Nov 1, 2006 by The Wichitan

THE WICHITAN The Student Voice of Midwestern State University

Wednesday Nov. 1, 2006

Hacker breaks into Web site, steals credit card numbers CHRISTIAN MCPHATE OPINION EDITOR

Computer hackers broke into MSU’s Web site and stole at least eight credit card numbers of people who planned to register for a November health conference on campus, it has been learned. Vinson Health Center is sponsoring the “College Health in the Southwest” conference Nov. 16-17 as part of the annual meeting of the

Southwest College Health Association. According to Police Chief Michael Hagy, the site was set up to accept credit card numbers from across the country. The MSU business ofﬁce would verify and charge the accounts for the event. However, the Web site was not a secure page so the vulnerable credit accounts became an easy target for hackers. “Someone had spotted some unknown charges on their credit card

account and alerted us,” Hagy said. Hagy said most of the credit cards belonged to individuals from other colleges. Investigating Ofﬁcer Douglas Lynn said he contacted the eight individuals and discovered that attempts were made to commit fraudulent charges on each of their accounts. None of the attempts were successful, he said. Each person’s account was

closed, Lynn reported. Janus Buss, director of public information and marketing, said campus Webmaster Robert Steﬂik had used an online shopping cart program, PD Shop Pro, manufactured by Page Down Tech, to secure credit card numbers. “Because it is a commercial product, a hacker can purchase the product and tear it down,” Buss said. She explained that the thief learns the ins and outs of the program by

taking it apart and studying the internal components of the software. Law enforcement ofﬁcials believe whoever broke into the site was from outside the United States. “Somewhere in Indonesia,” Hagy said. Hagy said investigators were able to get the Internet Protocol address, but foreign countries do not require companies that route transactions using the WWW to maintain log ﬁles like in the United States. This

Mustangs pride

makes it almost impossible for law enforcement agencies to track hackers from other countries, he said. However, most hackers in this country are able to change their IP address as well, the police chief said. “So they could be right next door or down the street,” Hagy said. Buss said the school is not going to take online credit card payments

See Theft page 4

Filling mascot’s hooves ADRIAN MCCANDLESS PHOTO EDITOR

ADRIAN MCCANDLESS | THE WICHITAN

His brown hair spikes out of his noble head. He stares at you with his piercing hazel eyes. His mouth forms a snarl, even though he cannot speak. Kids run up to this intimidating creature as if he were Santa Clause himself, yet sometimes he is actually a she. It is MSU’s new mascot. For 22-year-old freshman psychology and art major, Soozie Amador, being one of the four mascots is nothing new. Amador was the mascot at Wichita Falls High School in 2002. “I had been waiting to be the coyote since I was a child,” Amador said. “I would have been nervous if I didn’t have the costume on, but it is a whole new world when I put it on.” Amador proudly suited up as Clarence the Coyote, named after a janitor from the 60s, and suggested that our mustang’s name should be thoughtful as

See Mascot page 4

Calvin Pressley, Soozie Amador, Eddie Douglas IV and Jerrica Brown (from left to right) pose with a horse at the Turtle Creek Stables Monday night.

Program targets student drinking habits MATT LEDESMA FOR THE WICHITAN

INSIDE

Online alcohol education courses, usually used as a way of punishment for violations, are now required courses for incoming freshmen, Greeks and transfer students. MSU has joined a number of colleges nationwide that are having students take the course in an effort to educate them about alcohol-related issues they may be experiencing for the first time. Sofia Rodriguez, director of student affairs, is heading the program and thinks it will have a positive effect on the campus as a whole. She was quick to note that it isn’t only freshmen and transfer students who are required to complete the program. “It is also required of all MSU athletes and all sections of College Connections,” she said. All students who fit the above criteria are separated into two groups. Those with under 30 total credit hours were required to have the first section of the course completed by

Oct. 9. Those with more than 30 hours must have the entire course finished by Dec. 1. The course is divided into two parts, with the first section taking a student on average about three hours to complete; however, it may be done in multiple sittings. The program is the flagship product of the Boston-based company Outside The Classroom. The company’s Web site states that it was founded to address epidemic level public health issues affecting education, corporate and government institutions. Since its inception in 2000, the AlcoholEdu program has been used on more than 450 college and high school campuses. The program is also endorsed by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Students are required to log in using their student ID numbers, which is the system’s way of remembering who actually took the course and how much they completed. This fact has made some students uneasy about being completely truthful on the survey.

“Even though I’m of age to drink, I still would rather not have my drinking habits listed in some database,” said Kenny Gill, 21, a junior accounting major. “If I was underage, I especially wouldn’t be inclined to admit that I drank since you have to use your student ID.” At a recent meeting of all Greek fraternities and sororities, students got a chance to voice their concerns to Rodriguez personally. When asked about the ID issue, she assured everyone that no individual’s information could be used against a student in any type of legal proceeding. “This is a science-based, nonjudgmental curriculum designed to reduce the ‘college effect’ of drinking,” Rodriguez said. “We receive no individual statistics, only aggregate data.” In that same meeting, Rodriguez also stressed the importance of completing the program by the assigned dates. She pointed out that anyone required to take the program that fails to do so could face a code of conduct violation, Article 15: Response to Ofﬁcial Notice. All

matters of non-compliance would be handled through the dean of student’s ofﬁce and the student conduct committee, with the penalty ranging from suspension to expulsion. But the director feels more students than not will comply with the program, and many will gain positively from the experience, even those who rarely drink. “The program assesses your drinking behavior so even if you don’t drink, you go through a much different program than if you do,” Rodriguez said. “Whether you drink or not isn’t the question. If you live or are involved on campus, alcohol affects you in some way.” The program will be an annual requirement from now on, and comes on the heels of a recent brawl between members of two different MSU fraternities where alcohol was reported to be a contributing factor. Although such an incident only places further emphasis on the need for alcohol education, the university had already scheduled the program to be instituted.

SUNKYU YOO-NORRIS | THE WICHITAN

‘Saw 3’

Homecoming Week

Winning game closes season

The ‘Saw’ trilogy will not disappoint viewers with lack of guts and gore.

MSU Homecoming events bring out more school spirit. page 6

The MSU volleyball team ﬁnishes season with win against Southwestern Oklahoma State.

pages 5

page 7

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Nov. 1, 2006

Staff Editorial

Fence crazy On Oct. 26, President Bush signed legislation, authorizing 700 miles of fencing along the U.S. border. Bush gave words of praise for the fence bill, “Itʼs an important step toward immigration reform.” He went on to state that he still wanted tougher border security and work-site enforcement as well as his guest worker program that could lead to a path of citizenship for the some 12 million illegal immigrants in this country. Mexican officials denounced the fence plan. Fence advocates in Congress said that their first responsibility is to ensure the integrity of the U.S. border. Currently, 90 miles of fencing protects the southern border from illegal immigrants, including 14 miles in the San Diego area. The new law authorizes the construction of at least two layers of reinforced fencing around vast stretches of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Bush said that he was looking forward to working with Congress on a “rational middle ground” between giving citizenship and launching “a program of mass deportation.” However, the new law has crashed head-on into much opposition in parts of the Southwest, including the Texas Border Sheriffsʼ Association and the city of El Paso. In addition, as the enforcement of the border security rages to a full inferno, areas like Alir Jegk, a reservation village of 50 Native American families in Arizona, are facing an even graver danger than before by dealing with pressure on all sides by aggressive bands of immigrants, drug smugglers and federal agents. Another problem facing the reservations scattered about the southern region, dates back to the mid-90s when the Clinton administration cracked down on illegal crossings in El Paso and San Diego. Instead of capping a lid on the brewing problem of drug and people smuggling, the illegal operations just rerouted their traffic through the desert lands of the Southwest. About 11,000 Tohono Oʼodham live on a 2.8 million-acre reservation with a 75-mile-long border with Mexico. The flow of drugs through the area have caused numerous problems, ranging from 1,500 illegal immigrants crossings to the six tons of trash littering the land from the illegals, not including the abuses of the land and property by the federal agents. As the government takes more of their nationʼs sovereignty away, mixed feelings of anger and acceptance spill forth from the native people. The cost estimates for the fencing exceeds $10 million per mile of wall, for a price tag of over $2.1 billion, not including maintenance or manpower. Bush signed the bill, authorizing the New Berlin Wall, but did not include how they were supposed to come up with the money to pay for the eyesore. Hereʼs an idea: Why not change our focus off the Middle East and on to our southern friends? Why not support a legitimate candidate for the Mexican presidency and help his cabinet weed out the corruption flowing through the government and in essence, use the powers of the all-mighty capitalism to help boost their economy, much like China has boosted their own, and give the 12 million plus illegal immigrants a reason to stay home? Because that would make too much sense.

Trip to convention reveals air irritation

L a s t We d n e s d a y some of The Wichitan staff and I went to the 85th Annual National College Media Convention CARRIE SULLIVAN in St. Louis, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Missouri. We left that afternoon to head up to the Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City. It was there that I learned that airports are now by far the most infinitely irritating places on the face of the planet. Having not flown in a couple of months, I wasnʼt prepared for the new no-liquid laws. I, being a woman, innately have the tendency to fill three suitcases if Iʼm going on a trip—we ladies like being prepared. But I specifically packed light so that we could save time by not having to check my bag. I succeeded; however, when I was about to pass through security, I noticed a list of things that could not go on the plane. The list included cokes, bottled water, big bottles of lotion, anything liquid really. I also noticed that any other liquid toiletries in small amounts, such as mascara and toothpaste, had to be placed in a plastic baggie before being sent through the x-ray. I didnʼt have a plastic baggie.

There was a sign that said I could buy a plastic baggie at the shop behind me. Irritated, I decided to go ahead and check my bag instead. The attendants were pushy, insisting with bad attitudes that they see my boarding pass. Trying not to roll my eyes, I showed them and they nodded their heads, on a nice power trip. One grouchy security girl stopped a lady and ordered her to throw away her half-full bottle of lily Bath-and-Body Works lotion. “Really?” the lady asked. “Throw it away,” the girl said. “Read the sign. You canʼt bring it on the plane.” Looking as if sheʼd been kicked in the face, the lady turned around and walked to the trashcan. What a waste of money. I can understand that security is probably a little tight right now since the terrorist attempt in London with the new liquid bombs. But I donʼt know if itʼs the terroristsʼ faults that airport workers are so rude. Seems a shame that we, the ﬁne innocent citizens of America, have to put up with cranky security. Then again, life isnʼt fair, is it? Soon came the routine removal of coats, shoes, belts, etc. The man behind the x-ray wasnʼt exactly friendly. He ordered us like a Nazi to take off our jackets, and no, we couldnʼt put them in the tub with our shoes, we had to put them in another one. He told us to hurry up and to slow down. He frowned and

ordered our adviser to remove his belt when it set off the alarm. I reached for my necklace, staring at the guard with inquiring eyes. He looked at me as if I were stupid and told me the necklace would be fine. With my socked feet padding the cold floor, I wondered with irritation what the airport staff might do if someone just went ahead and stripped down completely and then walked through the stupid device. Finally on the other side, I began talking to The Wichitan photo editor, Adrian. She informed me that sheʼd made it through security with a gigantic pair of metal scissors in her backpack. But thank God she didnʼt get through with any hand lotion, right? Adrian had a separate irritating experience at this airport, which in turn, irritated me just knowing about it. She went to find the smoke room and found that the place had absolutely no ventilation. Even smokers donʼt wish to be suffocated. Why couldnʼt there be a vent on the ceiling? And whatʼs the point of having a special smoking room if every time you open the door, a cloud of cigarette fumes wafts out into the rest of the airport? It makes no sense. The particular airline we flew on did not have assigned seating. So about 10 minutes before boarding, a man in a business suit

sat down cross-legged at the front of the line and ate his lunch. I couldnʼt help but think of the annoying kid at school who always rushes to the front of the line at recess. Whatʼs the point? Weʼre all getting on the plane, not like any one seat is better than another. Theyʼre all the same incredibly uncomfortable chairs. At last we boarded. We had a nice ﬂight to Kansas City. All except for the slight layover when an old drunk guy threw his bag from the aisle to his seat in front of me. The luggage hit hard and made me jump so that I almost hit my head on the ceiling. Irritated, I kept watch over him for a few minutes to make sure he wasnʼt going to do anything else stupid. Man, his breath reeked. But at least he didnʼt have hand lotion. I felt much safer knowing that. Flight over, we stepped onto St. Louis soil. The people at that airport werenʼt barbaric at all. They were actually nice. I suppose they were more concerned with their home baseball team playing in World Series that week (and ultimately winning the title on Friday) than they were with pushing normal, happy people like us around. As well they should have been. Go Cardinals!

Thereʼs something in the air in the Gulf coast of Texas. And it stinks! T h e unpleasant aroma is ammonia and dead

These algae consume the nitrogen and phosphorus and then reproduce or “bloom” profusely. They spread across the water like a carpet, absorbing oxygen and shutting off sunlight from plants. When these organisms die and decay, they absorb more oxygen, literally suffocating marine life. Blooms can be caused by several factors. An increase in nutrients can cause algae growth and reproduction to increase dramatically into a bloom just as fertilizing a lawn makes the grass grow faster. In other instances, something may change in the environment so that certain algae can beat the other algae in the ﬁght for food, which can result in a bloom of the algae with the advantage. This environmental change can be related to the water quality, temperature, nutrients, sunlight or other

factors. Three common signs of a red tide are discolored water, dead fish and a difficulty breathing. Red tide toxins are deadly to certain fish. The Texas Department of State Health Services said shrimp, crab, scallops and lobsters in red tides are safe to harvest and eat. Oysters, clams, mussels, and mollusks are unsafe to eat since they may accumulate red tide toxins in their tissues. This remains effective until the Department of Environmental Protection determines that the waters are clear of red tide and shellfish are free of the toxins, which may take several weeks after a red tide bloom is over. Not only marine life is affected by this bloom. The red tide proves to be harmful to humans. According to TPWD, irritations

of the eyes, nose, throat, tingling lips and tongue are common symptoms. Waves, wind and boat propellers disperse toxin particles into the air, causing these problems for people along the shoreline. People suffering from severe or chronic respiratory conditions such as emphysema or asthma, should try to avoid red tide areas. Symptoms usually disappear within 24 hours once the exposure is discontinued. TPWD is reminding travelers that there are still miles of clean beaches to enjoy on the Texas coast. But I say, if you want to spend your weekend vacation coughing and sneezing, just stay right here in Wichita Falls and save the gas money. Red lobster offers ﬁne-dining seafood cuisine.

Red tide blooms and suffocates seafood

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 © 2006. 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.

TIFFANY MERCER STAFF REPORTER

ﬁsh. Its back! The red tide is once again creeping into South Texas waters. Red tide blooms have been found in Port Aransas, the Corpus Christi Ship Channel and along Padre Island. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, a red tide occurs when there is a rapid increase in the production of one-celled organisms called dinoﬂagellates.

THE WICHITAN Editorial Board

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

Reporters Matt Hulme Richard Carter Christian McPhate LaTia Banks Tiffany Mercer Photographers Hershel Self Graphic Artist SunKyu Yoo-Norris

Advertising Manager Josh Leal Cartoonist David Stephenson

Adviser Randy Pruitt

OP-ED

Bush faces challenge of history

“As the 20th century draws to a close, the United States stands as the worldʼs preeminent power. CHRISTIAN MCPHATE Having led the West OPINIONS EDITOR to victory in the Cold War, America faces an opportunity and a challenge: Does the United States have the vision to build upon the achievements of past decades? Does the United States have the resolve to shape a new century favorable to American principles and interests?” – The Project for the New American Century (PNAC), an American political think tank based in Washington D.C that promotes American global leadership, stated at the groupʼs 1997 inception ceremony. Moreover, like the disastrous expedition undertaken by the Athenians against Sicily in 415 B.C. in an attempt to expand and secure future generations of the Athenian empire, the American super-power of the 21st century has fallen into the same trap of ethnocentrism through the urgings of certain “interest/lobbying/we want to control the world” groups. In 1998, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsﬁeld chaired a bipartisan commission that dealt with issues relating to the U.S. Ballistic Missile threat. In addition, in that same year, members of the PNAC wrote to President Bill Clinton and urged him to remove Saddam Hussein from power, for he posed a threat to the United States, Middle Eastern allies and the oil resources. After the attacks on 9-11, Americans were in favor of the invasion of Afghanistan in pursuit of the perpetrators of the twin tower attacks. All across American television screens,

the media showed images of the infamous Osama Bin Laden, as promises of justice with vengeance spewed forth from the Presidentʼs mouth. The invasion commenced with overwhelming support from the Republican-led Congress. American forces, with little help from the international community, put a grinding halt to the mechanics of the Taliban, a friend of friend of Al Qaida. “The War on Terror will set the course for this new century and determine the destiny of millions across the world,” Bush stated in his address to the nation on Sept. 11, 2006. In 2003, under the “sound” advice of Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfield and Vice President Dick Cheney, both members of the PNAC, as well as Paul Wolfowitz (president of the World Bank and former Deputy Secretary of Defense) and 13 other cabinet members, Bush ignited a fever within his partisan-controlled Congress. He received the power of a wartime president and commenced on his next invasion: The country of Iraq and the removal of American-installed president Saddam Hussein, a tyrant responsible for thousands of Iraqi deaths and the repression of democratic-capitalistic technology within the realms of free elections. However, “Rebuilding Americaʼs Defenses,” a report released in 2000, stated: “While the unresolved conflict in Iraq provides the immediate justification [for U.S. military presence], the need for a substantial American force presence in the gulf transcends the issue of regime of Saddam Hussein. Over the long term, Iran may well prove as large a threat to U.S. interests in the gulf as Iraq has. And even should U.S.-Iranian relations improve, retaining forward-based forces in the region would still be an essential element in U.S. secu-

rity strategy given the longstanding American interests in the region.” Under the dark shroud of weapons of mass destruction, and a secret lust for the worldʼs third biggest oil reserve, U.S. troops attacked Iraq and defeated the ill-equipped Iraqi army, and with each swing of the bloody sword of peace, the promise of free elections cleaved into being out of the mold of tyranny. Nevertheless, like the disastrous miscalculations of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (A.D. 76-138) when he ordered the building of a new city called “Aelia Capitolina” on the desolate site of Jerusalem, which enacted a devastating rebellion by the “Son of the Star,” Bush is beginning to feel the same effects of his disastrous undertaking with a “democratic, free country” of Iraq. In addition, with few successes in the areas of assassination on the top leaders within the terrorist cell network of Al Qaida under the governmentʼs belt, the government still has yet to seize the person responsible for the destruction of American safety—Osama Bin Laden. The American people are in an outrage and with congressional elections just around the corner, Bush and his party of PNAC members are scrambling to change public outlook. “We cannot allow our dissatisfaction to turn into disillusionment about our purpose in this war,” President George W. Bush repeated eight times, during his speech on Oct. 25, 2006 in Washington. Yet with the wasting away of taxpayer dollars in the contracting ﬁascos of Halliburtonʼs subsidiary, KBR Inc., dancing across the economy of Iraq and the success of the Bushʼs lies on providing electricity, water and oil distribution and the rebuilding of education and health facilities, what does one expect? “The ultimate accountability rests with me,” Bush said. Indeed it does.

B u r l eson Independent School District has taken steps some people think questionable. District administrators have givROBERT FOX FOR THE WICHITAN en immediate response training for the frighteningly likely event of a gunman entering the room. Students have been instructed to throw anything and everything at the gunman the moment he enters. After their missile barrage, they are to charge the gunman and take him or her down. Itʼs about time. Security experts, district o f ficials and I admit there is a risk involved. But, letʼs face it. If a gunman storms into a classroom, there is already a definite clear and present danger. Think for a moment about all the times people have behaved like docile cattle and waited for police to handle the situation. Columbine, three flights on 911, the recent shooting in Amish country, or any of the countless others that I donʼt have the patience to

list. Happen to notice anything about how well doing nothing worked? Cooperation and letting police respond works only under two conditions. One, the status quo doesnʼt change. Two, the gunman wants to negotiate, not kill indiscriminately. At the same time, many (by no means do I mean all) gunmen watch any episode of Cops with a video of a convenience store robbery, or count on the intimidation factor the gun creates. Respond in fear and give them the power they are looking for. But, surprise them and ﬁght back, and you take the power out of their hands. I think the old Japanese warrior philosophy, once you pull a weapon, you give the other person permission to injure or kill you, applies universally in these situations. At the moment a person goes on campus armed, it is safe to assume he or she has exactly one agenda, hurting and killing someone. Consider for a moment the fourth ﬂight, United 93, on Sept. 11. A handful of passengers realized that having terrorists in control of the plane put their lives, and who knew how many more on the ground, in immediate peril. They

took a chance, nearly regained the plane and thwarted a deadly plan. Thanks to their efforts no one else on the ground died. Now back to the ground and speciﬁcally to schools. A crazed gunman charges into a classroom with 25 to 30 students, plus the teacher. The teacher, before this new ﬁght back policy, is going to try to talk the gunman out of his weapon. And, things like Columbine are the result. Take the same perpetrator with the same 26- or 31-to-one odds and change their response. Get them, young or young adults, launching whatever they can get their hands on, at an attackerʼs face and his attention is going toward protecting himself from the incoming projectiles instead of randomly shooting. Just for the sake of argument, even if he does start randomly shooting, he is less likely to hit anyone lethally when he is being hit with books, desks, chairs, etc. At the same time, most hand guns hold 15 rounds or less, not a lot when you are shooting randomly. During a rush, one or two students might get hit, but how many will be saved because the gunman didnʼt reload? Itʼs better to take a chance and save lives than to wait for the coming execution. If I am in a situation where someone is waving a gun or other weapon in my face, Iʼm going to respond and one of us is probably going to die. Of course, if someone is waving a weapon around, it is a safe assumption that someone is going to die anyway.

New standards in school safety

Rev. Angus Thompson, Pastor

We Welcome Our New Neighbors

“The Church That Reminds You of Home”

Lively music and down home Sunday School 9:30 A.M. preaching and Morning Worship 10:45 A.M. Bible Study Wednesday Evening 7:00 P.M. teachings.

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New Jerusalem Baptist Church

1400 Borton Lane Wichita Falls, TX 76305

THE WICHITAN Nov. 1, 2006

Campus Voices

Q: Are you addicted to MySpace? “Not really, I have about 35 friends or so. But Iʼve got enough distractions as it is. I think it can be a good tool to spread the bible verses and the glory of Christ, but I just use it to pass the time. If I have a break while Iʼm studying I might see whatʼs going on. Itʼs all about your mindset. Iʼve had to make sure I didnʼt become addicted to it.” – Phillip Alexander, 22, senior, sports and ﬁtness management/kinesiology major

“Iʼm not addicted like I used to be. I used to have nothing to do, so Iʼd check it around ﬁve times a day. But now that Iʼm back at school, Iʼm just too busy.” – Tara Staten, 20, junior, criminal justice major

“I donʼt like MySpace at all. Iʼve had a LiveJournal for three years instead. The ﬁrst MySpace page I actually went to was Carson Dalyʼs, and that was only because someone sent me a link to it. MySpace is just a pit of people leaving 500 comments everywhere. I donʼt mind professional blogs, I like to keep up on those. But just random personal blogs donʼt interest me.” – Karla Phillips, 20, junior, English/Spanish major

“I check MySpace on about a daily basis. I just like to keep in touch with my friends in California, mostly. There are probably some people who are highly addicted, and then some who are just on there once a week. Some of the most addicted have probably been on there for a while.” – Craig Prince, 20, art major

“I donʼt get on it as much as I used to. I check it every so often, but I go to school full time and thatʼs my priority. Whenever I do actually get on, Iʼve got, like, 200 missed messages that I need to check and reply to.” – Stephanie Pirtle, 19, junior nursing major

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News

Mascot_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________continued from page 1

ADRIAN MCCANDLESS | THE WICHITAN Eddie Douglas IV prepares for a game while putting on the new Mustangs mascot costume.

well. “I think it is a big deal to get a good name for our mascot because it is the start of something new,” Amador said. “It should be something with signiﬁcance like the name of a former President or important alumni.” Amador suggested “Rod” for former President Louis J. Rodriguez as well as Leroy. “The only person I could think of that loves MSU with all of their heart would be Leroy, the guy that helps the football team,” Amador said. “He has more spirit than half of the students that go here, and he deserves to be honored for his spirit.” Amador admits there are some highs and lows when it comes to performing as the mascot. “The best part about being the mascot is making the crowd hype for the football players, and making the little kids happy,” Amador said. “There is nothing better than a little kid running up to you for a big mustang hug.” Amador said the worst part about being the mascot is getting into the suit right after another person, which could be one of

three other people in her case. Marketing major Eddie Douglas IV, 22, decided to try out for the mascot on the spur of the moment. “The only person who knew was my roommate,” Douglas said. “My roommate pretty much knows everything.” Douglas makes himself known to his friends while he is in the suit. “I have a special signal with my friends that I do,” Douglas said. “Itʼs a thrusting over the shoulder karate chop.” Although a karate chop may seem difficult to do in the costume, Douglas was prepared to make the sacrifice. “I was excited to put it on,” he said. “I was like, you know what? This is the first time Iʼve ever done something like this, and I love doing new things so that adrenaline was already there,” Douglas said. Douglas said he did not know how to entertain a crowd while he was in the mascot suit but has watched the San Antonio Spurs coyote pump up the crowd.

“I had no clue what I was doing,” Douglas said. “I saw the ears were on top and I wanted to utilize those to try and get the crowd hyped.” With Douglasʼ ﬁrst time jitters aside, he was very pleased with the over all experience. “All-in-all it was a good night,” Douglas said. “I successfully got through it.” Since the mascot is yet to be named, Douglas offered a thoughtful suggestion of his own. “I wouldnʼt mind for the new name to be Eddie, the reason why is because of that horse named Ed,” Douglas said. Douglas said he wouldnʼt really care what the name was as long as it wasnʼt corny and is excited about having a new mascot period. “Just having him around brings out a new ﬂavor that the schoolʼs been missing, so itʼs going to bring out spirit that we didnʼt have,” Douglas said. Being the mascot isnʼt just about fun and games, there are rules and regulations the mascots

must adhere to. “Rule number one of what not to do,” Douglas said, “do not take the helmet off because we donʼt want kids to think that the mustang ate a human alive.” Douglas jokingly said, the mascots are like the Power Rangers and their identities must remain safe. Douglas added that he was disappointed when he found out he couldnʼt be a prankster while on the football ﬁeld. “We canʼt go punch the ref, of course that would be something I would want to do,” Douglas said. “I wanted to be funny, like in baseball when the coach gets mad he starts kicking sand at the ref, well I wanted to do that when the ref made a bad call.” Douglas admits kids are sometimes the mascotʼs worst enemy. “Kids want to take every part of you that they can,” Douglas said. “Theyʼre going to hug your leg away from you.” With the exception of some mischievous kids, no mascot has experienced a crowd getting too rough, except one. Amador described a high school football game becoming a little too intense. “In high school we had a big rivalry with Rider High School and my football players were getting a little too excited about the game,” Amador said. “They tried to pick me up and toss me, and I thought I was going to fall.” Amador said she knew the football team was only kidding, but it still scared her a little. “I just held my head and enjoyed the ride,” Amador jokingly said. Douglas thinks in instances where a crowd gets too rough, there should be a speciﬁc route the mascot and the escort could take to exit quickly. “We should have a route where the person escorting us should lead us because we canʼt see. If theyʼre going to run, they need to hold our hand,” Douglas said. “Basically run us out of there as fast as they can,” Douglas said. Nineteen-year-old Jerrica Brown, education 4-8 major, was a mascot in middle school, high school and now she suits up as the mustang for MSU. “I needed something else to do because I was just doing my schoolwork. It was getting boring and overwhelming,” Brown said. Brown said her middle school was unable to afford a mascot uniform so she made a new one before every game. “I was really excited, it was kind of funny because my eagle was made out of construction pa-

per and a dance uniform, people laughed at me,” Brown said. “Thatʼs when I noticed that I liked being funny.” Brown said she enjoys the spontaneous attitude the mascot brings into the mix. “It is pretty much free style. There isnʼt a routine, you donʼt have to remember stuff,” Brown said. “During tryouts we all had to make up dances, and we kept doing things over and over again and it never turned out the same.” Brown said many people are surprised when they find out she is a mascot because she is normally so serious. “When we have practice I just let everything out,” Brown said. Brown is excited about what the new mascot will do for school spirit. “I think it will pump people up,” Brown said. “I know a lot of people say they donʼt like the mustang and would rather still be an Indian, but I think they are starting to get used to it.” The biggest problem that faces the mascots is the scorching heat while wearing the suit. “The suit is made up of cotton inside some kind of insulation,” Douglas said. “Itʼs your personal sauna.” Brown, however, has yet to endure that kind of heat. “I havenʼt experienced it being really hot because when we finally got to do it for the first time it was raining,” Brown said. “We just had to deal with the rain so I guess we will just have to deal with the heat.” Eighteen-year-old, mass communication major, Calvin Pressley found out about mascot tryouts from Douglas and decided he would be the perfect mascot. “Iʼm the type of person who likes to make a fool out of myself,” Pressley said. Pressley said the hours havenʼt been too bad for the four mascots because they split up the events fairly. “So far it hasnʼt been too bad,” Pressley said. “We sign up for events and there are four of us, so it is pretty spread out.” Pressley said his family was shocked yet supportive once he told them he was trying out to become the new mascot. “They were real surprised because I didnʼt tell them until after I tried out,” Pressley said. “They thought I was playing around at first, but theyʼre excited and want to come down to one of the games.” This isnʼt new for just the mascots. Ronette Hoffart, activities coordinator, and Melissa Yip, college coordinator, are co-advisors for the squad and are learning as they go.

“Itʼs been difficult simply for the fact that it is brand new so weʼre still trying to find the niche for the mustang,” Yip said. Yip said she wanted the tryouts to be a little more challenging for the mascots because she wanted them to take it seriously. “I kind of made it a little bit more difficult because I didnʼt want them to waltz in here and think, ʻIʼm going to put on a costume and run around here like an idiot.ʼ” Yip knows what it is like to be in a costume. She worked at Fiesta Texas in San Antonio when she was younger. “Iʼve been a Looney Toon before, so itʼs serious to me,” Yip said. “Your vision is blocked off, and you have to put up with a lot.” Since the mascots and the coadvisors are new, there are many things Yip would like to see improved. “I have all these visions I want for the mustang, but of course being the first year and being that Iʼm not sure what the budget is, I donʼt know what we can get done right away,” Yip said. There are some other kinks in the system Yip and Hoffart are trying to work out as well. “We donʼt have our own uniform,” Yip said, “We have to go to the football coach and pick up the uniform at 2 oʼclock sharp the Friday before the game and then immediately after the game find only him and give it straight back to him.” The first thing Yip would like to focus on is getting a special bag to hang the mascot uniform. “My first game I went to it rained really bad and we just threw it in a box,” Yip said. “When I got home I hung him up, but it got nasty so we took it to the dry cleaners.” Director of student activities, Matthew Park said suggestion boxes for naming the new mascot would be available for the remainder of this week. A student committee will then give a proposal of the top three mustang names to the Student Government Association next Tuesday. After that, the suggestions will be sent up to the administrators. “Hopefully weʼll know by next spring,” Park said. It is clear that the mascotʼs job is hard work, with long hours, yet Amador said the good out weighs the bad. “One of the last games I was at, a lady handed me her newborn baby to take a picture,” Amador said. “I was so scared because I couldnʼt see or feel the baby, but it made me so happy because she wanted the mustang to hold her baby.”

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for the conference or any other MSU-sponsored function at this time. MSU will accept payments by check or money order. “We will look for a more secure service in the future,” she said. “Should we decide to offer the service again, we will probably do it through an external service like PayPal.”

Please recycle this newspaper.

Entertainment

Nov. 1, 2006

ʻSaw 3ʼ satisﬁes all with gory goodness

Across Campus

JASON KIMBRO ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Graduate and Professional Fair The Career Management Center presents the Graduate and Professional School Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday in the Clark Student Center. This will be a great opportunity for any students who are considering attending graduate or professional school. Several top Texas, Okla. and La. graduate and professional schools will be represented. For more information, call 397-4972.

Artist-Lecture Series Artist-Lecture Series presents Dr. Jack G. Shaheen, an internationally acclaimed author, media critic and humanist, at 7 p.m. in Akin Auditorium on Monday. A Pittsburgh native and former CBS news consultant on Middle East affairs, Shaheen addresses stereotypical images of racial and ethnic groups. Wes Craven has been rescheduled to come on April 13 at 7 p.m. For ticket information, call 397-4291.

German night German night celebration will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Kiowa Room in the Clark Student Center.

Beneﬁt garage sale The Spanish Club will hold a garage sale Saturday at the Mercantile parking lot at Midwestern Parkway and J.L. Rodriguez Drive. Proceeds of the sale will go to help the Colchado family of Windthorst pay medical bills for their children, Jesus and Pedro, who were involved in a car accident last July. For more information, call Dr. Claudia Montoya at 3974259 or the foreign language ofﬁce at 397-4309.

Entertainment Value: B Artistic Crap: B Plot/Script: B Performances: C Overall GPA: 2.75 SunKyu Yoo-Norris

By the time you read this Halloween would have already come and gone. If youʼre still in the mood for some gory frights, may I suggest a gander or two at the latest installment in the “Saw” series, that is if you havenʼt already seen it. Though it really contains nothing worth getting too excited over, “Saw III” does provide a few bits of inventive blood and guts to keep the gore hounds of todayʼs moviegoers happy. Riddled with rusty machines aplenty, hereʼs the gist: We start off with poor ʻol detective Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) in a dark room shackled to the floor. We soon get glimpses of a hackedoff foot and a couple corpses lying about, thus revealing to the audience that the tortured policeman is in the same room that the victims of the first “Saw” movie found to be their inevitable tomb. He does some daring-do in the most painful of ways to get free from his shackles just to meet an all too obvious death. Cut to the next scene and we find

officer Kerry (Dina Meyer) investigating the latest in the series of Jigsawʼs brutal crimes. She feels, though, that in this instance it was a copycat and not the Jigsaw himself, for the victim had no possible way of escaping his vicious demise. A snoop here and there and suddenly she is captured and trapped in one of Jigsawʼs devices herself. Snap, crackle, pop, now sheʼs gone. By this time I was beginning to wonder where the meat of this movie was. The first flick involved the investigations behind Jigsaw, the second involved detective Matthews and a group of individuals all playing the game together in an abandoned house, and this goaround apparently seems to be going nowhere. That is until Lynn (Bahar Soomekh), an ER doctor, walks onto screen. We see a bit of her apparent family and career, and suddenly she is snatched up as well. Her game is a bit different, though. She is fitted with a special collar that will basically shoot several rounds of bullets in her head if she is unable to successfully complete her game. And what is her game? Well, as we all know, John Kramer (Tobin Bell), better known to us as Jigsaw, has a bad case of inoperable cancer, and his time is just about up. But, before he dies, he would like to finish his ultimate game with the help of his assistant Amanda (Shawnee Smith). Lynnʼs job is to keep Jigsaw alive until the game is over. If she does, then her game is over and she wins. If his heart stops, her fancy new necklace will perform its major function and her heart will stop as well. Now what is this ultimate game

Amanda (Shawnee Smith) and Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) share their innnermost secrets in ‘Saw 3’

that Jigsaw so desperately wants to finish before he dies? It involved a man named Jeff whose son was killed by a drunk driver who basically got off for his crime. Jeff is placed in a maze of sorts and has to complete several challenges, the last of which is coming face-to-face with the man who killed his son. If Jeff can make it through all the challenges and ultimately find forgiveness for his sonʼs killer, then he wins. I know, this doesnʼt sound too “ultimate” compared to some of the other things this madman has done, but believe me when I say that the numerous twists the Jigsaw has in store definitely make this the endall, be-all of his games.

This flick was highly entertaining, despite some of the annoyingly dark scenes. Once again, if youʼre not into immense amounts of gore, then you probably know by now to stay away from the “Saw” series. Otherwise, go have yourself a bit of fun. Performances were very run of the mill, if not overacted, other than Tobin Bellʼs performance as Jigsaw. His voice was great in the first flick, but his overall presence and singlevisage persona makes for a lack of frights. Atmospherics were just the same as they were in the earlier films, which work very well. Itʼs good to see that some filmmakers have learned the old saying, if it isnʼt

broken, donʼt fix it. We continue to feel like weʼve walked into a visual torture chamber of joy. The story was a bit sub-level compared to the first two, but the great twists involved with this film make up for its lack of narrative. By the time we get kinda bored, we are pulled into the film again by these chinks in the machinery. I hope you all had a great Halloween. As for me, well, I am just taking another stepping-stone toward the next Holiday where I can blow some crap up (Yay New Years!). Until then I will just continue bombing movies the way I always have, even though this one is far from being a bomb. Have a good weekend, folks!

Beckʼs newest album has all ʻthe infoʼ

RICHARD CARTER WICHITAN DANCE CRITIC A pleasant surprise, Beckʼs new album “The Information” follows last yearʼs erratic “Guero” a little better. Beck Hansenʼs latest offering features 15 songs (many of which are very good) and a DVD of fulllength lo-fi videos for the songs on the CD. The highly derivative visuals on the DVD look like they were filmed live, very low budget and completely tongue-in-cheek. Itʼs the DVDs strong point and weakness. The videos feature loads of cheesy camera work and special effects that are reminiscent of (or directly refer) to the early ʻ80s videos that once got play on TBSʼs ʻ80s Friday and Saturday night video program. Music television was much more fun then, because all Turnerʼs network really did back then was to run nonstop music videos (made on shoestring budgets) for five-hour stretches. Beckʼs videos are similarly good fun, like his idiosyncratic music, and thatʼs a large part of his charm. He can take past musical forms and images, and make music (and video) that are not only an effective homage, but a humorous in-joke as well as serve as a cool and catchy jam or pop song.

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create a “cover” in a similar way to the way that Beck “writes” and adapts his songs. The magic of Beck, like any good contemporary “recording” artist, is more than simply picking and arranging the right stuff. The trick is imaginative production, inventive musicianship, a decent ear and a sense of humor. The goal ultimately is to keep the listeners rocking, smiling and swinging to the music. And thatʼs what “The Information” accomplishes for most of its hour-long length. The CD starts out mid-paced alternative funky with “Elevator Music” and “Think I am in Love” and then cheesy ʻ80s David Bowie funky with “Cellphoneʼs Dead.” It then goes a little slower pop, more moderate and a tad folksy and alternately spacey. “The Information” winds up on an otherworldly electronica piece

Beck gives us ‘the information’ on which way is up

For example, the semi-macho lyrics and intense soul singing and soul touches on the song “Debra” from “Midnight Vultures” are laugh-out loud funny. But as much as Beck is playing fun with the soul genre, “Debra” is still so good that a listener is likely to sing along with him--in his or her best falsetto, of course. On “The Information,” the fun and the craft are not limited to the music.

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Beneath the graph paper cover of the CD is a huge sheet of whacky stickers, so listeners can design their own personalized cover. The point is that listeners can pick through the various stickers,

The entertainment staff at The Wichitan would like to recruit a few DVD reviewers. If interested contact Jason Kimbro at 397-4704.

with pseudo-intellectual writer Dave Eggers and ﬁlm director Spike Jonze discussing the ideal record. I may not be as big a Beck fan as some, though I like “Midnight Vultures,” “Sea Change” and “Odelay” a lot. Musically, these records cover a lot of musical ground, but remain more or less cohesive and focused. “The Information,” like “Guero” is not very focused. Still, the new album works for me better than “Guero” because the songs seem more sure of themselves. Radiohead producer Nigel Godrichʼs cohesive and sonic presence helps. Get “The Information,” crank up the iPod, have a party and show the Beck DVD for background sounds and images. It might even initiate a drinking game. You know, spot the obvious musical reference, and take a sip of booze. Hastings Entertainment provided this review copy. (940) 696-8029.

THE WICHITAN Nov. 1, 2006

News

Homecoming Week

Pierce Hall drowns out the competition with its seven-man vessel.

Photos by Hershel Self The MSU band gets the crowd riled up at the bonﬁre.

Students gaze at the bonﬁre as ﬂames engulf the night sky.

Alex Villerreal encourages the crowd to pump up the volume.

Shirts of opposing teams are lit to ignite the roaring bonﬁre. Dustin Webb and Carlos Delafuenta spit ﬁre in celebration.

Sports

T: 5 in

Price and participation may vary.

THE WICHITAN Nov. 1, 2006

Volleyball closes out season FOR THE WICHITAN The Midwestern State University Mustangs closed their 2006 home season on a positive note, defeating Southwestern Oklahoma State 3-1 in Lone Star Conference North play at Gerald Stockton Court in D.L. Ligon Coliseum. MSU (15-14, 5-7 LSC North) took the match 27-30, 30-21, 30-21, 30-22 to close LSC North action as well. Southwestern Oklahoma State (10-22, 2-9) goes to Texas Womanʼs University on Saturday to end its season. It took Midwestern a game before they got on track. After allowing SWOSU to win game one and tie the second game at 1-1, sophomore Katie Guehler of The Colony stepped up to serve eight straight points, and MSU never trailed again the rest of the match. Sophomore Shay Velasquez of Amarillo/River Road led the MSU attack with 15 kills, while sophomore Whitney Maxwell of Mabank and redshirt freshman Jessica Ransom of Wichita Falls High each collected 10 kills. Ransom hit .381 to lead MSU, while Maxwell hit .364 for the match and recorded six blocks. Junior Krissa Johnson of Denver City led MSU with seven blocks on the night, as sophomore setter Allison Schreiber of Windthorst posted 49 assists. Southwestern was led by the trio of Kasandra Gurtner, Paula Harry and Tennessee Brown who each recorded 10 kills.

HERSHEL SELF | THE WICHITAN MSU’s Lacy Lanier, 10, tries to block the ball from coming over the net last Thursday at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Lady Mustangs beat SWOSU 3-1 and closed out their season against Southern Nazarene on Saturday.

Mustangs corral into postseason KONNIE SEWELL STAFF REPORTER

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scored their first goal of the match when Swartzendruber slipped one past the WT goalie. The score was then 2-1. But WT came back and scored their third goal. But Potter and Swartzendruber scored the final two goals of regulation play and tied the game 3-3. Seven minutes were left on the clock, and during overtime Becerra delivered. Five Mustangs were placed on the All-American Team: MVP Becerra, Swartzendruber, Potter, Daniel Brown and Daniel Woolard. Monday, MSU was seeded number two in the Midwest Region of the 2006 NCAA Division II Menʼs Soccer Championship. The field will have eight regions, with four teams in each region. The first and second round games will be hosted by the top team in each region with the winner advancing to the quarterfinal games. The number one seed for the Midwest is Fort Lewis College (Colo.). The tournament will be held in Durango, Colo., with the semi-finals beginning Friday at 11 a.m. and the regional final beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday. MSU is set to play against the Incarnate Word Cardinals. This will be the third time the teams will meet this season. Their first match was tied 2-2, but MSU won the second game 3-1. The last time the Mustangs made it to the NCAA tournament was back in 2003, when they advanced to the quarterfinals game but lost to eventual runner-up Cal State-Chico 3-1. MSUʼs game against the Cardinals will be the first semi-final match and will start at 11 a.m.

KONNIE SEWELL

ASU (12-6-1) ﬁnally scored during the 68th minute. MSU outshot ASU 17-10 and goal keeper Heather Primavera got four saves. ASU goalie Becky Martin got seven saves in addition to the two goals allowed. With this win the women advance to the semiﬁnals and will face No. 16 Central Oklahoma Friday at 2:30 p.m. Also, last Friday the LSC announced its All-Conference womenʼs soccer team. Five players from MSU made the team: Megan Bibilone and Melissa Brown for FirstTeam All-Conference; Bristow and Kelly Tanner for Second-Team AllConference; and Brittany Burney received Honorable Mention AllConference.

Lady Mustangs prance on STAFF REPORTER

The MSU womenʼs soccer team won the first round of the womenʼs Lone Star Conference Thursday when they defeated Angelo State University 2-1. The Lady Mustangs scored two goals during the first half of the game, then held on during the second to secure their win. The team is now 10-7-1. The first goal was scored during the 15th minute. Michelle Harris got the rebound off Kari Bristowʼs shot and put it past the ASU goal keeper. Less than five minutes later, Katy Lukert took a shot from Bristow (off the ASU goalie) and scored again.

T: 20 in

The MSU menʼs soccer team won their semi-final match Thursday against Eastern New Mexico and advanced to the Southwest Soccer Conference Tournament Finals. Taking control from the very beginning, the men beat Eastern New Mexico 5-1. MSU scored two goals during the first half of the game. One was off the foot of Scott Leonard from 25 yards out. The other goal was from Brandon Swartzendruber, who received a touch pass from Obed Becerra. Three goals were exchanged in just two minutes during the second half. MSUʼs Sun Potter scored first off a corner kick. Just a minute later, the Greyhounds scored their only goal past MSU backup goal keeper Shaun Gill. Merely 50 seconds later, Daniel Brown scored off a pass from Potter. On the defense, MSU only allowed Eastern New Mexico a total of five shots. MSUʼs offense shot for 26. Also, junior midfielder Brian Martinez suffered a strained knee ligament during the game and was not able to play in the final game Saturday. With this victory, the men were

secured a spot in Saturdayʼs final against West Texas A&M. This game was also important for coach Doug Elder, who scored a major milestone – this was his hundredth coaching win. Elder, who has been head coach since 2000, has a record of 100-28-10 overall. He said he didnʼt even realize he was anywhere close to a hundred wins until someone told him about five games ago. He also acknowledged that without the players scoring goals and playing the way they do, he doesnʼt have any wins. The final began during the noon heat Saturday. The game was decided during overtime, coming off an exciting second half, and suffice it to say thereʼs not a harder-working group of men at MSU than those on the soccer team. MSU beat the WT Buffaloes 4-3, coming back from a late two-goal deficit and claiming the title of SSC tournament champions. The team is now 17-2-1. “Itʼs a special team we have this year,” Elder told the Times Record News. “Weʼre figuring out ways to win. A lot of teams would have quit, but our guys fought back. We faced a lot of adversity today, and I am so proud of this team.” The winning goal came from Tournamentʼs Most Valuable Player Becerra, who made it four minutes into overtime off a pass from Danny Kastelic. Coming off a 7-6 shootout win against Northeastern State in the other semi-final Thursday, WT was ready for fierce competition during the first half of the game. WT forward Rene Gomez put a shot in from 11 yards out. In the second half, the Buffaloesʼ lead increased by one. MSU then

THE WICHITAN Nov. 1, 2006

Next Up Mustangs calm Storm Wednesday 8 p.m. Menʼs Basketball v.s. Texas A&M in Exhibition at Reed Arena at College Station Friday 11 a.m. Menʼs Soccer v.s. Incarnate Word in NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Semiﬁnals in Durango, Colo. 2:30 p.m. Womenʼs Soccer v.s. Central Oklahoma in NCAA Division II Regional Semiﬁnals at Edmond, Okla. Saturday Womenʼs Cross Country in NCAA Division II South Central Regional hosted by Central Missouri State at Warrensburg, Mo. 1 p.m. Football v.s. Eastern New Mexico at Memorial Stadium.

QB Polk blows by with 259 rushing yards IGGY CRUZ

STAFF REPORTER Quarterback Daniel Polk set a Mustang single-game rushing record with 259 yards and three touchdowns Saturday night as No. 23 MSU kept its playoff hopes alive with a 33-23 Homecoming victory over Southeastern Oklahoma. Polk had scoring runs of 3, 80, and 69 yards while throwing for 76 yards and another score. Polk broke his previous mark of 244 yards rushing against Eastern New Mexico last season. For the year, Polk has 951 yards rushing with 10 touchdowns. MSU (7-2) racked up 333 total rushing yards on the ground, but only managed 77 total yards through the air. SOSU quarterback Justin Pitrucha threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns on 13-of-18 passing, while Shawn Lawrence hauled in six receptions for 118 yards. A forced safety by Donial Arps in the third quarter and a 3-yard Polk touchdown proved to be the difference as the Mustangs shut out the Savage Storm throughout the quarter after coming out of halftime in a 10-10 tie. Mookie Davis got MSU on board ﬁrst with a 6-yard touchdown from Polk in the second, before SOSU answered back with a 76-yard drive to knot the game up at 7-7. Kristian Foster would knock in a 27-yard ﬁeld goal followed by 18yarder from Pete Cuva to send both teams into the half without an advantage.

Although the Mustangs ran the ball at will and limited the Savage Storm to 58 total rushing yards, the team could not stop the pass. MSU allowed 315 yards passing as SOSU averaged 13.7 yards per completion and converted on 4-of-5 red zone attempts. However, the Mustangs locked SOSU down in the third by posting a shut out, setting up a back-andfourth scoring match in the fourth quarter. Trailing 19-10 to open the fourth, Pitrucha drove SOSU 99-yards down the field, capping off the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Nichols and slashing the Mustang lead to 3. But on the second play of the ensuing Mustang drive, Polk broke loose for a 80-yard jaunt into the end zone to give MSU a 26-17 lead with 6:03 remaining. But Polk wasnʼt through. On the following Mustang possession, Polk again replicated his previous touchdown by taking the second snap of the drive and rushing over the right side for a 69-yard score, giving MSU a 33-17 edge. Pitrucha gave SOSU its last score, finding Jimmie Dailey for a 15-yard touchdown and 33-23 final. Darius Bortters finished with 11 tackles to lead the Mustangs, while Aprs had 8. Dezmond Sherrer recorded the lone interception for MSU. The Mustangs will play their last home game Saturday against Eastern New Mexico. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

HERSHEL SELF| THE WICHITAN MSU’s Cody Thompson, 42, wraps up a Southeastern Oklahoma player as he rushes upﬁeld last Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. The Mustangs beat the Savage Storm, 33-23 on Homecoming night to pull the Mustang’s record to 7-2. MSU will now host Eastern New Mexico at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Cardinals fan celebrates World Series win with St. Louisans ADRIAN MCCANDLESS STAFF REPORTER

Going to St. Louis for a convention, I still was undecided on who I wanted to win the World Series. The Cardinals have come so close in recent years and were due for a title. On the other hand, I have a signed baseball from Pudge that surely would jump up in value if the Tigers took home the title to Detroit. My opinion changed as soon as I stepped out off the plane. There was a vibe in the city that was indescribable. It was as if the whole city depended on this win to survive. We had to take the Metro Link from the Lambert Airport into the heart of St. Louis. On the voyage to our hotel it was cold and rainy. We were miserable. The third game of the series was postponed until Thursday due to the rain. The Metro Link made a stop at Busch Stadium, and I witnessed

drones of disappointed Cardinal fans scurrying to the transit. On Friday, we ate at a sports bar and grill called Calicos. The place was stuffed with eager fans counting down the minutes until game time. Our hostess had big red beads draped across her neck, a Cardinals T-shirt on and a goofy hat that had a life-size cardinal springing from the top. No one seemed to mind. She was a die-hard fan and most importantly, she didnʼt look out of place at all. Everywhere we happened to go, fans appeared. They were coming out of nowhere and dressed in goofy costumes as well. By Friday night, I was still weary of the game. I did decide I wanted the Cards to win, however I didnʼt want it to be an absolute massacre. I wanted Detroit to at the very least give them a run for their money. Maybe make the ﬁnal win a little more dramatic. By 6 p.m., I was getting excited about the game. My friends and I went up into the Arch and had a perfect view of the stadium. It was absolutely beautiful.

We decided to go to the A.J.ʼs, the sports bar in our hotel, and watch the game. By the third inning I decided if the Cardinals won the fifth game, I was going to run around the streets to take pictures. I hadnʼt told my friends yet, and I was almost positive they would try and talk me out of it, so I waited a while before I told them. The sports bar was unreal. The bar was flooded with a sea of red except for the one obnoxious table of Detroit fans. I am pretty sure they had a death wish because with every cheer let out at the table, the tension grew. The whole bar would turn around and give them an evil eye. They were brave or stupid, I donʼt know which fits them better. All I know is I am glad I wasnʼt associated with them. I am not sure what their fate was because during the 6th inning, my friend and I decided to go up to our hotel room to finish watching the game. After the last out of the game, I swear we could hear the whole city let out one simultaneous cheer. I let my friends know I was going to go down on the streets to capture they ecstatic fans in action. I knew

Rams batter Rugby team, 42-10 JAMES PIERCE STAFF REPORTER

MSU Rugby suffered a let down this week after a promising start last week in their conference opener. A

42-10 thumping at the hands of conference rival Angelo State is sending the team back to the drawing board. MSU had a promising beginning to the match, with fullback

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Phil Alexander scampering about 60 meters and outrunning the ASU defense to go up quickly in the first half 5-0. They converted on their two-point attempt to make it 7-0. The wheels soon fell off as the back line was exposed and trampled by ASUʼs fly-half (relatable to a quarterback in football). He cut through the defense and scored numerous tries in the trouncing. “Needless to say there will be considerable changes in our backline,” said MSU co-captain Robert Sweeney. ASU did much of the scoring from then on, scoring 42 straight points to put the game well out of reach. MSU did end on a positive note with eight-man (end man on the line of scrimmage) Brad Sample making a drop kick off of a penalty late in the second half to bring the final tally to 42-10. MSU plays in a tournament in Nacogdoches on November 11. They will start off with a conference match against the University of North Texas. The game doubles as their opening round match in the tournament.

I could not turn down this opportunity. With reluctance, my friends said goodbye and warned me they would start to worry if I was not back by 11:30. I ran to the elevator and impatiently waited for that steel box to finally reach the 8th floor. As the bell finally rang, my heart began to race. I had no idea what I was in for. Immediately, as I stepped through the hotel doors, a wave of sheer joy rushed over me. My adrenaline started flowing and I ran towards the stadium four blocks away. As I made my way through the crowds, I was given high-fives, pats on the backs and hugs. It was as if I had lived in St. Louis all my life. People were laying on their horns, not because they were upset over the massive traffic jam, rather because they were celebrating. Others were waving shirts over their heads and running up and down the streets. I was overwhelmed at first, but decided to go with the flow. I began hollering at people in their cars to hold up their newspapers declaring the Cardinals champions. People began yelling at me to take their pictures. I am sure they

thought I was with the press from St. Louis instead of the little college town of Wichita Falls, but I didnʼt have time to explain and they didnʼt have time to ask. On my way to Busch Stadium, I found a man standing in the middle of the street playing the saxophone. He was belting out the tune, “Take me out to the ball game.” Fans passing by were stufﬁng handfuls of money into his bucket, whether or not booze contributed, I do not know. One fan handed the man a beer and encouraged him to partake in the celebration. Instead, the man sat the Keystone down and contin-

ued ﬁlling the air with the beautiful sound. For a place being ranked the most dangerous city in the country, I have never felt that safe. Knowing I had promised my friends I would be back by 11:30, I made my way back to the hotel, snapping away with my camera as I went. I am glad the Cardinals won the World Series, because they truly did deserve it. I am glad they were in St. Louis when they won. Most importantly, I am glad I was there to be a ﬁrst hand witness to a city, even if only for one night, come together and celebrate like a family.

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