Issue 10/19/17

INDEX:

2|ENTERTAINMENT

3|CAMPUS

4|OPINION

5|SPORTS

6|JUMPS

Thursday October 19, 2017 Volume 92 Issue 07

Athletics asking for increasing fees Waiting to increase athletic fees on students’ tuition for athletic programs Hector Andres Landin Sports Reporter

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Dr. Scott Gines Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation

Each student at Texas A&M University – Kingsville pays roughly about $260 dollars per semester in athletic fees, along with $150 dollars towards the student rec fees. The university’s athletic committee hopes to increase the athletic fees on each students’ tuition, pending student approval.

Dr. Scott Gines, vice president of Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation, explained how the

fees are used.

“The Athletic fee increase is earmarked for the continued, phased growth of medical and facility support,” he said. “In addition, the fee increase will allow for adding full-time positions in the much-needed areas of certified athletic trainers and strength and conditioning coaches.”

He also explained how the proposed increased athletic fees will move forward.

“The Student Government Association (SGA) runs and administers all fee referendum voting.

This voting will take place elec-

tronically, and most likely over the span of two days in mid-November,” he said.

“SGA heard an athletic fee presentation October 11, and campus-wide tuition and fee hearings took place that same day and on October 12.”

If approved, the increased fee will take effect Fall 2018.

“As a Javelina Track and Field athlete, I believe more funding for athletics is necessary, since we currenty do not have a locker room. If the tuition increase contributes to a new facility for our atheltes to utilize, I personally would not be upset with

an increase,” said Madeleine Maltais, engineering major.

The Javelina Athletics program has added three women’s sports in the past eight years. They have also earned two LSC conference championships, 14 individual National Championships, had 49 All-Americans, and have made 15 NCAA DII post season appearances.

“In 2019-20 the Lone Star Conference will add eight new members and become the Nation’s largest NCAA II conference,” Gines explained. “As the department continues to grow, additional financial resources are

TAMUK has talent!

needed to support these efforts.”

As a result, Javelina Athletics must continue to grow as a whole in every aspect of the program if they want to continue to compete at a high level and capture LSC titles and make National Tournament appearances for years to come, he said.

“I think that increasing athletic fees as a way to well round an athletic program/ university can be very beneficial to a program. Even a small increase can change the shape of a program,” said Julie Abiro, bio-medical major.

Singing wins the judges and crowd this year Camila Peña Reporter Talent ShowKingsville features the show of talents for this Homecoming week. Students were welcomed to show off their skills and share their passions in one of the biggest events of this Homecoming season.

From a yoyo dance to a duet of country singers, students at Texas A&M-Kingsville revealed their talents to the rest of the Javelina community at the annual Talent Show.

The event took place at Jones Auditorium on Tuesday, Oct. 17. Alpha Sigma Alpha was the sorority that coordinated this event.

Members held a raffle for those who attended and awarded those who won first, second and third place.

“This event was to showcase the multitude of talents that are present at TAMUK, and showcase the diversity of students here as well. Each student has something unique to offer” said Vice President of Programing and Ritual Shelby W Last Name?

Elyssa Benavides, Miss TAMUK, Jo Elda Castillo-Alaniz the Director of Student Health Services and David Flores, Library Specialist, were the judges for this event. Together they helped decide the winners for the 2017 Talent show.

This year’s winners were Marisa Brewer in third place singing and rapping “Sad Song,” Kyra Kurapati in second place singing and playing the ukulele, and Victoria Castro winning firstplace singing “Que me vas a dar.”

“I’m actually really happy because I wasn’t sure I was going to win, there was a lot of amazing people… It was pretty exciting, I still don’t believe it,” said Castro, who is majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

The host of this year’s talent show was Comedy Magician Josh Mcvicar. In between performances, he entertained the audience with tricks like mind reading, card disappearances and even anecdotes.

“It’s always really fun to interact and mingle with the group. For me it’s not about the magician on stage, it’s not about fooling people, it’s about having people leave the show and think ‘That was hilarious,’” Mcvicar said.

Other shows who stole the night were Contestant Amber Westwood who sang “I lived” by One Republic, Kyra Kurapati dancing “O Rapa Nui,” which is a musical piece from Easter Island, and a group of international students dancing to “Garba,” among others.

Photos by Frankie Cardenas

‘Playing for the other team’

After years of holding back, the assistant basketball coach reveals homosexuality Josue Villarreal Reporter DJ Slifer grew up in rural Warrensburg, Mo., with his mother, father and two sisters surrounded by the world of sports.

He spent his life wanting to be a coach, playing basketball while attending Central Missouri, studying hard, being the best he could possibly be, all while holding back one crucial thing about him self - his homosexuality.

Before being featured in Outsport magazine, he came out to the head coach of the basketball team, Wade Scott.

“Just naturally in sports, with the whole masculinity thing, you always have to show your masculine side,” he said when describing why he kept it a secret so long.

Not wanting to make his fellow teammates uncomfortable and to keep the status quo of what an “athlete” was, he kept the secret buried for many years.

“I just wanted to really

be able to connect with our players on a deeper level and I felt like I was always holding something back,” he said.

Those years finally began to add up as his love for his job and his players began to make him realize that if he truly wanted to inspire his players to be the best they could be, he first had to be the best that he could be. He had to come out and be who he was before he could tell his players that they needed to be who they were.

“It’s a lot easier to be able

to live your authentic and true life,” referring to the huge weight that is now off his shoulders.

He says there are now many pioneers and innovators who are bringing attention to and a new acceptance of the LGBT+ community.

It unfortunately isn’t the case with all, but with Coach Slifer, his experience has been a positive one. His family, friends, fellow coaches and players have reacted with love and open arms to his true self.

DJ Slifer

“It is getting easier, but it’s still not all the way,” he said about the current climate of acceptance of homosexuality in daily lives.

He said with gay marriage now being legal and the opportunities for members of the LGBT+ community to be themselves there is hope, but there is still much work to be

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done in order to achieve all the goals necessary to make everyone truly equal.

“I think it’s a process, you have to be comfortable and choose when you want to do it, don’t feel rushed and don’t feel like you have to,” he advises other LGBT+ athletes.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017

Entertainment

SOUTHTEXANNEWS.COM

EARTH SCIENCE WEEK

Physics and Geosciences Department display, present the field of science with week-long events America Quintero Reporter

It doesn’t have a heartbeat, but it is always moving.

It doesn’t breathe, but it never lacks oxygen. The Earth is alive – according to geoscientists. From the soil hidden under the grass, to the water running underground, geoscientists study the ever-changing planet Earth.

In honor of the field of geosciences, Texas A&M University-Kingsville held its biannual Earth Science Week event. Hosted by TAMUK’s

Physics and Geosciences Department, the week-long celebration was held from Oct. 9 to 13 on campus grounds.

The entire Kingsville community was invited to attend and participate in the activities.

Earth Science Week kicked-off with geology demonstrations and events for the local Boy Scouts. On Tuesday, plans for a campus walk and geology tour had to be altered. The rainy weather meant attendees could not view geological features found on TAMUK. The tour was also scheduled to make a

stop at the Connor Museum; however, the museum did not have its mineral collection on display.

Despite a few setbacks, attendees received an informative presentation from Thomas McGehee, a geology professor and a licensed geologist. Using soil and mineral maps of the south Texas region, McGhee explained how the area has been developed by river systems and deltas.

McGhee emphasized that engineers, environmentalists and agriculturalists depend on the research conducted by geoscientists.

Photo by America Quintero

Faculty and students participating in the earth week events in Hill Hall

Dia de la Raza: Declamaciones

Marinna Ramirez and Kanva Lopez, students majoring in education, said they did not mind having the tour inside. They thought it was very visual and educational.

“You might think this is not important, and that this is just ground, but it’s not you know. There’s so many different aspects. Very complex,” Ramirez said.

The weather did not affect the remaining events planned for the week. On Wednesday, the community was introduced to TAMUK faculty and students from various fields of earth sciences. They viewed a special display of rocks that glow under ultra violet (UV) light. Mark Ford, assistant professor of Geology, said the rocks’ mineral structure reacts to the UV light at an atomic level. The valance electrons of the rocks are being moved by UV light, so when they start to move to their original location, they give off energy.

“This is called fluorescence… Minerals have different fluorescence because the electron locations, and thus the distances they get moved by the UV light and back again, is different for each mineral,” Ford said.

The following evening, the geosciences and physics department at TAMUK held a public viewing of a movie from the series “How The Earth Was Made.” By popular demand from the attend-

The rocks in display glowing under ultra violet light

ees, the topic of the movie was on the geological events and features of New York.

After the movie viewing, the audience examined gem, fossil and mineral collections.

TAMUK students also presented their latest research to the observing public.

Crystal Nelson, a student majoring in range and wildlife, attended the movie viewing. She thinks the event is a great reminder that there are a lot of places on Earth and in space that have yet to be explored.

“I know that there’s a lot of stuff that is still undiscovered, so if you want to find something that hasn’t been found before, science is the way to go. A lot of the stuff in science is still young,” Nelson said.

On the final day of Earth Science Week, people were invited to participate in a campus clean-up activity.

Volunteers experienced the outdoor aspect of geoscience.

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Margarita Wilhelm, a geoscience major, explains that geoscientists are required to go outside as part of their daily job. She thinks it’s a lot more fun to be outside instead of sitting inside an office all day.

Wilhelm is close to graduating with her degree in geosciences and helps teach Geographic Information Systems (GIS) labs. However, she initially began college as a psychology major, but after taking a few classes in earth science, she became fascinated with the field.

“You know, I had never considered geology, or even thought geology was something that anybody would study. For people like me, that didn’t even consider it, going into a class and getting the feel of it; realizing your studying about space, about the earth, and about rivers. It was everything. It woke me up,” Wilhelm said.

Remembering the arrival of Columbus in the new world Camila Peña Reporter

Students at Texas A&M-Kingsville gathered at the Pavilion Oct. 14 to honor the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the new world.

At this event, known as Dia de la Raza: Declamaciones, students were welcomed to recite any piece of poetry, song or quote that represented the different cultures and traditions formed after the colonization. The event was hosted by the Sigma Delta Pi chapter at TAMUK. Dia de la Raza, or Dia de la Hispanidad, is celebrated in different parts of the world on Oct. 12. It dates back to 1492 when Christopher Columbus arrived in America.

This colonization was the beginning of a new era in which two worlds clashed. Without knowing it, this helped shape our nation into what it is today.

“We are interested in representing the culture that is the fusion or the hybrid cultures that were formed when Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas,” Spanish professor Marco Iñiguez Alba said.

This day symbolized terror and uncertainty for many Native Americans who were being pushed out of their homes and were forced to fol-

low beliefs and customs very different from their own.

“We also honor Native Americans who on that day also see it as a day of resistance and we honor the resistance as well because we feel that for many Native American people the conquest and colonization process continues,” Iñiguez said.

Professor Iñiguez Alba, who teaches Spanish 2302 (a second-year class for Native speakers), asked his students to read a couple of poems and share them with the rest of the TAMUK community. This not only attracted readers from other places, but also encouraged other students who were walking around campus to stop and participate.

Lucero Rodriguez, who is currently studying Architectural Engineering, wowed the audience with a poem she wrote herself.

The poem, titled “The sky in your eyes,” reads as follows:

Lucero says this was a great opportunity for people to find out what Dia de la Raza is and how important this day is for people all over the continent.

Student Kanye Drame was also a participant at Dia de La Raza. She read poems such as “La Niña” by Octavio Paz, “I know why the caged bird sings” by Maya Angelou, and “Cuentas de fuego”

by Delmira Agustini.

“A poem is meant to express ourselves, so when you have the opportunity to present the poems that you like, you’re in a sense showing a part of you or you’re expressing your personality,” Drame said.

I see the sky right in your eyes every time you look at me oh how blessed am I to know that I am the one for thee How can I see the sky in your eyes if they aren’t blue?

Photo by: Camila Pena Color don’t matter because your eyes Students at pavilion reciting poems for Dia de la Raza are true

Photo by Camila Peña

Students participating in the Latin Dance Night in the ballroom of the Memorial Student Union Building

Latin Dance Night

Dancing to honor the Hispanic culture Camila Peña Reporter Dancing the night away was a bigger draw than expected at the Memorial Student Union Building, organizers said.

The Sigma Lambda Beta chapter at Texas A&M University-Kingsville hosted this event, which took place Oct. 11 on the second floor of the MSUB. Students were welcomed to participate in the Latin Dance event and learn a little bit about the Latino culture in the United States. Hispanic students got a chance to embrace their roots by dancing to all kinds of Spanish music, and share it with individuals of other nationalities.

“It is a great event in that they help us understand each other and it breaks down barriers… just getting to understand someone’s

background and their culture can be the first step in understanding who they are as people,” Political Science student Erik Perez Renovato said.

Diego de Luna, member of Sigma Lambda Beta and Culture Awareness chair, has been the organizer of this event for the past two years.

“We know a lot of students are from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and other Latino countries, and this is a way of having an event where we can all do something together and have fun,” Luna said.

He then added that Sigma Lambda Beta tries to promote cultural awareness and honor their roots.

Sigma Lambda Beta is a Latino-based fraternity that was founded in Iowa on April 4, 1986. The main purpose of creating this chapter was to have a bigger Latino representation not only

in the community, but also around the entire nation.

“The 18 men who founded this fraternity took it upon themselves to create this organization when they realized the lack of Latino influence in the community… they wanted to make an organization that would help them, and the generations to come, prosper and have a better future for themselves,” President of Sigma Lambda Beta Christopher Aguirre said.

Brenda Alejandra Flores is a Guatemalan Professional Classic Ballerina who has been dancing all of her life.

She guided all of the students at the Latin Dance Night, showing them some of the dance moves Latinos have.

“I was surprised, they are very good dancers... I’m very happy to be here,” she said of those in attendance.

Campus

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017 SOUTHTEXANNEWS.COM

TAMUK Parking Crisis Vet Program Expands

Officials try to resolve issues Joshua Lin Reporter

Commuter parking at Texas A&M- Kingsville is one of the most frustrating parts of trying to attend the university, students agree.

With the initial plan for new commuter lots for the university to help combat this issue having failed to attract any companies to help build said lots, the university has had to find an alternative way to provide more parking. Instead of two lots, only one will now be constructed on Armstrong Street.

Margie Gomez, head organizer at the Lin International House, said parking is a frustrating issue for students.

“With not a whole lot of alternative parking, it can be very stressful for international students especially when [these students] are coming from another country and when there isn’t much parking, they can easily panic and get more frustrated with the issues they already have on hand,” Gomez said.

Parking issues have been made more difficult with the loss of the Manning Hall commuter lot. That is now the site of the new music

building.

Sam Galindo, a communications student at TAMUK, also shared his thoughts.

“The sacrifices being made by students are unnecessary,” he said. “Every year we pay thousands of dollars in tuition, and I believe the least we can get is access to good parking.”

A plan to combat this issue was announced – the addition of new parking lots, but things took an unexpected turn. No companies bid on the project.

Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Terisa Riley was surprised no company made a bid for the construction.

“My staff members contacted several companies with whom we have worked and others who have not worked on campus to ask them to consider bidding, and we were all completely shocked when not one company submitted a proposal and bid,” Riley said. “We regrouped and approached another company and asked them to consider submitting a bid, and when they did so, the bid submitted was more than double what we had estimated the cost of the project to be.”

With that in mind, Riley and her staff have since taken

a different direction for this project to ensure completion.

“After careful consideration, we decided to break up the parts of the project which include the actual construction of the lot along with drainage, pulling fiber and electric to that location under Armstrong Street, putting up video surveillance and lighting, and creating a cross walk,” she explained.

“After doing so, we basically are acting as our own general contractors and have different companies doing different parts of the project.”

Lelyn Adams, a student who works for the Office of Student Affairs, has talked about the parking plan and what the efforts are to ensure this plan is proceeding.

“At the Parking Committee on October 5, we discussed parking conditions and constructed a plan of action to improve parking for everyone,” Adams said. “TAMUK Judicial Court have joined in our efforts to get parking issues resolved by posting flyers with parking rules around campus. #TAMUKJustices even started posting rules on their Twitter account.”

Parking continued on Page 6

TAMUK signs Memorandum of Agreement with College Station Darcy Ramirez Managing Editor The university recently announced five additional positions will be reserved for Kingsville students interested in pursuing veterinarian sciences at Texas A&M College Station.

One of the fastest growing programs at Texas A&M University-Kingsville is Animal Science, largely because of the pre-vet and vet-tech programs.

According to a recent press release, officials at Texas A&M University-Kingsville recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Texas A&M University to provide five additional positions for A&M-Kingsville students over the next five years.

This means that each year five additional slots will be available to TAMUK students, which gives students another chance at possibly being accepted to the veterinarian school at College Station.

TAMUK has created a committee consisting of faculty and prominent community veterinarian leaders that will keep a keen eye on the pre-vet students.

College Station is the only veterinary school in Texas

and only has 132 spots in the veterinarian program every year, making the program extremely competitive and very challenging to enter.

This MOA allows students to submit their application to the TAMUK committee, provided they have met the correct academic criteria, but sadly didn’t secure a spot out of the 132 slots. It is a second opportunity.

The committee will then review the applications and decide if they will recommend the student to College Station. This recommendation will carry a lot of weight and could be the deciding factor for being accepted to vet school.

TAMUK is one of four institutions that has been given five additional slots granted

by College Station. The idea behind the MOA started a few years ago when officials with College Station’s vet program realized they needed a new building and, in order to receive a new building, they needed to open up an additional 30 slots for students. Twenty out of those 30 have been given to the four institutions.

“This helps us to increase the number of opportunities for students from Texas A&M-Kingsville and especially from southern Texas to have entrance now into College Station’s vet program

which is a win-win situation for us,” said Shad Nelson, dean of the College of Agricultural, Natural Resources and Human Sciences. “We have high quality students.

We have the type of students that will go back to their communities in South Texas and really represent the rural community.”

The TAMUK committee will recommend the best of the best. Based on their set criteria they will review the students’ internships, hours in the field, skill level and academics. Traditionally, the vet program at College Station screened the students by their GPA and their rankings, but this MOA allows students to not be overlooked.

The five additional students will also pay the same program costs as the traditional 132 students accepted, and will all be treated as equals because no matter how they entered the program, they were all accepted.

Students will be notified about the MOA by a brochure that was created by the Pre-Vet Club and will be distributed to students.

“We want our students to succeed and hopefully come back. But we are really excited,” said Dr. Michelle Garcia, research scientist and professor for Animal, Rangeland and Wildlife Sciences.

17th Annual Breast Cancer Walk/Run 5K dedicated to the fight against Breast Cancer

Josue Villarreal Reporter October is here and just like every year, brave individuals start dawning bright pink shirts, pins and anything of the like to show support in the ongoing battle against Breast Cancer. One

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way to do so on a larger scale is to attend the 17th Annual Breast Cancer Walk that will be taking place at 10 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 21, at the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Student Union Building.

“This is a time when you can turn to a cause that you want to honor and might be very meaningful to you,” said Director of Student

Health & Wellness Jo Elda Castillo-Alaniz.

This is a personal event for Castillo-Alaniz as her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer while Castillo-Alaniz was a freshman in college.

Breast Cancer continued on Page 6

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017

Opinion

SOUTHTEXANNEWS.COM

The Road to Hollywood Staff Reports

“I don’t know what brought me here or how I got into the movies.

All I know is that every time I start a new film, I’m as excited as that twenty-year-old kid who drove to California not knowing a soul.”

You can read these lines right across the street from the theatre where the Oscars are held. If you look up and far enough, in the distance, the Hollywood sign overlooks the entire valley. Looking down you see black and white tile, in the form of film reels, leading to a red carpet. At the very end, sits a fiberglass daybed, the casting couch.

It’s inviting you to lay down.

This scene is called the Road to Hollywood, an art installment at the entertainment complex at Hollywood and Highlands. Those lines are indeed inscribed into the ground; no one knows who uttered them, they remain anonymous.

The mosaic which stood at the center of the proverbial Hollywood Dream, is now made into a radioactive symbol. In light of the Har-

vey Weinstein scandals, the casting couch has been thrown under a tarp and taken to an empty stairwell; an icon of film, glamour and stardom, the casting couch is now made perverse by the stories of nude lineups, unwanted sexual advancements, and an influx of power that is decades old.

This can be quite jarring because Hollywood is often seen as the land of progression, an area of good times and beautiful people waiting to be conquered by the next big thing. Despite the area’s progressive attitude, once you pluck away the outer image, all that is left is this revealing underbelly. The liberal community is undermined by the industrial framework that Tinsel Town rests upon.

The message that now comes across isn’t the same one you might see on Jimmy Kimmel or that Fallon guy, but instead one where once again people are seen as tickets.

Tickets to both success and sexual ventures. To be absolutely clear, this is a subject that has been ignored both by the public and the Academy for decades, all the way back to

A Torn Nation America Quintero Columnist There is no denying that we live in an era of wide spread news and opinions. Social media allows people to get the latest news and have a voice in their community. However, one does not have to travel far from home to prove that we are the subjects of a divided world.

Soon after the Presidential Election of 2016, the top news headlines made sure we did not forget the division of the country. The New York Times published the article “The Two Americas of 2016”, while CNN published “A Divided Country, A New President.”

Even though the election is close to its one-year anniversary, social media continues to erupt with public opinions about the issue. The topic has spread across the globe like a virus. Nevertheless, we must remember that viruses can be treated, and perhaps even cured.

The U.S. is founded on the principle that all its citizens have protected rights. We are free to express

and protect our opinions, but we shouldn’t forget the road that was taken to obtain those rights.

The U.S. Constitution opens with the phrase “We the People of the United States…” because at that moment, people were brought together by a greater good.

In the face of such controversial issues, how did a nation manage to flourish? The answer was compromise. The people who fought for our independence may have disagreed on many issues, but they also saw a goal that would require them to put their differences aside.

The documents that grant us our basic rights were created from compromise.

Recently, we have been witnesses to the power of this golden rule.

On Oct. 1, Las Vegas, Nevada was the scene of a massive shooting.

58 people were killed, while more than 500 were hospitalized. People across the nation put their biases and opinions on hold, and instead took the time to properly honor the victims of the shooting.

We are all fellow Americans living under one nation, with liberty and justice for all.

Corrections: “Track Star Running for Award” story was written by Kevin Hooks, not Travis Demas

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 Briana Harris - Advertising Manager Plaserae Johnson - Online Editor Camila Peña - Entertainment Editor Dakota Roberts - Editorial Editor Josue Villarreal - Reporter Travis Demas - Sports Reporter America Quintero - Reporter Kevin Hooks - Reporter Frankie Cardenas - Reporter Hector Andres Landin - Reporter Joshua Lin - Reporter 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.

the beginning of Hollywood itself.

Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was one for the very first major stars of Hollywood, credited with being the first million-dollar actor. During a party in 1921, Fatty took struggling actress Virginia Rappe to the bedroom under the ruse that he would help her start her career. Not long into the night, Virginia screamed for help. The party-goers found her in agony, barely managing to say, “he did this to me.” Virginia Rappe died a week later because of a ruptured bladder caused by forced penetration. Fatty was charged with manslaughter, but even after three trials he was cleared.

Roman Polanski in 1977 had sex with a nonconsenting, 13-year-old girl. Polanski ended up going to a psychiatric clinic for 42 days but then was cleared to travel. Despite admitting to the charges, Polanski would go unpunished, eventually free to win an Oscar for “The Pianist” in 2003.

These are just a few through the years, during the time Hollywood was becoming a subculture of America. Now we have Harvey

Weinstein, and the stories keep piling up. The problem with all this is extremely systemic; an issue that doesn’t just sprout from the occasional bad apple in the orchard, but goes back to the farmer that grows the trees.

Hollywood operates in a society that is very sexual-centric. Not only that, but actors are forced to operate not just on skill but upon an image.

An actor must keep good relations with producers and studios, lest they become blacklisted. This case is especially true of actresses, whom Hollywood is ready and able to replace once they are past a supposed “expiration date.”

After hearing the stories about Weinstein, people are still left with, “well why would he do that or why would people let him get away with it?” Honestly, The South Texan thinks the best thing to do is quote somebody that inhabits the very philosophy people like Weinstein are students of. “When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.”

The good news is that the message has been heard. People are tak-

ing action this time. Whatever the difference was in the case, it was enough for the public.

Weinstein has been expelled from the Academy: “Although largely symbolic [emphasis mine], the ouster of Mr. Weinstein from the roughly 8,400-member academy is stunning because the organization is not known to have taken such action before… [a reference to past alleged sexual misconduct on the part of Academy members, such as Roman Polanski and Bill Cosby].”

However, during his time, Weinstein would go on to secure over 300 Oscar nominations for his films.

If the effort to remove people like Weinstein is a symbolic one—like removing monuments of tyrants— how are the legacies of these people changed? Are they, at all? Would the victims say that the legacies have been changed? Perhaps, in the case of men like Weinstein, the legacy has always been the same: causing harm to others. We just misunderstood it until now, dazzled as we were by celluloid and sparkling reels of film.

TWITTER POLL THIS WEEK:

Do people like Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby still deserve their legacies?

NEXT WEEK:

Do you worry about the current rhetoric surrounding the issue of climate change?

Elevation is Separation Plaserae Johnson Columnist Can you picture a hot-air balloon? What does it require to rise from the ground? Typically, you have to drop a weight out of the basket. If it’s too heavy it won’t leave the ground. It will remain stationary.

Metaphorically speaking, think of what I just said, to be your progression in life. Those weights are people or negative predicaments we sometimes get ourselves involved with.

You can’t possibly elevate yourself if you have too much holding you down. In order for you to elevate, you have to cut the rope, drop the weights, in other words.

Drop all those negative people who say you can’t do what you aspire to or those situations that make it virtually impossible to dedicate yourself to your dream. Sometimes that could mean pulling yourself from everything and everyone you know.

A couple years ago I went through a mental reset. I evaluated my life and those in it. This is the time that I wanted everything, including myself to progress.

This stage is when you take a detailed look at everything that has to do with you. You question yourself.

Personally, I had people, memories, burdens, situations, and grudges that kept me hostage. I was a bit distraught but then I realized this is positive, because it’s the first step - acknowledgement. It’s how progression starts.

I thought about all the times someone told me I could NOT do something. I thought about all the times they stood in my way. The times I even stood in my own way because I was scared they were right.

I realized that people just react that way because they are scared.

They are scared because I’d outgrow them.

Coco Chanel once said, “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”

Boy, is she right. Think about you, become selfish with your fu-

ture and yourself. Tell people you are putting yourself first. Make yourself a priority and everything else after.

Leave what you know behind to experience something new. Sometimes you have to chance it. You have to go off the possibility. Think that you can do something you’d never thought you could. Be crazy for success.

My ambition began to overflow my body. It attempted to replace the thick blood in my veins. I had three words stuck on my mind.

“ELEVATION MEANS SEPARATION.” What made this stage essential?

Well, I was going to outgrow some things I got used to and people that have always been around. I knew that from that moment forward that everyone was not going to like or support my decisions.

I knew where I was heading. I knew that in order to elevate I had to separate. My “balloon” contains no height limits. I knew what I needed to do. I had to drop those weights. My life has changed for the better and yours can, too.

Sports

5

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017 SOUTHTEXANNEWS.COM

Sweeps against two LSC teams Javelinas win both matches over the weekend Kevin Hooks Sports Reporter Texas A&M University-Kingsville (13-8, 6-4 LSC) took another weekend of LSC games at home as they defeated Cameron (5-13, 2-8 LSC) and Midwestern State University (9-10, 3-7 LSC).

The ladies showed up to play last weekend at the Gil E. Steinke Center as they are on the path to another LSC championship. Friday

night, they took on Cameron University where star Krystal Faison had nine kills and nine digs. Casey Klobedans had 31 assists without a single error, while Jasmine Jacinto tied a match-high 17 digs.

Paige Dixon of Cameron University led all players with 14 kills.

Saturday night was just as spectacular against Midwestern State. Fan favorite and Javelina Volleyball’s only All-American Lexi Wick had a team-high of four blocks, seven kills and an ace. With seven kills, Shelby Sheets now boasts 100 total kills for

the season.

Midwestern University’s Addison Semer had five blocks, Raven Presley contributed eight kills.

Javelina coach Tanya Allen could not be more proud of her ladies.

“We earned two good wins against two good teams. Hopefully those wins will give the team some confidence going into the second half of conference play,” she said.

The Javelinas traveled to face No. 15 Tarleton State on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

Major League Baseball logo

Courtesy photo

The life of post season Baseball Houston Astros clinch first ALCS berth Joshua Lin Reporter

Lexi Wick

Photo by Frankie Cardenas

Javelinas on ESPN Under the big top screen for Homecoming football game Travis Demas Sports Reporter

The Texas A&M University- Kingsville Javelinas (3-4, 2-3 LSC) look to ride momentum into their matchup this Saturday night against the Texans of Tarleton State University (4-3, 3-2) to pick up their third conference win.

The Hogs are coming off their second straight conference win, after knocking off West Texas A&M 37-9 at home, and last week away versus the Falcons of University of Texas of the Permian Basin 47-21.

In addition, the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Javelinas are getting ready to go live with their games.

Officials with the NCAA Division II announced 18-regular season games will be live streamed on ESPN3.

One of those games is the Javelinas versus Tarleton State Texans.

The homecoming game on Oct. 21 will be their first nationally

streamed event since Javelina Stadium held the Cactus Bowl in 2011. In 2011, 17,000 viewers tuned into the game.

The Javelinas average about 10,000 fans per game.

Over the past two games, the Javelinas are averaging well over 400 yards of total offense a game, scoring more than 30 points in each game. Freshman quarterback Cade Dyal has thrown for three touchdowns and has yet to throw an interception.

Senior standout receiver Jordan Thomas is coming off his third consecutive 100-plus yard game, making it his fourth of the year.

Defensively, the Hogs have been solid up front as well, harassing opposing quarterbacks the past couple of weeks averaging at least five sacks per game.

The Texans, however, are coming off of consecutive losses, the first to Western New Mexico, 25-38, and the other to Eastern New Mexico, 15-24.

In their battle against Eastern

New Mexico, the Texans only managed to rush the ball for a total of 22 yards.

Texans senior quarterback Zed Woerner made up for that lack of production on the ground, throwing for 397 yards and a touchdown to keep the game close for Tarleton.

The Hogs find themselves in familiar territory this week.

At this time last year, the Javelinas were in the same spot in the Lone Star Conference (2-3), going into Saturday night’s matchup.

The Texans lost last year’s game, as the Hogs came back late in the game with a 99-yard drive to steal the win, 21-17, on the road and advanced to 3-3 in the conference.

This year, the Javelinas look to do the same.

This Saturday night is also the Wells Fargo Bank Homecoming Game. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN as well as on youtube channel the Javelina Broadcast Network, or listen to the game live on 105.5 FM LIVE from Javelina Stadium. Kickoff begins at 7 p.m.

Commentary- Post-season baseball is here and it’s come full force from the Yankees beating the Minnesota Twins in the Wild card, to beating the best team in the American League in the Division Series, the Cleveland Indians.

Post-season baseball has been around since the creation of MLB, and for this season, Cleveland was predicted to be at least in the Championship Series after a 22game winning streak that pushed them past the Houston Astros for first place in the American League with their regular season record of 102-60.

But that isn’t the case with post-season baseball. Your favorite team can have the best record in baseball and not even get past the first round. This is how hard each team that makes the playoffs plays each other, and it’s incredibly exciting to watch.

This was the case for the Tribe, a nickname for the Indians, when they lost against the Wild Card team, the Yankees, in a best-of-five game series. Over the years throughout the history of baseball, the best team in the regular season may not even get past the first round, such as the 2011 Phillies, or the 1980 Astros.

This post season has been hectic

Midnight Madness

Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. the Steinke Physical Education Center where there was the introduction of teams, a high-flying dunk contest, a scrimmage game and more!

You can see the video at /thesouthtexan on Facebook

Photos by Pablo Villanueva

with the Chicago Cubs roaring back to beat the Washington Nationals in five games after being down 2-1 at the start of the first three games.

The Cubs are now in the Championship Series for a third straight year, and as I am writing this, the Cubs have lost game one to the Dodgers with a score of 5-2. This year’s Cubs’ team is not as good as last year’s team, but they still can be a threat and have a shot at making it back to the World Series.

Now let’s shift to a team that is very similar to last year’s World Series champions, the team that has had very little struggle in this year’s post season, the Houston Astros.

Yes, this year is their year to make it back to the World Series after being swept by the Chicago White Sox in 2005.

As we all know, Hurricane Harvey damaged much of the Texas coast and the immense amount of rain that was dropped hurt Houston. It will be a storybook season for the Astros and fans all over the world if they win despite all the tragedy that’s happened.

I would love to cover this story if it happens, but who knows. Anyways, post-season baseball will always be there and every year it just keeps getting more exciting. The post-season is currently broadcasting on the television networks TBS and FS1.

6

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017

Jumps

SOUTHTEXANNEWS.COM

Coming up: Tejano Heritage Banquet Camila Peña Reporter

The Tejano Heritage Banquet is ready to honor three community leaders on Thursday, Oct. 19.

The Banquet will take place at the Javelina Engagement Center at noon. The honorable guests this year are Dr. Humberto Gonzalez and Jose and Rosa Perez.

They are all former students of the university who have done a lot to preserve the Hispanic culture in South Texas and have impacted

their community in the best ways possible.

This reception will feature a biography of the guests and will highlight some of their accomplishments. The guests will speak and will each be presented with a small plaque. The banquet is open to all who wish to attend.

Gonzalez is recognized as having done much to represent the Hispanic community in Kingsville, particularly in politics and education. His service, which categorizes him as an influential Hispanic role model, include Professor Emeritus of Educational Administration, Chair

Department of Professional Programs at the University of Laredo, member of the Texas Education Agency, Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs and much more. He is receiving the Tejano Service Award for 2017.

The Tejano Heritage Award for 2017 will be given to Rosa Canales Perez and Jose Perez, who form the musical duo Rumbo al Anacua.

The couple has strived to maintain the Mexican folk music known as “ranchero” alive in the southern part of Texas.

Along with this, some of their accomplishments in-

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With a new lot officially being worked on, cost of labor and materials have risen because of Hurricane Harvey.

Riley explained TAMUK is “really competing with Hurricane Harvey restoration and many companies

clude the founding of the Narciso Martinez Writer’s Forum (in San Benito), cooperation with other musicians to form the Pauraque Border Roots Project, and producing their own radio program on Youtube called North of the Border.

Their name, Rumbo al Anacua, pays homage to their uncle Jesus Canales who would sit down by his Anacua tree and listen to his Texan-Mexican music.

This is the 11th year the Tejano Heritage Banquet takes place. Other influential leaders who have been presented these awards include

Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

Dr. Humberto Gonzalez

Joe and Rosa Perez

State Representative Hugo Berlanga, State Historian Homero Vera and Artist Armando Hinojosa. Everyone

is welcomed to attend the Banquet and continue celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.

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have increased prices because of the fact that it is incredibly difficult for them to get labor and materials/supplies for their jobs.”

The initial cost of the construction would have been about $350,000, but it has

now risen to approximately $1.1 million because of Harvey. The project should be completed by the end of this year and the new lot is being built across from the university president’s home on Armstrong Street.

Her department teams up with Alpha Sigma Alpha to make this event take shape.

Members of Alpha Sigma Alpha will be participating in the event, as well as helping to organize it.

“I’m going to walk for

those that can’t walk right now,” said Biology major and president of Alpha Sigma Alpha Kenisha Dominguez. She laments that her aunt did not win her battle against breast cancer. She uses this event to honor her and make sure her

struggle isn’t forgotten.

Others are also remembering those who lost the battle.

“One of my best friend’s moms almost died of breast cancer,” said mechanical engineer major Brandon Seals.

Photos by Niral Shah & Heramb Pawar

The annual Festival of Lights: Diwali took place from 6 to 9 p.m., Oct. 14 at Jones Auditorium. There were many different performances to celebrate the Indian festival. Afterwards, Indian food was served at the Student Union Building pavilion for those who attended the festival.

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