The Pine Log

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Volume 91
Issue 18
Next Publication:
Monday, November 14, 2011
Visit us online at
www.thepinelog.com
Some people
take water
conservation
to the max
Page 4
First home
basketball
game this
Friday
Inside
Men’s
basketball game
this Friday
Page 6
The Crime Log
Page 3
Final home
football game
Saturday
Page 6
The Pine Log’s Sudoku
Look for this
addictive number
game on page 3
every Monday
and Thursday
Opinions
Page 4
Columns
Maggie
Oberpriller talks
about adopting
a pet from the
shelter
Stephanie
Slabaugh
discusses the
death of Michael
Jackson
Entertainment
Page 5
‘The Help’
brings tears to
the eyes
Page 6
Thursday, November 10, 2011 PINE LOG
The
The Independent Voice of Stephen F. Austin State University
32
H
By Syndey Jones
STAFF WRITER
The Tunnel of Oppression, an interactive mu-seum
designed to shed light on a variety of global
issues, presented shows Tuesday and Wednesday
nights to large crowds of SFA students.
The tunnel, sponsored by the Organization
of Latino Americans (OLA), Lumberjack
Cultural Association, Fashion ‘N’ Motion,
the Men of Achievement (MOA), the African
Student Organization (ASO) and the NAACP,
began in the student center movie theatre.
After a brief introduction students watched a
composition of videos and photo slide shows
related to different forms of oppression around
the world.
Each row of the theatre became a group who
were called out individually to begin the walk-though.
There were 13 stations spread among
the hallways and rooms of the student center’s
second floor, each demonstrating a specific
scenario of oppression.
Skits and multimedia presentations were
used to submerge the students into the drama.
Every room forced the audience into an emo-tional
reaction with elaborate sets and pas-sionate
acting.
The tunnel began with a scenario of rape.
The audience watched Rachel, a character
in the skit, be overpowered by her stepfather
once her mother leaves the family home. Upon
return, Rachel’s mother doesn’t believe her,
which spirals Rachel into poor decision mak-ing
in her future relationships.
Students became empathetic as they con-tinued
through the rooms, facing issues like
suicide, the death penalty, drunk driving, rac-ism,
slavery, gender and sexual orientation ste-reotyping,
forced prostitution and self-image.
One room featured a biographical skit of a
successful model with a dark past. As a child,
she had been forced into female genital mu-tilation,
or FGM. Students learned about the
process and repercussions of genital mutila-tion
as well as the methods practitioners use
to complete the procedure. Thousands of chil-dren
in Africa and Europe are forced into the
practice before the age of 7 each year, a topic
many students were recently enlightened on.
At the end of the tunnel, the tour guide
wrapped up the event by saying that despite
the atrocity in the world, there is light at the
end of the tunnel. Each student, no matter
how well versed they might have been in glob-al
oppression topics, learned new facts and
gained an emotional attachment after view-ing
the harsh reality and issues people face in
today’s world.s
jones@thepinelog.com
Multicultural groups host annual Tunnel of Oppression
Event shows students world events and issues, highlights cruelty and abuse
By Samantha Ogden
STAFF WRITER
Friday, Nov. 11, just like every
other Nov. 11, is a day to give
thanks and remember the veter-ans
who have given up parts of
their lives to protect the freedoms
we enjoy on a daily basis.
This is an extra special year to
remember veterans because it is
the 10th anniversary of the War
in Afghanistan and the 70th anni-versary
of the Pearl Harbor bomb-ings.
In both attacks the country
was caught completely by sur-prise,
and men (and women, in
the modern era) rose up to fight
for their country, with Americans
backing them wholeheartedly.
Now 10 years later, as the coun-try
continues to fight overseas in
Afghanistan, Veterans Day allows
Americans to pause to give thanks
to the men and women who con-tinue
to spend time away from
home fighting to keep terrorism at
bay. After serving, many soldiers
leave the military and pursue a
college degree. SFA has soldiers
from different backgrounds who
are enrolled. They tange from
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to
the soldiers of the National Guard
who deploy overseas and help on
the home front.
In November 1919, President
Woodrow Wilson proclaimed
Nov. 11 as the first commemora-tion
of Armistice Day with the fol-lowing
words: “To us in America,
the reflections of Armistice Day
will be filled with solemn pride
in the heroism of those who died
in the country’s service and with
gratitude for the victory, both be-cause
of the thing from which it
has freed us and because of the
opportunity it has given America
to show her sympathy with peace
and justice in the councils of the
nations…”
An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S.
Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13,
1938, made the 11th of November
in each year a legal holiday—a
day to be dedicated to the cause
of world peace and to be there-after
celebrated and known as
“Armistice Day.”
Armistice Day was primarily
a day set aside to honor veterans
of World War I, but in 1954, after
World War II had required the
greatest mobilization of soldiers,
sailors, Marines and airmen in the
nation’s history; after American
forces had fought aggression in
Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the
urging of the veterans service
organizations, amended the Act
of 1938 by striking out the word
“Armistice” and inserting in its
place the word “Veterans.” With
the approval of this legislation
(Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954,
Nov. 11 became a day to honor
American veterans of all wars.
(http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/
vetdayhistory.asp)
Veterans Day honors
service and duty
By Sydney Jones
STAFF WRITER
The Human Survival Initiative group will be hosting a Human vs.
Zombies game Nov.r 17 through 20.
“Humans versus Zombies is a modified version of tag,” said Christi
Villarreal, club vice president. Two people will be chosen to start the
game as zombies. Their goal will be to infect the human population
by tagging them. To avoid infection, the humans will shoot water from
bottles and heave balled-up socks which will momentarily stun the
zombie.
Players will be identified with a lime green bandana and a Human
Survival Initiative button pinned on their clothes. Humans will tie the
bandana around their arms, and zombies will tie them around their
head or neck.
Registration ends on Nov. 16. The $1 registration fee will permit in-dividuals
three days of game play. Players may pay an additional $2 for
a squirt bottle and neon green bandana if they decide to not purchase
the equipment on their own.
“You’re able to play every day, even if you’re infected,” said Jason
Forse, president of the Human Survival Initiative. The game, which
is modeled after the one recently played at the Rochester Institute
of Technology, can be played with an unlimited amount of people.
Currently, over 60 players are registered.
Each human will correspond with the website, humansurvivalini-tiative.
com for game updates, and the rules. The prologue to the epi-demic
will be available before game play. Throughout the weekend,
additional narration will be added to the website.
In addition to the website, players may contact staff through
Facebook. Each player may participate in missions throughout the
weekend to win awards that make human game play easier. The web-site
and Facebook page will be frequently updated with information
regarding rules and missions.
Registration tables will be located on the BPSC Plaza Thursday, Nov.
10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additional reg-istration
times will be posted on the website. Interested players who
cannot attend any of the registration tables are encouraged to email
Forse at president@humansurvivalinitiative.com
sjones@thepinelog.com
Humans vs. Zombies—
Tag, you’re it
By Maggie Oberpriller
Staff Writer
Omicron Delta Kappa recently held a leadership confer-ence
where the closing speaker, Karen Walrond, had an
inspiring story to share. Walrond spoke about a church
in Florida where the members were going to burn copies
of the Quran on the front lawn. Walrond decided to take
action and make a “photobomb.” She had people from all
over sending her peaceful pictures of all kinds of things,
such as, landscapes, people and objects. Walrond then
sent these photos to the church to show that it should be
representing peace not violence.
Walrond’s speech inspired ODK to organize its own
peace project. ODK has been accepting peaceful pictures
with messages of peace on the back from SFA students
and the community. They will continue to accept these
pictures until Friday, Nov, 11.
The pictures collected by ODK are going to be sent to
the Westboro Church in Kansas. The Westboro Church
members are known for picketing against homosexual-ity
and funerals of American soldiers. The church and its
members hold up signs that have crude remarks towards
homosexual,s and they walk and wave them on public
streets.
Also, that church has been known to encroach on funer-als
of fallen soldiers and to protest war. Not only do they
cross the line by using hateful messages to convey their
opinions, but also they invade on private, sentimental
ceremonies of their fellow Americans.
“The pictures are a reminder that the church is a place
of peace,” said Alyssa Tenorio, radio/TV senior. Tenorio
is a member of ODK and is hoping that this peace project
will send a positive message. Along with other members
in ODK, Tenorio has personal connections to this project.
“I have family and friends who are retired military, so it is extremely
disturbing to me,” she said. Several of the members in ODK have similar
feelings about this project and are hoping that it will send a peaceful
message.
If you want to send your picture to ODK, you can either email it to
sfapeaceproject@gmail.com or drop it off at the ODK office on the
third floor of the Baker Pattillo Student Center, Room 302 by Friday.
ODK asks for no images smaller than 4x6 or bigger than 8x10 if you are
printing them. The message on the back of the picture, or by email can
be anything peaceful—a quote, saying or thought. They request that
absolutely no messages of anger or hate be sent.
moberpriller@thepinelog.com
Photobomb aimed at Westboro Church
MARK RHOUDES/THE PINE LOG
SFA students sent in pictures into the ODK Peace Project to compile a Phototbomb to
be sent into the Westboro Baptist Church. Most of the pictures were on display during
the ODK Leadership conference.
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