PrairieTuesday, Sept 6, 2011 Volume 94, Issue I

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The sTudenT newspaper of wesT Texas a&M universiTywww.theprairienews.com Follow us onlineMostly Sunny

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InsIdesporTs:Buffs fall to CSU-Pueblo in home opener.

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news:Student Senate meeting ad-dresses budget cuts.

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enTerTainMenT:Find answers for the cross-word puzzle, Sudoku and Try Square in next week’s paper.

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CaMpus Life:Agricultural Science Depart-ment will host Round-Up.

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feaTure:Five websites to help students succeed in college.

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It was Sept. 9, 2001. A man and his son were hunting in Circle, Mont. when the man unexpectedly took a deep breath, his final breath, and collapsed into the arms of his son.

The following day, the man’s daughter received a horrifying phone call relaying what had happened. She immediately left to go be with her family in Tucson, Ariz.

The next morning, Sept. 11, the man’s daughter woke up, turned the corner in her brother’s house, and witnessed another tragedy – an airplane had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City.

“My very first thought was ‘Oh no, so many other people are going to be sad like me now because they just lost their dads too,’” recalled Leigh Browning, associate profes-

sor of mass communications.Browning was in shock. She had

just lost her father Jerry, a preacher, a hunter, and a “fiercely patriotic” Navy veteran. She empathized with the thousands of other children who had just lost their parents.

Meanwhile on the WTAMU cam-pus, several of Browning’s students were gathered around her office wanting only to talk to and comfort their professor in her time of loss.

“They called and talked to me on speakerphone,” Browning said.

“They just wanted to hear my voice and to know I was okay.”

The students were also worried about how they should proceed with KWTS programming in light of the terrorist attacks. Browning helped guide them over the phone, but was then faced with a new problem.

Because many flights were grounded after terrorists hijacked four American air-planes, Browning and her family were unable to get her father’s body back to Tucson. Yet, Browning knew there had to be a way.

“I called in a favor to a former student who was working for the Associated Press,” she said. A story then ran on the wire detailing Browning’s predicament. After the story got out, arrangements were made and Browning’s father was finally able to come to his final resting place.

Sept 11: Ten years laterProfessor reflects on tragedy

Jordan fry sTaff wriTer

phoTo by Jordan fryDisplay in Browning’s office honoring her father Jerry.

Sept 11 continued on p. 2

Faculty and students have joined together to help six WTAMU students get back on their feet after an apartment fire on Aug. 29 destroyed their homes.

“They are our students and we need to do everything we can and make them successful,” Dr. Don Albrecht, Vice President for Student Affairs, said. “When a student has an emergency, we need to see what we can do to help them through the emergency.”

He also said anyone interested in donat-ing can bring items to the Office of Student Government.

“Anything [that] you think they can use, bring them to us. We will let them know we have it,” Dr. Albrecht said.

Student Body President Brandy Roberts said that Student Government will hold fund-raisers throughout the week to raise money for the students affected.

“You can either buy a raffle ticket for a gift card gift basket or a movie gift basket,” she said. “Next Friday, I believe, we are going to do the drawing to see who wins.”

The raffle ticket for the gift card gift basket will be $5 and the movie gift basket will cost $1. Roberts said another way Student Government is helping raise money is through a Resident Assistant challenge.

“I sent a memo to all the RA´s challenging them to try to raise the most money for their hall and we will give them desserts for their next hall council,” she said.

WT has also given each student a book scholarship to replace their books.

“We put that straight into their Buffalo Gold Card so they can get whatever they need for their books and supplies,” Dr. Albrecht said.

Aside from the help offered by WT, the De-partment of Agricultural Sciences has expand-ed their aid to Andrea Spencer, Jake Becker and Victoria Lujan, two graduate students and an alumna of the department who were affected by the fire.

WT helps students who lost belongings in fire

Maria MoLina ediTor

phoTo provided by dr. dean hawkinsBriarhurst Apartment complex after the fire.

phoTo provided by dr. dean hawkinsResidents affected by fire not only lost their personal belongings, but also their vehicles.

Fire continued on p. 3

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Editor- Maria MolinaAssistant Editor- Krystina MartinezWeb Editor - Georgia RomigLayout- Kati WatsonAd Manager- Bryan SamuelFaculty Adviser- Butler Cain

The Prairie is a student-operated publication at West Texas A&M University. It functions to inform, educate, and entertain readers accurately and responsibly. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the administration, faculty or students. The editorials that appear on these pages represent the opinion of the Prairie editorial board. The views expressed by other columinsts are the writers’ opinions and do not necessarily reflect the board’s views. Advertising rates are available upon request at (806) 337- 2090 or at theprairiewt@gmail.com. WTAMU Box 60754, Canyon, Texas 79016. The Prairie is distributed on Tuesdays during the semester and has a circulation of 1,500. It is printed by The Amarillo Globe-News.

Reporter- Jes RoskensReporter- Melissa Bauer-HerzogReporter- Ryan Schaap

Prairiethe

Staff 2011-2012

Reporter- Jordan FryReporter- Lisa HellierReporter- Matt Watkins

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a

redress of grievances.- First Amendment to the

U.S. Constitution

After 9/11 , Browning became more aware of the importance of relationships with the people in her life.

“9/11 strengthened my relationships with my students, my family, my country, and certainly God,” she said. “That day re-minds us how fragile and precious life is.”

In an article written by Browning shortly after the death of her father, she said, “My dad…could not have written a better, more fitting ending to his life on this Earth.” She went on to write that her dad “is in a much better place.” Looking back, Browning feels that “heaven needed

another preacher that day.” That thought helps put her at peace.

She also feels that Sept. 11 was a day about relationships, not about terrorism. “I don’t think they won,” she said. “Global conflict isn’t over; there isn’t a winner in that situation. But people don’t forget how much closer they got to their fami-lies that day.”

Browning also realized the importance of faculty to student connections that day. “Students teach us so much,” she said. “The students remind us how important they are, and this should remind us that we need to be there for our students.”

On the first anniversary of Sept. 11, Browning, along with other faculty and

students, planted a tree donated by KWTS on the north side of Old Main, which was named the Freedom Tree. The Freedom Tree was planted in memory of her father and in memory of the thou-sands of other lives that were lost.

“I was aching for life,” Browning said. “All the death needed to stop.”

Every year on Sept. 11, Browning vis-its the Freedom Tree. She feels that the Freedom Tree is a very important sym-bol. And nine years later, the Freedom Tree continues to grow and to thrive.

“It connects us all together in some way,” she said. “It’s very powerful.”

Sept 11 continued from p. 1

Photo by Jordan FryFlags surround the base of the Freedom Tree outside the JBK in memory of 9/11.

When college hits, many students like to run to the internet for sanctuary from stress. However, rather than just helping you escape from the pressures of heavy class loads, some websites can actually be problem-solvers as well.

Lifehacker.com When leaving the comforts of home for the de-

mands of the real world, some students come to the horrible realization that they do not know everything. Fortunately, there is Lifehacker, a website dedicated to giving advice on technology as well as the normal, day-to-day trials. At Lifehacker, users can find a large vari-ety of articles covering topics such as how to improve your credit score, where to find the best smartphone apps for organization, and even how to fix furniture with mayonnaise. In the chance that Lifehacker does not have an article for your question, users can send a request to the staff for free.

Linkedin.comFacebook may be one of the largest social networks,

but that does not mean it is the only one you should use. Linkedin is the network to join if you want a little boost in finding potential employers. According to Eric Spellman of Spellman Associates, an Amarillo company that specializes in helping businesses with online branding, Linkedin is a good website for small businesses and other professionals to network in their respective industries.

Paperrater.com and Noodletools.comThese two sites share the third spot on this list

because both teach writing a better paper. If you’re strapped for time, Paperrater can give a quick and ac-curate assessment of an essay’s grammar, spelling, and usage. Just cut and paste the article into its editor, and it will grade your paper. Writing a proper bibliography can be just as tricky as writing the essay itself, unless you know to use Noodletools. Noodletools helps by showing how to cite a source and write an accurate bibliography according to MLA or AP styles.

Cracked.comSometimes all you really need is a good laugh to

help unwind, and while there are plenty of comedy websites to browse, Cracked is unique. Unlike its competitors, Cracked offers the reader an opportunity to learn as they laugh. The Cracked.com staff writes articles over real-world topics such as religion, pop culture, history, economics and news. All articles are backed up by legitimate research done by respected experts in the topics being discussed. In fact, the writ-ers regularly put links in their articles to cite their facts in order to allow readers to judge the writers’ works for themselves. Some of Cracked’s writers do include some mature content in their articles, such as descrip-tions of violence or adult language, so be aware.

StumbleUpon.comFor web junkies who do not like to spend hours

browsing through Google, there is StumbleUpon. StumbleUpon works like flipping through channels on a TV, except the “channels” in this case are websites. All you need to do is fill out a profile and choose the kind of websites you need, and Stumbleupon will lead you through the rest.

Five Web sites that serve successful solutionsJES roSKEnSStaFF WritEr

News3 September 06, 2011www.theprairienews.comPrairie

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“In Ag we are a community,” Dr. Dean Hawkins, de-partment head for Agricultural Sciences, said. “We say a ‘hand-up,’ not a ‘handout’.”

The department offered the students housing at the Ag education house where they are currently living.

“The Ag department is letting Jake and Andrea live here because they are both still students. I used to be a student, but I graduated,” Lujan, an Agricultural Com-munication alumna, said. “I am going to live with my friend until I can get on my feet.”

She said all of WT has been helpful, but the Agricul-tural Science department was the first to step up and contact people.

“They set up a fund for all three of us for people to go give money at the First United Bank,” Lujan said. “They contacted all kinds of people within the A&M

System to get us furniture and anything we need that we lost.”

Spencer said the best way for other students and community members to help them is by donating toiletry items such as toothpaste and toilet paper.

“If they want to help, there is a donation under the Ag department or Dr. Hawkins’ name,” she said.

The three other students affected by the fire are freshmen Gabrielle Cantu, Cynthia Estrada and Janeth Estrada.

Dr. Albrecht said that these students have family in the area, so WT did not have the immediate need of

finding them a place to stay. “It may be that the Ag students

got some immediate help quicker, but they didn´t have another place to go either,” Dr. Albrecht said. “They needed a place to spend the night and the Ag folks helped them right away.”

He also said that WT is waiting for the students to know what their needs are in order to give them more help.

“When I talked to one of the non-Ag students, I just told her ´I know

there is more help, but we don´t know how to help you. Tell us what you need,´” Dr. Albrecht said. “If they were able to say ´what we need is…´ then we will put the word out there.”

Fire continued from p. 1“I don’t ever want to move away,” Victoria

Lujan said. “I don’t know that we will find some-place else that will treat somebody like this and

just take them as family.”

Student Government calls special Senate meetingDr. Patrick O’Brien speaks to senators about budget cuts

A special session Student Senate meeting took place on Aug. 29 to address budget concerns. University president Dr. Patrick O’Brien came to speak to student senators about the challenges the school will face for the upcoming year.

WTAMU took a $3 million budget cut for the 2011-2012 school year, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. That’s only a fraction of the $180 million budget cut in Texas higher education, according to the Texas Tribune. The Texas legislature also cut $150.4 million from the state’s financial aid funding, which includes the TEXAS grants and the B-On-Time loans.

The cuts have caused state universities to scramble and re-evaluate spending.

“WT has done a lot of restructuring without having

to do any layoffs,” Dr. O’Brien said. Along with making cuts to the travel, utilities and maintenance budget, Dr. O’Brien stated that the University will also be tapping into $1 million in reserve money to offset costs. Despite that, the president doesn’t plan on relying on those funds alone to make up for the budget cuts.

“University standing committees will also look at academic and non-

academic budgets and find areas to save money and to run efficiently without sacrificing quality,” he said.

Student Government will also be involved in the process by appointing individuals to these committees.

“Student Government [implements] a ‘student perspective,’” Student Body President Brandy Roberts said. “This is very important because as students, we know what programs students value.”

Charles Potter, an out-of-state student from Idaho, attended WT last year as a Computer Science major. Although he is taking time off due to financial reasons, he plans on returning. However, he is afraid of how the budget cuts will affect his major once he returns.

“I will be really depressed [if the cuts are

severe],” he said. “Computer Science is one of those careers that you need the latest technology to keep up.”

Although tuition and fees for the 2012-2013 school year still need to go through the West Texas A&M Board of Regents to be finalized, Dr. O’Brien discussed the possibility of eliminating the Distance Education fee and raise the Technology fee.

“It doesn’t make sense to have both [fees],” Dr. O’Brien said. “There was a time where [having both] was necessary, but that time has passed.”

Currently, the Distance Education fee is $40 per credit hour for online students only, while the Technology fee is $11 per credit hour for all students.

Although WT isn’t the only Texas university dealing with the strain of budget cuts, Roberts feels that the school is in a good position.

“After talking to the Student Regent, Fernando Trevino, I am glad to say that WT is actually one of the schools that handled the budget cuts responsibly,” she said.

“WT didn’t have to increase tuition, and while there were some fee increases, the increases were not nearly as high as other system schools.”

KRYSTINA MARTINEZASSISTANT EDITOR

Enrollment on First Day of ClassThis Year - 7772Last Year - 7744

PhOTO bY KRYSTINA MARTINEZ Chief Justice Audra Thurman swears in five student senators to fill vacancies.

PhOTO bY KRYSTINA MARTINEZ Student Body President Brandy Roberts addresses the Student Senate.

Incoming Freshman ClassThis Year - 1223Last Year - 1263

Retention Rate (For First Time Freshmen)West Texas A&M University - 64.6%WTAMU System Average (as of 2009) - 66.5%Courtesy of National Center for Education Statistics

Enrollment facts:

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The No.19-ranked WTAMU Buffalo football team opened their season against the Colorado State University-Pueblo Thunderwolves on Sept. 1 at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium. The Thunderwolves kicked a 40-yard field goal with five minutes remain-ing to take a 26-24 lead. The Buffs offense stalled

around the CSU-Pueblo 40-yard line on the next drive, allowing the Thunderwolves to run out the rest of the clock.

WT scored on their first play from scrimmage. After the defense forced a fumble, senior Tommy Hampton ran it in from 24 yards out, giving the Buffs a 7-0 lead at just 2:15 into the game. The Buffs and Thunderwolves went into the half tied at 17-17. Junior Khiry Robinson broke the tie with a 33-yard run with 6:43 left in the third, giving WT a 24-17 advan-tage. CSU-Pueblo would score nine unanswered points, includ-ing two 40-yard field goals to take the 26-24 win.

“The only thing that was going through my mind was ‘touchdown’ and ‘I have to score to help my team win’,” Robinson said of his touchdown.

Robinson is a transfer stu-dent from Blinn Junior College; he is originally from Belton, Texas. He has a good apprecia-tion for the legacy that comes with playing for the Buffs.

“It felt good just being on a team that has a great tradition of winning and sending athletes to the NFL,” Robinson said.

The Buffs offense went for 556 total yards; however in-consistency and four turnovers prevented WT from pulling

away. Junior quarterback Tan-ner Marsh went 15 of 24 for 236 yards with one touchdown

and one interception. Robinson had eight carries for 116 yards and one touchdown.

WT’s next game will be Sept. 17 against Texas A&M-Kingsville at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Buffs fall 26-24 to CSU-Pueblo in season openerMATT WATKINSSTAff WrITer

CourTeSy of eTerNAl flAMe The Buffs played CSU-Pueblo at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium.

CourTeSy of eTerNAl flAMe Jeremy Watson had six catches for 72 yards.

The WTAMU Lady Buffs opened their season with four wins at the Lady Buff Classic. The event took place on Sept. 2 and 3. WT’s first game came against the Southwest Baptist Bearcats, followed by match-es against the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions, the Missouri Western Griffons, and the Western State College Mountaineers

The Lady Buffs got their first win of the tournament and season Friday morning against SBU. WT swept the match in three sets, 25-19, 25-19, and 25-2. The Lady Buffs’ impressive performance in the third set came as a surprise to many, including their coach.

“I didn’t see it coming. We were getting better as the set went along,” Coach Jason Skoch said.

The second game of the day provided a quite different challenge for WT. The UCCS Mountain Lions jumped out to a 2-0 lead with scores of 25-21 and 25-23. The Lady Buffs rallied by winning the third and fourth sets by scores of 25-19 and

25-18. The fifth and deciding set had the crowd on the edge of their seats. WT and UCCS were neck-and-neck until the Lady Buffs grabbed a 15-12 win.

“We felt we were more stable and in shape to play later in games, and plus the home crowd was awesome,” said sophomore outside hitter Halie Harton of the factors contributing to WT’s rally.

WT continued their winning ways Saturday afternoon with a sweep of Missouri Western. The Lady Buffs took the first two sets 25-12 and 25-16. The Griffons put up a much tougher fight in the third set, going back-and-forth with the Lady Buffs until WT rallied to take the set 27-25.

The final game of the tournament saw the Lady Buffs sweep Western State College. WT posted scores of 25-19, 25-22, and 25-9 for a 4-0 on the season. The win also extended the Lady Buffs’ winning streak in The Box to 15 straight. Junior outside hitter Stormi Lancaster was named the tournament co-MVP, along with Angelo State’s Alex Woosley.

The Lady Buffs will defend their 83-game LSC winning streak Sept. 6 against the Cameron Aggies in Law-ton, Okla. First serve is set for 7 p.m.

Lady Buffs volleyball dominates tournamentMATT WAlKINSSTAff WrITer

The WTAMU men’s soccer team packed the stands on Sept. 2 as they played their first game of the season at the pitch against the Colorado School of Mines. In a hard-played game, the Oredig-gers beat WT 3-1.

Both teams came out hard from the start, but within three minutes of the first half the Orediggers scored their first goal of the game. However, WT responded and Lukas Garcia tied the game in the 17th minute. The Orediggers would score two more goals in the last 13 minutes of the first half to take the lead and win the game.

The second half saw the Buffs come on the field with renewed energy, attacking the opposition’s net and taking more chances. However, the second period was score-less for both teams, even after some tense moments that had fans on the edge of their seats.

While the Buffs’ only goal came in the first half, Head Coach Butch Lauffer felt his

team played a better second half overall.“The first half we beat ourselves with

three silly mistakes, but the second half was much bet-ter. We didn’t give up a goal and we created quite a few chances,” Coach Lauffer said.

But even with the disap-pointing loss, there were still some good aspects about the game, goal scorer Garcia pointed out.

“I feel like we had a couple of unlucky breaks but it’s the

first game of the season,” he said. “They were number nine in the

nation...so that’s definitely good motivation.”Coach Lauffer said there is room for im-

provement to help the team get on the right foot for the rest of the season, even with some players on the injured list.

“We need to improve our defending over-all and our finishing,” Coach Lauffer said. “I don’t really feel that we got beat. I feel that we beat ourselves. We need to quit making those kinds of mistakes, that’s the first step. I think this will be a good motivator.”

The Buffs will play their first Lone Star Conference game at Eastern New Mexico University at 4 p.m. on Sept. 11

WT Buffs fall to Orediggers in season opener on the pitchMelISSA BAuer-HerZoGSTAff WrITer

PHoTo By MelISSA BAuer-HerZoGManuel Montes battles for possesion.

Go to theprairienews.com for our weekend coverage of the Lady Buffs’ soccer match.

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The Department of Agricultural Sciences will be hosting the Agricultural Round-Up on Sept. 7 in the foyer of the Agriculture and Natural Science Building. The event will be an opportunity for freshmen Agriculture majors to get to know fellow students and faculty.

Students will participate in games, activities and learn about Agriculture student organizations.

“There will be ice-breaker games for students to get to know each other,” Kelsey Fort, a graduate student that came from Texas A&M University-Kingsville, said. “Last year I did see connections made between the new students and the faculty.”

Hamburgers and hot dogs will be served at the Round-Up, which will feature Dr. Don Toppliff as the dinner speaker. All the faculty involved in the Agriculture department will also have a role in the Ag Round-Up.

“The faculty go above and beyond to start

relationships with the students,” Fort said. “It’s something I wish I had when I attended [Texas A&M University] Kingsville.”

Department faculty also feel that the Round-Up is an important part of the their program’s success.

“It sets the tone for the incoming freshmen to get familiar with faculty and the organization,” Tanner Robertson, an adviser for Agricultural Media and Communications, said. “Our goal is to set a foundation for those who have declared a major to be introduced to classes they need and professors. This creates a relationship with students and faculty which is the goal of the University.”

“[The Round-Up] has improved the retention of the students for studying in school,” Gary Culp, an alumnus officer of the Agricultural Development Association Board, said. “It helps the students become more involved. Ag Science is a great department and [the faculty] are real concerned about students getting good opportunities.”

RYAN SCHAAP StAff WRiteR

Agricultural faculty welcome freshmen to WTRound-Up helps improve student-faculty relationships

“The faculty go above and beyond to start

relationships with stu-dents,” Kelsey Fort said.

Campus Life6 September 06, 2011www.theprairienews.comPrairie

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As the semester starts and students begin their regular activities, a new organi-zation on campus is offering students an-other opportunity to get involved in campus life. The Vietnamese Student Association, founded in June 2011, helps Vietnamese students adapt to American culture without forgetting their heritage.

Trung Nguyen, president of the VSA, said the organization will help Vietnamese students make a connection with each other. They will also help newcomers to WT.

“When students first come here, they don´t know about the U.S. We can help them get here, find a place to shelter, everything they might need to know,” he said.

VSA´s adviser, Associate Dean and Pro-fessor of Management Mills LaVelle said the organization is a good opportunity for Viet-namese students to work together

“The organization will help build camaraderie among them,” she said.

Duy Phan, in charge of the VSA´s communication, said another purpose of the organization is to bring the Vietnamese culture to WT students.

“We are not only international students, we are also WT members,” he said.

Members of the VSA will also network with students in Vietnam so they will know about WT.

“All students from Vietnam come through agents,” Nguyen said. “If we have a good feedback, they will come here. Agents will recommend us to people that want to come here.”

To start the school year, the VSA is hosting the first annual Moon Festival with the purpose of sharing the Vietnamese culture with the WT community,

“It is one of the big festivals in the Vietnamese cul-ture,” Phan said, “It is a festival for children and it is a good time for members in the family to gather together and have fun.”

The event will feature folk dance, musical per-formance and traditional moon cake and tea. It will take place Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Baptist Student Ministry.

Vietnamese Student Association adds culture to WTMARIA MOLINAEdItOR

COuRtEsy Of tRuNg NguyENThe VIetnamese Student Association has around 25 members to help the organization be successful.

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Places to locate your Prairie

WT students enjoy first week of school activities

* Prairie Locations

Courtesy of wtamu.edu Pictures courtesy of eternal flame and frankie sanchez