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September 11, 2012 • Vol. 95, No.2
WTAMU School of Music debuts Juan Paiz Staff Writer
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he departments of Music and Engineering & Computer Science at WTAMU has officially changed to the School of Music and the School of Engineering & Computer Science, respectively, as of Sept. 1. After submitting a proposal to change these departments to schools, the Texas A&M system and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved it in August to take effect the 1st of September. “What changes is the prestige of the program and it’s attractiveness to prospective students, so going forward, we are probably going to be able to recruit more students who are advanced and higher quality students,” said Dr. Robert Hansen, Regents Professor of Music & Director of the School of Music. “It’s a change that is going to inspire growth of the program.” The transition to a School from a Department makes Music, Engineering, Computer
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Lone Star Conference faces realignment.
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OPInIOn
Do we know our rights? According to some surveys, we don’t.
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JuAn PAIz/ThE PrAIrIE Department of Music now to be called School of Music.
Science and WTAMU more visible to prospective students and staff. “One of the things we realized was that students who were searching for schools of music will type in schools of music and since ours was a department it often wasn’t coming up, sort of a standard for high quality music programs,” said Dr. Wade Shaffer,
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Interim Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs. There are going to be some staffing increases to accommodate the increased workload the School of Music anticipates because going forward, the program does not have unlimited capacity to grow without adding faculty. “For instance, we have the
Franklin Chair of Music now because somebody made a very generous gift to the University and we got to hire an addition faculty member because of those resources,” said Shaffer.
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Catholic Family Services reaches out to refugee families.
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NEWS
September 11, 2012 | theprairienews.com
Potential texting ban comes to Amarillo
Lauren O’Brien Staff Writer
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he Amarillo Traffic Commission held a final public hearing on Sept. 4 regarding the potential ban for texting while driving. Canyon approved an ordinance May 7 that went into effect Aug. 1. It is now a class C misdemeanor to text, use the internet, send an email or enter directions into a GPS application while driving. Since that time, the Canyon Police Department has written about six citations after giving warnings for the first thirty days. According to a report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, distracted driving is the leading cause of crashes and near-crashes. “The most common distraction for drivers is the use of cell phones,” the report stated. The city of Amarillo already has laws in place against distracted driving. The police can issue citations for many reasons to those at fault in an accident
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Editor-in-ChiEf Krystina Martinez
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and texting while driving is already covered by the ordinance. The biggest issue with similar texting bans in other cities has been enforceability. “If you read that ordinance, you (a police officer) must actually be able to testify that they (drivers) weren’t just pulling up their phone contacts,” said Lt. Craig Cannon of the Austin Police Highway Enforcement Com-
mand. “That’s not a violation. You actually have to see them texting.” Dale Davis, the Chief of Police in Canyon, has gone out with some of his officers to try to identify violators. “It’s definitely a hard law to enforce. The other day, we went out in an unmarked car, and we could identify the violations pretty easily there,” Davis said.
However, he said, it is still hard to prove. It is much easier for officers to enforce a complete cell phone ban, like those that already exist in school zones. According to the public hearings in Amarillo, the public is divided on the issue. “It split but it’s an emotional issue for the ones that are against it,” said Traffic Safety
Laci McGee Staff Writer
Remnant Trust collection. This year’s theme has to do with leadership and the presidency because the elections are so near. All of the lectures have dates before the start of the elections. The first of these lectures will be given by Professor David Baum on Thursday, Sept. 13. He will lecture over “The Machiavellian Movement: the Renaissance, the Founders, and the American Presidency.” Baum is the Remnant Trust representative at WT and coordinates everything from which books are on display to those who speak at the lectures and
the theme. Baum said there is one theme for the lectures but the speakers choose their own topics. The second lecture will be given on Tuesday, Oct. 16 by Dr. John Agresto, former President of St. John’s college. He will be speaking over “What do Philosophy and Poetry have to do with being President – the Case of Abraham Lincoln.” The man coordinating everything at the PPHM is Warren Stricker. He said the Remnant Trust being at the PPHM and the lectures draw a good response from the community.
Committee member DJ Stubben. “It seems that somebody knows somebody who’s been hurt or injured by somebody who was texting. People are saying we’re trying to take our rights, but he doesn’t have a right to kill someone with a moving vehicle.” The City Commission plans to take the first of two votes this week.
Remnant Trust Lectures to start Sept. 13
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he Remnant Trust is an organization that makes rare and ancient documents available to universities for professors and students to use. Through collaboration with WTAMU, the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum and the hard work of dedicated individuals, 60 parts of this 1,200-piece collection have been available for use by the students, faculty and members of the community for the past three fall semesters. Each fall, three lectures are given using the works in the
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These lectures have gotten a good response from students also. Heather Knowles, a History graduate student said they are “very educational” and “students other than History majors should go.” The final lecture will be given on Oct. 25 by WT President J. Patrick O’Brien. The full title of his lecture is still to be announced. All three lectures will be given in the Derrick Room of the PPHM and there will be a meet-and-greet before the lectures begin. The lectures will all start at 5:30 p.m.
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September 11, 2012 | theprairienews.com
SCHOOL from PAGE 1 With the change from a department to a school, there is also an opportunity for the new school to receive a name. “The program has high visibility and a long-standing reputation for excellence so we have a lot of people who are supporters of the program, said Hansen. “The School of Music presents a naming opportunity so we’re hopeful to find a donor who’s going to give us a substantial gift so that we can name the school of music after them just the way the college of Fine Arts and Humanities is named for Mrs. Harrington.” Dr. Jessica Mallard, Interim Dean of the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities agrees with Hansen. “Naming a school is a $5 million proposition and if we could get someone interested, that will be $5 million that is coming into the School of Music, which will then be used for scholarships,” she said. The School of Music was recorded as a change with no increase financial obligations so most of its funding will still be coming from tuition, legislation, and donors. The budget session takes place in April where the school can ask for money for the following year. “Our money comes through tuition and legislative
appropriations so we are affiliated with A&M but unfortunately they don’t really fund us,” said Mallard. “A percentage of the funding will be from the legislator that gives WT a budget and a good portion of it would be the money we get from student enrollment, which kind of gives us the ability to hire faculty or things like that.” “It’s not our intention to take money away from another department and give it to the School of Music,” said Shaffer. “It’s not designed to do anything else other than to reaffirm the quality of the music program and its status as one of the best programs on our campus. One advantage of the switch to a school is the staffing changes. The department head is now called a Director, which is Dr. Robert Hansen. “A director moves from being a nine-month employee to a 12-month employee, which means there is always a director on campus year-round to assist students and faculty,” said Shaffer. “Most departments have a nine-month Department Head, so during the summer, the Department Head has limited obligations and limited responsibilities.” Another advantage that the department of music did not have that The School of Music will also have an Associate Director, Dr. Mark
Bartley; a position that did not exist before. “The Associate Director of the School of Music is additional support for the students and offers additional fundraising opportunities,” said Shaffer. “He’ll have responsibilities not just for doing the things that a typical department head will do, but he’ll have responsibilities for maintaining the quality of the program, bringing in external funding, fundraising and linking to the community.” The standards for the School of Music are going to increase because the School of Music is going to be recruiting more students. “Over the next two or three years it might become a little more difficult to be admitted into the School of Music,” said Hansen. “The curriculum is the same and there will be some courses that we would be adding to the curriculum, but essentially, the dayto-day course load and the requirements for the degree are not changed by this.” In the near future, WT could quite possibly see many more departments switch into schools. “We will explore the possibility that other departments, nursing for instance, might become a school at some point to sort of highlight those larger growing high quality programs we have,” said Shaffer.
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NEWS
September 11, 2012 | theprairienews.com
National conventions spark discussions, questions
Ashley hendrick AssistAnt editor
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t was an eventful two weeks for both Republicans and Democrats as the National Conventions finally wrapped up Friday, Sept. 7. The conventions put an official stamp on the two presidential candidates, Republican Governor Mitt Romney and Democratic President Barack Obama. “I think the [Republican National Convention] went very well,” WTAMU Student Body President Nicholas Goettsche said. “The speakers were generally very engaging and energetic, and the message was just what I expected. The [Democratic National Convention] also went very well… it was very well put together. There were no major hiccups from any of the speakers.”
Celebrities, politicians and active party members alike gathered together to share tales of victories for their candidate and unveil moments of failure for the other. From Clint Eastwood and his empty chair speech to First Lady Michelle Obama’s personal stories of family and strength, both conventions had their share of memorable moments. “I’ve actually watched the Clint Eastwood talking to a chair,” Dr. Dave Rausch, political science professor at WT, said. “You have to wonder about that. Why they asked him and what the deal was.” Despite the good, bad and ugly, both conventions have introduced questions of validity and some wonder if they have any relevance at all in today’s society.
“To the general population, the conventions don’t mean a whole lot because we already know who the nominees are going to be and we have a general idea what the platform is going to be,” Rausch said. “I mean, the Republicans pretty much do the same thing; the Democrats pretty much do the same thing.” Regardless of this seemingly unimportance attached to the conventions, according to Rausch, there is still some valuable knowledge that can be gained from them. “If you haven’t been paying attention up to this point…the last six months are all concentrated in one week and so now you get to hear everything.” Goettsche also stressed the importance of paying attention to
Amarillo Zoo needs help rubi VAlenciA stAff Writer
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marillo Zoo will be hosting their annual Boo at the Zoo Halloween event Oct. 26 through the 28. “Last year, we had about 6,000 people come to the Boo at the Zoo event and this year, we are going to have it for three days instead of two,” Mike Boley, visitor service coordinator at the Amarillo Zoo, said. “Last year, we had about 80 volunteers each night and this year we are hoping to have at least 100 volunteers for each night.” The Amarillo Zoo is looking for volunteers for staff games, crafts, handing out candy and serving as area monitors at the annual event. Volunteers must be 16 years or older and college students and organizations are welcome to help at the event. “Whether college students need
community service or if they just want to help, they are encouraged to come,” Boley said. This year, there will be a mad scientist station and 23 trick-or-treat stations. Real zoo animals will also take part in the event. “Anyone can help, whether it’s a church or school organization, or a business,” Jessica Hammons, zoo educator assistant, said. The orientation for volunteers will take place Oct. 20 at 9:00 a.m. at the Amarillo Zoo. “It’s a great opportunity to see the zoo in a new life,”Jenni Kinch, zoo educator assistant, said. “It is a popular family and friend safe environment event.” For more information about Boo at the Zoo call 381-7911 or visit www. amarillozoo.org.
the conventions, even if everyone already knows who the candidates are. “Not only do you get to watch some amazing speakers, but you learn about what each party stands for and their direction for the country.” Learning what the party stands for is just what to the conventions did not offer, according to senior Plant and Science major Alyssa Evalle. “I think there’s a lot to be said during this convention, trying to talk about their personal lives and trying to make that connection,” Evalle said. “For me its kind of like, ‘cut to the chase’ because I know that’s your aim and you’re trying to do that just to make us feel good. Talk about
NEWS
September 11, 2012 | theprairienews.com
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AQHA presents America’s Horse In Art
more serious issues.” Despite what people think Addie dAvis about the conventions, Goett- stAff Writer sche believes that they can learn or the next two a lot from paying attention so months, the American they can make a well-informed Quarter Horse Hall of decision on the presidential can- Fame and Museum will be hostdidates. ing the fifth annual America’s “I think it is much more im- Horse In Art exhibit. The exhibportant for students to become its grand opening was on Auinformed on the candidates gust 11, where an opening rethemselves and the issues they ception and sale was held in the differ on so they can make an Scharbauer gallery inside the informed decision when they go Amarillo museum displaying all to vote in November,” Goettshe of the impeccable art created said. “I can’t stress enough how for this event. important it is to be an involved American Quarter Horse and engaged citizen who uses Hall of Fame and Museum Curatheir right to vote. Many men tor Crystal Phrase explained the and women have died to protect selling process. your right to vote, so please use “During the opening recepit.” tion sale, each piece of artwork
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had a clear box underneath the art’s label with a slot for the bid sheets,” Phrase said. “Everyone in attendance of the event that
was interested in buying a piece of the collection was given 4 to 6 bid sheets with their information on each sheet. The bidders were then able to view the collection and put their bid sheets in any artwork that appealed to them. Proxies were also available to people who wanted to buy some of the artwork but could not attend the event. The proxies just requested which art their bid sheets went to, and then someone from the museum placed their bid sheets in the boxes. Once the end of the night drew near, museum coordinators went around to each piece of art and drew the first three names from the boxes so that everyone could have a fair shot. Who ever the winning bidder was, got to purchase the artwork.” Last year, about $92,000 was raised with a portion of
the earnings going to support a great cause to preserve the history of the American Quarter Horse. Artwork in the collection varied from sculptures to pencil drawings and ranged anywhere from $375 to $9,100 in value. A total of 30 artists from all over the country, and this year the first Canadian artist, entered anywhere from 1 to 4 pieces of artwork to be shown off and sold to the winning bidder. Each year, one artist is carefully selected and chosen to be the Signature Artist for the America’s Horse In Art show. The Signature Artists’ work is used to showcase and promote the event throughout the year and during the exhibit. This year West Texas’ own Mary Ross Buchholz was awarded the honor of Signature Artist. “ I was so thrilled to be cho-
sen Signature Artist,” Buchholz said. “It’s just such an honor to be hanging in the show with such great artists. My husband and I ranch and raise American Quarter Horses, and it is an honor to give back to the breed.” The America’s Horse In Art exhibit is visited by tons of people everyday and artwork is being sold frequently online and in the museum. Jessica Read, a Senior Equine Business major at WTAMU and first time visitor to the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum was in awe of the impressive artwork. “I was amazed at the talent and skill of all of the work in the exhibit,” Read said. “I could have stayed there for hours looking at all of the artwork that showed off the American Quarter Horse and I’ll definitely be returning to the museum for next year’s
exhibit, and hopefully be in a position to purchase a piece for myself.” All of the artwork is available for purchase and, once sold, will remain in the exhibit until closing day, Nov. 10, 2012. All of the art that has not yet been sold will remain available for purchase at the museum during visiting hours or online at www. quarterhorsemuseum.com.
Associate Director of Student Activities, said. Maples also encourages all the students to go into rush with an open mind and meet guys from the different fraternities, and don’t go based off of stereotypes. In the days following, each fraternity will have their own individual events planned. They will meet at one place, usually their lodge, then venture off to the scheduled events. “The events usually include activities that help you get to know the fraternity better and bond with everyone; for instance we are having an event called Caffeine High in which we have games, a cookout and get to know each other,” Gus Trujillo, senior New Member Educator
for Alpha Tau Omega, said. The fraternities then conclude the week with the smoker, an invite dinner in which rushes learn the serious side of the fraternity, according to Maples. Following rush, many of these students will go on to become members of the chapter they have selected. “Being in a fraternity has helped me in developing my leadership skills,” Jose Lopez, a member of ATO and Student Body Vice President, said. “Coming in as a freshman, I wasn’t outspoken and I wasn’t really an outgoing person. I met a great group of friends through Alpha aTau Omega who I saw as leaders in very different groups across campus, but they all had the same thing in common - they
were all ATO, and I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to learn the secrets they had, the secret to becoming a great leader and that is the first step that led me to the leadership skills I have today” However, some students do not decide to rush until their senior year. Jesus Rossy, a senior Sports and Exercise Science major, has decided to rush going into his senior year of college. “Being a senior, I am more mature and have a better understanding of who I am and therefore, I know what fraternity would best fit me without changing who I am” said Rossy. Greek organizations in years past have been under close attention by the public for hazing incidents, and are now required
to undergo training to prevent hazing. “Hazing is taken very seriously by all of the national fraternities and WT,” said Maples. “West Texas A&M does not tolerate hazing and neither do the national fraternities. If a student feels they are being hazed or are in a situation that can be considered hazing, we implore them to come to the CORE office and tell me and it can remain confidential. We would really like to know if somebody feels they have been in a situation that can be construed as hazing. We will deal with that in a swift and appropriate manner.” WT will host “Real Buffs Don’t Bully” and Hazing Prevention Week on Sept. 17-21.
AQHA HAll of fAme & museum Hours mon-sat: 9 a.m. -5 p.m. Adults: $6 seniors: $5 Children 6-18: $2 FREE for AQHA members and children under 5
WT fraternities and sororities begin fall recruitment Connor Woods stAff Writer
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or years WT students have been rushing into different fraternities as well as sororities. This year is no different, as the sororities had their recruitment last week and the fraternities started their Rush Week Sept. 10. Five fraternities met in the JBK Student Center where they welcomed interested students to a Round Robin, where they had the chance to spend time with each of the five fraternities. “Our goal on Monday for orientation for these men is to give them a chance to meet and connect with all five chapters and get the idea of what fraternity life is as a whole,” Matt Maples,
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SportS
NFL loses yet another legend keLtin Wiens kWts sports Director
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s the National Football League brings us another season full of its pageantry, big hits and obsessive fans, attention has now turned to the death of an NFL legend, Art Modell. Modell was the owner of the Cleveland Browns and later the Baltimore Ravens. He died of natural causes at the age of 87 on Thursday. The League is asking all teams to have a moment of silence for Modell in their seasonopening games. Modell and a group of friends purchased the Browns in 1961 for $4 million. The Browns then won the NFL Championship three years later in 1964, the next to last championship game before the Super Bowl. Art was also instrumental in
the formation of the NFL that we see today. He broke the impasse at the merger meetings between the NFL and the American Football League by volunteering to move the Browns to the American Football Conference. Modell’s most important contribution to the NFL was his negotiating power with ABC in 1970 that led to the creation of “Monday Night Football.” But Modell is probably the most infamous for “Lebron Jamesing” Cleveland when The King was just twelve years old. In 1996, Modell took his talents (and the franchise) to Baltimore and then changed the team’s name to the Ravens, leaving the history and the name in Cleveland for another team to use later on. The Browns, who have been in Cleveland since the 1940s, and their fans, have
never really recovered from the move to Baltimore and have continued to vilify Modell, even though the Browns returned to The Forest City in 1999. Towards the end of Modell’s career, he had to sell the Ravens in 2004 after the move from Cleveland left him with very little cash. He had a one percent share in the team since selling the Ravens to Steve Bisciotti. After his run in football has finished, Modell is still not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Modell was a finalist for The Hall in 2001 and a semifinalist in seven different classes, the most recent in 2011. It is said that Modell is not in the Hall of Fame because of what he did to Cleveland. I think Art should get a little respect for making the NFL the cash machine it is today and be enshrined in
the set 25-23. WT’s next opponent was tenth-ranked Metro State. The Lady Buffs took the first set by going on an 11-2 run while down 17-14 for a 25-19 win. WT jumped out to a quick 10-6 lead in the second set and held on to the lead to win a back-and-forth set 25-19. The Lady Buffs took control of the third set with a 10-4 run that made the score 21-14 and WT completed the sweep by a 25-20 score. “The players made a decision to start ‘buying in’ and making some changes,” Head Coach Jason Skoch said. The Lady Buffs took on West Florida in a match that took all five sets on Sept. 8. WT won the match by scores of 32-30, 23-25, 23-25, 25-19 and 15-10. The Lady Buffs went on a 7-1 run in the fifth
set while trailing 9-8 to clinch the match. WT played No. 3-ranked Tampa on Sept. 8 for the Colorado Premiere crown. The Lady Buffs took advantage of a late rally to win the first set 27-25. While ahead 11-8, the Lady Buffs went on a 14-2 run to win the second set by a 25-10 score. After a 12-2 run in the third set put WT up 22-14, the Lady Buffs were able to hold off Tampa to complete the sweep by winning the set 27-25. Three Lady Buffs were named to the All-Tournament team: senior Lauren Beville, redshirt freshman Laura Iwuchukwu and tournament MVP and senior Lacy Hayes. WT returns to action against Lone Star Conference rival Abilene Christian at The Box in Canyon on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.
Volleyball wins championship Matt Watkins staff Writer
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he No. 14 WTAMU Lady Buffs volleyball team went to Denver, Colo. to participate in the Colorado Premiere Challenge on Sept. 7-8. The Lady Buffs defeated four teams - three of which were top 10-ranked teams - to take the Colorado Premiere championship. WT’s first opponent in the tournament on Sept. 7 was fifthranked Central Missouri. The Lady Buffs went on an early 6-1 run that gave them a 13-8 lead that they would turn into a 25-21 first-set win. Both teams would go on several runs in the second set, but WT would take the set 2523 with a late 5-1 run. The Lady Buffs would sweep the match by going on a 5-1 run while trailing 22-20 in the third set, winning
September 11, 2012 | theprairienews.com
Football wins open
John Lee staff Writer
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TAMU junior quarterback Dustin Vaughan threw five touchdowns, two of them to fellow junior wide receiver Torrence Allen as the Buffs defeated the Western St. Mountaineers 57-20 at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium in the Buffs home opener. The weather was clear at a cool 78 degrees as fans filed into the stadium Saturday night. Western St. won the coin toss but deferred the ball to the Buffs. The Buffs wouldn’t get their first score, though, until Vaughn found Allen on an 8-yard pass to the corner of the end zone. It wasn’t the only play Allen made as on the following Buffs drive, Allen caught a 77-yard pass from Vaughn for another touchdown. “[Vaughn] has a lot of trust in me as I have a lot of faith in him,” Allen said. “He just put it up there and I had to go get it.” Vaughn found three other receivers for touchdowns before the night was over. Junior wide receivers Nathan Slaughter had 132 yards respectively. The Buffs offense finished with 677 yards on the night. By halftime, the score was 34-0, Buffs. The Buffs defense did not give up a touchdown until there was 56 seconds left in the third quarter. Western St. quarterback Brian Duboski found wide receiver Lukas Adams on a 30yard touchdown pass to make the score 48-6 after the blocked extra point. The Buffs defense only gave up one more touchdown in the fourth quarter. After giving up 265 yards on the ground to Colorado St.-Pueblo, the Buffs turned it around this week, only giving up 70 yards. “After the game last Thurs-
day, we took it on ourselves as captains to be more physical up front,” junior line back Kyle Voss said. Besides giving up 284 yards of total offense, the Buffs defense got a sack that was recovered for a touchdown by defensive linemen Shane Pennix. Sophomore defensive back Torain Oakley also had an interception in the first quarter that would set up the Buffs first touchdown. With the win Saturday night, WT Head Coach Don Carthel ties Joe Kerball with 68 wins all-time for the Buffs. “Getting a win Saturday is what it’s all about,” Carthel said. “We had a lot of big plays in the first quarter that got us off to a great start. The defense really came out with a mission today. The starters played really well for three quarters and then we pulled them. Overall it was great performance by the Buffaloes tonight.”
SPORTS
September 11, 2012 | theprairienews.com
Conference realignment affects WT, LSC Tyler Anderson sTAff WriTer
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n Aug. 20, the membership of the Lone Star Conference changed drastically. The Southland Conference, in effort to replace recently departed members including University of Texas Arlington, UT San Antonio and Texas State, offered LSC members Abilene Christian University and the University of the Incarnate Word an invite to upgrade their athletic programs to Division I. “Our transition into Division
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I and the Southland Conference begins next year,” ACU Athletic Director Jared Mosley said. “There is a four year transition process in which we will not be eligible to Southland Conference or NCAA postseason play. The first year of active status would be in the 2017-18 school year.” With Incarnate Word following suit in the jump to Division I, this leaves the Lone Star Conference with eight members and six who sponsor football. This has an enormous impact not only on the future of the LSC, but on Buffalo Athletics as
well. Issues of scheduling with both in and out of conference opponents are in question as well as future of Lone Star Football Festival at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. No matter how unclear its future may be, the Lone Star Conference vows to press onward. “The future starts now for the Lone Star Conference,” LSC Commissioner Stan Mignon said in a statement released by the Lone Star Conference. “We’re a Division II conference, and a proud one at that. As a group, we believe in the balance
between academics and athletics that is afforded student-athletes in Division II, along with the high-level competition we provide. We’re committed to offering our constituents the very best aspects of Division II membership. The LSC members that wish to build this league into the NCAA’s premier Division II conference must remain unified and press forward. I am confident we have a core group of institutions that want to continue on the path we’re pursuing, and I look forward to working with them as we add new members and keep building upon the 81
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Junior wide receiver Torrene Allen celebrates his touchdown catch with junior wide receiver Trevor Hammargren in the end zone.
year legacy of this conference.” On the other hand, the Southland Conference now expands to 14 all sports members and 11 members who sponsor football by 2014. “We are closed for the foreseeable future,” Southland Commissioner Tom Burnett said. “The Southland Conference wants to build on what we have, which is to provide a Division I experience and maintain a regional setting.” The future of the college sport landscape is not “set in stone” according to Burnett.
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Dodging the unhealthy “Freshman 15” Brooke Self Staff Writer
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student’s first year at college or university can be overwhelming in many ways. A new student may be excited, scared, nervous or even giddy about their first year. Whether it is experiencing these feelings (sometimes all of them at once) or some unknown force that causes weight gain in young college students, the “Freshman 15” can be avoided. The term Freshman 15 refers to the extra weight young college students often gain within their first year at a college or univer-
sity. According to www.freshman15.com, the main causes for the Freshman 15 include lack of exercise, eating late at night, keeping unhealthy snacks on hand, eating unhealthy cafeteria food and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. “I think the best way to avoid gaining weight as a college student is to get involved with intramurals because other people can encourage you,” Melissa Carpenter, a sophomore Biology major, said. WT’s intramurals offers opportunities to get involved in a variety of different sporting ac-
tivities from volleyball and basketball to horseshoes and golf. “It’s not very fun working out alone, plus it’s always good to meet new people,” said Carpenter, who said she didn’t really gain any extra weight her freshman year. Mike Coppinger, a personal trainer at Gold’s Gym in Amarillo, said that alcohol is a huge contributor to college students gaining weight. “Alcohol is seven calories per gram and all of it is empty calories,” he said. According to Coppinger, college students need to pay more
attention to what they’re eating and monitor their calorie intake. “Everything you put in your mouth is either going to promote disease or prevent it,” said Coppinger. “WT students have access to a gym and a new outdoor recreational facility, so students should take advantage of it, especially since they’re paying for it anyways.” Cher Graham, a WT alum, said she was able to avoid gaining a lot of extra weight during her years as a college student. “It was somewhat easy for me to keep weight off when I was attending college, since
I was taking eighteen credit hours most of the time and being a mom, I never had time to eat,” said Graham. Graham said although she didn’t have a problem with weight gain, she had a lot of friends who had problems maintaining a healthy lifestyle while attending school. “I worked at a gym for many years and I know how easy it is for people that age to gain weight, especially when they stay inactive,” said Graham. “Watching what you eat is a major factor.”
Texas Department of Transportation Traffic Engineer Mike Fowler said the department is waiting on contractors to supply them with software to update the traffic lights. This updated system will go along with the new landscaping along the highway. “We’re doing that whole landscape project there so there may be some rewiring,” TXDOT
official Paul Braun said. Fowler noted that the new traffic signals will be an improvement because they will use feel, sound and light. Student Disability Services Office Assistant Jynna Askew expects this change to help disabled students get around Canyon safely. “I think it would be beneficial for deaf students,” Askew said. “I think whatever we can do to accommodate them, we need to do.” Chief of the University Police Department Shawn Burns said that watching the traffic lights will give students the best idea about when to walk. “Use common sense for how signals work,” Fowler said. WT students such as Jessica Ehlers and Zach Graves have been impacted by the crosswalk light outage. “I guess you just figure when you can walk across and run,” Ehlers said
Graves noted that it poses the hazard of being hit by a vehicle. “All those big eighteenwheelers and cars hauling [butt], you don’t want to get hit by them,” Graves said. Other students like Jonathan Scott haven’t even noticed that the lights were out. “I don’t know that I’ve even noticed the difference,” Scott said. The light being out has also posed an issue for drivers like WT student Clay Washington. “I’ve almost hit a few [pedestrians],” Washington said. TXDOT officials said they have been in contact with their contractor almost daily and expect to fix this situation soon. As of Monday morning, TXDOT was unaware of whether the light was working. More crosswalk tips
can be found on the WT Police Department site at http://www. wtamu.edu/university_police/ upd-crosswalk-safety.aspx.
Canyon crosswalk out of order since summer 2012
katelyn Garrity Staff Writer
T
he pedestrian crosswalk signal at 23rd and Russell Long Boulevard in Canyon has been out of commission since before the start of the fall semester. This crosswalk, often used by students during the lunch hour, leads from WTAMU to United Supermarkets.
Katelyn Garrity/the Prairie Canyon crosswalk at 4th St. and Russell Long Boulevard.
Congrats to Daniel Hill for being the first to complete last week’s games!
Can YOU finish first? We are giving away iTunes gift cards. Finish the three puzzles and turn it in at FAC room 103.
Last Weeks Answers Katelyn Garrity/the Prairie Tape covers the crosswalk sign.
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10 FEATURE
September 11 2012 | theprairienews.com
opinion 11
September 11, 2012 | theprairienews.com
Refugee community thrives in Amarillo It’s your civic duty to know your rights Robin MosieR staff WRiteR
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ringing with them an affluence of culture, ideas and diversity, approximately 200 refugees are being relocated to Amarillo annually through the Catholic Family Services Resettlement Division. CFS is a nonprofit organization who, according to the official CFS website, are dedicated to meeting the needs of newly arriving and secondarily migrating refugees in Amarillo and Dumas. This number has been reduced from previous years’ goals of 400 refugees annually. According to CFS Refugee Resettlement Services Supervisor Claudia Soriano, this decision was made to ensure CFS is providing refugee’s needs to the fullest and she believes that by reducing the numbers, CFS has been able to better serve their clients. Because of the needs of the community, refugees are currently being accepted on the basis of family reunification. “We don’t just want to bring over numbers,” Soriano said. “We want to reunite families.” Upon arrival into the refugee’s new lives and geographic relocation, CFS strides to serve their clients in many ways, ranging from greetings at the airport to assisting new refugee’s in setting up health screenings and job interviews. Job developers work closely with CFS’s clients to ensure they find work. “Most (refugees) prefer to work in the beef processing industry because it’s a wellpaying job that they know
they can support their families on,” Soriano said. “But we’re trying to move away from that. (CFS) is working toward educating our clients that there are more opportunities out there, and we’re seeking out more employers to hire our clients. Not everyone has the strength or ability to work at a beef processing plant, so we’re educating them and trying to remove that English barrier so they have more opportunities.” Removing the English barrier and assisting refugees in learning the language, according to Soriano, is one of the main goals CFS focuses on in the resettlement program. “Adjustment to English is a big barrier for our clients,” Soriano said. “We strive to get our clients enrolled in ESL classes because not only does it affect (refugees) personal lives, but having to adapt to the school system, not knowing the language is a major problem.” One of the reasons behind the reduction of accepted refugees into the Amarillo area was the struggle for the school system to maintain acceptable student performance levels and to adequately serve and teach newly resettled children. According to Panhandle Twenty/20 Executive Director and school board member Anette Carlisle, Amarillo Independent School District is currently working with somewhere close to 30 plus languages simultaneously. The children in AISD are 14 percent ESL, half Spanish speakers and the other half a variety of dialects and languages from refugee families. Carlisle considers the languages to be
a challenge and she expressed frustrations with the current state-mandated accountability systems. “(AISD) needs to educate all of our kids,” Carlisle said. “But these kids are expected to pass (standardized tests) after a year of being in their new country. I couldn’t do that if you put me in a new country where I was just learning the language. Students can be successful, but doing what is right for the students and doing what is right for the accountability system are not the same thing.” The Amarillo Globe-News reported on Sept. 6 that more than half of the students who attend Eastridge Elementary don’t speak English as a first language. 250 of these students are refugees relocated by CFS and still adapting in the resettlement process, but language is only one of many struggles, among them emotional and physical, that newly resettled children are facing daily. “Refugees are coming over (to America) having so much to deal with,” Carlisle said. “Some of the stories these kids have about seeing family members die are heartbreaking.” Despite the challenges, Carlisle said she supports the work organizations, such as CFS, who are doing what they can to reunify family members. “I support bringing families from horrific conditions. As a community, we need to figure out how to take advantage of the wealth of diversity we now have in our community instead of fearing it,” Carlisle said. These horrific conditions refugees flee from, according to
Soriano, are what defines them as eligible for acceptance to the United States. “Families come to the United States because of a well-rooted fear of persecution, whether it be racial, religious or political,” Soriano said. Sisay Zewde, father to senior Mass Communications and Sports and Exercise Science double major Daniel Zewde, fled from his native country of Ethiopia to the Untied States in 1988 under such conditions as a political refugee. “Dad was a guerilla fighter in Ethiopia,” Zewde said. “He was trying to overthrow the government while he was there. They were chasing after him so he had to get to Sudan and then he came to America.” According to Zewde, Sisay was reunited with Daniel’s mother Lemlem in 1989 when she was able to join her husband in the United States. Both Sisay and Lemlem were resettled in the U.S. through CFS. “We started off on the terrible side of town,” Zewde said. “My mom’s first job - she got paid $2.75 an hour. One of them would work the daytime and one would work the nighttime. It was mostly because of me
[that] they got acclimated (to the community) a little bit faster; they had to take me to the doctor, had to take me to the store to get me food, since I was a baby.” Zewde said his parents reached what he considered full proficiency in English by 2005, when he was about 15-yearsold. Sisay has maintained his relationship with CFS and now even helps the organization translate when communicating with new refugees, having achieved proficiency in 5 languages. Stories such as that of the Zewde family, who became fully assimilated into the community, are those that CFS, in conjunction with assistance from other area agencies and cooperation from the school system, strive for. “(CFS’ work) is really important,” Carlisle said. “America is supposed to be open to the tired and poor and we shouldn’t change that. The immigration issue is important on a number of levels. Yes, it imposes challenges, but it enriches our community by bringing diverse individuals.”
Wanted:
Associate Justices Student Senators
For more information, contact Chief Justice Miguel Sosa at 651-2388 or visit the Student Government office in JBK 102.
S
ept. 17 is Constitution Day, which celebrates the day that the 39 delegates signed the U.S. Constitution. The Bill of Rights was ratified four years later in 1791. It was a big deal for a fledgling nation that had fought for years to escape British rule. It established our three branches of government and later, the rights that have shaped what America is today. However, it seems that the American public doesn’t know or doesn’t care about the work-
Question of the Week
ings of our government. In 2010, the Pew Research Center found that only 28 percent of Americans could identify the current chief justice of the Supreme Court (hint: it’s John Roberts). It’s fair to say that the Supreme Court doesn’t receive a lot of media attention unless it has a high profile case or is appointing a new justice. Yet, the First Amendment Center’s annual State of the First Amendment survey reports that Americans’ basic knowledge of even the First Amendment is at an
Let your voice be heard! 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. The Prairie welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must have the writer’s name, department or major, and classification. Letters will be edited for length, grammar, clarity and content. Letters may be delivered to FAC 268 or e-mailed to theprairiewt@gmail.com.
all-time low. 65 percent of survey respondents could name freedom of speech as a First Amendment right. 28 percent named freedom of religion while only 13 percent were able to name the freedoms of press and assembly. Immigrants who take the naturalization test are asked ten questions from a list of 100 possible questions and must answer six correctly to pass. These questions include: “Who is the chief justice of the Supreme Court?” and “Name one
of the five freedoms of the First Amendment.” It’s a little embarrassing when Americans can’t name all of the freedoms of one constitutional amendment, yet immigrants who take the civics test to become naturalized citizens understand our government and our freedoms better than we do. It doesn’t end at basic knowledge of the U.S. government. Voter turnout at general elections have usually been low, with the 2008 election resulting in a 64 percent voter turn-
out, despite increases among minority voters. What this shows is that Americans do not know or care to engage in any civic duty, whether its voting or even being aware of whom our Chief Justice is. When you don’t know your rights and responsibilities, you give others permission to take advantage of you. Celebrate Constitution Day by understanding your government and your role as a U.S. citizen.
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PHOTOS
September 11, 2012 | theprairienews.com
Football meets comedy
Alex MontoyA/the PrAirie Comedian Paul Varghese poses with CORE representatives.
Alex MontoyA/the PrAirie Comedian Paul Varghese performed live in the JBK Commons on Sept. 7.
Alex MontoyA/the PrAirie Bucky and Seph Stiles (junior) pump up the crowd at Kimborough Memorial Stadium.
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ZivorAd filiPovic/the PrAirie Bucky and Lauren Goode showing their school pride at the game
Alex MontoyA/the PrAirie Comedian Paul Varghese performing live in the JBK commons.
ZivorAd filiPovic/the PrAirie Maroon Platoon paints up for the first game of the season.
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