March 3, 2016

T!" E#$% T"&#'CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF THE EAST TEXAN

FIRST ONE FREE A!!"#"$%&' C$(")* +, C)%#* E&-. M&/-. 0, +123+311 S. N)&' C$44)/-), T)5&* 6,7+8

www.tamuceasttexan.com www.issuu.com/tamuc.easttexan

20 Years of Pokemon:

From Worst to Best

With a rich history spannning two decades, the handheld Pokemon series has gone from a cult under-dog to one of the biggest interna-tional videogame series of all time.Now that Generation 7 has been con9rmed (with an announcement video on YouTube o:ering up the greatest two minutes of nostalgia in Pokemon history), there’s no better time than the present to take a look back at the entries that have come before. Editor Andrew Burnes, a trainer from the beginning, ranks the series 9rst six generations from worst to best as we celebrate two decades of collecting, training, breeding and battling.

PAGE 6

Justice or bleeding

prejudice?A couple of weeks ago, sta: writer Hunter Miche pinned a controver-sial column outlining his opinions on the nationwide Black Lives Matter movement. ;is week, an A&M-Commerce student who identi9es with the movement 9res back in her Letter to the Editor. Message received.

PAGE 2

Softball Season arrives in Commerce

After a multitude of games on the road, the A&M-Commerce Lions softball team has returned home for a series of games on their home turf. But how are they ranked in the grand scheme of the LSC? We’ve got the stats, rankings and more on the LSC page.

PAGE 7

Bridge over Crowded Water

Imogene Wo!ordSta: Writer

Texas A&M University-Commerce will begin building a new freshman residence hall in June, where the tennis courts are, to create more housing for incoming freshmen classes.

;e new residence hall, Phase ;ree, will be split-level and would consist of four <oors. ;ere will be a total of 490 beds available.

“;e new facility consists of a pod-style design with 30-35 beds in each pod,” Alicia Currin, Vice President for Business and Administration, said.

“As the Vice President for Business and Admin-

istration, all facility projects are included in my area of responsibility. For this project, I am the ul-timate coordinator of the construction and budget process, in conjunction with Residence Life and will also work with SSC (our on-campus facility company),” Currin said.

“Roughly 80 percent of the rooms will be shared, two-bed units, and 20 percent will be private, one-bed units. Floors are co-ed and will revolve around a community space and a community bathroom.

“Multiple community bathrooms are in each pod, and are designed for privacy and security; they will accommodate male and female students, as well as having two gender-free units in each sec-tion,” Michael Stark, Director of Residential Liv-ing and Learning, said.

Smith and Berry will remain open with males

on one side and females on the other, the way it has been.

“Moving Smith and Berry to co-ed-style is di=-cult with the community bathrooms/showers that currently exist in those buildings. However, this is something that will be reviewed each year by the sta: in Residence Life,” Stark said.

Construction for this project will begin in June and will conclude in July 2017, and should be ready for occupancy for the 2017 fall semester.

“Other than being near a construction area, the only e:ect on residents living in West Halls will be the loss of the street adjacent to the construction location,” Currin said.

;ere will be some loss of parking spaces during the construction process.

CONT. ON PAGE 3

Misery

“Roughly 80 percent of the rooms will be shared, two-bed units. Floors are co-ed and will revolve around a community space and community bathroom.”

- Alicia CurrinVice President for Business and

Administration

EAST TEXAN PHOTO/ANDREW BURNES

University prepares Phase III of residence project as record-breaking enrollment threatens to overcrowd campus

PHOTO COURTESY/XINHUANET.COM

After the university was forced to utilize bunkbeds in residence halls like Phase II due to the in<ux in the number of incoming freshmen last semester, A&M-Commerce is now 9nalizing plans for the next dorm in the project.

Earlier this year, Roadsnacks.com ranked more than 400 places to live in Texas from happiest to most miserable. On their list, Commerce, Texas came in at the No. 3 most miserable spot. However, Senior Reporter Kerry Wilson has found that some citizens of Commerce have a dissenting opinion.

PAGE 3

T!" E#$% T"&#' S%#((The East Texan, official student newspaper

of Texas A&M University-Commerce, is pub-

lished 11 times per semester during the Fall

and Spring by students including journal-

ism students in reporting classes. Content

is solely the responsibility of the student

staff and writers. The comments and views

expressed in The East Texan, in print or on-

line, do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of

other students, staff, faculty, administration,

or the Board of Trustees. The East Texan is

located in Room113 of the Journalism Build-

ing. Single copies of The East Texan are free,

additional copies are available in The East

Texan offices for an additional 25 cents each.

Letters to the Texan are welcome and should

be limited to 350 words. They may be edited for

spelling, grammar and libelous and malicious

statements. The East Texan reserves the right

to refuse publication. Letters should be typed

or emailed, must include a valid signature and

contact information, and can be sent to theeast-

[email protected] or PO Box 4104, Texas A&M

University-Commerce, Commerce, TX 75428.

Letters to

the Texan

M!"#$ %, &'()P!*+ 2

What do you think of Commerce?

O!"#"$#C

ampu

s Com

men

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Editor Andrew BurnesManaging Editor Travis HairgroveNews/Social Media Editor Joseph AldermanSports Writer Carter LacyOpinion Editor Hunter KimbleStudent Life Editor Alissa SilvaLead Reporter ToddPhotographer Kristen TaylorPhotographer Aaron HwangCopy Editor Kyria AhoDistribution Manager Sean BatesDistribution Assistant Michelle WhiteheadFaculty Adviser Fred StewartPhone 903-886-5985E-mail [email protected] Texan Website tamuceasttexan.comEast Texan Print Issue Online issuu.com/tamuc.easttexan

Letter to the Editor

“I come from a much smaller town, so I really like it. I like that it’s bigger from where I come from and it also have plenty of fresh air. -Austin Roberts

I’m from a small town, so I actually like being in a small town where everybody know each other. ,e only thing I don’t like is that you can’t do that much shopping here. -Milaun Mack

I think it’s a great place to bring up a kid because there’s not much for them to do, so they won’t get into any bad stu-. And, if you’re in college, then it’s a great place because there are no distractions. You can get your schoolwork done. -Eric Meza

In regards to the February 11th opinion article “,e Fine Line between Activism and Hypocrisy”, the article was dripping with prejudice and subtle discrimination. Not to mention, it was written during Black History month, which shows deliberate impertinence. ,ough it was articulately written, the author’s views are not supportive towards harmony or tranquility, but rather they were strictly in sync with the status quo. To describe protestors as “rabid” because “they want a reversal of the status quo” shows that some individuals with privileged backgrounds are in fear of equality. ,e author points out hypocrisies in current protest and activism to curtail and down play long-awaited necessary change. To call people who are .ghting for racial equality as “social justice warriors” and to say they’re adding to the problem is o-ensive and a subtle way of saying they need to keep quiet and deal with whatever is dished to them. ,ere is no change without sacri.ce. While the anti-slavery movement helped end slavery, and the Civil Rights movement helped end Jim Crow laws, people were killed, beaten, and imprisoned. Let us not forget that slavery and segregation were once the status quo. Still

to this day there are injustices that are being experienced in the African American community, which is where the current Black Lives Matter movement has stemmed from. ,e African American Community is still experiencing the e-ects of slavery and segregation to this day.

,ere is an old saying that says if something is not true, kind or necessary, then it’s best not to say anything. ,is article was neither of the three. TAMU- Commerce is a very diverse and peaceful campus. ,erefore, it was no need to write an article about social issues going on at other universities and to do so insensitively. If anything, the article written by the author could have sparked tension among students. ,ough all have a right to opinion, to promote or ignore disparity, prejudices, racism, or division is unacceptable. It is important to remain active; as best said by President Barack Obama, “Change is never easy, but always possible.”

#BlackLivesMatter #Challenge,eStatusQuo

-Britney Beard

Travis HairgroveManaging Editor

“Something very big has happened, and it’s not due to Bernie Sanders’ magnetism or Donald Trump’s likeability,” former Secretary of Labor (under Bill Clinton) Robert Reich said in an editorial in the Chicago Sun-Times, as he shared his thoughts on the “anti-establishment” sentiments that these two, diametrically opposite candidates appeal to.

Indeed, with Trump still staying on top of the hill on the Republican side of things like a schoolyard bully who delights in a “good” game of King of the Mountain, and Sanders still getting a lot of the popular vote in all, but one of the Democratic primaries, it appears that regardless of how much the career politicians in both parties try to belittle, dismiss or ignore these two candidates, the bigger and more passionate the grassroots movements that support them grow.

As someone whose views have run the political ideology gamut over the course of my generation x-er life (I’m 39 years old), I’ve been a longtime independent voter, and I often wish we didn’t have political parties at all. Just imagine what it could be like if candidates were free to come up with and share their own ideas, without feeling pressured to keep aligned with their party’s platform, allowing us, the voters to make our decisions solely on the merit of that particular aspirant’s vision! So, in all honesty, I’m actually kind of glad that not one, but two “outsiders” are causing the “kingmaking” political machines so much grief.

Now…Who am I planning to vote for?Well. Maybe it’s my cynicism talking, but I’m convinced that any

system can be abused, so why not place a higher value on a candidate’s character than their political “label?” ,at being said, of the people seeking the nomination of either of the two major parties, Sanders comes across as the most sincere, well-meaning and principled of the pack. However, residual traces of my past life as a conservative still (admittedly) sting and throb as I contemplate voting for a self-identi.ed socialist. So, I guess you can say I’m “feeling the bern,” then. ,ere’s also the whole matter of Sanders still trailing Clinton in number of Superdelegates, so I need a back up, dammit!

As I mentioned before, I’m no fan of political parties, so I started checking into who’s reaching for the Libertarian Party’s nomination…because, even though it’s still a political party, at least three choices is better than two. After investigating a bit, I discovered that one of the hopefuls, Austin Petersen, announced that the .rst ever nationally televised Libertarian debate will air on John Stossel’s show on Fox Business towards the end of March. ,e other two front runners in this third party are 2012 Libertarian presidential candidate and former two-term Governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson and developer of the .rst commercial antivirus software, John McAfee.

With the populist, “anti-establishment” appeal of Sanders and Trump, I really believe that this could be a year in which a third party candidate could really cause some waves and actually be a force for change, so I hope the debate of the “live-and-let-live” Libertarian Party on Fox Business generates enough curiosity that we see a second such debate like it, to at least give people some assurance that there actually are more choices out there.

)e Agony and the Adven-ture of Being an Independent

Voter During an Ultra-Polarized Election Year

I don’t really live here, but it seems like a pretty nice town. I live in Farmersville, but from what I noticed it sounds like a pretty nice place. It’s just like Farmersville. -Travis Rodgers

Joesph AldermanNews/Social Media Editor

I .nd, as I near the date of my graduation, that there is only one remaining obstacle between me and .nally leaving this place (aside from, y’know, passing the classes I’m in now): an internship. While often considered a typical part of the college experience, there is a growing number of people speaking out against the practice.

One common concern among complainants is the menial tasks they are asked to perform for their internship. We all know the stereotype of the intern whose only responsibilities are co-ee runs and making copies, but the reality of this means the intern is simply wasting their time, and not learning anything that would actually bene.t them in the real world. Worst of all, there is no way of knowing if this is the case until you’ve already started, at which point it’s too late to do anything about it (especially if it’s your only opportunity to get it done). Luckily, this issue will only a-ect a handful of students going into internships. A much more wide-reaching issue is the matter of pay.

Paid internships are seemingly becoming quite a rare thing. While this is understandable to an extent, it puts an undue amount of pressure on the student. It is a lucky student who can a-ord to work for free, the number of which diminishes as they get older. As a non-traditional student, I work to support myself as I go to school, and honestly am going to experience quite a bit of stress because of this as I complete my likely unpaid internship. As someone who has worked for years, I value the work I do, and am not exactly enthused about giving it away for free. Furthermore, not only will I not be paid for the work I am doing, but since my degree requires an internship as a course, I am actually paying a considerable amount of money to work for free. While I fully understand the bene.ts an internship has to o-er, I feel somewhat exploited by the university by having to pay

them for the opportunity.Last year, Hillary Clinton spoke out against unpaid

internships, claiming businesses are taking advantage of the ‘youth employment crisis’ by eradicating entry-level positions and replacing them with unpaid interns (it should be noted, however, that the Clinton Foundation does not pay their interns, either). As well, several lawsuits have come up in the last few years against employers taking advantage of interns through the work they are asked to perform or through harassment, which can be an issue as there are few protections for workers classi.ed as unpaid or trainees. More and more, the issues with college internships are becoming more public, and students are more aware.

,e movement against unpaid internships is growing, and will likely continue to do so as more and more young people are fed through the system with fewer and fewer opportunities on the other side. Clearly, something needs to change with the system to make it less exploitative of students and more accessible to those of limited means, but in the meantime, I’ve got resumes to send out.

Give me a paid internship orgive me death

EDITORIAL CARTOON BY JOESPH ALDERMAN

P!"# $M!%&' $, ()*+ N!"#

Agnes GonzalezSpecial Contributor

You all know what anxiety feels like. You may experi-ence anxiety as an intense worry before an exam, the ner-vousness before a presentation, or the alertness when you believe you are in danger. Anxiety is a response to situ-ations which seem overwhelming, unsafe or uncomfort-able. It is your body’s way of alerting you that you need to do something in a situation that seems dangerous. ,erefore, anxiety can be useful whenever it prompts you to react appropriately, such as, studying for an exam, or organizing a presentation, or leaving a situation that feels unsafe. However, anxiety can also be harmful, especially if it becomes overwhelming and prevents you from taking appropriate actions, or prompts you to take actions that are counterproductive, such as avoiding studying for the exam that worries you.

Because the feeling of anxiety is frequently intense, it is quite normal to want to avoid or eliminate it. However, this is not necessarily the best approach. If you ignore your anxieties, you miss out on learning how to deal with unavoidably stressful situations.

So once you decide to learn new ways to manage your anxiety, start by determining exactly what you’re afraid of. ,is will enable you to do the things that don’t actual-ly bother you, but you’ve been avoiding. ,e second step is to become aware of what you’re saying to yourself that scares you. Much of this talk is silent, but it can be a way you make yourself afraid. Unconsciously, you are forcing your minds and bodies into a stress mode preparing to meet the imagined disaster. To reduce the fear, say some-thing positive to yourself, something like, “my grade on this test has nothing to do with my value as a person, so I’ll prepare as well as I can and see how well I can do.”

,e next step involves using your imagination in a positive way. First, relax by taking a deep breath while tensing your muscles. ,en slowly let out the breath and let the tension in your body go. Do this several times, allowing yourself to relax more each time. After you are relaxed, imagine yourself approaching the feared situ-ation. Visualize yourself being a little afraid, but still coping with the situation, which will help you become more con-dent and less fearful.

Afterwards, you can actually approach the situation head on. You can break this process down into smaller steps or slowly increase the amount of time you spend in the situation. As you’re learning to deal with your fear, continue to be aware of your self-talk and the exaggera-tions. ,e process of gradually exposing yourself to the feared situation will require some time and commitment. You will discover though that all of those awful things you were sure would happen are not inevitable and that there can be pleasant surprises and rewarding outcomes.

In addition, there are speci-c changes you can make that may help alleviate your anxiety:

drugs and limit ca.eine intake

family

are outside of your control

Counseling Corner

Do you avoid it too?

Upcoming Residence Hall will shi! housing dynamics of campusCONT. FROM PAGE 1

“We are very aware of this and are working hard to minimize this as much

as possible. We will eventually be creat-ing additional parking spaces after the construction of the building and are looking at several alternatives. At this point, we cannot announce our speci-c plans,” she said.

is -nished; [however], Whitley will tran-sition to a sophomore and upperclassmen building,” Stark said.

“ S p a c e utilization in Phase Two will depend on a review of student [enrollment] num-bers. We would like the quad suites to go back to doubles, and we will review annu-ally,” he said.

currently have major structural renovations planned for Whitley Hall. We will evalu-ate room set-up and occupancy as we get closer to the point of reoccupying based on occupancy demands,” Stark said.

summer (currently working on costs) is to: purchase new fur-

niture for the Whitley main lobby; purchase new furniture for the Whitley /oor lounges; add lounge doors to each /oor; and add TVs on each /oor,” he said.

“We are all aware that residential housing plays a huge role in shaping a student’s -rst year at college. ,is new facility will add to a student’s overall campus experience.

“,e facility will be located in a prime location directly across from the Morris

built Nursing and Health Sciences build-

Center,” Currin said.“It includes ample study, meeting, so-

cial and common lounge space intended

to foster a sense of community, encour-age dialogue and spark innovation.

“,e building is being designed to re-/ect the nearby architecture and charac-ter of the campus,” she said.

Once Phase III is completed and open to Freshmen at A&M-

Commerce,�  older�  residence�  halls�  will�  see�  a�  shi �  in�  clientele.�  

According�  to�  Michael�  Stark,�  Whitley�  Hall�  will�  transi on�  into�  

an�  upperclassmen�  residence�  hall�  while�  considera ons�  to�  

make even older dorms like Smith and Berry co-ed are on

the�  table.

“RLL has no current

plan to close Whit-

ley or Pride Rock

a er�  Phase�  Three�  is�  

finished;�  [however],�  

Whitley will transi-

on�  to�  a�  sophomore�  

and upperclassmen

building,”

- Michael StarkDirector,

A&M-Commerce Residen al�  Living�  

and�  Learning

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So Appalled

Kerry Wilson

An online article ranked Commerce as number three in the top ten most miser-able cities in Texas.

focused on factors such as percentage of residents with a college degree, average commute times, unemployment rates, cost of living, percentage or married couples

and home owners, and poverty rate to de-termine the miserableness of cities with populations more than 2,000.

Paul Voss, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said the article misrepresents the city of Commerce.

“None of those things have any bearing on what Commerce does or what Com-merce is.” Voss said.

Voss said the article is inaccurate in the comparison of Commerce and Dallas,

which is number 10 on the list.“It was comparing a city that ended up

number 10 that has over 1.5 million peo-ple [Dallas] to a town like Commerce that has 8,000,” Voss said. “Some of the towns have four thousand, three thousand, two thousand, ghost towns, on the border. I don’t know where that came from.”

Voss also said the article is wrong con-cerning the income level, average

CONT. ON PAGE 4

Commerce Chamber of Commerce Director $res back at website that calls Commerce miserable

PHOTO COURTESY/ROADSNACKS.COM

Sky High

Website�  RoadSnacks.com�  ranked�  Commerce�  as�  the�  third�  most�  miserable�  place�  to�  live�  in�  Texas�  based�  on�  sta s cs�  regarding�  college�  

graduate�  rates,�  unemployment,�  commute�   mes,�  cost�  of�  living,�  and�  poverty�  among�  others.�  “None�  of�  those�  things�  have�  any�  bearing�  

on�  what�  Commerce�  does�  or�  what�  Commerce�  is,”�  Paul�  Voss,�  Execu ve�  Director�  of�  the�  Commerce�  Chamber�  of�  Commerce,�  said.

C!"#$% MARCH 3, 2015PAGE 4

Computer science major extends his techno wizardry

into the musical arena

Hannah ClarkSta! Writer

KETR has brought in some new talent from overseas, and his music is raising ratings. Vamsi Kalakhuntla, commonly referred to as Dj VK, is entering the Commerce music scene with his new show on KETR.

“I play everything on my show from coun-try to Bollywood to deep-house and R&B,” VK said.

"ough VK plays all kinds of music, his musical taste is in#uenced by the new genera-tion of music developing in India.

“Electronic music has been on the rise in India for the past couple years,” VK said. “"e electronic music is everywhere and I just want-ed to give that taste of music to the people of North East Texas.

“I used to do it just for myself and I had a little experience working under a music direc-tor back in India,” said Dj VK. “I never knew that would be the transition for me to getting this job on campus.”

Dj VK is here at Texas A&M University-Commerce working toward a graduate degree in computer science, which keeps him quite busy, but he manages to balance it all.

“I do this show for the people who can’t make it out,” said VK. “I am the guy that brings that relaxation music into their homes…the music everyone wants to listen to on a Friday night.

“Before I even had my own show I created

content and gave my mash ups to Lions Af-ter Dark,” VK said. “"ey called it Techno "ursday.”

Now, VK has a two-hour show where he plays all genres of music, even adding some of his own to the mix. "e higher ratings show that people are enjoying this change in the music scene.

“I never really expected the ratings, I have always done it for satisfaction,” VK said. “Do you ever go home and just get this big smile on your face knowing you left someone else’s day on a high?”

"ough VK is getting his graduate degree in computer science, he still dreams of per-forming on the big stage.

“I always dreamed of performing on a very huge stage and performing in front of a crowd,” VK said. “I want to perform in music festivals like TomorrowLand.”

VK knows what he wants in terms of dreams but he wants to o!er some advice for any one else traveling from over seas and people who are dreamers as well.

“Follow your dreams, but the only way you can follow those dreams is when you wake up and work hard,” VK said. “In order to achieve what you want to achieve, secure yourself $rst.”

"ose curious to hear VK’s brand of elec-tronic music can tune in to hear “Friday Nights with DJ VK,” from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

“I’m gonna rise like the tide’s coming in,” sang Christian Sparks as he performed some of his original folksongs outside, in front of Gee Library last Friday. Sparks is currently working on his own, self-produced album and has a YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/Christiansparks3.

EAST TEXAN PHOTO/TRAVIS HAIRGROVE

PHOTO COURTESY/LIONS AFTER DARK

Sights on Campus: Folk Rock Balladeer Serenades Library Goers

Director of chamber of com-merce defends town’s reputation

CONT. FROM PAGE 3

commute times, and percentage of residents with a college degree.“College towns traditionally have people that are low income because they don’t have a job. "ey’re

going to school,” Voss said. “And, commute in a small town? "at should have been way up there, and college degrees should have been way up there. So, I don’t know where he would have gotten that it’s the third worst town.

“And, since it wasn’t credible, I answered it on Facebook just for people around town, but as far as an o%cial answer from the Chamber of Commerce, I would not even give it credibility,” he said. “"at’s the Chamber of Commerce’s stance on it. Let’s put it that way.”

Voss mentioned several positive qualities about Commerce, including the fact that it’s a rural community close to a metroplex and that it’s home to a university.

“"ere is a publication that’s out about small towns in the United States,” Voss said. “In this publication, it says that every small town in the United States would give anything they have to have a university in their town...just because of economic growth, just because of potential. "e economics of it is not just for growth, it’s for what’s the impact on your community.”

Small businesses are part of Commerce uniqueness, according to Voss.“"at’s what we represent. "e Chamber of Commerce is to promote business, that’s mainly what we

do,” Voss said. “About 97 percent of the businesses in Commerce, Texas are members of the Chamber of Commerce - small businesses, retail. "e only one of the large ones that’s not is Wal-Mart. It’s a small business community and we try to project that no matter what we do.

“Small Business Saturday is the $rst Saturday after "anksgiving. Two years ago, we had a deal to promote our small businesses in Commerce. We had like 15 that participated. "is last year we had 30. It was like a scavenger hunt, and you’d go around to all the businesses that participated and you’d get a coin. At the end of the day, the more coins you got, you came back here and the one who won the prize won $500. But, what it did is it promoted all the businesses in Commerce that wanted to participate. Next year, we already have 50 that want to participate and some of the surrounding area. So, that’s one of the things that we do and it’s one of the positive things about Commerce. It’s a small-knit community, it’s a close-knit community, and we have a big university that really helps us.”

But, despite the positive qualities described by Voss, students at Texas A&M University-Commerce have the opinion that there is little to do in the town. Voss said the businesses that were here years ago left because A&M-Commerce students did not support them.

“When we $rst moved here 35 years ago, there were 20 bars in Commerce,” Voss said. “So, I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing to have only three instead of 20. But, you have restaurants here that actually serve alcohol as well. "at’s taken over some of the bar scene. We had a movie theater here for a long, long time. For whatever reason, it went from a family operated theater, where you paid $5, $6 or $7 to go. "en, it went down to $3, then down to $2, then down to $1. Before they went out, it was not being participated in. "e kids were not going to the theater, even though they could go anytime for a dollar. "ey didn’t really support it. It’s been closed now for 12 or 14 years and there’s a lot more kids going to school here now, but it’s still a suitcase college.

“As far as stu! to do for university students, you can $nd something to do if you want. Everybody says ‘We need a Whataburger,’ well, we might not need a Whataburger. We’ve got a lot of other places besides a Whataburger to eat at. We cry for people to shop locally because we’ve got some great news shops that have opened up, women’s shops, boutiques, t-shirt shops, embroidery shops, and world class places to eat.”

Orville Tucker, a junior at A&M-Commerce, also believes the article is misrepresenting Commerce. Tucker said he has never been miserable during his time living in Commerce.

“You can be miserable anywhere with the wrong attitude,” Tucker said. “I’ve been going here for three years and I’ve never found myself to be miserable. Even though there’s not much in Commerce, you have to have an attitude to make the most out of what you’ve got.”

PHOTO COURTESY/NICOLAS HENDERSON

THE AUTHOREXPERIENCE

Distinguished Alumni Symposium

03.23.1610 A.M. - 12 P.M.

PACPERFORMING ARTS CENTER

SPEAKERSDr. Keith McFarland

Former President of A&M-Commerce and

Author

Jim Ainsworth

Distinguished Alumnus and Award-Winning

Author

Alton Biggs

Distinguished Alumnus and

Senior author of Glencoe Biology

FEATURED FACULTYDr. William Thompson

Sociology and Criminal Justice

Dr. Sharon Kowalsky

History

Dr. Christopher Gonzalez

Literature and Languages

Humanities, Social Sciences & Arts

MARCH 3, 2016PAGE 5 F!"#$%!&Pedaling around campus

one wheel at a timeKerry WilsonSta! Writer

With con"dence lurking its way through his body, he rides around Texas A&M University-Commerce on a single wheel as onlookers stare in amazement. For him, it is a normal daily task. For the people who see him around campus, however, it is some-thing that showcases his uniqueness.

A&M-Commerce freshman, Broch Saxton, can be seen nearly everywhere around campus riding his unicycle. Whether the trip is to the student center or to class, he glides on his one wheeled companion, making unicycle riding look easy.

Saxton described his beginning experiences learn-ing how to ride the unicycle after receiving it as a gift for graduation.

“I started training o! of our porch from my home,” Saxton said. “I just started pedaling and I fell a bunch. It’s one wheel, so you’re going to fall a lot, so I did that. Two weeks into it, I set it aside. I didn’t want anything to do with it because it was impossible. It’s one wheel. Who’s going to ride one wheel?”

However, while feeling the need to do something during summer break, Saxton returned to the only hobby sitting around - his unicycle.

“I felt like I needed to pick something up and do something crazy,” he said. “Well, there was a uni-cycle, so I decided, ‘Why not give it another shot?’ So I practiced more and I got pretty good at it and I could just actually go and ride around town on it.”

While Saxton and a friend rode around town on their unicycles, Saxton made a future goal for him-self in college: stand out from the crowd.

“We rode around in my hometown around town, gas station to gas station, training,” Saxton said. “I decided, ‘How great would it be if I did this going from class to class at college?,’ and from that point on I decided, ‘#at is going to be awesome. I’m go-ing to be the only person who will be riding a uni-

cycle.’ So, here I am.”Being the only person who rides a unicycle on

campus has brought Saxton attention from around campus.

“At "rst, at the beginning of the semester, there were a lot of ‘wows’ and ‘whoas’ and ‘that’s impres-sive,’” Saxton said. “And, I just kind of smile and keep on riding, because I know the reaction when I saw somebody on a unicycle for the "rst time or just riding in front of me. It’s impressive.”

Saxton noted that aside from being noticed around campus, the bene"ts of riding a unicycle in-clude a workout and better posture.

“It’s de"nitely a leg, calf, quad, and core workout altogether,” he said. “You have to hold your posture the whole time. #at’s what I like about it. I’m good with posture because of that. I’ve been told that, but I owe it to the unicycle, I would say, because I have to hold my back up and my head up high. #at helps with anything.”

As a PSA (Program for Student Admission) stu-dent, Saxton will be transferring to College Station in the fall. Although he will not be in Commerce, he still wants someone on campus to continue the unicycle riding. His friend, Chad O’Leary, has ex-pressed an interest in learning.

“I just saw Broch doing it,” O’Leary said. “I was hanging out in his room one day and I just got on it and started trying to "gure it out. I see him walk-ing around one day, and he tells me to go into my room and he’s loaning me one of his unicycles to try and ride, so I’ve just been practicing, trying to get around on that.”

Whether or not O’Leary decides to continue rid-ing the unicycle after his buddy leaves, only time will tell. But for now, O’Leary is enjoying his new hobby.

“I think right now it’s kind of more just a little hobby,” O’Leary said. “Just because college is for trying things and it’s just something new to try. I like picking up little hobbies like that.”

HUNTER KIMBLE

Opinion Editor

Multiple Personality Disorder is a rare and complex mental condition that will be recognized during Multiple Per-sonality Day on March 5.

Multiple Personality Day is an un-o$cial, national holiday that brings awareness to Multiple Personality Dis-order (MPD), which is barely known to the public.

“#e whole idea of multiple per-sonality disorder is still not necessarily embraced by everyone as a real thing. Jennifer Schroeder, department head of psychology, counseling & special edu-cation, said. “I’m sure this day is more about bringing awareness to the disor-der and the kind of help that the people with this disorder need,”

MPD, now called Dissociative Iden-tity Disorder (DID), is a mental condi-tion where a person forms two or more personalities to cope with severe, long-term trauma they experienced in the past.

“It’s when a person usually experi-enced long-term abuse in childhood and they begin self-protection by disso-ciating,” Counselor Marty Jacobs said. “#ey mentally withdraw from what’s going on.”

#e alter egos allow the individual, or core personality, to govern their be-havior. #e personalities will cause the individual to experience memory lost. #e alters are taking the core person-

ality’s place and is experiencing the events without them knowing.

#e personalities have their own charac-teristics and will appear if the individual is triggered or at any given time.

“When an alter comes out it’s without noticed,” Jacobs said. “Suddenly, that per-son’s entire demeanor changes and there voice will be a bit di!erent; there facial expression will be di!erent. Some people will have alter’s with a di!erent style in clothing that would be completely di!er-ent from the core personality’s style.”

MPD/DID cannot be cured and there is limited treatment for it. A person can only talk to a therapist to take some control of their personalities in order to function for the rest of their life. According to Schroed-er, this treatment is known to reintegrate the personalities back into the core person-ality.

However, this disorder is rare. Accord-ing to Schroeder less than one out of 100 people will have MPD/DID.

“Many therapist and psychiatrist can go there entire career without ever encounter-ing some with DID,” Jacobs said.

Multiple Personality Day will allow people to learn about the disorder and "g-ure out how to interact with people who have it.

“Even though it’s relatively rare, in the event of them running to someone who has this did order, they are going to want to know a little bit about the disorder so they can know how to interact with this person,” Schroeder said.

Meeting mutliple personalities

PHOTO COURTESY/FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS

PHOTO COURTESY/FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS

SoundtrackBurnes’ Turns

MARCH 3, 2016PAGE 6 E!"#$"%&!'#!"

Topping the list of instrumental music that tells a story (eat your heart out John Williams) is this instant tear-jerker harkening one of the most shiveringly heartbreak-ing moments in the history of storytelling. I won’t ruin the moment in case you’re one of the few that don’t know what happens as Final Fantasy VII reaches its emotional peak, but after listening to four minutes of this, you won’t have to read a line of dialogue to understand.

!is chilled out, moody reverie on the heartache that comes with loving someone from afar is, on paper, par for the Rastafarian’s course, but its melancholy mood is something rarely touched by one of the most cheerful, carefree artists of all time. When he wanted to, Marley could really bring the sorrow. He never sounded better.

Use Your Illusion II was Guns N’ Roses at its most overtly political featuring rallies against war and police brutality alongside the band’s typical musings on the usual (i.e., sex, drugs, lust, anger, paranoia, etc.). “Get in the Ring” was political in its own way (Axl really doesn’t like the mainstream music media), but its biggest triumph was capturing the joyful rage that pervades most of Guns N’ Roses’ best moments.

!e Illusion twins’ more popular sibling is a slightly less perfect political classic

PHOTO COURTESY/YOUTUBE.COM

3. Skeeter Davis“The End of the World”

Andrew BurnesEditor

With the release of 1991’s Use Your Illu-sion twins, featuring songs covering a wide variety of genres and subjects, Guns N’ Ros-es had o"cially entered a new era separate from the hairspray-fueled, drug-adled one that kickstarted their career in the Jungle that was the late-’80s. While many of the band’s more casual fans viewed this depar-ture as a betrayal, the aspirations of Guns, and Axl in particular, were growing expo-nentially and could no longer be contained by a simple #ve-member band layout howl-ing about sex, drugs and Rock and Roll.

!is career departure was comparable to what happened with !e Beatles in the mid-

’60s as they began experimenting with drugs and becoming true auteurs. Slash himself has compared the Use Your Illusion duo to !e Beatles’ famed White Album.

!e comparison is hardly a stretch; while Use Your Illusion I was varied enough as it was, Illusion II was an even grander de-parture from the band’s Sunset Strip roots. Of the album’s 13 tracks (not including the strange, industrial, 1-and-a-half minuteclos-er “My World”), more than half featured slow tempos. Only two are explicitly related to drugs while three (including the Dylan cover of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”) are overtly political. !e result was an incredible success and o$ered untold depth to a band that continued to evolve past the boundaries they were initially granted.

20 Years of Pokemon: From Worst to BestAndrew BurnesEditor

Last week, GameFreak, the company behind one of the most successful, univer-sal and recognizable videogame series of all time, revealed that in addition to the rer-elease of Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow

on the Nintendo 3DS store, an even bigger milestone will occur within the year: an en-tirely new generation of handheld games. Titled Sun and Moon, the reveal was a big shot of adrenaline to Pokemon fans all across the world, a situation only heightened by the news that the games would be released in no less than nine di$erent languages, speaking

directly the global phenomenon that the se-ries is.

!e real showstopper of the reveal, though, was the video on YouTube celebrat-ing the series’ history with a 2-minute sum-mation that got everyone’s nostalgia neurons pumping. What better time to look back on the generations that came before?

Generation IIIGeneration III o$ered a big forward while simultaneously creating a #rewall. !e game was grander than any that had come before, but it also contained many questionable moves like removing the day and night mechanic and failing to allow players to trade Pokemon from the #rst two generations. !e games themselves, are solid, but with the recent remakes of Ruby and Sapphire in Generation VI, that addressed all of the problems with the original game, this generation gets lost in the shu%e.

Generation IVPokemon’s debut on the greatest handheld of all time was exciting at the time, but fails to live up to the rest of the series upon revisit. Featuring the worst pacing of any main canon Pokemon games ever made, in both story and overall sluggish-ness, the game can be a monotonous drag. !e story is also the most forgettable of all of the generations featuring a Team Plasma that fails to stand out at all (what were their goals again?) and the worst lineup of legendary Pokemon ever assembled (they’re all the same damn type!).

Generation VIOn paper, it’s amazing the most recent generation of Pokemon was the most exciting release in the series’ history, but the debut of the cel-shaded 3D graphics the game boasted, not to mention mega-evolution made it so. Bu$oons as his lackeys may be, Lysandra was a series great when it comes to villains, and the subplot of the giant and his beloved Pokemon is among Pokemon’s most heart-warming. In addition, the Ruby and Sapphire remakes are the greatest ever, so much so that the original games are now almost completely worthless.

Generation IIAlthough Pokemon Gold and Silver were not the #rst in the series, they o$er the more nostalgia than the originals for a lot of people. I can relate; Generation II was not only my introduction to the series, they were a huge part of my introduction to videogames in general. !e games still o$er more than any other Pokemon game to date in terms of content; 16 badges to collect rather than 8 is still a massive task for any trainer to undertake. !e games lack the #rst-time charm of the original slightly, but they’re still classics.

Generation IAs a whole, the original Pokemon games were a broken mess. Critical hits were ridiculous, easily exploited gliches could break the game, and we don’t have to even get started on the horrors of Arbok armed with Wrap. But all of the originals’ &aws are what make it so endearing and exciting. It was the wild west of Pokemon; an engaging and intriguing world #lled with entertaining characters, challenges and twists. !ey may not be perfect, but the Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow o$er a charm that no other Pokemon game can match.

Generation VAs is often the case with artistic endeavors, the most controversial entry is the greatest. GameFreak took a huge gamble when they decreed that, for the #rst time in series history, only new Pokemon would be avail-able for capture throughout the main story portion of a Pokemon game. But they also went all in, for the #rst and really only time, on creating a narrative that was truly compelling from multiple angles, o$ering surprising twists and turns at every level with engaging characters and awesome set pieces. !e result was a truly fresh RPG experience that played di$erently than any of its predecessors. Everyone from your two childhood rivals to the gym leaders was &eshed out in a way that had never been broached before. Team Plasma was easily the most terrifying and dangerous evil team in series history o$ering a more philosophical rationale for their deeds. And N is undisputably the deepest Pokemon character ever. More than any other game on this list, Pokemon White and Black stand alone atop the mountain as experiences that excel on their own merit outside the realm of the con#nes of their series.

1. Guns n’ Roses“Get in the Ring”

1. Guns n’ Roses“Get in the Ring”

PHOTO COURTESY/YOUTUBE.COM

Use Your Illusion II was Guns N’ Roses at its most overtly political featuring rallies against war and police brutality alongside the band’s typical musings on the usual (i.e., sex, drugs, lust, anger, paranoia, etc.). “Get in the Ring” was political in its own way (Axl really doesn’t like the mainstream music media), but its biggest triumph was capturing the joyful rage that pervades most of Guns N’ Roses’ best moments.

2. Bob Marley“Waiting in Vain”

PHOTO COURTESY/PINTEREST.COM

3. Nobuo Uematsu“Aeris’ Theme”

PHOTO COURTESY/ALIBABA.COM

!e greatest musical artist of all time’s most underrated album ever, last year’s Shadows in the Night, celebrated its one-year anniversary last month. My favorite of the album’s ten gorgeously soothing ballads is more relate-able than ever coming from one of the most hard-headed men who ever walked the face of the earth, splitting the di$erence between a heartfelt apology and an unapolo-getic heart.

PHOTO COURTESY/THEGUARDIAN.COM

4. Bob Dylan“Why Try to Change Me Now?”

33The number of points gathered by Angelo

State’s Kami Norton at the Lone Star Confer-ence Championship.

hotshot

81.8The overall average of points scored per game

by the Men’s West Texas A&M offense.

numbersgame

MAR. 3, 2016

men’shoopsTeam LSC OverallMidwestern State 10-4 21-5Angelo State 9-5 21-5Tarleton State 9-5 20-7West Texas A&M 9-5 21-9Cameron 8-6 15-11A&M- Commerce 6-8 17-10A&M- Kingsville 3-11 11-14Eastern New Mexico 2-12 6-20

Individual LeadersPointsPlayer Avg./GDavid Chavlovich, WT .................... 20.5EJ Reed, TSU ................................ 18.2Tre Bennett, ASU ........................... 16.9Stedman Allen, ASU ...................... 16.2Bryant Crowder, A&M-C ................ 15.7

ReboundsPlayer Avg./GKhapri Alston, MSU ..........................9.5Lawrence Domingo, ENMU ..............8.2Troy Jones, A&M-K ...........................7.9Omari Gudul, ASU ............................7.8EJ Reed, TSU ...................................7.3

AssistsPlayer Avg./GTre Bennett, ASU ..............................4.8Michael Hardge, TSU ........................4.7Jeremy Jones, A&M-C .....................4.1JV Long, CAM ..................................4.0Anthony Adams, A&M- C ..................3.8

StealsPlayer Avg./GBretson McNeal, MSU ..................... 1.7JV Long, CAM ................................. 1.6Michael Hardge, CAM ...................... 1.6Anthony Adams, A&M-C .................. 1.5Malcolm Hamilton, TSU .................. 1.4

women’shoopsTeam LSC OverallWest Texas A&M 13-3 24-3Angelo State 12-4 19-7Texas Woman’s 10-6 20-8Tarleton State 10-6 16-10Cameron 9-7 15-10A&M-Commerce 9-7 16-12East. New Mexico 5-11 10-16Midwestern State 4-12 5-21A&M-Kingsville 0-16 5-21

Individual LeadersPointsPlayer Avg./GTaylor Dorsey, ASU ........................ 16.8Dayla Threatt, CAM ....................... 13.9Jasmine Prophet, ASU .................. 13.6Bailey Wipff, TSU ........................... 13.4Michaela Neuhaus, WT .................. 12.7

ReboundsPlayer Avg./GErin Maxwell, TWU............................7.9Ikpeaku Iwobi, TSU...........................7.7Amari Jones, A&M-C ........................7.5Maddison Wild, WT ..........................6.8DJ Vallier, CAM .................................6.3

AssistsPlayer Avg./GSasha Watson, WT ...........................5.0Taylor Dorsey, ASU ...........................4.0Shomari Harris, A&M- C ...................3.6Morgan Ashmore, TSU .....................3.4Michaela Neuhaus, WT .....................3.4

StealsPlayer Avg./GMadison McLain, WT ....................... 2.1Sasha Watson, WT .......................... 2.0Michaela Neuhaus, WT .................... 1.9Sarah Stinnett, ENMU...................... 1.9Allie Decker, WT .............................. 1.6

ScheduleCHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

March 3Texas A&M-Commerce vs. Tarleton StateWest Texas A&M vs. Cameron

ScheduleCHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

March 3Cameron vs. Texas Woman’sTexas A&M-Commerce vs. Tarleton State

LSC announces indoor track & field rewards

LSC basketball championship field set

MEN’S & WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

PHOTO COURTESY/LONESTARCONFERENCE.ORG

PAGE 7

Team CONF OverallWest Texas A&M 4-0 20-0Angelo State 4-0 15-4Cameron 3-1 17-6Midwestern State 3-1 15-9A&M-Commerce 1-3 12-5East. New Mexico 1-3 8-10Texas Woman’s 0-0 11-7Tarleton State 0-4 12-9A&M-Kingsville 0-4 6-9

Nearly 50 student-athletes were recognized on the All-Lone Star Conference awards for their e!orts at the 2016 LSC Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships. "e awards were announced Friday by league o#cials.

West Texas A&M won its third consecu-tive women’s title and Texas A&M-Commerce claimed the men’s crown for the second straight year at the league’s indoor meet February 20-21.

On the men’s side, Texas A&M-Kingsville’s Jeron Robinson earned Outstanding Male Field Athlete acclaim for the second time, while West Texas A&M’s Dan-iel Gyasi was named the Outstanding Male

Track Athlete. Texas A&M-Commerce’s Ross Smithey and TAMUK’s Ryan Dall shared Men’s Track Coach of the Year honors.

Tarleton State’s Aly Coughlin claimed Outstanding Female Track Athlete honors for the second time, while Kami Norton of Angelo State earned Outstand-ing Female Field Athlete acclaim. WT’s Dar-ren Flowers was named Women’s Track Coach of the Year for the third straight year.

"e quali$ers for the NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships will be announced on March 1 at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com. "e championships are

March 11-12 in Pittsburg, Kan.

SPECIAL AWARDSOutstanding Male

Track Athlete: Daniel Gyasi, West Texas A&M

Outstanding Male Field Athlete: Jeron Robinson, Texas A&M-Kingsville

Men’s Track & Field Coaches of the Year: Ross Smithey, Texas A&M-Commerce, and Ryan Dall, Texas A&M-Kingsville.

SPECIAL AWARDSOutstanding Female

Track Athlete: Aly Coughlin, Tarleton State

Outstanding Female Field Athlete: Kami Nor-ton, Angelo State

Women’s Track & Field Coach of the Year: Dar-ren Flowers, West Texas A&M

2016softball

ScheduleMarch 3Newman vs. A&M-Commerce

March 4A&M-Kingsville vs. A&M-CommerceWest Texas A&M vs. Midwestern StateTexas Woman’s vs. Tarleton StateEast. New Mexico vs. Angelo

March 5A&M-Kingsville vs. A&M-CommerceEast. New Mexico vs. Angelo StateWest Texas A&M vs. Midwestern StateTexas Woman’s vs. Tarleton State

"e men’s and women’s brackets for the Lone Star Conference Basketball Championship March 2-5 in Allen, Texas, was $nalized Saturday eve-ning as the league’s basketball teams wrapped up the regular season.

"e top eight teams have advanced to the LSC Championship Tournament and the postseason begins with games on Wednesday, March 2.

Midwestern State won the LSC men’s title with a 10-4 record. "e Mustangs claimed their ninth champi-onship and seventh since 2007.

On the women’s side, West Texas A&M claimed the LSC title with a 13-3 league record. "e Lady Bu!s picked up their third straight champi-onship and 14th overall.

LSC BASKETBALL"e LSC men have a 132-81 overall

record so far this season. In the NCAA South Central Region, the men’s teams are currently 13-9 combined versus Heartland Conference teams and 12-8 against the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

"e LSC women are 130-108 over-all. "e women’s squads are currently 20-14 combined against the Heartland, and 8-6 versus RMAC teams, which are the other conferences in the NCAA South Central Region.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEKMEN’S OFFENSIVEOmari Gudul, Angelo State Univer-

sity, SR, ForwardGudul led the Rams o!ense in its

only game this week by scoring a career high 27 points against Texas A&M - Kingsville. He was 10-of-13 from the $eld and 7-of-9 from the stripe. "is accompanied by his 11 boards gave the senior his sixth double-double of the year. "e forward’s stellar perfor-mance was the most points scored since Angelo State Ram, Tommy Woolridge, scored 32 against Cameron on January 25, 2014. Gudul also led the squad as he marked three blocks on the night.

MEN’S DEFENSIVEHershell Grant, Midwestern

State University, SR, GuardGrant played a key defensive

role in helping Midwestern State limit Cameron to 30 percent shooting in a 79-59 win over Aggies to clinch an outright Lone Star Conference championship Saturday night at Aggie Gym. "e senior from Washington, D.C. also con-tributed on the o!ensive end of the %oor scoring 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting including a pair of 3-pointers while pulling

down nine rebounds to go along with a blocked shot and a steal.

WOMEN’S OFFENSIVEJasmine Prophet, Angelo State Uni-

versity, JR, ForwardProphet led ASU to a 71-56 vic-

tory over Texas A&M-Kingsville and secured the No. 2 seed in the LSC Championship Tournament. "e junior recorded her fourth double-double of the year with a game high 23 points and 11 rebounds. It is the $fth straight game in double $gures and the fourth game over 20 points. She shot 53.8-per-cent from the $eld and 90-percent from the charity stripe. She grabbed nine defensive rebounds and three o!ensive

rebounds in the win.WOMEN’S DEFENSIVEDJ Vallier, Cameron University, SR,

ForwardVallier averaged ten rebounds per

game in Cameron’s two contests beat-ing Texas Woman’s and Midwestern State to end the regular season. "e Cameron senior pulled down 12 boards at TWU and added eight in Lawton against the Mustangs. Of her 20 rebounds, 15 of them came from the defensive side of the court. In the back half of the season, Vallier has become one of the best rebounders in the LSC pulling down 6.9 per game in league play which is tied for fourth best.

West Texas A&M’s David Gyasi and Tarleton State’s Aly Coughlin compete in their respective competitions.

MEN’S & WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The !eld is set, and the teams are raring to go. PHOTO COURTESY/LONESTARCONFERENCE.ORG

MEN’S & WOMEN’S TENNIS

TAMU-Kingsville’s Herrera tabbedWOMEN’S TENNIS PLAY-ER OF THE WEEK Mariaxi Herrera, Texas A&M University - Kingsville, SR Herrera went 2-0 in singles play and 2-0 in doubles action this week as the Javelinas took on No. 40 St. Edward’s Friday and UTPB Sunday... Herrera defeated Anjali Sampath 6-3, 6-2, in singles No. 1 Friday... Sampath was ranked No. 9 in the ITA South Central Region rankings... she and Marija Dimitrovska earned a 8-4 win in doubles No. 1... Herrera followed Sunday with a 6-1, 6-1 victory in singles No. 1 vs. UTPB and 8-6 in doubles No. 1 as No. 42 TAMUK downed the Falcons, 5-2... she is 3-2 in the spring in singles play.

PHOTO COURTESY/LONESTARCONFERENCE.ORG A&M-Kingvilles’s Mariaxi Herrera plays !ercely, earning her the honor of LSC’s Player of the Week.

S!"#$% MARCH 3, 2016PAGE 8

Kourt lynd Buggs-TorresSpor t s wr iter

The Lions hosted the Tarleton State Texans for thei r senior n ight and f ina l game of th i s sea son la st Saturday. Ta rleton brought a pre sence with them to “The Fie ld House” add ing to the r iva l r y bet ween the t wo schools , but u lt imate ly went home with the win with l it t le push back .

The Lions jumped out ea rly with a f ive-point lead in the opening minutes , but the Lions cou ldn’t hold the momentum long. The Texans went on 24-9 scor ing run that le f t the Lions f ight ing not to win, but to s tay in the game. The Texans posse s sed a 10 -point lead with a min-ute le f t in the f i r s t ha l f, but the Lions fought to br ing the game to with in seven lead ing into the second ha l f.

In the second ha l f, Ta rleton went on a scor ing ram-page quick ly tak ing the lead into double f igures . The Texans lead by a s much a s 16 point s and cont inued to shoot with a l ight s out menta l it y, c losing out the game st rong with an 88-74 v ic tor y over the Lions end ing the sea son.

Hannah Clark Sta! writer

Everything has to start somewhere and the start of Texas A&M Commerce’s tennis team begins with one student.

Courtney Perry has taken it upon herself to begin paving the road for a future tennis team here at Texas A&M Commerce, but not without some help.

“Alex Williams and Justin Stewart, both work in intramurals and club sports, were very supportive and helped out a lot in the process of building this organi-zation.”

Before they could compete Courtney had to get the tennis team recognized as a club sport, but this idea began long before they became recognized as the TAMUC Lions club tennis team.

“In all honesty I got the idea when I was in a tennis class my freshman year,” Perry said “I saw all these students who were playing tennis and really enjoyed it and thought to myself we really need a tennis team.”

With the coaches support Perry began the process of creating the tennis team and successfully so, the team has been searching for more players and students who would want to join.

“Everyone on the team has been supportive in trying to help the team get started and having each others back.” Perry said.

Unfortunately, being known is not the only problem facing the new tennis team. Currently the tennis courts are scheduled for demolition in order to put up new housing.

“I am in the process of talking to Commerce High Schools tennis coach and trying to use the courts there.” said Perry. “We see this as a way of being more involved in the Commerce community and recruiting new talent.”

"ere is a plan to build stadium sized tennis courts by Cain #elds tennis which are predicted to be built by 2017, but with that in the process Perry has refocused her e!orts.

“My goals now are to introduce our team and to get involved with other campuses,” Perry said “our season just ended and we were able to compete with around #fty other schools.”

"ough this season wasn’t a winning one Perry has high hopes for the fu-ture.

“One of our main goals is to become more pronounced on campus,” Perry said “we want to see more student involvement and get more seasoned players.”

If the tennis team wins enough games and becomes well known they can ap-ply to be a NCAA a$liated team and begin competing on behalf of the school.

“I would love to see our tennis team grow into an actual collegiate team and I am excited to see how we grow in the next couple years.” said Perry

If you have any questions or concerns about joining the TAMUC Lions CLUB tennis team contact Courtney Perry at 903-651-9067.THE EAST TEXAN PHOTO/ HANNAH CLARK

Tennis club shoots for full citizenship

"e Lions notched their tenth win at home this sea-son by defeating the TexAnns 78-71.

After scoring the #rst points of the game, the Tex-Anns missed the mark on their next six shots due to tight defense by the Lions. O!ensively, the Lions went on a 10-0 run taking a commanding 17-4 lead and forcing a TexAnn timeout. Tarleton State came out of the timeout with a 9-0 run to climb back in the game 17-13. At the end of the #rst quarter, the Lions led 19-13.

Krystal Pickron’s three-pointer to start the quarter was an omen as the Lions connected on a total of four threes in the second quarter. "e Lions held the mo-mentum through the entire quarter as their lead ex-panded to as much as 14 points, and went into the half with a 38-26 lead.

"e Lions ended the #rst half shooting 53.3 percent

from the %oor and shot 4-of-6 from three-point range. "e Lions outrebounded the TexAnns by one board, but dominated them in the paint 20-12. Tarleton State shot 31.3 percent from the %oor and an uncharacteristic 1-of-9 from beyond the arc. With three treys in the sec-ond quarter alone, Natalie Hessong propelled herself to a game high of 10 points at the break. Audrisa Harri-son added six points while Shomari Harris and Krystal Pickron had #ve points each. Ikpeaku Iwobi was the leading scorer for Tarleton State with six points.

Tarleton State started the quarter hot, going on a 6-0 run. After one half with one made three-pointer, the TexAnns connected on three treys in the third quarter alone. Conversely, the Lions went a little cold to start the half and saw their double-digit lead shrink to 48-46. However, the Lions picked themselves up, and ended the quarter on a 10-2 run highlighted by

seven points by Khala Riley. "e Lions went into the third quarter with a 58-48 lead.

Tarleton State came out and battled in the fourth quarter, cutting the Lions lead down to single digits. However a late three by Gabby Scott essentially ended the TexAnns hopes of a comeback as the Lions ended their seven-game winning streak with a seven-point victory, 78-71. "e Lions shot an impressive 55.8 per-cent from the %oor (29-of-52), 66.7 percent from be-yond the arc (6-of-9), and 56 percent from the free throw line (14-of-25). Shomari Harris led the Lions in scoring, rebounding, and assists with 13, eight, and #ve respectively. Natalie Hessong added 12 points and Khala Riley put in 11 to round out the Lions double-digit scorers. Ikpeaku Iwobi had a double-double for the TexAnns with game highs of 22 points and ten rebounds.

A&M-CommercePoints: Shomari Harris, 13Rebounds: Shomari Harris, 8Assists: Shomari Harris, 5Steals: Khala Riley, 3Blocks: Two players with one block each

Tarleton StatePoints: Ikpeaku Iwobi, 22Rebounds: Ikpeaku Iwobi, 10Assists: Morgan Ashmore, 3Steals: Morgan Ashmore, 5Blocks: Two players with one block each

Team leaders

A&M-Commerce Knocks O! Tarleton State On Senior Night, 78-71

PHOTO COURTESY/ LION ATHLETICS

A&M-Commerce men’s basketball closes out season

Students came together and form a tennis club in hopes of in!uencing the school to start a team.