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Another Last Goodbye

For the last three years since being brought onto 8e East Texan sta9 as Entertainment Editor, Andrew Burnes has ranked, reviewed and listed the music of the day and yes-teryear to great acclaim and criti-cism. He’s going out with a bang with one last edition of Burnes’ Turns and the biggest list of his career thus far: his Top 10 favorite albums of all time.

P&:) 2

Editor’s One Last Run

comes to an end

After three fun years, the longest running editor in the 100-year history of THE EAST TEXAN ends his One Last Run with this publica-tion this week. Read the ;nal words of our own long-haired, shade-wearing Cult of Personality as he rides o9 into the sunset for the ;nal time.

PAGE 2

Take the leap... enjoy Quaternions

Special contributor Ismael Isak presents the deep geometrical mathematics that exists behind the movement of objects in 3D space. Take the journey behind the calculations and enhance your knowledge.

PAGE 5

Alissa SilvaSports editor

8ere were moments when he would sit directly in front of the television on his neighbor Ms. Jules’ co9ee table watching Pastor Cre<o Dollar sermons, that everyone thought he would be a preacher.

But, then there were those moments where he would wait for his step-dad to get out of the truck to pop in a Lil Keke CD and later recite the explicit lyrics to his favorite, “Ballin in the Mix” while rid-ing his tricycle, only to receive a whooping from his grandma.

It was the earlier experiences like these that kept 23-year-old kinesiology major Eumarcus Wash-ington interested in rapping.

“When I was little, I loved music,” Washington said. “My mom listened to a lot of stu9 and my granny and granddad was hip and always listening to music, so I’d start rapping or beat boxing. My family loved music and it wasn’t just hip hop.”

Born and raised in Marshall, TX, Washington gained his musical interest and knowledge grow-ing up as a tenor in church choir while listening to music such as blues including B.B. King, Johnny Taylor, or whatever was on the radio at the time. Eumarcus also had other in<uences such as favorite rappers Big K.R.I.T., Jay Z, and Tupac.

“My ;rst real introduction and in<uence to mu-sic was blues. I would watch my uncle play the bass and sing Howlin’ Wolf,” Washington said.

Washington interest took o9 in seventh grade when he and his stepbrothers started a group called TYG or 8row Young Gangstas. Using the com-puter microphone, they rapped into the screen and recorded three mix tapes for private enjoyment.

“I never was like, ‘I’m gonna rap, I’m gonna do that with my life’, I had a dream every little boy had: I wanted to go into the NFL or NBA,” Wash-ington said.

Even with the constant reminder of his family, Washington did not fully realize his skills until his freshman year when him and other talented indi-viduals put together a cypher, a free-style rap ses-sion, on the 6th <oor of Whitley.

“It was my ;rst time do-ing something like that, ;rst time rapping out loud in front of people se-riously,” Washington said. “Everyone responded to the cypher good, and said stu9 like, ‘dang Marcus, you’re di9erent’, or ‘we can hear the countryness, but its sounds good’.”

With his newly dis-covered talent and stage name Gump$hun, he was given the opportunity to perform a song during spring break of 2012 at Austin’s annual music fes-tival South By Southwest. Washington had formed a new group called Edu-cated Ma;a along with his friends Ernest and Kane Wonder.

“8at experience was really nice. I saw some people I thought I’d never see,” Washington said. “Man, I hadn’t been doing this but a couple months and I was there already!”

With a more o=cial performance under his

belt, Washington competed in the fall 2013 home-coming talent show. Using just a beat and the lyr-ics in his head, Washington free-styled his perfor-mance and won second place.

“I named the song “Timeless”, I wanted to make something that will live past me, that would be timeless, the best anyone can be,” Washington said. “If I was gonna mess up, you’d hear it.

CONT. ON PAGE 5

Travis HairgroveManaging editor

With an especially heated, headline-hogging presidential election year still far from over, it’s easy to lose sight of the smaller elections also tak-ing place, but the City of Commerce has its own mayoral election coming up May 7, between two lifelong Commerce residents - Wyman Williams, Development O=cer for the College of Business and John Sands, a former mayor of Commerce.

In the State of Texas, local governments perform more functions than any other level of government. Police and ;re protection, sanitation services, street construction, and enforcement of land use restric-tions are only ;ve of the 36 governmental functions entrusted to local governments. In addition to those

basic functions, Commerce (as we all know) is also a college town. In fact, Texas A&M University-Commerce is the biggest employer in Commerce, so the condition of the institution and the town in which it resides are inextricably linked.

8at link, however, received a good stretching last November, when former mayor and current A&M-Commerce professor, Dr. John Ballotti abruptly resigned from his elected o=ce, making him the fourth city o=cial to do so within three months, sparking all manner of rumors and suppositions. And, if that wasn’t enough, a list of the “10 Most Miserable Cities in Texas” (by RoadSnacks.net) which rated Commerce as no. 3 made it rounds on Facebook, leading to several conversations among young people about what they didn’t like about their town. Furthermore, both of these unexpected

occurrences came on the heels of a “blessing and a curse” scenario in which the university enjoyed re-cord enrollment, exhausting existing local housing options for A&M-Commerce students, and this was, in part, an unintended consequence caused by ;rmer building code enforcement.

With things as they are, the students of A&M-Commerce have as much a vested interest in their town as other residents, and both candidates are well aware of it.

“What I hope to do as mayor is create conver-sations that don’t happen normally, and get ideas from people who have never really been challenged to say ‘What can we do better?’” Williams said. “We’re not a unique community. 8ere are many universities in this country, and many are in

CONT. ON PAGE 3

FeedbackMayoral candidates highlight their bids for the future of Commerce

EAST TEXAN PHOTO/TRAVIS HAIRGROVE

After Dr. Balloti’s abrupt exit last semester, two Commerce natives, Wyman Williams(left) and John Sands(right), have launched their campaigns for the position of mayor of Commerce. Both aim to revamp the town’s image as A&M-Commerce brings in more students each year.

Ambitionz as a educator

PHOTO COURTESY/ EUMARCUS WASHINGTON

A&M Commerce student juggles education by day and Hip-hop by night

Washington performing with fellow rapper Chico.

T!" E#$% T"&#' S%#((The East Texan, official student newspaper

of Texas A&M University-Commerce, is pub-

lished 11 times per semester during the Fall

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Letters to

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APRIL 21, 2016PAGE 2 O!"#"$#

Editor Andrew BurnesManaging Editor Travis HairgroveNews/Social Media Editor Joseph AldermanSports Writer Carter LacyOpinion Editor Hunter KimbleStudent Life Editor Alissa SilvaLead Reporter ToddPhotographer Kristen TaylorPhotographer Aaron HwangCopy Editor Kyria AhoDistribution Manager Sean BatesDistribution Assistant Michelle WhiteheadFaculty Adviser Fred StewartPhone 903-886-5985E-mail theeasttexan@gmail.comEast Texan Website tamuceasttexan.comEast Texan Print Issue Online issuu.com/tamuc.easttexan

Andrew BurnesEditor

“One sign that an era is over is that it begins to be romanticized.” According to Facebook, this quote, which is straight out of one of my Sociology textbooks, is one of my favorites of all time right between Alissa Silva’s “Damn you’re a good writer” and some random guy in the music building saying “I’m o! to the asphalt-melting Hell that is marching band.” All are worthy statements, but it’s the "rst that "nds itself in the foremost of my psyche as I pen this, my "nal thoughts on my time at THE EAST TEXAN, a publication that has in no small part changed the entire course of my life.

I’ll never forget my "rst time sitting in THE EAST TEXAN’s newsroom. I was nothing short of a complete skrub; a long-haired, clean-eared know-nothing without so much as a paragraph of experience writing for any sort of publication short of a long-since-abandoned journal from my ex-girlfriend. I was still dealing with the remains of the clinical depression that said breakup sent me spiraling into less than a year earlier and was being thrust into a world full of way more questions than answers. But I knew I wouldn’t be embarking on this journey alone; my stalwart friend and con"dant (whether she was comfortable with that or not), Keyania Campbell, was the editor of THE EAST TEXAN at the time. Brought together by a shared misery in Hannah’s Jour 115 class (you kiddos have no idea how great you have it these days), Keyania knew I at least had a head on my shoulders, which was apparently enough of a reason to hire me as the new Entertainment Editor, something that was likely a major loogie in the face of the guy that I was replacing who had in"nitely more experience than I did. Hopefully, three years later, both Keyania and our own faculty adviser Fred Stewart are now comfortable with

the decision that they made.Exponential mathematics cannot

comprehend the number of things I’ve learned over the course of my time here since then. #ere simply is no way to overstate it. I went from a teenager thrust into a position of leadership after the quick departure from Keyania to a bona"de journalist and music critic whose work has been championed (and panned, as you can clearly see to the left). I’ve been praised for my work by Commerce leaders like the esteemed mayoral candidate Wyman Williams in o$ce meetings and yelled at by a UPD o$cer for half an hour (for writing an editorial that, he may note, won

me "rst place at TIPA this year). I’ve gone from near-international incidents to countless Kanye references, from crushing embarrassment to a sense of pride. I wouldn’t trade any of it.

Potentially overshadowing the countless things I’ve learned that will stay with me for the remainder of my life though, are the people I’ve met along the way. Keyania and her RTV friend Ethan brought joy into my life when I could "nd very little to be joyful about. Patricia Dillon (now Dodson) frustrated me in a way that few have, but we were a team and would’ve stuck up for each other through thick and thin (mostly the latter). Doohyun (Aaron) Hwang has become one of my most consistent friends, and even more consistent verbal sparring partner. A&M-Commerce royalty (and general cool guys) President Jones and his right-hand man Noah Nelson have gone

from being my local idols to my peers. Kyria Aho may be the most delightful person I’ve ever come into contact with, and our paper deliveries alongside the legendary Sean Bates are among my favorite A&M-Commerce memories. Ismael Isak with his endlessly lovable math columns is one of the most interesting, and entertaining, people I’ve ever met. Hunter Kimble is one of the most consistently hilarious. And words cannot express the massive range of emotions I feel for my one true foil, the frustratingly beautiful and dangerous Alissa Silva. All have left an indelible imprint on my life at some point over the last three years. None will be forgotten.

#rough it all, though, the one constant I’ve had cheering me on from the sidelines (if cheering means cracking lame jokes and laughing about the number of misfortunes experienced along the way) is Fred Stewart. For some reason, Fred saw something in me that even I didn’t, something that couldn’t have been apparent as THE EAST TEXAN crashed and burned in the black Spring of 2014. But rather than jump in and "x it, he left me to "gure it out on my own. And after that "rst wake-up call that was my original trip to TIPA, that’s exactly what I did. And I’m stronger for it.

Sometimes it’s di$cult for me to discern whether I’ve left as big an impact on the people around the small bubble of the campus that has served as my domain as they have on me. Perhaps it’s something I’ll never know. But behind the shades and hair, beyond the Cult of Personality that has become my persona during my time here, is a young man eager for the next chapter, but also one who has always been a sucker for dramatic sendo!s. And like war, Bernie Sanders, and Dr. Bridges’ endlessly quotable statement that “there are a lot of fools in the world this morning,” there are some things that will never change.

Never can say goodbye

“One sign that an era is over is that

it begins to be romanticized.”

Hometown GloryLetter to the Editor

Dear Editor,Mr. Burne’s’ piece on ‘Recovering from “misery”’ warrants a

response, especially in light of the fact that my business was pictured in the accompanying photo to the article. Mr. Burnes, (May I call you Andrew?) you make some very disparaging remarks about our community, making use of such words as ‘plague’, ‘blights’, ‘cancerous tumors’. To respond in the vernacular of your generation . . . REALLY? You make numerous claims as to the mindset of our community yet you fail to quote any source, except of course, some obscure web site that you do not accurately reveal. (It is RoadSnacks.net, not .com). Doing a quick search about this site, it was revealed that the online piece was written by a for-pro"t group out of Durham, North Carolina. Apparently, the site creates disparaging stories to share on social media, and as more people click on them, the increased tra$c on their website can generate more money from their advertisers. #ey are not a news outlet. #ey don’t have to worry about the accuracy of their data or even appropriately citing their sources. You are certainly entitled to you opinion, after all it is the opinion page, but why so gloomy Andrew? I mean, gosh couldn’t you had taken the more defensive position of perhaps defending your community by disqualifying the articles sources such as Bureau of Labor Statistics and the government census data as somewhat sterile information to base such a claim. What about the obvious discrediting information from this site listing San Marcos as # 12. Does that not bring into question somehow they might not be considering the facts of college town demographics and how that may skew their results? So, come on Andrew how about instead of all the pessimism about your community, you write to defend it? Who better to dispel a biased report from some unknown/outside source that has never set foot in this community? You would be able to o!er positive insight to demographic data that does not take into account the heart of a community. For instance Commerce has a high percentage of low income families, this is not by accident. #e fact is, our community has participated in Section 8 housing and other programs in order to o!er places for these families. #erefore the community receives a disproportional population of low income people because our community is open to this where other communities in our area are not. Furthermore our City has had a progressive program to provide new housing for "rst time home buyers through received grants which is evident in the neighborhood just east of Fix and Feed Hardware under the water tower, check it out. ‘Explore some of the deeper corridors’, I believe is how you put it. Another comment you made where you accuse the citizens of your community as viewing the students that inhabit the university as blights in the face of their (our) otherwise quiet lives. Again . . . . REALLY? I mean wow, Andrew I guess you’re telling us how you really feel, but blights? Come on. Must I really defend this statement? I am a local born and raised and proud Commercian and I have never heard any reference to the students of this community as blights. On the contrary, the circles I run in extol pride in our university and also ‘merce. So it makes me ponder a little about the circles you run in and if the problem might be a little in the mindset of your circle of in%uence as opposed to our community. So, lastly let me address the disparaging remarks regarding downtown. We are fortunate to have a classic downtown with brick streets and some of the architecture many communities would love to have. In order to provide something that attracts students, visitors and tourists, signi"cant investments must be made. #e incentive for this type of investment has not yet materialized, but we as optimists believe that it will, and soon. It would be great if we had the support of those of you that utilize a public forum such as this paper to promote such unique opportunities rather than make such comments as “our barren square”. I hope going forward that you may look past some personal biases and start exploring the more positive aspect of your community. I’ll admit that will take some investigation on your part, but is that not still taught in your journalism classes?

Sincerely, Dick Latson

I will admit to being old fashion by stating this is not responsible journalism in my humble opinion

Had you done a little investigation into the root of your editorial, namely the web site you seem to feel has a better handle on your community than you do then you could had easily determined the ‘scienti"c data’ they claim to have used to make their determination had absolutely nothing to do with the reality of the community. #ey list the government census data, Bureau of Labor Statistics

Additionally, instead of complaining about nothing to do around Commerce, how about doing a little checking and o!ering suggestions on what students may want to check out. Nature adventures are a 30 minute drive at two State Parks , fossil hunting in the North Sulphur River, Caddo National Grasslands. More urban amenities can be found with a little bit longer of a drive toward the MetroPlex, a lot of us prefer the distance to travel to these places as opposed to the tra$c congestion one would have if closer.

How about comments about the surge of pride and cooperation between the community and university that have been documented these past few years.

P!"# $A%&'( )*, )+*, N!"#

Greg Fields, M.S.Special Contributor

Here we are again! As the semester quickly draws to a close, I want to offer some thoughts on what we all know is coming, ANXIETY. You may think this is common sense stuff. After all, you have been here before, right? Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning for couple of reasons. One, you may not have been here before. This might be your f irst tangle with tests and paper dead-lines. Not always fun! Two, you may have forgot-ten how easy it is to forget coping skills once the stress meter goes into the red. Notice I did not express an uncertainty about whether anxiety will come. It will! Whatever the case, you need to deal with anxiety in effective ways.

First, remember that anxiety is not all bad. Healthy anxiety prepares you to face challenges. A few butterf lies and a bump in heart rate puts you in a state of vigilance. It evokes a sense of urgency so that you can focus attention on the task at hand. Use this to your advantage by pic-turing anxiety as a friend that pushes you to give it everything you have.

Second, remember to just breathe. This one is for those of you who think that the f irst sug-gestion is not realistic. In fact, for you, anxiety may have never been a “friend”; more like a 300 lbs. wrestler who likes to throw you around the ring! Maybe not that bad, but still bad. If that is you, just breathe; no Yoga mats required. Simply sit in a chair, hands in your lap, and feet on the f loor. Take a few deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Now, just begin to breathe normally. Focus your atten-tion on the breath without controlling it. Just let yourself be aware of the in and out rhythm for a few minutes. What does this do? The key here is focused attention. Focusing your attention in this way activates the “Upstairs Brain” (Cortex). You need this because it inhibits the activity of the “Downstairs Brain” (Limbic region), which is where fear comes from.

Third, remember to describe it. If the breath-ing awareness exercise is not comfortable, you just describe it. The same brain principle applies here. Instead of avoiding the anxiety, focus at-tention on it. Let yourself become aware of where you feel the anxiety in your body. Try to notice all the sensations that come with it. Now, begin to describe the quality of the feeling. Give it a color, size, texture, and weight. Notice whether it remains still or moves around. If you can think of other qualities, name those too. Again, using words (Upstairs Brain) to describe the anxiety (Downstairs Brain) integrates brain function so that you can regulate overwhelming emotional arousal.

There you have it. Three easy ways to work through and with anxiety. Use it up. Breathe it out. Talk it down.

Counseling Corner

Here We Are Again!

Mayorial bids intensify

INFOGRAPHIC/JOSEPH ALDERMAN

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CONT. FROM PAGE 1

communities similar in size to us. All of them have similar challenges. Which ones of them are doing better than us? How many of our faculty and sta- have at-tended them? Have we ever asked them? What can we do as a community to im-prove services and enhance the environ-ment for students?”

Like Williams, Sands also emphasized the importance of and the opportunities presented by more open communication and collaboration between the university and the city.

“We don’t have a lot of money, so we’ve got to depend on the expertise of not only what we’ve got here in this city, but the university too,” Sands said. “.e univer-sity has some tremendous outlets that we need to plug into. We’ve got a hand full of people that do all the work. We need more involvement. We need those thinkers out there. Let’s get outside the box, and lets look at what we’re doing and see if they’re working or not. Let’s /nd some things that may be a little bit di-erent.”

One of the things that a lot of students are eager to talk about is their desire for more frequent and a greater variety of en-tertainment and recreational venues and stores that carry merchandise they’re in-terested in.

“For students, if they just go and study, it gets boring,” Sands said. “.e university has done a great job of having a lot of in-termural stu-, but there are always people who don’t go for that. In 1971, you could go to /ve or six bars right here in downtown Commerce, and you could meet di-erent people, and they had music and dancing…those kinds of venues, but it sort of fell o-, and nobody’s ever encouraged growth to get the students something to entertain themselves. Now, I’m not saying that’s the only type of entertainment. .ere are a lot of things going on, but maybe it’s not what the students really want.”

Williams, on the other hand, believes in looking to other cities for inspiration.

“I like to call that ‘becoming a destina-

tion by design,’ and that’s something we have observed in the last six years, 20 min-utes to the east of us in Sulphur Springs,” Williams said. “.ey have become a des-tination by design, and we can learn from them. I have talked to some city o0cials there who are extremely willing to share with us the processes they used to bring that about. And if anyone reading this has not been there, they should go, because their downtown area is a wonderful place to visit, to shop and to eat.”

And a most pressing issue for A&M-Commerce students in the face of major increases in the size of the student body, is the availability of a-ordable housing.

“I got the privilege of being the chair for our buildings and standards commis-sion, which the council created a year ago, and I’m proud to say that during that year, we had over 77 structures removed from over 55 properties…and most of those were voluntary removals,” Williams said. “We had something in place that brought a decision to the property owners, ‘either invest in it or remove it,’ and I hope to see that process enhanced because the result of getting dilapidated and unsafe structures removed throughout a neighborhood is an invitation to investment of new and bet-ter properties, that not only serve students better, but also increase the tax revenue to the city in property taxes, and revenue to the city is what provides city services. So, anything we can do to increase that is go-ing to serve students better.”

While Sands approves of strong en-forcement of code enforcement, he be-lieves that that enforcement should have some amount of leeway to it.

“We can have super strict enforcement or we can use a little of common sense and ask ourselves, ‘How can we /x this and how can it work, without really violating the law?’ Can we give them a little vari-ance? Can we give them a little leeway here and there? Making one law to /t ev-erything is very di0cult, so governments have to be 1exible to /t the needs as they come along. I believe in code enforcement. I don’t want substandard housing. I don’t

want a student living in a place that’s got 1oorboards coming up and holes in the walls and uncovered electrical plates. We want it to be safe, because that’s our re-sponsibility. If they’re in this city, they’re our responsibility. We’ve got to make sure they’re protected, and it’s important that we have code enforcement, but we’ve also got to look at it on the case-by-case basis to help encourage growth.“

.e string of city council member res-ignations that occurred toward the end of last year were also a cause of much alarm, and both candidates are quick to address the issue.

“I was on the outside looking in, so I can’t really say,” Sands said. “I know there were some hard feelings, but as far as what’s true and what’s not, I can’t say. I was on the outside looking in, like everybody else. I’d hear rumors, but rumors are just the hardest thing in the world to trace down. Can you ever /nd the source of a rumor? What I hear on the street, I take with a grain of salt. What was the true picture? I’m not sure. I would hate for it to hap-pen again. I think that my knowledge of this city could help along those lines. We had a good run from ’92 to 2002, when I was /rst on the council. We had continu-ity. Everybody was on the same page. You look now, and it seems like there’s a little bit of branching o-, and that makes it very di0cult to run a $5 million business when that happens. It’d be like General Motors’ transmission division not working well with the other divisions. You wouldn’t get very good continuity. It hurts. Every-body’s gotta be on the same page in a city this size. It’s a terrible thing, because it only takes one incident to ruin your repu-tation after you’ve spent 15 years trying to build it up, so we’ve got some ‘mending of fences to do,’ but I think it can be done. I think this town wants it.”

As a lifelong Commerce resident, the recent shakeups in local government also spurred Williams into running for mayor of the town in which he grew up.

“I owe this town a lot,” Williams said. “I grew up here, my wife grew up here,

and we have two children who grew up here, so we appreciate it. And, I have never been willing to be a part of city government until now. I feel that the turmoil we’ve watched in the last several months is not serving our city. I do think that conversations about how our city is funded…as in ‘What are the challenges of a city when over half of its property is tax exempt?’ .at is a challenge. .at reduces the amount of money that we have available to o-er city services. So, the culture of the council has to become more transparent and more inquisitive as to what we can do to improve the revenues to our city without raising our taxes, because we don’t want to be uncompetitive with our re-gion with our total taxes.”

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C!"#$% APRIL 21, 2016PAGE 4

Todd KleiboerLead Reporter

Speakers and technology will be part of the technology expo taking place on !ursday 21st at the Rayburn Student Center from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

!e speakers are Todd Wayne from Rogers-O’Brien Construction and Assistant Professor John Tanik from the university.

Todd Wynne is the Construction Technology Manager of the company, and according to the Rogers-O’Brien Construction website, he “is on a mission to get accurate data for workers”. John Tanik is an assistant professor from the Computer Science Department who has taught at Purdue University and graduated from University of Alabama in Birmingham with a Ph.D in computer science.

Some students, on the other hand, may "nd the technology on display more interesting. Google Glasses are shown as part of the expo, and these ‘glasses’ allow the user to use multiple apps on the device and even take photos from the wearer’s perspective.

Virtual reality headsets such as the Oculus Rift or Samsung Gear VR are also shown. !ese headsets often connect to PCs and allow the player to experience a game from all sides. Some virtual reality headsets even hook up to smartphones for a less expensive experience.

Structure Sensors, devices that allows a person to “capture dense geometry in real-time” according to their website, are also on display at the expo. While connected to a tablet such as the iPad, sensors enabled users to use a feature that “blends the real world and virtual spaces seamlessly” by using physics to create collision between virtual and tangible objects.

Students also may be able to test #y drones at the expo. While the drones most likely will not be large, it is still notable that some can record video and take photos in air.

When asked what they would like to see at the expo, some students leaned more toward the practical side.

“If I were to go to the technology expo, I would like to see some of the new and innovating technologies in the workforce like new computers as well as technology related to my "eld,” John Naizer, a senior studying environmental science and chemistry. “Also, in there, I’d like see things for more entertainment purposes.”

Other wanted more of what interested them.“I’d like to see printers like the 3D printers. I

want to know what they’re making with them,” Enrique Alvarez, senior, said. “!e one in the library is pretty cool, and they even printed out a human heart.”

“I would like to see more video game things like virtual reality and things like that,” Rene Landers, freshman and casual gamer, said.

Kerry WilsonSenior Reporter

It is not often that I experience something so disgusting that it deters me from eating in an establishment. I used to think of myself as a high tolerance type of person who could eat, talk and see anything and never lose my appetite. !at is, until one Sunday afternoon in the cafeteria when I found something, well, less than appetizing - a "ngernail.

I just happened to be hungry that afternoon and was looking forward to something hot and full of carbs. Normally on weekends I usually stick to eating a bowl of cereal all day for my meals, but this particular weekend I was feeling fancy. Luckily for me, the main line was serving baked tomato basil chicken with pasta. Now do not get me wrong, despite the horri"c ending to a would-have-been-awesome meal, the food looked as if it was going to cause a series of explosions of goodness inside my mouth. !e chicken looked luscious; it was breaded with a thin coat of mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. Perfect! In addition, the pasta was fresh with vegetables and a creamy sort of alfredo sauce.

I expected greatness, and my stomach was grumbling, so I dug in. Not only did the chicken melt in my mouth, but the pasta had a warm creamy texture. Honestly, it was one of the best meals I have had in the cafeteria. !e presentation was on point, and the taste matched up to the look. As I was chewing away, I felt something hard like a bone in my mouth.

!inking it was something as minute as a chicken bone, I spit it out, expecting to see a bone and move on with my life. When I looked at what I spit out, however, I knew something was not right. !is “bone” looked like something I regularly cut o$ my "nger every two weeks. As I continued my inspection and received opinions from my friends sitting with me, it was determined that the “bone” was, in fact, a "ngernail.

!e thoughts that ran through my head are not appropriate enough to be featured in a publication, such as !e East Texan. But what I will tell you all is that in addition to the word thoughts that popped into my head, my digestive system also had some thoughts of its own. I wanted to throw up, but I couldn’t. I suppose all my years of staying strong through disgusting conversations caused a sort of reaction what will not allow me to regurgitate any sort of food at the sight of disgusting things while I eat - in this case, a "ngernail.

Ever since this "ngernail incident, I have tried to take a chance with something other than cereal in the cafeteria. Everytime I try, however, I fail miserably. I mean, I can get over hair. But a "ngernail? In my food? !at is just something my mind refuses to move on with.

Considering that I only have a year left at Texas A&M University-Commerce, I am not going to totally stop eating in the cafeteria. After all, the morning omelettes are a ritual at this point in my college career. I would just like to request that no more "ngernails, or nails of any kind, be in my food anymore. !at is all.

Hunter KimbleOpinion Editor

Texas A&M University-Commerce journalism alumni visited campus to to celebrate the 100th year of the student paper, !e East Texan.

On April 16, current sta$ of !e East Texan hosted a luncheon in honor of the newspaper’s 100th year in publication. Former sta$ writers and editors such as journalism graduate Mandy Smith and former sports editor Josh Ragsdale were invited to celebrate the occasion.

!e alumni spent the day discussing their college experience with the current sta$ members. !ey also reminisced over their work with the newspaper with sta$ adviser Fred Stewart and journalism professor Dr. Lamar Bridges. Each alumnus has a found memory of !e East Texan that they were willing to share.

“!e late nights, those were fun,” Ragsdale said. “!e one that sticks out the most was in [the year] 2000. We were up trying to get the paper together. We were waiting to see who the president was going to be and we waited and waited and "nally we went to bed.”

“While I was editor, they were exploring the name change,” former editor Amy Alexander said. “Since I am a student representative, I was suppose to go around interview and survey everyone and asked them ‘what do you want.’ Overwhelmingly, everyone wanted East Texas A&M and I mean it was overwhelmingly.”

!e luncheon was a great opportunity to revisit !e East Texan and see how everything changes.

Former 1997 and 1998 editor Cory Johnson said, “!e camaraderie between the sta$. Every time I think about it, you can’t recapture what I did then. You can’t go back to the lifestyle of it like getting to know your sta$ members and spending that time together putting together a product your proud of.”

“It’s good to get back here and see some people I haven’t seen in a while,” Ryan Scott, former sports editor and fall of 2015 graduate said. “I’ve been out for close to a year now and I haven’t been in !e East Texan since last May, so it’s kind of cool to see how things have changed.”

Most of the alumni have successful careers in the journalism "eld. Smith is a

journalism instructor and student newspaper adviser at Northeast Texas Community College in Mount Pleasant. Johnson is an account executive at a small advertisement agency. Scott is currently a reporter for !e Commerce Journal. Alexander is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Tech Titans. Ragsdale is head coach at South Garland High School, but he still uses his journalism skills when he creates newsletters and other promotional works for the school.

“Had I not prepared for that here, I don’t think I could do my job now as good as I can,” Ragsdale said.

A lot of the graduates owe their success to the knowledge they gained from working at !e East Texan.

“It was a great experience to go to school here and have the opportunity to work as a journalist while you were a student because it gave you an opportunity to hone your talents,” Smith said. “To have someone like Fred to be your editor, who have not only been teaching journalism but was a journalist in the past, so you knew you were learning from the best. So that really helped me a lot.”

East Texan alumni, Lance Martin, Amy Alexander, Josh Ragsdale, Cory Johnson, Mandy Smith and Ryan Scott shared a very special 100th birthday celebration with the current sta! and stopped by the newsroom to reminisce.

EAST TEXAN PHOTO/KRISTEN TAYLOR

PHOTO COURTESY/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Tech experts to put the not so distant future on display

Happy 100th, East Texan!

Appetite...ruined

When good food goes bad

APRIL 21, 2016PAGE 5 F!"#$%!&

Ismael Isak Special Contributor

How would you rotate an object in three dimensions? We would use something that is beyond real numbers and beyond complex numbers as well, quaternions.

To move in one dimension left or right by 5 units, starting at 0, you would move 5 to the right. To move -7 you would move 7 to the left.

Now we would like to move in two dimensions so we are going to introduce i . If you have seen this before don’t worry about it for now and think of it as a way to move up and down a certain amount.

Now we would like to move 4 up and 3 to the right, we would write that as 3+4i

Now let us move 1 to the right and 2 up, to do that we need to add 1+2i to 3+4i which is 4+6i. Geometrically we would move up 2 and right 1, we just moved around in 2 dimensions.

We would now like to rotate by a certain angle and to do that we need multiplication. So rotating by 90° we would multiply our position by i. Here is where we need to introduce some rules to i; the one we need right now is i*i=-1. So our new position that has

been rotated 90° is (4+6i)*i=4i+6i*i=4i-6=-6+4i. If we multiply that by another i we get a line that is the opposite of our original.

We can do this with any angle we want, so to do it by 45° we multiply our line by (1/(!(2))+1/(!(2)) i).

So to recap, adding moves us around and multiplying rotates

our line.What we dealt with earlier are known as complex numbers; I

think of them as moving up or down or left to right in 2 dimen-sions.

To rotate in 3 dimensions it would be natural to assume we needed 3 numbers like we needed 2 numbers for 2 dimensions, but strangely we need 4. We would need a real number, i, j, and k.

"is was discovered in the 19th by William Hamilton in Ire-land.

So the next rule to introduce is i^2=j^2=k^2=i*j*k=-1. Now we are ready to rotate in 3 dimensions.

So what we are going to need is a line that goes through what-ever we are rotating, so we can rotate around it.

Now we start rotating and use quaternions.

H=a+bi+cj+dkH*=a-bi-cj-dk

To rotate by theta we make a,b, and c equal to the following.a=cos theta/2b=v1sin theta/2c=v2sin theta/2d=v3sin theta/2

We rewrite P in terms of i, j, and k P=xi+yi+zk

So our rotation is HPH*, and we are multiplying them all to-gether after we get our points and angle.

"is might be helpful in computer graphics, classical mechan-ics, and orienting your smartphone. So it turns out that quater-nions contain complex numbers which themselves contain real numbers.

"at to me that is the boring part that is necessary to get to the interesting part: octonions, which are a level above quaternions. Octonions are 8 dimensional numbers, or Cayley numbers. "ere is a catch though, for every level we go higher we lose an important characteristic.

So from complex numbers to quaternions we lose ab=ba, which means in quaternions order matters. "at makes sense in 3 dimen-sions because rotating one way isn’t equal to rotating another way, like with the Rubik’s Cube. So when we go from quaternions to octonions we lose (ab)c=a(bc). Octonions are still used in string theory, special relativity, and quantum logic, but don’t worry it doesn’t stop there. Sedenions contains 16 dimensional numbers that lose even more characteristics.

All photos created by Ismael Isak.

Q$"#!%'()'&

"e fact that I went through it all without messing up, without stage fright, I was proud of myself! If I didn’t care if I won, people liked me and it was live.”

Eumarcus auditioned for the 2014 homecoming talent show, this time performing another original song called “Can I Kick It”, fea-turing fellow performers Lil Mike, DJ Sammy B, and Burr Banks. Even though Eumarcus came up with the concept of the song, mas-tered it, and wrote the hook for Burr to sing, everyone else rapped their own original verses.

“’Can I Kick it’ came from me trying to balance the Ying and the Yang. You can’t be so serious all the time; music is still fun and should be enjoying. "is song was my way of #guring that out,” Washington said.

With “Can I Kick It” describing his mindset, Eumarcus placed #rst and won $250 as well as a chance to open for Big K.R.I.T. at the 2015 spring Lion Yard Concert.

“Big K.R.I.T. is my favorite rapper, so getting to open for him this early in my career, he doesn’t know who I am, I’m just starting out, and I get to open for my favorite rapper? "at’s a dream come true,” Washington said.

With dreams starting to become a reality, Eumarcus was able to showcase himself and perform at the second annual DUMFEST, Dallas Underground Music Festival in January.

“I’ll never shy away from a chance to perform,” Washington said. “I like being on stage; they see me right there in the $esh. I’ve just been doing live performances lately.”

Eumarcus was able to showcase himself a second time at South By Southwest, performing two di%erent shows for Coast- to- Coast and the South By Southwest edition of DUMFEST. Eumarcus was also able to perform on campus for the dance team, Under Con-struction.

“All the performances are a blessing, it’s really something posi-tive for me,” Washington said. “ I’m not getting a bunch of money for this; all the performances are free. God blessed me with these opportunities to go and show out my gift to people.”

In order to give back, Eumarcus served food and performed at a high school friend’s local community BBQ basketball event.

“I feel like I’m more genuine than a lot of people. Everyone’s trying to rap. I feel like I’m di%erent since I respect the art form because I respect it enough to represent it in the right way, and I mean I’m a re$ection of my family,” Washington said. “I take a lot of things into account, and I feel like I don’t get that sense in certain individuals. I want to attract genuine positive people.”

Wanting anyone ranging from a 17-year-old college student to a 35-year-old blue-collar worker to listen, he describes his music as reality music.

“I want everyone to relate to me, I’m talking about experiences we all go through, just in a way I can describe it,” Washington said. “"at’s what’s beautiful about music, its art form, which re$ects life: art re$ects life.”

Amongst the music he’s released on his personal Soundcloud ac-count, his most recent release was a song from four months ago called “Against All Odds”. He described the song as one for all young people against all odds and #ghting a battle.

“I take my time putting music out. When I feel like its time to put it out, I’ll put it out. If not, it’s okay,” Washington said. “I’m #ne with listening to it and no one else hearing it.”

By sending his music to DJs and showcase organizers, Eumar-cus’s song “Sloppy” gets airplay on the 102.7 Tyler radio. He men-tions he doesn’t put out music as often because he waits till he can show personal growth through his music.

“I want to make an impact. It’s not for the money or the girls. Do I think I have talent? Of course, but everybody has a talent,” Washington said. “I’m doing this because I enjoy making music, it relaxes me and it’s peaceful, it makes me happy.”

Considering rapping more of a hobby, Eumarcus hopes he’ll make it big but considers school his “realization of reality” while focusing on becoming a physical educator.

“I want kids to be healthy, and I want them to have fun,” Wash-ington said. “My #rst PE teacher Ms. Young, had the dopest playlist with songs like ‘Who Let the Dogs out’ and ‘Tootsie Roll’. We were jamming, music has been a constant my whole life.”

Interested in coaching basketball, Eumarcus hopes to help in-$uence healthy lives and eventually become a high school athletic director.

“I want to be in a position to take advantage of any opportunity God puts in front of me, and sometimes the key to begin success is having the things around you in order, and that’s what I’m trying to do,” Washington said. “People know if you do what you love every day, you won’t have a job.”

A&M-Commerce Student Raps With Crass, Mass, and Class

PHOTO COURTESY/ EUMARCUS WASHINGTON

Cont. From Page 1

APRIL 21, 2016PAGE 6 E!"#$"%&!'#!"

Burnes’ TurnsThe Final Selection: My

Top 10 Albums of All TimeAndrew BurnesEditor

From the beginning, my existence as a part of !e East Texan has been wrapped up in music. When Fred Stewart and Key-ania Campbell took a massive gamble and brought me on as the new Entertainment Editor three years ago, I began working im-mediately to make Page 6 my domain. Since that time, through all of the changes that this publication has seen, that is one con-

stant that has largely remained the same. From the weekly Soundtrack column to Burnes’ Turns to back-to-back stints pen-ning the greatest album reviews in the state‘s collegiate circuit (though, admittedly, it took me a while to work up to the latter), the En-tertainment Page of !e East Texan has been a product that I have continuously looked forward to presenting to you, the reader, and has been what I consider to be the solid rock that has been the foundation of everything else I’ve been able to accomplish for this

paper and beyond. And so, in my last entry into the legacy that is this page, I present the 10 albums that have spoken the loudest to me over the course of the !rst 22 years of my life. "is isn’t necesarily a “Best 10 Al-bums Ever” listing, but merely the 10 LPs that have provided the Soundtrack to my life thus far, and that assuredly will con-tinue to do so in the years ahead. To me, the following 10 works of art are timeless and perfect. And in the end that rings true: as the times change the music always remains.

10. The Freewheelin’ Bob DylanIf I told you that I was immediately impressed the !rst time I heard who would become the most important artist of my life, it’d be a boldfaced lie. But !e Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan became the !rst consistent place where I recognized the genius of Bob Dylan. Not every track here is a classic, but other than maybe Blood on the Tracks, I consider Freewheelin’ to be Dylan’s most moving work with tracks like the tearjerking “Girl from the North Country” standing alongside racial protests like “Oxford Town” and “Blowin’ in the Wind.”

9. My Beautiful Dark Twisted FantasyI’ve had a consistent crush on Taylor Swift since 2008, so you can imagine what Kanye West had to overcome to become one of my favorite artists of all time. But greatness has a way of being a cleansing force that washes away everything else, and from the !rst time I heard the !rst minute of “Dark Fantasy” onward, I realized that I had just become aquainted with an artist that was unlike any I had heard before. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was the !rst modern album I saw get a 5 star review from Rolling Stone. It deserved it.

8. Highway 61 RevisitedBob Dylan is very deservedly the only artist that has more than one album in this list (frankly, he could’ve easily had !ve), but his masterwork was one who’s greatness I only recently have had the wisdom to fully ap-preciate. Highway 61 Revisited is one of those albums that will speak to you no matter what mood you’re in. It’s electric energy still penetrates through my multi-thousand strong Burnes Turns playlist on Spotify wheth-er it’s a classic (“Like a Rolling Stone”) or a straight-ahead romper like “Tombstone Blues.”

7. Pet Sounds"e Beach Boys served as one of my !rst introduction to good music (something that was very lacking in my childhood), but greatest hits like “Barbara Ann” and “Sur!n’ U.S.A.” can hardly be considered in the same breadth as what is indisputably Brian Wilson’s masterpiece. Every song has the ability to make me feel both empowered, optimistic and happy while simultaneously making me feel terri!ed and weak in the knees. I think that’s how love is supposed to sound.

6. Alvvays"e most modern album on my list (2014), Alvvays’ self-titled debut seems out of place in a list dominated by the masterworkers of yesteryear like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. But there is no album that stops me in my tracks like this 9-track, 40-minute sentimental pipe bomb does. It serves as a reminder to give everybody a chance whether its a musical artist or simply an individual met in everyday life. Because, as I’ve discovered many times, greatness can strike when you least expect it.

5. The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shu!eIn spite of its age (though, I suppose it’s relatively young for this list), I only discovered Bruce Springsteen’s breakthrough into the way-out-o-sphere of musical genius a few months ago when I found it on sale at Green-ville’s Hastings for four bucks on vinyl (which is de!nitely among the greatest !nds of my life). I consider Bruce Springsteen to be the most consistently great songwriter ever and from slowburner “Incident on 57th Street” to the rollocking “"e E Street Shu#e” this album serves as my new favorite example.

4. AqueminiMy introduction to OutKast wasn’t even “Hey Ya!” It was actually the remarkably average “"e Way You Move” which appeared on a collection of Grammy nominees from 2004 that my mom listened to all the damn time (I wonder if “Stacy’s Mom” won). But in my book, this lengthy-but-altruistic retro Southern Rap “pimp trick gangsta kliq” experience is the mark that modern geniuses like Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar will always measure themselves against. Nobody’s topped it yet.

3. London CallingWhen I think about perfection, I immediately remember London Calling. "ere was nothing about the gentle-men that made up "e Clash that appeared extraordinary, but I suppose that’s what Punk was all about. It’s unfortunate that much of today’s worst music was inspired by what was by far the best thing that ever came out of the ‘80s (which this barely did). But not everybody can be Superman. It’d be impossible to pick a favor-ite song from the damn-near 20 that make up this album. "ey’re all untoppable.

2. What’s Going onIt’s no secret: I hate concept albums. But when it comes to Marvin Gaye, I could make an exception for any-thing. "is one is supposedly based on the story of a Vietnam War veteran returning home to America only to be horri!ed by what he saw. With subject matter so inherently powerful, it should come as no surprise that many goosebump-inducing moments appear from the title track (which is still my vote for the greatest song ever recorded) to the “"is ain’t it” in “Inner City Blues.” Gets me every time.

1. The Beatles (White Album)If asked a year ago to make this list, many of the preceding albums would have still appeared. "e White Album is not one of them. But a very close friend of mine is currently enrolled in a class about "e Beatles this semester, and in order to keep up with her, I’ve gone back and listened to many of the high points of the band’s discography. I went into this one fully expecting to hate it (a point to which Sean Bates can certainly attest). I’ve always been told it was a ridiculous mess by everyone from my brother to KISS’ Paul Stanley. And to a degree, the critics are right. "ere is very little cohesiveness to this monster of an album. And heard out of context, or even when not paying very close attention, it’s easy to miss the genius behind the strange front. But upon completion, sitting on my grandparents’ couch, I came to the realization that other worshippers of the most divisive album in Beatles’ history came to: encompassed in these two LPs is the entire history and evolution of modern music. If there’s anything more that needs to be said, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

1. Pink Floyd“Echoes”

PHOTO COURTESY/HAPPYALONE.PROBOARDS.COM

As I took a lunch break from working on my last issue of !e East Texan, the hair on the back of my neck stood straight up when the tell-tale opening echoing piano strikes signaling the beginning of this 20-plus-minute epic pierced through my eardrums. A !tting tribute for my !nal work.

2. David Bowie“Space Oddity”

PHOTO COURTESY/YOUTUBE.COM

Following the close of “Echoes” the next audio that sprung through my Bose headphones was the eerie open-ing acoustic strumming of the song that made the true Space Oddity himself famous. It’s always been one of my favorite Bowie moments; I used it as a tribute for the end of my high school years, as well. It still works.

3. Michael Jackson“Girlfriend”

PHOTO COURTESY/ROLLINGSTONE.COM

Changing gears a bit, my time at !e East Texan has not only been a conduit for personal growth, it’s also inspired a signi!cant amount of heartbreak (don’t ask). I remem-ber when it was hitting me particularly hard a little over a year ago, this track kept me going as I slaved away alone in the dark each Monday night. It was worth it.

PHOTO COURTESY/MUSICMTV.COM

My new favorite Kanye West song (a title that is heav-ily contested, to be sure) was a part of what contributed to my highly controversial list of his works a couple of weeks ago (not the least of which was caused by 808s high placement). But of all of his masterworks, no three minutes is more in tuned with where I currently am in life than this reverie on knowing your destination but not being quite there yet. Elton John once compared 808s to Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going on (see left). "is may be Kanye’s most soulful moment yet.

My new favorite Kanye West song (a title that is heav-ily contested, to be sure) was a part of what contributed to my highly controversial list of his works a couple of weeks ago (not the least of which was caused by 808’s high placement). But of all of his masterworks, no three minutes is more in tune with where I currently am in life than this reverie on knowing your destination but not being quite there yet. Elton John once compared 808s to Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going on (see left). "is may be Kanye’s most soulful moment yet.

PHOTO COURTESY/MUSICMTV.COM

4. Kanye West“Street Lights”

6.04mWest Texas A&M’s Rellie Kaputin’s distance

in the long jump, which is second-best in the LSC this year and fourth in the nation.

hotshot

349 Number of miles the LSC golf championships had to be moved due to rain as the tourna-

ment shifts from Frisco to Amarillo.

numbersgame

APRIL 21, 2016

ASU’s Waller, Zak and TSU’s Renfro earn awards

West Texas softball claims third straight title

BASEBALL

PAGE 7

Team Conf. OverallWest Texas A&M 26-2 45-2Texas Woman’s 19-9 31-17Cameron 17-11 32-17A&M- Commerce 18-14 36-16Angelo State 14-14 30-19Midwestern State 11-17 26-26A&M- Kingsville 10-18 21-30Tarleton State 9-19 26-25East. New Mexico 4-24 13-39

Angelo State took sole pos-session of !rst place in the Lone Star Conference stand-ings with a 16-7 league record after sweeping Eastern New Mexico. West Texas A&M and Texas A&M-Kingsville are both a game back at 15-8. TAMUK hosts ASU this week for a three-game series.

"e overall LSC Cham-pion will be the team(s) with the best winning percentage in regular-season conference games, while the winner of the postseason championship will be recognized as LSC Tourna-ment Champion and receive the league’s automatic quali!-cation into NCAA postseason. "e championship will be played May 12-13-14, at the No. 1 seed.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

HITTERMatt Waller, Angelo State

University, JR, Catcher, Ar-lington, Texas, Martin HS

Waller had an outstanding weekend for the Rams, as they swept Eastern New Mexico in a three game home series. "e catcher out of Arlington, Texas !nished the weekend with a .700 batting average going 7-for-10 at the dish. He cranked a two run homer and followed with a double that plated another base runner in the !rst game of the series. "e junior also boasted a 1.100 slugging percentage and a .750 on base percentage. On the base paths Waller was success-fully stole four bases in four attempts and scored a total of !ve runs for Angelo State. Behind the dish he completed the series with a 1.000 !elding percentage tallying 32 put outs and two assists.

CO-PITCHERBryce Zak, Angelo State

University, SR, Pitcher, San Angelo, Texas, Central HS

Earning his conference leading seventh win of the season, Zak tossed a complete game shutout against East-ern New Mexico only giving up a pair of hits. "e senior amassed 14 strikeouts to take sole possession of second place for single game strikeouts in ASU history. He only walked one Greyhound hitter for the game. With 2.25 ERA on the year, Zak completed his per-formance on the hill marking a career high 99 total strikeouts on the season.

Trevor Renfro, Tarleton State University, SR, RHP, Richardson, Texas, J.J. Pearce HS

Renfro was dominant for Tarleton in a win over No. 21 West Texas A&M last Satur-day evening in Stephenville. "e senior right-hander outdu-

eled the league’s ERA leader with a complete game shutout of the Bu#s at Cecil Ballow Complex. Renfro hurled his second consecutive complete game and his fourth of the season with seven innings of three-hit baseball. "e right-hander from Richardson struck out 10 batters for his third 10-K game of the season.

In addition to his 10 strike-outs, Renfro also only walked two hitters to boast a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5-to-1. "e Bu#s hit just .130 for the game o# the Tarleton starter. Renfro !nished the game out in style by sitting down the side in order in the top of the seventh to complete his !fth victory this year.

2016softball

ScheduleApril 22

A&M-Kingsville vs. Midwestern State

West Texas A&M vs. Texas Woman’s

East. New Mexico vs. Tarleton State

Cameron vs. Angelo State

April 23

A&M-Kingsville vs. Midwestern State

West Texas A&M vs. Texas Woman’s

Cameron vs. Angelo State

East. New Mexico vs. Tarleton State

West Texas A&M claimed its third straight Lone Star Conference title last week. "e Lady Bu#s became the third team in LSC history to win three straight titles along with Southeastern Oklahoma (1999-01) and Angelo State (2008-10). WT has earned the right to host the single-elimination championship April 29-30.

LSC teams are playing a single round-robin schedule with a four games against each league opponent. "e four-game series shall consist of a doubleheader Friday and a doubleheader Saturday.

In the NCAA South Central Region, the group is cur-rently 56-33 combined versus Heartland Conference teams and 30-13 against the Rocky Mountain Athletic Confer-ence.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

HITTERBrittany Cruz, West Texas

A&M University, FR, Out-!elder, New Braunfels, Texas, New Braunfels HS

Cruz had a monster weekend for the LSC Champion Lady Bu#s as the freshman out!eld-er hit a staggering .857 with six hits in seven at-bats with a double, triple and three home runs to drive in 12 RBI. "e New Braunfels, Texas native registered 18 total bases on the weekend with three walks and no strikeouts for an on-base

clip of .818 and an amazing slugging percentage of 2.571. Cruz started Senior Weekend with a bang on Friday night as she launched a go-ahead grand slam deep to left center and never looked back with at least two RBI in all four games against Eastern New Mexico this past weekend with a home run in three of the four

contests.PITCHERHaley Freyman, Tarleton

State University, SO, RHP, N. Richland Hills, Texas, Rich-land HS

Freyman continued to domi-nate the Lone Star Conference from the pitching circle as the sophomore right-hander made three starts against No.

22 Cameron and delivered a complete-game win in all three games for a 3-0 record on the weekend, which gave her 20 victories for the second straight season. Freyman threw 19.0 total innings in her three wins over Cameron and struck out 17 batters while walking just two – which is an 8.50:1 strikeout to walk ratio.

SOFTBALL

PHOTO COURTESY/LONESTARCONFERENCE.ORG

OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD

Four athletes recognized for top achievementsLone Star Conference Out-door Track & Field athletes have recorded six NCAA Division II Automatic qualify-ing marks (5 men, 1 women) and 130 provisional efforts (71 men, 59 women).ATHLETES OF THE WEEKMEN’S TRACKJulian Coronado, Eastern New Mexico University, FR, Houston, Texas , Copper Can-yon High SchoolCoronado registered an outstanding performance at the West Texas A&M Classic & Multis, and provisionally qualified in two events. His

time of 21.01 in the 200m leads the Lone Star Confer-ence and is fifth in the nation.

Coronado also finished third

in the 100m dash with a time of 10.60.MEN’S FIELDAsael Arad, Angelo State Uni-

versity, SR, Shapira, Raanana, IsraelArad won his fifth javelin title

of the season and recorded a season best at the ASU David Noble Relays. The senior threw a NCAA Division II provisional-qualifying mark of 209-1 (63.72m). It is the No. 8 throw in all of Division II currently.WOMEN’S TRACKKaina Martinez, Texas A&M University - Kingsville, SR, Seine Bight, Stann Creek, BelizeMartinez could not be beaten this weekend as she gathered three first place finishes in the

100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and the women’s 4x400 meter relay. Martinez ran top times of 11.63 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 24.13 seconds in the 200-meter dash. The senior served as

the last leg of the 4x400 relay team and took first place with

a time of 3:46.78. LaGae Brigance, Adriana Bonin, and Teandria Taylor were the other members of the relay team.WOMEN’S FIELDRellie Kaputin, West Texas

A&M University, JR, East New Britian, Papa New Guinea, Kabagap AcademyKaputin broke her own school record in the long jump at the

WT Classic & Multi with a leap of 19-9.75 (6.04m). That is the second-best mark in the LSC this year and fourth

in the nation. She is one of five athletes to have jumped

farther than six meters. She also placed second in the high jump with a clearance

of 5-5.75 (1.67m). That is the sixth-best mark in school history.

PHOTO COURTESY/LONESTARCONFERENCE.ORG

Individual LeadersBatting AveragePlayer Avg./GTealey Farquhar, TWU .................... .455Stacey Ramirez, WT ...................... .442Katelyn Vinson, MSU ..................... .428Sonora Zukerman, CAM ................ .426Lacey Taylor, WT ........................... .415

ERAPlayerTori Bayer, WT ............................... 1.11Kilee Halbert, WT ........................... 2.04Haley Freyman, TSU ...................... 2.50Brittany Woolridge, A&M-C ............ 2.61Brandy Marlett, ASU ..................... .2.69

Home RunsPlayerAshley Hardin, WT ............................ 14Breezy McComas, CAM ................... 13Luci Ponce, A&M-C .......................... 13Katelyn Vinson, MSU ........................ 12Sonora Zukerman, CAM ................... 11

Fielding AveragePlayerShelby Hedrick, TSU ................... 1.000Erikka Burke, ENMU ...................... .997Luci Ponce, A&M-C ....................... .997Lacey Taylor, WT ........................... .996Kyra Sirag, ENMU.......................... .991

2016baseballTeam CONF OverallWest Texas A&M 17-9 29-12A&M-Kingsville 17-9 26-13Angelo State 17-9 24-16Cameron 12-14 24-15Tarleton State 12-14 18-21East. New Mexico 3-23 10-30

ScheduleApril 22Cameron vs. Tarleton StateEast. New Mexico vs. A&M-KingsvilleWest Texas A&M vs. Angelo StateApril 23West Texas A&M vs. Angelo StateEast. New Mexico vs. A&M-KingsvilleCameron vs. Tarleton StateApril 26Southeastern Okla. State vs. CameronHouston-Victoria vs. A&M-Kingsville

Individual LeadersBatting AveragePlayer Avg./GDalton Perry, A&M-K ...................... .404Daniel Ward, ENMU ....................... .387Trace Hansen, WT ......................... .380Bronson Pulgados, CAM ............... .364Alec Humphreys, TSU ................... .355

ERAPlayerAustin Moore, WT .......................... 2.05Preston Plovanich, A&M-K ............. 2.59Trevor Renfro, TSU ........................ 2.70Bryce Zak, ASU ............................. 2.78Matt Shannon, ASU ...................... .2.80

Home RunsPlayerPablo Hernandez, A&M-K ................... 7Jake Hasbrouck, TSU ......................... 6Cody Bower, CAM .............................. 6Christian Loya, WT ............................. 6Tyler McKinzie, CAM ........................... 5

Fielding AveragePlayerCole Williams, CAM ..................... 1.000Zach Fleet, TSU ........................... 1.000Hunter Seales, TSU ..................... 1.000Landon Thompson, TSU ............... .996Matt Waller, ASU ............................ .995

women’s racquetsTeam CONFCameron 3-0Midwestern State 1-1Tarleton State 1-2A&M-Kingsville 0-2

PHOTO COURTESY/LONESTARCONFERENCE.ORG

S!"#$% APRIL 21, 2016PAGE 8

Lion athletes skirt the edge of gloryLionathletics

!e A&M-Commerce men’s and women’s track & "eld teams turned in "ve NCAA provisional marks, won 15 events and saw 84 Lions "nish in the top "ve of events at the team’s home meet, the East Texas Invitational, Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Opening the day for the Lions Katie Culpepper won the women’s javelin with a 33.96m personal best throw, while Jessica Clay followed in second with a toss of 31.78 for her best distance of the season. Estes Abby took third in the women’s long jump with a wind-aided distance of 5.55m.

In the men’s discus throw, Joseph Brown won the event with a throw of 47.14m with Jared Machorro taking second with a distance of 47.10m.

In the men’s pole vault Brock Pettiet "nished in third with a distance of 3.70m for new personal best.

In the men’s long jump, Gage Bowles took second with a personal best distance of 7.58m. His mark was the second best in the LSC and the third best in the NCAA. It is also another NCAA provisional mark. Reggie Kincade took third with personal best jump of 7.31m for another NCAA provisional mark for the Lions. DeVontae Steele took "fth with a distance of 6.99m.

!ree Lions placed in the top "ve of the men’s javelin with Jessie Williams "nishing in second with a distance of 50.64m, Kellen Dion taking fourth with a distance of 48.37m and Chase Graham taking "fth with a toss of 47.24.

Alexandra VanSickle won the women’s shot put with a toss of 13.74m

Koto Selassie won the women’s triple jump with a distance of 11.29m for her best distance of the season. Mckenzie Clark "nished in second in the women’s triple jump with a distance of personal best distance of 11.21m.

Stephanie Gaisbauer won the women’s pole vault clearing the bar at 3.36m.

Anitial’a Robins won the women’s discus with a distance of 45.01m for a new PR and the second best time in the LSC. Her mark was also an NCAA provisional mark. Rebecca Mueller "nished second in the discus with a distance of 44.97m. Alexandra VanSickle "nished in "fth with a distance of 34.90m setting a new personal best.

Tyler Rambo won the men’s shot put with a 16.72m toss. Joseph Brown took second with a distance of 16.46m in the men’s shot put.

Bowles won the triple jump with a distance of 15.54m for a new personal best/second best in the LSC/tied for the third best in the NCAA for a provisional mark. Steele "nished in second with a jump of 15.19m, while Darien Redd took third with a jump of 13.68m.

Hailey Nelson won the high jump with a height of 1.67m. -- her best of the season. Shanecia Baker "nished in fourth with a height of 1.52m.

Robins took second in the hammer throw with a toss of 49.04m for a new PR. Mueller "nished in fourth with a toss of 44.78m for a new personal best. VanSickle "nished in "fth with a toss of 42.79m for a new personal best.

Johnathan Cole won the high jump with a jump 2.06m, while Jamal Curtis "nished in third with a jump of 2.01m.

Chase Graham "nished in second in the men’s hammer throw with a toss of 53.67m. Joseph Brown "nished in third with a toss of 52.39m for a new personal best and Machorro "nished in fourth with a throw of 52.23m for a new personal record.

Steeven Martinez took second in the 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 10:02.52 for a new personal best.

!e women’s 4x100m team of Mackenzie Clark, Kamryn McKee, Verlencia Shaw and Ashlyn Giles took second with season best time of 47.27 seconds. !e men’s 4x100m relay team won the event with a time of 41.22 seconds.

Luis Osornio sprinted to the "nish to set a new personal best time of 4:04.09 to win the 1,500m.

Ashley Bassett "nished in third in the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.94 seconds. Jessica Clay "nished fourth with a time of 14.96 seconds setting a new PR. On the men’s side, Brock Pettiet took third in the 110m hurdles with a time of 15.03 seconds.

McKee took third in the women’s 400m with a time of 56.26 seconds for her fastest time of the year, while Shaw "nished in "fth with a time of 56.46 seconds for a new personal best. McKee holds in second in the Lone Star Conference, while Shaw jumped up to third in the league.

Clark "nished in third in the women’s 100m with a time of 12.31 seconds.

Reggie Kincade claimed the fastest man at the East Texas Invitational after winning the 100m with a time of 10.66 for a new personal best. Isaiah McFail, second, and Dionte Taylor, fourth, each set personal bests with times of 10.73 seconds and 10.79 seconds respectively. Malcolm Woods "nished in "fth with a time of 10.84 seconds.

Jenna McLaughlin took second in the women’s 800m run with a time of 2:23.60, while Maiya Collins "nished in third with a time of 2:24.14.

Luis Romero won the men’s 800m with a time of 1:52.56 for the 5th fastest time in the Lone Star Conference. He narrowly missed and NCAA provisional mark. Martinez "nished second with at time of 1:55.84, while Osornio took "fth with a time of 2:02.67.

Lanorris Garden won the 400m hurdles with a time of 52.71 seconds.

Shaw "nished eighth in the women’s 200m dash with a time of 25.63 seconds for a new personal best. On the men’s side, Malcolm Woods took third with a time of 22.01 seconds. Kincade took fourth with a time of 22.05 seconds setting a new PR.

In the men’s 5000m, Breed Sage took fourth with a time of 16:24.38.

Women’s 4x400m team of McKee, Bassett, Shaw and Baleveicau "nished in second with their best time of the season at 3:48.41 for an NCAA provisional mark. !e men’s 4x400m relay team of Dennis, Aaron Lecesne, Eric Williams and Garden ran a 3:16.90 to "nish in second place.Terra Truitt and Mary Hammonds "nished "rst and second respectively with times of 37:47.68 and 39:20.21 respectively in the women’s 10,000m. On the men’s side, Turner Poole and Evan Luecke "nished in second and third with times of 32:45.22 and 32:58.07 respectively.!e team will compete again at the Oliver Jackson Twilight Meet on April 27 before the Lone Star Conference Outdoor Championship on May 5 through May 7

EAST TEXAS PHOTO/ KRISTEN TAYLOR

Sophomore Jared Macharro takes second place in discus throw with a distance of 47.10m.

Ricky MoserSports Writer

After their previous apparel contract dissolved, Texas A&M University- Commerce has inked a department-wide contract with Under Armour in a deal that begins this fall and will run through the 2019-20 athletic year.

As the "rst of its kind in Division II, the deal will provide full head-to-toe apparel for all 14 A&M-Commerce teams.

Before A&M-Commerce athletic director Tim McMurray joined the Lion family, he served as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for

external a#airs at the University of Maryland, the alma mater of Under Armour’s founder, Kevin Plank.

“Being familiar with the Under Armour brand from my time at the University of Maryland, I know that Under Armour is an innovative brand that attempts to be on the cutting edge of performance and precision relative to apparel, footwear, and accessories,” McMurray said. “To that end, they engage student-athletes and speci"c sports programs in demo footwear and apparel to maximize student-athlete performance. When I "rst arrived, it was evident that we needed to do a better job of out"tting

our teams, and this agreement allows us to do that.”

McMurray suggests this recent partnership with the sports clothing company puts A&M-Commerce back in the headlines for all the right reasons.

“It means that we have taken a signi"cant step forward with our department’s mission statement of providing a ‘Best in Class’ experience for our student-athletes,” McMurray said. “We have aligned ourselves with a fellow strong brand, and we have put our institution on the national map by being the "rst Division II comprehensive institutional agreement that

bene"ts our campus, our department, and our talented student-athletes.”

!ose involved with athletics at A&M-Commerce are also hoping this new agreement with Under Armour will aid in recruiting.

“Relative to recruiting, it is already having a positive impact, as UA is an exceptionally hot brand right now with the high school and college age prospect,” McMurray said. “It provides stability for several years and gives our coaches another point of di#erence for their recruiting arsenal. !e Texas A&M University- Commerce name has great value, and Lion Athletics is a rising brand.”

University intercepts Under Armour sponsorship deal

Final Four Gets LuckyLucky the Lion copped some of the hottest sports tickets of the year when he was asked to partipate in events in support of the Final Four in Houston. Mascot Evan Leucke used his cross-country skills to win the NCAA Final Four 4 Miler, beating over 1,700 opponents.

PHOTO COURTESY/EVAN LEUCKE

EAST TEXAS PHOTO/AARON HWANG

Sophomore Monica Cherry propells the Lions to victory by grabbing an out. Commerce won both Angelo State games.EAST TEXAS PHOTO/AARON HWANG

Predator pursuing the prey