STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF TEXAS A&M UNIVERSIT Y- COMMERCE SINCE 1915

The East TexanThe East TexanXCVI, No. 4, 8 pages www.theeasttexan.com Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011

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Local legacy celebrated

news Page 3If you missed the Bois d’Arc Bash last weekend, we have news and photos of the annual event. Plus, residents of the new hall have to solve a murder mystery.

sports Page 7 and 8Find out why fans of A&M-Commerce women’s soccer find themselves seeing double at every home game. Plus, get all the latest news from around the LSC.

entertainment Page 6Brad Pitt and baseball? Throw in a white picket fence and apple pie, and you’ve got the ultimate American movie. Read our review of ‘Moneyball.’

EditorAdam Troxtell

A 500-bed residence hall is set to take the place of five Family Housing units as part of a complete remodeling of the southwest corner of campus.

The new hall, which will go directly across from the one that opened to freshmen stu-dents this semester, will be twice the size of the most recent hall to begin operation. The demolition of the Family Housing units, two of which are not in use, will start in January, and construction on the residence hall will begin in April, according to the Director of Residential Living & Learning Dennis Koch.

“That became the next logical area for that

to be,” Koch said about the future location of the newest hall. “Since those buildings are in such poor repair, it was time for them to come down.”

Patty McDowell, a paralegal student majoring in political science, lives in Family Housing with her two small children. She agrees that the halls need to come down, but she is also worried about what her family will do when the next phase of the campus redevelopment comes along.

“There’s no doubt that they need to go down, but my concern has been what’s going to happen to Family Housing and what are we going to do,” she said. “There’s not affordable housing outside of the cam-pus for us.”

Koch said the decision to take down parts of Family Housing was not the easiest.

“It was extremely difficult,” he said. “For us, it’s even tougher, because we’re not necessarily displacing classroom space or offices, but we’re displacing places where people live.”

The state of the units – Mitchell, Marshall, CV, Freeman and Workman Halls – was one of the main considerations for the decision to take them down.

“What we had to look at was the next logi-cal place for it to go, and the fact that these buildings are getting to the point where they’re just uninhabitable,” Koch said. “We’re having to close two down already, and the next three would probably fall with-

in the next year anyway just because of the plumbing and some of the other characteris-tics of the internal structure of those 50-plus year old buildings.”

The new hall will offer a more modern look to campus, but as it will serve freshmen or sophomore students, the facelift means there will be fewer opportunities for families to live on campus. Koch said that even if they used money to fix the Family Housing units, they would have to be completely rebuilt and still displace the occupants dur-ing construction.

“Obviously, with families it makes it even tougher because there is a limited amount of space for them to go anyway as far as on

•See Demolition Page 3

Family Housing units to be demolished for new hall

Staff WriterSusan Dagenais

The 26th annual Bois d’Arc Bash filled downtown Commerce over the weekend, as citizens celebrated the heritage of their town. The event kicked off Friday morning at 7 a.m. with the 21st annual golf tournament, and ended Sunday afternoon with the 16th annual car and truck show.

“It is the biggest crowd I have ever seen here,” Wyman Williams, director of development for A&M-

Commerce, said. Saturday was full of activities, ven-

dors, and music. The booths, which ran from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., featured wide assortments of purchasable items such as shoes, hats, sheets, decorations, numerous food stands, and much more. Five-year-old Sarah Uzialko, got her first airbrushed tat-too at Marco Alcazar’s temporary tattoo booth. According to Alcazar, he stayed busy all day. This years vendors outnumbered last years.

“We have over 120 vendors this

year,” Sheryl Millar, chamber of com-merce employee, said. “Last year we had about 80.”

The day began with the Bois d’Arc Dash 5k run at 8 a.m. The run had 68 participants; among them was the Commerce High School track team. Of the 68 people, 39 were female and 29 were male. The final run times ranged from just over 18 minutes to just over 57 minutes.

Age and gender groups each had their own awards.

EditorAdam Troxtell

A&M-Commerce and Commerce ISD are enter-ing negotiations over a new deal for the high school foot-ball team to use Memorial Stadium for home games.

The current contract, which ran for five years, will end this year. It stipu-lated that Commerce ISD pay $20,000 per year, plus $2,000 for five games, for a total of $30,000 per year.

The issue was brought up at the school board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 20. There, it was revealed A&M-Commerce had offered to renew the contract under the same stipulations. The CISD board, however, felt the price was too high, and Superintendent Blake Cooper said this just means it is time to find a new deal.

“That contract is run-ning out, so basically it’s just time to renegotiate,” he said. “We’ve honored that commitment, and so now we just want to see what we can do now moving for-ward. The board has decid-ed not to agree to the same terms, so we’ve just got to sit down and talk about it.”

Cooper said he is certain CISD will be able to use Memorial Stadium for home games next year.

“The high school’s used that stadium on Friday nights forever,” he said. “I don’t see any reason that’s going to change. It’s just going to be a matter of com-ing up with a price that’s reasonable and that’s fair.”

The current contract was made so the high school could help pay for the new turf field that had been installed. Cooper said at the time, the deal was fair for both sides.

“The purpose of the con-tract was to help pay for the AstroTurf that they bought,” he said. “Because the var-sity football team used that stadium back before it was turf, they were tearing it up, especially on rainy days. It was totally justified, a good partnership, and it was nec-essary. The school board needed to pay for part of the turf, because they were hav-ing an impact on the grass field. It needed to happen.”

A response from the A&M-Commerce Athletic Department was not received as of press time, but Cooper said he was con-fident he, President Dr. Dan Jones, and Athletic Director Carlton Cooper would be able to find a deal suitable for all parties.

“I have full faith that Dr.

•See CISD Page 3

Negotiations to begin over CHS stadium use

•See Lions Page 3

Memorial Stadium has been shared for both high school and university home football games for a number of years.

jessica martin /the east texan

Students and area residents take in the various vendor booths the Bois d’Arc Bash on the Square in Downtown Commerce. The celebration lasted most of the weekend, and featured a pancake breakfast, 5k run, beauty pageant, and car and truck show.

Kristie carD / the east texan

OPINIONOPINION www.theeasttexan.comThursday, Sept. 29, 2011Page 2

ARIELLE MCMAHON STAFF CARTOONIST

The East Texan, official student newspaper of Texas A&M University-Commerce, is published 12 times per semester during the Fall and Spring by students in reporting and editing classes. Content is solely the responsibility of the student editors and writers. The comments and views expressed in The East Texan do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of other students, staff, faculty, administration, or the Board of Trustees. The East Texan is located inside the Journalism building on the east side of campus in room 113. Single copies are available in Journalism 113 for an additional 25 cents.

Letters to the editor are welcome and should be limited to 250 words. They will not be edited for spelling, grammar and libelous or malicious statements. We reserve the right to refuse publication. Letters should be typed or e-mailed and must include a signature, legal name, classification (grade level) and telephone number. Mailing address is The East Texan, P.O. Box 4104 Commerce, Texas 75428.

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Younger college students need too much guidance

Editorial: Removal of family housing a positive decision

Entertainment EditorChancellor Mills

If you have ever seen me walking around Commerce, you may have thought to yourself, “Hey, that guy looks interesting. His clothes are so snazzy and unique. I think I would enjoy be-ing his friend.” And to that I say, “Right, you are!”

But, alas, I am writing now to inform you of my sad, sad, sad loss. On Tues-day, Sept. 20, 2011, a large majority of my classy, beau-tiful shirts were taken from me in what can only be de-scribed as an affront against fashion-forward men every-where. That’s right, some-body abducted several of my shirts from a dryer while I was doing my laundry.

As any law enforcement of-ficial will tell you, in the case of most “shirt-nappings,” you have 48 hours between the time of the abduction and the point at which you can expect to never see the victim(s) again. In light of this fact, I have decided to say goodbye to my pretty shirts.

Where to start…To my soft cotton Super-

man shirt: You were embla-zoned with the insignia of my favorite superhero, and your colors were so light and bright, that wearing you made me feel…well…it made me feel just super. Goodbye.

To my equally soft Cap-tain America shirt: You were, by no means, my fa-vorite shirt, but I liked you because you were soft and you made me look just a little bit stout. Also, when I wore you, I knew that, even though everybody would see me for the superhero nerd that I am, nobody would dare begrudge me wear-ing a Captain AMERICA shirt…because that would be unpatriotic. Goodbye.

To my plaid short sleeve, button down “nerd jersey”: good riddance! I never liked you. Despite spending the entire summer getting into better shape, and despite knowing that I just have naturally broad shoulders, you still made me feel like a tub of lard every time I went in for a hug. You fit me just

fine in the mid-section but – because of you – any time I moved my shoulders for-ward AT ALL, the only thing I could think about was Chris Farley in “Tommy Boy” sing-ing “…fat guy in a little coat…” I sincerely hope to see you on a future episode of Date-line. Again, good riddance.

To my short sleeve, gray and black-striped, Henley-style shirt: I will miss you a lot, but my sense of loss has been tempered by your frater-nal twin – RED, short sleeve, Henley-style shirt. Adios.

To my long sleeve, purple plaid, button-down: I really liked you. You were one of my more unique friends, and I am sad that, should I ever meet Justin Bieber, we will now have no com-mon ground. Goodbye.

And, finally, to my gray super soft, short sleeve polo with the extra deep collar: Don’t tell everyone else, but I think I will miss you most. You were oh so soft and comfortable, and your col-lar that went a button deeper that the rest of the polo’s out there. Beyond that, I will also

miss you because – I am sad to say – I fear that your soft-ness may be the only thing my girlfriend liked about me. Goodbye, my friend.

(P.S.: One last thing, gray super soft, short sleeve polo with the extra deep col-lar: If you’re reading this, I left a small razor blade in your breast pocket. Use it to kill your abduc-tor and come back to me. PLEASE! Happy hunting.)

That makes me feel a bit better to get that off my chest. And, now that you have these detailed de-scriptions of my prized shirts, I ask that you keep an eye out for them. I know it’s been 48 hours already but I still hold on to hope.

Do not mistake my inten-tions, dear friends. I do not wish the perpetrator any harm. Having said that, if you see him wearing any of the clothes described above, let me know so that I can gently reprimand the stupid, selfish son of a ****-****ing, ****ing *****…right in his stupid ****ing face!

Thank you.

Opinion EditorSavannah Christian

When planning my sched-ule a year in advance like an anally organized person would do, I thought it would be smart, even relieving, to get the “hard” classes out of the way first. In other words, as a sophomore I took senior level classes so that in my last semesters I would be left with the soph-omore level classes, which I thought would present a happy atmosphere in my life. I was terribly wrong.

I remember my first weeks of college. I was

stressed beyond belief, homesick and failing every single assignment in one of my classes. I honestly thought I would not make it through college. However, despite my trials and fears, I was never over board or ridiculous with my actions.

Let me explain myself. College can be a scary place for some people. You are out on your own for the first time and have, essen-tially, been thrown out into the world to figure it out for yourself. I, too, experienced this abandonment. But, this does not mean you need someone to hold your hand

everywhere you go or to sit by your side throughout ev-ery day. You are not in high school; scratch that, you are not in elementary school. Do not ask your teacher what color of pen you need to write your assignments in. Do not ask your teach-er if you should use wide or college ruled paper for your assignments. Do not ask your teacher a question that he/she literally just answered in the previous sentence. You will be ridi-culed. Oh, yeah, and do not call that person teaching the course a “teacher;” he or she will most likely be offended.

I witnessed this in one of my “easy” classes last week. I walked in thinking, “I have my upper level cours-es out of the way and now it is time to relax.” Wrong. I was so irritated by the non-sense that was keep-ing me in class longer with every question asked that I wanted to scream. Your

professor does not care if you use blue or black ink, nor does your professor care what comment you have for every single thing he/she says. Don’t get me wrong, it is great that you are knowl-edgeable in this area and that you are probably going to succeed in this class be-cause of that knowledge and your enthusiasm, but the professor is here to teach the class. You are here to learn.

All I am saying is, it is time to adjust. We have been in classes for weeks now, and the routine should be pretty set in stone. It seems that our school sys-tems and parents have been so protective and coddling toward children and young adults that by the time they are expected to spread their wings and fly, they can’t.

Kids are helped so much during the years of develop-ment that when they are set out on their own, they are actually handicapped; para-lyzed from not learning the independence they need to survive. In the end, no mat-ter who babied you through-out your life or who crippled you with so much help that you cannot make logical de-cisions for yourself, it is time to overcome the ailment and become an adult. A good student should ask ques-tions in class; professors like this. But, it is not nec-essary to ask things that a middle school student could reason an answer for. Take a chance. Write in blue ink, or, better yet, type your as-signments. As long as it gets done and you have the cor-rect answers, you are golden.

CHANCELLOR MILLS / THE EAST TEXAN

After having a load of laundry stolen from the Prairie Crossing laundry room, Entertainment Editor Chancellor Mills is left with only a few shirts.

At first, the news that A&M-Commerce will be re-moving Family Housing in order to build a new, $21 mil-lion residence hall so soon after opening another new hall this Fall came as a bit of a shock. However, after hear-ing about the issue from both sides, we see how this move is positive for both the campus and the families living here.

The state of Family Hous-ing is abysmal. Two of the three buildings being demol-ished have already been shut down simply because they are uninhabitable. The halls are crumbling over the heads of mothers, fathers and children, and there will un-doubtedly come a time when something has to be done, whether it comes in Janu-ary or a few years from now. Having new, more modern looking dorms will make the campus look better, and could possibly provide a bet-ter atmosphere for students.

It is also somewhat appar-ent that actual occupants of the three operational Family

Housing units are happy that they are being destroyed. As has been said before about the state of family housing, families should not have to deal with those conditions. Yes, they are homes; but, if the families themselves only live there because they have to, the units are only act-ing as roofs over heads, as opposed to a place of com-fort that all students should have in their residence halls.

The only concern we have about the demolition of fam-ily housing is about the long-term future of the families affected. It appears that, for a period of time, no family housing would exist on cam-pus. This is the most alarm-ing development from this story, and we can only hope the university is devising a plan for the students that have the extra load of caring for a family while attending A&M-Commerce. The face of the university is chang-ing, but it must not come at the cost of hanging hard working students out to dry.

THIS WEEK’S ‘PLAN B’ by Arielle McMahon

Writer bids farewell to his stolen wardrobe

EditorAdam Troxtell

Last Friday, Palestin-ian President Mahmoud Abbas made history by making a formal bid to the United Nations for Pal-estinian statehood. This would force the world governing body to come out from behind the veil of secrecy and show just how much, if at all, their sup-port for Israel has shifted.

Since being formed via a UN mandate in 1948, Isra-el has gone through mul-tiple trials and struggles

to maintain its status as a Jewish state. All of this has been done with the back-ing of the United States, and the alliance between these nations has become so expected over the years, that for any president to stray from it would mean a huge dip in his popu-larity. This is perhaps why President Obama has pledged the United States will block the bid. But, is this the smartest move for a president under increas-ing pressure from both his own people and the international community?

In the past, I have praised Obama’s handling of the U.S.’s international deal-ings, but on this occasion I feel he has gone too far on the side of caution in order to appease his national crit-ics. It is obvious the only way forward in the Israel-Palestinian conflict is in a dual-state system, where both Palestinians and Is-raelis can call the area home. Yes, the trouble will occur when it comes time to draw the borders, but should we not at least get to that stage before com-pletely rejecting the idea?

The smartest thing for Obama to do in this situa-tion would be to allow the Palestinian bid to reach international politicians. Let’s see what the world thinks while we still fight on the side of the Israe-lis. By rejecting the bid, Obama simply reverts back to the old way of thinking: Israel, through and through. For our na-tion to really help make a change in the region, we have to take the role of a strong-handed moderator that is truly looking out for the interests of both sides.

Palestinian block represents Obama caution

newsnewswww.theeasttexan.com Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011 Page 3

Continued from Page 1...

Jones and Carlton, we’ll all be able to sit down and get this thing taken care of,” Blake Cooper said. “This whole agreement was made prior to me getting here, prior to Carlton getting here, and prior to Dr. Jones getting here. So, we’re just living under the agreement that was made before we got here, and it was a fair agreement. There’s nothing wrong with it. Now, just like any contract, it’s up and it’s time to look at it again.”

While Cooper did say it

was possible for CISD to make their own accommoda-tions by putting extra stands around the field currently used by the junior varsity team, there is no anticipation of this ever occurring.

“We have not even gone down that road,” he said. “To me, I wouldn’t like to think that’s even an option. If we had to, could we? Sure. But, I don’t think that’s where Carlton [Cooper] wants to go, and that’s not where I want to go; that’s not where our board wants to go, and that’s not where Dr. Jones wants to go. I think that’s not

what it’s all about. It’s just a matter of renegotiating.”

Cooper said CISD using Memorial Stadium means more than just the varsity team having the chance to play in a nice facility.

“It’s a symbol of the school district and the university just being able to work together and to do things together,” he said. “That’s what we’re all about in a town like Commerce. You wouldn’t think we’d need to build our own stadium, there’s no need to. We’re talking about five nights a year, so we’re not talking a bunch of usage.”

CISD expects Memorial stadium deal

Continued from Page 1...

campus,” he said. “It’s getting to the point

where you just feel guilty about putting people in build-ings that are falling apart. It’s a tough call, but it’s just one that had to be made.”

Koch said the classification of students occupying the newest residence hall will be determined at a later date and based on how the uni-versity’s population grows.

“Right now, our freshman on-campus population is growing a little bit, but not a lot,” he said. “Our sopho-more retention rate is grow-ing in the halls.”

The new hall, which is expected to become opera-tional in Fall 2013, will have two-bedroom suites similar to those in the recently built residence building. It is the

first part of a residence hall building boom that will reshape that corner of the A&M-Commerce campus over the next few years.

In those years, it is pos-sible that there will be no Family Housing on campus, according to Koch.

“If I were to say no, I might be lying,” Koch said while addressing the issue at the most recent student forum. “At this point, it all depends on how quickly things move for phase three and what we can get done, but there is a possibility that there might be an in-between period where we have no family housing.”

McDowell is afraid the gap between no family housing and potential new housing for non-traditional students will fall during the time she is closest to getting her degree.

“I’m concerned, because I have children in school here,” she said. “It’s not affordable for me to com-mute, so I have all kinds of issues and concerns. I’ve got two years left, and I don’t know if that void is going to fall in those two years.”

Koch said the time frame for when each phase of the campus housing redevelop-ment would depend on the population growth of the university. Vice President for Student Access and Success assured any students living in Family Housing that the university will work with them to ensure they gradu-ate with minimal problems.

“If you are a student in our system and you are in family housing, we have an obliga-tion to you to get you your degree, and we will do every-thing we can to assist you.”

Demolition to begin in January

Continued from Page 1...

The overall top runner was William Warren with a time of 18:06. He was followed by Lance Smith with a time of 20:26 and student Jerrod Tynes with 21:09. A&M-Commerce President Dr. Dan Jones also took part in the run, plac-ing 22nd overall with a time of 27:35.

A married couple by the name of Joe and Emily Shipman, who try to participate in all the Bois d’Arc runs they are present for, made it a family event by bringing their two children along for a ride. Emily Shipman, who is also pregnant, ran with her children, Ashley and Jacob, in a jogger stroller. Joe Shipman had planned on running with the kids, but Emily insisted on taking over so her husband could try to get the best time he could. Emily came in with a run time of 28:02, taking third in her category, just under four minutes behind her husband who had a run time of 24:06.

Many of the events were for charity, including the Kiwanis Club Pancake Breakfast. Over 350 pancake break-fasts were sold to help the children of Commerce and Hunt County.

The breakfast included pancakes, sausage patties, milk, juice and coffee. The Commerce Kiwanis started prep-

ping for their annual pancake breakfast for the Bois d’Arc Bash at 5 a.m. for the event that started at 7 a.m. and ended at 10 a.m. Many workers assisted in mak-ing the event a huge success. According to Beckey Thompson, upcoming presi-dent of Commerce Kiwanis, about 350 people were served breakfast. Most of the people served were adults and some came back for more.

Luanne Huffman and Donald Holliman cooked pancakes and sau-sage for the customers. They cooked 32 pancakes at a time, because that is all they can fit on the cook top at once. Huffman and Holliman are the regular cooks for the Kiwanis events and have been doing it for quite some years.

“Fifteen plus years,” Holliman said of how long Huffman has been doing it. “I have been a member for twelve plus years and started cooking five years after being in the club.”

Kiwanis is a volunteer organization with 17 members in the Commerce club. Members have regular jobs, like Shannon who works for Guaranteed Bond Bank and Thompson who owns and runs Commerce Veterinary Clinic with her husband. The Kiwanis mem-bers give their extra time for this orga-nization in support of the children of Commerce and Hunt County.

The annual Duck Race raised $3000 dollars, $2000 goes to help Commerce High School. The 12th annual wine tast-ing event, which has A&M – Commerce President’s Office listed as one of its sponsors, raised money for its endow-ment scholarship at A&M – Commerce.

In the parade, there were 45 partici-pants, with the Commerce Police and Fire Departments leading the parade. A&M-Commerce featured their color guard and band. Six awards were given for parade participants. The Grand Marshal Award for this year was given by Alton Bigs, Commerces Citizen of the Year, to the Scatterbranch Kids. Commerce Middle Robotics Club, Commerce High School Band, James Speight of Speight Sand and Gravel also won awards. The Scatterbranch Kids won two awards, while A&M-Commerce Band, accompa-nied by their Color Guard, took the Best Overall award.

“We want to thank all the A&M-Commerce student organizations for volunteering their help,” Michael Glas, president of the Chamber of Commerce, said. “We would also like to thank the university for their sponsorship of the 26th Annual Bois d’Arc Bash, and Brian Nichols, dean of Campus Life and Student Development, for provid-ing a shuttle service for the event.”

Lions represent at Commerce Bash

Staff WriterLeah Allen

The residents of the new hall got the opportunity to uncover the mystery of the “murder” of hall director Susan Cohn in a dorm-wide game last week.

The RAs at the new hall put together the game to entertain the residents each day.

“We wanted to get resi-dents involved and do some-thing fun for them.” RA Hannah Durham said,

With this thought in mind, the RAs got together to set up for the giant Clue-like game.

The week before the event, the RAs began posting foot-prints, question marks, and signs stating “There has been a murder. It could have been anyone.”

The kickoff to the event

occurred that Monday night when the RAs held a movie night in the multipurpose room of the new resident hall. They conveniently played the movie “Clue” and entertained the freshmen with popcorn and sodas.

When the movie ended, Officer Chad Ballard of the University Police Department explained that Susan Cohn had been murdered. The stu-dents and RAs were all sus-pects, and it was the task of the freshmen students to assist in finding who killed Cohn.

There were three new clues given each day to help the students unlock the mystery. A total of 18 clues were given by the end of the week. Each RA also had facts about them posted on the wall in the lobby. New Hall RA Lauren McNaughton explained that the facts also served the pur-

pose of helping the residents get more familiar with their RAs. “We get to know the res-idents, and they get to know us,” said McNaughton.

Sunday night was the night for the big reveal. New Hall students gathered together in the lobby for the announcement of who would be arrested and who would get the prize for catching the murderer first. Brandon Bevel was announced the winner for correctly guess-ing that RA George Swindell was the killer.

“I thought it was fun,” Bevel said. “I guessed on it by the twelfth clue.”

After Swindell was hand-cuffed and taken away, the residents got to have a socializing experience by playing Clue board games and watching the movie “Sherlock Holmes.”

Students take part in mystery game

david grote / the east texan

Five Family Housing halls, which include a nearby playground, are set to be demolished next year to make room for a new 500-bed residence hall. The project is one phase of a housing redevelopment plan.

Students living inside of the new hall recently took part in a Clue-style mystery game, in which the hall director was “murdered” and residents were tasked with finding out who committed the crime.

JessiCa Martin / the east texan

Joe Shipman and his wife, Emily, raced the 5k with their two children. Joe finished in about 24 minutes, and Emily finished just four minutes later.

susan dagenais / the east texan

www.theeasttexan.comThursday, Sept. 29, 2011Page 4 Campus LifeCampus Life

Don’t forget to check out Word on the Street each Wednesday at:www.theeasttexan.com/

campus-life

Campus Life EditorNick Bailey

Campus Recreation’s Salsa Night brought a Latin feel to the Rayburn Student Center on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

Students and members of the Commerce community came out for a night of danc-ing and live music, and were able to learn some dance moves from professional sal-sa dancer Stan Pearson.

“They did a great job with learning the steps,” Pearson said. “I always tell people that the hardest part is just getting out there in the first place. After that it’s just a matter of trying really.”

Guests at the event, which

is a part of Hispanic Heri-tage Month on campus, were greeted with light-up ma-racas and spirit pins upon entering the RSC Ballroom. Many students came to the event “dressed to impress” ,as the handouts for the event stated, and enjoyed the Latin atmosphere of the ballroom.

“I think it’s really good that students can come out tonight and learn how to sal-sa,” freshman Lina Munevar said. “I kind of knew how to dance before, but the lessons really helped. I like that the school is bringing out dif-ferent cultures with events like these.”

The guests of the evening were entertained by a live

band that performed a rep-ertoire of Latin songs.

“[The band] is really excit-ing and very outgoing,” Ju-nior Ana Sabio said. “They make you want to go out there and dance on the dance floor. I came out with some of my sorority sisters and a couple of friends and we had a lot of fun dancing. There’s a whole bunch of different types of music.”

Food was provided for the guests, including nachos with queso and salsa, and there was also a chili pepper eating contest on stage be-tween five individuals. The evening came to a close near 10:00pm.

Staff WriterSusan Dagenais

North East Texas Career

and Technical Consortion, hosted its annual college fair for smaller regional school districts at Texas A&M University–Commerce in the Rayburn Student Cen-ter on Sept. 20. Mary Park, member of NETCTC, orga-nized the event and brought together 800 high school students and 51 recruiters. A&M–Commerce boasted six tables for the event while all other had one.

“Our entity supports ca-reer development programs and career and technology programs at a secondary lev-el,” Park said.

NETCTC brought schools from 13 districts together to

get exposure to some of what is available after high school. Once the students see this campus they are amazed at what is here.

“How many students will decide what college they are going to go to based on to-day, probably a handful. We can’t evaluate quantitatively, we are offering an opportu-nity,” Parks said.

The recruiters are from universities, junior colleges, technical schools, and mili-tary branches. The diversity gives students many choices and information to consider.

“I think it helps them to see there is something pos-sible for them even if they are not willing to commit to four entire years of college,” Parks said.

Lone Oak High School

was one of the schools in at-tendance at the college fair. Until this year only senior students from that school have attended, but this year they extended it to juniors.

“I think it is a great oppor-tunity for our kids because they get to see a lot of dif-ferent schools at one time,” Leanette Davies, Lone Oak High School counselor, said. “It gets them started in the thought process, think-ing about what they might want to do.”

Lone Oak High School brought 92 out of the 800 stu-dents from the 13 schools.

“I found it very helpful,” Ryan Marney, attending High School senior, said. “I was able to absorb all the in-formation I was able to find. It helped me on my path.”

Salsa Night keeps students dancing

Highschoolers get university options for after graduation

AMANDA LUKE / THE EAST TEXANMayra Ramirez and Jesse Jackson dance the night away at Salsa Night on Sept. 20 with a live band and lessons from a professional salsa dancer. The event was hosted by the Morris Recreation Center, and provided a form of recreation outside the normal workout.

Staff WriterCole Leonard

Poor student turnout at SGA meetings triggered long discussion about the organi-zation’s visibility on campus prompting one student to question its motives for holding events. The floor was open for discussion among senators complaining about the lack of stability regarding the ever-changing lo-cations of meetings and whether or not stu-dents are interested in becoming involved with the student-lead group.

Parliamentarian Tim Houston said, “it’s nice to sit up here in the Pride Room, but we need to reach out to the students.” His statement was in regards to holding a future meeting in the multi-purpose room of the new residence hall as an outreach tool to in-crease awareness of the SGA. Many senators shared their concerns in a 10 minute debate on whether the sporadically shifting meet-ing sites are confusing students and hurting attendance. The discourse ended without a definitive solution and will resume in the next meeting.

Vice-President Adam Haney introduced an update on his discussions with the ad-ministration about the ineffectiveness of the current system of undergraduate advising. Haney said he was going to “hold a meet-ing to go over the success and drawbacks of the Mentor Program as a solution.” The SGA believes that pushing this program would offer students an alternative advising option and plan on addressing these issues with the faculty. More information on this issue will be addressed in future SGA meetings as additional conferences with faculty are still being planned to cover this topic.

The SGA attended last week’s Commerce City Council meeting to request cooperation in regards to implementing the crosswalk ini-tiative at the Wal-Mart intersection. The city council expressed interest in working with the SGA and TxDOT in addressing the issue

as well as looking into the request for more lighting at the crosswalks off of Hwy. 24/50. To ensure accountability, SGA plans on being present at all future council meetings.

A special presentation was given intro-ducing a new web portal called ManeSync. Student Midhun Kadavil has been actively involved in the new website’s integration and discussed the efficiency and benefits of using ManeSync for student organiza-tions. Kadavil said that the new service is “a lot like Facebook” and is a great resource for students to have greater access and in-volvement with campus activities and or-ganizations. The new site is operational and accessed through the student life link from the university’s homepage. Kadavil explained that through ManeSync orga-nizations are able to communicate, adver-tise, and provide “basic information about what’s going on on campus.”

Ethical issues were also addressed con-cerning the SGA abusing its room rental privileges at the SRSC. Recently, Commerce ISD had requested the student organization’s help in acquiring space for their senior prom by which the senators approved of a plan to reserve a room in the student center. How-ever, worries over liability and fall out were addressed about SGA taking advantage of sponsoring an event they weren’t participat-ing in. After administration advisor Dean Nichols expressed his disapproval, the mo-tion was carried to deny the school district help in reserving a room.

The meeting was peppered with con-versation over the organization’s minimal outreach. Much debate over methods of publicity were discussed and no conclusive decisions were made. Future meetings will discuss the possibility of the SGA spon-soring the annual Mardi Gras celebrations which was cut this year from the budget. Senators opted to discuss it in later sessions and argue SGA’s motivations for wanting to take-over the cancelled event.

SGA raises visibility and attendance debate, no conclusive decisions

Salsa Night was hosted in the RSC on Sept. 20 with entertainment for students and members of the community to enjoy.

Participants tried out their new dance moves with one another (top left) af-ter a few lessons from professional salsa dancer Stan Pearson (left). There was also a chili pepper eating competition held on stage between five individuals (above).

SUSAN DAGENAIS / THE EAST TEXANMembers of SGA debated about the organizations visibility on campus,as well as the lack of student involvement with the organization, but no clear decisions have been made yet.

Staff WriterSydni Walker

Greek life is about to be shaken up as Zach Shirley brings fresh ideas to his new post as Assistant Director of Greek life.

“I believe in Greeks, and I love Greek life,” Shirley said. “I hope to bring Greeks closer together because we all have a common purpose and goal. We all have values, rituals and something greater than ourselves to stand for.”

Shirley is passionate about getting involved and encour-ages Greeks to increase their presence around campus.

“Greeks should be in-volved in every single part of this campus,” Shirley said. “They are chosen as leaders

to lead the student body.”He is already planning

events for the upcoming se-mester, including a convo-cation to honor Greek life achievements.

“Mr. Shirley is a tremen-dous addition to the Greek Community at Texas A&M Un ivers it y- Com merce,” council advisory board member to Kappa Delta So-rority Mary Mahaffey said. “I look forward to celebrat-ing significant gains in the Greek Community as a re-sult of the fine work he will continue to do.”

Being Greek himself, Shir-ley has an understanding of what he is working with. He pledged Phi Beta Sigma fra-ternity incorporated during

his undergraduate work at Paul Quinn College. He was also active in the chapter at A&M-Commerce where he received his M.S. in Higher Education/Administration in 2006. Afterwards, he worked as a graduate assis-tant in Greek life.

“I always wanted to come back to A&M-Commerce because I learned a lot of lessons here, and I wanted to be able to give back in a professional position,” Shir-ley said.

He was also happy about working so close to his twin brother, Gregory Shirley, who is the assistant director for Career Services at A&M-Commerce.

Zach Shirley pledges change to Greek LifeAMANDA LUKE / THE EAST TEXAN

AMANDA LUKE / THE EAST TEXANSUSAN DAGENAIS/ THE EAST TEXAN

www.theeasttexan.com Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011 Page 5Campus Life

Staff WriterSusan Dagenais

The 2011 annual Texas A&M Univer-sity–Commerce Fall Job Fair is happen-ing Oct. 4, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The job fair is available to current students and alumni as well. The event has a mandatory dress code and will be held in Conference Rooms A, B, and C of the Rayburn Student Center.

The Fall Job Fair is one of many host-ed by the Career Development Center of A&M- Commerce. According to Tina Boitnott, director of Career Develop-ment, there are currently 19 businesses are scheduled to attend for the students and alumni to meet with, which is more than those present last year. Most repre-

sentatives start packing up at 1:50 p.m. “I would suggest students and

alumni attend the job fair to en-hance their networking circle,” Greg Shirley, assistant director of Career Development said.

Professional attire is mandated for admittance into the job fair. This event is an opportunity for A&M-Commerce students and alumni to meet and apply for positions at numerous businesses at one time.

“First impressions are everything,” Shirley said. “Dress as a serious job seeker.”

Career Development can help polish resumes for the event ahead of time.

“Bring lots of resumes, to ensure not running out.” Katrecia Sandlin said.

Five of the confirmed businesses in attendance are new to A&M-Com-merce’s job fairs. According to Tina Boitnott, director of career develop-ment, additional businesses other than the confirmed 19 are expected to attend. Among the businesses are the City of Greenville, L-3 Communications, Fas-tenel Company, and Alliant Systems.

“I lay money more businesses will be there.” Boitnott said.

To view a list of attending business-es, log onto www.tau-commerce.edu/liontracks.This site also gives access to all job postings on campus. Shirley recommends all students and alumni register and check out the free services on Lion Tracks.

Fall job fair to present career options for students, alumni in student center

There’s A Little Superhero In Everything We Do!

903-886-2710

w w w. l a t s o n s . c o m

Graphics EditorJessica Martin

Dr. Mutlu Mete, an assis-tant professor in the Depart-ment of Computer Science at Texas A&M University-Commerce, is teaching an undergraduate course next semester on how to program and market applications for iPhones and iPads.

“I am teaching this course not only for educational pur-poses but for marketing pur-poses,” Mete said. “It’s very obvious that the market is increasing rapidly, not only for mobile phones but for tablets as well.”

The Atlantic Wire reports that one-third of mobile phones owned by adults in the United States are smart phones. Among those is Megan Lambert, a freshman special education major, who owns an iPhone 3GS and gladly expresses her feelings about it.

“It has eliminated the need for some information to be put down on paper, which helps the environ-ment,” Lambert says. “ It allows a greater access to material, such as articles, re-ligious texts, and novels. It puts many things like televi-sion schedules, workout re-cords, maps, calculators, and others in a single place, cre-ating ease for users around the globe.”

Technology has become more and more prevalent in everyday life, and the uni-versity is no exception. Even the technology used by stu-dents in the past few years has received an upgrade.

“The eCollege has a small application for mobile phones,” Mete says. “You may check your courses and join discussions through your mobile phone. I can share resources with the stu-dents and they are able to ac-cess those resources through their mobile phones.”

James Yznaga, a senior computer science major cur-rently studying in South Korea, sees the reliance on technology as both a nega-tive and positive change.

“Since almost everyone has either a smart phone or a music player that is very similar to a smart phone, information has begun sat-urating our life,” Yznaga said. “More information is a double-edged sword. We tend to forget things that we believe we can find or derive later. We obviously want to learn more things and actu-ally learning them is great. However, when we become reliant on technology to re-place our memory is when it becomes bad.”

In this course students will have the opportunity to choose what sort of applica-tion they wish to design, and Texas A&M-Commerce has teamed up with the iOS De-veloper University Program in order to make this process easier for students. Through this program, students are given the resources needed to create applications for Apple products, share them among one another, and even have the opportunity to view their applications on an iPhone or iPad in order to see the finished product.

New technology brings new computer course

Graphics EditorJessica Martin

The Commerce branch of the Institute of Industrial En-gineers, a group used to ad-vance the academic careers of engineering students, has been around since 2005, and this year’s president, senior Tyler McFarlin, has high hopes for the organization.

“This is the best turn-out I’ve ever seen,” McFarlin said in regards to the first meet-ing held this past Thursday, which had 29 students in at-tendance. “For the next year our officers are working very diligently to help engi-neering students get a better view on what it means to be a real world engineer.”

McFarlin, Vice President Hunter Joyce, and Secretary/Treasurer Tracy Hammons have begun coming up with ways to improve IIE and its member participation, such as helping students pre-pare for certifications, pro-fessional level exams, and even taking field trips as an organization.

“We are working to pro-vide students with facility

tours to give them a better idea of where they may work and what kind of work they will be doing once they graduate and attain a job,” Joyce said. “I personally am trying to show students just how flexible an engineering degree really is, and I’m also working on getting graduate school information together for those who wish to contin-ue their education in a field of engineering.”

Because of IIE’s niche interests, it is not as well known on campus as some other organizations.

“We don’t have a lot of vis-

ibility on campus because of our scope as an organiza-tion,” McFarlin said. “Un-like many of the more social groups on campus, IIE really only appeals to engineering students who are interested in joining a professional or-ganization. Industrial engi-neers will work with other types of engineers to form the most efficient way to cre-ate a product or service.”

However, Joyce wanted to stress the importance of membership within IIE.

“Though it has particu-larly exceptional benefits for IE majors, anyone is

welcome and we encourage anyone interested in engi-neering, math, physics or science to come and check it out,” Joyce said.

McFarlin said this orga-nization is important for social networking among fellow students.

“This [organization] is especially important at TA-MU-C because a large num-ber of our students don’t live on campus, and many are working while going to school,” McFarlin said.

Prospective member, ju-nior Alex Callaway, was im-mediately drawn to IIE as an opportunity to further job opportunities as well as so-cial networking.

“I became interested in IIE when I first became aware of the group,” Callaway said. “It’s a national group doing great things for the IE profes-sion and the people in it. The fact that they can be such a personal benefit is what got me interested the most. As a member I really hope to see a couple of interesting job opportunities from IIE. Any-thing else is just an added bonus for me.”

JESSICA MARTIN / THE EAST TEXANPresident Tyler McFarlin speaking to students at the first IIE meeting of the semester.

Engineers come together, create opportunities

JESSICA MARTIN / THE EAST TEXANWith today’s technology, it has become easier to access information like class readings and syllabi from devices like cell phones instead of using physical copies.

KRISTIE CARD / THE EAST TEXANKRISTIE CARD / THE EAST TEXAN

SUSAN DAGENAIS/ THE EAST TEXAN

The Bois d’Arc Bash took place in historic downtown Commerce from Sept. 23 to Sept. 25 with various food stands and activities and a parade which included the A&M-Commerce marching band.

Celebrating Bois d’Arc Bash 2011

When “Gears of War” first hit the Xbox 360 back in 2006, it became a hit that revolutionized the shooter genre as gamers knew it. Today, the over the shoulder cover system alone has become a de facto standard of third-person shooters. Fast forward about 5 years and two sequels later, although “Gears of War 3” may not be quite as innovative as its predecessors, it’s un-doubtedly just as fun.

“Gears of War 3” picks up about a year and a half after “Gears 2” left off. The last human city has fallen to the Locust Horde and Marcus Fenix has to lead his squad of soldiers through Lo-cust infested territories in order to find answers regarding the whereabouts of his thought-to-be deceased father. The story behind the “Gears of War” series has always been a little bit more thought out than most shooters on the market, but “Gears 3” has really upped the ante more on the storytelling aspect of the game. The story no longer rele-gates itself to just Marcus, but follows the different character perspectives as well.

This even translates to gameplay as well. For instance, there’s one scene in which a character you play, who was an athlete before the war began, slips into a flashback of him running on the field during a return visit to his home-town. The player must control him run-ning to the end of the field, avoiding lo-cust’s as he aims to dispose of a bomb he is carrying. Little touches like this are what really elevate the meaty sin-gle player campaign a cut above most other shooters.

The gameplay of “Gears” remains generally the same, although slightly fine-tuned to give off more of an ar-

cade like feel. Taking cover and mov-ing from cover is more responsive than it has ever been and the difficulty has been scaled much more appropriately. Casual mode is much easier this time around, and the higher difficulty set-tings are far better designed, as well. The already solid mechanics of the se-ries have been polished to sheen.

Even the multiplayer seems to have gotten a significant upgrade. The player now has the added ability of re-viving oneself when initially gunned down, meaning there’s an added fo-cus on self-reliance in the matches as you are no longer at the mercy of your teammates’ position and ability to help. This is a complaint that I have had with “Gears of War” multi-player for years. Unfortunately, there are the occasional weapons here and there that are sub-ject to being spammed by players (the sawed-off shotgun of particular note), but this is the first time that I have gen-uinely had fun with the multi-player component of “Gears of War.”

If I were to have any complaint about

the game, it would be that as fun as it was, I never truly got a sense of any-thing new. In sheer technical aspects, “Gears of War 3” may be the best game of the series, but I never felt that sense of awe and discovery that the first two games instilled in me. What the game does, it does well, but it’s unfortunately not as fresh as it was the first two times. “Gears 3” gave me a sense of consis-tent solid quality, never dipping to a low point, but never quite becoming as great as you would want it to be. As pretty as its tricks are, we’ve seen them all before.

With that minor issue aside however, “Gears of War 3” has easily satisfied my expectations of a quality experi-ence. Fans of the series should enjoy the conclusion to a story arc running across 3 installments, and shooter fans should have fun with the well polished mechanics of the game and its modes. I just hope that whatever the franchise has planned for the future, it seeks to innovate a bit more while doing it, lest it run the risk of becoming stale.

EntertainmentEntertainment www.theeasttexan.comPage 6 Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011

Entertainment EditorChancellor Mills

Fromage du JourA weekly look at film cheese

STOCK PHOTO: VGFLICKS.COM

Last week in my “Tek-ken” review, I made the claim that the only good video game movies were the one that were laugh-ably bad. While I still hold this statement to be gener-ally true, I can’t help but stress that “Tekken” was not one of those movies. “Tekken” was an aggres-sively dark film with a goofy premise that just re-sulted in a giant bore.

Conversely, “The King of Fighters” took a goofy idea and created one of the dumbest and most in-comprehensible movies that I may have seen in recent history. The shock doesn’t so much come from the fact that it makes little to no sense so much as it does that it’s actually really fun to watch.

“The King of Fighters” stars Maggie Q as Mai Shiranui, a CIA operative in the King of Fighters tournament which takes place in another dimen-sion. With the help of Kyo Kusanagi, played by Sean Faris, she must defeat the megalomaniacal Rugal Bernstein, played by Ray Park, who has hijacked the tournament dimension and plans to merge it with their own reality in order to conquer the world. Be-lieve it or not, it somehow gets dumber from here.

“The King of Fighters” is a film that is almost sub-lime in how little sense it actually makes. How did the contestants gain access to this “alternate dimen-sion”, how does the villain just suddenly use magic to conquer it, and why is the white kid from “Nev-er Back Down” playing a Japanese American? Who knows and who cares, it’s all about the fights and they do not disappoint.

Unlike last week’s ex-cursion into mediocrity, the fight sequences in “The King of Fighters” are amazingly well shot. The blows are fast and im-pactful, the special effects are solid for a low budget

direct-to-video flick, and the pace is fast. There are points where the camera shoots a little bit too close but every action sequence is for the most part, very satisfying.

Thank god the action is so compelling, because al-most everything else about this movie is hilariously terrible. Most of the per-formances are just wooden but special note must be given Sean Faris, Ray Park, and David Leitch, who plays the genre savvy CIA agent Terry Bogard. Faris spends the entire movie, staring down people with a weird squint in his eyes that makes him look as if he’s constantly waiting for the next bathroom break. His character isn’t helped by the fact that continuity on this movie was appar-ently directed by Helen Keller, as every time the character of Kyo is seen in flashback form as a child or as a baby, he is clearly Japanese.

David Leitch serves as the voice of the audience, never failing at every turn of the plot to point out just how ridiculous ev-erything that’s happening actually is. I found him to be my favorite char-acter of the movie as he saved me from doing half the commentary I would have normally made. Ray Park however, chews up the scenery every time he’s on screen. He never ceases to be anything less than delightfully evil and the ridiculous outfits he’s forced to wear only help to solidify how much of a clown he is.

I have to say that “The King of Fighters” was a simply surprising delight. Despite a few odd camera positions and moments of that flop between so bad it’s good and so bad it’s painful, the sheer con-founding nature of the ac-tual plot made me proud of this choice from the get go. It wasn’t until the sol-id action sequences that I decided to give the movie my seal of approval.

Well done.

Solid action sequences save viewers from plot

Staff WriterJordan Wright

Although it may not be a great film, the ac-tion sequences of “King of Fighters” make it at least watchable, Jordan Wright writes.

Verdict: Three Shatners

STOCK PHOTO: IGN.COM

‘Gears’ 3 ups ante for entire franchise

While the two previous games in the “Gears” franchise have focused mainly on Marcus Fenix (cen-ter), “Gears of War 3” allows gamers to explore the back stories of other characters in the game.

Staff WriterJordan Wright

In the second week of Oc-tober, the theatre department at A&M-Commerce will be putting on performances of “Colorado,” which will be the first production of the fall 2011 semester.

Like most of the plays that are selected for performance, the story is what appealed to director Dr. Carrie Klypchak. However, according to Klyp-chak, there was more to her decision than that.

“Last year, when A’Mari [Rocheleau] and Micah [Haynes] went to compete in the Kennedy Center/Ameri-can College Theatre Festival competition, we chose two scenes and a monologue that they presented,” she said. “One of those was from Col-orado and that’s what they ended up advancing to finals with.”

Klypchak decided to use this accomplishment as a form of publicity for the schools theatre department. It’s for this reason that she has made the performances free to any college or university student in the state of Texas with a valid student I.D.

“This is only the second time in TAMU-C history that has ever happened,” she said. “It’s huge. The only other time was 40 years ago. Be-cause of that, we had this idea where we really, really want-ed to publicize that they had accomplished this great feat. We wanted to get the word out to other local colleges. So we used it as publicity for the quality work that’s going on in our department.”

The show, which was writ-ten by playwright Peter Sinn Nachtieb, centers on the Ack-hart family as they try to deal with the disappearance of their eldest daughter, Tracey (played by senior theatre ma-jor A’Mari Rocheleau).

“She’s just been selected as ‘Miss Late Teen Colorado,’” Rocheleau said. “She’s been

in pageants for about 12 years and, so, she’s kind of grown up in the pageant world. Es-sentially, she has a very large sense of entitlement and this feeling that she’s just the most beautiful and talented person out there. She think she needs to be recognized, and will do just about anything to receive that recognition.”

Although she and her char-acter may not have that much in common, Rocheleau said that she is still able to relate to the character of Tracey in some ways.

“In being an actor there is a certain bit of narcissism,” she said. “It’s just about not letting that get out of control. I relate to her drive to be the best, and that she works and trains really hard to do what she does.”

Despite having graduated from A&M-Commerce in August, theatre department alumnus Micah Haynes re-turned to reprise his role.

“I play Travis Ackhart; son of Grace and Ron and the younger brother of Tracey, whose ‘stardom’ completely consumes the family and leaves Travis feeling neglect-ed and forgotten,” Haynes said.

Haynes and Rocheleau comprise only half of the cast, with the only other roles being filled by senior theatre major Storm Adams and the-atre graduate student Denise Buckels as Mr. and Mrs. Ack-hart. Despite this small cast, Klypchak said that the show is coming along just fine.

“It’s wonderful,” she said. “There are only four actors in this show. So it’s a very small cast and they all have a ton of lines. And honestly, I couldn’t be happier with them. I think that we all love this show so much that everybody’s just super excited, that they’re working ten times as much as I even ask them to. So it’s coming along really well. It’s just so funny. Like there are some scenes in this play where, in rehearsal, I have to

tell myself, ‘Carrie, you have to stop laughing so hard so you can work the scene.’”

Haynes shared Klypchak’s enthusiasm about the pro-duction.

“The show is coming along amazingly well,”he said. “Since day 1, the cast has come ready and willing to work. After taking a scene from this show to the KC/ACTF competition back in February with A’Mari, I think I can speak for both of us and say that we are so grateful

that we are getting to do this production; it’s pretty special to us. And it’s always a plea-sure being in a production directed by Dr. Klypchak. There’s never a dull moment and it’s definitely always a learning experience.”

“Colorado” opens on next month with showings on Oct. 11-15 at 8 p.m., and on Oct. 16 at 3 p.m. To reserve tickets, call the University Playhouse Box Office at (903) 886-5900, or e-mail playhouseboxof-fice@tamu-commerce.edu.

Theatre department prepares for upcoming ‘Colorado’

PHOTO COURTESY: MICAH HAYNES

Set to open next month, “Colorado” will star A’Mari Rocheleau and Micah Haynes in the roles that helped them advance to ACTF finals last Spring.

For more news, video and polls, visit us at theeasttexan.com

228Total offense by MSU running back Keidrick

Jackson against A&M-Kingsville last week.

hotshot28-2

Combined record for LSC volleyball leaders Angelo State and West Texas A&M.

numbersgame

I VOLLEYBALL

DANAE BLESSING / THE EAST TEXANFreshman Breanne Snyder returns a volley during a recent LSC volleyball match at The Field House in Commerce.

All good things must come to an end, and the la-dies from West Texas A&M found that out the hard way last week, falling to Tarleton State in a five-game match that snapped the Lady Buffs’ NCAA record 87-match win streak against conference foes, a streak that dated back to 2006.

It was the first loss of the season for West Texas A&M, which put them into tie atop the LSC standings at 7-1, and 13-1 overall. The win was the first ever for TSU over West Texas A&M.

Flynn Harrell had a major

role in the TexAnns’ upset victory, notching a match-high 21 kills while hitting .378 percent in the match.

Nikki McNorton contrib-uted 14 kills and 10 blocks for the TexAnns.

For their efforts, both Harrell and McNorton were named Players of the Week by the LSC.

The TexAnns are currently third in the LSC standings.

Angelo State continued its winning ways, improving to 15-1 overall this season and pulling into a first place tie with the Lady Buffs.

I SOCCER

Huge performances dur-ing conference play are al-ways memorable, but do-ing so on your birthday is a memory that may never be erased.

Brionna Minde, a sopho-more forward for Texas A&M-Commerce, turned in quite the effort last week while celebrating her 20th birthday.

The Richardson native scored her first two goals of the season in a 3-2 win over West Texas A&M, including the game-winner that gave the Lions a victory in their LSC opener.

Minde is the first A&M-Commerce player to win the Player of the Week honor since Meagan Lasley did it in 2009.

Minde has started all six matches for the Lions this

season, helping the squad to a 1-0-1 start in LSC play, which also included a 1-1 tie against Eastern New Mexico last Sunday.

For her career, Minde has played in all 24 matches for A&M-Commerce, with three goals, one assist and 34 total shots.

Minde and the Lions re-ceived a big boost last week from senior goalkeeper Ran-di Hafele, who was also rec-ognized as a top performer by the LSC.

Hafele recorded 10 saves in the win over West Texas A&M and also had eight saves against Eastern New Me xico, including five in overtime, to help preserve a 1-1 tie with the Zias.

lscstandingsTeam LSC OverallEastern NM 2-0-1 4-2-1Abilene Christian 1-0-1 5-0-1A&M-Commerce 1-0-1 3-2-1Midwestern State 1-1-0 3-1-1Angelo State 1-1-0 2-4-0West Texas A&M 1-2-0 4-3-0Incarnate Word 0-1-1 2-1-2Texas Woman’s 0-2-0 0-4-2

This Week’s GamesSept. 25

A&M-C @ Incarnate WordTexas Woman’s @ Angelo StateAbilene Chr. @ West Texas A&MMidwestern St. @ Eastern NM

Sept. 28Angelo State @ Incarnate Word

Sept. 30West Texas A&M @ Angelo StateTexas Woman’s @ Abilene Chr.

A&M-C @ Midwestern St.Eastern NM @ Incarnate Word

*– LSC matches

PointsPlayer TotalLeslie Brigggs, WTAMU 14Krysta Grimm, ACU 13Becky McMullen, WTAMU 10Andrea Carpenter, ACU 9Jade Bell, TAMUC 8

GoalsPlayer TotalLeslie Briggs, WTAMU 6Krysta Grimm, ACU 5Maggie Schaffer, ASU 4Amber Guenther, IWU 4Andrea Carpenter, ACU 4

AssistsPlayer TotalLindsey Pritchard, MSU 4Becky McMullen, WTAMU 4Krysta Grimm, ACU 3Cadie Annett, TAMUC 2Jade Bell, TAMUC 2

SavesPlayer TotalRandi Hafele, TAMUC 37Victoria Puentes, IWU 32Beatrice Soto, TWU 30Taylor Cardinal, ASU 23Arielle Moncure, ACU 21

Individual Leaders

FAITH WENBOURNETexas A&M-Commerce kicker Jacob O’Neil (90) attempts a kick from the hold of Taylor Fore (4) during Thursday’s 39-33 loss to Ouachita Baptist at Memorial Stadium in Commerce.

lscstandingsTeam LSC OverallMidwestern State 2-0 3-0Abilene Christian 2-0 2-1West Texas A&M 2-0 2-1Incarnate Word 1-1 1-3Tarleton State 1-1 1-3Angelo State 0-1 3-1A&M-Commerce 0-1 0-3Eastern New Mex. 0-2 1-3A&M-Kingsvillle 0-2 2-2

This Week’s GamesWestern Oregon @ Abilene Chr.

Eastern NM @ Angelo StateA&M-C @ A&M-K

Midwestern St. @ Incarnate WordWest Texas A&M @ Tarleton St.

I FOOTBALL

Keidrick Jackson scored four tochdowns and gained 228 total yards Saturday, helping Midwestern State remain unbeaten and hold off 16th-ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville, 44-38.

Jackson rushed for 160 yards with three touch-downs on the ground and also hauled in four catches for 68 yards with another touchdown. The Mustangs (3-0 overall, 2-0 LSC) gained 512 total yards (292 rushing, 220 passing) and built a 23-0 lead in the first half before the Javelinas (2-2 overall, 0-2 LSC) got on the scoreboard.

Jackson caught a 45-yard pass from Brandon Kelsey for the first score of the game, and Lester Bush added a pair of touchdown runs in the second quarter.

Jackson scored three times on the ground in the second half, giving the Mustangs breathing room each time after A&M-Kingsville got close.

After the Javelinas cut the deficit to 23-16 early in the third, Jackson exploded for a 77-yard scoring run. Once the Mustang lead was cut to 30-28, he scored again on a 2-yard run and later with an-other run from two yards to make it a 13-point lead with two minutes to play.

Randall Toney rushed for

111 yards and a score to lead the Javelinas.

Other scores from the LSC include:

Tarleton State 34,Eastern New Mexico 28

The Tarleton State Tex-ans rode the strong arm of quarterback Nick Stephens to gain their first win of the season Saturday in a 34-28 conference defeat of Eastern New Mexico.

Stephens passed for 285 yards and three scores, help-ing Tarleton end a three-game slide and pick up its first LSC win of the year.

Wesley Wood passed for 229 yards and rushed for 54 to lead the Greyhounds, but was picked off three times.

The Greyhounds struck first but once Tarleton State took a 14-7 lead, the Texans never trailed again.

Tarleton State (1-3, overall, 1-1 LSC) will host West Texas A&M this weekend, while the Greyhounds hit the road searching for their first LSC win at Angelo State.

West Texas A&M 52,Incarnate Word 7

Dustin Vaughan tossed five touchdown passes and threw for 335 yards as the

PassingPlayer Yds TDNick Stephens, TSU 1190 7Wesley Wood, ENMU 1135 9Blake Hamblin, ASU 1124 8Mitchell Gale, ACU 959 7D. Vaughan, WTAMU 898 8Yogi Gallegos, TAMUC 748 6

RushingPlayer Yds TDTrent Rios, IWU 386 6Woodson, TAMUK 342 2Tristan Carter, ASU 322 3Keidrick Jackson, MSU 304 8Lester Bush, MSU 200 5Brandon Kelsey, MSU 169 2

ReceivingPlayer Yds TDC. Rhodes, TSU 383 1Brittan Golden, WTAMU 352 3Darian Dale, ENM 279 3Rob Armstrong, TAMUK 273 6J. Watson, WTAMU 252 2

TacklesPlayer TotalM. Wadley, TSU 45Perron Sellers, ENM 33Lane Wood, ENMU 32Juan Asencio, IWU 32Alvin Johnson, ASU 32Cory Whitfield, TAMUC 29

Individual Leaders

West Texas A&M Buffaloes built a 24-0 lead in the first half on the way to a 52-7 rout of Incarnate Word on Satur-day.

Vaughan’s scoring passes covered 62, 54, 13, 52, and nine yards, respectively, as the 21st-ranked buffaloes cruised to their second LSC win in as many contests.

The Cardinals (1-3 overall, 1-1 LSC) managed to gain 270 total yards but were lim-ited to 67 yards on 36 rush-ing attempts.

West Texas A&M regis-tered five sacks and forced four turnovers during the game. Three Buffaloes had at

least 75 yards receiving.IWU quarterback Paden

Lynch passed for 173 yards and the Cardinals’ only score.

Abilene Christian 31,Angelo State 17

Blake Hamblin did some-thing against Abilene Chris-tian that nobody had ever done before, but it still wasn’t enough to get the job done Saturday in Abilene.

Hamblin attempted 67 passes – the most against ACU in a single game – with 39 completions and

finished with 446 yards and two scores, but the Wildcats emerged with a 31-17 win at Shotwell Stadium.

ACU running back Daryl Richardson rushed for 84 yards and two scores to pace the 10th-ranked Wildcats, and quarterback Mitchell Gale passed for 234 yards and two more touchdowns.

Abilene Christian im-proved to 2-1 overall and 2-0 in the LSC, while the Rams dropped to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in LSC play.

The Wildcats step out of conference play this week to host Western Oregon.

Jackson powers MSU past A&M-Kingsville

Minde named LSC Player of Week

GRAYSON GRAVES

Brionna Minde, a sophomore forward for Texas A&M-Commerce, was named the Offensive Player of the Week by the LSC.

lscstandingsTeam LSC OverallAngelo State 7-1 15-1West Texas A&M 7-1 13-1Tarleton State 5-1 9-5Cameron 4-3 5-4Abilene Christian 4-3 8-7Incarnate Word 5-4 8-7Texas Woman’s 3-4 3-8A&M-Kingsville 3-6 5-6Midwestern State 2-5 6-6Eastern NM 1-7 3-12A&M-Commerce 1-7 2-8

KillsPlayer TotalJennie Hutt, ACU 231Flynn Harrell, TSU 201Amber Durand, ENMU 172Ashley Davis, WTAMU 158Kelsey Washington, TAMUK 136Caitlin Wallace, MSU 133Adrian Lawson, CAM 130Rachel Robertson, TAMUC 103

AssistsPlayer TotalAlex Woolsey, ASU 605Lacy Hayes, WTAMU 563Jenna Risoli, CAM 359Caley Johnson, ACU 358Jessie Hartman, TSU 355Jordan Neal, TAMUC 333

BlocksPlayer TotalNikki McNorton, TSU 80Erin Dougherty, WTAMU 73Danielle Vidaurri, IWU 64Laura Macek, TAMUK 52Erika Dupree, WTAMU 49Rachel Robertson, TAMUC 35

DigsPlayer TotalKelsie Edwards, ACU 287Lydia Werchan, IWU 275Kiara Jordan, MSU 271Ali Insell, TAMUK 227Shelby Witt, ASU 220Dallas Russell, ENMU 217Julisa Ocasio, CAM 167Dakota Crockett, TAMUC 150

Individual Leaders

WT’s record streak ends

Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011 Page 7

sportssports www.theeasttexan.comThursday, Sept. 22, 2011Page 8

Assistant Sports EditorCliff Gibson

The Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions gave their home fans all the drama they could handle dur-ing Thursday’s 2011 home opener, but unfortunately they could not deliver the one thing that mattered most. The Lions (0-3) failed to recover an onside kick with under a minute to play, which allowed Ouachita Baptist (3-0) to remain unbeaten and escape Memorial Stadium with a 39-33 victory. Sophomore safety Joel Wren notched a career-high 13 tackles in the contest, and felt the Lions had a great chance to pull off an epic comeback. “There was a lot of fighting in the pile for that ball, it went back and forth a few times,” Wren said. “I felt like if we’d gotten the ball back, the offense would’ve definitely punched it in.” Ouachita Baptist took a 17-13 lead into halftime, but opened up the lead to 31-13 in the third quarter, riding the arm and legs of quarterback Casey Cooper, who passed for 142 yards and rushed for 200 more. The Lions closed the gap to 31-26 in the fourth quarter, but Cooper led the Tigers on a 14-play drive lasting more than seven minutes

that left the Lions with a huge deficit to clear with little time remaining. Wren said the Lions’ inability to make a defensive stand was again due to a lack of execution. “Coach put us in the best position to make plays,” Wren said. “We had the right play call every time, we just bust-ed assignments and didn’t execute.” Lions quarterback Yogi Gallegos passed for 345 yards and three touch-downs, but was also picked off twice. Taylor Fore led the receiving corps with 92 yards on 10 grabs, including a touchdown in the first quarter. Cory Whitfield had 11 tackles despite being banged-up during the contest. The Tigers opened the scoring with a 10-play drive, capped off by Daniel McGee’s 3-yard run. Jason Fowler boot-ed the PAT for a 7-0 advantage. Gallegos led the Lions down the field to tie the game up, connecting with Fore on an 8-yard pass. Jacob O’Neil kicked the extra point to tie the game at 7-7. The two teams traded field goals before Cooper found Brett Reece for a 32-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-10 just before halftime. But Gallegos again marched the Lions down the field, and O’Neil knocked home his second field goal of the night to trim the OBU lead

to 17-13 after two quarters. Cooper led the charge in the third quarter, scoring on runs of 45 and 19 yards to open the lead to 31-13. The Tigers gained 175 yards of offense in the quarter while the Lions sputtered when they had the ball. Gallegos found Tyler Rawlings for a 25-yard touch-down early in the fourth to start the rally, which took a serious turn when Marlin Terrell returned a blocked field goal 68 yards to make it 31-26 with 9:37 to play. But Cooper led the Tigers on a clock-killing drive and handed the ball to McGee for another touchdown run. Gallegos tossed the ball downfield in a hurry and dumped a pass to Marcus Graham for a 19-yard score, but after the officials cleared out the pile attempting to recover the ensuing onside kick, OBU came up with posses-sion and ran out the clock to preserve the win. Gallegos pointed out the nega-tive areas of play, but also made a very positive observation. “I think we lost this game, it’s evident we did some things to our-selves that hurt us pretty bad tonight,” Gallegos said. “But I feel really good about how we stepped up when the pressure was on.”

Sports EditorJustin Cheatham

Freshmen soccer players Cadie and Callie Annett are called “mirror twins” because everything about one twin is mirrored onto the other. One is right handed and the other left handed, ones teeth came in on the right first the other on the left and so on, but the true oddity about these soccer playing twins from McKinney is the shared connection they feel to this day, on and off the field. “She was in a game and it was the last five minutes and she went down,” Cadie said. “I had a pain in my arm so I told my dad, he had a sharpie so I marked the spot. When she got to the ER it turned out she broke it in the same spot.” The sisters have been playing on the same teams, with the same numbers (with the exception of a couple of switcheroo’s in high school) since early childhood when they first took a liking to the sport and found they have a special gift. “We usually know where the other is and its weird,” Callie said. Their father and mother said that they even enter and exit the field together, almost like they unknowingly converge

before and after entering the field for a game. But their twin superpowers are not just limited to situational awareness and knowing where the other is injured. “We are superstitious I guess, and our freshmen ear of high school we had to have our own handshake and now we can’t not do it or we’re afraid we will do bad,” Callie said. “We do it every half too.” The twins found out through trial and error that soccer was the only sport for them to pursue. “We tried other sports like gymnastics and cheerleading but they just didn’t like it so we just went back to soccer,” their father Tony Annett said. “After weeding out all the other things they didn’t like that was just what was left.” Though soccer remains to be a major part of both their lives, the transition from high school to college has yet to set in for the young players. “I still feel like I’m trying to figure out how to manage school and soccer,” Cadie said. “We’re getting used to the work, when I should do my homework before practice and after practice. I’m still procrastinating like high school; but we’ll get there.” Though the sisters are only freshmen they are already a staple for the soccer teams defense with Callie playing defender and Cadie playing midfielder.

Box Score

Team Statistics:

Texas A&M University-Commerce

Rushing 39 yards

Passing 345 yards

Penalties 9-85 yards

Time of possession 20:23

Oachita Baptist University

Rushing 340 yards Passing 142 yards

Penalties 3-25 yards

Time of possession 39:37

Individual Statistics:

Texas A&M University-Commerce

Passing CP-AT YDS TD INT Yogi Gallegos 28-47 345 3 2

Rushing ATT YDS AVG TD

Darryll Crummie 4 14 3.5 Marcus Graham 4 10 2.5 Receiving NO YDS AVG TD

Taylor Fore 10 92 9.2 Kevin Bevans 7 76 10.9 Adam Jones 4 68 17

Kicking FG Long XP PTS

Jacob O’Neil 2/2 27 3/4 9

Ouachita Baptist University

Passing

Casey Cooper 15-23 142 1

Rushing

Casey Cooper 24 200 8.3 2 Daniel McGee 21 94 4.5 2 Chris Rycraw 11 93 3.9

Receiving Brett Reece 7 91 13 1 Clinton DeWitt 3 20 6.7

Kicking

Jason Fowler 1/2 21 4/4 7

FAITH WESTBOURNE / THE EAST TEXAN

Sophomore Joel Wren (#12) had a notable night against Ouachita Baptist University with a career high 13 tackles, however, his play did not change the final outcome for the Lions; a 39-33 defeat at home.

Lions get mauled in home opener by Ouachita Tigers

KRISTIE CARD / THE EAST TEXAN

Callie and Cadie Annett have been kicking up dust for the Lions soccer team defensively all season and proving that they are double trouble for teams.

Soccer sisters share supernatural connection on, off field

Weekend Sports SummarySports EditorJustin Cheatham

The weekend of Sept. 23-25 was a mixed weekend in Lion Athletics, with the soccer team winning one of their two games and the volleyball team losing away, it left the Lions share of catching up for the cross country team to balance out the weekend. Friday, Sept. 23, the Lions soccer team won their battle with the Angelo State Rams 3-2 coming from a 1-1 tie against Eastern New Mexico. Freshmen Jade Bell scored two goals and freshmen Cadie Annett scored the other goal sending the Lions to victory. The soccer teams luck ran out against Incarnate word the following Sunday Sept. 25, losing the game 3-0. Volleyball fell in the same way to Texas A&M University- Kingsville 3-0 at the Javelinas home in Kingsville, Tx. Cross country was the saving grace for Lion Athletics over the weekend coming home with 6 top ten finishes. On the mens team Isaac Chelimo placed third, Everett Wilder fifth, Fredrick Kipsang sixth and Raymond Mata tenth. The womens team noted two top ten finishes out of Brooke Farris at sixth and Caroline Cotsakis at eighth.