www.HoustonianOnline.comVolume 124/ Issue 5 Thursday, September 12, 2013

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P2Faculty, staff discuss IDEA forms

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P3Advice: Hit-and-run penalties increase

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SHSU prepares to beat TSU

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Supreme confusion CAMPUS

The Sam Houston State University Student Government’s budget war continued during Tuesday night’s meeting after the Senate unanimously passed their own budget after refusing to pass the president’s.

THE NUMBERS

Student Body President Ramiro Jaime Jr. presented a revised budget to the Senate after reportedly refusing to appoint a committee to do so, as mandated by the Senate on Sept. 3. No Senator made a motion to approve the budget, which according to tradition, means the budget did not pass. It’s unclear as to how SGA by-laws stand on the issue, however.

“The intent of the budget is to efficiently run student government,” Jaime said. “All the budget is, is to say what we should do, or my suggestion of what we should do. This is what we plan to spend; an idea of what we should

do.”He said during his speech that

the Senate uses an approximate number that the budget states for “whatever it deemed necessary.”

“My point is… that we have a budget, and this is what we should use,” Jaime said. “But we don’t always go by that budget, and that’s perfectly fine. And that’s what the Senate’s job is to do: to appropriate that money that is deemed to the Senate.”

Jaime said that while the budget is important, whatever it states is not set in stone. He said that the Senate is in charge of spending the entire budget however it deems necessary except for officer stipends and administrative wages.

Jaime’s revised budget differed slightly from his original proposal. Compared to Sept. 3 proposal, he lowered the Executive Student Assistant Wages by $415 (4 percent), raised the Bearkat All Paws In budget by $1,000 (20 percent), and lowered the Senate Discretionary fund by $585 (4 percent).

Senator Steve Perry (CHSS)

presented Senate Bill F13-02 after Jaime’s presentation that highlighted an allocation of funds by the Senate and varied slightly from his budget presented on Sept. 3.

The bill kept the Officer Stipends the same as they were last year, while Jaime’s offered

pay raises to the president, vice president and chief of staff and pay decreases to the treasurer and secretary. Compared to FY 2013, it raised ESA Wages by $3,000 (67 percent), raised BAPI by $1,500 (30 percent), raised University Affairs by $250 (33 percent), and decreased the Senate

Discretionary fund by $1,450 (11 percent).

“F13-02 was written by a broad coalition of Senate members who wanted to ensure that the Senate fulfilled its obligation to be good stewards of the financial

Brynn Castro | The HoustonianROUND TWO. Student body president Ramiro Jamie Jr. presents his revised budger to the SGA senate in Tuesday’s meeting. The budget never even made it to a vote. The Senate unanimously voted to approve a competing allocation of funds that they say would act as the budget for this fiscal year.

JAY R. JORDANSenior Reporter

The Lowman Student Center expantion can’t go forward as quickly as hoped because some student’s fees are waived, according to Dan McDaniel, director of the LSC.

In the fall of 2012, the students passed a referendum agreeing to increase their LSC fee from $60 to $100 to pay for a new LSC.

After the increase went into place, McDaniel believed the LSC was on track to start building soon. McDaniel said the staff then realized that several students’ LSC fees are waived.

McDaniel said that students who are solely distance learners don’t have to pay student center fees, as well as, state mandated waivers and university policy waivers.

He said in the past fiscal year, which ended Aug. 31, $709,000 in fees were waived.

“Financing is a challenge right now,” McDaniel said. “We’re working through to try and figure out how to make those financing payments and looking at different alternatives.”

McDaniel wants to ensure the students that their fee increase is still going towards LSC construction.

“In the meantime what we

have done is open a construction account for the university,” McDaniel said.

Any excess that the students have been paying, or the $40 increase, is being put into a construction account.

According to McDaniel the LSC is tackling some of the small things that the students and staff have requested be changed, while raising funds to begin building.

Some people on campus had complained about the dim lighting in the LSC Lobby. McDaniel said that they have had a company come in and look at the lighting and change out the existing lights. They are currently working on a plan.

McDaniel also said that they have bought more narrow tables to maximize the occupancy in the rooms.

“We have so many organizations and we only have three rooms that will hold really over 50 people,” McDaniel’s said.

With the narrow tables occupancy went up from 100 to 120.

There is no projected date for the actual construction of the new LSC. The LSC needs to raise enough money to make a bond payment equal to the cost. McDaniel’s said this will be around $800,000 to break ground.

It is unclear how much money has been set aside so far

LSC indefinitely postponed until funds are found

MOLLY WADDELLAssociate Editor

Internet companies refuse to grant government access to client info

Recently there has been a popular conception that major technology companies, such as Apple, Facebook and Google, are apathetic towards their clients being spied on by the National Security Agency, according to Patrick Gray from Wired.com.

According to Facebook, this isn’t the case. Their engineering team published a blog post stating that all access to their site via apps and web browsers was now SSL

(Secure Socket Layer) encrypted on the same day the media released detailed documents on NSA’s “X-Keyscore” collection program.

Wired.com’s sources in Facebook say it is merely a coincidence that the documents came out on the same day, and the company had been in the process of enabling the encryption across the board for years.

Andy Bennett, Director of the Center for Excellence in Digital Forensics at SHSU, cautioned that while Facebook is SSL

encrypted, it doesn’t mean that it is impregnable. He used Facebook as an example.

“Encrypting the traffic is a meaningless step,” Bennett said. “When Facebook says it’s encrypted, they’ve only eliminated one of the myriad of attacks. The NSA is able to cooperate with vendors. Just because they don’t have the explicit cooperation with Facebook, doesn’t mean that they didn’t have the cooperation with the developers of the app.”

CHRISTIAN VAZQUEZStaff Reporter

CAMPUS

BEARKAT MANIA. Cameron Walker, junior mass communication major, plays football at the Alpha Tau Omega booth, during Bearkat Mania. Bearkat Mania is an event where campus clubs and community businesses get together to welcome the Bearkat community back.

Kaleigh Treiber| The Houstonian

— TECH, page 2

SGA officials say budget fight will go to high court

— SGA, page 2

Page 2

houstonianonline.com/news

News Thursday, September 12, 2013

Previously governments could rely on complicit or compromised certificate authorities to provide them with the means to catch encrypted traffic. Google recently made changes to their Chrome browser to curtail this practice. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is planning to follow suit.

“[They] are enabling security features that make certain types government surveillance very difficult,” Gray said about the tension between the tech companies and the NSA. “In fact, advancements in cryptographic protocols have made anti-surveillance features relatively simple for tech companies to bake into their communications products.”

While it seems that Facebook, Google and Apple have the upper hand, there are still questions on whether the situation is settled.

“It’s not over,” Bennett said. “This is only the beginning. There’s still plenty of room for corporate America, United States government and international governments to essentially go to

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Faculty, staff discuss evaluation methodsThe Academic Affairs

Subcommittee of the Faculty Senate held a town hall meeting to discuss the use of IDEA evaluation forms and Faculty Evaluation Survey (FES) 1 and 2 of the faculty evaluation process.

This meeting was held in the Lowman Student Center Theatre f on Wednesday.

Subcommittee Chair Sheryl Murphy-Manley, Ph.D., gave a presentation of the subcommittee’s proposed university revision to the FES 1 and 2 followed by an open forum discussion with faculty members.

The faculty member FES Form 6 is used to determine final faculty evaluations and is separated into five different fields, according to Murphy-Manley, the teaching part of the evaluation is determined by the department chair rating, the FES 1, and student ratings, FES 2.

The Form 6 evaluations are used to rank the overall average of faculty members and in determining adjustments to faculty salary. The subcommittee has proposed three major changes to the current system.

They recommend that the FES 2 be determined by adjusted scores of the IDEA evaluations. IDEA scores are the student evaluations given at the end of each semester regarding their class experience and are thereafter used by the university to assess faculty merit. Determining adjusted scores currently means taking into

account five questions asked in the survey.

Two questions have been identified as having a significant impact on a student’s evaluation: item 39 “I really wanted to take this course regardless of who taught it,” and item 13 “As a rule, I put forth more effort than other students on academic work.” This essentially means that if a student had high motivation to take a class and evaluated the professor highly, the adjusted score will go down from the IDEA score as the student was already more susceptible to enjoy the class; and likewise if a student had no motivation to take the class and evaluated the professor lowly the adjusted score will increase of the raw score, according to the

presentationThe second proposed

recommendation would be to switch from the IDEA long form to the short form and to add discipline-specific questions on the new form. In the past, the university has never chosen to use the short form, according to Murphy-Manley

This would mean students would only have 18 questions to ask instead of 47, leaving more space for student comments and only three questions will adjust the raw scores.

The subcommittee also recommends changing the wording of the FES Form 6. Under the teaching portion of the evaluation FES 1 and 2 would

be clarified. They recommend changing the Chair Rating to Chair Rating of Teaching including Faculty Effectiveness and Student Ratings would be revised as IDEA Summary Adjusted Scores.

The subcommittee said the reason for this proposed change is so that department chair ratings of faculty will not be influenced by the student IDEA evaluation scores.

The Faculty Senate and the Provost’s office hosted IDEA Center representatives, a video presentation of the Q&A can be found by faculty on Blackboard, and they stated that IDEA scores should not determine more than 50 percent of overall teaching evaluations for faculty.

Following the presentation, subcommittee members held an open discussion with 30 to 40 faculty members in attendance. Several faculty members expressed concern that the IDEA system is used in determining their merit system. Others expressed confusion over the fact that their scores are lowered by the adjustments for 50 percent of the faculty, while the other 50 percent experience an increase.

Then faculty was also bothered by the fact that the evaluation that students make when determining if they work harder than other students is subjective and therefore not valid or reliable criteria to be used in the adjustment of student evaluation scores.

“I thought the meeting provided a really lively discussion and brought to light a number of crucial issues regarding teacher evaluations on campus,” Faculty member Dr. Richard Watts from the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling said.

Subcommittee members Paul Loeffler, Ph.D., James Crosby, Ph.D., Rick White, Ph.D., and Kevin Clifton, Ph.D. also contributed to the presentation, along with William Jasper and Doug Ulrich who were not in attendance.

Faculty members were also given a survey to help contribute their opinions to the proposed changes and to offer any of their own. There will be a second Faculty Senate presentation in the LSC Theater Tuesday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. for any faculty who were unable to attend.

SAMANTHA GALINDOContributing Reporter

OPEN FORUM From left: subcommittee members, James Crosby, Ph.D., Kevin Clifton, Ph.D., Rick White, Ph.D., and Chair Cheryl Murphey-Manley, lead the faculty and staff meeting.

Kaleigh Treibor | The Houstonian

Tensions are rising between local property owner Tarek Maalouf and the SHSU administration.

The University wants to acquire land Maalouf recently purchased from the City of Huntsville. Maalouf ’s black “Eminent Doom” signs stand scattershot across the front of Maalouf ’s and his allies’ properties.

The sign’s message is a defiant allusion to the university’s eminent domain power, a longstanding practice that allows government entities to acquire private land without the owner’s permission. The only stipulations are that the previous owner is paid fair market value for his land and the land must be designated for public use.

SHSU’s desire to acquire the property stems from its updated master plan and the need for a new building to house the ROTC and Veteran’s Resource Center. Both are currently located in Academic Building III which is scheduled to be razed in 2016.

The disputed property is a 2.5-acre parcel at 2257 Sam Houston Ave., which had formerly been

used as an Army Reserve facility. Two structures currently occupy the site: a 7,500 square feet red brick building and a 2,000 square feet metal unit used for vehicle storage.

According to SHSU Associate Director of Communications Julia May, the ROTC presently uses around 11,000 square feet of space at ABIII, but the university is prepared to renovate the existing structures if necessary to accommodate the program.

Maalouf purchased the property Aug. 20 from the City of Huntsville for $650,000 and has plans to develop the property into a mixed-use facility with both commercial and residential features.

Maalouf owns several properties in Huntsville totaling more than $1.5 million, according to the Walker County Appraisal District. He also owns Jaidyn’s and the Draft Bar.

COLIN HARRISAssistant News Editor

SHSU wants local man’s land for new ROTC building

TECH, page 1

BACK AND FORTH. The land that the school wishes to acquire is located on Sam Houston Avenue near Jack in the Box.

Kaleigh Treiber | The Houstonian

Sam Houston State University computer users may have experienced a problem with their internet connectivity on Tuesday.

Kea Harvin with IT@Sam said that one of their log in servers went down so anyone who got on them was kicked off of internet. As of Wednesday, the problem was resolved and no one else compained of internet issues.

Information collected by Molly Waddell

F a c e b o o k . c o m /TheHoustonianSHSU

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GOT NEWS TIPS, COOL STORIES, NEW EVENTS?Send them to Molly Waddell or Colin Harris to let us know what’s going on!

mwaddell@houstonianonline.com

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News BriefIT@Sam experienced brief internet connectivity issues for some users

Page 3houstonianonline.com/viewpoints

Viewpoints

Articles, letters and cartoons by Houstonian staff members or others in this paper are their own and not the opinion of the Houstonian, unless it is noted as such. Submissions and letters to the editor are welcome. Please send submissions to viewpoints@houstonianonline.com. Articles may be edited for grammar and spelling at discretion of editor. Deadline for submission is by 5 p.m. on Mondays, or Wednesdays.

EDITOR’S NOTE

The Houstonian was named in the top 100 college newspapers for journalism students by JournalismDegree.org. Members of Associated Collegiate Press and Texas Intercolligiate Press Association.

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Drugs. Some people choose them, some don’t. They provide something that Huntsville is very deficient in: hours upon hours of entertainment. While smoking isn’t great on the body, marijuana usually doesn’t contain the tar common in many legal tobacco products. One of the most important arguments in favor of drug use is that it doesn’t hurt anyone but the person choosing to take it.

What nobody has probably

pointed out is that the United States’ insatiable appetite for drugs is the main cause of horrific devastation in a trail of countries from Columbia to Mexico. On Aug. 6, 10 Hondurans were killed in a gun fight fueled by drug violence. Another nine died on Aug. 18 in Mexico of similar circumstances.

With people forced into organized crime at a young age, an increasing number of high-ranking government officials are bribed and entire cities co-opted by drug cartels, the living conditions that our southern neighboring countries deal with are unbearable and abhorrent. According to Jessica Keralis from the Forced Immigration Review, this has led to many people understandingly want to flee Latin America and is a large contributing factor to the immigration dilemma.

We are responsible for this. Chances are no one reading this article has directly shot at innocent Mexican civilians, but if you have ever purchased marijuana

without knowing where it comes from you are partly responsible for these massive problems. While it’s tempting to blame the government for not legalizing it, the government holds much less responsibility than casual American drug users. The black market directly thrives on the money you have exchanged for that sweet piece of grass. The only question now is: how can we make it better?

1) Stop using entirely: This is a hard thing to do. Living in Huntsville makes watching grass grow seem like a thrilling alternative. However, it’s very expensive. There are legal, cheaper substances such as alcohol and video games which can entertain you for hours at a time. What I actually would advocate is that people spend less time smoking pot, and more time volunteering, or starting that awesome organization what would make Huntsville a more interesting place to hang out.

2) Know your grower. If you

choose to dope up and get your stash from Colorado, Washington or California, it’s probably not supporting the cartels. Even if it is supporting a black market, it’s showing that the stuff from south of the border is undesirable and changing market practices to move things to our own country. Given that the United States has a much more established law enforcement infrastructure, the money will stay and stimulate the national economy while the violence won’t dramatically increase above the border. Last but not least, everyone interviewed on the subject says the American stuff is of a much better quality.

3) Take intro to agriculture. Then invest in the materials to grow your own at home. If you are doing the growing, you are taking full responsibility for the risks and consequences of participating in illegal activity, rather than exporting those risks south. Also, you can make sure it’s organic.

If you are going to do drugs, do so responsibly.

Any car accident is serious business that can cost thousands of dollars, emotional damage and even death. Those who hit a vehicle and fail to render aid, more commonly known as a hit-and-run, will now face stronger consequences than ever before. Previous to the passing of Senate Bill 275, a hit-and-run was classified as a third degree felony, punishable by up to ten

years in prison. Often, the hit and run involved someone who was intoxicated. Because intoxicated manslaughter is a second degree felony punishable up to 20 years in prison, many hit-and-run offenders flee the scene, leading victims to serious injury and sometimes death.

Now with the unanimous vote in favor for S.B. 275, the consequences for a hit-and-run in a deadly accident will be the same as the consequences of intoxicated manslaughter. Officials hope that this will encourage the offenders to render aid to those they have hit (since intoxication is usually

involved in a hit-and-run, offenders avoided intoxicated manslaughter by fleeing the scene—a loophole in the law).

This law took effect Sept. 1, 2013. Officials say that encouraging offenders to stay at the scene to measure blood alcohol levels could mean the difference between life and death, as well as easing the investigation process. “If you look at it from an investigative perspective, it’s very difficult to prove intoxicated manslaughter when you’ve got to go back hours or days later when they finally do identify who the suspected driver was,” Commander

Donald Daker of the Austin Police Department stated.

How do you feel about S.B. 275? Is it effective enough to deter hit-and-run accidents? Are the penalties enough? Are they too severe? Let us know your opinion on our Facebook (fb.com/BearkatLaw) or Twitter (@BearkatLaw).

If you have been a victim of a hit-and-run accident, or you have been charged with a criminal offense, please schedule an appointment with our office. Appointments can be made by telephone (936) 294-1717, email slms@shsu.edu, or online at shsu.edu/legalservice.

STEVIE HALLStudent Legal Services

LawyeredTexas hit-and-run penalties increase with new laws

Thursday, September 12, 2013

MOLLY SHOVEViewpoints Editor

now your grower

ed to drop the fake dope

Recreational drugs such as methamphetamines, cocaine, marijuana and opium have been used and abused for about as long as humans have had sentience. Scientists have recently discovered hallucinogen paraphernalia dating back to the Stone Age. In this day and age, people are not so accepting of the human desire to alter perception and the use of

some recreational drugs has been made an illegal act.

That is where synthetic marijuana comes into the picture. Marketed as a “legal high” when it first came out nearly a decade ago, synthetic marijuana—which also goes by K2, Kush, Spice, and dozens of other names—was easily accessible, legal, and didn’t turn up in drug tests. This made it advantageous for younger users.

It is made by mixing a potpourri of dried, aromatic plants with powdered chemicals that are then mixed together with acetone, which bonds the compounds to the dried leaves. Underground chemists also use artificial chemicals such as JWH-18 (used in fertilizers) and JWH-018 (used as a painkiller).

Unfortunately, for those in search of a higher form of entertainment, synthetic marijuana was never made to be

used as a recreational drug. John Huffman, the man who

developed the drug in an effort to find synthetic alternatives to medical marijuana, says that it was “not meant for human consumption” and “absolutely should not be used as recreational drugs.” Synthetic marijuana has not been tested for safety, and poison center experts have called synthetic drug use a health risk and a public hazard. There are many life-threatening side effects involved in using the drug, some of them being hallucinations, seizures, kidney damage, severe anxiety, suicidal actions, and psychotic episodes.

A report filed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has linked synthetic marijuana to 11,406 drug-related emergency department visits in 2010, which is a whole lot less than the 461,028

people who were admitted for the use of actual marijuana, but still presents a big issue. One-third of the 11,406 cases were people between the ages of 12 and 17, and another 35 percent of the 11,406 cases were people between the ages of 18 and 24.

In Texas alone, there have been two recent cases involving the use of synthetic marijuana. The first incident, which occurred in 2011, involved three teenage boys who had heart attacks after smoking the drug.

The second incident took place in February of this year, the victim being a 16-year-old girl named Emily Bauer from Cypress. Shortly after smoking synthetic marijuana she had purchased from a convenience store, she suffered a series of strokes and was put into an induced coma. Bauer still suffered from blindness and partial paralysis even after

months of treatment. Another story is that of

Kyle Smith from Forest Hill, Maryland, who experienced a psychotic breakdown after smoking synthetic marijuana when he was 15. He is now 18, has been institutionalized 17 times for psychiatric care, and has attempted to commit suicide three times.

According to the Dick Law Firm, synthetic marijuana is now illegal in Texas, and anyone charged with the manufacture or sale of this substance will be facing criminal charges varying from a Class B misdemeanor to a first degree felony, depending on the amount of the synthetic substance.

So, if any of you are considering getting high on synthetic marijuana—or any kind of recreational drug—don’t put it in your pipe and smoke it.

ALEXA GRIGSBYAssisstant Viewpoints Editor

PAWS UP to Peppermint mochas and pumpkin spice

lattes at Starbucks

PAWS UP

PAWS DOWN

PAWS DOWN to $200 textbooks that you won’t even

read

In the Sept. 10 issue of The Houstonian, we incorrectly published an article about Artificial Intelligence by Jordan Sparks and gave credit to Tarek Maalouf. Furthermore we published it under the heading “letter to the editor.” The correct version of both Mr. Maalouf and Mr. Sparks’ writing is available online. We apologize for any inconvenience.

CORRECTION

The Houstonian interviewed Derek Wayne Johnson, an actor/director who has worked on dozens of films, during a seminar to a film class.

Johnson attended Stephen F. Austin as a film student, by his senior year he had already begun to work in the film industry. He visited Sam Houston State University on Monday for a screening and chat with film students in the mass communication department.

He has his own production company, AJ16 Entertainment, and continues to work in front of and behind the camera in movies such as his film “Broken Blood,” which won the Hoboken International Film Festival award for New York Post Best Feature Film Trailer.

Here’s what he had to say:

Joseph Redd. Is more or less difficult to direct and act, rather than just acting?

Derek Johnson. Directing

and acting at the same time is extremely difficult and I don’t recommend it to anyone. You lose a little bit of both in the process and I’ll never do it again. Unless you are someone like Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone or Orson Welles, someone who has the money. In a smaller environment like [Broken Blood], it’s harder because you’re already wearing so many hats. The only reason I played the lead was because I’m free, cheap and always on time. As I watch it now, I’m thinking to myself: I should have done this, this and this differently because I didn’t notice during the process because my mind was in so many places. I don’t recommend it, but if you want to be a filmmaker, of course. Go for it.

JR. How did you get your start?

DJ. I got my start at the film school at Stephen F. Austin and also got into business in Shreveport, where I live now. When Hollywood came to Shreveport, I got in a lot of big Hollywood movies, knowing that I wanted to be a filmmaker and that time an actor as well. So I started getting small roles in TV, movies and indies, all the while I

kept writing scripts in my spare time. Ultimately all of it led up to getting the contacts necessary to do my own film.

JR. Are you working on anything now?

DJ. Yeah, actually. Tom [Garrett] and I are doing a documentary together about John G. Avildsen, the director of Rocky and Karate Kid. I just finished up my latest film called Scrape, which is a horror movie that just got worldwide distribution. I get to shoot another feature film later this year, and I have a slate in 2014 for a feature film. I don’t sleep.

JR. If you could ask Dwayne right out of film school advice, what would it be?

DJ. Treat this as show business, it’s not show art. We’re all artists, I’ve never not been an artist. But I wished I would have walked out school with my business head on, and not just focused on art.

Along with Broken Blood, Johnson’s latest film “Scrape” will premiere at the Northeast Film Festival at the Maplewood Theatre in New Jersey.

Page 4

houstonianonline.com/a-e

Tuesday, September 12, 2013Arts&Entertainment

FILM

Q&A with Texas actor/directorJOSEPH REDDArts & Entertainment Editor

Courtesy AJ16 Entertainment

The curriculum of W.A.S.H. is extensive and even said to be “overwhelming” in certain cases, but out of the program many artists are pursuing a professional career in the arts.

Workshop in Art Studio and History, or W.A.S.H., is unlike the usual studio foundations program. It has an immersive, experimental studio environment for exploring and creating different forms of art, officials said.

After completing this course, students will have completed a total of nine credit hours. There are three separate courses, which include two studio sections and a Friday lecture. W.A.S.H. exposes students to a variety of styles, approaches, material, and perceptions.

Before entering the program, many students are informed by former art students about the challenges of the W.A.S.H. Program.

“I heard that W.A.S.H. was pretty intense, and I was pretty intimidated and scared,” Ashton Miller said. “I expected a lot of work and harsh deadlines.”

Some students were even told that they would not be getting a lot of sleep, in part, due to the multiple group projects and prompt deadlines.

Past participants of the program said it had a lasting effect on its students.

“I might like to call W.A.S.H. the ‘identity check’ because you are not the same person afterward as opposed to who you were before,” mentor for W.A.S.H Ashton Leath said. “You change and mold into the professional you will become in the real world, and W.A.S.H. is like a jumpstart into that process.”

Other students say they realize their futures, or lack thereof, as artists during their stint in the program.

As former art student and current mentor Luis Guitan said, “Once you come out of it, you look around you, and you realize the true meaning of art.”

Valerie Powell, assistant professor of art and foundations coordinator, runs the W.A.S.H. program.

According to Powell the W.A.S.H. Program is like an art boot camp that prepares the students for the real world while also teaching them social skills. It is supposed to challenge and push the students, giving them a good base for their other upcoming art courses.

“We try to instill in our students to take chances, to take risks,”

she said. “Not to be afraid to try something new.”

Tony Shipp who was the previous art department chair founded the program in 2009. Shipp attended the University of Florida, where he found his inspiration in their art program called W.A.R.P. (Workshop for Art Research and Practice).

Henderson spoke about the desire to expand the program.

“The W.A.S.H. program is very successful,” he said. “Other schools are interested because it is the only program of its kind in Texas.”

The art department rented a space in downtown Huntsville where there will host an art gallery for student work later in the fall.

CAMPUS

GRACE NGOContributing Reporter

WASHED UP. WASH students work on several projects throughout their time in the program including group and individual projects.

Submitted photo.

WASH welcomes art students to fieldELIGIBLE BEARKAT S

Rarren Adonis Buchanan Age: 22Classification: Junior Major/Minor: Business-Economics/Mass CommunicationsHometown: Brigham, TexasGraduation date: May 2014Interest: Basketball, working out, reading, doing various community services activities with The Talented Tenth.Pets: Pitbull named Mellow Favorite Music: Old-school ‘80s and ‘90s, R&B, hip-hop, country, jazz, dubstep, etcFavorite Movies: Comedies, action, suspense, horror, chick flicks; “The Notebook” in specificUltimate Goal: “To be selfless, to give back to somebody who is in need without asking for anything in return. Also to be an example or role model to the youth and others.”Catch phrase: Likes to kill the ladies with a little mythology by telling them “I am Adonis”Likes in women: Personality, intellectual, nice smile & Physique, has goals, God FearingDislikes: Bad B/O, ugly feet, ashy elbows, controlling

Jordan LeVasseur Age:21Classification: Junior Major/Minor: Graduation: August 2014Interest: Sigma Sigma Sigma, friends, swimming, Dancing, going out, out doors, activities, olympicsFavorite music: Alternative rock, Indie popFavorite Movie: “National Treasure” Likes in a guy: Tall, out going, down to earth, givingDislikes: guys who wear affliction, ed hardy, douche bags, guys who dip, hicksPet: Cat named CappieUltimate goal “to work for Summit Entertainment and move to New York City.”How to get her attention: by starting as her friend

DESTINI OGBANNAContributing Reporter

Page 5houstonianonline.com/sports

SportsFOOTBALL

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Sam Houston State University’s 2012 Southland Conference Player of the Year started her collegiate volleyball career on the bench.

Deveney Wells-Gibson only played in 49 sets and posted 22 kills her freshman year; a stark contrast preceding her sophomore year where she totaled 466 kills in 113 matches.

“Deveney’s freshman year, she was really quiet. She wore these purple headphones and we didn’t always know she was there,” setter Tayler Gray said.

Time and roster changes contributed to Wells-Gibson’s high performance level, head coach Brenda Gray said. Wells-Gibson’s role changed once Tayler Gray integrated into the starting roster, she said.

“The setters [Gibson’s] freshman year didn’t really utilize her,” Brenda Gray said. “[Tayler Gray] wasn’t afraid to set her.”

Even though Wells-Gibson Player of the Year, she said that was never her goal. She explained being a strong offensive factor on the team, and getting more floor time.

“I wanted to contribute,” she said. “So, I put that on my goal board. My mindset just changed. The Player of the Year award came as a result.”

Wells-Gibson said she feels she has already stepped into a bigger leadership role this season after graduating five key seniors from last year’s team. Tayler Gray said Wells-Gibson’s natural leadership has helped motivate the incoming freshmen this year.

“With new players, everyone has had to step up.” Wells-Gibson said.

Tayler Gray is in her final season with the Bearkats and feels comfortable leaving the leadership role in the hands of Wells-Gibson.

“I wouldn’t choose anyone else to lead this team,” Gray said. “[She] works hard. She is a complete player; she can pass, she can hit. She has a complete game.”

Wells-Gibson has surged this season as a leading force for the Bearkat offense. In the

first two weekends of play, she has posted a tournament high 18 kills in their victory over Loyola-Maryland as well as a member in the All-Tournament selection in the Appalachian State Mountaineer Invitational tournament.

“Coaching a player of Deveney’s caliber is wonderful,” Brenda Gray said. “She has a very kind soul and I love her.”

With such strong talent in Wells-Gibson and other players on the team, Coach Gray isn’t waiting until next year to see changes in the team, she said.

“We’re still inserting girls into positions, but we have the pieces.”

The Bearkats are looking to improve upon their 3-5 record this weekend as they host the Sam Houston Invitational. They will host conference rival Lamar University first on Friday night at 7 p.m.

Player of the Year leads team, grew over timeMARRISA HILLSports Reporter

Kim Wroth | The HoustonianALL-STAR: Junior outside hitter Deveney Wells-Gibson recorded 466 kills in 113 matches during her breakout sophomore season to claim the Southland Conference’s “Player of the Year” award.

Kats working out kinks, prep for TSUCONNOR HYDESports Editor

Sam Houston State University’s secondary returned to the fundamentals during practice this week, after handing over 714 total offensive yards against Texas A&M University offense in week two.

Assistant defensive coach Darnell Taylor said the defense has worked tackling and coverage drills in preparation for Texas Southern University on Saturday.

Head coach Willie Fritz said following the Aggie game he did not enforce heavy contact and tackling work during summer and fall camps; a problem evident against Johnny Manziel. The Heisman winner exposed the Bearkat’s weak tackling by eluding defenders when cornered in the backfield.

Taylor emphasized perfection was not expected from the Bearkats but strong cohesive play was inconsistent against the Aggies.

“Last week we didn’t have to play perfect but we had to play darn good,” he said. “[Fritz] made a point this week we just got to do what we do best and not focus on the other team.”

Youth and a lack of physicality has troubled the Bearkats early defensively, but still remains cloudy with the starters only logging four quarters in the first two weeks.

“It’s a young group with a lot of skill,” Taylor said. “Pretty much there are still spots up for grabs.”

Fritz added allowing young players clock gameplay will help mature the defense into a strong force.

“A lot of is repetition, repetition, repetition—being there, seeing it, doing it,” he said.

Running back Timothy Flanders has showcased his field vision and open field speed early this season and can expect a repeat effort against the Tigers. Flanders rushed for a mere 49 yards against TSU last season, but was a strong proponent for SHSU’s total 346 offensive yards against the Tigers.

Offensive coordinator Doug Ruse’s running attack has fared strong early this season, accumulating 605 rushing yards

in the first two weeks. Against the Aggies, Ruse inflicted potent options and sweeps against a stifled defense with Flanders leading the charge for 173 yards.

“We’re a run first offense,” Flanders said. “We’re going to try and win the running game and we’re going to try and stop the running game.”

The All-American running back has received support on the outside with the return of receiver Torrance Williams after a mid-season injury. Against the Aggies, Williams opened

holes for Flanders to attack for down the sideline, allowing the running back to work into the red-zone. Flanders added despite the strength in the running game, finding receivers in open field will complete Ruse’s playbook.

“We’re trying to make a statement,” he said. “We want to win most of our games and we have a good set of receivers. We have to run it at them to get them out to make the passing game happen. “

Fritz said Saturday’s game is a chance to redeem the squad

before entering conference play in the first weeks of October. SHSU’s starters have only logged four quarters of playtime during weeks one and two, and will look to solidify their conference run.

“We’re not going to settle for almost getting things done, we need to get it done.”

Kickoff is at 2 p.m. at Bowers Stadium.

Alex Broussard | The HoustonianREDEMPTION: Cornerback Desmond Fite heads towards the sideline against Texas A&M in the 65-28 loss in week two. Head coach Willie Fritz said tackling and communication in the secondary has been a priority during the week’s practices to prepare for Texas Southern University Saturday.

For more info, visit the Houstonian website or the althetic department website at GoBearkats.com.

VOLLEYBALL

CAN’T MAKE IT TO THE FOOTBALL GAME??

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Sam Houston State University’s women soccer team will begin a six away-game stretch opening with Texas State University in San Marcos Friday night.

SHSU (2-1-2) is looking to clinch their first road win this regular season following consecutive losses against the University of Texas – San Antonio and the University of North Texas, as well as a 120-minute scoreless draw with South Dakota State University.

Texas State is undefeated at home this season, but is coming into Friday’s match on a three game winless streak.

The young Bearkat defense will need to shut down the sister duo of Lynsey and Sydney Curry, whom have put up five of the nine Bobcat goals this season. Goalie

Kylie Hambleton is looking to attain the Bearkats’ fourth shutout of the season. “We’re excited about what we got [on defense],” head coach Tom Brown said. “We just got to continue to learn and work hard.”

SHSU will continue to work production upfront as they were against Prairie View A&M. The team racked up 26 shots this past weekend, scoring three goals in the process.

This is the second to last non-conference game for the Bearkats.

Freshman Shannon Shields said sees this as a helpful tool before they head into Southland Conference play Sept. 20 against Abilene Christian University.

“It prepares us a lot for different types of teams,” she said. “It gives us an opportunity to see other styles of teams we can be facing.”

The Bearkats will face the Bobcats beginning at 7 p.m. at the Bobcat Soccer Complex.

JEREMY VILLANUEVAContributing Reporter

Kim Wroth | The HoustonianON THE ROAD AGAIN: Sam Houston State soccer initiate a six-game road stretch this Friday against Texas State University in San Marcos. The Bearkats have not claimed a road win during the 2013 season and are coming off a 3-0 home victory against Prarie View A&M.

resources,” Perry said after the meeting. “In order to assist the Senate in fulfilling that obligation, the SGA Constitution and the Rules and Procedures empower the Senate to consider and pass bills allocating funds.”

WHO’S GOT THE POWER?

The discussion shifted early on from arguing numbers to arguing powers granted to the president and senate in their constitution, and rules and regulations.

Jaime made a point of order during the meeting stating that the Senate did not have the power to propose a budget.

Even after Senator Spencer Copeland pointed out to the president that the Senate had the power to allocate funds according to the rules and procedures, the president didn’t relent on his position, saying the constitution explicitly gave him the powers to create and present a budget.

Perry quickly argued with the president and moved to overturn his ruling as allowed by Robert’s Rules of Order. The motion passed unanimously.

Rules on money and the budget appear three times in SGA governing documents.

The SGA Rules and Procedures (Rule 5, Section A, Subsection 1) states the Senate has the power to “entertain various types of legislation, including (1) Senate Bills… Such bills shall include: allocating moneys…”

“As is stated in the Rules and Procedures, only the Senate has the authority to enact legislation allocating Student Governments financial resources,” Perry said after the meeting. “During this week’s meeting, the Senate considered a number of factors before it unanimously approved F13-02 as SGA’s official operating budget for this fiscal year.”

Jaime refuted this statement saying they have to be first given the funds.

“What [the rule] allows them to do, is it allows them to allocate money given to them,” Jaime said. “So, it’s the money I give the Senate… After that, whatever they vote on, that’s the power they have to allocate money.”

In the SGA Constitution (Article IV, Section 4, Subsection [i]), the president has “the responsibility to act as the chief of economics and establish an outlined budget to be presented to the Senate in mid-September each year with assistance of the SGA Treasurer. The budget is to outline revenues and expenditures.”

“There’s nowhere in the Constitution anywhere that gives them any power over the budget,” Jaime said.

Jaime said that he believes that F13-02 is illegal, and he has not made up his mind whether he will veto the bill or not. After the meeting Jaime said he intends to send

this issue to the Supreme Court. Vice President Kolby Flowers sent

a statement to The Houstonian on Wednesday, stating the president is “wrong” on the entire issue and even acknowledged SB F13-02’s legitimacy during the meeting.

“I raised a point of information to the Senate on Tuesday, clarifying that regardless of whether or not (Jaime) believes the Senate has the right to pass a budget, the Senate has the power to do what it thinks is necessary,” Flowers said citing the “necessary and proper clause” in the governing documents. “(Jaime) agreed with this point of information during Tuesday’s meeting, that once the Senate passes a bill it is law, until otherwise decided by the Supreme Court. Senate Bill F13-02 is the law as acknowledged publicly by Jaime during Tuesday’s meeting by agreeing to this point of information.”

He also said that during a voluntary meeting among SGA officials, he changed his mind about reforming Officer Stipends, an issue for which he was originally a proponent. Flowers said he was convinced that changing officer’s salary was unfair after they were voted into office expecting a certain amount.

“President Jaime has refused several calls for compromise and negotiation,” Flowers said. “His attempt to hijack the budget process was thwarted after the Senate unanimously voted to over turn his ruling on how he interpreted the constitution and the rules and regulations of the Senate.”

Flowers said that after Tuesday’s meeting, he was approached by SGA members about the process of impeaching the president.

“Several senators came to me as the head of the Internal Affairs Department to find out the process for impeaching [Jaime],” Flowers said. “I don’t necessarily support or am I against an impeachment, but at least five senators asked me about it.”

No official action has happened with the legislation, any lawsuit being brought to the Supreme Court, or any impeachment procedures as of press time.

According to the SGA Constitution, the president has until Sept. 15 to sign or veto the legislation.

SGA, page 1

SHSU begins six game stretch SOCCER

High heel run to raise cancer awareness HEALTH

The iGoPink breast cancer charity was on campus Tuesday advocating the importance of developing and maintaining a cancer-preventive lifestyle.

According to the National Cancer Institute, a preventive lifestyle focuses on integrated wellness. This means the “whole person”—physically, mentally, and emotionally—is changing their

way of life to zero in on cancer prevention.

“The Integrated Cancer Care message is so vital to the prevention and treatment of Breast Cancer,” Catie Fuller, iGoPink director of marketing, said.

The institute also states that self-conducted examinations, diet, exercise and proper nutrition are key components of breast cancer prevention. When the whole body is healthy, they say, it is less likely that unregulated cell growth will occur, including a 40 percent

reduction in risk. The group handed out

information concerning healthy choices, healthy habits, early detection methods and a grocery list consisting of recommended health foods to students.

In support of its wellness campaign, iGoPink also handed out flyers inviting students to participate in its fourth annual Stiletto Sprint in the Woodlands on Saturday. The sprint is designed to encourage physical exercise while supporting the Breast

Cancer Charities of America. “Our mission is to have fun and

do good,” Fuller said.The sprint is a 50-meter dash

where runners wear high heels and compete for the fastest time. Both women’s and men’s stiletto sprints are held, as well as a youth and co-ed sneaker sprint.

In addition to the registration fee, participants are encouraged to raise additional funding for the charity. Donations help fund the Breast Cancer Charities’ network of hospitals and support

organizations that work toward breast cancer awareness and prevention.

Online registration for the Stiletto Sprint is still open for those wishing to participate. For more information on developing and maintaining preventive lifestyles and the Stiletto Sprint, visit www.iGoPink.org.

ASHLEE SYMANKContributing Reporter

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houstonianonline.com/

Thursday, September 12, 2013

For more information or registration for the event, log-on to www.iGoPink.org.

“President Jaime has refused several calls for compromise and negotiation. His attempt to hijack the budget process was thwarted after the Senate unanimously voted to over turn his ruling on how he interpreted the constitution and the rules and regulations of the Senate.

- Kolby Flowers, SGA Vice-President

Flowers’ entire statement is available on the Houstonian website as well as all articles with background on the SGA budget situation.