Aug. 26, 2015

Aug. 26, 2015 | Midwestern State University | thewichitan.com | Your Campus. Your News. | Vol. 80 No. 1

PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN

PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN

James Huynh, nursing junior, helps Clint Coulter, residence hall director, search through the Topher McGehee, athletic training freshman, hangs out in Israel Penaflor’s, mechanical engiPierce residents’ keys at Move-In Day on Aug. 18. neer freshman, dorm room in Pierce Residence Hall on Move-In Day, Aug. 18.

Move-In: Campus springs back to life

MORGAN HAIRE REPORTER

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ife was brought back to campus Aug. 18 as students moved in to prepare for the fall semester.

Activities went on all day from playing Frisbee to free snacks in the quad. Students were moving in to all three residence halls and the two apartment complexes.

“It was pretty easy moving in,” said Katie Adams, early childhood education freshman. “Everyone was so helpful, but at the same time it was chaotic with so many people moving in.”

To help make the day run smoothly, volunteers from different on campus organizations like fraternities and the resident assistants pitched in to help students move their belongings into their new homes.

“The volunteers were so helpful,” said Judy Curb, dental hygiene freshman. “Since my parents couldn’t get off work, they all helped make moving so much smoother.”

Some students like Curb didn’t have the aid of their parents, and the organizations that helped with Move-In Day made the transition from home to a college dorm a little simpler.

“Meeting new people, living on your own and experiencing college is what I’m most excited for,” said Max

Dining Review

pg. 3

Even with a new dining contract and updated food services options, the Mesquite Dining Hall leaves room for improvement.

STAMPEDE WEEK EVENTS

BAPTIST STUDENT MINISTRY FREE LUNCH | 12-1 P.M. | BSM 3505 TAFT BLVD.

BSM’s weekly lunch starts Wednesday with free ChickFil-A sandwiches.

DIY CHALKBOARD SIGNS | 2-4 P.M. | KILLINGSWORTH LOUNGE

Decorate a chalkboard that can hang on residence hall or apartment doors.

MEET THE GREEKS | 6-8 P.M. | KILLINGSWORTH GREENSPACE

Meet the members of 13 fraternity and sorority chapters.

PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN

FULL SCHEDULE: MWSU.EDU/STUDENT-LIFE/CALENDAR

Georgia DuBose, biology freshman, hangs out in her newly decorated room in McCullough-Trigg Aug. 20.

Tyler, undecided freshman.

The freedom and independence the new students obtain can be overwhelming, but it is a fresh start.

Student Convocation

pg. 4-5

David Garcia, paid motivational speaker, helps new and returning students feel pumped up and renewed.

“I’m most excited about campus activities,” said Taylor Thorton, marketing freshman. “Tailgating football games and maybe going through rush is going to be fun.”

Desert Dreams

pg. 7

Professor’s dream comes true at the Dalquest Desert Research Station.

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S TA F F E D IT O R IA L

This is who we are

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s student media, we spend a lot of time (about 300 words a week) giving our opinion on the issues in and around our university and our peers. But as another school year begins, we, like the rest of the student body, have spent time envisioning what this new year may bring and what we hope to achieve, how we plan to build on the past. As the campus undergoes a high degree of change this fall from new dining services to a new university president, so does the staff of The Wichitan.

It left us wondering – how do we see the student body we serve, and more importantly, how do they see us? Have we given them an opportunity to really get to know the people behind the paper?

Our last fearless leader, editor Ethan Met-

calf, graduated last spring, the final member of a mini exodus of graduating newspaper staff members. With his diploma, he also took with him an era.

As it stands, the majority of our staff have worked for the paper for a year or less. We are sophomores, freshmen, and a lone junior.

We major in mass communication, criminal justice, English, humanities and more. We are learning, both in the same classrooms as our publication’s audience and as media producers and consumers.

More than anything, we want to learn from you. What you love about your university, what you hate, what you do on a Friday night and what you rant about on Twitter (@WichitanOnline). So as this new year unfolds, our goal will always be to better

serve you – our peers, our professors, our neighbors. Let us know what you think.

If you want to do more than just share your opinion, if you want to be apart of how our campus stays informed, join us. No matter your major, classification, experience level or time commitment capability, we’d love to have you. We grow stronger with every voice we add to the mix and everyone who joins our staff brings a new perspective and skill set to the table. Guest columnists, reporters, designers, business managers, photographers, cartoonists – lend your talent to us as we chart out our future.

The Wichitan can be reached at wichitan@mwsu.edu or at thewichitan.com

Graduates schools aren’t one size fits all

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hen I graduated last year with my bachelors of arts in mass communication and political science, I had no plan. I wanted to catch a breath and relax after juggling school, a full-time Jasmine Jones job and my philanthropy efforts. However, I knew I didn’t want to sit around and do nothing. The solution seemed to be going to graduate school.

I searched high and low for a graduate program and even though I wasn’t sold on the idea of immediately returning to school, I signed up for the political science master’s program at MSU. My first choice in a program would have been in mass communication, my passion, but MSU didn’t offer any graduate

the

work in mass communication.

Upon starting the program last fall, I had an office of my own. I was a paid graduate assistant and I was taking just two classes. I gave it a shot.

After all, I was getting a pretty swanky deal and I didn’t want to let my professors down.

By the end of my first year as a graduate student, I was struggling. I compare my situation to a shoe sale at Macy’s – just because something looks good doesn’t mean it’s the best fit. I tried to fit into something that simply was not for me.

There are parts of political science I love – feminist theory, constitutional law and public law. But there are also parts I’m not passionate about and there is no shame in that. With mass communication, every single day was different. It was more than just sitting in a lecture every day and taking notes. We were

wichitan Vo. 80 | No. 1

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

out in the field producing stories for The Wichitan or Campus Watch, at conferences competing in news events or at internships for local news stations and advertising agencies. I missed that.

Even though the graduate program at MSU wasn’t perfect for me, it helped me realize where my true passion was. After looking at different schools, I found a program that’s not just good, but a good fit for me. I’m excited to see where that takes me.

Here’s some advice to help you find the right fit in a graduate school.

Develop a plan of attack. Graduate school requires a lot of work. If you don’t already love what you’re pursuing, you need to make yourself love it or find something else. No amount of cramming can substitute true passion.

EDITOR: Brianna Sheen PHOTO EDITOR: Rachel Johnson PHOTOGRAPHER: Francisco Martinez ADVISER: Bradley Wilson

Don’t start a graduate program if you feel “burnt out” because it will only get worse. Go on a sabbatical of sorts. Indulge in your inner Julia Roberts circa “Eat, Pray, Love”.

Visit multiple graduate schools and sit in on classes. Whether or not any program is the right fit, until you do a visit or sit in on a class, you won’t know for sure. Everything sounds great on a glossy brochure.

Most importantly, don’t be afraid to say no.

This is a life lesson that extends beyond just choosing a school. Don’t worry about pleasing anyone other than yourself. At the end of the day, it’s your degree and your future.

Jasmine Jones is an MSU graduate and employee at the Times Record News.

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

The editor retains the right to edit letters.

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All roads lead to Dalquest Professor’s dream comes true in the Chihuahuan Desert KRISTINA ABEYTA REPORTER

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he Marfa, Texas highway becomes a rocky, turbulent, might-have-to-pull-over-if-you-get-car-sick kind of road leading to an off-the-grid extension of MSU — the Dalquest Desert Research Station.

The dream for the facility began in 1968 when the late Walter Dalquest, the first Hardin Professor, bought two sections of the West Texas terrain prevalent with canyons, valleys, and feral flora and fauna.

Now, it's a reality.

Jesse Rogers, former university president, said, “Dr. Horner and I, from the time that we were really young guys, had dreams about something like this and I’m not sure we ever really thought it would come true. It’s one of the really significant accomplishments of the time that I have been president.”

The research station includes the Joe B. Hood Research Laboratory, a 2,000-square-foot structure powered by solar energy, kept cool by the desert winds and constructed from the bottom up to leave as little of a carbon-footprint as possible.

“Every bit of this building, except the concrete, came in behind the back of a pick-up on a trailer,” Glenn Perkins, builder of the project, said. “The plan was to build a building that wouldn’t react to the environment – it doesn’t have anything to rot, there’s nothing to attract insects, I hope it’s as impervious as I think it is."

Perkins and his construction team, along with the principle architect, Dick Bundy, spent about 10 months building the facility.

"If you just built a residential, or pre-engineered metal building frame, that’s got square corners and square edges, it is not aerodynamic and so it does not sit on a desert floor very well," Bundy said.

In addition, Bundy said the building has no heating or cooling so they created a Quonset-style structure, common in West Texas. At night when the desert gets cool, the Quonset design stores that cool air which can be used to cool the building the next day. Just the opposite occurs with the warm air.

“Can you imagine, first of all the design of something that will last in this kind of weather, but just getting the materials in here to build something like this? I just couldn’t imagine how that could be done,” Rogers said. “If it had not been for Dick Bundy and Glenn Perkins - they’re the only two people that I know off, if not the only two people in the world that could have carried this off.”

The architect and constructor teamed up to put it all together, thanks to donor contributions totaling $840,000.

“So I'm very grateful to several families in Wichita Falls — the Hood Family, the Bolin Family, the Gunn’s, the Kimbells. They all gave to the development of this research station,” Rogers said.

But the land itself is thanks to Walter and Rose Dalquest who donated it to MSU in 1996 with a deed restriction allowing for the land to only be used by biologists and geologists because of its scientific value. In 2004, Rose Dalquest purchased nearly three additional sections next to the original property for MSU.

PHOTO BY KRISTINA ABEYTA | THE WICHITAN

Norman Horner, director of Natural Laboratories and Jesse Rogers, former university president, at the Dalquest Desert Research Station in Marfa, Texas on July 1.

“A place like this is unique, and people are going to come here to take advantage of it, from around the world, so we’re waiting for them, and working along the time.”

BILL COOK CHAIR AND PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGY

“I’m going to be retiring from Midwestern in about three or four weeks after 48 years there now and this research station is something that Dr. Horner and I, and I’m sure Walt and Rose have dreamed about for all those years too. And here it is, it’s come true,” Rogers, who recently served his last day, said. “We’ve just now got to use it to its fullest potential for Midwestern State University that we have something like this to give many graduate students a really unique experience of being in this kind of climate, in this kind of field.”

In 1999, a graduate student working under Norman Horner, director of natural laboratories, was unable to classify a spider he collected. He took it to Horner, who could not classify its family either.

“I sent it to Texas Tech and they couldn’t get its family,"Horner said. "It went from there to the California Academy of Science and they couldn’t get its family. It went from there to the American Museum of Natural History in New York and Dr. Norman Platnick, who knows more about spiders than anyone else. He wrote back to California and said 'I don’t know what those Texas boys are trying to do to you but this spider did not come from

North America.'”

Horner said he assured them that it did and put together a week-long expedition to find it. But it was unsuccessful and they had just the one spider, which had been caught in a trap. Horner said that eventually, they found out the spider lived with ants.

A group from the Denver Museum of Natural History and Science came to the site and one of the girls wanted to dig up an ant nest to find it. Horner said he told her she was crazy, that they couldn’t do that. But she proved him wrong.

“We dug for three days in the heat and we found four,” Horner said. “We’ve got that little booger’s number and we’re now up to about 110 specimens that have been collected. And so the jury’s still out on it, but it’s probably going to be a new family, perhaps a new genus and a new species.”

Horner said this discovery is just the beginning.

Bill Cook, chair and professor of biology, has been going to the Dalquest site since the early '90’s.

“I like this, there’s a lot to be found out here that hasn’t been found,” Cook said. “I guess that’s what I like, something that’s not already so well known.”

Cook’s first graduate student at the site plotted out ten thousand square meters and surveyed the plants in that area for close to three years.

“She came up with a basic plant list for what’s on top and you’ll see that down below in the canyon is a different place than what’s on top when you look down in there,” Cook said. “So we have still yet to get students down in there. And I come down and I collect as I can along the way.”

Cook’s hobby at the site is gathering the weather data.

He knows how much rain has fallen for almost every month for the past 11 years.

“One thing a lot of people are surprised by is how much green there is. This place is pretty green, but the ground is bare between plants,” Cook said. “But if you come out at the right time in the spring, after a good rain, there’s more color down here than there is in Wichita Falls.”

Cook said he does not know exactly what good will come from the Dalquest site, but it’s going to be a lot.

“And we just don’t know who’s going to be attracted from where, but have had people making inquiries already, people who we have never met before,” Cook said.

“A place like this is unique, and people are going to come here to take advantage of it, from around the world, so we’re waiting for them, and working along the time.”

Working along the time with him is Ray Willis, assistant professor of biology.

“What I’ve started doing is try to find as many grad students as possible, to do basic surveys because they haven’t really been done,” Willis said. “I have one guy that just finished up - he’ll be graduating in December. He’s done all of the small mammals.”

Another student is working on the bat species found in the region. They are trapping bats every month.

“This is a unique area because they use this as a corridor anytime they are switching their seasons,” Willis said. “We also have bats that stay here year round. And one of my

see DALQUEST pg. 6

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| Aug. 26, 2015 | 5

Convocation Inspiration

More than 700 people attend convocation to hear keynote speaker David Garcia

“I thought this

speaker was awesome. What I liked most about him was that he was young and I could relate to him more,”

PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN

Cristina Galvan, biology sophomore, takes a selfie with David Garcia, a paid motivational speaker at Convocation on Aug. 20.

DENISE LAURENT ACCOUNTING AND MANAGEMENT SENIOR

PHOTOS BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN

TOP: Denise Laurent, accounting and management senior, chants the school song. | TOP RIGHT: University President Suzanne Shipley addresses discusses the importance of getting involved on campus. | BOTTOM RIGHT: Students file into D. L. Ligon Coliseum for convocation. | BOTTOM LEFT: Morgan White, psychology freshman, holds up the Mustangs symbol while singing the alma mater at convocation.

PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN

Garcia demonstrates what his dad used to do when the windshield washers would start to wash their car while they were crossing the border back into the United States, as part of his intro into his four keys to success.

“I want kids to walk away knowing that you have the

PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN

Garcia makes a video with peer counselors at the end of convocation.

power to rewrite or just write your own story and you’re never stuck and that you always can find a new way.”

DAVID GARCIA KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Garcia’s Four Keys to Success Find your genius Find your story Find your mentor Find your cause Find out more about Garcia at http://davidedwardgarcia.com/

“It was very motivational and it made just feel like a freshman again and all pumped up and renewed.”

CRISTINA GALVAN BIOLOGY SOPHOMORE

PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN

Peer counselors Juan Mercado, sociology junior, and Charles Frazioer, athletic training junior, teach students the school song.

FOOD REVIEW

MOVE-IN PICNIC

PHOTO BY TORRES | THE WICHITAN

Grilled chicken sandwich with chips and a side salad from the Mesquite Dining Hall.

Dining services leaves much to be desired YOLANDA TORRES REPORTER

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new dining contract has brought with it a new way to eat at the Mesquite Dining Hall.

One of the biggest changes is the buffet-style serving, a change from previous years where students could only get one entree at a time. The buffet-style serving is more convenient than the previous system.

The self-serve system has its quirks, however. Some lines are open for buffet and others require assistance, but the stations weren’t clearly labeled or explained, leaving me to assume whether or not each station is selfserve.

The layout of the dining hall has also changed and there are a few welcome editions to what is available, including a coffee service machine that dispenses beverages like a caramel macchiato or a latte.

The cafeteria has also started offering a tasty and healthy beverage – infused water, with a different pair of fruits and herbs every day, such as lemon and mint. The infused water is next to the – finally – labeled iced tea dispensers. The cucumber-mint infused water was refreshing and something to look forward to each day.

Despite all these minor changes, the entrees were not so different from what was offered during the previous semester. I had a chicken breast sandwich, which was a nice change from the deep-fried patties previously offered, but overall not very im-

pressive. At least the chicken was grilled and seasoned well, reminding me of something (almost) home cooked.

The salad bar did not appear to offer as many toppings as last semester and was not maintained at the same quality, which is saying something. The dressings were severely limited and not labeled. As a person that truly believes in the power of ranch dressing I was saddened to not find any and confused as to why that was the case.

The staff was as friendly as always but there was a disconnect between the service and the students that did not resonate well.

Students who already have a meal plan shouldn’t cancel it. However I would not recommend a meal plan to someone who doesn’t already have one, based solely on what the dining hall offers. The new Chickfil-A will definitely help, but it doesn’t totally make up for the dining hall.

Overall, some of the new additions were pleasant but they were not enough to compensate for the miscommunication and mishaps of the new dining hall. The food is still sub-par and the minor improvements such as the self-serve system and infused water aren’t enough to compensate for the unorganized atmosphere. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it is worse than last year, but it wasn’t very good.

All in all, the dining hall is moving in the right direction, but at a snail’s pace.

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PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN

At the Move-In Picnic Aug. 18 new students could get free food including funnel cakes and listen to a disc jockey on the Jesse W. Rogers Promenade in front of Pierce Hall.

6 | Aug. 26, 2015 |

Shipley outlines goals SGA looking to improve PR at first faculty meeting QU ES TIO N A N D A N S WER

BRI SHEEN EDITOR

BRI SHEEN EDITOR

JESSE BROWN is a criminal justice senior and president of Student Government Association.

As the new school year begins, we took some time to talk to him about this year’s goals.

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What is your big priority for Student Government Association going into this school year?

“We’re redoing our public relations arm. We want to be out there for the students more, we want to have a visible face. We’ll have an open door policy so students can come talk to us anytime. We’ll be having coffee socials, snack socials, trying to get our name out so that every student at MSU knows that SGA exists.”

What are some of the top projects SGA will be working on this school year?

“We would like to bring forth some legislation concerning a centralized tutoring center. Students have already talked to us that are in favor of it. We are also going to talk about sexual assault prevention programs.

Sexual assault prevention is a huge national issue right now and we’d like to make MSU a part of that discussion. Thirdly, we’d like to have leadership enhancements.”

How do you hope SGA is different this year compared to previous years?

“Previous years [of SGA] came up short by putting all the pressure on the three executive officers. SGA has committees and those committees are the ones that go out and tackle those issues and bring them back to SGA to vote on.”

Students can join SGA, one of 100 clubs on campus, by attending meetings, but how can students and student organizations build a working relationship with SGA? “We would like to help host as many events with organizations as possible. The best way is for organizational leaders to come talk to us. I just hope that a student walking by is not intimidated to walk in the door and come and talk to us.”

If someone was considering joining SGA, what would you tell them are the biggest reasons to join?

“SGA is the voice of the students. You can personally have an influence on the direction that the student body heads in the next four years. You can look back in 20 years with your alumni and say ‘I was on the committee for that new dining contract, I gave back to my university’. You need to be in SGA if you want to have a lasting impact on MSU.”

PHOTO BY FRANCISCO MARTINEZ | THE WICHITAN

Jesse Brown, Student Government Association president and criminal justice senior, works at his desk in the SGA office on Aug. 24.

What does it take to be successful as a student government official?

“Dedication to service. You’ve got to be willing to serve other students and sacrifice for other students and devote your time to building relationships with organizations and individuals.”

Out of all the changes happening around campus, from dining services to our new university president, what are you most excited for?

“I’m excited about the new dining hall construction. Laura [Flores, SGA secretary] and I both served on the committee for Chartwells.” Brown said he particularly liked having Starbucks now available in the library.

As a graduating senior, what sort of legacy do you hope to leave behind at MSU? “If people can look back and say that Midwestern is a better place after Jesse left than it was before he got here, then that would be a great legacy.”

Have you had a chance to work with the new University president, Suzanne Shipley, yet?

“I’ve met Dr. Shipley on many occasions. I interned in D.C. this summer, [and] Shepherd, the university she came from, is an hour from D.C. We met up one day, she took me around and showed me Shepherd. We had lunch. We visited and made plans for this year to help better this university. Our relationship is strong and she cares greatly about the students.”

SGA’s first meeting: Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. in Shawnee.

n her first speech as University president, Suzanne Shipley asked a full house of faculty and community members to re-imagine Midwestern State.

Shipley, at the Aug. 17 faculty/staff meeting, said her goals for the next year include supporting an outstanding learning environment, creating a vibrant workplace for faculty and staff, and becoming known as the leading residential university in Texas.

Shipley said she hopes to capitalize on the growing residential student body.

"Student life is a distinguishing mark that can set us above our peers," Shipley said.

According to Shipley, maintaining relationships with current and future supporters of Midwestern State is also a long-term goal.

"We must work to maintain their support and their respect as we move forward," she said.

Shipley's last long-term goal for MSU was that the university be guided by practices set by the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, a council of which she is president and MSU is a member, the only member in Texas.

"We deserve to take a leading place among the best public liberal arts universities in the country," Shipley said.

Shipley outlined a few goals she hopes to make progress on in her first 90 days in office.

Shipley said she wants to meet all her constituents and determine the university's

PHOTO BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN

President Suzanne Shipley discusses the best local restaurants with media reporters after the Aug. 17 faculty meeting. direction through broad consultation.

After gaining feedback from faculty, students and the community, Shipley said she hopes to pare down the university’s strategic plan to no more than 24 goals, put in priority order with each goals’ funding attached.

To learn the opinion of the faculty, Shipley sent a survey to all full-time faculty and will present the results in early November.

Shipley also debuted her GRAD goal – growth, retention, academic excellence and diplomas.

"For us to remain competitive for state resources and recognition, we need to grow in the ways that make sense for us," she said.

from DALQUEST pg. 3 hypotheses is that you’re going to get some Mexican species that were not previously established in Texas, and this is of course the first place they will be found in any large quantities.”

Additionally, Willis said there are wild cattle that come up from Mexico.

“I’ve seen hundreds of pictures of cattle, but I’ve never seen one in person,” Willis said. “They literally get out of the way as they hear you coming through.”

Willis is piecing projects together to get an overall mosaic of what is actually living on the Dalquest land. And he tries to come out to the site as often as he can, which, he says, is the best part.

“I got the easiest part of the job, they did the hard work of getting the station and everything, making sure the finances are here, and I get to come out and play,” Willis said.

“This is what I look forward to every month.”

It all leads back to Walter and Rose Dalquest.

“Dr. Dalquest not only was brilliant guy, I don’t know how many hundreds of scientific papers he published, books he published,

PHOTO BY KRISTINA ABEYTA | THE WICHITAN

Former University President Jesse Rogers takes in the scenery with Julie Gaynor, director of marketing and public relations, at the Dalquest Desert Research Station July 1. he even did a PBS series,” Rogers said. “But he was such a character too, just hard to describe Walt Dalquest.”

Rogers was teaching chemistry and became friends with Dalquest and Horner. He accompanied them on their camping trips which got him interested in field sciences.

Back then, there was only that bumpy road to the unexplored land.

8 | Aug. 26, 2015 |

PHOTO BY FRANCISCO MARTINEZ | THE WICHITAN

Players line up to run drills during a practice on Aug. 24.

Football team bonds, practices under time crunch JESSALYN CASTRO REPORTER

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ith the opening of football season 10 days away, head football coach Bill Maskill said he is focusing on preparing players to improve over last year’s 6-4 record.

“Expectations are always to be better than last year and perform at a higher level than what we started off as,” Maskill said.

With 53 new players composing more than half the team, Maskill said the 22 slated practices are not a lot of time to get everyone ready. In the past the team has had 27-28 practices before the first game which is Sept. 5, more than a week earlier than last year’s Sept. 13 season opener.

Although fewer practices puts the team under a crunch, Maskill said he believes it will be a good thing for the players in the end.

“By opening up this early, our kids are going to have to be on point every practice,” Maskill said. “That’ll probably be a good thing because in the past it kind of dragged on and the players would get mentally tired.”

Maskill said this season differs from past seasons because they are doing preparation differently and the team has bonded more. Although the team has undergone a lot of changes, Maskill says most are not obvious to people outside of the team.

“We’ll do some things different internally but I don’t think that the naked eye will notice anything drastic,” he said. “From what I saw in the spring and where I think that

PHOTO BY FRANCISCO MARTINEZ | THE WICHITAN

Linebacker Lafrontae Conkleton, business junior, runs the ball down the field during practice on Aug. 24.

we are at right now our kids might be a little bit closer and might’ve bonded a little bit better.”

Even though the team didn’t get to finish the spring game due to bad weather, Maskill said they had a good spring practice as a lot of kids took ownership who hadn’t taken it before.

“Our big emphasis in the spring was to compete against

each other and have fun doing it, enjoy the process,” Maskill said.

In an attempt to improve each season, the coaching staff looks to try new things, not repeat the same practices.

“I’m a believer in: you have a plan, and along that plan you have to be able to improvise and adjust,” Maskill said.

Playing three new teams in the pre-season matches before the Lone Star Conference play, Maskill said the first three weeks will be really challenging.

“We’re playing three teams that we’ve never played before. It’s going to be a real challenging schedule for us,” Maskill said. “We open up with Truman State, last year we played Missouri S&T. This is a tougher opponent to open up with.”

The teams in the Lone Star Conference were ranked with Angelo State first, Texas A&M Commerce second, MSU third, West Texas A&M fourth, Tarleton fifth, Eastern New Mexico sixth and Texas A&M Kingsville seventh.

Maskill said he doesn’t necessarily believe each team, including MSU, should be ranked in the spot they were given.

“It’s going to be a real balanced league,” Maskill said.

“Everybody will have a chance to win.”

With new players and returners learning their rolls on the field, Maskill said the most important thing for the players to do is to stay healthy.

“If we stay healthy and fresh we’ll have an opportunity to play better than anyone,” he said. “And if we’re not healthy and we’re not fresh then we’re going to have some issues.”