issue 3-11-2010
DESCRIPTION
Pinelog 3-11-2010TRANSCRIPT
CMYK
Thursday, March 11, 2010
TODAYH 74 L 46
The
FRIDAYH 65 L 40
SATURDAYH 66 L 40
Volume 88Issue 13
Next Publication:Monday, March 29, 2010
Visit us online atwww.thepinelog.com
The Independent Voice of Stephen F. Austin State University
Page 4
.
SFA beats UTA in opening
round of Southland
Tournament
Texas weather
at its best.
Page 6
By Holley GaskillContributing Writer
With just two days left until the weekend, everyone has Spring Break on the brain. The weather has been prom-ising, and mid-terms are making students ever more eager to relax and unwind during the coming holiday.
Whether students are heading to the mountains to ski, to the beaches to swim, or staying right here in Nacogdoches, members of Kappa Alpha Order would like to encourage everyone to stay safe and make sure that fun activities don’t become dangerous mistakes.
Tuesday night, Kappa Alpha hosted its Safe Spring Break event at the County Annex building downtown. The focus of the event was to raise awareness for students of how easily one’s holiday can become a nightmare if they are not attentive to their surroundings.
There was a large showing at the event from members of SFA’s Greek community, with members of the Kappa Alpha fraternity all in matching blue promotional t-shirts.
The night began with a speech by Nacogdoches po-lice officer Brian Eggebrecht on the dangers of drunk driv-ing and the serious legal con-sequences. Eggebrecht, who works as part of the Traffic Unit, spoke with humor and yet seriousness on the issues that mixing drinking and driving can cause.
“There will be three or four people killed today in the state of Texas as a result of alcohol-related incidents,” he told the audience,
Next to speak was Nacogdoches County Attorney John Fleming, who has years of experience in dealing on both sides of DUI and DWI cases in town. He also reiterated the dangers of drinking and driving, and showed the students in at-tendance a video about a little girl who was brutally killed by a young man who chose to drink and drive.
At just 23 years old, the young man was convicted of murder and sentenced to prison.
“You don’t want your spring break to turn into something like that,” Fleming told stu-dents. He also touched on the seriousness of prescrip-tion drug abuse and how ar-duous the subsequent legal process of a DUI conviction can be for students.
“We’re not looking to un-ravel your life,” Fleming said, “We are seeking justice. You don’t want to be on the wrong end of that.”
After Fleming spoke, Lee Barrett Westmoreland, the first assistant to the Nacogdoches District Attorney, demanded serious reflection from the audience on the topic of sexual as-sault.
The number of cases of sexual assault spikes dramat-ically during Spring Break, Westmoreland told the audi-
ence, especially when alcohol is involved. He offered heavy statistics on sexual assault in the U.S. and gave listeners a number of important steps to take should it happen to them.
First, he said, get to the nearest hospital and have them contact the authori-ties. Do not shower, as it will deteriorate evidence. Do not hide facts from law enforce-ment officials, even if they are not flattering to your sit-uation. And most of all, do not panic,
“You will not be alone in this,” Westmoreland assured the audience.
The event included ques-tion-and-answer sessions in which students were able to learn more about potential situations that commonly arise during Spring Break. Driving Jacks, who had rep-resentatives present, also reminded students of the services they have available to help everyone enjoy the holiday safely.
Adam Smith, head of pub-lic relations and community service for Kappa Alpha and a Nacogdoches sophomore, said he hoped everyone would take the information they had learned seriously.
“Kappa Alpha tries to take an active approach to the community to try and keep people safe,” Smith said, “I just want to urge everyone to have a safe spring break.”
By Holley GaskillContributing Writer
Learning how to prepare for a job interview is one of the most impor-tant steps a college student can take. Especially in a tough economy, it is ever more vital to stand out from the crowd when meeting with a potential employer.
Thanks to SGA’s “Getting Down to Business” Fashion Show Monday night in the Grand Ballroom, learn-ing the keys to successful dress can also be a lot of fun.
“Getting Down to Business” was the first show of its kind to be hosted on campus. The event consisted of a fashion show, with models and make-up provided by student fashion group, FNM (Fashion ’N Motion.)
Students who attended were given free printouts with tips on how to dress and accessorize for a business interview, and the “do’s” and “don’ts” of how to appear before a prospecti ve employer.
SGA senator Don Ellisor started off the show by talking about the
difference being well-dressed can make in a student’s impression on an interviewer. There followed a se-ries of fashion walks where models presented various business wear.
The first walk consisted of mod-els wearing the “misconceptions” of business dress. They demonstrated that mistakes like overly-bright col-ored clothes, excessive make-up and jewelry, open-toed shoes, un-tucked shirts, and chewing gum can ruin an applicant’s impression on an inter-viewer.
A second group of models fol-lowed, presenting to the audience the correct way to dress for busi-ness interviews. They presented modest, neutral-colored clothing that fit loosely but well and gave a professional impression. Master of Ceremonies Courtney Harvey, stu-dent body president and Dallas ju-nior, addressed the audience as the models walked, describing in more detail the different aspects that pro-fessional dress should include.
The event was conceived by Sherilynn Sherrouse, Corinth sopho-
more, who teamed up with SGA to provide essential information to stu-dents in a fun and creative way.
“A lot of my friends are going to job interviews over Spring Break,” Sherrouse said. “When I asked them what they were going to wear to their interviews, well, it was a little embar-rassing. I figured, if my friends didn’t know what to wear, probably a lot of students didn’t know.”
Sherrouse, who is majoring in fashion merchandising and takes a lot of interest in fashion, decided that a fashion show would be a unique and engaging way to show students the professional way to appear at an interview.
“I think it came together very well,” she said. “I am hoping it can become an annual thing.”
As job interviews will always be a very prevalent part of every col-lege students’ preparation for life after graduation, “Getting Down to Business” serves as a great source of information on the basics of profes-sional dress.
SFA student passes away in ATV accident last Saturday
ALL PHOTOS BY HOLLEY GASKILL/THE PINE LOG
Kappa Alpha promotes ‘Safe Spring Break,’ safe choices
Lee Westmorland, first assistant to the Nacogdoches District Attorney (above) spoke to students Tuesday night. County Attorney John Fleming (left) also participated in the event related to Spring Break.
SGA getting down to business
HOLLEY GASKILL/THE PINE LOG
By Garrett Cook Entertainment Editor
A memorial service for Lauren Alston, 21-year-old SFA senior and Lufkin native who was killed in an ATV accident this past weekend, is scheduled for 2 p.m. today at the First United Methodist Church of Lufkin.
There will be a celebration, then fellowship that includes a photo/slide show of Lauren’s life. There is also a Facebook group entitled “In Loving Memory of Lauren Alston” that friends and family are en-couraged to join. Poems, words of kindness, condolences and photo-graphs may be posted there.
The accident in which Alston died occurred shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday on County Road 164 be-tween Nacogdoches and Garrison. According to the Department of Public Safety, Alston lost control of her 2008 Suzuki ATV on a sandy surface and flipped.
She was rushed to Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital where she later died.
Alston was a 2006 graduate of Lufkin High School. She enrolled at SFA, working her way toward a Bachelor of Arts degree in hospital-ity administration. She was set to finish course work in May and had plans to intern during the sum-mer.
Alston was born and raised in Lufkin. Her grandfather, Dr. Roy Dean Alston, retired from SFA in 2008 after teaching in the math-ematics and statistics department for 40 years.
Carol Bradley, lecturer in nu-trition, is adviser to Phi Epsilon Omicron, the honors organization for human sciences.
“Lauren was well liked and will be greatly missed as an officer in Phi U,” Bradley said.
As historian for the Hospitality Administration Society, Alston helped maintain the group’s
Facebook page and handled re-sponsibilities related to marketing and promotion, according to assis-tant professor of human sciences Chay Runnells.
“She had such a bright future in the hospitality industry,” Runnells said. “What shone through both her work and activities was her love of family and friends and the value she placed on relationships. That is what you need to be successful in hospitality.”
Runnells added that Alston had “tons of friends both inside and outside her major.”
One of those friends and Alston’s classmate, Brandi Hampton, said Alston’s ultimate career goal was to be an event planner.
“She was the kind of gal who was interested in everything but wanted to do event planning and coordinating things,” Hampton, Nacogdoches senior, said.
“She loved talking, could talk for days,” Hampton said. “She was
very open to just meeting people and talking to anyone. I’ve known her for three years, but over the last year we got close. She just really enjoyed life and was down to do anything. She had kind of a sassy attitude. She was very up-front with people, and if something needed to be said, she’d be the one to say it.”
Hampton also spoke about Alston’s abilities as a student.
“(She was a) very smart girl,” Hampton said. “She was very orga-nized and detail-oriented. Her GPA was high, she was a historian in her organization and really involved.”
Runnells recalled an event last year that typified Alston’s love of family as well as her dedication to her career path.
“One of her greatest joys last year was planning the 50th wedding anniversary celebration for her grandparents, Dr. and Mrs. Alston,” Runnells said.
The Lauren Alston Memorial
Scholarship has been established
through the SFA Alumni Association.
Those who wish to donate can
make checks payable to SFA Alumni
Association and mail them to Lauren
Alston Memorial Scholarship, c/o
SFA Alumni Association, PO Box
6096, Nacogdoches, TX, 75962.
The Independent Voice of Stephen F. Austin State University
SFA beats UTA in opening
round of Southland
Tournament
Page 6
Kappa Alpha promotes ‘Safe Spring Break,’ safe choices
PINE LOG
Lauren AlstonLufkin senior
PINE LOG PINE LOG
CMYK
Page Two Thursday, March 11, 2010 PINE LOGTHE
AtBanita Creek
Hall
On 03/09/2010 at approximately 10 p.m. UPD officers were dispatched to Hall 20 in reference to illegal drugs. Upon arrival the of-ficers conducted an investigation which led to officers finding two males in possession of drug paraphernalia. There are two suspects.
On 03/10/2010 at approximately 12:08 a.m. an officer was dispatched to Lumberjack Village in reference to theft. The complainant stated that on 03/10/2010 she left her clothes unattended in a laundry room in Lumberjack Village and when she returned she noticed her clothes to be missing. There are no sus-pects.
On 03/09/2010 at approximately 5:45 hrs an officer conducted a traffic stop in Lot 20. The officer made contact with the driver and occupants of the vehicle and found a hand-gun and what the officer believed to be mari-juana. The driver was also found to be driving with an invalid driver’s license. All subjects in the vehicle were arrested and transported to the Nacogdoches County Law Enforcement Center. Charges include places where weap-ons prohibited, possession of marijuana and driving while license invalid. There are three suspects.
On 03/09/2010 at approximately 1:45 p.m. an officer was dispatched to an SFA park-ing garage in reference to criminal mischief. Upon arrival the officer saw that a entry/exit arm was broken. There are no suspects.
On 03/09/2010 at approximately 12:44 p.m. an officer was contacted by a complain-ant, who stated that on 03/08/2010 at ap-proximately 3 p.m. he was threatened by two people at the East College Cafeteria. There are two suspects.
On 03/09/2010 at approximately 12:20 a.m. an officer was dispatched to Hall 14 in reference to criminal mischief. The officer made contact with the complainant, who stated that someone applied an unknown substance on his door at Hall 14. There are no suspects.
On 03/08/2010 at approximately 5:03 p.m. UPD officers responded to a fight in progress in the area of Lot 42. Upon arrival, an of-ficer detained a person who gave fictitious information regarding his identification. The officer also found that the subject had outstanding warrants from other agencies. The subject was arrested and transported to the Nacogdoches County Law Enforcement Center, where he was charged with failure to identify as a fugitive and Nacogdoches PD and Kaufman County warrants.
On 03/08/2010 at approximately 3:26pm an officer was dispatched to Lumberjack Lodge in reference to criminal mischief. The complainant stated that at an unknown time and date someone damaged a wall at Lumberjack Lodge. There are no suspects.
By Audrey SpencerStaff Writer
SFA will host the Preserve America Workshop, a program discussing cemetery preservation and tourism, today starting at 11 a.m. in Room 2.106 of the BPSC.
The agenda includes speakers, a “field trip” to Laird’s Monument Company on North Street and a seminar on headstone identification and maintenance. Speakers’ topics include basic cemetery preservation, cemetery access and legal issues, and tourism readiness.
The workshop is funded by the Preserve America Grant from the National Park Service. The grant is to help and assist communities in preservation of cemeteries, according to Dr. Chay Runnels, human sciences assistant professor, said.
“It’s a way to get information out to help clean, preserve, identify and promote cemeteries.”
Multiple professors in the history, geography, forestry, GIS, hospitality and archeology departments put the workshop together.
“The library has also been very involved,” Runnels said. “Folks in the East Texas Research Center have been helping with information of who’s buried in cemeteries.”
Dr. Perky Beisel, event coordinator from the history depart-ment, will speak first, at 11, about cemetery preservation, answering the question “What are the steps to consider to preserve a cemetery?”
Dr. George Avery, from the department of social and cul-tural analysis, will speak about “the legal things to be aware of,” Beisel said, “what you’re required to do and not do in cemetery preservation.”
Runnels and Dr. Bill Forbes, assistant professor of geogra-phy, will cover two sections about historic tourism around rural counties.
“The last section is at Laird Monument Company,” Beisel said. “They have agreed to let us visit and see how they make the stones, give information on modern stones and talk about what’s recommended for cleaning, The modern stuff is differ-ent from historic stuff.”
The goal of the workshop is to bring awareness of the im-
portance of historic cemeteries to East Texas to public view, according to Runnels.
“We want to act as a resource base for people really inter-ested in caring for and preserving cemeteries,” she said.
Beisel also characterizes the workshop as a networking op-portunity.
“People from different cemeteries can get together and get together a larger network of people into this kind of thing,” she said.
The workshop is free and open to students and the public.Runnels said interested persons may include “anybody
who may have a cemetery they’re interested in preserving or saving, or anyone interested in history.”
Beisel encouraged anyone to come and “enjoy themselves.”“They can come to some or all sessions.” she said.
“Whichever parts they like to. You don’t have to be a cemetery person.”
For more information, a detailed agenda and directions to Laird’s Monument Company, visit www.preserveamericasfa.blogspot.com.
Half Page mark
SudokuLevel of Difficulty
MEDium The rules of Sudoku are
simple. Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing.
Look in the next issue for the answers.
Last Issue’s Solution
The Crime Log
2
6
4
215
98
9
6
3
324
1
479
4
5
1
81
643
2
2
7
Puzzle by websudoku.com
SFA to host workshop about preserving cemeteries and tourism
CMYK
Page ThreePINE LOGTHEThursday, March 11, 2010
COLLEGE NEWSPAPER STRIP - B/W11” X 2”
@SHESOUTOFMYLEAGUE.COM
SOME BURGER #11402 South St.
560-2295SPECIALS! At Both Locations
BBQ Plate $4.75LG Frito Pie $2.50Banana Spilt $2.75
10A.M.- 8P.M.Everyday
2300 North St.462-1200
WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF SFA8A.M.-8P.M.
FRI & SAT 8A.M.-10P.M.
Cafe El Chile Picoso
1724 South St.560-244824/7•BYOB
Pride of the South Meat Market
Specials This WeekSOME BURGER #2
“The Taco Stand”
JACKBUCKS & CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED AT ALL LOCATIONS LONE STAR AT MEAT MARKET
Chilaquiles $2.50Lunch Fajitas $5.99
Botanas Platter $8.95
CC Ribs $1.69 lbTenderized Round Steak $3.19 lb
Market Sytle Bacon $2.99 lb
1722 South St. 560-5214
•Sweatshirts•
936-564-1166M-F 10-5Sat 10-2
Visa • Mastercard • Discover • American Express
•Paddles•
•Custom Embroidery•
•Custom Engraving•
•Flip-Flops•
•Car Decals•
•Sorority/Fraternity•
•Caps & Jackets•
[email protected] Johanna
Gifts & Greeks
•Custom Decals•
Chris
•Custom Embroidery•
•Custom Engraving•
•Sorority/Fraternity•
•Custom Embroidery•
•Custom Engraving•
•Sorority/Fraternity•
•Caps & Jackets•
Banita Creek Properties
327 W. CollegeNacogdoches, TX 75965
Phone: 936.560.4768Fax: 936.560.9298
www.banitacreek.com
w Banita Creek w Ponderosa Pinesw Campus Colonyw Heritage Arms
Walk to SFA
By Jennifer PattersonStaff Writer
Student Activities Association is hosting a hot wing eating contest at noon today in front of the Surfin’ Steve statue.
The competition will have eight to 10 students compet-ing for a grand prize of $100. Sign-up for the competition ended yesterday. Depending on the amount of people who applied for the competition the number of participants may change.
Raul Davila, Katy junior, is coordinating the hot-wing eat-ing event.
“I remember there was a jalapeno eating contest. From there, I got the idea for a hot wing contest,” Davila said. “I love hot wings. They’re my favorite food.”
Each member of SAA is in charge of coordinating new and different events for students on campus. All events offered by SAA are free except for the movies that are shown in the movie theatre in the student center.
The atomic-flavored hot wings will be supplied by Wing Stop. The winner will be decided based on who eats the most atomic wings in the shortest amount of time.
“It was done last year, and if it is successful this year, then it may be picked up,” Davila said.
Anyone with questions regarding the hot wing eating contest or any other SAA event may contact the SAA office at 936-468-1222.
By Tiara Jefferson Staff Writer
Tri Deltas will host a softball tournament April 30 through May 1, at the Intramural Fields. Ten teams of males, from any organiza-tion on campus, are needed to participate and help raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
Those who participate are required to pay a $175 regis-tration fee, which will go to St. Jude’s, and the deadline to register a team is April 12. The cost of registration can be split among team mem-bers.
Brooke Klett, South Lake sophomore and Panhellenic chair, said the more mem-bers that are a part of a team the less it would cost for each player.
All participants will receive free T-shirts.
There will be a DJ as well as hot dogs and snow cones for sale. Raffle prizes will in-clude: a TV, two $50 gift cards to P.F. Changs, a $25 gift card to Macy May’s (a gift store,), a $75 Visa Card and digital camera.
Tri Delta has chosen St. Jude’s as its philanthropy. “Triple Play” is an annual event that is held every spring semester.
“It’s always been a great success and help to St. Jude’s,” Klett said. “We’re encourag-ing males to form teams. We appreciate the support.”
Males who are interested in participating in “Triple Play” can e-mail Klett at [email protected] for more information.
By Regina BostContributing Writer
Students who desire to help others, but are unsure of what field to pursue, should consider a degree in social work. SFA’s School of Social Work is always look-ing for new students.
According to the School of Social Work’s pamphlet, social workers help people “function the best they can in their environment, deal with their relationships
witothers and solve person-al and family problems.”
Dr. Freddie L. Avant, pro-fessor and associate dean/director of the School of Social Work, said, “Social workers are voices for the oppressed.”
Avant says social work is a field to pursue if you truly want to change lives.
Social workers work with individuals, families, groups, organizations and commu-nities. Many job opportuni-ties are available.
The list of employment opportunities includes: child welfare, probation and parole, inpatient health and home health care, child and adult protective services, services for the elderly, rural outreach services, mental health services, family coun-seling, public welfare, hos-pices and hospitals, schools and domestic violence ser-vices.
Avant said social workers deal with all systems that affect our lives because they
are very much involved in community actions.
“We can all be touched by social workers at some point in time,” he said.
According to Avant, “Domestic violence is a so-cial condition that takes col-lective action to change.”
He says many social work-ers work with children who have been raised in destruc-tive families. Such social workers help break negative domestic cycles.
N a c o g d o c h e s Independent School District’s (NISD) three social workers play a pivotal role in the development of stu-dents, a majority of whom are Hispanic and come from low-income families, ac-cording to a recent article in The Daily Sentinel.
James Montoya, one of the three, is currently helping the city count its Hispanic population for the national census.
According to Avant, there is a tremendous need for social workers, but there are shortages of workers in cer-tain areas.
“Fifty percent of the National Association of Social Workers are ages 50 or older. That majority will be retiring, but growth of social problems will not be slow-ing down,” Avant said.
In SFA’s School of Social Work, there are 200 un-dergraduate students and about 100 students in the graduate program.
Students considering a degree in social work can get more information by calling Avant at (936) 468-5105, visiting www.sfasu.edu/aas/socwk, or by visit-ing the school, located at 420 E. Starr, across from Lumberjack Village.
By Mandy BowlingContributing Writer
When a fraternity or sorority is charged with an infraction, the decisions are the responsi-bility of University administrators, including UPD, Dr. Peggy Scott, director of student rights and responsibilities, or Steve Westbrook, vice president for University affairs. What some students don’t know is once the decision of punishment is made, the work of the fraternity or sorority is not finished.
After a fraternity or sorority is deemed guilty of an infraction and receives its sanction, the next step is to get themselves back on track and on good terms with the administration. Assisting in this process are Jonathan Elder and Beverly Farmer, in the office of student af-fairs.
Jonathan Elder, coordinator of student organizations and Greek life, has been doing this job at SFA for three years. Elder works with the Interfraternity Council and the Multicultural Greek Council, while Farmer works with groups in the Panhellenic Council and the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
“The higher administration decides the punishment based on the type of infraction. Then we, Beverly Farmer and myself, come in and do the follow-ups. We make sure the president of the fraternity or sorority involved meet their sanction,” Elder said.
Sanctions could include making an educational video about hazing or binge drinking for students, showing them what not to do.
The most recent act Elder dealt with was the appeal of a fraternity charged with hazing. After the sanction was upheld, Elder said, “Now the president of the fraternity comes to me, and I make sure they are meeting all their sanctions.”
An on-campus adviser is chosen based on the fraternity or sorority, and an alumni adviser, who goes to all the meetings, is required in each fraternity and sorority.
“The Panhellenic Council has a team of alumni advisers who have different roles, such as a financial adviser, to help the sorority stay on track and out of trouble,” Elder said.
“Hazing is probably the most common act that results in a punishment,” Elder said. “(Prior to the most recent hazing incident) I can’t remember the last time hazing occurred.”
Punishments are not taken lightly, and although hazing may be rare, when it happens people are ready to take care of it.
There is a SFA Hazing Hotline that allows students to call if they hear anything about haz-ing.
“We want students to tell us about hazing if it happens or if they hear about it happening. If they don’t want their names heard or don’t want to come to us directly, they can call this number,” Elder said.
The number for the SFA Hazing Hotline is 936-468-8888.
Administration shows no tolerance for hazing acts
Tri Delta to host softball tournamentas fundraiser for St. Jude’s Hospital
By Andreya StephensonContributing Writer
The Office of Multicultural Affairs is of-fering a $100 scholarship to the winner of a contest to design a new logo.
This logo will be featured on t-shirts, brochures, programs and posters. Alicia Millard, staff member in multicultural affairs, said they are not looking for any-thing overdone; nothing with hands, a globe or hugging.
“We are looking for something origi-nal,” Millard said.
She said they are looking for some-thing to represent the spirit of SFA and the mission of the multicultural affairs program. According to the logo applica-tion, its mission is to promote students
to get involved, to become aware of the importance of diversity and to offer op-portunities for all of this to take place.
Millard said there is no specific color or size they are looking for, but students should remember that the design needs to be easily transferred to many things. It needs to be able to be enlarged or reduced in size; also, the design should look good in black and white.
Designs need to be submitted both by hard copy and via e-mail. Students may submit up to three designs. They are due by 4 p.m. Friday, March 26. Students may pick up an application in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, on the third floor of the student center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
$100 scholarship offered for logo design
SAA hosting hot wing contest
By Paige BeasleyContributing Writer
Students who plan on graduating in May have a little more than a week left to file for graduation.
Graduation applications for this semester are due on Monday, March 22. Applications can be obtained from the Registrar’s Office, Room 204, in the Rusk Building.
Along with submitting the application, students will be charged a $25 processing fee. All students whose applica-tions are not submitted on time will be charged a late fee in addition to the processing fee.
Students graduating in May have the opportunity to par-ticipate in spring commencement ceremonies, which will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 15, in the William R. Johnson Coliseum.
Caps and gowns can be ordered at any time from the Barnes & Noble Campus Bookstore.
Students are eligible to file for graduation once they earn 90 credit hours, and they are encouraged to file one or two semesters before their expected graduation date. The dead-line for students graduating in August or December is July 10 and Oct. 25 respectively.
For more information on filing for graduation, contact Donna Burkett in Room 203 of the Rusk Building or at 936-468-2335.
Once students earn 60 credit hours, they are eligible to
participate in the Mentor Ring program. The program pairs students with alumni who can help guide them through their finals semesters of college and even into the work-place.
Mitzi Blackburn, director of activities and events for the SFA Alumni Association, explained that the alumni chosen have similar degrees of the students they are matched with or are involved in that student’s desired career field.
“This gives the student someone to talk to about career concerns or to ask questions about what it’s like in the real world,” Blackburn said.
In order to participate in the program, students must order their official class ring by Friday, March 26. Students can order the official class ring online at www.thesfaring.com or the rings will be sold from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 23-24 at the sales event in the Tracie D. Pearman Alumni Center.
Created in 2001, the Mentor Ring program begins after the student purchases a ring with The Big Dip ceremony. Not only will students be presented their rings and their mentors at the ceremony, but Blackburn explained that stu-dents will also be given the opportunity to dip their hands in purple dye to show that they are “dipped in pride.”
This semester’s Big Dip ceremony will be held at noon on Friday, May 7.
For more information about the Mentor Ring Program contact the SFA Alumni Association at 936-468-1007.
Social workers help as ‘voices for the oppressed’
Graduation deadline approaching quicklyStudents graduating in May must apply by March 22
Spring BreakBE SAFE!
CMYK
opinionsthe pine log
Page Four Pine LogThe Thursday, March 11, 2010
OpinionsPolicy
✓ Write a letter to Grinding the Ax. Follow the guidelines on the right. Sign your name, and your letter will likely appear on this very page.
✓ Or use our Web site to submit a letter to Grinding the Ax. It’ll save you a trip to the Baker Pattillo Student Center.
✓ Post feedback to our stories online. Hit the “Feedback” button at the end of a story, and let us have it. We can take it.
We’re lookingfor your
FEEDBACKOpinions expressed in this sec-
tion of The Pine Log are those of the individual writer or cartoonist and do not necessarily reflect those of the University, its administrative officers or Board of Regents.
Letters should be typed and should include the student’s home-town, classification, campus identi-fication number and phone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit letters for space, spelling, grammar and potentially libelous material. Letters should not be longer than 300 words. Any let-ter that does not follow this criteria will not be published.
SPRING 2010 EDITORIAL BOARD
EDITOR MARIE LEONARD
MANAGING EDITOR ENTERTAINMENT EDITORNICOLE HALL GARRETT COOK
SPORTS EDITOR OPINION EDITORSHELLY TREVINO JONATHAN GARRIS
PHOTO EDITOR ADVERTISING MANAGERTHOMAS MOTYKA JERRET SWIERC
COPY EDITORMONICA GORDON
Evolution debate exposes lack of understanding
On March 6, the Associated Press published an article about the growing trend of homeschool curriculum rejecting the concept of evolution in favor of creationism and intelligent design. The article itself stated that “Christian-based materials dominate a growing home-school education market that encompasses more than 1.5 million students in the U.S.” and that most parents want to teach their children a “Bible-based ver-sion of the Earth’s creation.”
It’s a trend that should be a great cause for concern. In a time when the rest of the world is rapidly sur-passing the U.S. in scientific and mathematical fields, I find it wor-risome that there are so many par-ents who are willing to shortchange
their child’s education and under-standing of basic biology.
What I’ve found from my ex-perience is that the people who “disagree” with evolution fail to actually comprehend it. Those who dispute it often times seem like they don’t entirely understand the subject.
In regard to evolution itself, the elements of fact and theory should be relatively easy to understand. The consensus of the scientific
world is that evolution is occurring, but the principles by which it oc-curs comprise the actual “theory” of evolution.
Morphologically and genetical-ly, organisms that are alive today are far different from the ones that were alive in the past. Genetic and fossilized evidence very clearly demonstrates this idea, and the mechanism has been observed to occur. This idea that a species have changed over time can be thus re-garded as the fact of evolution.
However, the theories of evolu-tion encompass concepts like nat-ural selection, mutation, migration patterns, and other mechanisms that can cause such changes to occur. Obviously, we can regard
this as the theory of evolution, as such mechanisms are well up for debate.
Evolution falls in line with typi-cal scientific theory, explained as being an “explanation or model based on observation, experimen-tation, and reasoning, especially one that has been tested and con-firmed as a general principle help-ing to explain and predict natural phenomena”.
I don’t mean to insult religion, but pulling information from the Bible and creating faux science that’s simply made to fit into a cer-tain frame of mind is far from cre-ating a concrete theory. Intelligent design may still be a theory, but unlike most modern scientific the-ories it has no tangible evidence to support it and does not adequately predict future behavior of phe-nomena.
How is it that something as far removed from the basis of sci-ence as possible ever be printed in the biology section of a textbook? Perhaps it’s something I should ask the parents in the article that be-lieve that lying to their children is somehow good for their future and makes them able to comprehend
even elementary biology.I see a large number of creation-
ists stepping forward and attempt-ing to expose missing fossils from the fossil record, but for the past few decades scientists have suc-cessfully created a more complete picture of how species evolved and strengthen the ideas surrounding the exact mechanics of evolution.
Creationists, meanwhile, rely on borderline hilarious concepts like the Hovind theory. Or better yet, they argue against evolution by using the shape of a banana as proof of an intelligent designer. These people don’t make my head go numb, it’s the thousands of peo-ple that are willing to blindly follow them simply because they don’t have the will to seek out answers for themselves.
And why go after evolution con-stantly? A lot of materials distrib-uted by organizations that wish to “teach the controversy” show there are a number of theories out there that can be intelligently designed. Why not attack gravity?
The problem with attacking grav-ity as just a theory is that, even with being a theory, it’s no less observ-able than what has been proven
to be scientific fact. It’s generally accepted that if someone were to jump off of a skyscraper, they’re not going anywhere but down. However, pin pointing the exact underlying forces is a subject of contention and debate.
It’s the same basic principle as evolution, and yet so many are willing to shun the idea of evolu-tion without second thought.
Religion does not bother me. Challenging theories with theo-ries does not bother me. However, when you begin to argue against documented and proven facts and theories that are grounded in ex-perimentation and observable evi-dence without anything tangible to bring to the table and try to pass it off as fact, I’m going to be a little bothered by it.
It’s just another example of bla-tant anti-intellectualism run amuck in this country, and it will only hurt us in the long run.
Jonathan is a journalism junior from Burlington, NJ.
Jonathan GarrisOpiniOns EditOr
Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Skype, text messaging, instant messaging, Facebook messaging, Myspace messaging, cell phones, home phones, e-mail, snail mail, fax ma-chines, television, radio.
The list is endless. Communication at in-stant speed. It is a never-ending 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week stream of words and conversations. At any moment during the day, you can let all Internet users know your name, age, location, significant other, reli-gious affiliation, sexual orientation, hobbies,
interests, activities, physical appearance, and what you are doing at that present time. It’s sort of sick, when you think about it.
I’m not knocking the Internet. It’s helped me kill time in some interesting ways over the past several years. It’s helped me find out that girls were booed up before I asked them out and made an ass of myself. I’ve or-dered some really cool stuff via the Internet and had it delivered straight to my door without ever leaving home.
And cell phones. Where would I be if I couldn’t have called roadside service when my car was broken down at 1 a.m. on a county road two hours from home? Or re-ceived that text message from a young lady stating what a bastard I was for not replying to her text message that she sent me at 2 o’clock in the morning? Or gotten call after call before I can get up and down the street to run an errand, which in turns raises my blood pressure and causes me an overall sensation of physical discomfort as I attempt to drive to Walgreen’s to get a roll of Tums
because my stomach’s upset because I’m stressed out from a virus my computer got from an e-mail?
I sense by now you are aware my tongue is planted firmly in my cheek as I write this. I’m from a town where you learn quickly that unless you guard your privacy rather fiercely, everybody and their mother know when you sneeze. So it was, that I learned to never write anything down if you didn’t want anybody to know and to watch who you tell things to.
But I got older, and cell phones and Internet service became as common and as necessary as handkerchiefs and wrist watches. And I moved out of the sticks to Nacogdoches, still in the sticks but not quite as deeply in the sticks as my home town.
I met a lot of people who were from other places like Houston and Dallas where peo-ple run as tight as ticks in a dog’s ear and told everybody everything that was going on with them via one of the magical devices I listed at the top of the article. Somebody sees you
somewhere with someone, and before you know it you’re a celebrity. Believe me, this isn’t narcissism talking. It’s the truth.
I realize that gossips and busybodies are nothing new. I suppose I’ve just always been annoyed with them, whether the jawing is about me or someone else. For all the “social networking” that Facebook promotes, it has become more of, in the words of my dear aunt, “a big gossip.” I’ve heard people com-plaining about someone who might have possibly been taking digs at them through a status update or wall post. Implications, mind you, on an Internet forum. What hap-pened to looking at someone and telling them what was on your mind?
Never mind. They’ll probably text it to someone when you’re done.
Garrett is a English senior from Mount Pleasant.
GarrettCookeEntErtainmEnt EditOr
‘Digital age’ still creates rifts between people
Axes Up to the Ladyjacks and their chance at playing in the WNIT! Despite the tourna-ment loss, there’s still a possi-bility of playing in post-season action.
Axes Down to the Ladyjacks being defeated by Northwestern State. The loss eliminated the SFA women from the confer-ence tournament.
Axes down to certain eleva-tors on campus having expired inspection stickers. (And to the elevators in Hall 20 for consis-tently failing said inspections.)
CMYK
Thursday, March 11, 2010 PINE LOGTHE Page Five
the official class ringis a lasting memory
of your sfa experience.
Order before March 24 at the SFA Alumni Association for The Big Dip* presentation ceremony on May 7.
* Only students who order the official class ring of SFA are eligible to participate in The Big Dip.
Order the Mentor Ring, the official class ring of SFA
Questions? Stop on campus at the Tracie D. Pearman Alumni Center, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.936-468-3407
The official ring sales event will occur March 23-24 at the Pearman Alumni Center, but you can stop by any time before then and we’ll be glad to help you order
your official SFA class ring!
FREE 42” FLAT SCREEN TV!
2 Car Garage • Pool Private Park • Volleyball Court
Appliances Furnished Fenced Yards • Energy Efficient
Phone: 936-559-9393 www.woodsofsfa.com
Visit our Model 1.25 miles from SFA.3102 B Everwood TR.
Tues - Fri 2 PM to 6PM Sat 12 PM to 6 PM
3 Bedroom Duplex Homes
The Woods of SFA
OFFER EXPIRES March 16, 2010
the
pine
log
ente
rtai
nm
ent By Manohla Dargis
New York TimesKathryn Bigelow’s two-fisted win at the Academy
Awards for best director and best film for The Hurt Locker didn’t just punch through the American movie industry’s seemingly shatterproof glass ceil-ing; it has also helped dismantle stereotypes about what types of films women can and should direct. It was historic, exhilarating, especially for women who make movies and women who watch movies, two groups that have been routinely ignored and underserved by an industry in which most films star men and are made for and by men. It’s too early to know if this moment will be transforma-tive — but damn, it feels so good.
No matter if they’re a source of loathing and laughter, the Oscars matter as a cultural flashpoint, perhaps now more than ever. All those Oscar view-ers might not be ticket buyers, but when they watched the show this year they would have heard, perhaps even for the first time, the startling, shock-ing, infuriating or uninteresting news — pick your degree of engagement — that Ms. Bigelow was the first woman in Oscar’s 82 years to win for best di-recting. Real discussions about sexual politics don’t usually enter the equation during the interminable Oscar “season,” which is why her nomination was almost as important as her double win.
Even before the nominations were announced, people who don’t usually talk about women and the movies were talking about this woman and the movies. Uncharacteristically, the issue of female directors working — though all too often not work-ing — was being discussed in print and online, and without the usual accusations of political correct-ness, a phrase that’s routinely deployed to silence those with legitimate complaints. I don’t think I’ve read the words women and film and feminism in the same sentence as much in the last few months since Thelma & Louise rocked the culture nearly two decades ago.
A recent failed takedown of Ms. Bigelow in Salon titled “Kathryn Bigelow: Feminist Pioneer or Tough Guy in Drag?” and written by Martha P. Nochimson exposes some of the issues at stake. The heart of Ms. Nochimson’s critique is the charge that Ms. Bigelow and her “masterly” technique have been lauded while Nancy Meyers and Nora Ephron have endured “summary dismissal.” The differ-ences between how they have been received, Ms. Nochimson wrote, “reveal an untenable assump-tion that the muscular filmmaking appropriate for the fragmented, death-saturated situations of war films is innately superior to the technique appro-priate to the organic, life-affirming situations of romantic comedy.”
Putting aside whether Julie & Julia is organic or crammed with artificial flavors, it’s too bad Ms. Nochimson didn’t choose a brilliant director who makes films about women, like Jane Campion, rather than lesser talents like Ms. Meyers and Ms. Ephron to make her argument. Because there is a valid point here: Unless they star Meryl Streep, movies about women are routinely dismissed be-cause they’re about women, as the patronizing term “chick flick” affirms every time it’s reflex-
ively deployed. But chick flicks are often the only movies that offer female audiences stories about women and female friendships and a world that, however artificial, offers up female characters who are not standing on the sidelines as the male hero saves the day. It might not be much and usually isn’t, at least in aesthetic terms, but it’s sometimes all there is. Ms. Bigelow doesn’t make those kinds of movies. (Her vampires don’t sparkle, they draw blood.) She generally makes kinetic and thrilling movies about men and codes of masculinity set in worlds of violence. Her technique might be mas-terly because she learned from the likes of Sam Peckinpah. But she is very much her own woman, and her own auteur. It’s a bummer that her success elicits such unthinking responses, though it’s also predictable because the stakes for women are high and the access to real filmmaking power remains largely out of their reach. But it isn’t her fault that women’s stories are routinely devalued any more than it’s her fault that these days female directors and female stars in Hollywood are too often ghet-toized in romantic comedy.
Some women in film help perpetuate this ghet-to, when they should be helping dismantle it or walking away from it altogether. One of the les-sons of Ms. Bigelow’s success is that it was primar-ily achieved outside of the reach of the studios. She had help along the way, including from male mentors like James Cameron, her former hus-band, who helped produce Strange Days. But that movie did poorly at the box office, as did her next two features, The Weight of Water and K-19: The Widowmaker. It wasn’t until she went off to the desert to shoot The Hurt Locker, just as she had when she directed Near Dark, her 1987 cult vampire west-ern, that she found a movie that hit on every level.
It was a long time coming, as Ms. Bigelow sug-gested when she appeared on 60 Minutes on Feb. 28. Her appearance, for which she was interviewed by Lesley Stahl (Steve Kroft must have been busy), was a classic of its type. During the interview Ms. Bigelow explained to the apparently baffled Ms. Stahl the meaning of scopophilia, a significant word in feminist film theory, though Ms. Bigelow kept gender out of her definition (“the desire to watch and identify with what you’re watching”). She insisted that there was no difference between what she and a male director might do, even as she also conceded that “the journey for women, no matter what venue it is — politics, business, film — it’s, it’s a long journey.”
It’s instructive that she didn’t say it had also been a hard journey, because that might have pegged Ms. Bigelow as a whiner, as in whiny woman. Unsurprisingly, she again had to share her few minutes with Mr. Cameron, whose name Ms. Stahl invoked within seconds of starting and not only because he had directed two of the larg-est hits in history, including “Avatar.” He was the ex-husband, a powerful director and a representa-tion of male authority who could vet Ms. Bigelow. “How sweet is this to be head to head with your ex-husband,” Ms. Stahl asked. “You couldn’t have scripted it,” Ms. Bigelow laughed. As she has these last months, she played it carefully. She seemed
well-behaved.Her cool has disturbed some, who have scruti-
nized Ms. Bigelow up and down, sometimes tak-ing suspicious measure of her height and willowy frame, partly because these are the only personal parts of her that are accessible to nosy interview-ers. Women in movies, both in front of and behind the camera, are expected to offer a lot more of themselves, from skin to confessions. All that Ms. Bigelow freely gives of herself for public consump-tion is intelligent conversation and her work. Her insistence on keeping the focus on her movies is a quiet yet profound form of rebellion. She might be a female director, but by refusing to accept that gendered designation — or even engage with it — she is asserting her right to be simply a director.
It’s impossible to tell what Ms. Bigelow’s Oscars will mean for her, much less whether it will help other women working in the American movie industry. Perhaps Amy Pascal, the Sony studio co-chairwoman who once suggested to me in an interview that men were better suited to direct action movies, will pay Ms. Bigelow a lot of money to make another war film. Maybe Sandra Bullock will take all the good will and power she has rightly accrued and, with Oprah Winfrey, produce that Hattie McDaniel biography that Mo’Nique wants to make. Kristen Stewart can play Vivien Leigh, who appeared alongside McDaniel in Gone With the Wind, the biggest movie that Hollywood ever made and, you know, a total chick flick.
Is historic Oscar win a sign of change in film?
COURTESY PHOTOKathryn Bigelow became the first female to ever win an Oscar for Best Director this past Sunday night. She and her film, The Hurt Locker, took home the top awards.
CMYK
sportsPage Six Thursday, March 11, 2010PINE LOGTHE
William R. Johnson Coliseum Stephen F. Austin State University
Nacogdoches, Texas
Thursday, April 29, 20106:30 PM
Presented by the Nacogdoches Band of Brothers
Tickets available at SFA Tickets O� ce, The Good Book, Cottrell’s, Corner-stone Book Store, Christian Word and Works, and itickets.com
By Shelley TrevinoSports Editor
The SFA Baseball team opened its season in full swing with a record of 8-4 and big wins against USF (3-2,),Western Illinois (8-2) and Arkansas-Little Rock (7-3).
The Lumberjacks traveled to Little Rock, Ark, on Tuesday to take on the Trojans, earning a much deserved road win (7-3) after splitting the Sooner Classic in Oklahoma last weekend.
Zachary Taylor, Houston sophomore, earned the start going 5-1/3 innings with 8 strikeouts, allowing only 2 hits and 4 walks, 3 of which he handed out in the first after walking a base on a hit pitch, which brought the score to 2-0 Trojans.
The Jacks took control of the scoreboard in the second with Euless junior Patrick Gratzke’s RBI single to score Bo Coffman, Anna senior. A pair of doubles from Riley Huble, Houston junior, and Michael Haynes, Sugar Land junior, helped the Jacks to lead the game with Tanner Hines’, Lufkin senior, two-out RBI single ending the inning for SFA 4-2. Hines, Darron Crabtree, Sugar Land junior, and Bobby Loveless, Friendswood junior, hit 3 straight doubles off of the Trojans in the fifth just before Cory Ochs, Caldwell sopho-more, UALR Little Rock batters.
Ochs took the mound in the fifth with bases loaded but forced a pair of grounders to squeeze the Jacks out of the inning with no runs scored. Jason West, Conroe sophomore, closed out the ninth after Ochs went 2.2 innings with 3 strike-outs and no runs. Coffman earned his first home run of the season in the eighth that finalized the score at 7-3 Jacks.
The Lumberjacks traveled to Oklahoma last weekend to take on South Florida, Western Illinois and the University of Oklahoma.
SFA took the Sooner Classic strong opening their first two games with wins against USF (3-2) and Western Ill. (8-2).
Tyler Herriage, Lewisville junior, opened against South Florida with a seven inning shut out allowing three singles, two walks and striking out three.
Coffman started the scoring for SFA in the second with a lead off double and Haynes brought him home on a two-out double to make it 1-0 Jacks. Garrett Smith, Carthage junior, smashed a triple to left field bringing the Jacks to 2-0. The Bulls came within one in the ninth but Jason West finished out the game with one out and bases loaded forcing two pop-ups, leaving SFA on top (3-2) against a Big East school.
“We had good starting pitching,” Jerid Scarafiotti, Shreveport sophomore, said. “Garrett Smith definitely made some plays and was hitting for us. Jason West came out of the pin and shut down USF for the win.”
The Jacks earned their second win of the Classic on Saturday against Western Illinois (8-2).
Jered West, Conroe junior, earned the start allowing 1 run in five innings with 3 strikeouts and 4 walks.
Smith led the Jacks’ offense going 3-for-5 with two RBI and one run scored.
Western Illinois Jumped out to an early lead, but the Jacks answered back in the second on Houston senior Ryan Priest’s double to score Scarafiotti. Haynes shot a single to short that ran in Priest, bringing the score to 2-1 Jacks.
SFA saw a power inning in the sixth, scoring 3 runs on Haynes and Smith’s RBI hits, which helped push the score to 7-1. Jordan Lewis, Dallas freshman, cranked a solo home run in the eighth to top off the Jacks’ scoring for the game.
SFA lost their next two match ups against Western Illinois and OU in the last games of the classic.
Scarafiotti jacked a two run homer in the second to give SFA’s starting pitcher, Brett Rogers, Wichita Falls sophomore, some cushion. “I was glad to jump on them early,” Scarafiotti said. “It helped out our starting pitcher.”
The Leathernecks rallied back against the Jacks’ efforts with 3 runs in the third, 5 in the fifth and a 3-run homer. SFA closed the scoring gap in the sixth with loveless’ lead off double and Coffman’s RBI single that brought him home. A wild pitch ran in Scarafiotti and SFA brought the score to 8-6 going into the seventh. Two more WIU runs were scored in the seventh and another three in the eighth which brought the score to 13-6 WIU.
Sunday’s match up against OU saw the Jacks dominate the Sooners throughout eight innings only to lose it in the bot-tom of the ninth 5-4.
Justin Braddock, Southlake junior, allowed 7 hits in 8 in-nings against the number 17 Sooners.
SFA took the lead early with a Loveless RBI double and a Scarafiotti ground out that ran in Crabtree from third bring-ing the Jacks to 2-0. OU answered back with a two-run home run only to be out done by Loveless’ third home run of the season to score two Jacks. Braddock’s final pitch of the game was a home run over the right field wall that tied the game with Jason West ready in the bull pin.
OU acquired runners on first and second on an error and a single. A bunt and an intentional walk loaded the bases in hopes of a double play to force the game into extra innings ,but a hit to short pushed the third-base runner over the plate bringing the final score to 5-4 Sooners.
“The last two losses humbled us,” Scarafiotti said. “It made us focus for our game in Little Rock.”
The Jacks are set to begin conference play on Friday as they travel to Conway, Ark. to take on the University of Central Arkansas in a three game series. “Our team momentum is good,” Scarafiotti said. “We got a win on Tuesday and it’s always good to go into a series coming off a win. Our con-fidence is up and we should sweep them.” The first pitch against the bears is set for 6 p.m.
Baseball 8-4 headed into SLC playJacks split Sooner Classic with wins over USF (3-2,) WIU (8-2) and losses to WIU (13-6,) OU (5-4), now headed to Central Arkansas
Jacks earn win over UTA 77-54 in Wednesday’s
game at SLC Tournament in Katy
Orren Tims, Louisiana junior, goes up for a shot in Wednesday’s victory over UTA at the SLC tournament in Katy.
Jereal Scott, Houston sophomore, Blocks against UTA in Wednesday’s game at the SLC Tournament.
THOMAS MOTYKA/THE PINE LOG
THOMAS MOTYKA/THE PINE LOG