Today’s Weekly ForecaSt 420/220 WeaTher Chance for light snow flurries with winds at15 to 25 mph.
Fri.
500/240
Mostly sunny with winds at 10 to 15 mph.
Sun.
540/300
Mon.
670/350
Mostly sunny with winds at 10 to 20 mph Mostly Sunny with winds at .
550/300
Mostly Sunny skies.
Sat.
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SuNNy 450/230
Tues.
Rebekah St. ClaiR RepoRteR
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buff briefs
Title IX sparks discussion.
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sPorts
February 28, 2013 • Vol. 95, No. 19
Heavy Metal class catches attention he heavy metal as a literature class has become part of the metal music world. An article from the Amarillo GlobeNews started a riot on several different heavy metal sites about the unique class that is offered this semester at WTAMU by Dr. Martin Jacobsen, associate professor of the English Department. “We made the metal sphere spin a litter faster,” Dr. Jacobsen said, slightly overwhelmed. Jacobsen decided to offer the course after using “Out of the Silent Planet” by Iron Maiden in one of his other classes to demonstrate sentence structures. The students fell in love with the idea of using metal music to help instruct lessons. “It was something that students remembered,” said Jacobsen. On Tuesday, Feb. 19 when Jacobsen walked into class, the excitement was tangible. All of the students were on the edge of their seats and gave a standing ovation because the article from the Amarillo Globe-News had spread so quickly. Instead of holding a
news
An intro to a journey beyond the mound.
Page 6 entertainMent
The youngest blackhole in the milkyway is spotted.
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oPinion Dr. Martin Jacobsen being interviewD by Kwts. alex Montoya/the Prairie
normal lecture, the English Department bought pizza and soda for the class to further the excitement as Jacobsen presented the class with “You Can’t Kill Rock n’ Roll” by Ozzy Osbourne as the class theme song. Students were shocked and elated to find their class was gaining so much recognition. Heath McCarty,
University Formal will commence March 2 at 7 p.m. in the JBK Legacy Hall. Tickets are $15.
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junior, co-host of “The Rocket,” a metal show for WT’s student-run radio station 91.1, said he is excited that metal music is getting the recognition it has received. “I think it’s pretty awesome,” McCarty said. “I don’t think a lot of people realize the gravitational pull metal has. I think it’s a good
Dodgeball Tournament, put on by SAGE, will be held today, Feb. 28, at The Box at 7 p.m.
thing we are getting a lot of recognition. I haven’t even seen all the stuff yet.”
heaVy Metal on PaGe 10
Proper Style Records will be handing out free copies of their CD, Lyricists Lounge 2025, on Wednesday, March 6, in the JBK.
Minimum wage could be rising. What could go wrong?
Page 11 Mercer Collection-Silent Auction will be held on March 3 at 4 p.m. at the Amarillo Country Club to benefit the College of Fine Arts.
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NEWS
February 28, 2013 | theprairienews.com
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WT class rings continuing the tradition University officials weigh in on Title IX According to the O S West Texas A&M
HunteR FitHen RepoRteR
tudents around campus tend to have different opinions when asked whether or not they would ever consider getting a WTAMU class ring. Some students find themselves uninterested in class rings while others would like to have one to commemorate their success in college. Students may have recently heard that WT might not be offering an extensive variety when it comes to class rings and the rings available may be unreasonably priced. While this is the view of some current students and alumni, the WT Alumni Association shed some light on the subject to sway some opinions on class rings. The Alumni Association, the official provider of the WT class ring said they offer about the same amount of options to students as other universities do.
“We looked at some other schools in the LSC Conference and compared our class rings to theirs,” Becky Stogner, Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Fund, said. “We found that we are right there with them in regards to pricing, and the variety that we offer.” The high prices on class rings are simply due to most of them being made of precious metals, and the slightly limited selection is caused by an effort to maintain University tradition and quality. “The cost of a class ring is an investment,” Stogner said. “We do not offer lesser-quality rings. They’re all considered precious metals, so they are going to be an investment financially.” According to Stogner, the limited selection is due to the fact that it’s tradition. “We want a WT ring to look like a WT ring,” Stogner said. “Rings with the big birthstones and things
like that are typically more high school style rings. The flame on top of our rings is representative of WT. We want the tradition to hold strong and mean something to people.” Stogner said there are some options available for students to customize their ring but their goal is to make sure that it still feels and looks like a WT ring. Some students think the traditional styles of class rings are a good option to look into but may not be worth the money unless they find themselves truly interested in having a ring. “I think that a class ring is definitely something cool to have but I wouldn’t go crazy trying to get one that I might not have the money for,” Amanda Grimes, senior Math major, said. Students who are interested in a class ring, but may be short on money have do not have to
completely give up on getting one, as WT and Herff Jones offer at least two different payment plans for class rings. “We don’t have any ring scholarships, as you might say,” Stogner said. “There are payment plans available through Herff Jones; both a four month and a six month payment plan. Our job is to help alumni stay involved with the University. The rings are a special thing that we can provide for our alumni and keeping the quality of the rings high helps to reflect the high quality of education that students receive.” According to Stogner, rings are available to students who have completed 90 hours and we also have a new WT charm available for students that can be purchased at any time. This year’s ring ceremony will be on May 10, the day before commencement and will be in the JBK Legacy Hall. The tradition is
that students will be presented their ring by the President of the University and will pass their ring through the eternal flame. “It’s a symbolic thing and a traditional thing that has grown over the past few years,” Stogner said. Students interested in learning more about class rings can stop by the recently renovated Buffalo Alumni Courts for more information. Students may not always be on their own when it comes to obtaining a class ring. According to Alumni Relations Coordinator, Lisa Insall, class rings are often purchased as a gift for graduating students. “A lot of times it’s a gift,” Insall said. “We had a gentleman come in just last semester and get one for his girlfriend, which was interesting, because rings are more often purchased by the parents of the student.”
support both personally and academically. “We provide assistance for veterans and dependents using educational benefits both federal and nor state,” Leo Reid, coordinator of Veterans services, who just joined the team last June said. In order to help and get more out there, the service has just recently
moved to their space in the Student Success Center right by Educational services. “Access is increased,” pointed out Reid. With the old offices being hidden behind the Registrar’s office, now they are not only more visible but accessible. “I love it. I like the location,” Sharon Childers, a Veterans/Hazle-
wood Coordinator said. “The access is easier for the Veterans. We are here with all the other services for students,” said Childers. The accessibility seems to be one of the best factors in the new move. “We’re more centralized now. When I need to show someone another student service, instead of telling them to walk across campus,
I can actually show them,” Angel De La Cruz, junior, secondary education Social Studies said and who is a VA (veterans administration). “We get to contribute to society again,” De La Cruz said. Currently, on the twelfth class day of the new semester, there were 387 Veterans associated with Veterans Services
New Veterans Services office more accessible Alex GonzAlez RepoRteR
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ach year, WTAMU’s Veterans Services helps hundreds of veterans as they depart from their military duties and dive into a completely new experience— college. The Veterans Services are here to provide services and
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Editor-in-ChiEf Ashley Hendrick ASSiStAnt EditorS Rebekah St. Clair Brooke Self WEB Editor Daniela Fierro Ad MAnAGEr
Zivorad Filipovic dESiGn Editor Kati Watson CoPY EditorS Brooke Self SPortS Editor Matt Watkins Photo Editor Alex Montoya
rEPortEr Tyler Anderson Brittany Castillo Hunter Fithen Alex Gonzalez John Lee Laci McGee Megan Moore Tori Nicholls Phoebe Sinclair
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The Prairie is a student-operated newspaper at West Texas A&M University. It functions to inform, educate and entertain readers accurately and responsibly. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the administration, faculty or staff. The Prairie verifies the legitimacy of the advertising appearing in The Prairie, but cannot be held liable for any advertising claim made in this publication. The Prairie has a circulation of 1,500 and is printed by the Amarillo Globe-News. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. -- First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Phoebe Sinclair rePorter
n April 4, 2011 the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Civil Rights decided that all universities have to comply with Title IX regulations which states that “no person in the United States shall on the basis of sex be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” Sexual assault, sexual battery and sexual coercion are all included under this law. Sexual assault according to the Texas Penal Code Section 22.011 is any sexual contact that is non-consensual. According to Title IX, if a student has been sexually violated in any way they must contact the local
Title IX coordinator in the Office of the Dean of Students. Director of police operations Patrick Coggins describes sexual assault and the process of dealing with a sexual assault case on WTAMU campus. “If a person is a victim of sexual assault they are strongly encouraged to immediately come to the university police department,” Coggins said. Some universities, however, rely on student conduct boards to handle the discipline of rapists, rather than the campus police, according to the article “Deans Are out Of Their Depth: Sexual Assault on College Campuses” on wbur.org. “Deans are out of their depth by assigning the task of disciplining rapists to students conduct boards. Sexual assault is a crime, not an infraction of the college handbook.
Colleges should do what they do best-teach-by beginning where good teaching always begins-with a healthy dose of candor and humility,” the article stated. According to the West Texas A&M Activities report there have been 13 rapes since 2002. “Sexual assaults are not reported that frequently here at WT,” Jim Gibbs, an M.D. at Student Medical Services said. “Most of the cases that are reported are acquaintance rape situations rather than strangers off the street.” Alcohol generally plays a big role in rape situations according to Gibbs. However, SMS does their best in order to provide the best care possible to victims. SMS also partners with Counseling Services to make sure students are taken care of after a traumatic event like sexual assault.
“Here at Counseling Services we would help a victim of sexual
Activites report there have been 13 rapes since 2002.
assault process what happened,” Leann Gabels, a Student Counseling Services professional counselor said. “This would include helping them deal with feeling safe and [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder]. We also use a computer program called biofeedback to help manage stress.” WT’s website on their policies
and procedures regarding Title IX states that “even if the criminal justice authorities choose not to prosecute, the campus can pursue disciplinary action and the complainant can file a civil suit. In addition to rape, as defined by Texas law, the University will not tolerate any non-consensual penetration, and will take appropriate action when such acts are reported.”
If something happens to you on campus call UPD at 806-651-2300
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NEWS
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NEWS
February 28, 2013 | theprairienews.com
Career Exposition to be held on Feb. 28th Faculty comments on evacuation drill CJ Berryman reporter
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areer Services will be holding a Career EXPO Job Fair at the Jack B. Kelley Legacy Hall on Feb. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Career EXPO is an opportunity for students to talk to prospective employers about full time jobs and internships. Assistant Director of Career Services Kim Muller, who has coordinated the Career EXPO for 16 years, said these job fairs bring a lot of anticipation and they hope for a great turnout of both students and employers. “The students evaluate the event when they leave and the employers evaluate the event [as
well],” Muller said. “When I read the evaluations [after each Career EXPO], they consistently get better and the students are being praised. It’s heartwarming to have people brag on our students and how wellprepared they are.” Muller said that while the Career EXPO is a great opportunity for seniors to search for jobs, it is also encouraged for juniors and underclassmen to attend the event and to continue to engage with Career Services to build their professional profiles. “While I cannot guarantee them a job,” she said, “if students will get involved with us early and intern and network, if you know people before you leave, [students]
Students weigh in on accreditation Brittany Castillo reporter
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n his State of the Union Address, President Obama shared his goals of state policymakers, colleges and universities to take action against rising college tuition and costs. Congress has been called to use measures of the existing accreditation system; or by establishing an alternative system based on performance and results of higher education institutions. These standards will assist in determining an institution’s value, affordability, and student outcomes, when distributing financial aid. However, increasing the financial aid budget is not enough, according to WhiteHouse.gov. The president has proposed incentives for states to maintain their commitments to higher education through a new $1 billion investment. WTAMU student Bailee Matlock, a sophomore Elementary Education major, feels a competitive incentive will push schools to better their institutions. “I think it could potentially be
a good thing,” Matlock said. “It’s a great reward for schools in the end.” According to The Chronicle, regional and national accreditors are currently the primary gatekeepers for access to those dollars rather than the United States federal government. The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality. WTAMU student Clara Saenz, a Bilingual Education major, believes academic excellence is important in obtaining and sustaining financial aid. “I feel [government engagement] is a good thing,” Saenz said. “A student going into college wondering how they will pay for school without knowing if they will receive help or not can make one decide not go to college.” Recent studies show that while the United States ranks ninth in the world of young adults enrolled in college, it has fallen to 16th in the world behind Korea, Canada, and Japan in the number of certificates and degrees awarded to adults ages 25-34.
will increase [their] chances exponentially.” Experiential Education Coordinator Steve Sellars said that while it does not happen all the time, engaging and conversing with employers at the Career EXPO could possibly allow students to garner employment almost immediately. “A lot of times, those conversations turn into interviews,” Sellars said. “We have some employers that will interview people [for positions] right after the Career EXPO. They will arrange a time and say, ‘Come back later this afternoon.’ There’s no promise of that or guarantee of that happening, but it does happen a lot.” Sellars said he believes students
should attend the Career EXPO even if they believe they don’t see an employer that will offer a job that pertains to their specific major. “I’d still encourage [students] to come,” he said. “You never know what somebody might be looking for. I tell students - I have been to a lot of Career EXPOs - at virtually every Career EXPO I will learn something new or I’ll think, ‘Oh really? You have this job at this company?’ Sometimes [employers] will be looking for a position that you’d never thought of.” Barbara Zellers, assistant to the director for Career & Counseling Services, said students should dress professionally, be fully prepared to ask questions and showcase
themselves to the estimated 60 John Lee employers that will be present. RepoRteR “CMMS (Connor McMillon Mitchell & Shennum), a marketing n Monday, Feb. 11, students firm, had a recruiter [at a previous received notification of Career EXPO],” Zellers said, “and the a mandatory evacuation advice she was giving the students that would cancel many afternoon was, ‘You need to come talk to me classes. The drill not only caused whether you’re an accounting major confusion, but also created a mixed or not. It’s not just accountants that reaction among students who either run a marketing business.’ I thought were content with the evacuation that was the best advice.” because it was something they “Come prepared with questions felt that needed to be done or and just ask a lot of them,” she said. students were upset because of “If you don’t know what you want to the inconvenience it created for do in your major, you can ask [the commuters trying to leave campus. employers], ‘I’m thinking about Dr. Steven Severn, associate majoring in psychology… what job professor of English and an opportunities do you have in your emergency coordinator for the company?’” university, said from what he was involved with, the drill went well. “A drill that causes confusion could be a good drill,” Severn said. “The thing that I noticed that seemed to go the smoothest and what I was most surprised with was how quickly and how well students got the word and teachers got the word.” Lt. Patrick Coggins, a university police officer, said what they could take away from the evacuation was the best part of the evacuation.
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“We have a plan and we can execute it,” Coggins said. “We learned what worked in our plan and what didn’t work so well. We have a generally good idea now on how long it takes to evacuate this campus.” Coggins also said the notion of the drill being a bomb evacuation is a misconception. While the university police department swept the campus like they were looking for a bomb, the ultimate goal was to see how long it would take to evacuate the campus and then sweep the campus. This scenario can now be applied to multiple situations. “This was a two-part plan,” Coggins said. “Number one what we did was we practiced an evacuation drill. Number two was that we swept campus under the scenario that there was a bomb threat.” Coggins said traffic was an issue, but wanted to emphasize to the readers that whatever the fastest way from one’s location is away from campus is the route they need to take. Coggins also said the jurisdictions of the different law enforcement organizations remain the same. Traffic accidents on campus are maintained by the
University Police Department, accidents in Canyon are maintained by Canyon Police Department and accidents on I-27 or between Canyon and Amarillo are maintained by Texas Department of Public Safety. “When we evacuate campus, a police officer directs traffic at certain intersections,” Coggins said. “[If] we’re evacuating the campus we want you to leave by the quickest means necessary. Unless there is a police officer at an intersection telling you to go a particular direction, we want you to head for the quickest way off campus. If there is a police officer telling you to which way to go, you have to obey the officer, but other than that the best way to get away from campus is to head out.” Maggie Webb, a Bio-Chem major, and Dorienne Scott, a Health Science major, feel like the evacuation went well. “I think they did pretty well getting people out and keeping people off campus,” Webb said. Scott said she feels safe on campus but the distance to the evacuation point for people on foot was the toughest. “Yea [I feel safe],” Scott said. “I think it was harder trying to walk
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all the way towards the fields when you’re all the way in the JBK.” Another concern some students had was that some instructors did not know the procedure of an evacuation. Severn said he was required to learn as being a floor emergency coordinator but the training is not required for associate professors. Coggins said that is likely because the alert for an evacuation is so much more unique than the alert for a fire drill. Coggins said should there be a lengthy evacuation, there is a building where students can go in the instance of a bomb threat. The same can be made for dorm residents if they have no other place to go. “We have been in communication with Residential Living, and alternate arrangements can be made for dorm residents if it looks like it’s going to go for a long time,” Coggins said. Many students are likely wondering if there was a drill for an active shooter or other life threatening situations, what would students do. Coggins said there is a video on YouTube called “Run-HideFight” that is produced by the city of Houston and can aid students in the instance of an active shooter. “There are a lot of variables
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[that go into active shooter drills],” Coggins said. “If the shooter is outside we don’t want people coming outside of the buildings. So the direction campus police might give via BRG and BuffAlert would be to shelter in place. But if the shooter is located within a particular building that might change how the message comes across. So there are a lot of variables that are involved in an active shooter situation.” In the situation of weather issues, Coggins said the Office of Environmental Safety will start disseminating literature on how one can protect themselves in that event. Coggins also said at this moment there are no other drills planned.
For more information on weather safety plans, people can go to http://www.wtamu. edu/administration/eso-severeweather.aspx
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SportS
Love, loss and a little bit of softball
Keltin Wiens KWts sports Director
Introduction to a series.
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hen you think about it, a softball diamond is nothing but well-manicured grass and a whole lot of measurements. Sixty feet to first base and the same distance to each subsequent base. One hundred ninety feet to left field, 220 feet to center and 200 feet to the right field fence. A ten foot warning track around the entire park. When it comes down to it, however, the softball field can’t be oversimplified in this way. It’s like a person. There’s always another side. The field, just by its nature, comes with a certain type of intimidation recognized by all who pay heed to its rigid dimensions. The other side of the diamond is a steady, unwavering and unforgiving side that can make those who don’t respect it, crumble under its unrelenting expectations. On every softball field,
in this air of intimidation, the biggest bully is the batter’s box. So what is it about the batter’s box? Is there something mystical about a 3 foot by 7 foot chalk outline of a box, painted on the turf on both sides of home plate? Maybe. Or is it in the chalk? The four-inch wide line dust that determines what is in play or what isn’t that makes the batter’s box so special? Possibly. What about what happens in the box? Could that be it? It sounds simple enough to anyone who knows the premise of the game: the ball is pitched to a player standing inside the box and they hit it. The player will then run to first base and hope they aren’t called out. Is that why a batter’s box will knock you down on the playground and take your lunch money? It could be. The batter is what makes the game of softball move, after all. You can’t score runs if you don’t have a batter. But what about the batter? Is she why the batter’s box is so terrifying? Or is the batter’s box so scary to the batter? The answer to this question is much like a chicken and egg concept. On one hand, the batter is the scary part, particularly
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for the pitcher, who stands 43 feet away in a chalk circle, 16 feet in diameter. If a batter gets hot or if the pitcher throws one a little too far in the center of the strike zone, then she might as well kiss her confidence good-bye with that ball heading over the fence. On the other hand, is the batter to blame? It does take a special person to stand in the box and take pitch after pitch of a ball being thrown at you. Seeing at 3 5/8 inch diameter ball, optic yellow ball with 88 red stitches coming down the pipe, zipping right past your face or body can be a tricky situation to handle. The ideal batter can take all of these and pick out which pitch best suits them and then attack from there. But not all batters are ideal. Some are short, some are tall, some are right handers, some left handers, some fast, some slow. Some batters can be power hitters, others not so much. Some have more experience, have seen more pitches, to know what they are as soon as it leaves the pitcher’s hand. Others cannot diagnose it that quickly. Some are batting champions and national record holders
while others are there to give the team a spark when they need it the most. Some dig deep when they are down in the count, some do not and give it another try the next they are up to the plate. Even though every batter is inherently different, there is one common denominator: they must all face the onslaught of pitch after pitch, foul balls and facing nine enemy players, each one hoping you are not one of those that is the ideal batter. That sounds more like it. That’s what is frightening about the batter’s box. It’s never about what kind of batter you are, but how you use the skills you already have, how you attack the game with the cards
Buff basketball wins one and looses one Tyler Anderson
you’ve been dealt. sporTs reporTer But what happens when other T Buffaloes encounteam is so against you that you can tered a loss to Incarnate barely breathe? What about when the outfield moves in just to jeer Word 69-67 on Feb. 21 and berate you? What happens before rebounding with a victory when life is throwing the pitches over Texas A&M-Kingsville 57-56 and no matter how far behind in the on Feb. 23. count you are, you aren’t allowed On Feb. 21, Incarnate Word to strike out and the seemingly im- raced ahead of the white-clad possible pitches just keep flying? Buffaloes, before a late first half Your teammates, try as they might run kept the Buffs close with a to cheer you on, can only help so score of 39-33 at the half. The much. The rest is up to you. It’s a second half proved to be helpful time when you have keep your eye as the Buffs eventually tied the on the ball and dig deep and hope, Cardinals with a little more than pray, really, that you’ll connect with nine minutes left in the game. The a pitch sooner or later. two squads continued to trade blows until the end of the game,
The Prairie is proud to introduce their first sports series. Over the next several weeks Keltin Weins, KWTS Sports Director, will be taking a look at what happens when softball becomes just a game.
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where Incarnate Word’s Lyn’Dale Brown used a layup to avert overtime and send the Buffs into the locker room with a heartbreaking loss. In the loss, the Buffs were led by senior forward Donald Sims, who hauled in 18 points as senior guard Kennon Washington and Tez Dumars brought in 19 and 10 points each. The Cardinals were led by LSC leading scorer Dionelle Rucker, who scored 30 points while Lyn’Dale Brown and Mitchell Badillo both aided Incarnate Word with 10 points respectively. On Feb. 23, the Buffaloes would engage in a low scoring, physical battle with the Javelinas. In a contest that was highlighted by numerous lead changes, blocked
shots, and hard fouls, the Buffaloes maintained a steady first half lead as they led at the half 28-23. However, TAMU Kingsville stormed back to keep the game close before turnovers and fouls doomed the Javelinas, yet the Buffaloes had to use a last second jump shot by senior forward Mason White to grab victory from the jaws of defeat. White scored 11 points in the winning cause for the Buffs, aided by senior guard Darnell Jackson while teammate Donald Sims scored 15 and 10 points respectively. The Javelinas were led by Reid Wallace and Jamahl Brown, who had scored 17 and 14 points. With the split, the Buffs remain
steady with a 15-9 overall record while inching themselves closer to .500 in the LSC at 7-9. The Cardinals right themselves with a 9-7 conference, 13-11 overall while the Javelinas sink to 11-12 overall and 7-9 in the LSC. While the Buffaloes are tied with TAMU-Kingsville in terms of their respective conference tallies, the Buffs have
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two remaining yet crucial games on their schedule before heading to the LSC Tournament in Allen on March 6. The Buffs will return to the First United Bank Center, hosting the Texans of Tarleton State in the Buffs’ regular season finale on March 2 at 6 p.m.
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ENTERTAINMENT
GAMES
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Guest Artists Perform at Piano Festival Laci mcGee rePorter
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riday, Feb. 22 was the opening performance of the 2013 Piano Festival at WTAMU. Five pieces were performed by Unison Piano Duo, married couple Xiao Hu and Du Huang, who have performed worldwide. The event was a part of the University Guest Artist Series. “They gave each piece its own
voice,” Cheyenne Black, a junior Engineering Technology major, said. “They were very skilled and kept the attention of the audience.” After intermission there was a performance of Molto Perpetuo, a piece written by WT assistant professor of music, Dr. B.J. Brooks. The piece demanded a performance by four people on one piano. Piano Pedagogy majors Luke Haile, Cong Nguyen, and Lynsi Porterfield and
Piano Performance major Puntita Panyadee, all of the WT Piano Ensemble, performed the piece. Saturday, Feb. 23 saw the performance of over 100 students before a set of judges for critiques. These students were split into Elementary, Junior and Senior divisions. One of those students was Lea Baumert, a junior from Dalhart High School. “[I was] excited but knew there
Scientist Discover Potential Black Hole Preston thomas rePorter
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cientists at NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory believe they might have found the youngest black hole in our galaxy after observing the remnant of a relatively recent supernova for two and a half days and releasing their results. Supernovas are a cataclysmic event at the end of a star’s life cycle when it can no longer maintain itself and the core collapses. The resulting explosion can outshine a whole galaxy and release more energy than the star produced over its entire life. Supernovas usually leave behind very small, dense stars called neutron stars. But sometimes if the gravity of the star overwhelms the outward pressure from the runaway fusion it will collapse back in on itself and begin to pull in the material ejected by the supernova. This leads to the forming the impossibly dense object known as a black hole, with gravity so strong even light can’t escape. Supernova remnant W49B is relatively young at 1000 years old and 26,000 light years away. It has caught the interest of NASA due to several unusual properties of the remnant that indicate it may have formed a black hole, which would
make it the youngest black hole in hole could reside in W49B. our galaxy. All these factors point to the “W49B is the first of its kind to be remnant’s potential to harbor a discovered in the galaxy,” said Laura black hole, which would make it the Lopez in a NASA press release. youngest known black hole in the According to NASA’s page Milky Way, with the next potential concerning W49B, supernova black hole being 17,000-21,000 remnants are generally symmetrical years old and present scientists in shape and in the distribution of with the unique opportunity to elements through the stellar debris. observe the young black hole. Observers found that more material “It’s a bit circumstantial, but we had been ejected from the poles of have intriguing evidence the W49B the dying star. supernova also created a black “In addition to its unusual hole,” said co-author of the paper signature of elements, W49B also is Daniel Castro. “If that is the case, we much more elongated and elliptical have a rare opportunity to study a than most other remnants,” said supernova responsible for creating co-author Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz. a young black hole.” “This is seen in X-rays and several other wavelengths and points to an unusual demise for this star.” According to NASA, the distribution of elements, such as iron, were uneven, matching theoretical models indicating an unusual demise for this star. Adding to the potential evidence, when scientists observed the remnant for signs of a neutron star none were found. The absence of a neutron star is a strong Photo courtesy of NAsA Website Supernova remenents can potentially create blackholes. indicator that a black
were a couple of kids who were going to show me up,” Baumert said. Each participant was given a score of one through five with one being the best. Any student that was given a score of one plus performed at the recital that was held at 2 p.m. on Saturday in the recital hall in the Fine Arts Center. The Honor’s recital consisted of 15 students. Four were chosen from the Elementary division, five
from the Junior division and six from the Senior division. Three of the students from the elementary division and one from the junior division were taught by Dean Carson from Olton, Texas where he owns his own studio. Carson wrote three of the pieces performed by his students. “[It was] one of the most rewarding things that I have ever had.” Carson said.
Graphic Design Poster Festival meGan moore rePorter
A
spiring graphic design artists and faculty members gathered Thursday evening at 5 p.m. in the Cornette Library for a reception of the Breda Poster Festival. The poster festival has sparked creative thinking for the graphic design classes because they are to create and redesign posters of their own in response for the theme “Greed is Out, Empathy is In.” “In the illustration and type class we have to make projects in response to the festival, mostly by theme, and for one we have had to entirely recreate it,” Josh Jinkens, junior graphic design major, said. “I used Twitter as my inspiration. Greed is still in, especially when you’re on Twitter. There’s a lot of anonymity. You can be whoever you want and say whatever you want.” Professor Marcus Melton and Director of the Study Abroad program, Amber Buscarello took a trip to see the opening of the festival in its original location in the Netherlands. Melton won the trip from the Study Abroad program and with the opportunity, hopes to take a group of students for a study abroad class next fall semester. “We spent one week over there, about six or seven days, as a cite
trip,” Buscarello said. “We met up with WTAMU a alumn that lives in Breda now which was pretty cool.” Melton met a couple of people and stayed in touch with them and used this connection to have the festival come to WT. The show has been on campus since Jan. 22, but has been in circulation since Sept. 19. Melton hopes to have the festival tour back to our campus so the students’ work and the original works can be presented together. The website of the festival displays pictures of WT students observing the posters and gives an information section on their excitement that the festival is on campus. According to the Breda Festival website, students’ typography and illustration would be given assignments related to the exhibition in Feb. Graphic design classes have all spent time in the library studying what posters they would most like to focus on. “All the designers responded to this theme,” Melton said. “Students are not required to come to the reception but the graphic design club has been promoting it.” The graphic design club has started up again on campus and meet Thursdays at 5 p.m.
Can YOU finish first? We are giving away $10 iTunes gift cards. Finish the three puzzles with the correct answers and turn it in at FAC room 103.
Last Week’s ansWers
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10 FEATURE
HEAVY METAL froM pAgE 1
The article has become a worldwide buzz. It has been translated into at least nine languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and Hungarian. Death Metal Underground, a web based magazine, asked Jacobsen to answer a few questions for the site. Most of the metal music websites have found the article and posted about the class when metal music was not a prominent genre of music in the West Texas area before the class was started. Jacobsen has been asked to do interviews for several different radio stations including “The Rocket” and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “Here, it is so justifying and almost vindication to a degree to see that heavy metal has made such an impact and that it can be viewed through an academic lens,” John Adams, senior Mass Commu-
nication major, said. “That’s amazing. That people take it seriously enough that we are going to have a serious discussion about it.” The students in the class have given positive feedback about Jacobsen’s teaching style. A normal class has a lecture includes premises, thesis and evidence. Jacobsen uses songs that validate his thesis of the evolution of metal and the literature value of each subgenre of metal. “I’ve had many classes with Dr. Jacobsen and he’s always a good professor, but with this class he’s teaching something totally new and doing it well,” Keslie Wilson, senior English major, said. “He also loves the class as much as the students do which helps make the class all the more enjoyable.” Because the class is not like a classical literature class or a lin-
WTAMU bullying campaign to conclude
Tori DinkfelD reporTer
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he Public Relations Student Society of America chapter at WTAMU started the campaign “Stand Up to Beat Downs” in an effort to speak out against bullying in the Amarillo area. The campaign has been on going during the entire month of February, with various awareness events. Megg Dunlap, a Public Relations major and one of the four students on the PRSSA team, said that different student bodies across Amarillo Independent School District are being challenged to write their own “Lip-Dub” to a selected song with hopes of winning an opportunity to take over the KAMR Studio for a day. The campaign has also participated in a “Love Yourself” day where students were reminded that Valentines Day isn’t just for couples. All of these events took place to bring awareness to the cause of “Stand Up to Beat Downs”. Lindsay Clark, a Sports Exercise
Science major, recalled that bullying didn’t necessarily mean taking a punch to the gut, but usually happens with cruel and negative words. While some students don’t believe the campaign will affect the issue of bullying, Clark believes she has the one of the only solutions to the problem. “I think people who have been bullied know how it feels, so in turn, they don’t bully others,” Clark said. Jae Garren, a Graphic Design graduate, noted that college was much different than high school. Garren recalled not having hardly any bullying problems at WT. She felt like people just don’t care anymore and seem to just mind their own business. “We are a little bit more grown up I guess, which is amazing,” says Garren. After the awareness month is over, the campaign will be issuing post-surveys to all the students who participated.
February 28, 2013 | theprairienews.com guistics class, the deficit between students and Jacobsen is decreased due to the fact that some of the students have been listening to metal music for most of their lives and follow it very closely. The idea that the students know as much as the professor has put Jacobsen in a unique situation where he has to think a little more about his lessons. He even stays up late at night ensuring that he has all of lecture notes correct and pushes himself to make each class better than the one before. “There is more equal footing than in a linguistics class,” Jacobsen said. “It has a different depth of know. The class ratifies their passion for their art form. There is an emotional component.” Adams said even the students that were not familiar with the genre have shown great interest in
the subject matter and have started to appreciate the art of metal music. “There is something in metal for everyone,” Adams said. “Whether it be the guitars, whether you like heavy stuff, or whether you like lyrical content. There is something in metal for everyone. And Jacobsen is just smart enough and creative enough to pull that out of it and put it on a screen.” Eric Baur, a junior History major, found it hard to articulate how thrilled he was to be part of the class that gained attention in the very thing the class is studying. “It is more than just a heavy metal class,” Baur said. “It is a true humanities course. Heavy metal encompasses being human. I think anyone can find something of intrinsic value in heavy metal music. With this class, I am able to
have an outlet for my love of metal and merge it with my academic life, and that is something that is very special to me.” The class has become more than just a credit for students. It has given them a way to academically show that their passion for metal music is not to be overlooked, but to be embraced. Metal has a culture of its own, and the class shows students who are unfamiliar with the culture why metal music is important and why people follow it so closely. The music is not simply an angry person who is trying to let the world know he is angry, but a literary genre in and of itself. ““We want to talk about metal and literature as a thing within itself,” Jacobsen said. “It’s a once in a lifetime kind of moment you can spend an entire career and never get anything like that.”
opinion 11
February 28, 2013 | theprairienews.com
How does a raise in minimum wage sound? T alk of minimum wage going up has sparked a lot of controversy. Even working a full time job at $7.25 an hour, people are still considered to be in poverty. If full-time employees are still in poverty, minimum wage needs to increase so that taxpayers are not compensating for the fact that people working for minimum wage are not able to meet their cost of living. The economy has gotten back to where it was before the recession started, but it still feels like we are
in a recession because companies are not spending money. In order to have a healthy economy, money needs to be changing hands frequently. Companies should be paying their employees enough so they feel comfortable enough to use their wages to live on. With the current minimum wage, many of the people are not even full time, making it extremely difficult to actually live off of their earnings without seeking help from welfare or Medicaid. Taxpayers the ones who are
actually suffering from the current minimum wage because it is their money that is helping sustain those who are working for the lowest amount possible. Even though historically, raising minimum wage has caused difficulty in creating jobs, going from $7.25 an hour to $9 an hour would hold off raising minimum wage for quite some time and keep up with the cost of living. The stock market is actually hitting record highs; therefore, minimum wage should be raised
in order to ensure taxpayers do not have to pay more than they
need and to help create a healthier economy.
Stock ExchangE
QuesTion of The Week “What would your
reactions be if WTAMU decided to build an on campus football stadium?”
“Depends.
Are the students going to have to pay for it?”-- andrew guenther
The Prairie will be asking a Question of the Week every Tuesday through Facebook and Twitter. Reply to our Question of the Week post on Facebook or use the hashtag #ThePrairieAsks on Twitter to respond. Student responses will be printed in the next edition of The Prairie.
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PHOTOS
February 28, 2013 | theprairienews.com
This Week in Photos:Poets & Comm Week Alex MontoyA Photo editor
Communication Scholar Dr.Clark Callahan spoke at the recital hall on Monday
Senior Trey Wallece leads a Contemporary Poetry group at the 806 coffee shop
Proffesor Lori Westernmann win first place in Project Runway held in the FAC
facebook.com/theprairiewt
Distinguished Lecturer Betty Nguyen spoke in the Legacy Hall on Tuesday/Picture courtesy of Eternal Flame
Participants of Project Runway held during Communication week