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TODAY’S FORECAST
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After Kansas City Chiefs player Jovan Belcher took his own life after allegedly killing his girlfriend, two Houstonian staffers weigh in on the gun control debate.
AP Photo | Ed Zurga
Most students study hard for finals, some take to other methodsP3 P5
P2Graduating seniors thank families, supporters through Instagram.
www.HoustonianOnline.comVolume 122 / Issue 27 Tuesday, December 4, 2012
emembering achel
Rachel Pendray was murdered in her apartment on Dec. 3, 2006. Six years later she is being remembered with two simple objects: a stone bench sitting adjacent to the clock tower in the middle of campus with her name, and the name of the sorority of which she was a sister. On top of that bench sits a bunch of light pink poinsettas. The color signifies the colors of her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, which annually
supports breast cancer awareness on campus and throughout the community. Each year since her death, there has been a candlelight vigil held in her memory. This year the vigil was held next to that bench with members of the Zeta sorority in attendance. Pendray’s murderer was her boyfriend, Jake Taylor, who police say killed her at Brooke Place apartments before turning the gun on himself.
Stephen Green | The Houstonian
CONNOR HYDESports Reporter
Defensive takeaways and solid outing from the special teams secured a second round 18-16 victory for Sam Houston State against California Polytechnic Saturday at Bowers Stadium.
Kicker Miguel Antonio legged out 20, 32, and 26 yard field goals for nine points to lead the Bearkat offense over the Mustang’s lockdown defense.
“He’s taken a little bit of criticism [this season],” SHSU coach Willie Fritz said regarding Antonio. “We just knew he was a quality kicker and he’s had an outstanding season.”
According to Fritz, the first round bye-week derailed the Bearkats momentum going into the end of the regular season.
“We weren’t as sharp as we normally are,” Fritz said. “I might need to figure out what I’m doing with the bye-week; last year I thought we came out slow against Stony Brook.”
Cal Poly silenced SHSU’s offense early in the first quarter; allowing only 39 yards and one first down. After four consecutive scoreless drives, the Bearkats were on the board first with a blocked punt from running back Vincent Dotson that rolled into the back of the end zone for a safety. Two
— PLAYOFFS, page 5
New website to be unveiled in DecemberSOPHIE NELSONStaff Reporter
The Sam Houston State University website will unveil its new upgrade on Dec. 18. The upgrade focused on creating a more user-friendly page for staff, students and prospective students.
According to Elissa Crossland, Director at Online Programs and Communication, and Diane McCormick, Executive Director
of Enrollment Communications, the new website’s key features focus on getting rid of the clutter to help with navigation on the main page.
“We used Google Analytics to find what our students were searching for the most, and tried to bring it all to the SHSU home page,” Crossland said. “We put the most important stuff on the home page and made it easier for students to find and access.”
SHSU students who have not
seen the new site agreed that if it allows easier navigation than Fast Links, then it would be much better.
“We think the change would be very beneficial,” freshman Disciplinary Studies major Taylor Holt and freshman Business Entrepreneurship major Audrey Gonzalez said. “It would be great if it was easier to find stuff than it was using Fast Links.”
McCormick mentioned the new “Getting Started” tab specifically
designed for prospective students, since they had received reports in the past of confusion as to where the students could get information or apply to SHSU.
Both McCormick and Crossland made the point of emphasizing that the new page design would not different enough to cause faculty and students to get lost when trying to navigate the site.
“This will not be a total and
— WEBSITE, page 6
Samantha Villarreal | The Houstonian
Catfight!
Royal Couple expecting first born Prince William and Kate Middleton are expecting their first child, reports ABC News. Middleton was admitted into the hospital yesterday for severe morning sickness and is requiring supplementary nutrients.
The Vatican goes social Pope Benedict XVI will send his first tweet from his personal Twitter account Dec. 12 The Pope, @pontifex, already has 200,000 followers after joining the social media website earlier this week.
Obama warns Syrian leader against chemical weapons President Barack Obama issued a warning to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad claiming “consequences” if chemical weapons are used against Syrian citizens. According to www.bbc.co.uk, Assad stated Syria “will never, under any circumstances, use chemical weapons against its own people.” Syria is believed to possess mustard gas and sarin, reports BBC.
Manziel named finalist for Heisman race Freshman Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel was named as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy and will join Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o Saturday in New York. No freshman has claimed the Heisman trophy and Manziel is considered the forerunner in the polls, reports the Houston Chronicle.
5.8 earthquake trembles in Alaska The Alask and West Coast Tsunami Warning Center reported a 5.8-magnitude earthquake shook Anchorange, Alaska yesterday around 4:45 p.m. The quake was felt over 175-miles and was centered 27 miles west of Alaska’s largest city. The quake is not expected to generage a tsunami, reports warning center geophysicist Guy Urban.
NATION & WORLD
Page 3houstonianonline.com/news
Tuesday, December 4, 2012News
College of Criminal Justice to undergo dept. split in Fall 2013
Administrators, faculty to discuss innovation in higher ed
Sam Houston State University administrators will discuss aspects of creating an innovative university with faculty and staff in the third President and Provost Roundtable Discussion of the semester today in the Lowman Student Center.
The discussion will focus on topics such as incorporating innovation into the university’s core values, aspects of an efficient university and ways to achieve it.
This roundtable comes after dissention arose among faculty members and administrators during the first roundtable discussion in September, which focused on applying customer service principles in higher
education to be innovative. Faculty members voiced
their challenges with balancing innovation with budgeting issues, communication between departments and defining roles for faculty and students.
According to SHSU President Dana Gibson, the roundtable discussions are important in shaping university goals and expectations for the strategic plan.
“These roundtables were important last year because we heard a lot of discussion on several different topics,” Gibson said. “…It helped drive those vision and value statements [in university goals].”
The last Roundtable Discussion: An Entrepreneurial University II will be held from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in LSC Room 320.
JAY R. JORDANStaff Reporter
The Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice will be split into three separate departments beginning in Fall of 2013 after the Texas State University System Board of Regents voted for the split in its quarterly meeting in November.
The CCJ will be split into departments of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Forensic Science and Security Studies.
The changes were made to accomodate a growing interest in CJ from students, among other reasons.
“There’s a couple reasons for it,” Vincent Webb, Ph.D., Dean and Director of the Criminal Justice Center, said. “We cover a lot of different fields of study within the college, and some of those are connected and related to each other than others.”
The department creation came through recommendation from Todd Clear, Ph.D., Dean of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, and Sally Simpson, Ph.D., professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University of Maryland, in an academic program review in 2010.
According to Webb, one reason for the new departments is to ease the process by which university faculty members are hired and evaluated.
Right now, the standards used
in employee evaluations are the same for CJ and forensic science professors, even though their respective fields of study differ within the college. The creation of the three departments is designed to fix this issue.
“We [will] separate these out so they can prosper on their own,” said Webb. “Although related to criminal justice, security studies has evolved in a way where
there’s four or five sub-fields of study within security studies… They require different specialties, different training for faculty and the things that students are interested in.”
Sarah Kerrigan, Ph.D., forensic science professor, will serve as the chair of the new forensic science department, while department chair positions for the other two departments are still open.
According to Webb, the new department chair applications are being accepted from outside applicants as well as from within the College of Criminal Justice. All other new faculty will be the product of outside hires.
“All of the hiring that we’re doing is being done with existing resources,” Webb said. “As we reorganized the college, we shifted deans around and so we
didn’t really need the additional funding there, and we have vacant positions in the college and we’re using those positions for our hiring initiative. They’re not new faculty lines; they’re filling existing open positions.”
In 1970, the College of CJ was one of the first to offer a Ph.D in Criminal Justice, and the first school in Texas to offer an Master of Science in Forensic Science.
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SHSU FIRSTS. In 1970, the College of Criminal Justice at SHSU was one of the first to offer a Ph.D in Criminal Justice, and the first school in Texas to offer an Master of Science in Forensic Science.
Samantha Villarreal | The Houstonian
MCKINZIE BROCAILSenior Reporter
Students are increasingly creative in the ways that they cheat on tests. With finals just a week away, professors are on the look out for tricks of the cheating trade.
Students mastermind cheating schemes like the notable “typing your notes on the labels of water bottles and soda bottles” and the “taping your notes to the bill of your hat” tricks.
Professors commonly ask students to keep their drinks on the floor or turn their caps backwards during tests.
More than ever, students are using technology to cheat.
According to the Educational Testing Service, “Today between 75 and 98 percent of college students surveyed each year report having cheated in high school.”
“I know people that use [the search engine] Bing on their phones,” Saxon Smith, sophomore business major, said.
The Internet isn’t the full extent of technological cheating: texting friends and classmates for answers or downloading audio files of notes to iPods and other MP3 players to listen to them on
headphones during exams.In larger classes, where
professors do not know each student by name, students are known to take tests for other students for a fee.
To combat this, some professors require students to have their photo ID on it out on their desk. As a result, students have come up with a way to cheat using IDs.
“Some people write notes on the
back of their IDs,” John Sordia, freshman kinesiology major, said.
Despite Sam Houston State University’s strict Academic Dishonesty Policy, some students are not afraid to risk their education.
According to university policy, “The university and its official representatives, acting in accordance with Subsection 5.32, may initiate disciplinary
proceedings against a student accused of any form of academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion and the abuse of resource materials.”
Cheating has many faces according to university policy: Copying from another student, using unauthorized materials during a test, collaborating with another student during an exam or in preparing academic work without authorization. Other examples include: Knowingly, and without authorization, using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, soliciting, copying, or possessing, in whole or in part, the contents of an unadministered test; or substituting for another student, bribing another person to get an unadministered test or information on it. Purchasing, or otherwise acquiring and submitting as one’s own work the work of another.
All academic dishonesty actions are considered and reviewed by the faculty member teaching the class. The faculty member has the ability to fail the student, reduce their grade on the test or in the course, or make the student do extra coursework.
“I haven’t really seen
anything too bizarre while in college,” Devon Beatty, mass communication senior, said. “In high school I had a friend who’d tape notes on bookcases and the ceiling, though.”
To make it tougher for students to cheat or get away with cheating, many professors give out multiple versions of exams or walk around the classroom during exams. Typically, professors do not allow the use of any technology, including cell phones, iPods and anything with Internet.
To avoid plagiarism, some professors require students to turn written assignments in to sites like TurnItin.com.
Students, professors battle over cheating tricks
GEORGE MATTINGLYNews Editor
CHEATERS According to the Educational Testing Service, between 75 and 98 percent of college students have cheated in high school.
Connor Hyde | The Houstonian
Page 3houstonianonline.com/viewpoints
Tuesday, December 4, 2012Viewpoints
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Morgan Mears
Tuesday’s Issue Friday at 5 p.m.Thursday’s IssueTuesday at 2 p.m.
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Students duel over gun ownership
Cody Miles
ALLYSON WILEYStaff Reporter
Can you remember a time when someone wasn’t a text message away and you had to pick up the phone and call someone to tell them you’re late? Well, that was 20 years ago.
One of our favorite forms of communication is turning 20 and think about all the things we do with texting today. Texters can vote for their favorite American Idol singer, send money to the Red Cross and have a nasty break up conversation without having to actually talk to the other person.
Did you know the first text message ever sent was a holiday greeting? “Merry Christmas”—two tiny words composed in a virtual text history of more than a few trillion.
According to phone records, while you are reading this article approximately 75
million text messages will be sent across the globe. Some may be warm hearted greetings and some may be drunk texts that will be regretted the second they are sent. It’s hard to imagine 75 million texts being sent every five minutes when, a little more than five years ago, having a maximum limit of 200 texts a month seemed outrageous.
Things have come a very long way since 1992. Honestly, most of us are probably too young to remember a time without texting and can’t imagine a world without it. Over two-thirds of our age group said they would be lost without text messaging. According to a study by Acision, the age group of 18-25 sends the most messages averaging 133 messages per week. That’s almost double than any other age group.
Surprisingly men communicate via text more than women, which is funny because most of mens’ responses are short and to the point. Show of hands; how many girls have
gotten the ‘k’ message? You see? Women tend to send longer messages and talk more about relationship issues over text message.
Among teens, texting is on the rise whereas talking on the phone seems to be dying out. Many people, usually older individuals, say that texting is ruining language skills and that our generation is going to hell in a hand basket because of texting. Coventry University did a 10 year study that actually showed much different results. It showed that texting actually improved children’s reading and writing skills.
This cannot include spelling, because I have gotten way too many text messages that include “u” or “ur” for me to believe this. How much more effort does it actually take to press those two extra buttons? Think of it as finger exercises and spell the word out!
Texting has become so commonplace in
our society that people make a sport out of it. The Guinness Book of World Records recorded the fastest text message ever written by Sonja Kristiansen of Norway who took 37.28 seconds to thumb: “The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality, they seldom attack a human.” That has got to be hard with autocorrect. Sometimes it’s hard to type normal sentences, not to mention texting so furiously about piranhas.
In 20 years, texting has actually become a dangerous activity. It’s a great communication device but it can lead to some very harsh consequences. Texters must always remember to not text and drive, sext or cyber bully. Be smart with your texts and text on.
Happy 20th birthday, texting…or, in other words, ROFL lik3 OmGz Ur oLd. LoL. G2G.
OMG, LOL, WTF: txting thumbs thru 20 yrz
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Morgan Mears shoots down proposed Vermont bill, says it threatens rights
Taylor Likens sticks up for gun ownership, says it offers self-protection, independence
Guns and the right to own guns has been a heated topic for debate recently in the state of Vermont. State Rep. Fred Maslack has proposed a new bill that would require “non-gun owning” citizens of Vermont to register and pay a $500 fee to the state, for not owning a gun.
Many people are irate about the proposed bill, accusing Maslack of trying to interfere with their right to bear arms, as stated by the second amendment in the Bill of Rights. The second amendment states that citizens of the United States have the right-choice-to bear arms, meaning if a citizen does not want to own a gun, then they are not required to own one.
With Maslack’s new bill, a person’s rights would be taken away; a government does not have the right to take away what our forefathers gave us.
Many supporters of the bill argue that it is not only our right to bear arms but our obligation to own a gun and protect yourself and your fellow man. According to a comment made on a blog about the bill on HubPages, user Daniel Townsend wrote “when the government, or criminals, or a foreign power chooses to take that which does not belong to them, then the common man should have means to defend himself.”
However, Mr. Townsend does not acknowledge the fact that the government is already trying to take away something that does not belong to them, the right to choose to own a gun or not.
Vermont’s own constitution states explicitly that “the people have a right to bear arms for the defense of themselves and the State,” meaning that citizens in Vermont have the right to decide based on their personal beliefs and preferences if they want to own a gun or not, and they should not be fined for owning or not owning a gun.
Requiring non-gun owners to pay a $500 fee and registering as a non-gun owner would increase the number of guns purchased, and it would highly weigh on people’s decisions on whether or not to buy a gun.
While Vermont’s crime rate is low,
requiring people to pay a fine for not owning a gun would increase the crime rate; people would rather own a gun than pay the fine, and not every citizen of Vermont is a trusting, upstanding person. Maslack’s bill fails to identify that.
Requiring everyone to own a gun or pay a fine would increase the number of guns in the state. The state of Vermont is one of few states that does not
require registration or a license to own a handgun or a shotgun, and while there are upstanding citizens that can be trusted with a gun, there are also those that should not own a gun because of the things they may do with one, from robbing a store or a bank to murder.
Maslack believes that all Vermont citizens are trusting, and therefore his bill is lacking in that sense as well.
This bill should not be passed. Requiring Vermont citizens to register and pay a fine for not owning a gun not only goes against the second amendment, but it also fails to identify that not all people are trusting and safe when it comes to gun use.
As an alternative, the state of Vermont should inform their citizens of the benefits of owning a gun rather than fining them for not; they should educate rather than punish.
MORGAN MEARSStaff Reporter
To claim that guns don’t kill people is to be laughably misinformed. Yes, people kill people, but guns can help that process along quite a bit, as blasts of supersonic lead tend to be much more effective at 50 yards than all but the most impressive of right hooks.
That being said, Vermont State Rep. Fred Maslack’s movement to fine all non-gun owners for their impotency can be a little hard to swallow. Although born out of ritualistic stupidity, this suggestion has an odd sort of brilliance to it.
His proposition is as literal as it sounds—Vermont households would either need to purchase a gun or decline for a $500 fine. Rest assured that this movement was forged in only the finest, most anal of bureaucracy.
His stance is supported by his diligent scouring of the constitution, which he presumably spent several minutes reading by the dim glow of a Scooby Doo nightlight. In his studies, he found the second amendment claims “the people have a right to bear arms for the defense of themselves and the State.” And interestingly, those opposed to the ownership of arms shall “pay such equivalent.”
Basically: load up or pay up.
I myself have a humble collection of three rifles. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that
you’d have to pry them out of my cold, dead hands. No, it’s much more likely I would be prying them out of yours, as I am quite efficient with them and have no shame kicking some fascist in the genitals.
Still, despite my personal investment in firearms, I was quite prepared to sit down and give this proposition a thorough lashing, on account Maslack’s irrationally literal interpretation of the Constitution. Researching it, though, I was surprised to find myself actually swayed—though not at all by Rep. Maslack’s doing. It’s a prince of
an idea in pauper’s clothing.This law would not be out of
step for Vermont, as the state has a strong history of relaxed gun laws. Arguably, they are the least restrictive state in the entire country. Notably, other than Arizona, it is the only state that does not require a permit to carry a concealed weapon. So how have the people of Vermont not all been killed off by criminals yet?
Apparently, a better question would actually be “how have the people of Vermont not yet killed
off all of their criminals?” Vermont has the third lowest crime rate in the nation. Those are some hard numbers to argue with.
Still, it is understandable to find it unfair that someone morally opposed to guns should be forced to own one or pay a fine for their pacifism. However, consider this: those who do not own firearms must rely on the government (i.e. police, military,) to defend them. A government that everyone, as citizens of the United States, fund through taxes.
In a sense, we who own firearms pay double for those
who rely only our tax dollars for protection. Rather than force a fee on those who would seek to carry some of their
own weight, there is more justice in asking that of those who, for whatever reason, would respectfully decline to take personal effort in arming themselves.
The greatest concern would be those financially unable to purchase even the cheapest of firearms, though one could argue that they were no better off being the ones forced to pay for licenses and such.
Rep. Maslack, in the process of embarrassing himself, has accidentally struck gold. Honestly, I hope it does more than pass. I hope it spreads. We should look forward to the day this is the status quo.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day (about gun control).
PAWS DOWN PAWS DOWN to elevators
malfunctioning on campus, causing widespread panic
among students.
PAWS UP to the last week of classes. We
welcome you with stressed out brains and open arms.
PAWS DOWN to the high temperatures in December.
Our sweat glands miss Christmas weather.
PAWS UP to SHSU Bearkats for defeating Cal
Poly in the first round of playoffs this past weekend.
PAWS UP
TAYLOR LIKENSStaff Reporter
Eric Fite| The Houstonian
Page 4houstonianonline.com/a-e
Tuesday, December 4, 2012Arts&Entertainment
Facebook.com/TheHoustonianSHSU
Dancers showcase emotion, skill in ‘Reach’
Sam Houston State University dance department is holding their semiannual Dance Spectrum ‘Reach’ at the James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center this weekend. The opening show was Thursday, Nov. 29 at 8 p.m.
With a total of eight dance numbers, the audience seemed to enjoy the energy of each routine. Each performance told a story and viewers were given the opportunity to see many different styles of dance.
“I really enjoyed ‘The Ultimatum’ because the dancers seemed to really get into it. Who wouldn’t want to dance to a Stevie Wonder dubstep?” Alan Mitchell, senior at SHSU, said.
“The Ultimatum” was choreographed by Khaleah London. The routine started with no music. Dancers entered the stage wearing navy blue blazers backwards.
Throughout most of the dance, it seemed that the dancers were split off into four groups. Each group had their own combination of leaps, turns and movements to accompany the Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder dubstep track.
“I was a little disappointed. Not with the dancers, but with the music. There was no wobble or drop and the kick was not traditional dubstep,” John Vandivier, Senior at University of Houston, said. “However, they were getting down on stage. Overall I enjoyed it.”
The next performance that was really able to ‘Reach’ the audience was “Surface”. As the stage lit up, the audience saw pieces of cardboard scattered across the floor. As the dancers entered the stage, each chose a piece and held it up for the audience to see. Written on each piece of cardboard were stereotypes, labels, views, and beliefs. Signs such as ‘fake’, ‘confused’, ‘pretentious’, ‘AIDS’ and more had audience members wondering what
performance was all about. Dancers then yelled these labels at one
another to represent judgment and lack of compassion. It then became obvious that the message in this particular performance was to encourage people to look past the labels and stereotypes and accept everyone. The dancers then came forward holding a sign that asked the audience ‘I will work for love. What will you work for?’
Another routine that really captured the viewers was a fun little number called “A French Yodel for Penny”. This routine started off with the song “Down On Penny’s Farm”. Dancers were sitting on the floor in a line wearing overalls.
The movements in the first half of this piece took on the common stereotype of country farmers. Dancers were rolling around, scooting and having fun. The music then transitioned to “Mourir pour des idees”, a well known French tune. Dancers changed into huge skirts made out of giant paper bags. This performance was
a fun treat for the members of the audience and had everyone giggling.
The show ended with “Tower” choreographed by Andy Noble. Out of all of the performances, this routine had the most dancers. It seemed like there was always a new person on stage until they all came out together in the end.
The lines and formations in this piece were phenomenal and had the audience in awe. Towards the end of the routine each dancer sprinted and slid across the entire stage, leaving viewers in the first row holding their breath.
“I was terrified! I felt like I could see my life flashing before my eyes with all of the dancers sliding towards me,” Jeffery Reed, sophomore at SHSU, said. “One guy almost ended up in my lap!”
With the closing of the final performance, every member of the audience stood up and cheered. ‘Reach’ was very enjoyable and receives 5 out of 5 paws.
CHRISTINA BAUMANNStaff Reporter
Instagram helps graduates give thanksGraduation is a time for seniors
to be recognized for their hard work and dedication but this year the recognition is aimed towards to the parents, teachers, friends and memories made at Sam Houston State University.
The SHSU Marketing and C o m m u n i c a t i o n s department has introduced the “Instagram Project” to the Fall class of 2012. This project will allow graduating seniors to give “shout outs” during the ceremony via Instagram.
Any graduating senior can participate. All they need to do is have a friend take a picture of them on campus then upload that photo to Instagram using the tag #SHSUGrad12 followed by a short shout-out. Each shout-out should be 140 characters or less and are due by Dec. 7.
“We wanted to make it easy for graduating seniors to submit
the photographs and by using a service that already creates beautiful pictures and allows them to be aggregated in one place on the Web was an important factor,” SHSU Marketing and Communications Director Bruce O’Neil. “Instagram allows the user to make a comment to attach with the photo, and also allows others such as friends and relatives to
send graduation well-wishes.”
This project will add a new aspect to graduation by giving a personal touch and intimate portrayal of the graduating seniors. O’Neal
also said that the graduates are able to show everyone their favorite place on campus while giving thanks and honor to those who’ve helped them achieve their goals.
For more information contact Bruce O’Neal in the SHSU Marketing and Communications Department at 936.294.1833.
CHEYENNE SIMPSONStaff Reporter
#SHSUGRAD12. These are just a few of the pictures that graduating seniors have posted. The theme has been things on campus, and most of the students have stuck with that.
#SHSUGrad12 Intagram
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““Instagram allows the user to make a comment to attatch with the photo, and also allows others such as friends and relatives to send graduation well-wishes.
Bruce O’Neal, Director of Marketing and Communications
Christmas Fair inspires winter spirit despite heat
The Huntsville Main Street Program hosted their Third Annual Downtown Christmas Fair on Dec. 1. People from all over Huntsville came to get some Christmas shopping done, despite the heat.
There were over 100 booths lining 11th to 13th street. Some of the items that were sold were holiday wreaths, puppets, customizable signs and shirts and rice necklaces. There was also light boxes, customized ceramic tiles and jewelry.
Carnival booths also came to town with funnel cakes, hot dogs, and kettle corn. The biggest hit seemed to be the root beer booth selling root beer floats.
“I think that we had a great turn out and I hope the people had fun,” Main Street Coordinator, Kim
McAuliffe said.There was also an
area set up behind the court house that had
snow for the kids to play in. Children were lined up down the street to get in to play in the snow. It was a great way to beat the heat.
The children’s area had a moon bounce, a stage for kids to sing Christmas karaoke and a table to write letters to Santa and mail them.
All of the shops remained open, and many offered special deals.
The Main Street Program is a downtown redevelopment program that envisions Downtown Huntsville as being historically inviting and economically prosperous.
To learn more about the Main Street Program and find out about their events call 936-291-5920 or go to www.huntsvillemainstreet.com .
MOLLY WADDELLA & E Editor
LET IT SNOW. Children were able to beat the untimely heat in the snow area at the Downtown Christmas Fair.
Molly Waddell | The Houstonian
m_riina89 klinnh
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Page 5Tuesday, December 4, 2012Sports
houstonianonline.com/sports
Bearkats slip past Cal Poly, 18-16
Coach Fritz earns AFCA Regional Coaching honor
Women’s basketball wins big in front of packed Johnson Coliseum
Sam Houston State head coach Willie Fritz and Montana State’s Rob Ash earned the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision Region Five “Co-Coaches of the Year” honors, according to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).
Fritz has directed the Sam Houston football program into national consciousness in his three years as head coach, posting a 29-9 overall record—the most victories in any three-year period in the university’s 97 football seasons.
This season, Fritz guided the Bearkats to an 8-3 overall record and a “Top 5” national ranking in the FCS. The back-to-back Southland Conference titles and FCS playoff appearances in 2011 and 2012 placed Fritz in a category of his own amongst Sam Houston skippers. Fritz also won the AFCA Regional Coach-of-the-Year award in 2011, after a 14-1 season that forced the Bearkats to reach the national championship game.
The AFCA recognizes five regional “Coach of the Year” winners in each of the Association’s five divisions: Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and NAIA.
The winners are chosen by active members of the association who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions.
The 2012 Regional Coach of the Year winners will be recognized at the AFCA Coach of the Year Dinner at the 2013 AFCA Convention in Nashville, Tenn. The dinner is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 8.
Rob Ash steered Montana State to a 10-1 season and the No. 3 seed in the FCS playoffs this year, and will face off against Fritz and company in the NCAA Division I quarterfinals Friday night in Bozeman, Mont. The game will air nationally on ESPN2. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
JEREMY KLEIBER Staff Reporter
CAMERON BUNCHContributor
As the record-breaking 3,682 fans screamed in the stands of Johnson Coliseum, the Sam Houston State women’s basketball team defeated the Texas A&M-Commerce 78-50, Friday morning for the annual “Pack the House” game. The Bearkats improved their record to 2-3, while giving the Lions their first loss of the season.
Sequeena Thomas led the Bearkats with 18 points, 17 rebounds, three steals and a block in her 33rd career double-double. Britini Martin was right behind her with 17 points and six boards. The two led the Bearkats to scoring a whopping 50 points in the second half.
The Bearkats only trailed once in the game, and that was 2-0 19 seconds into the game.
Perhaps it was SHSU head coach Brenda Welch-Nichols dancing with the screaming fans to Gangnam Style
that pumped the Bearkats up before halftime, but they took a demanding lead in the second half and never let it go. They cruised past the Lions and led by as much as 31 points. The fans were taken away with every basket, while music played during timeouts.
Amber Carver led the Lions in scoring with 10 points along with pulling down seven rebounds.
The Kats dominated on defense, scoring 20 points off of the Lions’ 23 turnovers and allowing only 18 points in the first half. Just like their points in the second half, the Bearkats totaled 50 rebounds in the game compared to Commerce’s 32.
Sam Houston looks to continue their win streak as the follow up on their rest of the season’s non-conference games.
The Kats will take on Texas Southern this Wednesday in Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum at 6:30 p.m. For more information on the Bearkats, including stats and schedule, visit gobearkats.com.
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Sam Houston moves to third round of FCS Division I playoffs
series following the blocked punt, running back Timothy Flanders drove downfield for 32 yards on five carries to set up Antonio for his first field goal.
Brian Bell and company struggled to gain momentum into the third quarter against Cal Poly’s secondary.
Bell completed 2-12 passes for 16 yards at the end of the first half, and was unable to find receiver Trey Diller with Mustang cornerback Chris Fletcher’s lockdown coverage.
“I think [defensive coordinator] John Brown had a great scheme,” Cal Poly head coach Tim Walsh said. “I think our players executed the scheme, I thought we tackled better than we have the entire year…we did not let them make explosive plays. That’s what [SHSU] wants to do.”
Personal fouls plagued the Mustang defense in the second half, committing two personal fouls for 30 yards that set up Antonio’s second field goal.
According to Walsh, the costly penalties resulted from high intensity tackles.
“Those were hustle plays. Those guys were hustling to the football an trying to tackle to football,” Walsh said. “Sometimes when you do that, maybe the guy’s foot is out-of-bounds. Those were not intentional or deliberate. To me, one of the most ridiculous things I’ve heard about the game of football, our guys played their tails
off on those plays. In a game that is a physical of a football game, that fast of a football game, stuff happens.”
Cal Poly’s ground game narrowed SHSU’s eight point lead in the third quarter setting up two Mustang field goals.
With an 8-6 lead, Bell found running back Keshawn Hill for
18 yards to score the game’s first touchdown on the night to extend SHSU’s lead 15-6 going into the fourth quarter. Bell drove the Bearkats downfield again late in the fourth quarter to secure Antonio’s last field goal to give SHSU a nine point lead with 6:07 left on the clock.
The Mustangs completed a
50-yard pass to receiver Willie Tucker for a touchdown with 1:45 remaining but were unable to recover an onside kick that sealed a Bearkat victory.
“I think it was a very tough, hard fought, ball game [on] both sides,” Fritz said. “I’m really proud of our team [but] I don’t think we played exceptionally well.”
With Saturday’s victory, the Bearkats will travel to Bozeman, Mont. to square off against the Montana State Bobcats in the FCS Division I quarterfinals.
Kickoff will be underway Friday at 7 p.m. (central time) and will be broadcasted live on ESPN2.
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ONE DOWN: Keshawn Hill scored the lone touchdown for Sam Houston when the Bearkats defeated Cal Poly 18-16 Saturday afternoon.
Samantha Villarreal | The Houstonian
Page 6Tuesday, December 4, 2012
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complete redesign, but rather just a refresher,” McCormick said. “We wanted to make things easier for users, not complicate things further. I just hope the new design helps our current students now and future students to come.”
The new website project took approximately six months to complete, and will open on Dec. 18, so it will not cause confusion for students trying to check their final grades. A button allowing people to preview the new design will appear on the old website next week.
An email will go out to all faculty, staff, and alumni in the next few weeks to make them aware of the change coming.
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Final Exam ScheduleJUMP
Children scurry around on East Broadway Street in Sweetwater, Texas, to gather candy tossed from the Christmas parade floats on Monday, Dec. 3, 2012.
AP Photo | The Abilene Reporter-News, Joy LewisCrowds gather around the United States Post Office and along State Line Avenue in downtown Texarkana, Texas to watch the annual Christmas parade Monday, Dec. 3, 2012.
AP Photo/The Texarkana Gazette, Doug Strickland
Christmas-time in the Lone Star State
