Vol. 66 No. 11

Vol 66 | Number 11

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THE TSU HERALD | February 26, 2014

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CAMPUS NEWS page 3

FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NAMES TSU STUDENT AN HBCU ALL-STAR

LIFE & STYLE page 5

SIX BLACK CEO’S OF YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANTS

SPORTS page 9

SPORTS RUNDOWN

OPINION page 10

THE TURN UP AND TURNAROUND OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH

The Black Man’s Verdict Part II: The Crime of Being Black in America

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Campus News TSU students are working to create a new app

BY TONY MONK Contributing Writer

Most of the time, college students are wondering what’s going on around them, or longing to meet new faces but luckily, one TSU student decided to end all of those boring nights.

Damilola Oliyide, a 2012 accounting graduate and salutatorian, has devised a way for people to connect locally, and it can all be obtained through your smart phones.

Before you even think about logging on to the Internet, guess again, this time the connection can easily be obtained through an app.

This helpful and very informative app will be called Townr, and its function will be connecting people and also advancing activities around us, which will allow students to be notified about events that would normally be unobtainable through the Internet.

Notifications for events will be sent to your phone once accessed through the app.

“Even as much as people use Facebook and Twitter, you can’t always find what different events are going on, or where to find new people just by simply typing something in,”

Oliyide said.

Assisting Oliyide in the creation of the app is another recent Texas Southern graduate, Eugene Ansah, as well as third year pharmacy students Chinoso and Alexandrae Duruewaru.

The thought of creating this app sprang to life from Oliyide’s fascination with finding a way to get people to go out and build relationships.

“I used to wonder what was going on around me, and I figured there was a way to organize things, so I decided to work on how to do that,” Oliyide said.

He felt that the current apps on the market didn’t encourage his generation to go out and network with new people, so Oliyide and his team decided to create their own.

Oliyide believes that his app can get people going through true commerce, and with the app being the bridge that connects people strip by strip, they can come together to create new businesses, and also heat up new ideas.

The process of the app creation is going smoothly and is set to launch this summer.

There will be a Pre-Launch video

EDITORIAL STAFF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MECOLE’ HAYES Campus News Editor MARIEA BOYD Life & Style Editor SENORA HARRIS Sports Editor BUCK BEDIA Staff Writer LINDSAY GARY Publications Manager TIYOSHA TURNER Advisors SERBINO SANDIFER-WALKER MICHAEL BERRYHILL

The TSU Herald is published by the students of Texas Southern University.

Opinions expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the administration. The newspaper is printed biweekly, except during holidays and examination periods.

For additional information, call (713) 313-1976.

party at Uptown Hookah on March 3rd where people will be able to see and learn more about the actual app.

Oliyide and his team are still in the process of getting people to actually sign-up for the app, and they already have more than a thousand signatures.

“There is still time for early sign-ups and those people will have the opportunity to win free tickets to events,” Oliyide said.

“People who are early sign-ups will have a chance to meet with the team as well as know more about the app, they even get a pass to the launch party in May.”

There is also another opportunity, as the person who invites the most people to sign up for the app will be able to help in organizing the launch.

Oliyide hopes people will use the app to look for events to meet new people and raise connections throughout.

For more information, you can reach Oliyide and his team on Facebook by typing in “Townr”, or reach them on Twitter @TownrApp.

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Campus News Federal Department of Education names TSU student an HBCU all-star

BY MARIEA BOYD Life & Style Editor

On February 10, 2014 the federal department of education sent out a press release naming 72 students from 62 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the first of its kind.

Jarrauri Curry, a second semester graduate working towards his mater’s degree in public administration, is one of the two students from Texas Southern University on that list of elite students.

“This a really big honor,” Curry said.

Curry and the other students chosen as HBCU All-stars are graduate, undergraduate, and professional students, who have shown their outstanding accomplishments in academics, leadership, and civil engagement.

Students like Curry from states such as: Alabama, California, and Maryland were all required to submit a completed application that included a transcript, resume, essay and letter of recommendation.

Those lucky students, who were chosen by the directors of this program, were amongst 445 applicants.

“Engaging with the next generation of leaders who will graduate from HBCUs and go on to make meaningful contributions to society is crucial to the success of our community, our country, and our global competitiveness,” George Cooper, executive director of the WHIHBCUs said.

The winners will go on to be ambassadors for historically black colleges and universities and the students who attend them.

Through social media and relationships with community organizations, the all-stars will provide information about programs and activities, which were proven to have helped young people reach their full potential in achieving their educational and professional goals.

“It is a privilege to announce these 75 students who have demonstrated a commitment to both their own academic achievement and making a difference in their communities, and we look forward to working with them as partners in advancing President Obama’s college completion goal,” Cooper

said.

In addition, 45 female and 30 male AllStars will participate in regional events and web chats with Ivory Toldson, deputy director of the WHIHBCUs, as well as with other Initiative staff and professionals from a wide range of disciplines, and Curry is one of them.

“I plan to use this opportunity to show students the true value and importance of networking,” Curry said. “I am extremely ecstatic that I am finally getting the recognition I deserve.”

In the past Curry has been a victim of the “over-qualified era.”

Overqualified people are typically considered those who will expect too high of a salary or won’t stay in the profession long because they’ll see it as a stop gap until they

Jarrauri Curry

get something better.

Presumptions like these are destructive to students who work hard in their college years only to be turned down.

Recently, Curry resigned from his profession as a teacher in the Houston Independent School District to be fully committed to his HBCU All-Star duties.

When asked what he would like to change about the education system, Curry had a lot to say.

“There are changes that need to be made in the social policy, you cannot effect education without taking everything that affects it into consideration,” Curry said.

Curry aspires to go on into his profession and use his multiple degrees toward becoming a consultant for political and social polices.

“Engaging with the next generation of leaders who will graduate from HBCUs and go on to make meaningful contributions to society is crucial to the success of our community, our country, and our global competitiveness.”

- Jarrauri Curry

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Cover Story

The Black Man’s Verdict Part II : The crime of being black in America

BY LINDSAY GARY Opinion Editor

Just a few months ago, I wrote “The Black Man’s Verdict” for Trayvon Martin. It pains me deeply to be discussing the same issue again.

Michael Dunn killed Jordan Davis We, the people of the United States, would expect that the killing of an American citizen by another American citizen was justified, and that the jury and judge upheld justice in that American hero’s favor.

We would like to believe that Dunn must have been the hero—protecting our precious society from a vicious criminal.

Indeed Dunn’s lawyers and supporters would like us to believe so.

Painfully, this is not the case, and America in practice is not the same nation it is on paper.

America has showed us that when a black teenage boy is at the hands of a racist white man, the rules change—somehow the killing of an unarmed teenager is justified and the killer is not deemed a murderer.

On February 15, 2014, in the case of the November 2012 killing of the 17-yearold black teen Jordan Davis, a Jacksonville, Florida jury found Michael Dunn guilty of three counts of attempted murder, one count of firing a deadly weapon, and zero counts of first degree murder.

Michael Dunn repeatedly shot at a car of unarmed teenagers after they refused to turn their music down, resulting in Davis’s death.

Listening to music loudly, enjoying rap music, and doing these things while black were crimes worthy of killing Davis.

I am assured this description fits many of the people who have chosen to read this article.

Be well aware that with laws like Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law, you too are at risk for a similar fate.

The Stand Your Ground Law states that

a person has the right to use “defensive force that is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm to another” if a person has “reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another.”

The only “reasonable fear” was Dunn’s harbored racism. Essentially, this law permits the murder of a suspicious person.

Because blackness is a suspicious threat to the racist, we are not safe in a nation that uses self-defense laws to protect racial violence.

Dunn may have been on trial but black is under attack and will continue to be until the Stand Your Ground Law and other oppressive and unjust laws are eliminated and replaced with fair policy.

So what is the verdict? It is up to us to repeal laws like this so you will not be murdered for your blackness.

“Because blackness is a suspicious threat to the racist, we are not safe in a nation that uses self-defense laws to protect racial violence.”

- Lindsay Gary

Jordan Davis lost his life on Nov. 23, 2012 after a verbal dispute with Michael Dunn over loud music.

Michael Dunn is expected to spend at least 60 years in prison after being convicted on four felony accounts. He was acquitted of murder in the case of Jordan Davis.

Life & Style

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Six black CEO’s of your favorite restaurants

BY SENORA HARRIS Life & Style Editor

While we can recognize the different mascots or symbols for different restaurants, we may not always know who is behind the scenes pulling strings.

Here are six men of color that you likely didn’t know, who are running things in the restaurants you frequent.

Clarence Otis, Jr.

Since 2004, this Mississippi native has served as the CEO of Darden Restaurants, the world’s largest full service restaurant company.

Prior to his promotion of CEO, and chairman of Darden’s Board of Director’s subsequently in 2005, Otis had been acting as the company’s Vice President and Treasurer since 1995.

Under his leadership, the company has seen great success.

At the end of this past fiscal year, Darden Restaurants has recorded more than 8.5 billion dollars in sales.

As of recent, Otis has been compensated with 6.4 million dollars.

Steven A. Davis

Before earning the position of CEO and chairman of the board at Bob Evans farms in 2006, Steven Davis’ career in the restaurant industry had fared well.

Davis is the mind behind the successful launch of new products and brand campaigns during his tenure for the Kraft Foods Company at the beginning of his career.

In addition to helping his company prosper, he has made an effort to help those who aren’t so fortunate.

In 2007, he served as chair for Operation Feed, which fed 29 million pounds of food to families in Ohio.

In a past issue of Columbus CEO Magazine, Davis gave insight on how to be successful in a high-ranking position.

“My advice to executives is, if you’ve got a great strategy, execute it.”

Donald Thompson

The phrase “American Dream” can be attributed to Don Thompson’s story.

Born in 1963, Thompson grew up near the Cabrini-Green housing projects of Chicago.

After graduating high school, he attended Purdue University, where he earned a degree in Electrical Engineering.

His big break came in 1990 when he was hired as an electrical engineer for McDonald’s.

Since, he has made some serious strides up the corporate ladder, as he became the president and CEO of the world’s largest food service company in 2012.

As the company’s first African American CEO, Don Thompson proves that the glass ceiling for people of color in the workplace can be shattered.

Aylwin B. Lewis

Since earning degrees from the University of Houston as well as a master’s from Houston Baptist University, Aylwin B. Lewis has gone on to conquer the business world.

At the beginning of his career, which spans over 26 years, Lewis started at Yum! Brands.

There, he worked his up from Restaurant General Manager to president, CEO, and Operating Officer.

Since 2008, Lewis has been president and CEO of Potbelly Sandwich Works, which hold revenue of $274.9 million.

James D. White

When it came to his career, James D. White had a certain goal in mind.

In 2010, he revealed what that was to SF Gate, a San Francisco newspaper.

“I wanted to always do work that would make my parents proud.”

It may be fair to say that he has done just that.

Since 2008, he has been the CEO and president of Jamba Juice, a restaurant known worldwide for their healthy smoothies.

Jamba Juice has greatly benefitted from the rising popularity of blended fruit smoothies in recent years.

Because of more people choosing their product, White runs a company that generates an average of $229 million dollars in annual revenue every year.

Leonard A. Comma

Just this past month, Jack in the Box hired their newest CEO: Leonard Comma.

Comma is also president of the fast food chain, which can be found in 21 U.S. states, and has $2.25 billion of revenue.

In addition to his leadership duties at Jack in the Box, Comma splits his time as member of the Board of Directors for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

When he joined in 2012, he told PR newswire that his family was a part of his reasoning for joining the organization.

“As the parents of three amazing boys, my wife and I know how important it is for children to have positive role models in their lives,” Comma said.

“For those children who may not benefit from the active involvement of both parents or adult guardians, Big Brothers Big Sisters can really make a positive difference in their lives.”

“My advice to executives is, if you’ve got a great strategy, execute it.”

- Steven A. Davis

Texas Southern University Excellence in Achievement 6

TSU ON THE YARD:

: THROW BACK EDITION

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Sports Sports Rundown

BY BUCK BEDIA Sports Editor Lady Tiger Softball Take Two From Huston-Tillotson

Memorial Park- It only took the Lady Tigers 5 innings to finish off the visiting Lady Rams, run-ruling them in both contests 8-0 and 9-1 on Saturday.

Sammy Jimenez and Madison Staton both collected wins for TSU.

“We have been falling behind early lately,” Coach Worley Barker said.“We’ve been scoring enough runs to win games, but today we didn’t make many mistakes,and we won today.”

In game one, to the one-two punch of Tomi Garza and Brianna Parker combined for 7 RBIs.

Garza went 2-2 with a double, and Parker went deep with a 2-run homer.

In the second half of the double-header, freshmen Tiffany Marshall went 3-4 with a double and 2 RBI, and Janay Logan went 2-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.

“In the second game, we played a lot of freshmen, due to some injuries, we’re going to need them to step up,” Barker said.

The Lady Tigers will take their talents on the road this week were they will take on Stephen F. Austin before traveling UT for tournament play over the weekend.

“If our pitchers throw strikes and give our defense a chance to make plays, I feel we can beat anybody,” Coach Barker concluded.

TSU Men’s Basketball Pick Up Much Needed Road Win

Clarkdale, MS- Texas Southern men defeated Mississippi Valley State on the road on Saturday 73-65.

Jose Rodriguez provided the spark off the bench leading all scorers with 19 in the conference battle.

Texas Southern, (11-14, 7-6), led by as many as 16 early in the second half before MSVU (8-19, 4-10) managed to claw back within two.

In the final five minutes, the TSU defense secured the victory only allowing 3 points and the Tigers sealed the game at the

free throw line.

Three other Tigers also scored in double-figures. Aiding in the win was; Lawrence Johnson-Danner with 16, Madarious Gibbs with 11, and D’Aris Scarver who chipped in 10.

Lady Tigers Make it Eleven in a Row

CLARKSDALE, MS- The Lady Tigers remain at the top of the conference defeating MSVU 66-56 on Saturday.

Sarah Williams had an excellent game lead all scorers with her season-high 22 points, 5 steals and 4 assists.

Jazzmin Parker and Ashely Ferguson added 11 points for the Lady Tigers and Morgan Simmons put in 7 points and hauled in 8 rebounds.

TSU (15-9, 12-1) will play their final home games this weekend before wrapping up the season on the road.

TSU Takes Home 15 Medals at Indoor Championships

Brimingham, AL- The Lady Tigers won 9 medal placing 2nd overall and the men, secured six medals, finishing 5th over the weekend.

Placing in second in their events are: thrower Karina Foster (16.86m), Melissa Pena in the Pole Vault, 2.71m, Terralyn Johnson in the Triple Jump, 11.96m, Whitney McDonald, 400 Meter Dash, 55.42, and the women 4x400 meter relay team of Tiffany Heard, Adriana Berkhalter, Tierra McGowan, and Whitney McDonald with a time of 3:46.67.

Taking third in their respective events were: Trisha Williams with a jump of 11.62m in the Triple Jump, Jeressa Mathis with a time of 8.70 in the

60 Meter Hurdles, Tierra McGowan ran a time of 2:13.51 in the 800 Meters, and the Distance Medley team of Laura Naranjo, Tiffany Heard, Tierra McGown and Kelsey Phillips with a time of 12:36.89.

For the men, Demtrious Williams won the Long Jump with a leap of 7.06m, Isaac Romero placed second in the 5000m Run with a time of 16:24.23, Jeff lacroix took second, 48.82, and Michael Holmes, 48.93, in the Men’s 400m, Jawalyn Brooks in the pole vault with 4.15m and the 4x400m relay team consisting of Jeffry Lacroix, Erik Montana, Jeff Lacroix, and Michael Homes with a time of 3:15.47.

Tiger Baseball Drop 3 straight at LSU Tourney

Baton Rouge, LA- Runs were hard to come by this weekend for the Tiger baseball team as TSU lost to Toledo, Virginia Tech, and nationally-ranked LSU.

Texas Southern, (2-6), will continue their season on the road until March 15th where they will host Southern University at Macgregor Park.

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Opinion The Turn up and Turnaround of Black History Month: Where are we headed with our history?

BY SIDNIE HOLMES Contributing Writer

Black History Month has been drilled in our heads since birth as a great celebration across America happening throughout the entire month of February.

Filled with plays, speeches, programs, and reenactments from the schoolhouse doors to the church pews.

Every one, everywhere was creating and auditioning for the chance to play the part of history’s greatest leaders, or putting together the perfect route for the parade.

There was always something to participate in and always something new to learn.

We’ve even watched notable speeches and documentaries on what happened during the civil rights era as they’ve been repeatedly aired on television.

But what exactly are we celebrating and who created this month that we have taken so lightly over the past few years?

Should we care? Is Negro history still something to be appreciated or something to do?

In 1926, Black History Month had only been celebrated for one week.

At that time, it was known as “Negro History Week” and its intent was to bring awareness to the accomplishments that African Americans had contributed to American history.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who also founded an organization known as the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which is now called the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life, and History, had created this new tradition.

The week was set for the second week in February and had been, for some time, in honor of Fredrick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln, whom Dr. Woodson felt had the most impact and greatest significance in African American history.

It was only a coincidence that the week just so happened to have corresponded with their birthdays during this time.

In 1976, Negro History Week was expanded to the entire month of February.

Dr. Woodson was the second African American to earn a PhD at Harvard University after earning both a bachelor’s and master’s degree at the University of Chicago.

He then went on to form the Associated Publishers Press in 1921, which is now owned by African Americans.

He wrote quite a number of books through the Associated Press company entitled, A Century of Negro Migration (1918), The History of the Negro Church (1921), The Negro in Our History (1922), and Mis-Education of the Negro (1933).

He also penned literature for elementary and secondary schools, which helped him to create and establish the Negro History Bulletin in 1937.

So how do we celebrate Black History today in 2014?

With there being so many strides and accomplishments that have been made by African Americans since the times of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, students, especially those at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, should be eager to celebrate the month that paved the way for their entire education.

How do we inform one another and celebrate the best of our accomplishments if we don’t take time to make them known?

Students and administrators at Historically Black Colleges and Universities should celebrate the accomplishments of our culture through panel discussions, forums, and plays to highlight how far we have come since the inception of Negro History Week.

We see the same movies and the same footnotes about the same people involved in history when there has been a related association for nearly 100 years that has helped African Americans continue to contribute to society and American history.

I’m positive that many of us celebrated the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in its

entirety and made sure that we paid homage to him in his greatest effort for the world to see us for the ‘content of our characters’ versus the color of our skin.

But do we take upon the serious effort to participate just as strongly in spreading, creating, and collaborating in our own history month with others or will we continue to blame the 28 days as not being enough time to appreciate what has already been achieved?

These are questions that you need to ask yourself when you look around your campus and see that nothing is being done in honor of a month that our people worked so tirelessly to create.

Black History February 1, 1960: In what would become a civil-rights movement milestone, a group of black Greensboro, N.C., college students began a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter.

February 3, 1870: The 15th Amendment was passed, granting blacks the right to vote.

February 12, 1909: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded by a group of concerned black and white citizens in New York City.

February 21, 1965: Malcolm X, the militant leader who promoted Black Nationalism, was shot to death by three Black Muslims.

February 23, 1868: W. E. B. DuBois, important civil rights leader and co-founder of the NAACP, was born.

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Opinion On This Day In Black History

BY LINDSAY GARY Opinion Editor

On February 26, 1869, the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed by the U.S. Senate after being passed by the House of Representatives the previous day.

The last of the three Reconstruction amendments, the 15th amendment was preceded by the 13th and 14th amendments which abolished slavery and established equal citizenship respectively.

This amendment declared that suffrage would no longer be based on race or color and thus the right to vote was extended to people of African descent, regardless of their former civil status.

While this was a groundbreaking amendment, it only extended the right to vote to black men, excluding black women for decades.

Additionally, this amendment was created to institute, protect, and secure suffrage for US citizens in spite of of race, but this has yet to be fully realized nearly 150 years later.

Challenges like poll taxes, terrorism, and literacy tests throughout the first half of the twentieth century significantly hindered the black vote.

In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed in the efforts of enforcing the promises made nearly a century before.

While significant strides were made with the passing of the VRA, efforts to disenfranchise the black vote persist today.

Just last year, the United States Supreme Court struck down a key section of the Voting Rights Act, eliminating preclearance requirements for states when changing their laws.

With Texas at the forefront, this ruling gave way to voter identification laws nationwide that are currently being used to disenfranchise black voters and others.

There were many people who did not want our ancestors to vote in 1869 and there are many people who do not want us to vote this year or in the years to come.

Because our vote and our voice are so powerful, there will be people who continuously challenge our rights as citizens in this self-proclaimed democracy.

Without our vote, we have no power in this country. Today marks the 145th anniversary of the passing of the 15th Amendment. What will you do to ensure our right is protected?

20 Questions

1. Wait, somebody got stuck on the elevators in the student center last week?

Anonymously 2. Why didn’t anybody call the fire department?

3. What’s going on with the lights on the 3rd floor of the parking garage? submit your 4. Was there actually a flood in the dorms last week? questions to our 5. Is TSU really getting new dorms?

6. Who saw the packed crowd at the TSU Dance Company’s Black History show? ask.fm/TSU20Ques7. Why were they the only ones to put on a show for Black History Month? tioins page 8. Is BHM is even relevant at HBCUs anymore?

9. Since it’s getting hot outside does it mean that y’all are about to go back to dressing ratchet?

10. What happened to ASA? DISCLAIMER: The questions are submitted 11. Is it even an organization anymore? by the student body and are not the views of 12. Was the ASA president even African?

The TSU Herald or Texas Southern University 13. Is anyone attending the #MeetThePress event tonight? as a whole. Feel free to bring your questions to 14. Are you excited for the “20 Questions” live segment? room 221 of the Student Center. Questions are printed at the discretion of The TSU Herald.

15. Do you think it’ll be shady?

16. Were you mad that you ended up in “20 Questions” or ... nah?

17. Who basically called themself a side-chick when last set of “20 Questions” wasn’t even talking about them?

18. Why is the “20 Questions column” the first thing you read when you pick up the paper?

19. Does “20 Questions” really have y’all wanting to charge people up?

20. Don’t you know that by now, if you do something stupid, it’ll end up in “20 Questions?”

ask.fm/TSU20Questions

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What’s Happening on campus & around town

Monday - 2/24

Tuesday - 2/25 UPC presents: Big Girls Don’t Cry/ Boys To Men Forum 7 p.m.

Tiger Room

Wednesday - 2/26

Thursday - 2/27

Friday - 2/28

The TSU Herald presents: Meet The Press 6 p.m.

Tiger Room

3/1: Tiger Basketball vs. Alabama State

UPC Presents: Hump Day 7 p.m. - The Point Monday - 3/3 Tiger Basketball vs.

Alabama A&M University

Tuesday - 3/4 Rec Center presents: Table Tennis Tournament 5 p.m.

Gameroom

Wednesday - 3/5

The Weekend 3/1 & 3/2

Thursday - 3/6

Friday - 3/7

Dead Week

The Weekend 3/8 & 3/9 3/9: Daylight Savings Time

Our calendar is reserved for the advertisement of on and off campus events. If you are interested in having your event placed on our calendar, then please stop by room 221 of the Student Center or call us at (713) 313-6710.