Nov. 4, 2022

heard.

Voting is important - but it’s just the start

THE WICHITAN STAFF

The phrase “civic duty” gets thrown around everywhere from middle school govern ment classes to election season newscasts. More often than not, it refers to the right to vote, and es pouses the idea that those who have the right to vote have also the re sponsibility to do so. While whether or not this is the case is open to de bate, the fact is that it is the mini mum for those who choose to engage in the political process. For citizens

who want to have more of an impact on their government and society, there are other ways to amplify a single voice’s reach.

One method for voters to expand their influence is to write letters to their representatives in the govern ment. This gives citizens a way to express their individual viewpoints to officials who might otherwise rely on broad polling numbers to gauge what is most important to their con stituents.

Another way for the average vot

er to make more of an impact is to attend or even organize protests, ral lies and political events. Increasing the turnout of events often increases their coverage in media and there fore their visibility to both officials and the general public.

There are also opportunities for voters who agree strongly with a candidate’s message to volunteer for that candidate’s campaign. That can involve passing out pamphlets, go ing door to door to raise awareness for the candidate or even organiz

ing events. For example, the recent Beto O’Rourke rally on campus was organized by Cristin Martin, politi cal science senior and president of MSU Democrats, and drew over 100 students, faculty, staff and other community members.

Early voting is open now, with elec tion day coming Nov. 8, but oppor tunities to go above and beyond to advocate for change are available year-round.

BRIEFS

Election Day looming Nov. 8 marks Election Day 2022, with several state and local elections slated to be decided.

Wichitan workshops return

The Wichitan is hosting a selection of workshops in Fain D201. The workshops include: Design Principles 101 on Monday, Nov. 7 at 5 p.m. and Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 4 p.m.; Basic News Writing on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m.; and Photography Basics on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 5 p.m.

MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run scheduled

The MSU -Burns Fantasy of Lights 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run will take place Nov. 19 at 10 a.m. Registration is $25 for the 5K, $15 for the Fun Run or $15 for either for MSU students.

Veteran’s Day ceremony planned MSU will honor its veterans and actively-serving military members Friday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. at the main entrance of the Hardin Administration Building. The Veterans Affairs Office said the MSU Texas community is invited to the event.

EN ESPAÑOL

La frase “el deber cívico” se usa en to das partes, desde las clases de gobierno de la es cuela secundaria hasta los noticieros de la temporada electoral. La mayoría de las veces, se refiere al derecho a votar y defiende la idea de que quienes tienen derecho a votar también tienen la responsabilidad de hacerlo. Mientras que si este es el caso o no está abierto a de bate, el hecho es que es el

mínimo para aquellos que eligen participar en el pro ceso político. Para los ciu dadanos que desean tener un mayor impacto en su gobierno y en la sociedad, existen otras formas de am pliar el alcance de una sola voz.

Un método para que los votantes amplíen su influ encia es escribir cartas a sus representantes en el gobierno. Esto brinda a los ciudadanos una forma de expresar sus puntos de vista

individuales a los funciona rios que, de lo contrario, po drían depender de amplios números de encuestas para evaluar qué es lo más impor tante para sus electores.

Otra forma en que el votante promedio tiene más impacto es asistir o in cluso organizar protestas, manifestaciones y eventos políticos. Aumentar la par ticipación de los eventos a menudo aumenta su cober tura en los medios y, por lo tanto, su visibilidad tanto

para los funcionarios como para el público en general.

También hay oportuni dades para que los votantes que están totalmente de acuerdo con el mensaje de un candidato se ofrezcan como voluntarios para la campaña de ese candidato. Eso puede implicar repartir panfletos, ir de puerta en puerta para crear conciencia sobre el candidato o incluso organizar eventos. Por ejem plo, el reciente mitin de Beto O’Rourke en el campus fue

Editor in Chief: Stephanie Robledo

Managing Editor: Anne Akpabio

Design Editor: Omar Combie

Photography Editor: Colin Stevenson

organizado por Cristin Mar tin, estudiante de último año de ciencias políticas y presi dente de MSU Democrats, y atrajo a más de 100 estudi antes, profesores, personal y otros miembros de la comu nidad.

La votación anticipada está abierta ahora, con el día de las elecciones el 8 de noviembre, pero las opor tunidades para ir más allá para abogar por el cambio están disponibles durante todo el año.

Copyright ©2022.

Vol. 87 | No. 5

Midwestern State University

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Dillard International Week brings educational opportunity Dillard College’s International Week will bring a variety of activities and presentations designed to educate students and raise awareness about the international community. Events begin Nov. 14 and run through Nov. 17.

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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 email address, telephone number and address.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PIXABAY

Voting is often referred to as “civic duty,” but there are more ways citizens can make their voices

Are students getting dumber?

he question of students get ting dumber over the years has long swirled around the world of aca demia. However, the recent termination of an NYU organic chemistry professor for his class be ing too hard has triggered a storm of conversations and debates about this topic.

Maitland Jones Jr., a distin guished professor in the field of organic chemistry who previously worked at Princeton before retiring in 2007 and moving on to work for New York University on a contract. Jones who was once recognized as NYU’s coolest professor, lost favor with members of the student body after his class was deemed too dif ficult. Last spring 82 of the 350 stu dents in his class filed a petition against him.

In an attempt to placate the students affected , the NYU offi cials fired Jones, which inevitably spurred a debate within the Chemis try department of NYU, the student body and the world of academia. The student body is currently split between pro-Jones supporters and those in support of  his termination.

In the wake of this debate, there are a few undeniable issues to be considered. There is the impact COVID-19 had on students mentally and emotionally, the pressure uni versities face as they try to educate the Gen Z student population, the is sues that become highlighted when there is a major gap in age between students and their teachers and the perceived lack of rigor in the new generation of students.

It is no secret that after the CO VID-19 pandemic higher education institutions have struggled with providing college students with the resources they need. This is in part because the pandemic was an unan ticipated catastrophe that impacted the whole world and because, like many other education systems in the world, the American education

Tsystem was unprepared and now has to deal with the impact of the pan demic on education.

Post-pandemic, higher educa tion professors around the country have noticed a downward spiral in the grades of students which is be ing attributed to the COVID learn ing loss. Jones deemed this as one of the problems impacting his students and accredited some portion of his student’s faulty comprehension abil ities to this problem. In an interview Jones stated that the problem was not only that the “students didn’t study, they didn’t seem to know how to.”

In his statement to NYU contest ing his termination, he highlighted that “students were misreading examination questions at an aston ishing rate.” This is no small issue; how can students answer questions they don’t understand? Regardless of the time or effort spent studying, the lack of comprehension of exam questions leads to the student fail ing because they answered the exam question incorrectly.

This highlights the question that most universities are now consid ering which is “What are we doing wrong?” Across the country, higher education institutions are shuffling around and trying to figure out how to properly educate the Gen Z popu lation. Why is this such a big prob lem you might ask? It is because of the various ways the lifetime of the Gen Z population has been impacted by major advances in technology, major social changes regarding dis crimination, equity and represen tation within our society, and the effect of the pandemic. The Gen Z population had a chunk of their lives displaced by the pandemic - a phase most people consider crucial to psychological development - and the pandemic faded the resilience of most young adults and left the popu lation saddled with huge bouts of anxiety and depression.

Almost three years after the pandemic hit, the Gen Z population is still saddled with a lot of social anxiety, test anxiety, issues with

mental health and depression and emotional exhaustion from the last few years. This has impacted their relationship with academics, school and life in general.Universities now have the task of educating a popu lation that is in no way shaped up for the rigors that our predecessors passed through while they were in the university education system. This leaves higher education insti tutions constantly second-guessing their opinions and decisions around the people who currently make up their student body.

Another issue that leaves no room for progress on this issue is

the fact that our generation is being educated by people who can in no way relate to us, our struggles and the impact the last three years have had on the Gen Z population. Jones is 84 years old, teaching a room of stu dents that are over 50 years younger than he is, that alone represents five decades of the distance between the thought process, conceptualiza tion, and comprehension ability of him and his students. These factors serve as a barrier to in-class commu nication and hinder active learning within the classroom.

The truth about this situation is that the times have changed, and

the education system is failing its students by not considering adapt ing to the teaching and learning needs of students. Students don’t only want curves on their grades, they want to learn and the educa tion system can help by continuing to provide resources to assist stu dents. As time goes on, the hope is that students will recover from the incidents of the last three years and make an attempt at becoming bet ter students and developing their cognitive abilities. Recovering from these incidents will not be an easy feat, however we cannot make prog ress without trying.

Campus Voices are the opinions of only the authors and do not necesssarily reflect the views of The Wichitan as an organization.

Anne Akpabio

PHOTO COURTESY OF PEXELS

Post-pandemic, several studies have shown students across age groups are significantly behind in their class

Bridwell Activities Center hosts official opening ceremony

JOEY ARTHUR REPORTER

On Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, the Bridwell Activity Center had its official opening and dedi cation as part of Midwestern State University’s Homecoming events. Named after the J.S. Bridwell Foun dation, the Bridwell Activity Center serves as a new addition to the Clark Student Center as another vibrant space for student life. Present at the opening was JuliAnn Mazachek, president of MSU Texas, various do nors, staff, faculty, alumni, students and Wichita Falls community mem bers, all present to celebrate what the BAC means for the future of stu dent life.

“Several years ago, when Mid western State started a master plan ning process, it was identified early that the institution wanted to move facilities to the periphery of cam pus which brought about the issue of what to do with the now-vacant Daniel Building. Immediately, we decided that we wanted it to become a new student life space because the Clark Student Center is too small for our ever-growing student body and we couldn’t add onto it, but most

importantly, we wanted a space that complimented the CSC and provided more space for students to gather and study, hold meetings, do activi ties or even just have lunch,” Keith Lamb, vice president of student af fairs, said.

The Bridwell Activity Center serves as a new on-campus student life building focused solely on pro moting student involvement and general life at MSU. The new activity center is home to three new meeting rooms, a coffee and tea shop, lounge areas, a new student commons area, new offices for organizations that foster student involvement and private Greek chapter rooms and common areas. The Bridwell Activ ity Center is an example of MSU’s dedication to its core values and its lasting promise to its students.

“This is truly the only building at MSU that has been built with the purpose of strictly student involve ment. Anything that you want to get involved in like SGA, Greek Life, and so on are here. The Office of Stu dent Leadership and Involvement is here. It is a building just for getting involved on campus but it’s also just a building that students can come

and hang out at the coffee shop or study at the new common area all while fostering that idea of family that Midwestern State University is so very proud of. When you walk through the doors and see the stu dents having lunch or studying to gether or utilizing the meeting room for their various organizations, you can see the community and fam ily being fostered,” Zetta Cannedy, political science and global studies senior and SGA vice president of ex ternal affairs, said.

Reconstructed from the former Daniel Building, the Bridwell Activ ity Center began its initial stages of renovation on Sept. 1, 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandem ic. Due to the pandemic and other construction and facilities related issues, development on the build ing was delayed and postponed on several occasions. Regardless of the pandemic and all other issues, the first phase of the Bridwell Activ ity Center was completed, with the groundwork for the second phase already being set.

“The pandemic was the biggest

problem we had to face during the construction of the BAC as it slowed down deliveries of certain core items which forced us to postpone or push the development of the BAC back. We also faced other construction is sues like sewage problems, labor is sues and so on which we had to face but after we overcame those issues it was smooth sailing,” Kyle Owens, associate vice president for facilities services, said. “Although the build ing is now open to the public, there is still more work to be done. We finished the first phase, but we still have the second phase to deal with.”

There is also the Cannedy Greek Commons. Named after Mac and Connie Cannedy, the Cannedy Greek Commons are rooms designated for sororities to build and foster their sisterhood and build a family. Greek Life is a big part of MSU, and the addition of the Cannedy Greek Com mons will help further Greek on campus.

“I hope in the future that the BAC will have more rooms for Greek life, but I can say that the BAC is a muchneeded step forward for the longev

ity and prosperity of all Greek orga nizations at MSU,” Mason Metcalf, biology junior and interfraternal council president, said Even before the opening of the Bridwell Activity Center, students have loved the idea and innovation behind it. Since its unofficial open ing in September, it has been heavi ly utilized by the student body. From the constant morning crowd at the coffee place to the overwhelming number of students studying in the commons area in the afternoon, the Bridwell Activity Center is truly liv ing up to its potential and is quickly becoming a home for students.

“The Bridwell Activity Center is a really good representation of the power of student organization and their influence at Midwestern State. This building shows the tremendous progress the university has made in supporting our students and organi zations. Through that progress I am very excited to see the future of the building and how it impacts the stu dent body moving forward, ” Gabri ella Pettijohn, economics senior and student body president, said.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN Donors and head MSU staff cut the ribbon to signify the opening of the Bridwell Activities Center, Oct. 28.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN SGA vice president of external affairs Zetta Cannedy talks to the audience at the BAC opening, Oct. 28. Cannedy has her new office in the building, along with the rest of SGA.

2022 HOMECOMING

AND QUEEN

PHOTO COURTESY OF MSU TEXAS

WICHITAN STAFF

This years homecoming cele brates 100 years of MSU with the theme being centen nial celebration. Students incorpo rated the theme in the traditions and competitions throughout the week.

Lip Sync Competition

Homecoming week kicked off with the lip sync competition on Monday. Students gathered in the D.L. Ligon Coliseum to see the dif ferent organizations compete to become finalists in the lip sync competition and ultimately be the winners of this homecoming.

“I liked hyping the crowd up and when they would get excited it make me excited and just seeing all the teams trying their hardest was pretty cool,”  Esmeralda Car los, marketing senior and MC.

The homecoming theme this year was centennial since this year MSU Texas is 100 years. Or ganizations had to incorporate the centennial theme into their performances which many did by lip-syncing a remix of songs from various decades.

“They all followed the theme. There were songs from all the de cades so what can we expect, that was the theme. It was really good,” Carlos said.

A total of 12 groups competed in the lip sync competition but there were only four finalists. Tied for third was the Redwine Honors Program, and the Caribbean Stu dents Organization and the Lions club. Second place went to cheer and first place went to the Stang Dolls.

“We feel ecstatic, we feel like

we worked hard…for this, we’ve been actually trying. I’m so proud of the girls, myself and even the young lady Ta’Ana Henderson who even thought of this,” Jayla Walker, criminal justice junior, said.

The lip sync competition was the Stang Dolls’ first performance. They began practicing at the be ginning of September and tried to practice whenever they could ac cording to Walker. The theme for their performance was women’s empowerment.

“We decided to go through ev ery decade starting the 80s and we picked the hottest Black women in each decade. That was Whitney [Houston], SWV, Beyonce, Nicki [Minaj], Cardi,”

The four finalists performed again during the homecoming

pep rally on Friday. In the Stang Dolls took first place “Stang Dolls are here forever,” Walker said.

Maverick’s Birthday Halfway through ing week the campus Maverick’s sweet 16 in ers Promenade with a picnic music from various decades.

“[I’m here] helping celebrate his birthday and good lunch,” Maggie Fleming, ology sophomore, said. The picnic provided mac and cheese, pulled beque, chips, a birthday more. Students with a

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

Maverick Mustang shows off his new drivers license after turning 16, Oct. 26.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE Redwine Honors Program told a story involving godmother with its lip sync performance, Oct. 24.

the end, the place again. here to stay Birthday Party homecom celebrated Jesse Rog picnic and decades.  Maverick and getting Fleming, bi a lunch of pork bar birthday cake and meal plan

without a meal plan paid seven dollars.

“There was a lot that went into the planning… the basics, get the food and make sure Mav has a great day for his 16 be cause you only turn 16 once,” Adriana Brown, marketing senior, said.

During the celebra tion, Maverick could be seen with his driver’s license. To celebrate this milestone student leadership and involve ment filmed Maverick tryout different cars and a compilation of the de partments on campus wishing him a happy birthday.

“I think it’s pretty cool [that we celebrate his birthday]. I would have thought he was older,” Fleming said.

Maverick’s 16 birth day marks 16 years since he was unveiled as the new mascot for MSU Texas, replacing the pre vious mascot the Indians.

Trunk or Treat

On Thursday, October 24 at 6 pm, MSU hosted a trunk or treat in the atrium of the Clark Student center. The atrium was decorated with tables set up by organiza tions on campus that fit within the theme of MSU’s Centennial Cel ebration and Halloween.

The center and its environs were filled with kids, teens, young

adults, and parents queuing up to attend the event. The atrium was filled with costumes and a pop of color as the attendees piled in to visit each of the tables that the or ganizations on campus set up for the event.

Alpha Psi Omega, the organiza tion with the winning set up had a haunted house decorated to en tertain the attendees, the guests had the opportunity to get into the haunted house and get a Hallow een surprise.

College Students from outside

MSU were also pres ent at the event

“My mom used to work here so I don’t know I’ve always felt like this is a place of calm and nice and relaxing just to come here and hang out” Jack Boller, A Vernon College student said.

The student’s cos tume was inspired by His name

“My real name is Jack and I just thought it would be cool you know to get dressed up as Jack Sparrow I love the parts of the Caribbean movies”

The event was also popular amongst the student body at MSU

“My RA is actually doing this competi tion and every event we go to we get a point and she’s going to give the winner a gift card at the end of the semester, so I’m competing for that but also I was like looking at the campus events and I was like oh trunk or treat I’m gonna go,” Katie Mapes Art fresh man said.

Cardboard Boat Race

The Friday of homecoming week hosts some of the biggest traditions on campus. The card board boat race being one of them. This tradition has organizations on campus rowing across Sikes Lake with their boat that has to be at least 75 percent cardboard.

Other requirements are the boat has to reflect the organization and the homecoming theme which was the centennial year.

“Seeing how the boat performs [is the most exciting part of the cardboard boat race]. You put all the effort into it and we get one shot. It’s exciting to see what comes out,” Ernuel Tong, mechan ical engineering senior, said.

The start of the race had many boats sink before they had the chance to row. In the end MSU

Lions Club and the Caribbean Stu dents Organization’s boat was the one that won. In celebration the organizations rowed their boat across the lake a second time.

“I’m very proud of my group, I’m very proud of the individuals that decided to go in the boat. It was a long process…they stayed up [until] three in the morning fin ishing up the boat. I’m very proud of them, I’m very happy to be part of this team.” Abigail Matthew, bi ology senior, said.

PHOTO BY A. DEFORE | THE WICHITAN The American Chemical Society make “boo bubbles” for Trunk or Treaters, Oct. 27.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

Mechanical engineering juniors Jabez Mackey and Miguel Bethel row the CSO and Lion’s Club boat to first place at the 2022 Cardboard Boat Race, Oct. 28.

WICHITAN

La

WICHITAN STAFF

Este año celebra los 100 años de MSU con el tema de Homecoming siendo la celebración del centenario. Los estudiantes incorporaron el tema en las tradiciones y concursos a lo largo de la semana.

La competencia de lip sync

La semana de homecoming comenzó con la competencia de Lip Sync el lunes 24 de noviembre. Los estudiantes se re unieron en el D.L. Ligon Coliseum para ver a las diferentes organizaciones com petir para convertirse en finalistas en la batalla de Lip Sync y, al final, ser los ga

nadores de homecoming.

“Me gustaba entusiasmar a la multi tud y cuando se emocionaban me emo cionaba. Sólo ver a todos los equipos es forzándose al máximo fue genial”, dijo Esmeralda Carlos, estudiante del último año de mercadotecnia y MC.

El tema de homecoming de este año fue el centenario, ya que este año MSU Texas cumple 100 años. Las organizacio nes tuvieron que incorporar el tema del centenario en sus actuaciones, lo que muchos hicieron con un remix de cancio nes de varias décadas.

“Todos siguieron el tema. Había can ciones de todas las décadas así que qué podemos esperar, ese era el tema. Fue

muy bueno”, dijo Carlos.

Un total de 12 grupos compitieron en el encuentro de Lip Sync, pero sólo hubo cuatro finalistas. Empatados en el tercer lugar estuvo el Programa de Honores Redwine, la Organización de Estudiantes del Caribe y el Club de Leones. El segundo lugar fue para el MSU Cheer y el primer lugar fue para las Stang Dolls.

“Nos sentimos extáticas, sentimos que trabajamos duro… para esto, en realidad lo hemos estado intentando. Estoy muy orgullosa de las chicas, de mí misma e incluso de la joven Ta’Ana Henderson”, dijo Jayla Walker, estudiante de tercer año de justicia penal e integrante de las Stang Dolls.

Los cuatro finalistas actuaron nue vamente durante la reunión de ánimo de homecoming el viernes. Al final, las Stang Dolls volvieron a tomar el primer lugar.

“Stang Dolls está aquí para quedarse para siempre”, dijo Walker.

El cumpleaños de Maverick

El evento de Maverick ‘s 16th Birthday Party empezó el 26 de octubre en Jesse Rogers Promenade (que está localizado entre el edificio Clark Student Center y Prothro-Yeager Hall). Este evento se or questó para el Homecoming y para tener a los estudiantes emocionados durante la semana. Las personas que organizaron este evento eran de la oficina de inter vención y liderazgo estudiantil. Durante el evento había mucho que hacer. En este evento los estudiantes pudieron comer puerco deshebrado, bratwurst vegan, ma carrones con queso y pollo asado; además de jugos, y unos postres. Muchas perso nas vinieron a este evento, estudiantes, profesores y personal de la universidad asistieron a este evento.

Usualmente la Universidad tiene eventos que son grandes y lujosos. Este evento resultó no ser tan grande. De acu erdo con Samantha García, estudiante de último año en Psicología “Para mí es normal el evento. Usualmente yo no voy a eventos, pero han venido una buena cantidad de personas a este evento. Po siblemente haya más personas viniendo pero no va ser como otros eventos que han tenido.”

Algunas actividades que los estudi antes pudieron hacer durante el tiempo que estuvieron ahí fue comer, jugar juegos, escuchar música y hablar con amigos u otras personas. Los juegos que había eran Jenga, Conectar 4 y Cornhole. Había personas que se quedaron a jugar algunos de los juegos. Pero lo que sí se podía notar era que al principio del even

to no había tanta gente.

Marcus Morris, estudiante do año de comunicación do fue debajo del promedio tos, no lo anunciaron cuando la mayoría de clase usualmente”.

Lo que sí se vio fue que más y más estudiantes al evento. Esto fue terminaron de cantar la mascota. El evento un evento que trajo eron relajarse cuando entre clases. Se pudo

FOTO POR A. La estudiante de primer Emma Boatright asiste 2022 vistiéndose como the Garden Wall”, el 27

FOTO POR COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

Organización de Estudiantes del Caribe y el Club de Leones ofrecen una actuación espectacular en el concurso Lip Sync 2022, el 24 de octubre.

DEFORE | THE WICHITAN primer año de teatro asiste al Trunk or Treat como Wirt de “Over 27 de octubre.

gente.  estudiante de segun comunicación dijo “El resulta promedio de otros even anunciaron bien y lo hicieron de las personas tenían

al final del evento estudiantes llegaron después de que se cantar las mañanitas a evento sí terminó  siendo personas que pudi cuando no tenían clases o pudo ver que a algunos

estudiantes sí les gusto y probablemente para cuando tenga 17 años la mascota po drá hacer el evento mejor que este año, porque siempre hay espacio para mejo

Trunk or Treat

El evento anual que se llama Trunk or Treat fue presentado por MSU este 27 de octubre. El evento es para la comunidad de Wichita Falls para celebrar Hallow een y también interactuar con muchas organizaciones y grupos diferentes de MSU. El Trunk or Treat siempre tiene un estilo diferente de trick or treating de lo normal. Siempre sucede en un estaciona miento o en el edificio con muchos pues tos de organizaciones y grupos de MSU. Es una oportunidad genial para que los padres traigan a sus hijos para empezar trick or treating temprano. Este año, el evento fue localizado en el Clark Stu dent Center, casi todo el edificio estaba lleno de gente. Afuera del edificio había múltiples camiones de comida con ta cos, helado, y café. Y dentro del edificio habían puestos dando dulces a los niños. Había una fila que empezó afuera y se ex tendió más allá de la biblioteca hasta el Clark Student Center. Cada puesto tenía su propio diseño, un puesto original fue del equipo de fútbol femenino. Tenía una portería pequeña para que los niños gol peasen una pelota para tener la oportuni dad de ganar más dulces. Los otros tenían sus propios minijuegos.

Una estudiante de radiología de terc er año que se llama Layher Braley fue allí con su sororidad y dijo, “Yo creo que el evento fue un gran éxito, hay mucha gente aquí, mucho más de lo que espe raba. Mi parte favorita fue ver a los niños que se vistieron con sus disfraces, es tan lindo”.

La fila estaba llena de mucha gente y niños que se vistieron con sus disfraces con sus bolsas de dulces. Su sororidad fue una de las muchas que tenía un puesto.

Los puestos llenaron el centro del Clark Student Center y las habitaciones Coman che y Kiowa.

Stephanie Alvarado, una estudiante de biología y química de cuarto año con el University Programing Board, dijo, “el evento ha sido bueno, hay mucha gente y niños, la parte más agradable para mí es ver a los niños y sus disfraces. El evento podría haber sido más organizado con los puestos,  siento que hay un montón de gente, pero no hay suficientes puestos para ir”.

Adriana Brown, una estudiante de mercadotecnia y psicología de cuarto año, ha dicho, “El evento ha sido un éxito, no esperaba que vinieran tantas perso nas, pero me alegro que estos niños están disfrutando e incluso los padres. Mi parte favorita del evento es ver a todos los niños y disfraces, a veces estando en la escuela se olvida de que MSU es más que sólo una universidad, es una comunidad.”

No sólo los padres y niños disfruta ron el evento, los estudiantes también lo pasaron bien. Parece que el evento sirvió su propósito de reunir a las comunidades.

La carrera de botes de cartón

Esta semana, la universidad Midwest ern State acogió una vez más su tradición anual de regreso a casa, Homecoming, de la carrera de botes de cartón.  Esta tradición incluye más de 15 organizacio nes, cada una debe construir un bote únicamente con cartón y competir en el lago Sikes. Este año tuvo lugar el 28 de noviembre de 2022 a las 6pm.  El día frío hizo que esta regata fuera memorable, especialmente para aquellos que podrían hundirse en el agua fría.  Con la orga nización de estudiantes del Caribe to mando una fuerte ventaja por el primer lugar y muchos otros muy cerca detrás, esta carrera tuvo muchas diferencias con respecto al pasado.  Algunas organizacio nes también pudieron recuperar muchos

puntos para su presentación este año.

Una organización que llamó mucho la atención fue los Priddy Scholars, cuyo tema para su bote fue “la venganza de Úrsula” que alcanzó un palmo de más de 6 pies de altura y estuvo muy decorada, tanto que llamó la atención de muchos, especialmente con los jueces.  Con la emo ción de la multitud cuando se soltaron los botes, pudimos ver a CSO tomando una fuerte ventaja junto con la “sociedad química estadounidense”, no muy lejos y con una consistencia impresionante del “club de radiología”.  Clubes como la “or ganización de los estudiantes hispanos” y los Priddy Scholars rápidamente se hun

dieron repetidamente en el agua fría.

Litzully Sosa, miembro de la OHS y estudiante de segundo año de enfermer ía, cuando se le preguntó sobre sus sen timientos sobre la carrera, dijo: “Traba jamos muy duro como grupo en el barco de la OHS y fue muy divertido ver a los miembros llegar al otro lado, aunque sí se voltearon un par de veces en el agua fría, no dejaron que eso les impidiera llegar a la línea de meta y perseverar, nuestro tra bajo definitivamente quedó representado hoy”.

Para cada grupo, solo se eligieron dos personas para estar en el bote y partici par en la.

FOTO POR COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

Los estudiantes comparten la llama de su antorcha antes del inicio del desfile, el 28 de octubre.

Texas 2022 Midterm

EMILY BEAMAN REPORTER

The 2022 Texas midterm elections are right around the corner, with early voting ending November 4 and the general election being held on November 8. While midterm elections often have lower voting turnout rates than presidential election years, they are just as important. Many state and local elections often take place on the same day, meaning that alto gether, they have the potential to turn an entire array of government offices for a constituency.

Attorney General’s race

Governor’s

Greg Abbott (R) Delilah

Lieutenant Governor’s race

Dan Patrick (R)

Mike Collier (D) Shanna Steele (Lib)

Ken Paxton (R)

V. Alonzo

Echevarria-Garza (Lib)

Glenn Hegar (R)

Janet Dudding (D)

Rochelle Mercedes Garza (D)

Midterm Elections

Governor’s race

Beto O’Rourke (D)

Mark Tippets (Lib)

Commissioner of General Land Office

Commissioner of Agriculture

Alfred Molison (Green)

Sid Miller (R)

Hunter Wayne Crow (Green)

Jaime Andres Díez (Lib)

Luke Warford (D) Wayne Christian (R)

Susan Hays (D)

Dawn Buckingham (R) Jay Kleberg (D)

SGA President Gabriella Pettijohn crowned Homecoming Queen

On Oct. 29 dur ing half time at the home coming football game, economics senior Gabriella Pet tijohn was crowned homecoming queen.

“I don’t want anyone to think I won because I’m the SGA President.” The process of getting onto the home coming court is quite simple; either a candidate nominates themself or is nominated by someone else. In recent years, SGA has taken over the responsibility of covering the elections, SGA is in charge of send ing out the nominations, and pub licizing, along with their election committee that takes care of the counting of tallies, and the qualifi cations.  Joseph Arthur, SGA mem ber, and Zetta Cannedy, vice presi dent of external affairs, were a part of the election committee that publi cized the voting. Pettijhohn quickly noticed a potential issue.

“I knew that I wanted to run for it and I knew right off the bat that there could be conflict of interest. Very early on we sat down and had a conversation that I wouldn’t be touching anything having to do with the elections, I wouldn’t be touching any of it. We didn’t want anyone to think that if I did win, people would say ‘Of course she won, she’s SGA president’ I don’t think I’ve ever

seen two people be so stringent. I’m pretty sure the week voting was go ing on they kicked me out of my of fice, I couldn’t even go into the SGA office. Which I appreciate it,” Petti john said.

This wasn’t Pettijohn’s first time running for homecoming queen, as she previously attempted to run last year but had to drop out.

“I wanted to do it last year but I ended up having to help with the elections process so I ended up drop ping. I’ve always wondered if I could do it, what would happen if I ran. My biggest thing going for it was that in a few years I’d be able to tell my kids or my sister’s kid, that I was MSU’s homecoming queen. I think it is a very unique experience,” Pettijohn said, adding “I usually go for any op portunity that I see.”

In order to not have the result of homecoming queen or king be a race determined by popularity, there are several sections calculated by votes, involvement, recommendation let ters and community service.

“I had all three. I have a lot of hours of community service, good recommendation letters, I have a lot of involvement here at MSU, it was more so about the votings that I wasn’t sure of. I didn’t know any thing. I found out at the game, I didn’t know anything beforehand. Moments leading up to the an nouncement, all I could think of was my dress was tight, I was hungry, I probably needed to use the bath

room and I just remember I turned to my mom and said ‘I don’t think I won this. Everything was kept so secret, so much so that they made it even seem like I didn’t win, ’” Petti john said.

MSU president JuliAnn Mazach ek crowned Grayson Porter as homecoming king and Diane Taylor, president of the alumni association, crowned Pettijohn’s head. Pettijohn said a session of about 30 minutes of pictures awaited her.

“I don’t think I’ve ever taken as many pictures before in my life. I’m pretty sure everyone took pictures for a straight thirty minutes. The coolest part about being crowned was that I was talking to some of my friends and some little girls came up to me, and I wasn’t able to hear them at first because I was talking to my friends and my boyfriend told me, ‘Hey, I think these little girls are trying to talk to you’ and I turned around and they came up to me and they were about five or six and just told me how they loved my dress and congratulated me and one of them told me how it was her birthday and I gave each one of them a flower from the bouquet I was given when I was crowned and that was one of my favorite moments,” Pettijohn said.

Pettijohn, who went from only being a part of SGA for two years to then becoming the new SGA presi dent this semester, and after taking over once Austin Strode, previous president stepped down, said she

hopes she was able to make herself more known within the student body.

“I hope it made my presence more known in campus but more than anything, my biggest promo tion is SGA. Winning homecoming queen or being SGA president isn’t about me at all. I’ll be gone in a year,

I just want students to know they have a voice and that they can be heard and they can actually change things. Being homecoming queen is great experience and I just hope that people are able to see that and use that avenue to change something for the better, for the community, for themselves,” Pettijohn said.

Thalía Doe

PHOTO COURTESY OF GABRIELLA PETTIJOH 2022 Homecoming queen Gabriella Pettijohn stands with MSU president JuliAnn Mazachek in front of some fireworks, Oct. 28.

The Wichitan’s first time participating in homecoming

PHOTO BY A. DEFORE | THE WICHITAN Mass communication junior Alex Sinks and mass communication senior Daniel Antillon pose while political science junior Bailey Graham pokes his head in for a friendly photobomb, Oct. 28.

PHOTO BY OMAR COMBIE | THE WICHITAN Editor-in-chief for The Wichitan Stephanie Robledo and multimedia journalist A. DeFore paint The Wichitan’s homecoming banner, Oct. 18.

PHOTO BY A. DEFORE | THE WICHITAN Mass communication junior Alex Sinks and mass communication senior Daniel Antillon row across Sikes Lake for The Wichitan’s first boat race, Oct. 28.