About Cecile Charles

Cecile Charles is a Freshman majoring in Broadcast Journalism. She joined The Prairie staff in Spring 2010. You can contact her by e-mail

TAMU considers proposed changes to faculty evaluation

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Cecile Charles

The Prairie want to know what you think about the TAMU proposed changes to faculty evaluations. Email us at: theprairiemail@yahoo.com.

Texas A&M University System is discussing setting a new accountability measure to evaluate professors and compare what they are costing the university versus how much revenue they are bringing in.

According to James Hallmark, the provost and vice president for academic affairs at WTAMU, they started discussing more accountability measures for college professors across Texas about five years ago. Since then, many colleges have devised numerous ways to measure accountability. In fact, WT already has a few measures in place.

One such measure is the student evaluations that students fill out regarding their professor at the end of each semester. These evaluations offer insight for department heads about how well a professor is meeting his or her students’ needs. Hallmark noted that this survey is not all inclusive when it comes to measuring the work professors do.

“The faculty member isn’t just teaching,” Hallmark said. “The faculty member is doing research, advising, service, serving on committees, serving as a department head, directing a thesis. They’re doing a lot of things that aren’t reflected in that formula.”

This new measure being discussed by TAMU is only in the elementary stages of planning and will not be applied for a while, if at all.

“The reason that this is even out in the public is because a state legislature was given [a copy of the proposed measure] so that she could look at it and kind of give them some feedback and at that point, word began to get out,” Hallmark said. “And so instead of requiring entities like [the Prairie] to file Freedom of Information Act stuff in order to get it, the system just said here it is. I guess if we had something to hide, we would have done that, but we don’t.”

The new accountability measure, in theory, will work from an equation with numbers taken from class size and number of hours the professor will be teaching. Additionally, classes will be “weighted” by the state. Essentially that weighting is assigned based on how much it costs to teach that class. For example, a chemistry class would have a higher weight than an English class because of the supplies generating money is doing a whole lot of other things that are very, very valuable to the university.”

Dr. Hallmark, however, has stated that he has no opinions of the measure because he does not see it being applied in the near future. Also, there is no intention or way to rate a professor as “good” or “bad” based on the amount of money they are generating. This is just one way to collect data out of the many ways that the TAMU system uses.

“My concern is that some individuals are putting more stock into this than there really is,” Hallmark said. “The most important thing is that this is just a draft and it is not a decision making paradigm, just something they’re playing around with.”

The leaking of this information has caused uproar among the TAMU system’s professors. Some believe that this measure is currently in place and will be affecting their positions. However, this is not the case.

Professor’s jobs will not be cut or added based on the information that would be received from this accountability measure.

“They’re not looking for if an individual faculty member is doing well or if an individual faculty member is not doing well,” Hallmark said. “They’re looking for patterns. For example, if we looked at our overall structure and said this department is costing us 10 times more than what another department is costing us and yet, they have a very similar number of faculty and expenses. So why is this one costing us so much more? Maybe we need to be looking at that and figuring out how we can have more efficiency.”

In truth, this information will not be closely affecting the educational faction of the TAMU system. All of the numbers and statistics taken will be going through the business departments to the Board of Regents.

Additionally, professors should remember that this will not be the only accountability measure taken into consideration during a professional review. University officials are keenly aware of how much teaching is done outside the actual classroom with students consulting professors during office hours or through email.

This new measure, although it has not been implemented, is just one of many that the Board of Regents for TAMU is considering.

Math lab open for all students

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Cecile Charles

The math lab is open for all students.

Not all students need to take a core math class once they reach college; however, some students do need at least one. To help students be successful in their math classes, WTAMU offers virtual and physical math labs for students to use at their convenience.

The physical math lab has recently received a face lift and is open for students’ convenience from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The math lab can offer help for any level math class.

Students are not required to sign up for a scheduled meeting with a tutor or even to utilize their help while the student is in the math lab. These tutors are simply there to provide a guide if students need one, or to answer a few questions that a student might have over their homework assignments.

“It’s not the traditional one-on-one tutoring services that Educational Services has, this is more come and go in a casual sense,” Kim Seward, math professor and director of the math lab, said. “[Students] do not have to have a question coming in. Some have come in and not even asked a single question while they were in.”

During the math lab’s hours, there will be at least one tutor in the lab with students at all times. Tutors come from departments such as math, engineering, and computer science. Tutors come from all grade levels.
Students will need to swipe their Buffalo Gold Card at the welcome desk. It is encouraged that they swipe out, but not mandatory.

The reason the math lab has swiping in as a mandatory practice is to ensure that they receive the correct numbers about how many students use the math lab on average per day, week, month, or semester.

The virtual math lab is never closed and available for students whether they need a quick tutorial or an entire concept explained.

“The appeal to that is it’s 24/7 and available to everyone,” Seward said. “Students were telling me that they couldn’t make it into the physical lab because of time constraints, so I put together these tutorials that go with the different topics we cover in beginning, intermediate, and college algebra.”

To access the virtual math lab, students can visit the Math Lab web site or follow them on Facebook. The physical math lab is located in the Classroom Center Room 411.

Eternal Flame burns as a remembrance of hardships

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Cecile Charles

In 1914, a fire consumed the only building on the WT campus. This meant that almost everything had been lost; books, teachers’ notes, students’ projects and every other item utilized in an early 1900 class room. And although everything had been lost, the faculty at WT decided not to give up and began to rebuild their university and home. The current building that is today known as Old Main was built from the ashes of the previous building, much like a phoenix rising from its own ashes. As the decades passed and more buildings were built, WT honored the memory of that first building by creating the concept of the Eternal Flame. It’s point is to show that no matter what happens, every WT Buff has an eternal flame inside of them that will refuse to give up, exactly how the early faculty and students refused to give up. In 1966, the WTAMU Alumni Association dedicated a monument to the concept aptly called, The Eternal Flame. It stands at the west entrance to campus in front of the JBK parking lot, and to the side of the Box.

iWeek aims to get students involved, informed

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Cecile Charles

This year’s freshmen have been told over and over how important it is to get involved on campus. That it helps students stay in school, it helps them have higher grades, and that they will have a much better over-all college experience. However, upper classmen may not have had this same lecture. So for them (and freshmen too) iWeek has been created.

Don Albrecht, Vice President of Student Affairs, first approached Skip Chisum, Director of the Jack B. Kelley Student Center, and Amber Black, Manager of Student Success Center, during the spring, asking them to put together a week of organizations and offices that would help students feel more comfortable at WTAMU. Out of this came Involvement Week, or iWeek.

“It’s important that students realize that every day is different,” Black said.

The purpose of Monday’s fair, iSucceed, was to inform students about the academic and health services WT provides.

The second day, iBelong, is a way for students to connect with social groups on campus.

iCare, on Wednesday, is a volunteer fair. Students led organizations from the WT campus, as well as Amarillo and Canyon groups will inform students of the many ways they can help others in the area.

Then, closing out the week is the iBelieve fair on Thursday. This fair will have faith based organizations that are run from the campus.

Each day, the fair will begin at 9 a.m. and end sometime around 1 p.m. Three fairs (iSucceed, iCare, and iBelieve) will be held inside the JBK. iBelong, however, will be too large to fit in the JBK, and will be moved to the Pedestrian Mall just outside of the JBK.

At the entrance of each fair, there will be a main booth set up that will be worked by CORE office employees. This booth will have a place for students to swipe in with their Buffalo Gold Cards and enter themselves in a drawing for Apple products.

“If you bring your Buff Gold Card and swipe it every day, you’ll be in the drawing for an iPad, an iTouch, and a couple of iPods,” Chisum said. “But, if you come all four days, then your name is in the drawing four times.”

In addition to the iWeek fair, different departments will have booths set up outside of their main offices on Monday. This was added for students, such as nursing or engineering majors, whose departmental building is not located close to the JBK so that they can still see what organizations their own department sponsors.

“We’re trying to get those organizations that are specifics to departments,” Black said. “We want them to participate and have a table set up to try to say, ‘Hey, biology majors. We’re right here outside of your class and we have a club that we’d like you to get involved in. So, we’re hoping that it will be a different way to reach some students who may not be walking through the JBK during the fair.”

Students are highly encouraged to actively participate in this fair, exchanging information with groups that interest them and to just ask questions.

For more information about iWeek, students can visit the University’s website, or ask anyone wearing a white iWeek shirt.

Healthy body, Healthy Mind: WT offers services to help students succeed

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Cecile Charles

While getting back into the groove of college and independent living can be fun and exciting, there will be some moments that are stressful. This is where the programs and student resources that WT has developed come into play.

Healthy Body

With stress comes sickness. This is why students need to know the services that the Student Medical Services can provide.

SMS offers free services. Well, technically not free because the fees have already been paid through students’ tuition under the health fee. However, if X-rays, diagnostic tests, injections or procedures are needed, there may be a small charge that students will have to pay. The reason that SMS can’t offer these for free is because the money given to them from the Students Medical Fee only covers office visits, not testing or other lab work.

If a student has a cold, he or she can go in to see the doctor for free and be told that he or she does in fact have a cold. If a student wants medicine to help alleviate the symptoms, he or she can ask for a prescription that will cost extra money.

The student will then have to go to Wal-Mart or some other pharmacy to pick up the prescription.

The prescriptions provided by the SMS are usually available at a lower price than if prescribed at a regular clinic. Additionally, crutches, splints and other medical equipment can be loaned or purchased through SMS.

The staff at SMS includes a board-certified family physician, a part-time orthopedic surgeon, two certified nurse practitioners, two registered nurses, and an X-ray technician. Nursing and medical students may also work in the clinic, but if the student feels more comfortable with a certain professional, he or she can request that person when they schedule their appointment.

SMS prefers that students schedule an appointment ahead of time so that the student can be seen as soon as possible and not have to wait for an available moment if they are a walk-in. Appointments can be scheduled online at or by calling the office at (806) 651-3287.

If a student has a cold and the appointment isn’t immediate, he or she can swing by the SMS office located in the Virgil Henson Activities Center, Room 104, to pick up a cold pack that will supply the student with Tylenol, a tea bag, and antihistamines to help until the scheduled appointment.

Healthy Mind

Stress also affects the relationships people have, lifestyle choices, and the way they choose to study or not to study. WT offers a counseling program that will help students with temporary issues or career choices.

The Student Counseling Services offers a wide variety of programs that can be fine-tuned to help a student. The most basic is personal counseling.

Students are offered a maximum of 10 free personal counseling sessions through the school year. In these sessions, students sit with a certified counselor to discuss any issue bothering them from sexual identity issues to academic stress. The SCS also provides bio-feedback, couples counseling, pre-marital counseling, substance recovery group and other group sessions.

Personal counseling sessions are scheduled as needed. If students feel that after one session, things have been resolved, then they do not have to return for another session. If students and counselor agree that more sessions are needed, then future appointments can be planned.

During bio-feedback, students sit in a chair that monitors different aspects of the student’s behavior and nervous system. The feedback that is received is to be used to help a student learn to relax and ease out of stressful situations.

“Bio-therapy is a computer program that teaches you relaxation,” Leann Gables said, an SCS professional counselor. “It takes some measurements like temperature and heart rate from your body to tell you how your body is handling stress. It then teaches you some skills to lower your stress and anxiety. It is unlimited sessions, in fact, you could come do it every single day, you don’t have to schedule an appointment.”

For couples counseling, only one member of the couple has to be a registered student at WT for the couple to be eligible for sessions. SCS also helps students to save money by providing them with the pre-marital counseling necessary in the state of Texas to waive a marriage license fee.

“The state of Texas has decided that if couples attend 10 sessions of pre-marital counseling, they can get the marriage license fee waived,” Gables said. “We offer that Thursdays at noon and at least once a semester we have an eight hour seminar to get it all taken care of.”

“This semester we have a new group session called ‘Healthy You’ just to show students that they aren’t the only person with anxiety, depression or whatever transitional issues they have,” Leo Reid said, an SCS professional counselor. “This is just to get a group of students together so they don’t walk around the hallway by themselves thinking they’re the only one with problems. It’s an open group and you can come as many times as you want.”

To become involved with “Healthy You”, students can sign up at SCS. The groups will meet Tuesdays from 3 to 4 PM.

Students must make appointments before coming in for services. Missed appointments without prior notification from the student are counted as one of the 10 free sessions that students receive.

The SCS is a confidential office that will not release any information to anyone, including a parent if the student is 18 or older, unless the student gives written permission.

Students Hammer in the Gift of Giving

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Cecile Charles

PHOTO | Frankie Sanchez

Students from across the WTAMU campus came together last Wednesday and Thursday (April 14-15) in their second attempt this month to raise awareness about living conditions in third-world areas.

During “Shack-A-Thon,” students from several different majors and backgrounds signed up to build a “shack” and then spent the night in it on the lawn between Old Main and Cousins Hall.

The shacks were built out of wooden pallets, cardboard, duck tape, plastic tarp and anything else the students could find.

“Shack-A-Thon” was created in 2007 by Buffs for Christ in an effort to fund an AIDS clinic in Kenya. The event was so successful in raising cause awareness and monetary donations that other campus organizations made “Shack-A-Thon” an annual base event for different causes. In 2008, students with Baptist Student Ministries championed the “Invisible Children” in Uganda, and now for the second year in a row, the WT Alliance has hosted “Give-A-Goat” in Sudan as the cause. Continue reading →

Bare Your Sole

Posted on April 8, 2010 by Cecile Charles

PRAIRIE | FRANKIE SANCHEZ

Many children across the world don’t have the money to purchase a new pair of shoes every time they have a bad day, or at any time for that matter, but Blake Mycoskie is making an effort to change that.

In 2006, Mycoskie founded a company based out of Santa Monica, California that was dedicated to stopping the spread of podoconiosis in areas where people can’t afford shoes. Podoconiosis is a condition commonly found in wet, volcanic highlands, which causes the legs to swell, cutting off circulation of lymph vessels. The legs of victims are no longer able to drain properly causing permanent inflammation and bacterial infection.

Mycoskie and volunteers decided that for every pair of shoes they could sell, they would donate one pair to a person in need. The company was originally created under the premise of “Tomorrow’s Shoes,” now shortened to TOMS.

Many universities, high schools and church groups around the nation, have created a TOMS Day, which gives participants a chance to purchase a pair of the shoes and decorate them. WT has now joined this tradition with their very own TOMS Day this year.

During a “Style Your Soles” party, students will be able to personalize their own canvas shoes while live music and games are happening.

However, before students can decorate their shoes and have fun, TOMS has asked them to recognize how they are helping people by going shoe-less for an entire day.

During “One Day Without Shoes,” on April 8, Student Government will have a foot painting party letting students proudly display their bare feet.

The actual shoe decorating will be happening the next day, Friday April 9. Student Government will have art supplies and tables set up on the west side of Old Main, directly in front of faculty parking, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

“We will have some art majors there for people who don’t want or know how to decorate their own shoes,” junior Rafeea Almas said.

PRAIRIE | FRANKIE SANCHEZ

For students that didn’t purchase TOMS, but still want to participate, Student Government is inviting students to bring a plain white t-shirt to decorate instead for the “Style Your Soles” party.

“We will also be handing out CDs, books and door prizes during the party,” Student Body Vice President Tim Vela said.

Shirts sporting the official TOMS logo purchased for the event coordinators will be available for purchase to the students during the party.

During the decorating, Five Floors Above will be performing and KWTS will be broadcasting live from the event.

“In the future, Student Government is going to try to host the ‘Style Your Soles’ party on ‘One Day Without Shoes,’ which is a national holiday,” Vela said.

Readership 2010

Posted on March 25, 2010 by Cecile Charles

PHOTO | Kendra Campbell

The freshmen class of 2010 read “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini as the common reader. The WT readership program was created to give freshmen a common experience that would expose them to the world outside of their own.

Every year the common reader is incorporated into the academics of freshmen level courses such as English or history.

This program encourages freshmen to look outside of themselves and carefully evaluate the world around them as they learn of hardships faced by others. In fact, this Spring Break a select group of freshmen traveled to Turkey to experience life in the Middle East, which was the setting of the book.

The students were able to live in the homes of several Turkish families as they volunteered to teach English at the local school in Goreme.

“I was really nervous about living with a family, but all the kids had letters and pictures that we had sent them earlier in the semester and were searching our faces trying to find their house guests,” Jaqueline Cervantes said.

Some families were more proficient than others at English, making communication complicated for some students.

“It was really hard trying to adapt to their life, but the hospitality they showed was amazing,” Miguel Garcia said.

Several students agreed that the hospitality and warmth they received from the Turkish families was astounding and made them feel much more at ease.

“It seemed like the kids were my own little brothers and sisters that I’ve known my whole life,” Tiffani Garcia said.

Once the students had a few days to grow accustomed to the new environment and culture, they spent their mornings volunteering to teach English at the local school on Monday through Wednesday. They spent the afternoons as a group touring local landmarks and historic locations. The evenings were spent with the group of students discussing the events that had occurred throughout the day.

“We were all put into situations where we had to perservere,” said Tiffani Garcia. “It made us better people in the end.

Art for Art’s Sake

Posted on March 4, 2010 by Cecile Charles

PHOTO | Frankie Sanchez

The landscape around Amarillo and Canyon is known for its dry and barren lands, the art community taking roots in the area is not. With the opening of several new art galleries including Studio 502, Vermillion Editions Limited and Blue Sage Galleries, artists have more of a chance to expose their creations.

“Stanley Marsh has already opened the door for the art world with his unique street signs and the Cadillac Ranch,” local artist Taylor Meyer said.

Area artists feel that the spirit and confidence of the local movement is growing. A professor at Amarillo College, John Chaka, noted both Amarillo College and WTAMU have “revamped” their studios and classes, giving younger artists a safe environment to try new things.

“The students bring a ‘garage art,’ or rough inexperience mixed with passion to the classes,” Chaka said.

This environment, coupled with the experience of older and more academically trained artists, has brought an enthusiasm that shows in the creation of new galleries and the renovations of older ones.

But the growth is not limited to the Amarillo area. People like Chaka agree that the overall collective of art communities throughout the nation are changing.

“It’s not so taboo to be an artist anymore,” Chaka said.

Amarillo encourages art by designating a “free wall” for graffiti where anyone can come and spray paint. Additionally the Cadillac Ranch is open for spray painting or any other form of art.

“I feel it’s nice to have a place to paint worry free, and take your time,” local artist Robert Salcido said.

Alternatively, some artists feel that the non-professional mediums detract from the elegance and poise of the refined academic art they create.

“Younger artists in the area frown upon the academic art,” Chaka said.

These separate schools of thought lead to a wide variety of shows and exhibits that all color the Amarillo art scene.

“We can expect various styles to flourish out of these upcoming generations,” said local artist JP Bernal.

Although there are varying styles among the artists of Amarillo, they still form a supportive collaboration of friends and critics.

“I know I have the support of fellow artists, but I don’t have the support of the community,” Chaka said.

Amarillo may not be a mecca for art, but local artists seem to be happy with the environment they have created.

“If art’s a hobby, have a seat. If you expect a big career, be ready to move and sweat,” Bernal said.

For students who would like to view the creations of local artists, some upcoming shows are the Digital Media show at the 806 on March 5 and another showing at the Vastu gallery at Sunset Galleries also on March 5.

However, for people wishing to show their own art, the Amarillo Museum of Art offers an opportunity for artists of any caliber to hang one piece of their own creation. This specialized show is called “Panhandle Artist Hanging” and will be opening on May 28. Everyone is invited to hang one piece that has been approved by the museum staff starting two days prior to the exhibit opening.

“That’s honor,” Chaka said, “to have my thousand dollar piece be next to the eight year old boy who drew his mom, his dad and his cat, Mittens, who is seven feet tall and hugging the whole family. That kid has guts to do it.”

The Votes are In…

Posted on March 3, 2010 by Cecile Charles

Tim Vela

Tim Vela – Senior, Speech Communication

ARE YOU INTIMIDATED BY THE FOOTPRINTS KIRK LEFT BEHIND?

No, and the reason I’m not is because I have worked alongside Kirk for the last year. I know what to expect and plan to continue Kirk’s plan as well as begin my own.

WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO GIVE WT ONCE YOU HAVE BEEN ELECTED?

I hope to continue to give the students an even bigger voice in our University than what Kirk has already worked hard to achieve.

WHY DO YOU WANT THE PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE?

For starters, it has a window. But in all seriousness, I feel that I am well qualified to serve as Student Body President and have a passion for this University.

WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A LION, PTERODACTYL OR KANGAROO? AND WHY?

I would consider myself a Lion because of my leadership abilities, and I feel that I can get most anything done. Plus, I have a beard.

Ben Abiola

Ben Abiola – Junior, Corporate Communication

ARE YOU INTIMIDATED BY THE FOOTPRINTS KIRK LEFT BEHIND?

Yes, I am. Kirk was a great President and has certainly set the bar.

WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO GIVE WT ONCE YOU HAVE BEEN ELECTED?

I want to give WT the credibility it deserves. This is the greatest University in the nation, in my opinion, and it’s time people start to know it. I want to be the voice of the students and represent everyone equally.

WHY DO YOU WANT THE PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE?

I want this position for the simple fact that I believe my ideas and my passion for this University will take us far. I have the drive and passion to take this student body to a higher plateau.

WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A LION, PTERODACTYL OR KANGAROO? AND WHY?

A lion, because I’m fierce and have tenacity!

Trav Ruiz

Trav Ruiz – Broadcasting, Sophomore

ARE YOU INTIMIDATED BY THE FOOTPRINTS KIRK LEFT BEHIND?

I think Kirk did a great job, but intimidation is not the word… I am inspired by the footprints Kirk left.

WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO GIVE WT ONCE YOU HAVE BEEN ELECTED?

I hope to help give WT the recognition it truly deserves. I want to be a true representative of the student body when it comes to WT being on any media outlet.

WHY DO YOU WANT THE PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE?

I want to make a difference. It’s important to me that I make a mark and this is a way I can help others and have fun while doing it. I love representing this University, and this is the perfect role for me.

WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A LION, PTERODACTYL OR KANGAROO? AND WHY?

I’m a kangaroo because I care. I care about everyone just like kangaroos.