MSU and Sheppard collaboration underway
ABBY TURNER REPORTER
Sheppard Air Force Base and MSU have partnered on a Military Education and Student Success Center to both further the success of MSU students and provide those who serve our country with a one-stop shop to give them the ability to earn a degree.
MSU president Haynie said she has had
a goal of strengthening the ties between the base, the university and the Wichita Falls community since she first stepped into office at MSU.
“Since I arrived, I have been in conversations with the base about 'How do we become the partner for you,'” Haynie said. “The closer we are tied together, it becomes a force multiplier, so we need to be sure that we are collaborating so that we are both continuing to be even
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stronger institutions.”
The center’s designated location is on the second floor of the Bridwell Activity Center. It will serve as a hub where students and airmen alike can congregate and be provided with an education that is set up for success.
The mission behind the center is to not only provide the airmen with a center for their educational needs, but also to provide more opportunities for success all around, including the MSU students.
“Our mission is to educate. So we wanted to ensure that we were going to be the university of choice for the airmen and their families, so we started those conversations with the base, trying to talk about 'How do we partner in a way that can serve those who serve us?' And what I think is so exciting about this project is building out that second floor for the Bridwell Activities Center is really focused on student success anchored in the military education center," Haynie said,
MSU made the initial push to collaborate. It brought Sheppard to the table and began discussing how this center could be beneficial to the education the airmen are receiving.
On the Sheppard side of the project, base officials serve as advisors and openly communicate with MSU and Haynie about what they think would set the center up to be most successful.
Director of staff of the 82nd Training Wing Vincent Terrell serves on the board as a communicator of the design of the center.
“Basically, we are voicing what we think a good edition, how we think the layout should be, uh most conducive to an airman that is going to go out to MSU and be a student and you know time constraint, you know they need to have a one-stop shop so we try to communicate those requirements or those needs,” Terrell said.
The project would not be possible without the funding from philanthropic donations to the university and money from the city. The city passed resolution 4a and 4B to fund an extra $2 million dollars.
“We are also thrilled that the Bridwell
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Foundation, so one of our strong philanthropic partners in the city, has provided $2 million dollars of support for the buildout. And then our economic development boards with the city, they provided an additional $2 million,” Haynie said. “So it truly is the city, our philanthropic partners in our city who want to invest in us and the university and the base coming together.”
Along with the funding for the buildout and renovations, scholarship money was also raised in order to provide the airmen with some financial support.
“We were also able to raise around $750,000 and counting towards scholarships, so that we can help to cover the full cost of attendance for any active duty military, but also help provide some scholarship dollars to defray the cost for their dependents and support our veterans,” Haynie said.
Renovations have already begun on the second floor of the BAC and that floor is currently closed off to students. The tentative timeline for the projects expects the project to be completely finished in January 2026.
“January of '26, and that's a pretty aggressive timeline, but that is certainly our hope,” Haynie said.
This project will be just another opportunity MSU has put on the table to serve those who serve the country. Sheppard and MSU are both pleased with the opportunity that has been presented and can not wait to see how this helps provide students and airmen with a better opportunity to exceed, whether that be on campus, or remote while training.
“I think it’s just been a fabulous opportunity for everyone to get behind an initiative that can be a difference-maker for this institution and our community,” Haynie said.
Terrell said Sheppard is supporting the effort in every way it can.
“It is an opportunity that we don't take for granted, and we do our best to provide the support she’s [President Haynie] looking for, MSU, and we make sure that we try to support whatever initiative to the best of our ability,” Terrell said.
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PHOTO BY ABBY TURNER | THE WICHITAN MSU and Sheppard hopes to bring success to MSU students and those serving our country, Oct. 1.
COVER PHOTO BY SAM DIFIORE | THE WICHITAN
GEORGE SVOBODA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
MSU hosts candidate forum
MSU's Student Government Association and political science department partnered with the League of Women Voters to host a state and local political candidate forum in CSC Comanche on Thursday, Sept. 26.
13 canidates running made an appearance:
• For Texas Senate District 30: Democratic candidate Dale Frey and Republican candidate Brent Hagenbuch.
• For Texas State Representative District 69: Walter Coppage and James Frank.
• For Wichita Falls County Commissioner Precinct 3: Deandra Chenault and Barry Mahler.
• For Wichita Falls City Council at Large: Larry Nelson, Sam Pak and Austin Cobb.
• For Wichita Falls City Council District One: Whitney Flack and Oscar Verduzo.
• For Wichita Falls City Council District Two: Robert Brooks and Naomi Barron.
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President of the League of Women Voters of Wichita Falls Betty Richie and political science junior Rory Rucker moderated the debate Richie said it is vital for students to understand their vote matters.
"You know, they're our future. And if they don't realize that it's their country and that they're going to have to do something to help us, they're going. We're not going to be here for very long. They're going to have to take over the government," Richie said. "Also, you have to consider student loans, and they're going to be on their own, and so they really need to understand what it's like to be a citizen and how the government's going to affect them."
Mayor Tim Short attended the candidate forum and emphasized the importance for the MSU and the greater Wichita Falls community to come together for local politics.
"It's a fantastic forum," Short said. "So, the students get to experience it, they get to participate in it, they get to see what it's like. And that does my heart good to see young people get involved in some of this. As far as the candidates go, as far as the city goes, we benefit just from the interaction."
Short said voters benefit from hearing candidates' platforms.
SGA president Vincent Peter coordinated with the League of Women Voters and MSU's political science department to ensure the event could occur.
"The League of Women Voters was saying, 'Hey, we've done this two years, are y'all still interested in doing this?' and I said, 'Absolutely, I wanna continue doing this," Peter said. "And we also partnered with the political science department. Dr. Veazey handled a lot of the, finding the moderator, booking the room and all of that. SGA took care of making sure that
we had name plaques and enough equipment for everybody to use."
As an international student, Peter echos that he believes MSU students should recognize the importance of their votes. "Students here, especially national students or residents have a better opportunity than me. Yes, I helped put on this event, but unfortunately, I cannot vote," Peter said. " I feel like it's important for students to come out so that they can know who's gonna represent them."
Sip N’ Science: Bubbles, Beakers and Brews
ROGER TAYLOR REPORTER
The "Sip N' Science" event was held at River Bend Nature Center on Sept. 27, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Attendees 21 and older participated in science experiments and chemistry lessons while enjoying alcoholic beverages. Tickets were $25 for non-members and $20 for River Bend members.
Before the event, participants were served hors d'oeuvres, including cheese, crackers, lasagna and meatballs. A TABCcertified bartender offered red and white wine and beer.
Executive director Jennica Lambert and animal care technician Steven Ekwere led the event. The event aimed to educate adults about chemistry, raise awareness for the nature center and generate interest in future programs.
"This is one of the classes in high school I should have paid attention to," Lambert said. "It literally explains almost every phenomenon on the planet, so it’s something you should look into."
The first experiment was the "sugar snake," where attendees combined baking soda, powdered sugar, and lighter fluid in a sand-filled tray to create a fiery black mass.
Lambert explained concepts like van der Waals forces, thermal decomposition, ionic bonds and covalent bonds, adding in some light-hearted adult humor.
“Then we have covalent bonds, which are a little bit weaker, and they just kind of, they just kind of have to be shared, yeah, specifically if this is Hydrogen. Hydrogen is, like a, is a loose woman,” Lambert joked.
Next, attendees created tie-dye bandanas using permanent markers and rubbing alcohol. Attendees drew designs with
permanent markers onto their bandana while learning how the alcohol broke down the ink’s bonds with the fabric.
“What would happen if you put water on it? Do you think that the ink, that permanent marker, is soluble? . . . It’s not. You could wash this in water and nothing will happen, because the ink is in a reaction in something that’s not soluble, and, but it will with rubbing alcohol, because it’s a solvent, which is probably another reason we shouldn’t drink it,” Lambert said.
Attendees then took a break for more food and drinks while Ekwere introduced them to some of the creatures in the exhibit hall. Guests had the opportunity to hold a snake and a spider while Ekwere shared interesting facts about them.
The third experiment, "elephant toothpaste," involved mixing hydrogen peroxide, yeast, dish soap and food coloring to create a colorful foam eruption.
Lambert reminded attendees to wear safety goggles to protect their eyes from the acidic liquid.
“100% make sure you protect your eyeballs. You get one set of eyes. There are not new robot eyes yet so let's not lose our eyesight,” Lambert said.
The final experiment was making bouncing polymer balls from borax, glue, warm water, cornstarch, and food coloring. Lambert explained how the power and liquid mixture created the balls.
“So, the glue was your starter. It had a polymer called polyvinyl acetate of heating, which crosslinks itself with borax, and then you end up with that thing in your hand, right? Pillow talk,” Lambert said.
Lambert announced that details for the next "Sip N' Science" event were still to be determined.
She added that the center was considering a crime
scene investigation theme where attendees inspect bones to determine a cause of death. She gauged interest from the crowd, who largely supported the idea, even if it meant a higher ticket price.
Lambert expressed gratitude to everyone that attended and hopes to host more programs like it in the future.
"We really appreciate you being here," Lambert said. “We are a private non-profit, so if you ever looking to donate more, please do so, here specifically."
PHOTO BY ROGER TAYLOR | THE WICHITAN Kari Richard and Raul Maderang smiling at their elephant toothpaste erupting at the Sip N' Science event at the Red River Center, Sept. 27.
PHOTO BY GEORGE SVOBODA | THE WICHITAN Whitney Flack and Oscar Verduzo are running for District one, Sept. 26.
University enforces safety measures
LOGAN DEATHERAGE REPORTER
The MSU police, Title IX, Residence Life and Housing and the Counseling Center all have policies regarding safety and security of every student enrolled at MSU, which these departments work together to reinforce and implement.
Residence Life and Housing director Kristi Schulte emphasizes how the groups work together to keep the students safe.
“We work with Title IX and university police to both review the processes that we have in place and also so they have opportunities to practice response with emergencies. It is impossible to practice every single scenario so we really aim to help build a set of skills," Schulte said. "That is something that we spend a significant amount of time with our team working on from a training and development perspective as well. So that we are always maintaining a sense of awareness about the importance of safety and security on campus.”
Title IX is a federal law that states that universities that receive any federal funding cannot discriminate against faculty, staff or students based on sex.
Director and coordinator of Title IX Laura Hetrick prioritizes reports that possibly contain discrimination.
“My primary responsibilities as director and coordinator of Title IX is that I handle any reports that come into the university that states that there could be a possibility of discrimination based on sex. So mainly looking at sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, dating violence, domestic violence, any issues like that,” Hetrick said.
In the past week the MSU police department has reported two sexual assaults as part of the Clery Act. The Clery Act is a federal act that requires a university to report all of its crime statistics.
“The university will either use a timely warning or an emergency notification. A timely warning is intended to inform the campus of a reported activity that could impact the campus community and emergency notifications are intended for a significant health or safety concern,” Schulte said.
Texas has another safety measure involving Title IX called Senate Bill 212.
“Senate Bill 212 is a law that requires anybody who works for the university, faculty or staff, if they are told about an incident or find out through email or anything like that, that could possibly be Title IX that involves a student, then they have to report it to my office. So if someone is wanting to report, they can always go to faculty or staff and they're going to get them to me,” Hetrick said.
There are policies set for student guests regarding housing. The policies vary between the apartments and residence halls because the apartments are a more independent living space than the residence halls.
“Students are accountable for their guests, we have a process for them to sign in their guests in the evening. Students are expected to be with their guests, escorts their guests and be accountable for their guests' behavior,” Schulte said.
All enrolled students have access to state mental health resources. The residence life and housing staff work with the university counseling center if a student is in a crisis.
“The university counseling center has crisis hours in the events of something that might be more immediate versus how long it takes to schedule and regular appointment, in addition, our on-call staff have access to after-hour sources in needed from the community, we work with university police to help assess if a student needs a hospitalization or safety planning, whatever it takes for them to be safe for the evening,” Schulte said.
Schulte encourages students to register for the
TimelyCare app where telehealth services are available.
“There is a feature in the app called Talk Now. While it is not therapy or long-term counseling, the feature connects students with licensed professionals who can give around 20 minutes of coaching to calm their nerves or to just talk through a situation and how to handle it,” Schulte said.
Hetrick encourages anybody on campus to report any incident Title IX can help with, even if they have little information.
“I would just encourage anybody on campus, faculty, staff or students, that if you are concerned or you think that a time on an incident may have happened, to go ahead and report it. If you don't have all the pieces to the puzzle, that's okay, because we may already have some pieces, but we will always take some more,” Hetrick said.
PHOTO BY SAM DIFIORE | THE WICHITAN MSU police is available 24/7 to all MSU students, Sept. 28.
PHOTO BY SAM DIFIORE | THE WICHITAN Students who feel unsafe while walking on campus can use the emergency call button to alert campus police, Oct. 3.
West End shooting sparks safety precautions
JULIANA ABRIL REPORTER
At approximately 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 14, a confrontation between Wichita Falls residents
Marcus Fonseca and Giovanni Cesar took place. Fonseca was arrested Sept. 25 for fatally shooting Cesar. The incident occurred at West End Pub and Pool, one of the city's bars. It is important to keep safety in mind when enjoying the local nightlife.
Students should go out with a trusted group of people. They should ensure they are accompanied by close friends and stick together throughout the night. This type of precaution can help prevent unwanted situations. Likewise, it’s essential that everyone has a clear plan to get home safely.
Another key factor to consider about nightlife is responsible alcohol consumption. Local and university authorities are reminding students that excessive drinking or underage alcohol consumption can have serious consequences. Students must know their own limits and remember that they can enjoy themselves without excess or making risky decisions, such as
driving under the influence or being a passenger in a car driven by someone who is intoxicated.
Additionally, students are advised to stay aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behavior to security personnel. Students should have local and campus police’s numbers saved in their contacts or quick access to 911, so they can reach the authorities quickly if they find themselves in danger. Apps, like Circle of 6 can also be useful, allowing students to alert friends if something goes wrong, in situations where police intervention is not necessary.
Lastly, if a student finds themselves in a situation where a weapon is involved, remember the proper protocol: run, hide, fight, in that order. Responding with violence is rarely the solution. If you have the chance to run or hide, those should be prioritized.
By keeping these precautions in mind, MSU Texas students can safely enjoy Wichita Falls’s nightlife without compromising their safety.
In case of any emergency, the campus security department is available 24/7 to provide assistance
West End impulsa precauciones de seguridad
JULIANA ABRIL REPORTER
El 14 de septiembre, alrededor de la 1:30 de la mañana, se presenció una confrontación entre Marcus Fonseca y Giovanni Cesar, en la cual Cesar resultó gravemente herido, lo que posteriormente lo llevó a fallecer en un hospital de Fort Worth. Los hechos ocurrieron en uno de los bares más tranquilos de la ciudad, West End Pub and Pool, y aunque Fonseca ya fue arrestado, es importante tener en cuenta las siguientes recomendaciones para disfrutar con seguridad de la vida nocturna local.
La principal recomendación es salir con un grupo de personas de confianza. Los estudiantes debemos asegurarnos de estar acompañados por amigos cercanos y mantenernos juntos durante toda la salida. Este tipo de precaución puede prevenir situaciones indeseadas. Asimismo, es esencial que todos tengan un plan claro para regresar seguros a casa.
Otro factor clave a considerar cuando se habla de vida nocturna es el consumo responsable de alcohol. Las autoridades locales y universitarias hacen énfasis en que el consumo excesivo o el beber por debajo de la edad legal puede tener graves consecuencias. Los estudiantes debemos conocer nuestros propios límites y recordar
que podemos disfrutar sin excesos ni tomar decisiones que nos pongan en peligro, cómo conducir ebrios o ser pasajeros de alguien en estado de embriaguez.
Además, se recomienda a los estudiantes estar atentos a su entorno y reportar cualquier comportamiento sospechoso al personal de seguridad. Es conveniente tener en la lista de contactos el número de la policía local o acceso rápido al 911, para contactar a las autoridades en caso de peligro. También existen aplicaciones como Circle of 6, que permiten alertar a amigos en situaciones de riesgo, cuando no sea necesario llamar a la policía pero sí recibir apoyo.
Por último, si nos encontramos en una situación donde haya un arma involucrada, debemos seguir el protocolo adecuado: correr, esconderse o luchar, en ese orden. Responder con violencia rara vez es la solución, como se evidenció en el altercado de West End. Si podemos huir o escondernos, esas deben ser nuestras prioridades.
Con estos cuidados en mente, los estudiantes de MSU Texas pueden disfrutar de la vida nocturna de Wichita Falls sin comprometer su seguridad. Las autoridades universitarias reiteran que, ante cualquier emergencia, el departamento de seguridad del campus está disponible las 24 horas para brindar asistencia.
PHOTO BY SABRINA HARRRISON | THE WICHITAN Giovanni Cesar was fataly shot and the suspect was later arrested, Sept. 29.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WICHITA FALLS POLICE DEPARTMENT
Suspect Marcus Fonseca has been jailed with a $750,000 bond, Sept. 25.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WICHITA FALLS POLICE DEPARTMENT
Marcus Fonseca was arrested on Sept. 25 in Fort Worth, Sept. 25.
Campus hosts Family Weekend
“Family Weekend is a time to have fun with family that you don't get to see everyday”
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Kerel McChristian
PHOTO BY SAM DIFIORE | THE WICHITAN Maverick and students enjoying a nice afternoon dancing on the quad, Sept. 28.
PHOTO BY MADISYN BUTLER | THE WICHITAN Braden Ippolito mechanical engineering sophomore blowing bubbles with his niece, Sept. 28
PHOTO BY SAM DIFIORE | THE WICHITAN Kerel McChristian computer science freshman playing
27th Annual Caribfest celebration
PHOTO BY SAM DIFIORE | THE WICHITAN Caribbean Student Organization hosts its annual Caribfest parade, Sept. 27
PHOTO BY GEORGE SVOBODA | THE WICHITAN Students waving their home country flags around at the parade, Sept. 27.
PHOTO BY SAM DIFIORE | THE WICHITAN MSU students dancing around campus with the Caribbean Student Organization, Sept. 27.
PHOTO BY GEORGE SVOBODA | THE WICHITAN Maverick and students enjoying a nice afternoon dancing on the quad, Sept. 28
PHOTO BY AARON BURROWS | THE WICHITAN Thia Moss general psych freshman holds up the Bahamas flag at the parade, Sept. 27.
The Wichitan’s Artist of the Week: 'MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC
SABRINA HARRISON REPORTER
This week’s “Artist of the Week” is putting a spotlight on the crew behind MSU’s production of “Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play.”
Costume designer Alexis Scoggins, assistant lighting designer Brayden Young and makeup artist Kathyrn Murman all shared what they have done while working on “Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play” and what they’ve learned from their time at MSU.
Though theater tech senior Brayden Young is also taking the stage during the play, his work behind the scenes helped bring the show to life through lighting. Young is the assistant light designer as well as the assistant head electrician for the show. The play takes place in the world of The Simpsons in an irradiated Springfield years after a meltdown at the nuclear power plant. With this in mind, Young is excited for the audience to see what he and drama department chair Eric Koger have come up with.
“Act one is, I think seven years after this meltdown has taken place, and act two is seven years further, and act three is like 75 years further than that into the future. So, I’m really
excited for the audience to see our concept and what we think that would have sort of snowballed into,” Young said.
“What we’ve been really interested in is the way radioactivity works in this post-electric world, and so one of the effects that we’re looking into is radioactive water and what that looks like. Like, how does that reflect off of surfaces, how do we create that look. So that’s something really interesting,” Young explained.
Despite this being Young’s first year as assistant light designer at MSU, Young has some experience lighting for one-act play projects as well as an apprenticeship with Dallas Children’s Theater.
“So I’ve done lighting for one-act projects as well as I’ve worked with Dallas Children’s Theater as a lighting apprentice, just learning about the electrician's side of things and light design. And this is uh, now my first project I get to work on as a main-stage,” Young said.
Young originally got into theater through acting in his high school’s one-act play. He said it wasn’t until he got to MSU that he learned he really enjoyed his job as a theater electrician.
“It wasn’t until a little over a year ago that I was assigned head electrician for a show and I loved it, I love working on lights,” Young said. “I don’t know what it was about it but, I was like, ‘This is fun.’ I like setting up all the LED lights and addressing them, and you know hooking everything up. Like, knowing that it’s all set up properly feels really good.”
Young said his love of lighting was further nurtured by the light design class he had that semester.
“I loved the process of reading the script and coming up with a concept and sort of deriving all of the decisions from that concept,” Young said.
Young has had many challenges working with lighting due to only having experience in acting.
“Sort of getting a feel for, you know, safety and also implementing the physical properties of the lighting plot. Like, all of those things I’m not really like, I wasn’t really seasoned, or like, experienced with, so there were definitely like some bumps there along the way,” Young said. “But that’s also a plus, I would say, of going here, is this is a really safe place to make those mistakes and learn before we’re out, like, in the professional world. So that’s something I really like about my time here.”
Young said his time and experience at MSU has pushed him towards getting his masters after he graduates in the fall, and that he has decided to pursue his love of lighting design after finishing his undergraduate studies.
“I’m on track to pursue an MFA postgraduation, so, I am currently working overhire lighting at Dallas Children’s Theater and Dallas Theater Center. And just getting as much experience as I can to build my portfolio, my lighting portfolio, so that I can pursue a light design MFA somewhere,” Young said.
As for theater tech junior Kathyrn Murman, she brings the characters to life in a different way. Murman said that though theater is
collaborative in nature, the makeup is what really draws her in.
“It all comes together in one cohesive thing, and makeup to
PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHRYN MURMAN Kathryn Murman has been the makeup designer since her freshman year., April, 13.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRAYDEN YOUNG Brayden Young plays Sam and Mr. Burns as well as the assistant lighting designer of the shows, Feb. 10.
PHOTO BY TIFFANY HAGGARD | THE WICHITAN
From left to right Eli Kuzmack theater tech senior and Brayden Young theater tech senior rehearse for the upcoming play: Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play Sept. 30.
Week: The crew behind the curtain POST-ELECTRIC PLAY'
me, it makes it feel more real,” Murman said.
Murman’s job for the play is to create makeup looks for the cast to help bring their characters to life. During the run of the show, Murman and her crew will be waiting off-stage to help out if anything goes wrong with makeup or hair. She will also help the actors get ready in between acts due to the short intermission.
“We have to make sure the process goes smoothly, everybody’s makeup is on, their hair is good, and obviously costumes need to be good,” Murman said. “And it’s just, we gotta make sure the timing is correct. But, I like being backstage and making sure things go right and if there— if something does go wrong I can help out.”
Murman started her theatrical makeup journey before she came to MSU. In high school, she would do makeup for productions. During COVID, she decided to experiment and use household items to create a zombified look.
“It started during COVID, I used old latex and, like, random stuff I found around the house and like made my mother’s knee look like it was like, zombified. And so I was like, ‘Maybe I want to do this for a living,’” Murman said
nerve-wracking, Scoggins said she has learned to love the process.
“Going into a room with my professors and my fellow peers, at first, and presenting my ideas and stuff seemed really scary,” Scoggins said. “But I learned that it’s presenting it to them and getting their ideas and getting their feedback is truly the most fun and enlightening part because it teaches me things.”
Despite being the head designer for costumes, Scoggins said she has always had a love for acting. Scoggins explained that she loves both and if she were to do one without the other, it would feel like something is missing in her life.
“That’s kind of why I chose teaching as my thing, so I could continue to have, have places in both worlds. I can teach my kids how to design costumes, but also, at the same time, I can teach them how to act and stuff. That way I’m focused in both worlds,” Scoggins said.
With each person’s job in the theater being so different, everyone had their own unique perspective to bring to the table. Despite that, each person expressed that their work at MSU has helped mold them into the designers they are and will be.
Though Murman is a theater major, her love of horror movies is what inspired her to get into makeup design. She said the practical effects of different horror movie franchises piqued her interest.
“I had always been interested in, like, horror movies and how they get those special effects. Like um, like in ‘Alien’ whenever they have the chest-burster, I always found that very fascinating in how they made that look so real,” Murman said. “And so, I started looking into it more, watching my favorite Youtubers, figuring out how they do their makeup looks, and then I just started experimenting from there.”
Among the whirring of sewing machines is where theater education junior Alexis Scoggins helps bring theater to life. This is the first year Scoggins is taking the lead as head designer for MSU’s costume department.
Scoggins said she has always had a love for costuming because of the nature of the process.
“I think it’s mostly because costumes is such, costumes is a very place, for me at least, because it's so physical,” Alexis said. “Because I’m a very physical, visual learner, so if I can create something, I know how to do it.”
Costuming for “Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play” has brought about challenges for Scoggins. One of these challenges has been figuring out what Scoggins was willing to compromise and what was a hard boundary. However, Scoggins explained that she loves that part of the process.
“Something I really love about being a designer is the push and pull of it. You push, others pull on you. They ask you for things, you ask them of things,” Scoggins said. “So that’s what I really enjoyed, the collaboration aspect of it.”
With its “post-electric” setting, Scoggins decided to collaborate with the art department to get unique designs printed on fabric for two of the costumes. With the help of art professor Catherine Prose and art juniors Hailey Padilla and Jess Zimny, Scoggins used screen printing to help make unique fabrics for the show.
“We’re gonna screen print our fabric because I, when I was thinking I was like, when I was thinking of the things that would still be around, and I was like, ‘Newspapers!’ Because, if you do it properly, newspapers live, they move on. Same with pet-food bags,” Scoggins said. “So for Homer, because he has that iconic white button down, with the short sleeves, we’re going to print a newspaper on it, to make it look like a bunch of newspapers with the ink blurred and run down. Because even if newspapers have all become biodegradable and stuff by then, they still have those old fashioned printing presses.”
Though being a first-time designer can be
“I’m learning new things everyday, and it makes me very excited to be a designer,” Scoggins said.
“Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play” will run at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10 through Saturday, Oct. 12. The final performance will be at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13. Tickets can be purchased at their box office.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEXIS SCOGGINS Alexis is the main costume designer for the upcoming shows this year, Aug. 10.
PHOTO BY TIFFANY HAGGARD | THE WICHITAN
From left to right Megan Gibb, Jayden Brooks, Brayden Young theater tech senior, Eli Kuzmack theater tech senior rehearse for their upcoming show, Sept. 30.
PHOTO BY SABRINA HARRISON | THE WICHITAN
From left to right, Professor Catherine Pose, Jess Zimny art junior, Alexis Scoggins theater junior, screen print for the costumes in the upcoming show, Sept. 23.
The Wichitan’s Song of the Week: 'OSCAR WINNING TEARS'
JOSEPH ARTHUR REPORTER
Welcome back to this week’s edition of the Wichitan’s Song of the Week. In celebration of the new month, this week’s pick is “Oscar Winning Tears” by English singer-songwriter RAYE.
Released Feb. 3, 2023, as the second track on her debut studio album “My 21st Century Blues,” “Oscar Winning Tears," is one of RAYE's most cinematic and acoustically pleasing songs.
The song follows a broader and larger blueprint that RAYE lays out in her album. This blueprint explores themes of emotional depth, personal struggles and empowerment. In “Oscar Winning Tears,” she reflects on a past relationship with a sense of heightened emotions while creating cinematic imagery of personal resilience and tragic heartbreak worthy of an Oscar.
RAYE covers several themes like love, reclaiming one’s narrative, mental health and trauma through the fifteen tracks of “My 21st Century Blues.” Often in her discography, she pulls from her personal life experiences to tell a story or heed a warning. The idea of emotional manipulation or the burden of masking real pain is the central theme of “Oscar Winning Tears.”
Born in Tooting, London, Rachel Agatha Keen, most commonly known as RAYE, is an award-winning singer-songwriter best known for her 2022 single, “Escapism.” Pulling inspiration from R&B greats like Frank Ocean, Lauryn Hill and Beyoncé, RAYE’s musical career has been filled with blends of R&B, Neo-soul and Indie Rock and she has received much deserved recognition for it.
I was introduced to RAYE’s discography in late August and so far, she is a brilliant artist deserving of her accolades. “Oscar Winning Tears,” caught my ear for several reasons, but I chose it for Song of the Week for two reasons: its musical composition and broader context. Musically, the song is in F minor and has a tempo of 142 BPM but that is not what makes it musically appealing. Its musical appeal comes from RAYE and her production team’s ability to juxtapose her simple and conversational vocals against the many instruments (synth, pads, piano, bass, percussion, beats and strings) which creates a powerful and cinematic vibe to the song.
The song's production team utilized a lot of layering and reverb to give the song depth and crescendos in the chorus to intensify the emotional impact. While the song is very complex, it also utilizes a minimalistic approach, avoiding unnecessary embellishments to allow the listener to focus on RAYE’s vocals.
In terms of its broader context, the song fits perfectly with the larger narrative of “My 21st Century Blues,” which is a deeply personal album for RAYE. The album touches on topics such as mental health, addiction and the struggles of being a woman in the music industry, where artists—particularly women— are often forced to navigate expectations of how they should present their pain and struggles.
RAYE has spoken in interviews about the personal nature of her music and how this album was a way for her to reclaim her voice after years of feeling stifled by industry pressures. "Oscar Winning Tears," is a perfect example of her using her music to challenge societal norms and express raw, unfiltered emotions.
“Oscar Winning Tears,” is my favorite song from both the album and RAYE’s entire discography. In the song, RAYE sings about how it feels to be emotionally manipulated by someone she believed to have loved.
She begins the song with a monologue. In the monologue, she directly addresses the listeners as she introduces herself and advises the listeners to listen to her story with
their undivided attention. This intro invokes feelings of caution or warning and importance. She also delivers the intro in a way resembling the intro in a movie theater before a movie begins, giving the song a cinematic feel.
In the first verse, she talks about the man in question. She lets the audience know that his name, height or even attractiveness were unimportant because ultimately, she grew to see him as one out of ten. She acknowledges that he manipulated her vulnerability and presented himself as innocent but now she knows better and would not fall for it again.
In the first pre-chorus, she acknowledges they were both to blame for what happened in the relationship. She sings about how she was dazed and refused to see any fault in him and how he played a role so convincing and believable.
In the chorus, she utilizes a lot of imagery like the “front row seat” of a movie theater, “Oscar Winning Tears” and “Popcorn and I scream," likening the situation that happened to her to that of an Oscar-winning Film. Almost as if the relationship was so surreal that it felt like a movie to her. In this chorus, she sings that she will no longer be entertaining his manipulations and he can “cry Oscar Winning Tears” while she watches.
In the second verse, she sings about a topic that is all too real, which is how women who are victims of abuse are often not believed. She asks for a camera to record how he curses at her or no one will believe her.
In the second pre-chorus, she says that she
thought he was her man, but he had a different idea than she did. She also shows feelings of confusion as she is uncertain as to why he is crying and lying when this is not the first time.
In the bridge, she rounds up the song by explaining to him that she is done with him and his lies and that she has no tissues for him, no string section and no tiny violin but she will be his audience for his “Oscar Winning Tears.”
In the outro, she speaks to the listener again and tells the listener “After his Oscarwinning performance, I left the room and never saw him again.”
As stated in previous editions of the Song of the Week, lyricism is an important aspect of any song and RAYE understood that when writing “Oscar Winning Tears.”
With her background in writing songs for various notable artists and her various awards, nominations and recognition in songwriting, RAYE is not a stranger to telling a story through lyricism. In “Oscar Winning Tears,” she utilizes storytelling and pathos to tell her feelings and experiences about a relationship she regrets. My favorite lyric in the entire song is:
“I can see right through your (tears) tears, baby
Nine o'clock entertainment
Oh, man, I wish I could tape it
Sit down, no tissues
No string section, no tiny violin
For the last time, I'm your audience”
At its core, “Oscar Winning Tears,” is a haunting, emotionally charged track that explores the complex interplay between real pain and the need to perform that pain in a way that others can understand.
RAYE's vulnerable songwriting, combined with her powerful vocal delivery and moody production, makes the song a standout track in her discography.
JOEY ARTHUR RATING:5/5
PHOTO COURTESY OF HUMAN RE SOURCES Raye won album of the year at the 2024 BRIT Awards, Feb. 3, 2023.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEXANDER TURNER
Raye debuted her first album "My 21st Century Blues" on Feb. 3, 2023.
Art, History and Literature
SABRINA HARRISON REPORTER
On Friday, Sept. 27, the Arts and Literature Society paired up with the History Club and the Wichita Falls Museum of Art to host a walkthrough of “Wilderness Passing: The Hudson River Portfolio, 1820–1825.”
English professor Todd Guiles put this exhibit together with WFMA collections manager BriAnna Satterfield.
Guiles and Satterfield originally began working together a few years ago to establish the WFMA’s online searchable database. Through this and Guiles’s podcast, “The Vault Unlocked,” Guiles gained access to every piece of art the museum has. Through these two avenues, Guiles founded the Hudson River Portfolio and began working to create the exhibition.
“What I like to do personally is let something peak my interest. And one of the cool things about teaching here is I have the ability follow different rabbit trails. And so we started talking about this collection in here, and we're like, ‘Yeah let's do an exhibition,’” Guiles said. “Because I don’t think the museum’s ever done an exhibition of the Hudson River Portfolio.”
The art pieces in “Wilderness Passing” are a part of WFMA’s permanent collection. Satterfield explained that the museum had the collection in their vault for years. Over time, the museum gained more and more prints from the collection.
“We had it in our collection, and actually, it’s been collected over multiple years, so we have every piece from the portfolio. It’s probably, at least that I’m aware of, one of the first times it’s been shown in its entirety,” Satterfield said.
The pieces in the collection originally started as watercolor sketches done by artist William Guy Wall in the summer of 1820. Wall later collaborated with another artist, John Hill, to turn his sketches into hand-colored etchings called aquatints. Without collaboration, these pieces would not exist and this exhibition could not have been accomplished. Moffett special
collections librarian Alissa Russell made the book cradles for the books that are on display alongside the prints.
“I mean I was excited to help because he came to me with a list of items already, his hit list that he wanted,” Russell said. "And we’ve already worked with the museum before with the exhibition, so we were glad to help.”
However, what this exhibition really brought to the table was giving Guiles’s students a way to visualize the setting of the books they are reading in class. English sophomore and Arts and Literature Society president Trinity Kronlein found the experience of getting to see the setting of what she is learning about in class interesting.
“To be able to see like each of the strokes and each of the, you know, like the etching and stuff like that in specifically the
Hudson River pieces was really, really impressive,” Krolein said. “And I'm currently in the class where we're talking about a lot of the writers that have to do with the Hudson River stuff. So to be able to combine what we're learning in there and seeing like exactly the nature that they're talking about on the walls, I think was really, it was really cool and interesting.”
“Wilderness Passing: The Hudson River Portfolio, 1820–1825” will be on display until December 21. The WFMA will be collaborating with the Fain College of Fine Arts for their “Print Rally and Art Market” event on October 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.. “The Vault Unlocked” podcast episode going over “Wilderness Passing: The Hudson River Portfolio, 1820–1825,” has already released on Spotify.
PHOTO BY SABRINA HARRISON | THE WICHITAN
Professor Todd Giles explains the importance of Hudson River Portfolio to a group of arts and literature society students, Sept. 27.
PHOTO BY SABRINA HARRISON | THE WICHITAN Arts and Literature students observe the unique prints that make up the Hudson River Portfolio, Sept. 27.
PHOTO BY SABRINA HARRISON | THE WICHITAN This is the first time the Hudson River Portfolio has been displayed in its entirety, Sept. 27.
Weekend full of family, fun and sports
JESSICA BINZARI REPORTER
Midwestern State athletes reunited with their families as their loved ones cheered them on during a weekend packed with MSU sports.
The Mustangs said the best part was having their families watch them compete this weekend. One of the greatest challenges for college athletes is having their loved ones away, especially when going through an injury or dealing with outside pressure, so having their families with them helps get them through difficult times like these.
For radiology freshman Gianni Latimer, having her family come all the way from Hawaii to watch her and the cheer team perform at the football game was a memorable experience.
“I was so unbelievably joyful to have my parents be here for Family Weekend. Being from Hawaii and having my family 3,000 miles away makes it 10 times better when I get the chance to see them in person again,” Latimer said.
Deciding to come to MSU and join the cheer team here represented a major decision for Latimer.
“Family is extremely important to me and making the decision to enroll in MSU being so far from my family was a hard one to make, but definitely worth it,” Latimer said.
Over the course of Family Weekend, the Mustangs competed in conference play in women’s soccer, volleyball and football.
Women’s soccer improved their winning record on Saturday after a 2-1 victory over the University of Texas at Tyler Patriots. After being down 1-0 in the first half, the Mustangs powered through after halftime with psychology senior Cassidy Savoy and business management senior Lexi Beck scoring two goals to put the Mustangs at a 2-0 record in conference play.
MSU volleyball battled through a four-set match against
the Lubbock Christian Chaps but could not secure the win. Business administration senior Riley Rabedeaux led the Mustangs in offense, capping off a total of 17 kills, while nursing senior Brooke Parker totaled 12 digs and physical therapy sophomore Isabella Dickins had five blocks.
Football drew in an impressive crowd as the Mustangs faced the #21 Falcons from UT Permian Basin. MSU faced tough competition as it fell 27-3, putting them at 1-1 in LSC play. Business analytics graduate Joseph Carlson delivered a 26-yard field goal, scoring the only three points for the Maroon and Gold.
PHOTO BY MADISYN BUTLER | THE WICHITAN Arrianna Fields (16) jumps to spike the ball over the net against the LCU Chaps, Sept. 27.
PHOTO BY JESSICA BINZARI | THE WICHITAN Crowd watches intently as the Mustangs battle against UT Permain Basin, Sept. 28.
PHOTO BY JESSICA BINZARI | THE WICHITAN QB Sean Jastrab (7) waits for ball to be hiked so the play can start, Sept. 28.
PHOTO BY STEPHANIE GARCIA | THE WICHITAN Lexi Beck (23) kicks ball in hopes of scoring a goal against UT Tyler, Sept. 28.