THE STUDENT VOICE OF MIDWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY
THE WICHITAN page 4 Death of CDs
MP3s have all but replaced higherquality compact discs due to easy accessibility, convenience.
page 5 ’Stang domination Lady Mustangs rout visiting Wildcats 85-63, climb back to .500 in conference play.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2008
Athletics fee passes student vote with 75 percent majority PATRICK JOHNSTON PHOTO EDITOR By Friday, 636 students had decided the fate of a little over 6,000. The athletic fee, which will add $10 per credit hour with a maximum of $120 per semester to the list of fees that students currently pay, passed with a 75 percent majority. On the other hand, only 10 percent of students participated, despite online voting being available all last week. Administrators had hoped for
a larger percentage of students to vote on the fee. “I would have liked 6,000 to vote, but at least there was a strong effort to get the information out so the students could consciously choose to vote oar not to vote,” said Vice President of University Advancement and Student Affairs Dr. Howard Farrell. While the student affairs and athletic departments held information sessions at Clark Student Center, Pierce Hall, and Killingsworth Hall, as well as posted flyers and posters around campus, many stu-
dents did not know much about the fee. “It didn’t seem like a big deal,” freshman Brynlee Dowling said. “I didn’t have much information and didn’t feel it pertained to me.” The housing department worked to inform the R.A.s about the fee and encouraged its residents to vote, whether they were for it or against it. “I was encouraged to vote by housing and to inform our hall,” sophomore Staci Byrd said. “They made sure we were well informed.”
The athletic department also spoke to different teams about how the fee would benefit them and coaches encouraged their players to vote. “The athletic director came and spoke to us about how it would help get us new locker rooms and help soccer, basketball, and other sports,” freshman athlete Keiven Swanson said. “They didn’t make us say yes and gave us the choice (to say no).” Despite all of the opportunities to get information about the fee, many students still had no clue about the
new fee or that it was being voted. Freshman Chelsea Wright, who commutes every day from Lake Arrowhead, didn’t know about the fee. She is in and out of the buildings just for her classes and did not hear about any of the information sessions or see any of the posters. “You can’t justify that most students go into the student center on a daily basis,” Dowling said. Students seem disappointed by the low attendance percentage. When compared to attendance in sporting events, the amount of students that voted on the fee seems
even lower. It’s weird knowing that football had a big attendance rate, as well as soccer and basketball, Swanson said. “If you watched football, basketball, or soccer, you should have voted, especially if you liked it.” “If more people had voted and known about it, it would have been a better thing,” Dowling said. “Then it would have felt more like a choice than an obligation.” Pending approval by the Board of Reagents and Texas Legislature, the fee will go into effect in Fall 2009.
Moffett Library in need of repairs CHRIS COLLINS MANAGING EDITOR
Photos by Patrick Johnston
A LEADING LEGACY Basketball player Nolan Richardson follows grandfather’s winning path BOBBY MORRIS SPORTS EDITOR Many people know the name, but few may know the legacy that coincides with that name, Nolan Richardson. Nolan Richardson IV is the name many hear around campus. He came to MSU this off-season after impressing many schools and scouts with a very solid season in the notoriously tough Jayhawk Conference at Hutchinson Junior College in Kansas. We all know the impact that Richardson IV has had on the men’s basketball team this year. He is leading the team in scoring - tallying
16.4 points per game through the first eighteen games. He is also leading the team with 2.8 assists per game, while tying with Chris Davis by logging the most minutes played on the entire team, averaging thirty-three minutes per game. What many fans and fellow students may not have known is the legendary background that Richardson and his family comes from. Nolan Richardson IV went to high school and was heavily recruited out of Tulsa, Okla., but he’s not the only member of his family to begin his career in Tulsa. Richardson’s grandfather, as you may have guessed, Nolan Richardson II, began his eventually legendary coaching career at the Univer-
sity of Tulsa. Before he began his coaching career, he spent some time learning and playing at Texas Western University under future Hall of Fame coach, Don Haskins. Haskins was a great innovator in the game of basketball, affecting many lives and bringing light subjects previously clouded in ambiguity. These subjects include but are definitely not limited to the evident racial prejudice in the South and at many academic institutions. His beliefs and techniques on man-to-man defense revolutionized the game and are still studied and implemented to this day in high schools and universities across the nation.
See “Richardson” page 6
Some MSU students, faculty and staff think that Moffett Library needs to be renovated, according to a library survey. The “LibQUAL” survey, which measured library quality, organization and staff helpfulness, was taken by approximately 400 people both at MSU and in the surrounding community. Though most of the data from the survey hasn’t been processed or analyzed, said Collection Development Librarian Dan Wi n s l o w, a common theme in the surveys was library renovation. Fickle temperature, bad lighting and outdated equipment were among the complaints suffered by the library. For the most part, said Head Librarian Dr. Clara Latham, the grievances were valid. “We can hear their complaints, but there is only so much we can do to address the problem,” Latham said. Moffett Library, which was initially constructed in the 1960s, is an aging building. Parts of the
edifice, such as the elevator, aren’t ADA-compliant, which certainly raises some security concerns for MSU. The ADA, or the Americans with Disability Act, tries to insure mentally and physically disabled people are able to fully utilize all public buildings. Presently Moffett Library isn’t up to par. “Students tell me they’re taking
Photo by Patrick Johnston
the elevator and I tell them to go to the bathroom and get something to eat and drink first,” said Electronic Access Media Librarian Chris Henderson. “You never know how long you’ll be in there,” he added. The library’s elevator, which is almost a half-century old, didn’t pass ADA inspection because of its inability to accommodate students in wheelchairs.
See “Moffet” page 3
Harlem Gospel Choir to perform tonight in Akin Auditorium MARISSA MILLENDER FOR THE WICHITAN Nine singers, two musicians and the founder of The Harlem Gospel Choir flew into Wichita Falls Tuesday from New York City, bringing with them a whole lot of excitement. The Harlem Gospel Choir starts its sound checks around 3 p.m. today, warming up for its 7 p.m. performance tonight in Akin Auditorium. Preparations began a month ago to ready the auditorium for the choir’s performance, said Treva Clifton, assistant to the associate vice president for student affairs. Technicians were dispatched from Oklahoma City to adjust the sound in the auditorium. An electrician was brought in to
fine tune the voltage going to the instruments. “We’ve been preparing as we go,” Clifton said. “They have requested things like an iron, ironing board and towels that we have to pick up along the way.” Aside from auditorium adjustments, the choir needed equipment. “We never bring equipment. We have to fly, so it’s too difficult,” said manager Anna Bailey. “Alan Black provided drums and we rented keyboards from Tulsa,” Clifton said. “We talked to food service. They are providing the dinner.” The choir will be served a meal of baked chicken, pasta or potatoes, salad and fruit prepared by the university food service. “We’re looking forward to meet-
ing everyone, to some really good countryside and some really good food,” Bailey said. For the touring members, the choir is a full-time job. “We draw on talent from gospel churches in the area,” Bailey said. “These are professional singers.” The choir has about 60 members, but not everyone attends every performance. They travel and perform in groups of about 12. “A group like this is the normal touring format. Having 60 people on stage would be crazy,” she said. “There isn’t like a ‘Choir A’ and ‘Choir B.’ Groups are based on who can attend which performance,” she said. The choir’s performance is in high demand all over the country, especially in January and February
when people are celebrating Black History Month, she said. “We perform in concert halls all over, but we get invited by universities, too. Some of them have a small African-American population, and some of them have a large AfricanAmerican population.” MSU’s African-American population is 12 percent of the 6,038 student body. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to travel the country,” she said. “There is enough opportunity to accommodate choir members with families or those who may not be able to travel every time,” she said. The Artist-Lecture Series is paying the choir $11,150 to perform tonight, but the choir foots the bill for its airfare and lodging. The purpose of the choir’s per-
formances is to share joy and love in faith and the gospel, according to Bailey. The performance promises to request a lot of audience participation, she said. “We want to touch every heart in the room,” she said. “Sometimes that happens, and sometimes it doesn’t. We want to talk to people, speak to people and reach to people.” The choir is not looking to preach. Instead, they are looking to bring the experiences of Harlem and the black church to MSU. Not every song will be a gospel tune, she explained. The performance will also include some blues and jazz songs. “Gospel music has a strong influence in other music, like Jazz and Rock and Roll,” she said. “We want
to show everyone how strong that influence is.” With groups on the road constantly, it is impossible to rehearse every day, Bailey said. “We rehearse if we have new songs or new singers,” she said. “Around the tour schedule every show is a rehearsal for the next one.” The choir raises money to support charity foundations. CDs, wristbands and stuffed animals can be purchased on their Web site, www.HarlemGospelChoir.com, to help contribute. Tickets are available at the Clark Student Center information desk. Students get two free tickets with a student ID. The next scheduled program in the Artist-Lecture Series is Bob Dole. He will speak April 14 at 7 p.m. in the Akin Auditorium.