March 21, 2018

March 21, 2018 | Midwestern State University | thewichitan.com | Your Campus. Your News. | Vol. 82 No. 23

PHOTOS BY JUSTIN MARQUART AND BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN

Amy Floyd, accounting senior, calls out Matt Park, associate vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, for a joke he said at the beginning of the Open Forum about campus safety in CSC Comanche on March 19. “Welcome back from spring break first of all. Starting off with sexual misconduct. I hope that we don’t see another increase in reports as a result of last week’s activity,” Park said at the opening of the Open Forum.

Jaylon Williams, sociology senior, asks questions to faculty regarding the difference between no contact orders and bans and regarding why RA’s are not notified of no contact orders.

Students leave with questions About 150 attendees raise concerns over campus safety at open forum TYLER MANNING EDITOR

T

o address concerns that students and faculty had regarding campus safety and to make campus populace aware of the policies in place to handle cases of sexual assault and harassment, the Office of Students Affairs and Enrollment Management hosted a forum in the Clark Student Center Comanche Suites on March 19.

With various media posted with the hashtag “complicitMSU,” and results from surveys indicating sexist work environments, the subject of sexual harassment and assault has been in discussion on campus.

Around 150 people were in attendance at the event, which began with opening remarks from Keith Lamb, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, regarding the new campus climate survey to take place, Matthew Park, associate vice president of student affairs and enrollment management and

dean of students, talking about Title IX and Patrick Coggins, chief of police, discussing the Clery Act. After the opening remarks, those in attendance were allowed to ask administrators questions.

Syreeta Greene, director of equity, inclusion and multicultural affairs, said, “It is important for the community, particularly for those that think there is nothing going on or any progress being made. This gives them the opportunity to hear some of that as well as provide any suggestions or concerns they may have as well too.”

Greene said she hopes students received the answers they were looking for and they are made aware of the resources on campus.

“It is hard to say what the impact is. Hopefully students got more answers than questions, but hopefully students left here with knowing that there is an open invitation for them to be part of the solution because there

are folks who live here each and every day.

And for us as professionals, we don’t live here every single day so it’s going to take a campus wide effort for us and everyone has to be part and see there part in improving campus security,” Greene said.

According to Greene, her experience as both a student and faculty have made it to where she can see both perspectives.

“There are layers and context that I was not familiar with nor did I understand because I wasn’t a professional, because I wasn’t behind the planning efforts, because I wasn’t part of the policy development. I can honestly say that as a college student, I was frustrated with my particular administration. I can look back now as someone who is and has been in higher education for 17 years and be like, ‘Aw, I get it now,’” Greene said. “So I think for some students the frame of reference may be limited because they are still understanding how all of these things work and the complexities

and how the web of ‘interconnectedness’ and things that have to fall into place for certain changes. MSU has recognized where it has gaps and has worked diligently to work on those gaps and those gaps have shrunk, but they have not been eliminated. I think it is working towards shrinking those gaps even further.”

Jamilah Kangudja, exercise physiology sophomore, said she attended the event because she wanted to use her position as a resident assistant to be the voice for other students.

“I’m an RA and I have residents who have experienced things and they can’t speak up for it so why can’t I be the voice for them? As a person who has been sexually harassed on this campus, why can’t I be a voice? I didn’t speak up then and I feel so guilty about it now because I’m sure there are so many people

see EXHIBIT pg. 5

2 | March 21, 2018 | STAF F E DI T O R I A L

Take action about sexual misconduct OUR VIEW: If administrators put on forums for sexual misconduct to show students they are valued, then motions to implement change should be top priority, not saving face in front of the eyes of the media.

W

hile the nearly 2-hour forum allowed students to speak and share their concerns, many students feel casted aside and left with unanswered questions. They feel the forum was held to bolster Midwestern’s appearance instead of taking responsibility for this mistreatment of this issue.

Students want to further an open and honest relationship between administration and the student body that administration members have said we have.

Through the meeting, though, Keith Lamb, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management, said administrators will hire a sole Title IX coordinator that is aptly trained and has worked at a university level.

Students have to feel confident the administration will protect each individual student, and as evident of the forum, students feel neglected. Administrators will have to work with students and organizations to be more intentional with any allegations and reports so students can be confident in and support the university.

wichitan

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Vol. 82 | No. 23

Midwestern State University Fain Fine Arts Bldg., Room D201 3410 Taft Blvd.

Wichita Falls, Texas 76308 (940) 397-4704 wichitan@mwsu.edu thewichitan.com @wichitanonline

Mid-term elections parallel that of student government’s

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t this moment, students are challenged with the task of electing a new slate of Student Government Association executive officers. These candidates state their platform positions, listen to our needs and wants and expose us to advertisements, all in the hope that we will elect them to represent the MSU stuMarkell Braxton-Johnson dent body. Similarly, around the country, political candidates are employing related behaviors and strategies to draw votes for the upcoming midterm elections.

I bring this up because there are non-trivial parallels between the SGA campaign and the upcoming mid-term campaigns, and if we recognize these parallels, we can avoid voting for bad or unfaithful leadership.

For instance, during the first SGA debate, candidates expressed a commitment to transparency. Likewise, in political elections outside our campus, candidates promise more openness and accountability to their constituents. Unfortunately, because promises like “being more transparent” are repeatedly

brought up, they’ve largely been rendered meaningless.

While we should be appreciative that candidates broach these issue, we shouldn’t accept them in the abstract. When they make recurring promises we ought to urge them to give specifics and distinguish themselves from past candidates who made similar promises.

Another comparison that can be drawn between the SGA campaign and other political campaigns is the reliance on platitudes to avoid concrete policy positions. When listening to candidates, you’ll often hear calls for unity or that our problems would be lessened if we stay “stronger together.” Anytime you hear those or other types of clichés in place of policy, red flags should immediately be raised.

The reason most candidates like to use platitudes instead of policy is because it allows them cover. As a student body, and as future voters, our job is to push candidates beyond slogans towards substantive ideas. Make every effort to understand the parallels between these two campaigns. The course of our country, state and even campus depends on it.

Markell Braxton-Johnson is a sports and leisure junior.

Women can be successful and have a family

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he world that we live in today is subjected to societal gender roles that both men and women tend to follow. In a number of different ways, society has shaped women to believe that in order to be successful, they have to be single. As a result, a number of women in the workforce have been affected by such a standard.

Andrea Consequently, a number of different womPedon en who plan on having kids one day don’t pursue a career that requires them to travel because of the lack of time that it allows them to be at home with their children.

A study done by the United States Department of Labor in 2015 concluded that the number one full-time job obtained by women in the workforce was elementary or middle school teachers.

Speaking from my own experience, my mom has been a fourth grade teacher for over 25 years while my father has worked as a computer technician at a local hospital here in Wichita Falls. Subsequently, I have always viewed my mother as my caretaker because she was the one to pick up me and my little brother from school, cook our meals and put us to bed.

EDITOR: Tyler Manning MANAGING EDITOR: Cortney Wood VISUALS EDITOR: Justin Marquart PHOTO EDITOR: Francisco Martinez ISSUE STAFF: Markell Braxton-Johnson, Andrea Pedon, Brian LangTasia Floissac, Christopher Castillo, Chloe Phillips

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Bridget Reilly, Leo Gonzalez ADVISER: Bradley Wilson

It’s not that my dad didn’t care for us, his job demands him to spend long hours at the office so he didn’t have the time to do as much as my mom did.

My family is an example of how multiple different people across the globe have grown up where their mother was tasked with the role as caretaker, while their father worked most of the time. For this societal standard to change, gender roles need to change as well.

A study done by Pew Research Center in 2012 analyzed that the number of stay at home dads have increased by almost one million people from 1989 to 2012. This number with continue to increase along with the number of successful women in the workforce.

For example, Cecile Frot-Coutaz is the chief executive officer of the FremantleMedia Group. As the CEO for this company, Frot-Coutaz has been in charge of managing well known TV shows, such as America’s Got Talent, The X Factor USA and Family Feud. All the while she is married with two kids.

As accomplished as Frot-Coutaz has been, it goes to show that women can have successful careers and manage a family as well.

Andrea Pedon is a mass communication freshman.

Copyright ©2018.

The Wichitan is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association and the Associated Collegiate Press. The Wichitan reserves the right to edit any material submitted for publication.

Opinions expressed in The Wichitan do not necessarily reflect those of the students, staff, faculty, administration or Board of Regents of Midwestern State University.

The Wichitan welcomes letters of opinion from students, faculty and staff submitted by the Friday before intended publication. Letters should be brief (250 words or fewer) and without abusive language or personal attacks. Letters must be typed and signed by the writer and include a email address, telephone number and address.

| March 21, 2018 | 3 U P C O M I N G E V E NT S Moffett Library Workshop

March 21 from 2 to 3 p.m. | Moffett Library 212A | Moffett Library will present “Don’t be a cheater: avoiding plagiarism in writing research.”

Red River Reading Series

March 21 at 4 p.m. | Legacy Hall Multipurpose Room | All events are free and open to the public and refreshments will be served.

Flatbed Press

March 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. | Wichita Falls Museum of Art at MSU | These original prints demonstrate the nature of printmaking processes and celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Flatbed Press of Austin.

Women’s Empowerment Movie

Jennifer Lawrence in Red Sparrow (2018)

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY MURRAY CLOSE

‘Red Sparrow’

interesting, but not remarkable

F

ollowing the tradition of Cold War era spy thrillers, Director Francis Lawrence works once again with Jennifer Lawrence in a sexual and smart new film: “Red Sparrow.” Although filled with polish and panache, this sexy spy film is nothing extraordinary until the surprising ending.

Lawrence stars as Dominika Egorova, a Brian Lang former prima ballerina in a Russian ballet company, who attends an elite spy school at the behest of her uncle, a powerful Russian diplomat. At Sparrow School, she learns that every person has a need and that it is the Sparrows’ job to discover that need and exploit it.

Jennifer Lawrence does an excellent portrayal of Dominika. She rarely speaks, leaving much of the storytelling in her actions. As “actions speak louder than words”, her actions belie her true mission instead of her words. Her chemistry with CIA agent Nate Nash (Joel Edgerton) is captivating. Ms. Lawrence is powerful and cunning in her most sexual role yet.

The supporting cast has other notable celebrities.

Mary-Louise Parker shows up for a brief comedic cameo; her small stint in the film brightens the otherwise dour plot. Matthias Schoenaerts does a great job portraying Dominika’s scheming uncle and his portrayal of this truly evil man is chilling.

The production design spared no expense for this film.

Bright reds and greens fill the screen and each set piece is

more lavish and lustrous than the one before. It gives the illusion of a secret double world filled with deadly beauty and betrayals. Ms. Lawrence’s costumes are radiant, conveying her character’s sexual power and beauty.

Nevertheless, the film is saturated with grisly sexual content and violence. The Sparrows and their bodies are treated as government property and the bulk of their training is of a sexual nature. Francis Lawrence does not shy away from the violence of torture, causing many audience members to cover their eyes in disgust.

“Red Sparrow” seems like a good film idea, but the plot is very uneven. The beginning and ending are both fascinating, but the middle grinds to a halt. Stripped of the sex and violence, the middle of the film has nothing but exposition to show for itself.

The saving grace of “Red Sparrow” is its ending. Carefully laid clues fit together like an intricate puzzle as the audience and characters simultaneously realize the secret game of cat and mouse that has been set up the whole time. The ending is satisfying and nearly makes up for the plodding plot.

“Red Sparrow” seems to be confused about the story it is trying to tell. It’s a spy film with no action, a modern day setting with floppy disks, and a boring thriller with an unjustified 2 and a half hour run-time. Lawrence does a fine job playing a powerful Russian femme fatale, but this confused spy film is nothing remarkable.

Rating: 5/10

March 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. | West Campus Annex | Celebrate Women’s History Month by engaging in conversations and activities on issues that have effected women throughout history.

Moffett Movie Madness

March 22 from 7 to 10 p.m. | Moffett Library Leisure Reading room | Watch the latest film in the Moffett Movie Madness series, Seoul Station, introduced by Dr. Kirsten Lodge. Free popcorn will be provided.

Rogue Two Recital

March 22 at 7:30 p.m. | Akin Auditorium | The recital will be a “release party” for their first album, Step Inside: New American Music for Saxophone and Percussion, released on Equilibrium Recordings.

Moonball

March 24 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Wellness Center Volleyball Courts |

2nd Annual Moonball Tournament.

Teams will be 4x4, but can have extra players on each team.

Continuing Education Workshop

March 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Sikes Lake Center | Create that one-of-a-kind piece of artwork you will enjoy for years and learn the techniques to make many more.

Many patterns to choose from and all supplies will be provided. Cost: $100

Women’s Empowerment Brunch March 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Legacy Hall Multipurpose Room | The purpose of this event is to honor women working together with strength, tenacity and courage to overcome obstacles and achieve joyful accomplishments. RSVP required, $5 in CSC 194

Critical Conversations March 26 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. | Legacy Hall Multipurpose Room | Critical Conversations Series targets MSU faculty and staff, but is open to the entire MSU community.

Attendees will engage in important conversations regarding race, ethnicity, sexuality, systems of oppression and other topics that influence the delivery of present-day collegiate education.

Guest Lecture

March 26 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. | Legacy Hall Multipurpose Room | Best-selling author, Bobby Akart, will be giving a talk titled “Preparing for the End of the World.”

EURECA Posters on the Go

March 28 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. | Current EURECA scholars present “progression” posters of their research endeavors in two 45 minute sessions. All students and faculty are welcome to attend.

CRIME LOG Theft

Theft

Criminal Mischief

Drugs

March 12 at 2:03 p.m. | Fain Fine Arts Center | A students paintings were stolen.

March 8 at 7:03 p.m. | Prothro Yeager | Unauthorized stamp being used in posting displayed.

March 8 at 4:03 p.m. | Prothro Yeager | Student came to PD to report theft of Mac Book Pro and his pillow.

March 8 at 2:03 p.m. | Sundance Court Apartments | Dispatched to Sundance on a drug complaint.

4 | March 21, 2018 | PHOTOS BY FRANCISCO MARTINEZ | THE WICHITAN

Ellie Gunderson, political science junior, and Steven Ehlert, criminal justice senior, answer questions regarding why they are the best fix for the president position during the Student Government Association Debate at Bolin 100 on March 7.

Morgan Sinclair, sociology junior, asks both candidates a question regarding People Respecting Identity Diversity for Everyone during Student Government Association Debate.

Candidates for SGA president discuss platforms

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CORTNEY WOOD | MANAGING EDITOR

ith the final Student Government Association presidential debate on Wednesday, March 21 in Bolin 100, the presidential candidates continue to insert themselves in the campus issues to show support for student interest. While the secretary and vice president candidates are running unopposed, two students are running for the presidential office position.

ELLIE GUNDERSON

According to Ellie Gunderson, political science junior, the current administration worked to unite the students after Robert Grays’ passing, and through that, Gunderson said she is wants to bring more organizations together, so students with different backgrounds can find support throughout the campus.

“They did an amazing job bringing together the student body, and that just holds dear in my heart, and I’m so thankful we had such a great SGA organization to do that and help the student body cope with something so serious,” Gunderson said. “That to me has stood out tremendously in all their works.”

While the current administration has taken on the campus discussion about sexual misconduct, Gunderson said she wants to “take it as far as possible.”

“I don’t think some of the stuff that’s been started can be changed in a year. It’s a lot to ask from from a one-term, one-year president,” she said. “Ultimately, I view SGA as the advocacy for the students that report to the administration. When students are facing hard Ellie Gunderson, political science junior, times or going through a situation, SGA is supposed gets emotional when asked, “what her to be there and advocate for those situations and help favorite memory at MSU?” She states her them find the best solution possible.” favorite memory at MSU was when the Gunderson said that unity encourages growth on school got together for Robert Grays. campus, and if she is elected, she said she is excited to see what all she can accomplish throughout the year.

“Everyone running right now is awesome, and they all have good people skills, and I’d be excited to see what we can tackle and accomplish early in the fall,” Gunderson said. “Hopefully to promote more unity to the campus, I would really like to see that, I’d like to see that quick, as quick as possible.”

As a former student athlete, Gunderson said she has learned how to manage her time and stay organized, and she said she will use those skills to further develop her platform.

STEVEN EHLERT Over the last two years, Steven Ehlert, criminal justice junior, has seen growth on campus that has encouraged him to run for Student Government Association president, and in on campus, Ehlert said he’s excited to be a part of an organization that continues to strengthen the student body.

“Seeing the possibility to change, seeing people wanting to change, seeing the opportunity here drives me even harder for my last year here to run for SGA president to get that change and opportunity out there so everybody can see it,” Ehlert said. “People are in the same situation they were in four years ago, and the current administration has worked hard to get people in the organization.”

According to Ehlert, he plans to build off the strong foundation Maria Pena, current president, has laid out for the next president, and while the road isn’t going to be easy, Ehlert said he is up for the challenge.

Steven Ehlert, criminal justice senior, “It’s going to take time, I don’t think we are there states if elected he would make sure the yet, but we need somebody that is going to push and Students Government Association would has had experience building organizations from publicize more for smaller organization scratch and building it all the way up, and that is a key in hopes to increase more student engagement on campus. aspect of what needs to happen,” Ehlert said.

From the Carribean students affected by natural disasters to students affected by the conflict with the deferred action for childhood arrivals, Ehlert said the current administration has sought out to make SGA known, and he said he wants to move a step further to invite students in to engage with the organization.

So while he trains for his State Trooper exam either in the summer or in the fall, Ehlert said he will continue to focus on students first, people first.

| March 21, 2018 | 5 from MISCONDUCT pg. 1 who have more than likely been harassed by this same person, who is still roaming around freely on this campus so that’s why I feel like today I should’ve came,” Kangudja said.

Kangudja said she feels administrators did not listen to students because it’s not an issue that’s important to address right now.

“I think they listened, but I don’t think they cared in the sense that they don’t feel like it’s an issue. They have to address it right now, but over the years this is an issue that they can address. This is something that isn’t immediate. They didn’t treat the situation in the way that it should’ve been treated,” Kangudja said.

One of the concerns raised at the forum was whether RAs should be able to know who has contact orders. As an RA, Kangudja said she feels it is her job to provide safety and security to students and should be made aware of that knowledge.

Kangudja said, “If I’m sitting at the front desk, and I don’t know that this person has a no contact order and their walking into the building how am I supposed to help them [students]?”

Gabriella Solis, psychology junior, said she attended the forum because she experienced sexual assault on campus and the administration didn’t help her when she reported the incident.

“I saw the [#complicitMSU] posters in Prothro-Yeager and I thought they were right and I wanted answers and wanted to know how administrators would respond to those allegations,” Solis said.

According to Solis, there are power dynamics to sexual assault and those in power do not have to worry about assault.

“Sexual assault is a power play and whenever you’re in a position of power you don’t have to worry about sexual assault, and it’s very frustrating because they will never understand,” Solis said. “They will never relate

and they will never see that because they’re white men in positions of power.”

Solis said she felt although administrators were answering the questions of the students, they were not being serious about the issues.

“There is a lot of victim blaming and I think they held this forum to create the facade that they are improving and listening to us with the way they responded by going around in circles and repeating themselves and bouncing off of each other,” Solis said.

“They weren’t being serious.”

Toward the beginning of the forum, Park made a comment jokingly hoping that no sexual assault cases occurred over the recent spring break. Solis said she did not think the joke was funny and inappropriate.

“As the Title IX coordinator, that’s not one of those jokes that should come out of mouth. The way he walked up there and nonchalantly said, ‘Well I hope that there’s no more reports or allegations after this spring break,’” Solis said.

Disability support services wants sign language classes TASIA FLOISSAC REPORTER

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s campus continues to make changes to cater to the needs of students with disabilities, director of the disability support services, Debra Higginbotham is making an appeal for the inclusion of sign language in the course catalog.

“So many students don’t even know about the number of students who have disabilities you don’t see. And of course those are the students who will not necessarily be able to say, “Look at me, I have a disability.’ Sign language is a way in which these students express their feelings, how they learn and live their lives as normal as possible,” said Higginbotham.

Higginbotham said the introduction of a sign language course would improve learning for students with disabilities.

“I have advocated for that for years because think about it, you have students who may be deaf and they have a foreign language requirement which they’re not going to be able to hear and we don’t have translators for that. So the thing is, if you had a sign language class that would be fine. They can do that,” she said. “The other thing is for people with learning disabilities. Because they have enough problems with the written word and maybe auditory comprehension, when they get into sign, that’s a concept language, that’s much easier than using letters.”

While sign language is necessary, Higginbotham said she understands that the implementation on campus can be a costly venture.

“It is difficult setting up a course like that because you’re looking at getting people qualified enough to teach it, you’re also talking about [going] through the coordinating board. You have to come up with a code number, so a number of things have to be done. Sign

language interpreters can make anywhere from $35 -$100 an hour, that’s intensive when you have several students needing to be served,” she said.

Higginbotham said, awareness also needs to be achieved at a faculty level.

“We have some instructors that when a sign language interpreter goes in, they have a lot of questions about what the interpreter’s doing and why is this like that and then the interpreter’s like, ‘don’t worry about it,’ and that type of thing. They may say that’s not really a foreign language, but it actually is.”

According to the World Federation of the Deaf, there are 70 million people in the world who use sign language to communicate.

Higginbotham said classroom interaction with interpreters is good because, “once people start seeing this, it makes them more aware and they have great ideas and all that. It’s amazing how I get so many people saying, ‘Do we teach sign language here? I would love to learn sign language.’”

Students also share the sentiment that a sign language course should be provided on campus.

“I came here with the hopes of being able to sign up for a sign language course because it was always interesting to me. I was very disappointed when I found out it was not being offered here on campus and I know it’s offered elsewhere,” Rebecca Adams, management information systems freshman, said.

Whitney Jackson, biology sophomore, said many having a sign language course on campus would benefit many students.

“I think it would be good to have [professors] teach [sign language] on campus because so many people could use it: students interacting with clients or customers at their jobs, nursing students, students in special education,” Jackson said.

Solis said she is disappointed in administrators and the campus law enforcement and she no longer trusts them as whole.

“The students aren’t the primary priority.

The parking tickets are the priority, people off campus and the community surrounding us is the priority. And you can’t trust people that you’re suppose to trust,” Solis said.

Solis said she felt that the forum was more coordinated and more beneficial for the administration to fix their reputation rather than an opportunity to listen to the students’ questions and concerns. Within the last five minutes of the forum, students rushed out of the room crying with red infuriated faces.

“They [administrators] used their prefabricated answers and they didn’t listen to the voices that were speaking out, they didn’t listen to the voiceless because that’s what we are,” Solis said.

Additional reporting by Latoya Fondren and Alyssa Mitchell.

Pokémon Go finds cult following on campus CHRISTOPHER CASTILLO REPORTER

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espite Pokémon GO losing popularity two years ago, the app still has a presence on campus.

The location-based mobile game Pokémon GO arrived in app stores on July 6, 2016. Garnering millions of downloads and users, the game became a widespread addiction across the country; however, due to slow updates and interest steeply declining, it seemed that Pokémon GO was only a fad that lasted all of one summer. Now, almost two years after its release, students are keeping the game alive on campus.

“I’ve played Pokémon GO since it was released,” said Froilan Martinez, education junior. “It’s a game that rewards you for going out and exploring, and I think that has kept me motivated to keep playing even though a lot of people have stopped.”

The game rewards students who play the game on a daily basis, creating an incentive to open the app at least once a day.

Rogelio Nenuz, psychology major, said he first started playing

the game when it first came out because of his love of the Pokémon series growing up.

“After a while it became more about meeting other people and finding friends,” Rogelio said.

Pokémon GO was created with human interaction being a key aspect of gameplay. This is mostly done through “raids,” which allows certain boss Pokémon to be available for a limited amount of time. Raids force players to work together and use teamwork to take down high level bosses. They were introduced in an update in 2017, around the same time the second generation of Pokémon were released in the game.

Most active Pokémon GO players use the gamer-friendly group messaging app Discord to set up group chats in which members schedule when to go out and hunt Pokémon and participate in raids. The biggest public Pokémon GO discord in Wichita Falls has over 200 members.

Pokémon GO may never reach the same popularity it had at the start of it’s life, but it continues on through students that embrace the Pokémon slogan “Gotta Catch ‘Em All”.

6 | March 21, 2018 | PHOTOS BY CORTNEY WOOD AND LEO GONZALEZ | THE WICHITAN

While at the Talley Entertainment Carnival in the Sikes Center Mall parking lot, Paige Inman, accounting sophomore, finds a booth and points at the “cute prizes” on March 16.

Mountain climbing enthusiast Ashtyn Sander, looks at the mountains in despair on March 11. Sanders has climbed the Wichita Mountains for two years and continues to come back every chance she has between her busy schedule.

What did you do for

spring break?

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TYLER MANNING | EDITOR, AND CHLOE PHILLIPS | REPORTER

ood weather, sleeping in and lessened responsibilities. This was a reality for many students during their spring break.

Students across campus spent their week-long breaks engaged in various different activities. While some said that they went out of the state in fun road trips, others stayed indoors and enjoyed the lengthy break from homework and tests.

Though for some students, spring break was no different because of work or other commitments.

“I went home [in Plano, TX], I hung out with my friends and family as well. I went shopping and watched netflix..”

GRACE TSICHLIS ENGLISH FRESHMAN

“I went with my family to Oregon. We went to go see the redwood forest, hung out by the beach, and we ocean fishing.”

JACOB WARREN ECONOMICS SENIOR

“I went to Siesta Beach in Florida, and went swimming.

[My favorite part about going] I really liked the beach, it was really nice sand, a lot of sand, white sand.”

D’MONTAE TURNER POLITICAL SCIENCE SOPHOMORE

“I had an eventful spring break.

Foremost, I got a kitten. I then went to Six Flags with my boyfriend, and the next day my mom, my boyfriend and I went to Magnolia in Waco, Texas.”

RACHAEL STAGNER PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY SOPHOMORE

| March 21, 2018 | 7 Foreign language study results in “improved overall school performance and superior problem-solving skills”

The need for bilingual educators is so high that some districts in Texas are importing teaching candidates from locations like Puerto Rico, Mexico and Spain … Some districts, like Mesquite ISD, have launched incentive programs this year to keep their best teachers in the classroom through additional training opportunities and the chance to earn up to $12,000 more annually.

(Bamford & Mizokawa; Hakuta)

“Students scored significantly higher in MATH […] after one semester of foreign language study 90 minutes per week”

(ecapteach.com)

Foreign language study results in “improved overall school performance and superior problemsolving skills” (Bamford & Mizokawa; Hakuta)

“Students scored significantly higher in math […] after one semester of foreign language study 90 minutes per week” (Armstrong)

(Armstrong)

Why not…

Add a double major in Spanish, a “Spanish for the Professions” or French minor, or German classes? only 20% of the world speaks English as a native or non-native language

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

34.6% of Texas and 14.9% of Wichita Falls inhabitants speak a language other than English at home (U.S. Census Bureau)



82% of alumni received a competitive edge from their foreign language abilities (American School of International Management)



College graduates who speak a second language earn, on average, wages that are 2 percent higher (Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia)

Credit is available, through proficiency exams, for language ability that you may already have in German, French, or Spanish.

World Languages and Cultures, Midwestern State University Bea Wood 116 jeffrey.oxford@mwsu.edu

8 | March 21, 2018 | W I ND ENSEMBLE PHOTOS BY FRANCISCO MARTINEZ | THE WICHITAN

David Belcher, band director in Archer city, joins the University Orchestra and University Wind Ensemble by playing the Bassoon in rehearsal at Akin Auditorium on March 8.

Arianna Menden, rider high school student, plays a Cello during the University Orchestra and University Wind Ensemble rehearsal.

Ricardo Forester, music education sophomore, waits for his mark during the University Orchestra and University Wind Ensemble rehearsal.

Faculty gives ‘last lecture’ BRIAN LANG REPORTER

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round 35 students gathered in the Legacy Multipurpose Room on March 19 to hear Peter Fields, associate professor of English, give a lecture as a part of the Last Lecture Series.

This series is inspired by the famous “last lecture” given by Randy Pausch discussing the most important things he wanted his students to know before he died from pancreatic cancer. The lecture series on campus follows in that vein of allowing students to vote on a professor that they would like to hear speak and share the vast wealth of their knowledge with the community.

Fields’ lecture focused on the power and history of language. He compared Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” with the King James Bible, saying they both created a rich English heritage and demonstrated the influence and beauty of the English language.

Nathan Conard, English freshman, said, “What really stood out to me was just how much Dr. Fields talked about language and how language is a living thing that evolves over time. It holds onto these ideas that we share as humanity and they are these really fundamental ideas, these really deep ideas

that are embedded in the stories that we tell and they stay in these stories and get passed down through the language.”

This lecture series gives professors the chance to speak on topics that they are most passionate about.

Fields said, “Today was special and unique because it allowed me to approach what I do holistically. I was able to share with everybody a kind of complete picture of what language means to me.”

He said that he chose to speak about the greatest works of the English language because language is what makes life meaningful.

“I’m talking about things of ultimate importance. I’m talking about what is true to me. What is it about what I do that makes my life, and I feel my students life, meaningful,” Fields said. “This purposeful universe that I’m sharing with them, this round of belonging that language gives them, to me is speaking to what life is all about.”

Students said they responded well to the lecture series. Several questions were asked and students and faculty waited to talk with Dr. Fields about language.

Conard said, “I really like the series. It’s a great way to see your professors in a different light, aside from their lectures, and see what they’re really passionate about.”

OF WICHITA FALLS

Boys & Girls Clubs of Wichita Falls is hiring for youth program positions. Must be available to work Monday to Friday 3pm to 8pm. Completion of some college or experienc equivalent is required. Criminal History background conducted. Apply 6th and Broad Offic Contact Carlos Martinez at 322-2012.

Matthew Luttrell, music associate professor, keeps the tempo during the University Orchestra and University Wind Ensemble rehearsal.

Internship/ Work Scholarship opportunities available. Commitment to work 75 hours du a semester- 6 hours weekly fall/spring and 16 hours weekly during a summer semester. A Scholarship Award of $650 per semester. Application deadline for fall is September 1 and spring is January 10th Contact Carlos Martinez at 322.2012.