PLAY LIKE A GIRL: Softball team breaks even against Cameron University in series at Mustangs Park, closing season at 44-8.
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Wednesday n May 4, 2011
OPEN FOR INTERPRETATION: Graduating art students will show off their masterpieces Friday at the B.F.A. Senior Exhibition.
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thewichitan
your university n your voice
Students react to death of Osama bin Laden Brittney Cottingham Features Editor
Levi Gibbs could hardly believe news reports announcing that the world’s most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden had been killed by American forces. When Gibbs heard the news that the world’s most wanted terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, was killed by American forces, he
didn’t believe the reports at first. “After the president’s speech and much of the news coverage began to spread, I celebrated,” Gibbs said. “It was definitely news that I, along with the rest of the nation, had been waiting 10 years to hear.” Gibbs, who has spent three years on the Texas Army National Guard, thinks the death of Bin Laden is definitely a mo-
rale booster, especially for people with military ties. “It shows that we’ve made progress,” Gibbs said. “The only negative aspect I can think of would be from those individuals who, now that bin Laden is dead, will expect the military to pull out of Afghanistan. Our job there is not done, but we have definitely come across a major milestone.”
The criminal justice major is currently a Specialist in the 36th Infantry Division. Being in the military has changed the way he views a lot of things, including the War on Terror. “To me, it’s not about the political nonsense that has surrounded both Iraq and Afghanistan,” Gibbs said. “My only concern is for the men and woman who wear a military uniform
s the
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and making sure they all come home.” Like Gibbs, Alex Reveles was skeptical when a friend texted him the news. “(bin Laden’s death) has definitely given Americans a new sense of hope and reminded them of the patriotism that lifted our nation up from the tragedy of 9/11,” Reveles said. “Like many political analysts have stated this
‘Parkour’ athletes jump for joy Sarah Kate Allsup Brandon Groppi For the Wichitan
Tracy Chaddock’s chin-length hair was tied back by a white bandanna as he walked confidently toward his next obstacle. “I bet I could do a trick off of that,” he said. Chaddock has an interesting hobby that keeps him fit.
It’s called parkour. Parkour practitioners, or “traceurs,” practice gymnastics and running in urban areas to keep themselves in shape. “I’ve had no gymnastic experience and I’ve never done martial arts before,” Chaddock said. “All this was self-taught.” When Chaddock was 6 years old, he would line up pillows on the floor and try to do front hand-
springs. Link, a character from “The Legend of Zelda,” was his inspiration. “I would see Link roll when he landed and I thought that was cool, so I started doing that,” said Chaddock. He also learned a few other tricks – by the time he got to high school Chaddock found out that what he was doing had a name.
See PARKOUR on page 8
Autism program could lose state funding Chris Collins Managing Editor
The MSU Autism Support Program, a residential, student-driven support system for autistic students, is in trouble of going down the drain if it can’t find funding for the Fall 2011 semester. The Autism Support Program (ASP) was awarded a $100,000 special items grant in August 2008 that paid for the utilities at a home for the program, a director, peer mentors and a van, said Debbie Barrow, director of board and government relations in the president’s office. The money was given to the ASP by the Texas legislature partly because of its status as a “start-up” program. But af-
ter running smoothly for two years, MSU officials could no longer pigeonhole the request as “start-up funding.” At this point, the special item stimulus money is as good as lost. “We knew it was going to be tough to get that money again,” Barrow said. She said it’s still possible the Texas Senate could O.K. funding for the program, but it’s highly unlikely. “There’s just too many needs and not enough money,” she said. But the problems don’t stop there – the program will lose its director in Jessica Dunn this August, who is moving to the metroplex to pursue new career opportunities. Even if the program staff
had the money to pay a new director, they would still have to find one first. Currently, Dunn holds weekly one-on-one sessions with students in the program to keep tabs on them and help them with problems they may face. They use the time to discuss how students are performing in classes and how well they are handling themselves in social settings. Provost Dr. Alisa White fears that other autistic students at MSU won’t get the support they need if funding for the ASP is lost. It may also steer prospective students with the behavioral disorder away from MSU. She said she thinks the best thing to do now is to help the students who are currently in
the program and plan for the future. “We need to keep the students we have and get them through the pipeline,” White said. “One problem is that we won’t be able to give students the same support we gave them at the beginning.” Six people participated in the program when it began two years ago, according to a paper Dunn drafted and sent to MSU President Dr. Jesse Rogers this year. It included three students with Asperger’s Syndrome (a mild form of autism) and three “nuerotypical” (meaning “normally functioning”) peer mentors. Now the program has grown to six students with autism spectrum disorder, four peer mentors and three program
staff members. Dunn oversaw the addition of a “sensory room” to the program’s house, as well as the adoption of Calli, a trained therapy dog. Dunn said she’s unsure about the fate of the home and the dog if they can’t find another source of funding for the program. Dunn has been instructed to begin charging a $3,000 nominal fee per student in the program if new funding cannot be found for the ASP. The problem is that some students simply can’t pay this price. “The program’s founders believe these highly intelligent students deserve an opportunity to attend an insti-
See FUNDING on page 3
See OSAMA on page 5
Museum fundraiser falls short
Chris Collins Managing Editor Expenses for food served at a lavish Greekthemed fundraiser at MSU’s Museum of Art ate up more than half of the revenue raised at the April event. Records obtained by The Wichitan show the event billed as Greek Fortnight ended up almost $3,500 in the hole. Although it brought in $35,520 in donations, gifts and exhibition income, it paid out $38,997 in expenses, $24,711 of them food-related. Aramark, the agency contracted to provide meals to the MSU cafeteria, catered the April 9 “Party at the Parthenon,” charging $15,658 for a spread of lamb, moussaka and Greek white wine. Aramark charged an additional $5,512 to serve the food along with $2,000 to rent chairs, tablecloths and glassware. An outside chef from The Traveling Bistro & Catering Company billed $1,540 for his services. Jane Spears, museum advisory board chair and MSU Board of Regents member, said the museum was not obligated to use Aramark for the catering. Michael Clifton, director of dining services, said that the museum actually was required to use Aramark by contract. This is the case with all university functions, Clifton said. He also said that the company broke even on the party. According to records, 173 people paid $125 each for dinner tickets, bringing the per person food- and beverage-related bill to $142. Museum records list three sources of income for the event: donations and gifts ($3,625), exhibition income ($31,895) and maintenance/ operation budget ($5,000). According to Gail Ferguson, controller of the MSU business office, the maintenance/operation budget should not have been included in the revenue figures. Spears said she did not know why this figure was added in. Greek Fortnight was the first major fundraiser held at the museum since MSU took ownership of the property in 2004. Spears, however, said the recent event wasn’t a fundraiser. “We never hoped to raise several million dollars,” Spears said. “We were happy to break even. I was a little disappointed in some aspects to the response to some of the lectures, but other than that I was very pleased.” She said the primary goal was not actually to raise funds. Instead, it was intended to create a “signature event” for the museum. “This is to bring the community back in and raise awareness of the museum,” she said. “We didn’t have any expectation of raising money. In years to come, it will be a fundraiser.” In the March 30 Wichitan, Spears said she hoped the event would produce enough funds to complete several crucial museum projects, such as redesigning and relocating the museum entrance and making the restrooms ADA-compliant. Spears said at one point she had hoped the event would raise as much as $10 million, but that goal was scaled back due to the recent economic downturn. Printing, which included brochures, newsletters and programs cost $5,575. Renting Greek columns and statues from a Dallas decoration company cost the museum $2,760. Entertainment cost $450. Spears said that she isn’t currently aware of any pending donations as a result of the event, but she hopes more people will contribute funds to the museum.
treet Tracy Chaddock performs a tic-tac-toe roll off of Bea Wood Hall. Chase Nuding flips through the air, defying gravity. (Photos by Hannah Hofmann)
is a message that our determination, while it may have faltered, is stronger than ever.” Reveles comes from a strong military background. He has a retired Navy grandfather, retired Air Force uncle and a cousin who was wounded in Iraq while serving in the Army. Reveles is the first Marine in his family, and has served three years in the