The Pine Log

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TODAY
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FRIDAY
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SATURDAY
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Volume 91
Issue 10
Next Publication:
Monday, October 24, 2011
Visit us online at
www.thepinelog.com
Page 6
Going to class
really does
help
Page 4
Thursday, October 20, 2011 PINE LOG
The
The Independent Voice of Stephen F. Austin State University
SFA Bass Team
won $50,000
last week
Inside
Board of
Regents
approves faculty
appointments
and merit pay
Page 2
SFA
Involvement
Center finalist
for the STAR
Award.
Page 3
SFA Bass Team
wins $50,000
Page 6
The Pine Log’s Sudoku
Look for this
addictive number
game on page 3
every Monday
and Thursday
Opinions
Page 4
Columns
Mark Rhoudes
talks about why
we should watch
how we speak
Marc Jackson
offers a recipe
for continued
college success
Entertainment
Page 5
Amanda Flores
new Assistant
Director of
Multicultural
Affairs
By Shelbe Blacklock
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Editor’s Note: At his request, the name of the student in
this story has been changed to protect his identity.
Thomas Crawford, freshman biology major,
has always strived for the best in every aspect
of his life.
Having been a part of numerous educa-tional
programs and participated in count-less
volunteer services, he considers himself a
“role-model for the younger generation.”
However, for over 10 years, Crawford has
withheld a secret; he has dyslexia. Dyslexia
is a learning disability that affects a person’s
comprehension level. The disorder does not
allow their brain to process information or
symbols as quickly as it should.
“I was taught at an early age not to tell any-one,”
Crawford said, “It was something that
my family considered to be private business.”
His parents, who both have dyslexia, de-cided
to get him tested at the age of 9 shortly
after discovering that his younger brother had
the disorder as well.
“It was really tough,” Crawford said. “There
were so many tests involved not only mentally
but physically.”
He described his time in junior high as an
“experiment” and a time to figure out how he
could cope with the disorder and prepare for
high school.
Crawford said, “During high school I had
pretty much learned how to deal with it. I got
pretty good at keeping secrets, too.”
There had always been questions among
his friends about his school work and why he
would disappear suddenly during important
exams in class.
“I was allowed to take my exams privately
from the other students,” Crawford said. “A lot
of my friends thought I was insane but, again
I had no idea how they would feel about me if
they knew I was dyslexic.”
Crawford felt as though he had to be twice
as good and work twice as hard as the other
students in order to feel “normal.”
“I felt like I had to push myself in everything
I did in order to hide the fact that I had the dis-order,”
he said. “I wanted to feel normal.”
Upon arrival at SFASU, Crawford wondered
how he would maintain her studies and suc-ceed
academically.
“Sure I could deal with junior high, and of
course high school was not easy,” Crawford
said, “but college was a whole other ball game.”
He had done research and discovered there
was a disability services department on cam-pus.
“I was really surprised that there was an ac-tual
place for people like me,” Crawford said.
The Disability Services office offers students
with disabilities special accommodations to
ensure that they are successful. Specialized
testing rooms are available to students to help
focus when taking tests. Crawford utilizes this
resource often.
“Although I am still not comfortable with let-ting
everyone know I have dyslexia,” Crawford
said, “I am glad that I am able to deal with it,
especially in a college setting.”
To utilize these resources, students are able
to register in the Disability Services office lo-cated
on the third floor of the Human Services
building. Proper documentation of known
disabilities must be provided along with an
application for services. For other services,
such as special housing for disabilities, stu-dents
must submit an accommodations re-quest
before the semester begins.
pinelog@sfasu.edu
Dyslexic students receive help from Disability Services
By Amber Bynum
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Scare on the Square, an an-nual
Halloween event put on by
the Nacogdoches Convention
and Visitors’ Bureau, will be held
from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct.
29, in the downtown area.
The City of Nacogdoches Main
Street sponsors Scare on the
Square.
“Scare on the Square is an an-nual
Halloween carnival that
is hosted in historic downtown
Nacogdoches,” Sarah O’Brien,
Main Street manager, said. “It
is an opportunity to have a
safe, fun, free Halloween ex-perience
for the children of the
Nacogdoches community.”
About 75 vendors come to
Scare on the Square and set up
booths for the children. Vendors
include local businesses, hospi-tals
and SFA organizations.
The many events include a
hayride, petting zoo and haunt-ed
house. The CVB holds pump-kin
contests inside the Visitors
Center.
“People can carve or paint a
pumpkin,” Samantha Mora,
media and community relations
coordinator, said. “We have the
pumpkins displayed in the CVB,
and we’re also having the pump-kin
baking contest inside the
CVB.”
“We have the pumpkin bak-ing
contest to try and encourage
people besides young children to
get involved,” O’Brien said.
Kim Carmona, mother of two
young children, takes her chil-dren
to Scare on the Square every
year.
“It’s a good activity for the
young kids,” Carmona said. “My
oldest one would say the candy is
her favorite part.”
As a mother, Carmona said
her favorite part is seeing all the
other costumes.
“It takes me forever to find one
for my own kids because I like
being unique, and they have a lot
of unique costumes,” Carmona
said.
O’Brien encourages people of
all ages to come to Scare on the
Square. She recommends SFA
students who come to wear a cos-tume.
“Definitely enter the costume
contest,” O’Brien said. “We typi-cally
do not have that many en-tries
from people of the college
age, and we have some great
prizes for first, second and third
place.”
By Erika Nichols
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Fall Fest, an annual fall carnival orga-nized
by Residence Hall Association, will be
from 6 to 9 p.m., Monday, Oct. 31, in front of
the BPSC plaza by the Austin Building.
Alonzo Brooks, president of RHA and
communication studies junior, said RHA is
encouraging all organizations at SFA to get
involved and participate in Fall Fest.
According to Brooks, “This event is some-thing
anyone can attend, from children
around the community to parents and col-lege
students.”
Fall Fest consists of a variety of activities
for all ages, costume contests, candy and
food as well as a haunted house.
“We are going to begin the festival with
costume contests according to age group,”
Brooks said. “We are encouraging everyone
to participate and there will be prizes for
the winners.”
Residence halls around campus and or-ganizations
who participate will be deco-rating
a booth or participating in “Trunk
or Treat.”
“Trunk or treat will be a new activity
at Fall Fest this year. Residence halls and
organizations will be decorating the trunk
or trunk bed of a vehicle where games will
be played and candy will be passed out,”
Brooks said.
Gennie Lynn, Residence Life program
coordinator, said “Trunk or Treat” is a safe
and fun alternative to normal Halloween
door to door trick-or-treating.
“Cars line up and pop their trunks to set
the scene,” Lynn said. “All the cars are like a
stop at a house.”
Lynn says having this activity located
on campus in conjunction with Fall Fest is
another way to involve the community.
“RHA has always invited the community
out for Fall Fest, and we felt this would add
another special treat for the children of the
community,” she said.
Lynn said “Trunk or Treat” will allow for
more campus involvement because orga-nizations
can participate in a decorating
a booth, trunk or both. In addition to the
costume contest, awards will be given to
the best decorated trunk.
After the event is over around 9 p.m. RHA
encourages everyone to experience the an-nual
Mays Haunted House, according to
Brooks.
“The haunted house is a fundraiser put
on by Mays residence hall every year in
order to raise money for their hall,” Brooks
said. “Each year it is different and this
year there is supposed to be a ‘Paranormal
Activity’ room.”
“This is something for the older kids to
enjoy. It has become a tradition here at
SFA,” Brooks said. “Mays Hall is trying to
make the haunted house scarier than it was
last year.”
Each activity at the festival is free, ex-cept
for admission into the haunted house,
which is $3.
RHA hopes as many people attend the
event as compared to last years’ turn out.
“Last year we had about 400 people at-tend
fall festival. This year we are hoping for
the same amount or more people to show
up,” Brooks said.
Downtown “Scare on the Square”
coming up for safe, fun Halloween
RHA Fall Fest to feature games, contests,
‘Trunk or Treat’ for campus, community
By Kayla Haas
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Last Saturday an Alzheimer’s walk took place in Nacogdoches, and if
students missed that opportunity to help a good cause, a breast cancer
walk will be held on campus from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday.
Nyeshia Anderson, a member of Kappa Omega, said her sorority “raised
money for the [Alzheimer’s] walk and donated around $320.”
Three organizations are in charge of this weekend’s breast cancer
walk—NAACP, ALO, and MOG.
According to the vice president of ALO, Teal Frizzel, the breast cancer
walk is called I Walk. Registration will take place at the student center
plaza until Friday. Registration is $2, and upon being registered, mem-bers
of I Walk will receive a free wristband. If students cannot sign up,
donations are still encouraged.
The walk will be held around campus. At the completion of the walk,
members will receive a button and a balloon. The balloon represents a
prayer, and after the prayer is made, the member will let go of the bal-loons
and send it up.
MOG member James Quaite explained his involvement in I Walk, “As
a Christian fraternity we aren’t just about Bible studies, but also (about)
reaching the community and fighting breast cancer.”
Event coordinator and NAACP Health Chair Adaeze Anene said that
they wanted to show physical and financial support to breast cancer sur-vivors
and patients.
According to statehealthfacts.org, breast cancer affects roughly 112
women per 100,000 in the state of Texas alone, and about 22 women per
100,000 die in Texas due to breast cancer.
For some, walking for the cure means something more than raising
money.
“I walk is a way to show love” ALO president Jessica Chaney said.
Dieumerci Mukoga added, “Like a way to say you’re not alone.”
Proceeds will go to the Susan B. Komen Foundation.
Students walk to raise
support and awareness
Fall is finally here
JENNIFER ROGERS/ THE PINE LOG
Students gear up for the wind and the cold that has
finally come toEast Texas. This change in climate has
been welcomed by some and produced challenging
issues for others.