April 13, 2016 | Midwestern State University | thewichitan.com | Your Campus. Your News. | Vol. 80 No. 24
Alan Lightman
pg. 3
Part of the Speakers and Issues Series, physicist Alan Lightman connects science and humanities in speech.
PHOTOS BY KAYLA WHITE | THE WICHITAN
Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku addresses the audience in Akin Auditorium for the last Artist-Lecture series event on April 12. | Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist, speaks to press backstage at Akin Auditorium before the Artist-Lecture Series on April 12.
Kaku wraps up Artist-Lecture Series DYLAN PEMBROKE REPORTER
Under Pressure
pg. 4-5
This week’s installment of the Mental Health Series tackles anxiety and highlights the Psychology Clinic’s services.
Tennis Stars
pg. 8
Three senior tennis players received their 100th win this semester.
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he Artist Lecture Series concluded for this semester with Michio Kaku. Kaku is best known for his numerous television programs such as Through the Wormhole and How the Universe Works. He is also widely known for a tax commercial referring to him as a genius. Kaku backs up his on-screen presence because he is a well-respected theoretical physicist at the top of his field. He helped found the string field theory and continues Einstein’s research into unified field theory that could unite the four fundamental forces of nature to summarize the physical laws of the universe. A packed house greeted Kaku as the event had been sold out for quite some time. The crowd was a mixture of both students and members of the public. Kaku has years of experience speaking and tries to get the audience thinking and excited about the future of science. “I try to impart enthusiasm and excitement on the audience. We are entering a golden age of science,” Kaku said. Many in attendance hoped to learn more about Kaku and his work. “I want to get a better understanding of him and his work,” said Clayton Marshall, computer science freshman. ”I’m happy to get to just sit and listen to him.”
Kaku spoke to a full house in Akin Auditorium. Kaku enjoys being able to use his television, radio show and his lectures to bring science to the world. Although he enjoys teaching at the City College of New York, he knows the real secret to spreading knowledge is through the media. “Teaching is great to be able to see the immediate reaction on a student’s face, but television and radio are so much more efficient in spreading scientific thought,” Kaku said. Students were lined up nearly an hour before Kaku was set to speak and many were excited about the opportunity to see someone they had watched on television. Many such as Alex Babu, biology junior, got there early to see Kaku as she had been following him on TV for years. “I’ve been watching him since I was in mid-
dle school,” Babu said. “I was glad to get the opportunity to get more knowledge about him and his work.” His work may be in high-level physics, but the impact of what he is studying is not limited. He sees a future where we are all interconnected and information will pass freely amongst us. In his mind, the future life of us humans will be easy and seamless. As the price of information drops, he sees intelligence thriving and being all around us. “In the future we will have the internet in a contact lens. We will be able to blink and learn anything there is to know,” Kaku said. “In the future you will be able to instantly get in contact with a doctor or a lawyer if you need them. We will live in an augmented reality that will revolutionize science.” These days there seems to be a bleak outlook on the future, but Kaku doesn’t buy into that. He sees our great transition into a new level of humanity as a great opportunity for the future. He does admit that the job market will change and repetitive jobs will become obsolete. The good news is as science and technology continue to advance, there will be a multitude of new and exciting jobs for future people. “Many have a dark outlook on the future but I see it differently,” he said, “The future is limitless. As scientists we are excited as this is just the beginning. We’ve come so far since 1900 who knows where will be by 2100.”
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S TA F F E D I T O RI A L
Don’t push mental illness under the rug OUR VIEW: Take mental health as seriously as physical health. The repercussions mental
illnesses like anxiety disorders or depression can have just as big of an impact on someone’s quality of life as physical ailments and should be treated accordingly.
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ental illnesses are far too often misunderstood and stigmatized, even among our generally more accepting generation. There’s a disturbing amount of people who believe those with mental illnesses can “snap out of it” or “just get over it”, when that’s not the case. Depression is not a phase of “just being sad” and anxiety is not simply defined as “being worried a lot.” Obsessive compulsive disorder is not the same as liking things to be organized and panic attacks are not just short periods of intense stress. These are real disorders with real symptoms. It’s about time that society believes the stigmas surrounding these disorders are a real problem, too. This is not to say that people don’t feel sad or anxious, but using medical terms out of context belittles the experiences of people with diagnosed mental health disorders.
Think about telling someone with bronchitis or a stomach ulcer to “snap out of it.” Sounds ridiculous, right? It’s just as ridiculous to use these phrases with mental illness. Just because you can’t always see the illness doesn’t mean it isn’t there. It’s important to take time to research various mental illnesses because you will encounter someone who has one (or multiple). Even if someone doesn’t struggle with a mental illness, chances are they know or will know someone who has, and they should be prepared to help them. You never know who is struggling, so making even off-hand remarks about mental illness can make people who are silently struggling feel more ashamed of an illness they can’t control. To change stigmas of mental illness, we have to take ownership and educate ourselves, otherwise the ignorance will continue and nothing will change.
wichitan
the
Vol.. 80 | No. 24
Midwestern State University Fain Fine Arts Bldg., Room B103 3410 Taft Blvd. Box 14 Wichita Falls, Texas 76308 (940) 397-4704 - wichitan@mwsu.edu
A woman’s purpose is not defined by a man
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e teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, “You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to Wadzanai be successful, but not too Dzvurumi successful, otherwise you will threaten men.” I am expected to aspire to marriage; I am expected to make my life decisions based on who I marry and when. We raise girls to see each other as competition, not for jobs or accomplishments, but for the attention of men. We teach girls they cannot be sexual beings the same way that boys are. This is a powerful message by a Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who has been a great inspiration for me on my journey of being an advocate for women empowerment. My beloved women, let me begin. I apologize to all the women I have called beautiful before I have called them intelligent and brave. I am sorry that I made it sound as though that something as simple as what you’re born with is all you have to be proud of when you have broken mountains with your wit. From now on, I will say things like “You are extraordinary, resilient. Not because you aren’t beautiful, but because you are more than that. You have other elements to your existence other than beauty. Your sole purpose in life should not be pleasing a man.” Woman need the freedom to be who they are, not become products of societal conformity that tells us, from childhood, that we cannot accomplish certain things
MANAGING EDITOR: Kara McIntyre DESIGN EDITOR: Brianna Sheen PHOTO EDITOR: Rachel Johnson BUSINESS MANAGER: Dewey Cooper PHOTOGRAPHERS: Kayla White, Makayla Burnham, Topher McGehee, Bri Sheen, Rutth Mercado DESIGNER: Justin Marquart ADVISER: Bradley Wilson
because we are women. Our dreams can not be invalidated and trivialized because we are women. There should not be a cap on what women can accomplish because of their gender. From a young age, I knew I didn’t want to become a housewife. I wanted to be a leader, but society had already made a decision for me, that I couldn’t fulfill that role. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with women who choose to commit their lives to being a good wife and mother. But, it should be a choice, not a role they are forced into regardless of whatever other dreams or goals they may want to pursue. I made a conscious decision that, if I ever get married, I want to cook for my partner because I want to, not because it is my duty. I want to be able to be as competitive as my partner without him feeling emasculated. I want women to have the freedom to be sexual beings because there’s a societal problem when a man who sleeps around gets a slap on the back from his friends, but those same friends will label the women he sleeps with as whores and sluts. My purpose as a woman is to be someone I am proud of. My purpose is to make women feel empowered, valued and confident. I grew up internalizing messages that I shouldn’t have a voice, that I couldn’t do certain things merely because I am a woman. I believe this is my fight and my wish is to connect with other women, create an awakening for ourselves. Liberation for women is unforthcoming from anyone, but us. Wadzanai Dzvurumi is a marketing junior.
Copyright © 2016. 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 telephone number and address. The editor retains the right to edit letters.
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Renowned physicist big hit at lecture
Lightman tells anecdotes to connect science and humanities LANE RIGGS REPORTER
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enowned physicist Dr. Alan Lightman gave a speech in the Fain Fine Arts Center Auditorium on April 7 at 7:00 p.m. During his speech, Lightman talked of the similarities that scientists and artists share through their approaches to problems. The MIT physicist presented this lecture as a part of the 16th annual Speakers and Issues series. Lightman’s lecture proved to be modest and friendly by cracking jokes throughout, which helped to create a lighthearted intro, one that included stories of his childhood; specifically, the story of a rocket he and his friends tried to fly. Though his speech and stories flew, the rocket did not. “If something went wrong, I could find fulfillment in mathematics,” Lightman said of the story. “It guaranteed an answer to each problem.” Mathematics and sciences helped Lightman to find answers to those things he didn’t know, but art helped him learn how to describe them. Those on the Speakers and Issues committee asked him specifically to talk of his two passions. “We asked him to talk about the similarities in science and humanities because he’s in both worlds,” Assistant Professor Greg Giddings said. “I was really happy with the speech and I thought it was well received.” The auditorium can seat a maxiPaula Tilker, wife of a business professor, got her mum of 400 people, book signed by Alan Lightman, guest speaker, in the and Giddings said Fain Fine Arts Auditorium on April 7. that well over half of the theater was full. For the Speakers and Issues series, Giddings explains, this was a very big crowd. During his speech, Lightman talked most of his creative work, “Einstein’s Dreams”, a compilation of some of Einstein’s dreams affiliated with the theory of relativity. In this work, he explores imagination in a literary way, through science. “For me, the source that motivates me is my experience in science, which represents a certain way of thinking about the world — not just the knowledge of science, but the
PHOTOS BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN
Alan Lightman, physicist and novelist, speaks in the Fain Fine Arts Auditorium for the Speakers and Issues Series, April 7, with a full audience. way scientists think,” Lightman said. “Science is the wellspring that I go back to for ideas and images and metaphors.” And it is in the search for truth, Lightman explains, as well as the conception of the creative moment, that the sciences and arts go together. “The topic was very interesting,” English sophomore Faith Muñoz said. “I’ve experienced a version of the creative moment, and I didn’t know that scientists could also have it.” Muñoz attended the event because she has interests in the arts, and attending a speech by Lightman, who is well known for both science and humanities, caught her attention. Though she said the topic was thought provoking and captivating, she did find one problem with it. “The delivery surprised me,” Muñoz said. “He spoke well but he said, ‘um’ a lot.” Even if Lightman conveyed his speech with pauses, other students in the audience felt that his lecture helped them learn more about both the arts and sciences, and the correlations between the two that they never thought existed. “He explained the relation between the humanities and sciences thoroughly well,” psychology and sociology junior Catherine Stepniak said. Sociology junior Andrew Latour was in agreement. “Abstract thought explained the subject
matter well, and I enjoyed the speech a lot more than I thought I would,” Latour said. Humanities and English sophomore Yolanda Torres gave her take on Lightman’s lecture, as well, and though she came to the speech for extra credit, she stayed for the content of his talk. “I’m a creative person and I like theoretical physics. His speech helped me to understand the both of them better,” Torres said. “It helped me to understand that scientists aren’t isolated from people who are more creative, because they are, too.” Lightman helped to explore the proposition that scientists are also creative in his observation of the creative moment. “In my creative moments, I vanish into an imaginary world,” he said, “and I lose all sense of time. And there’s a feeling of rightness that goes along with it—and that feeling is part of the creative moment.” Parts of the speech seemed long winded at times, no matter how fluid or colorful Lightman’s words were, but he nevertheless reached his conclusion, which respected both the similarities and differences between the sciences and arts. “A chemist thinks about the world differently than a painter and even a physicist. Even within the sciences, there are different ways of thinking about how to approach p r o b l e m s ,” Lightman said. Alan Lightman, physicist and novelist, speaks to a “I think it’s im- full audience in the Fain Fine Arts Auditorium on portant to pre- April 7. serve those differences, just like it’s important to preserve all the different languages that the different cultures on earth speak, because there’s a richness and diversity.” The Speakers and Issues Series will have its next speaker April 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art. The speaker is Orville Vernon Burton, a professor of history at Clemson University and distinguished historian, who will give a speech about his book, “Lincoln’s Civil War.” The event is free and open to the public.
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WORRIED? overwhelmed? SAD?
Psychology Clinic offers free counseling, low-cost assessments KRISTEN GREGG REPORTER
PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN
STRESS • ANXIETY • DEPRESSION PART 2 OF A 3-PART SERIES
BRI SHEEN DESIGN EDITOR
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t’s like when you get really hungry – you can’t ignore your stomach constantly growling. It’s always there.” That’s how Catherine Stepniak, psyWHAT CAUSES YOU THE MOST STRESS? chology and sociology junior, describes her anxiety. “Most of the time I feel like I’m about to die. I get a pounding heart, shortness of breath, nausea, sometimes I do actually throw up and my legs just feel like Jello,” Stepniak said about her panic attacks, a form of anxiety. Between school, work, and personal lives, college students will feel anxious at times. However, according to the ADAA’s, Anxiety and Depression Association of America’s, website, if a student experiences “frequent, intense, and uncontrollable anxiety that interferes with [their] daily routines, [it] may be a sign of an anxiety disorder.” With mental health and anxiety in particular so prevalent on college campuses, the Counseling Center has a team of counselors to help students address these issues. One such counselor, Lori Arnold, said everyone will probably feel anxious from time to time, but for someone with an anxiety disorder “it gets excessive and situations that for most of us wouldn’t cause anxiety, it does cause anxiety [for them] and that anxiety can be paralyzing.” According to Arnold, anxiety disorders can impact major areas of functioning such as relationships, work and school. “A person with anxiety also struggles to calm down and to feel relaxed even when they’re out of that stressful situation,” Arnold said. “There’s not always a logical reason to feel anxious for someone struggling with anxiety, sometimes it’s just there.”
fear of failure
money
school work
self esteem
pleasing people careers
social settings
SOURCE: ONLINE SURVEY OF 89 STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF
CAUSES OF ANXIETY
Foster said the pressure college students are under can be partially to blame for anxiety. “A lot of it has to do with high pressure that students put on themselves, or have been put on them
78%
People who reported they’d experienced some anxiety in college.
SOURCE: ONLINE SURVEY OF 89 STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF
from their parents or friends,” Foster said. “The pressure to succeed and figuring out who you are is a mish mash of what feeds anxiety, on top of whether you’re predisposed to it from your family or your genetics.” Foster also said college students can struggle with failure and self-discovery, which can fuel anxiety. “It is a time when people learn who they are as a person, spiritually, psychologically, emotionally, sexually, and the kind of person they want to be and the kind of things they want to stand for,” Foster said. “Developing yourself is a messy and a stressful thing and that can be really scary.” Anxiety isn’t always rational. In fact, according to Foster, sometimes anxiety causes irrational fears. “Anxiety causes us to believe lies,” Foster said. “We believe that the worst thing is going to happen. We believe that we’re not good enough and the anxiety just manifests those irrational, unreal thoughts.”
THE MANY FACES OF ANXIETY
According to Arnold, everyone experiences anxiety in a different way. Everyone’s anxiety is different and there is not a one-size-fits-all treatment plan. Anxiety is a broad term that, according to the ADAA site, encompasses things like generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and panic attacks, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and more. Arnold said she sees students experiencing anxiety surrounding academic performance. “Test anxiety is common for college students,” Arnold said. “There are some students that care so much about their grades that they get just so nervous and anxious before a test and it can impair their ability to be calm and think clearly and perform as well as they can.” Social anxiety is also common, said Arnold. “It can be really scary and nerve-wracking to step outside your comfort zone to talk to the person sitting next to you in class,” Arnold said. “It can be dif-
ficult to put yourself out there without that fear and worry about judgment.” Arnold describes general anxiety as being “Maybe not related to a specific area, but maybe just this general sense of nervousness and being on edge that’s pervasive in a lot of different areas of your life.” Stepniak, who experiences panic attacks, said an attack gives her an overwhelming feeling that something is wrong. Cue pounding heart, shortness of breath, nausea and shaky legs.
WHEN TO SEEK HELP
Arnold said if students see their anxiety impacting major areas of their life like school or relationships, it may be time to reach out to friends, family, or even the Counseling Center for help. Foster said taking some time to self-reflect can help students decide if their anxiousness is something they need to seek outside help for. She suggested students look at their lives and ask ‘If I am struggling, in what areas am I struggling?’ ‘Is it affecting my ability to sleep?’ ‘Is it affecting my ability to eat?’ ‘Am I not being able to study or am I lacking some motivation to do things well that I normally did well?’ Should students decide to seek help outside of their friends or family, the Counseling Center is available for free appointments. “It’s a non-judgmental, accepting place to be heard about anything in your life,” Foster said. “Sometimes when we go to people that care about us, they have an opinion on how we should think or feel or do. In counseling, there’s no opinion. There’s only acceptance and there’s only listening.” Foster said going to counseling can get students to self-reflect on their life and ask hard questions. “Sometimes we just go and go and go in life and we don’t take time to stop and say ‘Why did I do it that way?’ or ‘Why do I feel that way?’. I think that’s one of the easiest, best parts about the Counseling Center: providing people an opportunity to open up in a way they’ve never opened up before.”
“[Anxiety is] like being hyped up on caffeine all the time. Your body doesn’t feel at rest, you’re constantly moving and your head is spinning in 14,000 different directions.” REAGAN FOSTER COUNSELOR AT THE COUNSELING CENTER
Pam Midgett, director of the Counseling Center, is staged at her desk working on her computer, April 4. PRACTICING SELF CARE
Regardless of how someone chooses to tackle their anxiety, learning self-care is integral to a person’s long-term mental health. Foster said self-care is not selfish and will make you a better student, friend and person. Foster said self-care should be a priority, comparing it to how people are told to put on their own oxygen masks on an airplane before helping others. “Sometimes when we help ourselves and we put ourselves out there to really be bold and brave, we can give strength to others through the example of what we’ve done for ourselves,” Foster said.
ADVOCATING FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS
Arnold said she hopes when students get educated on mental health, they can help struggling peers. Foster said conversations about mental health issues can be difficult, but students should be brave when entering these dialogues. “It is awkward,” Foster said. “But you have to embrace the awkwardness. It’s not going to go away.” Frank Cruz, marketing junior, knows about such conversations. His girlfriend has anxiety and depression and he said the biggest thing he learned from being with her was to be prepared for anything. “Understand that if you love the person, no matter what they may feel at the time you’ll still be there,” Cruz said. Stepniak said she also wants people to be educated on mental health and the difference between feeling anxious and having an anxiety disorder. “For people who don’t know what anxiety feels like, don’t use the terms lightly,” Stepniak said. Foster said although she believes the current generation of college students are more open and accepting, students can struggle discussing their problems with parents, who may be less open-minded. “Trust your parents, trust the love they have for you, but also trust yourself. That you’re confident in what’s going on and you’re confident in what you want for yourself,” Foster said. “We have to be our own best advocate as far as what [our] needs are.”
50%
College students who reported they’d experienced overwhelming anxiety in the last year. SOURCE: 2013 NATIONAL COLLEGE HEALTH ASSESSMENT
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lthough the psychology clinic may not be universally known on campus, it offers free counseling and lowcost assessments for various mental illnesses. Psychology professor and clinic supervisor Michael Vandehey hopes to use counseling preventatively. “Why wait until it’s so bad that your life is being interrupted significantly?” Vandehey said. He compared the human brain to other illnesses. “No one ever looks at you and says ‘You’re diabetic, that’s all in your brain. Just stop taking your insulin. There’s a real confusion.” Vandehey said. “Just like you don’t feel well in your stomach or kidneys or heart, that can affect the way your mood is. Maybe your mood can affect the way your body functions because the brain is connected to the body.” According to Vandehey, to grow is to change. Visitors range from adolescents, couples, families and students.
CLINICIANS
The clinic, under the supervision of Vandehey, associate psychology professor Paul Guthrie, and psychology professor David Carlston, is operated by second-year masters students. Before the students start at the clinic, they are required to have about 30 hours completed, and have to take set classes. Clinical counseling psychology masters student Bevin Pierce said they try to do everything they can for patients to change or relieve whatever is going on. They go through various courses here that are geared towards doing that. “It’s really nice for students to have a place to go. We get referrals from the counseling center and vice versa,” Pierce said. “It just depends on how many people are working in the clinic, and our limit is six clients a person.” Pierce said the clinic doesn’t see psychology students, so those students can go to the Counseling Center. Students are also first referred there if the clinic reaches capacity. The supervisors encourage all counselors to go to counseling due to vicarious traumatization. “You see vicarious traumatization in therapists having not experienced the trauma, except that they have because they’re dealing with the emotions and the memories and reports in therapy,” Vandehey said. The clinic also does assessment work. They have personality assessments, MMPI (a test to help identify personal, social, and behavioral problems in psychiatric patients), depression inventory, anxiety inventory, and IQ testing. Pierce says all clients are weekly, some are twice a week. There are booster sessions once a month after a patient has finished with their needed weekly visits. If students’ problems are resolved, the clinic does a “termination” letter. Pierce said the letter only sounds harsh. “We write a summary and come together having those last sessions knowing it’s the end of it. They can also request their records anytime they need to,” Pierce said.
VALUES
The U.S. has its own national ethics, that most states have adopted ethics. If an ethic is violated, clinicians lose their license and have to go through a two-year probation. Vandehey said, “Values-based [counseling] allows us to work with people with a variety of values. For example, crossed-religions, even though we’re not ministers, but
PHOTO BY BRI SHEEN | THE WICHITAN
The sign outside the Psychology Clinic in O’Donohoe.
people can come with a variety of belief systems and backgrounds.” There are different values based on different resources. “We do value exercises that help clarify patients values. Values card sorts are fun,” Vandehey said. “It’s an interaction of how you can include this value, chose this not that, and which ones you see overlapping. You leave here saying ‘This is who I am and this is the direction I’m going.” Clinicians’ values, however, do not have to be ignored. “We’re human and I never want a client with a therapist that’s tolerating them. If we have identified an individual that we don’t feel comfortable, we would transfer them and provide training to the clinician,” Vandehey said. When entering the clinic, patients provide information and have an “intake” interview. The mandatory questions deal with self-harm and harm to others. If the patients identify with child abuse, elder abuse, or an elder with intellectual deficiency, the clinicians are mandatory reporters to child or adult protective services. If there’s a reasonable risk of harm to others, clinicians contact the police department. “Fortunately, we’ve never had to do that,” Vandehey said. “Part of a good, therapeutic relationship is building a trusting relationship and feeling safe sharing things that patients don’t even want their best friend or partner to know.”
VISITS
If not a student, faculty or staff member, most sessions are $5 for the community. The clinic does not take insurance. Friends and family of students or faculty are free, too. “[The clinic is] in a building that regularly has students. So, in that sense, there can be a real amenity for people in the community,” Vandehey said. “Someone in the community might not be worried about bumping into someone, but we have really good confidentiality.” The clinic is closed when campus is closed. “Because we honor school breaks, we usually lose individuals and intakes go down. But right now, in the middle of the semester, we’re on a wait list,” Vandehey said. The clinic is located in the O’Donohoe wing of Prothro-Yeager Hall off of Council Drive. Parking is available adjacent to the entrance. The clinic is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Baptists provide free lunch, service
GREEK WEEK
REGINALD JOHNSON REPORTER
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embers of the Baptist Student Ministry provides free lunch to students every Wednesday at the Baptist Student Center. "We have 11 students on our leadership team, however other members of the ministry help serve every week," Kevin Paniagua, an exercise physiology senior, said. Students file in and out of the Baptist Student Center every Wednesday and members see the lunch as an opportunity to talk to students about the word and introduce it to those who haven't experienced it yet. "On average we have about 200 students gave lunch with us every week," Paniagua said. "There are some weeks where we have around 100 and others where there are as many as 400." "One of our goals is to talk to people about Jesus and help people grow in their relationship with him," Ben Edfeldt, director of the Baptist Student Ministry, said. Other churches around the community donate food to the ministry two to three times a month. "We other churches donate food, it costs us around $50 to provide drinks, however when we prepare the food it costs between $300 and $400," Edfeldt said. Members of the ministry are also involved in other events on campus. They host an ongoing event called Conversation Cafe where members help international students practice English. "We meet with students of the Intensive English Language Institute every two weeks to help them learn English," Paniagua said.
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PHOTO BY RUTTH MERCADO | THE WICHITAN
Students enjoy meals provided from local churches at the Baptist Student Ministry. Meal are provided every Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m., along with a short sermon. Edfeldt said they also host a freshman Bible study once a week and Party of the Nations event once a month. Paniagua said he became a Christian during his freshman year because he wanted to be apart of something bigger than himself. "I want to share Jesus’ love through the little things.” Paniagua said. “Knowing I serve for a higher purpose and seeing the kingdom grow is what I get from volunteering.” The BSM was founded in 1947 and throughout the years, the members remain dedicated to servicing the community. “Seeing our members take the next step and grow as leaders is the most interesting thing about being apart of the BSM,” Edfeldt said.
Navigating MS
PHOTOS BY TOPHER MCGEHEE AND KAYLA WHITE | THE WICHITAN
During the chariot race, Chi Omega Kylie Goble, nursing junior, pulls Amanda Aldag, nursing freshman and Chi Omega, in a chariot in the Quad for Greek Olympics April 8. | Chi Omega members perform in Sikes Lake Center, winning the competition on April 7 to conclude Greek Week.
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PHOTOS BY KAYLA WHITE | THE WICHITAN
TOP: The first official throw of the colored powder signalled the beginning of the Color Run 5K around Sikes Lake on April 6. | RIGHT: Runner Syndee Pottorf, special education junior, gets covered in colored corn starch by housing staff at one of the color checkpoints at the Color Run 5K around Sikes Lake on April 6.
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PHOTOS BY MAKAYLA BURNHAM AND RUTTH MERCADO | THE WICHITAN
Sierra Baker, Ruben Colaci, and Joelle Doriani, Contemporary Music Center Nashville students, ‘dab’ at the end of their performance. | Students gather around the Wichita Falls Museum of Art Pavilion to listen to the Contemporary Music Center Nashville performers on April 5.
Contemporary Music Center program visits campus RUTTH MERCADO REPORTER
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ollege students from around the country can go to Nashville for one semester of their undergraduate career to work on music for four months. Students may participate in one of three tracks- Artist, Business or Technical- which prepare them for careers within the industry. The “Final Exam” consists of a week-long, multi-state tour which is planned, performed and technically executed entirely by the students. Contemporary Music Center students visited the Wichita Falls Museum of Art Pavilion on Tuesday April 5 at 7 p.m. for a free concert. Mandie Lenar, press correspondent on the marketing and merchandise team, said, “We really just want a chance to share our music anywhere we can and we’re doing a tour of Texas right now. We’re going to be hitting four different schools, so we just want a chance to share our music with you guys.” The four schools in this semesters’ CMC Nashville tour consist of Oral Roberts University (located in Oklahoma), Midwestern State University, Abeline Christian University, and Baylor University. Warren Pettit, Director of the CMC out of Nashville Tennessee, said “We articulate it as study abroad, although we call it domestic.” A total of 31 students put on the live show on April 5. Out of those 31, ten are on the business track, 16 are artists and the remaining five are on the technical track. Mario Ramirez, activities coordinator, said,“UPB has never done an event out here before at the pretty pavilion, so we were expecting people. I think close to 80 people were here in attendance. It was a great program. CMC is welcome to come back any time.” Some of the students in the CMC are in marketing and their job is trying to find places to play. So they essentially called Midwestern to come and perform.
PHOTOS BY RUTTH MERCADO | THE WICHITAN
Matt Fredericksen, Contemporary Music Center Nashville student, rocks out at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art Pavilion on April 5.
Pettit said, “We’re not an organization that you folks know about, so we’re unknown and it’s really hard to get people to come to an unknown, and so I really expected no one to show up. And we would’ve been fine, we just wanted to come out and play and have the experience of setting up and doing it, but the fact that 80 people showed up was shocking to me. I credit both the students and the program that did the marketing and also the good folks from Midwestern who helped our students get some folks out.” Free T-shirts were given to the first 20 people in attendance. Lenar said, “We just wanna get people excited and people in the door, and these T-shirts have a front pocket as you know. Having people rep us means that people will know who we are
and if we come back in the future, or you know if people are interested in our program, then they’ll get a chance to know about it through that.” The CMC performance usually lasts an hour. Cole Bryant, marketing manager for the tour, said “We pretty much have our show down to a T, every once in a while, like tonight, it’s different, because we don’t normally play an acoustic set. So that was like, ‘oh we want it to be dark, so let’s add a few things in the front end.’ So we just tossed those in very very last minute, actually like two minutes before they went on. We were like let’s just play some acoustic songs.” This is the 30th semester that this program has been going on. Pettit said, “The students put together the light, sounds, backline and promotional materials. We literally create a poster for every show that we just put up in our building. Nobody sees it. The outside public doesn’t see it, but we go through the process of creating billing, and promotional materials.” The program has lasted 30 semesters Pettit said “Interestingly, very few students in our program are music majors. You would think they were, but at most schools the programs are traditional, like a conservatory program, and we’re clearly opposite of that, and that’s why we exist. So, we have students across all of the disciplines. Especially in the business track and the tech track.” The semester-long program students can join allows you the opportunity to earn 16 credit hours. Pettit said, “An undergraduate student takes 8 semesters, and essentially they’re taking one of those and they go somewhere else. They come to our program, they earn 16 credit hours and go back to the parent school. So it’s not like you have to do 8 semesters plus one.” To find out more about this program, visit www.cmcnashville.com
8 | April 13, 2016 |
Tennis seniors mark 100 wins SAM SUTTON REPORTER
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hree captain tennis players have received 100 career wins this season. Kyle Davidson, accounting senior, and Lauren Pineda, nursing and sociology senior, received their wins on March 11 and March 13, respectively. Maddie Schorlemmer, psychology senior, got her win April 7. “They’ve been great. Match in, and match out, they’ve been ready. They enjoy competitions and have great attitudes,” Head Coach Scott Linn said.
KYLE DAVIDSON
Davidson was first to receive the win this season and he said it gave him some confidence for the rest of the season. “It was one of my goals. I set out to achieve my goals. I’m very proud of it,” Davidson said. He also said this would have never happened if he hadn’t chosen this school four years ago. “I got lucky. I have had a privilege to play with this team every match, and I’ve been lucky to play so many matches,” Davidson said. Zack Santagate, marketing senior, has had the opportunity of playing with Davidson for four years, and said he has enjoyed every minute of it. “He leads by example. I know I can always count on him in any situation. I’m excited for him, he deserves it more than anyone else, and he’s worked harder than anyone I know,” Santagate said. Dillon Pineda, biology freshman, said Davidson was a great leader. “He’s been a great mentor and teacher. He’s definitely someone I look up to and model my game after,” Dillon said. He is also from the same area as Davidson, which Dillon said helped with his tennis. “We hung out a bit over break and worked on some things, which helped my game, and helped our chemistry and confidence,” Dillon said. Davidson said his tennis plans after he graduates include coaching some adult leagues. “I plan on dropping tennis and becoming a regular businessman. I haven’t lived a regular, non-athlete life in a while, so I would like to do that for a bit,” Davidson said.
LAUREN PINEDA
Lauren Pineda was the second person to join the 100win club, and said she also felt some confidence. However, she agreed with Davidson, saying the win isn’t about her, and the award she really wants is a national championship.
“While yes, I do like having that award, we have to focus on stuff after that. We have to have our whole team win, and not just me,” Pineda said. Since Lauren is Dillon’s sister, he had praise for her. “She’s been a great athlete since she was in high school. I’m glad I’ve gotten to witness excellent tennis watching her. She deserves this milestone,” Dillon said. Schorlemmer also had good things to say about Lauren. “She definitely deserved that accomplishment. Being on the court with Lauren, it shows that these four years have been worth it. She loves tennis, and it makes me love it even more,” Schorlemmer said. She also said Lauren is the hardest working athlete she has ever seen. “Someone like that deserves that award. She has tried hard, and people who don’t work as hard as she has, don’t get something like that,” Schorlemmer said. Lauren said she plans to put the racket down for a while after graduation, but she does want to play in adult leagues later on in life. “I do want to take a rest a little bit after my time here, but I don’t want to lose tennis. I’ll see if I can find some adult leagues later,” Pineda said.
MADDIE SCHORLEMMER
Schorlemmer was the latest person to join the 100-win club, and she said that while it does feel good, she didn’t do it by herself. “This was not a one-woman accomplishment. If I didn’t have a team like this, I don’t think I would’ve gotten here. We are going to accomplish so much as a team, as a whole,” Schorlemmer said. She had a setback early in her career, which slowed down the process of getting this accomplishment. “I tore my shoulder labrum and needed surgery, which put me out the spring of my sophomore year and the fall of my junior year. I didn’t think I’d get here, but I did, and I’m glad I was able to,” Schorlemmer said. She said she made a good decision in picking this school to play tennis. “We’ve made MSU tennis a big family. It made going through pains, losses, and struggles easier. It got hard sometimes, but I never felt like I wanted to quit. I felt like I needed to come back to be a part of something as big as this for four years,” Schorlemmer said. She said she wants to keep tennis a part of her life after graduation. “I’m going to get my masters for sports psychology, and I want to keep tennis in my life by doing that,” Schorlemmer said.
PHOTOS BY KAYLA WHITE | THE WICHITAN
Kyle Davidson, accounting and finance senior, plays against Colorado Mesa March 13. | Lauren Pineda, nursing and sociology senior, plays against Colorado Mesa March 13. | Maddie Schorlemmer, psychology senior, plays against Tyler Junior College on March 4.
PHOTO BY MAKAYLA BURNHAM | THE WICHITAN
Jack Glover, alumnus, sprints across the field at the Maroon vs. Gold alumni game, held at Memorial Stadium, April 9.
Football alumni unite in spring game ALLISON ASHCRAFT REPORTER
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oey Greenwood, director of recreational sports and the Wellness Center, coordinated a 7-on-7 alumni game at the Maroon vs. Gold football game on April 9. Alumni who graduated as early as last year, to graduates from as far back as 1997 came out to participate. Greenwood said he set up a MSU football alumni Facebook group and then chose two team captains who met up to do a draft. In total, about 60 alumni showed up to play. "I played football here back in '91 through '93 and I just thought it would be something that would be pretty neat to bring back, for some of the people that just graduated as well as some of the people that played back in 1988 when we brought football back to MSU," Greenwood said. Playing in flag football style, the alumni laughed and greeted their friends and high-fived between plays. The first three quarters of the game were played before the spring football game, with the Gold team leading 19-14. During half time of the football game, they alumni finished their fourth quarter, resulting in a Maroon team victory of 22-19. Brandon Kelsey, alumnus, was on the Maroon team and said it felt great to win. "It's just a competition thing. You never lose that competition spirit no matter how long you're out of football or whatever sport you play," Kelsey said. "So it's always great to get together with these guys and compete." It wasn't just about the game, but reuniting with their buddies to participate in a sport they all love. Kelsey said MSU is his second home and it was great to come back and see his old teammates. Mark Marsh, a 1997 graduate, said he was also excited to return to where he once played. "You go from a locker room and you're brothers, and then you go into your real life and kind of forget each other, and then you come back," said Marsh. "We had a blast, and we appreciate Midwestern having us here, and it's kind of neat to have your jersey back."