ThePRAIRIE
April 8, 2015
Vol. 97 Iss. 24
Design by David Duenes and Megan Moore
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Faculty members discuss Civil Rights Movement
Lady Buffs sweep Javelinas
Bloodborne charts new territory with dark twist
The importance of professional development
Photos from the Faculty Art Show
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Buff News Briefs
Helping Hearts hosts golf fundraiser
Staff EDITOR Megan Moore ASSOCIATE EDITOR Alyssa Bonner ADVISER Dr. Butler Cain AD MANAGER Alyssa Bonner LAYOUT DESIGNERS Alyssa Bonner Megan Moore Russell Sanderson
Photographer Natalia Molina
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.
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elping Hearts, a Rogers LEAD WT organization, will host a gold tournament to raise funds. The Heart to Heart Golf Tournament is on April 10 at the Palo Duro Creek Golf Course and will begin at 11:30 a.m. with registration. Lunch will follow at noon with tee off set for 1 p.m. The cost is $250 per team, and those interested can opt to sponsor a hole for $100. All proceeds from the tournament will go directly toward the Rogers Lead WT Helping Hearts initiative to support women and others who have been affected by domestic and sexual violence. To sign up or to get more information, contact Meagan Brown at mtbrown1@ buffs.wtamu.edu or (806) 2903945.
Broadcasting society earns multiple awards
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est Texas A&M University’s National Broadcasting Society earned several grand prize awards at this year’s NBS National Convention in Atlanta, Ga. The organization’s One Sessions with Johnny Reverb won four grand prize awards. Brothers Robert and David Duenes brought back an audio-station imaging grand prize for “App Sweeper. Zach Barnes, Allison Myers and Judy Papenfus won a grand prize in video-sports play-by-play for “2014 Lone Star Volleyball Championship Set 5.” For more information about WT’s NBS chapter, visit their Facebook page.
LEAD WT to host leadership summit
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eadership expert Rhett Laubach will share with West Texas A&M University students his strategies for becoming a better leader. Laubach will be sharing at the Rogers LEAD WT 2015 Leadership Summit Friday, April 17. The summit is open to high school and area college students. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. in Legacy Hall, and the summit will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be breakout sessions at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on a variety of topics, including but not limited to goal setting, maintaining mental health, leadership styles and marketing yourself. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m., and Laubach’s keynote address is set for 12:15 p.m. The cost is $5 per student for the event and meal or $10 per student for the event, meal and a t-shirt. For more information, contact the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership.
Suppport fund to honor Joan Urban
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amily members of Joan Urban have created the Joan Williams Urban Faculty Support Fund for the Department of English, Philosophy and Modern Languages at West Texas A&M University. The fund will aid in professional development for faculty members through financial support for travel and research. Faculty members can apply for the funds, and selection is based on the quality and contribution of the project.
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April 8, 2015
It’s A Buffs Life
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Millennials Recognize That Their Voices Matter Kali Gunnels Reporter
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illennials throughout the Panhandle have found how powerful their voices can be after a few of them spoke up as advocates for the downtown revitalization project that has been proposed in Amarillo. Speaking at city council meetings, the group received a lot of negative feedback online. People were accusing them of being paid, having scripted speeches and not being educated on what exactly they were voicing. Motivated by this, Lily Gamble, a mass media major at
Amarillo College, and WT alum Meghan Riddlespurger decided to found the Amarillo Millennial Movement by creating a Facebook page encouraging millennials to come together. “We recognize no one is talking to us, no one is engaging us,” Riddlespurger said. “They are talking about us all the time, but no one ever invited a millennial to come talk about millennial perspectives. So we thought this was a great chance to get involved.” AMM is a group of millennials encouraging all young adults to care about local politics and recognize that their voices matter in the development of their community. After the ini-
tial start, a website was then launched, as well as other forms of social media. The group has held nine public events such as a five block walk-a-thon, an outdoor movie night and general public meetings. “AMM, I never thought would be what it is today,” Gamble said. “To think that we are a registered PAC, to think that we have such a great supportive audience, and that we are making a difference in the community.” AMM has now become an official political action committee. Riddlespurger, and treasurer Katie Perkins have also become volunteer Deputy Registrars, and can register local voters.
AMM says that they have many WT students involved and they plan on making their AMM branch at WT more noticeable. “Our generation is very entertainment centric,” Riddlespurger said. “We pick a city because we want to live there, and then we find a job, that’s how we operate as millennials.” The largest difficulty AMM has encountered being involved in politics is pushback from the community. The group are learning to manage backlash in order to continue representing the organization well “It’s not a certain age group, it’s a type of ideology that people have,” Gamble said. “Those
that are very distrusting of the government, or that are fearful of change.” AMM members did not expect the backlash, especially from people in highly respected positions. “Why does Amarillo not understand that what we do here is not just for Amarillo,” Regina Dinga, attendee of AMM’s movie night said. “It’s for the surrounding towns and communities. They come here for their shopping and entertainment”. As Millennials continue to find their voice AMM will continue to encourage young adults to invest their voices in revitalization of their city and participation in politics.
Nursing program gets new birthing mannequin Kaley Green Reporter
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ursing students at West Texas A&M will now have access to a muchanticipated, brand new birthing mannequin named Lucina. The mannequin costs around $100,000, but WTAMU nursing program was able to acquire her through grant funding. Lisa Robinson, Nursing director and instructor, said although this technology is common for most nursing programs, WTAMU is the only school in the area that currently has the Lucina model mannequin. She also said that she is in favor of this technology as it allows students to learn in a safe, controlled environment, whereas they might not get the same experience in a hospital.
Robinson said the mannequin will be placed on a gurney and taken into the OB class this semester for demonstration to supplement the lessons. Mannequins like Lucina are not only easily transported, but they also allow students to see and learn first-hand how to deliver a baby. “The simulation is definitely comparable to how an actual birth goes,” senior Nursing student Garrett Cooper said. “I feel like seeing it and getting hands-on experience before you actually get onto the labor and delivery floor and going into a birth is a whole different story. Whenever it’s the first time you’ve seen it, it can be kind of scary, so getting this experience before you actually go and do it is advantageous to everybody involved.”
The new mannequin can talk, breathe and make other sounds. “The thing about birthing mannequins is that you can start an IV on them,” Robinson said. “You can give them meds, give them shots, or check their vital signs. You can listen to her heart, lungs, all of that stuff is already part of that mannequin. You can even put a Foley catheter in her. When we do the postpartum hemorrhage, she can actually bleed up to two liters of fluid.” She said Lucina is a valuable asset to the nursing program because the new technology gives multiple scenarios for instructors to choose from. “Something other that we’re looking to do with her is putting a non-pregnant belly in her and making her a regular simulator,”
Robinson said. “You could make her an asthma, pneumonia, or heart patient by loading different software for each and she’s ready to go. That’s something that we’re definitely looking to do with her, making her two mannequins in one.” The Bivins Nursing Learning Center is also home to several other mannequins available for student use. Mannequin technology is nothing new to nursing students as it has been part of the program for several years. “We got our first mannequin eight years ago, we still have him and he works,” Robinson said. “Almost anything that you can imagine doing in nursing and medicine, you can do with him. But these newer mannequins are wireless and it doesn’t take a lot of effort to take them with you. You charge them and they
are good to go.” Perhaps the most essential resource Lucina offers to WTAMU Nursing students is an intensive experience that mocks real life. “I think it just helps because when we practice in the lab, we just have to imagine there’s blood coming out or something,” Donna Raef, senior Nursing student, said. “You have to take certain steps to address these kinds of emergency situations, but you don’t really do that if you’re just trying to imagine it in your own head. In a simulation with a mannequin, it’s actually happening. Even though you know it’s not real blood, at least you can practice as if it was.”
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WTAMU becoming Hispanic Serving Institution Sam Grum Reporter
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s America becomes an increasingly diverse country, so does the state of Texas. According to a recent U.S. Census Bureau study, there was a 20.6 percent increase in population between the years of 2000-2010. More than half of the increase can be attributed to the growth of the Hispanic population. As the Hispanic population grows, their population on college campuses increases as well, bringing diversity onto the campuses of a number of schools in Texas, and West Texas A&M University is no exception.
As of fall 2014, 25 percent of WT students identify themselves as Hispanic, which marks an opportunity for the university. This 25 percent threshold qualifies WT to be considered as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). According to the U.S. Department of Education, “The Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program provides grants to assist HSIs to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the attainment of, Hispanic students. These grants also enable HSIs to expand and enhance their academic offerings, program quality and institutional stability.” The 25 percent number, al-
though a large qualifier, does not automatically constitute a school as an HSI. There are other smaller qualifications that must be met, as well as an application process and review the school must undergo. After a school has reported their 25 percent status, the Department of Education verifies the numbers and confers the HSI label
partment of Education, something that could take around the one-year mark. Once a school is officially recognized as an HSI, they become eligible for funding opportunities at the federal level. “[In recent years], the available amount has been close to one million,” Dan Garcia, Vice President for Enrollment, said.
“It is important that WTAMU continues to serve the people of the Panhandle. As that population becomes increasingly Hispanic, so will/should WTAMU.” -Dr. Wade Shaffer to the school in consideration. The university is currently awaiting conferral from the De-
“And those funding resources will help all students, not just Hispanic students. Projects
we can seek funding for range from student support programs to improvements in classroom technology. There’s a lot we could do with these funds if we are awarded.” Not only does WT consider this qualification to be exciting, it is also one that is important. Reaching out and serving people of the community is something that WT strives to do, and this status will help that goal. “It is important that WTAMU continues to serve the people of the Panhandle. As that population becomes increasingly Hispanic, so will/should WTAMU,” Dr. Wade Shaffer, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, said.
Failure to attend class leads to loss of investment Audrey Roberson Reporter
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Student Scholarship Search study shows that the average student skips 13 classes per semester. The cost of a class for the average undergrad, Texas-native student is $743.91 and if that student has 40 classes in a semester, each class would cost $18.60. That means the average student loses $241.77 a semester just for skipping classes. By putting in the time to attend class, students would be using the investment they’ve already spent more efficiently. The most common reason why students skip class, according to the study, is because of the inability to get out of bed. Others include enjoying weather and tending to other obliga-
tions. Sophomore Amanda Koontz, Advertising and Public Relations major, said another reason could be that students don’t feel like attendance is necessary. “Some students are in college because their parents are forcing them to,” Koontz said. “They don’t realize that it’s important to come to class to see the professors personally. They miss out on taking in the perspective of someone who is more experienced because they don’t think it will help them.” Koontz said one key component in the college experience is application of knowledge, which must be executed in a classroom setting. “The amount of content to learn in college is exponentially larger than it is in high school,” Koontz said. “Skipping one class
could mean a whole chapter of information along with a class discussion or an in-class project that was missed. It makes it much harder to catch up.” Dr. Emily Kinsky, Mass Communication professor, provides incentive for students to attend her classes. Kinsky has daily assignments that are not on the syllabus and takes attendance. “I have mentioned to students that their attendance can make the difference in a grade on the bubble,” Kinsky said. “For example, if a student has never been absent, and she has an 89.4, I’d be more likely to bump it up to an A than if she’s missed five classes. I have also mentioned that some day when they need a reference for a job or for graduate school, I want to be able to say good things about them. In order for that to
be possible, they need to be in class to start with.” Kinsky said most students show up to class every day and value their education. For those who don’t Kinsky, said it’s sad to see that they haven’t figured out they need to go to class in order to do well. “If a student misses a class more than once, it sends the message of not caring about the class, not believing it’s worth his/her time, so that’s disappointing when we obviously care about the subjects we teach. It’s easy to take it personally,” Kinsky said. “It makes me sad for those who keep skipping, and I can see failure on the horizon.” Although some students skip class out of apathy, Student Accounts and Billing Coordinator Lynette Lough said many students come to her because
they struggle too much with extracurricular issues to make the most out of their class experience. “[These students] are paying a lot of money for even one class, and it is their own future they are determining when they enroll in a course, choose a major and begin to dream of their future career,” Lough said. “My hope is that they either have or will seek a dream, and that they will be willing to do what it takes to accomplish the goal that will lead them to realizing that dream. I hope they won’t let how easy or hard it is to get to that classroom, how challenging it is to learn the material, the teaching abilities of the professor or anything else stop them from going to class, learning, participating and reaching their goals.”
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University issues lockdown during spring break Jasmin Ruiz Reporter
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uring spring break, the University Police Department sent out a Buff Alert to students issuing a lockdown. The campus-wide lockdown transpired because RCSO advised of an escaped inmate, and for the safety of the students, faculty and staff members, they were not allowed to leave any buildings until the police cleared the campus. The alert was sent out on March 19 at 10:41 a.m., and all buildings were cleared around noon. “I wasn’t scared,” Layne Garza, freshman Agriculture Education major, said. “I was just worried. I have friends all around campus, and I didn’t want them to get hurt.” Garza was one of the many students that did not leave during spring break and was in his dorm during the lockdown. All students at WT have access to Buff Alerts, which are issued during situations such as a lockdown or fire alarm. When Garza received this message, he and his roommate closed the windows and doors as a safety precautionary measure. Garza said that this is the first time he has experienced a lockdown since he’s been at WT and was a little frustrated that students weren’t provided with any specific rules or guidelines. “In my head I was not expecting something like this to happen,” Garza said. This is not the first time that a lockdown has been issued at West Texas A&M University. In the last year, two lockdowns
were issued due to robberies. The first one was issued on June 5, 2013 at the Subway restaurant across the street from campus. The next lockdown was issued in the fall due to a robbery at the Holiday Inn located on 4th Ave. “The key to everyone’s safety is cooperation,” Shawn Burns, UPD Chief of Police, said. “We ask that students, faculty, and stuff subscribe to buff alert as it’s the most effective and efficient way to get information directly to them.” Buff alerts can be received via email and text message. The emails are mandatory because WT must comply with State
Laws, but text messages can be seen as a faster and more efficient means of communication. Chief Burns said he understands about students concerns about the guidelines that were given in the alert but advises to follow the same rules given in a high school setting. These rules consist of locking the door, turning off the lights and being quiet. “I consider students’ safety to be the highest priority” Cindy Spencer, Senior Director of Residential Living, said. “The safety of our students is critical, and we can never put convenience over safety.” In a lockdown setting, dorms are automatically locked, which
means that only the students who live there can enter using their key or cards. Residential Living also advises students to watch for Buff Alerts. In addi-
tion to these alerts, there are people on staff that perform walk-throughs of the dorms and work with UPD to make sure all the students are safe.
Screenshot of the Buff Alert shared on the university’s Facebook page. When Buff Alerts are issued, students signed up to receive them get a notication via text message. An email is sent to every student, and the university issues updates through its Facebook page.
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Faculty speak on women of Civil Rights Movement Kaley Green Reporter
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panel of West Texas A&M University faculty members lectured on the women of the Civil Rights Movement on Tuesday, March 31. The event was organized by graduate student Alice MillerMacPhee and sponsored by the Office for Diversity and Inclusion and the Gender Studies Certificate Program. “I organized this event to bring visibility to the women who were integral in establishing and creating momentum during the Civil Rights Movement,” MillerMacPhee said. “It was important to me and those involved that we recognize and celebrate the contributions of women who were vital to the success of the movement and who have enhanced our understanding and appreciation of diversity.” The event was held in honor
of Women’s History Month. The faculty members each spoke on one woman they thought was influential and brought about change during the Movement. The first speaker was Dr. Marty Kuhlman, a history professor. He lectured about Fannie Lou Hamer, an African-American civil rights activist born in 1917 in Mississippi. Hamer was fired from her job for registering to vote. She then began encouraging African-Americans to vote and worked to expand voting rights. She co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in 1964 and ran for Congress the following year. “I like studying the Civil Rights Movement because I see it as the ultimate expression of what democracy should stand for,” Kuhlman said. “A group of people are oppressed and they take it upon themselves to change the system.” The second speaker was Dr. Lisa Garza, a professor of sociol-
ogy. Garza said she was glad for this discussion as somewhat of another civil rights movement begins against police brutality in America. She spoke about Ella Baker, a trailblazing activist born in 1903 in Norfolk, Va. Baker fought against segregation and Jim Crow laws. In 1940, she became involved in the NAACP and worked as a field secretary for the organization. Garza said Baker was somewhat bothered by the social structure within the NAACP, as mostly men were in leadership positions that formed a hierarchy. Baker left the NAACP to travel and recruit people to help her to organize campaigns against lynching. “I am most passionate about social justice, therefore my attraction to sociology,” Garza said. “This is why I admire Ella Baker. She was truly an activist who made a difference in the lives of so many people.” Dr. Anand Commissiong, a
Kaley Green/The Prairie Faculty members engage in discussion about influencial women during the Civil Rights Movement.
professor of political science, spoke about Claudia Jones. Born in 1915 in Trinidad and Tobago, she moved to the United States with her family and became a part of the Civil Rights Movement. She grew up in New York in extremely poor conditions and joined the Communist Party by 1936. Commissiong chose Jones because she represented a form of analysis he believes in called intersectionality, or the idea that people receive discrimination on more than one level. Jones was discriminated against for being an African American, lower class and a woman. She was a journalist who created writing that was far left and
mainly focused on the condition of black women. Jones was eventually deported, but continued writing in London. Her influence was impressive as she began her own newspaper and continued her avid activism until her death in 1964. “I am interested in social justice and the dynamics of social change,” Commissiong said. “We want students to be engaged. If events like this are what students want, we will do whatever we have to in order to help.” Visit wtamu.edu/genderstudies for more information about the faculty members and their researach.
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Lady Buffs win four straight against the Javelinas Russell Sanderson Reporter
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he Lady Buffs swept a four game series this past weekend, April 3 and 4, against the Javelinas from TAMUK. The sweep extends the Lady Buffs dominance in the Lone Star Conference with their record being 17-3 in conference. Second place in conference is Texas Women’s University, who hold a conference record of 9-61. The sweep also allowed the Lady Buffs to stay still at their number two national ranking, improving their record to 33-6 on the season and extending a nine game winning streak. The story of the four game series was how hot the Lady Buffs’ bats were. The Lady Buffs scored a combined 53 points for the four games series, powered by 13 homeruns. 10 of those home runs came in the two games on April 4 alone. Head coach Kevin Blaskowski praised the team’s offensive consistency, which is currently the second best offense in the nation. “Going into the weekend we talked about trying to get our offense back on track and developing some offensive consistency,” Blaskowski said. “Falling behind creates a little bit more of a challenge. I thought our offense responded up and down the lineup. I think the changes with Stacey (Ramirez) and Brittany (Gehle) at the top created a lot of offense in front of Renee (Erwin) and Kaisha (Dacosin) and Lacey (Taylor) and the job they’re doing just opens it up for the bottom of the lineup to go up there relaxed and hit.” The Lady Buffs are also com-
ing off of a week where they had six games in one week, with two of those games on Tuesday. The Lady Buffs finally get a week off before heading to play the eighth placed Eastern New Mexico Zias this weekend. “Now it’s an opportunity after eight games, or 10 games in 11 days, now we get a little break and we probably need it,” Blaskowski said. “We’re going on the road this weekend and in light of the injuries we have, we need to make some lineup changes.”
Junior catcher Lacey Taylor also echoed the sentiment of Blaskowski when it came to finally getting some much earned time off. “I think it’s going to be huge for us. We had two very tough midweek games against LCU the past two weeks and those were physically exhausting. These few days are going to be crucial for me getting my legs back under me and everyone will appreciate that when we go out again Eastern this weekend,”
Taylor said. Taylor also complemented her pitchers who she says she’s seen much more depth with instead of just having those few stars at the top of the rotation. “I think the big thing is that all four pitchers have stepped up. We don’t just have two stars, or one star on the team. We just have four deep. I don’t think any team wants to get to our bullpen because they’re just as good as our starters and they can come in and shut any team down at any point and I think it’s helped us out all a lot lately.” The Lady Buffs now go on to take on the last place Zias from Eastern New Mexico. The Zias
are the Lady Buffs greatest rivals, and the games always seem to be intense no matter where the two teams stand in the conference. “Obviously it’s not a straight up contact sport like football, but there is a little bit (of animosity) and I’ll just leave it at that,” Taylor said. “We do take a lot of stuff from other teams, and we take a lot of things seriously, and we just want to win and try to win every single game.” If the Lady Buffs win out, they will most likely host the Lonestar Conference tournament and NCAA regional tournament in May.
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Bradley Kinser/Eternal Flame Senior first baseman Allie Cranfill prepares to field a ground ball.
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Buffs defeat TAMUK Javelinas in weekend series Russell Sanderson Reporter
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he West Texas A&M baseball team split a three game series this past weekend with TAMUK in a race for first in the conference. The Buffs are currently half a game behind first place TAMUK, though TAMUK has won the season series against WT, meaning that they will have the tiebreaker if they and WT find their conference records tied at the end of the regular season. The race for the regular season conference title is a tight one, with Angelo State also being only a half a game behind WT and a game behind TAMUK. Since pulling within a game behind TAMUK, WT has been playing with a ton of confidence and playing their best baseball of the season down the stretch. “I think we’re playing our best baseball. We’re not trying to get
caught up in the race to the end of the season too much,” Ben Buck, assistant baseball coach and pitching coach, said. “It’s hard because they see it. You know, the guys see everything and they want to see who’s winning and who’s losing, but we’re trying to keep them focused on the game at hand, and especially our offense who is really starting to buy into the approaches they didn’t necessarily have the first part of the year, and I think we hit .375 on the weekend.” Junior infielder Trace Hansen also commented on the team’s confidence at the plate since the first part of the year and what has changed since that time for the team. “I think we just try to keep it simple. I think the first part of the season, we were trying to do too much, but now we’re just really buying into what the coaches have preached all year, and it’s working so we just need
to keep at it.” Along with the offense buying into the approaches of their coaches, the Buffs have been good on the mound also, having a season ERA of 3.16 which is good for second best in the conference behind ASU. They are also tied for batting average against only allowing a .243 average for opposing batters on the year. “Those guys have been quality all year, and those guys have been starting for us and it really just adds our fourth starter to the bullpen, but it does that with everyone in our conference and it kind of levels the playing field, and we thought we were a little bit deeper anyways, and those three guys will really be our workhorses for the rest of the year,” Buck said. The Buffs now go on to face the last place Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds in a three game series in Portales, N.M.
“I think we’re playing our best baseball. We’re not trying to get caught up in the race to the end of the season too much.” -Coach Ben Buck
Bradley Kinser/The Prairie Junior starting pitcher Kyle Tinius and senior catcher Justin Hargrove head back to the dugout after finishing an inning. Tinius went three innings while only allowing one run on April 4.
8 ARTS LEISURE ARTS& & LEISURE
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Bloodborne gives darker twist to Souls Formula Preston Thomas Reporter
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here are many things fans of From Software’s ‘Souls,’ games are familiar with; death, frustration, exhilaration and triumph are key among them. The series’ uncompromising yet fair difficulty leads to many deaths, but it also leads to a greater sense of accomplishment once players finally overcome the obstacles in their way. On March 24, From released a new game, with ‘Demon’s Souls,’ and ‘Dark Souls,’ director Hidetaka Miyazaki once again at the helm. The PS4 exclusive ‘Bloodborne,’ takes players back to the familiar style of From’s previous titles, but players will find that things have changed in the game’s troubled world of Yharnam. The setting and story stand on their own, and interested games don’t need to have played any of the ‘Souls,’ games to understand the cryptic plot. While its sister games were set in a grim high fantasy style, ‘Bloodborne,’ charts new territory in a dark, Victorian setting with a healthy dose of inspiration from the cosmic horror of H. P. Lovecraft. Most magic elements are gone, though not entirely, and guns make up a new addition to a player’s weapon choices. The primary weapons of the game also have a new spin, each of them being a so-called trick weapon that can transform or alter to change up its attack style, speed and damage. One of the initial weapons, the threaded cane, can be used as a short, bladed weapon or broken out into a longer, but slower, whip.
The gameplay itself fits comfortably in with the previous titles, but with some finetuning to encourage new play styles and faster combat. Players take on the role of a hunter, arrived in the disease-ridden and crumbling city of Yharnam and thrown into things without much explanation. The level design exemplifies the game’s philosophy of caution and exploration; traps and hidden enemies can wait around any corner, but valuable items and shortcuts through the level can also lurk just out of sight. In the first area of the game this is clearly displayed in its layout. A straight run from the lightpost, the game’s checkpoints, to the main boss could take half an hour or more without utilizing any of the shortcuts in the level. Veterans of the ‘Souls,’ games may find that their ingrained reflexes and habits will both help and hinder their time in ‘Bloodborne.’ Player characters and enemies both move and attack much faster than in previous games, one wrong move can throw a player right into an enemy attack. The equipment pool also has a distinct lack of shields, with only a measly wooden board representing. When hit the player’s health is not immediately gone, but can be gained back by quickly counterattacking. This, combined with the new counter system which involves timing a gunshot to throw an enemy off during their attack, encourages players to be more aggressive and take risks in combat. The game’s multiplayer elements will also feel immediately familiar to ‘Souls,’ fans,
with cooperation and invasion once again playing a role. Players acquire three bells during the course of the game, each with different roles. One allows a player to summon an ally to help progress through a level and kill a boss, and those helpers are players who were ringing the second bell to search for players to assist. The third, more sinister bell allows more mischevious players to invade the game world of other players and attempt to defeat them. With the new speed of combat, PvP action has also taken things up a notch. Players must react quicker and be more aggressive to take advantage of the game’s health recovery system and pace. Apart from the active coop and PvP, the game also features returning asynchronous elements in the form of notes and spectres. When a player dies, as they often do, they can leave be-
hind a small tombstone in other player’s games that plays back a ghostly clip of how they met their fate. This allows a cautious player to get an idea of what might lay ahead. The notebook item also allows players to string together preselected phrases and words to leave behind helpful hints in other’s worlds. Others viewing the messages can then rate them as either “fair,” or “foul,” and having positive ratings can restore the health of the player that left the note. The game’s art direction compliments the new horror aesthetic of ‘Bloodborne.’ The cramped and dirty streets of Yharnam are filled with the sounds of screaming, burning fires and the scrape of a rusty axe on cobblestones. At one point in the game, the sky becomes filled with a bloated, massive blood moon that casts a red tinge on the environment. The enemies and bosses are terrifying; some
are twisted and malformed by the plague, while others are creatures from beyond the normal scope of reality. The bosses feel fresh and varied after ‘Dark Souls 2,’ and it’s procession of large armored humanoids. Instead we are treated to a macabre parade of the horrifying. Some network and framerate issues are present, From is already at work on delivering patches to improve user’s experience. One particular gripe, made more noticible by other changes such as requiring players to return to the hub world to level up or buy items, is the rather long loading times. While some bugs may be present, ‘Bloodborne,’ is still another engaging and visceral experience. The soul of From’s previous games runs deep in the crumbling world of Yharnam, it the nightmare takes on its own style to set it apart from its predecessors
Preston Thomas/The Prairie In-game screenshot of the Bloodborne game that takes players to a new, horror-themed world.
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ARTS LEISURE 9 ARTS& & LEISURE
10 FEATURE FEATURE
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April 8, 2015
Psychology behind ‘Walking Dead’ phenomenon
David Duenes Reporter
T
he Walking Dead season five finale was seen by 15.8 million viewers on Sunday, March 29. This was the most watched episode of the entire series, just beating out last season’s record holding finale of 15.7 million viewers. What is it that keeps bringing people back to this and other shows like it? Is it the complex drama? Is it the unique rush that a horror show gives them? Is it just simply morbid curiosity? There does seem to be more to this show than just zombies feasting on human brains. The show has taken viewers on a rollercoaster of feelings throughout the past five seasons. The characters have been on a long journey physically, mentally and spiritually. Season five has also been the most popular amongst the critics since Season one. Before the season ended, The Walking Dead was in direct competition with CBS show giants like NCIS and Big Bang Theory not to mention going up against live events like Sunday Night Football and various award shows. However, the rabid fandom doesn’t end on the small screen. Huge appearances at San Diego Comic-Con last summer and New York Comic-Con only reinforce how big The Walking Dead is. There is also the Walker Stalker Con that was started in Atlanta by a couple of super fans and has now exploded into an extremely popular convention that tours around the United States.
Despite this popularity the question remains, how does The Walking Dead and programs similar to it keep bringing the viewers back week after week? The answer to that, according to West Texas A&M University Psychology Instructor Kenneth Denton, is much more complex, not to mention a whole lot darker, than one might think on the surface level. “We wonder what would happen if this is what we had to live with,” Denton said. “Everyone thinks that they will be the one. They think that they will be the one who will live, who will escape somehow and that their world will continue.” There can be many benefits to watching shows like The Walking Dead according to Dr. Travis Langley, Henderson University professor and author of The Walking Dead Psychology. It allows for viewers to learn empathy for unlikeable characters and show the psychological process of finding hope when there seems to be none. The show also offers a way to level out sexual and racial politics. “There were some traditional roles [in earlier seasons], but those fell apart over time,” Langley said in an article by MTV News. “Everybody has to be involved in survival, everybody has to have all these different skills… You don’t even necessarily think about race [anymore]. Daryl went on a mission looking for medicine, and all three other people in the car were AfricanAmerican. The fans didn’t even think about race in that situation. It had become a non-issue; a common humanity was pulling them together. We’ve got
a big, scary undead ‘them’ out there; we need to stop thinking about the superficial sorts of ‘them’ that used to worry us.” The Walking Dead also makes viewers ask questions that are much more complex and deal with an analytical side of a TV series that many other shows don’t offer. Dr. Maxine Debutte, Assistant Professor of Psychology at WT, believes that people may be attracted to the questions the show asks. “There is no cure. How is life different? How do you adapt? How does human nature change and how do personalities change? What effect is it having on individuals? What are individuals willing to do or not do in regards to their conscience? And what about resources?” Dubutte asks. “We get to see the dark side of nature. People steal resources from each other, resort to cannibalism.” It’s shows like The Walking Dead that offer viewers an escape from the world but also as a mechanism for dealing with real life terror, ISIS for instance. “It can be an escape, by facing your mortality and struggles in a fantastical way,” Debutte said. “Culturally, we think we have a handle on death. But there seem to be a lack of respect for death and rituals and how we deal with our own mortality.” “A lot of people think it’s a release,” Denton said. “If I see the awesome, I feel more awesome.” Seeing these characters make decisions based on their experiences make viewers ask themselves if they would do the same thing in that situation. “This season is darker,” De-
butte said. “The transformation of the characters from good moral individuals to simply stating that they will just take things if they have to is something they probably wouldn’t have done before these circumstances.” From an actor’s point of view, a level of catharsis is also attractive to the viewers. It’s these actors that portray a layer of reality that begs the audience to face darker aspects of society. Stephen Crandall, Assistant Professor of Theatre said these
types of shows speak to something inside of us. “It’s like escaping into your imagination,” Crandall said. “Post-apocalyptic stories like that are almost beyond belief and there is a sort of human interest of feeling fear through the eyes of someone else. While these shows are certainly created to entertain, they help us face deep, dark fears of what some might say is an inevitably. We are fascinated by this ‘End of the World’ existence and then you throw zombies in the mix.”
Poster available for download at amc.com “Walking Dead” character Rick Grimes struggles with real life monsters as well as the demons within himself. These characteristics draw viewers to the show.
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11 OPINION OPINION
Students should take development opportunities
W
hen college students go to a class on the first day of each semester, they often hear pitches. They hear pitches for Greek organizations, campus ministry organizations and organizations within their respective majors. These pitches often come from fellow classmates and peers. Sometimes, however, they come from professors. The professors aren’t always pitching the student organizations for which they are the adviser; they advertise and advocate for professional organizations of which they are members. Professors who encourage students to join these professional organizations don’t just do so in their classes. They share more detailed information about the organizations during the meeting times of the student organizations. One organization in particu-
lar that has been introduced to us at The Prairie over and over again is the Society of Professional Journalists. SPJ has a mission “dedicated to the perpetuation of a free press as the cornerstone of our nation and our liberty,” as stated on their website. It exists to promote high ethical standards in the profession, maintain constant protection of First Amendment rights and to foster excellence among journalists and aspiring journalists. At least two members of our editorial board are members of SPJ, and it has provided us with opportunities we wouldn’t otherwise have. Being a part of a professional organization has allowed us opportunities to travel, learn and grow as individuals and young professionals. Each year, SPJ holds a national conference. In 2014, this con-
ference was in Nashville, Tenn. Editor Megan Moore had the opportunity to travel to Nashville not only to attend the conference, but to present as well. She had the chance to speak to professionals in journalism about the first Global News Relay that West Texas A&M University participated in. At the conference, she had the opportunity to attend innumerable sessions put on by well-cultured professionals. She brought home new ideas and understandings of the profession to share with our entire staff. SPJ also sponsors national and regional awards contests each year. This year, Associate Editor Alyssa Bonner won a regional Mark of Excellence Award. Finalists and winners were recognized at the regional conference in Oklahoma City, Okla. At the conference, she
was also able to attend sessions conducted by professionals on various topics within the field of journalism. Both Moore and Bonner also attended other conferences recently where they were able to partake in professional development sessions conducted by professionals. Moore attended the Power of Narrative Storytelling conference at Boston University, where she expanded her knowledge of not on journalism as a whole, but in narrative storytelling and feature writing. She networked with other students who will be attending graduate school at BU and with professors who also contribute to publications like the New York Times. Bonner attended the Public Relations Student Society of America’s National Assembly. PRSSA is an organization which fosters the growth and profes-
sional development of aspiring public relations professionals. At National Assembly, Bonner also attended sessions conducted by professionals, and she participated in electing next year’s national officers, who will represent the organization as a whole, university chapters and chapter members. This week members of The Prairie and Eternal Flame are traveling to San Antonio to attend the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association conference. We submitted content from our publications to competition in December. Winners and finalists will be announced at TIPA. We will also be attending professional development sessions and competing in on-site competitions. By attending these conferences, we are allowing ourselves to grow as professionals while making connections.
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, U.S. Constitution @The_Prairie
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12 PHOTOS PHOTOS
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April 8, 2015
Faculty Art Show
WT faculty present their works in the Formal Art Gallery in Mary Moody Northen Hall. Featuring works from Caruthers, Frish, Hargis, Holliday, McSwain, Melton, Revett and Williams. The art will be on display until April 9.
Crist went on a mission trip to Hawaii. “Not only e made it amazing, but being with the soft and kind d people in Hilo. There are no words for how amazing this trip was.”
Marinna Hernandez visited Ciudad Juarez with WT’s HSA and delivered toys to children and spent her free time getting to know them. “I was happy to have brought a smile to their faces.”
Brittany Milam went to Monarch, Colorado to ski first time with her best friends. She had an amazin but fell several times. “It hurts, but it’s worth i