Greeklifespecialedition

The Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

The Official News Source of Sam Houston State University UBER, P.2 The ride-sharing mega company has already made a name for itself in the Huntsville area.

Volume 129 | Issue 2

HUMANS AT SAM, P.3 Highlighting Dr. E’Loria Simon-Campbell’s work and achievements for SHSU Nursing.

FAKE NEWS, P.4 Opinion: This week Viewpoints Writer, Nick Ward, breaks down Trump’s military ban.

/HoustonianSHSU

@HoustonianSHSU

BASEBALL, P.5 The SHSU baseball team was honored by the mayor of Huntsville for their impressive 2016 season. @HoustonianSHSU

FOOTBALL, P.6 Defensive star P.J. Hall was on the sideline for the season opener, and he won’t play this week either.

HoustonianOnline.com

Huntsville weathers Harvey

Storm drenches campus and surrounding community

Ryan Reynolds| The Houstonian

THE AFTERMATH. (TOP) Intramural fields two and three have been under construction for over a year due to Huntsville’s Town Creek project. A new drainage system was installed and retention ponds were built. However, the intramural field renovations did not hold up to the large amount of rainfall from Hurricane Harvey. The fields flooded on Aug. 27, one day after the catastrophic storm made landfall in Southeast Texas. (BOTTOM LEFT) From Aug. 26 to Aug. 31 approximately 291 issues were reported by SHSU Facilities Management. Water removal began as soon as extraction vendors could get to each location. (BOTTOM RIGHT) Hurricane Harvey’s strong winds collapsed a tree, destroying Huntsville’s Girl Scout cabin.

Explainer:

Flood policy reversal hurts Harvey victims ELISABETH WILLASON News Reporter Just two weeks before Hurricane Harvey made its devastating landfall in Rockport and meandered its way up the Gulf Coast to dump 40+ inches of rain on Houston and its surrounding counties, President Trump repealed flood protections meant to prevent further devastation in future flooding events.

Hurricane Harvey may have downgraded to a tropical storm in the time it took for it to reach Southeast Texas, but in just three days it proved to be the worst catastrophic flooding event in Houston and surrounding areas since Tropical Storm Allison in —

FLOOD, page 2

SHSU welcomes National Guard RYAN REYNOLDS Editor-in-Chief Amid Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, the Texas National Guard, among many others, have been activated and are using Sam Houston State University’s own Johnson Coliseum as a base of operations.

SHSU has been hosting roughly 350 military members a day from various areas since Aug. 30.

“It’s good to see Sam Houston standing up with us to help out Texans in need,” SHSU alum and chaplain of the 72nd brigade Steven Missick said. “Of course, this is a big disaster. It’s good to see people come together and it’s good to see that when we have a crisis like this Sam Houston State University is standing up and helping out in the challenge.”

The Army National Guard has transformed Johnson Coliseum into a logistical support area (LSA) to facilitate moving more troops into the Gulf Coast region. An LSA acts as a depot, barracks and transportation hub, providing supplies and personnel

to facilities closer to or within areas of conflict.

Although Hurricane Harvey has moved on and the water is receding, the aftermath from the catastrophic storm is still being felt. Beaumont specifically is in bad shape and thousands of people are in need of essential supplies, such as blankets and water.

Clarence Henderson, commander of the 72nd infantry brigade combat team, said the Texas National Guard setup an LSA in the coliseum to aid the demand and help other out of state troops get into the affected area. Most of Texas’s troops were impacted by the storm, therefore they called out to other states for assistance.

“I’ve got over a thousand soldiers committed to the response,” Henderson said. “Most are in Beaumont right now. My headquarters is in Houston so most of my soldiers were impacted by the storm… it has taken me until now to rebuild my strength and my headquarters because of the impact of the storm.”

“Recognizing that a lot of the troops in Texas were effected, the decision was made to bring

in troops from out of state.” Henderson added.

More than a thousand soldiers from the Arkansas National Guard were sent to Huntsville over a three-day period. The soldiers traveled over 440 miles from Fort Chaffee to assist with relief efforts in Southeast Texas.

The first unit arrived on Sept. 3.

“I know the need that’s down there and what we can do. I know Texas really appreciates it,” said 39th infantry brigade combat team executive officer Lt. Col. Joel Lynch.

Once the soldiers arrive at the coliseum, they will refuel, receive three days’ worth of food and rest for one night before hitting the road to help with relief.

“They come here and we refit them,” Henderson said. “Then they’ll head into what will probably be Beaumont but we don’t make that determination. We have a joint task force in Houston that will determine where they’ll go.”

According to Cmdr. Henderson, —

WELCOME, page 2

Hurricane hits home MASEY WHITE Asst. Viewpoints Editor With our constant access to social media, news sources, and updates from around the globe, information about our world is always right at our fingertips.

While the ability to stay informed on what’s happening at all times can be a positive thing, it can also be a negative thing. It sometimes leads us to see only what the media is most actively covering, which most of the time tends to be all of the things going wrong in the world. Between recent events, involving racial tensions, terrorism, natural disasters, and even threat of nuclear war, our world can seem as if it has become a terribly hateful and scary place to live. However, despite all the horror, destruction, and loss that Hurricane Harvey brought, it also — HOME , page 4

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/news | Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Page 2

Ryan Reynolds | The Houstonian

Jeff Olsen| SHSU Marketing

REINFORCEMENT. The National Guard took up its post in and around Johnson Coliseum as they establish a logistical support area to help aid Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

TH E JUMPS

WELCOME, page 1 —

no decision has been made yet on when the LSA operation will end.

President Hoyt welcomed Bearkats back from a short recess due to the flooding with a letter of thanks and gratitude.

“Harvey’s impact was felt throughout our community, but so was the Bearkat response. Thislast week, we have witnessed acts of kindness and compassion that should make us all proud to wear orange.” Hoyt said.

FLOOD, page 1 — 2001, surpassing Allison’s highest recorded rainfall by over

ten inches in some areas.

Executive Order 13690, or changes to the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, was signed by then-President Barack Obama in January 2015 to mitigate the damage that the growing number of floods across the nation would incur by restricting how close developers could build near the edges of floodplains.

This order made changes to the U.S. National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that provides federally underwritten flood insurance to people living in areas that agree to control development on or around flood plains, which were designed to make future major flooding events like Harvey more manageable.

The order would have changed

the way that developers build around flood plains and prevented them from using imperfect flood maps to consider lines at the edges of flood plains as definite and instead as a place of caution, expanding the areas near flood plains where building should not occur.

With these restrictions lifted, states that still want to receive money from the NFIP will be able to allow developers to build close to flood plain borders regardless of future flood risk without risking the aid that is provided to them under the NFIP. The executive order was originally opposed by eight U.S. senators, including Texas’ own John Cornyn (R-TX), whose states benefit most from the current NFIP because they get more money per dollar that each resident spends on the NFIP and recovery efforts after major flood events.

The decision to erase the Obama-era flood protection rule came on the heels of two 500year flood events in Texas in the past five years, including the Tax Day Floods of 2016, that had devastating consequences to the state of Texas and two weeks before Harvey made landfall, but the effects of the rollback of these precautions will not be felt for years to come.

Ryan Reynolds | The Houstonian

Jeff Olsen| SHSU Marketing

Uber, Huntsville’s hottest acquisition CASSIE KNUST Staff Reporter The end of July saw Uber driving into Huntsville, an arrival long anticipated by students and residents alike. This new addition to the college town will no doubt impact the community.

What prevented Huntsville from having this widely-known and popular transportation service? A local law required transportation companies such as Uber to have a permit from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, as well as to pay an annual fee of $5,000 to remain open. The law demanded companies run local, state and federal background checks on all drivers every year. Because of these regulations, Uber stopped running in several cities, including Austin.

On May 29, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law House Bill 100, which overrode the local law. House Bill 100 allows citizens to choose their mode of transportation and with whom they ride, creating a free enterprise in transportation apps.

“I think bringing Uber to Huntsville will be positive,” Chair of the Management and Marketing Department Gerald Kohers said.

“Students will primarily benefit when it comes to not having to park on campus.”

As many are well aware, parking is a constant frustration for students. Many have to arrive on campus much earlier than their scheduled classes in order to find a parking spot, much less one that is closer to campus. With Uber, students can find a ride more quickly and arrive to campus much closer.

The app will also help students and residents get to work and run errands more efficiently. Because not all people own vehicles, Uber will help reduce the wait time on busy taxi services. As such, the

app will provide competition for the few taxi services in town.

Kohers added that the addition of Uber will have an economic impact on Huntsville.

“I also would expect that the majority of the Uber drivers would be students, Kohers said. “Which would add a source of income.”

Jobs can be difficult to find in a smaller college town, but with the addition of Uber, students and residents alike can choose when and how they work on their own terms.

The app is simple and efficient to use. Once an account is set up, users can input their credit card, eliminating the need to pay cash or credit in person. Passengers also now have the option to leave a tip from the app, or to the driver directly.

Besides its simplicity, Uber has a personal touch that taxi services cannot always give. Uber driver John Williams drove my roommate and me (on our first Uber ride in Huntsville) to campus this past week, commenting on how we were his first passengers. Williams initially wanted to drive for Uber Eats, but discovered there were guidelines in place for vehicles. He had the option to lease a vehicle from Uber if his vehicle did not pass regulations.

Riding with another driver brought new information that may hinder some prospective drivers. Vehicles older than 15 years are not allowed in Uber.

William’s vehicle was thirteen and a half years old, so he would have to either lease or buy a new vehicle after another year.

Any changes the app brings will prove to be a beneficial addition to the town. Huntsville will see a positive economic impact, an improvement on parking and more reliable transportation around town with third party ride-hailing services.

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/campusculture | Wednesday, September 6, 2017

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Humans at Sam: Dr. E’Loria Simon-Campbell RACHAEL VARNER Senior Campus Culture Reporter The vast majority of people have a love-hate relationship with hospitals: it’s the last place someone wants to be until it’s actually necessary. And even then, it’s debatable. The trauma, the needles, the uncertainty and the dreaded bills following the visit, aren’t exactly anyone’s idea of a pleasant day. Even so, the medical staff is there to make their reluctant visitors as comfortable as possible.

Nurses have a gift. Not only do they have the scientific knowhow, but the best of them have warm hearts, thick skins and a tireless determination to provide both physical and emotional support. One woman encountered this type of nurse when she underwent treatment for a non-cancerous tumor in her left ear at just five years old.

“I spent my Kindergarten year at M.D. Anderson, but even though I was in the hospital, it was like I wasn’t even sick because the nurses were so nice, and I wanted to do that,” Dr. E’Loria Simon-Campbell, a registered nurse and tenure-track assistant professor here at SHSU, said.

This up-close-and-personal experience is what inspired Dr. Simon-Campbell to pursue a career as a nurse herself. Originally from Crockett, Texas, she entered SHSU’s pre-nursing program and earned her bachelor’s degree at Prairie View before obtaining her license in 1995. She later found a job at East Texas Medical Center in Crockett, where her assignments frequently involved training the new nurses in the unit. It wasn’t until friends and coworkers praised her work that she ever considered becoming an educator.

“Angelina College made an agreement with East Texas Medical Center, and they started a nursing school there, so I began working as a clinical instructor and eventually became director of the program,“ Simon-Campbell said.

After five years at Angelina

Brian Blalock| Today@Sam

NURSING IN THE FIELD. SHSU’s Nursing program offers a wealth of experience for the students that participate.

Last year the program ran Disaster Training simulations in partnership with students from the Athletic program.

and 10 years at Prairie View, Dr. Simon-Campbell came full circle.

This is her third year teaching at SHSU, and the experience has proven itself strange but rewarding. Switching from a student to a faculty role – and in a school that has expanded exponentially in re-

ed Scientific Group in June. The group and their conferences offer health care professionals and educators a forum to present their research and collaborate ideas for better health environments. Dr. Simon-Campbell heard of the conference through a colleague,

The conference covered a variety of topics ranging from nursing education to nursing practice to biology, and its attendees gathered from across the globe to share an expansive take on each field of study.

“Now that I’m getting older, I’m no longer working in the hospital as much, so by being an educator, it gives me the opportunity to mold the next generation of nurses,” - Dr. E’Loria Simon-Campbell

cent years – was quite the shock.

“There are a lot of opportunities for faculty, like, [when I came in], I didn’t think I would get to do a lot of the things I’ve done... but people have been so helpful,” Dr. Simon-Campbell said. “SHSU is very supportive of its faculty as far as their careers, their goals, and [encouraging students’] goals.”

One such opportunity included attending the Nursing Science 2017 International Conference in Dallas, hosted by the Unit-

a Registered Nurse and SHSU Associate Professor, Dr. Lilibeth Al-Kofney, and prompted her to submit an abstract that was later accepted by the organization. “[My topic] was The Effectiveness of an Adaptive Quizzing System to Improve Student Learning, which is just a software program that helps students learn how to take the licensing exam they’ll have to take after graduation to get their [registered nursing] license,” Dr. Simon-Campbell said.

Yet, surprisingly, it was not one of these presentations that captured the professor’s attention.

Rather, one guest spoke about life balance – that even when one is in pursuit of academic and career goals, it is best to remember how to relax and not over think on situations at hand.

“Now that I’m getting older, I’m no longer working in the hospital as much, so by being an educator, it gives me the opportunity to mold the next generation

of nurses,” Dr. Simon-Campbell said. “Even when I’m not there to teach a class of 50 or 80 people, [it’s a joy] knowing that the world has a little more meaning to each person.”

But the gratification she receives from her work does not stop there.

Just like I’m a first generation [nurse and educator], many of our students are first generation, and this gives me the opportunity to see them make a difference in their families, to get to see them cross the stage, to see moms come see them graduate, and to see how they transformed. I had a piece of that,“ Dr. Simon-Campbell said.

The road to becoming a nurse is not easy, especially when students become frustrated and discouraged at not performing as well as they had in the past, but Dr. Simon-Campbell took it upon herself to meet students where they were, identify and fortify their weaknesses, and build upon their strengths.

Dr. Simon-Campbell does not intend to return to the Nursing Science conference next year, but another conference set for November in Miami, recently accepted her abstract. Again she will present her study on The Effectiveness of an Adaptive Quizzing System to Improve Student Learning, and she encourages professors on a tenure track, or those looking for exposure through scholarly activities, to participate.

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/viewpoints | Wednesday, September 6, 2017

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Trump bans trans in a political move

NICK WARD Senior Viewpoints Writer

President Donald Trump’s ban on allowing transgender individuals in the military is wrong. No, I am not a social justice warrior fueled by feelings over facts, but not all who currently agree with the President’s ban are necessarily bigots. While the bigots are present, there is also a group that supports the ban based on misinformation from a media that is just as biased, and as the mainstream media, they are taught to hate. Here is a factual argument on why Trump is wrong.

I first want to clarify what some terms mean, specifically what

transgenderism is. If someone identifies as transgender, that means that someone was born a male or a female sexually, but does not identify with the societal constructs of that sex (the modern definition of gender).

The person instead identifies with the gender of the opposite sex.

Transgender opponents will say it is a mental disorder, and this is where the first argument for the transgender ban comes in: people with mental illnesses should not be allowed in the military. While this argument is valid, it is not sound.

Transgenderism is not a mental disorder as stated by the American Psychological Association. To view a psychological state as a mental disorder, the state of mind must cause the person distress or disable them in some way. This is not the case since most transgender individuals can lead happy and normal lives.

Distress or disability is a cause of transphobia.

In President Trump’s initial announcement of the ban on Twitter, Trump states this decision has been made with the consultation of his generals. The problem is that almost every single

one of his top generals confessed to having no prior knowledge of this ban, with only Secretary of Defense, General James Mattis, having known about it a day in advance. To make matters worse, Buzzfeed originally reported that when the first of the two tweets were posted, his generals thought he was going to declare war on North Korea. Then when it was finally announced, almost all of his military officials including General Mattis (who was on a week of vacation) were immediately against the ban. This also included former generals, admirals, and military veteran Republicans including Joni Ernst and John McCain. However, there’s still the problem with medical costs.

In the tweet, Trump says his reasoning behind the ban is because the military cannot operate with the overwhelming medical expenses of transgender individuals. The problem with measuring the exact cost is that we do not know the number of transgender individuals serving in the military. The Research and Development Corporation, a think-tank that researches the U.S. Military estimates the

amount between 1,320 and 6,630 active duty soldiers with costs being between 2.4 million and 8.4 million for different medical needs, a large range of uncertainty.

The New England Journal of Medicine estimates around 12,000 active duty soldiers with the cost being between 4.2 million and 5.6 million. Even at 8.4 million, this is not even one percent of the 640-billion-dollar military budget, less than a penny out of your annual taxes that go to the military, and equals one-tenth of the amount of money spent on erectile dysfunction medication, $84 million yearly. Plus on the cost of actually discharging the soldiers, there are the wasted tax dollars that went to training the soldiers, and even a general discharge can keep veterans from getting hired in civilian life.

Even the American Medical Association has stated there is no valid medical reason for the ban.

This ban has no factual basis, and people who support the ban are the ones putting their feelings

Pa ws UP

181 Years ago yesterday Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas

Paws Down to navigating the Evans Complex

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The Jump: Hurricane hits home

MASEY WHITE Asst. Viewpoints Editor —

HOME, page 1

we still have so much love in this world.

For days, Hurricane Harvey blasted through southeast Texas and surrounding states, leaving a path of destruction everywhere it went. On Aug. 31, USA Today reported that there had been 51.9 inches of rain, and the hurricane dumped 24.5 trillion gallons of water on southeast Texas and Louisiana. According to ABC News, an estimated 185,149 homes have been damaged or destroyed, and 42,399 people were in shelters as of Sept. 1. Over 10 thousand people were officially rescued with federal assistance; however, this does not include the many Good Samaritans that did their own, selfless saving.

On Sept. 4, the death toll from Hurricane Harvey had risen to at least 60. As flooding recedes, it is still unclear how many people have been affected by this disaster, causing the loss of homes, jobs,

workplaces, and even lives. This truly was one of the most horrific natural disasters Texas has ever faced. However, it is simply incredible to watch first-hand the sheer amount of love and support Texans, fellow Americans, and the world has provided to help ease the burdens of those affected by this disaster, as well as attempt to rebuild.

One particularly prevalent example is numerous businesses opening their doors for evacuees.

One of the most helpful was Gallery Furniture, which not only provided shelter, but beds, furniture, food, and other donated items to around 300 evacuees, saving around 200 with his own crew, according to CNN.

“There was also an impressive number of citizens that donated their time and their boats, risking their own lives to rescue stranded evacuees. .”

-Masey White There was also an impressive number of citizens that donated

Check out the new Word on the Street below featuring the lost Hurricane Edition and interviews with SHSU students about their Hurricane Experience:

their time and their boats, risking their own lives to rescue stranded evacuees.

Millions of dollars have already been raised by several different organizations to begin to cover the costs of rebuilding, and communities have come together to provide donations for all those in need. J. J. Watt’s foundation has now raised over $17 million, according to ESPN. com, and the money is still flowing. Many other celebrities are donating large sums, and there are GoFundMe pages and many other organizations that generous citizens are still donating to, whether it be $5 or $500.

Close to home, our own shelter in Huntsville received so many donations and volunteers that they had to ask donators to hold off on giving anything more so that they could first process what they had, and volunteers were put on a waiting list for the chance to join the efforts. There were also many individuals who took it upon themselves to organize specific causes, such as opportunities for people to support classrooms that need to rebuild, animal shelters, and anything else that may be overlooked.

Not only were people rescued, but there were also efforts to ensure that animals were not

being left behind, and shelters and other survivors graciously took in many stranded animals.

In addition to all of this, there are countless amounts of stories of neighbors and strangers helping and rescuing each other.

The most miraculous stories for me are the ones of strangers with no obligation to each other making extreme efforts to save all of those in need. I look forward to continuing to watch our incredible, united community come together and continue to rebuild and recover, and hopefully donate some of my own efforts as well.

Hurricane Harvey was a devastating natural disaster that will take many years, an estimated $190 billion, according to USAToday.com, and tons of support to recover from, and we all would be better off without it happening, particularly those who lost homes, precious belongings, and even loved ones. However, one positive to come from it all is this unequivocal display of love that we have seen over the past week. It has truly been beautiful to see an entire world come together in support of those who have lost so much, regardless of race, religion, politics, or any other seemingly defining qualities. So, as you watch the news and see

Pa ws

DOWN

all of the awful things in the world that so desperately need to be fixed, just try to remember that we are enough. Many have the love and desperation in their hearts to create the peaceful and loving world we so desire. Just keep up the fight, and remember that we’re all just trying to get through this world together.

/HoustonianSHSU @HoustonianSHSU @HoustonianSHSU

Escape your comfort zone to notice everywhere once you know about it. If there were ever a candidate for “understatement of the year,” any statement about the complexity of the human brain would fare just fine, but psychology in the twenty-first century certainly offers a wider array of tools than we have ever had access to DAKOTA STEWART in all of human history. Among Viewpoints Writer these tools is our modern understanding of how every one of us processes conflicting Get out of your comfort zone. information. This brings Don’t walk. Don’t even run. Flee us to cognitive dissonance.

Perhaps the easiest way to it like your life depends on it. If explain the phenomenon is to you had the luxury of growing ask some simple questions. What up with a stable routine, escape do you, the reader, care about? even faster. What every single Imagine you’ve happened upon one of us needs to avoid is the an interview with the president limitations of our perspective. of the university. She has been Cognitive dissonance is the asked about the drive of the kind of concept that you start

students at the university, and it is just then that she spots you. Within moments, there are cameras directed towards you, and you are asked one simple question: “What is it that you are going to do with your education that makes your presence here worth the time and money?”

Maybe you are quick to answer, with a twinkle in your eye as you passionately describe your plans to popularize your favorite dish: cinnamon-flavored bacon! However, I’d bet my money that imagining this scenario is uncomfortable for most. The feeling you might be experiencing is likely cognitive dissonance.

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The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/sports | Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Page 5

Bearkat baseball team honored by mayor

DJ Shafer | SHSU Athletics

STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE. The Sam Houston State University Bearkat baseball team had a successful 2016 season, and it did not go unnoticed. The team was honored at Huntsville’s City Council meeting as Mayor Andy Brauninger presented a proclamation in their honor.

TYLER JOSEFSEN Sports Editor The Sam Houston State Bearkat baseball team opened many eyes during its victory filled 2016 season. One unique supporter of the team is Huntsville Mayor Andy Brauninger. The mayor had the entire team at the City Council meeting Tuesday night as he presented a proclamation in their honor.

“The success that this team had last year was not only success on the baseball field,” said

Brauninger in his address at the meeting. “It was success in the way they represented this school, they represented their coaching staff, and they represented the citizens of Huntsville.”

SHSU baseball enjoyed a winning campaign last year, finishing 19-11 in conference and 44-23 overall. The Bearkats were terrific at home, sporting an impressive 25-9 record at Don Sanders Stadium, and their winning ways continued past just the regular season. SHSU had an impressive showing in the Southland Conference Tournament going undefeated as they

outscored opponents 37-10 in its four games.

The NCAA Lubbock Regional showed their ability to bounce back. After an early loss to Texas Tech, the Bearkats were able to defeat the Red Raiders in back-to-back games to reach the Tallahassee Super Regional where they would face a tough stretch against Florida State as they saw their season finally end.

“I was really proud of our guys a year ago,” head coach Matt Deggs said. “I thought we were a year ahead of schedule. This is the ball club that we’ve been kind of looking towards.”

Mayor Brauninger honored the entire Bearkats team and coaching staff with a proclamation to officially name Sept. 5, 2017 Sam Houston State University Baseball Team Day in the city of Huntsville.

“It’s a big deal for our program,” Deggs said. “I am very honored that the city of Huntsville would take time out to honor the Sam Houston State baseball team.”

As Brauninger mentioned, the team’s success went beyond just the chalk lines. Members of the baseball teams spent time in the greater Houston area last Sunday helping fellow Texans

that were left devastated in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. One such victim of Hurricane Harvey was Kristi Benoit Stauffer whose aunt’s Pearland home had to be gutted after the flooding.

“These guys selflessly volunteered to help,” said Stauffer in her Facebook post. “They worked in the filth and stench with no complaints.”

Many SHSU athletics and other organizations have graciously stepped up to lend a helping hand to those impacted by the catastrophic event.

Photos courtesy Kristi Benoit Stauffer

Volleyball plays tough non-conference opps.

Photo courtesy Russell James

SERVING IT UP. The Sam Houston State University volleyball team has been moving in the right direction after a rough start to the 2017 campaign. A win over University of Louisiana at Monroe and a close match against Texas State has the Bearkats feeling good about the rest of the season.

TYLER JOSEFSEN Sports Editor The Sam Houston State Bearkat volleyball team snapped its five game losing streak with a 3-0 victory over University of Louisiana at Monroe to close out the Chattanooga Classic. The Bearkats defeated the Warhawks in straight sets (25-23, 25-15, 2624) to remain unbeaten all-time against ULM. Senior outside hitter Brooke White who had 16 kills led the charge and senior

outside hitter Jordan Vaughn had an impressive double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs.

“Brooke has started for us since she was a freshman,” said head coach Brenda Gray. “She’s terrific. She’s solid. It’s why she’s out there.”

This was an important victory for SHSU after being swept in the Texas A&M Invitational. The Chattanooga Classic tournament in Tennessee started similarly as the Bearkats lost in straight sets to both Chattanooga and Murray State. The team turned it around against ULM,

however, as they hit .289 in the opening set and dominated the second set as they hit .325 on their way to a 10 point win.

The third set for the Bearkats against ULM started slow as they found themselves down 11-6 early, but they got back in a rhythm as they scored nine unanswered points. After gaining a 15-11 lead, ULM scored three straight points to make it a onepoint game before both teams swapped points and tied it up 22-22. A kill from junior outside/ right side hitter Madison Wallace, and an error by the

Warhawks, gave SHSU two match point tries. ULM fought back and eventually forced SHSU to use a timeout, but the Bearkats responded with a score from White and the finish from Vaughn to make it a 26-24 SHSU victory.

With their first win of the season out of the way the Bearkats had a second chance against the Texas State Bobcats, this time on their home court in Huntsville.

SHSU played TSU much closer this time around, but eventually dropped the match in the fifth set.

“It was a tough loss,” said White.

“But I think we learned our lesson that we have to finish because we kind of let it slip there when we got tied up.

SHSU is back on the court Sept.

8 and 9 as they take on Memphis, Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Louisiana Tech in the Lady Techster Invitational in Louisiana. The opening serve will take place Friday against Memphis at 10:00am.

@HoustonianSport /HoustonianSHSU

The Houstonian | HoustonianOnline.com/sports | Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Page 6

Dreadlocks deadlocked on sideline SHSU will be without star P.J. Hall on Thursday

Photo courtesy SHSU Athletics

SIDELINED. Preseason all-conference first teamer P.J. Hall will miss the Bearkats’ first two games of 2017 due to a mandatory suspension after an academic issue.

TYLER JOSEFSEN Sports Editor The No. 3 Sam Houston State University Bearkats were without star senior defensive lineman P.J. Hall in their season opener against the No.7 Richmond Spiders. Hall, who was selected as a preseason allconference first teamer, is serving a two-game suspension due to an academic issue.

The NCAA’s Application of Progress-Toward-Degree Legislation outlines the academic requirements that student athletes need to meet in the classroom in order to remain eligible on the field. According to bylaw 14.4.3.1.6, “Football student-athletes who do not earn nine-semester hours during the fall term…may not be eligible to compete during the first

four games during the next season.”

In Hall’s case, he is serving a mandatory two game suspension.

“Last fall, he had some personal stuff going on,” head coach K.C. Keeler said. “He had a bad semester, and was in a situation where he only passed seven credits. He didn’t pass nine.”

The NCAA’s new academic policy, nicknamed “the nine-credit

rule,” has gotten some backlash from NCAA coaches as well as student-athlete advisors for its increasingly difficult academic requirements. “[Hall] has never failed a class in his entire time at Sam with me as the coach,” Keeler said. “Although he will graduate with a very good GPA, he was put in this situation where he has to serve a mandatory

On the pitch

W HO’ S T HAT

SHUTOUT. The SHSU Soccer team had reason to celebrate as they were able to dominate Jackson State on their way to an 8-0 victory.

K AT ?

Clue #1: This Bearkat athlete was born Aug. 14, 1995 on the Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS.

HIVAN MORENO Asst. Sports Editor After splitting its first two games of the season, the Sam Houston State Bearkat soccer team dominated in their home opener vs. Jackson State on Aug. 25 with an 8-0 shutout in front of a crowd of over 300.

“We had a ton of fans and everyone was excited to be home again,” senior midfielder Beryl Smith said. “They came out with a lot of energy and we embraced the home atmosphere.”

The Bearkats improved to 2-1 following the dominating victory, but their next home game vs. Oral

two game suspension.”

Although the Bearkats kicked off their 2017 campaign with a top-ten victory over the Spiders, Hall’s absence on the defensive line was noticeable. SHSU’s defense allowed 652 total yards on the way to surrendering 34 points in the team’s victory. The Kats also allowed Richmond’s senior quarterback Kyle Lauletta to set a school record with 546 passing yards and five touchdowns.

Hall was a force to be reckoned with last season. He recorded 13 sacks on his way to earning the title of Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Throughout his career, Hall has accumulated 224 total tackles (129 solo) in 44 games at SHSU. In addition to missing the season opener, Hall will also sit out Thursday’s game against Prairie View A&M. Hall is set to make his season debut on Sept. 23 when the Bearkats battle the Nicholls State Colonels at Bowers Stadium. The defensive lineman is just seven sacks away from breaking the alltime FCS sack record. His return to the defensive line will be a highly anticipated one as the Bearkat defense will look to contain the Colonel’s sophomore quarterback Chase Fourcade.

“P.J. Hall will make a huge difference,” Keeler said. “He’s been the most dominating player in training camp.”

Roberts would be permanently canceled due to Hurricane Harvey.

“Players want to play games.

So, from that standpoint we are disappointed that we are going to lose a game out of the season,” head coach Tom Brown said. The positive thing is that we now have Sunday off and gained another day of training for SMU.” Despite the extra preparation time, SHSU would drop its match against No. 22 Southern Methodist 4-1.

Sophomore

forward Taylor Pritchard’s first career goal accounted for SHSU’s only score of the game.

After the loss dropped them back down to .500 at 2-2, the Bearkats turned their sights to their Sept. 2 matchup on the road at University of Arkansas LittleRock. The team was well versed in the Trojans playing style and had a plan going into the match.

“Little Rock has been more of a counter attack kind of team, so it will be a different style of play,”

Brown said. “We’ll have to make sure they understand what they’ll see and how we want to adjust.”

The Bearkats were unable to stop the Trojans offense, however, as a steady series of goals led UALR to a 5-0 victory over SHSU. Sam Houston (2-3-0) returns to Pritchett Field in Huntsville Friday to take on Louisiana (2-30) at 6:30 p.m.

Players of the Week

JOSH PRICE WIDE RECEIVER

Senior wide receiver Josh Price made quite an impact in his first game at Sam Houston. Price transferred to SHSU from Division II and made his presence felt early in the season opener against the Richmond Spiders with a pair of red zone interceptions Friday night. Along with 8 total tackles, his second pick of the game sealed the victory as it came with 2:08 on the clock while the Spiders were knocking on the door at the Bearkat nine yard line.

HANNA ALBERTO BEARKAT GOLF

Sophomore Hanna Alberto had an impressive weekend as she won the season opening Lady Maxwell Cup in Oklahoma. Alberto picked up right where she left off after an impressive 2016 freshman campaign where she was ranked #4 in Texas by Junior Golf Scoreboard. She shot a tournament best 40 pars over 54 holes as well as an eagle to clinch the individual championship and propel the Bearkats to an overall third place finish.

Clue #2: His favorite movies Lone Survivor and American Sniper.

Clue #3: He enjoys fishing and duck hunting, but he hates getting in the water and going swimming.