11/8 Weekly Edition

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

The Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University

The Official News Source of Sam Houston State University ACCIDENT, P. 2 Prolonged construction on campus yields the first notable accident for workers on the job.

Volume 129 | Issue 11

Students gather for Common Reader Film Festival

HEB, P. 2 The new store for a local Texas grocery chain has Huntsville abuzz, read all about it here.

TRIPOD, P. 3 Get to know Sam Houston State’s unofficial mascot: Tripod, The Three-Legged Dog.

/HoustonianSHSU

@HoustonianSHSU

FORCED PATRIOTISM, P. 4 Opinion: Senior Writer Nick Ward describes the fascism behind American patriotism. @HoustonianSHSU

Hope in Huntsville

EMILY DAVIS Asst. Associate Editor

FOODIE MOVIES. The MCOM Department hosted its capstone event for the common reader week Tuesday night, premiering a series of student films based on the Will Allen’s common reader.

MASEY WHITE Asst. Viewpoints Editor

—

FILM, page 2

Ryan Reynolds | The Houstonian

TREE OF HOPE BRINGS JOY. Students are stopping by the Leadership Initiatives office to help provide gifts to local Walker County children for the holidays. Supporting the local community is a mission of the University, highlighted by the motto, “A measure of a life is it’s service.”

SHARON RAISSI Staff Reporter The Tree of Hope is an annual charity effort put on by the Department of Leadership Initiatives. To participate, one must choose an item or items from a child’s wish list (provided by the department) and bring it back to the Leadership Initiatives office in the Lowman Student Center.

Those who wish to help have until Dec. 4 to get their contributions in.

“People can help out by stopping by LSC 328T to pick up an ornament with a wish list item on it,” Emily Snider, Department of Leadership Initiatives Program Specialist said. “The donation items will range from clothing items to toys of different types.

People are able to choose what they want donated from the items on the tree as well as how many

items they would like to take.”

All proceeds go to the Walker County Boys and Girls Club. Last year, more items were donated than were asked for, helping to expand the program and reach an even larger number of children than previously expected.

Since SHSU first got involved in 2011, Leadership Initiatives have been able to double the number of children that will benefit from the Tree of Hope from ages five to ten.

At a University whose motto is “A measure if a life it its service,” charity drives have the potential to thrive. For faculty and staff who want to better serve their school’s motto around the holidays, the Tree of Hope is a surefire way to accomplish that.

“This is a service project that directly benefits a community that is tied to Sam Houston State University,” Snider said. “While we

carry out the university’s motto in multiple places, this one hits home because it directly benefits the local community.”

Though she has a six-year history at SHSU, this is Snider’s first year to oversee the program. She is aided by student assistants such as Sarah Perez, who understand the gravity and potential of what is being done.

— HOPE, page 2

Ryan Reynolds | The Houstonian

With many general elections taking place Tuesday, the students and faculty of Sam Houston State University are once again asking, “Why isn’t SHSU a voting place?”

For decades, there have been several different student organizations and administrators that have pushed to make SHSU a polling location. The majority of students reside in Walker County for three to five years while undergoing their education, which qualifies those educated adults in the community, and gives them substantial grounds to vote.

“For the most part, we believe that SHSU should be a polling place,” President of Bearkat Democrats Hania Ahmed said. “The 18 to 29 year old voting bloc has historically been low, so we think that having polling places at SHSU or any university would be beneficial.”

In the early 1970’s SHSU was granted a polling station on campus. Their success in obtaining a ballet box on campus was anything but easy.

In those days Walker County was dry, meaning the sale of alcoholic beverages was prohibited.

The nearest place to purchase alcohol was in Trinity, so locals and college students were traveling out of town to go out to bars and liquor stores to buy drinks.

The Student Mobility Committee, Student Government Association, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and several other student organizations came together at the time and created a petition, in which several students, faculty members and community members signed in favor to vote the town wet.

“Students were 40 percent of the delegates, and people at the court house, town’s people and elective officials did not like the students voting,” Julian McMurrey, SHSU Student Body President in 1972, said. “It was during the Vietnam War, and we lead anti-war protests, and marches. We were scared all the time, and got threats from the Klu Klux Klan, and even Walker County Officials.

The Vice President of Student Affairs hated my guts, and tried —

VOTING, page 2

Photo courtesy Courthouses.co

POLLING PLACE. The Huntsville city annex is located just around four Graphic created Ethan Horn | The Houstonian blocks from campus. Many student’s FOR THE CHILDREN.The Houstonian Extra Life was successful purely due to our dedicated readers and a loving have even parked near the building community around Sam Houston State University. The $750 dollars raised will help people support their families due to construction around campus, and ill children in times of need. We want to also thank SHSU Esports and Quidditch for hosting segments. but students hope for a closer option.

January 17, 2018

What’s your take on

6:00 - 7:00 pm

Valentine’s Day? Cards, chocolate, dinner, wine

Student Affairs Annex

Room 129

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A quiet electorate: The Department of Leadership Initiatives aims to brighten holidays for Campus Walker County children with the annual Tree of Hope charity voting

Indya Finch | The Houstonian

On Nov. 7, dozens of students gathered in the Olson Auditorium to view films that have been produced by students at the second annual Mass Communication Common Reader Film Festival.

Although the films were all incredibly different, they all had one thing in common: food.

The common reader book this year was The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities by Will Allen, a retired professional basketball player who purchased a plot of inner-city land to build an urban farm. Film makers were encouraged to center their films around this concept.

Mass Communications Professor Elisa Herrmann believed this was an important chance for SHSU students and aspiring film makers.

“I think that this is a great opportunity for students because many of them have never been part of a festival and this is sometimes their very first experience with this,” Herrmann said. “[Filmakers] have a very friendly environment to show their films where they don’t have to fear about being judged or critiqued too harshly.”

Awards given out were honorable mention, best film, and a special award. All winners were given a trophy, certificates, and were invited to a luncheon with the common reader book’s author. The honorable mention award was given to a film entitled Order 407, an animation where a man goes to a restaurant that isn’t what it seems.

The best film award went to the first film of the festival, A Recipe for Success, which showed various students competing for a culinary scholarship.

The grand, special prize, which came with a $500 Amazon gift card, went to Farming Followers.

The film portrayed how farmers are revolutionizing the industry with technology.

SOUTHLAND STRONG, P. 5 The Southland Conference is finally getting the attention it rightfully deserves.

and roses, or scam?

Learn the importance of

Relationships & Money

communicating and agreeing on your preferences.

Student Money Management Center 919 Bearkat Blvd.

Student Affairs Annex 936.294.2600 - smmc@shsu.edu shsu.edu/smmc @SHSU_SMMC

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/news | Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Page 2 HOPE, page 1 — “The purpose is for students to get involved and donate gifts to kids who need them,” Perez said.

“It’s basically a way to get Sam Houston involved in something that can create a better Christmas for kids who couldn’t have Christmas otherwise.”

The Tree of Hope is just one way to contribute and make a child’s holiday brighter. The Walker County Boys and Girls Club is always accepting donations, and there are usually volunteer opportunities available as well.

“We are excited to see what participation looks like this year,” Snider said. “We did really well last year as a campus, and we would like to keep the momentum going.”

Bowers brings construction accident

FILM, page 1 — One of the two producers of this film, senior Agricultural Communications major Brackston McKnight felt that producing his film was incredibly beneficial.

“We met a lot of farmers along the way who said we use social media to connect to consumers and we think that’s going to be a big part of the future,” McKnight explained. “It’s a way to educate the public about where their food comes from.”

Photos courtesy Ruairi O’Brien

Indya Finch | The Houstonian

AWARDS. Students hold their awards after the film festival Tuesday night. After the films, the MCOM Department hosted a reception with refreshments.

Explainer:

The GOP tax reform bill, how it effects students ETHAN HORN Associate Editor The Republican Tax Bill feels, in many ways, like an old western movie for college students. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Part two.

While most of the coverage for the bill has been highlighting corporate rates and middle class returns (or the lack thereof), a whole section exists within the reform bill that would be hugely impactful to college students.

To break down the changes, it will probably be easiest to work in the order students might face these changes.

The first change is to 529 saving plans. These plans are designed to give families a secure place away from any taxes to save money for their children’s education. There is currently another style of Visit HoustonianOnline.com for the entire article.

VOTING, page 1 — to get me kicked out of school. It was scary, but we did not do it alone. With the mentorship and council of all those that helped us, the students became an electoral force in local politics is Huntsville. By voting, we were able to get the dorms Co-ed, de-segregate parts of campus, and make the town wet.”

Elliot T. Bowers, SHSU University President at the time, Walker County Judge Amus Gates and Professors Dr. Camfield and Dr. Frank Fair and his wife, as well as several student organizations, enabled the students of 1972 to make substantial changes in the Walker County area politically.

“If having a voting station on campus would increase the likelihood of students voting, then, like any measure that increases voter participation among any group, it strikes me as a good idea,” retired philosophy professor Frank Fair said.

BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS. For the last six months, Bowers Blvd. has seen countless construction and student complaints. (TOP LEFT) On Tuesday, one of the fences surrounding the construction was knocked down, injuring at least one person. (TOP RIGHT/BOTTOM LEFT) An ambulance, firetruck and a few police vehicles were sent to the scene. (BOTTOM RIGHT) The falling of the fence took out the stop sign at the intersection of Bowers Blvd. and Bobby K. Marks Dr.

Questions answered for new HEB building The new Huntsville H.E.B., located at 1702 11th Street, will officially be open for business on Nov. 15.

“We are thrilled to unveil a new store tailored for the Huntsville community,” Cyndy Garza Roberts, from Public Affairs H-E-B Houston said.

Country music artist Kevin Fowler will be preforming a free family concert to celebrate the grand opening of the H.E.B. on Nov. 14 in the H.E.B. parking lot. The gates will open at 6 p.m. and the concert will begin at 6:30 p.m.

The new 80,000 square-foot Huntsville H.E.B. will have many new features, including H.E.B. Curbside, the new online order and pick-up service.

Shoppers can create a grocery list on hebtoyou.com, submit their order, and select a pick up time. Shoppers then arrive at the scheduled time at the H.E.B. curbside location, where H.E.B. employees will have your items ready and load them into your car. There is an H.E.B Personal Shopper fee of $4.95 associated with H.E.B Curbside.

True Texas BBQ, a by-theplate or pound BBQ restaurant, will also be located inside the new H.E.B. Menu items include

brisket smoked with Texas Wood for up to 14 hours, and sides such as beans, creamed corn, potato salad, coleslaw, and much more. True Texas BBQ also has bundle options for feeding large parties, and online ordering is available.

Another notable feature is H.E.B. Meal Simple, chef inspired meals that are easy to prepare and ready to serve in minutes. Meals include graband-go salads, casseroles, and many other restraint quality entrees.

Other updates to H.E.B will include an in-house pharmacy and drive thru, pick-up and drop-off counters, immunizations, and a patient education room. There is a seafood department with a wide variety of meal-ready solutions, fresh wild and natural seafood, and a sushi counter with sushi made fresh daily. There is also a meat market, bakery, organic selections, and over 1,500 wine varieties to choose from. There is also a gas station at the new location.

“Our H.E.B gas station is scheduled to open in early November as well,” Roberts said.

A mural project hosted by H.E.B., Sam Houston State University and The Wynne Home Arts Center allowed 100 Huntsville area kids to create a permanent piece of art and community within the new H.E.B.

NEW BUILDING FOR HEB. The Texas based grocer is opening a new building this month after months of community anticipation. We have answers above for all the questions you may have, as well as some you don’t!

McMurrey encourages all students to take advantage of their right to vote in Walker County and make a difference in the community in which they live.

“Get active and make changes for the students who live here,” McMurrey said. “You can change things in the county, state and federal level. It all starts local.”

Anyone is qualified to vote within the state you reside as long as you are at least 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen and registered to vote in your county. To register to vote within Walker County, as well as any other counties, an individual must contact the County Tax Collector Assessor office and register with them by mail or in person.

“It has been my experience that, as far as registering student voters is concerned, students are treated no differently than anyone else,” Fair said.

If a student moves to Walker County from a different county, they must contact the Walker County Tax Collector Asses-

sor office and file a change of residence before they can vote in Walker County. Also, changing their residence to Walker County cancels their registration in the former county, because no one is allowed to vote in two different places during the same election season.

The current polling location for Walker County is at the Walker County Annex on 13 Street, about four blocks from the SHSU campus. Some people expressed that fighting to obtain a polling unit on campus would be unreasonable since there is already a voting facility within walking distance of campus, and that since some Walker County residents must drive miles from outside of town to vote at the Annex, the students should not be given a voting location on campus.

“If we had a polling place on campus, it would provide more opportunities to be informed with candidates running, because we would have a stronger voice in our county,” Ahmed said. “It

would also provide incentives for candidates running to include our views and ideas when running our local government.

There are a few road blocks that have been encountered when universities attempt to create polling locations on campus. One of which is budget.

Since there are four wards in Walker County, there must be four different polling locations – one for each ward – all of which must be staffed. For at least the two weeks during election, at each location there should be four to five individuals running the ballet boxes; at least two of which will run primaries, at least two staff members running any of the other elections taking place at the same time, and security officials at each station. All of which are being paid by tax payers. With each staff member being paid a minimum of $8.25 for their service, the cost reaches into the thousands for a campus voting location alone.

“There are some however, that feel that making SHSU a polling

EMILY DAVIS Asst. Associate Editor

The mural will be unveiled during the grand opening ceremony on Nov. 15.

“We are currently exploring various options to showcase local Huntsville artists,” Roberts said.

Huntsville H.E.B. has em-

ployed nearly 100 new workers and is still taking applications for serval different positions.

The H.E.B. location on Sam Houston Ave. will close its doors at 2 p.m. on Nov. 14, according to employees, and the existing property is currently for sale.

Morgan Phillips | The Houstonian

place could ramp up animosity between people with different ideologies,” Ahmed said.

Another barrier is the 100Foot Rule, which is a requirement in the law and prohibits all forms of campaigning or electronic devices within 100 feet of the entrance to the polling locations. This has the potential to disrupt the learning environment, since this would require all cell phones, laptops, and political T-shirts, flyers, etc., to be absent within this 100-foot perimeter.

“We have the potential to change things for the better just by voting in elections,” Ahmed said. “I am completely for making SHSU a polling place.

Being involved in the political process and being informed are extremely important, especially in a small town like Huntsville.

Students make up a pretty good portion of the population, so why shouldn’t we be involved with whom we elect or with what propositions should be passed.”

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/campusculture | Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Page 3

Tripod, The Three-Legged Dog SHSU’s unofficial mascot prepares for 56th anniversary DEMETRE FOSTER Contributing Reporter In a few months, Sam Houston State University will honor the 56 anniversary of the passing of Tripod, the Three-Legged Dog. He was the unofficial mascot of SHSU for over fifteen years.

Tripod’s owner was a SHSU graduate that decided to abandon Tripod right after graduation. Tripod wandered onto SHSU in 1948 and became a part of the school ever since. He was a mixed breed dog with a mustard colored coat. The name itself is a bit misleading, Tripod had all of his legs, but the front right leg was crippled.

Tripod gained his popularity through his condition. His struggle concerned students so much that the student body raised $50 to have his leg fixed. Unfortunately, a veterinarian from Texas A&M could not help Tripod, because his leg was severely broken. The students returned him to campus, but continued to take

him for regular check-ups and new collars.

Tripod never barked or threatened any of the students on campus. The only instances where Tripod showed his aggressive side was when he caught the scent of other dogs on his turf.

He would fight against the mutts and sometimes became injured in the fights. Tripod had carried himself as if he was the king of the campus.

Dan Rather nicknamed Tripod “The Three-legged Don Juan of College Hill” because Tripod had a tendency to attract the attention of female students away from their boyfriends.

Tripod also attended various events on campus including football games, parades and even hung out in classrooms. Tripod often walked on to the football field during a game and no one was particularly upset with him.

In several parades, there were floats dedicated to Tripod. One year there was a float that displayed Tripod, one of Tripod’s “wives” and six of his offspring.

Dr. Harmon Lowman, the President of Sam at the time, shared a fond memory of Tripod during Tripod’s Eulogy.

“I tried to make a home for him in my garage,” Lowman said. “I left food for him there and made him a good bed. Other dogs ate his food and he ignored the bed.

Tripod was not going to give any more consideration to the wishes of the college president than he was to any other person on campus.”

On a cold day in January, Jerry Roe found Tripod dead in Sam Houston Park. Tripod was brought to the Sigma Chi House.

He was said to have died of old age and freezing weather conditions. On January 12, 1962 he was buried on the hill in front of Old Main.

Tripod’s funeral brought hundreds of people out to bid him a proper farewell. Classes were canceled for the day. The ceremony included the marching band; a three-gun salute, Lowman’s speech and two full pages were dedicated to Tripod in the

Photo courtesy Sam Houston State University Archives

“1962 Alcalde.”

Later, a tombstone was erected to the memory of Tripod, the unofficial mascot. The headstone’s engraving reads “Tripod, 1941-1962, Beloved Mascot, Loyal Supporter, Friend of

Students.” The tombstone still stands today in recognition of the mixed-breed dog.

/HoustonianSHSU @HoustonianSHSU

Demetre Foster | The Houstonian

ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN. Tripod, the Three-Legged Dog, passed away on January 12, 1962. His tombstone can be found near the Old Main Market ruins.

Diversity “Stranger Things Season 2”: It delivers Fall Reader: House on Mango Street

INDYA FINCH Asst. Campus Culture Editor Disclaimer: Indya Finch is a member of the Diversity Council.

LINDSEY JONES TV/Film Reviewer Disclaimer: This is a non-spoiler review.

Netflix’s very peculiar prodigy child “Stranger Things” blesses eager fans with a binge-worthy marathon of unmatched wit, hard-to-ignore old and new characters and a surprisingly good story of heart-wrenching despair in its long-awaited follow-up that is stranger and more nightmarish than the last.

Despite its faltering moments and bouts of hair-pulling stupidity, “Stranger Things: Season 2” delivers the goods when needed, humor and 80s references when wanted, and frightening moments when viewers least expect it —keeping us on our toes well beyond the season’s end. Its talent for directing the extraordinary in new directions, coupled with its fantastically audacious unpredictability makes this season’s story and character dynamics arguably more compelling than the first.

Written yet again by the Duffer Brothers — Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer — with inspiration from horror and science fiction

kings Steven Spielberg, Stephen King and John Carpenter, “Stranger Things: Season 2” is set a year after the first season’s events in 1983 (October 1984).

While this season has no problem delivering the “strange” with even stranger content, revitalizing the timelessness of 80s science fiction and horror, it often (almost every episode) falls on its face when the storytelling grinds to a startling halt. The slow burn exposition littering the first season is so brilliantly woven together that its cuts from dialogue between main characters like Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike (Finn Wolfhard) or Hopper (David Harbour) only serve to enhance the show’s intrigue. The uneven pacing in season two may burn its way through some viewers’ patience. It lacks its predecessor’s great pacing and consistency in tone, taking away some of its enjoyment and rewind value.

Nevertheless, the realistically quirky (and Demogorgon-slaying) characters redeem most of the season’s pacing flaws. With tensions skyrocketing between friends and family, emotional scars are laid bare for everyone to see. This season’s authenti-

cally tear-jerking performances dominated the hearts of fans and reminded everyone of what makes “Stranger Things” a oneof-a-kind.

Noah Schnapp is emotionally raw as Will Byers. He delivers an engrossing personification of a boy who cannot — to save his life — catch a break. From teary psychological breakdowns to frightening supernatural seizures, Schnapp leads the most heartfelt moments of “Stranger Things: Season 2” into hairraising, heart-pounding crescendos that leave viewers shaken to the core. While he is not Eleven, Will needs (and deserves) all of the love and support he can get.

The biggest character surprise came in the form of a fiery, redheaded girl — Max Mayfield.

When things hit the fan, Max is the first to take action. When someone crosses her, she has no problem standing up for herself (and her friends). Sadie Sink brings it as Max, fleshing out an emotionally scarred individual with a weaponized temper, making her stand out as one of this season’s favorites.

The characters (and acting talents) are responsible for this show’s success. That does not

The Fall 2017 Diversity Reader event took place on Nov. 1 during the late afternoon in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom, where students gathered to read Sandra Cisneros’ “House on Mango Street”.

Dr. Jeffrey Littlejohn opened mean that the character and the event by introducing the modtheir idiotic decisions are free erators for the evening who were from my criticism. One moment, Dr. Ching-In Chen and Dr. Siham characters are smart. the next, Bouamer. They described the they forget that they are smart. event and how it would run before While I’m not blind to the implithey introduced the winner of the cation of character development Hispanic Heritage Month Poetry and naturally stupid decisions Slam, Indya Finch, to perform her that are made during times of poem ‘How to be Puerto Rican in extreme stress, this does not 10 Easy Steps.’ mean that viewers will give their After her poetry reading, a volbeloved characters a “you can unteer read one of the vignettes do stupid things every episode” from the book, ‘My Name.’ Parfree card. The very questionable ticipants of the round tables then decision-making done by some told stories about their names, more than others (constantly) where they came from and how weighs on the season’s likethey felt about them. After several ability, making it easier to yell minutes of discussion, the tables at screen more for face palmspoke to the larger groups with worthy decisions than moments their thoughts and what their tawhere Demogorgons show up on bles discussed. The event had two screen. more poems read by their authors “Stranger Things: Season later in the evening. Both poets 2” burdened its viewers with also performed at the Hispanic noticeable pacing issues. It Heritage Month Poetry Slam. cultivated countable “why” moAlong with a short music break, ments. but that does not mean where the audience listened to Sothat viewers should go into this lange’s “Don’t touch my Hair.” with the low expectations. What Earlier this semester the CHSS this season lacks in consistency, Committee for Diversity and InSeason 2 outshines in character clusion and the SHSU Office of development, unpredictability Student Activities announced, and horror. Oh, yes — “Stranger Things: Season 2” delivers the Visit HoustonianOnline.com for horrific goods in more ways than the entire article. fans would expect.

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/viewpoints | Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Page 4

Facisim of forced American patriotism Pa ws UP

for his beliefs.

When the Kaepernick controversy first started, I did not think or care about it too much.

I do think Kaepernick’s cause is important and genuine, but I am not a football watcher so I did not feel that connected to the story.

I did casually think Kaepernick was a genius. Whether or not you agree with how he protested, there is no denying Kaepernick was successful in getting his point across. You could not watch the news or get on social media without seeing a debate about whether his cause was valid or was it the appropriate method of protesting, the best part being none of the debaters even realizing this is exactly what he wanted.

If we had just stuck to debates and criticism of Kaepernick’s debate, it would already be old news, but then this controversy went crazy. As the story was starting to calm down, Kaepernick had opted out of his contract with the 49ers, becoming a free agent. After becoming a free agent, no team signed Kaepernick throughout the offseason or training camp.

This was considered weird due to Kaepernick’s achievements, and quarterbacks worse than

NICK WARD Senior Viewpoints Writer Colin Kaepernick is currently the most famous player in the National Football League, and it has nothing to do with his ability as a player. Kaepernick is the most well-known football player right now because he refused to stand during the national anthem in 2016 in response to how African Americans were being treated by the police. Kaepernick’s actions caused a media storm so big that it is still one of the biggest topics in America over a year and one president later, the reason being the increase in hostility from those who believe Kaepernick is disrespecting America, and the response from those who believe Kaepernick is being persecuted

Kaepernick have been signed quicker. Because of this, accusations that the NFL was blackballing arose, and this debate became about the violation of freedom of expression. The irony is that there has not been too much debate on whether or not that was the reason for his firing, with the debate rather being on whether or not the NFL is justified in doing this.

Even President Donald Trump chimed saying any “son of a ----should be fired”, and this support for Kaepernick’s blackballing is where the opposition went wrong.

I agree with Kaepernick’s cause and his protest, but I understand some do not, and I respect your right to disagree.

And if you want to criticize how he is protesting on your show, publication and social media, go right ahead, but when you support having his career taken away just because of a peaceful protest, that is when you go from descent to fascist. When you are criticizing him on a media platform, you are exercising your constitutional right without supporting infringement on his, but supporting his blacklisting and the blacklisting of any other player that does the same thing is

a different story.

In the end, he is not harming or threatening people. He is not endangering the lives of American soldiers. He is not trying to bring America down.

He does not hate America, the military or law enforcement.

In fact, he went from sitting to kneeling because a military veteran asked him to do it.

Ultimately, you are just calling for his blacklisting for no other reason besides you not agreeing with him, something his critics have sometimes validly criticized liberals for.

I love America and stand for the National Anthem, but I understand people have the right not to and will not fight against it. If you are standing up for the National Anthem not because you love America, but because you have to, does it or the flag mean anything? The whole point of America is that you have freedom of expression as long as it does not infringe on other people’s rights. Even if the NFL can legally do that to Kaepernick because they are a private company, it still goes against the values of the Constitution, and those who agree with the league will just increase opposition the more they push it.

Paws up to the new iPhone X. Its retail value is about 20,000 Bearkat Bucks.

Paws down to the 378th mass shooting in the United States this year according to Mass Shooting Tracker.

Stigmatizing mental illness, mass shootings, gun control MASEY WHITE Asst. Viewpoints Editor On Nov. 5 our country experienced yet another horrendous event. A gunman that honestly does not even deserve his name to be recognized in this newspaper open fired at a church during a Sunday service, killing 26 and injuring 20 individuals.

I have always avidly, although not very publicly, hated the fact that we have so few restrictions on gun use. It infuriates me that, although there have been a ridiculous and saddening amount of reasons to, it seems that America simply refuses to have the gun discussion we so desperately need. And now, when we have yet another opportunity for our country to realize that we have a major problem that

needs to be fixed, our president provides completely out of line justifications over what he believes the problem is.

When the question of gun control was raised to President Donald Trump, he replied, “Mental health is your problem here. This is not a gun situation.

This is a mental health problem at the highest level. It’s a very sad event.”

I find several major issues with this argument that our president and so many gun supports claim. The first is that this is, in the entirety of the definition, a scapegoat. This is taking the problem of gun ownership and all of the dangers that come with it, particularly with its lack of control and regulations, and throwing out the first thing gun supporters can think of that may be the issue: mental illness.

Yet they also claim it could be terrorism, religiously fueled or politically caused. The only thing that all of these reasons have in common is that they are all flawed

excuses that completely ignore the real problem: guns. Plus, in February, President Trump literally undid a regulation from Obama’s Administration that made it more difficult for people with mental illness to obtain guns. And yes, you can argue that guns do not kill people; people kill people. But the sad fact is that people use guns to kill people. So why do we not make it harder for them to do that?

Additionally, approximately 44 million Americans suffer from mental illness. Blaming a massacre on mental health issues is an outrageous insult to all of those suffering. People with mental illness are fighting their own battles in their own minds, and most of them want nothing but the best for everyone in their lives. To pin all of the issues that America has with gun control on completely harmless and loving people is the most ridiculous Visit HoustonianOnline.com for the entire article.

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The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/sports | Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Page 5

Southland conference stronger than ever

W HO’ S T HAT

K AT ?

Clue #1: She is entering her twelfth year as a head coach at Sam Houston State University.

Clue #2: She received a degree in physical education from SHSU in 1989. She would later get her master’s from West Florida in 1992.

Clue #3: She is a native of Jennings, LA and has three children- two sons, Brady and Brock, and a daughter, Brelee.

Graphic created by Morgan Phillips | The Houstonian RESPECT. The Southland Conference football teams seem to be gaining respect from coaches and committees around the nation. What does this mean for Sam Houston State University’s playoff aspirations?

GABRIEL MYERS Sports Writer Last year at this time the Sam Houston State Bearkat football team was a perfect 9-0 and had an offense that was setting records in the process. No team had played the Bearkats within 13 points all season, and yet SHSU was ranked fifth in the FCS playoff committee’s poll.

In a season where the Bearkats were historically dominant, the playoff committee gave them no respect despite being the only undefeated team remaining in the FCS. Some would say the Bearkats have actually underachieved in 2017 coming off their dominating 2016 season. It took a last

minute drive to beat Northwestern State at home, a team that has not even threatened SHSU on the scoreboard in recent years. The Kats matched up against Stephen F. Austin at a neutral site where the SHSU fans easily outnumbered SFA’s and the Jacks were without their starting quarterback. Surprisingly (and perhaps unacceptably), the game was within one score with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. While there have been some dominant performances, like a 66-17 win against a ranked Nicholls State team on Sept. 23, there has also been a 41-30 loss on the road to Central Arkansas. The Bearkats have not been the offensive juggernaut that they were all of last season, but despite the

slight dip in success they sit in almost the exact same spot in the polls they were one year ago. Last year the Bearkats were fifth; this year they are currently sitting sixth in the FCS playoff committee rankings.

A season ago, the Bearkats were given no respect. This had more to do with the strength of the conference, however, than the talent of the team. The Kats lacked the respect they deserve because the Southland Conference was given no respect. The committee had only one other SLC team ranked, and after that no team even sniffed the rankings. This year the Bearkats were ranked sixth, and the Bears of UCA were ranked number four. Even in the coaches poll, two fellow Southland members

were ranked in the top 20 with Nicholls State and McNeese State coming in at 17 and 18 in the most recent standings released Monday morning. The Southland is just a better and deeper conference than they were a season ago. Despite the Bearkats struggles at times this year, they sit in a very good position.

The Bearkats sitting at number six in the committee rankings is big because the top eight teams get a bye and then get to host a second-round playoff game. It seemed almost certain the Bearkats had lost their opportunity to host a playoff game after their mid-season loss. That is not the case, however, and with two very winnable games the Bearkats could be looking at

must not see the season as a failure, however, if they want to get to the next step. In the 2016 season, the Bearkats only won two games as they went 2-16-1 overall. The team had a huge turn around this year as they

went 7-9-2 overall and 4-5-2 in conference play.

“I thought we got better as the season went along,” Brown said. “We graduate two of these players but return a whole host of players who have fantastic experience.”

The Bearkats seem to have a bright future ahead of them.

The best way to describe the 2016 season was a part of their growing pains. For the team to get better, they had to be bad.

With a young cast of players, the team feels that they can only improve.

“There are a lot of new and young faces,” Brown said. “We’ll take the disappointment of today but I think that will help us develop as a team going into future years.”

Soccer wraps up ‘17 HIVAN MORENO Asst. Sports Editor The Sam Houston soccer team wrapped up their 2017 season last Wednesday as they fell to the SFA Lumberjacks 4-1 in the first round of the SLC playoffs.

The Bearkats kept the game tight in the first half. Sam Houston had many opportunities to score from corner kicks and move the ball down the field, but could not capitalize on those chances.

“I thought the team played very well in the first half,” head coach Tom Brown said. “We had

some great momentum and just unfortunately, couldn’t get the ball in the back of the net.”

As the second half began, Sam Houston looked like they slowed down while SFA was only getting hotter. The Ladyjacks scored an early goal in the second half and never looked back from there. The Bearkats’ only score came from junior Carly English.

“I think when the second goal came for them early in the second half and they got the penalty kick right after, that really put a dent in the players’ momentum,” Brown said. “It hard was to come back.”

The Sam Houston soccer team

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK COREY AVERY RUNNING BACK

Senior running back Corey Avery was a scoring machine last Saturday against the University of Incarnate Word Cardinals. Avery had 12 carries in the game, and three of them went for touchdowns. He got the offense started early with a pair of touchdowns within the first five minutes of the game.

While he only netted 53 yards on the day, the majority of his carries were in the red zone. Avery now has 11 touchdowns during the 2017 campaign.

SHSU BOWLING TEAM

Just two weeks after Madysen Keller bowled the first individual 300 in SHSU history, the team stepped up and bowled a perfect game Sunday at the Kat Klash in Houston. The incredible performance came against the conference rival Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. Haley Connelly literally got the ball rolling and Madysen Keller took over from there.

Amber MacLeod would finish it off with a strike in the tenth frame to seal the 300 for the Kats.

not only hosting a second-round game, but if all breaks right in the last two weeks in the Big Sky conference the Bearkats could possibly find themselves as a top-four seed. They have the rest of the Southland Conference to thank for that.

@HoustonianSHSU @HoustonianSHSU

The Bearkats will need to revolve around sophomore Carlota Suarez Crespo in the coming seasons if they want to compete for a conference title. Crespo transferred from Colegio Caude in Madrid, Spain back in April 2016 and has been an asset to the Bearkats. Crespo has been a key piece to SHSU’s bounce back season and was named Second Team All-Conference.

The team will look to jump back into competitive play in fall 2018.

Photos courtesy Bill Birt, Brian Blalock

SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS, AND BALFOUR PRESENTS:

The Official Ring Ceremony Wednesday, November 8, 2017 Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum Check-in at 5:00 PM | Ceremony Begins: 6:30 PM

(The names listed below are those students who have purchased an official class ring and are eligible to participate in the Ring Ceremony) STEPHANIE ABARCA MARY ACOSTA KAYTLIN ADAMS MADISON AGAN NATASHA AGUAYO GRICELDA AGUILAR BLANCA AGUIRRE JACQUELINE AGUIRRE BRIAN ALDACO EMILY ALEXANDER MEGAN ALEXANDER MARLENE ALFARO AUSTIN ALLEN ANTHONY ALMANZA JACKELYN ALONSO JORDAN ALSTON MARSHALL ALTOM LUIS ALVARADO ZACHARY ALVARADO BRIANNA ALVAREZ LINDSEY ALVEY COURTNEY ANDERS MONICA ANDERSON KATHERINE ANDREWS KAYLA ANDREWS BRIANNA ARRIOLA MADELINE AUTREY ALANA AVILES LAUREN BAILEY SARAH BAILEY BRITTANY BAIMBRIDGE JORDAN BAIRD TRAVIS BAKER GABRIELA BALDIZON ASHLEY BALDWIN KELLY BALLARD KAELA BANDY ALYSSA BARENTINE BRADY BARHAM ELIZABETH BARNES MATTHEW BARNES FELICIA BARSH RUKHSAAR BAWA CHELSEA BAY LANDON BAZAR MICHAEL BECK LES BELLAH WHITNEY BENNETT TAYLOR BENYAK KAITLYN BERRY MATTHEW BEST CHRISTINA BILKA BRANDY BISHOP EMMA BLONDILLO JOHN BOGAN ASHLYNNE BOLES JULIANA BONE LACI BOOTH CLAUDEL BORJA JENNA BOULLION MARIA BOZIC ADIA BRADFORD CASSIDY BRADY MEGHAN BRADY LACY BRELAND DIANE BREWER HOLLY BREWER KAYCIE BRIDGES TANNER BRITT CHEYENNE BROTHERS ASHLEY BROWN BLAKE BROWN GABRIELLA BUCKELEW AMANDA BURGESS TAYLOR BURNETT VICTOR BURTON VIRGINIA CADE ALEJANDRA CADENA BERENISE CALDERON STEVEN CALIXTRO HANNAH CALLAWAY MARIA CALLETANO ASHLEY CAMARILLO CHAD CAMPODONICO JENNIFER CANALES SAMANTHA CANDRIAN CASSANDRA CARDENAS CYNTHIA CARDENAS LINDSAY CARR TYLER CARRETTE AMY CARRINGTON CHRISTINA CARSWELL ANGELICA CASAS RACHEL CASCIO LAURA CASPER YESENIA CASTANEDA JOSE CEDILLO VERA CELESTINE JOAN CEPEDA ANDREA CERVANTES MACIE CHAPA ALEXANDER CHARTIER ANNE CHATMAN EDGAR CHAVARRIA ALYSSA CHAVEZ PENNY CHAVEZ TAISHARA CHISM ANNALIESE CHITTY HALEY CHRISTEL ASHLYN CHRISTOPHER KELLI CLARK SELINA CLEMENT JACK CLINE PATRICE COLEMAN JONAH COLLIER ARIELLE COLVIN MATTHEW CORN BENJAMINA COVARRUBIAS CARL CRAMM CHELSEA CRANNIE DANIELLE CRANNIE AMANDA CRAWFORD BAILEY CREIGHTON JASMINE CRUM KAYLA CRUZ SAMANTHA CUELLAR JUAN CUEVAS KOKIE CUMMINGS KRYSTAL DABNEY KATHERINE DALEY MICHAEL DAMIAN CALLIE DANIELS

TERRAN DANIELS CEARRA DARNELL CHANCE DAVID DEONNA DAVIS SAMANTHA DAVIS BECKY DELUNA BRENDON DIAZ VANILLY DIAZ BRANDON DODSON CANDICE DOLLEY TAYLOR DONAIS DANIEL DOUGLAS STEVEN DOUGLAS KYRSTIN DOWNS KAITLYN DOYLE MI’CAH DUCROS JESSICA DUKE AVERY DUNCAN RACHEL DUPLER SCOTT EBY CALI EDDINS HAILEY EDMISTON-GILBERT ELISABETH EIKREM DEVAN ELLIOTT KAYLA ELLIOTT STEPHANIE ENDLER AUSTIN ESCOBEDO GABRIELA ESPINOZA DEREK ESTRELLO ELIZABETH EVANS KAILYN EVANS KATHARINE EVANS TYLER EYRING

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BRITTANY FAIRCLOTH MEKAIL FAQUIR JOHN FEAZELL DYLAN FERGUSON TANIA FERNANDEZ ALEXIS FESTA HOLLY FIFE KALLIE FINKE ANNA FISCHER KRYTON FISCHER REBECCA FISHER JESSICA FLEMING ADAN FLORES TANNER FLORUS TRACY FORD TRYSTAN FORET TARA FOX AARON FOXWORTH JARRET FRANKLIN BRITTANY FRANZ KENIA FUENTES SARAH FUENTES BROOKE FUGATE JOSE FUNES ASHETON FURLOUGH DUSTIN GAILHART CAITLIN GAJEWSKI CHLOE GALLAGHER JAIME GARCIA YUZMARA GARCIA JUSTIN GARIEPY BRENT GARNER DAVID GARZA KATELYN GARZA SHARON GARZA SHELBY GEORGI ALISON GERSCH BRIANA GIBBS AMY GIBSON ALLISON GILBERT CHRISTINA GILLESPIE VICTORIA GLEASON KAYLYN GLENN SHELBY GLENN GRANT GODFREY ESTRELLA GODINEZ ERIC GOMEZ ANGELICA GONZALES MATTHEW GONZALES ALEINA GONZALEZ ARACELI GONZALEZ ELIZABETH GONZALEZ SARIMARY GONZALEZ VALERIE GONZALEZ VERONICA GONZALEZ BRITTANY GOODNIGHT SHANA GORMAN CORAL GRAPPE NATHANIEL GRAVES CODY GRAY SAMANTHA GREEN TREVOR GREER NATALIA GUALTEROS KARINA GUERRA ALAN GUERRERO AYDEE GUERRERO ALEXIS GUILLEN WILLIAM GUPTON VIRIDIANA GUTIERREZ REBECCA HALL TYLER HAMILTON SARA HAMMOND DANIEL HARRELL TRACE HARRIS WILLIAM HARRIS WHITNEY HASCHKE SEAN HAWKINS CHRISTIAN HECKMAN DESTINEE HEDRICK RICHARD HEIGES LAUREN HENAGER SAMANTHA HENDERSHOT ASHLEIGH HENDERSON TYLER HENDERSON

JENNA JOHNSON KOURTNEY JOHNSON LAUREN JOHNSON BREANNA JOLIVETTE ARNESHIA JONES TAYLOR JONES BREANNA JOYCE TORREY JUNEAU MICHEL KAHIL COURTNEY KAISER MADISON KALTWASSER DAVID KEAGLE ASHLEY KELLEY HUNTER KELSOE KADE KENDRICK CODY KENT KAYLA KERR LAURA KIBLER CASSIDY KINA CODY KINCHELOE BRENDA KINDRED TRAVIS KING TY KIRK ALEXANDER KNOLL MEAGAN KRAHN KELSEY KRALMAN KRISTINA KRANSON ROSEMARY KRENEK BENJAMIN KRESTA CODY KRESTA HALEY KROLCZYK KLINTON KRUS KATIE KUBES MIRANDA LACAZE STACEY LAGRONE RILEY LAKIN MORGAN LAUGHLIN MEGAN LEE JORDAN LIKENS JUAN LINO DANIELLE LITZEN LEWIS LOEB ADRIANNA LOFTIN ALEXIS LOLL HECTOR LOPEZ BRITTNEE LORENCE SYDNEY LUERDING RYAN LUSSIER REAGAN LYNCH TZE KWAN MAK SHALEH MALVEAUX TRAVIS MAMAUX ELIZABETH MANCIA MEREDITH MANN JOCELYN MARABILLO MEGAN MAREZ BRODI MARKUM STEPHANIE MARTIN BEATRIZ MARTINEZ VIRGIL MARTINEZ AMANDA MASSEY ALYSSA MATA DESTANIE MATHEWS CHRISTA MATTHYS KELSEY MAXWELL KAYLA MAY DEVON MAYER STEPHANIE MAYNE JOHN MAYS JOHN MCADAMS CORY MCCAFFETY KATHRYN MCCANN KAYLA MCCARNS SHAWNA MCCONNELL BRIANNA MCCUE JULIA MCKINNEY ASHLYN MEDLIN TARYNE MELOFSKY PHILIP MENDEZ ARACELI MENDOZA MEAGAN MERICLE ASHLEY METTLACH ALEXIS MEYER EMILIE MEYER

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NATALIE SCHNEIDER MEGAN SCHULTE MADISON SCHWANDT JACOB SCOTT MAYA SCOTT ASHLEY SEGURA MCKENZIE SEIBERT VICTORIA SERRATO LAUREN SHANKS CHEYENNE SHAW WINDY SHELTON KELSHAWN SHIELDS JESSE SHOEMAKE AMANDA SIMMONS KATHERINE SIMONE ERIN SKARKE SCOTT SKOLASKI MAKENZIE SMAJSTRLA SARAH SMALLWOOD BERYL SMITH EBONEE SMITH JUSTIN SMITH JUSTIN SMITH MALLORY SMITH TYE SMITH XAVIER SMITH DEIDRA SNELL-EVANS JASON SOLIS JOSEPH SOLIS GEORGE SONNIER HANNAH SOUTHERN ASHLEY SOWELL STACY SPELL STERLING SPELL JACKSON SPENCER ROBERT SPIRKO GENEVA SPREEN ARRIANNA STANDARD JASON STEVENS SYDNE STEVENS BROOKE STOUT SYDNEY STRAWN AMBER SZYMCZAK JOCELYN TAHAY JAMES TALBERT BAYLIE TAYLOR ALENTRIA THOMAS ADAM THOMAS TIMBER THOMSON ANARE TIMMONS TURKI TOBIGI COURTNEY TOLIVER KASEY TORKELSON HALEY TORRES RONNY TORRES NATHAN TOVAR ALEXANDRIA TREVINO RACHEL TRUEBLOOD RACHEAL TUGGLE SHELBIE TUNNING JOHN TURNER KEYLI TURNER RODNEY TURNER VANESSA TURRUBIARTES ERIC UNFRIED ELIZABETH VALERA LORRAE VANDIVER AUSTEN VANEK GRACE VANN MAKAYLA VARGAS GERARDO VAZQUEZ DEVIN VECERA RUBY VELA RICARDO VELA, JR. NEREYDA VERA RACHEL VERDEJA DESTANI VILLAREAL HAYLEY VILLARREAL DIANA VILLATORO LISSELOTTE VILLATORO JOSHUA VITA DARREN VIVEROS MICHAELA VIVOLA AIMEE VOILES TIFFANY VONBRUNOW KHANH VU JAIME VYKUKAL BRITTANY WAGONER CODY WALKER MADELINE WALKER ERICA WALLACE KAITLIN WALTERS MACEY WALTERS DARIAN WASHINGTON KATLYN WATKINS MALAINA WATSON KATELYN WEBB DREW WEIS JOSHUA WELCH ANTHONY WELEBOB JAMES WELLS HOLLY WENTZ REBEKAH WERNER PERRY WESLEY VICTORIA WHEELER JUSTIN WHITAKER CHELSEA WHITE COLIN WIGGINS KALEY WILDER CARLY WILLIAMS HANNAH WILLIAMS MADISON WILLIAMS MARIA WILLIAMS NIKOLE WILLIAMS PRECIOUS WILLIAMS SARAH WILLIAMS SHELBY WILLIAMSON CHERIE WILSON HUNTER WILSON OLIVIA WILSON TYLER WILSON WHITNEY WOFFORD ERIKA WOOD CHRISTIAN WOODSON LAUREN WORLEY CAILEY WRIGHT DANE WUNDERLICH ALINA ZAHIR