Issuu

See EURECA special coverage on pgs. 11-16. May 4, 2016 | Midwestern State University | thewichitan.com | Your Campus. Your News. | Vol. 80 No. 27

Graduation

TOTAL ENDOWMENT 2012-2013 | $63,582,196 • 2013-2014 | $ 73,514,557 • 2014-2015| $ 68,154,607 • 2018-2019 (goal) | $80,087,716 (SOURCE: BOARD OF REGENTS MEETING PACKET)

University relies on donors for funding ROBERT HILLARD REPORTER

FRIDAY, MAY 13 3 p.m. | Fain Fine Arts Theatre Senior mass communication students will present their documentary projects at a public screening at 3 p.m.

SATURDAY, MAY 14

he $100 million university budget when it comes right down to it it is built on three main sources and revenue: state appropriations, tuition and fees, and fits/ grants. Outside the annual budget, administrators also maintain an additional $70 million–the university’s endowment, money that often comes from large donations. Through it, donors, including alumni, friends, parents, faculty, staff, corporations and trust foundations, including buildings like the Dillard College of Business Administration Building and expansions such as the one to McCoy Engineering Hall. Historically, families with ties to the oil and gas industry, including the family of Hollis R. and Donna Sullivan, have been the school’s largest donors. Sullivan started his own oil company Hollis R. Sullivan, Inc. in 1990 and later donated $1 million to MSU athletics, the largest gift received in the history of the MSU athletics program. Howard Farrell, vice president for university advancement and student affairs, said most of the school’s big donors are associated with the oil and gas industry. “The over amount of big dollars and I mean the big dollars that the school receives — the $5, $6, and $7 million donors — are really connected to the oil and gas industry,” Farrell said. “No surprise there. A lot of it is old money and I mean it in a good way because it’s businesses that have been in the industry for decades.” More recently, however, the oil and gas industry has had to lay off more than 200,000 employees and the number continues to rise, according to the Houston Chronicle. Farrell continued. “It’s no surprise to anyone how depressed the oil and gas industry is. Has it affected us? You bet it has. Will it affect

9 a.m. Doors open to MPEC. Graduates should arrive no later than 9:15 a.m. Graduates will wear a formal academic gown and mortar board. Tassels should be worn on the right and will be shifted to the left together, except for master’s candidates who will wear their tassel on the left the entire ceremony. 9:30 a.m. Faculty meet in MPEC Parade Marshal Ranette Halverson and Yoshi Fukasawa PHOTO BY TOPHER G. McGEHEE | THE WICHITAN

10 a.m. Ceremony begins

Bev Bolin met with members of the inaugural class from the Bolin Graduate School of Petroleum Geology at a luncheon May 3.

Kay Yeager Coliseum 1000 5th Street

us forever? No. Texas goes up and down. We have donors from every state. We have international students that come here.” Farrell said people in the community are donating money because they believe in the vision that MSU has for the university. “It’s not that our donors were all Midwestern graduates, but they really feel good about the vision of the university other communities would kill to have a first class university amongst their midst. They really liked what we were doing they felt connected to the institution.” And while university officials still depend on memorable donors Farrell, who is retiring in August said he is continually seeking new donors. The new residence hall available is for new donors who would like to put their names on a part of the new addition to MSU. It is a continuous cycle for MSU to connect to people. Farrell said he is even looking for donors for the mass communication building that’s

675

under construction. “We’re in the process right now of getting people to donate to the new residence hall naming halls of these people. It never ends, that’s the beauty of it. I’m always out talking to people. We spend a lot of time of informing people of who we are. We are trying to find someone right now to put their name on the Wichitan structure.” Suzanne Shipley, president of MSU, said the retirement of Farrell will have an effect on the school because of the connections he has made with people. “Every loss effects the school and Howards been the face of Midwestern for quite a while and I think he will continue to be because he really loves this university. I think the challenge will be to gain the greatest depth of understanding of donors we can as a team and call Howard when we need him and say, Howard help us out, but I think you have turn over

see DONOR pg. 4

approximate number of graduates SPEAKER

Michael K. Obeng, 1997 MSU graduate in chemistry, will deliver the commencement address. Obeng is a plastic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California. RECORDING The ceremony is being recorded and will air on digital Channel 2 or QAM 11.1 at 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m., May 17 through May 20. DIPLOMAS Graduates may pick up diplomas beginning June 7.

2 | May 4, 2016 |

G U E S T C O L UMN S

S TA FF EDITORI A L

Changes should help, not harm

ith the construction of the new dorm, mass communication building and turf fields, the rise in construction workers and their equipment is inevitable. Sections of parking lots have been closed or blocked off, and gates have been put up around what used to be easily accessible sidewalks. Students pay for parking. While our passes may not be as expensive as other universities, we do still pay to park and are fined for not having a decal, yet construction workers seem to have free reign over our now diminishing lots. The constant construction vehicles on Mustangs Walk are an eyesore and will ruin our brand new walkway. The construction crew has tried different tactics to block off the working area of the new mass communication building, each attempt worse than the last. The corner of Nocona Trail and Teepee Drive is an accident-prone area. It is nearly impossible for out-coming traffic to see around the corner of Teepee and students are forced to jaywalk. A horrible combination. The inconsistent parking rules, the disrespect to newly-built university property, and the disregard for safety is unacceptable. Enforce parking rules for everyone, including temporary workers. Make safe crosswalk areas near construction sites. Don’t sacrifice safety or policy in the chaos of construction.

wichitan

the

Vol.. 80 | No. 27

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

Lean into your discomfort

comfort zone is a lovely place, but rarely does anything grow there. As a university community, we are charged with asking honest, thought-provoking Charles questions of faculty and Frazier students alike. Diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion are a few of those challenging conversations, which allow us to “lean into the discomfort” in hopes of relating across differences, as well as celebrating and embracing what makes us unique. After all, should we not strive to create an academic environment where every student feels authentically seen and heard, without the pressure of conforming? The Black, lesbian, mother, cancer survivor and poet Audre Lorde in her book Our Dead Behind Us: Poems asserts, “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” The Black Leadership Summit allowed its attendees to identify issues, stimulate ideas for action, prepare for authentic cross-cultural dialogue with other multicultural student organizations, and build community. The existence of events such as, the Black Leadership Summit at a university, which champions the values of diversity and inclusivity, can sometimes be puzzling to community members. Many students are unfamiliar with the ideas and concepts behind the creation of these events and some students will initially regard them as divisive and antithetical to the values of inclusivity and community. The Black Leadership Summit and similar events strengthen our university community by providing support, connection, and affirmation to students whose identities, whether racial, ethnic or otherwise, may differ from the majority population and culture at this university. These events provide a “safe space” for their attendees to explore issues of shared identity, experience and affirm their emotional and intellectual responses to being part of a distinct

subset of our community. Likewise, multicultural student organizations encourage their members to embrace different parts of their identity and to feel confident about themselves rather than silently suppressing aspects of their identity because it differs from the majority culture. The Black Leadership Summit and multicultural student organizations create a progressive and constructive context for students to affirm and explore their identities and experiences with the full support of university leadership and faculty. This approach helps to strengthen our university community and to cultivate students confident enough in themselves and their place in this community so they may grow into better leaders. As our campus newspaper the Wichitan has clearly articulated in their our view statement, “The Black Leadership Summit is a necessary vehicle for change on this campus, and arguments about its necessity are missing the point and unfairly attack the students who benefit most from the summit.” In his controversial 2007 memoir, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son, Antiracist essayists Tim Wise suggests “The power of resistance is to set an example: not necessarily to change the person with whom you disagree, but empower the one who is watching and whose growth is not yet complete, whose path is not all clear, whose direction is still very much in the proverbial air.” It is our aim to increase cultural competency on campus by exposing the greater MSU community to the wide diversity of blackness, black identity and black cultures. To that end, brothers and sisters, attending the Black Leadership Summit was the first step in uniting the black community at MSU. As student leaders and members of the black community we must build from within. We challenge you to become a leading force for the unification our black community. We cannot allow others to fashion our image according to their vision of what is “best” for us. Upon unification, we can engage in cross-cultural discussions, which benefit

MANAGING EDITOR: Kara McIntyre DESIGN EDITOR: Brianna Sheen PHOTO EDITOR: Rachel Johnson BUSINESS MANAGER: Dewey Cooper PHOTOGRAPHERS: Kayla White, Makayla Burnham, Topher McGehee DESIGNER: Justin Marquart ADVISER: Bradley Wilson

our university community. We all have a stake in creating a safe environment where everyone can be his or her authentic self. However, be mindful that cross-cultural discussions do not equate degeneration of own cultural enlightenment. We challenge you to be cultural advocates by using your voice when stereotypes threaten who you are, what you or your cultural heritage stands for. The consequences of silence manifests themselves as stereotypes, blatant misconceptions, violence, and twisted perceptions of our culture. We are a beautiful, intellectual people who will not be silenced or shamed for expressing our love for ourselves. To the guest columnist who challenged our right to cultural development, thank you to adding fuel to the fire, which burns within us. Thank you for giving us more of a reason to unify rather than blend in and to express our pride of who we are. See my color. Recognize that being different from the majority is beautiful and not defective. Lastly, we leave you with a final quote from the great Brazilian educator Paulo Freire who is best known for his book pedagogy of the oppressed where he critically explores societies and education, “How can I dialogue if I always project ignorance onto others and never perceive my own? How can I dialogue if I am closed to— and even offended by— the contribution of others? At the point of encounter there are neither yet ignoramuses nor perfect sages; there are only people who are attempting, together, to learn more than they now know.” To my Black queens and kings, realize that if your cultural expression and celebrations makes someone feel uncomfortable, you’ve done your job. We are Black, and very proud of it. Letreanna Jackson, curriculum and instruction graduate student Charles Frazier, athletic training senior Maia Cook, athletic training junior Tyera Breeze, respiratory therapy junior Shayla Owens, business management junior

Copyright © 2016. 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.

| May 4, 2016 | 3

G U E S T C O L U MN S

Women, children at risk with bathroom conflict

ecently, Target has decided to let men, women, and transgender people use either bathroom they want, men’s or women’s. I’m going to say this Samuel loud and clear. Women Sutton should use women’s bathrooms, and men should use men’s bathrooms. I understand transgender people struggle with this since they may identify as the opposite gender, but making either bathroom readily accessible to anyone is dangerous. What if you, speaking to women and children, want to use the restroom, and decide to use the women’s restroom, and a man walks in and tries to assault you? How would you feel if you went to tell someone, and they said to you, “Well, they do have a right to be in here. You need to be more cautious?” You shouldn’t need to be cautious when using the correct bathroom. Another thing I want to mention is that telling people to “just hold it until you get home if you don’t feel comfortable,” isn’t always an option. While most adults can hold it until they get home, children often can’t. Children have smaller bladders than adults, and if they have to go, then parents should feel comfortable taking them into the restroom without the fear of their chil-

dren being sexually assaulted. I know rape is still illegal, as it should be, but with this new bathroom rule, you are making it easier for these people to do this. This isn’t about transgender people because I have no problem with them whatsoever. I just think there should be a safer way to go about this. Maybe make a transgender bathroom so that people who identify as that can safely go in there, while people who identify as their original gender can go into the bathroom of that gender. Just look at Kroger in Athens, Georgia. They just made a unisex bathroom for people like dads with daughters, moms with sons, parents with disabled children, LGBTQ members, and adults with aging parents who may be mentally or physically disabled. This is exactly what companies should be doing instead of making each bathroom available for anybody like Target did. People should have to use the bathrooms of the gender they associate themselves with. That’s the bottom line. I’m not trying to offend anyone with my opinion, and I’m not saying you aren’t allowed to have your own opinion on this. I also will not judge you for the opinion you have. All I’m saying is this is the way I think it should be. Samuel Sutton is a mass communication junior.

Fair-weather advocates should learn the facts

et’s clear something up. Target is not allowing anyone to use any restroom they want. Target is not inviting men into women’s restrooms. Target is not creating a safe haven for child predators, rapists, or Brianna any other scary threat conjured Sheen up by close-minded people harboring some deep anti-LGBT+ resentment. As written on Target’s corporate website, their policy says “we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.” Meaning, people have the freedom to use the restroom that matches their gender identity. Predatory men are not allowed to enter women’s restrooms. “But they’ll do it anyway!” you say. Yes, they very well might. And if sexual predators are using this new inclusive law to assault anybody, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent. But let’s not further punish a group – transgender people and genderqueer people – for the illegal actions of rapists or predators who, let’s face it, have never given a shit about laws that tell them not to rape, assault or kidnap. You’ve been sharing bathrooms with trans people your whole life without giving it a second thought. Rapists have been raping people your whole life, too, and that’s illegal. It’s clear they don’t care about the legality of their actions, so the argument that they’ll suddenly use this law to attack more women invalidates the experiences of the scores of people who

have been assaulted in their lifetime, like the 1.3 million American women raped in the last 12 months. If you want to stop people from raping or assaulting others, then that is its own issue that needs to be dealt with regardless. Only two out of 100 rapists ever convicted and serve a single day in prison for their crimes. That’s a real problem. One in five women will be the victim of a rape or a rape attempt in their lifetime, so I understand and appreciate those who express support for women’s safety in public restrooms. However, fifty percent of transgender people will be sexually assaulted or raped in their lifetime. Rape is all too prevalent, but trans people are disproportionately the victims of these violent acts. Another common argument against Target’s new policy is “women should use women’s restrooms and men should use men’s restrooms”. Well, yes. They should. Women, whether they’re cisgender or transgender, should use the restroom that matches their gender identity. And we should protect their right to do so. Sending trans women into the men’s restroom puts those women at an even higher risk of assault and it does nothing to stop rapists from raping. Nobody should have to worry about being assaulted while they use the restroom. Stop blaming the victims and start holding sexual predators accountable for their actions. Brianna Sheen is a mass communication sophomore.

I learned confidence, skills

oming to MSU was a nerve-racking experience for me since I didn’t like to be away from home. I only live a couple hours away, but I still got home sick easily. After I got settled into my dorm room, I realized I wasn’t homesick. Maybe it was because I knew my sister was a couple of blocks away or maybe it was because I knew I was finally growing up Harley Warrick and didn’t need to fully rely on my parents. Coming to here taught me to get out of my comfort zone to try new things. I grew up with majority of my friends and when I came here I panicked. I didn’t really know how to make friends. Thankfully my RA knocked on my door and invited me to movie night in the lounge. One of my best friends now was there. We actually became friends because she asked if I wanted some cookies. Food brings people together. The cookie question caught another person’s attention. After making friends, I felt a thousand times better about being at MSU. Then the next worry rose. I was starting my mass communication classes and was worried I wouldn’t be

any good at it. I didn’t have any type of experience before coming here. Once again I was thankful I met people quick in the department. It took the worry away. After a year in the department, I was confident that mass communication was the correct career path for myself. I loved it and everything came easy. School never came easy to me until I got in the mass communication program. During my second year I learned more camera skills. I loved to see how creative I could get with my filming. I also had to learn to call and schedule meetings with administrators. Being in the media field, you can’t be shy, but it is also a hard thing to break. I will always be shy, until I am comfortable around people. Going into the summer, I had to do an internship. Interning with Tobin McDuff was a neat learning experience. The one thing I love the most was doing highlight videos of the local high schools. I took what I learned into my final year at MSU. Some of you may have seen different highlight videos for the men’s soccer team and the football team. I started that because I wanted to keep learning and practicing my skills that I

had been learning over the past two years. I didn’t have a class where I was able to go out and film so I decided to film the games for the teams. I had been dying to learn more about filming sports and how to edit them so I thought, “Why not?” If you watch footage from the first game I filmed versus the last, you can see a huge difference. I was thankful the coaches and players allowed me to continue to film and improve my skills. As I graduate this May, I take everything I learned from MSU and continue to take it with me. I will be forever grateful for everyone who has helped me during my three years here. My advice to other students here, take a look at what MSU teaches you inside the classroom and try to use it outside. I learned that if I take what my teachers taught me and used it now instead of waiting, I can still get help and learn even more. Harley Warrick is a mass communication senior.

4 | May 4, 2016 | n Academic colleges ($648,562) n Alumni relations / library ($292,098) n Alumni (1,304)

35% academic colleges

54% alumni

n Friends / parents / faculty / staff (896)

n Gift in kind ($116,658)

n Foundations / trusts (23)

n University’s Greatest Need ($40,663) DONORS BY CATEGORY

in places you have changes and people move on and you adjust. It all depends on who replaces him whether we find somebody from this area that comes and knows this people or we find someone from outside the area that knows development.” Farrell said MSU has even gone as far as trying to get into contact with Dr. Phil, a notable former student, to donate to the university. “We want to identify people who have a love for what they do. We reached out to Dr. Phil to try and put his name on a psychology clinic. Did it work? No, but unless you try you never know. You constantly have to go out there.” One way for university officials to keep in touch with its graduates is by having them fill out alumni relations cards during Imagine Graduation. Contacting alumni and potential donors is an effort that has developed and continues to develop. Farrell said down the road he hopes that the contribution from alumni and friends of the university will increase. “We have a parent fund. We call thousands of alumni and friends from the university. It’s a very organized effort that has developed and continues to develop. As time goes on those who give $20 today, five years it may be $200 and in 10 years might be $2,000 as people advance in business. So far it has been very successful.” Although there is no guarantee that donors such as Fain, Dillard and McCoy will continue to contribute, Farrell said the families come from an older generation, that he grew up in, who knew how important education was. He hopes that the same idea passes down through the family tree. “With the Fain foundation, the mother passed away, but the daughter and the family have continued to donate for decades. I have found that a couple of generations ago there was a real reverence for education. Historically, this country has had a reverence for education. You see a lot of families that hold on to that mantra and the value of education.” All of the credit is due to people of MSU that help make the university run, said Farrell. “The real credit of all of this goes back to the faculty and staff that create a climate that students prosper in and also the credit goes to

n President’s Excellence Circle ($219,715) n Athletics ($221,990)

n Corporations (178)

from DONOR pg. 1

n Scholarships ($297,376)

people in Wichita Falls and in our extended community and how they choose to get with us and bring us to the next level.”

THE FUTURE OF MSU DONORS

Farrell foresees that the donations will increase. However, the person or people donating the funds decides where the money goes and what the money will be used for. Laura Peterson, assistant director of university development for donor services and scholarships explained where the money goes. “Well our donors decide where the money goes. So if someone donates to chemistry scholarships or something like that, that’s where it goes.” MSU also receives funding from the state, about $26 million in state appropriations. However, as Peterson said MSU cannot just count on state money. “Our donors are vital. We are a state university, but our appropriations from the state continue to drop and so that support from donors is more and more important every single year.” With donors having the power to assign where their money goes some departments get a lot more donations and funding than others.

DONORS DESIGNATION

few donations that we get that are unrestricted and those are handled at a higher level with the vice presidents and presidents as far as how that divvied up.” Peterson said unrestricted donations are hard to come by. “Most of the donors designate where they want their money to go.”

NEW PROJECTS MSU is undergoing only two new projects and additions to improve the campus and the education students receive. One example, is the new ‘A’ wing addition to the Fain Fine Arts building. Farrell said, “We’re trying very hard right now to raise money for the mass communication addition and we have some people who are interest in that because they were mass communication students.” With some departments in need of funding, MSU has to find different ways to apN

Navigating MS Register for a free, live educational program happening in your area.

MSU DONOR DESIGNATION 2015-2016

Farrell said, “It’s the overwhelming amount of time the donor gives to his or her love, whether it be mass communication, engineering, psychology. Unrestricted money is different. Someone can say here’s a million dollars do whatever you want. Does chemistry get that type of support? No. Does the English department? No, but there are still people who give for scholarships and stuff. The money that departments receive is vital because it provides new programs and accreditation said Farrell. “The money has allowed us to provide great programs to the students of MSU. For example, the new petroleum engineering program that was developed. Also, Dillard has international accreditation. Less than thirteen percent of the colleges in the world have that accreditation.” Not all donations come with a list of restrictions, said Peterson. “As far as unrestricted gifts go, there are

proach potential donors for their funding. Peterson explained her process in the donor services building. “Me, personally, I don’t go out and seek. Generally the donors that I deal with are people that that already know they want to donate and they’re looking at getting something set up. We do have other areas in university development that do go out and seek out the donations, whether it’s our annual fund campaign where were writing to alumni and friends asking for support, or targeting certain donor, but in this particular office, no we do not go out searching for them.” Farrell said Harvard, which has an endowment of $34.6 billion. is a great model. “We’re focused on helping our graduates. What makes Harvard such a great school? The graduates. That’s the type of approach we’re trying to take. People come and go but the university will always be here. People always give to successful universities.”

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Date: Tuesday, 2016 [MONTH May DAY,3,YEAR] Time: Check-In: 5:30 to - 6:00 [Time AM/PM TimePM AM/PM] y, [Time am/pm to-Time /pm] Seminar: 6:00 8:00 am PM

| May 4, 2016 | 5

Vinson Healh Center to partner with First Step EMILY CARROLL REPORTER

o provide gender-based violence counseling for students and faculty/staff, administrators created a partnership with First Step Domestic Abuse Treatment Center and Vinson Health Center. Staff members will be on campus eight hours a week, and will be available at all times even off campus. “It was not because of an illicit need that was brought to our attention,” Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Matthew Park said.“We know that this is an issue on college and university campuses across the country and Midwestern State University is no different.” After attending a summer 2015 retreat with other vice presidents of students affairs, Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Lamb learned about providing advocacy services on colleges and universities and discovered a model that he thought would be appropriate for the campus. “We found a model where [Stephen F. Austin State University] was doing something similar,” Lamb said. “We visited with them to see how it was working using a community based advocacy service and decided that it would work well for us.” The university operates under federal regulations and guidelines that have implications

for gender-based violence such as Title IX. As Title IX coordinator, Park was in charge of training First Step staff to help operate on campus. “They were very receptive to the idea and the conversations so they have been a pleasure to work with thus far,” Park said. Any person can go meet with one of the advocates and share information in a confidential manner. This will not be considered as making a report to Park as Title IX coordinator, student conduct office or the human resources office. Advocates are in a position to empower the individual to help understand the resources available to them. “We are excited about [the partnership] because we are trying to either reduce or eliminate that barrier such that when these incidents of sexual misconduct happen, we want that person to feel that they can go approach and share that with an advocate,” Park said. Park said the reason their service will be located in Vinson Health Center is because there are already strict policy considerations in place for any student utilizing that service. A vacant office space in the health center will be dedicated to First Step for its exclusive use. Since they are a non-profit organization, Park said he does not see any monetary cost to their service.

PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN

The Bruce and Graciela Redwine Student Wellness Center and the Vinson Health Center are located by Sikes Lake, across Midwestern Parkway. “[First Step] is not in the business of making money. They are in the business of supporting and sustaining their programs and their outreach efforts that serve the community,” Park said. “The nature of the agreement that we set up does not carry monetary value but I could see in time that it might be something we could look at.”

Park and Lamb said the program should officially be up and running by the fall semester. “There are a majority of incidents which go unreported and with a service such as this,” Park said. “Perhaps that number will increase because people will feel more comfortable knowing that they are in a confidential service.”

6 | May 4, 2016 |

UPCOMING EVENT S Mother’s day ceramic sale

May 5-7 from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. | Fain Fine Arts C119

Job Search 101

May 4 from 5 - 5:50 p.m. | CSC Wichita I and II

Social Media seminar

May 5 from noon to 12:50 p.m. | CSC Wichita I and II

Graduating Student Reception

May 5 from 5 - 7 p.m. | Wichita Falls Museum of Art at MSU | Reception honoring May 2016 graduating seniors and graduate students PHOTOS BY MAKAYLA BURNHAM AND KAYLA WHITE | THE WICHITAN

Alpha Phi girls play bean bag toss at Alpha Phi and Kappa Alpha’s First Annual Midwestern Cookout Classic in the Quadrangle on April 30. | Sam Metzler, business freshman, and Jordan Entler, business management freshman throw a football across the lawn at the cookout.

Alpha Phi, Kappa Alpha raise $2,500 for charity SAMUEL SUTTON REPORTER

lpha Phi and Kappa Alpha Order hosted a cookout on April 30 to support women’s cardiac health and to earn money to send children with muscular dystrophy to camp. Shelby Emerson, education sophomore, said, “We’ve gotten positive feedback. Students think it’s a really cool idea. I think they’re going to have a good time.” Brian Warren, business finance junior, also said it was a good first year event. “We only had a month to prepare, so with that time limit, I’d say it was a success,” Warren said. Alpha Phi spent $1,000 of chapter dues to purchase decorations, hamburgers, hot dogs, bounce house rentals, and marketing supplies. Emerson said it was worth spending so much money on the event. “It’s nice being able to help women’s cardiac health and the Muscular Dystrophy Association,” Emerson said. Emilie Harris, education sophomore, said she had fun and enjoyed the games and food. “I’ve eaten some great chili, I’ve gotten to play corn hole, which I love, and I got to throw the football around with some friends. It’s been awesome,” Harris said. Jordan Wright, music graduate, said she had fun supporting her sorority, and the charities they’re hosting for. She also liked getting to visit with her sorority sisters. “I drove two hours to get here, and I have no regrets coming. It’s been good company, good food, good weather, everything has come together nicely,” Wright said. Logan Lafoon, radiology science senior, was invited by one of his friends to the event and said he had fun as well.

“It’s been pretty fun. As someone who works in the medical field, I love being able to help wherever I can, and this is a fun way to do it. I also liked being able to play a full hour of corn hole,” Lafoon said. While the event was a success overall, there was a downfall. They were able to successfully reach the students, but due to lack of advertising, they weren’t able to get the Wichita Falls community to come out. “We need more marketing materials for the cookout next fall. This was a pretty good turnout, but we want the community to come out, not just Midwestern State,” Emerson said. Harris also said more marketing would’ve been nice. “I want to see more people next time. This is fun, but I wish more people knew about it,” Harris said. The low marketing showed since Emerson said they wanted to have 100 people attend but were only able to get about 60 people. “If we had more marketing, we could’ve easily reached that goal. Hopefully we are able to get more the next time around,” Warren said. Emerson also said they could’ve had more activities. She said she wants more stuff to do at the cookout next fall. Warren also said the event would’ve been bigger if they had more planning. “If we had like two or three more months, we would’ve been able to make it a lot better,” Warren said. Warren also said they weren’t able to reach their fundraising goal. They wanted to raise $4,000, but only raised $2,500, and $1,100 of that went to the charities. While they did have some problems, they said it was a success overall, and they will be able to make the next cookout a much bigger success when they have more planning.

C R I M E L OG April 27

Accident: Duty on striking unattended vehicle | 7:40 a.m. | Parking lot #one | Student reported a suspect backed into his vehicle on March 24, causing damage to his vehicle.

April 29

Criminal Mischief: Misdemeanor | 10:23 a.m. | Parking lot 10 | Victim reported an unknown suspect broke the mirror on his vehicle.

May 1

Criminal trespass | 6:46 p.m. | Sundance Court Apartments | The victims reported the suspect walked into their dorm room, uninvited, and made a threat.

Finals Frenzy “Life is a Carnival” May 5 from 5 - 11 p.m. | Mustangs Walk

Student send off

May 6 from 2 - 5 p.m. | Bruce and Graciela Redwine Student Wellness Center

Juried student and senior art exhibition

May 6 from 6 - 8 p.m. | Juanita Harvey Art Gallery | Works will be on display through July 29.

University symphony orchestra May 8 at 7 p.m. | Akin Auditorium

Back to business Wednesday May 11 from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Dillard 189

Board of Regents meeting

May 12 at 1:30 p.m. and May 13 at 9 a.m.| J.S. Bridwell Boardroom

Last day of classes May 6

Final examinations begin May 7

Commencements

May 14 at 10 a.m. | Kay Yeager Coliseum

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| May 4, 2016 | 7

PHOTOS BY MAKAYLA BURNHAM | THE WICHITAN

Contestants of Mr. Heartthrob applaud Coleman Reidling, history junior, after he was named 2016 Mr. Heartthrob. | Valentine Atuchukwu, nursing senior and contestant, performs his talent at Mr. Heartthrob. | Avery Whaite, mass communication sophomore and contestant, showed off his swim attire in Comanche Suites on April 30.

Funny take on beauty pageant Sorority presidents judge male contestants

LANE RIGGS REPORTER

o raise money for women’s cardiac care, the Alpha Phi sorority hosted Mr. Heartthrob on April 30th. Education sophomore Shelby Emerson was the leading force behind the event, and her and Alpha Phi members had been planning for Mr. Heartthrob for a month and a half. This was the first time the sorority has put on the event, and Emerson said it was a big success. “It’s been put on before but by different organizations. Mr. Heartthrob is our variation of the event, and it’s been a huge success for our first year,” Emerson said. “We’re planning on making it an annual event, and we’re hoping it’ll grow each year.” The event, Emerson said, was relatively inexpensive, as Comanche Suites was already set up and the only cost was a paddle and fake crown awarded to Mr. Heartthrob, history junior Coleman Reidling. Reidling was picked out of the 10 contestants to be this year’s Mr. Heartthrob by a panel of four judges consisting of sorority presidents. These judges picked a top three and then narrowed it down to just one winner: Reidling. “I would definitely do an event like this again,” Reidling said. “I entered the competition simply because I was invited to. Once I learned a little bit about the contest, I figured it would be fun to be a part of.” Reidling said the audience of about 50 people seemed to enjoy the contestants. He said he also enjoyed the event, as it raised $500 for women’s cardiac care, and its education, research, screening, and prevention. “I have taken part in talent shows and played guitar and

“I entered the competition simply because I was invited to. Once I learned a little bit about the contest, I figured it would be fun to be a part of.” COLEMAN REILDLING HISTORY JUNIOR

piano at some different venues around the country,” Reidling said. “However, I’ve never danced to Def Leppard in a swimsuit as powdered sugar was dumped on me. That was a new experience for me for sure.” Like Reidling, some of the other contestants have also taken part in other talent shows, like Lowell Nash. Nash was named People’s Choice, since the crowd was able to pick out their favorite by cheering the loudest for one of the contestants. Students in the crowd, like mass communication junior Brianna Hall and accounting freshman Oneida Mireles said they enjoyed the event and thought it was entertaining. “It was a lot of twerking. But it was interesting because women are usually up on stage and so it was different and unique to see men up there,” Hall said. “It was a great group of guys.” Both Hall and Mireles are involved with Alpha Phi, but neither had any problem with the presentation of the event. “The only thing that caused a bit of problems was the songs

from YouTube,” Hall said. “But it was entertaining at the same time, and everyone played along with the ads that popped up.” Mireles also thought that there were no problems with the event. “I liked all of it,” she said, “it was really fun and entertaining.” Mr. Heartthrob was a unique twist on ‘beauty’ pageants, providing the crowd with humorous questions and answers. Contestants often sent the crowd into giggles with hilarious skits and props - some of which included powdered sugar, or “sand,” and a floatie during the swimwear portion. The talent portion of the event comprised of guitars, pianos, and live singing, as well as dancing and a High School Musical duet one contestant performed with himself. Though Mr. Heartthrob was a special take on pageants focused purely on women, students like Hall and Mireles were not totally opposed to even more uncommon takes on such a competition; like the drag show taking place on May 6 at 7 p.m. in Comanche Suites. “I’d be all over that event,” Hall said. “I always watch RuPaul’s Drag Race on TV and so I’m definitely going.” Mireles said that she is also interested in the event, and she said that it would be nice to see something so distinct and individual. “It’d be entertaining to watch,” Mireles said. “Something like this isn’t put on often, so I’d like to see it.” The Drag Show will be hosted by the PRIDE organization, and the proceeds - $1 for tickets - will go to the local humane society.

8 | May 4, 2016 | The original plans called for 22,000 square feet including two additional classrooms. To save money, the new building will be only 15,000 feet and will not include any stand-alone classrooms. Room such as B105 (pictured here) and B114 will continue to be used by mass communication and speech classes.

Mass communication to g ALLISON ASHCRAFT REPORTER

The plans for the first floor of the new mass communication building, anticipated to be completed in summer 2017. The first floor includes space for a six video editing bays, a broadcast computer lab, broadcast studio, and collaboration spaces

The plans for the second floor of the new mass communication building, including space for a newsroom, computer lab, conference areas, break room and five faculty offices.

he Fain College of Fine Arts received approval in February to add a new wing to the college for the mass communication department. Jim Sernoe, chair of the mass communication department, said he has been trying to get the mass communication its own facilities for about five years. “We’ve been wanting improvements for quite awhile,” said Sernoe. “At one point the plan was to put us in what used to be Christ Academy (now called West Annex).” Sernoe said money was going to be put aside to renovate Christ Academy, and mass communication, music and counseling would be housed in the renovated facility. "About a year and a half ago, I was talking to Dr. Camacho, and I said this can't go on," said Sernoe. "These facilities are just really hurting us." Martin Camacho, dean of the Fain College of Fine Arts, then went to the provost who then had the willingness to take it to the higher administration. "I think that what she found was the willingness to bring it to the higher administration," Camacho said. "Within that willingness, the higher administration explored a number of financing options, to see whether or not this was suitable." The higher administration, after exploring options found money in the budget for the building. “At the time (1977) that this building (Fain) was constructed, there wasn’t a mass communication program,” said Camacho. “Since the building wasn’t originally conceived with mass communication in mind, we’ve been adapting many areas of Fain, we’ve been accommodating mass communication into the building of Fain, but at the end of the story its a much better proposition that we have dedicated area for mass communication.” On Oct. 14, 2014, Treanor architects, the firm hired to design the residence hall and the mass communication building visited campus to allow students and faculty to help with the process. The new residence hall and the mass communication facility were a package deal originally to save money, said Sernoe, but state law does not allow this, and the mass communication facility was rebid to Rees Associates Inc. Rees however did not offer students input like Treanor did with the residence hall, something Rachel Johnson, a mass communication sophomore, said she would have liked because of confusion about where money for the furniture

Construction of the new mass communication wing by Fain Colle will come from. But, students are still excited to have new facilities. “I’m excited for a brand new space,” said Johnson. “Fain is growing with people, and it’s definitely been really tight.” Brianna Sheen, a mass communication sophomore, said “I like that the newsroom is going to be a lot bigger, and we’re going to get windows in there, which we don’t have right now.” Rees has designed other communication facilities for universities and some commercial TV stations, said Sernoe. The original design by Treanor had more windows said Sernoe, but Rees said that's not a good idea, because the sun will mess with lighting. But, Rees was open to input said Sernoe. "When we sat down with Rees, they said 'well, what did you like from this design, what didn't you like, what do you want to keep, what do you wanna dump," said Sernoe. In Nov. 2014, the Board of Regents approved the $5 million budget for the building, and approved an extra $500,000 in February of this year. "The normal process for construction is you work with an architect initially to say 'here's our budget, and what do you think we can build for that," said Marilyn Fowle, vice president of business affairs and finance. "They work with

FINANCING T One-time coverage for project construction | $300,000 • Debt service | For the next six years, the university will be playing After that, the university will pay off the remainder in deb

| May 4, 2016 | 9 The new wing will contain a computer lab that can also be used as a classroom, replacing B124 that was originally designed as a dance studio and is attached to space that was later used as a darkroom. The new lab will hold about 20 computers.

get its own space – finally

ege of Fine Arts on May 3.

PHOTO BY MAKAYLA BURNHAM | THE WICHITAN

the owners or the users to do what they call programming." Basically, the architects met with the department to find out what mass communication needs in the building. The mass communication department presents sort of their "wish list" said Fowle, which usually ends up being over budget, so space must be cut to meet the budget. Once the size and the cost are cut to a reasonable amount, the architect draws it out and sends it out to contractors, said Fowle, who come back to bid on actually building the building. "Unfortunately, when the bids came back they did not come in at the estimation, they were high," said Fowle. Fowle said then the school did some value engineering, but they could not get it down to the $5 million budget, so the school approved the extra money. The $5.5 million is for the building itself is coming from Higher Education Assistance Fund, with an additional about $1.2 million for furniture and equipment. "The $5.5 million to build the building is in an account and all the invoices and the bills from the architect all go through facilities," said Fowle. "Then we'll set up an account for the equipment slash furniture, of whatever the amount is that's going to be on the master lease." Fowle said, however, that the financing is still fluid.

"That is the plan right now," she said in an email. "If other sources of funds become available, the HEAF amount may go up or down in future years." Originally, the building was 22,000 square feet, but was cut down to about 15,000 square feet to fit the budget. This mean the one classroom in the new wing may be a little smaller, but nothing that was needed was lost Camacho said. "What you have to remember there is that amount of square footage still solves some problems," said Sernoe. "For instance, the broadcasting lab now has space for four computers." Two of three editing rooms now have two machines in each, machines that are a tight fit in the sound-proof rooms. The new building will have six separate editing bays so students will be able to concentrate on projects better. The new facility will also have have a computer lab with space for 20 computers to replace B124, so students will no longer have to bunch up and share computers. That room will also serve as a general classroom for mass communication classes. The building will have two floors and will include a work cafe, a newsroom, a TV studio that will double as a classroom said Camacho. "I'm excited for having a modern facility and more of a centralized area," said Sernoe. "I'm also happy we have more collaboration spaces." The new wing will be located on the east side of the Fain Fine Arts building, but officials have yet to decide if it will be getting its own letter name, said Camacho, or if it will just be an addition to the "B" wing. Camacho said one of his favorite elements is the work cafe, complete with vending machines and a kitchenette, because he wants students to want to hang out, and not just think of it as school. "It was very important for us to create an environment for the students where the students not only feel welcome, but they want to be there." said Camacho. The construction has been delayed a couple weeks because of issues with the sewage lines, but the building will take about 12 to 15 months to complete, and the hope is fall of 2017 classes will be held in the new facility, said Sernoe, possibly summer of 2017. "We are very excited about it," said Camacho. "This is a big undertaking for the university, and this is a big accomplishment for the academic unit."

THE BUILDING | $288,000 • Equipment /furniture | $200,000 • Total for 2016-2017 | $788,000 off lease and debt service, about $488,000 per year. bt service, about $288,000 per year for the next 20 years.

Renderings of the new mass communication building scheduled to be complete in the summer of 2017.

10 | May 4, 2016 |

Fazekas has bumpy ride; signing with development league MSU soccer player signs with Grand Rapids FC; set to start May 11 HARLEY WARRICK REPORTER

bout 18 Mustangs for the men’s soccer team are playing in the Premier Development League this summer to help maintain physical conditioning and prepare for the upcoming season. Noah Fazekas, mass communication junior and goalkeeper, signed with Grand Rapids in Michigan for the summer. “I'm signing there because I love the game and I want to come back; like how I see it, the more I play the more I’ll be ready, like more experience,” Fazekas said. Head Coach Doug Elder said Fazekas needs to keep playing. Elder adds that 80 percent of the players play in the Premier Development League all over the country. “The more he plays, the more it prepares him for game situations,” Elder said. Fazekas said more playing time, training, and competition will make him a stronger player for the next season. “I just want to come in my senior season here, be as fit and as ready to play as I can to help the team out the best I can,” Fazekas said. “A new environment just to refresh and stay involved in the game.” Excited to get to Michigan, Fazekas is looking forward to the experience and the atmosphere. “It gets you excited about coming back here and get connections as well,” Fazekas said. He adds that a new environment revamps everything. Grand Rapids is a newer program and is in its second season. The team averages 4,500 fans per game. Originally coming to MSU in 2010, Fazekas was a member of the Final Four team. He played here during the 2011, 2014, and 2015 seasons. Fazekas said playing soccer runs in his family. His older brothers played soccer; however, his father and uncle played at MSU, this influenced his college decision. “It just kind of fit. I had other offers, but it felt right,” Fazekas said. When recruiting Fazekas, Elder saw the potential that he could add to the team. “Noah’s a good kid. He’s Midwestern,” Elder said. “He knows what our program is about.” After Fazekas redshirted the 2010 season and played in 2011, he got in some trouble and was pretty much cut from the team, according to Elder. Elder said Fazekas contacted the coaches two years later wanting a second chance. Elder added that Fazekas loves Midwestern, loves the team and loves what the team is doing.

Noah Fazekas, mass communication junior and goalkeeper, with Richard Goss, and Brice Gardener, goal keeper.

PHOTOS BY HARLEY WARRICK | THE WICHITAN

Noah Fazekas, mass communication junior, throws the ball during alumni practice drill on soccer field. “I respect that, especially with playing on a hurt knee,” Elder said. Since Fazekas's junior year of high school, he has dealt with right leg injuries that have set him back multiple times. “My junior year of high school was my first major surgery right below the right knee. I had a tumor in my leg like the size of a baseball. That kept me out about eight months,” Fazekas said. They had to remove the tumor and rebuild the bone. Fazekas said he had a right groin injury while playing for the Saint Louis Lions in 2013. “I had to have surgery and that kept me out another three months,” Fazekas said. About two weeks after being released from the groin injury, Fazekas tore his anterior cruciate ligament for the first time while playing indoor soccer. After having another surgery, he was out for about seven months. After returning to MSU in 2014, he again tore his ACL one week into two-a-days. He sat out that season and had another surgery to reconstruct it. “I was feeling great, then this summer again tore my ACL and decided not to go have surgery. If I had another surgery, it would keep me out two years,” Fazekas said. Elder said he thought Fazekas would be done playing soccer after tearing his ACL for a third time. Fazekas’s torn ACL hurts his performance a little bit and it’s still hard for him to push off his right leg.

“It’s really a testament of his toughness for him to play through that,” Elder said. Fazekas said he rehabbed his knee to strengthen other muscles and he played nine games in the 2015 season. At Lubbock Christian University, he re-injured his knee and did not step on the pitch until the home game against West Texas A&M, seven games later. “I don’t know anyone else who can tear his ACL three times and still be out there playing,” Thomas Parides, business management sophomore and forward, said. “His mindset’s unreal.” Fazekas said he believes his knee injuries are helping him improve as a player with the new found confidence that comes from playing injured. Fazekas added the more he plays, the less his knee hurts. “I try to just go out there and play when I’m on the field,” Fazekas said, “Adrenaline takes over.” Parides said even with injuries he is going to give his all, one hundred percent. “Never hesitate,” Parides said. “It just doesn’t work at Midwestern if you go halfway.” Elder said he hopes Fazekas has a good summer and comes back ready to compete for a starting spot. “Brice [Gardner] is back, [Richard] Goss is back, Taylor Lampe is a good young keeper,” Elder said. “The competition is going to be there.” Parides said playing injured definitely changes your mindset. Playing with injuries while also trying to win a starting spot is difficult. “I have to go out there thinking that I’m the toughest player out there and strongest player,” Parides said. Fazekas said he plans to return to MSU in the fall for his senior season, then graduate the following semester. He plans to continue playing soccer after he graduates. “I don’t know if there will be opportunities, but I’d like to keep playing as long as I can,” Fazekas said. Fazekas said he would like to take his soccer skills to the next level and maybe play in the United Soccer League or the North American Soccer League. “Another reason to sign for Grand Rapids is because they’re looking into moving to the USL or NASL in the next couple of years. I’d like to keep playing there or go overseas,” Fazekas said. Parides said after college, Fazekas has a chance to play at the next level. “The only thing that would hold him back, is his injuries, but he definitely has the work ethic,” Parides said. Additional reporting by Hunter Porter and Robert Hillard

REDSHIRT JUNIOR (2015) | started eight matches in nine appearances between the posts, leading the Mustangs with a 0.77 goals against average after allowing six goals in a team-high 699 minutes of action; went 7-0-0 on the season with 2.5 shutouts; did not allow more than one goal in a match. REDSHIRT FRESHMAN (2011) | appeared in five matches while making one start at goalkeeper HIGH SCHOOL | a four-year starter at goalkeeper for coach John Fazekas at Mansfield (Texas) High School. PARENTS | Thomas and Karen Fazekas BIRTHDAY | April 15, 1992

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES FORUM SUPPLEMENT

PHOTOS BY RACHEL JOHNSON AND TOPHER G. McGEHEE / WICHITAN

ZACH NEMCEK, political science sophomore, looks over the poster presentations in Clark Student Center April 28. | ROHAN JAGTAP, health service administration graduate student, sets up his project over the microscopic comparison of aliigators and crocodiles. | SARA STANLEY, radiology freshman, evaluates projects for extra credit. | ETHAN STALEY, SHELBY BINFORD and TANNER RANKIN, radiology juniors, present their project over methods to reduce patient anxiety during an MRI. | FEIFEI WU, marketing senior, and FEDERICA BOVE, business management freshman, review posters for extra credit. | TIM TORRES, biology sophomore, discusses his poster presentation based on the study of why the monarch butterfly population has declined.

Students spend months preparing for forum THOMAS GOAD REPORTER

plastic heart is handed around Comanche, students and faculty sit in awe over the complexity and precision made by 3-D printers and the information gathered in this presentation. Michael Olaya, a junior in mechanical engineering and physics, presented his independent study, which brought in more than 70 other groups and individuals to the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Forum. Students and faculty pair together, spending months researching new ideas and compiling information to get a chance to compete and win a $2,000 prize, as well as an opportunity to get the information out and take their projects to different forums nationwide. “I have been working on my research all semester, printing around 20 to 30 different organs in the process,” said Olaya. Olaya has been researching his presentation all semester from McCoy Engineering Hall, making plastic prints of human organs

for surgeons and other medical professionals to use for pre-surgical planning. “We plan to keep working on it after the forum, taking the prints to a local OB/GYN for 3-D ultrasounds and reaching out to the local hospitals. It hasn’t cost anything for us to do this, McCoy hall is filled with 3-D printers and we started purely out of curiosity,” said Olaya Other groups used outside funding to help with their research. “We were funded through the school and EURECA, with some outside funding coming into play. On top of that, the Texas state comptroller has taken its own interests in maybe funding up to $100,000 to try and extend our research,” said Tim Torres, a sophomore in chemistry. Torres and his research partner, Francisco Ramos Armas, entered their independent study with the help of Charles Watson, assistant professor of biology. The team obtained samples from Riverbend Nature Center, using a variety of different approaches to find more data on the Monarch butterfly, before its possible extinction in 20

Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges| an association of 28 schools in the United States and Canada | coplac.org

years. “The amount of data we had to go through was the most difficult part of the study. Each sample we analyzed had around 100 to 150 peaks that we had to go through to see if they were coming out correctly. We ended up having around 25 samples altogether, leaving us with more questions than answers,” said Armas, biolgy junior. The group used a span of a month recording data, spending upwards to 80 hours in the lab day after day. “If we had all day and night to focus on our project then it might not have taken as much time, but with school and everything else, we ended up being busier than anticipated. We spent days and nights in Bolin, not coming out until at least 1 in the morning,” said Torres. Torres and his partner both felt successful with their project along with others throughout the atrium. “This information is very pertinent and isn’t researched enough at all. We are just glad we can raise attention to it while we can,” said Torres.

Enhancing Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities | an ongoing program to promote research collaboration | mwsu. edu/eureca

Unergraduate Research Opportunities and Summer Workshop | a summer collaborative program for research | mwsu.edu/ugrow

CELEBRATION OF SCHOLARSHIP

46 inch by 36 inch

dimension of the posters

$2,000

top prize for ideaMWSU

$2,000

stipend for EURECA student participants

$1,000

stipend for faculty mentors

faculty presentations

graduate student presentations

12 | May 4, 2016 |

PHOTO BY BRADLEY WILSON | THE WICHITAN

Marcus Thibodeau, a graduate student in biology, received two awards from Vice President for administration and institutional effectiveness Robert Clark: Overall Podium Presentation and the President’s Award. DILLARD COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Best Oral Presentation 1st Place — Antecedents and Outcomes of Brand Loyalty | Keaton Dolan, Will Roland, Ashley Watts, Wadzanai Dzvurumi, and Liz Navarette (mentors: Thuy D. Nguyen) 2nd Place — Crude Oil: Effects of Deflated Oil Prices on the North Texas Regional Economy | Curtis Knobloch (mentors: John Martinez and Robert Forrester) 3rd place — U.S. Foreign Investment, De Jure and De Facto Exchange Rate Regimes in Emerging Economies | Luca Lalor (mentor: Pablo Garcia-Fuentes) Best Poster Presentation 1st Place — Turning Up the Heat on Volunteer Motivation: A Study Examining What Makes America’s Most Famous Triple Digit Weather Bike Race So Attractive for its Volunteers | Adam Leikness, Aubrey Kass, and Wadzanai Dzvurumi (mentors: Niyati Kataria and Jeff Stambaugh) 2nd Place — Too Big to Fail vs. Too Little to Succeed: An application of Predator-Prey Models to the Banking Industry | Dareem Antoine & Kizelle Williams (mentor: Dale McDonald and John Martinez) GUNN COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND HUMAN SERVICES Best Poster Presentation 1st Place — Empowering Nursing Students to Educate | Britney Beasley and Jordan Spurlock (mentors: Julia K. Knauff and Catherine Pankonien) 2nd Place — Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging | Carmen McSpadden, Matt Smith, Jasilyn Boyce and Erin Summerlin (mentor: Jessyca Wagner) 3rd place — Virtual Anatomical Models in Facilitating Surgical Procedures | Oscar Montalvo, Jacy Franklin, Michelle Tomeï and Jessica Rivera (mentor: Jessyca Wagner) PROTHRO-YEAGER COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES Best Oral Presentation 1st Place — Bridging the Gap: The Anglo-Saxon Connection between the English and German Languages | Lisa D. Moore (mentors: Yvonne Franke, Peter Fields and Tom Galbraith) 2nd Place — Fort Hood Free Grazers: An Oral History | Kristen Johnson (mentor: Leland Turner) 3rd place — The Measurement of Violence Against Women: A Case Study Analysis of Empirical Scales | Julia Brady, Alexis Gay, Andrea Mendoza-Lespron and Madeline Parker (mentors: Steve Garrison and Linda Veazey)

PHOTO BY TOPHER McGEHEE | THE WICHITAN

Enaho Atamenwan, mechanical engineering junior, sets up for his poster before the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Forum starts April 28.

Researchers develop parking app Undergrads create way to locate open spots on campus

EMILY CARROLL REPORTER

n the corner of the atrium, five mechanical engineering students stood by their EURECA poster presentation: MSU Smart Parking System. As students and faculty stopped to learn about poster number 23, the well-dressed engineers eagerly explained their research, overpowering the fact that they had only received two hours of sleep the night before as a result of putting final touches on the project. Junior Enaho Atamenwan came up with the idea to create a phone application that will immediately help students find parking spots without having to drive around for long periods of time, which will help students get to class on time. The application is connected to a sensor that will detect when a car enters or exits a parking spot. Then, the app will calculate how full each parking lot is. “It sort of came to me because I’ve been in that situation a lot,” Atamenwan said. “When I had a car, it was difficult to park.” After coming up with this idea, Atamenwan said he had to find a team that would understand his vision for this project and would work hard to get it done the right way. After working with different students, he found the right fit with sophomore Rojitha Goonesekere and juniors Abdullah Albakhurji, Mayuranga Wickramarachchi and Paul Emmanuel Yacho. “I tried to find people that would be hard working because I’ve tried this before

and most people just talk and talk and they never put in work, so I met them and I knew they would be a good fit,” Atamenwan said. After the group was assembled, they divided the project into three parts: mechanical, electrical and software programming. For the mechanical part, Atamenwan and Yacho designed the sensors and the enclosures to go with them. Once they were designed, Albakhurji and Wickramarachchi programmed the electrical parts of the sensor to make it work. Once the electrical parts were finished, Atamenwan and Yacho were able to test out the sensor to make sure it worked in real life situations. From that, Goonesekere was able to create a mobile application. “We had a well-rounded team,” Atamenwan said. “It was important to find a group that could work together and piece everything together.” Albakhurji went on to explain how the app will work. It will display a list of parking lots to choose from. Depending on where a student wants to park, once they click on a parking lot and it will display a percentage of how full the lot is with a circular, colored graphic. “It is available for iPhone and Android and works on devices like computers and iPads,” Albakhurji said. “The app will go live as soon as we assemble more sensors.” Group members took part in several competitions and won every first place award for their poster presentation and a third place award for their presentation.

“If you look at our application and our poster, they are both aesthetically pleasing, that is why we chose to go with a poster presentation for EURECA,” Atamenwan said Junior Paul Emmanuel Yacho said it was a surprise to place for ideaMSU because some of the slides were either blank or got mixed up as they were transporting files from one computer to the other. “We were fighting without our weapons so it was impressive that we actually got third place among all those amazing presentations,” Yacho said. “It gives you an idea of how huge this project is so we were very excited.” As all of their work came to an end, Atamenwan said group members were proud of the work they accomplished aside from minor set-backs at the ideaMSU presentation. “I am satisfied, but we always try to set high standards for ourselves,” Atamenwan said. “The good thing is that we actually put ourselves out there and that’s a lesson to take from this.” Yacho said with all the final touches they put into this project, it would be a waste if the school decided not to implement this new system. “I am willing to stay during the summer for UGROW presentations to see if we can at least implement the system into McCoy to see if it will work,” Yacho said. Atamenwan said if everything works out, the system could be up and running by next fall.

| May 4, 2016 | 13

PHOTO BY TOPHER McGEHEE | THE WICHITAN

Accounting and sociology senior Careisha Whyte and junior Catherine Stepniak talk to spectators at the poster presentations Thursday. The two won first place for their poster presentation

PHOTO BY MAKAYLA BURNHAM | THE WICHITAN

Buddy Richison plays vibraphone at the President’s Concert: Rhythm and Blue April 28 in Akin Auditorium.

12 oral presentations receive recognition ALLISON ASHCRAFT REPORTER

uring intermission at Thursday night’s Wind Ensemble concert, Provost Betty Stewart and Vice President Robert Clark recognized 56 researchers from the Undergraduate Research and Creativity Forum, including researchers that presented 13 oral presentations. Wadzanai Dzvurumi, marketing senior, and her group won first place for best oral presentation from the Dillard College of Business for their presentation on antecedents and outcomes of brand loyalty. Their research was about what elements make someone loyal to a brand. “We started off by studying the factors affecting brand loyalty like time, location and resources,” Dzvurumi said. “We went out with surveys and we came back and ran them through a program called IBMSE, and found out the different factors that affect brand loyalty such as income, education and age.” Dzvurumi and her group members started their research in January, and she said she’s happy to be recognized. “It feels good just knowing that all the hard work my team and I put in paid off,” Dzvurumi said. “I personally feel a sense of achievement and it only just motivates me to do more research next semester or in the future.” Kristin Lanier, theater senior, also won first place for the Lamar D. Fain College of Fain Arts for her project, Directing a One-Act Play, which she had to do for her senior capstone for her

degree. Lanier said it was a six-month process, and she’s glad to be recognized for her work. “It’s a good feeling,” Lanier said. “I worked so hard on my show, so it’s good to see other people saw value in it.” Buddy Richison, percussion performance senior, won Best Interdisciplinary for his groups project With Your Own Hands, which had eight demonstrations from theater, nursing, and dental hygiene on why hands are important. “I didn’t expect to get anything, out of the blue we won and that was pretty cool,” Richison said. Madeline Parker, political science and international studies senior, and her group placed third place for best oral presentation in the Prothro-Yeager College of Humanities and Social Sciences for their project The Measurements of Violence Against Women: A Case Study Analysis of Empirical Scales. Parker said her group members have been working on this for two semesters, and researched case studies of four countries: Cuba, Haiti, Honduras and Venezuela. They looked at the rape laws and codes, sexual assaults inside this countries compared to the scale that is in the international community for violence against women, and where those countries fall on that scale. Parker said her group worked very hard, and it’s great they were recognized.

see ORAL PRESENTATION pg. 15

Winning becomes ‘an amazing feeling’ for first-time analyst DEVON DOGGETT REPORTER

he Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Forum concluded April 28 with Wind Ensemble concert at Akin Auditorium — “Rhythm and Blue” — that included an approximately 20-minute awards intermission. During that intermission, undergraduates as well as graduates were awarded for either best oral presentation or best poster presentation from each department as well as ideaMSU. There were 34 posters and 12 of them, created by 31 students, received awards. The result was different for psychology and sociology junior Catherine Stepniak, and accounting and sociology senior Careisha Whyte. The two won first place for the undergraduate best poster presentation from not one, but two departments: Prothro Yeager College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Fain College of Fine Arts for their poster Developing a New Newsletter for Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology. “We were tasked with figuring out the best way to format a newsletter for the AACS to improve and increase its membership and to communicate effectively with its members,” Stepniak said of the 46 inch by 36 inch poster. Whyte said, “Our project was an interdisciplinary applied project. We found the members preferred communication medium and made recommendations to the president on how best to implement it.” She added that her project, working with mentors Bradley Wilson, assistant professor in mass communication, and Newman Wong, a university research analyst, was fulfilling. “It felt fulfilling to win because this is my first research project. I took time and effort , and it’s encouraging to see that all of our hard work was recognized.” Whyte was unable to attend the ceremony but Stepniak accepted the award for the pair. Stepniak gleamed with excitement as she skipped down the aisle to accept both awards. “It is such an amazing feeling that all of our hard work payed off. There were so many great presentations this year and I was not sure that we would win but we did and it’s unbelievable,” Stepniak said.

PHOTO BY BRADLEY WILSON | THE WICHITAN

Britney Beasley accepts her award for best poster presentation representing the Gunn College of Health Sciences and Human Services at the awards ceremony for the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Forum. PROTHRO-YEAGER COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES Best Poster Presentation 1st Place — Developing a New Newsletter for Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology | Careisha Whyte and Catherine Stepniak (mentors: Bradley Wilson and Newman Wong) 2nd Place — The Sociological Significance of Pigeons | Austin Monson (mentor: Beverly Stiles) COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS Best Oral Presentation 1st Place — A Pneumatic Dome Shaped Active Road Rumble | Daniel Goodey, Donnie Hudnell, Austin Fidlar, Varuna Denawakage Don and Ronell Pemberton (mentor: Salim Azzouz) 2nd Place — Experimental Study of the Nonlinear Dynamics in a Duffing Oscillatory Circuit | Xin Hu (mentors: Yu Guo and Martin Melhus) 3rd place — Modeling Study of Leidenfrost Drop on Micro- and Nanoscale Ratchets | Kiran Chapagain and Daniel Goodey (mentors: Jeong Tae Ok, Mahmoud Elsharafi, Yu Guo and Sheldon Wang) COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS Best Poster Presentation 1st Place — MSU Smart Parking System | Enaho Atamenwan, Paul Emmanuel Yacho, Abdullah Albakhurji, Indeesha Wickramarachchi, Rojitha Goonesekere (mentor: Yu Guo 2nd Place — Quantitative Analysis of Fatty Acids Present within the Tropical Milkweed, Asclepias curassavica | Tim Torres and Francisco Ramos-Armas (mentors: Matt Watson and Michael Shipley) 3rd place — Vision Based Feedback Control of a MultiDOF Robot via Bluetooth | Xitong Li, Danny Chen and Mpathi Nzima (mentor: Yu Guo) WEST COLLEGE OF EDUCATION Best Oral Presentation Understanding the Influence of Instructor Strategies to Self-Regulation and Engagement of the Millennial College Student | Jarred Garcia and Sara Steele (mentor: Suzanne Lindt) WEST COLLEGE OF EDUCATION Best Poster Presentation 1st Place — Integrating Children’s Literature in Elementary Math Methods: Fostering Understandings and Connections | Melissa Whitwood and Nikki Bussue (mentor: Dittika Gupta) 2nd Place — Reflective Thinking Practices of Preservice Teachers: The Role of Videotaped Teaching and Shared Practice Protocols | Mary Brady (mentors: Leann Curry, Emily Reeves and Jeff Blacklock)

14 | May 4, 2016 |

QUOTE “ I don’t think the research itself is dangerous and threatening. The way we use the information and our findings and our ability to translate this into lay man’s terms. Help people understand the significant of our work. The impact of our work is what is going to be threatening.”

PHOTO BY BRADLEY WILSON | THE WICHITAN

Tim Yap, Brian Zug, Buddy Richison, Austin Monson, Rober Clark and Branson Spencer accept their award at the awards ceremony for the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Forum.

Nikki Bussue, special education, junior

D E D I C AT I O N

LAMAR D. FAIN COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS Best Oral Presentation 1st Place — Directing a One-Act Play — Kristin M. Lanier (mentor: Betty Stewart and Karen Dabney) 2nd Place (a tie) — Police Brutality: Is it Perception or Reality? | Megan Piehler (mentor: Betty Stewart) 2nd Place (a tie) — Constructing an Online Studio Art Class: Transitioning from a Conventionally Taught Drawing Course to an Online Class Using iPads | Emma Griffiths (mentor: Elizabth Yarosz-Ash) LAMAR D. FAIN COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS Best Poster Presentation 1st Place — Developing a New Newsletter for Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology | Careisha Whyte and Catherine Stepniak (mentors: Bradley Wilson and Newman Wong) 2nd Place — Establishing Literary Journalism in the Curriculum | Robin Reid (mentor: Mitzi Lewis) DR. BILLIE DORIS McADA GRADUATE SCHOOL Overall Poster Presentation Anatomy of a Meter-scale Cycle: Ordovician Bromide Formation Oklahoma | Jeffrey Snowden, graduate student in geosciences (mentor: Jesse Carlucci) Overall Podium Presentation The Effects of Northern Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus) Management on the Ecology of Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) | Marcus Thibodeau, graduate student in biology (mentor: Charles Watson)

PHOTO BY MAKAYLA BURNHAM

Dan Johns and Cesar Adame, kinesiology seniors, help students complete extra credit forms outside of Comanche Suites.

Hundreds receive extra credit DIERRICA SMITH REPORTER PHOTO BY BRADLEY WILSON | THE WICHITAN

University President Suzanne Shipley talks with students during the forum. Shipley spent almost the entire day visiting with students during the event.

Suzanne Shipley

President, Midwestern State University During Shipley’s inauguration, Dec. 11, 2015, David Carlston, faculty senate president, announced that the spring 2016 Celebration of Scholarship would be dedicated to Shipley. The dedication, in part, read: “Suzanne Shipley has inspired the MSU community with her studentcentered, integrative approach to learning, enthusiasm, and clear vision for the future. We are confident that under Dr. Shipley’s leadership Midwestern State University will have a bright and strong future.” S TA F F

ABOUT 30 INSTRUCTORS signed up in advance for their students to receive extra credit for evaluating three oral or poster presentations. Students turned in about 650 evaluations during the day-long forum. Stacia Miller, assistant professor of kinesiology | “The extra credit helps to create a buzz around campus about the event. The students who are presenting have put so much into their projects and they deserve the recognition and interest that we are able to create by providing extra credit. Beyond that we are able to expose so many students to the idea of research and creativity. The exposure that we are providing is important to our goals for undergraduate research on this campus.” Letreanna Jackson, curriculum and assessment graduate student | “I wanted extra credit, just in case I needed the extra boost. Finals are coming up and I might have a bad day.” Aaron Devaul, psychology sophomore | “I’m doing extra credit for historical geology. I’m actually interested in research so I wanted to come out and see if there is anything cool. I might want to do it (research project) in the future.” Ariel Kerr, criminal justice sophomore | “I’m doing extra credit for history. I’m

652 Magaly Rincón-Zachary Director

Apryl Webb Secretary

course information forms submitted

interested in the different projects, but I also want to improve my grade. My friend wanted me to do a research project with her, and now I’m thinking about it.” Jonte Davis, biology sophomore | “I wanted to get more points in the class to get an A in chemistry.” Hindowa Momoh, psychology sophomore | “I wanted to get extra credit for my history class.” Michelle Krezonoski, biology senior | “My A&P 2 class ended early so I wanted to come out and get extra credit for my A&P 1 class. I already have good grades but I am interested in the different projects, because I am a biology major.” Dineko Bethel, radiologic sciences sophomore | “I am getting extra credit for my Intro to radiologic sciences class. I want to improve my grade in the class.” Christian Honkomp, English junior | “I wanted to see different posters of different people, because they put a lot of work into it and someone should see it. I’m getting extra credit for my A&P and educational psychology class.” Chrysa Jacobs, art freshman | “I’m getting extra credit for my intro to biology class. I was attracted to the presentation about airplanes. I’m doing extra credit to improve my grades.”

550

approximate number of students participated in extra credit

+1K evaluation forms submitted

| May 4, 2016 | 15

PHOTO BY BRADLEY WILSON | THE WICHITAN

PHOTO BY TOPHER McGEHEE | THE WICHITAN

Wyatt McDevitt, business management senior, Kaleb Hernadez, English senior, and Michael Dickey, business management junior, present their ideaMSU project.

Talks help improve speaking skills Undergrads create way to locate open spots on campus

JARED TUILAGI REPORTER

he rooms were all too similar. Chairs lined up in neat rows facing the front. A blank screen. A tiny, underpowered and outdated computer. And an often-nervous speaker, one of 43 groups doing oral presentations at the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Forum in Clark Student Center. In each of the four concurrent sessions, students gave 20-minute talks on various topics from economic issues to scientific discoveries to entrepreneurial ventures to technology advancements, giving them an opportunity to practice their public speaking skills. Curtis Knobloch, finance senior who placed second for his oral presentation representing the Dillard College of Business Administration, said this forum has helped him in many ways. “I’ve presented at other conferences, but nothing like undergraduate research. This was a great experience overall,” Knobloch said. Knobloch presented on how the deflated oil prices affect the north Texas regional economy.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS from pg. 13 “It feels amazing, my group and I did a lot of work,” Parker said. “We put in the work, we put in the time and it feels good to be recognized.” Her group also presented it at a International Studies Association Conference, and Parker said she personally has plans for the work she did to be published with the Redwine Honors Booklet.

“My grandfather started working in the oil fields when he was 16 years old. So oil has been a part of my family for a while. It is the reason I’m able to go to college here,” Knobloch said. The oral presentations have given the undergraduate presenters a way to benefit their public speaking and communication skills. Each presentation gave five minutes at the end for open questions from judges or anyone in attendance. Knobloch said, “There were really good questions asked at the end. Really good, thought-provoking questions. And that’s important for me to continue.” Kristen Johnson, history senior who also placed second for her presentation representing the Protho-Yeager College of Humanities and Social Sciences, said, “These presentations help polish up your speaking skills for future presentations. It’s definitely a lot of practice and you get to get in front of the room and work on answering questions.” Johnson presented on the opposition to traditional history of considering cattle men requiring nothing from the federal government. “My two mentors Dr. McDonald and

Dr. Turner had an interesting conversation on an airplane which spurred this topic. It’s been exciting to find this little piece of history,” Johnson said. Alexis Gay, political science senior, said she was intrigued with Johnson’s topic and proud of her performance. “I know of her a little bit and I know she loves anything that has to do with cattle or farming. I’m not that familiar myself so I wanted to learn. She did an excellent job with her speaking and making it easier for the audience to understand the issue within her research,” Gay said. Gay also presented an oral presentation, The Measurement of Violence Against Women, as part of a five-member team that placed third. Confidence is what Michelle Lear, biology senior, said is the main benefit with being able to present and speak on questions at the forum. Lear presented on the emergence of the infectious disease cutaneous leishmania in Ghana. “Being confident in your research is one thing. But when you’re in front of larger audiences, you need to be confident in your speech and delivery so this forum was very helpful for me,” Lear said.

“We’re just hoping that this brings awareness to what is happening in the world,” Parker said. Megan Piehler, mass communication senior, tied for second place for best oral presentation in Lamar D. Fain College of Fine Arts for her presentation Police Brutality: Is is Perception or Reality? Piehler has been working on this since last year, and has conducted public opinion polls and compared them with sta-

tistical data to find out if police brutality is real, or if it just seems real. Piehler said she loved doing the research, and it’s cool to be recognized for it. “It’s an incredible honor,” Piehler said. “I definitely enjoyed the research part of it, so it’s an honor to be rewarded for the research. I was just doing it because it interests me.” Piehler said she plans to do more written research, and try to get it published.

Michael Olaya accepts his award for first place for ideaMSU and a $2,000 prize, at the awards ceremony last week. OTHER AWARDS Most Creative and Original Presentation Integrating Children’s Literature in Elementary Math Methods: Fostering Understandings and Connections | Melissa Whitwood and Nikki Bussue (mentor: Dittika Gupta) Best Interdisciplinary Presentation With Your Own Hands | Tim Yap, Branson Spencer, Daniel Richison, Brian Zug, Bernard Peters, Austin Monson, Wadzanai Dzvurumi, Brooke Benson, Anamika Bhatia, Disa Hairell, Ronny Medina, Kalli Root (mentor: Martin Camacho) President’s Award | Overall top winner from all colleges, poster and oral presentations. The only presentation today with a perfect score of 24 and a perfect score of 10 for originality and creativity: Integrating Children’s Literature in Elementary Math Methods: Fostering Understandings and Connections | Melissa Whitwood and Nikki Bussue (mentors: Dittika Gupta) President’s Award — Graduate |The Effects of Northern Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus) Management on the Ecology of Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) | Marcus Thibodeau, graduate student in biology (mentor: Charles Watson) ideaMSU Awards 1st Place ($2,000) — Sol3 Labs | Michael Olaya 2nd Place ($1,000) — SD3 Transmissions | Jn Claude Gustave, Nanette Philip, Jennifer Sissel, & Bryce Tucker 3rd Place ($500) — Smart Parking Systems | Enaho Atamenwan, Paul Yacho, Abdullah Albakhurji, & Rojitha Goonesekere Peoples’ Choice Award ($250) Evergreen Implementations | Austin Hicks & Sebastian Esquivel

16 | May 4, 2016 |

130

people in attendance at the two-day forum

$2K

cost for undergraduate forum

undergraduate poster presentations

graduate presentations

Forum provides variety of lessons MAKAYLA BURNHAM AND KRISTEN GREGG | REPORTERS

The fifth annual Celebration of Scholarship, dedicated to new university President Suzanne Shipley, gave undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty an outlet to showcase their research April 27-28 at both oral and poster presentations. Faculty and student research and creative activities build on what students learn in the classroom. “The message that Dr. Rivera gave it’s so aligned with what we hope students get. So you will have your tools, you’re going to be fine. Keep asking the questions, the questions that nobody asks. It was the perfect message.” | Magaly Rincón-Zachary, director of undergraduate research “Posters take away the anxiety of public speaking. Oral presentations are more pressure. It’s easier to answer questions if there is good structure behind the poster. It’s easier to depend on a poster instead of slideshows.” | Oscar Montalvo, radiology senior “It really does improve on speaking skills. I’m happy I only have to present for 10 minutes for the oral presentation instead of having to stand here all day.” | Luca Lalor, economics senior “There is a limit on time with oral presentations. Posters allow me to have one-onone time to tell evaluators or students about the whole project.” | William Statham, enineering junior “I was excited about the atmosphere and getting to sit and mingle with other undergraduate researchers, hearing their ideas and how they feel about tomorrow. It’s just a time of calm for us; to kind of slow down and just relax.” | Nikki Bussue, special education junior

noon | faculty panel opens Celebration of Scholarship

7:30 a.m. | faculty and students set up posters and loaded audio-visual presentations

9 a.m. | oral presentations began and lasted until 4:45 p.m. in Clark Student Center

7:30 p.m. | students received their awards at intermission

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

6:30 p.m. | faculty joined students for the kickoff dinner at Sikes Lake Center

9 a.m. | poster presentations began, ending at 5 p.m.

6:30 p.m. | various music groups began performances

PHOTO BY KAYLA WHITE | THE WICHITAN

Guest speaker Julio Rivera, a professor at Carthage College, talks about the importance of research at the kickoff dinner at Sikes Lake Center April 27.

Speaker encourages students to challenge common wisdom TAYLOR BARNETT REPORTER

ushing students to attack common wisdom through their research,the keynote speaker at Thursday’s kickoff dinner also expressed the importance of undergraduate research. “If you address and attack the common wisdom it makes people uncomfortable, and research is one of the ways to do that,” said Julio Rivera, a professor of management and marketing, and geology and earth science at Carthage College (Kenosha, Wisconsin), and the keynote speaker. “It makes people uncomfortable, and that’s why you get the ‘yeah buts.’ ” Magaly Rincón-Zachary, director of undergraduate research, organized the event and asked Rivera to speak in hopes of gaining insight into undergraduate research. The university paid for Rivera’s travel and an honorarium of $1,000. “He has a lot of experience with undergraduate research within his own institution,” Zachary said. “It’s basically a learning experience for all of us. His presence here is going to leave us with something that we can use in the future.” Rivera, a former president of the national Council on Undergraduate Research, spoke on the importance of undergraduate research and how it benefits students. “It’s students learning about subject matter. It’s students learning about themselves. It’s students learning new skills,” said Rivera. “Undergraduate research is one of those

things that is even better for students, so you grow intellectually, and you grow personally in terms of skills and personal development.” His message and experience with undergraduate research resonated with students out of the 140 people in the audience. “The speaker was spot on. His definition of research was pretty apt,” Dareem Antoine said, economics and math senior. “Some of the things that he spoke about we’ve actually experienced it.” Although undergraduate research has been proven as a beneficial tool for undergraduates, according to Rivera people are still reluctant to change teaching styles to incorporate more research, expressing their doubts with “yeah buts.” “It’s not in our mode of teaching,” Rivera said. “Our mode of teaching for centuries has been lecturing, but one thing we’ve had learned is that students learn better when they’re actively involved in the learning process.” According to Rivera, undergraduate research is not going away; instead it will gain more importance as time progresses. “In the past 20 years it’s picked up speed nationwide,” said Rivera. “It’s going to be imperative that students do undergraduate research in the future.” He added that college is supposed to help students solve problems and become better thinkers. “Research is one of the ways to do it,” Rivera said.