October 26, 2011

MAROONALERT

MSU officials up the ante on campus security by about $3,000.

READ pg. 4

GETDEFENSIVE

The women’s soccer team proves defense is the best offense against TWU.

READ pg. 9

wichitan

ht e Wednesday

October 26, 2011

your campus/your news

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Cheating is widespread problem BRITTNEY COTTINGHAM MANAGING EDITOR MSU students cheat. Records obtained by The Wichitan show how widespread it is across campus.

Over the past three years: • 14 cases of plagiarism were confirmed in the Honors Program.

• A nursing student was booted from the program after fellow students turned her in for cheating on a test.

• A videotape captured a Marketing & Management Information Systems student using notes on an exam.

• A radiologic sciences student was withdrawn from a class with a permanent grade of F and dismissed from the program for plagiarizing an assignment.

These are only a few of the cheating

49% 91% 62% 15%

incidents on record at MSU since 2008.

The Wichitan obtained the cases from 2008 to present through state Open Record requests. All student names were redacted, keeping identities confidential.

In one blatant case, a female student in the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) program wrote notes on her hand before a test. The department chair spotted the human crib sheet and escorted her to the restroom. There, she watched her wash the incriminating evidence from her skin.

Afterward, the student was given a verbal warning and put on probation.

Any further academic misconduct, the student was told, would result in her dismissal from the Radiologic Sciences program.

The Radiology Department also utilized the plagiarism detector Turnitin,

of 103 MSU students have cheated at least once while in college.

This is compared to 57.4% out of 401 students in 2004.

which checks originality on essays in percentage, to catch students in the act.

One radiology student submitted a pathology report that had an overall similarity index of 76 percent. Upon further investigation by the department, it was determined that almost 100 percent of the submitted paper was made up of direct quotes from various sources. The student was given a grade of zero on the report.

In Fall 2010, a radiologic sciences professor caught a male and female student taking an online test at the same time in Clark Student Center. The test was supposed to be completed individually.

“No info was traded between us,” one student wrote in an email to the professor. “We both had our books so there was no need for that. To talk about being honest, I was invited to take the test

today with a few other members.”

The second student proclaimed her innocence by apologizing not only to the professor, but also to the entire radiology program staff.

Both students were required to meet with the department chair. Even though the Blackboard test log showed they were taking the test at the same time, ultimately no punishment was given. “(Punishments) may depend on if the cheating is incidental or if somebody is a repeat offender,” said Dr. Alisa White, provost and vice president for academic affairs.

White admits not every case fits neatly in the academic misconduct procedures listed in the MSU Student Handbook. She wants the current policy to be clearer, which is why this year, White has plans to ask the Academic Appeals Committee to review the policy and

suggest changes.

The only cheating sanction in the Finance, Economics, and Legal Studies department in the past three years involved four students in Fall 2010 who submitted a group paper, which was plagiarized.

The students received an F for the course.

In July 2010, a team of students plagiarized on a marketing management team project. They received a zero on their assignment.

In the Honors Introductory Seminar class, 14 cases of cheating occurred.

When an Honors student purchased a term paper from the Internet, she received a zero on the paper, which was worth 20 percent of the grade for the

CHEATING pg. 5

Hustling the system MSU student gives up the ghost in pinch-hitting scheme

of those students asked would not turn in sombody cheating compared to 87% of students in 2004. of cheaters in a 2004 survey think the majority of students approve of cheating. of cheaters in 2004 were

fraternity or sorority

members.

Hannah Hofmann

The Wichitan asked 103 MSU students, which punishment is most suitable when a student is caught plagiarizing?

10.7% 69.9% 16.5% 2.9%

Fail the class

F on the assignment Drop from the class

Expel from university

All current results were found during a poll conducted by the Wichitan staff. Previous records were found by Dr. Michael A. Vandehey, Dr. George M. Diekhoff and Dr. Emily E. LaBeff.

BRITTNEY COTTINGHAM MANAGING EDITOR Would you pay $1,000 for an A? Mike, an MSU student who wishes to remain anonymous, did.

His math professor didn’t get the money, however. Mike, a junior business major, paid a fellow student to take his class for him.

The Wichitan has learned that Mike and at least two other MSU students shelled out money to others who sat in classes in their place. The other two participants refused to talk about their cheating experiences.

Mike admitted to masterminding the pinch-hitting scheme, a method of cheating often referred to as “ghosting.”

“It just didn’t seem too bad if I was paying for (a grade) with my own money,” he rationalized.

Mike, who is attending MSU on an academic scholarship, believes he had no other choice but to cheat.

“I picked classes I had no chance in hell of passing,” he said. “So I thought I would just shatter the system. In Spring 2011, I recruited my cousin, who is excellent at math, to take my College Algebra class.”

Desperate times call for desperate measures, Mike said.

“For me, homework is never really the problem because you have unlimited time,” he explained. “It’s the tests that I

was worried about. I just didn’t want to have to study 12 hours a day for a math test. Math is not my strong point.”

Mike negotiated a “going rate” with his cousin that he continued to use for other classes. Mike paid $1,000 for an “A,” $800 for a “B” and $600 for a “C”. No money would exchange hands if he got anything lower.

Mike said he learned quickly that beating the system was not an uncomplicated task.

One of the core essentials of this operation is picking the right professor, he said.

Mike and two friends spent two months investigating before putting their plan into action. They read up on professors on RateMyProfessor.com, a review site where students anonymously rate professors from universities around the nation.

Several factors, from how observant the professor was to class size and student-toprofessor ratio, were considered before a teacher was selected as the “lucky winner.”

Mike said they tried to find a professor who taught to the class as a whole rather than giving students a lot of individual attention.

“We hand-picked a teacher that would never interact with students on an individual basis so that the person I picked wouldn’t be noticed much,” Mike said.

Mike then went to the classroom where the course would be held to check out the seating arrangements. Finally, Mike de-

cided upon the exact seat he wanted his worker to sit.

Mike said preparing for this method of cheating was a lot of work.

“You get this Secret Agent feeling when you’re doing it that makes it so much better,” Mike said. “It’s very fun. We were hustling a state university.”

That spring, while Mike completed his four other classes, he received brief weekly updates on how his College Algebra class was going. Until midterms, there were no problems. Then someone familiar to the real Mike had a close encounter with the professor.

“A family member was trying to help me in math because they thought I was actually taking the class,” Mike said. “So they went to meet the teacher without telling me to ask what they could do to help me. (My cousin) has darker skin so when this family member with pale skin goes up to my teacher, it was kind of obvious we weren’t related. We really worried that the teacher might notice.”

The professor didn’t seem to notice.

After this near-disaster, Mike hired a friend to be on standby to pretend to be his parent – just in case.

By May, Mike had racked up an “A” in College Algebra and his cousin was $1,000 richer.

Mike said this accomplishment shows a huge hole in MSU’s acapg. 5 demic honesty

MIKE

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October 26, 2011

campus voice nour view

Netflix: 810,000 down The Internet’s top movie-rental service, Netflix, has been losing subscribers steadily since July.

The issue? Rising prices and talk about complicating the DVD rental process.

The popularity of Netflix has been rapidly growing since the company was established in 1997. In the second quarter of FY2011, Netflix reported 24.6 million subscribers.

But subscription numbers dropped by 810,000 in the third quarter, weighing them in at 23.8 million.

That is still an astronomical number of subscribers. But because of the price changes (from about $10 to about $16), Netflix doens’t expect to experience a huge global net loss.

Netflix announced that it would no longer offer access to the DVD-bymail service and unlimited streaming video for $10 a month. Customers could pay $8 for streaming or $8

for discs or $16 for both. This, along with the limited selection for instantstreaming, caused an uproar.

So why isn’t the comapny reversing the change?

It seems the CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings, isn’t worrying about it, stating that the selection of full season TV shows is “incredible.”

Hastings didn’t make it a big deal that Netflix has lost its contract with Starz (the company that owns the rights for Disney and Sony movies). The loss of this contract means an enormous chunk of movies are inaccessible to subscribers. They shouldn’t be counting on seeing the biggest films from the major studios on Netflix anytime soon.

That’s not exactly something to be excited about.

Shareholders aren’t excited about the drop in subscribers, either.

Shares dropped 35 percent on

Tuesday as investors learned of the dramatic decline in subscriptions.

Hastings didn’t see shareholders backing out of the company as a big deal either.

He stated that, even with the 60 percent price increase, Netflix is still “a good deal.”

Hastings is counting on growth in their instant streaming, and not investing much into the mailbox DVD program.

Is this a smart move? It’s hard to tell.

Netflix is expecting a growth in subscribers by December of this year.

“Streaming looked at in any reasonable time-frame is going to grow and grow,” said Hastings.

Will subscribers really come back?

Or is Netflix going to be left to crash and burn like the video-rental giant Blockbuster?

e thwichitan

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

editorial board

Editor in Chief: Chris Collins Managing Editor: Brittney Cottingham A&E Editor: Anastasia Reed Op-Ed Editor: Kaja Banas-Salsman Sports Editor: Damian Atamenwan Web/ Photo Editor: Hannah Hofmann Advertising manager: Rachel Bingham Copy editor: Kristina Davidson adviser: Randy Pruitt contributors: Orlando Flores, Josh Hayter, Donace Wilkinson, Tolu Agunbiade, Andre Gonzalez Staff Photographer: Kassie Bruton

Copyright © 2011. The Wichitan is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association. The Wichitan reserves the right to edit any material submitted for publication. Opinions expressed in The Wichitan do not necessarily reflect those of the students, staff, faculty, administration or Board of Regents of Midwestern State University. The Wichitan welcomes letters of opinion from students, faculty and staff submitted by the Friday before intended publication. Letters should be brief (350 words or less) and without abusive language or personal attacks. Letters must be typed and signed by the writer and include a telephone number and address. The editor retains the right to edit letters.

Trick-or-Peek KAJA BANAS-SALSMAN OP-ED EDITOR

Lohan isn’t Playmate material Johnny Blevins

KAJA BANAS-SALSMAN OP-ED EDITOR Lindsay Lohan once said, “My motto is: Live every day to the fullest - in moderation.”

Moderation is not something Lohan has a clue about. Moderation requires self-control.

Lohan lacks self-control. Moderation requires knowing your limits. Lohan knows nothing of her substance limits. Moderation is being within reasonable limits, not excessive or extreme.

Lindsay Lohan hasn’t been moderate since Herbie: Fully Loaded.

Between her DUI’s, cocaine busts, and multiple revoked probations, she is doing everything but following her motto from just a few

years ago.

As a child star, Lohan was known for her role in Parent Trap and her role as the main character in the Disney movie Life-Size.

Today, at the age of 25, her lengthy filmography is clouded by her excessive partying, drug-use, rehab stints and eating disorders.

The cute redheaded child star that so many young girls looked up to is now the poster-girl for how not to live a healthy life.

In 2005 Lohan stated in an interview that she would never pose nude, stating that there are other things “you can do” to show off your sex appeal and body.

In 2008 she posed nude for New York Magazine. On Tuesday morning it was confirmed

by Lohan’s mother, Dina, that Lohan would be posing nude for Playboy.

Lohan, named Maxim’s Sexiest Woman Alive in 2007, is now a sore excuse for sexy.

Her teeth are rotted, her body is ruined, her skin is bruised, and that once signature red hair is a tacky bleached blonde.

So why did Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner offer the once “teen-queen” a million dollars to pose for his magazine?

Is the magazine losing readership? Has the “ideal” feminine figure digressed into a drugabused, bulimic, bruised body?

To make it worse, Lohan’s mother is sup-

porting and protecting her daughter’s endeavors. She made excuses for Lohan’s behavior nearly every time she was arrested for DUI and drug possession, claiming it on the pressure that fame caused and the influences of the life of the rich and famous.

In the past, Playboy has featured classic beauties such as Denise Richards, Jenny McCarthy, Marilyn Monroe and Cindy Crawford.

But now it’s sunk to the level of Lindsay Lohan?

Is that what the world is coming to?

I hate to be harsh, no, wait, I don’t care if I’m harsh. Lindsay Lohan is not Playboy material.

She may have been in 2007, but that’s also when all of the trouble started.

She went from beauty and success to the ugliness of drug addiction and alcohol abuse.

It wouldn’t be as bad if she were actually trying. But her attempts to “change” have been nothing more than pathetic. She’s had a countless number of attempts at rehab, multiple chances at “redeeming” herself with community service, and too many warnings with offenses that the normal citizen would serve fullterm for committing.

Maybe Lindsay should look back on the things she said in the past and take her own advice, for her sake, and ours.

Halloween is a great excuse to look absolutely ridiculous, irresistibly sexy, and in some cases a little bit slutty.

It’s Halloween, why not look like a prostitute? Oh wait, since it’s Halloween that means it’s just called “cute” and “sexy” instead. My bad.

There is a fine line between “sexy” and “five-dollamake-you-holla.”

It seems as though Halloween night is the perfect excuse to let some body parts hang out, and I’m not talking about a little bit of side-boob, either.

I’m talking full-blown boobie overflow, under-boob, and butt cheeks.

Sure, butt-cheeks-meet-legs is super sexy when it’s Natalie Portman posing for Maxim, but when a college girl wearing next-to-nothing goes to a party with an enormous crowd of her peers, the look is undoubtably inappropriate.

What is it that makes women squeeze themselves into these shards of clothing and actually go out in public? Is it the immense amounts of alcohol that goes along with Halloween parties? Is it the hope that because the lights are down low that nip-slip she keeps adjusting in the mirror before the party won’t be noticeable?

Either way, it’s far from classy. Your butt cheeks hanging all over the place when your costume is riding up is not cute.

What happened to the days where Halloween costumes were creative and interesting? I don’t know how many more Halloweens I can take seeing five sets of nearly-naked Bavarian beer girls, sexy pilots, and Strawberry Shortcakes.

That drunk guy across the way isn’t going to realize that the girl he was just talking to in the police officer costume isn’t the same one he’s striking up conversation with now.

If that’s what the girls with their boobs hitting their faces are going for, so be it. Not much I can do about it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against sexy or revealing costumes. But it really makes a difference when it’s easy to tell if the costume a girl is wearing is a few sizes too small.

I used to be an athlete. I used to have lean legs, slender but muscular arms, and I was hinting at a six-pack on my good days. Unfortunately I don’t hold that shape any longer.

I have a less than fit tummy and I’m not afraid to admit it. I’m not going to wear something that reveals my bad spots. I’m not going to show off any “bulgy” spots that may be hiding in places I don’t pay much attention to.

It pains me to see girls who are wearing a costume that would be sexy if it were the right size. It’s totally okay to not show the world your lady-parts, even if it is Halloween.

I know women say “I am confident enough to show off my body and I don’t have a problem with someone seeing my bum, cleavage or tummy.”

I also hear “I don’t care what anyone thinks of me. If they don’t like it, they don’t have to look. Their opinion is nothing to me.”

That’s great. But one day when you’re looking for a job and a potential employer browses your Facebook page do you really want them to see how great your boobs looked in that Little-Bo-Peep outfit?

Go ahead and be sexy. It’s okay. It’s the societal norm, but for goodness sake, be sexy in something that fits!

news

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October 26, 2011

Novelist to speak on book, character that ‘moved him’ CHRIS COLLINS EDITOR IN CHIEF It happened again.

But it usually happens to English professor and former poet laureate of Texas Jim Hoggard when he crafts an especially good main character for a novel.

The character takes on a life of its own. Well, to him it does, at least.

And after a reader folds back the last page of Hoggard’s newest book, The Mayor’s Daughter, he or she may think it’s real, too.

The author will read sections of the work Thursday at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art at MSU. The novel is centered on Ru-Marie, a rebellious female artist born in early 1900s Texas. The book, which was released in September, took about four years to finish. Hoggard completed the first draft of the story about a year and a half earlier, but later revisited the book to make some radical rewrites.

Now it reads just how Hoggard had wanted it to all along.

The story is mostly fictional, but does contain nuggets of truth. Some characters in the novel are called by their real names. Some of the incidents associated with the characters actually happened, too.

“There’s one chapter with two people, one of them who was destined to be governor of Texas and then a well-known oil man, rancher and philanthropist – J.S. Bridwell.

They’re basically representative of

Hannah Hofmann

The Mayor’s Daughter people who tried to make the city as healthy and vibrant as it can be.”

Early on in the writing process, the main character, Ru-Marie, grabbed Hoggard’s attention.

“She became a character in her own right. She ended up moving me deeply. She sort of took on a life of her own.”

Hoggard described Ru-Marie’s character: “Peppery. Studious. She has a wonderful talent for art. She calls the public library her palace and her fortress. She’s destined to become a painter.”

What characterizes her the most, he said, is her refusal to cave to her family’s snooty standards.

“There’s a sweetness about her, but there’s also a toughness about her,” he said.

Her parents disapprove of the girl’s boyfriend because his father left him and his mother runs a boardinghouse.

“(Ru-Marie) makes fun of it,” he said. “She says, ‘it’s not like we’re Vanderbilts and Asters!’ From her point of view, that’s all pretense.”

Hoggard said he didn’t have any one person in mind who he was trying to model the character after.

“Pretty early on as I was making notes and such, she became more and more independent in my imagination,” he said. “But my characters tend to be real to me anyway.

A number of people have observed that. As real as the flesh-and-blood people sitting next to me.

The book is actually two stories in one, Hoggard noted.

One story documents Ru-Marie’s life as a senior in high school. The other tells of her reflections on life almost half a century later.

“Something really painful happened in her past,” he said. “She is feeling overwhelmed by her past.”

The second story deals with her quest to find redemption in the city she grew up in. She sends letters to a newspaperman named James Evening, asking him to write her recollections down into a book. She relates to him an instance in which she saw an old neighborhood that has been torn down to make room for parking lots, law firms and medical offices.

“I wouldn’t say that it’s nostalgia, because nostalgia is a softer response than what she’s feeling,” he said. “It’s as if her past has converged on her powerfully.

The stringing together of two stories in one book has become popu-

lar in the novel-writing industry, Hoggard said. He cited a handful of recently released stories that use a similar approach to storytelling.

Besides, the author said, the one story would be incomplete without the compliment of the other.

“I actually needed both of these, and so I figured out how to do it,” he said.

The novel shifts between firstand third-person narrations. One chapter is an interview of the main character by the journalist. Suffice it to say Hoggard didn’t play it safe by switching between stories, tenses and narratives in the story.

“According to the people who have read it, it works,” he said.

Hoggard rewrote major parts of the book before the final version was completed, he said. The rhythm just wasn’t quite right. But he said he had no problem criticizing his own work, as other writers often do. In fact, he’s already found and fixed two typographical errors in the novel. He said he’s merciless when it comes to editing his own work.

“There is a necessity to get things right, and I rewrite much more than I used to,” Hoggard said. “I’m making more demands and I know how to fix things.”

He settled on the book idea because “it was time to tell this story.”

“I kept thinking about it,” he said.

“I just couldn’t get away from it. It’s as if the story itself insisted on being told.”

3 www.thewichitan.com

CAMPUS BRIEFS Wednesday

Exploring the World of Art Bus Tour 7:45 a.m. The Kemp Center for the Arts and Museum of Art at MSU. $45 for bus ride, museum admission and refreshments.

Thursday

Texting DUI/DWI Simulator - How Safe is your driving?

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunwatcher Plaza.

From Addiction to Redemption 7 p.m. CSC Shawnee Speakers and Issues: The Mayor’s Daughter 7 p.m. Museum of Art at MSU. Admissions is free.

Friday

Shots Fired.

9 a.m. CSC Shawnee.

Opening Reception: Amy Cordova and Dan Enger.

6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Main Gallery. Free admission.

Tuesday

Creative Writing Contest Kickoff.

6 p.m. - 9 p.m. Moffett Lounge NATS Voice Recital - Competition Preview.

7:30 p.m. Akin Auditorium. Free admission.

Photo courtesy

Japan socialist leaders put career interests first DONACE WILKINSON FOR THE WICHITAN

‘Qdoba’ and ‘Qdoba Mexican Grill’ are registered trademarksof the Qdoba Restaurant Corporation ©2010.

A University of North Texas political science professor told MSU students last week that learning about foreign politics can lead to a better understanding of U.S. politics.

Dr. Ko Maeda spoke Tuesday night about Japanese politics as part of the Professor Edwards Discussion in Politics Series.

Students can understand American politics better,” he said, “if they have (a) better knowledge on foreign politics because they can view American politics from a comparative perspective and find out interesting things which they may not notice if they only know the American political system.”

Maeda’s lecture was based on his newest study, scheduled to be published in 2012, called, “An Irrational Party of Rational Members: The Collision of Legislators’ Re-election Quest with Party Success in the Japan Socialist Party.”

“My research shows that the Japan Socialist Party’s failure to become a moderate party was due to the resistance of some socialist politicians who put their careers as politicians before their party’s success,” Maeda said.

According Maeda, the study presents a new explanation to a puzzle regarding the reluctance of the Japan Socialist Party to moderate its hardliner

Marxist platform.

Maeda said he focuses on the preferences and strategies of individual JSP members, in contrast to previous studies that treat the party as a unitary actor.

Japan’s electoral system created a unique environment in which the electoral prospects for some JSP incumbents would be seriously jeopardized if their party increased its popular support, he said.

Asked if there are any aspects of American politics that Japan would do well to adopt, Maeda said, “In the U.S., even young people, such as college students, talk about politics and policy issues they care (about). That is a nice thing.”

Maeda, a native of Japan, is now a permanent U.S. resident. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations at University of Tsukuba in 1998. In 2001, he graduated with a Master’s of Arts in Political Science from Michigan State University, where he also earned his doctoral degree in 2005. He has been a professor at UNT since 2005.

Maeda specializes in comparative politics of democratic countries. His research interests include political institutions, political parties and elections.

Maeda’s newest study will be published in Comparative Political Studies, a journal specializing in in-depth analyses and research in the field of comparative politics. Some of his earlier stud-

news

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October 26, 2011

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MSU to spend more on alert system MEGAN FERNANDEZ FOR THE WICHITAN More than half of Midwestern State University students will be in the dark if an emergency breaks out.

Currently, 34 percent of MSU students are enrolled to receive an emergency notification through the MSU alert system.

MSU Alert is an emergency notification system that allows MSU to send emergency information by e-mail and/ or by text message.

All notifications from the MSU alert system are cleared by the chief of police and President Jesse Rogers.

MSU uses an “opt-in” system, where all MSU students have the option of signing up to receive emergency notifications.

They will have the option to take their name off the notification list.

MSU alert is powered through e2 Campus, a mass notifications solutions provider.

MSU currently has a little more than 6,000 students enrolled, even though they have only paid the provider a fee of $5,000 for 3,000 students to use the service.

Beginning summer 2012, however, MSU will begin to pay double the amount of what they currently pay once a new law is passed.

The Texas State Legislature recently passing a law requiring all state schools to automatically register their students for an emergency notification system.

No money was funded for state schools through this law, and no specific fee will be allocated to students’ tuition and fees, as of yet.

Police Chief Dan Williams believes MSU Alert is a great way to relay important information to students about snowstorms and tornadoes, as well as

possible acts of terrorism on campus.

In the event of a shooting, Williams sad his officers would be first on the scene. They would immediately notify the Wichita County Sheriff’s Department, Texas Highway Patrol, and Wichita Falls Police Department.

MSU police officers, along with all other officers, have been trained to handle volatile solutions, Williams said.

MSU officials are extremely cautious in determining whether or not an emergency notification should be sent out. While threatening weather notifications may come easy to announce, other situations, especially those involving threats, are thoroughly investigated beforehand.

Williams said that in an event of a rumored bomb threat, he and his officers would investigate the situation before making any decisions. However, if a threat is called in with detailed information of where the bomb was placed and

when it would blow up, no precautions are taken and an emergency notification will automatically be sent out.

Williams said the MSU police officers do their best to head off situations by searching for weapons in dorms and by the housing staff reporting anything suspicious. During the time Williams has been at MSU, no weapons have been found in the dorms.

Williams wishes more workshops could be held between officers, faculty and students, informing them on how to react to a shooter on campus.

If notified that a shooter is on campus while in a classroom students should: lock and or barricade doors, turn off lights, close blinds, block windows, and turn off radios and computer monitors. Williams advises everyone to keep calm and out of sight and silence cell phones.

While the MSU Alert deals only with campus emergencies, there is another

Student loans add to angst of protesters GERALDINE BAUM

MCT

For almost a week, Nate Grant has sat cross-legged on a wall at the Occupy Wall Street encampment, holding a cardboard sign that bears his scrawled grievance: “Students Ought Not Be a Means of Profit.”

Strangers have harangued him: “Get a job, you commie.”

Tourists have photographed him.

Others have stopped to engage in existential standoffs. “I have to pay interest on my car loan,” a banker told Grant. “What’s the difference between that and you paying off a student loan?”

This sparked a debate that lasted so long that the 22-yearold protester from New Jersey missed out on getting a free sleeping bag. He spent his first night at the protest sleeping on cold concrete.

With the nation’s student loan debt approaching $1 trillion, the issue has also generated debate in Washington. The Obama administration announced plans Tuesday to expand a government program to help 1.2 million borrowers reduce their payments and consolidate their student debt.

Republicans, including some presidential hopefuls, have demanded in recent days that government student aid programs be reduced or eliminated.

About two-thirds of the students who were in four-year colleges in 2009 used loans to pay tuition, accruing an average debt of $24,000, said Lauren Asher, president of the nonprofit Institute for College Access&Success. One in 10 owed $40,000 or more.

And even at a time when new tools have been developed to help poor students negotiate federal payments, an increasing percentage of them are defaulting. Last year, 320,000 people who recently left college defaulted on a federal payment.

“Compared to a generation ago, a lot more people have student loans and are carrying debt that is much greater,” said Asher, adding that besieged state governments are passing on costs to students at public schools by driving up tuition.

“Most people look at the sticker prices at Harvard and Yale,” Asher said. “But most students go to public schools, and tuitions there are also rising

rapidly.”

Republicans in Congress are seeking to lower the $5,000 cap on federal Pell Grants, which aid low- and middle-income students and do not require repayment.

“Look, I worked three jobs to pay off my student loans after college,” House Budget Committee Chairman Paul D. Ryan said last week at a town hall meeting in his native Wisconsin.

“I didn’t get grants, I got loans, and we need to have a system of viable student loans to be able to do this.”

Presidential candidate Ron Paul also reminded voters last weekend that he had worked his way through college and medical school, and promised that if he was in the White House he would eliminate federal student loans altogether.

But President Barack Obama has supported loan programs and tried to improve them. He also has reminded voters of his personal experience: Both he and his wife, Michelle, came out of college and law school with $60,000 in student loan debt. “We were paying a bigger amount every month than our mortgage,” he said last summer.

“And we did that for eight, 10 years. So I know how burdensome this can be.”

It doesn’t take long before any conversation in the strikingly youthful crowd in Lower Manhattan turns to the loans many of the twentysomethings have racked up. It’s not a central theme, like corporate greed and unemployment, but rather a subtext to all the chanting and marching.

Grant left Ithaca College in upstate New York in May with a degree in English and $90,000 in private and federal loans.

“College makes you cynical,” he said quickly. “I guess I’m proud of my degree. I just don’t see where it gets me.”

Cynical, perhaps, but when he read on the Internet about the rumblings down near Wall Street, he decided to join the fray on Thursday.

By Tuesday, Grant had found work with the organizers running a camera — something he learned in college. It won’t pay, but he said it felt good to have purpose.

“I’ve gotten a job with the movement,” he texted. “It’s eating up all of my time.”

category called “timely warning,” dealing with recurring crimes in Wichita Falls. For example, this past summer multiple robberies were recorded within a two to three-day span in Wichita Falls.

Because the robberies took place near MSU, Williams sent a timely warning to the campus, notifying students to be cautious with their belongings.

This warning was not sent through MSU Alert, but through email.

The MSU alert is not a news source.

It is used strictly for emergencies dealing with the campus, not Wichita Falls, Williams said.

Williams hopes the notifications provider MSU chooses to use keeps pace with technology.

MSU Alert is not only for students and faculty, but also parents who wish to be notified of emergencies at the same time of their son or daughter.

Signing up for MSU Alert takes less then five minutes, Williams said.

Loren Eggenschwiler

One segment of the newly finished bike trail in Wichita Falls.

Happy trails

Wichita Falls recently finished a bike trail running from Lucy Park to Jaci Park, a 14.9-mile route. The project has cost taxpayers about $9 million.

W

hether it’s for fitness or a daily commute, trailblazing students are saddling up and taking their bikes out to the recently completed Wichita Falls Hike & Bike Trail system.

The trail began in 1987 as a way to create a path around Lucy park, followed by a series of extensions along the Wichita River CADEN BURROSS Williams park and over FOR THE WICHITAN through the Scott Street area.

Over the last 25 years, as the trail grew on the northeast side of town, additional construction was completed in the Hamilton Park and Holliday Creek areas.

It wasn’t until this September that the two existing lengths of track were joined and final concrete for the trail was laid.

But it’s not just MSU students who are taking advantage of the trail – from its earliest stages, agencies and clubs donated money and planned for the future.

Groups such as Streams and Valleys, the Wichita Falls Bicycle Club, the Wichita Falls Runners Group and many others have played a role in helping the trail become what it is today.

Even with support from the community, however, this project couldn’t have been completed with donations alone.

According to Jack Murphy, parks and recreation department director, the project has cost about $9 million so far. Only 16 percent of that was paid for by the city. About 84 percent was awarded through state and federal funding.

The Community Development Block Grant, which helps to carry out community development activities, is one type of grant the city has been able to use for the project.

With this type of funding, the city was able to develop a trail completely separate from the motorway. Instead of using city streets, the trail follows the park system and natural waterways behind neighborhoods and around the eastern side of town.

Now only the pavement has been laid.

In the future, Murphy said, the trail will have more amenities.

“A trail has to be attractive, a lid out so that it’s curvy, to appeal to the eye. (It needs) benches, shelters, rest stops, water, restrooms,” he said.

Plans for future additions to the trail will bring it around full circle to the west side of Wichita Falls.

The ability to circumnavigate the city on bicycle without having to deal with vehicles is a huge bonus for most cyclists. At ten feet wide, the trail strictly prohibits motorized vehicles of any kind, except emergency and utility. It is intended only for recreational use.

The absence of cars is one of the main reason students seem to enjoy the trail. It’s why more students are using it every day.

Some students use it to jog around a scenic creek. Others walk with their friends. The trail gives them a chance to get out and stretch their legs without having to look over their shoulders for approaching traffic.

The trail offers a quick and safe route to campus from many neighborhoods around town Students who have been looking to save a little money in gasoline and cut back on emissions have been using the trail as a way to commute.

The closest entry point is only a few blocks from school.

Tyler Helms, an MSU senior who rides as much as 60 miles a week, said he would probably not ride his bicycle as often if it weren’t for the trail.

“It’s not safe to ride on the streets around here,” Helms said.

Though it’s not his only reason to ride, it definitely encourages him to know he doesn’t have to be on the lookout for cars.

Helms, who uses his bicycle for commuting as well as for exercise, think more people will go outside and ride if they know about the trail.

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MIKE continued from page 1 system.

“It’s almost shocking how lax professors are with attendance,” Mike said.

“Even in high school, when a substitute teacher would come in, they would have our picture in the system with the roll sheet. We couldn’t even switch names in a small juvenile, humorous way, yet we’re in college taking classes for each other. God, spend a little money for ID pictures and then put them on the computer and that would never happen again. Or make us even show our ID when we get to class.”

After a successful first run, Mike decided to test his luck again during the summer when his major required he take an economics course. Again, it was the math aspect of the class that kept him out of the classroom.

“I sought help for the class and got a tutor, but my confidence was so down from people saying, ‘I heard people quit college because of that class’ or ‘people never graduate because of that class,’” Mike said. “I thought, there was one more step, then I’m scot free until graduation. I knew I’d get A’s and B’s in everything else, so why not just have someone do it for me.”

For the economics class, Mike recruited a friend. It was the attendance policy for this class that almost got them caught.

Mike learned quickly that he was not sending a machine to class.

He could not control if his friend was tired or just didn’t feel like going to class.

This forced Mike to set new ground

rules.

“The professor noticed that he skipped two or three classes,” Mike said. “Then I stressed don’t get called out in class for anything. Never go to the bathroom. The whole class looked at him one time, they would recognize him. It’s Wichita Falls. You can’t trust too many people.”

The final straw occurred before Finals Week. Fortunately, it was someone he knew who caught him.

“They saw my name on the roll sheet the teacher passed around the room every day and connected the dots,” Mike said. “I’m lucky it wasn’t someone I was enemies with. They could’ve easily told the professor, here is a picture of Mike and this is the Mike that’s coming to class. That would be expulsion.”

Mike received a B in the economics class.

After his second close encounter, Mike decided to retire his cheating ways for the straight and narrow path.

“I’m trying to get in touch with my conscious,” Mike said. “I’m anonymously admitting this happened hoping to clear that. Now that I’ve gotten the (math-based) classes out of the way, I don’t want anyone else to do it.”

This decision comes with mixed emotions, he admitted.

“I feel a bit like a hypocrite because I got away with the classes I thought I’d never pass, but then I imagined someone else doing it, stealing my idea, and I was like, ‘What? They can’t cheat the system like that.’ Then I realized I did the same thing.”

Mike admits now that laziness played a significant part in his original plan.

“I am lazy, but fortunately money can offset that. The more wealthy someone is, the more leniency they have to be lazy.” he said.

As the fall semester continues, Mike is taking all of his courses himself and leaving his deceitful past behind him.

“To anyone who insists on doing this, be careful,” Mike said. “Go into it knowing that there is a huge risk if you get caught. I don’t think there are too many professors that wouldn’t try to force expulsion. If that happens, you can’t even get into another college. You really should ask yourself if it’s worth it. I got really lucky that I got away with it.”

CHEATING continued from page 1 Hannah Hofmann

Writing answers on the hand was how a Radiologic Sciences student cheated on an exam. The student was given a verbal warning and told that she was on probation. class, 14 cases of cheating occurred.

Thirteen other cases also involved plagiarism where material was copied from web sites without citation. In every case, the student was given a zero on the assignment. No student chose to appeal.

“There is no such thing as being kicked out of the program,” Honors Program Director Dr. Mark Farris said.

“There are students who, for various reasons, fail to remain active in the program. However, I will admit that for many students that fail to remain active, the criteria for regaining good standing are difficult to meet.”

The Fain College of Fine Arts reported 10 cases of plagiarism. Sixty percent of those cases were from the Mass Communication Department. On one occasion, three males turned in the same work.

Every plagiarism case in the Mass Communication Department ended with students failing the course.

Dr. Ron Fischli, dean of Fine Arts, said one of the reasons students might plagiarize is because they aren’t aware of what exactly plagiarism is.

“Also, sometimes it’s students who are desperate because they have put something off until the last minute,” he said. “I believe that they think it won’t be detected but faculty members are going to know.”

The English Department reported 12 cases of cheating, 11 of them plagiarism in Rhetoric and Composition I or II classes.

According to English chair Dr. David Rankin, the plagiarism was not extensive, ranging from only two to five sentences in eight of the papers to one or two paragraphs in three of the papers.

In nine of these incidents, the professors assigned a grade of F, while the students received a zero in the other two.

The twelfth case involved a repeat offender. The student included six paragraphs verbatim from six different sources from the Internet. The student was given a zero on the assignment.

The same student then committed the second offense in the same class. As punishment, she was dropped from the course with a grade of F. According to Dr. Ralph Fritzsch, ac-

counting and MIS chair, the department does not maintain records of past cheating incidents.

However, The Wichitan’s Open Records request revealed an incidence of cheating in March 2010 in an MIS class.

A student listed in the Disability Support Services program was caught on videotape using additional notes, which were not allowed for the exam. The student received a zero on the test.

Three cases of academic dishonesty in nursing were sent to the Academic Appeals committee over the last three years.

A senior nursing student in May 2010 received a failing grade based on evidence of academic dishonesty after he placed Internet information in his essay during an open book exam.

According to the professor, the student’s response to an essay question was the same word for word as an online source.

In a memorandum to the appeals committee, the professor stated that she found it very unlikely that he memorized such a long passage, 50 words, including abbreviations and punctuation, verbatim.

The appeals committee saw no undisputed evidence to support that the student was graded differently from his peers.

The student lost the appeal and failed the course.

In February 2011, a female nursing student was charged with academic dishonesty after a professor and 14 witnesses saw her cheating in class. The event occurred in January of this year.

“A female student sitting to my right asked if we could change seats,” one witness wrote in an email to the professor. “(Two girls) could not keep their eyes on their own papers. After you called time, I noticed they both had left the last two

questions on the quizzes blank and as the person to their left passed their paper right, the two girls began to try and copy answers from the other papers.”

This witness then claimed that she told the girls to stop writing and cheating.

“I believe cheating jeopardizes the integrity of our school and ultimately our profession,” this witness said. “If you are willing to cheat on a quiz, at what point do you draw the line?”

One of the nursing students charged with cheating then wrote a letter to Dr. Karen Polvado, chair of nursing, claiming to have been wrongfully accused.

“I did not talk, copy, share or compare answers with anyone during the quiz,” the student wrote. “(The professor) took the word of others without due diligence and expelled me from the program. In this country a person is innocent until it is proven that they are guilty. How can I be guilty if my side is never heard?”

This case was taken to the academic appeals committee in February.

The committee decided in favor of the department and the student was dismissed from the nursing program.

Two nursing students won their ap-

Chris Collins

peal in March of 2011 and continued in the nursing program after purchasing test banks off Craigslist. The committee decided that reasonable doubt existed as to whether either student actually cheated.

White said she assumes cheating is possibly more prevalent than what is reported.

White said that faculty members can help prevent online cheating by constructing assignments that discourage it.

“I actually prefer (cheating) be handled at the lowest level possible, so ideally it is resolved between the faculty member and the student,” White said. “I am not so concerned about the various differences among (how faculty members deal with cheating) as I am with making sure that class taught by that faculty member, everyone is treated equally.”

Currently, if a student is caught cheating, it does not go on their transcript.

White said this is something that is currently being discussed in committees.

Another committee has plans to upload pictures from student IDs to Banner.

This feature would allow professors to see students’ faces on the role sheet.

Cheating is a widespread problem for society as a whole, White said, but she does not believe that cheating is any more or less prevalent at Midwestern than it is anywhere else.

“I don’t think integrity is as cheap as people think it is,” White said. “We value integrity and if you have integrity, regardless what happens in your life, you can be successful.”

Dr. Patti Hamilton, interim dean for the College of Health Sciences and Human Services, also believes a cheating situation should start out being handled between the faculty member and the student, but as dean, she would like to be notified.

“If a student plagiarizes and it is handled with a faculty member and the dean is never told what happened that same student could be in someone else’s class. If the student cheats again and that teacher never tells the dean, then we won’t be helping the student,” Hamilton said.

According the Hamilton, the Texas Board of Nursing is not be notified if an undergraduate or graduate student is caught cheating.

But Hamilton said the department has a fear of graduating students who haven’t really learned all they should.

“I don’t want to be cared by somebody who cheated on tests for the thing I am in the hospital for,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton said through the appeals process students get a lot of chances to plead their case.

“Sometimes things we thought should be considered cheating were not considered cheating by the other committee,” she said.

The MSU nursing program is strict when it comes to any form of cheating, Hamilton said.

“Faculty needs to be realistic about the fact that there are copies of tests floating around,” Hamilton said. “We should talk to our students more because it cheats them.”

The way professors create tests may also invite more cheating to occur, she pointed out.

“I don’t have an answer for how somebody with 100 students in their class could give a test that wasn’t multiple choice, but where it is possible we should be testing broader knowledge and not specific facts,” Hamilton said.

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Lebron Flocka James 3 Peace, Love & Lipgloss

It would have been nearly impossible to predict the success that Waka Flocka Flame would have had a year when he ORLANDO FLORES, JR. ago released his debut album FOR THE WICHITAN Flockaveli.

Despite all the claims that he’s not a real MC, he’s uneducated and ultimately ruining hip-hop, Waka Flocka has somehow survived the naysayers and bad press to carve out a nice niche for himself and his crew in the constantly evolving landscape of rap music.

What may be even more surprising is that he’s single-handedly done what Lil’ Jon wishes he could; bring Crunk music back into hip-hop popularity, and also bring that dangerous, “gangsta” edge back to the hip-hop scene.

Waka Flocka thrives and flourishes in the “gangsta” aesthetic, where playing a song like “Hard in Da Paint” or “Karma” brings back of images of fights in 90s night clubs simply because “Shook Ones, Pt. 2” came on and you looked at someone else the wrong way.

His newest mixtape, Lebron Flocka James 3, is a celebration of all the things I just talked about.

It’s chock full of braggadocious rhymes about success, violent threats and everything else you’d expect from Waka Flocka lyrically.

The big difference between this offering of Lebron Flocka James than the previous two (and any other mixtape he’s put out) is that Waka Flocka no longer feels like he has to prove himself.

In an advertising video he released before the mixtape dropped, Waka Flocka claims that not just himself, but his entire Bricksquad crew has changed the sound of hip-hop, from his simple rhyme style to the 808 beats that in-house producer Lex Luger has made into a staple of the current hip-hop sound.

With this attitude, Waka Flocka decides to further bring along crewmates Slim Dunkin and Wooh Da Kid along for the ride, letting them take much of the exposure on tracks and featuring them on the mixtape cover (being the Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to his Lebron James).

Another person Waka Flocka brings along for his continued ride to the top is another in-house

Zombies and pirates and Gagas, oh my!

Photo Courtesy producer, Southside.

On The Track, however, this doesn’t bring any significant change to the dark, sinister gangsta rap Waka Flocka and Lex Luger have consistently banged out.

Standout tracks like “You the Type”, “Call Me Inky”, the remix to “Lightz On” (which boasts guest spots from Jadakiss and Styles P) and the inclusion of recently released single “Round of Applause” point to a promising high-energy second album Waka Flocka is supposed to release sometime next month.

While the rest of the mixtape isn’t exactly filler, it does seem like it is a place for Slim Dunkin and Wooh Da Kid to get some work in and improve.

Their solo tracks “I Do It” and “King of the Jungle” respectively point to promising careers in the same niche Waka Flocka has created for them.

Just as Waka Flocka will always be associated with Gucci Mane, Slim Dunkin and Wooh Da Kid will probably never outshine their leader.

Altogether, Lebron Flocka James 3 isn’t a masterpiece, or anything that would be considered a classic, but more so a victory lap for past success and the hopeful success that is to come when Waka Flocka releases Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family.

The Verdict: 75%

Zombies and pirates and Gagas, oh my! Halloween is the one day out of the year you can be something or someone you’re not. Blue wigs and false eyelashes and cheaply made witches robes line the isles of Wal-Mart, Target, and the local Halloween shop that’s only open in the fall. Makeup (not only on your face) can help to make your costume stand out.

FAKE BLOOD

When applying fake blood to your clothing and body, corn syrup and red food dye does the trick. You can thicken it with powder, or thin it out with warm water. But drawing blood on your face (say, if you’re a vampire) is created best with lip product. Tarte for True Blood Limited-Edition LipSurgence Natural Lip Tint ($24 at Ulta) is the perfect color and consistency to fill in your lips and drag down your chin a bit. If you need to go a cheaper route, try Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain + Balm by Colorstay – Gothic ($7.98 at Wal-Mart).

FAKE BRUISES

Bruises add a very real effect, and they are not hard to create. A bruise wheel (appx. $12

devil, you just need to add a few drops of food coloring. At the end of the night, simply wipe your face clean with a warm, soapy, wet washcloth.

RACHEL BINGHAM AD MANAGER online or in your favorite Halloween section) contains deep colors that can be blended together for a convincing look.

Use a makeup wedge (32-pack for $2.79 at Target) to dab on a deep red shade over the area.

Don’t try to be perfect – too much of a pattern can make it look fake. Set the layer with E.L.F. Translucent Powder ($3 at Target). Go back over the bruise using a stipple sponge ($1.99 at Party City). This will create texture and make your bruise appear to have broken capillaries. Set your second layer with translucent powder, and you’re set!

FACE PAINT

White Face Paint ($2.99 at Party City) is your best bet at creating just what you need.

Ghosts and skeletons can get away with keeping the paint white, but if you are a greenfaced witch or red-skinned

BLACK LINER

Creamy black eyeliner is essential for practically any costume. Whether you’re drawing shadows, stars, or smudgy lines around your eyes, a black creamy eyeliner can do the trick. Sephora Collection Smoky Kohl Eyeliner ($12 at sephora.com) is a fantastic choice to amp up the drama with any look you’re going for.

Another great option is Revlon Luxurious Color Smoky Crayon ($8.49 at Target).

GLITTER SHADOW Calling all Lady Gagas and showgirls! The main thing you need to worry about this year is glitter. NYX Glitter Cream Palette ($5.99 at Ulta) is a gel-based formula that glides on and holds the glitter. You can use a thin layer for sparkle, or a thicker coat for a more dramatic look. If you’re looking for only one color, try out LA Splash Crystalized Glitter ($6.99 at Ulta). Now throw your glitter in your clutch purse, and you’re ready to hit the costume parties!

Coldplay returns with Mylo Xyloto JOSEPH CHRETIEN FOR THE WICHITAN The title of Coldplay’s fifth release has no preempted meaning.

With the power of Google, the foursome searched Mylo Xyloto and found no set significance of the words together We wanted to have something that didn’t mean anything else.

We made up ‘Xyloto. Mylo Xyloto doesn’t bring any meaning with it, so in that sense we’re beginning with a clean slate.

“Together, the words will mean what we make them mean with this music.”

After establishing themselves as one of the biggest modern alternative rock groups in the world with four previous highly successful albums, Coldplay has decided to release what they call a “noholds bared” album.

They enlisted Brian Eno writer and producer behind many 80’s hits for artists like U2 and David Bowie as well as Coldplay’s last smash hit Viva la Vida.

While creating Xyloto, the band has admitted in many interviews that they

Photo Courtesy were influenced by more than just the classic rock they admire.

In his BBC interview, Drummer Will Champion revealed that they were all influenced by the “audacity” of Kanye and Jay-Z’s recent collaborative disk “Watch The Throne.” In the past, Coldplay’s formula of larger than life anthems coupled with sentimental ballads has greatly prevailed with their wide audience of fans, usually more than it does with critics.

No doubt, the formula is the same in Mylo Xyloto but the bands newer pop and electronic influences are evident as

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well.

Though Coldplay has had many successes Chris doesn’t take them for granted stating in his Rolling Stone interview when asked about Coldplay’s future tour plans, “It’s a question of whether there’s any demand.

I just don’t think you can take those things for granted — unless you’re the Stones, or Bruce.

If the album is a bomb then we’ll probably have to open a cake shop or something. We’ll wait and see.”

The album begins with an instrumental intro then immediately picks up with three back to back stadium status tracks, “Hurts Like Heaven”, the single “Paradise” and “Charlie Brown” packed with Chris Martin’s falsetto singing, woahoh vocals hooks, cascading guitars and opulent keyboards.

These songs are reminiscent of the epics the band has constructed in the past, although the concepts aren’t as heavy.

In an interview with Toronto DJ Dave Bookman, Chris describes his inspiration for the stand out track “Charlie Brown” by the world of cartoons where, “You can get your head cut off

and be alright in the next scene.” the older Coldplay, optimistic and spirThe ideas retain this playfulness ited, Xyloto ends with “Up With Birds” throughout most of the album and which features a picking acoustic guitar Chris’s clever and subtle political jabs solo backed by a symphony. are no where to be found.

If Viva La Vida was classic Coldplay, Next is the youthful ballad “Every then Xyloto offers the big moments Teardrop is a Waterfall” with lyrics “ I to rival the past but the breakdowns, turn my music up, the mellow, lower tempo songs aren’t I turn my records on/from underneath nearly as heartfelt or introspective as the rubble song a rebel song.” they’ve been before.

In the mean time Coldplay milks After carefully listening to Mylo Xythe smaller more intimate moments loto, some critics have already took the for contrast with songs like “ Up in term to mean “Greatest Hits Era” others Flames,” “Us Against the World” and as “A Radical Return”. I’m optimistic then returns to large wall shattering that if listeners found themselves adsonics with the Rihanna assisted dance dicted to the medicine this U.K. fourtrack “Princess of China” and the Ra- some put into their past records that diohead reminiscent “Major Minus.” they’re up for a relapse.

If the collaboration is what Coldplay Noteable Tracks: Princess Of China, considers “no-holds-bared” though the Paradise, Charlie Brown, Major Mifeature isn’t innovative it is very inter- nus esting and Ri-Ri actually fits in quite 7.75 Spins Out of 10 well with the U.K. quartet.

After the mellow “Up In Flames” and a “Hopeful Transition” STIMULATE YOUR SAVINGS into “Don’t AT Break Your Heart” which sounds like

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Kassie Bruton An MSU coach lights the Homecoming bonfire near the practice football fields Thursday night.

Baby, we’re coming

MSU students, faculty and staff celebrated the annual Homecoming week with a bonfire, football game, tailgating, parade, lip sync and various contests.

Kassie Bruton

MSU cheerleaders root on the Mustangs football team in their 70-28 win over Abilene Christian University Saturday.

Kassie Bruton Homecoming Queen Anastasia Reed and her boyfriend, Homecoming King Christopher Carter, pose for a picture.

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MSU football team defeated one of the toughest defenses in the Lone Star Conference, Abilene Christian, at Saturday’s Homecoming game.

With a score of 70-28, the Mustangs jumped five spots in the ranking yet again to 8th in the nation.

Kassie Bruton

Homecoming kings

Midwestern State got defensive Saturday, defeating the formerly undefeated ACU

JOSH HOGGARD FOR THE WICHITAN

For the first time in school history, the Midwestern State Mustangs are 7-0 and undefeated in conference play.

The Mustangs took the field Saturday night for their homecoming game against the Abilene Christian Wildcats at Memorial Stadium and came up victorious by a lot, with a score of 70-28.

The Mustangs came into the contest ranked 13th; the Wildcats, ninth. It was set up to be a nail-biter.

It was anything but that.

Against one of the toughest defenses in the Lone Star Conference, the Mustangs put up over 400 yards on the ground and over 300 yards in the air.

They set a new school record of 740 total yards of offense.

ACU has never allowed that many yards.

The attack was led, once again, by

quarterback Brandon Kelsey.

Kelsey threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns. Kelsey also rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown.

The other passing touchdown scored by the Mustangs was thrown by Backup Quarterback Jake Glover.

He threw one pass, but it was for a 99-yard score.

In addition to the four passing touchdowns, the Mustangs scored six times with the ground game.

Keidrick Jackson had another incredible game, rushing for 129 yards on 16 attempts and reaching the end zone three times.

Freshman Running Back Jimmy Pipkin found the end zone once, rushing for 94 yards on seven carries.

Peter Smith saw the end zone once as well, rushing for 41 yards on four carries.

Lester Bush ran 10 times for 58 yards on the day.

Altogether, the MSU ground game gained 436 yards total, the highest

they’ve gained on the ground so far this season. And that’s saying something.

They haven’t rushed for less than 250 yards yet this season.

Wide Receiver Edgar Theliar was Kelsey’s favorite target in the end zone.

The Kelsey-Theliar connection was good for three of the Mustangs four scores through the air.

Theliar had four catches for 54 yards on the night.

The other was the 99-yard completion from Glover to Wide Receiver Vernon Johnson.

Johnson had two receptions for 109 yards and the touchdown.

David Little had seven catches for 86 yards on the night.

Sheldon Galloway, Kelvin Swanson, Mark Strange, and Thomas Carper each had a reception on the night, for four yards, 36 yards, 13 yards, and two yards, respectively.

The Wildcats drew first blood in the contest, only a minute and a half into

the contest, as ACU quarterback Mitchell Gale found Taylor Gabriel for his first of three touchdown passes of the day.

It appeared – at least early on – that the Mustangs may have finally met their match. That was absolutely not the case.

The Mustangs stampeded back with 35 unanswered points in the first half alone.

The scoring started when Kelsey found Theliar from nine yards out for the first Mustangs touchdown.

Later in the first quarter, with three minutes and thirty seconds left, Jackson posted his first touchdown of the game, putting the Mustangs up 14-7.

Kelsey would run it in from 11 yards out and find Theliar twice more, from five and 16 yards out, scoring 21 in the second quarter and putting the Mustangs up 35-7 at the half.

The Wildcats scored once the second half started, but that score was quickly answered by two Mustang rushing

touchdowns, one by Pipkin and one by Jackson.

The Wildcats scored early in the fourth, bringing the score to 49-21.

Jackson managed to put his third touchdown on the board, running it in from two yards out with just over eighth minutes left in the game.

Shortly thereafter, the Wildcats managed to run it in from 43 yards out, bringing the score to 56-28.

But, that’s all the scoring the Wildcats would do.

After a Peter Smith rush and a NCAA record-tying 99 yard touchdown reception to put the nail in the coffin, the final score became Mustangs 70, Wildcats 28.

“My touchdown was great to the game,” Smith said. “It helped put another score on the board.”

The Mustangs jumped five spots in the raking yet again, jumping to 8th in the nation.

They take the field Saturday at Eastern New Mexico. Kickoff is at 3 p.m.

MSU claims conference championship DAMIAN ATAMENWAN SPORTS EDITOR

The Midwestern State cross country team claimed its fourth straight Lone Star Conference championship Saturday morning at Red Arroyo Parkin San Angelo, Texas.

The Mustangs finished with a score of 43 and an average of 22:32:40 among 16 runners to dominate West Texas A&M, Angelo State University, Abilene Christian University and Eastern New Mexico.

MSU Senior Brissia Montalvo was the top individual finisher in the competition with a running time of 21:40.00.

Head Cross Country Coach Koby Styles lauded Montalvo’s effort in helping the Mustangs claim a title.

“One of her goals was to win the conference championship and she did it,” he said. “She worked very hard and it paid off.”

Ashley Flores followed Montalvo for MSU with a sixth overall position. The sophomore runner finished with a time of 22:26.00. Janel Campbell (22:30.00), who was close to Flores, settled for an overall position of eighth.

MSU had three consistent freshmen who help the team with positive results.

Michelle Krezonoski (22:41.00), Kim Krezonoski (23:25:00) and Sara Cuba (23:46.00) finished 12th, 16th and 23rd

respectively.

Kim Krezonoski was satisfied with her performance as well as the team’s hard work.

“I think I did as good as I could that day. I gave it everything,” she said. “I am ready to compete in the regionals.”

According to Styles, the Mustangs came out impressive even after hectic practice sessions.

“Last week was rough and the runners were not feeling great going into the meet Saturday,” Styles said. “The freshmen are one of the reasons we are who we are; they are always there to step up.”

Juniors Heather Owens (24:04.00), Melody Caldwell (24:10.00) and Senior Lindsey Pate (25:16.00) rounded up the 43 points for Midwestern State. The runners finished 31st, 32nd and 53rd correspondingly.

“We were the favorite going into the meet. Other teams wanted to take the title as well,” Styles said. “But we weren’t going to have any of that.”

Cuba was thrilled with the victory especially being a freshman.

“I came up to such a good team,” she said. “I am really nervous about regionals but I can’t wait.”

The Mustangs will host NCAA Division II South Central Region Championships on Nov. 5th at the former Hawk Ridge Course.

Courtney Bingham The 2011 Midwestern State cross country team went a long way in pursuit of its fouth consecutive Lone Star Conferenc Championship title.

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Sweet Caroline: Kemp scores winner DAMIAN ATAMENWAN SPORTS EDITOR

Kassie Bruton Senior Defender Heidi Avila wins a tackle from a Central Oklahoma midfielder Wednesday night.

The Midwestern State women’s soccer team edged a 1-0 victory over Texas A&M Commerce then went ahead to defeat Texas Women’s University comfortably.

MSU had lost to Central Oklahoma earlier that week and was willing to bounce back with road victories.After a slow 85 minutes of soccer, the Mustangs avoided overtime period when Midfielder Maddie Fraser assisted Forward Kelsey Hill for the lone goal of the match.

Fraser sent a shot towards goal but was deflected off a defender to the grateful Hill, who did not falter in taking the goal opportunity.The Mustangs controlled the game, accounting for 10 shots on goal as well as limiting the Lions’ scoring prospect.

MSU then went ahead to humiliate Texas Women’s University with a 4-0 score at their home field Sunday afternoon.

The Mustangs had beat TWU 2-1 in a previous meeting at home. The Pioneers’ were difficult to overcome then but Sunday afternoon’s score line depicted the contrary.

After assisting a late winner

in the previous game, Fraser got the Mustangs on the scoreboard early with barely eight minutes on the clock. The midfielder, who recorded her first goal, had been impressive from the season opener but was yet to claim a goal.Head Women’s Soccer Coach Jeff Trimble appreciated Fraser’s contribution.

“Maddie has had a number of shots on goal and has been frustrated that she hasn’t been able to score,” he said. “It was good to have her get that goal.”

Fraser tried to double the Mustangs lead in the 22nd minute but watched TWU Beatrice Soto save her shot.

Sophomore Midfielder Caroline Kemp came in for Mickey Brown and played an impressive game. Kemp produced two neargoal attempts within two minutes but Soto refused her.

The second half kicked off with the Mustangs hoping to extend their lead and capitalize on every chance in the box.

Freshman Winger Payton Fookes scored her first college goal after an assist from Hill.

The latter sent Fookes a through pass for a 57th minute breakaway goal.

“Payton has had a number of chances and I know she was excited to get that first goal under

her belt,” Trimble added.

Even with the score at 2-0, the girls strived for more.

Subsequent to her involvement in the first two goals, Hill headed in the third goal and her number nine of the season with Fookes returning the favor with an assist.

Kemp came in for Fookes and put the nail in the Pioneers’ coffin within 10 minutes. Sophomore Emily Saville assisted Kemp for a terrific breakaway winner that astounded TWU. The sophomore midfielder was thrilled with the victory, as well as her contribution, especially after two tough matches.

“It felt awesome knowing I contributed to such a huge win,” she said. “To come up with a high score like that was certainly encouraging for all of us.”

According to Trimble, the defense did a good job in preventing threats from the hosts.

“Heidi had a great weekend coming out of the back and supporting the attack,” Trimble said.

“I really liked how well Hanna played for us at the center back role. She is our anchor.”

The Mustangs will take on Abilene Christian University Friday night at the Mustangs soccer field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Mustangs soccer astounds Incarnate Word DAMIAN ATAMENWAN SPORTS EDITOR The Midwestern State Mustangs took their time in silencing the University of Incarnate Word in a 3-0 wrangle Friday night.

MSU had lost to the No. 4 Cardinals at their home field so vengeance went through the Mustangs’ minds and the stands were packed with enthusiastic fans.

The Cardinals worked their way to MSU’s penalty area but the Mustangs’ defense got the better of the guests. Even the fast forwards and wingers of UIW caught a goose egg.

In spite of the intensity and tempo of the first half, no goals were conceded. But the goalkeepers had to deal with shots and attempts which the offense forced to make up for a scoreless half.

Junior David Freeland sent three shots towards the Cardinal’s defense but the forward was denied in succession. Sophomore B.A Catney nodded in a clever ball but UIW Chris Fidler was there to stop it.

Goalkeeper Michael Wood was substituted out for an injury after 41 minutes of great defense control.

The second half began and the Mustangs had their eye on victory. It took a while but the 68th

minute wonder goal gave MSU the lead and brought the fans off their feet.

Midfielder Sam Broadbent received a high pass from Nathan Fitzgerald then, with a little angle to work with, tucked the opener to the top corner.

“My intention was to get the ball into the box and cause some problems. The defender was closing me down so I volleyed the ball on the turn, when I saw it go over the keepers head I knew it was in,” Broadbent said. “To be honest I was surprised but ecstatic it went in.”

That was game on; the Mustangs felt they could do better after getting on the scoreboard first. That mindset almost led to a 75th minute doubler.

UIW James Nero picked up a yellow card after an infringement in the box and MSU was subsequently awarded a penalty.

Midfielder Dean Lovegrove sent the PK wide left but the Mustangs kept their heads up.

Five minutes later, Chris Dwyer scored his eighth goal of the season with an assist from Freeland and Fernando Garza.

The Mustangs worked their way through the box and then through the goal.

The Mustangs could have played strictly defense for the remainder of the game but astounded the home supporters with a third goal was another

way to go.

Zach Funk was the man chosen for the task of burying the Cardinals. Fitzgerald and Broadbent were at the right positions to help Funk score his second of the season.

“The whole team performance was very good Friday night,” Broadbent added. “We all came together to get the win.”

After Friday’s outstanding performance, the Mustangs hosted the Hilltoppers of St. Edwards University in disappointing goalless contest.

Even though the Mustangs had defeated their hosts in an earlier encounter, both teams had to settle for a frustrating tie.

The first half was slow for both sides but slower for the visitors. Midwestern State had more shots on goal and attempts that were not put away. Nevertheless, the Mustangs defense was unyielding to the Hilltoppers.

Dwyer played a great game with a total of six shots and two on target. Fellow striker, Freeland, placed five shots and two of them were aimed at goal.

The Mustangs’ defense played smart especially in setting the offside trap against the Hilltoppers, who kept stepping higher up the field.

MSU will travel to Northeastern State University, Tahlequah on Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Hannah Hofmann Senior Defenders Kelly Gill and Ryan Spence frustrated the Hillttopers’ offense Sunday Afternoon.

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Hannah Hofmann Junior David Freeland recorded an assist against Incarnate Word and two shots on St. Edwards’ goal.

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October 26, 2011

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Lady Mustangs record double victories

Hannah Hofmann

Sophomore Outside Hitter Hillary White goes for a spike Thursday night in the Mustangs’ victory over the Cardinals of Incarnate Word. White accounted for 8.5 points out of MSU’s 82 points.

ANDRE GONZALEZ FOR THE WICHITAN

Hannah Hofmann Senior Setter Taryn Westerman leaps high to spike over UIW Kelci Lind.

Athlete Spotlight

Sam Broadbent - Soccer

The Mustangs volleyball team saw a double vision of victory during the weekend, with wins against Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-Kingsville.

Thursday night, MSU took on the Lady Cardinals of Incarnate Word and celebrated a stunning comeback. The Mustangs took a win on the home court, 3-2, a five set win, 22-25, 21-25, 25-18, 2521, 16-14.

The Mustangs struggled in the first two sets, but ultimately took the Lone Star Conference win.

Although the Mustangs opened the scoring, Incarnate Word did not only dominate the set but also recorded the most consecutive points. UIW Stephanie Bonura ended the first set with a kill from Danielle Suarez. According to Head Volleyball Coach Venera Flores-Stafford, Shelby Stewart and Miranda Byrd were key players in Thursday night’s comeback.

“They found a way to put the ball away even with Incarnate Word’s good defense,” she said.

Just like Flores-Stafford said, they really did flourish a great game. Stewart recorded 21 kills and four blocks while Byrd notched a total 19 kills and 5 blocks Thurday night.

Stewart and Byrd combined for a total of 27 kills, while Stewart brought forth her ninth double-double with a small commitment of three errors for a .450 attack percentage.

Both girls helped tremendously as MSU battled back from a 10-6 deficit in the last set, combining for seven of their many kills.

Byrd individually had a season-high of 19 kills during the match.

The Lady Cardinals pushed MSU into 18 attack errors and left them with a .048 team hit percentage.

Lady Cardinal Lydia Werchan led her team with 28 digs.

Kiara Jordan paced the back line for the Mustangs and limited UIW to a .126 hitting percentage, while also posting up her third career 40-dig performance, while Hillary White added 21 digs along with eight kills.

Brandi Flores pitched in 13 digs and Kristan Aduddell contributed 31 assists and 10 digs to complete a double-double in her college performance.

Saturday, the Mustangs took on Texas A&MKingsville to take down the Lady Javelinas during their homecoming feat, 3-0 in three sets, 25-19, 25-10, 31-29.

The victory marks the third consecutive Lone Star Conference win for MSU who are 15-9 in season play, and 7-8 in LSC. The win might have been vengeance brought forth by the loss to TAMUK earlier in the season.

The Mustangs took a .347 season high attack percentage with Caitlin Wallace leading the team with 11 kills without a single error for a .611 kill rate.

Byrd left in the last set due to injury, but before she did, she laid down 10 kills with a single error for a .600 kill rate.

Kasey Decker made her season high of seven kills to pick up the slack after Byrd’s departure, while White gave six kills and six digs.

Aduddell put in 22 assists while Kimberly Jeffrey marked 20. Jordan led the back row with 18 digs, while the Mustangs limited TAMUK to a .163 team attack percentage.

Next, MSU takes on Dallas Baptist this Thursday on home court, first serve is set for 7 p.m.

Gave MSU the lead against Incarnate Word after 68 minutes of intense struggle.

Brissia Montalvo - Cross country Was top individual runner in San Angelo and helped MSU claim the conference championship.