’s senior outside hitter Chelsea Grant looks to be one of the top contenders for player of the year, as she leads the conference in both kills and kills per set in conference play.

TAMUCC’s junior outside hitter Brittany Gilpin should also be in consideration for player of the year since she has been the best player for the conference’s best team.

SHSU senior setter Michelle Griffith is currently leading the conference in assists per set, and if she continues at this pace for the remainder of the season, she would have a very good chance at being named first team all-conference.

The Islanders are the favorites to win the conference tournament, and with good reason. Even though they are undefeated they have shown vulnerabilities at times this season. It would take a well-rounded game by one of the conference’s top teams to beat them, but in sports anything is possible.

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Kats Prepare for SLC Championships in Lumberjack Land HIVAN MORENO Sports Reporter @wild_game_boy SHSU cross country teams are currently preparing for the Southland Conference Championship on Oct. 28 in Nacogdoches, TX After a long three-week break, The Sam Houston State University cross country teams are back to work, as they ready up for the championship meet, which will feature all 13 schools in the conference.

The team is keeping the same preparation routine it has always had when it comes to the important conference championship meet.

“We basically prepare the same way like we do every year for the conference championship,” senior team captain Olivia Olguin said.

“We back off of training a little bit and give our legs time to catch up and rest, so that by the time conference comes around we are ready to just run our best and do well.”

The Southland Conference Championship meet takes place

at a different course every year.

This year, the races will take place at Stephen F. Austin’s course. For senior Ana Moreno, she feels that this is not a problem because the team has raced there before.

“We ran on this course at the beginning of the year, so we know what to expect,” Moreno said.

“Knowing how the track is and knowing from experience how to run on a track helps because there are no surprises.”

Last year at the SLC championships, the men’s and women’s teams placed in seventh overall.

Senior team captain Evan Aram-

Bearkats Ready for Out of Conference Battle Versus TSU GABRIEL MYERS Sports Reporter @G_Myers33 This Saturday the Sam Houston State Bearkats will face off against a non-conference foe, the Texas Southern Tigers. The Tigers are 3-4 so far on the season, but will be facing their toughest test on Saturday against the No. 1 ranked Bearkats.

TSU is coming off a 21-13 homecoming loss to Jackson State last Saturday.

At this point, TSU has had a very up and down season.

The Tigers started off the year with two straight losses, before coming back and winning their next three games. After the three games winning streak, the team once again faltered and lost their next two games.

So far this season, the Tigers have been in a lot of close games. Aside from a 31-0 victory, eight points, or fewer has decided every Tigers game.

The main thing the Bearkats will need to look out for with the TSU is their diversity on both offense and defense. The Tigers like to mix up personnel and formations on offense to keep their opponent off balance.

“You cannot put too much [preparation] in because you never know what they are going to do,” Head Coach K.C. Keeler said. “You may see 30 snaps of 22

personnel, which is two backs and two tight ends, or we could see it not one time the entire day.”

Preparing too hard for one formation, or one look by the Tigers’ offense could prove costly for the Bearkats since there is no guarantee what the Tigers will do game to game.

Keeler also praised the Tigers’ athleticism.

“They are athletic, they are very athletic,” Keeler said. “If we play to our potential we should be fine, but you cannot overlook them because they are so athletic.”

Multiple formations and athletic personnel is the scouting report on the Tigers. With the No. 1 ranking, comes a target, and the Bearkats are aware of what comes with being the top team in the country.

“I got them t-shirts with a bullseye on their back, since we have a bullseye on our back now,” Keeler said. “We just have to know that we are going to be everyone’s best game because we are the number one team.”

The Bearkats are scheduled to take on the Tigers on Saturday at 6 p.m. in Bowers Stadium.

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bula explains that his team can make a comeback and place at least top three this time around. He has high expectations for himself and the team.

“We really just have to begin our race conservatively but smart and then push towards the end,” Arambula said. “Everyone has a game plan and as long as we stick to our game plan, then we should at least place top three in the conference. For myself, I expect to place in top five” Senior teammate Chris Speaks also feels that his team can place high in the rankings.

“All we have to do is show up and show out,” Speaks said. “If we do that then we can easily place in top five.”

The teams biggest threat to watch out for this meet is SFA. Last year, the Lumberjacks placed in second overall for both the men’s and women’s teams. SFA also has a larger team and is playing with home field advantage.

The SLC championship will take place on Friday.

The Jump

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INTRAMURAL , page 1

have had to pay the price for the construction, as they’ve seen a drop in participation and have had to alter their playing times in order to adjust to not having the playable fields.

“There are a couple of things that have happened because of the Town Creek Project,” Director of Recreational Sports Keith Jenkins said. “Number one, we’ve seen a decrease in participation. Number two, there are no lights at the fields we’re playing at now, causing us to play more games on the weekends and we have to start earlier than we usually do.”

Flag Football is one of the largest intramural sports at SHSU. Jenkins said that teams have dropped from the sport because some of the games weren’t going to be played on campus.

“Normally, we have over 100 flag football teams, and this year, we aren’t able to hold them there [at intramural fields two and three] because of the Town Creek Project,” Jenkins said. “There was a drop of about 15 teams because it just wasn’t here on campus.

So, what we’re doing is using intramural field one and Holleman Field.”

The intramural fields were home to most of the SHSU club sports teams, such as the rugby and ultimate frisbee teams, but with construction, their practices have been relocated.

“We knew that we were going to be short on field space, so we made adjustments and moved all of our club sports programs over to upper and lower Pritchett Field,” Weaver said. “We used to have five teams practice over at Pritchett, but now we have all nine club teams practicing there.”

All construction on intramural fields two and three are expected to be finished by Nov. 1, which includes dirt flattened, lights installed and grass in place; but that’s where things get tricky.

Considering that grass in the south goes dormant in cold weather with the changing of the seasons, there’s a possibility that the root systems on fields two and three won’t catch.

If this happens, it’ll take the spring for intramural fields two and three to be playable again. However, two additional fields are being constructed over by Holleman Field in order to counteract any possibility of that happening.

“If the root systems don’t catch, it’s going to take us the spring semester to get them back in play,” Jenkins said. “Now, if it catches we might be able to put these two back into play, but it’s going to depend on the season and the root system. “That’s what pushed

us to work over at Holleman and create two fields there.”

The dirt from the other construction projects on campus is being brought to Holleman in order to aid the construction of the two off-campus fields. An agreement is also in place with McCaffety Electric to install lights on the new Holleman Fields in the spring semester.

“We don’t have a lot of flat space here around Huntsville,” Jenkins said. “We have a lot of hills, so when you’re trying to get flat playable space, that’s at a premium. That’s why we’re trying to create another flat playable space over at Holleman.”

Upon completion of the construction on intramural fields two and three, the amount of playable space will be less due to the new drainage system. Because of this, intramural softball may not be playable on those two fields and may have to be played at either Holleman Field or Josey Park.

“I’m not sure how it’s all going to end up, but I’m not sure if we’re still going to be able to play softball on those fields,” Jenkins said.

“We know that it’s not going to be an issue to play flag football, or soccer, or one of the linear sports, but softball could be in jeopardy.”

The Town Creek Project will continue in February with the renovation of intramural field one, which is by the sand volleyball courts. The construction is meant to line up the newly installed drainage system with its sister fields. Intramural field one will be out of play for both the Spring 2017 and summer sessions.

The construction of the intramural fields is limiting students’ college experience. The recreational and intramural programs are meant to teach students life lessons that can’t be taught in the controlled environment of a classroom, and the construction is hurting the full potential of that happening with the drop in participation.

“I believe that recreational sports, intramural sports, or club sports, enhance the total educational tool through participation,” Jenkins said. “Obviously, the best case scenario is that students don’t miss an opportunity that they’ve always had. Worst-case scenario is that we start cancelling stuff. I think it’s going to be somewhere in between, but more on the positive side.”

In the long run, the Town Creek Project will end up benefitting the community, as well as the recreation, intramural and club programs. The city of Huntsville’s flood issue will be lessened and nobody will have to worry about an outdated drainage system under the intramural fields in the future. In addition, the programs are picking up fields at Holleman, which could be used to expand certain sports.

Players of the Week

EMA BARKOVIC, TENNIS

The SHSU tennis team recently competed against the toughest competition in the state at the ITA Regionals. The junior from Croatia was the standout of the Bearkat bunch. She advanced to the semifinals in her singles bracket and made it to the quarterfinals with her doubled partner junior Mila Milanovic. The team will now prepare for their conference season.

SPORTS THIS WEEK.indd 1

JEREMIAH BRISCOE, QUARTERBACK

For the third time this year, Briscoe claims The Houstonian Player of the Week. The junior continued his dominate season on Saturday against Nicholls. He threw for 419 yards, his third 400-yard passing game of the season, and three touchdowns. No other quarterback in Sam Houston history has ever had three 400-yard passing games.

10/25/2016 10:40:31 PM