Pg. 6 Local Musician

Podcast

Friday, September 24, 2010

Vol. 77 No. 4 asurampage.com

see “Heading“ pg. 4

Pg. 3 Constitutional Debate

Till,

Resignation: Special election to come

Scott DykowskiEditor-in-Chief

For the second time this year, the student body president is stepping down.

Senior Justin Till, student body president, and sophomore Monique Lockwood, student body vice president, resigned Wednesday from their positions,

according to a letter the Ram Page received from Till.

“We’ve never encountered this kind of situation before,” said Nolan Mears, executive director of Student Life.

Till released the letter to the students Wednesday night, an-nouncing his resignation as of 8 a.m. that morning.

“While it is unfortunate that my departure has been deemed necessary, Monique and I both care deeply about Angelo State University, and are hopeful that

the progress we have made over the past several months will continue,” Till said in his letter.

Till said he will not explain why they resigned.

“It’s unfortunate, but those are the rules I have to abide by,” Till said. “Know this: no action taken by either me or Monique during our tenure negatively impacted our job performance, the SGA, the students or the uni-versity.”

Till and Lockwood’s ad-ministration lasted almost four months.

The Student Senate’s next step is to hold a special election

for a new student body president

and vice president, Mears said. First, the senate will open a

filing period to complete appli-cations for students interested in campaigning.

A campaigning period and then elections will follow.

“The details are still being worked out,” Mears said.

Travis Barnett, president pro tempore, will work as the Student Senate president until a new pres-ident is elected.

Till took the position May 31 when former Student Body Presi-dent Jeff Harris took a position as the first student regent for the Texas Tech position.

During Till and Lockwood’s tenure, they initiated a campus-wide voter registration project, expanded the Student Discount Program, worked to redesign the Student Organization Leadership Fund system, advocated a stu-dent-led safe ride home program, discussed affordable daycare ser-vice, campaigned for increased dining options, lobbied more accessible and reliable campus safety measures and launched the ‘True Blue @ ASU’ initiative, Till said in his letter. File Photo

Justin Till. senior.

See Justin Till’s full letter to the students at asurampage.com

stepdown

Beat the heat with classes

Trimesters: Committee to explore idea

Dana Choi Staff Writer

The university president introduced Wednesday, Sept. 15, the idea of converting the academic calendar to a tri-mester system in response to the state’s expectations, the university president said.

In his State of the University address, President Joseph C. Rallo suggested that the school should move away from the current semester model to improve efficiency.

Dr. Anthony Blose, the provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, is organizing a small committee, the Task Force to Study the Trimester Model, to explore the idea. He said the committee will comprise of deans, faculty members and possibly students.

“I’m interested to see what the advantages and disad-vantages [of a trimester model] will be,” Blose said. “We’re bringing a number of people who have expertise in differ-ent areas to the table so they can talk about it and look at all the possibilities.”

The committee would have to consider all the aspects that would be impacted by such a change, including stu-dent affairs, the enrollment and retention of students and financial aid, Blose said.

“One might ask, ‘Why is this not being done anywhere else?’ or ‘What about this idea have institutions decided won’t work?’” Blose said. “You don’t hear very much of

Lockwood

Clinics : Lake House facilities offer activities

Kimberley Parker Photo Editor

Students, faculty and staff hit the water Thursday, Sept. 17, to learn kayak skills, meet new peo-ple and have fun.

“We had a full group of twen-ty participants,” said Ian Brown, director of outdoor adventures. “I think everyone had a good time.”

The Kayak 101 clinic is one of three outdoor clinics and three outdoor adventures offered this

semester. Each is aimed at pro-viding fresh interests, outdoor skill training and safety educa-tion.

“Seems like a good opportu-nity to learn something and ex-ercise,” lecturer in Communica-tions Tony Blair said.

Blair and his wife, Maggie, shared a two seat kayak and practiced flat water kayaking in the lake water around the Lake House facility.

Madonna Rebulanan, senior, said she signed up for the clinic to meet new people because she is new to San Angelo and her hus-band is away on duty.

Brown was hired to organize

outdoor clinics and adventure programs as part of UREC’s stu-dent fee expansion project.

Brown said the education clinics at the lake house facility are aimed at providing a special skill set and addressing student interest.

“The goal is to start with smaller but high caliber activi-ties that go off without a hitch,” Brown said.

Brown said the success of these clinics will create the de-mand for more activities.

Dan Robertson, assistant di-rector UREC, said the Outdoor Adventures program is more sought after because it is new.

Photo by Kimberley Parker

Ian Brown, director of Outdoor Adventures, demonstrates balancing a kayak, Thursday Sept. 16., during the Kayak 101 clinic at the Lake House facility.

URECOutdoor Adventuressee “Extra“ pg. 2

Campus News Friday, September 24, 2010 Page 2

Kenny Greenwood, President, BSM

Major: EnglishClassification: Senior, 5th yearMusic: Folk, acoustic styleHobbies: Play a ton of music, sit around with

roommates talking about scripture and whatever comes to mind

Restaurant: Mathis Field Cafe

Baptist Student Ministries

Purpose: Spread the gospel to the campus and just hang out and have fun

Events: Freshman Bible Studies on Tuesday nights, upperclassman studies on Monday and Thursday nights. The gathering is held once a month along with “Late Nights” after home foot-ball games.

Advice: “Go to class...and stay tuned to what your calling is, don’t lose sight of what your do-ing here at college and most importantly keep Christ at the center of your life,” Greenwood said.

Next Monday, September 27, see the video interview online at asurampage.com.

Next week’s “A Close Up” will feature DJ Johnson, president of POWER. Send your questions to rampage@angelo.edu

BSMKenny Greenwood

with

and

Phot

o by

Pam

Bel

cher

Smart device app: IT researches software demand

Dana Choi Staff Writer

Students may be able to take Black-board with them by most mobile devices anywhere they go in the future.

Information Technology is trying to enable the Blackboard Mobile Learn application for all carriers and mobile phones.

“As we look at it, there are more and more students coming to campus with smart phones and mobile devices,” said Slade Cozart, a technology services spe-cialist. “There’s a change where students want access to information right away…they want to do that from wherever they are.”

Blackboard realized this and created an interface that allows students to check it from any location, Cozart said.

“You can be wherever and check the sta-tus of a course, an assignment, a grade, a dis-cussion board, etc.,” said Jeane Irby, director of Strategic Planning and Communication.

Currently the Blackboard Mobile Learn application, which is free, is only available on the Sprint devices BlackBer-ry and Android and the Apple devices iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.

Students can access Blackboard on Sprint wherever there is connection, but through the Apple devices, students can only access it on a wireless network.

“We understand that all our students aren’t going to be on a Sprint device and that they may not have an iPhone or an iPad,” Cozart said. “We’re trying to work with the venders to figure out the best way for us to enable Blackboard Mobile Learn for all students.”

IT is trying to figure out how to han-dle the cost of enabling the application for all carriers, Cozart said.

Irby said the initial cost to license

Blackboard across all platforms and car-riers was about $28,000 and the annual maintenance fee $5,000. IT is working with Blackboard to lower the fees.

“We were an early adopter of ASU Mobile, so we’re trying to work with [Blackboard] right now to see if we can get the cost down to make it more fea-sible,” Irby said.

This was not included in a budget because Mobile Learn did not become available until April and the budgeting process for the fiscal year started Febru-ary, Irby said.

“We were already four or five months into the budgeting process,” Cozart said.

Currently there is no definite way of funding it, Irby said.

“When we say funding, we don’t mean students would be charged,” Irby said. “There was no fee increase [this fall]

related to deliver-ing this service.”

Possible sourc-es of funding in-clude enrollment increase, the tech-nology services fee and the Center for Security Studies grant.

Student feed-back would simpli-fy asking for funds, Cozart said. For ex-ample, IT was able to initiate RamMail because of the stu-dent demand for it.

“We weren’t exactly sure how inter-ested the students would be,” Irby said. “We need to verify that there’s a demand for it.”

There are mixed feelings among stu-dents about Mobile Learn.

Graduate student Seth Chomout, who uses the application about three to four times a week on his iPad, said he supports the enabling of the application for more platforms.

On the other side, students such as senior David Chung do not find the ap-plication necessary at all.

“I think it is much easier to use [Blackboard] on the computer,” Chung said. “It’s worth checking out, but I don’t see many practical uses for it.”

Blackboard on the go

“There’s a change where students want access to informa-tion right away…they want to do that from wherever they are.”

Slade Cozart

International students learning English

Photo by Pam BelcherInternational Korean students Hanjo Ryu and Yeonha Lee practice English during their ELLI class.

ELLI: Program seeks lan-guage and social intergra-tion with campus

Allison Duggan Staff Writer

Eight Korean students are attend-ing an English learning program this semester.

English Language Learners’ Insti-tute launched last August with the help of program coordinator Carole Simp-son.

“ELLI began because the school wanted to support the growth of inter-national students at ASU, but many of those who want to come don’t meet the English language requirements needed to enroll as regular students,” Simpson said.

The program is also open to people in the community who want to improve their English.

“ELLI is an intensive English pro-gram, because they only study Eng-lish and they study 20 hours a week in much smaller classes,” Simpson said.

Students make presentations and interview an American student as a part of the class.

“The communicative methodology is not listening to lectures,” Simpson said. “It’s getting the students in pairs and groups and doing activities where they use the language.”

ELLI students say they don’t want special treatment from anyone.

“International students just have to try harder to understand their profes-sors and classmates; it all depends on how much effort they want to put into it,” recent ELLI graduate and physics major Widu Kim said. “It’s the student’s responsibility, not the teachers’.”

Students currently in the ELLI pro-gram like learning with other Koreans, but wish there were more foreign stu-dents to interact with.

“The majority of students who have entered the program so far have been South Korean, but there have also been students from India, China, Vietnam, Russia, Peru and Mexico,” Simpson said. “We would like for the school to have more academic programs that would be attractive to international stu-dents, like engineering.”

The Center for International Studies hopes the students will have an easier time meeting people and integrating into regular campus life as a result of the program.

Honor’s Society and Circle K help with ELLI by attending the Conversa-tion Partners meeting, Wednesdays at noon in MCS 119.

“Processing information is tough, but the key is to be able to get these stu-dents to speak with confidence,” Simp-son said.

Several of the ELLI students said they have also joined a Christian club, play intramural sports or are members of other organizations like UCPC.

“Being here is one of the greatest experiences of my life,” South Korean student Yong Tae Jung said.

continued from Page 1

Blose said he hopes the committee will have recommendations by Novem-ber, but it is possible the committee will need more time for research.

Even if the committee comes up with recommendations by May 2011, it would still take several years to see changes in the system, Rallo said. Only the Board of Regents can decide whether or not to change the system.

The trimester model would not en-tail increased expenses for students be-cause every semester would be the same length and cost the same.

“You pay for three semesters, but you’re not paying anything more—you’re just taking them within a year,” Rallo said. “It’s not really an issue of cost to the students. It’s making better use of our campus and allowing more oppor-tunities. We’re trying to give students and faculty more options.”

The summer trimester would be optional like the current summer ses-sions.

“We’re trying to increase choices,

not make it mandatory or forceful,” Ral-lo said. “If a student wants to graduate in three years, this would make it easier. If a student wants to graduate in four years but wants to take 12 hours because they work or have other obligations, then [he or she] can [take] six during the summer.”

Over the summer, the buildings and staff remain the same, Rallo said. One of the differences between the summer ses-sions and the fall and spring semesters is the faculty.

“So the question becomes, ‘Can we offer students more options by making the summer school bigger?’” Rallo said.

There will be no changes in the next two years, Rallo said, since the univer-sity calendars are approved two years ahead of time.

“Nothing’s going to happen from that perspective,” Rallo said. “When the state asks, ‘What are you doing to be more efficient with the tax payers’ mon-ey?’ one of the things I would like to be able to say is, ‘We’re exploring the use of the summer.’”

Extra semester in the year

Friday, September 24, 2010Page 3 Campus News

Debate: Students vote down Constitution second time

Mark McDaniel Contributing Writer

ASU students demonstrated Friday Sept. 17 – as Americans did in 1778—that the constitution simply wasn’t going to work without a bill of Rights.

Students celebrated Constitution Day with a reading, followed by a debate over the document.

Students voted nearly three to one not to accept the Constitution after “Al-exander Hamilton” and “Patrick Henry” – as portrayed by professors Dr. Casey Jones and Jerry Perry—reenacted a de-bate over ratification.

For the second time since Perry and Jones have held this debate, the audience

voted against ratification of the constitu-tion.

“I voted against ratification because it lacked a proper bill of rights,” freshman Anna Pinto Cesar said.

The event kicked off with the reading held in the University Center led by Dr. Kevin Lambert, dean of Liberal and Fine Arts. Almost 60 people volunteered, each in five minute increments, beginning with the Preamble and repeating the pro-cess until all participants had read.

That afternoon, Jones and Perry, dressed in knickers, long coats and pow-dered wigs, took the stage in the Eldon Black Recital Hall to portray the debate between the Federalists and Anti-Feder-alists.

In true political fashion, each party stated its position and the debate ended with an audience vote on ratification of the constitution.

The debate began with Jones portray-ing Hamilton, a Federalist known for his mild-mannered and quiet demeanor, who was pro-ratification of the constitu-tion.

The new constitution proposed by Federalists was not an improvement of the ailing Articles of Confederation, but a totally new system of government.

“Hamilton” named several advan-tages over the old system, such as the argument that the Constitution is a Bill of Rights in itself, and left voters with the all too familiar campaign slogan, “Yes we can!”

“Henry,” as played by Perry, present-ed his rebuttal as an Anti-Federalist, pro-claiming “I smell a rat!” He argued that, “Liberty is the greatest jewel of all,” and the new constitution was, “dangerously broad and ill-defined.”

The Anti-Federalists were strongly

opposed to ratification because the con-stitution lacked a legitimate bill of rights and limited states’ rights.

Perry aptly portrayed Patrick Hen-ry with his energetic and entertaining voice, drawing lots of laughs and ap-plause from the audience.

“We don’t make up our arguments. We may enliven them a little bit, but those are the arguments that were made,” Perry said.

He also pointed out the parallels be-tween the political unrest in 1778 and 2010.

Jones wants students to retain a valu-able lesson from the debate.

“Hopefully, the students will go out and do exactly as Patrick Henry told them to do, and read the document in its entirety, and will form opinions of their own,” Jones said.

Students kill living document

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Spirit: School unity sug-gested for end of weeks

Allison Duggan Staff Writer

Fridays are now a time for stu-dents, faculty, staff and alumni to support ASU by wearing the school colors.

The Student Government As-sociation issued a proclamation naming ‘True Blue Fridays’ a cus-tom during the 2010-2011 academic year.

“An underlying mission of my office this year is to aide our Administration in boosting our recruitment and retention rates at ASU,” said Justin Till, recently resigned student body president. “Studies have consistently shown that a school with more pride, spir-it, sense of community and camara-derie are far more likely to recruit and keep more students.”

Showing school spirit is not lim-ited to one day only. Friday was de-cided as the best day for everyone on campus and in the community to wear their ASU colors since Fri-day is normally reserved for casual wear.

“ I o n l y have one class on Fri-days, and don’t have many ASU shirts. I do always go to the bon-fire though,” senior Kaylee Sims said.

SGA encourages students to do other things besides wearing school colors and insignia, such as attend-ing as many athletic, social and civ-ic events as possible.

“I run track, so I think the idea of students showing more school spirit is good for the athletes,” ju-nior Trent Dalton said.

Those in the ASU community don’t have to wear school shirts to be ‘True Blue.’ Many people choose to display bumper stickers, key chains, flags, spirals and other ASU paraphernalia.

“I’m fully convinced that ‘True Blue’ should and will stay around,” Till said. “Of course, that’s all de-pendent on the students’ willing-ness to participate and keep this tradition and others alive.”

Fridays named‘True Blue’

Elections: 1,000 new registrants sought

Dana Choi Staff Writer

The Student Senate re-sumed Thursday its tradi-tional role of hosting a voter registration drive that would reach students on and off campus.

During “Remember No-vember,” the student senate and volunteering student organizations will be regis-tering students on and off campus to vote.

“I want as many students who are eligible to be regis-tered to vote as possible,” recently resigned Student Body President Justin Till said. “Once early voting starts in mid- to late Octo-ber, we’ll go back around campus reminding people that now they’re registered, it’s time to vote. It’s a two-

pronged effort.” The secretary of state

sent the registration cards Tuesday.

When Till introduced his plan to the senators at this weeks’ senate meeting, he as-signed the senators to specif-ic residence halls where they will be registering students to vote.

Till said it should not take long to sign people up at the residence halls, but it should be more difficult to register the students who live off-campus.

“I’m hoping we have enough student organiza-tions sign up and participate, so that we can get some of those people registered,” Till said.

Student organizations that want to sign up can go to the Student Government Association office to receive a stack of cards and instruc-tions.

“[Running a voter reg-istration drive] is one of the

traditional roles of student governments across the country,” Till said. “Our goal here is to be sort of a micro-cosm of the American demo-cratic process.”

Till said he hopes for about 1,000 students to reg-ister.

“A lot of [students] are already registered so I don’t expect to register a full 6,000 students,” Till said. “By the end of all this, I would like a majority of ASU students to be registered.”

This year, newly regis-tered voters would vote for the governor of Texas, the lieutenant governor, several state-wide officers, senators, the Texas House of Repre-sentatives, county judges, county commissioners, dif-ferent judicial officers and the U.S. House of Represen-tatives.

The drive will continue until Friday, Oct. 1.

SGA registers students to vote

“ I smell a rat. ” -‘Patrick Henry,’ played by Jerry Perry

Campus News Friday, September 24, 2010 Page 4

Go to www.angelo.edu/gradschool

Why Not

Grad School?

ASUCollege of

GRADUATE STUDIES

ASU

Apply Now!(It’s not too late)

Graduation?

Have any plans after

If you’re graduating in December, May, or August...

continued from Page 1

“It’s like a shiny penny,” Robertson said. “All it’s going to take is one student

to get that spark that Ian has.” Two more clinics are being offered

this semester. Backpacking 101 and Camp Cooking 101 will also be held at

the Lake House facility.Brown said the activities will address

individual level of skill, as well as, edu-cate and provide opportunities for stu-dent leadership.

“What we foresee is offering a variety of clinics each semester to see what is of interest to students,” Robertson said. “If they are not working or meeting the in-terest, we will try something different.”

Robertson said the Lake House facil-ity will be staffed on Oct. 1, and opera-tional hours will stay the same.

Brown said the biking, hiking and camping programs will ensue at other locations geared for that specific outdoor adventure.

Additional student staff has been hired to help oversee the other new programs and opportunities available through UREC.

The Outdoor Adventures program is part of a multi-phase expansion proj-ect that began last spring with new con-struction of the CHP, following the ap-proval of a student approved fee to pay for the CHP building expansion, new equipment, additional recreational op-portunities and more staff.

“The goal is to expand all of the pro-grams so that there is something for ev-eryone,” Robertson said.

Robertson said as UREC grows the programs will grow.

“Everything we do is for the stu-dents,” Brown said.

The upgraded CHP is projected to open in the spring of 2011.

“Try us out, you may find your knack,” Robertson said.

Heading outdoors

Photo by Kimberley ParkerMaggie and Tony Blair, lecturer in Communication, stay afloat during the Kayak 101 Clinic, Sept. 16.

Photo by Kimberley ParkerIan Brown, director of Outdoor Adventures, and Matt Rainwater, graduate student, demon-strate how to wear a life vest, during Thurday’s Kayak 101 Clinic.

Friday, September 24, 2010Page 5

?campusontalk the

What’s

“It wouldn’t be too bad.”

Marcus Gilkey, junior

“I don’t do summers.”

Anthony Moran, freshman

“Yes, I would do all three.”

Jessica Ramirez, freshman

“I think two semes-ters is good as it is, with the option to take summer class-es if you want.”Mikah Brown, sophomore

What do you think about changing to a three-semester academic year?

A voiceless minority speaks

Words from the WebComments from “ Should we hold fish camp?”

Patrick Dierschke

This is a great idea! I participated in Fish Camp at Texas A&M, and I was truly trans-formed. I started the week knowing pretty much nothing about the school. By Friday, I could tell you history of the school, knew the traditions, and made many friends. I can still recite my camp yell! We need to connect the students to ASU as quickly as possible, and make them realize there is no other place for them.

Check out more comments online at asurampage.com

Ram Page Staff

2010-2011A n g e l o S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y

Editor: Scott DykowskiManaging Editor: Tim LesterCopy Editor: Leah WatersPhoto Editor: Kimberley Parker Photographer: Pam BelcherSports Co-Editor: Mariah PowellSports Co-Editor: Andy AtterburyFeatures Co-Editor: Kristin HamnettFeatures Co-Editor: Lauren WildeOnline Editor: Kelli CrinerStaff Writer: Dana ChoiStaff Writer: Allison DugganCirculation Manager: Jamin Goecker Advertising Manager: Sara Beth Criner Adviser: Dr. Cathy Johnson

Ram PageASU Station #10895San Angelo, Texas

76909-0895 Editor: rampage@angelo.edu Managing Editor: rampagenews@angelo.edu Features Editor: rampagefeatures@angelo.edu Advertising: rampageads@angelo.edu

Editor: (325) 942-2323 Newsroom: (325) 942-2134 Advertising: (325) 942-2040 Fax: (325) 942-2551

Member of

The Texas Tech University System

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.

Trimesters:

Phot

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too muchjugglingstudents?

The poll “Do you like the idea of three semesters per year?”* on asurampage.com this week indicated that students are split in deciding.

Fifty-one percent voted in fa-vor. The other 49 percent voted no.

The Ram Page staff also has mixed feelings about the idea.

We realize that most of the details haven’t been worked out, but we want to suggest specific stipulations that could make the idea worthwhile.

First, the change shouldn’t affect holidays negatively.

If we’re fitting 16 weeks into three semesters, we’re afraid we’ll lose holidays such as Spring Break or have shortened Winter Holiday due to the lim-ited number of weeks in a year.

Students need time off be-tween semesters to recuperate and prepare themselves for the next one.

Second, scholarships should be worked out fairly.

The Carr Scholarship and other university offered schol-arships shouldn’t be lowered in the Fall and Spring to ac-commodate the summer. Equal amounts should be offered to students who choose to attend in the summer.

Third, if an entire semester is added to the year, classes of-fered should also increase.

Finally, we want to take a moment to speak up for the faculty. Added summer duties would be a harsh hit to their schedule, and the pay should increase proportionately to ac-commodate.

These stipulations only touch on some of the more im-portant elements, but if admin-istration will take these into consideration while tackling this idea, we feel it could make the plan work for everyone.

“No, I do not like summer classes at all.”

Amanda Hyman, freshman

Sarah SmithContributing Writer

Polar caps, polar bears and a polar-ized view of politics seem to dominate the national news in 2010.

We are learning the consequences of climate change and extreme weather that seems to be all over the national headlines, but do we see the storm that’s brewing in U.S. politics?

Between the tea parties and rhetoric, I’m beginning to feel a little bit like the mad hatter, or am I a March Hair? I never can figure out what to call myself.

This is the problem. With the media telling me the left is

doing this, the right is doing that, I can’t figure out which direction to go.

What is a moderate to do in this po-larized political climate?

I don’t know whether I should go party with Palin or stand in an ovation at Obama’s oratory skills.

Honestly, I don’t want to do either. I would like for there to be a way for

us to return to the air that fuels the fire of liberty as Madison put it.

That air is faction.

Fact ion, or ideal-based divi-sion, is what the architects of the Con-stitution in-

tended to moderate government. Why isn’t it working? It seems special interest groups have

found it easier to go with the left or right than to fight it out from their own corner of the ring.

Our nation is run, in part, out of a building with five sides, but our political ideology only has two. Maybe the pen-tagon should just be a line, or better yet two separate towers that refuse to com-

municate except to throw malicious ac-cusations at each other.

In the end, who has egg on their face?The view from the middle is just a

big mess. Who will speak for me when I agree

with this on that side and that over there? No one.

This is the break-down of liberty, de-mocracy and the American way. It’s not liberalism; it’s a lack of diverse ideology.

I’m not going to claim to be “in-volved” in politics. I follow the news when it’s convenient. I listen when I care, which is not often. What I do care about is having a voice, which I don’t.

Majority rule is rearing its ugly head, and I’m in the moderate minority.

In kindergarten we were taught that democracy = freedom = majority rule.

We were taught wrong. Liberty is the ability to be represent-

ed, to be heard. Who is listening to the moderates?

Where are they in the press? Where is political compromise?

In reality, majority rule = tyranny, just what the founding fathers wanted to avoid.

I’m not telling you to stop being left or right. I’m just asking ‘who represents me?’. Where is my voice?

They say the world is getting hotter, but it’s the cold shoulder for the moder-ates of the U.S., the voiceless minority.

Anonymous

... I also think having the opportunity to meet with the instructors before classes start is a good idea, even for all students. My daughter is very shy and would ben-efit from this practice as well. Many students, especially freshmen, are not as outgoing and are afraid to meet with the instructors when a problem presents itself. So part of the fun activities, could include networking with the in-structors in a more relaxed and fun environment. And of course you need to have lots of fun activities to encour-age the students to attend.

for

Agree, disagree, or have a comment? Speak out online at asurampage.com

*The Ram Page poll is not scientific and reflects the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate. The results cannot be assumed to represent the opinions of Internet users in gen-eral, nor the public as a whole. See more polls at asurampage.com.

Features Friday, September 24, 2010 Page 6

Scott DykowskiEditor-in-Chief

Singing in San AngeloMusicians find inspiration in a vari-

ety of out-of-the-ordinary ways. The international musician perform-

ing Saturday, Sept. 25, on campus found his inspiration from Twitter.

“I’ve found that twitter is an interest-ing place to see what people are chatting about,” Australian pop-rock artist An-thony Snape said.

Snape used that stimulation to cre-ate his single “Say So,” but the song isn’t about an interesting conversation.

“On this particular day, there [were no comments] I felt had a lot of weight, opinions that don’t hold much,” Snape said. “[That’s] really an idea [for a song].”

Snape thought that ideas was some-thing no one had covered before.

“That emotion, understanding and talking about thoughts and comments, but not knowing inside what it is you re-ally want and are trying to say. It started there and I jammed it out with the band and it became a memorable song.”

Snape will perform “Say So” and other music at the LeGrand Alumni and Visitors Center at 1 p.m, giving students a chance to listen to his music and meet him. The concert is free to the public.

“I’m inspired by people’s reaction and the conversation I have before and after shows,” Snape said. “I find, travel-ing around the world and playing for all sorts of people, there’s a theme – as dif-ferent as we all are, we’re all the same

and we have the same needs.”Snape, who sings and plays guitar,

came to the US from Gunnedah, Austra-lia in 2008.

“My first taste of America was so good I decided to stay,” Snape said. “You guys are such an incredible audience sharing what you feel about the music, and as an artist, it’s a great thing to stand in front of.”

He currently lives in Nashville. Snape met Texans after a concert, and

they invited him to play in Texas. “I chose, this time, to drive [to the

show] because I wanted to see the coun-try,” Snape said. “I’m looking forward to driving through Texas. I think I’m going to get a great feel for America.”

Although Snape didn’t always know he wanted to perform in America, he knew from age three or four that he wanted to be on the radio.

“One of my earliest memories [was] this DJ, talking about Elvis, the king,” Snape said.

He asked his mother why they called Elvis the king, and she replied that they liked his music.

“ I remember having a clear thought,” Snape said. “I turned around and said, ‘I’m going to be on the radio one day,’ and she said, ‘Well that’s lovely.’

Snape said he’s been performing since he can remember, but that he first debuted on the Australian radio in high school.

RamRadio began playing Snape Sept. 14.

Singer Jack Johnson once said we are all just bubbles in a boiling pot. It is often hard to be original as a single person in the masses, but there are exceptions at ASU.

Musician Adam Garcia, a senior and biology major at ASU, has show-cased his vocal talents at venues around town, as well as at school-wide talent show. Adam plays a unique blend of mellow rock that San Angelo often does not experi-

ence, and covers musicians that he finds inspiring.

“I really enjoy covering artists like Jack Johnson, Mason Jennings and The Shins,” Garcia said. “They are amazing artists, they can really transform into anything.”

Although Garcia often plays covers of his personal favorites, he is also currently working on expand-ing his own music portfolio. He cur-rently has two songs in the works and is developing them over time in order to grow as an artist.

Garcia often plays his guitar and

sings at Cork and Pig Tavern, a local restaurant.

“We wanted talent that would compliment the food,” Cork and Pig Tavern owner John Nestor said. “We needed musicians that embrace [the ambiance] and are modest. We like his uniqueness.”

When it comes to playing music, Garcia said that atmosphere is key; he enjoys playing at low-key venues that fit him well.

Garcia's next performance will take place at Cork and Pig Tavern Friday, September 24 at 6:30 p.m.

SanÊAngeloÊCivicÊBalletÊTheÊJazzÊAffairÊ-ÊBlackÊandÊWhiteÊAdRampageÊAdsize:ÊÊ3ÊcolumnÊ(4.9375” ÊxÊ5” )

The Jazz AffairSeptember 30 & October 1, 2010Angelo Civic Theatre 8:00 pmPinkie’s Martini Lounge 6:30 pmTicketsÊonÊsaleÊSeptemberÊ1,Ê2010$30ÊReservedÊSeating$50ÊReservedÊSeatingÊwithÊadmissionÊtoÊÊÊÊÊÊÊPinkie’sÊLoungeFMIÊcallÊ653-8877ÊorÊvisitÊusÊatsanangelocivicballet.org

S

AN ANGELO

BalletCivicTitle Sponsor: Mr. Jud Gray

This performance is funded bythe Art and Eva Camunez Tucker Foundation

TheÊSanÊAngeloÊCivicÊBalletÊisÊpartiallyÊsupportedÊbyÊtheÊCityÊofÊSanÊAngelo,theÊSanÊAngeloÊCulturalÊAffairsÊCouncilÊand

theÊTexasÊCommissionÊonÊtheÊArts,ÊaÊstateÊagency. Photo by Mike Erb

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Photo by Kimberley ParkerAdam Aldric Garcia, senior, performs at the Cork & Pig Tavern.

American audiences

A senior’s unique style

supports Australian

Kristin HamnettFeatures Co-Editor

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FeaturesFriday, September 24, 2010Page 7

Since premiering on MTV in 1981, music videos have been enjoyed by millions of people around the world.

Now, students have an opportuni-ty to project their favorite songs onto the television screen as well. Students in Lecturer in Communications Leah Mangrum’s Advanced Video Produc-tion class are working on music vid-eos in order to hone their editing skills and utilize creativity through film.

“I like to offer different types of professional video productions for the students to challenge their filming and editing skills and provide hands on experience,” Mangrum said. “The music video production presents an enjoyable first experience in produc-

ing high-energy, fast paced music vid-eos. This introduces the students to a different form of storytelling.”

The music video project began in fall of 2008, and has become a class favorite for students and their view-ers. Many of the students choose to put their videos on popular sharing websites like Facebook and YouTube to share with friends and others.

“Some of the videos are really fun-ny,” senior Madeline Higdon said. “It is really interesting to see how artistic and entertaining the videos turn out.”

The students create their produc-tions with non-linear editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 and Adobe Encore that prepares them for positions as editors in the media in-dustry.

“Many of the students at this lev-el have the opportunity to heighten their editing techniques,” Mangrum said. “When students look outside the box and create new ways to get the story across, I am very pleased and impressed. Not one video excels over the other, each have their own unique style and delivery.”

Some students have taken the proj-ect a step further and are creating original music by themselves or with other musicians. Local talent Alicia Powell will be featured with an origi-nal work in one students project.

The students will begin presenting the music videos on Monday, Septem-ber 27.

Kristin HamnettFeatures Co-Editor

Angelo

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*Civic Events: Angelo State Univer- sity Choir: Halloween

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Sports Friday, September 24, 2010 Page 8

‘Belles halt losing streakVolleyball: ASU sweeps Tarelton

Andy AtterburySports Co-Editor

Ath-letic

What to watch for:Sept. 24: Soccer vs. Incarnate Word 4p.m. Sept. 25: Football vs. West Texas A&M (Family Day) 7p.m.Sept. 26: Soccer vs. St. Edwards 2p.m.

“For us, this week is about demanding more respect” - Coach Travis McCorkle

The Rambelles won three straight sets T=Sept. 17 to defeat Tarleton State, equaling their conference record at 1-1 and ending their four-game skid.

“Nobody likes to lose, our girls especially,” head coach Chuck Waddington said. “They’re competi-tive and wanted to get back on track and they showed it in the gym.”

The team won the first set 25-16 and never looked back, winning the second 25-21 and the third 25-20 to complete the sweep.

“We did really good on serve-receive and closed the block a lot bet-ter than we did against ACU,” sophomore out-side hitter Caroline Cleveland said. “I think we did everything a lot

better this week.”The win snapped the

TexAnns 6-game winning streak and dropped their conference record to 0-2.

“Conference is the most important thing right now, so we’re going to work hard and prepare for it,” Waddington said. “The next two matches are critical. Commerce and Texas Women’s were right in the thick of it last year so they’re going to be important matches. We’re going to watch some film, sit down, and prepare our team the best we can.”

The ‘Belles play Texas Women’s College Sept. 25 in Denton, then make the long drive to Topeka, Kan. for the Lady Blues Regional Crossover Tour-nament Oct. 1 and 2.

“The teams we’re playing are top 25, so if we win some games it looks very good on our part,” Cleveland said. “So that’s what we’re hoping to do, just go there and win.”

Flags fly as intramurals kick off

‘Belles go 1-1 away from home

The Rambelle soccer team started its third week of non-conference games Sept. 16, with a loss to Texas-Permian Basin, 1 – 2, but kicked back into gear Saturday to beat Dallas Baptist, 1 – 0.

Forward junior Brandie DeBacker made the breakaway goal in the game against Texas-Permian Basin with the as-sist of midfield sophomore Lauren Carnes.

“We had a really good first half,” De-Backer said. “They scored their two goals in the second. That’s where we had a com-munication breakdown. We just weren’t finishing and scoring when we had the op-portunities.”

Head coach Travis McCorkle said the Belles were better than the team they played against, but didn’t take advantage of the opportunities they had.

“DeBacker did a great job at finishing it,” McCorkle said. “We had other oppor-tunities in both halves. We just didn’t com-mit to making moves, so we didn’t get the ball, the shot or the score.”

The Belles had been working on scor-ing and the movement that allowed them to get open and shoot, McCorkle said.

“Some people under-performed in those areas,” McCorkle said. “We had a long talk about it when we got home and hopefully that set things straight.”

Saturday, the Belles geared up to play Dal-las Baptist and came out with a 1 – 0 victory.

“We did what we needed to do,” Mc-Corkle said. “I was ecstatic for Destin Con-nally to get that goal. She’s a freshman that has been working hard to get more playing

time.”McCorkle said the goal of the game was

made in the seventy-third minute, with 17 minutes left, where freshman Connally was assisted by central defender sopho-more Karli Maxey.

“It was really exciting,” Connally said. “When you accomplish something like that it makes you remember why you put in all the hard hours at practice.”

Connally said it was an intense match.“Both teams played physical,” Connal-

ly said. “Overall, we played extremely well defensively as a team.”

The Belles made sure their communica-tion was strong to keep the Patriots from scoring.

“Our strength was team unity,” Mc-Corkle said. “We were good at defending and attacking as a team. On Thursday it wasn’t a problem, but there was no com-mitment to either and that was the biggest difference between these two games.”

With the conference season under their noses, the Belles believe they are prepared to take control of the ball and own the games.

“I think everyone is excited about start-ing the conference season,” DeBacker said. “We have grown as a team and gotten stronger. In the non-conference games we have been working together well, and we hope to continue that.”

The Belles kick off their conference season, here, Friday at 4 p.m. against In-carnate Word, followed by their last non-conference game Sunday at 2 p.m. against St. Edward’s.

“For us this week is about demand-ing more respect,” McCorkle said. “Other teams doubt our results and our ability to win. On Friday and Sunday we need to prove that we are going to be a winning team.”

Soccer: Girls finish non-con-ference, ‘excited’ about start-ing division play

Photo by Pam BelcherAshley Brown, senior, forward, moves the ball towards the goal, Sept. 12., in the game between the Belles and Colorado State-Pueblo.

Mariah PowellSports Co-Editor

When you think of sports, you think of dedication, skills, playing rough. Intramurals contains all but one – the roughness.

“The biggest difference between in-tramural flag and actual football is that you don’t tackle,” Fly Society sophomore Darryl Rudd said. “It’s not as aggres-sive.”

Intramural football gives students the football rush without the bruises and concussions. It is one of many ways to meet new people and get involved at ASU.

Fly SocietyFly Society is an all-male team. They

practice three to four days a week and play every Sunday and Monday. So far Fly Society is 2 – 2, with two more games left until playoffs.

“Our strength is our determina-tion,” Rudd said. “We never give up and we have a good quarter back; good of-

fense and defense.”Rudd said that Fly Society works

hard at practice and has a steady rela-tionship.

“We have a very good connection,” Rudd said. “We all stick together and stay on each other to get the best results.”

The MassacreThe Massacre is a co-ed team, with

only one freshman.“I am the defensive line and wide

receiver,” freshman Erica Ivy said. “All I know is that my job is to make touch-downs.”

The team practices every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 – 10 p.m., Ivy said.

“We are real close like a family,” Ivy said. “We all have each other’s back.”

Even on the field they show chemis-try and laugh together.

“We are fast and show great team work,” Ivy said. “Sometimes we lack communication and we aren’t too great on a slippery field.”

There are men, women and co-ed teams. Playoffs start on Oct. 3. All teams go to playoffs and begin elimination.

Intramurals: No tackling, all the rush

Mariah PowellSports Co-Editor