The Daily Gaggle

The SMU Mustangs (4-4, 3-1 C-USA) host the Rice Owls (0-8, 0-4 C-USA) at Ford Stadium as part of SMU’s Homecoming. Kick off on 30 minutes.

The Mustangs hold a 45-40-1 edge in the series over Rice, despite the Owls winning the past three games between the in-state rivals.

1/11:21  K.Padron handoff to No.8 Shawnbrey McNeal for 1st down to Rice 47.

1/ 10:19 K.Padron sacked by Rice Travis Bradshaw, fumbles ball, recovered by SMU No.79 J.T. Brooks

1/9:28 K.Padron 36 yd. pass to Emmanuel Sanders to Rice 7.

1/8:56 Shawnbrey McNeal 8 yd. touchdown; Matt Szymanski PAT good.

Mustangs 7. Rice 0.

1/ 8:11 Rice Fumble by Jeremy Goodson, recovered by SMU’s Chase Kennemer  on Rice 30.

1/7:24 K.Padron pass intended for Terrance Wilkerson intercepted by Rice, touchback. Owls on their own 20. Padron’s first interception of the season.

1/6:33 Rice 21 yd. pass, 1st down on Rice 44.

1/3:39 Rice5 yd. gain on 3rd and 5 for 1st down on SMU 9 yd. line.

1/2:39 Patrick Randal 11 yd. touchdown. PAT Good. SMU 7. Rice 7.

1/1:38 SMU fumble by K.Padron  recovered by Rice on SMU 33.

1/1:26 Rice 33 yd. touchdown pass, PAT blocked by SMU’s Margus Hunt, Pete Fleps brings ball back to SMU 30. SMU 7, Rice 13. Hunt passes SMU record with six career blocks on the season.

End 1st quarter. SMU 7, Rice 13.

2/1:41 23 yd touchdown by Emmanuel Sanders, PAT good. SMU 14, Rice 20.

2/:01 Margus Hunt blocks Rice FG, Bryann McCann runs ball back 74 yards for SMU TD. PAT good. SMU 21, Rice 20.

HALFTIME. SMU 21, Rice 20.

3/10:31 Margus Hunt blocks Rice field goal. Second time this season Hunt has blocked two kicks in one game.

3/9:30 K.Padron to E.Sanders for 30 yards, 1st down. SMU on Rice 39.

3/7:33 K.Padron to A. Robinson to Rice 15 for 1st down.

3/4:27 SMU 23 yd. field goal by Matt Szymanski good. SMU 24, Rice 20.

3/2:48 E. Sanders returns Rice kick to 32 yd. line.

3/ S.McNeal rushes to Rice 40. Penalty: holding on SMU, personal foul on SMU = offset. SMU 2nd down on own 24.

End 3rd quarter: SMU 24, Rice 20

3/14:03 K.Padron sacked for 8 yd. loss, 4th down SMU.

3/13:22 Chase Kennemer from SMU recovers Rice fumble at Rice 24.

3/10:12 Shawnbrey McNeal 9 yd. touchdown. PAT good. SMU 31, Rice 20. (SMU has 24 unanswered points against the Owls)

SMU released a crime alert after a female student was robbed at knifepoint on Wednesday around 3:30 p.m.

The suspect tapped the student on her shoulder and said “Give me your purse” as she was walking through the Hamon Arts Library parking lot to her residence hall.

The student said “No,” and the suspect then “ran ahead of her and pushed her backward, grapping her purse.”

The two struggled, and the suspect cut the student’s upper arm three or four times with a knife.

Police issued a description of the suspect and a composite sketch (pictured):

The student described the suspect as a black male 25-35 years old, about 6 feet 2 inches tall and 175 pounds, with a bald head and unshaven face. He was wearing a shiny, bright orange jacket zipped up to his neck, blue shorts, and sunglasses on his head.

If you’ve got information, contact SMU PD at 214-768-3333 or police@smu.edu. Anonymous tips can be made to 214-SMU-2TIP or smu.edu/2tip.

Let this be a lesson to us all: personal possessions are not as important as your personal safety. If threatened, give up your purse. Credit cards can be replaced.

Homecoming is filled with SMU traditions. But this year, one of the longest-running isn’t happening.

As I first reported for The Daily Update (SMU-TV’s news program), the Mustang Band is not putting on the Pigskin Revue this year because of budget problems. Basically, they’ve been losing money on the show for quite some time.

How did this happen? Mustang Band Director Don Hopkins says it began in the early 90s when the Greek system pulled out of the show. After that, it sort of became a “band thing,” instead of a University tradition. Most of the attendees were band alumni and parents. The show just wasn’t sustainable this way.

It takes more than $6,000 to put on the show, and most of expenses come from renting out McFarlin Auditorium for the performance.

Hopkins says the show hasn’t closed for good. He hopes to revitalize it; but he wants it to be a “University thing,” not just a band thing.

Photo

The two new mustangs given by philanthropist Madeleine Pickens will play a role in Saturday’s Homecoming game against Rice. The horses will lead the football team from Mustang Plaza into Ford Stadium and will stand at the southwest corner of the field, according to a press release issued by the SMU communications office Friday afternoon.

Peruna, the Mustangs’ official mascot, will then fulfill his generations-long tradition of leading the team from the locker room and onto the field. He also will continue to run across the field after SMU scores and will always be positioned at the end of the field to which the SMU offense is headed.

It looks like a settlement between SMU and Gary Vodicka might finally be settled by the end of this week.

According to The Dallas Morning News:

Asked to predict the likelihood of reaching a binding, written agreement by Friday, Vodicka said “pretty high.”

Both sides are working with an agreement from July that was tossed out by the judge because it was vaguely and hastily written. That agreement caused disputes between both parties, who had different views of what the agreement meant.

Vodicka and SMU are working to have an agreement by Friday. While the financial settlement hasn’t changed from the July agreement, specific points such as whether Vodicka will agree to not take further legal action against George W. Bush or Ray Hunt (SMU trustee who helped bring the Bush Library to SMU).

“SMU will not settle this case unless it brings to an end all final claims that could be asserted against President Bush, Ray Hunt or anyone else,” Lanier [SMU's lawyer Mark Lanier] said. “We’re not going to settle and leave anyone out there.”

If the deal should fall through, Vodicka’s case will go to a jury trial.

However, SMU officials have maintained that they do not need Vodicka’s property to build the library (although his property appeared on early sketches). Should the case to to a trial, SMU will likely begin construction anyway.

Up Next in Bush Library News:

• University Park is considering a proposal to rezone the land for the library, while UP residents to the north of the proposed library site are worried about the increased automobile traffic.
• Detailed plans of the George W. Bush Presidential Center are expected to be released this month.

Students, faculty and staff took to the podium in the Hughes-Trigg Forum Tuesday, Nov. 3, to voice their opinions about the debate surrounding special interest seats.

The galleries in the Hughes-Trigg Forum are full this afternoon as the SMU Student Senate hears from opponents and supporters of the recent legislation proposing the removal of academic affiliation and minority special interest seats from the body.

The bill was removed from today’s agenda, but many members of the SMU community are concerned that the bill when reintroduced will seek to remove ethnic minority representation and therefore perpetuate a host of negative national stereotypes of SMU.

See tomorrow’s Daily Campus for expanded coverage of the debate.

We’ve all heard SMU’s nickname stemming from our stereotypical affluent image.

But with a president who earned more than a million dollars in the 2008 fiscal year, it may be a little deserved.

The median pay and benefits for private college leaders was $358,746, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. That’s up 6.5 percent from 2007. Turner, meanwhile, was paid (total compensation) $1,017,618. That’s up 16 percent from 2007.

He’s one of 23 private college leaders to make more than $1 million in 2008, and the only president in Texas to do so.

(He’s not the highest paid at SMU though–June Jones still makes more than Turner at nearly $2 million a year)

We’ll be bringing you lots of Homecoming news this week, so brace yourselves.

Voting began today for Homecoming King & Queen. It ends Thursday at 5 p.m. Vote here. Here’s a list of candidates. A directory of Facebook events/groups is forthcoming (as is a discussion of whether said pages should be formatted as groups or events).

Student Foundation has a handy guide to homecoming here [PDF].

There’s a Pep Rally tonight at the main flagpole which is encouraging you to vote in homecoming elections. I snapped this photo walking to the newsroom after class today. They’ll be introducing King & Queen candidates at 6 p.m.

Also on the Main Quad: Alpha Phi Omega is sponsoring a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Thursday. Additionally, the painted Perunas on are display. This year’s theme is “Let the Games Begin,” so naturally the Perunas feature board games. Here’s a photo of all of the horses marred by the glare of the fiery sun:

And a closer look at my personal favorite brought to you by Eta Iota Sigma (the Christian sorority) and Men’s Tennis:

It’s Colonel Mustard! From Clue, one of my favorite games and movie.

At first I didn’t realize what it was supposed to represent, but seeing “Clue” made it clear. One has to wonder why they chose Colonel Mustard, instead of Miss Scarlet (school color) or Professor Plum (he’s a professor).

Wednesday’’s event is the Homecoming College Bowl at 5 p.m. in the Hughes-Trigg Ballroom.

SMU has lost 4 of 5 and two in a row. They look to break out of this funk against a fierce conference opponent in the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. Both teams are part of a three way tie at the top of Conference USA, standings that will look decidedly different after today’s match.

Kick off is at 1:00. Live blogging will begin shortly after. Read the rest of this entry »

In a roll-call vote of 32 for and 3 against, the SMU Student Senate overwhelmingly approved a resolution establishing Peruna VIII, the Shetland pony, the University’s official mascot.

See tomorrow’ edition of The Daily Campus for more information.