the Tuesday, March 6, 2012 Partly Cloudy 75°F | 46°F
Prairie The sTudenT newspaper of wesT Texas a&M universiTy
Volume 94, Issue XX theprairiewt
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Designated fee increase to affect student tuition sarah floyd sTaff wriTer
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TAMU students may have to pay for an additional fee, which will increase tuition in the fall of 2012. Gary Barnes, vice president for Business and Finance, explained the purpose of additional fees in a public hearing held Feb. 28. “Basically, the Chancellor is allowing a maximum of $150 dollars to be added to student tuition, to be added under
‘Designated Tuition,’” Barnes said. “One of our top priorities would be salary increase. We want the most competitive staff, the best faculty, the best experience for students, and retaining all the members of staff.” WT staff positions were found to be 15 percent below the market compared to Canyon and Amarillo staff positions, according to a salary survey. “The second priority would [also be] for additional faculty positions,” Barnes said. Employment in sociology programs
and in environmental, electrical and civil engineering programs would be made available. “No one likes an increase, but most students attending the meeting accepted the priorities,” Barnes said. “[Students with financial aid] wouldn’t need to worry. Federal Financial Aid Grants and Pell Grants would allow those students to have resources.” Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Don Albrecht said WT keeps low prices for such high quality. “I think we can keep up with the
bigger schools just as fine,” Albrecht said. “Bigger schools focus on doing everything and having students pay more, but we focus on what we can do well.” Nick Goettsche, a Political Science major and new student body president, mentioned the importance of student participation in public meetings. “Not very many students were at the hearing, and nobody likes a tuition pike,” Goettsche said. “In this case, with state funding not being very high, it is necessary.”
Retired U.N. economist to Salsa formal hits WTAMU lecture on ending poverty Js wC essiCa Taff
Jordan fry sTaff wriTer
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r. Donald Lee, a retired United Nations economist and advocate of poverty eradication, will be speaking about efforts to end poverty on March 6 at 7 p.m. in the Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall. Lee’s lecture, “Ending Poverty: The United Nations and Millennium Development Goals,” will discuss global poverty and what the U.N. is doing to end it. Lee has worked with the U.N. for 20 years and was formerly an economics professor at Deakin University in
Australia. Lee’s background in economics is longstanding. It came about from his interest in liberal markets and led to his concern for global poverty. “There is a huge divide between people who are earning decent wages and those people who are living below the poverty line,” Lee said. Lee explained while there are people who are living well beyond their means, there is close to one billion people who are living on less than a dollar a day. “Global poverty is a matter of human rights and social justice,” he said. “It really motivates you to want to help these people get out of that debilitating situation.”
U.N. continued on p. 3
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WT Equestrian team tops IHSA Regionals.
Public hearing explains possible tuition fee increase.
Readership WT gets ready to travel to Honduras. Brittany Castillo talks about the experience. Page 2
WTAMU rodeo team competes for the first time in the semester. Page 5
Check online for additional reporting on Buffs basketball, softball and track photos.
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Feature
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Readership WT Ambassadors prepare to depart to Honduras
Brittany Castillo staff Writer
Part one of a three part series
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efore the spring semester began, I sympathized for the lives illustrated in Kelsey Timmerman’s book, Where Am I Wearing? I pitied the poor workers earning pennies a day, and I could hardly imagine what their sad lives would feel like. Therefore, I was proud knowing I would be stepping into Central America as an ambassador of Readership WT. I felt great knowing we would bring our expertise to such an underprivileged country. The Readership group began meeting once a week to learn, bond and prepare for the expedition. In addition to the selected freshmen, our assembly included: author Kelsey Timmerman, experienced traveler Aaron Hunt, and WTAMU’s Dr. Wade Shaffer, Kendra Campbell and Brittany Stewart. While researching Honduran society, I found many Google images of foreigners with unexpected genuine smiles. The candid photos had more life and more sincere delight than any million dollar advertisement I’d ever seen. The children were barefoot, yet looked cheerful and giddy to be pictured. They did not embody the
Prairie
my stereotypical vision of hungry and deprived people. Weren’t these people the struggling families who needed American aid? Curiously studying the picture, I wondered how they could be happy with so little. I later realized how arrogant and naïve I truly was. Our class continued to learn about the differences of the American and Honduran cultures. The startling facts were informative, surprising and overwhelming. We also began gathering for Saturday hikes to prepare for the physical demands of our adventure. Many times I wondered what the Hondurans would think of our Palo Duro Canyon stroll compared to their treks of the Central America jungles. The following week, my shopping trip became my most prominent global experience to date. Almost immediately after walking through the doors of a retail store, I felt ashamed of the abundance around me. I was embarrassed by how excessive the American lifestyle could be. I walked past a shirt that read “Made in El Salvador” and while studying the stitches I wondered what labor conditions were like there. My thoughts flooded with new questions I had never previously considered. How did the factory worker feel about making this shirt? Does he have a family? Maybe it’s a woman. Is she even old enough to be considered a woman?
Staff 2011-2012
Editor- Maria Molina Assistant Editor- Krystina Martinez Web Editor - Georgia Romig Layout- Kati Watson Ad Manager- Sheri Gibbs Faculty Adviser- Butler Cain
Reporter- Ashley Hendrick Reporter- Melissa Bauer-Herzog Reporter- Ryan Schaap Reporter- Matt Watkins Reporter- Lisa Hellier Reporter- Brittany Castillo Reporter- Chyna Tinney
March 6, 2012
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Letter to the Editor
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ear Editor,
I would like to respond to the article published in the February 28th edition of the paper: Dear Student Body of West Texas A&M University,
I sincerely apologize for the mix-up on dates for “Q&A in the JBK with Dr. O’Brien”. This has been an extremely busy month for the Executive Branch of the Student Government at West Texas A&M University and I made a mistake in my calendar when I scheduled the Q&A event. While planning this event I had two dates in mind, February 27th and February 29th. I made the reservations for the JBK and Dr. O’Brien for the 27th then wrote the 29th in my agenda as the event date. This error was my fault, and I take complete responsibility for publicizing the wrong date. In the article written by Ryan Schaap, the event was said to have been “rescheduled”, and students questioned the reasons for the time change. Dr. O’Brien is correct in stating “there was no miscommunication” between our offices, it was an honest mistake on my part. Sincerely,
Brandy Roberts Student Body President GO BUFFS!
Reporter- Jordan Fry Reporter- Daniela Fierro Reporter- Monica Gambert Reporter- Jessica Chandos Reporter- Jessica Bartel Reporter- Sarah Floyd Reporter- Jacob Cain Photographer- Alex Montoya
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
The Prairie is a student-operated publication 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 students. The editorials that appear on these pages represent the opinion of the Prairie editorial board. The views expressed by other columinsts are the writers’ opinions and do not necessarily reflect the board’s views. Advertising rates are available upon request at (806) 337- 2090 or at theprairiewt@gmail.com. WTAMU Box 60754, Canyon, Texas 79016. The Prairie is distributed on Tuesdays during the semester and has a circulation of 1,500. It is printed by The Amarillo Globe-News.
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News Prairie WT’s traffic appeal process to change 3
Krystina Martinez assistant editor
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TAMU announced a change to the traffic appeals process on Feb. 20. The new process will allow students to appeal parking tickets prior to payment. “There was some current concern about paying [the parking ticket] and then appealing it,” Chance Haugen, director of the JBK Student Center, said. “[The change will] make the process go by more quickly.” The old appeals process required the student to pay the citation before filing the appeal, but Haugen said this caused problems. “To make the refund, the process takes a while,” he said. “It takes two weeks to give the check back. It’s also harder to make a decision [concerning appeals] because you used to be able to appeal at any time during the semester.” The new process will require students to file their appeal within 20 days of the citation. Once the appeals committee comes to a decision, the student will either have their ticket appealed or pay the citation. “I think [the new process] makes more sense,” Colton Harada, a senior Broadcasting major said. “No one is really good about refunding money back.” David Atkeisson, a junior History major, appealed his only parking ticket
through the old appeals process. “I had to park in Jarrett because Guenther was full,” Atkeisson said. “I came back later with a ticket because I was parked at a yellow curb with parking lines.” Atkeisson took pictures on his phone and showed them to Parking Services, where they waived his ticket on the spot. “They said it was stupid and I didn’t
Courtesy of Wt’s ParKing serviCes.
have to pay at all,” he said. “Later, they replaced the parking line with hash marks.” Although Atkeisson had special circumstances concerning his ticket, he believes the new appeals process will be more efficient. “There shouldn’t be a need to take money that they’re gonna give back,” he said. “It seems like an extra step.”
March 6, 2012
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U.N. continued from p. 1 Lee is working to influence change in government policies and creating poverty reduction programs. He says people become locked into poverty and are unable to find a way out. “It should go beyond handouts, many who are poor don’t want handouts,” Lee said. “The government needs to give assistance where [it’s] needed so they have the opportunities to better themselves and improve their lives.” As chair-elect of the International Committee for Oct. 17, Lee focuses on global poverty because he feels that poverty needs to be reduced worldwide. “Poverty exists everywhere and people should think about it,” he said. “Even in countries that are not developing countries, there is always room for improvement.” In his lecture, he hopes to challenge people by how they see the poverty situation and give new insights. “Young people, especially college students, are the citizens of the future,” Lee said. “It is their right and responsibility to think about these issues.” All college students are or will become taxpayers and they will affect how policy is decided, he said. “I hope to inspire students to take jobs in the United Nations,” Lee said. “People forget that the United States was one of the founding members of the U.N.” Working with the U.N. gives the opportunity to interact with people of different cultures and influence global politics. “Students will find that it’s very useful to take part in the dream and to do good,” Lee said.
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SportS Prairie Making room Track teams run away at WT Classic 4
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for one more k W eltin
March 6, 2012
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kWts sports Director
Matt Watkins staff Writer
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ond in the pole vault with a height of 4.65m. The Buffs picked up a win in the 400m when freshman Ellis Maise ran it in 50.62 seconds. Freshman Dylan Doss won the 300m steeplechase with a time of 9:28.26 and junior Jacob Villareal won the 10,000m, running it in 33:35.63. The Lady Buffs also had a strong showing. Junior Rachel King provisionally qualified for nationals by placing third in the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.31. Two other Lady Buffs finished right behind her to give WT three top-five finishes in one race. Freshman Mackenzie Crane topped the pole vault with a height of 3.05m and junior Jessi-
he WTAMU Buffs and Lady Buffs track and field teams hosted the ajor League Baseball and the players’ first annual West Texas A&M Classic union announced March 2 that the two sides on March 2-3. WT’s men and women are closer to a deal to implement another wild combined for 23 top-five finishes over the weekend. card team in the MLB playoffs. Junior Servell Dandrigde won the The new system would allow another team discus for WT with a throw of 57.75m. in both the National League and American The Buffs won the hammer throw with League to play a one-game playoff game to a toss of 41.68m by senior Dane Hamdetermine who goes on to the next round. The rick. Hamrick also placed fifth and third three division winners would have a firstin the shot put with throws of 14.39m round bye. and 15.8m, respectively. This system would only happen if the two Junior Tanner Dennis placed secsides can agree on how to squeeze the game into baseball’s post-season, one in which the scheduling for October baseball is already fairly rigid. Also, the teams playing in the one Melissa Bauer-Herzog day in front of a judge that playoff game will have to figure out the logisti- staff Writer evaluated their ability to get cal nightmare of moving a team or hosting an a horse to perform under an extra game. unfamiliar rider. Davis and n a big weekend for The one-game playoff is not the solution Forsberg’s placing earned baseball needs to handle an extra team in the WTAMU sports, the school’s them a spot on the semifiplayoffs. The best scenario would be for the equestrian team added to nals entry list in Ohio later the excitement by sending two wild cards that would play in the first this month. round to play a best two-out-of-three series. 18 riders to compete at the In Advanced HorsemanWhy? A singular baseball game is so volatile. Intercollegiate Horse Show ship the Lady Buffs were There is just as much of a chance for one team Association Zone 7 Region 2 the only ones to qualify to win as the other. When two teams have to Western Championships on during the regular season play in a series, there is a better chance of see- March 4. to compete in the class. The first class of the day ing the best team come forth and win. Because they were the only Playing the series games in the first round was the fastest paced event two riders, the girls qualified rather than just one game will give the divi- with nine riders from four for semi-finals, making the schools competing in Open sion winners what they deserve: a quality class a battle for the chamfirst-round bye. Baseball is missing a reward Reining. WT riders took the pionship. Julia Roberts was third through sixth spots for teams that navigate the best through a crowned Regional Cham162-game regular season and this first-round with Hannah Agee and pion with Leah Thomas bye would fix this missing link. But allowing Christa Forsberg placing finishing close behind as the division winners to rest raises an interest- third and fourth respectively the Reserve Champion. followed by Hannah Welter ing question: will the first-round bye affect Novice Horsemanbaseball, the same way that it does the NFL? and Kristen Liesman. ship was a challenge In Open Horsemanship, In the NFL, when teams have a first-round for WT. Sarah Schmitt Addie David brought home bye, they tend to not do as well in the second barely missed a spot to round. The answer to this question is not very the Lady Buffs’ first champisemifinals, picking up onship of the show. Forsberg third place on a ride that concrete. There are obviously many more logistical and Liesman took the other flowed around the arena. problems that MLB has to figure out, but there two top spots of the four Lindsay Raften had a is time. Baseball’s post-season is already very rider class. The three WT good mount that masterexciting, but the addition of another team will students showed horses fully worked both the rail they had drawn earlier in the and pattern portion of surely make it much better.
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ca Blakely won the 300m steeplechase with a time of 12:17.36. WT’s last win came when junior Aries Bazaldua took the 5,000m with a time of 18:35.74. The Lady Buffs also had several second place finishes including sophomore Casey Nelson’s 12.07m shot put throw. Freshman Jessie Thomas ran the 400m in 58.53 for second place. Sophomore Amber Moore also finished second in the 800m with a time of 2:22.14. “We weren’t looking to run our best, we were just looking to promote our program,” Student Assistant Coach Gary Newell said. “I can’t wait until April when it warms up and we are at our best.”
Equestrian team tops IHSA regionals
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the class, but placed last in the class of five. Intermediate Horsemanship would see Lady Buffs all over the arena. Audra Head and Paige Frevert won the top two spots with masterful patterns that caught the judge’s eye. Head narrowly edged out her teammate for the blue but both would trump the seven others looking for a semifinal spot. Kristi Benedict also earned a top-five placing, finishing fourth with the two other WT riders finishing in the lower half of the class.
The final class of the day was the walk-trot riders in Beginner Horsemanship. The Lady Buffs swept the top spots. Lindsey McNeill piloted her mount around to a near flawless course to earn the Championship. Teammate Jessica Read would follow suit, executing a well-ridden course to earn the number two spot. “I feel like [my ride] was amazing and great,” McNeill said. “We still have more to go so I’m pretty excited to see what will happen in the future.”
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Campus Life Prairie Rodeo team competes in first spring competition 5
March 6, 2012
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Coach encourages team to meet goal of making finals Jessica Bartel staff Writer
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he WTAMU Rodeo Team competed in the first competition of the spring semester. The team of 35 members has been coached by Casey Crow since 2009. Each team member, including six men and four women, competes individually for points. The team’s first rodeo was held March 1-3 in Weatherford, TX. The top ten leaders from each event
advanced to the finals on March 3. The WT rodeo team competes along with 15 other teams in the southwest region under the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. With such aggressive competition, Coach Crow encourages his team to meet expectations. “Every semester it’s our goal to have both men and women teams make the finals,” Crow said. “I just want to help students achieve goals whether in the rodeo arena or academically, I always tell my students: ‘your goals are my goals.’”
Music Department hosts 32nd annual Showcase Daniela fierro staff Writer
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he 32nd annual Showcase of Music was held at the Amarillo GlobeNews Center for the Performing Arts on March 2. Despite the bad weather, Dean of the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities Dr. Jessica Mallard said she was impressed by the great turnout. “The last piece of the showcase was impressive,” said Mallard. “You can tell that the people were too when they popped out of their seats.” Mallard said she could see the appreciation a lot throughout the performance and she enjoyed every recital. “Donors are touching students’ lives,” said Mallard. “Their support makes a huge difference in their lives.” Music Department Secretary Kristine Abu-Hantash said this year’s performance venue added tremendous amount to the showcase with its great
location and crowd. “Even though they put together different types of musical pieces and ensembles, it seemed to work well together,” said Abu-Hantash. Abu-Hantash also said she loved Dr. Mark Bartley’s 60s Asian-inspired suit. “He didn’t wear a traditional suit,” she said. “You don’t see it nowadays in western civilization.” Music Education major Brian Hairston participated in the showcase as a violin player. “I practiced around 20 hours a week,” Hairston said, “But I wasn’t really nervous since I’ve participated four times already.”
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Tally Owens, a senior Agriculture Education Certification major, competes in barrel racing, goat tying and breakaway roping. Owens grew up with an appreciation for the rodeo lifestyle. “I’ve been in rodeo since before I could walk, I am busy with a lot of other things but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Owens said. Rodeo member Liz Meech, a senior double majoring in Agriculture Education and Equine Industry, loves competing in the event of breakaway roping.
“I rodeo because it’s in my blood and I can’t get enough of it,” Meech said. “Rodeo is a tough sport and it seems like you’ll do anything to get to the next one.” Rodeo events include barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, team roping, tie-down roping, breakaway roping and bull riding. Each event is timed for points and money awards. “Rodeo is a big family, everyone will help one another,” Meech said. “This sport is filled with hospitality.”
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Campus Life Prairie ‘Nefarious: Merchant of Souls’ shows at WTAMU 6
Lisa HeLLier
staff Writer
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n March 22, a documentary about human trafficking called “Nefarious: Merchant of Souls” will show in the WTAMU Virgil Henson Activity Center Ballroom at 7:30 p.m. The documentary takes an in-depth look at modern sex slavery in the human trafficking world and also includes interviews with real victims. “It is incredible,” Social Work major Mackenzie Price said. “It is the best thing for anybody who doesn’t know about human trafficking. It gives you an overview look of what
March 6, 2012
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human trafficking is globally. They show you so many different faces it can take. It is not this one specific thing.” The document was written, produced and directed by Benjamin Nolot, who is also the founder and president of Exodus City, a human trafficking abolition organization. “It’s been called the human rights issue of our generation, and it’s gone so unnoticed,” Price said. Steven Wolf, an event planner and mentor for the Navigators, said he first heard about the documentary at a conference he attended in December. Wolf said he was personally moved by the video,
so he included WT in the college preview tour. “The entire campus is supporting it,” Wolf said. “We just initiated it and got it going.” Many students on campus were exposed to the human trafficking issue when The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam was assigned as the book for the Readership WT program. “There is a lot we accept as socially okay, and we don’t think about pornography use and where that can lead and who is on the other side or where some of that stuff originates,” Navigator’s Director of Operations Mitch Williamson said. “[This is an] educational thing we should be
exposed to.” According to the Nefarious website, “Nefarious: Merchant of Souls” is the first of a trilogy. The second and third documentaries are currently
in production. The first movie will be available to purchase on DVD May 1. The documentary showing is free and open to the public, but seating is limited.
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Prairie College of ESS claims highest student enrollment 8
ashlEy hEndrick staff WritEr
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he College of Education and Social Sciences can claim the highest student enrollment in the past three full consecutive semesters, according to enrollment data from WTAMU Institutional Research. “It’s the education part of it,” Dr. Gary Kelley, director of WT Institutional Research, said. “The availability of jobs is why the college is so large as a whole, in particular the education department.” During the fall of 2010, 2,277
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students enrolled in COESS and 2,153 students in the spring of 2011. COESS was able to stay above the 2,000 mark last semester, bringing in a total of 2,129 students. The College of Agriculture, Science and Engineering and the College of Fine Arts and Humanities enrollment numbers fell about 300 students short of COESS during the 2011 fall semester, rolling in a total of 1,729 students for ASE and 1,697 for FAH. “The easy answer is that we started off as a normal school and a normal school was just another way of saying a teach-
ers college,” Dr. James Calvi, associate dean of the College Education and Social Sciences, said. WT’s history began in 1910 when Normal Colleges were strategically placed around Texas to keep up with the high demand of certified teachers in certain areas, the panhandle included. “If you had to go as far as Dallas or someplace like that, to get trained as a teacher…it would be very unlikely to come back to the area after years,” Calvi said. When the 1940’s rolled around, West Texas Normal Col-
lege began to branch away from its teaching roots and tackled bigger scholastic projects. It soon became West Texas State University and later evolved into West Texas A&M University. “Having recently just added engineering to the curriculum, we continue beyond our normal school roots and become a fullfledged research university,” Calvi said. Nevertheless, WT’s historical roots are just that – strongly rooted in school history that still affects the University to this day as the COESS enrollment numbers consistently beat out
other colleges. “Most of the teachers in the panhandle have received their teaching certificates from WT,” Calvi said. Each college on campus does not simply fight for the highest enrollment numbers, but for a more academic purpose. More students enrolled in a college can lead to more funding for that college. “The higher the head count within the colleges then the more they are eligible for funding,” Kelley said. “So the goal of all of the colleges is just to increase enrollment as much as they can.”
population has to self-identify as Hispanic. WT is close to achieving this goal. In the past ten years, the university’s Hispanic population has increased nine percentage points, according to university records. “The last two years the freshman class has been more than 25 percent Hispanic,” Shaffer said. “So a couple of more freshman classes like that we should be very close to achieving that goal.” The Hispanic enrollment at WT is currently of 21 percent. Being a HSI brings additional benefits to the University. According to the U.S. Department of Education, which administers the program, HSI provides grants to assist Hispanic Serving Institutions to expand educational opportunities and improve Hispanic students prospects. “It opens the possibility for us to get grant money and to participate in programs that will benefit all of our students that we just don’t have access
to right now because we are not HSI,” Shaffer said. He also said there are many methods WT is using in order to achieve HSI status. They vary from translating websites and brochures to taking the Mobile Go Center, a trailer with ten computers inside, to schools and communities so students can learn about college and fill their applications. Although Natalia Rodriguez did not know WT is trying to become an HSI, she said she found the amount of other Hispanics on campus helpful. “It feels great [to be a Hispanic at WT] because I can bring my Mexican pride,” she said. “Now in my sophomore year I start to realize I was making friends with Hispanic people and I can basically keep my Spanish from being forgotten.” Similarly, Junior Izaak Chavez said having other Hispanics around was helpful – at first. “It kind of felt like the whole ‘birds of a feather flock to-
gether’ thing,” he said. “I kind of felt a little bit like that because when I started going to classes that is who I hung out with for a little when I first got here. As I started to meet more and more people I kind of drifted off into different sections.” The number of Hispanic students at WT is recorded by the Office of Institutional Research and is based on self-reported data found on each student’s application for admission. However, some students prefer to leave the ethnicity section
blank. “We feel that probably the actual number of Hispanics on campus is a little higher than the 20-21 percent that will show officially just because some students are uncomfortable checking that box,” Shaffer said. “And that is an issue because some students feel uncomfortable reporting that. If they leave that blank, and a lot of them do, we don’t have a way of knowing that student is Hispanic.”
WT sets goal to be a Hispanic Serving Institution Maria Molina Editor
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est Texas A&M University set as a goal for the university to become a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) by 2014. The Hispanic population increase in Texas is one of the factors that influenced this decision. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Hispanic population has increased six percentage points from the 2000 to the 2010 census. The percentage went from 32 to 38 percent. “We want the university to be reflective of the community that we serve, and so since the Hispanic population is growing very quickly in the Texas Panhandle, we want to make sure that the university reflects that reality as well,” Dr. Wade Shaffer, WTAMU associate provost, said. In order to become an HSI, 25 percent of the entire student