the PrairieTuesday, March 1, 2011

Volume 93 Issue XVIII

Middle East protests Several countries demanding changes

As Egypt prepares to rebuild its country, multiple protests are breaking out in the Middle East as more citizens decide to take a stand against their governments. Citizens of Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Iran and Libya have all demanded change, drawing the rest of the world’s attention to the Middle East and worrying other governments about the threat of revolt.

The biggest protest to hit the news since Egypt removed President Mubarak, has been Libya, where all non-essential Americans were asked to leave the country by the United States Government, on Feb. 23, because of the violence happening in the country.

Libyan President, Moammar Gadda�i urged his followers to �ight the uprising, vowing a �ight to the death against protesters on Feb. 22. Other countries have condemned Gadda�i’s actions and President Barack Obama addressed the issue at a White House press conference on Feb. 23 where he said the

violence and bloodshed is unacceptable.The unrest in the Middle East by multiple

countries, especially Libya, has worried some people because the actions taken by these countries could lead to unrest in other parts of the world.

“There are likely to be more mass protests in Middle Eastern countries,” Dr. Dave Rausch said. “I’m a bit surprised that we have not heard much from Syria. I’m also surprised by protests in reasonably calm countries like Bahrain.”

Middle East continued on p. 2

MELISSA BAUER-HERZOGStaff Writer

Courtesy of ibtimes.com A child protests for freedom in Libya.

On Feb. 22, Dr. Deborah LeBlanc, professor in the school of business and management at the National University in San Diego, California, gave a lecture to WTAMU students, faculty and members of the community, as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series.

LeBlanc is recognized for her collaboration with government agencies, non-profit organizations and private firms around the world on policies that impact citizens and the communities they live in. She is also known for her work with women and students of a variety of racial backgrounds. The topic of her lecture was recruiting women and racial minorities into the public and non-profit sectors; however, she focused her speech

on leadership principles and how to infuse these principles into community service.

Dr. LeBlanc started her lecture by analyzing how people tend to focus too much on what the community is doing wrong rather than talking about what is working and why.

“We need to find ways to search for common ground,” she said. “[We need to] find ideas we can agree.”

Recruiting for leadership Professor discusses community

MARIA MOLINAStudents and community members listen to a special lecture by Dr. LeBlanc.

Dr. LeBlanc continued on p. 2

MARIA MOLINAEditor

“I for one, welcome our new computer overlords,” Ken Jennings wrote in the parenthesis as he submitted in his last answer for the first man vs. machine game of Jeopardy!.

He and fellow former champion, Brad Rutter, were outmatched by the five year old who had the fastest buzzer hand in the world (despite not actually having hands), and a vast amount of answers wired into his brain.

His “parents”, IBM, named him Watson after the company’s first

president and began testing in 2006. He follows in the footsteps of previous IBM projects, such as Deep Blue, a chess playing computer developed in 1997.

Dr. Chris Furner, assistant professor of computer information systems at WTAMU, points out that Watson is part of a long computing legacy. Neural networks like Watson’s have been in use for 25 years.

But Watson can do much more than win game shows.

“It has leaning algorhytms that are able to make inferences,” Dr. Jeffry Babb, assistant professor of computer information systems at WTAMU, said. “If we can express it algorhymically, it [Watson] will do it [compute] faster and more error-free,”

As reported by Ian Paul in PC

World on Feb. 17, Watson represents “[a] significant leap [in] a machine’s ability to understand context in human language”.

Yet that understanding had to be built on a gigantic base. Watson has around 16 terabytes of memory (4 terabytes of it being used to store content), 2,800 processor cores and 6 million logic rules for determining answers. He’s physically big too, taking up 10 server racks, 10 IBM Power 750 servers and two large refrigeration units.

All of this was housed in its own room on IBM’s Yorktown Heights. Yes, like many college students, Watson lives on campus.

And like many college students, Watson has a long way to go.

There are still a lot of bugs to work

out.“When it got it wrong, it got it

wrong pretty substantially,” Furner said.

For example, Watson was convinced Toronto was a city -- in the United States. In other words, he still lacks the ability to inference all of the information crammed into his game show contestant crushing brain.

“They don’t do abstract thinking like we do,” Babb said. “It [ the human brain ] is able to adapt.”

Watson cannot adapt.

‘ Watson’ defeats human opponentsGEORGIA ROMIGWeb Editor

IBM continued on p. 6

Surprisingly, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have played major roles in both organizing the protests and getting up to the second news out of the country. The new use of these sites has shown how far media has come over the last few years.

“The good thing is that these protesters are able to quickly

communicate, however it could possibly be a risk for Facebook and Twitter if the governments wants to retaliate towards the companies,” junior Environmental Science major Morgen Ayers said.

While Dr. Rausch isn’t surprised about the social networks being used to organize the protests because some form of media has always been used to plan revolts and protests, he is surprised that governments haven’t latched onto the same idea to get their message out.

“I don’t know if that is a function of the age of the officials or plausibility,” He said. “I just can’t see Colonel Gaddafi on Facebook or Tweeting.”

As changes are made in the Middle East, other countries watch with interest to see what will happen next. It is not yet known who will take over as new governments form, but they are sure to have the world watching every move that is made the moment leadership is obtained.

2 the Prairie

The Prairie Editorial Sta� 2010-2011

Editor- Maria MolinaAssistant Editor- Katelyn GarrityManaging Editor- Randi Hudson Copy Editor- Krystina Martinez

The Prairie is a student-operated publication at West Texas A&M University. It functions to inform, educate, and entertain readers accurately and responsibly. It does not necessarily re�ect the opinions of the administration, faculty or students. The editorials that appear on these pages represent the opinion of the Prairie editorial board. The views expressed by other columinsts are the writers’ opinions and do not necessarily re�ect the board’s views. Advertising rates are available upon request at (806) 651- 2410 or at theprairiemail@yahoo.com. WTAMU Box 60754, Canyon, Texas 79016. The Prairie has a circulation of 1,500 and is printed by the Amarillo Globe-News.

Web Editor - Georgia RomigFaculty Adviser- Butler Cain

Courtesy of newsiup.netPresident Gadha� of Libya

Middle East continued from p. 1 LeBlanc continued from p. 1

Senior History major Dominic Pinis said that the lecture was “insightful”. For him the most inspiring part of the lecture was when LeBlanc talked about the importance of creating a legacy of excellence while pursuing a career.

“Taking one issue that is your passion and pursue it wherever you can,” he said.

LeBlanc emphasized the importance of thinking globally and “outside the box.” She encouraged the audience to explore new ways of doing things and to create a learning environment everywhere.

“Don´t be myopic [narrow thinking] and objective,” she said. “Look at things how they will in�luence in the long run.”

She also said that leadership is unspoken and that good leaders are working on developing every day.

“The key is performance,” LeBlanc said. “´I am a leader because I want to get things done´, it´s not about the power.”

LeBlanc said that leaders often get caught in leading and forget what they want from

followers. “You can´t have a leader

without followers,” she said. “It´s a partnership. You have to have an empathetic ear.”

Temitayo Fauiyesi, nursing major and member of the Black Women Association, said that the lecture was “enlightening”.

“I gained a lot as far as where leadership starts and components of leadership,” she said.

Members of the community were also present at the lecture. Arzella Kay, executive director of the High plains Institute for Applied Ecology, was one of the many community members that attended the event.

“[It was a] great lecture,” Kay said. “Dr. LeBlanc is so aware of the leadership needed and how to ignite so people go to leadership roles.”

During her lecture, LeBlanc allowed for the public to ask question and comment, making it an open discussion. LeBlanc ended her speech by stressing the importance of diversity.

“Leaders need to respect that people are different,” she said. “Everyone has something valuable to say.”

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Do you think the protests in the Middle East will lead to greater international peace or an increase in strife between

nations? Send us your opinion to our facebook page.

3the PrairieNew

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1) My name is Katie Perkins. I am from Amarillo, Texas and I am a History major with a Communication Studies Minor. I am a member of the Attebury Honors Program, Vice-Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee in Student Senate, and I am the Co-Director of Freshman Leadership Organization.

2) I believe that the Vice-President serves two purposes on campus: leading the Student Senate and being the direct representative of the collective voice of the students. The of�ice is designed to carry out administrative duties and represent the student body.

3) I believe that I maintain a connection with the majority of the student body due to my experiences both in life and at WT. I am from the Panhandle area and I am involved in many campus organizations. This means that I will keep the best interests of every student in mind when making decisions and I will encourage each Student Senator to do the same when voting on resolutions, bills, and amendments.

4) The biggest problem facing the University is the budget. I have reviewed materials that I obtained from the State Legislature and I believe that budget cuts will be the main focus of the University in the coming Academic year. I believe that students should be concerned about the budget because it directly affects their professors, programs, classes, graduation dates, and campus organizations.

5) There are a myriad of things that I want to accomplish on campus. I think that the Vice-President should not only sit behind a desk, but they should also work in conjunction with the Student Senate to improve campus life and the overall student experience at WT. Parking is an issue that the Student Body Vice-President cannot completely �ix. I will do everything within my power to �ind a solution to the parking problem on campus. If I cannot achieve that, I will pave the way for my successor to succeed in that goal. I want to focus on academic issues, professor retention, and student retention beyond the First-Year Experience. I plan to devote all of my perseverance, courage, and will into West Texas A&M University every day.

1) My name is Nick Goettsche. I am from Waterloo, Iowa and am studying Pre-Dental/Biology. I am the Parliamentarian Pro-Tem in Student Senate, Recruitment Chair in the Student Alumni Board, and President of Buff Hall.

2) The job of Student Body Vice-President is to be every student’s representative. As Vice president I will have an open door policy, allowing everyone access to work with our Student Government on issues that are important to them.

3) I am the only candidate who lives on campus. This allows me to understand the needs of our residents such as parking and our need for greater campus involvement.

4) The biggest problems facing this University are the budget and our parking issues. Our budget is being cut by up to 15% this �iscal year, which means many programs will be reduced or cut. This is an issue every student needs to care about because it directly correlates with the tuition and fee’s they pay. The second problem is parking. As aforementioned, I am the only candidate who lives on campus and has to worry about parking in front of their residence hall. This is one issue I would really like to improve.

5) I would love to address the parking situation on campus and to promote the WT student community. My goal is to bring our organizations together to create a better environment for our students.

Questions answered by candidates1) Who are you?2) What do you think is the job of the Student Body President/VP in regards to the students?3) What makes you special or different from you opponents?4) What are the biggest problems facing the University?5) What do you want to make happen during your term as Student Body President/VP?

*All answers remained verbatim as they were received.

Presidential Candidates for 2011-2012

1) I’m Valeria Rangel, raised in small town Salado, TX. I came to WT in the Fall of 2008. And I’m cur-rently working on my Engineering degree.

2) It’s all about representing the students. During meetings with faculty and such one must disre-gard his or her own thoughts and must think of what is best for the student body as a whole. I believe the SBP must always keep one question in mind “What is best for the students?”

3) I’ve already held a position much similar to this one, back in high school. And also the fact that I want to be a candidate who truly changes and makes improvements to this University. 4) The biggest problems I see facing this Univer-sity are not enough retention of our 1st and 2nd year students, not enough use of the wonderful resources WT has to offer, and also not enough campus Unity. The problems could be helped and fixed, and I wish to be the catalyst for this change.

5) I wish to see a more united University that is moving forward toward an even more successful future.

1) I am Brandy Roberets a Junior Public Administration and Political Science Major. I would like to eventually become a lawyer for a non-pro�it organization. I am from Kansas and really enjoy participating in community service. I am vice chair of the Student Affairs Committee, a senator for the College of Education and Social Sciences, and Vice President of Internal Affairs for the Residence Hall Association.

2) I think the job of the Student Body President is to represent the students to the best of his/her ability. Many individuals believe this can be achieved on a social level by getting out and really talking to students. However, I know that Student Body President is so much more: talking to local media outlets, attend-ing to University Committee meetings, and even representing amongst a state and university system level (Texas A&M Sys-tem). I am prepared to represent to the best of my ability, both on a social and business level.

3) I think the thing that sets me apart from my opponents is the fact that I am your average student with a lot of passion. I go to class, live on campus, and have a job and homework which both keep me grounded. I am in several organizations across campus and although I am involved, my organizations don’t de�ine me.

4) I think fees and budgeting are going to be the biggest problem in the upcoming years. As far as biggest problems that I can work on, I believe student representation, retention and commu-nity involvement are two big problems that I can help �ight.

5) I really want to work on WT’s retention rates and commu-nity involvement. I believe that I can increase WT’s sophomore retention rates through organizational outreach. I have several programs already mapped out and am really excited about implementing them! As far as community involvement goes, I want to work on community service and involvement. I want to change the saying “Canyon is a town with a College” to “Canyon is a College town” !

1) My name is Patrick Miller. I am a Junior Pre-Law Major from Amarillo, Texas, a proud graduate of Palo Duro High School--Class of 2008, and the oldest of three children. I am a First-Generation College Student, and a product of the Achieve-ment through Commitment to Education (A.C.E.) Program. I believe in representing to the best of my abilities; my Faith, my Family, and Palo Duro. I believe the experiences I’ve had in life have prepared me for this moment, and if given the opportunity; I would certainly lead with passion, grace, and humility.

2) The most important role a Student Body Presi-dent has, is the opportunity to be a passionate leader, an honest person, and a true advocate for the student body. Even if things don’t go exactly as planned, the president must give an honest effort towards doing what’s right for the entire student body.

3) With all due respect to the wonderful ladies I’m running against, I believe I have the passion-ate sense of urgency for diversity, ingenuity, and humility, that the students of West Texas A&M University have been yearning for.

4) Apathy, division, and retention.

5) If we can make one small difference by creat-ing a greater involvement within our community, and unifying our campus with collective interac-tion, we will be the greatest university the pan-handle has ever known.

Voting will be open March 1 and March 2 until 10 p.m.Students can vote through their Bu� Portal or at kiosks around campus.

The #7 ranked WTAMU Lady buffs take a big win over the Lady Dust Devils of Texas A&M International. Leading the Lady Buffs on the circle was junior Marci Wolmack who pitched a solid game and gave up no runs on four hits, with �ive strikeouts.

Alyssa Lemos, a freshman, got the momentum going leading off the Lady Buffs with their �irst homerun , ripping into center �ield in the bottom of the �irst inning. The Lady Buffs brought in two more runs to close out the inning.

Also sending the softball over the fence were junior Kimberly LeCompt and sophomore Meghan Slattery. Both homeruns were solo in the third and fourth inning.

The Lady Buffs coasted ahead causing the run-rule to be effective by bring-ing in three more runs at the bottom of the fourth off of a triple steal led by senior Kasey Henderson.

The Lady Buffs seal the game by giving up no hits in the top of the �ifth to the lady dust devils. The mercy rule did take effect, giving the WT Lady Buff softball team an 8-0 run shut out against A&M International.

In the second game of the day on Feb. 26, the Lady Buffs took the �ield again, this time against the Central Oklahoma Bronchos. The game was called in the �ifth inning due to the run rule.

The �irst runs of the day belonged to the Lady Buffs as they scored seven runs in the �irst inning. After going through the entire line-up in just one in-ning Alyssa Lemos re-took to the plate with the bases loaded and captured a

three-run double bringing the score to 7-0 in favor of the Lady Buffs.In the second inning, with the Lady Buffs having runners on second and

third base, Kaitlyn Witte hit a three-run home run bringing the score to 10-0.The Lady Buffs scored two more runs in the fourth inning when Malory

Wyatt hit a two-run double bringing the score to 12-0.Once again the game was called in the �ifth inning due to the run rule.Shelby Cockrell picked up her �ifth win of the season as she registered

nine strikeouts and surrendered only three hits as the Lady Buffs improved to 11-1 while the Bronchos fall to 6-4.

the Prairie4Spo

rts

EVAN GRICEStaff Writer

Lady Bu�s �ght back to beat ZiasSimmons becomes 18th member of 1,000 point club

Lady Bu�s win double headerMARI SAMARRIPAS & ADAM GARCIAKWTS Sports Team

It might have been the end of the regu-lar season on Feb. 26 for the WTAMU Lady Buff basketball team, but Eastern New Mexico seemed poised to spring an upset in Portales at Greyhound Arena.

Thanks to some clutch free throws from freshman Casey Land, the Lady Buffs held off the Zias by a score of 69-68. With the victory WT claimed the number two seed in the Lone Star Conference tournament, which will be held March 2-5 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

ENMU came out in the �irst half strong keep-ing the Lady Buffs at bay. For the �irst nine min-utes of the contest the Zias were either in the lead or tied with WT. The Lady Buffs took their �irst lead of the contest at the 10:50 mark of the �irst half when it was 13-11. However, things didn’t stay great for WT as ENMU outscored the

Lady Buffs 14-10 over the next �ive minutes to take a 25-23 lead. On the next basket for the Lady Buffs, a piece of history was made. Junior Jamie Simmons layup with 4:18 left in the �irst half not only tied the game but made her the 18th Lady Buff all time to score 1,000 points in her career.

ENMU closed out the half with a 9-1 run to take a 34-26 lead into the locker room for half-time.

When the teams came out for the second half it was the Lady Buffs who took control with a 7-0 run to open the half and close within one at 34-33 with 16:33 left in regulation. Things started to look grim for the maroon and white as ENMU managed to keep the Lady Buffs at bay throughout most of the second half. The Zias led by as many as eight points but with 22 sec-onds left, it was freshman Casey Land who stole the show. After two free throws cut the Zias lead to one at 67-66, Land was fouled again with

just �ive seconds left on the clock. Once again, she converted both free throws and the Lady Buffs escaped with a 69-68 victory.

Leading the scoring on the night for the Lady Buffs was junior Jamie Simmons with a game-high 25 points. Simmons now has 1,016 points in her two-year career as a Lady Buff and sits in 16th place on the all-time scoring list in Lady Buff basketball.

Freshman Casey Land scored 15 points on the evening with junior Ashley Leven close be-hind with 12 points. Freshman Kenisha Harris recorded her second straight double-digit scor-ing effort with 10 points.

WT’s overall record now stands at 17-10 overall with a 10-4 record in conference play. The Lady Buffs will represent the south division as the number two seed and will play the num-ber three seed from the north in Texas Woman’s on March 2. Tip-off from Bruin Fieldhouse in Bartlesville is set for 6 p.m.

FRANKIE SANCHEZLady Bu�s celebrate a win against Central Oklahoma.

the Prairie 5

The weather outside isn’t the only thing heating up West Texas. On Feb. 26 the WTAMU Buffs baseball team looked to continue its hot start to the season as they played Northwest Missouri State in doubleheader action at Wilder Park.

In game one, the Buffs found themselves leading 3-2 after one inning of play. By the end of the third, their lead had increased to 9-2. NMSU made things interesting in the top of the sixth inning by cutting the Buffs’ lead to 8-7. However, WT responded in the bottom half of the inning and plated several runs of their own to give themselves a 14-7 lead. The Bearcats scored two more runs in the top of the seventh, but it wasn’t enough as WT claimed a 14-9

victory. Junior Kendall Boon led the Buffs

offense with four RBI on three hits, which included a homerun over the center �ield wall. Junior Irving Camacho picked up the win on the mound for the Buffs (4-0), giving

up seven runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts. Fellow junior Zach Walker got the save (2), giving up two runs on one hit in 1.1 innings of work.

Game two was much of the same for the Buffs’ bats. WT built up a 6-0

lead after one inning and held a 10-3 lead after three. The Bearcats never could get their offense going as the Buffs cruised to a 22-8 victory and a sweep of the doubleheader.

WT was paced by junior Jess Cooper, who had four RBI and also scored six times. Cooper’s day was highlighted in the �ifth inning when he hit a grand slam. He also �inished a double short of the cycle. Fellow junior Brad Elders also plated four RBI on the day.

Senior Jonathan Paez got the victory pitching for the Buffs (2-0), allowing four runs on seven hits with six strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work.

WT’s overall record now stands at 13-2, which is the best 15-game start in school history. The Buffs will �inish the series with the Bearcats on Feb. 28 at Wilder Park. The �irst pitch is scheduled for noon.

Evan GriceStaff Writer

Buffs sweep Bearcats in doubleheader

FRANKIE SANCHEZJunior Irving Camacho’s pitching helped the Bu�s take home a win against Northwest Missouri State.

Buzzer beaters and last second heroics are a part of basketball. That’s exactly how the WTAMU Lady Buffs defeated Eastern New Mexico on Saturday, Feb. 26. Two free throws by freshman Casey Land in the �inal �ive seconds, combined with a missed shot by ENM’s Kiara Tate at the buzzer gave the Lady Buffs a 69-68 victory over the Zias. The victory gave WT’s women the number two seed in the LSC tournament.

The game began with both teams trading shots. The Lady Buffs proceeded to jump out to a 19-13 lead 12 minutes 30 seconds into the �irst half. The Zias would counter with a 17-6 run giving them a 30-25 lead two minutes before halftime. Eastern New Mexico took a 34-26 advantage into the locker room.

The second half started very similar

to the �irst, with both teams trading shots. The Zias gained their biggest lead midway through the second half at 55-47. WT showed resiliency in not letting the Zias’ lead grow. Their resolve would pay off when Land made her two free throws with �ive seconds remaining. Eastern New Mexico’s last chance was foiled when Tate missed a jumper with no time remaining.

The Lady Buffs’ Jamie Simmons was the leading scorer with 25 points. Simmons also became the 18th Lady Buff to eclipse 1,000 career points. Land �inished the night with 15 points. Tate led Eastern New Mexico with 20 points. Vanessa O’Neal and Cat Clay also �inished in double digits for the Zias, with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

WT’s next game will come as the number two seed in the LSC tournament. They will face off against the third seeded Texas Woman’s Pioneers, Wed., March 2, at 6 p.m. in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Matt WatkinsStaff Writer

Buffs comeback sets number two seed in tournament

Hundreds gathered Feb. 26 at the Sunset Plaza in Amarillo, to help in an event to help Family Support Services. Members of the National Broadcasting Society volunteered to perform several jobs that evening from working the photo booth to serving food.

“It was a great event that supported Family Support Services,” Tyler Sweeney, junior broadcasting major, said. “They support our community in so many ways, so it was great to �inally give them support.”

This event celebrated its second year Saturday, and the crowd was bigger than last year. Attendees participated in a silent auction, entered for a chance to win a trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and

had the opportunity to play games such as Blackjack, Roulette, and Craps.

“I love that Family Support Services allows us to come and help out with their fundraiser, and our chapter members are always excited to get out into the community that supports us and help out those in need,” Luisa Mireles, a junior broadcasting major and NBS vice president, said.

Mardi Gras visits area earlyNBS volunteer, support communitySheryl Proctor KWTS News Team

Bekah Purl and Chelsea Riddle help at the Mardi Gras event.

Courtesy of Bekah Purl

Dr. Benjamin Brooks, assistant professor of music, had his composi-tion, Cadence- Fantasy on Rhythms of Nick Angelis, chosen to be performed at the International Society of Contemporary Music’s (ISCM) World New Music Days. The annual festival will be held from April 7-17 in Zegreb, Croatia.

World New Music Days is an international event put on by ISCM to display performances of the best works of contemporary music from around the world. Brooks’ composition

is one of 68 chosen from more than 400 submissions.

The cadence was written after assistant music professor, Don Lefevre commissioned Brooks to write a piece for WTAMU’s symphonic band.

“When I wrote that piece I never had that competition [ISCM] in mind,” Brooks said. “I had the WT symphonic band in mind.”

The composition was inspired by Nick Angelis, a snare drummer, who Brooks met while marching for the Blue Knights and Bugle Corps in Den-ver, Colorado.

“[Angelis] was the best in the world, at the time, as far as these drum corps were concerned,” Brooks said.

Before beginning, Brooks con-tacted Angelis to incorporate aspects of the percussionist’s rhythm and was inspired by his piece “Paw.”

“He[Angelis] teaches at the inner city of Cincinnati, and this is one of their cadences to get the people in the stands going,” he said. “So to move it onto the notes, is going to make it that much more vibrant and energetic.”

The adaptation from a percussion style piece to �it a symphonic band made the composition unique. The composition premiered on December 2009, when the WT symphonic band performed it with Angelis who was able to �ly in for the show. Angelis took a one minute turn playing from his piece followed directly with a one minute turn of the symphonic band’s piece.

“It was a good thing for the audi-ence because the original percussion

piece was a drum line cadence so it’s a toe tapping thing, and it’s designed to get people stirred up,” Brooks said, “The audience liked it a lot.”

Brooks originally entered his composition into the Texas Composers Competition opened up by Stephen Lias and hosted by Stephen F. Austin. There is a monetary prize of $200, and due to Lias’ af�iliation with ISCM, the contest also gives applicants the chance to be considered for inclusion in World New Music Days. Brooks as well as professors from the University of Texas, University of North Texas and Rice University were selected to have their compositions sent in to ISCM.

Along with delegation submis-sions, ISCM has an open forum for composers to submit works to be performed by a range of groups: from large ensembles, to small ones, to solo performances. The �inal deciding com-mittee is an international committee of composers and distinguished artists who denote winners by listening to recordings and looking at the actual compositions.

There is no monetary winning for ISCM but rather it gives composers prestige and honor.

“[It] is just an honor to be in the [festival] rather than to get money for it,” Brooks said.

The competition has different cat-egories for performance and Brooks’ piece was chosen to be performed by the Croatian Army Wind Ensemble. He said about four different pieces were chosen for the wind ensemble.

“It’s nice to be in such a diverse

group,” Brooks said. Brooks did have to make some

changes to his composition in order to have parts for the variety of unique instruments not originally written in.

“It will be very interesting to hear the differences in the piece,” Brooks, who has yet to hear the music with its newly added parts, said. He has to wait until April to hear it when, thanks to the WT Fine Arts and Humanities department support, he will travel to Croatia to participate in rehearsals and contribute in any way he can.

“Dean Rennier has been very sup-portive and is providing the means for me to be able to go and help out,” Brooks said.

The winning composition is about 10 minutes long. Brooks said it took three weeks to write but around six months to plan out.

“Once you get the concept and the planning then the notes are just scribbling,” Brooks said, “It’s easy to do after that.”

Brooks is working on getting Cadence published which he will �inish after World New Music Days.

“I do the competitions �irst be-cause, usually in a competition they don’t want a published work,” Brooks said.

Brooks said that the WT symphonic band intends on playing the cadence next time they visit the Texas Music Educators association in February 2012, to get more exposure for the piece.

the Prairie6

LISA HELLIERStaff Writer

Entertainment

Music professor qualifies for international music competition

While he has proved better than his predecessors and defeated his human opponents, the Jeopardy! win does not signal the start of Terminator’s Skynet and the rise of the machines. (Despite Wired Maga-zine jokingly tweeting that we were on our way.)

Nor is he about to turn on us like 2001: A Space Oddesy’s HAL or Portal’s GLaDOS. In fact, Watson may be used to help man, rather than defeat us on national television.

Babb, for example, discussed Watson’s potential in medicine.

“Doctors will tell you to get a second opinion -- because there’s the possibility another doctor will pick up on something they missed,” Babb said. “That’s what getting a second opinion is for.”

But if Watson could check your symptoms against his data, for example, you could cut out the

middleman.Technology Review, a blog published by MIT,

speculated along similar lines. And it seems IBM is pairing up with Nuance, a leading maker of voice recognition software, to put Watson to work in health care.

The $77,147 won by Watson in Jeopardy, earned IBM a $1 million prize that will be donated to various charities and organizations. These include $500,000 to the World Community Grid. Another $500,000 will go to a partnership between The University of Galveston Medical Branch and the Uni-versity of Chicago to combat Dengue fever, Hepatitis C, West Nile virus and yellow fever. Watson will also donate some of his winnings to cancer research, HIV/AIDS treatment and clean-water systems.

In the meantime, IBM will keep working on Wat-son, and man can go back to playing against man.

IBM continued from p. 2Broken or lost Bu� Gold Card? Go to the Bu�alo Gold Card O�ce in the JBK to get

a replacement.

Courtesy of Rick Andersen

7the PrairieEntertainment

Can you �nish �rst?Bring your correct answers to the puzzles to the Fine Arts Complex Room 103 and win a $10 iTunes card.

When walking around the WTAMU campus, a person will �ind two old buildings not being used for classes. One might ask them self what WT used these building for in the past, and what the future has in store for these picturesque buildings.

The Old Education Building, which is across from the museum exit and Old Main, has been around since 1928, according to library records. The Old Education building was built because WT needed more space. The Education Building was the second building on campus and the �irst building to only house classrooms. The building was used up until the 1980s, and then was closed and is now used

for storage. “We currently have more classroom space then we do students,” Tadhi Hayes, director of

engineering and architectural services at the WT physical plant, said. “When enrollment rates increase we will look in to using the space”.

This means that the building will have to undergo some major changes, the asbestos will have to be removed as well as having the wiring and pluming redone.

The second empty building on campus is the Agriculture and Nursing building. The old Agriculture and Nursing building is by the current Agriculture and Natural Sciences Building. What most WT students know as the Agriculture and Nursing Building actually started out as the Science Building back in 1943. The building was used for biology, chemistry and physics

classes and was then closed in 1984 for renovations that never happened.

The building is currently being updated for the Engineering department to move in. According to Hayes, the building has already had the asbestos taken out, the windows replaced and the exterior renovated. The next step in renovating the build is gutting the �irst �loor of the building and building all new classrooms and of�ices. Hayes said the building will be ready to use in the spring of 2012.

Dr. Freddie Davis, Engineering Department Head, commented on the restoration of the Science Building.

“We are excited about the growth of the program and that the growth facilitates more space being needed,” Davis said.

With this new building, the Engineering department is hoping to

integrate an environmental engineering degree as well as an electrical engineering degree.

Art Within Reach - an art history class taught by Dr. Amy Von Lintel, assistant professor of art history, -has brought a new perspective in to art history education in WTAMU.

The class concentrates on learning art history through visiting art resources in the Texas Panhandle as well as through the observation of original art objects.

“[The class] teaches students resources for art we have here in the area,” Dr. Von Lintel said. “You don´t need to go to New York or France.”

She said that normally art history classes require memorization, but this class is more about thinking and discovery.

Bonita Ramsey, senior graphic design major, said that learning through observing actual works of art has been helpful for her education.

“I think it enhances our learning because we are seeing actual sizes of pieces of art work,” she said. “In slides, size can be very deceiving. It also allows us to learn by experience rather than just by lecture.”

Through the class, students also have the opportunity to speak with artists about their work of art.

“We are able to view this art firsthand, speak with artists, curators and private collectors,” Valerie Roberts, senior graphic design major,

said. “We are able to see the brush strokes, the texture of the paper and stone, and the environments in which the art is displayed. A student cannot experience these things in a classroom.”

This semester, students will have the opportunity to talk with the artists of one of the most famous sites in Amarillo, the Cadillac Ranch.

“We are interviewing Ant Farm, [who] did Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo,” Dr. Von Lintel said. “Students will have the opportunity to talk to him through skype.”

Students in the Art Within Reach class are not only art majors. Dr. Von Lintel said that it is important to understand that art history is an interdisciplinary field.

“Print uses chemicals, [art history is also] cultural and on national studies,” she said.

Another important aspect of the Art Within Reach class is the writing component.

“I’m pushing writing in my class because language can help them as artists to

express themselves,” Von Lintel said. “Language brings us together.”

She also said that art history is fundamental for WT because it helps students to be more critical of messages as well as bringing them new perspectives.

“Part of the university experience is that students should find [their] own voice,” Von Lintel said. “Art history

can help you find your own objective that speaks to you and write about that.”

Ramsey encourages students at WT to take this class.

“It gives them a better appreciation of what is available in the area,” she said. “Many don’t see this area as particularly artistic, but there are treasures here that should be experienced.”

8 the Prairie

W TA M U b u i l d i n g a b e t t e r f u t u r e

WTAMU Class brings ‘Ar t Within Reach’

R e n o v a t i o n s t a rg e t W T ’s o l d e m p t y b u i l d i n g s

MARIA MOLINAEditor

Courtesy of Le Mirage 1960The Science Building in 1960 while the Agriculture and Natural Sciences building is being constructed.

Courtesy of Valerie RobertsStudents search through books during class.

Courtesy of Valerie RobertsDr. Von Lintel reviews paintings with her class.

KATI WATSONStaff Writer