Daily Toreador The
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 28, 2013 VOLUME 88 ■ ISSUE 3
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Tapsoba returns from competition Texas Tech forward Kader Tapsoba’s time with the Burkina Faso National Team has run its course as the Stallions lost to Ivory Coast, 100-60, in round 16 of the FIBA African Championships on Monday. Tapsoba led the team with 13 points and seven rebounds. He was six of 10 from the field and also contributed two assists and three blocks in the losing effort. In his four games at the African Championships, Tapsoba averaged 4.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.8 blocks per game. Tapsoba will return to Lubbock to begin work on a master’s degree and play out his final season of eligibility for the Red Raiders. ➤➤sports@dailytoreador.com
Tech soccer rises in recent rankings Texas Tech’s soccer program earned its highest ranking in program history after beginning its season with consecutive wins. The Red Raiders moved up one spot to No. 23 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America rankings released Tuesday afternoon. The new ranking was an effect of Tech’s victories against New Mexico and Colorado State to begin the 2013 season. The Red Raiders defeated the Lobos, 1-0, in their season opener before routing the Rams, 6-0, in their home opener Sunday at the John Walker Soccer Complex. Tech continues its season-long, five-match home stand this weekend. The Red Raiders will host Idaho State at 7 p.m. Friday before facing Long Beach State at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Both matches will be at John Walker Soccer Complex where Tech has won 12 of its last 13 matches. ➤➤sports@dailytoreador.com
OPINIONS, Pg. 4
Reynolds: U.S. should avoid involvement in Syria
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Students outnumber bed spaces By CARSON WILSON Staff Writer
Strips of black paper are taped to the windows to limit sunlight, four beds are pushed against each wall, two cardboard boxes are used as a trashcan and one TV sits in a corner on the fifth floor study lounge of Weymouth Residence Hall. This is Jose Figueroa’s new short-term home. The junior mechanical engineering major from Houston shares the former lounge with three other Texas Tech students because of the residential overflow happening around campus. “I get a bed that I can sleep in,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. It could be worse.” Jose Valenciano, the assistant director of the Welcome Center said there are currently 102 students who are oversubscribed, meaning there were more housing applications than rooms. Some students were placed in over-
flow areas created in lounges and others were assigned to stay with community advisers, he said. When Figueroa arrived on campus, he wasn’t aware he would be staying in a study room, but said he likes the lounge better than a normal residence hall room. “I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “When I walked in, I saw how big it was and I said, ‘I can work with this. It’s better than a room.’” Aurelio Vargas, a sophomore biochemistry major from El Paso, and a CA said the CAs usually are not required to have a roommate, but because residence halls are overpopulated, he now shares his room. “I think it was the best option,” he said. “I think they handled it well. It just means the university is growing.” Like Figueroa, Vargas is looking at the positive aspects of the situation. HOUSING continued on Page 2 ➤➤
PHOTO BY LAUREN PAPE/The Daily Toreador
JOSE FIGUEROA, A junior mechanical engineering major from Houston, works on his computer in his temporary room, a Weymouth Residence Hall study room, which he shares with three other students because of a shortage of rooms.
Tech student stands up for beliefs IT updates Blackboard By LIANA SOLIS Staff Writer
Citizens of the U.S. and across the globe use multitudes of ways to express their personal beliefs, ideas and religions. Eddie Castillo, a senior psychology major from Dallas, is part of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or the religion of Pastafarianism. Castillo said a man named Bobby Henderson first created the religion in 2005. “It was created at first as a protest because of the Kansas state board decision to allow the teaching of intelligent design and creationism in public school biology classes,” Castillo said. “He started that with the idea that if other religious ideals can be used in the classrooms, then all the other religions and ideals should be taught as creationism as well.” The religion was originally made as a form of satire because Kansas, along with other states, wouldn’t accept it as a real religion, he said. “What was done was Bobby Henderson created stories and gospels so it can almost be in a level playing field with popular religions,” Castillo said. “There are the evangelical or liberal interpretations of the gospel and then there’s the one that I — along with thousands of other people — choose to follow, which is the more metaphorical way to look at it.” One significant detail about the religion is the followers’ choice to wear a pasta strainer or pot on their head, Castillo said. “It’s kind of a metaphor or symbol that ties into the spaghetti monster, I mean what other type of headwear would you wear to represent it?” he said. BELIEFS continued on Page 5 ➤➤
By TYLER DORNER Staff Writer
PORTRAIT BY LAUREN PAPE/The Daily Toreador
EDDIE CASTILLO, A junior psycology major from Dallas, was the first person in the United States to wear a pasta strainer on his head in his driver’s license photo last week to represent the Pastafarian religion, which celebrates the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
When logging onto the Blackboard system this year, students, faculty and staff can expect to see new technology and an updated interface. According to Blackboard’s website, the Blackboard system 9.1, nicknamed “learn,” will help student learning be more efficient and effective. “This will deliver a higher level of service and performance,” said Sam Segran, chief information officer and associate vice president for information technology. The transition from 8.6 to 9.1 occurred during the summer, and the fall semester will feature about 2,000 courses in the new system. “It’s a virtual or online classroom,” said Katherine Austin, the assistant vice president for IT. “In a traditional classroom you have the chalkboard or projector ... Blackboard is a way to recreate that classroom environment virtually.” For both Segran and Austin, the biggest change will be in the accessibility of the new system for all students. The “learn” 9.1 version has an easier interface as compared to the 8.6, which Austin said was clunky. However, some students said they felt the old operating system was not that bad. “I’ve never had any real problems with it,” said Laurie Appling, a junior psychology major from Crosbyton. The new system will benefit all students, Segran said, even those who have impairments. BLACKBOARD continued on Page 2 ➤➤
College of Media, Communication hosts new student reception By MIKAEL GONZALES Staff Writer
Ball Security-- SPORTS, Page 8
INDEX Crossword.....................8 Classifieds................7 L a Vi d a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Opinions.....................4 Sports.......................7 Sudoku.......................5 EDITORIAL: 806-742-3393
Students and faculty came together as the College of Media and Communication hosted a new student reception at 4 p.m. Tuesday on the third floor of the CoMC building. Student organizations lined the room to inform students about the opportunities the college has to offer. The organizations included Texas Tech PR, Tech Advertising Federation, The Hub@TTU, Society of Professional Journalists and Double T Insider. Also at the event was 88.1 FM, handing out T-shirts and informing students about working at a radio station. The goal of these organizations, said ADVERTISING: 806-742-3384
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David Peveto, a Seize the senior public relaopportunity. tions major from Austin, is to get We have a students involved lot of access in activities outside points to get the classroom. involved.” “Student organizations like these Todd Chambers are a great way to Chairman for the t a k e w h a t t h e y Department of learn in the class- Journalism and rooms and apply it Electronic Media in a real world setting and apply it in a fun or interesting way,” he said. As its director, Peveto also represented Raider Comm. Raider Comm is a student
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public relations firm based out of Tech. The event, he said, was mainly for freshmen who want to improve their communications skills. The most important piece of advice, Peveto said, is to follow passions while in college and get involved with as many organizations as possible. One of the organizers of the event was Todd Chambers, chairman for the Department of Journalism and Electronic Media. Chambers said the purpose of the event was to expose new students at Tech to the organizations and opportunities around campus. “Seize the opportunity,” he said. “We have a lot of access points to get involved. And I think what we’re trying to do is
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do a better job at communicating those opportunities.” Chambers was able to network with many students and approach freshmen who were surrounded by older students, faculty and staff. Samantha Lahey, a freshman electronic media and communications major from Austin, was among the students hoping to learn more about the college. She described the event as friendly and comfortable. “I thought it would be a really good opportunity to get to know what organizations are like within this college,” Lahey said.
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