Huntsville, TexasVol 115— Issue 20 Thursday, April 1, 2010

INDEX

Viewpoints................page 2

Campus................page 3

Entertainment........page 5

Sports....................page 6

SPORTS FEATURE PRESENTATION

Entertainment contributor James Ashworth believes music to be reborn with Spoon’s new album. SEE page 7

Nation & World...page 4

SEE page 8

Aces wild

“It is my distinct pleasure to nominate Dr. Richard E. Watts’s to be recognized as an American Counseling Association Fellow,” wrote Judith A. Nelson, Ph.D. and president of the Texas Counseling Association in her nomination letter, along with many others in the counseling profession contributing to Watts’ recent acceptance of the esteemed American Counseling Association Fellow Award.

Watts’s was awarded on March 21, 2010 at the ACA Conference in Pittsburgh. According to the ACA, the award “is the highest level of recognition one can receive from the official body of the counseling profession (ACA) and is based on a career body of work.”

In addition to working on two books and helping with students’ dissertations, Watts’s is currently the editor of “Counseling and Values,” the journal of the Association of Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling, an ACA division.

SHSU Professor receives national recognition in Pittsburg

By Shenay LemonContributing Writer

Wattsaccepts

Today is the day many bearkats will add some bling to their wings as they inch one step closer to academic freedom.

Today the Sam Houston State Alumni Association will host the annual ring ceremony for 525 par-ticipating bearkats and an expected 1500 guests in front of Austin Hall.

“We chose Austin Hall because it is one of the oldest buildings on cam-pus and everyone can recognize it,” Director of Alumni Relations Charlie Vienne said. “ It serves as a nice back drop setting as well.”

For most graduates the ring symbolizes success and the beginning of their graduation festivities.

“Receiving my ring means I can finally replace my high school class ring with something of much more worth,” said senior Jaymee Lamprecht. “It means I made it. I finally accomplished something I have worked so hard for. I am ready to explore what the world has to offer.”

According to Vienne, the ceremony commemo-rates a milestone in the graduates’ academic ca-reers.

“It gives the students a short-term goal before reaching their long-term goal of graduation,” said

Vienne. Bearkats not partici-

pating in the ceremony can begin picking up thier rings on Friday, April 2 at the Sam Houston Alumni Office located on the sec-ond floor of the visitors center.

Students who have not yet purchased their rings can do so upon completion of 75 academic hours. The rings may be ordered year round at the on-campus Barnes and Noble Book-store located inside of the Lowman Student Center. So be sure to add some bling to your wings and congratulations Bearkats!

From China, to India, to Egypt, to America, herbal medicine is as old as mankind itself and has been practiced in every culture throughout the world.

Herbs have received a lot of flack throughout the years as people associate them with pot heads and hippies, but there are many beneficial herbs that can be incorporated into a person’s everyday life to contribute to their overall well-being.

A hidden gem sits on the corner of 14th Street and Avenue M. January Herbs and Wellness is one of the places to find and learn about herbs

and how they can benefit your lifestyle. The store carries numerous product lines including Nature’s Sunshine, Life’s Fortune, and Nordic Naturals, just to name a few.

This shop also provides services such as table massage, chair massage, ear candling, and wellness counseling.

After having three children naturally, Valarie January believes in the power of informed decisions about your body’s health and by using natural products, she believes she is giving herself an option of what to put into her body and what her body will become.

“Herbs are plants, and they are usually taken in their original form. They have all the properties of that plant

that it was grown with, and the benefit of that is they have a synergistic effect,” Valarie January, herb specialist, natural health professional/ owner and operator of January’s Herbs & Wellness, said.

“The difference between herbs and prescription drugs is a drug has either a stimulant or a suppressant, so people tend to have side effects when all they are doing is stimulating or suppressing a system or something that their body does naturally,” She said.

Valarie stated that herbs bring balance to the body instead of stimulating or suppressing a system, so this means there are no side effects.

A reform in California has pushed for the decriminalization and taxation of the most commonly used, illicit drug in the United States, but Texas laws have yet to go up in smoke.

The University Police Department in Huntsville said they commonly get a wide variety of calls from dorm rooms to traffic stops for students involved with marijuana.

While Texas laws allow the police to use discretion in cases, however, the university has a zero tolerance policy.

“Police can use discretion in every-thing,” UPD Deputy Chief James Fitch said. “Say an officer comes in contact with a student who has a very small amount, could they let them go? It’s a possibility. Even if the officer didn’t make an arrest, it would still be reported to the Dean of Student’s Office.”

Regarding the recent push to tax and regulate one of the most used and illicit drugs in the country, Fitch said there are two main problems he’s seen among users.

One, it sometimes acts as a gateway drug; people use so long they don’t get the high they used to and move on to,

say, cocaine. Two, with it being illegal, buyers can not be sure as to whether, or not dealers are adding to or “lacing,” the drug.

“I think it should stay illegal and [the laws should] stay the same because it does open the door to so many other things. I was a probation officer some-time before [joining the ]police and you see that a lot where people move on to harder drugs,” Fitch said.

However, prisons are getting crowd-ed.

“If the legislatures were to ever choose to lighten the sentences or pun-ishments for people in possession, it wouldn’t be bad,” Fitch said. “[There are a lot of] people in jail for posses-sion and [if] jails are full [we] may need more [space for] violent offenders. It is using tax payers’ money.”

Legislature Analyst for MPP, Eric McDaniel said, “There are 800,000 ar-rests nationwide for marijuana since last year alone. The vast majority are for simple possession, not dealing with dangerous drugs or international drug trafficking--average people, neighbors, friends that may use occasion.”

Many have debated as to whether or not the taxation of the cannabis would benefit the economy. Assistant Profes-sor John Miller, of Sam Houston State

University’s Economics Department gave his insight.

“Duh, yes, of course,” Miller said. “Simply by taking billions of dollars out, freeing it up from the policing ac-tion and perhaps regulation or even tax-ing, I think it is a good idea.”

Although Miller has never used, he said it doesn’t bother him as much as alcohol—which he does partake in.

“I’d like to see it decriminalized and taxed,” Miller said. “I think it would help a lot with taxing and with drug car-tels at the border. It’s just one of those really simple solutions that seems obvi-ous and may have consequences, but it’s hard to imagine the consequences [being as severe as they are now].

While most college students sheep-ishly giggle about the idea, some have their concerns.

“I think it would stimulate the econo-my, but it I think it could mess up soci-ety. If people started using, maybe they wouldn’t stop,” SHSU freshman, Hol-land Nixon said.

One student shared an uncommon perspective.

Thomas Boydston | The Houstonian

— See WATTS, page 6

NOMINATED. When Richard E. Watts, Ph.D, received the letter containing his nomination notice he almost threw it away, mistak-ing it for junk mail.

Joe Buvid | The Houstonian

HEALTH AND WELLNESS. January Herbs is located on the corner of 14th street and Avenue M. Owners, Jason and Valerie January encourage students to educate themselves about the different types of herbs.— See HERBS, page 6

By Kristin MeyerSenior Reporter

The common misconceptionLocal Huntsville owners discuss the benefits of January’s Herbs.

Reaching 75As many as 525 participants, 1500 guests expected to attend ring ceremonyBy Malissa PeekContributing Writer

Sam Houston State University Football Pro Day Thursday morning at Bowers Stadium.

Paraphernalia ParanoiaRecent reform movements spark the debate on whether or not to regulate and tax marijuana

By Meagan EllsworthEditor-in-Chief

— See CANNABIS, page 6

Students hunt for Easter eggs

See page 6

Joe Buvid | The Houstonian

Marijuana Arrests in Walker county in 2002: 173

TexasUniversity Police Department 2010 Arrest - On-campus* for Drug Abuse Violations : 8Texas marijuana laws are concurrent with this act, whereas possession in the smallest amount could potentially carry a sentence of 180 days in jail, a $2000 fine, and is considered a misdemean-or charge.Crime - Statistics(2008) Although people may think that the Drug War targets drug smug-glers and 'King Pins,' in 2008, 49.8 percent (half) of the 1,702,537 total arrests for drug abuse violations were for mari-juana -- a total of 847,863. Of those, 754,224 people were arrested for mari-juana possession alone. By contrast in 2000 a total of 734,497 Americans were arrested for marijuana offenses, of which 646,042 were for possession alone.www.drugwarfacts.org

April Fool’s DayPage 2 The Houstonian Thursday, April 1, 2010

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 sub-missions 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, room 210 in the communications building. We look forward to hearing from you and thank you as always for your continued support of the Houstonian.

Heath WierckViewpoints Editorhaw002@shsu.edu

Letter to the Student Body

The individual opinions on the Viewpoints page are not necessarily affiliated with the view of The Housto-nian or SHSU. The Houstonian is published semi-week-ly 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 Associ-ated Press.

SECTION EDITORS

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The HoustonianEditorial

Lotis Butchko....................................................................Senior EditorJoe Buvid.............................................................................Photo EditorJessica Priest..................................................................Associate EditorHeath Wierck..............................................................Viewpoints EditorMike Silva...........................................................................Sports EditorKevin Jukkola........................................................Entertainment EditorThomas Merka...................................................................Web Editor

Meagan Ellsworth...............................................................936-294-1505

FACULTY ADVISORPatsy Ziegler.....................................................................936-294-1499

STAFFKristin Meyer.................................................................Senior ReporterBrandon Scott.................................................................Sports ReporterJohn Rudolph.......................................................................Photographer

AdvertisingBUSINESS MANAGERTammie Nokes.................................................................936-294-1500

STAFFBrad Basker.........................................................Advertising Relations Brittany Hampton...............................................Advertising Manager Brittany Pires.......................................................Production Manager Kyle Thomas.............................................................Account Executive Gupreet Singh...........................................................Account Executive

Tuesday’s Issue............... Friday at 2:00 p.m.Thursday’s Issue........... Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. Advertising

Deadlines

In the Tuesday, March 30 issue of The Houstonian, errors were in place. The story, “Farewell Coach,” had Louisiana spelled wrong several times. Also, on page two in the “Paws UP, Paws DOWN” section, there was missing information and repeated information from a previous week.

Correction

Sidra Qureshi, a Muslim student at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, is leading a group of students in a fight for the removal of the phrase “In the Year of Our Lord” from all diplomas. Qureshi, president of Trinity Diversity Connection, argues the words do not respect all religions on campus.

As of Monday, the group has been backed by the university’s own student government, however, the support of university President Dennis Ahlburg has thus far been denied.

It is inexplicable how Trinity’s student government ever put its support behind Qureshi’s group.

The university historically enrolls mostly Anglo Christians, and has only increased its percentage of international students from 1 to 9 percent in the last eleven years.

So, it would seem that a group duty-bound to speak for the student majority would therefore be all but required to withhold its support, and in fact, place its support with Qureshi’s

opposition. The fact that this group’s

request has even gotten this far is a sign of trouble. No one forced Qureshi to attend Trinity University, and if the religious affiliations of his college are so important to him, why didn’t he research its background before he enrolled? Nothing gives him the right to come in

willfully ignorant, then demand change.

Trinity University was founded by Presbyterians in 1869 and continues to maintain a covenant relationship with the church.

The campus has a chapel, a chaplain, Christmas Vespers and even a Bible etching on the university seal.

Brendan McNamara, president of the College Republicans, brought up a good point when he asked where the line would be drawn if the diploma

change was approved. Would the Trinity seal soon be changed to appease a minority as well?

It would not make sense for a university so obviously rooted in Christianity to remove the religious reference from its diplomas. More so, it is wrong to expect it to cower to the demands of a campus minority due to fears of

appearing disrespectful to other religions.

We must not forget the ideals of democracy and our nation’s heritage of faith. University President Ahlburg hit the nail on the head with his statement,

“Democracy is not letting a small number of people have their way,” Ahlburg said. “Democracy is listening to the different voices and making an informed decision.”

University Trustees will hold a board meeting in May to discuss the request made by Qureshi’s group.

For those who have strong feelings on the issue, I urge you to email Trinity University and share your respectful, well thought out beliefs with President Ahlburg. I will soon be doing so, in hopes of helping to uphold democracy and secure the sanctity of our nation.

The Registrar’s Office at Trinity University confirmed via phone on Tuesday, that the university has requested all emails relating to the diploma issue be sent to pr@trinity.edu. These messages are generally read by the University Secretary, Monica Ramirez. However, if the university determines the message suitable, it may be forwarded up the ranks.

To view the entire article, visit http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/religion/new/6934689.html#

“We must not forget the ideals of democracy and our nation’s heritage of faith.”

Religion on diplomas?Meagan Ducic shares her views on the cur-rent dispute over religious mottos on diplomas.

Meagan Ducic is a guest columnist for The Houstonian. She is a Senior Print Journalism major, English minor.

Comics for thought

Comic courtesy of comics.com

Comic courtesy of comics.com

Puzzle for the day

Puzzle courtesy of Sudoku-Puzzles.net Puzzle courtesy of Sudoku-Puzzles.net

Café Belvin is a source of food for many students at Sam Houston State. But one can not help but no-tice the smaller portion sizes of food. When I first arrived on campus two years ago, Buffalo Chicken Wraps were a reasonable size. Now they are nothing bigger than three nuggets inside a tortilla.

For students, including myself, I really do enjoy Café Belvin. The food is reasonably priced in the meal plan and at least once a week there are some pretty good meals. But the portion size is decreas-ing, and as tuition is rising and book prices continue to soar, the one thing we would like is good food.

The small things really make the issue. No cherry coke at Belvin, but you can find it at the LSC. No more ice cream bins, where a variety of ice cream was available.

It’s a solid belief in here that if South Paw was open more often with more choices than Tortilla Fr-esca, it would be much more popular after 5 p.m.

With signing up for classes around the corner, the food and the portions will definitely play a role in my decision of number of meal plans to accept. Maybe with ice cream and a decently sized wrap, I will be happy to go back.

But in a buyers market, let’s wait and see what we get.

One thing I won’t be doing is going out of my way to order meal plans. I want decent food, and I un-derstand that sometimes the money is hard to come by, but Hamburgers and french fries everyday with cereal and a sandwich doesn’t take much creativity.

So this is your wake up call Cafe Belvin, don’t let us down.

Belvin Blues

Our

cents... two

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SHSU Junior Fellows Exhibit/Preserving America ExhibitByJake PicardContributing Writing

Over the years, students may accumulate spirit wear from other universities. To promote pride in Sam Hous-ton State University, the Student Government Associa-tion will host a T-Shirt exchange in the LSC mall area.

“What students do is bring an old t-shirt from any oth-er college or university and they will receive a brand new SHSU t-shirt,” said student organizer, Sara Goolsby

The program has been going on for two weeks and continues into next week on Tuesday through Thursday from 11 in the morning until two in the afternoon. Stu-dents can bring any old t-shirts from any college or uni-versity, no matter how old they appear to be to the table.

“I thought it was a cool thing to take part in. I had a shirt from another university I never wore, so it was neat to get to exchange it for a brand new SHSU shirt,” said graduate student, Andrea Henderson.

The program was created by SHSU Student Govern-ment Association in order to promote and create more school spirit among students on campus after organizers seemed to see more shirts from other universities rath-er than SHSU ones. All of the other school t-shirts that were exchanged will be donated to local charities to be distributed to those in need.

“I feel that it is a good way to spread school spirit, some people do not have the money to spend $20- $30 on a SHSU shirt. This program helps people like me to be able to show some spirit for my school,” said sopho-more, Chris Tuck.

T-shirt exchange to promote school spiritBy Shawn RamseyContributing Writing

“Depicted on these walls is a story that makes you real-ize your age,” Walker County Judge Danny Pierce said.

Walker County, which has always been a commu-nity that prides itself on his-toric tradition, was presented with the “Preserve America” award Tuesday night during a reception for the third annual ‘Huntsville: Then, Now’ pho-tographic gallery.

The event was hosted by the SHSU Junior Fellows at the Katy and E. Don Walk-er , Sr. Education Center. The cleverly constructed exhibit showcases images of historic buildings and landmarks on Sam Houston Avenue, span-ning from 10th Street to 19th Street, as they appeared in the past. These images, which

are sometimes over 100 years old, are displayed next to cur-rent photos of the site.

“This designation is a lot more significant than most people realize,” Pierce said. “We are one of 21 counties in the U.S. to receive the award this year.”

The “Preserve America” program aims to encourage citizens to become more in-volved in maintaining Ameri-can culture and increasing the economic, educational and cultural benefits in their com-munity.

Now, thanks to this award, Walker County will be eligible to apply for “Pre-serve America” grants. In ad-dition, the county will also have access to the “Preserve America” logo, which some say spark tourism. These and other valuable resources of-fered the “Preserve America”

program will benefit Walker County in many ways.

The First Lady Michelle Obama, the Advisory Coun-cil on Historic Preservation, the Department of Commerce and the Department of the In-terior all play an instrumen-tal role in what communities qualify to be designated as a “Preserve America” commu-nity.

“This was an eight-month project,” Pierce said. “We got letters back, we made contact, and they con-tacted us because they didn’t have all the information or enough information. We were delighted on Feb. 2 when we got notification from our First Lady Michelle Obama that we made the cut, and we’re so grateful for it.”

Walker County was presented with a “Preserve America” community certifi-

cate from Brandon Reese, a representative of Congress-man Kevin Brady. Reese also has ties to the community and the university, as he gradu-ated from SHSU in 2008 and was once a member of the Ju-nior Fellows.

“We played only a small role in helping the community get this designation, and Con-gressman Brady was honored to sign this application,” Re-ese said. “But the truth is, the county didn’t really need our help in getting this designa-tion. When you list off all the unique and historical things about Walker County, the evi-dence is very convincing.”

SHSU professor and Junior Fellows Advisor Mike Yawn said the designation was not just the work of a few people.

“It could not have hap-pened without the proactive

efforts from the city,” he said. “[Also], the Walker County’s Commissioner’s Court de-serves a lot of thanks for ask-ing the right questions, decid-ing [Preserve America] was a good thing for the community and putting in the application to the White House.”

Many say Huntsville is truly unique for its intense appreciation of its history and this fact is evident in the Ju-nior Fellows’ exhibit. The ex-hibit demonstrates that, while Huntsville has evolved over time, the community’s love of tradition and its heritage has kept the original spirit of Huntsville alive.

“We’ve had a great community since Huntsville was founded over 175 years ago,” Pierce said. “Preserv-ing our past, knowing how to appreciate it and how to go forward from it is a lesson of life within itself.”

The “Huntsville: Then, Now” exhibit will be on dis-play until the end of April. The Katy and E. Don Walker Sr., Education Center is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 4:30 p.m. on Sundays and closed on Mondays and holidays.

The Junior Fellows is a student organization that promotes public service, edu-cation and professionalism. They organize various edu-cational seminars, volunteer in the Huntsville community and at SHSU, and they attend special events of social or political interest. Any Politi-cal Science majors or minors interested in joining are asked to visit their Web site at http://www.shsu.edu/~org_psjf/.

A different day, a different time

Happy April Fool’s Day!

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Bryant KutacKelly KutacNicole LacrossWoodrow LakeZane LakerJaymee LamprechtStella LanderosMercy LaneTravis LangdonJacqueline LangwellChris LawrenceKristen LaytonBobbie LeeBrooke LeeTheodor LeeMegan LegerDouglas LeopoldHeather LewisWilliam LightJosue LimonKyle LinerAaron LongSamuel LongoriaChristopher LopezJose LopezAlice LothmanJoshua LottAmanda LoveladyKymberly LovingAmanda LovornErnest LucasMatthew LucasTonya LuedkeCasey LueraRaquel LunaKevin LunsfordShirley LynnBrooks MaakMelissa MabryKimberly MacphersonCassandra MadewellClaire MaerzShannon MaguireSamantha MahlmannJorge MaldonadoShannon MalekLeah ManskeJessika MarcosRosalinda MarezJessica MarkhamJose MarquezAlyson MartinBonny MartinJessica MartinMatt MartinKaylee MartinezSusana MartinezAshley MasseyMegan MasseyShane MathersStephanie MatsonMichael MatthewsDrew MattinglyDerika MaxwellLara McCainBrittany McClureSteven McCoyRobert McDougalDesiree McGowinAlaina McInturffDerek McKearinJenna McMichaelMolly McNeillMisty McPheeElizabeth MedinaVeronica MedinaChristiaan MeiringPatricia MelchorCarlos MendozaLindy MendozaAllison MercerJulius MichaelBrent MichalakTasheena MiyagiDaphne MoehlmannChristine MoldovanElizabeth MolinaElizabeth MontgomeryCharity MooreRachel MooreOscar MoralesAmber MoreauxAudrey MorganErin MorrisJoshua MoserTravis MosherBreanne MuldrowAurora MunozCandace MurphyCadie MusickAndrew MustainKerry MutschlerKacee MynarAmanda NaronRichard NarroSavannah NealRachel NeatheryVanessa NelmsCandice NeunerAllan NevludKathryn NewmanLogan NewtonMatthew Nielsen

Kelly NixRachael NixonApril NormanStephanie NorrisMary O’BrienDana OdomMichelle OdomsSean O’HaraJordan OlbrichColby OliphantBlake OlsonJosephine OlubuyiAmanda OnarheimMaribel OropezaMonica OrtegaLauren OswaldCecelia OttEdward OwensKennith OwensCasey PageEric PalacioDustin PalmTalrah PantallionRichard ParkerCarrie PaulBrian PavlockDaniel PawlowskiRaven PayourWilliam PaytonVictoria PearmanCatherine PeckWesley PeckMaria PenaMarcelo PendletonTacie PenewittTimothy PepperShelesha PettisArielle PhillipsJennifer PidatellaCarla PinedaMichael PittmanWilliam PoplinAlyssa PorterCasey PorterKyle PoseyAnne PowellJustin PowellJeffrey PraterOndrea PrattCeleste PrescottSuzanne PrescottShamira PrestonSarah PrinceNatalie PruittCourtney PufferRoberto PulidoLauren PuttEstrella RamirezMonique RamirezMegan RamseyJared RappMelissa ReaganSara ReavesRebekah ReedGraciela ReynaSandy ReynoldsTracy RichardsonMeghan RileyKathy RiosAmber RobertsNicole RobertsCaitlin RobillardLakreisha RobinsonJustin RockCristine RodriguezElizabeth RodriguezGilberto RodriguezStephanie RomanSteven RomantzCarlos RondanLindsey RowellGenie RudolphKaty RyanWilliam RyanMeghan SadlerPamela SaldivarBrenda SanchezAna SantanaCandee SavacoolGary SavellCatherine SaysKrystal SchielBrittany SchultzRene SchunnemanTabitha ScottAmanda SebestaLauren SelioBrittany SerpasBrooke SerpasElvis SevillaAndy SharpAshley SharverAustin ShawDavid SheffieldRoss SheffieldBobby ShepardDavid SherwoodAshli ShreveNicholas ShumardKristine SilvaKeddria SimonBrittany SimsGarrett Smith

Joel SmithKalor SmithKendall SmithKristen SmithKristopher SmithMegan SmithDonnie SniderJames SoefjeKaylan SonnierAshley SpakesMichael SpanoCorye SparksDavid Spence Jr.Kyle SpeziaStephanie StaicerSteven StantonJillian StashakDaniel StavinohaEbonee StephensLauren StevensonTeshara StewartCharles StoneJulie StonerCrystal StorerElisa StringerJessica StriplingCaitlin StrohbehnJohn StuartElena SuarezAna SudderthJustin SullivanKyle SullivanAlexandra SurvantTammy SwannerStephanie SwarthoutJennifer TarverVicki TateDavid TaylorKandace TaylorNicole ThomasHynnifah ThompsonJustin ThompsonLindsey ThompsonCandice ThrockmortonNicole TielkeChristopher TondreChristine TownsendRob TrippHaley TubbRyan TuckerMatthew TumlinsonRichard TurnerChristopher TyreeSylvia ValderasCeleste ValleBrittany Van WinkleSharon VasquezRaymundo VenegasErika VeraMegan VernorBritney VickKristy VienneVictor VillalobosHerlinda VillarrealMichael VillarrealValarie ViniarskiJustin VotawKimberly VuCacie WagnerMaverik WagnerCarol WalkerRebecca WalkerStacy WalleckRio WallingRebecca WardShamira WashingtonTimothy WatkinsJames WehrKatharine WestMeaghan WestMegan WestermanCaleb WhitePatrick WhiteCharles WigginsMelissa WigginsAmanda WilesMarcia WileyBritni WilliamsBrittany WilliamsDenette WilliamsDiedra WilliamsElizabeth WilliamsJamie WilliamsLaquandra WilliamsMegan WilliamsStephanie WillisAlex WilsonAsa WilsonDavid WilsonMallory WilsonNatalie WiseniskeAurial WoodElizabeth WoodSusan WoodardRandi WrightTimothy WrightMichael WunderlichDemetria YanezKay YellBrandy YoungKristi ZadikGrady ZbranekAshley Ziegler

Registration begins at 4:30 p.m., event begins at 6:30 p.m.

CAMPUSThursday, April 1, 2010 The Houstonian, Page 6

THE HUNT IS ON: Freshman Ashley Wiley enjoyed the beautiful spring day while participating in a campus-wide search for Easter eggs.

Raven Nest Golf Club will be giving back to Huntsville citizens on Friday, April 2, with an open range and free lessons from the PGA Student Association for anyone wanting to step up their game. The lessons will be provided from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. with at least five stu-dents at a time receiving 15 to 20 minute lessons.

“We are offering these lessons because one of our goals is to promote and grow the game of golf while showing our appreciation to the Huntsville community,” said Richard Ballinger, di-rector of the PGA golf man-agement program and golf course operations, in a pre-viously published Today@Sam article.

Students in the PGA golf management program are experienced in teaching pitching, chipping, putting and full swing lessons. They are willing to help anyone who wishes to come out and no appointment is required.

“We do it to basically pro-mote the game of golf,” said Seth Newsome, president of the PGA Student Associa-tion. “It gets people out who might not have the time or money normally. It gets our guys a lot of experience and teaching. It’s a win-win situ-ation.”

“People have been com-ing to us with a particular area they would like to work on,” said Ballinger in an ar-ticle previously published by Today@Sam. “We are happy to help people with whatever aspect of their game they feel needs some

help.” Also, participation in this

free event may offer more than one advantage.

Skills on the course can be used for enjoyment as well as employment. The business world is strongly linked to social engage-ments at golf clubs. A large number of managers, su-pervisors and top CEOs are avid golfers and working for them without golfing skills can be difficult.

“It really is a kind of es-sential skill,” said News-ome. “There is probably more business done on a golf course than in a confer-ence room or even face to face.”

The golf course is even used by many companies as the ideal location to take potential clients. The sport has grown to become an ex-pected skill in many insur-ance, finance and real estate firms.

“I have heard of com-panies hiring professional golfers to play with clients to seal the deal,” said News-ome.

Newsome is a Business Administrative Manage-ment major with a minor in PGA Golf Management. From 2000 the number of colleges offering golf class-es as credit toward a busi-ness degree has increased to 59 from 15, according to an article by The Wall Street Journal.

Now is the chance to learn how to “Ace” the green and improve your talent to make the business world transi-tion a little easier.

Contributing WriterBy Kara Vaughan

Fore more information, call the Raven Nest Golf Club at 936.438.8588.

Hitting the green

“Taken as a whole, my experience tells me that Dr. Watts’s contributions to counseling places him in the top one percent of professional counselors who have advanced the profession over the past 15 years,” wrote David Kaplan, Ph.D and ACA Chief Professional Officer in his nomination letter to Watts. With having written more than 115 scholarly publications, 86 journal

articles and book chapters, and five books, Watts’s influence on his colleagues through his writings has not only made him more than qualified to receive the ACA, but a profound member of the counseling profession.

“My primary motivation is helping students and helping colleagues become successful…another is the pursuit of knowledge…,” said Watts in describing the drive behind his counseling career. Despite the mountains of books that overflow the shelves and the plaques that

cover the walls in his office, he remains humble in the midst of his increasing success. When it comes to corporate accomplishments, such as the Sam Houston counseling department receiving national accreditation after three years of hard work, Watts experiences great excitment. As a past recipient of that David K. Brooks Jr. Distinguished Mentor Award, among other personal success, he takes every accolade humbly.

“There are few writers who have the ability to teach

through their writing, but Dr. Watts proves that this lofty goal is yet possible,” wrote Matthew Lemberger, Ph.D and coordinator of School Counseling Programs, University of Missouri St. Louis in his nomination letter to Watts. Throughout his body of work, Dr. Watts continues to motivate the students at Sam, as well as those nationally and abroad. With humble intent, Watts continues to share his knowledge with many, leaving him forever qualified for more prestige to come.

From WATTS page 1

Some people may be reluctant to incorporate herbs into their lives for the belief that they probably will not work.

“ I think more than anything it is misinformation,” said Jason January, licensed massage therapist and owner and operator of January’s Herbs & Wellness. “Of course, like anything else, there is some good and bad, but we want people to be educated about the things that they put into their bodies.”

A common misconception is that natural herbs are meant to replace a physician and that you have to strip down, go live in the woods and shun all modern medicine to practice natural medicine, but this is not the case.

“This shop is not meant to replace or even come close to replacing a personal care physician,” he said. “These supplements are used to try to keep you from having to go see the physician, to keep you healthy and to give you low cost ways of keeping yourself from seeing a physician by boosting your immune system.”

There are many herbal remedies that people have become accustomed to, but do not realize that they are natural remedies.

Aloe Vera, which relieves the stinging pain caused by sunburns, has become a staple of many households. Ginger also helps with nausea and an upset stomach, which is why many people drink Ginger Ale whenever their stomach is hurting; and chamomile tea is used to combat stomach problems and anxiety.

Even college students can find natural herbs that can help them with their needs and incorporate them into their daily lives.

“For energy and to stay awake, students could use something like bee pollen and chlorophyll,” said Valarie. “These would help balance your body and help you get a clean energy that you wouldn’t have a crash from later. They can also take a B vitamin and that would help support their adrenal glands which suffer a lot from stress, staying up late and doing a lot of studying.”

To improve memory and brain function students can take Ginkgo Biloba. Sam-E also helps aid memory by supporting connections in the brain.

“When you are studying and learning new things your brain is making new connections, so if you have the nourishment that your body needs to help with that it is going to be so much easier and it is going to work a lot better,” she said.

All of these herbs and supplements can be taken in capsule form and as necessary or as the package instructs, but the amount

varies according to the user. “It depends on the person and how big they are, other

medications they are on, etc. If a person is dealing with an issue like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), they might take more than somebody who just wants a little bit of help with their studying,” said Valarie.

Customers have a choice between coming into the shop for a massage session or having Jason bring his massage table or chair and have the session take place in a customer’s own home.

January’s Herbs & Wellness will be hosting its grand opening Friday, April 2 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and there will be prizes ranging from a free 90-minute massage to free herbs and supplements.

In April they will also begin teaching “Herbal Hours,” which will cover one subject at a time like the digestive system, enzymes, etc. It will be $10 a person and there will be time for questions and attendees can take home valuable information.

The January’s philosophy is “small changes can bring drastic results,” and by researching and beginning to incorporate good herbs into your life, you can personally see the health effects that only nature can give.

From HERBS page 1

Joe Buvid | The Houstonian

“People would start growing in their backyard, well they al-ready do, but the government would have to infringe on their freedom to [regulate] or would have to buy from people at a higher rate,” SHSU freshman, Tim Tran said. “There would be a black market where the government would not make money.

In 2007, a medical marijua-na bill known as HB 164 was introduced that would allow seriously ill patients to raise a medical necessity defense to charges of possessing mari-juana for medical use.

According to the marijuana policy project, “This legislation was intro-duced during the 2007 legis-lative session; however, de-spite the fact that a 2004 poll showed 75% of Texans sup-port medical marijuana, the bill died in committee.”

Nearly 700,000 signatures exceeded the 433, 971 re-quired for the proposal that would tax and regulate mari-juana like alcohol, qualifying for California’s November 2010 ballot.

Depending on voters, California could become the first state in the nation to end marijuana prohibition. Aar-on Smith, California policy director for the Marijuana Policy project, shared how he expects this reform movement to impact other states.

“I think California has been traditionally ahead of the pack,” Smith said. “I would fully expect to see Western states [such as] Nevada, and Oregon [to follow]. I think it will happen faster. We have a lot of momentum now.”

Smith shared his message for Sam Houston State Uni-versity students interested in the reform.

“Now is the time to organize on campus, I would encourage students to get involved with the Students for Sensible Drug chapters,” Smith said. “I think if you put a lot of work and devotion I think Texas will reform faster then most would think--you guys are the ones who will make it happen.”

However, some students are completely against the idea.

“I am against the legaliza-tion of marijuana,” SHSU senior Tim Jeske said. “It is a gateway drug that leads not always but in most cases to more serious drugs. There-fore leading to a rise in violent crime, more violent crimes are committed by those who are high on drugs.”

Jeske continued and said, Alaska legalized marijuana in the 1970’s and the state had a teen using rate double that of the other states.

“It was infact made illegal again in the 1990’s,” he said. “It is no secret that drugs have ruined many lives and we should not make it easier and more accessible to people.”

With more than 124,000 members and supporters nation-wide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with mari-juana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.

Several lucky students re-ceived a $10 gift card to Target for their efforts in Program’s Council first annual Easter Egg Hunt on Wednesday.

The event marks the first of

its kind for Program Council, and they hope to continue the hunt each year.

Participants of the event re-ceived plastic eggs with candy and stamps, paper eggs that could be decorated, and Eas-ter egg bubble bottles. Stu-dents were then told to scour different locations on campus including the Newton Gresh-

am Library, Smith-Hutson Business Building, Lee Drain Building, and the fountain.

The hunt, which scattered an astounding 1,000 Easter eggs around campus, began at 12 p.m. and was meant as a way for students to rekindle their childhood memories of searching for candy-filled Easter eggs.

“It’s [purpose] was to bring the campus out and enjoy the weather,” Spirit and Tradi-tions Chair Andrea Richard-son said.

For more information about Program Council or future events, please call 936-294-1763.

Contributing WriterBy Janise Richardson

Program Council eggs ‘em on From CANNABIS page 1

Joe Buvid | The HoustonianHERBAL ENERGY: “For energy to stay awake, students could use something like bee pollen and chlorophyll,” Wellness Specialist Valarie Kremer said.

Thursday, April 1, 2010 The Houstonian, Page 7ENTERTAINMENTOpening This Week

Theaters

I can proudly say that 2010 marks a musical renaissance for our century. With groups across our country treading new ground, we will witness the creative apex of our generation. More importantly, Texas bands are receiving much deserved national attention. Events like SXSW have exposed the masses to bands like Neon Indian, the Sword, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, the Black Angels, Explosions in the Sky and various other talented artists. While these bands may tickle your fancy, Spoon’s newest album Transference will surely satisfy your needs.

I might have a slight bias for Spoon, considering that I saw them perform last summer at Stubb’s BBQ in Austin. Undoubtedly, they

put on a fantastic live show. Replicating the energy of their live shows and recording it on an album might sound difficult, but Spoon pulled this off flawlessly. One could liken Transference to the Clash on 1979’s London Calling. Both are musically ambitious, catchy, and never dull, which makes them groundbreaking. As a result, Transference is their best release to date. It shows listeners that Spoon can tastefully play bare-bones, American rock and roll.

It has been said that music is a direct reflection of culture. It is probably the most poetic form of storytelling. In this light, Transference tells a story. Singer Britt Daniel, croons about isolation, love, money, and being lost in translation. The miserable circumstances of the lyrics are contrasted by poppy,

upbeat melodies, which is Spoon’s musical trademark. This conflicting imagery could easily be glossed over at first. Only after listening to the album multiple times does Daniel’s pessimism become apparent.

On “I Saw the Light”, he recalls the feeling love once gave him. He says, “It peels off them ties that bind me, I don’t need a thing to remind me, That I’m part of the world.” Judging these words, it’s safe to say Spoon takes lyrical influence from rhythm and blues, with an emphasis on the blues.

This isn’t to say that Transference has no optimism. Some numbers are very hopeful, such as “Goodnight Laura”. This track shows Spoon’s maturity as a band, being that it is composed completely around the grand piano. The song is a love ballad, but isn’t nearly as cheesy as “Every Rose

Has Its Thorn”. It is simply about singing a lullaby to a girl you love.

Another notable song is “Before Destruction”, the opening track on this album. It follows a minimalist approach, using nominal drums, acoustic guitar, and synthesizer. “Before Destruction” is also about overcoming the jealousy of others. Daniel sings, “Just as you’re leaving you turn around and take a cold shot, Just as you’re turning your back.” I believe it’s about letting go of jealous people in your life.

Spoon has touched on something very interesting with Transference. The flurry of emotions that are channeled into this sophisticated record shouldn’t be missed. It’s definitely one of this year’s best albums. For more information about Spoon, visit www.myspace.com/spoon.

James AshworthContributing Writer

Spoon could begin musical renaissance with Transference

Brad BaskerAdvertising Relations

Fueled by Ramen recording artist, This Providence gets their name from the belief that it’s their destiny to do music, and, with a sense of “divine guidance”, they’ve lived up to their label.

They recently kicked off “The ‘Bout Damn Time Tour” which is the band‘s first run as a headlining act in over six years. For Providence, the tour’s name is justifiable in its statement.

“We were trying to think of names for the tour and were just like, “It’s about

damn time,” bassist David Blaise said. “It’s pretty accurate.”

Although they have played headlining shows, they’ve never played a full headlining tour. Their most recent album “Who Are you Now?” has been given much credit for their success and was instrumental to getting their first headliner.

“This record has helped us grow as a band,” Blaise said. “It’s amazing and a dream come true.”

This Providence took a subtle approach when creating Who Are You Now? by minimizing the “flashiness” and focusing on solid songwriting. Their redirection paid off with a dramatic increase in record sales.

This Providence’s single, “Letdown”, was number one in their home town of Seattle, Washington.

The success also led to their appearances on MTV and MTVu, which includes their music video for “Keeping on Without You” being named as one of MTV’s “Best of 2009”.

They spent nine months of last year on tour to promote the album and are currently reaping the benefits of their labor. For them, a headlining tour gives them constant liberties that they’ve never

had.“It’s the coolest thing

ever to be able to play all of the songs from the new record, and some from the old as well. It’s like your own show,” Blaise said.

As a tribute to their fans, This Providence has a voting system that allows concert goers to choose what songs they want to hear. A member of the band’s crew scouts the audience before show time and the band comprises their set list from the results.

That personal attention will come in handy on April 3 when This Providence provides their grooves at The Channel in Houston. Blaise says they’ve played in Houston a decent amount of times, and that it has always been good to them.

“There is a pretty solid following. We can’t complain,” Blaise said. “We’re looking forward to it.”

Once they finish with “The ‘Bout Damn Time Tour”, it will be about “damn time” to go back into the studio. If everything works out, This Providence hopes to provide a new album later on this year.

For tour information and updates, visit w w w. m y s p a c e . c o m /thisprovidence.

This Providence kicks off new tour with first headline act in six years

T his Week’s School Events

Calendar

April 1Dance Graduate Students Dance PerformanceWhen: 8:00 P.M.Where: Academic Building III, Room 101

April 6PC Women’s History Month Art Gallery OpeningWhen : 7:00 P.M.Where: Lowman Student Center Art Gallery

April 6-April 10“Big Love” Theatre PerformanceWhen: 8:00 P.M.Where: University Theatre Center, Showcase Theatre

For more information or to comment on stories, visit www.houstonianonline.com

SPORTSPage 8 The Houstonian Thursday, April 1, 2010

The Bearkats continue to look strong now, riding a sev-en game winning streak.

Sam Houston State trailed by as many as five runs in Tues-day night’s game against Dallas Baptist until breaking lose in the eighth inning, in which they tagged on five runs to go ahead of the Patriots.

There were many questions coming into the start of the season, as the Kats had plenty of new faces. Yet, after a rocky start to the beginning of the 2010 baseball season, they find themselves just one game away from breaking .500 with a 12-13 record.

“It was a really good win,” Head Coach Mark Johnson said. “We’ve been stringing hits to-gether. We’re getting more balls to fall in and get-ting two or three more hits per inning,

a n d that’s w h a t breaks out big in- nings.”The Kats were also able to be a part of

history this past weekend. Against UTSA in San Antonio, the Kats not only swept the Roadrunners, but they were also able to give Coach Johnson his 1,000th career vic-tory. Coach Johnson, in his fourth season at SHSU, is eyeing his fourth straight South-land Conference Tournament Champion-ship along with another trip to the NCAA Tournament.

This is the perfect time for the Kats to be hitting on all cylinders, as many teams

begin to separate themselves as the elite throughout the nation. With every

consecutive win, the Kats con-tinue to gain more confidence,

something they appeared to lack at the start of the year.

Much of the Kats’ success has come against Southland Confer-

ence opponents, where they have posted a 6-3

record so far this year. As long as this team con-

tinues to play smart funda-

mental base-ball, who knows how long this

streak can go. They have

found ways to string hits together and score

runs, execute hit and run and sacrifice opportuni-

ties, and play solid defense. The ques- tion mark will be the

pitching. As long as the Kats’ pitching

keeps them within three or four runs of the lead up until the 7th or 8th innings, this team will find a way to pull out victory. They live by the “never say die” atti- tude and are a solid come-from-behind team. This Bear-kat team has shown perseverance, and when it comes down to tournament time, no one would bet against Coach Johnson.

“We’ve been getting more comfort-able and have been better under pressure,” Coach Johnson said. “I don’t think we have arrived yet, but were better than where we started out.”

Eric SchraderContributing Writer

John Rudolph | The Houstonian

Kats heating up on the diamondThe Sam Houston State baseball team is on a roll, winning seven in a row on their way to fourth in the conference

Both the Sam Houston men’s and women’s golf teams made strong showings in Tuesday’s final rounds to up their final stand-ings in a pair of intercollegiate golf tournament hosted by the University of Arkansas-Little Rock Monday and Tuesday.

The Bearkat men jumped from 17th to 12th place in the UALR First Tee Classic at Chanal Country Club in Little Rock, Ark. Sam Houston fired an 11-over-par final round to post a team score of 305-303-299--907.

Fergal Rafferty tied for 14th place in the individual medalist final standings with a 54-hole total of 72-76-72--220.

The Bearkat women moved up from 13th to 12th Tuesday at the UALR Women’s Intercollegiate at Diamante Country Club in Hot Springs, Ark. Sam Houston posted a 318-311-306--935 team score.

Kirsten Spittler was the top finisher for the women, placing 29th with a 77-74-78--229 score.

Other scores and finishes for the men were Scott Kelly (228) and Kort O’Leary (228) in 41st place, Justin McKay (231) in 64th and Garrett Driver (237) in 86th. Southeastern Louisiana won the men’s team championship with an 865 total.

Other scores and standings for Sam Houston’s women’s in-cluded Meghan Musk (235) 48th, Meghann Stevens (235) 53rd Landa Stewart (241) and Shelby Hardy (241) tied for 62nd.

The complete team standings and Sam Houston State results in both events:

Sam Houston State Sports Information

UALR FIRST TEE CLASSIC - Women’s GolfMarch 29-30, Daimante CC – Par 72 – 5,999 yardsTeam Standings 1R 2R 3R Total1 Arkansas-Little Rock 305 288 300 8932 Oral Roberts 299 292 303 8943 Middle Tennessee 291 297 307 8954 Texas-El Paso 308 297 295 9005 Central Arkansas 305 293 307 905 Western Michigan 303 300 302 9057 Arkansas St. 306 307 300 9138 Troy 305 302 307 9149 Wichita St. 303 307 305 91510 Eastern Michigan 311 306 306 92311 Missouri St. 321 300 309 93012 Sam Houston State 318 311 306 93513 A&M-Corpus Christi 311 316 309 93614 Louisiana Monroe 313 308 318 93915 Missouri-Kansas City 318 315 318 95116 Louisiana-Monroe 314 315 332 96117 McNeese St. 322 316 323 96118 Texas-Pan American 333 318 317 968

Individual Leaders 1R 2R 3R Total1 Crystal Reeves, ORU 73 69 71 213

SHSU Scores 1R 2R 3R Total29 Kirsten Spittler 77 74 78 22948 Meghan Musk 77 80 78 23553 Meghann Stevens 81 83 73 23762 Landa Stewart 83 78 80 24162 Shelby Hardy 85 79 77 241

UALR FIRST TEE CLASSIC - Men’s GolfMarch 29-30, Little Rock, AR – Par 72 – 7,221 yardsTeam Standings 1R 2R 3R Total1 Southeastern La 288 286 291 8652 Missouri 293 279 301 8733 Central Arkansas 289 287 298 8744 Lamar 299 281 298 8785 North Texas 296 286 297 8796 Iowa St. 292 292 309 8937 Illinois St. 294 296 304 8948 Louisiana Tech 292 297 308 8979 Rice 299 297 305 90110 Louisiana-Lafayette 306 293 303 90211 Arkansas-Little Rock 294 296 315 90512 Sam Houston State 305 303 299 90713 Southern Mississippi 304 299 305 90814 Louisiana Monroe 299 306 305 91015 Oral Roberts 301 303 307 91116 Arkansas St. 303 302 307 91217 Texas St. 303 304 307 91418 Western Kentucky 312 301 322 935

Individual Leaders 1R 2R 3R Total1 Start Ballingall, Missouri 69 63 69 201

SHSU Scores 1R 2R 3R Total14 Fergal Rafferty 72 76 72 22041 Scott Kelly 79 75 74 22841 Kort O’Leary 79 75 74 22864 Justin McKay 75 77 79 23196 Garrett Driver 79 77 81 237

Sam Houston State solid in UALR golf tournament

Kats stats

TUESDAY, March 30SHSU 9 Dallas Baptist 7

RESULTS

UPCOMING GAMESTHURSDAY April 1, 6:30 p.m.SHSU at Northwestern St.

STANDINGS Southeastern La.Texas StateStephen F. AustinSam Houston StateMcNeese StateUT ArlingtonNorthwestern StateNichollsTexas A&M-CCCentral ArkansasLamarUTSA

7-2 (23-3)7-2 (15-8)6-2 (15-7)6-3 (12-13)5-4 (12-11)5-4 (12-12)4-4 (16-7)4-5 (13-11)3-6 (11-14)3-6 (8-16)2-7 (15-10)1-8 (10-13)

SHSU BASEBALL

SHSU SOFTBALL

UPCOMING GAMESFRIDAY, April 2

SATURDAY, April 3

McNeese State at SHSU

McNeese State at SHSU

STANDINGS Stephen F. AustinTexas StateNichollsTexas A&M-CCUT ArlingtonMcNeese StateUTSASam Houston StateCentral ArkansasNorthwestern StateSoutheastern La.

10-2 (17-8)12-3 (17-13)11-4 (18-9)9-6 (23-11)8-6 (17-15)6-9 (18-19)6-9 (10-23)4-8 (12-19)3-8 (13-22)3-9 (15-16)1-9 (5-19)

FRIDAY April 2, 6:30 p.m.SHSU at Northwestern St.

SATURDAY April 3, 2 p.m.SHSU at Northwestern St.

SHSU GOLF

TRACK & FIELD

UPCOMING EVENTSWEDNESDAY, March 31- SATURDAY April 3

MEN’S GOLF

WOMEN’S GOLF

April 12-April 13

UPCOMING EVENTS

Victoria Intercollegiate

April 19-April 21

April 5- April 6

April 26-April 28

Southland Conference Championship

Southland Conference Championship

Houston Baptist Intercollegiate

Texas Relays at UT Austin, Texas

SHSU BaseballLast seven games

SHSU 10 Texas State 8SHSU 9 Houston Baptist 8SHSU 8 Prairie View A&M 3SHSU 9 UTSA 5SHSU 9 UTSA 6SHSU 8 UTSA 6SHSU 9 Dallas Baptist 7

278 Total Hits (2nd in SLC).308 Team Batting Average (4th)

388 Total Bases (4th)19 Home Runs (6th)

102 Walks (5th)193 Struckout Batters (3rd)

671 Putouts (4th)

Team statistics

Upcoming opponentsApr. 1-Apr. 3 - Northwestern State

Apr. 6 - HoustonApr. 7 - Texas Southern

The Sam Houston State football team will be holding the annual pro day today for all players hopeful to venture on an NFL career.

This year’s pro day will feature senior football players, such as wide receiver Jason Madkins, quarterback Blake Joseph, offensive lineman R.C. Fairchild, defensive lineman Kevin Smith and long snapper Justin Humphreys.

With a lot riding on players’ performances at pro days, draft stock is at stake. Since Sam Houston State is a smaller school, NFL scouts will be

l o o k i n g for participating players

to bring their “A” games.“I worked a lot on speed.

Anything to help improve my chances,” Madkins said.

“Blake [Joseph] and I threw twice

at UH to get back in game shape.”

Madkins trained with Athletic Republic, an elite sports training industry, and some NFL pros, such as Derrick Blaylock, who

most recently played for the Washington Redskins in 2007.Madkins, who had

a solid season in 2009 with 1073 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, knows the importance of

impressing scouts with a strong work out.

“Pro days are huge,” Madkins said.

“Especia l ly since it’s on the home

turf. The s c o u t s w i l l

expect you to be a little m o r e

comfortable.”Universities

hold pro days for NFL scouts comparable to the events at t h e Combine . Pro days

are expected to generate better performances than Combine work outs because players have the luxury of playing on their own campus as opposed t o p l a y i n g elsewhere.

The more promising NFL prospects there are

at a

school’s pro day, m o r e interest will be d r a w n from NFL teams, generating a bigger audience.

Some of the work outs that are performed at pro days include the 40-yard dash, the bench press, the vertical jump, and route-running for skills players.

Head Football Coach Willie Fritz is welcoming in the players that will participate at the pro day. Despite not coaching any of these players the year before, Coach Fritz has the players’ best interests in

mind.“Coach Fritz is excited about

this coming season, but he still had time to ask me if I was ready for the big day and he wished him luck,” Madkins said.

Students will be welcome to cheer on their fellow Bearkats at

SHSU’s pro day.The event will start at 10 a.m. and will run until

around 1 p.m.

Mike SilvaSports Editor

Photos by Joe Buvid | The Houstonian

SHSU to hold pro day ThursdayBearkat prospects look to show off their skills and impress NFL scouts