The Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
The Official News Source of Sam Houston State University PASSWORDS, P.2 Changing your passwords every few months? Maybe you don’t need to be. Find out more from IT. Volume 129 | Issue 3
CONFEDERATE, P.3 The Sam Houston Museum still flies one of the flags coming under fire across the country.
HUMANS AT SAM, P.4 Amber Battle shares her travels to Italy and what she learned from the culture, food and people.
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DEPRESSION, P.5 Opinion: Asst. Viewpoints Editor Masey White writes about how to handle depression with friends. @HoustonianSHSU
CROSS COUNTRY, P.6 Both of Sam Houston State’s cross country teams shined at the Norry Hersey Invitational. HoustonianOnline.com
Intramural fields drown for the count SHSU shuttle A year of construction finds the fields limping back service: Kat Tracks
CATCH A RIDE. SHSU, as a school with a large population of first gen students, has made it a priority to generate inclusive programs to help not just this population, but the entire student body succeed as they venture through the program.
EMILY DAVIS Asst. Associate Editor The Facilities Management and Academic Affairs offices at Sam Houston State University have officially started “Kat Tracks”, the new convenience shuttle that safely transports students to and from campus to the Huntsville Target and Wal-Mart shopping centers in order to access necessities. Many students that reside on and around campus are at SHSU without transportation for various reasons, but this makes getting around town difficult. Instead of relying on friends who have cars or ordering taxis to get the basics they need, “Kat Tracks” serves to get them where they need to go safely and cost-efficiently. “The Vice President of Student Affairs, along with cabinet members have been discussing the development of [Kat Tracks] for a while now, so this Fall will act as our trial run to see how well the program does with the students,” said Laci LeNorman, assistant to Vice President of Facilities Management and executor of “Kat Tracks.” The shuttle service started on Sept. 6 and will run through Dec. 2. The service is free of charge to all students with an active Bearkat One Card on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. “It is for anyone, not just students without cars, but students that don’t want to use gas or lose their parking spots,” LeNorman said. Currently, H.E.B. is the nearest grocery store to SHSU, and it does not sell appliances, medicine or clothing. With “Kat Tracks” students will have no trouble in acquiring these necessities. “I knew people who definitely would have benefited from that,” senior biology major Savanah Hamilton said. “It’s difficult to get things you need when you have no form of transportation, and don’t have the funds or help to buy a car. Some people are only able to attend college because of financial aid and this often means they don’t have the luxury of having their —
TRACKS, page 2
Ryan Reynolds| The Houstonian
THE BIG DIG. The intramural construction has been going on for more than a year. The disruption to a number of programs has had an impact across both the student population and the administrators organizing all the canceled or reorganized events.
JOSEPH BRUNSON News Reporter In May 2016, intramural fields No. 2 and No. 3 began reconstruction under the orders of Huntsville’s Town Creek project to fix issues with flooding. However, construction has been delayed, leaving students and faculty wondering when they will be open to the public again. Intramural field No. 1 is also being reconstructed later this semester. Brian Weaver, Senior Assistant Director of Intramural and Club Sports said that intramural fields No. 2 and No. 3 were supposed
to be finished on Aug. 31, but the flooding from Hurricane Harvey delayed reconstruction. “We had the concrete flumes put in on the east and west side of the field,” Weaver said. “That will hopefully help to alleviate some of the flooding that was happening on the field and then those concrete flumes, before they were even finished, completely had a 500-year flood event that no one anticipated so that caused a delay.” Weaver hopes that reconstruction for Intramural Field 2 and 3 will be finished before the end of September. “So now we’re probably looking at the end of September for
those fields to be done,” Weaver said, “But that’s going to depend on finding a funding source for the reconstruction process that now needs to be done. There’s quite a bit of sand, dirt, and sod build-up that’s been displaced, so that’s going to depend on finding a funding source for that and making sure we can get that done.” According to Keith Jenkins, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs and Director of Recreational Sports, the fields are expected to be finished in Spring 2018, given no major floodings occur. “Because of the work done,” Jenkins said. “There’s certain re-
quirements that have to comply with what’s called the ADA (the American Disability Act), there has to be what’s called switchback sidewalks put in. They have to complete the task, so if we get lucky, those fields [intramural fields No. 2 and No. 3] would be usable for the spring of 2018. If we continue to have rain like what just came through with Harvey, it could extent that period of time.” Jenkins also confirmed that once intramural field No. 1 closes, it will not reopen until Spring 2020 at the latest. “As soon as they are finished —
Intramural, page 3
College, learning what is important ETHAN HORN Associate Editor A couple of doctorate wielding professors at Sam Houston State think the university, and education on the collegiate level at large, is doing a poor job in a crucial area. The couple is Drs. Sanjay and Gurinderjit Mehta. They teach classes in the College of Business, Sanjay over Marketing and Gurinderjit on Electronic Communications. Both are veterans in the education field and have seen hundreds of students file through their lecture halls. One thing those hundreds of students are missing are “soft skills”. These skills are things that are not traditionally taught in the classroom but that are recognizable as building blocks of daily adult life; retirement planning, budgeting, tax planning, insurance purchasing, negotiating, conflict resolution, parenting, decision making, political knowledge
basics, and stress management. The doctors presented their proposal on solving this issue at this summer’s Teaching and Learning Conference, an event held yearly at SHSU, where professors present and discuss unique perspectives on teaching at SHSU. The presentation was filled with statistics about basic financial literacy, and the current state students find themselves in. “According to the 2016 National Financial Capability Study, 63% of American (and 73% of Texans) can’t pass a basic Financial Literacy Quiz,” Sanjay said. “Majority of students today grow up in divorce and/or single parent households, where parents do not have time to teach these skills and/or don’t know themselves.” Sanjay offered a comparison of the difference between hard and soft skills. “Hard (cognitive) skills [are] academic knowledge and expertise —
SOFT SKILLS, page 2
The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/news | Wednesday, September 13, 2017
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Rethinking password creation All students and faculty at Sam Houston State University can relate to the annoyance of having to recreate a new password every semester for all the various online platforms, such as Blackboard, MySam, and their school email. Not only are faculty and students required to create an original password every 180 days, but the password must include a capital letter, special character (‘!’, ‘@’, ‘#’, ‘%’, ‘&’, etc.) or number, without being too similar to the previous password. This set of rules has been the go-to guide for password setting in federal agencies, universities and companies all over the world, thanks to Bill Burr. In 2003, a mid-level manager at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Bill Burr, authored the 8-page rule book “NIST Special Publication 800-63. Appendix A”, which illustrates how people should create passwords that successfully protect their online accounts. In this primer, Burr advised creating new passwords frequently, while using awkward words riddled with special characters, capital letters, and numbers. NIST is the federal agency that helps set industrial standards in the U.S. Making minor changes to previous passwords (i.e. adding
an exclamation point to the end of “SH$Ugirl2” and changing it to “SH$Ugirl2!”) is easy to guess and does not protect your information against hackers, according to Burr’s rules. However, Burr now admits that his advice has proven largely incorrect, and actually makes your accounts more vulnerable to hackers. “Much of what I did I now regret,” Burr said in a Wall Street Journal report. In June, NIST led a 2-year-long rewrite of the Special Publication 800-63, in which the group had to start from scratch. NIST now advises organizations to drop the password-expiration and special character requirements. Simple and easy-to-remember phrases are now recommended over obscure words made up of special symbols and characters. The primer also advises only updating a password when there is an indication that it may have been stolen. Computer Security Specialists have confirmed that a series of four words all written together as one word phrases, such as “bearkatgirlorangeblue”, can take up to 500 years to crack since there are several different letters, whereas short phrases following Burr’s rules only take approximately three days to guess. “What time has shown us is
SOFT SKILLS, page 1 —
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needed for one’s career (e.g., discipline specific knowledge, computer competency, analytical thinking, conceptual thinking, technical expertise),” Sanjay said. “Soft (behavioral) skills [are] personal attributes needed to succeed at one’s career (e.g., interpersonal skills, time-management skills, written & verbal communication skills).” The difference makes itself known not in the classroom, but months before as the curriculum for school year after school year is laid out and pedagogical plans are made. What do you think? Where have you learned “soft skills”, if you have? What do you think about these sorts of practical lessons taking a more prominent place in the classroom? What would an ideal arrangement look like? Let us know by tweeting, emailing, or posting your thoughts on Facebook. We’ll be sharing the best responses with other readers in next week’s issue. You can find the entirety of Sanjay Mehta’s presentation on houstonianonline.com
own car. A bus system to help with this issue would be a great asset to campus.” Current SHSU staff members who have experience in driving commercial vehicles and have excellent driving capabilities volunteer to drive the 15-passenger “Kat Tracks” shuttle. “They volunteer to help the students, and to let them know that the SHSU staff care and are here to help them,” LeNorman said. “The drivers have said that the students are excited to have the opportunity to get out and venture off campus, as well as meet other students.” There are currently three volunteer shuttle drivers operating Kat Tracks. “We had a really good run last week, and had several riders in every bus load,” Ernie Wilson said, who drove the shuttle last Wednesday. “As the students get more knowledge of it we will probably have to get a second bus, because every bus was full, and we had people waiting at every stop. I think it will take off as more students hear about it.”
EMILY DAVIS Asst. Associate Editor
that this publication’s assumption of people choosing the path of least resistance is in fact the case,” information security officer Steven Frey of SHSU IT Security said. “Many passwords that meet these original password crafting rules are actually not strong at all because they are trivial for an algorithm to guess, because people choose simple words and replace certain characters, such as vowels with numbers and end the password with an exclamation mark, such as ‘P4ssW0rd!’. This is mainly because these insecure passwords are actually quite common and password-cracking tools include them in a dictionary to try before attempting to brute force every combination.” IT@Sam will not be implementing new rules for passwords at this time. Many cyber-attackers can get user information much simpler by phishing. “Phishing in its simplest form could be an email from a cyber-attacker on the internet purporting to be IT support and asking you to verify your account by responding with your username and password,” Frey said. “This turns out to be extremely effective.” “Remember, your password is yours only,” Frey said. “Do not share it with anyone.”
The shuttle operates on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3-8 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The shuttle picks up students at Lone Star Hall and Piney Woods Hall and drops them off at Walmart or Target, once every hour. The first pick up times are at 3:15 p.m. at Lone Star Hall and at 3:30 p.m. at the Piney Woods Hall on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The last pick up times are 6 p.m. at Lone Star Hall, 6:15 p.m. at Piney Woods Hall, 7:30 p.m. at Walmart and 7:45 p.m. at Target. On Saturdays the shuttle picks up at 10:15 a.m. at the Lone Star Hall and at 10:30 a.m. at Piney Woods Hall. The last pick up times are at 4 p.m. at the Lone Star Hall, 4:15 p.m. at Piney Woods Hall, 5:30 p.m. at Walmart and 5:45 p.m. at Target. “If anyone has questions or feedback, call the [Facilities Management] office. We would always like to know what we can do to enhance the student experience,” LeNorman said. For more information call 936.294.3663.
Police Blotter: SHSU’s Finest Keep the Campus Safe Sep 6th: Possession of Marijuana
An officer observed a vehicle traveling northbound in the 2200 block of Avenue J with an expired registration. After parking, the driver of the vehicle exited and threw a black backpack underneath a nearby vehicle. The officer detected the odor of burnt marijuana emanating from his person. The driver stated there was marijuana located inside the backpack. The driver was transported to the Walker County Jail.
Sep 8th: Public Intoxication
An officer was dispatched to the 2500 block of Sam Houston Avenue to provide assistance. The officer detected the odor of alcohol emanating from the vehicle passenger. Due to his level of intoxication and emotional outburst, the officer transported him to the Walker County Jail.
Burglary of a Motor Vehicle
An officer was dispatched to Bearkat Village East, 2401 Montgomery Road, in reference to a burglary of a vehicle report. The complainant stated that when he returned to his vehicle he discovered the driver door opened and noticed that the vehicle’s glove box, console and complete interior had been rummaged through. He wished to pursue criminal charges.
Credit Card Abuse
An officer was dispatched to the Natural History Museum, 2405 Avenue I, in reference to a credit card abuse report. The complainant stated that an unknown person used a Sam Houston State University credit card to make an online purchase. The store representative stated she would be forwarding the fraudulent transaction to their loss prevention department.
Sep 10th: Theft
An officer was dispatched to the Richmond Lot, 2100 block of Avenue I, in reference to a theft report. The complainant advised a black piece of molding had been removed from her vehicle without her effective consent. She indicated her desire to not pursue criminal charges.
Sep 11th: Criminal Trespass
An officer responded to the Piney Woods Hall Dormitory, 2120 Avenue J. The two complainants observed two unknown males inside their dorm room. Once the two males realized they were inside the room, they turned around and ran out of the door. Neither recognized the subjects and advised nothing was missing from their dorm room after the incident. They did not wish to pursue criminal charges.
The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/news | Wednesday, September 13, 2017
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Confederate symbol at Sam Houston Museum Explainer:
North Korea and Trump
DAKOTA STEWART Staff Reporter The Six Flags of Texas are a prominent piece of our history, even appearing on the reverse side of the Texas Seal. The six flags consist of all the flags that have flown over Texas in its history, starting with the Flag of Spain, and proceeded by the royal banner of the Kingdom of France, The Flag of Mexico, The Flag of the Confederate States of America, the Flag of the Republic of Texas and the United States Flag. The flags serve to illustrate Texas History, which is one of many shifts in power. In lieu of recent events involving alt-right demonstrations, some institutions have taken down or modified their display of the six flags. Many argue that this is an erasure of history though, and that the flags spark the necessary discussion of our past that allows us to move forward. The Sam Houston State Memorial Museum displays the Six Flags of Texas unmodified. Why? Firstly, let’s look at the difference in a theme park and a museum. As of Aug. 18, Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington is no longer displaying the six flags that have flown over Texas, but six American flags instead. The change comes shortly after the violence in Charlottesville, where a car ran down a crowd protesting an alt-right march, resulting in one death and 19 injuries. However, this is not the first time the theme park has made this sort of change. By the mid-1990’s, the park no longer displayed any of the Confederate Battle flags it had historically flown in the Confederate section of the park. One of the park’s attractions that has phased out in recent years involved actors dressed as confederate soldiers, who would search the crowd for a hiding union soldier, and upon finding him, “execute” him by firing squad. The new version of the demonstration simply involves the capture of the union soldier. A couple important distinctions should be made here, as the two flags mentioned have very different meanings. The flag historically flown at Six Flags Over Texas is the first flag of the Confederate States of America, also known as the “Stars and Bars”. Zachary Montz, a history professor at SHSU, explained the distinction between displaying this flag at an amusement park versus a museum. “Ideally, its display in a museum should serve not just to remind museum goers that Texas was part of the Confederate States of America, but also to introduce them to a full consideration of what that meant,” Montz said. To explain a “full consideration of what that meant,” Montz referenced the Texas Declaration of Causes, a document published on Feb. 2, 1861, detailing the reasons Texas would be joining the Confederate States of America: “maintaining and protecting the institution known as negro slavery.” The Confederate Battle Flag is the flag that was flown at Charlottesville, and was removed from Six Flags theme parks two decades ago. Its purpose is much more sinister. Montz explained the differences. “The battle flags waved in Charlottesville, on the other hand, served to endorse a cause that had roots in the antebellum and civil war era, but that continued well after the defeat of the Confederate
LISSA WILLASON Columnist
Creative Commons License
MAIN ENTRANCE. The museum’s front, where the six flags that have flown over Texas are aligned, each above a Bearkat flag.
“As long as giving into his demands is easier than war, it works out,” Piwetz said. “Really, it should have been handled before they got nukes, [and] now it’s a lot more complicated.” Creative Commons License
CONFEDERATE STARS AND STRIPES. The actual, official flag of the Confederate States of America.
States of America: white supremacy,” Montz said. “That flag became a symbol of twentieth century resistance to civil rights and to the idea of equality as guaranteed by the Constitution. It was the banner of Strom Thurmond’s Dixiecrat party and of the terrorist organizations that carried out bombings and assassinations targeting the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. It has become common for defenders of the flag to argue that it is a symbol of Southern pride, but the actual use of the flag tells a different story. In the 1960s, for example, it was waved not just by Southerners in Alabama or Mississippi, but also by white Northerners as they organized and fought to prevent the integration of their schools and neighborhoods. No one took this flag waving as an expression of Southern pride by Northern whites; its meaning was clear.” The theme park has a clear motive in respecting the sensitivities of its patrons. While history is a clear theme of the park, the primary intention of a park is to entertain, and to this end, for the same reason the demonstration of an execution by firing squad was cut, so was the original display. At the end of the day, a theme park is not beholden to the responsibility of preserving history. A museum has a very different purpose. A museum’s primary objective is to preserve history, including, and perhaps especially, the parts that may be difficult to talk about. Montz and SHSU professor Jeffrey L. Littlejohn both agreed that the display of this flag was justified in this context. Both professors said that keeping the flag was vital to preserve some semblance of the past in order to avoid repeating it. This begs the question then: When is it not justified to display
Confederate-era artifacts? It is clear that the confederate flag flown at the SHSU Memorial Museum is not being used to endorse slavery, as it is part of a display that celebrates having moved on from those days. What about Confederate-era monuments though? Since the events in Charlottesville, many confederate monuments have been toppled across the south. It is important to note when these statues went up to understand their meaning. The vast majority
“It came at the turn of the century when white southerners were attempting to disenfranchise black people,” McCurry said. of these monuments were produced at two specific times. Stephanie McCurry, a history professor at Columbia University, shared her thoughts on how these time periods influenced the creation of these statues. “It came at the turn of the century when white southerners were attempting to disenfranchise black people,” McCurry said. “The second burst came in resistance to black civil rights and political rights in the 1960’s. It’s very predictable.” Many of these monuments were also funded by a group called the United Daughters of the Confederacy, which also pushed for textbooks that excluded black history, as well as preserving the “Lost Cause” mythos. The Lost Cause myth is a name given to a particular version of American History in which the Civil War
was indeed not about slavery, but instead about state’s rights and protecting the southern antebellum identity. “The heritage of the Confederacy is that they made war on the United States because they felt that slavery was threatened and that the way to protect it was to be a separate and independent country,” McCurry said. The display at the SHSU Memorial Museum was not erected to instill fear or to be a symbol of southern pride. “Here it might be useful to draw a distinction between history and commemoration,” Montz said. “Historians often describe ‘history’ as the way we understand the past. ‘Commemoration’ in a process whereby society chooses what to honor from the past. The DOC was an organization dedicated to commemorating the soldiers of the Confederacy, not just for their battlefield sacrifice or bravery, but for their dedication to the principle of white supremacy.” The mission statement of the museum seems to fall in line with this motive as well: “It is educational in purpose, dedicated to and responsible for collection, preservation, conservation, exhibition, interpretation, and research.” The reason that the SHSU Memorial Museum displays the Confederate Flag is to honor history, not commemorate injustice. This line needs to be painstakingly clear, as The Lost Cause mythos is exactly that: a myth. The purpose of this Confederate flag is to preserve an unbiased Texas history, and it does just that as part of The Six Flags of Texas. It is justified because it is not used to preserve a false history, instill fear, or commemorate white supremacy, but serves as a reminder of the evils of our past.
INTRAMURAL, page 1 — with the Bowers/Bobby K. Marks intersection by the Coliseum,” Jenkins said. “Then they’re going to tear up intramural field No. 1. They’re going to connect the drainage so that it’s all lined-up together. If we get lucky, then we would have intramural field No. 1 back for the fall of 2019 or the spring of 2020.” Due to the overdrawn reconstruction of the intramural fields, no intramural or club sports program is expected to drop out. However, Weaver noted that intramural participation dropped last year. “I don’t really think so, because we’ve been able to shift things around in our schedule to be able to handle the situation”, Weav-
This week, North Korea threatened that the United States would pay its “due price” for leading the charge for the small East Asian country to be sanctioned by the UN for the missile tests they have carried out in recent weeks. While the actions of North Korea are increasingly threatening, this isn’t the first time that the country has been sanctioned by the UN and responded with threats of nuclear warfare – just four years ago in 2013, North Korea was sanctioned and the country responded with a warning that they would “exercise the right to a pre-emptive nuclear attack.”
er said. “It has not impacted the addition of any new programs. It has definitely impacted some of our numbers we had from last year. We did see a decrease in some of the participation we had from last year. I think that was the direct result of the field construction.” Along with the installment of a new underground drainage system, the fields also saw a reduction in playing space. This is affecting certain sports such as softball and rugby, which can no longer be played on intramural fields No. 2 and No. 3. The sports effected are being moved to the newly lighted Holleman Field located at the intersection of Avenue M and Josey Street.
“It has not impacted the addition of any new programs. It has definitely impacted some of our numbers we had from last year. We did see a decrease in some of the participation we had from last year. I think that was the direct result of the field construction.” - Brian Weaver
“Our rugby team used to play on intramural field No. 3,” Jenkins said, “And now there’s no possibility we’re going to play rugby because there’s not a large enough surface to do that. But we did make preparations over at Holleman Field to be able to have that as an additional field that we can use.” As the fields undergo continued work and teams have to reschedule games, frustrations continue to mount months after the expected completion date for the project. While construction moves forward, program supervisors will continue to monitor the long term impact to the programs.
This behavior can be traced back to the mid-1990’s, when much of North Korea’s food was wiped out by widespread flooding and roughly three million North Koreans were reported to have died of starvation – after which North Korea broke the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War and sent troops into a demilitarized zone. However, beyond occasional small-scale attacks on South Korea, most of North Korea’s
threats have gone unfulfilled. While the country has launched missiles over the past thirty years in a show of capability, so far there has been no action. “Every time [North Korea] starts to really starve, they rattle the sabers until they get concessions,” SHSU alum Jacob Piwetz, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in History, said. “They get a few shipments of food, a western leader says there will be peace in our time, and the can gets kicked down the road again.” In historical context – and considering that there’s no current evidence that North Korea is actually gearing up for war – former CIA analyst Robert Carlin has characterized the threats as “maximum drama”. “As this drags out day by day, there will be more dramatic developments and statements and events, and I think that probably suits them,” Carlin said in an interview with CNBC. “They’d like as much drama surrounding this as they can.” While there doesn’t seem to be a current, imminent threat, if whatever demands put in place by North Korea are not met the threats will likely continue and may turn into actions. “As long as giving into his demands is easier than war, it works out,” Piwetz said. “[But] if that changes, or somebody screws up, now you’ve got 60 years of rhetoric and nukes. Really, it should have been handled before they got nukes, [and] now it’s a lot more complicated.” Piwetz doesn’t think putting it off will better the situation.
The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/campusculture | Wednesday, September 13, 2017
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Humans at Sam: Amber Battle travels Italy RACHAEL VARNER Senior Campus Culture Reporter Pick a point in history and see if it doesn’t include a tale of exploration. Find a time when not any one person desired to conquer another land. Dig through the fine print and explain what propels mankind to travel. Is it fate? Destiny? Or is there some inner drive, a glowing ember, that spurs us to go beyond our reach? No matter one’s gender, age, race, beliefs, political party and the like, people share some mystifying urge to escape from their reality. An urge to open their minds to something greater than themselves: the snowcapped peaks of the Rocky Mountains, the cerulean seas of the Caribbean or the spattering of stars across an Australian sky. Yet, while most share this dream, whatever its form, few today ever act on it. Time and means seem to be the trending factors to this end. But there are a blessed few who take charge of the opportunities presented to them. Amber Battle, a junior majoring in early childhood education, became one such individual who fulfilled her lifelong dream of touring Italy. “There’s so much history,” Battle said. “I guess [I loved] the architecture, the art...I romanticized it my whole life.” The opportunity arrived through a study abroad seminar designed to investigate the connections between Italians, culture, food and sustainability. A team of three professors and 20 students left for 12 days to explore cities of Venice, Florence, Assisi, Rome, Pompeii, Sorento and Capri. Battle realized beforehand that the trip would cost a fortune, but while she worked diligently to earn the money, a generous Christmas present from her parents lightened the load. And the
Graphic created by Arturo Mosqueda| The Houstonian
DISCOVERING ITALY. Amber Battle was able to take the value of appreciating cultures not know to her.
gift exceeded expectations. “It was pretty cool because the trip was all about culture and food, so we did a lot of touristy stuff like [riding] gondolas, [visiting] Vinta Loma in Florence and [touring] a lot of churches and art galleries,” Battle said.
beaten path. Even so, in a country so cram-packed with an imposing history, grandiose architecture and quintessential culinary arts, no amount of time is ever enough. The excursion amounted to be so impressive that Battle could hardly decide which aspect
Dean – and it was just playing through my head just singing of all the beauty and of God and His love,” Battle said. “And it was really cool to stand [in the prison] and take it all in, like, this was where Peter and Paul were, and [I saw] what the experience
“What I took away was the value of seeing other cultures and learning the difference between us and other places,you don’t always think about how different the cultures are – the way that they eat, the way that they dress, the way that they do life.” - Amber Battle
“We went to the Vatican and took a boat ride around Capri.” With so much stacked up on the itinerary, it seemed doubtful these students had any time to themselves, but this was not the case. Each major stop allotted enough time to see the highlights as well as ample time to venture off the
of the trip she enjoyed the most: the view from atop Giotto’s Bell Tower of the Piazza del Duomo in Florence, or getting to step inside the Roman prison that once held the apostles Peter and Paul. “When I was looking out [from the bell tower], there was a song – ‘Amazed’ by Phillips, Craig, and
meant for them.” These sojourns and many more were later documented in daily journals, followed by reflection papers and a one-time blog post. Each entry, required as a part of the course, could be about anything the student experienced, thoughts about the day, or notes
to transfer into the final project as long as each was approximately 400 words. One of the main topics covered, as per the objective of this study abroad seminar, was the food. Not only did the tastes differ between Italian foods from Italy versus the “Americanized” versions, but they differ between regions of the same country. But the dissimilarities did not stop there. “They had like three courses for one meal, and that didn’t include the bread, and some places had even more than that,” Battle said. “Everyone was telling us beforehand that Italian portion sizes were smaller, that European portion sizes were smaller, but while they may look small, they give you like three times that.” And the adventure certainly served its purpose. “I think what I took away was the value of seeing other cultures and learning the difference between us and other places,” Battle continued. “You don’t always think about how different the cultures are – the way that they eat, the way that they dress, the way that they do life.” With this in mind, Battle is eager to return to Europe one day to relive and expand upon her 12day experience. Maybe next time with her family surrounding her. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, Battle’s parents vacationed in Italy shortly after she did and for about the same length of time. Yet their travels were spent in different locations or different parts of the same towns. “Italy is gorgeous. Italy is my dream. I would probably go back there before going anywhere else,” Battle said.
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Fresh out movie review: It “We all float down here” LINDSEY JONES TV/Film Reviewer “You look like a nice boy, I bet you have a lot of friends.” – Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) Andrés Muschietti’s take on Stephen King’s fanatically followed It has no problem setting itself apart from the cash grabbing, infamous pile of crappy movie reboots most want to forget existed. As a wisely crafted film led by witty characters and long-lasting moments of terror, It surpasses expectations from King fans and horror fans from all ends of the spectrum. In the first ten minutes, It proves itself to be a psychological monster of emotions, sounds, and dissected horror movie cliques. This film had one promise: Screw typicality — and it is fulfilled with such a creative audacity that answers the prayers of those poor souls experiencing “reboot fatigue.” It follows a group of bullied adolescents in Derry, Maine, who band together over the course of one horrifying summer when an ancient, shapeshifting evil — the fear-sniffing, sadistic clown known as Pennywise— as he begins hunting (and eating) the town’s children… But first, they must overcome their own personal fears, horrors Pennywise has no trouble exploiting. What this 2017 reboot got right? The script — the byproduct of excellent storytelling techniques, authentic characters, and cleverly constructed tension. Writers Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman
wholeheartedly respected King’s raw style of horror and characters frightfully similar to our own reality. There was never a moment of boredom, never a moment of stagnation between the characters and the terrifying situations happening around them. While most people assume the film to be a horror story, It was surprisingly — in a good way —a character driven story about characters that (because of the great writing) carried interesting personalities and quirks that pushed the story in humorously entertaining ways. Despite the film’s attempt at centering Bill Denbrough (played by Jaeden Lieberher) as the main character— because of the loss of his younger brother Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) — Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis), Richie Tozier (Finn Wolfhard) and Eddie Kaspbrak (Jack Dylan Grazer) stole the show every time they were on screen. Beverly’s strong sense of self and tenacity to flip off the embodiment of fear itself standing before her made her a character all the more likable and deserving to be cared for by the audience. Richie’s tendency to swear like no tomorrow as a personal coping mechanism made him the center of most of the film’s comedic moments. His intelligence shines just as much as his dirty mouth, which made him my personal favorite – Eddie’s fast-talk about the horrors of dirty surfaces a close second. This does not mean that the emotional subplot between Bill and Georgie lacks interest. In fact, Bill’s determination to discover the truth of what happened
to his little brother deserves nothing but the utmost respect. Because the circumstance is fictional, many movie-goers might write off Bill’s stubbornness against assuming the worst to be irritating. However, looking at it from a real world standpoint, most people would carry the same level of conviction to finding their loved ones. Coming together, the Losers are a bunch of strange, yet funny and courageous kids who effortlessly carried this psychologically demanding coming-of-age tale to the very end with more wit and charm than most. Their fears. Their motivation. Their strength. I felt it all, and the top-notch talent from the young actors is profoundly responsible for breathing life into a tale about real children trying to survive life’s hardships…and a malicious, demonic clown. The Losers were well-introduced, well-liked, and well-ex-
ecuted through and through. Pennywise is an unforgettable terror, haunting the town of Derry with the power of a Boggart, the lust of an apex predator, and the unhinged charisma of a demonic clown ready to feast on your flesh the second you secrete the right amount of fear. As he terrorizes his way through the film — in more ways than expected — this eye-rolling, limb-twisting piece of work leaves an everlasting impression on the brave movie-goers who thought this film would be nothing more than a cash grab. Skarsgård is magnificent as Pennywise, embodying a creature of psychologically scarring proportions. From the unsettling tone of voice to lack of humane reactions — ignoring the water dripping from his mouth in the sewers — Skarsgård’s engrossing performance made me constantly forget that a man is actual underneath all of that evil
(and makeup). Another aspect of the film to gripe about centers on a specific scene wrapped in 15 minutes of nail-biting tension. While I respect the film’s impressive plot twists, the direction the film took with one character at that specific moment felt anticlimactic rather than charming. Investing the audience in a well-invested scene and ending it with a fantastical flair was jarring tone wise, and it ultimately downgraded a sequence that was once brimming with nerves. While I applaud this film’s commitment to creating layered, For the full IT review please visit HoustonianOnline.com
The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/viewpoints | Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Page 5
Understanding a friend’s depression
MASEY WHITE Asst. Viewpoints Editor
Sometimes there just isn’t anything you can do to help. Despite the many different types of mental illnesses, they all have at least one thing in common: they are all severe afflictions and sometimes require professional help. With this in mind, there are some problems that you just won’t be able to fix, as bad as you may want to. If there’s anything we think you can do to help, then we will probably let you know. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking if you can do anything, and it is very appreciated, just keep in mind that sometimes you just can’t do anything, and that’s okay. Your love and support are helping enough. Everybody’s illness manifests differently. Two people suffering from the same illness may have drastically different symptoms. Not all people with depression will resign to their rooms all day every day, just as some people with PTSD will have different triggers. Everyone is different, and so just because you’re familiar
with one person’s diagnosis, doesn’t necessarily blanket over all individuals suffering from the same diagnosis as well. That being said, these suggestions won’t necessarily apply to everyone; they’re just things that I’ve found to be true to myself and those around me suffering from mental illness. While you may be familiar with stereotypical symptoms, they may not all be accurate or complete. Many mental disorders come with unique symptoms that you may not initially recognize as a symptom. For example, many people suffering from depression can feel extreme fatigue, something that can be mistaken for laziness or even physical sickness. Not all people suffering from bipolar disorder have incredibly extreme and quick highs and lows. Sometimes the lows are more frequent than the highs, and vice versa and the phases can last for months and months. If you want to learn about your friend’s diagnosis truly, then consider asking them yourself what symptoms they find most prevalent, and that trouble them the most. While some people are incredibly open about their illness, others may not be. Some people have come to embrace their mental illness and the person it has made them become, and they may be more willing to discuss their diagnosis openly. Other people may still be coming to terms with their disorder and even still learning about it themselves, and they may not want to discuss it. Furthermore, they may be entirely comfortable
with their illness, but just don’t want to discuss it. Respect boundaries and learn how involved your friend wants you to be in their recovery and coping. Mental illness is just as serious as physical illness. Physical illnesses are sometimes handled with a different level of significance than mental illness, and that can be incredibly frustrating. You would not suggest to someone suffering from a broken leg that they try just to get up and start walking. Likewise, even though the illness may not be physically evident, it is still very much there, and just as debilitating at times. Just bear in mind that we truly do want to “just be happy,” but that just isn’t possible at times. Don’t get frustrated if it seems like we don’t want to hang out as much. Some mental disorders can make just getting out of bed in the mornings an incredible feat, so only making it through the day exerts our energy enough. Sometimes we just truly can’t make it out. Just be patient with us, and give us the space we need. However, don’t be afraid to check in on us; your support is appreciated. Sometimes we have a hard time comprehending what we’re feeling. Mental disorders are a result of chemical imbalances in the brain, and sometimes the symptoms can come on later on in life. This means that sometimes mental disorders come up and we have to readjust to an entirely new way of life and thinking. We are working through our feelings and symptoms ourselves, and sometimes these results
can be confusing and difficult to process. Because of this, don’t be frustrated if we can’t necessarily express what we’re feeling. Sometimes we truly just don’t understand what it is exactly that we are feeling. It can take a long time to regulate medication and treatment. Since everyone is so incredibly different, it takes a lot of trial and error to figure out what kind of treatment works for each person. Just because we have begun treatment, doesn’t necessarily mean we’re cured. Medication for mental illness doesn’t work like antibiotics, more like medication for blood sugar. It doesn’t make the problem go away; it just regulates it. Sometimes it also needs to be used in conjunction with therapy or other treatment, and sometimes medication isn’t needed at all. Everyone’s road to recovery and coping skill is unique. We don’t expect special treatment. Yes, sometimes doing everyday tasks that you can do easily is a bit more difficult for us. However, that hasn’t stopped us yet, and we aren’t going to let it stop us. We are incredibly strong and resilient, and we have learned how to take care of ourselves. While we love and appreciate every bit of support and help you can give us, we don’t expect you to cater to our every need and go drastically out of your way to help us. The biggest things you can provide us with is patience, reaffirmation, and understanding. Just be there when you can, and we will do the same in return.
Pa ws UP
Paws up to the Sam Houston State football team already having three Southland Conference Player of the Week honors this year Paws down to temperatures going back up to the 90s this coming week
Pa ws
DOWN
The Colin Kaepernick crisis
TRACE HARRIS Senior Viewpoints Writer
Last year, the biggest story on, and off the field in the National Football League was Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem. Though many other players followed suit, Kaepernick is the only player to lose his job. Now, many suggest a boycott of the NFL for the sake of racism and social justice. Many are quick to say
Kaepernick did not lose his job because he is black, but because he had an awful year. Truthfully, Kaepernick had one of his best years of his career. Kaepernick played for a 2-14 team with injuries, no real weapons, a terrible offensive line, and a weak defense, for Forty-Niners standards. Though Kaepernick only played 12 games before being replaced by the abysmal Blane Gabbert, he completed 59.2% of his passes, and he only did better in two other seasons of his five-year career. Additionally, he passed for 2,241 yards, threw 16 touchdowns to just four interceptions for a 90-overall quarterback rating, in the top ten of starting quarterbacks. Kaepernick also rushed for 468 yards and two touchdowns. However, Kaepernick lost his job, and the likes of Jay, Cutler, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Bryan Hoyer have starting jobs. Even if Kaepernick were just a backup, he would be the best backup in the
Check out Morgan’s hasty comedy show below. In the episode, we discuss the new Apple iPhone and Senator Ted Cruz:
league.
What people seem to forget is that just 4 years ago, Kaepernick made the NFC championship and lost a nail biter to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. The year prior, coming off the bench in the NFC divisional in 2012 after a season-ending injury to Alex Smith, Kaepernick came off the bench to lead the 49ers to a win over the favored Green Bay Packers and accounted for 444 total yards of offense, breaking Michael Vick’s record for playoff rushing yards. He would go on to lose the 2012 Super Bowl on the final drive after a huge comeback against the Baltimore Ravens. Many saw Kaepernick and head coach Jim Harbaugh as the next great Quarterback/Head coach duo in the game. However, after going 8-8 the next season, the 49ers fired Harbaugh. However, it was because the ownership had a beef with Harbaugh, one of the best college coaches of all time. Therein lies the problem. The NFL ownership has an excessive amount of power. The power that matters the most to the league and particularly Commissioner Rodger Goodell; money. All but 2 majority owners, Shahid Kahn of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kim Pegula of the Buffalo Bills, are old, rich, white men. Many come from banking or oil backgrounds. Presumably, they were so offended by Kaepernick kneeling for the national anthem that they refused to funnel more money into the $62.9 billion-dollar league. Essentially, it was all money and racism. Additionally, out of 92 North American professional sports teams, only one is owned by an African-American; Michael Jordan. Being from Reno, Nevada and
having gone to the University of Nevada, Reno where Colin Kaepernick was given his only division-1 football scholarship offer by hall-of-fame college football coach Chris Ault, I am biased. I have been a fan of Kaepernick since he led the mid-major Western Athletic Conference team to a win over #3 Boise State and brought home the win #12 Wolf Pack in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. Many from Reno know Kaepernick. He has come back many times, only being 3.5 hours away in San Francisco. He has also given a great deal of money back to the University and the city of Reno. He is a folk hero there. While at the University of Nevada, Kaepernick became the only college quarterback to pass for 10,000 yards and rush for 4,000. Additionally, Kaepernick was a 4.0 student and turned down the opportunity to play Major League Baseball, arguably his better sport, to go to the University. Kaepernick has become the face of the Black Lives Matter movement. He has donated over $700,000 to the movement. He chose to kneel to bring attention to police brutality and the killing of unarmed black men and women. People decided to take this as a swipe at the police and military, despite Kaepernick continually elaborating it was to use his platform to bring awareness to the issue. He also received support from many in the military who pointed out the national anthem has many racist and outdated elements. The US is one of the most excessively nationalist nations as it is. Kaepernick received criticism unsurprisingly from Trump. Right after, and after Trump cut the funding to it, Kaepernick
donated $50,000 to Meals on Wheels and $50,000 to the Love Army for Somalia. In fact, from October to April, despite not having a starting job, Kaepernick donated an average of $400,000 a month. Still, he is excessively criticized. Every year, current players or players come into the league with heavy controversy. Some have abused women, committed crimes, done drugs, raped women, and some even murder (and gotten away with it). Yet, they get a slap on the wrist. This season, starting with Marshawn Lynch, fresh off retirement, many players have kneeled in solidarity with Kaepernick. Michael Bennett of the Seattle Seahawks kneeled the next game. On Monday, 11 Cleveland Browns players kneeled, with others, including white players, standing beside them showing support. Many others from teams such as the Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans, LA Rams, and Las Vegas Raiders raised their fists. Kaepernick has been featured on nearly every media outlet imaginable, including Time which named him one of the most influential people of 2016. A rally took place outside NFL headquarters in New York protesting the decision not to sign him. Kaepernick will be on display in the Smithsonian in 2018 in a Black Lives Matter exhibit. The NFL can try and silence Kaepernick and keep him from making more money, but they cannot end the movement he made. His courage, philanthropy, and heart will never be forgotten.
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The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/sports | Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Page 6
Cross Country a leg up on competition
W HO’ S T HAT
K AT ? Clue #1: She was born August 29, 1996 in Huntsville, TX, Photo courtesy SHSU Athletics
MAKING STRIDES. SHSU Cross Country started their season with a bang as the men’s and women’s team both posted top-5 finishes in their first invitational.
TYLER JOSEFSEN Sports Editor The Sam Houston State University men’s and women’s cross country teams had an impressive showing to open the season at the Norry Hersey Invitational, finishing third and fifth, respectively. Together, the teams combined for five top-25 finishes at the 42
annual run at Rice University. “We ran well as a group and I was satisfied with how our first race of the season went,” head coach Jesse Parker said about the men’s performance. “We still have some work to do but I like where we are at the moment.” Junior Jordan Leon was the highlight of the Bearkats’ weekend as he took runner-up on the men’s side. His 6,250-meter time was
19:53.52, a mere four seconds behind the top spot. “[He] ran a phenomenal race,” Parker said. “I expected him to run but I didn’t think it would be that well.” The women’s team was propelled by junior Hannah Tarrant who finished 11 and sophomore Hanna Sanchez whose time of 15:04.88 was good enough to crack the top-25 and she crossed the finish
line 25. “Individually, I was very pleased with how Hannah Tarrant competed,” Parker said. “She executed her race plan very well and was rewarded with a good individual finish.” The Bearkats turn their attention to the Texas A&M Invitational on Sept. 23, the first of two straight meets in College Station that will close out the regular season.
Clue #2: Her favorite TV show is Game of Thrones because “it is weird and keeps you on your toes.” Clue #3: When she is not playing sports, she is usually doing homework.
Walk-on tryouts give Bearkats a hopeful shot TYLER JOSEFSEN Sports Editor
Photo courtesy SHSU Athletics
PUTTING ON THE PADS. SHSU Football gave students an opportunity to showcase their skills for a spot on the roster.
Registration Closed
Sam Houston State University held football walk-on tryouts Monday, hoping to find some hidden talent in its student body. The Bearkats have opened up the 2017 campaign 2-0, and it seems that SHSU is well equipped for the season. It is no secret, however, that the team has holes to fill. “There are some positions that we need depth in,” head coach K.C. Keeler said. “This is an opportunity to get on the practice squad. From there, you will get a chance to compete in the spring.” Students had the chance to strap on pads and display their skills at Bowers Stadium on the same turf the Bearkats play on. Over 20 students took advantage of this opportunity to lace up their cleats for the SHSU coach-
ing staff, but it will not be an easy task earning a uniform. “We are far along in terms of someone coming in and playing for us this season,” Keeler said. “Does it happen? Yes, in a rare case. The big thing is that they get a chance to show us who they are.” SHSU adding walk-ons is not an uncommon trend, though. Twelve starters on the current roster got their start in the program as walk-ons, including senior wide receiver Yedidiah Louis who was named the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2016. “We have depended on walkons,” Keeler said. “This is for people who may have been overlooked and want a second shot.” With tryouts ending, SHSU turns their sights to their matchup against Nicholls on Sept. 23. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville.
Reg. Deadline : Sept. 13 6:15pm Reg. Deadline Sept. 13 11:59pm Event: Sept. 13
Season: Sept. 10- Sept. 28
Season: Sept. 15- Oct. 31
Players of the Week
DAVION DAVIS WIDE RECEIVER
Junior wide receiver Davion Davis had a pair of touchdown receptions Thursday as the Bearkats were able to top the Prairie View A&M Panthers 44-31. Davis made his presence known as one of SHSU’s offensive weapons as he finished with eight receptions for 99 total yards and two touchdowns. He is off to a fast start as he now has 12 catches through the first two games of the season, three of them for touchdowns.
BROOKE WHITE OUTSIDE HITTER
Senior outside hitter Brooke White was awarded tournament MVP over the weekend as SHSU won the Lady Techster Invitational. White reached a milestone Friday with her 1,000th career kill, a very special one of her astounding 48 kills over the three matches. White’s nine kills in the final match were accompanied by her twelve digs as the Kats beat Louisiana Tech in straight sets to take the championship.
Reg. Deadline : Sept. 20 6:00pm Event: Sept. 20