March 4, 2009

The student voice of Midwestern State University

The Wichitan page 4 Spring break safety

Offering tips and tricks for how to have a safe, fun and sexy holiday.

page 7 Out in style

MSU routs the Javelinas to take the LSC South title during seniors game in D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2009

MSU freezes raises to offset sinking economy Kyle Christian For the Wichitan

Citing a state budget crunch, MSU President Dr. Jesse Rogers ordered a university-wide freeze on wages and said he would personally chair a special committee to review ways to conserve financial resources.

Rogers made the announcement to faculty and staff Wednesday in a campus-wide e-mail.

In an interview with The Wichitan from Austin, Rogers cited a number of reasons for his actions.

Rogers said the MSU Foundation, once valued at $18 million,

and the $30 million MSU Charitable Trust, have lost as much as 25 percent of their value. Both were heavily invested in the stock market.

“A significant amount of money in both of those foundations goes into scholarships,” Rogers said. “My plan is to ask the foundations to continue the scholarships, if at all possible, at near current levels. The last area that we would cut would be scholarships.”

In his letter, Rogers said that in addition to the university’s revenue being down, the legislature has requested that all universities return 2.5 percent of

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Patrick Johnston | Photo Editor The stock ticker in Dillard reflects the economic downturn.

The recession has hit home, and MSU President Dr. Jesse Rogers has implemented a university-wide freeze on wages as well as other measures to conserve financial resources.

their state appropriations.

“As a result, MSU is likely to lose approximately $420,000 in

funding for the current academic year,” he said.

Additionally, state appropria-

tions for MSU for the 2010-2011 academic year will be slashed by $1.8 million compared to the current year, Rogers said. For the year ending in August 2008, MSU received $23 million from the state.

Rogers acknowledged the pending of several state bills in the legislature calling for the reduction or freezing of tuition fees. The MSU Board of Regents voted in February to raise tuition by 4.7 percent.

“If such a bill were to pass, MSU would be unable to increase tuition as a means of offsetting its funding losses,” the president explained.

Rogers said his goals are to retain all existing faculty and staff positions, complete facility expansion and renovation projects currently in progress, and to maintain current academic offering.

Rogers said a flexible hiring freeze will be put in place. Hiring will be limited to only the most critical positions currently unfilled. Job searches in progress would continue.

A freeze, however, would be placed on new positions under consideration and reclassification of existing positions. Unbudgeted salary adjustments or

Chris Collins Managing Editor

Both rates have reached their highest points in decades.

U.S. housing prices rose rapidly between 2000 and 2005, Fukasawa said. During the early 2000s, real estate prices rose about 90 percent. That’s one of the fastest price growths in the nation’s history.

Prices leveled off in 2006 and declined for the next two years.

Home values decreased in value by as much as 30 percent during this period. They are still falling.

“The boom has turned to bust,” Fukasawa said.

He attributes the problems facing the housing market, which have caused the entire economy to plummet, to four factors.

First, government practices have changed the nature of loaning institutions.

Beginning in the mid-1990s, government regulation began to erode the conventional lending practices in the United States, Fukasawa said.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac hold a huge share of American mortgages. In 1995, the company was instructed to increase its holding of loans to low- and moderate-income borrowers.

More regulations in 1999 required the investment company to accept more loans with limited or no down payment.

“This lowered and lowered lending standards in the U.S,” Fukasawa said.

The second factor of the housing downfall is the Federal Reserve’s manipulation of shortterm interest rate, he said.

The Fed prolonged low-interest rate policies of 2002 and 2004 and increased demand for money. This increased the price of housing in the country.

Adjustable rate loans with low down payments looked highly attractive in the early 2000s because interest was low.

When the Reserve increased interest rates in the mid-2000s in an attempt to slow the economy down, it created a market where low-income homeowners were

See HITTING HOME page 6

MSU professor stresses education as financial fix It’s no secret that the U.S. economy has stalled, sputtering to its lowest numbers in decades.

With a new president at the helm, many Americans are uncertain about the country’s economic future.

Dr. Yoshi Fukasawa, chair of economics, is also anxious for things to turn around, though he recognizes things aren’t as bad as they could be.

The Japan native spoke Monday in the Clark Student Center Shawnee Theatre about some plausible solutions to the worldwide economic slump.

“Are we heading toward a Great Depression of the 1930s?”

Fukasawa asked the audience.

“The answer is ‘no.’ Though the economic crisis we face today is a serious one, it may not be as bad as you think.”

He offered some statistics: • Real GDP in the United States fell 6.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 from the same period last year.

• The unemployment rate rose from 4.6 percent in 2007 to 7.6 percent in January 2009. It is expected to rise to 8.9 percent by the end of the year. That’s almost double the rate of a year ago.

“We’re going to have a tremendous number of workers who will be unemployed in our economy,” Fukasawa said.

Compounding American worries about the economy is the stock market, which is at about half its value since the high point of 2007. This is the lowest value of the New York Stock Exchange since 1979.

“That’s a tremendous loss of the wealth of our country,” Fukasawa said. “If your parents are thinking about retiring, tell them not to retire yet!”

The economics professor, like many U.S. economists, believes current woes are rooted in the housing industry.

Foreclosure and default rates for home mortgages have increased dramatically since 2006.

See ECONOMY page 6

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The Wichitan

Staff Editorial

Pre-Spring

Break stress

Why do midterms fall the week before spring break?

It’s pretty evident that students are less focused than they usually are in the weeks surrounding the much needed break.

So, why does every single class have essays, reports and exams scheduled just days before students leave for a week?

Would it really throw off every course if midterms were moved up

Chris and Rihanna No Longer ‘Worlds Apart’

a week? How about pushed back two weeks?

If the tests were moved to a time when students were a bit more focused, it would give everyone a little more motivation to keep up with their work before break.

Everything, however, is scheduled to make the days leading up to the break the most stressful of the semester. These same days are the ones where students are most

It was a shock when the media announced that Chris Brown reportedly hit Rihanna. It was shocking when police reports proved the story to be true. But, the most shocking of all, was the media’s announcement that as of this past week, the two are back together.

Rihanna had the chance to step up and be a strong voice for women everywhere. Instead, she went back to the guy who abused her and left evidence for the world to see.

On Feb. 8, Chris and Rihanna reportedly began arguing after Chris received a text message alluding to the fact that he was cheating on his girlfriend. Rihanna apparently saw the message, and the pre-Grammy fight quickly escalated from a verbal argument to a physical one.

After Chris supposedly hit Rihanna repeatedly, she threw his

keys out the window causing him to leave her in search of the lost item.

When he came back, Rihanna had fled the scene.

Shortly after the clash, witnesses who saw the young singer said that she looked horrible due to a split lip, bloody nose, and black eye, as well as severe bruises and multiple bite marks. Obviously, not something that would be great for any guy’s reputation.

Chris Brown does not stray from this category.

As a direct result from his display of domestic violence, Chris has already been pulled from commercials, interviews and even the promotions for his upcoming film Bone Deep.

Brown has been trying to salvage his reputation since the fight by going as far as voluntarily putting himself through anger management, but his unexpected episode has caused many fans to turn away.

As of a month ago, I was still planning on marrying the 19-yearold singer, and even I have lost all interest in the R&B star after he revealed his true colors.

Rihanna, however, seems to be the only one still in love with Chris.

Just three weeks after Brown allegedly beat his long time girlfriend, the two have reportedly reconciled by spending time together in Miami.

P. Diddy (or whatever name he’s going by these days…) let the couple borrow one of his houses for the reunion since both are friends.

If you were friends with someone who had just experienced domestic violence, would you support her in going back to the man who physically hurt her?

No. But even if her celebrity friends are encouraging a rekindled relationship, Rihanna has no excuse for going back to her abuser.

Rihanna is a role model for girls around the world and needs to realize that with her fame comes responsibility not only for herself but also for others.

By going back to the guy who caused her harm less than a month ago, Rihanna has unfortunately showed she believes that domestic violence is acceptable.

Instead of standing up for herself and proving her strength and independence from her abuser, Rihanna showed the world her sad answer to domestic violence was going back to the person who left her bruised and battered.

Due to the couple’s history just in the past month, it won’t be much of a shock when history repeats itself and Rihanna and Chris are separated yet again.

Hopefully Rihanna will leave the singer for good before another fight presents itself.

I would like to express my extreme distaste to the recent Wichitan column “Annoying classmates, meet relevance.” The article basically told the entire student body at MSU not to express their opinions in class because they might be “annoying.” First of all, how ridiculous is it for an organization, whose entire existence is founded upon the rights of free speech and press, to publish something that tells its readers to shut up? How hypocritical is it for “The Wichitan” to publish an opinion that calls for censoring those that some find “irritating,” while using their right of freedom of expression to do it? Every student at MSU paid their tuition just like the article’s author, and every second of class time belongs just as much to them as to the author.

Besides, I thought an academic environment is an open forum of

ideas. I thought a university is a place to express yourself, to share in and consider others’ points of view, and to have an open mind, whether you agree or not. When did The Wichitan become the “relevance police” anyway? It is not up to the students as to what is or isn’t relevant. It is up to the professor that earned the right to teach the class. This column takes intolerance to a new high for this publication. Telling students that their opinions don’t matter and that “nobody cares?”, shame on you Wichitan. Next time publish such articles in “The Collegiate Journal of I Am Better Than You.” Their readers may actually enjoy it.

It is the right of every MSU student to express their opinion, no matter how annoying it may be to others. This right was conceived by our founding fathers, etched into the stone of our Constitution, and

was bought and paid for with the blood and bone of our greatest and most unselfish citizens. This right is defended to the death by those who have the courage to stand up and shout “I WILL NOT BE SILENT, for I am an American, and it is my right.”

The editorial quotes Steve Martin, a really funny guy, and a great banjo player to be sure. I would like to quote someone who did more for this nation in eight years than Mr. Martin could do in a lifetime of mediocre comedies. His name was Theodore Roosevelt. In his speech, The Man in the Arena, Roosevelt states: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,…who does actually strive to

do the deeds; … who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Students of MSU, don’t let the infantile and condescending nature of the column keep you silent in class. Don’t let the whisperings and down-turned heads of the critics, whose only embarrassment should be for themselves, keep you from expressing and defending your opinions and beliefs. Have the courage to hold your head high and be heard!

“Yeah! Uh huh! Oh Really? I thought the column was a crock too, Mr. Martin.”

Mary Williams, Junior

Alyssa Edson Op-Ed Editor

Letter to the Editor

easily distracted by the relaxing vacation that is approaching.

It’s not that professors need to work the academic schedule around social schedules. Education definitely comes first, and that’s why we all are here.

However, it would benefit students greatly if midterms could be scheduled a different time.

The Wichitan

3410 Taft Blvd. Box 14 • Wichita Falls, Texas 76308 News Desk (940) 397-4704 • Advertising Desk (940) 397-4705 Fax (940) 397-4025 • E-mail WICHITAN@mwsu.edu Web site: http://wichitan.mwsu.edu Copyright © 2008. The Wichitan is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association. 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. First copy of the paper is free of charge; additional copies are $1. The Wichitan welcomes letters of opinion from students, faculty and staff submitted by the Friday before intended publication. Letters should be brief and without abusive language or personal attacks. Letters must be typed and signed by the writer and include a telephone number and address for verification purposes. The editor retains the right to edit letters.

Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief Brittany Norman

Managing Editor Chris Collins

Entertainment Editor Jamie Monroe Op-Ed Editor Alyssa Edson

Photo Editor Patrick Johnston

Sports Editor Bobby Morris

Reporters Richard Carter Lauren Wood Kyle Christian Photographers Loren Eggenschwiler Advertising Manager Jody Smith

Copy Editor Jamie Monroe Jody Smith Adviser Randy Pruitt

News

The Wichitan March 4, 2009

3

CALLI.........................................................................................................................................................................................continued from pg. 1 Before she was here, the Labrador/collie mix lived in an animal shelter. Before that, the abandoned dog was roving the back roads of Clay county, hungry, tired and pregnant with three pups.

“Up, Calli!” says junior Mikele Crawford, straightening up from his crouch on the grass. She stands at the command and is rewarded with another treat.

“Good girl,” Crawford says, smiling.

Calli, short for Calliope,

Campus briefs Wednesday • Career Management Center: How to Prepare for a Career Fair in CSC Kiowa at 2 p.m.

• Career Management Center: Sponsor Reception in the CSC Kiowa at 6:30 p.m.

• Allied Health Dignified Lecture Series: Healthcare Leadership in Bridwell 108 at 7 p.m.

Thursday • Career Management Center:Career Fair in D.L. Ligon at 11 a.m.

• Writing Proficiency Exam in Bolin 127 at 2 and 6 p.m.

• Spanish Club presents Salsa Dancing Lessons in CSC Kiowa at 6 p.m.

• Foreign Film Series: Elevator to the Gallows at the Kemp Center for the Arts at 7 p.m.

Saturday • Career Management Center: GRE Express Course in Dillard 189 at 9 a.m.

• Writing Proficiency Exam in Bolin 127 at 10 a.m.

Monday • OSP, TLRC, INQRI open house for faculty, staff, GAs in Bridwell 101 at 11 a.m.

Tuesday • Imagine Graduation in the CSC Atrium at 11 a.m.

is more than a pet to him.

She’s a friend, something the mildly autistic student is happy have.

“She makes me feel comfortable that I’m not alone, that she’s around me,” Crawford said.

The 2-year-old mixed breed, originally named Calamity Jane after the cowboys who saved her, was hand-selected for the Autism Support Program

by Professor of Special Education Millie Gore.

Gore contacted the Clay

County Animal Shelter in late spring about acquiring a dog that would be therapeutic to the student-residents of the Ranch House. Calli had been living at the shelter for a few months and seemed to fit the bill.

“Sweet, demure, gentle and even-tempered, she seemed like the perfect candidate for a therapy dog,” Gore said.

About 5 other dogs fit the criteria, but Calli won out.

The canine’s stay at the Ranch House began in Aug. 2008. Her friendly demeanor

has made her a big hit with residents, Program Director Jessica Dunn said.

“They all think Calli is awesome,” Dunn said. “She just another part of the family.”

Calli was adopted to help one student in particular that had trouble sleeping without being around a dog. Some autistic students may have a hard time calming down at the end of the day without the nurturing of an animal, Dunn said.

But the effect of Calli’s

presence is farther-reaching than that.

Dunn believes the dog is compassionate – that it can sense emotion and hurt.

“When you’re upset or crying, she senses your anxiety,” Dunn said. “She’ll lick you or nuzzle up to you if she thinks there’s something wrong. She has this innate ability to feel pain.”

Currently Calli is training to become a certified therapy dog. Dunn hopes that in time the collie will become an assistance dog, an animal

trained to complete tasks like waking students in case of fire.

All seven people who live and work in the Ranch House take turns walking, grooming and feeding Calli every week. This helps students learn responsibility and interaction.

Once a timid, shy dog without a home, Calli is now the Big Dog on Campus. She has a home and a family that cares about her.

Who could ask for more?

4

The Wichitan March 4, 2009

Entertainment

Multicultural organizations honor Black History Month Joe Cockrum For the Wichitan

People like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson are honored during Black History Month ever year, and deservingly so.

Many important and influential African-Americans go without discussion or recognition every February, however. A few of the multicultural student organizations on campus decided to expose some of these people in their “Reclaiming our Lost Legacy” program last Wednesday night.

“There are many people out there who have done extraordinary things that you should be educated on during Black History Month,” said Coordinator of Multicultural Services Andre Lessears.

“You need a full understanding of exactly where it is that you come from as people, whether you’re black, white, Hispanic, Caribbean, American or whatever the case may be,” he said.

The program was put together rather quickly by the organiza-

tions, but the presentations did were not lacking in expression.

Students were allowed to speak on any topic they wanted to or perform any type of act that was relevant to the program.

“This was student facilitated,” Lessears said. “They organized it and they got their members here. This was a product of what students felt they needed to do.”

Performances and presentations were given by about 10 different students. They ranged from speeches about influential African-Americans such as Otis F. Boykin, who invented the pacemaker, to reciting poetry and singing songs. There was even a step dancing routine and a performance by the As One Gospel Choir.

Senior art major Johnathon Thompson chose to inform the audience about co-founder and leader of the Black Panther Party, an African-American organization established to promote black power and civil rights, Huey P. Newton.

“I chose Huey P. Newton because the whole Black Panther movement and how it got started

and then broke down,” Thompson said. “I found that interesting. Also, I’m just a Black History fanatic so I chose to read some of the quotes that I liked.”

Thompson talked about slavery and how any unarmed people in history were subject to slavery. He said Newton described the people who had the guns and weapons were the people in charge.

Thompson ended his presentation with a quote from Newton that he thought could relate to everyone, “If you stop struggling, then you stop life.”

“I feel like if I just decided to lay down, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” Thompson said.

“Without struggles there is no Peter Hiatt | The Wichitan An MSU student speaks to the crowd at the “Reclaiming our motivation to keep going.”

Other students chose to recite Lost Legacy” Program Wednesday night inspirational poetry, including sophomore Mass Communica- attention to Angelou’s life and well as entertainment.” tion major Jasmine Ellis who read history.

After the presentations and the poem “Phenomenal Woman” “Maya Angelou is just a really performances, Lessears called by poet Maya Angelou. gifted and talented writer and I upon the crowd to discuss raAngelou is best known for her think people knew a lot about cial problems and issues around autobiography, I Know Why the her works, but not her life,” Ellis campus and in today’s society.

Caged Bird Sings, which was said. “I think during Black HisThe open forum session lasted once nominated for a National tory Month it’s really important almost an hour. Students disBook Award. Ellis also brought to bring attention to literature, as cussed problems such as why

lighter-skinned African-Americans are treated better than darker-skinned African-Americans and why there is animosity between Caribbean students and African-American students on campus.

Lessears thought the students did a great job discussing the issues in the correct dialogue and taking it upon them selves to bring up the important issues that most students consider taboo.

“That’s all I can ask for as the coordinator for multicultural services,” he said. “I think this is just the first step of many. It’s so encouraging to see the students take up the matter.”

The “Reclaiming our Lost Legacy” program was one of the last events to wrap up this year’s Black History Month. Lessears thinks MSU did a good job promoting Black History Month and with the amount of student participation it significantly improved.

“The progress that we made is significant,” Lessears said.

“Now there is a standard for future programs. That was the goal for this year, to set a precedent.”

will also want to check out the quickest and easiest way to get where you are going. Having maps and directions printed out can help with that. However, in the small chance you get lost, having an atlas available is a smart decision as well.

When choosing accommodations, make sure to pick a reputable establishment. It might look good in pictures on the Internet, but knowing the neighborhoods and what surrounds it can affect how safe you will be once you arrive.

Check out sites such as tripadvisor.com or hotels.com which provide unbiased reviews of hotels from past patrons as well as property information.

Once you arrive at your hotel ,you need to know how to keep yourself and your belongings protected. Make sure you get familiar with where your hotel is located and different routes back to it.

Whether you make a check-off list or just throw everything in a gym bag and go, be sure not to overdo it when it comes to packing. Remember that anything that you pack could be damaged, lost or stolen, so decide which items you can’t live without.

Make sure, however, that you do have the essentials: identification, an emergency contact list, a cell phone and charger, any necessary medications, and

if you will be having fun in the sun, lots of sunscreen.

One of the most important things to remember this Spring Break is that there is safety in numbers. While it might sound a little “junior high,” be sure and stick to the all-important “Buddy System.”

Make sure there is at least one person who can keep an eye on you at all times. It is very easy to get lost in a crowd and getting separated by yourself in unknown territory should not be on your list of Spring Break memories.

And we all know the likelihood of there being plenty of alcohol consumption going on, so let’s make sure we remember how to do it responsibly. If you are going to be out in the sun all day long, be sure that you are staying hydrated. Drinking lots of water throughout the day will keep you from getting dehydrated and will keep you more aware of your surroundings.

The Department of Public Safety estimates that during Spring Break “the average male reports consuming 18 alcoholic drinks per day and the average woman 10 such drinks per day.

One half of all men and 40 percent of all women drank until they became sick or passed out at least once.”

Putting alcohol into the mix can lead to many bad decisions

ed on how to make it back home safe. Spring Break is designed to be full of good times and lasting memories with college buddies, but please be responsible and don’t do anything stupid.

That said, have a blast, and take plenty of blackmail photos!

Spring Break not just about sand, sunscreen and sex: trip tips Julia Graham For the Wichitan

Spring Break is nearly upon us.

While for some of us that means picking up extra shifts and sleeping in, for others it means trips with friends to some favorite Spring Break destinations.

While vacationing is a time for having fun and forgetting about school for a short time, the most important thing to remember is how to have a good time, but be safe doing it.

Before you even head out on your vacation, be sure that no matter where you are traveling someone knows all the details of when and where you will be.

Whether you leave this information with a trusted roommate or a parent, it is important that in the case of an emergency, someone will know the details of your excursion and how to easily locate you.

As the Boy Scouts always say, “Be Prepared.” This will be the key to a safe and successful Spring Break trip. No one wants to be side-railed by an unexpected car repair or 200 mile “detour.”

If you and your friends are all piling into the car for the long haul, make sure that you get the vehicle checked out before you get on the road. Of course, you

and the “superhero complex” in which many spring-breakers feel they are invincible. The DPS reports that 98 percent of people injured during Spring Break activities are intoxicated.

In addition to monitoring your alcohol intake, there are some important rules when heading out to a bar or nightclub. Remember that you are in an unknown place with many unknown people.

Make sure that you are watching your drink at all times and don’t accept drinks from strangers. We are all too familiar with stories of young adults being “roofied” and waking up in someone else’s hotel room with no recollection of the previous night’s events.

This, of course, leads to the dreaded safe-sex discussion.

When the alcohol starts flowing, the inhibitions of those involved often seem to go out the window.

The American Medical Association recently did an online survey of 644 randomly sampled college women or graduates ages 17-35 in which 74 percent reported Spring Break involved increased sexual activity, including unprotected sex and sex with multiple partners, thus increasing their STD risk. Thirteen percent of students on Spring Break reported having sex with multiple partners.

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Entertainment

The Wichitan March 4, 2009

5

Blink is back

’90s rock band Blink-182 reunites after four years of silence Courtney Foreman For the Wichitan After hearing about the reuniting of the infamous Blink-182, as an understatement you could say I was stoked. Blink-182 put punk rock on the map in the world of alternative music, and definitely set a high standard to those who would follow.

Not only was a new standard created, this band influenced a generation of music lovers, bands, and artists to push forward and truly grasp the idea of punk rock. Blink-182 created a worldwide anthem that no one had heard before and in the process, left a mark that would never be forgotten.

Blink-182 emerged on the music scene in 1992 and after a couple EPs, the band released their first full-length album Cheshire Cat in 1995. The band began to tour with Pennywise and NOFX on the 1996-1997 Warped Tour and began appearing in countless skate/surf/ snowboarding videos.

The third Blink-182 LP was Dude Ranch and it was released in 1997. Songs like “Dammit (Growing Up)” excelled the band into a new category, and by the end of 1998 the album went platinum.

Travis Barker, Blink-182 drummer

After the band officially signed with MCA records, the band released its fourth album, Enema of the State, in the summer of 1999. After the release of that album, the band introduced a new member of the band to settle in on the drums after Scott Raynor left the band.

Travis Barker filled the spot and began his journey on becoming one of the most wellknown and respected drummers of all time.

After the warm reception of the album Enema of the State, the band reached mainstream status of being what some have called the “pop-punk kings” of

their time. Songs like, “What’s My Age Again,” “All The Small Things,” and “Adam’s Song” made Blink-182 a household name when it came the music they were creating.

After Enema of the State sold over four million copies, the band released The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back) in fall 2000.

Shortly after the release of that album, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket released in the spring of 2001 and proved to embody all that Blink-182 had become.

In 2003, the band released a self-titled CD containing songs like “All of This” and “I Miss

From left: Tom DeLonge, Travis Barker, and Mark Hoppus

You,” that ended up peaking the modern rock charts in 2005.

After the overwhelming success and reputation the band had worked very hard to create, Blink-182 announced in February 2005 that they would be going on an “indefinite hiatus.” That November, the band released their Greatest Hits album.

But any hopes of a reunion were nearly shattered last September when a plane carrying celebrity disk-jockey DJ AM and Travis Barker crashed in South Carolina. The crash killed the other four passengers aboard, and Barker sustained

serious burns and months of surgery and recovery.

After Barker’s hospitalization, and the death of the band’s producer, Jerry Finn, the band decided to reconnect.

Last month, the band announced at the Grammys that Blink-182 is back together and is working on new material as a band once more.

With all that history of Blink-182 being said, I think its time that we all say collectively, “amen,” to the fact that this band is reuniting.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but I’m tired of hearing music acts like Boys Like Girls, All

Time Low, and Daughtry trying to create something original but just sounding boring in the end.

I think Blink-182 introduced something that all bands envy and every fan can enjoy. It’s about time that a band from the past emerges and gives us a break from assuming the only decent thing to listen to on the radio is the watered down sounds of American Idol contestants.

As a Blink fan, I must admit I am more than excited by the news and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new CD and tour this summer. It’s hard to recreate a classic by any means, so I guess the next question on my mind is: Can they do it?

Is it possible for Blink-182 to come back with either the same amount of force they started with, or present something better? I’m a little skeptical but still optimistic for them to take on this challenge.

After all the hype and expectancy about the band reuniting, can they resurrect the past and leave a mark like they did before?

I hope we will be pleasantly surprised by the bands reunion and not left saying, “your reputation precedes you.”

After five nominations, Kate Winslet takes home an Oscar Lauren Wood For the Wichitan

7,062 369

Number of students who visited the Wellness Center January 19 through February 19.

Number of students who attended Imagine Graduation last spring.

After being nominated five times at the Academy Awards, Kate Winslet has finally won an Oscar.

This British actress has starred in a multitude of unforgettable roles, such as Rose from “Titanic” and Hanna from “The Reader,” one of her most recent films. She has performed alongside some of the greatest actors, including Emma Thompson and Jim Carrey.

Winslet receive her first nomination in 1995 for her supporting role as the spirited Marianne Dashwood in “Sense and Sensibility.” Winslet stars alongside Emma Thompson as Thompson’s opposite sister who struggles to find romantic fulfillment in a society ruled by financial and social status.

Winslet’s second nomination was for her outstanding leading performance in the epic “Titanic” in 1997. This was her first studio film and she adopted

an American accent to play an unhappy Philadelphia socialite, Rose Dewitt Bukater. By this time Winslet was only 22 and had broken the record for being the youngest actress to have received two Academy Award nominations.

In 2001, Winslet co-starred in the film “Iris,” as the youthful incarnation of British philosopher and novelist, Iris Murdoch. Winslet delivered a compelling performance that earned her another Oscar nomination, Actress in a Supporting Role.

Winslet also played Clementine, a free-spirited and unique book store clerk in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” in 2004. She gave a meaningful and profound performance in one of her more unusual films earning several award nominations, including Actress in a Leading Role.

In “Little Children” in 2006, Winslet takes on the role as Sarah, who is in a loveless marriage and spends long days with her

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Photo Courtesy Kate Winslet as Hanna Schmitz in “The Reader”

daughter, wanting more out of her life. Winslet’s performance earned her another nomination for Actress in a Leading Role.

Winslet’s most recent nomination was for her leading role in “The Reader.” She received the award for her spectacular role as Hanna Schmitz, a German woman in her thirties who rescues a 15-year-old boy, Michael, after he falls ill on his way home from school. The two begin an affair but Hanna suddenly disappears and eight years later she reappears, but meets him under very different

circumstances.

Winslet’s most recent film is “Revolutionary Road,” in which she reunites with actor Leonardo DiCaprio. The two play a young couple living in the suburbs during the mid1950s who struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children.

After her win, Winslet announced she would take a break from acting. There is no rumor of what her next project will be, but with an Oscar in hand, it is sure to be amazing.

6

The Wichitan March 4, 2009

News

Construction projects to continue despite economy Kyle Christian For the Wichitan Construction projects already in progress and some that are still in the planning stages will continue until completion, MSU President Dr. Jesse Rogers said.

Despite a cut in state funds, Rogers said in an e-mail to faculty and staff last week that one of his primary goals is to “complete all facility expansion and renovation projects currently in progress.”

Rogers said the projects are being financed by dedicated funds independent of the university’s budget. The projects are a new band hall, renovation of the D. L. Ligon Coliseum, the new apartment complex and the new Wellness Center.

“We are not planning on putting tuition money into those projects,” the president said. “We already had the money that is dedicated for that on hand. Those

funds are dedicated to construction, purchases of land – that sort of thing, so we could not use that for operations.”

Groundbreaking for the new

band hall will take place soon, he said.

“That was approved at the last board meeting. We think that our band deserves it,” he said

The money for its construction comes out of the dedicated Higher Education Assistance fund. A private gift of $500,000 will go toward it. The president said that funds provided to the university by the state almost three years ago in addition to private money raised will go toward renovations of the coliseum.

“We’re going to continue with the renovation of the Coliseum because the campus needs it badly,” Rogers said. “The building was finished in 1966 and we’ve done little or nothing to it since.”

The new wellness center and apartment complex are expected to be ready for the August semester.

“Those are paid for by the stu-

nior music education major and current KKΨ president. “They were pulling money from the band accounts to pay for the fraternity.”

Dwindling membership and conflict between members also contributed to the group’s dissolution.

“Basically, the members no longer represented what the fraternity stood for,” said AnnaMaria Eckert, the current treasurer.

In recognition of the history of the organization, KKΨ retained the name of the Gamma chapter. But getting the chapter reinstated at all was a long process for the band.

“It’s taken us fifteen months to get where we are now, to actually being installed,” said Lunsford.

“We’ve gone through money issues, we’ve gone through membership issues. At one point we had split membership,” said Lunsford. “We were having internal affairs like crazy, until we figured them out. And once you figure them out, you figure them out and you move on, and it makes you tighter and makes you stronger as a group.”

One of the group’s major obstacles was being chartered through Texas Tech University’s Goin’ Band. The problem was not working with the band, but trying to coordinate the two or-

ganizations during an extremely successful fall football season for Tech was sometimes impossible.

“They were responsible for getting our chapter up, but they were so busy they couldn’t help but neglect us,” said Eckert.

The frustrations of getting the chapter started also turned away some potential members. Eckert said that though the group started out at 50 people, by the time the chapter was instated numbers had dropped by half.

“When they started to see how much work it was and how long it was taking, people got frustrated,” said junior Thomas Foster, the group’s director of cor-

respondence.

However, the shrinking numbers didn’t stop the fraternity from being chartered or detract from the brotherhood that working through the process created.

“We’re a family now - you’re not going to get around it,” said Lunsford.

The fraternity officers all cited “service to the band” as the group’s primary objective. Eckert said that KKΨ differed from social fraternities in that “our whole purpose is in service.”

The group participates in school and community service events, such as The Great Day of Service, and will be a sponsor in the American Cancer Society’s

Peter Hiatt | The Wichitan Construction on projects already in progress, such as the new MSU housing, will continue despite the economic downturn’s effect on the university’s finances.

dents through their fees and we intend to complete them,” Rogers said.

Meanwhile MSU’s Board of Regents has approved purchase of The Christ Academy just west of the campus at 3801 Louis J Rodriquez Drive.

“We went ahead with the purchase of that because it was the first time that they have been ready to sell. We have been talking about buying that property for many years and it would be important to the future of the university to have that,” Rogers said.

“That money will come from gifts to the university and higher education assistance funds.” He added that the buildings on the property will be useful to MSU.

Relay for Life this spring. The fraternity will also organize tailgates before football games, and promote music at elementary and secondary schools through teaching and events such as instrument drives.

“This is a good addition to the community, a good addition to any campus,” said Foster.

KKΨ currently holds 26 full members, one honorary member, and will induct nine new pledges into the fraternity at the end of the semester. It is one of the largest chapters of the fraternity in the country.

Music fraternity re-forms after disbanding 10 years ago Jamie Monroe Entertainment Editor

The band fraternity Kappa Kappa Psi was officially instated as an honorary co-ed fraternity at MSU last Sunday.

The new chapter is a reinstatement of an earlier fraternity that was chartered in 1946. Beta Tau Gamma, the band fraternity, and Beta Tau Sigma, the respective sorority, were among the first campus organizations at MSU. In 1953, the fraternity became Kappa Kappa Psi, but the group disbanded in 1999 over financial and internal issues.

“Basically, they ran out of money,” said Matt Lunsford, se-

ECONOMY...............................................................................................................................................................................continued from page 1 foreclosure and default rates rose rapidly. This marked the beginning of the current crisis.

Fukasawa’s last reason is an increased debt to income ratio in the United States. Today the ratio of American debt is 13570. That’s more than twice the amount of debt to income for the average citizen.

Because interest on household loans is tax-deductible, homeowners had more incentive to wrap up debt in loans, Fukasawa said. Some people told banks they were borrowing money to pay for a home but actually used it to get something else.

All the debt they had been gathering collapsed on them when homes lost value nationwide. Fukasawa believes that this was the turning point in the U.S. economic spiral.

“Major banks are failing and being bailed out by the government,” Fukasawa said.

“Some investment banks are facing a dire financial crisis that may result in bankruptcy.

That ripple has caused a vast,

widespread problem in the housing market.”

While Fukasawa admits that though the current crisis is bad, he strays from comparing it to the Great Depression.

One point he brings up is that U.S. unemployment rate is currently at 7.6 percent. That number was about 25 percent during the 1930s.

Also, Great Depressionera politicians reduced money supply, restricted trade and raised taxes. The current U.S. government is making none of these mistakes, Fukasawa said.

Though things may not be as bad as they appear, the nation is still in one of its worst economic downturns since World War II. Usually the economy is expected to recover from recession in about 10 to 12 months. The U.S. economy has been falling for about 15. Some economists predict the downturn will last through the year.

This isn’t a good time to look for jobs, Fukasawa said.

“If you are going to graduate, consider going to graduate

school,” he said half-jokingly.

Fukasawa believes contemporary politicians have done a better job of fighting recession than their 1930s counterparts, but doesn’t know if a $700 billion bailout package is the right solution.

The package would give taxpayer money to failing banks in an effort to help them on their feet. Some people see this measure as unfair because it uses tax money to help private institutions.

“We cannot reward the people who are doing poorly,” Fukasawa said. “The bailout plan distorts important business incentives and gives the wrong signal.”

Whatever the government decides to do about the crisis, it should pick one plan of action and run with it, Fukasawa said.

A stable policy should be followed because instability may breed uncertainty in the American people. People should be certain about their economy so they will produce and consume more, he said.

More bailout plans for

HITTING HOME.........................................................................................continued from page 1

bonuses would be suspended.

Rogers said the university has given raises to faculty and staff for the last eight years.

“From now until we put the budget together, and know exactly what our budget is next year, there won’t be any of those,” he said.

Rogers could not say how much the university would save by not increasing salaries.

“It’s not a large sum, but we’ve got to consider every dollar that we spend,” he said.

The president said the committee he heads will review various ways to save money.

“I’m going to take faculty, staff and administration from just about every area of the university,” he said. “We are going to consider everything from the possibility of trying to save utilities by closing some buildings during the summer – although that is very inconvenient for our faculty and staff.”

Rogers has asked that all travel not funded by an external grants be justified in writing and receive approval from the provost or other appropriate vice president, dean or director. He added that he will be directly responsible for approving vice presidential travel.

“We will look at (things) such as fewer people going to the same conference,” Rogers said. “(This measure) is significant enough that we could save $60,000 to $70,000. I’m looking for savings

in that neighborhood.”

Rogers said he remains positive that MSU can weather the storm. He said that in comparison to some other Texas institutions that Midwestern is better prepared to address these issues.

According to Rogers, MSU’s reserve balances remain at “reasonable levels” – approximately $9-10 million” “Just enough to run the university for three months should a major crisis arise,” he

said.

“If we adopt the measures and devote ourselves unselfishly to the well-being of the whole, Midwestern State University may avoid the kinds of extreme financial exigencies that now confront some fellow institutions.

That is my goal.”

Rogers has spent a lot of time in Austin rallying for support for higher education. The university, he said, no longer employs a lobbyist. Rogers said he found it be “unproductive.”

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automotive manufacturers are also being discussed on Capitol Hill. Both General Motors and Chrysler received $17.4 billion in federal aid in December.

Despite this, the companies say they might be bankrupt without addition money at the end of March.

Though these cash injections might save many jobs at automobile factories, Fukasawa doesn’t think it’s the best solution.

It would be better to let weak companies fall so they can reorganize more efficiently, he said. This isn’t cause for worry

because General Motors and other automotive giants currently employ far more workers than they can utilize without waste.

He thinks the money should instead be redistributed to worker education.

“You have to have skills that can adapt to new challenges,” Fukasawa said. “We have to make the workers more mobile – this applies to worker education.”

The measure will be difficult, because people generally don’t like to change their occupation, but it’ll be less costly in the long run, he said.

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unable to pay rising interest and mortgage rates.

People tried to kick high mortgage payments by selling their homes. This was an ineffective measure because the surplus of homes for sale drove their prices down. This accounts for the increase in default and foreclosure in the mid- to late2000s, he said.

“As interest rates rise, so do mortgage payments,” Fukasawa said. “Because the people are so indebted, there’s no way they can pay.”

The third economic mistake was a change of the Security Exchange Commission rules in April 2004, which allowed banks to use ‘leveraged lending.’ The amount of capital banks had to keep to make loans was lowered significantly.

“This made loans larger and larger,” Fukasawa said.

“Mortgage rates for residential housing were thought to be safe.

That was no longer true because of changes in Fed regulation.”

Highly leveraged banks started collapsing in 2006 when

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Sports

The Wichitan March 4, 2009

7

Bartlesville, here we come!

Mustangs rout Texas A&M-Kingsville to wrap up LSC South title, 80-59 Bobby Morris Sports Editor

Even though the highlytouted and now-five time LSC South Player of the Week Nolan Richardson finished with only 13 points last Saturday night, a fast start out of the gate led the Mustangs over the Texas A&MKingsville Javelinas, 80-59.

Richardson poured in seven points at the beginning of the first half, including his first dunk of the season, to take an early 12-3 advantage.

The breakaway dunk by Richardson left him laying on the ground after getting hung up by the rim but sparked a big halftime advantage.

MSU rallied behind their group of seniors and sent them out in style, never letting the result of the game become a question.

Sophomore Charlie Logan led the way for the Mustangs with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting in front of his hometown crowd.

Logan also pulled down six rebounds and dominated with a powerful dunk to open up the game for the Mustangs.

The game was built up dra-

matically as it was essentially the game to determine the postseason seeding.

But the Mustangs came out on top with the top seed in the LSC South Division, while the Javelinas’ loss will put them into the No. 3 slot in the South.

While some highlight-esque dunks were showcased throughout the game by MSU, some physical and demanding defensive play spurred the Mustangs on all night.

MSU held the Javelinas to less than 35-percent shooting from the field, before taking a 43-26 halftime lead.

The 17-point lead would soon balloon into a 25-point lead after Richardson was able to nail a shot from the charity stripe.

The Javelinas were able to make a couple of scoring runs but none of them would ever shrink the lead under 14 points.

Junior Craig Green scored 11 points and pulled down four rebounds, while Anthony Moore was able to grab nine boards, dish out seven assists and score ten points.

Earl Rabb also pitched in with a box score filling performance, accounting for seven points, six assists, three steals and a game-

high ten rebounds by the 6-3 senior point guard out of Fort Worth.

Rabb, Richardson, Marcus Anderson and Trajinski Grigsby were all honored before tipoff as it would be their last game under the lights of D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

The student-athletes and their families all went out onto the court to accept the flowers and picture frames the school and basketball program had made for them.

LSC Tournament Schedule in Bartlesville, Okla.

Thursday (Quarterfinals) -A- SW Okla. State vs. ASU -B- Tarleton State vs. UCO -C- Texas A&M-Kingsville vs. Texas A&M-Commerce -D- Cameron vs. MSU (8:30 p.m.)

Saturday (Semifinals) -E- Winners of Games A and B -F- Winners of Games C and D (2:30 p.m.)

Sunday (Championship) -Winners of Games E and F(1 p.m.)

*For outright LSC title

While seniors made the most of their Senior Night, the job is still not finished.

After achieving their first outright LSC South Division chamionship since 2000, the Mustangs sit in a good place heading to Bartlesville, Okla. to compete for the LSC title.

As the No. 1 seed from the South Division, MSU will be facing the No. 4 seed from the North Division, Cameron.

Cameron and MSU squared off once earlier in the season, as the Mustangs traveled to Lawton, Okla. and handed the Aggies a dominating 85-56 defeat.

From there, the winner is set to take on the winner of a matchup between Texas A&MKingsville and Texas A&MCommerce.

The conference’s title game is set to tipoff at 1 p.m. from the Bruin Field in Bartlesville, Okla.

The only teams MSU has lost to this season are set to match up against each other Thursday in the second game of the tourPeter Hiatt | For the Wichitan ney.

Central Oklahoma and Tarle- Charlie Logan sparks the home crowd and team with a ton State were there lone losses dominating first half dunk. The slam started what would be during conference competition. a 80-59 rout of the Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas on the Mustangs Senior Night.

Midwestern State drops last game of season to Javelinas, 71-50 R o s y Ofoegbu and Regiane Araujo were both honored before the game in the Senior Night ceremonies.

The MusAraujo tangs closed the season at 8-18 overall, with a 3-9 record in LSC competition.

The Javelinas had to win the game and have help in order to

make the LSC postseason, but with Tarleton State defeating Angelo State their hopes for tournament play were erased.

After taking Ofoegbu a 11-10 lead in the first half, the Mustangs would never see the lead again after the Javelinas completed a 16-5 run over the next nine min-

utes to firmly take control of the contest.

Another icy spot for the night was the charity stripe.

Normally a comfortable place for the Mustangs, they were only able to convert eight of 22 attempts.

Ofoegbu paced the Mustangs’ attack in her last game wearing a MSU jersey, scoring 11 points, four rebounds and tallying three steals.

Araujo also accounted for five points and 11 rebounds.

Midwestern State’s Alex Odell-Michels claimed the Mustangs lone win of the day against NCAA Division I Texas Tech as the Red Raiders claimed a 6-1 win Thursday afternoon at the McLeod Tennis Center.

Odell-Michels was the last to come off of the court, but man-

aged to keep the Mustangs from a sweep by defeating Texas Tech’s Sam Van Der Drift 11-9 in a super tiebreaker after splitting the opening sets 7-6, 3-6 at No. 1singles.

The Red Raiders dominated for straight-set victories in each of the other singles positions as Kelsy Garland upended Tonya Blair 6-3, 6-3 at No. 2, Simone Templeton blanked Kaja Banas

6-0, 6-0 at No. 3, Natalie Leitch defeated Faye D’Hamecourt 6-1, 6-2 at No. 4, Kerryn Potgieter beat Collean Kinser 6-1, 6-0 at No.5 and former Wichita Falls Rider standout Lindsey Holcomb claimed a 6-4, 7-5 win over Mica Vinson at No. 6.

Texas Tech (3-4) claimed each of the doubles matches, as well.

Garland and van der Drift

teamed to beat Odell-Michels and Kinser 8-2 at No. 1, Leitch and Templeton doubled up Banas and D’Hamecourt 8-4 at No. 2 and Potgieter and Holcomb outlasted Blair and Vinson 8-2 at No. 3.

Midwestern State (4-3) battle Abilene Christian on Monday, March 9 at the MSU Tennis Center. First serve is set for 2 p.m.

ning before pinch hitter Lyndsey Lipscomb lined a leadoff single to left field. Lipscomb was gunned out by MSU left fielder Nicki Duff trying to stretch a single into a double.

But, with the no-hitter gone, TWU was able to scratch for a run on Billie Callahan’s RBI single up the middle.

That wasn’t enough for the steal the victory away from Petersen, who allowed three hits, had eight strikeouts and walked one to improve to 6-3.

And she got plenty of support from the long ball.

Alyson Reynolds launched a two-run homer to give MSU a 2-0 lead in the fourth after Jessica Rodriguez reached after being hit by pitch.

Mooney tacked on her first collegiate homer with two outs in the sixth inning to stretch the Mustangs’ advantage to 3-0.

Bishop reach in each of her four plate apperances going 3-for-3 with a walk and a stolen

base while Reynolds was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. Carly Case took the loss for the Pioneers to fall to 7-3 on the season - two of her losses have come at the hands of the Mustangs. Case allowed three runs all earned - on six hits with three strikeouts and two walks.

Midwestern improved to 11-4 on the season, while the Pioneers slipped to 10-10.

Texas Woman’s University sent 12 hitters to the plate in the fourth inning to score eight runs as the Pioneers cruised to an 9-1 win over Midwestern State in Tuesday’s nightcap at Pioneer Field.

The loss snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Mustangs, who fell to 11-5 on the season before battling SWOSU. MSU now sits at 12-5 as they look ahead to the Bulldogs coming back into town for a doubleheader at Mustangs Park this Friday afternoon.

Bobby Morris Sports Editor

As Midwestern State honored a pair of stellar senior studentathletes, first-time head coach Noel Johnson and the Mustangs were hoping to end their season with a well-needed victory.

But barely shooting 30-percent from three-point range and shooting under 40-percent from the field made it hard for MSU to keep up with Texas A&MKingsville. The Javelinas eventually took the 71-50 victory.

Odell-Michels takes lone win against TTU MSUMustangs.com For the Wichitan

Peter Hiatt | For the Wichitan Rosy Ofoegbu (15) backs down a TAMKU opponent during last weekend’s 71-50 loss to close the season. OFoegbu was one of two seniors to be honored during the pre-game Senior Night ceremony. Regiane Araujo was also honored.

Peterson hurls softball program’s first-ever perfect game; KO’s 13 MSUMustangs.com For the Wichitan

Katie Petersen delivered the first perfect game and no-hitter in school history as Midwestern State thrashed Southwestern Oklahoma State in its Lone Star Conference North Division opener Tuesday afternoon at SWOSU Park.

Petersen, who was responsible for each of the Bulldogs’ 15 outs, struck out the first nine hitters she faced before Fallon Bradshaw tapped a soft grounder back to her to lead off the fourth inning.

Petersen fanned the next batter before Stacy Creger popped up to Petersen to end the inning.

Petersen mowed down Southwestern in the fifth to finish the game with 13 strikeouts as she claimed a win in her seventhstraight start to improve to 7-3.

The Mustangs weren’t shabby at the plate either.

Tabitha Yannetti, Jessica Rodriguez and Mallory Mooney

drove in three runs each while Mooney and Petersen each slugged their second career home runs.

Mooney, who finished 2-for-3, also extended her hitting streak to 11 games as the Mustangs pounded out 13 hits.

Alex Zukerman yielded seven runs - all earned - on six hits to take the loss for Southwestern Oklahoma.

Katie Petersen took a no-hitter into the sixth inning while Alyson Reynolds and Mallory Mooney supplied the offense by launching pair of homers to lead Midwestern State to its 10th straight win taking a 3-1 decision of Texas Woman’s Tuesday night at Pioneer Field.

Petersen, who claimed a win in her sixth-straight start to improve to 6-3 on the season, retired 13-straight after issuing a first inning walk to TWU’s Haley Siebman.

She would carry the no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth in-

Patrick Johnston | The Wichitan Brittany Tanner gets ready to deliver a pitch two weekends ago against Liberty University during the MSU Invitational.

Tanner fell to 5-2 on the season this past week as she allowed eight earned runs in their streak-ending loss to TWU last Tuesday evening.

8

Sports

The Wichitan March 4, 2009

On Deck Mustangs finish sixth; ready to introduce women’s golf this week...

MSUMustangs.com For the Wichitan

Thursday thru Sunday Men’s Hoops LSC Tournament in Bartlesville, Okla.

Friday March 6 Men’s Tennis @ Southwest Baptist

Softball SW Okla at 1 p.m.

Saturday March 7 Men’s Tennis @ East Central

Softball Abilene Christian at 1 p.m.

Monday March 9 Men’s & Women’s Tennis Abilene Christian at 2 p.m.

Tuesday March 10 Men’s & Women’s Tennis @ SE Okla

Freshman Chad Bryant led Midwestern State against tough conditions Tuesday afternoon in the final rounds of the CrawfordWade Invitational at the Par-72, 6,993-yard Tanglewood Resort.

Bryant carded rounds of 76 (+4) and 78 (+6) to finish as the Mustnags’ top individual finisher at 21st, while MSU turned in rounds of 307 and 314 to finish sixth with a three-round total of 937 (+73).

Midwestern finished just 26 strokes out of second place as Central Oklahoma claimed the team tournament title by firing a pair of Even-par rounds.

Mustangs Conference Standings Lone Star Conference

Men’s Basketball North

W-L

Central Okla. (23-4) SW Okla (17-10) TAM-Comm (17-10) Cameron (14-13) NE State (11-16) SE Okla (5-22) East Central (6-22)

10-2 8-4 8-4 7-5 6-6 2-10 1-11

South MSU (21-6) Angelo State (20-7) TAM-Kingsville (18-9) Tarleton State (18-9) WT A&M (16-11) ACU (10-16) ENM (4-23)

10-2 8-4 8-4 6-6 6-6 4-8 0-12

Women’s Basketball

North

W-L

Central Okla (23-4) SE State (20-7) TAM-Comm (17-10) NE State (16-11) TWU (16-11) SW Okla (8-19) East Central (9-19) Cameron (6-21)

13-1 11-3 9-5 8-6 7-7 4-10 3-11 1-13

@ Seminole State South

Softball Central Okla at 1 p.m.

Home Events are Bolded

WT A&M (22-5) 10-2 ACU (18-9) 9-3 Angelo State (16-11) 7-5 Tarleton State (16-11) 7-5 TAM-Kingsville (16-11) 6-6 MSU (8-18) 3-9 ENM (9-21)

0-12

Junior Eric Thompson carded rounds of 76 and 79 for a threeround total of 234 (+18) and was followed

by Brett Perry (236/+20), Thompson Mitch Molen (242/+26) and Jay Weaver (251/+35).

Midwestern State competes in the East Central Invitational next week at the Windstar Golf Resort in Thackerville, Okla.

The Midwestern State Athletics Department announced the addition of women’s golf last semes-

ter as the program’s 12th sport.

“I am very pleased our board has approved the addition of another women’s sport,” MSU President Jesse W. Rogers said.

“It means a lot to the University and to the Lone Star Conference.”

With the addition of golf, Midwestern State now offers seven women’s programs which also include tennis (added in 1927), basketball (1977), volleyball (1985), soccer (1995), softball (2004) and cross country (2005).

“I’m excited to add another women’s sport to our program,” MSU Athletics Director Charlie Carr said. “This is another ex-

cellent opportunity for talented young women in Wichita Falls and the North Texas area.”

“The success of our men’s team leads me to believe we’ll add another successful component to our program,” Carr said.

“As in all sports, we expect to compete at the highest level and we look forward to competing for championships.”

Midwestern has used the same formula to recruit its first women’s golf team, which will be announced in the coming days, and will extend previous agreements with the many outstanding golf facilities in the Wichita Falls area.

“Jeff Ray has done a great

job of getting us off on the right track,” Carr said. “The outstanding golf facilities in the area combined with great local talent makes women’s golf a natural addition to our local and regional efforts at MSU.” Members of the first MSU signing class are Taylor Klutts and Lauren Romines of Callisburg High School, Grapevine High School’s Lindsay Burkhart, Midlothian High’s Megan Richardson and Jordan Hoffman of San Angelo.

Midwestern State, which begins competition this fall, becomes the 10th member of the Lone Star Conference to add women’s golf.