8
Monday was the last night for all Texas State University Systems schools, including SHSU, to file documents regarding the Texas Public Policy Foundation's controversial higher education reform recommendations. Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo), chair of the State Senate Higher Education Committee, filed a public information request on April 15, asking for all information related to higher education reforms involving TPPF and the Seven Breakthrough Reforms in Higher Education that would place less emphasis on research. Zaffirini says she believes UT regents are quietly pursuing various reforms promoted by the Austin-based TPPF even after rejecting some of the foundation's recommendations, such as separating research and teaching budgets. The controversy could impair recruitment of top students and faculty members and make it impossible for the state's seven public emerging research universities to rise to national stature, according to Zaffirini. "All of this is being done behind closed doors, as secretly as possible," Zaffirini said in an interview. "And if there's any arena in which that is wrong, it is higher education. Higher education should be the birthplace of debating conflicting ideas." Zaffirini said she was disturbed by A&M system emails showing behind- the-scenes influences by Jeff Sandefer, a member of TPPF's foundation board and Rick O' Donnell who was a senior fellow for the foundation before being hired by the UT system. E-mails and other documents referring to both O'Donnell and Sandefer were included in the information request by Zaffirini. Please join us in the effort to save lives e Blood Center and e Houstonian will be hosting a blood drive between the Lee Drain and CHSS Buildings at 10:00 a.m. today. One donation can save three lives. The Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University Vol 117— Issue 26 Baseball, Page 7 Viewpoints..................................page 2 News............................................page 3 Sports...........................................page 7 Special.........................................page 4 Entertainment......................,.............page 5 Special..........................................page 8 Index Photo Courtesy SHSU Department of Art Winners announced, Page 5 Special.........................................page 6 Behind closed doors By Kolby Flowers Senior Reporter — See TEXAS, page 3 Postponed student elections back on By Erin Peterson Associate News Editor Flames ravage state Texas Wildfires Guantanamo Bay files reveal new detainee details By Stephen Green Viewpoints Editor To download the full high res file go to: earthobservatory.nasa. gov/NaturalHazards/ view.php?id=50168 KATlinks Photo courtesy of Sports Information Students will have the option to vote on 2011 Student Government Association officers, constitutional amendments and homecoming themes on Wednesday and Thursday. To vote, students will need to check their SHSU e-mail accounts beginning Wednesday at 8 a.m. for a link to the ballot. Voting ends at 6 p.m. on Thursday. The latest set of executive board candidates fall into two categories: SHSU We Do Work and Bearkats for Bearkats. Each group has its own Facebook and Twitter pages. Joseph Le is also running independently for president, as he is not running under either SHSU We Do Work or Bearkats for Bearkats. SHSU We Do Work is the campaign group for A. Rene McKelvey (president), Tyler Eberhart (vice president), Cortnie Crayton (secretary), Jimmy Williams (treasurer) and Audrey Williams (chief of staff). Currently, McKelvey serves as vice president, Eberhart as secretary, J. Williams as treasurer, Crayton as senator for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and as Rules and Regulations Commission chair, and A. Williams as caucus chair for the College of Fine Arts and Mass Communication. All were on the previous candidate list. Bearkats for Bearkats is the campaign group for Mariel Kanene (president), Meagan Lee (vice president), Jake Price (chief of staff), Drew Milburn (treasurer) and Ahmed Adewodu (secretary). Kanene and Adewodu previously served as senators for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Sciences, respectively. None of the candidates running under the current Bearkats for Bearkats group were listed on the official candidate list prior to the postponing of the election. Elections were originally scheduled for April 12 and 13. However, they were postponed after a Student Supreme Court ruling on April 8 overturned amended portions of the SGA Election Code, originally approved by the Student Senate. The ruling also caused the previous candidate list to be invalid. To run in this week’s election, candidates had to attend another mandatory candidate meeting. Those who had already intended to run were not required to re- file their official paperwork. The official results will be announced on Monday, May 2 at 6 p.m. For additional information about this year’s election, visit www.shsu.edu/sga/ elections.html. Communities in 252 Texas counties are preparing for the threat of rapidly spreading fires according to the Texas Forest Service. Active wildfires are expected to occur in West, Northwest and Central Texas, especially with the expected fast winds and dry weather. John Hobbs, assistant fire chief of the Huntsville Fire Department, said Walker County has been preparing for the worst. “We listen to statewide emergency management calls every day,” Hobbs said. “The Huntsville airport has two helicopters that can be used to fight these fires.” In addition, Hobbs said that he has increased manpower due to the recent increase in fires. “We keep our crews in the area and cut back on vacation and time off until we get some rain,” Hobbs said. “We have a full crew during the week and the weekend. We haven’t seen the fires West Texas has, but Walker County is in an extremely threatened area.” Texas Governor Rick Perry renewed his state of emergency in addition to requesting federal emergency declaration in a letter to President Barack Obama on April 15. “I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond that of State and the affected local governments and that supplementary Federal assistance is necessary,” Perry said. “Since the fire season began,” Perry said, “Texas has reported 7,807 fires across the state that have burned more than 1,528,714 acres and destroyed 244 homes.” Hobbs said that Huntsville and other Walker County residents have been educated well and can take relatively easy steps to prevent wildfires. “No outside fires, no outside cooking if you can get away from it, no burning of garbage, and maybe start cleaning around your house,” Hobbs said. — See FLAMES, page 3 Tuesday, April 26, 2011 Senator requests higher education documents from all Texas Universities Wikileaks has disclosed nearly 779 documents re- vealing detailed informa- tion about “high risk” in- dividuals that if released might pose a threat to the United States and its allies. The secret documents list prisoner’s illnesses – tu- berculosis, depression and hepatitis. The documents also mention interrogations that last years, questioning “areas of potential exploi- tation” which involves per- sonnel using tactics to pull information from prisoners that they are assumed to possess. “They describe inmates’ infractions punch- ing guards, tearing apart shower shoes and shouting across cell blocks. And, as analysts try to bolster the case for continued incarcer- ation, they record years of detainees’ comments about one another,” according to the New York Times. The articles give insight to the inmates’ personal lives in their countries of origin, detention informa- tion, and assessments de- termining if the prisoner is associated with a terror- ist organization, as well as a recommendation stating if the prisoner is to be re- leased or kept captive. These documents also show that many of the pris- oners were arrested on bo- gus charges such as Ezat Khan. Khan lived in Nangarhar Providence, Afghanistan and supported his family by cutting and selling wood near his home. In 1999, the Taliban ini- tiated oppressive taxes on Khan’s wood cutting busi- ness, making it impossible for Khan to provide for his family. Khan moved his fam- ily to Pakistan to work as a sharecropper. Around De- cember 2001, Khan spent four days in Samsai to at- tend his uncle’s funeral. He was arrested upon crossing back to Pakistan for sus- picion of being associated with three Arabs who had been arrested previously at the same border crossing. “Pakistani officials planned to release him after they talked to their super- visor at the police station. However, he was taken to Quetta and questioned by U.S. military personnel,” according to the Ezat Khan Wikileaks file. “Khan was transported to one of the Guantanamo Bay prisons because of his knowledge of a covert route of travel through the moun- tains south of Jalalabad, Afghanistan to Parachinar, Pakistan,” stated the Ezat Khan file. “Joint Task Force Guantanamo considers the information obtained from and about him as not valu- able or tactically exploit- able.” PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST. Zaffirini said she was disturbed by A&M system emails showing behind-the-scenes influences by Jeff Sandefer, a member of TPPF’s foundation board and Rick O’ Donnell who was a senior fellow for the foundation before being hired by the UT system. Photo Illustration by Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian By Hugo Lopez Contributing Reporter NASA image acquired April 15, 2011 Since April 6, more than a million acres have burned through- out the state of the Texas, says the Texas Forest Service. is image, taken by the Moderate Resolu- tion Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite, shows conditions on April 15, 2011. Wind whips both smoke and dust southeast across the state. e fires that MODIS detected are marked in red.. So far in 2011, the Texas has responded to 7,807 fires, which burned 1,528,714 acres of land and 244 structures, said Governor Rick Perry in an April 16 request to President Obama that the state be declared a major disaster. Most of the seven fires shown in the image are larger than ten thousand acres, and many have threatened communities. Caption by Holli Riebeek. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC.

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Page 1: The Houstonian, April 26, 2011

Monday was the last night for all Texas State University Systems schools, including SHSU, to file documents regarding the Texas Public Policy Foundation's controversial higher education reform recommendations.

Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo), chair of the State Senate Higher Education Committee, filed a public information request on April 15, asking for all information related to higher education reforms involving TPPF and the Seven Breakthrough Reforms in Higher Education that would place less emphasis on research.

Zaffirini says she believes UT regents are quietly pursuing various reforms promoted by the Austin-based TPPF even after rejecting some of the foundation's recommendations, such as separating research and teaching budgets.

The controversy could impair recruitment of top students and faculty

members and make it impossible for the state's seven public emerging research universities to rise to national stature, according to Zaffirini.

"All of this is being done behind closed doors, as secretly as possible," Zaffirini said in an interview. "And if there's any arena in

which that is wrong, it is higher education. Higher education should be the birthplace of debating conflicting ideas."

Zaffirini said she was disturbed by A&M system emails showing behind-the-scenes influences by Jeff Sandefer, a member of TPPF's foundation

board and Rick O' Donnell who was a senior fellow for the foundation before being hired by the UT system. E-mails and other documents referring to both O'Donnell and Sandefer were included in the information request by Zaffirini.

Please join us in the effort to save lives

The Blood Center and The Houstonian will be hosting a blood drive between the Lee Drain and CHSS Buildings at 10:00 a.m. today. One donation can save three lives.

The Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University

Vol 117— Issue 26

Baseball, Page 7

Viewpoints..................................page 2News............................................page 3

Sports...........................................page 7

Special.........................................page 4 Entertainment......................,.............page 5

Special..........................................page 8

IndexPhoto Courtesy SHSU Department of Art

Winners announced, Page 5

Special.........................................page 6

Behind closed doorsBy Kolby FlowersSenior Reporter

— See TEXAS, page 3

Postponed student elections back onBy Erin PetersonAssociate News Editor

Flames ravage stateTexas Wildfires

Guantanamo Bay files reveal new detainee details

By Stephen GreenViewpoints Editor

To download the full high res file go to: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=50168

KATlinks

Photo courtesy of Sports Information

Students will have the option to vote on 2011 Student Government Association officers, constitutional amendments and homecoming themes on Wednesday and Thursday.

To vote, students will need to check their SHSU e-mail accounts beginning Wednesday at 8 a.m. for a link to the ballot. Voting ends at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

The latest set of executive board candidates fall into two categories: SHSU We Do Work and Bearkats for Bearkats. Each group has its own Facebook and Twitter pages.

Joseph Le is also running independently for president, as he is not running under either SHSU We Do Work or Bearkats for Bearkats.

SHSU We Do Work is the campaign group for A. Rene McKelvey (president), Tyler Eberhart (vice president), Cortnie Crayton (secretary), Jimmy Williams (treasurer) and Audrey Williams (chief of staff). Currently, McKelvey serves as vice president, Eberhart as secretary, J. Williams as treasurer, Crayton as senator for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and as Rules and Regulations Commission chair, and A. Williams as caucus chair for the College of Fine Arts and Mass

Communication. All were on the previous candidate list.

Bearkats for Bearkats is the campaign group for Mariel Kanene (president), Meagan Lee (vice president), Jake Price (chief of staff), Drew Milburn (treasurer) and Ahmed Adewodu (secretary). Kanene and Adewodu previously served as senators for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Sciences, respectively. None of the candidates running under the current Bearkats for Bearkats group were listed on the official candidate list prior to the postponing of the election.

Elections were originally scheduled for April 12 and 13. However, they were postponed after a Student Supreme Court ruling on April 8 overturned amended portions of the SGA Election Code, originally approved by the Student Senate. The ruling also caused the previous candidate list to be invalid.

To run in this week’s election, candidates had to attend another mandatory candidate meeting. Those who had already intended to run were not required to re-file their official paperwork.

The official results will be announced on Monday, May 2 at 6 p.m.

For additional information about this year’s election, visit www.shsu.edu/sga/elections.html.

Communities in 252 Texas counties are preparing for the threat of rapidly spreading fires according to the Texas Forest Service.

Active wildfires are expected to occur in West, Northwest and Central Texas, especially with the expected fast winds and dry weather.

John Hobbs, assistant fire chief of the Huntsville Fire Department, said Walker County has been preparing for the worst.

“We listen to statewide emergency management calls every day,” Hobbs said. “The Huntsville airport has two helicopters that can be used to fight these fires.”

In addition, Hobbs said that he has increased manpower due to the recent increase in fires.

“We keep our crews in the area and cut back on vacation and time off until we get some rain,” Hobbs said. “We have a full crew during the week and the weekend. We haven’t seen the fires West Texas has, but Walker County is in an extremely threatened area.”

Texas Governor Rick Perry renewed his state of emergency in addition to requesting federal emergency declaration in a letter to President Barack Obama on April 15.

“I have determined that

this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond that of State and the affected local governments and that supplementary Federal assistance is necessary,” Perry said.

“Since the fire season began,” Perry said, “Texas has reported 7,807 fires across the state that have

burned more than 1,528,714 acres and destroyed 244 homes.”

Hobbs said that Huntsville and other Walker County residents have been educated well and can take relatively easy steps to prevent wildfires.

“No outside fires, no outside cooking if you can get away from it, no burning

of garbage, and maybe start cleaning around your house,” Hobbs said.

— See FLAMES, page 3

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Senator requests higher education documents from all Texas Universities

Wikileaks has disclosed nearly 779 documents re-vealing detailed informa-tion about “high risk” in-dividuals that if released might pose a threat to the United States and its allies.

The secret documents list prisoner’s illnesses – tu-berculosis, depression and hepatitis. The documents also mention interrogations that last years, questioning “areas of potential exploi-tation” which involves per-sonnel using tactics to pull information from prisoners that they are assumed to possess.

“They describe inmates’ infractions — punch-ing guards, tearing apart shower shoes and shouting across cell blocks. And, as analysts try to bolster the case for continued incarcer-ation, they record years of detainees’ comments about one another,” according to the New York Times.

The articles give insight to the inmates’ personal lives in their countries of origin, detention informa-tion, and assessments de-termining if the prisoner is associated with a terror-ist organization, as well as a recommendation stating if the prisoner is to be re-leased or kept captive.

These documents also show that many of the pris-oners were arrested on bo-gus charges such as Ezat

Khan. Khan lived in Nangarhar

Providence, Afghanistan and supported his family by cutting and selling wood near his home.

In 1999, the Taliban ini-tiated oppressive taxes on Khan’s wood cutting busi-ness, making it impossible for Khan to provide for his family.

Khan moved his fam-ily to Pakistan to work as a sharecropper. Around De-cember 2001, Khan spent four days in Samsai to at-tend his uncle’s funeral. He was arrested upon crossing back to Pakistan for sus-picion of being associated with three Arabs who had been arrested previously at the same border crossing.

“Pakistani officials planned to release him after they talked to their super-visor at the police station. However, he was taken to Quetta and questioned by U.S. military personnel,” according to the Ezat Khan Wikileaks file.

“Khan was transported to one of the Guantanamo Bay prisons because of his knowledge of a covert route of travel through the moun-tains south of Jalalabad, Afghanistan to Parachinar, Pakistan,” stated the Ezat Khan file. “Joint Task Force Guantanamo considers the information obtained from and about him as not valu-able or tactically exploit-able.”

PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST. Zaffirini said she was disturbed by A&M system emails showing behind-the-scenes influences by Jeff Sandefer, a member of TPPF’s foundation board and Rick O’ Donnell who was a senior fellow for the foundation before being hired by the UT system.

Photo Illustration by Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian

By Hugo LopezContributing Reporter

NASA image acquired April 15, 2011 Since April 6, more than a million acres have burned through-out the state of the Texas, says the Texas Forest Service. This image, taken by the Moderate Resolu-tion Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite, shows conditions on April 15, 2011. Wind whips both smoke and dust southeast across the state. The fires that MODIS detected are marked in red.. So far in 2011, the Texas has responded to 7,807 fires, which burned 1,528,714 acres of land and 244 structures, said Governor Rick Perry in an April 16 request to President Obama that the state be declared a major disaster. Most of the seven fires shown in the image are larger than ten thousand acres, and many have threatened communities. Caption by Holli Riebeek. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC.

Page 2: The Houstonian, April 26, 2011

Page 2Tuesday, April 26, 2011Viewpoints

houstonianonline.com/viewpoints

The individual opinions on the Viewpoints page are not necessarily affiliated with the view of The Houstonian or SHSU. The Houstonian is published semi-weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is a news publication of Sam Houston State University, a member of the Texas State University system, and is produced by students. It is self-supporting and welcomes all advertisers. Those interested in placing ads or classifieds should call (936) 294-4864. The Houstonian is a member of the Associated Press and the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.

Dear Sam Houston Students, Staff and Faculty and Alumni:

The Houstonian would not survive were it not for the continued involvement and dedication of the SHSU student body. We welcome all column submissions and letters to the editor. If at any time you feel the need to express an opinion, please do not hesitate to email your thoughts or drop by our office in the Dan Rather communications building. We look forward to hearing from you and thank you as always for your continued support of the Houstonian.

Stephen GreenViewpoints [email protected]

Letter to the Student Body

As Student Government election season geared up, I faced a serious internal struggle. During my time in SGA, I’ve served in the capacities of Senator, Committee Chief,

Secretary, Treasurer, and the first ever Chief of Staff, in addition to numerous committee positions and task forces. Having reached my term limits, I decided to return to the senate to fight for the students of SHSU as I have my entire time at this university. The difficult decision that I had to make was whether or not to campaign for a “ticket” or to silently return to the senate and move forward without discourse. But upon seeing the formation of the “tickets” that be, this decision became MUCH less difficult for me to make.

The ticket “SHSU We DO Work” composed of McKelvey, Eberhart, Williams, Crayton, and Williams, has almost 10 years of productive, efficient, and reliable combined SGA experience, as opposed to the other team, Bearkats for Bearkats (who are actually Bearkats for Themselves) who are lucky to have 2 1/2 years between the five of them. Whatever the exact dismal number of years worth of experience, what we DO know is that it isn’t a whole number. How do we know that, you ask? Great question!

This is what leads us to the ultimate secret that Bearkats for Themselves doesn’t want you to find out. Presidential candidate Mariel Kanene was unanimously impeached less than a year ago from the Student Government Association, not even voting against his own impeachment, for malfeasance and dereliction of duty.

I know this because as Chief of Staff, it was my responsibility to track productivity and attendance of senators, resulting in myself being the individual that rolled out the articles of impeachment last fall.

These articles of impeachment not only passed unanimously through the senate, but were never even appealed (probably because Mr. Kanene knew that his inability to do his job was grossly apparent

and undoubtedly stood up to the appellate court).

Students shouldn’t allow that to be the only reason to refuse support for Bearkats for Themselves. Fall 2009, Mariel Kanene was the only senator in SGA to openly fight against parking reform, calling it “unimportant” and “a waste of time.”

The parking reform that passed, despite opposition from Mr. Kanene, resulted in the creation of the SHSU Parking Committee, re-evaluation of vaguely painted parking lines, eventually lead to the efforts for a SAM Shuttle, and much more.

If Bearkats for Themselves had it their way, this would have never happened. Mr. Adewodu, candidate for secretary and regular candidate for “Ultimate Fighter” on the yard, may have also partnered or fought against Mr. Kanene on this stint, however his attendance record and legacy in the senate is so poor, having written zero pieces of legislation, he has little to no effect on any records kept.

The others on the ticket, I’m sure, are fine human beings. I wouldn’t know this for a fact, however, because I have failed to see them at any of the almost 40 SGA meetings or over 200 committee meetings that have occurred this year (that is, until they decided that they were running for office).

We see this often with these “politician” folks who feel that they are entitled to an office despite their lack of concern for those who walk different paths than their own. So they show up around election time and then you never see them again. No one should be surprised to see this behavior from Bearkats for Themselves, intellectually, incurious individuals with nothing to grab for but power. Ultimately, this is a ticket of folks who have the wherewithal of a damp rag and the creative mindset of a bank clerk.

Unfortunately, the Bearkats for

Themselves couldn’t confirm or deny these facts, because despite calls from SHSU We DO Work, Bearkats for Themselves refused to participate in a debate (probably because they lack basic knowledge of the organizations functioning). I don’t blame them for running scared from such successful opponents, opponents that would undoubtedly slaughter them from the beginning with basic knowledge.

As you can see, this decision that I had to make became one of ease, quickly: A team like SHSU We DO Work, who have accomplished so much during their tenure in office, or a team like Bearkats for Themselves who seek higher office with no experience or accomplishments to speak of merely for their own personal gain.

It is insulting to think that lackluster candidates like Bearkats for Themselves would even consider an executive run. I decided that it would be immoral if I was to remain quiet and not inform my own constituents, who have elected me to serve them time and time again, about the storm heading their way. I proudly endorse team SHSU We DO Work.

I challenge Mr. Kanene to indicate one successful legislative or executive accomplishment.

I challenge Miss Lee to indicate her experience in running elections or serving as a committee head. (These are her main jobs as VP, which is probably news to her…).

I challenge Mr. Adewodu to point in the direction of the SGA archives.

I challenge Mr. Milburn to merely state the fiscal year’s budget total (a basic task for a treasurer).

Lastly, I challenge Mr. Price to explain the process of office hours (his #1 job).

These views are sponsored by Kendall Scudder and are not endorsed, written, or sponsored by team SHSU We DO Work.

Bearkats for themselvesKendall Scudder addresses why he will be voting for SHSU We DO Work

PHOTOGRAPHERJessica Gomez

COPY EDITORApril Sanders

PRODUCTION MANAGERChanel Montgomery

FACULTY ADVISERRobin Johnson

(936) 294-1499

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFMeagan Ellsworth

(936) [email protected]

ASSOCIATE EDITORErin Peterson

[email protected]

VIEWPOINTS EDITOR

Stephen [email protected]

SPORTS EDITORBrandon Scott

[email protected]

SENIOR EDITORMike Silva

[email protected]

WEB/MULTIMEDIA EDITORJessica Priest

[email protected]

A&E EDITORThomas [email protected]

SENIOR REPORTERKolby Flowers

[email protected]

GRAPHIC COORDINATORJared Wolf

[email protected]

SPORTS REPORTERLotis Butchko

[email protected]

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVEChelsea Boyd

[email protected]

COMMUNICATION SPECIALISTChrystal [email protected]

STAFF LISTING

ADVERTISING MANAGERGurpreet Singh

[email protected](936) 294-1503

BUSINESS MANAGERBrittany Hampton

[email protected](936) 294-1500

AD DEADLINESTuesday’s Issue Friday 5 p.m.

Thursday’s Issue - Tuesday 2 p.m.

- Kendall Scudder is a junior political science major.

All cartoons courtesy of creators.com.

Comedy Corner

Have a question for the Houstonian Staff? Would you like to respond to an article or advice column?

Email the Houstonian and we will respond to you! Contact [email protected] for more information regarding responses or for any questions regarding the newspaper.

Fellow Bearkats: Tomorrow and Thursday, April 27th & 28th, you all will be given the opportunity to elect new representatives that will be the face and voice of our student body. This sounds tough doesn’t it? Surprisingly, it’s not as hard as you would think. Bearkats for Bearkats has made it simple for you in choosing quality, well rounded, and experienced leadership.

Mariel Kanene, Meagan Lee, Drew Millburn, Ahmed Adewodu and Jake Price are not only active leaders in the Greek community, but are active members in other organizations including Talented Tenth, Student Government Association, Orange Keys, Student Alumni Association, Order of Omega and Professional Golf Management Program just to name a few. Their combined involvement and experience through these organizations have not only brought them together to work towards a better Sam Houston, but have equipped them with the skills to lead our student body.

Bearkats For Bearkats is looking to make a POSITIVE impact on the campus of Sam Houston. That may seem broad, but to do so we have broken down our agenda into two parts. First, we have created six initiatives which we look to implement during our year in office that will cater to all students and create opportunities for student involvement within the Student Government Association. These six areas

will address improvements in academics, mental and physical wellness, Bearkat Pride, civic engagement, leadership and transparent representation.

Bearkats For Bearkats understands the need for a quality educational experience, and because of this, we look to promote academic success within the SGA leadership and our student body. Mental and physical well-being is a major component of student academic success, which is why we look to implement our wellness initiative that will educate students on living a healthy lifestyle.

When a potential student tours our university for the first time we want them to leave already having a sense of the pride that comes with being a Bearkat. We believe this can be done utilizing artwork throughout our campus that promotes Bearkat pride. In the area of civic engagement, increasing service opportunities for student involvement will be key to improving student relations and interaction with both University and SGA affairs.

As student representatives, developing our skills in becoming effective and goal oriented leaders is key to running a successful organization. The last portion of making Bearkats For Bearkats a successful cause is creating transparent representation through increased Internet presences for communication with students and organizations, which brings us to the second part of our agenda.

As students, this is where we need YOUR help in finding solutions to issues that are important to you. Today we will be around campus with the Bearkats For Bearkats shirts on. When you spot us don’t be shy to write any issues or ideas you want addressed during our time in office.

Over the next two days you will have the opportunity to help elect students who are

looking to make a positive impact on the campus life of Sam Houston. When voting remember to vote Mariel Kanene, Meagan Lee, Drew Milburn, Ahmed Adewodu and Jake Price for 2011-2012 SGA Exec Team! Quality leadership and service is what we promise.

My fellow BearkatsBearkats for Bearkats asks for the student vote in the upcoming Student Government Association elections

Kendall ScudderGuest Columnist

- Column courtesy of the Bearkats for Bearkats Executive ticket.

Bearkats for BearkatsGuest Columnists

Page 3: The Houstonian, April 26, 2011

“We have a program called Ready, Set, Go,” Hobbs said. “We want residents to be ready for

immediate evacuations. They can pack their valuables and collect canned goods so in the case that they need to be evacuated, they can leave immediately. When we say to go, we mean go.”

Hobbs said that students need to be aware of their surroundings.

"Pay attention to the paper, radio and TV,” Hobbs said. “Be alert and prepared.”

In response to a public information request filed by American-Statesmen, the A&M system provided 91 pages of records concerning reform efforts.

Zaffrini’s latest request for information from TSUS appears to be an effort to broaden the search for secret influence throughout Texas’ higher education systems.

Zaffirini did not return a call for comment as of press time.

Kathy Gilcrease, assistant to President Dana Gibson, said that SHSU was in full compliance of the request. The president’s office issued an e-mail to faculty and staff to turn over “any and all information, in whatever form (hard copy, electronic, visual, or otherwise) that “references, mentions, relates to, addresses,

discusses, includes or is related/associated with [these higher education reforms].”

Zaffirini was also among those who spoke out against O’Donnell’s appointment as a special adviser to the University Of Texas System Board Of Regents.

“The hiring process was completely flawed,” Zaffirini said in an interview with Chron.com. “There was no vote of the board, no approval by the chancellor. With a $200,000 salary at a time when there is a hiring freeze at UT, how in the world can you justify this?"

She also raised concern about his stated position that the current system for funding research at public universities wastes tax revenue and tuition money that should be used to fund improvement in teaching.

O'Donnell has stated that he believes university research is harmful to

good teaching and that Texas schools should create their own system of accreditation, separate from the existing national system.

Last month, the system placed an expected end date of August 31 on O' Donnell's employment and assigned him to report to a vice chancellor. The system did not say whether he was fired or if he resigned.

“Rick O’Donnell is no longer employed by the UT System, effective immediately,” system spokesman Anthony de Bruyn said on Tuesday, April 19.

“I think it was a wise decision and it was late coming,” said Zaffirini.

All documents pertaining to the request, electronic and hard copy, must be submitted no later than 10 days after the request is filed.

If you ask a typical student what his or her options are for financial planning, you might get a response like that of Jason Tilton.

“I don’t know where [the Student Money Management Center, or SMMC,] is on campus, I don’t know what services they offer and I don’t hear much about it,” junior Jason Tilton said. “Plus, as a student, I am very busy and don’t always have the time to take out of my day to stop by the [SMMC].”

The SMMC has been on campus since the fall of 2008 and is currently celebrating Financial Literacy Month; but, with college costs skyrocketing and the country in the midst of its worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, students have somehow overlooked an alternative financial resource on campus.

“A lot of college students don’t think they should prepare in college,” said assistant director of student services and director of the SMMC Dr. Kristy Vienne. “So many of them rack up debt while they’re in college

that once they graduate it’s almost impossible for them to get out from under that debt.”

The Student Money Management Center is staffed with several full-time financial advisors to assist all Sam Houston State University students. The office offers sessions that allow students to manage their finances as they pay for college and make decisions about loans and credit card debt.

For students who want to better manage their finances without dealing with a professional, the center offers the Kat2Kat Peer Counseling program made up of current SHSU upperclassmen who have been trained in financial planning, who are managed by financial professionals licensed through the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education.

“For a lot of students, money is a sore subject. You don’t want to admit that you don’t have any, and you don’t want to admit that you need help. But the fact that we have college students here that you can sit down and talk to and they’ll let you know that they’ve been there, and they’ve gone through that eases students and gets them to talk a little

bit more,” Jessica Correll, Kat2Kat peer counselor, said.

However, not every student on campus has neglected the SMMC.

“They helped me come up with a budget,” Ashley Baker, sophomore, said. “I brought them my receipts

and they compiled them and showed me that I was spending a lot on food because I eat out a lot. That was one of the ways I learned to cut back.”

Counselors in the SMMC are hoping to get students to understand they are available to help.

“We don’t get a lot of counseling sessions still,” Correl said. “I would say we probably get like 7 or 8 students a month, which is very low seeing as how each student worker here works about 15-20 hours a week. So we’re available but people aren’t getting the

word.” Student turnout at

financial planning events has also been low.

“I went to a seminar they had and it was about finances, and I got this pretty awesome binder,” Baker said. “But it was kind of sad because there were four other people in the LSC Theater.”

The SMMC functions out of OneCard Services, which was allocated $485,000 for the 2011 fiscal year. The director of the center was unavailable for comment regarding the center’s funding by press time.

“We encourage all students regardless of their questions or their needs to come by and see us or call and schedule an appointment. We pride ourselves on providing products and services, and we want to know and we want to help students” said Vienne. “So, no matter what their concerns are related to financial literacy, we encourage them to come in and talk to us about it, because if we cant provide it we might be able to find someone who can provide it for them.”

For additional information, visit the SMMC’s website at www.shsu.edu/~smmc.

Page 3Tuesday, April 26, 2011News

houstonianonline.com/news

From TEXAS page 1

From FLAMES page 1

By Erin Peterson & Lauren PrestonAssociate News Editor & Contributing Reporter

April 24, 2011- During a traffic stop in the 2000 block of Sam Houston Avenue, a male Huntsville resident was arrested for an oustanding warrant of arrest for the offense of Possession of Marijuanana.- Officer was dispatched to Elliot Hall to assist with a medical call.- A male Huntsville resident was arrested during a traffic stop near the intersection of 14th Street and Avenue I when it was determined that he was wanted on two warrants of arrest.

April 22, 2011- While checking the welfare of a male in the 2400 block Sam Houston Avenue, officer determined that the male was highly intoxicated. The male was arrested and charged with Public Intoxication.

April 21, 2011- Officer was dispatched to Raven Village, located at 2133 Avenue I, in reference to a report of a suspicious odor report. At the conclusion of the investigation, a male non-university student was arrested and charged with Possession of Marijuana.

April 20, 2011- Officer met with female complainant who reported that as she was walking in

a parking lot, she was struck by a vehicle that was backing out of a parking space (located in the 2000 block of Avenue J). The female complainant advised that the vehicle left the scene; however, she was unable to provide a full description of the suspect vehicle. An investigation continues.- Officer met with female complainant who reported that she mistakenly left a cell phone at the University Bookstore while making a purchase. Upon return, the cell phone could not be located. A theft report was completed.

April 19, 2011- Officer was dispatched to Raven Village in reference to a suspicious person. Upon arrival, officer made contact with complainant who reported that a know male was banging on her door loudly. A check of records indicated that this male was not a student or otherwise employed by the University. A check of the area could not locate the individual described by the complainant.

April 18, 2011- Officer met with staff complainant who reported that four bags of university soccer balls were stolen from Pritchett Field. The bags were mistakenly left out and could not be located when when they returned to pick them up.

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Page 4: The Houstonian, April 26, 2011

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Page 5: The Houstonian, April 26, 2011

Page 5Tuesday, April 26, 2011Arts & Entertainment

houstonianonline.com/a-e

The 12th Annual SHSU Department of Art Juried Student Exhibition came to an end Thursday as this year’s winners were announced. Below is a list of the winning artists:

4th Place: $200 • Alexander Ray, Untitled, oil on canvas3rd Place: $400 • Beth Hargrove, Futility: Who Is John Galt?, digital video projection2nd Place: $600 • Matthew Weintritt, Autobiographical Fiction 05, color inkjet print1st Place: $800 • Allison Rainwater, Flossers, 400 + dental flossersBest of Show: $1000 • McKenzie Smith Quarantine, oil on canvas

Honorable Mention• Blake Robinson Atlas, book • Zack Kenna, Soapbox, oil and acrylic on masonite• Kevin Mulcahy, Portrait, Acrylic on canvas• Shelbey Lyne Dickens-Smith, Dream But Keep Being The Way I Am, bullet shells, fabrics • Tamar Raja, The Butterfly, animation• Cynthia Conner, Odine, oil on canvas • Thomas Boydston, My Sister’s Spine, archival inkjet print, photo installation

Artist: Blake Robinson

Artist: Shelbey Lyne Dickens-Smith

Artist: Allison Rainwater

Artist: Tamar Raja

Artist: Cynthia Connor

Photos courtesy of SHSU Department of Art

Passion portrayed, results revealed

Houston, TX- Houston’s historic nightclub mecca, Rich’s, was the party-packed place to be for one of the greatest DJ battles to go down in Houston. More than 1,700 fans came out to support their favorite Houston DJs and get down to the sounds of headliner DJ Scene and party with host Paul Couture. All the DJs clamored for the title, but in the end, Rockwell proved to be the people’s champ.

One-by-one and deck-to-deck each DJ showcased their craftsmanship in 15 minute sets exhibiting their creativity and validating their crowd control in this one-of-a-kind battle. Speakers thumped and feet stomped throughout the night hitting a peak when hundreds of hands were waving in the air during Rockwell’s party-anthem filled set.

“This competition was one of the greatest experiences,” said Rockwell.

“DJing allows us to give the people what they want.”

Headliner, DJ Scene, took to the stage after the competition setting the party off late into the night. His champion-level skills shined as people danced with big smiles when the Sesame Street theme song played and mixed into “shake it like a Polaroid picture” from Andre 3000’s Hey Ya tune.

All competing DJs, DJ Cruize Control, Rockwell, Dayta , EL Roy Boogie, Good Grief, Kyle Berg,DJ New York and Baby Jae, put together impressive sets featuring tunes spanning blends of Reggaeton, Salsa, Hip Hop, Indie and more. Five judges including David Anderson, Marco Torres, David Rodriguez, Mickeal Zibi and DJ Scene were tasked with deciding the winners.

“It’s great everybody came out and supported and had a good time. Rockwell came and killed it early in the competition,” said judge David Rodriguez of The Tipping Point. “All in all he

got the most hands in the air and the most bobbing heads and nobody topped him.”

Red Bull Thre3Style is an innovative concept that gives highly skilled DJs a platform to battle, perform, gain notoriety and express themselves in a party atmosphere. Eight DJs fight for the crowd’s favor, each with a 15-minute set that MUST contain at least three different musical genres.

More than 20 US Qualifiers will take place this year. The winner of each qualifier gains the opportunity to compete in a Regional final.

The top two DJs from each regional battle win the chance to fly to Las Vegas in November for the National Red Bull Thre3Style Championship. The national champ will then travel to Vancouver, Canada to compete in the global finals against the world’s best party-rock DJs in hopes of being crowned the International Red Bull Thre3Style champ.

By Meagan EllsworthEditor-in-Chief

Rockwell takes title at Houston DJ competition

Page 6: The Houstonian, April 26, 2011
Page 7: The Houstonian, April 26, 2011

Page 7Tuesday, April 26, 2011Sports

houstonianonline.com/sports twitter.com/HoustonianSport

Kats stats

THURSDAY, April 21SHSU 0 Nicholls

RESULTS

UPCOMING GAMES

STANDINGS Texas StateStephen F. AustinSam Houston StateSoutheastern La.UT ArlingtonUTSALamarNichollsMcNeese StateCentral ArkansasTexas A&M-CCNorthwestern St

15-6 (28-12)15-6 (25-14)12-9 (27-15)12-9 (26-15)12-9 (23-18)11-10 (19-22)9-12 (22-19)9-12 (20-20)9-12 (20-21)8-12 (19-21)8-13 (23-21)5-16 (15-26)

SHSU BASEBALL

FRIDAY, April 22SHSU 5 Nicholls 2SATURDAY, April 23SHSU 0 Nicholls 12

TUESDAY, April 26SHSU at Texas A&M

SLC CHAMPIONSHIP

Gilberto Clavell keeps hearing he’s not tall enough for his position. At 6’6, he needs to improve his ball-handling and face-up game. Clavell needs more range on his jump shot and a quicker release, too. It’s the same song.

“You’re good, but…”But, nothing. This is

a situation where one’s overall body of work speaks for itself. When that doesn’t work, the underdog does more – digs deeper.

That’s why Clavell, following an early exit from the Southland Conference where he averaged 22.5 points per game, spent his spring break in Huntsville training with SHSU assistant coach Will Weaver.

It barely makes sense. Why would arguably the best player in the conference, a likely pro, be training just a week after his season ended? While most players vacationed or spent time with family, Clavell was making sacrifices to prove the skeptics wrong and continue his level of excellence on the court.

Despite the areas of his game which he knows he can improve, Clavell is consistently doubted for not having the length to play extended minutes in the post. Yet what makes him such a special athlete has little to do with size. Aside from an impeccable work ethic, his mentality is spot on for a successful athlete.

Clavell explains how he works out his core – the

abdominal mid-section. If the core isn’t right, balance is off and so is reaction.

Clavell is an overachiever. He says he wasn’t always a good basketball player – he was made by his tenacious work-outs and athletic trainers from Puerto Rico. Clavell started core concentrated workouts after his junior year in high school.

Clavell does six different sets of 30 in his abs work. He uses a medicine ball to

keep his deltoids working. In a two-minute span, Clavell does 180 reps without stopping.

On his birthday, Aug. 10, Clavell weighed around 235 pounds which he says is no credit to serious bench press. He just worked with a medicine ball and his own weight – a lot of push-ups and pull-ups.

The push-ups Clavell does are insane. He doesn’t just move vertically, he moves laterally for constant

exertion. Every push-up is worth 20. His main workout partner is roommate Josten Crow, who Clavell says is one of few guys to stick around for more than a couple of days of workouts.

In a press conference last December, UTEP head coach Tim Floyd said Clavell would be a lottery pick if he was 6’9.

“That’s a good compliment but I’m not 6’9,” said Clavell. “It’s frustrating. I work as hard

as anyone in the nation. You know, it affects me. It affected me throughout college, throughout high school.”

Still, full-time professional basketball is on the horizon. Clavell made his pro debut last weekend in Coama, Puerto Rico with 21 points, eight rebounds and three steals.

He says his shot is more consistent and his release is getting quicker. Hopefully the skeptics can catch up.

All-American devalues skepticismBrandon [email protected]

Jessica Gomez | File photoJAM. Most defenders fear the lob pass when Gilberto Clavell is on the floor. He has mad a name for himself through ferocious power slams

When Sam Houston visits Olsen Field for a 6:35 p.m. baseball game with Texas A&M, this evening will have special significance for both Bearkat and Aggie fans alike.

Today marks Coach Mark Johnson’s last visit to Olsen Field. In January, Johnson announced his retirement at the end of the 2011 season.

Johnson, who has led Sam Houston to NCAA Division I regional baseball playoff appearances in three of his first four years in Huntsville, also owns the most coaching victories in Aggie baseball history with 876 from 1985-2005.

Johnson will be honored by Texas A&M prior the beginning of the contest.

In his 21 years at A&M, Johnson directed the Aggies to two NCAA College World Series appearances, Southwest Conference championships in 1986, 1989, and 1993 and Big 12 league titles in 1998 and 1999.

His teams competed in the NCAA playoffs 13 times, making 13 NCAA regional appearances and reaching the College World Series in 1993 and 1999.

Texas A&M brings a 29-11 record into Tuesday night’s contest. The Aggies stand 14-4 in Big 12 Conference competition. Tyler Naguin (.396) and Krey Bratsen (.350) are A&M’s top hitters. The Kats are coming off a recent shut-out from Nicholls 12-0.

Colonels first baseman Blake Bergeron blasted a first-inning three-run triple to power Nicholls to a 12-0 run-rule victory and a Southland Conference series win over Sam Houston Saturday afternoon.

The Colonels exposed Bearkat pitching for 14 hits and took advantage of three Sam Houston errors to up Nicholls’ season record to 20-20 and put the Colonels at 9-12 in Southland action. The Kats dropped to 27-15 for the year and 12-9 in league play.

Nicholls pitcher Mike Wisecarver (4-2) limited Sam Houston to six hits in seven innings. The shutout was the Colonels’ second of the season, both over the Bearkats. Sam Houston was blanked for the third time this year.

Shortstop Braeden Riley totaled two hits and second baseman Ryan Mooney, Greg Olson, Daniel Nottebart and Payton Wisener each produced one hit.

Second baseman Mace Barba led the Colonels at the plate, going for 3 for 4.

Sam Houston stands 27-15 for the season and 12-9 in Southland Conference action after dropping two of three in a road trip to Nicholls this past weekend.

Chris Andreas (.346), Ryan Mooney (.345), Greg Olson (.312) and Braeden Riley (.311) lead the Bearkats at the plate.

Riley became Sam Houston’s all-time total hits leader going 3-for-5 at the plate to get the Bearkats back on the winning track with a 5-2 victory at Nicholls Friday afternoon.

Riley hit two doubles and a single to up his career hit total to 274. Riley tied Terry Pirtle’s school record of 271 in the series opener Thursday night, a 7-0 SHSU loss.

Following the game with Texas A&M, Sam Houston will return to Don Sanders Stadium for the Bearkats’ next-to-last home Southland weekend series.

The Kats play host to Southeastern Louisiana Friday at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m

Photo courtesy of SHSU Athletics

HISTORY. Pictured here are one of college baseball’s most prolific coaches Mark Johnson (left) and Sam Houston State’s all-time hits leader Braeden Riley (right)

Bearkat legendsBrandon [email protected]

Senior Braeden Riley becomes SHSU all-time hits leader. Head coach Mark Johnson returns to A&M

i T u n e s

Want more SHSU sports?Listen to our podcast: houstoniansport.podbean.comThe Houstonian Sports Show

Fort Worth - Led by Kort O'Leary who fired a three-over 75 during the first day's action, the Sam Houston men's golf team stands in sixth place after 18 holes at the 48th annual South-land Conference Men's Golf Championship Monday.

The event is being played on the par 72, 7,304-yard course at Waterchase Golf Course.

Host UT-Arlington leads the team competition with a 291 total. Lamar is in second place with a 295 score, fol-lowed by Southeastern Loui-siana and Stephen F. Austin 296, UTSA 300, Sam Hous-ton 305, Texas State and Cen-tral Arkansas 306, McNeese State 308 and Nicholls 312.

O'Leary stands tied for 19th in the individual stand-ings. Other Sam Houston scores were Justin McKay 76, Blaine Weiterman and James Glenn 77 and Jeff Litwak 85.

Ryan Werre of UTSA leads the individual competition with a one-under 71.

The tournament continues with the second 18 holes on Tuesday and wraps up with the final round Wednesday.

Complete team and indi-vidual standings from Mon-day's first round action.

MEN’S GOLF

Page 8: The Houstonian, April 26, 2011

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