The Collegian - Issue 11

University administrators and the board of trustees have decided to move ahead with repairs to the Brown Administrative Complex with plans to return the building to full operation by the fall semester.

President Robert B. Sloan Jr. announced on Feb. 22 that the Uni-versity settled a lawsuit over the hurricane-damaged building.

The Uni-versity then faced a deci-sion regard-ing the fate of the cam-pus’ original building.

Results of an inspection c o n v i n c e d administrators and the board of trustees’ property committee that the building could be of use for several more years and that the condition of the complex warrant-ed repairing it rather than razing it.

“Given that it has some years left in it, it makes sense to get full use out of its remaining econom-ic life,” said Ray Cox, B.S. ’81, chairman of the property commit-tee of the board of trustees.

Sandy Mooney, vice president for financial operations, estimates that remaining life to be 15 to 20 years.

The most significant repairs, she said, will be fixing the damage caused to the roof when Hurricane Ike struck in September 2008.

New paint and carpeting will

A University sophomore has been charged with criminal mis-chief after attempting to break into the ATM located in the Hinton Cen-ter on March 11.

University police arrested the 19-year-old student at approximate-ly 1:30 a.m. after he fled the scene and was found running along Fon-dren Road.

According to the University Police Department, the student fol-lowed maintenance personnel into Hinton, sprayed black spray paint on the ATM’s security camera and then used a crowbar to pry open the plastic cover surrounding the ma-chine’s cash vault.

The custodial staff heard the noise and alerted the police before the vault could be opened.

Police said the student fled the

The University will host a 10-member group from the South-ern Association of Colleges and Schools on April 5-7 as part of the University’s process of seeking re-affirmation of its accreditation.

SACS visits the campus once every 10 years in an effort to ensure the standards of the University’s academic programs.

The group consists of eight re-viewers, one representative from the SACS Commission on College and one observer from a university preparing for its own SACS visit.

The reviewers will evaluate the accuracy of the University’s self-report and the recently completed Quality Enhancement Plan.

The visit follows a formal re-view of the self-report, with re-viewers examining documents re-lating to many of the University’s academic programs, as well as fac-ulty credentials and finances, said Dr. Paul Bonicelli, provost.

The reviewers will also ask questions in order to clarify con-cerns raised from SACS’ initial off-site review of the self-report

The University announced March 23 that it received notice from the NCAA of the completion of its certification process, leaving the University one step from full membership in the NCAA.

To complete the final step, ath-letic director Steve Moniaci must

hbucollegian.com volume 45 no. 11MARCH 31, 2011

CONCERTGUIDEENTERTAINMENT | pg. 9

PREPARE FOR SUMMER’S BEST SHOWSHITTINGHOMENEWS | pg. 5

DISASTER IN JAPAN AFFECTS CAMPUS COMMUNITY

by Travis MarTinStaff writer

To improve, we have to be willing to ask hard questions of ourselves

and allow others to do the same.”

—Dr. Paul BonicelliProvost

“

”

ABOVE: Tape secures the cover of the ATM in the Hinton Center. A student pried the plastic cover open with a crow-bar during an attempt to break into the machine on March 11.

LEFT: Black spray paint cov-ers the ATM’s security camera. The student has been charged with criminal mischief after the failed break-in attempt.

by JusTin schneewindEditor in chief

Check out more news @

hbucollegian.comPhotos from today’s Husky Revue

Find out about Academic Awareness Week

Give your opinion on articles and columns

SPRINGSERVICESTUDENTS SPEND BREAKS ON MISSIONS TRIPS

Campus preps for SACS visit

see BROWN, page 6

Brown set for summer repairs

Sloan

GI BILL CUTS

RELIGION | pg. 7

see ATM, page 6

see SACS, page 6

Attempted robbery targets ATM

see NCAA, page 4

by Brandon PorTerSports editor

One step from full NCAA membership

Student-veterans were notified in February that their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits will be capped at $17,500 per academic year, de-creasing some veterans’ financial assistance by more than $5,500.

President Barack Obama signed the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2010 into law on Jan. 4. The act, which will be put into effect on Aug. 1, will scale back GI Bill benefits for more than 25 student-veterans at the Univer-sity.

Veterans eligible for the bill originally received benefits equal to the highest public college tu-ition within the veteran’s state of residence, with the students quali-fying for full benefits after serving at least 36 months.

That meant a maximum of $24,260 in annual aid for veter-

ans attending private institu-tions in Texas, according to gibill.va.gov. Those who

served fewer than 36 months received a percentage of the maximum tuition, depending on

the length of time they spent in the armed forces.

Junior Clay Smith currently receives full benefits from the GI

by ayla syedOpinion editorJOIN

TODAY!WE’LL CUT YOUR FUNDING TOMORROW.

see BILL, page 5

by JusTin schneewindEditor in chief

The mock trial team learned lessons from the best as it competed in the Open Round Cham-pionship in Memphis, Tenn., on March 27-29, finishing 2-6.

The team faced experienced opponents, in-cluding many that have gone to win nationals in the past. It went head-to-head with Vanderbilt University, University of Alabama at Birming-ham, University of Texas at Austin, and Rhodes University.

This competition was the next step after the regional championship in February, where the team finished 7-1.

The teams competed in a series of four rounds in which they argued either the prosecu-tion or defense side of the civil court case they were assigned at the beginning of the academic year. Two judges presided over each round, giv-ing teams the opportunity to earn two points in each round.

This year’s case centered on a toy made with a chemical that allegedly killed a child who in-gested the product. As part of the defense, the team claimed that the caretaker of the victim was responsible for watching the child and mak-ing sure the chemical was not ingested.

Sophomore Shelby Tankersley, the team cap-tain, said she was proud of the members who had to fill new roles extremely close to the com-petition.

“A highlight of the competition was the per-formance of freshman Laura Strack and sopho-more Judy Rose,” Tankersley said. “They had to

play new witnesses for two rounds of the tour-nament with just three days of practice.”

The change in roles came from the Ameri-can Mock Trial Association, which made minor changes to the case between competitions.

Schools were randomly paired in the first two rounds. The third round pitted teams with simi-lar records, and round four paired the schools with high records against ones with low records.

HBU’s team tied two rounds against Vander-bilt and the Alabama and lost rounds against Rhodes and f Texas.

“Our team had to compete against Texas, a team that has previously won nationals, but we did not back down from that challenge,” said Derrick Owens, B.A. ’07 and assistant coach who accompanied the students to the competi-tion.

“We need to work on minor things with our overall presentation, and that just comes with having more time to practice,” Tankersley said.

Junior Joseph Strack, who has been a mem-ber of the team for two years, said the young team will grow and improve.

Owens suggested attending more out-of-state competitions for mock trial.

“We have mastered the teams within our re-gion and need to become more familiar with the teams outside of it,” Owens said.

Senior David Toney, a four-year team mem-ber, said that he has been proud to work with the group.

“I was the last witness in the last round against the University of Texas,” Toney said. “I told the team that it was my pleasure to bring it home.”

NEWS MARCH 31, 20112 - THE COLLEGIAN

Museum lectureThe Dunham Bible Museum will host

a lecture given by Dr. Daniel B. Wallace on “Greek Manuscripts Behind The King James Version.”

Wallace teaches at Dallas Theological Seminary as a professor of New Testament studies.

The event will be on March 31 at 7 p.m. in Belin Chapel.

Husky RevueStudent Programming Board will host

the student talent show on March 31 at 7 p.m. in Dunham Theater.

Tickets will cost $7 at the door.

Mr. and Miss HBU votingVoting for the two seniors with the

ideal character, leadership, scholarship, service, and spiritual life will be held April 1-6.

Road tripJoin Student Programming Board

as the members bus across town for the Huskies’ softball game against the University of Houston on April 5.

The bus will leave at 3 p.m. and will return no later than 7 p.m.

RSVP for a spot on the bus by April 1 by contacting Becky Crandall, assistant director of Student Life, at [email protected].

Spring formal Sigma Phi Lambda will host its annu-

al dance on April 1 at 8 p.m. in McNair Hall.

The event is open to all students. Admission is free, but Phi Lamb will

be collecting canned goods to donate to the Houston Food Bank.

Ultimate Tailgate PartyStudent Life will host a tailgating

party for the baseball game against Dallas Baptist University on April 2 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Husky Field.

There will be food and games for everyone and free T-shirts for those with current University identification.

University VespersUniversity Vespers will be on April 4

at 7 p.m. in Belin Chapel.The event is worth one Community

Life and Worship credit.

Power QuestMark Denison, pastor of First Baptist

Church in Conroe, will lead the service on April 5 at 6:30 p.m. in Belin Chapel.

The event is worth two CLW credits.

Guinness World RecordJoin Student Programming Board as

the University tries to set a new world record for the most people simultaneous-ly blowing bubblegum bubbles on April 6 immediately following Convocation in the Morris Cultural Arts Center.

Health fairThe American Red Cross student

organization will host a health fair on April 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Hinton Center lobby.

To have a booth, contact Anum Bana, Red Cross president, at [email protected].

Campus luncheonStudent Life and Student Programming

Board will host an Easter-themed campus luncheon on April 14 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Baugh Center.

Campus Briefing

by Alexis shellyStaff writer

Mockers learn through trials

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The department of philosophy will host its inaugural conference “The Virtue Revolu-tion: The History of Virtue in Philosophy and Theology” April 8-9 in Belin Chapel and the Hinton Center.

Dr. Christi Hemati, associate professor of philosophy, said the enthusiasm and excite-ment from philosophy students last year after attending a similar philosophy conference hosted by Dallas Baptist University was the push needed to bring the organization of “The Virtue Revolution” together.

The theme of the conference and the key-note addresses is the revolution of virtues in 20th-century philosophy.

“Virtue ethics is a hot topic in ethics, and thinking about the meaning of virtue is one of the most important trends in 20th-century philosophy,” said Dr. Jeffrey Green, assistant professor of philosophy and department chair.

Dr. David Solomon, the W.P. and H.B. White director of the Center for Ethics and Culture at Notre Dame, will deliver two ad-dresses as the keynote speaker. Solomon will present “The Virtue Revolution: Moral Phi-losophy and Cultural Change” on April 8 and “Can Virtue Guide Action?” on April 9.

A worship service organized by Hemati will be held April 9 before Solomon speaks. Both addresses will be given in Belin Chapel.

“The Virtue Revolution” provides a fo-rum for philosophy students and professors. Students will have the opportunity to inter-act with undergraduate and graduate students from other universities, and they will be able to mingle with professors.

Green described the conference as a way to engage the campus community with the more important issues in philosophy.

“One thing philosophy helps us all do is think through our obligations to one another, what it is to live the good life and what God calls us to do,” Green said.

Students and professors from the Univer-sity and 20 other institutions from nine states and two foreign countries — India and the United Kingdom — will be presenting papers during six concurrent sessions located in the Hinton Center.

Senior Mark Broadway will present his pa-per, “Anselm and Aquinas on the Self-Evident Existence of God.”

“This will be a very helpful experience for me as a philosophy student and future profes-sional philosopher because this is essentially what professional philosophers do,” Broad-way said. “Of course, they teach at universi-ties on the day-to-day, but they also write pa-pers and submit them to journals or read them to each other at conferences.”

Green said the upcoming conference will promote inter-departmental relations, as pro-fessors from the departments of English, his-tory and psychology participate as modera-tors.

Dr. David Davis, assistant professor of his-tory, will present his paper “A Fool’s Hope: The Virtue of Folly in the Renaissance,” and Dr. William Rutherford, assistant professor of Christianity, has prepared a paper titled “Cos-mopolitan Identity in Dio Chrysostom: Ethics, Order, Rationality, and Life with the Gods.”

Admission will be free for University stu-dents. A schedule of the conference is avail-able at www.hbu.edu/philosophyconference.

Green said the theme reflects the Univer-sity’s emphasis on humanities and the liberal arts and Pillar Seven of the Ten Pillars Vision.

“It’s about engaging our community,” Green said. “It’s about bringing Athens and Jerusalem together.”

NEWSMARCH 31, 2011

by

CAMPUS SCENE

Freshman Daniel Nguyen wields a staff while practicing sword fighting with freshman James Lai on Holcombe Mall on March 28. They will be performing their routine with Vietnamese Student Association in Student Programming Board’s Husky Revue on March 31 at 7 p.m. in Dunham Theater.

by BRANDON PORTER

THE COLLEGIAN - 3

by ElizabEth WindsorContributing writer

Philosophy conference to explore virtue’s past

The University’s endowment has recovered much of what it lost during the economic recession, increasing to nearly $80 million from a low point of approximately $72 million in early 2009.

While the endowment remains below its pre-recession level of $90 million, Sandy Mooney, vice president for financial operations,

said she is hopeful that it will con-tinue to rise as financial markets improve.

“It gives us more stability in the long run,” she said, crediting the endowment’s rise to the overall im-provement in the U.S. economy.

The increase in the University’s endowment occurred during a year of recovery, as global markets ex-perienced a turnaround in 2009 and have been gradually strengthening. The financial forecast continues to improve, with the Federal Reserve announcing on March 15 that the economic recovery is on “firmer footing.”

Mooney also attributed the in-crease to the work of Cambridge Associates LLC, an independent financial consulting firm that the

University hired in 2008 to manage its endowment.

Cambridge Associates, which also handles endowment-related investments for Harvard and Yale, diversified HBU’s holdings in stocks and bonds to stabilize its ac-count in the turbulent economy, she said. The endowment is actually split between an investment port-folio, valued at $56 million in the last quarter, and other assets, such as real estate holdings as well as oil and gas assets, worth approximate-ly $24 million.

The investment side of the en-dowment dropped from a high of $60 million in 2007 but has since recuperated some of the loss as the global economy has continued to improve.

The University annually spends 5 percent of the endowment’s re-turns, which are primarily directed toward supporting scholarships and some faculty positions, such as en-dowed chair positions.

Mooney said the increase will probably affect scholarships some but explained that its effects would be much larger if the University ex-periences three consecutive years of solid markets and returns. Her office averages the returns on Uni-versity investments from the past 12 rolling quarters, spending a per-centage of that value.

Endowed Academic Scholar-ship recipients, whose education is funded by contributions to the en-dowment, must meet annually with their donors and thank them for their support. This year’s Endowed Scholarship Reception will be held on April 3 in McNair Hall and Belin Chapel.

James Steen, vice president of enrollment management, said the event would give students the op-portunity to show their gratitude toward their benefactors. Charles Bacarisse, vice president of ad-vancement, said the format for this year’s reception has changed to al-low greater interaction between stu-dents and the donors.

“It’s the one time each year when we bring donors and scholar-ship recipients together,” he said, adding that both donors and recipi-ents will be able to mix and mingle during the event.

Junior Kevin Ramirez, a chem-istry and biochemistry double major who received an Endowed Academic Scholarship, said he was grateful for the continual contribu-tions that have allowed him to at-tend the University.

“I just thank my benefactors wholeheartedly for offering the scholarship,” he said.

NEWS4 - THE COLLEGIAN MARCH 31, 2011

by Daniel CaDisManaging editor

Investments bounce back from low point of $72 million

send the athletic department’s an-nual report and strategic plan to the NCAA by June 1.

The annual report details the activities and responsibilities of the athletic department and docu-ments its plans, including facility changes.

The University will be eligible to regain its full NCAA member-ship this summer, and Moniaci intends to improve the athletic fa-cilities.

Moniaci mentioned the lack of restrooms and lights at the base-ball and softball fields, the ab-sence of a track facility on campus and the limited seating capacity at Sharp Gym and said he has plans to improve these “deficiencies.”

“This does not mean that we have to have the Jerry Jones foot-ball stadium,” Moniaci said, refer-ring to the Dallas Cowboys’ $1.15 billion stadium. “But we cannot be in a situation where we are not even in the same league with some of the people we are recruiting with. And with the exception of our soccer facilities, every one of our facilities has some deficiencies that we have to address.”

The NCAA voiced concerns about the facilities during the tran-sition, assistant athletic director for compliance and academics David Moss said, but saw campus-wide commitment to the transition.

“We grew so quickly, going from five sports to 15,” Moss said. “They asked, ‘Are you sure you can do this?’ But they saw that we are committed.”

Moniaci said the department plans to organize a committee next year to discuss the addition of one more sport.

The University must add a women’s sport to ensure the gen-der ratio of student-athletes re-flects that of the general student body. Moss said that budget would play a role among many factors when selecting the sport from a field of options including tennis, bowling and equestrian.

The improvement of the teams’ ratings percentage indexes consti-tutes another goal for the depart-ment. The RPI allows athletic pro-grams to compare themselves. To improve this statistic, teams must either win the majority of their games or defeat teams with high RPIs. Scheduling these high-RPI teams and beating them presents a challenge for programs new to the NCAA.

Steve Jones, head of the men’s soccer team, attests to that prob-lem.

“I have tried any team that has won a national championship or been to the Final Four,” Jones said. “As soon as their email goes out looking for a team for a game, I immediately contact them. Unfor-tunately, they are not biting right now until we have a much higher RPI because they cannot afford to lose points.”

NCAA: Plans aim to upgrade facilitiesContinued from Page 1

Endowment recovers from recession

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The recent earthquake and tsuna-mi in Japan caused sophomore

Justin Bowers to remember his re-action to the quakes he experienced during the 1 1/2 years he spent in the island nation from 2008-09.

“I could feel tiny trembles be-neath me as I sat in class,” Bowers said.

At first, he said he would think it was a momentary sense of vertigo but soon realized the sensation was caused by the deep rumbles of tec-tonic plates.

Accustomed to frequent under-ground disturbances, he looked for objects in the room that do not nor-mally move on their own, maybe a light that hangs from the ceiling, to serve as his totem. If the light was moving, then he would know the tremors underneath him resulted from an earthquake.

Bowers, a Christianity major, used this technique to differenti-ate earthquakes from moments of vertigo when he lived in Yokosuka, Japan, where he usually witnessed at least two minor quakes a month. His parents and his younger brother still live in Yokosuka — less than 350 miles away from the epicenter of the strongest and most recent earthquake to strike the island na-tion.

The 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck on the afternoon of March 11, followed by a tsunami that swept through many coastal regions with waves as high as 30 feet. The tsunami destroyed whole cities and flooded the backup generators of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex, causing the plant to go into near meltdown.

The New York Times reported that four of the plant’s six reactors had exploded and released some radioactive material, prompting the United States to issue a voluntary evacuation of American citizens and their dependents from Japan. As the Japanese government strug-gled to handle the twin disasters, Bowers and his family had to adjust to life after the catastrophes.

Bowers woke to the sound of his phone ringing. It was his grand-mother in Dallas, who called to in-form him of the earthquake.

He checked the distance be-tween Yokosuka and Sendai, the major city closest to the epicenter, when he first heard the news. Bow-ers said he was relieved to see that his family was not within great proximity of Sendai.

“I was kind of scared, but I im-mediately started praying and talk-ing to God about it,” he said. “I felt like God was putting a lot of peace in my heart over the situation.”

Bowers’ father, Paul, serves as the master chief petty officer in the engineering division on the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka. He was in a meeting on his ship, the USS Shiloh, when rumbles gave the per-ception that the engines had started. The crewmembers of the guided-missile cruiser turned to Paul, who leads the engineering department, and asked why the anchored ship was rumbling. The motion the ship members were feeling was caused by the strongest earthquake to ever strike Japan.

Bowers’ mother, Sondra, en-countered the same quakes on the naval base while ending her day at work as a kindergarten teacher at a Department of Defense Education Activity elementary school.

Sondra said she had been ex-pecting a big earthquake because of the increasing frequency of minor earthquakes prior to the March 11 occurrence. She first thought she was close to the epicenter, judging from the strength of the seismic ac-tivity.

“The quake had taken the trees, big trees, by the trunk,” she said. “It looked as if someone had wrapped his big hands around the trees and was just shaking them.”

Officials asked those on the na-val base to travel to higher ground in response to a tsunami warning issued by the Japanese government.

It was not until nearly two hours after the tsunami warning was is-sued that Sondra was allowed to travel downhill and find access to land phone lines and Facebook.

She was able to get in contact with her 16-year-old son Ryan, who had made it home safely before the quake struck. Bowers’ family re-sides uphill, more than 20 minutes away from the naval base.

Sondra called Paul to let him know she was not harmed and then used Facebook to reach other fam-ily members and let them know that she, Paul and Ryan had made it through the disasters.

The final tsunami warning was lifted at 10 p.m., and Sondra and Paul began the journey home from the base. During their drive home, Paul and Sondra witnessed hun-dreds of people filling the streets and walking to their houses because of the lack of available public trans-portation. The trains — a primary mode of transportation in Japan — were not in working order.

“I wondered about those people, if they could get in contact with their families to see if they were OK,” she said.

After reaching their home, the Bowers had to adjust to a new norm of life. Paul received commands to ship out to northern Japan where U.S. military members had been mobilized to assist the areas most impacted by the disasters. He will be serving this area for at least a month.

Sondra and Ryan both returned to school within a week of the di-sasters but have been advised not to spend time outside because of the potential radiation. Those on

the naval base, located more than 220 miles away from Fukushima, received potassium iodide pills in case they are exposed to high levels of radiation.

Many U.S. citizens chose to re-turn to the States after the U.S. gov-ernment began offering voluntary evacuations.

Sondra said she and her family do not plan on returning to the U.S. until they receive notice of a man-datory evacuation.

“Unless something with the nu-clear plants changes dramatically, we will not leave,” she said, adding that their belongings are packed in case of an emergency. “Right now we are not affected.”

The Bowers have also had to ad-just to rolling blackouts intended to conserve energy for the nation-wide electricity shortage. The shortage has been predicted to last for sev-eral months, according to The New York Times.

Bowers tries to stay in touch with his family in Japan through his Vonage phone, Facebook and email, but these methods are often interrupted by the rolling blackouts that continue to plague the nation.

“I try to connect with them once a week, but the time difference also makes it difficult,” Bowers said, adding he knows God is with them. “I just feel really blessed for the protection of my family.”

NEWSMARCH 31, 2011 THE COLLEGIAN - 5

by AylA SyedOpinion editor

Bill after serving in the United States Coast Guard from 1998-2006.

When he entered the Coast Guard, Smith was required to pay $100 every month for one year and have an honorable discharge in or-der to be eligible for the govern-ment-funded aid. Benefits from the bill expire 10 years after veterans finish their enlistment.

Smith said he views the GI Bill as a contract between the govern-ment and veterans and the changes to the bill as a breach of trust for those currently receiving the funds.

“They need to honor the agree-ment that was started with us,” Smith said, adding that he thinks a grandfather clause should be added for students close to graduation.

Smith is two semesters away from graduating with a double ma-

jor in Christianity and philosophy. He plans to finish his undergradu-ate studies at the University and had originally planned to apply to a master’s program here but is unsure if the cuts will prevent him from af-fording the graduate program.

Other changes to the bill include the removal of break or interval pay, which would affect student-veterans during University vacations.

Connie Castillo, financial ad-viser in the office of financial aid, works to help student-veterans fi-nance their education at the Univer-sity.

Castillo said some students have approached her with concerns about cuts to their benefits and are considering transferring to a public college, which fully fund veterans under the bill.

Castillo suggested that student-veterans who are considering trans-ferring should meet with her to explore other methods including financial aid to help them finance their education.

Some private institutions partici-pate in the Yellow Ribbon Program to make the tuitions more afford-able. Private institutions can pro-vide any amount of the tuition that exceeds the $17,500 margin with the Department of Veterans Affairs’ matching that contribution.

The University does not cur-rently participate in this program, but Castillo said plans are being discussed.

“It has only been a few weeks since we learned about the chang-es,” she said. “Things are still up in the air.”

BILL: Cuts will reduce funding for more than 25 current studentsContinued from page 1

When catastrophes strike close to home

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SENDAI

FUKUSHIMAEPICENTER9.0 magnitude

NORTH AMERICAN

PLATE

JAPAN

EURASIAN PLATE

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PACIFICPLATE

YOKOSUKAFault Line

THE TWIN DISASTERS

courtesy of www.graphic.is

6A.M. MARCH 11 Houston, Texas (MRC)

2:46P.M. MARCH 11 Yokosuka, Japan

8P.M. MARCH 11 Yokosuka, Japan

Aftermath

conducted in November.“They want to ask follow-up

questions on any areas in which our documentation was unclear, which is quite normal since we cannot pro-vide every item to the remote team that reviewed our report,” Bonicelli said.

The evaluation of the QEP repre-sents one of the main reasons for the campus visit, said Dr. Phil Rhodes, senior director of the office of insti-tutional research and effectiveness.

QEPs, mandatory for all SACS schools, address issues institutions identify during self-assessments. The plan must focus on learning, and the school must prove the capa-bility to implement it, show a broad base of involvement and identify the goals of the QEP. The plan fo-cuses on supporting student learn-ing and accomplishing the school’s mission.

The University chose to address students’ writing and developed the Writing for Wisdom QEP. The five-year project officially starts June 6 in order to prepare for the fall se-mester.

The plan requires students to take about seven W-courses, which are classes in the core curriculum and in majors that feature at least one writing assignment. These W-

courses aim to improve student writing by mandating that profes-sors return written assignments to students with feedback.

The preparation of the Writing for Wisdom QEP plan started two years ago, said Rita Tauer, associate provost. After the work on the plan, Tauer expressed optimism about the review of the QEP.

“We are eager to showcase it to the SACS visitation team,” she said.

Tauer, who worked with the Uni-versity’s self-report and site visit for the NCAA certification process, and Rhodes coordinated much of the University’s efforts for the SACS visit. Bonicelli praised the work of Rhodes and Tauer, citing their ef-forts to organize committees, col-lect data and record the University’s efforts in preparation.

These efforts included the work of faculty and staff from offices and departments across the campus.

“About 100 people across cam-pus have been working on this,” said Rhodes, who described his role as a facilitator who assisted in man-aging the process.

The accreditation process helps the University improve and benefits students by ensuring their degrees come from a respectable institution, Bonicelli said.

According to the mission of the SACS Commission on Colleges, accreditation by SACS “signifies that the institution (1) has a mission appropriate to higher education, (2) has resources, programs and servic-es sufficient to accomplish and sus-tain that mission and (3) maintains clearly-specified educational objec-tives that are consistent with its mis-sion and appropriate to the degrees it offers and that indicate whether it is successful in achieving its stated objectives.”

With the level of work required of faculty, Bonicelli said students may encounter professors who are weary from their efforts to ensure the University offers respected de-grees.

“They might have to endure for a short season that some of their pro-fessors are run a little ragged with the extra work of the reaffirmation, but that is well worth it for it all,” Bonicelli said.

The reaffirmation of accredita-tion also forces faculty and admin-istrators to question their methods and answer questions asked by an outside organization.

“To improve, we have to be will-ing to ask hard questions of our-selves and allow others to do the same,” Bonicelli said. “Accredita-

tion helps prevent the ‘bubble men-tality’ and too much self-congratu-lation.”

The mission of the SACS Com-mission on Colleges, according to the Principles of Accreditation handbook, “is the enhancement of

educational quality throughout the region and the improvement of the effectiveness of institutions by en-suring that they meet standards es-tablished by the higher education community that address the needs of society and students.”

A new policy instituted on March 8 will allow greater flex-ibility for the assigning of transfer credit as the University works to accommodate transfer student dur-ing the implementation of the new Liberal Arts Core Curriculum this fall.

The policy is part of an effort to honor the work of incoming trans-fer students who have done well at other academic institutions, said Dr. Robert Stacey, associate pro-vost and dean of the Honors Col-lege.

“This is a transition year, so it’s a little different than future years,” Stacey said, adding that the policy will be reevaluated after the 2011-

12 academic year to see if it is still needed.

All transfer student credit will be accepted if the students come from a regionally accredited insti-tution, said Bonnie Fresch, transfer

specia l is t and admis-sions co-ordinator. She ex-plained that some stu-dents’ work will be r e v i e w e d on a case-

by-case basis to determine if it will be accepted in the place of specific LACC requirements.

The new core will replace the Smith College of General Studies

on June 1, and it includes certain courses that all incoming students and current students who transition into the new program of study will be required to take, such as Political Thought: Freedom’s Foundations.

James Steen, vice president of enrollment management, said next year’s transfer policy will better accommodate students who have already taken many of their basic courses at other academic institu-tions. Fresch agreed with Steen’s assessment.

“The new policy takes into consideration the time and work students have put into their previ-ous college-level work and makes every effort to maximize the previ-ously earned credit,” she said.

The University-specific courses include, for example, English 1320:

Writing for Wisdom I and II, the redesigned English composition courses that were created to teach collegiate-level communication skills.

Both of the English composi-tion courses are unique to the Uni-versity, meaning that all incoming students will have to take them in

order to meet LACC requirements. Due to the implementation of

the new policy, next year’s incom-ing transfer students who have previously taken English courses might be able to substitute their earlier work for the two required courses.

Stacey said this is largely deter-mined on an individual basis.

Many of these students, he add-ed, have worked for the past several years to meet certain requirements at the University and other institu-tions.

Stacey explained the new policy is more about honoring the stu-dents’ good faith efforts than any-thing else.

“We don’t want to just slam the door in their faces,” he said. “That doesn’t sound right or fair.”

scene and was later taken into custody after a short struggle with officers.

The maintenance personnel later identi-fied the student, telling officers that his ap-pearance matched that of the vandal.

University police chief Charles Miller said the student was jailed that night.

“He decided to commit a crime against the University,” Miller said. “My officers are here 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. If you commit a crime on cam-pus, we will put you in jail.”

The student has been charged with felony criminal mischief and has been released on bail, according to the Harris County District Clerk’s Office. He is currently awaiting trial after being formally charged on March 29. No plea has been entered into court records.

The student could face jail time if con-victed.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, the University ranks as one of the safest schools in the Great-er Houston area.

In 2009, the Uni-versity reported 21 larcenies or thefts, two burglaries and

one burglary of a motor vehicle.Miller said that while the University’s

crime rate remains low, students and faculty should not think that crime does not happen and advised they remain vigilant.

NEWS6 - THE COLLEGIAN MARCH 31, 2011

ATM: Student awaits day in court, faces possible jail timeContinued from Page 1

SACS: Administrators ‘eager’ to showcase QEP, campus

by Daniel CaDisManaging editor

LACC policy opens doors for transfers

Miller

We don’t want to just slam the door in their

faces. That doesn’t sound right or fair.

—Dr. Robert StaceyAssociate provost and dean of the Honors

College

“

”

accompany the roof repairs as the Brown prepares to re-open its classrooms and offices.

Mooney said it has not been decided which offices will return to the Brown but said the M.D. Anderson Student Center will still be used as a student center when the building re-opens.

She targeted Aug. 15 as the date to complete the repair work including office and classroom moves.

The needed classroom and of-fice space and the building’s im-portance to student and faculty morale and student recruiting as-sured Cox that repairing the build-ing was the best option, he said

The complex’s office and classroom spaces and its M.D. Anderson Student Center were unavailable during the lawsuit

against ACE American Insurance Company and York Claim Ser-vices Inc.

The University’s lawsuit sought damages for the building and included a business interrup-tion claim due to the loss of the building and its negative effect on student recruiting and retention.

This business interruption claim represented a significant portion of the claim, Sloan and Mooney said.

After the settlement, Sloan said a variety of options for the future of the building were con-sidered, including demolishing it.

The inspection’s evaluation of the Brown as structurally sound assured him of the quality of the complex.

“We think it’s a good build-ing,” Sloan said.

BROWN: Decision madeContinued from Page 1

Continued from Page 1

Stacey

RELIGION THE COLLEGIAN - 7MARCH 31, 2011

by Ashley DAvenportAsst. managing editor

Disciples of God should take time to learn about their own religion as well as other faiths.

Surveys conducted within the last few years show that Christians do not possess basic knowledge about other religions, or even their own.

In 2010, researchers from Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life asked 2,300 Americans 32 questions about different religions. Of those questioned, atheists and agnostics scored the highest, correctly answering an aver-age of 20.9 questions, while most denomina-tions of Christianity lagged far behind with the highest score aver-aging around 17.

Personal study of other religions will help bridge the gap created by the lack of religious education in Christians. By tak-ing the time to learn about their own and other belief systems, Christians have the opportunity to become stronger people of faith.

Christians should study world reli-gions to clarify their own beliefs, help them become more effective missionaries and show the love of Christ to others.

Christians are told throughout the Bi-ble to love their neighbors as themselves, even those who are different from them.

Jesus tells His disciples in John 15:12 to love one another: “My command is

this: love each other as I have loved you.”When Christians know about other

faiths, it becomes easier for them to show the love of Christ to others.

Not only will religious diversity help Christians love others, but it will also help them clarify their own beliefs.

Gaining knowledge from various faiths and questioning the way they prac-tice religion allows Christians to take a more comprehensive look at their own values. Once Christians can understand and communicate their own beliefs, they will become better followers of Christ and will be able share His Word more ef-

fectively.Religious edu-

cation also creates stronger mission-aries through this kind of knowledge.

In Matthew 28:19, Jesus tells Christians to spread His message to the world: “Therefore

go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

Many Christians find that the easiest way to follow this instruction is to use the culture’s own practices to facilitate learn-ing, like using drawings or the culture’s music to tell the story of the life of Jesus Christ.

Christians can benefit from this educa-tion and improve their lives, whether it is through personal research or talking with someone of another faith.

Diversity aids Christians’ goal

SERVING Texas forSpring BreakSpring break was not just about catching up on sleep, doing homework or going on vacation. Some students used the week to help share their faith in various ways throughout the state.

Beach Reach provided seven students with a unique volunteer opportunity to go beyond their normal routines, work with more than 700 other volunteers and share the Gospel with those who traveled to South Padre Island for the break.

Volunteers worked in teams that took differ-ent shifts to serve daily pancake breakfasts and provide shuttle services around the island for any person who called a hot line created and manned by the students.

The pancake breakfasts were held from 8:30 a.m. to noon in front of the group’s base at Island Baptist Church and again from 12 to 3 a.m. in front of a major nightclub on the island.

While serving pancakes and shuttling people, students were able to start conversations with their passengers and share the Word of God.

Senior Seth Miller, who went on the mission

trip, said that because many of the people were searching for something to satisfy them, they were generally receptive to spiritual conversa-tions.

Students also took groups to Coca-Cola Beach, where a sand sculpture artist, Randy Hof-man, built new sculptures depicting the life of Christ every day. Miller said these sculptures provided a great starting point for sharing the life and teachings of Christ with visitors.

Senior Grace Ramos said that Beach Reach provided an opportunity to reach out to those people in her age group who try to find fulfill-ment in temporary pleasures rather than in Christ.

“There is a world out there that is dying to hear about a Savior and to be loved,” Ramos said. “Our job is to share the love He has given us, to be His hands and feet.”

Beach Reach

South Padre Island

Project C.U.R.E.A drive held earlier in the year by the Nursing Students As-

sociation collected 200 supplies to donate to Project C.U.R.E. for Kids during spring break.

Junior Tiffany McCarthy said that the supplies collected by NSA went to help Project C.U.R.E. with its mission.

The Commission on Urgent Relief and Equipment provides medical supplies and services to people in different countries.

“This initiative provides something like a first-aid kit to young families that do not have easy access to everyday medical sup-plies, such as Band-Aids and burn ointment,” McCarthy said.

Danny Miller, director of Baptist Student Ministries, said that this is the first year that Project C.U.R.E. was offered as a Mis-sion Learning Opportunity, but the University has previously been involved with the organization. Students in Freshman Year Seminar have assisted the commission in the past.

McCarthy said she would definitely like to dedicate more time to the organization in the future.

“I loved being part of something that is really making a differ-ence in people’s lives,” she said.

Houston

Mission ArlingtonStudents from the Univer-

sity and Houston’s First Bap-tist Church came together over the break for an oppor-tunity to serve at Mission Ar-lington.

Rob Wiser, a first-year graduate student, was part of the team that put the Mission Learning Opportu-nity together and brought a group from Houston’s First Baptist Church on the trip.

While at Mission Arling-

ton, students participated in a daily Vacation Bible School called “Rainbow Ex-press” for children from dif-ferent apartment complexes around Arlington, sharing the Word through stories and interactive games.

Students were also given the opportunity to tour the mission and see the storage area for the food distribution in the Arlington area, as well as where free dental services

are provided. Wiser said he thought the

trip was a good opportunity for the students to partake in quality fellowship time. This, however, was not the main factor in his decision to go.

“Most of all, God led me to this,” he said.

Wiser added that the workers have to trust that God will provide for all their needs and depend on Him every day.

Arlington

Story by Alexis ShellyDesign by Ashley Davenport

MARCH 31, 20118 - THE COLLEGIAN

Free Admission and Registration For College Students

Patrick Marshallof Knifight

Catch these upcoming artists and more at concerts in the Houston area.

ENTERTAINMENT THE COLLEGIAN - 9MARCH 31, 2011

Summer TunesBeating out popular artists like Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry at the 2011 Grammys, Arcade Fire inspired listeners to explore unfamiliar bands. With the end of spring break, many students are dreaming of a stress-free summer full of new and exciting music. Here are a few under-the-radar bands who are worth listening to this summer.

Florence + the Machine

London’s new breakout band, Florence + the Machine, features lead singer Flor-ence Welch who is known for her soaring vocals, quirky melodies and a range of exuberant orchestral music.

The Machine consists of a seven-piece band, including guitarist Rob Ackroyd, drummer Chris Hayden, keyboardist Isa-bella Summers, and harpist Tom Monger.

“I want my music to sound like throw-ing yourself out of a tree or off a tall build-ing, or as if you’re being sucked down into the ocean and you can’t breathe,” Welch said on the band’s website. “It’s something overwhelming and all-encom-passing that fills you up, and you’re either going to explode with it, or you’re just go-ing to disappear.”

After receiving the 2009 Critics Choice Award at the Brits, the colorful band continued to make its way onto the U.S. charts with its hit song “The Dog Days Are Over,” which was recently covered by the cast of “Glee.”

Besides being recognized by one of America’s No. 1 sitcom, the band per-formed alongside music icons Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Martina Mc-Bride, and Yolanda Adams at the 2011 Grammys, gaining more recognition.

The Xx

With the perfect blend of slow rhythms and soothing vocals, The Xx proves to be a band worth following.

The band features lead vocals from Romy Croft and Oliver Sim, 20-year-old friends from South London.

The band’s self-titled debut album ranked ninth on Rolling Stone magazine’s 2009 “Best of the Year” list.

“Crystallized,” a popular single, con-tributed to the albums’ appearance in Rolling Stone and was also featured on iTunes as single of the week.

The Xx’s next hit, “Intro,” made its debut in the United States with its exten-sive use in television commercials like the 2010 AT&T advertisement featuring Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno.

Although The Xx remains a little-known band for now, it created a vocif-erous fan base due to its incorporation of smooth rhythm and blues and spiritual blues along with mature, insightful lyrics that can capture the audience’s attention.

Local Natives

Most bands gain recognition from their “look” or genre, but the atypi-cal Los Angeles band, Local Natives, mesmerizes listeners with its members’ voices.

The band’s three singers, Kelcey Ayer, Ryan Hahn and Taylor Rice, have gone against the norm creating a band based on harmonies instead of one front man, which helps them stand out from

other rising artists.Their unique style caught the ears of

many Europeans and Americans, and songs such as “Camera Talk” and “Sun Hands” feature drummer Matt Frazier front and center.

Every song on the Local Natives’ al-bum, “Gorilla Manor,” adds something different to its sound, whether it be smooth barbershop vocals or the carefree attitude each song embodies.

The Naked and Famous

The Naked and Famous, a foreign al-ternative rock and electro-pop band, re-sembles similarities of fellow indie bands MGMT and Passion Pit.

The group hails from New Zealand, where its single “Young Blood” debuted on the 2010 New Zealand chart at No. 1, making it the first New Zealand artist in three years to do so.

Formed in 2010, The Naked and Fa-mous has already played at the 2011 South by Southwest in Austin with an overwhelming fan base to support it.

The Naked and Famous contains a psy-chedelic energy with thrilling vocals. It mixes computer-induced effects, dreamy, electronic pop and occasional outbursts of static noise with duets from lead vocalists, Alisa Xayalith and Thom Powers.

Many of the songs have a steady drum beat to keep the audience’s attention such as the track “Girls Like You.”

With its Coldplay-like piano pounding and high-energy synths, The Naked and Famous has already gained the interest of many listeners.

The Vaccines

The Vaccines, a London-based indie rock band, formed in 2010 and has already placed third in the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Sound of 2011 charts.

The band consists of vocalist Justin Young, bassist Arni Hjovar, guitarist Freddie Cowan, and drummer Pete Rob-ertson.

Their music is best enjoyed at a loud volume due to its early ‘80s rock-n-roll feel and old-fashioned rebellion that goes hand-in-hand with limited three-chord progressions and echoing vocals.

Young’s deep vocals make it easy to

hum along with catchy tunes while familiar guitar riffs return listeners to a edgier time in mu-sic.

While its album, “What Did You Expect From the Vaccines,” has a bright overtone, it is easy to pick up on a hint of gloomi-ness that the band members have had in life.

The song “Wetsuit” is a per-fect example of the band’s tell-ing of their story. A four-min-ute ballad about youth fading too quickly, the song’s lyrics plead with listeners to “Let us be young, because time gets harder to outrun.”

With each stanza the song turns into an anthem for young adults around the world.

The Vaccines has a catchy rhythm and solid lyrics that develop a special connection with listeners, ensuring that the band will captivate a diverse range of fans.

Knifight

An incredibly energetic, electronic, post-wave pop band, Knifight, originat-ed in Tyler, Texas, and recently made its way to Austin for a showcase at SXSW 2011.

The band consists of John Gable, Pat-rick Marshall, Nick Garrison and John Hetherington.

Gable, with his Steven Morrisey-esque vocals, makes it easy to get lost in the music when accompanied by Marshall’s psychedelic synthesized beats.

The song “Girls Don’t Get Crushes On Me” is a perfect example of how the band uses progressions from a slow, mellow beginning to a dance-inducing electronic vibe, bringing the crowd to its feet.

At the rate Knifight is going, it will not be long before the band gains an over-whelming fan base.

Story byDina Rohira

Design byJessica Aldana

Visit hbucollegian.com to watch videos of these up-and-coming artists.

Alisa Xayalithof The Naked and Famous

Oliver Simof The Xx

Florence Welchof Florence + the Machine

Local Natives

Taylor Rice of Local Natives

Bjorn Yttlingof Peter Bjorn and John

Justin Young of The Vaccines

Foals and Freelance Whales with The Naked and Famous April 19 at 8 p.m. at Fitzgerald’s.

Glasnost with Knifight and Art Institute May 14 at 8 p.m. at Echo.

Arcade Fire with Local NativesMay 4 at 7:30 p.m. at The Cyn-thia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

Vans Warped Tour 2011 June 25 at 11 a.m. at Sam Hous-ton Race Park.

Free Press Summer Fest June 4-5 at 10 a.m. at Eleanor Tinsley Park.

The imaginary world created in the mind of a troubled young woman takes viewers on a powerful journey to find freedom.

Zack Snyder, director of “300,” formu-lates two creative alternate realities in his newest film, “Sucker Punch.”

The film follows Baby Doll, portrayed by Emily Browning from “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events,” and her expe-riences in a mental institution.

After being sent to Lennox House, an institution for the insane, Baby Doll with-draws from reality into an alternate reality. This new realm consists of a burlesque-style dance theater for young women to entertain men. While dancing, Baby Doll submerges herself in another imaginary world, one of combat where she learns the way to freedom from the institution.

While the idea behind the film sounds interesting, the writing and screenplay, both partly by Snyder, lacked strong execution.

The plot became confusing at different

points. Certain scenes made it difficult to dif-ferentiate between reality and Baby Doll’s alternate reality, though the audience could clearly distinguish when in the imaginary world of combat.

Vanessa Hudgens, who plays Blondie, deliveres an inadequate performance as a supporting actress. Hudgens lacks depth and fails to bring sincerity to her character. The soundtrack and cinematography were redeemable qualities, with the former featur-ing songs from many genres including old-ies, like Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” and indie, like Bjork’s “Army of Me.”

The film’s rendition of the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” for the opening credits add-ed allure to Baby Doll’s character.

With spectacular special effects and unique scene cuts, particularly the falling snow used when Baby Doll danced, the cin-ematography gave the film a video game-like quality.

The film’s computer-generated imagery, created for the target audience of males in their twenties, added the action factor to the movie. In the scenes taking place in Baby Doll’s imaginary world, the animation capti-vates the audience and pulls viewers into her mind.

“Sucker Punch” creates an extraordinary world of action, passion and the drive to gain freedom. While the poorly-constructed plot and subpar acting could have produced a B-grade movie, the film’s qualities proved to make it worth the cost of admission.

Since the late 1980s, so-ciety has become more en-grossed in social interaction on computers, making Face-book — the most used social

networking website — a constant presence in the daily lives of many.

Facebook infected the gen-eral populace in 2008 and quickly spread.

Blogging, status updates and wall posts consume the thoughts of many, but more founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg attempts to make Facebook the one-stop location for the Internet, the more his creation risks following the fate of other social net-working sites like MySpace and Friendster.

For most, the original appeal of Facebook was the simplicity of the site.

Now, users must adapt to new layouts and features with every revision to the site.

One of the changes the executives plan

on implementing was divulged when Warner Brothers announced that the site would soon offer online movie rentals.

Facebook executives also plan to add an online version of the popular smartphone game, “Angry Birds.”

The company has enhanced its site with adjustments such as chat, tagging and private

messaging. The brains behind Facebook

should be wary of forcing users to visit just one site for their In-ternet needs because of web surf-ers’ desire to use multiple sites.

Facebook appeals to all Inter-net users, from college students to grandparents, but users need variety when surfing the Web.

While Facebook fuses social networking and entertainment, the changes being made may result in a premature burn-out of the celebrated website.

With changes occurring at a rapid pace, it is unclear whether fans of the Internet giant will stay loyal to Facebook if these updates continue.

ENTERTAINMENT THE COLLEGIAN - 10MARCH 31, 2011

by Jessica aldanaEntertainment editor

Lady GaGaToyota CenterApril 8

The musical superstar visits Houston on her “Monster Ball” tour. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets range from $50-175 and are available at stubhub.com.courtesy of www.freshnessmag.com

courtesy of www.guardian.co.uk

HairsprayMiller Outdoor TheaterApril 7-16 HITS Theater will perform its own produc-tion of the Broadway hit. Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets are free, but donations are ac-cepted.

Angie DardenFreshman

History

the Scoop On...

Q: What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?A: Mint chocolate chip.

Q: What did you want to be when you were little?A: A veterinarian.

Q: What is one of your pet peeves?A: People coughing and smack-ing chewing gum.

Q: If you could co-star with any actress, who would it be? A: Kate Hudson.

Q: If you could have dinner with any character from the Bible, who would it be?A: Paul.

Q: What is your favorite time of year?A: Winter.

Q: Mac or PC?A: Mac.

Q: What has been your best accomplishment?A: Getting my hair to stay this cute.

Q: What is one thing you love about yourself?A: My small hands.

Q: What is your favorite book or short story?A: “Tricks” by Ellen Hopkins.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?A: Being a school teacher.

Q: If you were baking cookies and ran out of dough, would you use the Pillsbury Dough-boy?A: No.

FROMWHEREISTAND Soul Surfer

PGApril 8

AnnaSophia Robb plays surfer Bethany Hamilton who overcomes losing an arm after a violent shark attack and becomes a cham-pion once again.courtesy of www.fandango.com

Bayou BashSabine PromenadeApril 9

The Buffalo Bayou Partnership will hold a fundraiser to support Houston’s most used natural resource. There will be kayaking, live music and other activities all day.courtesy of www.houstonheat.org 1

3

by ashley davenport Asst. managing editor

‘Sucker Punch’ lands weak jab

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Emily Browning, Vanessa HudgensPG-13

“Sucker Punch”

Please visit www.websudoku.com and check Sudoku puzzle No. 429.

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INSTRUCTIONS: • Every row of nine numbers must include all digits one through nine • Every column of nine numbers must include all digits one through nine • Every three by three subsection must include all digits one through nine • Do not repeat numbers in any row,

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Answers for Sudoku puzzle No. 735

7

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Never-ending networking

THE COLLEGIAN - 11MARCH 31, 2011

The Nursing Student Asso-ciation, a pre-professional orga-nization that prepares students for their nursing careers, acquired four awards at the Texas Nursing School Association Conference on Feb. 25 for its level of involve-ment among students and its com-munity outreach programs.

The organization itself won three awards, including the TNSA Chapter of the Year, Scrapbook of the Year and Breakthrough to Nursing Award.

Senior Zui Keat Ng, NSA pres-ident, received the fourth award. He was named Student of the Year because of his high GPA, commu-nity service and religious partici-pation.

The considerations for grant-ing the Chapter of the Year award were number of members in the organization and the amount of activities that the group coordi-nated.

“Last year, we participated in a lot of community service proj-ects such as missions for the U.S.

Army, making donations and rais-ing money for the homeless and holding food and hygiene drives,” Ng said.

The Breakthrough to Nursing Award was granted for the NSA leaders’ efforts in recruiting new members each year and the orga-nization’s retention rate.

The Scrapbook of the Year award was given for the most cre-ative scrapbook design.

NSA, which is a requirement for all nursing students, has been attending the state convention for more than six years. It is also a constituency of TNSA and the Na-tional Student Nurses Association.

More than 40 nursing schools in Texas attended the convention. The University was represented by seniors Ng, Christin Handy, Evelyn De Leon, Jessica Hughes, Kristen Ortiz, Lauren Frank, and Maria Vera.

“Last year, we were underrep-resented, and we did not have ef-ficient participation,” Ng said. “So we did not win many awards.”

De Leon, NSA vice president, said she participated in this year’s convention partly because of the availability of employment oppor-tunities.

“I want to grow in my profes-sion,” De Leon said. “The con-vention is a great opportunity to network and to learn how to make a great impact as a nurse.”

In addition to community in-volvement and career preparation,

the members also contribute their political viewpoints to TNSA by presenting possible resolutions to current nursing issues and by vot-ing on proposed amendments or policy changes, Handy said.

NSA receives help and advice from faculty advisers Brenda Moore, instructor in nursing, and Carol Lavender, visiting instructor in nursing.

“Our advisers are the heart of the School of Nursing and Al-lied Health,” Handy said. “Since we run independently, they real-ize our dedication and act only as guides and overseers.”

Handy added that with strong board members dedicated to help-ing each other and working to-gether as a team, the members understood the importance of maintaining the University’s good image in the nursing community. Therefore, they worked hard to engage members in the organiza-tion in order to be a successful group.

“As a team, we learned the benefits of hard work and persis-tence,” she said. “Just because we were not so successful last year, that did not mean we were going to fail this year.”

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY MARCH 31, 201112 - THE COLLEGIAN

The computer has started the greatest evolution in the English lan-guage since Wil-liam Shakespeare.

In its new online edition, the Oxford English Dic-tionary defined 45,436 new terms. Many derive from text-message ab-breviations to the chagrin of some linguistic traditionalists.

The list of additions includes the nearly universal abbreviations OMG (oh my gosh) and LOL (laugh out loud), while the most contro-versial “word” added seems to be the “<3” that attempts to capture the apparently outdated “heart.”

The rapid expansion of vocabu-lary brought about by the computer age is a testament to the subjectivi-ty of language to the transformation of culture, but the reciprocal impact on society by evolved language could be for the worse.

English speakers owe their ex-tensive use of words such as “ad-vertising” and “unreal,” as well as many cliches including “heart of gold,” “laughing stock” and “in a pickle,” to the linguistic innova-tions of Elizabethan poet and play-wright Shakespeare.

By expanding the language’s vocabulary, the literary legend en-hanced speakers’ and writers’ ex-pressive potential, and these terms have subsequently been deeply engrained into customary verbal-ization.

Clearly, the introduction of new words and phrases can seriously impact the way speakers choose to communicate. Usually, new addi-tions expand users’ verbal capaci-ties, but speakers often come to in-ternalize them to such an extent that they can no longer find an alternate means of articulation.

Computer-age technology has created a culture of shortcuts, and the OED’s large-scale acceptance of contemporary abbreviations could spell an expressive demotion.

Keyboard componentsA keyboard is an input device that functions

like a miniature computer, with its own processor and circuitry that transports information to and from the processor.

Three stacked sheets of plastic lie beneath the layer of 80 to 110 keys usually present and are covered in electrically-conductive metal tracks with the third insulating them. Each key has a short, thin plastic bar beneath it that protrudes down into the contact layers when pressed.

Creating charactersBecause there is a hole in the insulating layer

directly below every key where the electrical cir-cuit is broken, pressing a button on the keyboard enables the bar to join both conducting layers by pushing part of the upper sheet through the insu-lator to the bottom sheet. This union completes a circuit that is unique to each key, so the computer interprets each stroke as a distinct character or command.

Finally, when the user’s finger releases the key, a small rubber disc below the bar allows the key to bounce back to its original position in anticipa-tion of the next keystroke.

information courtesy of Explain That Stuff! and HowStuffWorks

Did You Know..

OMG! OED destroying English language

QUESTION:How do keyboards work?

ANSWER:Switches and circuits translate keystrokes into signals that the computer can understand.

by Lauren Schoenemann

S&T editor

UP NEXT: How do airbags work?

by may ankunda

Staff writer

Students in Sigma Pi Sigma, the national physics honor society that is part of the Society of Phys-ics Students, received the Society of Physics Students Undergradu-ate Research Award in the form of a $820 grant to help fund its latest research project.

The organization earned the grant for its proposed study on us-ing fractal physics to characterize the growth of bacterial cultures.

The experiment, which began in the fall and will conclude by Dec. 31, makes Sigma Pi Sigma the first group in the College of Science and Mathematics to garner

funds for independent research.Dr. James Claycomb, associate

professor of physics and the Soci-ety of Physics Students chapter ad-viser, received the award notifica-tion letter earlier this month from the national director of the Society of Physics Students and Sigma Pi Sigma.

The announcement congratu-lated the group for the potential of its proposal for “Fractal Dimen-sion of the Morphology of Bacil-lus Subtilis and Proteus Mirabilis” to promote undergraduate research and to enhance the chapter’s pres-ence on campus.

In the past, the group has pur-sued its research endeavors with limited resources and needed to

organize fundraisers to purchase supplies for projects, said Dr. Gardo Blado, associate professor of physics.

“The Society of Physics Stu-dents, in-c l u d i n g Sigma Pi Sigma, is a very special group,” he said. “Very seldom do you see stu-dents who would spend

a considerable amount of time do-ing outside work just to pursue their interest in science on their own initiative.”

Senior Linh Do, Sigma Pi Sig-ma president, said the group is ex-cited that it earned recognition for its experiment’s potential and that it hopes the study will incite con-tinued research by other students.

“Sigma Pi Sigma’s goals are to spread awareness about physics throughout the community and to create a rich research environment directed by student leaders,” she said. “We believe that this project will encourage future students to initiate their own projects.”

Do added that Sigma Pi Sigma aspires to achieve publication in a nationally-recognized scientific journal and that it looks forward to the establishment of a research area in the Cullen Science Center.

by Lauren Schoenemann

S&T editor

Physics society earns research grant

State convention recognizes nursing students’ leadership

Claycomb

- Chapter of the Year AwardGranted to the chapter with the highest membership and greatest community participation

- Breakthrough to Nursing AwardBased on effectiveness of membership recruitment efforts and retention of members

- NSA Scrapbook AwardPresented to the most creative scrapbook compilers

- Nursing Student of the Year AwardZui Keat Ng, NSA presidentSelected for community service, religious participa-tion and GPA

Awards received at 63rd-annual TNSA convention

NSA receives four awards at the annual TNSA meeting

What is your phobia

BE HEARD. Send your letters to [email protected].

We reserve the right to refuse publication and to edit for content, brevity, style or taste. Unsigned letters will not be published. Limit letters to 300 words or less.

Editor in chiefManaging editorAsst. managing editorOpinion editorPhotography editor

Justin SchneewindDaniel Cadis

Ashley DavenportAyla Syed

Dina Rohira

THE COLLEGIAN — EDITORIAL BOARD

Contact UsNewsroom: 281.649.3670

News email: [email protected]

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Address: 7502 Fondren, UAC Room 205B Houston, TX 77074

Opinions on these pages do not necessarily reflect those of the University. The Collegian welcomes the views of readers who wish to help foster informed and interesting debates regarding issues that impact students’ lives.

Should Facebook continue to redesign its features?

STAFF EDITORIAL

Spring break offered some stu-dents a glimpse of how they could spend their summers — resting and relaxing.

The week away from classes allowed students to have a short sample of the summer break that lies only a month and a half away, and students returned to school with dreams of a longer break.

Students should take a few weeks to rest, leaving several weeks available to build their re-sumes in anticipation of facing job markets upon graduation.

Internships, for example, al-low students to gain the experience recruiters will seek and develop a network of contacts before they begin their careers.

Many premier internships are unpaid. It becomes easy to envy the friends posting photos from their beach vacations to Facebook, but an internship represents an im-

portant opportunity for students.I have completed two intern-

ships as required by the journalism and mass communication majors. These experiences taught me the skills necessary for jobs in this field and showed the day-to-day duties the positions mandate.

My internships provided a pic-ture of the skills needed for these positions, but they also provided something even more important.

During these summer intern-ships, I networked with profes-sionals in the field I intend to enter.

With graduation approaching, these contacts have provided an advantage as I plan for my career.

My summers may not have been the most noteworthy breaks and I didn’t return to campus with the best tan or the best vacation stories, but I was better for the ex-periences.

I’m just sayin’.

OPINION

backtalk

Antithesis

by Terrance TurnerContributing writer

Alexa Rojassophomore

Lizards.“ ”

?

Karen Nunezjunior

Big bodies of water.“ ”Bryant Buisophomore

“ ”

Steven Jimenezsophomore

Heights.“ ”

Brandon Porter Christopher James

Jessica AldanaJessica Scott

Lauren Schoenemann

Sports editorAsst. sports editorEntertainment editorAsst. entertainment editorS&T editor/copy editor

Carlos Grajales Rachael EkibolajiJohn LaChapelle

Nathan CadisDr. Alice J. Rowlands

Online editorAdvertising managerAdvertising asst.Alumni consultantFaculty adviser

The University should consider participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program in an effort to retain the student-veterans affected by the changes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

The Yellow Ribbon program provides private institutions with the opportunity to make their tu-itions more affordable for student-veterans.

The Department of Veterans Af-fairs matches any funding schools participating in the program give to student-veterans, doubling a school’s contribution to the stu-dents in addition to the benefits provided by the bill.

The University’s involvement in this program will help student-vet-erans adjust to the recent changes made to the GI Bill.

The most dramatic alteration to the bill caps the maximum funds

allotted to veterans at $17,500 per academic year, effective Aug. 1.

Student-veterans currently re-ceive benefits equal to the highest public school tuition within the vet-eran’s state of residence, which is $24,260 for the state of Texas.

Some student-veterans will see a decrease of more than $5,500 in funds as the University increases tuition to more than $25,000 for the next academic year.

The changes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill do not include a grandfather clause for those who currently re-ceive benefits from the bill.

If the University does not take action to help the more than 25 veterans affected by the changes, it will lose many of these students to public institutions that are fully funded under the GI Bill.

Some of these student-veterans

are less than a year away from graduation and may have to trans-fer to public institutions because of the cuts. Transferring for them could mean losing credit hours and delaying graduation.

The University should keep the interest of these students in mind when making decisions for the next academic school year.

Many private universities in

Texas including Dallas Baptist University, Rice University and Southern Methodist University participate in the program to help their student-veterans finance tu-ition.

The University should follow suit in order to not only increase its competitiveness but also help those veterans nearing graduation finish their tenures here.

Those in charge of Facebook should end the constant barrage of changes to the website.

Facebook exec-utives recently re-designed the web-site once again by changing the layout of its Pages section, but further changes

to the website are unnecessary.Most redesigns have met with

resistance, particularly the March 2009 update that tweaked the News Feed section. The resulting outcry led the Australian Personal Computer magazine to conduct a survey that showed that more than 94 percent of the 800,000 users polled disliked the new Facebook layout. The approval of its users is essential for any social-networking site.

Friendster, the first major so-cial networking site, failed. Ac-cording to the New York Times, Friendster’s executives focused on advancing via mediums like Inter-net phone services and neglected the site’s technological problems. Some Friendster pages took as long as 40 seconds to download.

Facebook executives run the same risk of becoming so preoc-cupied with redesigning that they overlook the important task of en-suring that the site’s features work.

Those in charge of Facebook should do what is best for the site’s users by focusing less on constant-ly redesigning the website and more on making sure that it works.

by Justin Schneewind, editor in chief

Illustration by MAX ANTON

Priceless experiencesWith the rapid advancements

in technology and the growth of Facebook, expansion is an essen-

tial step. Facebook CEO

Mark Zuckerberg and his team con-stantly expand the offerings of the company with new

updates and fresh Web pages for the benefit of users and partners.

According to NBC technology, Facebook will offer movie rentals on its site. The site will charge $3 or 300 Facebook credits for the rental, expiring 48 hours after pur-chase.

This feature will enhance the site and lure in more users with its diversified feature offerings.

Users will also be able to chat with friends through any medium they choose, including SMS, email or IM.

The improvements allow for the millions of users to communi-cate in real-time using whichever messaging system they prefer.

With recent disasters in Japan and uprisings in the Middle East, Facebook has played an impor-tant role in communication and emergency response efforts, al-lowing users to stay connected and to share vital information such as evacuation routes.

Expansion is not only a good thing but necessary when servicing Facebook’s 500 million users and connecting them with friends and family every day.

Yellow Ribbon offers solution

MARCH 31, 2011 THE COLLEGIAN - 13

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Join our Facebook

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by chrisTopher JamesAsst. sports editor

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here are amazing possibilities when you open your child’s mind to reading. Log onto the Library of Congress web site www.literacy.gov and let the journey begin.

What is the best arcade game? “Area 51.”

What song would you sing on American Idol? “She Bangs” by Ricky Martin.

Who is your favorite athlete? Cliff Lee. If you were an animal, which one would you be? An eagle.

Nike or Reebok? Reebok.

What is your nickname? Nike.

What is your favorite Adam Sandler movie? “Happy Gilmore.”

If you had a magic carpet, where would you fly? Las Vegas for a weekend.

What is the best sports movie? “BASEketball.”

What would you use to kill a zombie? I would try to talk it down.

What are your plans for after college? To start my own food company.

Who is your favorite teammate? Whoever scores me runs.

What is your favorite stadium in which you have competed? Baylor Ballpark at Baylor University.

The softball team claimed the No.1 seed in the Great West Con-ference Postseason Tournament af-ter a 5-1 record in the Great West Conference Tournament March 25-27.

The Huskies avenged a 2-4 record from last season’s regular-season tournament and improved their record to 21-14.

The team started conference play against Utah Valley Univer-sity, winning the first game 2-1 and losing the second 4-2.

The Huskies trailed early in the first game by one run but rallied in the bottom of the sixth when senior first baseman Sara Corcoran hit a line drive down the left-field line, driving in two runs to give senior pitcher Jammie Weidert the win.

The Huskies lost the second

game to Utah Valley, their only loss in the tournament, when the Wolverines first baseman Amanda Perez hit a home run to take the lead in the fifth inning.

“We were focused and con-fident,” Weidert said. “Ranked fourth coming into the season, we wanted to prove everyone wrong.”

The Huskies took the first game against the defending champion University of North Dakota with a score of 7-2, led by the bat of soph-omore second baseman Mac Chris-tensen, who hit a two-run home run to left-center field in the win.

The second game against North Dakota went into extra innings and Corcoran hit the game-winning, two-out double in the 10th inning as Wiedert earned her second win of the tournament.

Weidert said she felt confident entering the tournament. She won four games and allowed only three runs, which coach Mary-Ellen Hall described as a phenomenal perfor-mance.

For freshman outfielder Re-becca Rademacher, the tournament provided her with her only playing

time in over a month, where she posted 10 hits, seven RBIs and one home run.

Hall credited Rademacher’s per-formance for the Huskies’ sweep of South Dakota.

“She sparked the team with her lead-off hitting,” Hall said.

The University of South Dakota struggled to get her out as Radem-acher drove in four runs on three hits, including a home run.

“I was nervous and excited to be playing in my first conference tour-nament,” Rademacher said.

Rademacher and the Huskies defeated North Dakota 7-3 with a two-run shot by Christensen in the first inning, followed by another two-run home run to center field by senior shortstop Mollye Mlcak, giving them the lead 4-2. Corcoran added three more runs with a home run to left field in the bottom of the seventh, giving the Huskies a win of 7-3, earning them the No.1 seed in the conference.

“They got the job done and did exactly what we wanted to do in the conference tournament,” Hall said.

Softball takes top seed after 5-1 finish

Stephen NikonchikPosition: PitcherHeight: 6’2” Classification: SeniorWon against #7 Texas Christian University March 12

A decision re-garding the Great West Conference and the Atlan-

tic Soccer Conference needs to be made — to stay or not to stay.

The athletic department, with the exception of men’s golf and men’s soccer, competes in the Great West Conference.

Full membership in the NCAA would allow the athletic programs to compete for national championships starting in the fall.

The Great West will not be eli-gible for automatic qualification into national tournaments for confer-ence champions until 2020, and the Atlantic Soccer Conference — the conference men’s soccer competes

in — does not field enough teams to start the automatic qualification pro-cess. For the University to advance to the tournaments, they would need an exceptional record and gain an at-large bid.

The Great West is also the most dispersed conference in the nation, spanning from Utah to New Jersey.

There are four conferences that are moderately close, have auto-matic bids and do not require foot-ball: the Southland Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, the Missouri Valley Conference, and the Summit League.

The Southland Conference re-

quires the least amount of travel, as its teams are an average of a 4.14-hour drive from campus. The Sun Belt averages 11.37 hours, while the Missouri Valley averages 14.84, and the Summit League is 18.44. The Summit League is only slightly closer than the Great West’s 18.47, but it has an automatic qualifier.

The Missouri Valley Conference would be perfect for the University. This conference fields competitive programs, is relatively close, has an automatic qualifier, and carries men’s soccer and men’s golf, some-thing hard to find in a conference that can help bring more unity to the athletic department.

The Great West gave the Uni-versity a championship to play for at the end of each season, but nine more years is a long time to wait for an automatic qualifier.

SPORTSMARCH 31, 2011 THE COLLEGIAN - 15

by BRANDON PORTER

by Brandon Porter

Sports editor

Conference decisions need to be made

by ChristoPher James

Asst. sports editor

TIMEOUTwith...

NEXT UPAT HOME

Softball

April 8 2 p.m. North Dakota*

April 9 12 p.m. North Dakota* (DH)

April 10 2 p.m. North Dakota*

April 13 2 p.m. Texas at San Antonio

April 13 4 p.m. Texas at San Antonio

BaseballMarch 31 2 p.m. Dallas Baptist

April 1 2 p.m. Dallas Baptist

April 2 2 p.m. Dallas Baptist

April 5 3 p.m. Stephen F. Austin State

Senior first baseman Sara Corcoran hits a fly ball to center field in the sweep of Texas Southern University on March 22. The Huskies improved to 21-14 on the season and 5-1 in conference.

Huskies acquire No. 1 seed in Great West Tournament

asd

BASEBALL (1 - 19)March 15 Prairie View A&M 11-4 LMarch 22 Sam Houston State 5-4 L March 23 Texas 12-0 LMarch 29 Texas A&M- Corpus Christi 11-8 L

HUSKYSPORTS REWINDSOFTBALL (21 - 14) (5 - 1)

March 14 Akron 5-0 LMarch 14 Sienna 5-0 WMarch 15 Eastern Illinois 7-3 LMarch 15 Lafyette 6-4 WMarch 17 Fairleigh Dickinson 5-0 LMarch 17 Akron 6-3 L

March 18 Hartford 6-0 WMarch 18 Sienna 4-2 LMarch 22 Texas Southern (DH) 4-0 W/ 2-1 WMarch 25 Utah Valley* (DH) 2-1 W/ 4-2 LMarch 26 North Dakota* (DH) 7-2 W/ 3-2 W (10 inn) March 27 South Dakota* (DH) 10-0 W (5 inn)/ 7-3 W* Denotes conference game

SPORTS MARCH 31, 201116 - THE COLLEGIAN

Playing to theBeatAthletes and the music that keeps them in the game

Jamie Storey, a senior pitcher on the baseball team, says it’s all about getting in the right mood for him.

“I want to be extremely loose when I get ready to pitch, so I will listen to a good country song or even an old ‘Jock Jams’ song to get me ready.”

Most athletes take their game-day preparation seriously, including pre-game rituals such as wearing lucky game socks or eating the same meal before ev-ery game. Athletes are increas-ingly turning to music in an at-tempt to secure an edge over their opponents.

Research conducted by Dr. Costas Karageorghis, a sports psychologist at Brunel Univer-sity, suggested that music can in-crease an athlete’s performance by as much as 20 percent accord-ing to an October 2005 issue of The Sunday Times.

Senior Michael Moss, who played for the men’s basketball team for two years, used music to motivate him to push past his physical limitations.

“Right before a game, I would listen to something that would get me focused and pre-pare myself to step on the court and get the job done that night,” Moss said.

For athletes, just hearing the words or the beat of a song can give them the strength to domi-nate the opposition.

For senior Paige Jenkins, an outside hitter on the volley-ball team, the song “Outta Your Mind” by Lil’ Jon instantly gets her into the right mindset to play right before a game.

The music genres athletes prefer are as varied as the play-ers themselves, ranging from hip-hop to country and from rock to jazz.

The bouncing beats and inspi-rational lyrics of hip-hop evoke confidence, making it a favorite of many athletes.

“I think a big reason hip-hop gets us ready is because the words speak to us,” Moss said. “It is not like football where we want to go tear someone’s head off. We want to be relaxed but still have that edge to get ready to compete.”

For many of the University’s athletes, their song choices come from a special reaction they have when they hear a particular song.

“How I am feeling that day will determine what I am listen-ing to on game day,” Jenkins said.

But the type of music an ath-lete listens to is not just confined to his or her headphones during practice.

For some players, a walkout song greets them as they step onto the field. Baseball and soft-ball players choose a song that they like to hear as they come up to bat or as they run from the

bullpen to the pitcher’s mound.For junior Kolby Arnst, an

outfielder on the baseball team, music gets his mind locked in on the game when it is time for him to step in the batter’s box for an at-bat.

“When I hear ‘Comatose’ by Skillet as I walk up to the plate, it gets me focused on trying to succeed against the pitcher.”

Senior Jammie Weidert, a pitcher on the softball team, said that when her song plays, it gives her the adrenaline rush she needs to focus on the mound.

Weidert said when she is on the mound and her song “Hit the Floor” by Linkin Park comes on she is inspired.

“I want everyone to know that I am ready to compete,” she said.

Xavier Hernandez, a former major league pitcher and current assistant baseball coach at the University, said that it was not uncommon for music to influ-ence his former teammates and opponents.

“You would have guys like Trevor Hoffman (the pitcher who set the all-time record for saves) who would come out to ‘Hells Bells,’ and he would not start running out of the bullpen to the mound until the first bell was heard in the song,” Hernan-dez said.

He also said that music could put different players in certain

mindsets, which other teams can pick up on and become intimi-dated.

The motivation music gives players equates to regular people listening to their favorite songs in their cars to put them in the right state of mind to face the day. Athletes do the same thing, but it comes 20 minutes before a tipoff, kickoff or a first pitch.

When it is time to workout in the weight room, many athletes agree that music plays a big part in providing them the energy to get through the physical and mental portions of their work-outs.

In The Sunday Times ar-ticle, Karageorghis stated that the right tune could aid athletic performance by synchronizing the rhythm with human move-ment to increase endurance and enhance physical strength.

Arnst said when he is in the weight room, listening to mu-sic helps him reach his highest physical potential.

“I will turn up the best rock song I can find and have that fire me up to get through my work-out,” he said.

Storey said if a particular song comes on, it can psych him up to pitch.

“It is something special,” he said. “You just connect with a given tune.”

Like Storey said, it is all about getting in the right mood.

He’s sitting on the bus listening to his favorite song. His heart pumps faster

as he thinks about stepping on the mound. He’s preparing for the game, hoping the music will give him the edge to play beyond his limits.

STORY BY Chase Hernandez

DESIGN BY Nathan Cadis

Motivation

Musical science

Style of choice

Professional opinion

Kolby Arnst — Left fielder“Comatose” by Skillet

Jammie Weidert — Pitcher“Hit the Floor” by Linkin Park

Michael Moss — Guard“Can’t See Me” by 2Pac

the Beats

The Collegian - Issue 11

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