PrairieTuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 Volume 94, Issue VIII

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The sTudenT newspaper of wesT Texas a&M universiTywww.theprairienews.com Follow us onlinePartly Cloudy

83°F | 43°F

InsIdesporTs:Tennis Club has fun while competing.

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news:Canyon Economic Development helps revitalize downtown.

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enTerTainMenT:The first winner of the $10 iTunes gift card is Mark Herrera.

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CaMpus Life:WT student journal is recognized by the Library of Congress.

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feaTure:Ghost haunts Stafford Hall at WT.

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theprairiewt the_prairie

Jordan frysTaff wriTer

Dance Department is granted two-year extension

WTAMU attracts athletes from around the world

Dance continued on p. 3

KrysTina MarTinezassisTanT ediTor

MeLissa Bauer-herzogsTaff wriTer

Students, faculty sound off on Occupy Wall Street

Athletes from around the world continued on p. 4

Occupy Wall Street continued on p. 3

The WTAMU dance program has been granted a two-year temporary exemption of termination by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

According to Dr. James Hallmark, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the exemption was granted before the University was to appear before the Coordinating Board to defend itself.

“We were operating under the

assumption that the president, Dr. O’Brien, or [I] would have to appear before the Coordinating Board and argue our case,” Hallmark said. “I received the memo giving us the instructions to appear Oct. 12, but the attachment revealed that dance had been granted a two-year temporary exemption.”

Dr. Robert Hansen, department head of Art, Theatre, and Dance, feels that the University was able to successfully convince the THECB that the dance program’s low producing status was a “temporary glitch” and when the

Coordinating Board reviews the program again in two years, the program will be “off the radar.”

One of the major defenses that helped the dance program’s argument was its recent successful recruitment, its strong upward trajectory and the high retention rates in the program.

“Because of the success in new recruits, we were able to project that we will be in compliance with the minimum number of graduates,” Hansen said.

Despite the projected number of graduates, successful recruitment

must continue in order to meet the requirements of the Coordinating Board in the next two years.

“During this time, the program needs to continue its successful recruiting program,” said Dr. Jessica Mallard, interim dean of the College of Fine Arts and Humanities. “As long as the program continues to recruit, retain and graduate majors, things should work out.”

Perhaps the strongest defense of the dance program is its ties to the community.

Amidst growing unrest over the state of the economy, Americans took to the streets to protest in a movement known as “Occupy Wall Street.”

The first demonstration was on Sept. 17 at Zucotti Park in the Financial Dis-trict of Manhattan. Since then, protests have sprung up across the nation and in other parts of the world, such as London and Spain.

“There is a growing social angst over the income disparity,” Dr. Nicholas Ger-lich, department head of Management, Marketing, and Business at WTAMU, said.

According to CNN Money, the lat-est census report reveals that about 15 percent of the U.S. population lives in poverty. The average income of middle-class Americans dropped 7 percent to $49,445 in 2010. In 1990, that number was slightly above $48,000

Occupy Wall Street protesters are

mainly rallying against the top one percent of American taxpayers behind the battle cry of “We Are the 99%”. This group makes about $344,000 or more in gross adjusted income, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

“It’s stuff that needs to be addressed,” Emily Irvin, a sophomore Music Educa-tion major, said. “However, [protestors] aren’t going about it the right way.”

According to the Occupy Wall Street website, the movement is “a leader-less resistance movement” which is “against corporate greed, excessive corporate spending, and low wages.”

“What is all of that?” Dr. Gerlich asked. “My big complaint is that they aren’t be-ing specific. They are complaining about things they can’t control.”

The movement has been criticized by some for not having a clear agenda.

While the United States has struggled with its image in recent years, its reputation when it comes to college sports both for the athletes and the fans is still intact. And this reputa-tion can be credited for attracting col-lege athletes from all over the world.

“The fans are way more fanatical than [Thailand] but I love it. It’s so fun to be out there and play a sport or even be in the crowd. It’s just fun, I love it,” golfer Hammerli Sriyai said.

America places a lot of significance on college athletics, offering college scholarships that aren’t available to athletes in other countries. This, among other reasons, attracts international athletes to colleges all over the US.

WTAMU doesn’t escape the notice of these athletes when they make their college choices.

In 2011, 14 international players have competed in eight different WT sports. The men’s and women’s soccer teams account for over half of these players followed by the cross country teams with five players. Other sports, such as baseball, have one or two inter-national players each.

Photo by Melissa Bauer-HerzogDaniel Angloher plays against Midwestern State.

Feature2 October 25, 2011www.theprairienews.comPrairie

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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 SchaapReporter- Matt WatkinsReporter- Lisa HellierReporter- Jordan Fry

Prairiethe

Staff 2011-2012

Reporter- Daniela FierroReporter- Monica GambertReporter - Brittany CastilloPublic Relations- Aurora OrtizPhotographer- Alex Montoya

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

Ghost haunts Stafford HallLisa HeLLierstaff Writer

On Oct. 31, the CORE office will host the Fall Carnival and Con-cert in the All Purpose Room at the Virgil Hensen Activities Center.

There will be toys, prizes, and candy to give out to the kids of the community.

“The carnival is hosted by the CORE office, but it is the organiza-tions around campus that actually come out and put up the activities for the kids,” CORE Student Consul-tant Brianna Moore said. “There will be hair painting, fishing games, etc.”

The carnival is completely free and is open for the community chil-dren of the ages of 12 and under.

“It’s for any of the surrounding communities,” Moore said. “But

anyone is welcome to come. Many of the students that are helping out are going to dress up too.”

If any of the students were to come to the carnival, they are al-lowed to dress up, said Moore.

“There will also be a concert that will start at 8 and will end at 10, featuring country singer Natalie Stovall,” Moore said.

Junior CORE consultant Keagan Folkerts, said this will be her first year helping out and being in the Fall Carnival.

“It’s a good way to help out and get our campus noticed,” Folkerts said. “It lets people know that we care about the community.”

The Fall Carnival will be from 6-8 p.m for the community. The Fall Concert is open to WT students and will begin at 8 p.m.

On Oct.18, Alpha Sigma Alpha teamed up with the R-Word’s “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign to help stop the used of the R-word.

“I feel that the ladies of Alpha Sigma Alpha all understand the importance of Spread the Word to End the Word,” Ashley Anne Paredes, freshman Music

Business major and ASA president, said. “It is something simple that everyone can do.”

The R-word alluded to is “retarded’” The word has become a part of everyday speech, whether it is used as an insult or even in a joking manner.

“The R-word is as much of a deroga-tory term as any other. I am hoping the campaign made an impact,“ Morgan Grazier, General Business major and ASA member, said.

As a part of the campaign, Alpha Sigma Alpha took pledges from stu-dents who promised to eliminate the R-word from their everyday speech. They pledged on the R-Word campaign’s website and signed a poster.

“I think it’s encouraging to see WT get involved in extensively-reaching campaigns like this,” Dani Morton, a senior Broadcasting major, said. “ A lot of people don’t know the weight that words can carry, and I think making every-

one aware is a crucial step in enforcing equality across the board.”

Junior Sports and Exercise Science major Emily LeGrande worked with a student who had Downs Syndrome back in high school.

“Every time someone would say the R-word I would feel very uneasy,” said LeGrande. “I hope everyone who took the pledge takes it seriously and takes to heart the message of stopping the R-word.

Stories have spread on the WT campus about the haunting of Stafford Hall. Though details vary from person to person, the all female dorm has been rumored to be haunted by ghosts that like to disturb and scare the students.

“I haven’t seen a ghost, but you do get the sensation that one is around when no one else is around and something randomly goes wrong or a door shuts, and you know that no one is here,” Jennifer Pickens, senior Equine Business major, said.

According to Pickens, in one story a couple got into a fight at the end of units F and D, and the girlfriend was accidentally pushed down a spiral staircase. The floor is not quite level, and sometimes students get the sensation that they are falling when they walk in that area. It also occasionally smells like freshly popped popcorn because it is a snack the couple had been making on that night.

“My old roommate is scared to go up to H unit,” Pickens said. “She thinks it’s the most haunted unit in Stafford for the rumor that someone hung themselves up there.”

In some versions the student is a boy and in another it is a girl. The believed result is that the person now wanders around haunt-ing the dorm.

“I don’t believe in ghosts or anything but I’ve heard stories,” Amanda Smith, junior Mu-sic Education major, said.

In a ghost story told to her, a serial killer was in the basement and attacked and killed a girl going to do her laundry.

“I’ve never felt anything,” Trazi Cooper, junior Math Education major, said.

Cooper has experienced the sensation of ghosts in her own home but never felt a pres-ence when she roomed at Stafford Hall. Coo-per has heard the popcorn story as well as a story about a ghost named Charlie. Charlie is considered an active ghost who likes to move things around and open and close doors.

Also, Pickens mentioned that there are many cases of the fire alarm going off for no reason and with no plausible explanation.

Smith was told that an exorcism was ex-ecuted in Stafford Hall in the past. She can see the crosses and holy oil still placed through-out the building.

“I do think it is very entertaining to say that Stafford is haunted whether it is or isn’t,” Pickens said.

Carnival and concert DanieLa fierrostaff Writer

WT’s ASA teams up with the R-Word campaignMonica GaMbertstaff Writer

News3 October 25, 2011www.theprairienews.comPrairie

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Maria MolinaEditor

Dance continued from p. 1

CEDC helps downtown Canyon businesses grow

“The impact of dance in cultural life in the panhandle was very convincing to the committee,” Hansen said. “The TEXAS Musical Drama and Lone Star Ballet would be severely impacted if the dance program didn’t exist.”

Hansen feels that the dance pro-gram’s connection to TEXAS had the strongest impact to the Coordinating Board because the musical is recognized statewide as a significant part of Texas culture.

“The fine and performing arts are central to our history, to our region, and are essential to the cultural health of our community and University,” Hallmark said.

He said he supports the Board’s ef-forts to eliminate some programs, but there are some programs that should be kept regardless of producing the mini-mum number of graduates. He believes dance is one of those programs.

Hallmark feels that the strong efforts of the dance program “[warranted] giving them a chance to turn things around” and the Coordinating Board made the right decision.

“It is great to see that such a valuable and important program to the region will be given the chance to flourish,” Mallard said.

Occupy Wall Street continued from p. 1“Half of those people out there [protesting] don’t have a clue what they’re talking about,” Lisa Ennenga, a senior Psychology and Social Work major, said. “They have a right to protest, but know what you’re talking about.”The lack of a clear agenda has resulted in a mix of supporters and critics of the movement, and in some cases, a lack of awareness about the movement as well. Out of a random sampling of 26 WT students, only 7 were aware of Occupy Wall Street.“I know about it because of Tumblr,” said Irvin. “There were videos posted of police tasing and pepper spraying people.”“I think it’s dumb,” Colten Cowart, a

freshman Music Education major, said. “Some things are good and some things are bad [about Occupy Wall Street], but nothing will change. It’s a waste of time.”Although it remains to be seen as to how long the protests will last, people like Dr. Gerlich are watching with a cautious eye.“It’s similar to the 1960’s unrest: civil rights, civil disobedience and rioting. It was scary. I grew up around it in Chicago. This is history repeating itself and I hope it doesn’t get out of control,” Dr. Gerlich said. “I respect their right to protest peacefully, but I respectfully protest the peace of mind they’re giving me.”

The Square in downtown Canyon is experiencing a growth and develop-ment period. Mardee Mattlack, owner of Reuzed, a local store, said she has seen The Square gain activity since they moved on July 2010.

“In the evenings usually the square dies off at about 5 o’ clock and we were the only ones opened much later than that,” she said. “Now with the coffee shop, it is very active during the eve-ning.”

The Canyon Economic Development Corporation, or CEDC, has been helpful in revitalizing the city. In 2002, Canyon was designated a Main Street City. Ev-elyn Ecker, the city’s Director of Business and Community Development, said the Main Street Program is an initiative of the National Trust.

“We are a designated city,” she said. “We are only about 75 of those in the state of Texas.”

When the program started, a resource team came to evaluate the city.

“They did it in 2002 when we went into the Main Street Program,” she said. “They came back through a grant funded by a Preserve America initiative which is a Laura Bush Initiative and a team came in and they reevaluated our community.”

Ecker said Canyon is one of the 12 cit-ies in the state of Texas that received the grant. She also said the CEDC is working to help local businesses through the use of the suggestions made by the team.

“[The resource team] was a very good experience,” she said. “We are doing ev-erything that we can to revitalize Canyon and enhance the economy here.”

Ecker said the catalyst for the revital-ization of the city was the courthouse.

“Once the green space was improved, once the exterior of the court house was finished that’s given a gathering place,” she said.

Businesses around downtown said Canyon Economic Development has been helpful and supportive of the local stores. One of these stores is The Palace Coffee Company, a new business that opened this summer. Owner Krystal Burns said the CEDC was key to opening the shop.

“We wouldn’t have been able to come up with the money that we needed to renovate the building if it wasn´t for the building owners and Canyon Economic Development,” Burns said.

The Palace Coffee Company has played a big role in the revitalization of downtown Canyon. Jayden Beatty, a junior at Canyon High School, comes to The Palace with her friends to work on homework. She said the culture in Can-yon has changed.

“It is not the typical traditional small town any more,” Beatty said. “It is really growing into more of a culturalized city type.”

Ecker also said that the city has not been hit by the current national econom-ical decrease.

“We haven’t gone up in our sales tax receipts, but we have stayed flat,” she said. “Our property values haven´t gone

down.” Ecker said future plans for the city

include looking at what aspect of busi-nesses need to be increased.

“Retail is about the only thing we can invest in because it has to have a sales

tax component so food, restaurants and retail do,” she said. “We are growing, but we are growing slowly we want to grow slowly, because slow growth is a better growth than fast growth.”

SportS4 October 25, 2011www.theprairienews.comPrairie

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Lady Buffs avenge only conference loss to Tarleton Matthew watkinsstaff writer

Buffs beat Greyhounds for a Wagon Wheel victoryMatthew watkinsstaff writer

The No. 14 WTAMU Lady Buff volleyball team hosted the Tarleton State TexAnns, who end-ed the Lady Buffs record 87 game conference winning streak back on Sept. 17, in The Box on Oct. 22. WT avenged their only conference loss with a 25-18, 29-27 and 25-16 sweep of TSU.

The first set began with the Lady Buffs jumping out to a 12-5 lead early. The TexAnns battled

back to get the score to within three at 19-16 heading into a WT timeout. The Lady Buffs proceed-ed to go on a 6-2 run to take the first game.

The second game was a thriller that went right down to the wire. Trailing 21-17, TSU went on a 7-2 run to take a 23-24 lead. After each team traded three points, WT scored three straight to win the set 29-27.

With the TexAnns up 4-5 in game three, the Lady Buffs went on a 13-1 run to take a 17-6 lead. TSU answered with a 7-2 run to

bring the score to 19-13. However, WT would outscore the TexAnns 6-3 to take the match.

“I like how we responded in set three overall,” Head Coach Jason Skoch said.

Sophomore Ashley Davis got 14 kills for the Lady Buffs, and junior Sarah Martin had 12. Junior Lauren Beville picked up 14 digs, while junior Lacy Hayes dished out 43 assists. WT hit .239 on the afternoon with 36 digs and 45 assists.

“We played a great game all around as a team,” said Davis. Photo by Melissa Bauer-Herzog

Lauren Beville serves to Tarleton.Photo by Melissa Bauer-HerzogStormi Lancaster sends the ball back over the net.

The No. 24 WTAMU Buffalo foot-ball team hosted the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds on Oct. 22 in the twenty-fifth installment of the Wagon Wheel rivalry. WT grabbed its sixth-straight Wagon Wheel win, defeating ENMU 52-21.

The Buffs struck early when sopho-more Dustin Vaughn hit fellow sopho-more Lance Ratliff for a 26 yard score to take a 7-0 lead just three minutes in. WT went up 14-0 on a two-yard run by

senior Tommy Hampton with 6:36 left in the first quarter.

The Buffs started hitting big plays in the second, as senior Brittan Golden caught a Vaughn pass and took it 94 yards to pay dirt; giving WT a 21-0 lead with 9:09 remaining in the second quar-ter. Vaughn’s third touchdown of the first half came when he found sophomore Jer-emy Watson for a 68 yard score, which gave the Buffs a 28-0 lead heading into the half. This was the second straight home game where WT held its opponent scoreless at halftime.

“We actually wanted them to throw at us, but they ran it more than we expect-ed,” sophomore defensive back Curtis

Slater said.The Greyhounds got their first points

on their first possession in the second half. Wesley Wood hit Darren Dale for a 13 yard score to make the score 28-7 WT with 12:53 left in the third. The Buffs answered immediately as Vaughn con-nected with Ratliff for a 71-yard touch-down, putting WT up 35-7 with 11:36 to go in the third. The Buffs went up to 42-7 when junior Tanner Marsh hit sopho-more Nathan Slaughter for a six yard score at 2:27 in the third.

Junior Khiry Robinson ran for a 15 yard score that gave WT a 49-7 lead with 12:40 to go in the game. ENMU got two late touchdowns from Wood to Seth Bai-

ley, but the Buffs’ lead was just too big.Vaughn had an outstanding night

going 14 of 20 for 402 yards and four touchdowns. Junior Aarrhon Flores got his first career start and carried the ball 12 times for 134 yards. Robinson had nine rushes for 97 yards and one score. Ratliff led the receivers with five catches for 173 yards and two touchdowns, and Golden had three receptions for 108 yards and a score.

“[Starting] was amazing, it brought me back to my first action as a fresh-man,” said Flores.

WT’s next game will be against Cen-tral Washington at Kimbrough on Oct. 29. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

Athletes from around the world continued from p. 1However, the rosters of all

eight sports read more like a world map than a United States map. Athletes from Thailand to Kenya and everywhere in between can be seen on WT fields nearly every weekend. And while some athletes may make their way here because of the scholarships offered, others have other personal reasons for coming.

“I came here to fulfill a dream. In Canada there’s not as much drive for sports,” soccer player Melanie Shannon said. “I chose [WT] because the coaching staff is great and although they are your coaches, they are also your family and look up for you.”

In some countries, it isn’t just

an individual choice but every player’s dream to go to school and play in America from the time they are young.

“Every junior golfer’s dream in Thailand is to come to college in America. I like the way American schools work,” Hammerli Sriyai said. “I got to meet my coach and she was really nice and I got to see the campus so WT worked for me. It’s perfect, so that’s why I’m here.”

While America doesn’t focus on a select few sports the way other countries do, the more all-in-nature of American players is also a change to players from other countries. To some players it is a welcome change that pushes them even

harder.“The moral of the team is

better here. Everyone wants to win and gives 100 percent. That’s kind of different than back home; sometimes people are like ‘yeah, I don’t really want to play today’. [The attitude’s] really good here,” German soccer player Daniel Angloher said.

To Becky McMullen, the change of both the game’s pace and the fitness of players here compared to England was something she had to learn to adapt to. However, playing on an American team has been a valuable experience for her on the field.

“It is very different how we play in England, but you adapt. The game out here is a lot faster

and they are a lot fitter so I’ve had to adapt to that,” McMullen said.

With WT’s new sports park, it will be no surprise if more international athletes make their way on to Buffalo Sports

Park fields in coming years. There’s no doubt the experience will not only be a valuable one for those who come here from other countries, but for American students at WT as well.

Campus Life5 October 25, 2011www.theprairienews.comPrairie

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Library of Congress recognizes student journal

Original essays and papers from WTAMU students are gaining the attention of the largest library in the world.

“The Politics, Bureaucracy, and Justice Journal” has not only become a distinguished academic journal of WT, but has also been formally recognized by the Library of Congress.

“We applied and we made our case stating that we were an academic journal that was going to be student-managed,” Dr. Dwight Vick, assistant professor of Public Administration and faculty supervisor of the journal, said. “That made it a rare situation that was attractive to (the Library of Congress).”

PBJ is a student managed journal from WT that contains essays and research papers from graduate and

undergraduate students all over the country. Though faculty members are allowed to submit their own original works, student papers are the main focus of the journal.

“There are not too many student-run academic journals in the United States and we have one of the few,” Vick said

The journal’s nationally recognized status has not only helped distinguish WT from other universities, but can also make job and graduate resumes for students who are published in the journal more colorful and professional.

“It looks really good if you’re coming fresh out of undergraduate and can say ‘Hey, I’m a published author,’” Jesse Jones, graduate student of Political Science and former editor of the journal, said. “It’s even better if you can work with the journal and get that experience.”

Based off of their criteria, student

editors are in charge of reading and editing articles of every student and faculty member who submit a paper. Though the work of student editors can be rewarding, it can also have its moments of stress and uneasiness, especially when the students are asked to edit the works of professors.

“Let’s say there’s a faculty member who wanted to submit an article and you had problems with it,” Jones said. “It’s a little bit intimidating to go up to that tenure professor and say ‘this is the problem we have with your paper. Fix it, otherwise we won’t publish it.’”

It might be intimidating, but editing and being published for the PBJ Journal is part of the adult world of professionalism and responsibility, according to Anand B. Commissiong, assistant professor of political Science.

“It is a grown up thing,” Commissiong said. “It’s a grown up exercise that

they’re engaging in.”Part of the journal’s purpose is not

simply to be recognized by government entities or graduate schools. It was also developed to help students grow professionally.

“The fact that they are doing the work is what’s important,” Commissiong said. “It’s part of getting the students to be professional in that area.”

Even if students feel their writing skills are not up to par to be published in the PBJ journal, student helpers who work with the journal are available to help develop the writing and grammar skills of other students for potential publication.

“We developed an entire system where a student, who may have writing deficiencies, can come and eventually be published by the time they graduate from here,” Vick said.

Ashley hendrickstAff Writer

PBJ helps students develop and grow professionally

British and Buff Debaters Team Up for Annual Debate

On Oct. 18, students filled the Classroom Center to hear two inter-country teams of debaters duke it out over the issue of political party spending during elections.

WTAMU first hosted the UK debaters in 2006 after successfully winning the bid to host the team. It is one of the four schools in Texas that hosts the team as part of their national tour.

Each debate team consists of one UK debater and one person from the WT Forensics team. The debates are done in parliamentary style. In this kind of debate, audience members are encouraged to participate: they can move back and forth, depending on which side they agree with, and shout in agreement or disagreement with the debaters.

The British debaters were Richard Robinson, a recent graduate from Manchester University with a first-class degree in Law, and Ben Jasper, a graduate from Wadham College. He has a first-class degree in Modern History and an

M.Phil in Politics. He just completed the graduate diploma in Law

“If you’ve come to hear analytical debates with a crisp British accent, you’ll be disappointed,” Robinson said, joking with the audience.

Jasper also joked with the audience.“You should feel sympathy for us,

we’re from this rainy little island,” he said. “We’re famous for Harry Potter, Disney Villians, tea.”

After the two debaters spoke, it was time for the local debaters to join in.

“I don’t plan to match the eloquence of the British, but I hope you’ll put up with me,” Bethany Beck, graduate Communications student, said.

After the debate, the students marked their debate slips, voting in Bethany and Richard as the winners.

“It was all Richard, he was great,” Beck said.

Check online for the detailed version of the debate

GeorGiA romiGWeb editor

Campus Life6 October 25, 2011www.theprairienews.comPrairie

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AEI research projects will help state energy costsRyan SchaapStaff WRiteR

In 1977, WTAMU (then known as West Texas State University) formed an Alterna-tive Energy Institute (AEI) to look for new alternative energy resources. The program in-volves research, development and design of renewable energy systems by collecting data and analysis of wind characteristics while evaluating wind turbans to yield the results.

Associate Director Ken Starcher, who has been doing research at WT since 1976, and his team of interns are work-ing on four projects. The first project is resource assessment. This research focuses on finding the best spots for wind turbines where the wind blows the most and where the sun shines the

brightest. With cooperation from the Austin-based General Land office and the State Energy Conservation office, the AEI is funded to put data sites on state-owned land at many loca-tions throughout Texas.

“The wind and solar data is used to estimate the amount of resource that can be used,” Starcher said. “This helps state legislatures know what the resources are for the potentials for their region and can help them make better decisions for the state as a whole.”

The second project that is being researched is small wind testing. These are windmills that are suited for the home size as well as businesses such as farm and ranches to help reduce cost on energy bills.

“We help Ken build the wind turbines and also with the solar panels to provide this build-

ing [AEI building] with power,” David Girou, an Engineering student from France, said.

The small wind turbines are federally supported by the regional test center for the National Renewable Energy lab. The turbines will also have a certification sticker.

The third project is educa-tion, particularly teaching courses at the college level. For 25 years, students from all over the world have come to WT’s AEI for around three to six months to study the process of engineering for alternative wind and solar energy.

“Books are great, but learn-ing how to do it from the ground up teaches them the best way,” Starcher said.

The fourth project consists of two demonstrations that are being researched for the state energy office. The first is a solar

panel that is going to be put up on campus north of the Palo Duro research facility, which will help supply energy for the building.

The second demonstration is a wind turbine that is out at Nance Ranch which will help reduce the energy usage. This fourth project will run for 20 years and at the end of it, it will

show how much energy was generated and used by these alternative methods.

“I’m currently working on analyzing the wind turbines,” Hou Zou, a graduate student of Engineering Technology from China, said. “The thing that at-tracted me to here is the renew-able energy research.”

EntErtainmEnt7 October 25, 2011www.theprairienews.comPrairie

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Last week’s

answers

Can you

finish first?

We are giving away two $10 iTunes gift cards.Finish the three puzzles and turn it in at FAC room 103.

Last Week’s WinnerMark Herrera won a $10 iTunes gift card

8 October 25, 2011www.theprairienews.comPrairie

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Some internships for WT Tech and Science MajorsJes Roskensstaff WRiteR

Legacy will host Halloween writing contest at WTAMU

MaRia MolinaeditoR

La segunda celebración anual por el Día de los Muertos en WTAMU se llevará acabo del 2 al 4 de Noviembre. El Departamento de Educación y Ciencias Sociales junto al Departamento de Consejeros Educativos son los anfitriones del evento.

Yvette Castillo, profesora en el Departamento de Educación dijo que en Oaxaca Mexico la celebración dura una semana.

“La gente va a los cementerios y honran la vida de aquellos que fallecieron, trabajan juntos como familia para limpiar el cementerio y traen ofrendas con objetos que eran especiales para aquellos seres que murieron,” dijo Castillo.

La primera celebración anual por el Día de los Muertos fue el año pasado. Castillo dijo que el departamento nunca imaginó que iban a tener tantos participantes.

“No teníamos idea ni anticipamos que tantas personas se iban a involucrar. El año pasado tuvimos 30 altares. “

Carlos Cueva, instructor en WT ganó el premio al altar más creativo el año pasado y lo hará de nuevo este año.

“[El evento] no se trata de celebrar a los que fallecieron, sino es acerca de celebrar la vida,” dijo Cueva.

Castillo dijo que el objetivo de esta celebración es involucrar a la comunidad con WT.

“Porque WT esta intentando establecerse con una institución al servicio de los Hispanos, el traer eventos culturales que ayuden a mostrar apreciación por la cultura, yo creo, que será de ayuda,” dijo Castillo. “Yo creo que como resultado de este evento hemos creado conciencia de WT y de el aprecio que tiene WT hacia la diversidad.”

Ella también dijo que es importante realizar este evento en WT para enseñar la cultura y el proceso de sufrimiento en ella.

“[El evento demuestra] que tener altares para la gente que ha fallecido es una manera sana de sufrir en ciertas culturas.”

El evento iniciará el 2 de Noviembre cuando los estudiantes tengan sus altares completos. Hay varias categorías en las cuales los altares serán juzgados para ganar trofeos. Entre ellas incluyen el altar más creativo y el más tradicional.

“Este año agregamos dos trofeos mas, el mas moderno y el mas espiritual,” dijo

On Oct. 31, The Legacy will be hosting a launch party to announce win-ners of a WT Halloween writing com-petition. The contest recognizes skilled writers with eerie stories embracing the spooky season. Students, faculty, and staff members are welcomed to submit their best tales to “The Legacy Halloween Edition: Weird Stories and Dark Tales” for a chance to win.

Winners will receive $50 for first place, $25 for second, and $10 for third. There are also several opportunities for honorable mention and the possibility to be featured in the online edition coming soon.

“Anyone at WT can enter [the writing

contest],” Legacy Editor Sara Saucedo, said. “Entries must be 666 words and are judged according to content, creativity, and overall excitement of the story.”

The challenge calls for authors with an artistic streak. However, writing mechan-ics will also be taken into consideration.

“We are looking for the most creative story, but also the one that is well writ-ten,” Legacy Editor Laci McGee, said. “To win, you cannot just slap 666 words on paper, you have to write well.”

The launch party awarding winners will kick off at noon in the foyer on the third floor of the Classroom Center.

“We’ll have readings of the stories from past editions and there will be food and drinks,” informed Managing Editor Joshuah O’Brien. “Since it will be Hallow-een, costumes are encouraged, and cer-tainly everyone is welcomed to attend.”

The deadline for submission is Oct. 28.

The Texas Panhandle is not a place known for being a huge technol-ogy hub, but that does not mean that there are not job and internship op-portunities open to WTAMU technology students.

“It (technology) is a good area to be in,” Coordinator of Experiential Educa-tion Program Steve Sellars said.

Local companies such as Bell Heli-copter, Conoco Philips, McCoy Myers and B&W Pantex offer internships in computer science, computer informa-tion and engineering. The Buffs Jobs site (ses.wtamu.edu/ses/jobs/search) offers a comprehensive list for students.

“Even in a tight market, businesses have trouble finding competent technol-ogy workers,” Sellars said.

Student Works Program Administra-tor Connie Olsen of B&W Pantex said the company likes to get as many I.T., science and mechanical engineering students as its budget allows.

“They can perform short-term, tem-porary assignments under the guidance of an experienced technical expert, and we can evaluate their work per-formance to determine if we would be interested in hiring them full-time after they graduate,” Olsen said.

Sellars said Pantex’s strategy shows why most businesses give internships;

to find new full-time employees. WT alumnus Joe Nash, McCoy Myers’

liason to WT, said the company hopes to show students that if they are hard workers, they do not have to go far for a good job.

“We give internships hoping that students who work for us will still be working for us 10 years after they graduate,” Nash said.

If a student wants an internship at a business or company that is not listed, though, Sellars said not to worry.

“There are posted internships and then there is a sort of hidden internship market,” he said.

A company or business may not have their internships posted for a few rea-sons, Sellars said. The business may be small; the internships may not be open to all parties online, or other reasons may exist. Even if a business does not have any internship open, this does not mean the business would be against starting one for the right student, Sell-ars said.

“Call, write, call,” Sellars said. “Nine times out ten, they will probably tell you ‘Oh send it [a resume] to such and such.’”

Should a student find the idea of contacting the company on their own intimidating, Sellar said he and others in Career Services can help.

“If I can’t help you, there is still a good chance that all of us pooling to-gether can,” Sellars said.

BRittany Castillostaff WRiteR

“Día de los Muertos” celebra la vida de los que fallecieron

Castillo. “ En las distintas ofrendas, la gente pone todo su empeño.”

Los ganadores serán anunciado el 2 de Noviembre durante la celebración del Día de los Muertos que se llevara acabo de 6 p.m. a 8 p.m. en el piso cuatro del Old Main. También serán anunciados en el boletín informativo de los Consejeros Educativos. El evento incluirá baile folclórico organizado por la Asociación de Estudiantes Hispánicos. Lluvia Vidaña es una estudiante de primer año que estudia Danza. Ella es una de los tres bailarines.

“Va a ser bonito mostrar un poco de nuestro hogar al Oeste de Texas,” dijo Vidaña.

Los altares estarán en exposición hasta el 4 de Noviembre. Para registrar

un altar, contacte al Departamento de Educación y Ciencias Sociales hasta el 31 de Octubre.

Photo by Alex MontoyaEl Departamento de Educación y Ciencias Sociales ya empezó a decorar para el Día de los Muertos.

Check on line to read this article in english

Campus Life9 October 25, 2011www.theprairienews.comPrairie

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WTAMU classes use iPads

West Texas A&M University is keeping up with the times by offering iPads to the students in certain classrooms for their use in enhancing learning and creativity.

Currently four classrooms are using iPads, but that number is expected to go up.

“I foresee more classrooms beginning to use them [iPads] in the future,” Multimedia Specialist Tricia Phillips said.

As the demand for iPads at WT goes up, the university will need to provide more, which will cost money.

“Our [Technology] department has a budget that is renewed every September. When we receive our budget we are then able to purchase more of the things we need, but may not always have the funding for everything,” James Webb, chief information officer, said.

In order for a class to be able to use the iPads, the professor of the class must apply for use through WT’s Information Technology center.

“I think iPads can be very beneficial for higher learning,” Tricia Phillips said.

iPads are versatile and can be used for many things like storing digital textbooks and creating Word Documents, but they can be especially helpful for creative use in the classroom.

“iPads are great for photo editing and design work. Also it’s easier to pull out [an iPad] than a laptop during class,” Derek Meister, a Geek Squad agent and Apple salesman, said.

iPads are expected to be used in more classrooms in the future.

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The National Broadcasting Society is a student organization whose purpose is to connect electronic media students with other students interested in the same profession, as well as connect students to electronic media professionals.

Students within the organization have opportunities to attend a regional conference and competition, and this year it will take place in Austin. Students are allowed to see professional studios where Hollywood movies are filmed. They also can meet professionals who know the industry.

“It’s a great opportunity to get your foot in the door and really get the feel for what it is you want to do as your career,” Luisa Mireles, NBS president, said.

The competition aspect of the

conference gives students a chance to submit their best-completed work in their corresponding category. The conference and competition take place on November 11-12.

The winners of the regional competition can also send their project to compete at a national level. Thereafter the productions are judged. This part of the competition will take place on March 20-25, 2012, in New York.

The National Broadcasting Society has many national titles under its belt. It is a student-driven organization that promotes philanthropy.

“We are always out there helping people that need any audio or video work done just by community service,” Sheryl Proctor, vice president of NBS, said.

“Broadcasting is the business of networking,” Ryan Hazelwood, NBS adviser and a broadcast engineer in the Department of Communication, said. “The hands on training that students get from broadcasting is invaluable.”

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NBS builds networking

On Thursday, Oct. 13, honor students had their colloquia. At the colloquia there was pizza for dinner and students had the chance to speak with a faculty member from WT.

“The colloquium is an opportunity for honor students to gather or to network,” Kathey Walker, administrative director at the office of Attebury Honors Program, said. “Thursday at 5:30 in the evening, Dr. Duane J. Rosa [had] pizza with the honor students and [talked] about his background. He is faculty from economics.”

Colloquiums are events provided throughout the semester for honor students to have conversations with faculty from WT. This opportunity is to enrich their undergraduate

and honors experience through luncheons, dinners, workshops, guest lectures and special events.

“I am looking forward most to having the students know my background, who I really am and how my varied background over the years has affected my purpose in life,” Rosa said. “I feel that when we talk about life’s purpose, we can talk about a many things such as career, family, friends, happiness, but also a passion for life.”

Rosa teaches both economics 2301 and 2302 honors. Rosa was a U.S. Navy officer in Vietnam, a bank loan officer and branch manager, and a casino dealer, pit boss and casino manager for almost ten years.

“It was nice to meet Dr. Rosa outside of class. I learned to keep an open mind and to learn from my experiences,” Luke Mora, an honor student, said. “It was a circle chat where we learned about Dr. Rosa’s background and the different experiences he went through in life.”

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Honors students colloquia

Computer Science Program

Having a 100 percent placement of students in jobs after graduation is difficult. But for WTAMU’s Computer Science Program, it is expected.

“This was my dream, my vision. Some hit and miss and some make it,” said Dr. Paul Haiduk, the Computer Science Coordinator at WT.

As a professor, Haiduk was asked to modernize the program, and that’s exactly what he did.

The program sends its graduates out into the field with the abilities that others don’t have. WT partnered up with IBM to include enterprise computing, which incorporates mainframe into its program. Learning these programs puts the students a step ahead of schools like MIT, University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M and other Ivy League schools.

“The program at WT has helped me prepare for a career in Computer Science by enforcing a strong, wide-ranging base in all aspects of computer operation,” Vance Morris, a senior Computer Science major at WT, said.

The program pushes students to very difficult levels of computer programming so that they are ready to enter the workforce even before they graduate. Participating in internships in local markets has become so common that students are already getting

job offers while still enrolled.“I expect to immediately go to work for

the U.S. or a large corporation within my field,” Morris said. He plans on graduating in December 2012.

According to the Engineers Guide USA, the demand for computer programmers is at an increase of 38% and will provide close to 324,000 new jobs in the next decade. With the openings available in those jobs, this generation is expected to take advantage and Haiduk believes that WT students are top of the pick.

C.A. Technologies, which offers its management software and solutions to businesses, has employed seven WT graduates.

“You never know, you just hope [students will be successful],” Haiduk said.

But with his and other professors’ help, WT students are participating and placing in the top five at the IBM Master the Mainframe Competition, where universities, colleges and high schools can compete to win prizes and recognition. It is designed to equip students with basic skills in mainframe and the edge against others in job offerings.

“By doing well in this competition, great opportunities are afforded. Winners get to place their resumes in IBM’s database where they are searchable by any of IBM’s clients,” Morris said.

This competition alone helps WT gain recognition for future students and employers.

“We have become the University to beat,” Haiduk said.

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