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Page 6
SFA Jacks
defeat UTSA in
San Antonio
Page 4
Some
Nacogdoches
citizens don’t
want new
companies
Inside
League of
Women Voters
urges women to
vote in primary
Page 2
The Crime Log
Page 2
SAA hosting
dinner for two
Page 3
Lumberjacks and
Ladyjacks both
win over weekend
Page 6
The Pine Log’s Sudoku
Look for this
addictive number
game on page 2
every Monday
and Thursday
Opinions
Page 4
Columns
Gabrielle Rambo
says to have fun
on Valentine’s
Day
Steven Johnson
advises readers
to use campus
resources
Entertainment
Page 5
Review —
Valentine’s Day
and She Just Not
That into You
Volume 92
Issue 5
Next Publication:
Thursday February 16, 2012 50
WEDNESDAY
H
Monday, February 13, 2012 PINE LOG
The
The Independent Voice of Stephen F. Austin State University
43
By Ivette Garcia
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
This year’s kick-off of Black
History Month was marked by
the third annual NAACP Gala
on Feb. 9.
Since its founding date in
1909, The National Association
for the Advancement of
Colored People has been dedi-cated
to ensure the political,
educational, social and eco-nomic
equality of rights of all
persons and to eliminate race-based
discrimination.
The SFA chapter hosted a
number of events throughout
the week to embrace a culture
so rich in history to the stu-dent
community.
Events included free HIV
testing, a knowledge bowl and
a higher learning movie night.
Kevin Powell, an activist,
writer and entrepreneur, was
the guest speaker of the night.
He spoke about the impor-tance
of knowing your iden-tity.
“(It) doesn’t matter what
race you come from, you need
to know who you are,” he said.
The message he gave to the
audience that night was that
being able to know who you
are will facilitate the way to
moving forward and leading
to success.
Since he was a first-gener-ation
college student, Powell
knows how difficult it can be
to be a student, but he men-tioned
that college should not
be taken for granted because
it is there when one has the
time and flexibility to do what
one chooses. He emphasizes
that it is important to “read,
study and travel” because
gaining knowledge from dif-ferent
places is beneficial after
graduation.
Powell also added that ev-eryone
should embrace all cul-tures,
because this is America
and everybody is equal.
The gala ended with live
music and entertainment as
well as a couple of students
dancing on the dance floor.
igarcia@thepinelog.com
By Ariel Kirkland
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
According to the 12th-class-day census report, enrollment
at SFA remains mostly unchanged from a year ago, with 11,917
students enrolled for the Spring 2012 Semester.
Spring enrollment increased by 21 students or .2 percent
from 11,896 in Spring 2011. This semester’s total represents the
second-highest spring enrollment in the University’s history,
according to the registrar’s office.
Several of SFA’s colleges experienced year-to-year increases in
spring enrollment including the colleges of business, education,
forestry and agriculture, and sciences and mathematics.
The Spring Semester of 2010 saw record enrollment of 12,029
students. In subsequent semesters, however, the number of stu-dents
has decreased slightly.
In 2006, Dr. Tito Guerrero, then president of SFA, had a vision
of SFA reaching a student enrollment of 14,000.
What’s wrong with trying to reach that goal today? The an-swer
is nothing. Registrar Lynda Langham emphasized that she
thinks the University should work as a whole to get to that goal.
“It takes an effort by everybody on campus to advertise our
University,” Langham said. “Positive feedback about this school
to prospective students always helps. That’s what attracts peo-ple
to come out and visit our campus.”
A lot of students have also complained about the registration
being unnecessarily difficult, but Langham has an answer for
that as well.
“One of the things we’re working hard on that has been prob-lematic
is registration,” she said. “Things like this are reasons
students choose to go to other schools, so we’re making sure
we are working extremely hard to make that experience a much
better situation. I feel things like that would help.”
“I think the students should be proactive, be able to work
with their advisers and be responsible,” Langham said. “Make
sure you’re taking the classes you need to gain a degree. All of
that is the student’s responsibility to be able to finish in a timely
manner.”
akirkland@thepinelog.com
By Audrey Livingston
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Saturday started off as a cold, yet sunny, morning. Though the
weather was harsh, the people at the Farmers Market were not.
The market, held from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday, behind
Nacogdoches Municipal Court, is a collection of stands manned by
individual farmers and craftsmen. They come from all over Texas
selling everything from homegrown vegetables to beeswax candles.
Nacogdoches citizens arise early every Saturday to see what the
Market has to offer. There is always much to see, smell, and taste.
A couple of stands usually catch the shoppers’ eyes, such as the
man who sells the beeswax candles. His detailed work in turning
an ordinary candle into an interesting piece of home décor is ad-mired
by many. The homemade wine is also widely known through
Nacogdoches. Flavors such as peach, grapefruit, and cranberry, are
all made through hard work. If customers wants to purchase pieces
of beautifully crafted jewelry, they can stop by the stand where a kind
woman sells earrings made by her worn hands.
One stand, at the very end of the pavilion, always pleases the regu-lar
customer. Dr. Carroll Gregory not only sells homemade cheeses,
he also travels with his beauties to faraway places to compete in
contests. Gregory’s excitement in “winning first place in Montreal”
for his goat cheese embedded with green chili was evident when he
recalled the fond memory. He tells customers of his six-year experi-ence
with selling his cheese at the Farmers Market.
His generosity is shown by letting every person sample any type of
By Piero Pretto
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On April 21, the Traditions Council
will host its third annual “Run for the
Ring” 5K.
The event will start at the SFA com-muter
lot, and the race is scheduled
to begin at 8 a.m. According to the
registration form, the names of all
students who chose to participate in
the event will be placed in a raffle to
receive a voucher to help pay for their
SFA ring. Faculty and members of the
community are also encouraged to
participate.
Students who are interested can
register for the event by filing out
a form found at the Involvement
Center. The form must be completed
and turned in by April 14.
Nicole Lejeune, the SFA senior
heading the event, provided several
reasons why students should sign up
to participate.
First of all, she noted, registration
is free and open to all SFA students.
“Anybody can do it,” she said. “You
don’t have to be a junior to get the
ring.”
Students who have fewer than 60
credit hours and are deemed ineli-gible
for a SFA ring can still win the
raffle. A freshman or sophomore can
order an SFA ring with the voucher
once he or she has enough hours to
be eligible.
Second, Lejeune insisted that you
don’t have to be a runner to partici-pate
in the event.
“I always say that you can skip, hop,
jump, or crawl” she said. “I would
personally walk the whole thing.’
Participation in “Run for the Ring”
also includes a complimentary nine-week
training program. Lejeune
hopes the training program will
make students feel more empowered
to take on the challenge of a 5K race.
The most obvious perk of this event
is an opportunity to win a free SFA
class ring.
“Why pass up the chance to take a
tangible piece of SFA home with you
at no cost?” Lejeune asked. Moreover,
the winner of the race will receive ad-ditional
raffle tickets for the drawing
to increase his or her chances of win-ning
the ring.
Lejeune also noted that the ring is
only one the prizes available for those
who participate. She said, “Sponsors
donate gift baskets and other prizes
as door prizes” to support the event.
Last year, prizes included every-thing
from SFA T-shirts and gear to
jumper cables (provided by State
Farm.)
Last year’s “Run for the Ring” 5K
was a big success, and Lejeune ex-pects
this year to be even more suc-cessful.
“We doubled in size last year,” she
said. “We’re hoping with the training
guide that people will feel more moti-vated
(to participate).”
When asked why the Traditions
Council chooses to host this event
annually
pretto@thepinelog.com
‘Run for the Ring’ gets
runners ready to race
Spring enrollment up, barely
Farmers Market local gold mine for everyone
NAACP hosts gala to celebrate black history
SFA Chapter sponsors week of events with nationally known activist Kevin Powell as keyote speaker
JONATHAN TLER/THE PINE LOG
Kevin Powell delivered his key-note
speech over the impact
African Americans have made to
America. Powell is the author of
“Open Letters to America” and
“The Black Male Handbook: A
Blueprint for Life.” The speech
was delivered at the NAACP’s
Gala.
MARKET CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
JONATHAN TLER/THE PINE LOG
Kevin Powell receives a token of appreciation from
the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha.
JONATHAN TLER/THE PINE LOG
Dr. José Recinos, SFA assistant professor of Spanish,
talks with Powell after the dinner and Powell’ s speech.
THOMAS MOYTKA/THE PINE LOG/FILE PHOTO
The Nacogdoches Farmers Market is held every Friday next to Banita Creek Hall