Feb 14, 2018 by The Wichitan

About 150 million cards are exchanged each Valentine’s Day.

Feb. 14, 2018 | Midwestern State University | thewichitan.com | Your Campus. Your News. | Vol. 82 No. 19

Urinetown Roles

PHOTO BY CORTNEY WOOD | THE WICHITAN

pg. 6

As part of a town hall meeting updating students, faculty and staff on the progress of the Comprehensive Campaign, Tony Vidmar, vice president of university advancement and public affairs, encourages attendees to take ownership of the university through sponsorships. “Even if you don’t want to be the one to fundraise, you might know someone who is in just the right place to donate,” Vidmar said.

See what it takes to put on a musical and how a technical director, head dresser, actor and assistant manager have only the success of the musical in mind.

Donations exceed $34 million Awareness About SPED SPED majors and members of council for exceptional children sell chocolate strawberries, cupcakes and cookies to raise awareness about special education.

Basketball Seniors

pg. 8

Graduating seniors were celebrated during the men’s and women’s basketball games.

Donors to fund new student center, Greek life building CORTNEY WOOD MANAGING EDITOR

o alleviate some of the crowding in the Clark Student Center, Suzanne Shipley, university president, announced the Daniel building will be repurposed as a greek commons for sorority and fraternities as well as other student organizations as part of the boundless opportunity campaign at the town hall meeting at 1:30 p.m. in the Comanche Suite on Feb. 13. Daniel is a working building next to the student center, and it is in the “perfect spot to take some of the activities that are crowding the students in the center and replace them,” Shipley said. The Daniel Hall was a place of residence before it was repurposed as a multipurpose building, so Shipley said the administration are looking to build a “shiny, new building” to work out of. According to Shipley, she reached out to Mac Cannedy, J.S. Bridwell Foundation leader, for $4 million to refurbish the Daniel building for sorority and fraternity for a greek commons to be available for other student organizations to take some of the activity away

from the student center. allels the campus’ strategic campaign to show As of now, Fain Hall – across from the Clark “we are reaching out to be good citizens in Student Center and next to Daniel – offers our community,” Shipley said. The meeting an area for all the sororities on campus, but was able to reiterate the announcements from the fraternities have to meet the Board of Regents meeting elsewhere. According to Sierra Thursday, Feb. 8, which inMartinez, Chi Omega pledge cluded updates to Moffett and class director and education Bolin, and naming the McCoy freshman, Fain Hall is almost College Science, Math and Entoo small for all the people gineering. now. “This has been a really good Because she is in charge of process. A lot of work goes into getting the girls in her sorority these seven years, and the first to interact with one another, year was spent in planning,” Martinez said the new comShipley said. “About this time mons will allow for a more last year, Tony and I began askcomfortable environment so ing people for money, and we the girls don’t feel “lectured at, spent most of our early summer but talked to.” with the football stadium. And SUZANNE SHIPLEY “It would be neat to have our goal was to not ask anyone UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT places for the Greek life to who had been an academic domeet at on campus,” Martinez nor, that we were only going to said. “To have us located on campus would be ask people or businesses that gave to the atha way to get us more connected with the rest letic department. We chose to make this an of campus. It will be a place for students to ask academic campaign.” questions and see us out.” see DONATIONS pg. 5 The boundless opportunity campaign par-

“The next iteration of the campaign is not about dollar amounts, it’s about number of people involved.”

In Victorian times, it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine’s Day card.

2 | Feb. 14, 2018 | S TAF F E DI T O R I A L

Renovations, increase morale OUR VIEW: The decision to renovate and update buildings on campus at the Board of Regents meeting was long overdue, and will not only benefits students and faculty, but will promote pride in our campus.

e’ve had enrollments and retention problems with students the last several years, so buildings that haven’t been updated since the 1960s doesn’t boost morale within our campus. New buildings and equipment generate a sense of discovery and wonder in students that is necessary to appeal to prospective students. For thousands of students, this campus is their home, and if they feel disconnected or ashamed of the facilities on campus, then that comes across in how they talk about their time at college. The most effective form of advertising is word of mouth, and students that talk to prospective students establish community within the campus which will attract students. Along with the connection students can feel, since most of their time is spent on campus, so nice, new and efficient buildings translate to how much the administration cares about students and again makes students feel ownership of their university. Our tuition and student fees pay for several services on campus that students aren’t aware of, so the more investment the Board of Regents put into campus the more attention will be shown on those activities. These additions, renovations and updates are desperately needed for students to take pride in our campus and the education offered.

CORRECTIONS • In an earlier version of the story titled “Board votes to increase tuition and fees” we should have said, “Board members raised the University Services Fee from $72.65 to $80.65 per semester credit hour, an $8 increase.” The Wichitan regrets this error.

Pets are friends, not property

hether you adopt, buy or come by it happenstance, giving a home to an animal is a huge responsibility. You become their lifeline and owning a pet is not something that should be taken lightly. I’ve seen students who live in a dorm or an on-campus apartment with puppies Kristin who know the rules regarding pets in onSilva campus housing, yet choose to disregard those rules. Students are putting themselves in a position to be potentially kicked out of housing or be forced to find their animal a new home. As a result of these rules, the pet is passed around from home to home, living with strangers in a cage when all-in-all the situation itself was completely avoidable. A pet is not a necessity. Just because you want one, doesn’t mean you should get one. Yes, you can afford the adoption fee or maybe you got the animal for free, but can

you afford to feed it, pay the vet bills as needed and provide adequate shelter with consistent love and attention? If you answered no to any of those questions, you don’t need a pet and should not try to get one. Don’t be an irresponsible pet owner. Animals need to form a bond with their owner, that’s the point of owning a pet. If they are getting passed around person to person, home t0 home, they aren’t forming a bond with you, and it’s just like they were back at the shelter getting affection from randoms each week. It’s confusing for them not knowing who their primary caretaker is. With that being said, if you are looking for a pet and are ready to be a responsible pet owner, Wichita Falls Animal Services has dropped the adoption fee to $14 with an approved adoption application on Feb. 14 only. This offers people an affordable option to find a furry friend and give it a forever home. Kristin Silva is a mass communication senior.

Campus needs black intellectualism

e are entrenched in a post-truth, “alternative facts” reality. The evidence is most clear in American politics, but it can be seen in all avenues of life. Not only do we face malicious disinformation, we also encounter the continuing scourge of wealth inequality, a poisonous reintroduction of white Markell Braxton-Johnson nationalism and an inability to address global climate change – just to name a few adversities. Activism is the most common way to confront these types of problems. To be more specific, over the last few years – particularly since the Ferguson protest of 2014 – we’ve seen a resurgence of black activism to challenge these crises. For example, despite their occasional annoyance, the persistent activism of Black Lives Matter has rocketed police brutality into the national discussion. It can be confidently stated that without the tenacious efforts of black activists, our country would be functionally inferior. One of the best ways to further combat those destructive elements is to encourage a renaissance of intellectual pursuits from black men and women. Though black activism is a crucial part of any future societal or institutional growth, it needs to be supplemented with a movement of

e thwichitan Vol. 82 | No. 19

Midwestern State University Fain Fine Arts Bldg., Room D201 3410 Taft Blvd. Wichita Falls, Texas 76308 (940) 397-4704 wichitan@mwsu.edu thewichitan.com @wichitanonline

EDITOR: Tyler Manning MANAGING EDITOR: Cortney Wood VISUALS EDITOR: Justin Marquart PHOTO EDITOR: Francisco Martinez ISSUE STAFF: Kristin Silva, Markell BraxtonJohnson, Brian Lang, Chloe Phillips, Makayla Scheck

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Rachel Johnson ADVISER: Bradley Wilson

lack intellectualism. Here at MSU, there is plenty of room for a resurgence of black intellectualism. The university can start by employing more black academic personnel. Out of the more than 300 instructors on campus, less than a dozen are black. Black students can also contribute to this rebirth of intellectualism. Instead of striving blindly “for the culture,” let us more precisely denote what we are seeking. If intellectualism is a part of said culture, then let’s commit to serious intellectual queries, progressive thought, critical discourse and rooted introspection. The path as a black intellectual, is not easy – especially when contrasted with activism. While neither is a leisurely endeavor, at the heart of activism is hope, something far more tantalizing to idealists. Conversely, at the root of black intellectualism is an adherence to dispassionate critical thinking and a vulnerability to an onslaught of racism, gas-lighting, anti-intellectualism and accusations of pretentiousness that will surely come their way. Intellectualism is a laborious, life-long undertaking, but the reward is transformational. It is an unequivocal betterment of yourself our university, and the society at large. With the erratic, disharmonious nature of today’s world, now is the opportune time for an interjection of black intellectualism. Markell Braxton-Johnson is a sports and leisure junior.

Copyright ©2018. 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. 14, 2018 | 3

▲ Darkest Hour

These are the eight movies nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards this year.

▲ Call Me By Your Name

OSCARS LEAD-UP

‘Darkest Hour,’ Gary Oldman’s ticket to an Oscar

uring the cold winter months, studios begin marching out huge dramas headlined with the names of Hollywood’s top drawer actors. This year’s “Darkest Hour” follows this tradition. “Darkest Hour” is filled with sentimentality, a stiff upper lip and Gary Oldman’s award-winning role as Churchill himself. Similar to many other movies about famous politicians, “Darkest Hour” focuses on the growth of a leader. Churchill, an unlikely prime minister, had to decide whether to take the easy path or defend Britain. This film is Gary Oldman’s ticket to his first Academy Award. He is virtually unrecognizable with large jowls, mumbling voice and heavy gait. While countless actors have portrayed the “British Bulldog”, Oldman breathes fresh life into the character. He clearly conveys the doubts plaguing the new prime minister and shows his growing courage throughout the film. He hits the mannerisms just right as he barks at the people around him, drinks brandy in bed and wields his per-

petually present cigar. Oldman transforms into Churchill. Surrounding Oldman are the amazing actresses Kristin Scott Thomas, playing Clementine Churchill, and Lily James, playing his secretary, Elizabeth. Scott Thomas does an excellent job making Clementine an interesting role, leaving me wanting to learn more about this powerful woman. James, as usual, glows on screen. She deserves more recognition this awards season, as she acts as the audience surrogate in this often complex film. The rest of the movie is lacking. The soundtrack is appropriate and the cinematography is nice, but none of it is really worth mentioning. While it is inspirational, it’s forgettable. Where “Darkest Hour” fails in standing out, it makes up for in its acting. Oldman carries the bulk of the movie and does an excellent job at that, but this film would be better if the other aspects matched the level of his performance. “Darkest Hour” is an inspirational film about the fight against evil. While Oldman’s performance is legendary, the rest of the film is nothing exceptional. Rating: 6/10

‘Call Me By Your Name’ examines young love

Brian Lang wrote both reviews for the Oscar ceremony on March 4, 2018.

ne of the more controversial movies of this year’s Oscar picks is Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me By Your Name.” Although this movie focuses on a homosexual couple, it is very relatable to all audiences. It’s about first love, awakening and heartbreak, things that nearly everyone can relate to. It’s combination of beautiful storytelling and progressive subject matter creates something extraordinary, even if I can’t quite put my finger on it. The romance between Elio and Oliver is slow to bloom. Neither one is willing to reach out first, but after several scenes filled with coded actions, Elio comes forward. Just as he suspected, Oliver is more than just a friend. Elio’s parents silently watch all of these events unfold. Their son is trying to sort himself out, but they’re always present when he needs them. Michael Stuhlbarg, playing Elio’s father, gives an especially touching monologue at the end of the film. He tells Elio that he is there for him, that he accepts him. He advises Elio not to bury the heartache he is feeling, but to experience it because if we try to bury all of our negative emotions, eventually we’ll have no emotions left to experience. The color palette is saturated with bright yellows, sparkling blues, and vibrant greens, resembling the memory of

an oasis. The music also contributes to this dreaminess. A mix between modern classical and works by the phenomenal Sufjan Stevens, the soundtrack adds a peaceful feel to the scenes. “Call Me By Your Name” does what most movies focusing on homosexual couples don’t: it doesn’t ever try to stop the relationship. There is no disapproving parent or societal pressure to hide. It is simply the story of two men experiencing a summer fling and learning how to handle the heartbreak of lost love. Although Elio is intellectually precocious, he doesn’t understand love. He doesn’t understand that it can be passing, that people can move on, and that eventually, heartbreak will cease. We get to watch him completely fall in love and see the searing heartache as Elio struggles to come to terms with the events of the summer. Their relationship, like the summer, must at some point come to an end. If you are willing to look at more than just one element, you’ll see a beautiful film that explores emotions and experiences that are very relatable. Besides making me want to book a trip to Italy as soon as possible, “Call Me By Your Name” left me awestruck by its beauty and its poignant look at young love. Rating: 8/10

4 | Feb. 14, 2018 | COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGN Goal | $50 Million

Today, only 20 percent of Americans aged 1829 are getting married.

Lifelong Learning Communities encourage community involvement TYLER MANNING EDITOR

Raised | $34.4 Million

o present the member benefits and structure of Lifelong Learning Communities at last week’s Board meeting, todd Giles, associate professor of English, and David Hartman, retired senior minister at First Christian Church, spoke at the Board of Regents meeting on Feb. 8. Lifelong Learning Communities are educational community outreach programs for those not already enrolled at the age of 50 or more. LLCs will provide members with non-credit classes where they can learn about subjects such as current events, ancient history, art, health care retirement planning, philosophy and many more. Hartman said he and Giles were approached by Suzanne Shipley, university president, about creating this project. “It was [Shipley’s idea]. She had had it at Shepherd, the university she served before. She approached Todd and she approached me. She wanted someone from both the university and from the community,” Hartman said. “She knew Todd’s leadership position, and she knew that I was just wandering around the streets since I retired.

She brought us together and Todd has been a great leader in the project.” The goal of LLCs is to reach out to members of the community and get them involved on on campus. Giles said, “The main reason [for LLCs] is that they are great for community outreach. As you know, we are a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. This will help extend our mission out into the community by bringing people onto campus and getting more people in the community involved at our art exhibitions, our concerts, our lectures and things like that.” Though the structure of the payment for the LLC program is still under production, Hartman assures that they want everyone included. “One of our great longings is to be inclusive. We do want to make sure that any interested learner who financially cannot afford [is included]. Older folks very often are up against it, much like students who face student loans are up against it,” Hartman said. “We want to make sure that these courses are available to them. And that is something that we will be working through in the months to come.”

The LLC is projected to be implemented on campus next fall semester. Giles said that they are finishing up research on the project. “We are getting ready to wrap up our research phase. We have looked at nine different LLCs. We have done quite a bit of research. We just wrapped up our three focus groups. We’re going to bring all that information together and do some serious analysis of the data,” Giles said. “This week we are going to UNT in Denton. Next week we are doing another site visit at UNC Asheville. So I think it is fair to say we are wrapping up our initial feasibility study at this point.” To Hartman, the LLCs are an opportunity for members to feel what it is like to be a part of the university process and said he is excited for the program. “Old people like me, and I’ll claim the title of old, we still want to learn. And to be liberated from the burden of term papers and sweating the grades so we can get into graduate school and the prospect of student debt. To be able to learn in the purest sense is exciting and I am really pumped about it,” said Hartman.

MSU,” Vidmar said. “So campaigns are not just about giving money. Ultimately, money has to be delivered, but you also have to increase awareness. Not everyone can give money, or large amounts of money. But as a student, you can give your talent and your time.” Shipley said she aims to ensure donors that their money is being utilized well no matter the size of the donation. “Most of these donors have given to Midwestern before and they were pleased with the way Midwestern State handled their gift. They believe in us, they trust us to be good stewards of their generosity and that’s what you have to do with every single gift,” Shipley said. “No matter how large or small, you have to be a good steward of it.” Of the $50 million, the campaign has garnered around $30 million, about 60 percent of the desired outcome. “We were surprised. In December, gifts kept just coming in and so what Tony and I did was labor in obscurity,” Shipley said. “We were meeting with people for months and they were thinking about it. It was so exciting that they thought about it and decided, ‘yes.’ In fundraising, you plant the seed and then you walk. Then you let them

think about it and tell you how they feel.” Vidmar said he has enjoyed working with Shipley on the comprehensive campaign and respects her work toward the campaign. “To work with Dr. Shipley is amazing. She is incredible and the best fundraising president I have ever seen because she is good at the people, the process and the product,” Vidmar said. “It is really an honor to work her and support her and strategize and to unleash her. She is a force to be reckoned with. There is a chemistry between the fundraising advancement person and the president. You build off each other’s strengths and weaknesses.” The progress on the campaign has given the campus an opportunity to mature and grow, according to Vidmar. “They did a great job raising a lot of money and they paved the way for the maturation of an institution. We were ready for a comprehensive campaign,” said Vidmar. Without the money made from this campaign, faculty would not be able to garner more resources for students. Vidmar said, “If we don’t deliver on money, we don’t bring the resources to help the students and faculty.”

Seven year comprehensive campaign makes progress TYLER MANNING EDITOR

uzanne Shipley, university president, and Anthony Vidmar, vice president of university advancement and student affairs, presented the results the university’s comprehensive campaign at last weeks Board meeting. The seven year campaign aims to raise $50 million to encourage involvement on campus through enhancing students experiences. This campaign marks the first comprehensive campaign ran on campus. “This is MSU’s first comprehensive campaign,” Vidmar said. “Comprehensive campaigns are for all the areas you need money for: student support, scholarships, programming. The campaigns that MSU has had in the past have never been a fully comprehensive one.” Vidmar said despite a major emphasis of the campaign being financial, the ultimate goal is to make students more aware and engaged on campus. “If you had to put down three things [that summed up advancement programming], they would be increasing the awareness of, engagement in, and giving to

| Feb. 14, 2018 | 5

Agribusiness added to fall curriculum KRISTIN SILVA REPORTER

gribusiness is a new concentration in the economics department which is being introduced and implemented in the Dillard College of Business Administration this upcoming fall 2018 semester. Students enrolling in the new agribusiness classes will be trained to do managerial and business aspects of agriculture. “These courses are not basic, introductory classes,” Jeff Stambaugh, interim dean of the Dillard College of Business Administration, said. “They are advanced courses.” Agribusiness courses will be in the upper level class rankings consisting of 3000 and 4000 level classes. “We [will] roll out some of the classes dual-listed with economics in the fall,” Robert Forrester, Dillard distinguished professor of finance, said. “Then [we] will have a full roll-out in the [following] spring [semester]. The faculty have already approved courses and gone through the undergraduate committee.” Forrester said members of the agribusiness committee are working on course schedules and are waiting on approval to hire an additional faculty member with specialization in the agribusiness degree. Once approved, advertising for the position will be the next step to hiring a qualified candidate. “As we attain different levels of enrollment into the program then we can add additional ones,” Forrester said. “We can’t just bring everybody in, we have to do it in a planned, strategic method.” Agriculture is a $100 billion industry and according to AgCareers.com, more than 40,000 jobs are available within this field of business. The United States Department of Agriculture estimated 54,400 jobs open that require at least a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness. Forrester said DCOBA didn’t want to ignore the market opportunity that could be available to students, especially when it’s related to business.

“That’s not an area we’ve been able to get into,” Forrester said. “We would’ve liked to because we have professionals on our faculty that have experience in this area, but we simply didn’t have the budget for it. In economics, we know we have a scarce resource and that was money.” In the state of Texas, there are 248,800 farms and 130.2 million acres available for purchase and use within the agribusiness industry. “Because of our connections with the local business community, meaning farmers and ranchers, it gives us an advantage, location wise, over a metropolis location,” Forrester said. Stambaugh said not having the agribusiness concentration was an obvious gap in DCOBA’s portfolio in terms of serving our location. “So much of North Texas is involved in agriculture,” Stambaugh said. “This was a major need we were never addressing. It’s one of those forehead-smackers.” According to Pablo Garcia-Fuentes, economics assistant professor, agribusiness is much more than growing and selling crops and tending to ranch animals. “For example, the United States doesn’t just consume all the corn,” Garcia-Fuentes said. “Corn is also used for ethanol and is exported. Every time you go through a gas station you are consuming corn.” The DCOBA mission statement is to provide students an educational experience that develops knowledge and competencies needed for professional career entry. Forrester said DCOBA provides specialized services contributing to economic education and the agribusiness career path fits into that mission statement. “That’s what we really want to do, help students get jobs,” Forrester said. “Through Dr. Shipley’s connections we were able to get a donor.” Forrester said classes next fall are expected to be fairly full. “Some students may be in there for ex-

actly agribusiness,” Forrester said. “Some students will be an economics major that would like to enhance their portfolio of classes by taking an agribusiness class. We’re hoping that the class sizes will be somewhere around 15 students.” Forrester said the committee hasn’t developed all the opportunities as far as internships and scholarships, but there are value propositions that are being considered. “A value proposition would be for students who have a two-year degree from another college who want to do a completion degree,” Forrester said. “We’d like to have something they are interested in and for a lot of [students] there hasn’t been a program they’re interested in within the ag career.” Carol Dillard donated over $1 million to fulfill her dream of helping her background in economics and farm and ranch management expand. “Four generations have been a part of giving to MSU, so we are really honored for them to have done that,” Forrester said. “She was really excited, and that was probably one of the easy donations. For us at the Dillard college, we were very proud of the opportunity to put this together and advance the lives of students.” Yoshi Fukasawa, chair professor of economics, was also a part of the campaign to start the agribusiness concentration of economics. “One of the greatest things I got out of it [being on the agribusiness committee] was I got to work with Yoshi Fukasawa. This was one of the last projects he worked on. We were working on it last week putting things together, but Yoshi passed away on Sunday, so this is particularly special for all of us who worked with him on this project,” Forrester said. “It’s one of those things that you will remember for the rest of your lives, to work with someone like this and it’s been a very rewarding experience to sit on this campaign and be part of it.”

Board votes to increase tuition and fees TYLER MANNING EDITOR

t last week’s Board of Regents meeting, the Board members raised tuition and fees, approved the naming of the McCoy College of Science, Mathematics and Engineering, authorized the purchase of $1.2 million worth of pianos and authorized the first phase of the Moffett Library renovation. Full-time students will being feeling the effect increase in fees, but only newly admitted students will be feeling the effect from the increase in tuition. Board members raised the University

Services Fee from $72.65 to $80.65 per semester credit hour, an $8 increase. The money acquired from the increase in tuition and fees will be put toward a number of things such as student scholarships. Marilyn Fowlé, vice president of administration and finance, said, “The increase in fees is being used for various different ways. We use it to pay raises for those getting paid through tuition and fees. That money is going to adding folks to staff from compliance.” Board members also raised the Student Services Fee from $17.05 to $18.75 per se-

mester credit hour and raised the designated tuition rate for new students to $133 per semester credit hour. After cuts from the state added up to $1.7 million, the university budget came up short around $700,000. In addition to increasing income, Fowlé said, there are numerous ways faculty and staff have learned to save money. “Any staff vacancy is open for a month and we can capture the savings from having the vacancy open,” Fowlé said. Further, faculty and staff have also managed to save around $300,000 - $400,000 on utilities alone.

from DONATIONS pg. 1 The funds raised sit at $34.4 million as of now, and Shipley said her goal for the campaign sits at around $50 million. Since Shipley said she and Vidmar thought they would reach $25 million by the end of the year, the “extreme generosity” from donors has encouraged her. “Usually we make the big asks early because that encourages a lot of enthusiasm, so Tony and I have already made the requests from donors for over $1 million, now we are in the $500,000 range next,” she said. “The next iteration of the campaign is not about dollar amounts, it’s about number of people involved. We will move away from big donors and foundations.” Along with the donations report, Shipley said the new agribusiness concentration offers students to get an education comparable to Tarleton State University. According to Shipley, Carol Dillard, long time donor and philanthropist, requested giving funds to create the agribusiness concentration within the economics major because she was disheartened that the people that work on her ranch go to Tarleton for education, so Robert Forrester, economics general business professor of finance, emphasized the benefit this will provide for students. Last year alone, 44,000 jobs were posted in the agriculture business department, and the United States Department Agriculture reported in 2016, 21.4 million full-time and part-time jobs were related to the agricultural and food sectors—11.0 percent of total U.S. employment. “We realized what an excellent chance and wonderful opportunity this will be for our campus,” Forrester said. “There are more farms and ranches in Texas than anywhere else, so we are in a good location for it. We started to wonder why it hadn’t been done earlier.” Forrester said the financial goal for these projects each month have been met and superseded expectations, and he said these projects are invaluable to the campus because they “advance lives.” According to Vidmar, each part of this campaign makes an impact on students as well as those outside of campus because the projects here “change lives outside of here.” “Part of this campaign is to create a sustainable advancement program, and we are well on our way of becoming a first class, comprehensive campaign,” Vidmar said. “We have direct correspondence between our president and Board of Regents, and we are lucky to have that kind of dedication.”

6 | Feb. 14, 2018 |

On Valentine’s Day every year, there are at least 36 million heart shape boxes of chocolates sold.

A look into the different roles that make Urinetown RACHEL JOHNSON PHOTOJOURNALIST

n this piece Benjamin Ashton, technical director, Kaylor Winter-Roach, head dresser, Ron Harle, assistant stage manager, and Samuel Mitchell, playing lead character Bobby Strong, were all asked the same set of seven questions about their experience with Urinetown the Musical. The goal was to show the different sides of putting together a musical and the amount of collaboration it takes from different people to make it become Urinetown the Musical.

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR ROLE FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE MUSICAL?

Benjamin | “My position is technical director. I pretty much facilitate all things technical that do not involve costumes, so my job is to make sure that people are on time, doing the things they need to do, and making sure that things are kind of progressing as they need to in the order that they should and that things are working together with rehearsals.” Kaylor | “I’m the costume shop manager, I just pretty much run the shop upstairs and make sure that everything gets built and that everything stays organized so that we don’t lose things because it happens, that we lose

things…I’m also the head dresser for this show, so when the show starts running, I make sure that everything is kept clean pretty much. I also help backstage, like my crew and I will help do quick changes, so if the actor needs help behind the stage, we make sure that they can get dressed to be on stage on time for their que. We also afterwards wash all the [garments].” Ron | “I’m the assistant stage manager of Urinetown the Musical and a stage manager’s primary goal, just being apart of the stage management team, is to ensure that a show and rehearsals run smoothly and the actors are cared for.” Samuel | “My role is Bobby Strong, and whenever it comes to importance, I’m kind of the catalyst of the revolution that really sparks the events of the entire play. Them having to pay to pee is the reason I start the revolution and that is what makes the entire back three quarters of it that happen.”

WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING YOU’VE HAD/ WILL HAVE TO OVERCOME, FACE, OR DO?

Benjamin | “Not having the man power, and not having enough time in a day.” Kaylor | “Well dress starts next week and we’re not done yet, so I think that’s the hard-

est thing that we are going to have to deal with. We might have to come in this weekend and put in extra hours and that’s just not fun because I get paid for this because I work up here, and I don’t get paid for those extra hours, so it’s honestly just heart going into it afterwards.” Ron | “One of the hardest things about this musical particularly is that this musical, we’ve thrown it together in about six weeks when normally you are going to do a musical in two and a half months or somewhere around that, a little bit longer time frame. It’s a very, very big musical. As with most musicals, there’s a decent sized cast, there’s about 20 or so I think, the numbers have changed because some people have dropped out. It’s a very large set, there’s a lot of metal involved and a lot of painting, which is a very arduous task. I would say the time framing is the most difficult thing we have encountered.” Samuel | “Probably back to the singing thing, I feel confident in my abilities as an actor, and then there are a few songs where I feel good, but that’s where I feel a little shaky, not shaky, but I know that that’s the part that I’m, that’s my “weak link” is my singing. I’ve been trying to get better at that, trying to do good, I’m one of the leads so I want it to be good, I

I play, You Play, We play, Cosplay

Feb. 15 from 7 to 9 p.m. | Akin Auditorium | Come out to the public forum dedicated to the cultural significance of cosplay.

Trap Yoga

Feb. 15 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Wellness Center | Come out and stretch, breath and connect over a little trap music and yoga.

Its Significance & Methodology

DR. KIRSTEN LODGE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF HUMANITIES

DR. JOHN SCHULZE ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH LEGACY HALL MULTIPURPOSE ROOM

Attendees are encouraged to read the classic Greek tragedy Medea by Euripides prior to the forum. Admission is free and open to all. mwsu.edu/faculty-forum

ABOUT HOW MANY HOURS A WEEK DO YOU SPEND WORKING ON THINGS MUSICAL RELATED?

Benjamin | “So at home, prepping for the next day, would probably be like two hours, so two times seven. Then at least nine hours a day and then usually Saturday I work an extra five hours. So I would say about eighty hours a week.” Kaylor | “Almost 20 hours a week, but that’s like a normal part time job week, so it’s not that bad, those are the hours I put in for work, but outside I’d probably stay here for an extra hour and then when I go home I got a log and stuff to fill out. I know one day I spent three hours updating something. Then this last weekend we were here from 11 to 7, on Saturday. Actually let’s say 35 hours.” Ron | “1 to 5, then 6 to 10, six days week, now it’s seven, and then a lot fo after rehearsal calls until 1 a.m. to 3 a.m., anywhere in there. Plus the workdays on the weekends. I’d say on an average week, about 56 hours.” Samuel | “I would say close to 25 hours a week. Somewhere between 22 and 25 hours. Actually it’s probably close to 30 now that I think about it.”

UPCOMING EVENTS

Core Text Pedagogy:

want it to be great.”

Facing Our Truth

Writing Proficiency Exam Workshop

Feb. 20 and 21 from 4 to 5 p.m. | Prothro-Yeager Hall 101 | If you need help preparing for the writing proficiency exam come to this workshop.

Faculty Forum Series

Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. | Legacy Hall Multipurpose Room | Kristen Lodge and John Schulze discuss Core Text Pedagogy: Its Significance and Methodology

Feb. 16 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. | In light of the George Zimmerman verdict, The New Black Fest commissioned six very diverse playwrights to write 10-minute plays on the topic of Trayvon Martin, race and/or privilege. Facing Our Truth’s purpose is to incite serious discussion in our collective communities around these urgent issues through theater arts.

Moffett Movie Madness

Night at the Movies

Multicultural Greek Council “Hump Day”

Feb. 16 at 10 p.m. | Cinemark Theaters Wichita Falls | The buzz & hype around Marvel Studio’s new movie, “Black Panther,” has us excited. Join the excitement as the MSU community collectively watches the movie on opening night! Stay tuned for more details.

Critical Conversations

Feb. 19 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. | Legacy Multipurpose Room | This month, will discuss the support and criticism of the first amendment, the impact of free speech on colleges, and perspectives to consider to discussing this constitution right.

Feb. 20 from 7 to 9 p.m. | Moffett Library Leisure Reading Room | Watch the latest film in the Moffett Movie Madness series. Dr. Valencia Tamper and Dr. Whitney Snow will introduce the film Crazy in Alabama. Free popcorn will be provided.

Feb. 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | CSC Atrium | Join the culturally-based fraternities and sororities for a day of chilling on the yard, connecting with friends and taking a mid-day break from hump day.

Avoiding Plagiarism in Writing Research Papers

Feb. 21 from 2 to 3 p.m. | Moffett Library Media 212 A | The workshop details the steps to avoid plagiarism, a serious error in writing those first papers, which is to be avoided at all cost.

CRIME LOG Harassment

Feb. 7 at 5:02 p.m. | University Police Building | Report of harassment made to UPD.

Online Impersonation

Feb. 2 at 2:02 p.m. | Memorial Building | A fake Midwestern State University website has been created in an attempt to defraud persons.

Drugs: Possession or Delivery of Drug Paraphernalia

Feb. 1 at 4:02 p.m. | Pierce Hall | During a Fire Drill, Housing personnel conducted a Health and Safety Check on a Dorm Room. During the check drug paraphernalia was found.

Drugs: Possession or Delivery of Drug Paraphernalia

Jan. 23 at 4:01 p.m. | Sunwatcher Village | Housekeeping found drug paraphernalia in a vacant dorm room. No affirmative link to anyone.

| Feb. 14, 2018 | 7

ASO’s flower delivery signups wilted cause it is mostly a mindset thing. What I do is encourage the people in my circle and tell them to encourage o try something “exciting and new” and to fun- others too,” Okoye said. “Because the main thing we draise for future events, the African Students need is for people to come out and realize that college Organization hosted a flower delivery service in is not only school and sleep, It is a whole packaged experience that ought to prepare us for the future.” the Clark Student Center on Feb. 12. “It is unfortunate that is it an internal problem beStudents paid $2 to members of ASO for them to deliver a Valentine’s Day gram to the person of their cause we would have just called a forum and addressed choosing. Though ASO advertised the sale to go the issue very easily. But, if new students find it diffithrough Feb. 13, members only accepted sales until cult to even attend an orientation program, there is no way they’ll be motivated to atFeb. 12 due to conflicts with tend other events prepared for planning. them by various organizations “It wasn’t planned to be even if there are incentives,” cancelled, clinicals and classOkoye said. es came in the way,” Adanna “Students probably have Okoye, geosciences junior and low school spirit because the president of ASO, said. “I apolschool seems backwards. I find ogize deeply, it should have it funny how the student cenbeen announced.” ter is not constantly bubbling According to the Okoye, with students unless it’s lunch ASO was satisfied with the time and Chick-Fil-A is open. turnout of Monday’s sales of Like, people don’t even go $12. there at all unless they’re going “To be honest, we weren’t FIRST LAST to lunch. The student center disappointed,” Okoye said. TITLE should be all hype; music all “However, the organization over, the mass comm students did expect a sales total of $40.” Of the student organization’s 20 active members, making university announcements over a radio someonly three volunteered to organize the event, with where and the televisions actually functioning not ASO senator Lisa Nyirenda, nursing senior coordinat- only showing images of flyers. Midwestern should be ing it. According to Okoye, there is not a sole person proud of its diversity and display it is in the student in charge of coordinating events, that responsibility is center. Show off its pride and its colors. Get creative randomly assigned based on whoever signs up to vol- with it. These small things. The student center should not have a library feel. That may be a start,” Okoye unteer. Okoye said while the cancellation would have been said. Fortunately, ASO still plans to follow through with prevented if more members had volunteered, this is the deliveries. also a campus issue. “We plan to deliver around campus tomorrow.” “That situation cannot exactly be pinpointed beCHLOE PHILLIPS REPORTER

T “[Me and my friend are] going to see Fifty Shades Freed.” KENNEDY HOWARD EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY FRESHMAN

“I don’t [have any Valentine’s day plans]. I don’t have a girlfriend. I might get myself some Starbucks, treat myself.” CAMERON MACKAY ACCOUNTING FRESHMAN

“The main thing we need for is people to come out and realize that college is not only school and sleep, it is a whole packaged experience that ought to prepare us for the future.”

“Just hanging out with my best friend. We’re just gonna hang out.” ASHLEY ROBINSON GENERAL BUSINESS SENIOR

“I got a date with my xbox, watching some Netflix.”

CROSS CUEVAS GLOBAL STUDIES FRESHMAN

“I’m going out with my best friend. We’re just gonna go to dillard’s, go shopping and get our nails done.” ALLIYAH HELLNER JACKSON EDUCATION JUNIOR

“I’ll be working at kohl’s. Well, no [I won’t be doing anything for valentine’s day] because he’s on the way in New Orleans.” JAYLON JOHNSON BUSINESS MANAGEMENT FRESHMAN

8 | Feb. 14, 2018 |

PHOTOS BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN

Avery Queen, biology senior, pose with coaches, family and administrators with her framed jersey during senior night in between the mens and women’s basketball game on Feb. 10. | Trey Kennedy, psychology senior, hugs Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Dylan Dudley during senior night. PHOTOS BY MAKAYLA SCHECK | THE WICHITAN

Co-ed intramural teams play basketball at the Wellness Center on Feb. 12.

Students participate in intramural basketball

Makayla Scheck | Sports Reporter

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

KRISTIN SILVA REPORTER

ntramural sports open up a door for students who enjoy competing in sports, interacting with peers and spectating games to gather in a location and share their common interests. Students create their team whether it be all men, all women or coed, and they show up at the wellness center to compete in various sports. Justin Pitts, mass communication freshman, said he joined an all men intramural basketball team because he had nothing better to do and his friends asked him to join. “They picked me up because they needed people to join and they’re not doing so hot,” Pitts said. Dylan Blackwell, biology freshman, said he didn’t join an intramural basketball team because he isn’t as skilled as he would like to be to compete in intramural sports. He said if there were teams full of students at his same skill level, he would play and wouldn’t feel so bad. “I come to watch my friends play and cheer them on,” Blackwell said. Education sophomore Jaren Parker, said she played sports in high school and she plays on a coed basketball team because half her friends are guys. “It’s just fun,” Parker said. “I didn’t want to put in the hours [that collegiate athletes put in]

Basketball honors seniors at game against West Texas A&M

Jaren Parker, education sophomore, shoots three-pointer for her team during the co-ed intramural games. and I wanted to focus on school [so] intramurals allow me to continue playing.” Basketball Graduate Assistant Zac Kircher, said he goes to intramural games to watch athletes compete and to make sure his basketball players are there to referee the games they’ve been assigned. He said he has even asked talented players to join the men’s basketball team. “I have asked a guy to play for the school at a more competitive level, but that is not specifically why I come,” Kircher said. “It’s good to see past players come play.” Basketball is not the only intramural sport offered to students. Sports such as volleyball, dodge-ball, flag football, soccer and softball are also available and teams can consist of only men, only women or be co-ed. All students are welcome to compete and enjoy intramural sports.

ith one more home game left for the court, Avery Queen, forward/center and biology senior said the basketball game senior night “was a little emotional,” but it hasn’t really hit the women yet. Basketball hosted a double-header against West Texas A&M on Feb. 10. During the break between the games, the teams and fans honored the seniors that will be graduating in May 2018. “We have had a lot of ups and downs. We have come together at parts, but we are excited for the conference tournament,” Kristin Rydell, guard and nursing senior said. Micheline Mercelita, forward and kinesiology senior, has stacked up 374 points and 323 rebounds in her time as a mustang. During the game Saturday, she made 16 points and has made 212 points during her senior season. During the game against West Texas A&M, Queen totaled six points, and has blocked 30 shots and made 266 points in her career at MSU. Her final basket was made at the :42 mark to bring the team score to 67. With a total of 287 points and 133 turnovers in her time as a mustang, Jasmine Richardson, guard and exercise physiology senior, managed to sink 11 shots during the game. Kristin Rydell, made a three-point basket at the 5:16 mark of the second quarter of the game against West Texas. She racked up 313 points and 66 assists in her seasons at MSU. Although she did not score during the West Texas game, she has a total of 224 points during her senior season Whitney Taylor, forward and education senior, is the scoring leader with 902 career points. “It has been a really up and down season, but overall it has been really good. We have a lot of confidence in ourselves and each other,” Taylor said. “We are not done yet, we are waiting to peak and make a statement at the conference tournament.” West Texas A&M rose above the women’s team with a final score of 67-78, but the seniors left their impact by making combined 36 points out of the 67.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

The team said farewell to six seniors that are set to graduate in May following their final home game Senior night for the team celebrated the accomplishments of the soon-to-be graduates on Feb. 10 against rivals West Texas A&M. Josh Huntley, forward and business senior, has made 186 points and 119 rebounds during his MSU career. Trey Kennedy, guard and psychology senior, made 226 points and has 46 turnovers in his time as a mustang. De’Quaan Haggerty, senior guard, has 12 total points during his time as a mustang. He was able to play during his senior night game. Brandon Neel, senior guard, has racked up 863 points and 277 rebounds in his career as a mustang. He made 17 out of the 58 total points scored during the game against West Texas. “As amustang, I had a better experience than I thought I was gonna have,” Nick Powell, forward and undecided senior, said. “We went to the sweet sixteen one year and won conference another year. It’s been fun.” According to Powell, he has made a total of 317 points and 16 steals, however with his injury, was unable to play in the game against West Texas. Pullum has 583 points and 192 steals during his time at MSU. He scored at the 5:48 mark of the game, right after he assisted Kennedy at the 10:16 mark. Unfortunately, the men’s team was also unable to defeat the West Texas A&M Buffalo. The final score to the game was 58- 87. The seniors who played made 38 out of the total 58 points. “I have been here for two years now and it has been great. The comradery, pride, and just all the good things that make you want to be a part of the basketball team and organization,” Kennedy said. Unfortunately, the men’s team was also unable to defeat the West Texas A&M Buffalo. The final score to the game was 58- 87. The seniors who played made 38 out of the total 58 points. The basketball team will play their final home game on Feb. 10 against Cameron University.