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SFA has recorded a fall enrollment of 12,801 students, up 0.2 per-cent from one year ago. The slight

gain marks the first overall increase since stricter admission standards were implemented at the University begin-ning with the fall 2012 freshman class.

“As expected, we had a dip in enroll-ment last fall, due in large part to the higher admission standards for the fresh-man class,” said Monique Cossich, execu-tive director of enrollment management. “We are very pleased that enrollment is rebounding quicker than expected, and we hope to continue to see steady, in-cremental growth going forward.”

Cossich credited efforts of the entire university community to recruit and re-tain students for the increase. “It is now understood at SFA that this is part of ev-eryone’s role—regardless of their position at the University,” she said. These prac-tices have helped attract and keep enough quality SFA students to compensate for the increased admission standards combined with recent record-breaking graduations.

“There is an incredible amount of tech-nology and media at universities’ dis-posal now, and we continue to stay the

course with a high-tech, high-touch ap-proach to recruitment,” Cossich said. “But, overall, I think that our personal touch is what sets us apart from our competitors.

“We continually hear from parents and students that we have found the right for-mula in terms of when and how often we communicate with prospects, as well as getting across the message that SFA is fully invested in helping them achieve success in college and in life.”

Especially encouraging to SFA offi-cials is a stark increase in the retention rate of first-time, full-time undergradu-ate students, another predicted outcome of the higher admission standards and increased student-engagement and suc-cess activities, said Dr. Richard Berry, SFA provost and vice president for ac-ademic affairs. That figure represents a 6.6 percentage-point increase in the rate since standards were increased. At 70 per-cent, the current SFA retention rate is the highest ever recorded at the university.

Efforts across the University to sup-port current students and connect them to available resources also have contributed to higher retention, he said. More efficient student advising practices, increased stu-

dent engagement opportunities, a vi-brant SFA 101 freshman seminar pro-gram and expanded academic support offerings through SFA’s award-winning Academic Assistance and Resource Center all have played a role in helping more SFA students persist to graduation.

“We are extremely pleased with the increase in the freshman retention rate, something we have been work-ing on very diligently,” Berry said.

The University reported the fol-lowing fall enrollments by college: Nelson Rusche College of Business, 1,718; James I. Perkins College of Education, 4,250; College of Fine Arts, 915; Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, 712; College of Liberal and Applied Arts, 2,736; and College of Sciences and Mathematics, 2,470.

SFA also experienced higher summer enrollment in 2014, which totaled 8,801 students. Included in that figure were 862 students who attended Maymester classes, an increase of 13 percent from Maymester 2013. Summer I enrollment in-creased 1.9 percent to 4,093 students, and Summer II enrollment was up 2.3 percent with 3,846 students attending classes.

Volume 96Issue 3

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com/user/TheSFAPineLog

the

The Independent Voice of Stephen F. Austin State UniversityPINE LOG

www.thepinelog.comWednesday, September 17, 2014Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Next Publication: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 Look for your copy every Wednesday morning in a newspaper rack near you.

how weEnrollUniversity statistics show record retention rate for first-time undergrads

This is

Data Courtesy of Institutional Research ReportThis PDF document compares the enrollment statistics from the 2013 Fall Semester to the 2014 Fall Semester. SFA currently has 12,801 students enrolled, a 0.2 percent increase from last year.

SClassification

Freshmen

Sophomores

Juniors

Seniors

Post-bacc

Master’s

Doctoral

SFA Total

Maymester 2013

60

151

259

243

7

41

2

763

Maymester 2014

80

172

310

243

5

52

0

862SSSSSummer I 2013

244

542

933

1,344

53

822

78

4,016

Summer I 2014

281

570

955

1,313

60

840

74

4,093FFSummer I 2013

FF244FF542FF933FF1,344FF53FF822FF78FF4,016FSummer I 2014

FSummer I 2014

FF281FF570FF955FF1,313FF60FF840FF74FF4,093FFFClassification

Freshmen

Sophomores

Juniors

Seniors

Post-bacc

Master’s

Doctoral

SFA Total FFSummer II 2013

458

441

687

1,217

44

840

71

3,758

Summer II 2014

425

481

766

1,238

54

816

68

3,846

Summer II 2013 Summer II 2014Classification

Freshmen

Sophomores

Juniors

Seniors

Post-bacc

Master’s

Doctoral

SFA Total

Homecoming 5K registration opens

Statistics provided by Institutional Research Report

By Christin EdwardsContributing Writer

Run, don’t walk, to sign up for the fifth annual Lumberjack Homecoming 5K.

The race begins at 8 a.m on Saturday, Oct. 19 at the parking lot behind the Schlief Tennis Complex. Runners and walkers of all ages are welcome to partici-pate.

Pre-registration begins at $20 for stu-dents, and $25 dollars for faculty and community members. Prices will increase by $10 starting Oct. 11.

The first 100 participants who sign up will receive a free T-shirt. Registration packets can be found at the welcome desk in the Recreational Center beginning Oct.

18 and will be available until the morning of the race.

Awards will be presented to the first-place male and female winners, and a surprise prize will be presented to the largest group in attendance.

Hosted by the Alumni Association and the Rec Center, the Homecoming 5K race will support the Dr. Raymond Lee Worsham Scholarship Fund, which offers financial aid to student employees of the Campus Recreation department.

For more information on the Homecoming 5K, visit www.sfaalumni.com, or call 936-468-3407. Participants may also visit the Campus Recreational Center website at www.sfasu.edu/cam-pusrec for upcoming events.

Students, faculty, community welcomed to participate

Photo by Grant Korbel/The Pine LogA participant from last year’s Lumberjack Homecoming 5K run crosses the finish line.

Colorful Fitness

Photos by Jennifer Rogers/The Pine Log

ASummer II 2013

ASummer II 2013

458

A458

441A441

687A687

1,217A1,217

44A44

840A840

71A71

3,758A3,758

Summer II 2014

ASummer II 2014

425

A425

481A481

766A766

1,238A1,238

54A54

816A816

68A68

3,846A3,846

Classification

AClassification

Freshmen

AFreshmen

SophomoresASophomoresAAAA

Splashes of purple, pink, yellow and green covered dancers as they participated in the

Rec Center’s Color Me Zumba event on Tuesday night. While students were dancing,

Rec staff members ran through the crowd and doused them with color. Color Me Zumba featured hip-hop, African and Latin rhythms.

See full story on page 2.

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thePine Log

Photo by Jennifer Rogers/ The Pine LogMore than 50 students found their rhythm at the Rec Center’s Color Me Zumba on Tuesday night.

Color me fitBy Appiah Montgomery

Contributing Writer

More than 50 students came to show off their colors and their dance moves at “Color Me Zumba” Tuesday night from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Campus Recreation Center.

The regular annual event, “Zumba Fest” was combined with the popular, “Color Run” to create the event, “Color Me Zumba.” Coordinator of Fitness and Wellness Katie Houlik and her team developed the event.

Zumba staff members took the stage to

teach various dance moves from Latin, Hip-Hop and more for all levels of fitness and dance. Those participating in the event were told to dress in plain white shirts and shorts so the most color would stand out against the white background when each participant was sprayed with the colorful powder. The event was designed to inspire people to be fit, have fun and dance in a vibrant setting.

The colored powder that was splashed on each student during the Zumba dance, was made out of cornstarch and could be easily washed out with water.

amontgomery@thepinelog.com

Zumba class adds coloful twist to workout program at recreation center

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thePINE LOG

By Sara JonesContributing Writer

The College of Fine Arts at SFA kicked off the 2014-2015 University series last Thursday night.

The fi rst Connect Concert featured Eugenia Zukerman on the fl ute, Sophie Shao playing cello, Hye-Jin Kim playing violin, and Milana Steveza on the piano. The featured artist, Zukerman, has been described as a “Renaissance woman.”

She performs internationally, with more than 30 performances annually. Zukerman is also an adjunct faculty member at the New York University’s Steinhardt School of Music. Streveza, Shao, and Kim have each performed with the International and National Orchestras.

The night began when Zukerman introduced herself and announced the concert was to commemorate the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The concert was special to Zukerman particularly, as a native New Yorker.

The fi rst piece, “America the Beautiful,” resonated throughout the concert hall as the audience joined in, singing with patriotic enthusiasm.

“When words fail, music speaks,” Zukerman said before the piece began.

The concert featured pieces from various international composers since 9/11 effected the lives of many.

The nationalities represented in the score were American, Spanish, French, Japanese, former Czechoslovakia, and Hungary.

sjones@thepinelog.com

Fashion merchandising students at SFA are participating in the Blue Jeans Go Green Denim Recycling Program this week and next week.

The program was implemented by Cotton Incorporated in 2006 to emphasize the natural and environmental attributes of cotton and to offer people the opportunity to give back to their community in a unique way. The program is a call-to-action to give old denim “new” life by recycling it into UltraTouch Denim Insulation.

UltraTouch Denim Insulation is an environmentally safe, non-itch insulation without carcinogenic warnings,

formaldehyde or chemical irritants. Each year, Cotton Incorporated provides a portion of the insulation to civic buildings and new homes in communities across the U.S. that need it most.

This year, SFA is just one of four universities in the country collecting denim, including the University of Kentucky, University of Rhode Island and Illinois State University.

Denim items for donation may include but are not limited to jeans, jackets, vests, skirts, dresses and overalls. The denim may be printed or dyed, distressed or destroyed, as long as it is at least 60 percent cotton.

All denim counts, according

to event organizers.Denim may be donated

from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Thursday in front of the student center and also from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, in the quad by Surfi n’ Steve.

All students/faculty who donate denim will receive a free, customizable pair of SFA shades.

In the history of the event Blue Jeans Go Green, more than 1 million pieces of denim have been collected and more than 2 million square feet of insulation have been generated from the recycled denim. This has resulted in more than 660 tons of waste diverted from landfi ll, according to organizers.

Blue is the new green

By C. Lee FarisContributing Writer

Walk in to Regents Suite A in the student center on a Tuesday night, and you would never suspect the

drab room would be transformed into a dance fl oor.

Swingin’ Jacks, the swing dance club, is open to dancers with all levels of experience. Whether you’ve danced for years or you’ve never set foot on the dance fl oor, the members of the club will make you feel at ease and ready to learn how to dance.

From 8 to 9 p.m. each Tuesday, the club practices its swing dancing, while 9 to 10 p.m. is for open dance. During the fi rst hour,

Kelleigh Downs teaches basic and advanced steps.

Downs leads students through a few warm up exercises, then everyone pairs up and switches partners every fi ve to seven minutes. Once a few basic steps have been learned, dancers try those steps to music.

First time swing dancer Jamaal Lane said it was “fun” and he “felt involved and will defi nitely be coming back.”

Swingin’ Jacks holds an open dance social at 8 p.m. each Saturday at The Children’s Garden on College Street. All SFA students are welcome.

For more info and updates on the club, check out their Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/swinginjacks.

Fashion students collecting denim

Connect Concert series premiere honored Sept. 11

Swingin’ Jacks dance club offers lessons, open dances for all levels

Movin’&Movin’&Movin’Groovin’

Photos by C. Lee Faris/ The Pine LogTwo participants in SFA’s Swingin’ Jacks club practice steps they just learned. The organization does swing dancing from 8 to 9 p.m., while open dance is from 9 to 10 p.m. every Tuesday at The Children’s Garden on College Street.

Bring your jeans and other denim items to the Baker Pattillo Student Center from

12:30 to 3 p.m. tomorrow and to the Surfin’ Steve statue on Thursday, Sept. 25.

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thePINE LOG Wednesday, September 17, 2014ENTERTAINMENT

By Marina DonLevyEntertainment Editor

Apple announced the Apple Watch, the iPhone 6 and its newest operating system, iOS 8 on Tuesday, Sept. 9 in a live stream.

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook claims the Apple Watch is “the most personal product we’ve ever made.”

The interface will allow users to com-municate right from their wrists by send-ing and receiving messages, taking calls, access to Siri and more. It features Wi-Fi and pairs via Bluetooth to the user’s phone.

Apple Watch comes with 11 watch faces, and can be customized both in appear-

ance and capability. Three collections using different materials and straps will be available: Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport, and Apple Watch Edition. They are set to launch in early 2015, and are com-patible with iPhone 5 or higher while run-ning the latest version of iOS 8.

The iPhone 6 boasts a thinner design, HD displays, better cameras and the fast-er, more efficient A8 chip. Two different sizes are available: the iPhone 6 with a 4.7 inch display, and the iPhone 6 Plus with a 5.5 inch display.

Both models include Apple Pay, a brand new way to securely purchase goods and services in stores or in apps. Payment information is kept encrypted in the new

Secure Element chip for privacy. The phones will run iOS 8.

iOS 8 introduces new messaging and photo features such as Tap to Talk, predic-tive typing, new photo editing tools and more. Group messaging now allows users to add and remove contacts in a thread, turn off thread notifications, or leave the thread. Improved Family Sharing, new app collaboration with iCloud Drive and the new Health app provide continuity across devices and apps.

iOS 8 is available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users as a free software up-date beginning Wednesday, Sept. 17. Visit apple.com for more information.

mdonlevy@thepinelog.com

By Steven CerkiewiczContributing Writer

“Captain America: The First Avenger” was the best film from Marvel’s Phase One series of movies. It felt like a 1940s World War II action film. Everything was pro-America and had villainous Nazis trying to destroy America. The origin story of the Captain was dramatic and fun. You got to see him transform from this scrawny guy into a powerful symbol of America. The action was fun and the characters were memorable. The sequel had a lot to try and top. The exciting atmosphere of the 1940s cannot work in modern times. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” has better action, a better story, and is more fun than the first movie.

In this film, SHIELD is compromised, and Captain America, played by Chris Evans, and Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson, are marked as fugitives. They have to try and stop a new project designed for safety of the world from destroying America while trying to figure out who is taking over SHIELD. One enemy that gets in their way is a mysterious assassin known as the Winter Soldier, played by Sebastian Stan. He is a powerful opponent that has the strength and speed of Captain America.

The fugitive style story in this film is fun. It picks up the pace in the film. Everybody is after them and nobody can be trusted. It makes everything dangerous and fun.

Captain America has more develop-ment in this movie. We see him go from a person who puts his trust in people he does not know to thinking twice when he

meets a person. It is quite a dark turn for the Captain. His proud and happy person-ality from “The First Avenger” and “The Avengers” is traded in for a more dramatic look. He also deals with the trouble of trying to fit back into society. It is treated seriously in this film instead of being a joke like in “The Avengers”. “The Avengers” did not go deeply into this, except for a deleted scene, but it is nice to see in this film. Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, also gets some more screen time. We see how cool he is as a leader in “Iron Man 2” and “The Avengers,” but we do not see him do much. In this film, we get a huge action scene involving a car chase and a shootout. The scene really shows how prepared he is to fight.

The action scenes in this film are well thought out and fun. The Nick Fury scene I mentioned earlier is intense. You see armed cops approach his car while his police scanner tells him there are no cops in the area. The scenes involving the Captain showcases how strong and fast he is. Every scene is fast-paced and intense. The action is also creative. One fight scene takes place on an elevator. As all the enemies were entering, you could feel the tension build-ing. It is honestly one of the coolest scenes I have seen all summer. Even though the film is about a superhero, the action did not feel over-the-top. This kept the scenes fun and entertaining without feeling ri-diculous.

While the scenes felt fun, some were too dark to watch. The first action scene of the film takes place on a ship at night. Even though he is supposed to be stealthy, I

could not make out some of the action hap-pening on screen. I kept having to adjust the brightness during the darker scenes of the movie.

The sound also felt way too loud in some scenes and too quiet in others. I found my-self having to adjust my volume during the action and exposition scenes of the film.

The new look of the Captain is great. The new suit feels like the suit from “The First Avenger” combined with the modern feel from “The Avengers”. The design is more stealthy and darker than the first suit. It looks cool and really reflects the darker character development.

The Winter Soldier is an awesome op-ponent. Nobody knows who he is. The only thing we know about him at the start of the film is that he is as strong as Captain America. The first scene you see the Captain and the Winter Soldier interact is when Captain throws his shield at the Winter Soldier. He catches it. It actually intimi-dated me when I saw it. The Captain’s other enemies were more agile and could dodge his blows, but this guy has the strength and power that can rival Captain America.

I had a problem with the CGI in this movie. Some of it really stands out and feels unnatural. The Winter Soldier’s ro-botic arm feels out of place with the rest of the world around him. Even when the Captain kicks people, the reactions look fake. It did not interfere much with the rest of the movie, but it is still annoying to see at times.

The DVD comes with one making of fea-turette and deleted scenes. The Blu-ray comes with two making of featurettes, de-

let-e d scenes, a gag r e e l a n d c o m -m e n -t a r y

from the writers and directors.I would suggest buying this movie to put

with the rest of the Marvel Phase Two mov-ies. It is really hard to describe some of the most interesting parts of this film without giving so much away. There are a lot of twists and turns that keep the story from getting stale. It is fun, entertaining and ac-tion packed.

pinelog@thepinelog.com

By Evie SweetenStaff Writer

While Student Activities Association may be known for planning events such as Color Me Zumba and the upcoming Chris Young concert, this next event will be unlike anything they have done before.

SAA’s Art in Motion show will be on display from 1 to 3 p.m. through Thursday in the Spirit Lounge across from Which Wich and Panda Express. The show is filled with students’ works in every medium, ranging from paintings to photography.

“I’ve always been artisti-cally inclined and I wanted to think of something that could benefit others on campus that are artistical-ly inclined,” SAA member

board coordinator, Haley Davis, said. “My favorite part of an event like this is showing a different side of SAA.”

Due to the setup of this show, students can stop by on their way to class or dur-ing lunch. While walking through the exhibit, stu-dents can vote on their fa-vorite piece. The piece with the most votes will receive a $300 cash prize for the people’s choice award.

“Students should enter because they can be re-warded monetarily and showcase what they do,” Davis said.

For more information about SAA events going on throughout campus, check boards in the Baker Pattillo Student Center, or follow them on Twitter at @SAA_1923.

By Appiah MontgomeryContributing Writer

“Elevate,” a brain train-ing app, provides, an effec-tive workout for your brain. The app is made to sharpen skills such as focus, memory, math, and speech. The app focuses on read-ing comprehension, concise writ-ing and more. Anyone who signs up receives their own personalized

program to help improve his/her skills over time.

If you consistently train with the app, you will have a significant new outlook on what you’re learning and gain more confidence when dealing with a particular subject.So, how does it work?Various short mini-games are as-signed to users so it doesn’t feel like you are doing work. Players recall elements from conversations

and answering true-false questions quickly. The app will then track your progress and design a person-alized workout for your brain so you will stay interested and motivated.“Elevate” features more than twen-ty games, adaptive difficulty chal-lenges, a calendar, daily workouts, a performance tracker and more.The app is free and can be down-loaded for both Apple and Android devices.

Review “Captain America” sequel brings the action

Photo by mavel.wikia.com

By Christin EdwardsContributing Writer

SFA will welcome country singer Chris Young at 7 p.m. Oct. 9 at the William R. Johnson Coliseum with special guest Big Joe Walker.

According to his page on iTunes, Young was born and raised in Tennessee. Young has expressed his love for music from a young age by per-forming in grade school performances. He drew public attention with his bari-

tone voice and country rhythms when he auditioned for “Nashville Star”, a competition television show in 2006. He won the competition and received a contract with RCA records. From there, Young continued his career by writing songs and albums with some of the hottest artists in country music.

His single, “Tomorrow,” is his biggest hit to date, reaching the No. 1 spot on the Billboard country charts, accord-ing to Young’s website. Most recently, his single, “Who I Am with You” from

his current album “A.M.,” released this month. It claimed the No. 1 spot in Rolling Stone’s poll of Best Country Songs of 2014.

Tickets for the Chris Young concert are on sale now. Floor seats are $23, concourse seating is $28 and pit seat-ing is $33.

Tickets are available at the infor-mation desk in The Baker Pattillo Student Center, or online at www.out-housetickets.com.

cedwards@thepinelog.com

CHRIS YOUNG

Lumberjacks welcome

SAA features ‘Art in Motion’ Student photos, paintings and other pieces compete in on-campus exhibit

Apple announces revolutionary products and software

App of the week: ‘Elevate’ challenges minds

Anticipated country singer to perform in NacogdochesPhoto by chrisyoungcountry.com

SAA Cinema presents

September 18,19,21

Godzilla (PG-13) 7:30 p.m.

Tammy (R) 9 p.m.

CMYK

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✓ Write a letter to Grinding the Ax. Follow the guidelines on the left. Sign your name, and your letter will likely appear on this very page.

✓ Or use our website to submit a letter to Grinding the Ax. It’ll save you a trip to the Baker Pattillo Student Center.

✓ Post feedback to our stories online. Hit the “Comments” button at the end of a story, and let us have it. We can take it.

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FEEDBACKOpinions expressed in this section of The Pine Log are those of the individual writer or cartoonist and do not necessarily reflect those of the University, its administrative officers or Board of Regents.

Letters should be typed and should include the student’s hometown, classification, campus identification number and phone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit letters for space, spelling, grammar and potentially libelous material. Letters should not be longer than 300 words. Any letter that does not follow this criteria will not be published.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Passion is a cease-less thirst, burn-ing hunger and in-

trinsic desire that drives yourself to do something absolutely worthwhile.

I used to think music was a passion of mine. I played an instrument for about 11 years, after all.

I joined the band ser-vice fraternity, did com-munity bands and or-chestras, contests when I could and my main groups of friends were all music majors and band geeks. I even wanted to major in music upon enrolling at SFA. This is all despite the fact I knew I wasn’t intrinsi-cally motivated enough to practice sufficiently.

But maybe I did that all because I wanted music to be a passion for me. I saw how drasti-cally it affected so many

around me. I wanted that same feeling—being im-mersed, and so strongly captivated by something created, something pow-erful, moving and inspi-rational. Though hon-estly, I never felt their same strong urge or will to practice to get better.

I may not be excellent at it, but I realize it’s pre-cisely how I feel when I get immersed in an art

project—staying up late, food feeling unnecessary, time becoming irrele-vant and all the worries of the world disappear.

I’m content as long as my brain’s right hemisphere is. I know that much.

I also know I am challenging you all; right here, right now.

Find your passion. Don’t make yourself believe you’re truly passionate about something you’re not. Don’t feel bad about not being passionate on a particular topic. Discover and drive your passion, whatever it may be. In fact, drive your passion with an all-terrain vehicle.

After all, true sought-after passion will demand a lack of comfort and a great deal of what is un-known in order to reach incredible destinations.

A video released by TMZ Sports on Sept. 8 shows now-former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray

Rice punching and knocking out his wife, Janay Palmer. Palmer was his fiancé at the time the video was taken in the elevator of Revel Casino in Atlantic City, according to time.com. The Baltimore Ravens released Rice the day the video was released.

TMZ Sports had released a different video of Rice dragging Palmer’s uncon-scious body from the elevator on Feb. 19, which led to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell banning Rice from two games and fining him $58,000. Rice was also indicted by a grand jury for third-degree aggravated assault. Rice accepted a pre-trial intervention program that will keep his case from going to trial, and result in his assault charge being dropped should he complete the program successfully.

Following criticism that Rice’s pun-ishment was too lenient, Goodell up-dated the NFL’s domestic abuse poli-cy, which says any NFL personnel who violate the policy once receive a six-game suspension, with two violations resulting in a lifetime ban from the NFL. More criticism has been levied against the NFL recently, as Goodell has stated the NFL was not given video of Rice assaulting Palmer, despite an anony-mous law enforcement officer telling the Associated Press a tape of the incident was sent to an NFL executive in April.

Rice is expected to appeal his indefinite suspension from the NFL, according to abcnews.com.

So what should happen to Rice now? Should he be indefinitely sus-

pended from the NFL, or has he suf-fered enough for a seemingly isolated incident? After all, Palmer herself seems to have forgiven him, especially since she married him after the incident.

Unfortunately, domestic abuse does not seem to just stop after couples have talked it over the next day. Counseling, like the pretrial intervention program Rice opted into, is notoriously unreliable in preventing batterers from repeating their behavior, according to nytimes.com.

A 2005 study by the National Criminal Justice Reference Service found no evi-dence that batterers in the Bronx were any less likely to be arrested for bat-tery again after undergoing counsel-ing. Convictions seem to be much better deterrents than counseling sentences.

Furthermore, the fact Palmer married Rice doesn’t excuse his behavior, nor does it mean nothing similar will happen again. Sufferers of domestic abuse are sometimes afraid to stand up to their abusive part-ners and can feel stuck in their relation-ships—or even falsely blame themselves for violence carried out against them.

The good news is, the incident led to the NFL making its penalties more harsh for domestic abuse, and perhaps more people will understand why such actions are necessary, especially after seeing the ugliness of domestic abuse in the widely circulated video. Now it’s up to the U.S. legal system to ensure its penalties are harsh enough to deter domestic abusers.

Whatever happens to Rice, hopefully his case will lead to more serious discus-sions about domestic abuse and more ef-fective ways of deterring abusive behavior.

Lo s s is an i n -

e v i t a b l e thing we have to deal with as our life pro-g r e s s e s .

P e t s v a n i s h from our lives as we have to get rid of them when we move. They grow too old and die, or, unexpectedly, are whit by a car. We lose friends as we outgrow some of them, or they change, and we forget why we were ever friends. We lose family members when one of our loved ones gets sick or grows old and dies.

Some of our losses are un-expected. A fatal car crash; someone who was on the path of recovery when they succumb to their illness one night; murdered in a bur-glary gone wrong; a stroke. Then there are cases like mine when the loss was predicted far in advance.

My Grandma Sandy died at 3:19 a.m. on April 2 from

cancer at the age of 63. Oddly enough, while losing

her was painful, I was not as sad about her death as some people might have expected me to be. Let me explain.

My grandma had been in pain for more than a decade. She was given six months to live 14 years ago when she had to go to the hospital after her tongue turned black. Over the years, she had been given allotted times to live. She was a strong, independent woman who cared deeply about her family, and she died sur-rounded by loved ones. I also believe in a life after this life, one where she is healthy again.

Another reason I was not too saddened by this was be-cause I asked myself, are our loved ones ever truly gone? Do they not live in our hearts and minds? In our memories and the things we do? I will always have memories of my grand-mother, and I guess this is just another way that I am trying to keep her alive in my heart.

I still remember going to Disneyland with Grandma Sandy. I remember birth-day trips and going to work with her and learning how to mop a floor at a hotel.

The last time I saw her, she

was pulling out large chunks of her hair, staring at it open-mouthed, laughing about it. She was surprised, saying she didn’t want her hair to fall out, but she was laughing with each pull, unable to resist pull-ing out a little bit more. I know that she was a bit upset by it, but I also know she was true to herself in the end, because my grandma didn’t want any of us to suffer. She wanted to give us a good laugh and ease our pain as we saw her sitting in that hospital bed.

I was not there when my grandmother died, and there is part of me that is kind of happy I wasn’t. I did not want my last memory of her to be her lying on her bed, uncon-scious and having problems breathing. I wanted to forever remember her as the person she was: Stubborn as a bull, a temper that could roast a marshmallow, a heart as kind as could be, a sense of humor that could make a statue crack a smile and that glitter of light in her eye that was bright enough to lighten a dark room.

That was my Grandma Sandy. That is the person that will forever be in my heart. Grandma, I love you.

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thePINE LOG Wednesday, September 17, 2014SPORTS

CINEMASAA

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September 18th, 19th & 21stSeptember 18th, 19th & 21st

Located in the Baker Patillo Student CenterSAA Movie Line: 936-468-6853

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By Taylor RaglinContributing Writer

Senior soccer player Chelsea Raymond found herself alone as the Ladyjacks’ all-time points leader Sunday afternoon, notching her 98th career point with a goal in SFA’s 7-0 victory over Southern University.

Raymond’s tally came in the 53rd minute of the match as she tucked away a one-on-one chance to put SFA ahead 5-0 and secure her place in the record books.

“It was really exciting,” Raymond said. “It’s been a long time coming. Sometimes you get frustrated when you don’t score off of every chance you get, but with the team helping me get in a good position to be successful, it just worked out today.”

Coach Wally Crittenden praised his forward core for their play through the opening stretch of the young season.

“Our entire front fi ve has done well this year, especially considering the competition that we’ve played against,” Crittenden said. “Chelsea getting that breakthrough performance today is a result of a body of work that started even before I got here. She’s got a lot more goals in her.”

The win was strong response to a performance Friday in

which, despite edging out a 3-2 victory, Crittenden felt his team came out fl at.

“You could sense last week in training that we were tired,” Crittenden said. “ULM created a fantastic test for us. The question isn’t if you’re going to come out fl at for a game; you’re going to have one or two a season. The question is can you win it. I’m proud of the team and the maturity they showed.”

C r i t t e n d e n acknowledged that his team’s return to Nacogdoches was at least partially responsible for their sharp play.

“We’re home, and we got a chance to go through our home routine,” Crittenden said. “Playing in front of our fans, in the comfort of where [the team] resides, and being in our locker room; all of those things came together to refresh them, and they absolutely came out on point.”

Senior Zuri Prince set the tone for the SFA offense in the rout, fi nding the back of the net twice within the fi rst fi ve minutes. Four other Ladyjacks recorded a single goal in the match, with juniors Dallas Brown and Ashton Norman joining Raymond and sophomore Jasmine White on the score sheet. SFA also benefi ted from a Jaguar own goal early in the fi rst half.

SFA led Southern in both shots on goal (11-0) and corner kicks (9-1). The numbers indicated the offensive pressure the Ladyjacks exerted on the Jaguars for the entire 90 minutes.

SFA (4-2-1) will carry its two-game winning streak into conference play as they travel back to Louisiana to face the Lady Demons of Northwestern State (3-5) in Natchitoches. The match will get underway at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

By Jordan MossSports Editor

The SFA Volleyball team won the Louisiana Tech Fairfi eld Inn Volleyball Invitational, taking down the University of New Orleans, Texas-Pan American and Louisiana Tech in the process.

Junior OJ Olson was named the tournament MVP, while fellow junior Madison Martin and sophomore Justice Walker joined Olson as members of the all-tournament team.

Olson racked up 64 digs over the course of three games, Martin fi nished with 39 digs in the tournament and Walker recorded 28 kills and played a part in 12 blocks for SFA.

The tournament began on Friday, Sept. 12, as the Ladyjacks swept UNO 3-0.

SFA dominated the match winning sets 25-9, 25-12 and 25-13. Senior Jill Ivy fi nished the match with 12 kills. The sweep was the second of the season for the Ladyjacks.

The Ladyjacks took on UTPA second and fi nished the match

off with a 3-1 victory over the Broncos. Ivy led the offense with a season-high 21 kills on 42 attempts. Senior Page Holland had a solid performance, fi nishing with 52 assists, eight kills, three service aces and six digs.

SFA took the fi rst set 25-21 following a kill from junior Jacque Allen and a Bronco attack error. The Broncos fought back to take set two 28-26, breaking SFA’s seven set winning streak.

Holland started off the third set with her second ace, and SFA held onto the lead the entire set, winning 25-21 again.

Starting off the fourth set, SFA fell behind early but battled back as another Holland ace took the Ladyjacks to 13-12. They held that lead en route to another 25-20 victory to end the match.

Against Louisiana Tech, Holland had her third double-double of the year, while Ivy and Walker each had 13 kills. Olson recorded 21 digs in the 3-1 victory over Louisiana Tech.

Holland fi nished with 47 assists and 14 digs in the match. Walker

had only one attack error to go with her 13 kills.

SFA led the entire fi rst set, winning 25-17. The two squads then traded victories as SFA took set two 25-20 and Louisiana Tech took set three 25-22. In the fi nal set of the match, SFA took a 16-3 lead. Louisiana Tech battled back, but it wasn’t enough as the Ladyjacks held on for a 25-20 tournament-ending win in the set.

The Ladyjacks, having won four games in a row, will see action in the Rice Invitational in Houston when they take on Louisville, Texas Southern and Rice beginning at 12:30 p.m. Friday in Louisville.

By David FletcherStaff Writer

The Lumberjacks (2-1) will look to defend home turf again at 6 p.m. this Saturday night when they square up against the Weber State University Wildcats (0-3).

The Jacks are coming off their second home win in dominating fashion after just knocking off Texas A&M Commerce, 38-17, this past Saturday night.

The Jacks racked up over 600 yards of offense and forced fi ve turnovers, showing growth on both sides of the ball.

Weber State started the season rough, losing by double digits in each of their three loses.

Despite what the record suggest, the Wildcats are not to be taken lightly. One of their losses was against No. 19 ranked Arizona State, and an 11-point

loss on the road to a solid Sacramento State team.The Wildcats are averaging nearly 400 yards of

offense a game, and are scoring 75 percent of the time when they reach an opponent’s red zone.

The Jacks will look to counter by continuing the ground-and-pound game with running back Gus Johnson, who is going on one of the best stretches of his career. Over the last two games, he has rushed for 383 yards and six touchdowns.

Look out for quarterback Zach Conque as well. Since struggling in the season opener at Kansas State, he has shown much improvement. In the Jacks’ two wins, he has thrown for 368 yards, four touchdowns and has shown good mobility out of the pocket.

SFA takes on Weber State at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Homer Bryce Stadium.

dfl etcher@thepinelog.com

SFA on a rollJacks look to keep momentum going at home

Ladyjacks win in clean sweepVolleyball dominates weekend Louisiana Tech Invitational

Soccer dominates Chelsea Raymond stands alone as Ladyjacks’ all-time points leader

Upcoming SFA Soccer Games

9/21/14 @ Northwestern

State 1 p.m.

9/26/14 vs Lamar 7 p.m.

10/03/14 @ HBU7 p.m.

10/05/14 vs SHSU1 p.m.

10/10/14 @ McNeese

6 p.m.

10/12/14 @ ACU1 p.m.

Photo by Randy Slay/The Pine LogReceiver DJ Ward breaks away from a tackler. Ward finished with four receptions for 69 yards and one TD against A&M-Commerce.