Jan. 28, 2015 | Midwestern State University | thewichitan.com | Your Campus. Your News. | Vol. 79 No. 16
PHOTOS BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN
Terry Patton, dean of the college of business, speaks on the behalf of the business department at the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Presentations in the Dillard Hall of Business yesterday.
Meetings kick off budget process, outline goals ETHAN METCALF EDITOR
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enior administrators, college deans and other staff members watched about 30 presentations over two days beginning the budget process that will culminate in August with a presentation to the Board of Regents. The President’s Cabinet invited university departments to present their budgets to the Budget Oversight Committee so administrators can better learn the departments’ needs. “[We want to hear] what the needs are, and hear it from the directors themselves, like what challenges they’re facing and what we can do to help,” said Valarie Maxwell, director of budget and management. The biannual meetings were held in the Dillard College of Business Administration building Jan. 26 and 27. Staff and non-academic departments such as facilities, the wellness center and the police department presented on Monday while each of the six college deans and the dean of the graduate school presented their budget proposals Tuesday. Maxwell said she and other members of the budget committee look for “common threads” to maximize the budget’s potential. “We did this two years ago and there was a common thread of technology needs and, quite honestly, salaries. So we thought, ‘If there’s a common thread, what can we do for the whole university that’s going to benefit.’ That’s
Human Rights
pg. 3
Panelists discuss social injustices after a screening of Crash earlier in the afternoon.
when we put extra money into the classroom technology and into the Wi-fi to get that set up,” Maxwell said. “If we can do something that helps and impacts wider people, we get more bang for the buck. So we’re just trying to make sure we’re efficient with the dollars.” Maxwell said the presenters will then submit a formal budget after the meetings for the committee to consider and look for ways to fund common areas, and according to University President Jesse Rogers, none of the departments will see cuts—they just may not get everything their representative asked for. “We’re not going to be in the position where we have to cut off funding. That’s awful,” said Rogers. “However, as I said, the frustrating thing about this is that I didn’t hear anyone today ask for anything that could not be justified.” But as Marilyn Fowlé, vice president of business affairs and finance, said after Tuesday’s presentations, “We don’t have the money for all of this.” “We’ll just have to generally set priorities in the budgeting process, and one of the top places would be when somebody can say, ‘I can let 60 more students in if I had one more faculty member.’ There’s some risk in that, but you always have to take some risk,” Rogers said. “It’s just like investing in the business world. If you get too risk averse, you don’t make any money.” After looking for ways to raise income, Rogers said the
Mustang Cup
pg. 5
A semester-long competition was designed to increase involvement in recreational sports.
committee will then look to make sure there are enough core classes to meet the needs of the student body. “The next thing we look for, are we putting enough basic courses in to serve the majors that we’re bringing in,” Rogers said. For James Johnston, dean of the Gunn College of Health Sciences and Human Services, an increased amount of core classes is vital to allowing his at-capacity college to grow. “It creates problems for us. Our students are frustrated because they need the courses to be competitive to get in,” Johnston said. “In terms of the university, the greater need is to balance the ability to accommodate all of our students. Humanities and social sciences, science and math, and fine arts have that dual role of providing the core. I think our growth outpaced the rest of those, so university-wide it needs to be balanced.” Johnston said he and other faculty in the college resort to advising students to take some of their core classes at Vernon College, effectively taking money away from the university. “When we’re having to advise students elsewhere, for us it’s the ability to find the core courses that they need, so we send them where they elect to go because they want to be competitive sooner rather than later,” Johnston said. “So now our own transfers, our own completion degrees, are at capacity. Radiology is one of those examples that we can’t take any more transfers.”
Homestyle Burgers
pg. 7
Old-fashioned diner serves up impressive cheeseburgers, despite minor shortcomings.
2 | Jan. 28, 2015 |
STAF F E D I T O RI A L
More than a week
Our view: Human rights issues persist beyond the week designed to promote their awareness. While the Student Development and Orientation office is hosting events all week, it is the responsibility of the students to make human rights a part of the regular discussion on campus.
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uman Rights Week brings important social issues to the forefront of discussion, as long as students participate in the events around campus this week. But it is important to remember that social injustice is a constant, meaning that we should not forget about human rights when the week ends. Going a step further, students need to take the lead in ensuring these discussions become a regular part of campus life. This means not only organizing student-led events like last year’s NAACP demonstrations, but increasing participation in the events and lectures that student development and other departments hold.
Health of non-smokers biggest reason for ban From looking at the two sides of the smoking divide, it’s clear that an enforceable ban must be put in place because the right to smoke goes out the window when it affects the health of nonMatt Jobe smokers. It is accepted that smoking is unhealthy. Smokers are free to ruin their health, but when their habit harms others, we need to stand against it as a community. Most smokers report that they want to quit smoking, but can’t. This is a point I have seen used against the smoking ban, surprisingly enough, that it is unreasonable to ask a smoker to quit smoking, so the ban is unfair. The problem with that argument is two-fold. Firstly, rules should not be made or changed to benefit someone who harms those around them.
Second, the argument would hold more weight if they truly were stuck in their situation, but there are a number of alternatives to smoking. Nicotine Patches and E-cigarettes can help decrease the habit. I’m not saying it’s easy to quit smoking, but it is not impossible. I get that smoking can suck even for the smoker, and I definitely do not resent the smokers themselves unless they harm others. I see some students go far out of their way to smoke away from heavily trafficked areas, and I have never had a problem with this. As long as littering doesn’t become a problem, it doesn’t affect anyone else. If the ban becomes more harsh, there should be exceptions for smoking away from the public. That being said, this “pseudo-ban” needs to have some real teeth behind it, or the policy will continue to be a joke. Matt Jobe is a freshman in mass communication.
the
wichitan Vo. 79 | No. 16
Midwestern State University Fain Fine Arts Bldg., Room B103 3410 Taft Blvd. Box 14 Wichita Falls, Texas 76308 (940) 397-4704 - wichitan@mwsu.edu
Leftovers should go to use Food waste is a global epidemic. In the United States alone, 40 percent of the available food supply is wasted according to research from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. A 2013 World Resources Institute study Ethan Metcalf found that household food waste costs an average of $1,600 per year for a family of four. That money could be used to buy at least two college textbooks! While the MSU cafeteria is not necessarily throwing more or less food away than other restaurants or the average household, we as university constituents have the opportunity to at least reduce the amount of food we throw out. I have personally witnessed supermarket employees throw away the day’s old baked goods. I asked if the food could go somewhere else than the trash, to which the worker carefully handed me a glazed blueberry scone so no manager could
EDITOR: Ethan Metcalf BUSINESS MANAGER: Courtney Gilder PHOTOGRAPHER: Rachel Johnson DESIGNER: Brianna Sheen ADVISER: Bradley Wilson
see and replied, “We are required to throw it out. I could get in trouble for giving this away.” Yes, some regulations might make it difficult to start saving food, but a rule that keeps perfectly good food out of the hands of those who need it is a rule worth changing. These rules send a message that it is OK or inevitable to waste this much food when research shows that steps can be taken to reduce waste. Universities are the prime place to solve these problems. Not only do we have the autonomy to affect university policy, but we are home to a diverse group of problem solvers. Engineering and environmental science students can partner with dining services and the undergraduate research programs to start converting wasted fats and oils into biofuel for university vehicles. A hallmark of entrepreneurship is to determine a problem and then find a solution. Well here’s a problem to solve, business majors. Ethan Metcalf is a senior in mass communication.
Copyright © 2014. 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.
| Jan. 28, 2015 | 3
SURVEY SAYS
PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN
About 17 students attended the panel “Justice, Injustice, Progress and Protest” in the Clark Student with speakers Nathan Jun, associate professor of philosophy, Newman Wong, research analyst, Linda Veazey, assitant professor of political science, and Richard Smith, deputy chief of the Wichita Falls Police Department. PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN
Students raise their hands to answer ae question in “Survey Says Gameshow: Human Rights Edition” in Shawnee Theatre on Monday night. About 40 students were in attendance for the game hosted by Seth Newton, graduate assistant for student development and orientation.
Panel highlights injustice for Human Rights Week COURTNEY GILDER REPORTER
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n the wake of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address where he spoke of human rights and the 2014 protests over the deaths of several unarmed African Americans during police interventions, the Student Development and Orientation held a panel discussion Tuesday night led by faculty and staff entitled Justice, Injustice, Progress & Protest. Seth Newton, graduate assistant for student development and orientation, said, “The idea behind the panel was to get a dialogue going to help empower students to help keep America moving forward and holding students accountable for the progress of the movement.” Newton said with racial tensions on the rise in America he wanted to empower the students to get involved in their own way. “I really wanted to help build awareness for the things going on in our country,” Newton said. “Because I believe if you know about the things that are happening you can contribute to the cause. If you don’t stand for anything, you’ll fall for something.” The panel discussed topics ranging from structural racism to injustice in the criminal justice system to get students actively involved through discussion. “The panel helps me reach this goal by actually creating dialogue for our community,” Newton said. “Actually having those conversations will help students be more aware of the history that’s being created in their midsts.”
THE PANELISTS
Nathan Jun, coordinator and associate professor of philosophy, helped define exactly what “human rights” are. “Human rights is a term that gets bandied around a lot,” Jun said. “People seem to not truly know what it means, but what it does mean is what humans are entitled to through their given rights.” Jun said students would need to take the lead in establishing more dialogue on human rights. “I feel like there are a lot of important and complicated issues,” Jun said. “The university and students should be more involved in discussing the issues at-large. The only way to get that accomplished is by the students taking the lead on it.” Cammie Dean, director of student development and orientation, officiated the panel but gave her own input at the end of the panel discussion. “We always plan Human Rights Week right after Martin Luther King Jr. Day because as a student body we don’t get to celebrate the importance due to the day off,” Dean said. “I don’t think it is enough to just be proud of history because there is still work to do.” Dean said students care and are aware, but the problem is now speaking off of social media and into action. “I think it’s a topic that students care about and I think they are more informed than they were a few years ago, but the struggle is to take the rights and wrongs out of the vir-
see RIGHTS pg.5
4 | Jan. 28, 2015 |
Law school offers opportunities, challenges RHYNE THACKER REPORTER
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or the students leaving undergraduate school and going on to three years of law school, the journey is full of challenges. They may embark on this journey to law school for any number of reasons, including the pursuit of a high salary, the drive to enforce law and order, or the desire to make a beneficial change in the world through the legal system or politics. Although the mention of law and lawyers may conjure images of greedy men and women with an expertise in parting honest people w their money, the truth is sometimes far from the stereotype. “It’s really given me the opportunity to give back to the community. There are always people in need of legal help, and I’ve handled a number of cases on a variety of matters, but the ones that I’ve gotten the most satisfaction out of are the ones that I’ve done pro bono, just as a way to give back,” Laura Fidelie, criminal justice associate professor, said. Some attorneys find their passion for the law while in college, but others discover their dream much earlier in life. “As a kid, the book To Kill a Mockingbird had a profound impact on me. Growing up, athletics were a really big part of my life and the courtroom really interested me because It was kind of like a struggle or battle, much like you do on the athletic field,” Barry Macha, university attorney, said. Macha graduated from MSU in 1977, and served as the Wichita County district attorney from 1985 to 2010. Today, his office on the second story of the Hardin Administration Building sits in the same space that he had English class in when he was a freshman. However, not all students attempting to go to law school do so in the pursuit of practicing law. Law schools present graduates with a Juris Doctorate, or JD, which possesses a unique versatility among graduate degrees. “I like the JD degree because it doesn’t lock you into just being an attorney. Clearly, I teach now, a lot of the people that I went to law school with do practice law, but some went into private business, some own their own businesses now, and some are in politics,” Fidelie said. At any time, one to nine students are seeking guidance from the pre-law program at MSU, according to Kris Tilker, pre-law adviser.
GETTING INTO LAW SCHOOL
The path to law school begins with the dawn of students’ university careers.
“The Law School admissions Test, the ora of academic factors, a unique educaLSAT, is the driving force for admission tion that allows them to succeed in law into law school, and preparing for the schools filled with students from bigger, LSAT is fundamentally important begin- more prestigious undergraduate universining your freshman year,” Tilker said. ties. Preparation for the LSAT consists of “The students at MSU really benefit education and practice, according to from smaller class sizes, the writing intenTilker. sive curriculum, and really just very chal“The practice part is usually software lenging undergraduate majors. I’ve had a that students buy from different vendors. number of my own students go on and do It will bring questions up and figure out very well in law school,” Fidelie said. where strengths and weaknesses are,” The experience of past MSU underTilker said. graduates back up the claim that MSU The second piece of LSAT preparation graduates are at no disadvantage to othis the investment of time and effort in er students when participating in law education. school. “The academic part has to do with tak“I ended up at Texas Tech in 1976 and ing classes, and students, on their own, competed just fine, and I realized the fine pushing critical thinking skills and learn- education that I had received at MSU,” ing how to analyze, synthesize, and pro- Tilker said. cess information,” Tilker said. Part of the unique advantage that MSU Students should take the LSAT in Octo- students receive is the close relationship ber of their junior year, so that they have that smaller class sizes allow them to form time to put together their with professors. paperwork and apply to “I got a big bonus from law schools that they have going to Midwestern. The a realistic chance of gainsmaller classes and the abiling admission to, accordity to really have great intering to Tilker. actions with the professors, The two-part approach several of whom continued of LSAT preparation adto help me even after my dresses academic perfordays here,” Macha, said. mance, but with an emThe LSAT and GPA scores phasis on setting students are the primary method of up to perform well on the basic academic distinguishexam instead of just havment between applicants. ing a high GPA. “It’s important to know KRIS TILKER “While a good GPA is that your major is not relPRE-LAW ADVISER important, and different evant to the law school,” schools weight differently, Tilker said. fundamentally, the LSAT is the most imHowever, there are majors that do a portant score,” Tilker said. better job of sharpening students’ aptiThe LSAT helps law school admissions tudes and equipping them with the necoffices compare applicants to each other essary skills for studying law. regardless of undergraduate university Majors with law integrated into them, and majors. like business, political science, and crimi“You’re the dean of a law school and nal justice are natural fits for law school, you’ve got an English major from MSU, but English, history, psychology, and scia history major from the University of ence majors also demonstrate a superior Colorado, an engineering major from transition into law school, according to Texas A&M University, and a philosophy Tilker. major from the University of Texas. They While the major itself may not be imall have good GPA’s, so the LSAT levels the portant for law school admission, Tilker field,” Tilker said. advises students to think beyond simply The LSAT becomes the universal unit applying to law school when choosing a of measurement for law schools in deter- major. mining which applicants have the best “Pick a major that you know that you potential to be successful in law school. can be successful in if you don’t go to law “It is a common denominator that school. I’m not talking about dollars and they can look at and make the best analy- cents, but purpose and values. Doing sis of who is going to be successful in law something that you enjoy doing,” Tilker school, and what people don’t realize is said. that this is what deans are looking at,” Although some majors integrate law Tilker said. courses, law school admissions officers do MSU students receive, from a pleth- not look into transcripts specifically for
“It’s important to know that your major is not relevant to the law school.”
experience. “Law schools don’t care if you don’t have any kind of law background. They just want to know that you have the analytical, critical thinking skills, logic skills, and some ability to advocate, orally and in writing,” Tilker said. However, Tilker said the pre-law program advises students to take a few law courses regardless of their major. “It gives you base vocabulary and understanding, but it also gives you a sense of what three years of law school will be like,” Tilker said. From fall 2013 to spring 2014, 30 students took the LSAT at MSU, according to the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment.
THE COST OF LAW SCHOOL
The cost of law school continues to rise every year, forcing applicants to weigh the potential benefits against the exorbitant costs. The average tuition and fees for a resident to attend a public university for law school have risen, on average, 9.63 percent annually from 1985 to 2012. The costs have risen from $2,006 per year in 1985 to $23,214 in 2012, according to the American Bar Association. “I think that’s why you see a big drop in applications for law school, because the student debt a lot of students incur,” Macha said. The high cost of law school reflects the relatively high potential salary for graduates. “Any sort of graduate program is really an investment in your future,” Fidelie said. There is a unique silver lining for MSU students thinking about applying to law school, as Texas hosts two of the top law schools for return on the investment of attending. The University of Texas in Austin reports a median starting salary for law school graduates of $160,000 and an average student debt of $92,180. This places the UT’s law school above other law schools like Stanford, Harvard and Yale. The University of Houston also ranks high on the list, as the sixth best starting salary to debt ratio out of law schools, according to usnews.com. There are a number of high-paying careers in law, but the legal landscape continues to transform as technology and social trends alter its role in our world. “The highest-paying area, and the one that technology doesn’t influence as much, are the trial skills. The trial lawyers have a whole level of expertise,” Tilker said.
| Jan. 28, 2015 | 5 RIGHTS pg. 3 tual fields,” Dean said. “As those protest die down, the next step is to put our opinions into action and I don’t think people have jumped out to that yet.” Dean, much like Jun, added that tough conversations need to happen more often around campus. “I think that conversations like this are things that we should be having more often around campus,” Dean said. “There has been a lot of talk coming out of the Student Development and Orientation Office about having more of these talks. We think students are wanting to go even if they aren’t showing up yet.” Kevin Bazner, assistant director of student development and orientation, said he believes that the school stands behind social injustices, but their needs to be more conversation. “It’s one of the values of the institution and we don’t promote it as much as we should,” Bazner said. “WeConnect is the next big event to spur conversations like these.”
THE STUDENTS
There were few students involved in the panel discussion, but those that were there thought had differing views. Marco Torres, psychology senior, said, “I thought it was kind of biased. I noticed they focused mainly on showing the white cops as the bad guys like in Crash. As a liberal in-
stitution, we should have shown both sides.” Something a couple of the students agreed on was that public institutions, such as schools, play an important role in racial profiling among children. “Education plays a key role in racism,” Torres said. “I agree with much that the teacher said about how institutions can be a breeding ground for negative actions. Teachers have to be willing to advocate for both sides.” Jacob Warren, economics freshman, advocated for students of color. “The easiest way to break the racism trend is to make friends and stop thinking about color so much,” Warren said. “It’s about the person as a whole not the color of their skin.” The norm for the US is to think about the racial tensions, but for our overseas constituents human rights aren’t as big of a push. “Human rights aren’t a focus in the Caribbean,” Renatta Graham, respiratory freshman, said. “I was interested in, not so much the statistics, but the rights we have in America and what comes with it.” Overall there were mixed emotions among the panel members and the students, but this was the start to much needed conversation around campus.
NEXT EVENT: MSU Semester Partnership KickOff- Patsy’s House | Shawnee Theatre | Thursday, January 29th at 3 p.m.
DEDICATION CEREMONY
PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN
About 25 students were in attendance for the Mustang Cup Interest Meeting on Jan. 22, in the Wellness Center Conference Room where Caleb Hannon, assistant director of recreational sports/wellness center, discussed with anyone interested in participating in Rec Sports the rules and regulations of the cup.
Assistant director hopes Cup will up involvement JESSALYN CASTRO REPORTER
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PHOTOS BY ETHAN METCALF | THE WICHITAN
University President Jesse Rogers and Peyton Carnes on Tuesday, Jan. 27, prepare to reveal the plaque at the dedication for the “Peyton Carnes Conference Room” in McCoy Engineering Hall honoring Carnes for his multiple contributions made to the college. Rogers spoke about Carnes’ contributions and even offering Carnes a job as a petroleum engineering professor. “A lot of donors don’t like to have their names on things, but we like to have the names because when students and families walk through campus we want them to see the names of the people who have given to the university.”
n an effort to get students more involved in recreational sports, campus officials created The Mustang Cup and held a meeting to gauge interest Thursday, Jan. 22. “It’s just a new way to get people involved in rec sports,” said Caleb Hannon, assistant director of recreational sports and wellness center, said. “An added competition to promote semester-long participation rather than just one sport a week.” Hannon said players will win points in both team and individual sports. The points will be tallied at the end of the semester to determine a winner for the semester-long competition. “Each team will sign up with a roster of 25 people or less,” Hannon said. “That team will compete in every sport that we offer and that they elect to.” Every single sport that is offered is included in the Cup, along with two new events: kickball and a triathlon. Hannon said the triathlon will include a 2,000-meter row, a 5-mile bike ride, and a 1-mile run. “I see a lot of teams wanting to play the bigger sports, like the league sports, and that leaves some of the smaller sports out,” Hannon said. “With this, I think it’s going to make teams learn new sports, go play these
new sports, and meet these new kids that they have never met before. They can create a team and get points for playing sports together and in return possibly win the Cup.” Hannon said for every sport a team plays in, they will get points, decided by officials. Teams will receive points for how well they play and for sportsmanship rating. “We are hoping to have a cookout at the end of the semester and invite all the Mustang Cup teams and announce the winner at the cookout,” Hannon said. The winners will not only receive T-shirts and bragging rights for the semester, but plaques with their names on them will be hung up in the Bruce and Graciela Redwine Student Wellness Center. Hannon said he doesn’t want people to sign up for certain sports and there not be enough teams to create a tournament for them to play in, and he said he hopes the Mustang Cup will decrease the chances of that happening, and will hopefully increase the amount of involvement in every sport, including the smaller ones.
6 | Jan. 28, 2015 | BASKETBALL
Whitney Taylor, education freshman, attempts a block without fowling in the game Jan. 21 in D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Midwestern State girl’s basketball beat Angelo State, 69-61.
Khapri Alston, sports and fitness management junior, goes for a successful rebound against an Angelo State player at the game on Jan. 21 in D.L. Ligon Coliseum against Angelo State University. Angelo State won, 72-55.
PHOTOS BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN
Kevin Wagner, undecided senior, defends the ball while looking for a pass to a teammate on Jan. 21 in D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
Upcoming Events for MSU Athletics Women’s Track at UCO Indoor Invitational | Jan. 31 in Norman, OK
15-3 (6-2)
Current women’s basketball standings
Women’s Track at Jayhawk Classis | Jan. 31 in Lawrence, KS Men’s Tennis at Texas-Arlington | Jan. 31 at 10 a.m. at UT-Arlington in Arlington, TX Women’s Tennis at Texas-Arlington | Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. at UT-Arlington in Arlington, TX Women’s Basketball at Cameron | Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. at Cameron in Lawton, OK Men’s Basketball at Cameron | Jan. 31 at 4 p.m. at Cameron in Lawton, OK Women’s Basketball vs Tarleton State | Feb. 4 at 5:30 p.m. in D.L. Ligon Coliseum Men’s Basketball vs Tarleton State | Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in D.L. Ligon Coliseum
SOURCE: M SUM USTANGS.COM
16-4 (5-1)
Current men’s basketball standings
| Jan. 28, 2015 | 7 Upcoming Events on Campus
Moffett Library Walking Tours | Jan. 28-29 at 2 p.m. in Moffett Library | Free Dornith Doherty: Photomicrography Workshop and Lecture | Jan. 29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Bolin 214 | Free | Register by calling the art department Art Gallery Opening Reception: Dornith Doherty, British Studies, Ceramics Studio | Jan. 30 from 6-8 p.m. at Juanita Harvey Art Gallery | Free Study Abroad Informational Meeting | Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. at CSC Shawnee | Free
Cheeseburger and fries from The Glass Kitchen.
PHOTO BY BRI SHEEN | THE WICHITAN
Burger joint gets it right BRI SHEEN REPORTER
T
he Glass Kitchen, a little hole in the wall on Old Iowa Park Road, serves up a delicious cheeseburger worth that is worth the drive from campus. Although the diner looks a little worse for wear from the outside, the meal made up for the restaurant's appearance. Besides, a parking lot full with pickup trucks—and even one freight truck—is always a good indicator of quality food. You can tell from looking at the place that it has been there for a long time, so even before ordering, I assumed they must have been doing something right. Upon entering, the whole restaurant smells faintly like grease, but it wasn't strong enough to be off-putting. I ordered a medium (they come in small, medium and large) traditional cheeseburger with fries and a soda—typical diner food. The burgers come with all the toppings so I advise future customers to tell the person taking your order what you do and don't want on it, otherwise you'll get everything. The woman taking the orders was prompt and asked a lot of questions to make sure she got your order right. The place has both indoor and outdoor seating so my group sat on the covered patio to enjoy the weather while we waited for our food. Despite being outside, the picnic table was very clean. Our food came out quickly but we had to watch the kitchen window because there was no table service. The restaurant is pretty small but their drive-thru had a constant stream of trucks lined up in addition to the handful of eat-in tables. The Glass Kitchen seems to be a pretty popular
lunch spot, so make sure you plan for that if your lunch break is short. The wall on the front of the restaurant advertises 'old fashioned burgers' and The Glass Kitchen delivered. The well seasoned patty was the best part, but I also enjoyed the toasted bun. This is a classic burger done right: the patty should be the star of the show, and mustard is the only condiment that belongs on it. The most disappointing part of the meal was the sides. We ordered fries and onion rings and both lacked flavor and seasoning so I ended up neglecting them altogether, and for a restaurant with great burgers, I expected the entire meal to impress. I was told by my company that the milkshakes were good but nothing spectacular, although the strawberry shake does have actual strawberry pieces in it. In total my meal was just under $9, which seemed fair. The burger was tasty enough to make up for the extended drive and the lackluster fries. Had my meal been any more expensive, I don't think I would be a return customer. Despite minor disappointments, The Glass Kitchen is the best homestyle burger joint I have visited in Wichita Falls. If I have the time for a longer lunch, I would definitely return and bring a few friends to sit with outside and enjoy a burger with. I definitely suggest this place to anyone who hasn't yet been.
THE GLASS KITCHEN 2614 OLD IOWA PARK RD. WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS 76306 (940) 692-6991 HHHHH
Counseling Center Academic Workshop: Time Management Skills | Feb. 3 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at Sundance Court Apartmemts, 3rd floor meeting room | Free
Faculty Forum Series: Dr. Yo Guo | Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. in CSC Shawnee | Free MSU Theater: The Vagina Monologues | Feb. 13-14 at 7:30 p.m. in Fain Fine Arts Center Theater | Free Music Series at Akin: Julie Abers & Orion Weiss | March 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Akin Auditorium | $10 per performance or $15 for both for MSU students MSU Theater: In the Next Room | March 12-13 at 7:30 p.m. and March 15 at 2:30 p.m. in Fain Fine Arts Center Theater | Free Artist Lecture Series: Dallas String Quarter | March 31 at 7 p.m. in Akin Auditorium | Free Festival of Student-Produced One-Act Plays | April 17-18 at 7:30 p.m. in Fain Fine Arts Center Theater | $5 Artist-Lecture Series: Elizabeth Smart | April 21 at 7 p.m. in Akin Auditorium | Free
Spring 2015 Geoscience and Environmental Science Colloquium Series | Feb. 5 at 5 p.m. in Bolin 100 | Free
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