Vol. 103, No. 9

November 17, 2016 THURSDAY VOL. 103, NO. 9

STAFF

PIC KS

NEVER A DULL MOMENT

I regret not voting pg 2

Staff Picks Thanksgiving pg 5

Basketball season begins pg 6

News | Student rally

TWU students say love trumps hate at Tuesday campus rally

By MORGAN VILLAVASO

Chants rang out from three hundred voices on the evening of Nov. 15. As they marched across campus, anti-Trump protesters chanted: “The people, united, will never be divided!”

The rally against the presidentelect convened at the TWU amphitheater, where protesters shared their fears both as, and for, immigrants, people of color, HIV victims, LGBTQ+ members, Muslims, women and people with disabilities.

Organizer, veteran and graduate student Sean Sala spearheaded the rally. “Right now, we have to ask ourselves, ‘Where are our leaders?

Where are our Harvey Milks?

Where are our Martin Luther Kings?” said Sala. “And the answer is: they’re right here.”

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Sala served six years in the military under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and has been through conversion therapy. Among the many fears associated with a Trump presidency, Sala spoke out against future Vice President Mike Pence’s proposal to cut funding for HIV/ AIDS treatment and reallocate those funds towards conversion therapy.

For another LGBTQ+ student, this potential policy hit home like

no other. The student, who had just heard of Pence’s proposal for the very first time, shared his recent AIDS diagnosis with the crowd. He said that for the first time, he can literally say that his life is on the line because of this election. Protesters flocked to hug and support the student throughout the rally, many telling him, “I’m with you.” The Lasso has decided to refrain from sharing the student’s name in order to protect his safety.

Sophomore Bemnet Abera spoke out about changes she would like to see on TWU’s campus. “We have so much power here to produce the changes that we need, and I don’t think the students recognize that,” said Abera. “We are more than just minorities at this school getting an education. We are minorities at this school who should be representing an entire nation.”

Other speakers encouraged their comrades to actively listen to marginalized voices, to speak up for one another in the face of injustice, to educate themselves on our political system and to remember that they are not alone.

If love is to trump hate, protesters represent the need for the campus with a heart to also be the campus with a voice.

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self-expression. TWU has a diverse group of students, faculty and staff, so The Lasso reached out to you for your stories. Some of you shared with us. Turn to page 5 to read about your peers’ body art and the narrative surrounding it.

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Campus | Professor Feature

Subverting marginalization: Representation matters

Graduate teaching assistant and PhD candidate Erika Johnson is a woman of color, sci-fi reader and Netflix watcher.

A self-identifying Afro-Latina, Johnson’s parents made the crucial decision to move their family

Dialogue around Transgender Day of Remembrance

to America from Panama. The decision to leave wasn’t for lack of money or any ongoing war. In fact, Johnson states: “My dad was a firefighter in Panama. Back then, that was a very prestigious...”

Kyra Marshall / The Lasso

By KYNDAL COLÓN

Community | Trans

According to the NCAVP, 72 percent of LGBTQ+ hate crime victims in 2013 were transgender women, and 67 percent were transgender women of color.

41 percent of transgender and gender nonconforming people have attempted suicide according to the NCTE, as compared to 1.6 percent of the entire population. It is devastatingly dangerous to be a trans person and these statistics are not going to change on their own.

As we approach Transgender Day of Remembrance, UNT Pride Alliance and Outreach Denton are hosting a memorial to commemorate trans lives lost in 2016. The memorial will be held on the downtown square on Nov. 20 from 7 to 9 p.m. and will feature keynote speaker and TWU MWGS doctoral student E. Tamplin. They spoke with The Lasso about antitrans violence TWU’s support for its trans community, and beginner guidelines for being an effective ally.

Tamplin: “Last week, we experienced the twenty-first death of a trans person – more specifically a trans woman of color – and that’s the same number we hit last year…

Education about trans identities is far behind and the ethical respect of trans bodies and trans lives is...

BEHIND THE INK

The world is changing.

Tattoos are gradually becoming a higher art form in the eyes of critics, and though people still run into obstacles with professional standards, we are beginning to embrace this type of

Graduate student Sean Sala leads students, faculty and staff across campus in anti-Trump rally.

By MORGAN VILLAVASO

Lifestyle | Narratives

By EMILY NICKLES

Emily Nickles / The Lasso

Campus | Scholars

FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS HONORED WITH NEW SCHOLARSHIP

By HEATHER HINES & EMILY WHITE A new scholarship named after TWU’s own stone mascot has honored 12 students in support of women who plan to own and run their own business in the state of Texas. Presented by the Hub for Women in Business, this allows first-year and graduate students immediate funding for their education so they can achieve their future aspirations.

Maria Beshears A graduate student seeking a master in Nutrition, Beshears’ business proposal revolved around opening her own pediatric clinic specializing in rehabilitation and offering four different types of

Courtesy of Hub for Women in Business

therapy and nutritional and mental health services. Beshears learned she wanted to serve children through her profession when she began working as an interpreter for Early Childhood Intervention and meet Jennifer Piazza. “I was able to observe how [Piazza] worked with these families and I got to interact with patients the families and that was, I think, my biggest motivator.”

Carrie Buckley After growing up in a small town where citizens worked hard, often putting physical stress on their bodies to make a living Buckley plans to open...

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2

Voices

Thursday, November 17, 2016 twulasso.com

The Lasso Editorial Staff Editor-in-Chief

Emily Nickles enickles@twu.edu

Managing Editor Johnna Headley jheadley@twu.edu

Page Editor

Amber Robertson arobertson5@twu.edu

Page Editor

Jennie Posadas jposadas@twu.edu

Opinion | Politics

Why I regret not voting in the election

By MORGAN VILLAVASO

CNN reported this to be the lowest voter turnout in 20 years, and many people are furious with those of us who chose not to vote.

I am one of those people and I am a bit furious with me, too.

Over the course of this election, it has been the general consensus of many Americans – myself included – that voting for one of the major party candidates was essentially a choice between the lesser of two evils. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump faced criminal investigations during their presidential campaigns. One

candidate called African American children super predators, the other condoned grabbing women “by the pussy,” and third-party candidates stood virtually no chance of election in this political climate.

Despite it all, Hillary was the lesser evil, for me, due to her political credibility. Even so, it felt unethical to vote for her.

The aftermath of the election has led me to believe that perhaps the only injustice greater than voting for Hillary was not voting against Trump. A pivotal difference between the two is this: regardless of whether or not Hillary is a

genuine advocate for the rights of marginalized communities, these people are her primary supporters. Trump, on the other hand, became the president-elect by appealing to the very people – primarily uneducated whites according to exit polls – calling to “make America great again” at the expense of the marginalized.

“This was a whitelash against a changing country,” said CNN’s Van Jones on the night of the election, “When you say you want to take your country back, you’ve got a lot of people who feel we’re not represented well either.”

Realistically, my vote would not have made a difference to the electoral college. However, what if everyone who had similar dilemmas about the election had showed up to the polls anyways – especially in swing states? What if everyone who didn’t vote, voted third party, or – god help us – wrote in Hennessy or Harambe on the ballot had instead chosen their lesser evil? Who would then have become the presidentelect? Had I voted, I might offer my opinion.

Opinion | Technology

Social Media Editor

Automation’s role in social media

Henry Jones wjones5@twu.edu

Graphic Designer

Kyra Marshall kmarshall3@twu.edu

By HENRY JONES

Copy Editor

Jordan Kiefer jkiefer@twu.edu

Reporter

Heather Hines hhines1@twu.edu

Reporter

Emily White ewhite5@twu.edu

Reporter

Kyndal Colón kcolon1@twu.edu

Reporter/Distributor Morgan Villavaso mvillavaso@twu.edu

Photographer

Tabitha Gray tgray4@twu.edu

Advisor

Rhonda Ross rross7@twu.edu

Follow us on social media For solutions to this week’s puzzle go to our website at twulasso.com

Facebook not only stores the information you provide, like your name, location, age and gender, but it also tracks your interests, the products you buy and the types of restaurants you eat at.

This list does not include nearly 90 other data points that are used to create targeted ads and a relevant newsfeed.

In August, when Facebook fired its team of human news curators, they sought to make its trending news more automated. Not three days later, the trending news section showed a fabricated article to millions of users. Facebook later removed the article because of the inaccuracies.

If Facebook relies on algorithms for spreading news, people will likely push to game the system for their own incentives. Teens from Macedonia used clickbait headlines and fake stories surrounding the recent election to attract users to its sites. From there, they watched their ad revenue climb as thousands of users visited their sites. These teens have earned up to $3,000 in a day spreading misinformation thanks to Facebook’s amplification algorithms.

If there were any sort of factchecking or quality control on Facebook’s end, these stories would

not spread as quickly as they do.

The spread of this misinformation is dangerous because of its ability to influence the views of others.

While Facebook has claimed it is not a media company, millions of users receive the bulk of their information from social media.

Instead of seeing all posts in chronological order from the friends that we follow, Facebook uses an algorithm to decide the content we see based on data collected. The problem with this algorithm is its lack of transparency, leading Facebook to escape any sort of ethical scrutiny from the community it serves.

Spreading misinformation isn’t the only problem with algorithms dictating our content. These algorithms can also create echo chambers, hiding arguments which challenge our worldview. We need to see other viewpoints in order to challenge our own. Without this ability, we might become dangerously close-minded.

I urge social media platforms to seriously rethink their role in the marketplace of ideas and promote the organic spread of information.

Users should also push themselves to escape echo chambers by finding diverse avenues for information.

@twulasso

Happy Turkey Day!

@twulasso

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All rights reserved. The Lasso is a weekly student publication of Texas Woman’s University, written and produced by students and printed at DFW Printing. Editors develop their own editorial and news policies. The presentation of news and editorials and the personal opinions expressed in The Lasso are those of Lasso staff and writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the faculty, staff, students, administration or the Regents of Texas Woman’s University.

News | Campus

Thursday, November 17, 2016 twulasso.com

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Professor inspires students of color WHO’S WHO OF TWU Q: What do you look forward to at the end of a semester?

First-year Education Major Dallas, TX

Genesis Morales

“For me it is seeing that I can do it—finishing the first semester of college. It’s pretty big since I’m a freshman, so it matters to me if I can do it or not. And we’ll know what to expect next time.”

First-year Nursing Major Dallas, TX

Lizbeth Vazquez

“We’ll finally be done with this semester, we won’t be doing tests or final exams.”

Sophomore Nursing Houston, TX

Carri Saldana

“Going home, seeing my dog and my parents.”

Kinesiology pre - PT Freshman Dallas, TX

Ledua Atam

“Definitely being able to have a break for a good month, Christmas and just having a break off school.”

Yvantiffany Nguyen

Biology Senior Carrollton, TX

“Graduation. I guess all that work finally paid off.”

Continued from pg 1 “...job — So much so, that it paid a lot of money. My mother did not work; she actually had two maids.” The decision ultimately arose from the way Black women are treated in Panama. “As a Black woman in Panama there was only two roles: wife & mother or maid.

My dad was like, there’s no way I’m gonna have my daughters doing that,” Johnson said.

Right now, she teaches English courses and looks forward to a PhD in Rhetoric and achieving tenure in the future, but her life was not always headed in this direction.

Being raised in a Spanish-speaking home made for quite a bit of difficulty when it came to collegelevel writing courses. Johnson

Morgan Villavaso / The Lasso

said: “My parents are… bilingual – Spanish. They didn’t speak to us in Spanish, but they still spoke it in the house. Hearing that and then hearing English when I went on the outside kind of made words jumble a bit for me.”

In turn, Johnson’s first undergraduate English course was actually developmental writing.

Back then she did not even plan on pursuing English or teaching; she fully intended on going into the FBI. Johnson realized she wanted to pursue teaching and English after taking a class called “Argument Persuasion” while completing her master’s program.

In the classroom, Johnson makes sure that her students know that their input is just as important as

hers. Johnson feels that classroom discussion is a key part of her teaching methods, as lecture courses do not typically allow for creativity to flow. Johnson said: “My most favorite part [about teaching] is when students make connections for themselves. I may see something one way, but it’s so exciting when students make use of the tools and take it another direction. That helps me, number one, hone my pedagogy and that helps me see something a different way. My way is not the only way.”

Johnson feels that as an instructor, it is her responsibility to help students reach their full potential any way she can.

Johnson’s goal is to be someone that students of color can look up to. During Johnson’s higher education career there were not many people that she could look up to. Johnson said: “All through my undergraduate career, I had exactly one faculty of color, Chicana, because I took a Chicana studies class. That was it. All of my other faculty were white men or white women. Even in my master’s program I did not have any faculty of color.” Just by teaching, Johnson diversifies TWU and shows students of all colors that anyone and everyone can pursue higher education.

Henry Jones & Tabitha Gray / The Lasso

Campus | Scholars

MINERVA SCHOLARSHIP

Anna McGee student, Grace Muir, has dreams teaching techniques that I learned A graduate Kinesiology student, of implementing her business and used to succeed throughout McGee feels called to open her own plan and opening an occupational my academic career,” she added. practice specializing in helping therapy clinic that will serve Sterling Stinson Sterling Stinson, from Ponder, Continued from pg 1 Kinesiology program and plans young girls feel comfortable and children throughout Denton to open a future practice aimed confident in themselves Texas, is pursuing a ...a private practice in a small at helping athletes and veterans. through volleyball. “I Bachelor’s in History here “I want to make a difference for town like her own to provide Hoffman and this year’s Minerva was 5’11 to six foot as at TWU. Stinson is an patients with labor intensive jobs Scholar had the opportunity a seventh grader and so students who are ‘falling through the Honors Scholar, as well access to Occupational Therapy. to hear Texas Governor Greg volleyball was where I as a Minerva Scholar. cracks’ of our educational system.”

Buckley, a graduate student Abbott speak on campus and meet found being tall was an She plans to open and -Sarah Scharringhausen explained: “I have been around with him personally, something asset. I just want to give operate a specialized these individuals my entire life Hoffman enjoyed. “[The governor] back to that, knowing daycare center. At this and have seen how hard they work said something along the lines of where I was in seventh grade … County. “I would like to open a daycare center, Stinson would like and the injuries and difficulties ‘when women in Texas succeed, junior high and high school girls are local therapy clinic to serve my to include extended hours and have they face as a direct result. After all of Texas succeeds,’ and I really always going through something as hometown. My business plan was extracurricular activities available working so hard to take care of liked that,” she said. they adjust to themselves and the inspired by both my parents and a on-site. She hopes to target the everyone else for so many years, Danielle Johnson world around them.” willingness to serve others.” Muir growing and substantial market of I think it’s only fair that we take Originally from Louisiana, Ayman Mehdi is from Sanger, Texas and would children of working parents. care of them as well.”

Johnson learned early in life how Mehdi, a first-year pursuing a like to open her clinic there. Muir Mikaila Summers Joan Denton culture and food go hand-in-hand Nursing degree at TWU, created plays the French horn in the TWU Nursing student, Mikaila Beginning at an early age, and allowed that to influence her a business plan that combines Wind Symphony and is “involved Summers, is from Wylie, Denton, a graduate Nutrition career choice, where she now the world of medicine with in several faith-based groups, Texas. Her nursing degree plan student, was exposed to the helps clients struggling to live a technology. Growing up, Mehdi including the Baptist Student is cohesive, supportive and vitality of daily nutrition from her healthy life style understand how heard her mother, a nurse, and Ministry and Overflow. My faith is compatible with her eventual father’s work as an Army Colonel, to be one. Johnson’s proposal businessman/software developer what motivates me to be a person business plan, which is based in determining what healthy father, discussing how of service.” the medical field. Her business rations for his troops many of the preventable Sarah Scharringhausen plan is centered on in-home would be.

Denton’s “After working so hard to take care of medical errors that her Scharringhausen, a first-year healthcare and all the benefits that proposal involves owning everyone else ... I think it’s only fair that mother saw at work could graduate student from Carrollton, can provide. This business plan is her own business where be remedied by better has a mission in life. She wants special, because the market that we take care of them as well.” she helps patients adjust understanding between to open schools that focus on she wants to target are residents in -Carrie Buckley to new restrictive diets medical professionals helping children with special low-income neighborhoods. their doctors advise, and the technology they needs and learning disabilities to Rutendo Thembani something she has had first-hand involved ways she could expand use. Mehdi seeks to “simplify the succeed and flourish, “I want to Hailing from Harare, experience with when her father and develop her current business. process for healthcare professionals make a difference for students Zimbabwe, Rutendo Thembani was diagnosed with diabetes. Johnson attends TWU online and to chart and document patient who are falling through the is seeking to obtain an EMBA “People really struggle when is currently pursuing her Master’s details efficiently.” She elaborates, cracks of our educational system.” degree at TWU. She has created doctors tell them ‘you need to in Nutrition. Johnson said: “I’m so “In the future, there will be a Scharringhausen has utilized her a business plan revolving around make these changes,’ and I can be grateful to be part of this initiative huge need for a business that can driven and focused personality natural, eco-friendly and luxury a part of that coalition,” she said. and it’s really amazing and build a bridge between medical traits to create her business plan, beauty products. She plans on Madeline Hoffman inspiring to be a part of a group of professionals and technical and wants to apply her own reaching a variety of markets, First-year Kinesiology student, amazing women entrepreneurs and innovators.” personal experiences of dealing but her target market is focused Hoffman found her way to the opportunity we’re presented Grace Muir with a learning disability to that on working women who are TWU because of the prestigious with is really invaluable.”

First-year Child Development plan. “I want to provide various environmentally-aware.

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Community

Thursday, November 17, 2016 twulasso.com

Community | Events

DENTON’S ANNUAL HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

By JORDAN KIEFER

Over this past weekend, Sat., Nov. 12 and Sun., Nov. 13, Denton hosted its annual Holiday Open House. This holiday shopping extravaganza tradition extends more than 20 years in Denton and many residents came out and shopped to their heart’s content.

With more than 40 local stores and restaurants, the Holiday Open House offered a variety of experiences for everyone. Local favorites such as Serendipity on the Square, Palm Tree Boutique, A Creative Art Studio, Pizza Snob, Beth Marie’s and Harvest House were all open for customers to either get gifts for the holidays or to stop in and get a bite to eat. People strolled through the streets of the Square and beyond.

As Denton is a unique place to live and work, many stores offered their one-ofa-kind merchandise such as clothing, art, music and much more. Shops and restaurants were decked out in holiday décor; there were special sales for consumers, and many vendors offered special drawings for the chance to win some great prizes.

Denton’s Holiday Open House was created as a way for people to get ahead of the holiday hustle and bustle of December shopping and to enjoy getting gifts for their family and friends. After Thanksgiving, chain stores and malls are packed with people

trying to get the “perfect gift,” which can be troublesome to people who know which gifts they want and want to go into a store, buy their presents, and get out. The Denton Holiday Open House offers customers a chance to go into shops and restaurants that either sell cute gifts or offer delicious food without being swarmed by hordes of people.

Tabitha Gray / The Lasso

Serendipity on the square decks out their outdoor display for the holidays.

TWU still has work to do Continued from pg 1

rest of the campus…Denton overall has done a lot of work to start to open up to the LGBTQ+ community, but there’s still a lot “...still not where it needs to be.”

According to Tamplin, this lack of of work to be done,” Tamplin says.

So, what can you do? Both on and off respect often leads trans individuals to feel campus, Tamplin strongly encourages invisible, isolated and alienated. Issues of allies to listen to the concerns and needs hypervisiblity and tokenism also arise when of marginalized voices. While sharing one trans person is asked to speak on behalf Facebook videos and showing virtual of the entire community. support is nice, they stress the importance of Tamplin shares praises and complaints physically attending rallies, social events and about trans inclusivity on campus: “TWU support groups.

Above all, they urge allies does try to foster some sense of community to educate for LGBTQ+ themselves – to members, do the work on even if it “Trying to put one student on the their own and takes those c o m m u n i t y line and say ‘this is what diversity ask questions as needed. members looks like’ is often very dangerous When allies m a k i n g rely solely on their own because it silences and excludes marg i nalized safe spaces and support other trans people’s experiences.” com mu n it ies for education, systems.

Tamplin says, There are a “It really recenters the conversation on those lot of supportive faculty members across who already have a dominant voice, and it disciplines.” Some spaces provide ample doesn’t help anyone grow.” access to single stall bathrooms, such as the They maintain that one of the best ways to ACT building. However, it is still difficult for be an ally is to recognize your privilege and trans students to feel comfortable in spaces use it to help someone else. Tamplin: “This like the Fit & Rec locker rooms. Tamplin: oftentimes means putting yourselves on the “There’s just not a lot of programming on line and I don’t think most people are ready this campus for LGBTQ+ students in terms for that.” of support for them and education for the

Community | Holidays

Denton soup kitchen to host Thanksgiving

By HEATHER HINES

Dentonites who do not have the means to provide themselves with a Thanksgiving meal this holiday can find assistance from local church outreach ministries.

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church’s soup kitchen, Our Daily Bread, has served the Denton County homeless population since 2000 and according to their website, has served 556,474 meals since their inception.

They have also hosted weekly meals, including the week of Thanksgiving.

Zane Harris, a sophomore Nursing major, has been a volunteer at Our Daily Bread for two years and enjoys donating his time in

Tabitha Gray / The Lasso

Some stores got pretty festive with decorations and merchandise.

service there.

Harris said: “I chose to continue volunteering there because it meets one of Maslow’s hierarchal needs of food and I like food and Liz [Whitaker the Kitchen coordinator] is an amazing person and so are the other people there.”

Dentonites in need of a Thanksgiving meal can also contact Life Gate Church’s Living Water Food outreach ministry and ask to be a part of the Thanksgiving Basket Outreach. The Living Water Food Ministry provides food to those in need on a weekly basis year round. They can be contacted at livingwater@mylifegate.org.

Lifestyle

Thursday, November 17, 2016 twulasso.com

Christ as His savior and is spending eternity in Heaven, where I will see him again one day.”

BEHIND THE INK JOHNNA HEADLEY

STAFF

PIC KS

Thanksgiving traditions

MICHELLE GONNET

“My brother passed away on September 8, 2009, and left this life to begin his eternal one with God. Though his life here was finite, it’s infinite in our hearts. I decided on this tattoo to remember him always and to have his life engraved as a further reminder to be bold. It depicts a perfect symbol between the number eight and the infinity sign, a picture that he knew Jesus

spend the day with my Dad’s tightknit extended family, which adds up to about 30 people. I’d like to say it’s a wonderful opportunity to get together with family we haven’t seen in a while, but it tends to fall-in as a regular gathering, only with turkey and a Skip-Bo tournament.

SARAH SEIFERT

“Family isn’t only by blood. This is a beaded bracelet called ‘kandi’ in the

Editor-in-Chief The only Thanksgiving traditions I can recall are southern and awkward. A holiday that is supposed to bring people together tends to breed jealousy among family members. Not to mention it’s unfriendly to vegetarians and vegans - do you think side dishes are going to hold me over? Please, no more corn. I’ll go further and say that Thanksgiving should be renamed National Mourning Day for the native tribes that suffered at white colonists’ hands. Lies, murder and greed was all that came from the first Thanksgiving.

JOHNNA HEADLEY

Managing Editor On Thanksgiving Day, I

AMBER ROBERTSON

Page Editor Thanksgiving has always been a time with family for me. Even when I was off at college in Idaho, I drove down to Utah, picked up my sister in Salt Lake City and my brother in Provo, and we all went down to my Aunt and Uncles’ in Cedar City. That’s my favorite Thanksgiving tradition.

Page Editor In my family, we have a tradition of my father making Paella, a Spanish seafood dish, and different shellfish dishes while he sings. My mom picks the wine and everyone comes together to eat food and spend time together. We have the

ANJELICA FRAGA

“This tattoo was a graduation gift from my mom. Harry Potter has been an incredibly important part of my life since I read the first book when I was eight years old.

It’s pretty common to get a tattoo of the Deathly Hallows, so I wanted to add a little something to it to make it more unique. It’s placed in a pretty obvious area of my body, so I get stopped and complimented on it all the time, which basically means I get to obsess over Harry Potter constantly and see other people’s awesome HP inspired tattoos!”

HEATHER HINES

Copy Editor Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Every Thanksgiving morning, my family and I watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade before we go have lunch with my mom’s side of the family and dinner with my dad’s side.

We have lots of delicious food and passionately watch football all day long.

Reporter My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is one my family started recently. In an effort to save time and kitchen space on Thanksgiving Day, my family begins baking a day early. Pies and any other desserts are made the day before, which gives my family more time to hang out together instead of rushing around the kitchen on the actual holiday.

KYNDAL COLÓN

Reporter Thanksgiving is marketed as some happy-go-lucky celebration between the friendly pilgrims and willing “Indians” that resulted in a time of peace between both groups, when in real life the Wampanoag tribe was almost completely wiped out by disease and war post-gathering.

If we recognize that Columbus Day is stupid and racist, why do we still celebrate Thanksgiving?

In short: I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.

KYRA MARSHAL

Graphic Designer My Thanksgiving is about cooking with my grandma and listening to The Spinners while my uncles crack jokes. I think about passing heavy platters of food with one hand while shoveling food in my mouth with the other. The meaning of Thanksgiving that I was originally taught in elementary school is clearly one that was drawn up by textbook editors to make children want to “share.” The Thanksgiving that I have come to know is about family, food and lots of cuss words (And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.)

EMILY WHITE

HENRY JONES

JENNIE POSADAS

JESSICA HEINZE

“So, my best friend [Kaitlyn Clements] and I are in a Master’s program together at TWU. We share some similar background stories, a love for Disney, and we each have a precious toddler! Whenever we are going through a particularly stressful time (family issues, finals, toddlers who like tantrums) we always tell each other ‘Hakuna Matata.’ So, a year ago this month, we went and got matching tattoos in Swahili for Hakuna Matata.We got them done on opposite wrists, because we are often called the ‘Toxic Twins,’ ‘Wonder Twins,’ or some other interesting name, but we are almost total opposites in terms of appearance and outlooks on life. I guess you could say we are a rather interesting duo!”

same dinner during Christmas though we may have an extra course of lamb. We have a rule that no phones are allowed and you are not allowed to leave the table during dinner.

JORDAN KIEFER

EMILY NICKLES

rave community.We love one another deeply, and have a connection stronger than most biological families. This was a kandi single I was making one day, and I just stared at it, remembering all of the beautiful faces I’ve seen, the cherished memories made, and the struggles we’ve pulled through together. I left the tattoo unfinished to show that I am still ‘stringing more beads’ to my family.

No matter where we are pulled in life, we still make time for family.”

TAYLOR HOWARD

“This is the ‘Love You’ sign in American Sign Language. ASL is my passion. I am fluent, and I want to work with the Deaf community as a social worker. This tattoo is behind my ear to represent the fact that hearing is taken for granted all of the time and to remind myself to never lose my passion. This sign is also my favorite sign, and it’s important to say these three words to loved ones every chance we get.”

Continued from pg 1

“Family is a big part of who I am, and for the most part, I have been fortunate enough to have met most of my grandparents and even some great grandparents. However, just three weeks short of my due date, my mom’s father passed away from complications of lung cancer.

As my name serves as a namesake from my ‘Papa John,’ stories about his life have always been special to me. Working for Sand Dollar Field Services, he spent time away from home on offshore drilling rigs and shore pipelines. One of the things he would often bring back for the family were sand dollars. As a tribute to him, I got my first tattoo of a sand dollar and the five doves found within which, when broken out of the shell, represents bringing goodwill and peace to the world.”

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Social Media Editor During Thanksgiving, all of my family comes to my house with food in hand. For dinner, the adults eat together and the “kids,” which includes anyone under age 30, eat at the kids table. After our meal, the adults watch football together while the kids play games outside.

Reporter Thanksgiving in my family is simple and understated.

We all just wake up late, cook together in our pajamas, laugh and reminisce. While eating, we go around the table and say something that we are thankful for (creativity encouraged).

After eating, we all just lie around and rest. Personally, I like to consider both my colonist and Native American ancestors at this time, reflecting on their lives and remembering the human aspect of this holiday.

MORGAN VILLAVASO

Reporter/Distributer My usual Thanksgiving tradition consists of working the front desk of a hotel – glamorous, I know. Since my second job is in the hospitality industry, I typically volunteer to work Thanksgiving so I can go home for Christmas and New Year’s. As the self-proclaimed Leftover Queen, Thanksgiving dinner microwaved when I get home from work is Thanksgiving dinner all the same.

TABITHA GRAY

Photographer Thanksgiving is one of my most favorite holidays. A holiday where mashed potatoes take center stage, c’mon, it’s no contest! My favorite tradition is our family getting together for lunch, playing boardgames the whole afternoon and then watching movies that night while delving into the leftovers!

We then spend the whole next day decorating for Christmas!

6

Sports

Thursday, November 17, 2016 twulasso.com

Sports | Volleyball

Volleyball team finish season at all-time low

By EMILY NICKLES After an intense weekend for the Pioneer volleyball team, TWU lost 3-0 to West Texas A&M and 3-2 to UT Permian Basin, securing Midwestern State University’s vie for the final seat of the Lone Star Conference championship tournament and ensuring the close of a season for TWU’s players.

Two games remained in the season before the weekend and TWU was toeto-toe with MSU for the eighth seat in the LSC. The Pioneers had to win at least one of the games in order to tie with Midwestern State. According to TWU Athletics, TWU would have taken priority for the eighth seat because they had beat Midwestern State in two earlier scuffles this season. In the game against West Texas A&M on Fri., Nov. 11, TWU managed a three-set match, losing to a sweep by the opposing team with a score of 25-13, 30-28 and 25-12.

The Pioneers put up a fight on Sat., Nov. 12 while playing UTPB for their final game and last shot for a seat in the LSC. TWU started strong in the first two sets, scoring 25-19 and 26-24.

The last three sets were a close loss for the team at 25-23 in sets three and four and 22-20 in the fifth and final set. Interim Head Coach Jessica Beener shared that in retrospect, the team needed to be consistent in finishing games. The rough start this semester with most of the team recovering from rhabdomyolosis made

Sports | Basketball

Basketball begins preseason 2-0 on the road

By JOHNNA HEADLEY

The Pioneer basketball preseason began with the UNT Exhibition, where TWU lost within a 12-point margin to the NCAA Division I Mean Green team. Bouncing back at the Ashbrook Classic hosted at Midwestern State University, TWU added two in the win column.

On Fri., Nov. 11, the Pioneers tipped off against Texas A&M International. TWU began the game with an 18-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. The bench came on the court and registered 21 points for the Pioneers. Points from the bench along with the a 60 percent success rate from the free-throw line combined to help the Pioneers in their 59-42 win over the Dustdevils. TWU shot 26 for 74 from the field and recorded 10 steals. Senior guard Andrea Mapua recorded a team-high of 36 minutes on the court and 14 points. Junior forward Alexis Nezianya came off of the bench to record 13 points for the Pioneers. Junior forward Grace Mitchell recorded three steals and two blocks against the Dustdevils.

The following day of tournament play, Sat., Nov. 12, the Pioneers took the court to play Adams State University. TWU went 29 for 78 on field goal attempts during the 57-46 win. After a close 30-27 score at halftime, the Pioneers went on to record 21 points in the third quarter. The bench for TWU also played a valuable role making 30 of the points. Nezianya came off of the bench once more to record a game-high of 20 points and three blocked shots for TWU. Junior guard Cienna Rodriquez also recorded four steals. Sophomore guard KJ Stastny tallied a team-high of seven assists, which resulted in TWU points.

The Pioneers will be hosting the Best Western Premier Pioneer Classic tournament during the weekend before Thanksgiving break.

TWU is scheduled to play Newman University on Sat., Nov. 19 and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs on Sun., Nov. 20. Tipoff for both of the games are set to start at 4 p.m. inside Kitty Magee Arena.

Tabitha Gray / The Lasso

Sophomore libero Makayla Mayfield (#15) saves a ball to keep play alive.

it tough: “It came down to that last game against UTPB and we won two sets and I thought we had it there, but we let them come back in the third and fourth and that was a tough battle. But I like the way our kids fought.”

In light of the outcome of the last two games of the season, some of TWU’s players beat records and set career-highs. Senior Middle Blocker Sarah Oxford recorded 36 kills during the game against UT Permian Basin, Nov. 12, which went to five sets. According to TWU athletics, Oxford set a new record for the Pioneers, where she broke the 35 kill streak set on Oct. 27, 1995 by former Pioneer Michelle Murray. Beener shared: “Sarah Oxford, our senior middle, had a great season.

She was our go-to player in everything we played new at…So seeing her step up and take on that role this

year was exciting to watch.”

Oxford also recorded 10 digs, making the game her 14th double-double of the year. First-year setter Katy Ranes made her sixth double-double of the season with 56 assists and 16 digs.

First-year defense specialist Bailey French rallied up 21 digs, a career high for the new player.

Interim Head Coach Jessica Beener commented: “It was tough...I feel like we kind of made a run there at the end, once we got all of our players healthy and of course you always have to account for injuries because they’re going to happen. I feel like we finished strong, we just got too far behind in the beginning and that really hurt us in the end.” Beener feels that the spring will offer the first-years some time to grow and mature before they hit the ground running again next fall.

THE

SCOREBOX

Tabitha Gray / The Lasso

The Pioneer basketball team will begin Lone Star Conference play on Thurs., Dec. 1.

Volleyball

Basketball

Texas Woman’s vs. West Texas A&M

Texas Woman’s vs. Texas A&M Internatio

TWU Volleyball played West Texas A&M(L) on 11/11 and UT Permian Basin(L) on 11/12.

Score by Sets West Texas A&M Texas Woman’s

1 2 3 25 30 25 13 28 12

Texas Woman’s vs. UT Permian Basin Score by Sets UT Permian Basin Texas Woman’s

1 2 3 4 5 19 24 25 25 22 25 26 23 23 20

TWU Basketball played Texas A&M Internatio(W) on 11/11 and Adams State(W) on 11/12.

Score by Qtrs

1 2 3 4 Total Texas A&M Internatio 8 8 16 10 42 Texas Woman’s 18 19 17 5 59

Texas Woman’s vs. Adams State Score by Qtrs Adams State Texas Woman’s

1 2 3 13 14 12 19 11 21

4 Total 7 46 6 57