A bee buzzes around an azalea bloom outside of the Boynton Building on the campus of SFA Monday.
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Daily Archives: March 26, 2012
Gas Pains
If there is one thing that has caused many problems throughout the course of history that still exists, it would be gasoline and its prices. Gasoline prices are at an all time high right now and the prices continue to grow as time progresses. Gas has started all types of controversy in the world today. Some of the problems are small such as people stealing and cyphering gas from one another or small altercations and fights over gas; some verbal while others at times become physical. Others are much larger and sometimes involve country on country conflict. Such as the issues we find in Lebanon, Israel. And there is always problem in the middle east because of gas prices and other economic issues. Some people blame president Obama for the rise in gas prices and the conflicts that it has been causing.
Here at SFA with today’s economy, gas prices are possibly one of the largest off campus issues. Students without jobs that have vehicles struggle most with this issue simply because gas is becoming more and more unaffordable. The amount of money spent by students monthly on gas is almost equivalent to a month’s rent in some places or even equal to paying to take another course. It is causing people to trade in their vehicles for more eco-friendly vehicles and/or just smaller vehicles in general. People with trucks are buying and renting bicycles to get around campus and local areas. Others are having to find jobs closer to campus or wherever it is that they are living in order to cut back on the amount they spend on gas.
Gas prices in East Texas are now up to $3.77 on average. Texasgasprices.com reported the highest gas price in Nacogdoches as of today to be $3.83 at a Valero station on Appleby Sand Rd. it reported the lowest to be $3.61 at a Mobil station at Center Rd and NE Stallings Dr. This is about a 25 to 30 cent increase in prices since this time last year where gas prices were about $3.55 on average and ranged from about $3.35 to $3.60. Some students say because of the high gas prices they have to miss out on certain events if they aren’t held on campus. Other say that they sometimes have to decide if they will even go home for certain holidays because they just can’t afford enough has to go home for all holidays. The average vehicle has a gas tank size of about 12 to 15 gallons. This means to fill up a person would spend close to $50 if not more. Also the miles per gallon play a big part in how often you have to fill up. Some students have to fill up between 4 to 6 times a month which adds up to about $200 to $300 per month in gas only. This obviously is can get a bit pricey especially for college students. but they have no way of working around this issue.
The cost of driving is quickly becoming unbearable for some. The number conflicts and altercations behind gas and its prices are growing here as we speak. The number of eco-friendly and compact vehicles being sold is at an all time high. The effect of gas prices rising is evident all over the world. As college students we struggle with the price of gas in our everyday decisions. Should we go? Should we stay? How much will my next round trip cost me? No matter where you are, gas prices are rising at a swift pace. What will you do to offset the effects of gas prices on your life choices?
NAACP Gala: A Moment in Black History
On February 9, 2012, I had the pleasure of attending our campus’ NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Gala hosted on campus. The event was tailored to honor black history month and inform people of sexual risks and statistics of our generation. In the week leading up to the actual event itself, the NAACP as well as volunteers of the MC Center took up donations in which the donated 100% to the Health Horizons Community Aids Center. Health Horizons is a project which, “is listed nationally with six agencies as an organization designed specifically to assist those persons who now live with AIDS. It offers educational materials and workshops to prevent the spread of HIV disease. Its goal is to educate and eliminate unknown fears about AIDS and HIV.” I spoke with a student of SFA, Nahji Faison, to get his perspective of the Gala. MyRecording
The NAACP Gala brought out a nice sized crowd. It attracted people from multiple places such as Texas Junior College and Angelina College. It also brought out the Dean of Student Affairs at SFA. It was a very elegant setting; there was even a full course meal provided for everyone in attendance. A live band, made up of some of Stephen F. Austin’s students, played soft jazz music to set the mood and the event planner provided some inspirational speakers that would give us their view point on what African American history meant to them. They also provided some of their stories that seemed to touch everyone’s heart that was in the room. Kevin Powell, one of the speakers, brought up a few things that African Americans have contributed to this country. One of those things was the invention of the traffic light. Imagine life without them. To be quite honest, I didn’t even know that and it’s been a part of our history for decades. Kevin Powell gave me a whole new outlook and black history; there is so much history that we haven’t even began to explore as a people.
This brings up another point. He also talked about how African Americans fail to educate themselves on our history and where we have grown from over the years. He made a good point, how can we as African American’s expect others to respect our culture if we do not even know where the history behind our culture. This inspired me to further my knowledge on other cultures as well as my own. He explained to us that everyone has some sort of history in Africa, no matter your ethnicity or where your family came from. This means that racism shouldn’t have and even now, should never play a factor in our society for any reason. We are all one, were all Americans and that should be the only thing that matters; skin color, religious background, or your culture should not play a factor in anything.
We may look different, have different views on religion, have different cultures, or values, but we are all still PEOPLE of the United States of America. He explained that Latin Americans, Asian Americans, Indian Americans, and every other ethnic background has all contributed to this country in some positive way that should be recognized. This country stands for unity and it’s about time we all come together as a family and contribute in any way we can. In closing, I believe we all should keep in mind that one person can make a significant impact on many. If it weren’t for some of the most powerful figures in history such as Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman, ask yourself, where would this country be today? Educate yourself.
Calorie Counting on Cocktails
It’s always fun to go out with your girlfriends and chit chat over cocktails. But have you ever wondered how many calories are in that Cosmopolitan you’ve been sipping on all night? Well, believe it or not, some cocktails have more calories than actual meals! I thought of the most popular drinks that are ordered at bars and are constantly on special and made a list of what’s in them and how many calories they contain.
Long Island Iced Tea (780 calories)- vodka, tequila, rum, gin, triple sec, sweet and sour mix with a splash of Coke. If you love these as much as I do, try substituting the Coke for Diet Coke, it’ll cut back more than a few calories.
Margarita (740 calories)-limeade, tequila, triple sec. These bad boys are always on special Friday night at Flashback. But with all the calories it has, you might at well just go eat a meal at Taco Bueno.
Pina Colada(644 calories)- rum, coconut milk, crushed pineapples. If you like pina coladas, then you might also like putting on the pounds because this packs on the fat! Drink these sparingly.
White Russian (435 calories)- Vodka, coffe liquer (I use Kahlua), either cream or milk. This is my favorite cocktail but it has so much calories due to the milk. The sugar and fat levels are through the roof. If you ever order them, try asking for low fat milk instead of cream or whole milk. This drink can also be substituted as a dessert. So just order the White Russian for dessert and take a pass on the double chocolate cake.
Gin/Vodka Tonic (200 calories)-gin, vodka, tonic water. Most people are mistaken and believe that this is a low calorie drink but in reality, tonic water contains lots of sugar. It may be a better choice to have than a margarita but if you’re concerned about the calories, ask for club soda instead of tonic water.
Mojito (160 calories)- rum, lime juice, sugar, mint leaves, club soda. The calorie count isn’t that bad for a Mojito, but some bars and clubs use lots of sugar to sweeten the drink. If you’re a mojito fan, ask the bartender for Splenda instead of dumping a bunch of sugar in the cocktail.
Cosmopolitan (150 calories)- vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, lime juice. Every girl has had a girl’s night out and has ordered a round of these cocktails like hot cakes. Even though Cosmos don’t have a lot of calories, they come in a small glass and you find yourself ordering round after round after round. It’s good to practice moderation with these. You can also order your Cosmo with diet cranberry juice. That’ll save you about 50 calories!
Rum and Coke (194 calories)- Bacardi and coke. This is with a double serving size. If the calories bother you, just order it with a Diet Coke and that’ll save you around 60 calories.
Kamikaze (170 calories)- Smirnoff Vodka, triple sec, lime juice. These are quite fun and tasty but stick to having these cocktails as shots. It saves a lot of calories.
Whiskey (70 calories) This is just one fluid ounce of whiskey.
Vodka (64 calories) This is just one fluid ounce of Vodka.
Beer (155 calories) This goes for any standard sized bottle or can. Try to stick with the light beer, it’s less calories and it makes you bloat a lot less.
Light Beer (103 calories) As stated above, this goes for any bottle or can.
White Wine (Riesling) (120 calories) This is just 15 fluid ounce servings.
Red Wine (Merlot) (123 calories) This goes for 15 fluid ounce servings. Red wine also has huge health benefits. It contains anti-oxidants and is quite healthy for the heart.
So the next time you have your girl’s night, remember this cocktail calorie list! Or you won’t be able to fit in that little black dress. Unless it’s free, if the drinks are free, the calories don’t count.;)
Spring has Sprung!
Spring has Sprung! Although the weather feels the same as it was back in January.
Season Has Been a Ball, Even If We’re Not Dancing
According to some analysts, predictions and a not-so-hot previous season, made mid-way through the Lumberjack’s basketball record have the looks of another disappointing run. Hopes of making it to the NCAA Tournament (or “The Big Dance” as it’s affectionately called) seemed anything but possible for the ‘Jacks. With 7 losses before January, Danny Kaspar’s usually competitive and highly-skilled defensive squad (the ‘Jacks were ranked as the nation’s #3 defense this season) just couldn’t win the games they wanted to. Although a majority of the losses in the first half of the season were to historically better, higher-division opponents (Texas Tech, Texas A & M, Oregon, San Diego State) the ‘Jacks just hadn’t impressed anyone.
That is until South Land Conference league play came into the mix.
After January the ‘Jacks only lost 4 of their 17 games, including a stunning over-time victory against rival Sam Houston who had knocked them out of the tournament and thoroughly embarrassed the ‘Jacks during regular season play. With impressive league play (12-4) and the perennial notion of being one of the nation’s best defensive squads, the ‘Jacks chances began looking bright as March rolled around.
The notion of tournament play in basketball is the same every year. Whether you’re talking about conference tournaments or the Big Dance, when you get to post-season, then the real play starts. Ask anyone who is a fan of Butler or V.C.U., both medium seeds in the NCAA tournament who ended up busting everyone’s brackets all the way to the Final Four and in Butler’s case the National Championship. You can be first in your division and be knocked out earlier in the competition than Dick Vitale vs. Muhammad Ali. Just ask UT Arlington, who had multiple convincing wins over McNeese State in regular season play, but was knocked out of the SLC tournament when it really mattered. The Mavericks still ended up in the NIT tournament but were knocked out by Washington.
For the ‘Jacks the story wasn’t let’s not waste what we’ve working on all year, but rather let’s prove that we can extend our year.
A convincing win over Northwestern State in the first round of SLC tournament play surely projected the confidence and vigor in Katy, Texas (home of the SLC tournament) needed to carry the ‘Jacks three more games to a Championship ring. Student Manager Charley Merriweather said “the energy was high and right where we needed it to be, which was obvious with the win over Sam Houston,” who weren’t looking forward to another loss from the ‘Jacks. Merriweather added “we were pretty confident coming out of that game. We felt like though we hadn’t won yet, we deserved it.”
Maybe a sense of entitlement was exactly what the ‘Jacks didn’t need in their upcoming quarter final game against the Lamar Cardinals, new recipients of Hall-of-Fame college coach Bobby Knight’s son, Pat. Knight came into the coaching job hard-nosed and looking to make changes. Apparent in the popular viral video of comments on the team made after a loss to Lumberjacks in the regular season.
The game against Lamar was exactly the opposite of what we had been seeing from the ‘Jacks after January, when they prevailed with a ten point lead over their win against the Cardinals in regular season. Where usually the highly-defensive team was grabbing offensive and defensive rebounds, it seemed as though they lacked spirit. Something that was surely displayed by their 19 point halftime score. The Cardinals seemed like they came to win, while the ‘Jacks just seemed like they just showed up ready to win.
Jereal Scott, the team’s highest scorer/only senior finished with only 9 points and 8 rebounds in the loss( 55-44), his last night as a Lumberjack, when his season average was 13 points and 5 rebounds. The ‘Jacks as a whole ended the night 3-for-13 from the behind the arc, something that undoubtedly did not make traditional-minded coach Kaspar, very happy.
But with the tough loss in the tournament and no post-season play, the outcome of the season was successful. Merriweather explains “before January we were projected to finish 9th in SLC league play. We finished 2nd. If that’s not a success, I don’t what is.”
Greek Week Tests Basketball Skills
Anderson Sophmore Jacob Isaacson Tests His Skills in This Year's Annual Competition
Spring Danceworks Concert
The SFA Dance Department held its spring Danceworks concert on March 25, 2012, within the William M. Turner Auditorium.
The concert featured three works performed by the SFA Repertory Dance Company, eight senior choreographic projects and one faculty piece.
The SFA Repertory Dance Company performed “Sieve”, “A Shot in the Dark” and “Twixt Dusk and Dawn.” All three pieces were originally performed within the SFA Repertory Dance Company Concert last fall.
“Sieve” was first choreographed by Sarah Imhoff-Jones in 1996 as part of her graduate studies at Texas Woman’s University. This piece was restaged for company members last October and recently performed at the American College Dance Festival in Laredo.
Choreographed by Birgitt Bodingbauer and Simone Grindel, “A Shot in the Dark” featured eight dancers that interact with each other around three tables. Bodingbauer and Grindel, both from Berlin, spent a week with SFA dancers last fall. The piece won the 2009 SideBySide International online dance festival.
Lastly, “Twixt Dusk and Dawn” was performed by seven dancers. The dancers each represented a zombie from a different era. This tap piece was choreographed by Stan Bobo, co-director of the SFA dance department.
In addition to these pieces, Heather Samuelson, adjunct dance instructor, choreographed “Impulsions.” Since debuting in last fall’s concert, Samuelson added a second part to the piece. Within the second part, Donovan Carter and Destiny Greer perform a duet to music by Frederick Chopin.
The eight senior choreographic projects were choreographed as part of the DAN 480 course. Every dance major is required to choreograph a five minute piece as part of their degree requirements.
Within this concert, the works of Bethany Anguiano, Jessica Chance, Alexandria Charles, Katie Husfelt, Mirannda Lindberg, Katie Reeves, Hannah Schultz and Tamara Story were presented.
Under the guidance of Libby Rhodes, director of senior choreographic projects, the seniors do all of the necessary work to create, run and produce a show. To begin, the seniors hold an audition to cast dancers for their pieces. “There was a lot of talent this semester, so it was really hard to choose,” Anguiano said. “It was a great turnout.”
After casting the dancers, the seniors schedule two to three rehearsal times each week. Each rehearsal lasts from one to two hours. On top of rehearsals, the seniors showed their choreography to the dance professors every Wednesday. “The showings with the professors were difficult because they always wanted something different,” Charles said. “It was so hard to change my piece after working so hard on it.”
The senior choreographers were taught to take one movement and manipulate it until it can’t be manipulated any more. For Tamara Story, this proved challenging since the concert was held a month earlier than usual. “The short semester made it hard to fully develop my work,” Story said. “With that said, I believe the audience easily understood my dance was about split personalities.”
For Chance, choreographing to one theme was difficult but not impossible. “I managed to keep my theme throughout,” Chance said. “I’m surprised I did because it doesn’t usually happen that way.” Within her piece, five dancers are dressed in lavender tops that she personally sewed and designed herself. The piece focuses on self-image and not being accepted by others.
Once the concert was finished , Schultz as well as the other seven senior choreographers breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the months of hard work come together. “I’m just happy I got to perform with my friends,” Schultz said. “It was a great way to end my senior year.”
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