INDEX:
2|CAMPUS
3|OPINION
4|SPORTS
You can now text 911
5|ENTERTAINMENT
6|AD
See page 2
THESOUTHTEXAN.COM Thursday, February 22, 2018
Volume 92 Issue 16
TAMUK Graduates Earn More Money Than National Average Starting Salaries are Almost 17 Percent Higher
C.R. Neal Reporter Texas A&M University – Kingsville (TAMUK) graduates, on average, receive starting salaries almost 17 percent more than the national average. According to PayScale, the average salary for students who graduate from TAMUK is $40,000, which is higher than the national average of $34,300. Chair of the Accounting department at TAMUK Thomas Krueger, DBA, ex-
plained what this contrast really means. “The very positive thing is that the starting salary for South Texas is approximately 15 percent higher than the national average,” Krueger said. “If you think about it that includes New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago. Where you can’t get a hamburger for under $11.” Compared to those with only a high school diploma, 67 percent of TAMUK graduates earn more money on their starting salaries. “Several people with high school diplomas are in some very lucrative occupa-
tions,” Krueger said. “For instance, mechanics tend to be in quite high demand. If they’ve been working since their high school years while the other people were in college, they’ve been able to stay there and be promoted.” Krueger said that these numbers could be misleading if taken at face value. “When they graduate some of our students will be behind others, but if you go out another 10 years that will reverse itself,” Krueger said. “The people that went to college will catch up and surpass those that purely went into work after high school.”
One aspect that can fall by the wayside, and one that Vice President of Enrollment Management at TAMUK Maureen Croft, Ph.D. is focusing on, is the cost of delaying graduation by even one semester. By Croft’s estimate a student could approximately lose $32,500 for each semester they delay graduating. That number takes into account tuition, books and supplies, and lost wages, which is based on the average salary of a TAMUK graduate.
Graduates continued on Page 5
You Could Be The Cure and Save a Life
TAMUK students, GenCure partner in search of lifesaving donors
Darcy Ramirez Managing Editor
Photo by Darcy Ramirez
Janett Martinez participating at the Be the Cure booth set up in the Pavilion
Heroes come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Feb. 19 to 21 the heroes were wearing green capes and grey GenCure T-shirts. Be the Match, the National Marrow Donor Program, which is partnered with Gen Cure, had the largest all-digital college campus drive in the nation at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The goal of the drive was to attain hundreds of students, faculty members and citizens on the bone marrow registry to increase the chances of saving a life. The drive consisted of booths set up all across campus at the Student Union Building, Javelina Dining Hall, Jernigan Library, Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering and Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy. Dozens and dozens of
current students volunteered to assist GenCure expand the registry, and these students stood out amongst the crowd sporting their bright green capes during the drive. “We are here working with students to encourage people to come and join the registry. It’s a cool setup and idea that I’m happy we are doing,” said Jon Hudson, community engagement manager for GenCure. The registry process entails filling out a contact sheet, and then a cheek swab kit will be mailed to the donor within 5 to 7 days. After the donor is finished with the kit, he or she will mail it back to Be The Match headquarters, and then continue on with their lives until one day they get a call saying they’re a match for a patient. “It’s so easy that you can now do it in the comfort of your home. I think that’s really cool,” said Beth Carrion, community engagement representative for GenCure.
Most people hear the words bone marrow and assume surgery but usually that is not the case. Seventy-five percent of the time STEM cells are collected through a blood draw, and the other 25 percent the doctors collect the marrow through surgery. The donor is under anesthesia and is asleep while doctors remove the marrow from the hip bone, but typically that is donated to a child under the age of 10. Bone marrow is typically needed for patients with blood cancers, and every three minutes someone is diagnosed. Doctors prefer the donors be young, because the younger the donor the higher the percentage that the patient will survive. “I feel like this is a great way to get the word out and spread awareness especially because we are looking for donors between 18 and 44, so this seems like the perfect place to look for donors,” said Christian Chapa, a bio-
medical science major. GenCure and Be The Match encourage everyone to join the registry. Only one in 420 people are a match, but you could be the key to saving someone’s life. To sign up for the registry go to join.bethematch.org/headerjoin or for more information call (800) MARROW-2.
Photo by Darcy Ramirez
Students participating at the Be the Cure booth set up in the Memorial Student Union Building
TAMUK joins the Digital Fellows Program
Seeks to upgrade the classroom to the new era of tech Dakota Roberts Editorial Editor
Texas A&M University— Kingsville has been selected with 32 different institutes across the nation to join the Digital Innovation Movement, a program funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that seeks to bring the campus into the technological era. During the summer, four faculty members were chosen to implement new technologies and modern teaching strategies into their classrooms. TAMUK will specifically be joining the Digital Fellows Program, whose mission states, “The project will provide a unique professional opportunity for 30 provosts that focuses on the adoption and deployment of courseware and digital learning resources intended to enhance
student learning, increase retention and degree completion, and improve institutional outcomes.” The school was selected after former provost Heidi Anderson applied in June 2017. The Digital Fellows program announced the institutes that were awarded in a press conference in July. Lauren Niesen de Abruna, the principal investigator of the Digital Fellows program announced, “We were delighted with the response from the CAO community to the fellowship opportunity. The 32 men and women selected as ACAO Digital Fellows represent a wide variety of campuses and bring a rich portfolio of personal, professional, and professorial experience and expertise to this initiative.” The university received 23 applications from staff and chose four to be the school’s “Digital Fellows” and begin
Daniel Burt creatively altering the classroom. Dr. Michelle Duran, assistant vice president of teaching and learning, said the fellows are modifying their curriculum to be more innovative. “As a benefit of the Digital Fellows program each faculty that was selected gets to do a module or modify instruction by doing something innovative and integrating that into their current curricular practice,” she said. “One faculty member is looking at virtual reality and seeking to integrate that into their cur-
Aniruddha Mukhopadhyay riculum.” The professors chosen were Dr. Daniel Burt, Dr. Aniruddha Mukhopadhyay, Dr. Weimin Xi and Harmeet Singh, and they have already begun changing their teaching styles. This semester is acting as a pilot program for the teachers, during which the “Digital Fellows” can experiment and try out new tactics to help improve attendance and student retention. One of the practices already being used is gamification, a process where elements of games are
Harmeet Singh used to promote engagement within the classroom. Gamifying education is currently being implemented by the College of Business Administration for its economics classes. Another platform being used is Second Life, an online community that simulates a real community where students’ avatars are placed on islands and can interact much in the same way as the popular computer game The Sims. Each staff member will benefit from the Digital Fel-
Weimin Xi
lows program by also providing them with traveling funds so that they may participate in conferences and connect to other members of the movement, so that they may discuss not only the future of the movement, but also the future of in-classroom education. While this movement is currently bottled up into a few select classrooms, students can look forward to seeing these practices breaking their way to the rest of the campus in the coming semesters.
2
Campus
THURSDAY,FEBRUARY 22, 2018
Dalit Women Battle Thrice Oppression
TAMUK Women and Gender Studies discusses Dalit writers, their struggles against oppression America Quintero Campus Editor
In India, Dalit means broken or crushed. It is a word used to describe the undesirables or outcasts of Indian society. However, Dalit women have used it as a power word that symbolizes people who have been oppressed. The Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) Women and Gender Studies program invited Aniruddha Mukhopadhyay to give a special presentation on Dalit women writers. Mukhopadhyay is an assistant professor of English at TAMUK, and is very familiar with the Indian caste system. The caste system is a social system not based on race, but on ancestry and heritage
lineage. The people at the lowest level of the system are the Dalit or “untouchables.” Being “untouchable” is not a symbol of power. Mukhopadhyay explains that “untouchables” are denied access to social, political, economic and educational resources. Dalit women face thrice oppression in the caste, class and gender systems. They often endure issues such as violence and discrimination in education, work and cultural representation. However, Dalit women are battling their oppression through their writing. “People are beginning to recognize they [Dali writers] have a powerful voice… they are also connecting to the global movement of resistance by women. So think about the hashtag ‘me too’ movement,” Mukhopadhyay
said. At the start of his Women and Gender Studies presentation, Mukhopadhyay had his audience read an excerpt from a book published by writer Bama Faustina Soosairaj. Audience members thought the style and choice of words were more graphic than common literature. Michelle Johnson Vela, chair of the department of language and literature and associate professor of Spanish, thought the overall presentation and Dalit literature was informative and different. “It reminded me a little bit of a Brazilian writer named Jorge Amado, who likes to use this type of social realism …the style was very assessable; easy to read. Again, very informative,” Vela said. “Anybody who reads Bama will find it interest-
ing and will be drawn into the world of Dalit writers,” Mukhopadhyay said. “Ultimately my goal was, like I said, to make people aware of Dalit issues, but also the literature.” Susan Roberson, professor of English and assistant dean of Arts and Sciences, established the Women and Gender studies program. She wanted to get people to think about gender issues, women’s lives and opportunities, and the creative works done by women. Roberson thought the presentation gave people the opportunity to see situations women face in a different culture. “I thought it was very informative because most us don’t know anything about Dalit people, or Dalit literature, or much about Indian literature. So I learned quite a bit,” Roberson said.
Thursday, March 1, in the Student Union Building, Room 221. At the fest, booths will be set up from Balfour, the university bookstore, Alumni, Financial Aid, Career Services, Graduate Coordinators, and Graduate Studies. At the booths, soon-to-be gradu-
ates can order a TAMUK official ring, stock up on their favorite TAMUK gear, learn about alumni benefits, and acquire information on loan repayment plans. Grad Fest will be the day when seniors can look back on their accomplishments while at TAMUK and prepare themselves for
what’s next to come. The purpose of Grad Fest is to celebrate graduation, understand the graduation process, prepare for upcoming commencement ceremonies, and learn more about future career opportunities and programs, organizers said. During Grad Fest students can fill out Alumni Cards to enter prize draw-
Photo by America Quintero
Mukhopadhyay presents a book written by a Dali woman writer
Celebrate the Graduation Process at Grad Fest 2018 Staff Report
The Center for Student Success will host the first all-inclusive Grad Fest 2018 for all graduating students, both undergraduate and graduate, of every major from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. on
ings. There will be a raffle drawing every 30 minutes for a variety of prizes, including five caps and gowns. It will be a fun-filled afternoon full of carefree laughter, snacks, door prizes, and students preparing to say goodbye to professors, friends and the university itself. “We hope that the event will help the graduating students build up excitement
about reaching their goals; be aware of graduation processes; and learn about post-graduation opportunities,” said Dr. Jaya S. Goswami, interim associate vice president for Student Success. The Center for Student Success encourages all graduating seniors to stop by and soak up the ambiance of their college glory.
ficial for those who are hard of hearing or have a disability which prevents them from being able to talk to a 911 operator, it can also be helpful in different situations. In the event there is a home invasion or a school shooting, students in Kingsville can text 911 to prevent giving their location up to an intruder by contacting the police through a phone call. Alexis Gonzales is a Pre-Social Work major who lives in Kingsville. In seeing movies where people are in a dangerous situation, Gonzales has found herself thinking there should be an option for people to text 911 because calling on the phone can make it easier for an intruder to find them. “I’ve always thought in my head they should have something where you can text and that way if you need to be silent you can still get that word out. “So, I can’t believe they’re actually doing it…I think it would be a cool thing to try because I think there are situations where you have to be quiet,” Gonzales said. As someone who lives
close to campus, Gonzales feels safer knowing she can alert the police through a text message without worrying about putting her life in more danger. Just this year, there have been 18 school shootings in the U.S. Lieutenant Todd Burris from the University Police Department said in the event that a shooter is on the TAMUK campus, text-to-911 could be beneficial. “In an event like that where you are having to possibly shelter in place or conceal yourself, the ability to text 911 or send that message without any type of audible or giving away your position…that’s definitely something that’s valuable in that situation,” Burris said. While text-to-911 can be beneficial in many situations, the Federal Communications Commission encourages people to call 911 when they can. “But even where textto-911 is available, if you are able to make a voice call to 911, and if it is safe to do so, you should always make a voice call to 911 instead,” the FCC website said.
911 Emergency Services Enters the Modern Age Iliana Flores Reporter
For some students, moving to a new city can bring anxiety, especially in the case of not knowing how or who to contact in an emergency. But, now Texas A&M University- Kingsville students who live on and around campus can check this worry off their list as residents of Kingsville can now contact 911 through text. Text-to-911 is a new service available to residents of Kenedy, Kleberg, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Nueces, San Patricio, Aransas, Live Oak, Bee and Refugio counties. The Kingsville Record reported this service can be used by entering 911 into the recipient field of a new text message. The message should also include “an address, street signs or mile markers, along with usage of simple language and not abbreviations or slang,” The Kingsville Record reported. While texting 911 is bene-
crime crime on on campus campus DATE REPORTED
DATE OCCURRED
LOCATION
CRIME
DISPOSITION
02/06/18
02/06/18
Lucio Hall
Possession of Marijuana
Transported to KSO Jail
02/11/18
02/11/18
W Sage RD
Illegal Dumping
Closed
02/11/18
N/A
Lot J
Criminal Mischief
Closed
Non-Campus
Sexual Assault (Agency Assist)
Handled by KPD
02/13/18
09/2017
Opinion
3
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018
Fighting Evil and Other Difficult Hobbies Dakota Roberts Editorial Editor Evil is difficult to fight. The struggle is tenuously uphill; the crusade is constant. Not to mention that, unlike most conflicts, this one lacks the usual thematics of a brawl— there is no winning side, no losing party; simply the ebbs and tides of life’s more malevolent nature. At times, it seems like peace is only briefly experienced in periodic episodes of harmony and companionship. There is probably something really poetic about fighting the good, hard fight though. Unfortunately, despite the imaginative fantasy of epics and novels, evil doesn’t manifest itself so perfectly. The world lacks obvious unholy forces, the dark wizards and the orc armies,
the evil empires and your anarchist clowns; all the tangible evils that you can hit, smack, kill, do whatever it takes to destroy. However, this very lacking actually makes the nature of evil that much more horrific, because you need not be the malicious, dramatic villain the world expects, but instead there is a normality to it. Any man or woman can cause suffering. That is the nature of evil, opting not to inhabit monsters but, instead, ideas. Even today we are fighting the same historical evils that permeated the previous decades: racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, isolation. But how do you fight these things? They aren’t exactly thoughts, instead they are a lack thereof. There is no monster to take up arms against. Neither is there a real source to obstruct. Instead,
we seek to promote the civil liberties of an individual, regardless of one’s gender, race or religion. We choose not to fight hate with hate, instead we promote the good in the world and seek to extinguish the ignorance that exists within it. These days, we understand what it means to turn our backs on this cause, complacency breeds this sort of evil. It is the same complacency that allowed the genocide of millions of Jewish people, the lynchings of countless African-Americans, and hundreds upon thousands of instances of indisputable suffering. Leaving us methodically, yet passionately, seeking out these sorts of evils and denying them on every level because, well, evil is already so difficult to fight. But now, and this is the hard part, a constant search for that evil can leave people
Kids Die, Crickets Chirp C.R. Neal Reporter Once more a community has been brought to its knees by a school shooting, and we find ourselves in a depressingly familiar scenario. Both political factions have retreated into their premeditated rhetoric of blaming mental health or calling for gun control. Social media feeds are filling up with people expressing sympathy or sending their thoughts and prayers, but these sentiments are becoming increasingly hollow as the number of shootings rise at such a rapid rate. When it comes to public reaction, there is only one thing we disagree on: what to do about it. We all agree that shootings are horrific and even that something should be done to prevent them, but Congress does nothing. Whenever any potential regulation comes up the pushback is always the same. Republicans argue that there is no evidence gun laws would prevent shootings. Which is true, but the reason is shock-
ing. The National Rifle Association (NRA) has not only managed to block any gun regulations, they’ve managed to block information concerning guns. For instance, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is one of the major funders for academic research. In 1996, Jay Dickey, a Republican House Representative, drafted an amendment to cut their funding for firearms research after the NRA lobbied hard for it. As a result the funding for firearms research dropped 96 percent from $2.6 billion to just $100,000 over the past 20 years. The real power of the NRA comes from their highly motivated members, which they report is approximately 5 million. One of the reasons they are so effective is that when voicing their opposition to gun legislation they don’t have to offer a reason, they just have to say “no.” In 2013, the Manchin-Toomey Amendment sought to increase background checks for people buying guns. A national poll by The New York Times reported that 88 per-
cent of Americans supported background checks, but it still was not passed. The New York Times later reported that in Manchin’s office the ratio of calls they received was 200-to-one in opposition of the bill, largely in part to the NRA. If you are sick and tired of dealing with public shootings the answer is not to post on social media. You need to call your representatives at the state and federal levels and force them to do something about it. Unfortunately, calling just once is not enough, you have to keep the pressure on them until you see results. Republicans across America such as House Speaker Paul Ryan, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Senator Marco Rubio have said that now is not the time for politics. How many more kids will die? How many more hearts will be broken? How much blood will spill until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning? Sit down and talk!
The South Texan The South Texan is a student publication produced by Texas A&M UniversityKingsville students. The views, opinions and commentary do not necessarily reflect the views of the Texas A&M University system. The South Texan uses student fees in part to publish. The South Texan is part of the Art, Communications, and Theatre Department (ACT), The Javelina Broadcast Network (JBN), and the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA). Staff:
Crystal Zamarron - Editor-in-Chief Darcy Ramirez - Managing Editor America Quintero - Campus Editor Dakota Roberts - Editorial Editor Plaserae Johnson - Sports Editor Robert “Bobby” Puentes - Circulation Manager Josue Villarreal - Reporter C.R. Neal - Reporter Aaron Monreal - Reporter Joshua Lin - Reporter Iliana Flores - Reporter Frankie Cardenas - Photographer Nicole Morris - Adviser Dr. Manuel Flores - Content Supervisor
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First Amendment Right Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for redress of grievances.
in this moral gray area, wondering do we act upon this or do we simply forgive? When does forgiveness end and complacency begin? What is objectively wrong and what is a mere mistake? For instance, on our own campus, a tunnel of oppression was displayed in a hall in the Student Union Building, actually attempting to demonstrate the harms of such evils. Among the many different posters and artworks was a hanging, black body doll, strung up on a noose. Behind it hung more of the ropes tied in the death-ending knot. The display was supposed to be tackling the issue of suicide, but instead received the finger points and complaints of students when it became clear this looked like a lynching. I don’t believe that this was evil, it probably wasn’t
even straight wrong, but more a mistake on the designer’s part. However, some did see the racial commentary behind it and the display was promptly taken down. Most people find moments like these all across the internet, something not outwardly malicious but that runs parallel to these real evils. Moments like a flub on a person of power’s watch, the unintended exclusion of a particular group, the misworded speech of a celebrity, at times, even apologies can be criticized. I think a lot of movements have a real hard time figuring out their ideologies, their true beliefs, the lines they draw in the sand, because well it’s a massive movement; one dedicated to extinguishing an indisputable evil, which is a genuine cause. But, because of this we experience a lot of in-fighting among people
that would more than likely share the same passionate need to hold evil back. What ought to be remembered, instead of this consistency to attack anything particularly related to these sorts of evils is to be aware. Not just aware that people are operating on the same limited, imperfect information as you, but that a movement doesn’t begin with a large group of people. For everyone, the movement has to begin with yourself and you have to define what that means. The doer must suffer for his deeds and his deeds alone, not the entirety that is the crimes against humanity. I feel like a lot of movements forget that. There is something poetic in fighting the good, hard fight, but at times there is something even greater in forgiving the missteps of those that never sought to harm anyone.
TWITTER POLL QUESTION Do you feel like the hanging doll in the Tunnel of Oppression, displayed in the South Hall of the SUB, was offensive? This week’s poll: In light of the latest shooting, do you believe that magazine fed, semiautomatic guns should be outlawed?
Transgender Students Silenced
Department of Education not hearing complaints Josue Villarreal Reporter On Feb. 12, the Department of Education confirmed it will no longer investigate complaints of transgender students using the restrooms of the gender that they identify as. No laws have been passed, this is just an official stance that they are no longer treating it as an issue. LGBTQ activist groups have been trying for years to get transgender individuals protection in using the restroom of the gender they identify without the fear of harassment. They were met with opposition, starting with the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance being denied in 2014. Under the Obama administration, public schools were directed to allow transgender students to use the restroom of the gender they identified with, stating it was their right to do so under Title IX. However, the spokesperson for the Department of Education under the current Trump Administration Elizabeth Hill told The Washington Post, “Title IX prohibits discrimi-
nation on the basis of sex, not gender identity.” Continuing her statement she claims, “longstanding regulations provide that separating facilities on the basis of sex is not a form of discrimination prohibited by Title IX.” Many in the United States are willing to have a dialogue about transgender rights (or the lack thereof), but the current administration is refusing to even hear any new complaints. This comes at a time when these issues are more exposed than ever before. Trump and his administration say they don’t condone the harassment of transgender individuals, but their actions show the opposite. Take for example Trump’s attempt to ban transgender individuals from the military. The go-to argument is that sexual predators will pretend to be transgender in order to sneak into bathrooms and attack women, but according to MediaMatters these incidents are statistically non-existent. Amy Sneirson, the executive director of the Maine Human Rights Commission said there is, “No factual basis for sexual assault scare.” The Williams Institute conducted a study in 2011
that stated there are approximately 700,000 transgender people in the United States. That number likely continues to increase. Despite that, this still makes them one of the smaller factions of the population of the United States. Harassment of transgender individuals goes largely under reported. In 2011 the National Transgender Discrimination survey showed that 41 percent of transgender individuals have attempted suicide. That same study showed that 26 percent have lost their jobs because of their gender identity, and 50 percent have reported being harassed in the workplace. The Department of Education no longer taking complaints of transgender issues is a blatant attempt to erase them from our modern society. This is the equivalent of plugging their ears and shouting loudly, hoping that it will just go away. But transgender individuals are not going away, and they never will. Their numbers will continue to grow, occupy our schools, be our peers in the workplace, serve in the military, they will continue to live on as Americans. So why shouldn’t we start treating them as such?
4
Sports
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018
Javelina baseball stays undefeated TAMUK sweeps Southwestern The Hoggies Alumni Baseball Baptist University Team Rallies, Still Falls Short Luis Garcia Sports Reporter After the four game sweep of Southwestern Baptist University Feb. 9 to 11 at Nolan Ryan Field, the Javelinas are a perfect 7-0 on the season. The Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) Baseball team came back for their home-opener against Southwestern after competing on Feb. 4 versus Henderson State in the Houston Invitational at Minute Maid Park. Preston Plavonich started the home-opener Feb. 9 for the Javelinas as he pitched a shutout. Plavonich gave up only four hits as well as striking out 11 batters to help propel
the team to victory. “I felt pretty good. I got early strikes and honestly, they couldn’t hit the fastball well so I filled it up with fastballs. Once we got ahead in the count, we went with the off-speed and they just didn’t really hit it that well. We worked off that,” Plavonich said. Christian Caudle, catcher, had a big game as well. He had 3 hits, an RBI and a stolen base. “We’re going to play aggressive all the time, that’s what our offense is based around. That’s what Coach [Jason] Gonzales has us doing, he lets us play with the freedom of failure. We’re going to run, we’re going to swing and we’re going to
have fun doing it,” Caudle said. The team ended the series with a big win in the 14th inning on Feb. 11 as Dylan Hutcheson came in to score on a walk-off victory after a wild pitch, resulting in a 6-5 win. Despite the weather being rainy and cold most of the weekend, the fans still showed support. Fans from both teams filled up the stands and rooted for their team in hopes that they would get a win. “It’s been a phenomenal series for us. We have a great baseball team this year and our pitching has just been overwhelming,” said Lewis Dradshaw, a fan of the Javelina Baseball team.
Luis Garcia Sports Reporter The Javelina Baseball Alumni team chipped away at a 9-0 deficit, but fell short in the annual game against the current Javelinas held Saturday at Nolan Ryan Field. The alumni team scored a combined six runs in the 6th and 7th innings to rally, but suffered a 9-6 loss. The Alumni game is held every year and holds much significance. “The most important thing is that our current team gets to see and be around a bunch of guys that started a legacy for us,” said Head Coach Jason Gonzales. “These
Javelina Softball Loses First Home Series
The Javelinas Hit a Disappointing Slump Against Angelo State at Home Frankie Cardenas Photographer The Texas A&M University-Kingsville Softball team (3-7, 0-3 Lone Star Conference) finds itself amid a seven-game losing streak, after being swept in a three-game series on Feb. 16 and 17, against No. 2 Angelo State University (13-1, 3-0 Lone Star Conference), in Kingsville. The scores for each game were 7-3, 5-1 and 6-0. The Javelinas struggled to make victory happen in the batter’s box for the whole series. Morgan Hill, Angelo State’s pitcher, did not give up a single run in the final game. The Hoggies were held to a season low batting average of .148, which they look to improve on after facing their toughest battle thus far. “I think [the team] just needs to do a better job at the plate,” Javelina head coach Craig Nicholson said. “We’ve seen a lot of high quality pitching so far this year. Does it affect your confidence a little bit? Probably. But we just have to fight through that and continue to battle at the plate … Unfortu-
guys that come back for the alumni are the ones that won us our first championship. These are the guys that built something, and it’s good for our current team to be around champions and have these guys mingle with them. To let them know the expectation level that they have as alumni.” Taylor Taska opened the game as the starting pitcher for the alumni team. “Probably two years ago was the last time I played in the alumni game,” Taska said. “It felt good to get back out there. You know it was a good time, we had a lot of fun with it. I’ll probably be a little sore tomorrow but you
know, it was worth it. It was a lot of fun.” Taska wasn’t the only one that contributed for the alumni. Catcher Jake Mendiola made some noise as he belted a two-run homerun to chip away at the deficit. “It felt good man, you know it felt good!,” Mendiola expressed. “It’s just one of those things where he kind of left the ball over the plate and he was trying to come in on me and I knew it. He jammed me twice previously - 3-2 count I think is what it was - and he brought in on me and I got the barrel out and got up there and started going.”
Women’s golf takes top spot at tournament
The Javelinas Win First Tournament on Spring Schedule Victoria Lichtenberger Sports Reporter
Arabella Acosta-Cantu celebrating after her slide-in double
nately, you don’t get to pick when you get hits and when you don’t, when you have quality at-bats and when you don’t. We are looking more at how many quality at-bats we have; which was pretty low this week,” he said. After leaving more than 12 runners on the bases through
the series, the Javelinas plan on swinging at pitches that would give them a better chance of getting runs across home plate in the games that follow. “When we do get runners on, we just need to pull through next time and back everybody up,” said Arabella
Photo By Frankie Cardenas
Acosta-Cantu, who had two hits with three RBIs. “We get runners, hits, on-bags, free bases, and we just have to take advantage of that.” Catcher Roxy Chapa had
Softball continued on Page 5
The Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) Women’s golf team earned its first tournament win in program history. The team dominated the field on Feb. 5 and 6 at the Jack Brown Memorial Golf Tournament in Laredo, Texas, by 11 strokes. Now, the team plans for victory on Feb. 26 and 27 at the Islander Classic in Corpus Christi. The Javelinas finished with a final score of 96. The final score was 11 strokes better than Lubbock Christian University. The final round was the best round for TAMUK, with the Hoggies scoring 310, 16 shots better from the mark in round two. The Hoggies showed talent by placing five athletes in the top 10. Bailey Blezinger, sophomore and agriculture business major, had the best score claiming second place with a 16-over 232. On Tuesday Feb. 6, Blezinger closed out the tourney with a 75. “All of them were pretty
Photo by Javelina Athletics
Abigail Willcoxon after a swing
competitive but I’d have to say the conference tournament is the toughest,” Blezinger said of the competition. “We have teams like West Texas A&M and Tarleton, that challenge us to play to the best of our ability.” More outstanding players who placed in the top 10 included Reanna De La Cruz, Kristina Gutierrez, Madison
Golf continued on Page 5
Lady Javelinas Defeat Central Oklahoma
The Javelina Tennis Team Rejoices After Win, Revived from Previous Loss Joshua Lin Sports Reporter It is an exciting time for the Lady Javelina Tennis team as it just beat Central Oklahoma University, comeback style, on Feb. 10. Central Oklahoma is ranked No. 13 in Division II. The tennis team started off beating Central Oklahoma, 2-1. Shortly after, the Hoggies lost three contests to them, which brought them to a 4-2 record. The Hoggies needed to win. This win has proven
helpful to the team morale. “Our motivation never wavered or went away. Although, all the matches were very close and heavily contested, these ladies held their ground and competed hard. As the matches played out, I don’t think they thought about the pressure of winning, they just continued to play the hardest,” Coach Autumn Williams said. “It has increased their belief in each other and in themselves. They know how hard they have to work to maintain the level. I think this provided fuel to keep striving together.
“They have to now start to pull each other up to keep moving forward,” Williams said. Although Stephanie Baerman lost her match, she was confident her team could win. “I put up a good fight, (but) the other girl was a tough player. I tried not to dwell on my loss and focus on the overall win, because we are a team and everyone has a part in it,” Baerman said. “It was an awesome win for all of us. It gave us the energy to want more and win more. We’re all super excited
for the rest of the season.” Julia Rauer also felt the same way. “I always believe in my team. We were up 2-1 after doubles, which meant a lot for us since we only needed to win three more,” she said. “It gave us confidence and motivation for the following matches. We are a hardworking team and successes like this shows that it’s worth it; however, we have to focus on the next match and reset.” Previously, the Javelinas defeated Prairie View A&M on Feb. 7 at home. The Hoggies won, 5-1.
Julia Rauer Defending the Tennis Court
Photo by Javelina Athletics
Entertainment
5th Annual Ties and Tennis Shoes Memorial Fun Run Ready to Go
College of Pharmacy hosting event to honor the late Dr. James Robertson Jr. Josue Villarreal Reporter
For the fifth year, the Texas A&M Irma Rangel College of Pharmacy will be hosting the Ties and Tennis Shoes Memorial Fun Run on Feb. 23. This is a student-run event that honors Dr. James Robertson Jr., who passed away in 2014, by giving 70 percent of the net proceeds of the event towards the Dr. James Robertson Jr. Make a Difference Scholarship. The remaining 30 percent goes to the Dr. James Robertson Jr. Memorial Scholarship. Robertson was a founding dean of the Texas A&M Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy. He passed away from pneumonia on November 21, 2012 but is remembered fondly for his warmth and passion for the department. He was instrumental in bringing more than $4.1
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million in scholarships and grants to the department. “He worked tirelessly to assure that everything he created, worked on, presented or delivered was done from the heart and would be the very best that he could do,” stated Beverly Talluto, former associate dean for clinical programs, on the TAMUK College Pharmacy official website. “I remember the great sense of accomplishment he had when the first class graduated and subsequently for each class and campus event that he produced.” Organizers have been able to raise enough money to give out up to three $1,000 scholarships to students. “The events have been pretty successful in the past,” said Co-Chair of the event Ryan Spencer. “It’s been wild planning, so I’m looking forward to seeing it all come together.” Along with the run there will be live music, food
booths, a photo booth, and family-friendly activities, such as face painting. The event will also feature animals that are up for adoption and health screenings, as well as wellness education. Students also have the option of purchasing a $100 VIP Pass, which includes a dry fit T-shirt and access to the VIP area to be catered by Wing Stop. The event is more than just food and running. It aims to help students of today, much like it helped current President of the College Pharmacy Student Governing Board Cyrus Koochekzadeh. “Receiving the scholarship was the greatest recognition I could have asked for,” Koochekzadeh said. Motivated by Robertson’s loss, the College of Pharmacy keeps his memory and spirit alive through this event and helps students in a way that he would have wanted, organizers said.
and stop popping up, hit more ground balls and make the other team work harder and take better advantage of all the errors the other team makes. We need to be stringing together the hits instead
of just having a hit every now-and-then. “ “[This series] prepared us for all kinds of pitching, and the ‘okay’ pitching [the rest of the season] will be easier, hopefully.”
happy to know I ended up here playing golf,” Willcoxon said. Team members think the season will continue to be successful. “I think they are off to a good start, if they continue to play the way they played at the last tournament I believe we can be unstoppable
and continue to win,” said Vaughn Taylor, a sophomore and engineering major. After the Islander Classic, the team will head to the University of Texas at Rio Grand Valley on March 5 in McAllen, Texas, for the UTRGV Women’s Invitational.
Greeks Got Talent! “Greeks Got Talent,” is an annual event held in Jones Auditorium, during which the Greek community showcases leadership and teamwork through various acts on stage. Whether they are dancing, lip syncing, or putting on comical skits, both sororities and fraternities put on a show for all to see, and competed for the ultimate bragging rights as the most talented Greeks on campus. This year’s winners include, 1st place: Sigma Lambda Beta Int. Fraternity, 2nd place: Theta Phi Alpha Women’s Fraternity, and 3rd place: Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority.
Courtesy photo by Greek Life
Winners of Greeks Got Talent: Sigma Lambda Beta
Softball from Page 4
some thoughts on the team’s hitting. “I think our hitting needs to be more on-time,” said Chapa, who had three hits on the series. “We have to straighten out
Delta Chi performing a song for Greeks Got Talent
Robert Benavides introducing acts onto the stage for Greeks Got Talent
Golf from Page 4
Lake and Abigail Willcoxon. Abigail Willcoxon, freshman, and English major, shared what her experience is like playing for the team. “It’s been a really fun time, my teammates are the best people I’ve ever met. Playing golf for TAMUK is like a dream come true for me, sixyear-old me would be pretty
Photos by Frankie Cardenas
Theta Phi Alpha dancing in Jones Auditorium for the competition
Alpha Sigma Alpha lip syncing and dancing for Greek talent competition
Graduates continued from Page 1 However, some argue that delaying graduation is not necessarily a bad thing. “It took me four-and-ahalf years to get through my undergraduate, but I actually started off in political science,” Krueger said. “Political science would have been completely wrong for me.” According to MoneyWatch News, only 50 out of more than 580 public, four-year universities graduate the majority of their full-time students in four years. The same
article states in most public universities in the United States only 19 percent of fulltime students managed to earn their bachelor’s degree on time. “If you’re thinking about it long-term, you can think about it as an investment,” Krueger said. “So you end up spending an additional $6,301, but hopefully because you spent that extra time you ended up in an area that was better for you.”
Some students choose to adhere as strictly as possible to a four-year graduation in order to avoid accruing additional student debt, and Krueger had some advice for them. “Have a good idea of where you want to be upon graduation,” Krueger said. “Even take some of those mastery quizzes that will show what your strengths and weaknesses are to help you fine tune your selection.”
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018
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