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SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 HBUCOLLEGIAN.COM VOLUME 46, ISSUE 1 The Collegian THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF HOUSTON BAPTIST UNIVERSITY SINCE 1963 @hbucollegian facebook.com/hbucollegian Read. Recycle. RELIGION..................7 ENTERTAINMENT .......8 S&T .........................10 OPINION................11 CLASSIFIEDS............14 SPORTS...................15 The University administration unveiled a new attendance policy this semester, notifying students that those who do not attend at least 75 percent of scheduled class sessions will automatically receive a failing grade for the semester. Professors and colleges may institute stricter attendance poli- cies on top of the University’s new requirement, giving faculty mem- bers greater latitude in determin- ing the penalties for students who fail to attend class. The School of Business, in particular, has elected to utilize a standardized system for penalizing skippers. By DANIEL CADIS Editor in chief see POLICY, page 5 Failing to show makes for failing grade under new policy The new Yellow Ribbon Program will provide up to $2,000 per year to student-veterans. Student-veterans may be eligible to re- ceive up to an additional $2,000 to help pay for tuition and fees this semester as a result of the University’s participation in the Yel- low Ribbon Program. The University allotted a maximum of $1,000 for each of the 20 eligible students, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will match that contribution. More than 40 students qualify for the grant this year. Jackie Morgan, academic records pro- cessor, assists student-veterans as they complete their paperwork. She said that the students will be awarded Yellow Ribbon benefits on a first-come, first-serve basis as well as on financial need. Students who receive the $2,000 assis- tance will be notified of the award by the end of the month, according to financial aid adviser Connie Castillo. Honoring student-veterans University joins Yellow Ribbon Program SPOTLIGHT Who you gonna call? Crime Stoppers T he University Police de- partment teamed up with Houston Crime Stoppers, an anonymous telephone tip line that gives up to $5,000 to those who report crimes, this semester as part of an effort to keep the cam- pus crime rate low. The new initiative provides students, faculty and staff with a means to report crime on campus anonymously 24 hours a day, said Charles Miller, University Police chief, who played an active role in bringing Houston Crime Stoppers to campus. “We decided to partner with Houston Crime Stoppers because we want to use every tool avail- able to make the University safe,” Miller said. Tipsters can receive finan- cial rewards ranging from $100 to $5,000 for reporting a crime. When someone calls to report ille- gal activity, the operator will take By ASHLEY JOHNSON Contributing writer see RIBBON, page 5 see CRIME, page 5 By AYLA SYED News editor ATTENDANCE POLICIES 2008 Students required to attend two-thirds of scheduled class sessions Administration institutes a new policy, cutting final grades after the third absence Reformed policy requires a minimum of 75 percent at- tendance and allows professors to set their own penalties 2009 2011 It was the same procedure every day at High- land Elementary in Queens, NY: Take out a sheet of paper and write your name, Arsalan; write the teacher’s name, Ms. Held; write the subject, vo- cabulary words; and finally write the day’s date — Sept. 11, 2001. Around 9:30 a.m. the principal came into the classroom and spoke with my teacher. There was a look of fear and horror on the teacher’s face when the principal left, but she continued to teach. A short time later, a knock came at the door. The principal had come to get a student whose frantic parents had arrived to take their child home. This process was repeated until my name was called. It By ARSALAN REHMAN Contributing writer REMEMBERING SEPT. 11 President Robert B. Sloan Jr. surprised Dr. Don Looser, vice president emeritus, and his wife Elsa Jean at a luncheon on Sept. 2 with the news that the new water feature in the Brown Administra- tive Complex would be named af- ter the couple. Located in the Bettis Quad- rangle at the center of Brown, the Looser Fountain will be unveiled at the “Celebrate HBU” event on Sept. 27. The fountain will be named af- ter the couple thanks to a donation from their son Greg Looser and his wife Beth, who wanted to honor photo illustration by DINA ROHIRA ‘WARRIOR’ HARDY FIGHTS FOR FAMILY, COUNTRY IN LATEST FILM see pg. 9 By DANIEL CADIS Editor in chief see 10 YEARS LATER, page 11 see LOOSER, page 4 Fountain of memories for Loosers A MUSICAL SUMMER SCHOOL CHOIR SNAGS PRESTIGIOUS POSITION AT 36TH ANNUAL CLASSICAL MUSIC FESTIVAL IN AUSTRIA see pg. 8

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SEPTEMBER 8, 2011HBUCOLLEGIAN.COM VOLUME 46, ISSUE 1

The CollegianTHE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF HOUSTON BAPTIST UNIVERSITY SINCE 1963

@hbucollegian facebook.com/hbucollegian Read. Recycle.RELIGION..................7ENTERTAINMENT.......8

S&T.........................10OPINION................11

CLASSIFIEDS............14 SPORTS...................15

The University administration unveiled a new attendance policy this semester, notifying students that those who do not attend at least 75 percent of scheduled class sessions will automatically receive a failing grade for the semester.

Professors and colleges may institute stricter attendance poli-cies on top of the University’s new requirement, giving faculty mem-bers greater latitude in determin-ing the penalties for students who fail to attend class. The School of Business, in particular, has elected to utilize a standardized system for penalizing skippers.

By DANIEL CADISEditor in chief

see POLICY, page 5

Failing to show makes for failing grade under new policy

The new Yellow Ribbon Program will provide up to $2,000 per year to student-veterans.

Student-veterans may be eligible to re-ceive up to an additional $2,000 to help pay for tuition and fees this semester as a result of the University’s participation in the Yel-low Ribbon Program.

The University allotted a maximum of $1,000 for each of the 20 eligible students, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will match that contribution. More than 40

students qualify for the grant this year. Jackie Morgan, academic records pro-

cessor, assists student-veterans as they complete their paperwork. She said that the students will be awarded Yellow Ribbon benefits on a first-come, first-serve basis as well as on financial need.

Students who receive the $2,000 assis-tance will be notified of the award by the end of the month, according to financial aid adviser Connie Castillo.

Honoring student-veteransUniversity joins Yellow Ribbon Program

SPOTLIGHT

Who you gonna call? Crime Stoppers

The University Police de-partment teamed up with Houston Crime Stoppers,

an anonymous telephone tip line that gives up to $5,000 to those who report crimes, this semester as part of an effort to keep the cam-pus crime rate low.

The new initiative provides students, faculty and staff with a means to report crime on campus anonymously 24 hours a day, said Charles Miller, University Police chief, who played an active role in bringing Houston Crime Stoppers to campus.

“We decided to partner with Houston Crime Stoppers because we want to use every tool avail-able to make the University safe,” Miller said.

Tipsters can receive finan-cial rewards ranging from $100 to $5,000 for reporting a crime. When someone calls to report ille-gal activity, the operator will take

By ASHLEY JOHNSONContributing writer

see RIBBON, page 5

see CRIME, page 5

By AYLA SYEDNews editor

ATTENDANCE POLICIES

2008 Students required to attend two-thirds of scheduled class sessions

Administration institutes a new policy, cutting final grades after the third absence

Reformed policy requires a minimum of 75 percent at-tendance and allows professors to set their own penalties

2009

2011It was the same procedure every day at High-

land Elementary in Queens, NY: Take out a sheet of paper and write your name, Arsalan; write the teacher’s name, Ms. Held; write the subject, vo-cabulary words; and finally write the day’s date — Sept. 11, 2001.

Around 9:30 a.m. the principal came into the classroom and spoke with my teacher. There was a look of fear and horror on the teacher’s face when the principal left, but she continued to teach.

A short time later, a knock came at the door. The principal had come to get a student whose frantic parents had arrived to take their child home. This process was repeated until my name was called. It

By ARSALAN REHMANContributing writer

R E M E M B E R I N G S E P T . 1 1

President Robert B. Sloan Jr. surprised Dr. Don Looser, vice president emeritus, and his wife Elsa Jean at a luncheon on Sept. 2 with the news that the new water feature in the Brown Administra-tive Complex would be named af-ter the couple.

Located in the Bettis Quad-rangle at the center of Brown, the Looser Fountain will be unveiled at the “Celebrate HBU” event on Sept. 27.

The fountain will be named af-ter the couple thanks to a donation from their son Greg Looser and his wife Beth, who wanted to honor

photo illustration by DINA ROHIRA

‘WARRIOR’HARDY FIGHTS FOR FAMILY, COUNTRY IN LATEST FILM

see pg. 9

By DANIEL CADISEditor in chief

see 10 YEARS LATER, page 11

see LOOSER, page 4

Fountain of memories for Loosers

A MUSICAL SUMMERSCHOOL CHOIR SNAGS PRESTIGIOUS POSITION AT 36TH ANNUAL CLASSICAL MUSIC FESTIVAL IN AUSTRIA

see pg. 8

Page 2: 46.1-090811

University students can now receive discounts at more than 70 local and national businesses as part of a collaborative program spon-sored by the student governments of five Houston-area colleges.

The Student Savers Program, spearheaded by Sean Kriger, a student from the University of St. Thomas, allows students from mem-ber institutions to receive discounts on everything from cell phones to apartments.

The program includes offers from AT&T, Mission Burrito, Chick-fil-A, Joe’s Crab Shack, Sterling McCall Auto Group and Texas Lifestyle Apartments, with additional discounts being added on a weekly basis.

Student Government Association began coordinating with student leaders from the University of St. Thomas, University of Houston, University of Houston-Downtown and Texas Southern University in May to collaborate and expand the previously existing discount pro-grams at each institution.

Junior Vincent Meyers, SGA president, said the student govern-ments agreed to work together to identify greater discounts for their academic institutions.

“Each university already had its own discount program to various restaurants and companies around

Houston,” Meyers said. “It made sense and was more effective if we pooled our resources.”

Meyers met with Sandy Mooney, vice president for financial opera-tions, and Whit Goodwin, director of Student Life and SGA adviser, last semester in order to obtain approval to bring the initiative to campus. Goodwin commended the alliance and praised Meyers’ efforts to work in partnership with neigh-boring schools.

“We are distinct in who we are and what we are about as a Christian college, but finding ways to work with other schools for mutual suc-cess and progress is a good thing,” Goodwin said. “Vincent Meyers

took up that mantle and ran with it.”The University’s previous dis-

counts included a list of more than 10 companies, which will remain available to students. Some of these businesses have even enhanced the discounts they previously offered under the new program, and Meyers attributed this to the large amount of students who can now participate in the initiative.

An estimated 70,000 students in the Greater Houston area won ben-efits from the program, according to a press release from the University of St. Thomas.

“Companies are much more gen-erous with their discounts if we say we have 70,000 students rather

than, in our case, 2,700,” Meyers said.

SGA printed 2,000 Student Savers cards to distribute to students free of cost.

Students can present the card and a valid University ID at any of the participating businesses to receive the benefits. A full list of contributing businesses is available on the Student Savers Program’s Facebook page.

Freshman Josh Wilson said he plans on using the card as often as possible.

“It helps keep students who don’t have a lot of money from breaking the bank,” he said. “It’s a really cool way for us to save money.”

Texas Lifestyle Apartments

Up to 50 percent cash back on one month’s rent when using their free service.

Sterling McCall Auto Group

20 percent off of service repairs.10 percent off of maintenance repairs.

GroupRaise Free fundraising options for student organizations.Get up to 50 percent back at local restaurants.

StarTex Power Enter promo code, “Students” for online deals.

AT&T Up to 10 percent off of wireless services via their exclusive university websites.

Discount Tire 10 percent off at any Houston location.

Mission Burrito 25 percent off every Wednesday from 3-10 p.m.

Joe’s Crab Shack 10 percent off of food purchases with valid student ID. Dine-in only, excludes Kemah boardwalk.

Chik-fil-AFree Chik-fil-A sandwich with a purchase of a large drink and waffle fry and a valid student ID.Only at Meyerland, Hwy. 59 and Kirby Locations.

Organ recital seriesThe organist Alexander

Rusakov will perform in Belin Chapel on Sept. 9. The free concert will last from 1-1:30 p.m.

J. Wesley Hayes TrioThe group will perform

songs from its album “Kid J” on Sept. 9 in Dunham Theater. General admission is $20, and $25 includes the purchase of the band’s vinyl record.

KA CookoutKappa Alpha Order will

host a free cookout for all students on Sept. 14 in the Husky Village gazebo. The fra-ternity will begin the cookout at 4 p.m.

Salsa NightJoin Student Programming

Board and Hispanic Student Organization on Sept. 15 for “Salsa Night.” The event will take place in the Glasscock gym from 8-11:30 p.m.

Greek NightGreek Life will support the

University during the men’s soccer game at 7 p.m. on Sept. 16 at Sorrels Field.

Spiritual emphasisSpiritual Emphasis week

will take place on Sept. 19-24, including daily convoca-tions for Community Life and Worship credits.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 2 THE COLLEGIAN | NEWS

CAMPUS BRIEFING SGA joins Student Savers Club

Students save big with citywide partnershipBy AYLA SYEDNews editor

Monday - Thursday7:30 am - 10:00 pmFriday7:30 am - 2 pm

Monday - Friday7:00 am - 2:30 pm

Monday - Thursday2:30 pm - 12:00 amFriday2:30 pm - 6 pm

Monday - Friday

Breakfast: 7:00 am - 10:00 amLunch: 10:30 am - 2:30 pmDinner: 5:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Saturday - Sunday

Brunch: 11:00 am - 2:00 pmDinner: 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Monday - Thursday7:00 am - 9:30 pmFriday7:00 am - 2 pm

The following companies have instituted discounts for the estimated 70,000 students now included in the Student Savers Club.

Join Student Savers Program on Facebook for more deals.

Page 3: 46.1-090811

When freshman Nadria Robinson explored campus during Welcome Days in order to acclimate herself to her surroundings, she discovered her now favorite hangout in the Husky Village Clubhouse — the Provisions On Demand area.

The POD, along with Tila’s Cafe, a new Mexican restaurant in the M.D. Anderson Stu-dent Center, opened on campus this semester, providing new food options for students like Robinson.

Peter Huber, director of dining services for Aramark Food Services, said the idea for the POD began developing a few years ago. Tila’s, however, only became an option after President Robert B. Sloan Jr. announced the move back to the Brown Administrative Com-plex last spring.

Once the Aramark staff members knew they had new spaces to work with, they began handing out surveys to students to discover which food options and locations they desired.

“We did an intercept survey to see what the students’ wants were,” Huber said. “I think we got somewhere around 350 responses, which is a statistically-valid amount.”

Huber and his staff then began working on the menus, recipes and designs for the two new areas on campus. The POD premiered on Aug. 18, during Welcome Days, and Tila’s opened the first day of classes.

Huber said the debut of Tila’s created a lo-cation for commuters to hang out during the day and get a hot meal.

Junior Kathy Sacueza said that because she commutes from Sugar Land each day for classes, she has eaten on campus more often than in the past and welcomed the opportunity

to get good food without having to leave cam-pus.

“I like how it’s pretty fresh and quick,” Sacueza said of Tila’s. “It’s great for just grab-bing lunch and going to class.”

Robinson paralleled those sentiments say-ing that she likes that the POD gives her the option to stay on campus instead of going to off-campus stores.

“I love it because I cannot drive,” Rob-inson said. “Anything in walking distance is perfect.”

The convenience of Tila’s and the POD is not the only quality attracting students.

“One thing that we are trying to make sure we maintain is that we are as authentic as pos-sible,” Huber said about the menu at Tila’s. Adding that everything from the salsas to the enchiladas is made with fresh ingredients every day. As the semester progresses, more typical Mexican food items will be added.

Corey Glenn, a POD supervisor, said the POD also provides unique choices for stu-dents as they can request additional food items for the Clubhouse venue. Along with the op-tion to request items, the POD gives students more food and snack choices than the previ-ous Aramark areas on campus provided.

“The thing I am excited about is the op-tions,” Glenn said. “The cool thing about the POD is that if you request something, we can get it.”

In addition to these new selections, stu-dents can interact with their fellow Huskies in the dining areas. Robinson said this was an-other major benefit of the two new on-campus venues.

“If you have not been there, you need to go at least once to experience it,” Robinson said. “It’s definitely a good place to meet new people.”

Campus sCene

Sophomores Aaron Ford, Brett Hateley, Michael Harrison and Dijon Blease grill burgers and hot dogs outside of the Lake House on Sept. 1. The roommates took the opportunity to cook dinner outside, using the time to bond and celebrate the beginning of the fall semester. The group has plans to continue grilling throughout the year.

by MARYAM GHAFFAR

Aramark’s new venuesinclude Mexican foodBy ASHLEY DAVENPORTAdvertising manager

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 THE COLLEGIAN | NEWS 3

Page 4: 46.1-090811

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60 Cable Channels available 1,2,3 and 4 bedrooms Ranging from $600-$1450 5815 Gulfton DriveHouston, Tx 77081713-660-3000 All utilities

paid!

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 4 THE COLLEGIAN | NEWS

They were called “academic superheroes.”

The freshmen Honors Col-lege inductees donned capes for the first week of the semester as a part of a new tradition started by the student leaders of the Honors College.

Upon induction into one of the four houses in the Honors College on Aug. 23, the freshmen were re-quired to wear the capes that dis-played their house colors — red, blue, yellow and green — around campus for the first week of the semester.

Those who removed their capes were reported to Dr. Robert Stac-ey, interim provost and dean of the Honors College, who subtracted one house point per violation. The points are significant because the house with the highest point total at the end of the school year re-ceives the Honors College House Cup and bragging rights for a year.

Members of the Honors Con-gress, the student government of the Honors College, met during the summer to plan for the fall in-duction ceremony.

Junior Haseeb Khatri, vice president of the Honors Congress, introduced the idea of the cape tra-dition during the summer meeting. He said he wanted to begin a new tradition to help freshmen feel a greater sense of community and to help them come together as Hon-ors students.

“We wanted to start with a tra-dition that identifies who the Hon-ors freshmen were, but the capes also helped solidify the commu-nity between the freshmen and the upperclassmen,” he said.

In mid-July, Khatri and two other members of the Honors Con-gress, senior Grace Parmar and sophomore Aly Haddad, presented the idea to Stacey, who approved the idea and encouraged the stu-dents to develop the tradition.

Khatri, Parmar, Haddad and two other Honors College students met at the beginning of August and hand made the 26 that were distributed during the induction ceremony.

Many of the new students, in-cluding freshman Ashley Arnold, said the capes gave them an oppor-tunity to get to know each other and to be part of a bigger commu-nity.

“The capes helped us interact with other freshmen and get to know the upperclassmen,” Arnold said. “We bonded and learned from each other’s experiences.”

Stacey was enthusiastic about the new tradition idea and said the cape tradition will continue next year due to its successful first year.

“I’ve gotten very positive feed-back from everyone, so we’re go-ing to continue it,” he said.

By CHELSEA VOLKERAsst. news editor

his parents’ service to the University.

“ B e t h and I are thankful for the opportu-nity to be a part of the University’s work to honor my parents and

my father’s 45 years of service to HBU,” Greg Looser said. “The Looser Fountains celebrate the spirit of excellence in Christian higher education that my parents dedi-cated a lifetime to achieve.”

One of the longest serving

members of the faculty, Looser started at the University, then known as Houston Baptist College, as a music professor in 1964.

He met his future wife, English instructor Elsa Jean Albritton, on campus. Looser was dunked in the quadrangle fountains in 1966 when his students learned that he was newly engaged, meaning that the fountains hold special signifi-cance for the professor who rose through the ranks and retired as vice president of academic affairs in 2007.

“I can think of no place on campus which holds more warm memories for me at the personal level than does this sacred court,” Looser said. “To be remembered,

especially there, in this beautiful way is a gift to Elsa Jean and me that rewards the spirit and warms the heart.”

His wife echoed his sentiment about the importance of the foun-tains, adding that she was over-whelmed by the tribute to his dedication to the University.

“Our lives have been enriched as Don has lived out his love for and his lifelong dedication to the University,” Elsa Jean Looser said.

After retiring, Looser spent the next three years writing the University’s history, a 600-page tome entitled “An Act of Providence: A History of Houston Baptist University.” The book was

published last year in time for the University’s 50th anniversary celebration.

He witnessed decades of his-tory at the University and worked with all of the institution’s presi-dents — Dr. W.H. Hinton, Dr. Doug Hodo and Sloan.

Sloan said he is grateful for the Loosers’ contributions to the University and their continual impact on its course.

“Don and Elsa Jean Looser have made a significant contribu-tion to the life of HBU,” Sloan said. “It is particularly gratifying to know that their son Greg and his wife Beth have celebrated their legacy with a generous gift to cre-ate the Looser Fountains.”

Continued from Page 1

Workers continue progress toward the completion of the Looser Fountains in the Bettis Quadrangle. The fountains, named after Dr. Don Looser, vice president emeritus, and his wife Elsa Jean, will be unveiled at the “Celebrate HBU” event Sept. 27.

by DINA ROHIRA

Honors College launches new cape tradition

LOOSER: Fountains honor 45 years of service

Looser

Continued from Page 1

Page 5: 46.1-090811

the tip and transfer it to the Univer-sity Police, who will investigate it.

If someone is prosecuted, Hous-ton Crime Stoppers will call the number back and inform the tipster of his or her financial award.

Senior Simone Greenleaf said she believes the new partnership will boost communication between the student body and the Univer-sity Police.

“I think teaming up with Crime Stoppers is a good idea because some students are scared to come forward about serious crimes,” Greenleaf said.

The tip line is just one aspect of the multifaceted partnership be-tween the two organizations.

Representatives from the Uni-versity Police department and Houston Crime Stoppers held group training sessions for resident directors and assistants this sum-mer in order to teach them how to handle illegal activity on campus.

J u n i o r M o l l y Duncan, a resident as-sistant who a t t e n d e d the work-shop, was impressed by the pre-sentation.

“It was nice to see how serious the rep-resentatives were and how they planned to work with University Police to keep our campus safe,” she said.

Houston Crime Stoppers also coordinated with Miller to co-host Safety Day on Aug. 25 with the University Police. They handed out pamphlets, emergency contact sheets and parking passes and in-formed students about the new pro-gram.

Junior Joe Thompson said he believes the new initiative will strengthen the police department.

“I feel really safe on campus,” he said. “I believe this is one of the safest campuses, and teaming up with Crime Stoppers is going to be a great contribution.”

The VA matches any funding provided by institutions that take part in the program, doubling a school’s contribution to student-veterans made in addition to ben-efits granted by the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Castillo works to help student-veterans navigate their financial options and the benefits available to them.

She said efforts were made to initiate a University chapter of the Yellow Ribbon Program at its in-ception in 2009, but shuffling of leadership positions delayed the process.

Castillo added that cuts to the Post-9/11 GI Bill put into effect on Aug. 1 increased the necessity of bringing the Yellow Ribbon Pro-gram to the University.

The cuts capped the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits at an annual

$17,500. Student-veterans previously

received an allowance equal to the highest public college tuition in their respective states of resi-dence, which totaled to $24,260 for Texans.

Veterans must be 100-percent eligible for Post-9/11 GI Bill bene-fits in order to receive Yellow Rib-bon funds, meaning the students served a minimum of 36 months in the armed forces.

Though benefits increase for veterans who served for longer than three years, the annual maxi-mum of $17,500 leaves a gap of about $6,600 for University stu-dents faced with budgeting a tu-ition of more than $24,000.

Senior Travis Martin served in the Coast Guard from 2002-06 and qualifies for full benefits.

He said he was unsure of how

he would finance his last two se-mesters at the University after the cuts but felt optimistic after hear-ing news of the Yellow Ribbon Program in addition to receiving a GPA-based scholarship.

“It had been weighing on my mind all summer,” Martin said. “I was happy that I could finish my degree at HBU, which was what I wanted to do.”

The Yellow Ribbon Program will help some student-veterans afford tuition without the added burden of loans, something that junior Taly Garza wanted to avoid.

Garza served more than four years in the Air Force.

She said the possibility of hav-ing her education paid for in full was one of the contributing fac-tors in her decision to join the Air Force.

“The budget cuts were like a

broken promise,” she said.Martin and other student-veter-

ans who enrolled at the University prior to Jan. 4 may now be “grand-fathered” by the Restoring GI Bill Fairness Act of 2011, signed into law on Aug. 3, to receive the pre-vious $24,260 benefits from the Post-9/11 GI Bill until August 2014.

Morgan and Castillo were in-formed of the “grandfather” clause at the beginning of last week and have not yet contacted students.

Castillo said the pair is still working with the financial servic-es office to determine which stu-dents are eligible for the Restoring GI Bill Fairness Act of 2011 and the Yellow Ribbon Program, add-ing that students whose tuitions are fully covered by the grandfa-ther clause will not receive fund-ing from the latter.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 THE COLLEGIAN | NEWS 5

SGA Elections

Applications are being accepted from now until Sept. 16. Pick up an ap-plication outside the SGA office.

Campaigning begins Sept. 20.

Campaigning endsSept. 27. Voting begins on Sept. 28.

CRIME:Police join forces with anonymous tip lineContinued from Page 1

RIBBON: New program will offer veterans financial assistance, combat funding cutsContinued from Page 1

TIPSTERS CAN:

•Call 713-222-TIPS

•Text TIP610 to CRIMES (274637)

•Fill out an online form on www.crime-stoppers.org

Miller

POLICY: Divergent views on new rulesThe University’s new guide-

lines, formalized this summer, re-place the older and often-decried attendance policy, first implement-ed during the 2009-10 academic year, which allowed three absenc-es before students’ grades began dropping. Professors, who set their own penalty for student absences on the older policy, often sliced two or more points off a student’s final grade for each absence after the first three.

The strictness of the 2009-10 policy contrasted with the Univer-sity’s previous absence regulation, which required students to attend a minimum of two-thirds of class sessions.

For many, including Presi-dent Robert B. Sloan Jr., the cur-rent policy appropriately suits the needs of the University. “I think it hits the right tone,” Sloan said. “Our professors are of such good quality that if you miss 25 percent of the course, then you’ve really penalized yourself.”

Beginning in the spring semes-ter, Dr. Robert B. Stacey, interim provost and dean of the Honors College, worked with deans and the Academic Affairs commit-tee on a proposal to modify the

policy. All agreed that the previ-ous requirements were too strict and worked to find a compromise that would provide professors with greater latitude in determining their own classroom policies and would put more of the attendance responsibility on students, Stacey said.

Sloan first publicly announced that he wanted to reconsider the 2009-10 attendance policy before a crowd of more than 120 students at the first State of the University address, hosted in February by Student Government Association in order to encourage greater dia-logue between the University ad-ministration and the student body. The president’s response to a ques-tion on the attendance regulation drew the most audible reaction from the people in the audience.

Leading up to the address, representatives from SGA fielded numerous complaints from stu-dents who took umbrage with the severity of the former policy, said junior Vincent Meyers, the current president of the association who worked with his predecessors in appealing the old guidelines. Mey-ers said he personally appreciates the freedom the new policy gives

him as a student.“I want to be in class, but if

something should happen outside of class, I want the freedom to miss if I have to,” said Meyers, who cheered along with his fel-low students when he learned of the policy change in the first ses-sion of his Linear Algebra class on Aug. 22.

Cheering is how many students greeted the new regulations, in-cluding junior Shawn Walker, a psychology major. “It feels more like a college attendance policy,” Walker said while waiting for his Intimate Relationships in Psychol-ogy course to begin on a recent af-ternoon in the Hinton Center.

But not all approve of the new guidelines. Freshman Adam Hunt, an international business major who runs a business through the ACN network, said he regularly has to attend business conferences that take him out of the city and the classroom in order to afford tuition. These frequent trips may compromise his grades in certain classes. When asked if this atten-dance policy was what he expected of his chosen college, Hunt gave a one-word reply: “No.”

Yet the University’s new regu-

lations governing attendance are consistent with the policies of sev-eral academic institutions in Tex-as. Baylor University maintained a 75-percent attendance requirement up until this year, when it scrapped that policy in favor of a decentral-ized approach that empowers indi-vidual colleges to make attendance regulations.

The divergent views on the sub-ject of the new guidelines at the University ensure that it will con-tinue to be a controversial subject, at least among the student body. Many faculty members, however, approve of the new guidelines specifically for the freedom that it gives them in designing their own attendance policies to supplement the University’s.

Some professors, such as Dr. Melissa Wiseman, associate pro-fessor in economics, maintain that students should concentrate not so much on the specific details of the new policy but rather on whether or not they should be in class.

“Too many students are too fo-cused on the rules,” Wiseman said, adding that students should attend classes and not try to squeak by while doing the bare minimum for a passing grade.

Allergic

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It was five in the morning dur-ing the first week of school, and some students were already wide awake.

They were not completing any last-minute studying for a quiz or even heading to work but were in-stead sitting down for a meal with their families. These students rep-resent the Muslim student popu-lation of the University that took part in a major Islamic rite: fasting during the daylight hours through-out the month of Ramadan.

During this time, Muslims around the world abstain from eat-ing and drinking from sunrise to sunset, choosing instead to focus on prayer and submission to Allah.

Central to Islam is the belief in Allah and his prophet Muhammed. Fasting is one of five key principles in Islam that are designed to bring Muslims closer to God. In addition to it, Muslims are also expected to pray, give alms to the poor, and those who are able should to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE

Nur Naviwala, the imam of Faizan e Madinah Islamic Center in Stafford, Tex., said Muslims practice Ramadan to remind them-selves of their dependence on God as well as to test their spiritual dis-cipline.

“Ramadan is a month-long celebration of compassion and re-straint,” he said.

Freshman Rabia Hashmani, a practicing Muslim, explained that Ramadan is not simply about fast-ing but that it also involves shun-ning sinful behaviors and activities such as listening to certain types of music.

“The whole month is focus-ing on the concept of hearing no evil, seeing no evil and speaking no evil,” Hashmani said. “People think it is just about not eating, but that is only a part of it.”

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

In addition to inward reflection, Ramadan also involves doing vari-ous charitable projects in the com-munity.

Fasting allows more time for relection on those who are less fortunate in the community, so helping those in need is especially prevelant during the month of Ra-madan.

Naviwala said that Muslims are encouraged to share their night-time meals with neighbors, friends and family as well as with the hun-gry. Many Muslims also donate to causes.

Hashmani said Ramadan gives Muslims the chance to experience the hardships of those around the world who often go days without eating. During the month of fast-ing, Muslims often do not eat or drink for as many as 15 hours at a time.

“Getting the chance to step into someone else’s shoes for a little while is a refreshing idea,” Hash-mani said.

TIMING A TRADITION

This year Ramadan ended on Aug. 29, which aligned closely with the beginning of the school year. The end of the month of fasting is celebrated with a festi-val known as Eid al-Fitr, literally translated as “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” one the most important religious holidays for the Muslim community. At this celebration many Muslims dress in their finest clothes, adorn their homes with

lights and decorations, give gifts to children and enjoy visiting with family and friends during a big meal. The exact date of Ramadan varies depending on the Hijra, the Islamic lunar calendar, which di-cates when months start based on when the cresent moon can be seen in the sky. Every year Ramadan occurs 11 days earlier than it did the previous year due to the fact that Gregorian months are longer than lunar months.

The timing of Ramadan al-lowed non-Muslim students to observe their classmates partici-pating in a religious activity that is central to the Muslim faith and the dedication it entails.

Colette Cross, director of Spiri-tual Life, explained that non-Mus-lim students can learn valuable life lessons from their fellow Huskies, which was particularly relevant during Welcome Days, when Mus-lim upperclassmen helped fresh-men move into their dorms and led various Welcome Days festivities

while continuing to fast. “The discipline of these stu-

dents who were fasting as well as taking care of what they needed to take care of was amazing,” Cross said.

With Islam being one of the many different religions that make up the University’s student popu-lation, the diverse campus pro-vides learning opportunities in and out of the classroom, said Danny Miller, director of Baptist Student Ministries. He added that having a multicultural student body helps to facilitate learning among students.

Students are able to see what is acceptable across cultural bound-aries in a setting where many re-ligious groups are present. Miller said this open-mindedness ensures that when students go out into the real world, they can feel confident knowing how other societies work.

“The University is a cross sec-tion of Houston and gives students a taste of what real life is like,” he said.

Ramadan: Testing spiritual discipline

Taking a walk for 9/11 unity

By ALEXIS SHELLYReligion editor

Whether wit-nessed live in class-rooms or in play-back in their living rooms on the eve-ning news, students around the country

remember all-too-vividly the horri-fying images of Sept. 11.

In the days immediately follow-ing the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the coun-try became united in its grief and outrage.

Since that time, however, people have begun to fear those who are different from them, no matter if that difference is cultural, racial or religious.

Society turned away from pro-moting unity in the face of tragic events and instead began pointing the finger, breaking down the bridge that had previously been built be-tween cultural gaps.

As the 10th anniversary of the attacks approaches, some leaders in the community are looking for a way to rekindle the outpouring of community spirit and understanding that was commonplace immediately following the tragedy.

Troy Jackson, pastor of the Uni-versity Christian Church in Cincin-nati, speaks of a way to do just that in a recent article in the Huffington Post.

Jackson proposes a straightfor-ward solution: take a walk.

The idea behind it is simple. Bring together a group of people from all different backgrounds and cultures and just start walking and talking together.

Jackson explains that the purpose behind the walks is to honor the vic-tims of Sept. 11 as well as celebrate humanity as a whole by standing boldly against the hatred of those who are different from their peers.

Walks are being organized around the country and in several places around the world.

Anyone interested in organizing a walk in his or her neighborhood can visit www.911walks.org. Any-one who wants to arrange a walk in a particular area only needs a partner and a designated walk location; par-ticpants may then post their infor-mation to the website so others can find them. Resources such as flyers and wallet-sized cards are also avail-able to print from the website.

The 10th anniversary of the most heinous domestic attack on Ameri-can soil since Pearl Harbor is the perfect reminder that hatred based on blind prejudice is the most dan-gerous weapon in the world. We must learn to stand — and walk — against it.

photo illustration by DINA ROHIRA

Freshman Rabia Hashmani demonstrates a typical pose used in the daily prayers during Ramadan.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 THE COLLEGIAN | RELIGION 7

By ALEXIS SHELLYReligion editor

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Singing in Austria: ‘It just doesn’t get any better’

TV RewindYour guide to the past year of your favorite shows and a look at their 2011 seasons. WARNING: Spoilers ahead.

Design and story by Jessica Aldana

In the second season’s finale, the glee club travels to New York City for nationals.After writing original songs, singing on

Broadway and rekindling a romance between Rachel (Lea Michelle) and Finn (Corey Montieth),

the group leaves feeling defeated due to their dis-sapointing score in the competition.Season three will be a busy year for the hit

show. The first episode will announce which char-acters are graduating and, therefore, not returning for the fourth season.

Chord Overstreet, who plays Sam Evans, will not be returning as a series regular but will instead be seen sporadically as a guest star.

At the end of last season, Christiana (Sandra Oh) learns she is pregnant.

When she announces that she will termi-nate the pregnancy, Owen (Kevin McKidd) kicks her out of the house.

Meanwhile, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) is suspended when news leaks that she tam-pered with the medicinal trial Derek (Patrick Dempsey) has been running.

The opening episode of season eight will resolve the cliffhangers of last season.

There will also be an all-male episode in which the audience sees Seattle Grace from the guys’ perspective.

At end of last season Sam (Jared Padalecki) is on a quest to retrieve his memories.

The angel Castiel (Misha Collins) de-cides to take over purgatory, ending the season on a melancholic note when the he boldly declares himself to be God.

The seventh season of “Supernatural” will take on a Western theme.

Tvline.com reported that the show’s writ-ers were asked to watch “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” to understand what the new season will entail.

At the end of last season when Leon-ard (Johnny Galecki) learns that Priya (Aarti Menn) plans to move back to India, he considers breaking up with her. Raj (Kunal Nayyar) temporarily moves in

with Sheldon (Jim Parsons), and the whole group discovers Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Raj

in a compromising position. Leonard and Priya attempt to have a

long-distance relationship while Penny still works out her feelings towards Leonard.

Sheldon gets a new, permanent roommate.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 8 THE COLLEGIAN | ENTERTAINMENT

Visit www.hbucollegian.com to catch up on more of your favorite shows.

Season premiere Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. on FOX

Season premiere Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. on ABC

Season premiere Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. on The CW

It was a musical summer for 25 singers from the University’s School of Music and First Pres-byterian Church, who traveled to Eisenstadt, Austria, to participate in the 36th annual Classical Music Festival.

Dr. Richard Zielinski, the artistic director and principal conductor of the event, invited the University’s Schola Cantorum to be the choir-in-residence as part of a two-year agreement after he heard the group perform at the University of Okla-homa, where he serves as the direc-tor of choral activities.

Six singers from First Presbyte-rian Church and 19 singers from the School of Music participated from Aug. 2-16 at the festival, which brought together choirs and orches-

tras to perform Haydn’s “Der Sturm” (The Storm) and “Missa Sancti Nicolai,” as well as Beethoven’s Fantasy, Op. 80 “Choral Fantasy” and “Symphony No. 9.”

For Dr. John Yarrington, director of the School of Music, said per-forming Haydn and Beethoven in the city where the composers lived was magnificent. “It just doesn’t get any better than that,” he said.

Although rehearsals comprised the majority of the festival, a num-ber of internationally recognized lecturers such as Don V. Moses and Dr. Walter Reicher gave presenta-tions to the participants in their free time. Additionally, they were given the opportunity to attend guided tours of historical cities such as Vi-enna and Budapest.

Senior Mike McCarver said he was amazed at the European land-scape and architecture.

“The Esterhazy Palace was es-pecially memorable, and I’ll never forget it,” he said, adding that he was impressed at the prowess and knowledge of the music directors.

Senior Matt Phenix, assistant conductor, said performing and re-hearsing in Austria was a memora-ble and educational experience.

“Just being exposed to all the different ways the music should be performed gave more depth to the way performances and practices are meant to be done,” Phenix said.

Both Phenix and McCarver showed interest in learning more about European culture and history when they return next year.

“There’s a lot to do. You don’t really have enough time to see ev-erything,” Phenix said, adding that he hopes to participate in all the ac-tivities and tours that he was unable to attend this past summer.

In lieu of last year’s “It’s A Grand Night for Singing” benefit concert that helped finance the trip, the choir will hold two different fundraisers during the year to raise funds.

This year’s concert will be named after Rogers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music,” which is set in Austria, and will include pieces composed by Beethoven and Haydn.

Yarrington said the School of Music plans on holding a auction creating a pool of money from which the students can draw and pay back later in order to allow more students to attend the festival.

“We will start raising money and getting support for the kids to go earlier this year,” Yarrington said. “I am hoping we can take twice as many as we took this last time.”

Glee

Supernatural

Season premiere Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. on CBS

“More characters are leaving than are staying.” >>>Creator Ryan Murphy to The Hollywood Re-porter on season four of “Glee”

Students from the University as well as members from First Presbyterian Church with Dr. John Yarrington, director of the School of Music, in Austria this summer.

courtesy of MATT PHENIX

The Big Bang Theory

Grey’s Anatomy

By JUSTIN NGUYENContributing writer

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Some music critics perceive alter egos, like Lady Gaga’s Jo Calderon, as unnecessary, but these personas can breathe new life into an artist’s career

or at least provide that kick of creativity needed to write the next hit.

Many well-known musicians, such as Robert Schumann, Hank Williams, The Beatles and Nicki Minaj have created interesting char-acters for themselves.

These musicians vary in their reasoning as to why they work as alter egos.

Nineteenth-century com-poser Schumann had two different personalities: the forceful Florestan and the romantic Eusebius.

He used these personas to write his music as well as publish critiques of pieces by other composers.

Williams was an established country star when he created his gospel-singing alter ego Luke the Drifter in the 1950s.

Williams is said to have created this persona in or-der to deal with the new reality of being watched by millions of people.

After releasing “Revolver,” the Beatles reached a creative crisis. In order to produce an album that would not only be a billboard success but also artistic, the band invented “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

The concept proved useful as the band found its freedom to experiment with new sounds.

Some of the band’s most influential hit songs such as “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “With a Little Help from My Friends” were direct results of this free-

ing experience.Minaj may be the most re-

cent artist to use multiple alter egos as a way to connect with her diverse audience.

The rapper creates her mu-sic using three alter egos — Roman Zolanski, his mother

Martha and Harajuku Barbie. While onstage, she dresses according to the style of

the ego she is portraying, and as a result fans are able to see a collection of different performers for the price of one.

Some music fans may believe that multiple per-sonalities are unnecessary and controversal, but these characters relieve the pressure of past successes and can give artists the essential push needed to create unique sounds.

‘Warrior’ transports hearts into the ring

Alter egos enhance creativity

Bill Luo . FreshmanGovernment

Q: What was your favorite movie this summer?A: It has to be “Horrible Bosses.” I work as a waiter, and I have a boss who is a hassle to work with. It was nice to see that on screen.

Q: What was the most exciting part of your summer?A: SOAR was probably the best part of my summer. I had been working all summer. When I came to SOAR, I met a lot of people and got an idea of the direction I wanted to go.

Q: Who plays the most important role in your life?A: My dad is my role model. He was basically a country boy in China, and I am part of the first generation in my family to come to America. My dad brought me all the way here, and I really admire his ambition. I respect him a lot.

Q: Why have you chosen government as your major, and what led you to it?A: I like politics and being able to travel around the world. I want to grow in politics and be able to visit different areas of the world to study their governments. You have a lot of room to change and become more open to things when you see the world through different perspectives.

Q: What brought you to the University?A: My mom wanted me to be closer to Houston and have me in a smaller college. I also recieved a lot of scholarships for my academics. Also, the people here are so welcoming.

e u p s m s s f s g v z e x m b n b k c s v a b q h a c t d q h o s u p e r m a n c r i y g t z r q g u q y e l w e n f z v q g e n l d g i q d i a u a o u c o d a z s e a i f m s b g l o c h l h m l d n a k k g h y a s f n a l q a w h m r p f m m n r t k c e h e s v g g d i u y s t a r o b p a y u w l j h d c k d w x j l s e m s b f r e u s i f r g i q p c k h x y b a o f m j e z m v t y z d e y q m m g f h k o i j t s u d r a t s y g g i z b m

Borat

Bruno

Jo Calderone

Mimi

Sasha Fierce

Slim Shady

Superman

Xtina

Ziggy Stardust

Zolanski

ContagionSept. 9 - PG-13

The all-instrumental group from Austin will perform its rendi-tion of Radiohead’s “Kid A” album during the Brothers Under Christ’s Island Party in the Dun-ham Theater.

The public will be able to set up tents and booths to sell and recycle used possessions such as bikes, furniture and clothing. Food will be provided along with live music.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 THE COLLEGIAN | ENTERTAINMENT 9

A virus breaks out in North America and turns into a pan-demic. Kate Winslet and Jude Law, along with the rest of the all-star cast, take the lead in this haunting thriller.

J. Wesley Haynes TrioSept. 9 - Dunham Theater 9 p.m.

Discovery Green FleaSept. 17 - Discovery Green’s Grace Event Lawn

CELEBRITY SEARCH: Can you find these celebrity alter egos in the word search below? Good luck!

WORDS E A C

H

“Warrior” illustrates survival of the fittest by exploring human emo-tions as well as natural instincts, both in and out of the ring.

Directed and written by Gavin O’Connor, the film follows two brothers as they find themselves on the same mixed martial arts path for very different reasons.

Returning to his father’s home in Philadelphia, a war veteran named Tom Conlon (Tom Hardy) confronts his father Paddy (Nick Nolte) about their troubled past. After joining a local gym, Conlon finds he must go to his father to receive training for the upcoming Spartan Mixed Mar-tial Arts tournament.

On the other side of the city, Brendan Conlon (Joe Edgerton) receives troubling news from his bank. Learning that he and his fam-

ily will lose their home if he can-not pay off their loan, Brendan hears of the same MMA tourna-

ment, which awards millions to the winner.

As each brother approaches the tournament with different motives, viewers find themselves cheering for both Conlons.

O’Connor’s use of cinematic techniques allows the audience to get to know each character. His em-ployment of close-ups throughout the film creates a sense of connect-edness between the audience and characters. Few wide-angle shots are used, creating a personal feel.

As the brothers begin train-ing for the tournament, O’Connor splits the screen to show the audi-ence contrasting views of how and why the brothers prepare. The split screen creates a powerful effect on the viewers by inhancing their rela-tionship with the characters,

The soundtrack for “Warrior,” with its clash of classical and up-beat tempos, enhances the best scenes and adds to those that lack depth. Composer Mark Isham crafts an impeccable score for the mo-tion picture, revealing a new side of MMA to the audience. Isham uses creative tracks not typically heard in sports movies.

Not only did the score include Beethoven, but it also contained audio clips from Herman Melville’s novel “Moby Dick.”

The “Moby Dick” references create a parallel between the char-acters in the movie and in the 1851 book, which tells the story of a cap-tain whose tireless journey to hunt down a great white whale fails mis-erably.

It is the captain’s ambition that O’Connor hopes to reflect in the brothers’ fight for victory and Pad-dy’s struggle to regain the trust of his sons.

The score gives the audience a chance to find deeper meaning in the elements of what some might believe to be a typical sports movie.

Hardy’s ability to portray a bro-ken and battered kid from Phila-delphia, as opposed to a conman in “Inception,” will astound viewers. Along with Hardy, both Nolte and Edgerton gave noteworthy perfor-mances. Overall the cast fit together well and created believable rela-tionships between the characters.

O’Connor presents his audience with an outstanding piece of cin-ema. Those who see this movie will leave the theater with a profound sense of empowerment and a new outlook on what is worth the fight.

By ASHLEY DAVENPORTAdvertising manager

“Warrior”

Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Joe EdgertonPG-13

By JESSICA ALDANAEntertainment editor

theScoop On...

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The chemistry department re-cently received approval from the Robert A. Welch Foundation for an additional year of extracurricular research funding totaling $30,000.

The extension of the grant through the 2012-13 school year brought the total amount of con-tributions from the organization to $649,000 over the 24-year period that the department has received its support.

“We’re very grateful for the Welch Foundation,” President Robert B. Sloan Jr. said. “It’s an enormously successful and helpful foundation.”

Proposals for the funding are considered by invitation only, and beginning last year, academic in-stitutions must submit an applica-tion each year to vie for renewal of the grant.

The University, however, re-ceived an extension of funding through an additional school year without having to reapply, said Dr. Treacy Woods, chair of the chem-istry department and Welch under-graduate scholar mentor.

The prestige brought by the foundation’s offer to extend its support, therefore, furthers the vi-sion of the University, she added.

Founded in 1954, the Welch Foundation is one of the nation’s largest private sources of funding for chemistry research at institu-tions around the state. The Hous-ton-based organization hosts an annual chemical research confer-ence in the city and sponsors two prestigious chemistry awards.

In keeping with this mission, each of six chemistry faculty mem-bers advises and collaborates with one chemistry major per semester to conduct research in his or her field of interest. Projects may be short or long term, and students may continue until they graduate.

Woods said that 102 University students have been named Welch scholars, many of whom have en-tered graduate programs, health professions schools and careers in industry and academia.

The allowance is used to pro-vide stipends for student and fac-ulty participants and to purchase instruments, chemicals or other supplies needed to perform the ex-periments. It may also be allocated to cover travel expenses for con-ferences and meetings related to

the students’ research endeavors.Dr. Doris Warren, dean of the

College of Science and Mathemat-ics who wrote the first proposal in 1989, said the grant allows the de-partment to advance the Universi-ty’s vision of academic excellence.

“I am delighted that the Welch Foundation recognizes the quality of our HBU chemistry department and continues to award us a depart-mental research grant,” she said.

This year’s experiments include research on ruthenium complexes, weather data collected on campus, quartz crystal microbalances and an adaptation of a Green Chemis-try organic chemistry experiment.

Senior Noman Ali, who is de-signing the organic experiment with Woods, said the research prepares students for graduate and

health professions programs be-cause it helps them improve their laboratory technique.

“You learn how to run trials with precision and patience and to eliminate any bad habits devel-oped in other labs,” he said.

Last year, Tracy Gastineau, B.S. ‘11, and Michael Olokode, B.S. ‘11, presented their protein re-search at the Celebration of Schol-arship Symposium, and senior Franklin Leal showcased his ruthe-nium results at the Undergraduate Symposium at Rice University.

Woods described the Welch scholarship program as an outlet for faculty and students to use their imaginations in the lab when de-signing new experiments.

“It’s really an opportunity for scientists to get creative,” she said.

It’s good versus evil, taken to new levels.

“El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron” took inspiration from a

source rarely consulted within the video game industry – the Bible.

The game is loosely based on the legend of Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah who, accord-ing to the book of Genesis, never died but was taken by God directly into heaven. It draws more heavily from the Ethiopic Bible’s Books of Enoch, according to which Enoch becomes chief of the arch-angels and protector of heaven’s treasures.

Whether the game assumes a ministerial role or simply serves to entertain, players may feel chal-lenged to look beyond the anime-themed action-adventure elements to discover the original scripture that inspired the plot of “El Shad-dai” instead of merely playing a game that encourages no further investigation into its origins. They could even become more enthusi-astic about playing it after learn-ing more about the story.

Though they named it after a Hebrew word for God and de-rived its story from scripture, the developers of “El Shaddai” assert that they created the game merely to take advantage of the largely untapped potential for storylines that the Bible can supply to vid-eo game producers and not as a didactical instrument for young players. In fact, the Entertainment Software Rating Board classified the title as “Teen” for its inclusion of fantasy violence.

If nothing else, the biblical brainchild traverses rare video game territory with its imagina-tive retelling of a lesser-known Christian tale, providing a refresh-ing change in subject matter and perhaps setting a precedent for fu-ture titles.

Device and designIn its simplest design, an aerosol can contains

a thin plastic tube that extends from the bottom to a valve system at the top, which consists of a nar-row channel running through a depressible head piece. An inlet in the channel allows the contents to escape when the nozzle is pressed, but a spring below the head piece holds it in place, sealing the liquid from the outside environment until it is ready for use.

Propellant and productThe metal container holds two liquids that are

sealed under pressure. To create the conditions

necessary for proper function, the liquid product is first poured into the can and sealed inside. Then a gaseous propellant is pumped in at high pressure through the valve.

When the user presses the head piece, the inlet in the channel slides below the seal, which cre-ates an opening from the inside of the can to the outside. As the propellant reaches equilibrium, it expands and pushes the product up the tube and out of the can. The narrow nozzle atomizes the liquid, breaking it into small drops to form a fine spray.

information courtesy of HowStuffWorks

Did You Know..

Biblical story makes rare appearance in video game

Dr. Robert Towery, associate professor of chemistry, demonstrates an application of the quartz crystal microbalance to Dr. Treacy Woods, chair of the chemistry department, and Dr. Saul Trevino, assistant professor of chemistry. Towery is working with the QCM as part of an ongoing Welch research project.

QUESTION:How do aerosol cans work?

ANSWER:A high-pressure propellant gas drives a liquid through a plastic tube to release a fine mist of product.

by DINA ROHIRA

Welch Foundation reallocates 24th year of research funding

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 10 THE COLLEGIAN | S&T

The chemistry club is no longer dead.

After three years on campus as the Dead Chemists Society of HBU, the organization’s officers complet-ed a full transition to membership in the American Chemical Society.

The process of applying for ACS membership required 1 1/2 years’ worth of paperwork, said senior Becca Cook, ACS president.

The first chapter of the organiza-tion was founded in 1876 at New York University with the goal of

promoting policies that support sci-entists and encouraging students to enter science and engineering fields. Today, it is the world’s largest scien-tific society, with more than 161,000 members, according to its website.

Dr. Saul Trevino, assistant pro-fessor of chemistry and ACS spon-sor, said the shift will be beneficial for chemistry students.

“There are opportunities to win chapter awards that recognize suc-cessful programs and activities con-ducted by each school,” he said.

Among the activities in which members may participate are Com-munity Assessment of Community

Annotation with Ontologies, a com-petition for which students correct errors in sample research papers,

and the Unit-ed States N a t i o n a l C h e m i s t r y Olympiad , a contest whose win-ning team r ep r e s en t s the country at the Inter-

national Chemistry Olympiad.Cook said that club members

may take advantage of these and

other opportunities that were not available when the organization was not affiliated with a national chapter.

“Becoming a chapter of ACS gives numerous advantages to HBU students, such as the ability to apply for ACS scholarships and grants, and organize activities with other ACS branches at nearby schools such as the University of Houston and Rice University,” she said.

ACS members will attend the Fall 2011 National Meeting and Ex-position in Denver where they will present research on childhood cata-racts in addition to offering chemis-try tutoring throughout the year.

Chemistry club joins American Chemical Society

Cook

UP NEXT: How do fluorescent bulbs work?

By LAUREN SCHOENEMANNExecutive managing editor

By LAUREN SCHOENEMANNExecutive managing editor

By KARIM JIVANIContributing writer

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SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 THE COLLEGIAN | OPINION 11

TIMELINE

7:59 AM - FLIGHT 11 TAKES OFF FROM LOGAN INTERNATION-AL AIRPORT IN BOSTON WITH FIVE HIGHJACK-ERS ABOARD

8:14 AM - FLIGHT 175 TAKES OFF FROM THE SAME AIRPORT WITH FIVE HIJACKERS ABOARD

8:37 AM - NORAD NOTI-FIED OF THE HIGHJACKING OF FLIGHT 11

FLIGHT 11 SLAMS INTO THE NORTH TOWER OF THE WTC AT 466 MPH

8:46:26

8:42 AM - HIJACKING OF FLIGHT 175 BEGINS; PILOTS MUR-DERED

AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 11

UNITED AIRLINES

FLIGHT 175

9:02:59FLIGHT 175 CRASHES INTO THE SOUTH TOWER AT 590 MPH

“IT’S GETTING BAD, DAD. I THINK WE ARE GOING DOWN.”- PETER HANSON, A PASSENGER ON FLIGHT 175, ONE MINUTE BEFORE THE PLANE HIT THE SOUTH TOWER

“AMERICA IS UNDER ATTACK.”- CHIEF OF STAFF ANDREW CARD TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH AT 9:05 AM. BUSH WAS READING TO STUDENTS AT AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

9:59:04THE SOUTH TOWER BEGINS TO COLLAPSE, 56 MINUTES AND 2 SECONDS AFTER IM-PACT

10:28:25THE NORTH TOWER BEGINS TO COLLAPSE, 1 HOUR, 41 MINUTES AND 45 SECONDS AF-TER IMPACT

THE MORNING OF SEPT. 11

THE VICTIMSWORLD TRADE CENTER

2,606 TOTAL343 FIREFIGHTSERS60 POLICE OFFICERS8 CHILDRENAVERAGE AGE: 40YOUNGEST: 2.5OLDEST: 82

125 TOTAL VICTIMS70 CIVILIANS55 MILITARY PERSONNEL

PENTAGON

PLANES246 TOTAL VICTIMS4 PASSENGER JETS HIJACKED

was in the middle of a math review, and I excitedly grabbed my Pokemon book bag from my cubby and scurried out the door. I was clueless about the serious nature of the events unfolding in the city — I was only eight years old. I was just excited to be going home early.

When I saw my father, a business-man who immigrated to the United States from Pakistan in the summer of 1989, he had the same look of hor-ror in his eyes that I had seen on my teacher’s face. We left the school, but we did not take our usual path home.

“I need to see it for myself,” he said as we drove toward New York City. “I need to see it.”

A BURNING CITY

Moments later what we saw was black smoke rising from the World Trade Center, scarring the skyline. While I had been memorizing vocabu-lary words, 10 terrorists had hijacked two passenger jets and slammed them into the twin towers in Lower Man-hattan.

The freeway was clogged with bumper-to-bumper traffic as hundreds of thousands of people tried to witness the tragedy firsthand. We crept inch by inch along the freeway in our tan Lincoln Navigator, but the entrances to the island metropolis were closed.

We were forced to turn around. During the long drive home I remem-bered that my mother, a doctor, had gone to Lower Manhattan for a meet-ing that morning. I was scared for her safety, especially because we had yet to hear from her. My father turned the radio up: the voice from the station was shaky as it relayed details of the unfolding hellish tragedy.

WITNESSING THE TRAGEDY

As we pulled into our gated house, we rushed to the nearest television. My father, three sisters and I huddled together, frightened, worried and stressed as footage of the attack’s play-by-play were replayed on the screen.

My father left home and returned hours later with canned food, emer-gency supplies and most importantly, knowledge of the whereabouts of my mother.

That morning she had arranged for a meeting with her lawyer whose of-

fice was a block away from the Twin Towers. She was driving toward the city on her way to the meeting when she was called to assist a patient and returned to the hospital in Queens. Upon entering the emergency room, she watched in horror as American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower, several hundred yards from where she was supposed to meet her lawyer.

The hospital where she worked, like many others, issued a state of emergency, meaning my mother and her fellow doctors were locked in for 24 hours. She came home the next day and spoke of how, during the crisis, strangers came together and offered one another comfort.

After a few hours, she returned to the hospital to help some of the most badly injured victims of the deadliest attack on U.S. soil since Pearl Harbor.

Two days after the attack, I returned to school. There was an emptiness in the air. That week we reinstated a for-gotten tradition in school, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance every day. That year, the school yearbook featured a patriotic cover, an American flag mo-saic made using photos of our faces. Inside the yearbook were stories from students about how the infamous day impacted their lives. Now, nearly 10 years later, I am still asking myself that question.

“SHUT UP, TERRORIST”

In the ensuing years, my Pakistani-American family faced racism and hatred from our fellow citizens, but we were not alone. Across the na-tion, many people of Middle-Eastern descent bore the brunt of the public’s misdirected anger over the Sept. 11 attacks. They faced hate crimes that ranged from vandalism of property to death threats. I remember the judg-ment in people’s eyes, followed by rude comments.

When my family went on a road trip three years ago, we stopped for dinner at a fast food restaurant in Oklahoma. Someone stepped in front of us in line, and when my dad said something to the individual, he turned around and said, “Shut up, terrorist.”

Surprisingly, a lot of the verbal abuse I had to endure was not from strangers, but from my friends think-ing they were making harmless jokes. They called me “The Brown Bomb-

er,” a nickname I will never forget. In jokes, in fights and in casual

moments, what marked me was my mocha-tinted skin. It caused me pain, but it forced me to search within myself to learn to stand firm against those verbal blows, to fully accept who I am. It made me stronger.

While my family experienced all of this misdirected anger, I watched as the rest of America united around the cause of restoring what was lost on that brisk September morning and on punishing those responsible. Pa-triotism ran thick through the veins of Americans as we focused on these two tasks, objectives that would take us years to accomplish.

A UNITED CITY, NATION

As someone born and raised in New York, I felt a special connec-tion to those 2,606 people who lost their lives when the Twin Towers col-lapsed. They were my fellow citizens, neighbors who I might have passed while riding a subway or sharing a taxi cab. But they were gone, their lives cut short by the hate-filled ac-tions of a handful of terrorists.

CLOSING THE CHAPTER

On May 2, I celebrated along with my friends when I learned that U.S. Navy Seals had killed Osama bin Laden, the evil mastermind behind the attacks and America’s No. 1 en-emy for the last decade. It was an important moment for our nation, a moment when we were finally able to close one of our nation’s darkest chapters.

The fall of the Twin Towers nearly 10 years before Bin Laden’s death was the watershed moment of my generation and largely defined this last decade of American history. For someone who was only eight years old when the attacks happened, I have seen how they impacted my life and the lives of those around me. And as an American, I still feel the pain and rush of anger whenever I see im-ages of the World Trade Center as it burned, violated by the unholy hands of murderers.

On Sept. 11, I will remember how I spent that day and how it changed my life, and like most Americans, I will remember the stories of those who fell. I will never forget.

10 YEARS LATER(CONTINUED FROM “NEVER FORGET” ON PAGE 1)

COVER IMAGE BY NATHAN CADIS & DANIEL CADIS PAGE DESIGN & INFORMATION COMPILED BY DANIEL CADIS

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Are research papers a waste of time for students?

STAFF EDITORIAL

A thousand splendid electronic buttons flickered before my eyes as I waited for the flight instructor to give the “all clear” signal.

It was July 21, the final day of the Space Shuttle program. I was at Johnson Space Center, sitting in the pilot chair of the space shuttle simu-lator normally utilized by astronauts to prepare for their voyages through the heavens.

My father, an employee of a NASA subcontractor, had man-aged to get us a flight on the two-story tall machine on its final day of operation, the same day that the nation closed a chapter of human spaceflight. Though I had visited my father several times at work, I had never had the opportunity to operate the simulator — until now.

The flight instructor, a middle-aged man with a lazy eye, gave me the thumbs up and flicked the switch. Then I felt it — the weight of the entire shuttle coursing through the joystick in my right hand.

Images of the Florida coastline whizzed by on the digital screens that surrounded the cramped cabin as we pulled an emergency ma-neuver to land the vehicle. My two brothers and a third guest were sit-ting behind me, and the flight in-structor made it clear that our lives depended on me landing this bird.

Time slowed as I guided us into beautiful arching curves, descend-ing in great lazy circles. The runway drew closer as we dropped out of the

sky in a controlled descent.The flight instructor kept giving

me occasional words of guidance: “A little to the left. Keep going. Now up a bit.” At the last moment, as the runway rushed up to kiss the wheels of the shuttle, he shouted, “Pull back.” I did, feeling the nose of the bird tip upward and the rear wheels touch down as the simulator shook and bucked like a wild bull.

I pressed down on the brakes, easing us into a full stop somewhere in the middle of the runway. With that, my time as an astronaut ended, but a new journey had begun.

I had flown the same shuttle simulator that President Bill Clin-ton and others had utilized on their visits to Houston’s space center, and those precious moments of flight had awakened a new desire in me. From that day on, one question lin-gered with me: If you had only one year left to live, what would you do?

That is what I hope to discover and accomplish during my senior year at the University. Every two weeks I will try something new and slightly outlandish, which I will then write about in this column. But I need your help. If you have a sug-gestion for something that I should try, let me know.

It is my goal to seize the year and do things that I have never done be-fore, mainly because I have found that college is a lot like the space shuttle simulator. You only get one chance to fly.

backtalk

Antithesis

By NEBEYU MEKONNENContributing writer

Dustin Hobaughfreshman

Kiwi.“ ”

Justin Bowersjunior

Passion fruit.“ ”Molly Missimersophomore

“ ”

Allison Violasenior

Banana.“ ”

Maryam GhaffarBrandon Porter

Christopher JamesJessica Aldana

Jessica ScottNaila Al Hasan

Asst. photography editorSports editorAsst. sports editorEntertainment editorAsst. entertainment editorCirculation manager

Elysee WatsonCarlos Grajales

Alexis ShellyNathan Cadis

Dr. Alice J. Rowlands

Opinion editorOnline editorReligion editorAlumni consultantFaculty adviser

Administrators successfully im-proved the University-wide atten-dance policy this year by eliminat-ing the practice of taking points off final grades after three absences, but the new policy leaves the door open for potential misuse by allow-ing professors to implement indi-vidual attendance guidelines.

The new attendance plan re-quires students to attend at least 75 percent of classes in order to re-ceive a passing grade, which comes as a sigh of relief for those who felt that the previous guidelines were too strict.

But under the current atten-dance procedure, professors are allowed to create their own rules to place on top of the University-wide policy. With this stipulation, professors could possibly imple-

ment even stricter policies than the one the University just eliminated, which in turn is unfair to the stu-dents.

If the need for differences is necessary, attendance regulations should be set by individual colleges and schools, much like the School of Business has done. Instead of al-lowing professors to set too lax or too strict policies, the deans and faculty members of each college should set school-wide policies.

In addition, no one should be al-lowed to set policies that are strict-er than the University’s previous attendance requirement. Doing so defeats the purpose of the revision.

Furthermore, when the standard for how many classes a student must attend to receive a passing grade can vary greatly depending

on the specific rules of each profes-sor and department, the situation becomes confusing and counter-productive.

With busy schedules filled by classes, work and familial activi-ties, keeping track of approximate-ly five different attendance policies is an unnecessary burden for stu-dents.

A firm policy set by each col-

lege would also help ensure student understanding of attendance ex-pectations at the University level, hopefully leading to the rules being adhered to more closely. This will prevent needless misunderstand-ings between student and profes-sor on the subject and promote the student’s responsibility to his or her education by still encouraging class attendance.

The best way to learn new material is to review it, and a re-search paper forces students to do

just that. Hours of agonizingly read-ing and data gath-ering are required to complete a re-search paper, by the end of which

students should become adept on their chosen topics.

Consequently, writing research papers serves as effective prepa-ration for students who go on to graduate school. The extensive knowledge in a distinct field that comes from writing research pa-pers acts as a solid first step for students who choose to special-ize in that field. Students will also familiarize themselves with graduate-level work by complet-ing research papers as undergradu-ates; their writing capabilities will become more advanced, and they will enhance their invaluable re-search skills.

Some of these skills include ingenuity and individual thought. Research papers allow students to formulate new ideas as they sift through existing truths and laws, stringing together different facts and recognizing patterns that have yet to be discovered.

A research paper could be just the thing that leads students to a groundbreaking theory that could shape the future, or an idea that could change the world.

by Daniel Cadis, editor in chief

illustration by MAX ANTON

Modern technology has made research papers a waste of time.

Research papers in the past re-quired students to go to the library, rummage through daunting stacks of books and read heavily on the topic in order to produce

a paper that was all their own. These days, students tend to do

anything but the proper research to complete papers. With the conve-nience of using Google to obtain information, they will often look no further. The use of these sites does not require students to invest the same amount of thought and effort into finding and understanding the information.

By relying on these shortcuts as sources, students often miss the point of the paper entirely. As they speed through the assignment, they are not gaining or retaining any of the valuable knowledge that is the intended byproduct of the assign-ment. Regurgitating information that is readily available and adding unfounded commentary benefits neither the student nor teacher.

An alternative to research papers should be developed since using the Internet has become so common. Applying the traditional procedure for writing a research paper prohib-its students from truly learning the material and instead tempts them to bypass thorough investigation of the topic.

Change in policy creates instability

By ELYSEE WATSONOpinion editor

Pineapple.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 12 THE COLLEGIAN | OPINION

This is the first column in a series on living life fully during college.

Reaching new heights

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Roles they were born to play. Volunteer Partner Fred Leahy with Julianne Moore, actress. Both have found that volunteering for the American Red Cross allows them to do some unforgettable work. To learn more about volunteering, contact your local Red Cross chapter or visit www.redcross.org.

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The volleyball team, after a 17-13 campaign in 2010, has carried its winning ways into the 2011 season with a 6-2 start.

After sweeping Texas Southern University in three straight sets in the season opener, the Huskies went on to win four consecutive match-es against the University of North Texas, Lamar University, Prairie View A&M University and the Uni-versity of Texas at San Antonio.

Head volleyball coach Kaddie

Platt said the athletes’ dedication has been instrumental to the team’s wins.

“The commitment from the players to put in the hard work and preparation has been a big part of our success to begin the season,” Platt said, adding that the seniors have done a great job of leading by example to the underclassmen. “They’ve worked hard all summer, and their hard work is now paying dividends.”

In the Huskies’ first eight games, the team has outscored its oppo-nents 632-586. Platt attributed the victories to a strong offensive sys-tem.

“When our offense is rolling, we are capable of beating anyone on our schedule,” she said.

Juniors Heather Leaverton, an outside hitter, and Victoria Weath-erly, a setter, have both played key roles for the Huskies so far this sea-son. Leaverton leads the team in at-tacks, points and kills.

Weatherly, the 2011 Lamar In-vational Tournament MVP, leads the Huskies in assists with 272. She has 250 more than any other player on the team.

“Our offense has been flowing really well to start the season, and that makes it easy for me to distrib-ute the ball to my teammates,” she said.

The Huskies are playing more schools from automatic-qualifying conferences this season than last, with Rice University, Georgia Tech and Texas A&M University all on

the team’s schedule. Leaverton said the Huskies are

looking to peak at the right time, with Great West Conference play set to begin at the end of September.

“The talent level we’re compet-ing against this year is definitely better than what we’ve played in the past, and we believe the stiff competition will prepare us better for conference play,” Leaverton said.

Weatherly said winning the first five games of the season gave the team a substantial confidence boost heading into conference play.

“The teams in our conference are tough, but we believe we are talented enough to win it this year,” she said. “We just have to keep working hard and improving.”

Volleyball earns best start in Great West

The first time I ever came to campus was Oc-tober 1987 when I was only weeks old. Since then, I watched the

University experience numerous changes, both great and devastating, mainly with its athletic department.

I have been on this campus lon-ger than most faculty members. I walked around the Hinton Center during its construction, Glasscock Gymnasium while both gymnastics teams were ranked No. 1 in the na-tion and Sharp Gym during the tran-sition from a decent NCAA Divi-sion I men’s basketball program to a powerhouse NAIA program.

Though it was fun to watch all the teams win the majority of their games in the NAIA, the change was horrendous for University athletics.

When the University switched to the NAIA in 1990, the men’s basketball team was six years re-moved from its only appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and the golf program won five conference cham-pionships in six years and included current professional golfer Colin Montgomerie from 1983-87. Also, Ricky Thompson won the NCAA high jump national championship in 1983, and women’s gymnastics won the NCAA Division II National Championship in the program’s final year.

Due to budgetary constraints, the University chose to move to the inferior NAIA in order to keep the school out of the red.

Within one decade in the Red River Athletic Conference, the Huskies won more then 25 confer-ence championships, including nine straight in men’s basketball and sev-en straight for baseball.

Players such as Bobby Sanders shooting a current school record of 91 3-pointers in 1994 and Kelton Smith scoring 678 points in 1996 helped pack Sharp Gym for most home games.

The move to the NAIA did spark the creation of the school’s baseball team in 1990, which led to the ad-dition of players like Trevor Enders who played briefly for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2000 and An-drew Taccolini, who, from 2006-09, set school records in home runs with 32, hits with 274 and RBIs with 197.

President Robert B. Sloan Jr. fa-cilitated the long-awaited return to the NCAA, and the transition has occurred much faster than expected. But while the programs are not to the level that which I first saw them in 1987, they are on their way back

by BRANDON PORTER

Two decades of memories

Sophomore middle blocker Caiti Wenger (center), senior outside hitter Christie Dorch (left) and senior right side hitter Isis Gard-ner (right) celebrate a kill by Wenger in the 3-2 upset win over the University of Texas at San Antonio at Sharp Gym on Sept. 1.

Hot start for Huskies

P O R T E R ’ S

POINTS

TIMEOUT with...Sophomore Kristopher TyrpakPosition: Forward Height: 5’11’’

2010 Atlantic Soccer Conference Rookie of the Year

NEXTUP AT

HOME

Women’s Soccer Men’s Soccer Volleyball

How did it feel being named conference Rookie of the Year? It felt really good. Hopefully, this year I can win MVP.

Why do you wear a helmet on the field? I had six con-cussions in a two-year span. So I figured it was about time to wear it.

What is your favorite sports moment? Scoring the winning goal in the National Championships when I was 14.

What is your nickname? Tupac.

Why did you choose the University? I saw a bright future at HBU with the players they recruited.

What is your favorite stadium in which you have competed? Westcott Field at Southern Methodist Uni-versity.

What are your plans for after college? Play profes-sionally or go into dentistry.

What are your goals for this season? To have a suc-cessful season, score a lot of goals and hopefully put HBU on the map.

Sept. 17 1 p.m. Louisiana Tech

Sept. 14 7 p.m. Houston Sept. 16 7 p.m. Wofford Sept. 16 2 p.m. Southern Mississippi

Sept. 18 7 p.m. San Diego State

Sept. 18 1 p.m. Southern

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 THE COLLEGIAN | SPORTS 15

By COLLIN HETZLERContributing writer

By BRANDON PORTERSports editor

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The last time the University com-peted at the NCAA Division I

level, 68 percent of current students had not been born.

In August, the University made the announcement that the athletics program has returned to full Divi-sion I status and can officially com-pete in the NCAA tournament in every sport on campus.

It was 1990 when the Huskies last played in Division I, and coach-es and players have welcomed the long-awaited return with open arms.

FORMER PLAYERS

Many former players, some of whom now coach at the University, have fond memories of their playing days and think that the move back to full Division I status is a positive

change for the entire Uni-versity.

Head volley-ball coach

Kaddie Platt said she believes the transition could benefit the program in many ways.

“It’s great that we are back to the Division I status because now it puts HBU back on the map as a Division I school,” she said.

Platt, a standout volleyball player at the University from 1988-91, said she wanted to be a Husky because the school was a Division I institu-tion at the time.

“I knew I was going to get a quality education, but the athletics program played a big role in my choice to come here,” Platt said.

Former basketball player Boone Almanza, who played from 1982-1985, was a part of the only team in school history to make it to the NCAA tournament in 1984.

Almanza said playing basket-ball at the Uni-

versity was a great experience filled with fond memories.

“Some of the best memories I have ever had came while I was playing at HBU, and I will never forget the friendships and relation-ships I made,” he said.

Aside from the lone appearance by the men’s basketball team at the NCAA tournament and a Division II women’s gymnastics national cham-pionship in 1990, most of the suc-cess has come from the NAIA level.

NAIA TRANSITION

When the University shifted to the NAIA in the early 1990s, the athletics program took a major hit for a few years, including a one-year absence of men’s basketball. How-ever, it took a short amount of time for not only men’s basketball but all sports to have success on the play-ing field.

Head baseball coach Jared Moon, who played from 1993-95, said transitioning from the NAIA back to the NCAA Division I level is substantial.

“For one, the game is much fast-er at this level,” Moon said. “The competition is better now, and we have to prove that we belong.”

When Moon played, his team still competed against other NCAA Division I schools, such as the Uni-versity of Texas.

“We psyched ourselves up more to play Division I schools, and it helped us to keep that mentality all season when we played schools at the NAIA level,” he said.

Men’s basketball coach Ron Cot-trell said now that the decision has

been made to re-turn to Division I, the coaches have enhanced recruitment ef-forts in order to build competi-tive teams.

NEW ERA

F r e s h m a n b a s k e t b a l l player Marcel Smith, a highly-touted point guard from Detroit, said Division I status played a major role in his college selection.

“It was important to know that I and the other freshman who came in would get a chance to play for and earn a berth to a na-tional tournament during my college career,” he said.

Freshman volleyball player Jas-mine Casey said she knows that she and the other freshmen coming in to the University this year have a chance to start a tradition of winning for the athletics program.

She added that it is an honor to be a part of the first freshman class that can compete in the postseason.

“Playing for a chance to compete in the NCAA tournament every year is one of the big reasons that con-vinced me to come here.”

The coaches said the opportu-nity to succeed at the highest level is now upon them and that they are eager to restore the University as a place of winning tradition.

(M) SOCCER (0 - 3) VOLLEYBALL (6 - 2)

Aug. 27 Air Force 5-2 LSept. 2 Old Dominion 6-0 LSept. 4 Binghamton 4-1 L

HUSKYSPORTS REWIND(W) SOCCER (3 - 3)

Aug. 19 McNeese State 2-0 WAug. 21 Sam Houston State 2-1 LAug. 26 Texas-El Paso 4-0 LAug. 28 New Mexico State 2-0 LSept. 2 Lamar 3-0 WSept. 4 Northwestern State 2-0 W

Aug. 27 Lamar 3-0 WAug. 30 Prairie View A&M 3-0 WSept. 1 Texas-San Antonio 3-2 WSept. 2 Rice 3-0 LSept. 3 Georgia Tech 3-0 LSept. 6 Sam Houston State 3-2 W

The women’s soccer team se-cured its second straight shutout against Southland Conference teams with a 3-0 win against Lamar Uni-versity on Sept. 2 and a 2-0 victory against Northwestern State Univer-sity at Sorrels Field on Sept. 4.

The first half of the game was a defensive struggle between the teams with only two total shots on goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Steph-anie Castellon recorded her only save of the match on a shot by De-mons sophomore midfielder Ashlee Savona before the half.

Head coach Misty Jones said that during halftime, she told the players they needed to be more aggressive

and organized in the second half.It was not until the 71st minute

that sophomore midfielder Molly Missimer assisted junior forward Brandi Hart with the Huskies’ first goal of the match. It was Missimer’s second assist and Hart’s first goal of the season.

“I took a back side run from Mis-simer as she passed it to me at the opposite side of the goal, and I just placed it in,” Hart said.

The first goal helped energize the team, according to Jones, who said she was disappointed with her team’s first-half play.

The University would score a second time as both senior forward Kristina Burhans and junior defend-er Arielle Rodriguez assisted junior midfielder Mandi Folger with the

Huskies’ second goal of the night. With a give-and-go from Rodrugiez to Burhans, Folger was found open in the middle to score the second and final goal of the match.

“We had to come out of the sec-ond half strong, and I believe we rose to the occasion,” Folger said.

The Huskies snapped North-western State’s three-game winning streak, improving their record to 3-3 with their third win at home.

In the two games, the Huskies scored five goals, two more than they scored in the previous four games combined. They also had six assists in the two games, half of their assists for the year.

The Huskies’ next home game will be against the University of Houston on Sept. 14.

Freshman forward Natalie Hager attempts her third shot against Lamar University on Sept. 2. She scored two goals on the night.

THEY’RE BACK

by BRANDON PORTER

Huskies win two straight against Southland opponents

AFTER 21 YEARS, HUSKIES FULLY REJOIN NCAA

Story by: Chase Hernandez

Design by:Brandon Porter

The Road to Return

First season of NCAA athletics at the University

1991-92University fully moves to NAIA

University rejoins NCAA Division I as independent

University officially joins the Great West Conference

NCAA reinstates University’s full membership

2007

2008

2011

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 16 THE COLLEGIAN | SPORTS

By CHRISTOPHER JAMESAsst. sports editor

1963