Oct. 10, 2012

Fest of Culture

pg. 5

The MSU community celebrated a day filled with culture during the annual Caribfest.

Bringing Heat

pg. 8

The cross country team placed second during Cross Country Carnival.

wichitan

ht e Wednesday — October 10, 2012

thewichitan.com — your campus / your news

Rogers, faculty respond to anonymous letter Brittney cottingham editor-in-chief

According to the Wichitan faculty survey sent to department heads on Oct. 8, open communication with faculty, staff and students is how President Jesse Rogers could improve his performance.

Seventy faculty members replied to our survey.

Rogers’ performance came under question after an anonymous email was sent to all faculty and staff criticizing his administration.

The letter, from “A Representative Sample of Your Faculty,” condemned Rogers’ relationship with the faculty, the increasing cost of tuition, increasing admission standards and his lack of support for distance education.

“One never likes criticism, but certainly one in a leadership position has a lot of responsibility,” Rogers said. “The faculty is at the

top of my list to take care of, but I can’t fix everything at one time.

I think over time people will see I will be successful in taking care of the university.”

The letter accused Rogers, who has been university president for 11 years, of being a status quo president.

Yet, 39.3 percent of faculty surveyed disagreed with that statement.

Rogers said he found the comment an unusual criticism.

“I interpreted status quo to be someone who keeps things as they are, but I’ve seen more changes in this university in the years that I’ve been here more than I’ve ever seen before,” Rogers said. “I am anything, but a status quo president. In fact, I will probably take risks to make this university better that I’m not even comfortable with.”

Charles Bultena, associate professor of management, said he

was surprised by the anonymous letter, but did not feel it in any way a representative sample of the faculty.

“My perception as a long-time member of the Faculty Senate is that the faculty are generally supportive of Dr. Rogers,” Bultena said. “Most feel he has done his best to navigate the challenges of the past few years in such a way as to minimize the impact on students, faculty and staff.”

Bultena said the anonymous letter wasn’t a productive way to communicate with the administration.

“Every faculty member has representation on the Faculty Senate to voice any concerns they have,” Bultena said. “The Senate addresses faculty concerns brought to its attention and brings these issues to the president and

ROGERS pg. 3

Q.: Jesse Rogers supports the university as much as he

should.

Fifty-five faculty members responded to the above question in a campus-wide faculty survey conducted by the Wichitan. To view all results from the survey, as well as detailed answers from faculty about changes necessary at MSU, visit www.thewichitan.com Graph by HANNAH HOFMANN

Admin discusses budget downfall Faculty salaries to increase despite hard budgetary times Brittney cottingham

MAKAYLA KINNEY RUTH FITZGERALD-BLACK Staff WriterS

Joey Greenwood, dean of university wellness and director of recreational sports, did not normally attend Board of Trustee meetings, but a meeting in August of 2009 was different.

A man dressed fully in an army uniform made his way up to the podium with the help of a young man pushing him in a wheel chair.

This Vietnam veteran spoke about the battle and how he fought for the right as Americans to consume tobacco products at one’s free will.

He was a smoker.

An MSU alumnus took the stand next. She smoked her first cigarette outside a dorm on campus during the stress of finals and proceeded to smoke for 20 years.

She was a quitter.

After hearing both people speak, the fate of the tobacco policy on campus seemed to be up in the air.

Greenwood said he was pleased to hear the votes were in favor of a tobacco-free campus.

He said he looked forward to providing a healthier and safer environment for students, faculty and staff to live, to work and to learn.

“If we are going to be a tobacco-free campus, it was our responsibility to promote a healthy campus,” Greenwood said.

That day, Aug. 7, 2009, MSU became the first four-year university with a tobacco-free campus policy.

It became effective in Jan. 1, 2010.

Keith Lamb, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, stated the intentions for the smoking ban are

to promote a “safe, healthy and pleasant environment for the campus community.”

The original proposal was made by Lamb based on the 2006 Surgeon General’s report that stated: 1) Second-hand smoke has adverse effects on non-smokers who share the same space with smokers.

2) There is no safe level of cigarette smoke, a Class A carcinogen.

3) Bans are more effective than restrictions on decreasing the initiation of smoking, promoting tobacco cessation, and limiting exposure to tobacco.

(Prop. 4.163, Appendix D, Sect.

D) According to the smoking ban, it is the responsibility of all staff, faculty and campus community to enforce the MSU smoking ban.

Since the ban was implemented in 2009, students, staff and faculty have had mixed emotions on the protocol for which the smoking ban is supposed to encompass.

Even with knowledge of the policy, students are still seen smoking on campus outside of buildings or walking to class with a cigarette in hand.

Sophomore radiology major Kevin Ruddy said people are going to rebel no matter what the rules are.

“I see people smoking all the time and no one does anything about it. There’s no easy way to enforce it,” Ruddy said.

Greenwood acknowledges that there are still those who do smoke on campus, but he said that there is a greater consciousness about the issue.

“There has been a greater awareness that we are a tobacco-free campus,” he said. “We

editor-in-chief

Nicole Kutzer smokes on campus.

Photo by KERRI CARTER

didn’t want to be abrasive to the students but more peer educational.”

Sydney Flynn, an undeclared sophomore, said she was unaware of campus being tobacco free.

She said she sees students smoking on campus on a daily basis, but it does not affect her.

“It doesn’t bother me either way, but I understand why they would want it to be tobacco free,” Flynn said.

Breanne Sill began her trek at MSU in 2009, the same year the smoking ban was implemented.

Sill suffers from both an allergy to tobacco in general and has severe allergies that cigarette smoke infuriates when she is in close proximity to the source.

According to Sill, she has never really been bothered by the presence of smokers, even those

that sometimes congregate at the entrances to buildings.

“As long as they aren’t blowing smoke in my face, I couldn’t care less,” Sill said. “Even so, I would be smart enough to not walk in the direction of a smoker, so it’s never really been an issue.”

Sill also said she believes students should be allowed to smoke, if not only in designated areas, because they are going to do it anyway.

“They have an addiction,” she said. “I don’t think it is right that the university has implemented a ban on smoking all together.”

Not all students are as laid back about being tobacco-free and not all comply with the rules.

SMOKE pg. 3

On Monday, university president Jesse Rogers told faculty members that Midwestern is not in great budgetary times.

From budget cuts from the state of Texas to the increasing of unfunded mandates and the drop of enrollment that cost the university $2.5 million, Rogers said MSU has lost $12.6 million over the last two years.

A lot of things have changed since August when the administration developed the university budget. The drop of enrollment has forced Rogers and his administration to create alternatives to balance the budget.

“Perhaps I’ve made a mistake in trying to encourage you too much in where we are going because I’ve had these [budget] fears all along as I watched the action in Austin,” Rogers said. “I knew it was going to be difficult.”

He said what the university is currently faced with budget-wise is significantly worse than what he expected.

MSU is faced with a $1.7 million deficit this year that the administration has to fix before November.

Despite the dramatic drop in financing, Rogers said he does not want faculty looking over their shoulders. The university has plans to increase the faculty base salary while balancing the budget.

“I want [faculty] to keep a belief in this university,” he said. “Keep belief in me and the administration that we can operate this university in a high-quality way, but there is no doubt that we have a lot of thinking and planning to do.”

The 2010-2011 academic year was the last time the faculty had a salary increase of three percent.

Compared to other master level intuitions, Midwestern is below

average in professor and associate professor salaries. The average professor salary is $82,184 and $66,376 is the associate professor average salary.

The assistant professor salary is above average with $60,629.

“It’s great, but it needs improvement,” he said.

Rogers said the key is reducing university funds this year by delaying facilities projects, using gift funds and slowing staff hirings all by $200,000 each.

About $500,000 is needed a year to balance the $1.7 million budget and Rogers presented faculty salary enhancement plan proposal.

The first plan to increase faculty salaries, professors who teach next summer will be given a pay cut.

“The funds would be probated over existing salaries in each of the colleges and the deans would be asked to distribute the program share of that money with the faculty of the college,” Rogers said. “It will be based on the rank and equity.”

The total savings based on summer 2012 would be $400,000.

“The money from the cut is going back into faculty-base salaries, but the first year the $500,000 is going to come out of the current summer budget,” he said.

“We are asking [the faculty] for support. We are in this together.

Our objective is to try and raise the nine-month salary and go to predictable summer rate.”

Rogers said professors who are depending on summer classes and overloads aren’t in a good situation.

“I’d rather see larger ninemonth contracts that [the faculty] can count on,” he said. “In addition, there will be summer and overload work, but don’t forget we’re adding $1.5 million to the pool of money in order to balance the budget by immediately putting it into next year’s salary. ”

FACULTY pg. 4

Campus Voice

2

e thwichitan

Wednesday — October 10, 2012

thewichitan.com — your campus / your news

Giving a voice to the voiceless? our View Another week, another anonymous email sent out from an alleged faculty member.

On Tuesday, a letter was sent to professors from a “Michael Benjamin” from the email address – MSU.Takes.A.Stand@gmail.com, encouraging professors to cancel a class on either Wednesday or Thursday in an act of protest.

“The administration has gone too far,” the email said. “Faculty must respond with a show of solidarity and strength. Now is the time.”

This is somewhat tamer than the anonymous letter that was sent out last Wednesday criticizing MSU President Jesse Rogers’ administration.

“We have lost faith in you,” the letter said, signed from “A Representative Sample of Your Faculty.”

“You have been in the office for ten years and the university is no better off today than it was when you took over.”

This letter then listed numerous grievances, including quoting Elvis Presley: “A little less conversation,

a little more action please.”

With two anonymous letters condemning Rogers’ and the admin, we are hoping this isn’t becoming a trend.

Yes, we want faculty, staff and students to give their concerns and opinions to the powers that be, but doing it from behind a computer screen without giving a name is not the answer.

We do live in a world of anonymity where people love to hide behind the Internet, remaining faceless as they say whatever to whomever without consequences.

However, it is understandable that faculty members would be fearful of losing their jobs, but is the administration really that touchy with negative criticism?

When we interviewed Rogers, he said he would never take negative action on someone just because they criticized him.

He said he welcomes feedback from faculty, staff and students.

All you have to do is step away from your computer, make a phone call to his very friendly executive assistant Cindy Ashlook and make an appointment!

Go to his office in the Hardin

building and respectfully tell him your issues with the university.

The passion shown in these anonymous letters are obvious.

It is apparent that these individuals care about the university and want to make it a better place.

We agree that Rogers could be more visible on campus. It is a shame that some students don’t even know what he looks like.

That doesn’t mean he should pop up randomly in classes around campus, but maybe have yearly Q&A sessions with each college, where students, faculty and staff can ask Rogers questions.

He should have a one-on-one relationship with not only the executive board of the Faculty Senate and college deans, but the department chairs and professors.

Having a meeting once a year with faculty isn’t enough.

Regardless of who wrote it, these letters has caused a disturbance in university life.

Administration has done a great job with damage control.

This Monday, Rogers called a faculty meeting so he could address some concerns.

The primary focus was the bud-

get and explaining that our university is in financial trouble.

With that said, praise has to be given to the administration for their announcement last week of doing a one-time two percent salary boost for faculty and staff.

Our professors should be shown appreciation for all of the hard work they do.

It is important for not only students, but faculty and staff to have a voice at this university.

It is obvious that people are angry and want answers.

Yet, should we applause or shake our heads at the person giving a voice to the voiceless?

Is this voice even the overall opinion of the faculty?

We are sure responses to these questions and more will be answered at Thursday’s Faculty Senate meeting at 4 p.m. in the Kiowa Room in CSC. At this meeting, we are sure our faculty leaders won’t have any problems voicing their opinions in a public forum.

e thwichitan 3410 Taft Blvd. Box 14 Wichita Falls, Texas 76308 News Desk: (940) 397-4704 Ads: (940) 397-4705 Fax (940) 397-4025 e-mail wichitan@mwsu.edu

editorial board EditorS-in-Chief: Brittney Cottingham, Hannah Hofmann Op-Ed Editor: Sarah Long A&E Editor: Orlando Flores Jr. Sports Editor: Damian Atamenwan Photo Editor: Meghan Myracle PRINT Advertising manager: Rachel Bingham ONLINE ADVERTISING MANAGER: Brandi Stroud COPY EDITORS: Kelly Calame, Kristina Davidson, Mallory Gruszynski, Icis Morton contributors: Tolu Agunbiade, Nicole Barron, Ruth Fitzgerald-Black, Johnny Blevins, Kirsten Caskey, Ashley Darby, Shelby Davis, Orlando Flores Jr., Aziza Lake, Hanwool Lee, Icis Morton, Cody Parish, Madison Stanfill, Bekah Timm, Novelle Williams, Akeem Wilson, Erin Wrinkle DELIVERY: Stefan Attanassov adviser: Bradley Wilson Copyright © 2012. 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. The Wichitan welcomes letters of opinion from students, faculty and staff submitted by the Friday before intended publication. Letters should be brief (350 words or less) and without abusive language or personal attacks. Letters must be typed and signed by the writer and include a telephone number and address.

Confessions from a student smoker revealed RUTH FITZGERALD-BLACK COLUMNIST

We get it. We are stinky. We are intrusive. We are slowly crystallizing our lungs into masses of hard, malignant waste. We choose our own vices, and we know the repercussions. We are the villainous smokers of MSU. Funny thing is, we have the “civil right” to make the decision to smoke for ourselves. Or do we?

Both sides of the fence can make substantial arguments as to why we should have the freedom to choose whether or not to smoke on campus. Either way, when an institution makes the decision for us, where do we draw the line?

According to MSU administrators, the entire idea behind the smoking ban currently in effect is that we, as a student body and university community, should promote a “safe, healthy and pleasant environment.”

Let’s talk about safety for a moment.

As a smoker, and a respectful member of my student body, I am fully aware of the irritation and stench that is my presence

on campus.

I would never go so far as to expect someone to tolerate me blowing smoke towards another person, or to even be standing within 20 feet of a building entrance while smoking. It’s simply rude.

However, to say that I am infringing upon someone’s safety by keeping a careful distance away from buildings and other students when I have the need to smoke, is completely ludicrous.

Staff members removed the campus ashtrays in 2009. Do administrators really think that students are going to either remain in their cars or avoid smoking on campus all together? They won’t.

What you will find is that students will either use the nearest storm drain to discretely dispose of their cancer-sticks or furtively chuck them into the street or sidewalk.

I actually witnessed a student outside of Prothro-Yeager last week who decided to forgo any remotely safer options for which to extinguish his cigarette, and merely flicked the lit instigator directly at a trash can—full of

trash.

As of yet, I haven’t found any reports of trash can fires, but I will not be surprised if and when it happens. According to the original smoking ban proposal, MSU would be the “only non-health institution in Texas that has a completely smoke-free campus.”

On a recent trip to Texas Christian University while attending my mother’s graduation, I noticed that in between each of the buildings on the main campus, there are designated smoking areas, roughly 20-50 feet from the entrances.

Apparently, God does not care if you develop lung cancer, as long as you stay a respectful distance away from fellow Biblethumping non-smokers—and keep the tuition checks coming.

In return, a genuine belief in God would eliminate the fear of death and the smoking issue all together. Therefore, in my opinion, smoking prohibitionists must be godless atheists (insert ‘winking’ emoticon here).

So why does MSU feel that we, as students, need to “promote” this pipe-dream of safety and “health” and why is the

Homecoming nominations are a place for just Greeks?

SARAH LONG OP-ED EDITOR

This week is homecoming, which means one thing only: let the popularity contest begin.

Which isn’t a bad a thing, considering homecoming is just that.

Before I go any further I need to clarify, this is not a hate on Greek rant but more of a statistical approach to homecoming from my own personal prospective.

This year marks my fifth and final homecoming at MSU. In my previous four years, every single person who has won homecoming queen and king have been Greek-affiliated. Whether Panhellenic, Order of Omega or Multicultural, Greek always reigns supreme.

What do Anastasia Reed, Nicole Savage, Valerie Flores, Blanca Garcias, Christopher Carter, Luke Shelton, Chance Gibbs, and Lenny Benton all have in common?

That’s right, they are the homecoming royalty from the last four years, and right again,

every single one of them was in a fraternity or sorority.

I could sit and type out all their Greek letters, but you get my point.

I have known many of these people in my time here, and yes some of them were even friends of mine but my question remains, what is the point of a non-greek student campaigning for homecoming king or queen? History has proven time and time again it’s not worth the effort for nonGreek students.

Students without a Greek platform do not have a large enough voice on the MSU campus. Even a student with multiple affiliations outside of Greek life does not have the numbers to win the title of homecoming king or queen.

The Caribbean Students Organization is the largest student organization on campus and still struggles to be elected a homecoming king or queen.

Last year, two members of CSO were nominated for home-

coming court and both walked away without the crown. I have reached out to both people about additional affiliations but did not hear from either.

People will challenge this statistic and say lots of non-Greeks have won prince or princess and even duke. My argument is where are these people when the king and queen are crowned?

This year a non-Greek student is in the running for homecoming queen, I am not 100 percent sure what she is affiliated to but Greek isn’t one of them. It will be interesting to see how well she does up against the Greek army.

This is not meant to upset anyone but rather motivate more students to get involved and change the stereotype.

Go out and get involved, meet people and have the best time of your life. No one said you have to be Greek to win homecoming king or queen. At MSU, we seem to have forgotten that.

only target the smokers?

Is the administration actually trying to convert the smokers into a lifestyle that they really might choose not to take part in?

It seems like the real “promotion” is that if you do not adhere to an idealistic image of what MSU considers acceptable behavior, then you don’t fit in here.

As a self-proclaimed pessimist, I will be the first to agree that the agenda here is not completely motivated by the desire of the administration to better the health of its student body and faculty, but rather, to better “promote” itself as a university not marred by the “taboo” of smoking.

Will we ban the use of overlyapplied perfume and cologne in the classroom? What will the standards be for the level of “stench” in that case? Ladies

and gentlemen, we have probably all been privy to an allergy attack after obtaining a whiff of the newest, most trendy, bottled fart.

On a more serious note, if we want to talk about air quality, why aren’t we all required to park at least 20-50 feet from any building entrance? I’ll let you conduct your own research on fuel emissions and the harmful chemicals that they crank out right into your front door on campus.

One of the most detrimental chemicals in cigarette smoke is carbon monoxide. Why do you think that we have been fortified, from birth, not to sit in a garage with the car running?

Before everyone panics, let me be clear that if I were literally able to grind-out a cigarette, then

wash my hands of the addiction at the push-of-a-button, I would.

Try taking the last cup of coffee in a staff lounge of caffeineaddicted colleagues, and you’ll find out exactly what I mean.

And smokers, if you must continue to smoke on campus, don’t ruin it for the rest of us. Be mindful of your fellow students.

Stay away from the entrances to buildings. Don’t litter.

If someone asks you to put out your cigarette or to move further away from the entrance to a building, do it. What doesn’t affect you, can and sometimes will affect the health and environment of others.

With that said, I’m going to have a smoke. But don’t worry – I’m at home in the privacy of my own repulsiveness.

Letter to the Editor I read an interesting letter addressing the poor administrative leadership on the MSU campus and felt inclined to comment on these issues from a student’s perspective.

Anyone can see and feel the low morale of students.

Students are no longer happy to be at MSU and are eagerly and anxiously waiting for either their diploma or acceptance letter to another university.

This school no longer offers students a chance of a real college experience. We can see that faculty members are starting to give up faith in their jobs and in you.

Tuition rates are at an all time high while student services are at the lowest point possible. What have you done to make this “My University?”

I would like to expound on issues that most students share.

Under your poor leadership, tuition has increased drastically. I do understand that budget cuts from the state could be partially to blame; however you have broken the MSU promise.

I paid $5,500 for 11 hours of classes. That is absolutely absurd!

The university has built green areas that has decreased student parking, which by the way is one of many problems that you have failed to address during your tenure as president.

Also in fall 2011, there was an increase in fees that students would pay for the enhancement of the student center, but to no avail.

The computer lab’s hours have decreased from 24 hours to 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

We still have old and worn out furniture in all rooms of the student center, but new furniture in a house that most, if not all students will never see.

Why does the cafeteria serve food that is neither nutritious nor delicious. Cold burnt pizza is not a proper dinner for anyone each day. Could we at least have another option to study that would remain open until 10 p.m.?

That would be quite difficult seeing as though the student center now closes at 11 p.m. As students, we need multiple locations to study. This is indicative of the overall gpa of 2011 which was 2.48.

Housing rates are steady increasing but the overall worth of campus living does not match up. Where is the Wifi? I’m sure that Wifi for all of the dorms cost less than two brand new police vehicles that were recently purchased. I lived in Sunwatcher Apartment during the 20112012 school year.

The cushion of my couch was lower than the chipped up coffee table that sat immediately in front of it. The computers that are in the apartments are outdated and slow. and there are no printers available.

These and other serious issues are the number one reason why most students are choosing to move off campus. I have seen multicultural Greek life become nonexistent due to poor guid-

ance from school officials.

When was the last time you noticed this seriously problem.

There is nothing to offer students that are not of the Anglo American cultural. This university completely dies on the weekends. There are no activities that draw students’ interest.

“My University” …I think not.

Students often complained about not being able to get into classes needed for graduation at appropriate times.

Having one or two sections for classes in high demand is unacceptable.

Some students describe this school as a black hole.

You can’t move forward and it is hard to escape.

With a 75 percent retention rate, I understand why.

Mr. President, please do us all the favor and step aside so that the healing from your unthoughtfulness and uncaring demeanor can begin to heal.

We have tried to be patient and understanding, but enough is enough.

I thank the faculty the member that had the courage to stand for us students.

It is great to see that someone with authority still cares for us, because you don’t.

Signed, A REGRETFUL MUSTANG!!

Cornileus Roberson

news

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thewichitan.com — your campus / your news

Wednesday — October 10, 2012

SMOKE from pg. 1 Freshman Kyle Litteken said he did not like the policy and did not feel that he should have to comply with these new rules.

He said he understood the health aspects, but he wished for there to at least be a designated smoking area.

“I didn’t really like the policy, and I continued to smoke anyway when walking to class,” Litteken said.

Police are not involved in the enforcement of being a tobaccofree campus.

Within policy revisions, Greenwood said campus police may assist with the enforcement by ticketing violators. These tickets will be given out at the officers’ discretion. Once or twice a semester enforcement will focus on citations for any violations of the policy.

“Most people tend to ignore it more than anything. Overall, most people respect the policy,” said Dan Williams, who has been the chief of police for two years.

In the 2009 Administrative Council proposal, the ban also extends to the use of any tobacco product, which would include smokeless tobacco, and would currently include the use of electronic cigarettes which many smokers now use to curb nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

Faculty and staff are affected under the same smoking ban, and run the risk of receiving a write-up if they do not adhere to the rules.

According to Killingsworth custodian, Vinita Bohenkamp, she has, surprisingly, not noticed any increase in trash (cigarette butts) on campus since the ban went into effect in 2009.

In fact, Bohenkamp stated that in 2009, students initially

complained about the ban, but now, they still smoke in the same amount of numbers.

“There appears to be more smokers this year than last year,” Bohenkamp said. “I think it would definitely help keep the campus cleaner, and decrease the staff workload if MSU simply designated smoking areas.”

According to Bohenkamp’s own observations, it takes roughly four years for a cigarette butt to biodegrade.

However, Bohenkamp said she believes MSU students have a right to tobacco use if they wish, because they pay tuition to go to school here.

“MSU workers are here for about nine hours a day,” she said,” so it is not a big deal for us to go off-campus to smoke.”

Greenwood said he realizes there are still issues with tobacco use on campus since the implementation of the policy.

He and his colleagues are continuing to work on this policy and said communication is key when trying to get this message across.

There have been signs placed at every campus entrance stating that MSU is tobacco free. Greenwood said informational cards will be passed out around campus and placed in all high traffic student areas such as Clark Student Center, making people more aware of the policy.

The card includes the website to the policy. The website includes all the aspects of the policy, frequently asked questions, and help for those who want to quit smoking.

“We anticipated we may have to revisit the enforcement issue, but I am not sure what will change. I don’t know what the cure-all is,” Greenwood said.

3

Tobacco users living in residential halls and apartments are required to find alternative places to use tobacco.

Residential Hall Director Claudio Rodriguez enforces the tobacco policy in the residential areas.

He said there have not been major problems with students adhering to the policy, but the problem is residents smoking near the entrances of buildings.

Rodriguez said violators may be subject to disciplinary action by housing administrators as indicated in the Residence Life Handbook.

“The university is in the process of reinforcing it with the wellness programs and tobaccofree campaigns in the dorms by putting sign in common areas where smokers congregate,” he said. “We are trying to encourage students to quit smoking for health reasons, and we plan on programming heavily and enforcing this policy.”

Hannah Jones, a junior accounting major, said people who make the decision not to consume tobacco products should not have to compromise their heath by breathing in secondhand smoke.

“Everybody makes a choice whether or not to be a tobacco user. Tobacco is not healthy in any way you put it, and those who choose not to shouldn’t have to be surrounded by it,” Jones said.

Ann Medford, program chair for the Department of Respiratory Care, said she was in favor of the tobacco-free policy on campus.

Medford is an active supporter in the smoking cessation classes and respiratory care program on campus. She said she believes in educating students about the risks of smoking. She said this helps

ROGERS from pg. 1 people in making the decision to not smoke or to quit smoking.

“If people know what they are doing to their body they would want to stop. The more they know and the better educated they are, the more likely they are not to start smoking or stop smoking,” Medford said.

Senior Tiffanee Awbrey has endured the whirlwind of wrath of smokers that congregate outside of buildings, such as Bolin, for her entire college career.

“I support the smoking ban,” Awbrey said. “It literally infuriates me when I have to walk through smoke when I take the time to smell and look nice for my day.”

Awbrey said she understands that students have the right to smoke, but the location of smokers is paramount to the happiness and well-being of other students.

“It’s everyone’s personal choice to char their lungs, but the plumes of smoke just outside the doors are a huge slap-in-the-face to those of us who don’t want to smell like smoke,” she said. “I will literally hold my breath when I enter a building where smokers have gathered outside.”

Even with all the notices distributed to dorm residents and general emails that are sent out to the student body and faculty, according to Elizabeth Calloway, 21, some students don’t even know that there is a smoking ban in place until someone tells them.

“It seems that most students just don’t care about the smoking ban,” Calloway said. “Even if a student is a non-smoker, most of us are not going to tell someone else what they can and cannot do to their own bodies.”

the Senate Executive Committee.”

Both the president and provost have been willing to address concerns with the Senate, Bultena said. said.

“I believe faculty must participate in the process of change we are facing,” Bultena said. “We are far more likely to success by expressing faculty concerns and solving problems in partnership with Dr. Rogers and the administration than we are in opposition – to be part of the solution, not the problem.”

Another faculty member who took the Wichitan survey, which allowed for anonymous comments, said the university does have a morale issue.

“Professionals all seem to have an opinion,” the faculty member said. “Many times you find it’s not really based on substantive evidence.”

During the university’s time of financial struggle, not all faculty has criticized Rogers.

“Dr. Rogers has show time and again that he is committed to the betterment of this university and to its future,” one faculty member wrote. “He is very open with the faculty regarding the university’s financial situation, going into detail during faculty meetings regarding various funding, shortfalls and possibilities for increased income.”

Even though over half of the faculty surveyed said they found working at MSU enjoyable, one faculty member who filled out the survey said each faculty member, regardless of rank, is an essential component in accomplishing the

university’s mission of education our students.

“Respect for teaching excellence, regardless of rank or tenure, needs to be an integral part of MSU’s culture,” one faculty member said. “I actually feel more respect and appreciation for the good work that I do from the administration than I do with my fellow, higher-ranking, faculty members.”

Another faculty member wrote the administration sees itself as separate from, and superior to, the faculty.

“They don’t realize that they’re actually highly overpaid support staff or should be,” they wrote.

Rogers said the faculty hasn’t had a raise in a year, but it is because the university’s lost $12 million in the last two years.

“I don’t believe you can take mediocre staff or faculty and pay them to be good, but I do believe I have obligation to show them this university’s appreciation to keep the morale up,” Rogers said.

“There is no better way to do that than giving a bonus.”

Last week, Rogers announced a one-time 2 percent faculty and staff-salary boost.

“It is the board’s responsibility to see that we take soft money – money that has been given to us for just a couple years – and take from that a two percent boost,” he said. “It really is a message to the faculty and staff that I know what you’re doing and I appreciate what you are doing.”

news

e thwichitan 4 What’s up Doc? Arming up for flu season Wednesday — October 10, 2012

SHELBY DAVIS staff writer

Flu season is now underway.

According to the ETR Association, up to one in five Americans get the flu each year.

It begins on the first day of October and carries through the early spring months. Bringing with it body aches, dry coughs, and a fever.

“I had the flu my senior year in high school. I cried because it hurt so bad,” said Wade Wilcox, a sophomore nursing student.

The flu is spread through the air and through contact with other people who have the virus.

Kay Sabine, 2008 MSU nursing graduate and the Wichita Public Health District charge nurse, said the number one thing you can do, besides getting the flu vaccination, is to wash your hands and keep them away from your face.

To keep from getting the flu, keep in good health and disinfect

the things you come into contact with that others have used, such as phones, computer keyboards and pens.

“Wash hands, wash hands, wash hands. It is the most important thing,” Pat Pelz, CVS pharmacist said.

Once the virus has entered the body, there is not a whole lot that can be done. Sabine said students have about a 24-hour period to get to the doctor to get an antiviral, which shortens the length of the virus cycle but does not cure it.

Some over-the-counter medications can be taken to help with the symptoms that the flu brings but the cannot stop the virus.

“Once you get the flu, you have got it,” Plez said.

After the 24-hour period, drink lots of fluids and get plenty of rest.

Students who experience shaking chills, high fevers that last more than two days, symptoms that

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do not go away after seven days, severe headaches or wheezing, need to call the doctor.

“Drink fluids, it really makes you feel better,” Wilcox said.

You can prevent getting the flu in its entirety by getting the flu shot at the Vinson Health center, the Wichita County Public Health Department and other locations around town.

Pelz said is especially important for those students living in the dorms because they are in such close living quarters.

“Make sure you get the flu shot,” Wilcox said.

At the Vinson Health Center, students can get the shot for free and it should become available in the next few weeks.

At the other locations, prices vary but insurance, which can pay for a portion or the whole injection, is often accepted.

This year, the Wichita County Public Health District ordered

1,500-doses of the flu vaccination for people over the age of 18, a 500-dose decrease from last year but they were not all used so this year cut backs were made.

However, if the Health District runs out, they have been assured they can order more.

“There is no shortage of vaccines at all this year,” Sabine said.

This year is the first year the Health District will be offering the flu mist to adults.

This vaccination is not given as a shot it is given as a mist that is sprayed in the nose. The mist can be given to anyone between the ages of two and 49.

It differs from the shot because it is a live virus that has been weakened and it may cause slight side effects. It does, however, give quicker protection than the injection gives.

“The minute you walk out of the door, you have protection

from the flu,” Sabine said.

The injection is available for anyone six-months and older.

Because children under sixmonths of age cannot get the injection, Sabine said it is important for parents and others who will be in contact with infants to get the vaccination to keep from spreading the virus to the younger babies.

With the injection, it can take up to two weeks for it to become affective.

Since the injection is not affective the minute it enters the body, it is sometimes mistaken to give someone the flu.

However, this is not true. It is likely that the person has caught the virus before the injection has become active.

“The injection is an inactivated dead virus that cannot give you the flu,” Sabine said.

Each year, there are three strains in the flu vaccine.

The height of flu season in this part of the country does not reach its peak until January.

The strains in the flu vaccine are matched as closely as possible to the viruses that are circulating around the U.S. as well as other parts of the world. Over the past two years, the two A strains and one B strain in flu injections have been same. This year, however, things have changed.

A string, the H1N1, otherwise known as the swine flu, is the same. The other A string has changed to the H3N2, which is also a form of the swine flu. The B/Wisconsin strain is the third strain in this year’s vaccination.

“You should probably get the vaccination because it is not the same as it has been,” Sabine said.

Infographic by BRANDI STROUD

FACULTY from pg. 1 The second budget plan is the Voluntary Separation Program.

Faculty members who have ten consecutive years serving at Midwestern and their age plus their service working in the state of Texas equals 80.

Professors who meet these qualifications will be put on temporary leave. They will receive a payout of 50 percent of their budgeted salary to be paid by next

September.

Marilyn Fowle´, vice president of business and finance, said this program has been done at other universities with major success.

“It’s a win-win program,” she said. “The folks that are participating in the program get to leave the institution with a nice slump sum of money in their pocket.”

Fowle´ said Midwestern would then gain the flexibility of taking

the positions that are vacated and decided whether the slots would be filled with lower-paid instructors or combine the position with something else.

“This is not a retirement program,” she said. “If [faculty] chose to leave the institution and retire then it’s up to them. They can obtain a new position somewhere else.”

Once the board meets, the

BESO embraces Latin culture ruby arigara staff writer

It has taken four years for the Bilingual Education Student Organization (BESO) to find a way to be known in the community.

BESO has overcome struggles such as non-active members, a conservative city and little participation in the community.

The 16 members of BESO have a chance to grow by participating in community events that were not offered before, like Calle Ocho.

“BESO is an important organization for the community and for the campus because we can connect the two together,” said Mario Carrillo, vice president of BESO. “We encourage children to speak their native language or their acquiring second language, and most importantly to continue their education so they can become life-long learners.”

Carrillo has been in BESO for two years and vice president for one. She said she is grateful to be part of an organization that feels just like family.

“I am glad that an organization promotes bilingual education, and preserve the Latino culture, not only at MSU, but also in the community,” Carrillo said.

She said she loves to be a part of the multicultural events that BESO is part of around the community, and one of those events is Calle Ocho.

“Last year, it was not advertised and organized very well so there

were not enough people in the first place attending Calle Ocho,” Carrillo said. “This year, BESO was informed that there are several billboards around town and a local TV channel, Telemundo Texoma, promoting the event.”

Carrillo said BESO learned from their mistakes last year and are prepared for Calle Ocho now.

The group is in charge of running the children’s booth, not just helping with it. The group decided to do arts and crafts, such as paper flowers.

“Hopefully, as an organization, we can inspire other students who are still in high school and want to go into the teaching field because bilingual educators are in high demand,” she said.

Angelina Chapa, president of Zavala and member of BESO, said Zavala organized Calle Ocho to educate, entertain, and share the Latino culture with the community for Hispanic Heritage month.

“I’ve been in BESO for about two and a half years. It’s a good organization for young, aspiring teachers to learn leadership skills, and have a good support system with other students investing their time with bilingual education and professors to help meet their goals,” Chapa said.

She said the organization had to choose what kind of activities the children will be doing along with making sure they had enough volunteers.

“As future educators, it seems natural to put BESO in charge of the children’s area that focuses on teaching and passing down cultural crafts,” Chapa said.

Chapa knows that by being part of this event, BESO will be known. She said just by BESO participating in the festival, it will get recognized, and Zavala also mentions all of the collaborating organizations through the promotional efforts. She said she hopes that Calle Ocho will gain exposure and the community will understand what the organization’s mission is, like she does.

She agrees that while a student is learning English, the student’s native language cannot be taken away. She said the student’s culture should be preserve, and that is what BESO is trying to promote. Bilingual teachers are different then regular teachers because it can be difficult. The bilingual teachers have to invest their time for the students and connect with them.

A BESO member for more than a year, Senior and Bilingual Education major Gladys Moreno joined BESO to make a difference by shedding a new light on bilingual education.

She said even though Wichita Falls has a bilingual program already, it is not supported like it should be.

administration will send notices to faculty members that are eligible.

“Fifty percent of the person’s salary is paid out to them by the 2013 fiscal year,” Fowle´ said.

“The other 50 percent would be available for adjunct professor to teach those classes the vacated faculty member would’ve been teaching.”

Fowle´ said then for the 2014

fiscal year that faculty’s full salary would be available to give someone else the position.

“We can choose not to fill it,” she said. “We could fit two positions into one. There is a lot of things we can do to save money.”

There is more than $4 million in salary to faculty that are eligible for this program.

“Not to say everyone is going to

take it,” Fowle´ said. “But if half of those professors take it then we can probably save $500,000, which would be the amount we would need to do the faculty salary enhancement plan.”

Rogers said he is committed to higher faculty salaries during the next three years.

arts & entertainment

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5

Wednesday — October 10, 2012

Charlene Wetherill in a traditional Caribbean costume.

Student walks on stilts as part of the Caribfest parade.

Photo by HANWOOL LEE

Photo by KERRI CARTER

Caribfest brings culture to campus Cody Parish Staff Writer

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Students, faculty and staff, along with the Wichita Falls community, came to watch the festivities as part of Caribfest 2012 on Friday, Oct. 5.

With the theme of “Under de Coconut Tree Is Where You Should Be,� the Caribbean Student Organization brought a slice of home to campus.

CSO showed everyone why under the coconut tree is really where we all should be.

Caribfest, which originates from the Caribbean Carnival celebrations, has been held every year in the fall semester for 12 years.

The Caribfest committee began planning for the festivities back at the beginning of summer.

More than 150 students volunteered their time to prepare costumes, food, decorate, organize and participate in the various cultural events.

CSO President Lance Auguste explained that the purpose of Caribfest is to let people know about the Caribbean culture. “We want to bring back to Wichita Falls this international experience so they [the students and community] can have a taste of what it’s like,�

Auguste said.

In addition to bringing an authentic cultural experience to the campus, CSO aims to use Caribfest as a way to give back to the Wichita Falls community.

CSO has specific local charities, including the Wichita Falls Boys and Girls Club and Disaster Helping Hands, that it donates to annually.

The funds raised from the Caribfest events will go directly to these charities. “We just want to raise as much money as possible,� CSO Second Vice President Wendy Frederick said. “The more money we raise, the more we give back to our charities.�

To maximize the amount of money the organization gives to the charities, CSO held fundraisers, used organizational funds outside

sponsorships to finance the Caribfest activities. Frederick listed The Grove, Colony Park Apartments, Wells Fargo Bank, Johnny Carinos and On the Border as some of the Caribfest sponsors this year.

With these sponsors, CSO ensured that all profits would go back into the community.

The series of Caribfest events began with the Official Caribfest Launch on Sept. 15 at Sikes Lake Center and ended with a Last Lap Party at The Grove Clubhouse starting at 9 p.m. on Oct. 6.

Friday, however, was the biggest

Matthew Park, Keith Lamb and Jesse Rogers during the parade.

Photo by HANWOOL LEE

day of celebration.

It was kicked off with an exuberant cultural parade around campus, led by University President Jesse Rogers and Keith Lamb, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management. Auguste said he was excited about securing Rogers and Lamb to head the parade.

Rogers said dancing was a possibility for him during the parade. “You know, I may feel it,� Rogers said with an amused smile. “We will see.�

Behind Rogers and Lamb were flag bearers for each country being represented in the parade. One flag was even for the state of Texas, each

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dancing to the music blaring from behind them in three large trucks. Two of these vehicles carried enormous speakers and had their own DJ playing a lively Caribbean dance mix.

The first music truck was trailed by another purple truck carrying Adrie Letang, the winner of the first Ms. Caribfest Pageant Sept. 30.

Letang wore a sleek blue dress, a sparkling domed tiara and a pearlwhite sash for the parade.

Throngs of dancers separated the trucks, each of different organizations and regional Caribbean groups dressed in a variety of extravagant,

Â§Â„Ä„Â‘ĂœĂ?³‘§Ą§§

vibrantly colored costumes.

One group, called the Blue Devils, wore blue paint on their faces and arms and would dance in and out through the other parade participants.

There was also a traditional Caribbean clown decked out in an exotic robe of a mixture of colors who danced and cracked his whip to the rhythmic beat of the music.

Junior Marqui Hodges and the women’s basketball team were excited to dress up in flashy pink costumes and dance in the parade despite the cold. “We’re happy to have some fun,�

Hodges said. “Who doesn’t want to look pretty and walk around the school and show everything off.�

The majority of the costumes

worn in the parade were hand-made

by Caribbean students, including the costumes worn by other organizations like the women’s basketball team.

Auguste praised his fellow Caribbean students on spending the time and effort to make the costumes, noting that “we have quite a bit of talent� at MSU. Sororities such as Kappa Delta Chi, Chi Omega and Alpha Kappa Alpha supported the event.

The Chi Omega sorority marched in the parade after hearing about the festivities. “I’ve always heard of the good food, the music and the parade,� said Krissy Boxell, senior Chi Omega member. “We’re excited to come out.�

CSO received help from other international organizations, like the African Student Organization, who saw Caribfest as an opportunity to get in costume to support spreading cultural awareness for the Caribbeans and their own countries.

ASO sophomore Kweku Larbi was one such participant, clad in brown traditional garb, who came out to spread awareness of his culture. “I want to show African culture through the Caribbean events,�

Larbi said. “It feels good to represent your country and continent.�

The parade started on Nocona Drive, between the Prothro-Yeager and football field parking lots, and made its way through campus passing by Moffett Library, the Dillard School of Business and the McCullough Trigg Dorms before stopping at the Clark Student Center.

Freshman Emily Baudot said she enjoyed the parade, citing the music, dancing and said the costumes were memorable. “It was pretty cool they had the music and dance party in the back of parade,� Baudot said. “The costumes were really neat as well.�

Following the parade, guests and students were given time to grab some Caribbean food for $5 and find a seat surrounding the concrete stage in Sunwatcher Plaza. The stage was flanked on each side with crafted coconut trees and the Caribbean students performed traditional dances full of energy, songs and poetry in the Caribfest Culture Show.

Honors Program Coordinator Hillary Sommerhauser-Coenen expressed enthusiasm for the food. “It smells fantastic,� she said with a wide smile.

Sophomore Tori Shores said, though she came out to experience Caribfest, the best part, up to the culture show, was the food. “Food,� Shores stated without

any hesitation. “The food is the best part so far!�

After a three-hour break, the festivities kicked back into gear with the Glow Party at the OEC/Sikes Lake Center.

According to Auguste, the theme of the party is popular in the Caribbean. “You dress in white, come out to have a good time and you glow,� Auguste said.

The Sikes Lake Center was decorated for the occasion with balloons, streamers and glossy pearl cloths hanging from the ceiling.

For $7, guests could dance to Caribbean music provided by students and non-local DJs, including DJ Altitude, DJ Stulla and DJ Jime.

Refreshments were also provided.

According to Frederick, the first 50 people through the door would be given masquerade masks.

For Auguste, Frederick and the Caribbean students, the months of hard work and countless late nights preparing for these three weeks is

ultimately about providing a unique international experience. “We want people to experience something different,� Auguste said. “We want them to get a feel of the Caribbean without being there, you know. Seeing the people come out to experience a new culture is the greatest satisfaction for me.�

The effort on behalf of CSO and all the organizations involved was not unnoticed by campus authority figures.

Rogers said he applauded the hard work and dedication shown by CSO in putting together Caribfest.

He also expressed a great appreciation for the Caribbean students and large international presence on campus. “I love it!� Rogers exclaimed. “The Caribbean program adds so much culture to our campus and our school. If our students can’t go away for school, we sure can bring other cultures here.�

Adrie Letang is this year’s Ms. Caribfest Photo by HANWOOL LEE

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Wednesday — October 10, 2012

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Falling in love with John Cariani’s “Almost, Maine” Hannah Hofmann Editor-In-Chief

Young love found, destroyed and left behind in one magical night in the middle of a winter wonderland was portrayed in John Cariani’s play, “Almost, Maine” by the talents of the MSU Theatre Department.

The audience got a glimpse of the life of 19 different characters, who are all connected through the place they live or visit, the deepest part of Maine, as far north as one could possibly travel in the United States.

Saturday night saw a half-filled theater that was quick to laugh at Rhonda (Anna Spivey), a character who had never been kissed before, in scene eight, but also sat in silence when Gayle (Kierra Jefferson) asked Lendall (Marcus Jones) in scene four to return all East (Houston Pokorny) and Glory (Nicole Neely) in “Her Heart.” of the love she had given him Photo Courtesy of MSU THEATRE DEPARTMENT over the years.

Marci (Kaci Brown) and Phil (De- nic and lighting design by Don Each couple displayed had it.

One might have had his or her von Farnsworth) try to find out Henschel and sound design by their own scene, which lasted an heart broken, like Glory (Nicole in scene six, or why they wasted Wendi Wainscott. If the audiestimated 15 minutes each.

Neely) in scene one, or is longso much time before they real- ence hadn’t felt as if they were in The theater students seemed ing for a past lover, just as Jimmy ized who they truly love, just as the magical middle of nowhere, to fit their roles perfectly, awaken(Parker Arnold) in scene two.

Hope (Morgan Burkley) in scene they sure did when the northern ing their character to life through One might think they can’t seven. lights appeared in scene one “Her body language as well as spoken feel anything, like Steve (Carter The audience could relate to at Heart.” word.

Wallace) in scene three, or be least one of the characters, if not “Almost, Maine” opened the This is truly what made the unaware of the deep love that many.

2012-13 theater season. The play work and what brought it is carried within oneself, just The stage design was done ardepartment will be performing close to the heart of the audias Randy (Greg Meisinger) and tistically well, fitting each of the “The Bacchae”

by Euripides in ence.

Chad (Maxwell Norris) discover different locations without havNovember, “Sweeney Todd” by As love is such a complicated in scene five. ing to change any of the major Stephen Sondheim and several issue, most people are aware that One might wonder where the props.

What really set the mood student-produced one-act plays there are many different parts to love went they once felt, like during the play was the sce- in the spring.

Students adore play madison stanfill staff writer

On Thursday, the Midwestern State Theatre Department began their four-day run of John Cariani’s “Almost Maine” in Bea Wood Studio Theatre.

The play, directed by Laura Jefferson, ran once a day at 7:30 p.m. from Thursday to Saturday, with a final showing Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

The play takes place in Almost, Maine, a city that lies outside of the organized territories of Maine. The citizens of Almost portray love in its different stages in the form of miniature scenes or vignettes. The subject matter of the scenes ranged from a break-up of a marriage that’s lost its love to the declaration of first love.

The play was well received by many students that went to see it.

“It’s mostly amusing, sometimes sad and a bit touching all throughout,” senior Katelyn Baker said.

Baker had heard about the play from her English professor, who had encouraged his students to attend to support the theatre department, and was pleasantly surprised by just how much she enjoyed it.

“I found it very touching,” Baker said. “There was one part where I had tears in my eyes.

They didn’t fall, but they were there nonetheless.”

Another student, Katie Parker, found the play to be touching, but at the same time almost too much so.

“There were some parts that I felt to be too sweet for my taste,” Parker said. “But I still very much enjoyed it.”

Others embraced the play wholeheartedly as a message of what could be, such as Hannah Blasdel.

“It was simply magical,” Basdel said.

Cast member Houston Pokorny reinforced the message that the play was trying to convey.

“It’s all about love at first sight, and the possibility that love can occur at any time to anyone,” Porkorny said.

Porkorny plays a man who discovers a recent widow, played

by Nicole Neely, sitting on his lawn in the middle of the night in hopes of catching a glimpse of the Northern Lights.

“Love can occur even at the most unexpected time,” Porkorny said.

Peace, Love & Lipgloss Several shades of gray to get you through fall

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick – Sterling ($24 at Sephora.com)

Rachel Bingham print advertising manager

Cool weather has blown into town and everyone is bundling up in warm coats and fun scarves. With the new temperature change comes a fresh season for fashion, which means it’s time to turn over our makeup color palettes. So dump the pastels and reach for the cool tones, because gray has taken over as the hot color for fall and there are multiple ways to wear it! It’s great for anyone, and with so many tones out there, every girl can find a shade right for her.

EYE SHADOW

Sweeping gray across your lids is the most common way to wear this fabulous color. And with shades from sterling to matte purple-gray to deep gunmetal, you can wear gray daily and still have a different look! That being said, a popular style for the season is a soft, smoky gray eye with shiny, burgundy lips.

SILVER Maybelline Eye Studio Color Pearls – Silver Spark ($5.94 at Target) Stila Eye Shadow – Twilight ($18 at Ulta)

WARM, PALE GRAY Maybelline Expert Wear Eye Shadow Quad – Charcoal Smokes, lid color ($4.99 at Target) Mary Kay Cream Eye Color – Glacier Gray ($16 at Marykay. com) Urban Decay Eyeshadow Mushroom ($18 at Ulta) CHARCOAL Pixi Lid Last Shadow Pen – Graphite Glint ($18 at Target) Lorac Eye Shadow – Dreamy ($19 at Ulta) Clinique Lid Smoothie Antioxidant 8-Hour Eye Colour – Lick-orice ($19.50 at Dillard’s) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream - 1 Anthracite ($23 at Sephora.com)

EYELINER

Gray eyeliner is a great way to make any eye color pop and define eyes while avoiding the harshness of black.

NYX Slide On Eye Pencil – Gun Metal ($7.99 at Ulta) Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes - 21L Dark Metallic Grey or 22L Silvery Grey ($18 at Sephora. com) Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner – Revolver ($19 at Ulta) Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner ($20 at Ulta)

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LIPS

This is definitely a jump from the natural, go-to gray eye shadow, and it takes a brave soul to test out black or gray lip color.

Sephora Collection Ultra Shine Lip Gloss - 27 Reflex Black Energy ($14 at Sephora.com) Urban Decay Lip Junkie – Perversion ($19 at Ulta) Make Up For Ever Lab Shine Lip Gloss - M2 Chrome Grey Pearl or M0 Chrome Onyx ($18 at Sephora.com) Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss – Repulse or Galactic ($20 at Sephora.com)

NAILS

Finally, paint on your nails with a light sterling or cool gray to go with any outfit!

Sephora by OPI Betsey Johnson Nail Colour – Sparkling Personality (SALE - $5 at Sephora. com) Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Color – Pedal to the Metal or Black Platinum ($5.99 at Target) Essie Lux Effects – Set in Stones ($7.79 at Target) Sephora by OPI Nail Colour –Frankly I Don’t Give A-Dam ($9.50 at Sephora.com)

vye What ideas would you like to read about?

Email Wichitan@mwsu.edu

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Freedom to Read Brandi Stroud Online Ad Manager

This past week marked 30 years of celebrating Banned Books Week as librarians, booksellers, publishers, teachers and readers stood up against censorship and proudly expressed their freedom to read.

Banned Books Week was established in 1982 to protect reader’s rights to free and open access to information, specifically books.

Many books have been challenged or banned with the best of intentions; however, no matter the reason, it is still a form of censorship which cannot be allowed.

Simply attempting to remove or restrict material from a library or school curriculum because one person or a small group does not agree with the contents, or feel the need to protect someone, typically children, is a violation of our First Amendment rights as well as the Author’s rights.

Over the last 30 years, thousands of books have made it to Top 5 Banned/Challenged Classics

the banned or challenged lists for various reasons such as having sexually explicit content, foul language or unsuitable content for a certain age group or all age groups.

Some other reasons may surprise you. The Merriam Webster and American Heritage dictionaries were placed on the banned list by some schools for defining the term “oral sex.”

Twilight was even banned, not because of its bad writing, but for its religious view points and sexually explicit content deeming it unsuitable for certain age groups.

The classic novel by John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, has been on the banned books list and was even burned by some citizens because of its vulgar content and negativity towards political views.

Of course, the most challenged book this past year has to be the popular erotica novel Fifty Shades of Grey.

Despite the reasons a person

may have for banning a book, restricting someone’s ideas and thoughts or banning people from reading those ideas and thoughts because you simply do not agree with them, do not understand or do not wish to understand, is an abuse of our First Amendment rights as Americans and our freedom to think for ourselves.

We celebrate Banned Books Week to lift up those authors who have challenged us to think and view the world in a new perspective.

Books are a fantastic way to entertain oneself, but also a powerful tool to educate on topics such as teen suicide, sex, drugs and abuse that many turn a blind eye to.

Books can be an escape and a safe haven.

That is why we need to stand up against censorship, not just once a year, but all year so that we can protect what is most precious – the freedom to express our ideas and to share those ideas with others.

Top 5 Surprising Books on the Others you may know that Banned/Challenged List have made it to the list:

The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins

The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Stephen Chbosky

James and the Giant Peach Roald Dahl

The Lord of the Rings J.R.R. Tolkien

Little Women Louisa May Alcott

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone J.K. Rowling

The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee The Color Purple Alice Walker

A Light in the Attic Shel Silversteing

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Wednesday — October 10, 2012

Jackson leads Mustangs to victor y Orlando Flores, jr.

A&E EDITOR

The No. 13 Midwestern State Mustangs had another explosive game Thursday night, as they trounced the No. 18 West Alabama Tigers 42-27 at Tiger Stadium.

“I felt like the team played the best football that they’ve played all year in this game,” Coach Bill Maskill said. “We practiced the way that we wanted to play, and it paid off.”

The Mustangs’ victory was their second win in five days, having played Incarnate Word the previous Saturday.

“Everything speeds up when you play a Thursday game,” Maskill said. “You have the time to rest during the traveling, but you lose a day of practice - it’s a trade off.”

Once again, the Mustangs’ running game was the catalyst to the offense, as they chalked up a total of 348 yards on 44 carries for six touchdowns. Keidrick Jackson posted 193 yards on the Tigers, along with three touchdowns.

“I’m not sure if that was his career best,” Maskill said. “But he’s been running the ball well the last few weeks and doing everything

that’s asked of him. He’s breaking tackles and always keeps moving.

It also helps that the line is making good blocks for him.”

Quarterback Brandon Kelsey also aided the Mustangs’ charge on the ground with 16 carries for 119 yards and three touchdowns.

Despite the dominating final score, the Mustangs did not get off to a great start in the first half.

The two teams traded blows throughout the first half, until a late drive for West Alabama ended in a 4-yard touchdown

by Tyler O’Neal thrown by Gary Johnston to put the Tigers ahead 21-14.

The following kick return from Chauncey Harris ended in a fumble in Mustangs’ territory forced by the Tigers’ Keith Gibson. With 10 seconds left on the clock, Ryne Smith kicked a 40-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 24-14 lead.

This was the first time all season the Mustangs went into half-time trailing their opponents.

“I told them that we still had two quarters left to play at halftime,” Maskill said. “We needed to go out there and play the way we knew we could play. They

took on the challenge quarter-byquarter and they won because of it.”

But the second half saw the Mustangs come out reinvigorated, as the defense held the Tigers to a lone field goal kicked in the fourth quarter, while Jackson led his offensive onslaught by scoring all three of his touchdowns in the second half.

The Mustangs now stand at 4-1 overall and 3-1 in Lone Star Conference play at the halfway mark for the season.

“Our goal is to take the rest of the season game-by-game and to always look for a win,” Maskill said. “This week, we’re looking to make sure we’re ready mentally and physically, as well as improving on a few things.”

While the Mustangs have had an impressive season so far, Maskill said he does believe there is still room for improvement.

“We’ve got to do a lot better with the passing game,” he said.

“We also need to limit our turnovers and get a little stronger on defense.”

Saturday’s Homecoming game will kickoff at 7 p.m. at Memorial Stadium as they host the Angelo State Rams.

Brandon Kelsey hands the ball off to Ricky Collins.

File photo by BEKAH TIMM

Manchester United recuperate by defeating Newcastle United

DAMIAN ATAMENWAN SPORTS EDITOR

Zach Gillen makes a quick snatch.

Photo by LISA WENDORF

Frisbee team hosts scrimmage Joel Smith staff writer

MSU’s Ultimate Frisbee Club made history by hosting a scrimmage for the first time.

University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) and Wayland Baptist University made the trip to Wichita Falls to compete on Oct. 6th.

The Ultimate Frisbee Club (UFC) was created two years ago in the fall of 2010 and formed a traveling team called Cavalry in

the spring of 2011.

Since its birth in fall 2010, the UFC has grown in numbers, competed against teams from across America and has gotten involved with school activities.

Members of the club play Ultimate every Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in the quad.

Despite losing to UTD, the UFC was still excited to see how much the sport of Ultimate has grown on campus.

Club President Bryce Henderson said he is pleased with how the club has grown and matured.

“As people get more involved and the club identity continues to develop,” Henderson said, “the sport of Ultimate will keep getting bigger here at MSU.” Cavalry’s next tournament will be at UTD Oct. 20-21.

Henderson said anyone who is interested in learning about the sport is encouraged to check it out.

Manchester United should be thrilled with last weekend’s English Premier League outcome after bouncing back from a brief setback at Old Trafford to claim three well-deserved points.

Tottenham Hotspurs had visited the Red Devils and left the stadium with a 3-2 victory. Jan Vertonghen, Gareth Bale and Clint Dempsey scored for the Spurs in that order while Luis Nani and Shinji Kagawa slid in one goal apiece.

Nevertheless, the Red Devils were able to redeem themselves by obliterating Newcastle at St. James’ Park. Sir Alex Ferguson implemented the diamond formation, which seemed to work out well for his side.

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United’s first goal came in the eighth minute from a corner kick, which Robin van Persie forced and took. Jonny Evans got on the scoreboard first with a majestic header that left the ball resting in the Toon’s goal.

The fans were yet to be entertained in a similar fashion. Wayne Rooney watched Steve Harper block his free-kick attempt before going ahead to take the resulting corner kick.

Patrice Evra came running forward just in time to nick a header to double United’s lead after 15 minutes of play.

While the visitors were pleased with their scoreboard domination, Howard Webb was doling out yellow cards as a practice of strict refereeing. Kagawa, Rio Ferdinand and van Persie picked up bookings within 10 minutes.

Cheick Tioté and Jonás Gutiérrez also picked up yellow cards in the first half as their tackles were not approved by Webb.

United forwards were having an off-day until Thomas Cleverly defined clever in the 71st minute with a curled shot that whizzed past Harper.

Though Cleverly’s goal seemed like a cross, it was good enough to secure the Red Devil’s away victory.

Across town from United, Manchester City had a similar victory over Sunderland at the Ethihad.

Thanks to respective goals from Aleksandar Kolarov, Sergio Agüero and James Milner, the “noisy neighbours” were able to snatch three points to be level with United on the table.

Meanwhile about 210 miles

away, Chelsea was fighting to remain on top of the table. It seemed more like bullying as the Blues lashed Norwich 4-1 at Stamford Bridge.

Grant Holt gave the Canaries the lead in the 11th minute but Chelsea would eventually come back. Fernando Torres sent home the equalizer in the 14th minute while Frank Lampard made it 2-1 six minutes later.

Eden Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic scored the third and fourth to emphasize Chelsea’s victory.

Fellow Londoner and topfour contender Arsenal had a good game as well at the Boleyn Ground.

The Gunners were able to hammer three goals past West Ham United even though the Hammers scored the opener.

Olivier Giroud was intrigued with his first goal for Arsenal, which cancelled Mohamed Diame’s 21st minute wonder goal.

Theo Walcott’s remarkable speed rewarded him with topnotch goal that spelled impending doom for the Hammers.

Santi Carzola wrapped the game up in the 83rd minute with a fantastic chip over the goalkeeper.

Manchester United, who is second place on the league table, will host Stoke City on Oct. 20 in the team’s next Premiership appearance.

Stay in touch with the world’s best league on Sky Sports, Fox Soccer and BBC.

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8

Wednesday — October 10, 2012

Luke Joyce reaches regional semifinals DAMIAN ATAMENWAN SPORTS EDITOR

Luke Joyce, a senior tennis player, displayed an impressive performance by getting as far as the semifinals in the ITA South Central Regional in Abilene.

Joyce said he was appreciative of his display in Abilene as he outplayed some of his rivals.

“I think I did pretty well,” he said. “I beat some guys I haven’t beaten before, like the number two seed who I played in the round of 16. I beat him in straight sets, which is good for me.”

Although Joyce had a strenuous day, he was able to beat one of his toughest opponents from previous matches. Bruno Tiberti, from Oklahoma Christian University, was the second seed and who Joyce played the third round.

“I played my first match at 5 a.m. in the indoor courts as a result of rain,” Joyce said. “I got some sleep at the hotel before getting back on court in the morning to play against Bruno, which I always knew was going to be a tough match.”

Head Tennis Coach Scott Linn said he thought Joyce did remarkably in spite of the havoc the weather tried to wreak.

“Luke had a fantastic composure when players tried to make runs at him,” Linn said. “He displayed excellent serving and de-

thewichitan.com — your campus / your news

Pride & Joyce

fined offense. He did a very good job of handling the schedule adjustments because of the rain and actually finished his second round match at 1:30 a.m. Saturday night.”

Subsequent to Joyce’s conquest over Tiberti was another 6-3, 6-0 victory over St. Mary’s Zach Nicholson in the quarterfinals.

Although he was unable to make it past the semifinals, Joyce said he saw this accomplishment as a great improvement from previous seasons.

“As a freshman, I made it to the round of 16,” he said.

“Going two rounds past that was really good for me. It shows all the hard work I have put in the past few seasons has really paid off.”

According to Joyce, the tournament is also a learning experience and he hopes to improve on his play with time.

“It’s only the beginning,” he said. “Obviously I didn’t win the tournament so there are things I need to work on and that’s what I have learned. I need to keep working hard to get there.”

The Mustangs are looking forward to the Collin County Tournament this weekend as the players and coaches expect it to be a great tournament.

“It is normally a good tournament at Collin County,” Linn said. “My expectation is that we continue to get better and build each week.”

With a regional semifinals win

e thwichitan

under his belt, Linn said he has plans to get the team fit enough for the next event.

“We are preparing for the tournament by making some adjustments to our in-match routines, increasing the level in practice, and making gains in our fitness,” he said. “The players have been great and very receptive to making adjustments as needed.”

Staying focused and practicing intensively are what Joyce said his plans are now to be as good or even better than he was in Abilene.

“I need to focus and work hard every day, especially while training,” he said. “I expect to make a good run again like I did at the ITA Regional.”

Even though Joyce said he expects a tough opponent, he expects his teammates to perform well also.

“I’d expect my teammates to at least get to the second round of the tournament,” he said. “It is sometimes luck of the draw.

Sometimes you’d come up against a strong opposition in the first or second round.”

The ITA Regional seems to have motivated Joyce as he thirsts for greater opportunities to make an impact.

“The regional was a huge motivation to really work hard to get to the finals but it is one match at a time,” he said. “I’ll just have to focus on winning the first match right now.”

Luke Joyce.

Photo by DAMIAN ATAMENWAN

Golf teams eager to win more tournaments DAMIAN ATAMENWAN SPORTS EDITOR

The Midwestern State golf teams had quite an eventful semester with men and women’s sides competing in two tournaments apiece.

The Charles Coody West Texas Invitational was the men’s first tournament of the season and the Mustangs finished eighth overall with a total score of 591.

Freshman Santiago Gomez tied for 17th as he shot a 69 the first day and a 76 the second.

Sophomore Derek Oland placed 24th after shooting a 69 and a 77.

“We’re disappointed with the first tournament because we finished eighth but we bounced back at the Territory which we finished third,” said Jeff Ray, head golf coach. “I really believe we’re among the top seven or eight teams in the region.”

After a run of the mill performance at West Texas, the Mustangs made an excellent improvement, which was evident as they placed third with 605 at the Territory Classic in Duncan, Oklahoma.

Raine Copeland.

Photo by DAMIAN ATAMENWAN

Preceding Midwestern State were the University of Incarnate Word (603) and Abilene Christian University (604).

“We were two shots out of first,” Ray said. “The team played really well.”

Oland and Gomez did not fail to impress Ray at the Territory Classic as they led the Mustangs on the scoreboard. Oland shot a 75 the first day and a 72 the second day as he tied for fourth while Gomez tied for ninth with a 74 and a 76.

Raine Copeland also had an impressive golf game with 75-77 at 18th. Jeremy LeGuen (78-80), Antonio Herran (76-92) and Ian Gallagher (81-87) tied for 41st, 63rd and 63rd respectively.

“We played like one of the top teams at the territory even if we didn’t play like it at Abilene,” Ray said. “We hope to be more consistent as we look forward to great tournaments.”

MSU will be hosted by Texas A&M Commerce on the Tribute Golf Course in Dallas on Nov. 4 - 6.

The 13th ranked women’s team finished second out of 14

teams at the Lady Buff Stampede hosted by West Texas A&M University. The Lady Mustangs were four strokes out of first with a total of 623 while Lubbock Christian won the tournament with a score of 619.

Kendra Whittley finished second with a score of 73-76.

“She had a great tournament,” commented Ray. “She had a chance to win it all.”

Lauren Romines ended up at 15th as she shot an 81-76. Lindsay Burkhart shot a 78-80 and placed 18th.

The women’s team had an individual contender who finished 41st after shooting 87-78. Freshman Kynzee Mann participated in the tournament mainly to kick off her collegiate golfing career.

“This is a good tournament to get her feet wet,” Ray said. “We didn’t have to worry about a team score but that’s a good way sometimes to get them started.”

MSU then participated in the Angelo State Concho River Classic where the women’s team finished 2nd below the No. 4 St. Edwards.

Women’s golf beat the No. 5

ranked Tarleton State University by three strokes. The team’s total was 300 the first day and 303 the second. Whittley had another great tournament as she tied for fifth after shooting 77-72 for a total of 149. Moore was able to tie for ninth with a 75-75 finish.

“They really have the chance to win every tournament they go to,” Ray said. “They are very talented golfers.”

The women’s golf team will play the Dallas Baptist tournament from Oct. 14-16 and the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Tournament at Cameron University Oct. 21-23.

“My expectations for the girls are very high,” Ray said. “We finished in the top 15th in the nation last year and I have them all back.”

Ray said he intends to practice hard with the teams as they try to overcome their weaknesses.

“We’ll need to practice every day and work on our weaknesses,” he said. “We try to stay sharp by playing a lot and spending a lot of time as a team out there chipping and putting.”

MSU places second at Sikes Senter Cross Countr y Carnival DAMIAN ATAMENWAN SPORTS EDITOR

The weather outside was frightful, but the Midwestern State cross country team was able to fire up enough energy to be placed second at the Sikes Senter Cross Country Carnival Saturday morning.

However, Head Cross Country Coach Koby Styles claimed that the weather actually worked out well for the team.

“The cold weather, minus the wind, is ideal,” he said. “We prefer to run when it’s cooler than when it’s hot.”

Brittany Adams, who placed fourth overall, led the Lady Mustangs as she clocked 23:41.56.

The freshman was followed by Abigail Gonzalez (23:42.97) and Maira Salinas (23:45.13) at fifth and sixth respectively.

“I think we could have done

a little better,” Styles said. “We went out a little conservative.”

Styles also explained that the length of the course affected the girls’ performance at the meet.

MSU probably would have won the competition had it been a shorter race.

“It was a longer race than most of the girls are used to,” he said. “We have a young team and are still getting used to the distance.”

Tylo Farrar placed ninth for Midwestern after clocking 23:52.49, while Ana Lopez (24:19.49) and Nadia Majed (24:28.26) placed 12th and 13th correspondingly.

“If we had gone a little bit aggressively, the result would have been different,” Styles said.

Other runners include Cara Mack (24:43.75), Alex Kohrs (24:52.27), Heather Ow-

ens (25:06.73), Carrie Finson (25:56.35) and Danielle Androes (26:47.23).

MSU’s total running time was 1:59:22.09, with the runners clocking an average of 23:52.42.

Central Oklahoma placed first overall with a total of 1:59:49.51 and an average of 23:57.91.

Midwestern State will focus their attention on the Lone Star Conference that will be hosted

by Cameron University on Oct. 20. In preparation of this great event, Styles held out four top runners to get them rested for their upcoming meet.

MSU has a chance to win its fifth straight conference championship, a challenge which Styles and his team have accepted.

“Our season starts now,” he said. “We are all about winning the championships. That’s going to be our main goal.”

The Midwestern State cross country team.

Photo by KERRI CARTER