Thank you, Hollywood: 5 Films to Celebrate Thanksgiving

At the drop of a hat, anyone can name their go-to Halloween and Christmas movies. Yet, when it comes to Thanksgiving, many find themselves at a loss to name more than one film dedicated to this wholesome holiday. To get you acquainted, here’s a list of five films that capture the essence of Thanksgiving.

First on the list is the 1987 road trip comedy, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Directed by John Hughes, this masterpiece captures the mayhem and warmth of Thanksgiving, painting a picture of frantic holiday travel that’s as hilarious as it is touching. Steve Martin and John Candy’s performances are a delightful pairing, much like turkey and stuffing.

Next is a nostalgic nod to our childhoods with A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. This animated classic not only entertains but imparts the timeless lesson of gratitude and the importance of community during the holidays. Charlie Brown’s makeshift feast is a tender reminder that the spirit of Thanksgiving isn’t found in the grandeur of the meal, but in the company we share it with.

Third is Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters, a film that stretches beyond the Thanksgiving holiday to explore the intertwined lives of its characters. Thanksgiving serves as the pivotal junction for the film’s beginning, middle, and end, framing the narrative with a sense of continuity and reflection that’s as rich and complex as a Thanksgiving feast itself.

In fourth place is Pieces of April. This indie film offers a unique perspective on Thanksgiving, focusing on the efforts of the protagonist, April, to host a dinner for her estranged family. It reflects the complexities of modern family relationships.

Finally, Home for the Holidays rounds out the list. This film dives deep into the dysfunction that often accompanies family gatherings, wrapped in a humorous and poignant package. Directed by Jodie Foster, the film delves into the humorous and touching aspects of family gatherings, highlighting both the comedic and tender moments of the holiday experience.

As Thanksgiving Day unfolds, with many eyes set on football games, there’s always room to squeeze in a Thanksgiving film or two. Between the games and the halftime shows, these movies offer a perfect reprieve, enriching the holiday with laughter and heartfelt stories. So, consider diversifying your holiday entertainment with one of these classic films, each offering a unique perspective on the essence of the holiday.

The T-Line Bus Stop at TAMUT Campus

The T-Line bus now stops on Texas A&M University-Texarkana’s campus, opening up transportation options for students around town. The route this bus follows gives students access to Richmond Road as well as the transfer station to take other buses around town to the students’ desired destination.

In the past, the T-Line made a stop at TAMUT when it was connected to Texarkana College, but when TAMUT first moved to its current location on University Avenue, fewer students needed the bus stop. However, now there are approximately 300 students that live on campus and many others that commute to classes every week making the need for transportation options a lot higher. In August, the T-Line was on campus full time again.

Dr. Alytrice Brown, Assistant Vice President of Student Life, was on the committee that worked to bring the T-Line back to campus and states that she would like to see a second bus stop added to campus in the future. “I’d like to see a bus stop in front of the Science and Technology Building in the big parking area for route six and I’d like to see the bus that stops in front of BLV for route seven,” she said. Dr. Brown has heard firsthand of how the bus has helped several students in times of need of transportation. “I really think the students are using it and it’s been a huge help,” she said. Dr. Brown also added, “I’ve heard from a few students who’ve said that it’s been a real important piece of what they needed and what was missing because they can go grocery shopping,” she said.

When seeking out students on campus to speak about their perspective on the T-Line, a limited number of students who were interviewed had mixed feelings about their experience. One student said that a downside to their bus ride experience was that they were asked to quiet down multiple times. “We got told to lower our volume…We can’t even whisper?,” said John Droke. A student also expressed some confusion about where all of the stops were along the route. “They didn’t tell us where we were going,” said Andrea Loredo. Dr. Brown and some faculty members plan to look into the situation to ensure that student experiences with the bus are the best that they can be.

The affordable price of the bus ride was one thing that students appreciated. “For $1 for it to drive you all around Texarkana, it’s not bad,” said John Droke. Another student stated that “Overall, it is a great choice for students. While the ride may be a bit bumpy, the price is great and it doesn’t take very long to get from one place to the other,” said Andrea Loredo.

The T-Line bus that stops on campus is on route six that runs along Richmond Road. The buses start their routes at 5:30 a.m. and the last bus of the day comes around 6:20 p.m.. The bus comes to TAMUT Monday-Friday every hour at 46 minutes after and waits for three minutes before continuing on the route. The cost to ride the bus is $1 one way or $20 for a monthly pass that includes unlimited rides.

A Nail-biting Game To Remember

Rain or shine, our Eagles make it right! The Eagles took on Jarvis Christian this past Thursday for their 17th game in their 2023-24 season. They played at their home turf of Judy Kelley Morgan Field, where they have been evenly matched with a 4-4 win-loss record. This game is important because if lost, they would not have qualified to compete in the upcoming Conference Tournament.

The match starts with Jarvis Christian kicking off and keeping control but soon the Eagles take possession when JC tries to push down field. Fouls begin happening with JC fouling Damilare Origunloye and the Eagles getting a free kick. This would start the cascade of fouls that begin to unfold from both teams in this tough game. The foul that was the most important in this first half was one that was unfortunately done by our own Coastes Heckman which looked like maybe a grab towards the other player that caused the call. This free kick would allow JC to put themselves on the board with a shot that was more than half the length of the field, putting the score at 1-0 Jarvis Christian leading.

For the remainder of the first half, it was very back and forth between both teams. There was a yellow card given to Dante Zavala for what looked like too high of a kick hitting the opposing team member. Not too long after, Jaret Rojas received a  yellow card for an unintentional headbutt given to the other team’s player. With no more scores, the first half came to an end.

The second half begins with an Eagles kick off, trailing still with Jarvis Christian leading with a 1-0 score. There was back and forth at the beginning but then fouls started stirring up again with JC fouling our own Patrick Cowley just about 25 feet from the opposing goal. With a strong kick, it sadly does not make it, barely missing the top crossbar. The tension continues with shortly after another foul being called that was done to Emmanuel Mubanga allowing a free kick right on the center line with a nice kick that ends up being a goal kick for the JC Bulldogs. The ball is juggled between both teams for possession and with the Eagles still down by 1 they need to quickly score to keep their ranking of 8th to be able to qualify.

With nothing happening and the time clock steadily counting down, with just five minutes remaining the Eagles get fouled inside the goal box resulting in a 1-on-1 penalty kick. This is exactly what our Eagles need to secure a possible tie and even the playing field. Oluwafisayo Oduwole goes up for the kick and shoots a beautiful top left shot making the score 1-1! For the rest of the match it was back and forth with a few fouls and another yellow card given to JC’s goalie because of unsportsmanlike conduct by kicking the ball over the fence during a pause.

Overall, a very stressful game for the Eagles but in the end they were able to pull through and score a goal to tie it up leaving their home games scores at 4-4-1 and overall record being 9-8-1, allowing them to go and compete in the Red River Athletic Conference. Go Eagles !

The Augmented University: The Challenges and Opportunities of Generative AI

Artificial intelligence (AI), a transformative technological force that has continued evolving over the past seven decades, has manifested in remarkable innovations, ranging from automated vacuum cleaners to compact virtual assistants. Since its inception in the 1950s, AI has left an indelible mark on our lives, revolutionizing how we work, interact, and solve complex problems. In this exploration, the Program for Learning and Community Engagement: Ethics of AI Series seminar delved into the evolution and impact of artificial intelligence by guest speaker tracing its journey from its budding stages to the cutting-edge applications that have become integral to our daily existence.

The Program for Learning and Community Engagement is co-sponsored by the Office for Teaching and Faculty Advancement and the Technology Innovations and Digital Education. The departments brought in a guest speaker, Jerry Sheehan, current Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at San Diego State University (SDSU). In the information technology division, he oversees deploying infrastructure and services and supporting the university’s learning and outreach.

Jerry Sheehan opened up the seminar into basic terminology and concepts about the brief history of generative artificial intelligence from its inception to the breakthrough in 2023 with the notable company OpenAi, the creators of ChatGPT. The core concept of artificial intelligence is based on the components of language models and computer sciences with a principle that human intelligence can be defined in a way that a machine can imitate and engage in tasks known as the ‘Imitation Game’ coined by Alan Turig, one of the founding fathers behind machine learning and intelligence. There are three concepts from the presentations shown to attendees, ‘The Jagged Frontier,’ the adoption of generative artificial intelligence among users, and autopilot.

The ‘Jagged Frontier’ is an experiment that reported evidence of the effects of AI and the knowledge of workers, productivity, and quality, published by the Harvard Business School, Technology and Operations Management. The study was of two groups. One used ChatGPT AI and the other as the control, and they reported that the capabilities of ChatGPT AI created a “jagged technological frontier” where AI can quickly do some tasks. Some things are outside of the capabilities of the current AI. It was reported that the AI group had a 40% higher quality than the control group and consultants. During the significant year of generative AI, ChatGPT reached one million users in five days in comparison to other media companies, which has the highest adoption rate among people globally training the AI by machine learning, and the up-and-down arrow when information presented by AI as factual, which may be incorrect or incomprehensible to humans.

Mr. Sheehan surveyed SDSU student population, which studied approximately 32,700 students and received an estimated 25% of students providing feedback on what tools they used to identify students’ attitudes and needs with generative AI, not excluding ChatGPT. While keeping students’ identities anonymous, there were categories that they could place themselves under, like their disciplines and age demographics. Among the qualitative research, SDSU students were concerned about being flagged for academic dishonesty while their peers were actively committing academic dishonesty, how that affects the trust and power dynamic there with faculty. Some students were also concerned that it would give others an advantage and put them at a disadvantage because of the accessibility of these tools, or that having access to these tools would make the individual’s performance decrease which leads to autopilot. The autopilot feeling said by Mr. Sheehan is like “ falling asleep at the wheel… the machine can only imitate it is not actually thinking”.

“Don’t ask and don’t, AI’’ said Mr. Sheehan. “The conscious feeling among faculty and administration of knowing that students are utilizing AI, but not saying anything could lead to a dangerous situation by not acknowledging it, and [we] can start with an open conversation about generative AI” said Mr. Sheehan. AI is a nuanced complex subject with no one-fit policy or corrective action to accommodate the vast amount of variables because among all the disciplines they have different attitudes and ways they can utilize AI. At the end of the talk, the one-word strategy is to engage with the unknowing parts of generative AI.

Eagles dominate Dallas Christian College with an incredible 3-point lead

TEXARKANA, TX — The A&M – Texarkana Eagles took flight during their Wednesday night non-conference matchup against Dallas Christian College. This performance recorded their 21st win of the season, granting The Eagles a spot for success during Saturday’s double-header matchup against Texas College. 

With a 21-8 season lead, the Eagles held a superior set score of 25-23, 25-17, 25-22, but that was hardly a match against the Crusader’s fallen season total of 5-15. The Eagles started strong with Zulecia Cruz, Sasha Bajek, Ja’Kerra Holt, Katherine Toftemark, Mia Mata, and Alanna Deering taking the court. 

TAMUT had an average hit score of .133 to the  Crusader average of .061, with the home advantage of 16 hitting errors, 8 receiving errors, and 4 serving errors bolstering the final score. The Eagles fly high with 18 outstanding members,10 of which conducted at least one kill. 

Alanna Deering posted the score with a .353 hitting percentage, following an attack with 9. Zulecia Cruz and Kimberlee Joyce led with assists while Syklar Stanley and Katherine Toftenmark had a pair of blocks. 

When speaking with setter, Zulecia Cruz, on the team’s season performance, she says, “The main goals we wanted to accomplish this season were having effortless communication, getting 2% better each day, having a better overall record, and making sure we are having fun.” This has become apparent through the team’s hard work and dedication reflecting the scoreboard. 

The Eagles face their double-header season finale against Texas College this Saturday at noon. The team will also recognize members of its graduating class. 

Campus Spotlight: No Fear Career Fair

Texas A&M University-Texarkana is hosting a ‘No Fear Career Fair’ on Friday, October 27th, the event will be held in Eagle Hall from 12pm-2pm. Boasting a variety of vendors, the event isn’t limited to a specific handful of majors, instead, it encompasses the wide range of talent that A&M offers. “We encourage all students to attend.” Says Tommy Tye, TAMUT’s College Experience Coach and lead coordinator of the event. “The event is open to all students and majors…You never know what the employers are looking for.” 

The goal of the event is to connect students with potential future employers in fields that align with course offerings at TAMUT. This can be a daunting challenge for students worried about making good first impressions. Tommy offers advice to students, “Face your fear and do it. Getting a job isn’t easy, but if you don’t face the discomfort you’ll never grow.” He continued, “The worst they can do is say no, and even if they do, you’ll have bettered your networking skills.” 

Tommy also recommends visiting booths from smaller companies, “Small local companies sometimes are even better than the big wigs when it comes to career opportunities. You just have to know where to look.” Some of the local businesses expected to be present are Christus Saint Michael’s, Texarkana Texas Police Department, and Ledwell Machinery.

Months of preparation allowed TAMUT to gather 19 vendors from outside of campus and 4 internal vendors for a total of 23 unique booths available for students to interact with. This year’s career fair differs from previous ones that had a smaller focus on just a few majors. After new research showed the ineffectiveness of focused events on smaller campuses, the Advising and Career Experience (ACE) team expanded the event to a campus-wide career fair. 

The team at ACE invites you to visit the No Scare Career Fair and network with potential future employers. Any questions or inquiries can be made by contacting Tommy at ttye@tamut.edu or by calling the ACE Center at (903)-334-6690. The ACE Center is located on the first floor of the UC building.

Win for Women’s soccer

A gloomy day in Texarkana looks bright as the TAMUT soccer teams hit the pitch. Thursday, October 26th Texas A&M University-Texarkana’s women’s soccer team won 2-0 against Jarvis Christian College. The game was back and forth, but Johanna Rodriguez scored 2 to secure the game.

The game was close 0-0 until Johanna received a foul in the Jarvis penalty box. She slid the ball in the bottom right corner to bring the score to 1-0. That is the only goal made in the first half.

After halftime, the TAMUT Eagles needed to ensure Jarvis couldn’t score. With Abigail, the 2022 all-defensive player, in the backfield they knew they could stop anything Jarvis threw at them. The Eagle’s defense did not allow many shots on goal, and those on target were saved by the goalie.

Towards the end of the game, Johanna scored again to bring the score to 2-0 and secure the win for TAMUT. She said this after their win “It was hard, unlucky, but it felt great scoring two goals coming back into it, it was amazing. Personally, it made my confidence go up.”

After the game Coach Don Koontz had this to say “It was a tough win, it’s been rainy and muggy all day.” When asked about Johanna he said, “Yeah, we needed her to come in, and we scored two goals.”.

Despite the weather, the Eagles were able to win at home. The men’s team tied their game that night. Just 2 days later the women’s team won at home again against Texas College with a score of 12-0. The wins mean a lot to the players since it is senior night.

The Making of a Halloween Tradition

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is a cult classic film that has left a memorable mark on cinema and pop culture. Directed by Jim Sharman and based on the stage musical of the same name, this 1975 musical-comedy-horror raree-show is a spectacle that must be experienced. On October 27th, 2023, at 8:00 p.m., Texarkana’s local theatre, The Perot Theatre, hosted the interactive movie. 

The foundation of the film revolves around a newly engaged couple, Brad and Janet, who find themselves stranded one night amid a rainstorm. They seek refuge at the castle of scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter and his rogue band of misfits. As the night unfolds, the couple is introduced to a world of gender-bending, sexuality, and musical numbers, which ultimately leads to a freakish and unpredictable series of events.

A Perot Theatre employee, Andrea Loredo, said, “This is the second year that the Perot has put on The Rocky Horror Film Show, and we are hoping maybe it will become a tradition.” According to the event page on Facebook, 137 people went, and 859 people were interested in attending. 

Those in attendance could choose a general admission ticket for $17 or the “Virgin Package,” which included the ticket and prop kit for $27. In addition, the theatre encouraged people to dress in their “Transylvanian best!”

“A lot of people did dress on theme. Some show up dressed as characters from the movie, and others came dressed with the vibe of it,” said Andrea. The guest was encouraged to get up and dance, and those with the Virgin Kits threw rose petals during the movie’s wedding scene, creating an immersive cinematic event. 

“Because of how long ago the movie came out, there are some people who have never experienced it on the big screen, so it’s just a way to see it on a big screen as well as with the audience interaction.” Said, Andrea. Although the movie has been out for almost 50 years, it still excites its audience. 

The film is packed with grabby songs that have become iconic, such as “Time Warp” and “Sweet Transvestite” and embraces an outlandish and burlesque style, which adds to its charm. The film creates a unique, even a bit bizarre, atmosphere that’s unconventional, entertaining, and visually striking, making the Perot Theatre’s event an enjoyable social phenomenon to add to your Halloween traditions.

“We’re better than we were last year but we’re not as good as we’re gonna be next year.”

                        September 22 marked the end of the Texas A&M Texarkana women’s tennis teams fall season.  The team is now in the building stage coming off this season and is already preparing for the coming spring season. This year marks the first time the team has had a full complement of six players.  The team consists of: Lakyn Austin, Andrea Barcenas, Andrea Costillo, Kenzie Feist, Lydia Oviedo, Tatum Sikes and Jaelee Young, with new recruits said to be on their way for the coming 2024.

            Coach Joe Parish is the head of the women’s tennis team and when asked what the best matches he saw from this year were he said “the one I was most pleased with was a few weeks back… LSU-Shreveport that was a really, really good match. These were players in the ranking system in the UTR [universal tennis ranking] and we were ranked pretty similar and we were pretty close, and we came out on top.” These matches were held September 22, the last games played, in Shreveport, Louisiana.

             For the tennis team there are two seasons: spring and fall. Spring season is where the team works to boost their individual rankings and fall season is more of a training season to prepare for spring. During this time they go far and wide sparing against teams. The team can travel as far as New Orleans or Kansas City. But while at home both women’s and men’s teams practice at Texarkana College. The home games are also held their as well, but a new tennis court is going to be built at TAMUT in the coming future.

 TAMUT is not a sports school but to play on a college level is still a very tough task. And those who are already at a professional level do not usually go to university. And after college many of the women won’t play anymore. So to make up for this the tennis team wants to be able to succeed in life without tennis. It is used as a way to teach how to live with honor and dignity and to compete and work hard. Coach Parish said “We want them to win every match they can but we understand that this is just part of their life. And the main thing of course is their academics.”

Tennis is a very individualistic sport, much like boxing or wrestling. And just like those it takes a lot of self-drive and dedication to be in it. The women might be a team and have coaches but during and after a match it is a one on one affair. In this break time before the next season the TAMUT women are honing themselves, still hungry and ready for more. Ready to take on anyone in this upcoming year and ready to make it the best one yet.

Red River Innovation Lab for the Humanities: Reboot

In anticipation of the reopening of the Red River Innovation Lab for the Humanities (RRILH) at Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT), I spoke with Dr. Drew Morton, the program’s director, to learn about the upcoming development. While specific reopening dates are still being finalized, the lab – located in UC 323 – is preparing for a soft opening to introduce the campus community to its resources.

Morton said, “We’re still waiting on IT to get the broadband infrastructure set up in the lab so that eSports and the Innovation Lab can share the same space.” The soft opening, he said, “would just entail introducing folks to the space and [give] them a sense of the hardware and software we offer. I’m really excited about our Zenbooth recording booth that we just got.” For those unfamiliar with Zenbooth, envision a modern phone booth designed to create an ideal quiet environment by reducing sound entering and exiting the booth.

One highlight of the lab is its equipment rental service, offering digital SLR cameras, microphones, and more. Access to the lab’s computers, Zenbooth, and general space is facilitated through the ACME suite (321S). Importantly, the RRILH is accessible to all students, with no constraints on equipment or software usage aside from what the library currently imposes.

The RRILH also holds various events and workshops: “Before the pandemic, we brought in a lot of guest speakers from all over the country on Zoom. We had Henry Jenkins from USC do a guest lecture for us on democracy and social media, for instance. We also did tech tutorials on Adobe software and cameras regularly. The goal is to teach our community how they can use new technology to reimagine their scholarship and creative work,” Morton said.

Regarding upcoming speakers, Morton is working on plans, but due to the challenges of reopening the physical space, long-term scheduling is still in progress. He expressed interest in inviting Logan Buck, an honors student who is completing a thesis project on video games in collaboration with Morton.

For now, Morton said that this year is a reboot, and his goal is to “get that space open to the public and [get] the word out about what [the RRILH] can offer to the campus, whether that’s letting professors know they can draw upon our cameras and podcasting equipment to reimagine their classroom assignments or research projects or students know they can use our Macs to create posters for their student organization or club on Photoshop.”