MUSTANGS SLAM INTO SIXTH: Mens basketball keeps record season going, climbs higher in the rankings after snatching seventh straight win npage 7
Wednesday n February 10, 2010
thewichitan
your university n your voice
Cops thwart text thief Alleged serial booknapper caught after hitting MSU cop with car Chris Collins Managing Editor
An MSU policeman was struck twice by the driver of a getaway car last week as officers attempted to arrest two members of a book-thieving ring who have been hitting college bookstores in Wichita Falls. Officers said two males and one female have been selling stolen books to the MSU Bookstore, the College Store and the Vernon College Bookstore. On Feb. 2, one suspect got caught. “One guy came in looking really suspicious,” said Patrik Weaver, a junior who has worked at the MSU Bookstore for about five years. “So when he tried to sell the books back I called the police and stalled him at the register as long as I could.”
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See THEFT on page 6
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For the
Wichitan
well. C.W. Ro nd a kind r o f s g hair a mornin ke many ith patchy gray mb through the li s a w y w an t to Toda o thu sturdy m ading ou t 6 a.m. t The tall, out of his bed a akfast before he bre bed and it face clim r and eat a quick e 2 years – p 1 a r p s o f . w e n e it n s io onstruct truction the cons has worked in c said. hematr of mat ow to o s s e f Rowell for charity, he o r MSU p others h een has all b -year-old retired build and teach age 6 The 76 st weekdays to LL on p E W O o R m See ics helps (top) Devin Wright and Sterling Hoover. (bottom) C.W. Rowell (Photos by Julia Raymond)
MSU sees drop in dropout rate, jump in grads Kyle Christian For the Wichitan
According to the latest statistics, MSU’s graduation and freshman retention rates are higher than they have ever been. Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness Dr. Robert Clark said these accomplishments are not coincidental. Rather, they are the result of specific policy decisions made at the administrative level. Seventy-five percent of the 701 first-time, fulltime beginning freshmen admitted for the fall 2008 semester returned in 2009. This marks an improvement of four percent from 2007. It is also the highest freshman retention rate on record since 1990. Clark attributes the improvement to more rigorous admission requirements. MSU admissions standards were last raised in 2006.
See DROPOUT on page 3
Departments work ‘Side by Side’ for Sondheim show Chris Collins Managing Editor
A musical production has the MSU music and theatre departments working side by side, but time conflicts are causing them to race toward opening night at a frenzied rate. Side by Side by Sondheim, if all goes as planned, will debut this Thursday. The show is a review of the music and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim, an American composer, said Ruth Morrow, MSU chair of music. Sondheim is famous for his work with West Side Story and Sweeney Todd, she said. “This is the early music of Stephen Sondheim,” Morrow said. “But it’s different because it’s a review – rather than having a plotline itself, it gathers music from his various shows.” Students of music and theatre can appreciate Sondheim’s work, said Morrow, who will be playing piano for the musical. The show will be opening a week earlier than planned due to scheduling conflicts, she said. And the Rain Came to Mayfield, a play put on by the theatre department last semester, advanced in the American College Theatre contest, causing time conflicts for some of the cast mem-
bers. Bad weather has also caused the troupe to miss a few practices. Regardless, she said, everything is going fairly smoothly. Morrow said she sees the cooperation between the two departments as a benefit to both programs. “I’ll take anybody who wants to work,” Morrow said. “Hopefully our music majors – especially the vocalists – have some desire to work on their stagecraft. By the same token, most actors probably want to be able to use their voices in a singing capacity.” Currently MSU does not have a musical theatre degree. Morrow said she thinks that’s great. “Honestly, do we have to pigeonhole people even more?” Morrow said. “I think it’s wonderful that we have people who are coming at it from the singing roles and also from the acting roles. They’re learning from each other during rehearsal.” The show was intended for a cast of two women and one man, Morrow said. The MSU rendition will star five women, three men and three pianists. “It gives everybody a little more to do, but it doesn’t give anyone a whole lot to do,” she said. “It gives everybody on set a chance to have a solo, but also be part of the ensemble.”
See SONDHEIM on page 3
fast facts
n MSU’S theatre and music departments are putting on the musical review Side by Side by Sondheim, a sampling of the early music of Stephen Sondheim, an American composer best known for West Side Story and Sweeney Todd. The show opens Thursday and runs through Sunday.
showtimes:
n Thursday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 n Friday, Feb. 12 at 7:30 n Saturday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 n Sunday, Feb. 14 at 2:30 Cast members from the upcoming production Side by Side by Sondheim will perform a sampling of an American composer’s musical works on the MSU stage. The music and theatre departments have collaborated on the project, which opens Thursday. (Photo by Kassie Bruton)