2/28/2018 Weekly Edition

The Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

The Official News Source of Sam Houston State University ART COMPLEX PLANS, P. 2 SHSU’s visual arts program, among others, is getting a new, top of the line building.

Volume 129 | Issue 18

HONORS COLLEGE, P. 3 Opinion: Tyler Josefsen chronicles his time as a member of the Elliott T. Bowers Honors College.

SAMMYPALOOZA, P. 4 The lineup for Sammypalooza has been announced. Find out all of the details.

/HoustonianSHSU

@HoustonianSHSU

MARCH TO GRAVE, P. 5 The 125 annual March to the Grave will take place March 2 at 10:00 a.m. starting at Old Main Pit. @HoustonianSHSU

CLEAN SWEEP, P. 6 The men’s and women’s track and field teams both took home first place at the SLC Indoor meet.

HoustonianOnline.com

SHSU enforces federal regulations Huntsville New Financial aid will no longer apply to credits that do not count toward a Art Walk majors, student’s degree, certificate or other recognized credential. spotlights more culture proposed at TSUS quarterly meeting SHARON RAISSI Campus Culture Editor

Tyler Josefsen | The Houstonian

BOARD OF REGENTS. The Texas State University System hosted its quarterly meeting Feb. 15-16.

MICHAEL FLORES Contributing Reporter Sam Houston State University proposed 95 new courses and certificates at the Texas State University System (TSUS) Quarterly Board of Regents meeting.

TSUS held its two-day quarterly meeting on Feb. 15 at Lamar University in the Mary and John Gray library. During the meeting, they discussed several pressing matters for the system’s four-year institutions.

Some of the meeting’s larger proposals included the possible additions of three new degree programs at SHSU: a Bachelor of Arts in French, Masters of Fine Arts in Digital Media Production and Masters of Science in Nursing.

A request to change the semester credit hours in a Masters of Science and Bachelors of Music therapy were among the other proposals.

According to the proposal, the additional degree plans are being added after studies of several jobs sites such as Monster.com, Indeed. com and Simplyhired.com, which showed that there was an increasing demand for these areas of study, especially for professionals who are bilingual in French and English.

According to the proposal, this demand is projected to rise rapidly in the near future with the growing presence of American companies in France, such as AT&T, Bank of America, Citigroup, Hewlett Packard and JP Morgan Chase. French companies in the United States are also growing such as: Accor, Air France, Air Liquide, BNP, Credit Agricole, L’Oreal, Renault, Sodexo, Vivendi and several others.

The Masters of Fine Arts in Digital Media Production will take a larger focus on emerging media technologies. The new degree plan will have courses designed to create apps, utilize and explain Degrees continues on page 2

Jordan Likens | The Houstonian

MONEY NOT IN YOUR POCKET. Changes are coming to how much financial aid students can receive. Sam Houston State University now has the ability to enforce a federal regulation that mandates that financial aid only be awarded for classes that directly count toward a specific degree plan, certificate, or other recognized credential.

EMILY DAVIS News/Viewpoints Editor Sam Houston State University will now enforce a federal regulation regarding financial aid with which it was previously unable to comply.

At the 2018 SHSU Advisors Meeting, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Scot Mertz explained the procedural changes that advisors and students will have to make before next semester.

College students who complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) and are eligible for its benefits receive grants, loans and work-study funds for college or career schools. Previously, SHSU students who received financial aid were allowed to apply the benefits to any college course that they registered for, whether or not the course ap-

plied to their degree plan. However, it has been federal regulation that financial aid only covers the cost of courses that directly apply to a student’s degree plan.

According to the 2015-2016 FSA Handbook, if a student is enrolled in courses that do not count toward their degree, certificate, or other recognized credential, they cannot be used to determine enrollment status unless they are eligible remedial courses. This means you cannot award the student aid for classes that do not count toward their degree, certificate, or other recognized credential.

This is a federal regulation, and the financial aid offices of every university are required to comply with this law.

“It is not a new rule,” Financial Aid Director Lydia Hall said.

“This is a federal regulation that has been around for several years,

we just didn’t have the capability to comply with this regulation due to software limitations.”

Course Program of Study is a program that SHSU recently obtained that helps advisors identify if students are taking classes that do not apply to their degree plan.

According to Mertz, a few years ago during an annual audit by the Department of Education, a Florida and Colorado Aid continues on page 2

Jordan Likens | The Houstonian

The Huntsville Art Walk, sponsored by the Sam Houston State University Department of Art and the Student Art Association, will take place March 3 from noon to 5 p.m., with a reception at the SHSU Satellite Gallery from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. to celebrate the event. The galleries and exhibitions are all free of charge.

The Art Walk is an event that spans across participating local venues, and aims to bring art to Huntsville at no cost.

Faculty members will display works at the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery, and student work will be on display at the SHSU Satellite Gallery. The Wynne Home Arts Center, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will exhibit the works of local artists.

Huntsville’s Crazywood Gallery will have a collection of works from the private collection of local artist John Smither. SHSU Gallery Coordinator Max Manning explained some of the other collections the Art Walk will feature.

“There will be a wide variety of work on display this year,” Manning said. “George Russell will have several of his collections open, and the David Adickes Foundation will be exhibiting paintings by Adickes.”

Maps will be available at the Satellite Gallery for those who want to experience a walking tour of artist Richard Haas’s murals in the downtown Huntsville square.

The Sam Houston Natural History Collection invited the public to visit their spaces in the University Heights complex.

Concluding the Art Walk will be a public reception at the SHSU Satellite Gallery, where attendees can experience student art upclose.

“The public reception at Satellite Gallery will be a celebratory conclusion of the Art Walk from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and there will be an exhibition of student works organized by the Student Art Association on display,” Manning said. “This exhibition will include a wide variety of media and is a great opportunity for members of the community to see Art continues on page 2

Keylon Scott | The Houstonian

APPRECIATE THE ARTS. Andrew Pena and Ahdrllah Khar Graphic created by Ryan Reynolds | The Houstonian appreciate artwork by senior SHSU students at the Studio Art and STARS COME TO SHSU. The 2018 Sammypalooza lineup was announced on Feb. 23. Get to know the Photography in the Satellite Gallery artists and some of their hits before the big event. Story on page 4 show.

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/news | Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Page 2 Aid continued, page 1 — University were found liable for five and eight million dollars of wrongly applied financial aid.

“We do not want that to happen here,” Mertz said. “When the two universities got audited, it really caught everyone’s attention, and it caught the software makers’ attention to develop a product to monitor this. Now that we have this process, we need to monitor this.”

Several changes are in store for this upcoming semester.

As a part of financial aid’s Direct Loan Policy, a student can only receive a loan when they are enrolled in at least six credit hours. Direct Loans are through the federal government, and this is the main form of federal aid available to students. It is available to all students (regardless of their financial situation) who have Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). It requires that both undergraduate and graduate students be enrolled in six credit hours at minimum to be eligible. This is because the policy requires that students be enrolled in at least half-time—half of a full-time course load.

Now that financial aid will no longer cover courses that do not apply to degree plans, this may affect some students’ class loads.

For example, if a student receiving direct loans is enrolled in one three-hour course that applies to their degree plan, and another three-hour course that does not apply to their degree plan, they are no longer eligible for that loan; this is because all hours must apply directly to that student’s degree plan.

According to Mertz, in the case that a student only has three credit hours remaining to complete their degree, there is a way they can get around that and still receive the loan. This is

possible if they take that course during the summer, because summer classes are considered halfsemesters and, therefore, is half of a full course load.

Students receiving Pell Grants may also be affected in the instance that they need to retake a course. Pell Grants pay by credits hours, and apply to all undergraduates in increments of three credits hour at a time: 12 credit hours being the maximum benefit of the grant.

“30 percent of our undergraduate students are on Pell Grants,” Mertz said.

When a student passes a course in their curriculum with a “D”, financial aid will not cover the cost to retake it for a better grade. However, financial aid will cover the cost to retake a course that you fail, but it counts that toward your completion rate on your academic transcript.

“Unless it is in a course load of 15 hours, because 12 hours is the highest financial aid Pell Grants will pay per semester, and in that case they have already paid the maximum,” Mertz said. “So if your students need to retake a class, advise them to take it as their fifteenth hour.”

Students eligible for financial aid will now be required to declare a major in order to receive the financial benefits. Now students are allowed to switch majors no matter their GPA. The point of this is to make sure that students receiving financial aid benefits have a declared a major when attending college (and are not just taking random courses that do not apply to a specific degree plan).

“When you look at the numbers right now, 30 percent of students on financial aid, which is about 7,000 students, are going to have problems with this so we have to clean it up,” Mertz said.

The office of Student Enroll-

ment is focusing on preparing all advisors on how to address these issues with students during Fall 2018 registration.

“We are not only going to be targeting students on financial aid, but we will make sure all students are aware of which courses do not apply to their degree plan,” Mertz said. “We have students come into the Registrars’ office every year that say ‘I just realized this course doesn’t apply to my degree plan,’ and it’s November and now we’re in trouble.

So are we are going to treat every student the same.”

SHSU will start enforcing these regulations in full effect Fall 2018.

“What this really does is clean things up, makes things more transparent and makes it a more direct path to graduation,” Mertz said.

According to Mertz, now that they have the software, they will be sending out further informa-

tion regarding these changes once they have determined an efficient communication plan that will best inform students and faculty.

“We are going to load the data, stress the system and develop our communications plans based on what we see,” Mertz said.

Not all Texas universities are able to comply with these regulations yet due to software limitations.

Art continued, page 1 — Art are up to.”

Manning believes this event is important to Huntsville because it is one of the biggest opportunities in the year to see a coordinated effort showcasing local culture.

“It is important for students of SHSU to participate in an event like this because it is a way for them to show support for their fellow students and the local arts

Haley Closson | The Houstonian

THE WALK OF FRAMES. Max Manning, Satellite Art Gallery Coordinator, welcomes visitors to the Opening of Senior Preview on Thursday, February 22, 2018.

community,” Manning said. “Attending events is a fun and easy way to contribute to the arts and participate in culture.”

Events are free, and the main Art Walk spans from noon to 5:00 p.m. throughout Huntsville.

Degrees continued, page 1 — sophisticated motion graphics techniques and plan, execute and edit complex multimedia productions. The new degree is designed to be on the cutting edge of media, and will be orientated toward the next generation of media creation.

The Masters of Science in Nursing degree program was proposed by the School of Nursing in the College of Health Sciences at SHSU. The degree plan will have a concentration in Family Nurse Practitioner.

The proposed MSN program will prepare the graduate for state licensure by the Texas Board of Nursing as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), a national certification by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP).

SHSU’s Bachelor of Science in nursing is already accredited by the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

APRN education programs must be housed within graduate programs that are nationally accredited, and their graduates must be eligible for national certification used for state licensure.

Continue to monitor The Houstonian for the most up-todate information as this story develops.

/HoustonianSHSU @HoustonianSHSU @HoustonianSHSU

Art Complex plans revealed

Tyler Josefsen| The Houstonian

Don’t fall victim to fraud! Protect your credit card info RHONDA SLATER Staff Reporter Debit Card users beware: a thief can steal your banking information and your money without having your card present.

Card Not Present (CNP) fraud is going on all over the United States—both online and in stores.

I learned this lesson the hard way in 2016 when my old debit card was compromised, and a thief at an HEB Store in South Houston charged $400 on a cloned card that contained my bank information.

Luckily, I am a member of a local credit union, who put the money back into my account quickly while the bank disputed the charge. The same thing happened to my mother, whose card was compromised, cloned and used at an HEB in South Texas. Just recently, my credit union’s fraud protection service notified me that someone tried to use another cloned card containing my banking information at a Sam’s Club in The Woodlands. This time, the charge did not go through, and I

was able to get my card cancelled and a new one issued to me. Debit card fraud happens to a lot of people, and it can happen to you.

Debit card fraud is a big problem, particularly in today’s cashless society. Most everyone uses a debit card that is issued by a banking institution. Though the new chip feature has been added to the bank-issued cards, according to Statista, there will still be a $1.8 billion loss for customers in 2018.

This is a reduction down from $3 billion in 2014. Before the chip feature was installed, debit card fraudsters could get your bank information, make a copy of your card and use it as a credit card at almost any merchant that allowed purchases with credit cards. Before the chip was installed, it was much easier for fraudsters to drain your bank account. According to the article “What happened after the US moved to chip-embedded payment cards?” by Megan Geuss, fraud

STATE OF THE ART. The new Art Complex will house the university’s visual arts programs and include faculty offices, gallery space, classrooms and studios for painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, graphic design, animation, ceramics, sculpture (wood and metal) and WASH (Workshop in Art Studio and History). The new four-story building is 71,500 gross square feet and includes a roof level mechanical penthouse. The Art Complex project will be located in the east campus district, near the performing arts, theatre and music facilities. The site project is an existing parking lot located For HoustonianOnline.com for en- immediately north of the East Central Utility Plant on Bobby K. Marks Drive, west of the intramural fields and south of 17 Street. The budget for the project is $27.5 million and is expected to be completed tire article.

Summer 2019.

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/viewpoints | Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Page 3

What is a combine without any Bearkats?

LOST INVITATION? Record-setting Sam Houston State University Bearkats graduates quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe and defensive lineman PJ Hall surprisingly did not receive an invite to the NFL draft combine this week. Briscoe is one the all-time best when it comes to both SHSU and Football Championship Series (FCS) quarterbacks.

GABRIEL MYERS Contributing Writer The annual NFL draft combine starts this week: a time where players get to show off their skills to every NFL general manager in an effort to climb their way up draft boards. This is often an opportunity where players from Football Championship Series (FCS) schools, like Sam Houston State University, who are often overlooked get a chance to shine.

During football season I wrote that SHSU standouts Jeremiah Briscoe (quarterback) and PJ Hall (defensive lineman) would have the opportunity to greatly improve their draft stock on this

stage. Hall has already helped his stock with a very strong week at the East-West Shrine Game, which included a sack of former Ohio State quarterback JT Barrett.

Despite the accomplishments of these two players at the collegiate level, neither of them were invited to participate in the NFL combine this week. This is not because they come from FCS schools, though. Richmond quarterback Kyle Lauletta and Stephen F. Austin defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers were invited. Neither player has the career accomplishments of Briscoe or Hall. Briscoe is the FCS record-holder for passing touchdowns in a single season with 57 (2016), and seemed like a sure invitee for the combine, but a poor week of practice at the East-West Shrine Game followed by completing just one pass in six attempts in the game likely led to him not getting an invite.

Hall not receiving an invite was puzzling, especially since most NFL draft analysts have Hall going in the third or fourth round.

Franklin-Myers was a standout

in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, but many draft analysts have him going undrafted. Bilal Nichols is the other FCS defensive lineman invited to the combine and is also projected to go undrafted.

Nichols had 12 career sacks at Delaware; Hall had at least 12 sacks in two different seasons at SHSU. I’m happy that these players are getting their chance to shine at the combine since they probably haven’t gotten their due, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of Hall who’s been one of, if not the most unstoppable force in FCS football for the past four years.

SHSU has two players that should be invited to the combine, and none of them were. I do not know what is going on, but that needs to be fixed. This program has been one of the top five in the FCS for the better part of a decade now, and the disrespect is ridiculous. Briscoe, Hall and other Bearkat seniors will get an opportunity to show off their skills at the SHSU pro day, which should take place sometime in March. The fact that any Bearkat, in particular Briscoe and Hall,

did not receive an invite to the combine is mind boggling, and there needs to be an answer as to why that is the case—especially since these two will be on NFL rosters come the fall.

Journalism is a grind; everything a journalist says and does is scrutinized. When a professional baseball player strikes out with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning in game seven of the World Series, it can change his public perception.

For a journalist, every word we say and every story we print can turn into that make-or-break spotlight moment. The pressure that comes with that feeling is the grind, but that does not excuse the journalists that crack under it.

I will continue the grind.

Not everyone will agree with everything I write, and in the interest of being honest with my readers I feel inclined to divulge how difficult that is to accept.

There are times as a journalist that I feel I have comprised a story that should be unanimously well-received, but that is not the

world we live in. The world we are part of is a difficult one where political leaders harvest secrets and journalists treat information like a bargaining chip. Perhaps, though, the truth can level the playing field.

This is easier said than done, of course. The people with the desire to change the status quo often don’t have the power to do so, and those with the power have no interest in the status quo changing. This is where journalists need to be journalists for the right reasons: for the people, for the freedom of information and the disbursement of truth. Trust the process, and trust that news reported for the right reasons, will produce the right outcome.

Everyone that says news is not a business is lying to themselves and to you. From small, local newspapers to national corporations, news agencies are nothing without their viewers.

News is not free, but it is worth the price when done for the right reasons.

SHSU Honors College enhances one student’s experience

TYLER JOSEFSEN Associate Editor When I came to Sam Houston State University in 2014 as a young, ambitious Bearkat, I remember feeling overwhelmed with a busy Orientation Weekend. One of the many decisions freshmen were faced with was a plethora of clubs and organizations they could join. Some groups came and went; I spent a couple of semesters playing ultimate Frisbee and dabbled in some other Intramural Sports programs and various academic opportunities. There was one organization I was stoked about (hopefully) becoming part of, though— the Elliott T. Bowers Honors College.

I had briefly come across the Honors College website a few days before I got to Orientation.

I sent an email to their office ask-

ing if I could drop by sometime that weekend to talk about possibly applying to the Honors program. They responded quickly, seemed friendly and were helpful in setting up a meeting with Dr. Gene Young who was the Dean of the Honors College at the time.

I remember thinking the meeting felt very personal. I had a jam-packed Orientation Weekend that consisted of a campus tour and an interview for the Freshman Leadership Program, and finding time to fit anything else in was a juggling act. Dean Young actually stayed in the office later than usual to meet with me that weekend.

One prominent part of our conversation had to do with the benefits that students in the Honors College receive throughout their time at SHSU. Honors students have specific academic areas designated only for members of the Honors College, such as a private computer lab and the Honors lounge in Academic Building IV. We receive special advising from our dean and associate deans in addition to what students normally get at the SAM Center, and that allows us to have advanced

registration every semester (usually about 3 days earlier than most of the rest of the student body). Students in good standing receive the Honors Scholarship, an award that actually increases in monetary value year-to-year for students that meet certain requirements like maintaining a 3.4 GPA. The program also offers seminars (specialized courses in a unique topic outside of the normal curriculum), smaller core classes with specifically assigned Honors instructors, and offers students a chance to complete a thesis to graduate with highest honors (something I am actually currently working on). The Honors College also holds a variety of events throughout the year, from free breakfast for Honors students on the first day of each semester to the Undergraduate Research Symposium every Spring.

According to their the website, the Honors College Mission is as follows: “to offer a uniquely broad and intellectually stimulating academic, cultural, and social experience that emphasizes undergraduate research and encourages personal and professional growth.”

It is easy to tell from the list of advantages that the Honors College exceeds in carrying out these goals. As amazing as those advantages are, however, and as academically beneficial as the experience has been, the sense of community honestly surpasses the more formal aspects of the program.

This means a lot coming from someone like me.

I am not the type of student (or even person for that matter) that strives to develop a lot of relationships with people or go out of the way to connect with my peers. I have always had a few very close friendships rather than an array of acquaintances.

Honors students, though, seem to have a certain bond with one another— sometimes intellectual, sometimes social. This is undoubtedly in part due to the Honors College’s excess of opportunities to get to know our peers through events like an ice cream social and the Honors Cultural Outing.

One of the most important tidbits to mention is the amount of respect I have for the program and its faculty and students as a whole. A few semesters ago, the

Honors College received some unwarranted bad publicity when a factually inaccurate article was published by a freelance “writer” (for the lack of a better term) that portrayed the program in a poor light. As a member and passionate advocate of the Honors College, I was nothing short of outraged by the libelous nature of the article. Many other students were, as well, but what emerged was a sense of unity among Honors students, faculty, and deans that was eye-opening. So many students contacted Dean of the Honors College Dr. Kimberly Bell to see what they could do to spread the truth about the program. The class and professionalism of the Honors faculty and the ambitious attitude of many students presenting a unified front made me proud to be a member of this community.

The Elliott T. Bowers Honors College at SHSU has been one of the unsung heroes of my collegiate experience. The stressrelief that comes from those provided benefits, the financial assistance going through college Visit HoustonianOnline.com for entire article.

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/campusculture | Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Page 4

Sammypalooza artist lineup loaded with stars The highly-anticipated annual event is set for March 28 SHARON RAISSI Campus Culture Editor Sam Houston State University Student Activities has announced that rapper Gucci Mane, pop-singer Daya and rock band We the Kings will headline the highly anticipated 2018 Sammypalooza scheduled for March 28. Admission is free for students with a BearkatOne card, and $20 for non-students. Tickets go on sale Feb. 28 in the Recreational Sports office: Health and Kinesiology Center room 162.

Sammypalooza is an annual concert event that features multiple musical acts and is held in the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.

Last year, the headliners were the Eli Young Band, A$AP Ferg and Wacka Flocka. In the past, artists like Panic! At the Disco, T.I., Josh Turner and Wiz Khalifa have performed at this landmark event.

“I’m extremely excited to see Gucci Mane because I feel like he’s a very popular artist,” freshman Studio Art major Emily Cabana said. “I’m very happy with the decision they made for that particular artist choice.”

All three artists featured this year carry a track record of hits with them. Gucci Mane is known for hit songs like “I Get the Bag,”

and “Both.” He has been featured on tracks such as Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles” and Migos’ “Slippery.” Daya has hits like “Sit Still, Look Pretty” and “Hide Away.” We the Kings have alternative hits such as “Sad Song” and “Check Yes Juliet.”

In Fall 2017, SHSU Student Activities put a poll on Twitter that asked which artist students would rather see at the concert in spring 2018. Out of the four options, Lil Wayne and Post Malone tied for first, with Gucci Mane pulling in second and Young Thug coming in last. A total of 5,508 Twitter users voted.

“I don’t know any of the art-

ists in the lineup and am disappointed but not at all shocked that it’s no one popular,” sophomore Mathematics major Rachel Van Pelt said. “Every year it’s people that I don’t know.”

Gucci Mane, real name Radric Delantic Davis, is credited with helping to create the hip-hop subgenre trap music. He has collaborated with artists like Migos, Drake and Usher. This year, he released two albums, “Mr. Davis” and “El Gato: The Human Glacier.” His new album “The Evil Genius” is scheduled to come out later this year.

Daya, otherwise known as Grace Tandon, has seen main-

stream success when her song “Don’t Let Me Down” won the 2016 Grammy award for Best Dance Recording. Her most recent single is titled “New” and was released in late 2017.

We the Kings is a Floridabased rock band whose members include singer/guitarist Travis Clark, guitarist Hunter Thomsen, drummer Danny Duncan, keyboard player Coley O’Toole, and bassist Charles Trippy. In December of last year, the band released a new single called “Festival Music” and announced their plans to release their sixth studio album.

“I actually really like the line-

up,” freshman Business major Meagan Curtis said. “I saw Daya last year because I got tickets super cheap, and it was a really fun concert! Also I used to love We the Kings but it seems like it’s been a while since they’ve come out with new music.”

SHSU is known for having a diverse range of performers from year to year, this year appears to be no exception. Tickets will be available next Wednesday in the Recreational Sports office, free for card-carrying SHSU students and $20 for everyone else.

Sammypalooza is scheduled for March 28.

Performance art piece sheds light on wrongful convictions CARNILLIUS GREEN Contributing Reporter “The Innocents,” a performance art piece about wrongful prison convictions, is set to premiere Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center Concert Hall. The event is spearheaded

by Sam Houston State University Director of Percussion Studies John Lane and guest artist Allen Otte. Admission is free.

According to The Washington Post, The United States has the highest prison population in the world, and there are also more jails and prisons than degreegranting colleges in the U.S. The United States justice system has one huge problem, though— wrongful convictions. “The Innocents” is a theatrical/musical production that displays the advocacy of wrongly convicted people.

“The Innocents is a concertlength performance art piece that is based on the issue of wrongful imprisonment and exoneration through DNA,” Lane said. “We first formed this piece in 2006 when I was a student studying at the University of Cincinnati with [Allen Otte] and he asked me to collaborate with him on it, and we been doing it ever since”.

Lane and Otte see “The In-

nocents” project as the driving force for justice for the innocent.

Otte spoke about why he feels this piece will resonate with audiences.

“The whole history of art of any kind is to somehow create a deeper emotional resonance about the subject, not just the dry facts,” Otte said. “So as performers and composers, we wanted to find a bunch of different kinds of musical expressions which could sort of stick in people’s ears and make it a more memorable experience.”

What makes this show unique is the fact that Lane and Otte have taken the element of advocacy to a completely new level by using the platform that they have in theatre and music to advocate for those who have been falsely imprisoned.

“At the end of the day, what we’re interested in doing is shin-

ing a light on the subject and letting people know that it is still an issue,” Lane said. “It was an issue in 2006, and it’s even more of an issue today. At least from my perspective, that’s what I am hoping. Just to illuminate this issue that maybe [audiences] haven’t thought of it, they may not even know anything about it.”

The show premieres March 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center Concert Hall. Early arrival is encouraged, and admission is free. Contact the School of Music for more information at (936) 294-1306.

@HoustonianSHSU @HoustonianSHSU

Photo courtesy john-lane.com

LAND OF THE FREE. Allen Otte and John Lane stand with the first person exonerated by the Georgia Innocents Project, Clarence Harrison in the University of Georgia in 2017.

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/campusculture | Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Page 5

‘March to Grave’ honors founder Gen. Sam Houston with 125-year-old SHSU tradition KELSON JENNINGS Contributing Reporter “The measure of a life is its service.”

These words are the motto of Sam Houston State University, a university named after one of Texas’s greatest heroes—Sam Houston, the perfect embodiment of this motto. In honor of his legacy, Sam Houston State University is hosting the “March to the Grave,” an SHSU tradition that has been around since 1893. This traditional event is a celebration of Sam Houston’s birthday and Texas Independence Day. The march will begin at 10 a.m. on March 2 at Old Main Pit. Different organizations from campus will be attending the event, such as the SHSU ROTC Color Guard and Rifle Team, the Bearkat History Club, the Department of Student Activities and various faculty, staff and students of SHSU. About 10 to 15 minutes after meeting up at Old Main Pit, the march will begin from campus, down University Avenue all the way to Oakwood Cemetery, the gravesite of Sam Houston. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the meeting room at Mance Park Middle School.

Sam Houston was born March 2, 1793 in Rockbridge County, Virginia. He led a very influential

life; before moving to Texas, he served in the United States military during the War of 1812 and later became governor of Tennessee in 1827. Later in his life, Sam Houston moved to Texas where he served as Major General during the Texas Revolution.

He was a key figure in the important battle of San Jacinto in which the Texas Army defeated Santa Anna and gained independence for Texas.

Upon the creation of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston was elected as the first president.

Following his first term, he was succeeded by Mirabeau Lamar as president of Texas. He would return as the third president of Texas and was then succeeded by the last president of Texas, Anson Jones. Texas joined the United States in 1845, the same year Sam Houston was elected as senator; he would also later become Governor of Texas in 1859. In 1861, he was evicted from his office as governor for refusing to take an oath of loyalty to the Confederacy. Sam Houston died on July 26, 1863 and was buried in Huntsville.

“The last several years the March to the Grave has lost focus a little bit towards the involvement on campus,” Director of Student Activities Brandon Cooper said. “The department of student activities is trying to put funds and efforts towards that to gain more participation with stu-

Photo courtesy Brandon Cooper

UNITED IN MEMORY. March to the Grave has been a tradition since 1893. Students, faculty, and staff from Sam Houston State University meet with Huntsville residents and other to march from campus to Houston’s gravesite.

dents and faculty staff to ramp up what is a great tradition.”

Various organizations and guest speakers will be there.

The featured speaker this year is Charlie Rhodarmer, the Director of the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum in Vonore, Tennessee.

Other honored guests will include descendants of Gen. and Mrs. Sam Houston as well as

David Crockett, the third-greatgrandson of the legendary David “Davy” Crockett.

“I feel that this tradition is important because it is a great way to honor and celebrate the man Sam Houston, our namesake and our history,” Cooper said.

Events are planned all day for the celebration. A luncheon will be held at 12:30 p.m. at the W.S.

Gibbs Conference Hall. At 2 p.m., the celebration will continue at the Sam Houston Statue and Visitors Center with a “Toast to Texas.” The “Toast to Texas” will include birthday cake as well as a Cherokee Land Ceremony performed by Rhodarmer in conjunction with members of the Texas Army.

The event is open to everyone.

‘Black Panther’ leaps to new levels, more than a movie SHARON RAISSI Campus Culture Editor Marvel Studio’s newest blockbuster “Black Panther” is already clawing its way to record-breaking heights. Since its Feb. 16 release, the film has seen commercial success and received critical acclaim, shattering glass ceilings and box-office projections alike.

In many ways, both financially and culturally, this film serves as a milestone on the Hollywood landscape, and is expected to continue its reign in the coming weeks.

Beating out box office giants

such as “The Avengers” and “Captain America: Civil War,” “Black Panther” made over $400 million at domestic box offices in ten days. As its revenues grow, conversations grow with it.

What is it about “Black Panther” that makes it such a landmark?

Actors, directors and Hollywood socialites of all kinds have been quick to point out inequalities in the film business— namely, a gender and race-based divide that seems to fester especially in big-budget projects. The female warriors, politicians and scientists of the fictional country of Wakanda represent the hopes of the current #MeToo move-

ment. Seeing a group of black women pushing a story forward with their intellect and ferocity is a breath of fresh air in an industry so often plagued by onedimensional writing of female characters.

While “Black Panther” is not the first superhero movie to star a black lead, it does seem to be the first to really embrace that aspect. The movie is bathed in dazzling displays of African tradition, and embraces the heritage from which the cast derives. For those underrepresented in the media, seeing characters who look like them being portrayed in a positive and dignified way

can be a monumental moment in their lives.

“I loved comic books, loved comic book cartoons, and I always had an aching for characters who looked like me,” Director Ryan Coogler told Variety Magazine. “Not just one character, but for worlds that looked like my world growing up in the East Bay area. For me as a filmmaker, this film was a gift. Hopefully, when we show this film to the world, we can see some kids who came up like us getting access to something we never had.”

Because of the movie’s cultural effects, the New York Times called “Black Panther” “a defining moment for black America.”

Since the film’s release, one does not have to look far on social media to find countless pictures and videos demonstrating the impact this movie had on audiences.

Coogler explained his feelings about this warm reception in an open-letter from Marvel Entertainment’s Twitter page.

“It still humbles me to think that people care enough to spend their money and time watching our film- But to see people of all backgrounds wearing clothing that celebrates their heritage, taking pictures next to our posters with their friends and family, and sometimes dancing in the lobbies of theaters– often moved me and my wife to tears,” Coogler wrote.

According to Fandango, “Black Panther” is the highest grossing movie with a black director. In

addition to that, it is the biggest solo superhero movie launch of all-time. Some have projected the movie to gross over $1 billion before its time is up.

No one can say for sure what the success of “Black Panther” means for the future of Hollywood. Online chatter suggests hopes that other movie producers will take this film’s success as a cue to diversify future casts.

As the phrase goes, “A rising tide lifts all boats.”

No matter personal opinion, the rising tide of “Black Panther” is still sweeping the globe, and we will see in the coming months if Hollywood headliners decide to rise with it.

“‘Black Panther’ is easily Marvel’s best film to date.”

-Financial Review

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/sports | Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Page 6

T&F crowned champs, third-straight SLC title Photo courtesy Michael Ray

Photos courtesy Michael Wade CHAMPS! The men’s and women’s track and field teams swept the SLC Indoor meet for the third consecutive year.

TYLER JOSEFSEN Sports Editor The Sam Houston State University Bearkats men’s and women’s track and field teams were a force to be reckoned with, taking home both titles at the Southland Conference Indoor track and field meet Thursday at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Alabama.

This clean sweep of conference competition by the men and women comes as no surprise; this is the third consecutive year that SHSU has swept both indoor titles. The men claimed their third overall title, all coming in the last three years, while the women won for their fourth time in the last five years (and sixth time overall in program history).

Neither team even bothered to make it close. The women tallied 123 total points, literally running away from the rest of the field. Second place Northwestern State University finished with 95 points. The men accumulated 128 points during the competition, beating rival Stephen F. Austin by 25 points.

Head coach Dave Self was proud of both his squads, and rightfully so.

“I’m so very proud of everyone,” Self said. “I don’t want to say that anything is habit, but sweeping three men’s and women’s titles in a row is really something special. It really shows the hard work that our staff and our team has put in.”

The standout performers were nothing new, either. On the men’s side, the dominant senior Tyler Adams continued his reign of excellence in the heptathlon.

He picked up his fourth consecutive SLC indoor title, winning the 60-meter dash and the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.17 seconds. The multi-events star raked up 5,544 total points, third highest in conference meet history.

Photo courtesy Southland Conference “There are not enough good words to say about Tyler Adams,” Self said. “The kid comes in and…wins the high jump, wins the long jump, [and] wins the heptathlon. He’s the kind of

kid you build teams around that you win championships with.”

For the Bearkat women, Camry Grisgby stepped up big.

The middle distance senior set an SLC Indoor meet record last year in the 800-meter. For an encore this year, she beat her own record with a time of 2:09.30.

Grigsby now holds two of the top five marks in Southland Conference history.

Coach Self, who has been at the helm for so much of the Kats success, could possibly be receiving some hardware himself in the near future. Coach of the Year voting will commence next week and be voted upon by other head coaches in the conference.

Other individual awards to be handed out include Outstanding Running Events Performer, Outstanding Field Events Performer, Freshman of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, and Athlete of the Year.

With a veteran roster and impending turnover on both teams, the Bearkats will be looking for new stars to emerge next season. For now, though, the men and women can simply sit back and enjoy their third consecutive indoor championship as dominators of the Southland Conference.

Kats basketball claws way to fourth place JORDAN SMITH Sports Reporter The Sam Houston State University men’s basketball squad heads into Wednesday’s matchup against the University of Central Arkansas Bears with a pretty interesting road ahead of them over the next few weeks.

It is important when looking forward to first understand how SHSU got to this point in the season.

With an overall record of 18-

Gus Allen | The Houstonian 11 (12-4 Southland Conference), the Kats have been able to get it done at home this season with a record at the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum of 13-1. At that mark, SHSU has the second-best

record at home in the Southland Conference this season. This has been helped by wins against teams like New Orleans, Lamar and Southeastern Louisiana.

SHSU has won 13 out of their 14 home games this season by an average point differential of +10.857 points per game. In conference play, both home and away, SHSU has a point differential of +6.2 points per game, which is good for fourth in the conference behind Stephen F. Austin (+10.7), Nicholls (+10.6) and Southeastern La. (+7.0).

In the Bearkats last game Feb. 21, SHSU grabbed a three-point victory over UNO (11-6 SLC) with a final score of 57-54 to keep their position at fourth place in the conference and place the Bearkats one game ahead of New Orleans in the standings.

SHSU head coach Jason Hooten captured the emotion of the game after the victory.

“Welcome to the Southland conference and really any conference in the country,” Hooten said. “It’s what you expect this time of the year. Two teams that are known for being tough and playing hard. Just an absolute Visit HoustonianOnline.com for entire article.