Author Archives: Jamie Williamson

Campus Safety

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Jamie Williamson

On a bright sunny day no one expects the day to turn into a devastating fight for survival, but that’s exactly what happened in yet another fatal campus shooting. In today’s society campus shootings are happening more and more. It has become such an issue many schools are beginning to train students on the best way to handle a shooting.

President Cutrer sent out an email on Friday October 2 detailing a new “campus carry” law going into effect August 1, 2016. The email goes into detail about how A&M-Texarkana and the A&M system will be developing a plan of action when the law is implemented. A&M-Texarkana is taking this new law very seriously and will keep updating students on its plan of action progress.

Students should be aware of the safety precautions A&M University-Texarkana already has in place in case of an emergency. People do not want to think that something this terrible could happen to them but it is always a possibility. Students should think about the best scenario to escape in a dangerous situation. It is best to keep calm and get as far away from the danger as possible.

Thinking about campus shootings is never pleasant. Students should not have to feel fear when learning. Sadly we do not live in a perfect world, and bad things do happen. Here is a link on campus safety for A&M University-Texarkana. https://www.tamut.edu/About/Administration/University-Police/Campus%20Safety%20Reports.html 

The Record-Breaking 2015 Emmys

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Jamie Williamson

The 2015 Emmys were one for the record books. It was a night for Black women to stand up and be proud. Last night proved that Hollywood is finally breaking away from the traditional race roles in mainstream media. Viola Davis became the first Black woman to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, for her role as Annalise Keating on How to Get Away With Murder.

Another winning moment came when Jon Hamm won his Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy. This win comes after being nominated 16 times, 8 of which were for his character on Mad Men. The actor received a standing ovation from his peers, because this was his last chance to win an Emmy for his Don Draper character.

This year’s Emmys proved they could break the norm when three out of the four actresses who won awards were Black women. This trend should keep happening in Hollywood. The Emmys showed that no matter your skin color, if you are brilliant at your profession then you deserve the recognition.

Emmy winners

The Emmy red carpet also broke tradition when Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls Organization teamed with Twitter and the Television Academy to start a Smart Girls Ask hashtag campaign that wanted to ask women better questions than “who are you wearing?” This gave actresses a chance to engage with young girls who look up to them and have realistic questions. Even though fashion is a big part of the red carpet, this gave women a chance to talk about current events.

Cowboy Up!

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Jamie Williamson

Howdy partners, have you ever wanted to wanted to help students make the same great choice you did and become a part of the Texas A&M Texarkana family? On Friday September 11, 2015, Texas A&M-Texarkana held a meeting for the open house scheduled for October. The meeting was held in room 116 for all volunteers to attend and hash out the details to promote the campus to incoming students. The theme for the open house is western cowboys, so students worked together to come up with decoration and game ideas. The meeting was open to current students looking to do more volunteering and help get the university’s name out there.

Current students, ranging from freshmen to seniors plan to help promote the university to high school seniors looking for a fun college experience. The college students will help the upcoming seniors decide on a possible major. The high school students will get the opportunity to tour the campus and learn more about campus life and all it has to offer.

The open house hopes to promote the university as a diverse and welcome environment to new students. All the current Texas A&M-Texarkana students seemed eager to provide the best experience for everyone attending. The open house will encourage the parents to get involved with the activities along with their children, because the parents are a part of the education process. The students and faculty involved in the first open house meeting were a dedicated group. They want to make the new students feel comfortable making the transition from high to college as seamless as possible. All the thought, preparations, and time put into the open house is sure to make it the best it can be.

The open house is set for October 10, 2015. If anyone would like to volunteer to help out, they are more than welcome and can contact Ellen Wood by email ewood@tamut.edu. She is always looking for more volunteers to make this open house the best it can be. Everyone is welcome to attend the meetings for the open house and make suggestions. The meeting is a great way to make new friends and become involved in campus activities.

Age of Ultron on the Lawn

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Leslie Arietta and Jamie Williamson

Students of Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) were leaving their wallets at home and grabbing their blankets and chairs for the last event of the Best Week Ever. On Friday, August 28th, students from TAMUT and people from the community of Texarkana gathered on the lawn of the University Center to find a comfortable spot to lay their blankets or place their lawn chairs before sunset.

Every year for the first week of classes the Campus Activities Board (CAB) of TAMUT puts together a variety of events and activities for students to attend. For the last event of the week was a free showing of Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. CAB started setting up the inflatable movie screen before sunset, but had some technical difficulties.

While everyone was waiting for the movie screen to be fixed, people were lining up for free popcorn, cotton candy, and water. CAB members kept the entertainment going and dared a few students to take on the bean boozled challenge while waiting. The challenge involved people eating a normal flavor and an odd flavor jelly bean. Kids were dancing to the music and people were sitting around catching up with friends.

Before everyone found a spot and got comfortable, the superheroes of CAB managed to save the night and get the screen projector working. The turnout was maybe enough to fill a movie theatre. People chose their spots on the lawn without worrying about not having enough seats.

What better way to end a Friday night than with a free movie and snacks? It turned out to be an outstanding event, and proved a nice way to unwind after a stressful first week of class. Despite early technical difficulties the Best Week Ever ended successfully.