Feb. 13, 2019 by The Wichitan

Feb. 13, 2019 | Midwestern State University | thewichitan.com | Your Campus. Your News. | Vol. 83 No. 18

PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN

Prothro-Yeager car park, Feb. 12. Photo by Bridget Reilly

SGA OFFICIALS AGREE TO OMIT PARKING- FEES: AT WHAT COST? CLARISSA ALVARADO REPORTER

t the Student Government Association meeting Feb. 4, university officials discussed three topics that will impact all students on campus: parking fees, recycling and tuition.

NEW “SECURITY FEE”

Keith Lamb, vice president of student affairs, and Valerie Maxwell, interim vice president for administration and finance, discussed increases in fees. One change they presented, a change proposed by SGA President Ellie Gunderson, was the creation of a security fee — $50 per long-term semester and $25 per summer semester — to replace the $110 parking fee. Under this proposal, students would no longer be required to display a parking decal, but all students would have to pay the fee, generating about $700,000 in income for parking and “campus safety needs.” At a later meeting, University President

Suzanne Shipley said, “There’s now a lot more cost around security. In doing that, it makes the security $50 and parking was over $100 and the security fee is available for financial aid. Because it’s a fee that distributes across all students and you don’t have a choice if you pay it or not, if you enroll that gets added to your cost of attendance. You can have aid for it. So there will be some students that won’t have to pay the whole $50, but with parking they had to pay the whole parking [fee].” This fee has been approved by SGA and could be taking effect in September 2019. The fee has increased over the last three years. Shipley said, “The parking fee kept going up so that we could afford to keep paving lots and build a parking deck in a few years. And there are a lot of costs associated with parking and being at the university that every student takes advantage of. The parking fee pays for the police. And the whole concept of security is a whole lot different than it use to be.” She also said university officials have had to hire several new staff members for comput-

er security. “We decided to take what was a fairly large parking fee that was a applied to only those who parked and turn it into a security fee that every student would pay because every student takes advantage of a lot of the things that the parking fee paid for,” Shipley said. These changes will be proposed to the Board of Regents later this month and Lamb said the decision would be finalized in May.

RECYCLING

During the meeting, senators voted for SGA to use $5oo for recycling services for the semester. Jose Torres, SGA secretary and bilingual education junior, said the plan is to connect with the city to offer recycling services on campus again. “It is going to be more expensive, but SGA will provide some of that money,” Torres said. Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Lamb said he will find the remaining $1,500 to return recycling services on campus.

TUITION

Lamb and Maxwell also discussed a proposal to increase tuition costs. While current students have their tuition rates (not fees) locked in, incoming freshmen would be paying $2,033.25 per semester for 15 hours compared to $1,995 in university designated tuition this year. State tuition rates would not change.

STUDENT OPINIONS

Vanessa Quinones, radiology freshman, said tuition fees going up is something that caught her attention during the meeting. “I guess it’s kind of fair since we are getting new things on campus. A lot of people do recycle so I think [the recycling bins] should be brought back on campus.” J.J. Dougherty, education senior, said parking decals and recycling caught his attention. “The parking decals are really expensive. I would like to see [recycling bins] all over campus.”

2 | Feb. 13, 2019| S TAF F E DI T O R I A L

New security fee has pros and cons OUR VIEW: The Wichitan staff believe that getting rid of the parking decals and replacing it with a security fee has pros and cons.

ue to a new parking fee arrangement proposed at the Student Government Association meeting by Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Lamb and Interim Vice President for Administration and Finance Valerie Maxwell Feb. 4, parking fees may be changed into security fees. This proposal was approved by SGA, but will be presented to the Board of Regents this month. If finalized, it could be put into affect in September 2019. With the removal of the parking fees and decals parking will turn into a free-for-all. This could be a good thing for commuters and campus living students alike. Campus living students have some parking advantages when it comes to the parking lot behind Prothro-Yeager. Opening this parking to commuters will allow them to have closer parking that they don’t usually have access to. Campus living students would also be able to park in commuter parking when necessary, making it easier than running across campus when running late. While driving students have been paying a parking fee and were expecting it to continue increasing. This will make non-driving students fees increase. The security fee will make it a set cost of $50 per long semester and $25 per summer semester.

wichitan Vol. 83 | No. 18

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Environment should be a priority on campus B

ack in 2014, I had the privilege of hosting a Philosophy Club panel discussion with professors Rebecca Dodge (Environmental Science) and Lucy Schultz (Philosophy) on environmental science and ethics. It was, one longtime faculty member told us during the Q&A, the first public discussion about environmental stewardship she recalled ever openTodd ly occurring on our campus. Giles Then, in 2015, we held another public discussion on Earth Day during the Celebration of Scholarship. The panel, titled “Getting Involved in Conservation on Campus and in the Community,” addressed issues such as whether or not being pro-business conflicts with being pro-environment, what students can do to help “green” our campus, and whether or not we have an ethical obligation to participate in activities such as recycling and conscientious consumerism. One of the things I most remember about my colleagues was how flabbergasted we all were, as graduates of larger universities, that MSU did nothing to even feign interest in the environment — no paper, plastics or aluminum recycling, not rainwater collection (even though we were in the midst of a record draught), no solar power, no yard and tree waste

recycling; nothing. Our befuddlement was, at least temporarily it seems, somewhat alleviated when MSU soon brought the Waste Connections recycling bins to campus. As I said in 2015, universities have an ethical duty to uphold the beacon of knowledge and social and scientific progress not only for their students, but also for the communities in which they thrive. Having invested nearly seven years of passion, energy and money in both our campus and regional community, I can honestly say that I am ashamed of MSU for foisting this difficult and draconian budgetary decision upon Kyle Owen, the head of facilities services. If MSU truly does not have the funds to help protect our environment, much less teach our students about ethical stewardship, then I suggest we set up an account specifically designated for donations to cover the measly $4,596 The Wichitan reports that it costs to bring the recycling bins back to campus. Indeed, I stand ready as one Mustang to personally pledge to pay for half of the annual fee each year for the remainder of my career at MSU if that is what it takes to get the university to step up to our environmental and community obligations as a public liberal arts institution. Associate Professor of English

It’s good to know when to take a break T

wo years ago at community college, I decided to change my major. It was a hard conversation I had to have with myself, but a long time coming. I was in denial. While I was happy majoring in psychology and wanted to be a psychologist since middle school, my mind always went back to writing, poems and fashion magazines. I even thought about writChloe ing a book. However, because I was afraid of Phillips failing in the writing field, I played it safe and made it a hobby rather than a career. When I finally let go of psychology, I had another question: what should my major be now? Because I liked writing and thought it would be cool to work for a fashion magazine, I decided on majoring in journalism. After researching, I made a game plan. I needed to gain experience by joining a school newspaper and hopefully get an internship. In August 2017, I wrote my first story for The

Wichitan as a reporter, and helped with the paper as much as I could. My dedication paid off when I won the 2018 Vinson Award. Yet, I started to feel stressed and pushed myself even harder because what I thought was my dream was finally coming out the way I wanted it to. I was becoming successful. With that, I applied as a managing editor, and after briefly being an assistant editor I became a co-editor. However, with the new responsibilities, my grades started to slip, causing even more stress. With that, I decided to step back and focus on my grades. It was hard to step back because I became so invested in The Wichitan, I knew I had to get back on track to graduate on time. I also had to realize that while I wanted to build up my resume, I had to graduate to make the resume I had built actually mean something. I am thankful for the supportive staff members over the years and the opportunities (i.e. meeting Beto O’Rourke, and Becky Hammon) I experienced many things while being on staff. Mass communication junior

EDITORS: Alyssa Mitchell, Chloe Phillips

COPY EDITOR: Bridget Reilly

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DESIGNER: Brittni Vilandre ISSUE STAFF: Sharome Burton, Alana Earle, Brian Lang, Hunter Tyler, Clarissa Alvarado, Jason Wilson, Brianne Fournier, Justin Garner, Taylor Anderson

ADVISER: Bradley Wilson

The Wichitan is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association and the Associated Collegiate Press. The Wichitan reserves the right to edit any material submitted for publication. Opinions expressed in The Wichitan do not necessarily reflect those of the students, staff, faculty, administration or Board of Regents of Midwestern State University. The Wichitan welcomes letters of opinion from students, faculty and staff submitted by the Friday before intended publication. Letters should be brief (250 words or fewer) and without abusive language or personal attacks. Letters must be typed and signed by the writer and include a email address, telephone number and address.

| Feb. 13, 2019 | 3 TELEV ISION REVIEW

HAPPY

Valentine’s DAY Mustang Love MSU’s maroon, it’s also gold. Our mascot is youthful, courageous, bold. We love you Maverick, we love all you do To heighten our spirit—you ARE MSU! ♥ Suzanne Shipley, university president

PHOTO CURTESY IMBD

Ted Danson, Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, Manny Jacinto, Jameela Jamil, D’Arcy Carden, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste in The Good Place (2016)

‘The Good Place’ a heavenly comedy about philosophy W

hen Eleanor Shellstrop wakes up in heaven, she knows something is very wrong. That is the premise behind the hit comedy series “The Good Place.” Created by Michael Shur, the producer of hits like “Parks and Rec” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “The Good Place” has something for everyone: hilarious characBrian ters, a fast-paced story, and surprisingly, a lot Lang of philosophy. Let’s slow down. Eleanor Shellstrop (played by a loveable Kristen Bell) was a bad person. Not just a little bad, but a completely selfish and mean troublemaker. For example, she shamelessly sold fake medicine to old people and totally disregarded her designated driver duties to go sleep with a guy she just met. So it’s no surprise that when the perpetually bowtied architect of her new eternal neighborhood, Michael (Ted Danson), lauds her good deeds and welcomes her to paradise, Eleanor knows that something’s definitely not right. Eleanor is quickly paired with a soulmate, a person cosmically designed to be 100% compatible, named Chidi Anagonye, a moral philosophy professor who overanalyzes every little action he does. He mistakenly agrees to help Eleanor become a “good person” so that maybe she won’t be sent to The Bad Place and that’s where the fun begins. The mismatched duo is rounded out by Tahani Al Jamil (Jameela Jamil), a snooty British socialite who loves to namedrop her celebrity friends (Princess Diana is her godmother and Beyonce is her best friend) and is described as, “a big, beautiful, utterly perfect cartoon giraffe” by a very jealous Eleanor.

Tahani’s soulmate is Jiyanu Li, a Tibetan monk who upholds his vow of silence even while in this non-denominational heaven. Michael is assisted by a Siri-like entity named Janet (D’arcy Carden), who’s helpful fact-finding skills and brutal honesty keep Eleanor and the gang in their place. The beauty of “The Good Place” is in its relentless storytelling. Each 20-minute episode ends on a cliffhanger, constantly pushing the story forward in sometimes unexpected ways. The writers aren’t afraid to turn everything they’ve built on its head and blaze a new storyline, keeping the audience on their toes at all times. It’s a temptingly bingeable series and its pointed commentary about the modern world always seem fresh and relevant. “The Good Place” also has another thing going for it that few successful comedies can boast: philosophy, and a lot of it. While Chidi is teaching Eleanor the basics of moral philosophy, the audience is soaking it up as well, but surprisingly, it’s not boring. Somehow, Michael Schur and his team have found a way to make learning about Kierkegaard, Aristotle and Utilitarianism fun and interesting while not overloading on information. It’s a delicate balance that might just leave you spouting out a thoughtful discussion on Existentialism at your next dinner party. So settle in for your moral philosophy lesson disguised as a critically-acclaimed sit-com. “The Good Place” is a great option for those Netflixers who settle for rewatching “The Office” for the hundredth time and its zig-zagging plot twists will you keep you hooked from the start. The first two seasons of “The Good Place” can be found on Netflix.

Jonathan, Aubra, Marissa, Ari and Amy, we ♥ you guys and are so happy to have you as a part of the Frank & Joe’s family!

Marla, congrats on your new position! You’re the best! ♥ You! ♥ Jessica E. Dr. Manly, keep building those future Entrepreneurs! You’re an inspiration to us all!

♥ Your Fav IdeaWF Judge My greatest friend Braeden, you’re a good guy. You are hilarious with your dark humor. I have a good time when we play online together. You are my player two. ♥ Stephen The past four years have been a whirlwind of laughs and tears, but I wouldn’t change it for the world! I love you with all my heart!

♥ From Alyssa to Jair To Day, thank you for being my rock. Today’s gonna be a YES day! ♥ Quil This is for Alyssa, the most beautiful and smartest woman I’ve ever met in my life. Ever since we met, I have always loved you. ♥ Jair

4 | Feb. 13, 2019| A DAY IN THE LIFE

MATTHEW TEMPELMEYER

‘I try to put faith up on a podium, let it play into everything else’ JASON WILSON REPORTER

hether he’s teaching a room full of nine and ten year-olds or playing hard on the practice field, kinesiology and mathematics junior Matthew Tempelmeyer supplies the same goal oriented energy to everything he’s involved in. “Matt’s a guy who likes to be in control of the situation. He’s calm under pressure. A lot of times he was our quarterback in intramural football and he was our point guard in basketball,” Josiah Beshear, education sophomore, and friend of Tempelmeyer, said. Tempelmeyer has been very active during his time in college, and his bold and caring personality has drawn new friends to him. “Matthew and I met in high school. We both went to Rider. I remember him being a smaller kid and playing baseball, but we didn’t really talk much until he graduated and got into college. That’s when we really became friends his freshman year and my sophomore year,” Beshear said. Since the time he was young, sports has been an outlet for Tempelmeyer where he’s met many of his close friends. Connor Chamberlain, mathematics sophomore, said, “I’ve played a lot of sports with him over the years [like] basketball He’s always been a great guy and [is] always uplift-

ing. He’s a great all around guy.” Tempelmeyer grew up in Wichita Falls and attended Rider High School where he played varsity baseball for three and a half years, and basketball for a year. He continued into college at MSU with the guidance of his mother, Teresa Tempelmeyer, who teaches psychology. “I played a summer semester of college baseball until I had arm surgery and that went out the window. Now sports are an outlet to look back into that competitive side that I’ve always had. It’s always been an outlet,” Tempelmeyer said. Despite not playing for collegiate, Tempelmeyer stills remains active in sports by playing recreational games with friends in the Wellness Center and on the practice fields. He said he and his friends love to invite anyone who wants to come. “A lot of my time goes into playing whatever sports are available to me at the time — volleyball, basketball, whatever someone wants to play with me,” Tempelmeyer said. “We’ll send out a group chat to this big group we have and whoever shows up, shows up. We usually get a pretty good group to get a couple games going.” Tempelmeyer uses sports as a way to bond with others and form lasting relationships. He and his friends said they meet new friends,

and grow closer to each other through the times and words shared. “One of the most fun memories I have is we would always go and play basketball together up at Rider during Christmas break, which transformed into our intramural team,” Beshear said.” By inviting more people, Tempelmeyer creates opportunities for his friends to meet each other. Chamberlain said, “He’s very outgoing. With anyone new, he acts like he’s known them for the longest time. He’s easy to talk and to, friendly. He’s great at involving people in things, and anytime we get a group of friends together, he’s always the one organizing it. He’s good at bringing people together to make friends and have fun and stuff like that.” His love for people and his drive for achievement are transferred into his ministry to serve his Christian faith. “A lot of the things he does in sports correlate with his faith. He likes being on the front line in doing the work and being in the ministry, whether it means he gets to teach the fourth and fifth graders or if he has to baby sit,” Beshear said. “He’s content with doing whatever is needed of him. I’d say he’s one of the strongest leaders at his church, and he really holds an example to his peers on how to

act spiritually and how to go about the faith and learning it, making sure you know your scripture and where it came from not just a verse. He’s able to make it more applicable than most.” Tempelmeyer not only allows his natural character to impact his ministry, but his faith to impact his character. “The biggest thing in my life right now is church — working with the college ministry. Religion should be a focal point in people’s lives, whatever that looks like. I definitely try to make it [in my life],” Tempelmeyer said. “I try to put faith up on a podium, let it play into everything else and let it guide me to make better decisions.” Tempelmeyer has worked with Grace Church as a paid children’s ministry intern for the last two years. He has many responsibilities including helping run Sunday night church, and preparing and teaching messages for fourth and fifth graders on Wednesday nights. “I really love faith and working at my church. Anytime I want to study or work on something, I prioritize a devotional or bible reading for the lesson I’m teaching that week,” Tempelmeyer said.

| Feb. 13, 2019 | 5

Faculty to visit with legislators Feb. 15 HUNTER TYLER REPORTER

very other year in Texas, state legislators arrive in Austin for the biannual session. They’ll pass dozens of resolutions. They’ll review hundreds of bills. The resolutions and bills may change the face of higher education, including at MSU. To help keep college faculty and staff informed about upcoming issues, The Texas Association of College Teachers hosts a Legislative Day early in the session. “We as staff make arrangements with legislative offices. At the beginning of sessions, we go over our legislative agenda then we divide into groups so we can cover more offices. We then make those visits and get back together to share notes and then we as staff go over legislative questions,” Chuck Hempstead, TACT executive director said. The TACT Legislative Day allows Texas faculty members to talk with legislators about the issues that may affect them. Debbie Barrow, director of board and government relations, said she had never attended the event, but still provided some insight on the process. “They [TACT] will visit with key legislators and voice their opinions. They get faculty to go around and talk to legislatures about issues that affect them,” Barrow said. TACT lists the five main issues the officials will be fighting for on behalf of the Texas faculty. “Much of it is the same as what we all ask for. So, Dr. Shipley’s getting ready to testify next Tuesday in Austin, and she’ll be talking about some of those same issues,” Barrow said.

PUBLIC EDUCATION FUNDING

The big thing on the agenda is public education funding, to support increased investments to increase the number of college-ready freshman prepared to prosper in higher education. The House recently released its draft budget for the year, which included an additional $7 billion towards funding for public education. Hempstead clarified how he thought this additional funding would affect funding for higher education as well. “I’m concerned that when public education does well, higher education usually does not. It’s like a teeter-totter effect,” Hempstead said. On the other hand, Leia De La Garza, student regent, saw no issue with the additional public education funding.

“I would say that the House adding $7 billion is a great investment to public education. As long as the money is allocated for the projects outlined in the legislative agenda, I don’t see how there could be any obvious negative repercussions towards higher education,” De La Garza said.

PHOTO BY BRIANNE FOURNIER | THE WICHITAN

Camille Blanton, special education sophomore, plays with two dogs at the Wichita County Humane Society.

HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING

Due to the increased funding towards public education, sources believe this will result in no increased funding for higher education. “They won’t address higher education funding at all, the last I’ve seen. What I’m hearing is that they’re wanting to fix teacher salaries, that is a major topic for them. By spending that much money, there’s no money that’s going to go towards higher education,” Matthew Capps, dean of the department of education and TACT director-at-large, said. Capps also stated how he thought the lack of increased higher education funding would affect campus specifically. “I don’t think that it will have a negative affect. I don’t think they’re gonna come and say you have to give us money. For MSU, we’ve already asked for money for a new building, but I don’t think we’re gonna be in line anytime soon to get funding for that. Maybe five or six years ago they asked us to send money back to the state once we got our allotment. I don’t think that’s gonna happen again, but we’re for sure not gonna get more than we did,” Capps said. Capps provided some additional insight on how funding has changed over the years and how we compare to other states. “Twenty years ago, MSU was primarily 80 percent funded by the state and now, the last time I looked, we’re about 17 percent. In comparison to other states, I sometimes think we’re in bad shape, but it’s a lot worse than a lot of other places. Penn State for example, last time I looked they were at 6 percent state funded so nearly the entire university runs off of tuition and fees,” Capps said. Capps said we’re better off than other states. “Within the state, I would say we’re as well as everyone else. They’ll still be state universities, it’s just that they’re not going to put any money into them so they expect the institutions to fund themselves,” Capps said.

Students at Human Society play with pets to relieve stress BRIANNE FOURNIER REPORTER

t’s four weeks into the semester and students are feeling the stress. To break away from campus, students head to the Humane Society of Wichita County to volunteer. Students, including Camille Blanton, special education sophomore, find comfort in volunteering and getting to play with the animals, often relieving stress, and putting a smile on their face. Blanton said, “Being able to come out here in my free time is something I enjoy. Just knowing I’m able to give these animals a little bit more love makes me happy.” There are students coming and going through out the week. Blanton encourages more students to go and play with the animals. “You don’t have to stay all day, but once you’re here you will not want to leave,” Blanton said. Some students go frequently. Emily Anderson, nursing junior, is one of these people. “I try to go once a week. It definitely gives

me a break from classes. It’s a huge stress reliever to play with these animals,” Anderson said. “Making them happy, makes me happy and forget about the stress of assignments and tests.” With more than 60 dogs and 25 cats, students don’t need to worry about coming at a bad time. Ally Scruggs, adoption staff secretary, said she welcomes everyone. “We always have things for volunteers to do like walking the dogs and playing with the cats,” Scruggs said. “Saturday is our biggest volunteer day, but we could always use more people during the weekdays. Since adoption rates have gone down we have been pretty full.” Scruggs also wants people to know there is a lot of joy that comes from working with these animals. “I love being around the animals,” Scruggs said. “Many people ask me how I work here and just see them sit in the cages, but the best part is seeing them go to a home. You also grow bounds with them and you look forward to coming in to see them.”

6 | Feb. 13, 2019|

GAMERS UNIFY UNDER NEW ORGANIZATION

QUESTION O F T HE WE E K

Are you excited for Valentines day?

IT’S VALENTINES DAY ON CAMPUS AND LOVE IS IN THE AIR, OR IS IT? WE SAT DOWN WITH STUDENTS THIS PAST WEEK TO GET THEIR OPINION ON VALENTINES DAY. REPORTER| ALANA EARLE

JUSTIN GARNER REPORTER

here has always been a divide between casual and competitive gamers, but Mustangs Unified Gamers aims to change that. The new organization was created with the idea of an open environment for casual, competitive, and even non-gamers to all thrive and have fun together. Founder of MUG, art senior Isaiah Edwards, said that the intention behind the organization was to help bring people together. “We didn’t have a community for it here,” Edwards said. “With the growth of video games over the last few years, I felt like there needed to be something for gamers.” Edwards initial expectations for the group were pretty close, but reality and his continued expectations of growth haven’t been the same. “It was pretty close to what I expected it to be at the start,” Edwards said. “Some people would come to every meeting, and some would kind of just come in once or twice and then not come back. We did end the semester with seven members.” One of the first to join the organization was biology sophomore, Daniel Torres. “I started going to meetings before the organization was completely official, and for a while it was mainly just me, Isaiah, and John,” Torres said. “I expect it to continue to grow, but I can’t really say how fast.” Edwards explained further on the long-term intentions with the organization, bringing an environment where anyone can thrive. “Having both casual and competitive members is the ultimate end goal,” Edwards said. “There would be like casual days, where everyone is pretty welcome, and then there would be competitive days, where it’s mostly practice and getting better as a team or individual, depending on what it is.” Chad Callender, math freshman, said he doesn’t consider himself a gamer, but decided to join the group anyway. “I do setups for events, and the president, Isaiah, came in while I was setting up. He talked me into playing a little bit,” Callender said. Being a gamer isn’t the important thing for this organization. It’s the people. “I’m not really a gamer, so I asked myself ‘why did I even join?’ But the people are really cool and chill. I might even become a gamer, who knows,” Callender said. Torres feels that when he’s there he gets the feeling that they are alll there just for a good time, which is even better since it’s with friends. “There’s a sense of camaraderie, and everyone is there for a good time,” Torres said. “Doing anything is more fun with friends.” And for now, they keep it casual. “Right now, we pretty much just play party games and Smash (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate),” Edwards said. “We do also tend to stick with Nintendo, because it’s the ‘family’ console.”

PHOTO BY ALANA EARLE | THE WICHITAN

Computer science freshman Dakota Wilson and art freshman Grace Weaver make heart hands while eating Chick-Fil-A in Clark Student Center on Feb. 11. CRAIG GREGG, PSYCHOLOGY FRESHMAN |“I heckin’ love Valen-

LINDSEY SARABIA, EARLY EDUCATION JUNIOR |“It’s not a neg-

GRACIE PAYNE, MATH JUNIOR |“I just love Valentines because

ISIAH CONTRERAS, KINESIOLOGY SOPHOMORE |”Heck yeah

tines Day. I get candy, flowers and presents. I really love teddy bears. I already saw one at Walmart I want.” of all the love that goes around. It’s just always so happy and joyful.” ANGELICA VILLARREAL, SPANISH SOPHOMORE |“Yeah, I’ll

probably go out to the movies with friends.”

CHRYSA JACOBS, ART SENIOR |“No, I don’t like Valentines Day

because I have a bad memory of when my brother almost died [on Valentines Day].” ISAIAH EDWARDS, ART SENIOR |“No, I don’t like that my emo-

tions are being commercialized and everything costs too much.” ISSAC LIQUEZ, NURSING SOPHOMORE |“It’s important to be

ative day, no one’s making out in the streets. I’d rather spend it with children, it’s so much more innocent.” I’m excited, gotta spoil my baby girl on our special day. Our eighth month and our dog’s adoption anniversary are the day before, February 13th.” DASIA DANIELS, GENERAL BUSINESS FRESHMAN |“No, be-

cause I don’t have anybody. CashApp me though $daytyme100 and show some love.” SHAKIRA HERNANDEZ, CHEMISTRY AND PSYCHOLOGY SOPH-

OMORE |“Yeah, Valentines Day is always fun.”

BRENDA MORALES, HISTORY JUNIOR |“Yes. Who doesn’t love

chocolate?”

connected with your emotions and give physically to the ones you love.”

ROGELIO NUNEZ, PSYCHOLOGY JUNIOR |“No, not really, I’m

ETHAN HERDMAN, EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY FRESHMAN |“I like

SIANY KLOSS, STUDIO ART SOPHOMORE |“I am, I just feel like

Valentines Day. It gives me an excuse to spend money that I don’t need to.”

DARA CUNNINGHAM, EARLY EDUCATION JUNIOR |“It’s just an-

other day of the week.”

working.”

everyones a lot happier whether they’re in a relationship or not. Cheap chocolate and I go wild for holidays.”

| Feb. 13, 2019 | 7

PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN

Athletic training senior and catcher Jenna Hering practices catching with nursing senior and utility player Tucker Caraway. Hering has chosen to complete her senior year as a student-athlete in softball, playing as catcher for the Mustangs

Softball catches the heart of a trainer TAYLOR ANDERSON REPORTER

enna Hering, athletic training senior, adds collegiate softball catcher to her resume. Hering transitioned from being the team’s athletic trainer to player. She said she has always dreamed of being a student-athlete, but never had the opportunity. “Softball is always been my first love, [and] first sport,” Hering said. Hering had a strong support system under her including her family and Assistant Athletic Trainer Samantha Carter. “She is one of the best trainers that have come through my rotations. She was a very good student. She paid attention [and] she did all of her work. She studied hard, she did well on tests, [and] she showed overall interest,” Carter said. Last fall, Hering made Provost’s Honor Roll for maintaining a grade point average of between 3.75 and 3.99. As the season approached, Hering’s schedule went up another level. To maintain a balance between school, athletic training and softball she schedules everything in a planner including her 150 clinical rotation hours, classes and team practices. She also is in the middle of studying for the Board Of Certification exam, an exam focused on the entry level athletic training profession.

“She is a very self-driven and motivated person, but even more as an athlete,” Carter said. Focusing on athletic training for the past three years, through her clinical rotations, she was able to train with football, softball, golf, tennis and track. “She worked softball with me last season in the spring. She brought her glove to practice every day, she was involved with practice every day as an athletic training student and she was excited to get out there when she wasn’t even playing,” Carter said. Hering watched and shagged (retrieved) a couple of fly balls with her old high school glove, not knowing that one day she would need it, again. “Last year, I was with softball for my clinical rotation and, I would bring my glove and mess around. Sam would bring her glove too and we would throw [around] with each other,” Hering said. Hering started playing softball in first grade, but stopped after a horrible coaching experience. She then picked the sport back up her eighth-grade year and realized how much she loved the game. “I start playing my eighth grade year, and I was like ‘man I love this sport,’ and then I went to high school and I played all four years, and I was like ‘man I really love this

sport,’ so it has always been just fun for me,” Hering said. Hering said she decided to continue playing all the way up to her senior year at Luther Preparatory School in Watertown, Wisconsin. She took a break the past three years, wanting to focus on school and athletic training. “When I came to Midwestern, I didn’t want to try to walk on, then make it and make the hard decision of playing softball and trying to balance athletic training,” Hering said. So she decided to start playing intramural softball to fulfill her love for the game. One night, Softball Head Coach Mark Ryal saw her play a game and immediately wanted her on his team. The team was searching for another catcher and Hering was a perfect match. “I saw her play in some intramural games last year. Just watched her and always thought ‘well why didn’t she play college softball’,” Ryal said. At first, Hering thought that this was all a joke and worried about balancing athletic training and softball. However, Ryal worked around her athletic training schedule and found a happy medium. Carter said, “I kinda put the thought in his head, that maybe she would be a good person to join the team.” Carter was not the only one who believed that Hering would be a good fit. Ryal also be-

lieved in Hering, calling her “a great person.” “I knew she would be a good addition to the team. She’s positive, she’s driven, she’s goal oriented, and I know she knows what she is going to do with her life,” Ryal said. Ryal and teammate, Daylan Inkman, radiology freshmen, both believe that Hering will have a big impact on the team. “She does provide another catcher for us in the game. She can really play anywhere and we can use her all the time. She has a big impact on our team,” Inkman said. In fielder Inkman, describes her new teammate as “positive, motivating and always keeps you laughing.” Hering said becoming a student-athlete has given her an advantage of being on both sides of the table. She said she will be able to have a better understanding of the emotional stress and the physical stress because she’s been there before. Hering calls softball her first love an is excited to finish her senior year off having fun and taking in all the memories she will create throughout the season. Hering will graduate in spring 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training. After graduation, she plans to work at the University of Central Oklahoma as a graduate assistant athletic trainer helping men and women’s basketball while earning a Master’s of Science in Exercise Science.

8 | Feb. 13, 2019|

PHOTOS BY SHAROME BURTON| THE WICHITAN

Amy Floyd, accounting senior, assumes aero position during women’s ‘A’ criterium in San Marcos, Feb. 10. Morgan Ballesteros (left), physics sophomore, drafts behind rival during men’s ‘B’ criterium in San Marcos. | Zach Gregg (left), exercise physiology graduate, and Pablo Cruz (right), exercise physiology senior, receive instructions from race director ahead of men’s ‘A’ criterium.

Graduate student claims triple-gold SHAROME BURTON REPORTER

xercise physiology graduate Zach Gregg sped his way to gold in all three disciplines as he set the tone of dominance for the Cycling team in the opening race weekend of the South Central Collegiate Cycling Conference road race season hosted by Texas State in San Marcos, Texas on Feb. 10. Competing in the men’s ‘A’ category, Gregg defied frigid and wet conditions to sprint his way to victory in the 56-mile road race on the morning of Feb. 9, before claiming another crown four hours later by setting a winning mark of 6.45 in the individual time trial which featured the notorious ‘Man-maker’ hill. Gregg completed a perfect season debut by surging in the final lap to clinch gold in the men’s ‘A’ criterium race, after being placed in a strong position working alongside his teammates, management information systems sophomore Alan Barrows and exercise physiology senior Pablo Cruz. Gregg said teamwork had a big impact on

his individual success. “The first person across the finish line is obviously the winner, but to get there it takes a tremendous amount of teamwork. A big part of cycling is the ability to save energy through drafting, so to have strong, experienced guys as teammates really gives me the upper hand in a lot of these situations,” Gregg said. Gregg described the synergy that exists among the trio. “For the road race, Pablo had a big target on his back coming off a win at Cedar Hill [Race Festival in Dallas] last weekend and that allowed me to get into an early move that ended up sticking,” Gregg said. “In the crit, Alan rode absolutely out of his mind. He was in a solo breakaway for almost half-an-hour in a 50-minute race and that was just absurd as far as effort goes on his part and the amount of pressure it took off Pablo and I so we actually had a pretty easy ride.” Cycling director Charlie Zamastil said he was pleased with the team’s opening showing. “The first weekend’s always a bit of a mys-

tery as to how we’re gonna come out and perform and how the other teams in the conference are going to be if we’ve got everyone in the right category, and if we’ve assessed their ability levels correctly. I think we were pretty on-point,” Zamastil said. The seven-year director said there would be hard work ahead if the team is to defend its SCCCC road racing crown. “The conference is definitely going to be challenging this year. It’s deep top to bottom. The men’s ‘A’ field is probably the strongest it’s been in several years, but I think we measured quite well across all four of the men’s categories and three of the women’s,” Zamastil said. Another highlight of the team’s dominant showing in San Marcos was the rise of Morgan Ballesteros, physics sophomore, as one of the top contenders for the men’s ‘B’ title. Ballesteros, who raced in the ‘D’ category in 2018, was a model of consistency as he earned second spots in each of his three races and second overall in the standings with 124 points. Ballesteros said his plan is to make further improvements this year.

“Probably the biggest thing I’m working on this year is just being able to put out shortterm power so this has been a really good weekend to show where I’m at with that and a really good confidence-booster,” Ballesteros said. “I definitely hope [to win the conference]. I’m going to keep working hard and, hopefully, I can get some good wins in the coming races.” A solid contributor on the women’s side was accounting senior Amy Floyd who was second overall in the women’s ‘A’ standing after her three races. Floyd, who came off an injury, said she hoped to be back to her best later this season. “I took like a full three weeks off the bike to let my knee heal so it’s always tough taking that much time off from any kind of sport,” Floyd said. “What I’ll probably do is try to focus on high-volume-low-intensity for a while to get my body back adapted, then start working on really high-intensity again and just using the first couple of races to get back into shape.”

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