Sept. 20, 2010 - South Plains College

Plainsman Press
South Plains College
1401 S. College Ave. • Levelland, Texas
Losing substance: The
story of three women and
their struggle with drug
abuse.
Vol. 53 • Issue 1 • September 20 , 2010
Rove still relevant in new position after many
years as political consultant.
Ex student
welds his passion
into art.
(see page 16)
(see page 7)
(see page 8)
New dorm to be ready by 2012
by SARAH NICOLE VAUGHN But more importantly, it will for construction will be handled Cutchin, will begin in November, halls during the spring, prioritiznews editor
allow SPC to renovate its older during the October meeting of said Dr. Sharp, who expects the ing the construction based on
dorms to be ready for the spring the needs at that time. Once the
Freese-Nichols Architects facilities, extending their life 15 the SPC Board of Regents.
has completed their plans for to 20 years.
“Our intention with this
a new, two-story, 104-bed residence hall to be built on South hall is that we can move some
Plains College’s Levelland cam- of the students out of these
old facilities and into the
pus.
The new residence hall will new ones,” said Dr. Sharp,
be built just south of J.V. Morton “and then use this unit to acDrive, near the Welding Tech- commodate those, plus some
nology Building. The L-shaped growth.”
While the new facilities
building will be placed on the
lot in a way that leaves room for will accommodate the recent
an identical residence hall to be growth at SPC, Dr. Sharp says
built later. The building’s exterior that the most important asdesign will match the brick exte- pect is the ability to renovate
rior of the other buildings on the the old dorms and prepare
SPC’s student services for
Levelland campus.
The last dorms to be built more growth.
“You could build so many
on the Levelland campus were
the Smallwood Apartments in dorms, and then your cafetethe 1980s, and most of the other ria might be too small, your
dorms were built during the mailroom might be too small,” The new two-story, 104-bed dorm is expected to be completed by the spring of 2012.
1960s, according to Dr. Kelvin said Dr. Sharp. “It moves along Artistic rendering courtesy of Freese-Nichols Architects
progressively, and I think
Sharp, president of SPC.
The new facilities will allow we’re on the right track.”
Groundbreaking for the
for growth in the number of
The construction, led by 2012 semester. SPC will then old facilities are renovated, the
students who live on campus. new construction will be at
10:30 a.m. on Oct. 19. Bidding Construction Manager Jim Mc- renovate the older residence new dorms will be able to house
new incoming students, allowing more room for students who
want to live on campus.
Dr. Sharp said
that the renovations of the old
residence halls
would also save
money for local
taxpayers and SPC
students alike.
“If we can take
those facilities and
bring them to life,
and they last another 20 years,
that’s good for the
taxpayers,” said Dr
Sharp. “Plus, since
they ’re already
paid for, students
will have the advantage of living
in them at a lower
cost. So we want
to keep them online for as long as
we can. This will
give us the opportunity to do
that.”
by ASHLEY BAKER
staff writer
Greene also said he loves
having the windows in the new
lab.
“It is a less claustrophobic
environment, and the windows
give a much more open and welcoming feeling to my students,”
adds Greene.
The new lab also enables
professors and students to have
ready access to the resources
they need.
“I have seen more students
in the library this year than ever,”
said K-Dee Anderson, public
service librarian.
Due to the fact that all library staff can now see the lab,
it will remain open even when
classes are not using it, so students can utilize the computers
at any time during the library’s
hours.
“I have even seen teachers
come in to teach each other the
new Black Board system”, said
Carol McDonald, librarian.
Another perk for students is
that the library’s new lab is open
on Sundays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
and may be used anytime during
those hours. Though the Library
is gaining more use by students
and faculty, it is also in demand
for professors wanting to bring
in classes.
“A lot more teachers are
more willing to come over and
reserve the lab for their classes,”
said Anderson.
Along with the new computer lab, the library has also
added a new coffee bar located
in its foyer. Designed to provide
something warm for students
who need a pick- me- up while
studying, the coffee bar contains
several different flavors of coffee, such as Colombian, French
Roast, and classic.
Students who are not coffee drinkers can also pick up a
hot cup of hot chocolate or tea,
which also comes in several different flavors such as green tea,
Earl Gray tea, and raspberry tea.
The Library only charges $1 for a
12-ounce cup, and includes one
free refill. This charge is strictly
to help the library provide the
coffee, tea and coco.
“The library doesn’t make
a profit from the coffee bar,”
says Belcher. “We simply just
wanted to provide something
for the students that come in
and study.”
Library renovations create educational hotspot
While walking through the
Library on the Levelland campus, students may have noticed
a change in its size and amenities.
After the summer semester
of 2010, modifications began on
the Library to enable students in
large and overflowing classes to
have more hands-on learning,
and better fit its own literature
lecture classes. Watching all
the planning and finally seeing
the plans come through for the
new lab “is like seeing dreams
come true,” said Ann Hebisen,
public services librarian.
The renovations include a
new computer lab located along
the back wall of the Library.
The lab spans approximately
21 feet wide by 62 feet long,
and contains new carpet. The
lab is wired to house up to 44
computers, and is
also equipped with
two large projector
screens for better
instruction.
It is designed
to be a comfortable learning environment, even at
maximum capacity,
with each student
having his or her
own computer.
The lab also
contains multiple
glass windows
looking out to the
library and letting
better light into
the lab.
Librarians Ann Hebisen and K-Dee Anderson join Jim Belcher, director of
Currently,
librairies at SPC, in the new computer lab.
the lab houses 33
LATASHA SOTO/PLAINSMAN PRESS
computers, but the
Library staff says
than October. The renovations cording to the staff, is very conmore have been ordered and
also added a downstairs storage venient compared to the storage
are expected to arrive no later
room for the Library, which, ac- room they had upstairs.
“The renovations were in
great need due to the growing
student body at South Plains
College,” said Jim Belcher Jr.,
director of libraries at SPC .
Before the renovations,
students expecting to have a
hands-on learning experience
were often forced to share
computers and even stand
through the entire class. The old
lab, which had been located on
the second floor of the Library,
was only 27 feet wide by 44
feet long, and contained only
24 computers at maximum
capacity.
Aaron Greene, instructor
of geology, who has taught and
lectured in the lab of the library
for years, says the new lab is a
big improvement.
“I have been able to enroll
more students, and they do
not have to share computers,”
Greene said.
Gerstenberger leaves teaching for new opportunity
by ERICA PAUDA
staff writer
“I went from being assistant
professor to associate professor
of speech communication,” she
adds.
“It is wonderful, it’s just a
different kind of wonderful,” Gerstenberger says of her new job. “I
work with a different audience,
instead of students being my
co-workers, because that’s what
After teaching speech comI always really thought.”
munication for the past 19 years
Taking on the director posiat South Plains College, Julie
tion, Gerstenberger has learned
Gerstenberger has decided to
that the job consists of mainly
take on a new position.
making friends.
“In March of this year,
“That is really what
I learned about this posieventually happens in
tion opening up, and doors
this office,” adds Gerjust flew open,” says Gerstenberger. “Friends
stenberger, the director of
of the institution tend
development and director
to become donors and
of the SPC Foundation.
supporters.”
She says that she acGerstenberger’s
cepted the position at the
main purpose is to
end of March. After accepthelp freshmen, along
ing the position, she began
with returning stuher new duties on July 1.
dents, receive schol“It was a great time to
arship money to help
start in an administrative
fund their tuition.
position, because I did not
“One of our suphave the distraction of stuporters that we have
dents,” says Gerstenberger.
is our South Plains Col“I’ve never had a semester
lege Foundation,” says
without teaching.”
Gerstenberger. “It has
It has definitely been
a board of directors,
quite an interesting tranand those folks mansition for Gerstenberger,
age the institution’s
considering that she has
pool of scholarship
never been away from the
funds.”
classroom on the Levelland
She says that
campus. She used to teach As the new director of development, Julie
those are the other
speech communication Gerstenberger draws from her teaching
people she gets to
and business and profes- experience for inspiration.
work with.
sional speech classes.
GABBY PEREZ/PLAINSMAN PRESS
“ That’s a really
wonderful group of professionals from the area,” she adds.
Since taking on her new
role, Gerstenberger has come to
find that the people who she has
known for years, she can now
develop a professional relationship with them as well.
There are many scholarships
available that students attending the college may not know
about.
“Students need to apply for
scholarships,” says Gerstenberger, who points out that March 1
is the application deadline for
scholarships for the 2011-2012
school year.
“I know from being in the
classroom that there are a lot of
returning students who need,
and really have earned, some
financial support,” says Gerstenberger.
She adds that the majority
of SPC students do not qualify
for any kind of federal grant.
“Unless these students have
independent means to pay for
college, scholarships are their
only means,” says Gerstenberger.
“My encouragement for the faculty, staff and their friends of the
college would be just to know
that every contribution helps,
because every contribution is a
part of the whole.”
She says that she believes
that when everyone on the
faculty and staff can work together, they can provide those
opportunities.
“This is my sort of ‘Pay It Forward’ job,” Gerstenberger says. “I
get to tell people to think about
what helped you get to where
you are today, and who did it, or
what happened. Even if it’s not
fully funding a scholarship a little
contribution can help.”
Faculty and staff can also
participate in monthly electronic
payroll deduction, according to
Gerstenberger.
“Each month, payroll pulls a
dollar amount out of the faculty
or employee’s paycheck, and that
money can go anywhere that
the employee wants it to go,”
she says. “It can go to immediate
impact, or a specific scholarship,
and they can choose where
it goes and what amount. It’s
completely changeable and
flexible.”
About 109 faculty and staff
currently participate in the payroll deduction program, according to Gerstenberger.
Any students who would like
to explore scholarship opportunities can visit the Development
Office, or contact Gerstenberger
at (806)-716-2020.
2
News
Plainsman Press
September 20, 2010
Nursing program to get new home
by SARAH NICOLE VAUGHN
news editor
A property recently purchased by South Plains College is going to make room for
big changes on the Levelland
campus, providing the college’s
nursing program with a new
place to call home.
The property, located within
the strip mall known as Gentry
Square, includes 3.5 acres of
land, more than 200 parking
spaces, and a 36,000 square-foot
building that has been vacant
for more than a decade. SPC will
pay $595,000 for the property,
and will incur another $300,000
in costs to replace the roof.
But the purchase price is still a
bargain, according to Dr. Kelvin
Sharp, president of SPC.
“By the time we do the renovations, we’re about 30 to 40
percent below [the cost of ] new
construction,” said Dr. Sharp.
Dr. Sharp also said that the
purchase would give SPC the
opportunity to expand two existing programs and a location
for the new Physical Therapy Assistant program that was made
possible with the award of a
highly competitive Title V grant the size of those programs,” said will save the college in renovat- want to get it designed, and I’d
from the federal government.
Dr. Sharp. “We’ll have less stu- ing costs. Bids can be as much like to bid it before Christmas.”
“Our goal is to move both dents that are turned away be- as $10 per square foot cheaper
Dr. Sharp also said that the
the vocational nursing program cause we didn’t have the space.
and the associate degree nursing
program
over,” said
D r. S h a r p.
“And then
the new
physical
therapy assistant program that
starts with
the Title V
grant next
fall.”
T h e
new instructional An old grocery store in Levelland’s Gentry Square will serve as the new instructional space for SPC’s nursing programs.
space will LARA BIDWELL/PLAINSMAN PRESS
allow these
programs to
nearly double in size. It will also And it not only helps them, but if the work will be performed purchase and expansion of profree up about 17,000 square feet the rest of us by giving us a little indoors during cold months, grams could have some impact
of instructional space within extra room.”
which is exactly what Dr. Sharp on Levelland’s economic develthe Technical Arts Building and
Dr. Sharp said that he hopes wants to take advantage of.
opment, potentially turning a
80 to 100 parking spaces near to get work started inside the
“We’re going to have, in desolate shopping center into a
the middle of the Levelland building as soon as possible, and about two weeks, the architects hot spot for local businesses.
campus.
for construction to take place here to talk to the nursing faculty
“Hopefully, it will revitalize
“It [will] allow us to double during the winter months, which about design,” said Dr. Sharp. “I that center,” said Dr. Sharp. “If
we put three good programs in
that center, maybe it will fill back
up again.”
Sue Ann Lopez, director of
Health Occupations and department chair for Nursing, said that
the nursing program began in
1985 with 24 students. Currently,
the program enrolls around 100
students each year.
“Space-wise, we haven’t
enlarged that much,” said Lopez.
“This is going to double our
space. It’s something that’s hard
to envision, because it’s such a
big, blank canvas right now.”
Lopez said that the space
would also allow the program
to grow in the future, just in
time to supply students for a
nursing shortage that looms on
the horizon. The downturn in
the nation’s economy prevented
many baby boomers from retiring, which alleviated the shortage, but only temporarily.
“Probably, within the next
five years, we’re going to bottom
out again,” said Lopez. “And then
we’re going to be faced with a
critical shortage. This way, we’ll
be in the perfect timeframe to
turn out more graduates to meet
that demand.”
Regents hear of Reese Center renovations
by SARAH NICOLE VAUGHN
news editor
Fall enrollment numbers,
as well as an update on renovations and construction plans for
the Reese Center and Levelland
campuses, were the main items
on the agenda for the September meeting of the South Plains
College Board of Regents.
Darrell Grimes, vice president for academic affairs, told
the Board that renovations have
been completed in Building 6
on the Reese Center campus,
improving the instructional
will take place at 10:30 a.m. on
Oct. 19.
He also said that the college
is working on the surveying
and phase one environmental
study for the new Gentry Square
property that will be an addition
to the Levelland campus. The environmental study will help find
and resolve issues the building
may have before renovations
begin. Freese-Nichols Architects
will also be conducting a design charette with the nursing
program faculty for the new
property in September.
erator mounted in the floor for
students to practice working on,
a partnership with Texas Tech
University will allow students
to get an even more hands-on
experience.
“A company in conjunction
with Texas Tech that is going
to put in some wind turbines
wants for us to use them for this
program,” Grimes told the Board.
“So the students will have real
functional wind turbines to learn
how to work on [them].”
Stephen John, vice president
for institutional advancement,
reported that the SPC website
will be seeing many updates in
the near future, including a mobile phone compatible website,
a new content management
system that will make student
services more accessible, and
RSS feed capabilities.
“We’ll be able to use RSS
feeds to do live news feeds, so
that when things happen at the
college it will change automatically on the website,” said John.
“It’s a really great tool and resource to have available to us.”
David Jones, vice president
for student affairs, reported
that enrollment is up across the
board for the fall semester, except for dual credit enrollments,
whose students usually enroll
later in the semester. SPC’s unduplicated enrollment as of Sept. 8
was up 1.7 percent over the fall
2009 record enrollment. The Plainview campus saw the biggest
increase at 14.5 percent.
SPC President Dr. Kelvin
Sharp reported to the Regents
that the groundbreaking for
the new residence hall being
built on the Levelland campus
by SAMANTHA RODRIGUEZ class is offered to students and and has a complex membership,
photo editor
faculty members. The cost is $7 it is also $7. The class costs $10
Learn how to dance like each time you attend. Also, if a each for everyone else.
The class is offered every
the stars with a new dance class person is a community member
South Plains College is offering
during September, October, and
November.
The class is
taught by Vanessa Moffett, along
with instructor
Josh Flores. Moffett teaches the
female part, and
Flores teaches
the male part.
“ Yo u w i l l
get a different
person leading
each time, and a
different person
following each
time, so that it
gets kind of
Students and local community members practice their salsa moves
mixed up,” Mofduring a new dance class offered by SPC.
fett says.
Th e d a n ce Photos by SAMANTHA RODRIGUEZ/PLAINSMAN PRESS
week on Tuesday from 6:30 p.m.
to 8 p.m. in Room 114 in the PE
Complex.
During each month, a different dance will be taught. In
September, participants
will learn how to salsa. In
October, they will learn
how to country western
two- step, and in November they will learn East
Coast Swing. With each
style, students will have
the opportunity to learn
different techniques and a
variety of dance steps.
The first couple of
weeks of each month will
be beginners level, then
intermediate level for the
next two weeks. At the
beginning of each month,
basic steps and basic
moves will be taught,
showing how to lead and
how to follow correctly.
“Once the month
goes on, we always do a
review of what we did the
some new moves
and get a little more
advanced.”
“People can
come alone, or bring
a partner. We rotate
everyone around,
so everyone gets to
dance. It’s open to
everyone.”
Next semester, the dances will
change, and participants will continue to learn something different each
month.
Flores and Moffett both offer private lessons as well
at D’Venue in Lubbock. If anyone is
interested in private
lessons, or for addiPatricipants can learn salsa, two- tional information,
step, and swing in the new class.
contact Moffett at
716-2235, or email
vmoffett@southplainscollege.
week before,” Moffett says. “During that next lesson, we learn edu.
space for students of SPC’s new
alternative energy program.
The renovations cost
$117,000 and were made possible by a Title V federal grant for
wind/solar programs.
Improvements include a
false ceiling with acoustic tiles
and carpet in the teaching lab,
which cut down on the echo that
the room had before. Two walls
were erected in the building to
create a computer lab, and larger
electrical lines were installed for
the Lab-Volt Trainers.
In addition to a wind gen-
SPC steps it up with new dance class in Levelland
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semesters by journalism students at
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Texas. Opinions herein are those of
the writer and not necessarily those
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advertisers.
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Editorial Staff
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3
News
Plainsman Press
September 20, 2010
Student Satisfaction Survey intended to improve student life
by JENNIFER VALDEZ
staff writer
Some students say that
registration processes and procedures are convenient, while
others say the availability of
financial aid is inadequate for
most students.
These were among the
strengths and challenges indicated by the “Student Satisfaction Survey.” It was last sent out
in 2009, according to Kimbra
Quinn, director of new student
relations at South Plains College.
The survey was sent by e-mail to
784 students and completed by
297 students, for a completion
rate of 38 percent. Among those
who participated in the survey,
70.6 percent were female, while
only 29.4 percent of those who
responded were men.
Most of the respondents
were between the ages of 19
to 24 (56 percent). Of those
students who responded to the
survey, the majority work parttime or full-time off campus
rather than on campus.
Also, most of the students
participating in the survey indicated that SPC was their first
choice when it came to deciding
where to attend (67 percent).
Financial aid was indicated
as the main tuition source for
students. Some of the students
participating in the survey commented that they think that the
tuition they pay is a worthwhile
investment. Also, the registration process and procedures are
convenient, and the campus is
safe and secure for all students.
Other comments included
that the college provides online
access and convenient ways of
paying school bills, and most
importantly, students are made
to feel welcome at SPC.
The students participating
in the survey also indicated that
other strengths for the college
include the easy-to-use schedule book, the ease of finding
the names, location and contact
i formation for advisors, comput-
er labs that are easily accessible,
the “amazing campus staff ” and
pre-registration information that
is provided in a timely manner.
However, the students also
indicated a few challenges that
SPC needs to work on. Among
these challenges are financial
aid availability, the need to be
notified early if students are doing poorly in a class, the need for
faculty to provide timely feedback about a student’s academic
progress, and for the institution
to help identify resources to finance education for students.
Quinn noted that she was
very happy with the ratio of
strengths to challenges, as well
with the number of students
who participated.
In spring 2010, the Student
Satisfaction Inventory held a
focus group to interview random
students in small groups at all
four campuses. A total of 139
students were given anonymity and free food just
to talk about how they felt
about their time at SPC.
The students offered recommendations for
SPC to make their
education even better.
Most of the comments made by the students in the focus groups
were similar to the challenges
that the survey showed. Students
feel that they want to be more
involved
and up to date in class, as well as
have feedback.
Also, the students in the focus group said
t h a t
they felt confused by what office
hours meant. Most questioned
if it meant that those were class
hours, or a busy time for the
instructor. Many also want SPC
to use flyers and bulletin boards
instead of just using the website
to distribute information to
students.
“It’s a good thing to know
what we can do for students, and
how we can give students a better experience at all campuses,”
Quinn said.
The next Student Satisfaction Survey is expected to be
issued in 2011, and all students
are encouraged to participate.
Reaching out to more students goal of new recruiter
by ELLYSA GONZALEZ
editor-in-chief
with LISD, and worked as an advisor for LEARN for about eight
years. I’ve worked with all levels
of students, from elementary all
the way up to high school.”
“It (salary) was based on a
grant,” Bosquez explains. “It’s
fearful to be working under a
grant, because you don’t know
if you’re going to get refunded.
With a passion for helping
students, David Bosquez has
accepted the job as the new
recruiter at South Plains
College.
Through his new position, Bosquez hopes to help
as many students as possible
to reach their educational
potential. His duties include
traveling to about 54 different schools and speaking
to students about pursuing
higher education, giving
tours of the SPC campus,
and overseeing the Campus
Ambassadors program.
Bosquez comes to SPC
with many years of experience behind him. He previously worked with LEARN
INC., an organization that David Bosquez recently was hired as the new student recruiter.
primarily helps low-income, LARA BIDWELL/ PLAINSMEN PRESS
first-generation college students pursue higher educaBosquez says that he came This position is not under a grant.
tion.
“I’ve been involved in edu- to SPC after deciding he needed That gave me job security that I’d
cation for at least 15 years now,” a change. With a baby on the been looking for. Plus, I wanted
Bosquez says. “I taught sev- way, he says that he wanted to reach out to more students. I
enth and eighth grade, and also more security than his previous only visited about five schools
with that job. And with this job,
worked with autistic children job offered.
I get to go out to 54 schools and
visit with them about going to
South Plains College.”
Bosquez’s passion for helping students reach their educational potential stems
from his own experiences. He is one of
the only people in
his family to attend
college and receive a
degree.
“I come from a
family of 11,” Bosquez
says. “Out of all 11
of us, only two of us
have college degrees.
I think I see a lot of
students out there
that may be in the
same situation that I
was in. Maybe they
don’t have the parents that push education or that see the
value of education.
Maybe they don’t
have someone that
has given them the thought or
opportunity to go to college and
get an education.”
With his new position,
Bosquez wants to help students
who may be in those same situ-
ations. However, he says that in
order for him to be able to help
them, the students need to want
to help themselves.
“That’s where the passion
comes from,” Bosquez says. “Any
student that has the desire to
want to go to school, that is what
I’m here for. For those students
that need a little push, that’s
what I’m here to do. It’s like the
old saying, ‘you can lead a horse
to water, but you can’t make him
drink.’ The student has to show
initiative. Sometimes, when
talking to students, you have
to influence them to take that
initiative. Otherwise, you can‘t
help them.”
The position as the new
recruiter will help him do that
and much more.
“I just wanted to give back
as far as doing that in some form
of education,” Bosquez says. “We
have to nurture the students
out there now so that they can
be the future leaders of our
community, of our states, of our
country. The only way of letting
them do that is by letting them
know that they need to pursue
their education and not stop
right out of high school.”
Cox lives childhood dream, becomes new campus police officer
by LARA BIDWELL
staff writer
From driving a tractor and
working on a farm, to patrolling the streets and serving to
protect, William H. Cox Jr. grew
up and reached his dreams of
becoming a police officer
In March, Cox was hired to
serve as a lieutenant and new assistant chief for the South Plains
College Police Department on
the Levelland campus.
Cox grew up in the small
town of Cotton Center, Texas.
He grew up on a farm like many
small-town kids, and began
working at a very young age.
“I was driving a tractor by 12
years old,” Cox said.
He then began driving
trucks for the oil field in 1978. He
drove all over the United States
for an oil company. In 1991,
Cox went through and
graduated from the
South Plains College
Police Academy.
Throughout his
years as a police officer
he has been a deputy
sheriff for three different counties. His
last job was as deputy
sheriff and jailer for
Cochran County, the
county that Morton is
located in.
Cox has many police officers in his family
tree. His son is a police
officer in Horseshoe
Bay, which is near Marble Falls and Lake LBJ.
He also has a brother
who is a police officer
as well as a graduate
of the South Plains College Police Academy.
William H. Cox Jr., is the new lieutenant and assistant chief on the Levelland campus.
SAMANTHA RODRIGUEZ/PLAINSMAN PRESS
Cox says that he
loves being a police officer, and it was a dream of
his when he was younger. He admits that being
a campus policeman and
a county deputy differ in
many ways.
“I spend more time
keeping people out of
trouble than trying to
catch them doing the
wrong thing,” Cox said
of how he feels about
his job.
Cox spends
most of his
hours of work
during the night
shift. However,
in his spare
time outside
of work, he enjoys spending
time gardening,
Fireball Run making pit stop in Lubbock
by SARAH NICOLE VAUGHN
news editor
Lubbock Mayor Tom Martin
recently announced that Lubbock
will serve as the third overnight
pit stop for the national Fireball
Run.
Event handlers expect 40 cars
to descend on Lubbock, arriving
at the Overton Hotel during the
evening of Sept. 27 and leaving
again during the morning of
Sept. 28. Lubbock officials see it
as a way to show off the city to
corporate executives who might
see the “Hub City” as a place to
expand or relocate.
Martin is especially interested in the project because of
the local charity portion of the
event. He chose the South Plains
Food Bank as the local charity to
benefit from this year’s race.
“These Fireball Run teams
are on a mission to recover missing children,” Martin said. “And
here in Lubbock, we’re honored
to be a part of helping in that
mission. But I’m especially honored to get our community and
those involved in the Fireball Run
to help contribute to curbing
hunger.”
According to South Plains
Food Bank statistics, the facility
serves more than 84,000 individuals per year, and in Lubbock
alone, one in four children is
considered “food insecure.”
The Fireball Run’s website describes the event as the
“Amazing Race meets Motorsports.”The race will feature an action-packed, 75-team, eight-day,
3,500-mile trip across the nation
in an effort to raise awareness for
missing children.
The Fireball Run elicits nearly
12 hours of broadcast television
news and is the focus of more
than 100 newspaper stories
across America, which is used
to focus attention on the Race
to Recover America’s Missing
Children, a $3 million awareness
campaign for the Florida-based
Child Rescue Network.
The race is the country’s
largest and longest active recovery effort for missing and
abducted children. It was cre-
ated in support of the
Klaas Kids Foundation
for Children.
In order to accomplish its undertaking,
each Fireball Run team
represents a missing
child from their home
region. The mission:
distribute 1,000 posters
throughout the course
of the race in an effort
to aid in the recovery of
that missing child.
Annually, Fireball
Run distributes nearly
75,000 posters and has
aided in the recovery
effort of 32 missing
children.
shooting guns, and hunting.
Cox may be new to the SPC
Police Department, but he’s no
stranger to police work.
He has seen many different types of police work and
cases throughout his 19 years
of experience. He has been
in different newspapers and
even on TV. He has plenty of
experience under his belt.
As for some advice for
students, the lieutenant said,
“Use common sense, right and
wrong…you’re not dummies or
you wouldn’t be here, right? And
never try to tell a police officer
what his business is.”
4
News
Plainsman Press
September 20, 2010
Back to School Bash
The Back to School Bash was held
in front of the Technology Center on
Aug. 30.
Students recieved free t-shirts
upon arriving at the event. They were
given the oppurtunity to meet new
friends and mingle with classmates.
There were games for the students to participate in such as volleyball, nine-square, and football. Hot
dogs and hamburgers were served
for the students.
The event was hosted by the Office of Student Activities and the SPC
Athletic Department.
photos by ELLYSA GONZALEZ
5
Opinion
Plainsman Press
September 20, 2010
Procrastination temptations rear their ugly heads
by ELLYSA GONZALEZ
editor in chief
Well, here we are. Another
semester is upon us.
To the new incoming freshmen, welcome to South Plains
College. Congratulations on
starting what will hopefully be
the beginning of one of the
most…interesting experiences
of your lifetime -- college.
Believe it or not, college
is more than just partying and
being independent. There ARE
other responsibilities. I’m sure
most of the teachers have already
explained that they will not baby
you along through their classes.
I heard that constantly throughout my first semester, and I got
tired of it. So let me turn your
attention to a different subtopic:
Prioritizing.
In a recent interview, somebody brought up the fact that
most students, not just first-year
college students, have issues with
prioritizing. To us…them, hanging out with friends, attending
parties, and going to clubs are
right on up there with getting
homework finished. It’s all part
of the college experience! You you are like me, you keep putSHOULD have fun in college! ting it out of your mind until
However, while you are enjoy- at least two days before the
ing yourself, don’t
let your
education
slip away
from you.
Keep in
mind that
you actually have
to pay
for those
classes.
It can
be easy to
put something off Photo illustration by Jennifer Harbin
because
you “have
two weeks before it’s due.” If day you need to have it turned
in. Then, the night before, you
scramble to get it done. When
people ask why it wasn’t worked
on earlier, you have
to explain that you
were going to do
it, but your friend
had an emergency.
He or she was having this really great
party that you just
couldn’t miss. Or
you just couldn’t
wait that long to
spend time with
your boyfriend or
girlfriend. Or maybe, you started the
project but got a
finger cramp and
had to stop working, so you went to
the club instead!
Whatever your reasoning, I
have some advice. Sometimes,
logging off of Facebook will help
you be more productive. I know
it’s hard, because a long-lost
friend just logged on, and it’s
been ages (three hours) since
you talked to him or her. Guess
what? He or she will probably
still be able to get in touch with
you later! Besides that, the
sooner your work gets done,
the less time you have to spend
worrying about it.
To those who know me, I
know. I’m one to talk. Just keep
in mind that I’m trying to prove a
point here. Maybe those people
reading this will actually stop
and think about the message I
am trying to convey. If not, well,
at least I gave you something to
read when you were bored.
jargon of today’s amendments
and laws.
You know what I’m getting at
(or at least you should).
Yes, that United States Constitution is just beginning to be
a grand ol’ thorn in the side of
the Republican party right about
now.
The “Ground Zero Mosque”
debate seems to be the latest
gripe by tea-partiers and neocons alike. First it was President
Barack Obama’s birthplace. Now,
they’ve been reloading on misquotes and false information,
blasting everyone from their
soapboxes about how building
a mosque at ground zero is just
plain old “losing the country” and
“letting ‘them’ win,” both of which
are just irrational, and, if they
weren’t so prejudiced, would
be silly.
What gets me is how this
shouldn’t even be a debate.
First off, it’s not even at
ground zero. A quick Google
Maps search will show you that
Park51 (the Islamic community
center) is roughly two blocks and
around the corner away from the
World Trade Center site.
Park51 is located on 45 Park
Place, which is a much more
narrow side street than any of
the streets that surround the
WTC site.
You’d basically have
to go out of
your way and
know exactly
where it was
located to be
thoroughly offended.
Park51
won’t be in
anyone’s line
of sight. It
won’t be the
nex t tallest
high rise in
N e w Yo r k ’s
skyline.
I do partly blame the media (cough,
Fox News, cough, cough). It’s
much lazier and misleading to
headline an article about this
matter as “mosque being built
at ground zero” rather than correctly referring to it as a mosque
being built near ground zero. I
guess “Ground Zero Mosque” is
a lot catchier than the “Mosque
a couple of blocks away and
things that will be in the community center. Now, yes, there
are also prayer rooms. But, technically there have been Islamic
prayer services
held at ground
zero since Sept.
11.
Lastly, it’s
a constitutional right.
I’m sure that
tea-partiers
and “birthers”
would stop talking about this if
they decided
to forbid other
religious centers that were
within a twomile radius of
the WTC site.
Thinking that every Muslim
is a terrorist and wishes death
to America is just stereotyping
the entire Muslim community. If
we hold every Muslim accountable for Sept. 11, it’s like holding
every Anglo-American Christian
accountable every time a pipe
bomb explodes at an abortion
clinic.
We can all agree that the
19 hijackers and those who assisted and financed them were
bad men, and that the Sept. 11
attacks changed the world. But,
that doesn’t give us the right to
persecute those who follow the
Islamic faith.
And, we must remember,
these are Americans too. The
laws protect and serve them just
as much as the next citizen.
We don’t want our children and grandchildren to look
back on how our generation
“Jim Crowed” the U.S. Muslim
community. It sets our country
back. It would be a travesty to
just overlook the Constitution
written by our Founding Fathers,
whose intentions were to create a country free of religious
persecution.
Contrary to popular belief,
our country wasn’t founded
on Christian values, but on the
freedom of religion.
The Republican Party says
that they’re here to keep government small and out of our
everyday business.
They may want to start
looking into taking their own
advice.
‘Ground Zero Mosque’ opponents misleading country
by THOMAS D. MOONEY
associate editor
“Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging
the freedom of speech, or of the
press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to
petition the Government for a
redress of grievances.”
-United States Constitution,
Amendment 1.
It’s pretty clear to me. Cut
and dry as possible. It doesn’t
have all the mumbo-jumbo
around the corner on a side
street by Ground Zero.”
Which brings us to the fact
that the “mosque” isn’t even a
mosque, but, in fact, a community center. Contrary to belief, most conventional Islamic
learning centers aren’t filled
with rooms for AK-47 and rocketpropelled launcher practice,
but rather the things that most
Christian churches have. A basketball court, swimming pool,
auditorium, childcare area, and
a bookstore are just a number of
Contagious children pose threat during cold, flu season
by RACHEL RAMIREZ
staff writer
As I stood there staring
into the bathroom mirror on a
recent Monday morning, with
my mouth open like a codfish,
staring at my tomato-sized
tonsils, I thought back about the
weekend… and my regrets.
No, I didn’t drink too much,
and I didn’t get crazy. I just made
one stupid move. I let her near
me.
During Labor Day weekend, my husband, Eric, decided
to have some friends and family
over for a little outdoor cooking
and some college football on TV.
It was pretty standard stuff, with
guys cooking on the back porch
and screaming into the house
for a current score, and wives
gossiping about, well, whatever
we gossip about. Oh yeah, and
the kids were there, too.
There were about seven
kids total, ranging anywhere in
between three to 12. Actually, I
should call them dwarfs. We had
a dopey one, a grouchy one and
a sneezey one. The sneezey one
is my 3-year-old niece, Mary. I
guess her name is pretty appropriate after this weekend,
because now I think of her as
Typhoid Mary.
I knew what kind of day it
was going to be with little Mary,
because as soon as she hit the
front door, she had her jaw unhinged screaming for all she was
worth. Her black hair was loosely
arranged in three ponytails and
she was doing the whole Tylenol
two-step. You know that sideto-side shuffle a baby does when
they’re under the influence and
fighting a fever, as well as sleep.
“Oh, don’t worry about her,”
my sister Esther said with a giggle. “She just has allergies.”
Yeah, Dr. Esther, it’s allergies
when there’s free food, and
the kids are down with the
flu when you need something urgent.
Mary walked among
the other children with
a glazed look in her eyes
and a sheen of sick syrup
running from her nose,
sometimes stopping momentarily to wipe her nose
with her hand and then
recycling by rubbing it on
one of the other kids, or in
their hair.
I think if the government really wanted an
efficient weapon of mass
Photo illustration by Jennifer Harbin
destruction that would bring a
country to its knees with something really nasty, they’d use a
toddler with a cold to get the
job done. I think Mary would
have been a good candidate
that day.
That’s when I made my
stupid move. Since her mother
was letting her run around crying and infecting everything, I
decided to take matters into my
own hands.
“Mary,” I said. “Come here,
mija.”
I picked her up, cradled her
in my arms and began cleaning
her nose with a tissue. I should
have seen it coming. Mary
paused as if she was going to
say something, with her mouth
open slightly, and then bam…
she sneezed right in my face.
So, here I am again, looking
in the bathroom mirror, my hair
loosely up in ponytails—that
must have been contagious,
too- sick and waiting for the sick
tsunami to hit my son and my
husband at some point in the
near future.
So, I’ve shared all of that to
say this: remember it’s cold and
flu season, so take precautions
and also leave the kiddos at
home when they’re sick.
Overindulgence recipe for college failure
by JORDAN RICHARDS
staff writer
Most college freshmen enter
their first semester with good intentions and high aspirations.
But they soon fall victim to
temptation as a result of their
newfound freedom. It is next to
impossible not to party while
attending college. Not having
a curfew, fewer rules to abide
by, and liberation from parental
guidance is exhilarating to than they choose to face it. soon progress to doing it during
those who are moving away This is a common occurance for the week. Problems generally
many students. They start by arise when one begins to cut
from home to a new place.
New students also find that drinking on the weekends, but loose more often than he or she
their new freedom comes
with high levels of stress
and anxiety. Homework
overload, studying, and
being on time to class
every day is difficult when
it has to be done by one’s
own free will. Many times
this leads to drinking as
an outlet to escape the
reality of the demanding lifestyle of a college
student.
At first, drinking is a
new and exciting activity, it is used primarily
to loosen up and socialize. However, many take
this new hobby to extremes and decide that
they want to escape their
harsh reality more often Photo illustration by Thomas D. Mooney
should, and actions become a
recipe for failure.
My first semester was one of
the roughest experiences of my
life by far. Like all new students,
I had plans of discovering a
career that suited me, but soon
discovered that my plans would
take more dedication than I was
ready to give. I began slacking off
on the hard work required, and
I soon realized I wanted to start
drinking as often as I could, going to every party I knew about,
and even playing beer pong
before class. This foolishness
hurt my grades dramatically, and
before I knew it, I was stuck with
a horrible grade-point average
at the end of the semester.
I have now realized that the
approach I had taken to college
during the first semester was
the wrong one, and I must face
my hardships head on instead of
trying to get around them.
6
Opinion
Plainsman Press
September 20, 2010
Generation left in language limbo
by FELICIA GUZMAN
staff writer
Speaking Spanish in today’s
world is an amazing asset personally, economically, and even
educationally.
Having Spanish as a first or
second language is a skill that
few possess, but many strive
to achieve. I personally enjoy
many aspects of Latin culture,
even though there is a language
barrier. I don’t
speak Spanish.
I am a biracial
American. My
father’s parents are from
Mexico,
while my
m o t h e r ’s
ancestors are
from Germany.
In the
Latin society,
Spanish is the
primary language
used. Non-Spanish speaking children are treated a bit
differently, as if we are being
disloyal to our culture. Our generation is in a language limbo.
Our parents and grandparents struggled to learn English and make something of
themselves in an English-based
world. To them, English was the
asset. My family, as well as others, unknowingly altered their
speech to become more “English
friendly.” In doing so, they never
taught our generation
Spanish.
N o t
knowing
Spanish
has become an
issue in
everyday
l i fe. Eve n
walking into a
store can become
a small challenge. Being asked
a question for help by an older
Hispanic person is an embarrassment. The look of judgment
and disdain is clearly visible in
the eyes of those who don’t
understand why we don’t know
Spanish.
However, this is not a pandemic to our entire generation,
but just to a small fraction. Many
bilingual people will read this
and not understand, and that’s
OK. I’m not asking for acceptance, I but merely understand-
tuck the legs of the jeans inside
the boots without having lumpy
looking legs.
Next, the tops for this winter
are big, yet form fitting. A knitted sweater is a great top for
this style. Also, a nice scarf ties
this outfit together. And when I say
Spanish in
the home,
school,
and even
on shows
such as,
“Dora
the Explorer.”
Spanish
can be an
ing. I’m saying it’s OK to have
only one language.
While Spanish is foreign to
some, “Spanglish” is a growing
trend. Mixing English and Spanish is becoming second nature
to many trying to learn English
or Spanish. Another common
label is Tex-Mex. Spanglish such
as “watch-a-le” is understood
by both Spanish and English
speakers.
It’s perfectly fine not to
know Spanish and be of Latin
descent. Learning to speak Spanish or any other
language
would
be an
asset
a n d
a c complishment, but
it is not a requirement. Children
a decade or so younger than I are
rapidly being taught English and
opening into
other romance
languages and
culture, and can
help others over a lifetime. But it’s not wrong to not
have an understanding of the
language.
form fitting, I don’t mean “so tight to
your body that you cannot breathe.”
Find a shirt that compliments your
figure. This style looks better than
a skin-tight shirt any day. The formfitted sweater gives you warmth
without the frumpy feeling of a
sweatshirt.
Now, a girl’s best accessory
is her purse! When I said fall is
about fur, I meant it. This fall,
even the purses have fur on
them. The fashion trend this fall
for purses is go big and furry, or
go home and change.
So there you have it. Those
are tips to keep you looking hot
in the cool weather. Next time,
look for some tips on what to
give your guy for the winter
fashion trend, because, believe
me, basketball shorts and T’s
with cut-off sleeves are definitely
out!
ment. This oil spill should serve
as a turning point in our country’s use of oil drilling. Not only
should there be stronger laws
and regulations, there should
be better plans in case a spill
happens again. BP should be
held fully responsible, so why are
they not making enough efforts
to clean up its mess? The only
efforts that have been pushed
are the efforts to stop the leak.
Meanwhile, the rest of the oil is
killing off animals of many different species.
The oil industry uses our
oceans to ratchet up its profits,
and then it leaves us to clean
up the mess. It leaves citizens
to walk the beaches looking for
birds covered in oil and dead fish
washing up on the shore.
It leaves us to worry about
the small fisheries and businesses along the coast that are
now shut down because of the
lack of business. It leaves us to
worry about what the industry’s
oil and toxic chemicals will do to
our drinking water and health.
BP is responsible for this
disaster. BP, not the American
public, should pay for the disaster. BP’s greed and recklessness
have damaged vital fishing
and tourism industries
in the Gulf Coast, as
well as the animals that have
inhabited that
environment
for years.
So why is
offshore drilling still being
allowed? Why
c a n’ t w e f i n d
cleaner and better
ways to produce oil for
our nation and the rest o f
the world? And why is President
Barack Obama not making BP
fully clean up the mess they have
created?
Fur no faux pas for fall
by AMANDA BROWN
staff writer
Fashion is always moving on
to the next best Vogue style.
With summer coming to an
end, it is time to put away the bikinis, sun block and flip flops. It’s
time to start looking forward to the
cool weather and
the fashion trends
it will be bringing
with it.
So far, 2010
has been an exciting year for fashion. As we can
all see through
Lady Ga Ga’s
extreme fashion statements
at the Video
Music Awards,
her out-of-thisworld fashion sense
has dared designers to think
way outside the box. By doing this, designers gave us the
theme for the summer. This
Spring/Summer theme for fashion was Bohemian, which means
staying true to you and what
your style is. It also included not
matching so much, just wearing
colors that blended well. This
theme went over very well, but
fashion is always changing.
This fall is all about fur, especially faux fur, since our country
has become environmentally
and humanely conscious. A big
hit on the New York runway already is suede and faux fur boots.
It is rumored that Louis Vuitton is
trying to create a faux fur shoe.
It does not matter whether the
boots are flat or high heeled.
This writer prefers high
heels, because rumor has it
that heeled shoes
build calf muscle and tend to
lengthen the
legs. And what
girl does not want
that? With these
trendy boots, you
would wear a pair of
skinny jeans. Now, if
you are like this writer
and do not want your
jeans painted on to
your legs, you
can also grab a
pair of straight
legs and you will
still look in style. Your legs also
will be able to breathe. Choosing
this type of jeans allows you to
America should learn from oil spill
by ASHLEY BAKER
staff writer
As the oil spill in the gulf
progressed to span more than
4,000 miles, thousands of fish
and animals have been killed.
For far too long, the oil industry has raked in millions of
dollars in profit and not done
anything to make its offshore
drilling safer for the environ-
Man on the Street
If SPC would hand you a degree right now, provided
you pay for all the courses and left the campus, would
you take the degree and leave?
“Stay, because I would
kill somebody in my practice
without studying it.”
Amanda Hepner
Surgical Technician
Lubbock
Freshman
“Leave, I could get started
at Tech and have the basics over
with.”
Josue R. Chavez
Agriculture
Eldorado
Sophomore
“I would stay, because my
degree wouldn’t mean anything
if I didn’t come and take my
courses.”
Kimberly Dill
Pre-Veterinary
Medicine
Lubbock
Freshman
“Leave, because I’m a music
major, and it’s stuff I already
know.”
Ethan Dellinger
Commercial Music
Charleston,
North Carolina
Freshman
“Stay, because my major is
business. It would be pointless
if I didn’t know how to run a
business.”
Thomas Niavez
Business
Administration
Lubbock
Freshman
“ Take the degree and
leave, so I could get started
on my career path instead of
being in school all the time.”
Lindsey Luevano
Fine Arts
Morton
Sophomore
compiled by
SAMANTHA RODRIGUEZ
& BRE’ANNA WELLS
7
Feature
Plainsman Press
September 20, 2010
ʻThe Architectʼ taking new role in American politics
by THOMAS D. MOONEY
associate editor
LUBBOCK — Karl Rove has
never held an elected government position, but that doesn’t
mean he wasn’t one of the most
powerful, important, and influential forces in Washington at
one time.
He doesn’t get the same
name recognition, and he isn’t
as identifiable as some in the
Republican Party. But, make no
mistake, Rove was (and still is to
some degree) one of the party’s
most important members.
Rove was a senior advisor and deputy chief of staff
in former President George W.
Bush’s administration. Now, he’s
an advisor for the Republican
fund-raising group American
Crossroads.
On June 3, Rove visited the
South Plains, speaking at a Lubbock County Republican Party
fund-raiser, as well as making
Lubbock a stop on his book
signing tour promoting “Courage and Consequence: My Life
as a Conservative in the Fight,”
a “behind the scenes” account
of “what actually went on in the
White House” during the Bush
Administration.
Rove raved about the large
crowd at both the luncheon and
book signing, which was attended by more than 400 people,
despite having a few scheduling
problems that made people wait
for about an hour.
“I ended up in a place I
didn’t expect to be, which was
about 15 steps from the Oval
Office,” said Rove.
Rove, who resigned from his
position as deputy chief of staff
in 2007, has been under fire from
Democrats who are linking him
to a number of scandals during
the Bush administration, including the Valerie Plame affair, the
dismissal of U.S. attorneys and
his involvement in the Iraq and
Afghanistan conflicts.
Possibly the most controversial of those was Rove’s approval of waterboarding and
other unusual punishment techniques, most notably on Khalid
who have been retained by the
Obama administration are a
direct result of Sheikh Mohammed, he added.
“In the aftermath of 9-11, it
has kept America
safe,” said Rove,
adding that he
would absolutely
waterboard Sheikh
Mohammed again.
Rove’s involvement with American Crossroads began due to his belief
that Republicans
need to develop
more organizations
to match those of
Democrats during
election cycles.
“ This is necessary, regardless
of the leadership
of the Republican
National Committee, because the
Democrats spend
soft money through
their 527s,” Rove
said of the organizations, named
after a section of
the U.S. tax code,
that use tax law exceptions to support
political nominations. Their primary
function is to influence nominations
and elections.
“Democrats
have a series of
groups that attack
Republicans and
defend Democrats
led by the labor
unions, and there
is no similar effort
on the Republican
side,” said Rove.
Karl Rove met with many local conservatives during a book signing on June “I’ve been part of
a group (American
3 at Hastings on 50th Street in Lubbock.
Crossroads) that
THOMAS D. MOONEY/PLAINSMAN PRESS
will begin to act
on the Republican
Sheikh Mohammed brought the intelligence acquired from side [and] to defend Republiabout the cooperation on his Sheikh Mohammed, the United cans and to tell the truth about
part that revealed vast amounts States would not have known Democrats.”
Rove was adamant that
of information on al-Qaida’s net- about a number of high-ranking
work and personnel,” said Rove. terrorists who have been killed these groups affect elections,
“We’re living today off the value or captured. A majority of those and that Democrats have been
Sheikh Mohammed, a prominent
member of al-Qaida and mastermind in the 9-11 attacks.
“The effort to waterboard
of the intelligence gained as a
result of breaking the spirit of
Sheikh Mohammed.”
Rove explained that without
taking better advantage of 527s
than Republicans.
“There needs to be an avenue for Republicans who have
done all they can do financially
to the national committee, and
who are limited to giving more,”
said Rove. “There’s got to be a
way to affect the outcomes of
these elections.”
Rove also predicts that “seven or eight seats” will be taken by
Republicans in the U.S. Senate in
the next elections.
“Since World War II, the
White House party has lost an
average of four seats in the Senate and 44 seats in the House
[of Representatives],” said Rove.
“I think Republicans are likely to
make gains well in excess of that
this fall.”
Rove was also very critical
of the Obama Administration
and how it has handled the BP
oil spill.
“This is an unprecedented
disaster, because we’ve never
have had something like this
happen this deep, and there is
going to be terrible problems
trying to close it,” he said. “He
(Obama) basically said that he’s
had a plan and it’s been engaged
since day one, but he hasn’t.”
Rove said he doesn’t fault
Obama for not having a solution “but for misleading the
country.”
“They have basically outsourced it to BP, and if that’s
the case, fine, admit it,” said
Rove, “[but] don’t be sitting
there saying we’ve got our Nobel Prize-winning Secretary of
Energy examining all possible
continuances.”
Rove went on to say that the
federal government has wasted
valuable time during the oil spill
crisis and has “boggled important decisions.”
“Louisiana requested the
ability to build temporary islands
off the coast of dredge material
to block the oil from getting into
any vital wetlands and marshes,”
said Rove. “It took the federal
government 17 days to respond
to Louisiana’s request.”
According to Rove, Louisiana requested 24 islands, and
Baker goes from Air Force to Ivy League
by ELLYSA GONZALEZ
editor-in-chief
ployed in Iraq. However, aside
from his military duties, Baker
had other responsibilities while
he was overseas.
“I was in the Air Force for
four years,” Baker says. “I spent
five years in Iraq. I spent two
years over there with the military, and I spent three with a
private contracting firm.”
After returning from Iraq,
Columbia University in New
York. His major is financial economics.
“When I left Iraq, I knew I
was going to Lubbock,” Baker
says. “I had a friend in Baghdad
who worked in the same company. We both were coming
back to the states for school, and
he suggested Texas Tech. I didn’t
have anything better to do, so I
When military personnel
return from a tour, adjusting to
civilian life can be a challenge.
From spending so much
time being constantly on edge
to being a little more at ease, it
is no surprise as to why.
It is a similar experience that
has helped shape
Cameron Baker
into the man he
is today.
As a teenager, the 27-yearold says he did
not have any aspirations for his
future. One of his
primary reasons
for joining the
military was the
hope of turning
his life around
and gaining
some discipline
to make himself
into a better person. The military
p rov i d e d h i m
with that opportunity.
“I didn’t
k now where I
was going when Cameron Baker’s journey has taken him around the world and proven to help
I was 18 years shape him into who he is today. Photo courtesy of Cameron Baker
old,” Baker says.
“Basically, I had
no goals and no priorities. I was Baker enrolled at South Plains rolled into town with him. But
going nowhere fast. The military College in the fall of 2008. He I didn’t meet the registration
gave me an opportunity to de- remained at SPC until the sum- deadlines (for Tech), so I started
mer of 2009. He later transferred out at South Plains College. I had
velop myself.”
While Baker was in the mili- to one of the only Ivy League planned on attending Texas Tech
tary, he spent some time de- schools that caters to veterans, University, but in the summer of
2009, I got accepted right here
to Columbia. They recruited me
and offered me the full package. They agreed to waive my
tuition, since I was a returning
veteran.”
Baker says life in New York
is a lot more crowded than West
Texas.
“Living in New York is fun
and interesting,” Baker says. “It
is famous enough in its own
right. I‘ve met a lot of cool
people. I did find out that
compared to New York, there
is a lot of elbow room in West
Texas.”
However, aside from a
change of scenery, Baker also
received a diagnosis that came
of little shock. After being out
as the military for about a year
and a half, Baker was officially
diagnosed with hyper aggression and Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder.
“By the time I got the diagnosis, I already knew,” Baker
explains. “I had been back for
about a year and a half, and I
had done research. I had accepted it.”
Though he was sure of
the disorder before his official
diagnosis, Baker says that he
had a little aftershock. Dealing with the disorder was not
something he was focusing
on.
“I never saw myself as
having to deal with it (PTS),”
Baker says. “In the military, you
spend so long in situations with
adrenaline. Working with the
contracting firm in Iraq really
helped my transition back to
civilian life in the states, but I still
had my instances.”
Baker says that he does not
have any specific instances that
really stick out. When something
would set off his PTS, his initial
reaction would trigger embarrassment.
“ When people witness
them, they usually have no idea
what is going on,” Baker says. “It
takes more than just anybody
to understand what goes on in
my head (when PTS is set off). In
Iraq, I saw things I will never forget. There is no way they would
be able to identify with those.”
the federal government said that
they could build six, and that
they would pay for one.
“That’s not an administration that is fully engaged,” he
said.
Rove also said the Mineral
Management Service needs to
reexamine its procedures when
dealing with safety and environmental issues regarding deepwater offshore drilling.
“There’s some evidence that
last year the Obama Administration fast-tracked the BP request
for this drilling platform without
all the proper safety checks and
environmental checks,” he said.
“We should be fast-tracking the
ability to drill in the gulf, but
we shouldn’t be fast-tracking
safety.”
After his afternoon pit stop
in Lubbock, Rove traveled to
Amarillo for another book signing and a speaking engagement at a banquet fundraiser
for Associated Republicans of
Texas, which Rove described
as being “reinvigorated under
the leadership of John Nau and
George Seay.”
Rove visited 110 cities in 90
days to promote “Courage and
Consequence.”
Although Rove gained
much of his notoriety once
he was in Washington, having
been labeled “The Architect”
by George W. Bush in his 2004
Presidential victory speech, he
has been a major player in Texas
politics for decades.
Rove dropped out of the
University of Utah (and as of
yet, still has not graduated from
any university) in 1971 to take a
position as the executive director of the College Republican
Committee.
During the‘70s, Rove worked
on many political campaigns,
including Richard Nixon’s 1972
Presidential campaign.
In November 1973, Rove
met the younger Bush after
taking a pair of car keys to him
at the request of George H.W.
Bush, who had chosen Rove as
chairman of the College Republicans.
In the early ‘80s, Rove founded the direct mail consulting
firm Karl Rove & Co. and operated the business until 1999,
when he sold the firm to take
his senior advisor position in the
Bush Administration.
Since the late 1970s, he
has helped run campaigns for
Republicans Phil Gramm, Rick
Perry, Kay Bailey Hutchison,
John Ashcroft, John Cornyn, Bill
Clements, George H.W. Bush
and George W. Bush, in addition
to handling direct mail for the
Ronald Reagan-Bush Presidential campaign.
Since his resignation, Rove
has been a political analyst and
contributor for Fox News, Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal,
and made guest appearances
on the Rush Limbaugh radio
talk show.
8
Feature
Plainsman Press
September 20, 2010
Faces of Addiction...
Seeking recovery after life of drug abuse
by JENNIFER HARBIN
feature editor
ing a young, attractive girl that
knew how to manipulate.”
The Lubbock resident found
herself participating in activities
that she normally wouldn’t have
been involved with if she had
been sober. Because of the
drugs, she would get involved in
relationships that were abusive.
She once asked her two young
children to babysit her newborn
while she was getting high in the
bathroom. Lying, stealing, and
deception were all tools she used
to get her “fix.” At one of her lowest points, she slept with a dealer
in exchange for drugs.
Though her abuse of methamphetamines has been sporadic during the past 14 years, it
has gotten progressively worse.
For the past six to seven weeks,
she has been using every day,
smoking a little less than an
“eight-ball” (3.5 grams of meth-
abuse is extremely difficult. According to Hucks, there “is no
justification for getting high”
Empty plastic baggies and
but for various reasons she condirty syringes left over from the
tinues. She has tried stopping
past few days of a cocaine-and
many times, but stress triggers
-heroin-fueled binge litter her
her to use again.
coffee table.
Drug abuse, and the lifestyle
Everything is within arm’s
associated with it, can lead an
distance, because once she
individual down a rocky path.
starts using for the night, or
Hucks claims she lost everything
several days, she doesn’t want
in her last marriage because
to move. She just wants to enjoy
of it.
the rush. And it’s this high that
“I cheated on my husband,
she is perpetually chasing, but
I ran around and got high, I lost
it continually eludes her despite
custody of my kids twice beher hardest efforts.
cause of meth,” she says.
She is passed out on the
She is currently dealing with
couch because her body has
Child Protective Services, and “it
collapsed from exhaustion afis to the point where if I don’t get
ter three consecutive days of
help I’ll lose my kids indefinitely,”
“speedballing” (to shoot up or
she adds.
smoke a mixture of cocaine and
Not only has her family been
heroin).
displaced, so have her dreams of
Her breathing slows considbecoming a dancer. Her dreams
erably, because of the combinah a v e
tion of the two
shifted
drugs. The desince
pressing effects of
she has
the heroin cause
grown
her chest to bareolder,
ly rise. With each
and she
breath, she is acn o w
tually fighting to
wants
stay alive.
to be a
The drugs
dance
have a way of
instruclulling the user
tor. She
into a false sense
hopes to
of security and a
go back
feeling of invincito school
bility.
a n d
Fortunately,
w o r k
she is found in a
with a
coma-like state Marijuana is known as a “gateway drug” that can lead to “harder
church
just in time for drug” use.
at some
emergency ser- JENNIFER HARBIN/PLAINSMAN PRESS
point.
vices to be called.
She says
They intubate her,
that she has “no doubt that those
inserting a long tube to breathe amphetamines).
On an average day, she dreams can still come true.”
for her, because her body can no
Hucks would like to see her
longer perform vital functions. would start using immediately
after she woke up, or in many dreams realized by becoming
But she survives.
Scenarios such as this are cases, the sun would be coming “somebody, be the mom,
replayed over and over in emer- up after no sleep at all. It got the wife, the grandmother,
gency rooms across the United to the point where the drugs I’ve needed to be, because
States every year. Some will not weren’t getting her high. She I’ve put (them) on the back
asked (the dealer) “What’s up burner.”
end as well.
“I’m 35, and it’s taken
According to Dr. Thomas G. with this dope? I’m not getting
Kimball, associate professor and high.” He responded, “It’s not the me this long to realize that
associate managing director of dope, it’s you.” She had been up life is much more than a (exthe Center for the Study of Ad- too many days and doing it so pletive) bowl full of dope,”
diction and Recovery at Texas long that it was not having the she says. “It’s not worth it in
the long run. Stay away; I’m
Tech University, “there are many same effect any more.
Because she is on probation living proof of that.”
reasons someone may begin using drugs and alcohol, including and has produced two “dirty”
early exposure from family and urinalyses, Hucks is being forced The Grieving Mother
friends, peer pressure, curiosity to go into the Substance Abuse
Sheri Vandiver has spent
and experimentation, and self- Felony Program (SAFP) for nine
medication of mental health months. She will be incarcerated many nights crying and worryproblems or pain from trauma.” and required to follow a 12-step ing about her daughter “Kristy.”
No matter what the cir- program. After her release, she Her daughter’s addiction started
cumstances, drinking and drug will transfer to a half-way house 14 years ago when a doctor
prescribed her
abuse come with severe
Fioricet, a pain pill
consequences. Addiction
used for the treathas the uncanny way of disilment of headlusioning the individual into
aches. She soon
believing that he or she can
became addicted
control the “habit,” and that
and abused it.
he or she is able to quit at
For 11 years,
any time. But the opposite
she continued
is true.
this cycle until
“Illusions of control ofshe met a girl
ten keep addicts stuck in
who introduced
engaging in their problemher to methamatic behaviors,” according to
phetamines. She
Kimball.
abused methamphetamines
The Black
for three years
Sheep’s Daughter
and eventually
was convinced
Michelle Hucks, 35, was
by “friends” that
“inducted” into the world
manufacturing
of drugs and alcohol at an
was a lucrative
early age. She was raised
business. They
by her father’s parents since
taught her how
infancy. Her father was an
to make the drug,
alcoholic and drug addict
and her “career”
who is a habitual offender
was born.
now incarcerated for drug- Michelle Hucks will be entering the Substance
“Kristy” has
Abuse and Felony Program for her addiction to
related charges.
been ar rested
She originally began methamphetamines.
several times for
using drugs with her second JENNIFER HARBIN/PLAINSMAN PRESS
drug possession,
husband at the age of 21.
sales and manBut after that marriage disufacturing and
solved, she found herself associating with the same types of for 28-30 days for reentry into distributing. She served eight
individuals who were “affiliated, her new life as a drug-free in- months at SAFP in Odessa and
was later relocated to a half-way
sold it, did it.” She soon came to dividual.
It may sound cut and dry, house, but she did not complete
the realization that she “didn’t
have to pay anything for it…be- but breaking the habit of drug her stay there. Because she did
not complete the plea agreement here” if she didn’t straighten up. Dean’s List. On reflection, she
One night, while getting admits that “I shouldn’t have
that she had taken when she was
charged with manufacturing, high with friends, they unwit- been rewarded for getting it toshe was rearrested. She plea bar- tingly took ecstasy that was gether…I should have been getting it together
gained for
all along.”
five years
“Recover y
and is
gave me my life
now servback,” she says.
ing her
“Instead of trytime in
ing to fit recovthe Crain
ery into my life,
Unit of
I fit my life into
the Texas
recovery.”
Department of
The Facts
Criminal
Justice
Though
in Gatesmany people
ville.
might disagree,
A c marijuana is a
cording to
“gateway drug”
her mothand those who
er, it “took
drink alcohol
its toll and
or smoke cigaruined her Methamphetamines, also known as “ice”, are a highly addictive
rettes or marimarriage. substance.
juana are more
She’s been DANIELLE GONZALES/PLAINSMAN PRESS
l i k e l y to u s e
separated
“harder drugs,”
from her
children, lost her self-esteem, laced with strychnine. Twenty according to Kimball.
minutes into it, the muscles in
“At least one in four students
and self worth.”
“Kristy” is the perfect ex- their bodies locked up. “Debbie” meet the medical criteria for alample of someone whose life became angry, not because she cohol or drug abuse or dependwindled down to something could possibly die, but because dency—using in a compulsive
way and experiences negative
she had no control over. The she had gotten ripped off.
Eventually, they were all consequences associated with
addiction took over.
“You never stop loving, and able to move again. And in a the use,” according to the Nayou never stop hoping it’s going moment which can only be tional Center on Addiction and
described as pure insanity, they Substance Abuse at Columbia
to be different,” says Vandiver.
University.
Th e Lu b b o c k re s i d e nt went and got more.
“’Normal’ people don’t do
Peer pressure is a problem
knows her daughter’s future
will be difficult. Finding a job that,” she says. “Having experi- when it comes to drugs and
as a convicted felon is not easy. ences like that, you tell yourself alcohol. It can “drive you deeper
into use.” It often occurs because
Her children harbor resentment ‘something’s got to give here.’”
At the end, she says that she friends who are using don’t want
against their mother, and the
family is always scared that felt hopeless. Drug use caused to use alone, and they try to
when she returns she will not her not to care. She would lie, bring others down with them.
However, in recovery, “havhave learned her lesson and steal, use rent or bill money. But
there were some instances she ing peers around to assist you in
relapse.
staying clean is one of the key
“If I could count the hours regrets more than others.
In a convenience store in issues,” says Kimball.
I’ve spent crying, worrying, prayTexas Tech University offers
ing, and was afraid she wasn’t Amarillo, she would distract the
a myriad of programs that can
help those who are struggling
with addiction. There are “all
types of treatment facilities,
12-Step groups, faith-based
groups, and other therapeutic
interventions available,” according to Kimball.
The Center for the Study
of Addiction and Recovery has
a partnership with The Ranch
at Dove Tree, which is an alcohol
even alive anymore because of
what she was doing and the disabled clerk while her male and drug rehabilitation facility.
Also, there are several meetings
people she was running around friends stole beer.
“That bothers me more than held on the Texas Tech campus
with…I’d be a wealthy woman,”
stealing someone’s lawnmower such as Alcoholics Anonymous,
says Vandiver.
and selling it to the pawn shop,” Narcotics Anonymous and Coshe says. “It was just morally caine Anonymous, among othThe Recovering Addict
wrong on so many levels.”
ers, which are free of charge to
Now that she is in recovery, attend and open to anyone in
Once an addict, always
the greater
an adLubbock
dict. But
area.
it is the
“ T h e
choices
first step
you make
of recovery
that disis to admit
tinguish
you have a
you from
p r o b l e m ,”
the users.
says KimAc ball. “And
cording
that your life
to “Debhas been unbie,” who
manageable
has been
and out of
in recovcontrol.”
ery since
Though
May 15,
t h e re m ay
1991, she
be many reastill gets
sons somethe urge
one could
to drink
Cocaine and heroin, when taken together, is called “speedballing”.
use to justify
or use
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JENNIFER HARBIN/PLAINSMAN PRESS
abusing a
cocaine.
substance,
“I’m
“nothing
not responsible for that first thought she sees things differently than good ever comes from abusing
(to use),” she says. “I’m respon- she once did, and helps where alcohol or drugs,” says Kimball.
she is able.
Many lives are altered, not just
sible for what I do after that.”
“I care about people today,” the addict’s life, because of his
“Debbie” decided to seek
or her choice. Addiction does
help because her life was a wreck she says.
She eventually graduated not discriminate. It spans across
in many different areas. She says
that she had isolated herself, and from Texas Tech University with entire families, leaving a trail of
“everything was out of control.” a major in Human Development destruction and waste. It is the
Negative consequences seemed and Family Studies and a minor understanding derived from
to always follow after she used. in substance abuse. For her last these experiences, however,
And her college career was semester, she had a 3.49 grade- that takes the power back from
suffering to the point that her point average but was upset addiction and allows for life to
parents told her “the buck stops because she didn’t make the move on.
“It’s taken me this long to realize that
life is much more than a (expletive)
bowl full of dope.”
9
Feature
Pursuing education away from home brings perspective
Plainsman Press
by ELLYSA GONZALEZ
editor-in-chief
For the average student,
being able to attend college
allows him or her to develop
a sense of responsibility and
independence.
Some of the college students who are more deeply
affected by this are the international students.
Afzal Ahrorov is one of the
69 international students on
South Plains College’s Levelland
campus. Ahrorov is originally
from Tajikistan in Central Asia.
He came to the United States
to study and work toward his
aspirations.
“My primary goal was to
study English,” Ahrorov says.
“Then I guess I switched. My
primary goal as a career is to be
a doctor. What I’m doing right
now is to get a bachelor’s in
science, which would prepare
me to get into medical school
in the future.”
Ahrorov says he has always
wanted to study medicine.
However, due to political issues
within his home country, Ahrorov did not get a chance.
“There is only one medical
school in my country, which
is in a different city,” Ahrorov
says. “After my country got its
independence, there was a civil
war which lasted from 1992 to
1997. At that time, I was in
Middle School. Still after that,
there was that relationship between my city and the capital
city where the medical school is.
The ONLY medical school. So I
did not have a chance to go to
medical school.”
Instead of studying medicine, he focused his studies in a
different direction. He received
a bachelor’s degree in econom-
September 20, 2010
Since he left Tajikistan, Ahics from the Modern University afterward, in schools and work cation,” Ahrorov says. “He really
and
everything,
I
did
a
lot
of
rorov
says he tries to speak with
wants
his
children
to
be
edufor the Humanities in Russia.
volunteering.
”
his
family
at least once a week.
cated,
so
he
was
not
opposed
to
“So that is why I studied
Ahrorov
says
that
since
However,
while
he speaks with
it
(coming
to
the
United
States).
something else,” Ahrorov says.
both
of
his
parents
were
colthem
often,
it
has
been almost
As
long
as
I
am
studying,
he
is
“It did not matter to me what to
lege
graduates,
they
really
value
two
and
a
half
years
since he has
OK
with
it.
He
does
not
oppose
study, because I was not studying
something that
I liked. But I still
studied, and I had
good grades.”
When Ahrorov received the
opportunity to
study in the United States, he took
it. He has had to
make many difficult sacrifices.
One of those is
not being able
to see his fami l y. H owe ve r,
these details did
not stop his parents from being
supportive and
wishing him the
best of luck in his
endeavor.
As a middle
child, Ahrorov
says he was very
successful in his
studies in comparison with his
two siblings.
“For me,
personally, I was
actually the per- Afzal Ahrorov has found a home away from home at South Plains College. Originally from Tajikistan, he came to the
fect kid for my United States to pursue his education.
parents,” Ahro- MANDI TORRES/PLAINSMAN PRESS
rov says, “even
though I was the
middle kid. I did not get as
much attention as the first kid education. Ahrorov says this is it. Otherwise, it wasn’t as tragic seen them. He says that is one
or the last kid. But still, my par- one of the reasons that he was as in other more traditional of the hardest things he has had
to deal with.
ents were always proud of me able to study overseas. His par- families.”
ents
were
very
supportive
of
his
“The first couple of months
Ahrorov
says
one
of
the
academically. I was really the
decision
and
were
content
with
were
a little bit painful, because
most
important
pieces
of
advice
most successful kid among my
whatever
he
chose
to
do
as
long
all
of
my
life I was used to seeing
from
his
father
was
to
work
and
siblings, because I had a lot of
as
he
kept
up
with
his
studies.
my
parents
every single day,”
study
hard,
and
continue
his
scholarships and honors from
“My
father
is
open
to
eduAhrorov
explains.
“Then, one
studies
honestly.
the school where I studied. And
day it’s all disappeared and it’s
just memories. It was hard for
me to adjust to not seeing them
every day, although I had that
dream of going to the United
States and I was studying, and
it was going to be all
good. But soon I realized it is independence.
As soon as I realized it
brought up a lot of responsibilities that I have
to carry with me, then it
just struck me that it is
not as easy as it seems.
And I wouldn’t say it was
a mistake, but it was a lot
of duties and responsibilities that comes with
independence.”
Except for a few minor details, Ahrorov says
there is only one big
thing he would change
if he could do it all twice.
He says that he would
be more prepared for
what was to come. The
experience of coming
to the United States to
study and being independent has changed his
life. Ahrorov says it also
has definitely helped his
personal growth.
“Almost three years
ago, I was a little bit different person,” Ahrorov
says. “I had a little bit different personality, and I
needed a little bit more
perception of things.
Maybe I was a little bit
younger than I am right
now. I used to see things in a
little bit different way. I had a
little bit different eyes and would
see things from a different point
of view. But I would see things in
a little bit different way. I would
see things in a little bit more
detail or plan it better.”
“I moved to San Angelo and
went to Angelo State University,”
says Martinez.
She pursued her bachelor’s
degree in communication and
psychology at Angelo State, and
went on to earn her master’s degree in communication studies
at Texas Tech University.
While attending Angelo
State, Martinez met her husband,
Marty.
Martinez says, “That was 12
years ago, but we have been married for seven years.” The couple
deceptively hard for them (the
students),” says Martinez.
According to Martinez, being part of the college system
is a unique experience all its
own.
After teaching on the campus after all this time, Martinez says she believes that her
purpose is to help students
succeed.
“I think that people here
want students to be successful
by their own definition of success,” adds Martinez.
Students make impact on Martinez
by ERICA PAUDA
staff writer
summer time, or traveling to see
their families in Dallas and San
Angelo during Christmas time,
she says.
According to Martinez, she
started out as a physics major,
considering she had always
been good at math and science.
But after taking her first speech
class at Angelo State, she knew
she was better at speaking
than she would be at doing lab
work.
“I love my job,” says Martinez. “That is saying a lot.”
Speech communication is
probably one of the most nervewracking classes that a student
must take when pursuing any
type of college degree.
But, for South Plains College’s Kara Martinez, she sees
it as a learning experience, and
tries to make it fun for all of her
students.
“I see students at the beginning of the semester that
are scared to
death,” says
Martinez, assistant professor of speech
on the Reese
Center campus. “It is really
the biggest
persuasive
effort during
the first week
of school to
keep them
in the class,
because they
are so afraid of
public speaking.”
H a v ing come to
SPC fresh out
of graduate Helping students face their fear of public speaking is a rewarding experience for
school, Mar- Kara Martinez.
tinez has had KAIJA SAMPSON/PLAINSMAN PRESS
experiences
from prior universities, and
She says that she tries to
she says she believes that SPC has a 15-week-old daughter,
Amelia.
make
it as painless as possible
is, by far, the best job she has
When
Martinez
and
her
famwhen
teaching
the course.
ever had.
ily
have
time
to
spend
together,
“I’m
here
to
help you,” Marti“Everybody just always
they
love
to
be
outdoors.
nez
adds.
“I’m
not
here to punish
seems happy to see you, no mat“Our
habits
kind
of
change
you,
or
to
hurt
you.
I ultimately
ter who you are,” adds Martinez,
with
the
season,
”
adds
Martinez.
want
my
students
to have a
who has worked at SPC since
Their
activities
can
range
good
time,
and
I
want
to have a
2003. “They are just happy that
anywhere
from
tailgating
at
good
time,
too.
”
you are here.”
Martinez says that she beShe grew up in South Dal- the Texas Tech football games,
which
they
attend
frequently,
lieves
that it is important for a
las, and graduated from Red Oak
playing
golf,
floating
rivers
in
the
student’s
future career to actuHigh School.
ally enjoy going to work every
day.
“That’s why we are here,
because we love our jobs,” says
Martinez.
Students have a huge impact on Martinez, who says that
she always learns something
new from her own students.
“I love my students, and I
love hearing the different topics, and the things they come
up with,” she adds. “My students
here, it seems like they are so
unique.”
She says
that she
learns from
her students
because
there are so
many diverse
topics and interests, and
they are not
always subjects that she
may know
about.
“I feel like
I learn just
as much as
the students
lear n from
the speeches, and that
just makes it
interesting,”
adds Martinez. “That’s
what makes
me want to
be here every day, and
to look forward to what
my students
are going to
talk about.”
Martinez
says that she
likes to teach
a class where
there are not
any limits.
“I believe you are here to
learn, and the only way that you
can learn about other things is
to hear about those topics,” she
says. “If I limit it (the topic), you
are not learning anything.”
Being a part of the SPC
faculty, Martinez says that she
knows that she has to teach a
class with specific course requirements, but that does not
mean that she cannot make it
fun in the process.
“I do not have trick questions on a test, or make things
10
Feature
Plainsman Press
September 20, 2010
From Hollywood hairstylist to book author
by AMANDA BROWN
staff writer
Little Joe Micale is the hair
stylist of the stars and author of
“Confessions… of a Hollywood
Hairstylist.”
He is known for his amazing haircuts and techniques,
counting celebrities such as
Clint Eastwood, Sidney Skolsky,
and Jayne Mansfield, among his
clients. However, this did not just
get handed to Micale.
His story starts at Ohio University, where he attended on
a wrestling scholarship. He was
going to be an accountant.
One day, Micale
meets a guy who talks
him into answering
some questions. One
being, “If there were no
obstacles in your way,
what would you be”?
Soon after, this man wanted Micale to take what
was basically a career test.
Results showed that he had
very little interest in finance,
and that he should be involved in a more outgoing
field. Micale scored very high
in areas such as theater. This
upset him very much.
“You said I could find out
what I wanted to do, not tell
me my fantasies,” Micale recalls
telling the man.
After talking a while, Micale figured out that he did not
want to be an accountant. He
ran home to tell his family the
good news at dinner. At dinner,
Micale recalls that things were
a bit off, and all of a sudden his
dad says that they are moving
to Hollywood. Micale’s dad had
been trying to move out to Hollywood and be an actor since
before he was 18, but had always
just been a barber. Micale had
some experience with cutting
hair for his buddies back at Ohio
University, so his friends would
not have to pay so much for
haircuts. Micale planned on attending UCLA in California, but
needed some extra cash before
doing so. One night, he went
to the drive-in and went to go
get something to eat from the
concession stand. When he came
back, it hit him “like a lightning
bolt.” He would work part-time
at the drive-in while pursing his
barber’s license.
When Micale was
in school, the emphasis was all
about quantity, not quality. This
was not so for him. He had his
own tricks to cutting. One was
finger cutting, which did not set
well with the instructors. Soon
they would start to nit-pick on
Micale, saying he should go to
Cosmo’s, a salon where all the would give the best hair cut her 100 brick layers and rank them, at 10, and someone with more
he ever given. In doing this, Mi- with someone being number 1, ambition at 5. Nobody says I
big actors go .
Micale went home and told cale became the hairstylist of the the best, and someone being want to be number 1. So go for
his dad there was an opening at stars. He worked his way up, and 100, the worst, everyone puts that number 1 spot. It is wide
themselves at average. Some- open. This set the pace for my
Cosmo’s. His dad went down and fought his way to the best.
Micale moved to Florida one with ambition puts himself life”.
got the job. Micale was up at the
salon every day, and soon Cos- after a health scare and wantmo and his family became close ed to be around family. In
friends with Joe’s family. One September 2002, the local
day, Micale went up and asked newspaper was preparing
if he could have a job. Cosmo a commemorative issue for
was really leary of hiring a kid the first anniversary of the
straight out of barber school, but 9-11 tragedy. Micale wanted
to memorialize a former clihe gave Micale a chance.
One afternoon, Micale was ent and dear friend, Mark
working, and in walks a man, Rothenberg, who passed
who turns out to be Clint East- away on American Airlines
Flight 93. He was asked if he
wood.
Eastwood says, “I want would like to write an article
Little Joe, I hear he is the best of remembrance.
That column became
in the world,” Micale recalls. “I
the first of an ongoing sewanted to crawl in a hole.”
Micale did a great job ries that was about Micale’s
on Eastwood’s hair, and fabulous Hollywood career.
Micale then knew he was He soon went on to write
no longer being tested. the book “Confessions…of a
He soon noticed another Hollywood Hairstylist.” Micale
barber named Johnny. is going to return to Los AnJohnny was good at what geles soon, and he couldn’t
he did. Micale started be happier. He says that he
imagining, “One day, I has “a great wife, Ginny, and
want to be as good as a fabulous life.”
“I have always cared Joe Micale, author of “Confessions of a Hollywood Hairstylist,” shown
Johnny.” He continued
to repeat this all the about the quality of my work,” here with the tools of his trades.
Micale says. “My grandfather PHOTO COURTESY OF JOE MICALE
time.
But one after- used to say to me, ‘If you take
noon, nobody came
in for Micale. There
were a lot of customers, but no one for
him. Micale called this his wakeup call.
Quickly after that day, Micale
began thinking, “I wish I could be
as good as Johnny.”Then a different thought popped in his mind.
Yet they still faced obstacles and friends their perseverance
“What if I could be better than by CHRISTOPHER ALDERETE
staff writer
“well yeah there are always paid off.
Johnny?”
Both owners go on to exThat’s when he set the goal
Ooo La Latte’s is a new busi- going to be obstacles” said coplain
that it may seem as though
that every client he had that he ness in Lubbock that opened in owner Bruce Marmolejo.
lady
luck
has not always been
Co-owner Joe Garcia exlate July.
on
their
side
and they have
It offers a wide variety of plains on the companies web site,
had
to
endure
their fair share
beverages, from gourmet coffee
of
hardships.
Marmolejo
also
drinks, to original smoothies.
opened
up
and
told
his
story.
However, this is not your
He explained that he began
every-day coffee shop.
working at a very young
Ooo La Latte’s offers
age and at that time was
a unique atmosphere
also responsible for
to successfully produce these that you will not find at
helping support his
any Starbucks. As you
award-winning productions.
family. It is because
“I probably get as much pull through the drive through,
of this that Marsatisfaction out of doing what I you are greeted by one of the
molejo decided
do as people appreciate what I cute employees who happily
that he didn’t
takes your order. The young
do for them,” Stalcup said.
want to work for
However, Stalcup’s generos- ladies who work at this
someone
else any
ity of his time does not end with one-of-a-kind establishmore.
He
wanted
to be
what he has done for KTXT. He ment do not come to work
his
own
boss.
also is the secretary for the Lub- in the average coffee shop
“I believe this
bock Industrial Lions Club and uniform. You will not find
is
where
I got my
has helped transport children to any T-shirts or polos at Ooo
entrepreneurial
and from the Texas Lions Camp La Latte’s. Instead, the dress
mindset,” said Marfor Disable Children, coordinat- code consists of theme days
molejo.
ed Eyeglass Recycling for Lions that range from school girl day,
Ooo La Latte’s is more
Clubs in Lubbock and delivered to bikini day, to lingerie day.
than
a
cup
of coffee made
The shop is owned by two h o t meals for Meals on Wheels for
with
freshly
ground organic
man in mid-twenties that came l a t t e s .
close to 30 years.
coffee
beans,
sexy
clothes, or a
period
“If somebody needs some- up with an idea, followed it com, that the
smoothie
that
is
made
with “only
thing, I do it,” Stalcup said. “it’s through from start to finish, and leading up to the start of the
the
freshest
fruits
to
give you
business was one of the hardest
made their dream happen.
just something I do.”
the
boost
that
you
need.
” It is a
times he has ever endured. After
symbol
of
pride,
perseverance,
losing his mother and a close
friend in the same month, he hard work and dedication.
It is a prime example of what
explains how he began to lose all
someone
can achieve with the
hope. Then, Marmolejo came to
proper
amount
of endurance
him with a business plan. Garcia
and
motivation,
even
if one may
thought it over and decided, “I
feel
that
all
has
already
been lost
have nothing to lose and a lot to
at
the
time.
gain.” With the support of family
Caution: Contents may be hot
Coffee shop serves sex appeal
Stalcup honored with
national PBS awar d
time and equipment. Followby KATI WALKER
editorial assistant
ing the concert, he transported
After being conned into the equipment back 40 miles
attending a national conven- and unloaded it, in the rain, at
tion and being ignored while 3 a.m.
trying to set up equipment,
For the 30 “StoryTellers and
Tom Stalcup was surprised with MusicMakers” talk shows that apthe honor of receiving the 2010 peared on PBS, Stalcup furnished
National Friends of Public Broad- the entire tape supply, bought
casting Distinguished Service an editing system and supplied
Award at the PBS Annual Meet- all the DVDs, covers and artwork.
ing in Austin recently.
He also paid for travel to New
Stalcup is the program coor- Mexico to film segments for a
dinator for the video production Vietnam documentary.
technology program at South
“It’s a hobby,” said Stalcup. “I
Plains College’s Levelland cam- love doing it.”
pus. He has also been a volunKTXT is not a big TV station
teer as a camera operator, floor and does not have infinite funds.
director and volunteer recruiter Thus, without the generosity
for pledge drives for KTXT-TV, from Stalcup and others like him,
the public broadcasting sta- KTXT would likely not be able
tion located on the campus of
Texas Tech University
in Lubbock.
“I love it,” Stalcup
said. “I actually enjoy
doing what I do for a
living, and I keep on
doing it.”
For 14 years, twice
a year, two weeks
each time, Stalcup
has volunteered to
operate camera, serve
as floor director and
recruit organizations,
such as his Lions Club
and Lubbock Meals
on Wheels, to work
the phone bank for
KTXT festivals.
“I do enjoy volunteering,” Stalcup
said. “I think everyone
should volunteer.”
Stalcup assisted
with the shooting
for the documentary
“Jesse ‘Guitar’ Taylor,”
and donated the use
of a studio and equip- Tom Stalcup, program coordinator for the video production technology program, was honored
ment. For the televiwith a national award at the PBS Annual Meeting in Austin.
sion concert, “Jay Boy
MIRANDA GONZALEZ/PLAINSMAN PRESS
Adams, 20 Years Later,”
Stalcup also donated
Plainsman Press
Entertainment
11
September 20, 2010
Road of success goes on forever for Texas legend
by THOMAS D. MOONEY
associate editor
When Robert Earl Keen
went into the studio to record
his last album, 2009’s “The Rose
Hotel,” he wanted it to be different than anything else he’d
ever done.
“When I had the songs together and I talked to the producer, Lloyd Maines, I told him I
wanted to make this with a bigger sound, kind of a fatter sound,
and I want it more rhythmic,”
Keen recently told The Plainsman Press. “Lloyd, being the
expert he is—just a fantastic guy
and producer—said OK, we can
do this. So, that’s what we did.”
Through the years, Keen has
done his fair share of albums
with their own personalities.
“I’ve done rustic records,
polished records and live records,” says Keen. “When you do
singer-songwriter records, and
I’ve made a lot of them, you can
be real delicate, you can do real
light-hearted harmonies, pieces,
and stuff. But, a lot of times, you
skip what people really respond
to, which is rhythm and sound.”
Maines’ contributions to
Keen through the years are immeasurable. He has played many
times as a “special guest” and
produced the album “No. 2 Live
Dinner,” which is one of Keen’s
most identifiable and popular
albums.
“I’ve worked with Lloyd for
years in different ways,” says
Keen. “Matter of fact, the first
time I came to Lubbock, years
and years ago, we played in the
you don’t at least know a couple
of lines from “The Road Goes on
is that troubadour talking about
common people. Everyone
Depot, and Lloyd just showed
up. He came out and asked if we
minded if he sat in with us.”
In many ways, Robert Earl
Keen is that official voice of Texas. You aren’t really from Texas if
Forever” or “Merry Christmas
From the Family.”
There are so many elements
that make Keen one of the best
at what he does. His storytelling
ability is matched by few. Keen
knows a Sherry and a Sonny (the
main characters from “The Road
Goes on Forever”).
“I’ve never really written
songs for people,” says Keen. “If
I feel like I’m not lying to myself
and not trying to completely pull
the wool over my eyes, then I’m
doing OK. I just want it to feel like
it’s real. Otherwise, I feel like
if I’m [expletive] myself,
then ever ybody’s going
to know. ”
I t ’s t h a t
factor that
makes Keen
so real.
You can’t
talk about
Keen without
mentioning
his live performances either. He’s such
a force and
staple in the
Texas circuit,
having played
dancehalls
and honky
tonks for decades.
“If I’m an
expert at doing anything,
it’s an expert
at playing
shows,” says
t h e Te x a s
legend. “The
show is what we
do really. You know, I’ve recorded
all these records, writing these
songs for years, but really, what
I’ve done more than anything,
has been playing shows.”
Keen also has always had
the confidence to cover songs
by other great songwriters.
“Well, what I appreciate
from them is that they work in
a little different way than I do,”
says Keen. “When I record other
people’s songs, I’m looking for
something that just kind of
knocks me out.”
One of the most well known
covers is Keen’s version of the
James McMurtry-penned song
“Levelland,” which appeared on
Keen’s 1997 album “Picnic.”
“When I did James’ ‘Levelland,’ what I loved about that
was just the whole opening of
the song,” says Keen, “and then
the biographical material in
the middle of the song about
the dad and the crops and everything, and then where he is.
It’s not unlike what I do, but it’s
something that I could not do.”
On “The Rose Hotel,” Keen
took on “Flyin’ Shoes” by Townes
Van Zandt.
“When I did ‘Flyin’ Shoes’ on
‘The Rose Hotel,’ that particular
song, it was a song I used to tell
people ‘this is what you have to
get about Townes,’” says Keen.
“It’s the beauty in the way he
tells you about this particular
landscape and situation. That’s
what just knocks me out about
Townes. He seriously paints pictures in your head. ”
“We all kind of work with
somewhat the same kind of clay.
We just end up with different
sculptures.”
New Slang: T.I. stumbles with return after recent arrest
by THOMAS D. MOONEY
associate editor
Earlier this year, Atlanta rapper T.I. let it be known that he
was back with the aptly-titled
single “I’m Back,” just days after
being released from a prison
stint.
But on Sept. 2, the rapper
was arrested in Los Angeles after
being accused of possession of a
controlled substance. According
to the New York Times, “deputies smelled a strong odor of
marijuana emitting from [their]
vehicle.”
MTV reported that the substances found in T.I.’s car tested
positive for Ecstasy.
T.I., who is still on probation,
was set to release his seventh
studio album “King Uncaged”
later this month, but it does not
have a release date currently.
It is not yet known where
this recent altercation with the
law will lead T.I.
Bruce Springsteen will be
releasing a “Darkness on the
Edge of Town” remastered box
set. The six-disc set will consist
of a remastered version of the
original album, 22 unreleased
songs, and three DVDs. The
first DVD is a documentary
directed by filmmaker Thorn
Zimny titled “The Promise: The
Making of ‘Darkness On the
Edge of Town.’”
The second DVD is made
up of a complete album performance of “Darkness” at the
Paramount Theatre in Asbury
Park, N.J. shot last
year, along with archival footage from
the Thrill Hill Vault
taken from private
band rehearsals, studio sessions and live
concerts from the
“Darkness” era.
“Houston ’78
Bootleg: House Cut”
is the third and final
DVD in the collection,
and it is a previouslyunreleased concert
performance.
If $130 is too
much to shell out for
the six-disc box set,
The Boss is releasing
a smaller, pocketfriendly, two-disc
version that is made
up of the 22 unreleased tracks.
I n 1991, B ob
Dylan released the
first three volumes
in his famed “Bootleg Series” that have
covered much of his
career. In 2008, “Volume 8-Tell Tale Signs:
Rare and Unreleased,
1989-2006” was a two-disc, 30track collection of material from
“Oh Mercy” to “Modern Times”
sessions.
On Oct. 19, Dylan takes us
back in time with the release of
“Volume 9-The Witmark Demos:
1962-64.” The 47-track compilation consists of demo recordings
from the time, when Dylan is
only armed with his acoustic
guitar, harmonica, voice, and the
occasional piano.
After telling Taylor Swift that
Beyonce
had one
of the
greatest
videos of
all time
earlier
this year,
Kanye
West kind
of disappeared
from the
limelight
and kept
as low a
profile as
possible.
Earlier this
summer,
West released
the first
single,
“Power,”
to his fifth
studio
album,
currently
titled,
“Dark
Tw i s te d
Fantasy,”
which will be released on Nov.
16. The disc will have guestsa-plenty, including Drake, Eminem, Beyonce, Justin Vernon of
Bon Iver, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Kid
Cudi, T.I. and Mos Def, just to
name a few.
The Chicago rapper is also
releasing a five-track collaboration EP with Jay-Z called “Watch
the Throne,” and he has vowed to
fans on his Twitter that there will
be “no more holding back,” as he
will be releasing new material
every Friday until Christmas.
Last year, Brooklyn-based
experimental rockers, The Dirty
Projectors, released their sixth
studio album “Bitte Orca.” While
the band is working on their
seventh, “Ascending Melody,”
an expanded “Bitte Orca” will be
released on Sept. 28.
The expanded edition will
not only include the original
album on disc one, but a live
acoustic performance from a
New York record store, B-sides
from “Stillness is the Move” and
“Ascending Melody” singles
(which were previously only
available on vinyl), and a new
cover of Dylan’s “As I Went Out
One Morning.”
Indie-folk singer-songwriter
Iron & Wine has announced that
his sixth studio album “Kiss Each
Other Clean”
will arrive in
early 2011. Although he has
released the
compilation album “Around
the Well” and
the live album
“Nor folk ” in
the past year, it
has been three
years since his
last studio album, the critically acclaimed
“ The Shepherd’s Dog.”
Earlier this
year, Indie singer-songwriter
Tallest Man on
Earth released
“The Wild
Hunt.” A new
five -song EP
titled “Sometimes the Blues
is Just a Passing Bird” has
been released
on iTunes, although you’ll
have to wait
u nt i l N ov. 9
for a physical
copy.
12
Entertainment
Plainsman Press
September 20, 2010
Screen Play: Biographic films dominate fall selections
by JOHANNAH SEGURA
entertainment editor
As the fall semester begins,
I’d like to introduce a new addition to our publication.
“Screen Play” will feature
upcoming movies and some
new material to accompany our
entertainment section. We have
dedicated a lot to our music and
film review pieces in the past,
but we believe it’s a great time
to start up a little place for our
cinema enthusiasts. This column
will be a great source for new
films, rumored releases, and
recommendations.
Film has been a great love
of mine for as long as my mind
will remember, and I’m honored
to be a part of our new addition. I hope “Screen Play” will
become a staple for not only our
new readers, but the veterans
as well.
“I’m Still Here”
Joaquin Phoenix has led
an incredible life. He has played
roles in legendary performances.
As an actor, he has variation and
style. But as a rapper?
The two-time Oscar nominated actor has been out of the
spotlight for the past couple of
years. His last TV appearance had
gossip columnists stark-raving
mad. No one knew what would
come next for Phoenix.
Casey Affleck is the man
behind the new light shining
on Phoenix. The last anyone
had heard about him was that
he wanted to become a rapper.
Affleck has become the one to
document that journey.
“I don’t want to play the
character of Joaquin anymore,”
Phoenix said. “My life is becoming
a film about me not wanting to
make a film.”
All the controversy surrounding him makes this almost
a worthwhile experience. It is
a look into the rise and fall of
Joaquin Phoenix. If it’s not in
the documentary, you can bet it
won’t be long before it surfaces
elsewhere.
“I’m Still Here” hits theaters
Sept. 10.
“127 Hours”
The true story of mountain
climber, Aron Ralston is being
retold, this time by director
Danny Boyle and screenwriter
Simon Beaufoy.
Beaufoy and Boyle previously teamed up to bring wonderful adaptations of stories to
the big screen such as, “Slumdog
Millionaire,” “Closer” and “The
Beach.” This time around, the
twosome will be retelling Aron
Ralston’s tale with the help
of James Franco, who plays
Ralston.
The film is based on the
true events that occurred in
2003 during a mountain
climbing excursion by
Ralston, who got himself into trouble when
a boulder fell on top of
him, trapping him and
leaving him helpless for
more than four days.
“127 Hours” is expected
to be released Nov. 5.
“Black Swan”
Natalie Portman’s new film,
“Black Swan” is expected to be
released this December. The film
is a psychological thriller that
delves into the highly competitive world of modern ballet.
Portman plays Nina, a dancer who belongs to a ballet company in New York City.
When her director, played
by Vincent Cassel, chooses her
for the lead as the White Swan
in the production of “Swan Lake,”
she is thrilled.
Nothing
can stop
her from
f i -
nally
achieving her
dream. Then all is
threatened when
another dancer, Lily,
(Mila Kunis) catches
her director’s eye.
The two are consumed with winning the part
as their nasty rivalry takes the
lead, and Nina is faced with the
ultimate test, losing herself to
achieve her dream.
“Black Swan” is set to be
released Dec.1.
“Nowhere Boy”
John Lennon gave us many
great things in his lifetime, many
great songs. Story tellers have attempted to capture his essence
in books and films, but many of
them have fallen short.
“Nowhere Boy” is the story
of Lennon’s adolescent upbringing. It is a great look into the
events that shaped the person he became. Based on
the novel by John’s sister,
Julia Baird, “Nowhere Boy”
chronicles post-war Liverpool,
Lennon’s musical inspiration and
gets right to the point, when he
meets Paul McCartney for the
first time.
“Nowhere Boy” is set to release one day before Lennon’s
70th birthday, Oct. 8.
Rodriguez’s ‘Machete’ slaughtering box office rivals
by JOHANNAH SEGURA
entertainment editor
Robert Rodriquez is a director who knows gore.
He previously teamed up
with writer and director Quentin
Tarantino to produce a double
feature chock full of over-thetop, lewd and sadistic scenarios
better known as “Grind House,”
which consisted of “Death Proof”
and “Planet Terror.”
The ensemble paid homage to the exploitation films of
the early 1960s and ‘70s. During
those features, previews for
other rumored “Grind House”
films got to make a surprise
sneak appearance as trailers.
One of those films was called
“Machete.”
Danny Trejo plays Machete
Cortez, an ex-Federale trying
to rebuild his life after a run-in
with the notorious drug lord,
Torrez. Upon his arrival in Texas,
Machete is propositioned by a
senator’s public aid to oversee
dirty work involving Torrez and
the senator.
Machete cooperates with
hopes of getting closer to Torrez
and gaining vengeance for his
lost loved ones. At this point,
he has turned into a renegade.
He will stop at nothing to get
to the man who destroyed his
life. He carries one weapon, a
machete.
The story follows a man
on a sadistic journey for vengeance, but also sheds some
light on some very difficult is-
sues, such as immigration, that
are very relevant today. That
the economy in Taiji. Some of
the dolphins are slaughtered
and sold to supermarkets. It
is unknown to a vast majority
of Japanese citizens that this
hunt is taking place, much less
providing “mystery meats” for
supermarkets. Not only were the
citizens of Taiji completely unaware of the hunt, they were also
being misled to believe anything
about the danger of dolphin
meat. Dolphin meat contains
very high levels of Mercury and
is incredibly harmful to humans.
It was even removed from the
school lunch program because
of this little known fact.
That is one of the many
things on the “to-do” list of
O’Barry. With the Help of Psihoyos and a crew of filmmakers,
he managed to breach security
to gain footage of the unthinkable. He took that footage all
the way to the International
Whaling Commissions, where
he was previously banned for
his activism.
His story has made a tremendous impact on society and
helped recruit thousands in the
effort to save sea life. “The Cove”
won Best Documentary at the
2010 Academy Awards and has
garnered more than 40 other
honors. If I could recommend
just one documentary, it would
be “The Cove.”
As for romance, I suppose
we could place “Greenberg” into
that genre. It was delightfully
dark and clever, but sweet. It
was released this past April, but I
know a lot of people who haven’t
seen it yet. Here’s your chance to
be convinced!
Greta Gerwig plays “Florence”, a young and naïve assistant to the Greenbergs, a hip,
wealthy family in Los Angeles.
As they leave on vacation, it is
announced to Greta that the
husband’s brother-in-law would
be arriving to house sit and do
some handyman work in ex-
change for getting him out of
New York City.
Ben Stiller plays Roger
Greenberg, who lives in
New York and arrives back
home in Los Angeles on a
whim. He has one agenda:
to do nothing. As it turns
out, he ends up needing
quite a bit of Florence’s help,
because he doesn’t drive.
Roger becomes intrigued
by her but can’t get past his
previously failed relationship endeavors.
After attempting to reconnect and reconcile with
his past life as a musician,
Roger is forced to accept
that the life he left behind
has changed, and so has
he.
“A Prophet,” directed
by Jacques Audiard, was
my favorite movie of the
summer.
It tells the tale of a
young Arab man, Malik,
played by Tahar Rahim, who is
sent to a French prison where
there are extreme struggles between the Corsican and Muslim
cultures.
Although he has spent a
number of years in a juvenile
detention center, Malik is seen
in an innocent light. There is no
doubt that he has “earned” himself his new six-year sentence,
yet there is a certain quality he
possesses that makes him easy
to like.
As Malik enters prison, he
quickly learns that he will have
no choice but to cooperate with
the Corsicans, who are incredibly dangerous. The Corsicans
do not respect him, but they use
him to get close to the Muslims
because of his cultural ties.
The Muslims do not trust
Malik either, and it becomes an
emotional and psychological
battle for Malik as he struggles
to stay alive on the inside.
After several years of strug-
by day and revolutionary by
night.
Jessica Alba plays an immigration agent, while Robert
De Niro plays a state senator in
Texas.
I have been waiting for this
film for what feels like an eternity, and I was impressed with
Rodriguez’s ability to maintain
vulgarity in an interesting way
that isn’t ridiculous.
Overall, if you fancy gore, a
bit of bad language and naked
women, then “Machete” is for
you.
Despite the unnecessary
cameo by “Lindsanity” Lohan, I
give it five stars.
being said, one can only imagine
the perspective it provides from
the point of an
i m m i gra n t . I t
was over-the top and really
hit the nail on
the head when
it comes to the
racism that fuels
the immigration
controversy.
“ M a c h e te”
i s e ve r y t h i n g
Trejo embodies.
He was made for
this role, and his
scorn makes you
believe that the
story of Machete
Cortez is true.
Alongside
Trejo is Michelle
Rodriguez, a taco stand vendor
gling to make it through each
day, Malik has made himself a
hopes of rebuilding his life once
he makes it through his sentence.
name and has even developed
ties with the outside world in
Day after day, he is gaining more
power, and he is hopeful that he
will be able to survive in the world
once he is released. Whether
or not
he will
l i v e
to see
that
day is
completely
up to
h o w
h
e
plays
h i s
cards.
“A
Prophe t ”
was released
earlier
t h i s
year
a n d
w a s
also
nominated for best foreign film at the
Academy Awards in 2010.
Oscar picks, Indie films among year’s best
by JOHANNAH SEGURA
entertainment editor
During the course of last
spring and this summer, there
were a number of great films
released.
Both blockbusters and
independent films produced
some very impressive work. I’m
pleased to introduce my favorites, and I recommend each of
them to everyone.
“The Cove,” was not a summer film, but a documentary
released earlier in the spring. I
must note it, not only because
of its sheer brilliance, but it is
a moving subject. Together,
director Louie Psihoyos and Ric
O’Barry began embarking on
one of the greatest adventures
of their lifetimes.
O’Barry, a former dolphin
trainer for the television sitcom
“Flipper,” had a revelation. His
days as a trainer on the show led
him to trap and train dolphins.
It wasn’t until he witnessed a
dolphin’s intentional suicide
that he realized there was something very wrong with what
he was involved with. It wasn’t
more than a few days later that
O’Barry was arrested for trying
to free captive dolphins off the
coast of Bimini. Since then, he
has dedicated his life to the
rescue and preservation of dolphins around the world.
Psihoyos and O’Barry began
working together on a project
about dolphin hunting operations in Taiji, Wakamaya, Japan.
The operations are completely
off limits to the public, and the
Japanese work very hard to keep
it under wraps. The dolphin
hunting takes places inside a
small cove. The captured creatures are shipped off and sold
to marine parks and other sea
life attractions all around the
globe.
This generates an enormous amount of revenue for
13
Entertainment
Plainsman Press
September 20, 2010
Pleased to Meet You: Candy Claws
by THOMAS D. MOONEY
associate editor
The sun is setting while I’m
talking with the sunny-hazed
electronic-pop band Candy
Claws.
We’re in the back alley of
Bash’s in Lubbock huddled
around my tape recorder since
Magic Kids are inside soundchecking.
God only knows why the
Fort Collins, Colo. based Candy
Claws ended up with Lubbock
being their starting city for their
latest tour, the lengthy-titled
“The Wild-Eyed Jungle Princess
and Her Savage Cats Play the
Music of Candy Claws Tour.”
“This tour is like a different
band covering Candy Claws
songs, since only half the band
is here,” says vocalist Ryan Hover.
“The girls are back home, because they go to school because
they’re smart.”
Earlier this summer, the
band released their sophomore
album “Hidden Lands,” a collection of Beach Boys-meets-earlyAnimal Collective tunes dripping
with warm swoops of keyboards,
horns, and layered vocals.
Band: Candy Claws
From: Fort Collins, Colo.
Albums: “Hidden Lakes”
(2010), “In the Dream of the
Sea Life” (2008)
Myspace: http://www.
myspace.com/candyclaws
PPress: What’s the
strangest or coolest display of affection from a
fan?
Ryan Hover (vocals, samples,
electronics): I have a great
story. This poet contacted
me, because our first album
was based on a Rachel Carson
book. Rachel Carson wrote
about the science of the ocean,
and this poet wrote to me because she was going to meet
Rachel Carson’s granddaughter
or daughter and wanted our
album as a soundtrack. She
surprised us in Chicago. She
showed up and brought pictures from her trip of the same
coast line that Rachel Carson
used to hang out at. That was
really cool. It tied it all together.”
PPress: What’s your current ringtone?
Wesley Alonzo (drums):
“Vibrate.”
Riley Cravens (bass,
electronics): “I have a
great ringtone right now
actually.[Plays “Knock You
Down” by Keri Hilson featuring Ne-Yo and Kanye West.]”
Marty Albertz (guitar):
[Plays “Big Poppa” by The
Notorious B.I.G.]
Hover: “Mine’s just a little
melody. Just a little twinkly
melody.”
PPress: What’s the
craziest, most off-base,
or just plain inaccurate thing you’ve read
about yourselves in a
feature?
Cravens: “[Someone] said
that we were all in high
school. Because, he (Wesley) used to be. He just
graduated, but we all got
lumped into that like we
were just a high school band.”
Albertz: “We did this interview
with Pitchfork that just didn’t
turn out the way we wanted it
to.”
Cravens: “They really kind of
twisted our words.”
Albertz: “Every time we tried
talking about the band, he
would bring it back to us growing up in a church and how
much we dislike it now. And
trying to make us answer why
we don’t like the church now.”
Alonzo: “It really wasn’t about
the band.”
Hover: “We made the mistake of saying that we met at
church. He tried to turn it all
into our views on religion, and
that’s not really what our band
is about at all. It’s just a distraction, I think. He just found
something a little controversial
to harp on.”
PPress: What’s your favorite TV show?
Cravens: “‘The Venture Brothers.’”
Albertz: “I was going to say ‘The
Venture Brothers.’ I’m going
to have to change my answer
now. Umm, I like ‘Lost’ a lot, or I
used to.”
Hover: I’m really into ‘Mad Men’
PPress: What would be
your dream collaboration?
Albertz: “I’d like to do some-
right now, but I think my favorite show of all-time is ‘Powder
Puff Girls.’”
PPress: What’s been the
worst job you’ve had?
Cravens: “A gas station.”
Albertz: “I worked at a hotel for
a couple months, and that was
awful.”
Hover: “I had to pick up dead
ducks around this lake once.
They had this disease that
would kill the live ducks. It
was with Americorps. So yeah,
dead, rotting ducks.”
Alonzo: “I’ve never had a job
so… [Laughs.]”
PPress: Describe yourselves as a band in one
sentence.
Albertz: “Big smile.”
Hover: “That’s not even a sentence.”
Albertz: “One gigantic sentence. A grin from ear to ear. “
Cravens: “Really, really, really
awesome.”
Hover: “Those aren’t sentences.
We are really, really, really,
awesome. That’s a complete
sentence.”
thing with Phil Elvrum of The
Microphones.”
Cravens: “Lighting Bolt has
always been [one]. It’d be awesome.”
Ryan Hover: “The two brothers
who wrote all the music for
‘Mary Poppins,’ the Sherman
Brothers.”
PPress: What’s your favorite city to play in?
Cravens: “I really like Toronto a
lot.”
Albertz: “The most fun, that
was probably Seattle because
we played a cool house show.”
Hover: “My favorite place was
L.A. We got to hang out there,
since we played it.”
Sex, lies, corruption unfold in
‘Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’
by FELICIA GUZMAN
staff writer
Showing the darker side of
culture in Sweden is best seller,
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” by Stieg Larsson.
The book, originally titled
“Men Who Hate Women”, shows
how Mikael Blomkvist comes to
solve a four-decade old missing
person case.
Blomkvist recently lost a
libel case and has decided to
take a leave of absence from his
position as publisher and writer
for Millennium Magazine. He
also must serve a three-month
jail term. Blomkvist is a pseudo
celebrity and known womanizer, with an open relationship
with a married lover and fellow
publisher Erika Berger.
Henrik Vanger, a wealthy
industrialist, offers Blomkvist
the job of a lifetime: writing the
Vanger family story. But there
is a catch. Blomkvist must also
spend one year living on the
Vanger estate in order to investigate the disappearance of
Harriet Vanger. During his search
for the truth, Blomkvist learns of
the deeply unorthodox ties in
the Vanger family.
Henrik Vanger has spent
the past 40 years trying to solve
the mystery of his niece’s disappearance. Finding out what happened to Harriet has become an
obsession that has led Henrik to
look for outside help.
After the lost libel case and
extremely evasive investigation
into Blomkvist, done by Lisbeth
Salander, Vanger knows that he
has found the man for the job.
Vanger not only offers Blomkvist
2.4 million kronor, but also information that could prove to give
Blomkvist his credibility back
in the journalism world, information that could bring down
Hans-Erik Wennerström and restore Millennium’s reputation.
Salander is a 24-year-old
private investigator who has
been deemed “incompetent”
and is under guardianship. After
her last guardian retires, she
is placed in the care of a Nils
Bjurmn, who takes advantage of
Salander’s social restrictions.
Salander takes matters into
her own hands and turns her
new guardian’s sadistic ways
back on him. There is more to
Salander than meets the eye, as
she is a world-class computer
hacker known only as Wasp. She
has a photographic memory
and violent tendencies when
she believes she is in danger.
She’s savvy and street smart in
ways unknown to those around
her. Her compassion is only
revealed through her care for
her mother.
Blomkvist and Salander
team up to solve the cold case,
only to find that Harriet is not
alone. While acting in “friends
with benefits” mode, they discover an obscure Bible verse
found in Harriet’s diary that leads
to numerous other deaths and
missing persons cases around
the country, all with links to Van-
ger businesses. They find that
their cabin has been broken into,
and a dead cat was placed on
the front porch. Then Blomkvist
is attacked, and they realize the
killer is closer than either ever
thought.
Together they find out the
truth about Harriet, who was
never dead but merely in hiding
with the assistance of an unlikely source. They even expose
Wennerström, who Blomkvist
lost his libel case to. The novel
ends with the classic cliff hanger
that leads into “The Girl who
Played with Fire,” the second
of the three novels Larsson authored before his death.
Throughout the novel, Larsson shows the way men and
women in Sweden interact. He
shows sadists, incest, sex, lies,
corruption, murder, and even
miracles. The physical level of
the Swedish society is shown to
be harsh, violent, and very promiscuous, while the emotional
side is swept under the rug, if
there is one at all. The reader
never knows what someone is
feeling or capable of by outward
appearance the entire time.
“The Girl with the Dragon
Tattoo” is a very adult read, as
it describes a complicated and
aged way of life. There are some
graphic and taboo topics in the
book, but they all add up to form
one interesting story. Larsson
depicts how life has and hasn’t
changed in the past 40 years for
the people of Sweden.
Alonzo: “That’s what I want to
say. But I can’t really say it, since
I didn’t play L.A. They didn’t let
me into the venue due to my
age. I’m only 17.”
Albertz: “We were
on tour with
Pepper Rabbit, so
their drummer sat
in for Wesley.”
PPress: What
would be the
first thing
you’d do as
president?
Cravens: “Quit.”
Hover: “Yeah,
choose someone
else to be president.”
Albertz: “Give up.”
Alonzo: “I’d probably broadcast
Tetris on every
station in the
country.”
PPress: What’s
the last great
film you saw?
Cravens: “‘Scott
Pilgrim vs. The
World.’”
Hover: “I agree.”
Albertz: “Marty agrees.”
Alonzo: “I saw ‘Get Low,’ with
Bill Murray and Robert Duvall.”
PPress: Do you guys have
any guilty pleasures?
Alonzo: “Tetris… Actually, I
don’t feel guilty at all about
that.”
Albertz: “Probably smoking
cigarettes.”
Hover: “You don’t ever feel
guilty about that.”
Albertz: “Sometimes. If my
mom ever found out.”
Cravens: “I don’t know; I don’t
really feel guilty about anything.”
Courtesy of www.quizland.com - Robert Sherman
Hover: “What about your ringtone?”
Cravens: “Yeah, OK, my ringtone.”
Hover: “Playing the game “Demon Souls” on PS3, because it
eats away your whole life.”
Alonzo: “Yeah, I’d say the competitive Tetris.”
PPress: What’s the last
great concert you attended?
Albertz: “I feel like the last
concert I saw was Animal Collective.”
Cravens. “Last concert I saw
was The Books.”
Alonzo: “The last great concert
I’d say was The Flaming Lips at
Red Rocks. We got to dance on
stage, so that was pretty sweet.”
Hover: “I think the best concert
I’ve ever seen was Daft Punk at
Red Rocks.”
PPress: Rolling Stones or
Beatles?
Alonzo: “Beatles.”
Cravens: “Beatles.”
Hover: “Beatles.”
Albertz: “Beatles.”
Cravens: “I’d actually would
rather say Beach Boys.”
Hover: “Yeah, I overrule and say
Beach Boys. [Everyone agrees.]”
PPress: If you could ban
one artist from making
music forever it’d be
who?
Cravens: “Justin Beiber.”
Albertz: “There’s a lot of [expletive] artists out there. Hmm…
Ringo Starr.”
PPress: In five years,
where do you see yourselves?
Cravens: “25.”
Albertz: “Maybe in school.”
Hover: “A member of Mastodon.”
edited by ELLYSA GONZALEZ
editor-in-chief
CROSSWORD
ACROSS
DOWN
1. Not a physician
4. Alternatives
7. One of twelve sons of Jacob
10. ______-vee
11. Slang for the Internet
12. Mischievous child
13. Current unit
14. ‘Smog Police’
15. Am. _____ & Tel.
16. Ornament
19. Polite interruption sound
21. Looked obliquely
24. Cuts food in to small cubes
26. Sarcastic
27. Duties
29. Promptly
30. Into separate pieces
32. Time in Beverly Hills, 90210
34. Prohibit
35. Baseball bat wood
38. Insect
39. Women’s wear
40. Greek letter
41. Pathetic
42. Evergreen tree
43. Ovum
1. School group
2. Hesitate in speaking
3. Belittled
4. Opposite the sixes on dice
5. Ward off
6. Modes of being
7. Degenerate
8. Brew
9. Sports organization
17. Prophetic signs
18. Taut
19. Banners on the Web
20. Strike
22. Former name of Tokyo
23. Lair
25. Short and stocky
28. ______ Drum
31. Pick a card
32. TV network
33. ______ Grape
36. Hollywood union
37. Hold closely
Sports
Reins handed over to new rodeo coach
14
Plainsman Press
September 20, 2010
by DANIELLE GONZALES
sports editor
After nine years, the South
Plains College men’s and women’s rodeo teams have a new
coach taking over the reins.
Kerry Doster is now the
new head coach for the teams,
filling the void created after the
resignation of Josh Crowe at the
end of the spring semester.
Doster is originally from the
Fort Worth area, where he was
born and raised. He has been involved with rodeo since he was
about 5 years old, but he was
riding horses long before that.
“I don’t remember not riding horses; Probably since like
1 or 2, I started riding horses,”
said Doster.
After being involved in junior rodeos and other rodeos
for youths, he went into
competing for his high
school rodeo team. He
was also involved in
4-H. Later, Doster attended Weatherford
College on a rodeo
scholarship.
Doster attended
Weatherford College for
two years before going
on to attend Sul Ross
University in Alpine. He
competed in the saddle
bronc, bareback and
steer wrestling events
for the rodeo team until
he graduated in 1996
with his Ag Business
degree, with a minor
in economics.
After finishing college, Doster went on to
compete on the profes-
New head rodeo coach Kerry Doster brings years of
experience to the SPC team.
CASSIDY TEAFF/PLAINSMAN PRESS
sional rodeo
circuit. He was
involved with
t h e Pro fe s sional Rodeo
Cowboy Association, where
he would also
shoe horses.
He did that
until he suffered a broken
leg.
After suffering that
injury, he decided to go
back to Sul
Ross, where
Doster served
as the rodeo
coach while
he was also
taking classes.
Doster and his wife were taking
classes at Sul Ross at the same
time, which he says “was not a
whole lot of fun,” but they got
through it.
“It wasn’t too bad,” adds
Doster, who completed his Master of Science degree in 2009.
While at Sul Ross, Doster
was a lecturer in ferrier technology, which is the horseshoeing
program. He was also a lecturer
for animal science courses. He
coached the rodeo team at Sul
Ross for seven years.
Doster says that he was attracted to South Plains College
because the college has more
opportunities.
“The way South Plains College is set up, they are set up
to let you win,” said Doster. “It
allows me to be more successful
as a coach.”
Although SPC’s rodeo teams
were successful last season,
Doster says that he still has many
different qualities that he can
bring to the teams.
“I’ll bring experience in both
the timed events and rough
stock, which I think is where
they were lacking in the past,”
said Doster.
Doster is hoping to take
the teams to the national finals
within the next couple of years.
“My goal within the next five
years is to win the team championship within the region, and
then take it up to the national
finals,” said Doster.
New assistant rodeo coach back in the saddle
by SAMANTHA RODRIGUEZ in production management.
photo editor
He is currently working on his
master’s degree in Secondary
South Plains College re- Education from Easter New
cently welcomed back a familiar Mexico University.
face to the rodeo program.
On top of coaching and
But now he’s not a student studying, Heck still competes
competing on the
team. He is the new
assistant coach.
Cody Heck will get
a new perspective
of what it is like being on the other
side of the chutes,
instead of being
inside one competing himself.
Heck was born
and raised in Perryton, Texas, where
he was bred into
the rodeo life and
followed in his family’s footsteps at the age of 6. in rodeo events such as calves,
After high school, he attended steer wrestling, and riding buckSPC and competed on the rodeo ing horses. He qualified for
team from fall of 2004 until the the Working Ranch Cowboy
spring of 2006.
Association finals in 2010. The
Heck then transferred to association puts on about 15
Eastern New Mexico University, rodeos throughout the United
where he also was on the rodeo States and Canada each year. The
team and made the college fi- winner of each rodeo has the
nals in 2008. He graduated from opportunity to go to the finals
ENMU with a degree in Animal in Amarillo.
Dairy Science, with an emphasis
“You have ranches from
Canada and all over the U.S.,”
Heck says. “We’ve won two out of
15 or 20 rodeos this summer.”
He also had qualified horses
compete in the Ranch Horse Association of America in 2010.
Heck started his position
as assistant rodeo
coach on
Aug. 11. He
specializes
in team roping and the
breakaway
events.
When
asked what
brought
him back to
SPC, Heck
replied, “An
opportunity to just
keep a great program that was
established and just keep it going. There were some big footsteps to fall into and follow. Just
the opportunity here and what
they give me.”
Heck says that what he
wants to bring to the rodeo team
and the school is to go out and
win national championships
and get more team members
to the finals. The team practices
Monday through Thursday, then happens. It’s America’s heritage, competing, Heck loves rodeo
and helping show others how
competes at rodeos Thursday and it is still living.”
Sometimes being a cowboy to love it as well.
through Saturday.
“It’s just something that peoThere has been a few chang- may not come so easily.
“There has been days after ple have helped me do,”says Heck.
es since he was at SPC the first
practice where you just want “ They always helped me push
time.
myself
“When I was here,
to the
we had 35 to 40 stul i m i t s.
dents on the team,”
E ve r y Heck says. “This year, we
thing
have 23 on scholarship.
about
We have two arenas,
the roand the facilities have
deo, I
grown since I’ve been
love.
here; they just keep
It’s not
growing.”
about
Being part of the
beatrodeo scene, getting to
i n g
travel, and competing
e ve r ysounds like fun. But it
body.
doesn’t come easy, and
I t ’ s
the cost can add up.
about
The college provides
being
the livestock and the
t h e
facility to practice on,
b e s t
but the rodeo team
you can
members put up their
be, and
own money to go to the
bringrodeos.
ing the
“All the students
b e s t
own their own horses,”
out of
Heck says. “Some of
yourthe horses in that barn
self and
are $30,000. There’s rigs
other
over there that cost
people
$20,000. It’s just a sport
around
that you are either all in,
SPC graduate and new assistant rodeo coach, Cody Heck, gives
y o u .
or you’re not.”
If you
As for coaching, his back to his students.
are not
favorite part is giving SAMANTHA RODRIGUEZ/PLAINSMAN PRESS
back
back to the students
there…
and giving them what
you are
has been given to him.
wish“I love being
around the kids and helping to sell your rigs and sell your ing everybody luck. Your best
them,” says Heck, “putting my horses, because practices were friend, you want him to beat you.
so bad,” Heck says. “ But you just You want everybody else to do
knowledge to work.”
Heck describes rodeo as want to wake up in the morning better. That is what makes rodeo
“Man and beast, a combination. and do it again. You can’t do it different than other sports. You
This is a combination of a sport half way. You are either all in or don’t wish anybody bad luck in
rodeo,” he says. “I’m just wanting
that you cannot control the ele- you don’t do it at all.”
One thing is for sure, though. to make a name for myself and
ments. You can control what you
do, but you can’t control what NO matter if he is coaching or help others around me.”
15
Sports
Plainsman Press
September 20, 2010
Former Lady Texan named assistant coach
by ANDREW GARVIN
editorial assistant
“My two years here were
probably the best two years of
my college career,” Lisle said.
The bench of the South
“I loved it. I liked Coach Wyatt
Plains College Women’s Basketwhen I was here. Coaching colball team will look different this
lege basketball is something I’ve
year with the addition of a new
wanted to do since I was a little
assistant coach.
kid, and when I saw that it was
But this coach is no stranger
open, Coach Wyatt had called
to the team. Michelle Wyatt,
and said come for an interview. I
head coach of the Lady Texans,
came, and it worked out great.”
recently announced the hiring of
Lisle graduated from SPC in
Tara Lisle as an assistant coach.
2005 and continued her athletic
Lisle graduated from Rule
career at Tarleton State UniverHigh School in 2003. She was resity, where she earned a degree
cruited to attend SPC by former
in Exercise and Sports Studies
head coach, Lyndon Hardin, and
in 2008. This summer, she plans
played for the Lady Texans from
on finishing her master’s degree
2003-2005.
in Kinesiology
through Tarleton State.
Lisle says
that she has
no intention
of earning a
doctorate.
Instead, she
plans on pursuing a career
in coaching.
“Co a c h ing college
basketball
is just what
I ’ ve a l w a y s
wanted to do,”
added Lisle.
“Eventually, I
hope to be a
head coach
somewhere.”
L i s l e
mentioned
how the role
reversal from
Former Lady Texan Tara Lisle is the new
player to coach
assistant coach.
has its advanMANDY CONTRERAS/PLAINSMAN PRESS
tages with the
team.
“It’s a lot different,” Lisle says,
“but when the girls complain, or
come to me and say ‘Oh well, I
don’t want to do this,’ I’ve been
through it. It’s easier for me to relate back to them, tell them what
I went through and how I did it.
We [Coach Wyatt and herself ]
both have to work together to
get these girls where they need
to be. It’s a lot different being on
the other side.”
This is Lisle’s first year as a
coach, but she hopes to gain
some familiarity throughout
the season.
“I personally don’t have a
lot of coaching experience, so
I hope to learn a lot just from
being under Coach Wyatt,” says
Lisle. “She’s a very successful
coach. I also learned a lot from
Coach Hardin. He was old
school and very intense. When
I was here, I learned so much from
him and Coach Wyatt.”
Lisle brings to the court
several goals she plans on accomplishing this season. One
is returning to the National Junior College Athletic Association
tournament. In 2005, Lisle was a
member of the Lady Texans team
that finished fourth in the NJCAA
tournament.
“They haven’t been there
since I played, so that’s one of
my big goals, to get the team
back to the national tournament,” Lisle said.
Lisle’s other
goals consist
of having a
successful
season and, “I
hope the girls
just have fun
this year.”
Kemper newest addition to Texans staff
by DANIELLE GONZALES
sports editor
South Plains College head
men’s basketball coach Steve
Green recently made a new addition to his basketball staff.
Rich Kemper is the newest
assistant coach for the Texans.
Kemper, 27, was born and
raised in St. Louis, Missouri. While
in high school, he was involved
in football and basketball, until
getting hurt. Because of his
injury, he became a manager,
which helped him find what he
was interested in pursuing for
a career.
“I really enjoyed that aspect
of it,” said Kemper.
Since Kemper was highly
involved in athletics while attending high school, he says that
he felt that coaching was what
he wanted to do,
“I just love what I do,” Kemper said. “It makes it enjoyable,
and every day is interesting.”
His college career started at
Missouri State University, where
he earned an undergraduate
degree in physical education
in December 2005. While at
MSU, he was a manager for
the men’s basketball team for
four years.
“That’s where I kind of
caught the bug,” said Kemper.
After finishing at MSU,
Kemper moved on to Saint
Gregory University, which is an
NAIA school located in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He was there
for two and a half years.
Following Saint Gregory’s,
he went to Drury University,
where he received his master’s
degree in Education in May
2010. While at Drury, Kemper
was a graduate assistant, as
he was taking classes while
attending Drury and coaching
as well.
“I think the players have
a lot more respect for the fact
that not only are you telling
them what to do, but you’re
also doing it yourself,” says
Kemper.
While at Drury, Kemper
was in charge of monitoring
the players off the court, with hopefully produce a winning
class checks, academic checks team on the floor,” adds Kemand study hall monitoring, which per.
meant that he would
go to the players’ classes and make sure that
they were contributing
to the class setting.
When his time
was up at Drury, Kemper started looking
for a job, and a friend
of his knew that Steve
Green, the head coach
for the Texans, was
looking for a new assistant. Kemper says
that he decided to
give him a call and
was lucky enough to
get the position.
Kemper is hoping
that he can help maintain the successful program that Coach Green
has produced during Rich Kemper, a recent graduate from
Drury University, joins the Texans as
the past 10 years.
“I hope the guys the new assistant coach.
are successful in the ANDREW GARVIN/PLAINSMAN PRESS
classroom… and
Cross Country teams making early strides
by DANIELLE GONZALES
sports editor
As summer comes to an
end, the new cross country
season is getting off on the
right foot.
The South Plains College
men’s and women’s cross country teams start their season with
many new faces, to go along
with a few familiar ones.
The Lady Texans have two
top finishers returning from
last season, Lisa Forsberg and
Kadian Dunkley.
“We are young, but we have
some very good talent… and
they will be good leaders for
our team,” said head Coach Chris
Beene.
The Texans begin the season
with only one sophomore, Elijah
Rollock. However, the Texans did
gain a newcomer who has some
experience, Joey Villarreal. Villarreal transferred from West Texas
A&M and will be competing as a
sophomore.
Although there have been
many new members added to
the teams, Coach Beene still
has a good feeling about the
season.
“We have a good group on
both sides, men and women, so
we are excited about starting the
year,” said Beene.
The teams travelled to
Hobbs, N.M., on Sept. 11,
where they got the season off and running.
The Lady Texans
co m p e te d i n
the Bob Jackson 5,000m e t e r
run, while
the
Texans competed in
the Ross Black 8,000-meter run.
The meet was hosted by New
Mexico Junior College.
Both teams swept the titles,
with the Texans finishing the
meet with 19 points and the
Lady Texans finishing with 25
points.
Freshman Hugo Aguinuya practices for an
upcoming cross country meet.
BRANDON ALVARADO/PLAINSMAN PRESS
“I was very pleased with the
performances of both teams this
weekend,” said Coach Beene.
The Lady Texans had five of
their runners finish in the top
10. Newcomer Natoya Goule
finished the course in 19:56, finishing a second before Forsberg,
giving them the second and
third-place spots.
Dunkley finished the run
right behind her teammates
with a fourth-place finish
in a time of 20:36, while
Kirsten Taylor finished sixth
in 20:58. Also scoring for the
Lady Texans was Tiffany Matthews, who came in 10th with a
time of 22:00.
SPC’s David Mogi placed
first in the men’s race in 27:36.
Coming in second was
teammate David Westbury, who
posted a time of 27:54, while
Jonathan Lira placed fourth in
28:08. Rounding out the team
scoring was Roblet Muhudin,
who finished seventh with a
Lisa Forsberg is one of the returning top
finishers from last season.
BRANDON ALVARADO/PLAINSMAN PRESS
time of 28:34. Isacc Placencia
finished eighth with a time of
28:38.
“If we can stay healthy
this season, then we have a
good chance to be competi-
tive at the national cross country
championships in November,” said
Coach Beene.
The Texans and Lady Texans
were to compete at the Texas Tech
Invitational at Meadowbrook Golf
Course on Sept. 17. Results were
not available at press time.
The teams will be back in
action on Sept. 25, competing in
the Oklahoma State Jamboree at
Stillwater, Okla.
Plainsman Press
Spotlight
16
September 20, 2010
I am Iron Man ...
From welder to metal sculptor,
ex student Lynn Day makes his mark
by SARAH NICOLE VAUGHN began taking his sculptures to
news editor
motorcycle rallies in the area. In
2005, Day met Michael Ballard,
Lynn Day is not your typical the owner of the Full Throttle
Saloon in Sturgis, S.D., which has
artist.
In his shop, he blasts metal been dubbed “The World’s Largmusic so loud you can barely est Biker Bar.” Ballard invited Day
hear him speak. The floor and to the notorious Sturgis Motorshelves are cluttered with bits cycle rally. Although Day made
and pieces of metal. You have it there, he only caught
to watch your step, so as not to the last three days of
knock over the groups of metal the weeklong
sculptures that are lined up like event.
During
dominoes.
And then, Day walks in and the past few
he’s wearing jeans and a long- m o n t h s ,
sleeve, khaki button-up that D a y ’ s
doesn’t quite hide all of his tat- life has
toos. Most striking, is his goatee.
It’s been dyed a vibrant, blood
red color, is well trimmed and is
about six inches long.
Day has been selling his art
as long as he can remember.
“I was always artistic,” says
Day. “I even used to sell drawings
in school. I’d draw low riders and
stuff like that, and sell it for a pack been all
about art, rock
of gum or whatever.”
Day graduated from South and roll, and
Plains College’s welding program bikers.
In July, Day went to see
and also spent some time in the
sound technology program. He his friend, Jesse James Dupree,
chose to learn welding, plan- perform with his infamous
ning to go into the oil business southern metal band, Jackyl.
to make some money, which he After the show, Dupree invited
did for 12 years. But life messed Day to return to Sturgis and
show his sculptures at the Full
up his plans a little.
“I had everything going and, Throttle Saloon again. Day says
you know, things change,” says that when he told Dupree that
Day. “Sometimes life throws you he wasn’t sure he was going to
go, Dupree grabbed him by the
a curve.”
Although he never expected shirt, wrote his phone number
to apply his welding degree to on it, and said, “Yeah you are you
his art, Day began making metal [expletive]!”
In August, Day drove to
sculptures as a hobby. While
living in Ennis, Texas, Day took Sturgis with all of his art on the
his pieces to art galleries in the back of a flatbed trailer, not
Dallas-Fort Worth area, where knowing for sure that he would
he was praised for his innova- make enough money for the trip
tions, until the gallery owners home. For a week and a half, he
learned that he didn’t have a was at the legendary biker rally,
at times being filmed for the
degree in art.
When Day moved back to
Lubbock, a little rivalry brewed
between him and another local
metal sculptor. He says that the
competition really drove him
to make a name for himself at
home.
After having his art displayed in a few Lubbock art galleries,
D ay
TruTV reality show “Full Throttle
Saloon” that is produced by
Dupree and centers around
the day-to-day operations of
the bar.
Since Day has returned
Sturgis, he has
from
working on
been
his art,
and
a l s o
gearing
up for Halloween. You
could say that Day ‘moonlights’
as general manager of Lubbock’s
“Nightmare on 19th Street.”
Day’s art includes metal
sculptures of the late Darrell “Dimebag” Abbott of
Pantera, tributes to local
soldiers killed in action in
Iraq, and everything
from horses to skeletons to Black Label
Society-inspired
pieces. Day’s
art doesn’t
stop at
metal;
i s
h e
a
also
painte r. H i s
paintings
incorporate
a skeletal
theme with colorful and mesmerizing
backgrounds, which
he then mounts on
metal frames, keeping
with his
roots.
He says
the craziest
thing he was
asked to do was
a piece that he named
“Green Manaleshee,” a
metal sculpture of a huge
monster crawling up the
side of a wall, fending
itself from a knight in,
well, rusty armor on the
ground. The man who
commissioned the piece
gave Day very vague instructions with only three
specifics, “I want it big, and
I want it going up the wall and I
want it (expletive) up.”
Day’s favorite piece was
also the most challenging. It is
a wall featuring panels of cutout
silhouettes of Native American
petroglyphs, commissioned
in 2008 by Larry Ackers for his
private residence. Ackers and
Day spent six months planning
the project and choosing which
petroglyph sites to reproduce.
“It’s so dramatic,” says Day.
“We had a lot of time to figure
out which panels to do, how to
do it. And he got plaques [made
for the wall] and presented it
so well.”
Day says that the wall
“was a lot of tedious,
repetitive work,” but
worth the final product.
Ackers says that it
was important for
him to make the
plaques for each
petroglyph so
that people
w o u l d understand the
significance of the pieces.
“To just see the beautiful
cutout, silhouette work that Lynn
did, would not give an adequate
description without you seeing
what it represents,” says Ackers.
“Lynn was the one who gave
me the idea of those marble
plaques engraved
with laser so
they would
be weatherproof.”
A
good
example is
the petroglyph
o f “ Th e Lo n g e s t
Walk.” It looks simply
like an American Indian standing beside
a large spiral. Yet, it
symbolizes the 300mile journey that some
8,000 Navajo prisoners
were forced to make
across New Mexico, a
walk that killed many
men, women and children.
Ackers also says that
Day’s artistic talent is hard
to believe.
“Any artist will tell you that
a horse is the hardest thing
in the whole world to draw,”
says Ackers. “To get the perfect
conformation of the animal is
the hardest thing to do, and
Lynn did it in scrap metal. The
conformation on his horse… it
is absolutely perfect. He’s unreal,
absolutely unreal.”
Most of Day’s sculptures are
made with steel because of its
price and how easy it is to work
with. Some of his works feature
more expensive metals, but
they are usually commissioned
that way.
Day purchases all of the
steel and saves the remnants
as he cuts the bigger pieces,
working them into his sculptures as he can.
“People look at it and
think, ‘You go to the
scrap yard and get
scrap,’” says Day.
“But most of it, I
actually buy. As I
make the big pieces,
little pieces fall, and
I have buckets and
buckets categorized
by shape and size.”
Most of his pieces
build more character
over time, developing
a thick rust coat as
they are exposed to
the weather. The rust
acts as a protective
barrier, similar to the
rust on old ships at the
bottom of the ocean.
“Everything I do, I give a
lifetime guarantee on,” says
Day. “It’s gonna be there a
long time after we’re gone.
It’ll probably be there 200
years, maybe longer.”
photos by
MIRANDA GONZALES/
PLAINSMAN PRESS