The student voice of Midwestern State University
The Wichitan page 7 Cultural celebration
Indian students share heritage during traditional festival of Diwali.
page 8 Conference champs Cross country team dominates and takes home first conference championship in school history.
WEDNESDAY, October 29, 2008
Pledge drinking leads to probe of Kappa Alpha Brittany Norman Editor in Chief
Illustrations by Traci Lowe
Two Kappa Alpha pledges spent the night in Nocona General Hospital with alcohol poisoning on Oct. 4 after they attended what one parent described as a “pledge retreat” on Cottonwood Creek Road about nine miles east of Nocona. One of the pledges, freshman Nicholas Aycock, of Red Oak, was admitted to Nocona General with a blood alcohol level of .48 after drinking whiskey out of some sort of funnel, said his mother Helen Aycock. This is six times over the legal limit. Nocona patrol sergeant Larry Hostetter said he was called to
No matter which candidate captures the most votes Tuesday, the 2008 presidential election is shaping up to be a historic event. In less than one week, Americans will have elected either the first African American president and first Catholic vice president or the oldest first-term president and the first female vice president. It is also the first time since 1928 that an incumbent president or vice president is not a candidate. For many MSU students, it is the first election in their lifetime that a Clinton or a Bush is not in the running for the White House. Senator John McCain and Senator
Chris Collins Managing Editor
If 875 college students are correct, Barack Obama will be the next president. A recent survey conducted by Florida A&M University showed Obama capturing 69 percent of student votes, compared to 28 percent for John McCain. However, students at MSU, one of 86 schools that participated, put McCain in the lead, 51-44 percent. The Web-based poll was administered Sept. 27-Oct. 22. “It’s important for everybody to vote,” said Mitzi Lewis, mass communication instructor. “We’re determining our future.” Lewis decided to involve MSU in the survey after discussing the idea with a mass communication instructor at Florida A&M who had used the poll during the summer. Lewis refined the project and updated
Barack Obama have distinctly different views of America as well as dramatically different plans for the future of the country. The proposed policies of each candidate will have an effect on Americans, even student voters who often feel exempt from the effects of government decisions. The 18-25 age group has historically had a low voter turnout. “Many of them (young people) don’t know or don’t understand yet how much all of this affects them,” said Jeremy Duff, assistant professor of political science. “Politics affects everybody in important ways. When it comes to taxing and spending and how much money comes out of your paycheck, who is in office is going to affect you in a big way whether it’s McCain or Obama.”
it to keep the issues current. Of the 875 respondents, 119 attend MSU. The survey was publicized in emails, Facebook invitations, press releases and the MSU Web site. Because not all students had an equal opportunity to participate in the poll – respondents weren’t chosen at random, but volunteered – the survey isn’t representative of the general population. More white students, 477, completed the survey than any other race. Black students, however, voted overwhelmingly for Obama, giving the Republican McCain less than five percent of votes. A large minority of respondents, 40 percent, described themselves as moderates. Conservatives and liberals were fairly evenly split. Only 32 percent of respondents were male. This may have skewed results, Lewis said.
Political science professor Michael Preda believes younger Americans are beginning to realize the gravity of the decisions they can make at the polls. “I think young people have begun to realize that their personal future is important,” Preda said. “They’re more interested this year. I think we will see an increase in the youth vote.” College-aged voters have a choice between relative opposites next week, each of whom has a differing perspective on important issues. Obama has struck a chord with the demographic because of his own youth, but Preda said there’s more to him as a candidate than his age. “Youth is not just his chronological See CHOICE page 3
A rash of thefts in Moffett Library this semester has led library officials to discuss installing security cameras in the building. Currently there are no cameras in the facility. Four incidents of theft in the library were reported in September and October, according to MSU police department case reports. The stolen property – a backpack, two books, a digital camera and two laptops – totals almost $5,000. MSU police have confronted a “person of interest” who might have been responsible for the thefts, Police Chief Michael
Hagy confirmed Tuesday. “There was a person who has been suspicious and hanging out at the library,” Hagy said. No one has been arrested or taken into custody, but one nonstudent has been banned from the university, he said. Witnesses of thefts of a digital camera on Oct. 4 and a laptop on Oct. 18 fingered two possible suspects, implicating two different men. One is a 5’ 10”, 195pound white male with black hair and hazel eyes. The other is a 6’, 160-pound white male with blonde hair. Hagy didn’t comment about whether either of these potential suspects – if they are two differSee LOOTERS page 3
20% fail writing proficiency test Chris Collins Managing Editor
Graphics courtesy “College Student Election Survey”
See DRINKING page 3
Library looters steal equipment Chris Collins Managing Editor
Brittany Norman Editor in Chief
the hospital early that morning. Hostetter said he cited a second student, Matthew Cain, also a freshman, for public intoxication. Cain was sitting in his pickup at the time. “He was highly intoxicated,” Hostetter said. Hostetter performed a field sobriety test and detained Cain, a resident of Wichita Falls. “After speaking with him, I decided to have hospital staff look at him for possible alcohol poisoning,” Hostetter said. He said Aycock was already in the hospital being treated. “He was not responsive when I was there,” Hostetter said.
Twenty percent of MSU students don’t have the English skills required to graduate. Passing the Writing Proficiency Exam, a two-hour persuasive essay test, is a requirement for all students seeking a bachelor’s degree at MSU, according to the WPE Web page. Only 80 percent of students pass the exam, said Dana Barnett, coordinator of the writing proficiency office. Most students who take the test are juniors who have already have two English courses under their belts. The WPE, formerly the English Usage Exam, has been in place at MSU since 1983. The test was moved from the English department to the office of the provost earlier this year. This
measure was taken to ensure the whole university stays involved with the test, said Provost Frederike Weidemann. “This is a university exam and not an English department exam,” Weidemann said. The exam administered in October was graded by four professors, she said. Every paper is read twice. If the professors disagree on a score, a third is consulted to settle the issue. For the first time, full-time instructors from departments other than English were asked to grade the most recent test. “Since this is a university test, we wanted faculty from other areas to be involved in the grading process,” Weidemann said. The test is given in the fall, spring and summer each year.
See WRITING page 7