1. VOLUME 25, ISSUE 05INDEX EDITORIAL 2 | NEWS 3 | FEATURES 5 | ENTERTAINMENT 7 | SPORTS 10 | VISUALS 12
Students at Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi ill informed on Active Shooter Policy
HALF OFF FROZEN FRAPS | 3-5 PM EVERY DAY
HAPPY HOUR •food•free wifi•
•3 local shops•
What policy?
see Shooter on Campus on pg 3
Building Operations employees Nick Jung and Juan Catalan demonstrate what they would do if confronted with a shooter on campus in the University
Center
image courtesy of Alexis De Leon
PAGE 4
PAGE 6
PAGE
Homecoming
K Space presents
work by John
Webb
Selfies with student
athletes
by TREY SEAL
entertainment reporter
An evening with Cabaret
see Cabaret on pg 5
by CONNOR TICHOTA
news editor
With Purdue University being
the most recent addition to the
growing list of school shootings, campus
safety is a growing concern across
the nation. However, at Texas A&M
University-Corpus Christi, the student
body’s knowledge of the campus’s
Active Shooter policy appears to be
very scant due to an apparent lack of
communication.
Upon interviewing ten students
milling about A&M-Corpus Christi’s
campus, eight of the randomly selected
students, all varying in grade range and
majors, admitted that they knew nothing
about the Active Shooter policy.
A few bravely attempted to guess at
proper protocol, whilst others merely
gave a blank stare and shook their heads
frantically. Dina Ruiz, a junior, provided
one of the most extensive answers
regarding her knowledge of the policy.
“I don’t know the exact policy,” said
Ruiz. “I have asked a professor before
about it when we were discussing crisis
situations on campus and how they
would handle it. I do know that only
select professors are in on what to do in
the building, or something like that. I’m
sure they have a policy in place, but I
don’t know what it is.”
Another student, Caitlin Martinez, a
freshman, also seemed to provide one of
the most knowledgeable answers.
Cabaret is a musical unlike any other. Set in
Berlin, Germany at the dawn of the 1930s.
The Nazi party is growing stronger as the world
grows closer and closer towards the precipice
of World War II. A majority of the show takes
place in the Kit Kat club, a seedy cabaret where
the only thing bolder than the set design is the
personalities who run the place.
The show chronicles the story of writer Clifford
Bradshaw, a traveling American writer and his
girlfriend, club singer Sally Bowles. The begin-
ning of the show is full of cheerful song and
dance which paints a picture of a much more
peaceful Berlin where freedom of expression is
not condemned but encouraged.

2. 02.20.201412visuals
ISLAND WAVES

3. Selfies with student athletes
by CHRISTINA BOOTHE
sports reporter
11sports
ISLAND WAVES
02.20.2014
Island Waves has set out to present another
installment of student athlete selfies this
time with basketball player Cole Martinez.
Get to know Islanders student athletes one self-taken portrait at a time
right: Men’s basketball player Cole Martinez
and sports reporter Christina Boothe show off
their pearly whites photo by Cole Martinez
Islanders Tennis continues road swing at Louisiana-Lafayette
GoIslanders
CORPUS CHRISTI – The Texas A&M -
Corpus Christi men’s and women’s tennis
teams will return to action Tuesday, Feb. 18 in
Lafayette, La. when they face the Ragin’ Cajuns
at the Cajun Courts. The Islanders men’s team
is on a seven-match winning streak and has
tied the best start in school history with an 8-3
record that dates back to 2007. The women’s
team (4-2) earned one of their biggest wins
ever defeating nationally ranked SMU on the
road in Dallas last week.
“This is a team we have tremendous respect
for,” Director of Tennis Steve Moore said. “They
do an incredibly good job at home as far as fans.
It’s a tough environment to play at, but at the
same time I love it, because that is what college
tennis needs, a loud, spirited crowd. This is
what we try so hard to do in Corpus Christi.
“This will be good for our players as it
makes them mentally tougher and all boats
rise for college tennis with fan attendance like
we will see tomorrow. It is good for our sport
and good for college tennis. We train our team
consistently on controlling the things we can
control, and fans are not one of the things you
can control, so I expect a mentally focused
effort from our teams.”
The Islanders have a tremendous history
of thrilling matches against ULL. Last season,
the Islanders women’s team earned one of its
toughest wins of the season with a 6-1 victory
over the Ragin’ Cajuns at the Thomas J. Henry
Tennis Center.
After numerous delays due to the weather,
the Islanders picked up the win to stay
undefeated on the season. After the Islanders
clinched the doubles point, returners Maider
Martin, Sandra Burges, Stefania Nicolae and
Celia Rodriguez all claimed singles wins. Prior
to that, the Islanders clinched a come-from-
behind victory over ULL, 4-1, in Lafayette, La.
with the final four singles matches going into
a third set.
Freshman Judit Vives leads the Islanders in
singles play with a perfect 4-0 record in the No.
6 slot. Fellow freshman Kerry Galhos has also
been outstanding in the No. 5 spot with a 4-1
record. Rodriguez leads the returners with a
5-1 record, including a 5-0 record in the No. 4
position. The sophomore clinched the match
for the Islanders, 7-5, in the third set to lift the
team to a 4-3 victory over SMU last week.
On the men’s side, the Islanders and Ragin’
Cajuns met up twice last season with the
Islanders taking both matches at home. In
the first meeting, the two teams faced each
other in the semifinals of the 47th Annual HEB
Tournament of Champions at the Thomas J.
Henry Tennis Center.
The Islanders earned a gritty 4-2 win in
a match that featured three singles matches
reach a third set. Returners Peter Nagy, Matt
Westmoreland and Ricardo Mayagoitia each
secured singles victories. In the second meeting
in Corpus Christi, the Islanders roared from
behind to score the final four-team points
to win 5-2 over ULL. Nagy, Westmoreland,
Mayagoitia and Javier Pujol all recorded singles
wins.
The match between the Ragin’ Cajuns and
the Islanders in Lafayette in 2010 was one
of the longest matches in Islanders’ history
going seven hours because of a rain delay. The
thrilling match came down to the tiebreaker in
No. 1 doubles with James Langford and Dmitry
Novikov squeezing out the 9-7 win to lift the
Islanders to a 4-3 victory.
Nagy is powering the men’s team with an 8-1
record in No. 1 singles while Guillaume Rauseo
is 8-2 in singles play, including a 7-1 record at
No. 3 singles. Both Nagy and Rauseo are on a
seven-match winning streak. In doubles play,
the freshman-senior duo of Westmoreland
and Paul Cook come into Tuesday’s match with
a 4-0 record in the No. 2 spot. As a team the
Islanders are 35-18 in singles play and 11-4 in
doubles action this season.
The Ragin’ Cajuns’ men’s team is 6-2 on the
year with wins over Incarnate Word, UTPA,
Lamar, Jackson State, UT Arlington and Xavier.
Both of the losses have come against ranked
opponents, No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 6 Baylor.
The women’s team comes into Tuesday’s
match with a 3-3 record after wins over Jackson
State, Southern and Xavier. The Ragin’ Cajuns
are coming off a 4-2 loss to Arkansas State. Prior
to that, the team fell to UTSA and Texas State.
“Louisiana-Lafayette men’s and women’s
teams are teams we truly respect for how they
always battle hard and we are looking for a
great battle tomorrow,” Moore added.
For all the latest on Islanders Tennis, like
the team on Facebook (IslandersTennis) and
follow them on Twitter and Instagram (@
IslandersTennis).
Name/Nickname: Cole Martinez/Cole
World
Age/Year: 20/Sophomore
Sport/Position/Number: Basketball/
Shooting Guard/#2
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Major: Kinesiology with a focus in math
Favorite Song: My Moment – 2Chainz
Favorite Movie: Space Jam
Favorite Book: Of Mice And Men – John
Steinbeck
Favorite Hobby (aside from the sport you
play): Coaching and golfing.
If I’m not on the field/court/track or at
class, I’m usually: Watching TV.
If you sit next to me in class and want to
strike conversation, a sure bet is to talk
to me about: Basketball, or just say hi. I’ll
talk to anyone who says hi.
Favorite Quote: “Success looks easy to
those who didn’t see the work put in.” -
Unknown
The person I look up to most is: My AAU
coaches back in high school.
My athletic inspiration is: My Dad.
My celebrity crush is: Ariana Grande
image courtesy of Atomic Taco

4. 02.20.201410sports
ISLAND WAVES
by CHRISTINA BOOTHE
sports reporter
In 1919, the Boston Red Sox sold Babe
Ruth, one of the most highly admired baseball
players of all time, to the New York Yankees.
Prior to this sale, Boston had a strong
reputation as one of the most successful
franchises in the game of baseball, winning
both the first World Series and five after that.
Little did Boston know, the tables were about
to turn.
The New York Yankees were, surprisingly,
a previously jaded baseball force. However,
after quite possibly the most highly
anticipated sale of baseball history, the
Yankees acquired the best player in the game
at the time, which sent the entire program
into ecstasy. They quickly shot above the
Red Sox and won twenty-seven World Series
titles, becoming a premier force in the game
of baseball even to this day. The surprising
turn of events has become known as “The
Curse of Bambino,” in honor of Babe Ruth,
sometimes called The Bambino’s, sale. Only
in 2004 did the curse get lifted when the Red
Sox came back from a 0-3 American League
Championship Series against the Yankees
to win four straight games and go on to the
World Series. They proceeded to sweep the
Cardinals and win the World Series, thereby
defeating the mystical tyranny of Babe Ruth’s
fury. “The Curse of Bambino” is known
as one of the most highly acknowledged
superstitions in the game of baseball and has
been a defining fuel for the rivalry between
the Yankees and Red Sox ever since.
Baseball is a superstitious game. From the
rally cap to a certain style of wearing pants,
baseball players have been known for their
paranoia when it comes to their statistics.
Arguably, baseball is the most mentally
challenging sport. Not only is it a game that
perplexes a player’s physical extremities, but
it also condescends itself upon the minds
of its participants, creating an exhaustion
that is unmatched by any other sport. This
creates in each player an innate obsession and
a “what went wrong?” complex whenever
games don’t go according to plans. Often,
they blame it on what they believe was a
failure to fulfill a superstition, thus turning
the providential odds against them. A
baseball player will wear the legs of his pants
up, showing his knee socks, based on the
simplest, most primitive idea that it aids him
in the field. An entire team will go without
washing their uniforms in hopes of continuing
a winning streak. They don’t want to disrupt
the nature of their success. They believe that
their victories, their accomplishments, are
the results of something as miniscule as the
difference in gravitational pull when their
socks are up versus when they are down.
One of my personal, all-time favorite
superstitions that I have witnessed is the
“rally hat.” In late innings, losing teams will
turn their hats inside out and place them
sideways on their heads in an attempt to
summon a victory. It is rather amusing to
watch dozens of boys sitting in their dugout
with contorted baseball caps, fighting in
unison and playing to the ideas that they grew
up believing. But for the Minnesota Twins, it
was everything but amused.
The Twins were beating the Boston Red
Sox 6-1 in a 1987 game when Boston gave
them a surprise run for their money. In the
eighth inning, Boston scored seven runs to
edge out the score, 8-6. When the Twins
came to bat at the bottom of the ninth inning,
Al Newman, a second baseman/shortstop for
the Twins, sparked a rally. “Rally Hats!” He
shouted at his teammates. “Rally Hats!”
In a desperate attempt to turn the game
around, Newman’s fellow Twins teammates
followed his lead. They turned their caps
inside out and wore them sideways on their
head. The Twins caught up with the Red Sox
and pushed the game into the tenth inning,
and with the help of another streak of Rally
Hats, the Twins won the game 10-8 in extra
innings. (George Sullivan, 2000).
Superstitions could be exactly that:
unbelievable fallacies. However, there is also
the reality that there could be something
to the idiosyncrasies of dedicated and
competitive athletes. Come along for the
ride as we perform a diagnosis on collegiate
and professional level athletes and dissect
the truth behind the superstitious game of
baseball.
Summer 2014 may prove to be quite
a busy one for Cleveland Cavaliers
starting guard Cj Miles. The 2005 2nd
round pick [Utah Jazz] will again be an
unrestricted free agent and after this
season he will have suitors from just about
every team in the NBA needing a young,
3 point shooting, swingman with 9 years
experience under his belt.
Miles announced All-Star Weekend, via
Twitter that he will re-release his summer
2013 rap mixtape titled ‘No Camping’ and
he will headline a hip-hop show in the city it
all began- Salt Lake City, Utah.
“I became a lot of things in Salt Lake. I
became a man. I became a pretty good pro
ball player. I became a businessman and
a pretty dope artist, if I can say so myself,”
Miles said.
Miles, who goes by the stage name
‘Masfresco’ has always been musically
inclined. He learned how to play the piano
at age 6; since then he has taught himself
how to make beats, write thought provoking
lyrics and produce his own music.
“Aside from sports, music has always
been a passion of mine,” Miles said, “and
it’s not just hip-hop. I have an appreciation
for all genres: jazz, rhythm & blues, pop,
etc.”
Masfesco is set to take center stage
July 12 at Urban Lounge in downtown Salt
Lake City, Utah. Miles’ show is presented
by ‘L.A.S.T.’ (Living Above Society’s Tent)
a clothing brand that he and his two close
friends, Christopher ‘Bleek’ Greene and
Adrian ‘AC’ Clark began last year.
Cj hinted to another possible show after
the July 12 debut that could take place in
Cleveland.
“I began rapping in Salt Lake and I put
my first project out in Cleveland, those two
places make sense for me. I’m just looking
to enjoy the summer, work hard in the gym
and indulge in the music. I’m excited and
nervous about both the free agent process
and show but I’m looking forward to the
ride,” Miles said.
Contact Miles business manager
Adrian Clark (AC) for all inquiries via
telephone 214-986-2286 or by email at
Ac_adrianclark@yahoo.com
NBA veteran Cj Miles to
take lyrical talents on road
Islander alumnus Adrian Clark manages Cj Miles
through a new chapter in his career
The superstitious game: Part 1
Press Release
Examining the ins and outs of superstitions in the world of sports
Adrian Clark NBPA certified sports agent and
boxing manager

5. 9ads
ISLAND WAVES
02.20.2014
Island WavesTexas A&M University-Corpus Christi
student newspaper
contact us in the newsroom
(361) 825-5862 • editor@tamucc.edu
Now Hiring
Copy Editor
Layout Assistant
News Reporter
Sports Reporter
applications now being accepted
career-services.tamucc.edu

6. 02.20.20148entertainment
ISLAND WAVES
by STEPHANIE WALLACE
managing editor
Ifind that the vast majority of books I read
are full of the same type of story: man meets
woman, they fall in love, a critical problem
occurs threatening the relationship, then
reconciliation. Although I do love reading
these in front of a fire or on the beach, it is the
ones that are vastly different that really get my
interest. One such novel is “Desert Blood: the
Juarez Murders” by Alicia Gaspar De Alba.
This novel is based on real life events, of
which are of a very disturbing nature. Along
the Texas and Mexico border where El Paso
and Juarez meet, a series of killings have
occurred in recent years. Not just killings, but
mass murders involving one common factor:
they were all women.
“Desert Blood” features El Paso native Ivon
on her quest to adopt a baby from the black
market. The story unfolds by bringing to light
the fact that these killings are not even being
reported on in area news. This parallels real life
as these events, and the horrible details that
surrounds them, are also underreported.
The novel unfolds into a battle for
information and a series of events that brings
the murders to Ivon’s front door.
It is a truly scary thing to think that these
events are happening so close to our very
own city. Human trafficking is on the rise
and very active within Texas. These are also
underreported events. “Desert Blood” sets to
bring to light a lot of the issues that are so close
under our noses, but so hidden behind politics
and industry.
These things are in sharp contrast to the
things we hear about in the media. It is the
job of the media to make news that affects
our citizen’s front page, and although this is
in Mexico, it is really just in our backyard and
should be brought to light. This novel does a
lot to bring the matricides that are happening
to public attention and is definitely worth
reading to find out not jus the horrible reality,
but what happens to the characters in the
novel. It is one of those that you have to read to
really feel and understand and, once you do, it
will really sink in and raise a level of awareness
that can be eye opening.
by STEPHANIE WALLACE
managing editor
Around this time of year it’s not that hard
to find 5Ks happening around the town.
Corpus Christi is a very active city and a big one
that is coming up is Color Me Rad, its mission is
to make your gray life colorful through having
fun with color filled obstacles.
The non-profit that the 5K is benefitting
is the Ronald McDonald House. The website
describes the charity as such, “The Ronald
McDonald House provides families a safe,
supportive home near their hospitalized
children. Families can come to relax, have a
meal, connect with other families in similar
situations, and get a much needed good night’s
rest. The Ronald McDonald House provides a
restful space where families can watch some
TV, check their email or enjoy a snack.” – Color
Me Rad CC Website.
At the beginning of the race you start off
with a plain white t shirt then slowly progress
through the barrage of color being thrown at
you. At the end, you have a nice new t-shirt that
is blended with all the colors of the rainbow,
commemorating your finish of the race and
bringing color into your life.
The Corpus Christi race will happen on Feb.
22, with the races set to start at different times,
going in increments of 15 minutes, 9:00, 9:15
9:30. The race will be going through downtown
Corpus Christi, and its starting point will be at
E. Port Ave. The race will continue down Ocean
Dr. until the contestants will make a U-turn on
Williams St. The contestants will then head
back down Ocean Dr. until they reach the
ending point at Brewster Street Icehouse.
I met up with a few people that are
planning to do the 5K in Corpus Christi to get
their feelings about the upcoming race. They
had these things to say about their feelings.
How do you think you will do in the race
and why are you competing?
“I don’t think I will be one the first to finish,
but I’ll probably finish the entire thing. I am
running because one of my friends wants to do
this and I thought it would be fun to run with
her. I have never done a Color Me Rad 5K before
but I think it will be super fun!” – Cassidy Reed
Do think the race will be attended well
and do you like how they support the Ronald
McDonald House?
“I’m pretty sure that there will be a lot of
people there, like everybody wants to run
this 5K. I actually know a few of my family
members that are running in the 5K. I think
that the Ronald McDonald House is pretty
good non-profit for the proceeds to go to.” –
Kyle Scott
Registration is still available for $50 for
remaining spots.
by ANDREW LIGUEZ
entertainment reporter
To the average college student, a night
out involves some venture into the city,
possibly downtown. There are a few bars and
clubs that can cater to the entire student body,
as some are under the age of 21, but one place
in particular is bringing a new aspect into
downtown that will make University goers of
all ages very happy-homemade, fresh pizza.
The House of Rock, at 511 Starr St. in
downtown, is a bar/live music venue that
recently unveiled a new addition in the
making: “The Kitchen” at House of Rock.
“The Kitchen,” tentatively slated for a grand
opening in mid-spring, will feature a limited
menu of appetizers, salads, sandwiches,
and pizza. There will also be veggie options
available as well as happy hour specials.
“When bands come in to town, they
always ask us for some good, local pizza,” said
Stephanie Garcia, Public Relations for HOR.
“They don’t want the same pizza they can get in
any other town, they want fresh, homemade.”
Therefore, Garcia, along with Casey Lain,
members of the Downtown Management
District, decided a restaurant option in the
popularly visited bar would not only function
as a good expansion for the venue, but also
as a great addition to the downtown district,
adding more variety to the restaurant choices
currently available in downtown.
“As of right now, we are setting hours to
be Monday through Thursday from 11 AM to
11 PM and Friday and Saturday 11AM to 12
AM,” said Garcia. “We will start off closed on
Sundays.”
Fresh ingredients and great specialties like
Caprice salads and Margherita pizza will be
highlights, as well as the option to buy pizza by
the slice or in a whole pie.
The current building, which used to serve as
the county morgue, is under a reconstruction
period as the HOR makes room for the new
restaurant. The greatest part is that for most
events, all ages, or at least 18 and up, are
welcome.
“It is not bar food or frozen pizza,” said
Garcia.
Options are also in the works for the
late night visitor, where pizza might still be
available to purchase after the restaurant has
closed, until bar closing time.
To get more updates on “The Kitchen,”
check out the HOR facebook page.
photo courtesy of DTOWNDELIVERS.COM
House of Rock presents:

7. 7entertainment
ISLAND WAVES
02.20.2014 entertainment7entertainment7ISLAND WAVES
entertainment
Computers can be confusing: so many
different brands, sizes, and terminology can
make deciding on the right digital device for
you a downright daunting task. After plenty
of research and a buying blunder, I eventually
found the right tablet device for me and I’m
going to help you decide which one is right for
you.
When choosing a tablet, you must consider
an interface, otherwise known as an operating
system. The operating system is what produces
the look and feel of your device. The two most
preferred operating systems on the market are
Android and iOS.
iOS, designed by Apple has a simple,
colorful, and easy to use layout. The interface
is so simplistic that even a novice user can
become a pro within a couple days of use.
However, the simple interface does come with
the caveat of limited customization. About
the only thing you can tune to your preferred
look on iOS is the wallpaper. If you don’t like
the predominantly white color of the iPod
interface, then this may not be the device for
you as that is unchanging. It is the perfect fit
for the casual user. By far, Apple’s App Store
has the broadest selection of apps in the smart
device game with over 500,000 being built
from the ground up for the iPad interface.
Android, the brainchild of Google is similar
to iOS in appearance, but functionally, it can
be as simple or as complex as you want it to
be due to its highly customizable interface.
Unlike iOS, Android can be customized to your
heart’s content. It is the perfect system for the
computer science major who loves to tinker
with specs, but it is just as suitable to somebody
who is looking for a smart device that doesn’t
want an oversized iphone (the iPad) next to
their regular one. The Google Play Store may
not have the numbers that apple has but it
does have far more free apps that can range
from mini-games to word processors. Google
even has system management applications
that let you perform tasks such as sorting
folders, virus scanning, and automated battery
managers that tell you which applications use
the most power.
There are other seemingly different
operating systems such as the Amazon Kindles’
customized version of Android. Due to its
lack of customization, Amazons’ tablet over-
simplifies the interface and turns the Android
experience into something more reminiscent
of an iPad. It also has a noticeably duller
palette, which veers more towards neutral
grey and black throughout its various screens
as opposed to iOS’s colorful setup.
When it comes to schoolwork, both Android
and iOS have a variety of keyboard attachments
and word processors that can give your tablet
the note-taking capabilities of a small laptop.
The iPad comes in two sizes: the iPad Air
comes in at 10 inches (diagonally) while its
little brother, the iPad mini, measures 7.9
inches across. In function, they are essentially
the same device. The only difference between
them is the different price points. If you own
an iPhone or iPod Touch, you will be instantly
familiar with iPad as they run the exact same
operating system barring the previously
mentioned tablet exclusive apps.
My favorite Android tablet is the Google
Nexus 7 (produced by Asus). It is offered in in
two memory sizes, a 16GB for $229 and a 32
GB for $269. The Nexus 7 is 7 inches diagonally
and has a thin profile that rivals the iPad at
only (insert dimensions). It has a lightning fast
response time that ensures your apps open in
the blink of an eye. When buying a Nexus 7,
verify that you’re buying the 2013 edition of
the tablet. There is a 2012 edition still being
sold that pales in comparison both in form and
function. If one is in the market for a larger
tablet, do not buy the Nexus 10, which is still
on the market with antiquated technology.
If you’re in the market for a larger tablet,
My recommendation would be to purchase
any one of Samsung’s high quality Galaxy
Tablets that range in size from 7 to 12.2
inches. For someone in need of a larger tablet
with complete computer capability, I would
recommend either a Microsoft Surface Pro 2
(ships with a stylus) at a minimum of $899
(shop around online, prices always fluctuate)
or the Lenovo Ideapad Yoga 2 Pro (stylus sold
separately) at $949 or more (depending on
memory capacity).
As I said before, computers can be confusing
but they don’t have to be. The way that I learned
which tablet was right for me was through
persistent Google searching. Read reviews and
don’t compromise on features for the sake of
convenience. A computer is like a spouse, you
better pick one that you love because its most
likely going to be around for a long while.
by TREY SEAL
entertainment reporter
Android Apps:
Kingsoft- office-word
processor that lets you
export files in PDF. (Free)
Battery Agent- Battery
monitor (Free)
Avast-Mobile security-
periodically scans the device
for malicious software. (Free)
Google Drive- remote
storage for power points,
documents, and small files
that is accessible to nearly
any Internet connected
device. (Free)
Apple:
Pages- A word processor
designed by Apple. (Free on
new devices)
Google Drive (free)
Keynote- a power point
editor designed by Apple.
(free on new devices)
Numbers- A spreadsheet
editor. ($9.99)
experience into something more reminiscent
of an iPad. It also has a noticeably duller
palette, which veers more towards neutral
grey and black throughout its various screens
When it comes to schoolwork, both Android
AUBREY DANCER layout editor

8. 02.20.20146features
ISLAND WAVES
by KATHLEEN RAMIREZ
features editor
HereinCorpusChristiit’snotthathardtofind
art or something that pokes the interest of
imagination. Here, it is easy to be artsy and
find different exhibits around the town. One
of the more known exhibit holders is K Space
Contemporary, a non-profit organization that
promotes and shows contemporary art,
“A forum for creative exchange and
experimentation, we aspire to educate and
build awareness for innovative art in South
Texas. K Space Contemporary is located in
downtown Corpus Christi, Texas. K Space
Contemporary is the oldest alternative art
space in the Coastal Bend region. A primary
goal of the organization is to exhibit emerging
and mid-career artists,” according to the K
Space website.
I recently met up with the Executive
Director Michelle Smythe to get the details
about K Space and how it started.
“We started in the studio upstairs of the
current building, there are studios that occupy
the third floor of the building,” said Smythe.
“It started as an artist co-op in 1995 and then
in 1998, 99 we ran a little gallery in the space
that is in front of us. We [K Space Founders]
all had full time jobs, we ran out of money and
free rent. We moved out of there and over the
years we built ourselves up and reorganized
ourselves. We applied for nonprofit status and
got tax exempt status and all of that stuff. So
once we got that under our belt we organized
our board of directors, we asked our land
lord if we could get space. The space we are
currently in has been sitting here for 14 years,
storing kids old furniture and other things. So
I asked the land lord if he would be interested
in making this into a gallery, so we owe a lot
to the company. We did the labor ourselves by
putting in the bedrock and making the offices
and desk. We opened in Oct. of 2007.”
At this moment K Space is featuring the
works of John Webb with a current exhibit,
titled “Fables of the Reconstruction.”
In this exhibition, Webb displays sculptures
that highlight three series of works executed
in recent years.
“Organic Spaces” is a series in which new
and dynamic environments are invented and
which produce associative shapes that can be
referenced to organisms and natural structures.
“Pickle Project” is a compilation of
humorous works in which ‘quartered ellipse
shapes’ are three dimensionally transformed
as is suggested by their given titles.
“Bodies of Work” is a series in which
elements of the human figure are combined
with mechanical machinery components to
produce associations to beauty, work, and a
‘body of knowledge’ that we as humans share
in the fabric of our collective memory.
His works will be featured from Feb. 7 to
March 7. K Space Contemporary is free to the
public and is open 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Wed
through Sat.
by ANDREW LIGUEZ
entertainment reporter
For over 17 years, Allie Kemp hadn’t been
away from her triplet siblings for more than
a day. That all changed last semester though,
once Kemp started attending Texas A&M
University-Corpus Christi.
“I’m a triplet, and my brother and sister
are both attending college at Abilene Christian
University. We’ve never really been apart, and
we’re all really close,” Kemp said.
A native of Santa Rosa, TX, Kemp said the
hardest thing about transitioning to college life
was leaving her siblings.
“I can’t remember a time when we were
apart for an extensive amount of time. Yeah,
we’d go out and do our own things with our
own friends and stuff, but we always lived
under the same roof and always saw each other
every day.”
Getting used to doing things on her own is
also another challenge Kemp has encountered
while in college.
“The biggest difference for me between
high school and college is that my schedule is
way more unique than it was in high school. I
don’t have a significant number of people who
have the same classes as myself,” Kemp said.
“It’s a little harder, but the challenges are more
about being on my own and making my own
decisions rather than academics.”
Despite the differences from high school,
there was one thing Kemp said she was
expecting from college life, but never got.
“I have been surprised by how nice and
helpful all of my professors have been. In high
school all I would hear from my teachers is
how college professors won’t care about what
you do or if you even come to class, but I’ve
quickly learned how untrue that is,” she said.
Kemp is currently majoring in Biology,
and hopes to enroll in Texas A&M University’s
Veterinary school in College Station after
graduation.
“I chose the pre-veterinary route because
I’ve been around animals my whole life. I hope
to either have my own practice or work at a zoo
one day,” Kemp said.
A former volleyball player and cheerleader
for her high school, the Biology major fills
her time in between classes and studying by
participating in intramurals and by staying
busy with her sorority Alpha Gamma Delta.
“There’s never a dull moment, and I’m
always finding new ways to keep myself busy,”
Kemp said. “Although I was kind of iffy about
joining a sorority at first, I can easily say it was
one of the best decisions I have made so far
here at the University.”
Kemp attributes her success so far to
managing her time and studying, and
encourages others to do the same as well.
“I balance everything out by knowing when
I should study and focus on school work, and
by just making sure I put that above everything
else. Once I know I’m good with everything
involving school, then I know I can go out and
have fun,” Kemp said. “Despite what you think,
your professors will help, all you have to do is
ask. Just learn how to manage your time and
ask for help.”
K Space
Contemporary
photo courtesy of ANDREW LIGUEZ
Freshman
Spotlight
Allie
Kemp

9. As the play moves forward, the tone
changes from one of all around cheeriness to a
tone of fear and tension among the characters.
This tension is due to the rising power of the
Nazi party, which is taking a toll on the various
characters lives.
Upon walking into the theatre (for a tech
rehearsal), I felt as if I had fallen down a rabbit
hole and arrived in another dimension. With
elaborate set designs, catchy music, and a
fantastic cast: Cabaret succeeds in bringing its
audience into its world.
The show accomplishes this through the
use of a large, round stage in the center of the
room that is only feet away from the audience.
Performers walk onstage and acknowledge the
audience as patrons of the Kit Kat Klub.
In order to get a better understanding
of Cabaret, I interviewed its director, Island
University professor, Allison Frost.
“I’ve called it the onion play, there are so
many layers to it that you can’t embrace the
entire show at one time” Frost said when asked
about how she would describe the show.
“You take it and build it one layer at a time,
by the time you add the band, the costumes,
the makeup, the lighting, it becomes this thing
of its own and we won’t really know how all
of that congeals until we have the final layer,
which is the audience.”
When asked how she would pitch the show
to somebody who has never stepped foot in a
theater, she said, “Cabaret by any standard of
musical theatre, almost always ranks in the top
5 of any musical ranking list.
The story has a them that displays the
dangers of marginalization. There are not many
survivors left to remind us of the tyranny of
the Nazi regime and if we don’t remind people
when we can, then that mark on history gets
whitewashed.
The show may be told with song and dance
but the message is still the same. People are
people regardless of how they look, dress,
sleep, where they were born, how they were
born, who their parents were.
“The characters in this show were all
victims of the atrocity that was the Holocaust,
some of these characters would be imprisoned
in concentration camps for reasons such as
political dissidence, homosexuality, or simply
being Jewish.
By the time Hitler came to power, the
cabarets were closed and the lifestyle
promoted by them was used to pigeonhole
and paint an ugly picture of the people who
frequented them.”
With so much recent debate on freedom
of choice, Cabaret’s message of embracing the
strange (different from what we are used to)
and the new is still very relevant to our modern
world.
Cabaret will run at the performing arts
center from Feb. 18until Feb. 23. Performances
begin at 7:30 p.m. each night except for Sunday
which is a 2pm matinee.
5features
ISLAND WAVES
02.20.2014
A SINGLE’S GUIDE
by KATHLEEN RAMIREZ
features editor
Well somebunny is having a meltdown of
epic proportions because I cleaned their
cage. Rigby did not like the way I redecorated
his cage, specifically, the fact that his litter box
was turned around and pushed to the very
back of his cage. He then proceeded to push
and pull his box until it was to his liking.
When rabbits are upset, they’ll hop around,
run, thump their feet and will even occasionally
make a little piggy/honking sound if they’re
especially worked.
Pilot is a big fan of the honking noise and
thumping. Jojo and Rigby like to do their
own thing and will often times ignore Pilot.
Whenever Pilot wants them to pay him
attention however, he’ll start thumping on the
floor of his cage in an attempt to get them to
face him.
Unfortunately for Pilot, that thumping
doesn’t seem to work on anyone. Sure, Jojo and
Rigby may turn and face Pilot for a moment, but
they won’t actually go up to him. They will also
turn back to whatever it is they were doing,
and continue to ignore Pilot immediately after.
On a happier not, the bunnies received a
new toy last week. Since Pilot has a habit of
digging the bedding out of his litter box, and
since Rigby likes to scratch at carpet, I decided
to buy the bunnies a sandbox.
And it isn’t a puny little sandbox. No, it’s
a big ol’ daddy sandbox that’s in the shape of
a turtle. It even comes with a cover for the
sandbox, which coincidently, is molded in the
shape of turtle shell.
So my living room is now completely
covered in bunny-related items.
On the bright side, the bunnies seem to
enjoy it so far. I hid little chewing toys and
apple-flavored wood sticks in the sand so they
have fun digging them up.
Here at Texas A&M University-Corpus
Christi, students are given the chance to
par in whatever they choose. Some students
go into science to become scientist or doctor,
while others become math geeks to get
ahead in the business world. Others dedicate
themselves to the arts, these students become
immersed in another world and become artist
of their trade. I recently met up with one of
these students, Heather Beltz to learn about
her life as a student musician.
Can you start off by stating your
classification and name? “My name is Heather
Beltz and I am a fifthyear senior.”
What’s your major? “I am going for my
bachelors of arts in music”
What do you plan to do with that degree?
“I actually auditioned and applied for different
grad schools, and I have already been accepted
to Texas Tech. I plan to pursue a music ecology
degree.”
How did you get into music? “It started
in the sixth grade, when they took you to the
instrument petting zoo to figure out what you
wanted to do. I picked an instrument and stuck
with it and ever since then I’ve always wanted
to do music somehow.”
How is it in the music department? “I
love the music department, we call ourselves
the music village because we always try to
be a family and be there for each other. We
also do a lot of different performances with
each other, sometimes the vocalist perform
with instrumentalist and vice versa. We have
so many performances and try and get out
there to make music all the time. All of our
performances are public, most are free for the
audience.”
Does being in the music department make
your student life harder? “It makes it different.
Sometimes depending on what you take on
with all the different ensembles that you are in
and how much time you are willing to put into
your practice so that can be the best performer
you can be. It doesn’t allow you to work that
much and if you do work it’s going to be late in
the night. We don’t really know the meaning
of sleep, but we enjoy it, it’s what we do. And
we are willing to do whatever we can to be the
best performer we can. It’s different is what I
would say.”
What instrument do you play? “I play flute
and piccolo.”
How long have you been playing your
instrument? “I am stating year 12. I started
playing in the sixth grade so it should be
around the age of 11.”
What do you like to do daily? “Since I love
music so much I am a bit biased in the sense
that I choose to take all my core classes during
the summer. I did this so that during the long
semesters I could focus on music. Basically
every day we go to our music classes, whenever
they be ensemble or educational classes. But I
love to practice whenever I get the chance.”
What do you want to do in the future?
“My particular path with music encology, has
me studying the music and different cultures.
I would actually be doing field work and be
going to different places like Africa, Ireland
and even Peru. I would be studying how music
works in their culture, I would also like to teach
at a college level. There I would teach that
music is really universal and this is why.
“Music is my life and for anyone that love
music but it is not their passion, it’s a great way
to just let go of the day and connect whatever
music whenever it be country, rap or punk.
Whatever it is you can connect with it and
build individualism and being able to express
yourself.”
by ANDREW LIGUEZ
entertainment reporter
Life of a
Student
Musician
Heather Beltz
photo courtesy of ANDREW LIGUEZ
continued from PAGE 1

10. 02.20.20144news
ISLAND WAVES
by CONNER TICHOTA
news editor
by KATHLEEN RAMIREZ
features editor
Arecent increase in the use of electronic
cigarettes among students inside and
outside of classrooms has resulted in Texas
A&M University-Corpus Christi re-examining
its current tobacco policy. The Environmental,
Health and Safety Department at A&M-Corpus
Christi has submitted a revision of the policy to
the A&M System Board of Regents for approval,
hoping to implicate the changes this semester.
According to Roy Coons, director of the
Environmental, Health and Safety Department,
the revised tobacco policy was proposed to
the A&M Board of Regents in Nov. of 2013
when a noticeable increase of e-cigarettes, also
commonly known as vaporizers, were being
utilized in classrooms.
“It’s just a cultural thing,” explained Coons.
“There’s still second-hand smoke associated
with the vapors and suspected carcinogens
in the vapors. Even though [e-cigarettes] are
designed to be used in the building, some
people are just not comfortable with that. We
feel it is in the best interest of all our campus
community to just not allow that.”
The decision will be made this semester
and the new policy will be implemented
immediately. The newly revised policy will
address the use of not only cigarettes, but
electronic cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco
as well. The new policy will prohibit any kind
of smoking inside of buildings. This includes
products such as e-cigarettes or chewing
tobacco.
“We still allow you to smoke,” said Coons.
“There are areas that have been authorized for
smoking.”
Even though smoking is allowed in
designated areas, there will still be certain
outdoor areas that smoking is prohibited in
including 25 feet within a building, enclosed
walk ways (such as the spine), and all
memorial plazas(such as the Hector P. Garcia
Plaza) to name a few. The purpose of this
policy is to protect the health of students,
faculty and staff on campus as well as keep the
Island University a smoke-free environment.
“There has been a trend to go smokeless,”
said Coons, “The University of Texas campus is
completely smokeless, and CVS pharmacy has
recently decided not to sell tobacco products.
One of the things that we [Environmental,
Health and Safety Department] encourage
tobacco users to do is find products that allow
them to work towards quitting.”
According to the Food and Drug
Administration, an e-cigarette is a battery
operated product that turns chemicals,
including the addictive nicotine found in
cigarettes, into vapor. E-cigarettes are not
regulated by FDA standards, nor have they
been studied in full. Therefore, the FDA cannot
safely say how many harmful chemicals are
being inhaled during use, or if there is any
other risks or benefits associated with their
use.
The FDA is currently working towards
creating regulations for the e-cigarette, much
as A&M-Corpus Christi is working to amend it
in the current tobacco policy.
“It is [your] right to use those products,”
said Coons, “We just ask that they are used in
a manner that respects all others on campus.”
For more information regarding health
and safety policies on campus, please visit the
Environmental, Health and Safety Department
page at tamucc.edu. For more information
regarding e-cigarettes, please visit fda.gov.
photo courtesy of ANDREW LIGUEZ
Electronic Cigarettes result in change to tobacco policy
King Candidates-
Matt Daniels
Major: Accounting
Hometown: Lewisville TX
Running on behalf of: Sigma Phi Epsilon
Involved in: Sigma Phi Epsilon, Aloha Days,
ROTC
Hobbies: Hanging out with fraternity
brothers, playing video games, going on dates
with his girlfriend and volunteering in the
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program
After graduation: Plans on going to Fort Lee,
VA for Basic Officer Leadership Course
Why’d you decide to run for King? “I
decided to run because I was the Homecoming
Duke last year. Also, I figured it’s my senior
year so why not? I would’ve always wondered
what would’ve happened if I didn’t.”
Why do you think you’re a good candidate
to win? “Well, first of all, I’m the best candidate
for Homecoming King because I was the
Homecoming Duke last year, and I was one
of three Islander Free Ring Recipients. I think
what sets me apart from the other candidates
is that I am the only candidate that is going to
serve our great nation by commissioning in
the United States Army after graduation. Also,
my continuous involvement through student
activities and community service shows my
commitment to our great university.”
Favorite cartoon character?
“My favorite carton character would have to
be Jerry from Tom and Jerry, hand down. To
this day, I still literally laugh my ass off when
I watch it.”
Anything else you’d like to mention?
“Go Islanders!”
David Norris
Major: Marine biology with a minor in
chemistry
Hometown: Kerrville, TX
Running on behalf of: Islander Anglers
Involved in: Islander Anglers, Delta
Chi, Bassmasters Team, Ducks Unlimited,
Big Brothers Big Sister Program, Coastal
Conservation Association Corpus Christi,
writes fishing guidelines for the Corpus Christi
Caller Times, fishing instructor at Outdoor
Texas Champs, licensed kayak fishing guide
Hobbies: Basketball, fishing and hanging
out with his girlfriend, Delta Chi brothers and
friends
After graduation: Plans on attending A&M-
Corpus Christi for graduate school
Why’d you decide to run for King? ”I am
running for a few reasons. One reason is
because I am a naturally shy person and this
would be a great challenge to step of my
comfort zone even more. Another reason is
because I really want to make this competition
more serious and improve school spirit. I see
it as an opportunity to be a leader and inspire
my fellow students to challenge themselves to
reach their goals and dreams.”
Why do you think you’re a good candidate
to win? “I am a great candidate because I
am open-minded, diverse and chivalrous.
Also, I am in multiple organizations in and
out of school. I am actually trying to make
this competition better, and I am working on
creating a scholarship that will be awarded to
either the winners (king, queen, duke, duchess)
their organization, or a charity of their choice.
I feel that if there was more than just a title
on the line more people would want to get
involved with Homecoming which would then
lead to bigger outcomes at the games.”
If you could go anywhere in the world,
where would you go?
“If I could go anywhere in the world, I would
go to Florida and chase tarpon on the fly.”
Anything else you’d like to mention?
“Go Islanders!”
Gregory Summers
Major: Marketing
Hometown: Willis, TX
Running on behalf of: Beta Theta Pi
Involved in: Beta Theta Pi, Aloha Days
Hobbies: Painting, writing, hanging out
with his fraternity brothers, attending on-
campus events and intramurals
After graduation: Plans on attending
graduate school, and eventually hopes to get
a doctorate so he can be a professor for the
College of Business
Why’d you decide to run for King? “Because
I wanted to leave some sort of legacy here
at TAMUCC. I’m a very involved person on
campus too, for that reason. I want to leave
college knowing people will remember who I
was for all the right reasons.”
Why do you think you’re a good candidate
to win? “I think I’ll be a good candidate because
I embody the Islander spirit more than anyone
at the school. There is no person that loves this
school more than me. I hold myself to very
high standards, and any chance I get I help
promote the school. Texas A&M University-
Corpus Christi means the world to me, and
I feel I represent this school enough to be
worthy of wearing the crown. I know the other
candidates very well and I think the thing that
sets me apart from them is that I always bring a
good attitude and a smile to school everyday.”
If you could be any animal, what would you
be?
“If I was an animal, I would be an elephant.
Elephants are my favorite animal because
they symbolize wisdom, and my friends have
always told me that I am very wise.”
Anything else you’d like to mention? “I’m
very social and outgoing, and I’m always
looking to make a new friend. I always go
to school an hour early just so I can have the
chance to meet someone new. Also, I have a
flappy bird high score of 102.”
Queen Candidates-
Stella Drouillard-Salom
Major: Criminal justice with a minor is
psychology
Hometown: North Dallas (Frisco), TX
Running on behalf of: SGA
Involved in: Student Government
Association, Aloha Days
Hobbies: Swimming, volunteering at the
animal shelter, hanging out with friends and
boyfriend, working out and sand volleyball
After graduation: Plans on moving back
home to attend graduate school while working
in the crime analysis department for the Dallas
Police Department
Why’d you decide to run for Queen? “I
decided to run because I feel that Student
Government does a lot to improve our school,
and they should have a representative on the
Homecoming Court. Also, through running for
Homecoming, I hope to make new friends.”
Why do you think you’re a good candidate to
win? “I think I would be a good choice for queen
because of my wholeness and uniqueness. I
really try to be all around and have friends in
as many different groups as possible. Growing
up, my mom always taught me to treat others
how I want to be treated, and also to never let
a day go by without letting your loved ones
know you love them. She raised me with a
very optimistic personality and that’s why I’m
so outgoing today. I guess that through that I
am different in the sense that I genuinely care
about everyone in all different groups of our
university.”
If you were stranded on a deserted island,
what three things would you want with you? “I
would take a good book, a bottle of tequila, my
mom and a mega pack of goldfish.”
Anything else you’d like to mention? “I
guess I would like to mention that growing up I
wasn’t exactly popular or anything like that. It
was actually the opposite so it’s kind of weird
to now be running for Homecoming Court for
my school, and feel like I’m in love with the
perfect guy who I’ve been with for a year now.
It’s just weird to have imagined myself here.
When I see other people that feel like they
don’t have it together, I want to let them know
it’s okay, and it’s part of God’s plan and their
journey. Life’s not always a vacation, but it sure
is a wonderful journey.”
Chelsea Smith
Major: Psychology
Hometown: North of Austin (Lago Vista), TX
Running on behalf of: Alpha Gamma Delta
Involved in: Alpha Gamma Delta
Hobbies: Animals, hanging out with
friends, exercising, biking, swimming, hiking
and fishing
After graduation: Plans on attending
graduate school, and hopes to one day get her
doctorates and open her own practice
Why’d you decide to run for Queen? “I
decided to run because I have never put myself
out there before, I was way too afraid to fail.
But you know what? If you never try, you’ll
never know. My sisters nominated me for
Homecoming Queen, so if my sisters believe in
me, then so can I.”
Why do you think you’re a good candidate
to win? “I feel that I am a great choice because I
am the ideal woman to represent TAMUCC as a
whole. I have worked hard for everything that
I have and earn, and I never give up on people
or myself. I believe that in order to make a
change in the world, you must make changes
within yourself. Through this, I hope to show
other women who may share this fear that it
doesn’t matter what happens in the end, what
matters is that you are fearless enough to risk
the fall; the experience alone is magical. I feel
that my humble pride and positive attitude is
what sets me apart from the other candidates,
but if I didn’t win I would be just as happy for
the candidate that did. We are all working
hard for the same outcome.”
If you could only wear one color for the
rest of your life, what color would you pick
and why? “I don’t really have a favorite color,
but I really love the color turquoise because it
reminds me of beautiful clear blue waters that
I hope to enjoy someday.”
Anything else you’d like to mention? “I am
just an American citizen that has been blessed
with the opportunity to get my education and
pursue my dreams in life.”
Voting for the 2014 homecoming court
is now underway here at Texas A&M
University-Corpus Christi. This year, three
guys and four girls are competing for the title
of A&M-Corpus Christi 2014 Homecoming
King and Queen. Voting will remain open until
the 27, with the winners being announced on
March 1.
MEET THE CANDIDATES
HOMECOMING2014

11. 3news
ISLAND WAVES
02.20.2014
Shooter on campus continued from page 1
“ They get a hold of students via text
message,” said Martinez. “They also have
flashing red lights in all of the lab rooms, in case
of an emergency… As far as who is supposed to
lead the students to safety, I don’t know.”
Unfortunately, neither of these answers
accurately illustrates the Active Shooter listed
by the University. According to the Quick
Reference Guide for Emergencies, provided
on the University’s website, the procedure to
follow in the event of an active shooter begins
with calling the University Police Department.
Whilst reporting, students need to identify
their location, the appearance of the shooter,
the weapon, and any victims or bystanders in
the area.
After contacting UPD, students should
barricade themselves in a classroom, with
chairs, desks, etc., turn off the lights and remain
away from windows and doors until instructed
otherwise by law enforcement. The text of the
Active Shooter policy does not specify how
students around campus will be notified of the
presence of a shooter. According to Detective
Ramon Carsares of the UPD, the University’s
Notification System will alert students via
text, classroom telephones, and sirens when a
dangerous situation occurs.
“ This is the first time I’m hearing about it
[the policy],” said Teodoso Gonzalez, freshman
student. “I would like to know more about
it.”This disconnect of information exemplifies
the possibility of a muddling, or lack of,
communication between the administration
and the student body regarding policies.
According to Carsares, the UPD provides
several presentations throughout the year
training faculty, staff and student employees
what to do in the event of any emergency. Yet,
no presentation has been made available to
student body as a whole.
“ The message is getting out there,” said
Carsares, “I believe he [Chief Gutierrez] is
working on something. It is online…we try to
get this out as much as possible.”
The students interviewed, though
representing a very small portion of the Island
University as a whole, are representative of a
possibly larger problem resonating. Even with
the presentations the student body is not as
informed as it should be in the case of such an
emergency.
What has caused this disconnect is unclear,
but what is clear is that students needed to be
informed of campus policies: especially those
pertaining to their own safety.
The shooting at Purdue University,
according to the Chicago Tribune, occurred on
Jan. 21. Cody Cousins, a 23 year-old engineering
student, shot and killed Andrew Boldt, a
21 year-old student and teaching assistant.
Cousins’ motive and relationship to the victim
is unknown at this time.
For more information regarding A&M-
Corpus Christi emergency policies please view
the Quick Reference Guide found online at
tamucc.edu.
right: Jung and Catalan demonstrate another
scenario if faced with a shooter on campus
photo by Alexis De Leon

12. 2editorial
ISLAND WAVES
02.20.2014
a student publication of
TexasA&MUniversity-CorpusChristi
AMY KOTULSKI
staff adviser
RUTH AIPPERSPACH
faculty adviser
NICK THOMSON
distribution manager
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email or call the Island
Waves editor.
ALEXIS DE LEON
editor-in-chief
MARIAM AMAYA
advertising manager
KATHLEEN RAMIREZ
features editor
CHRISTINA BOOTHE
ANDREW LIGUEZ
TREY SEAL
staff reporters
AUBREY DANCER
layout editor
island waves staff
STEPHANIE WALLACE
managing editor
JUSTIN VU NGUYEN
advertising assistant
Letter from the editor
CONNER TICHOTA
news editor
Dear Island University,
This week in Island Waves we were hoping to capture a bit of the
Homecoming magic. Capturing what it means to students and the
nominees was an important aspect this week.
Remember the days of getting excited and dressing up for the
game in anticipation of watching the nominees (often close friends)
walk the field in their outfits.
College can be a big scary place but give it time and the familiarity
of greeting friends in the hall, cheering at games and dreading exams
all comes back.
Island Waves remains on the hunt for amazing writers, or
students willing to be comfortable with the uncomfortable which is
about 60 percent of the job. Talking to someone not normally in the
regular circle of friends and all the while sweating bullets is half the
challenge, or fun really.
I can only hope there are questions the student body has on a
regular basis and with that said, urge each and every Islander to ask
these questions.
There are injustices happening all around. There are humorous,
heart-breaking and heroic stories to be told which a small staff can
never fully cover. Write with comments, concerns or time-wasting
“cool” stories- Island Waves won’t mind.
I for one am tired of being 24 and treated like I’m 16 and just given
the keys to the family car. They say don’t do this, it is impossible to
do that, read this, fill this out and all the while expect a smile and
polite demeanor. Whose rules are these? Please do not confuse my
frustration with disrespect. As president to a club, coordinator to the
greatest place on campus, editor-in-chief and a future scientist of
America I am all about respect, in fact it is the only way things get
done. What I’m asking for is mutual respect.
I have paid enough tuition to buy new Mac laptops for a sizeable
classroom. Given the University enough publicity to have a box at
Whataburger Field reserved. Held my tongue so long it bled the
coppery flavor of dissatisfaction. And while Corpus will always be my
home, and Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi my alma mater I fear
the longer the disrespect continues the greater my need to distance
myself from this place grows.
They say, “youth is wasted on the young” but perhaps what they
should say is that youth is wasted on those who allow the old to
hinder growth.
Sincerely,
Alexis De Leon
Editor-in-Chief
Island Waves
image courtesy 401(k) 2014

13. VOLUME 25, ISSUE 05INDEX EDITORIAL 2 | NEWS 3 | FEATURES 5 | ENTERTAINMENT 7 | SPORTS 10 | VISUALS 12
Students at Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi ill informed on Active Shooter Policy
HALF OFF FROZEN FRAPS | 3-5 PM EVERY DAY
HAPPY HOUR •food•free wifi•
•3 local shops•
What policy?
see Shooter on Campus on pg 3
Building Operations employees Nick Jung and Juan Catalan demonstrate what they would do if confronted with a shooter on campus in the University
Center
image courtesy of Alexis De Leon
PAGE 4
PAGE 6
PAGE
Homecoming
K Space presents
work by John
Webb
Selfies with student
athletes
by TREY SEAL
entertainment reporter
An evening with Cabaret
see Cabaret on pg 5
by CONNOR TICHOTA
news editor
With Purdue University being
the most recent addition to the
growing list of school shootings, campus
safety is a growing concern across
the nation. However, at Texas A&M
University-Corpus Christi, the student
body’s knowledge of the campus’s
Active Shooter policy appears to be
very scant due to an apparent lack of
communication.
Upon interviewing ten students
milling about A&M-Corpus Christi’s
campus, eight of the randomly selected
students, all varying in grade range and
majors, admitted that they knew nothing
about the Active Shooter policy.
A few bravely attempted to guess at
proper protocol, whilst others merely
gave a blank stare and shook their heads
frantically. Dina Ruiz, a junior, provided
one of the most extensive answers
regarding her knowledge of the policy.
“I don’t know the exact policy,” said
Ruiz. “I have asked a professor before
about it when we were discussing crisis
situations on campus and how they
would handle it. I do know that only
select professors are in on what to do in
the building, or something like that. I’m
sure they have a policy in place, but I
don’t know what it is.”
Another student, Caitlin Martinez, a
freshman, also seemed to provide one of
the most knowledgeable answers.
Cabaret is a musical unlike any other. Set in
Berlin, Germany at the dawn of the 1930s.
The Nazi party is growing stronger as the world
grows closer and closer towards the precipice
of World War II. A majority of the show takes
place in the Kit Kat club, a seedy cabaret where
the only thing bolder than the set design is the
personalities who run the place.
The show chronicles the story of writer Clifford
Bradshaw, a traveling American writer and his
girlfriend, club singer Sally Bowles. The begin-
ning of the show is full of cheerful song and
dance which paints a picture of a much more
peaceful Berlin where freedom of expression is
not condemned but encouraged.

14. 2editorial
ISLAND WAVES
02.20.2014
a student publication of
TexasA&MUniversity-CorpusChristi
AMY KOTULSKI
staff adviser
RUTH AIPPERSPACH
faculty adviser
NICK THOMSON
distribution manager
contact us
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Unit 5783
Corpus Christi, TX 78412
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write us a letter
The Island Waves
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longer than 250 words.
Letters are subject to
editing. Send letters to
the editor via email at
editor@tamucc.edu.
about island waves
The Island Waves is
a student-produced
publication at Texas
A&M University-Corpus
Christi. The newspa-
per is printed weekly,
except during summer
sessions.
Since A&M-Corpus
Christi has no journal-
ism department, Island
Waves is supported by
student fees and adver-
tising sales.
Any student or Univer-
sity employee may sub-
mit material for publica-
tion consideration. To
become a contributor,
email or call the Island
Waves editor.
ALEXIS DE LEON
editor-in-chief
MARIAM AMAYA
advertising manager
KATHLEEN RAMIREZ
features editor
CHRISTINA BOOTHE
ANDREW LIGUEZ
TREY SEAL
staff reporters
AUBREY DANCER
layout editor
island waves staff
STEPHANIE WALLACE
managing editor
JUSTIN VU NGUYEN
advertising assistant
Letter from the editor
CONNER TICHOTA
news editor
Dear Island University,
This week in Island Waves we were hoping to capture a bit of the
Homecoming magic. Capturing what it means to students and the
nominees was an important aspect this week.
Remember the days of getting excited and dressing up for the
game in anticipation of watching the nominees (often close friends)
walk the field in their outfits.
College can be a big scary place but give it time and the familiarity
of greeting friends in the hall, cheering at games and dreading exams
all comes back.
Island Waves remains on the hunt for amazing writers, or
students willing to be comfortable with the uncomfortable which is
about 60 percent of the job. Talking to someone not normally in the
regular circle of friends and all the while sweating bullets is half the
challenge, or fun really.
I can only hope there are questions the student body has on a
regular basis and with that said, urge each and every Islander to ask
these questions.
There are injustices happening all around. There are humorous,
heart-breaking and heroic stories to be told which a small staff can
never fully cover. Write with comments, concerns or time-wasting
“cool” stories- Island Waves won’t mind.
I for one am tired of being 24 and treated like I’m 16 and just given
the keys to the family car. They say don’t do this, it is impossible to
do that, read this, fill this out and all the while expect a smile and
polite demeanor. Whose rules are these? Please do not confuse my
frustration with disrespect. As president to a club, coordinator to the
greatest place on campus, editor-in-chief and a future scientist of
America I am all about respect, in fact it is the only way things get
done. What I’m asking for is mutual respect.
I have paid enough tuition to buy new Mac laptops for a sizeable
classroom. Given the University enough publicity to have a box at
Whataburger Field reserved. Held my tongue so long it bled the
coppery flavor of dissatisfaction. And while Corpus will always be my
home, and Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi my alma mater I fear
the longer the disrespect continues the greater my need to distance
myself from this place grows.
They say, “youth is wasted on the young” but perhaps what they
should say is that youth is wasted on those who allow the old to
hinder growth.
Sincerely,
Alexis De Leon
Editor-in-Chief
Island Waves
image courtesy 401(k) 2014

15. 3news
ISLAND WAVES
02.20.2014
Shooter on campus continued from page 1
“ They get a hold of students via text
message,” said Martinez. “They also have
flashing red lights in all of the lab rooms, in case
of an emergency… As far as who is supposed to
lead the students to safety, I don’t know.”
Unfortunately, neither of these answers
accurately illustrates the Active Shooter listed
by the University. According to the Quick
Reference Guide for Emergencies, provided
on the University’s website, the procedure to
follow in the event of an active shooter begins
with calling the University Police Department.
Whilst reporting, students need to identify
their location, the appearance of the shooter,
the weapon, and any victims or bystanders in
the area.
After contacting UPD, students should
barricade themselves in a classroom, with
chairs, desks, etc., turn off the lights and remain
away from windows and doors until instructed
otherwise by law enforcement. The text of the
Active Shooter policy does not specify how
students around campus will be notified of the
presence of a shooter. According to Detective
Ramon Carsares of the UPD, the University’s
Notification System will alert students via
text, classroom telephones, and sirens when a
dangerous situation occurs.
“ This is the first time I’m hearing about it
[the policy],” said Teodoso Gonzalez, freshman
student. “I would like to know more about
it.”This disconnect of information exemplifies
the possibility of a muddling, or lack of,
communication between the administration
and the student body regarding policies.
According to Carsares, the UPD provides
several presentations throughout the year
training faculty, staff and student employees
what to do in the event of any emergency. Yet,
no presentation has been made available to
student body as a whole.
“ The message is getting out there,” said
Carsares, “I believe he [Chief Gutierrez] is
working on something. It is online…we try to
get this out as much as possible.”
The students interviewed, though
representing a very small portion of the Island
University as a whole, are representative of a
possibly larger problem resonating. Even with
the presentations the student body is not as
informed as it should be in the case of such an
emergency.
What has caused this disconnect is unclear,
but what is clear is that students needed to be
informed of campus policies: especially those
pertaining to their own safety.
The shooting at Purdue University,
according to the Chicago Tribune, occurred on
Jan. 21. Cody Cousins, a 23 year-old engineering
student, shot and killed Andrew Boldt, a
21 year-old student and teaching assistant.
Cousins’ motive and relationship to the victim
is unknown at this time.
For more information regarding A&M-
Corpus Christi emergency policies please view
the Quick Reference Guide found online at
tamucc.edu.
right: Jung and Catalan demonstrate another
scenario if faced with a shooter on campus
photo by Alexis De Leon

16. 02.20.20144news
ISLAND WAVES
by CONNER TICHOTA
news editor
by KATHLEEN RAMIREZ
features editor
Arecent increase in the use of electronic
cigarettes among students inside and
outside of classrooms has resulted in Texas
A&M University-Corpus Christi re-examining
its current tobacco policy. The Environmental,
Health and Safety Department at A&M-Corpus
Christi has submitted a revision of the policy to
the A&M System Board of Regents for approval,
hoping to implicate the changes this semester.
According to Roy Coons, director of the
Environmental, Health and Safety Department,
the revised tobacco policy was proposed to
the A&M Board of Regents in Nov. of 2013
when a noticeable increase of e-cigarettes, also
commonly known as vaporizers, were being
utilized in classrooms.
“It’s just a cultural thing,” explained Coons.
“There’s still second-hand smoke associated
with the vapors and suspected carcinogens
in the vapors. Even though [e-cigarettes] are
designed to be used in the building, some
people are just not comfortable with that. We
feel it is in the best interest of all our campus
community to just not allow that.”
The decision will be made this semester
and the new policy will be implemented
immediately. The newly revised policy will
address the use of not only cigarettes, but
electronic cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco
as well. The new policy will prohibit any kind
of smoking inside of buildings. This includes
products such as e-cigarettes or chewing
tobacco.
“We still allow you to smoke,” said Coons.
“There are areas that have been authorized for
smoking.”
Even though smoking is allowed in
designated areas, there will still be certain
outdoor areas that smoking is prohibited in
including 25 feet within a building, enclosed
walk ways (such as the spine), and all
memorial plazas(such as the Hector P. Garcia
Plaza) to name a few. The purpose of this
policy is to protect the health of students,
faculty and staff on campus as well as keep the
Island University a smoke-free environment.
“There has been a trend to go smokeless,”
said Coons, “The University of Texas campus is
completely smokeless, and CVS pharmacy has
recently decided not to sell tobacco products.
One of the things that we [Environmental,
Health and Safety Department] encourage
tobacco users to do is find products that allow
them to work towards quitting.”
According to the Food and Drug
Administration, an e-cigarette is a battery
operated product that turns chemicals,
including the addictive nicotine found in
cigarettes, into vapor. E-cigarettes are not
regulated by FDA standards, nor have they
been studied in full. Therefore, the FDA cannot
safely say how many harmful chemicals are
being inhaled during use, or if there is any
other risks or benefits associated with their
use.
The FDA is currently working towards
creating regulations for the e-cigarette, much
as A&M-Corpus Christi is working to amend it
in the current tobacco policy.
“It is [your] right to use those products,”
said Coons, “We just ask that they are used in
a manner that respects all others on campus.”
For more information regarding health
and safety policies on campus, please visit the
Environmental, Health and Safety Department
page at tamucc.edu. For more information
regarding e-cigarettes, please visit fda.gov.
photo courtesy of ANDREW LIGUEZ
Electronic Cigarettes result in change to tobacco policy
King Candidates-
Matt Daniels
Major: Accounting
Hometown: Lewisville TX
Running on behalf of: Sigma Phi Epsilon
Involved in: Sigma Phi Epsilon, Aloha Days,
ROTC
Hobbies: Hanging out with fraternity
brothers, playing video games, going on dates
with his girlfriend and volunteering in the
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program
After graduation: Plans on going to Fort Lee,
VA for Basic Officer Leadership Course
Why’d you decide to run for King? “I
decided to run because I was the Homecoming
Duke last year. Also, I figured it’s my senior
year so why not? I would’ve always wondered
what would’ve happened if I didn’t.”
Why do you think you’re a good candidate
to win? “Well, first of all, I’m the best candidate
for Homecoming King because I was the
Homecoming Duke last year, and I was one
of three Islander Free Ring Recipients. I think
what sets me apart from the other candidates
is that I am the only candidate that is going to
serve our great nation by commissioning in
the United States Army after graduation. Also,
my continuous involvement through student
activities and community service shows my
commitment to our great university.”
Favorite cartoon character?
“My favorite carton character would have to
be Jerry from Tom and Jerry, hand down. To
this day, I still literally laugh my ass off when
I watch it.”
Anything else you’d like to mention?
“Go Islanders!”
David Norris
Major: Marine biology with a minor in
chemistry
Hometown: Kerrville, TX
Running on behalf of: Islander Anglers
Involved in: Islander Anglers, Delta
Chi, Bassmasters Team, Ducks Unlimited,
Big Brothers Big Sister Program, Coastal
Conservation Association Corpus Christi,
writes fishing guidelines for the Corpus Christi
Caller Times, fishing instructor at Outdoor
Texas Champs, licensed kayak fishing guide
Hobbies: Basketball, fishing and hanging
out with his girlfriend, Delta Chi brothers and
friends
After graduation: Plans on attending A&M-
Corpus Christi for graduate school
Why’d you decide to run for King? ”I am
running for a few reasons. One reason is
because I am a naturally shy person and this
would be a great challenge to step of my
comfort zone even more. Another reason is
because I really want to make this competition
more serious and improve school spirit. I see
it as an opportunity to be a leader and inspire
my fellow students to challenge themselves to
reach their goals and dreams.”
Why do you think you’re a good candidate
to win? “I am a great candidate because I
am open-minded, diverse and chivalrous.
Also, I am in multiple organizations in and
out of school. I am actually trying to make
this competition better, and I am working on
creating a scholarship that will be awarded to
either the winners (king, queen, duke, duchess)
their organization, or a charity of their choice.
I feel that if there was more than just a title
on the line more people would want to get
involved with Homecoming which would then
lead to bigger outcomes at the games.”
If you could go anywhere in the world,
where would you go?
“If I could go anywhere in the world, I would
go to Florida and chase tarpon on the fly.”
Anything else you’d like to mention?
“Go Islanders!”
Gregory Summers
Major: Marketing
Hometown: Willis, TX
Running on behalf of: Beta Theta Pi
Involved in: Beta Theta Pi, Aloha Days
Hobbies: Painting, writing, hanging out
with his fraternity brothers, attending on-
campus events and intramurals
After graduation: Plans on attending
graduate school, and eventually hopes to get
a doctorate so he can be a professor for the
College of Business
Why’d you decide to run for King? “Because
I wanted to leave some sort of legacy here
at TAMUCC. I’m a very involved person on
campus too, for that reason. I want to leave
college knowing people will remember who I
was for all the right reasons.”
Why do you think you’re a good candidate
to win? “I think I’ll be a good candidate because
I embody the Islander spirit more than anyone
at the school. There is no person that loves this
school more than me. I hold myself to very
high standards, and any chance I get I help
promote the school. Texas A&M University-
Corpus Christi means the world to me, and
I feel I represent this school enough to be
worthy of wearing the crown. I know the other
candidates very well and I think the thing that
sets me apart from them is that I always bring a
good attitude and a smile to school everyday.”
If you could be any animal, what would you
be?
“If I was an animal, I would be an elephant.
Elephants are my favorite animal because
they symbolize wisdom, and my friends have
always told me that I am very wise.”
Anything else you’d like to mention? “I’m
very social and outgoing, and I’m always
looking to make a new friend. I always go
to school an hour early just so I can have the
chance to meet someone new. Also, I have a
flappy bird high score of 102.”
Queen Candidates-
Stella Drouillard-Salom
Major: Criminal justice with a minor is
psychology
Hometown: North Dallas (Frisco), TX
Running on behalf of: SGA
Involved in: Student Government
Association, Aloha Days
Hobbies: Swimming, volunteering at the
animal shelter, hanging out with friends and
boyfriend, working out and sand volleyball
After graduation: Plans on moving back
home to attend graduate school while working
in the crime analysis department for the Dallas
Police Department
Why’d you decide to run for Queen? “I
decided to run because I feel that Student
Government does a lot to improve our school,
and they should have a representative on the
Homecoming Court. Also, through running for
Homecoming, I hope to make new friends.”
Why do you think you’re a good candidate to
win? “I think I would be a good choice for queen
because of my wholeness and uniqueness. I
really try to be all around and have friends in
as many different groups as possible. Growing
up, my mom always taught me to treat others
how I want to be treated, and also to never let
a day go by without letting your loved ones
know you love them. She raised me with a
very optimistic personality and that’s why I’m
so outgoing today. I guess that through that I
am different in the sense that I genuinely care
about everyone in all different groups of our
university.”
If you were stranded on a deserted island,
what three things would you want with you? “I
would take a good book, a bottle of tequila, my
mom and a mega pack of goldfish.”
Anything else you’d like to mention? “I
guess I would like to mention that growing up I
wasn’t exactly popular or anything like that. It
was actually the opposite so it’s kind of weird
to now be running for Homecoming Court for
my school, and feel like I’m in love with the
perfect guy who I’ve been with for a year now.
It’s just weird to have imagined myself here.
When I see other people that feel like they
don’t have it together, I want to let them know
it’s okay, and it’s part of God’s plan and their
journey. Life’s not always a vacation, but it sure
is a wonderful journey.”
Chelsea Smith
Major: Psychology
Hometown: North of Austin (Lago Vista), TX
Running on behalf of: Alpha Gamma Delta
Involved in: Alpha Gamma Delta
Hobbies: Animals, hanging out with
friends, exercising, biking, swimming, hiking
and fishing
After graduation: Plans on attending
graduate school, and hopes to one day get her
doctorates and open her own practice
Why’d you decide to run for Queen? “I
decided to run because I have never put myself
out there before, I was way too afraid to fail.
But you know what? If you never try, you’ll
never know. My sisters nominated me for
Homecoming Queen, so if my sisters believe in
me, then so can I.”
Why do you think you’re a good candidate
to win? “I feel that I am a great choice because I
am the ideal woman to represent TAMUCC as a
whole. I have worked hard for everything that
I have and earn, and I never give up on people
or myself. I believe that in order to make a
change in the world, you must make changes
within yourself. Through this, I hope to show
other women who may share this fear that it
doesn’t matter what happens in the end, what
matters is that you are fearless enough to risk
the fall; the experience alone is magical. I feel
that my humble pride and positive attitude is
what sets me apart from the other candidates,
but if I didn’t win I would be just as happy for
the candidate that did. We are all working
hard for the same outcome.”
If you could only wear one color for the
rest of your life, what color would you pick
and why? “I don’t really have a favorite color,
but I really love the color turquoise because it
reminds me of beautiful clear blue waters that
I hope to enjoy someday.”
Anything else you’d like to mention? “I am
just an American citizen that has been blessed
with the opportunity to get my education and
pursue my dreams in life.”
Voting for the 2014 homecoming court
is now underway here at Texas A&M
University-Corpus Christi. This year, three
guys and four girls are competing for the title
of A&M-Corpus Christi 2014 Homecoming
King and Queen. Voting will remain open until
the 27, with the winners being announced on
March 1.
MEET THE CANDIDATES
HOMECOMING2014

17. As the play moves forward, the tone
changes from one of all around cheeriness to a
tone of fear and tension among the characters.
This tension is due to the rising power of the
Nazi party, which is taking a toll on the various
characters lives.
Upon walking into the theatre (for a tech
rehearsal), I felt as if I had fallen down a rabbit
hole and arrived in another dimension. With
elaborate set designs, catchy music, and a
fantastic cast: Cabaret succeeds in bringing its
audience into its world.
The show accomplishes this through the
use of a large, round stage in the center of the
room that is only feet away from the audience.
Performers walk onstage and acknowledge the
audience as patrons of the Kit Kat Klub.
In order to get a better understanding
of Cabaret, I interviewed its director, Island
University professor, Allison Frost.
“I’ve called it the onion play, there are so
many layers to it that you can’t embrace the
entire show at one time” Frost said when asked
about how she would describe the show.
“You take it and build it one layer at a time,
by the time you add the band, the costumes,
the makeup, the lighting, it becomes this thing
of its own and we won’t really know how all
of that congeals until we have the final layer,
which is the audience.”
When asked how she would pitch the show
to somebody who has never stepped foot in a
theater, she said, “Cabaret by any standard of
musical theatre, almost always ranks in the top
5 of any musical ranking list.
The story has a them that displays the
dangers of marginalization. There are not many
survivors left to remind us of the tyranny of
the Nazi regime and if we don’t remind people
when we can, then that mark on history gets
whitewashed.
The show may be told with song and dance
but the message is still the same. People are
people regardless of how they look, dress,
sleep, where they were born, how they were
born, who their parents were.
“The characters in this show were all
victims of the atrocity that was the Holocaust,
some of these characters would be imprisoned
in concentration camps for reasons such as
political dissidence, homosexuality, or simply
being Jewish.
By the time Hitler came to power, the
cabarets were closed and the lifestyle
promoted by them was used to pigeonhole
and paint an ugly picture of the people who
frequented them.”
With so much recent debate on freedom
of choice, Cabaret’s message of embracing the
strange (different from what we are used to)
and the new is still very relevant to our modern
world.
Cabaret will run at the performing arts
center from Feb. 18until Feb. 23. Performances
begin at 7:30 p.m. each night except for Sunday
which is a 2pm matinee.
5features
ISLAND WAVES
02.20.2014
A SINGLE’S GUIDE
by KATHLEEN RAMIREZ
features editor
Well somebunny is having a meltdown of
epic proportions because I cleaned their
cage. Rigby did not like the way I redecorated
his cage, specifically, the fact that his litter box
was turned around and pushed to the very
back of his cage. He then proceeded to push
and pull his box until it was to his liking.
When rabbits are upset, they’ll hop around,
run, thump their feet and will even occasionally
make a little piggy/honking sound if they’re
especially worked.
Pilot is a big fan of the honking noise and
thumping. Jojo and Rigby like to do their
own thing and will often times ignore Pilot.
Whenever Pilot wants them to pay him
attention however, he’ll start thumping on the
floor of his cage in an attempt to get them to
face him.
Unfortunately for Pilot, that thumping
doesn’t seem to work on anyone. Sure, Jojo and
Rigby may turn and face Pilot for a moment, but
they won’t actually go up to him. They will also
turn back to whatever it is they were doing,
and continue to ignore Pilot immediately after.
On a happier not, the bunnies received a
new toy last week. Since Pilot has a habit of
digging the bedding out of his litter box, and
since Rigby likes to scratch at carpet, I decided
to buy the bunnies a sandbox.
And it isn’t a puny little sandbox. No, it’s
a big ol’ daddy sandbox that’s in the shape of
a turtle. It even comes with a cover for the
sandbox, which coincidently, is molded in the
shape of turtle shell.
So my living room is now completely
covered in bunny-related items.
On the bright side, the bunnies seem to
enjoy it so far. I hid little chewing toys and
apple-flavored wood sticks in the sand so they
have fun digging them up.
Here at Texas A&M University-Corpus
Christi, students are given the chance to
par in whatever they choose. Some students
go into science to become scientist or doctor,
while others become math geeks to get
ahead in the business world. Others dedicate
themselves to the arts, these students become
immersed in another world and become artist
of their trade. I recently met up with one of
these students, Heather Beltz to learn about
her life as a student musician.
Can you start off by stating your
classification and name? “My name is Heather
Beltz and I am a fifthyear senior.”
What’s your major? “I am going for my
bachelors of arts in music”
What do you plan to do with that degree?
“I actually auditioned and applied for different
grad schools, and I have already been accepted
to Texas Tech. I plan to pursue a music ecology
degree.”
How did you get into music? “It started
in the sixth grade, when they took you to the
instrument petting zoo to figure out what you
wanted to do. I picked an instrument and stuck
with it and ever since then I’ve always wanted
to do music somehow.”
How is it in the music department? “I
love the music department, we call ourselves
the music village because we always try to
be a family and be there for each other. We
also do a lot of different performances with
each other, sometimes the vocalist perform
with instrumentalist and vice versa. We have
so many performances and try and get out
there to make music all the time. All of our
performances are public, most are free for the
audience.”
Does being in the music department make
your student life harder? “It makes it different.
Sometimes depending on what you take on
with all the different ensembles that you are in
and how much time you are willing to put into
your practice so that can be the best performer
you can be. It doesn’t allow you to work that
much and if you do work it’s going to be late in
the night. We don’t really know the meaning
of sleep, but we enjoy it, it’s what we do. And
we are willing to do whatever we can to be the
best performer we can. It’s different is what I
would say.”
What instrument do you play? “I play flute
and piccolo.”
How long have you been playing your
instrument? “I am stating year 12. I started
playing in the sixth grade so it should be
around the age of 11.”
What do you like to do daily? “Since I love
music so much I am a bit biased in the sense
that I choose to take all my core classes during
the summer. I did this so that during the long
semesters I could focus on music. Basically
every day we go to our music classes, whenever
they be ensemble or educational classes. But I
love to practice whenever I get the chance.”
What do you want to do in the future?
“My particular path with music encology, has
me studying the music and different cultures.
I would actually be doing field work and be
going to different places like Africa, Ireland
and even Peru. I would be studying how music
works in their culture, I would also like to teach
at a college level. There I would teach that
music is really universal and this is why.
“Music is my life and for anyone that love
music but it is not their passion, it’s a great way
to just let go of the day and connect whatever
music whenever it be country, rap or punk.
Whatever it is you can connect with it and
build individualism and being able to express
yourself.”
by ANDREW LIGUEZ
entertainment reporter
Life of a
Student
Musician
Heather Beltz
photo courtesy of ANDREW LIGUEZ
continued from PAGE 1

18. 02.20.20146features
ISLAND WAVES
by KATHLEEN RAMIREZ
features editor
HereinCorpusChristiit’snotthathardtofind
art or something that pokes the interest of
imagination. Here, it is easy to be artsy and
find different exhibits around the town. One
of the more known exhibit holders is K Space
Contemporary, a non-profit organization that
promotes and shows contemporary art,
“A forum for creative exchange and
experimentation, we aspire to educate and
build awareness for innovative art in South
Texas. K Space Contemporary is located in
downtown Corpus Christi, Texas. K Space
Contemporary is the oldest alternative art
space in the Coastal Bend region. A primary
goal of the organization is to exhibit emerging
and mid-career artists,” according to the K
Space website.
I recently met up with the Executive
Director Michelle Smythe to get the details
about K Space and how it started.
“We started in the studio upstairs of the
current building, there are studios that occupy
the third floor of the building,” said Smythe.
“It started as an artist co-op in 1995 and then
in 1998, 99 we ran a little gallery in the space
that is in front of us. We [K Space Founders]
all had full time jobs, we ran out of money and
free rent. We moved out of there and over the
years we built ourselves up and reorganized
ourselves. We applied for nonprofit status and
got tax exempt status and all of that stuff. So
once we got that under our belt we organized
our board of directors, we asked our land
lord if we could get space. The space we are
currently in has been sitting here for 14 years,
storing kids old furniture and other things. So
I asked the land lord if he would be interested
in making this into a gallery, so we owe a lot
to the company. We did the labor ourselves by
putting in the bedrock and making the offices
and desk. We opened in Oct. of 2007.”
At this moment K Space is featuring the
works of John Webb with a current exhibit,
titled “Fables of the Reconstruction.”
In this exhibition, Webb displays sculptures
that highlight three series of works executed
in recent years.
“Organic Spaces” is a series in which new
and dynamic environments are invented and
which produce associative shapes that can be
referenced to organisms and natural structures.
“Pickle Project” is a compilation of
humorous works in which ‘quartered ellipse
shapes’ are three dimensionally transformed
as is suggested by their given titles.
“Bodies of Work” is a series in which
elements of the human figure are combined
with mechanical machinery components to
produce associations to beauty, work, and a
‘body of knowledge’ that we as humans share
in the fabric of our collective memory.
His works will be featured from Feb. 7 to
March 7. K Space Contemporary is free to the
public and is open 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Wed
through Sat.
by ANDREW LIGUEZ
entertainment reporter
For over 17 years, Allie Kemp hadn’t been
away from her triplet siblings for more than
a day. That all changed last semester though,
once Kemp started attending Texas A&M
University-Corpus Christi.
“I’m a triplet, and my brother and sister
are both attending college at Abilene Christian
University. We’ve never really been apart, and
we’re all really close,” Kemp said.
A native of Santa Rosa, TX, Kemp said the
hardest thing about transitioning to college life
was leaving her siblings.
“I can’t remember a time when we were
apart for an extensive amount of time. Yeah,
we’d go out and do our own things with our
own friends and stuff, but we always lived
under the same roof and always saw each other
every day.”
Getting used to doing things on her own is
also another challenge Kemp has encountered
while in college.
“The biggest difference for me between
high school and college is that my schedule is
way more unique than it was in high school. I
don’t have a significant number of people who
have the same classes as myself,” Kemp said.
“It’s a little harder, but the challenges are more
about being on my own and making my own
decisions rather than academics.”
Despite the differences from high school,
there was one thing Kemp said she was
expecting from college life, but never got.
“I have been surprised by how nice and
helpful all of my professors have been. In high
school all I would hear from my teachers is
how college professors won’t care about what
you do or if you even come to class, but I’ve
quickly learned how untrue that is,” she said.
Kemp is currently majoring in Biology,
and hopes to enroll in Texas A&M University’s
Veterinary school in College Station after
graduation.
“I chose the pre-veterinary route because
I’ve been around animals my whole life. I hope
to either have my own practice or work at a zoo
one day,” Kemp said.
A former volleyball player and cheerleader
for her high school, the Biology major fills
her time in between classes and studying by
participating in intramurals and by staying
busy with her sorority Alpha Gamma Delta.
“There’s never a dull moment, and I’m
always finding new ways to keep myself busy,”
Kemp said. “Although I was kind of iffy about
joining a sorority at first, I can easily say it was
one of the best decisions I have made so far
here at the University.”
Kemp attributes her success so far to
managing her time and studying, and
encourages others to do the same as well.
“I balance everything out by knowing when
I should study and focus on school work, and
by just making sure I put that above everything
else. Once I know I’m good with everything
involving school, then I know I can go out and
have fun,” Kemp said. “Despite what you think,
your professors will help, all you have to do is
ask. Just learn how to manage your time and
ask for help.”
K Space
Contemporary
photo courtesy of ANDREW LIGUEZ
Freshman
Spotlight
Allie
Kemp