Feb. 21, 2018 | Midwestern State University | thewichitan.com | Your Campus. Your News. | Vol. 82 No. 20
Housing Office Moves
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The Office of Housing and the Office of World Languages and Cultures are moving their offices in the upcoming months.
Critical Conversations
PHOTO BY FRANCISCO MARTINEZ | THE WICHITAN
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A panel of faculty discuss what is considered free speech and take questions from the audience.
Pamela Hughes, director of marketing and development for THE Kitchen, speaks about attempting to gather 6,000 people in hopes to set a guinness world record for most couples dancing at the same time, during the Student Government Association’s meeting on Feb. 20.
SGA proposes to honor victims of Florida shooting KRISTIN SILVA REPORTER
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Urinetown Makeup
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Christopher Cruz, theater junior, designs and helps actors apply their makeup for ’Urinetown.’
o update and inform attendees of housing changes, volunteer opportunities, community service opportunities and potential technological advancements, the Student Government Association hosted its bi-weekly meeting in the Clark Student Center Comanche Suite on Feb. 20. Ace Elliot, student government community service chairwoman, is waiting on approval to reserve a booth outside of the Comanche Suit in the Clark Student Center and said she would like for the community to come together and send personalized cards to each of the 17 victims’ families who were affected by the Florida school shooting. Since the approval is pending there is no set date, but the time of the event would be 11a.m. to 2p.m. “No amount of words could help, but
[telling the families] that while we’re here in Texas, we’re thinking about those in Florida,” Elliot said. “It impacted all of us somehow, the small things really make a difference.” Attendance from students will be needed on April 21 to help Meals on Wheels break the Guinness Book of World Records for most amount of couples dancing. Director of Marketing and Development for Meals on Wheels, Pam Hughes, said at least 300 volunteers are needed alongside the 6,000 people estimated to attend to break the record. As long as student identification is shown, students get into the event for free and have the access to free transportation to and from the event provided by the school and Meals on Wheels. “We are going to have drones flying overhead, it’ll be a lot of fun,” Hughes said. “After it’s over, we’re going to have a super celebration [with] vendors, alcohol, if you’re legal, and water if you’re not. And DJ Marcus will be
the main entertainment for the night.” Chief Information Officer, David Sanchez, discussed the comprehensive survey that will be available in early March which students will have the option to take to help better the technological disadvantages that may be present on campus. Sanchez also mentioned the advancements already being implemented to better serve students. Hughes informed SGA members of the Meals on Wheels fund raising event occurring on April 21 and their need for an intern. Kristi Schulte, director of residence life, informed SGA members of the increase in the number of students living on campus, how the residence life budget is spent, where and when the housing office is set to move and the tearing down of Bridwell Hall. Elliot mentioned her plan to send cards and donated items to the affected families of the Florida school shooting.
2 | Feb. 21, 2018 | STAF F E DI T O R I A L
Utilize opportunities be heard OUR VIEW: Faculty and administration offer countless opportunities like critical conversation panels for students to use their voices, talents and perspectives that students fail to utilize.
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aculty members put on panel discussions that pertain to relevant and serious issues evident in national headlines, yet only a handful of students bothered to show up or participate in the discussion following the events. Students are quick to whine and slow to act, yet we feel entitled in spouting our opinion on social media instead of actively doing something to garner interest and development. People can only advertise events or write about important topics for so long before the burden falls on the neglectful audiences that either aren’t seeking the information or are looking for an excuse to be lazy and uninformed. The world is at our fingertips, and we live in a time where people are eager to discuss current events everywhere you turn, but people have to be well-informed and confident enough in themselves to use the rights given to them through the Constitution. Choose to have a sense of purpose and participate in critical conversations amongst one another.
CORRECTIONS In the past three print issues we have only shown posters from eight of the nine best picture nominations for the Academy Awards. The Wichitan regrets this error.
Don’t make a mockery of my ESA
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nitially, I was hesitant to bring my emotional support animal to campus. I saw Cocoa as a walking symbol of my struggle with my mental health. I hated when people asked me how I managed to get a dog in the dorms. After explaining that she is an emotional support animal, I got the most uncomfortable looks, and I felt as though they were judging Jaylon me. I felt as though my privacy was being inWilliams vaded whenever people would question me about why I was allowed to have Cocoa. However, I soon realized this mentality was selfish. Having Cocoa gave me a prime opportunity to advocate for mental health, so there was no reason for me to feel ashamed. I had people asking me about the process, so they could see about getting an emotional support animal as well. I was more than willing to direct them to disability services because I was glad that I could do my part in helping people gain control of their mental illness. Unfortunately, there are always ignorant people who want to ruin a good thing for everyone else. I’ve had people approach me saying things like, “I just have to pretend something is wrong with me, and I’ll be allowed to have a dog, right?” or “I have a family member who’s a psy-
chiatrist, and they are going to write me a letter so I can have a dog.” It sickens me to know that people are so willing to take advantage of a system that is actually trying to help students struggling with mental health. People like this are undermining those who are actually trying to advocate for emotional support animals and service animals. I would like to emphasize that I would not have my ESA here if I did not need her. She is trained to respond to commands, and she knows how to deal with my panic attacks. These are things she learned herself or had to be taught. I love Cocoa with my whole heart, but she was my last hope in gaining control of my mental illness. I go to counseling, and I take antidepressants on top of having her there to handle my anxiety. I cannot stress enough that I would not have my dog living on this campus unless I needed her. This is why I am so disheartened by all of the people trying to abuse the help that disability services has to offer. Most of these people who ask about ESA’s just want to be approved to have puppies to keep in their dorms or apartments. This is making a mockery of those who actually are in need of these animals for their physical or mental disabilities. Jaylon Williams is a sociology senior.
Aim for long term goal, not short term payoff
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here’s a scientific study that says if you stand in a superhero pose for just five minutes before a job interview, a big presentation or a really hard task, you will not only feel more confident, but you will perform measurably better. At least, that’s what Amelia Shepherd says on “Grey’s Anatomy.” Regardless, if these reBrendan sults are accurate, or if such a study even exists, Wynne I believe it’s true. In the past month, I have undergone more “new” in my life than I have ever experienced. I’ve started new classes that deal with subjects I’ve never seen before, I’ve started a new job that has put me through the wringer and I’ve spent more time doing things that deal with a 30,000 foot view than I care to admit. And by “30,000 foot view,” I mean things that don’t have a short-term payoff – things that take weeks or months to see any real results. When those goals seem so far away, keeping myself motivated gets so much harder than I ever realized. I am constantly reminded that the scariest aspect about any new class, job or opportunity is the looming possibility of failure. It’s a cruel joke that the thing you want the most can,
wichitan
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Vol. 82 | No. 20
Midwestern State University Fain Fine Arts Bldg., Room D201 3410 Taft Blvd. Wichita Falls, Texas 76308 (940) 397-4704 wichitan@mwsu.edu thewichitan.com @wichitanonline
so easily, be the same thing that scares you to your core. It’s never easy to come to terms with that. It’s never easy when you realize just how long the road to your goal is. But it is so worth it. I’ve never been more uncomfortable, and I’ve never been more scared. I cannot recall a time that I have wrestled more with my “fight or flight” response than I have in the past few weeks. I could step back and concede that this job, or this class, may not be for me, or I could hold my head up high, puff out my chest and make the best of it. Today, I choose the latter. I choose to embrace the scary. I choose to embrace it because once you’ve made it to the 30,000 foot view, it is incredible. When you can see that same long, jagged road from the other side, it is something you will never forget. When olympians step off that podium, gold medal draped around their neck, they don’t tell reporters that it was easy. They tell them it was worth it. So, put your hands on your hips, puff your chest out and hold your head up high. Embrace the scary. You won’t regret it. Brendan Wynne is a mass communication junior.
EDITOR: Tyler Manning MANAGING EDITOR: Cortney Wood VISUALS EDITOR: Justin Marquart PHOTO EDITOR: Francisco Martinez ISSUE STAFF: Kristin Silva, Jaylon Williams, Brendan Wynne, Brian Lang, Chloe Phillips, Sarah Graves, Keanna Jenkins
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Bridget Reilly, Rachel Johnson, Joanne Ortega
ADVISER: Bradley Wilson
Copyright ©2018. 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 email address, telephone number and address.
| Feb. 21, 2018 | 3
Students rush to see ‘Black Panther’ BRIAN LANG REPORTER
T Michael B. Jordan, Chadwick Boseman, and Janeshia Adams-Ginyard in Black Panther (2018)
‘Black Panther’ changes the superhero genre I t’s no secret that Marvel’s newest superhero flick “Black Panther” has roared into theaters. Although I was sure that it could not possibly live up to all of the hype, thankfully, I was badly mistaken. With its fresh feel and amazing cast, “Black Panther” is Brian one of the best Marvel movies to Lang date. “Black Panther” follows King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) of the fictional African country Wakanda following the events of “Captain America: Civil War.” He returns to his country for his official coronation, but trouble is in the air as his cousin, Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) challenges his right to the throne. The cast is loaded with the best in the business. Boseman and Jordan are surrounded by four amazing actresses: Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright and Angela Bassett. These amazing women portray queens, scientists and warriors and carry the film. While Black Panther is the main character, these women are truly the heroes of the story. The production design for “Black Panther” is gorgeous. Brilliant costumes, representative of real African garb, fill the screen. The futuristic technology and sets are breathtaking. “Black Panther’s” soundtrack is a perfect fusion of hip-hop and tribal music, illustrating the blend between the traditional and modern in Wakanda. Kendrick Lamar, rapper, spearheads the soundtrack and creates great music that can stand on its own. The great debate in “Black Panther” centers around whether Wakanda should provide justice
Florence Kasumba and Lupita Nyong’o in Black Panther (2018) for the centuries of oppression of the black community, or focus on a brilliant new future. In this way, the name “Black Panther” takes on a new meaning. It represents both the reallife militant group and the fictional role of King T’Challa. The fight for which moniker will last is central to the film. This struggle between justice and forgiveness is extremely relevant to society. Although many may argue that “Black Panther” is merely a superhero movie, it represents so much more than that. It provides representation and role models to people who have been sidelined so often in pop culture. It encourages us to forgive and look through others’ perspectives. “Black Panther” is the movie that we need right now. Its success sends a clear message to filmmakers that black-centered movies are wanted and that the talent is present. I can’t wait to see what groundbreaking films will follow the path laid down by “Black Panther.” Rating: 8/10
he smell of popcorn and hum of a crowd filled the Wichita Falls Cinemark Friday, Feb. 16 as the community congregated to see Marvel’s newest superhero movie, “Black Panther.” While people waited in line, many wore African style clothing along with Marvel attire and discussed their excitement for the film. The anticipation was electrifying throughout the theater, and about 30 people met with the Black Student Union and the Office of Equity, Inclusion and Multicultural Affairs at the 10:30 p.m. showing of “Black Panther” to witness the premiere of this historic installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the inclusive cast. The about 200 seats of the theater were filled, and to further the Marvel saturation of the night, a preview to the new “Avengers: Infinity War” played before the screening, and Ben Colvin, chemistry freshman, said he was glad to have events like the meetup to get students out-and-about in the community doing fun things. “I’m interested in the MCU, and I wanted to see the preview for ‘Avengers: Infinity War,’” Colvin said. “I would like to go to more events like this off campus if they were just for MSU students for college prices, like Target night.” During the beginning of the semesters, University Programming Board members and Resident Hall Association members will host a variety of events like late night bowling and Target nights for students to have fun and create community involvement. According to Colvin, “Black Panther” was a great movie in itself and the themes, motifs and conversations bred out of the film encourage discussions on relevant topics today. “It was a pretty good movie, the storyline was, overall, very good,” Colvin said. “It showed a strong sense of family while acknowledging realworld problems. It had a sense of oppression and perseverance through real-life obstacles.” According to Savannah Rodriguez,
Chadwick Boseman and Lupita Nyong’o in Black Panther (2018) biology freshman, she went to the movie because her friends went. Haskell Hollier, mass communication sophomore, who said he is a “big nerd” when it comes to Marvel, plans to see Panther a second time because of how good it was. “The movie did really well with establishing everybody’s character. The character development, Micheal B. Jordan, his role as a villain, I haven’t seen that good of villain since Heath Ledger’s Joker,” Hollier said. Kendall Ogletree, criminal justice junior, also wanted to see the movie because of its representation and that he has never seen a black super hero before. “It’s Black History Month right now and I saw how the movie took place in Africa, and I was really interested in it,” Ogletree said. “And Michael B. Jordan, he’s one of my favorite actors so that’s another reason why I wanted to see it.” Hollier also said he liked the film’s representation of African culture and how it was not white washed. “You know the movie ‘The Great Wall’ with Matt Damon. He’s a Caucasian actor, but he’s playing an asian role,” Hollier said “Also, even though Wakanda is like an advanced technological city, they still didn’t just rule out all the African culture. They still have African culture. You can see it even though the city is advanced, they still go back to those types of old day, so they didn’t really lose their traditions.” Additional reporting by Kristin Silva and Chloe Phillips.
4 | Feb. 21, 2018 | U P C O M I N G E V E NT S Multicultural Greek Council “Hump Day”
Feb. 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | CSC Atrium | Join the culturally-based fraternities and sororities for a day of chilling on the yard, connecting with friends, and taking a midday break from hump day.
Avoiding Plagiarism in Writing Research Papers Feb. 21 from 2 to 3 p.m. and Feb. 22 from 3 to 4 p.m.| Moffett Library 212A | The workshop details the steps to avoid plagiarism, a serious error in writing those first papers, which is to be avoided at all cost.
PHOTO BY CORTNEY WOOD | THE WICHITAN
Joel Murrary installs a fire alarm in the new housing building in Feb. 19. Photo by Cortney Wood
Housing and world languages to move offices TYLER MANNING EDITOR
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ith plans of renovations, a new language lab, more inclusion and the possibility of culture-based cooking classes, these soonto-be realities for faculty members of the Office of Housing and Office of World Languages and Cultures are accompanied by the preparations to move oncampus locations. The Office of Housing will move locations to the Sunwatcher Clubhouse on March 2. However, if a scheduling problem occurs, Kristi Schulte, director of housing and residence life, said they will move offices by the end of spring break. Their estimated cost to make the renovations to Sunwatcher averaged around $120,000. “There were plans to relocate the housing office to Sunwatcher well before my arrival two years ago, and this year some funding plans fell in place and we will be moving to make room for the new language labs that are to be completed this semester and into the summer,” Schulte said. How to keep program space in the new office after renovations was a concern for the faculty in the housing office, but Schulte said the renovation plans were carefully thought out and tailored accordingly. “When we re-designed the layout, it was important for us to recognize that that is used as a programming space, and when converting over to an office, we wanted to minimize the impact that would have on loss of programming space,” Schulte said. “What we ended up doing was re-designing the layout and the footprint of the floor plan, so the office space can be secured, and residence life staff will continue to have access to the classroom and now to a new conference room after hours.” Resident assistants said the moving of locations is a good thing and will help utilize the space more effectively, and Sarah Wood, management junior, said, the plan is “good because Sunwatcher wasn’t really used a lot, especially the workout room, which “was kind of like a dead zone,” she said.
According to Lily Greeno, special education sophomore, the location will make it more accessible for oncampus residents to access. “It’s smart because people will actually know where it’s located rather than being in a building full of classes,” Greeno said. “It’s easier and more accessible for the people that actually live on campus.” After the housing office moves, the space will be renovated for the Office of World Languages and Culture to move in, and Jeffrey Oxford, chair of world languages and cultures, said he has been working on this project since he first started working in the fall of 2015 and that there are numerous plans set for the workspace. “Our plans are to do a whole lot more with this space–that’s one of the reasons we wanted a bigger space–than simply the lab exercises for textbooks for our particular classes,” Oxford said. “We’re planning on setting up a stage so some of our upper level classes can put on dramas–that we can host for the public as well.” Along with the plays, Oxford said he hopes the department can bring in speakers “from time to time” and have that as a speaker space. To further bring in excitement for the culture department, Oxford said he hope to use the kitchen space to teach culture-centered cooking courses. “It has been a dream of ours, and several professors since I first came here in the fall of 2015 have been hounding me about wanting to teach cooking classes,” Oxford said. “The French and German professors, for example, want to have German food and French cuisine. And even some of the Spanish professors have mentioned wanting to have a cooking type class where exam these types of food and what not.” One of the new additions faculty said they are looking forward to is a new language lab for classes, and Sarah Butler, instructor of Spanish, said the advancements will help grow the department. “We plan to have a language practice section where
see CONSTRUCTION pg. 7
the best parts of our community by supporting men and women who are simply phenomenal.
Theatre Production
Feb. 22, 23 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. and Feb. 24, 25 from 2:30 to 4 p.m.| Fain Fine Arts Theatre | Come out and watch a satirical musical.
Bench Dedication Ceremony
Feb. 23 at 1 p.m. | Ferguson Hall | Come out to recognize these men and women and hear their personal stories of perseverance and triumph.
Writing Proficiency Exam Workshop
Expressions Culture Show
EURECA Posters On the Go
Black Excellence Gala
Feb. 21 from 4 to 5 p.m. | Prothro-Yeager Hall 101 | Need help in preparing for the writing proficiency exam, come to the workshop for tips and tricks.
Feb. 22 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. | Current EURECA scholars present preliminary draft posters of their research endeavors in two 45 minute rounds. All students and faculty are welcome to attend.
Feb. 23 from 7 to 9 p.m. | Akin Auditorium | Come out for an evening of Caribbean arts and culture to express the proud traditions of the islands.
Feb. 24 from 6 to 9 p.m. | CSC Comanche | The 3rd Annual Black Excellence Gala is a night of class, pride and a good time. Come out for an evening to recognize members of the MSU community, words of inspiration, a succulent meal, rounded out by busting a couple of moves on the dance floor.
Flatbed Press: Proofs and Black History Month Processes Trivia Feb. 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. | Wichita Falls Museum of Art at MSU | The Wichita Falls Museum of Art at MSU will hold an opening reception for the exhibit Flatbed Press: Proofs and Processes.
Ms/Mr Black Excellence Pageant
Feb. 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. | Akin Auditorium | Who is poised, confident, ambitious, and all-around beautiful person representing the culture in style and grace? MSU’s Black excellence is something to showcase and be proud of. Let’s celebrate
Feb. 26 from 7 to 9 p.m. | CSC Comanche | Let your competitive spirit shine in how much you know about African American history, pop culture, politics, social activism, and much more.
Spades, Dominoes and Chess Tournament
Feb. 28 from 7 to 9 p.m. | CSC Wichita 1 and 2 | Do you have skills? Can you play with the BEST of them? Get your teammate or roll solo to play for some cool prizes and have a good time.
CRIME LOG Drugs: PossessionPenalty Group
Feb. 16 at 3:02 p.m. | Legacy Hall | Dispatched to Legacy Hall on a Hall Director finding what her believed to be drugs in a dorm room.
Criminal Mischief
Feb. 15 at 8:02 a.m. | Hardin Administration Building | Ground Superintendent called to report that damage was done to a pillar in front to the Hardin Building.
Theft-Misdemeanor
Feb. 12 at 3:02 p.m. | Legacy Hall | Student reported clothing stolen from Legacy laundry room.
Online Impersonation
Feb. 2 at 2:02 p.m. | Memorial Building | A fake Midwestern State University website has been created in an attempt to defraud persons.
| Feb. 21, 2018 | 5 PHOTOS BY RACHEL JOHNSON | THE WICHITAN
Syreeta Greene, director of equity, inclusion and multicultural affairs, leads the panel discussion on First Amendment rights and freedom of speech on a college campus.
Latoya Fondren, mass communication junior, asks the only question in the talk-back portion of the Critical Conversations: “Degrees of Freedom: Is Free Speech Free?” held in the Legacy Multipurpose Room, Monday, Feb. 19, 2018.
Critical Conversations discusses limits of free speech CHLOE PHILLIPS REPORTER
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o discuss the legal and conceptual aspects of freedom of speech, the Office of Equity, Inclusion and Multicultural Affairs personnel brought a panel of faculty members to the critical conversations series program on Feb. 19 in the Legacy Multipurpose Room. The panel included Donovan Irven, philosophy visiting assistant professor, Angela Cartwright, curriculum and learning assistant professor, Linda Veazey, associate political science professor, Andrea Button, sociology assistant professor, and Jim Sernoe, mass communication department chair and associate professor. Irven was invited to the panel by Button because of his discipline and interaction with the necessity of this freedom. “This is a really pressing and important topic that’s impacting us right now that’s happening on campus with some of the flier-ing that has been going on,” Irven said. “It’s a conversation that needs to happen in a sort of thoughtful and conscientious way that I thought together collectively we could all hopefully bring about.” According to Irven, some fliers around campus included hate speech directed toward other students, and though free speech is an inalienable right, it “always comes with certain responsibilities,” he said. “There are rights that should be handled with care and that burden you a certain responsibility,” Irven said. “[Jean-Paul] Sartre, a French existentialist, said ‘people are condemned to be free,’ which means that our freedom burdens us to have to make these choices that are weighted with consequences that shape us as how we are as people. So, no it’s not free in the sense that it comes with these heavy responsibilities for us to be able to interact and respect one another.” For Button’s discipline of sociology, she said they view free speech in two parts: structure and culture, and both factors fuse together to to create what Americans recognize as free speech and culture.
A panel including Donovan Irven, philosophy visiting assistant professor, Angela Cartwright, curriculum and learning assistant professor, Linda Vezy, political science associate professor, Andrea Button, sociology assistant professor, and Jim Sernoe, mass communication chair discuss the topic of First Amendment rights on a college campus where 25 people were in attendance. “Structure is laws, it’s policies, it’s institutions, it’s buildings and it’s all of those things,” Button said. “Culture is, ‘why does it look the way that it does?’ This culture is what it informs, what those things are gonna look like.” Button further explained how sociology “is tasked with studying the culture of why” and how it breaks down in two different forms. “You have ideal culture and your real culture. Ideal culture is this is what we say we are, ‘We’re a nation of freedom, we’re a nation of equality, we’re a nation of free speech, we’re a nation of xyz’ ideally. Ideal culture is abstract, ideal is something that you hope to have,” Andrea Button said.
Although the rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution are extended to all American citizens, Cartwright said people view the First Amendment in an individualist point of view, and not as an extension to others. When talking about freedom, Cartwright said people will default to “really fluffy stuff” where people think they can do whatever they want without considering how it will impact those around them. “Particularly in the United States, we have this very individualistic idea of what freedom means: it’s about my rights and don’t you dare infringe upon them,” Cartwright said.
see SPEECH pg. 7
6 | Feb. 21, 2018 |
Make-up
makes the characters
SARAH GRAVES REPORTER
H
e doesn’t let anyone on stage without his approval first. “If you look bad on stage, it looks bad on the make-up designer, not on the actor,” he said. “That’s why I have make-up call.” While Christopher Cruz, make-up designer and theater junior, sketched the make-up designs weeks in advance, his work comes to life once actors cover their faces with make-up under his watchful eye for the “Urinetown” production. For the cast members that hadn’t taken the stage makeup class or ones with outlandish features, they worked along side Cruz to apply their characters’ make-up on Friday, Feb. 16 during Cruz’s make-up call as a part of tech week. Before any of the actors put their grubby hands on his make-up plan, Cruz said he designed the make-up for the cast immediately after reading the script and discussing with Christie Maturo, director. “I read the script first and get a feel of it—what the show is about, themes and mood. Then I usually wait for the director to write her concept statement,” Cruz said. “I go from there because everything that needs to be created is from the director’s eyes.” After talking to Maturo, Cruz said he looked for inspiration to recreate each character’s unique look. “This play has a lot of characters, so I had to be a little creative to create my own backstories for them. Some characters are inspired by comedic characters like Little Sally,” Cruz said. “My inspiration for her was this girl
PHOTOS BY SARAH GRAVES AND JOANNE ORTEGA | THE WICHITAN
Kendall Jones learns how to apply his makeup for Urinetown from Christopher Cruz, head of makeup and Mr. McQueen, in the dressing room on Feb. 16, 2018. named La Chilindrina from a Mexican comedy show called ‘El Chavo del Ocho’.” According to Cruz, he sketched the designs in pencil first, then created the final design with fine details and color for the actors to see how they would look for the show to best accentuate each role. The make-up often reflects the personalities of the actress. Haley Hancock, music freshman, has a loud voice that carried through her vibrant make-up to capture Little Becky’s persona. According to Hancock, “Cruz did a good job” of conveying her character’s make-up in the musical. “The goal was for me to look a bit promiscuous, and we achieved that because I’m getting all the honeys,” Hancock said as she slipped in Little Becky’s voice and character. Hancock’s character entrances the men in the play,
so her make-up needed to be coy and inviting, but as the play progresses she sheds her innocent, flirty attitude once she becomes pregnant in the play. Because she doesn’t “really wear make-up on the daily,” Hancock said she was nervous to do her makeup for the show. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in a show,” Hancock said. “It’s been since my
“This play has a lot of characters, so I had to be a little creative to create my own backstories for them.” CHRISTOPHER CRUZ MAKE-UP DESIGNER AND THEATER JUNIOR
sophomore year, so I haven’t worn theater make-up in a long time.” Much like Hancock, Kendall Jones, playing Senator Fipp and vocal performance and biology freshman, said he was nervous to do his makeup too, but knows it will get better with practice because he had “never done make-up before.” “I literally had to get a woman in Walgreen’s to help get all of this make-up. I asked her to get me the nicest, cheapest stuff and she hooked me up,” Jones said. “The first time I try to do this myself, I’ll probably look like a fool clown, but you have to fail to get better.” Never one to let his actors make a fool of themselves, Cruz said he checks their make-up anytime they are going on stage, and Kalli Root, Little Sally and English junior, said she came to make-up call so Cruz could
As a way to teach Samuel Mitchell, mass communication sophomore, how to correctly apply his make-up, Christopher Cruz, theater junior, demonstrates how to do it for the first time. show her how to do her eyebrows for the show. To scrap the actors and actresses personal appearances in place of the characters, Cruz has a few tricks up his sleeve including a glue stick and foundation to cover Root’s eyebrows. “I’ve never had my eyebrows completely covered before. It’s taken about 45 minutes this time, so hopefully it won’t take as long once I do it a few times,” Root said. “Chris said he wanted my character’s eyebrows to angle down a little bit because my natural eyebrows are fairly arched. It makes me look sad.” While Nicole Smalls, Penelope Pennywise and theater performance sophomore, had experience with simple stage make-up, this over-the-top musical requires a more exaggerated make-up touch than she is used to. After she attempted her
makeup for the first time, Smalls laughed as she drew on her uneven eyebrows. “In high school, I did my make-up for a musical, but it was much simpler,” Smalls said. “All I know are the basics of stage make-up, so I don’t know how to do the arch of eyebrows.” According to Cruz, these tips and tricks are common place behind-the-scenes of plays and musicals, but Smalls said it takes more than just a few tries to execute them properly. “I understand the concept, but while actually doing it, it went wrong,” Smalls said. “I drew it too long and the arch isn’t really there. It looks like a divide symbol. I really don’t know what happened.” To see the characters on full display, go see “Urinetown” will be playing from Feb. 22- March 1 in the Fain Fine Arts Theater.
| Feb. 21, 2018 | 7
Basketball hosts Cameron University for last home game MAKAYLA SCHECK SPORTS REPORTER
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en’s and women’s basketball faced Cameron University for their last game 2017-18 regular season game at D. L. Ligon Coliseum. The women were defeated at the 5:30 p.m. game, while the men won at the 7:30 p.m. game on Feb. 20. “It felt good to be back on the court and making a contribution on the court, instead of cheerleading and coaching a little,” Nick Powell, forward and undecided senior said. “I think we did really well, especially compared to our last game. We came with a new approach and played as a team, so we came out with a win.” Chelcie Kizart, guard and pre-physical therapy junior, started off the first quarter by making the first basket at the 8:32 mark. At the 6:47 mark, Kristin Rydell, guard and nursing senior, missed a three-pointer, but Micheline Mercelita, forward and kinesiology senior, rebounded the ball and made the basket. At the 2:12 mark, Rydell managed to steal the ball from Cameron University and make a layup. The second quarter started with a 1512 score, only 10 minutes before haltime. At the 9:26 mark, Whitney Taylor, forward and education senior, made a three-pointer and brought the score to 18-14. Jasmine Richardson, guard and exercise physiology senior, tacked on two points for the team to make the score 20-18. With just under two minutes left, Anni Scholl, guard and marketing junior, made a three-point shot to tie up the score. The score going into halftime was 34-34. “We have to come back together as one, how we were at the beginning of the season. We have to be a team, respect each other and have know we have each other’s back on and
off the court,” Kizart said. Brandon Neel, senior guard, started off the first half of the men’s game with a threepoint basket. At the 12:20 mark, Logan Hicks, sophomore guard, made a three-point shot. He then made two fouls shots and a two-point basket to bring the score to 18-20. With 3:20 left until halftime, Neel made another threepointer. Devante Pullum, guard and business senior, made a basket to bring the score to 2935. Neel was up for foul shots at the :53 mark, he made both of them and the score was 3135. Then with :25 on his side, Trey Kennedy, guard and psychology senior, made a threepoint basket. The score at the half was 34-37. “We can defend better and rebound better late in the game. If we get 80 points we should be able to win the game, so definitely defense,” Hicks said. Mercelita made a shot at 7:41 mark to make the score 36-36. At the 6:54 mark, Kizart made a three-point shot and made the score 39-38. Richardson finished out the scoring in the third quarter at the 1:31 mark. The score going into the last quarter of the game was 45-52. The fourth quarter began with a basket by Taylor at the 9:20 mark. She then made a three-pointer at the 4:30 mark, this basket marked the 156th three-point shot in her career at MSU. She is now the all-time three-point leader on campus. Rydell was given a foul shot at the 1:26 mark, she made it and brought the score to 53-67. Avery Queen, forward/center and biology senior, made the final basket for the team with :54 left to the game. The final score was 55-59 and the women’s team was not able to take down Cameron University. “It was really awesome to make the record, I think my team might have been more excit-
from SPEECH pg. 5 According to Greene, current society views individuals as more important than people as a whole, which causes a division between people. “If people see it as ‘It’s my right and I can do with that right as I please,’ without any consequence or without any concern for others who may be impacted by their free speech, then it’s always going to be about what I want and not what’s best for the greater good,” Greene said. “The idea of individualism vs. collectivism is in the DNA and is in the thread of America.” Because that thread is ingrained in Americans “for the past 200 years,” Green said she isn’t sure there is enough energy or time to change our behavior, but with time, she said, we can always move forward. Because America was founded on these values, Veazey said freedom of speech is “central to democracy” and one of the ways to measure democracies is to think of “tolerating dissen,” and how Europeans hate speech is “usually limited” in comparison to America. “That doesn’t mean that they don’t have free-
PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN
Business senior Devante Pullum, jumps above defenders to score a point against Cameron University in the D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Feb 20. ed than I was at the time. It is really exciting, my friend is the one who originally held it and all my teammates over the past four years have been the one to help me get that,” Taylor said. The second half of the men’s game kicked
dom of speech in European union countries, they certainly do, but they have an idea of limits that we don’t,” Veazey said. “The basic premise of a lot of our legal tradition has been that words by themselves don’t hurt unless they’re incorporated with action.” Through that incorporation, Sernoe, said the “first amendment is not absolute,” and consequences to actions and words are met through legal jurisdiction. After being exposed to the multiple angles free speech offers, Catherine Stepniak, psychology and sociology senior, said free speech is an issue she cares about, but when talking about free speech, Stepniak said hate speech “inevitably” comes up and hate speech has been directed towards minority communities as such as the black community. “I loved the event because of how many perspectives it brought up and I thought it was a pretty good turn out, I mean, the room was filled,” Stepniak said. “I learn more about the legal aspect as a sociology major, we’re generally talking about the ideal vs. real culture and to go into the legal aspect was interesting.”
into gear with a layup from Neel at the 16:23 mark, just after Josh Huntley, forward and business senior, added two points to make the score 38-42. At the 14:11 mark, Ola Ayodele, junior guard/forward, stole the ball from Cameron University and passed it to Hicks. Hicks then put it up for a three and brought the team ahead four points. With five minutes left, the game was tied at 64-64. Neel made two foul shots at the 4:52 mark. Just seconds later, Kennedy made a basket and the score was 68-65. As the game neared the end, Hicks made foul shots and the score was 72-67. With :55 seconds left, Ayodele stole the ball and drove down the court. Nearing the basket, he passed the ball behind his back to Pullum. Pullum then handed it to Neel and he made the basket. But the game didn’t stop there. Ayodele made one out of two foul shots at the :37 mark. With :13 left Pullum added another two points to the score, then followed up with one foul shot. The final score was 80-72 and the men’s basketball team rose above Cameron University. “We knew we needed this win because the last game we had we weren’t all together. We came out strong in the second half and executed,” Ayodele said. This game was the last game for the men’s regular season. They will go into the LSC Postseason Tournament on Mar. 1, with a 11-17 record. However, the women’s team still have one final game on Feb. 24 at Texas Women’s University. Their current record is 13-12, going into their final regular season game. They will join the men’s team at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco for the LSC Postseason Tournament. The tournament will take place from Mar. 1 through Mar. 4.
from CONSTRUCTION pg. 4 we have 25 to 30 PCs equipped with headphones, microphones and possibly webcams,” Butler said. “We have been looking at a software product called Sanaco and that allows us to create a bunch of different activities for students practice their speaking skills and listening skills on the PCs.” To Oxford, the old technology of the language labs have been disconcerting for students and faculty. As of now, students have to use cassette tapes to take listening quizzes which often times are hard for students to hear clearly. According to Oxford, “working on cassettes in this day and age is a little bit antiqued.” “It’s funny, but when I came to interview here in the spring of 2013, I was working in Milwaukee at the University of Wisconsin, one of the things I specifically wanted to see was, ‘what kind of lab setup do you have
for your students?’ In Milwaukee, we had a pretty good setup,” Oxford said. “The faculty who were leading me on a tour of campus absolutely refused to carry me over to see the lab. He said, ‘I will carry you anywhere on campus except there.’” The labs help students hear the language they are studying, and Butler said she hopes to use the lab space to help with her class lectures and movie screening. “When we have that lab part operational, I would take my elementary I and II classes there once a week to do practice speaking,” Butler said. “The nice thing about a lab setup is it allows students to be a little less intimidated than me trying to speak Spanish to them, and they answer. I can pair them in different types of pairings and they don’t even know who they’re speaking to because they are just using the headphones and the microphone.”
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PHOTOS BY RACHEL JOHNSON AND CONTRIBUTED BY DEVANTE PULLUM | THE WICHITAN
Devante Pullum, criminal justice senior, poses with coaches and family members during the honoring of seniors in between basketball games in D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Feb. 10. Khloe, Alaina and Aiden Pullum, Devante Pullum’s Kids, smile at the camera.
Point guard balances school, work, being a father of three KEANNA JENKINS REPORTER
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ids, school, practice, kids, repeat. Criminal justice senior Devante Pullum takes on daily challenges that include parenting his three children and maintaining a relationship with his fiancee, while being a full-time student and basketball point guard. In December of 2012, Pullum had his first unplanned child, Aiden, with now fiancee Kaitlyn Kent. The following May in 2013, Pullum also found out that he was expected to have a child with another woman outside of his relationship with Kent. Pullum and Kent agreed that they didn’t need to be in a serious, committed relationship to provide for their son. Pullum said, “We decided co-parenting would be best for our son, instead of forcing a relationship because of him.” While Pullum did not play his freshman year, Kent raised their son and attended Texas Woman’s University taking mainly online classes. Pullum said, “We didn’t really get to live the college life. Well, I got to live it more because she allowed me to.” Kent said she was constantly traveling to Wichita Falls on the weekends to allow Pullum to be active in Aiden’s life. “I knew [Devante] had school and basketball, but I wanted him and Aiden to have a
strong relationship,” Kent said. Kent and Pullum said they managed to rekindle their previous relationship. “We really just had to trust each other,” Kent said. She said communication played a huge roll in their relationship because without it, the couple probably wouldn’t have lasted. “We have to communicate that way Devante’s basketball career doesn’t interfere with soccer games, appointments and other activities the kids have,” Kent said. In January of 2014, Pullum had his second child, Khloe. Pullum had split custody over his daughter following her birth, but due to a conflict with Khloe’s birth mother in 2015, Pullum lost his rights to see Khloe for six months and was forced to sit out his sophomore basketball season. “I don’t think I was myself that year. I ended up choosing myself in this situation because it was what I had to do. I was completely isolated to my family at this time,” Pullum said. “It honestly changed me as a man.” According to Pullum, this allowed his relationship with Kent to grow and bring them closer together. This then led to the decision of having his planned third child, Alaina, in April of 2017. Pullum now has split custody over Khloe and has her every other weekends and most holidays. Despite Pullum being busy with academics and athletics, he still manages to provide for
his children financially. “Our income is strictly school money. It comes from my scholarships and refunds and we used Kaitlyn’s grants she received,” Pullum said. He does not work and Kent has been in and out of jobs. Since she graduated this past December, Kent will soon be working from home providing another income for their family. Both Pullum and Kent’s families help and support them as much as they can. “You need your family a lot of the time. They help me get through stuff I don’t think friends could help you get through. The family support I have is crazy,” Pullum said. Pullum described himself as someone who has always been a “family man” and is persistent on involving himself in his children’s lives. Nelson Haggerty, men’s head basketball coach, has been Pullum’s coach all five years of his college career and said he knows him more than any other player he’s had. “I look at him as family,” Haggerty said. He added that Pullum had great examples growing up and fully believes that Pullum is ready for what is to come. Haggerty has faith in Pullum’s ability to excel after college. “He’s more than prepared for the next step in his life,” Haggerty said. According to Haggerty, being a father has grounded Pullum and strengthened his leadership.
He said Pullum hasn’t let his situations or mistakes define him as a person and leaves everything in the past. Haggerty continued by saying that since Pullum had his first child earlier on than any other of his players had, it made him more mature and grow a little bit quicker than others. “He has a genuine love for his kids and I’m really proud of him,” Haggerty said. Haggerty said he couldn’t imagine how Pullum balances his academics and athletics while caring for his three children. Ola Ayodele, applied arts and sciences junior and forward, said he thinks Pullum is a tremendous leader, despite only knowing him for a year. “When [Devante] isn’t there at practice due to his kids being sick or whatever the reason may be, everything seems off. He gets the team going and keeps us all focused and connected,” Ayodele said. “Because he puts his kids first, that honestly makes him more of a leader.” Ayodele said he admires Pullum’s consistency through basketball and caring for his kids. “It makes you take life more seriously because I don’t think I could do it,” Ayodele said. Pullum has learned from his mistakes and those mistakes made him much more of a mature player, according to Ayodele. R EAD M OR E ONLINE AT THEW IC HITAN. C OM .