Sept. 1, 2021

Sept. 1, 2021 | thewichitan.com |Real Students. Real Stories. | Vol. 86 No. 1

NEWS: Pg 5

Here’s an update on campus renovations.

GAME ON MUSTANGS: Pg 6-7 SPORTS: Pg 12

Launched on Aug. 23, MSU Texas Esports and Stangs Gaming Club are looking to provide for students in a new way on career and social levels.

Brittanie Talley is the new head softball coach.

REVIEW: Pg 10

FEATURE: Pg 11

SATIRE: Pg 9

Ace Sushi is everything sushi lovers could ask for. Animals talk about the first day of school.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

@WichitanOnline

Pablo Cruz speaks on his cycling journey.

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2 Sept, 1, 2021 Campus Voices | COVID-19 | Move-in | News | Esports | Entertainment | Review | Feature | Sports E DI TO R I A L

CA M P US V OIC ES

The Wichitan is GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE AND STUDY ABROAD ready to go!

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s MSU Texas returns to a semblance of normalcy this fall semester, The Wichitan is committed to continuing to be the same, go-to source for Mustangs on all things Midwestern. Whether it be about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, MSU’s new status as a member of the Texas Tech system, the transition to a new university president or anything else, The Wichitan will continue to produce articles that are unbiased and accurate.

Along with covering events and informative topics, The Wichitan will also strive to be a newspaper that represents the interests of the students it represents.

The paper will continue to post reviews about popular movies, local restaurants and products, topical satire, comics and columns. As fans are allowed to return to stadiums, The Wichitan will also cover all things Mustangs athletics.

The newspaper will release a biweekly full-color, 12 page issue online at issuu. com every other Wednesday. This is in addition to the weekly newsletter that releases every Wednesday, social media coverage and the regularly updated website, thewichitan.com. In the spirit of progress, The Wichitan plans to possibly experiment with a podcast and video coverage this semester as well.

The team of talented writers, designers, and photographers is trained and ready to provide the students of MSU Texas with informative and entertaining articles for the Fall 2021 semester.

Vol. 86 | No. 1 Midwestern State University Fain Fine Arts Bldg., Room D201 3410 Taft Blvd. | Wichita Falls, Texas 76308 (940) 397-4704 wichitan@msutexas.edu | thewichitan.com @wichitanonline

PHOTO BY ABIGAIL JONES | THE WICHITAN

Mont St. Michel towers above its surroundings in Bretagne, France. July 10.

Columns in Campus Voices are the opinions of only the authors and do not necesssarily reflect the views of The Wichitan as an organization.

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ollege is the time to push yourself and try things you wouldn’t normally have the opportunity for, and MSU’s study abroad program is no exception. This summer I studied French in France through MSU, and it changed Abigail me in the best of ways. I felt Jones immersed in the culture and language, conquered quite a few fears and even ended up adding a French minor to my degree plan because I loved it so much. Now that I’m back on the MSU campus, I feel the need to tell everyone to take any opportunity they have to travel. Traveling is not only fun and freeing, but it also gives the traveler the chance to feel culturally enriched and to get out of their comfort zone. With these thoughts in mind, I set my sights on studying abroad in France and, as a result, discovered how natural it was to conquer

my fears.

Upon arriving in France, I noticed immediately how different the food is. Food is a difficult journey for a lot of folks, including myself, but on this trip I decided that I would push myself to try everything, even if it scared me. For me, adventurous foods range anywhere from whole tomatoes to obscure seafoods, and I had the opportunity to eat something from every part of that spectrum. By the end of the trip I didn’t think twice about eating adventurous foods. I ate a mussel off the beach, cheese with layers of blue, and, yes, whole tomatoes. Even more than conquering my fear of new foods, I had the opportunity to learn even more about the culture of France through their food. Looking back at the trip, I am so glad that I took that opportunity and allowed myself to immerse myself in the beauty of French food.

A large part of the study abroad program is living with a host family. My house had a

Editor in Chief: Amos Perkins Managing Editor: Stephanie Robledo Assistant Editor: Abigail Jones Design Editor: Omar Combie Photography Editor: Colin Stevenson Business Manager: Alexis Martin Issue Staff: Jaime Aleman, Emily Beaman, Thalia Doe, Diamond Gamboa, Joseph Nelson, Soleil Weeks Advisor: Jonathon Quam

French-only rule. For a while, I was so nervous I would mess up or embarrass myself at the dinner table, and to be honest, I did embarrass myself a couple times. I began the trip being silent out of fear of failure, but at one point my mindset switched. I realized the standards I was setting for my language capability were too high and ultimately setting me up to feel unaccomplished. Once I stopped holding myself to the standard of immediately being fluent, I really started excelling. I could understand more and I had more of a drive to learn. I began reading and writing French in my off-time. I started speaking up more in class. I could navigate the villes without fear of saying the wrong thing, and if I didn’t understand something I was unafraid to ask for an explanation. All it took was allowing myself to make mistakes, be corrected, and learn.

Finally, I also stepped out of my comfort zone by going on excursions in France. I’m not a very athletic person, so hikes put a bit of fear in me. The most intense hiking experience was at Mont St. Michel, where we climbed over 900 steps to see the most beautiful view I have ever seen. It looked like it was painted. I was self-conscious about not being able to keep up with the group, but when I got there I didn’t fall behind.

I kept up a positive mental process and forced myself to be confident, even though I definitely was not. At this point in the trip, I had realized that all of the times I was afraid to leave my comfort zone, the consequences of leaving were not as big of a deal as I thought. It was simply a mind game I was playing with myself, and I’m glad to have been forced out of it. My “failure is not an option” mindset was not setting me up for success. It was holding me back, and being in a different place with a different culture and language is what it took to break me out of that.

There’s so much more I could say about studying abroad, but this is what I will end with: if you want to do something, don’t let fear be the thing to hold you back. If I had let fear hold me back, I wouldn’t have known that I can eat intimidating foods, speak a foreign language or speed climb 900 steps. I got out of my comfort zone and faked my confidence until that confidence was real. Each of the things I was afraid of when it came to France ended up being conquerable. For these reasons, I would rate my study abroad experience a 10 out of 10, and beyond that I would recommend the experience to any and all students. Get out of your comfort zone. Study abroad.

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Sept, 1, 2021 Campus Voices | COVID-19 | Move-in | News | Esports | Entertainment | Review | Feature | Sports

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4 Sept, 1, 2021 Campus Voices | COVID-19 | Move-in | News | Esports | Entertainment | Review | Feature | Sports

MUSTANGS MOVE-IN

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

MSU student volunteers help a student unload their car. Aug 15.

MSU student volunteers assist in emptying a car for move-in. Aug 15.

EMILY BEAMAN NEWS EDITOR he MSU Texas campus sprung to life during the Fall 2021 move-in weekend and the ensuing Mustangs Roundup.

This year’s move-in continued the more structured process that the university adopted last year. Check-in was centralized at the Clark Student Center and was scheduled in waves, with roughly 10 students checking in within every 10 minutes. This occurred over three official move-in days and one informal. According to Residence Life and Housing Director, Kristi Schulte, there were nearly 400 early arrival students that moved in the week before official move-in began. Schulte also said there were about 500 students that moved in on the first official day, 150 on the second day and 150 on the second weekend or late arrivals.

“We did receive compliments from parents... [about] how straightforward the process was and that it was easy to manage,” Schulte said.

This proved to be true when Reese Johnson, psychology freshman, went through move-in.

She said the process was easy and smooth from arrival all the way to unpacking in Legacy Hall.

“They were very efficient.... It was over so fast I didn’t even know it was happening,” Johnson said.

Most of the 400 early arrivals were there to lend a hand with the move-in process. The cheerleading team, the football team, volunteers, RAs and many others aided through the entire process.

Center had potted plant painting, Career Management discussed the Handshake app and made slime, MOSAIC hosted Minute-to-Win-It games and many other campus departments held events throughout the week.

“It was a lot of different departments chipping in, offering to help the students socialize and get to know each other,” Lopez said.

The university attempted to make the process as smooth as possible to ensure students were eased into this new stage in their lives. The goal was to have students more prepared for campus living by the end of Roundup.

“There’s a progression of [going to] orientation, and you get to move in... and then there’s a bunch of social events the first few days, and the farther you go in Roundup...It’s a more slow progression into becoming a college student,” Lopez said.

Now that all students have been introduced to the university and settled into their new home, Lopez said the campus has a new feel to it.

“Campus has become more alive... now it feels like a full campus experience. I feel like we’re more centralized as a community and a campus now,” Lopez said.

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“What makes [move-in] successful is the heart and soul of our volunteers and student staff,” Schulte said.

For many families, move-in is a monumental event. College is a huge step in a student’s life and Residence Life and Housing make it their goal to make that process as memorable and comforting as possible.

“It’s about working with our team to identify how we provide a good first expression or experience for families who are moving into halls,” Teresa Lopez, Residence Life and Housing project specialist, said.

Lopez noted that in the past, a majority of students who live in on-campus housing go home every weekend. To tackle this problem, Residence Life and Housing made sure events were happening every day from the first day of move-in through the first week of classes.

“So what can we do as a school to make the students feel at home and make them not want to go home,” Lopez said.

Johnson had only been on campus twice before moving in and thought the events during Roundup were a great way to engage students in campus and student life. The more opportunities that there are for students to feel like part of a community, the more comfortable they feel.

“We have a responsibility and obligation to create a sense of community and home,” Schulte said.

Throughout the week, there were events hosted by an array of people. The Counseling

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

Computer science freshman Joshua Armstrong throws a cornhole bag at the Downtown Night event. Aug 17.

Sept, 1, 2021 Campus Voices | COVID-19 | Move-in | News | Esports | Entertainment | Review | Feature | Sports

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CATCHING UP ON

CAMPUS RENOVATIONS ter, mostly because the colors are bright and it makes me feel happier,” Nyberg said.

Prothro-Yeager is not the only building with updates. D.L Ligon Coliseum had renovations done as well. Rooms 131, 111 and 223 were given a touch-up similar to the lounge in ProthroYeager. Furniture ordered for projects in both buildings and BAC has been delayed, but their arrival is expected soon. “[In room 131] we did some touch-up paint and put in new LED lights. [In room] 111... we pulled [the chalk and marker boards] down, patched the wall, put in a real markerboard and then replaced the lights in there. Then [in room] 223... we put in new LED lights there, carpet... We also bought a new markerboard… [it will arrive] in two weeks, it will be replaced,” Owen said.

Ceiling tiles for room 223 in Ligon were also bought but have not arrived. Owen says once the ceiling tiles arrive the facilities staff will work around schedules and install them in sections. At the latest, the ceiling tiles will be fully installed in December. This delay, along with other delayed orders, has not stopped construc-

tion and Owen says there are plans for more renovations.

“We’re buying more furniture for the northside of Bolin, kind of porch area, we’re gonna buy benches to put in there...We’re planning to renovate the two restrooms in South Hardin, ones by the graduate school...No construction will probably go on till maybe November, December time frame,” Owen said.

These plans plus other maintenance, such as tunnel repairs, will be happening on campus in the future. Owen hopes for more funding to take on other projects. The budget for the BAC was $5.67 million while other projects had an estimated budget of $30,000 or less apiece. Another project Owen wants to take on is updating the Bolin building, but in the meantime, they have other renovations to keep them busy.

“We seem to have a lot to keep us busy still, big projects take a lot of time but a lot of small ones take a lot of time too,” Owen said.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

The Daniel building is receiving renovations to become the Bridwell Activities Center. Aug 30.

STEPHANIE ROBLEDO MANAGING EDITOR SU Texas underwent renovation around campus to bring a modern and updated look. Renovations have been going on since last fall when the initial stages for the Bridwell Activities Center began. “[The Bridwell Activities Center is] still in process, it’s the old Daniel building,” Kyle Owen, associate vice president of facilities services, said. “I’m sure the building is completed and ready for occupancy in January, but I can’t tell you that we are there yet.”

The BAC will create space for meetings, chapter rooms and collaborations, but students must wait till the spring semester for the BAC. In the meantime, they can look forward to other renovations on campus, such as in the Mesquite dining hall. “[We] Just finished up some work in the Mesquite dining hall... we replaced the ceiling above the server area,” Owen said.

The renovations in Mesquite dining hall were not constructed in a place students necessarily frequent, according to Owen. However,

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if students look above the hall’s servers, they’ll notice a new ceiling. Staff at Mesquite dining hall such as Lori Dodge, who works as a cashier have noticed the change.

“I like [the new ceiling], it’s about time that they started doing renovations in much-needed areas,” Dodge said.

Dodge also mentioned that other staff members have noticed the new ceiling as well and think it looks good. Over the summer there were more renovations made such as in the Prothro-Yeager lounge.

“On the second floor of Prothro-Yeager, the south end, there’s a lounge area... We replaced the carpet, painted the walls, put in new LED lights and have ordered more furniture but like everything else, it has been delayed... it’s going to be early October before [the furniture is] here,” Owen said.

The change in the lounge has been noticed by students frequenting the space in between classes, such as Isaac Nyberg, history freshman, who wouldn’t go to the lounge very often before it was renovated.

“I like the way [the lounge] is now. [It’s] bet-

PHOTO COURTESY OF DIAMOND GAMBOA

D.L. Ligon Colesium Building Room 131 recieved new LED lights and touched up paint. Aug 27.

6 Sept, 1, 2021 Campus Voices | COVID-19 | Move-in | News | Esports | Entertainment | Review | Feature | Sports

GAME ON MUSTANGS: ESPORTS AND

PHOTO COURSTESY OF ZACHARY ZOET AND ESPORT SUPPLY

A mock-up view of the planned gaming and esports lounge, Aug 20.

COLIN STEVENSON PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR ith their official launch on Aug. 23, MSU Texas Esports and Stangs Gaming Club are looking to provide for students in a new way on career and social levels. While they have heavy overlap, these two organizations ultimately have different goals.

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MSU Texas Esports

PHOTO COURTESY OF MSUTEXAS.EDU

MSU Texas Esports logo.

MSU Texas Esports will consist of varsitylevel competitive teams. These players will be eligible for scholarships which will be funded through the Student Affairs division. However, supporting players are not the only goal of the esports group. Funds from Student Affairs have also been set aside for potential “student workers” that will help the teams, and there will be opportunities to gain experience in fields beyond play, such as announcing, team management and shout casting. “[The esports group] wants to work with those who might not want to just compete,” Zachary Zoet, manager of the organizations, said. “[The teams would] provide tools to make them competitive in a hyper-competitive space.”

Tryouts for the first varsity-level competitive team happened on Aug. 24. The team’s focus was for the game Rocket League, which was chosen due to surveys showing a strong player base inside MSU. The esports organization cur-

rently has a Living-Learning Program on the fourth floor in Legacy Hall with students living in it this year.

“It’s great to [live with] people with similar interests,” Payton Cox, computer science sophomore, said. “If any of us wanted to play games competitively, we just knock on another person’s door and ask ‘Hey, you play this game?’

And you might get something.”

Stangs Gaming Club

Stangs Gaming Club is a social recreational group more focused on casual gaming, including tabletop and card games. It is unlikely to provide scholarships and will act as a new way for students to connect without any competitive pressure. Zoet talked about how this organization could help students reach out in new ways.

“People are making connections across the internet, and I feel like people could make those connections here at MSU with a group like [Stangs Gaming Club],” Zoet said. “I want to better carve out spaces for everyone to be able to find a place.”

While the club is not focused on varsity-level competitive play, it will still be accommodating those who enjoy recreational competition.

Announced on Aug. 25, a team will be made for the game Apex Legends and will compete in an open division team league.

“We’ll be having tryouts [for the team] soon, so look forward to that,” Zoet said.

Sept, 1, 2021 Campus Voices | COVID-19 | Move-in | News | Esports | Entertainment | Review | Feature | Sports

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D GAMING CLUB ARRIVE ON CAMPUS

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

Competitors practice before the tournament begins. Aug 29.

Renovated Lounge

The esports LLP will be receiving a renovation to its lounge to better accommodate esports players and members of Stangs Gaming, as well. It will have 13 Alienware PCs, current video game consoles and dedicated internet access separate from the rest of Legacy to support both. Richard Elliot, network technician, emphasized the importance of the separate, more direct internet connection, talking about how it will be faster and more reliable, as it wouldn’t share the network with the numerous devices students and faculty use through the building wi-fi.

“We would be doing a disservice to these organizations before they even existed if we didn’t [obtain a separate internet connection],” Elliot said.

The lounge will be funded through a portion of the Higher Education Assistance Fund, which is from the state of Texas and is meant for public universities. Elliot said that a small portion of the fund is being used for the lounge.

“Now I’ve been focusing the past two weeks on how to make the room cold enough to handle 13 very large ‘space heaters’ [or PCs],” Elliot said

Discord Server

MSU Texas Esports and Stangs Gaming club share a Discord server, where those involved and those who wish to join can introduce them-

selves, keep up with events or announcements and find other gamers with whom to play or even just chat. Without a dedicated meeting space for the organizations, the Discord server is one of the best ways to join the organizations.

“People on [the Discord server] are putting out LFGs (looking for group),” Kolten Pulliam, computer science sophomore, said. “Now there’s people all over campus playing tons of games with each other.”

Events

To further both of their goals, the organizations will be hosting events throughout the year. The first event took place Sunday, Aug. 29, in the form of a tournament for the game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. “Smashpede,” as it was called, had a $300 prize pot for the winner and was open to MSU students for free and outside players for a $10 fee. Local organization Texoma Esports helped host and live-streamed the event.

Zoet talked about expanding options for future events. Beyond working with Texoma Esports again, he has considered collaboration with Wichita Falls ISD’s esports group. He plans to partner with Maniac’s Mansion for a downtown event sometime this year. He also mentioned wanting to do a “charity game-athon” where a multitude of games would be played and likely live-streamed, encouraging donations to support charity.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ZACHARY ZOET

The Stangs Gaming Club logo, Aug 25.

8 Sept, 1, 2021 Campus Voices | COVID-19 | Move-in | News | Esports | Entertainment | Review | Feature | Sports

“"Free Guy"” is fun and heartfelt

but its themes fall flat

PHOTO COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX

Guy (Ryan Reynolds) and Buddy (Lil Red Howery) in “Free Guy” (2021).

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he film “Free Guy” depicts a multiplayer online game in which a nonplayable character suddenly develops self-awarenes. The Joseph NPC begins interactNelson ing with his virtual domain in ways that reverberate into the real world. Films about artificial intelligence and simulated realities can either become too intellectualized, such as the movie “Transcendence,” or they can become too bogged down with pop culture references and shallow action scenes, such as “Ready Player One.” Virtual world movies can still balance between action scene madness and a hint of philosophy, like “The Matrix.” However, the movies I personally prefer revolve around a fun, unique take on the concept with a strong emotional punch to boot. Providing a cocktail of “Groundhog Day,” “The Matrix” and “Wreck-It-Ralph,” “Free Guy” accentuates its intriguing concept with a strong emotional core. Despite hav-

ing heart, though, the film’s message of originality and independence feels at odds with the movie’s overall style.

Ryan Reynolds plays the film’s AWOL NPC named Guy, and he brings comedic flair, chemistry and the right amount of cheese to the lead role. Taika Waititi plays the film’s over-the-top, corporate antagonist, wielding ostensibly deistic power against the artificially intelligent NPC: spawning gunmen, explosions and transposing skyscrapers in his pursuit to terminate Guy. At the movie’s heart is a “will they, won’t they” dynamic between two former indie game developers, named Millie (Jodie Comer) and Keys (Joe Keery).

One sells out and works for the corporatist video game company while the other scours the virtual world in search of plagiarized code from their unpublished indie game. This dynamic adds another dimension to Millie and Keys’ relationship, which pays off in engaging and clever ways throughout the movie’s runtime and is the most worthwhile component of “Free Guy.” While Millie and Keys

represent the best of “Free Guy,” their status as indie developers leads to some conflict between the film’s style and message.

For all the film’s talk about the importance of independent art, the inclusion of overused pop culture references casts some doubt on how selfaware “Free Guy” actually is. Tense or climactic scenes were distracted with cliché add-ons like a lightsaber, a Hulk punch or even a soundbite of “Wrecking Ball.” With such a dramatic juxtaposition between the film’s themes and these overused elements, the film’s central conflict between two indie developers and a plagiarizing corporation feels inauthentic. While watching characters openly saying the MMO is stupid and oversaturated, I started to wonder whether the movie about a self-aware NPC really is as self-aware as it’s letting on. Could the initial idea have been a personal story about an indie developer communicating his feelings to his co-worker, and that script was eventually turned into the largescale action movie, filled with cliché,

that we eventually got? I don’t have anything against explosions, action scenes or lightsabers, but special effects without an emotional core are elements that belong in video games instead of movies. As said before, “Free Guy” has an emotional core, but that heart feels undermined by its overall style and willingness to embrace cliché. I enjoyed the experience as a whole, but I was left wondering how great this movie could have been if they cut out the cheap pop culture references and directed even more focus towards Millie and Keys’ relationship.

For all its talk about the importance of indie creators, “Free Guy” lacks any unique style on its own. At the film’s outset, I thought the sterile environments were meant to capture the virtual world’s cookie-cutter nature, but the film’s real-world also looked like overused movie versions of what an apartment or company headquarters would look like. Cinematography and lighting were also very bland, never aiming to set any sort of mood or tone for the movie.

The style of “Free Guy” is like aluminum, practical and useful but lacking any flare or significant value. As with the clichés, this lack of technical talent wouldn’t be so noticeable if the movie didn’t base its whole conflict on taking down a sequel-bating, unoriginal corporatist through the power of indie creation.

In short, “Free Guy” is a good movie, but not a great movie. I can’t help but wonder how good it could have been if it was directed by someone with a voice, someone who could take the message of originality’s value and bring it to life. Stories include many moving parts, but a flimsy message can make even the best of films feel fake. “Free Guy” still is entertaining and defined by its emotional core, but its self-contradictory themes are hard to overlook.

Joseph’s Film Rating: 3.5/5

Sept, 1, 2021 Campus Voices | COVID-19 | Move-in | News | Esports | Entertainment | Review | Feature | Sports

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FIRST DAY CR ITTERS YLIME NAMAEB SATIRE WRITER he first day coming back to school is never easy. Whether you have an 8 a.m. or it is your first day in college, it can be difficult to shake off the summer and get back into the groove of school. However, students aren’t the only ones having to readjust back to school-life this fall. Our fellow campus critters have to as well.

Between MSU being in COVIDmode and having the summer to themselves, the influx of students and faculty returning has shaken up the campus animal population.

As somebody who moved to Sikes Lake during the campus shutdown, the full return really shook Ginny Goose.

“Everybody returning all at once is definitely overwhelming.

It’s more people than I’ve ever seen before, but it’s also super exciting to see campus so alive!” Ginny said.

However, her actual first day of classes didn’t live up to the expectations she had built. Ginny said her day started out with random people throwing bread at her.

“It’s such a stereotypical cliche

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at this point. I mean, first of all, I don’t like bread. Secondly, even if I did, I wouldn’t eat some stranger’s loaf thrown at me at eight in the morning. That incident just set my mood for the whole day. It really ruffled my feathers,” Ginny said.

In one of the neighboring housing units, Oak Hall, some animals had similar rough-day tales to share. Saul Squirrel said he felt like he couldn’t catch a break.

“First, I woke up late to my branchmate snacking on my stash of acorns claiming that they were his. I didn’t get to complete my morning routine before I had to leave, plus, I couldn’t find my tail brush, so I went to class with bedtail. I was a mess. As if it couldn’t get worse, I went to the wrong room and had everybody watch me as I left in the middle of the lecture.

You would think some of those people had never seen a squirrel try to find his chem class,” Saul said.

After dumping his problems on us, Saul admitted that he’s known of other people with worse first-day stories than his.

“One of my cousins fell out of the ceiling on her first day and

landed on a student in class with her,” Saul said.

Not every animal had a bad story to tell. Sammy, a service dog, thought the first day of classes went perfectly. As a full-time service dog but a napper on the side, Sammy was worried about waking up late or falling asleep in class.

“I got to go on a walk and see some friends, then had a full breakfast and still made it early to my first class! Before I knew it I was eating lunch and chasing some of the freshman squirrels by the fountain,” Sammy said.

Sammy wanted to make it known that the university has publicly commented that chasing underclassmen squirrels is not considered hazing. This has not yet been confirmed with the university.

“I’m excited for the rest of the year! My owner and I have the same schedule again! I’m not exactly sure what we’re studying, but I’m just happy to be here!” Sammy said.

Sammy’s owner commented that she was a very good girl and is definitely the professor’s favorite student.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

Saul Squirrel eats berries he found so he can conserve what is left of his ambushed acorn stash. Aug 25.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

Ginny Goose hangs out with her friend, Gruntilda, in the shade. Aug 25.

10 Sept, 1, 2021 Campus Voices | COVID-19 | Move-in | News | Esports | Entertainment | Review | Feature | Sports

ROLL UP TO ACE SUSHI

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

Ace Sushi is a new restaurant in the Clark Student Center at MSU. Aug 30.

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ce Sushi, MSU’s newest addition to campus dining options is everything sushiloving students could ask for and more! In my opinion, it’s pretty delicious and there are so many options to choose from that even those who Soleil Weeks are anti-sushi could be converted into sushi lovers (once you’ve loaded up sufficient flex dollars, of course).

My friends and I have been to Ace several times since its opening (RIP to our flex dollars and bank accounts), and they haven’t disappointed once.

We’ve all been waiting forever for a place on campus where we can eat clean, guilt-free food that is tasty and consistent in quality. Maybe there’s a bit of shade there, but while it has only been a week, Ace Sushi has provided thus far, quick, friendly and overall excellent customer service (shoutout to Stephanie and the sushi chefs), and an extensive variety of sushi, salads and boba tea, although word on the street has been that the boba tea is a little pricey for its size and quality.

Nonetheless, one of my favorite things about this place is the seamless pickup experience. Nine out of ten times (more like 4 out of 5 since it’s only been a week and some), the fridge is packed – and I mean packed – with a variety of sushi options to suit all, or most, tastes. There are usually several rolls with different combinations of imitation crab, salmon, tuna and shrimp, with delicious toppings like seaweed, tempura flakes and spicy mayo. I may

or may not be wiping drool off my keyboard while writing this, but I feel obligated to give mention to my personal favorites: the Spicy Tuna Roll, the Phoenix Roll, and the TSA roll - real ones know wassup. The boba tea also comes in several flavors, my favorites being the dairy-free Raspberry Lemonade and the Peach/Mango Fruit Fusion. If I’m being entirely honest, though, I go without them most times since Jeff Bezos isn’t my dad and I’m not yet a millionaire.

By the way, if your favorite roll isn’t already stocked in the fridge, the chefs will gladly make a roll at your request. Since I’m gluten intolerant, the chefs have kindly made me a gluten-free Spicy Tuna roll and a Phoenix roll filled with tuna instead of crabstick. I kid you not, few things have ever made me that happy in life. I love this place so much.

All in all, people, Ace is the perfect place to hit up if you’d like to try something new, treat yourself and/or your friends, or destress when the semester is getting a little too much to handle. It’s only been a week and a half, but some of us (me) are honestly already pretty overwhelmed. Luckily, I can sleep at night now knowing that Ace will be there all semester.

Seriously, though, go check Ace Sushi out if you haven’t already! Your flex account may not be the happiest about it, but I can almost guarantee that you will be. That’s what really matters at the end of the day, right?

PHOTO COUTRESY OF SOLEIL WEEKS

Ace Sushi offers grab-and-go meals in an open fridge. Aug 25.

SOLEIL’S RATING: 4.5/5

PABLO CRUZ T H E ROAD TO H IG H E R ED U C AT I O N Sept, 1, 2021 Campus Voices | COVID-19 | Move-in | News | Esports | Entertainment | Review | Feature | Sports

THALIA DOE FEATURE/SPORTS EDITOR xercise physiology graduate and MSU Texas cyclist, Pablo Cruz, began his career of cycling back in his home country, Honduras. What started as a friendly competition among classmates six years ago has turned into a career and a pursuit of higher education.

“I started cycling with some friends from middle school that would invite me to go out riding with them. The first time I went, I remember telling them that the sport wasn’t for me – I thought it was too hard,” Cruz said.

“Although I thought it was too difficult when you’re young and race against your friends, you want to become better, you want to beat them… that is when I started realizing how much I actually enjoyed it.”

Initially, Cruz’s parents were worried that cycling would be too dangerous for him. Being in Honduras, rights for cyclists are relatively nonexistent. However, Cruz said that to convince his parents that cycling was indeed good for him, he began competing in local races and coming home with medals.

“Once they saw me winning these competitions, my parents started to view cycling in a positive way for me. Once I graduated high school, there was a time period that I did cycling full-time. I was training over 25 hours a week, cycling was my life; that’s all I was doing… That is actually how I ended up meeting the coach at MSU and them offering me a scholarship,” Cruz said.

Similar to Cruz’s initial thought on cycling, he shared how he never was a good student in school and felt that education and college, were not for him. His start at MSU did little to quell those initial concerns.

“I remember thinking, ‘University? No, that’s not for me.’ My mind was always focused on sports, sports and more sports. But once I told my parents about the opportunity, they told me to give it a chance,” Cruz said. “However, when I came here, my English wasn’t really good. My first few semesters were difficult; trying to study and understand what the professors were saying in class, I felt like I was having to study and try twice as hard as everyone else around me.”

Despite the challenging language barrier, due to the time and attention Cruz has put toward education, he started realizing his interests in exercise physiology.

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“Once I graduate, what I would like to do with my degree is work in a performance center doing athletic tests to help people become better – that is what I’d like to do. I don’t think I’d go back to Honduras, especially with the degree I have. It’s not that there aren’t opportunities – they are just limited,” Cruz said.

Although he feels his future isn’t back in Honduras, Cruz still misses those he left when he came to MSU. Cruz said that being away from family entirely while in a different country can be very difficult and, at times, lonely.

“You know you’re all alone here, and your entire family is back home. You only have

yourself and you see your friends being close with their family and realizing the only people you have, if any, are your friends. But what has helped me when I get lonely is focus and draw attention to why I am here – to complete my goals and progress in life. I also know that my family is proud of me being here in the U.S. having the opportunity to study and do what I love – cycling,” Cruz said.

When Cruz reflects on everything he’s accomplished here at MSU, he says he is most proud of the fact that he would’ve never imagined himself attending or completing such a high level of education. He is motivated by his

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father who passed just two years after Cruz arrived at MSU. Cruz said, when alive, his dad always told him to continue his education because sports can only take someone so far.

“Part of me feels like I’m doing what he always advised me to do. When you’re young, like how I was, it’s easy to only think and care about the sport, but like my dad would always say... It is important to have a plan B. Anything can happen when you play a sport; you’ll never know one day if you get injured then can never play again, because what will you do then? Education is the foundation of the future,” Cruz said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF @THE_CLUB_ATX ON INSTAGRAM

Pablo Cruz wears MSU colors as he speeds by. Oct 8, 2019.

12 Sept, 1, 2021 Campus Voices | COVID-19 | Move-in | News | Esports | Entertainment | Review | Feature | Sports

BRITTANIE TALLEY HIRED AS NEW HEAD SOFTBALL COACH THALIA DOE FEATURE/SPORTS EDITOR rittanie Talley, former Vernon College coach, has been hired as the new head softball coach at Midwestern State. After coaching the Lady Chaps for the last five years, Talley displayed tremendous leadership, taking an eight-win program to their highest national rank. Talley is expected to do the same for MSU’s program. Talley, a former softball player herself, says that it helps her as a coach by knowing what the players want to hear and also what they need.

“From a coaching staff, being able to put my sport IQ and skills knowledge to use and training the future athletes. For MSU, I think a culture remodel within the softball program specifically, we want to be a part of MSU Texas, and a part of the community but we also want to represent ourselves well and have a family atmosphere within ourselves… We want to be able to do what we say we

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will do and back it up,” Talley said.

The previous coach, Mark Ryal, had been at MSU for the past five years and led the Mustangs to a cumulative record of 74-115. Director of Athletics, Kyle Williams, said both parties had recognized change was needed.

“The Lone Star Conference is the most difficult conference in the country… at some point, you have to look at what the goals and challenges are, and at this point with a COVID-19 year and everything that happened last year, it was a tough time for all of us,” Williams said.

Williams said that throughout the strategic process for selecting and hiring, the committee recognized Talley and her familiarity in the state of Texas, her work at Vernon and her contagious energy. Despite the 24 candidates, something kept pointing them toward her direction.

“Out of the 24 candidates, you know, you’re looking through each candidate and their strengths, weak-

nesses, having the committee cut the list down to eight, then Skype and Zoom and… she was definitely in our top three. Again, experience and she had basically done a great job where she had been and she knew Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, all of those things. We just felt like she really rose to the top,” Williams said.

Ashley Turner (No. 5), infielder and political science senior said that she feels the program and the team need a fresh start. Turner said that Talley is already making changes that haven’t been done during her time at MSU. “Coach Talley wants this program to be great… she is full of excitement and seems very happy with the opportunity she is getting to coach us.

I am hoping that we finally become a team and start enjoying the game again… this year I’m most excited to just play softball and not have to deal with stress that I had previously felt in the last few years,” Turner said.

Along with her teammate, Daylan PHOTO COURTESY OF BRITTANIE TALLEY

Brittanie Talley, new head coach of softball team.

PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN

Business sophomore and inside fielder Brook Taylor points to special education senior and outside fielder Lauren Lindgren after she hits a home run, allowing Taylor to get a run on the board against UT Tyler. March 8, 2020.

Inkman (No. 27), infielder and radiologic technology junior, said that from the moment she met Coach Talley, she could tell that she cares a lot about her athletes, and in general, female sports. She believes that the team has always had the talent to be successful, but that Talley becoming the new coach, is the key to the program coming together.

“I think what she brings is going to excel us as a softball program… she cares a lot about her athletes as well as the future of female sports.

I am hoping to be more competitive in the Lone Star Conference. We’ve always had the team to do it but I think Coach Talley is the final piece to make us great,” Inkman said.

Upon her arrival, Talley said she planned to begin this new chapter and season with some team bonding. Talley’s strategy to kick-starting this year is by building a relationship with the girls first.

“With them moving in soon, I am just wanting to meet them and [get] to know them; getting the rela-

tionship started. We will be playing some team bonding games when we have our first team meeting, helping break the ice between the coaching staff, myself and the girls. There is a lot of new faces; I am hoping that by doing this it will open the door to allow them to see that we are going to start something great here,” Talley said.

Maddy Holder (No.9), general business junior, said that she has always admired Talley’s coaching at the junior level and is honored to have her as a coach. Holder says that the structure Talley brings is what the team needs.

“She’s very positive and tough but in a good way. She will bring the structure we need and coach us well while still being our biggest fan. I am hoping that the program makes a 180 turn and becomes a very strong competitor in our conference; I know that those are Coach T’s plans as well so I believe it will happen under her,” Holder said.