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The student voice of Louisiana Tech University

TalkTechFebruary 16, 2012 www.thetechtalk.org

The

Volume 86 Number 16

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Bulldog remembered

AMRIT AWAL

Staff Reporter

February doesnt only havecold and wet weather but also a

brie moment to remember andreect on Arican American his-tory.

In honor o national BlackHistory Month, students andaculty members rom Tech andGrambling State University andpeople rom various walks olie gathered to celebrate andattend a discussion, Yes, Lord:Arican-American ReligiousResistance During Slavery on

Feb. 9 at Lincoln Parish Library.The event, which was hosted

by Techs department o histo-ry along with the Lambda-RhoChapter o Phi Alpha Theta andMcGinty Trust, eatured CherylMango-Ambrose, a masterscandidate in history who dis-cussed the main two ways thatArican American leaders in-

terpreted Christianity in theiattempts to gain reedom anequality in antebellum America.

David Anderson, an assistanproessor o history, said BlacHistory Month will remind alo us that some parts o Ari-can-American history has beemissing and need to be covered.

Black History month pro-vide the reminder that conven-tional American history didncover the ull and complete his-tory o United States, he said.We have an incomplete versioo history.

Some students, such as Rob-

ert Davis, said Black HistoryMonth gives Americans the op-portunity to see the social anpolitical change that AricaAmericans have made duringAmerican history.

I think it is an importanmoment in American history so

MOLLY BOWMAN

Staff Reporter

The Senate Judiciary Com-mittee passed a bill Feb. 2 to re-authorize the Violence AgainstWomen Act to help combat theissue o domestic violence inAmerica.

The bill will go through theSenate and then the House oRepresentatives or a vote be-ore it is reauthorized.

Since Bill Clinton frst passedthe bill in 1994, it has reduceddomestic violence rates by 50percent, according to the Na-tional Association or AttorneysGeneral.

Debra Faircloth, commu-nity advocate or the DomesticAbuse Resistance Team in Rus-ton, said she was glad this actis in the process o reauthori-zation. She said it gives DARTthe tools it needs to work with,including money that createsunding or domestic violenceagencies.

The mere act that it was

passed advanced our move-

ment considerably, she said.The violence against womemovement comes out o thecivil rights era, but it was just aphilosophy until the VAWA gaveit some realty.

Domestic violence is not jusa national problem; it exists ithe Ruston community as well.

Faircloth said it is typical opeople to say that it does nohappen in Ruston and datingviolence does not happen atheir school.

Every nine seconds a wom-an in the United States is beat-en or assaulted, according tothe Olson Center or WomensHealth. Faircloth said she hasconducted domestic violencework or 12 years and that sta-tistic still remains the same. Itsthe most common crime in thecountry, she said, but its theleast reported.

Its a truly appalling thing,she said. Im marveled tha

African American

history celebrated

D.A.R.T battles

domestic violence

MRIT AWAL

Staff Reporter

Tech students and acultyathered at F. Jay Taylor Visualrts Center on Feb. 7 or thepening o an artist talk show,hich eatured Jim Sherraden Memphis Hatch Show Print.

Sherraden displayed letter-ress designs, such as concert

osters and album covers, dat-ng back as ar as 1879. Hatchas also created designs orompanies such as Nike andixar.

Throughout the week, Sher-aden presented a series o lec-ures on the history o the let-erpress.

Following the opening o thexhibition, numerous postersreated by Hatch Show Printill remain on display in theain gallery o the Visual Artsenter until March 20.

Jonathan Donehoo, direc-

tor o the School o Art, saidthe school has organized morethan seven art events, which aredesigned to enhance the stu-dents ability to understand artin broader terms.

Our goal is to bring out-side artists and designers romall around the community, hesaid. By bringing guest speak-ers, artists and designers to

Tech, students will learn everyaspects o the art.Donehoo said an art event

like this gives students an op-portunity to see amous artistswork and meet them personallywhich will help them realize thatart work requires a lot o dedi-cation. He also said studentswill learn anybody who is dedi-cated to their art can become asuccessul artist, regardless othe geographic regions.

You dont have to be in NewYork or Caliornia, you can do ithere, Ruston, he said.

Sherraden, manager, chiedesigner and archivist at HatchShow Print said most peoplewho want to be artists arescared o the uncertainty in thisfeld.

Fear dominates lots o peo-ples lives, he said. Most peo-ple dont think strongly enoughto become artist because theythink, making a living with cre-

ative art is harder path.Sherraden said anybody whodesires to be an artist can do soi they really want to pursuetheir goal o success.

I am going to suggest thepeople because I am a good ex-ample o it, he said. I I canraise mysel up by living withcreative art, why not you.

Sherraden also said whileunderstanding art, studentsshould be amiliar about the his-tory o art such as letterpress

Memphis artist posters displayed

Jim Sherraden stands behind a sea of letterpress posters produced at Hatch Show Print in Nashville.During his visit to Techs School of Art, the artist, printer and curator discussed the renowned prinshops history and the importance of letterpress in todays society.

Photo by Dacia Idom

> see ARTIST page 2

> see HISTORY page 2

> see DART page 6

A celebration of life memorial for Bulldog running back TyroneDuplessis was held Feb. 10 at the Thomas Assembly Center. Ap-proximately 1,000 members of the Louisiana Tech and Rustoncommunity attended the memorial. Along with Tech PresidentDan Reneau, player Kendrick James, running backs coach PierreIngram and head coach Sonny Dykes spoke in remembrance of

Duplessis. Despite his passing Duplessis memory lives on andhe will forever be a part of the Tech Family.

Sam Speed, assistant dean of student life, was among themany attendees who signed a banner in memory of Duplessis

Attendees bow their heads for prayer during the memorialfor Duplessis.

All photos by Sumeet Shrestha

Defensive end Kendrick James, a junior sociology major, spoke in honor of his departed teammate during a memorial serviceheld Feb. 10 at the Thomas Assembly Center

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2 The Tech Talk February 16, 2012

LISA PLAISANCE

Staff Reporter

Tech students took homefrst, second and third places atthe Art rom the G.U.T. open-ing reception Friday night in acompetition against the Uni-versity o Louisiana at Monroeand Grambling State University

Jenny Burnham, curator oeducation and public programsat the Masur Museum o Art,served as the shows jurors. Outo more than 200 pieces sub-mitted, Burnham selected 60pieces to display at the show.

I looked or art that spoketo me, Burnham said. I they

had a good message, i theytook some risk, i they chosesomething out o the box. I alsochose some traditional pieceswhere I looked more or goodtechnique.

First place went to AshleyFeagin, a photography graduatestudent, or a piece titled Shitand Ache. Feagin said thepiece relates to a diagnosis shereceived a ew years ago thatmay make her unable to havechildren.

This piece represents theconstant emotional and psy-chological tension that existsrom this knowledge, Feaginsaid.

Shit and Ache was com-posed o a piece o white linen20 yards long, draped rom tworods, suspended 7 eet in the air,hanging rom the ceiling. Theabric was knotted in the mid-dle and hung down into a whitewooden basin flled with redliquid that soaked the knot and

began to travel up both sides othe abric.

The shit part is rom thevisual tension that the abriccould all down at any moment

rom the weight o the liquidtraveling up the abric, Feaginsaid. For me, it is symbolizingthis ear o some day, when Iam ready to start a amily, thatthis option may not be possible.Ache comes rom the literalpain I experience with endo-metriosis.

Ariel Hoggart, a sophomorecommunication design major,said Feagins work was one oher avorites.

I like it because o what it

signifes, she said. She is will-ing to come out with that anddeal with it artistically.

Second place went to Whit-ney Caskey or her series osix portraits. Feagin earned her

bachelors in studio art in thespring and is now working to-ward her bachelors in photog-raphy, .

The piece, titled Fam-ily Tree, is six black and whitephotographs o Caskey and herhusband made to look like peo-ple o dierent ages who werepainted over.

I named this piece FamilyTree because it shows six peo-ple at very dierent ages that all

look similar, Caskey said. Itcomes across as one dysunc-tional amily, instead o twopeople in di erent costumes.

Caskey said she usually triesto make her work hint towardsa story, but this work was slight-ly dierent.

This work just shows thecharacters and allows the view-er to create their own narrativeswith them, she said. We triedto let each o the charactershave their own personality, so

that at frst glance, someonemight mistake them as di erentpeople.

Tiany Craw, a junior pho-tography major, said she likedthat Caskeys work seemed to

be dierent people.I really liked Whitney Cas-

keys because it showed herand her husband three di erentways, she said.

Gary Guinigundo, a juniorphotography major, said Cas-keys piece was his avorite.

It was my avorite because Iound it really unique-looking,he said.

Third place went to ErinHollis or her inkwork titled A

Dierent Language.The grand prize awarded toFeagin was a business or post-card designed by Donnie BellDesigns.

I was really excited thatShit and Ache was accepted,Feagin said. It was my frsttrue venture to show non-image

based work. Winning was unex-pected.

Email comments [email protected].

Students win Art from the G.U.T.

Photo by Jessica Van Alstyne

People gather at the Enterprise Center for the Art from the G.U.T. show. Works by Grambling University , University of Louisiana at Mon-roe, and Louisiana Tech students are featured in the exhibition.

design and print because itwill give them better perspec-tive in the process o creatingart and being successul in lie.

History is relevant to ev-erything whether you are a

bricklayer or volcano inspec-tor, he said. It is important inevery aspects o each step wetake in lie.

Students such as TennillePaden, a communication de-sign graduate student, saidmost o people are unamiliarwith letterpress today.

I think it is a great presen-tation along with exhibition,

she said. I have never seenletterpress beore and lookoriginal letterpress printing inmy lie.

Paden, who is also a graph-ic designer, said she got anopportunity to participate in

an art workshop a day beorethe exhibition and learnedhow to use letterpress print-ing.

It is the old-ashioned wayo how the printings weredone in the past, she said.Now, everything is done bycomputers digitally.

Jes Schrom, an assistanproessor o photography,said she is happy to see thestudents participation andhope that will be useul ortheir career.

Students get the eel orthe level o quality o workthey need to make a living ina career feld, she said. Stu-dents get excited about their

work and view the art in di-erent perspectives which helpre-invent new avenues and ex-plore the art.


>ARTIST from pg. 1

people need to go back andlook at it, Davis, a sopho-more, said. The South hasway more plantations than theNorth, so it is more relevantto us. It was a big issue beorecivil war. They ought backrom a position where theywere being oppressed.

However other studentssuch as Tyler Brown said itdoesnt make any sense tohave a Black History Month.

I really dont think thereshould be a specifc month or

black history, Brown, a soph-omore, said. A whole monthseems overdone to me.

Brown said all Americansshould be treated equally re-gardless o their race, color,religion or national origin. Headded, it just makes Arican-Americans seem that they aremore important than every-one else.

We were brought here asslaves, but we are Americans.We have gotten our citizen-ship, he said. I we have aspecial month, it makes sense

or other demographics tohave a month.

Mango-Ambrose said his-tory books undermined thehistory o Arican Americansand caused others to orgethat it was the oundation oour civilization.

We should learn moreabout black history than jus

being slaves and ocus on thecivil march during the CiviRights Movement. She said.

Anderson also said BlacHistory Month should not bean isolated month o the yeaor just Arican Americans, buas a time where Americansare reminded to not orget thediversity o their history.

It is a reminder that in almonth and all times, we mustell a ull and complete historyo the United States, withouleaving anyone out, he said.Particularly, the Arican-American experience is a es-sential to being an American.There has been a lot o greawork in our social and politicahistory.


>HISTORY from pg. 1

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February 16, 2012 The Tech Talk 3

Arts&Entertainment

What

an interest-ing year ormovies. Thisawards sea-son in par-ticular haswelcomedmore in-novat ion

and originalitythan prior years, with

everything rom an entirely si-lent flm to Martin Scorsese tackling a

childrens movie.Michelle Williams and Meryl

Streep,took on major roles playing Mari-lyn Monroe and Margaret Thatcher re-spectively, and through playing theseicons, they are cementing their statusas icons o their own right.

George Clooney and Brad Pitt both had an amazing year, with

Clooney having two critically ac-claimed flms, and Brad Pitt dis-

playing his acting powers insome o the years mostnoteworthy flms.

With all this takeninto consideration, itleads us into the 84thAcademy Awards, agolden gilded nightwhere actors and ac-tresses vie or the big-gest prize one can get.

Certainly not dimin-ishing the good comingrom this years slewo gems, some over-sights were painulto see as they did

not make the list.Kirsten Dunststerrifc turn inMelancholia, (aflm deserving aBest Picture nomi-nation itsel) was as-tonishing and pow-erul and is a crimeit was let out.

There is alsoRyan Goslingsmuch under-rated flm D r i v e ,which shouldhave gar-nered notonly a nomina-

tion or him, butone or Carey Mulligan, and the flm as well.

Spielberg was also snubbed o a Best Directornomination or War Horse, one o my avoriteso the year and maybe one o his best.

I was happy to see The Tree o Lie nomi-nated or three academy awards, a flm I elt surewould not make the cut, with its heavy metaphysi-cal themes and what is almost as silent as TheArtist.

How Extremely Loud and Incredibly Closegot a nomination or Best Picture still perplexesme, and makes it hard or me to take the AcademyAwards seriously.

I still wonder i its nomination was a mistake oran accident.

The awards should still be exciting nonetheless, de-spite the act some o the nominations may not be justifed.

The 84th Academy Awards will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 26on ABC.Email comments to [email protected].

Who will take home the

The Artist The Descendants

Extremely Loud& Incredibly

Close

The Help Hugo The Tree

o Lie

Moneyball Midnight in

Paris

My PickTHE ARTISTThe most critically acclaimed flm o this year and a throwback to the classic silent movie era should be a sae bet or this years best picture award.Even though the flm has aced some controversy over its sampling o other movies or its score, that should in no way hinder it rom winning.

BEST PICTURE

BEST ACTOR

Brad PittMoneyball

Demian BichirA Better Life

Gary OldmanTinker Tailor

Soldier Spy

George ClooneyThe Descendants

Jean DujardinThe Artist

My PickBRAD PITTPitts role in Moneyball proved that he is oneo the best actors o our time. I George Clooneydoesnt shut Pitt out o this race, the statuetteshould be his or the taking.

BEST ACTRESSMy PickVIOLA DAVISDavis wowed audiences this summerwith her commanding perormancein The Help. Streep and Williamsare probably going to be the two maincontenders in this race, but it is Davis

who transormed The Help rom aeel-good movie into art.

Glen CloseAlbert Nobbs

Meryl StreepThe Iorn Lady

MichelleWilliams

My Week With

Marilyn

Rooney MaraThe Girl With

the Dragon Tattoo

Viola DavisThe Help

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Max Von SydowExtremely Loud &

Incredibly Close

Christopher Jonah HillMoneyball

Kenneth Nick NolteWarrior

My PickCHRISTOPHER PLUMMERBeginners is a very good flm, bare-ly receiving any other nominations, soit is by sheer luck that Plummer gota much-deserved nomination or hisrole as a gay man dying o cancer.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo

The Artist

Janet McTeerAlbert Nobbs

Jessica Melissa Octavia

My PickOCTAVIA SPENCERSpencer was magnetic in her per-ormance in The Help as Minnie,a housemaid with equal amounts oattitude and sass. Spencer was thestandout in the flm and in this yearssupporting actress race.

My PickMARTIN SCORSESEScorcese shook things up withnot only his frst childrens movie,but also his frst oray into 3D.Scorcese may be rememberedor his gritty crime dramas, butHugo may earn him his secondOscar or best director.

PATRICK BOYD

News Editor

PlummerBeginners

McCarthyBridesmaids

ChastainThe Help

SpencerThe Help

BranaghMy Week With Marilyn

BEST DIRECTOR

Woody AllenMidnight

In Paris

Terrence Alexander Martin Michel

Scorsese

Hugo

Payne

The Descendants

Hazanavicius

The Artist

Malick

The Tree of Life

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


FROM THE EDITOR

Goodbyes are easy, leaving is hard

MARY TIMMONSEditor-in-Chief

When I came to the TechTalk last all, I never imaginedhow much my lie would be in-uenced and changed.

To many I seemed like aslacker, someone who wasntwilling to put the necessary timeinto being a reporter let alonean editor. Ater a frst week otough criticism, I ound my way.Once I realized that journalismwas more than just a job to me,it was reected in my work. TheTech Talk was no longer just aclass I needed to graduate; itwas my lie.

I have fnally ound some-thing that I am truly passionateabout and no one can make meeel otherwise.

I came to college not only tourther my education but alsoto fgure out who I was as anindividual. The Tech Talk wasamong many elements thathelped me fnd my way. It mademe eel as i I have a purposeand that others actually caredabout what I had to say.

As editor or The Tech Talk,the stress is unimaginable oranyone who is not amiliar withthe title. Even ater days o ed-iting, I still ound it difcult tosleep the night beore print.

The thought o somethingbeing wrong petrifed me until Isaw the fnal product on Thurs-day. I would then get a daysworth o rest beore the viciouscycle started again.

Only those who work in thenewsroom are able to ully un-derstand the relationship you de-velop with the sta o the paper.There are times when I wantedto scream at my ormer editor-in-chies or curse my managing

editors.There are moments when itelt as i we were trapped in Kee-ney Hall or hours at a time, andthere was no way out. The onlyway we could escape was with asmoke break or a quick walk toTolliver Hall to grab coee.

It gets beyond hectic whendeadlines are not met and youhave to make arrangements orlast minute interviews and edits.Its extremely rustrating when

you know youll be working onnewspaper-related task untilmidnight and you wonder how

you will ever fnd time to studyor your Spanish exam the nextday.

Its times like these thatmake me realize that this paperis about more than just me. Iwould be lost without my sta.They put just as many hours intothe Tech Talk as I do and givingthem no credit or what wevecreated would be selfsh.

Its more than just beingclassmates; you must trust themenough so that they becomesomewhat o a amily. Familymembers may drive me close to

insanity and there will be some Ipreer over others, but at the endo the day they are still amily. Iwould be willing to stand behinda amily member regardless othe circumstances.

The Tech Talk has donemuch more than test my sanity.Ive met students and aculty onthis campus who have inspiredand enlightened me. I wouldhave never come across theseindividuals i it wasnt or work-

ing with the newspaper.I look orward to my uture

and believe that my opportuni-ties are much broader becauseon the experience Ive gainedrom The Tech Talk. In my lastweek as editor all I can thinkabout is the act that I might ac-tually get sleep next quarter.

This newspaper has pushedme ar too close to the edge oinsanity, but I love it. Im addict-ed to working or the Tech Talk. Icant remember how my lie waswithout it.

Like any addiction it will besomething that is hard or me to

break away rom, but I realize itis time or someone else to take

the top position. She might benervous and there is no doubtthat she will be stressed, but Ileave to her knowing that she iscapable o carrying on. Ill standin the back or support i it isever needed.

Mary Timmons is a senior journal-ism major from Logansport whoserves as editor for The Tech Talk.Email comments to [email protected].

RHONDA BOYD, INSTRUCTORDepartment of Kinesiology

I am writing this in response to Justin Forts column iThe Tech Talk on Feb. 9, 2012.

I appreciate Justins rustration that he has someteachers who rely solely on Power Point presentations astheir orm o teaching. However, I do not appreciate beinglumped into a generalized category o teachers wastesstudents time. I I were to ollow Justins thought anmake a generalization o Tech students, it would go some-thing like this: Students dont buy the textbooks, much lessread them, they dont take notes, they want to be spoon-ed the inormation or class, constantly asking i this isgoing to be on the test, they sleep in class, they donknow anything about current events unless it is posted osomeones Facebook status, and they are so importanthat they must check their text messages in class. It isludicrous to say all Tech students ft this category just as iis ludicrous to say all Tech teachers dont teach.

I can only speak or mysel as a teacher. I constantlylook or ways to engage students whether is its throughdiscussion, games, feld trips, hands on activities or ser-vice learning projects. I know my colleagues also havetheir students actively engaged in the community in learn-ing situations whether it is at the local elementary, junio

high or high school, nursing homes, physical therapy/oc-cupational therapy clinics, or other appropriate commu-nity sites. I personally believe that we do have the best othe best students.

I am saddened that Justin eels that he has spent three years at Tech and has learned little. It may be time oJustin and other students to take some responsibility otheir own education. Learning is an active process anstudents need to become active in their own preparatioor class.

C. SMILEY REEVES, INSTRUCTORDepartment of Kinesiology

As I read the Insight article written by Justin Fort ithe Tech Talk dated Feb. 9, 2012, I was impressed by hiscomments. I was impressed that Mr. Fort seems to havealready achieved the Sel-Actualization that takes mospeople a lietime o experience to achieve.

His article covered most o Maslows Hierarchy oNeeds: Physiological needs such as his need to exercise,eat and sleep. His need or love and belonging by visitingwith amily. Maslows theory concluded that successupeople such as Abraham Lincoln, Henry David Thoreau,Albert Einstein and others had achieved sel-actualizationhe thought they had reached their human potential.

Sel-actualized people see the world as it is and not asthey demand it to be. They are realistic, accepting another-directed. Mr. Forts statement that he has othethings he likes to do that are hindered by class and thateachers get paid to waste their time are ar rom aadult identity that enhances sel-esteem, communicatioand autonomy.

A teachers main objective is to deliver inormation in amanner that appeals to a variety o learning styles and tooer assistance in that eort to individuals who choose tolearn. Mr. Fort has apparentley reached a point in his edu-cation where he no longer needs the educational processavailable to him at La. Tech. To that I say, Bravo, Mr. Fort.

You are now ready or the world or law school. As yougo through lie I hope you will gain the insight needed totreat others with respect, love and understanding so tha

you can reach your ull human potential.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

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The Tech Talk welcomes letters to the editor. However, we reserve the right not to print anonymous letters. We also ask that eachletter be accompanied by a telephone number, address, classification or title. We will not print the telephone number. Viewpointsshould be mailed or brought to The Tech Talk office, 146 Keeny Hall, by 4 p.m. the Friday prior to a Thursday publication. Lettersshould be mailed to The Tech Talk, P.O. Box 10258, Ruston, LA 71272. E mails should be sent to [email protected]. You canalso submit letters online at www.thetechtalk.org/home/lettertotheeditor/.

WRITE TO US

I DONT GIVE A CENSORED

Racism lives onAMIE ROLLAND

News Editor

Surprisingly, American con-stitutional law has turned out tobe my avorite class this quarter.Not only have I brushed up onmy knowledge o the Consti-tution and taken an in-depthlook at decisions that changedAmerica, but I have also cometo realize that the governmenthas been making oolish deci-sions since the courts were es-tablished.

The case o Scott v. Sandord(1857) has been the most eye-opening case brie I have hadto read. In a nutshell, this casecame to court to decide whetheror not Dred Scott, a slave, shouldbe reed and become part o thepolitical and economic commu-nity.

The Supreme Court quicklydecided Scott had no standingto be heard in court because hewas a slave and the Constitutionnever intended slaves to be in-cluded as citizens o the UnitedStates. Basically, Scott could

never be in consideration to be acitizen because he was born intoslavery, and the Constitution didnot, nor did it ever intend to rec-ognize slaves as anything morethan property.

Here is where my pride as anAmerican sank.

Justices determined Scottdid not have standing or a case,

but they still went on to decidethe second issue o this case,whether or not the MissouriCompromise, an act that prohib-ited citizens rom owning slavesin specifc territories, was con-stitutional.

And this is when my embar-rassment as an American set in.

The Fith Amendment states,no person shall be deprivedo lie, liberty or property. TheCourt ound the Missouri Com-promise unconstitutional be-cause it stripped slave ownerso property [s laves]. Yes, slaveswere defned as property.

Well, there is your history les-son. Now Ill get to the point.

Racism will never die. Ever.I know Im stating the obvi-

ous, but there are hundreds oraces and thousands o ethnici-ties and hundreds o countries.The possibility o prejudices willalways exist. I it is not one raceor ethnicity, there will always beanother receiving some speci-fed, unnecessary hatred romanother. Racism is an ongoingprocess. The hate builds o onereligion onto one ethnicity androm one ethnicity to another,etc. It is a domino eect.

I realize America has madegreat advancements to unitysince the United States Consti-tution was signed in 1787. Six

years ater the Dred Scott case,the Emancipation Proclamation,reeing all persons held as slaves,was signed. However, it was notuntil 100 years later, in 1964 thatArican Americans truly oundreedom with the Civil RightsAct.

What kind o nation makestheir citizens struggle orequality or more than 100

years? A nation whose Consti-tution was ramed to never in-clude them as citizens.

Being raised in the South, Ibelieve racism is something thatresonates with everyone. His-tory shows that the South is theleast susceptive to unity, integra-tion and togetherness.

The thing I fnd most unath-omable about racism is no onechooses to be Arican-American,or Asian or Caucasian. How can

you hate others so passionatelyor the way they were born?

What i you were black in-stead o white? Female insteado male?

I you hate people so pas-sionately based on their race,gender or ethnicity, maybe atthe end o the day when youare counting your blessings youshould just be thankul you arenot them. Realize how lucky youare to be so arrogant that younever have to deal with the in-ictions o hatred like the ones

you cast upon them.

Amie Rolland is a senior journalismmajor from Shreveport who servesas editor for The Tech Talk. Emailcomments to [email protected].

THE REEL RUNNERFilms provide insight on society

PATRICK BOYDNews Editor

What movies do you like? ariend asked me this past week,and even though he asked thequestion jokingly, ater read-ing my The Woman in Blackmovie review, it got me thinking.

What movies do I like?More importantly, why do I

like a certain movie?When I watch a movie, I eel

like I get to know mysel better.I start to understand what isimportant to me, and it gives mea platorm to evaluate the worldaround me.

When I go to a movie, I trynot to let any outside interer-ence actor into my opinion orjudgment o a movie, whetherthat is award nominations amovie may receive or i it is abox ofce bomb.

I I am going to take twohours out o my day to watcha movie, I dont want to be en-gaged with it in a passive way,but rather provoked to eel

something.The average American mov-

iegoer, I am araid, has subject-ed himsel to a orm o passiv-ity when it comes to evaluatinganything these days.

With so much money goinginto the Hollywood machine, itsurprises me that people wouldrather expose themselves toanything Hollywood puts on ascreen than question a movieand its validity.

With the presidential partyprimaries going on right now,what would happen i no onequestioned the candidates?

Would we just give power tosomeone without being criticalo them and what they standor?

Dont answer that question.I eel the same goes or mov-

ies though.Ater all, movies represent

us.This also goes or any type

o art whether it be music,books or dance.

There is a wedge driven be-

tween art and an audiences ex-pectations.

People settling or saying amovie is good or bad, andreuse to look deeper.

I escapism is the only goalor seeing a movie, that also

bothers me, because i peopleneed to escape or hours at atime, this transorms moviesrom art into a type o medica-tion.

Movies should unction as a

type o catalyst or the mind--not Valium or the senses.I movies are total garbage, it

is only because we have allowedthem to get that way.

Some may argue that moviesare only or entertainment, butwhat good is entertainment i itdulls the mind?

This year movies like WarHorse, Melancholia, Mon-eyball and The Girl with theDragon Tattoo all swept meaway, not just because theywere entertaining, but becausethey exed my intellectual abili-ties as well.

While I think Transormersand Breaking Dawn are noth-ing better than kindling or a fre,there are benefts to horriblemovies like Extremely Loudand Incredibly Close and TheWoman in Black, primarily be-cause some o the best conver-sations I have had recently wereabout these movies.

By seeing other peoples re-actions to these flms, I got toknow them better and how they

view movies and what is accept-able to them.Good and bad movies can be

a cure or passivity, dependingon how active you want to bewith your thoughts.

I watch movies because Iwant to understand my societyand mysel better.

Movies oer a visual blue-print o just that.

Partick Boyd is a senior journalismand English major from Choudrantwho serves as editor for The TechTalk. E-mail comments to [email protected].

Insight

8/3/2019 TT 2.16.12

5/8

World&Nation


ASSOCIATED PRESS

MONROE, La. (AP) A re-vived auto racing track in Mon-roe has reclaimed a NASCARaliation.

Now known as RevolutionPark, the concrete oval at the55-acre, 4,000-seat complexis the only NASCAR-aliatedtrack in Louisiana. The News-Star (http://tnsne.ws/xUH1nS)reported that racing beginsApril 21 with a grand openingevent scheduled or May 5.

Drivers will compete in theNASCAR Whelen All-Ameri-can Series.

Monroe businessman GusCampbell bought the idle track

then known as the MonroeMotor Speedway in Novem-

ber. It was built or about $6.3million in 2008 but was plaguedearly by rain-outs and later bymanagement turnover. Its lastrace was in June 2010.

The NASCAR aliation wasannounced Monday by Camp-

bell and NASCARs Bob Duval.Weekly racing is the oun-

dation o NASCARs business,Duval said. When you look atthe sprint car stars on Sundays,

youre looking at drivers whostarted racing somewhere likethis. Monroe is a great marketor NASCAR to bin and we lookorward to being aliated withRevolution Park.

Campbell also plans to di-versiy the entertainment atthe track, scheduling concertsand other events on non-rac-ing weekends or weeknights.Campbell said he has alreadyinvested in capital improve-ments like draining, road andgravel work and the addition oa 150-seat bleacher section ordrivers teams.

I eel passionate about thisproject, Campbell said. Itstoo nice o a acility not toshare it with the community.Were going to set the bar highand when we crank it up itsgoing to be the premier racingvenue or this part o the coun-try.

Newly revived Monroespeedway gets NASCAR

ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) Brushing aside congressional

opposition, Deense SecretaryLeon Panetta and the nationstop military leader insisted onTuesday that President BarackObamas trimmer, $614 billiondeense budget will ensure theU.S. advantage worldwide withacceptable risks to the orceand missions.

Panetta and Army Gen.Martin Dempsey, the chairmano the Joint Chies o Sta, de-ended the blueprint that wouldslash the size o the Army andMarine Corps, cut back onshipbuilding and delay the pur-chase o some ghter jets andweapons systems. Overall, theudget or 2013 would provide

$525.4 billion in base spendingand another $88.5 billion or the

wars in Aghanistan and Iraq.The total is nearly $32 bil-

lion less than this years budget,a refection o the drawdownin the two conficts, a decadesince the Sept. 11 terrorist at-tacks and the clamor to reducethe nations decit.

Dempsey acknowledged theinherent risks o a smaller bud-get, but told the Senate ArmedServices Committee, werevery condent, because weveworked this collaboratively, thatwe can mitigate risks by adapt-ing lessons rom the last 10years o war, new emerging ca-pabilities.

In the rst o three days ocongressional testimony or the

Pentagon leaders, Panetta saidthe leadership o the DeenseDepartment military and ci-vilian was unied behind arevised strategy to shit the o-cus rom the long wars to uturechallenges in Asia, the Mideastand cyberspace and the pro-posed budget or the scal year

beginning Oct. 1.The show o unity rom the

political appointee and the se-nior ocer was meant to de-

fect criticism rom some inCongress, especially Republi-cans, that a Democratic com-mander in chie was hollowingout the orce.

Still, Republicans and Dem-ocrats on the panel challengedthe administrations call or an-other round o domestic baseclosures and raised parochialconcerns about the ate o labs,ships and submarines that meanthousands o jobs back home.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.,chairman o the panel, said thePentagon should look at shut-ting bases in Europe and over-seas beore targeting installa-tions in the United States

The panels top Republican,Sen. John McCain o Arizona,

said the proposed budget con-tinues the administrations habito putting short-term politicalconsiderations over our long-term national security inter-ests.

The overall spending wasdictated by the budget agree-ment that Obama and congres-sional Republicans reached lastAugust that calls or deensecuts o $487 billion over a de-cade. More troubling to Panettaand lawmakers is the likelihoodthat automatic, across-the-

board cuts will kick in in Janu-ary unless Congress can comeup with at least $1.2 trillion insavings.

The Pentagon would ace an

additional $492 billion in cuts.Panetta called the so-calledsequestration a mindless or-mula.

This is why Congress mustdo everything possible to makesure that we avoid sequestra-tion, he said. We are morethan prepared to work with the

Congress to try to develop anapproach that will de-triggersequestration. This approachwould subject the departmentto another $500 billion in ad-ditional cuts that would be re-quired to take place in a meat-ax approach.

The proposed budget wouldcut war spending. Money orIraq and Aghanistan will droprom $115 billion this year to$88.5 billion, with less than $3

billion spent or security in Iraq.

It also cuts in hal the amountspent on training and equippingAghanistans security orces a key element to the U.S. eortto gradually withdraw orcesand transer security responsi-

bility to the Aghans.While military personnel

still would get a 1.7 percent pay

raise, retirees would get hit witha series o increases in healthcare ees, co-pays and deduct-ibles. The impact would begreater on those who are under65 and are likely to have anoth-er job, as well as on those whomake more money.

The cuts, Dempsey said,will not lead to a military indecline. Rather, this budget willmaintain our militarys decisiveedge and help sustain Ameri-cas global leadership.

During our hours-pluso testimony, Panetta andDempsey addressed questionsabout the worlds hotspots Iran, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and A-ghanistan.

On Syria, Dempsey saidthe Pentagon does not have aclear picture o the opposition

challenging President BasharAssad. He said the UnitedStates is working in the intelli-gence community to develop a

better understanding.The Free Syrian Army,

which is, generally speaking, thecenterpiece o the opposition,is or the most part domestic,although we also know that oth-er regional actors are providingsupport. That complicates thesituation, Dempsey said.

McCain and a ew other sen-

ators have called or arming theSyrian rebels. Panetta said he will not

approve the release o any Tali-ban rom the Guantanamo Bay,Cuba, military prison as part oAghan peace talks unless hessure they wont return to the

battleeld. He said no decisions

have been made on such a re-lease.

Dempsey said he pleadewith Egypts ruling generals toresolve the crisis with Wash-ington over the crackdown oAmerican nonprot groupsthat promote democracy in theMiddle East, warning that thesimmering dispute threatens

billions in U.S. aid and the re-lationship between the two na-tions. He stopped short o say-ing whether his appeals during

a recent trip to Egypt swayethe generals to drop chargesagainst pro-democracy work-ers.

Panetta said he does nothink Israel has made a decisioto launch a military strike oIran to thwart its nuclear ambi-tions.

Military leaders support Obamas budget plan

AP Photo

Deense Secretary Leon Panetta, right, accompanied by Joint Chies Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, testifes on Capitol Hill in Wash-ington, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, beore the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Pentagons budget plan. (AP Photo/J. ScottApplewhite)

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LAST EDITIONS SOLUTION

WEEKLYHOROSCOPE www.horoscopes.com.net

AriesMarch 21 April 19Rumors may be circulating today, Aries,which could cause a certainpanic.Some o your riends and colleagues could be calling you at hometo discuss the matter. However,these rumors are probably based onlittle more than gossip,so dont take them seriously. Someone couldhave an axe to grind and tend to blow things all out o proportion. Trynot to engage in this gossip.Stay calm and let your callers know that,or you, the best strategy seems to be to wait or the situation to growclearer.That should get you through.

aurusApr 20 - May 20Bizarre news that comes to you rom ar away,possibly via email or theInternet, could be spreading like wildre among the people you knowand causing a lot o excitement,Taurus.Take care that you dont get tooexcited,since this is very likely to be misinormation that some ratherweird minds have garbled.Consider it interesting,th ink about it, butdont take it seriously unless reliable sources conrm it.

GeminiMay 21 - Jun 20Some rather disturbing news about trends in the world economy couldhave you and everyone around you worrying about your nancial uture.Have aith, Gemini.What youre hearing may be total misinormation.The uture is probably going to shape up to be ar dierent than thepicture you draw rom the news.In act, you might nd that your ownpersonal nances take a denite turn or the better.

CancerJun 21 - Jul 22Get-togethers with riends today could prove a bit unsettling, Cancer,as someone who attends them could throw out an opinion or possibilitythat seems rather shocking.This opinion,however, is likely to be based

on rumor,gossip, and other misinormation,so it would be a good ideato suggest that these concepts be explored in order to ascertain theacts. Theyll probably turn out to be ar more positive than you heartoday.

LeoJul 23 - Aug 22Someone close to you could develop some strange symptoms thatcause this person to panic.It never hurts to consult a doctor,but whenthis person does, he or she is likely to nd that these problems areprobably nothing more than stress,too much work, or overindulgencein ood or drink.Thereore,dont you panic, too! You might nd yourselmaking phone calls or running errands to enable your riend to getsome rest.

VirgoAug 23 - Sep 22Group activities might prove a little unsettling or you today,Virgo.Ani-mated discussions could turn into angry quarrels and this could oendyour desire or harmony.A lot o misinormation could be exchangedtoday and cause conusion and short tempers.Stay home i you can,buti you must go out,dont be araid to leave at the rst sign o arguments.They arent likely to accomplish much ater that anyway.

LibraSep 23 - Oct 22A member o your household is likely to be in a very strange moodtoday, Libra.This person has heard some news that is conusing andprobably untrue and thereore is wondering what eect this would haveon their situation.I he or she discusses it with you, the best adviceyou could give would be to not panic until theres a chance to check theacts.The truth is probably a lot dierent rom what youve all heard.

ScorpioOct 23 - Nov 21Attempts to contact others in dierent states or oreign countries todaycould go awry,Scorpio,as technology that we tend to take or granted,such as telephones and the Internet,could malunction,perhaps due tosolar fares.There isnt much point in making yoursel crazy,as this is

beyond human control.The only thing you can do is wait! In the mean-time,do something else that you love.

SagittariusNov 22 - Dec 21Machines involved in nancial transactions, such as ATMs, phonesystems, or banking websites could malunction today,Sagittarius, soyou might have to resort to dealing with money in the old ashionedway:by going into the bank or writing checks.Electrical storms or solarfares could be interering with satellite signals, so there isnt muchyou can do. Needless to say,this isnt a good day to make any majornancial transactions.

CapricornDec 22 - Jan 19This might be a good day to take some time or yoursel, Capricorn.Contact with others,no matter how much you love them, isnt likely togo well,as most people are probably restless and in uncertain moods.This is a good day to catch up on your reading or web surng and workon projects o your own that you may have been neglecting or a while.You can always contact your riends tomorrow!

AquariusJan 20 - Feb 18Today you might be trying to learn about a new orm o moderntechnology, perhaps computer related, Aquarius,and you could nd ittoo conusing or words.Your brain could be going into overload, soits probably best to take it one step at a time! Its also important toremember to take breaks and clear your head.Too much inormation allat once could result in your not being able to absorb any o it.

PiscesFeb 19 - Mar 20Weirdness is the keyword or today,Pisces. You could be fooded withinormation rom newspapers or the Internet that seems very strange toyou.Theres a reason or this. Its very likely to be misinormation! Dontbe araid to take it with a grain o salt, even though others take it very

seriously.Hang on to your skepticism, and dont pass the inormationon unless you preace it with your honest opinion.

CROSSWORDPUZZLE www.sudoku-puzzles.net

DAILY U Email feedback to [email protected] www.accuweather.comTODAY

HIGH68

LOW 43

FRIDAY

HIGH64

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SATURDAY

HIGH53

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SUNDAY

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MONDAY

HIGH65

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TUESDAY

HIGH66

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WEDNESDAY

Across1. Diamond protectors6. Of high grade10. General ___ chicken14. Farewell15. ___ Brockovich16. Lhasa ___17. Biblical spy18. Fabric ridge19. Capones nemesis20. Boring tool22. Palace of a sultan24. Bottle lid26. Slender27. Freckle31. 100 square meters32. Like Wrigley Fields walls33. Like a toad36. Half a y39. Open ___ night40. Crusoes creator41. Leak slowly42. Cheer for Manolete43. Arranges in groups44. Sham45. Citizen Kane studio46. Inelastic rubber48. Scoffs51. Hit sign52. Implies54. Finally59. Dies ___60. Travel from place to place62. Hazardous63. Drops from the sky64. Gutter locale65. Like Cheerios66. Ammo67. School orgs.68. Commerce

Down1. Diplomacy2. Purim month3. Anger4. Quick look5. Slightly sour6. Not many7. Some nest eggs8. Frasiers brother9. Weaken10. Snarl11. European wheat

12. Actor Davis

13. Fair21. Badger23. Ethereal25. Strength27. Prom wheels28. The ___ Dead, classic

horror movie29. Greek goddess of victory30. Drivers aid34. P.m.35. Thorny owers36. Actress Garr37. Denomination38. Blunted blade40. Threshold41. Japanese honoric43. ___-Ball44. Hoof infection of sheep45. Governor47. Bikini top48. Twilled fabric of silk49. Marsh of mystery50. Brown ermine

52. Letter opener

53. Capital of Fiji55. Make-up artist?56. Dog star57. Timetable, for short58. Actress Daly61. Hi-___

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while domestic violence makesp such a large portion o our

entertainment, people justarent all that interested inlearning about local domesticviolence. Its very dishearteningto hear those statistics haventchanged.

Some Tech students like AnnOdom, a sophomore elemen-tary education major, said she

had no idea the statistic was sohigh.You dont see it that o-

ten around campus and whenpeople tell you that its hard to

elieve, she said.DART is an organization

that assists victims o amilyviolence. Faircloth said it alsoempowers women, osters inde-pendence and educates themon their rights so they can makean inormed decision about

what they want to do with theirlives.

Faircloth said DART servespeople in North Central Loui-siana, including a Ruston ofcein Lincoln Parish. She said theyassisted more than 700 peoplelast year.

Odom said she believes do-mestic abuse is a big issue on anational scale because she seesit oten on television but its notso much o an issue on a localscale.

You dont really think aboutit until you see it or it happensto someone you know, shesaid.

Faircloth said there is an in-crease in danger in the college-age range. Women ages 16-24are more likely to be victims odating violence.

Jared Simoneaux, a sopho-more wildlie management ma-

jor, said people might not noticedomestic violence because they

may be trying to hide the abuse.Its kind o embarrassing

when you think about it, hesaid. They are hurting a mem-

ber o their own amily.Faircloth said being a victim

o abuse is similar to being aprisoner o war. She said that

batterers have an innate knowl-edge o the techniques o psy-chological torturers.

Women are so stressed outand so tortured that in severelyabusive relationships just sur-

viving rom day to day becomesthe priority, she said.DART has a 12-bed shelter

at a confdential location toserve as a sae place or victimswho need it, Faircloth said.

We have a sta there 24/7and a crisis line that rings in theshelter 24/7, she said. Help is

just a phone call away.

Email comments to

[email protected].

>DART from pg. 1

8/3/2019 TT 2.16.12

7/8


More Talk

A Class in EtiquettePhoto by Sumeet Shoestha

Emily Weidner, a student at the

Louisiana Center for the Blind, is a

visiting student at Tech this quarter.

REBECCA SPENCE

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

More than a dozen visually impairedstudents are enrolled or visiting in class-es at Tech this quarter and more than 30

can be seen roaming the campus eitherin training or just strolling.In Ruston this is normal or most

students, but beore enrolling at Techmany students have not been exposedto blind or visually impaired people on adaily basis. Some students such as Bar-

bara Baldwin, a junior kinesology andhealth promotion major, did not haveany visually impaired student in theirhigh school.

I came rom a very small school,Baldwin said. I dont think I ever inter-acted with a visually impaired student

beore coming to Tech.The transition rom a high school

with only sighted people, to a universitywith a growing blind population could

be conusing in the interaction.It is hard to know when to help

because you want to help someone i

they seem to be in need, Baldwin said.However, it is a tricky situation because

you do not want to embarrass or oendan individual i they do not need help.

Stacy Lolley, coordinator o disabilityservices, agreed that the blind studentswho come to the testing center do notneed very much help aside rom the pro-grams they oer that aide in reading theexams. Lolley said the homework andclass material is worked out with theirproessors so that the visually impairedstudents can learn the inormation withthe same opportunities o a sighted per-son.

The students come here to take ex-ams by using screen reader programs,listening to the exams or getting theexams ont enlarged, Lolley said.We provide a way or the studentsto complete their schoolwork, andthen they can take it over romthere.

Visually impaired studentsare on the same grading scale

as sighted students and havethe same entrance require-

ments or gaining admit-tance to Tech.

The Institute onBlindness also oers

a Masters pro-gram or visually

impaired stu-dents, Lol-

ley said.There

are

also classes that train visually impairedstudents to become mobility instruc-tors.

Roland Allen, a cane instructor at theLouisiana Center or the Blind, is whatthe Institute on Blindness trains indi-viduals to become. Allen said this pro-

gram teaches visually impaired or blindpeople how to navigate around Rustonand on campus by using canes.

You may see some people aroundcampus in that (mobility instructor) pro-gram because it takes two to learn howto do that, Allen said. There are quitea ew blind people around campus rightnow.

Allen also said that blind peoplesometimes lose ocus or get a little dis-oriented i they are new in their train-ing, and that this is the time that you canoer, but never orce help upon thesestudents.

It is OK i you go up to them andoer them some assistance, but i theysay no, it is important or you to leave,Allen said.

I this tactic does not seem likeenough help in your own mind, Allen

said to still respect the persons spaceand trust him, because most o the timei he is just directed in the right area, hewill know how to travel there.

To veriy, I may repeat the direc-tions back to you and point in the di-rections o the places, Allen said. I Ihave them right, then thats it, and Ill beon my way. I dont need any more helpater that.

There are certain techniques used,such as shore lining, or when blindpeople are walking on streets withoutsidewalks. Shore lining is when a blindperson and his cane stay as close to thecurb as possible. Allen said i you seepeople shore lining, you should not bestartled or worried because they knowwhat they are doing. He said sometimespeoples minds wander or they become

unocused, and this is when it is vital tohelp.When you see a blind person in

the middle o the street, it is ok to sayto them, you are in the middle o thestreet, you may want to go to the right,Allen said. Even i they say they dontneed help, it is never OK or people to

be in the middle o the street.Allen also said the manner in which

you direct a blind person is important.Blind students are just like every otherstudent, except they cannot see and Al-len wants Tech to be aware o that.

A blind person doesnt want to betouched just as much as a sighted per-son doesnt want to be touched, Allensaid. Grabbing me by the shoulders andturning me in the direction o a place is

unacceptable.

There have been cases where peoplehave grabbed Allens cane and tried todrag him toward his destination. He saidthis is distasteul and even dangerous orthe person with the cane. Tree branches,

bikes parked in odd places and unevensidewalks are some o the things that

aid in disorientation. Lolley said Techtries to prevent potentially dangeroussituations as well.

I these things are in the way, it can just make it a little bit harder on themgetting where they need to go, Lolleysaid. I a bike is parked on the stairs, itcould be hazardous and cause a studentto all down the steps.

Tech and Ruston both have beenworking on making the campus anddowntown area more pedestrian riend-ly, which, in turn, will make it easier orvisually impaired or blind individuals aswell. Tech is working on putting Braillesigns in all o the new buildings that are

being built on-campus, as well as curbcuts. Curb cuts are the yellow squarepads at the end o sidewalks with raised

bumps in them so that blind people willknow the sidewalk is ending.

Things that are benefcial to pedestri-ans as a whole, sighted or blind are goodinvestments, but Allen said changes spe-cifcally or blind students are lookeddown upon by most blind people.

We dont want any modifcationsto the campus or to the street; we dontwant any modifcations at all, Allensaid.We dont want the world to adjustto us; we want to adjust to the world.

Allen said i money is going to bespent on something or blind people, itshould be something substantial, or lieater graduation rom the Center or theBlind or Tech.

I money is going to be spent, wewant it to be spent on training or jobs,so people can be employed when theyleave here, he said. Here at the Centerwe train people to travel without using

those things.Because many blind people are soindependent it is easy or sighted peopleto be amazed at their daily accomplish-ments. But Allen said the largest hope or

blind or visually impaired people is thatthey will not be treated dierently romanyone else. He hopes that students atTech will not stereotype, because theyare just as diverse as sighted students.

We like sports, we like watchingootball, baseball, we go on trips, we talkabout politics, we are just like anybodyelse, Allen said. Blind people are notamazing, we are just out there doingwhat is necessary to live our lives.

Email comments to

[email protected].

Appropriate ways to interact with blind students at Tech

If you see a

blind student:

Do

Dont

Say hello when you pass by.

Ask if assistance is needed.

If help is declined, walk away.

Park your bike on the bike rack.

Report hanging branches to TechPolice.

Grab shoulders to direct.

Continue to help after help isdeclined.

Ignore completely.

Be startled if yousee a blind personShore lining.

8/3/2019 TT 2.16.12

8/8


ANNA CLAIRE THOMAS

Sports Editor

REINA KEMPT

Associate Sports Editor

Its quickly approachingspringtime in Ruston which canonly mean one thing: the returno Bulldog baseball and LadyTechster sotball to keep us busy.

The Bulldogs are ready toslide into the 2012 campaign,starting with a three-game homeseries against UT-Arlington Fri-day through Sunday at J.C. LoveField at Pat Patterson Park.

The Dogs are coming o aseason that saw them go 34-27and return some key compo-nents to last years squad despitelosing a ew o their star playersin last years Major League Base-

ball Drat.Junior pitcher Jeb Stean willno doubt shine on the mound orTech ater posting an earned runaverage o 4.52 last season andnotching seven wins on the year.

Head coach Wade Simo-neaux said his team will eed othe leadership o his upperclass-men, his two seniors, frst base-men Alex Williams and outfeld-er Justin Gordey in particular.

They lead by the examplesthey set, he said. Theyre notreally the vocal type. They setgood examples or our guys onand o the feld. Theyve steppedup as leaders and we have a goodgroup o juniors as well.

Simoneaux spoke o the im-portance o having good chem-

istry within the team, which hethinks has been top notch so arthis spring.

Its the best since Ive beenhere, he said. They like eachother a lot and they play hardtogether. Hopeully well start thisseason the way we fnished last

year.While the Bulldog baseball

team has yet to begin their cam-paign, the Lady Techster sotballteam is in ull swing, with theteam playing in last weekendsLSU tournament that saw themleave Baton Rouge with a 1-3 re-cord on the year.

Ater matching up with toughcompetition last weekend, the

Lady Techster sotball team lookto impress in the UL-LaayetteTournament Friday through Sun-day as they will play fve gamesin a span o three days.

They will meet up with nota-bly good teams like North Caro-lina, Northwestern and the hostteam ULL in the tournament.

The Techsters have alreadyexperienced some hardships thisearly in the season with lossesagainst teams like LSU and twonail-biters to Michigan last week-end as they competed in the LSUTournament.

With a preseason WesternAthletic Conerence rankingo six out o eight teams, headcoach Sarah Dawson said theteam has to stay ocused.

We just have to ocus on our-selves, Dawson said. We have alot o fguring out to do and we

will come into every game striv-ing to get better.Dawson said she is looking

orward to her squad showingtheir ocus with a difcult sched-ule in store.

More importantly, she looksor her upperclassmen like seniorcatcher Allie Geisler and senioroutfelder Kendra Harmon tokeep the fve reshman they haveon the squad level headed.

Dawson said while she canguarantee that a ew o the resh-men will be put to the test early,she expects them to step up andplay hard this season. Also, withtheir main pitcher rom last yeargraduated, Dawson is still tryingto fnd a perect ft to fll that po-sition.

Geisler is seen as the mostvocal Techster on the squad andshe said being the veteran lead-er on the feld is something sheeels she needs to do.

Im someone people canturn to when they have a ques-tion, Geisler said. I know aboutthis game so Im able to helpthem out. The reshmen make iteasy because they want to listenand learn.

Both teams are set to taketo the diamond this weekend intheir respective contests.

Email comments [email protected] [email protected].

Baseball, softball kick off seasons

Spring

season

brings new

interests

FROM THE SPORTS DESK

FROM THE SPORTS DESKANNA CLAIRE THOMASwith

We are starting to see achange in our sportsinterests as o late,with the addition o the

spring sports on our calendars.While basketball, tennis,

bowling and track are well intotheir spring seasons, the Bull-dog baseball and Lady Techstesotball teams are just gettinginto the swing o things and arepoised or promising 2012 cam-paigns with big things in storeor them this year.

Every year we spend wintequarter in a sports renzy oveootball championships and lasminute buzzer beaters in bas-ketball, but once Tech takes tothe diamond come February, althose worries are replaced with

the relaxing sounds o the cracko the bat on a sunny spring day.

Both squads are set opromising seasons, despite los-ing several key members thamade last years teams success-ul.

The Bulldogs have wel-comed 15 resh aces to this

years squad, but will look to theupperclassmen or leadershipdown the stretch this season.

As or the Techsters, whohave already begun their sea-son, nine upperclassmen areexpected to make big contribu-tions to the squad.

These improvements madewill no doubt make or a greaseason or both squads on thediamond.

Theres always been some-thing about baseball and sot-

ball that seemed very calming.Maybe its the predictability,

and at the same time unpre-dictability, that come with thesports.

Or maybe its just becausethe ocus that ootball and bas-ketball requires is not quite asintense or baseball.

Ater watching both teamsreligiously or the past ou

years, I can honestly say there isnothing more relaxing than sit-ting in the stands on a Sundayaternoon watching Tech taketo the diamond.

I cant help but eel the ex-citement o a kid when thinking

o the prospect o those lazyweekends spent at the ballpark.Al Gallagher once said,

There are three things in mylie which I really love: God, myamily and baseball. The onlyproblem--once baseball sea-son starts, I change the ordearound a bit.

I cant help but agree with Al--at least during the spring.

Anna Claire Thomas is a seniojournalism major from Monroe whserves as sports editor. Email com-ments to [email protected].

Sports Talk

BULLDOG BASKETBALLvs. North Dakota - 2/16 8 p.m.vs. Central Arkansas - 2/18 3:30 p.m.

LADY TECHSTERBASKETBALLvs. San Jose State - 2/16 6 p.m.vs. New Mexico State - 2/18 6 p.m.

BULLDOG BASEBALLvs. UT-Arlington2/17 6 p.m.

2/18 3:30 p.m.2/19 1 p.m.

LADY TECHSTERSOFTBALLat UL Lafayette Tournament

UPCOMING ATHLETICS

Archived Photos

Top: Senior outfelder Justin Gordey and the Bulldog baseball squad will kick o their 2012season Friday as they begin a three-game series with UT-Arlington at J.C. Love Field.Bottom: Senior outfelder Kendra Harmin will try to keep the Lady Techster sotball team inthe win column Friday as they begin the UL-Laayette Tournament.

Bulldogs set for

non-conference

matchups at homeREINA KEMPT

Associate Sports Editor

Ater a 3-7 start in con-erence play, the Bulldog

basketball team is looking towork their way to a higherranking in conerence play

in order to receive a higherseed in the Western AthleticConerence Tournament.

In order to do that, theywill test themselves againstNorth Dakota (11-12) andCentral Arkansas (7-16) intwo non-conerence gamesto stay preppedor the tourna-ment.

Tech will hostNorth Dakota atthe Thomas As-sembly Centertonight at 8 p.m.and Central Ar-kansas Saturdayat 3:30 p.m. inthe annual Bracket Buster.

Tech has been steadilyimproving on the oensiveend where they have strug-gled throughout conerenceplay, but the little things havekept them rom fnishing outclose games.

Freshman guard Ken-neth Smith said losing twovery close games to the un-deeated Nevada and thehot-shooting New MexicoState gives them motivationto know that they can beatthese squads.

We go back and lookat the flm and see our mis-takes and what we couldvedone dierent to beat theseteams, Smith said. Weknow we can do better and

we can beat any team in theconerence.Smith said there are some

things they strive to get bet-ter at as a team, and thereare also some individual

We dont box out andwe dont get every rebound,Smith said. Its small mis-takes. I have to work on mydeense and my jump shot.

Senior orward Roma-rio Souza said that the littlethings like ree throws andrebounding are going to

make a big dierence goinginto the WAC Tournament.

The tournament is goingto be three games in threedays, which is going to takesome stamina or the Bull-dogs to pull through and staycompetitive this late in the

season.In prepara-

tion and in or-der to stay inshape, Tech hasscheduled twonon-conerencegames againstNorth Dakotaand Central Ar-kansas instead

o taking a week and a hal

o during their down time inconerence play.Conditioning is a big

part o head coach MichaelWhites game plan accordingto Souza and has helped himdown the stretch.

I lost 30 pounds sincecoach got here this year,Souza said. He always stress

being in shape and its whatwe have to do to play our

best.Tech has to come togeth-

er and fgure out what theyremissing beore the WACTournament as they look tofnish their season o strongand shock their conerenceopponents.

Both games can be ol-

lowed on Gametracker orans can tune in to KXKZ107.5 FM and KJVC 92.7FM with Dave Nitz with thecall or the Bulldogs in bothcontests

Lady Techsters look to continue

two-game winning streak at homeDEREK AMAYA

Sports Reporter

Ater almost being upset by the Idaho Vandalswith a close score o 61-57 on Feb. 11, the LadyTechsters (13-11, 6-3 WAC) are trying to fnish theregular season on a strong note as they take on SanJose State, Hawaii and New Mexico State in a three-game homestand.

Senior orward Shantale Bramble-Donaldson has

been the leader this team needs lately as she scoreda career-high 25 points and snatched 14 reboundsagainst Idaho, earning her the Western Athletic Con-erence Player o the Week award last week.

Bramble-Donaldson said the next ew games aregoing to be crucial or the Techsters i they want achance to jump ahead in the WAC standings.

These next couple o games are going to be re-ally important, Bramble-Donaldson said. We haveto do whatever we have to do to get the win. Therewill be times theyll have runs, but we need to have

Photo by Dacia Idom

Senior orward Shantale Bramble-Donaldson hasbeen on fre as o late or Tech and she and the Tech

more.Head coach Teresa Weatherspoon said the

teams they have played are talented and workhard, but continues to stress to the team tocontinue to play aggressive basketball in orderor them to be successul.

We are going in the direction we need to be going in right now, she said. It is unnyhow your team starts to peak at the right time.Our kids are doing much better in sharing the

basketball and playing better.

Senior guard Angie Felton fnished theIdaho game with our points and six rebounds,helping her team pull out another tough winon the road despite the typical tiring o bodiesthis late in the season.

Down the stretch our bodies get tired, butwe come in and work to get better, she said.We got our ans behind us to give us energyand keep us motivated. San Jose State was onthe down side, but they have a lot more talentand its going to be a hard competition.

San Jose States last win came against Ha-waii 67-58 and Hawaii has not played well to-ward the end o the season losing against sev-eral conerence teams.

We have told our kids the whole way thatwe must protect home, Weatherspoon said.Weve done great on the road, but we musttake care o the house. San Jose State is a verygood basketball team under a coach who haslited up their spirits.

She said San Jose State plays great pound-ing in the paint and deensively covers thepaint to orce teams to shoot the ball more.

We have to take it a game at a time andpossession at a time, Weatherspoon said.Once our kids understand the value o everypossession, theyll understand what it takes tomake a deensive stop or rebound.

Donaldson said the team wants to prove tothe other conerence teams the Lady Techsterswere predicted frst in the WAC or a reasonand they are prepared to accept the challenge.

Going through the conerence games,the game gets harder, she said. Every teamwants to go the tournament and it is very im-portant to keep up the intensity.

The Lady Techsters play San Jose State inthe Thomas Assembly Center at 6 p.m. tonightand Hawaii at 6 p.m. Saturday on their homecourt as well.

For updates o the game, ollowThe Tech

Talk sports page on Twitter at www.twitter.com/techtalksports.

The game can also be heard on the LATechSports Network on ESPN 97.7 FM with Mal-colm Butler with the call or the Lady Tech-

tt 2.16.12

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