March 31, 2023

The college experience is the first time that many people have some form of autonomy over their lives,

heavy development, 2023.

Control only what you can control

THE WICHITAN STAFF

The journey that is college is filled with so much uncertainty. The average person graduates a different person than they were four years before and it begs the question of if the college experience assists with the development of growth and maturity. I personally feel like it does. The college experience is the first time that many people

have some form of autonomy over their lives and experiences. So, why is it so shocking that people develop the most when they are in control? This brings to mind the saying, “you can only control what is within your span of control”. This saying is the watchword for college students because even though for most of us this is our first attempt at autonomy, the experience of college is not realis-

tic and true to life outside college, or at least so we’ve heard. Is there ever a time when as humans we are in control entirely? Is there a way to guarantee our performance or future by how intentional we choose to act or is life just a big blurb of luck. Does everything happen in a predestined fashion or is there just a big wheel that spins somewhere and someone who picks at ran-

April 1

Maverick’s Day of Service.

The Office of Student Leadership and Involvement will be hosting their annual Maverick’s Day of Service. This event provides students the opportunity to volunteer and help out the Wichita Falls Community. The event will begin at 9 a.m.and run till 12 p.m. with check in starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 1 in the CSC Atrium.

April 8

“Supporting Indigenous Sisters: An International Print Exchange” Exhibition Opening

dom people’s luck. There really is no way to know, but there is hard science behind putting in effort and getting good grades or going to the gym and getting results. And so maybe for the simpler things effort equals result but for something as complex as the entirety of your life there are so many factors that impact the results of your choices.

Controle sólo lo que puedes controlar

WICHITAN PERSONAL

La universidad es un viaje que está lleno de mucha incertidumbre. La persona ordinaria se gradúa en una persona diferente a la que era 4 años antes y aparece la pregunta de si la experiencia universitaria ayuda con el desarrollo del crecimiento y la madurez. Personalmente siento que sí lo hace. La experiencia universitaria es la primera vez que muchas personas tienen

alguna forma de autonomía sobre sus vidas y experiencias y por eso es tan impactante que las personas se desarrollen más cuando tienen el control. Esto trae a la mente un dicho “solo puedes controlar lo que está dentro de tu espacio de control”. Esto nos dice la consigna para los estudiantes universitarios porque a pesar de que para la mayoría de nosotros esto es nuestro primer intento de autonomía, la experiencia de la

universidad no es realista ni fiel a la vida fuera de la universidad, o al menos eso he oído.

¿Hay alguna vez un momento en que como humanos estamos en control por completo? ¿Hay alguna manera de garantizar nuestro rendimiento o futuro por lo intencional que elegimos actuar o es la vida solo una gran bola de suerte?

¿Todo sucede de una manera predestinada o hay algo de una gran rueda que gira en algún lugar y

Editor-in-Chief: Cecil Witherspoon

Managing Editor: Anne Akpabio

Design Editor: Abigail Jones

Photography Editor: Colin Stevenson

alguien que elige la suerte de la gente al azar? Realmente no hay manera de saberlo, pero hay ciencia dura detrás de esforzarse y obtener buenas calificaciones, o ir al gimnasio y obtener resultados. Entonces tal vez para las cosas más simples el esfuerzo tiene resultados, pero para algo tan complejo como la totalidad de la vida hay tantos factores que impactan los resultados de sus decisiones.

The Wichita Falls Museum of Art is hosting an art exhibition focused on activating conversations about missing and murdered indigenous women. The exhibition will feature the works for 16 diverse artists focusing on their individuality and collective experience as women. The event will begin at 1 p.m. and run till 5pm. Saturday, April 8 at the WFMA.

April 11

Student Government Association Electoral Debate.

Tuesday, April 11 in the BAC Lone Star Room, The Student Government Association will be hosting their candidate electoral debate. This event offers students the opportunity to ask questions and get to know their Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates. Voting will begin the day after the debate, Wednesday, April 12 and will run till Wednesday, April 19.

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Vol. 87 | No. 11

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Copyright ©2022.

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

which leads to

RED RIVER READING SERIES FEATURING SIGMA TAU DELTA

ANNE AKPABIO MANAGING EDITOR

On Friday, March 25, MSU’s English honor society Sigma Tau Delta hosted a Red River Reading Series in anticipation of their conference in Denver, Colorado. The event served as a platform to present their work domestically before presenting it on a larger scale. The event entailed three sessions with one academic presentation and two creative pieces by the honor society members.

The first presentation was given by Brandon Goins, English sophomore and vice president of Sigma Tau Delta. His presentation was centered around his research on queer literature and is titled “Queer LIT on PAR”.

PAR stands for Positive Assimilation Rubric. This rubric was created by Brandon Goins through his research with Professor Fields for the EURECA Project

“I invented the positive assimilation rubric, I did not cite it from someone else and just explain it in my paper. It is my work and so I have to fully explain it and apply it to the best of my ability… I'm actively still developing it through the EURECA project with Dr.Fields, he's been incredibly helpful and we’ve had some major breakthroughs that really helped me develop the project and  how it would be applied,” Goins said.

His work with the Positive Assimilation Rubric was inspired by a keen interest in queer young adult literature.

“Really what started it all was that queer

young adult literature had a big impact on my life. I graduated from a high school with eleven people so there were like three queer people in the entire school. There weren't many people to form a community with. So many people especially me ended up finding the community on the page where you're looking and you're finding these characters who made it out of homophobic situations or who are thriving as queer people and you look to them as your examples because if they did it so can you. Knowing that that happened to me I thought that  must be happening to other queer young adults and so I started doing research about it and I knew I had from the very beginning wanted to research about queer literature literature because of how important I personally found it,” Goins said.

Through his work, he hopes to highlight the importance of literature in the lives of young queer adults.

“I use quotes in my literature that talk about the importance of good books in their capacity to save lives because there have been studies done that just having access to these books, or seeing them on a shelf can reduce the chance that a queer person is going to commit suicide. Being able to see themselves represented  and to have that window you can literally save lives and there are other effects as well it can reduce truancy rates and it can reduce drug abuse. Seeing yourself self-reflected in that literature and seeing someone successfully existing as a queer person  is incredibly impactful when you are forming your own identity especially when you have no one who is queer and existing as a queer person to look

to on a day-to-day basis,” Goins said.

The second presentation was given by Michaela Aleman, English junior and treasurer for Sigma Tau Delta. Her piece focused on her life experience and entailed a transition between the thoughts and struggles of her younger self and the journey to her current state of mind.

Her presentation was a creative and personal non-fiction piece detailing her experiences.

“Our only prompt was creative nonfiction and I did it in my creative writing class...the only thing we were given was that we can write about anything  and we were told, you know, the more personal the better so I really chose you know my indecisiveness with my relationship and how my parents played a part in that,” Aleman said.

Her piece was centered around vulnerability, and she spoke about that being an integral part of her work

“I really feel like to be a writer you have to express vulnerability a little bit because with each thing you write you are giving a piece of yourself to the reader. And so I came to terms with it a long time ago that  if I want to be a writer i'm just gonna have to kind of chip away at myself with every little thing. I'm kind of okay with being vulnerable… I'm kind of okay with, you know, being open and honest with a lot of people because, you know, if I ever do write a novel that's gonna be what I have to give apart away from myself,” Aleman said.

She finds her works to be an opportunity to connect with people and share herself with her audience.

“It's very eye-opening and very worth it. I want to be a writer so that I can share those pieces of myself so people can know that they're not alone and that there's someone else that feels that way too so anytime I see that happening in my work I just really enjoy it,” Aleman said.

The last presentation was given by Breanna Cotner, English for education senior and president of Sigma Tau Delta. Her presentation was surrounded around her love for Taylor Swift’s music and her realization while listening to her songs, that our society is based on narratives that profit the people who tell them.

She speaks of the connection between Taylor Swift being essential for her writing process and how it led her to the convictions presented in her article.

"I didn't know what to write about so I really

had nothing to go off of which is why it started with Taylor Swift because that's how my writing process starts. I listen to Taylor Swift and I'm like what do I want to write about and I basically wrote it as it was happening to me because I felt like how I came to this realization is the way a lot of people would naturally come to this realization. It might help people understand where I'm coming from when I say things like people should have free education and people should be housed in America. I have a lot of like radical ideas and people don't quite understand why I feel this way.  This was one of the instances that just like organically happened as to why I feel this way because I learned something while listening to Taylor Swift and I then related it to things that I've read that basically back that up so I really didn't have any kind of problem and that's that was the hard part of it” Cotner said.

She hopes that people take away the need for change when they read or listen to her work.

“I hope that they take that the world needs to change now that we have all the tools that we need to make the world the best that it can be and we just don't use them and that's really sad and we should so I really hope that that's like the goal of pretty much anything that I write is like that's the goal is like we gotta change something and we need to do it now the world's a dumpster fire we gotta put it out yeah so I guess that would be my main take away,” Cotner said.

PHOTO BY ANNE AKPABIO | THE WICHITAN English junior Michaela Aleman presents her creative non-fiction piece wich details her life experiences, March 25.

PHOTO BY ANNE AKPABIO | THE WICHITAN English sophomore Brandon Goins presents his research on queer literature, inspired by his passion on the subject, March 25.

PHOTO BY ANNE AKPABIO | THE WICHITAN English senior Breanna Cotner presents her piece based on her world view changes after listening to some of Taylor Swift's music, March 25.

RACING TEAM REVS UP FOR

CECIL WITHERSPOON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Sparks flew as mechanical engineering and computer science senior Sharome Burton cut and shaped a piece of metal in the Sikes Lake Center garage. Soon, the small piece disappeared into the body of a racecar - a racecar Burton and his teammates have designed and built themselves. Piece by piece, day by day, working through breaks and into the night, the MSU Formula Society of Automotive Engineers team is building a racecar from scratch. It’s a daunting task in its own right, but the FSAE team has even bigger ambitions - a trip to Brooklyn, Michigan, where the best Formula teams in the country compete.

Starting line

If MSU’s FSAE team succeeds in its goal and makes it to Michigan in May, it will mark the second year in a row MSU has taken part in the competition. But for every finish line there’s an equally important starting line. For the FSAE team, that start happened over two years ago.

Burton said the team began in January of 2021 when a group of engineering seniors pitched the idea. He said the initial response among students was largely incredulous.

“Really it was a pitch from a few nowgraduated engineering seniors. They said

“Let’s build a car,” and you know, they saw that we were doing a lot of you know undergraduate research and other things that could be helpful toward that. And the first reaction is always kind of like “What kind of car?” You know, ‘An RC car?’” Burton said.

He went on to explain that despite money concerns and no foundation to build off of, the willpower of those first few students got the project up and running.

“Long story short, it was a very, you know, very enterprising bunch of students. Those formed the organization from scratch, got the requisite number of members to start it,” Burton said.

Since then, the team has attracted and retained students through its mission and unique opportunities.

Burton said he’s remained involved because he wouldn’t otherwise get the handson experience building a racecar provides.

“But what really got me to stay was the access to manufacturing things, you know. As high-level of a vehicle as you actually put an actual person into. Not being an automotive person heading into it, you know, it’s something I saw that I could adapt into in order to get me some better opportunities career-wise,” Burton said.

The novelty of the team has even attracted non-engineering students to participate in the project in other capacities. Psychology senior Aretha Fontaine said was surprised when she heard there were MSU students building a real car, and joined the

Mechanical engineering Burton grinds down suspension, March

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN Mechanical engineering sophomore Adolf Frederic watches on as Burton makes small cuts for a suspension piece, March 21.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

Mechanical engineering and computer science senior Sharome Burton trims a connecting piece for a suspension, March 21.

FOR NATIONAL COMPETITION

team in a marketing and fundraising role soon after.

“I was just really intrigued by the fact that students were able to build an actual car. So I just wanted to learn all about it and figure out like what they had to do, what steps they had to take, how they would source funding. Like it was just really interesting, so that’s why I joined,” Fontaine said.

Roadblocks

The Formula team is in the middle of an intense stretch of production right now as it tries to complete objectives before the May 17-20 competition. While the team is confident in the design and construction of the car, a handful of obstacles remain.

Fontaine said the largest obstacle facing the team right now is money.

“Well right now, the main thing is funding. We’re trying to get enough money to be able to compete in Michigan in May. so we need some more funds to get the missing parts that we’re missing. So we need to get tires, the stuff to get the body of the car, a few other things. But we just the funding to make sure that we actually do have a major car by May, so that’s the major issue. And besides that, nothing really, cause we have active participation. Everyone shows up when they need to, like I said it’s just funding right now,” Fontaine said.

The cohesive nature of the team has aided its goals. While some team members are focused solely on production of the car,

the team’s unified vision allows others like Fontaine to tackle the funding issues. Fontaine said there are a variety of ways the team is working to achieve its monetary goals.

“So we have the funding page, we’re going around the city, village, whatever, we’re going around and trying to do like sponsorship drives and stuff like that. So that’s what we’re working on right now. We’re trying to stay active on social media to create some kind of traction, and those are our major sources right now,” Fontaine said.

The finish line

The team set the goal of competing in Michigan for a variety of reasons, ranging from validating their hard work to building connections for their future.

Fontaine said the event allows for all those things and more.

“The overall idea is to compete, show off your car and possibly gain sponsorship for like creating more cars. You can get access to new jobs, it’s like a great opportunity for any kind of student really,” Fontaine said.

After making it to Michigan last year, the team has experience to build on for this year’s competition. Burton said the past event was difficult because MSU hadn’t competed in the event before.

“Last year, and it sort of led into this year as well, it was an absolute - how would I call it - it was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life, and this continues to be as well. The odds were so much against us, you

know heading into the winter of that year, the winter of 2021. We still hadn’t started on actual manufacturing. We were still, you know, iffy on the funds, the designs, we had a lot to learn because we had to teach ourselves to build cars,” Burton said.

Burton explained that the process this year has been much smoother. While last year, the team was making adjustments to the car on the trip to Michigan and even right before displaying it, he said this year the team is in a better place.

“We’ve documented things better, we’ve been more organized, we’ve done things to a higher standard,” Burton said, later adding “When it comes time for competition, we’ll have a lot more to show to the design judges than a “Yeah, we barely made it, sorry we don’t have a full book or a report of everything we’ve done, itemized and picturized.” So yeah, lot of progress.”

Burton said the overall experience of both building the car and entering it into competitions has been educational. He added that it has been a highlight of his college experience.

“I’d say it’s the pinnacle of education, the opportunity to put your own ideas and thoughts into a form that you can actually test and use to compete against some of the best students around the world in a competition with high stakes. You have human lives at risk in these student-done machines,” Burton said.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

A repurposed motorcycle engine sits in the chassis for MSU Texas Racing's new car, March 21. The engine had 3D printed parts attached for checking measurements, to be replaced with more durable metal parts once the fit is finalized.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN Mechanical engineering sophomore Adolf Frederic trims down a piece of metal, preparing it for a race car suspension, March 21.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

Mechanical engineering and computer science senior Sharome Burton uses a drill press to make a hole in an aluminum piece, March 21.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN engineering and computer science senior Sharome down a rough edge on a connecting piece for a March 21.

ALUMNI SUPPORT CAREERS IN BUSINESS JOB FAIR

With the end of the semester drawing near and graduation looming, many seniors are working to answer the age-old question, “What comes next?” Many students took steps toward finding an answer on Thursday at the Careers In Business Job Fair.

The Career Management Center hosted a job fair for the Dillard College of Business on Wednesday March 29th 2023. Stephanie Sullivan, assistant director for the CMC was proud to say the number of employers grew this year with a total of 28 companies represented, including six of the companies sponsoring the event.

“Anyone who is interested is welcome to come as far as employers,” Sullivan said. Adding that in addition to the job fairs hosted for the college of business, her office also tries to host ones for other colleges as well such as teaching, nursing, and technology.

A new employer for this semester’s fair was the US Army Fires Center of Excellence. Resource Management Officer, Rob Krieg said their company already has partnerships with Oklahoma State University, Cameron University, and Langston University. MSU is their first Texas school and they are excited to tap into the Texas student market.

In addition to hosting the largest number of employers, this fair was unique for another reason: multiple of the companies present were represented by MSU graduates.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car was represented by December gradu-

ate Jacoby Thomas who says he is a success story from the job fairs.

“I was actually recruited at this same event in the fall,” Thomas said. He started with Enterprise in January and is looking forward to building a career with them.  Enterprise is seeking full-time employees and summer interns in management, customer service, and sales positions.

Jhosten Miller, Regional Recruiter for The Buckle, graduated from MSU with a bachelor’s degree in marketing back in 2015. Since 2017 he has been attending job fairs on campus to find employees for not only the retail stores he represents, but also corporate positions as well. On average Miller recruits between nine and fifteen students each year that stay with the company for a substantial period of time.

“I ask for two things when you come to work: an open mind and a positive attitude,” he said. “I can teach anyone past that: marketability, connection and communication.”

For Miller, coming back to MSU is important. He said it is critical to give back to the establishment that gave so much to him and, although he settled in Wichita Falls, that other students are given the opportunity to branch out.

“A lot of MSU students truly want to go on to somewhere else, or take on a different city or life and I think the one thing that's really cool is I’ve been able to give a lot of people the opportunity not only to pay for their move, but also take on new places which has been really great to give back,” Miller said.

In addition to job fairs, the CMC offers one-on-one assistance with resumes, interviews, networking and job search

skills, preparation for graduate school entrance exams, and the Career Closet where students and alumni can borrow professional attire for interviews and career events.

The CMC also hosts a variety of professional workshops and seminars throughout the semester including “Making the most of networking and top resume tips” from alumnus Marvin Arts Jr..

Emily Copeland

PHOTO BY TIFFANY HAGGARD | THE WICHITAN Buckle regional recruiter and MSU alum Jhosten Miller talks to marketing senior Hogan Ryle about job opportunities, March 29.

"THE LAST OF US" A SHOW FOR GAMERS AND NON-GAMERS ALIKE

utside of the video game community, most of the world had never heard of The Last of Us before its series premiere on HBO in January. Today, it's one of HBO’s most watched shows, and for good reason. In the past few months, fanatics have watched as the show and its two main characters, Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, and Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, have taken over the nation. The show closely follows the plotline of the video game version, and each episode has post-credit commentary from the directors and cast members about how they tied in the game and expanded upon its original narrative. Writers, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, have been both praised and critiqued on their expansion of the characters’ plots, especially that of the LGBTQ relationships between Ellie and Riley, and Bill and Frank.

The first episode premiered on Jan 15 at 9 p.m. EST, and the finale premiered March 12 at 9 p.m. EST. In those two months, the world was introduced to a variety of characters and plot lines. The

Oepisodes take place over a wide stretch of time including flashbacks from the many of the main characters. The first episode opens with two doctors on a talk show in 1968 discussing and debating the likeliness of a pandemic. Dr. Neuman, played by John Hannah, introduces the audience to a fungal-induced pandemic. Essentially, he brings up an existing reallife fungus called cordyceps, which can take over an ant’s brain, forcing it to do its will, while feeding on its corpse.

Once the characters are introduced, Joel’s daughter, Sarah, is gone just as soon as she arrives, shot by a soldier on his commander's orders. Twenty years later, Joel’s newest and only remaining connection, Tess, played by Anna Torv, is introduced alongside Ellie and Marlene, played by Merle Dandridge. As Tess and Joel plan their escape from the QZ, or quarantine zone, Marlene intercepts them and asks, or demands, them to take Ellie and get her to the Capitol Building. Joel and Tess quickly find out Ellie is immune and could be the long awaited cure the world has been missing for 20 years.

Obviously, they agree to the mission but not long into their trip, Tess is bitten by a zombie referred to as a “clicker,” and

has to be left behind. Joel and Ellie are left to navigate both their long and dangerous journey as well as their clashing personalities. As the show progresses, Ellie and Joel are both forced to weather physical and emotional hardships. Deeper into the season, the characters face loss, a first for neither of them, and heartache, but through it all they have each other’s backs until the very end. They save each other’s lives too many times to count, and each time they are separated, they come together stronger than ever.

In the second to last episode, Joel is suffering from a stab wound, and Ellie is left to fend for both of them. She runs into a religious group leader named David, played by Scott Shepherd, who appears to be kind and forgiving, but she quickly finds out he is subjecting his followers to cannibalism and wishes to have her ‘by his side.’ As she escapes his attempts at attacking her and kills an uninfected human for the first time, she runs out to land in Joel’s arms as the episode closes.

The finale episode stands apart from the rest. In this episode the dynamic between Joel and Ellie is much different. The trauma Ellie endured in the last episode is evident in her sudden quietness and refusal to engage despite Joel’s uncharacteristic attempts to joke and conversate. This episode introduces a new level of beauty, love and loss to the audience as we see Joel sacrifice everything to keep the love he and Ellie have found. When the end credits rolled, the world was left in awe, just like with the game, as Joel keeps Ellie from the world and from herself.

The writers and directors of the show made a great effort to keep as many connections between the game and the show as possible, even going as far as to cast the voice of Joel in the game in the 8th episode, and the voice actor of Ellie in the finale as Ellie’s mom. Mazin and Drukmann were very intentional about only straying from the game when necessary for character development. The show wasn’t able to keep the audience hooked by allowing them to make decisions as the main characters like in the game, so they found a way to connect the audience on a different level. The writers do an incredible job of capturing the consuming nature of a post apocalyptic world while also narrowing the audience’s view into the close relationship between love and loss.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES TELEVISION The Last of Us is one of HBO Max's trending shows, 2023.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES TELEVISION

Played by actress Bella Ramsey, Ellie has her relationships more deeply explored in "The Last of Us," 2023.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES TELEVISION

Joel and Ellie have a developing bond throughout the show, as both have suffered similar losses, 2023.

TIffany Haggard

DEPECHE MODE CONFRONTS DEATH IN

"MEMENTO MORI"

ince their formation in 1980, Depeche Mode has gone through many members, some of which who dealt with serious life issues along the way, and despite these, their music has remained surprisingly consistent over the years. Very few of their albums were ever able to be considered “flops,” no matter what was going on in the background. In its latest album, Depeche Mode’s resilience has paid off. Releasing after the death of original band member Andy “Fletch” Fletcher, “Memento Mori” is a melancholic and powerful reflection on time and mortality, while recognizing the band’s successes throughout more than four decades.

While Depeche Mode’s next album was rumored to be in the works since 2020, Fletcher’s death made many doubt if it would ever be released. “Fletch” was often documented as a sort of peacemaker in the group, and while not having any songwriting credits for the band, he handled much of its business matters when

Sa manager was not hired. However, duo Dave Gahan and Martin Gore have come together in some of their strongest songwriting collaborations yet.

Opening song “My Cosmos is Mine” begins with typically dark and grating synths quickly reminding you to what band you’re listening. Written by Martin Gore, the lyrics begin with the confident tone of two extremely accomplished musicians now in their 60’s. They don’t want any new ideas and want no one to mess with their past, shown in lines like “Don’t mess with my mind/Don’t question my spacetime” and “Don’t knock down my shrines/ Don’t alter my headlines.” This is suddenly undercut in the bridge by cries that sound almost desperate. “No war/No more,” “no pain, no shrouds” and “No final breaths, no senseless deaths” all turn the message to new light, asking everyone to respect each other’s ideas as well. Gahan and Gore just want to be respected at this point in their lives and don’t want to have the world burn.

Soon following the opener comes the near-hit song of the album, “Ghosts Again.” On top of being my favorite song of the

album, it most closely reflects the main message of the album: death is inevitable and it is coming for all of us. Despite its grim message, the song takes a somewhat hopeful sound with positive, yet descending chord progressions. While largely abstract, Gahan’s vocals show acceptance in the lines “Time is fleeting/See what it brings,” proving the duo is aware of their mortality and ready to face it whenever it might come. No matter what happens, they know “we’ll be ghosts again.”

After being around for so long, Depeche Mode couldn’t help make some references for its core fans.

“People Are Good” and “Never Let Me Go” both share the first halves of their titles with two absolute titans of Depeche Mode singles: “People are People” and “Never Let Me Down Again.” Despite sharing half of their names, the new songs are much different from their origins. “People Are Good” takes on a much more cynical view of humanity. While the original song questioned why we all hated each other so much, this loses much of its hope with lines like “Keep fooling yourself/ That everyone cares.” It is unclear whether the band’s trust of people

has been lost, but it definitely has been tested. “Never Let Me Go” considers a different drug than its counterpart: the high of admiration and the anxiety of losing it. The lyrics start with a swaggering bravado: “I’m waiting for your love/I know you’ll want me.” However, it slowly slips into uncertainty with “Bit my lips through the torment/Please fall into my arms,” until Gahan gives a crying shout: “Never let me go!”

As the band has aged, there has always been the risk of losing all popularity, and they show that anxiety here.

It is impressive how Depeche Mode has delivered yet another strong, poignant album after losing a core member and existing for so long. In fact, Gahan and Gore have delivered one of my favorite Depeche Mode albums since “Playing the Angel.” The much more minimalistic sound production, thanks to James Ford, harkens back to Violator, making me extremely hopeful for Depeche Mode’s future. However, if the title stands true and this is Depeche Mode’s sendoff album, then I couldn’t have asked for a better farewell. I give this album a 5 out of 5.

"“Memento Mori” is a melancholic and powerful reflection on time and mortality, while recognizing the band’s successes throughout more than four decades."

COLIN STEVENSON RATING: 5/5

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA RECORDS

"Memento Mori" follows Andy Fletcher's death, marking the first Depeche Mode album without the core member, 2023.

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA RECORDS "Memento Mori" is Depeche Mode's 15th studio album, 2023.

Colin Stevenson

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

PART TWO

The first part of Suzanne Shipley’s “To Go With the One I Love” ended with stark realities of Shira Hayat, the protagonist, being forced to leave Germany and smother her Jewish culture in the name of safety. The next part, entitled, “Spain,” gives Shira the opportunity to finally establish something of her own as she travels with a team to dismantle facism in Europe. While the quick references to Shira’s feelings for Grayson are left in the first chapter like Grayson himself was left in Germany, now the reader sees Shira establish friendships and comradery with her group. The romance between her and Achim burns fiercely in the early chapters, with frequent kisses and over a week of fade to black scenes of intimacy. The writing here places Shira in a dreamy honeymoon state that the reader can’t help but be thankful for after all she has gone through. However, for those who felt attached to the potential relationship between Shira and Grayson, these intimate moments feel painful. Shira asks for more commitment from him, and just as part two ends, the reader discovers Achim has left the group during the night. For the serious subjects of racism and other forms of discrimination to be placed as a backdrop behind the romantic life of Shira truly lightens the tone of the story. This classic move of writing romance in a time of extreme turmoil hearkens back to the classics of Ernest Hemingway or John Steinbeck. As Shipley's novel continues along, the focus on romance becomes more and more pronounced, and so does the building need for dear Shira's happy ending sans compromise of her culture and self-worth.

This second part also features light discussion of homophobia when the group discovers Walther has been injured. When he’s well enough to speak, he describes a targeted attempt to catch him pursuing a man just to assault him. This is just one instance of many so far that have highlighted another group discriminated against to the extent of violence during this time period. It wasn't just those directly under hitler's thumb. It was a worldwide scorn for anyone who didn't fit Hitler's

idea of perfection, and Shipley's writing manages to make that realistic and relatable to the reader. This further emphasizes the character relatability that part one captured so well. Though dialogue is still a bit stiff at times, the characters' feelings are human and naturally conflicted. While Shira is worried for her family and her own life, she also finds herself worried about things like romance and a career. While Walther is recovering from being assaulted by, what is resumed to be, a family of homophobes, he copes with his pain using humor. Even the flighty Achim is reminiscent of modern day individuals who run away from true commitment in a relationship. In a book with so many different themes and cultural references, these people are what unite it all.

A notable pattern that continued from part one includes frequent references to items and places in different languages. Shipley's ability to capture diverse places with such detail and patience alludes to an author who is either well traveled or well researched- perhaps even both. This combined with the compelling romantic life of Shira and the- almost painfully- relatable character motivations and choices provides the reader with a richness and a confidence that the end of the novel will be as satisfying as its first two parts promise. It will be exciting to see what Shira gets up to next in part three of Shipley's "To Go With the One I Love."

ABIGAIL JONES

RATING: 4/5

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.

"Shipley's ability to capture diverse places with such detail and patience alludes to an author who is either well traveled or well researchedperhaps even both."

Abigail Jones

The Wichitan’s Song of the Week: “THOSE BOOTS (DEDDY'S SONG)”

JOEY ARTHUR ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Welcome back to this week’s edition of the Wichitan’s Song of the Week. Still in celebration of Women History Month, this week’s pick is “Those Boots

(Deddy's Song)” by Louisiana-born singersongwriter Lainey Wilson. Released Nov. 28, 2022, as the twelfth track of her sophomore studio album “Bell Bottom Country,” “Those Boots (Deddy's Song)” is a heartfelt tribute to her father and a thank you song showing her gratitude for being her father. In the song, Wilson narrates her experience growing up with her father and how much she appreciates and loves him for it. Lainey Wilson defined her album, “Bell Bottom Country” as a state of mind and her goal for the album was to inspire people to live their truths of which she is leading by example as evident in “Those Boots (Deddy's Song).”

Born in Baskin, Louisiana, Lainey Denay Wilson is an award-winning and nominated country singer-songwriter best known for either her performance alongside other country music artists for the Alan Jackson tribute at the 2022 Country Music Awards or her role as Abby in the fifth season of Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone.” Growing up in a small village in Louisiana, Wilson didn’t have much resources to grow her career as a performer, but she didn’t let that stop her. At the young age of nine, Wilson started performing around her small village and right after high school, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee to start her country music career. At the 2022 Country Music Awards during her acceptance speech for the CMA’s New Artist of the Year Award, she credits her entire career to her parents and

she thanks them for helping her discover her voice and love for country music. Her entire discography has always been heavily influenced by her life experiences and “Those Boots (Deddy’s Song)” is a side of Wilson that fans don’t get to see very often.

“Those Boots (Deddy’s Song)” is my favorite song from the album and Lainey Wilson’s discography as a whole. In “Those Boots (Deddy’s Song)” Wilson sings about her love for her father, Brian Wilson. In August 2022 via post on Facebook, she announced that her father was diagnosed with a fungal infection that affected the left side of his face called Diabetic Ketoacidosis. She wrote the song while her dad was battling with the infection as a tribute and reminder of everything he meant to her. She narrates in detail all of her favorite memories with her father. Lainey Wilson has also been very vocal about how much her parents mean to her but in “Those Boots (Deddy’s Song)” she tells the same story with an emotional addition. Finally, Wilson sings about her dad at a time when she thought she was going to lose him.

As stated in previous editions of the Song of the Week, lyricism is an important aspect of any song and Lainey Wilson understood that when writing “Those Boots (Deddy’s Song).” In “Those Boots (Deddy’s Song),” Wilson utilizes storytelling and pathos to portray her experience growing up and her affection towards her father. My favorite lyric in the entire song is:

“Those boots, they walk right with the Lord

Those boots would only drive a Ford

Those boots made a damn good living

Spun my mama all around the kitchen

Those boots will never go out of style

One day they'll walk me down the aisle

I pray everyday, one day I will Find a man to fill

Those boots.”

Father-daughter relationships are an important aspect of any woman’s life.  In “Those Boots (Deddy’s Song),” Wilson gave an account of how influential her father was in shaping how she was. The song is a great listen with a powerful message.

“Lainey Wilson's meteoric rise to fame was sudden and unexpected but "Those Boots (Deddy's Sing)" gives us an idea of who she is."

JOEY ARTHUR

RATING: 4/5

PHOTO COURTESY OF BROKEN BOW RECORDS. "Those Boots" acts as a thank you to Lainey Wilson's father, Brian Wilson, 2022.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BROKEN BOW RECORDS. Country artist Lainey Wilson sings about her father at a time she thought she might lose him, 2022.

PHOTO COURTESY OF INTERSCOPE RECORDS Lainey Wilson's "Those Boots" comes as the twelfth track on the artist's studio album, "Bell Bottom Country," 2022.