March 10, 2023

If students are suffering from burnout, it can be helpful to know they are not alone, 2023.

College shouldn't just be work

THE WICHITAN STAFF

Most of us aren’t in school just for the fun of it. We’ve got plans. We’ve got goals. At the very least, we’ve got vague hopes that if we make it through college we can do something that makes money. It’s a tried and true college mindset. But sometimes, it gets a little too

BRIEFS

March 10

Handshake workshop for international students

Friday, March 10, in Dillard Room B24, the Career Management Center and Office of Global Education will combine to host a workshop for international students. Running from 1-2 p.m., the workshop focuses on how to use Handshake to expand and discover career opportunities.

March 15

SNA Sikes Lake Walk

easy to get caught up in that idea that we’re just here to slog through classes and get handed a piece of paper several thousand dollars later. That’s when we stress too much - when we don’t see the goal, we only see the obstacles. It gets easy to feel burnt out and tired if we aren’t intentional about enjoying what we do.

One solution is to take a step back and ask yourself why you do what you’re doing. If you can focus on the reasons you chose to pursue your degree, it can make your time more enjoyable. And even more importantly, if you can rediscover the facets of your work that you find fun - the kind of things that sometimes get lost in the day-to-

day bustle - it makes it easier to deal with the things that bog you down. Focusing on the positives of your college experience, the thrill of the things you’re good at and the challenge of the things you want to do can provide the positive energy you need to keep your head up. All you have to do is remember the things that make your work

La universidad no debe ser solo trabajo

WICHITAN PERSONAL

La mayoría de nosotros no estamos en la escuela sólo para divertirnos. Tenemos planes. Tenemos metas. Por lo menos, tenemos vagas esperanzas de que si terminamos la universidad podemos hacer algo que genere dinero. Es una mentalidad universitaria probada y verdadera. Pero a veces, se vuelve demasiado fácil

quedar atrapado en la idea de que sólo estamos aquí para pasar por las clases y recibir una hoja de papel varios miles de dólares después. Ahí es cuando nos estresamos demasiado, cuando no vemos la meta, sólo vemos los obstáculos. Es fácil sentirse agotado y cansado si no somos intencionales en disfrutar lo que hacemos. Una solución es tomar un paso

atrás y preguntarse por qué haces lo que estás haciendo. Si puedes concentrarte en las razones por las que elegiste obtener tu título, puedes hacer que tu tiempo sea más agradable. Y más importante, si puedes redescubrir las facetas de tu trabajo que encuentras divertidas, los tipos de cosas que a veces se pierden en el bullicio del día a día, se vuelve más fácil lidiar con

Editor-in-Chief: Cecil Witherspoon

Managing Editor: Anne Akpabio

Design Editor: Abigail Jones

Photography Editor: Colin Stevenson

Vol. 87 | No. 11

Midwestern State University

Fain Fine Arts Bldg., Room D201

3410 Taft Blvd. | Wichita Falls, Texas 76308

(940) 397-4704

wichitan@msutexas.edu | thewichitan.com

@wichitanonline

The Student Nursing Association seeks to help students destress and stay active with a weekly walk around Sikes Lake. The next walk is from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, March 15.

March 20

MOCA Madness Gaming Tournament

las cosas que te pesan. Enfocarte en los aspectos positivos de tu experiencia universitaria, la emoción de las cosas qué haces bien y el desafío de las cosas que quieres hacer, puede proporcionar la energía positiva que necesitas para mantener la cabeza en alto. Todo lo que tienes que hacer es recordar las cosas que hacen que tu trabajo sea divertido.

Copyright ©2022.

Spanish Editor: Lizbeth Jaimes

Business Manager: Tiffany Haggard

Social Media Manager: Rebekah Gardner

Section Editor: Joey Arthur

Issue Staff: Juliana Abril, Esmeralda Carlos, Emily Copeland, Juan Manoslava

Advisor: Jonathon Quam

The Men of Color Alliance, MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center and MSU Texas Esports are joining to host MOCA’s first gaming tournament. The event features Madden 23 and FIFA 23 tournaments. It starts at 7 p.m. and runs til 10 p.m. Monday, March 20 in the E-Sports Lounge in Legacy Hall.

First copy free. Additional copies $1.00 each.

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 an email address, telephone number and address.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

COUNSELING CENTER AIMS FOR EMPOWERMENT

EMILY COPELAND REPORTER

From juggling classes and jobs, the attempt to have a social life, terrible sleep schedules, and discovering who they really are, college students are facing more and more stressors each day. The Mayo Clinic reports that up to 44% of students have reported symptoms of depression and anxiety. The MSU Counseling Center is doing what it can to combat that, including the recent Mental Health Workshops.

Zachary Zoet, assistant director of the MSU Counseling Center wants students to be equipped with the tools to navigate the stressors of life.

“We feel like it’s our mission to improve the mental health

of students generally,” he said. “And if there is a way we can get to students early and empower them with some tools… if students are empowered with that knowledge that maybe they’ve missed, that could help them to navigate a stressful relationship for the better.”

This semester’s workshop focused on healthy relationships, burn out and anxiety management. After last semester’s workshop, students were able to give their feedback on not only topics, but how the workshop was actually run.

Amanda Lunt, clinician at the MSU Counseling Center handled much of the organization for the workshops. She spoke of the importance of receiving feedback from the students and using that information to go forward with more workshops. For this semester, they made the decision to break the information down into more condensed versions of what has been presented previously.

“We just really wanted to reflect and think ‘What will students get from this? What do they want to learn more about? What are some of the main clinical issues that we see come up a lot?'” she said. “It is a lot of information and this is their own personal time so not wanting to take too much of their time was really ideal for them.”

While the workshops had specific themes, Lunt said there’s no required state or condition a student has to meet in order to take advantage of the resources the Counseling Center offers.

“Regardless of what they’re dealing with, we want to find ways to support them,” Lunt said.  “And if that’s not us, that’s okay, but there are other resources out there we could look into for them.”

For midterms, Moffett Library brought in therapy dogs. Though it was not sponsored by the Counseling Center, Zoet was excited to see it.

“We’re really happy the library is doing that. We are happy anytime a department is student-centered and mindful of the impact that stress can have on mental health,” Zoet said. “Midterm window is very stressful and so it’s nice to see the library taking initiative to do their part because this works best when we are a coalition of stakeholders rather than the Counseling Center driving everything.”

The Counseling Center is free to students and all services have already been covered by student service fees. The Center can be found on the corner of Hampstead and Louis J. Rodri-

guez Drive.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN Esports and gaming club head Zachary Zoet talks at the opening of the Legacy gaming lounge, March 28, 2022. Zoet, also assistant director of the Counseling Center, wants students to have the mental health to navigate life.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN Anxiety management is an important topic of this semester’s mental health workshops, 2023.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN Certain mental health workshops this semester focus on burn out, 2023.

JUAN MANOSALVA REPORTER

Seth Skelton, Director Asociado Sénior de Educación Global para Reclutamiento, asistió a la feria universitaria en Snow College la semana pasada en Ephraim, Utah. Adicionalmente, viajes internacionales a Sudamérica con fines de reclutamiento son unos de los planes más cercanos para la Oficina de Educación Global.

La Oficina de Educación Global de Midwestern State University está dedicada a ayudar a todos los estudiantes internacionales. Esta ofi-

SETH SKELTON

RECLUTADOR INTERNACIONAL

cina ofrece apoyo y dirección a los estudiantes internacionales desde el momento del reclutamiento inicial hasta la graduación y la capacitación práctica opcional. Siendo este el enfoque y prioridad de la oficina, Seth Skelton, asistió a una feria de universidades realizada en el campus de Snow College en Utah. El evento tenía como objetivo darle la oportunidad a múltiples universidades de mostrar a los estudiantes los beneficios que transferirse a sus universidades puede tener. Como bien menciona Seth Skelton, dicho evento fue muy organizado, útil para promocionar a MSU Texas y muy abierto a responder preguntas de posibles futuros estudiantes. “El evento en Snow College fue increíble. El personal extendió la alfombra roja para mí e hizo un gran trabajo al promocionar mi llegada y estuve ocupado hablando con los estudiantes durante casi 2 días completos.”. Adicionalmente, Seth Skelton próximamente viajará a países en Latino América tales como Colombia y Ecuador, para así continuar con su proyecto de atraer más estudiantes in-

ternaciones a MSU Texas. Geográficamente hablando, América Latina es la región del mundo más cercana a Texas que no forma parte de los Estados Unidos. Históricamente, MSU Texas no ha tenido una gran población de estudiantes latinoamericanos, pero hay una población joven y ascendente en esa parte del mundo que está lista para explorar y estudiar en el extranjero.

Considerando lo anterior, Skelton recalcó la importancia de tener un contacto cara a cara con aquellos estudiantes que MSU Texas desea atraer, ya que sin un contacto fuera de la pantalla es complicado que los estudiantes fuera del país inicien su proceso académico en los Estados Unidos. “ Los latinoamericanos son literalmente "vecinos" de Texas y cuando la universidad no puede conectarse con estos posibles estudiantes, nos estamos perdiendo estos académicos motivados y talentosos. Si como universidad no priorizamos los viajes físicos a América Latina será difícil transmitir el mensaje de que

aquí son bienvenidos.” añadió Seth Skelton. Además, estos viajes de reclutamiento no solo benefician a aquellos nuevos y antiguos estudiantes internacionales parte de MSU Texas, sino también a aquellos estudiantes Americanos que deseen aprovechar su experiencia universitaria más profundamente. “Cuando los estudiantes nacionales estudian y viven junto a estudiantes internacionales, esto los prepara para un entorno profesional porque muchas de las empresas más grandes del país tienen una gran fuerza laboral internacional. También promueve la tolerancia y la comprensión de las personas que vienen, pues pueden tener diferentes orígenes étnicos o culturales.”

Menciono Seth Skelton.

Finalmente, es notablemente y de aplaudir que la oficina de educación global cada vez está más enfocada en crear una comunidad de estudiantes internacionales más grande y unida lo cual está dando grandes resultados en términos de cantidad y calidad de personas que asisten a MSU Texas.

FOTO CORTESÍA DE SETH SKELTON

El Director Asociado Senior de Educación Global, Seth Skelton, explora las playas de las Bahamas.

FOTO CORTESÍA DE SETH SKELTON

El Director Asociado Senior de Educación Global, Seth Skelton, prueba

FOTO CORTESÍA DE SETH SKELTON

El Director Asociado Senior de Educación Global, Seth Skelton, frente del Charminar en India.

FOTO CORTESÍA DE SETH SKELTON

El director adjunto superior de Educación Global, Seth Skelton, explora los lugares nocturnos mientras se encuentra en India.

SETH SKELTON INTERNATIONAL RECRUITER

JULIANA ABRIL REPORTER

Seth Skelton, senior associate director of recruiting for the Global Education Office, attended the Snow College university fair held last week in Ephraim, Utah. But Utah is far from the most exciting place Skelton has traveled for his job. He has taken several international trips to  South America with recruiting purposes, and more are planned for the Global Education Office.

The Global Education Office at Midwestern State University is devoted to assisting all international students. The Office offers support and direction to the international scholars from the time of initial recruiting all the way through graduation and optional practical training. With this being the focus and priority of the office, Seth Skelton attended a college fair held on the Snow College campus in Utah. The event was intended to give multiple universities the opportunity to show students the benefits that transferring to their universities can have.

Skelton said the event was well-organized, useful to promote MSU Texas and

open to answering questions from potential future students.

“The event at Snow College was incredible. The staff there rolled out the red carpet for me and did a great job of promoting my arrival and I was busy talking with students for almost two full days,” Skelton said.

Additionally, Skelton will soon travel to Latin American countries such as Colombia and Ecuador to continue his project of attracting more international students to MSU. Geographically, Latin America is the closest region of the world to Texas that is not a part of the U.S. While MSU historically has not had a large population of Latin American students, there is a young and active population in that part of the world that is ready to explore and study abroad.

Aware of that trend, Skelton highlighted the importance of having face-toface contact with the students MSU wants to attract, since without in-person contact it is difficult for students from abroad to start their academic studies in the United States.

“Latin American people are literally

neighbors to Texas, and when the university is not able to connect with these prospective students we are missing out on these motivated and gifted scholars. If we as a university don’t prioritize physical travel to Latin America it will be difficult to convey the message that they are welcome here,” Skelton said.

Skelton said the recruiting trips benefit not only new and returning international students at MSU, but also those American students who wish to take advantage of their university experience more deeply.

“When domestic students study and live side-by-side with international students it prepares them for a professional environment because many of the country’s largest businesses have a large international workforce. It also promotes tolerance and understanding of people who come may have different ethnicities or cultural backgrounds than them,” Skelton said.

The Global Education Office’s efforts, led by Skelton, have yielded an increase in the number of international students at MSU. With more trips to come, that trend looks likely to continue.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SETH SKELTON Global Education senior associate director Seth Skelton explores a streetside shop in Vietnam.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SETH SKELTON Global Education senior associate director Seth Skelton takes a ride in an auto rickshaw in India.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SETH SKELTON Global Education senior associate director Seth Skelton visits Vietnam during his work.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SETH SKELTON Global education senior associate director Seth Skelton works to promote MSU Texas to international students, March 8.

IS SENIORITIS JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR BURN-OUT?

ANNE AKPABIO MANAGING EDITOR

As my time in college ends, I wonder if my growing demotivation is due to senioritis or burn-out. Unlike its counterpart burnout, senioritis is the colloquial condition only present in seniors in high school, college and graduate levels. It is commonly described as the feeling of being constantly exhausted and unmotivated to finish projects and study as your time to graduate nears.

Senior year is many things, but for some it is an exhausting end of a four-year journey – or longer- and is often wrapped around stress and anxiety. You start to question your whole journey to that point. You ask yourself questions like “Did I do enough internships?” or “Do I have enough tangible experience?” “Do I know what I’m doing?” And of course, “Am I qualified to get a job right after college?”

It is normal to reflect on a journey once you near its end, but I have always been much more anxious about starting things and new beginnings and maybe that is what it is for most people. The fear of starting a new phase of life after being submerged in the college experience for years.

Of course, my perspective is backed by the fact that I am a traditional student, and so often I wonder what senior year feels like for nontraditional students who have been thrown back into the college scene and get to go back to a familiar space with a different perspective. And for them, I also wonder what the experience is like having real-life commitments and having to also respond to the demands of the college system.

I consider if senioritis is backed by the fact that this time in a college student’s life is filled with uncertainty and confusion on what comes next or if it is just a fancy name for the comprehensive burn-out that comes after four years of having to meet deadlines and expectations. Personally, the college experience is one that has left me exhausted and burnt out more times than I can count and so maybe senioritis is just getting to a point where you can no longer rake it anymore, where you’ve held out through enough semesters and enough mental breakdowns to the point where you just can’t do it anymore.

Senioritis may also be attributed to college getting exponentially harder the higher you go and so there is the question of why so much work is loaded toward the end of a degree. I understand the logic of leaving a lot of the complex and intensive work till the end but that does not make the experience any less overwhelming. There is a hopeful part of me

that sometimes considers what the collective academic lives of students would look like if the academic structure is revamped. That is just wishful thinking at its best and I fully understand that the mechanics of the American Education system cannot be overhauled in a day.

Now more than ever, I have a newfound respect for people who have made it through this journey and have come out on the other side. And I wonder if many graduating seniors feel the pressure to overperform and the guilt that seeps in when they realize that exhaustion might have won another round. Often, I think of my freshman self and smile. She was so full of energy and ambition. She had time to be adventurous and participate in fun things. Now I constantly worry about if I have any time left to rest after I fulfill all my commitments. The days definitely run through faster, and I look forward to going to bed right from the start of every day.

I guess I can liken senioritis to the inevitable fact that we all grow up and that when I started college, I was a teenager with so much to learn.  Now I am considered a woman and I genuinely still laugh at the fact that I have become much like the serious people I once mimicked in conversations. But most importantly, all I genuinely think is where did all the time go? And I guess someday I can say it went to bagging two degrees.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

Many students experience "senioritis" as they near graduation, 2023.

Anne Akpabio

"ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA" PROVES THAT MARVEL ISN'T PERFECT

JOEY ARTHUR REPORTER

Following the immense success of the first two Ant-Man movies, Marvel Studios in collaboration with Walt Disney Studios released the third installment in the Ant-Man franchise, "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige, "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" follows the titular characters on a new journey they embark on exploring a new realm called the Quantum Realm. At the same time, they are thrown into the crosshairs of a time-traveling villain called Kang the Conqueror. Peyton Reed is best known for his work on the first two Ant-Man movies.

"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" is the first movie of Marvel Studios’ phase five project. Following the theme of phase four and the overall theme of their “Multiverse Saga,” phase five is set to focus on the multiverse and its effects on the heroes we know and love - and Ant-Man just fails to portray that. The movie takes place 3 years after the events of the 2019 movie “Avengers: Endgame.” Following the release of his new book titled “Look out for the Little Guy,” Scott Lang becomes a national celebrity but neglects his duties as a superhero. Meanwhile his daughter, Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Lang in partnership with Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne, secretly creates a beacon that accidentally transports the Langs and the Van Dynes to a whole new world called the Quantum Realm.

Their trip to the Quantum Realm sets them on a path against a multi-

versal and time traveling villain called Kang the Conqueror. Following the release of the teaser trailer for the movie, Marvel fans were excited for the movie as it featured the beloved and famous comic book character Kang the Conqueror. But suffice to say, the theatrical release of the movie left myself and a lot of Marvel fans feeling greatly disappointed. Throughout the movie, Marvel tries to highlight the importance of family and the responsibility of being a superhero. They also try to show off just how extremely powerful and resourceful Kang the Conqueror is but ultimately fail. In 2022 at San Diego Comic Con, Kevin Feige announced that Kang the Conqueror will be the main villain of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga similar to how Thanos was the main villain of the Infinity Saga. Given how big and powerful Kang is, I felt it was unnecessary to make him the main villain of an Ant-Man movie. The movie was heavily marketed to feel like an Avengers level movie but after watching it, it didn’t feel like that. It didn’t even feel like an Ant-Man movie.

Similar to how it failed in the thematic choices made for the movie, Marvel also failed in the characterization of new and old characters and the character interaction between them. Ant-Man or Scott Lang, played by Paul Rudd, is the movie’s titular protagonist. He is smart, cunning, charming and brave. He also loves his daughter, Cassie more than anything in the world. In the movie we meet a Scott Lang that doesn’t feel like Scott Lang. He is irrationally confident, fame-hungry, a bit narcissistic and despite his constant proclamation of his love for Cassie, he is distrustful

of her and her abilities as a person and a superhero. The Wasp or Hope Van Dyne, played by Evangeline Lily, is also a titular protagonist. She is brilliant, ingenious, determined and protective. She is the love interest of Scott Lang in the movie and daughter of Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne. Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors, is the movie’s main antagonist. He is extremely intelligent, ruthless, threatening and immensely powerful. Marvel does a great job on showing how much of a threat Kang is but falls at his onscreen character interactions.

"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" is a movie a lot of Marvel fans anticipated but were ultimately let down. Since its release on Feb. 17, the movie has received a lot of negative reviews from both viewers and critics. The movie is tied with Marvel’s “Eternals” for lowest rated Marvel movie in the history of the studio sitting at 47% on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie was not a great movie but I do suggest you see it as it is still in theaters and will be available on Disney Plus on July 8th.M

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARVEL STUDIOS Micheal Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer play Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, 2023.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARVEL STUDIOS

Paul Rudd's Scott Lang faces off against Jonathan Major's Kang the Conqueror, 2023.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARVEL STUDIOS

"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania" takes place in the quantum realm, allowing the movie to create unique scenarios, 2023.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARVEL

Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly co-star as the titular heroes, Ant-Man and the Wasp, 2023.

“Given how big and powerful Kang is, I felt it was unnecessary to make him the main villain of an Ant-man movie.."

JOEY ARTHUR RATING: 2/5

SUZANNE SHIPLEY'S NOVEL "TO GO WITH THE ONE I LOVE" PART

Former MSU Texas president Suzanne Shipley’s “To Go With the One I Love” is a quick walk through the lives of Shira and Gabi Hayat, Jewish girls in pursuit of their dream lives in the World War II era. The novel is split into four parts, each focusing on a different country. The first 18 chapters make up part one, set in Germany where the Hayat sisters search for life and love. Shipley’s writing style doesn’t give too much information, but, rather, builds vignettes for the reader to interpret. This contributes to the feeling that you are reading Shira’s personal journal. Layers alongside this are many German terms like “Kastanien,” “Kurfürstendamm-Krawall,” “Rathausmarkt,” and others, which implies that these characters may be speaking Ger-

man, though the book is written in English. This is where Shipley’s education in German shows itself most prominently.

Without spoiling too much, the first part of “To Go With the One I Love,” contains characters delightfully varied in personality, engaging and humorous narration from Shira, and dialogue that, though story-serving, is painfully unrealistic at times.

The story begins during their Summer holiday in Berlin when they encounter the handsome American businessmen Grayson and Michael. Shira, from whom this story’s perspective is told, finds Grayson stoic and a safe choice in comparison to her other suitors, while the younger Gabi immediately begins dating Michael. Shira doesn’t judge, but she is wary about Gabi’s quick decision making. This early character development establishes the two sisters’ personalities as opposite, and their suitors as immediately in sync with both sisters’ quirks. Along the

ONE

way they meet other characters, each perfectly distinct from each other, my favorite being Joachim Achim, an eccentric poet who is adept in romance, but so bad at poetry that Shira said she, “read Achim’s poems multiple times, very modern, completely indecipherable. [She] hoped he had prepared for additional career options.”

Chapters later when the sisters return to their home in Hamburg, they break the news to their family that they want to move to Berlin for job opportunities. Their mother’s response, “At a time like this? You girls would leave home?” efficiently establishes the fears Jewish families had at this time period. Shipley doesn’t patronize her reader’s by making it painfully obvious why the girls’ mother is worried about what could happen to them while they’re away. This scene transitions without Shira and Gabi receiving a final “yes” or “no” from the parents, but Shira beginning her life in Berlin as a French interpreter for the 1936 Berlin Olympics in the next chapter answers any doubts the reader may have had. During these more serious moments, the dialogue carries weight, and I found myself invested in the outcome enough to keep reading feverishly.

There are some batches of dialogue which take you out of the scene, however, because of how unnatural they sound. A conversation between Shira and Grayson leads to Shira asking whether Michael is good for Gabi. Grayson proceeds to explain Michael’s entire life story, he said, “I was lucky to meet him. Du Cros is a French Huguenot name, the family Catholic to the Core. They raised Mike too strictly, and he rebelled, knew his own mind even then.” This quote goes on for longer, and I couldn’t help but feel that these over explanations in narrative cadence could have been better shown, not told. Thankfully, Shipley’s writing is otherwise strong and engaging, so I am willing to overlook these awkward quotes to finish the rest of the book.

Overall the first part of “To Go With the One I Love” is quick, witty, and layered with cultural references. The reader isn’t left behind, but isn’t treated like a child. This cold open to Shipley’s work leaves the reader excited to turn the next page, while also providing a sense that the characters are relatable even if they are set in a world that may feel a bit far from our own.

After translating numerous memoirs by women fleeing Nazism, Suzanne Shipley decides to write a historical fiction with a similar premise, 2022.

RATING: 4/5

“Shipley’s writing style doesn’t give too much information, but, rather, builds vignettes for the reader to interpret... This cold open to Shipley’s work leaves the reader excited to turn the next page."

ABIGAIL JONES

PHOTO COURTESY OF SUZANNE SHIPLEY

PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN President Suzanne Shipley talks at a Board of Regents meeting, Nov. 7, 2019. Previously president of MSU Texas, Shipley has taken up writing.

Abigail Jones

The Wichitan’s Song of the Week: “YOUR POWER”

JOEY ARTHUR ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Welcome back to this week’s edition of the Wichitan’s Song of the Week. In celebration of Women’s History Month, this week’s pick is “Your Power” by California-born singer-songwriter Billie Eilish. Released April 29, 2021, as a studio single and then as the 12th track on her sophomore

studio album “Happier Than Ever,” “Your Power” is a recollection of an abusive relationship that Billie Eilish went through and how it affected and changed her. It is also a plea she makes to men to stop abusing their power and authority, especially towards vulnerable women. Billie Eilish narrates a horrible time in her life through the sixteen tracks of “Happier Than Ever” and “Your Power” is a song that explains why she needs to do that.

Born in Los Angeles, Billie Eilish is an award-winning and nominated singer-songwriter best known for her debut single, “Ocean Eyes.” With the help of her award-winning songwriting producing brother, FINNEAS, Billie Eilish’s musical career has been filled with praise and recognition. Growing up as a member of the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus and taking her mother’s songwriting class alongside her brother, Billie Eilish was no stranger to the world of music when her career took off. In an interview with Vogue, she credits the children’s chorus and her mother’s class as the reason for her current success. Her experiences have shaped her music, including “Happier Than Ever.” One goal of the album was to talk about a shared experience amongst women, which is toxic relationships and its effects.

“Your Power” is one of my favorite songs from Billie Eilish’s entire discography. In “Your Power,” Eilish sings about the effects of

toxic relationships on women. She talks about emotionally abusive relationships and how much women don’t realize they are in one until it’s too late. She also calls out the men that perpetuate abuse in their relationships. Eilish also narrates a time in her life when she was in an abusive relationship. She talks about sensitive topics she has reflected upon about her previous relationship like grooming and underage relationships. Finally, Eilish makes a request to people with authority and/or power not to abuse it.

As stated in previous editions of the Song of the Week, lyricism is an important aspect of any song and FINNEAS and Eilish understood that when writing “Your Power.” With their background and growing up in their mother’s songwriting classes and their many awards, nominations and recognition in songwriting, FINNEAS and Eilish are no strangers to expressing emotions through lyricism. In “Your Power,” the songwriters utilize storytelling and pathos to tell Eilish’s experience and to give a call to action. My favorite lyric in the entire song is:

“I thought that I was special, you made me feel.

Like it was my fault, you were the devil, lost your appeal.

Does it keep you in control? (In control, in control)

For you to keep her in a cage?

And you swear you didn’t know (didn’t know, didn’t know)

You said you thought she was your age.”

During Women’s History Month it is important to celebrate the achievements made by trailblazing women over the years but, it is also equally important to discuss some of the current problems women face in a patriarchal society. In “Your Power,” Billie Eilish highlights a key issue that most women face while offering a solution to follow. The song is a great listen with a powerful message.

RATING: 5/5

“Discussions about toxic relationships should be had and “Your Power” by Billie Eilish forces its listeners to have those conversations."

JOEY ARTHUR

PHOTO COURTESY OF INTERSCOPE RECORDS

Billie Eilish sings about abuse in the song, “Your Power,” 2021.

PHOTO COURTESY OF INTERSCOPE RECORDS “Your Power” is the third single from Billie Eilish’s second studio album, “Happier Than Ever,” 2021.

PHOTOS: THERAPY DOGS AT MOFFETT

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN Koda is greeted by multiple students marvelling at the dog’s size, March 7. Koda showed up later in the event, but still got numerous head pats and belly rubs.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN After a long night of being pet, Koda shows off and jumps for a treat, March 7.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN Visitor Tanner Willis gives Koda belly rubs, March 7.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN General business sophomore Shayden Morgan pets Jasper the corgi, March 7. Jasper loves to wear costumes, such as this one to get in the mood for an upcoming Saint Patrick’s day.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN Computer science graduates Divya Podila and Karthnik Bharadwaj pet Neva “O’Neill” the Borzoi, March 7. Neva was all dressed up to celebrate the upcoming Saint Patrick’s day.