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Mixed-use development a bright idea

Rambelle Softball move to No. 2 in the Nation

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Course listings for the Summer and Fall semesters will be available online Wednesday, March 17.

Students on a mission for spring break

Friday, March 12, 2010 • Vol. 76 No. 21 • ASURAMPAGE.COM

Gaming program one of top 50 in the nation

Photo by Tim LesterAngelo State University’s Game Design Pro-gram is one of only two Texas schools ranked in the nations Top 50 by The Princeton Review.

Students get health conscious

Senate BriefS

By Mark LisleContributing Writer

The Princeton Review named Angelo State University in its 2010 list of “Top 50 Undergraduate Game Design Pro-grams” in the U.S.

“We are excited that ASU is receiving national recognition for our efforts to pioneer a new program of study in game development for computer science stu-dents,” said Dr. Tim Roden, head of the Computer Science Department.

The program, which started only two and a half years ago, has more than dou-bled in size since 2008.

The first game development class offered was a programming class that used the Nintendo Game Boy as its plat-form.

Now, the CSD offers an entire cur-riculum dedicated to game development that is supported by the high-tech Enter-tainment Computing Laboratory.

“Working with one of the most up-to-date information technology depart-ments in Texas has really made the transition into gaming development ef-fortless,” Roden said.

Next year, the department plans to add classes that involve the program-ming of iPhones and iPhone applica-tions.

With the national recognition, Roden said he thinks more students are sure to come to ASU.

“There were only two Texas public universities listed: us and UNT,” Roden said. “Most of the time students want to go to college in-state for tuition pur-poses.”

The recognition could mean an influx of new students who would otherwise look to a bigger, more known school for a focus on programming.

“[CDS] will definitely see more en-rollment in the future,” said William Rodriguez, head of the Video Game As-sociation and Student Government sena-tor. “It will lead to more funding, more professors, and hopefully, an expansion of the game development department.”

In an attempt to attract more de-velopers to the state, Gov. Rick Perry recently went to the E3 convention, the premier technology convention in the nation, and gave a speech about the benefits of working in game design and programming in Texas.

Texas is third in the nation with 2,500 full-time game developers, Roden said, behind California’s 20,000 develop-ers and Washington’s 5,000 developers.

Gov. Perry’s support and funding has also been instrumental in allowing the Angelo State program and many other college computer science departments to flourish.

The average starting salary for a computer or game programmer falls between $60,000 and $80,000 with jobs growing all over the state.

SGA researches textbook rentals

Photo by Tim LesterUniversity President Dr. Joseph C. Rallo and Lee Middle School Principal Elaine Stribling swapped jobs on Monday. Rallo was able to view all the aspects of middle school life includ-ing the seventh grade orchestra.

Job Swap

By Jessica ShepardStaff Writer

Students will possibly have access to cheaper books through the new book rental system.

“I’m all about saving money whenever I can,” junior Kelci Ow-ens said.

Student Body President Jeff Harris visited the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at Austin to learn more about their recent institution of a book rental service contracted by E. Fowlett.

UNT and UTA rent per se-

mester on the basis of sell-back value.

“What that means is if a new book costs you $160 and you sell it back for half of what it’s worth,” Harris said, “then, the bookstore rents it to you for, maybe $60. That saves you $20.”

Both schools were part of a pilot program with five other uni-versities to evaluate the program success versus the standard of purchasing a textbook.

“We went to both of those schools to do research on their rental programs,” Harris said,

“and to see what kinds of prob-lems they ran in to, what suc-cesses have they had and essen-tially what it would take to get it here at ASU.”

The main problem that both schools face is with faculty mem-bers, who have to adopt for four semesters, and textbook adop-tion.

“It doesn’t seem like a problem with basic, core classes,” Harris said. “The problem lies in subjects like nursing where things are always changing and being updated.”

If the professor chooses not to adopt that same text-

book again, Harris said, then all students will have paid is the rental fee.

“Overall the rentals have saved students over 40 percent,” Harris said.

If the book is not returned at the end of the semester, the book-store will charge students the price of a new or used textbook.

“It’s something we’re looking very seriously at.” Harris said. “We are hoping to make it a part of our program here.”

Waiting until next spring se-mester gives the professors more time for textbook adoption and

notifications on how the rental system will work.

“Hopefully this will keep the bookstore making money,” Harris said.

The more people that buy books from the bookstore, the better off it is for the university, Harris said.

“If no one bought books, the university is still under contract and the university will still be paying for utilities for an office that basically does nothing,” Harris said. “But if the bookstore keeps making money, then it helps the school’s overhead.”

By Jessica ShepardStaff Writer

On March 29 the Senate will vote on a new Health Referendum, coinciding with the April 6 and 7 e-mail ballots for SGA President, vice-president and other senate positions.

The Health Referendum discusses a monetary increase applied to students’ bills each semester.

“The fee increase we are looking at is a breakeven point,” Student Body President Jeff Harris said. “It’s a $15 in-crease to keep services as they are.”

If students don’t vote on the in-crease, Harris said, the consequences could include service hour cutbacks and a loss of services offered overall.

The $15 increase will be charged to a student account every semester, Har-ris said, but it is also already calculated in to financial aid, grants and loans.

“It works like the technology fee,” Harris said, “and we will have more in-

formation after we come back from Spring Break.”

The SGA Presidential Debate is March 29 at the CJ Davidson Confer-ence Center at 7 p.m.

“The debate will be for the three presidential candidates that we have,” President Pro Tempore AJ Lopez said. “We are encouraging everyone to come.”

Presidential and vice presidential candidates to date are Jeff Harris and Justin Till, Travis Barnett and Mary Hal-comb and Cody Welch and Kenny Lam-mons, respectively.

An SGA Information Forum will take place on April 1 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the C.J. Davidson Conference Center.

Also at the meeting Monday, the Ram Poker League became a valid stu-dent organization.

“We will educate students on how to play poker responsibly and on the risks of gambling,” Representative Travis Valliant said.

Valliant said there are consequences for getting caught gambling or talking about cash games.

“First offense is being ejected for the night and forfeit the higher of 100 points or half of the points that they have,” Valliant said. “And, somehow, we will try to make them take 12 hours of gamblers anonymous.”

Student Body Vice President Stepha-nie Williams reminded senators to re-new their applications for their senate positions.

“If you want, you can just fill them out and drop them by our office, and we’ll take them over to the Center for Student Life ourselves,” Williams said. “Remember, elections are April 6-7.”

SGA applications to hold a seat on the Student Senate are available in the SGA office at UC 113 and will be accept-ed until March 26 at 5 p.m.

Photo by Derek SmithStudents filled the University Center Spine Tues-day for a health fair sponsored by the Joint Ad-mission Medical Program. The fair was created by students, for students and provided informa-tion on how to stay safe over Spring Break.

Flapjackfundraiser

Photo by Derek SmithThe Society for Technical Communications held the first ever pancake dinner in honor of Josh Tittle who died of cancer last year.

The SGA Presidential DebateMarch 29 at 7 p.m.

CJ Davidson Conference Center

Have a safe Spring Break!-Ram Page Staff

Campus News Friday, March 12, 2010page 2

University exploring use of land for married and graduate dorms

By Jessica ShepardStaff Writer

The Texas Tech University system Board of Regents Feb. 26 authorized ASU to pursue the mixed-use development of 17-acres of land along Knicker-bocker Road.

“We want to explore how this public-private partnership can enhance both the campus and the community through the mixed-use development of cur-rently vacant university land,” University President Dr. Joseph C. Rallo said.

Rallo said the partnership will benefit students in at least three different ways.

First is an alternative form of housing for married or graduate students, as well as those over the age of 21.

“Secondly, it will provide a nicer entryway to the university itself,” Rallo said.

Last, the agreement is for a long-term ground lease, which means the university will receive monthly payments from Midway Companies Inc., Rallo said.

“I thought we already had student housing for people over 21 with Vanderventer,” junior Boyd Brotherton said. “And it doesn’t affect me since I’ll be gone by the time it’s built.”

Midway Companies, Inc. re-ceived approval at the board meeting to start pre-develop-mental services to the college.

Those services are to deter-mine the economic possibility of public-private development on that site and are provided at no

cost to the university. The first of the three phases

of services starts with a strategy to determine design and de-velopment prin-ciples.

P r inc ip les range from land use and circula-tion to physical

constraints and open spaces.The second part of the phase

will be the development of the strategic plan for the site and finally a pro-duction of a concept design.

“ M i d w a y plans to pre-lease for ten-

ants on the land instead of wait-ing after they dig,” Rallo said.

Rallo expects a wait of 12 to 15 months before actual move-ment begins.

It will have the look and feel of a bigger city, Rallo said, and help appeal to more students.

“This ties right into enroll-ment,” Rallo said. “If you have something to recruit more stu-

dents from further away, then you can increase enrollment and maintain growth.”

Midway Companies, Inc. is based in Houston and has a di-verse background in construction.

Some of their projects range from medical facilities and resi-dential communities to the hos-pitality industry and industrial or office facilities.

Photo IllustrationThe 17-acre plot of land off Knickerbocker road is being explored as a place to build married and graduate residence halls, as well as a provide the university with an additional revenue source by leasing the property to local businesses. Administrators think it will be at least a year before any ground is broken.

It will have the look and feel of a bigger city.

-President Jospeh C. Rallo

Campus NewsFriday, March 12, 2010 page 3

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New online search site for lost items

Photo by Derek SmithStudents can search this lost and found for an item using an automated program provided by the University Police Department.

By Morgan McMillanStaff Writer

Students now have the luxury of looking for their lost items online with the University Police Depart-ment’s new program.

UPD automated their lost and found department two weeks ago, making all items available to be searched for at http://angelo.edu/services/universitypolice/lost_and_found.html.

The new system replaces several manual processes and helps the UPD to better track items, Chief of Police James Adams said.

“For example, we now can quick-ly search for items in lost and found electronically and also be alerted to items which have been in storage for more than 30 days and are up for salvage,” Adams said.

Adams said a female student

used the service this week to find a pair of glasses.

“…She saw our posting on RamP-ort about the new online lost and found,” Adams said. “She went to the web site and said she quickly searched and found a match. Af-ter getting some more information, turns out the glasses we had did be-long to her.”

Erica Manley, the communica-tions supervisor for UPD, said the web site is easy to maneuver: the student selects the section the item may be under.

“I highly advise students to look on the web site,” Manley said. “We have everything from earrings to laptops turned in.”

Adams said he felt providing this service was much more user-friend-ly.

“To be honest,” Adams said, “the convenience of providing such a re-

source to the campus was the driv-ing force behind moving to the new system.”

Sophomore Kyann Kothman said she was excited to hear about the web site.

“As much stuff as I misplace, this will save me so much time,” Koth-man said.

Adams wanted students to notice that there is a time limit for certain items.

All items are stored for 30 days, and bicycles are stored for 60. After that, the items are turned over to sal-vage.

The web site and UPD are both open 24 hours a day, and items can be collected at any time.

Adams said students must have a picture ID in order to collect the item.

For more information, contact the UPD at (325) 942-2071.

Correction: In the March 5 Senate Briefs on page 3, Ms. Gayle Ran-

dall’s name was misspelled. We apologize to Ms. Randall. If you notice a mistake or just wish to com-

ment, please call us at 325-942-2323 or e-mail us at rampage@angelo.edu.

Seasoned actor adds flavor to “Carousel” production

Morgan McMillanStaff Writer

A variety of outside help created a different experience for actors, sing-ers and viewers alike in the musical “Carousel,” which ran March 3 through 6.

Bill Reynolds, an 82-year-old retired actor, as-sisted in the production.

“He (Reynolds) was great at giving advice,” said

junior Jamie Westfall, who played Carrie Pitterdige. “He taught me how to keep up my energy throughout the play because it was a really long play.”

Reynolds performed in the first revival of “Carousel” in 1953.

“He was a pleasant grounding to our rambunc-tious, youthful energy,” said senior Kurt Crenwalge, who played Mr. Enoch Snow, an

ambitious fisherman. “He was happy to share his expe-riences and stories of work-ing out in the professional world.”

Junior Briana Dovi said she noticed improvements from previous Theatre De-partment plays.

“Godspell was very controlled chaos and you couldn’t understand the words they were singing,” Dovi said. “This [Carousel] was organized, and you could hear the [words].”

The play depicted a man, Billy Bigelow, played by freshman Joe Zimmer-man, who came back to comfort his family and friends after his death left them in shambles.

Westfall said that les-sons from a guest director, Shaun Yates of San Angelo, helped the actors to grow in a different way than ASU professors have offered.

“I was trying to give the students a profession-al outlook that will help them when they go out

into the real world and try to get a job in this field,” Yates said.

Crenwalge said Yates told him to go big.

“Shaun liked to have fun while we worked, and he told us we could always talk to him for advice on our acting and loved to bounce around ideas,” Crenwalge said.

Musicals also provide the chance for the Theatre Department to work with the Music Department.

“The musical has a chance for vocalists to improve on being more expressive in their sing-ing and acting, and the theater students can learn more about singing and all the training and work it takes to produce beautiful sound,” Crenwalge said.

Westfall said the out-side help brought the cast closer together.

“This has been one of the closest casts that I have been a part of,” Westfall said.

The 75 students chosen for this honor will be recognized at a reception and presentation

ceremony on Friday, May 14 at 2 p.m., in the Carr Education-Fine Arts Building’s Eldon

U. Black Recital Hall, 2602 Dena Drive.

San Angelo: Laura Aguilar, junior, mathematics; Whitney Block, senior, accounting; David Clough, ju-nior, kinesiology; Benjamin Ellery, junior, mathemat-ics; Kelsey Frymire, senior, kinesiology; Keith Greer-May, senior, mathematics; Jeffrey Harris, junior, interdisciplinary studies; Sara Hooker, junior, biology; Erica Hughes, senior, communication; Ashley James, graduate student, kinesiology; James Kelley, senior, mathematics; Kailee Leabo, junior, accounting; Al-exander Martinez, junior, biology; Melissa Martinez, graduate student, business; Meaghan McCoy, junior, English; Allyson McKinney, senior, kinesiology; Kyle Mills, senior, mathematics; and Kendra Moeller, ju-nior, kinesiology.Also, Garret Neighbors, graduate student, business administration; Alexa Nichols, junior, biology; Jane Onwuchekwa, senior, exercise science; Cristina Ran-gel, junior, criminal justice; William Register, junior, biochemistry; David Sullivan, senior, biology; Joshua Tindell, senior, English; and Roddy Warren, senior, finance.Abilene: Jennifer Prichard, graduate student, history.Aspermont: Laryssa Hise, senior, kinesiology.Ballinger: Brittany Bosma, senior, biology.Bangs: Anna Hall, senior, English.Bedford: Erica Hughes, senior, communication. Benbrook: Davette Hafer, junior, mathematics.Big Spring: Kayla Spence, senior, Spanish.Blackwell: Jacob Watts, junior, computer science.Brownfield: Clarissa Glasson, junior, kinesiology.Canyon: Kelly Payne, junior, kinesiology.Cibolo: Megan Flores, senior, kinesiology.Colorado City: Sagan Everett, senior, kinesiology.Corpus Christi: Stephanie Williams, junior, sociology.De Leon: Jennifer Sims, senior, psychology.Eastland: Jody Thomas, senior, accounting.El Paso: Phillip Gonzalez, junior, kinesiology, and Michelle Wentworth, junior, biochemistry.Galveston: Samantha Caszatt, graduate student, communication.Garden City: Whitney Kellermeier, junior, biology.Garland: Lara Johnson, senior, German/ journalism.Greenville: Christian Willman, senior, marketing.Hamilton: Farrah Lokey, junior, English, and Lucy Thompson, senior, psychology.Harker Heights: Christopher Stegall, senior, marketing.Kerrville: Summer Kotson, senior, kinesiology.Killeen: Gary Stackhouse, senior, history.Lamesa: Rimple Bhakta, senior, mathematics.Loraine: Sarah Smith, junior, history.Marble Falls: Yexzamanith Campuzano, junior, pre-nursing.Mason: Dustin Laqua, senior, education.May: Courtney Hallum, junior, kinesiology, and Sarah Renfro, junior, nursing.Nazareth: Jake Hoelting, senior, kinesiology.New Braunfels: Kirsta Hoffman, senior, international business.Odessa: Stephen Boyles, senior, biology.Pecos: Roger Quintana, senior, biology.Quinault: Megan Pumphrey, senior, mathematics.Richardson: Courtney Snow, senior, kinesiology.Robert Lee: Micah McDowell, senior, history.Round Rock: Andrea Lewis, junior, biology.San Antonio: Teresita Tipps, senior, biology.Seminole: Lydia Miller, senior, mathematics/ psychology.Sinton: Jacqueline Guerrero, senior, education.Snyder: Terann Ragland, senior, exercise science.Sterling City: Roxana Leija, senior, biology.Sweetwater: Dwenette Stevenson, senior, interdisciplinary studies.Tioga: Alix Dean, junior, psychology.Wall: Brian Holik, junior, kinesiology.Wallis: Anthony Banks, graduate student, kinesiology.Winters: Kaci Pruser, senior, biochemistry.

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Features Friday, March 12, 2010page 4

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If you go:What: Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance.”When: 7:30 p.m. March 18.Where: San Angelo Coliseum, 50 E. 43rd St.How much: $24.50 to $46.50.Tickets: sanangelotexas.us; by phone at 325-658-6464; McNease Convention Center, 500 Rio Concho Drive; Blair’s Western Wear, 4230 Sherwood Way; Elite Physique, 3109 Knickerbocker Road; San Angelo Stock Show & Rodeo offices, 200 W. 43rd St. Contact: 325-658-6464.

The world famous Lipizzaner Stallions will present their 40th anni-versary presentation of the “Dancing White Stallions” at 7:30 p.m. on Mar. 12 and 2 p.m. on Mar. 13 in the San Angelo Coliseum, 50 E. 43rd Street.

This equestrian work of art per-forms a unique equine ballet that has been preserved over 425 years. The Lipizzaner Stallions are an inter-nationally acclaimed spectacle.

Tickets are now on sale and there are a limited number of Gold Circle seats available for $25.50 each. No discounts available for Gold Circle seats. Regular admis-sion adult tickets are $22.50 each. For children 12 and under and se-niors 60 and over, admission tickets are $20.50 each. Tickets are avail-able at the Convention Center Box Office, 500 Rio Concho Drive and all usual outlets. For information on group discounts call 658-6464.

Dave Ramsey Simulcast: Total Money MakeoverSaturday, March 13The most fun you will ever have talking about money! Learn how to: Create a game plan to get out of debt Make a plan for your money --that works! Save money like never before Invest with confidence

At College Hills Baptist Church 2102 Johnson (corner of Johnson & Dena) Saturday, March 13th from Noon—5:00 p.m. Doors open at 11 a.m. Cost: $10 per person (includes workbook) Tickets are available from the church office. FMI: call the church office at 325-949-5788 or go to this site: http://www.daveramsey.com/live/simulcast/

The Texas Department of Public Safety is urging all Texas Spring Breakers to avoid traveling to border cities in Mexico.

“There is an increase in Mexican drug cartel related violence in the northern Mexican border cities. Parents should not allow their children to visit these Mexican cities because their safety cannot be guaranteed,”

said DPS director Steven C. McCraw.

The U.S. State Department web site lists several travel alerts related to violence in Mexico. Travelers should al-ways check that web site for the most up-to-date informa-tion related to security issues in Mexico. (See http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html).

During the Spring Break season, DPS will have extra troopers on patrol looking for DWIs, seatbelt violators and speeders.

“We want Spring Break to be memorable, but in a good way,” said David Baker, assistant director, Texas Highway Patrol. “You don’t want to get arrested for DWI, receive a ticket or be injured somehow because you were irrespon-sible. Have fun, but please be safe.”

DPS is offering several tips for a safe Spring Break.• Don’t text while driving. • Wear your seat belt.• Don’t drink and drive.• Find a sober friend to do the driving.• Don’t leave your drink unattended, and don’t accept

drinks from strangers. • Keep a fresh driver behind the wheel, or stop every

couple of hours to rest and walk around.• Make sure your vehicle is properly maintained.• Keep your friends close.

Thursday evening, March 11, a group of nine Rams for Christ left for Ecuador. They will join with students from West Texas A&M University who are members of the Buff’s for Christ campus min-istry in Canyon, Texas. The group of about 25 people will spend two days travelling to a remote lodge in North-west Ecuador that is only accessible via a four-hour canoe ride up the Cayapa River. Inhabitants along the river are decendents from groups of Africans who escaped the slave trade in the Caribbean and settled in the many waterways. The team will be converting the Kumanii Lodge, which was formerly an environmental study

center in the Ecuador interior, into an outreach center for various missions, such as a medical mission scheduled as soon as this May. Rams for Christ expect five total days of travel, an abundance of mosquitoes, three days of hard work, and they hope to lay the groundwork that will open doors to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. They return Friday night, March 19, and they do not expect to re-enter their local setting unaffected by the experience.

Students of Chi Alpha heads to Meridian, Texas this spring break to help a family in need by participating in Chi Alpha’s “Ex-treme Home Makeover”. A pas-tor in Meridian was diagnosed with terminal cancer a couple of months ago. His house has been in serious need of some repairs, so during Spring break, he will be going on what he believes is a vaca-tion, only to return to a refurbished home.

Through this mission trip, these students will help provide a good home for his wife once he is gone, re-lieving some of both of their stress. The students will leave Wednesday,

March 17 and spend 5 days work-ing on everything from landscaping to painting, to putting up siding on the house. This will be Chi Alpha’s second year doing a home makeover. Last year was very rewarding and suc-cessful, as students rebuilt the home of a newly widowed woman.

ASU Rams have participat-ed in Beach Reach for more than 15 years.

This spring break, 20 ASU students will join over 500 other students from around the country to join in the ef-fort on March 13 through 19 at South Padre Island, TX.

The 20 Rams have spent Monday nights over the last five weeks in training for the trip.

The training has involved preparing students to share their stories and the impact their faith has made in their lives, how to operate the various ministries like desig-

nated driver rides, midnight pancake breakfast, morning breakfast and beach efforts like the clean up and pass-ing out hotline cards for the free rides.

The city of South Padre works with Beach Reach each year to allow the designated driver rides, beach clean-up and free meals.

Last year Beach Reach served 16,305 individuals pancakes and gave 10,858 individuals designated driver rides.

The effort is all about serving fellow students (free food), helping them stay

safe (free rides), and talking with willing students about their faith.

HistoryIn 1980 Buddy Young,

who was a seminary student and part-time Baptist Student Ministry Director in Dallas, took a small group of stu-dents to South Padre Island during Spring Break.

The group camped in tents on the island and shared the gospel with spring breakers as God provided opportunities.

Several years later they

began to notice that trans-portation was a problem, es-pecially during the week of spring break.

The group realized that they could minister to spring breakers by provid-ing free rides.

Then the van ministry came. As they picked up people, they would share the gospel with the stu-dents they came in contact with. Soon free breakfast, free e-mail check, free wa-ter, free sunscreen, and beach clean-up were added to the list of ministries.

In 1998 the South Padre

Beach Reach model expand-ed to Panama City Beach, Florida and other Spring Break sites, where they continue to use the “Acts of Kindness” approach to Spring Break Evangelism.

Buddy is currently the Di-rector of the West Texas A&M University BSM where he con-tinues to mobilize students for missions.

South Padre Beach Reach has now expanded to include 400 students from around the country, who give up their spring break to serve God in a variety of ways on South Padre Island.

Spring breakTips for the breakin San Angelo

Information and picture courtesy of Lee Floyd

Information and picturecourtesy of Alicia Powell

Information and picturescourtesy of Doug Johnson

Opinions Friday, March 12, 2010page 5

R A M P A G EStaff

2009-2010A n g e l o S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y

Editor: Leah WatersManaging Editor: Scott DykowskiCopy Editor: Amanda RazaniSports Editor: Michael Whitson Photo Editor: Tim Lester Photographer: Derek SmithCartoonist: Jeremy Jones Online Editor: Jessica LimbaughStaff Writer: Jessica ShepardStaff Writer: Morgan McMillan Circulation Manager: Jim WatersAdvertising Manager: Grant Hill Adviser: Dr. Cathy Johnson

Ram PageASU Station #10895San Angelo, Texas

76909-0895 Editor: rampage@angelo.edu

Managing Editor: rampagenews@angelo.eduFeatures Editor: rampagefeatures@angelo.edu

Sports Editor: rampagesports@angelo.eduAdvertising: rampageads@angelo.edu

Editor: (325) 942-2323Newsroom: (325) 942-2134Advertising: (325) 942-2040

Fax: (325) 942-2551

Member ofThe Texas Tech University System

Associated Collegiate PressTexas Intercollegiate Press Association

PUBLISHING POLICYPublished every Friday and available to students, one copy per student, the student newspaper of Angelo State University is a public forum, with its student editorial board making all deci-sions concerning its contents. Unsigned editorials express the views of the majority of the editorial board.Ram Page welcomes all letters. Please include your name, classification/position and a phone number and/or e-mail ad-dress for verification purposes. Letters must be signed and be no more than 350 words. The paper reserves the right to edit letters for grammar and clarity, and all letters are subject to laws governing obscenity, libel and privacy. Deadline is 5 p.m., Mon-day. Submission does not guarantee publication. Letters may be mailed, e-mailed or submitted at the newspaper’s office, Room 324 on the third floor of the Porter Henderson Library. Opinions in letters are not necessarily those of the staff, nor should any opinion expressed in a public forum be construed as the opinion or policy of the administration, unless so attributed.

Who do you think deserved to win “Best Pic-ture” at the Oscar’s?

“Hurt Locker defi-nitely deserved to win.”Kunal Bhatnagalsenior

“Dear John. It was a really good movie.”Caroline Phillips sophomore

“The Blind Side. ”

Chris Minorfreshman

Sidewalk Survey

“Avatar. It was epic.”

Kailey Bassfreshman

?campusontalk the

What’s Comment with your thoughts on the possible switch

to textbook rentals & other issues at www.asurampage.com

“Avatar. It was awe-some. ”

Kelci Brokawsenior

A Bowlful of CollegeBy Jeremy Jones

By Anthony ValvaContributing Writer

Man, is the fur flying. Apple announced it’s

going to sue cell phone manufacturer HTC for infringing on twenty pat-ents that are “related to the iPhone’s user interface and underlying architec-ture and hardware.”

Some of the other patents include an “ob-ject-oriented multitasking system”, an “extensible, replaceable network com-ponent system” and a “method and apparatus for distributing events in an operating system”.

Well, doesn’t that last patent sound like… um… what’s the word… A COM-PUTER?!

Another one of the patents is “unlocking a locked touchscreen”. Yes, unlocking a locked touch-screen. How does one pat-ent that?

How about I patent the

movement of moving my hand when I open a door? Now you have to pay me to enter your home. Game’s over, losers! I have all the money! Muhahahaha!

So what does Steve Jobs think about all of this?

“We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it,” said Steve Jobs. “We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technol-ogy, not steal ours.”

Wait, doesn’t that sound familiar? Well it

should, because Nokia is being accused of the same thing and Apple also called out Palm as well, though it hasn’t led to a lawsuit... yet.

Most of the phones that would be filed under these patent infringements are running the Google OS called Android. Now there is a lot of history between Android and Apple.

First of all, Apple asked Google not to include mul-titouch in their newest phone: the Nexus One. Google complied.

When Apple took a jab at the Nexus One claiming that it wasn’t as good as the iPhone, Google pushed out an update for the An-droid OS that enabled mul-titouch on the Nexus One.

Granted, Apple has a patent on multitouch capa-bilities but it isn’t a strong patent and can be worked around; thus the ability for Google to release out such an update without fear of

repercussions.Now currently, the Nex-

us One is only available on T-Moble, but it is going to be released on the Verizon network later this month.

These two are the best smartphones on the mar-ket.

100 percent hands down.

From a statistic point of view, the Nexus One is a more powerful phone. And the Verizon network, from a statistic point of view, has more coverage and better customer support than AT&T.

Everyone has hor-ror stories from Verizon or AT&T so that isn’t the fairest of reasons why the Nexus One is better than the iPhone, or vice versa.

From a pure data stand-point, the Nexus One has a leg up on the iPhone.

So, jumping back on topic, why is Apple wait-ing till now to jump after HTC?

Well the Nexus One is only available on the T-Mobile platform as stated above.

Three days prior to all of this, Verizon confirmed that the Nexus One will hit their network on March 23, which means this superior smartphone is about to hit a much larger and better network this month.

Is Steve Jobs starting to sweat a little bit?

Possibly. Or is it going back to

the fact that Apple and Google have a history; a history that includes such stupid stunts as any app that mentions the Android market in its descriptor, to be declined on the iTunes app store.

And, get ready for this, a new phone from Motor-ola, the Backflip, was re-leased to the media for a demo and early review.

What reviewers didn’t expect to find was that AT&T (AKA Apple’s net-

work) has had the Google search widget removed and replaced with a Yahoo search.

It is impossible to use Google on this new An-droid phone on the AT&T network.

So here we have An-droid, Google’s open source OS, and AT&T is just slapping them in the face.

They are taking ad-vantage of a FREE operat-ing system which Google opened up to the world, and then removed their search functionality from it.

That takes a lot of guts.

Currently Gmail, Google Maps and all other Google services are intact, but rumors are spreading that they may go as well.

I have a feeling that this feud isn’t over.

There will be many more columns about this to come.

!"#$%

Apple sour over ownership dispute

T

“Human history is, in essence, a history of ideas.”

Herbert George Wells

JOIN THE CONVERSATION,

ASURAMPAGE.COM GIVE YOUR OPINION AT

OPINION BY RAM PAGE STAFF

PHOTO BY TIM LESTER

Ideaa

Mixed-use

here are billions of ideas floating around about how to improve the world. Most of them seem impos-sible and incalculable and some-times turn out to be bad ideas.

But then there are the really good ideas that turn into plans, which consequently bring about change.

ASU has found that good idea about how to improve our little community. University President Dr. Joseph C. Rallo, along with other people with visions, is exploring the “mixed-used” development of about 17 acres of uni-versity property off Knickerbocker Road. The idea is to create a site where married couples and graduate students could live, while also providing restaurants and businesses a place to open up shop.

So why is this a good idea? ASU would be paid every month for businesses using this property, giving the university an additional revenue source with no additional cost.

Married couples and graduate students, for the first time, could live on or close to campus. Businesses would profit because of the proximity to campus. Potentially these

businesses could provide jobs to students.Finally an idea that sounds like it could

solve a lot of problems and benefit a large group of people at ASU and in the commu-nity.

Some may still think we need to be spend-ing money on more parking lots or under-graduate dorms. And granted, the parking situation is not perfect.

But this piece of land is not the place to solve those problems.

We are arguing that this shows the uni-versity and its leaders have the initiative to utilize the resources available and make the best use of them for a better future.

For this, we applaud the university’s ef-forts. But we have to remember that all this is now is a good idea. Most of the students now won’t see the consequences of this idea. Unforeseen circumstances could cause this to just remain a good idea, like lack of adequate funding.

But for the sake of the future students of ASU, we hope this one materializes into some-thing more than just an idea—something that brings students here and keeps them here.

goodland development

Sports Friday, March 12, 2010page 6

By Michael WhitsonSports Editor

For the second consecutive week, the Angelo State track and field teams domi-nated the competition, coming away with the top spots in both men’s and women’s divisions at the Trinity Invitational in San Antonio.

“Its been exciting to see what we have been able to accomplish these first two meets,” head coach James Reid said. “It’s still extremely early, but I think there are just a couple of events that we are not way ahead of where we were this time last year.”

The Rams totaled 180 team points to best Tarleton State who finished second with 155.

Aiding the Rams in victory, junior Ty-ler Orlando won the javelin, while sopho-more Jacob McDonald finished second.

Orlando, who already held a provi-sional qualifying mark in the javelin from the Feb 27 Incarnate Word Invitational, improved the throw with an automatic qualifier for the 2010 NCAA Division II National Championships.

On his second attempt in the event

finals, Orlando recorded a personal-best of 213’11”, ninth-best in Angelo State his-tory.

“The track meet was over so all my teammates were there cheering me on. That got me really pumped up,” Orlando said. “It felt real good when I threw it so I knew it went pretty far.”

McDonald’s toss of 194’6” earned him a provisional qualifying spot at nation-als.

Other provisional qualifiers for the Rams included senior James Howell, who took first in the 400-meter dash with a 47.58 and sophomore Trenton Dalton, first place time of 53.48 in the 400-meter hurdles.

The Rambelles smoked the field in San Antonio, totaling 199 points with the closest competition being Huston-Tillot-son in second with 75 points.

“I think the excitement that came from the conference championship last year and being so close to a national champi-onship, they (Rambelles) are beginning to see what the possibilities are and what this group could do,” Reid said.

Senior Celethia Byrd added her third provisional mark in three events with a

personal-best 55.34 first-place finish in the 400-meter dash leading the ‘Belles to victory.

Byrd already set provisional marks in the 100 and 200-meter dashes at Incar-nate Word.

Senior Aisha Adams also improved a previous mark by taking first in the 100-meter hurdles in 14.14.

Adams also took first in the long jump, posting a leap of 19’ 4.75, to pick up her second provisional mark, despite nursing a nagging injury to start the season.

Looking forward to defending her Na-tional title in the heptathlon, Adams is eager to get back to 100 percent.

“I am very excited about the hep this year,” Adams said. “I’ve got a real big goal set, so hopefully at the Texas Relays I can get a preview of where I am at.”

Freshman Summer Sutherland con-tinues to impress in her early Rambelle career, improving her provisional mark in the pole vault with a personal-best 12’.

The teams look to continue their out-standing start on the young season at the Tarleton State Relays in Stephenville this week.

Photo by Kimberley Parker

Junior All-American Tyler Orlando prepares to launch at the NCAA D-II Championships.

Track teams continue early season dominance

Photo by Tim LesterSenior pitcher Chelsea Nelson picked up her Lone Star Conference-leading tenth victory Tuesday. Nelson also leads the conference in innings pitched and is third in strikeouts with 65. Her 1.30 ERA alson ranks third-best in the LSC.

No 2-ranked Rambelles extend streakBy Michael Whitson

Sports Editor

The Rambelles softball team (21-2) moved up to the No 2-ranked team in the nation this week after picking up four more wins to extend their current win-ning streak to ten.

“So far, so good,” head coach Travis Scott said. “Our pitching has been on par all year. If (they) can continue to do that, its going to be a very special year.”

Monday the ‘Belles swept Texas A&M – International, tak-ing the opener 3-1 before rally-ing back for a 10-5 win in the nightcap.

Senior Chelsea Nelson im-proved to 9-1, getting the win in game one, striking out eight bat-ters and allowing the lone run on just three hits.

In the second game, senior April Haywood entered in a re-lief appearance with the ‘Belles trailing 5-1.

Haywood earned her sev-enth win of the season, shutting down the Dustdevils the rest of the way, while helping her own cause with a two-run homer in the come-from-behind victory

Tuesday, the duo combined to limit perennial power St. Mary’s to just two runs through 14 innings of softball.

“We played great defense and it makes the pitchers lives a whole lot easier when you can get ground ball outs,” Scott said. “Pitching and defense, I keep saying it and keep saying it, I

know it gets old, but it wins you games. Its basic fundamentals if they can’t score, they can’t win.”

Nelson picked up her Lone Star Conference-leading tenth win in the first game, fanning nine while surrendering only four hits.

Haywood got the nod in the finale and allowed just five hits and struck out six Rattlers.

“These two programs have been in some very heated battles and a lot of post season battles,” Scott said. “There was a little bit of a mindset there for a while that we couldn’t beat St. Mary’s, but I guess we’ve eliminated that.”

The ‘Belles may not be scor-ing the number of runs they put up last season, but they continue to get the job done with speed and clutch hitting throughout the lineup.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning of Tuesday’s game two, freshman Chelsey Walters blasted a game-tying homer over the left field fence, the first of her young career.

“It was good timing,” Walters said. “I’ve been doing it in prac-tice but it hasn’t been working in the games. I finally found my spot I guess.”

Walters ignited her team with the shot. They would go on to score eight more runs in the inning to pick up the run-rule victory.

The ‘Belles open LSC confer-ence play with Tarleton State be-ginning Friday at 4 p.m.

By Michael WhitsonSports Editor

Head coach Kevin Brooks and the Rams found themselves in unfamiliar territory in the month of February.

After a 10-9 start to the season, the Rams sat in the middle of the Lone Star Conference standings looking up to-wards the top where they usually rank.

But just like ripping a page off from the calendar, the Rams have ripped off four wins in their last five games in March as they prepare to move up in the standings.

“The worm is starting to turn,” Brooks said. “Over the last week and a half I was real pleased with the way we

played. I though we competed a lot bet-ter and were more consistent.”

Consistency is something the team has struggled with off the mound up to this point. Eight different pitchers have taken the hill for the Rams this season.

With some pitchers getting more op-portunities and others settling into a groove, Brooks has noticed improvement in his staff to start the month.

“We are going to have to do better to get to where we want to be,” Brooks said. “But it showed that (they) can keep us in a ballgame, which is something we’ve struggled with.”

Offensively, the Rams lead the con-ference in almost every statistical cat-egory.

ASU holds the tops spot in runs scored (189), hits (262), runs batted in (175), doubles (55), home runs (16), total bases (371), walks (92), and hit by pitch (35).

The team ranks second in batting av-erage (.344), slugging percentage (.487) and on base percentage (.433).

In the last five games the Rams have scored 45 runs.

“I thought we just competed really well at the plate,” Brooks said. “We had good at-bat after good at-bat and if you do that, generally the results are going to be pretty good.”

Despite the rough start, Brooks is confident in the Ram’s abilities.

“We’ve given ourselves very little

room, actually we’ve given ourselves no room for error,” Brooks said. “But I still think we can get where we need to go.

“And if we get where we want to go, the bad stuff will have a big impact on why we got there. It does make you bet-ter, it does make you stronger, if you don’t let it beat you.”

The Rams will look to continue gain-ing ground in the conference standings as they host Eastern New Mexico this weekend.

The four-game series begins Fri-day with a doubleheader scheduled for 4 p.m., Saturday’s twin bill is set for 1 p.m.

Rams look to dive back into LSC race

Photo by Kimberley ParkerSenior Austin Lasprilla dives back safely to avoid being picked off, Lasprilla hit a grandslam home run Tuesday to propel the Rams to victory against Lubbock Christian in game one.