ASU holds tradition of Family Day on campus

Page two Fun for the whole family Campus conflict Event for potential business starters

Page three Walk for a cure SGA Roundtable

Page four Celebration of different cultures

Page five Staff editorial Nintendo column

Page six Soccer road trip Rams v. Wildcats

Visit www.asurampage.com

Volume 79 Issue 4 Sept. 21, 2012

RAM PAGE

Petition to remove Chick-fil-A suspendedFaculty member requests restaurant’s removal, students protest

Dillon BrollierManaging Editor

A petition to shut down the campus Chick-fil-A restaurant that has been circulating around ASU for the past few weeks has been suspended in light of news that the popular chain has ceased donations to anti-gay groups.

According to the Huffington Post ”The Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA) cites Alderman Moreno as confirming that Chick-fil-A officials declared in an internal document that the company ‘will treat every person equally, regardless of sexual orientation.’”

Professor of English, Dr. Linda Kornasky began circulating the petition as a response to reports that Chick-Fil-A president Dan Cathy gives money to anti-gay hate groups.

However with recent news that the fast food chain has stopped funding to these groups the petition has been put on hiatus.

“In light of these efforts on the part of Chick-fil-A to address campus concerns, we will suspend our current petition initiative as we assess whether Chick-fil-A follows through on its promises,” Kornasky said in an email to ASU faculty.

One student is encouraged by the change of heart by the fast food chain.

“It’s a great encouragement that Chick-Fil-A has promised to stop donating to harmful groups,” senior Kiah Rhea said. “While I’m not convinced that there isn’t any finger-crossing in this new promise, it’s a step in the right direction.”

The petition originated in late August and was promoted by talks with fellow faculty members, Kornasky said.

“Some of them were involved with the local protest at the Chick-fil-A on Sherwood Way,” Kornasky said. “I mentioned that the Chick-fil-A location within the university center was something that ASU faculty might redirect their attention toward.”

That attention was turned toward the UC’s Chick-fil-A to the tune of nearly 3 percent of all ASU faculty signing the petition, Kornasky said.

The petition is not without opposition, however. A Facebook group called, “Don’t close down Chick-Fil-A! - Angelo State” has been created to battle Kornasky’s petition and keep Chick-fil-A on campus.

“Some of the faculty of ASU has started a petition to get the Chick-Fil-A in the Houston Harte University

Center closed down,” the Facebook page said. “Please help us to prevent the loss of the finest eating establishment on the ASU campus.”

The creator of the page is known by “The Lone Wrangler.” The Wrangler’s true identity is not yet known.

Talks of a public debate between the two sides have been brewing as of late and Kornasky welcomes any and everyone who wishes to speak publicly about the issue.

“It would be a very nice thing to have a public debate on the subject,” Kornasky said.

Greg Pecina, executive director of business services, said that no students have approached him over the subject and that he has met with Kornasky and Student Body President Hector Romo.

See RESTURANT pg. 2

Relatives come together at ASU University hosts business event

Allison PriceStaff Writer

Family Day 2012 will kick off tomorrow with several events planned for visiting family members of the student body.

“[Family Day] is a day we invite the families of ASU students back to campus for a day to visit various campus departments and programs,” said Nolen Mears, executive director of Student Life.

Festivities begin on Friday with a presentation by The English Brothers in the C.J. Davidson Center. Tickets are $5 per person, and the program begins at 7 p.m.

ASU has hosted Family Day for many years, Mears said. He said he believes it has been an event since the 1980s.

“For Family Day, I’m just going to have my parents come here and get a better feel for the campus,” freshman Angela Marshall said. “This is where I will be for the next, I don’t know how long, and they deserve to see that.”

According to www.angelo.edu/parents/family_and_visitors.php, families are welcome to explore campus with several different tours to choose from.

“[Family Day] is an opportunity for students’ families to experience some aspects of campus life,” Mears said.

On Saturday, events begin at 9 a.m. and continue on all afternoon with the

See MUSIC pg. 2

Entrepreneurs given a chance to gain advice

Dillon BrollierManageing Editor

The Center for Student Involvement and the Small Business Development Center will host E-day on Sept. 27 in the CJ Davidson Center in the University Center.

The event is held to host speakers and custom “break out sessions” to help young entrepreneurs in possibly opening up a new business.

“We really want to have a good turnout so we can possibly do this every year,’ UCPC event coordinator Allen Bennett said.

Max Durovic, founder and CEO of Aarrow Advertising, is the featured

keynote speaker for the event.Durovic and his business partner

Michael Kenney began AArrow Advertising, “Were in high school, they had after-school jobs advertising for local businesses with sandwich board signs they strapped to their bodies and carried around the San Diego area.,” Bloomburg Businessweek said in their profile of the duo for their 2007 best young entrepreneurs campaign.

“I am hoping that we get a decent turnout for the break up sessions but I would really hope for people to come out for our main speaker, Max Durovic, Bennett said. “He is going to keep the crowd entertained.”

The E-day event will be broken up into four different “break-out sessions” focusing on one particular aspect of

See GUEST pg. 2

Photo by Rio ValasquezFreshman Rochelle Ann Flores purchases a chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A.

Page 3 Fundraising for a cure SGA Roundtable

Page 4 Puerto Rican Culture

Page 5 Ram Page staff speaks

Friday, Sept. 21, 2012Page 2 NEWSEvents Calendar

Get involvedon campus!

Here’s what’s going on this week.

Friday, Sept. 21

Art Exhibit: “Fistula and Fisure” by Joseph ShoresAug. 31 through Sept. 28 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.Carr Education-Fine Arts Building, Room 193

The English Brothers Show 7 p.m.Houston Harte University Center

Studio Theatre: “Fresh Faces” 8 p.m. Carr Education-Fine Arts Building

Saturday, Sept. 22

Walk to End Alzheimer’sCheck in/Registration: 8 a.m.Opening Ceremony: 9 a.m.San Angelo Riverstage 16 E. Avenue A San An-gelo, TX

SARL-Habitat for Humanity Home Run 5k/1M8 a.m.334 W River Dr San An-gelo, Texas 76903

Ram Jam: Family Day3:30 p.m.LeGrand Alumni and Visi-tors Center

Football: Rams vs. Abilene Christian (Family Day)6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Studio Theatre: “Fresh Faces” 8 p.m. Carr Education-Fine Arts Building

Sunday, Sept. 23

Soccer: Rambelles at Texas Women’s University2 p.m. to 5 p.m.Denton, TX

Monday, Sept. 24 UCPC Weekly Meeting5:30 p.m.Houston Harte University Center Room 201

Blackboard Training: Col-laborate1 p.m. to 2 p.m.Mathematics-Computer Science Building –106

Tuesday, Sept. 25

Russian Enrichment Program: “Where Stalin’s Russia Defeated Hitler’s Germany: World War II on the Eastern Front”12 p.m. to 1 p.m.Zentner’s Daughter Res-taurant

Volleyball: Rambelles vs. Texas A&M - Kingsville7 p.m.

SMART Workshop: Motiva-tion–Ready? Set…Goal!6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.Academic Building 119

Wednesday, Sept. 26 Mandatory Music Major/Minor Meeting4 p.m.Carr Education-Fine Arts Building, Eldon Black Recital Hall

Art Major/Minor Meeting4 p.m. to 5 p.m.Carr Education-Fine Arts Building room 101

Submit event requests by 5 p.m. Tuesday for Friday publication to rampage@angelo.edu

“If we were to survey the students I do not know what they would say,” Pecina said. “But I think they deserve the right to at least have a major say-so in the decision that we make.”

There is a process that would have to take place for Chick-fil-A to be removed before the end of their contract with Chartwells, ASU’s food service partner, and that process has not even begun.

“She (Kornasky) is a faculty member and she would have to go through the faculty senate and the faculty senate does not even have that on their agenda,” Pecina said. “So it hasn’t even gotten past step one of maybe 10 steps.”

The faculty senate would then go to Business Services and they would go through “due diligence”.

“Typically what we would do is go to the student body and we would ask the student body ‘Is this what you want,’” Pecina said. “Our major costumer is the student body.”

Chartwells is contracted under ASU to provide food to the entire campus, outside franchises included.

Vendors on campus can be removed at anytime, but ASU must give Chartwells a 30 day notice before eviction, Pecina said.

Kornaskys petition may still be growing, Pecina assured that Chick-fil-a will remain

for the foreseeable future.As of right now nothing will happen

to Chick-Fil-A, Pecina said. The cost of removing and replacing the Chick-fil-A would be close to a $150,000 investment.

“We use a very careful examination of what the purpose and cost is,” Pecina said.

While gay rights is the hot topic of discussion among most who debate about the Chick-fil-A situation, freedom of speech rights are highly contested in debates regarding the conflict.

Kornasky said this is not about prohibiting free speech, but only to bring awareness for gay rights.

“This is not a case about Mr. Dan Cathy’s free speech,” Kornasky said. “This is a case of a policy decision made by an institution in regard to the consequences of a change to a company’s reputation made through free speech and extensive donations to groups that many people consider discriminatory.”

ASU released a statement saying, “Angelo State University is an institution that believes in and supports diversity. Tolerance is the cornerstone of a diverse campus and tolerance runs both ways. Angelo State Uinversity has contractual agreements with vendors that support gay marriage and that oppose it. The university will not establish a political litmus test for its vendors as long as they are abiding by the law.”

Likewise, ASU can also be rid of Chick-fil-A and all other Chartwells contracted vendors when Chartwells’ contract with ASU expires in 2015.

Chartwells also released a statement commenting on the controversy.

“We value a safe and enjoyable dining environment that contributes to the well-being and academic lifestyles of all of our guests in a diverse and inclusive dining atmosphere,” Chartwells said in a prepared statement. “Although Chartwells respects the rights of others to express their beliefs, the statements, views and opinions attributed to Chick-fil-a management do not reflect those of Chartwells.”

According to the Huffington Post Chick-fil-a has agreed to cease donating funds to anti-gay groups.

“In a press release The Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA) cites Alderman Moreno as confirming that Chick-fil-A officials declared in an internal document that the company, ‘will treat every person equally, regardless of sexual orientation,’” the Huffington Post said.

Even if the petition fails to get rid of the campus Chick-fil-A, Kornasky may not consider that a true failure.

“I think that the most important outcome for this petition is the raising of awareness about gay rights issues as they affect ASU and the San Angelo community,” Kornasky said.

Restaurant lies at the center of controversy

Photo by Rio Valasquez

Staff wait for students to visit the Chick-fil-A in the Houston Harte Community Center for lunch.

ASU football game against Abilene Christian University at 6 p.m.

“I am going to the football game and after that the BSM (Baptist Student Ministry) is going to have a late night event at the lake house,” senior Chris Allen said.

According to the Family Day Schedule of Events, some of the programs that will take place Saturday include the Chemistry Magic Show, “Are You Smarter Than A Freshman in Mathematics?,” a physics show and the Ram Jam pre-game festivities with food.

“We have some student o rgan iza t ion - sponso red events and demonstrations [such as] a show at the Global Immersion Center,” Mears said.

Unfortunately for some students family day will be bogged down by other engagements.

“Pretty much all I do is end up working,” sophomore Kyle Wildenauer said. “My mom works, too, and I am so there is nothing much I can do.”

Tickets for the football game Saturday evening will be available outside the ASU Bookstore in the University Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“It is always hard to get an accurate count on how many family members come to campus, but we usually give out about 2,000 football tickets for family members,” Mears said.

If families need any information about the times and locations of all of the events that will take place during the weekend, please visit www.angelo.edu/services/student_life/familyday_schedule.php. Also, on the website are hotel listings within the area and a campus map.

“My mom is coming down with her boyfriend to have a family dinner, visit and to celebrate a family birthday,” senior Val Soto said.

Musical act to open Family Day on Friday

business.The event is free to anyone

who would like to go, but those planning to attend must register at either www.angelo.edu/eday or at the event the day of, Lambert said. Those who register before the event will get updates and extra information.

All of the events will be hosted by SBDC advisors, staff, ASU professors and finacial planners with special guests coming in from Angel Network.

All talks will be housed in the CJ Davidson Center and the room will be split up in order to house all of these events in accordance to the schedule.

Times for the “break out session” are 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. and each talk will last for one hour and 15 minutes.

Durovic will make his keynote address at 6 p.m.

The “planning for success” talk will focus on, “The basics of what it takes to get your business started,” Business development training coordinator Jessica

Lambert said. “Legal issues, hiring questions and just basic issues that come up when you are starting a business will be covered.”

The “how to fund your dream” discussion will hone in on how to fund a new business.

There are new trends going on to get more funding, Lambert said. There is crowd funding, using website like kick starter.

“There are a lot of options out there for funding,” Lambert said.

“Idea Gold” will focus on getting patents and trademarks for your product and business.

All of the information about patents, why you need one and how to get them will be covered in this meeting, Lambert said.

The final discussion will focus on marketing and, “Writing a business plan and working with strategic planning,” Lambert said.

It will cover the next step after determining the businesses that someone will want to open, Lambert said. “

The E-day event is still a relatively new event, so a strong showing would go a long way in making this event a yearly tradition.

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

Guest speakers to kick off E-Day next week

Continued from page 1

Friday, Sept. 21, 2012Page 3 NEWSSan Angelo residents and ASU students walk together against Alzheimer’s

$26,000 goal in fundraising within striking distance

Allison PriceStaff Writer

Sigma Kappa and Pi Kappa Alpha will be among those walking Sept. 22 at the Walk to End Alzheim-er’s at the Riverstage in San Angelo for the second year in a row to raise awareness of the disease.

“Walk to end Alzheimer’s is more than a walk,” walk chair Jessicca Hallmark said. “It is an experience for hundreds of participants in San Angelo [to] learn about Alzheimer’s disease and how to get involved with the critical cause.”

Sigma Kappa, a sorority at ASU with about 50 members, has made Alzheimer’s the sorority’s na-tional philanthropy project, as well as Gerontology, which is the study of aging.

“Nationwide Sigma Kappas raise money and awareness for the disease,” said Erika Boyd, sopho-more and vice president of Philanthropic Services for Sigma Kappa. “We participate in the walk every year.”

Hallmark said she encourages student organiza-tions to take part in a great cause and go to the walk.

“As a sorority, [us participating in the walk] means that we want to cure this disease,” Boyd said. “We hate to see this disease affect our members and family members.”

Pi Kappa Alpha, the brother fraternity to Sigma Kappa will also attend the walk in support of their “sisters.”

“Our main goal by participating in this is to foster unity within sorority and fraternity life here at ASU so we can see it flourish and grow in the future,” said Connor Frankhouser, junior and president of Pike’s ASU chapter.

Sigma Kappa has been fundraising money for the Alzheimer’s walk since August and they have raised $2,500.

“[Pi Kappa Alpha] is raising a bit of money for [the walk] but not near as much as the ladies,” Frank-houser said.

For this particular Alzheimer’s walk, Hallmark said they are hoping to raise $26,000.

“Sixty-five percent of what we earn at the walk stays in San Angelo to provide education, health care, etc.,” Hallmark said. “A small portion goes toward administrative costs and a small portion is also sent to national headquarters to fund research projects.”

According to www.alz.org, Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory,

thinking and behavior. There is no current cure but treatments are available and researchers continue to seek a cure.

“San Angelo has a growing Alzheimer’s com-munity, and we hope to provide increased resources and opportunities for individuals facing this disease process,” Hallmark said. “This event is vital for rais-ing funds for future resources and educational op-portunities.”

According to www.alz.org, the Alzheimer’s Asso-ciation was founded in 1980 and currently, the asso-ciation has reached out to millions of people affected by Alzheimer’s across the globe.

“So many people are affected by Alzheimer’s, and I am so passionate about helping and making a difference,” Hallmark said.

According to www.alz.org, Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging and is a progressive disease that worsens over time.

“There is a large part of the population facing Al-zheimer’s,” Hallmark said. “The significance of this walk is to raise money for the cause, as well as raise awareness about the organization.”

Since there are no entry fees for the walk, there are opportunities to make donations to the Alzheim-er’s Association, Hallmark said.

“If you’re participating with a team [during the walk] and you raise $100, then you and your [team

mates] will receive a t-shirt,” Hallmark said. “We always welcome donations of any amounts.”

Walk to End Alzheimer’s will begin at 8 a.m. with the opening ceremony starting at 9 a.m., proceeded with the walk, Hallmark said. Each walker will join in a ceremony to honor those affected by Alzheimer’s.

The walk is non-competitive, and it is less than two miles, she said.

“I feel like this year’s walk is on track to be even bigger and better than last year’s event,” Hallmark said. “Our biggest goal is to increase attendance thus increasing awareness about this devastating disease and what the Alzheimer’s Association is doing to fight it.”

The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Al-zheimer’s is advertised to be the Nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.

“Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, this inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to reclaim the future for mil-lions,” the alzheimers asociation website said.

Registration is available online at act.alz.org/sanangelotx or walkers may register Saturday morn-ing, she said.

The Riverstage is located at 16 E. Avenue A. If you have any further questions you may contact Jessicca Hallmark at jessicca.hallmark@gmail.com or at (325) 315-8556.

Sigma Kappa has been fundraising money for the Alzheimer’s walk since August and they have raised $2,500

Photo by: Rio Velasquez

Students and faculty meet to discuss current 2012-13 school year

Alix HenryContributor

The Student Gov-ernment Associa-tion Monday evening hosted their annual Roundtable event at the ASU Lake House.

Roundtable is a chance for the student senators to talk with various faculty and administration mem-bers about any con-cerns they may have about campus and the student body.

One of the big is-sues at the meeting was what ASU plans to do if San Angelo goes into a Level Three drought phase.

“Because we are experiencing a water shortage on campus, there is not enough water to keep the plants and flowers alive, so the univer-sity will be doing ‘zero-scaping’ throughout the grounds to clean up some of the dead plants, said Jay Hal-bert, director of Facili-ties Management Op-erations. There is no way to keep the plants from dying without water so throughout the winter months a lot of trees will die and need to be cut down and some flower beds will be filled with rocks and gravel.

The Chick-fil-A debate was brought up at Roundtable and the university has re-leased an official state-ment.

“Angelo State Uni-versity is an institu-

tion that believes in and supports diver-sity,” said Preston Lewis, director of Communications and Marketing for the uni-versity. “Tolerance is the cornerstone of a di-verse campus, and tol-erance runs both ways. Angelo State Univer-sity has contractual agreements with ven-dors that support gay marriage and that op-pose it. The university will not establish a political litmus test for its vendors as long as they are abiding by the law.”

The senators and faculty also discussed how the university is planning on increas-ing enrollment and retention rates at ASU in the upcoming years.

Provost and Vice President Brian May said that the univer-sity will initially focus more on enrollment than retention.

The admissions of-fice travelling more to help spread ASU’s name in the academic arena. Revisions to the university stan-dards for acceptance are also being revised. The minimum ACT and SAT scores for high school graduate percentiles are be-ing raised one to two points in the 40 per-cent rank range and third-quarter rank range. Fourth-quarter ranked high school students will be placed under file review. and they will be looked at as a case-by-case basis .

University teaches customs, facts and traditions of Puerto Rico in festival

Allison PriceStaff Writer

The Multicultural Center Wednesday cel-ebrated Puerto Rico with activities, food and music in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which is from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.

“The Multicultural Center celebrates differ-ent cultures every year,” said Adriana Balcorta, Multicultural Programs Specialist. “Students understand Puerto Rico as U.S. territory, but they don’t really know about their culture.”

This is the third year that the MC has had celebrations showcasing different countries and their cultures to the students, Balcorta said.

“I have been to about six or seven of the [fes-tivities] that the [MC] has had and my favorite was South Africa,” senior Joshua Rogotzke said. “It is fantastic. You learn a lot about the cultures and the food is [wonderful].”

The main significance of these events is to help students learn and to be exposed to all of the diversity within the world, Balcorta said.

“I think it is really nice of the [MC] to bring in a different culture to show us,” junior Lucy Ramirez said. “They have [celebrated] the African American culture, a part of Mexico and [now] Puerto Rico. So every time there is an event, I try to make it out here.”

The MC provided food and beverages for the students to enjoy while they walked around to look at all of the information about Puerto Rico.

“We always have traditional dishes to serve,” Balcorta said. “What we did with drinks this year is we had regular cups, but we also had plastic coconuts. If you wanted to get a plastic coconut then you had to tell an interesting fact about Puerto Rico other than the capital.”

Balcorta said that students chose Puerto Rico as the country to showcase.

“We did a questionnaire on Facebook and students chose Puerto Rico,” Balcorta said. “This is the first year that we have done Puerto Rico.”

At the celebration, students learned about Puerto Rico’s economy, culture and religion among other topics, Balcorta said.

“It was kind of cool,” freshman Ryan Fleener said. “This brings people together and lets people know other cultures exist.”

One of the activities that students were able

to participate in was the making of azabache bracelets, Balcorta said. These bracelets are red and black and the charm is in the shape of a fist.

“The azabache bracelets are given to babies in Puerto Rico because many have “mal de ojo” which means evil eye,” Balcorta said. “When you have excessive admiration or jealously for a baby because they are pretty it is a belief that you will give them the evil eye. The students are doing something fun but they are also learning the meaning.”

There were a few local San Angelo residents who are Puerto Rican that played music at the event, she said.

“There would be one person playing drums and someone would challenge a dance,” Balcor-ta said. “As long as there were people dancing, the drums would continue to be played.”

The students enjoyed the celebrations, Balcorta said. It is a learning experience and if students only learn one piece of information about the featured country, it is good.

“My favorite parts of the events are people performing and the arts and crafts that are provided for us to make,” Ramirez said.

Balcorta said that the community is welcome to attend the cultural events and gain knowl-edge of the countries.

“Our main focus is the students, but if the community wants to come and learn something then they are more than welcome,” Balcorta said.

Next month the MC will have a presentation about disabilities and ways students can relate to those who have disabilities, Balcorta said.

“Last year we explained disabilities but this year we will talk about a new topic,” Balcorta said. “We will be talking about famous Ameri-cans who have succeeded in the public light with disabilities.”

The MC will continue to bring bits of coun-tries to ASU so students can learn about differ-ent cultures she said.

“We don’t want [these events] to be known as free food events,” Balcorta said. “Students don’t understand what we are celebrating, but this is a chance to learn [interesting information].”

Page 4 FEATURES

$1.50DRAFT BEER

midnightrodeosanangelo.com

Friday, Sept. 21, 2012

Puerto Rican Celebration

Photo by Rio VelasquezStudents enjoy the native food offered during the Puerto Rico Celebration.

Senior Rauol Kabona, sophomore Maria Barron and sophomore Henry Luna learn how to play native Puerto Rican instruments during the celebration.

“We don’t want [these events] to be known as free food events. Students don’t understand what we are celebrating, but this is a chance to learn [interesting in-formation].”

- Adriana Balcorta

• HispanicHeritageMonth

• DisabilitiesAwarenessDay

• Veteran’sDay• NativeAmerican

Celebration• MartinLutherKing

Day

• BlackHistoryMonth

• Women’sHistory• AsianPacific

Islander• Juneteenth

Upcoming Events

Photo by Rio Velasquez

• Population:3,989,133(July2011est.)

• Capital:SanJuan• Area:3,515squaremiles• Language:SpanishandEnglish

• Religion:RomanCatholic• Currency:U.S.Dollar• LifeExpectancy:78• LiteracyPercent:94

Fun Facts

Facts courtesy of ASU Multicultural Center

Page 5Friday, Sept. 21, 2012 OPINION

PUBLISHING POLICYPublished every Friday and available to students, one copy per student, the student newspaper of Angelo State University is a public forum, with its student editorial board making all deci-sions concerning its contents. Unsigned editorials express the views of the majority of the editorial board.Ram Page welcomes all letters. Please include your name, classification/position and a phone number and/or e-mail ad-dress for verification purposes. Letters must be signed and be no more than 350 words. The paper reserves the right to edit letters for grammar and clarity, and all letters are subject to laws governing obscenity, libel and privacy. Deadline is 5 p.m., Mon-day. Submission does not guarantee publication. Letters may be mailed, e-mailed or submitted at the newspaper’s office, Room 324 on the third floor of the Porter Henderson Library. Opinions in letters are not necessarily those of the staff, nor should any opinion expressed in a public forum be construed as the opinion or policy of the administration, unless so attributed.

Ram Page Staff

2012-2013A n g e l o S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y

Editor: Sawyer RicardManaging Editor: Dillon BrollierCopy Editor: Lisa DeesPhoto Editor: Rio VelasquezStaff Writer: Stephen CoganStaff Writer Allison Price Photographer: Tim PeevyAdvertising Manager: Kaitlynn Glendinning Adviser: Dr. Cathy Johnson

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“Just stay here. I see them all the time”

Mic Samaniego-Lira

Junior

“Probably spend time with my friend’s

family”

Araceli Waters

Sophomore

“I’ll probably go see my host family”

Simba Chavunduka

Freshman

“I’ll probably spend time with my

grandma”

Anahi Pineda

Freshman

“I might go vist them”

Amy Johnson

Junior

What do you have planned for ASU’s family day?

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Ram Page

Wii would like to play with UDillon BrollierManaging Editor

The new generation of home video game consoles will arrive in November when gaming giant Nintendo releases their 6th home console, the Wii U.

On top of me hoping they bring back those hilariously creepy commer-cials they had for the Wii’s launch, I am hopeful that this new system will give Nintendo the hardware firepower they lacked in the last console cycle.

The Wii was an absolute giant. It nearly out sold the PS3 and Xbox 360 combined and created a phenomenon unlike many other we have seen in gaming.

But we all know how that ended up. Hardcore gamers scoffed at the childish graphics and lack of strong third party support.

Those shortcomings are already addressed as the launch line up for the Wii U includes Bayonetta 2 (what a steal!), Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and everyone’s favorite ending, Mass Ef-fect 3.

Then you have other titles such as New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, FIFA 13, ZombiU. These give the Wii U the strongest all around opening lineup out of any Nintendo system.

Where is Zelda? Where is Metroid? Where is my Super Mario Galaxy 3? Well, those won’t be around for a while, with the new Zelda being slated for a 2014 launch and no news on a new 3D Mario or Metroid.

But in my humblest of opinions, the launch line up that Nintendo has set up should be more than enough to get people excited and to get people out to pick one up.

IGN reports, “It comes in two mod-

els: Basic and Premium. Basic comes with 8GB of memory, the console, a gamepad, sensor bar, HDMI cable and AC adaptor in the US, and without a sensor bar in the EU, AU and NZ. Pre-mium comes with 32GB of memory, console, gamepad, sensor bar, charg-ing cradle and stands for the console and gamepad, and Nintendo Land.”

The basic package will run $299.99 and the premium package will cost $349.99.

Personally, I say you have to go for the Premium. More memory that you know you are eventually going to use, a free game and a sleek looking con-sole. No doubt premium is the way to go.

The new console is expected to graphically exceed the current genera-tion consoles by quite a bit. Although no game play has been shown, a Wii U demo shown at last year’s E3 conven-tion has me excited to see Nintendo fi-nally ramp up and try to play with the big boys.

I have always bought Nintendo’s system first and they have never failed me. I will once again go Nintendo when everything is said and done. They are the industrys leaders and have been for the past 25 plus years. At least that is what history says. In the Wii U com-

m e r c i a l s I do hope the guys from the o r i g i n a l Wii com-m e r c i a l s come back. Love those guys.

Food and PoliticsStaff Editorial

With the potential closing of Chick-fil-A on campus, ASU is facing a much bigger dilemma than whether people agree on gay rights. If Chick-fil-A closed, so would our first amendment rights.

The Constitution says, “Con-gress shall make no law...” The freedom of speech is essential to the freedom of this nation, and it is the very heart of every mass medium, including this newspa-per.

Everything that is happening with Chick-fil-A on campus boils down to one point. Free speech is being denied.

Sending out a petition to shut down the Chick-fil-A on campus just because someone disagrees with their view is harsh, and in that harshness it does prohibit free speech.

The argument exists that Chick-fil-A should be shut down because they are discriminatory to the beliefs of some individuals.

Where is Chick-fil-A’s first amendment rights? Do they not have the same rights as those protesting their business?

President of Chick-fil-A Dan T. Cathy’s personal views had nothing to do with the business itself.

Cathy was stating his opin-ion when he said he did not sup-port same-sex marriage.

He did not say that his com-pany has a “Don’t ask, don’t tell or don’t eat” policy. He did not saying that he would deny any-one a meal.

He is just saying something that many people have said. That he doesn’t believe in gay marriage.

One can have free speech about a subject, but they must be prepared to face the backlash of sporting an unpopular opinion.

But if one has to worry about backlash in the form of threats, being fired, or of one’s business being shut down, then is that truly free speech?

It is, in fact, judgmental and hypocritical to demand someone to keep his or her opinions quiet while one boasts his or her op-posing opinion.

We understand where the pe-tition stems from. It is attempt-ing to uphold equal rights for all students in an environment that is meant to promote unity at ASU by eliminating a figure head that is at the center of controversy.

By eliminating that icon, one is only promoting the concept that an opinion, no matter how unpopular, can and will be pun-ished.

The fact that we are writing about it, and the fact that this has created as much attention as it has is proof that the first amendment is in jeopardy. Per-haps not at a federal level, but at a level that is more important and fundamental to our day to day lives: the social level.

So, whether one agrees or dis-agrees about Chick-fil-A’s qual-ity of chicken or their president’s stand on marriage,think about the detriment to free speech that the closing of this business would bring.

Friday, Sept. 21, 2012Page 6 SPORTS

Since football teams are generally consid-ered to be families, it is only fitting that ASU’s game against rival Abilene Christian Univer-sity be on Family Day weekend.

ASU and their 1-2 record will take on Abilene Christian’s 2-1 record Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. to start their Lone Star Conference sched-ule.

Despite losing two games in a row, team members have said they are ready and excited for conference play.

“One of our best practices of the year was tuesday,” junior quarterback Blake Hamblin said. “We came out with a different edge. We’re excited. We’re looking at this week like we’re 0-0. So, we’re excited and we think we have a good opportunity to go out there and win.”

Hamblin said that a lot of the players seemed more motivated and more excited to be out on the field in this last practice.

The Rams signal caller has passed for 683 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions through the season and will look to improve those numbers against No. 19 ranked Abilene Christian.

The Rams look to upset a team that is fresh off of a comeback win where they trailed 20-10 against Tarleton State at the half, but won the

game 34-31 after a strong second half.“If they’re down, they’re going to go for a

home-run ball, senior defensive tackle Wayne Blackwell said. “Hail Mary passes, shovel pass-es, bubble screens, so we’ve got to stop all big plays and make them work down the field.”

The Rams have had inconsistency in their level of play and players know that has to be addressed.

“We’ve got to stay consistent,” Hamblin said. “We can’t have these ups and downs and these lulls we’ve had the last couple of weeks.”

A major key to the Rams winning will be if the defense can pressure Abilene Christian’s senior quarterback Mitch-ell Gale.

“I was very impressed with him while watching his film,” Blackwell said. “He likes to stay in the pocket, doesn’t want to leave. Even if there is pres-sure, he’ll stand in there and step up and try to make a play, which is something we have not seen a lot of this year.”

According to Abilene Christian’s official website, Gale “enters his senior sea-son on the verge of setting every significant passing record in ACU and Lone Star Conference history. Gale has already been se-lected as the NCAA Divi-sion II Pre-Season Offen-sive Player of the Year by Lindy’s magazine and the LSC Pre-Season Offensive Player of the Year.”

“We want to bull-rush him,” Blackwell said. “Because Mitchell [Gale] wants to stay in the pocket and bull those guys into his lap and get them uncom-fortable.”

The added motivation for some players is that it

will be Family Day weekend and players’ par-ents will be coming to see their sons play.

“I’m not going to lie and say that it doesn’t [motivate me],” Blackwell said. “My father is driving in from Houston, so I don’t want him to cover a six-hour drive and watch me not play well. I want to play well for my family.”

Come game time, though, at 6 p.m. on Sat-urday Sept. 22, it will not be about what maga-zine pre-ordained what quarterback to be a star, it won’t be about the last three games and it won’t be about Family Day either.

“First and foremost, our minds are going to be on the game,” Hamblin said.

Rams face ACU for last time as conference foe

“My father is driving in from Houston, so I don’t want him to cover a six-hour drive and watch me not play well. I want to play well for my family.”

- defensive tackle Wayne BlackWell

The Rams prepare for their final inter-conference battle with ACU

Photo by: Tim Peevy

‘Belles hit the road for a four game road tripA&M Commerce first in line for the “Belles season long road trip

After a 3-2-1 start, the Rambelles’ toughest part of their season awaits them as they will play four road games over the next two weeks.

The road series starts with a trip to Com-merce on Friday Sept. 21 to face Texas A&M University-Commerce at 7:30 p.m.

After Texas A&M-Commerce, the Ram-belles will face Texas Woman’s University on Sept. 23 in Denton, Texas, for the first week.

In the second week, the Rambelles will go to Canyon to challenge West Texas A&M Univer-sity on Sept. 28 and then go to Portales, New Mexico, on Sept. 30 to face Eastern New Mexico University.

All remaining games are Lone Star Confer-ence games, and each win/loss will affect the team’s overall standings for the conference tournament at the end of the season.

After back-to-back losses in Colorado, the Rambelles started conference play by tying Midwestern State University 1-1 at home and then defeating Abilene Christian University 1-0 at home.

“I think we just started playing better,” Head Coach Travis McCorkle said on the team’s rebound after the two losses in Colorado. “I think we were up in Colorado and we were playing two very good teams. They are two of the top teams in the region. Fort Lewis, I think, is ranked number five in the country. I think what we need to do is just do the simple things better, and that was really what we focused on in training since Colorado.”

Unlike many other sports, soccer games can end with a tie and have their own effect on con-

ference standings at the end of the sea-son.

“It’s different in soccer,” McCorkle said. “We lost basi-cally lost two points on Friday when we gave up that goal for a tie. If you win, you get three points, for a tie you get one point and for a loss you get nothing.”

For example, if a team has a 9-2-1 record, they would have 28 points, whereas a team that has a 9-3-0 re-cord would have 27 points.

So at the end of a season when teams are tied for the numbers of wins and losses, ties come in there,” McCorkle said. “If we have three ties, it counts only as much as one win. That’s how they do the seeding for the conference tour-nament.”

The Rambelles 1-0-1 record in conference play would equal four points.

Junior defender Trisha Killen is a veteran to ASU’s road trips and has her own strategies to combat the effects of long drives.

“The good thing to do is never let yourself get too cramped up on the bus,” Killen said. “Al-ways be up and moving around if you can, and don’t let yourself get too caught up sleeping because we tend to sleep a lot on the bus. Keep yourself mentally prepared as well as physi-cally alert.”

The Rambelles’ strengths in camaraderie and defense will be two focal points as the sea-son continues.

“Our team defending, not just our back four, but our middles, our forwards, everybody, it has definitely been our strengths for us,” McCorkle said. “Also, I think the chemistry of the girls [has been a strength.] I think they’ve done a great job of building chemistry throughout the preseason and regular season and on road trips. It just has been building the whole year.”

The Lone Star Conference agrees with Mc

Corkle as they named junior defender Kara Edwards the Defender of the Week for her ef-forts in ASU’s shutout 1-0 win over Midwestern State University.

Texas A&M-Commerce has a 2-3 overall re-cord with a 1-1 conference record and one can-celled non-conference game, but Killen is not underestimating them.

“We always have a real hard time compet-ing with them because they are very physical, and we tend to play possession,” Killen said. “They play a different kind. It’s direct and they

kick it up and run and chase it, so we’re go-ing to have to alter our game to theirs while

still playing our game on offense.”McCorkle is prepared for a tough game, but is determined to compete for the win.“It’s going to be a very physical game and

they play differently from most of the teams we play all year,” McCorkle said. “They are very direct, so it is not going to be an attractive game of soccer, but there’s still three points out there to be had and we’ve got to get them.”

File Photo

Defender Jordan Benfield has started every game in her ‘Belle career

Stephen CoganStaff Writer

Rams look for big win after two game skid

Stephen CoganStaff Writer

“Our team defending, not just our back four, but our middles, our forwards, everybody, it has definitely been our strengths for us,”

- head coach Travis McCorkle