April 1, 2015

April 1, 2015 | Midwestern State University | thewichitan.com | Your Campus. Your News. | Vol. 79 No. 24

Fall Break?

SERAH WELBORN REPORTER

S

uprena Poleon, chemistry senior and senator of the Caribbean Student Organization, may serve as the student voice in adding a short holidy to break up the arduous fall semester.

Poleon modeled her fall break proposal on the existing fall/study break schedules of prestigious universities such as Cornell and Yale, and feels that the opportunity to rest during the fall semester—particularly before finals—would significantly advance the university's academic status.

"I honNumber of class days estly believe that going from Labor Day to 69 to Thanksgiving break 61 days without a break can be very tiresome for a student," she said. "It seems like the spring semester is a lot shorter because we have so many more breaks in between. The fall semester may seem longer, but it really isn't that longer.

It's just because we don't have that intermission to recover and then start all over again."

Following her presentation, Poleon spoke with another senator and decided to approach Matthew Park, dean of students, who gave her the procedure with which she could appeal to the Student Government Association. Her

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presentation to the SGA March 3 was used to test the interest of the senators.

A major concern expressed by them then regarded whether or not students would use that time effectively. Poleon declined to take a definitive stance: "That's very subjective," she said.

"It depends on the seriousness of the students. As much as they may be delinquent, when it's finals time, it's crunch time. Everybody wants to see if they can get a better grade. As far as I'm concerned, I would utilize it, and I would think that many other students would, but I can't say. It's all up to the students."

Poleon's work actually reflects the interests of Betty Stewart, provost. Her plan is more practical and tailored to what is possible for state universities rather than private institutions like Cornell and Yale.

"There's a long time between Labor Day and Thanksgiving, and we've heard consistently for the past two years that the students are tired," Stewart said. "I had the registrar do a study of possible models of the academic calendar to see if we could institute a fall break for a couple of days. That's where we are."

Independent of what becomes of Poleon's bill in the SGA, Stewart and the registrar are considering the addition of a two-day holiday in recognition of Columbus Day, which would extend to Monday and Tuesday that weekend. But to do so, there must be

“I’m definitely for a

break because it is a good time to just relax and ease the mind. Or if you are a procrastinator you can catch up on stuff.”

Christina Galvan Biology freshman

Political Procedures

pg. 3

Student government updates election procedures in an attempt to increase voter turnout.

an exchange of some kind.

Any added holidays must be taken from somewhere else in the calendar, resulting in a fall semester that begins earlier in August or lasts longer in December, or shortening Thanksgiving break to four days.

"The concern is that there are so many people who will be affected by it: the registrar, admissions, financial aid, housing, the academic departments, faculty and students," Stewart said.

In contrast to the recently approved Mustangs Entertainment Shuttle and Activities, which will only make changes for a select group of students, extending Number of class days the fall semester in from start of spring either direcsemester to spring break tion would require the compliance of nearly all university constituents.

"Someone is going to have to give somewhere in there," Stewart said.

"It will require the work of a number of people trying to work together to make this happen. This isn't going to be because a student passes it in Student Government, and these are the offices that all have to get together and see if they can make this work for the students. It's going to be a concerted effort."

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READ THE FULL STORY ONLINE AT THEWICHITAN.COM

“We need a fall

“It wouldn’t matter

break because there’s so much time between the start of school and Thanksgiving break and it would help students relax.”

Allison Canham Biology sophomore

to me if they put in a fall break, I mean if they put one in then great, more free time for me.”

Devin Ritter Computer science sophomore

Budget Busting

pg. 4

A faculty and student committee recommended a budget for student fees to Jesse Rogers, university president.

PHOTO BY ETHAN METCALF | THE WICHITAN

Mark Graham, mechanical engineering freshman, passes the basketball during a pool party at the Wellness Center Aug. 23, 2014.

Wellness Center pool to open April 6 TRESTON LACY REPORTER

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sure sign of spring and warmer weather, the aquatics area at the Wellness Center will open April 6.

Joey Greenwood, director of the Wellness Center, said, “The horrible weather from the previous two weeks delayed the opening of the pool."

Of the $55,000 used to operate the aquatics area, $8,500 is allocated for cleaning and chemicals and as much as $33,000 is used for maintaining the quality of the pool.

While the pool is sure attract many students, some find it irresponsible to open the pool during a Stage 5 drought catastrophe.

Hana Gettehun, nursing freshman, said, "I don't want the pool to open back up.

Wichita Falls is going through a horrible drought and all that water could help out."

Just like many homes and businesses in Wichita Falls, the campus has its own water well that is used for the pool. It takes 57,230 gallons of water to fill the pool. It takes as much as 12,000 gallons to maintain the pool at its current volume.

A informal poll done by Halil Hicks, nursing freshman, found that 39 out of 50 students are looking for fun spring and summer time jobs near campus.

Jaylon Williams, nursing freshman, said, “It looks fun to work as a life guard at the pool, but it will suck if it’s only through work study.”

Greenwood said he is always hiring lifeguards who get paid $8.50 an hour and will also pay for the test to become a lifeguard and to renew the certification.

President Picked

pg. 6

The Board of Regents offically hired Suzanne Shipley as the next president of MSU.

2 | April 1, 2015 |

S TAF F E D I T O RI A L

Election progress Our view: Initiatives by Student Government Association executive officers to increase election participation are exactly what we have been pushing for, but waiting so long to publish election dates seems counterintuitive, and, frankly, left us perplexed.

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fter we began tracking the number of students who vote in SGA elections, we knew getting more participation was paramount in creating an organization truly representitive of the student body.

We were pleased to hear the SGA president list increasing voter turnout as one of her goals, but some of the organization’s choices seem counterintuitive. Waiting as long as they did to announce ballot times (April 8-12) is a surefire way to ensure most students never even hear of the election or the candidates. Next year, the election process should beging much sooner than last half of the semester.

Use people, not pamphlets to market the university

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lot of emphasis has been put on expanding the university’s marketing reach as a means to bolster enrollment. From presentations at Board of Regents meetings, to promises made by each university Ethan Metcalf presidential candidate in their forum visits to the school, marketing to prospective students has been at the forefront of discussion at MWSU. But amid all the discussion of pamphlets and brochures and billboards, one obvious marketing tool has been left out, and that is people.

People can reach prospective students in ways that pamphlets and other literature will never be able to do.

Sending students and faculty to conferences is not only a highly effective way to spread the MWSU brand, but it directly benefits students and faculty by giving them the experience of traveling and interacting with peers in their field of study.

I was fortunate enough to attend the

College Media Association conference in New York a few weeks ago, and visiting The City That Never Sleeps for the first time was reason enough for me to go, but it turned out to be a great opportunity to learn about my profession and spread the word about MWSU. By allocating more money to fund student and faculty travel, the university is getting a huge return on its investment by fulfilling its duty to provide students with a rich, liberal arts education while simultaneously increasing the school’s outreach in a much more effective way than stuffing mailboxes.

Additionally, the type of students who attend conferences—especially high school conferences—are the type of high caliber students that universities fight over, and I can safely say that a handshake and personal conversation from University X is much more effective than a glossy brochure sent from University Y. We need to be the ones shaking those hands if we hope to compete for those students.

Ethan Metcalf is a mass communication junior and editor of The Wichitan.

the

wichitan Vo. 79 | No. 24

Midwestern State University Fain Fine Arts Bldg., Room B103 3410 Taft Blvd. Box 14 Wichita Falls, Texas 76308 (940) 397-4704 - wichitan@mwsu.edu

Planned first-year class could deter some students

EDITOR: Ethan Metcalf PHOTO EDITOR: Rachel Johnson PHOTOGRAPHER: Francisco Martinez BUSINESS MANAGER: Courtney Gilder DESIGNER: Brianna Sheen ADVISER: Bradley Wilson

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new class to be required for incoming students is being brainstormed by the recently formed first-year seminar committee. While I do not believe the class overall is a negative thing, I am not sure if all the time and planning Matt Jobe will be worth the 17-member committee’s efforts.

When I think back to registering for my first semester of college, I had the expected level of excitement for a hotshot high school grad ready to take on the world, but I also had the same gripes most incoming freshmen share.

“Do I really have to take six hours of history?”

Now we will tack on another course required of freshmen, another three-hour slot that could be used to finish those six hours of history, put in more hours at work, or maybe even study for a test.

This problem is worsened by the fact that there already seems to be a class for incoming freshman, the “college connections” course.

Many students, such as myself, were able to avoid taking “college connections” because I brought in credit hours from another college, and I can’t say I would have wanted to take the course if I had the option. If the new course has a similar loophole, then many students will happily skip the course and never look back, wasting the efforts of the committee.

First year college students already have a lot on their plate as far as required courses go, and many already dislike having to take so many courses outside of their major, such as science, math, or history classes. There is no way a student would be satisfied taking this new course if they are also being required to take college connections, and I doubt that would be the plan moving forward.

The college connections course should be removed, or maybe reduced and absorbed into the new course. Overall, however, the new course should be very focused on campus activities and organizations, groups outside of Greek Life or housing events, as those already have enough presence in the daily lives of

freshmen.

Also, the committee will have to back up their claims that the class will be focused on getting new students connected, as that is the most surefire way to improve retention rates.

Students may feel satisfied with the course if they truly get something out of it, but the course has a high chance of becoming just another required course that serious college students look forward to getting over with.

The balance between scheduling classes for higher performing students and lower performing students is a delicate one. Higher performing students are already very tempted to go to larger universities, and adding another course that would keep them from graduation for just a little bit longer might add to that effect.

On the other hand, an important part of the course will be plugging in more casual students, who may drop out of school if they don’t feel connected after their first one or two semesters.

Because the class should be geared toward less focused or more casual students, the committee should consider having some way for more serious students to opt out of taking the class. One way to do this would be to allow students to opt out of the course if they come to the university with more than 12 or so hours with a GPA of at least 2.5, or maybe 3.0. Then those students would not be required to take the course, although they may still be encouraged to.

Overall, if the seminar accomplishes its goal of boosting retention, which can be done by removing college connections and replacing it, rather than just adding another course, then the course would have done its job, but I fear that making the class mandatory will turn off some students.

However, if students find the seminar to be just another waste of three credit hours, with money being forced from students pockets to the school’s, then it will likely become a major reason to look into other schools. If this feeling exists, and retention isn’t markedly improved, then the class should certainly not be required.

Matt Jobe is a freshman in mass communication.

Copyright © 2015. The Wichitan is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association and the Associated Collegiate Press. The Wichitan reserves the right to edit any material submitted for publication. Opinions expressed in The Wichitan do not necessarily reflect those of the students, staff, faculty, administration or Board of Regents of Midwestern State University. The Wichitan welcomes letters of opinion from students, faculty and staff submitted by the Friday before intended publication. Letters should be brief (250 words or fewer) and without abusive language or personal attacks. Letters must be typed and signed by the writer and include a telephone number and address.

The editor retains the right to edit letters.

New hold could prevent students from registering for summer, fall classes FAITH MUNOZ REPORTER

T

he Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (SaVE Act) may have a current hold on your account. Students who did not complete the Campus Clarity “Think About It” course on alcohol, drug and sexual assault education last semester must complete the training to remove the hold and register for classes this summer and fall.

The new hold is in compliance with recently revised guidelines and requirements under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 along with a string of other acts including topics such as assault on women and drug use. All new students must take the online course.

Pam Midgett, director of the counseling center, said the SaVE Act was created to ensure university students are aware of the potential for violence, whether it be sexual or not.

“In the United States we have been concerned about violence against women, sexual assault and violence against all people.

The action that came from that was that the White House created the Campus SaVE Act and it requires universities and colleges to address sexual assault and violence in general,” Midgett said. “Campuses could select what they wanted to do in response to the SaVE Act. “

“Think About It” uses scenarios that are common for students to be in to demonstrate what could take place in real life or even happen to a friend.

“Sexual assault. Violence against women. Alcohol and drug abuse. When we think about those things, we think of those as separate from us. We don’t think of those necessarily being a part of our lives or something that we might come face-toface with, but this course really brings it down to the everyday life of a student. The course is designed to help people just really think about these issues,” Midgett said.

“Every campus is going to be different as to what is the culture and the climate on that campus.”

Last semester, just before the beginning of school, a mass email was sent indicating that students should take the online course. In October, a postcard was mailed to students as a reminder. However, some students still did not have the opportunity to comply, so last week another reminder was sent to warn those who have yet to complete the course that there is a hold on their account.

The course lasts about 2 hours, and as soon as it is completed, the hold will be removed automatically.

Holds in general can be troublesome, but according to Darla Inglish, university registrar, holds are relatively easy to remove

from one’s account.

“Holds are just ways to ensure that students come by [the offices]. It is to monitor students and help them keep on track,” Inglish said. “Sometimes it’s used as a checkpoint to make sure that, if they haven’t come in about something, that they can come and take care of whatever it is. It kind of depends on the hold what they have to do to clear it.”

Now that the spring semester is coming to an end, more students typically flock to the police department to pay for old tickets, or the library to pay for overdue books.

Holds can usually be enforced in one of three ways: blocking registration, blocking transcript requests, or requiring students visit specific offices.

Two of the most common holds occur for incoming students. The Texas Success Initiative assessment hold, which requires certain incoming students to take the TSI test, and the meningitis shot hold, which requires all students younger than 22 to confirm if they have been given the shot.

“It’s a very common practice that if a student isn’t paying their tuition to put them on hold before they register and get in further debt. It is like anything in life. If you take your car for repairs and you don’t pay for it, they are not going to keep repairing your car,” Inglish said.

Election procedures changed to increase voter turnout CONNER WOLF REPORTER

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n an effort to increase voter turnout, student government elections are coming nearly a month sooner this year with polls opening April 8.

Rebecca Stogner, sociology junior and student government president, said, “The elections have been changed from May to April so that it doesn’t conflict with students finals or studying for finals. It is at a time when students can better focus on the election and decide for themselves who they want to vote for without having testing on their minds.”

This is not the only change made with the election process this year; measures have been taken to prevent campaign violations and other problems from the past from occurring.

“Rebecca has been working very

hard to make sure that the election runs smoothly without any violations,”said David Joseph, marketing senior and student government secretary. “She has gone over the bylaws with each candidate in depth to make sure they fully understand the rules of campaigning.”

This emphasizing of the rules has been done to prevent campaign violations such as those that happened last year in regards to proxy voting. To further prevent this, the current SGA officers, who are not running for re-election, will man voting stations in the student center where students can conveniently vote for the candidate of their choice.

Joseph said, “This on-the-spot voting was part of my strategy last year, and I believe it is part of the reason for the increase of voters last year. I think having voting stations in a high traffic area like the Clark

Student Center is going to increase the number of students voting this year.”

Both Stogner and Joseph said they have high hopes for this year’s elections.

“When I ran for SGA president last year I was unopposed for most of the election allowing me to relax, since not having any competition meant I had already won; I am happy to see three candidates for president this year. This means they will have to compete the entire time and it gives the voters a choice,” Stogner said.

Joseph said, “I strongly believe in the democratic system. Nobody should just automatically win; that isn’t fair to the voters. I encourage students to run for SGA to add diversity and give voters a choice.

SGA officers will be announcing voting times via social media letting students know when the polls open each day of the campaign, which ends April 12.

| April 1, 2015 | 3 POTENTIAL HOLDS

Advising hold | requires you to visit your adviser to discuss your courses and schedule at least twice a year.

While it may differ from department to department, it is just a general reminder. This also includes the Athlete Advising hold which is there to ensure that athletes are enrolled in compliance with the NCAA regulations.

Payment hold | requires you to pay overdue payments and dues and fees, past due balances, payment plans, traffic tickets, and library fines. You can create a payment plan with the Business Office Degree Plan hold | the State requires for a person with 45 hours or more to have a degree plan on file in order to make sure students are guided in the degree they are interested in. This doesn’t stop registration but it can withhold transcripts.

Incomplete credentials hold | requires student to send in the necessary documents, for example transcripts, for enrollment or transfer while allowing temporary admission First Year Probation Program hold | this is a program with the MSU Academic Success Center/MAC to try to assist students with academic difficulties to be retained for successful completion of a degree.

SaVE Act hold | requires student to complete the online “Think About It” course, which appears in Banner as SOAHOLD, before continuing with registration.

If you notice you have any of these, the solution is only a phone call or a visit to the Business Office away. If you are not sure if you have any holds, it is easy to check.

Log in to your student account and click on Banner/Webworld. Once you are in, click the tab or label that says Student. Next, select Student Records followed by View Holds. It will bring you to a page that explains everything from the hold type and where it originates to possible charges and how it affects you.

For more information, contact the MSU Counseling Center or the Student Affairs Office.

Sigma Nu hosts dodgeball tournament for local cause KRISTINA ABEYTA REPORTER

Sigma Nu is sponsoring “Dodge for a Cause,” a dodgeball tournament on April 11 to benefit the Arc of Wichita County, a non-profit volunteer organization.

Walter James, business management sophomore and philanthropy chairman for Sigma Nu, said his fraternity’s goal is to raise $5000 for the Arc. They will accept donations throughout the tournament for those who don’t necessarily want to play but still want to contribute.

“We want to be as active as we can. As a combined group, Sigma Nu put in 200-300 hours in community service last semester. We want to take a step forward to establish ourselves as a lasting fraternity, and we wanted a yearly event to look forward to every spring. It’s a great group of guys to be a part of and we’re excited about this first annual dodge ball tournament,” James said.

Marlene Goldstein, executive director for the Arc of Wichita County, said, “It’s great that they rally up their members and help our organization. The board gave them the approval. Anytime something is going to benefit or market The Arc, it goes in front of our board.”

The tournament takes place April 11 at 12:30 p.m. in the Wellness Center. Registration for teams of 6-10 is $5 per person or $10 per person with a T-shirt included.

4 | April 1, 2015 |

Committee passes student fee allocations budget BRI SHEEN REPORTER

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committee of five faculty and staff advisors and six students met March 27 in the J.S. Bridwell Boardroom for the annual Student Fee Allocation Hearings. After presentations for 26 different organizations and events, the students were tasked with allocating $2,203,966, the estimated revenue for the 2016 fiscal year, among the groups.

The total amount of money requested was $222,488 more than the estimated revenue for the 2016 fiscal year, but the final total amount of allocations recommended by the committee was just $2,183,000, leaving an estimated surplus of $20,966.

According to Phillip Mundine, mass communication senior and allocations chair, the recommended budget will go to University President Jesse Rogers for approval. If Rogers does not approve, it will go back to the committee for revision. Mundine said this process should be complete within two weeks.

BUDGET INCREASES

Of the 26 organizations or events represented at the hearings, only two received an increase in allocations, the University Programming Board and the Steel Pan Ensemble.

The committee recommended $72,000 for the University Programming Board, an increase of $2,000 from the 2015 fiscal year.

According to Cammie Dean, director of student development and orientation, UPB works to offer students many opportunities to for involvement.

“They really work to fill up the calendar of activities for students,” Dean said. “They help not only with their own programs but with programs around campus, publicizing them in the online calendar or the printed calendar.”

In the case of the Steel Pan Ensemble, the committee recommended $2,500 for next year, an increase of $1,693.

According to Alan Black, assistant professor of music, the Steel Pan Ensemble needed the money to tune the instruments and replace a steel pan that Black will take with him when he retires.

BUDGET DECREASES

14 causes received no change in their budgets while 10 had their budgets cut.

The Artist-Lecture Series, office of Career Management and Testing Services, Cheerleading, Clark Student Center, Recreational Sports, the social media department, the student fee reserve, student government,

Vinson Health Center, and The Wichitan all received recommendations for lower budgets for the 2016 fiscal year.

The Clark Student Center received the biggest cut, a decrease of $113,033 from its current budget.

Dail Neely, director of the Clark Student Center and the office of student conduct, said that the CSC was requesting a lower budget but planning to offer more services.

“We’re requesting a cut of $50,000,” Neely said. “With that reduction, we would like to increase the number of hours the Clark Student Center is open. They’re currently open seven days a week until 11 p.m.

We’d like to extend that back to 2 a.m. which is what we used to have the building open as.”

If the budget allows, Neely said the Clark Student Center could stay open until 2 a.m. as soon as Sept. 1 when the budget will kick in. The committee recommended that the Clark Student Center still extend its hours despite cutting the budget further than what Neely requested.

Since he became director of the CSC in 1997, Neely said all the student fees collected for the CSC have gone to paying off the debt of renovating the CSC. “I think we’re down to half a payment next year and then the following year the debt will be retired,” Neely said.

According to Neely, the new budget would allow for further renovations and improvements to the CSC, including a digital system to indicate when rooms in the CSC are available.

Vinson Health Center also saw a significant budget reduction, $12,951, with the stipulation that the 2014-2015 balance will roll over to next year instead of being allocated to the Student Fee Reserve.

Keith Williamson, medical director of the Vinson Health Center, said the budget request was for maintaining the facility and expanding services.

“We would like to acquire an ultrasound machine,” Williamson said. “We do have a fully certified ex-ray tech who would love to do ultrasonography in our office. We’re also looking to start up a Student Health Advisory Committee so that the students have direct access to the health care goals. We have lots of ideas. I don’t know how many of them will come to fruition this year.”

The office of Career Management and Testing Services received a decrease of $5,530. The students also voted for their balance to roll over to next year. According to its director, Dirk Welch, the Career Management Center provides many resources for students, namely resume and cover letter critiques.

GROUP

2015

Steel Pan Ensemble

2016

PERCENT CHANGE

$807

$2,500

210%

University Programming Board

$70,000

$72,000

3%

Counseling Center

$320,117

$320,000

0%

Disability Support Services

$141,187

$141,000

0%

$2,000

$2,000

0%

Career Management and Testing Services

$217,530

$212,000

-3%

Vinson Health Center

$425,951

$413,000

-3%

Recreational Sports

$122,222

$117,000

-4%

Student Government Association

$32,000

$30,000

-6%

Artist-Lecture Series

$75,000

$70,000

-7%

Ultimate Frisbee Team

Cheerleading

$76,222

$71,000

-7%

Clark Student Center

$534,033

$421,000

-21%

Wichitan

$19,275

$15,000

-22%

Student Fee Reserve

$14,000

$10,000

-29%

Social Media

$7,500

$5,000

-33%

SOURCE: MEMO FROM THE OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS AND ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT

“Students are able to drop by our office.

They can make appointments, they can email us, they can drop off their resume, they can go through MustangsHIRE, and we tackle those to help students best develop it, learn the foundational pieces of it, so that they can be able to do it on their own,” Welch said. “We’ll do it until they feel it’s the best representation of who they are.”

Welch said other services offered by the Career Management Center include the MustangsHIRE system, the electronic Mustangs Survival Guide, and interview preparation, and the new budget will be used to maintain these services.

quet recognizes students for academic and nonacademic reasons, and is partially funded by outside sources such as ticket sales.

Angie Reay, associate director of housing and dining services, said the Ultimate Frisbee team’s request for $2,000 was mostly for travel expenses and registration fees for tournaments.

“The registration fees average about $350 for every tournament and they try to go to four or five tournaments a semester,” Reay said.

Of the remaining 10 groups, all requested an increase in their budgets, but none received one.

BUDGETS UNCHANGED

THE COMMITTEE

Despite receiving more requests for money than what was available, the students voted for the majority of the organizations and events receive little or no change to their budgets for next year, including AllStudent Convocation and Welcome Week, the Counseling Center, Disability Support Services, Family Day, Homecoming, the Honors Banquet, the music department, New Student Orientation, Student Development, the student handbook, the Ultimate Frisbee team, the Student Success Series, the Voices magazine and the Wai-Kun yearbook.

Four groups, the Honors Banquet, New Student Orientation, the Ultimate Frisbee team, and the Student Success Series, requested no change in their budgets.

According to Matt Park, the Honors Ban-

According to Mundine, all students on the committee are SGA members and had to be approved by the SGA office.

Mundine said while the advisors offered advice, they didn’t have a say in the final decisions.

“They’re pretty much there to be a voice,” Mundine said. “They just aid us in the process but they don’t have any type of voting power. That’s left all up to the students.”

Mundine said the committee made the right decisions on who got money and who didn’t, keeping the students’ best interest in mind.

“One, is it going to better serve the students is our main priority, and two, did they have legitimate reasons for why they need the money,” Mundine said.

Upcoming Events

CR IM E L OG

April 1-5 Easter Break, no classes

March 25

April 7 Artist-Lecture Series: Dallas String Quartet | 7 p.m. in Akin Auditorium | Free with MSU ID, $20 for general public, and $18 for senior citizens, active-duty military, and MSU alumni.

March 25

April 8 Tenure and Promotion Panel | 7-8:30 p.m. in Dillard 133 | Free, open to all faculty members April 9 QuickBooks Online Training | 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the BISD Gateway Center, 200 East Third Street, Burkburnett | $45 April 9 Faculty Forum Series: Dr. Nathan J. Jun | 7 p.m. in Clark Student Center Shawnee Theater | Free

Drugs: possession of marijuana | 11:26 a.m. | Pierce Hall | MSU Police were dispatched to a dorm room in reference to alcohol and marijuana.

Drugs: possession of marijuana or delivery of drug paraphernalia | 11:26 a.m. | Pierce Hall | MSU Police were dispatched to a dorm room in reference to alcohol and marijuana.

March 25

Alcohol: possession by minor | 11:26 a.m. | Pierce Hall | MSU Police were dispatched to a dorm room in reference to alcohol and marijuana.

Free Checking*  Free Debit Card Auto Debit  Direct Deposit Mobile Banking  Mobile Deposit Online Banking  Bill Pay

March 28

Failure to ID to police officer | 10:45 p.m. | 5005 Lake Park Drive | MSU Police responded to a loud party call and a student was arrested for failure to identify himself to officers.

March 30

Criminal mischief: misdemeanor | 7:55 a.m. | Comanche Trail | Two students reported inappropriate messages that were written in chalk on the sidewalk and on a trashcan on MSU campus.

SOURCE: http://www.mwsu.edu/ police/crimelogs/

PHOTO BY FRANCISCO MARTINEZ | THE WICHITAN

Motlatsi Tolo, environmental science junior, shows people walking by her poster March 31, hopinh to bring awareness to ongoing struggles and violence in Africa. Tolo said, “The reason why I did this walk was to inform others about things they normally don’t read in their newspapers or hear in the news.”

*Some restrictions apply.

Member FDIC



BRI N G I N G AWA R E N E S S

| April 1, 2015 | 5

6 | April 1, 2015 |

Resident assistants help students adjust to university lifestyle MORGAN HAIRE REPORTER

PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN

Suzanne Shipley, now president elect, answers questions at her candidate forum on Feb. 24. Shipley will be the 11th president, and first female president.

Board officially hires Shipley ETHAN METCALF EDITOR

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n a short meeting Tuesday afternoon, the Board of Regents officially appointed Suzanne Shipley as the 11th university president. Student Regent Jesse Brown said the board also advanced Shipley’s start date to Aug. 8 this year.

“I’m excited,” Brown said after the meeting. “I know she’s going to do a fantastic job. The Shepherd University board does not want to let her go, so that means we’re definitely doing something right.”

After a short open meeting to approve the naming of a pavilion at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art at MSU, the board met in a closed executive session to vote on hiring Shipley and discuss her contract.

“They’ll just talk about the terms of the contract, when she would start and that type of thing. I don’t think a contract has been ironed out, so they’ll probably authorize to officially name her as president,” said Debbie Barrow, director of board and government relations. “My hope is that they will, within this timeframe between now and May, that they’ll be able to iron out the details of the contract. I don’t think it’s that we’re far off, it’s just that you have to go through her and then her people.

You don’t rush these sorts of things.”

The board named Shipley the sole finalist for the presidency March 9 to abide by a state law requiring a 21-day period before finalizing the appointment.

“If there was a problem, if anyone had something they wanted the university or board to hear about, you had those 21 days to do your due diligence, but I’m confident that we had already

done our due diligence,” Barrow said.

Shipley was in a board meeting of her own at Shepherd University during the executive session, but she issued a statement in a press release thanking the board and the community for their support.

“I so appreciate the confidence expressed in my leadership by the Midwestern State Board of Regents, the faculty, staff and students of Midwestern State University, and the Wichita Falls community. These are energizing times for all of us; we will use that creative energy to explore new pathways and chart new territory together,” Shipley said in the release.

Born in Lubbock, Shipley will return close to home when she starts the job in August, and Brown said her familiarity to the area was another reason the board chose her.

“She understands the history. She knows the area, she understands the prospective. That was a huge issue that we really liked,” Brown said. “She’s going to be fantastic fitting into the community. It just cuts down on the transition time if she’s from Texas. It’s been a few years, but it doesn’t leave you.”

Brown said the Shipley won him over when she offered to invite select student groups to her house for dinner to discuss the needs of the student.

“She has already voiced to me that when she does get here and finally gets settled in, she’s going to bring SGA, athletics and some other main groups to specifically have dinner with her and figure out what needs to be fixed,” Brown said. “That is what sold me, that she’s willing to do that and get to know what the problems are and fix them.”

For freshman it’s time to go off to college and finally be away from the parents, but being all alone and given so much freedom can lead to a number of problems. That's where resident assistants come in.

With the pressures of college—especially in the first year—younger students will certainly make some bad decisions. For students in college housing, the school provides a resident assistant for every floor in hopes to make those bad decisions few and far between.

“My first incident happened around 2:30 in the morning,” said Rachel Bullard, theater senior and Killingsworth Hall RA. “A girl came in very intoxicated and tried to stumble up the stairs but couldn’t manage. I asked her what her name was but she spelled her name instead, so I knew I needed to file an incident report.”

Being an RA is filled with responsibilities, experiences and situations people may have never dealt with before. Coming into the position, RAs know there is a high expectation to follow the rules, but the chance to have real-world experiences draws applicants into the program.

“I’m most excited about building relationships with the new freshman,” said Madison Scogin, composite science education freshman applying for RA position. “I will be looking to the returning RAs for guidance and advice throughout the training process.”

A resident assistant is a student who has already been at the university for at least one semester, and who feels they are capable of being a role model and a friend for students that live under them.

“Being an RA has helped me open up and be more comfortable with socializing with any type of personality,” said Bianca Hernandez, radiology sophomore. “I’ve built some great relationships with my residents that have led me to be the best RA I can be.”

An RA has more responsibilities than just enforcing rules and regulations. They have to come up with different monthly programs on various topics, and they have to decorate their hall and make it more “homey” for the residents, along with balancing their own life.

“We try to make a second home for the residents,” said Tiare Hidalgo, biochemistry freshman and Killingsworth Hall RA, “one in which they can experiment in safe parameters.”

Benefits of being an RA include not having to pay for housing or dining. But RAs have to work at least two office shifts per week for a stipend of $40 every two weeks.

“I like getting to work office shifts,” said Mason Wilson, business management sophomore. “Seeing everyone come in and out makes interacting and getting to know the residents easier.”

Before the March 27 deadline, each of the 76 applicants completed am online form and submitted a resume, recommendation letters and an essay, followed by an academic background check. In a group interview, the selection committee member see how

2013 FILE PHOTO BY HANWOOL LEE | THE WICHITAN

Resident assistants Kelsie Allen, sophomore in nursing, Ashley Minx, senior in social work, Mae Johnson, sophomore in nursing, Ashley Brown, senior in nursing, Kimberly Nowell, senior in education, and R ­ebecca Stogner, sociology junior, get together and prepare for the fall semester Aug. 16, 2013. the applicant works in a group setting. If the applicant is picked from the group, they have an individual interview with the hall directors, current RAs, and a portion of the selection committee.

“The process was actually easier than I thought it would be,” said Dyamond Tankersley, business freshman applying for an RA position. “The most intimidating part was the one-on-one interview with all the housing directors.”

The returning RAs process is not as strenuous as for the newcomers. If they wish to be an RA again, they fill out an intention form.

“With our returners, we’re looking for those who have shown the leadership and skills to be an RA in the past,” said Angie Reay, associate director of housing and dining. “We want the returners to be the energy for the staff and a role model for not only the students, but the new RAs.” Of the 76 applicants, only 36 will get the job. The list of hired candidates will be released by April 30.

“We’re looking for the best candidates,” said Michael Mills, director of housing and dining services.

“We want students who will be a leader and be someone who can help the incoming students and their transition to college.”

Shelby Binford, radiology sophomore and Killingsworth RA, said she originally applied because she needed a job, but found the experience to be more rewarding than she thought.

“I’ve learned a lot from my residents,” Binford said. “I feel like I’ve become more diverse in the sense that every girl is not the same but deserves to be respected.”

Past RAs have found the experience to be more meaningful than flipping burgers or folding shirts to pay the bills.

“It teaches you how to work with people,” Jake Starkey, Housing Graduate Assistant. “Becoming an RA helped me become more extroverted which helped me grow into a marketable employee.”

CHARITY BASKETBALL GAME

PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN

| April 1, 2015 | 7

PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN

Chi-Omegas take a picture with the winning team of the Swishes for Wishes basketball tournament, Chi-Omegas sit on the sideline of the game at the Chi-Omega Basketball Tournament, Swishes for Fab 5, after they beat the Sticky Bandits 27-20 March 28.

Wishes, where The Fab 5 beat The Sticky Bandits 27-20 March 28.

Chi-Omega #Swishes4Wishes Basketball Tournament “I’ve known about this tournament since they announced that they were officially doing it this hi-Omega hosted a charity basketball tour- year. My team and I didn’t practice much other nament, Swishes for Wishes, on Saturday, than a few scrimmages, but we wanted to help out,” Bolig said. “I enjoy going to these events March 28.

Kim Sheelhan, nursing junior and member of where there is Greek bonding, Greek community Chi-Omega, said the tournament coincides with activities, and an opportunity for our brothers to all hang out.”

Wish Week to raise money for the Zach Davis, history sophomore, Make a Wish Foundation. and his teammate Cooper Tisdale, “Swishes for Wishes is a fundpre-pharmacy freshman, whose raiser for the Make a Wish Foundateam placed second in the tournation, which one of the girls has acment, said they got their team’s petually been trained and is going to culiar name from a holiday movie get to grant a wish coming up soon,” classic.

Sheelhan said. “I’ve been doing this “Our team name is Sticky Banfor three years now, but I think we dits,” Davis says. “We got it from have been doing this for almost five ‘Home Alone,’” Tisdale jumps in. years now.”

Andre Shaw, graduate assistant Sheelhan said she was impressed coach and player on the winning with the amount of players competteam tournament, said his team’s ing in the tournament which started name, the Fab 5, was inspired by a in the morning and didn’t end until famous group of Michigan State baslate in the evening.

NIK BOLIG ketball players.

POLITICAL SCIENCE “We started advertising for it SOPHOMORE “There were five freshman playwith flyers back in the second week ers on the team at one point, who this semester. It’s been a great turnout this year. There are 46 teams of three or more changed the game of basketball for them and called here that signed up and actually showed up,” Sheel- themselves the Fab 5, which is where we got our name. There were five of us originally, but only four han said.

Nik Bolig, political science sophomore, said of us could be here today, as one of us had to work he enjoys the camaraderie at recreational sports last minute,” Shaw said after winning the championship game against the Sticky Bandits, 27-20. events like Swishes for Wishes.

RACHEL JOHNSON PHOTO EDITOR

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“I enoy going to these events where there is Greek bonding.. and an opportunity for our brothers to all hang out.”

PHOTO BY FRANCISCO MARTINEZ | THE WICHITAN

Aaron Gibbs, execrise physiology junior, aviods Kendal Brinlee, criminal justice freshman, during the Chi-Omega Basketball Tournament, Swishes for Wishes, March 28.

PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN

Matthew Scott, graduate assistant, goes up for the shot as Alonzo Burris, athletic training freshman, attempts to block during the Chi-Omega Basketball Game, Swishes for Wishes, March 28.