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This is Issue #8 for the fall semester of the St. Edward's University student newspaper, Hilltop Views.
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Features: Hilltop Views explores people who keep Austin weird. Page 9
Sports: A look into athletic trends sweeping the campus.
Page 12
Entertainment: Check out reviews on some recent concerts. Page 6
George Martin, president of St. Edward’s Univer-
sity recently sat down with Hilltop Views to discuss the issues facing the cam-pus, as well as his tenure as president.
In the interview, Martin said that the future pres-ents challenges that will have to be met for sustain-ing and increasing enroll-ment, especially in New College and Graduate pro-grams. This is due to the fact that many people may want to put off paying to get a degree due to the cur-rent economic climate.
Martin also discussed the challenges of trying to maintain the current stu-dent to faculty ratio, which
the university prides itself on.
Despite increasing fund-raising revenue during his-time as president, Martin said the university is hav-ing a difficult time raising funds for a new Chapel, a project that was originally slated for completion next year as part of the 2010 Master Plan.
In addition, Martin spoke about how the university has kept costs down for the satellite campus in Angers, France through various deals and agreements with businesses, universities and local governments.
Martin, 65, also said that
he hopes to be able to re-main president through 2015 to oversee a new stra-tegic plan.
Martin has been the pres-ident of St. Edward’s Uni-versity since July 1, 1999. During his tenure, he has already overseen many changes to the look and culture of the university.
To watch the 10-minute video of the interview, visit www.hilltopviewsonline.com.
[email protected]@stedwards.edu
Hilltop Viewshilltopviewsonline.com Volume 26 | Issue 8
S t . E d w a r d ’ s U n i v e r s i t y W e d n e s d a y , N o v e m b e r 4 , 2 0 0 9
Courtesy of Marketing
President George Martin
New courses offered in 2010Undergraduate registra-
tion for the Spring 2010 semester begins on Nov. 8 and along with that, St. Ed-ward’s University has added 15 new courses to the cata-log to choose from.
With the inception of an Art History minor last year, the School of Humanities has been offering new Top-ics in Art History courses each semester.
Although these classes are listed within the ARTS, stu-dents from other disciplines such as history, politics, phi-losophy and psychology are encouraged and welcome
to take these classes, said Mary Brantl, assistant pro-fessor. Next semester, two new art history courses will be offered and require no prerequisites: ARTS 3349-01: Modernism’s Scream, which deals with visual art at the turn of the 19th cen-tury within the context of Freud and anarchist move-ments, and ARTS 3349-02: Art & Gender.
The School of Humani-ties will also feature the university’s first course de-voted solely to the study of Judaism in the spring. Cross-listed as RELS 2342 or RELS 3304, the course will be team taught Kelley
Coblentz-Bautch, associate professor, and Rabbi Neil Blumofe from the Congre-gation Agudas Achim.
Bautch said she is very ea-ger to have Blumofe teach the course because of his ex-
pertise and training in con-temporary Judaism.
“It is a great opportunity for everyone,” she said. “The course will support any stu-
Although this year’s un-dergraduate fall enrollment at St. Edward’s University increased 3.1 percent since the fall of 2007 and was the largest freshman class in the school’s history, the fall Grad-uate and New College enroll-ment have both dropped.
The 2009 fall enrollment for the St. Edward’s graduate school program decreased 5.3 percent, while the New College enrollment decreased 8.6 percent.
Walter Pearson, the Dean of New College, said the greatest determinant in an adult’s decision to pursue a degree is the ability to afford the tuition.
The national economic re-cession, however, has seen employers not only remove tuition support and cut ben-efits in many instances, but even cut entire jobs, leading to rising unemployment rate. Without a job, college tuition can become almost impos-sible for some to afford.
For the Fall 2009 semes-ter, New College tuition was $653 per credit hour, while Graduate tuition was $829 per credit hour. The average age of New College students is 35.7 and 33.4 for Graduate students.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor, Texas’ seasonally adjusted unem-ployment rate rose from 4.5 percent in January 2007 to 8 percent in August 2009, a reflection of the health of the economy as a whole. When unemployment is up, adults are much less likely to pursue an expensive college degree.
The Graduate school and New College work together with St. Edward’s marketing department to promote the programs online and through radio and outdoor advertis-ing, Pearson said.
Kay Arnold, assistant di-rector of admissions for the Graduate school, said the school is currently looking into new marketing strate-gies, but word of mouth is one of the strongest adver-tisements for the St. Edward’s Graduate and New College programs. She said that St. Edward’s as a whole works hard with students to offer them excellent services.
Arnold said that an over-whelming majority of stu-dents choose to attend New College because the com-mitment to Graduate school is different. Students realize they’re more marketable with
Fremen DeRuvo
Elisabeth Kelso
REGISTRATION, 2ADULT, 4
Hilltop ViewsUndergraduate registration for spring 2010 opens Nov. 8.
Post-graduatenumbers drop
Martin talks with Hilltop Views
Bryce BencivengoTristan Hallman
Page 2 | NEWS Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | Hilltop Views
Various bills proposed by the Student Government Association over the past few weeks now await fur-ther review by the legislative committee.
The legislation includes a bill supporting Greek life on campus, the establish-ment of clocks in every classroom, mandated fresh-men attendance at money management and saving seminars and a recycling system for Bon Appétit to-go boxes. Some of the bills encountered lengthy debate at SGA’s weekly meetings, while others heard none at all.
If the bills are passed, they will be proposed to the uni-versity’s administration.
The most contentious de-bate surrounded S.R. 112: Greek Life on Campus, which, according to the bill’s sponsor, sophomore senator Andy Ryan, would “support interest in, implementa-tion of, and organization of Greek Life on campus.”
Colleen White, a former member of SGA and the current Resident Hall As-sociation president, is the driving force behind S.R. 112. White attended the last two SGA meetings on Oct. 22 and Oct. 29 to advocate the initial implementation of two fraternities and two sororities. The goal of intro-ducing Greek life to the St. Edward’s University campus would be to provide better social access points for stu-dents.
The proposal to create a “Greek Life” initiative was approved last week without objection and was sent to a legislative committee for further review. It remains unclear whether SGA will take on the role of actively supporting and organizing “Greek Life” on campus, or whether the bill will be used only to gather information
regarding the public desire for such an initiative.
Senior senator Chris Ga-bel questioned whether Ryan and White could demonstrate a direct causal relationship between the implementation of “Greek Life” on college campuses and increased scholastic ex-perience. Ryan and White pointed to an unspecified U.S. News and World Re-port document correlating the subjects. Ryan said al-though the bill has received support, it is also experienc-ing a great deal of opposi-tion.
Chief of Staff Nicholette Maiers said she was con-cerned about excluding, rather than including, pro-spective students by adver-tising “Greek Life” as a sell-ing point on the St. Edward’s campus.
SGA also approved an overhaul of its constitution and bylaws after a lengthy argument regarding the proposed changes. The de-tails of the changes, which include the implementation of an internal performance review, a recall mechanism, and eliminating New Col-lege and Graduate school senators, were detailed in the Sept. 30 edition of Hill-top Views.
Another bill which has received much questioning was been S.R. 101: Truth in Grading, which seeks to support the incorporation of a plus/minus grading system into courses at the university. SGA is currently still gathering information regarding the findings of a recent Faculty Senate report concerning the proposed in-ception.
Other pieces of legislation proposed in recent weeks, however, were pushed through to committee with-out substantial questioning:
•S.R. 103: Making Good Time, proposed by Alex Si-mons, sophomore executive
senator, seeks to make sure clocks are placed in all class-rooms and are adequately synchronized.
•S.R. 110: “Ballin’ on a Budget,” proposed by Ga-bel, would enforce manda-tory freshmen attendance at money management and savings seminars, in order to provide them with the knowledge and skills they need to avoid the financial difficulties common among college students
•S.R. 111: “Putting a Lid on It,” proposed by Sopho-more Sen. Noah Corn, seeks to create a recycling system of to-go boxes for the St. Edward’s cafeterias and food shops operated by Bon Ap-pétit.
In addition, many stu-dents have been approved to fill previous vacancies in SGA positions. Celso Baez, a freshman senator from 2007-2008, was approved to fill a vacancy on the junior senator bench.
The senate also approved Brandon Balque as a School of Behavioral and Social Sci-ences senator, Robert Price as the School of Business and Management’s senator, Daniel Lopez as a School of Humanities senator and
Karissa Eudy as a School of Education senator.
On Nov. 18 in Hunt Hall from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., SGA will be hosting a town hall meeting, open to the public, to provide further oppor-tunity for constituents to talk to their representatives about any already existing legislation, legislation in committee or any legislation currently being proposed. A focus point will be the pro-posed plus/minus grading system of S.R. 101.
Student Government meetings are held on Thurs-days at 7 p.m., usually in one of the Mabee Ballrooms. Information regarding events, committee minutes, in-house documents and other concerns can be found at http://stedwards.colle-giatelink.net.
Committee to review SGA billsAlex Lamb
Photo by Lindsay DobrasBill S.R. 112 in the legislative committee proposes Greek Life.
Registration opens Nov. 8
Continued from page 1
dent who wants to learn more about Judaism.”
RELS 2342 or RELS 3304 both fulfill a general educa-tion requirement.
Students struggling with managing credit card bills and student loans could con-sider FINC 1332: Personal Finance taught by Amy Bur-nett, associate professor.
“Everybody has to take care of their money situation, even if they don’t want to,” she said. “And this class will teach you how to go about doing that.”
Burnett said the course will satisfy a general education elective, but students who find they are in their element might consider personal fi-nancial planning as a career, which she said is one of the fastest growing professions in the United States.
The School of Behavioral and Social Sciences will add new courses of interest to en-vironmental science, forensic science, political science and even photocommunication majors.
FRSC 4349: Topics in Fo-rensic Science: Crime Scene Photography might appeal to photography majors who have an eye for detail and a strong stomach.
POLS 4349: Topics in Po-litical Science: Elections of 2008 & 2010, will also be offered.
Chris Duke, a senior, said that he believes the course will be insightful under the instruction of Brian Smith and said that all political sci-ence majors should take the course in order to understand the moods of the electorate and American people.
“I was really excited that students would actually have a course that was applicable to the real world,” Duke said.
The courses GLST 2399, HIST 2399 and POLS
2399 are all cross-listed as Survey of Africa, which will be taught by Peter Beck, as-sitant professor.
Patrick Dunlap, a fresh-men, who visited to Ghana over the summer, said a con-versation with a Holy Cross brother interested him in getting the real picture of Af-rica and hopes the class will help him to do that.
Beck lived in Kenya and Uganda for five years and said he has been interested in teaching such a course for a while.
For students looking to sat-isfy their Science in Depth requirement, the School of Natural Sciences is offering two new BIOL 1305 top-ics. Douglas Martin, adjunct professor, will be instructing Biological-based Environ-mental Issues, which will study genetics, evolution and ecology in order to under-stand various species, biodi-versity and extinction, among other topics.
Issues in Urban Ecology, taught by Richard Patrock, will give students the oppor-tunity to study fundamental concepts underlying ecology and cities and apply these on fields trips around the heart of Texas.
“My decision to organize [this course] was based on the assumption that many students have lived in urban settings most of their lives or are now thrown into one in the middle of Austin since they are enrolled at St. Ed-ward’s,” Patrock said. “I be-lieve that everyone should be familiar with their surround-ings and one way to facilitate this familiarity is to be given a guided tour of the terrain.”
As registration nears, Katy Oliveria, an academic coun-selor said it’s a good idea to be prepared, have a plan, a backup plan and be very flex-ible.
NEWS | Page 3 Hilltop Views | Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Student Life recently re-ceived an award for one of its programs devoted to di-versity.
The Multicultural Aware-ness Conference, more com-monly known as M.A.C. Lead, received the 2009 Mo-saic Multicultural Education Award for its achievements. M.A.C. Lead is a confer-ence organized by students
to show leaders can leverage diversity among their peers.
The award recognizes pro-grams that “promote multi-culturalism within Student Life”, according to its sponsor, the Association of College Unions International. The award was given to M.A.C. Lead, after only the organi-zation’s first year.
Jarrett Young, assistant di-rector of Student Life, said that M.A.C. Lead has two
main goals; to increase the amount of leaders from di-verse populations on campus and to help student leaders to understand the impact of diversity to help their orga-nizations make more of an impact.
Young said that he was very impressed by the success of the program.
“It was more successful than I thought it was going to be,” Young said. “We saw stu-
dents that went to M.A.C. Lead take what they had learned to other leadership programs like LeaderShape.”
The Mosaic Award is the third award that Student Life has won this year. Leslie Sans, as-sistant director of Student Life said that Cabo-Lead and Hill-
top Leaders each received national recognition from the National Association of Student Personnel Admin-istrators in May and June, respectively.
It was not clear which uni-versities St. Edward’s was competing against since the entry process just involves submitting an application. Previous winners of the award have come from Texas
State, Sam Houston State and Rice University.
Young said that the reac-tion has been positive. But while Young said he was very excited about the award, he emphasized that winning is not the focus of Student Life programs.
“It was nice to get recog-nized, but it’s not why we do the work,” Young said. “The award was more important
for the students in the sense that it lets them recognize the magnitude of what they’re doing.”
Others said they were proud of the award because of its meaning for the new organization.
“I was really excited about the award not only because of its prestige, but also because it was incredible for M.A.C. Lead to get that kind of rec-ognition in its pilot year,” said Yara Ashrawi, a junior who was on last year’s marketing planning committee.
Young added that he was proud of the work M.A.C. Lead has done.
“We won because we had an awesome team of student leaders,” Young said. “They deserve all the recognition.”
Eloise MontemayorStudent Life received the Multicultural Education Award.
Ryan Lester
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Student Life organization wins award for diversity
Adjunct Humanities professor Clark dies
Patricia Clark, an adjunct Humanities professor, died Oct. 28 of cancer.
Clark, 71, taught at St. Edward’s University as re-cently as this semester, but was forced to withdraw after her cancer returned in Sep-tember.
Clark was hired to begin teaching during the fall se-mester of 2006.
Richard Bautch, the Reli-gious Studies area coordina-tor at the time, hired Clark. In her three years on campus, she taught Basic Christian Questions, a freshman level Religious Studies course.
Clark applied to teach at St. Edward’s after she learned her cancer was in remission.
“I think her desire to teach was a way to partially deal with cancer,” Fr. Lou Bru-satti, Dean of the School of Humanities said. “She was able to say ‘I don’t know how much time I’ve got, but given what I can do, this is how I’d like to make a contribution to young people’s lives.’”
Clark was adored by her students. She was quick to offer help to any student who was in need, either in the classroom or in their per-sonal lives.
“She was a really lovely woman,” said former St. Ed-ward’s student Austin Low-rey. “She was open and hon-est about her religion and faith. That was refreshing to hear from someone who was both a professed Christian and a professor. “
After Clark fell ill, the Hu-
manities department sent an e-mail to Clark’s students asking them to sign a card for her. The number of students who came to sign the card impressed both the Humani-ties staff and Brusatti.
“It was clear that she had a positive impact on her stu-dent’s lives,” Brusatti said.
Clark attended Marywood College in Scranton, Penn. for her undergraduate de-gree. She earned a B.A. in religious studies.
She then attained graduate
degrees in a variety of fields. In 1970 she received a mas-ter’s degree in Medical Tech-nology. She then went back to school and completed anoth-er master’s degree in Science Education in 1978. In 1995, Clark also got a master’s of divinity from the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest.
Clark was also a well-ac-complished composer of hymns.
She had two books of hymns published, “The Still
Small Voice” and “A Tale of Heaven’s Joys: A Collection of Original Hymns.”
According to Bautch, Clark was going to have another book of hymns published in the near future.
Prior to coming to St. Ed-ward’s, Clark had 16 years of experience teaching high school at a few parochial schools in Texas.
“She was an excellent pro-fessor, and equally as impor-tant, she was beloved by her students,” Bautch said. “Her students would often speak about her kindness and her humor.”
Jessie Cibik, a former stu-dent at St. Edward’s, said Clark was inspirational.
“She was a kind woman with a gentle spirit,” Cibik said. “She truly lived by the messages she taught.”
Clark is survived by her husband, Don W. Clark, as well as step-daughters Hail-ley Felter and Allicia Clark.
The funeral will be a High Mass at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepa-rd on Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. The church is located at 3201 Windsor Rd.
A wake and hymn sing is planned for Nov. 6, and will feature eulogies offered by volunteers. Dates and times are tentative pending avail-ability and approval from the church.
Additional reporting provided by Claire Cella.
[email protected] [email protected]
“She was an excellent professor and equally as important, she was
beloved by her students.”-Associate Dean of Humanities
Richard Bautch
Bryce BencivengoTommy Collins
Page 4 | NEWS Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | Hilltop Views
Adult courses expensivePolice BlotterDate Time Incident Location
Oct. 18 6:44 p.m. Theft $50>$500 Visitor parking lot-mo-torcycle area
Oct. 20 4:30 p.m. Theft Basil Moreau computer lab
Oct. 21 10:03 p.m. Possession of a controlled substance
Third floor of Dujarié Hall
Oct. 22 1:01 a.m. Burglary of a vehicle Parking lot adjacent to parking garage
Oct. 26 11:10 a.m. Burglary of a vehicle Parking lot south of Fine Arts Building
Oct. 27 1:57 a.m. Driving While Intoxi-cated, disregarding a stop sign, unsafe speed, evad-ing arrest
Off-campus, 921 St. Edward’s Drive
Cyber security procedures implemented
Oct. 28 12:09 p.m. Hit and run accident, damage <$200
Parking lot adjacent to parking garage
Oct. 29 6:58 p.m. Criminal trespass Oak trees outside Sorin Hall
Oct. 23 12:01 p.m. Unauthorized vehicle usage
Apartment Building 6
a bachelor’s degree but are worried about losing their jobs, which is why the early morning and evening sched-ule of New College suits more adult students.
Bonnie Khandpur, a grad-uate student pursuing an master’s degree in Digital Media Management, said she decided to enroll in the graduate degree program af-ter a admissions representa-tive spoke with her.
The quality of degree programs offered at St. Edward’s also continues to attract students. Bo DePha, another graduate student also pursuing an master’s in Digital Media Manage-ment, attributed his desire to further his education be-cause St. Edward’s has such a strong program in his field of interest. He said the mas-ters program offers a great opportunity to combine his two interests in business
and entertainment.David Rodriguez, a New
College student, said he has always wanted to pursue a college degree, but has not had the opportunity be-cause of work. However through the evening sched-ule of the New College pro-gram, Rodriguez was able to enroll and attend classes that do not conflict with his job schedule.
Rodriguez said the econo-my has made expenses tight, but stands by his decision and believes the education he is receiving at St. Ed-ward’s is worth the price.
“The farther I come, the more I realize that it’s worth it,” he said.
As the economy recovers, as anticipated by econo-mists, the ability to pursue a higher education at the adult level will hopefully ease.
And although St. Edward’s New College and Graduate programs appear to have been negatively impacted
by the economy, traditional undergraduate enrollment has gone up amidst the eco-nomic recession.
This year St. Edward’s was able to meet and exceed its goal for this fall’s under-graduate enrollment, said Tracy Manier, associate vice president for undergraduate admissions. Pearson said the increasing size of Texas high school graduating classes, 19.8 in the past 10 years, played a significant role in the increase of undergradu-ate enrollment.
Pearson said the New Col-lege and Graduate school programs do not have a growing pool like that to draw from, but instead rely on the diminishing number of adults who are able to af-ford a college education.
Continued from page 1
Recently, cyber security on campus was highlighted for St. Edward’s University stu-dents, who were prompted to change their passwords for their online accounts.
In order to take all precau-tions to prevent the university network from being accessed and abused by computer hackers, officials said that the password changes were made in an effort to protect personal information by lim-iting the amount of time a hacker can have access to an account.
Everyone, including faculty and staff, with an account at the university provides sen-sitive information such as employment information, health information and pay-
roll information, all of which are protected by a password.Changing a password on a regular basis makes it more difficult for hackers to break into accounts using computer programs.
“As a network, there is a shared responsibility to pro-tect valuable information,” said David Waldron, vice president of Instructional Technology.
However, students’ e-mail addresses are available to the public through the St. Ed-ward’s Web site directory.
Many students have taken note of an additional Inter-net access requirement this year. Over the summer, the I.T. Department implement-ed the Enterasys NAC As-sessment Agent, which forces computers in the network to
meet certain requirements such as internet antivirus. The program helps protect the St. Edward’s network, as well as university’s resources and sensitive information.
In previous years, the uni-versity used Clean Access Agent, but switched to NAC this summer after Cisco Systems decided to discon-tinue Clean Access Agent. Waldron said that NAC has the capability to increase the university’s bandwidth.
“Our new NAC has all the functionality of Clean Access plus many additional security
features,” he said. Waldron said that in 2003,
a worm was released into the university’s network. Stu-dents brought their infected computers to campus and the worm spread “like wildfire.” This made the network that the university depends upon unusable and inaccessible.
The university’s I.T. De-partment focuses on prevent-ing such incidents from oc-curring by implementing the NAC agent, and forcing stu-dents to occasionally change their passwords.
“The university wants peo-
ple to know that no one from I.T. will ever ask for a pass-word or user name,” Waldron said. “You should always be suspicious of an e-mail if it asks for sensitive informa-tion.”
A universal guideline and precaution that any internet user should always consider when checking their e-mail is to never provide personal in-formation to an e-mail with-out verifying the request, Waldron said. If you need to contact a company, such as a bank that sent you the request, Waldron suggested doing it through a personal route, such as visiting the original Web site and seeking a telephone number.
As phishing becomes a growing issue, internet abus-ers are becoming increasingly
talented at mocking profes-sional or corporate graphics, allowing victims to believe the e-mail is legitimate, Wal-dron said.
Waldron also said phish-ers are after accounts to send out spam messages. If the St. Edward’s network be-comes a victim of phishing, it runs the possibility of being blacklisted. To be blacklisted is the consequence of other organizations and companies no longer accepting e-mails from the university.
St. Edward’s is always look-ing for ways to improve in-ternet security so that the internet and resources are available and safe to use, Waldron said.
Yenifes Trochez
The password changes are made in an effort to protect
personal information...
GAMES | Page 5 Hilltop Views | Wednesday, November 4, 2009
HilltopCheck Out
OnlineToday
Views
hilltopviewsonline.com
Hilltop Views is offering the St. Edward’s University community a newway to find out about campus news and events. Hilltopviewsonline.com
will offer the majority of what is available in the print edition and so much more. Online you will find additional stories, photos, podcasts, videos
and interviews.
GamesLook
for the answers to both games in next week’s issue!
Answer to last issue’s Sudoku:
6Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | Hilltop Views ENTERTAINMENT
La Zona Rosa doesn’t really seem like the kind of place to go all out decorating for Hal-loween. Yet, sure enough, the front room was decorated top to bottom with cobwebs, jack-o’-lanterns, tombstones and a Michael Myers figu-rine with beady orange eyes.
Beyond the festive décor, the main room in La Zona Rosa was packed with fans waiting to see a sold out show. The line-up was The Builders and the Butchers, Thrice and, finally, Brand New. However, The Builders and the Butchers never took the stage, which, to fans’ de-light, gave Brand New and Thrice nearly double the stage time.
Thrice bounded onto the stage first with a harsh, bass-heavy introduction that com-manded everyone’s attention. Ultimately defeating the purpose of a warm-up band, Thrice raised the energy level in the room and got everyone on their feet within minutes.
Their hard alternative, fist-pumping-the-air sound
was a hit for everyone in the room. A small, almost pa-thetic, mosh pit broke out in the middle of Thrice’s set on a particularly popular song, and a lone crowd surfer float-ed towards the stage only to get snatched down and es-corted out of the crowd by security.
The high point of Thrice’s set was a cover of The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter.” As soon as Thrice hit the first note, the room went wild. The cover was harder than the original, and it definitely had Thrice’s own style all over it. In fact, the song was so powerfully exciting that it evoked the “Rock On” sign from some fans.
Thrice left the stage and the fans warmed up and ready for Brand New. When Brand New took the stage, the crowd erupted. In the words of a nearby audience member, “I’ve never seen a crowd so excited.”
The set started with the song “You Won’t Know.” The crowd knew every word of the first song and every word to every song after it. At
times, the crowd was even louder than lead singer Jesse Lacey.
Fans hung on every word Lacey spoke, and even the simplest phrases like, “We are Brand New,” caused the audience to burst into roar-ing cheers.
Brand New released “Dai-sy,” their newest album, just over a month ago. Despite this new release, Brand New played only a couple of new songs, which was a downer for fans eager to hear new material.
Brand New’s performance itself was exceptional. The band didn’t jump around or really move all that much except for bobbing up and down during guitar solos,
yet the show was very en-tertaining. Lacey’s voice was just as raw as on recordings, and his screams were just as gut wrenching. The howling guitar riffs were so inspiring that one fan felt compelled to have an air-guitar solo that lasted nearly the whole show.
The end of the show was met by chants of “one more song,” but unfortunately there would be no more songs. Brand New quickly walked off stage, and with music still ringing in their ears, fans were left with one question: When can we have more Brand New?
All of the lights through-out the Parish Room were dim except for the brightly illuminated stage on Oct. 20. The audience anx-iously waited for the stage crew to disappear. Finally, Alison Sudol skipped onto the stage, smiling brightly, accompanied by a roar of appreciation from the restless crowd. She opened the two-hour set with the catchy song, “What I Wouldn’t Do,” thus beginning a whole-hearted and inspiring per-formance that will never be forgotten.
At age 24, Alison Sudol is the front woman for her band, “A Fine Frenzy.” An accomplished piano player and closet guitarist, she is accompanied by four oth-er talented band members. She has developed a wide fan base, but still remains quietly underrated, which is a shame for those who haven’t yet discovered her, but also a joy for her fans who enjoy pleasant, small-scale concerts.
With her first album, “One Cell in the Sea,” Su-dol introduced herself to the world as a passionate, soulful singer, with heart-rending lyrics and solemn melodies. Her music is quite ethereal, and she herself is lovely and en-dearing.
With her sophomore album, “Bomb in a Bird-cage,” released in Septem-ber, Sudol shattered her fragile image with more upbeat, fierce melodies. Her most popular song from her first album, “Al-most Lover,” in which she sings, “Goodbye my al-
most lover/goodbye my hopeless dream/I’m trying not to think about you/can’t you just let me be?” is overshadowed by songs like, “Blow Away” and “Electric Twist,” which are jaunty, light-hearted new-wave dance tunes.
Sudol’s insight into na-ture and her attachment to the hearts’ innermost emotions, most evident in her lyrics, came out in her live set. Her performances were deeply moving, some quiet except for the sound of the piano and her pas-sionate voice, especially in, “the Minnow and the Trout” and “Swan Song.”
In her performance of, “Stood Up,” the most in-tense song on her new album, Sudol’s voice was overpowering as she sang, “We are not frightened anymore/We stood up/We stood up/And there are two of us there will be more/ they’ll show up/yeah, they’ll show up.” Her energy and devotion to the song mesmerized the audience, showing that some artists out there are still truly dedicated and captivated by their own music.
Lyle Lovett has done it again. He’s pulled another great album out of that ten-gallon hat of his.
His newest installment, “Natural Forces,” will please and surprise both avid Lovett lovers as well as newer fans.
Right off the bat, the title track reminds fans why they love Lovett. The song high-lights all his powerful vocals, great storytelling and pure
emotional lyrics.“Natural Forces” pays hom-
age to all walks of Texas life, from ranchers to truckers to the Native American culture and even the ongoing war.
The next song, “Farmer Brown/Chicken Reel,” is a shift in sound, similar to that of his last album, “It’s Not Big It’s Large.” With its jazzy roots, blues guitar and standup bass, this fun song will have listeners tapping their feet or dancing.
The humorous third track “Pantry” is another upbeat song that will evoke a smile from listeners. With the clever lyrics (“Don’t cheat on me with biscuits with jelly sweet and blue/ Keep it in that place where/ you know you will be true/ Keep it in your pantry”) and a bluesy, bluegrass feel, “Pantry” is a great addition to Lovett’s new album.
“Natural Forces” takes a somber turn in style for the
next few songs, starting with “Empty Blue Shoes” and con-tinuing on until “Rock and Roll.” These seven songs re-ally pay tribute to Lyle Lovett as a songwriter and a singer, as his powerful, emotional voice blends perfectly with the lyrics.
Album after album, Lyle never lets fans down, and “Natural Forces” is no excep-tion.
Concert Reviews
Brand New at La Zona RosaA Fine Frenzy at The Parish
Lyle Lovett
Holly Aker
Holly AkerBrand New and Thrice played La Zona Rosa Oct. 28.
Nolan Green
Leslie Ethridge A Fine Frenzy played with singer Landon Pigg.
Leslie Ethridge
Albulm Review Follow the hooves to find out what Topper thinks of the latest film, music and book releases now accompanying each review.
ENTERTAINMENT | Page 7 Hilltop Views | Wednesday, November 4, 2009
There’s no denying Michael Jackson’s love for entertaining an audience. The late singer’s passion and devotion to his music and choreography is what earned him the title of the King of Pop, and he af-firms in the newly released concert film “This Is It” that his zeal for performing still surged even in the weeks be-fore his sudden death.
“This Is It” captures Jackson rehearsing for his summer London tour of the same name. These rehearsals are just a mere glimpse into what could have been a spectacular comeback show for Jackson. Com-plete with crimson and gold fireworks, trap doors, smoke machines and mini-films as segues into songs, the concert had every bit of flash and glamour one would expect from the King of Pop.
Bedecked in his signa-ture shimmering military jackets and aviator sun-glasses, Jackson practices dance steps and warms up his voice center stage while his backup dancers look on in awe. Always the perfectionist, Jackson metic-ulously works with his musi-cians on getting exactly the right sound for each song, be it funky or soulful.
The film features the re-hearsals of many classic songs including “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin,’” “Beat It,” “Human Nature” and “Billie Jean.” Jackson even pays trib-ute to his family by perform-ing songs made famous by the Jackson 5.
Of course, no Michael Jack-son concert would be com-plete without “Thriller” and its infamous zombie-dance. Although the costumes and special effects give the 1982 classic a modern flair, Jack-son struggles slightly during the dance rehearsal, indicat-ing his weakened state at the
time.But this is Jackson’s only
shaky moment; during the rest of the rehearsals he is surprisingly agile and grace-ful for a man of 50.
What is refreshing about “This Is It” is the film’s focus on Jackson as an artist a n d
n o t as a m e -d i a freak-s h ow. T h e f i l m allows t h e a u d i -ence to see a side of Jackson that was not often pre-sented to the public. Instead of delving into the rumors and negative speculations t h a t w e r e
prevalent in Jackson’s life, the film places the spotlight on his music and what made him such a phenomenal per-former.
For instance, when asked during a rehearsal how he would know when to start a song with his back to the band, Jackson simply replies, “I’ll just feel it.”
Michael Jackson truly em-bodied his music, and “This Is It” proves to be a gift to fans that love and admire him as a performer.
MJ captured in filmAllison Sanders
4
Page 8 | ENTERTAINMENT Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | Hilltop Views
It’s all fun at Waterloo Park
Fun Fun Fun Fest, now in its fourth year, helps promote bands whose music is bub-bling from the underground and impacting the musical scene in ways that go unno-ticed by mainstream media.
Located in Waterloo Park, smack dab in the heart of downtown Austin, FFF sup-plies its audience with four core stages that highlight some of the most progressive acts in the punk/hardcore, indie rock, hip-hop, electro and comedy scenes.
The festival also boasts that it allows show-goers to get more bang for their buck. Fun Fun Fun Fest allows attend-ees to catch rising artists up close, witness the reunion of some of their favorite bands from the past, and discover new music that they might never get the opportunity to hear and fall in love with--- all for under a dollar per act.
This year’s anticipated acts include: Of Montreal, De-stroyer, Ratatat, Crystal Cas-tles, Les Savy Fav, Danzig, Jesus Lizard, The Cool Kids, comedian Brian Posehn, and the comedy troupe Whitest
Kids U’Know. Lesser known bands also
contribute to the madness that claims to provide 90 acts in total. “I know I’m personally stoked to see Crystal Castles and Of Mon-treal perform live because I know it’s going to be one gi-gantic, chaotic dance party,” Freshmen Kelly Zhu said. “I’m also looking forward to seeing a whole bunch of new bands I will probably end up liking.”
The two-day festival runs Nov. 8 and 9. Weekend passes are currently on sale for $75, and PIP (Pretty Im-portant Person) Weekend Passes starting at $150. PIP Pass-holders are entitled to certain luxuries like Private PIP Bathrooms and special viewing terraces.
Check out www.Hill-topviewsonline.com for com-prehensive coverage of Fun Fun Fun Fest as it unfolds.
Cameron Busby
Teenagers have been tor-mented with angst as far back as the 1890s, as proved by Broadway’s latest tour-ing hit, “Spring Awakening.” The play touches base with suicide, sex, abuse, gay rela-tionships, abortion and sev-eral other topics that have been considered taboo for hundreds of years.
“Spring Awakening” is based on the original play written by Frank Wedekind in 1891. However, because of its racy nature, it was cen-sored into oblivion by the German government dur-ing that era. With music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Steven Sater, “Spring Awak-ening,” directed by Michael Mayer, has managed to take Broadway by erotic storm.
However, distracting from the distinct lyrics and indie-rock on-stage performances is the band standing directly behind the actors, lack of set changes, and random people sitting on both sides of the stage. The only alteration made to the stage was the change of color produced by a limelight.
“Spring Awakening” emphasizes the impact of sex in the lives hor-monal German teenagers. Melchior, played by De-grassi’s Jake Epstien, is the charming and intelligent al-pha male, whose knowledge leaves him questioning and rebelling against the world he lives in. He falls into a deep desire for the ever-so-fertile and curious Wendla. Wendla (Christy Altomare) is a young, naïve girl who
makes mistakes on behalf of her in-quisitiveness and her mother’s choice to poorly inform the girl about sex. Another one of the main charac-ters, Moritz (Tay-lor Trensch), lives a life plagued with the fear of failing in school, lack of parental love, and a new obsession with sex. This desire is further fueled by nocturnal visita-tions of long, sexy legs in his dreams, and his very in-formative best friend, Mel-chior.
Moritz clearly expresses his frustrations and grievances through aggressive rock as he bursts on stage with
hair-raising performances. “Spring Awakening” not only speaks the unmention-able topics of teenage angst, but also shouts the underly-ing message of the beauty of life in the midst of tragedy.
Musical tackles teenage taboosYenifes Trochez
Flight of the ConchordsThere are two types of
people in this world: people who love Flight of the Con-chords and people who are genuinely perplexed and annoyed by why other peo-ple find them so funny.
Exaggeration or not, the former are still in luck, be-cause New Zealand’s most popular musical export, not to mention television’s most endearing bromance, has cranked out a second studio album.
Like their self-titled de-but, the majority of the songs on the effort, aptly titled “I Told You I Was Freaky,” were featured on this past season of Flight of the Conchords.
But what the album lacks in surprises, it makes up for in consistency and hilarity.
For Conchords fans, the album sticks to the format that has catapulted them
to success: catchy, genre-bending instrumentalism, coupled with infectious, witty and predominately bizarre lyrics.
While tracks like “Fash-ion is Danger” and “Too Many Dicks (On the Dance Floor)” showcase synth-infused dance beats, other songs range from reggae to heartfelt acoustic ballads. But regardless of the genre, each track tethers on the delicate edge between paro-dy and paying tribute.
Time will tell if any of these new tracks can ever reach the quote-worthy status of “Business Time” or “Hiphopopotamus Vs. Rhymenoceros,” but some show considerable promise.
In “Carol Brown,” the pair fictitiously details a number of creative excuses women have given for leaving them: “Felicity said there was no electricity, Emily, no chem-istry. Fran ran, Bruce turned
out to be a man.”While “I Told You I was
Freaky” abounds in many of the same successes as its predecessor, it may also suf-fer its most obvious pitfall. That is, that many of the tracks are far more enjoy-able once you have seen them incorporated into the plot of their HBO series, rather than exclusively on the album. A bit of the hu-mor could be lost on those
without the frame of refer-ence.
But whether they find the album to be epically hilari-ous or simply silly, fanat-ics and newcomers alike should be able to appreciate the musical diversity and lighthearted charm of this solid sophomore release.
Caroline Wallace
Album Review
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | Hilltop ViewsFEATURES 9
Austin is an inimitable town with an eccentric culture that most of us have grown to love. Throughout the city’s history, several famous figures have helped to shape Austin into the wonderfully strange place it is today. From politicians to musicians, all sorts of people have left their mark on this city and made us proud that they are Texans. These individuals make Austin… well, Austin.
Stephen F. AustinRick Perry
Lady Bird Johnson Folks that have given Austin flavor
The namesake of Austin, Stephen F. Austin, born in 1793, led a colony of settlers deep into Central Texas. Receiving permission from Mexico, he and around 300 others set up one of the first colonies in Texas, located around present-day Austin. He was responsible for several of the settling agreements with Mexico, as well as for governing the colony. Due to his extensive exploration and colonization, he is often referred to as the “Founder of Texas.”
Love him or hate him, Rick Perry is one of the most talked about Texas politicians. Cur-rently the governor of Texas, Perry is an avid Republican, promoting both fiscal and so-cial conservatism. He is outspoken about his Christian faith, support of the death penalty and rejection of regulations on carbon emis-sions. While Perry tends to represent the ma-jority of Texas, which is a red state, Austin is, comparatively, a liberal city. Perry’s policies are in some measure responsible for Texas being one of only six states in the U.S. not facing a deficit at this time.
Lance Armstrong
Lady Bird Johnson, born in 1912, was the wife of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Her focus as First Lady was on beautifying America’s cit-ies and highways and conserving national re-sources. After her husband’s passing in 1973, she remained active and co-founded the Na-tional Wildflower Research Center (now the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center). The center is a great place to visit in Austin on a clear, warm day. After her death at the age of 85, Town Lake was renamed Lady Bird Lake in her honor.
The Austin Primer is a biweekly column that features various facets of Austin that locals love most.
Yenifes Trochez
Stevie Ray Vaughan Stevie Ray Vaughan, born in 1954, may be the single most famous musician from
Austin, and was ranked number seven in “Rolling Stone” magazine’s “Top 100 Guitar-ists of All Time.” Often placed on the same level as Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, Vaughan revolutionized the blues and greatly influenced the Austin music scene. Af-ter finally beating drug and alcohol addiction in 1987, Vaughan embarked on an even more successful career. He seemed at an all-time high when he died in a helicopter accident in 1990. Due to his death at a young age, Vaughan has been immortalized in the eyes of many people.
Mike Judge Mike Judge, born 1962, is a director, writer and the creator of “Beavis and Butt-
head” and “King of the Hill.” “Beavis and Butt-head” follows two teenagers in a fic-tional Texas town, whose goals in life are “scoring with chicks” and causing trouble at school and work. “King of the Hill” is a brilliant series starring Hank Hill, perhaps one of the most complex animated characters of all time. The show focuses on Hank and his family’s attempts to reconcile their traditional values with an ever-changing America. Judge also directed “Office Space” and “Idiocracy.”
Lance Armstrong, who has made his home in Austin, is arguably the most legendary cyclist in the history of the sport. He is the only per-son to have ever won the 2,200-mile Tour de France seven times in a row. His victories are even more impressive because of Armstrong’s public battle with cancer; his doctors estimated a less than 40 percent chance of survival. Two years later, Armstrong made a complete come-back and was already training again. In 1999, he won his first Tour and continued to win until taking a break after the 2005 race. Arm-strong is a symbol of determination, as well as a symbol of Austin’s love of the outdoors and healthy exercise. His non-profit foundation has contributed more than $14 million to can-cer research.
Page 10 | FEATURES Wednesday,November 4, 2009 | Hilltop Views
Willie NelsonWillie Nelson, born in 1933, is a country music
star and political activist. His musical career spans five decades, and he wrote or performed such clas-sic songs as “Family Bible,” “Night Life,” “Whiskey River,” and “On the Road Again.” Nelson’s core po-litical beliefs include bio-fuel, cannabis legaliza-tion, and animal rights. Tall tales of his marijuana adventures and his strong support of legalization have made him an icon of cannabis culture. Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream also named a flavor after him.
Mack Brown
Continued from page 9
Will WynnWill Wynn, the current mayor of Austin, is known for his renewable energy agenda,
one of his greatest accomplishments. He is chairman of the Board of Austin Energy, overseeing the most successful renewable energy program in the country. Wynn and the city of Austin have been at the forefront of the movement towards renewable energy, and Wynn’s position as mayor well communicates Austin’s strong sense of environmental responsibility.
Mack Brown, born 1951, is the head foot-ball coach at the University of Texas. You may have heard of it—it’s that little school across the river. There is nothing bigger than football at the University of Texas, so Austin is a huge football town. Brown is responsible for reviving the UT football program, and is the only UT football coach to ever reach the 200 win mile-stone. Brown has led the team to 11 consecutive bowl game appearances and a Rose Bowl win in 2005. Brown and his family are very active in the community, especially with early childhood education and child abuse prevention.
Anson JonesAnson Jones was a doctor, businessman and the last president of the Republic
of Texas. After failing as a doctor and entrepreneur, he moved into politics and was elected president, despite a weak campaign. Jones was partly responsible for Texas’ annexation into the Union of the United States. After his presidency, An-son became increasingly depressed and ultimately—and famously—committed suicide outside the Rice Hotel in downtown Houston.
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FEATURES | Page 11 Hilltop Views | Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Folklórico honors Hispanic culture
Since Texas was admit-ted to the United States in 1845, the state has fostered countless Hispanic customs and practices. St. Edward’s University’s Ballet Folklóri-co, for example, pays homage to Mexican culture, which is greatly reflected in the rich Texas heritage.
Outside of the Mexic-Arte Museum during the 26th annual El Día de los Muer-tos (All Souls’ Day) celebra-tion, the St. Edward’s Ballet Folklórico performed a por-tion of their performance for
attendees. Their performance was the
first segment of their rou-tine, known as Concheros, in which the performers bless the four corners of the dance area.
The Ballet Folklórico dance uniforms were long—heav-ily detailed, royal blue fab-ric intricately designed into dance dresses. Performers wore quail plums headpiec-es, which only added to the already elaborate costumes. The dancers wore stoic faces, painted to look like the face of a skeleton. “Conchas,” or shells, adorned the perform-
ers’ ankles and served as in-struments to make a rhyth-mic sound as they stepped, jumped and kicked around the dance area.
An additional instrument the performers used was a metal tool placed in their hands, which they shook to a beat that complimented the clinking “conchas.”
After their performance, the Ballet Folklórico dancers, along with other Folklórico groups and festive Austinites, continued to perform during the Grand Procession, which was a Día de los Muertos parade that marched down Sixth Street.
“It is important [to cel-ebrate Mexican culture] if we are going to be a His-panic-serving institution that shares that with the rest of campus community,” said Linda Valdez, director of St. Edward’s Ballet Folklórico. “Not only the campus com-munity, but the Austin com-munity as well.”
The Folklórico is Mexico’s traditional form of dance. Each region in Mexico offers a unique style that repre-sents that particular region’s culture and identity. The St. Edward’s Ballet Folklóri-co dancers not only learn how these dances are per-formed—like learning hand movements, steps and how
Yenifes Trochez
Linda ValdezPerformers pose outside the Mexic-Arte Museum.
Linda ValdezSt. Edward’s Ballet Folklórico performed at the annual El Día de los Muertos celebration.
Linda ValdezThe dancers paraded down Sixth Street for the celebration.
Linda ValdezThe Día de los Muertos celebration was held outside of the Mexic-Arte Museum.
to use their instruments—but they learn the origins and history of each traditional dance as well.
“You learn a lot about the different areas in Mexico,” said Ballet Folklórico per-former Esmeralda Santa-Rosa. “Like, the different cultures, the way they dance, and their music.”
Depending on the location of each region, some areas may reflect very similar qual-ities to their dances as neigh-boring regions. Areas located near the Gulf Coast region of Mexico, for example, are more tropical and simple. They feature floral themes and typically use harps and stringed instruments for mu-sic.
Central Mexico uses more elaborate props—like big hats and colorful, festive cos-tumes. Their performances are more theatrical, and they customarily use violins in their music. The mountain-ous parts of Mexico have more traditional movements. For sound, they use simpler instruments, like the drum or flute.
Mexico’s traditional dance allows spectators to catch a glimpse of the resonant cul-ture and heritage of Mexico.
“I was interested in learning a kind of dance. Folklórico, being a traditional Mexican dance, made me interested,” said Gabrielle Guerrero. “That’s my background, and those are my ancestors.”
Ballet Folklórico is open to anyone who would like to exercise, to embrace the Mexican culture, or just loves to dance and perform. Those interested in joining should contact Linda Valdez at (512-448-8625) or [email protected].
12Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | Hilltop Views SPORTS
Theeasiestwayto identifyanathleteisbyuniform.Thecolors, cut, logos and designcan tell us what sport theyplay,whatinstitutionorareathey represent and a varietyof other more subtle hintsabouttheirpersonalitiesandabilities.
But beyondstandard is-sue uniforms,thereareothera t h l e t i ccloth-i n g
i t e m sa n da c c e s -s o r i e sthat arecapableof com-municat-ing thoses a m emessages.They havebecome asort ofu n o f -f i c i a lu n i - f o r m ,animpliedsignifierofaper-son’spension forsports,andthey can be seen inside andoutsideofthegym.
Someofthetrendsevenre-definetheunwritten,yetun-derstoodrulesofmainstreamfashion. For instance, sockswithsandalsandmalecaprisarewidelyworn.
One of the most populartrends,especiallyamongbusycollege students, is wearingathleticshortsasnormalday-wear.Infact,thelookhasbe-
Athletic trends seen on campus
Doug Gray, a freshmanhistorymajorfromSchulen-burg, isanall-aroundsportsfan. A member of HillRais-ersandFellowshipofChris-tian Athletes (FCA), Graylikes everything from base-balltofootballtobasketball.However, if he had to pickhisall-timefavoritesportsteam, Gray said itwould be theH o u s t o nRockets.
G r a ysaid hed e v e l -opedthislove aftera t t e n d -ing his firstRockets gamewithhisdadwhenhewassixorseven.
Over the years, the Rock-etshavehadsomelegendaryplayers suchasCharlesBar-kley,ClydeDrexlerandHa-keem Olajuwan. Gray saidhis all time favorite playerwould have to be Olajuwanbecause“he isaprovenwin-ner.”
Gray said that Steve Fran-cisisalsooneofhisfavorites.Gray has had the opportu-nitytomeethimafewtimes.Graysaidhe’snotonlyagoodplayer,butaniceguy.
“I was probably interestedin the Rockets the mostwhen [Steve Francis] wasthere,”Graysaid.
Gray tries togo toat leasttwo or three games a sea-son. He said his favoritepart about going is the at-mosphere, especially duringthe playoffs. The arenas arepackedandfullofspirit.
One of Gray’s favoriteRocket memories was twoyears ago when they wereplayingoneoftheirbigrivals,
theSanAntonioSpurs.The Spurs had a 15 point
leadovertheRockets,butinthe last minute of the gamethe Rockets pulled ahead towin.
“Also,watchingthembringtheLakerstosevengamesintheplayoffslastyearwithoutalltheirtopplayerswasgreat,eventhoughthey lost,”Gray
said.Since winning
two cham-pionships
inarowintheir93-94a n d94-95
s e a -sons, the
R o c k e t shave yet to
gain another cham-pionshiptitle.
In the 96-97 season, theycame close, but lost the sev-enthgameofthechampion-shipinthelastsecondstotheUtahJazz.
Thispastseason,theRock-etslosttotheL.A.Lakersinthe seventh game of roundtwo of the playoffs. Thisround leftYao Ming, one ofHouston’s star players, in-juredwithabrokenfootthatwill prevent him from play-ingatallthisseason.
Even though this seasonisn’t looking good for theRockets because of the lossof three topscorers lastsea-son, Yao Ming and TracyMcGradyduetoinjuriesandRon Artest to trade, Graysaid he thinks it will be agoodrebuildingyear.Hesaidhehasconfidence theRock-etswillrisebackup.
Emily Blasdell
Biggest Fan: Doug GrayHouston RocketsThe “Biggest Fan” series showcases some of St. Edward’s Universi-ty’s biggest sports fans and the teams they support.
Caroline Wallace comesocommonplacethat,for many, it does not seemunusualatall.Forgirls,Nikerunningshortsareeasilythemostpopularoption.
“For me, Nike runningshortsareaneasychoiceforbusydays,”saidseniorThe-resaMcClorysaid.“Icangofrom class, to working out,tograbbingfoodandhang-
ing out without changingor looking totally out ofplace.”McClorysaidtheshorts
arebothcomfortableandmultifunctional.
Like many fe-male athletes,
freshman bas-ketball playerShaniqua Ad-ams prefers to
hold her hairbackwithanelas-
ticheadbandwhileplaying.Butshehas
found that the lookcan translate off thecourttoo.
“I always have bas-ketballhair,evenwhenI’mnotplayingbasket-
ball,”shesaid.Adams typically wears a
simpleblackbandwithheruniform on game days, butwhendressingforanormalday,shetendstomatchcol-ored headbands with heroutfits.
Whileplaying,manygirlschoose to hold their hairback with functional pre-wrap.Thewrapisdesignedto keep athletic tape fromsticking to the skin.However,itsstretchynature,andthefactthat you can cus-tomize the size ofyour desired strip,alsomakesitagreatheadband. Butwhile pre-wrapmaybetotallyacceptable forthe gym, elas-tic headbandsare a much morefashion-consciousway to accomplishthe same goal foraneverydaylook.
S o p h o m o r ebasketball player
Everett Swain also carriesaspects of his athletic lookoutsideofthegym,andno-tices the implications thatthisbrings.
After workouts, he tendsto slip on a pair of sandalsright over his long athleticsocks,alookthatispopularamong basketball playersandotherathletesalike.Theconvenientlookhasbecomesomewhatofanidentifier.
“After playing a sport,it is not only a symbol
of comfort,but it is aredflagtothepublic
that‘that guy is anathlete and must
have playedhard,’”hesaid.
“And,that’salwaysa
greatc o n -f i -
d e n c eb o o s t e r
for the nextgame.”
Men’s soccer says goodbye to nine players
TheSt.Edward’sUniver-sity men’s soccer team aresaying goodbye to sevenseniors and two graduatestudentsthisyear.
Attheannualseniorday,theteamhonoredgraduatestudents Scott Stricklandand Bryan Van Cura, andseniorsBeauGrantier,JoshNannen, John Calandro,Kevin Klaus, AJ Pre-
bensen, Ezual Lewis andBrandinParrasastheywillallbeleavingafterthisfallseason.
Kayla Meyer
Kayla Meyer
SPORTS |Page 13Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | Hilltop Views
The first half of the season has been rough for Oakland Raiders Head Coach Tom Cable.
Despite the trouble Cable has found the past four months, you should reserve your pity for someone else. His problems
are entirely of his own making. This season, his Raiders are struggling mightily, he was accused of breaking the jaw of
assistant coach and on Sunday two women accused him of being physically abusive with both of them on multiple occasions.
Not much is clear about Cable’s propensity for violence. We may never know what hap-pened between him and assistant coach Randy Hanson or with Cable’s significant others. The truth lies with those involved, but it seems that Cable has a problem with controlling his temper. Cable needs to be denounced by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and disciplinary actions are required.
To address the issue of least significance, the Raiders are awful. They’re ranked last in points scored and third-to-last in points allowed. Antonio Pierce, a New York Giants Linebacker, even remarked that playing the Raiders was like a scrimmage held during practice.
Simply put, they’re not very good. Their passing offense is second to last in the league in nearly every offensive category.
This is not all Cable’s fault. Al Davis, the Raiders’ owner, consistently makes perplexing personnel choices and even more questionable draft picks. However, in game play along with play calls fall solely on the shoulders of Cable and both of those have been terrible.
The more serious issue is Cable’s propensity to solve his problems with violence. It ap-pears now that Cable has physically assaulted at least three people in the past 20 years.
On ESPN’s television program “Outside the Lines” Cable’s ex-wife, Sandy Cable, claimed that in the past he had been violent with her on two occasions. Around the time of their divorce in 1989, Sandy Cable took out a restraining order on her soon to be ex-husband, citing the two times he had been physically abusive and numerous other counts of verbal abuse.
In the same program, during a separate interview, Marie Lutz, a recent ex-girlfriend of Cable, claimed she had been physically assaulted three or four times during their brief relationship.
Lastly, ESPN reported that another former wife, Glenda Cable, accused her ex-husband in divorce documents of being physically and verbally abusive to her during their relation-ship but said in a statement Saturday through her attorney that Cable “has never been violent to me or our children.”
No charges were ever filed during any of these incidents. Cable released a statement in which he admitted to hitting his first wife with an “open
hand” once and that he regretted the incident. Sandy Cable refutes that it was once and with an open hand. Cable also cited the fact that he had never been charged with any crime of assault.
Very little is certain in this mess. A few things are clear though. One fact is Tom Cable somehow led to Hanson’s jaw being broken. A second fact is that women in his life have felt threatened by him on multiple occasions.
In this very column I praised Goodell for coming out against Rush Limbaugh’s question-able statements. It would be hard not to ask Goodell to come out and admonish question-able actions. Goodell needs to put his police hat on and require a suspension and counsel-ing for Cable’s anger.
Cable will continue to use violence as he has for the past 20 years unless someone steps up and sets limits for him. Goodell is that man. Send him to counseling for the sake of Cable’s new wife, his assistant coaches and the image of the league.
Time for Goodell to make another statement
The Hilltop Views’ column, ‘Bench Warming,’ appears every other week in the sports section and is written by Co-Editor-In-Chief Bryce Bencivengo.
Bench Warming
Bryce BencivengoSports Commentary Q: You have been named
Heartland Conference Coach of the Year and South Central Region Coach of the Year while leading your team to countless awards and wins. What is your most satisfying reward as the St. Edward’s Univer-sity Women’s Head Soccer Coach?
A: (The) most satisfy-ing thing is probably seeing what my players do with their lives after they gradu-ate. I have been a head coach now for 20 years, and the wins and losses to a certain extent show that there’s got to be more to it than that. If it were just wins and losses, it would get boring. It is more the relationships with the players and seeing how they are successful after they graduate.
Q: What do you stress to the women soccer players that leads them to become successful on the field?
A: I think there are two main things that we talk about: one is team chemistry, because without team chem-istry it is hard for the team to do well. So we’ll spend a lot of time doing activities that encourage people to help one another. Whether you’re a player or substitute. We try to make sure there is respect regardless of the role and support one another in that role. The second thing would be leadership; it is needed to be successful. I spend three or four months before the season with our upcoming senior class. I’ll spend a lot of time talking to them about leadership and what’s expected. I try to teach them to become better leaders. The female athletes that I have had to deal or work with in the past, many
girls find it hard to be vocal, so I try to allow them to find their voice. Team chemistry and leadership is what we talk about the most to be successful on the field.
Q: You have coached for numerous universities, in-cluding: The College of Wooster (1989–1990), Trinity University (1991–1998), Baylor University (1999–2002), Sewanee (2003–05) and St. Edward’s (2006-current). What is dif-ferent about St. Edward’s, and what do you love the most about being here?
A: Most of the schools that I’ve coached at have been private institutions with a church affiliation. St. Edward’s fits into the schools that I’ve been a part of in the past. St. Edward’s is different because of its classification as a Division II school. St. Edward’s al-lows us to have a very com-petitive soccer program. Division II philosophy is a balance between athletics and academics. Our team has done really well in aca-demics. Our average GPA is 3.54, so that is an amazing
achievement. It’s the balance that is a big difference and the most rewarding thing for me.
Q: You have coached the women soccer players to be-come successful athletes; do you believe that what you teach them on the field also helps them become success-ful in academics and life?
A: I would hope so. I think that in all honesty it is that we recruit players that we feel can be successful in the first place. We try not to recruit marginal academic students. The population we are dealing with would be good academically even without soccer. A part of being in a team sport, there is a lot of positive peer pres-sure to do well. For example if our team is traveling, 90 percent of the team is study-ing, then you’re probably going to study too. There is that peer pressure to make sure you’re doing well. I think it’s important to note that it’s beneficial to work with a team.
Coach’s Corner:
Nick CowellSt. Edward’s University’s Athletic Department hires coaches from a wide variety of backgrounds.
The Coach’s Corner offers an in-depth look at the background of our coaching staff.
Yenifes Trochez
Courtesy of SEU Athletics
St. Edward’s Women’s Head Soccer Coach Nick Cowell.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | Hilltop Views VIEWPOINTS14Editorial
Perry denying justice in Willingham case
Letter to the Editor
In “U.S. debt means no criticism of China,” (Issue 6, Oct. 21), Jake Hartwell condemned protests against the Empire State Building being lit red and gold to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Revolution.
It’s not uncommon for the Empire State Building to commemorate almost anything. In June it was lit green and white to commemorate the Belmont Stakes, and last October it was lit green to commemorate the 5th year of the Broadway musical “Wicked.”
But this is the first time the building has been used to commemorate the mass murder of 40 million people—that’s more than the number killed during World War One, the Holocaust, and Stalin’s Great Purges combined—as well as the establishment of one of the most oppressive and brutal governments in history.
Why would the United States use one of its more ubiquitous symbols of power to com-memorate an event so distinctly in opposition to everything Americans stand for? The author likens the lighting of the Empire State Building to appeasing one’s landlord with a gift while dodging rent: it doesn’t cost much and it buys you time.
The problems with this analogy is that, firstly, our “landlord” isn’t an old lady with an af-finity for rabbits, as the author describes her in his analogy, but a totalitarian regime with a long history of human rights abuses on a massive scale. This landlord has also already taken huge steps to keep us in the apartment.
The U.S. is the world’s largest consumer of Chinese goods. When the U.S. economy took a nosedive in December 2007, so did our consumption of Chinese goods. The Chinese economy needs the massive purchasing power of the U.S. market. This is why China is investing so much in the U.S. economy—not to force us to forgive mass murder or to force us to change the color scheme of the New York skyline, but to stabilize their largest foreign market.
Ignoring a nation’s past and current abuses because it is inconvenient is immoral. Cel-ebrating that nation’s abuses for the sake of money is unjustifiable. Economic crises are when a nation finds out where its morals truly stand. Let’s hope our moral standing isn’t lying down.
Michael Davis [email protected]
“No God, Know Peace” needs no censorship
Many can debate whether the Founding Fathers created the United States on Judeo-Christian values. Regardless of the conclusion, neither side can deny the presence of Christianity in the United States today.
However, for one day, God did not exist not only for Americans, but also for any world citizen who logged onto Twitter.
“No God” was the number one trending topic on Twit-ter Oct. 20, causing outrage amongst people of various religions.
Ironically, the topic “No God” rose to popularity af-ter a mass retweeting of the phrase “Know God...Know Peace. No God...No peace,” which originated from the Twitter account of Run DMC’s Reverend Run.
A group of atheists who had been trying to get an
agnostic topic to trend for months, according to de-con-version.com, responded with a phrase of their own: “Know god, no peace. No god, know peace.”
The tweets containing “No god” continued to pour in, and for one moment, the view that God does not exist was popular, even if only on Twitter.
The victory was short-lived. The same evening, Twitter combined the topic “No God” with the less popular topic “Know God.” Under “Know God,” the topic fell from the number one slot.
This move has caused many tweeters to accuse Twitter of censorship, alleging that Twitter combined the two to appease the Christian major-ity.
By combining the two top-ics, Twitter suppressed the fact that the most tweeted topic on Twitter that day was anti-religious, an odd move
considering the praise it re-ceived for providing Irani-ans an outlet to speak freely during their elections. This double standard is unjust. If one group is offered a voice, all groups must.
The censorship of “No God” should be a rallying point for Tweeters everywhere regard-less of their beliefs because the same Founding Fathers that many claim created this country on Judeo-Christian values also intended Ameri-can citizens to have the free-doms of speech and religion, or, in this case, freedom to speak of their freedom from religion.
The bottom line is this: The First Amendment of the United States Constitu-tion affords these freedoms to all Americans, and Twitter should respect it.
Haleigh Svoboda
Gov. Rick Perry replaced the head of the Texas Forensic Science Commis-sion along with two other members in October, two days before they were to hear expert testimony regarding the case of Cameron Todd Willingham.
In 2004, Willingham was executed by lethal injection for the 1993 murder of his three children after alleg-edly setting fire to his house. Because Perry released the commission members, the hearing has been canceled and not yet rescheduled.
Many arson experts now
agree that Willingham was convicted on flawed testi-mony. With Willingham’s guilt now in question, Perry’s dismissal of com-mission members is merely an attempt to save face for the upcoming gubernatorial election, consequently delay-ing justice and government accountability in favor of his own needs.
Chris Cutrone, the governor’s spokesman, said Perry’s decision was not out of the ordinary.
“Some people’s terms expired,” Cutrone said. “We reappointed new people.”
If the criminal justice system failed by executing Willingham, attempting
to hide the error by delay-ing the probe into the case appears as a cover up. Perry
should allow and support an investigation to uncover the truth. Instead, his delaying of the investigation only keeps open the wounds caused by the Willingham debacle.
Mistakes are inevitable in any system, giving reason to the lengthy appeals process death penalty cases must pass through before verdicts are enacted. But when a criminal is executed, a final sentence is given, one that cannot be annulled.
Despite the fact that Willingham’s life cannot be restored, his legacy can be.
He was deemed a callous murderer, a man beyond rehabilitation, remorse, or worth.
His exoneration by the commission would re-estab-lish Willingham’s reputation to those who knew him: a man who loved his chil-dren and who, if he had the chance, would have let his life be taken in the place of theirs.
Because of Perry’s stalling, Willingham stays a felon and the state judicial system goes unchecked. No one is above justice, though—not even the governor.
Ken Light Willingham refused to plead guilty for a lesser sentence.
VIEWPOINTS | Page 15 Hilltop Views | Wednesday, November 4, 2009
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Fair tax feasible but not recommended Taxes will never be elimi-
nated—at least not without annihilating the country.
Even the totally awesome economist Adam Smith be-lieved that. Smith knew taxes were necessary so the govern-ment could provide what the people would not otherwise procure—in other words, he wasn’t brainless on the topic or a libertarian.
But Smith also believed in another element of a tax sys-tem: simplicity. Today’s tax laws are increasing in com-plexity, and calls for simplifi-cation are being proposed to echo Smith’s canon. One such proposal is for a fair tax.
The fair tax proposal urges the complete elimination of the federal income tax and the replacement of it with a nationwide sales tax akin to a state sales tax. But instead of being added, the tax would be embedded. Thus, the price of goods would supposedly not rise.
This stability would be due to a combination of the elimi-nation of payroll withholding and that of the tax only ap-plying to the final sale. The fi-nal sale would be determined by employment type, much like current federal income tax forms. A final part of the proposal suggests a voucher system, analogous to a nega-tive income tax, in which ev-
eryone receives a set amount of money.
There are positives. Foreign tourists would contribute more to the overall economy. Citizens would not necessar-ily earn more but would not suffer from payroll withhold-ing. Citizens would also not be punished for earnings and would have, in the long run, potentially more money to save or spend—a possible boon for the economy.
Furthermore, the fair tax
would stop decisions based solely on tax considerations instead of best interest. And productivity could increase without having to conform to income taxation rules—not to mention the potential sav-ing on accounting fees.
But these benefits are only under the most ideal of situ-ations.
A more cynical look would say that the fair tax is poten-tially disastrous to the mac-rospectrum. Because the sole
source of income for govern-ments would be spending under fair tax, what if people simply stopped? The govern-ment may no longer have the wherewithal to provide for essential goods and services.
Businesses may not know what hit them, unprepared for the new tax rules. Not all is good in excess—if the fair tax encourages spending, it will encourage inflation as well. A new equilibrium in markets will establish itself again as it always does, but how long would this take? A month? A year? A decade? And would the transition leave the economy a shell of its former self?
The fair tax is a worthy
cause, as simplification is needed for modern taxation. However, I cannot fully give my endorsement to such a system. The macroeconomic ramifications are too risky, despite the appeal of micro-economic gain.
The plan should not be dis-missed entirely—if anything, it should be examined and learned from to better our current methodology of tax-ing. It won’t fix our problems, but it may help.
Eric Saltwick
The fair tax proposal urges the complete elimination of the
federal income tax...
Governor’s races to test GOPChristopher Duke
Associated PressNew Jersey Gubernatorialcandidate Chris Christie.
This week, voters in Vir-ginia and New Jersey go to the polls to choose their next governor.
Politicos from both sides are watching these races carefully as a case study of the nation’s larger electoral mood. These elections will serve as the first referendum on Obama and Democrats after voters rejected the GOP.
In New Jersey, voters will decide between Democratic incumbent Gov. John Cor-zine, Republican challenger Chris Christie and indepen-dent Chris Daggett.
New Jersey has traditional-ly been a reliable Democratic stronghold: Kerry carried this state with 53 percent in 2004 and Obama with 57 percent in 2008.
However, recent polls in-dicate that Corzine is weak against challengers Christie and Daggett. When Corzine, Christie and Daggett are polled, Corzine captures a plurality of the votes. When Daggett is removed, Corzine is dead even with Christie.
Most analysts agree Daggett’s supporters will likely opt for Christie over Corzine since Daggett has little chance of victory. For Christie to overcome elec-toral history and match an incumbent in the polls spells doom for Corzine.
Pundits agree that if Cor-zine loses the election, trou-ble looms for Democrats nationwide. Obama made several campaign stops sup-porting Corzine; addition-ally, Obama officials recently took over Corzine’s re-elec-tion bid. If Corzine manages a close victory, it still indi-cates a weakness for Demo-crats because New Jersey’s electoral environment should spell an easy win for them.
Virgina’s gubernatorial race is unique because neither candidate is an incumbent, giving neither side a natural advantage. Voters will decide between two starkly con-trasted views on issues and personalities.
Democratic nominee Creigh Deeds is trailing by double-digits to Republican nominee Bob McDonnell.
Virginia has traditionally been a Republican-leaning state: In 2000, George Bush defeated Al Gore by 8 percent and carried the state against Kerry in 2004 by 9 percent, although Obama bucked the trend in 2008, gaining 53 percent of Virginia’s vote. Additionally, Democrats suc-cessfully captured the gover-norship in 2002 and 2006, control of the state Senate in 2006, and elected U.S. Senators Jim Webb, D-Va., and Mark Warner, D-Va., in 2006 and 2008, respectfully.
Democrats’ recent gains in Virginia could be jeopardized by Deeds’ proposal to expand government. McDonnell’s emphasis on lower taxes, re-turning control of education to localities and reducing the size of government is a direct challenge to Democrats’ an-swer to both Virginia’s and Washington’s woes.
Both races spell trouble for both Obama and con-gressional Democrats. With 2010 just a year away, New Jersey and Virginia are case examples of the wide dissat-isfaction with Democrats’ so-
lutions to our nation’s prob-lems. For the first time since 2006, voters trust Republi-cans more than Democrats on national security, taxes, the economy and health care. Additionally, in a generic bal-lot match-up, voters prefer the GOP over Democrats.
The GOP, exiled since 2008, has spent the last year re-evaluating what it means to be a Republican. Nov. 3 will be a test of their efforts to redefine the GOP as not only a successful alternative to Obama, but a party rebuilt in the minds of voters.
Page 16 | PHOTO ESSAY Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | Hilltop Views
The Texas Book Festival was first established in 1995 by former First Lady Laura Bush as a way to promote literacy and recognize Texas au-thors. It has since become one of the major liter-ary events in the country and showcases over 200 authors from Texas as well as around the country.
Photos by Sharla Kew
Texas Book
Festival
