3/23 Newspaper

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

The Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University

Volume 127 | Issue 22

GCJD on sexual assault

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ABIGAIL VENTRESS Staff Reporter

Sam Houston State’s Global Center for Journalism and Democracy will campaign for sexual assault awareness throughout the month of April.

GCJD has collaborated with several other organizations on campus in order to carry out the campaign.

“Over the years, many organizations from sororities to counseling centers to the Title 9 organization have hosted events that focus on sexual assault, so we brought all of those activities together,” Executive Director of GCJD Kelli Arena said. “These were student organizations, departments within colleges, sororities and fraternities, a combination of faculty, staff, and students who all came together to come up with an agenda.”

The community is also participating in the sexual assault campaign. On March 14, Walker County read a proclamation declaring the month of April to be Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and on March 15 the mayor and the city of Huntsville read a proclamation declaring the same.

“We’ve heard that we had the most people from Sam ever at both the county and city proclamation,” Arena said. “It was very well received by the community; they were really excited that we were able to get that many people to show up.”

The Global Center for Journalism and Democracy has a class, where each semester the students ask the student body what issues they feel should be discussed more on campus. The responses help determine the topic of their campaigns such as their previous mental health and immigration campaigns.

“Sexual assault came up repeatedly as something that Sam students thought needed to be discussed more openly and was something that we needed to raise awareness about,” Arena said.

“This is an issue that is not easy to talk about--a lot of people just don’t want to talk about it, but it needs to be discussed.”

The theme for the sexual assault campaign is “Start by Believing.”

The theme is a national movement urged at law enforcement partners who are undergoing training on how to handle sexual assault cases.

“When a police officer approaches any situation, they’re supposed to start at a point of neutrality,” Arena said. “This whole ‘Start by Believing’ movement is trying to push them to just believe a person when they first come and report something; it’s not to deal with that sexual assault survivor with any amount of skepticism or negativity.”

According to Arena, this campaign is not limited to law enforcement, it goes for anyone who may come in contact with someone who has been sexually assaulted.

“If we start by believing, then we react in a concerned, more positive way,” Arena said.

“There’s research that shows that everything that happens after that results in more efficient healing for the survivor.”

Statistics show that one in four women are sexually assaulted.

Most sexual assaulters are repeat offenders.

—

GCJD, page 2

Garland for SCOTUS ELISABETH WILLASON Staff Reporter

Kevin Fenner| The Houstonian

EXECUTION. Adam Ward was executed at the Huntsville unit Tuesday, March 22 for the murder of a code enforcement officer. As many as nine protestors were present, including a fellow code enforcement officer.

Argued mentally ill man executed

KEVIN FENNER Staff Reporter Despite arguments that he was ineligible for the death penalty due to his severe mental illness, Tuesday night the state of Texas executed Adam Ward for the 2005 murder of a code enforcement officer.

Ward insists he was defending himself when he fatally shot code enforcement officer Michael Walker, who was taking photos of possible code violations outside the Ward family home in Commerce, about 65 miles northeast of Dallas.

Ward, 33, was put to death by lethal injection March 22 at the Huntsville Unit, just one street block away from the Sam Houston State University campus. Outside the nation’s most active execution chamber, 15 to 20 protestors stood holding signs opposing capital punishment and held public prayers.

Danielle Allen of Cleveland is also a code enforcement officer and was outside protesting the execution, despite the death of another officer.

“The man’s obviously mentally ill,” Allen said. “He’s delusional. I understand we’re government officers and that makes his murder a Capital offense, but how can we

put this boy to death? Why does it have to be the death penalty and not life in prison? What’s more killing going to solve?”

Ward is the ninth person executed this year and the fifth inmate executed in Texas; 535 inmates have been executed in Texas since 1976.

Walker, 44, began taking pictures of the Ward’s family home to document code violations resulting from the piles of junk outside the house which led to an argument between Walker and Ward, then 22.

Ward intervened and told Walker to leave the property. Walker waited nearby after calling for assistance, but he was unaware that Ward had gone inside the house to grab his gun.

Walker died after sustaining nine gunshot wounds from Ward’s .45 caliber pistol. Ward confessed to the murder soon after, stating that he shot Walker because he feared for his life Ward’s parents were not present at the execution at the request of Ward who said he did not want his parents there to witness his death, according to Gloria Ruback of Houston, who stood holding an “abolish the death penalty” sign outside the prison.

“He has two parents who love and adore him,” Ruback said, who spoke with Ward’s parents last

week. “All this execution is doing – just like with all of the other children Texas has murdered – is creating more victims, more pain and suffering.”

Last week, Ward’s lawyers filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court asking the high court to overturn a March 16 decision from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeal’s denying a stay of execution for Ward.

In the appeal, his lawyers argued that Ward committed a murder because he suffered from “delusions and paranoia fed by his disabling bipolar disorder” dating back to his childhood.

“That’s one of the surest ways to avoid a death penalty is to have your client found not mentally competent or mentally sane and then they can’t execute you according to the Supreme Court,” Criminal Justice professor and capital punishment expert Dennis Longmire, Ph.D., said. “But it’s very, very rare that somebody avoids any punishment in Texas, much less the death penalty as a result of mental incapacity.”

Longmire said southerners tend to believe in the death penalty and make little exceptions, including mental illness.

“In Texas and the south in general, it’s just not part of the culture to recognize that somebody —

EXECUTION, page 2

Bearkat accepted into HGO ASHLEY PARROTT Campus Culture Editor A Sam Houston State University student has been accepted into the Houston Grand Opera Young Artsit Vocal Academy after a rigorous application process and extensive training in the music performance program.

Sophomore music major Brea Marshall was accepted into the Houston Grand Opera Undergraduate Program, a two week intensive program that allows her to attend master classes and work under prestigious opera singers.

The HGO undergraduate program is highly competitive.

It recieves over 700 applications nationwide while only 16 singers are accepted.

Marshall has been involved in choir from a young age, though she never initially thought of her talent as a career path.

“We had a youth day at my church once a month and that’s when all of the kids would

perform, sing or dance - I use to dread it when I was younger,” Marshall said. “My mom would push me to do something because I was so shy.”

Marshall eventually found her confidence in her talent and pursued it through various auditions in her hometown school choirs.

“I think I really started to love music with choir because it introduced the more classical side of things and I really started to understand technique,” Marshall said. “I didn’t really take classical music seriously until my junior year of high school. My senior year I auditioned for the all-state choir and I made first chair in the women’s choir.”

Marshall continued on with her drive and passion for music but eventually made the decision to pursue it professionally after her major successes in her high school career.

“I knew I loved music but there’s so much negativity with pursuing a career in music,” Marshall said. “I figured I love to do this but I always tried to look for an

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alternative back up plan. Nothing ever came up, and I wouldn’t be happy doing that because I just don’t get the same feeling that I do with music with any other type of career choice.”

SHSU offers three distinct choirs: the all-women’s choir, concert choir and the top collegiate choir, chorale choir. Marshall said her short time in these ensembles has shaped her knowledge of the art and helped her better understand the principles of technique.

“Choir in conjunction with my voice lessons really helps settle me with my music,” Marshall said. “At first it was kind of just a hobby but now it’s real. This is my career; it’s what I want to do, so it levels me.”

Marshall was eventually approached by her university vocal instructor Jammieca Mott, who introduced Marshall to the idea of auditioning for the Houston Grand Opera. Marshall was initially intimidated by the suggestion but then decided there was not reward without risk.

For the entire article visit Houstonianonline.com

Against the wishes of Republican congress members, President Barack Obama handed down a nomination for the Supreme Court on Wednesday March 16.

Obama nominated Judge Merrick Garland, 63, to fill the seat left vacant after Justice Antonin Scalia’s sudden death in Shafter, Texas.

Garland’s nomination comes on the heels of a public refusal from Republican congress members to hold a hearing for anyone Obama might nominate.

Garland — who is best known as the prosecutor in Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols’s trial for their roles in the Oklahoma City Bombing — was appointed to the D.C. circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals in 1997 by former President Bill Clinton and assumed the chief judge position in 2013.

In his time on the U.S. Court of Appeals, Garland has earned a reputation of neutrality and bipartisanship.

“I think Garland is a moderate choice,” political science professor Richard Yawn said. “I think Republicans from moderate states of who are otherwise moderate will advocate for giving him a vote.”

“Anytime Judge Garland disagrees, you know you’re in a difficult area.”

-Chief Justice John Roberts Senator Mitch McConnell has been at the forefront of the campaign to refuse Obama’s nomination, arguing that since it is an election year the nomination should go to the next elected president.

“The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice,” McConnell said in February.

“Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.”

Obama’s choice to nominate Garland puts Sen McConnell and others standing with him in an interesting position — if GOP senators refuse to vote yes or no on a centrist nomination it could affect their campaign in primary challenges and the general.

“It’s going to depend on whether the president and Democrats can win the public relations battle against the Republicans,” Yawn said.

Because Garland is a choice that appeals to both liberal and conservative members of congress, it could be hard for McConnell to refuse a vote on the nomination.

Even Chief Justice John Roberts, one of the most conservative members of SCOTUS, has had positive things to say about Garland’s decisionmaking as a judge.

“Anytime Judge Garland disagrees, you know you’re in a difficult area,” he said.

If a new Justice is not appointed and confirmed, it leaves the possibility for 4-4 votes on cases heard by SCOTUS — if there is a tie, the lower court’s verdict stands and it is as if SCOTUS never heard the case at all.

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3/22/2016 10:12:33 PM

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/news | Wednesday, March 23, 2016

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Non-profit to fund study abroad safety training HOLLY GRAY Staff Reporter The non-profit organization ClearCause started a campaign this month to fundraise for Safe Journey Academy, the first online training for students who are traveling abroad.

ClearCause was founded in 2010

by Sheryl and Allen Hill after the devastating loss of their son Tyler during his study abroad program in Japan. Once they started this organization they began to get several calls from people with similar stories of students who were abused, starved, abandoned and sexually trafficked.

There are no laws in America for protecting students outside the U.S., so incidents like those go unreported. So far ClearCause has been able to move two laws

— GCJD, page 2 “If we want to stop this from happening, our reaction matters a great deal,” Arena said. “Our aim is to educate, to inform, to inspire, and to get people to move toward change.”

To educate and get people involved with the campaign, GCJD is hosting Ignite the Night on April 5.

Ignite the night will have performances by the Austin-based band Rattletree, comedy from the nationally known CoMeTry, dance performances by NobleMotion and then attendents will march in support of sexual assault victims.

“I’m excited for Ignite the Night [because] it’s been one of the bigger events these past years,” project leader Jeremy Villanueva said. “I hope that [students] gain more knowledge on what sexual assault is and what role they can play in helping to reduce those numbers. I also hope they go to the events and actually apply it to where it is much more than statistic that they forget about the next week.”

There are many other events occurring throughout April in coordination with the campaign, including a student talent show called “Not a Number” in the

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in Minnesota concerning student travel safety, and a third law is waiting for the governor’s signature in Virginia.

“Every day when I get up I think ‘If I can just help one more,’” Hill said. “I may not be able to save the world, but I can help one more.”

The website has the Safe Journey Eye-Opener Quiz with 10 questions that reveal facts about traveling.

For example, the three digit emergency number is not 911 in most countries. Hill’s son, Tyler, tried to dial 911 in Japan, when the number he needed was 199. Once Hill got ahold of Japan from America, she couldn’t communicate because she didn’t know Japanese. Knowing how to ask for help in the country’s language is a crucial part of being safe, according to Hill.

Safe Journey will offer several modules to help students prepare

for safe travel.

These trainings will include topics such as an emergency action plan, country specific information, housing, health and wellness, water safety, alcohol and substance abuse, sexual assaults and how to advocate for federal policies to safeguard students.

According to their website, SHSU’s study abroad program also takes precautions by guaranteeing they will not approve any studenttravel to locations currently under US Department of State Travel Warning or locations that come under Travel Warning at any point in the study abroad process, including after the student has departed the U.S..

This travel warning means that the Department of State has labeled a certain country as unsafe and advises U.S. citizens not to travel there. Currently the government website has a

warning for traveling to Turkey.

Jordan Land, SHSU’s Study Abroad Coordinator said that even if the country is not listed on this website but SHSU has reason for concern, they will not send students to that location either.

“We would not be sending any students to Brussels, Belgium tomorrow, even though the location is not listed under the government’s travel warnings,” Land said.

Land gives presentations to students on how to be safe when traveling abroad, including general safety precautions and location specific tips. A few of his many tips are to practice a heightened sense of awareness, don’t travel anywhere alone no matter how “close” it may be, and don’t carry large amounts of cash or electronics.

The fundraiser for Safe Journey Academy has just begun, and they

need around 250,000 dollars to have a fully funded website. Hill said once they are fully funded, they can translate the modules into different languages and send this lifesaving program to students around the world.

“Someone once told me I am a buzz-kill,” Hill said. “I said let me tell you what a buzz kill is, a buzzkill is when you get that phone call, and I never want another person to get that phone call. We kick buzz-kill butt.”

The Safe Journey Academy is going to be student influenced and student advertised. Hill made the point that young adults are more likely to listen to their peers about safety than their parents. She hopes that students will realize their voice is more powerful than they know.

gender neutral. Men are typically assaulted by both females and other males.

At the events, there will be donation tables where people can donate toiletries and other necessities. There will be a drawing as well as t-shirts, teal ribbons and booklets with information about sexual assault.

“Every semester we have students who walk into our office and volunteer time,” Arena said. “They are excited about the projects that we’re working on; they’re excited about the mission of the Center and they volunteer their time without getting credit, without getting paid and without getting any recognition.”

To advertise for the campaign, GCJD has been trading free hot dogs for Facebook shares, posting yard signs and setting table tents in the eating areas.

“To be able to break through with any sort of message regardless of how important it is, is difficult and there’s no better way to help students appreciate the challenges of informing and educating the public than to take them through the ropes,” Arena said. “Lessons are best learned in the field and not theoretically.”

— EXECUTION, page 1 might be so mentally ill that they can’t be held responsible for their actions.” He said. “It’s very, very hard to get people to think about the nature of the crime or offense rather than feel it.”

From age three, Ward was prescribed psychiatric medicines to address his aggressive and destructive behavior.

After spending two and a half months in a psychiatric unit when he was four-years-old, Ward was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, according to the appeal.

Ward’s mental illness continued to plague him as he began school, the appeal argued. By the time Ward was in second grade, his school had built a “Time Out Box” – a small, padded isolation room – specifically for him.

According to a neuropsychological evaluation in middle school, Ward suffered from “rage episodes,” during which he was unmanageable for an hour or more, had a low frustration toleration and a high level of insecurity and tendency to interpret incoming information as persecutory.

Court documents described Ward’s father, Ralph Ward, as a hoarder who filled the family’s home with piles of junk and an arsenal of guns and ammunitions.

Both father and son suffered from shared delusions and paranoia.

The two delusional men believed the city of Commerce was out to get their family and the government was controlled by the “Illuminati.” However, court documents revealed the Ward family had in fact received numerous city code violations for junk piled inside and outside the house.

“Ward’s aggressive and antisocial behavior continued and escalated through adolescence and into adulthood, culminating in him fatally shooting Code Enforcement Officer Michael Walker on June 13, 2005,” Ward’s appeal argued.

His lawyers argued in the appeal that Ward’s mental illness is “so severe, so well-documented, and so deeply present in Mr. Ward’s entire life as to make him constitutionally ineligible for execution.”

The Supreme Court has ruled that mentally ill prisoners, generally defined as those with an IQ below 70, may still be executed if they understand they are about to be put to death and why they face punishment. According to the state’s lawyers, evidence showed Ward’s IQ was nearly 123.

For the entire article visit Houstonianonline.com

The Jump LSC Theater on April 6, Alpha Chi Omega’s Flag Football Tournament on April 10, “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” on April 19, and “Denim Day” on April 27.

“This is an issue that is not easy to talk about--a lot of people just don’t want to talk about it, but it needs to be discussed.”

-Kelli Arena, GCJD The campaign is advocating for male victims as well.

“One of the things that we are hoping to get across in this campaign is that women are not the only victims of sexual assault, men are as well,” Arena said.

“We’ve seen some statistics that show while one in four women is sexually assaulted, one out of six men are as well, but men have a much harder time reporting and talking about that.”

Because women are typically assaulted by the opposite sex, there is the “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event, but the campaign is

The Jump

3/22/2016 10:12:48 PM

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/campusculture | Wednesday, March 23, 2016

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SHSU Theatre: More than just a children’s play TESLA CADENA Staff Reporter

After several years without children’s theater, an interactive 45 minute play, “According to Coyote” premiered this weekend at the Old Town Theater.

It was written by Native American John Kauffman and directed by Sam Houston State University’s Vicky Lantz. This was a production the entire family enjoyed.

A cast of fourteen told the many adventures of Coyote, who can either be insightful or irresponsible depending on the journey.

Whether he danced with the

stars, traveled to the shadow world or just tried to find something to eat, he taught many rich lessons to the children but maintained upbeat and comical.

Each legend is unique and meaningful as it has been passed through the generations to help shape the world. However, a script full of beautiful folk tales couldn’t have been brought to life without SHSU’s actors.

An interesting aspect was that there was no lead actor. Everyone shared the spotlight as narrators traded off with other narrators and the only way to differentiate Coyote was through a red costume piece.

The switching of actors in middle of scenes caused no lag; the transitions remained seamless.

It didn’t matter who played which role because everyone did the characters justice.

Though all six narrators and eight ensemble actors did well, there were those who stood out, such as Jessica Roberts, Raquel Oliveira, Jacob Foster, and Jasmin Trujillo. It was obvious Roberts and Trujillo had genuine fun on stage and truly enjoyed bringing the audience into the story with them. Foster and Oliveira seemed especially uninhibited.

It is apparent that just as much happens behind stage as on stage.

The simplicity of the set is deceptive, as a lot of extra thought and work goes into the production of a portable set.

With limited time and resources, the director, props designer and

puppet designer pulled through with narration, experimental physical movement and innovative scrim work rather than splurging on set pieces or props to convey the story.

Most of the ensemble’s costumes were minimal but there were some characters with intricate handmade costumes that earned some “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd. As far as special effects, traditional folk music was played to set the mood, but nothing else. The reason for such minimalism isn’t only because of portability or the switching of actors. It’s a reminder that the play isn’t about the spectacle, but the stories themselves and the significance they hold.

Despite fart noises and having

to help Fox count to four, it was still an opportunity for people of all ages to be exposed to the lost art of storytelling (and earn a Girl Scout badge).

“According to Coyote” will return to Scott Johnson Elementary School and Gibbs Pre-K Center the first week of April and hopefully their tour will continue to Sam Houston Elementary School to expose more children to the history, culture and traditions of the Nez Perce tribe and their way of life.

For more information about “According to Coyote” and upcoming performances, visit accordingtocoyote.wordpress. com, or contact Lantz at 936.294.4339, or vplantz@shsu. edu.

entire life meaning. It gave me a purpose.”

His full length album Know Society demonstrated Sallee’s ability to draw from artists but maintain a distinct sound. On tracks such as “Garth Brooks” Sallee changes up the speed and intensity of his lyrics in distinct clean-cut measures and switches from high energy bouncing lines to slower, more deliberate speech.

Sallee doesn’t limit his inspiration for artistry to just rap, though.

“Guys like Eminem and 3 Stacks, Mr. Pookie, lots of southern guys, Incubus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Citizen Cope, [these] are guys I think inspired me in ways,” Sallee said. “It’s hard to pick out what I drew from because I just try to create by feel, but I’m a firm believer all originality draws from some sort of inspiration.”

Sallee attributes part of his

distinct sound to his producer and life-long friend Blev, who produced ‘Garth Brooks’ and helped highlight the variable speeds in Sallee’s lyrics.

“My best friend I grew up with who makes most of my beats, his name is Blev, he’s easily been the biggest influence on my sound,” Sallee said. “We came up together and he’s never shy to tell me when something isn’t as good as it could be. He’s really a genius musically.”

As the rap troupe has released numerous EPs and singles since Know Society, their sound has developed as well. In a recent single, “Awayo”, the production and lyrics combine into a tight, repayable four-minute track that wouldn’t be out of place on a main stage.

Sallee’s lyrics are smart and touch on many of the problems he sees in society. There won’t be Childish Gambino levels of

word play, but the lines are filled with the same earnest thought provoking accusations of Chance the Rapper or Macklemore at ever changing speeds.

Over the past weekend Sallee performed at SXSW. “SXSW isn’t like a usual festival with a huge stage, central location, enclosed space,” Sallee said. “It’s all of 6th and Austin. There are parties everywhere. You can walk in on a big name playing for free.

You can run into Bill Murray at a bar. That’s so unique.”

Additionally, Sallee said SXSW is different than most venues because of the inconsistency from show to show.

“Performance wise, honestly, SXSW is difficult,” Sallee said.

“Short sets. Sometimes packed, sometimes not. When you’re an independent artist, it’s a tossup each showcase. Which can also work in your favor. I enjoy

performing because usually people don’t expect me to come with such a high level of energy and lyrics.”

As the group moves forward Sallee has a clear vision for how to progress both his own brand as well as the entire Oklahoma rap scene.

“I hope to build something national, while also shining light on where I’m from,” Sallee said.

“Oklahoma has built a unique hip hop scene that I think, given the right attention, could give the world some really talented artists. We have a strong plan, a strong team and are hungrier than ever. So I see it developing into something that really grows.”

Sallee’s next EP, Hush Hush is set for release this April. Producer Blev is also at work on his first solo project due out this spring.

SXSW underground artist: rapper Josh Sallee Small town rapper Josh Sallee left big impressions on thousands this week at South by Southwest.

Sallee isn’t the typical rapper from New York or California but is from Oklahoma and found his footing in the Midwest. He currently has about 5,000 listeners on Spotify, but he does not expect it to stay that way for long.

Sallee officially started his career a few years ago but his attraction to music goes further back and is rooted in a much larger commitment.

“I always loved music,” Sallee said. “Loved rhythm. Dancing. I always liked to watch how much someone enjoyed listening to their favorite song. But I think I started making music because it gave my

High school choirs join SHSU in concert JILLIAN GERMAN Staff Reporter The Sam Houston State University women’s concert choir will host the Women’s Invitational Choir Concert on March 29 at 7:30 p.m.

Denise Eaton, conductor of the women’s choir and professor of second coral methods, has found a new way to give the young women of the surrounding communities a chance to experience a bit of the college lifestyle and also stay within their comfort zone.

“I decided to get two diverse high school choirs combined with a college student women’s choir,” Eaton said. “The population that perhaps many would not think of themselves as college bound students.”

The students attend Dekaney High School in Spring ISD and Oak Ridge High School in Conroe ISD. They range from sophomores to seniors.

Eaton’s passion to involve the youth comes from her background as a high school teacher for 29 years and a lot of her students were first generation college students. That is how she got the idea to bring them to the SHSU campus so they could see older women like themselves in their same field, fulfilling their aspirations.

Eaton wants to instill empowerment in young women and show them there are people

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who are just like them.

“I feel like it’s very important to get high school students, especially from lower social economic backgrounds, on campuses so they can see that it is possible,” Eaton said.

Additionally, Eaton will give them a clinic before they compete at a UIL competition and a voice teacher will be there to supervise the clinic in order to enhance their skills for the competition.

“It’s kind of like a bench log for the choirs,” Eaton said. “They go and get ratings and they sight read and sing. You do three pieces.

I will be working with them on the side pieces and then the voice teacher will be coaching them on their voice. It should be a lot of fun. I just want them to have a great time on the campus.”

The message behind the concert is for the SHSU student body but it dives deeper for the high school students.

“I want them to feel empowered,” Eaton said. “I want them to feel good about their singing first and foremost and about being a part of a woman’s choir and if they have never thought about college, I want them to think about that.

I want them to walk away with more options in their life and not a closed mind to that topic.”

The concert starts at 7:30 pm in the James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center and should last no longer than an hour. The concert is free and open to the public.

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3/22/2016 9:50:40 PM

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/campusculture | Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Page 4

Collection to honor SHSU alumn, political figure TRICIA SIMS Staff Reporter There will be a special collections presentation of Robert A. Gammage’s materials that document the personal and political life of the late public servant on March 23 at the Thomason Room 401 in the Newton Gresham Library at 3:00 p.m.

Gammage was a well- known political figure and scholar who received his master’s degree at Sam Houston State University in 1965. He continued to guestlecture after his political career and was inducted into the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Wall of Honor in 2012.

Gammage served in the Texas House of Representatives, Texas Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, acted as the Texas Third Court of Appeals Justice and as Texas Supreme Court Justice throughout his long and well-respected political career.

One of the key contributors involved in the appearance of the

collection was political science professor John Domino, Ph.D. Domino met Gammage in 1989 and sustained a long friendship with him. Domino said after Gammage passed in 2012, the idea to have a special collection came from his wife, Lynda Gammage.

Domino said there was a lot of outreach to accomplish this collection.

“I put Director of Library Services Ann Holder in touch with Lynda,” he said. “From there, Lynda, Ann and Felicia Williamson made it happen.”

Domino is certain Gammage would have liked the idea of a collection of his professional and personal items over the years to share with SHSU. “He loved Sam Houston State University,” Domino said. “I believe he would feel they are in a good home, a fitting place.”

The collection is made up 52 boxes of materials. The collection includes letters, photographs, campaign materials, videos and newspaper clippings.

Special Collection Associate Trent Shotwell processed the collection and said the collection

spans from 1956 to 2012. The collection took five months to sort and digitalize. “[We] sort it and identify things in it, bring a description to it and then we create an online finding aid,” Shotwell said. “That is an online data base for people to go search through the collection and see if there is anything they would like to research in it.”

There is much to look at in this collection but Shotwell described a few of his favorites, some of which include the photos. Shotwell estimates there to be 500 or more photos in the collection.

“Personally I think that the photographs are really neat and important,” Shotwell said. “I mean there is great stuff that you can research from his early political life and a lot of that is really interesting.”

There are five large scrapbooks compiled of old newspaper coverage during Gammage’s career in the collection as well.

“If anybody is interested in his political life it is all there,” Shotwell said. “If you like political stuff, it is impressive.”

Other unique items that are in

the collection are Gammage’s old desk plate, a caricature and old campaign signs and materials.

One of Domino’s favorite pieces was a part of Gammage’s campaign during a Texas state judge election.

“It is a red and white campaign poster from one of his judicial races, urging voters to choose a slate three candidates: Tom Philips (Republican), John Cornyn (Republican), and Bob Gammage (Democrat),” Domino said. “I could write a book about the events surrounding that poster.”

This special collection is a viable addition to the school and will be useful for many students to come, Domino said.

“A collection of this importance obviously enhances the university’s reputation for supporting scholarship,” Domino said. “Students who are interested in Texas history will have an opportunity to conduct research using these primary sources.”

This viewing is an opportunity for people to see who Gammage was and what he did in his successful career.

“The event is important because

it raises awareness not only of this valuable collection, but of this influential man,” Domino said. “I hope that it will also draw attention to the library staff of experts who make this collection possible by methodically preserving, cataloging, scanning and creating online finding aids.

Without them, any collection would be more or less just boxes of documents collecting dust.”

The Gammage collection is one of 117 special collections.

Shotwell encourages students to come back to the Thomason room throughout the school year to do research.

Additionally there will be a reception that follows the viewing in the Lowman Student Center in room 310, the President’s dining room.

“By the people coming out and viewing this collection, they could get turned on by other collections we might have,” Shotwell said.

“I would like people to see everything, come back and want to look through it, and want to use it for research.”

Sony unveils PlayStation VR for October 2016 ARTURO MOSQUEDA Columnist At the Game Developers Conference last Tuesday Sony announced the PlayStation VR, a virtual reality headset for the PlayStation 4, will release in October of this year.

The PlayStation VR will sell for $399 individually and $500 for the VR bundle which would include the PS VR headset, headphones,

a demo disc, two PS Move motion controllers and cables for the VR and the PlayStation camera that are required to use the VR headset.

President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Andrew House revealed the official retail version of the PlayStation VR headset at a recent press conference.

House also gave hardware specification over the VR headset, with a 5.7-inch OLED screen at 1920 x 1080 resolution (960 x 1080 for each eye), refresh rates

of 120 Hz and 90 Hz would be supported by the device for smoother gameplay.

The VR headset will allow the user to have a field of view of about 100 degrees and feature 360-degree tracking with latency of less than 18 ms.

More than 230 developers are said to be in the development process regarding content for the PlayStation VR, which includes more than 160 software titles.

House expects 50 games to be available to the public

for PlayStation VR from the platform’s launch in October to the end of 2016. Among these software titles, House confirmed that the development of a version of EA’s Star Wars Battlefront will come out for the PlayStation VR. Pre-orders for the PlayStation VR bundle are now available at participating retailers, including GameStop. GameStop will require a $100 deposit in order to pre-order the bundle at stores. Pre-orders for the basic $399 PlayStation VR will not be available for pre-order,

Sony said.

Fans and video game lovers are ready for the next big step towards future technology will want to have their eyes open as more news develops on the VR horizon.

With many options now available to the public in 2016 such as the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Samsung Gear VR and the Microsoft HoloLens, consumers will be able to decide what will be best for their next level gaming needs.

Phoenix based ‘Tandem Duo’ perform at Sam ERIK WALDBAUER Staff Reporter The Phoenix based music group, Tandem Duo, performed at Sam Houston State University on Friday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Gaertner Performing Arts Center.

Sarah Off and Marilyn Clark Silva, Ph.D., who form Tandem Duo, play the violin and the marimba, respectively. This unique combination of instruments makes for an equally unique sound.

The duo began the concert with the piece Legal Highs by composer David P. Jones. The most striking parts of this piece were when the two instruments would swap parts or play a section on their own.

These violin and marimba solos usually signaled that the piece was about to change tone.

The movements were intentionally played in reverse order, as Silva and Off felt that by exchanging the first and third movements, the piece would have a stronger finish.

The duo also performed a piece written by Erik Satie in the early 20 century entitled Préludes flasques (pour un chien), which when translated literally means “Flabby Preludes for a Dog.” This piece took the audience on a journey through a day in the life of a dog and through Satie’s strange sense of humor.

Three Pieces for Violin and Cello by Kohei Kondo was another piece performed by Tandem Duo. It had to be arranged so that the part for cello could be played on the marimba.

editorial pages 1-4.indd 4

Silva and Off explained to the audience that when they performed this piece for the first time, they did not have the time to contact Kondo for permission.

They decided to put the piece in at the last minute.

Silva reassured the audience that all ended well.

“The performance was filmed and we sent the recording to Mr. Kando,” Silva said. “He loved it and asked if we could do more.”

Since then, Kando has written a number of pieces for violin and marimba specifically for Tandem Duo. SHSU percussion instructor Joe Millea joined Silva and Off on stage to perform the final piece of the night: Threedance. This musically complex piece ended the concert on an energetic and enthralling high note.

Silva and Off explained how their plans to play at other universities on the West Coast eventually led them to Sam Houston State University.

“I played an alumni concert at Sacramento state, where I did my undergrad,” Silva said. “My professor said, ‘hey would you like to come and do a whole concert here?’ and I said sure. He emailed me a couple days later and said, ‘hey I booked a date for you in April.’”

Despite the last minute decision, Silva and Off wanted to travel to other locations as well. Audience members and students have Millea to thank for making SHSU one of those locations.

“We did our Master’s degrees with Joe Millea at ASU,” Silva said. “Joe was here at Sam and said ‘yeah you can come play out here

Joe Millea| The Houstonian

PERCUSSION. SHSU percussion studio attends master class with Sarah Off and Marilyn Silva from ‘Tandem Duo’.

and do a master class with the students.’”

While Silva and Off were at SHSU, they found time to work with some of the music students on campus.

“Yesterday we did a master class with a bunch of percussion students and a couple violin students on collaboration and professional ensemble playing,” Off said. “We played a bit of our program and talked a bit about rehearsal techniques and such and had them ask us questions.”

They also talked about life after school and how sometimes simply having a degree might not be enough to make a successful career in music.

“We talked about life outside of school and how when you’re in school you just jump through these hoops and have everything planned,” Silva said. “Then when

you’re finished you don’t have this structure of musical things that you have to do.”

Furthermore, they discussed the reality of making a living as a music professional.

“So how do you make a career for yourself,” Silva said. “You’re always told to have fun and play with your friends and never be

late for rehearsal but that’s not always realistic, so we talked about how do you actually make things work.”

Silva and Off returned to Arizona the day after the concert and will tour in California and Oregon next month.

3/22/2016 9:50:54 PM

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/viewpoints | Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Page 5

Modern day segregation What’s the

MORGAN LEE PHILLIPS Columnist The enthusiasm of the youth for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is very apparent. His lifelong fight for those that are impoverished and downtrodden is the most compassionate out of all presidential candidates. Though his appeal with the youth is great, many older Americans question his stance since it is closely associated with socialism.

University of Oklahoma professor David Deming believes that the youth’s attraction to Sanders is proof that education has failed. Which is not hard to believe when you see that according to pewresearch.org, the United States is Ranked 35 in mathematics, 23 in reading and 27 in science when compared to 62 different countries.

Believing that socialism is to blame for the United States’ current educational woes, David Deming is blaming students for viewing socialism favorably.

However, when seeing that Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada, and Finland, all democratic socialist countries, rank much higher than the United States it is hard to believe the socialism is equivalent to a poor education.

David Deming surely was not making a jab at the idea of democratic socialism, but rather classical communist socialism.

Comparing Bernie Sander’s ideal democratic socialism to communism is like comparing Diet Coke to Tab. Sure Tab was the original diet soda, but over time we moved to Diet Coke. The world doesn’t sit and stay at one point, we move with time and the ever changing landscape of society.

The youth displaying their hope for a better future is not bad, I would like to think that we are going to be able to transform the United States from a country of me to a nation of we. We say united we stand, but pushing and pulling people in and out does not help us. It only causes greater strain and segregation.

Everyone most likely knows a person who is heavily against socialism, but I guarantee they

have felt the effects of socialist programs and systems already set in place.

How about the mail that you receive every afternoon delivered by the United States Postal Service, the police that protect the streets, the firemen who help save innumerable amounts of lives, or even the military that fights to protect the citizens of the United States of America and the freedom we all share? These are all controlled by the government for the people to protect life, liberty, property and mail.

Socialism is already here, and truly the only thing that we have to fear is capitalism.

Capitalism has let companies push jobs over seas, save billions with off-shore accounts and has destroyed new businesses.

Monopolies rule and the poor get poorer. The youth do not fight for an easier life; We fight for those who can’t fight. Those that live in the inner city and are forced to take assistance from the government so they can feed their children. Capitalism is not fair for those who can not afford health insurance that have to wait and die, because they cannot afford treatment. Democratic socialism helps those that even a college professors such as David Deming does not think about.

PLUR: Lifestyle not a motto vibes and positive thoughts.

I have never seen a fight at any rave I have gone to, and most people are at peace with one another. We enjoy to keep peace in our community and are accepting of all people, whether it’s your first or last rave.

In your life, try to be calm and radiate positive vibes. Be the light that people need in their negative moments, try to block these negative moments while having peace between all people you meet.

Love At a rave you can most certainly RYAN GUELI can feel the love.

There are times when the music Contributor is raging and you just close your eyes and let the wave of emotions When telling others about take over. You feel the love of all raving and electronic dance music, those around you, all raving as one it almost always is followed by family. “so you do drugs?” Sorry to burst This love is what welcomes your bubble about the raving any person, and gives that ability lifestyle, but no I do not. for you to be yourself. In life we The “drug” of most ravers is a should love and accept all people. lifestyle. Not just the aspects of a person P.L.U.R. we may enjoy, but the differences PLUR stands for Peace, Love, we have as well.

Unity, and Respect. This simple Reject hate, and always be there acronym embodies the life of a for others. Talk to a stranger, let raver and transcends the moment them know they are important in of a concert seeping into the this world. A strong love toward realm of everyday life. all helps strengthen the inner Each letter has a deeper peace within us. It allows us to feel meaning than its face value and alive! an understanding of each letter Unity shows that our lifestyle is not At a rave we are seamlessly one about drugs. It is about the music, unified body of people. and about finding your inner self.

We are there for the love of Even when not surrounded by the music and love of expressing other ravers or listening to the ourselves. Many times I have electronic dance music, PLUR still made friends with strangers at a has a place in my every day to day rave, and together we embody the life. community.

Peace We are the headliners at every A rave is a place of positive show, we are one.

Still different from one another in some unique way, but still united and unified. Accept the differences of others, and celebrate in the differences. Explore new horizons and try new things. Try to understand the unique differences of others. With insight we can understand and unify ourselves with the community around us.

Respect Respect is arguably the most important letter of PLUR. A rave is a completely judgement free zone. Everyone is accepted and you are free to dress and act in any way you seem fit.

At a rave you are encouraged to be yourself. If you want to dance like a fool, or dress the “coolest” way possible then go right ahead.

When you are at a rave you find yourself comfortable expressing yourself. Treat others as you would like to be treated is the golden rule of society we learn as children. We must always respect others’ opinions and always let others feel comfortable being themselves.

Today there are too many judgements on others, sometimes it just takes a little respect to abolish such negativity. R-E-S-PE-C-T, I know what it means to me.

At the end of it all, raving embodies more than a community of drug users. We are a peaceful loving unified and respectful community. I strongly encourage everyone I meet to try living a PLUR lifestyle. My goal is to feel the way I do at a rave every day because in the end there’s no place I’d rather be.

WORD on the

Rodeo season just came to a close. What was your favorite deep fried food this season, or of all time?

STREET?

Hailey Pruitt Sophomore Psychology “Um, probably fried Oreos.”

Justin Johnson Junior Accounting “My favorite fried food, um, I’m gonna say fried fish.”

Joeall Riggins Senior Public Health “I’m gonna say fried Oreos.”

Cara Goetz Senior Mass Communication “My favorite fried food is probably pickles, I’m basic.”

Alex Wilson Sophomore Interior Design “Do french fries count?”

Commercial property up 144 percent

MICHAEL GORBATY Columnist The massive billion dollar hotel acquisitions in the United States have grabbed my attention.

Recently in the news, Anbang

editorial pages 1-8.indd 5

Insurance, based in China, challenged Marriott with an initial non-binding offer of $12.8 billion on March 14, raising it later to $13.16 billion to acquire Starwood and Marriott Hotel Chains.

If Anbang’s deal is completed and approved by the federal government they would be holding the country’s most powerful and largest hotel chain.

There are big commercial property deals every now and then, but recently the amount in which foreign companies has got me thinking. Why would any company buy this amount of property in a period of time in which commercial property prices are up 144 percent since 2009?

Morgan Stanley Research put a chart on their newsletter to the

media. If you look at the chart, you can see prices are up more since 2009 than the period of time leading up to the housing bubble in 2008.

According to Bloomberg, one of the most trusted financial news sources, Blackstone is the largest private equity property investor, with about $94 billion under management in real estate.

John Gray, the head of Blackstone Real Estate, told viewers and attendees at the July 2015 Delivering Alpha Conference that he feel prices have more room to grow because there is evidence of large inflows of capital from Asia and Europe into U.S. commercial real estate deals.

He also points out that currently there isn’t as much leverage today

as there was back before the housing bubble occurred.

Only time will tell, as with anything.

I, on the otherhand, always question and look into anything.

In my view, this rise of 144 percent is only sustainable if there’s real fundamental growth and continuing bids from high networth in Asia and Europe.

Any sign of slowing down, which we’re currently seeing in China and Europe, will signal more risk to the downside than upside.

Would you purchase anything after its gone up 144 percent?

3/22/2016 11:21:36 PM

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/viewpoints | Wednesday, March 23 2016

Page 6

Faith and the presidency Dr. Strauss: Thanks

MORGAN MILLER Viewpoints Editor Come Election Day, it appears that faith may be a large factor in voter’s decisions of who will take over the oval office.

When I was a child, I attended church because of my parents.

I remember getting up early to attend Sunday morning services to hear the Biblical stories and being delighted when it was time to praise and sing. However, the memories of church I have from childhood are long gone.

With the current presidential election going on, it appears that some churches and places of worship have been forgoing the usual Sunday morning sermon for something more politically aware.

From posting statements online, speaking on behalf of a candidate instead of doing a sermon, to asking your religion’s followers to vote or not vote for someone because some of their ideals go against what you believe, it is clear religion is playing too much into politics.

While many people allow their religious beliefs to play a part in their time during their time at the polls, it is clear people have forgotten about the idea of the separation of church and state.

Amid the debates, name calling and complete political discord, one would believe many people

of faith would try to distance themselves from the mess we call politics. However, with many different religious groups calling and rallying behind or against the candidates, arguing it is their duty to pull our nation from the depths of hell as many of them believe, it is clear many people are doing quite the opposite and placing their religious beliefs first in the race.

People of faith tend to review a candidate’s religious views and take them into consideration over their political platforms, arguing that while some candidates may act pompous and like they have big egos, but if they have faith then it will ground them in the end and therefore their faith makes them a better person and a better choice for president.

Before his withdrawal from the race, Ben Carson was liked among religious groups because he vowed his actions would be guided by his faith in God. Others, like former HewlettPackard CEO Carly Fiorina, have been known to make comments that implore people of faith are better candidates and their faith will make them better leaders.

Others tend to link a candidate’s faith to the state of our nation.

With the always present turmoil in our nation, some religious people believe that it is due to the fact religion is not always present or present at the forefront.

According to preachingpolitics. com writer Georgann Ryan, we are doomed without a biblical foundation.

Preaching politics? Irony at its finest. In a land where religion needs to be the furthest thing from politics, we have people attempting to “preach politics,” and argue for its place in the presidential race.

I am not anti-religion by all means, but even I can set my faith aside when it comes to the ballot box.

I am, however, anti-religion in politics. Living in such a large, multi-faithed society that we do today, how can you base your vote for the head of state on one religion? Exactly, you shouldn’t.

Politics should not be based off of “the Bible tells me this and that.” Instead, political decisions should be able to stand on their own merit without a religious backing.

Instead of using faith to steer you to the candidate whose faith and ideals regarding faith best reflect your own, let an issue or an argument be judged objectively based off the evidence either for or against it rather than simply referring to someone’s faith.

Taking faith out of the equation would cause people to think about issues more critically, without faith telling you which is wrong or bad, debates would have to be held to discuss every angle of an issue. People need to be more open to actually examining an issue rather than judging it according to biblical standards.

It’s almost as if people believe politics without faith will lead our nation into some crazy dystopian society. I would argue it would in turn prevent this from happening.

If we were to remove religion from politics we would be forced to analyze a situation rather than judge.

Although the notion of the separation of church and state has been in place throughout our history, many religious groups and people of faith tend to throw that out the window when voting.

We claim to live in the “land of the free,” yet we still try to impose our own personal religious beliefs on others by voting for a candidate simply based off of their own religion. In a nation so diverse in religious groups and beliefs, we must keep religion, the presidency and politics separate.

for 20+ years Dear Students of SHSU, As of June 1 I will be retiring.

Most of you will not remember me as I am no longer on main campus but I have worked part time at The Woodlands Center for the past few years. Nevertheless I feel compelled to say a final goodbye.

I have been at Sam Houston for the majority of my career as a psychologist, more than 20 years. Like any job there have been some good and some not so great days. Throughout this time the students, YOU, have always been my constituents. You have been interesting, diverse, and surprisingly appreciative even

when the conversations have not been so flattering.

I have always been passionate about higher education as the ticket to financial stability as well as the path to a rewarding work life. It has been a gift to me that I have been able to encourage and support individuals on their educational journey.

You have all contributed to helping me feel proud of my career and I leave it to you all to continue the process of making the world a better place through education.

Sincerely, Bernice Strauss, Ph.D.

Why we need math

JOSHUA MILLER Staff Reporter As of late, there has been a sudden onslaught of people claiming that a number of mathematic courses are not needed, that it ultimately should be dropped from high school curriculum and courses such as Algebra I and II and Geometry do not prepare students for the real world.

The main reason many claim as to why these mathematic courses should no longer be taught is that they do not sharpen quantitative reasoning skills, which therein lies the mistake.

People are trying to judge a fish on his ability to climb a tree instead of his ability to swim, so too do we judge mathematics when the ultimate goal of the subject is to not teach quantitative reasoning skills, but rather to think.

Let me clarify on what I mean by thinking.

Math teaches us how to solve problems first and foremost.

Does it help with quantitative reasoning, yes it does, but that is more of a secondary benefit.

When a teacher gives a lesson in mathematics the goal is not for the student to memorize steps one through ten to solve a problem, but to learn how to approach the problem because at the end of the day there is no end all be all that will solve everything that will come across a student’s desk.

For me, if I say find the

acceleration or velocity, I want my students to think second and first derivative of their position function, but when I ask for something they have never done before, they still have the tools to attack the problem and find their own method of solving.

Another jab at mathematics is that it does not prepare people to do their taxes, tipping, and other basic life skills. My main remark to this is why should we cover this in a mathematics course, especially when tipping is just percentages and those are indeed covered, but also for a more fundamental reason. In my opinion mathematics is being blamed for people’s inability to function in society, so instead of blaming the system, why not blame the person?

The last remark that is brought up a lot in regards to mathematics is that it should not be used in deciding whether or not someone should be admitted to a college or considered for a scholarship.

On this subject I have a mixed opinion.

Do I believe a student’s semester grades should be considered, yes I do. Do I believe mathematics should be used on college entrance exams like the SAT, ACT, and GRE, that is where the line becomes grey for me. Mathematics is needed for these tests to help weed out the weaker students, but it should not be the sole reason why someone should not get into a program or a scholarship.

Mathematics is a subject that needs to remain in the curriculum, however there needs to be some changes, especially in how it is taught and what is stressed.

It is more than a table of equations or values, mathematics is a way to solve your problems and hone skills that cannot be exercised in any other subject.

Editorial EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Teddi Cliett ........................................................................................................................................................ 936-294-1505 STAFF Canaan Cadwell .................................................................................................................................................... Sports Editor Morgan Miller ............................................................................................................................................ Viewpoints Editor Ashley Parrott ...................................................................................................................................... Campus Culture Editor

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Subject matter in this newspaper and on www.HoustonianOnline.com does not reflect the opinion of The Houstonian unless otherwise noted. Staff editorials are subject to the approval of listed Houstonian staff members. For more information, call 936-294-1505.

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editorial pages 1-8.indd 6

3/22/2016 11:27:03 PM

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/sports | Wednesday, March 23 2016

Page 7

Baseball takes home 200th win JOHN VINDIOLA Sports Reporter

Athletes of the week Compiled by Canaan Cadwell

The Sam Houston State The Sam Houston State University Bearkats looked to continue their winning streak on Tuesday against the Prairie View A&M Panthers after they had a strong finish in their series win against Northwestern State University, which got the squad to a three and three record in conference.

The Kats took home their 200 win at Don Sanders Stadium after taking down the Panthers 16-5.

The Bearkats would have to look out for the Panthers’ leadoff hitter freshman Nick Gurka, who boasted a .327 batting average with three doubles, two home runs and 12 runs batted in.

However, the Bearkats had history on their side as they were on a 32-game win streak and were 50-2 all time to start the contest.

Senior outfielder Bryce Johnson quickly got the Bearkats on a roll with a four pitch walk to start the game, which extended his on base streak to 35 games in a row.

The Kats wasted no time at all and bunted and singled Johnson home after he stole second to take an early 1-0 lead.

The Bearkats piled on the runs with 16 plate appearances in the inning. A home run from freshman left fielder Josh Biles was the highlight of the inning and the Bearkats lead 12-0 into the top of the second.

Prairie View designated hitter junior Shannon Washington had something to say however and had four RBI’s with a triple and a bases loaded double to close the gap 12-5 into the bottom of the third.

SHSU answered back in the bottom the third, which they earned one run to make the lead 13-5.

Neither team was able to get anything across the plate for the next three and a half innings but the Bearkats scored a run after freshman right fielder Hunter Hearn hit his second triple of the game.

The Bearkats scored a few more runs in the eighth thanks to a single from Biles and took down the Panthers 16-5.

“We needed a game like this,” SHSU Head Coach Matt Deggs said. “We don’t really care who is out there opposite us. We play against ourselves every game.”

One player who had an exceptional game was Biles, who finished the night three for four with a home run, five RBI’s, and a walk.

Jeffery Moore

Submitted Photo| The Houstonian

BASEBALL. SHSU Men’s Baseball team blew out the Prairie View Panthers 16-5 on the home turf.

“Honestly, I don’t know what was working for me at the plate,” Biles said. “I just wanted to get my shoulder down and my barrel on the bat. That’s what Coach always tells me.”

Another Bearkat who had a good performance was Hearn, who had two triples, which tied a school record set in 2011 and five runs scored on the night.

“I had no idea about the record,” Hearn said. “That’s pretty cool.

I got some grief in the dugout though, because I couldn’t get them over the fence.”

The Bearkats have now won four of their last five games and are one inning away from winning all five.

In the first game of the set against the NSU Demons, the Bearkats held a 5-0 lead with three outs to go in the ball game thanks to a solid seven innings from starter junior right handed pitcher Sam Odom.

“I thought Sam Odom pitched his heart out like he does every Friday night,” Deggs said. “He definitely deserved better than that.”

Unfortunately, the Bearkats coughed up the lead in the ninth where they gave up 7 runs in the frame.

“We’ve got to flush this and get ready to come back out tomorrow,” Deggs said. “It’s a crazy game.

We’ll bounce back tomorrow.”

And bounce back they did.

Bearkat starter Heath Donica turned in his strongest

performance of the year, pitching 9 innings, only 2 hits was allowed and 1 run, striking out 3.

“Early on, I was commanding fastballs,” Donica said. “If I was throwing them away, I tried to sneak a few more in and I think that’s where we had success, especially late.”

The Bearkats trailed into the bottom of the eighth, but scored two runs thanks to a big pinch hit single from junior in fielder Matt Broadbent and an error by the Demon defense.

The troubles were shaken off from the night before and the Bearkats managed to close the game without any problems.

“We never panicked,” Deggs said. “They are the same guys every day. Matt Broadbent hadn’t played in a couple days and came off the bench to get a big hit there. This is a team that will keep getting better and better.

Broadbent had a great approach and put a good swing on that ball.”

The final game and decider as to whom would take the series proved similar, but very different to the previous contest.

The score line was the same, 2-1 where the Bearkats were on top.

The Demons scored in the seventh and both Bearkat runs came from the bottom of the eight. The big difference, however; was how the Bearkats scored the game winning runs.

In a sequence described by Deggs as miraculous, the Demons pitchers in the eighth inning both

had an error and balked in a run.

A balk is when a pitcher doesn’t freeze on the mound at any point and then directly delivers the ball.

This rule makes it possible for stolen bases and leadoffs to occur.

The first pitcher slipped on the mound and fell after his motion stopped, resulting in a balk, and that sent the tying run to the plate.

The next pitcher fumbled the ball on a pickoff attempt at first and that also resulted in a balk, which sent the go ahead run home.

“It was a weird experience,” Johnson said. “We didn’t really do anything, but we won the game.

I’ve never seen anything like that.

It’s a big boost though.”

The Bearkats travel to Nicholls State with all the momentum in the world and that should help in the stadium.

“Those conditions are rough,” Deggs said. “The wind blows right in your face. Nicholls is also a good club. They aren’t afraid to play small ball.”

The Bearkats starters will be tested at the plate by senior infielder Kyle Reese, who boasts a .403 batting average, with four doubles, 22 RBI’s, and three stolen bases.

The Kats take on the Colonels in a special Friday, Saturday, Sunday set due to the weekend holiday.

The Sam Houston State University track and field program competed in the University of Texas at San Antonio Invitational Friday and Saturday where combined together, both the men’s and women’s team earned 25 top five finishes.

The women’s team finished the meet in fourth place with a score of 103.5 points while the men finished in fifth with 81 points.

On the women’s side, and in the event for the first time on the collegiate level, sophomore middle distance Camry Grigsby secured first place after she completed the 1,500 meter-run in 4:45.04.

Junior throws Kristine Hanks and sophomore combined events Courtney Lord also took home gold medals at the meet. Hank threw a weight 14.31 meters in the shot put event, while Courtney Lord jumped 5.79 meters in long jump.

Senior throws Ashley Jenkins, who recently competed at the NCAA Championships, began her outdoor season in the hammer throw event where she threw a toss of 61.32 meters and secured

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second place.

Junior throws Elizabeth Lyssy also secured second place in the javelin throw with a toss of 46.61 meters, just .20 meters behind Kansas State’s Haley Pitko who took first.

In pole vault, senior Ashley Thompson took second place after she reached four meters.

Multiple Bearkats completed their events with a career best. In the 1,500 meter run, junior middle distance Briana McCall finished the race with a career best of 4:47.33 while freshman sprint/ hurdles Tristyn Allen had a best of 12.10 meters in triple jump.

Freshman sprints Melicha Smith completed the 100-meter dash with a best of 11.79 seconds and Freshman Jamie Eckford finished the 800-meter run with a best of 2:17.18.

“We have a lot of talent on our team,” junior Justin Jenkins said.

“They all finished strong in the indoor season, so I hope for them to carry that over to the outdoor season as well.”

On the men’s side, junior combined events Jonathan Andrews took first place in discus throw with a throw of 30.85 meters and .41 meters behind him was sophomore Multievents Tyler

Adams who secured second place with a throw of 30.44 meters.

Sophomore middle distance Jeffery Moore ran a career best in the 1,500-meter race and earned second place with a time of 4:01.75. Also who placed second in their event was Jenkins who completed the 100-meter dash in 10.51and junior pole vault Garrett Larson tied for second against Stephen F. Austin’s pole vault Daven Murphree with a jump of 5 meters in the pole vault event.

In the discus throw, sophomore Aaron Akens took home a bronze medal with a toss of 50.42 meters

A career high is always a good recognition. Jeffrey Moore raced a careerbest of 4:01.75 in the 1500-meter run. The men took fifth for 81 points at the UTSA Invitational.

Camry Grisby Sophomore Track and Field Middle Distance

Track rallies 25 top five finishes CHRISTINA NICHOLS Sports Reporter

Sophomore Track and Field Middle Distance

while sophomore Anthony Garcia came in fourth in the javelin throw with a toss of 59.43 meters.

“It was just our first outdoor meet,” Jenkins said. “So, hopefully we all learn from it and forget about it and strive to be outdoor champs like we were indoor season.”

On Friday the Bearkats will travel to Houston to take part in the two day Victor Lopez Classic hosted by Rice University and continue on their path to the Southland Outdoor Championships.

In Grisby’s first event on the collegiate level she finished first place, which added to SHSU’s 103.5 points at the UTSA Invitational.

Grisby ran a time of 4:46.04 in the 1500-meter run.

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The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/sports | Wednesday, March 23 2016

Page 8

Bowling grabs 93 wins during season

BOWLING. SHSU Woman’s Bowling team traveled to Smyrna, Tennessee to compete in the 300 Music City Classic tournament where they finished 11th place.

YENCY GUZMAN Sports Reporter The Sam Houston women’s bowling team finished 11 in the 30-team field at the Columbia 300 Music City Classic women’s bowling tournament in Smyrna, Tennessee.

The Bearkats slipped from fourth place to 11 in the total pins standings and will face No. 9 Maryland Eastern Shore in the first round of best of seven bracket play Sunday.

The winner of the No. 11 vs.

12 seeds matchup will take on the loser of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 seeds contest between LIU-Brooklyn

and Sacred Heart.

Sunday, the No. 4 ranked Bearkats went seven games in two of their best of seven bracket games on the final day of competition.

No. 9 Maryland-Eastern Shore edged the Kats 210 to 204 in the seventh game of the opening match of the day. The SHSU women bounced back to defeat No. 14 Saint Francis (Penn.) in seven games in the second round.

In the playoff for 11 place, the Kats took six games to dismiss No. 12 LIU-Brooklyn. The Bearkats ended the tournament with a 10-5 record to stand 97-42 for the season.

“I’m happy that we bounced

back and got the wins that we needed to get,” Sam Houston Head Coach Brad Hagen said.

No. 3 Vanderbilt placed third, followed by Central Michigan, Fairleigh Dickinson, WisconsinWhitewater, Maryland Eastern Shore and Sacred Heart in the number four through ten positions.

The Bearkats started traditional team play Saturday with an 889 to 854 loss to No. 18 Saint Francis Brooklyn.

The Bearkats bounced back with a 791 to 774 victory over Felician.

No. 2 ranked Arkansas State is the number one seed in bracket play Sunday. ASU, like SHSU, holds an 8-4 record in the

tournament but leads in total pins with 11,729. Next, No. 6 Central Missouri handed the Sam women their second loss of the day 939 to 923.

The Bearkats finished the day with three consecutive victories against No. 12 LIU-Brooklyn in an 888 to 886 thriller, No. 9 Fairleigh Dickinson 992 to 944 and Florida A&M 1,021 to 782.

Friday, in four-game baker team action, SHSU started with a 977 to 815 win over No. 25 Jackson State.

The Kats followed up in a victory over Alabama State 1,054 to 879, Texas rival No. 5 SFA 948 to 863 and No. 11 Maryland Eastern Shore 896 to 886.

Paul Ridings| Athletics

SHSU totaled 11,176 pins on their way to their 8-4 record Friday and Saturday. Senior Anna Groce posted the team’s top individual average with a 186.3 mark.

SHSU has upped its season dual match win-loss record to 95-41.

The Kats entered the tournament as one of only three teams in the country with more than 80 victories.

“We did crack 90 wins, we’re at 93 and our goal was 100 for the year,” Hagen said. “We didn’t quite get to 100, but we got close to our goal, and that’s all that matters.”

SHSU Tennis falls short over the weekend CHRISTINA NICHOLS Sports Reporter

The Sam Houston State University Tennis program hosted two dual matches at the McAdams Tennis Center over the weekend where the team fell to the University of Central Arkansas 6-1 and Bradley 4-3.

On Sunday the Bearkats took on UCA in a conference match where senior Maddie Mortimore secured the only point for the team in the singles competition. After a first set loss, the senior bounced back to defeat UCA’s sophomore Rada Manataweewat 7-5 and 6-2 at number five singles.

In the doubles competition

sophomores Fabienne Gettwart and Mila Milanovic teamed up to defeat Marli Van Heerden and Xylia Chunan Xiang 6-3 at the number one set, while the Bearkats were defeated in the number two and three sets.

“In order to improve we have to get used to playing every point like it’s the last point, with 100 percent focus and fight,” Mortimore said.

In the singles competition, the Bearkats held first set leads in numerous positions. In the fourth position, Milanovic defeated freshman Marli Van Heerden 0-6 in the first set but was defeated in the last two while sophomore Caitlyn Mitchell topped senior Krizia Buck 4-6 in the first set but

also fell short in the last two sets.

After a two-week break, the Bearkats went on to play Bradley on Friday in the team’s last nonconference game.

In the doubles competition, Milanovic and Gettwart teamed up to defeat sophomore Alexa Brandt and junior Ashley Thai 6-4 at the number one position while Mortimore and Mitchell topped sophomore Alejandra de Lasa and freshman Malini Wijesinghe 6-3 in the number three position.

In the number three position in the singles competition, freshman Ema Barkovic defeated Brandt in a 6-0, 6-0 sweep while Milanovic topped Thai in a three game set 3-6, 7-5 and 7-5 in the fourth

position.

The match point was decided in the fifth singles position in the match against Mortimore and sophomore Aimee Manfredo.

While Mortimore held Manfredo in the first set, the senior was defeated in a three game set 4-6, 6-4 and 6-2.

The Bearkats are currently 6-8 for the year and hold a 1-4 record in conference play.

“We have to focus on the matches ahead and not the current standings,” Mortimore said. “Each match we’ve played we could have won, so we will not be discouraged and continue to look forward. “ Mortimore currently holds a 12-2 singles record and is 5-0 in

Southland play. Milanovic is 9-5 with a conference record of 3-2 and Barkovic holds a season record of 8-6 and is 2-3 in conference play.

“I am happy, but not satisfied yet with my record,” Mortimore said. “I want to beat every person who is put in front of me and will continue to do everything to do so.”

The Bearkats will continue on with conference play as they travel to Corpus Christi on Friday to take on Texas A&M Corpus Christi. From there, the Bearkats will travel to San Antonio on Saturday to play against Incarnate Word.

Click into Culture shsu.edu/see/german

Espanol Minor in French Minor in German Minor in Arabic Minor in Spanish

editorial pages 1-8.indd 8

MINOR IN GERMAN Learn to communicate across cultures. This degree offers you experience in listening, speaking, reading and writing the German lanuage.

Advantages: • competitve edge in today’s job market • teaching opportunities • travel abroad • diverse perspectives

Man spr Deu icht tsc h

This minor compliments any major field of study that allows a minor. Talk to your advisor about minoring in German.

The Department of Foreign Languages offers minors in Spanish, French, German, and Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic) and classes in American Sign Language and Chinese.

Sam Houston State University

3/22/2016 11:17:07 PM