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Volume 87

T ech T alk
October 4, 2012 www.thetechtalk.org

The

PAID

The student voice of Louisiana Tech University

Number 4

Cyber engineering program noteworthy

KELSY KERSHAW Staff Reporter Under mountains of papers and circuits ready to be constructed, Jean Gourd rests his elbows on the two bare spots of his desk as he begins to explain exactly what cyber engineering is. I like to think of it as a marriage of computer science and electrical engineering, said Gourd, an assistant professor of computer science. In the most basic terms, it is software plus hardware. Like all the other engineering curricula, Gourd said cyber engineering begins with the Living with the Lab series in a students first year. Instead of buying a textbook, students essentially buy a piece of hardware that they use to learn about the concepts of engineering, he said. They also do a lot of projects that are very hands-on. Along with their hands-on projects, Gourd said the students have to complete the general education requirements like everyone else before they are able to get to focus on the concentrated areas. After they take their histo-

Who will succeed Reneau?

Bestselling authors tell their story

KELSY KERSHAW Staff Reporter

Photo by Deepanjan Mukhopadhyay

> see CYBER page 2

Current Tech President Dan Reneau sits in on the presidential search forum last Wednesday. RANEY JOHNSON Staff Reporter

Student voters have options

ALLISON EAST Staff Reporter Forgotten microwaves, Tshirts and photos probably merit a phone call back home upon a students return to Ruston, but another item often left behind is usually tossed aside and quickly forgotten. According to Campus Vote Projects website, Over a quarter of college students reported in 2010 that they did not register to vote because they did not know where or how to register or they missed the deadline. Vo t e r registration cannot be packed in STONE a suitcase or thrown in the backseat, but it can move with students as easily as their favorite blanket. Dianna Stone, registrar of voters for Lincoln Parish, said students attending college in the parish have two options to help bring their right to vote along for the ride. They can register here in Lincoln Parish by Oct. 9. Thats what all the Grambling students are doing or they

Americans are still split on who they want to be the new U.S. president, but at the public forum for the Tech presidential search, there was no debate on who the next presi> see FORUM page 3 dent of Tech should be.

crime I did not commit, he said. Circumstances for Cotton As Jennifer Thompson ad- took a turn in 1995 when he justed Ronald Cottons tie, get- heard about the O.J. Simpson ting ready to speak trial and was first in Howard auditointroduced to DNA rium Tuesday night, testing. he sat back and After watching laughed. it on television, I Twe n t y - s eve n sat down to write a years ago, Thomprequest to the court son hated this man for a DNA test in my and wanted him to case, Cotton said. die; now they travel In approximately the world sharing 90 days he received their story togethhis answer. er as the best of The warden friends. called me into his THOMPSON On July 29, 1984, office and looked Thompson, come in the eye and author of Picking told me I was innoCotton, was sexucent, he said. He ally assaulted and told me I was going raped for nearly 20 home. minutes. When she After 11 years of was brought in to incarceration, when identify her attacker, Cotton walked into she described Cotthat courtroom ton, also the cohe said he felt like author of Picking he was in another Cotton. world. I had to get I was free at COTTON him off the streets, last, he said. for me, and for the As Cotton felt reother victim he terlief, Thompson said rorized, she said about Cotton she felt shame, guilt and fear. at the time. I was afraid he would After the trial in January of come after me, she said. I 1985, Cotton was convicted of thought he wanted to kill me. first-degree rape, sex offense After some time, Thompson breaking-and-entering and realized she had not moved on was sentenced to life in prison. from the incident and decided Thompson said she felt relief, she needed to meet Cotton. but Cotton said he felt the I waited for him outside complete opposite. I had been charged for a > see COTTON page 5

Celebrity Theaters revamps

Celebrity Theaters changes things up with new movie projectors, which will allow for 3D capabilities. Twice a year, Celebrity will also offer independent movies.

Career fair largest in Tech history

TECH NEWS SERVICE Louisiana Techs Counseling and Career Services hosted a Career Fair Thursday and drew a record number of companies to the event. One hundred thirty-seven companies and between 700-800 students attended the Career Fair. Companies hoped to attract the universitys soon-to-be graduates, and students hoped to find employment. Ron Cathey, director of Counseling and Career Services, said he had not expected this many companies to attend. Back in the summer, we decided to expand to the upstairs of the Student Center (as well as the downstairs) to alleviate congestion, but we did not expect more than 110 companies, Cathey said. Next thing we knew, not only did we fill the space, but we had to add tables that we took away. Cathey attributes the growth of the Career Fair to the inclusion of graduate programs as well as assistance from other individuals connected with the university. Dr. Les Guice, executive vice president for research and development; Dr. Paul Hale, director of industrial relations at Tech; and Debbie Inman, coordinator of entrepreneurial studies, also helped connect with companies to encourage them to hire Tech students, Cathey said. The Career Center staff did an excellent job of planning and organizing the event, Hale said. It was one of their most successful in recent years. Jack Hawkins of Intralox Corporation said Tech always produces some of their best employees. This is always a good place to come and get good candidates, Hawkins said. Many of the companies were looking

> A&E page 6

Romney broadens appeal

Romney works to broaden his appeal among military veterans before the election this upcoming November, demanding that deadlines for receiving ballots from ove r s e a s voters be extended.

> W&N page 8

Photo by Brandy McKnight

> see VOTING page 5

> see FAIR page 7

Rodney Seay talks to some recruiters at the Counseling and Career Services Career Fair last Thursday. This was the largest career fair to date for Tech.

2 The T T ech alk October 4, 2012

Campus

Internship is right on the money

Interesting INTERNSHIPS
MELISSA GRAJEK Staff Reporter

Congress comedians to perform at Tech

The Louisiana Tech Concert Association will present The Capitol Steps from 7:30-9 p.m. Tuesday, in the Howard Center for Performing Arts. The Capitol Steps is a unique troupe of former Congressional staffers who are now comedians who travel the country, satirizing the very people and places that once employed them. Since their beginning, theyve recorded 27 albums and have been featured on NPR, NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS. Tickets must be purchased for this event. They can be bought at the Howard Center box office, which has operating hours from 1:30-4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday. The box office can be reached at (318) 257-3942. For any further questions, contact the School of the Performing Arts at (318) 257-2711.

This is the third in a five-part series on the unique experience of Tech students who participated in summer internships. Each of the students left Ruston to get firsthand experience in their respective fields.

It has been said that classrooms provide theories and principles to prepare students for the working world, but an internship is often encouraged for a positive addition to a resume to provide real-life experience. Just as a single subject offers a variety of classes at different levels so one may obtain a well-rounded conception of the matter. Arun Hewavitharana, a senior accounting major, has gained real-life experience regarding accounting through his volunteer work as a member of Beta Alpha Psi and numerous internships. I have had the pleasure of knowing

Arun both as an accounting student and as a member of Beta Alpha Psi, said Carol Shaver, a professor in accounting. Arun is an outstanding student; the type that makes our university proud. Following advice from his adviser, Hewavitharana met with Ruston resident Terry Plamondon, and after reviewing the required qualifications for the internship was hired on the spot. Along with knowledge of basic accounting skills, Hewavitharana was expected to have experience with Quickbooks, a software program used to organize and keep track of accounts. Hewavitharana said since his class

Shreveport to host film festival event

Shreveport kicks off Louisiana Film Prize Festival Weekend Friday with a street party that includes the opening of the 20 films. The films, broken into programming lasting roughly two hours each, will be screened at multiple venues including Robinson Film Center, Artspace and Capri Theater multiple times Friday evening and all day Saturday. After viewing all 20 films, viewers will make their way to voting stands to vote for their favorite films. Twenty finalists will be presenting their movies in competition for $50,000 cash. A panel of celebrities and film experts will account for half of the vote and then ticket holders will hold the other half. For the schedule of events and showings, visit lafimprize. com. For more information, contact Gregory Kallenberg, executive director of LAFP at Greg, ory@lafilmprize.com or (318) 213-6437.

taught him how to work with Quickbooks, he felt prepared as he began his internship until he discovered the software on a Windows processor differs greatly from a Mac processor. It was an on-the-fly thing, but it turned out to be really great, Hewavitharana said. I really learned a lot. During his internship, Hewavitharana said he was responsible for keeping the books in order for Plamondons management corporation, personal accounts, tax account and more. Hes a really easy-going guy, Hewavitharana said. Hes actually a part of the Northeast Louisiana Tea Party, so he took me to one of the meetings and had me take minutes. Hewavitharana said along with maintaining Plamondons real estate accounts, he was responsible for an account just for the Tea Party where related expense records are kept. Its just straight forward bookkeeping, Hewavitharana said. You do your quarterly tax returns and its pretty much just daily expenses. On the other hand, he said that keeping up with all of Plamondons real estate accounts was more of a challenge since there were so many properties needing constant adjustments. Initially, the job of an accountant may seem like a career of bookkeeping, crunching numbers and office work, but as Hewavitharana discovered, the job transpires beyond the boundaries of following money. You learn about your debits and credits in class, account specifications and where everything goes but when you come into the real world and do accounting work, its more than just putting numbers here and there, Hewavitharana said. Youre trying to make someones business more profitable and more efficient. He said he was kept busy for over twenty hours a week with daily deposits, rental orders and work orders for constant house repairs. I did it all, Hewavitharana said. I cut branches away from houses and everything. Public accounting is tough. Though he said his experience in the real world of accounting stretched the boundaries previously implied in the classroom, Hewavitharana said he looks forward to working towards his CPA license after graduation and grad school.

Photo by Derek J. Amaya

Arun Hewavitharana, a senior accounting major, uses the experience he gained this summer at his job in Hale Hall.

Email comments to mag043@latech.edu.

Third culture kids share experiences

KAITLYN CARROLL Staff Reporter

Art students display first works of the fall

Techs School of Arts first exhibition of the school year is on display through Oct. 16th in the Jay F. Taylor Visual Arts Center. Jungeun Lee presents Silenced Suffering: The Comfort Women Project and Brad Wreyford presents Sum of Our Parts at the gallery on campus. Lees exhibit delves into the topic of Korean women forced into slavery in Japan and their struggles during WWII. Wreyford exhibits large paintings that balance the harmony between unity and individualism. Admission is free for all and anyone is welcome. For more information contact Jonathan Donehoo, director of the School of Art, at jdonehoo@latech.edu or (318) 257-3909.

Due to the sensitive nature of their parents jobs, Sarah and Annas last name cannot be known for their safety.
Imagine this scenario: your passport says you are from one country, but you have never lived there and have possibly never even stayed there for any length of time. Third culture kids experience this pull every day. According to the U.S. Department of State, the term third culture kid (TCK) was coined 40 years ago by sociologist Ruth Hill Useem during her research on North American children living in India. The State Department defines TCKs as those who have spent some of their growing up years in a foreign country and experience a sense of not belonging to their passport countryfeel[ing] most at home in the third-culture which they have created. Tech has many TCK students, of which three shared their experiences. The hardest question for me to answer is Where are you from? said Rodolphe Youmbi, a Tech student whose passport says he is from Cameroon, but was born and raised in Gabon. If I say Gabon, its like Im rejecting my own culture. if I say Cameroon, I dont really identify myself with this culture, either. Youmbi said he feels pulled between his Gabonese friends and Cameroonian extended family. Both groups see him as a foreigner in Gabon, but Youmbi says he feels just as much of a foreigner in Cameroon. Sarah and Anna said they can relate to this identity stretch too. As Americans who grew up in Central Asia, the longest period of time

they had ever spent in America consecutively before coming to Tech was six months. For the sisters, their challenge has been adapting to a culture they officially call home, but have never truly experienced firsthand. I feel very nave about some things, Anna said. The humor is hard for me to understand sometimes, or when people refer to things from their

childhood that I didnt experience, such as, Oh, you remember those candies? Or that TV show? It helps me to think about America as just another culture I have to figure out, Sarah said. I try not to get frustrated with myself anymore that I dont always understand or know everything about American pop culture. Even though TCKs do not fully identify with their passport culture or place

English society hosts Banned Books Week

Signma Tau Delta, the English honor society, will celebrate Banned Books Week 2012 from 12-2 p.m. Friday on the steps of the library. On the steps of the library, students are encouraged to listen to or read from their favorite banned books. There will also be a contest with prizes at 1 p.m. on the steps of the library. For more information contact Dorothy Robbins, faculty adviser for Sigma Tau Delta, at (318)257-5488 or drobbins@ latech.edu.

Photos by Deepanjan Mukhopadyay

Left: Rodolphe Youmbis passport says he is from Cameroon, but he identifies more with Gabonese culture because that is where he grew up. Right: Third culture kids place their hands on the world as they identify with multiple places.

of residence growing up, they are not void of culture. The international school I went to was my culture, Anna said. Like most international schools, it was a blend of the countries students came from as well as the country it was set in. It was a very unique and community oriented experience. I feel like I fit there best. While Sarah, Anna and Youmbi all agree that being a TCK can make life more complicated, they also agree that there are many positive aspects to growing up abroad. I think it is cool to be in the middle of two cultures, Youmbi said. You understand both at the same time. When people from one culture dont understand, you can be a sort-of translator of ideas. Sarah and Anna said that they think living abroad made their family much closer because they had to rely on each other. It also made traveling much easier and more accessible to them, opening up a bigger picture of the world. I think its neat to be in a place where you can always discover a culture that is different from your family culture, Sarah said. We were always experiencing something that wasnt exactly normal to us, but at the same time, it was something we kind of understood. In our rapidly shrinking and globalizing world, it can be expected that more and more children will become a part of third culture families in the future. I see it as a huge blessing that I am able to have a broad perspective on life and, like a chameleon, I can adapt to wherever I am, said Anna. I wouldnt trade my experience for anything

Email comments to kec025@latech.edu.

>

CYBER from pg. 1

Poetry reading in Railroad Park

There will be a poetry reading at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Railroad Park in downtown Ruston. Attendees are encourgaged to to bring selections from their favorite poet or even original worksto read out loud to the audience, or just sit back, relax, and enjoy the poetry. For more information, contact Timothy Cormier at (985) 974-6972 or tnc008@latech. edu.

ries, sciences and English compositions, they get into the computer science concentrations and the electrical engineering concentrations, Gourd said. That ultimately leads to the cyber engineering concentrations. He said the cyber engineering aspects are spread out throughout the entire curriculum, but it really gets into intense cyber courses at the end of a students sophomore year. Thats when they really get in depth with cyber security, digital forensics and steganography, access control logic and covert channels, he said. All of those topics, plus

more, are used to achieve the goal of cyber engineering, Gourd said. Through the course teachings the goal is to increase the students ability to strengthen cyber security. Right now all the focus for designing systems for industry, government and military are always on reliability, making it scalable, making it powerful and making it fast, Gourd said. So the ultimate goal is for the students to be a cyber engineer and their default behavior when they approach a system would be to check its security. One of the best things about cyber engineering is how it broadens the horizons for students once they graduate as far as careers are concerned,

Gourd said. He added, regard- her career. less of which company you I like the fact that the topwork for they are going to use ics covered in this program cyberspace so they are always will prepare us for our future, going to need cyber she said. There are engineers. many job opportuThere is always nities that a degree going to be that insuch as this one frastructure in that could benefit from. system that is going Thomas said she to need to be mainis extremely excited tained, he said. So to be part of the essentially, cyber first freshman class engineers could get that was offered a job almost anythis degree program where. at Tech, and she is This concept ready to see what GOURD about employment the future holds for is what really hooked her in this program. freshman cyber engineering For the first full year of the major Tiffany Thomas. She degree program, they have a said she is confident in the pro- pretty solid foundation of stugrams ability to equip her for dents, Gourd said.

Right now we have 25 students whose degree program is considered to be a bachelor of science in cyber engineering, he said. With scholarship programs that we plan to implement, we hope to see that number double or triple by next year.Tech is the first and currently the only school in the nation with a cyber engineering degree program, Gourd said. We are the first to get this program, so I like to say we are the best, but right now we have no competition, Gourd said. We are ahead of the ball game and there are a lot of people looking to us, both industry and academia as well.

Email comments to kjk016@latech.edu.

October 4, 2012 The T T ech alk 3

>

Forum hosted to find new president

Les Guice was the hands down choice of most who spoke at a forum in the student center hosted by the search committee charged with choosing someone to replace retiring president Daniel Reneau. The presidential committee, which is made up of nine voting members and two non-voting advisory members, held a public forum Sept. 27. We are here today to listen to faculty, alumni and students, said Wayne Parker, chairman of the search committee and chairman of the University of Louisiana Systems Board of Supervisors. Some at the forum questioned if Guice would even put in an application. In an interview the next day, Guice answered the question. I did not go to the forum because I knew I was going to put in an application, said Guice, Tech executive vice president for research and development. Guice said he was humbled when he heard about all the remarks made by the people at the forum. There is such gratitude on my part for people speaking out for me, Guice said. Several people mentioned my name and I was blown away. Jerry Hudson, a 1961 Tech alumnus and Ruston resident, was one of those who came to the forum to voice his support for Guice. As far as Im concerned, the committee can vote right now and elect Dr. Guice, Hudson said.

FORUM from pg. 1

Photo by Deepanjan Mukhopadhyay

Dan Hollingsworth, Jimmy Long, Sr., Winfred Sibille and Wayne Parker, members of the Tech Presidential Search Committee answer questions at last weeks forum.

Another attendant who voiced his support was Virgil Orr, a 1944 Tech alumnus and former vice president for academic affairs. Dr. Guice is such a great person that he would deserve consideration on that point alone, Orr

said. Parker said that he was amazed by the amount of people who supported Guice. I was tremendously impressed by the outpouring of support, Parker said.

The committee will start accepting applications in November, and from that point will start the process for selecting the new president, who will take office July 1, 2013. If its not me that is selected, if its somebody else, I agree with that, Guice said. Even before the many comments began, Parker acknowledged Reneau and his contributions to Tech. [I] just wanted to say thank you, Dr. Reneau, for the past 26 years of unprecedented growth at Louisiana Tech, Parker said. You are highly regarded by this board and your peers, and we promise to do our very best in selecting a successor who will pick up where you leave off. Guice said the many people who attended the forum to say they wanted a president who will continue to stay on the same path that Dan Reneau is something distinct, and he also hopes Reneaus course for the university is continued. The comments that everyone was making said quite a lot about Louisiana Tech, Guice said. You dont see that at all institutions, it is something special that Louisiana Tech has. As Reneau prepares to leave the office of president, the committee hopes to select the most suitable candidate to replace him, Parker said. Its a heritage here, Guice said. It should be somebody who wants to preserve this.

Email comments to rcj008@latech.edu.

Political journalist supports online education

MEL GRAJECK Staff Reporter Amidst the political mayhem flooding todays news and making its way into daily life, relief made its way up to the podium as journalist and political speaker John Maginnis, the first speaker of many hosted by Louisiana @ 200: A Bicentennial Lecture Series, prepared to greet the Tech community. The lecture series was first proposed in 2011 by history professor Elaine Thompson and David Anderson, an assistant professor of history, as part of the Board of Regents grant proposal. I thought next year is the bicentennial of statehood, so we should have a lecture series, Thompson said. David Anderson and I worked very hard on this grant application and unfortunately we werent funded, but our department chair, Stephen Webre, and dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Donald Kaczvinsky, both felt that this was a very important project and so they agreed to fund it. Together, the College of Liberal Arts, the department of history, department of journalism, the School of Literature and Language, the department of social sciences, the department of music, Phi Alpha Delta and Phi Alpha Theta national honor societies came together to help sponsor the series. There is so much more to Louisianas history than just a sequence of events, Thompson said. Theres a tremendous unique culture in Louisiana that we wanted to celebrate as well, which is why we brought John Maginnis. Maginnis shared one political point after another during his presentation, Our Heroes Have Always Been Governors: What Makes Louisiana Politics Different. Our system of government was designed by geniuses so it could be run by idiots, he said. Just as media is directed by the wants and wills of the people, campaigns and elections also reflect the concerns of the people through the voting process, he said. Maginnis explained that low voter turnout is actually good because it means people are content with conditions; and a high voter turnout, like the Louisiana David Duke and Edwin Edwards election in 1991, where participation exceeded 80 percent, may be credited to a population in distress or fear, hoping for a drastic turnaround in current conditions. Plus, the less people who vote today, the more yours and my vote counts, Maginnis said. He said his point was not to discourage voter participation, but to encourage an educated voting population because a knowledgeable voter has a strong voice in politics. Maginnis brought his speech home to the local politics of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindals own political career and accomplishments. He briefly discussed how Jindals focus throughout his campaign and term was in response to the need to increase education options and the opportunity for a higher education. One thing Maginnis stressed that has a great chance of success is the online learning program, which allows students to participate in classes from their personal computers outside of a campus or classroom. The online course program is something that is going to be doing really well, Maginnis said. It will probably have a bigger affect than anything else the government passes.

Photo by Sumeet Shrestha

Email comments to mag043@latech.edu.

Maginnis speaks to students about the upcoming elections.

Straight Talk makes debut on KLPI radio

ALLISON EAST Staff Reporter Hundreds of students watched Dakota Grant cross the stage in Howard Auditorium waiting to be hypnotized. He sat down, took a breath and opened his mind. He had no idea what his small steps across the stage would soon become. Last winter, in front of an audience of his peers, Grant embraced his sexuality. He openly talked about his boyfriend. I was faking being hypnotized, said Grant, a sophomore computer information systems major. Some people still look at me, and theyre like, Oh, youre that guy. Publicly outted, Grant said he is now trying to educate others. He hopes to accomplish this through his new KLPI show Straight Talk. About halfway through last winter quarter I realized I wanted to do something, Grant said. Im in Louisiana. I wanted to be pro-active, but I didnt think there was much I could do. Then I realized I had a whole radio station at my disposal. He said he began researching lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) radio shows and realized very few existed in our area. Straight Talk premiered Tuesday, Sept. 25. Grant or DJ Sunshine hosted a small premier party in the studio. I didnt know some of the people here, he said. I knew some of them, but others I barely recognized. Austin Harrison, a sophomore secondary English education major, attended the event to show his support for the LGBTQ community. I have a lot of friends in the community, and I support them, he said. I think hell have some opposition, but Trivette will appear on the hes very knowledgeable. show again in a few weeks. Natalie Bollich, a freshman Grant has yet to determine general studies major, agreed the date. the show will have some reI really found the professistance. sor interesting, Bollich said. Theres always going to I wanted to hear more of his be opposition toward the views on same-sex marriage. LGBTQ community, no mat- That was really shocking to ter what age group youre in, all of us in the room. she said. There are always Grant has high hopes for going to be people who dont other LGBTQ interviews, but believe in it. Where there is question and answer sections opposition, theres going to are not his only focus. He be support to tries to gear back him up. the music for In addition the two-hour to finding supshow toward port in friends his theme. and fellow stuIts hard dents, Grant finding music has garnered relating to this To view multimedia support from a category, he footage go to professor. said. I was www.thetechtalk.org S h a w n trying to find Trivette, a solyrics that reciology profesally related. sor, came out G r a n t to two of his classes his first played songs about AIDS, day at Tech. He appeared on homosexuality and religion, Straight Talk to introduce opposition and other things a song and do a teaser inter- LGBTQ-related. He included view. songs from Ellis Delaney, We, as teachers, bring our Fun, Chumbawamba and sevwhole selves into the class- eral other bands. room, Trivette said to lisStraight Talk will air teners. I didnt think I could Tuesday nights from 10 p.m. truly bring my whole self in if to midnight. Its overarching I stopped at Im a white male theme, Grant said, is love. from Massachusetts if I Anybody in the LGBTQ didnt go all the way and say, community is just another huIm a gay white male from man being, Grant said. LGMassachusetts. BTQ people are normal peoGrant asked Trivette to ple capable of love. The only preview his views on gay thing that sets us apart from marriage, and students in the other people is that we are atroom were shocked. tracted to something different The short version is from the norm. Were normal theres a difference between people capable of love. supporting same-sex marGrant said he hopes sturiage rights and supporting dents will give him the same the restriction of marriage to opportunity to be himself heterosexual couples only, through Straight Talk just as Trivette said. In saying Im he crossed the stage in Hownot a proponent of same-sex ard, and that they will open marriage rights, I dont want their hearts and minds in rethat to be construed as, Well, turn. I think we should restrict marriage to be between a man Email comments to and a woman. ace007@latech.edu.

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Insight
PATRICK BOYD Editor-in-Chief

4 The T T ech alk October 4, 2012

FROM THE EDITOR

What we do for attention
his past year I fell in love with the HBO show Girls and its writerdirector-producer-star, Lena Dunham. Last year I saw Dunhams movie Tiny Furniture, which she financed for $20,000 and also received the attention of comedy mogul Judd Apatow, and she immediately became my favorite new voice in film. Pretty much anything Dunham has done lately, from her ultra witty Tweets to talk show appearances, I defend and praise. I feel that Dunhams humor is something quite unique in this time of scatological overabundance. She takes very dramatic situations and through very intelligent dialogue and super awkward sex scenes finds the humor in those things. She also does not have a model type body, yet is also comfortable enough with herself to bare it all. It is HBO. Dunhams humor is not for everyone. While an undergraduate student at Oberlin College in Ohio, she made a short film of herself taking a bath in a fountain. Dunham goes to some pretty extreme measures for her art. She somehow can take those things that are difficult in life: like what to do post collegiate life or having a minifridge in your university apartment, causing you to have to buy a meal plan, and applies a nice humorous gloss on it. According to Slate.com, Dunham has a book in the works, supposedly a book of advice modeled after self-help guru Helen Gurley Browns book. God help us all. While I like to defend everything that Dunham does, I ran into a roadblock the other day. At a weekend charity event for Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation, Dunham showed up as her usual atypical self. This time though, her typical atypical self was not wearing any pants. She was sporting a long green militaristic button down shirt and that was pretty much it. While everything inside of me wants to say Go, Lena! I cannot help but wonder if Dunham is doing this more for shock value as a type of upscale Gagaesque ploy. Another writer of whom I respect is Nora Ephron, and I cannot imagine her to ever show up to an event without any pants on. When I read about the shocking state of Dunhams clothes mishap on The Huffington Post, I just sighed and moved onto the next story. What surprises me even more than this story is that it was one of the biggest stories of the weekend. Oh, yes and the fact that Paul Ryan wont explain Romneys tax plan to us, because it is too complex, but lets face itsomeone going pantsless to an event is more interesting. Trying not to teeter off onto a tangent, but the story made me question the state of humor in the media. Is it funny because this was an important story over the weekend and this is a sad indicator of how media has gone down the drain? Or is it a color story about a famous person leaving their pants at home, giving us a break from the mundane news stories about us not being able to understand taxes? I guess in the end I am thankful to Dunham for leaving her pants at home, even though I do not particularly think she is cool for doing so. It provided the material for a funny story to break up all of the malaise that seems to hover over news stories recently and add a little humor to our intake of daily news. Patrick Boyd is a senior English and journalism major from Choudrant who serves as editor for The Tech Talk. Email comments to gpb009@latech. edu.

IN OUR OPINION

You betta redneckognize, yall

YOURE WELCOME
Girls starve for media intervention
HANNAH SCHILLING News Editor ou will get fat if you eat today. You do not need food. You will be able to see your beautiful bones. Models are perfection, and I bet you have never met a fat model. You will be noticed, because have you ever met someone who would not notice a living skeleton? Those are some of the words you can find around the Internet on pro-ana and pro-mia websites. Pro-ana (sites encouraging anorexia) and pro-mia (sites encouraging bulimia) sites are filled with young women literally starving for perfection. Anorexia and bulimia are disorders, and their victims take a long time to recover, but this concept is being reversed by these websites. Now these young girls want to have the disorders in order to be dangerously thin. No wonder. Have you turned on the TV lately? A recent study said the super thin models and actresses in the media are affecting girls as young as 5, and teen girls have 180 minutes of media exposure daily compared to 10 minutes of parental interaction a day, said Renee Hobbs, an associate professor of communications at Temple University. The unrealistic body image that the media portrays is being reinforced by websites saying the only way to attain that body is to stop eating. Throw up your food. You are disgusting unless you are skin and bones. What are we going to do about it? What has been done in the past? Absolutely nothing. Websites across the Internet are standing up and saying this time, it is different. Tumblr, Instagram and Pinterest have all banned thinspiration images and links from their sites claiming the content causes people to self-harm. Pinterest added to its terms of service that any content that creates a risk of harm, loss, physical or mental injury, emotional distress, death, disability, disfigurement or physical or mental illness to yourself, to any other person, or to any animal is banned. Is it working? A simple search of any of the three sites shows the content is still there, clear as day, telling young women that the grumbling in their stomach is not hunger pains; it is in fact their body applauding. Celebrity images are plastered on each site, like Cameron Diaz and Paris Hilton, but ironically these are the celebrities speaking out against the unattainable size women are pressured into striving for. Cameron Diaz has been quoted saying she is worried about skinny celebrities, and in the Daily Mail said she adores fried chicken. A rep for Paris Hilton told Fox News she was not aware of these websites using her image in this way and she does not support it. Many celebrities even go so far as to ensure they are regularly photographed forking up giant helpings of pie and shoving their hand into big bags of chips. This trend is so common that Hollywood publicists have given the event its own acronym, a DIPE (Documented Instance of Public Eating). DIPE? Our society has gotten to the point where seeing a celebrity eating in public is a documented event to serve as an example for young girls to eat. Pro-ana and pro-mia websites may not be banned from the Internet, but if girls want to see thinspiration images, all they need to do is turn on a TV or flip through the glossy pages of a magazine. The media influence is not going anywhere. Girls need to be smart and learn the facts, but sadly, the fact that anorexia could cause death is not displayed next to the image of Mary Kate Olsen in a dress exposing her boney spine. If youll excuse me, Im starving. Writing this column has worked up quite the appetite. Hannah Schilling is a sophmore journalism major from Bossier City who serves as news editor for The Tech Talk. Email comments to hms017@ latech.edu.

Here comes Honey Boo Boo captivating audiences across the nation with her one-liners, sassy behavior and redneck family. Alana Thompson (aka Honey Boo Boo), one of the pageant princesses of TLCs Toddlers and Tiaras was offered a reality show featuring her and her family titled Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. This show has had enormous success on TLC since its premiere in August, even beating the Republican National Convention in ratings, according to Enews.com. Seriously, America? That is more humiliating than how this family acts on national television. This show is not a positive influence on America, but it doesnt stop viewers from tuning in to partake in the hours of embarrassing entertainment this family provides. Viewers know its a trashy and unappealing show, but they just cant take their eyes off the television screen. An instant self-confidence boost usually ensues after watching this family for one night. It makes one wonder if the way they act on television is just for show or if this is their natural behavior on a daily basis. This family would make anyone who admires etiquette shudder in fear. They pass gas at the dinner table, burp in the middle of speaking and go barefoot to the store. At least they are from McIntyre, Ga., and not from the state of Louisiana. Although this show doesnt take place in Louisiana, it still gives the South an unattractive reputation. It makes people think everyone with a southern accent is trashy and cannot speak proper English. They have to use subtitles on the screen to interpret what they are saying. Its the Jersey Shore of the south. But one of the good things about this family is that they are all comfortable in their own skin. Despite the girls nickname of Chubbs and Pumpkin, they dont have any shame in the way they act on television. Because of its immense success, TLC has made the decision to order additional episodes for a new season. America just cant get enough of Honey Boo Boo and her familys outrageous antics. Alanas family made between $2,000-$4,000 for each episode that aired in the first season. They are expected to get a significant salary increase in the next season because of the shows success, according to the huffingtonpost.com. This is minor in comparison to the $22,500 the Gosselin family earned per episode in TLCs Jon & Kate Plus 8. Maybe with the salary increase they are likely to get for the next season they can make sketti that doesnt just involve butter and ketchup. The show is not only not setting a good example for the youth of America but its not good for Honey Boo Boo. She is encouraged to act and speak inappropriately. Its not good parenting on June and Sugar Bears part because they are using their daughter for entertainment. Who can blame Honey Boo Boo for wanting her own show though? Cause we all know that dolla make her holla, yall.

T T ech alk
The student voice of Louisiana Tech University

The

GRIN AND MERRITT

Laying the law
CHAD MERRITT Multimedia Editor fighting, DUI manslaughter and sexual misconducts. When any of these players attempted to appeal their suspension, they appealed directly to Goodell. The same man who gave them their sentence. Spygate, Goodells first major scandal, featured the New England Patriots and their videotaping of an opponents defensive signals. Goodell fined the Patriots coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and the team $250,000. He also stripped the team of their firstround pick for the upcoming draft. Then 2011 brought Goodell his biggest challenge to date: the NFL lockout. The league and players did reach an agreement before any games had to be missed. Goodell took flak for allowing the agreement to end and an air of uncertainty to linger, but his reputation seemed to remain intact. The referee lockout of 2012 seemed to be brushed aside by the NFL. They felt that they could bring in more referees and everything would just keep on business as usual. They were wrong. Goodell said the replacement officials would do a credible job and was willing to wait out the NFL referees into accepting the leagues offer. We know how that worked out. Goodells biggest show of force thus far, in this region particularly, has been the Boutnygate scandal which has rocked the New Orleans Saints organization and rippled into the league. The NFL said it found evidence showing the New Orleans Saints held a pay-for-performance bounty program which encouraged players to make knockout hits on opponents. Goodell acted swiftly by suspending defensive coordinator Gregg Williams indefinitely and New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton for the entire 2012 season. Four different players were suspended a total of 31 games for the 2012 season, with Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma being suspended the entire season. The problem arises in the proof behind the bounty program. The NFL claims this 50,000 pages of evidence against the Saints. Only 200 pages have been released however, and the NFL did not release them to the general public. Much of their evidence is from unknown sources. The NFL has not released any evidence which warrants the sanctions handed out. Bountygate is still playing out, and there is no indication of when it will be resolved. Goodells quest to protect the shield has put him in a battle far beyond that which he expected. Being the judge, jury and executioner for a $9.5 billion business can have its drawbacks. Chad Merritt is a junior journalism major from Livingston who serves as multimedia editor for The Tech Talk. Email comments to cam059@latech.edu.

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he boss of a $9.5 billion industry has a lot of power--the power to influence millions with their decisions, the power to levy punishments and the end-all be-all about said punishments. This sounds like a character out of Goodfellas or The Godfather, but these are the characteristics which Roger Goodell employs on any given day. Goodell made his mission as NFL commissioner simple protect the shield: keep the integrity of the league intact. To begin his reign as commissioner, Goodell began suspending players whose conduct he felt was detrimental to the image of the league. Goodell suspended players Adam Jones, Chris Henry, Tank Johnson, Michael Vick, Donte Stallworth and Ben Roethlisberger for off field actions such as possession of illegal substances, dog

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October 4, 2012 The T T ech alk 5

Rustons newest boutique opens for business

KELSY KERSHAW Staff Reporter While looking at the sunshine-colored concrete walls and taking in the crisp smell of freshly dried paint, Nicole Rogillio and her sister Lynn Fabian share a smile as they admire all their hard work. In a little over a months time, Rogillio and Fabian have been able to find a place to rent and to establish Sassy Sisters boutique. Both sisters said they had been told of the limited shopping in Ruston so they wanted to do something about it. We have always loved clothes and been interested in them, so we decided to do something we love to do, Rogillio said. We love to sell clothes, buy clothes and shop. Rogillio and Fabian, coowners of Sassy Sisters, held the grand opening of their new store Sept. 22, when their first customers enjoyed tax-free purchases. We had a really good turnout, Rogillio said. It exceeded our expectations for our first day. We had quite a few customers come through and at least 20 people purchased items. Fabian said she was pleased with the turnout, especially considering the circumstances of how the store came to be because it was a spontaneous decision. She said one day while she and her sister were in Monroe, they were talking and sharing ideas, when they realized they had both been thinking the same thing. Nicole told me she had been thinking about opening a boutique, and since we were in Monroe, we decided to go to Ruston right then and look for available places, Fabian said. If we would have kept talking about it, it would not have happened so it was kind of a lets do this type thing. Sassy Sisters is a located in downtown Ruston on East Georgia Avenue, directly across from the Ruston Fire Depart-

Submitted Photo

Self-proclaimed sassy sisters Nicole Rogillio and Lynn Fabian opened Sassy Sisters Boutique after deciding they wanted to do something they loved: working with clothes. ment. Fabian said they have a little bit of everything at their store. We sell tops, shorts, pants, accessories and dresses, she said. Were about to get some shoes and purses in too. Keeley Machen, a senior family and child studies major, found out about the boutique when it was still in its beginning stages. As a good friend of Fabian and Rogillio, she said she was just as excited, if not more, than they are about the stores opening. I love it, Machen said, I think it is the perfect addition to Ruston, Machen said. Everyone is always driving to Monroe to shop but with Sassy Sisters here now, they can shop locally. Machen said she has long anticipated the opening of the store and she has a lot of faith it will do well. I would not have pushed them to open in Ruston otherwise, she said. I think Ruston needed more affordable shopping places. Machen said the prices are her favorite thing about the boutique and that is what makes it perfect. The prices are reasonable and the clothes are too cute to pass up, she said. Rogillio said, being in a college town so close to the campus, reasonable prices are something they wanted to make sure they had. Our tops normally run about $20 and the dresses are $30, she said. We try to keep them marked down at a price that we would pay for them. Fabian said the main goal is to keep it reasonable for college students and to help the customers out at as much as possible. They have recently ordered quite a bit of red and blue items to help customers out for gameday wear, Rogillio said. They have perfect bulldog attire, Machen said. They have more coming too.

The store will be offering promotions to their customers on game day, Fabian said. She added students will get 10 percent off their entire purchase if they present their Tech ID. We want to target a variety of age groups though, she said. Anywhere from high school students to adult women, I believe we have something for everyone.

Email comments to kjk016@latech.edu.

>

COTTON from pg. 1

Photo by Sumeet Shrestha

Freshman Keegan Glick takes to the stage to ask New York Times bestselling authors Jennifer Thompson and Ron Cotton a question.

the church, very nervous not knowing exactly what I was going to say, she said. Before I knew it he was right there, all 6-foot-4 of him filling the doorway. As she stood there faceto-face with the man who she had falsely accused, she said she pleaded for his forgiveness. Cottons response, however, was not what Thompson expected. He looked at me with tears in his eyes and grabbed my hands, she said. He told me that he had forgiven me years ago. At that moment, Thompson said they embraced each other with tears in their eyes and they promised they would never hurt each other again. Forgiveness is a powerful virtue and a strong theme of Picking Cotton said Linda Griffin, dean of student development. The fact that this man, who spent 11 years behind bars for something he didnt do, could get out of prison and be approached by the woman who pointed her fin-

ger at him and be able to say I forgive you and not just say it but mean it, Griffin said. I am so enthralled by that theme, I think that is what a lot of people are going to take home. This was true for freshman business management student, Keegan Glick, who said he now has a better understanding of forgiveness after listening to Thompson and Cotton. When I saw how she [Thompson] had forgiven him for something so big, I was extremely moved, Glick said. It gave me what I needed to take the next step in forgiving people in my life with situations that I have had trouble with. Thompson said the hardest part of forgiveness, for her, was forgiving herself. She said she had to learn how to let it go and not let it control another minute of her life. We wouldnt change anything about our situation and why this happened, she said. It happened for a reason and we are supposed to be here.

Email comments to kjk016@latech.edu.

>

VOTING from pg. 1

can request a ballot by mail. Josh Wilson, a junior math and physics major, would have to travel to Baton Rouge to vote in his home parish, so he chose the first option as a way to cut down on driving and to make an impact on his community. My freshman year I got an email from the SGA saying that Ruston really wasnt a college town, Wilson said. It said if we register to vote here and we start voting for city policies maybe it could become more of a college town. That really prompted me to register. Andrew Touchet, a sophomore physics major, plans to take the second route. I think Im going to do an absentee ballot because Im not sure how to set up registration here, he said. Im registered to vote in Iberia. Im supposed to get a registration card in the mail, and I have to present that when I apply for absentee voting. With a hometown four hours away and a strong desire to vote, Touchet took time to research the process of absentee voting. Ive been looking within the last three days, and it really wasnt hard to find information, Touchet said. I havent quite found the entire solution yet. Stone said two websites make it relatively easy to find information. Students can go to www.geauxvote.com or www.sos.la.gov to check their status or seek answers. Stone said few Tech students choose to change their voter registration to Lincoln

Parish. At Grambling, they always register herehundreds and hundreds, she said. At Tech, not so much. If students do not wish to change their registration, Stone said they should make absentee voting a priority. They need to vote, Stone said. They need to be aware of their own situation. I get a lot of calls from mothers wanting to know if their child has registered yet. If you are 18 years old, take care of your own business. If youre interested in your future you need to find out about the candidates and make an informed decision. Touchet said students should look up the easily accessible information and turn out to vote. I consider it a civil duty in the end, he said. If you dont care whats going on in your society but youre going to complain about it, youre creating your own problem. Lincoln Parish voters will have several things on the ballot besides the president. Stone said the district five representative, a school board term limit and nine statewide constitutional amendments are also up to vote. Students have until Oct. 9 to register to vote in Lincoln Parish or until Nov. 1 to apply for an absentee ballot. It is a simple online process and takes about as much time as calling back home about a forgotten shoe.

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Arts&Entertainment
ADDIE MARTIN Staff Reporter Ruston is a small community with one smaller movie theater, but some changes are in the works. Celebrity Theatres on Celebrity Drive remains the only theater in Ruston, and plans for a second theater are no longer underway. Adam Harris, general manager of Ruston Celebrity Theatres said competition from a new theater is not a threat. We have not seen anything but steady growth and business since we opened, he said. We welcome the competition. Harris said he has complete faith that Ruston Celebrity Theatres services are better than any other theater chain. We focus on the movie goer experience, he said. Kennedy Jones, a junior biology major, said he never goes anywhere other than the Celebrity Theatres because it is better than the one in his hometown. I like our theater, he said. I am from Bastrop, and the movie selection here is way better than the one there. The movie variety at the Ruston theater stays pretty up to date but every now and then a movie does not premiere in Ruston until later on, Jones said. Harris said the Ruston theater is rarely late premiering movies but the size of Rustons theater is the reason. It is not very often that we miss a movie premiere, he said. We only have eight screens so sometimes we have to wait for screen availability, but 98 percent of the time we stay up with competition. In order to receive movies, a combination of Harris and the booking agency weigh many aspects to make sure the most profitable movies are chosen. Movie selection is based on the demographic of the town, as well as feedback of movie screening, Harris said. The movie trending and market studies determine whether we play the movie or not. If a movie Celebrity Theatres has chosen not to play does well in other theaters, then it is considered for a showing on the next available screen, he said. Kyle Knight, a junior mechanical engineering major, said he thinks Ruston has a good theater. They may miss premiering a good movie every once in a while, but for a small theater they usually release newer movies, he said. Harris said Celebrity Theatres attempts to constantly keep community involvement their top priority. We are making a few changes to keep the Ruston community happy, He said. We are currently installing new high grain and silver screens to compensate for our new digital projectors. The new screens have already been installed and installment of the new projectors began on Monday. This will give the Ruston theater the option of playing 3D movies. Another improvement made at the theater is the Art Film Festival, Harris said. It is something main-stream theaters usually do not do. The Art Film Festival is one screen designated to low budget art movies for a selected amount of time. We play these art movies twice a year because this is an added service of going above and beyond for our community, Harris said. Knight said he would describe the Ruston theater as clean, friendly and small. We try to hire the best people and treat everyone well, Harris said. Jones said he agrees the theater is small but is very well kept, creates the perfect family environment and is consistent in serving the community. That is why we upgrade, Jones said. We care about our community and their personal movie experience.

6 The T T ech alk October 4, 2012

Celebrity Theatres maintains popularity

Theater to install new projectors allowing for 3D capabilities

Photos by Deepanjan Mukhopadhyay

Above: Torianno Cooper, a projectionist at Celebrity Theatres, sets up a film reel for Wont Back Down starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis.

Email comments to alm085@latech.edu.

In addition to the existing Celebrity Theatres projectors and its eight movie screens, new projectors and screens are being installed to allow 3D capabilities.

Ruston welcomes the 3rd annual ARToberfest

ADDIE MARTIN Staff Reporter Beer, music and food are key in what the North Central Louisiana Arts Council expects to be a memorable Friday evening as they host the third annual ARToberfest, Celebrating the Craft, at Rustons Historic Fire Station. Jessica Slaughter, executive director of NCLAC, said ARToberfest is a celebration of beer in a festive atmosphere that combines food, friends and music. ARToberfest this year plans to be a huge success because they will have the most beers and home brewers they have had to date, she said. At 5 p.m., the evening will kick off with food catered by Rosemarys Kitchen, a local restaurant, for all VIP ticket holders. Rosemarys Kitchen catered the event last year and the food was so good that we asked them to do it again, Slaughter said. General admission ticket holders may enter at 6:30 p.m. to meet the crafters and taste the beer. Marsala Beverage will be there with over 40 varieties of beer, Slaughter said. Home brewers from around the region will also be in attendance serving their brews in hopes of getting your vote for the peoples choice award. Devine Wine and Spirits sponsors the Devine Home Brewer award, which is a $500 award for the best home brewer. Jean Gourd, a computer science professor at Tech, was last years brew champion. Karl Puljak from architecture and Cain Budds from music are brewers as well, so theres definitely some competition between the university departments, she said. Along with the steep competition of Tech professors, there are approximately 25 varieties of home brew and seven home brewers, traveling to Ruston from around the region to serve their beer. Jennifer Downs, a graduate student in English and history, said she loves tasting the beer but the real fun is talking with the brewers. It is like your everyday neighbor brewing in their garage, creating something that tastes awesome, she said. Brewing is some serious chemistry when it comes down to it. The brewers are the center of attention as they advertise their home-brewed beer and tell numerous stories about the craft. Caitlin Angel, a senior communications design major, said ARToberfest brings new light to the craft of home brewing while localizing the many talents of Ruston. The different music and overall atmosphere of ARToberfest is exciting, Angel said. The crafts are directly from Ruston so you can say oh, I know someone who actually made this. The music at Artoberfest sets the mood of the evening as local musicians provide entertainment. The musical entertainment for the night will be The Reactors, Tranny DeVito, The Swinging Richards and Hair Nation, Slaughter said. There will also be raffle prizes, including tickets to local performances, special beers and gift certificates. However, music and beer tasting is not the only entertainment for the evening. Two local artists, Bonnie Ferguson of Pastry Moon and Christiane Drieling of Swirling Swirls, will be there with their work, she said. Bonnie makes fragrant beer-based soaps, and Christiane makes beautiful hand-crafted home items based on German folk tales from her homeland. ARToberfest is open to the public as a ticketed event on Friday at Rustons Historic Fire Station. VIP tickets are available for $35 and include dinner, a commemorative pint glass and entry at 5:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $15 and include bar snacks and entry at 6:30

p.m., ending at 9 p.m. Those in attendance must be 21 years of age. You do not typically have something like this in small towns, Downs said. This type of event generally only goes on in big cities, and the ticket sales go to support the program that keeps the region alive with youth art programs and cultural economy initiatives. ARToberfest acts as the main event for NCLACs annual Holiday Arts Tour, which is celebrating its 15th tour this November. Artists, art studios and downtown businesses come together to create the exciting Holiday Arts Tour. There will also be free live music, book readings and childrens activities, Slaughter said. Funds raised at ARToberfest will go toward promotion of Holiday Arts Tour, in addition to payment for the musicians, she said. NCLACs mission is to enrich the region by fostering opportunities for creative expression in the visual, performing and literary arts. Downs said the theme, Celebrate the Craft, explains the event perfectly because ARToberfest is a celebration. It is not about getting drunk or anything, she said. It is to let the brewers shine and raise money for another annual event. There is great local beer, local music, local food and supporting the local art program. It is all greats combined into one Friday night. What more could you ask for?

Email comments to alm085@latech.edu.

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WEEKLYHOROSCOPE
Aries March 21 April 19 Your old ways of thinking have carried you quite far, Aries, but you may now find that its time to seek a new platform for your ideas. Look for more adventurous ways to express yourself. Break out of the old mold and try something new. Once you start in a brand new direction, there will be a great deal of support encouraging you to continue along that way. Taurus Apr 20 . May 20 One quick phone call to a friend may turn into a long discussion about the meaning of life, Taurus. Be conscious of the fact that theres a great deal of momentum building in your mind now. Once the dam breaks, you may soon have a giant flood on your hands. Be careful about releasing all this energy at once, even though you may not seem to have a choice. Gemini May 21 . Jun 20 It could be that you feel a bit of pressure today to start or create something that you arent quite ready for, Gemini. There is hesitation on your part that indicates you should take it slowly and learn more of the facts before you jump into the fray. Position yourself in such a way that you take control of the situation rather than become a victim of it. Cancer Jun 21 . Jul 22 Move forward with your plan of attack today, Cancer. Theres an anxious rumble within you thats urging you to get going with a current plan. You have all the facts you need, so dont hesitate any longer. The power of the word is with you. You will be smooth, collected, and confident even in the most nerve-wracking situations. Words will flow off your tongue with ease.

Solution:

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Sagittarius Nov 22 . Dec 21 Be a pioneer thinker today, Sagittarius. Theres a noble courage in your thoughts, so dont let this quality go to waste. You will be surprised at how cutting edge you can be when you put your mind to it. Take a walk by yourself and contemplate the next major move that youd like to make in your life. Feel free to brainstorm bold ways to execute this plan. Capricorn Dec 22 . Jan 19 Be aggressive and forceful when it comes to exerting your will, Capricorn. Let others know that you wont be a pushover. Your opinions are extremely important, and they need to be heard by the people who matter the most. Have faith that whatever you say has the power to come true, especially when you enlist the help of those around you. Opportunity lies in joining hands with others. Aquarius Jan 20 . Feb 18 Today may be one of those days in which you come to a four-way stop and no one knows whose turn it is. Dont sit and wait for everyone else to go first, Aquarius. If you know its your turn, be bold and make your move. It wouldnt be a bad idea to signal others that youre going ahead. People might not be used to you taking such an aggressive role. Pisces Feb 19 . Mar 20 People would be foolish to challenge your thinking now, Pisces. The power behind your words is volatile, and you may find yourself going to extremes in order to get your point across. Be careful about making promises you cant fulfill. It could be that youre so adamant about your point of view that you make up hyperbolic situations just to get your ideas across.

Leo Jul 23 . Aug 22 Add spark to your life today, Leo. It could be that things are getting stale and boring. If so, consider the possibility that you simply arent challenging yourself enough. Remember that youre responsible for lighting your own fire. You have the perfect opportunity to get something started today, so go for it. Feel free to get other people to help. Virgo Aug 23 . Sep 22 People are apt to try to hit you square on the head with their ideas and thoughts today, Virgo, so be ready for the onslaught of information that may come your way. Theres a distinct advantage to listening to the whole spiel before you react with your own facts and emotions. The problem is that youre going to be tempted to argue instead of calmly resolve the matter. Libra Sep 23 . Oct 22 Anchor yourself in practical matters before you try to prove your point to others. Theres a great deal of primal energy rising within you today and searching for some sort of outlet. Be aware of overextending yourself when it comes to issues of the mind. You may be so anxious to prove your point that you end up losing sight of the reality of the situation. Scorpio Oct 23 . Nov 21 Dont take no for an answer today, Scorpio. Know what you believe in and stick with it. Theres a distinct advantage to holding true to your inner nature. Dont let others throw you off course with their views on how things should be done. Be confident and dont worry about taking things over the top. Theres no such thing as excess today. The more the merrier should be your motto.

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BestCrosswords.com - Puzzle #1 for July 19, 2012 Across 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Across 1. 1- Golfer Norman; 5- Gray; 10Golfer Norman 14 15 16 5. PDQ; 14- Country singer Gray 17 18 19 10. PDQ McEntire; 15- Cautious; 1614. Country singer McEntire Edible corm; 17- St. crossers; 21 22 23 15. Cautious 18- Disinfectant brand; 19- Den 20 16. Edible animals and dragons; 20of wild corm 24 25 17. St. crossers Chest of drawers; 22- Awwww! 18. Disinfectant brand25- Shorthand Cute!; 24- Attack; 26 27 28 29 30 31 19. Den of wild animals 28- Eagle's pros; 26- Drew on; and dragons home; 32- Aardvark's prey; 35- 32 33 34 35 36 37 20. Chestbatteries; 37- Fake; 38Small of drawers 22. Awwww! Cute! One on Summer sign; 3938 39 40 41 24. Attack 41- Apiece; 42- Soggy slopes; 25. Shorthand pros___ Grande; 46- 42 43 44 45 46 and reedy; 4526. DrewPoint inits.; 47- Michael of West on 47 48 49 28. Eagles home R.E.M.; 48- Agrees tacitly; 5032. Aardvarks prey Burning; 54- Brings up; 5850 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 35. Small batteries Military attack made at night; 6137. Fake Esophagus; 62- Cameo shape; 58 59 60 61 38. Summer sign 65- I could ___ 63- Scoundrel; 39. One on66- Dole (out); 67- Lucid; 62 horse!; slopes 63 64 65 41. Apiece figure; 69- Uncle 68- Sports 42. Soggy and reedyLauder of Remus title; 7066 67 68 45. ___ Grande Shrivelled, cosmetics; 7146. West Point inits. without moisture; 69 70 71 47. Michael of R.E.M. Down 48. Agrees tacitly 1- Snatches; 2- Variety show; 3- Movie critic Roger; 4- Not solid or liquid; 5- Rights org.; 650. Burning 60. of maps; Bashful; 7at; 9- Thermoplastic yarn; 10- Books Spouse 11- Swedish 54. Brings up Attacks; 8- Chip away12. Seed cover 13. carefully; 21- Ques. 61. Crowd of Chicago auto; 12- Seed cover; night 58. Military attack made at 13- Go (over) Go (over) carefully response; 23- Richard noise; 25- Minn. 21. Ques. response neighbor; 27Pound; 32- Donations to the 61. Esophagus Effortless; 29- Emulates Eminem; 30- Thing; 31- Poet 64. Abu Dhabis fed. 23. Crowd of a poor; 33- Cool!; 62. Cameo shape 34- Singer Amos; 36- Titlenoiseknight; 37- Switch ending; 40- ___ kleine 25. Minn. neighbor 46- Serving no function; 49- Actress Joanne; Nachtmusik; 63. Scoundrel 43- Upsetting team; 44- Coop group; 51- Sham; horse! many words?; 65. I could ___52- Icons; 53- Man of 27. Effortless 55- Having wings; 56- Pave over; 57- Declare; 29. Emulates Eminem 58- Hair untangler; 59- Affirm; 60- Spouse; 61- Richard of "Chicago"; 64- Abu Dhabi's fed.; 66. Dole (out) 30. Thing 67. Lucid 31. Poet Pound 68. Sports figure 32. Donations to the poor 69. Uncle Remus title 33. Cool! 70. Lauder of cosmetics 34. Singer Amos 71. Shrivelled, without moisture LAST WEEKS SOLUTION 36. Title of a knight 37. Switch ending BestCrosswords.com - Puzzle #1 for July 18, 2012 Down P A L S Y D A U B R A T A Across 40. ___ kleine Nachtmusikfriends; 6- Paint 1- Like old A B A T E A L M A E D E N 10- Pro ___; 14- Let 43. Upsetting team crudely; mater; 16- Paradise; up; E A R L S R I P S N E A T 15- ___ 17Viscounts' superiors; 18- Tears; 1. Snatches 19- Tidy; 20- Achievement; 2344. Coop group A C C O M P L I S H M E N T Slangy denial; 24- Battery size; 2. Variety show 25of Ques. 46. Serving no functionSense 27-self; 26-punch bowl; N A H A A A E G O response; Large 3. Movie critic Roger 32- Per; 35- Freedom from war; A N S M O N T E I T H 49. Actress Joanne 36- Agnus ___; 37- Direct; 414. Not solid or liquid Driver's aid; 42- Approaches; 43- E A C H P E A C E D E I 51. Sham That's ___!; 44- Almond-flavored 5. Rights org. S T R A I G H T F O R W A R D liqueur; 46- Part of UNLV; 4852. Icons Best; 49- Fall back; 50- Apt. T E E N E A R S A L I E 6. Bashful divisions; 53. Man of many words? 53- Mathematical operation; 58- Blackbird; 59A M A R E T T O L A S 7. Attacks Apportion; 61- Bread spread; 6255. Having wings Musical composition for two; 60T O P L A G R M S Writer Sarah ___ Jewett; 638. Chip away at Have a feeling about; 64- Org.; 56. Pave over M U L T I P L I C A T I O N 65- Cordelia's father; 66- Bury; 9. Thermoplastic yarn M E R L D U E T S H A R E 57. Declare Down 10. Books of maps of joy; 58. Hair untangler 1- Songbanana 2- Fiber obtained O L E O O R N E S E N S E from a plant; 3- Durable 11. Swedish auto wood; 4- WWII battle site; 5A S S N L E A R I N T E R 59. Affirm Toady; 6- "Our Gang" girl; 7- Et
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____ (and other men); 8- Strike callers; 9- Beat up; 10- Go back on one's word; 11- Glandular; 12- Milk source; 13- Hill dweller; 21- Dance step; 22- Unit just above a yard; 26- Bingo!; 27- Paris subway; 28- Lummoxes; 29- Cpl., e.g.; 30- Actress Hatcher; 31- Conceal; 32- This, in Tijuana; 33Up and ___!; 34- Living things; 35- Excellent, slangily; 38- All thumbs; 39- Obtain; 40- Used to be; 45- Deodorant type; 46- Fond du ___; 47- 1992 Wimbledon champ; 49- Unit of volume; 50Laughing; 51- Code name; 52- Villain's look; 53- "Alice" diner; 54- Object of devotion; 55- Free from contamination; 56- Singer Horne; 57- Not now; 58- Extinct bird;

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Pre-professional groups prepare students for future

SCOTT WALKINGSTICK Staff Reporter Pre-law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta and pre-professional society the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana, or A+Pel, have been around for many years now. Some might wonder, however, if pre-professional organizations really help in the long run. According to Torrey Trust, author of Graduating with Confidence, pre-professional organizations are a good way to look into and prepare for different careers. The main goals of these organizations are fostering professional growth, building leadership and communications skills and providing opportunities to connect with people currently working in that profession, Trust said in her book. Trust said that not only does it look promising on your resume, but you also might get the chance to tour the working area in your field of interest, work on projects that will give you experience, and meet professors that teach classes for your major. Phi Alpha Delta was founded on Nov. 8, 1902, and boasts to have a staggering 300,000 initiated members and according to the fraternitys website, one out of every six attorneys is a member of P .A.D. Even six U.S. presidents have been members. On Techs campus it is the only pre-law organization we have. Techs P .A.D. president Trey Avant said the organization offers numerous benefits that cannot be found through any other campus organizations. We facilitate help in numerous ways with the Law School Admissions Test and even provide free preparation materials which tend to be quite expensive, Avant said. P .A.D. holds a mock trial every year which consists of its members and only the most qualified get to participate. The mock trial takes place in a real courtroom and a real judge presides over it. Along with the mock trial, P .A.D. also holds a Law School Forum, one day a year, where law school representatives from all around the country come to Tech to recruit for their schools. Avant said P .A.D. helps prepare students for law school better than any organization found on campus. Besides the LSAT help and the invaluable mock trial opportunity, we are a place where students can go to find answers, he said. Getting into, applying to and getting ready for law school are all very difficult tasks. We provide a venue where these things dont have to be taken on by ones self. Similarly, A+Pel offers professional development opportunities for students while also focusing on service projects for Tech and the surrounding community and is led by local teachers and administrators. Formed in 1987, A+Pels emphasis is on educational excellence and empowering Louisianas youth for future success. Techs A+Pel president Shirley Owens said the organization prepares future educators of Tech by allowing students to begin viewing themselves as professionals in the field of education. We also provide professional development opportunities for students that keep students up-to-date with current teaching strategies and educational practices, Owens said. Owens claims that it certainly helps educators in the long run and looks great on resumes. Avant and Owens both stress how important these organizations are for people within the stated majors and how they continue to benefit you even af-

ter you have left Tech Once you have become a member, said Avant, you are a member for life, including throughout law school where you will receive additional benefits such as discounts on books. Owens also said there were benefits after your years at Tech are over. A+Pel has many benefits for pre-service teachers, but offers even more benefits for teachers, she said. Those benefits include grants and scholarships, professional development opportunities, a place at the legislative table, legal advice and professional liability insurance.

Email comments to rsw020@latech.edu.

about speaking up. Having more companies in attendance, many students said to hire more people this year they felt more optimistic about than this time last year, Cathey the job outlook after graduation. said. There are a lot Were looking to more opportunities hire more people than this year than in the last year and lookpast, said Rachel ing especially for enDelatte, a senior megineers, said Avery chanical engineerHoward, an engineering major. Usually ing supervisor with I come with 15 reBaxter Health Care in sumes and only leave Cleveland, Miss. At behind half of them. Baxter, we often place This year, I came with recent engineering 15 and gave away all grads into supervisory but three of them. It positions immediately CATHEY seems as if they pretafter graduation. Enty much have opporgineering remains a high priority for us and Tech is tunities for everyone, not just always a good place to come. engineers, this year as well. All of the students come to the fair well-prepared, dressed Email comments to professionally and are not shy gpb009@latech.edu.

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8 The T T ech alk October 4, 2012

World&Nation
Romney pursues extended deadline
ASSOCIATED PRESS MADISON, Wis. Working to broaden his popularity among military veterans, Republican Mitt Romneys campaign has sent letters to election officials in Wisconsin, Mississippi and Vermont demanding that the deadline for receiving ballots from military and overseas voters be extended. The letters sent in recent days on Romneys behalf by former U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi charge that election officials in the states missed the Sept. 22 deadline for mailing some ballots to overseas and military voters. A fourth letter was to be sent Tuesday to Michigan officials, according to Romney campaign spokesman Ryan Williams. The campaign is actively monitoring state and local election officials across the country, he said. We want to ensure that our fighting men and women overseas have the right to vote in the time that is given under federal law, Williams said. Were doing it across the country in both red states and blue state and battleground states. The letter-writing effort targets election officials in presidential battleground states such as Wisconsin and Michigan, but extends into others Mississippi and Vermont that neither side expects to be competitive on Election Day. The move is part of a broader push by the Romney campaign to expand his popularity among military veterans, who tend to be older men who vote Republican, to help balance

B R I E F S WORLDNEWS

US vehicle target of Mexico CIA attack

MEXICO CITY (AP) A senior U.S. official says there is strong circumstantial evidence that Mexican federal police who fired on a U.S. Embassy vehicle, wounding two CIA officers, were working for organized crime on a targeted assassination attempt.

Popes butler pleads innocent to charge

VATICAN CITY (AP) Pope Benedict XVIs onetime butler declared Tuesday he was innocent of a charge of aggravated theft of the popes private correspondence, but acknowledged he photocopied the papers and said he feels guilty that he betrayed the trust of the pontiff he loves like a father.

Israeli premier to visit Europe soon

AP PHOTO

In this photo taken Sept. 26, the Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, shakes hands with World War II and Korean War veterans returning on an Honor Flight from Washington, in Swanton, Ohio. President Barack Obamas advantage among Latinos and women. Exit polls suggest that Obama lost the veterans vote by 10 points in 2008. A Gallup Poll taken in August gave Romney a 17-point edge among the voting bloc, which makes up about 13 percent of the adult population. In Wisconsin, 27 municipalities missed the deadline for various reasons to send ballots to a total of 44 military and overseas voters, said Reid Magney, spokesman for the state Government Accountability Board, which handles elections. All 44 ballots were sent to the affected voters within five days of the missed deadline, Magney said. Federal law requires that ballots be sent to military and overseas voters by Sept. 22, and be returned by Nov. 9. Williams said the Romney campaign was paying closer attention to Wisconsin because of problems election clerks had earlier this year in meeting the deadline for the presidential primary. In March, Wisconsin election officials entered into a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice to extend the deadline for receiving ballots for the April 3 primary when at least 227 military and overseas ballots were mailed after the deadline.

JERUSALEM (AP) An Israeli official says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Europe in a few months to persuade leaders to step up sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. Netanyahu told the U.N. last week that Iran will likely have the bomb by next summer.

STATENEWS

Record number of gays seeking seats in Congress

ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK Of the four openly gay members of Congress, the two longest-serving stalwarts are vacating their seats. Instead of fretting, their activist admirers are excited about a record number of gays vying to win seats in the next Congress and to make history in the process. When the oaths of office are taken in January, Congress could have its first openly gay Asian-American, Mark Takano of California; its first openly bisexual member, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona; and its first openly gay senator, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin. In all, eight openly gay candidates are running as majorparty nominees for the House of Representatives, the most People know that bigotry is bad politics, said Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton who is trying to oust one-term Republican Nan Hayworth from New Yorks 18th District in the Hudson Valley. Maloney, whod be the first openly gay member of Congress from New York, has assailed Hayworth for not supporting federal recognition of same-sex marriage, but says voters are focused on economic and health care issues, not on gay rights. The voters in my district care more about why my opponent wants to end Medicare and defund Planned Parenthood than about who I love, said Maloney, who is raising three children with his partner of 20 years.

Photos add to drug suspects troubles

METAIRIE (AP) A Metairie man sought by authorities after burglars exposed his alleged marijuana grow house has been arrested on new charges stemming from pictures found in his cellphone of a boy sniffing the plants and giving them a thumbs-up, Jefferson Parish sheriff s deputies say.

Murder conviction, sentence upheld

NEW ORLEANS (AP) The Louisiana Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction and death sentence of a man who killed his estranged wife and 5-year-old son and attempted to kill his two daughters. Jurors convicted James Magee for the 2007 shooting deaths of his 28-year-old wife, Adrienne, and their son, Zach, in the Tall Timbers subdivision north of Mandeville.

AP PHOTO

This combination of 2009-2012 file photos shows, from left: Wisconsin Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Tammy Baldwin; Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I.; and New York Democratic Rep. candidate Sean Patrick Maloney. ever, including the two incum- paign for a House seat from If anti-gay innuendo does bents who are favored in their Massachusetts. surface from lower echelons races Democrats Jared A common denominator in of a campaign, there are swift Polis of Colorado and Da- all the races: Neither the gay disavowals even conservavid Cicilline of Rhode Island. candidates nor their rivals are tive candidates these days think Theres one gay Republican in stressing sexual orientation, twice about being depicted as the group, Richard Tisei, who and the oft-heard refrain is, Its biased against gays and lesbiis waging a competitive cam- not an issue. ans.

Political swag provides free coffins for Honduran poor

ASSOCIATED PRESS TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras In some countries political campaigns give out bumper stickers and yard signs. In others, they offer free lunches and supermarket debit cards. In Honduras, one of Latin Americas poorest countries and also its most dangerous, candidates dole out another type of political swag: coffins for the destitute. Charities organized by politicians scour poor neighborhoods in search of families of murder victims who cannot afford funeral services or even a simple casket to bury their beloved. There are plenty of takers in this Central American country, where two out of three workers earn less than the minimum wage of $300 a month, and more than 136 people are killed every week. The murder rate has more than doubled over the last six years due largely to an explosion in drug trafficking to the United States and a proliferation of violent gangs. The capital, Tegucigalpa, has grown so threatening that its streets empty after sunset, while its morgues fill up. Without a coffin, morgues are prohibited from releasing a body and instead bury the dead in mass graves. For the grieving family too poor to purchase a casket, that means not just the loss of their loved ones, but no way to honor them either. Thats where the charities come in three, to be exact, which offer free coffins, and sometimes transportation and refreshments for the bereaved. The charities are run by three elected officials, two of whom are seeking the presidency next year and a third who is running for mayor of Tegucigalpa. All are members of President Porfirio Lobos ruling National Party. One charity, Helping Hand Up, won its congressional funding thanks to the head of the Honduran Congress, Juan Orlando Hernandez, who is running for president. Like the others, Helping Hand Up insists it is not trading coffins for votes. It is just a desire to serve, said Congressman Renan Ineztroza, who manages Helping Hand Up. The average price for a funeral in Honduras is $1,000, with coffins at about $125. But Melisa Elvir of Democracy Without Borders, a Honduran transparency foundation, said theres a fine line between good works and vote-buying, and in the case of the caskets, the line is too thin. The congressmen are running for re-election, she said. When delivering the goods, they name the politicians who are responsible for the delivery. The charge could be made that they are funds for favors, with the objective of winning votes. On a recent Friday at the gate of the Tegucigalpa Judicial Morgue, Luis Membreno was oblivious to the coffin politics as he wept over the death of his older brother, 19-year-old Marvin, shot three times in the head earlier that day. Luis did not have the money to bury his sibling, but Peoples Mortuary did. The charitys Carla Majano offered a free coffin the charitys 701st giveaway of the year. She regularly works neighborhoods and morgues to find relatives who need the Peoples Mortuarys help. The Membreno family qualified. This is a humble family that lives on the bottles they collect in the streets, she said. They dont even have a sheet to wrap the body. Nilvia Castillo, Peoples Mortuary manager, said that in its first year, the charity gave away 374 coffins, and now gives double that number for a total of 5,000 in six years. The program, according to Castillo, is part of the political campaign of Tegucigalpa Mayor Ricardo Alvarez to help the citys poorest neighborhoods. Alvarez, who founded the charity and is a presidential hopeful for 2013, secured $230,000 in government funding for the program this year.

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More Talk

Life
in the fast lane
Sawyer Stone, 18, is attending Tech to pursue his masters in biomedical engineering. I couldnt live in the dorm. Still with plenty of options, Sawyer ultimately chose SMU in Dallas. He said his experience was normal and he really enjoyed the experience. I really liked Dallas, he said. There was a lot to do. The school was really nice. It was a really nice campus. All the engineering facilities were brand new. James said he and his wife were somewhat apprehensive at first about sending their 15-year-old son off to college. We were very nervous, he said. It was a really big deal. We prayed about it, and we had people praying for us as well. It was a tough decision to let him go but we decided it would be a disservice to him to not let him go. We werent worried about the mental aspect. It was more of the social aspect. But the social aspect was never a problem for Sawyer. At SMU he became involved with a campus ministry, and his junior year he went through fraternity recruitment and joined Pi Kappa Alpha. I didnt rush until my junior year because no one really wants a 15-year-old going through, he said. Sawyer graduated from SMU in May with a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering. Encouraged by his family to continue their path in the medical field, he also took pre-med classes. He said a graduate program in biomedical engineering perfectly combined the engineering and medical aspects.
Photos by Jessica Van Alstyne

October 4, 2012 The T T ech alk 9

Prodigy comes to Tech at age 18 with an undergrad under his belt

ALLISON EAST Staff Reporter Bags packed and seated in his parents Yukon XL, in 2008, 15-year-old Sawyer Stone watched the Dallas traffic swoosh around him. After a four-hour drive, the family had finally reached their destination. They were not heading for a museum or concert. They were bringing Sawyer to college. At 14, Sawyer Stone graduated from a small high school in Hot Springs, Ark. At 15, he began school at Southern Methodist University. At 18, he graduated from SMU and headed to graduate school at Louisiana Tech. I had friends, said Sawyer, a graduate student in biomedical engineering. I could still go places. I didnt feel like I was hindered too much. A lot of people honestly didnt know I was younger for a while. My suitemate for the dorms didnt find out for like a month after we were in the dorms. James Stone, Sawyers father, said he and his wife could tell Sawyer was above average from a young age. From probably when he was 2, it just seemed like he was an older kid in a younger kids body, he said. He could have a conversation with an adult when he was 3. He was reading by then. Sawyers mother left work to stay home with him, and his father said shes been on maternity leave ever since. He credits her for any part they may have played in Sawyers success. They read to him every night, so James said he wasnt surprised when Sawyer could read books. We thought he just memorized them, he said. One year for Easter he got a book he had never seen before. Thats when we knew he could read. Sawyer took the fast track through his elementary school years. He skipped kindergarten and second and fourth grades. It wasnt too bad, he said. I went to a really small school. I graduated with 25 people. Everybody knew each other, and everybody was friends. Like most of his class, Sawyer registered for the ACT during his sophomore year of high school, and his results were far above average. On his first try, he scored a 27. He took the test for the last time at 13 and chose to accept his personal high of 34. My mom wanted me to take it again to see if I could actually get the 36, but I didnt want to take it again, Sawyer said. With his above-average score, Sawyer had many doors opened. Unsure about where he wanted to go to college, he applied to 13 or 14 different places. Duke said no, he said. TCU accepted me and gave me a scholarship, but they said pete annually in the Great American Race, a road race across America from coast to coast, challenging the cars and drivers in a test of endurance, time and distance. Last summer we started in northern Michigan, went into Canada and around the Great Lakes, and finished in Detroit, Sawyer said. Weve gone from like Daytona to California. There are two people in the carme and my granddad side by side for two weeks. Weve done it for 10 years together. The one we ran last year was one we put together from original parts. Not surprisingly, Sawyer also took the fast track with the Great American Raceliterally. At 13, he and his grandfather won the competition. The victory made Sawyer the youngest Grand Champion in race history. Hes the navigator, Hogan said. The race is usually about a 14-day antique car road rally. There are people that do it almost on a professional basis. Sawyer started doing it at about 9. Races are family affairs for Sawyer. His grandfather, David Reeder, drives the car while Sawyer keeps an eye on the speedometer. His mother, father and sister are part of their support team. Im just kind of there as a support, James said. Its really a fun family time. The whole race is like a family anyway. Family, Sawyer said, has stood behind him the whole time. Were pretty close, he said. They came down here when we moved in, and they came here the weekend before last. I went home last weekend because my sister was in homecoming. James said his daughter, two years younger than Sawyer, also had the potential to take the fast track but chose not to do so. Somebody asked her when she was younger if she wanted to skip grades like I did, and she said, No, I want to stay behind and learn everything that he missed and be smarter than him, Sawyer said. Shes doing pretty good at it, too. Before summer and races come again, Sawyer is spending time in Ruston balancing schoolwork and normal life. Thats the crazy thing, his father said. Hes just like a regular kid. Hes not geeky or nerdy or a bookworm. He considers everyone his friend or equal. He doesnt look down at anyone. Sawyers after-college plans are still up in the air. He is leaning toward researching drugs or drug delivery systems, but he has not made a commitment just yet. The program takes three to five years, depending on the research, Sawyer said. I have to figure out what Im doing first. Whats the hurry?

My whole family is in the medical field, Sawyer said. Both my parents are pharmacists, and my aunts a vet. My granddad kind of pushed me toward being a doctor. I didnt want to do biology or chemistry or something like that. Ive always been a hands-on, mechanically-oriented person, and I like math and science, so engineering seemed a good fit. After graduation, family friends stepped in to help him find the right graduate school. Bill Hogan, president of Bank of Ruston, is a longtime family friend and was happy to step in when Sawyer showed interest in Louisiana Tech. Its ironic that he started looking at schools and just picked Tech out of everything, Hogan said. Were just here to help him along with him. Hogan arranged meetings with Les Guice, executive vice president of research and development, and Eric Gilbeau, director of biomedical engineering. Sawyer said these meetings showed him Techs commitment to research. They were instrumental in his decision to attend. I honestly didnt realize he was that young, Gilbeau said. Hes just getting his feet wet in the program. Ive interacted with him a few times. Hes been talking to faculty about research. When Sawyer is not in the library or lab, he spends his time participating in antique car rallies with his grandfather. They com-

Email comments to ace007@latech.edu.

Sports Talk
FROM THE SPORTS DESK
A breakdown of the upcoming LA Tech vs. UNLV football game.
DISARM THE PISTOL Junior halfback Tim Cornett averages 101.4 yards per game. He is the trigger of UNLVs pistol offense, and if he gets started early, Louisiana Techs struggling defense will be on its heels trying to stop him. THE FAT LADY HAS NOT SUNG Success comes with a lot of enemies. The Bulldogs are in new territory, where faltering under pressure is common. They want to get the fans going early and keep them wanting more, but they still need to take it one game at a time. Do not look ahead. HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF The Dogs have played the originator of the pistol, the University of Nevada, for years. Most of the defensive starters should know what they are going up against, but history shows that we struggle at times covering the pistol. They should do what they know best and create turnovers to give the offense the ball back.
with REINA KEMPT

10 The T T ech alk October 4, 2012

To view multimedia footage go to www.thetechtalk.org

Photos by Shradha Bhandari

Local children run drills with the Lady Techster soccer team at the biweekly soccer clinic held at Tech every Tuesday and Thursday.

Soccer gets kids active

Better late than never?

ALWAYNE GREEN Sports Reporter

PLAYERS TO WATCH
If Cornett is the trigger, Waterman is the bullet of this offense. Named to the 2012 Rimington Award Spring Watch List, which is awarded to the nations best center, he leads an offenROBERT sive line WATERMAN going UNLV against a banged up defensive line this week. Look for him to try to lead his team to victory.
REDSHIRT SENIOR QUARTERBACK COLBY CAMERON SOPHOMORE CENTER ROBERT WATERMAN

enough, they will have a good soccer foundation, Sherry said. Hopefully this will influOn any given Tuesday or ence the community, Ruston Thursday, a stream of children High School and Junior High dressed in soccer gear can be team. seen making their way to the The soccer clinics are free, Lady Techsters soccer field. and Sherry said it benefits the Initially, the number of chil- team as well. dren in attendance It helps the Lady seems small but as Techsters understand their members grew, the importance of it resembled a large giving instead of just school class. taking, Sherry said. In charge of what Also, the community appeared to be this is very helpful and class was Kevin Sherthey offer their own ry, head coach of the support in return for Lady Techsters socwhat we give to them. cer team. Sherry said At games youll see a he wanted to spread lot of supporters from SHERRY soccer in northern the community. Louisiana, but it took Senior midfielder a mothers idea to get Morgan Rockwell him started. said she enjoys sharThe idea came ing soccer skills with when a parent was not the kids and admires happy with her daughtheir energy toward ter playing park and the sport. recreation soccer coThe most exciting ed, Sherry said. She part is seeing the kids asked if we could help, enthusiasm when they and we offered our ROCKWELL come out, she said. services to coach girls You walk away knowonly, but their skills iming you helped out proved so much that the boys people in the community and wanted to take part too. youre building the soccer comSherry said the clinics, with munity in north Louisiana. the help of Tech soccer players, Rockwell said working with are aimed at helping children the kids brings her back to her between ages 7 and 12. childhood. She said she wished If we can get them early she had a college team to work

with when she was a child, but soccer skills. she finds satisfaction in giving She comes off the field abother children what she wished solutely positive and joyful evfor as a child. ery practice, Bean said. When you share your pasBean said her daughter ususion with little kids who have ally asks her if she saw a good the same passion its reward- play she made rather than a ing to see them get better each goal she scored. Bean added week, she said. Its cool to see the Techsters serve as role kids have the same enmodels, especially for joyment I had when I the girls. was little and hopefully To see a strong fethey will continue to male doing what she have it. loves and coming out Though one of the to work with the girls, main objectives is to it is phenomenal, she have fun, Rockwell said said. There is no oththere are important er program we know lessons to be learned. of around here like You hope they that. have fun and enjoy it Poulin said he was BEAN most of all, she said, not sure if the Techbut you hope in the sters voluntarily oflong run it builds a fered their service or sense of character they were fored to do where they learn hard it. However, he said work pays off and the they are always smilmore they put in toing when working ward the activities, the with the kids, so its more they gain out of difficult to tell. them. We are grateful Rockwell said parto have coach Sherry ents usually show their and these young laPOULIN gratitude by telling dies give their time them personally the because it is not a positive impact they have on paid service, Poulin said. This their children. Two of those is the start of a movement that parents are Jacquelyn Bean will hopefully make soccer bigand Fred Poulin. ger in north Louisiana. Bean said she was happy her daughter, Morgan Bean, Email comments to has an avenue to enhance her ahg007@latech.edu.

High octane offense in overdrive

DEREK J. AMAYA Associate Sports Editor JOHN TABOR Sports Reporter Offensive coordinator Tony Franklins philosophy is the faster you play, the better chance you have to be successful. A lot of people say the bad thing about the offense is youre scoring fast, he said. But theres never anything bad about a score; when we score it is wonderful. Franklins offense, led by redshirt senior quarterback Colby Cameron, has become one of the nations top offenses and a major reason for their recent success. Cameron is ranked fourteenth in the nation with a passing efficiency of 168.36. He also has 293.75 ypg of total offense, good for 29th in the nation. I think scoring points in colLouisiana Techs rankings in this weeks NCAA statistics TEAM CATEGORIES Turnover margin Scoring offense Passing efficiency Total offense Sacks allowed Rushing offense Passing offense INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY Passing efficiency Rec. yards per game Total offense RANK 3 5 10 21 21 25 34 PLAYER C. Cameron Q. Patton C. Cameron ACTUAL + 2.25 52.00 ppg 168.35 498.75 ypg 1.0 spg 216.00 ypg 282.75 ypg RANK 14 15 29 ACTUAL 168.36 101.75 293.75

NATIONAL NUMBERS

The question of whether or not the success will get to the team falls in the hands of the teams leader. He has become one of the nations top quarterbacks and he continues to be effecCOLBY tive runCAMERON ning our LA TECH of fense. Will his streak come to an end?

lege football is good no matter what, he said. I think us being able to do that gives a lot of credit to him (Franklin) and just having an offensive scheme like we have. Ranked 15th in the nation with 101.75 rec. ypg, redshirt

senior Quinton Patton is Camerons go-to-guy for down explosion. It really consists of the Oline too, he said. We can sit back for two or three seconds and Colby can analyze and find me down field.

Cameron said Patton was upset with the way he played against the University of Houston in the opening game. Hes a competitor, Cameron said. Knowing Q, hes not going to settle for anything but the best. The unsung heroes of the offense are undoubtedly the offensive line. The offensive line is blocking as good as any Oline in the country, Franklin said. It all comes down to one thing I tell them every week. The only stars that we have to have every week are the O-line. Just as an engine needs all pistons churning at once, the offense requires precision from all positions as well.

o far this year our football team is doing great and our soccer team is showing us what theyre really made of. (By the way, I predicted all of this in last column of the spring quarter so call me psychic.) But Tech has just started a clean slate with some other sports with hopes to become bigger and better. When I say just, I put it as literal as possible. Tech has just hired new coaches for both bowling and tennis though their names have yet to be publically released. We have started the 2012-2013 school year without hiring a head coach for both bowling and tennis until October. The problem with that is, both of these teams should be starting their season this month, not just finding a coach. But I guess better late than never. Softball just found a coach last week as well, though that sport doesnt start until the spring. I wonder how this affects the players mindsets. How hard is it to return to school in the fall, or better yet be a freshman coming in to what you thought would be a promising season and come to find out there was no coach? In my eyes, the main factor needed to have a winning season is not having the most talent on your squad but having the best bond between player and coach. That takes a while to build, that doesnt happen overnight. In order for tennis and bowling to be successful this season it will have to happen overnight. As a former athlete, I have faith that every sport here at Tech has the potential to progress every season and ultimately do big things and put Tech on the map. No matter how one feels about our tennis or bowling program I feel they all have a chance to shock the sports world. But whats more shocking, winning the championship in a Cinderella story or finding out who your coach is right before the opening tourney? Im in no way trying to bash our sports program; I think it is doing a wonderful job of moving up, especially with the upcoming transfer to Conference USA. But I just feel like the little teams matter, too, and we should take them just as seriously as football and basketball. Who knows? Our bowling or tennis squad could be the David and Goliath of the conference. And they deserve proper attention and respect. Tech started off as a small school emerging into bigger things; we should support our small sports teams who are trying to emerge into a powerhouse program of its own.

Reina is a senior journalism major from Baton Rouge. Email comments to rjk007@latech.edu.

Email comments to dja014@latech.edu and jmt028@latech.edu.

UPCOMING ATHLETICS

PREDICTION:
Louisiana Tech 48 UNLV 38
Historically, Tech has been unpredictable against the pistol offense. However, the Bulldogs offense is playing so well, Tech does not seem to be able to lose lately. The game will be a lot closer than expected, but Tech has a big game next week and might be looking ahead.

Bulldog golf looks to sustain success

JOHN TABOR Sports Reporter Coming off two performances to begin the season, the Bulldog golf team now sets its sights upon another stellar showing in the David Toms Intercollegiate Tournament. The University Club in Baton Rouge will be the host of the nine-team competition which will include in-state competitors Louisiana State University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette as well as future Conference USA foes Tulsa and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Leading the way again for the Dogs is 19-year-old freshman Victor Lange. The South African native made his collegiate debut at the University of Southern Mississippi with a resounding 8-under-par finish to win individual honors. The Bulldogs placed fourth as a team in the 2012 Sam Hall Intercollegiate hosted by Southern Miss. Tech head coach Jeff Parks spoke glowingly of Langes performance. Victor may be young in age but he has a very refined game, Parks said. Growing up in South Africa, Victor has been wellschooled and had the luxury of playing in a great junior program. The Toms tourney will begin with 36 holes of par 72 action that will tee off at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. The final round consisting of 18 holes is slated for a 9:30 a.m. start on Sunday. Parks also talked about the strength of the field that the Bulldogs face this weekend. The nine teams competing in Baton Rouge will include some of the best teams across the south, Parks said. After hosting an exciting event here in Ruston, we look forward to the opportunity to continue improvement as a team.

BULLDOG FOOTBALL vs. UNLV - 10/6 6 p.m. BULLDOG GOLF

David Toms Intercollegiate Baton Rouge 10/6 - 10/7

LADY TECHSTER VOLLEYBALL

at UTSA - 10/4 6:30 p.m. at Texas State -10/6 2 p.m.

CROSS COUNTRY Centenary Invitational Shreveport TBA SOCCER vs. Denver 4 p.m. vs. New Mexico State 1 p.m.

Email comments to jmt028@latech.edu.