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Index:News p. 2 & 3Features p.4Opinions p.5Sports p.6

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News p. 2 Features p. 4 Opinion p. 5ThisWeek

Eoff transitions into new role as Honors Program

Director

Non-Traditional Students help feed San Angelo’s hungry

Editorial: Get involved in campus politics

Rambelles hopeful for a great start to the season

theRAMPAGE

By Sarah SmithContributing Writer

“This is going to be a very, very complex year,” President Dr. Joseph C. Rallo said at the August 20 faculty meeting.

Interim Provost and Vice President of Strategy, Plan-ning and Policy, Dr. James Lim-baugh, announced 25 different initiatives ASU will undergo to improve recruitment and reten-tion.

Many of these initiatives are aimed at increasing the student population to the Texas Tech-recommended 10,000 student mark. They include a plan to better tie admissions and SOAR to processes leading up to the first day of class and beyond.

“I think creating an inte-grated program of admissions,

By Lara JohnsonManaging Editor

Fireworks usually bring in the New Year, but kicking off the new school year at ASU calls for a full

weekend of festivities.Senior Roger Quin-

tana’s favorite part of the weekend was magi-cian, Derek Hughes, who performed for students on Friday night. But the

weekend was far more than simple card tricks and magic.

“Students are able to

Administration preparesinitiatives for retention

Students catch a breath before the new semester

Photo by Kimberley ParkerFreshmen Cyril Lewis and Randall Thomas get “re-energized” at the oxygen bar, one of the many activities available to students at Rambunctious Weekend.

By Sara IrvinStaff Writer

Dr. John Osterhout, head of the Angelo State University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has recently been awarded a $312,151 grant by the National Institute of Health to conduct research in hopes to fins a cure for AIDS.

The grant, which is for two years of research, has been des-ignated R21, which according to the NIH’s web site is specific to “high risk/high reward” proj-ects that are “exploratory, novel studies that break new ground or extend previous discoveries toward new directions or appli-cations.”

The research is high risk in that something in the unforeseen future may cause failure, Oster-hout said. Alternatively, a cure for HIV could be discovered.

Osterhout’s project is titled “Development of Therapeutics to Eliminate HIV.” He aims to develop Trojan Horse Inhibitors (THIs) to eliminate the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Int’l students enjoy a taste of Texas By Lara Johnson

Managing Editor

Kyle Best’s first impression of Texas was the heat.

“It’s hot— very hot, but it’s lovely,” he said.

The Northern Irish student is attending ASU for a year studying International Manage-ment.

“The campus is very differ-ent from those in the UK,” he said. “It’s lovely and the peo-ple are very outgoing and very friendly.”

Sunday afternoon, before classes began Monday, Best at-tended the International Texas Party at Knickerbocker Ranch.

International students were invited along with their host families to experience a little bit of Texas culture.

Students spent time relaxing, enjoying brisket and Texas side-dishes and for some of them – their first chance to play a game

of washers. The afternoon not only gave

the students a taste of Texas, but also welcomed them to San Angelo.

In the 1980s, a student from Bahrain attended Angelo State University. He arrived at the air-port, 18 years old and had no idea what he was stepping in to; there was no one to welcome him, no one to show him ‘the ropes.’

When Barbara Rallo heard his story almost ten years ago, she knew his first impression of Texas should have been much different.

“Through these last 9 years, I see the difference it makes to have emails flowing back and forth between a ‘family’ who is waiting here to meet you and the student they have been matched with,” Rallo said.

After hearing this student’s story, Rallo has set up the host home program and is now the coordinator. She works to com-municate between international students and their ‘adoptive’ family.

“We have no idea what is going on in these students’ lives when they arrive. Is their coun-try in turmoil? Are their parents in danger,” she said. “They are so far from home, and we have so much love to give here – so it is just a great opportunity for everyone to be blessed.”

Students attending ASU are from countries including Ger-many, Bulgaria, Ireland and Rus-sia.

“When these students leave, they have seen a great represen-tation of our country, and they have experienced our happy and very different Texas culture,” Rallo said.

Photo by Kimberley ParkerValarie Kuripko from Russia enjoys a Texas meal Sunday at Knickerbocker Ranch.

Grant awarded to research cure for AIDS

News Briefs on Page 2

Photo by Kimberley ParkerSenior Alaina Sivells (left) and Freshman Emily Booth rise above the net to block an opponent’s shot.

STUFF IT

Photo by Kimberley Parker

Kyle Best from Ireland fi lls his plate at the International Texas Party.

“They are so far from home, and we have so much love to give here – so it is just a great opportunity for everyone to be blessed.”

—Barbara RalloHost Home coordinator

Freshman, Page 3

Closer, Page 2Initiatives, Page 3

By Morgan Thibeault Contributing Writer

The Angelo State volleyball team started the 2009 season on Thursday, by competing against New Mexico Highlands.

The match-up began what coaches and players hope to be an award-winning season.

Last year the team pushed its way into postsea-son play for the first time in four years, but this year’s squad plans to advance further.

Friday, August 28, 2009 • Vol. 76 No. 1 • ASURAMPAGE.COM

Sports p. 6

Angelo State vs. Texas A&M - CommerceSaturday, Aug. 29, 2009 - 6 p.m

San Angelo Stadium - San Angelo

‘Belles, Page 6

Campus Newspage 2 Friday, August 28, 2009

Sara IrvinStaff Writer

When the previous Honors Program Director Dr. Nick Flynn stepped down from the position to return to teaching, Dr. Shirley Eoff was up for the challenge of filling the spot, and for good rea-son.

Eoff, who has taught the Hon-ors U.S. History course since the program’s start in 2002, gradu-ated from an interdisciplinary honors program in the social sci-ences.

“I credit the training I received in the honors program for much of my intellectual and personal growth during my college days,” Eoff said. “I really enjoyed work-ing with the Honors Program staff and with the students dur-ing the spring semester. So when the opportunity arose to apply for the permanent position, I de-cided to apply.”

Senior Stacy Lee, who is be-ginning her fourth year with the program, was excited when she heard Eoff had been asked to be the Honors Program’s new direc-tor.

“She’s a very good teacher, and she’s a very good person in

general, and I know she has what’s best for us in mind, for now and for the future,” Lee said.

Lee admitted that she originally won-dered if Eoff’s busy schedule would allow for the time and effort required of the posi-tion, but such concerns were quickly allayed.

“I think so far she’s doing a great job,” Lee said. “She’s really stayed on top of things, and she really knows what she’s doing.”

Lee said that Eoff is enthusias-tic about making some necessary changes within the program.

These changes, Dr. Eoff said, are necessary to accommodate the growth of the program.

“This year, we have 74 return-ing students and 73 new stu-dents coming into the program,” Eoff said. She also cited as cause for modification to the program new opportunities arising from ASU’s association with the Texas Tech University System.

“We are discussing a number of possibilities that would let us share resources, provide recip-rocal opportunities for special

lectureships and re-ally benefit both pro-grams.”

Senior Randy Ed-wards is beginning his third year with the pro-gram. He said there’s been an increasing trend of diversity in the incoming members.

We’ve been getting a lot more students who are al-ready involved in other activities such as sororities and fraterni-ties, Edwards said. Lee agreed, saying she feels it’s important for them not to feel they have room in their lives for academia alone.

Of the transition between directors, Edwards said he’s no-ticed a very visible presence of Eoff, who was glad to hear it.

“I want to be a very visible presence, and I have an open door policy,” she said. “I want to be involved and that I ultimately have to take responsibility for the decisions that are made… [however] I like to think that in dealing with the student mentors and HSA officers that I act more as a facilitator, helping them to evaluate different options and come to sound judgments.”

Concealed handguns not to be allowedThe handgun legislation that would have

allowed concealed handgun license holders to bring their guns on campus passed tentatively through the Senate in late May. The bill, however, did not make it into the 2009 Texas Legislature meeting. The guns-on-campus measure was offered by a senator who said he wanted to give Texas students protection against mass shootings. According to Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R – San Antonio, the goal of the legislation was to make college campuses a safer place by giving persons on the campus the ability to protect themselves.

Tuition and fees increaseThe Texas Tech University System approved

tuition and fees for all the system’s schools at a Board of Regents meeting June 29. Tuition and fees have increased by 13.44 percent. The maximum amount of increase is $363.50 for ASU students carrying a 15 credit-hour load. Including fees, ASU students now pay $3,068 for a 15-hour load, up from $2,705 a year ago.

Nursing students receive opportunitiesThe Department of Nursing is admitting a

second nursing class in Spring 2010. This year, the department is admitting students twice a year and will start a new class in the Fall and Spring. In the past, the Associate in Applied Science in Nursing (AASN) or Nursing Program would only admit students once a year and start a new class in the fall.

Admission information including application due dates, required pre-requisite courses, ACT/SAT scores, and Immunization requirements can be found on the Department of Nursing web-site, www.angelo.edu/dept/nursing or by calling Annalisa Santiago in the Department of Nursing at 325-942-2224.

that causes AIDS. Osterhout plans to resume working on the project as soon as his department receives the bacteria specimens used to develop the protein molecules from the University of Arizona, where he began this research.

Sophomore Diana Barbee, upon hearing of the grant, was excited about the potential out-come of the research. While a cure for HIV would obviously be great for everyone, Barbee said, an advance could also be a great opportunity for ASU to get the attention of the scientific and medical communities.

“I’m sure it would raise ASU’s standing,” she said. “Hopefully he’ll have a breakthrough.”

News Briefs

Closer to the cure

Eoff named as Honors program director

Freshman Greg Jaynes (left) and sophomore Greg Johnson shave bal-loons at the Rams for Christ “Freshman Flop” obstacle course Monday. The weekly, four-week activity hopes to help freshman open up and transition to college life.

Photo byTim Hernandez

Continued from page 1

Campus News page 3Friday, August 28, 2009

SOAR, first year experience, avdvis-ing and tutoring is the first step,” Limbaugh said. “Looking at how much we provide students assistance from the very beginning is probably one of the most important things we can do right now.”

Recruitment and retention are two words ASU faculty, staff and students are likely to hear a lot of in the plan. These are areas Limbaugh feels students can help ASU achieve its goals.

“Almost half our freshman class leaves every year and we need to un-derstand why,” Limbaugh said. “A good way to understand why is ask-ing what have been your experiences. What services do you think we need to provide to help these students? I think that’s one of the biggest things students can help us with.”

Limbaugh also emphasized the challenge that comes with trying to instill a sense of urgency in the uni-versity about the need for growth.

“Change occurs only when the critical mass of an organization un-derstands the urgency and embrace it personally,” Limbaugh said. “Until

everyone understands that we all have a part to play in continuing to have ASU be the kind of institution it’s been for 81 years now, we won’t accomplish this.”

Limbaugh also said the reason growth is essential for ASU at this “critical moment” is the fund bal-ance administrators had been using to supplement particular programs has run out. This year’s tuition in-crease covered the difference for this term.

“If we say that we want to be a school of six thousand, okay that’s great. But then we have to start mak-ing decisions. How do we begin to live within the budget of 6,000 stu-dents?” Limbaugh said.

In his presentation, Limbaugh emphasized to faculty that no one would be exempt from being called to help recruiting and retention.

“I think the collective message is it’s everybody’s job,” tenured profes-sor, Dr. Shirley Eoff said. “Because spending from the state legislature continues to decline, we’ve got to grow. I think we have to see this as an opportunity to send our message out.”

Initiatives for increased student retention continue

meet other students,” Quintana said. “They also learn about what’s going on on-campus and are able to get involved. We had a good turnout this year—there were a lot of people involved.”

R a m b u n c t i o u s Weekend is a three-day event welcoming stu-dents—old and new—to the campus of ASU. The weekend includes enter-tainers, inflatable rides and mud-football.

There was even a trolley to take students downtown, showcas-ing the Down Town Art Walk, a community ef-fort to showcase San Angelo art, and the downtown area.

Saturday, students and families were en-couraged to visit San Angelo venues and at-tractions. The Railroad Museum of San Angelo even provided free ad-mission to ASU stu-dents and parents, said Nolen Mears, executive director of student life and coordinator for the Rambunctious Commit-tee.

The three-day wel-coming festivities, how-ever, have taken a year of preparations.

“UCPC has been involved from the be-ginning,” said Gary Stackhouse, University Center Program Council president. “We take care of all the entertainment aspects of the events. We bring in the art-ists, the inflatables, the game-show, the magi-cian and all that stuff.”

Originally, Ram-

bunctious Weekend was known as ‘FishBlast,’ and has served a lot of different purposes, said Rick Greig, director of student involvement.

“Back in the day, freshman used to reg-ister last. As a student involvement staff, we wanted to get the fresh-man integrated and we started to provide sev-eral activities,” he said. “That process has gone on.”

Now, the weekend is a time of activities and events for freshman and returning students.

The name Rambunc-tious Weekend seemed appropriate because of the emphasis on the ram and also because “rambunctious” means

‘filled with unbridled excitement,’ Mears said. “That is the feeling we are looking to achieve for the weekend.”

The total cost for the weekend is $50,000 - $60,000 with most of the money going toward food and paying profes-sional entertainers, he said.

Greig said when Joseph C. Rallo came on board as ASU’s presi-dent he said Rallo want-ed to see the weekend present some ‘wow.’

“So what does ‘wow’ look like,” Greig said. “Inflatables and food and entertainers—it’s taken on a life of its own.”

Freshmen feel the love from university president and students

Photo by Kimberley ParkerPresident Dr. Joseph C. Rallo helps Rick Brown, father of junior Ashley Brown, move in his daughter to Robert Massie Hall. Ashley is a soccer recruit from Harlan, Iowa.

1. Recruitment/Retention2. Hill Country Expansion3. Academic Master Plan4. Programs of Distinction5. Professional Achievement AwardsClinical Achievement Awards6. Campus Communication7. Dual-credit program/policy8. Distance Education Program/Policy9. Summer Policies/Procedures 10. Academic Program Review Process11. Instructional Enhancement Fee 12. SOAR/FYE Initiative13. Academic Advising Initiative14. Tutoring Center 15. SACS Monitoring Response

(student learning assessment)16. Quality Enhancement Plan (SACS)17. Accreditations: College Accreditations: SACS (2013)18. CUPA Salary Study19. Center for Security Studies20. Enrollment Management Search21. Center for Community Well-ness, Engagement, & Develop-ment (WED)22. Academic Policies23. Graduate Studies24. Enrollment Management Plan25. Retention Plan*26. Overload compensation*27. Hispanic Serving Institution *=Recently added to list

InItIatIves to Improve asU

Continued from page 1 Continued from page 1

By Amanda Razani Features Editor

Food, entertainment

and camaraderie is what students find at Ram Jam.

Ram Jam debuts its 2009 season this Satur-day at the LeGrand Cen-ter, where students and members of the commu-nity can attend the pre-football celebration.

For the first time, the Student Government is working with the Alum-ni Association in plan-

ning this year’s Ram Jam events.

Lopez, a senator for Student Government works for the Alumni Association to help plan Ram Jam.

“The free food is the best part, and it is fun,” Lopez said.

This year, the Ram Jam will host an ASU’s Got Talent contest for students.

The winners will re-ceive cash prizes.

“The Ram Jam is one of Angelo State’s few

lasting traditions so it should be cherished,” Lopez said.

Students are encour-aged to tailgate at each event.

“When we moved to the LeGrand Center, we wanted to enhance the spirit of our communi-ty. We felt that the Ram Jam would be a way to pull the community to-gether before games,” said Sande Harrison, di-rector of the Alumni As-sociation.

The tradition of tail-gating dates back to 1869, with football fans showing up early in wag-ons.

The tradition still continues – fans cel-ebrate before the game begins to show their support.

The Ram Jam enhanc-es the time honored tra-dition of tailgating with giveaways, music, food and contests.

Many sponsors help with the event as well, including Kington & Properties and Texas Roadhouse.

Mary Larson, the co-ordinator for the event said the Alumni Asso-ciation has been host-ing the Ram Jam since 2003.

“I like the fact that it brings the students

to the Alumni Center,” Larson said. “We want students to feel com-fortable at the cen-ter. We like to stay con nected to students even after they graduate.

Features Friday, August 28, 2009page 4

By Amanda RazaniFeatures Editor

Looking out the window, members of the Non-Traditional Student Association see a large line of people standing by the door, eager to eat.

An aromatic smell of chicken soup has filled the kitchen. It is time to open the doors and begin serving food to those in need.

“For many of these individu-als, this is their only meal for the day,” said Cliff Nelson, pres-ident of NTSO

On the second Saturday of ev-ery month, NTSO members vol-unteer at the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, located on the corner of 18th Street and Martin Luther King Blvd.

Around five members vol-unteer each time to bring food, prepare a well-balanced meal and serve people in the commu-nity.

The NTSO has participated in the program since April 2009.

Nelson’s neighbors were the board of directors for the soup kitchen. After talking with them, Nelson made the sugges-tion to volunteer time as an or-ganization to the members of NTSO. They quickly embraced the idea.

After the organization spoke to another director of the soup kitchen, they were informed that the kitchen needed volun-teers on the second Saturday of every month.

Since then, NTSO continues to volunteer on that day, even during school breaks.

There are about thirty mem-bers in the organization, ages 24 years of age or older. Some are married, have children, take care of a family member or com-mute at least 35 miles to the uni-versity.

“It is a good feeling, knowing we have helped out others,” Nel-son said. “When we see people far less fortunate than we are, it puts our own problems in a

much better perspective.”Peggy Mathias, Lori Garra-

han and April-Oden Cortez, all members of NTSO served plates of food and bowls of steaming soup to the needy people that have filed inside.

People from all walks of life enter the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen. Anyone who feels they need a good meal can eat here, Nelson said.

Suddenly, a little boy yells, “Burritos are my favorite, yeah!”

Garrahan and Mathias smile. “One time I had a girl tell me

that my soup rocked her world,” Garrahan said. “It is actions like that that make me want to keep volunteering.”

Sunset Mall4001 Sunset

Drive

H-E-B3301 Sherwood

Way

Students ‘serve’ as helping hands

Ram Jam spreads football fever

FoodFun

Entertainmentin San Angelo&

Tinseltown4425 Sherwood

Way

for movie times visit www.cinemark.comDowntown Movie NightCost: FreeFriday’s showing: MichaelWhen: 8:45 p.m.Bring your own chairWhere: Downtown San Angelo, in the parking lot between the Cactus hotel and Miss Hattie’s Cafe

L.A. Raceway and Sport Track RacesCost:$8 for adults, $6 for childrenWhen: Sat. Aug. 29; Gate opens at 6:30 p.m., race starts at 8 p.m.Where: 3613 FM 2105

ASU FootballRams vs. Texas A&M CommerceCost: Free for ASU Students with IDWhere: San Angelo StadiumWhen: 6 p.m. Sat. Aug. 29

The Daily Bread Soup Kitchen is open Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers are welcome. For more information, call 653-9028.

What: Ram JamCost: FreeWhen: 4 p.mWhere: ASU Le-Grand Alumni and Vistor’s Center1620 University AvenueFMI: 942-2122

Photo by Tim HernandezRoscoe, the ASU mascot, encourages students to show school spirit at Ram Jam.

Alumni Association and SGA put new spin on tailgating

R A M P A G EStaff

2009-2010A n g e l o S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y

Editor: Leah CooperManaging Editor: Lara JohnsonCopy Editor: Brian KendallSports Editor: Michael Whitson Photo Editor: Kimberley Parker Features Editor: Amanda RazaniGraphic Designer: Boone Wyatt Photographer: Tim Hernandez Online Editor: Jessica Limbaugh Cartoonist: Jeremy DeweberStaff Writer: Sara Irvin Circulation Manager: Jim WatersAdvertising Manager: Brittany Gregory Adviser: Dr. Cathy Johnson

Ram PageASU Station #10895San Angelo, Texas

76909-0895 Editor: rampage@angelo.edu

Managing Editor: rampagenews@angelo.eduFeatures Editor: rampagefeatures@angelo.edu

Advertising: rampageads@angelo.edu

Editor: (325) 942-2323Newsroom: (325) 942-2134Advertising: (325) 942-2040

Fax: (325) 942-2551

Member ofThe Texas Tech University System

Associated Collegiate PressTexas Intercollegiate Press Association

PUBLISHING POLICYPublished every Friday and available to students, one copy per student, the student newspaper of Angelo State University is a public forum, with its student editorial board making all deci-sions concerning its contents. Unsigned editorials express the views of the majority of the editorial board.Ram Page welcomes all letters. Please include your name, classification/position and a phone number and/or e-mail ad-dress for verification purposes. Letters must be signed and be no more than 350 words. The paper reserves the right to edit letters for grammar and clarity, and all letters are subject to laws governing obscenity, libel and privacy. Deadline is 5 p.m., Mon-day. Submission does not guarantee publication. Letters may be mailed, e-mailed or submitted at the newspaper’s office, Room 324 on the third floor of the Porter Henderson Library. Opinions in letters are not necessarily those of the staff, nor should any opinion expressed in a public forum be construed as the opinion or policy of the administration, unless so attributed.

OpinionsFriday August 28, 2009 page 5

When you put money into a vending machine and push a button, you expect a product to come out. What if you insert one dollar and only get half the candy bar; or it spits out a Reese’s when you ask for a Snicker’s? It’s disappointing and frustrating when your money is wasted.

Ever feel like the money you spent on college is like that? ASU’s more than 6,000 students pay thousands of dollars of tuition and fees per semes-ter to help support services on campus. Library fee: $67.50. Athletic fee: $25. Student service fee: $235. The big one is the technology services fee, which is $300 per semester. Do students know where their money is going? Do they even care? Do they notice that they pay $500 for something they may never see, either because they don’t leave their dorm room or they just don’t know these services are available?

Though it saw an increase in tuition and fees this year, ASU is and has always been a relatively affordable institution for students. The problem continues to be that students complain about how expensive college is but then don’t stop to think about what their money is doing for them or the campus.

Students may not realize that they have pow-er at a university and can influence decisions about campus life. Through various sources like the Student Government Association, Student Life office and Multicultural Center, students can get involved in the groups and organizations they and others help to fund. Lobby the president, Dr. Joseph C. Rallo, if you want to see something on campus. Chances are it’s already here or on its way. Explore the campus and what it’s got to of-fer. Go to SGA meetings and get plugged in to student organizations, campus ministries or even ROTC. Shouldn’t you get what you paid for?

Staff EditorialThe Ram Page encourages student

involvement in campus politics

Cool Breeze by Jeremy Deweber

Welcome back! For students new to cam-pus or for our returning students, a lot has hap-pened over the summer.

In July, ASU was named to Princeton Re-view’s “List of the 371 Best Colleges” for 2010. This nationally promi-nent rating affirms the value of your degree, but will also help us to achieve our enrollment goal to reach 10,000 stu-dents.

We also placed ca-noes and kayaks at the Lake House, to expand the recreational oppor-tunities available to all students, faculty and staff.

Finally, the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents gave final approval to build the new student recre-ation center, as well as the ‘information com-mons’ in the library. Joining these projects will be a new recreation mall between the Junell Center and the Massie’s to include volleyball and basketball courts as well as a new running track.

The activities asso-ciated with Rambunc-tious Weekend are also supportive of how we should all approach the next year. As we keep repeating, one of our major goals is to in-crease the size of our student population to 10,000 students.

While academic op-portunities, great facili-ties and a caring faculty and staff are essential to achieve that goal, it is as important to view ASU as a residential campus. A residential campus provides the types of amenities, from dining to intramurals, to keep students engaged and active.

An engaged student is more likely to stay at ASU and to graduate. So Rambunctious Weekend is really just the begin-ning of all of our efforts to grow ASU to new heights, while building on our great traditions of the past. It is a win-ning combination.

Finally, and for those of you who saw the last spring issue of the Ram-page, I was married on June 20. Barbara is a ’77 graduate of ASU in art and is a watercolor art-ist from San Angelo.

She also is active in many aspects of campus and alumni life. We will be on campus frequently starting with Rambunc-tious Weekend and hope to personally welcome as many of you as pos-sible to the new year.

Sincerely,Joseph C. RalloPresident

Wesley Ministries

President’s Corner

Change is imminent in future

“A scholarship between Germany and ASU and my parents have to pay the rest.” Anne Merschnersenior

“Grants, scholar-ships, loans, and a lot of persever-ance and hard work.” Koa Balanayjunior

“Some financial aid, and I received a scholarship from the Daniels Fund, which paid for everything.” Toni Burdine sophomore

“I’m forcing my parents to pay for all of it.” Trevor Sparkssophomore

“Financial aid, government, football scholar-ship, and I broke my piggy bank.” Sebastian Lafaele junior

“Financial aid, and I had to blackmail a few people.” David Castellon sophomore

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How did you pay for college this year?

Words from the Webasurampage.comComments on:

Legislation ‘shoots’ for handguns on campusMay 1, 2009Daniel Thorntonposted 7/14/09 @ 5:11 PM CST“I like the fact we are given our rights to carry a concield wepons is good but its kinda scary knowing anyone could be carrying a gun and not know the intention.”

Allyson Woodposted 7/15/09 @ 1:36 PM CST I understand there is a right to bear arms, and that there are those who wish to prevent some-thing like VA Tech here in San Angelo. Would adding more guns have changed the outcome of the VA Tech shooting? And does an eight or ten hour course properly educate you in how to deal with the high stress situation of a campus shooting?

More comments about this and other stories on asurampage.com

Letter from the editor

By Leah CooperEditor-in-chief

College is the time in your life when you can completely loose your-self then find a better person in the end. You meet your husbands and wives, friends and enemies here. You go back to your hometown and people notice a difference.

Of course, this remarkable change of character can only occur if you want it to. So try something new while you’re at ASU.

Take a belly-dancing class. Join a club. Change your major a couple of times. Write a column or letter for the Ram Page and get it published!

Some of these may not be realis-tic for you. But the latter could be a possibility. If you like to write or if there is something in the Ram Page that inspires you to write a letter to me about it, go for it.

Get involved and e-mail me your ideas and letters to the editor. Col-umns can be about any subject un-der the sun, but preferably some-thing relating to students.

New LookReturning students may have no-

ticed changes in our design. Our pa-per is physically smaller so we hope

to utilize our space more wisely.

Our goals: Get the campus talking, create positive chang-es on campus, and make it a must-read, go-to spot for news and entertainment. We also want to hear more feedback from you, the students, on what you want to read in the Ram Page.

If we aren’t covering what you think is important, make us aware of this. Otherwise, your complaints will go unheard and change will oc-cur less rapidly.

The Ram Page is made up of paid student journalists who have lived through most of the same experi-ences as you. They have concerns as students just as you do.

This means our staff really cares about what their peers think about their work. Remember, they are do-ing something that could help with their career. It’s not just a part-time job. So let us know what you think. We’re journalists; we can take the criticisms as well as compliments.

Engage while you still can

Sports Friday August 28, 2009page 6

By Michael WhitsonSports Editor

Coach Dale Carr had high expecta-tions for his football team last year but after junior Quarterback Josh Neiswander suffered a season-end-ing injury in the opening game, those expectations took a hit.

“After coaching 20 years, that was the biggest single player loss I have ever experienced,” Carr said. “The disparity between him and the younger quarterbacks we had was so great; it’s hard to even measure.Pro-fessionally, it was the most challeng-ing year I have ever experienced.”

Neiswander was off to a great start in the season opener, complet-ing 18 of 25 passes, for 218 yards and a pair of touchdowns before he suffered a broken leg in the fourth quarter against Texas State.

The Rams would go on to lose that game 21-14 and finish the season a disappointing 3-8.

After missing out on a full season, Neiswander has fully recovered and looks forward to leading the Rams on the gridiron.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Neiswander said. “I have been look-ing forward to this for a long time. I feel actually stronger than I was be-fore and I am ready to play.

“We’ve worked really hard as a

team to get ready in the off season,” he said. “I think we are all fired up and ready to play.”

Adding a little fuel to the motiva-tion the Rams have been picked to finish sixth in the Lone Star Confer-ence’s South Division.

The sole returning All-LSC selec-tion from last season, junior Defen-sive Lineman Cody Smith, feels his team can use that fuel as they start the 2009 campaign.

“When people start thinking you are not good as a team, it gets you ready to prove something,” Smith said. “If we were picked to finish first, it wouldn’t give us as much to fight for.”

The Rams begin that fight at 6 p.m. on Saturday at San Angelo Sta-dium, as they host the Texas A&M Commerce Lions.

The two teams have split their last ten meetings, with Texas A&M Com-merce winning the last two meetings, each contest being decided by three points.

“This is one of the top defenses in the conference, so it’s going to be a challenge,” Carr said. “I think our of-fense ought to be able to put up more points than they have the past couple of years. And if we can play them de-fensively as well as we have, it should be a good outcome.”

Photo by Kimberley ParkerJunior quarterback Josh Neiswander (8) is healthy and ready to lead the Rams into the 2009 Season.

Carr, Rams upbeat heading into opener

Continued from page 1

Second-year Head Coach Chuck Waddington set a goal of reaching the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament.

“We are in one of the toughest regions in the country,” Waddington said. “Our schedule is geared toward earning a berth in the (NCAA D-II) tournament.”

The schedule will keep the young team busy with Invitationals and out-of-state competition, Waddington said.

“We have 10 freshmen (out of 17),” freshman outside hitter Claire Chomout said. “So, we are expecting to learn quickly and play smart.”

Six girls are vying for an outside hitter position: junior Sara Sietsma,

sophomores Cara Turney and Kayla Smith as well as freshmen Caroline Cleveland, Alisa Meredith and Cho-mout.

Turney played libero last year but switched to outside hitter in the spring season.

Chomout enters 2009 play with an advantage, having graduated high school in December to spend last spring practicing with the team.

Cleveland and Meredith began practicing with ASU this fall.

Senior Adrienne Taylor will start as the opposite hitter; last season, she started all 34 matches.

Freshmen Katie Coleman and Kelsey Cairo will follow Taylor’s ex-ample in the opposite hitter posi-tion.

Returning to her libero spot from

two seasons ago is senior Kimber Duncan, who will also act as an out-side hitter.

Several freshmen and second team all-conference selection senior Alaina Sivells will play as middle blockers.

Junior Alex Allard and freshman Alex Woolsey will compete to be set-ter.

Allard previously attended Lar-edo Community College where she earned second team All American as a freshman and preseason All Ameri-can the next year.

Woolsey helped take her high school team to consecutive top five finishes at the national champion-ships.

ASU’s toughest opponent is West Texas A&M, the top-ranked team in the Lone Star Conference.

Abilene Christian, Tarleton State, Midwestern State and Texas Woman’s will also be teams to beat.

The Rambelles are ranked sixth in the LSC as of July 30, but players re-main determined to win.

“Listening extremely well and working hard outside of practice will be key to become the champions we intend to be,” Chomout said.

The ‘Belles will continue play in the Angelo Retina/ASU Invitational this weekend.

Friday, they will play St. Edward’s at 6 p.m. in the Junell Center/Ste-phens Arena.

Saturday, they take on Southern Arkansas at 9 a.m. and Incarnate Word at 3 p.m. at the same location.

Photo by Kimberley ParkerSenior Skylar Searles battles a Hardin Simmons defender for the ball at Monday’s scrimmage. The ’Belles open the season today in Denver.

’Belles set sights on championship tournament

Weekend Sports Calendar

FOOTBALLRAMS vs.

Texas A&M CommerceSan Angelo Stadium

Saturday, 6 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL

’BELLES hostAngelo Retina

ASU InvitationalToday & Saturday

SOCCER

’BELLES vs.Regis

Denver, Colorado Today, 6 p.m.