The number of undergrad-uate students who return to St. Edward’s University after they complete their freshman year has steadily decreased since 2010.
Eighty-one percent of freshman who enrolled at St. Edward’s in 2010, now juniors, returned in 2011 for their sophomore year, com-pared to 78.6 percent of the 2011 freshman class, now sophomores, who came back to the university in fall 2012.
Freshman retention at St. Edward’s is higher than the national average among peer
institutions, administrators said. Additionally, the four-
year and six-year graduation rates are higher than national
norms.Even so, the matter is of
concern for the adminis-tration. Associate Dean of Students Nicole Trevino recently took on a new posi-tion as Director of Freshman Retention programs, created to examine and evaluate the programs and initiatives cur-rently in place to help retain students beyond freshman year and until graduation.
“We’re taking a look at the entire campus and asking ourselves how we can do bet-ter and how can we help stu-dents to be successful in this area. Overall our goal is to help students be successful,” Trevino said. “Ultimately, we want them to graduate.”
Trevino and other adminis-
trators will conduct research to answer questions such as why students leave the uni-versity and where they go if they leave before they gradu-ate.
“My role will help to thor-oughly examine the effec-tiveness of all that’s occur-ring,” Trevino said. “When you think about it, everyone touches retention in some way … It involves a lot of collaboration, and ultimately that’s already going on.”
This includes retention initiative programs designed specifically for freshmen car-ried out by Academic
HILLTOP VIEWSSt. Edward’s University • Wednesday, December 5, 2012 • Volume 32 • Issue 12 • hilltopviewsonline.com
8-9 | LIFE & ARTS
Holiday music, evil Santas and Catholic traditions spice up the season of giving.
Women’s soccer and golf players, coaches recount teams’ successes.
Disgruntled Texans garner support, sig-natures to secede from United States.
10 | SPORTS 13 | VIEWPOINTS
This year will mark the first time in 25 years that St. Edward’s University has not held separate graduation cer-emonies for August and De-cember graduates.
Since the number of gradu-ates are increasing, the Au-gust, December and May graduations will all be held in one ceremony starting May
2013 said Brenda Stone, the executive assistant to the ex-ecutive vice president’s office.
In August 2012, 246 de-grees were awarded. Current-ly, 340 students are certified to graduate this December. As for May 2013, the num-ber of graduates will not be known until after the Feb. 25, 2013 certification deadline, Assistant Registrar Donna Chandler said.
Graduates from August,
December and May will come together in the Frank Erwin Center in May 2013 for an official graduation cer-emony.
Meanwhile, December graduates still have five months before they can walk across the stage.
Andrew Weber, a senior English writing and rhetoric major with a minor in jour-nalism, plans to apply for internships so that he will
have somewhere to work when he graduates in De-cember. Weber plans to stay in Austin and said that he will not stick around just so he can walk across the stage.
“I’m not a ter-ribly sentimental person,” Weber said. “I don’t feel that walking
across a stage will hinder me from feeling accomplished. I
can understand people that do feel that way and want the experience, but that’s just not me.”
Weber said that he is most excited about life after gradu-ation because he will be glad to get out of school. Weber also expressed concern about entering the job market but said that it was not something he finds extensively stressful.
Kristina [email protected]
Declining student retention rates prompt a university reactionSC
HO
OL
PERCENTAGE20 40 60 80 1000
92%UT AUSTIN
92%TEXAS A&M
79%TEXAS STATE
90%TRINITY UNIVERSITY
85%SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
78%ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY
52%HOUSTON-TILLOTSON
55%CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY TX
83%ST. EDWARD’S UNIVERSITYAVER
AG
E FR
ESH
MEN
RE
TEN
TIO
N R
ATES
200
7 - 2
010
Infographic by Lisa RodriguezCompared to other universities in the area, St. Edward’s has an intermediate retention rate.
EVALUATION | 4
Kelsey [email protected]
Joint graduation ceremonies provoke mixed student emotions“I don’t feel that walking across a stage will hinder me from feeling accomplished. I can understand... but that’s just not me.”-Andrew Weber, senior
GRADUATES | 2
HUSTON-TILLOTSON
2NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
Another December gradu-
ate, Francie Gremillion, a se-nior communications major with a focus in public rela-tions and advertising, plans to start a job with GasPedal, an entrepreneurial company.
Gremillion said that she will only be coming back to walk in May because she will be living in Austin.
“Because I’m not walking until May, I can’t close this chapter of my life until May ... It doesn’t make sense,” Gremillion said.
She was also upset that she could not order a graduation gown or go through the mo-tions of being a graduate this semester. Because she could not do these things, she said it has not truly felt like her last semester as an under-graduate.
Sam Campbell, a senior English writing and rhetoric major, is not that concerned
about getting a job just yet.Campbell is applying for
the Japan Exchange and Teaching, JET, Programme and for a similar program in Spain. He is also applying for graduate school at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, RPI, where Campbell hopes to ob-tain a graduate degree in hu-man computer interactions.
If none of these opportu-nities work out, Campbell plans to stay in Austin and is still unsure if he will walk in May. Even if he gets into the JET Programme, he will not leave for Japan until July and will still be in Austin for the May graduation ceremony.
Campbell said that his at-titude towards not being able to officially graduate in De-cember is a combination of irritation and apathy.
“You’re not rewarding stu-dents for graduating early,” Campbell said.
Continued from page 1
Graduates adjust to ceremony schedule
University ranks high on list for Fulbright-producing institutions
Six students from St. Ed-ward’s University received the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship in 2012. This number gave St. Edward’s distinction as a top producer of Fulbright Students for 2012-2013 and, tied with Nazareth College in Roches-ter, N.Y and the University of Portland, a shared first place ranking for masters-granting institutions.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides funding for teaching and research to
scholars who exhibit strong academic and leadership po-tential. Established by the U.S. Congress in 1946, it is the largest exchange pro-gram in the country.
Since 2004, 19 St. Ed-ward’s stu-dents have received Fulbright Scholar-ships. Last year, the Fulbright program provided funding for five St. Edward’s stu-dents to teach and researach abroad. The Fulbright U.S. Student program awards about 1,500 scholarships
each year, according to the Fulbright website.
Fulbright Students choose
from a variety of countries in which there are opportunities to study and teach. St. Ed-ward’s commitment to pro-ducing Fulbright recipients is yet another manifestation on the university’s emphasis on global thinking under the
Strategic Plan 2015.“One of the great strengths
of this campus, and part of
the Holy Cross tradition, is the level of civic engage-ment. Faculty and students are actively engaged in social change. Students are teach-ing ESL classes in the com-munity, traveling with Cam-pus Ministry, working in the
community on study abroad programs in Angers and Ed-inburgh,” Caroline Morris, director of fellowships at St. Edward’s, said.
The English Teaching As-sistantship, ETA, Program is part of the Fulbright Pro-gram that allows students to work as teacher assistants in English classes for non-native speakers. This year’s recipi-ents will teach students of varying ages and academic levels, depending on the country.
The St. Edward’s students who received the Fulbright Scholarship in the 2012-2013 academic year are Amanda Bolton, Morgen
Brown, Amarette Edmon-son, Elizabeth Narvaez, Collin Phillips and Marielle Septién.
Morris said building a com-munity of undergraduate scholars helps perpetuate the university’s standing as a top producer of Fulbright schol-arship recipients.
“There is a student grape-vine about the Fulbright program that wasn’t here five years ago,” Morris said. “Students are increasingly pushing one another to be-come proficient in another language, to teach or tutor or volunteer, and to develop their independent research interests within their major.”
The Main Building Lawn is now off-limits to events. This decision was made last spring and has affected the University Programming Board (UPB) and other or-ganizations on campus that usually host events at this prominent spot.
Facilities met with a land-scape designer and two ar-borists who said there could be potential damage to the lawn from foot traffic. Ad-ministration then agreed to protect the area, Michael Pe-terson, associate vice presi-dent of Facilities, said.
"The trees and lawn in front of the Main Building are a valued landscaped fea-ture on campus," Peterson said.
Peterson said that the de-cision is permanent and that the road in front of Main Building can still be used for larger events. Vendors will be allowed to set up on the north side of the road.
“I love the view from Main Building, and I’ll miss that part of the tradition,” Zan Winter, a member of the University Programming Board, said.
Winter explained how this decision has affected and will continue to affect numerous events hosted by UPB. This semester, the Welcome Bar-beque had to be moved to the parking garage. Hillfest
was moved to Holy Cross Lawn and the Faculty park-ing lot. The End of the Year Party will also be moved to the Holy Cross Lawn. Win-ter said that this move of events worked out well.
“It has worked out better than expected to use alter-native locations,” Michelle Mowry, the Student Life program coordinator, said. The parking garage, for in-stance, allowed more space
for the Welcome Barbeque than the Main Building Lawn had in the past.
This year, the Festival of Lights, a campus tradition, will still take place in front of the Main Building. In years past, members of the univer-sity community were invited to gather on the Main Build-ing Lawn to sing Christmas carols and celebrate the holi-day season. However, Win-ter said that the area around the trees will now be roped off, and only the steps and the cement pathway leading up to them will be used for the event.
There will be standing room for people on the side-walk outside of Main Build-ing. The University Police Department will also block off the road in front of the Main Building for additional space, Mowry said.
The Festival of Lights will be held Dec. 7 from 6:30-7 p.m. on the Main Building steps. A holiday concert will follow at 7:30 p.m. in the Mabee Ballrooms.
Kelsey [email protected]
Main Building lawn off-limits for events
Photo by Lu RodriguesThe Festival of Lights takes place in front of Main Building.
Adam [email protected] [email protected]
“There is a student grapevine about the Fulbright program that wasn’t here five years ago.”
-Caroline Morris, director of fellowships
3NEWSWEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
As the semester draws to a close, the Student Gov-ernment Association, SGA, plans to build upon its ac-complishments in connect-ing with the student body moving into the next semes-ter.
“There’s always more work to be done,” SGA President Brady Faglie said.
One of the last things SGA plans to do this semes-ter is meet with President George Martin to discuss campus issues.
“We want to bring up the rising cost of tuition. It’s an issue that affects everyone ... It’s our duty to pursue such a hard cause. The important thing is to start the conversa-tion,” Faglie said.
To this end, SGA mem-bers have been working to ini-tiate dialogue with other stu-dent organizations. A recent bill passed established the
duty of SGA members to reach out to at least one or-ganization and get feedback.
This bill would help SGA members to learn the con-
cerns of other organizations and act accordingly.
The SGA has been put-ting a greater focus on social media this year to reach out more, to organizations, ac-cording to Chief of Staff Le’Darrion Allen.
A big part of the SGA push for greater student connection was reassessing last year’s administration.
“One of the platforms of [President] Brady and [Vice-President] Nairod’s campaign was acting as a liaison. The students want a voice and we can be that voice. This is another step
that we’re taking so that we can assess what exactly stu-dents want,” Allen said.
Some issues that SGA is pushing and plan to con-tinue into next semester are smoking, campus safety, parking and the plus-minus system.
They have also been push-ing the Green Initiative and working with Students for Sustainability to make the campus more environmen-tally aware. Additionally, they presented a check for $1,200 to Campus Minis-try to donate to Hurricane Sandy victims.
“We’re going to continue to push smoking, the Green Initiative and the plus/minus system. We want to follow through on these big issues. They don’t finish in one semester,” Faglie said.
In order to better deter-mine what students want, SGA will conduct a survey next semester. This survey aims to determine what issues matter most to stu-dents so that SGA can pri-oritize and act accordingly.
According to Allen, the survey will be ready by Janu-ary.
KNOWINGYOUR SGA
Adam [email protected]
POLICE BLOTTERDate Time Incident Location Resolution
Nov. 14 3:24 p.m. Harassment University apartments Closed
Nov. 12 5:17 p.m. Theft BMH Casitas Closed
Nov. 15 2:25 p.m. Accident Parking garage Closed
Nov. 19 12:14 p.m. Theft Hunt Hall Active
Nov. 14 3:33 a.m. Theft Dujarié Hall Closed
Nov. 8 8:46 a.m. Theft LeMans Hall Closed
Nov. 15 1:00 a.m. Theft Teresa Hall Active
Nov. 17 9:47 a.m. Information Johnson Hall Closed
Nov. 26 2:40 a.m. Illness RCC Closed
“We’re going to continue to push... We want to follow through on these big issues. They don’t finish in one semester.”- Brady Faglie, SGA President
Officials promise persistence on key issues next semester
BRIEF
Diners on campus will no longer be asked whether they want their food ‘for here’ or ‘to go,’ as dining ser-vices have stopped provid-ing to-go containers from behind the counter. As of this Monday, disposable containers have been made available to customers in a central location in the caf-eterias in Hunt Hall and the Ragsdale Center. Din-ers can also bring their own reusable containers.
“We’re going to force our faculty and students to make that choice,” Mike Smith, general manager of
Bon Appétit, said. “We’re going through so many and I want someone to make their own decision.”
Smith said on average Bon Appétit distributes 800 disposable containers a day, and half of the people who get their food to-go eat inside the cafeteria. Last spring, Bon Appétit started using compostable to-go containers that cost 45-50 cents each. In comparison, the previous disposable boxes cost 17-20 cents each.
Additionally, customers can participate in the re-usable clamshell program, which offers hard plastic containers that diners can purchase for $6.
Kristina [email protected]
Dining halls alterto-go box system
Nov. 29 5:13 p.m. Illness Moody Hall Closed
4 NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
With construction un-derway on the John Brooks Williams Science Center and on library renovations, St. Edward’s University is a campus in flux. Though ad-ditions include a ramp out-side Moody Hall added last spring, there are still build-ings on campus that do not have ramps or elevators.
Sorin Hall, Andre Hall and the Carriage House currently have no elevators, which proves difficult for students using wheelchairs trying to access levels above the ground floor.
The lack of elevators may be inconvenient, but it is not illegal, according to Sherry Dawson, the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA, coordinator on St. Edward’s campus.
While buildings must meet ADA codes for acces-sibility, older buildings must be brought up to code if and when they are renovated. But the ADA does not re-quire that businesses retrofit buildings to install elevators, Dawson said. Though lack of access may not conflict with ADA guidelines, it is still an issue that has dogged freshman Dylan Baggett a few times.
Baggett is president of the Tennis Club, but he can-not access the lower tennis courts without assistance. Fellow students must carry him down to the court for practices and matches be-cause his wheelchair can-not navigate the steep hill near the courts. In addition, Baggett had difficulty ac-cessing a professor’s office and the math center, both in Andre, this semester.
“That’s the only truly in-accessible building that I’ve encountered,” Baggett said. “It was a bit of a hassle to get access to the math cen-ter, but that won’t be an is-sue in the future.”
Baggett had to make ac-commodations with Stu-dent Disability Services to access the math center out-side of Andre, since it is on the second floor. Baggett un-derstands that the campus as a whole is going through a transformation. The im-provements to Andre, how-ever, may take a few years to come to fruition, Michael Peterson, the director of the Physical Plant, said.
“That’s still on the out years,” said Peterson. “Right now we’ve got the library and John Brooks Williams under construction. And, as soon as those finish, we’re going to move on to the Chapel, Mang House, and the Alumni Gym renova-tions.”
The reason for the delay is in the details, Peterson said, as these construction and renovation efforts in-volve securing architectural firms for design, contractors
for construction, moving faculty to temporary offices during construction and, of course, securing the funding.
The Chapel, Mang House and the Alumni Gym reno-vations are slated to begin sometime before the fall 2013 semester, Peterson said. The Physical Plant is currently negotiating with contractors but have yet to sign any papers. Typically, Peterson said, these nego-tiations occur closer to the deadline, with contractors and architects working to-gether to ensure new build-ings meet ADA code.
Andre’s renovation will follow in about three or four years, but funds have not yet been secured, Peterson said. The lower tennis courts, Peterson added, will not be renovated in the near future.
So, while Baggett may still have issues with access, students and faculty have helped him, and he views the campus growth as a move in the right direction.
“They’re doing a lot of construction, so they’re im-proving,” Baggett said. “Oth-erwise the campus is fairly accessible.”
Planning and Support Ser-vices, APSS, such as Aca-demic Explorers, Effective College Learning and Fresh-man Year Seminars.
Greg MacConnell, direc-tor of Academic Support and Retention Programs in APSS, said students who withdraw from the university commonly cite finances or wanting to study in a major not offered at St. Edward’s as reasons for leaving.
“What I would say in my nine years here is that I don’t hear students saying 'I hate St. Ed’s',” MacConnell said.
Other reasons for students leaving the university include being far away from home or wanting a different kind of social environment, such as Greek life.
MacConnell also said he finds students are less willing to take out loans to cover the cost of education as people question the value of higher education due to trends in the media and the economy.
Additionally, schools across the nation are having issues with retention.
The U.S. News and World Report published a list of average freshman retention rates for students enrolling from fall 2007-2010 in uni-versities across the nation.
St. Edward’s reported an average freshman retention rate of 83 percent, compared
to a high of 93 percent for Santa Clara University and a low of 44 percent for Texas A&M University–Texarkana among schools listed within the Regional Universities in the West category.
Across town, the Uni-versity of Texas at Austin reported 92 percent of stu-dents returned after fresh-man year, and 52 percent of freshman were retained at Huston-Tillotson University. Southwestern University in Georgetown retained an av-erage of 85 percent of fresh-man between 2007-2010, and St. Mary’s University in San Antonio said 78 percent
of freshman came back for their sophomore year.
“There is never going to be 100 percent retention. There’s always going to be students that leave,” MacCo-nnell said of retention at St. Edward’s.
Trevino said it is important to find out where the univer-sity can improve to perhaps raise freshman retention rates.
“We have an institutional responsibility to evaluate and make sure that we’re con-stantly improving,” Trevino said.
Evaluation of retention ratesshows room for improvement
Continued from page 1
Several buildings on campuspresent accessibility problemAndrew [email protected]
Photo by Joe ArellanoA wooden ramp was added outside Moody Hall last spring.
In the Nov. 28 issue, the article “Meal plans, study spaces topics of forum dis-cussion” stated the SGA event was a public forum. This was incorrect; the
event was a meeting, not a public forum. This meet-ing took place on Nov. 15 instead of on Nov. 22 as was stated in the article. Le’Darrion Allen is the
Chief of Staff within SGA, not an SGA senator. Ad-ditionally, the pieces of legislation addressed at the meeting are referred to as bills, not acts.
CORRECTIONS
100
0
50
94.5%
81%
95%
78.6%
2010 FRESHMEN 2011 FRESHMEN
RETENTION TO SPRING SEMESTER
RETENTION TO NEXT FALL SEMESTER
St. Edward’s University Undergraduate College First Time Freshmen Rentention Rates 2010 - 2011
Infographic by Lisa RodriguezRetention rates among freshmen have decreased over time.
5GAMESWEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
check us out @ hilltopviewsonline.com
gameslook for the answers to both games in next week’s issue!
FOR WEATHER, SURVEYS, BLOGS AND ADDITIONAL COVERAGE FROM ALL OF OUR SECTIONS!
LIFE & ARTSWEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS 6Literary journal accepts poetry, prose, visual art
Omni Singers took the stage in Jones Auditorium on Nov. 18. With songs ranging from “Grease” to the Jackson 5’s “ABC,” the performance impressed an audience as sounds of delight roared from the audience.
Jukebox, as the show was called, has nothing to do with the antique machines in din-ers, but rather refers to a style of Broadway show in which popular songs are compiled together to form a musical.
Kicking the show off with “Grease,” singers Marcel-las Ball and Megan Bolton wowed the audience with their solos. Following was “There Are Worst Things
That I Could Do” performed by Demi Wolford who was a crowd favorite.
When asked what the ener-gy is like backstage, Ball said that being backstage is funny because backstage is really just sitting and waiting be-hind flats. Some people were nervous about their solos and others were excited about group performances.
When questioned about whether Omni Singers is a “Glee” in the making, Ball took that as a compliment and laughed then said that while the TV show “Glee” is parallel to musical experi-ences in his life, he has yet to find a character that would represent him.
Like Matthew Garcia, many had nothing to say but kind
words to say after the show.“I had a lot of fun. I was
singing along to a lot of the songs, I was clapping along. I enjoyed the engagement the actors had with the audience. I was thoroughly impressed with all the raw talent of the freshman class,” Garcia said.
For those that missed the show, Omni Singers is a group that gets together twice a week to perform any number of songs.
There are no auditions, though students do have to have a love for singing and be willing to do some dancing.
Omni Singers performs one concert in the fall and two in the spring. Their next show, slated for Feb. 17, will be a dessert concert centered around the music of Johnny
Mercer. Susan Finnigan, one of the
two directors and teachers of Omni Singers, said she is proud of her class and cannot
wait to start working on the spring performances.
The Omni Singers have branched out this year to form a second, smaller vocal
ensemble known as Omni Jazz.
The Jukebox show was the first performance of the Omni Jazz ensemble.
The main difference be-tween Omni and Omni Jazz is that Omni Jazz typically consists of more seasoned performers. Omni Jazz is also more of an outreach or-ganization with performanc-es at local schools planned for next semester.
Omni Jazz will be perform-ing Christmas music Thurs-day, Dec. 6 at the Bob Bull-ock Museum alongside St. Edward’s Madrigal Chamber choir. Both Omni groups can also be seen Dec. 7 at the Fes-tival of Lights.
Bryanna [email protected]
Campus performance choir presents Broadway musical hits
Photo by Renee CornueThe Omni Singers performed Broadway numbers at Jukebox.
Current St. Edward’s Uni-versity students, alumni and faculty have an opportu-nity to have original created works published in the “Sorin Oak Review.”
The earliest issue of the “Sorin Oak Review” was published in 1991 under the title “Aesthetic Voice.”
In 2000, the review changed its name to the “Sorin Oak Review.”
Senior Kelsey Howard, the current editor-in-chief, ex-plained why the review tran-sitioned its name.
“[The] ‘Sorin Oak Review’ has really come to identify with its namesake over the years,” Howard said. “[The title 'Sorin Oak Review' has] … become a way for the jour-nal to represent the St. Ed-ward's community and ideals
of strength, tradition, perse-verance and beauty that the original Sorin Oak carries as well.”
In previous years, the So-rin Oak Review launch party took place under the literary journal’s namesake, the Sorin Oak. This year, the journal’s
editorial staff hopes to ex-pand the launch to a wider audience, but no plans have officially been announced re-garding a launch party.
Becoming published in the review would be beneficial to students, according to How-ard.
“[The Sorin Oak Review] … provides an opportunity for many writers and artists to have their work published in an award-winning publica-tion before they even gradu-ate,” Howard said.
For its 23rd volume, people hoping to submit to the re-view may enter up to five visual pieces, two pieces of prose and three poems.
Sub m i s s i o n s will be accepted until Sunday, Dec. 16, accord-ing to the publi-cation’s Facebook page.
After the staff reviews the sub-missions, stu-dents will be notified if their work is selected for publication.
“After a series of staff meet-ings in early spring semester,
we will send out emails let-ting everyone know the status of their work,” Howard said. “We will have this informa-tion by early March."
Students who do not want to submit to the review can contribute in other ways.
“There are still openings on our editorial staff, but the most important thing I can stress is to simply read and
let others know about the journal,” Howard said. “'Sorin Oak Review' has been proud
to give the creative commu-nity of St. Edward's a voice and presence on campus for many years.”
Although it is still early in the design process, Howard had many good things to say about the direction of the re-views.
“We are really lucky to have a fantastic lead designer this year with Katy O'Neill, so it will definitely be one to look forward to,” Howard said. “I can't give any hints yet, but we will be also pushing a digital launch this year in the form of a companion website to the physical print. The design between our tradi-tional physical print and our new online presence will be linked.”
Writers, photographers and artists who are interested can submit pieces to [email protected].
Willa [email protected]
Photo by Matt NuñezThe Sorin Oak Review is a literary journal published annually.
“The most important thing I can stress is to simply read and let others know about the journal.”
-Kesley Howard, Sorin Oak Review
7LIFE & ARTSWEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
A delightful group of per-formers entertained Austi-nites in what can only be de-scribed as both a cat lover’s dream come true and some-thing that could only be true in fairy tales: an actual cat circus. Yes, a live circus act fea-turing feisty and trained feline performers. Yes, it is real.
The Acro-Cats were put to-gether by Samantha Martin, a professional animal trainer and cat behavior expert with over 25 years of experience. Martin had noticed that there were very few acts that starred feline thespians and felt the need to correct that omission.
From Nov. 12-18, people of all ages crowded into the small black box theater at The Blue Theatre on Springdale Road in East Austin. Every seat was full. The children sat to-gether on the floor in front of the stage so that they could be close to the kitties.
The show got off to a late start, but in no time the feisty feline performers more than made up for the delay with their delightful tricks and ador-able personalities.
Martin and her assistants had the cats leaping great distances and weaving through a cat-sized obstacle course. One of the cats pushed around a shopping cart, while another dashed up a 10-foot pole and leaped onto Martin’s back with the greatest of ease and most delicate of impact.
One of the true highlights of the show was the final act, The Rock Cats, the world’s only fe-line band. The band initially
started out as a three-piece act with one cat on piano, one cat on guitar and a third cat on drums.
However, the band has grown in number since the group first got together. The Rock Cats also feature a cat who plays the chimes and a chicken who plays the cym-bals and the tambourine.
While these may be profes-sionally trained feline per-
formers, they are still cats that do what they want to do.
As Martin so graciously put it at the beginning of the show, “Nothing teaches you humili-ty like a trained cat act in front of a live audience.”
Many of the cats came out when it was time and duti-fully did their tricks for their audience before getting a treat from Martin or one of her as-
sistants, but some of the cats felt like going off-script.
Most of them would eventu-ally do their trick, but one cat just flopped down on the floor and took a literal cat nap while another actually wandered off to explore the theater, only to reappear 15 minutes later during a completely different part of the show.
While it was a little chaotic, the show was far from a catas-trophe. The finicky nature of the feline performers actually made for some comedic gold. There were points during the show where watching the humans unsuccessfully try to coax the unwilling cat into do-ing a trick was just as amusing, if not more so, as watching a cat do the appropriate trick.
However, Martin and her amazing feline performers do more than just dazzle audi-ences with their skills. Martin also fosters rescue cats and kittens and brings them with her while the Acro-Cats tour so that she can find homes for them as they traverse the country. Since Martin started the show, more than five years ago, she has found homes for 98 cats.
Acro-Cats feline circus provide Austin with laughs and stunts
Major news networks consult professor on political topics
Kelsey [email protected]
Originally from Pennsyl-vania, still a die-hard Phila-delphia Eagles fan, Brian William Smith is formally the Interim Associate Dean for the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences, but he is first of all a professor of political science who is pas-sionate about his job.
He earned his Ph.D. in political science from Penn-sylvania State University and worked at East Carolina University for three years.
“The opportunity to teach different courses and … the ability to teach bright stu-dents brought me [to St. Edward’s University in fall 2003],” Smith said.
He also likes the small classes of the school. If stu-dents often say that they need teachers who are re-ally interested in what they do then Smith fulfilsl those requirements.
Despite the fact that teaching was a family trend, he found the job really fit his interests.
“My grandmother was a teacher, my mother was a teacher, but … I get to talk about what I love,” Smith confessed.
Smith could talk about politics for hours and that is what his job is.
“I like interacting with students and faculty about what I’m interested in,” Smith said.
As an active teacher of St. Edward’s and as a political scientist who loves to talk, Smith frequently explains and analyzes politics for TV channels such as Fox 7, ABC, NPR or KLBJ.
He even answered ques-
tions for a newspaper in Brazil and a radio station in California.
Those experiences give him opportunities to talk about politics, but for a different audience. It also makes him one of the pro-fessors who come from a bigger university, such as the University of Texas at Aus-tin, who explains the world to thousands of people.
However, the difference is that he represents our small university and gives it a say in the media through his voice.
Smith reported what Wil-liam Nichols, another po-litical science professor, said about him and his passion of talking about politics.
“The most dangerous place to be at St. Edward’s is between me and a micro-phone,” Smith said.
Not only does Smith talk about politics, he also re-searches it.
With a specialization in American government, particularly in electoral be-havior and voting opinion, Smith is even more inter-
ested in the electoral process than in policies.
“I am fascinated by elec-tions and … I find them very exciting. I think that it’s even more interesting than the actual governing,” he said.
Only a Texan for nine years, Smith is doing work on Texan elections, with a focus on Gov. Rick Perry, who was a presidential can-didate.
After the primary elec-tions, it became a totally dif-ferent topic.
“Now I am doing research about why he did so poorly,” Smith said.
Smith is a teacher who promotes our university through his voice. Students can register for different classes that he teaches fre-quently including American Dilemmas, Capstone, Pub-lic Policy, Political Research and Statistics, Elections and Voting and American Gov-ernment, which he admits is his favorite class.
“It is never the same class twice,” Smith said.
Photo by Renee CornueSmith’s opinions are highly sought after by local stations.
Circuscats.comAcro-Cats circus includes a feline band called The Rock Cats.
Jacques Mercier des [email protected]
“Martin and her assistants had the cats leaping through great distances and weaving through a cat-sized obstacle course.”
8 LIFE & ARTS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
Christmas is celebrated among many and this in-volves a large array of tra-ditions coming from both secular and religious origins. Since St. Edward's University is a Catholic, the university celebrates and focuses on the Christmas tradition.
The Catholic Christmas is the remembrance of Jesus' birth. The Church remem-bers that Jesus was born from the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph and through the Holy Spirit’s intervention.
This is the mystery of Incar-nation.
“The Incarnation is when God becomes man,” Bro. Lawrence Atkinson of Cam-pus Ministry specified.
Atkinson reminds us that
Christmas is one of the holy days of obligation. It is also the second most important feast in the Church, the first one being Easter.
As such a day, all Catholics are supposed to attend the Christmas Mass. It is com-posed of the Midnight Mass, which was traditionally a vigil celebrated at midnight. It is followed by the Christmas Mass on the 25th.
However, while Dec. 25 is a holy day, it is not Jesus' exact birthdate. Old pagan feasts were held on this day, so the Roman Catholic Church de-cided to counterbalance those non-religious traditions.
This mixture of secular and religious traditions has grown through the ages and several traditions cannot be traced back precisely.
For instance, the Christmas tree is a very controversial
tradition. Some say that the triangular shape was cho-sen to stand for the Trin-ity of God, but others seem to think that it comes from completely secular traditions of northern Europe.
Santa Claus apparently comes from the bishop Saint Nicholas, a Catholic figure of charity who gave to the poor.
Yet, in certain European countries, he is called Father Christmas and his origins come from non-religious, centuries-old poems.
The tradition of gift-giving might come from the adora-tion of the Magi, but also from Saint Nicholas’ story; however, his image as we know it, with the red and white costume and the long white beard, was designed by Coca-Cola in the 20th cen-tury for commercial reasons.
This iconic character of
Christmas shows the current commercial side of this holy day. By its current Catholic name and most of its modern traditions, today’s Christmas has its roots in Christianity.
Yet presents, meals and other secular tradi-tions made most people forget its essence.
“The commer-cial Christmas overwhelms the Christian one,” Fr. Peter Walsh, Director of Cam-pus Ministry said.
He explained how the focus of Christmas should be on Jesus.
“It can be frustrating be-cause [the commercial Christmas] seems to take
over, but when it is in balance … the commercial part fos-ters the Christians' holy day; it is a good thing,” he said. “Some Christians get angry
at [the commercial Christ-mas], but … it is something that we can work with," he said.
Although the popular cul-ture and certain Christian beliefs coexist in one holiday,
Atkinson said there are no-ticeable differences between the two approaches.
Atkinson said Christmas for Christians is the outcome of a period of expectation.
The coming of the Messiah was the fulfillment of the Old Testament's promises, and Christmas is the ending of the spiritual preparation period known as Advent.
“Christmas is a beautiful feast because we have spent four weeks of preparation,” Atkinson said.
Advent begins Dec. 1 and lasts until Christmas.
“The Advent helps us get ready, to prepare, to an-ticipate the birth of Jesus,” Walsh said.
At St. Edward's, Christmas will be celebrated through the Festival of Lights on Dec. 7 with songs, prayer and hot chocolate.
Weekly ‘Flix Fix takes the legwork out of wading through thousands of film choices on Netflix, bringing you the most truly bizarre, quirky and outright amazing gems in-stant streaming has to offer.
At a certain age, it is easy to write off Santa Claus as a silly myth ingeniously crafted by scheming parents all over the world.
Of course, no one would think that maybe the real magical Santa able to dis-miss physics in a single sleigh ride just disappeared at some point. No one suspects that
Jolly old St. Nick could be just an evil monster who
punished naughty children by tearing them to pieces.
No one except the creators of “Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale.”
“Rare Exports” centers on a group of three reindeer herd-ers in isolated Finland whose Christmas roundup is ruined by an excavation on nearby Korvatunturi Mountain.
On the mountain, Ameri-can scientists and excavation workers uncover a sacred burial ground with an occu-pant who is still very much alive. Local people soon begin to experience strange occur-rences, like reindeer mysteri-ously being killed and chil-dren and home appliances disappearing.
When the herders manage
to capture whom they believe is the culprit, one herder’s son convinces them their hostage is none other than Santa Claus out to punish all the naughty kids. The men then set out to save Christmas and the local children from the malicious mythical creature, but discover a Christmas secret bigger and more ter-rifying than they could ever imagine.
First things first, “Rare Ex-ports” is not a family movie you want the children and Grandma to gather around the TV to watch during the holidays—unless of course you want Grandma to walk away horrified.
It is a bizarre film that will forever disturb the innocent image of Santa Claus, turning a centuries-old fairy tale into the stuff of nightmares. This is not the Santa you want sliding down your chimney on Christmas Eve.
Yet, if you have a weird sense of humor, the origi-nal and off-the-wall “Rare Exports” is a real Christmas treat.
The holiday horror is un-predictable and well-written and will leave you feeling strangely satisfied—although somewhat guilty—at the twisted happily-ever-after ending.
Nikki [email protected]
WEEKLY ‘FLIX FIX | Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Catholic heritage, secular traditions meld in modern ChristmasJacques Mercier des [email protected]
Courtesy of Mike Orasmaa“Rare Exports” is a dark, realistic take on Christmas legends.
“Some Christians get angry at [the commercial Christmas], but it is something that we can work with.”-Father Peter WalshDirector of Campus Ministry
Santa portrayed as monstrous abuser in Christmas horror film
9LIFE & ARTSWEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
FRANK SINATRA“A Jolly Christmas”
When thinking of a pictur-esque Christmas, one often thinks of a warm fire, a color-ful tree, laughter, family and Frank Sinatra’s smooth, sul-try voice singing “Have Your-self a Merry Little Christ-mas.”
Sinatra is perfect Christ-mas music to play while building a fire, cooking a big Christmas meal or opening presents. In fact, there are
very few holiday moments in which Sinatra’s 1957 release “A Jolly Christmas” is not ap-propriate.
“A Jolly Christmas” hear-kens back to a time where trees were bigger, lights were brighter and Christmases were whiter. One cannot help but become romantically nostalgic about the holidays when listening to Sinatra.
MARIAH CAREY “Merry Christmas”
Mariah Carey has done plenty of things right in her career. She is the 3rd high-est-selling female recording artist in the United States, according to the Record-ing Industry Association of America, RIAA. She gained critical acclaim for her emo-tional performance in “Pre-cious.” Her voice can span eight octaves.
Perhaps most impressive of all, however, she claimed
the top spot on our list for best Christmas albums of all time.
Just try to think of the holidays without thinking of “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Go ahead, try.
Carey is spot on and brings some flavor and funk to the Christmas classics we all know and love and adds a few of her own that have rapidly become holiday sta-ples as well.
[slapdash] Santa’s sleigh version 2.0
Top five Christmas albums that give hope to the holiday genreMitch [email protected]
ELVIS PRESLEY“Elvis’ Christmas Album”
Elvis Presley is timeless. Christmas music is timeless. The two combine in 1957’s “Elvis’ Christmas Album” to make something simply stunning.
Elvis has a way of taking something simple and add-ing soul to it. His most no-table song, “Blue Christmas,” was a break from the normal, cheerful holiday songs of the time.
The King of Rock and Roll does not disappoint in add-ing a little something to the classic carols and children’s songs often associated with the holiday.
One listen to the record will explain why “Elvis’ Christmas Album” is the best-selling holiday album of all time in the United States, according to the RIAA.
SUFJAN STEVENS“Songs for Christmas”
It is doubtful that anyone loves Christmas more than Sufjan Stevens. To prove it, Stevens has released 10 sep-arate volumes of Christmas songs in the past 12 years.
His 2006 anthology “Songs for Christmas” con-tains five separate EPs and 42 tracks of both classic and original Christmas music.
The songs on the album are simultaneously quirky, beautiful and heartfelt.
His original Christmas
tracks like “Come On! Let’s Boogey to the Elf Dance!” and “Sister Winter” are personal and modern, but he does not neglect the tra-ditional hymns such as “O come O come Emmanuel” and “Hark! The Herald An-gels Sing!”
While these may never be-come part of the Christmas canon, Stevens’ unique take on Christmas songs makes the holiday music feel ap-propriate year-round.
N’SYNC“Home for Christmas”
N’Sync is the quintessen-tial boy band of the 90’s. They were young, they were talented, and America was definitely into it.
Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass brought all of their boyish charm and added it to clas-sics we all know and love for 1998’s “Home for Christ-mas.”
Most notable on the al-
bum is the instant hit “Mer-ry Christmas, Happy Holi-days.” The song is poppy, fun, danceable and just does not seem to die.
N’Sync captures the spir-it and joy of the holidays perfectly and although the members have now gone their separate ways, America will always have the perfect Christmas song to remem-ber them by.
“Well that definitely isn’t Dasher.”
Christmas music is re-ally only appropriate for one month out of the year. Despite this fact, every art-ist feels the need to release
a Christmas album of their own.
We waded through Christ-mas albums from Taylor Swift to Kathie Lee Gifford. After we took a moment to recuperate from the horror that assaulted our ears, we
found a few good ones.Here are our top five
Christmas albums of all time in no particular order.
While this list is far from conclusive, it is a good place to start for unique takes on some classic carols.
Clockwise from “Sufjan”: Photos courtesy of Asthmatic Kitty Records, BMG, Columbia Records, Capitol Records, and RCA Victor Records
SPORTSWEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS 10
This fall, women’s sports kept up the winning tradition on the Hilltop with record-breaking seasons in both soccer and golf. The NCAA women’s soccer team finished its season with a school re-cord of 18 wins and was, at one point, the top-scoring team in the nation. The NCAA women’s golf team is ranked No. 2 in the nation based on the Golf World/Women’s Golf Coaches As-sociation Coaches’ Poll.
Women’s soccer Head Coach Nick Cowell and women’s golf Head Coach Jennifer McNeil have both brought a passion for win-ning to these teams and in-spired their players to never stop improving.
Women’s Soccer“I am motivated by the con-
stant improvement of our athletes. I want them to expe-rience a never-ending ascen-dancy both in soccer and in their lives,” Cowell said.
In his time at St. Edward’s
University, Cowell coached 40 All-Conference players, 31 All-Region players, five Heartland Conference Play-ers of the Year and six All-America selections. In seven seasons, he has an impressive record of 95-18-9. Women’s soccer players have also ex-celled academically, as 23 soc-cer players were named to the Heartland Conference Hon-or Roll last year and seven earned 4.0 GPAs.
The team had a promising
season that ended with a loss in the conference champion-ship and an early exit from the national tournament. Given that the team hosts only two seniors and 20 freshmen, the team’s 18-3 record is nothing to frown at.
“It was a shock. We worked every day since August … and we were expecting to go a little bit further [in the national tournament]” fresh-man Lauren Heller said on the season’s disappointing
ending.Eighteen wins is a school
record, and the team had the top-ranked offense in the nation. They averaged 3.52 goals per game and outscored opponents 74-12.
Cowell’s leadership and the team’s chemistry helped this group dominate throughout the season, and expectations for next year are high.
“I’ve learned so much about myself and my teammates since I have been here ... and we now have all spring to come together even more. We should come back even stron-ger next year,” junior Rachel Murray said. Murray was named First Team Academic All-American.
Murray was not the only player to pick up post-season awards. Sophomore mid-fielder Mikayla Engel and junior defender Kate Orkild were both named to the Da-ktronics All-America Team.
“Expectations for 2013 are to improve the chemistry even more, to transfer the leadership of the team over to the junior class and to in-
tegrate the new players into the team so that we can make the final four of the NCAA Tournament,” Cowell said.
Women’s GolfAdditionally, the women’s
golf team put together a record-setting season. In her 10th season at St. Edward’s, Head Coach Jennifer McNeil helped lead the team to a suc-cessful fall season as the team finished first in each of their four tournaments.
They were the only team in all of the NCAA Division II to win all the tournaments they entered. The team ended the season with a No. 2 na-tional ranking — the highest in program history.
“We have a lot of returning players, so they clicked well from the start. But this is an unique group. They are very self-motivated individuals who want one thing, and that is to win,” McNeil said.
Senior Melisa Gonzales moved to Austin from Mex-ico to play golf, and believes the team has found a good balance between competitive and cohesive.
“We all get along really well, and since there are eight of us on the team and only five travel, qualifying for the tour-naments plays a big role in us improving,” Gonzalez said.
Teammates competed against each other to earn spots on competitive teams for each tournament.
Gonzalez set an example with the consistency of her game and her composure in high-pressure situations.
Senior Wallis Spears has racked up a handful of acco-lades in her time at St. Ed-ward’s. Spears is a two-time All-American and a team leader. This year, Spears is ranked third individually in the nation and will play a huge role as this team looks ahead to the spring season that kicks off in February.
“We had a wonderfully suc-cessful fall, but we cannot look in the rear view. We have to focus on each individual spring tournament and, when it is done, focus on getting better for the next,” McNeil said.
Women’s golf and soccer set and break recordsColin [email protected]
Women’s club volleyball and men’s club basketball are joining the ranks of club sports next semester, becom-ing the 21st and 22nd clubs to be added to the club sports program.
Karla Braun is the founding member of the St. Edward’s University Club Volleyball team, which is the third all-women club sports team on campus. Braun said she is starting the club as a result of her passion for the sport and
to help grow the volleyball community on campus.
“Volleyball is a passion of mine that will never disap-pear,” Braun said. “I love to play the sport and would love to see a bigger volleyball com-munity.”
The club plans to scrim-mage local club teams like those at The University of Texas at Austin and Texas State in the spring and to hopefully pass off the club to a new group of leaders, as Braun is graduating this up-coming May.
“Since I am starting this
club so late in my college ca-reer, I really hope to leave a legacy and leave this club be-hind to stay strong for years to come,” Braun said.
Jezreel Asare and Rob Ven-turini co-founded the St. Ed-ward’s Men’s Club Basketball team. Asare says the club will fulfill a need on campus.
“We wanted to give stu-dents the opportunity to compete beyond intramural basketball,” Asare said. “We wanted to be able to play for St. Edward’s without com-mitting all of our time to the sport.”
Asare says the club is very committed to being a win-ning team.
“The club will focus on competitiveness. We will try to have multiple practice ses-sions a week and meetings throughout the year,” Asare said.
Men’s club basketball plans on having informational ses-sions before the end of the semester and before begin-ning to compete next spring, while the women’s volleyball club team plans on recruiting members at the Involvement Fair in the spring.
Curran [email protected]
Campus Recreation adds basketball, volleyball to club sports
Sports Information The women’s soccer team had a record-breaking season.
2012-2013 CLUB SPORT TEAMSCompetitive Men’s LacrosseWomen’s Lacrosse Men’s Soccer Rugby Swimming Ultimate Frisbee Rowing Women’s Soccer Cycling
Conditional Cross Country
Recreational Outdoor Adventure ClubCultural Dance ClubVing TsunDance TeamBass FishingKarate
Pending ClubsWomen’s VolleyballMen’s BasketballTennisQuidditch
11SPORTSWEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
SPORTS CALENDARMEN’S BASKETBALLFri. 12/7 | 5:00 p.m.@ SW Oklahoma State Sat. 12/8 | 1:00 p.m.@ Southern Nazerene
Sat. 12/15 | TBD@ NW Missouri State
Mon. 12/17 | TBD@ Harding
Tues. 12/18 | TBD@ Oneonta State
Wed. 12/19 | 7:00 p.m.@ Hawaii-Hilo
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Sun. 12/16 | 1:00 p. m.@Texas A&M-Kingsville Wed. 12/19 | 6:00 p.m.Texas A&M-Kingsville
Sat. 12/29 | 2:00 p.m.Abeline Christian
Column as I see ‘Em is your weekly fix for all things NFL.
Often mistaken for my grandma, my mom is a grey-haired hospice nurse who loves pugs, horses and goes to acupuncture for back pain. She’s also kicked the butt of every other mem-ber of my family and our unlucky plus-one in fantasy football for the last three years.
This year was no differ-ent. Lambeau Liz Green has a 10-2 record and her chat box is abuzz from Saturday until it eventually dies down
Tuesday when the inevitable addition to your loss col-umn is posted, regardless of how much smack has been talked. I’m the commission-er with a 4-8 record.
Let me be clear: our league is compromised of five men, all of whom played varsity football in high school and some even in college. All are hardcore fans of both professional and collegiate teams, and we all know the ins and the outs of the sport. My mom, although incredibly athletic, does not follow football that often, usually avoiding whichever room my dad inhabits on days the Michigan Wolver-
ines or Detroit Lions are playing on TV. However, she has become increasingly unstoppable over the past few years. A fantasy football juggernaut, if you will.
Fantasy football, when played successfully, is a game dependent on keeping track of players on a week-to-week basis, predicting their performance as they play through their schedule. Adding and dropping play-ers is a daily task for those dedicated to winning.
My mom knows some-thing.
I do not know how she does, but every week she has added an obscure player
who ends up scoring 20 points or more, usually. She knew who Doug Martin was before SportsCenter did. There have been games where her bench could have beat all the starters of her opponents.
Do you realize how de-meaning that is? How am I supposed to succeed in life when my own mom beats me at fantasy football? For three years in a row? Last year, her team name was Reigning Queen.
Not this year. Since our league is so small, all six teams make the playoffs and I am prepping my lineup for optimal play over the next
few weeks and the smack-talk lined up for when I
finally beat my mom in fan-tasy football.
Column as I see ‘emNolan [email protected]
Today I learned my mom is better than me at fantasy football
It is not hard to miss Shi-meek Johnson on campus. The Hilltopper basketball player stands at 6 feet 7 inch-es. Despite the team’s shaky start with a 4-6 record, John-son has had some standout games and is trying to help propel the team to a win-ning record. Johnson has led the Hilltoppers in scoring in eight of the team’s 10 games so far this season. He notched 20 points against Newman University and 21 points against Rice University for his season high.
After his freshman year at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Conn., the New York native transferred to St. Edward’s University to play
with childhood friend Kaliq Gross. While Gross gradu-ated last year, Johnson will finish his last year of NCAA eligibility this season. In Johnson’s first two years at St. Edward’s, he earned end of the season All -Confer-ence honors and Heart-land Confer-ence Player of the Week on three different occasions.SS: What is the biggest dif-ference between New York and Texas?SJ: The biggest difference is the weather and the food.SS: When did you start
playing basketball?SJ: I started playing on an organized team in the eighth grade, but I played
the game before that. I started playing basketball because I am a fan of the sport.SS: What is the signature Shimeek Johnson basketball move?SJ: This is sad. I do not think I have a go-to
signature move. I just do whatever the defense gives me.SS: What do you want to do after you graduate?SJ: I would love to keep playing basketball.SS: What is it like to see the world from a 6 feet 7 inch perspective?SJ: I can see it all. People notice me, and I cannot hide.SS: What does your ideal day look like?SJ: Wake up, shower, check Instagram and Twit-ter, get a quick Tang, go to class, practice, Tang again, then take off my shoes and relax my feet.SS: If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be and why?SJ: I would make myself
taller. If I were taller, I probably would have gone to the NBA out of high school.SS: If you did not play basketball, what would you spend your extra time doing?SJ: I would make music and earn straight As.SS: What is the most inter-esting class you have taken at St. Edward’s?SJ: In a sociology class, Race, Class and Gender, we went to the school of the blind. It made me look at life in a different way.SS: Is there anything about you that would surprise most people?SJ: I am a great cook.
ATHLETE PROF I LE
Hilltopper basketball player stands at six-sevenShelby [email protected]
Courtesy of Nolan GreenFor the past three years, this woman has tormented me.
“I would make myself taller. If I were taller, I probably would have gone to the NBA out of high school.”-Sophomore Shimeek Johnson
12SPORTS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
Austin has a vibrant cycling community and a number of bike shops to cater to every type of cyclist. Whether for the casual commuter, the weekend mountain biker or the intense road cyclists known as ‘roadies,’ here’s a few stores located close to campus that are vastly dif-ferent. 1.TSUNAMI CYCLESAddress: 2114 South Congress Ave. Austin, TX 78704 Phone: (512) 448-9725
Though the shop itself is about the size of a closet, Tsunami Cycles is the best place in the 78704 to get a bike serviced. Maintenance is reasonably priced and the mechanics are knowledgeable and personable.
The store also carries a small selection of inven-tory, including bicycles, tools, clothing and inner tubes of all sizes that run about 5 bucks
a pop. Located next to the bright green vacuum store on South Congress just north of Oltorf, Tsunami Cycles is reliable, rarely crowded and the closest bike store to the Hilltop. Tsunami is also open every day of the week except Tuesday. 2.BICYCLE SPORT SHOPAddress: 517 South Lamar Blvd. Austin, TX 78704 Phone: (512) 477 - 3472
Known as BSS among lo-cal cyclists, this local bike shop has three Austin loca-tions and a solid reputation. Also known as the Wal-Mart of local bike shops, the S. La-mar store stocks a sizeable collection of new bicycles in a variety of styles — from road, to hybrid to mountain bikes and even a few women’s spe-cific bike frames.
BSS is well-stocked and mechanics and employees are friendly, but this place is usu-ally pretty busy so watch out for the weekend crowds.
The biannual spring and
fall closeout sales are also something to watch for every March and October, and the store publishes their entire inventory along with prices online.
3.PERFORMANCE BICYCLES Address: 4040 South Lamar Blvd. Brodie Oaks Shopping Center Austin, TX 78704 Phone: (512) 879-9570
Tucked away in the Brodie Oaks shopping center near Hobby Lobby off S. Lamar, Performance Bicycles is simi-lar to BSS in that the store carries a ton of bikes, cloth-ing, shoes and a lot of bike parts. Yes, this store is the Austin branch of a national chain but still a good place to buy gear on sale during clear-ance events.
Customer service is friendly and the store has a surprisingly large selection of both mountain bike and road bike shoes if you like to clip-in when you ride.
Overall, think BSS with
less people and more of a corporate feel, but still a solid bike store if you are looking for a wide selection of gear, bike parts, bikes, and clothing.
4.BIKEALOTAddress: 4418 Pack Saddle Pass Austin Phone: (512) 916-8574
This local bike shop car-ries a little bit of everything — pretty much every bicycle part anyone could ever want. BikeAlot also specializes in commuter bikes, provides custom builds and repairs. Located off of Packsaddle Pass and Ben White across the highway from Target.
5.MELLOW JOHNNY’SAddress: 400 Nueces St. Austin, TX 78701 Phone: (512) 473-0222
Owned by Lance Arm-strong, this trendy bike shop carries mostly high-end bi-cycles, equipment and ap-parel. The low-end of the
price range averages at about $1000, well worth it but definitely a splurge. Even so, Mellow Johnny’s is still a fun place to go to just to browse or grab a drink at Juan Pelota,
the in-store coffee shop. The store also sells t-shirts for bike geeks and those willing to sport the name of Arm-strong’s bike shop on their chest for $20-30 a shirt.
For your inner bike addict: the top five bike stores in AustinKristina [email protected]
Photo by Nolan GreenThis BSS bicycle is a Trek 7000 hybrid named Stevie.
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VIEWPOINTS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS 13
Shortly after Obama’s re-election, individuals across the nation began filing pe-titions for their respective states to secede from the United States. These peti-tions have since gained the support of thousands of dis-gruntled Americans who ap-pear to believe that secession from the Union is a good idea.
The Texas secession peti-tion, not surprisingly due to the huge conservative popu-lation of the state, has the most signatures, breaking 100,000 on Nov. 19.
The petitions have been filed on a legitimate White House website known as We the People, according to Time
Magazine. The site prom-ises that any petition that gains over 25,000 signatures within 30 days will receive a response from the White House. Although Texas was the first state to reach this mark, at least six other states have since garnered the re-quired support.
While the secession of Tex-as is unfeasible, it begs the question: what would Texas’ secession from the Union mean?
If Texans were somehow able to muster up enough military force to fend off the United States for long enough to set up some type of provisional government and begin establishing in-ternational trade relations, it would be a major turning point for the United States.
The secession of the second most populous and second largest state in the Union would likely have a major negative impact on foreign confidence in the stability of the United States, which would in turn lead to an eco-nomic slump.
Depending on the severity of this slump and the extent of the damage to both foreign and domestic perceptions of the United States, the seces-sion of Texas could mark the beginning of the end for America as a sovereign na-tion.
Clearly, Texas’ secession would be a big, messy ordeal that would not really benefit anyone. Deep down, most of the neo-secessionist Texans are probably aware that their champion cause is completely
unrealistic.This is not to say, however,
that the neo-secessionist movement is useless. On the contrary, the growing neo-secessionist movement is proving to be an extremely useful and virtually harmless way for a group Americans to vent its collective frustrations at Obama’s re-election.
The hope for secession ap-pears to be a pragmatic tool that neo-secessionists are using to keep their minds oc-cupied, even though nearly everyone, neo-secessionist or not, most likely realizes that secession is impossible.
In this way, neo-secession-ists are just like everyone else. Each of us uses unrealistic goals, aspirations, and ideas that we know are fabrications of our mind to get us from
one day to the next and keep us from resorting to the more violent faculties of man when something threatens our be-lief system.
In short, empathy for our fellow neo-secessionist
Americans might be useful to move peacefully through this highly polarized time in the United States. They seem to be doing the best that they know how in order to get by, just like the rest of us.
Michael [email protected]
Secession petition gains support needed for White House comment
OUR VIEW
Jessica Kourkounis/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/KRTThe Republic of Texas only existed from 1836 to 1846.
With student retention at St. Edward’s University de-clining steadily, school ad-ministrators are seeking ways to keep students coming back year after year. As students, we can provide some insight into why some students choose to leave St. Edward’s and offer suggestions about how the administration can engage students.
About three quarters of freshmen who entered St. Edward’s in fall 2010 re-turned for the fall 2011 se-mester. That means almost one quarter of these fresh-men did not return for their sophomore year. Retention is an indication of student satis-faction at a university.
There are many possible explanations for decreas-
ing retention rates. School administrators cite financial concerns and a desire to ma-jor in a subject not offered at St. Edward’s, but other, less obvious reasons exist. And some have pos-sible solutions.
One less obvi-ous reason stu-dents might leave St. Edward’s is not feeling wel-come on campus. While there are countless student o r g a n i z a t i o n s and Residence Life activities meant to get students involved on campus, some students inevitably fall through the cracks.
Furthermore, campus lacks a central "hangout" for stu-
dents, key for fostering a wel-coming atmosphere. Rags-dale and Meadows coffee shop are no replacement for a real student center. Rags-dale's central location would
make it the perfect place for a social center. School adminis-trators would need to take ac-tion to make Ragsdale more appealing, such as replacing the bar that used to be in
Fondren Hall, like Middle-bury College's The Bunker, an establishment that only serves alcohol on Fridays.
Another reason students might leave St. Edward’s is a lack of communication with students. Recent changes on campus have no doubt been jarring to some. The seem-ingly sudden announcement that there would not be a full-service library until Fall 2013 might have driven some students to leave.
Trivial changes like this week’s sidewalk closure near the parking garage could even make some students feel out of the loop. Small changes happen on campus often, and some students do not like be-ing in an environment that is in flux.
The location of St. Ed-ward’s in Austin is a draw to study here, but St. Edward’s often seems more concerned with its international con-nections than with its com-munity. Engaging students at home is also important.
Oberlin College maintains a Community Service Work-Study Program in which students who qualify for Federal Work-Study engage in programs off campus such as tutoring and environmen-tal restoration. St. Edward's prides itself in service learn-ing, so this seems natural.
St. Edward’s administra-tion could do several things to help retain students. The most important is better communication. Implement-ing programs to retain stu-
dents is important, but these programs will not help unless students know they exist.
The main St. Edward's so-cial media accounts are run by the Marketing Depart-ment. They read like an ad-vertisement for St. Edward's, not a source of information for students. The university could utilize social media to inform students of changes on campus.
Retention is important, but so is fostering a community for students who already in-tended to stay. Improving communication, integrat-ing work-study with service learning and establishing a central gathering place on campus could both retain and engage.
Administrators could take steps to retain and engage students
“Retention is important, but so is fostering a community for students who already intended to stay.”
14VIEWPOINTS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
In the span of her seven year career, Barbadian pop super-star Rihanna has climbed to the top of the world. But whether she deserves to be called the new Queen of Pop is questionable.
Rihanna has scored five Grammy Awards and sold nearly nine million albums in the United States. She is the most digitally downloaded artist in America, the most watched female on YouTube, and the most liked artist on Facebook.
With her newest album, “Unapologetic,” Rihanna has accomplished a few more impressive feats; her first number one album (finally), and her 12th Billboard Hot 100 number one single with “Diamonds,” tying her with the Supremes and Madonna.
Whether you like Rihanna’s music or not, this is a pretty impressive resume for a 24 year-old. In fact, her place on the Throne of Pop seems undeniable. However, her personal life proves far more controversial than her musi-cal success.
Most notable is her highly-public and recently-rekindled relationship with the effort-lessly detestable singer Chris Brown. In case you forgot, Brown brutally beat Rihanna in 2009 before the Grammys and later pled guilty to felony assault.
Since then, Rihanna and Brown’s relationship has been an up-and-down fiasco for the world to gawk at.
Last year, the pair shocked the Internet when Rihanna released an extended remix of her track “Birthday Cake,” which featured Brown. And even though this year’s Video Music Awards were a total snooze-fest, the show’s most salacious moment was photo evidence of Brown and Ri-hanna reuniting at the end of the program.
Rihanna has already claimed the pair are just friends, but many are not buying it. Ultimately, a rela-tionship between two people should be just that: between two people, not the world. But because Rihanna and Brown are both celebrities, all of their trials and tribula-tions are fodder for Twitter and gossip blogs.
That being said, it is not like they are creeping around, keeping their relationship on the down-low. On the contrary. Pictures of the two have been appearing on Ins-tagram, and in a controversial pop music moment, Brown is featured on one of Rihanna’s newest tracks entitled, “No-body's Business.”
Some would proclaim that creating a song called “No-body’s Business” defeats the purpose of making a relation-ship nobody’s business. How-ever, on the track, Rihanna hardly gives any insight into this relationship besides the lines “You’ll always be mine/I’ll sing it to the world.” Which are some pretty un-settling words for a man who violently abused you.
Rihanna is at her starkest, her most wounded and her most hopeful on “Unapolo-getic.” And what becomes very evident is her obvious emotional trauma after the 2009 incident.
On “Unapologetic,” Ri-hanna paints herself as both predator and prey, often times blaming herself for the violence between her and Brown. This is indicative of deep emotional stress, and makes for an unsettling lis-ten. It becomes clear that this was Rihanna’s best friend and lover who abused her, somewhat humanizing the relationship, or at least add-ing another horrid aspect to mull over.
Rihanna is not the Queen of Pop. That title should be reserved for a superhu-man role model of the mu-sic industry which obviously means Beyoncé. The fact is, Rihanna is not the Queen of Pop because, regardless of her beauty, money or success, she is far too human.
The 2012 election may have just ended, but it is not too early to begin speculat-ing on who might run for President in 2016.
Depending on the out-come of the next four years under President Barack Obama, both major parties will have a chance at win-ning the White House.
If the next four years do not prove successful for Obama, the Republicans will mostly likely gain influ-ence, but it will also hinge on the party’s candidate for president.
One person who has emerged as a leader of the GOP is Louisiana Gover-nor Bobby Jindal. Since for-mer Governor Mitt Rom-ney lost the election, Jindal has distanced himself from Romney.
Jindal would help his party’s image with minori-ties because he is a minority himself. When he was elect-ed governor, Jindal became the first Indian American to become governor in the country.
Another potential Repub-lican presidential hopeful is Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. It seems like Rubio may be making moves to-wards a campaign because of a recent visit to an Iowa Republican Fundraiser. Iowa is the first caucus of the presidential nomination process, and could poten-tially give the winner’s cam-paign a major boost.
These are only two poten-tial Republican presidential hopefuls with many others such as Governor Susana Martinez of New Mexico and Governor Nikki Haley
of South Carolina possibly eyeing a run for the White House in 2016.
While the Republicans can start their presidential nomination process anytime they want, the Democrats cannot because of one per-son — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
If Clinton makes another run for the White House she will be one of the most qualified candidates in his-tory with her education from Wellesley College and Yale Law, experience as a lawyer, first lady, United States Senator, and her cur-rent position as Secretary of State.
According to a survey from Public Policy Polling, Clinton would crush any other Democratic presiden-tial candidates, including Vice President Joe Biden, with a whopping 61 percent in Florida; Biden came in second with 14 percent.
Clinton has become very
popular this year with high approval ratings, and even a hilarious internet meme called “Texts from Hillary.”
Possibly the most alluring aspect of another presiden-tial run for Clinton would be the Obama Coalition made up of Latinos, Asians, African Americans and the youth.
These groups are why the President won his reelection bid, and could be why Hill-ary might run again. The Obama Coalition would be Clinton’s for the taking, and would deliver the Demo-crats the White House again in 2016.
There are four years until America decides who will be its next Commander-in-Chief, and a lot can happen during that time. Regardless of who ultimately ends up being both parties’ respec-tive nominees for president, expect a woman on the Democrats’ ticket and a mi-nority on the Republicans’ ticket.
Jacob [email protected]
Speculation begins over the 2016 Presidential candidates
Rihanna remains “Unapologetic” about controversial relationship
Melanie Burford/Dallas Morning News/MCTHillary Clinton is the United States Secretary of State.
Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times/MCTRihanna has released seven albums in her seven year career.
Jonathan [email protected]
15VIEWPOINTSWEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
3001 S. Congress Ave.#964, Austin, TX 78704Phone: (512) 448-8426 Fax: (512) 233-1695
Hilltop Views is a weekly student newspaper published by the School of Humanities and serving the community of St. Edward’s University. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the university, whose mission is grounded in the teachings and doctrine of the Catholic Church.Letter Policy: Hilltop Views welcomes all letters to the editor. Letters may be edited for space, grammar and clarity. Letters will be published at our discretion. Anonymous letters will not be printed.
HILLTOP VIEWS
Kristina SchenckEditor-in-Chief
Jenna JacoNikki HillNews EditorsChloe KirkpatrickJonathan CokerViewpoints EditorsMitch HarrisBrooke BlantonLife & Arts EditorsShelby Cole Nolan GreenSports Editors
Matthew NuñezPhoto Editor
Andrew HatcherDesign Chief
Hannah Smith Lisa RodriguezDesigners
Willa GoldbergSara SanchezStaff Writers
Lesli SimmsCopy Chief
Travis RiddleCamille EslickHeather FaschingCopy Editors
Cindy MoraAdvertising & Business Manager
Hannah ThornbyWeb/Social Media Marketing Manager
Adam CrawleyLandry TaylorAlex BoudreauxInterns
Jena HeathFaculty Adviser
Hilltop Views asked Uni-versity Police Officer Alice Gilroy to comment on the current state of campus se-curity.
The recent uptick in re-ports of bike thefts and thefts from residential rooms and academic buildings is a sign of the growth of a city, eco-nomic conditions, the holiday season, and a lack of personal responsibility.
We cannot do anything about our city growing, the theft for Christmas money, or economic hardships, but we can take more personal responsibility in how we pro-tect ourselves.
When students move on
campus they leave the safety and security of their homes and the watchful protection of their parents. They have grown up with an adult mak-ing sure the doors are locked, the bike is in the garage, the
car is locked, and someone knows where they are and when they will be home. They have grown up with friends their parents prob-ably approved of beforehand.
Their parents have kept out
unwanted intruders and tak-en care of solicitors and scam artists. These young people come to school wanting to make their own adult deci-sions, but without practice they often become victims to criminals who have years of experience.
Young people who have never lived alone may become too trusting because of the safety net they have become accustomed to. So they leave their residence doors un-locked, allow people to follow them in to the residence halls without question or walk alone at night.
Because they are making new friends, sometimes they do not have enough time to make good judgments on the character of the person
they are partying with. Be-cause they want to be adults and experiment with exces-sive drinking, they often find themselves in dangerous situ-ations around people they should not trust.
Making yourself safe is not necessarily convenient or fun.
While they never would have considered allowing strangers to walk into their house, now these young peo-ple are allowing strangers to stay in their rooms as unre-ported guests.
They sleep with their doors open and are surprised to awaken to someone standing over them. They leave money, wallets, and computers un-secured in rooms, or unat-tended in academic buildings, and are surprised when their
property is stolen.Learning personal responsi-
bility is just part of growing up and leaving home. Unfor-tunately, it can be a painful experience. UPD deals with a lot of victims who are embar-rassed and blame themselves for what has happened.
They do not want to tell us their computer was stolen because they left their room unlocked while they were at the laundry, in the shower, or sleeping.
I want to make sure that ev-eryone understands that why it is important to take steps to protect yourself, becoming a victim was not your fault. The personal responsibility of the crime rests solely with the criminal.
Alice [email protected]
Photo editor says goodbye to university
University police officer discusses campus safety precautions
I am wrapping up my time at St. Edward’s University with so much to be thankful for. I have had an amazing undergraduate career and it would not have been possible without the help of the fol-lowing individuals:
Thank you Esther Yacono, Gilbert Contreras and Linda Valdez of the CAMP pro-gram. Thank you for helping a first generation college stu-dent achieve what was once thought to be unachievable.
Thank you to my wonder-ful cheerleading coach, Ann Mary Carney and the rest of my teammates. It has been an honor working with such talented individuals. I have learned some important life lessons from cheerleading and have so many wonderful memories with you all.
Thank you to the amazing communication department.
Thank you to Professors Tere Garza and Corinne Weisger-ber for the invaluable profes-sional advice you have given me throughout these years. I would also like to thank Professor Stephanie Marti-nez for agreeing to teach the Ethnography course, it meant more to me than you will ever know.
Thank you to Chris Garcia in Student Financial Services. You have been a tremendous help and I am grateful for your patience and kind spirit.
Thank you to Melinda O'Cañas and Andres Madrid for always supporting me and lending an ear when I really need it. I am excited to con-tinue our friendship in the next chapter of my life.
Thank you to the Hilltop Views staff of the past and present. It has been an amaz-ing journey and I have gained some great experience work-ing alongside you all. The pa-per has come a long way since
I first began working in 2009.Last but certainly not least,
thank you Jena Heath. You have been a great professor, mentor and faculty advisor. You have taught me the im-portance of a moral compass, an instrument that is appli-cable to all aspects of my life.
Thank you for always telling me what I needed to hear and not what I wanted to hear.
I am leaving St. Edward’s with a treasure chest full of memories, relationships and experiences that I will cher-ish forever.
Daniel de los [email protected]
Courtesy of Daniel De Los SantosDaniel de los Santos was a photo editor for Hilltop Views.
Photo by Jonathan CokerStudents in residence halls often leave their doors unsecured.
16 PHOTO ESSAY WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 • HILLTOP VIEWS
This year, the holiday spirit on the St. Edward’s University campus has been enriched by the addition of a new “wishing tree”. The tree sits along the sidewalk between Holy Cross Hall and Andre Hall and has a bag of papers, markers, and strings for people to write their wishes on and hang on the tree. Some of the wishes are sincere, and some are humorous, but the students of St. Edward’s have taken to the idea of sharing their wishes anonymously wish the rest of the community.
Photos by Matt Nuñez.
The Wishing Tree
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