THE STUDENT VOICE OF MIDWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY
THE WICHITAN page 5 page 7 Historical Grammys Mustang upset Herbie Hancock takes Album of the Year, Amy Winehouse takes home landmark number of awards.
Mens basketball defeats No. 12 Tarleton State, 79-65, snapping Texans’ winning streak.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2008
State’s financial shortcomings may cost students PATRICK JOHNSTON PHOTO EDITOR
Students in love are easy to find on campus, but there are also more than 25 couples at MSU among the faculty.
Graphic by Brittany Norman, Photos by Patrick Johnston
Schoolhouse Crushes
Professors work with husbands, wives on campus, prove romance isn’t just for young ASHLEY CAMPANA FOR THE WICHITAN Home is where the heart is. When it comes to Valentine’s Day, so is the office for more than 25 couples at MSU. That many husbands and wives work on campus. For them, every day is a particularly up close day but Valentine’s Day offers something special. Many volunteered to share their thoughts, suggestions and advice on the occasion. Elizabeth Yarosz-Ash and Richard Ash III, both professors of art, have spent 26 Valentine’s Days together. According to Ms. Yarosz-Ash, her most memorable Valentine’s Day was spending it with a group of couples where the men read poetry and cooked for the wives. It’s actually how she and her husband met. According to Ms. Yarosz-Ash, her future husband was the chair of the department when she first started teaching at Midwestern. “He was the only one who didn’t want to
hire me,” she said with a laugh. “I wanted to quit the first year but by summertime he thought I was OK.” Present at that same Valentine’s Party were James and Lynn Hoggard. Mr. Hoggard, Perkins-Prothro distinguished professor of English, and Dr. Hoggard, professor of English and foreign languages, have shared 33 Valentine’s Days together. Mr. Hoggard was the one who chose the poetry for the men to read to their wives that night. The Hoggards both laughed when the evening was brought up. Many memories and jokes came out of that experience together, they said. Being a professional writer, Mr. Hoggard read his own poetry to his wife while suggesting the works of Shakespeare and ee cummings to the other men. Mr. Hoggard said the most memorable thing about Valentine’s Day is his wife. “Being herself has given me a great deal of pleasure,” he said. Heidi Hakimi-Hood, college coordinator, and her husband Dr. Jeffrey Hood, assistant
professor of mathematics, have shared seven Valentine’s Days together. Hakimi-Hood’s favorite treat on Valentine’s Day was Dr. Hood making her spaghetti and meatballs. According to Hakimi-Hood, her favorite gift was the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. Marvin Hambrook, maintenance technician, and his wife, Sue, secretary of respiratory care, have seen 42 Valentine’s Days together. 1996 was Ms. Hambrook’s favorite Valentine’s Day. “My grandson, D.J., was born on Valentine’s Day so that was my most memorable,” she said. Sue Nelson, associate director of financial aid, has a cookbook collection and enjoys sentimental cards and additions to her collection from her husband L.O. Nelson, assistant director of the small business and development center. This year, though, was especially memorable, a combination early Valentine’s
See “Valentine’s” page 3
Job expo gives chance for networking LINDSAY LEMON FOR THE WICHITAN Midwestern State University will host a Career Exploration Day from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Comanche Suites in the Clark Student Center on Thursday, February 21. The career expo will be held for all MSU students looking for information on career opportunities within their major once they graduate. According to Melissa Yip of the Career Management Center, approximately 40 MSU alumni will be on hand to answer any questions students have and offer career advice. Yip said, “All the speakers grad-
uated from MSU with either an undergraduate degree or higher.” Yip said the main reason for holding the conference is to show students the different possible career choices that are available for their degree. According to Dr. Pam Midgett of the MSU Counseling Center, the expo offers students information about possible future careers that is different from the Majors Fair. According to Yip, the expo is a come-and-go event where students come at their convenience and speak to MSU graduates who hold degrees and jobs within the students’ majors. The different speakers will have
their own tables set up so students can move through the Comanche Suites and find graduates with degrees in their major. Dr. Midgett said students can speak to different people and match their major with a specific career. In addition to current MSU students, recent MSU graduates and local and area high school students are also expected to attend the expo. According to Dr. Midgett, students from Rider, Wichita Falls High School, Hirschi, Burkburnett, Iowa Park, Henrietta, and Archer City have also been invited. Although high school students have been invited, Midgett said,
“The Career Management Center and the Counseling Center have MSU students at the heart of their mission.” Midgett and Yip both agree that making contacts with people in the workforce is always beneficial. “Every person you meet has the potential to influence your career down the line,” said Midgett. The expo is being co-sponsored by the MSU Career Management Center and the Counseling Center and this is the first year it is being held. For any additional information students are encouraged to call the Career Management Center at 397HIRE or the Counseling Center at 397-4618.
MSU administrators will propose an increase in local tuition, course fees and the student service fee to combat the lack of state appropriations. The recommendations will be made at the MSU Board of Regents meeting on Thursday and Friday. If the measure passes, students taking 12 hours next fall would be paying $1,663.20, compared to $1,584 currently. Local tuition would be increased by $6.60 per credit hour (5 percent of total tuition). The administration is also recommending raising the student service fee by $1.40, increasing it to $15.65 per credit hour ($250 maximum). This increase would raise the fee to $187.80 for a student taking 12 hours, compared to $171 currently. The increased student service fee is in addition to the $10-per-credithour athletic fee ($120 maximum) that recently passed by student vote. The athletic fee is pending approval by the Board and the Texas Legislature and would go into affect Fall 2009. Almost all course fees, with the exception of those raised in Fall 2007, were raised by $2 per credit hour for Spring 2008. Nursing, which was increased in Fall 2007, also increased by an additional $10 per credit hour. The administration is proposing to increase course fees per credit hour in English from $5 to $6, kinesiology from $10 to $15, management information systems from $7 to $15, and nursing from $25 to $30. The sharp increase in course fees
for nursing is to help fund the Simulation Center at United Regional Health Care Center, which lost a $325,000 grant. According to Juan Sandoval, vice president for administration and finance, most public colleges and universities in Texas are facing increases in tuition and fees due to a lack of funding from the state government. MSU has received $5 million less in funding from the state government in 2007 than it did in 2000. In addition, the school must deal with rising costs in everything from energy to supplies. To help offset the $1 million increase in utilities between 2006 and 2007 alone, the university initiated an energy surcharge of $6.50 per credit hour in Spring 2008. The university also had to use reserves in order to satisfy the current budget. The reserves were nearly $15 million in 2006 but were depleted to $11.6 million in 2007. Reserves are considered “rainy day” funds. The monies allow the university to run temporarily if the state government does not approve the budget before a school year begins. According to Sandoval, it takes approximately $10 million to run the campus for a two-month period. “There is a dependence on reserves and the president (of MSU) is trying to end this,” Sandoval said. “Savings was not intended to be an operations budget. It is meant for an emergency.” The Board of Regents meeting is open to the public and will be held Thursday at 1:30 p.m. and Friday at 9 a.m. in the Hardin Board Room next to the President’s Office.
New residence hall proposed for MSU CHRIS COLLINS MANAGING EDITOR
Construction of a new campus residence hall is under consideration. The proposal to build a threestory, 264-bed structure will be presented to the MSU Board of Regents when it meets on campus Thursday and Friday. The project, estimated to cost about $21 million, will be built in 2009 if approved by the Board. The facility will be constructed on the corner of Louis J. Rodriguez and Midwestern Parkway, where the Mercantile Building currently stands. The dormitory will be selffunded, meaning that the mortgage will be paid by residents, not student service fees. The residence hall will have all the amenities of Sunwatcher Village and will be modeled after the popular upperclassmen apartments. Collegiate Development will be designing the structure and overseeing construction.
Kyle Owen, associate director of the physical plant, said 150 students were put on a waiting list to be placed in dorms last year. In past years, MSU has contracted with French Quarter and Colonial Heights apartments to handle the student overflow. “It’s imperative to give students the opportunity to live on campus,” said Dr. Howard Farrell, vice president of university advancement and student affairs. “Students who live on campus graduate faster and make better grades.” Administrators are also discussing plans to build new fraternity and sorority housing to accommodate Greek students. “We’ve talked about putting in a Greek row,” Farrell said. “Some of them can afford it. Others can’t.” In other Board action, the possible purchase of property on Hampstead Boulevard will be discussed along with the installation of new fiber optic cable for the Clark Student Center.