The Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
The Official News Source of Sam Houston State University STOCK MARKET, P. 2 The markets saw the biggest two-day drop since June 2016 earlier this week. Volume 129 | Issue 15
Hoyt finalizes policy changes
FILM FESTIVAL, P. 2 The Africa World Film Festival aims to promote diversity while educating students.
MISS SAM HOUSTON, P. 3 Find out all you need to know about the upcoming Miss Sam Houston pagaent.
/HoustonianSHSU
@HoustonianSHSU
ALTERED CARBON, P. 3 Mason Gonzalez reviews season one of the Netflix Original sci-fi “Altered Carbon.” @HoustonianSHSU
AUTOBIOGRAPHY, P. 4 Baseball coach Matt Deggs has gone beyond the diamond and published an autobiography. HoustonianOnline.com
Rumors Confirmed: LSC food service SMMC shutting down following Spring Break ranked No. 5 in nation, according to LendEDU
EMILY DAVIS News/Viewpoints Editor Last week, Sam Houston State University President Dana G. Hoyt approved the academic policy revisions decided on by the Academic Affairs Council during its biannual policy meeting in December. “What we are doing is taking those policies that are up for review,” Vice Provost Mary Robbins said. “Sometimes they need a little bit of tweaking and sometimes they need some major changes.” This past fall, 17 policies were due for an audit, and six of these policies directly affect students: Academic Credit for Work Experience, Class Attendance, Courses and Grades Transferred in from other College and Universities, Department/School Academic Distinction Programs policy, Employment of Graduation Assistants, and Use of Tobacco Products in Academic Classrooms and Facilities. The Academic Credit for Work Experience policy was revised to state that to attain course credit for your work experience, you must ensure that the course learning objectives in the course’s syllabus are met. “In particular cases, a case can be made that someone’s work experience might match the course material,” Robbins said. “For example, a student who’s been out in the workforce and wants to come back to finish a degree.” The language in the Class Attendance policy was changed slightly, and the minimum/maximum statement was removed to allow professional programs to have stricter attendance requirements. The revisions make attendance requirements per professor discretion and specify that the attendance requirement must be stated in their syllabus. “The previous statement, allowed three or fewer hours of absence without penalty,’” Robbins said. “Some of the deans were saying that ‘we have a professional school and we can’t do that, because if you are a nurse or a teacher, you have to be there all the time.’ Of course, if [a student] thinks that something is unreasonable, you would just go to your professor and then, if necessary, the department chair.” The wording of Courses and Grades Transferred in from other Colleges and Universities Policy was changed slightly to clarify that just because a courses has successfully transferred and is accepted by SHSU, it may not apply to your degree plan. For example, if you have taken a course at another university, and it is transferred to your transcript at SHSU, the credit hours still apply, but Policies continues on page 2
Photo courtesy SHSU Finance Department
MAKING MONEY MOVES. Sam Houston State University’s Student Money Management Center is getting national recognition. Find out why it is the fifth best organization of its kind in the country.
JOSHUA BLASCHKE Contributing Reporter Ryan Reynolds | The Houstonian
Paw Print Getting Declawed. The restaurants in Paw Print on the first floor of the Lowman Student Center will be closed once students return from Spring Break. It will reopen August 2018. The news is not good for those that fear change, but the reason is.
EMILY DAVIS News/Viewpoints Editor The rumors are true. The Lowman Student Center food court will close after March 9 due to major renovations taking place. “The food court, which includes Chick-fil-A, Grille Works, Pizza Hut and Subway, will be under construction through the remaining portion of the semester in order to reopen by fall 2018,” Associate Vice President of Finance and Operations Tessy Rappé said. According to Rappé, big changes are projected for next semester, including plans to build a Panda Express, a full-service Chick-fil-
A, a larger Subway and serval other additions to the campus. “There will be several other brands added to the expanded LSC food court, including a campus pub,” Rappé said. The operations will be closed once students return from Spring Break, and will remain closed until August. “The closing [of the food court] at Spring Break is crucial to the timeline of opening for the fall semester,” Rappé said. “In order to offer our campus community a state-of-the art student center, construction and renovations will occur in phases. The food court is included in the ini-
“All things are possible.”
tial renovation of the multiple phase construction process.” During this period of renovations, the school will continue to provide food and beverage services at eight other campus locations: Old Main Market, General’s Market, Starbucks in Southpaw and the Newton Gresham Library, Moe’s Southwest Grill, CJ Café, and the P.O.D. locations in both the College of Humanities and Social Sciences building and the Lee Drain Building. According to Associate Vice President Keith Jenkins, Aramark Food Services is looking into getting food trucks while the LSC Shutdown continues on page 2
Rebecca Jones | The Houstonian
Matthew 19:26
COACH, SPEAKER, AUTHOR. Sam Houston State University baseball head coach is a jack of all trades. After leading the Kats to a Super Regional in 2017, Deggs published an autobiography about God and baseball. Story on page 4
According to lendedu.com, Sam Houston State University has been recognized as having one of the best financial literacy programs in the nation, ranking SHSU fifth out of the top 50 universities in the country. The National Financial Educators Council describes financial literacy as “possessing the skills and knowledge on financial matters to confidently take effective action that best fulfills an individual’s personal, family and global community goals.” “I think we’re the standard for other programs across the country,” director of SHSU’s Student Money Management Center Patsy Collins said. “We get around, so people know who we are.” Collins attributes the ranking to a progressive platform as well as high student response to the program. “Sam Houston was one of the first money management centers in the nation,” Collins said. “As student loan debt became a hotter topic of conversation, universities like North Texas and Texas Tech started programs. Then people here started a focus group and a money management center.” Starting mid-February, the tenth annual Financial Literacy Week will provide students the opportunity to improve their money management skills at “Adulting Done Right.” This program will be a four-day event starting Feb. 19, and will host several events pertaining to efficient financial practices, from broad money saving topics to simple but effective life hacks. The event aims to address proper budgeting techniques after graduation, along with managing paychecks and salary negotiation. “The one-time raise students get once they get a job is the biggest they’ll ever get,” Collins said. “I don’t want them to go out and get tied into lengthy car, apartment and cell phone contracts. SMMC continues on page 2
The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/news | Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Page 2 SMMC continued, page 1 — Especially once they have to start paying their student loans after six months.” Collins wants students to take advantage of the event as there will be scholarships awarded to participating students. She plans to give out scholarships at the end of every workshop. Policies continued, page 1 — you may still be required to take another course to fulfill that requirement on your degree plan. Minor changes were also made to the Department/School Academic Distinction Program policy. “That is one that students are not aware of very much, but we have in policy that if a student would like to graduate with distinction there are certain things [they] would do,” Robbins said. The only change made to the Employment of Graduation Assistants policy was specifying the differences from the master’s and doctoral level graduate assistants.
“Master’s level student Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, our accrediting institution, requires 18 advanced credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree in order to be eligible to teach undergraduates, so if you are just starting out in the masters you’re not going to have enough hours, so that’s the differentiation that was made there,” Robbins said. The Use of Tobacco Products in Academic Classrooms and Facilities policy was revised to include electronic and vaping DARIEN GRAHAM products on the list of prohibited Contributing Reporter items on campus. Friday and Monday the marVisit HoustonianOnline.com for kets saw the biggest two-day drop since June 2016—going the entire article. down 1,500 points and closing Shutdown continued, page 1 — at 24,350. The biggest question around Wall Street is if this is a short-term correction that is gois shut down. SHSU Office of Communica- ing to continue to rally, or is this tions will reveal more informa- the beginning of a new trend. Within the market you have tion regarding the closures bethe Bulls and the Bears fighting ginning Feb. 12. For more information about against each other and thought to the LSC expansion, including a be named after how each one attimeline, visit the LSC webpage. tacks. The bull thrusts its horns up into the air, converted into the
Photo courtesy Wall Street Journal
Stock Market drop more than a scare? markets going up. The bear attacks with both arms throwing itself down, this correlates to the market dropping over a period of time, usually a few months and longer. The Bull Run has been going for a few years and recently the Dow Jones has been making new records, most notably where it struggled for a few months a year ago when it broke 20,000. At the beginning of January it broke 25,000 and in ten days broke 26,000, topping out at 26,500. A mere two trading days later it managed to drop near 25,000 again. Fundamentally the market can
continue to go up; we have better earnings and increased wages. Through technical analysis, January has had one of the best monthly performances since October 2015, and in just two days has reversed not only January, but also some of December. If it is able to sustain above 24,500 we could see a new clear bottom, or a double top. If it tries to correct and does not, we could see another 2008 recession. Looking at the charts of now, 2008, and 1929, with how fast the market had Visit HoustonianOnline.com for entire article.
SHSU Africa World Film Festival educates, diversifies HELEN NEMARIUM Contributing Reporter In honor of Black History Month, Sam Houston State University will host the Africa World Documentary Film Festival (AWDFF) Feb. 15 at 5:30 p.m. in the LSC Theater and Feb. 16 at noon in the Dan Rather Building room 125. The AWDFF is dedicated to promoting the knowledge of Africa and its diverse inhabitants as well as encouraging SHSU community involvement in the film industry. The festival occurs at seven to 10 venues around the world annually. The AWDFF is directed by ‘Niyi Coker, Jr., Ph.D., an E.
Desmond Lee Endowed professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. SHSU began the tradition in 2016. Dr. Jean-Richard Bodon, Ph.D., a Dan Rather Endowed professor and Department Chair of Mass Communication at SHSU, has known the director of the AWDFF for nearly two decades, and he saw it as an opportunity to enrich the university community. According to Bodon, the festival encourages students to get involved in documentary filmmaking. “Then there is the theme of the ‘Africa World’ that disseminates knowledge about African history, [and] culture as it is dispersed all
over the universe,” Bodon said. Coker, and the director of “Desert Wounds” Nili Dotan, will be sharing their experiences in the film industry as well as their inspirations for their films; a Dan Rather Endowment made the project possible. While providing insight into various cultures, the documentaries also provide insight into the living situations in Africa, and how individuals’ hope and resilience propelled them into new territory and life. “[AWDFF] affords students the opportunity to travel into other parts of the world and witness cultures and lifestyles from the
SHSU classroom without using a passport or paying for travel,” Bodon said. “These documentaries become first-hand material that enhances the knowledge and understanding of our students and communities about the plight, rationale and realities that refugees are faced with.” One of the most beautiful and powerful aspects of the AWDFF documentaries is the delicate yet impactful technique of portraying the trials and tribulations the refugees of Africa experience. The sobering depictions of the people of Africa’s daily challenges, subtly urges each individual to analyze their own humanity, and critically think about their own privi-
leges. The documentaries “Desert Wounds” and “When Paul came over the Sea” take the audience on a journey of refugees in Visit HoustonianOnline.com for entire article.
Kats power through construction REBECCA JONES Contributing Reporter The intramural fields have been under construction since Fall 2017 and will remain that way for the entirety of the Spring 2018 semester. There have been Ryan Reynolds | The Houstonian many delays due to the inclement weather, such as the recent flooding and snow conditions. Reconstruction of the fields is a prominent issue for Huntsville. The fields tend to fill up quickly, drain slowly and flood the rest of the city. Therefore, piping and alternate draining routes are being redone and put in place as part of Huntsville’s Town Creek project. Stephen Montee, graduate assistant for Intramural Sports, spoke positively about the program and how well they are managing with the setback. “We are handling the use of just one field rather well actually,” Montee said. “We don’t seem to have any fewer participants or Jordan Likens | The Houstonian programs.” INCHING CLOSER. Hurricane Harvey gave the intramural fields a The Intramural Sports teams splash back in August (Top), which was one of many events to slow went from having access to three the progress of the Town Creek project. The fields still suffer from fields to using one off-campus flooding issues (Bottom), but Bearkats are powering through. field – Holleman Field. It is be-
hind Potato Shack and is split into two parts so that multiple games can be played. Having all the intramural games on one field has helped some players be at the right place at the right time. Players would often get mixed up on which field to be at and at which time. Some students play multiple sports, and some sports may have multiple games in a day, which causes confusion for players. The downside to Holleman field is its location off-campus. “It may discourage some students to join because it is a little further of a walk,” Montee said. According to Ashley Dee, a rugby player at Sam Houston State University, the number of intramural participants has remained the same thus far, but due to the poor conditions of Holleman Field, she fears some may be lost along the way. “Holleman has become a lowquality field for our playing, especially with there being so many ditches that need covering and with the field mainly being just dirt it’s really difficult to play on,” Dee said. “It’s sort of an incon-
venience. There’s this huge ditch on Holleman Field, and a lot of us try to avoid it because we want to keep our ankles. Plus, the bathrooms could use some serious updating.” Holleman Field being off-campus is a major struggle for those on the rugby team, since they have equipment to transfer from Pritchett Field to Holleman Field. Pritchett Field would be the ideal field for the team to play at, but it does not have any lights. “For us, specifically as the rugby team, it’s not easy having to get our stuff from the rugby shed that’s at Pritchett and then have to truck all the way to Holleman,” Dee said. “If anything, it would be preferable that all of our games would be at Pritchett.” Players continue to push through the inconveniences of limited field space, and they do not seem to let it stop them from playing their favorite sports. It seems that all the Intramural Sports teams would like to see changes soon so that playing conditions are safer and more convenient for everyone.
Nursing student claims free bike, wins social media raffle
RIDE INTO THE SUNSET. Senior Nursing major Marina DeLeon (right) shakes hands with Houstonian Editor-in-Chief Ryan Reynolds (left) as she receives her Fuji Adventure bike. DeLeon was selected to win the bike at random draw for being a follower on social media.
The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/campusculture | Wednesday, February 7, 2018
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Passing the Crown: Miss Sam Houston 2018 SHARON RAISSI Campus Culture Editor The Miss Sam Houston pageant will take place Feb. 8 in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom. 12 influential women of Sam Houston State University will compete for the title of “Miss Sam Houston” as well as $1,500 in scholarship funds, and $500 for their respective organization. Miss Sam Houston hopefuls include Renata Griggs, Celi Burgos, Lesly Garcia, Catherine Tran, Stephanie Lopez, Mikayla Woolhouse, Brianna Beigel, Grace Freeman, Natalie Recio, Katie Gense, Maygan Williams, and Crystal Williams (pictured left to right.) The pageant will begin at 6 p.m. and will be emceed by Robert Richard and Er-
ica Dotson. Tickets for the event sold out in about five hours, but the LSC Theater will host a livestream at the time of the pageant for those who were unable to secure a ticket. “When I first found out, I screamed on the inside, but I felt like I had to keep my composure,” Miss Alpha Kappa Psi Crystal Williams said. “I told all my family and friends, and it kind of hit me that this is a really big thing.” This pageant is part of the Miss America pageant system, meaning whoever holds the title of Miss Sam Houston then goes on to compete in Miss Texas, who could then even go to Miss America. The first runner-up will be given the title “Miss Piney Woods” and has the opportunity to do the same. “To me, Miss Sam Houston is not only a representative of this
‘Altered Carbon’: ‘The Blade Runner’ of Netflix MASON GONZALEZ TV/Film Reviewer “Altered Carbon” is the latest in what seems like hundreds of the series available to watch on Netflix. Based on the Richard Morgan novel of the same name, it is set in the very distant future where humanity has managed to create devices called “Stacks” that essentially contain the human consciousness. When a person dies, the device can simply be taken out and placed in a new body—essentially creating immortality. The story focuses on former government soldier turned rebel Takeshi Kovacs who is brought back into the world to
solve the murder of a rich matriarch. It contains 10 episodes, each between 50 minutes to an hour. Most of the episodes go by pretty quickly with a consistent pace. Now before I go any further, I must say that if you are rather sensitive to extreme violence, graphic sex and nudity it is probably best to stay away from this series, very few punches are held with the content in the season. All of the actors bring very pleasant performances. Joel Kinnaman does a good job at making the audience feel for him as he
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school, but also a representative of the city of Huntsville,” Williams said. “Somebody that is for the people. Somebody who doesn’t necessarily just hold a title, but whenever the community needs them, they’re available.” Since last fall, the contestants have been practicing their parts in the pageant. In January, they began running the full show, which includes the opening number, spirit wear, swimwear, talent, evening wear and a questionand-answer portion. Each contestant is scored based off her performance in each category. “Being Miss Sam Houston would mean that I can do anything I set my mind to—especially because I do not know the first thing about pageants,” Miss Alpha Chi Omega Brianna Beigel said. “I would have a greater opportunity to influence Sam Houston State and spread more
awareness for domestic violence, which is also my platform for the pageant.” Beigel is passionate about raising awareness and helping those affected by domestic violence— which is where she wants her award funds to go should she win the coveted title. “It is important to me that, should I win, the funds go to the SAAFE House, a local shelter for anyone who has been affected by domestic violence,” Beigel said. “With the scholarship, I would get to continue my education at Sam Houston to obtain my Bachelors of Science in Nursing, and eventually become a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner.” Each contestant went through an application and interview process before being selected to participate in the pageant. A panel of judges will ultimately decide who takes home the title of Miss
Sam Houston, and all the awards and opportunities that come with it. “Being Miss Sam Houston would mean a lot to me because I would be representing the criminal justice community on campus as well as the minorities here,” Miss Lambda Alpha Epsilon Catherine Tran said. “I’ve never participated in a pageant before so it’s all new to me. It was nothing like I expected. The girls are the friendliest people I’ve ever met and I’m glad to go through this experience with them.” To experience the sold-out pageant and see who is crowned Miss Sam Houston, anyone can go to the LSC Theater on Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. and watch the livestream.
The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/sports | Wednesday, February 7, 2018
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Baseball to book, Deggs offers unique perspective
JORDAN SMITH Sports Reporter Sam Houston State University Baseball head coach Matt Deggs, who is approaching his fourth season with the Bearkats, is coming off one of the best seasons in program history that saw SHSU reach its first ever Super Regional in program history. The Bearkats were also able to notch back-to-back 40win regular seasons for the first time in program history. Deggs looked back at last season’s team who got to that Super Regional but knows that there is
still more work to be done. “It was a great run,” Deggs said. “[We were] a very tough team, very resilient team that, as great of a finish as we had, encountered a lot of adversity and had to battle and fight their way back. They finished the season great and then we returned 23 guys from that team and they all understand where the bar is and what the expectation is.” A baseball coach regularly epitomizes toughness: a grindit-out kind of guy who is willing to take risks. Deggs fits that description exactly; however, the leader of the guys on the
diamond is more than a stereotypical baseball coach. Deggs is also a motivational speaker and an author. In Deggs’ autobiography titled “15 to 28: A Story of God’s Love, Power and Redemption,” he talks about his spiritual journey from his previous experiences as an alcohol addict that forced him to be out of the game of baseball for 430 days to a changed man with a new way of life living through Jesus Christ. Deggs also travels and speaks to groups about his experiences in life and how people can have a better life themselves from what he has learned in his spiritual
journey. For Deggs, the book and motivational talks are a way for him to encourage others to learn from his experience. “The book came about after the press conference and there was overwhelming support and [stories of] the lives that were impacted and touched,” Deggs said. “So, I wanted to write my testimony and was able to do that this fall and the Lord has just made a remarkable impact through that book. That and having the opportunity to go out and speak and spread his message of love and redemption and grace and salvation has just been a wonderful blessing and opportunity.” One of the players that Deggs has had a big impact on was
sophomore right-handed pitcher Hayden Wesneski, who in his first season with the Bearkats pitched to the tune of a 10-2 record with an earned run average of 3.80 in 13 starts. For Wesneski, having Deggs to teach him is a great motivation to do great—not only on the field but in the classroom as well. “He puts the word of God in your mind. It is something you think about. It is not just when you think about it and he motivates you. If you’ve ever heard him talk, it is something special. Especially on Twitter, it is very inspirational. I hear that every morning,” Wesneski said. Deggs and the Sam Houston State Bearkats will open the season at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 16 at
Photo courtesy galvnews.com