Valentine’s dinner p. 2

AMVolume 79

Issue 19 Feb. 22, 2013

AGERP

Stockshow p. 4

Program continues to see high enrollment

Ready, set … Not quite yet. Advising for the 2013

Summer and Fall semesters begins Monday, Feb. 25.

“Best practices indicate that professional academic advising is really important to student success,” Dr. Paul Swets, Dean of Arts and Sci-ences, said. “Most students want that help to make sure they enroll in the right class-es and proceed towards their degree.”

University-wide advising and having professional de-velopment for advisors is be-coming a trend, he said.

“ASU is well in line with what other universities are doing [as far as advising], in fact, we are ahead of some,” Swets said.

Different colleges throughout the university have different missions, he said. For example, some may specialize in balancing intervention with students who are on academic proba-tion, or working with first generation students.

“I would advise any stu-dent to make an appoint-ment at their advising cen-ter if they have questions about their schedule after attending the group advis-ing session,” Swets said. “Understanding your sched-ule could be the difference in extra semesters here and getting your degree on time and not getting it on time.”

Dr. Andrew Wallace, the Dean of Freshman College, is apart of a team that deals with pre-declared freshmen. Advising for these students consists of mostly core class-es to get them started.

“The pre-declared advi-sors have some specialized training, not just with the core classes, but to help students explore majors,”

he said. “We don’t push too many electives on them be-cause some majors require more than others but if you don’t have an idea on what major to pursue taking those extra classes may hold you here over five years.”

The goal is to find a ma-jor for students who come in as indecisive their first year of being in college, Wallace said. Pre-declared students take career surveys with the Career Development Center to try and see what best in-terests them. The electives that are chosen for those students are chosen based on their inventory skills from the surveys, he said.

Sophomore Jerrica Handy said she is excited about ad-vising for the upcoming se-mesters.

“I am excited about advis-ing because it helps me real-ize how much closer I am to receiving my degree,” Handy said. “It is also a plus that my adviser answers all the ques-tions I might have then, and in the future.”

Handy came in as a trans-fer freshman and did not do regular advising her first se-mester.

“I lived out of state and the history department was nice enough to do my advis-ing over the phone,” she said. “If I had to do it on my own, I would struggle as to what direction I should take,” she said. “With professional ad-vising, someone with more experience could help guide and give me a variety of op-tions.”

Classes will continue to grow in size, Swets said. One reason to keep pushing growth is facilities issues.

“As a student I am very concerned about how I can progress and retain the sub-ject matter when the teacher is instructing a larger group of students,” Handy said. “Some information could not be delved into as much as in the past.”

See GROWTHPage 2

Advising begins; classroom size continues to be ‘an experiment’

Mariah Powell Editor

Students prepare to move forward

The Graduate Studies pro-gram saw increased enrollment for the seventh consecutive se-mester as the spring enrollment numbers were calculated.

“A lot of the increased enroll-ment is due to both the previ-ous dean Dr. May and [interim dean] Dr. Smith,” Graduate Admissions Counselor Jennifer McAndrews said. “They have done a lot of recruiting in house with ASU. Between half and two-thirds of our students are ASU undergrads.”

The graduate program had a total enrollment of 841 students last spring, and each year there are at least 50 students who join the graduate program, McAn-drews said.

“Our increases have slowed down,” McAndrews said. “We have been increasing every se-mester but it has slowed down some. I would still say that we should get more students be-cause Dr. Smith has been great about getting into classes and recruiting our undergraduate students. All I have seen are ad-ditional applications for each semester. [I expect] we will have higher [enrollment] than we had last fall and this spring.”

Dr. June Smith, interim dean for the Graduate Studies pro-

gram, has been talking with stu-dents about the different ben-efits graduate school offers.

“[I give] students information about how a graduate degree will enhance their career ad-vancement, mobility and earn-ing power,” Smith said. “I also give students a chance to ask questions about their individual situations. The professors who invite me to their classes have also been talking to their stu-dents. Between the classroom professor and my office, stu-dents can get what they need to know to make a good decision about graduate school.”

According to http://finance.yahoo.com, going to graduate school pays off when looking for a job and ultimately puts more money back in your pocket.

“I try to show [students] that it is possible for them to finance a graduate education with mini-mal or no debt,” Smith said.

ASU prefers in-house recruit-ment over recruiting fairs out-side of the university, McAn-drews said.

“The departments do a lot of their own recruiting,” McAn-drews said. “They tend to go out and gather students. We found that after attending gradu-ate fairs, there are not as many students attending the fairs as those who are looking at online for information. We try to keep our website as up to date as pos-sible and make sure questions that anyone has are answered as quickly as possible.”

The Graduate Studies pro-gram offers 24 degree programs

and one doctoral degree in Physical Therapy, McAndrews said. Some of the graduate pro-grams offered are Accounting, Criminal Justice, Educational Administration and Security Studies.

“What draws in most of our students currently is that many of our graduate education pro-grams are online, and [students] like the flexibility that comes with online education,” McAn-drews said. “Some of our other programs aside from education are online.”

The application process that students have to go through de-pends on each department and is not complicated for the ma-jority of programs, McAndrews said.

“Some of our more competi-tive programs like nursing or physical therapy have a more involved process,” McAndrews said. “Some of the other pro-grams only require an applica-tion, the application fee and transcripts. We then send the information over to the specific department and they make a de-cision.”

Smith said it is important to recruit current ASU students because the students carry high-quality characteristics that the graduate program wants.

“Our students do well all across the nation, and I want the first chance to recruit them for us,” Smith said. “I am also happy to help any ASU student who wishes to go to graduate school elsewhere.”

Graduate students are drawn in by online class options

Allison Price Managing Editor

The Graduate Studies program saw an increase in their enrollment numbers, push-ing the enrollment to 898. Only 841 graduate students were enrolled last spring. Al-though Graduate Studies saw an increase in their numbers, undergraduate enroll-ment dropped. The total number of students enrolled this spring is to 5,251, where as there were 5,538 enrolled last spring. The graduate program offers online classes to students, just as the undergraduate program does. However, with the graduate program students can live in another state complete all of their classes online. Dr. June Smith, interim dean for the Graduate Studies program, informs students of how graduate school enhances their mobility and career advancement options.

Cupcake War Winners

Photos by Rio Velasquez

From left to right:1st-Maple Cupcake

w-Bacon: Best Flavor & Most

Unique 2nd-White

Russian Cupake: Most Creative, Best Frosting,

Presentation 3rd-Banana Bread

w-Pecans

Registration scheduleMarch 18: opens to seniors, post-Bacs and graduate students March 20: opens to juniors March 25: opens to sophomores March 27: opens to currently enroller freshmen April 2: opens to all new and returning studentsNote: Advising holds must be cleared before registration.

Spring 2010 537 students

(shown at the top)

Fall 2012 893 students

Spring 2013 898 students

Spring 2012 846 students

Fall 2011 819 students

Spring 2011 712 students

Fall 2010 701 students

Friday, Feb. 22, 2013Page 2 NEWS

Events CalendarGet involvedon campus!

Here’s what’s going on this week.

Friday Feb. 22

17th annual Writers Conference in honor of Elmer Kelton. The conference will be held all day in the CJ Davidson Center.

The Real Life: CSI. Interested in a career in Forensics? Join Irma Rios to learn about the field. The event begins at 12 p.m. in the UC room 110-111.

Baseball: ASU at Colorado State University-Pueblo. 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. @Pueblo, CO

Arts at ASU: “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.” The program begins at 8 p.m. in the Modular Theatre.

New York, New York Casino Night at Centennial Village from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. There will be Black Jack, Texas Hold’em and Craps along with prizes and food.

Saturday Feb. 23

All DAY: Track and Field vs. LSC Indoor Championships @Lubbock.

Baseball: ASU at Colorado State University-Pueblo. 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. @Pueblo, CO

Women’s Basketball: ASU at Texas Woman’s. 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. @Denton.

Arts at ASU: “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.” The program begins at 2 p.m. in the Modular Theatre.

Sunday Feb. 24

Arts at ASU: “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.” The program begins at 8 p.m. in the Modular Theatre.

Monday Feb. 25

ALL DAY: Golf: ASU at Grey Rock Country Club @Austin.

Academic advising begins for Summer/Fall 2013. Stu-dents should contact their department head for further advising information.

E. James Holland-Roy A. Harrell, Jr. Foreign Affairs Speakers Program featuring Robert E. Gribbin. The program begins at 1 p.m. in the CJ Davidson Center.

Third annual UREC Crucible Fitness event beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the CHP.

Tuesday Feb. 26ALL DAY: Golf: ASU at Grey Rock Country Club @Austin.

SMART workshop: Give Your Semester an Energy Boost. The presentation begins at 5 p.m. in the Academic Building 119.

UCPC Weekly Meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the UC 203-204.

E. James Holland-Roy A. Harrell, Jr. Foreign Affairs Speakers Program featuring Robert E. Gribbin. The program begins at 8 p.m. in the CJ Davidson Center.

Wednesday Feb. 27

Understanding the Implications of Health Care Reform on Employers featuring Dr. Liliana Salazar. The lecture-ship begins at 10:30 a.m. in the UC.

Lecture: “A String Teacher’s Year in Iraq” by Dr. Maurice Kelley. The presentation begins at 4 p.m. in the Eldon Black Recital Hall.

SMART workshop: Research NOW! Getting the Grade (Library Research). The presentation begins at 6 p.m. in the Library-Information Literacy Center.

Women’s Basketball: ASU at Texas A&M-Kingsville. 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. @Kingsville.

University Etiquette Dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the San Angelo Elks Lodge.

Men’s Basketball: ASU at Texas A&M-Kingsville. 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. @Kingsville.

Thursday Feb. 28

Housing Renewal and New Applications Open

SMART workshop: Financial Planning. The presentation begins at 6 p.m. in the Academic Building 119.

Back to My Roots: Jabali Afrika. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. in the CJ Davidson Center.

Planetarium weekly showings continue every Thursday beginning at 7 p.m.

Submit event requests by 5 p.m. Tuesday for Friday publication to rampage@angelo.edu

ASU’s wool judging team took San Antonio by storm when they won first and third place at the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo Collegiate Wool Contest on Feb. 9.

“San Antonio was a big confi-dence booster for both myself and the kids,” wool judging team coach and graduate student Craig Leon-ard said. “They worked hard and it was rewarding. If we prepare the same way—and stay committed—I feel that we will be equally as com-petitive in Houston.”

ASU’S Blue Team took third with 2,227 points, but the major victory of first went to ASU’s Gold Team with 2,251 points. Other competi-tors included Texas A&M, Mexico State, and Kansas State. All the competitors were from Division I universities.

In individual events, ASU’s Ka-tie Smith placed second with 756 points.

“It was a great feeling of accom-plishment,” Smith said. “I had nev-er won a wool judging contest be-fore San Antonio. I was proud for our team but I was even prouder for our coaches, Craig [Leonard] and Sharla [Schmidt].”

Other individual winners in-clude Tait Cooper, Kelsie Schmidt, Kyle Burris and Bryce Patton.

The events in the contest are di-vided into three parts—grading, placing and oral reasons.

“Grading is where they judge the individual fleeces,” Leonard said. “They evaluate micron diameter, yield, staple length, character and purity. Placing is where there are six classes and the contestants have to sort the classes based on profit-ability and breed character. Oral reasons are where the contestant must defend their decision in a two minute speech about why the class was placed.”

The last time ASU won a wool judging contest was in 2011. Con-testants are only allowed to judge wool once a year at the collegiate level with 2013 being the student’s first time ever to judge.

“Another part of the contest is

livestock and meat,” Director of Agriculture Michael Salisbury said. “These will have a big impact on the agricultural business. They are a vital part in the learning process of students that plan to pursue a career in the industry. Addition-ally, these contests teach skills that are not taught in a classroom. They have to take information they have learned and make a decision within a few minutes.”

The wool judging team will go on to the finals in the National Championship Contest in March at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo contest, which will take place during spring break.

First win for the team since 2011

Terrence Cain Staff Writer

Wool judging heads to Houston for finals

Katie Smith- second Tait Cooper-third Kelsie Schmidt-fifth Kyle Burris-sixth Bryce Patton-seventh

Spreading love over dinner

Photo by Rio VelasquezFrom left: Jose Cano, Elias Soza, Clayton Banister, Bobby Gardener and Maria Ochoa attended the Host Family Dinner on Valentine’s Day. Each student met with their host family for a meal and listened to a speaker.

Former Ambassador Robert E. Gribbin will give two free public lectures on foreign affairs in Africa at the C.J. Davidson Conference Center.

His first lecture, “Where is Africa Going,” will take place on Monday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m., followed by “Con-flict and Terrorism in Africa” on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 8 p.m.

“My first lecture will be over what’s going on in Africa now; how it’s evolving, what the problems are, the status of human rights,” Gribbin said. “The other [lecture] revolves more around conflict and terrorism.

“Many Americans see Africa as an area of conflict which is not en-tirely wrong, but I’ll discuss how it arises and what the future might bring; in fact, the amount of con-flict in Africa is reducing.”

Gribbin has served in fifteen Af-rican nations during the past thir-ty-five years including Chad, Gha-na, Congo, Liberia, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria.

He was a US Ambassador to Rwanda from 1995-99 and Central African Republic from 1992-95.

Gribbin retired from full time

diplomatic service in 1999.Gribbin said he is still engaged

in a program with the state depart-ment that calls him back every so often for specific jobs.

“I still manage to keep as busy as I want to be,” Gribbin said.

Senior Cheyenne Benson said she is excited to meet the former ambassador.

“I can’t wait to hear his stories about the time he spent abroad,” Benson said. “I think it will be fas-cinating to learn from his experi-ences.”

In 2011, Gribbin organized and taught a graduate-level course at American University’s School of International Service entitled Con-flict Resolution in Africa.

He has taught three courses on the history, politics, economics and current issues in Sudan for U.S. diplomatic personnel, as well as lectured on the Rwandan genocide, the Congo wars, human rights and democracy.

Gribbin has also lectured to Af-rica-focused classes at American University, Virginia Tech, Harvard, The Naval War College, The Na-tional Defense University and the University of the South.

Gribbin also teaches US Special Forces personnel about how em-bassies function and consults for the U.S. military in several capaci-ties, usually as an African area ex-pert.

He has received superior honor awards for combating famine in the Horn of Africa and for superb management of American affairs in trouble-torn Rwanda.

Gribbin has several publications including, “In the Aftermath of Genocide: the U.S. Role in Rwan-da,” a memoir about his service in Rwanda and his novel “State of De-cay, an Oubangui Chronicle.”

Gribbin is being brought in by The Foreign Affairs Speakers Pro-gram.

FASP is a program that regularly invites a member of the U.S. diplo-matic corps, such as ambassadors, to campus for a series of presenta-tions and classroom visits, accord-ing to a FASP report.

Gribbin served in 15 African nations

Adam Sauceda Staff Writer

Former Ambassador speaks on African Affairs

Photo Courtesy of http://nigeria.usem-bassy.gov/amb_robert_gribbin.html

NEWS Page 3Friday, Feb. 22, 2013

$2.00DRAFT BEER

midnightrodeosanangelo.com

ASU will host the Wells Fargo Distinguished Lecture-ship featuring Liliana Salazar. Salazar will present her lecture, “Understanding the Implications of Health Care Reform on Employers,” on Feb. 27 at the C.J. Davidson Conference Center free to the public. Salazar is currently the senior vice president and employee benefits compli-ance practice co-leader for Wells Fargo Insurance.

Salazar possesses extensive practice in addressing em-ployers’ responsibilities under federal, state and local laws. Along with her staff, Salazar is actively involved in identifying and implementing cost-effective employer solutions that comply with the new health care reform mandates.

The Distinguished Lectureship in Business was es-tablished in 1995 and each year is underwritten by Wells Fargo Bank of San Angelo. The lectureship is designed to provide ASU students and the public with exposure to well-known business leaders and help grow the relation-ship between the San Angelo business community and ASU.

Some past speakers include Verizon Vice President Michael H. Millegan, Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane Jr. and San Angelo Mayor Alvin New, former president and CEO of Town & Country Food Stores.

Speaker explains Health Care Reform at Lectureship

Street signs anyone?

Photos by Rio Velasquez Students waited for their turn to make

their own 18” street sign, on Feb. 19 (aboves). The signs were digitally printed on metal sheets. Faneshia Johnson (right) flashes her completed street sign with Alex Bryant.

The African Students Association and University Center Programming Council will present the fifth annual Back to My Roots event featuring Jabali Afrika, a musical group, Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m. in the UC C.J. Davidson Center.

According to Dezaray Johnson, grad-uate assistant for UCPC, ASA started the event and asked UCPC to partici-pate a couple of years ago.

“We’re working with [ASA] again and hopefully will get to continue in the future,” Johnson said. “It’s great to

take a look into the culture, and it’s re-ally a unique event that ASU hosts.”

Jabali Afrika’s presentation is part of a celebration of Africa’s heritage known as Back to My Roots, which will also feature ASA members showcasing their talents in singing, dancing, and skits.

Jabali Afrika originated in Kenya, where members would gather on a large rock to plan and dream about their musical future. The quartet com-bines traditional African beats and percussions with today’s modern rock-reggae arrangements.

Jabali is Kiswahili for “rock.”In 2008, Jabali Afrika’s single “Peo-

ple’s Voice” was banned in Kenya due to a call for democracy and justice to prevail over corruption during the elec-tion violence.

Jabali Afrika is giving a pre-show

workshop from 3-4 in the C.J. Davidson Center.

Students will get to play instruments and learn dances native to Africa from Jabali Afrika before the show.

President and secretary of the ASA Joseph Wezuobu says the event is not just for entertainment.

“It’s also an informative event,” We-zuobu said. “We always focus on a spe-cific theme to inform the crowd on and this year it’s Egypt and “Remember the Time,” based on Michael Jackson’s ‘Re-member the Time’ video.”

Junior Morgan Capps says she plans on going to watch the performance.

“I saw some of the videos on You-Tube [about Jabali Afrika] and it looked really interesting and fun the way they perform,” Capps said.

Event presents a night of African entertainment

Adam Sauceda Staff Writer

Jabali Afrika headlines Back to My Roots V

Cont. from p.1Handy said she is worried about sci-

ence classes growing because it is her worst subject, and she would need ex-tra attention.

“If we want to accommodate growth in students as our board has said we need to do, some of those classes are going to have to meet in larger class-rooms because we don’t have enough rooms for everybody,” Swets said. “We know that some classes put more de-mands on faculty and students than others, and so we are trying look at all of the things that affect the university.”

Money and student outcomes are two factors that play a major role in classroom growth, he said.

“We are doing some experiments to see where that optimum balance lies,” Swets said. “Perfect would be a one on one class settings, but we can’t afford anything like that. We have not found that middle ground yet, but we are working on it.”

He believes the university has a good advising system in place and that it improves every year.

“We have a great faculty and good students [whom] we want good out-comes for, so I believe the whole ad-ministration is doing its best to make sure we have the best things in place for those students to be successful,” Swets said.

Advising will be open from Feb. 25 to March 8. Be sure to get advised so advising holds can be lifted. Pre-reg-istration will not begin until March 18, and it is done by classification.

Group advising is scheduled by de-partment, and is posted in the area of each department. It is safe for students to contact the department of their ma-jor if they need extra help.

Growth sets out to meet needs

ASU continues the long-running legacy of its students passing the Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES) for the 16th year in a row; this streak has endured since 1998, with every student maintaining a passing score. The success of the TExES test marks certification for educa-tion majors.

This year especially was one for celebration as the average score of the students, 279 of 300

possible points, proved to be the highest aver-age in the history of the ASU class.

Mathematics pro-fessor Ellen Moreland heads the capstone course that secures the completion of pass-ing the TExES, and has done so for every year since the introduction into the university.

“It’s a very hard course,” Moreland re-marks. “Our students are very dedicated, very hard-working. You have to really put your mind to it in order to pass it, which is why we here at Angelo State are very proud of our students and the hours they put in.”

Senior Emily Booth, one of the eight stu-dents that passed the TExES this year, has said that the course, and ultimately the test, was understandably difficult. A strong sense of camaraderie was formed between the students.

“We bonded with each other because there were so few of us in the class,” Booth said. “We studied to-gether and would help each other often.”

Students and teacher alike bonded equally due to the small num-ber of people in the class.

“I definitely bonded with the students, too,

as well as they did with each other,” Moreland said. This team-effort method of carrying on the course has ensured the success of all en-rolled.

Angelo State Uni-versity requires that students who pass the TExES take the PPR, the professional devel-opment test, and the next step in becoming certified to teach.

The students who passed this year include Eloy Acevedo, Laura Aguilar, Emily Booth, Lauren Couch, Debra Ohl, Lacy Osborne, Aaron Perkins and Katy Williams.

Sixteenth year of success

Adrianna Dabrowski Staff Writer

Students maintain 100 percent passing rate on mathematics exam

Friday, Feb. 22, 2013Page 4 FEATURES

Local stock show and rodeo continues to draw crowds

Photo by Rio Velasquez Children were given the chance the practice their roping skills while sitting atop a plastic horse.

Photos by Rio Velasquez (Left)- Children enjoyed the fa-mous lemur attraction inside the stock show and rodeo event. Children were able to look at the creatures through a fence. (Be-low)- Deer were among other animals at the petting zoo.

Photo by Rio Velasquez

Children, accompanied by their parents, were able to enter a pen and feed goats and sheep and

other exotic, kid-friendly animals. The petting zoo is located outside of the coliseum and is open

to the public.

Photo by Rio Velasquez Families enjoyed the carnival rides including a ferris wheel, and several fun houses and game booths.

Photo by Rio Velasquez Inside the petting zoo, children could pet goats, deer, sheep and zebras.

OPINIONS Page 5Friday, Feb. 22, 2013

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

Ram Page Staff

2012-2013A n g e l o S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y

Editor: Mariah PowellManaging Editor: Allison PriceCopy Editor: Rachel RiggsOnline Editor: Riley MashburnStaff Writer: Stephen Cogan Staff Writer: Terrence CainStaff Writer: Adrianna DabrowskiStaff Writer: Adam SaucedaCirculation Manager: Mariah PowellPhoto Editor: Rio Velasquez Photographer: Adam SaucedaAdvertising Manager: Kaitlynn Glendinning Adviser: Dr. Cathy Johnson

Ram PageASU Station #10895

San Angelo, Texas 76909-0895

Editor: rampage@angelo.edu Advertising: rampageads@angelo.edu

Newsroom: (325) 942-2323 Advertising: (325) 942-2040 Fax: (325) 942-2551 Member of

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“I think it will help the economy in this low point in time.”

“I think it will be awesome, but I don’t know since I never had a job before.”

“I think it’s a good idea. I had a mini-mum wage job and that goes quickly

when you have car and cell phone bills.”

“I think it won’t make that much of a differ-ence. Economically it

may help, but not a lot.”

“I feel it’s a good idea because everyone is working so hard to break even during

these times.”

Jaylan MclendonSophomore

Maria OchoaFreshman

Joseph WezuobuSophomore

Sasha LermaFreshman

Cain TomlinSenior

What do you think about Obama’s idea of raising minimum wage?

Minimum wage and the price of inflation

In 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the federal minimum wage into law. It was signed to keep workers out of poverty, to stimulate the economy and to increase the consumer spending. In President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech, the president made the same argument when he proposed rais-ing the minimum wage to $9. One new thing President Obama would like to do is attach the minimum wage to the rise of inflation to help lift workers out of poverty in order to increase consumer spending and to stimulate the economy.

President Obama would like the raise

to be done in slow increments by 2015, much in the same way it was done in 2007 when President George W. Bush raised minimum wage to $7.25.

Sadly the GOP is already balking at the idea of raising the minimum wage. House Speaker John Boehner told the press the day after President Obama’s speech that he would not put a mini-mum wage raise bill up for a vote. In 2007 Speaker Boehner voted against the last wage raise. But let’s say that the bill is put to a vote and passed. Does that mean that every state will be at that lev-el? According to the nullification theory the answer is no.

According to the Daily Paul blog, “Nullification is the legal theory that, under the 10th amendment, the states have the right to reject laws passed by the federal government that it deems unconstitutional. This theory places the states above the federal government and even the rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court.”

It sounds both liberating and freight-ing. If nullification is real, then states can protect the people from any laws passed by the federal government that would do states real harm, but that also means states could harm the people in areas of discrimination, fair pay, civil rights, and yes even the minimum wage because all a state would have to do is

say that the law is unconstitutional, which could be a real problem if the judge decides to side with the states.

The 10th amendment states: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the constitution, nor prohib-ited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.” This amendment seems to validate the nullification theory.

There is no minimum wage in Loui-siana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina.

One would think that the federal government should be able to take legal action against those states, but not ac-cording to the 11th amendment that was ratified in 1795. The 11th amendment states: “The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by citizens of another state, or by citizens or subjects of any foreign state.”

The 11th amendment simply recog-nizes that states have a certain degree of sovereign immunity from the federal government. While the original consti-tution gave the Supreme Court jurisdic-tion over the states when non-citizens brought actions against them, the 11th amendment was a legitimate change to the original constitution, and was rati-fied by three-fourths of the states thus

making a binding limit on judicial pow-er. If a state firmly believes a law to be unconstitutional then they can pretty much get away with whatever they like without fear of reprisals.

Raising minimum wage would be more beneficial than harmful to the economy because the states that would raise the wage would be helping their people. It would boost morale and give more money for people to spend on products they want. Unlike rebate checks the federal government occa-sionally passes around, most of the extra money would be spent because it would constantly be in people’s paychecks.

Logically it does make sense that peo-ple spend more when they make more. That’s just how the world works. It really is why we like to earn money in the first place. If businesses are scared of a wage hike then maybe they should look at a company like Costco, a retail store simi-lar to Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Club. Costco’s CEO makes around $500,000 annually, pays their lowest employees an average of $17 an hour with healthcare benefits, and last year they raked in nearly $100 billion in annual earnings.

So the proof is in the pudding. The more you make, the happier you are, the more money you’ll spend and the more need for expansion in employment will occur to fill the needs of the customer.

Terrence Cain Staff Writer

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The ‘Belles planned to dominate and im-press their fans this past weekend by having their first home series honor George McCorkle and capitalize on the fact they were playing at home.

But, so far, the term “homefield advantage” has been a foreign con-cept for the ‘Belles since they are not winning at home.

The ‘Belles have an 11-5 record on the year, but are a dismal 1-4 at home; losing twice to Colorado State-Pueblo and twice to St. Mary’s University over the weekend.

In the first game, the ‘Belles lost 5-4 against Colo-rado State-Pueblo that head coach Travis Scott called, “Pretty disappointing,” afterwards.

The ‘Belles never gave up and had a chance to win it in the ninth with runners on second and third with only one out.

Senior outfielder Amanda Wilhelm was up at the plate and the question was would she try a suicide squeeze bunt play that could get the runner from third home, but allowed Colorado State to throw out Wil-helm to make the score 5-5 with two outs.

The answer was no; Wilhelm was given the okay to swing away and she struck out to make it two outs.

“She’s just not a very good bunter,” Scott said. “She is a clutch hitter; ever since she walked on campus, she’s gotten big hits in late innings. I thought that would be our better option at that point.”

After a walk to freshman Lanie Robinson, freshman Darian Dunn grounded to the pitcher’s mound to end the game.

The second game’s score was affected by contro-versy.

In the first inning, St. Mary’s got a leadoff hit, and then the next batter struck out making it one out with

a runner on first base.The next batter hit a

grounder to third base-man Robinson who field-ed it and fired a laser to freshman second base-man Ambra Hill for the force out at second.

Hill then flung the ball to senior first base-man April Breshears, who caught the ball for the force play at first.

The umpire called the runner safe while every ‘Belle player, fan and Coach Scott himself thought the runner was out.

“There was a huge call in the first inning on a double play,” Scott said. “We turned a double play

to end the inning and he [umpire] calls her safe to end the inning. Then they score three after that and we lost by one.”

After that play, St. Mary’s loaded the bases on two walks and then batted in three runs in an inning that was supposed to be over in a game that the ‘Belles lost 10-9.

The ‘Belles faced University of Texas of the Perm-ian Basin and won 4-2 before facing Colorado State-Pueblo and St. Mary’s again.

In the second game against St. Marys, the ‘Belles not only lost 14-0, but the opposing pitcher threw a no hit-ter with junior outfielder Luz’Ce Baca being the only base runner after drawing a walk.

The game ended after the fifth inning because of the run rule that calls a game if one team has an eight or more run lead after five innings.

The ‘Belles were run-ruled again in their second game against Colorado State-Pueblo where they lost 10-1.

Right now, the ‘Belles are on a two-game winning streak after traveling to Laredo and beating Texas A&M International University.

The ‘Belles will look to improve their 1-4 record at home on Saturday, March 2 with a doubleheader that starts at 1 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 22, 2013Page 6 SPORTS

San Angelo Symphony AdASU_RamPageSize: 3.25Óx7Ó (2 columns x 7Ó)Run Date: Feb 22, 2013 SYMPHONY AD 2x7 02222013

The Rams faced Lubbock Christian University over the weekend and lost two out of three, but their lone win was a classic.

Starting pitcher, senior Michael Lange, was rattled early as he gave up five earned runs off of three homers and a pair of doubles in six innings of work.

The Rams were down as much as 5-1, but Lange kept the lead by striking out six and walking zero batters.

The Rams battled back: junior shortstop Christian Summers doubled a run in before being thrown out on a base running mistake in the third inning.

The Rams added a pair of runs off of sacrifice flies by sophomore infielder Brett David and junior infield Reggie Rodriguez in the sixth inning to make it 5-3.

Then junior Jake Feckley, who was experiencing pain in his arm this season, came out to pitch in the seventh inning.

“It was really good to see him out there throwing with no pain,” Head Coach Kevin Brooks said.

Feckley struck out two in the seventh and a contro-versial pickoff throw from senior catcher Andrew La-Combe to senior first baseman Quaid McKinnon gave the Rams the third out.

LaCombe threw a rocket to McKinnon who then tagged the base runner just before he got back to first base.

However, McKinnon lost the ball out of his glove which would make the runner safe, but the umpire saw differently and called the runner out.

Lubbock Christian’s manager wasn’t too happy about it and proceeded to argue the call with the um-pire, who ejected him on the spot.

“Probably got a pretty good point,” Brooks said about the opposing manager being upset.

Despite the ending, Brooks didn’t think that one play would’ve made a giant difference in the outcome of the game.

“There were two outs and a runner on first,” Brooks said.

McKinnon batted a runner in on a ground-out in the seventh to cut the lead to 5-4.

Feckley had a rough eighth inning and gave up two runs on a double that made the game 7-4, but stayed calm and got the outs.

David managed to draw a walk and while he stole second, LCU’s catcher made an error on the throw to second base that went straight into center field.

David scored on the error to make the game 7-5 and after a quick top of the ninth, the Rams were ready to

show their final late game magic act.Second baseman Tyler Coughenour got a single past

the third baseman through the left side to lead off the inning.

Summers then lined out to right field for the first out.

Coughenour stole second and McKinnon grounded out to the second baseman to advance Coughenour to third.

The Rams were down two and the tying run at the plate in the form of senior outfielder Lee Neumann.

Neumann, who hit a homer in the Rams home opener, was ready to lash out.

Neumann belted the ball past the third baseman down the left field line.

Coughenour scored and Neumann made it to sec-ond with a double and Rodriguez at bat.

“Lee got a great hit and got on base with two outs,” Rodriguez said. “I looked at the dugout; everybody was smiling at me and gave me confidence. I knew they had my back no matter what I was going to do.”

Rodriguez goes to the plate, gets in his stance and awaits the first pitch.

It was a fastball down the middle of the plate.Rodriguez swung and connected with bat cracking

and the ball swooshing through the air to deep center field.

“I looked down and said, ‘Please go out,’” Rodriguez said as he ran to first base.

The ball was going, the defender back at the wall, looked up and…

“Then I looked up and saw it was going over the fence.”

That ball went out of the park and the Rams walked it off with an 8-7 win with one out left in the ninth in-ning after being behind the entire game.

“Those are always fun,” Brooks said. “Just the way we battled back and kept competing.”

The Rams have an 8-3 record and are going to Pueb-lo, Colorado, to face Colorado State University-Pueblo in a four game series that will begin Thursday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. and end on Saturday, Feb 23.

Loss motivates players to work harder for next game

Stephen Cogan Staff Writer

Rams walk it off over the weekend

Photo by Adam SaucedaThe Rams cheered on their teammates as Reggie Rodriquez hit a two run home-run, winning the game 8-7 against LCU.

Basketball stats‘Belles struggle; lose four of five

Stephen Cogan Staff Writer

Photo by Adam SaucedaAmbra Hill throws the ball to first baseman April Breshears in an easy play at first.

‘Belles look to win next games

The Rams pulled out of their losing streak with a win in 53-50 against Midwestern State Saturday, Feb. 16. The Rams will hit the court again Feb. 27.The ‘Belles also brought home a victory with a 54-48 win against Midwestern State Saturday, Feb. 16. The ‘Belles will face fate again Feb. 23.