Monday, March 25, 2019
The Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University
Students Dedicated to Professional Journalism Volume 130 | Issue 12
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Walker County Fair and Rodeo Elevates Community BY SHARON RAISSI Editor-in-Chief The 41st Walker County Fair and Rodeo (WCFR) kicked off March 21 with all its typical flair. There’s something for everyone, from the youngest with the petting zoo and carnival to the young at heart with the domino rodeo and quilt contest. The midway, a beloved tradition in Walker County, boasts food stands with everything from falafel to funnel cakes. Carnival games line the walkways, waiting for patrons to try their hand.
Atop it all is the ferris wheel, towering above the entire carnival which opens at 5 p.m. on weeknights, 12 p.m. on Saturdays, and 1 p.m. on Sundays.
The WCFR is not only a tradition to the area, but presents many opportunities for participants to make memories, friends and in some cases, money. Sidney Grisham is a past president of the WCFR and has been with the event since the very beginning. He talked about one of the time honored traditions of the fair: the livestock sale. “The most important part of the whole deal is the youth livestock sale,” Grisham said. “We’re going to sell 120
units, and we’ll gross about $600,000. It’s all going to the kids.” The premium livestock auction will be held on March 28 at 7 p.m. As the saying goes, the Walker County Fair and Rodeo is raising champions Walker County Style.
The Houstonian | bit.ly/SHSUCampusNews | Monday, March 25, 2019
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campus news
Library Starbucks Scheduled for Major Renovations BY SHARON RAISSI Editor-in-Chief The Starbucks in the Newton Gresham Library will undergo renovations to turn it into a full-service café, rather than the existing kiosk. Construction is slated to begin later this year with a tentative completion at the end of 2020. According to Sam Houston State University Marketing and Communications Public Information Officer Stephanie Knific, the renovations will involve extending the café further into the current library area. “Specific renovations include expanding seating, creating more specific meeting and lounge seating and adding a barista station to accommodate more patrons,” Knific said. The renovation and expansion of the Starbucks is estimated to
cost around $1.5 million. This, according to Knific, is “part of the larger plan to update the campus and meet the needs of our expanding student population while continually enhancing the student experience.” Knific also mentioned the future remodel of the Newton Gresham Library 2nd floor. The estimated cost of the library model would be $15 million. The Starbucks renovation would complement the “major renovations” to the library. With the Starbucks remodel on the table, students and faculty have reason to wonder if they will still be able to enjoy their daily drink or snack from the establishment. Marketing Manager Laurel Stevens addressed those concerns. “As far as we know, we will still be able to have hours of operation,” Stevens said. “They may be shut down for different time periods when ventilation
Gavin Guinther COFFEE UNDER CONSTRUCTION. Plans to turn the Newton Gresham Library Starbucks into a full-service Starbucks are set to begin later this year.
is taking place, but as far as we know, we should be good to go.” Specific changes, at this time, are not set. Until the beginning of the construction process, the Starbucks will remain open with
normal hours. While the library Starbucks will be under construction, citizens of SHSU can rest assured that they will still have a place to get their Starbucks fix. The
Starbucks located at South Paw on the south side of campus should have normal hours during the process.
Student Hosts Radio Coverage of Walker County Fair BY CHRISTINA KARASTAMATIS
Contributing Writer March 21 marked the opening of the annual Walker County Fair and Rodeo. The annual parade started at 7 p.m. and kicked off the event in style with floats traveling from 19th Street down Sam Houston Avenue to 11th Street. Sam Houston State University senior Jackie Swan is one of two students that works with local Huntsville radio station KSAM and sister station “The Hits” who actually broadcasted the parade live from outside the county annex. Swan is a Mass Communication major with a
focus in Broadcast Production and a minor in Marketing. The parade was her first time ever announcing live for KSAM. “I’m really excited to do this,” Swan said. “It’s my very first time hosting something live, so I’m a little anxious, but it’s a really good opportunity. I’m honored that KSAM has trusted me with this.” Prior to the live broadcast, Swan did a lot of research on the Walker County Rodeo to build her knowledge of the time-honored tradition and festivities. Originally from Ohio, Swan was unfamiliar with the parade, so her research helped to give her background information to use while hosting. “I’ve been trying to do my
research on the rodeo history and just kind of learning what it’s all about because I know everybody has a pretty good idea and are fans of it,” Swan said. “I don’t want to be somebody who doesn’t really know what she’s talking about.” Not only did KSAM host the parade live on the radio, but they were also in the parade. During the parade, Swan and her cohost stood on a trailer watching the floats go by and announcing what they saw. “The Walker County Fair and Rodeo Parade was my first experience doing a live broadcast on the radio, and I had an absolute blast,” Swan said. “Once we went live, it was a breeze.”
Christina Karastamatis OPPORTUNITY ON THE AIRWAVES. Senior Jackie Swan represented KSAM and The Hits radio stations at the Walker County Fair parade.
The Houstonian | bit.ly/SHSUCampusNews | Monday, March 25, 2019
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campus news
Project Sunshine to Host Annual Talent Show Fundraiser BY RACHAEL FORBES Contributing Reporter Project Sunshine is hosting its annual talent show called Buddy Idol at Huntsville Intermediate School on March 30. This event will showcase some of the many talents of Project Sunshine’s “buddies,” or community members with different backgrounds, needs, and disabilities. The event helps raise money so that Project Sunshine can continue to provide
free programming to families in the Walker County area. “The Buddy Idol is our big spring semester fundraiser that we put on every year to help raise money for our many activities,” Project Sunshine President Sophia Spilotro said. “It also demonstrates the students skills and what they have learned at the campus.” Project Sunshine is a non-profit organization that provides services to people with special needs and their families. Since many of them spend hours
in either therapy or hospital settings, Project Sunshine is there to help relieve stress for them with fun and exciting activities. These activities consist of
trips to the movies, fall festivals, bowling and many others. The show will be held from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m., and all Huntsville community members as well as SHSU students are invited to attend. Along with the talent show, they will be holding a silent auction and a bake sale. “We like to invite college students to these events to get them more aware of what we do within this organization,” Spilotro said. There will be several acts ranging from singing, to danc-
ing and much more. Tickets to the show will be on sale from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center mall area on Tuesday and Wednesday for $10, and $12 at the door the night of the event. If you would like to make a donation towards the silent auction, contact rar050@shsu.edu. For more information about Buddy Idol or Project Sunshine email ban015@shsu.edu or rar050@shsu.edu, or call 512818-2558.
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The Houstonian | bit.ly/HuntsvilleCommunityNews | Monday, March 25, 2019
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community news
Youth Showcases Artwork at WCFR BY JAIME BARNES Contributing Reporter As part of the beloved Walker County Fair and Rodeo, the youth of Walker County gathered to show off their hard work and artistic ability by taking part in the fair’s art and crafts contest. “We love to participate in the art show because it is tradition for HISD. We love to actively participate in the community rodeo,” art teacher Rachel Marino said. Marino, who has worked at Scott Johnson Elementary for 18 years, starts preparing her students for the art show at the beginning of the school year. After practicing the basic elements of art, her students move on to creating western works of art. According to the fair’s fine arts rules, all art must be “western” in nature, revolving around country life, wildlife, native plants and pieces symbolic to the “Old West.” “Walker County Fair is a place where we have a lot of opportunities for all kids, so they
Herb Fest at Wynne Home Art Center BY AMY HUERTA Contributing Reporter
Tyler Mowery IMAGINATIVE IMAGES. Students and even adults off all ages submitted their artwork to be displayed at the WCFR on Friday.
don’t just have to show animals, art is a way that more kids and even adults can get involved and participate,” Co-Chairman of the Fine Arts Committee Stephanie Brock said. Those who entered this year were judged on Friday night and rewarded with a first, second or third place ribbon. According to Brock, high school students involved in organizations such as FFA and 4H participate in an
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“auction eligible” category where pieces are judged on a slightly different level and winners of the category can sell their artwork at the fair’s premium sale. “I love seeing the students’ faces when they create something that they never thought they could do and how you can teach the same lessons to all the students, but their art is all unique,” art teacher Becky Jensen said. While there are guidelines teachers and students must follow when it comes to the art work, each piece is unique and leaves a lasting impression on the community. “Having participated in the art show for many years, it allowed me to see how much the community cares about the youth, their interests and artistic abilities,” former Chairman of the Fine Arts Committee Jennifer Barnes said. The pieces from this year’s art show will be on display at the fairgrounds until Thursday, March 28. Find out more about upcoming fair events and activities at www.walkercountyfair. com.
The Wynne Home Art Center will host the annual Herb Festival on March 30. The Herb Festival is coordinated and hosted by the Texas Thyme Unit (TTU), which has hosted eight Herb Festivals to date. The Herb Festival is an opportunity for TTU and The Wynne Home to bring the community together. There will be herbs for sale grown by the TTU as well as other plants from local green houses. Contributing founder, coordinator and original president of TTU, Jean Marsh, explained all that TTU does for the community of Huntsville. “Our vendors sell items like medicinal oils, lip balms, soaps, honey and that’s just the vendor sign up list at the moment,” Marsh said. “I believe that the Huntsville High School jazz band will be playing a set as well.” The festival is free, and all of the profits made from plants will be going to scholarships that the TTU offers to Sam Houston
State University students and Huntsville Independent School District students. Although the festival’s focus point is herbs, there will be plenty of activities for everyone. For families with kids, the festival will include a paint and plant station where the kids can learn how to help a plant grow. “We expect the turnout to be around 400 or 500 people… TTU actually assigns one of the members as a counter just so we get an exact amount of attendance,” Marsh said. “[The Herb Festival] is quite a time and I think that there’s something for everyone from herb enthusiasts to those who feel they may lack a green thumb.” The Herb Festival will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit www.texasthymeunit.org or like their page on Facebook.
Chelsey Norton
The Houstonian | bit.ly/HuntsvilleCommunityNews | Monday, March 25, 2019
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community news
Raising Champions Walker County Style The 41st annual Walker County Fair and Rodeo (WCFR) officially started on Thursday with the parade making it’s way through downtown Huntsville. Thursday night also saw Jon Wolfe performing for college night at the PRCA Rodeo which ran through Saturday. Students from throughout the county will show livestock and projects. Midway features a wide variety of food, games and rides for all. With many more events still yet to come, the fair will continue through Saturday. Photos by Chelsey Norton
The Houstonian | bit.ly/HoustonianAandE | Monday, March 25, 2019
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Arts & entertainment
What’s the WORD on the STREET? What do you think about this year’s Sammypalooza lineup?
Sammypalooza is scheduled for March 27 in the Johnson Coliseum. Sam Houston State University students will get two free tickets by showing their active Bearkat OneCard. Public tickets are $20.
featuring GUNNA
MADDIE & TAE
x ambassadors SIDNEY PLUNKETT
JOHNNY SIMPSON Freshman Kinesiology major
Senior Mass Communication major
“I think X Ambassadors has one song that I might remember like two years ago. Other than that, I don’t really know anyone on the lineup except for X Ambassadors and even then, I barely know them.”
“I don’t think it’s too bad. Gunna is an up-andcoming artist and Maddie and Tae, I’ve heard a couple of their songs. But X Ambassadors, I have never heard of them.”
“I think that it’s okay. I voted on Twitter beforehand, and instead of Gunna I voted for Rich the Kid. So when Gunna came out I wasn’t excited and I have no idea who the others are.”
Sophomore Education major
AMELIA CASTILLO
The Houstonian | bit.ly/HoustonianAandE | Monday, March 25, 2019
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Arts & entertainment
Opera Performance ‘Bridezillas’ Celebrates Matrimonial Mayhem
Amy Huerta BY KRISTEN SCHULTHEIS Contributing Reporter Women don’t need men and if your wife is boring, divorce her. Or at least, that seemed to be the theme of “Bridezillas” which debuted on Friday by the Sam Houston State University Opera. “Bridezillas” was a comical opera featuring two stories, “The Beautiful Bridegroom” by Dan Shore, and “Trial by Jury” by renowned operetta team
Gilbert and Sullivan. They told the story of two brides and the chaos that occurred in each of their lives. The show was a bit unconventional with the first opera being in the theater, and the second in the Criminal Justice building courtroom. “The Beautiful Bridegroom” is set in 1810 Denmark in a small village outside of Copenhagen. Madame Terentia wishes to find a husband and her maid, Pernille, scolds her for putting herself before her two
young daughters Laurentia and Leonora. Terentia decides to see the local matchmaker and Pernille calls ahead to tell the matchmaker to help the family from humiliation. The matchmaker receives Pernille’s note and hatches a plan to trick Terentia using her niece, Fraunliebe who pretends to be a male captain and charms all the women in the household. Fraunliebe leaves to prepare to wed Terentia, only to return later saying he has been magically
turned into a woman. Coming to terms with what has happened, Terentia decides she should pursue men her age from now on, while her daughter Laurentia still finds Fraunliebe attractive. In the end, all the women agree that they don’t need men. “Trial by Jury” was set in the courtroom of the Exchequer in 1985, where a jury and the public are assembled to hear a case of a broken marriage. The defendant tells the jury that
he decided to divorce his wife because she had become boring to him and he fell in love with someone else. The judge decides to resolve the case by marrying the plaintiff himself, and everyone is content with the solution. After the opera was over, the audience was invited to mingle with the cast and enjoy finger foods. “Bridezillas” was entertaining and different in a way, but overall everyone involved with creating the experience did a job well done.
The Houstonian | bit.ly/HoustonianOpinions | Monday, March 25, 2019
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Opinions
Stresses of College We Weren’t Warned About BY CASSIE BLEVINS Contributing Writer
When I graduated high school, it was always emphasized that “my college years will be the best years of my life.” What nobody talked about, however, was that as I would be enjoying my college years, I would also be dealing with societal pressures, self-image, while balancing work, family and grades. That my sleep patterns will become blurred and I would constantly be thinking, “I don’t need to spend money on that, it’s just lunch.” I have seen many of my friends study for weeks for a test. They put immense pressure on themselves to get that A. They come out from taking the test with confidence that could put anyone to shame. A week later, they get the test back. It has a big, fat, circled, red, disappointing B at the top. “How?” they wonder. They swear to themselves that they are going to study harder and longer than before. Then, add in family and a job. Your family misses you and wants you to come home for the weekend. Now you must take
time out of your schedule to ensure quality time with them. Also, you need more money. Your friends are complaining that you never want to hang out with them, but what they don’t know is that you’re saving up your money so you can hang out
with them next time. So, you get a job. Men and women also add today’s standards of looks on top of that. If a man doesn’t go to the gym at least three times a week, does he not care about himself ? If a woman doesn’t
have the type of body that’s most attractive, when is she going to get that fixed? College ends up being one of the most significant times for our bodies to change. We don’t look like we did three or four years ago. So, when are we supposed to
say, “stop, we have put enough pressure on ourselves”? When the bags under our eyes are so dark that we look like a zombie? When our friends start to question why we haven’t been hanging out? Or maybe when people realize that all these pressures are taking a toll on our mental wellbeings? The answer is now. We need to stop comparing ourselves to others. We need to take pride in that B. We need to stop letting these pressures overwhelm us. Yes, grades are important, but we don’t need to be losing sleep over them. Yes, our bodies are important, but we shouldn’t let others influence our opinions of ourselves. Find ways to destress and create a healthy image for yourself. It could be small things like taking a bath, looking through old pictures, calling family members, taking a walk outside or creating a list of things you have accomplished this month. No matter what, remember to take time for yourself out of your busy schedule. Our college years are supposed to be some of the best times of our lives, so don’t let other things get in the way of that.
The Houstonian | bit.ly/HoustonianOpinions | Monday, March 25, 2019
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Opinions
Foley Artists: The Secret Behind the Sounds As you’re watching a movie, have you ever wondered how each raindrop sounds so clear, or why horse hooves make that crisp clopping sound even when the camera angle is so far away? Most people would assume that the crew behind the scenes just produced those sounds through pure on-location filming. But
By definition, Foley artists are people who create -or recreatesounds for the movie industry. They often work in what is called a Foley studio, where they are provided with many unique props to make the detailed sounds we hear in a movie. The sound then gets recorded by a studio mixer, and they manipulate the pure sound to best fit the action being done in the movie. The history behind this career started with a man named Jack
Foley. He was originally a farmer and war veteran that decided to use his land for filmmakers to come to and be able to get the most beautiful landscaping shots for westerns in the 1920s. He took notice of what the sounds were like while shooting and decided to record the sounds in an enclosed, quiet location—thus making it easier for filmmakers to add the sound to the movie at the end during post-production. Foley artists are now being
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discussed as a dying career because technology has become so advanced that we can now produce artificial sound from a machine instead of paying someone to produce real sounds. My hope is for the Foley artist profession to stay strong. While technology advancements can be a good thing, I think that it’s best to have pure sound made by artists who have devoted their lives to this profession.
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what most people don’t know is that those sounds that you hear in the movies and animation films are created by Foley artists. I think that the sound editing teams in the movie industry are simply not credited or recognized enough for the amazing work that they do. Without them, the full picture would not come together when watching films. Foley artists make the experience more real.
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The Houstonian | bit.ly/HuntsvilleSports | Monday, March 25, 2019
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SPORTS
Freshman Phenom Cowser Helps Kats to Strong Start BY COLTON FOSTER Contributing Reporter The Sam Houston State University baseball team knew they were getting a big addition this year in freshman outfielder Colton Cowser, but even head coach Matt Deggs in his wildest dreams likely never could have predicted the impact that the freshman would have on the Bearkats lineup. “I see him hitting in the three hole and playing every day,” Deggs said in a preseason interview. “[He’s] beyond his years, he can really bang, and with hitters you don’t see that a whole lot this early and this young. When you do see it, it’s very rare. He’s going to play this
game for a long time.” Cowser has already proven himself as a remarkable member of the squad. The freshman earned himself a Southland Conference award for Hitter of the Week— during which, Cowser reached base on 13 of his 18 plate appearances and in three of the four games in that stretch Cowser registered multiple hits. “Right now the coaches have put me in an excellent spot at the plate,” Cowser said. “I’m just going up there and not trying to do too much. I’d say I’m pretty confident right now, but the coaches are definitely putting me in a good spot.” Cowser has had success batting third in the order as he currently leads the Bearkats in hits
with 29 and RBI’s with 24. His .367 batting average puts him in the Top-10 in the Southland Conference and number two on the team just behind senior Jordan Cannon. Numbers like that are not typical for a player in his first season of collegiate baseball. The Bearkats are currently 15-6 in 2019 and 7-2 in conference play. After already defeating Rice University earlier in the year, they beat Baylor University 8-7 on March 19—an impressive victory over a Big 12 team that is 16-6 this season. Cowser and the team return to Don Sanders Stadium Friday for a series against the McNeese State University Cowboys.
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A RUN THAT DIDN’T COUNT. Cowser (#17) high fives teammate Eric Bonhert (#5) after scoring a run vs. TCU in a game which later got called off.
The Houstonian | bit.ly/HuntsvilleSports | Monday, March 25, 2019
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SPORTS
Opinion: Major League Baseball Strikes Out with Rule Changes BY TYLER JOSEFSEN Digital EIC
Major League Baseball is changing the game—and not in a good way. MLB and the MLB Players Association recently agreed to a deal that will put new rules in place. A couple of these rule changes may prove to be homeruns (only time will tell), but most of them should annoy baseball fans more than bases-loaded walks. Let’s begin with the rules that will affect the regular season. The first one deals with the trade deadline and will be effective this season. July 31 will now be a hard deadline for trades, with those rare but impactful August waiver trades no longer having a place in baseball. While major August transactions are not a regular part of the game, they often had some of the biggest impacts on the postseason. In 2017, the Houston Astros arguably only won the World Series because of their late-season acquisition of Justin Verlander—who made 10 starts in August, September and the postseason, went 9-1 with a 1.66 ERA before claiming the ALCS MVP award. Had this rule been changed three years ago, Houston would likely still be chasing their first championship. 2020 will bring the majority, and the worst, of the changes. Batting leadoff in our lineup of rules is the expansion of active rosters from 25 to 26. I fully support this move, especially since MLB has increased players’ minimum time on the Injured List or in the minors from 10 games up to 15. Instead of a team sending down a reliever
that is tired from a multiple-inning outing, managers will now already have that extra 26th guy on the roster. As quickly as Commissioner Rob Manfred and the MLBPA did something right, though, he cut teams off at the knees come Sept. 2020, where rosters from here on out can only be expanded to 28 players. The era of a plethora of young talent getting a cup of coffee in the pros every September is over, so a message to GM’s—choose your two best prospects wisely. Here is the moment I’ve been waiting for. Please allow me to tear into the new “three-batter rule,” where every pitcher must face a minimum of three hitters before exiting the game. The only people that are less happy about this rule than I am are the Tony Sipp’s of the world—the specialists that get paid the big bucks to get one guy out. That job no longer holds any value, if it is even really a job any more. Guys like Chris Devenski and Jeremy Jeffress that can go multiple innings and retire both right and left-handed batters just became the most valuable weapons in a bullpen. MLB simply went too far with this rule change for many, many, many reasons. It changes the way the game is managed, the way bullpens are built and the strategy of lefty/righty matchups. There are other rules that will be in effect for the Midsummer Classic. If an All-Star Game goes into extra innings, each half inning will now begin with a runner on second base to attempt to speed up the scoring in extras. If an All-Star Game is tied after nine frames, the correct course of action is to simply end the game since it no longer holds any definitive meaning
after the 2017 rule change about World Series home field advantage was executed. The worst part of this rule is that the runners will be position players that previously exited the contest, meaning when Mookie Betts plays four innings and exits the game, he can’t get comfortable, kick back and just enjoy the experience. No, sir. Keep your helmet close by, young man. You may need to be a designated base runner in a couple hours. How absurd. Finally, the other change increased monetary incentives for
Home Run Derby participants, including a $1 million grand prize for the winner. This kind of seems outside the lines of “rule changes,” but it is a change nonetheless—and not a bad one. I am more than okay with MLB trying to get bigger bats to participate in the competition by greasing some palms. The rule changes are a lot to take in, and will certainly take some getting used to. I personally have little issue with the pace of play in baseball, but I understand Manfred’s desire to minimize game times. There are
other alternatives, though, that do not involve changing the essence and strategy of the sport Bottom line, I think these rule changes that MLB thought were going to be a grand slam are going to end up never making it out of the batter’s box.
Bearkat Country Crawfish Boil Serves Up Mudbugs, Fun Sam Houston State University Athletics held their annual crawfish boil last week before Tuesday’s baseball game. The Bearkats defeated the Baylor University Bears 8-7 in the contest.
Tiara Denman