The L asso On the scene since 1914
Student-run newspaper | Never a dull moment
WEDNESDAY, November 19, 2014 | Vol. 101, No. 27
Campus art
Pioneer portrays forgotten faces TWU graduate Art student Angelia Ford shows stories of the homeless through her upcoming exhibit Sarah de Schweinitz Reporter sdeschweinitz@twu.edu If you’re looking for compelling art with a real message, look no further than graduate Art student Angelia Ford’s upcoming exhibition “Creating Visibility for the Invisible” at TWU in the Fine Arts Building (West Gallery) from Dec. 3-12. I got the chance to talk with Ford about her experience getting to know the homeless population in the Dallas area. She wanted to reach out to these people and learn about where they came from and where they’re going. “Everyone has a story,” she told me. She attempts to tell their stories through her work by interviewing them, taking photographs and sketching with graphite on paper and watercolor. She has talked with homeless people young and old, war veterans and ex-inmates and teenage runaways. I asked her what got her interested in this
Photo by Tammi Paul
Above: Graduate Art student Angelia Ford’s ongoing work featuring incomplete portraits of local homeless persons.
work in the first place. “My main thing was one: to bring attention to them and their plight and to try to restore a little bit of humanity. And two: to make people realize that the stereotype
of them all being drunks, drugaddicts or lazy is just not the case,” Ford said. She started paying attention to these people because they are human beings just like you and me, and hates
TWU stocks the fridge Students give necessities to help Pioneers in need
Photo by Alex Ancira
This past week, TWU Food Pantry received a large amount of donations from not only our TWU Community, but the Denton Community as well. The Student Union office, volunteer services and the Social Work Department worked together to organize this year’s Stock the Fridge. With a goal of 1200 donations, TWU kicked off the weeklong event, which resulted in surpassing our goal with a total collection of over 1500 goods. The TWU Food Pantry is run by the Social Work and Sociology Department and is located on the second floor of Old Main. The Food Pantry
sends them down even further to the spiral that they’re in,” she said.
Continues pg. 3
Pioneers finish 18–10
Denton campus | Holidays
Monica Alcaraz Reporter malcaraz@twu.edu
seeing the lack of compassion the majority of citizens have for them. “What it boils down to is the population at large ignoring them, and I think being ignored
provides for TWU students only and aims toward supporting all students with any goods that they may need at any time of the year. There is no sign-in and no policy on what students can take, which is as much as they may need. The pantry not only provides canned goods and foods but also toiletries and cleaning supplies, which are all very important to students. This past summer, I myself utilized the Food Pantry. Honestly, without it, I would have been left stressed and at my wit’s end.
Continues pg. 4
While volleyball lost in the LSC quarterfinals, TWU closed the season with a strong 18– 10 overall record.
Continues pg. 6
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Board of Regents
Parking garage proceeds TWU Board of Regents approves planning stage Matt Olson Reporter molson3@twu.edu TWU is approved to begin the first stage of building a parking garage. On Thursday, Nov. 13, and Friday, Nov. 14, the TWU Board of Regents met in Houston to discuss academic and financial matters. Vice President for Finance and Administration Dr. Brenda Floyd and Associate Vice President, Facilities Management and Construction/Risk Manager Joe Standridge discussed the need for a 600-space parking garage on campus. Floyd and Standridge received approval for $1 million to start planning and designing for the garage. The parking garage will be located where
the Marketing and Communications building currently is, with office spaces planned for the relocation of Marketing and Communications, Human Resources and the Graduate Art Studios. A consulting firm has already been contacted to assess the parking situation. During this situation, they are also going to look at the parking fees. Construction is estimated to cost $12-15 million and take approximately two years to be completed. According to the Denton-Record Chronicle: “The project will be funded with the money the university has saved in reserves, currently totaling about $53 million.”
Photo courtesy of TWU Athletics
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Opinions Cosby allegations........................2
News Midnight Breakfast......................3
Campus Life CAB round table.........................4
Arts & Entertainment ‘Celebration’ review....................5
Sports Basketball splits first games.......6
2
Opinions
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
twulasso.com
Technology
Drinking | Holidays
Binge drinking is social: Consciousness is key Drunk driving accidents increase around the holidays due to binge drinking Emily Nickles Page Editor enickles@twu.edu As the holiday season rolls around, so too does the media coverage of car accidents and deaths caused by drunk driving. In America, citizens experience the privilege of purchasing certain products followed by the adverse effects of substance abuse. Alcohol consumption is one example. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics: “Every two hours, three people will die by alcohol related car crashes.” In a 2010 study, 4 million Americans admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol, although not all of those reported instances resulted in an accident. That’s quite a mass of people. But there’s more: the Bureau of Transportation Statistics claims that overall yearly percentage of alcohol related deaths has decreased since 1990 to 2009 from 50.6 percent to 42 percent. While that may be true, Mothers Against Drunk Driving has proven that in the instances
of alcohol influenced fatalities, the statistics increase significantly around the holiday seasons where people engage in festivities and — you guessed it — drinking. Over the Thanksgiving holiday from 2009-2010, drunk driving. accidents have increased by 34, making the total count 174 deaths, 40 percent of which occurred on the highway. As minimal as that sounds, that doesn’t disregard the fact that those numbers represent people, whose lives have been stripped away in an instant. Small missteps can have big consequences. Some people like to blame the drunk drivers, the youth who go partying on the weekends and holiday festivities where people drink their weight in mirth. While it seems easiest to blame the victim or the obvious perpetrator, the deeper nuances and causes of these behaviors are ignored. In American society, children grow up believing that liquor is a bad thing; to drink in the Southern states is to sin. With all this mystery — a dichotomy
of praise from the media and shaming from all other directions — young adults are instantly drawn to the experience of drinking. Why? Because as young adults develop and begin to gain knowledge from experience, the desire to understand and experiment only grows. Perhaps instances of binge drinking and drunkenness would decrease if the stigma against alcohol were removed. If parents allowed their children to sample a spritz on special occasions and teach their kids how to drink alcohol responsibly. Youths will often go the extra mile — often illegally — in order to experience what is considered magical, yet forbidden. This leads to young adults not informing their parents about where they are going, causing them to make the unwise decision of driving while intoxicated in order to make it home by curfew so their parents do not suspect that they’ve been drinking. This situational example shows that it’s important to create safe environments for people to consume alcohol if they
choose. Drinking alcohol is a privilege and a leisure activity when used in the right context. It’s a completely different story when drinking becomes a path to escape from reality and dull the senses. Alcoholism is a very serious addiction, but that is why self-control should be taught from a young age and why the “forbidden” aura removed from the activity. When the holiday season hits the town, drinking would be a typical activity for people and not the excuse to drink heavily because of the time of year. A number of future deaths would be prevented, especially if people strive to make wise decisions regarding safety if they plan on drinking. If something becomes a social norm, it loses its excitement and people are more likely to treat as an everyday activity or even reject it. And rejection of alcohol couldn’t be worse than the recklessness we see now.
Talk necessary for tech trouble Technical difficulties plague students Alex Ancira Managing Editor aancira@twu.edu This past week, I had a lightbulb moment while doing my homework — a brilliantly crafted thought that I simply had to share in full with my classmates. Luckily, I had a forum post due in that very class, and I was so utterly prepared to enlighten all 20 of my peers and the professor with my glorious revelation. I toiled at the keyboard for 30 whole minutes on a 350 word Blackboard behemoth that would have put Faulkner to shame and would surely have forced Hemmingway to bow. And in the heat of the moment I hit the “submit” button. Instead, Blackboard logged me out. Sure, not everyone experiences my specific situation, but I would guess almost every student has something negative to say about Blackboard. It’s also pretty telling that I have never heard a student say “I’m so happy! Blackboard was online yesterday, worked perfectly and was so intuitive. Without Blackboard, my online classes would be so much more difficult.” Of course, this is really indicative of
grander problems with TWU’s online resources. WebAdvisor and Portal are just plain pitiful. Cookies and cache have to be cleared out repeatedly in order to allow you to browse comfortably in either. Oh, and you just cleared your cookies, huh? That means you have to re-login to WebAdvisor. This doesn’t even touch on how unintuitive TWU’s website is for students and traffic goers. About the only good parts of the website are the calendar section and the Google custom search bar for the website. Everything else is hidden effectively behind countless subshells of webpages, only navigable easily when you use the aforementioned custom search bar. Administration might act as though the website, Blackboard, WebAdvisor and Portal are fine as is. That it is “user-error” and “laziness” that cause the problems. Or that students aren’t tech savvy enough to get it right. I don’t buy that. With the impending campus shift to Gmail, TWU seems committed to improvement. Technology has always been for the betterment of daily life. Let’s not let big problems buffer in the queue while we play a game of catch up.
Sexual assault
Past allegations haunt Cosby Former sitcom star Bill Cosby is facing resurfaced allegations of sexual assualt, exposes issue Sarah de Schweinitz Reporter sdeschweinitz@twu.edu Well, turns out Bill Cosby is an alleged rapist. Thirteen women’s disturbing accounts of betrayal from a man they trusted have recently gone viral. This is not the first time these accusations against Cosby, now 77, have been leaked to the media. The first claim of Cosby’s sexual misconduct surfaced in 2004 by a woman named Andrea Constand. She claimed Cosby had gotten her alone to impart some “career advice,” a line that seems to be somewhat of a pattern in the allegations against him. According to snopes.com, Constand’s coming forward brought to light other women’s
unfortunate experiences with Cosby as well: “Constand’s lawsuit referenced 13 women who had alleged similar experiences with Cosby as Jane Doe witnesses, which is where the specific claim that the sitcom star has sexually assaulted 13 different women originated. Cosby settled the case with Constand in November 2006 (the terms of that settlement were not disclosed), so none of those 13 other women was called to testify.” Unfortunately, many of the women who claimed assault only identified as “Jane Doe” in court, and despite the horrific stories told by multiple women of being drugged and fondled or raped, it did not result in criminal charges or civil lawsuits against Cosby.
The beloved father figure character and praised comedian has made no comment on any of the allegations thus far. As for those who say there’s no solid proof and so he must be innocent, I think that is a representation of the disrespect for women’s voices in our society. Even when there is proof in high profile rape cases, victim blaming is common. I absolutely do not believe these women would go through the humiliation and pain of sharing their story without any validity to it. I believe what they said and think that because of Cosby’s status, he thought he could get away with it. The reasons why this has resurfaced with such intensity are varied. Comedian Hannibal Burress railed against Cosby for
The Lasso editorial staff Editor-in-Chief
Shelby Baker • sbaker3@twu.edu
Managing Editor
Alexander Ancira • aancira@twu.edu
Reporters
Designer
Toi Ferguson • lferguson2@twu.edu
Page Editors
Emily Nickles • enickles@twu.edu Amanda Clark • aclark9@twu.edu
Monica Alcaraz • malcaraz@twu.edu Matt Olson • molson3@twu.edu Sarah de Schweinitz • sdeschweinitz@twu.edu
Copy Editors
Photographer
Advisor
Tammi Paul • tpaul1@twu.edu
being a rapist in a stand-up bit, which spurred a strong reaction on the internet. Cosby then prompted his Twitter followers to “Go ahead, meme me!” which people took in a completely different direction than he anticipated producing memes like “Look at this wacky shirt I’m wearing. Also I am a serial rapist,” and “My two favorite things: Jello pudding and rape.” The important thing is that the is finally getting attention. Cosby’s lawyers are taking the stance that since the allegations are a decade old, they should just be forgotten. I hate to say that I’m not really surprised. The way female victims are treated in our society is appallingly passive. Women who are brave enough to come forward can hope at best to be
All rights reserved. The Lasso is a weekly student publication of Texas Woman’s University, written and produced by students and printed at DFW Printing. Editors develop their own editorial and news policies.The presentation of news and editorials and the personal opinions expressed in The Lasso are those of Lasso staff and writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the faculty, staff, students, administration or the Regents of Texas Woman’s University.
listened to in the first place, and then ideally to successfully bring charges against their perpetrator. The sad reality though is that men like Cosby have enough money and power to bury almost anything in court. He will probably get away scot-free regardless of how many women he has hurt. Cosby’s upcoming special “Bill Cosby 77” is supposed to release on Netflix this Thanksgiving. I know I won’t be watching it. I hope that all of you take the time to read what these women who claim he has assaulted them have said and consider not supporting his latest work. We cannot keep letting men get away with crimes against women, no matter how famous they are.
This week’s issue Vol. 101 No. 27
Letters from Readers The Lasso Stoddard Hall Rm 311
Email lasso@twu.edu Website twulasso.com
Savannah Peer • speer@twu.edu Tiffany Lam • tlam6@twu.edu Rhonda Ross• rross7@twu.edu
We value reader submissions. As a university newspaper we have certain criteria that limit what we will place inside our newspaper. Please limit letters to 300 words. Columns submitted should be no longer than 600 words. Please include your name, address, phone and email. Your contact information will not be published. Unsigned submissions will not be published. All submissions are also edited for length and clarity. Submissions become property of The Lasso.
News
twulasso.com
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
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Artist illuminates homeless Study abroad News
fair to be held
Continued from pg. 1 Ford wants people to know that these people do need help, and the assumption that all the people we see asking for money are panhandlers is simply not true. “I think people often confuse panhandlers with homeless people. There is a distinction between those two groups of people. I have interviewed close to 50 people, and only one has asked me for anything,” she told me. The empathetic artist shared something very important she learned from her work: that a lot of Americans are closer to losing their homes than most may think. For example, a national survey taken in 2011 revealed that 1/3 of Americans are one paycheck away from becoming homeless. Ford said that most of the people she has talked to lost their homes because of a major event in their life such as getting laid off or a death in the family. “It was a domino effect that created the situation they are in,” she explained. Ford shared with me how thankful some of the people she sketched were and encouraged others to try it as well. “Just you stopping and sitting down and talking helps. Just one-on-one human contact makes a difference. These people are so isolated — they have no one anymore, most of them. Just a little bit of compassion goes a long way,” she said. We discussed the emergence of things like
Students can find information and answers to study abroad questions Shelby Baker Editor-in-Chief sbaker3@twu.edu
Photo by Tammi Paul
Above: Ford works in her studio with charcoal and graphite to recreate the faces of the homeless, working off of pictures and sketches she took during interviews.
pay-per-minute benches and “anti-sit devices” on fire hydrants and air conditioning units in New York City. As if the homeless don’t already have it bad enough. “There needs to be a revamping and an overhaul of things. More money is being spent trying to bury the problem than to solve the problem,” Ford said. So what are we to do? I think most people are empathetic at heart and really do want everyone to have a warm place to sleep at night. I think most people are not OK with their fellow citizens starving. Unfortunately, recent laws such as the food
sharing ban passing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, are deterring people from helping. You may have heard about the 99 year-old man named Arnold Abbott who was recently threatened with arrest three times now for feeding the hungry. Even more disheartening is the fact that since January 2013, 22 cities in the U.S. have successfully passed this feeding ban, including Dallas, Corpus Christi and Houston. Ford told me about a young man on the streets in his early 20s named Justin who told her something very simple yet impactful: “I don’t want a hand out.
That’s the last thing I want. I want a hand up. Help me get back to where I need to be.” We all need help from time to time, and I think that we can see through Ford’s work how much these people do matter. They are citizens just like us. To take a glimpse into the very real lives of these people check out this unique and moving show. Maybe it will inspire you to take action and lend a helping hand to your fellow human beings. I think we can all learn something from the work Ford is doing.
The Office of International Education is hosting a study abroad fair today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second floor of the Student Union. TWU currently offers a variety of programs for study abroad, including faculty-led programs and the Harlaxton College program. Representatives from Career Services, Learning Technologies and providers from partner programs in Britain will be available to answer questions and overthrow common study abroad myths. “You don’t have to be wealthy,” Assistant Director for the Office of International Education Valerie Borgfield said, “There are many scholarships available for students. You can graduate on time if you plan carefully, and you don’t have to know another language.” According to Borgfield, the fair will also provide information on the Britain partner exchange programs, including the classes offered and living arrangements. Most students who study abroad head to the United Kingdom.
“We hope to have more expanded options in the near future though,” Borgfield said, “to give students even more opportunities.” Students attending the fair will be able to purchase goods from the International Student Association bake sale and have their hands dyed with henna. The Office of International Education handles affairs related to students studying abroad from TWU, visiting TWU and admissions for international students. This includes providing information and assistance in applying for study abroad programs. According to their webpage, financial aid can be applied to a study abroad program if certain requirements are met. Students can also file an International Education Fee Scholarship application and submit it to the department. For more information on the study abroad fair or the Office of International Education, contact Valerie Borgfield at vborgfield@twu. edu, or visit http://www. twu.edu/international-education/default.asp.
Commencement looms on the horizon Shelby Baker Editor-in-Chief sbaker3@twu.edu
December brings with it snow, finals week and what every student hopes to achieve: graduation. Commencement will take place Dec. 12-13 at the Kitty Magee Arena, Pioneer Hall, on the Denton Campus. The Houston Campus will hold its ceremony on Wed., Dec. 10, at Hilton Americas. All ceremonies will be streamed live online. Students walking in the commencement ceremony at the Houston campus should plan to pick up their regalia in the first part of December. According to
Campus Blotter Warrant Arrest On Nov. 13, an arrest was made on Bell Avenue for a warrant for speeding. Assault: Causing Physical Contact On Nov. 17, a fight broke out at Stark Hall, resulting in personal injury and property damage. No arrests were made. Burglary of a Vehicle On Nov. 17, a report was made to DPS of a stolen vehicle in the Pioneer Hall parking lot. No arrest was made. Harassment On Nov. 17, a report of harassment was made to DPS on the Houston Campus. Vehicle Collision On Nov. 17, a report of a collision was made on Texas Street that resulted in property damage.
the registrar’s webpage, Heriff Jones representatives will do the initial distribution and remaining orders can be picked up at the Student Life Office. Rooms at the Hilton Americas-Houston hotel has offered rooms at a special rate for the families of TWU graduating students. Rooms are on a first come, first serve basis. For the Denton and Dallas campuses, regalia purchased can be picked up at the bookstore the day(s) of commencement. Students can also find their regalia in the Pioneer Prep Room, where they can have their gown steamed and use the available full-length mirrors. Guests and students may
park in any valid parking spot the day of the ceremony, as the parking decals will not be enforced. According to the registrar webpage, all tickets must be printed and claimed before the ceremonies. Doors open an hour before the ceremonies are scheduled to begin and guests must have their tickets on hand and be seated 10 minutes before commencement starts. Once ticket guests are seated, the floor will be opened to nonticket guests until vacancy is filled. Overflow for non-ticket guests will be in the Student Union Room 207 for a live streaming of the ceremony. A tip: Undergraduates need
Midnight Breakfast a go Tiffany Lam Copy Editor tlam6@twu.edu A tradition decades old, Midnight Breakfast returns to TWU after its cancellation last year following construction and renovation in Hubbard Hall and the ice storm during the semester’s end. The event will take place on Monday, Dec. 8, from 10 p.m. to midnight. Students must bring their ID card. No guests are allowed as the event is exclusive to TWU students. Breaking from the past, a TWU Midnight Breakfast T-shirt will be given to those who attend instead of door prizes. Activities at the event, beyond eating breakfast, include: massage therapy, caricature portraits, photo buttons, flipbooks and more.
Director of ID Systems and Contract Food Services Beth Lewis said: “This is a way for us to show support for students who are really wrapping up their academic achievements.” For some students, this can be a chance to relax before finals. For others who will have already taken their finals, this can be a way to de-stress. The limited capacity at Hubbard Hall has been an issue in the past. Approximately 800 students can be allowed inside at a time. Lewis said: “It’s been very challenging to have students arrive and have to wait because we have met capacity in the building.” Barring any more ice storms, students can rest assured that Midnight Breakfast will happen.
to place their tassels on the right side of their cap, and graduates on the left. This is because the graduates have already earned a degree, so their tassels stay on the left side. Upon arriving at Pioneer Hall, graduating candidates must head to the second floor for their name cards and line up. Guests must remain on the first floor. Disability seating is available, with staff available for assistance. A sign language interpreter will be present for the ceremony and visible during speeches. Graduating students must leave personal possessions with their guests. Staff will be available on the second landing for
assistance. Students are encouraged to be upstairs and lined up at least 15 minutes before the ceremony. After the ceremonies, students and guests will meet outside of Pioneer Hall and may proceed to the Chancellor’s Reception held in the Student Union. Walking in a commencement ceremony is not the same as graduating. Therefore, degrees will be posted and sent at least three weeks after the end of the term. For more information, visit http://www.twu.edu/registrar/ graduation.asps.
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Campus Life
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Round table
Lifestyle | Special
Monthly Horoscopes
twulasso.com
Reporter Sarah de Schweinitz reveals the mystery of the stars Sarah de Schweinitz Reporter sdeschweinitz@twu.edu
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): While new social relationships may be at your horizon, it is crucial that focus remain steady on your current goals. This week will show to those who evaluate you your level of seriousness and potential. Balance will be the most important element this week — exploring that new bond and keeping your goals within arms’ reach will be the theme of the week. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): Decision-making could be a very scary thing, but this week, it is time to finally push forward on your current situation and knowing what you want will be center to the success of this week, personally and professionally. Taking time to yourself will be fruitful this week and will strengthen your idealistic visions for your current and future plans. Aries (March 21-April 19): You have recently experienced a setback. In order to move past this, set your sights on a personal goal and stick to it. Power through the final stretch of your current commitment and make decisions that you can look back on with pride. Taurus (April 20-May 20): This week, you should be focused on finding stability in your life and in personal relationships. Right now is a critical moment regarding your future. Tap into your empathy to comfort a friend in need and strengthen your bond. Gemini (May 21-June 20): That achievement you were aiming at is finally in sight — using your own intuition will be vital for finally capturing your goal. If you avoid the many surrounding influences and go with your gut, there is no doubt that if you keep your eye on the prize and push through the other barriers, victory will be yours. Cancer (June 21-July): Your guards have been up for a while on a recent friendship or relationship, but this week a shift occurred that revealed just how important this relationship may be to you. It will be important to finally show the other that your bond is meaningful and not brittle. Finish out the last of the projects or plans you have been working on — wrapping these up will lead to much needed relief. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): This week the lion in you needs to come to the forefront. While you are normally calm, a personal relationship may rattle you a bit, requiring you to be more flexible. In the beginning you may feel tested, but your level of ambition and intrinsic motivation will help you to keep things on track. Though you may have other obligations, it will be wise to put your personal relationships and friendships at the core of your focus this week — it is a matter of make it or break it. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Your normal level instinctiveness will need a boost this week. While something may appear to be daunting, it may turn out to be just what you need, but recognizing it is critical. You will need to move beyond surface level interactions and dive into serious conversations and contemplation about your current affairs.
Has CAB lost its buzz? The Lasso staff discusses CAB’s events The Lasso staff lasso@twu.edu Some members of The Lasso gathered around the table to discuss the events hosted by Campus Activities Board and the improvements or additions we would like to see. Managing Editor Alex Ancira: CAB’s current recommendation is small events. That’s lame. Page Editor Amanda Clark: Are you thinking about moving away from speakers and musicians? AA: No, not at all. CAB receives quite a bit of funding from the university, and they need to use that funding to foster community spirit. CAB needs to move away from smaller events and towards larger events that incorporate more of the student body. With events like Coffee House, you’re reaching about 40 students out of the entire student population and that doesn’t make waves in student participation. We need more events that rival the size of homecoming. A flash mob is big, but there are tons of different things we could do. Editor-in-Chief Shelby Baker: When homecoming is your biggest event with a golf cart parade, that’s saying something about the size about your events and your student participation. If students had more fun stuff to go to, they’d go to it. AC: Timing is also another huge issue for any organization on campus. You can do stuff on Thursdays and you can’t do events after a certain point in the afternoon without losing a huge part of the student population. AA: We should do more things in the dorms because the dorms are barren. It’s all about working with one another. There needs to be collaboration with Housing.
Overall, the staff agreed that it’s going to take doing things outside of the box and possibly failing for TWU to see new events come to life with student participation.
TWU Food Pantry stocks up Continued from pg. 1 The Food Pantry provides help fir students that need a little extra. Social Work major Amber Jordan, has also turned to the food pantry. “The TWU Food Pantry is very nice. It is not a grocery store, so not everything will be there, but they have a
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Tipping the scale is not always a bad thing. This week, take care to accept new opportunities — this could have an immediate effect on your career prospects. This opportunity may seem like it’s a sure thing, but remain refined and continue to sharpen your strengths in communication and artistic expression.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You are steadfast, and this is the week to keep that in mind. Things may seem to be in an unwinnable spot right now, but the underdog complex will rise. Keep your successes in mind and stay positive while things wind down, and remain passionate in your endeavors. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): There is no better week to capitalize on the opening you have to strengthen a relationship in the dawn for a new stage. The other side seems to be on board. It just a matter of contemplating your future goals and being sure they match with the decision to push this forward. No better time! Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): When you are in a hurry slow down. Your patience this week will prove to be indispensable in both personal and non-personal life. A new stage has been reached and must be tread upon lightly and wisely. Use your instincts and remain open to change. Photo by Alex Ancira
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Also, the CAB trips are great, but I would hate to think that they’re catering to a small portion of students rather than using funding for events on campus. There’s a lot of wasted utility here. The biggest event this semester has come for Cultural Connections Leadership Conference, when CAB typically prides themselves on being the party committee. AC: You know what I would love to see CAB do? I think having the first week of campus both semesters to kick off the semester would be great. The first-year students get this excitement with the Block Party, which I think caters really well to that student population. We do great events at the end of the semester like Midnight Breakfast and Spring Fling, but we do nothing at the beginning of the semester to get students excited. Encouraging student participation from the beginning of the semester will help the dynamic of low participation shift. AA: Coordination is key … working with Non-Traditional Services, Housing, etc. It’s working together and pulling resources to encourage increased student participation. SB: It’s not about the number of events, but the quality of the events. One or two great events can make up for several dull ones. AA: I think we should work on getting great speakers and performers… having one or two larger events and focusing our funds that way. SB: I like the idea of doing a big event to draw student attention and interest, like setting our own world record as a campus.
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nice selection and you can find a lot of things,” explained Amber Jordan. In an effort to expand the collection, coordinator for Stock the Fridge Jasmine Wiley worked very hard with a team of Student Union employees and organizations to get word out about the weeklong event. “Last year, Lauren Meyers was the coordinator, and this year was my first year doing it. This time around, we reached out to the community for help with donations, we advertised with the Denton-Record Chronicle in the Community Corner Section, and they helped us for free. We also reached out to local grocers like Kroger, Natural Grocers, Cupboard National Foods and Walmart and each one made generous donations to the cause,” said Wiley. Lori Hitchcock from Natural Grocers’ main office in Colorado commented: “We always want to support our community and this is one way to do that. We make a lot of donations at every store location, about 90, and TWU is a university we have supported before through the Nutrition Department specifically. And it is in the months of November and December that we encourage customers to make donations as well. We match those donations up to $50,000, and that money goes to selected food pantries and organizations to support our communities.” The community provided abundant support this year and the organizers were very pleased with the results. The efforts made in reaching out also brought UNT and community attention to the cause, with visitors from our neighboring school and community coming to campus with any questions they had and of course making their own contributions. “Next year will be even bigger. We will increase our goal, reach out to more grocery stores and local businesses. This year was our trial run to see what could be accomplished, but now we know to get started sooner organizing our cover letters, etc. And of course, expanding our reach within the TWU community by working with our own student organizations to make a larger group effort,” said Wiley. This year’s success can only lead to a growing tradition for TWU and growing contributions to the Food Pantry. If you have any questions about the food pantry or want to make a visit please call the Social Work Department at 940-898-2071.
Arts & Entertainment
twulasso.com
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
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Music review
Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ T-Swift grows up musically, moves on to pop Amanda Clark Page Editor aclark9@twu.edu “It’s a new soundtrack. I could dance to this beat, ” are lyrics from the first song “Welcome to New York” on Taylor Swift’s new album “1989,” and I couldn’t agree more. As I listen to Swift’s new album, I’m impressed with her full-on shift into the genre of pop and can’t help but find myself dancing to the beat. It’s not just me who seems to be enjoying Swift’s new music but various audiences, including men and women of different generational and cultural backgrounds, have found themselves singing along to Swift’s new songs and thinking: “I could dance to this beat.” As mentioned a couple of weeks ago in an opinion piece I wrote, Swift has received a lot of heat for her music in previous years, and in many ways wasn’t taken seriously as an artist. I think most people, including those in the media, expected Swift to be a phase, but it looks like she’s just getting started. With the release of her album “1989,” Swift has proven her ability to grow and change as an artist, to allow her experiences to not recreate the same art but to enter into new spaces of creativity. “1989” has a smooth pop sound and definitely takes me back to a lot of ‘80s pop I’ve listened to. The ‘80s sound with Swift’s twist and original lyrics create new types of anthems for people to love. The
difference between Swift’s hits this time around are that they aren’t about what she’s been through, but what she’s doing about it. In her single “Shake it Off,” released before the album, Swift gave the world a taste of this shift in her music by addressing her haters and even addressing some of her flaws in her lyrics. With the release of her entire album, Swift continued to look at her flaws and to have fun with them. In one of my favorite songs from the album, “Blank Space,” Swift makes fun of herself by saying: “They’ll tell you I’m insane, but I’ve got a blank space baby, and I’ll write your name.” And if you watch the music video for the song, this concept of poking fun at herself reaches a level beyond the song itself. Different and surprising, I would boldly say that “1989” may be Swift’s best album yet, because of how it shows her evolution as an artist through the evolution of her music. Swift’s ability to poke fun at herself, enter into her own flaws and write from that perspective in addition to a new sound in her transition to pop has allowed for an evolution in her music and by extension, an evolution in her fan base. As Swift continues to explore new parts of herself and variations in her music, I believe we can expect to continue to see more new and surprising things from her.
Campus | Theater review
Joyous ‘Celebration’ The play reveals beautiful tunes and good acting but falls short in the third act Sarah de Schweinitz Reporter sdeschweinitz@twu.edu This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of seeing “Celebration,” a musical written by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones and performed by TWU students, a UNT student, and a member of the community at the Redbud Theater at TWU. The meaning of the story to me was the struggle for finding true happiness in life and learning to “celebrate every day.” The set, designed by Michael Stephens, whisked the audience into another world. The excellent lighting by Tristan Decker transported the audience into the world of the play as well. I loved the usage of orange and yellow lights and the projection of “the sun” to warm the stage and represent summer time and the usage of cool blue lighting for winter. The first singing/speaking part was performed beautifully by TWU sophomore and Drama major Riley Payne, who is a truly talented actress and singer. She played the part of a clever con-artist named Potemkin, a ruthless money grubber who had her heart softened by the end of the musical. Next in appearance was first-year student David Freyman, who played the orphan. His character arc was that he came from a communal style of living in “the garden,” in which he learned to appreciate all that nature has to offer and was sent to convince the richest man in town to not buy his and his peoples’ precious land. Edgar Allen Rich, played by junior Colton Jones, was a miserable man with a lot of money who couldn’t understand why he hadn’t felt anything in years. He had everything (materially) he could ever desire
but complained of unrelenting boredom. The costume designer Rhonda Gorman gave his character a humorous top hat with a big sparkly dollar sign on it. Nice touch. Baylee Friday, with her light blonde hair, all white costumes and soft voice, was pretty convincing as the character Angel. She wanted to be a big star and struggled between wanting fame and escaping a “gray life” and finding true happiness with the Orphan, with whom she eventually fell in love. The last major role, which had very few speaking parts, was performed by junior Kolby Campbell as the right-hand man to Edgar Allen Rich. The rest of the performers, called the Revelers, delighted the crowd with singing and really fun choreography. Some songs were uplifting, like “My Garden,” led by the Orphan, and some were cynical and tongue-in-cheek like “Not My Problem,” led by Potemkin. The instrumental music was skillfully performed back stage by Kelley Rodriguez, Fatima Herrera, Blair Mitchell and Sam Guzman. I found myself swaying back and forth with a goofy smile on my face for more than one song. I thoroughly enjoyed the play until the end, when instead of a happy ending, Rich dies, Angel realizes she will never be a star, and the orphan says that his garden is gone, even though he successfully got Rich to sign away the rights to him. That was a bit confusing as either I missed the explanation for the disappearance of his garden or it was not mentioned. Overall, it was a good play that had great music and a great cast. I just wish the ending had been clearer.
The Daedalian
TWU’s student literary arts journal
Seeks a fearless leader for Spring 2015. The Daedalian Editor-in-Chief • • • • •
Solicits submissions from TWU students Manages The Daedalian email account Selects work to be published Creates the print and online journals Represents The Daedalian on social media
Interested students should call 940-898-2185, email twulasso@twu.edu, or come to the Lasso Newsroom: Stoddard Hall Room 311.
Gilroy’s ‘Nightcrawler’ Jake Gyllenhaal soars in Dan Gilroy’s thriller that excels Alex Ancira Managing Editor aancira@twu.edu “Nightcrawler” is ostensibly a film about America’s consumption of graphic violence in news media and how far we will trudge through the muck for success. Bolstered by a master class performance by Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom, the “hero” of our tale, Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut is an insanely fun character study of a terrifying monster that instead masquerades as a crime thriller. Sure, the film definitely focuses on how small-time loser Lou Bloom moves up the local TV news chain freelancing through unscrupulous means and by taking advantage of people’s most tragically violent moments in life. But that isn’t what keeps the attention of the viewer. What is really compelling is Lou’s transformation from a horrifying monster without means to his end into a “successful newscaster with resources and drive.” As Gilroy points out with the movie’s tight plot, the only difference between the character at the end of the journey and at the beginning is what he is currently capable of doing. None of this matters, though, without Gyllenhaal dropping the performance of his career as the protagonist of Gilroy’s twisted thriller. As Lou Bloom transitions from simply cutting wire fences to steal metal for scrap sales to staging a crime scene to sell a better piece of footage to the local Los Angeles TV station, Gyllenhaal’s performance is convincing and menacing in nature, which says quite a bit considering how dense and jargon-filled the script is from Gilroy. Nevertheless, Gyllenhaal delivers razor sharp lines with a lithe and believable passion that never breaks your immersion. Supporting cast performances are also well done, with Riz Ahmed as Rick leading a very strong pack. Rick is a sympathetic foil to Lou that keeps the audience grounded through all the dark shootings and car crashes that go bump in L.A.’s night. As a moral compass, Rick continually acts as a reminder to the audience that “Hey, Lou is doing some crazy stuff here — this is not normal or OK.” In addition, Rene Russo plays the morning news director Nina in a well realized portrait of how even normal human beings are willing to bend the narrative of reality if it aids their personal goals.
Photo coutesy of www.comingsoon.net
The primary joy in any thriller is in the plot, and that is no exception here. The movie has incredible moments of tension and a third act that is simply sublime. I wouldn’t want to give any specific details because viewing the events unfold is mesmerizing. Even still, there is a great amount of dark humor throughout the film that acts as a palate cleanser for the next deeply disturbing image soon to be tossed your way. Great art redefines how we think and how we see the world. It bends and contorts reality into challenging new shapes. At times it exposes the real world truths that we choose to ignore. “Nightcrawler” is more than a good movie — it is a true work of great art. It provides a real assessment of how we view violent media like ravenous wolves chomping at the bit, both as consumers and as creators. But in stark contrast to how “Breaking Bad” demonstrated that Walter White could morph into a cold, calculating monster, “Nightcrawler” also exposes the fact that sometimes the devil runs deep before demonstration. It’s not always a transformation in character so much as it is change in circumstances. And in a way, that’s far more sobering.
But what do you think? Send a response with your thoughts to either our personal emails or to lasso@twu.edu. If that doesn’t work, leave a comment online at www. twulasso.com.
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TWU Campus Store Now hiring temporary, part-time employees for Spring Back to School. Orientation is December 17th. Employment dates are December 29th-January 23rd. We are looking for sales/cashier staff as well as staff for shipping/receiving, online order processing and stocking. If you are interested, please: • Visit www.follett.com and click on “careers” • Next page click on “job search” • Next page enter “Denton, TX” in city field, “hiring now” in the hiring status field and click the search button • Click on “Apply” next to Temporary – 36065 for store 1097-Texas Denton and begin the application process. If you have questions, please call 940-898-3103 or email 1097mgr@follett.com
6
Sports
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
twulasso.com
Volleyball
Basketball
Volleyball falls in LSC tournament Rebound Pioneers close out 2014 season with an overall record of 18-10 and 11-5 in the LSC Amanda Clark Page Editor aclark9@twu.edu Last Thursday, the Pioneers battled with Cameron in the quarterfinals of the Lone Star Conference Championship tournament, losing in five sets: 21-25, 25-21, 11-25, 25-22 and 13-15. The LSC Championship tournament took place at West Texas A&M field house in Canyon, TX. Freshman Elizabeth Pennington led the Pioneers offensively with 17 kills while senior Jaqueline Santos and sophomore Mallory Kuechle added 12 each and junior Hillary Shaffer contributed 11 kills. Leading the team defensively was senior Morgan Wilson with a game-high of 19 digs. Kuechle had 16 digs for the doubledouble and senior Kelci Lind contributed 11 digs for TWU. TWU lost the first set with Cameron leading out early with a seven-point advantage. Even with the Pioneers cutting the difference to three, Cameron consistently kept the lead to win the set 25-21. In the second set, TWU captured a four-point win over the Aggies. TWU fought back and forth with Cameron for the lead in the second set, struggling to maintain an advantage. The Pioneers lost in the third set after Cameron broke the tied 10-10 score. In the fourth set, TWU came back again with the help or service aces by Junior Torie Talkington at the end of the set. In the fifth and final set, Cameron pushed ahead taking an 8-5 lead. TWU battled to cut the deficit, but with a kill, Cameron captured a two-point win. Head volleyball coach Shelly Barberee said: “We are disappointed to lose in the first
found
Basketball season begins Savannah Peer Copy Editor speer@twu.edu
Photo courtesy of TWU Athletics
Above: Junior middle blocker Hillary Shaffer hits the ball over the net in the quaterfinal game against Cameron this past Thursday. Shaffer contributed 11 kills in the LSC Championship game.
round. Once again we were inconsistent. Even though we lost in the first round of this tourney, we still had a good year. Coming into the season, we didn’t know what to expect with lot of new players and to finish second in the conference (in the regular season) is an accomplishment.” Tarleton State won the LSC Championship in the final round against Angelo State on Sunday. This was Tarleton’s first title. Thursday’s game marked the end of TWU careers for seniors Lind, Santos, Wilson
and Katelyn Barnett. Lind and Santos joined the Pioneers in their 2013 season and have been assets to the team the past two seasons while Wilson and Barnett have played with TWU all four years of their college careers. Wilson is the only player in the TWU record book with over 2,000 career digs counting 2,202 career digs in her time at TWU. Barberee spoke of the volleyball team’s seniors fondly: “We have some big shoes to fill next year. We are going to miss all four of them (Lind, Santos, Wilson, and Barnett) and their
leadership.” With the Pioneers loss on Thursday, their overall record for the 2014 season came to 18-10 and 11-5 in the LSC. TWU’s home record was 9-1 for the season, 5-5 for away games and 4-4 for neutral games. For more information on the TWU volleyball team, statistics from their season or information on different players, visit the TWU Athletics Website at http://www. twuathletics.com.
This past weekend the TWU basketball team opened its season in Wichita Falls against Emporia State. Unfortunately, TWU came up short and lost 76-61, but they made a killer comeback and revived themselves with a win against Adams State. On Nov. 14, the Pioneers started the first half of the game in the lead against Emporia State with a score of 22-19. Emporia State took over the court and finished the first half with a score of 44-31 and the second half did not proceed to look much better for the Pioneers. At 3:49 TWU trailed ten points behind ESU, 68-58. Unfortunately, with the remainder of the time ESU took the win. On Nov. 15, The Pioneers left Adams State in the dust with a total score of 79-47, leading by 32 points. Sophomore Emily Spector had a phenomenal layup scoring the first two points of the game. Senior Ashley Salazar followed with a three pointer leading TWU 9-0. In the second half, senior Barbara-Scott Kolb made a good jump shot assisted by Sygo. The Pioneers continued to prove themselves by never letting Adams State even tie the score. By the end of the game, Salazar scored a total of 19 points proceeded by sophomore Erin Maxwell who scored a total of 15 points. Nov. 21-22, the Pioneers will host the 2014 Marriott Champions Circle Pioneers Premiere and will return to the court Nov. 21 to play against St. Mary’s.