april 17, 2012
DESCRIPTION
The April 17 issue of the HoustonianTRANSCRIPT
Vol 120 | Issue 24
Publishing since 1913 Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Dance Spectrum to showcase dancer talent, pg. 4
Raven’s Call to honor student, faculty, staff
lives, pg.3Viewpoints ....... pg. 2News .................. pg. 3
A&E ................... pg.4 Sports................. pg.6
INDEX
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4-Day Forecast
Thursday, Apr. 19
HI: 84LOW: 66
Friday, Apr. 20
HI: 78LOW: 55
Information from Weather.com
Tuesday, Apr. 17
HI: 81LOW: 56
Wed., Apr. 18
HI: 83LOW: 57
The Sam Houston State University Speech and Debate team received several top honors while hosting the International Public Debate Association national championship tournament on campus this past weekend.
The tournament was both the largest in the history of IPDA and, by sheer number of rounds held, the largest debate tournament of any type held in the United States this year.
The tournament featured nearly 300 competitors, coaches, and judges representing 27 universities and debating societies from nine states. Over the course of the 2011-2012 academic year, IPDA had a total of 797 competitors representing 71 programs from 24 states and four countries.
As a program, the team took 5th place in the Founders Sweepstakes counting the novice, varsity, and professional divisions and 4th place in the Overall Sweepstakes which included all divisions.
In the team division, Tim Sears partnered with University of the Cumberlands student Emily Kerber to be octafinalists, Fabiola Sanchez and Stacy Hood were quarterfinalists along with Steven Perry and Bob Trevino, and Steve Sears and Cody Stevens reached the final round, taking second place in a 2-1 decision.
In the varsity division where debaters competed individually, Tim Sears and Stephen Green were double octafinalists, Stevens was a quarterfinalist, and Steve Sears was a semifinalist.
In the professional division, coach Jeremy Coffman went undefeated, winning the final round of the tournament on stage at the awards banquet in front of a crowd of 300. This marked Coffman’s third national debate championship, having won the varsity championship as an undergraduate and the team division season-long championship with coach Adam Key in 2010.
“I would especially like to thank our students,” Coffman said on stage before the round, “because without them my coaching means nothing.”
The team also received numerous awards for its season-long performance. As a program, the team took third place in varsity, third place in Professional, third place in the Founders Cup, and first place in team. In team season-long, Trevino and Perry were ranked fourth, Stevens and Steve Sears were ranked third, and Sanchez and Hood were ranked second.
In varsity season-long, Stevens was ranked 10th, Perry was ranked seventh, Steve Sears was ranked third, and Tim Sears was ranked second. In professional, Coffman was ranked fifth and Key was national champion. This is Key’s fourth national championship and second consecutive year to win the professional season-long championship.
Key was also awarded the
STEPHEN GREENEditor-In-Chief
Debate team succeeds at national tournament
Former Sloan coworkers reveal past stories, warns about future searches
Faculty members from a Florida university recently have come forward questioning the search committees that hired a former Sam Houston State University dean after her sudden resignation in February 2012 after only six months on the job.
Two former coworkers from the University of Central Florida say search committees did not do a thorough job of looking into the past of Roberta Sloan, Ph.D., former dean of the College of Fine Arts and Mass Communication, whom worked at the UCF from 2004 to 2006.
John Bell, now head of the division of performing arts at DeSales University in Pennsylvania, knew Sloan during her time at UCF and served on that university’s search committee that selected Sloan.
“In conducting the search, we simply didn’t dig deeply enough to get the full portrait of the chair’s prior employment identity,” Bell said.
“We simply relied too heavily upon the application materials that the candidate proffered.”
Bell said those actions proved to be a valuable lesson after Sloan left UCF upon accepting an offer from Temple University, which she held until being asked to step down from her position as chair of the Department of Theatre in May 2010 by interim dean Thomas Jacobson.
“I have since come to realize that colleagues are often so eager to have a leader leave that they remain quiet about the candidate’s employment record or leadership style,” Bell said. “That’s a weakness within the academy. Search committee’s should do due diligence and, when asked, academicians should not be afraid to share honest opinions.”
Mitchell Muesham, Ph.D., dean of the College of Business Administration and chair
of the COFAMC dean search committee, said their committee relied on the references the candidates listed and the application they provided.
“You can only hope that the interviews throw up red flags,” he said. “We had two people sitting in on every call to make sure that we had an objective process and to try and read between the lines.”
Muehsam said that the problem is that references tend to speak more about the good than the bad of the candidate.
He said at the time of the search, Sloan was the most impressive and well received candidate by faculty on campus.
“When the candidates come here, the faculty gets to vet them,” Muehsam said. “In this case it did not work out. However, it’s healthy to look back at how we can adjust our procedures.”
Muehsam said there was no to see any complaints from Sloan’s past and was surprised she suddenly stepped down.
“I’m actually flabbergasted,” Muehsam said, “so I can’t speak about that as much as a member of that college can. I’m not saying what’s being said did or did not happen though. [Sloan] and I have had very limited contact since she’s been here.”
One UCF faculty member who worked under Sloan and chose to remain anonymous, agreed with Bell that search committees have failed with looking into Sloan’s past.
“If they had scratched the surface at all, they would have seen it,” the faculty member said. “The fact there was a lawsuit, that was public record. There are people floating around academia that there is no logic as to why they ever get jobs. I wish there had been somebody at our university like your Provost to recognize her behavior.”
Provost and Vice-President of Academic Affairs Jaimie Hebert said Sloan resigned due to health reasons.
The UCF faculty member said Sloan allegedly assaulted UCF professor Lani Harris in a dispute in June 2006. Harris filed a report with the UCF police department and pressed assault
charges. The report,
which was obtained by the Houstonian, alleges Sloan p h y s i c a l l y a t t a c k e d Harris by pushing her into a printer while Harris was on the phone with c a m p u s security.
H a r r i s ’ s statement alleges that she repeatedly asked Sloan to leave her office, but Sloan wouldn’t comply.
“I gave the dispatch her name and description, she lunged at me and tried to hang up the phone,” Harris said in the report. “She pushed me into the wall to the left of my desk where I banged into the printer. She wrestled the phone from me and hung it up.”
The statement then alleges that other faculty members ran in to see what was happening as Sloan left the room.
Sloan filed her own statement to the police countering Harris’s allegations.
“[Harris’s] behavior was completely erratic and out of control,” Sloan said in the statement. “I quickly left the office and hurried to my administrative assistant, Arlene Flores, and asked her to call the police department to assure them that no one was in danger.”
The police report states that Sloan wanted to press charges against Harris. Harris confirmed that Sloan did file the complaint, against her. Sloan, in an email to the Houstonian, said she stands with her original statement.
Neither Harris nor Sloan were ever formally charged with assault. The State Attorney of the ninth judicial circuit of Florida’s office chose
STEPHEN GREENEditor-In-Chief
— DEBATE, page 3— SLOAN, page 3
The Sam Houston State University Spirit Programs had a successful weekend after two of the programs captured the National Championships this past weekend in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Both the Orange Pride dance team and the Coed Spirit Squads captured the National Championship. Sammy the Bearkat placed fourth in the Mascot division and the All Girl squad also finished fourth.
For the Coed Sprit Squad, it was the first time in program history that they competed in the National Cheerleader Association competition. Rival Stephen F. Austin had previously won the competition six years in a row.
“Honestly I thought it was a dream when it was announced that we had won,” Coed Spirit member Kaitlin Williamson said. “I could not believe it. It was our first time to ever go and it just felt so amazing to go there and show everyone what SHSU coed cheer is all about.
“I’m even getting choked up thinking about it now. The feeling is just indescribable. Competing on the bandshell in Daytona was one of the most amazing feelings I have ever felt. All of the sweat,
tears, soreness, and hard work we put in all year definitely paid off.”
For Orange Pride, they secured their national championship in a tight battle at the National Dance Alliance (NDA). The team competed against 11 different teams in the Division-I Open, an increase from last year.
“I was so relieved when it was announced that we won,” sophomore Orange Pride member Lainie Fritz said. “It was such a tight race between us and Idaho State in prelims that we knew finals was going to be a close call deciding first and second place.
“Our division grew this year with teams switching to our division and they were thinking we were a smaller school they
could beat. The cool thing was that we ended up with the highest score of the entire NDA competition.”
The National Championship for Orange Pride was the third consecutive in program history. Because of that, Fritz admits that her and every member on the team, now share the same thought, “national championship or bust.”
Even now that this year’s competition has just occurred, the team has already begun to think about next year’s competition.
“[National Championship or bust] has been our mindset all along and I think that’s what got us to where we are now,” Fritz said. “Next year is already in the works.”
ZACH BIRDSONGSports Editor
FOR THE WIN. The Orange Pride dance team and Coed Cheerleading team won national titles at the national championship in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Lainie Frtiz | Orange Pride
Spirit teams win national titles, Orange Pride earns three-peat
““In conducting the search, we simply didn’t dig deeply enough to get the full portrait of the chair’s prior employment identity...
Roberta SloanUniversity photo.
Page 2Tuesday, April 17, 2012Viewpoints
houstonianonline.com/viewpoints
Today in history:
April 161941 – Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians throws the only Opening Day no-hitter in the history of Major League Baseball, beating the Chicago White Sox 1-0.
1947 – Texas City Disaster: An explosion on board a freighter in port causes the city of Texas City, Texas, to catch fire, killing almost 600.
1947 – Bernard Baruch coins the term “Cold War” to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union.
1962 – Walter Cronkite takes over as the lead news anchor of the CBS Evening News, during which time he would become “the most trusted man in America”.
1963 – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pens his Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against segregation.
1990 – The “Doctor of Death”, Jack Kevorkian, participates in his first assisted suicide.
2007 – Virginia Tech massacre: The deadliest spree shooting in modern American history. Seung-Hui Cho, kills 32 and injures 23 before committing suicide.
2012 – For the first time in 35 years, no fiction prize was awarded for the Pulitzers.
April 171897 – The Aurora, Texas UFO incident
1905 – The Supreme Court of the United States decides Lochner v. New York which holds that the “right to free contract” is implicit in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
1961 – A group of CIA financed and trained Cuban exiles lands at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro.
1969 – Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy.
1970 – Apollo program: The ill-fated Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely.
The individual opinions on the Viewpoints page are not necessarily affiliated with the view of The Houstonian or SHSU. The Houstonian is published semi-weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is a news publication of Sam Houston State University, a member of the Texas State University system, and is produced by students. It is self-supporting and welcomes all advertisers. Those interested in placing ads or classifieds should call 936-294-1495. The Houstonian is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.
Dear Sam Houston Students, Staff and Faculty and Alumni:
The Houstonian would not survive were it not for the continued involvement and dedication of the SHSU student body. We welcome all column submissions and letters to the editor. If at any time you feel the need to express an opinion, please do not hesitate to email your thoughts or drop by our office in the Dan Rather communications building. We look forward to hearing from you and thank you as always for your continued support of the Houstonian.
Karmen C. King, Viewpoints Editor, [email protected]
To the judges of NCA for r a n k i n g
All Girl and Sammy 4th. They’re #1 in our minds!
Robin JohnsonFaculty Adviser936-294-1499
Stephen [email protected]
Molly WaddellAssociate [email protected]
Karmen KingViewpoints [email protected]
Misti JonesSenior [email protected]
Matt FrazierWeb & Multimedia [email protected]
George MattinglyA&E [email protected]
Zach BirdsongSports [email protected]
Cody LewisSports [email protected]
Jessica GomezSenior PhotographerMegan LauriePhotographer
All ison McMathCopy Editor
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Paty MasonBusiness [email protected]
Meagan EllsworthProduction [email protected]
Editorial Staff Business Staff
Account Executives936.294.1503
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Ad DeadlinesTuesday’s Issue
Friday 5 p.m.
Thursday’s IssueTuesday 2 p.m.
- Molly is the Associate News Editor.
All
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Show some spiritMolly Waddell thinks students need to pay more attention
to school history, traditions
To Dayna Galganski & Michelle S e c o u r s
from the bowling team for being named to the NTPC 2012 All-America Squad.
To Shelby H a r d y for being named the
SLC’s Women’s Golfer of the Month for April 2012.
To the C o e d C h e e r
squad for bringing home the national championship!
To the O r a n g e P r i d e
Dance Team for their third national championship in a row!
To the D e b a t e T e a m
for representing the university well during the national tournament last weekend.
The University of Texas at Austin has declared war on the middle class. With the implementation of
new policies to improve four-year graduation rates, the university has, in effect, said that if you need to take fewer classes each semester, for whatever reason, then we’re not for you.
As everyone knows, what happens at the top tends to trickle down. This means that the policies implemented at UT Austin could soon see similar implementation at our own university.
College has long been thought of as a place to grow and find your path in life. With more and more colleges and universities pushing for rapid graduation, students are being forced into snap decisions that can affect their entire life.
“Being forced to make that choice [major] develops practical wisdom in a young person,” former UT Dallas provost Thomas Lindsay said.
However, we believe that forcing a student to lock in to one path could actually make graduation rates worse as students who find they don’t have the aptitude for their desired field have to drop out altogether instead
of just making a change.“Most students do not graduate
on time because they change degree programs,” UT Austin engineering student Alice Jones said. “It is not at all uncommon to figure out that the path you chose is not for you, and most cannot be changed without adding time.”
The report concluded, “They [students] must understand that dillydallying is not to the benefit of their pocketbooks.”
While this can be the case, especially when having to pay ridiculously inflated fees that go along with the so-called ‘college experience’ each semester, today’s students don’t always have a choice in the number of semesters it can take to graduate.
Limited class spaces are just the first obstacle to timely graduation. Here at our university, many of the required classes for majors are restricted to only 20 students and only one offering per semester. This means that if you are not one of the first ones to enroll you may not get the class you need. Further delaying graduation by a semester or even a whole year.
By far the people who will be most
affected by policies such as these will be the students who have to balance classes with work and sometimes even family. The majority of our students find that they need one or more jobs just to get by. Therefore, they may only take the minimum of 12 hours per semester to still be considered full-time, and will most likely take more than four years to graduate. The working middle class students will bear the brunt of this burden, as they do not have the parental funding to pay for college outright, nor meet the poverty threshold to have financial aid cover all of their needs.
“Another example of a growing heartless society,” local businessman John Smith said. “This is not how you produce more college graduates. This is a way to further separate the haves from the have nots. No heart.”
Time will show this policy to place undue stress on the students who are supposed to be the future of this country.
Time will show this is merely a tactic to make university leadership look good in magazines and in the news.
Time will show that this is not the way forward.
The lack of student participation in Sam Houston State University cultural events is a sad
showing of Sam students’ pride. On Sunday the SHSU Memorial
Museum brought back the celebration of Margaret Lea Houston’s birthday. Only eight students were present for this celebration. Three of us were reporting, two or three helped set up the event, one was a decedent of Margaret and the other one or two that were there were receiving class credit for it.
The event was filled with men and women in period wear, with all kinds of hoop skirt dresses. It was a wonderful sight to look at, but no students were there to enjoy it. The event also included a monologue from Una Grace Nash who impersonated Margaret. It was beautiful because she was in full character and acted as if she was truly in love with Sam. Yet students missed out on the chance to see this.
Not participating in these events is not only showing a lack in school pride but students are depriving themselves of the culture and history of our university. With this deprivation students are bringing down the school too.
This is not the first event that poor attendance was noted. Sam Houston’s birthday celebration was another poorly attended event. The reception before the walk to the grave had no students present other
than the reporter on scene. Students lost the opportunity to meet Sam Houston’s descendants and several Huntsville natives who were willing to openly talk about anything the student wanted to know. One native in particular was Poncho, who was not personally related to Sam but he had family members who knew him personally. Poncho is a very comical figure who greeted everyone saying, “My family.” He was also very willing to talk about his relations to Sam Houston and loved catching up with his old friends.
Students were at the walk to the grave, which was also important, but they missed the opportunity to learn at about Huntsville’s history first hand or from stories they had heard from family members.
It has also been discussed of the poor attendance at sporting events. Even though football is SHSU’s most attended sporting event it is still lacking student support.
Almost every event that Texas A&M holds is flooded with aggies ready to support their college and community.
Anytime their football games are on TV all viewers see is a sea of maroon. At their midnight yells the history of their sign is explained and tons of students attend.
Yes, A&M is a bigger school but SHSU can still have more spirit and pride in our school if we try hard enough.
Sam students should be able to tell
people that the reason they attended SHSU was not because it was cheap, or the campus is pretty, but because of the deep roots in history surrounding it.
Sam Houston’s home is a block from school, which boasts a lot of history. Are students even aware of the importance of Sam Houston? That is a large reason why SHSU is a prestigious school, not just the graduates that leave here and their high quality education but where Sam came from and its importance.
There is a simple solution to this problem. Sam students need to go to more events and show that they really do bleed orange. The majority of these events are free and give out free food. Yes free, that is a big deal to college students. Margaret’s birthday had over 30 cakes available for attendees and they could eat as much as they wanted.
Although food is good, it should not be the reason to go. The reason should be to show school pride and to beat other schools, such as A&M, in the love of the culture of the school that students will be spending four or more years of their life at.
More students should attend these events and support SHSU and its culture. The next chance you will get is at the Sam Houston Folk Festival on April 28. Go learn more about the culture of Sam Houston and be proud of the history that surrounds you.
Trickle down effectViewpoints Editor Karmen C. King talks about the
ramifications of a new graduation initiative at UT-Austin
not to pursue either of the cases, according to Harris and Sloan.
In addition, the faculty member said the faculty at UCF filed more than 20 grievances against Sloan during her tenure as dean. The Houstonian was only able to obtain 11 of those, which were filed between May 2005 and January 2007. Most of the grievances dealt with employees being overworked, hostile work environments, contract violations, and evaluation errors.
“Finally what happened was our long-term faculty and administrators got together and saw that the entire faculty was upset, they finally saw that something was up,” the faculty member said. “She started to go to more public meetings and the upper administration started to see it. Temple didn’t catch on at quickly.”
Sloan said the grievance process was commonplace at UCF.
“In a unionized environment, such as UCF, the grievance process is the routine manner by which represented employees pursue workplace issues dealing with any term or condition of their employment,” Sloan said in an email. “The grievance process is therefore a common reality when working with employees who are members of a collective bargaining unit.”
The UCF faculty member said she felt that Sloan was an “immensely threatening person.”
“Her legacy is that there are still a lot of people that are afraid to even speak about her, even though she has absolutely no power [at
UCF],” the faculty member said. “They are very spooked about her threats.”
There is no record Sloan was ever told to leave UCF.
As she left, a Facebook group, which is no longer active, was created and named “Thank You Temple University,” according to screenshots of the sites obtained by the Houstonian.
The information section on the site said, “This group was created to show our appreciation to Temple University for hiring Roberta Sloan…and saving UCF as we know it. We have suffered many casualties. Now…we must rebuild.”
Sloan also faced trouble while at Temple with social media groups. At least two Facebook groups were created in protest of Sloan remaining chair of the theatre department.
Sloan said she was unsure of the validity of the posts or Facebook pages and wouldn’t comment towards them.
“My reaction is simply that I do not know who wrote them, have not seen them, do not know if they are real and, therefore do not choose to comment about the opinions which may or may not have been posted in these various forums,” Sloan said.
Also at Temple, Sloan and Temple University were sued for religious discrimination by professor Donna Snow. That case was settled out of court.
Not all sources the Houstonian spoke with disliked Sloan. John Schell, Ph.D., vice-president and chief of staff at UCF, said he didn’t know much about Sloan after his dealings with her from 2004 to 2006, including her time at Temple.
“I served as Dean of Undergraduate Studies I worked closely with all the departments in the school,” Schell said. “As an English professor, I had a fondness for both English and theatre. I spent a lot of time with Sloan and very much enjoyed her company…I found it to be very pleasurable.”
The Houstonian made an effort to contact two other sources who may have shared support for Sloan, but they were unable to be reached by press time.
The Houstonian received Sloan’s severance agreement with SHSU after filing a Freedom of Information Act request with Hebert.
Sloan resigned in February after signing the agreement with Hebert. In the agreement, Sloan said she was resigning due to health concerns.
The agreement stipulates that Sloan will receive $165,000 and retain her iPad she used while dean. In addition, she will continue receiving state employee benefits through Sept. 30.
Sloan also gave up her ability to sue the university under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) and several other possible claims, according to the agreement.
The agreement stipulates that only a specific
announcement and comment be made after her resignation by the university:
“[SHSU] announced today that [Sloan] is stepping down from her position due to health concerns,” the agreement reads. “[Sloan] will continue to serve as Senior Special Assistant to the Provost.”
Hebert said Sloan’s resignation was her decision and reaffirmed the university’s position after reports came out that medical concerns may not have been the only reason Sloan resigned her position.
A source at SHSU close to the matter said Sloan was told her six-month review would be negative and would be made official if she remained in her position as dean.
Sloan will continue serving as the Special Assistant to Hebert until September 2012.
organization’s highest honor, the Bennett Strange Coach of the Year Award. Implemented in 2006 and named posthumously for legendary coach Bennett Strange in 2009, the award is decided by vote of all coaches at the national tournament. At 28 years old, Key is by far the youngest person to receive
this honor.“I’ve grown up here, and
I consider each and every one of you my family,” Key said through tears on stage. “You have all given me a lot
of love over the years, and I’ve held on to it all.”
The debate team will continue competition again in September 2012.
Page 3Tuesday, April 17, 2012 News
houstonianonline.com/news
Margaret Lea Houston’s birthday celebration revived after 30 years
3020 Hwy 30 West (11th Street at I-45)Call 936-295-2677
Tender Bender 99¢ Fried Chicken Tender wrapped in a fresh baked roll topped with hot/sweet pickles.
SHSU STUDENTS 10% OFF WITH ID
Margaret Lea Houston’s 193rd birthday was celebrated on Sunday for the first time in over 30 years at the Gibbs Conference Hall on the Sam Houston Museum grounds.
The celebration began at 1:30 p.m. and was led by Mayor Mac Woodrow. Woodrow introduced the event, named everyone involved and pointed out decedents who were present at the event.
Erica Dallas Houston is the great great great granddaughter of Margaret Houston and is a freshman education major at Sam Houston State University. Erica Houston was at the event with her mom Alison Dallas Houston, great great granddaughter of Margaret Houston, and her dad Kurt Dallas.
After the short introduction Woodrow opened up the room full of over 30 different kinds of cakes and fruit punch. Guest had the opportunity to try as many cakes as they liked and chatted with other guests. A few students
also attended the event along with many Huntsville natives dressed in 19th century period wear.
“I am here for a class because we are required to attend cultural activities so this worked,” Kodi Saylor, senior english major said. “It is actually kind of cool though because my teacher is playing in the band.”
Woodrow again gathered the guests in the main room to introduce a short play by Gene Pipes, who narrated, and Una Grace Nash, who played the role of Margaret Houston. Pipes gave a brief history of Sam and Margaret Houston and sang the poem that Margret Houston wrote, “Lines to a Withered Pink.”
“He placed thee in my hand, that friend
Who now doth distant roam.I took thee–little thinking thenHow dear thou wouldst
become,” Pipes recited. Margaret Houston was then
introduced. Margaret Houston told of the first time she laid eyes on Sam Houston, and how she fell in love with him four years later.
Her Alabama accent captivated the audience.
This is not the first time Nash has portrayed Margaret Houston, she belonged to a club that performed plays like this when she first moved to Huntsville.
“Instead of finding someone to play Sam Houston we decided to tell his story through his wife,” Nash said. “You just can’t find anyone as big as Sam Houston.”
The play ended the main entertainment of the day although there was a string quartet and a silent auction that ended at 3 p.m.
The celebration was put together by a committee which consisted of: Elise Davis, chair, Caroline Crimm, Ph.D., Leanne Woodward, Jean Babcock, Patsy Ann Reed and Megan Buro, museum marketing coordinator.
“We believe the last time this was held was in the 80’s,” Buro said. “We are very excited about this revival, after all the ladies in attendance look lovely in their dresses.”
Buro hopes to hold this event every year.
MOLLY WADDELLAssociate News Editor
Orange Keys to hold SHSU memorial service
Raven’s Call memorial service will be held to honor and celebrate the lives Sam Houston State University faculty, staff and students that have passed away within the past two years.
The inaugural ceremony, presented by the Orange Keys Student Ambassadors, will begin at 11 a.m. on April 20 in front of the Blatchley Bell Tower in Bearkat Plaza.
The community is invited to participate the memorial service that will honor 26 retired SHSU faculty and staff members, five students and three faculty and staff members.
University President Dana Gibson and Dean of Students John Yarabeck will speak at the ceremony to remember the lives and celebrate these individuals. Two student members of the Orange Keys will also speak, SHSU Chorale will sing the Alma Mater and SHSU Brass Quintet will play “Amazing Grace.” Other organizations, such as ROTC, will
also be present at Raven’s Call. “I think it gives the people and
the community a reason to come together and honor something that everyone experiences throughout their lifetime,” Chelsea Smith, parent relations and programming coordinator for the Dean of Students’ Office, said.
Student organizations, students, faculty and staff can participate by purchasing $1 balloons that will be released at the conclusion of the event. The money collected from the balloon sales will go toward a Raven’s Call fund that may one day become an endowment, Smith said.
In addition to the dedication, an Art Gallery tribute will display portraits and memories of those who have passed. Everyone is encouraged to come share and
write memories and notes for these individuals who were a part of their life. The gallery will be up from April 16 through April 20 on the second floor of the Lowman Student Center.
Raven’s Call was initially suggested by a local Huntsville parent who had lost a child, a former SHSU student, approximately five or six years prior. The parent wanted to create a ceremony to honor and remember SHSU members that had passed away. A task force, comprised of John Yarabeck, chair, dean of students; Jeanine Bias, assistant dean of students; Charles Vienne, director of Alumni Relations; Darlene Andrews, director of Donor Relations; Debbi Hatton, Mass Communications professor and faculty council; Chuck Collins,
assistant director of Student Activities; Vicki Barrilleaux, Undergraduate Admissions/Staff Council; Elizabeth Braun, Orange Keys President 2010-2011, made this grieving parent’s idea possible. The idea was approved from the President’s office and thus Raven’s Call ceremony was born.
“I think it’s a great tradition for Sam Houston to start,” Smith said. “I believe that it honors the people that have passed away that we worked with, that we sit next to in class, that we took courses from and that were our friends and peers at Sam Houston.”
The community will come together to pay tribute, honor and celebrate the lives of fallen Bearkats. The ceremony begins at 11 a.m.
MISTI JONESSenior Reporter
NOT FORGOTTEN. Raven’s Call will hold its first annual memorial service on April 20.
provided by raven’s call
PERIOD WEAR. (Left) Scott McCarley, who graduated in with a masters from SHSU in ‘75, brought his daughter in period wear. (Right) Una Grace Nash gives her monologue over Margaret’s life.
Casey Roon | Sam Houston Memorial Museum
— SLOAN, page 1
— DEBATE, page 1
Police Update
April 13, 2012Hilary Craft, a female university student was arrested in Shreveport, Louisiana. The female was arrested and charges with Public Drunkenness. (SPD)
April 11, 2012A male university student was arrested near Highway 30 and State Highway 75 at 2:21 a.m. after it was determined that he was under the influence of alcohol and a danger to himself. The male was arrested and charged with the Class C Misdemeanor offense of Public Intoxication. (UPD)
Page 4Tuesday, April 17, 2012Arts & Entertainment
houstonianonline.com/a-e
Dance to showcase diversity on stage
GEORGE MATTINGLYArts & Entertainment Editor
A group of graphic design students will present a culmination of its work in the third annual Senior Graphic Design Exhibition beginning Tuesday in the Gaddis Geeslin Library.
Located in Art Building F Room 101, the exhibition will include a variety of graphic
designs including posters, package design, corporate identity, logos and web design.
Students had to refine their past work as well as create new work for their portfolio of 10 projects as part of the requirements for the “Senior Studio in Graphic Design” class, according to Anthony Watkins, assistant professor of graphic design.
“When [students] revisit their work , they may realize they are better prepared
to handle it in terms of skills, execution and deciding what is the best work to present,” Watkins said. “It ends up being a tremendous amount of work.”
While the exhibition will be held in an art gallery, Watkins said it is not normal for graphic designers to present their work to a large audience because their work is more geared toward presenting to a specific client.
“On one hand, [presenting work] can create a lot of anxiety because [the students] are put on the spot,” Watkins said, “But to the artists will actually be there to discuss their work with the audience, which doesn’t happen a lot in graphic design.”
Watkins said that despite the challenges of executing the exhibition, it will be beneficial for art students.
“One of the most important things is elevating [the students’] self-confidence
in the level of and amount of work they can do,” he said. “It’s a chance for them to reward themselves and learn to take on challenges.”
For the audience, Watkins said the exhibition will be a way for the campus community to learn about the skill and talent in the work of students at Sam Houston Sate University.
“I hope [audience members] come away with a [clearer] understanding about what graphic designers do,” Watkins said. “We encounter graphic design constantly
and its good to see what our students are capable of.”
The Senior Graphic Design Exhibition will open Tuesday and continue through April 27 with a reception for the opening on April 19 at 6 p.m. in the gallery.
Both the exhibition and the reception are open to the public. For more information, call Watkins at 936-294-1362.
Choreography to combine dance with theater, unique sets, props
The Sam Houston Sate University dance department will showcase a wide range of skill and entertainment on Wednesday as they take the stage in this semester’s Dance Spectrum concert tilted “Whimsy”.
Held in the Performing Arts Center Dance Theater, dance students will perform choreographic works from faculty members Jonathan Charles, Cindy Gratz, Dana Nicolay, Andy Noble, Dionne Sparkman Noble and Jennifer Pontius.
Other performances will include work by faculty member Erin Reck and student Ashley Clos.
“Whimsy” will highlight different sides of the work being performed in the dance department in two parts, according to faculty member Dionne Noble.
In the first half, students will perform a range of dance styles including en pointe ballet, ballroom and aerial dance while the second half will include hip-hop and modern dance.
“It’s going to be a very
interesting, fun, eclectic, diverse show,” Noble said. “The students are working hard and some are doing things that they haven’t done before.”
In addition to dance, some pieces will incorporate theater and spoken word while others will make use of projections and unique set designs, Noble said.
An aerial piece titled “Strata”by faculty member Dana Nicolay and graduate student Alicia Marie Carlin, will make use of fabrics rigged from the ceiling to make use of the entire stage space, which is a first-time performance at a Spectrum concert, according to Noble.
In “The Dance Patch” by Assistant Professor Andy Noble, a large cast will bring humor to the show as they incorporate skits into street-style dance set to the sounds of dub step music.
The concert will not only be an experience for the audience to watch, but for dancers as well.
“It’s essential [for students] to have performance experience in order to go out into the real world,” Noble said. “Part of what they learn is in the classroom but they really learn a lot through experience.”
This semester marks the fourth time Dance Spectrum has been held in the PAC, which adds a sense of “professionalism and commitment” to students who have established themselves as performers in the building. It also helps to bring audiences to see
what performing arts has to offer, Noble added.
“I hope [students on campus] will start to see what is going on in this building,” she said. “The students have been working very hard on this show and there is something for everyone to see.”
“Whimsy” will be held at 8 p.m. each night from April 18-21 with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $17 for general admission, $14 for faculty members and $5 for students.
To purchase tickets, call the PAC box office at 936-294-2339.
GEORGE MATTINGLYArts & Entertainment Editor
VISUAL EXPERIENCE: Dancer Alicia Marie Carlin performs an aerial dance using billowing silks rigged from the celing of the Dance Theater. This year will be the first time that students will perform an aerial piece at Dance Spectrum.
Photo by Becky Finley
Exhibition to feature culmination of students’ designs
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UPCOMING EVENTS
International Week, originally scheduled for April 16-20, will now be held on Wednesday, April 24 as follows:
Event 1: Parade (11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.) Where: LSC Mall Area
Event 2: Food Fair (2 p.m. to 4 p.m.) Where: Baptist Student Ministry
Event 3: Cultural Extravaganza (5 p.m. to 10 pm.) Where: LSC Theater
Event Change
Senior graphic design students to present variety of original work
““We encounter graphic de-sign constantly and its good to see what our students are capabel of.
-Anthony Watkins, assistant professor of graphic design
The Bearkat softball team split a weekend series against the McNeese State Cowgirls over the weekend with a 6-5 win on Friday and 9-3 loss on Saturday .
Before the series began, both teams were among the top three in the Southland Conference.
After the weekend, the Bearkats (18-17, 8-4 in SLC) drop to fourth in the conference. After starting the season 1-13, the Bearkats have gone 17-4 over the last 21 games.
McNeese State remains in second place with a 25-11 overall record and 8-2 in conference games.
Sam Houston State University jumped out to an early lead on Friday, after first baseman Kim Damian hit a solo homerun in the first inning. Third baseman Shelbi Tucker would add a two-run shot in the third inning to put the Kats up 3-0.
McNeese went on to add a run in both the bottom half of the third inning and fourth inning to cut the deficit.
In the top of the fifth inning, Hillary Adams hit a homerun to extend the Kats lead. The Cowgirls added three runs in
the bottom of the sixth inning after two Bearkat errors.
Tucker singled in the top of the eighth inning and reached third base on a passed ball and eventually scored the game-winning run on a ground ball by outfielder Calli Wood.
Tomi Garrison pitched the first six innings for the Bearkats but freshman Meme Quinn took over in the seventh inning and earned the victory.
Saturday was a different story for the Bearkats after McNeese pounded nine runs and 15 hits off of the SHSU pitching staff.
McNeese jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but it was short lived after an RBI single by Alyssa Coggins and Ashley Isbell scored on an error in the top of the second inning, putting the Kats up 2-1. McNeese would tie it in the bottom half of the inning.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the McNeese offense exploded for five runs, essentially securing the game for the Kats.
SHSU head coach Bob Brock currently sits at 999 career wins. He will be aiming for 1,000 when the Bearkats travel and take on Prairie View A&M in a double header.
Both games were originally scheduled for Tuesday, but got pushed to Wednesday due to rain. Start time is set for 5 p.m.
The Sam Houston State baseball team saw their 13-game winning streak end on April 14 but still took the series against Lamar University and remains ranked number 20 in the NCAA Division I Collegiate Baseball poll.
Sam Houston is still holding first place in the Southland Conference while Lamar is currently in last place, having won only six Southland Conference match-ups.
Friday, the Bearkats (25-10, 15-3 SLC) went back and forth with the Cardinals (13-21, 6-12, SLC) until right fielder Jake Arrington hit a double with the bases loaded to score three runs in the seventh inning, giving the Bearkats a 5-2 lead. With an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning, the Kats cemented a 6-2 victory to give them their 13th consecutive win.
“When I came up with runners in scoring position I didn’t want to get in a defensive count,” Arrington said. “I was just looking for the first pitch that I could drive. He gave me a fastball and I squared it up for a double.”
Caleb Smith (5-2) got the start and the win for Sam Houston as he lasted six innings, giving up seven hits for two runs. Michael Oros and Michael Burchett both pitched in relief of Smith.
The Bearkats were dealt their first loss since March 21 on Saturday as they fell to the Cardinals 5-2. The loss also ended the Bearkats 11-game winning streak within the Southland
Conference, the third longest in conference history.
Sam Houston trailed for most of the game and was able to tie it up in the top of the sixth inning 2-2 from a ground out by Arrington that scored shortstop Corey Toups.
The Bearkats, could not respond as Lamar scored a run in the bottom of the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to give them the win.
Justin Jackson (6-3) got the start
and took the loss. He lasted six and one third innings giving up four runs on seven hits. Pitchers Allen Scott, Marshall Davis and Taylor Holt all pitched in relief.
The Bearkats bounced back on Sunday and defeated the Cardinals 5-3, giving SHSU their sixth straight conference series victory.
Jake Arrington hit an RBI triple in fifth inning to score designated hitter Anthony Azar to give the Bearkats the lead for the rest of the game.
“It was good to see us respond with a big win in game three and win the series,” Arrington said. “It showed we’re focused right now and taking it one game at a time.”
The Cardinals threatened to come back in the bottom of the eighth inning as Brad Picha doubled with two outs. Jeff Abt then singled and stole second base to put runners on second and third with only one out. Michael Burchett was able to come out in relief and get out of the jam.
He earned his fourth save of the season.
Cody Dickson (4-2) got the win for the Bearkats as he lasted five innings, giving up five hits for three runs. Brandon Bergen also pitched in relief.
The Bearkats will be back at Don Sanders Stadium as they face the University of Houston on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
For more information about the team, including questions about ticketing, visit gobearkats.com.
Page 5Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Sportshoustonianonline.com/sports twitter.com/HoustonianSport
Bearkats pluck Cardinals
CODY LEWISSports Reporter
Baseball wins series over Lamar
ZACH BIRDSONGSports Editor
SIXTH STRAIGHT SERIES WIN. Sam Houston State University second baseman Ryan O’Hearn (27) fields a ball in a game earlier this season. Over the weekend O’Hearn and the rest of the Bearkats baseball team picked up their sixth straight conference series win after defeating Lamar in a best-of-three game series.
photo courtesy of gobearkats.com
Softball splits weekend series against McNeese
The Sam Houston State University women’s tennis team lost to the University of Texas-Arlington on Saturday.
Originally, the Bearkats were supposed to additionally take on Texas State on Sunday, but matches were postponed due to rain.
Saturday, the Bearkats lost a close 3-4 match to UTA. The Mavericks jumped to a 1-0 lead after winning the doubles point. Doubles No. 1 Nadia Dubyanskaya and Tatyana Postnikova lost 9-7, No. 2 Natalie Petaia and Sheridan Currie won 8-5, and No. 3 Olivia Battye and Imke Jagau lost 8-4.
In singles, the Bearkats gained two points when two UTA players retired from their matches. No. 5 Dubyanskaya split sets with her opponent and won by retirement 1-6, 6-3. No. 6 Battye won the first set 6-2 before her opponent retired.
No. 4 Postnikova secured a point for the Bearkats with her 6-3, 6-3 win. UTA secured the match win however as it won
the rest of the singles matches. No. 1 Jagau lost 6-0, 6-1; No. 2 Currie lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-0; and No. 3 Petaia lost 6-2, 6-2.
Despite the loss, Coach Jim Giachino said the girls played very well as many of the matches were close. With the loss to UTA the Bearkats drop to 11-7 on the year and 5-5 in conference play.
Sunday, the doubles matches were played but the weather did not allow for the singles to be played. Texas State won the doubles point, winning two out of three doubles matches. Dubyanskaya and Postnikova won 8-4, Currie and Petaia lost 8-6, and Battye and Jagau were edged out 9-8.
The singles matches will be played on Saturday in Bryan or College Station at either Bryan High School or the Texas A&M campus at noon. An announcement on the official location will be made later this week on gobearkats.com.
The results of those matches will determine who the Bearkats will play in the Southland Conference tournament on April 27 in Nacogdoches.
AMY TUREKContributing Reporter
Tennis falls to Mavericks, Texas State match rained out
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