GROSS GOES 3D: Jackass crew returns to the big screen, bringing shock value comedy into another dimension.
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RECOVERY: #13 Mustangs football team comes back from last week’s loss to win against the Angelo State University Rams at Memorial Stadium.
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thewichitan
On thin ice
Wednesday n October 20, 2010
your university n your voice
Morrow plays the quiet game Chris Collins Managing Editor
When she was young, music chair Dr. Ruth Morrow hiked in the Washington area with her family. A hermit, she said, lived in the hills. Her family sometimes visited the man, talking to him and bringing him food. It was pleasant there. It was quiet. “When I retire, it would really be okay to be a hermit,” she said. This may seem odd to those who know Morrow – a talkative woman who has spent her life listening to, composing and teaching music. But in her twenty-first year as a professor at MSU, she has
Ruth Morrow, music department chair, speaks on the importance of silence. (Photo by Chris Collins)
come to a realization. Silence is just as important as sound. Maybe even more so.
See SILENCE on page 3
Capt. Jepp maps out history of aviation Chris Collins Managing Editor
Flying airplanes in the late 1920s was a dangerous trade. Airports were disorganized, planes were built haphazardly, and pilots sometimes had to double as daredevils just to make a buck. These factors propelled Capt. Elrey Jeppesen to piloting superstardom in the modern world, from a penniless stunt flyer to an expert navigator of the skies. Two authors, Flint Whitlock
Brittany Hyde is one of more than 300 MSU students currently on academic probation. She spends more time studying in the library now as she attempts to raise her GPA. (Photo by Hannah Hofmann)
Student struggles to improve grades, leave behind academic probation Brittney Cottingham Features Editor
It’s Thursday, 9:28 p.m. Sophomore Brittany Hyde has two options: spending college night at Stage West nightclub or studying for her history midterm. Her iPhone is constantly buzzing. Her girlfriends trying their hardest to convince her to ditch studying. They say, “Ladies get in free before 10!
You have 30 minutes to get dressed.” She thinks, “Hey, I can study tomorrow morning.” But a little voice in the back of her mind is telling her it’s a bad idea. She groans, telling her friends that she’ll have to meet up with them next time. Disappointed, she stares down at her history textbook and note cards. They’ll be keeping her company tonight. Like 303 other undergraduates students at MSU, Hyde has been placed on academic
probation. Students on academic probation are still eligible to enroll in classes, but they have to join the Scholastic Success Program – a program meant to help students attain the maximum level of success in their educational pursuits. It places special requirements on these students, like maintaining a 2.0 GPA and attending weekly academic counseling success. She said being placed on probation isn’t
See PROBATION on page 3
Caleb Elliot has never watched a sunset, seen the stars or looked upon the family that adopted him when he was one day old. He was born blind, but he doesn’t let the condition dampen his fervor for life. Elliot was five months old when his parents realized there was something wrong with his vision. His adoptive mother noticed that he didn’t look at the other children while he played. Concerned, she tested his vision by watching his reaction to a camera’s flash. “She took a picture of me and my eyes didn’t react the right way,” Elliott said. She immediately scheduled an
emergency appointment with their family doctor. Tests revealed a definite problem, but it was a long time before doctors were able to pinpoint the specifics of his condition. Elliott’s family hoped to find treatment before the symptoms became permanent. They traveled to visit specialists at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and in Memphis, Tenn. “For the first three years of my life, we were doing all kinds of tests,” Elliott said. Doctors eventually diagnosed Elliott with a condition called Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA). LCA is an inherited eye disorder that primarily affects the retina, the specialized tissue at the back of the eye that detects light and color. In addition to severe vision loss from
birth, the condition’s symptoms include a variety of other eye-related abnormalities, such as roving eye movements, deep-set eyes and sensitivity to bright light. Elliott is completely blind except for light perception, the ability to distinguish light from dark. But even that, he said, is slowly fading away. He said he can see sunlight pretty well, but cannot perceive indoor light at all. “Sometimes I’ll have days I can’t really see any light at all,” Elliott said. The condition has required Elliott to work harder than most in many areas of life. “My mom has always told me about how hard I had to work just to learn how to do (everyday) things,” Elliott said. “(It was hard for me to)
See JEPP on page 3
Student body to vote on CSC fee increase Alyssa Johnston Chris Collins For the Wichitan
The MSU administration is putting students on the spot. A leaky roof and faulty wiring is plaguing Clark Student Center. The administration wants students to help cover the cost for repairs. Two weeks ago, Dr. Keith Lamb, associate vice president of student affairs, met with the Student Government Association to propose increasing the current Student Center Fee by
Blind student achieves independence Josh Hayter For the Wichitan
and Terry Barnhart, visited MSU Thursday to showcase the book they wrote about Jeppesen. The biography, called ‘Capt. Jepp and the Little Black Book,’ documents the life and achievements of the flight legend. It was published in 2007 to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of Jeppesen’s birth. The national bestseller is in its third printing and about 10,000 copies have been sold thus far. “Jeppesen contributed more to the safety of aviation than
sit up, roll over – you know, anything that a baby would do.” As Elliott grew older, he became aware he was different. “I guess I really started to realize I was different (when) my parents got me my first white cane,” he said. “I started to realize that I did have limitations.” These limitations did not prevent him from enjoying “normal” childhood activities, like t-ball, gymnastics and attending Wichita Falls public schools. When Elliott started his freshman year at Rider High School, his blindness became a social obstacle. “It was just like any other big high school,” he said. “(There were) cliques, and unless you were a star athlete or something, you were just
See BLINDNESS on page 4
$20 per student, per semester. On Tuesday night, the Student Government Association took a vote. Their conclusion: let the students decide. Within the next two weeks, the student body will have the opportunity to go to the polls. “We’re trying to reach the students,” Lamb said. Discussion about the fee has gone on for a month among SGA members. At their meeting yesterday, they debated the issue for more than 40 minutes.
See FEE on page 4
Caleb Elliott uses a white cane to compensate for his blindness as he navigates around campus. Elliott, who has been blind since birth, is pursuing a degree in special education. (Photo by Hannah Hofmann)