May 2, 2007

Sweepstakes Winner 2006 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association

THE WICHITAN

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Finalist 2004 Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Award

May 2, 2007

Staff Editorial

Donʼt sound the trumpets Knock off that racket!

Loud, obnoxious noises, particularly air-horns, at graduation ceremonies have got to stop.

Not only are they completely irritating, theyʼre rude to the people walking the stage.

Imagine this scenario: Youʼve just completed a long, grueling four (or more) years of college.

Youʼve sat through lectures completely unrelated to your major. Youʼve lost sleep and sanity in order to write 20-page research papers. And youʼve cried tears of bliss when you received a passing C in those few, hellish courses you thought would certainly be the death of you.

The day has finally arrived.

Youʼve purchased your cap and gown and various decorative ropes denoting the honorary fraternities in which youʼve been involved. Youʼve bought a new dress/suit to wear underneath your gown and then show off at the after-party, where you will make a toast to yourself for now holding the diploma that allows you to go forth into the working world of career-minded people.

Youʼve bought a class ring and had professional pictures made.

Youʼve sent out numerous invitations to friends and family and have made hotel reservations for them.

Some of these people you havenʼt seen in years but theyʼre making a special trip to honor you on this most momentous day.

There you are in line, about to walk the stage. You know your family is up in the stands, watching, waiting to hear your name proudly announced, waiting to hear it stream from the speakers and fill the auditorium, representing the worthy person that is you.

You step up closer. The person before you is now accepting his diploma. His name comes over the loudspeaker.

Youʼre next. You hold your head high and begin to walk as the announcer opens his lips to pronounce your name.

But instead of your name, all your family hears is a loud, “BLEEEEEEEEEEE!” Someone has just blown an air-horn to acknowledge the moron in front of you. Nobody even hears your name because the deafening sound has blocked it out.

You accept your diploma, wearing a fake smile to hide your irritation, anger and mortification.

If you exit this scenario with anything, take with you some common courtesy.

Please tell your enthusiastic entourage to leave the air-horn at home.

MSU graduates deserve better than that.

Editor reflects on leaving work, family Another transition time has come.

A time for completion, a time for g oo d by es , a time for change.

S o m e transitions are harder than others.

Like this one.

I ʼ v e served as E d i t o r- i n - CARRIE SULLIVAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Chief for The Wichitan for one year. Itʼs hard work, probably the hardest job on campus. You always have to be alert to what is going on. You have to be one step ahead. The pay has been good and the paper, award-winning.

But aside from that, I have been lucky enough to work with a group of people who became my family.

And to me, that is infinitely more important than all the rest.

If you take with you anything Iʼve ever written for this paper, Iʼm telling you, itʼs not the pay or the product, itʼs the people who truly give your life meaning.

Like all families, we at The Wichitan endured some trying times together. For instance, the computer issues. Thereʼs nothing more exasperating than working on a page for hours and then having a computer

glitch lose everything. Then there are the late hours and early mornings. Iʼm talking leaving the news room at 2 a.m. and having to get up at 6 a.m. or taking a burned disc of pages out to Persideaʼs shop in the boonies when the rest of the country is fast asleep. On a number of occasions I have woken up the next day after deadline, so sleep-deprived I honestly didnʼt know what day it was.

And then there were the occasions of stories and/or pictures not coming in on time or not at all and the absolute panic we all felt because we were a team—but it was moments like those that made us put our heads together and figure out a solution, which we always did.

Aside from the headaches that go into any product with substance, I had some great times, too. Actually, Iʼll go so far as to call them wonderful and certainly, I hope, unforgettable.

Being part of The Wichitan enabled me to see parts of the country I hadnʼt seen before. I hope I never forget traveling to the conference in St. Louis at the very same time the Cardinals won The World Series.

You do not know what a celebration is until youʼre looking down out of your hotel room, seeing absolutely ecstatic people running in the streets after their home team won, traffic backed up, horns honking in

happiness and fireworks exploding in the night sky.

I hope I never forget the nights at the office long after the sun had gone down when we cranked up the Internet radio to sing, dance and relive the music of our childhood in the ʼ90s. Who needs a real strobe light when a quick hand and a light switch work just fine? Thatʼs right—working for this newspaper almost guarantees party time!

I will carry with me memories of Halloween, renting a Morticia Addams costume for a party that got cancelled, and wearing it to the office on deadline instead. Iʼll keep the laughter in my memories, the way the staff (especially the men) took turns wearing the wig and snapping pictures.

On the professional side, I also hope I never forget how nice it felt to complete a good interview and write a good story. Being on this paperʼs staff has enabled me to get out and meet so many different people on campus, including President Jesse Rogers, with whom Iʼve had several enjoyable chats.

The Wichitan has been the gateway to learning. Iʼm proud to say I worked under a seasoned advisor, someone whose opinions Iʼve grown to respect. He taught me that criticism—truth—is a good thing, even if itʼs hard on the ego to take.

Iʼll take with me the way we

all chipped in for dinner—usually pizza—and how good it tasted at 8 p.m. when we were still working hard and starving. Iʼll take with me the short (or sometimes long) breaks outside under the sun or stars, just to breathe, talking with one “family member” or another, about life, love and the like. Iʼll take with me the way we were all connected, in that we always knew when one of us was upset, and always cared enough to try and make that person smile or laugh or cry just to let it out.

Writing, working—these things brought us together. But is the bond weʼve made strong enough to last when we shape-shift our hobbies and occupations throughout life? If I allowed myself, Iʼd break down at the realization of this most difficult transition. Iʼd be terrified of the unknown, frightened and heartbroken to leave those to whom Iʼve gotten so close. Which beloved friends, which members of my family will remain not just in memory, but in real contact, through the years and the changes?

I do not have the answer to that.

But as writer Hermann Hesse said, “Since life may summon us at every age, be ready, heart, for parting, new endeavor. Be ready bravely and without remorse to find new light that old ties cannot give. In all beginnings dwells a magic force for guarding us and helping us to live.”

It seems like just yesterday my mom and brother were dropping me off at Killingsworth Hall. I was nervous, yet excited at the same time.

I remember walking up to the third floor not knowing what to expect. The ADRIAN MCCANDLES PHOTO EDITOR hoard of college students and parents scurrying around the hall was a bit overwhelming, but my nerves were calmed when I opened the door to my dorm room and met my roommate. Before I left for college, everyone told me horror stories of roommates from hell.

I didnʼt know what to expect and I was presently surprised.

My mother and brother left, and I felt a since of freedom. I was finally on my own.

That was five years ago. Now I am about to embark on a new chapter, life after college. I will admit, it is a little frightening when I stop and think about it.

I am used to being a typical college student. I stay up way too late studying, and I wake up way too early to go to school. I never have time for a decent meal and I am heavily addicted to caffeine. Seriously, I have a problem.

What I am not used to and I cannot fathom right now is the real world. The real world is a scary place. But when I think about it, every transition I have made in my life has been scary.

My first big transition was going to middle school. I remember riding my bike home from elementary school one day and looking at all the “cool” middle school kids hanging out in front of the school. I said to myself, “Wow that will be me next year.” Before I could really start getting into my daydream, smack, I ran strait into the telephone poll.

Not just any telephone poll however, it was the one right in front of the school.

Naturally, I was nervous, anxious and scared that the eighth graders were going to pick on me. I remember carrying all of my school supplies in a brown paper grocery bag to school and noticing no one else brought their supplies that day.

But you know what, after that first initial day of adjusting, I had a lot of fun. It wasnʼt scary at all and I made a lot of friends.

Going from middle school to high school was that same feeling times ten. By this time I was boycrazy and couldnʼt wait to see all of the cool, older guys. Again, I was nervous of being the “fish” in fear of getting made fun of some more, but the same thing happened, after the first day my anxieties melted away.

Now I am preparing to start a family.

The thought of being a mother is somewhat terrifying. I have so many unanswered questions. Will I drive my husband insane for nine months? Will I know the right way to change a diaper? Will I like being a mother? I think I will love it, but I guess that is one thing you will never know until it happens.

I am going to miss the college lifestyle. More importantly I am going to miss The Wichitan staff. I have learned more at my time working at The Wichitan than I could have imagined.

With a great advisorʼs help, my photographs have drastically im-

proved. I looked back at some of my earlier work and I can honestly say it stunk.

This past year especially I have taken great pride in my work and actually get very upset when a picture is messed up in the printing process. I am going to miss those Tuesdays where I stayed up at school 17 hours straight trying to get work done. I will definitely miss the late nights where delirium has set in and everything is funny.

On a good note, those memories will stay with me the rest of my life.

Now I can look forward to having one job, not two.

I wonʼt have to pull all-nighters writing a paper or studying for a Spanish test.

And I will actually get to see my husband- something I really havenʼt done since this semester began.

I can look forward to having two decent incomes in my household. I really donʼt think I will know what to do with myself when our budget isnʼt as tight as a nooseʼs knot.

I really canʼt say what my life will be like post-graduation. One thing I know for sure is it will be scary at first but after the first initial reaction I will be all right.

MSU graduate gives kudos to transitions

3410 Taft Blvd. Box 14 • Wichita Falls, Texas 76308 News Desk (940) 397-4704 • Advertising Desk (940) 397-4705 Fax (940) 397-4025 • E-mail WICHITAN@mwsu.edu Web site: http://www.mwsu.edu/~wichitan Copyright © 2007. The Wichitan is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association. The Wichitan reserves the right to edit any material submitted for publication.

Opinions expressed in The Wichitan do not necessarily reflect those of the students, staff, faculty, administration or Board of Regents of Midwestern State University. First copy of the paper is free of charge; additional copies are $1. The Wichitan welcomes letters of opinion from students, faculty and staff submitted by the Friday before intended publication. Letters should be brief and without abusive language or personal attacks. Letters must be typed and signed by the writer and include a telephone number and address for verification purposes. The editor retains the right to edit letters.

THE WICHITAN Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief Carrie Sullivan Managing Editor Krystle Carey Entertainment Editor Jason Kimbro Sports Editor Josh Mujica Photo Editor Adrian McCandless

Reporters Richard Carter Christian McPhate Melissa dos Prazeres Silva Rachel Tompkins Photographers Hershel Self Lauren Miller Graphic Artist SunKyu Yoo-Norris

Advertising Manager Christian McPhate

Copy Editor Konnie Sewell

Adviser Randy Pruitt