rachael gleason newspaper designs
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The Houstonian (editor-in-chief in 2008), The Huntsville Item (weekend desk editor 2008-2009)TRANSCRIPT
BY KRISTIN [email protected]
The Walker County Officeof Emergency Managementwill lead the county in coor-dinated drill activities thisweek as part of the NationalWeather Service SevereWeather Awareness Week.
According to Butch Davis,Walker County emergencymanagement coordinator, theactivities will include a mocktornado warning drill, duringwhich local schools andother organizations will eval-uate their emergency pre-paredness.
“The purpose of SevereWeather Awareness Week isto make people aware thatwe’re heading into the timeof the year when we starthaving severe weatherincluding straight-line winds,tornadoes, major rains andflooding,” Davis said. “Wewant to make people awarefirst that this is coming andthey need to be prepared, andsecondly, how to preparethemselves for these eventswhich may hit at any time.”
Beginning today untilSaturday, the Office ofEmergency Management willbe distributing informationon severe weather threats forTexas residents, tips onemergency preparedness andmanagement and specificitems to have available inthe event of an emergency.
As well, the emergencymanagement team will workdirectly with the NationalOceanic and AtmosphericAdministration to conduct amock tornado drill with localschools, businesses andhomeowners.
The drill will begin onWednesday at 10 a.m. andwill last approximately 15minutes.
“One of the more impor-tant topics that will be high-lighted during SWA week istornadoes and their associat-
ed dangers,” said Dan Reilly,a NOAA warning and coordi-nation meteorologist. “Atapproximately 10 a.m.Wednesday, theHouston/Galveston NWSwill facilitate a tornado drillfor all 23 counties it serves insoutheast Texas. The warning
BY MATTHEW [email protected]
The Huntsville Public Library will beclosed next week, March 2-6, whilenumerous changes are made to thelibrary’s interior.
“We’re not completely rearranging,but we’re going to be making some
changes,” said City Librarian LindaDodson. “You’ll definitely notice thedifference when you come in.”
Two major sections of the library willbe shifted to new locations to improveprivacy and reduce noise disruption.
“The two biggest problems we haveare the noise level and lack of seating,”Dodson said. “So we’re going to try towork on both of those.”
The children’s area, presently locatednear the rear entrance to the library, willbe shifted to an opposite corner. Severalshelves of juvenile books will be movedto accommodate the change, which willplace the children’s area in a more pri-vate, less noisy part of the library.
“Hopefully with the shelves beingsituated closer to the children’s area, itwill provide a little more sound protec-
tion,” Dodson said. “It will be closed ina little bit, but the area will still be openenough that it won’t feel completelyclosed off.
The juvenile book shelves removedto accommodate the children’s area willbe relocated near the rest of the juvenilebooks.
In addition, the two rows of publicuse computers currently in the centerentryway of the library will be movedslightly nearer to the adult books sec-tion, and will be incorporated into a sin-gle row. Several shelves of nonfictionbooks will be moved closer to the centerof the room to accommodate the com-puters.
“The way the computers are now,
www.itemonline.com
SPORTS: Hornets begin playoffs tonight — Page 1B
THE HUNTSVILLE ITEMTUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2009 50 CENTS
LIBRARY UPDATES
BY MATTHEW JACKSON/THE HUNTSVILLE ITEMThe Huntsville Public Library will be closed from March 2-6 while the facility is rearranged to better accomodate new seating andreduce noise disruptions. Library staff will spend the week relocating the children’s area and the computer area, pictured above, aswell as moving shelves and creating a new seating area. The library will reopen on March 7.
New seatingarea in storefor library
AP PHOTO/RON EDMONDSPresident Barack Obama delivers remarks to open the Fiscal Responsibility Summit yesterday in theEast Room of the White House in Washington.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON —Urging strict future restrainteven as current spendingsoars, President BarackObama pledged on Mondayto dramatically slash the sky-rocketing annual budgetdeficit as he started to doleout the record $787 billioneconomic stimulus packagehe signed last week.
“If we confront this crisiswithout also confronting thedeficits that helped cause it,we risk sinking into anothercrisis down the road,” the
president warned, promisingto cut the yearly deficit inhalf by the end of his four-year term. “We cannot sim-ply spend as we please anddefer the consequences.”
He said he would reinsti-tute a pay-as-you-go rule thatcalls for spending reductionsto match increases and wouldshun what he said were thepast few years’ “casual dis-honesty of hiding irresponsi-ble spending with cleveraccounting tricks.” He calledthe long-term solvency ofSocial Security “the singlemost pressing fiscal chal-
lenge we face by far” andsaid reforming health care,including burgeoning entitle-ment programs, was a hugepriority.
Wall Street seemed unim-pressed by all the talk. TheDow Jones industrialsdropped 251 points for theday.
Obama goes beforeCongress and the nationTuesday night to make thecase for his agenda and hisbudget plans, which theWhite House is to release in
Obama pledges to slashdeficit — after increase
Drills to primecounty for
bad weather
Court approves purchase of radios
BY KRISTIN [email protected]
The Walker CountyCommissioners Courtapproved a $280,000 pur-chase of mobile and portableradios for the WalkerCounty Sheriff’s Office dur-ing a regular meetingMonday.
The five-member court— County Judge DannyPierce and commissionersB.J. Gaines Jr., RobertArtery, Bobby Warren andTim Paulsel — alsoapproved the completion ofa three-piece mural to beused in the Walker CountyStorm Shelter.
According to ButchDavis, Walker CountySheriff’s office chief deputy,the purchase of the newmobile and portable radiosis part of a five-year processto improve communicationscapabilities among firstresponse agencies in thecounty.
“The equipment, to bepurchased from Motorola,Inc. for $280,337.02, will bepaid for through homelandsecurity grants,” Davis said.“This is something we’vebeen working on for a longtime, and I think having thisequipment will really help
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
“The purpose of SevereWeather Awareness Week isto make people aware thatwe’re heading into the timeof the year when we starthaving severe weather.”
BUTCH DAVIS,
WALKER COUNTY EMERGENCYCOORDINATOR
HHS students qualifyfor state competition
BY KRISTIN [email protected]
The Walker CountySheriff’s Department com-pleted a set of five arrestsMonday following a resi-dential burglary which tookplace Friday in the WalnutCreek subdivision.
According to Lt. CharliePerkins with the sheriff’soffice, five black males —one adult and four juveniles— were connected to theburglary and subsequentlyarrested.
While one semi-auto-matic rifle stolen during theburglary was found, theinvestigation is ongoing.
“On Friday at approxi-mately 2:51 p.m., DeputyTim Watson was dispatchedto a burglary in process callat a residence located onMorris Lane in the WalnutCreek subdivision,” Perkinssaid Monday. “When hearrived on the scene withseveral other officers, hewas advised that a friend ofthe family who owned theresidence had seen a groupof young, black male sub-jects in the backyard of theresidence.”
According to Perkins,the witness who placed the
Fivearrested inburglary
case
BY KRISTIN [email protected]
A group of 31 HuntsvilleHigh School students in theHuntsville Hornet MilitaryMarching Band qualified toparticipate in the Texas StateSolo and EnsembleCompetition Friday during aregional solo and ensemblecompetition.
According to NickLuggerio, HHS director ofbands, all 103 students whoparticipated in Friday’scompetition did an outstand-ing job, bringing home 136
first-division medals.“The band students did
an excellent job at Friday’sRegion IX UIL Solo andEnsemble competition,”Luggerio said Monday. “Wetook 103 kids with us, andthose students earned a totalof 136 first-division medalsin solo performances, smallensembles or mediumensembles.
“We also had 31 students,which included five soloistsand eight small ensembles,
See AREA page 8A See DRILLS page 2A
See COURT, page 3A
See HHS, page 2A See OBAMA, page 3A See CASE, page 3A
2-24 EDITORIAL PGS 2/24/09 5:24 PM Page 1
BY MATTHEW [email protected]
The Texas Department ofTransportation will institutenew changes in the Interstate45 frontage system onTuesday as crews continuework on a multi-million dollarproject to refurbish thefrontage roads.
Effective Tuesday, the eastfrontage road entrance rampnorth of FM 1374, orMontgomery Road, will beclosed permanently in order to
make way for a new exit rampto be built near the same loca-tion. The ramp is locatedbetween FM 1374 and AvenueS.
Access to the northboundlanes of I-45 will still be avail-able through the exit ramp justnorth of State Highway 30, or11th Street.
“The closure is necessarybecause we will be building anew exit ramp in that area,”said Bob Colwell, TxDOTpublic information officer.“We will be putting in another
entrance ramp to replace thisone, but it will be located southof 1374.”
In January, large sections ofboth frontage roads were con-verted by TxDOT to perma-nent one way operation.Currently, crews are at work onthe west frontage road betweenSH 30 and Veterans MemorialParkway and on the eastfrontage road between AvenueS and SH 19.
The east frontage road proj-ect, which includes the newramp closures, is contracted toAngle Brothers EnterprisesLtd. of Baytown. The complet-ed project will consist of newexit and entrance ramps as wellas completely refurbished oneway frontage roads. The $10.1million effort is expected to becomplete in Fall 2010.
www.itemonline.com
SPORTS: Bearkats finish off Bluejays — Page 7A
THE HUNTSVILLE ITEMMONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2009 50 CENTS
COLLEGE GOAL SUNDAY
GADDIS GEESLIN GALLERYWork continues on I-45 frontage roads
Financial counselors from SamHouston State University help highschool students and their parents withthe college financial aid process dur-ing College Goal Sunday at HuntsvilleHigh School. The program, which washeld in locations across Texas, servedto give help families fill out the FreeApplication for Federal Student Aid, orFAFSA, and provide information aboutscholarships and loans. The financialaid staff at SHSU assisted in the eventat HHS. According to Kim Nettles,SHSU financial aid counselor, therewere approximately 85 participants inthe first hour of the program. SHSUwill hold a financial aid literacy week tohelp students apply for aid and man-age their money with events startingMonday.
RACHAEL GLEASON/THE HUNTSVILLE ITEM
JENNIFER BARRETT/THE HUNTSVILLE ITEMStudents and guests enjoy the opening of a new art exhibition in the 3G Gaddis Geeslin Gallery onthe campus of Sam Houston State University Thursday night. The show features artists Curtis Miller,Richard Smith, Michele Smythe, Mike Stephens, Jesus De La Rosa, Richardo Ruiz and Paul Valadez.The pieces include woodblock prints, paintings, drawings and mixed media. The exhibitions will beopen for viewing until March 20.
East entrance ramp to close Tuesday
BY KRISTIN [email protected]
Entry forms are nowbeing accepted for the sec-ond annual Walker CountyFair Country Music StarContest, and this year, bothsolo and duet acts will beaccepted into the competi-tion.
The Country Music StarContest, a music competi-tion much like AmericanIdol and Nashville Star, willallow Walker County resi-dents to perform live coun-try music songs and bejudged by both an audience
and panel of judges. According to Steve Fox,
competition organizer, entryforms will be acceptedthrough March 7, and audi-tions for the production willbe held on March 7 andMarch 14.
“This year’s contest willbe bigger and better thanlast year’s contest, and itwill include two nights ofgreat entertainment,” Foxsaid. “Auditions will beheld on two Saturdays —March 7 and March 14 —and the winners will per-
Country MusicStar entry forms
due March 7
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON —President Barack Obama plansto announce today a formerSecret Service agent whohelped expose lobbyists’ cor-ruption at theI n t e r i o rDepartmentas his pick tooversee the$787 billione c o n o m i cs t i m u l u splan.
Obama isset to nameE a r lDevaney as chairman of thenew Recovery ActTransparency andAccountability Board, anadministration official saidSunday. Vice President JoeBiden also will be given a rolecoordinating oversight ofstimulus spending.
The official spoke on thecondition of anonymitybecause the White House had
not made public the announce-ment.
Devaney, the inspectorgeneral of the InteriorDepartment, helped turn updisgraced lobbyist JackAbramoff’s dealings at thedepartment. The department’sNo. 2 official, Steven Griles,pleaded guilty to charges helied during congressional testi-mony based in part onDevaney’s investigation.
Italia Federici, co-founderof the Council of Republicansfor Environmental Advocacy,and former InteriorDepartment official RogerStillwell also pleaded guilty tocharges stemming from theInterior investigation.
Obama has pledged theRecovery Act Transparencyand Accountability Board tobe an at-large body to overseehow the government spendsbillions allocated to help theflailing U.S. economy. But
Investigator tolead stimulus
oversight
OBAMA
See STAR, page 2A
See LEAD, page 2A
2-23 EDITORIAL PGS 2/24/09 5:22 PM Page 1
The HoustonianThe Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University Vol 111 — Issue 9 Thursday, February 14, 2008
Viewpoints...........page 2
Campus............... page 3
Advertisement......page 6
SPECIAL REPORT
Passion over cashin’. Management professor Dr. Vic
Sower addressed SHSU students and staff Wednesday
about his choice to leave his high-paying job at a chemi-
cal company to persue what he loves.
Thomas Boydston The Houstonian
Head of Bearkat Athletics Bobby Jordan steps down
Professor Sower gets up close and personal
ADP probes students, community on ‘Burning Issues’
The American Democracy
Project is offering its second se-
mester of “Burning Issues” films
to promote student interests in
important civic issues.
According to chairman Joyce
McCauley, the ADP is part of a
larger organization — the Ameri-
can Association of State Colleges
and Universities (AASCU). Mc-
Cauley said over 400 public col-
leges in the nation are part of the
organization. This semester, the
ADP teamed up with Program
Council.
“[It’s] a movement to create a
democratic movement on campus
to create civic engagement,” she
said. “To get people involved in
civic affairs and civic needs.”
The most recent film was
“Away from Her,” shown in the
Walker Education Center last
Saturday and in the LSC Theater
on Tuesday and Wednesday at
3:30 p.m.
“Away from Her” is the first
movie directed by Sarah Pol-
ley, and shows the ravages of
Alzheimer’s disease on an old
couple. The character of Fiona,
played by Julie Christie, is an
Alzheimer’s patient in a nursing
home, and the film shows her ill-
ness and how it affects her hus-
band, Grant.
“The film does a very good job
of showing the whole progres-
sion and the emotional upset that
goes with Alzheimer’s disease.
This really does a great job of
showing the effects Alzheimer’s
disease, not only on the patient,
but how difficult it is on the loved
ones,” John Newbold, assistant
professor of marketing and orga-
nizer for the film series, said.
The whole idea is to try to pro-
mote a culture on campus along
with PC — a culture of being
more involved trying to avoid
being too passive with things,”
he said.
There are six films total in the
series — three last fall and three
this spring. This semester, along
with “Away from Her”, “Dirty
Pretty Things”, about illegal
aliens in London, will be shown
in March. Maxed Out, a docu-
mentary about credit card debt,
will be shown in April.
The movies all feature perti-
nent issues that increase issue
awareness among participants.
After each film, the floor is
By Jenny SwensonSenior Reporter
— See DEMOCRACY, page 3
Facebook turningSamMail into Snail Mail
By Jessica Hamilton News Editor
— See SAM SERIES, page 3
By Dorothy ShoemateSta! Reporter
At the SAM Center’s latest
Up Close and Personal event,
junior Edgard Sanchez intro-
duced Dr. Vic Sower to an audi-
ence of nine SHSU students and
staff members Wednesday.
Sower is a management pro-
fessor whose teaching aids in-
clude items like Lego blocks
and jelly beans.
“When people plan, God
laughs,” Sower said, starting
his speech on career paths with
a quote he enjoys.
He advised students to be
flexible when planning a ca-
reer. Sower’s first degree was
a Bachelor’s of Science degree
in chemistry from Virginia
Tech. When he was promoted
to a managerial position at the
chemical company he worked
for, Sower went back to school
and earned an MBA in manage-
ment at Auburn University. His
professors at Auburn encour-
aged him to get a doctorate and
become a teacher, and while
Sower decided to be a manager,
he kept their advice on the back
burner.
At the time, Sower and his
family could live more comfort-
ably on a manager’s salary than
on a teacher’s. However, after
the kids were grown and Sower
had experienced the world of
computer electronics, where to-
day’s new hot-ticket item is to-
morrow’s obsolete junk, Sower
took his professors’ advice.
“Money can’t be the love of
your life,” he said of his deci-
sion.
He earned his Ph.D. in pro-
duction and operations manage-
ment from the University of
North Texas. He quit his high-
paying business position and
became a teacher.
“The interaction with stu-
Thomas Boydston The Houstonian
From Bearkat to Buckeye. Bobby
Jordan is moving his Sam Houston
State shirts to the back of the closet
and making room for his new Ohio
State University gear. After two years
at SHSU, Jordan will make the transi-
tion to the Buckeye state at the end of
the month. Sports Editor Christi Laney
interviewed Jordan to get the inside
scoop on why he’s making the move
and where he sees the athletic program
headed in the future.
With Facebook noti!cations clogging up the school’s mail system, o!cials are ask-ing students to change their preferences or put up with the delays
— See FACEBOOK, page 3
Although it has not developed
a 12-step program, many stu-
dents would consider themselves
addicted to Facebook. However,
the favorite past time could be
the reason for problems or delays
with campus e-mail accounts.
According to Computer Ser-
vices of Sam Houston State Uni-
versity, the school server is work-
ing in overdrive to process the
mass amounts of Facebook ‘noti-
fications’ received every day.
“Some people can have over
400 friends,” said Mark Adams,
computer services associate vice
president for information re-
sources. “If they set it up so their
friends are notified every time
they update their profile, 400
notification e-mails are sent out
when they change one little bit of
information on their profile.”
E-mails are sent to Facebook
users when network friends write
on their wall, comment on a note,
photo or video, are added as a
friend or updates any profile in-
formation.
“I’ll have two full pages in my
inbox of just Facebook notifica-
tions,” SHSU student Eric Pay-
ton said. “It’s full of stuff like
‘hey, someone wants to make
you a vampire’ and things like
that. I’m not on Facebook to be
a vampire.”
The flood of notifications
through the SHSU server is cre-
ating a delayed delivery for Sam-
Mail users.
“It will be really slow opening
up some of my e-mails,” Payton
said. “Sometimes, I won’t get
some of my e-mails for two or
three days. A lot of the e-mails I
get are from my work in the ath-
letic department and I need them
ASAP. Not being able to access
NEWS
SPORTS
INDEX
Bearkats get a healthy dose of sex ed.
Sports...................page 4
Entertainment.......page 5
VIEWPOINTS
COLUMNS
“MAD BRAD: It’s just Valentine’s Day”— Brad Basker
WEB EXCLUSIVE houstonianonline.com
SEE page 2
Do you think Roger Clemons took steroids?
Thomas Boydston The Houstonian
"e Houstonian wishes you aHAPPY VALENTINE’S
DAY
"is week in Entertainment: SHSU Dance, Battle of BandsSamantha Angus and Kyla Olson team up to present “SHE,” a dance performance
focusing on women’s strength. "e next installment of TV 78’s Battle of the Bands will rock out on Saturday. SEE page 5
Kats lose to Northwestern State, 78-69SEE page 4
BREAKING NEWS
SEE page 4
www.houstonianonline.com
The HoustonianThe Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University Vol 111 — Issue 25 Thursday, April 17, 2008
www.houstonianonline.com
ENTERTAINMENTWEATHER
High79
Low59
Friday: Scattered T-Storms, Hi-74 Lo-51
Take the ‘Sam Houston Challenge’Competition o!ers free food, music and fun witha chance for a team to win a grand prize of $750.
CORRECTION
!e Sam Houston Scholar
— Bryan Honeycutt
Our Two Cents
SPORTS
COLUMNS
SEE page 2
VIEWPOINTS
What are you doing here?
Viewpoints...........page 2
Nation & World...page 5
INDEX
Campus................page 3
Sports...................page 4
Entertainment.......page 6
SEE page 4
Backing the ‘beautiful
game’
SEE page 6
SEE page 3
B.A.S.E. gives students ‘the talk’
SEE page 2
WEB SITE
VA Tech remembers, mourns
By Associated Press
NATION & WORLD
One-year anniversary. !e family of slain Virginia Tech student Reema Joseph Samaha, hold each other as they look over the memorial prior to a memorial ceremony for the victims of the April 16, 2007 shootings on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., Wednesday, April 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
SEE page 5 for more NATION & WORLD news
Sammy Bearkat beats out top schools at NCA NationalsBy Jessica HamiltonNews Editor
Photo courtesy of Sammy Bearkat
Winner. Sammy Bearkat placed third out of sixteen schools when he compet-ed in the National Cheerleading Association Nationals last weekend. Sammy competed against shools such as NYU, West Point and Purdue.
A night at the Sammys
By Jenny SwensonSta! Reporter
Daniel Flores The Houstonian
And the winner is... Sophomore Daniel Pawlowski and Program Coordnator for the O"ce of Multicultural and International Student Services Ashley McDonough hosted the 14th annual ‘Sammys’ last night in the LSC Ballroom.
IN & AROUND CAMPUS
Outstanding students, facultyhonored at annual award ceremony
14th Annual SammysSTUDENT RECREATION
Can you dig it?
Chris Pry The Houstonian
A student hits the sand for some rec-reational volleyball. Over the past
week, the sunny skies and cold breeze has allowed students to partake in sum-mer activities without the heat.
IN & AROUND CAMPUS
By Today@Sam
Mathematicians divide day for mini-conference
Show ‘em what you got, share writing
IN & AROUND CAMPUS
By Dorothy ShoemateSenior Reporter
— See WRITING, page 3
The Sam Houston Writing
Center isn’t just a place to get
advice on academic papers or
homework anymore. Starting
on Sunday, April 20, the Writ-
ing Center will host an after-
hours open reading program
called Writing @ the Center.
“We started this because we
really think there’s a desire out
there for writers to have their
work heard,” Dana Allen, a
writing consultant at the Writ-
ing Center, said. “We know that
there are a lot of people who
like to write and enjoy writ-
ing, and so we opened this up
so that people could put their
words out there in an informal
setting.”
New forum will allow students to show their cre-ative work: #ction and non-#ction
The idea came from a con-
ference that several Writing
Center consultants attended in
March.
“We came back and felt very
inspired to try and bring some-
thing like that to Sam,” Allen
said.
“There are so many facets to
writing,” said Kris Gottlieb, a
writing consultant. “You have
the academic writing that is
most concentrated on at the
writing center, but then you
have this whole other side, this
creative side, and people feel
like they don’t have an outlet
for that.”
Writers are welcome to bring
any work to share, whether it is
fiction or nonfiction. There will
be a time limit on longer pieces,
but any writing is welcome.
“People can bring in part of
a poem they’ve written, they
can bring in part of a personal
memoir, something nonfic-
tion,” Allen said. “They can
read parts of it and see what
people’s reactions are to it.”
Six professors from across the
country will discuss various mathe-
matical-related topics, including logic
and computer science, during an “Al-
gebra Mini-Conference” on Friday
(April 18).
Texas A&M University’s Zoran
Sunik is scheduled to begin the one-
hour, “higher-level scientific” lectures
at 9 a.m., according to associate pro-
fessor of mathematics John Snow.
Other lectures will include Univer-
sity of Dallas’ Jeremy Alm at 10 a.m.,
New Mexico State University’s Elbert
Walker at 11 a.m., Rice’s Moshe Vardi
at 2 p.m., Cal Tech’s Jonathan Farley
at 3:30 p.m. and Vanderbilt’s Ralph
McKenzie at 4:30 p.m.
While the majority of the talks
“will be more advanced and directed
toward a graduate student and faculty
level,” the 2 p.m. discussion, “And
logic begat computer science” is “de-
signed specifically for an undergradu-
ate audience,” Snow said.
All are open to the public and will
be held in Lee Drain Building Room
402.
For more information, contact Snow
at [email protected] or call the math-
ematics department at 936.294.1564.
Statue edition
Last night, the red carpet was
rolled, the paparazzi flashed away
and the Sam Houston marching band
was in attendance for the 14th annual
Sammys award ceremony.
The Sammys were held in the LSC
Ballroom at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April
16. It was hosted by SHSU and the
Department of Student Activities.
The event was emceed by sopho-
more Daniel Pawlowski and Ashley
McDonough, program coordinator
for the office of Multicultural and In-
ternational Student Services.
“We use it as a tool to honor the
students, faculty and staff that have
worked so hard to serve Sam Hous-
ton,” Angie Burns, assistant director
for the Student Activities depart-
ment, said. “It’s an exciting night for
them to dress up and come out and be
rewarded for their work.”
— See SAMMYS, page 3
Sammy Bearkat had the
room roaring with spirit Friday
and this time, he wasn’t even in
Sam Houston State University
territory. Sammy and members
of Spirit Programs made their
way to Daytona Beach, Florida
last weekend to participate in
the National Cheerleading As-
sociation national competition,
placing third overall among
sixteen universities.
For the competition, all mas-
cots were asked to submit a
video of their performances at
games and crowd interaction.
Five universities advanced to
the finals in the video contest
with Sammy taking third place.
“I put in a video bid and I
was really excited I was able to
do that,” Sammy Bearkat said.
“It was made around ‘Everyone
Loves Tom Cruise.’ It started
off with Sammy and ‘Everyone
Loves Raymond’ and then we
added Tom Cruise. I guess the
judges really liked it.”
Each university mascot also
performed a live skit for the
judges. Sammy incorporated
Guitar Hero and streamers into
his performance, wowing the
audience.
“My skit was about Sammy
coming down from 2052 and
letting us know what to expect
in the future,” he said. “We
showed how Lindsay Lohan
will look in 44 years and cut
to a picture of a lunch lady.
Everyone thought it was pretty
funny.”
The energetic display earned
Sammy third-place overall,
beating out universities such as
Purdue University, New York
University and West Point.
“I thought it was judged
fairly,” he said. “I could have
gone to the United Cheerlead-
ers Association competition but
I felt there were more mascots
to compete against at NCA. We
worked really hard on this.”
Defending champions — Christi Laney
COLUMNS
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