The East Texan
EXTRA
MARCH
Astronomy Professor Takes To The Sky
Photo Courtesy/Kent Montgomery
Builds own plane, fulfills lifelong dream
By Christian Aleman
When he’s not running the planetarium or teaching courses in physics and astronomy at Texas A&M University-Commerce, Dr. Kent Montgomery takes to the skies in his own, hand-made, star-covered plane. “It was always kind of a dream since I was a little kid, it’s just that I didn’t get to fulfill it until I was 30-something years old, but it was still really fun,” Montgomery said. “Once I got my first job as a professor I finally had a little bit of time and money. And so I finally said ‘Hey, I’m going to do what I want to do.’ And that’s when I started taking lessons and I really enjoyed it and I just kept going until I got my license.” Since he finished building his own plane around 2010, Montgomery has logged about 300 hours of flying time in the kit plane. “I flew over the edge of The Grand Canyon which was cool,” he said. “I’ve flown all the way to Montana and California.
I’ve flown up to Wisconsin, so I’ve flown “It was what we call a kit plane where around cities and clouds and all kinds of you buy all the parts; the crates show up stuff. Flying is always exciting. Every time and you have all the metal parts and you you fly it’s something unique.” would have to put them all together and Montgomery decided to purchase and rivet them all together,” he said. “And there build his own plane after deciding it would are some like 20,000 rivets in it because it’s be the most cost effective option. an aluminum plane.” “When I started flying, I had to pay to Montgomery also painted the plane and rent the plane and did so to reflect his that’s kind of ex“It’s more of a feeling that career choice and pensive so I realized interests. you get flying, than somethat if I wanted to “Yeah, because keep flying, I really I’m an astronomer, thing you describe.” needed to have my if you look close, I -Dr. Kent Montgomery own plane,” he painted stars on it. said. “And then There are all kinds I’ve always like to build things and so the of stars, a comet, constellations like Orion idea of it kind of got into my head and I and Taurus.” started looking around and then I found He enjoys being in the air because it a guy who had done it and that was the provides a feeling of “total freedom” that motivation that made me think, ‘If he can is different from “worry[ing] about all the do it, I can do it.’” cars” when compared to driving. The process to complete the kit plane “It’s more of a feeling that you get flytook eight years and began in his home ing, than something you describe. It’s like garage. trying to describe [being] happy, but when
you’re up there flying you just know that you like it,” Montgomery said. “Because when you get up there you’re kind of separate from the world, you forget everything else: all the cares of the world, all the problems, stresses, they’re just gone. Up there, there are no roads, there are no cars, you can go in any direction you want, any altitude, and the view is just spectacular.” After traveling all around the United States, Montgomery sets his sight to travel internationally in his own plane. “My goal is still to go flying in the Caribbean and go what they call ‘island hopping’,” he said. “You go flying to an island, stay there one day, then the next day you fly to another island. You just kind of go through the Caribbean... By boat it’ like hour to go between islands but by plane you can do it in about an hour so you get up, fly an hour and you have the whole day there, hang out on the island and the next day you go to another one.”
Student Seeks to Revive National Organization on Campus By Christian Aleman The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) seeks to improve the political, educational, and economic condition of the Hispanic population in the United States in addition to searching for equality for the Hispanic population in general. A sophomore at Texas A&M University-Commerce is attempting to bring the organization back to campus after years of absence. “We want to inspire people to be future leaders, work as a better team,” Pedro Mondragon-Lopez, sophomore and organizer of the group, said. Mondragon-Lopez held an interest meeting for the organization in mid-February to get an idea of who would be open to join and said it had a “shaky start.” “But I’m not giving up on that, we’re going to try again,” Mondragon-Lopez said. “Dr. Fuentes, right now, he’s been one of the one’s that helped me get the flyer out to start the meeting,” Mondragon-Lopez first go involved with the organization in middle school through a science and college experience class that was organized by LULAC. From there, he learned more about the group and became a member.
“I just joined because I liked science in the eighth grade, but I just joined and they invited me to come to Texas Women’s University and that’s where I got an introduction to what LULAC was and that’s when I started to get interested,” Mondragon-Lopez said. Even as a member, Mondragon-Lopez continued to learn about the organization and what it does for the community through meetings and activities put on by LULAC. “I got introduced to it by Rey de los Santos (Director of LULAC National Educational Service Centers, Inc. in Dallas),” Mondragon-Lopez said. “I didn’t think LULAC was a lot until the end of my senior year when I went to Washington and I figured out LULAC is not just small, its’s a huge organization that does a lot for Latinos.” Founded in 1929, LULAC is the oldest Hispanic civil rights organization in the country. It responds to the needs of the Latin American community as the time and place deem necessary and “divert[s] to different ways to help people,” according to Mondragon-Lopez. “It opens your eyes to new things; you can see things in a different perspective than you thought you saw and then you get to learn about a culture that is different from others,” Mondragon-Lopez said.
Photo Courtesy/VCLulac.org
March 2017
Juried Student Art Exhibition
By Courtney Norman
T
he 2017 Juried Student Art Exhibition is an event that reveals and rewards selected student artists. This year’s juror of the opening of the exhibition was artist and educator, Ryder Richards. A native of Roswell, NM, Richards received a bachelor’s degree in painting and drawing at Texas Tech University, as well as a master’s degree at Texas Christian University. Richards has also cofounded and directed several art galleries. “The criteria I had for judging became an instinctual reaction developed over years of teaching, making, exhibiting, writing, and museum hopping.” Richards said. The exhibition features a diverse selection of artwork ranging from ceramics, white on black painting, installation, sculptures and more. “Students were allowed to submit any form or art,” Christine Blackhurst, gallery exhibitions coordinator said. “Fifty students submitted a total of 98 pieces, and 40 pieces were selected from that 98.” Blackburst was a student at East Texas State University and recalls that the annual exhibition has been something that the department of art has always done. “I have been apart of the exhibition for the past four years, but it has always been something that has been done for as long as I can remember.” Blackhurst said. The exhibition provides students with the opportunity for their work to be critiqued by a professional artist, as well as the chance to win prizes. “There will be three honorable mentions, a first, second, and third place prize, both a graduate and undergraduate excellence award, and a purchase,” Blackhurst said. “Every year the department selects a work of art that they have the most interest in and purchase it to add to the department’s collection, which is a very high honor.” During the event, guests had the opportunity to view various pieces created by A&M- Commerce students and enjoy catering selected by Sodexo. The artwork selected for awards will be based on the juror’s personal opinion.
“Students will be able to win cash prizes for their work,” Blackhurst said. “It will all be up to the juror’s decision.” With his cultivated background in art, Richards has his own process when it comes to judging art. “Naturally, I want the work in the work in show to involve intent and thought before all else.” Richards said. The department of art encourages students to become professionally-active artists that will achieve the mastery required to create artwork in the specialty. “It’s not learning to make artwork; it’s learning how to be an artist,” Blackhurst said.
“..50 students submitted a total of 98 pieces....48 pieces selected...”
Photo by Courtney Norman
The East Texan The East Texan EXTRA is a section of the official student newspaper of Texas A&M University-Commerce, The East Texan. The EXTRA is published during the Fall and Spring by students including journalism students in reporting classes. Content is solely the responsibility of the student staff and writers. The comments and views expressed in The East Texan EXTRA do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of other students, staff, faculty, administration, or the Board of Trustees. The East Texan is located in Room113 of the Journalism Building. Single copies of The East Texan are free, additional copies are available in The East Texan offices for an additional 25 cents each
EXTRA
The East Texan
MARCH
Celebrating History By Elizabeth Rodriguez In 1889, William L. Mayo founded a private teachers’ college in Cooper. The school, then called East Texas Normal College, was established to educate rural teachers but the campus was destroyed by a fire in 1889 and relocated to Commerce where it struggled to survive. To revive the college, Mayo worked with school alumnus and State Sen. Ed Westbrook to get a bill before the state legislature that authorized the purchase of East Texas Normal College by the state. That bill passed March 14, 1917, and East Texas Normal College became East Texas State Normal College. 100 years and four name changes later, Texas A&M University – Commerce will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the university becoming a state institution with celebrations on March. The first event is a morning ceremony at the Heritage House featuring House Speaker Joe Strauss, Rep. Dan Flynn and Sen. Bob Hall, and a world premier performance from the university’s brass choir of an original fanfare titled “Leonidas,” which was inspired by Dr. Mayo’s work to create the university.
Lions Explore Different Cultures
“This ceremony is to pay tribute to Dr. Mayo’s ingenu ity, imagination and hard work for having created this school out of practically nothing,” vice president for media relations and community engagement Noah Nelson, said. Later that day, a groundbreaking ceremony for the Nursing Building is scheduled near Gee Lake. “The significance of this building is that there is a shortage of nurses here in Northeast Texas, and more specifically in the rural areas,” Nelson said. “By opening up this new state-of-the-art facility, we can now take in and graduate more nurses to address that problem.” There will also be markers put into place at locations around campus where significant buildings once stood or important events occurred, including the Hall of Languages, which used to serve as the university’s library. Administrators, faculty and staff are working on the events for the day, including representatives from media relations, historians and archives. The celebrations are open to everyone. “It’s important that people know that we’ve been part of the state of Texas, and also this community, for so long,” Nelson said. “We’re very proud to be able to celebrate the longevity and durability of Dr. Mayo’s dream to build a school to produce teachers and educate Texas.”
“Not only do you get to make a friend for life, but also understand the different culture, ethics, and way of living,” Jai Veena, an international student said. International students have been outnumbering the American students in recent semesters, but Lion Cousins wishes to see more participation from both sides. “We definitely need more American guys to sign up, since we pair up Lion Cousins by gender,” Gonzalez said. “We have a lot of By Elizabeth Rodriguez international guys that want to participate, but some have to be turned away because we just don’t have enough cousins for everyone to have a partner.” Of the nearly 13,000 students at Texas A&M University – Commerce, The overall goal of the program is not to just socialize with oth900 are international students, originating from more than 50 different ers, but also to develop more understanding about different people and countries. Students are taking advantage of the diversity of the campus become more globalized. Members believe that there is a lot to gain by by participating in the Lion Cousins program. being a Lion Cousin. Each semester, students from various nationalities apply to be“Especially now in a country that is in so much turmoil with imcome a Lion Cousin. Typically, groups of two consist of one international migration and foreign affairs, I think it is extremely important that we student and one American student, but there is also the occasional group forget the stereotypes, get to know people, and try our best to embrace of three, called a Lion Pride. and learn about all cultures so that we as a people can become more The students, paired based on similar interests and majors, inconnected,” Cunningham said. teract with each other, attend events, and teach each other about their cultures. “Students are able to learn more about the world, and their preconceived conceptions about people from certain groups or places are changed,” Ginger Gonzalez, international student coordinator, said. “They often become a lot more open and accepting of others as well.” Last semester, about 100 people participated in Lion Cousins, going to football games, bowling, and the Outdoor Adventure with their sponsors. However, students are also encouraged to plan events for themselves and develop friendships independently. “My favorite thing about being a Lion Cousin is that I get to directly experience world cultures and food directly from the source,” Jessie Cunningham, an American student, said. “You can read so much information about a country and its people, but you can never really experience it until you talk to someone from that place.” Lion Cousins sees new students join every semester. Some regularly switch partners to experience more and meet more people, but some people keep the same Lion Cousin for several years.
EXTRA
The East Texan
MARCH
Upcoming events on campus: March 21, Vision Pawprint, RSC Visions Room 12-1 p.m. March 25, Mane Event, TAMUC campus 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
March 22-25, Delt Draft. All day events. April 14, Art Educators Workshop. 9 a.m -3 p.m.
Can these incoming freshmen survive the cut in biology? Incoming freshmen have a chance to see if biology is what they want to pursue in their college career. The biology department of Texas A&M University-Commerce has the summer program, BioPride Bootcamp, offered to incoming freshmen. This program Is a four-day orientation for biology and environmental science majors. This program shows students what college lectures are like, test taking skills, study skills, team building exercises, presentations from UPD, the library and other student service organizations. It was based on the program at Louisiana State University called BiosLSU and has had great success in the past. “This program is to educate and empower students rather than weed them out.” Dr. Venugopalan (Venu) Cheriyath, assistant professor of biological and environmental science said, “The whole idea about having this program is to empower students with what they should be doing and the skills they need to have so they can really succeed.” Dr. Cheriyath has been an assistant professor in the biological and environmental science department since 2011. He said that with this bootcamp, it raises retention rates for the biology students from a range of 63 to 75 percent to a range of 85 to 95 percent and that every department should have a similar program to this since many high school students do not now what their passion is when they come to college. The Honors College encourages this program to see if their students are really going down the path they are really passionate about. Otherwise this
could result in students wasting a semester in a major that they wind up not being passionate about. In BioPride Bootcamp, the students who attend go through lectures and courses to prepare them for the classes they will be taking in the future. Along with learning from college courses, the students practice test taking skills by taking exams from the biology department. Lab experience will also be involved in bootcamp to get hands on learning over what the labs present. Cheriyath said this program is beneficial to student’s social skills. The ones who attend are usually seen in the classroom with each other after they attend. Registration for BioPride Bootcamp is through the university website on the bio-logical and environmental science page. The cost is $325 with housing and $293 without housing.
“My main passion Photo from TAMUC is to educate and empower students” Dr. Cheriyath said, “Especially for the first generation college students when most of their family members or the community from where they are coming, most of them are not aware what it takes to succeed in a university” By Spencer James Nelson
COM-AIR A little-known airport, just north of Commerce, benefits the city more than people realize and it has a long history in the community. The Commerce Municipal Airport started in 1939 when the city of Commerce purchased 60 acres of land, northeast of the city. The mayor at the time, L. E. Fuller, choose to have this airport to promote a pilot training course that could be offered to the students of East Texas State Teachers College. “The original airport was built in the late 1930’s, just before World War II as a flight training facility for East Texas State University,” Dan Tolbert, the manager of the airport, said. “The airport is actually associated with Clair Chennault (of Flying Tigers fame in China before Pearl Harbor).” In 1940, with World War II starting, the City of Commerce agreed with ETSTC to get a government flight program to aid in the war efforts. This would require students to enlist in either the U.S. Navy or the Army Air Corps. Many years after the war, in 1968, the city moved to its current location to a 40 acre track just west of the previous location and later on bought an additional 60 acres for the airport. This new location involved a 3500x60 foot runway with landing lights and windsock. Russell Armstrong, a member of the Airport Advisory Board and owner of AIS Financial in Commerce, has been flying since he was 15 and has been on the Advisory Board since 2011. His parents owned the first plane he ever flew, a 1939 Piper J-3 cub, which he now owns today. Armstrong’s parents sold the Cub when he was seventeen and for 44 years it was in southern California. In 1999 the plane had a ground-up restoration, and Armstrong bought it back in January of 2016. “Felt great. Felt fantastic. I lost my dad in 2010 and it was an emotional day when I opened that hangar and saw it” said Armstrong, “I thought about him the entire way back”
The Commerce Municipal Airport is a circle with helping the city and the people, according to Armstrong. Since the city owns the airport, any profits goes towards the city of commerce, which goes towards the citizens of commerce. The airport is public access to any pilot needing fuel or needing to land. A lot of this is done with apps on phones that tells the pilot where the location of an airstrip is, how long and any other statistics needed to safely land, along with fuel prices. “This increases air traffic at the airport which aids in tax dollars” Said Armstrong. The original runway was in poor condition with loose asphalt and overgrown grass. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) provides 90 percent of funding to maintain airports as long as the city that owns the airport can prove that they have the remaining ten percent of the funds. The Commerce Economic Development agreed to provide the remaining ten percent to improve the airport. According to Armstrong, companies that have their own plane will land or keep their private planes at smaller airports which leads them to donate to their home airport t make the conditions better. Services at the airport include fueling stations and hangars for planes, along with a flight school ran by a former and current Southwestern Airlines pilots. Theres a full time mechanic at the airport too. Few smaller airports have their own mechanic on site. Mike Krotky is the Commerce Airplane mechanic who is the owner of his growing business, Ledge Aviation. Krotky’s previous job was at Legend Aircraft, a company that builds aircrafts, in Sulphur Springs. Having an excellent reputation, The Airport Advisory Board trusts him greatly. “Our job is to keep an eye on the airport and the opportunities there” Said Armstrong “We want to show Commerce we have the best airport around” By Nelson Spencer James
EXTRA
The East Texan
MARCH
The Mayo Review By Evangelina Morales The Mayo Review commemorated their 57th annual issue this spring 2017. Many students were excited to attend the event because some of them submitted their poems. Three students had the opportunity to read their poems to the audience. Thursday, March 10, 2017, The Mayo Review took place at the Hall of Languages. It was open to students, staff, faculty, and anyone who wanted to learn and listen to the student’s poems. They had a special guest named Courtney Craggett who won the Sherwood Anderson Editor Choice Award, was featured on Ploughshare’s blog, and has been nominated twice for a Pushcart Prize. One of the students who wrote and read her poem was titled, ‘Flightless’ she explains that her parents were very protective of her. “My parents love in such a way that they want to keep me away from the outside world its kind like feeling trapped. So when I wrote that poem what I was really thinking of was that I want a getaway but is something that holds it me back. For me, as a little girl, I didn’t want to be the princess I wanted to be a superhero.” Quy- Image Miller, a freshman student at
Texas A&M University-Commerce. The journal is published every spring. By writing poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, drama, and visual art, students are able to express their feeling, dreams, creativity, and fears. They let people know a little more about their life. Each individual has a story to tell, to communicate and to express who they are or where they come from. “Tomorrow is always the day, they promise to let her escape” Miller’s poem read. During the event, Craggett read three of her fiction poems. Before she started reading she introduced the poem title and why she wrote about it. The first one she started reading was, “Statues” was about one of her trip to Mexico. “The day the statues came to life, we hid inside and watched through windows. In Texas, herds of mustangs stampeded into buildings. Down in Mexico, monks swept through the streets, and their footsteps split the sidewalks and sent spider web cracks up the buildings.” Cragget, doctoral candidate, and professor at the University of North Texas. After, Craggett finished reading her stories students were able to ask her questions. In addition, the speaker explained details
Photo courtesy/The Mayo Review
about the cover picture for this Spring 2017 issue. “ The cover of this year’s Mayo Review volume is an original drawing by tattooer and artist Cesar Falcon. He lives in Killeen where he works and lives with his wife and son. The medium of the piece is charcoal on paper. The title of the art is “Chac.” The piece reflects the Maya rain deity often referred to as Chac or Chaahk.” Christopher Wydler, Editor in chief of the mayo review. “As seen in Falcon’s drawing, Chac is often depicted with his lightening ax. Legend has it that Chac committed adultery with the lover of his brother, the sun, and the tears of regret are the origin of rain. Falcon was inspired to create this piece following a trip to Mexico. As he describes it, he stepped off the plane and instantly had a feeling he could not articulate with words. He could only describe it as a primal awakening that gave birth to spiritual connections felt long ago. Using the craft he knows, Falcon immediately sat down and began drawing with charcoal.” Wydley added. If you want to obtain a copy of The Mayo Review they still have issues available to purchase $10 each. You can email mayoreview@gmail.com for your issue.
Time to study or time to drink? By Evangelina Morales The Rayburn Student Center announced that ‘The Club’ will be selling beer and wine each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from 5-11 p.m. Starting Feb. 10 The Club will continue to sell beer and wine for the reminder of the semester. Among movies, video games, live entertainment, shuffle board, pool tables students also are able to buy beer and wine. “More than money, I think the main concern is to bring people here because this is a place to relax, have fun, hangout with your friends and build connection,” Achala Mahat, graduate student at Texas A&M University-Commerce said. The Club will still offer non-alcoholic beverages as well. They hope this will provide a safe, fun, and smoke-free environment for the campus to drink responsibly. However, some students do not agree that selling beer and wine will maintain a safe environment. Various concerns exist between the liquor and beer business and students.
“School should be for education not for drinking. This business is not being affected and I’m not sure in the long term,” Paul, employer of the Discount Beer and Wine in Commerce said. On the other hand, many students support the
idea of drinking in campus because it has limitations and restrictions. “I think is going to bring more customers to
The Club, especially during Thursdays and Fridays, instead of going to a bar in Greenville or around the area students can go to The Club. I think is a good option but it depends on the people,” Nancy Munoz, junior, at the A&M-Commerce said. “I think it is good, how Commerce is a small town, and students have to go outside especially like in the downtown area or outside Commerce just to have a drink and hang out with friends,” Mahat said. “We had a survey before we actually started selling and there were a huge number of people who actually want to have beer and wine in The Club.” Despite the fact that some students may or may not agree, The Club will sell beer and wine. However, there are some restrictions such as students will not be able to take their drink outside The Club. “It is not the first time that The Club is selling alcoholic beverages. I remember, last time the bartenders were selling alcohol to underage students, they did not have any restrictions at all,” Juan Ramirez, senior, at A&M-Commerce said. “One time, two students were playing pool while drinking and they started fighting because the other won. I think some students have disorderly behavior and violence that can come from consuming alcohol.”
EXTRA
The East Texan
MARCH
Pro-Life Display Defunding Planned Parenthood Effects
By Mary Claire Bradicich How the potential benefits of defunding Planned Parenthood outweigh the possible downfalls were exhibited at the “We Don’t Need Planned Parenthood” display hosted by the Pro-Life Lions at Texas A&M University-Commerce. “Our main goal is to educate people, to answer that question of where would women go if Planned Parenthood was defunded,” Jillian Ferguson, Southwest Regional Coordinator for Students For Life of America and organizer of the display, said. The display was exhibited at the Sam Rayburn Student Center at A&M-Commerce on Feb. 21. The focus of the display was the comparison of Planned Parenthood to Federally Qualified Health Centers. Ferguson explained the underlying reason for this display. “In the media lately, there’s been a lot of talk about defunding Planned Parenthood and women are kind of in a panic; they’re wondering ‘Where would we go without Planned Parenthood?’ because Planned Parenthood has painted themselves for so long as ‘the place’ for women’s health care,” Ferguson said. “So this display was created in a direct response to that question. We’re trying to show that there’s viable and accessible alternatives to Planned Parenthood in the form of these Federally Qualified Health Centers.” Ferguson defined Federally Qualified Health Centers. Federally Qualified Health Centers are independently owned health care centers that have been licensed by the government. Ferguson listed several reasons why they are better than Planned Parenthood and will easily replace it if it is defunded. One reason is that they provide more health services to women than Planned Parenthood does. “The cool thing is, the Federally Qualified Health Centers offer all the same services as Planned Parenthood does and a lot more,” Ferguson said. “(They provide) 26 comprehensive services versus Planned Parenthood’s seven…they
Photos by Mary Claire Bradicich
already help a lot more people with a lot more services in a lot more locations.” Because it is heavily focused on abortions, Planned Parenthood does not put as much effort into providing extensive health care as Federally Qualified Health Centers do. Ferguson described the extent to which Planned Parenthood focuses on providing abortions. “Planned Parenthood does about a third of the abortions nationwide,” Ferguson said. “They do about 325,000 abortions per year, about 900 per day and 84% of their non-government funding comes from abortion. Their focus has shifted from women’s healthcare… to abortion.” Along with providing more health care services than Planned Parenthood, Federally Qualified Health Centers are also more widespread. “Planned Parenthood has about 650 facilities nationwide and that number keeps decreasing,” Ferguson said. “Federally Qualified Health Centers have 13,000 so they outnumber Planned Parenthood.” To answer the question of where women would go if Planned Parenthood closed, Ferguson explained what would happen if Planned Parenthood were to be defunded. “This display specifically isn’t asking us to close down Planned Parenthood, Ferguson said. “Planned Parenthood is a very well privately funded organization. Last year, for example, Planned Parenthood had a 127 million dollar surplus. Also, Planned Parenthood does about a third of the abortions nationwide. So if they were to shut down…there would still be two thirds of other independent alternatives for abortions for women to go.” Despite its appearance, Planned Parenthood, according to Ferguson, is not as big of a business as outsiders are led to believe. “The reality is, that Planned Parenthood has been around for a hundred years so during that time they have built themselves a repu-
tation and they have been controlling the dialog,” she said. “So it’s easy for them to picture themselves as ‘the place’ for women’s health care because they have these massive PR (Public Relations) funds because they’re so involved politically. And actually, in fact, according to their own statistics, 98% of women…in any given year will not step foot into Planned Parenthood. So this idea that they are ‘the place’ for women’s healthcare is just unfounded.” Ferguson expanded on the concept of Planned Parenthood’s political involvement and how they use it to advertise themselves as something more important than they are in reality. “In 2016 they donated 36 million dollars to Hillary Clinton’s campaign,” Ferguson said. “Cecile Richards (president of Planned Parenthood) was next to Hillary Clinton (2016 Democratic nominee) on stage at the Democratic National Convention so she’s become this figure head. In becoming such a well-known person in a well-known organization, she’s able to control the dialog. They’re able to say what they want to say.” According to Ferguson, Planned Parenthood’s political involvement is an example of the organization’s concealment of its real purpose—that of making a name and money. “If Planned Parenthood is all about women’s healthcare,” she said, “why are they finding the need to get so active politically?” Federally Qualified Health Centers, on the other hand, have very little involvement in politics. According to Ferguson, this is another reason why Planned Parenthood should be defunded—so that the money can go to the Federally Qualified Health Centers. “Planned Parenthood is a very politically motivated organization with political action committees and 501(c)(4)s, Ferguson said. “Whereas Federally Qualified Health Centers, they don’t have a 501(c)(4), they don’t have a political action committee; they don’t even have political interests. They are just there to provide
health care. Our money should be going to an organization there to provide health care rather than to an organization that wants to become a political entity.” Federally Qualified Health Centers are superior to Planned Parenthood economically; Planned Parenthood does not manage money as well as they do. “Per unit, these Federally Qualified Health Centers get about $250,000,” Ferguson said. “Per unit, Planned Parenthood gets about $812,000. So there’s this huge difference between the amounts of funding they get which doesn’t really make sense in light of the fact that Federally Qualified Health Centers provide more services to more people in more locations.” There are additional potential economic benefits if Planned Parenthood is defunded. “If that $550 million were reallocated to Federally Qualified Health Centers,” Ferguson said, “it would create five billion dollars in additional economic revenue and create almost 48,000 jobs in underdeveloped, economically challenged communities.” One of the concerns about defunding Planned Parenthood that is frequently being expressed is that of other facilities such as Federally Qualified Health Centers not being able to serve the people left without health care if Planned Parenthood shut down. Statistics show this to be a groundless concern. “In 2014, Planned Parenthood served 2.7 million people, Ferguson said. “In that same year, Federally Qualified Health Centers served 22.8 million. That’s 20 million more people served at Federally Qualified Health Centers than at Planned Parenthood. And we have found out that by only observing two more patients per week, they (Federally Qualified Health Centers) would be able to cover the entire client base of Planned Parenthood if Planned Parenthood were to be defunded. So, obviously, defunding Planned Parenthood wouldn’t cause a problem for people’s health care.”
EXTRA
The East Texan
MARCH
The Nursing Department Rises in Fame
Commerce Journal/Photo Courtesy
By Acacia Munoz Staff Reporter
Ditigal rendering of the new Nursing and Health Science building.
Texas A&M University–Commerce is ranked No. 50 in the “50 Best Residential Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Programs” in the nation for 2017 by TopRNtoBSN.com. The online leading information source ranks schools in the nation that offer residential BSN programs. They find the best of the best by looking at schools that contain the highest graduation rates within the program, the lowest tuition rates with financial aid for students, and obtain a good reputation. The University of Virginia, Michigan State University, and the University of Pennsylvania are institutions who have also been ranked. The difference between these programs and A&M– Commerce is that they have been around for many years. “I was very surprised and pleased,” Dr. Bar-
bara Tucker, chair and director of the nursing department said. “We are such a new program that I had not anticipated receiving this honor.” Only three other bachelor programs in Texas were ranked, Texas A&M University Health Science Center (No. 7), the University of Texas at Austin (No. 23), and University of Texas–Rio Grande Valley (No. 30). However, each program is unique in its own way. “All the things that make A&M–Commerce an excellent university are incorporated in our program which include the personal education, the small classes, and the faculty availability,” Tucker said. The new nursing building is one of the new things being built into the program today. “We are not anticipating anything new or making any major changes at this point except for adding the master’s program,” Tucker said. “We want to build on the success of the
baccalaureate program.” The mission of the Nursing Department as stated in the student handbook is to contribute to the mission of the University and the College of Education and Health Services. The Nursing Department facilitates the development of safe, competent practitioners with critical thinking skills to meet the diverse and evolving health care needs of individuals, families, groups, and communities. The leadership and service provided by baccalaureate prepared Registered Nurses is an essential component of health care for vulnerable, underserved and culturally diverse groups in rural Northeast Texas. “Students need to be very proud to be part of this program,” Tucker said. “It is difficult for the students to be objective when they are in the midst of all the hard work that it takes to get through nursing.”
Teachers Association (TSTA). R.L. Moore of the University of Texas gave a talk at the first meeting. Reports said they continued to have the joint meetings with TSTA. The meetings were still held in the 1930s but were suspended during World War ll and did not resume until 1946. “Having the conference here at the university is very significant,” Dr. Tingxiu Wang, department head and professor of mathematics said. “We rarely have a big conference like this. The last time A&M – Commerce hosted this conference was in 1978.” The conference is opened to anyone and Wang encourages high school students to attend to observe what a college competition is like. “Our faculty is very enthusiastic and planning to attend,” Wang said. “There will be all kinds of volunteers from undergraduate students to alumni.” One of the many events taking place at the conference is the Mathematics of Hank in Finding Dory by the character technical director at Pixar Animation Studios, Kevin Singleton. He took part of the team who help find the solution to the problematic fluid motion of the arm of Hank. Singleton will be presenting those breakthroughs in computer programming and animation.
“If you ever wondered how the animation in this movie works, then you should come,” Wang said. Anyone who interested in attending the Pixar talk can purchase a ticket for $2 by going to the Department of Mathematics located in Binnion Room 307. Students who are interested in attending the conference can register for the cost of $5 at bit.ly/maa17txregister. Among the list of invited speakers are Dr. Jane Long from Stephen F Austin University, who will speak about the “Math Circle Demonstration,” and Dr. Milos Savich from the University of Oklahoma who will speak about “What is Mathematical Creativity in Proving and How Can it be Fostered?” There will be highlighted events and activities throughout the conference such as the Planetarium Show and the Calculus Bowl, where teams of students will have a playoff game based on multiple-choice pre-calculus and calculus questions. There will also be a Graduate School Fair, the banquet, where the Calculus Bowl winners will be announced, and many other activities and events. “We are really glad to host this event,” Wang said. “It will bring many other people from all over Texas and will help promote our university to other students, especially if they are planning to attend graduate school.”
Texas Section of the MAA at Commerce
Photo Courtesy/Flicker
By Acacia Munoz Staff Reporter The 97th annual meeting of the Texas Section of the Mathematical Association of America will be held March 30 - April 7 at Texas A&M University-Commerce. The first official meeting of the Texas Section took place at Bryan High School in Dallas in 1921 in conjunction with the Texas State
EXTRA
THE EAST TEXAN
By: Maria Huitareo
Texas
A&M University-Commerce students will soon enjoy the anticipated MAC Courts in the beginning of April, while construction continues to be a hassle as the construction of Phase III/ Nursing Building goes on. Kari Osborne, Assistant Director of the Morris Recreation Center (MRC),said about how alternative parking affected the students and MRC she said, “To clarify, alternative parking is not in relation to MAC Court construction. Science Lot 35 (primary use lot for the Morris Recreation Center patrons) will be reduced due to the Nursing Building construction that is expected to begin this spring. Unfortunately, I do not have much information at this time regarding that project or a timeline, as it is not a Campus Recreation project.” That being said any alternative parking issues are not related to the construction of the MAC courts. The establishment of the MAC courts came to be when the “MAC Courts are a part of the 2015 Rec Sports Referendum. In 2015, students of Texas A&M Universi-
ty-Commerce voted through referendum to raise the Rec Sports Fee from $65 per semester to $150. The MAC Courts were a commitment made by the department to better serve our students that wished to play soccer and volleyball if the referendum passed— which it did.” said Kari Osborne. “The MAC courts are expected to be open Early April. Intramural schedules for Arena Soccer will be adjusted if needed, but there will be a Soccer league occurs. As of right now, we are expected to play this as scheduled. The courts were expected to be open early in the spring semester. (For Intramural Questions email Katie.Thomas@ tamuc.edu).” Osborne said. “We are only a few weeks behind due to significant rain we experienced in November. Construction is coming along well— concrete pours are occurring this month, and the MAC Court building construction is wrapping up. We are definitely in the home stretch for finishing within the next 6-8 weeks as long as the weather stays favorable.”
UPDATE As the Spring semester at Texas A&M University-Commerce gets closer to an end, the construction of Phase III continues to advance. The projected date for the final product is set to be Fall 2017. Director of Residential Living and Learning, Michael Stark, said, “Phase III is the working title of the building. The authority for naming buildings rests with University Administration, and names for buildings are often connected to donor giving. We are still exploring naming options for Phase III.” “The project was behind initially due to ground water. That issue has since been addressed and they moving steadily along.” “At the moment they are back on target for the Fall 2017 opening. A contingency plan is in place on the off chance that something happens to delay the opening of Phase III. That plan will be continuously updated as the project moves along. Ultimately, the plan depends upon how far off the original opening date we are. For example, a delay of one to two weeks will be addressed in a particular way; but the delay of one semester may need to be addressed by a different solution. To address the lesser of the issues we would look to reoccupy Berry Hall for the short term, as well as create double or triple rooms in other. Those solutions are temporary and we would move students into their original locations as quickly as possible.” said Micheal Stark. What does Phase III consist of? “Phase III is a 490-bed facility. 80% of the rooms will be configured as doubles and 20% of the rooms will be configured as singles. Phase III consists of two wings and the middle section that connects both wings is going on now. The building has a stair step look to it.
By: Online Resource “The MAC Court can be used for soccer, floor hockey, futsal, and volleyball. The court can be used as 1 large court for soccer, or divided by a dasher wall system to be 3 individual courts—2 for soccer/1 for volleyball. Students will be able to use the courts when not in use by Intramurals for informal recreation to play soccer or volleyball.
Students will swipe their ID to gain access—much like how they do at the MRC and will be able to checkout equipment for use at the MAC Court building.” Said Kari Osborne, Assistant Director of the Morris Recreation Center.
PLAY BALL By: Maria Huitareo
By: tamuc.edu Rates for Phase III for next year have not yet been finalized, the anticipated double room rate is $2750 and the single room rate is $3150. These prices are pretty well in line with costs of the other new residence halls.” Michael Stark, said. Interesting thing about the construction going on is that, “We offered a live cam of the construction process so that students, faculty, and staff could see what all goes into the building of a residence halls. Often all we see is the bare site and then the completed project.” Stark explained. “Over all the new residence hall is the most intentionally designed residence hall on campus to promote the building of community through various methods, as well as academic success. Each section of the new hall has approximately 34 residents for every 1 RA. Each section also has its own lounge space with comfortable seating, tables, television, and even two private study/ skype rooms. All sections have modern centralized private bathrooms with floor to ceiling locking doors. The overall bathroom setup is unique overall in that each section also includes two gender-free units with their own sink, toilet, and shower. We are excited that this building will meet the needs of all of our students.” Micheal Stark, Director of Living and Learning concluded.
By: Maria Huiatareo
Texas A&M University-Commerce offers intermural sports to all students who get the opportunity to choose between indoor and outdoor sports. Where they can range from single day tournaments to multi-week league sports. Sports are divided into two semesters. Sports include basketball, soccer, flag football, and many more. Intermural sports help students develop leaderships, and teamwork. The spring schedule has been released and league sports offered this semester are basketball, softball, arena soccer, and sand volleyball. “League sports are $20 dollars per team, captains meeting are held, and league dates are released. Basketball had their first deadline as the league begins February 6, 2017.” Katie Thomas said. “The following event that we will have is Softball, in which their registration deadline is March 22, 2017. They will have a Captains meeting March 23, 2017 at 6 P.M. and the league will begin March 27, 2017 at the Cain Complex fields behind Berry Hall.” Thomas said. “Arena Soccer deadline is March 29, 2017 and their meeting is March 30, 2017 at 6 P.M. their league will begin April 3rd in the new MRC courts. The last league event being offered this semester is Sand Volleyball in which their registration deadline is March 29, 2017. Meeting is March 30, 2017 at 6 P.M. and league will begin April 3th at the MRC Great Outroars.” Katie Thomas said. Other events being offered are the weeklong tournaments in which a fee of $10 dollars per team is due at registration. Events include Futsal; Dodge ball, and Floor Hockey, deadlines are March 1st for
By: TAMUCIM Twitter futsal with meeting March 2nd at 6 P.M., March 8th for Dodge ball with meeting at 6 P.M., and March 22nd for Floor Hockey with meeting March 23rd at 5 P.M. “For more information stop by the Morris Rec Center and pick up a magnet with the schedule and full details anytime.” Thomas said. “Single-Day tournaments are free, and registration is from 4:00pm4:45pm on the day of the event. Events included Table Tennis Singles, Sports Trivia, Badminton Singles, Racquetball Singles, Pickleball Singles, Mini-Golf, Spikeball, Human Foosball, Skills Challenge, Yard Game Challenge, and Hungry Hungry Hippos. Registration deadlines begin Wednesday, February 8th and end Wednesday, April 26th” Thomas said. The last thing being offered this spring semester is the self-schedule leagues (free). “Schedule will be made for these, but you are responsible for setting up a day and time to play with your opponent. Play-by leagues run February 13 through April 13th. Registration must be done on IMLeagues.com.” Registrations must be done by deadline and online by going to IMLeagues.com. Create an account using your university email if you haven’t already done so. You can create a team, join a team, or join as a free agent for a sport being offered.
March 2017
SPORTS
Softball Battles Adversity, Early Season Struggles The Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team started Lone Star Conference competition against Tarleton State by taking two of three games on the road. The Lions began the weekend tilt on Friday by taking the first game 4-1. A&M-Commerce took the lead in the third inning on a Mariah Jameyson two-run double. Jameyson would record two hits in four at-bats on the day. Katie Dean got the win and improved to 5-0 on the season, while Sierra Abbott recorded her third save. A&M-Commerce would then split the doubleheader on Saturday. In game one, the Lions had to rally two different times in picking up a 7-5 win. The Lions took the lead back for good in the fifth on a three-run homerun by Jameyson. Selena Rima picked up her second win on the season and Dean earned her second save. In the last game of the series, A&M-Commerce lost a heartbreaker in extra innings 3-2. In the bottom of the eighth, Tarleton State got a runner to second with two outs and drove home the winning run with a single to left. Dean picked up the tough loss, her first of the season. “It was a good weekend but not a great weekend, our expectations are to win the Lone Star Conference and we had an opportunity to sweep Tarleton,” A&M-Commerce head softball coach Richie Bruister said. “We were fortunate to win two because we didn’t play well all weekend and I’m proud of our team for fighting through and finding ways to win ball games.” The Lions were 10-3 on the season and 2-1 in conference play after the Tarleton State series. They played their home opener two weeks ago with a doubleheader against No. 3 St. Mary’s. The Rattlers were 14-2 on the season and had won eight in a row. The Lions held a three run lead over No. 3 St. Mary’s going into the top of the seventh inning before the Rattlers rebounded and came back to get a 6-3 win in the first game. In game two, the Lions jumped out to a five run lead in the first two innings. St. Mary’s then scored three runs in the third and fourth inning to complete a surprising doubleheader sweep 6-5. Dean and Courtnee Jones each picked up a loss, while Higgs and Jameyson each had three hits in six tries on the day. The Lions then pulled off a doubleheader sweep of St. Edward’s. A&M-Commerce used a rally in the bottom of the fifth
inning to win the first game 7-4. Dean picked up the win and hit her first homerun of the season. In game two, Jones pitched a complete game shutout and the Lions won 2-0. A&M-Commerce would then suffer a sweep at the hands of the Cameron Aggies. The Lions fought back last Friday night from down 4-1 to tie the game, before Cameron added two runs in the top of the seventh to win 6-4. Dean suffered the loss, while December Rivers hit her first homerun of the year on offense for the Lions. In Saturday’s doubleheader, the Lions got run ruled in game one 9-1 in five innings. The lone bright spot for A&M-Commerce was Vanessa Avina who hit her first collegiate homerun in the loss. In the second game, the Lions fell behind 6-1 after two innings, but made a comeback to only lose 9-5. Chealsea Slider hit her first career homerun and Cierra Nunez had three hits while scoring two runs. Jones and Rima picked up losses in the games. The Lions will look to rebound after a sluggish stretch with the ten-game homestand coming to a close. They went 16-5 at home last season, but struggled to begin this season, starting 2-5. The Lions have continued to show that no game is too far out of reach for them, which should bode well with another conference opponent coming to town in Midwestern State. The Lions match up really well with the Mustangs, as Midwestern is 12-13 on the season, and 3-6 in conference play. Lauren Lindgren leads the Mustangs in batting average, runs batted in, and is tied for the team lead in homeruns, while Peyton Helton is Midwestern’s ace pitcher, picking up five of the team’s wins thus far this season. The Lions look to turn their season around and make a deep playoff run. “We know we are going to have to show up and play good games to beat them,” Bruister said. “We want to win, and we went back to the drawing board this week to get ready for this weekend to do that.” -BJ Laudermilk reporting
T ex-Canned Lions Season Ends at the Hands of Tarleton State The Texas A&M University- Commerce women’s basketball season came to an end sooner than the team had expected, with a 55-49 loss in the Lone Star Conference Tournament quarterfinals to Tarleton State. It was a low-scoring affair from the beginning, a game the Lions actually led 16-5 after the first quarter. Tarleton State would outscore the Lions in each of the final three quarters. “I give a lot of credit to Tarleton, not only did they go in and beat us, but they won two more, and so they not only got a chance to be conference tournament champions but got a chance to go up to Colorado and they’re playing in the NCAA Tournament,” A&M-Commerce women’s basketball head coach Jason Burton said. With the loss, the Lions had to wait until the Selection Show to determine whether they would get to continue their season. Ultimately, it was not meant to be, as Tarleton’s upset and conference championship coupled with other conference results knocked the Lions from the eighth seed down and out of the regional rankings. “I’m still very proud of our team, to have the year that we had, still get twenty wins with the injuries and sicknesses that we had, and if Tarleton doesn’t go on the run they did, and St. Mary’s, who was ranked ahead of us in the region, if they win the Heartland, then we’re probably still playing right now,” Burton said. “But that’s why they call it March Madness.” Khala Riley led all Lion scorers with 12 points, while Brianna Wise added ten points and had four assists to lead the team. Jenna Price grabbed 13 rebounds to lead all teams. The Lions had one of their most successful seasons under Burton and of all time, reaching 20 wins for only the second time in school history. Burton said the team has continued to “raise the bar” every season. “We had a goal, in year
one it was to get to .500 and get through really a rough year when you have two of your best players die in a car accident, and to have the year we had that year was tremendous, and then to improve that in year two, and go from 16-13 to 20-9, and have single digit losses, I think it’s incredible,” he said. Burton said the next step in continuing to climb every season is to do something that no Lion team has done since 2007. “In our minds, the goal is going to be to get to the NCAA Tournament and win the conference,” Burton said. “Until we do that, we feel there is plenty of room to raise the bar.” With next season in mind, Burton said the team might not get to twenty wins again, but he likes the schedule and the strength of the opponents his squad will play. “We’re playing a rotating preseason tournament with Metro State and [Colorado State-] Pueblo, and Pueblo is the No. 1 team in our region, so to have them at our place next year is big,” he said. “We’re also playing Lubbock Christian next year who was the national champion the year before last, and then we’re still playing St. Edward’s, and they won the Heartland, so our strength of schedule is very tough and we did it that way for a reason, we felt like this was the year, next year, that our program should be at a place where we’re able to compete really well on the national level.” Burton has already started preparing for next year, and while his group’s accomplishments this year won’t soon be forgotten, he said that next year’s team could end up being just as good, if not better. “We’re disappointed that we didn’t get in this year, but we’re going to have more than enough pieces to be able to accomplish that goal next year,” he said. By BJ Laudermilk
EXTRA
The East Texan
Photo By: Lions Athletics
Dorian Armstrong credits team for 3rd LSC defensive honor By Dareious Scott
For the third time this season, Dorian Armstrong – a junior from Detroit, Mich.- has earned the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors. In his last four games, Armstrong averaged 2.5 blocks per game along with eight rebounds per game setting the defensive tone for his teammates. One of Armstrong’s most efficient game came against Cameron when he recorded three blocks and 19 rebounds to help the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions secure a 73-65 win. Although Armstrong is the recipient of the award, his eyes are set on the bigger picture and that’s helping his team win basketball games. “It feels great, but I don’t really look into it all that much,” Armstrong said. “Of course it’s good to be acknowledged, but I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help my team win games. That’s my primary focus.” The Lions have an overall record of 15-5 and a lot of that is credited to the team defense and to Armstrong. “Defense is very important and it’s something that coach [Sam Walker] preaches to us constantly,” Armstrong said. “It’s our job to stay on top of that every night that we go out onto the
floor whether it’s a practice or a game.” The Lions are currently tied with West Texas A&M for third place in the Lone Star Conference with a 7-4 conference record. The Lions have seven games remaining in before the playoffs begin, and five of those seven games are home games where the Lions stand at 7-2. Knowing this, the Lions have a slight advantage going into the final stretch of the regular season. “Home court plays a huge advantage for us. We can’t let teams come on our court and steal a game from us,” Armstrong said. “We’re trying to win every single one of these home games we have coming up, so it’s important for us to come out every night and compete if we want to accomplish that.” “I’m very proud of this team and I love my team,” Armstrong said. “We win together and we lose together and whatever we do or accomplish, it’s because of the team. We feel like our record should be better than what it is, because we know how hard we work and what we’re capable of doing. We’re still happy with where we are of course, but we have to stay focus and finish strong.”
Keeping eyes on the prize Photo By: Lions Athletic
For the sixth time in the program’s history, the Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team will participate in the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship. It was announced Sunday that the Lions have qualified for the tournament as the sixth seed and will play the third seed West Texas A&M. The
game will be played on Saturday March 11 at Colorado School of Mines at a time that will be announced as the game approaches. The last time the Lions were in this position was in 2015 when they had just come off of winning the LSC championship. They lost in the first round to Angelo State, a team they had beaten a week before to claim
the title. Now they find themselves in the same spot hoping to go the distance and do something that hasn’t been done since the 19541955 season. The Lions finished the season 19-10 overall and went to semifinals of the LSC playoffs losing to UTPermian Basin 76-63. The Buffs finished 24-8 and lost in the
first round of the LSC playoffs. The two teams will meet again with the stakes much higher than their last two meetings and if this game is anything like the previous ones, where the Lions won in double overtime fashion by one point and the Buffs won the second meeting by two points, the fans will be in for a real treat.
MARCH
Lions Golf Team Finds Stroke In Second Day By: Dareious Scott Following their best round in eight years, Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s golf team placed second at the Rattler Invitational Feb. 21. The Lions finished with a total 586, four points behind Henderson State who finished with 582. Halfway through the first round of the tournament, the Lions found themselves tied for sixth with a score of 300. But in the following round, every member of the Lions shot par or better, being the only team in the tournament to do so finishing the round
with 286. Hagan Wood finished in third place with an even-par 144 and shot a 1-under par 71 while Grayson Benavides tied for fourth place at 145 (+1) after his even-par round. Nick Louy tied for 24th at 149 (+5), was five strokes better than he was in the first round, and shot an even par in the tournament. Garrett Landers tied for 72nd finishing at 163 (+19). The Lions now focus on the Lubbock Christian Chap Invitational which takes place on March 6-7.
EXTRA
The East Texan
MARCH
15 Lions qualify for Div II Indoor Track Championships Romero set to defend national 800-meters title; Steele defends triple jump national title
Story and photos by Evan Luecke
T
he Texas A&M University- Commerce indoor track and field team will send 15 athletes to the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 9-11 in Birmingham, Ala. Eight individuals on the men’s side, three on the women’s and two men’s relays are scheduled to compete. Luis Romero a 5th year senior, will compete in three events at the Birmingham Crossplex. He will defend his national title in the 800 meters, run on the distance medley relay and in the 3,000 meters. “If you’re not first you’re last.” Romero said about defending his national title. Romero also won the Lone Star Conference track athlete of the year for the third straight time. Also, defending his title is Devontae Steele, in the triple jump. Gage Bowles will be busy in the long and triple jump. “If there is one thing I’ve learned is that every year brings its own challenges and being able to return to the national meet is a blessing… It’s all business.” Bowles said. Dedrian Windham will run in the 4x400 and be a leg on the distance medley relay. The rest of the distance medley relay will consist of Luis Os-
ornio and Austin Yaeger. The 4x400 will be with Llewellyn Woodburn, Aaron Lecesne, and Josiah Dennis. Also participating in the individual events are Elliot Martynkiewicz in the 5,000 meter run, Isaiah McFail in the 60 meters and Florian Obst in the pentathlon. All three women who qualified were in the field events. Markie Abbott will compete in the high jump, Jasmine Roberts will compete in the triple jump, and Alexandra Vansickle will throw in the shot put. This season, the Lions have reset the record books with 21 school records this indoor season. 17 in 2017 after coming back from break. The Lions also earned 20 indoor track and field All- Region honors from the U.S Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The top five individuals in each event from each region earned AllRegion and top three relay teams. A total of 17 Lions earned this award with three in two events. Bowles in the triple and long jump, Obst in the pole vault and heptathlon and Windham in the 400 and 4x400. “Our staff is thrilled to be heading to Birmingham,” Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year George Pincock said.
“We believe that this is the best group we have taken to the National Championships.” Athletes that aren’t competing at the national meet are not taking a break as they start working toward outdoors.
The Lions record that have been broken each year since the indoor programs have existed in 2014.
March 2017
Sports
Lions softball loses DH to No. 3 St. Mary’s after lengthy road trip -
A&M-Commerce volleyball prepares for the fall By Thomas Kent
The Lion volleyball team had an abrupt end to last season, but worked hard this spring to be ready for 2017. Head Coach Craig Case and his team are as busy as ever with preparations for the fall season. One task on their agenda is to replace senior leaders Taryn Driver and Ashley Mireles. “You don’t replace players like that,” Case said. “They’re great leaders, teammates, players, and people. The only thing you can do is bring in talented players and people and hope to fill the void they’ve left on and off the court. We’ll definitely miss them moving forward.” Driver was named to the All-LSC second team for the second consecutive year, which added to her pile of accolades, including two appearances on the All-LSC Academic Team. Mireles, named Lone Star Conference Libero of the Year, exceeded her coach’s expectations. “Ashley had a dream senior year,” Case said. “She entered the season not being on anyone’s radar as one of the top defensive players in the league. Then, she capped off her senior year by being named the Libero of the Year, cementing her place as the best player in her position in the entire conference. You don’t accomplish that by luck, but through vigorous and relentless effort coupled with being fiercely competitive.” Riley Davidson of Commerce High School has committed to play
at A&M-Commerce and will compete to fill the void that Case mentioned. “We have two solid defensive specialists currently on the team who both really want that libero spot Ashley vacated,” he said. “Plus, we are bringing in a pretty talented libero here from Commerce with this year’s recruiting class who should also compete for that spot.” Davidson was the District 10-AAA MVP in her senior season, leading the Tigers to the regional quarterfinals. She was defensive player of the year as a sophomore and a junior and was the newcomer of the year her freshman campaign. A big part of what Case wants to improve, after being swept in the first round of the LSC tournament last season, isn’t even on the court. “I think mental toughness is going to be the key for this team in the spring,” Case said. “We have to train and compete with a championship mindset at all times. I think our team felt both how good it felt to be one of the best teams this year and how hard it is to maintain being one of the best teams this year. We have to be able to not only handle that pressure but thrive in it. On the court and in the locker room, we have to have people step up and start carrying more of the load and producing at a level high enough to win a championship. The good news is that I firmly believe we have those players on this team right now to do so.”
By Thomas Kent
The Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team dropped two games to the No. 3 team in the country, St. Mary’s. After three weeks on the road to start the season, the Lions finally got to play at John Cain Family Softball Complex in front of their home town fans. Unfortunately, neither game ended well, despite two great starts. A&M-Commerce scored in their first home inning of the season when Chelsea Slider reached first base on a fielding error by St. Mary’s first baseman, Allesandra Ortiz, with the bases loaded, scoring Baylea Higgs. The Lions held their lead at 1-0 until the fifth inning when freshman Kinsie Hebler hit a tworun single up the middle, bringing Ciera Nunez and Tyler Oppenheim around to score, giving them a three-run lead. Starting pitcher Katie Dean, who came into game one with a 5-1 record, pitched her way out of jams all afternoon, stranding 10 St. Mary baserunners, until the Rattlers offense erupted in the seventh inning for six runs. The Lions couldn’t answer in the bottom of the seventh inning and took the 6-3 loss. Dean tied her career high in strikeouts with eight, which is a season high for her in 2017. Higgs, Nunez and Oppenheim each stole a base in the loss. Game two started with a bang as Hebler led off with a team leading fourth home run of the season and gave the Lions another first inning lead. The second inning brought more offense for A&M-Commerce as they batted around to take a 5-0 lead. The first two runs came on a single from Higgs that scored Nunez and Oppenheim and moved Hebler to
two, went on to steal another base giving her a team-lead 14 total on the season. Jameyson went 2-for-3 with a walk at the plate and stole two bags of her own while Oppenheim stole one. All five of the runs were charged to St. Mary’s starting pitcher Hope Russell who was replaced by Ashley Mills. The Rattlers didn’t wait as long to answer the second time around as they scored three runs in the third inning on a two out, bases loaded double off the bat of Brenda Iparagiurre following a Lion error that let the inning continue. In the top of the fourth, St. Mary’s Kristal Salinas hit a solo home run and Alena Moreno hit a two-run homer with Olivia Van Hook on base. Those six runs were enough for the Rattlers to move to 16-2 on the season as the Lions had no answer for Mills. She went on to pitch the rest of the game, allowing just three hits in 5 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and two walks. With the win, Mills’ record improved to 4-0 and A&M-Commerce starter Courtnee Jones’ record fell to 1-1. A&M-Commerce’s record slipped to 10-6. UPDATE: Since the losses to St. Mary’s, the Lions have played five more games. First, they hosted St. Edward’s University in a double header and beat them both times. In the first game, Dean got the 7-4 victory and she homered in the process. The second game was a defensive battle where Jones pitched a complete game shutout on the way to a 2-0 win. The Lions resumed Lone Star Conference play against Cameron in Commerce and suffered a three game sweep to the Aggies. The first game was a 6-4 loss for Dean that included a December Rivers home run. The next day held the final two games of the series where Jones took the 9-1 loss followed by Selina Rima’s first loss of the season, 9-5. The lone bright spot of the second day was freshman Chelsea Slider hitting her first home run of her collegiate career. The Lions record is now 12-8 on the season and they will face Midwestern State March 10.