Daily Toreador 120525

LA

The Texas Tech Trombone Choir’s 60 years of music production are paired with an emphasis on blending genres for its annual Carol of Lights performance.

TRADITION

Dean reflects on 67 years of Carol of Lights

By CHRISTIAN JETER L a Vida Editor

More than 60 years ago, when the university was still Texas Technological College, it was Bill Dean who pulled the switch that lit up Carol of Lights for the first time.

Now, after graduating from Texas Tech in 1961, becoming a husband and father and retiring after a 54-year teaching career, he said the tradition’s amazement hasn’t wavered.

“The magic moment is when the lights come on,” he said.

Dean, a retired associate emeritus professor in public relations and strategic communication management, first flipped the lights when he was student body president back in 1961, the year the Carol of Lights was made official.

Before the celebration became what it is today, Dean said it was initially hosted by Gene Hemmle, former chair and director of Tech’s Department of Music, with a small collection of students drinking hot cocoa and singing Christmas carols in the Science Quadrangle parking lot.

However, after Harold Hinn, a Tech Regent from 195769, donated a large sum of money to purchase lights and decorate the buildings, Carol of Lights quickly began to grow in both size and spectacle.

mainstay of the Tech holiday season.

“I didn’t realize it was going to grow into the tradition that it is today,” Dean said. “Obviously, it was an honor, but I thought this is just one of the things that they want the student body president to do.”

With this December’s celebration marking the 67th Annual Carol of Lights, Dean said the extent to which the event has grown is almost unbelievable.

“When you think back to how meager it was to start with and what it has become, it’s mind-boggling,” he said.

Since pulling that switch back in 1961, Dean said he’s seen the occasion evolve and change many times. Some of the most notable instances have been the addition of more lights, fireworks, drones and musical artists, such as Lost Wax and American Authors during 2023 and 2024’s Carol of Lights, respectively.

Yet, he said one constant has always been the carols, which the community has continued to sing since roughly 50 people huddled together in front of the former Science Building in 1959.

When you think back to how meager it was to start with and what it has become, it’s mind-boggling.

BILL DEAN

TEXAS TECH ASSOCIATE EMERITUS PROFESSOR

Dean said he was invited to kick off the celebration because of his role at the time as student body president. He didn’t expect the tradition, however, to become a

“We sang the same carols. They haven’t changed,” Dean said. “But it was much smaller — the lights only covered a couple of buildings, and the crowds were (small).”

Dean not only pulled the first switch to kick off the celebration, but he was also invited to start Carol of Lights a second time in 2018 for the event’s 60th anniversary.

It was here where he was reminded

Texas Tech associate emeritus

Media and Communication

of the many times he attended the occasions over the years, whether that was by himself as a student or with his wife, Peggy, and their two children.

“It brought back a lot of memories,” he said. “My wife and I, we never missed one.”

Through freezing temperatures, pouring rain and even West Texas heat, Dean said his family never skipped a single Carol of Lights, making sure they saw campus illuminated by red and green each year.

“My wife and I would go, and then we had children,” Dean said. “We would take them through thick and thin, and some nights I was pretty damn cold.”

Facilities Maintenance, in collaboration with a number of Tech

departments, is primarily in charge of putting the lights up around campus beginning in early October through late November.

Rich Cartwright, senior managing director for Facilities Maintenance, has been in charge for roughly 18 years, viewing plenty of Carol of Lights during his time.

He said seeing the lights flip on each year never gets old, showcasing the dedication it takes to get most of the campus prepared for the holiday season.

“You put all this work and manpower into it, and when you actually see it happen, it’s just a good feeling,” Cartwright said.

He said it’s a rewarding experience for anyone who pulls the switch, but

By CORY WHITMAN SportS rEportEr

As Maria Burgess sat on her 15-hour and 45-minute flight from Melbourne, Australia, to Dallas, she wondered what type of environment Lubbock would present on her first visit to the United States since 2023.

Maria Burgess had only heard sto-

ries from her son, Texas Tech senior punter Jack Burgess about West Texas. Nonetheless, she was excited to see her son, arriving in the U.S. on Nov. 5 to watch him walk across the field for Senior Day against the University of Central Florida at Jones AT&T Stadium on Nov. 15.

“I just couldn’t bear the thought of him standing up there with no family

around him, being the poor, old, lonely Aussie,” Maria Burgess said with a laugh.

While a child moving away from home can generally be a hard time for families, it’s even harder for one to move over 8,750 miles away, Maria Burgess said.

She said her perspective of the United States stems from the media ,and he wasn’t completely certain about Jack Burgess going as far as America to pursue punting until some reassurance put her at ease.

“Really, the idea of just coming to America—and the only thing we knew about America was guns, lots of guns,” Maria Burgess said. “ … I did speak to an American in Australia, and she said, ‘Oh, Utah, that’s the safest state’, so I felt good.”

Her only other visit to the U.S. by herself also was to see Jack Burgess, but at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.

Jack Burgess left Australia for Weber State in 2022 after training for several years at Prokick Australia, a Melbourne-based program that trains Australian athletes to become colle-

especially for Dean, given he was the first to officially begin the Carol of Lights itself.

“It’s got to be an emotional feeling, knowing that you did the switch for that day, for that year,” Cartwright said.

Now, after being the very first to pull the switch and seeing over 65 years of the Carol of Lights, Dean said the celebration holds a special place in his heart, even beating out many of his other favorite Tech traditions.

“That would be my favorite tradition: the Carol of Lights,” Dean said. “The Masked Rider at the football game is great, but this involves so many people, and they come from everywhere to see it.”

giate or professional punters or kickers in American football.

She said her son had known about Prokick Australia previously, but he learned more information at an award ceremony for his late father, Ian Burgess.

“When we were driving home from that, he was so excited,” Maria Burgess said. “He said, ‘Mum, do you think I could do this?’ So he’d gone from a state of very depressed because his dad had just died to really excited, and I was like, ‘Anything you want that makes you happy.’”

“He just turned 20 when he left, and he wouldn’t let me come with him,” Maria Burgess said jokingly. “He’d hate me saying it, but I was devastated, but he’s always been really independent.”

Since Jack Burgess has been in Lubbock, he’s been popular among the Red Raiders fans, with students even making Australian flags with his face on it.

I just couldn’t bear the thought of him standing up there with no family around him, being the poor, old, lonely Aussie.

MARIA BURGESS

JACK BURGESS’ MOM

Ian Burgess died in 2020 from a heart attack, Maria Burgess said. He served 22 years in the Royal Australian Air Force, where he ended his service as a Flight Lieutenant. During his time in the Air Force, he met Maria, who was a corporal.

With Jack Burgess leaving for the States in 2022, it was the first time Maria Burgess had been without both her son and Ian Burgess.

Seeing the constant support for her son in his athletic journey, Maria Burgess said she feels he’s found a home away from “The Bush.”

“He was a little worried. He said ,‘Mom, I’m a little worried that they won’t get my sense of humour’ cause he’s a funny guy,” Maria Burgess said.

“He’s settled in really good, and people like him here and that’s great. I love that they’re kind, and I’m really, really proud of the man he’s become.”

@CoryWhitmanDT

Trombone Choir blends genres for Carol of Lights

By SAWYER SPELTZ Features Writer

music department, striving to push the envelope on what a single-instrument choir is capable of performing.

The group regularly practices a wide array of musical

works, including both jazz and classical composition, to put on during select performances throughout the year.

James Decker, director of the group, said practicing

2026 GOALS

and blending these genres is similar to learning a new vernacular.

“It’s really like learning a language,” Decker said. “You learn through study of recordings and imitation, but you also learn the technique of that instrument in terms of form and the ways to most accurately develop.”

While the process of teaching jazz and classical music is similar, Decker said the two art forms possess their own unique aspects that continue to keep them apart.

“Certain things that are done in the classical realm wouldn’t be appropriate for jazz, and vice versa. Classics go for more richness and resonance of sound, and maybe you could say clarity or nobility,” he said. “Jazz is more freely diverse and freely expressive.”

Despite the differences between the two genres, Decker said he believes classical and jazz musicians both have much to learn

from one another to create new music styles and techniques.

“Anyone who learns jazz really does need to have a solid foundation in terms of their technique,” Decker said. “ ... On the flipside of things, I think classical musicians can learn a lot through the creativity of the jazz process and the art of improvisation — whether that be in the jazz realm or other realms — and that can enhance one’s playing and performance ability as well.”

Joshua Weaver, a sixthyear music education and jazz performance major and member of the Tech Trombone Choir, believes major differences lie in the styles and adjustments performers might make when playing either genre.

“Some people’s natural sound on an instrument lends itself better to one or the other. The way I tend to build my sound and the way I tend to think about things leans more on the jazz side,” Weaver said. “I just think a lot of it is that students find success in one or the other and enjoy playing one or the other more.”

Xavier Moncada, a second-year doctoral student studying trombone performance from Artesia, New Mexico, believes jazz is more nuanced than classical performance, largely due to it not having as long a history as its counterpart.

the style.”

As the group moves further into the year, it approaches its annual Carol of Lights performance, a musical holiday celebration that incorporates performances from the combined vocal choirs and the Tech Trombone Choir as over 30,000 lights across campus illuminate Tech and kick off the holiday season.

Decker said the Christmas-themed event gives the group a chance to blend the classical and jazz music elements they’ve been developing throughout the year into a traditional holiday performance.

“The Carol of Lights gives us a great opportunity to try new ideas as we learn the content and add on additional aspects to make our performance even stronger,” he said.

Since the group’s most recent performance on Nov. 9, the Tech Trombone Choir has been working to prepare for Carol of Lights by creating more in-depth, intentional holiday pieces.

The Carol of Lights gives us a great opportunity to try new ideas as we learn the content and add on additional aspects to make our performance even stronger.

“If you hear something classical on TV as a classical performer, you probably already know how to play it,” Moncada said. “With jazz, even though it hasn’t been around as long, it still has very challenging elements, and a lot of it is

“Because these practices are all directed by me personally, and because we don’t have the same amount of music to work on as we do when preparing for a regular concert, we’re able to be a little more detailed and really dig into the pieces we’re preparing,” Decker said.

JAMES DECKER TECH TROMBONE CHOIR DIRECTOR

This year, he said he is aiming to showcase a portion of the choir’s ability by performing a preview concert at the South Plains Mall on Dec. 7, shortly before the Carol of Lights event later that same day.

New Year brings renewed resolutions, consistency

By MANDIE HANEY Features Writer

As 2025 comes to a close, Texas Tech students begin imagining what next year might look like and how they plan to shape themselves along the way. Some hope to break old habits, others want to build new ones, but most recognize the challenge of consistency.

Michael Barlow, a thirdyear technology major from El Paso, said he typically chooses a resolution for self -benefit, but this year he’s breaking that habit by working towards growing closer with his parents.

“I want to be a better son, and I want to grow closer to my parents,” he said. “There is not going to be consistency in it, because as a whole, we’re imperfect and we’re busy, but I would like to feel like I could run to them if I needed any advice or support.”

Kaleb Macias, a first-year architecture major from El Paso, is aiming to take more control over his schedule, saying next year’s goal is academics over relationships.

“My resolution this year is to not procrastinate,” Macias said. “I failed my resolution last year because I found

other things to do in order to have more fun. I didn’t wanna do work most of the time.”

Rather than finding a new resolution, Emerson Kambarn, a first-year journalism major from Arlington, said she hopes to restart her old habit of focusing on health and routine-building.

“My New Year’s resolution is to go to the gym more. I started going at the beginning of college, took a three week break, so now I’m hoping to get back on that,” she said. “To stay consistent, I plan to make sure I have friends to go with and we build it into our schedule.”

Kambarn tried to be consistent in maintaining past goals, but said life seems to find a way to be an obstacle.

“One of my past resolutions was to try to talk to my parents every single day,” Kambarn said. “That never happened because my life got too busy.”

Similarly, Barlow said he relates to the difficulty of maintaining resolutions because he sometimes makes goals that are either impractical or unrealistic.

“I have set a New Year’s resolution to run every single day of the year,” he said. “Specifically for 2020, for

whatever reason, I decided that I was gonna run every single day. That’s so unrealistic. I think I kind of shoot for the stars.”

Yet, for Kambarn, even when resolutions don’t work out, they can still have a positive impact on the year by providing goals and something to look forward to.

“New Year’s resolutions are important because it’s a way to look back on the year and see what parts you want to better for yourself and it gives you something positive to focus on,” she said.

For Barlow, he said he has struggled with completing resolutions because it can prove difficult to figure out what motivates him per -

KAYCI

sonally.

“Everyone learns differently, but I think most people are too young to know what works for them,” Barlow said. “ ... Some people say a New Year’s resolution one time and then forget, but if you remind yourself every single day, it’s less likely.”

Kambarn said she believes the best approach is narrowing things down and being realistic based on where someone is at.

“Just try to be more consistent and pick one thing you really struggle with and go full-force on that thing,” she said. “Don’t make a giant list of them. Just focus on one thing at a time.”

@DtHaney06

Candidates pursue West Texas Congressional seat

By NOAH DAVILA News RepoRteR

Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas — representative for Texas’ 19th Congressional District since 2016 — announced Nov. 11 he will not seek reelection. Arrington’s departure leaves a rare open seat in the district, prompting a broad contest for the post.

The announcement came days after a 2026 endorsement from President Donald Trump.

With one Democrat candidate already filed and three Republicans either running or exploring bids, office-seekers will have established support among unfamiliar voters.

“Regardless of whoever stumbles out of the Republican Party Primary … I will be ready to fearlessly defend West Texans who are ready for a change,” stated Democrat nominee Kyle Rable in a public statement to The Daily Toreador . “Arrington clearly realized that the common person in West Texas is fed up with him and the Republican Party. I believe that the peo-

FUNDRAISING

ple of CD-19 deserve a representative who is willing to fight for the common folks.”

Rable, the lone Democratic nominee, secretary of the Lubbock County Democratic Party and Texas Tech doctoral candidate, framed both the announcement and the race as a reflection of the district’s dissatisfaction with current leadership.

Meanwhile in the GOP, several contenders have already responded to the seat’s opening. Jason Corley, Lubbock County Commissioner, has launched an exploratory committee to assess a possible campaign.

“I was surprised and humbled by the number of calls and messages from friends, supporters and members of the media encouraging me to run,” Corley stated in a press release. “After much consideration, I’ve decided to form an exploratory committee to assess the level of public support for a campaign to represent the people of West Texas and the Big Country in Congress.”

At least two other area Republicans have announced their candidacies, including

Abraham Enriquez, founder of the Hispanic Republican organization, Bienvenidos.

“I’m running for Congress to put God, family and our country first,” read a Nov. 20 announcement post from Enriquez on Instagram. “I’m a proud West Texan and America-First warrior who stands shoulder to shoulder with President Trump.”

The third Republican eyeing the nomination is Tom Sell, a 1995 Tech graduate, agriculture policy lobbyist and area businessman.

“Our country is in serious trouble right now, with the radical left trying to hijack everything we as Americans have worked so hard to build over the course of nearly 250 years,” Sell stated in a Nov. 13 press release. “President Trump is working overtime to turn our country around and to put America First — but he needs our support.”

In his Nov. 11 farewell video, Arrington reflected on his career and retirement.

“It’s been my profound privilege and the honor of a lifetime to be your voice and champion in our nation’s capitol,” Arrington said. “I’ll

Abraham

be passing the torch on to the next West Texan. I believe, as our founding father did, in citizen leadership as temporary service, not a career.”

Now that Arrington’s Trump endorsement is no longer applicable, the three

and

Republican hopefuls will have to compete for the approval of the voters and the presidency. Since the beginning of the MAGA movement, Trump’s opinion on Republican candidates has proven to be make-or-break in primaries.

The filing period for the 2026 party primaries closes Dec. 8. State and county Republican Party leadership were contacted for comment, with no response.

Justice-involved family connections possible with Onward

By NOAH DAVILA News RepoRteR

For 10 children of incarcerated parents, open their presents this Christmas, they won’t just find a book. They’ll hear the voice of a parent reading aloud, bridging a distance that can feel impossible to cross for children who won’t have their parents home for the holidays.

The present, a Toniebox, is made possible by Storytime for Stronger Futures, a community-engaged scholarship program run by Texas Tech’s Kyle Roberson.

Roberson has been working with the Lubbock County Detention Center to provide parent-child reading activities, sending books home so children can maintain a bond with their incarcerated parents.

“(We) try to help break that intergenerational cycle of being justice-involved,” Roberson said, describing the project’s mission.

The latest update to the pro-

gram involves the Tonieboxes, which are screenless reading devices that allow recordings to be uploaded remotely. Parents can read stories to their children from the detention center, and the recording will play directly on the device at home.

“Once we record, families who have these devices at home will hear their parents reading to them on their Toniebox,” Roberson said. “It’s helping maintain that connection. When they miss their parent, they can hear their voice at any given time without waiting for a phone call.”

The program received a corporate grant of over $5,000 in product from the Toniebox creators, enabling the pilot program to serve 10 families. Volunteers from the community, such as Roberson’s graduate students, visit with prisoners in the program and help them record.

“(A lot of the parents) struggle with reading, and these volunteers help them read the

books so that their kids can hear their parents reading something the way it should be read,” Roberson said.

Funding for the program has also been boosted by a new platform offered through Texas Tech designed to support the university’s community-based projects.

“Onward makes it possible for projects to connect with donors who care and help them bring their programs to life,” said Shannon Wallace, associate director of Annual Giving for Tech, the office running the Onward platform.

Roberson used his personal network to share the campaign over social media, generating over $1,000 in just over a week to help cover books, Tonieboxes and other materials for participating families. The pilot program currently serves 10 families, with plans to expand as funding and volunteer support grow.

Beyond the immediate pilot, Roberson emphasized the

importance of using literacy to support children of incarcerated parents and helping them succeed academically and socially.

“We know that kids who stay

in school generally do better in society, and we find that the kids who don’t drop out of school are good readers,” Roberson said. “If they’re not reading on-level by

fourth grade, they’re more likely to be justice-involved when they get older. So, we’re trying to catch them early.”

@NoahDavDT

The DT Crossword: Carol of clues

ACROSS

1. Files often shared electronically

5. Noblemen of the highest rank

COLUMN

10. Ballet step 13. It may be pumped 14. Strain oneself 16. Whittle down 17. Birthday Julie Andrews

XAVIER GONZALES/The Daily Toreador

celebrated this year 18. French fencing blade 19. When a baby is due, briefly 20. Email safeguard against

spam

22. Sprout anew

24. Opposite direction to NNW

26. “The Greatest” in boxing

27. Campus law enforcement official

28. Move like a bunny

30. Corporate head

32. Perfect score in gymnastics

33. Fashion capital of Italy

35. Early in life

37. Song listing gifts like those in 5- and 67-Across and 1-, 21- 37-, 49-Down. “The Twelve ___”

41. Alpha’s opposite

42. Puts into office

43. Animal Dr.

44. U.S. public media network

46. Observe

47. Snake-like swimmer

50. Historical period

51. Biblical third king of Judah

53. Biggest drink option at Starbucks

55. Sum symbols in math and statistics

58. Alien vehicle

60. Common childhood condition marked by difficulty focusing and staying still

61. Place for manicures and pedicures

63. Southeast Asian-Amer-

ican gymnast “___ Lee”

64. Showing aversion 65. Lake and city in northern U.S.

66. ___-caps (movie snack with sprinkles)

67. Household helpers

68. Hair worn in thick twisted strands

DOWN

1. Bagpipe players

2. Fabric merchant 3. Go without 4. Smile with contempt

5. Solitary individual

6. Roman poet of Metamorphoses

7. Tears in pieces

8. Hip-hop producer Dr. ___

9. Release from confinement

10. Citrus rind

11. Blind jazz prodigy of the 1930s-50s

12. Remote south Atlantic island

15. Dozen, in Rome 21. Olympic symbols 23. Resident of the Buckeye State 25. Musical notations

29. NBA team from Indiana

31. Pearl-producing mollusk

33. Seasoning often added to Chinese food

34. “Stanley Cup” league

36. Extra periods in a game, briefly

37. Birds symbolizing peace

38. U.S. natives, collectively

39. Repeatedly

40. Clamping tool for cold items

45. Indicating scattered references

47. Motorcycle sport testing stamina

48. Relating to a cultural group

49. Women, politely 52. Voice behind Disney’s “Moana” Cravalho

54. Painting support

56. Umami-rich Japanese paste

57. Including everyone

59. Affectionate 62. Alias indicator

No, ‘Die Hard’ is not a Christmas movie

William Wright is a junior English major from Dallas

As the Christmas season nears, people are preparing for the holiday festivities by trying to get into the mood. Some light fires, others decorate a tree, but the most fun way to get into the holiday spirit is to watch some Christmas movies. There are countless classic films that promote the Christmas spirit that are perfect for this time of year — John McTiernan’s “Die Hard” is not one of them.

“Die Hard” is an action movie that happens to take place on Christmas Eve not to promote the holiday spirit or the season of giving, but as a punchline.

Anyone who says “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie has a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose Christmas serves in the story of “Die Hard.”

connection and that intangible “Christmas spirit.”

In terms of atmosphere, a good Christmas movie needs decorations and the right setting to really put the audience in the Christmas mood. The atmosphere can come in all different forms — snow and a tree are easy ones, or using classic Christmas songs is another way to put the audience in the Christmas mood. There are, however, more subtle aspects like soft lighting and cozy costume design can subconsciously place the audience in that holiday setting.

Next, there must be an emphasis on family and connection.

‘Die Hard’ is an action movie that happens to take place on Christmas Eve not to promote the holiday spirit or the season of giving, but as a punchline.

Countless Christmas movies like “Home Alone,” “What a Wonderful Life” and “Elf” focus on family. Acknowledging family and loved ones as the people you can always rely on is a hallmark of a good Christmas film.

WILLIAM WRIGHT COLUMNIST

Before being able to explain why “Die Hard” is not a Christmas movie, what makes a film perfect for the holiday season must be defined. The three main factors that are paramount to every Christmas movie are atmosphere, an emphasis on family or

Finally, a great Christmas movie needs to invoke the Christmas spirit. Like our other categories, this can come in many ways, but the main idea is that Christmas has some sort of magical quality to it that is unexplainable. It draws people together and can make things happen that most

CONTACT US

Newsroom: 806-742-3393

Advertising: 806-742-3384

Business: 806-742-3388

Circulation: 806-742-3388

Fax: 806-742-2434

Email: thedailytoreador@gmail.com

would never think possible, and at the bare minimum the film needs to respect Christmas.

“Die Hard” fails at all three of these categories.

“Die Hard” does not have much in the way of Christmas set decoration. Sure, there are a few Christmas trees and the song that scores the film as it fades out is a Christmas classic, but those alone aren’t enough. A great Christmas movie has a familiar, comfortable feeling even in its tense moments, and “Die Hard” has none of that.

“Die Hard” is an incredible nerve-racking film filled with moments so tense the audience can hear a pen drop. On top of that, the lighting and costume design are all very corporate. People are pictured wearing suits — or, in John McClane’s case, just a tank top — while sitting in an office with washed-out overhead lighting. None of these aspects evoke the Christmas atmosphere that is so important for a Christmas movie.

The movie also fails critically at the family aspect of the film. When the film starts off it is easy to think that the movie might actually succeed at the family aspect as McClane works to win his estranged wife over, but as soon as Hans Gruber and his terrorists come into the scene, all of that is thrown out the window. The film pushes all of the family tension to the side in order to focus on the action.

Toward the end of the film, as McClane prepares

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-Chief Jacob Lujan jaclujan@ttu.edu

Managing Editor Aynsley Larsen aylarsen@ttu.edu

News Editor Allie Scott boscott@ttu.edu

for the final showdown between him and Gruber, McClane realizes he had been mistreating his wife and resolves to become a better husband. This would be a great way to wrap the film up if it had been foreshadowed in any way. He doesn’t learn anything while fighting the terrorists, and there are no lessons throughout. It is a lazy way to resolve the conflict that got him to California in the first place.

Finally, “Die Hard” has no Christmas spirit. The film disrespects Christmas in the most fundamental way. Throughout a majority of the film, the proximity to Christmas is played as a punchline. When McClane gets into the limo at the beginning and asks for Christmas music to be

La Vida Editor Christian Jeter chjeter@ttu.edu

Sports Editor Ty Kaplan tkaplan@ttu.edu

Opinions Editor Cameron Zapata camzapat@ttu.edu

played, the driver turns on something that would not be traditionally seen as Christmas music. Moreover, the party — the central reason for the plot and conflict in the first place — is on a surface level a Christmas party, but the movie reveals the actual reason for the event was a major sale. It’s poking fun at the holiday as well as implying that under the veil, the party isn’t a company Christmas party, but in fact a celebration of a sale. All of these make it clear that “Die Hard” doesn’t care about Christmas and doesn’t have any intention of being a Christmas movie. Now, in the film’s defense, it does make an attempt at all three of these. It references Christmas throughout the film, plays

Multimedia Editor Makayla Perez makapere@ttu.edu

Puzzles Editor Xavier Gonzales gon80565@ttu.edu

BREAKING NEWS Email jaclujan@ttu.edu or tweet information to @DailyToreador.

some Christmas music and has a tree or two in the background. It has some elements of family, but all of these elements are largely pushed to the side in order for “Die Hard” to be a male fantasy action film. At the end of the day, the movie is trying to be an action thriller, and everything that gets in the way of those genres is axed.

Overall, “Die Hard” fails at all of the tests of a Christmas movie, and anyone who thinks differently has critically misunderstood the film. This is not to say the film is bad by any means — it is a fun and thrilling action movie, but it is not a Christmas movie. All “Die Hard” has to do with Christmas taking place near it. That’s it.

A playable online version of this crossword and its solution are available at dailytoreador.com/puzzles. @WillWrightDT

CORRECTIONS

The Daily Toreador strives for accuracy and fairness in the reporting of news. If a report is wrong or misleading, a request for a correction or clarification may be made by calling (806) 742-3393 or emailing dailytoreador@ttu.edu.

TENNIS

Murphy, Dmitrichenko united in Tech history

By KEITH INGLIS SportS reporter

Texas Tech women’s tennis seniors Yekaterina Dmitrichenko and Hailey Murphy made program history at the 2025 ITA Central Sectional Championships on Nov. 10, becoming the first doubles team in school history to win the event and qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championships.

While the duo fell short during NCAA play on Nov. 23, it extended Tech’s streak to three straight years of sending a doubles pair to the NCAA Individual Championships. The duo’s chemistry — spanning back to last year — evolved, as did its on-court experience.

The two split off for the summer to endure their own individual training. Murphy took her efforts to Canada, while Dmitrichenko worked out in Kazakhstan. The time apart allowed the two to work on their own weaknesses before making their fall season debut.

“We weren’t able to train together over the summer, but we were talking all the time,” Murphy said of Dmitrichenko. “We were building our connection off the court, and then we know as soon as we get on the court together, we know it’s gonna be good.”

CROSS COUNTRY

The fourth-year player knew what she had to improve on in order to come back better. Murphy said it was hard to find hitting partners when she was away from the team. She used that time to train with her cousin, who also plays Division I collegiate tennis.

When Murphy wasn’t playing tennis, she was working on strength and conditioning. The Calgary, Alberta, Canada native suffered an undisclosed injury last season. The necessary precautions Murphy took allowed her to train harder and focus on playing better tennis.

Dmitrichenko took a different route. Before returning to Kazakhstan, she stayed in Lubbock for a month after the 2024-25 season ended. She worked primarily with coaches to improve her own game while also working with freshman players.

Following the month, she traveled back to Kazakhstan for her own training. Dmitrichenko planned around her preparation for the fall by participating in tournaments in Russia.

When the pair returned to the scarlet and black courts in August, they weren’t immediately placed together. Despite this, they went 3-0 during their limited span to-

gether and earned co-championship honors. They credit their winning play style to chemistry off the court.

“I would call Hailey (Murphy) my best friend,” Dmitrichenko said. “I just feel so confident when I play with Hailey. So it was great to go play only three matches and go undefeated, making history, making NCAA individuals. It’s just meant to be.”

Murphy smiled and nodded in agreement. She said the two have often found ways to attract each other. Murphy added they’ve found each other laughing together at times, both on and off the court, when describing the closeness of their bond.

“We decorated her house for Christmas because she, she’s from Russia, and so they didn’t do Christmas before,” Murphy said. “We spend a lot of time with each other, and we just became really close since I’ve been here.”

Tech women’s tennis head coach Adam Herendeen has seen the connection between the two. His track record in coaching doubles pairs to success extends back to last season with former tennis player Avelina Sayfetdinova and current senior Mariia Hlahola.

While the two became one of the nation’s top doubles duos, Herendeen said

he’s used some of the same fundamentals in addition to veteran experience to help Murphy and Dmitrichenko find success on the court.

“I think they do a really good job of embracing the fundamentals of what we call Texas Tech doubles, but we also kind of adjusted to how they play,” Herendeen said. “I think we have a good

idea of how we want to play.”

Herendeen said the combination of what he’s instilled and the bond the two share has allowed them to play with excitement.

Whether it’s ripping the ball from the back or playing up close to the net, Murphy said their trust has been the binding success.

“I truly believe that doubles is, majority of the time, connection, and we just really understand each other and work well together,” Murphy said. “We’re willing to suffer and go through the tough times of being down and knowing that we still trust each other, and that we can come back and finish strong.”

@KeithInglisDT

Murray adapts to NCAA’s international recruiting shift

By AUSTIN JACKSON SportS reporter

Texas Tech head cross country coach Jon Murray is learning to adapt with the changing landscape of NCAA cross country, shifting his recruiting focus towards international athletes.

When Murray first came to Tech in 2006, international athletes made up for 14 percent of the men’s cross country roster. Now, international athletes make up 67 percent of the men’s roster.

“If you want your team to be able to compete at all,” Murray said. “You’re gonna have to start pulling in some of those international kids.”

The trend has been seen across the NCAA with the top three teams at the 2025 national championships having more international athletes than U.S.-born athletes, according to PrimeTime Timing.

If the five highest placing American men at the 2025 NCAA Championships were scored as their own team, they would have placed second overall as a team with 70 points. The American team would have been 13 points behind Oklahoma State University, who won the meet and 51 points behind a team of five-highest placing international athletes.

The change has not gone unnoticed with coaches across the NCAA sharing their opinions on international athletes in the NCAA. Two of the most notable voices are No. 11 Brigham Young University men’s head coach Ed Eyestone and No. 1 Oklahoma State’s head coach Dave Smith.

“Some coaches have decided to take a shortcut by taking foreign talent,” Eyestone said in an article published by Desert News on Nov. 20. “Many are older and developed. I always felt I’d be embarrassed to have seven foreigners on the team.”

Smith responded in a press conference on Nov. 21 prior to the NCAA Championships when asked about his opinions on Eyestone’s comments. His team went on to win the

meet with five international athletes on his seven-person team.

“I believe if someone doesn’t like a rule or doesn’t like a situation in the NCAA, don’t bitch about it,” Smith said. “Go change it. Get involved. Get involved in the sport. Get involved in the leadership, and make change the way change is supposed to be made. Otherwise, shut up and coach your team.”

In order to recruit these international athletes, Murray, like many coaches across the NCAA, has begun to use an international recruiting service called Scholarbook, which helps connect coaches with athletes across the world. Scholarbook helped connect NCAA Indoor high jump champion Temitope Adeshina and two-time Big 12 Champion Ernest Cheruiyot with Tech, Murray said.

“We were using (Scholarbook) before Covid,” Murray said. “They were more European, so we would get European kids from them. Then after Covid, they branched off more into Kenya so we just use them for that also.”

Prior to COVID-19, Murray would visit Eldoret, Kenya, each year to find new athletes. Murray said 90 percent of “good Kenyan athletes” come from within the 100-mile area around Eldoret.

Since he stopped visiting Kenya in the summers, Murray often does not meet his

athletes until they arrive in Lubbock. The only contact Murray gets with athletes prior to arriving on campus is through Zoom calls, he said.

The increase in usage of Scholarbook is also reflected in payment history as Tech paid $3,000 in subscriptions to Scholarbook in 2019. The number increased to $15,000 for the 2020-21 season and has since increased to $35,000 for the 2023-24 track season.

Murray said it is less common to find competitive women due to the customs in Kenya. He said 25 percent of Tech’s women’s roster is international athletes, compared to 67 percent on the men’s roster.

“Women as a whole, they’re expected to do more domestic roles and things like that,” Murray said. “So they really have to work hard to break out of that and be able to run.”

Murray said most international athletes require full athletic scholarships, as well as some additional compensation. Along with other schools across the NCAA, Tech must make the financial commitment to new athletes before meeting or seeing them run in person.

The NCAA wide shift towards international recruiting makes it difficult to find high school athletes who will be competitive in the NCAA, Murray said.

“Your competition people, most of them, are doing it,” Murray said. “If you’re going

to try to stay up with them, you’re going to have to find some guys and girls that can compete.”

Murray said he will continue to recruit the best athletes

he can while still following all NCAA rules.

“It’s going to continue to happen,” Murray said. “It’s the rules that we have. So as long as you abide by them, we keep

after them and try to find the best athlete you can so you can be competitive.”

@AustinJacksonDT

Final exams, hustle culture breed burnout in college students

By SOFIA BUENO News RepoRteR

For senior journalism major Madilyn Coyne, her ambition to excel academically has shaped her college experience.

“My parents had instilled in me from a young age that I should be the best at anything I go after,” Coyne said. “I’ve just always had that mindset. You can’t be afraid to fail, and I hate failing.”

Coyne is the president of the Society of Professional Journalists and the sole political host of “Inside the Issues” for MCTV Newscast within Texas Tech’s College of Media & Communication.

On top of her leadership roles and full-time coursework, she

is managing editor of the West Texas Watchdogs News Service, co-founder and director of marketing and sales at Retriever Technology and a former White House Intern for the Office of Presidential Correspondence.

Her packed schedule reflects a pattern that often leads to burnout — a prolonged and intense state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion caused by prolonged stress and unsustainable workload, according to a blog post from Texas Tech’s Risk Intervention & Safety Education.

Coyne said by joining organizations and getting involved, students can open doors to valuable connections, resume-building opportunities and experience.

“Once you graduate, just having a degree on your resume is not going to get you those good jobs that you want,” Coyne said.

She said her own achievements come from never turning down opportunities and pursuing every chance to advance her journalism career, a mindset she believes helped her land a White House internship last summer.

Coyne leans into the hustle-culture mentality, promoting the idea that there’s always more to chase: more money to earn, bigger titles to secure and a higher ceiling to break.

Elisabeth Herring, a senior journalism major from Austin, said she’s experienced feelings of senioritis in the last couple of weeks as demands on her

schedule continue to pile up.

“ ... It’s just kind of like a constant thought in the back of my mind: ‘I’ve got to get something done,’ or ‘I’ve got something that’s due really soon,’ and I definitely think it makes an impact,” Herring said.

Herring is a student assistant at MCTV Newscast, a CoMC Dean’s Student Ambassador, leads the live weather segment for KTXT-FM The Raider’s morning show “Good Morning Texas Tech” and a member of the Feral Cat Coalition.

She said she feels pressure to stay busy from within herself, along with the abundance of opportunities available at her college, wanting to dip her toes in every pool possible and take advantage of experiences she

won’t have after graduation.

As hustle culture focuses on quantity rather than quantity, the relentless focus on output can stifle creativity and innovation among students.

The overwhelming number of opportunities that divide students’ attention not only troubles students, but causes the core lessons taught to be overshadowed, according to Advances in Consumer Research.

While keeping an ambitious mindset, Herring has still turned down opportunities or organizations she’d hoped to join to avoid burning out.

Herring said she balances by using a work-hard, play-hard mindset.

“You can do whatever you put your mind to,” Herring

said, “but also, everyone’s only human, and everyone only has a certain bandwidth.”

Hustle culture is the primary driver of academic burnout and is marked by elevated rates of anxiety, depression and chronic stress in students, according to Advances in Consumer Reach.

If a student is experiencing burnout and needs help getting and staying on the right track, they can visit RISE Raider Recharge at Drane Hall, Room 247, or call 806-742-2110.

For students seeking to become more informed about slumps or burnout, RISE offers a blog post on its website that highlights the signs of burnout and provides practical strategies for support.