THE WICHITAN The Student Voice of Midwestern State University
Wednesday April 25, 2007
Fish in fountains? Welcome to Pierce Hall soft drinks, making them difficult or unappealing to drink from. Custodians paint an even grimmer picture. Housing Director Danny Reddick finds all of it frustrating. “There is something about getting guys together. They just want to wreck things,” he said. “I took part in the construction of the building, so itʼs painful for me to walk through it every week and see it get worse and worse. “I guess girls just take better care of their things than guys do.” Reddick said the most damaged buildings on campus are housing but there is no way to put a monetary figure on repairs at Pierce. “No amount of damage can be tallied because the janitors and maintenance fix the problems right
KENNY BERGSTROM FOR THE WICHITAN Smashed windows. Stinky toilets. Dead minnows floating in water fountains. How do Pierce Hall residents live with this mess? Pierce Hall underwent a $3 million renovation in the fall of 2005. Less than two years later, itʼs on its way to becoming what it was once known as – the campus eyesore. The MSU Housing Department no longer raves about the threestory structure that houses mainly freshman. Hallways have broken or missing ceiling tiles. Some water fountains have been doused with
away,” he explained. Michael Mills, assistant housing director, said heʼs seen holes punched through doors. “The sheetrock can be cracked but students canʼt punch through it cause it has a protective layer that is ʻpunch proof,ʼ” he said. “If they tried to punch through it they might break their hand.” Walls sport holes from doors being slammed backward into the drywall. At times, trash is strewn everywhere. According to Mills, those caught throwing trash bags in the hall face a $25 fine. Some have had to pay it, he said. Restrooms have been a problem since Pierce was built. Stealing all the toilet paper can be chalked up to dorm life but residents act as if they
can trash a stall and not worry about going in that particular unit again. The worst problem with the bathrooms is the improper use of toilets. Students often forget to flush them. “I wish that the resident assistants would require certain students to use certain restrooms. If we had that then we could keep a close eye on who is trashing them,” said freshman Adam Wright. “Every day I walk in there I hope that it was just cleaned.” Wright thinks a timesheet would be effective to make sure bathrooms get serviced during the day. Custodians labor hard to keep Pierce clean just to see it dirty the next day. “The janitors do a good job but itʼs not enough,” said Wright. “The students think they can do whatever
they want and get away with it. For the most part they do.” Jesus Trejo has been a janitor in Pierce Hall for 10 years and sees no improvement in the way residents treat the building. No matter how bad the residents trash the building he realizes that itʼs still his job to try and keep the place in the best shape he can. He doesnʼt blame every resident in the building, because he knows only certain ones cause the huge messes. “I canʼt get mad at all the residents that live here, because itʼs not everyoneʼs fault,” he said. The second floor of Pierce has become severely stained. Trejo said carpet stains usually come from residents taking out their trash and the
contents of the trash bag leaking out onto the carpet. He has also known students to pour unfinished drinks onto the floor, which over time have contributed to the carpet stains. Several bathrooms on the second floor have holes in the walls behind the door from students slamming the doors backward. Trejo said every morning they fill the bathrooms with toilet tissue, only to have residents come in and take them for their own personal use. The bathrooms have been a major issue for the custodian staff, because they tend to be the dirtiest part of the residence halls. “I have come in bathrooms where
See Pierce page 8
Calhoun sweeps SGA election in 248-101 win CARRIE SULLIVAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ADRIAN MCCANDLESS | THE WICHITAN
Working hard for the money MSU student balances school and 12-hour workdays MARVIN ARTS FOR THE WICHITAN Having a job while in college can be overwhelming. MSU sophomore Xzarche Stegall juggles two jobs. Stegall, a 21-year-old criminal justice major, works on two shows at a radio station from 5 – 8 p.m. Saturdays she works as a DJ from 3 – 7 p.m. Sundays she goes in to help make station IDs, where the celebrities say things like, “Youʼre listening to Hot 103.9” She also works as a waitress at Cheddarʼs. Though she is a part-time student, school is
like a third job for her. “Iʼm taking 13 hours right now. I get Mondays off and Iʼm working 12-hour days with a 45-minute break on the weekends,” she said. She said sheʼs just a determined person. “Thatʼs why I am able to work and maintain school,” she said. “Working in college teaches responsibility for the real world.” Her bills are also a large reason for why she works so much. “The bills are overwhelming at times,” she said. She has her own apartment, car and
school tuition to pay for. “Iʼm working on achieving my goal and thatʼs to graduate from college,” she said. As she rises out of bed every morning, she always knows she is in for another long day. Even though she is in school part-time, she still keeps long hours studying for any tests she may have for the week. “I was always told it is before pleasure, and I remember that every time I set foot in the classroom or workplace,” she said. Sometimes she feels like she is working to support a whole family. “I work this much See Work page 8
Survival MSU champion wins $1,000 ASHLEY JACKSON & CHRISTIAN MCPHATE FOR THE WICHITAN
INSIDE
Erik Sheldon was pronounced the champion of MSUʼs second annual Survival MSU Friday. The University Programming Board (UPB) held the contest from April 13 to 20 at Sikes Lake. The competition began with 18 students and ended with Sheldon winning $1,000. Sheldon, a senior business major, canoed his way to the finish line of the final challenge after diving into a pool full of 600 plastic Easter eggs filled with paper clips and five keys, with only one unlocking the box of immunities to win the chal-
Erik Sheldon
lenge and the event. “I found it fairly quickly,” Sheldon said. “But I kind of got scared when I accidentally dropped the egg with the key.” Sheldon said he had plans for his prize money. “But Iʼm not going to be a total
tightwad,” he said. “I am going to get something nice.” The competitors were divided into teams, and each team had to complete two challenges every day of the event. The first was a reward challenge while the second was an immunity challenge. “I spent most of my time with the blue team,” Sheldon said. “I got along with them, which was part of my strategy.” The tribal council met at 10 p.m. every night and two people were voted off. Sheldon said the most difficult challenge was the eating contest where the competitors had to consume a mixture of sauerkraut, jalapenos and sardines. “I couldnʼt do it,” he said. “I
couldnʼt get past the sauerkraut.” The champ ended up puking. Esteban Burgos, chair of UPB, said the Survival series is having a positive effect at MSU. “I have never seen so much school spirit at a university,” Burgos said. “This is also bringing offices together that do not usually work together.” Other competing students were Angelica Alvaredo, Matt Hulme, Brittany Ostermann, Ronrick Pemberton, Lauren Savoy, Sam Shelley, Sara Spence, Amanda Veitenheimer, Brian Vestal, James Walker, Tony Carracedo, Dwight Fontenelle, Jarred Gilker, Brenna Goldman, Rachel Kurtz, Cody Magana and Calvin Presley.
Dominique Calhoun won the SGA presidential election Friday. Calhoun, a junior pre-med major, is currently the president of the NAACP and vice president of the Black Student Union. He will serve as SGA president for the 2007-2008 school year. He said he was happy to hear the news of his 248 to 101 victory against opponent Jason York. “I was a little elated in the sense that everything was over with,” he said. Though campaigning was hard work, he said he and opponent Jason York did not do as much to promote themselves as much as the candidates did last year. Calhoun said the reason for the lack of campaigning was that he was dealing with the issue of a best friend who had recently gotten into a car wreck. “Granted, the support was there,” he said. “I just personally didnʼt have as much time.” Calhoun said his main focus as president will be unity on campus. “Bringing about school spirit, bringing about everything,” he said. He said one of the biggest problems with school spirit is students donʼt go to ball games, football in particular. Part of the reason is studentsʼ lack of transportation. “Some students want to go to the game, they just donʼt have a ride,”
he said. He will be working on a way to transport students, using shuttles for those who want to attend home games. “It creates a more homey environment,” he said, of having more people at sports events.
Dominique Calhoun
He said he also plans to start speaking to Aramark about extending cafeteria hours. Since many students have to work, it is essential that they be able to eat during the free time they have available. “A lot of students donʼt get a chance to eat by five to seven or twelve to two,” he said. He also seeks to lengthen library hours, despite the small extension made last year. “We appreciate the work that was done beforehand, but most students still feel it wasnʼt enough,” he said. Calhoun said that during his term, whatever the students want to work toward is what he will strive for. “This presidency is the face of the student body,” he said.
In Memorium
ADRIAN MCCANDLESS | THE WICHITAN Dr. Howard Farrell receives a candle in the candlelight memorial service last Wednesday to honor those who died at Virginia Tech.
‘Vacancy’
‘Survival MSU’
Mustang Park
Anticipated thriller is not so scary.
Group of students endure blood, sweat and tears for $1,000 prize.
New softball field is ready for players.
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