February 15, 2017

Feb. 15, 2017 | Midwestern State University | thewichitan.com | Your Campus. Your News. | Vol. 81 No. 19

FLU STATUS ON CAMPUS CURRENT CONDITION: RED

weConnect

It’s flu season

pg. 5

Speakers, including Monti Washington, meet to discuss social issues on campus.

Continuing Education

pg. 6

Administrators plan plans to start cutting classes.

Colored Girls

pg. 7

Student production explores tough issues.

Love isn’t the only thing in the air BRENDAN WYNNE FEATURES EDITOR

INFLUENZA SUMMARY UPDATE

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s Christmas trees and menorahs began to fade from shop displays and mall windows, the scarlet, heart-shaped candy boxes found their way at the forefront of every aisle marked seasonal in preparation for the festival of romance — Valentine’s Day. Though over-sized teddy bears and scarlet roses are gifts of choice for many on campus, there was one gift that just kept on giving.

Nothing says romance like the influenza virus.

“It got to a point I was seeing at least seven people a day with the symptoms,” Keith Williamson, medical director, said. “The [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] have Texas marked as widespread, high levels of flu activity. My experience through the end of last week supports that.”

However, the Vinson Health Center wasn’t the only area on campus that experienced the impact of flu activity. Students — and instructors — were unable to attend to class.

“I had one of my classes cancelled for an entire week because my professor got sick,” Haley Kelley, freshman theater major, said.

“It’s one thing when a couple of students get sick, but when your professor gets sick, then it gets a little more concerning.”

Williamson said despite a late start, it’s a fairly normal flu season.

“We get this every year,” he said. “It is predictable. I would say this year is a little later than usual, though it marks pretty well with the average time of year that we see these things. Of course, the more severe case would be the black condition. That was a level described in our 2009 pre-planning for the anticipated H1N1 epidemic. Of course, it’s not just how many people are affected, but how severe the flu is. For us to even consider to even consider anything like a campus-

WIDESPREAD

Map depicting the spread of influenza virus around the country. Dark gray is wide spread, while light gray is locally spread. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. wide closure, it would involve every level of administration, faculty, and healthcare coming together to say that we’re experiencing too many absences in student and staff to effectively sustain class. Now, if we had a 1917 type flu, we would be sending people home.

That would be a reason to close campus. What we’re experiencing now is something we see every year.”

Though, the flu isn’t the only ailment running across campus. With students and faculty both reporting cases of bronchitis and seasonal allergies, some may find it difficult to distinguish between them.

“It gets pretty tricky,” Williamson said.

“They all occur at the same time. We get allergies, asthma flares, colds, and influenza, all at the same time. Of course it can come down to clinical judgement, which is something I’ve spent years trying to develop, but it comes

down to the basic symptoms. A case will occur as follows: sudden loss of energy followed by scratchy throat, body aches, headache and then the fever hits. Within the next 24 hours, the cough will usually start. The three fundamental characteristics of flu are high fever, cough, and body aches.”

Williamson said it’s important to practice social distance in close spaces such as dorm rooms if one of the occupants has contracted the flu.

“Don’t share things,” he laughed. “It just comes down to the fact that it’s a respiratory virus that’s highly infectious and you have to be careful otherwise you will get it. Overall though, I suspect we’ve gone through the peak. In an average year’s experience, I say it’s probably burned out. Those who are going to get it have gotten it, and it’s just not going to find enough ‘fertile soil’ to grow in.”

2 | Feb. 15, 2017 |

What it’s like being an atheist in college

STAF F E DI T O R I A L

Quarantine: MSU edition

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OUR VIEW: Sick students need to keep their illnesses in the confines of their own homes.

Sniffling. Coughing. Puffy, red eyes.

Scratchy throats and barely audible voices. These are just a few of the sounds and disgusting bodily functions that students experience as classes drag on through the campus flu outbreak.

Missing class in college is completely different than missing class in high school. One absence can mean missing an entire chapter’s lecture, not just a small chapter section. Some professors have a strict attendance policy and will drop students with a W or F for missing too many days. So students are coming to classes despite being contagious, coughing all over everything and spreading germs like a forest fire.

All this does is prolong the outbreak and infect even more people with illnesses, and some students have immunodeficiency disorders — they literally cannot afford to get sick, because it can kill them. We should not be risking the life of our fellow classmates for a class.

Get a doctor’s note and let professors know. If Vinson Health Center is booked, head to a local clinic or urgent care center for quick, non-life-threatening medical care. It’s for the good of the campus that sick students stay home.

CORRECTIONS • In the article titled “Exec order has little impact on MSU students” of the Feb. 1 issue, we did not identify Collin McLochlin, who is a staff member for Senator John Cornyn.

• In the article titled “53 prospective students, guests Discover MSU” of the Feb. 8 issue, the incorrect version of the article was published in print. The correct version is online.

eing an atheist in college can sometimes be difficult waters to navigate. I have been an atheist since I was a freshman in high school, but before that I was a faithful Christian. I won’t bore you with the story as to how I became an atheist, but what I will say is that it was only after I came to Midwestern State did I truly feel comfortable telling others Markell about my lack of belief.

BraxtonJohnson It wasn’t that I was embarrassed about the decision I came to, nor was it because I feared I had the wrong answer. The main reason I found it difficult to “come out” as an atheist, especially in college, was because I never wanted to be militant about my atheism. I never wanted to be that guy that used every chance he got to let people know that he didn’t believe in god. It’s a fine line to walk, but it is critical that us minorities let others know we exist.

With anything that is contrary to the status quo, there comes many misconceptions. This is no different with being an atheist. There’s the unfortunate misconception that atheists only reject god because we had some past traumatic experience that led us to turning away from god. While that may be true for some atheists, this wasn’t the case for me, or was it the case for the atheists I know.

Most atheists become nonbelievers simply because the evidence for god(s) is/are insufficient. We can’t be angry at god because we don’t believe in god. Another misconception is that atheists are immoral. This misunderstanding about us comes from the assumption that god gives humans morality and tells us what is right and wrong. I’ve always found this

one strange because it’s a tacit admission that without religion, people would rape, steal, and kill one another without a second thought. All I can say to refute this is to ask my fellow religious peers if there was a foolproof way to disprove the existence of god, would you go out the next day and kill someone you didn’t like? Would you steal things that did not belong to you or spread malicious falsehoods? Of course you wouldn’t.

Believe me, you can be good without god.

As an atheist, I take great pleasure in increasing the good will and human solidarity that happens in our country and on our campus. I don’t need religion to feel this way. I don’t need religion to see other students and the community-at-large (regardless of their faith) as brothers and sisters—siblings who all share a common humanity and a healthy desire for good to triumph over bad.

Being an atheist in college you come to accept that the majority of people around you are religious. More specifically, in America, in Texas, and at MSU, most people are conservative Christians. This makes things a little more uneasy for me.

I am a black atheist, which means I’m a minority within a minority. According to Pew Research, “less than one-half of a percent of African-Americans identify themselves as atheist,” and while I haven’t run a survey of students at MSU, I would imagine the numbers are the same here.

Even though atheists may be a small part of the college community, I know there is room for us here at MSU. That’s the great thing about being an atheist in college. Despite being a vastly outnumbered group, we can engage in open-minded discourse and make our voices heard.

Markell Braxton-Johnson is a sports and leisure sophomore.

Do not fear ‘slowing down’ in life

“M

indfulness what?”

Hygge. Mindfulness. If you’re a logophile, you’re familiar with these words. If you’ve been searching for a way to bring balance into your life, you’re probably aware of these concepts. Hygge is a Danish concept that teaches about simplicity, and mindfulness is the idea of awareness in the moMelissa ment.

Laussmann At a time when we believe that staying busy means being important, the desire for simplicity, minimalism, and awareness is on the rise. Why the paradox? I think one of the reasons is what society defines as success, conflicts with what we think to be true for ourselves. There always seems to be another rung on the ladder toward happiness.

I think we fear slowing down because we might miss something important and be forgotten. If we don’t constantly check our social media accounts, we’ll be ignorant about what is happening around town or what our friends had for din-

wichitan

the

Vol. 81 | Feb. 15, 2017

Midwestern State University Fain Fine Arts Bldg., Room B103 3410 Taft Blvd. Box 14 Wichita Falls, Texas 76308 (940) 397-4704 • wichitan@mwsu.edu thewichitan.com • @wichitanonline EDITOR: Kara McIntyre

ner. Society teaches us that we need to keep doing things to be taken seriously.

The trend towards mindfulness is an example of people wanting to change and return to basics. This means more meals at home, savoring a moment with hot tea or cocoa and a book, long walks outdoors, consuming less and being creative with what we already have, and enjoying each day as it comes.

Think about how slowing down just a little can be beneficial. Perhaps it’ll lead to doing better in class, forming more meaningful relationships with people, sharpening the mind and being physically stronger, as well as sleeping better and being more prepared to handle life.

As a graduate student, I know all too well how busy our lives are. We have to juggle quite a few obligations, but life is more than just obligations. Maybe once in awhile we should pause on the doing, and just be. Yes we are students and we work hard. But that’s just a part of the story.

Melissa Laussmann is a graduate student.

DESIGN EDITOR: Justin Marquart FEATURES EDITOR: Brendan Wynne PHOTOGRAPHERS: Joanne Ortega, Leo

Gonzalez, Caleb Martin, Cortney Wood, Leah Bryce

ISSUE STAFF: Brendan Wynne, Markell

Braxton-Johnson, Melissa Laussmann, Mercy Yermo, Joanne Ortega, Arianna Davis, Caleb Martin, Robin Reid, Lane Riggs, Stephen Gomez

ADVISER: Bradley Wilson

Copyright ©2017.

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.

5,437 spring 2013

Ç 5,470

Ç 5,574

spring 2014

Ç 5,736

spring 2015

spring 2016

| Feb. 15, 2017 | 3

È 5,718 spring 2017

Spring enrollment drops to 5,718 MERCY YERMO REPORTER

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nrollment has gradually increased at 3.5 percent over the last three years, yet spring enrollment went down slightly to 5,718 students and has failed to keep up with the rest of Texas schools’ growth rates.

Nevertheless, officials predict 6,100 students to enroll this fall, despite consistently falling short of expectations.

“This past fall, we brought in 18 more students, and though we saw a dip in the spring, we still held a high number. In fact, it was our second largest spring in the past six years,” Keith Lamb, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, said.

The university has not been able to reach the amount of students it did in 2003, the peak year for enrollment with 6,480 students.

“We have experienced a decline overall for the last 10 years, but since 2013, our numbers have increased. It’s KEITH LAMB a slow and steady growth,” Lamb said.

VICE PRESIDENT “We are in the bottom half when compared to the other schools in our conference, but we are also experiencing some overall growth that will hopefully keep bringing our numbers up.”

When comparing it to the other nine universities in the Lone Star Conference, MSU remains the third smallest school in enrollment, with 5,718 students this spring and 6,064 in the fall.Recruitment and expansion

“We are in the bottom half when compared to the other schools in our conference.”

RECRUITMENT AND EXPANSION

“We are reaching out more. We have a robust tour program and we are doing college visits in the Dallas-Fort Worth area where students from the area can come to us,” Lamb said.

In addition to the tour programs, the MSU partnership with North Central Texas College will continue the school’s expansion into the Dallas-Fort Worth area according to Admissions Associate Director Leah Hickman.

“Instead of just sending out notifications, we are on the move trying to implement programs that will hopefully attract more students to our university and get our name out there which is what the Flower Mound campus will do,” Hickman said.

The expansion to Flower Mound is part of University President Suzanne Shipley’s goal to increase the enrollment in the university by 2,000 students in time for the university’s 100th anniversary in 2022. She said she hopes to have an additional 1,500 students at offcampus locations and at least 500 more on campus.

“The development at Flower Mound will, without a doubt, help us expand along with our new texting software we will be implementing to recruit students,” Lamb said.

University officials purchased the names of 100,000 high school seniors to send notifications of the Midwestern State programs via text message in addition to the emails that have been used when reaching out to highschoolers and building relationships with them.

RETENTION THROUGH ACADEMICS

More programs have been added to assure the recruitment of a larger number of students for this fall and the upcoming years.

According to Lamb, more students from the Dallas-Fort Worth area are interested in coming to MSU.

Students continue to find the quality programs and majors along with the interesting and marketable minors MSU offers attractive, according to James Johnston, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.

“We hold true to our commitment to excellence academically which will keep stu-

6,064 fall 2016

dents coming to our school,” Johnston said.

Mica Schneider, mass communication freshman, said she believes her education is of high quality and she finds herself challenged by the rigorous courses.

“I came to MSU not only for the opportunity to play sports, but also because I knew the extremely good academic programs it offers,” Schneider said. “All my teachers put a lot of effort into their lessons and do the best they can to teach us the material we actually need to know. I think that more students are coming here for the great education we get for such a great cost, and without a doubt, will continue to bring students to our school from everywhere.”

FAILING TO MEET THE QUOTA

“We are also experiencing some overall growth that will hopefully keep bringing our numbers up.”

With this spring’s decline in enrollment, MSU will have about $100,000 less income. “$100,000 doesn’t seem like that much when looking at the $110 million budget,” Lamb said.

And Lamb attributed the decline in enrollment to a high graduation rate.

“We graduated 26 more students, KEITH LAMB which greatly impacts our spring seVICE PRESIDENT mester,” he said.

Nevertheless, he expects an increase in enrollment this fall, expecting 6,100 students partly due to an increased acceptance rate.

According to Hickman, more applications are being received.

“We have received more applications this year than before, so we were able to accept more students,” Hickman said.

According to Johnston, the acceptance rate has nothing to do with academic excellence.

“If students need help to be college ready we work hard to provide those services, but we expect the same level of excellence that we’ve always expected,” Johnston said.

5,718 spring 2017

4 | Feb. 15, 2017 |

Only girls attend Valentine’s Day craft class JOANNE ORTEGA REPORTER

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Valentine’s Day craft class was held in the Kiowa room of Clark Student Center to get students in the holiday mood on Feb. 9. Students created Valentine’s Day themed artwork through sewing and canvas painting.

The class was only attended by females and consisted of 16 students, leaving multiple of the seats available empty.

Special Events Coordinator Cynthia Cummings said she was expecting at least three times as many people and still had many unused canvases to save for future events.

“I think it was maybe because it was sewing and people hadn’t done that kind of stuff be-

fore or they’re just not interested in it,” Cummings said.

Cummings got the idea after attending a craft class at Michael’s, but usually gets recommendations from students or Pinterest.

Many of her other classes, Cummings said, have attracted students of both genders and once even had people sitting on the floor for a glass painting class.

“This one was a quiet class, which is good because sometimes people like to just think about what they’re doing,” she said. “I like to see the creativity in people. It’s motivating for me to do more things,” Cummings said.

Melissa Galicia, psychology junior, heard about the event through the University Programing Board and has been to previous class-

es held by Cummings. She said the event was a good hands-on experience that provided a mental break from school.

“It’s relaxing working on something rather than homework,” Galicia said.

The students each individualized their piece by making something different from what was originally suggested.

Cummings provided the students with all the supplies needed to create the crafts, gave them tips on what or what not to do, and proposed distinct designs for the students to use on their personal piece.

“In my day to day life, I’m not a crocheter so doing this is fun,” Larae Redden, English sophomore, said.

PHOTO BY JOANNE ORTEGA | THE WICHITAN

Cynthia Cummings, special events coordinator gives craft supplies to Sam Lynne, education freshman.

Presence or presents: STUDENTS TAKE ON VALENTINE’S DAY BRENDAN WYNNE, KARA MCINTYRE AND ARIANNA DAVIS | FEATURES EDITOR, EDITOR AND REPORTER

As the rain-sprinkled wind swept across campus, students found themselves celebrating the Valentine’s Day in different ways. Though their actual plans

may not have worked, students expressed what a Valentine’s Day date entailed.

What’s more important on Valentine’s Day: Sharing it with someone or getting them a really nice gift?

“That’s hard. I think it’s more important to spend time with someone you love, but I also really like getting people gifts. A little of both.”

RACHELYNN ANTHONY, PSYCHOLOGY SENIOR

“It’s definitely more important to be around the person and just enjoying whatever you’re doing rather than focusing on material things. I mean, some gifts only last so long, but memories and experiences can last forever.”

“If I had to choose, I’d take the gifts. Probably mostly because I’m lazy, but that’s just me.”

BRETT WORKMAN, COMPUTER SCIENCE JUNIOR

“People are more important than things.

Hands down. End of story.”

ANDREW WINSTON, SOCIOLOGY SENIOR

MEGAN BALTUSIS, EDUCATION FRESHMAN

Where would you take somebody for a romantic date on a budget?

“I’d probably pick a date to the movies. It’s not that expensive, and it’s a cool experience to share.”

OLAYINKA SOYINKA, COMPUTER SCIENCE GRADUATE STUDENT

“I would like to cook for somebody. It’s inexpensive and you don’t have to go anywhere crowded. You can’t go wrong with that.”

AARON STEWART, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING JUNIOR

“I already have a Netflix subscription, so I’m not sure you really need much else for a good date.”

GABBY BROWNING, SPECIAL EDUCATION SOPHOMORE

“Even something as simple as taking someone out on a walk can be romantic.

I don’t know why people don’t do that anymore.”

PHILLIP TORRES, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING JUNIOR

| Feb. 15, 2017 | 5

WECONNECT

Speakers bring social justice to campus ARIANNA DAVIS REPORTER

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s social issues on a national level become a bigger concern, so does the priority of spreading awareness on campus. weConnect, a one-day summit meeting, works toward connecting students with each other as a way to learn more about their peers, as well as gaining insight on what’s happening around them.

Student Development and Orientation held weConnect on Saturday, Feb. 11, which brought social justice awareness to the campus through various speakers in the Clark Student Center. Those who came to talk at the conference included special keynote speaker Monti Washington, professors from the university and other universities, as well as Wichita Falls Mayor Stephen Santellana. The conference broke up into three different sections, touching on the subjects of awareness, creating action and being an ally—someone who speaks against persecution they may not experience themselves.

The highlight of the conference was on the importance of understanding what it is to be an activist. While the conference was aimed toward encouraging students to become better allies.

“Anyone can be an activist,” Brandy Scott, program director for global studies, said. “There aren’t qualifications or personality traits to be one. It comes from personal experience and observing injustice and wanting to create change out of it.”

Scott, one of the speakers at the conference, discussed her personal experiences with her own activism, saying that while she has always considered herself an introvert, it doesn’t stop her from being an activist.

“What’s great about activism is you can think about the cause you want to address and do something as simple as writing a letter,” she said.

While the speakers discussed on subjects of awareness and action, there was also room for attendees to participate and express their thoughts.

The keynote speaker, Monti Washington is a motivational and inspirational speaker who travels across the country to talk to students on the importance of cultural diversity and inclusion on campus. He discussed these themes in his performance, “White Lives Matter”, which consisted of a slam poetry piece he wrote, educational lectures, and active participation from viewers in an effort to understand one another.

“He was awesome. It was so incredible how he was able to get the entire crowd involved. Everybody got emotional at the end when we talked about not assuming people’s stories, “ Neftaly Aranda, psychology and criminal justice junior, said.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY LEO GONZALEZ | THE WICHITAN

Sigma Nu fraternity brothers Jose Barron, dental hygiene sophomore, Riley Carr, nursing sophomore, and Jesse Monreal, MIS sophomore, pose for the camera at weConnect’s conference on Feb. 11.

Aranda, president of Kappa Delta Chi, had to be at the conference to represent her sorority. She said she came out the conference knowing more than she did before going in.

“We really learned how to make action plans and how to be an ally – even with a busy schedule there’s things you can do. He mentioned shirts at one point, which my sorority has been really interested in doing. We want to make shirts that say ‘Mustangs Stay Woke’ to kind of spread awareness. His mentioning of shirts really pushed us to move forward with the idea,” she said.

Dareem Antoine, economics and math senior, talked about the importance of understanding other cultures and being able to create human connection through it. He said Washington was able to convey this message through his speech.

“I have a culture that’s completely different from Texas culture. Sometimes I see people be less responsive to mine and other cultures because they don’t understand or are not willing to branch out, “ he said. “As the speaker [Washington] said, it’s our duty to be aware of the hurt we may cause by our own actions or words.”

Washington’s speech had attendees connect with one another in ways that required them to open up to strangers and fellow classmates.

“One of the things he did was dim the lights and allowed us

to share our stories just by standing up and down and not having to say a word. It reminded me of things I don’t think about as much anymore. It brought me back to those sad places, but with everyone else participating, it made me realize I’m not alone,” Antoine said.

Antoine also said he agreed with Washington’s message, that it was about not assuming what other people have gone through, and learning to understand each other.

“We don’t always understand someone’s story based on how they look. It’s good to listen and be understanding because you never know what someone else is going through,” he said.

To help create a sense of vulnerability in the audience, faculty and staff members stood before students to talk on their own knowledge and personal experiences dealing with injustice and having to be an ally in a time of injustice.

“Being an ally is not being sympathetic, but opening up and really trying to understand another person. It’s deeper than just feeling sorry for someone,” Cammie Dean, director of student development and orientation, said during her interview on stage.

Jonathon Quam, assistant professor of mass communication, and Christopher D’Amico, lecturer in mass communication, also discussed making sacrifices to take action.

“One of the things we can do is take these issues and bring it back to our own communities. That’s action and sacrifice in itself,” Quam said.

Part of sacrifices includes being involved with more outward plans, such as protesting the issue or voicing a concern to the public. Angela Cartwright, assistant professor of curriculum and learning, went into detail on the history of protesting, discussing the life experiences of famous civil rights activists and how it could apply to modern day protesting.

“Be a voice in the wilderness and speak truth to power. We protest because we cannot be silent anymore,” Cartwright said.

Since the conference also focused on change and creating acceptance within a community, Wichita Falls Mayor Stephen Santellana made an appearance to ask the audience on what changes they would like to see for the city and ideas on how to retain millennials to keep Wichita Falls an active city.

Through a system of hand-raising votes, the room census was that there needed to be a focus on downtown development. The mayor left with a promise – city council will begin working toward a nicer and better downtown.

The conference lasted 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. with a one-hour lunch in the middle.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER MONTI WASHINGTON Born into a family of poverty and abusive conditions, Monti Washington has used his life experiences as a way to share with others around the country in an attempt to make people more understanding of one another. His keynote speech, “Which Lives Matter,” focuses on getting students to interact with each other in ways that would be

beneficial to creating active members of their community and working toward a more peaceful environment.

To fight against the stereotypes that come with being raised in poor living conditions, Washington pushes for constant positive outlooks in his life and spreading that to those around him, incorporating it into his passionate and educational speeches.

6 | Feb. 15, 2017 |

PHOTO BY CALEB MARTIN | THE WICHITAN

Natalie Griffin and Hannah Sommerhauser drink wine and paint hearts at the exploring arts acrylics class.

Center for Continuing Education likely to begin cutting courses CALEB MARTIN REPORTER

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he Center for Continuing Education held an acrylics class on Feb. 10 at Sikes Lake Center. But only four people came.

The acrylics class is one of four of the university’s continuing education courses that explores art. However, with the lack of interest shown in the arts courses, it is likely that all courses will be canceled, according to Lorraine Parmer, director of the Center for Continuing Education.

“This might be the last semester we do the exploring arts because we only had four people there [acrylics class], and that’s not enough people [to keep the exploring art courses available],” Parmer said.

Providing economic stimulation, cultural diversity, community services and education to its residents, MSU has played a vital role in the Wichita Falls community since its establishment in 1922. In hopes to further the university’s influence within Wichita Falls, MSU created the Center for Continuing Education in the early 1980s to educate people who want to learn at a low cost for no college credit. The CCE offers professional development and continuing education units, real estate license courses and other online certifications as well as art, photography, computer and language courses.

As a result of the small amount of people signing up for single session classes like exploring art, the CCE will likely begin

to cut courses from its catalog that fail to make the attendance quota.

The CCE encourages students at MSU, as well as members of the Wichita Falls community, to take advantage of the programs offered.

“Anyone can do it [participate], students, staff, community members, we open it up to everyone. It’s [CCE courses] to bring the community in to be a part of MSU,” Berryhill said.

While the CCE weighs its decision to cut the explore arts courses and other courses missing the attendance quota, it will continue to provide courses with a higher attendance to those interested.

Of the four people who took the explore arts acrylics class, Natalie Griffin, nursing sophomore at Vernon College, and Hannah Sommerhauser, psychology senior, said they enjoyed their time painting hearts and drinking wine.

“I liked using the different tools, like the sponge and the palette knife,” Sommerhauser said. “I wish this was included in our tuition. I’d come more often.”

The CCE aims to make its course as engaging and enjoyable as possible, while providing the students with hands-on learning. Students and community members are allowed to bring snacks and, if of age, are allowed to bring wine to the explore arts sessions.

“I really enjoyed it,” Griffin said. “I’ve taken a class like this before, and she [past instructor] went step by step, and she [Berryhill] gave us more freedom to do what we wanted.”

Wichita Falls ArtEntertainment & Culture puts on Black Love, a poetry slam hosted at 2011 Bistro Feb. 18 at 10 p.m.

‘More than just a mic’ Dallas Poetry Slam Team to perform downtown Feb. 18

rie Zantea, executive director of Dallas Poetry Slam organization, said. “To involve everyone he Dallas Poetry Slam Team will be per- in our community to be a part of the literary forming a two-hour feature on Feb. 18 movement.”

Using spoken word is more about just the at 2011 Bistro, located at 801 Indiana, words that are said, but how beginning at 10 p.m. The they’re said and why they’re event, Black Love, is focused said. Much can be accomon celebrating the month plished through using words of love and Black History correctly, to heal instead of Month. Event admission is hurt, to help instead of hinder. $10 and is sponsored by the Constantly focused on proWichita Falls Art-Entertaingressing instead of becoming ment and Culture Center. stagnant as an organization, Dallas Poetry Slam Team Dallas Poetry Slam Team seeks focuses on art and spoken to share its words with people word as more than just a near and far. show to entertain guests.

“It’s actually a collective With so much going on in force to have the community the world each day, memmove with us and progress with bers said it’s important to us in terms of enhancing the have an outlet for authenliterary arts in our area,” Zantic, honest expression.

ANTUAN SIMMONS tea said. “We tour around the “It’s more than just a PROMOTER country and we have national mic, it’s a movement,” Ancompetitions we go to every tuan Simmons, promoter, said. “The movement of spoken word is to ac- year, at least three of them. So it’s definitely tually give people a voice. It’s a whole mantra, not just a Dallas thing.”

Dallas Poetry Slam Team is determined to a whole aura. Especially to give a voice to the make sure its words and work leave positive voiceless.”

Dallas Poetry Slam Team has been active impacts and become gifts to people in the aufor 22 years and its mission is to provide an dience.

“I want them to feel empowered, motivatopportunity for people to express themselves.

“The ultimate goal is to provide a platform ed and overall just happy about life,” Zantea for poets and writers in our community,” Sher- said.

ROBIN REID REPORTER

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“The movement of spoken word is to actually give people a voice. It’s a whole mantra, a whole aura.

Especially to give a voice to the voiceless.”

Military theater programs ‘need resuscitation’ LANE RIGGS REPORTER

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aren Dabney, assistant professor of theater, presented Soldier-Actors, Army Entertainment, and the Archive Dilemma at the faculty forum on Feb. 13 in Clark Student Center room Wichita I and II. The forum looked at the implementation of theater in the army, the forgotten history of such programs, and the diminishing presence of theater on army bases.

Dabney has been researching this topic for four years, traveling to army bases to learn more about the communities. She specifically looked at the years 1983-2013. Though she was excited to begin this research, she said the topic was healthy for her in that it broke down her biases.

“I’m very liberal, so when I went in and saw these things for myself, it helped to break my biases,” she said.

Among the videos Dabney presented, there was a video of army men in costumes and performing their own choreography. Regardless of the video being an impromptu theater, it was still theater, she said.

“There was a story there, they had characters and costumes,” she said.

“It was clearly rehearsed and they had prepared it. It’s theater in a broader sense, where we’re used at looking at very specialized plays and productions.”

Because of this, Dabney had encouraged her theater students to attend. Still, she said she was surprised because she saw other students attend.

“I wanted everyone here to be involved, but at first I could tell a few were disengaged. Once I showed the videos, it surprised some,” she said.

Dabney’s talk interested Brittany Williams, English sophomore, because she had never attended a faculty forum before.

“It was interesting even though theater is not something I’m personally interested in,” Williams said.

Alex Collins, theater performance junior, said the subject isn’t wellknown.

“She [Dabney] did an outstanding job talking about her research into

military theater, which like she said, is an area of theater that’s not as well known as Broadway is,” Collins said.

Despite the differences in military theater and popular theater, he was still intrigued because it is something he has always paid attention to.

“The army and the armed forces have always been of interest to me.

I knew of some of the history before the forum because we had talked about it in theater history,” he said.

The history was categorized in two ways: self-produced plays and outsourced plays. Self-produced plays, she said, are “for the soldier, by the soldier.” This is the title she has given her manuscript on the same subject, which she hopes to publish in the summer. Out-sourced plays are professional actors and by civilians.

Military theater had a large audience in 1973, with 400 theater programs worldwide. As of 2013, there were less than 25 programs, and only six stateside. In Jan. 2017, the number had shrunk to four: Fort Lee, Virginia, Fort Polk, Louisiana, Fort Gordon, Georgia, and Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

“The theater program on bases needs help, it needs resuscitation,” Dabney said. “They’re struggling to grow, because it’s hard to find someone who will stay on the base and who will support the program.”

Dabney said this would be hard, as it was difficult to even get men and women on base to talk to her.

“I just don’t know if that kind of support exists,” she said. “If I were to help out, I would be doing the work.

I would be educating the people on base about theater, and I’d be educating people who have the power to make decisions.”

Most of the programs have been cancelled because there was not enough funding. There are scattered programs, Dabney said, but they’re trying to stay afloat.

“It’s an outlet that’s needed, these men use it as a coping mechanism,” she said. “There’s just something lovely about the amateurism that they present in front of each other.”

| Feb. 15, 2017 | 7

For Colored Girls ‘a story rarely told’ LANE RIGGS REPORTER

“F

or Colored Girls,” a poetic play, was met by a crowd of 98 students, faculty and community members in Bea Wood Studio Theatre in the Fain Fine Arts building. The event was held on Feb. 10-11 by Alpha Psi Omega as a fundraiser for First Step, Inc., Ms. Foundation, and INCITE! The reception at 7 p.m. was followed by the play at 7:30 p.m.

The play, which was originally published in the 70s by Ntozake Shange, has never been performed at a school before. Though it was only performed for one weekend, Kaylor Winter-Roach, production manager and theater junior, said she hopes that more plays representing communities will be brought to campus — and that is the reason Ellanor Collins, theater junior, decided to direct the play.

“I heard about the play from one of my classes,” Collins said. “I fell in love with the material, and I thought the current time was perfect to share the story. It’s a story rarely told and it needs to be told often and regularly.”

The story Collins is talking about is the struggles that women of color face. In looking at these struggles, the play presents seven women who talk about the injustices that each has faced. Characters included Lady in Brown, played by Charlene A. Hood and Anissia Jones, Lady in Purple, played

by Estefani Del Villar and Zarya Maiato, Lady in Yellow, played by Frantia Washington and Tamia Davis, Lady in Blue, played by Zhanae Beard and Nicole Smalls, Lady in Green, played by Ka-Terra Brown, Lady in Red, played by Aliyah Rolle and Cammie Dean, and Lady in Orange, played by ShaDera Bryant-Williams. Each character, and subsequently, each of the 14 actresses, brought to life the prose they were reading.

“I really wanted to do this play, but the school’s theater group didn’t have the cast,” Collins said.

“Women of color are very important for this play and so we had to extend further and have open auditions.”

The auditions were held in January, but the idea started somewhere back in October, WinterRoach said.

“It was an open audition, so people could come over and try out for roles,” she said. “The director told them which character they best fit, and they wore the scarves for that particular character.”

Each one of the characters adorned a scarf or headband of the color for their character, and this helped to solidify their characters.

While most of the crowd had heard of the play before, or at least had seen the movie, there was still a large majority that had no previous experiences with the content. In the talk-back after the play, Syreeta Greene, director of equity, inclusion and multicultural affairs, and the cast talked about the play’s content and major themes. One

PHOTO BY CORTNEY WOOD | THE WICHITAN

Ellanor Collins, theater junior and director, discusses the shift in tone for the Ladies in Red monologue, Feb. 7. of main questions Greene posed, was the differences between white and black women.

“It had never crossed my mind that there was a difference between white and black women,” Collins said. “I first heard of white feminism in high school, and white feminism said, ‘We are all women, we are all the same.’ It’s not true. You can’t ignore someone else’s history, heritage, and culture.”

For the women on the stage, identity and independence was important above all else. The general consensus was those two things made them a woman. When the question was directed at the crowd, there was an array of different responses.

“There’s a sense of protection, there’s a nurturing aura around a woman,” Keyvon Fuller, theater performance freshman, said. “Being there for someone, having someone’s back, that’s what it means to be a woman.”

As there were many different themes and meanings within the poem, there were also many stories to tell.

“I was cut for this piece 20 years ago at my school,” Cammie Dean, student development and orientation director, said. “When I heard it was going to be presented here, I desperately wanted to do it. The stories are the experiences of my cousins, my neighbors. Everyone in the story is someone I know, and they’re all voices that don’t get heard.”

Greene said that while the voices may be joyful at times, sexual assault and betrayal in the play changed the characters.

“There was sort of an ebb and flow in the play,” she said. “At times a character could have felt like she was accepted, at others, she felt she was disregarded.”

Moreover, Dean said, the play delves into individual racism.

“The play looks at what we [women of color] take home with us when that person who discriminated against us is not around,” she said. “It’s a look at what we take into our souls.”

8 | Feb. 15, 2017 |

Sickness hits softball team STEPHEN GOMEZ REPORTER

T

hough the girl’s softball team has been performing well— holding a 6-6 record— they were hit with a troubling grand slam: sickness. Conditions on campus have spilled onto the playing field, taking players out with two cases of strep throat and three cases of the flu. With only nine girls for seven positions on the field, getting well is on the forefront of head softball coach Mark Ryal’s mind.

“Been hard to get a whole team out there with full strength,” Ryal said. “I won’t know till Friday who can play next week. It’s going around campus really bad right now.”

The widespread flu status on campus has the athletic trainers pushing for better hygiene among athletes. Trainers are saying to not share towels or clothes, cover mouth while coughing, wash hands, and if they are sick to let people know. Trust between trainers and athletes is important for better health, explained Samantha Carter, assistant athletic trainer.

“It’s hard to trust someone new but

this [softball] team have giving their all, trusting us and listening to us to keep themselves health,” Carter said. “It’s always good to let our athletes know what we are doing to help.”

Athletic workrooms are being cleaned thoroughly by trainers to try and prevent any sickness on campus spread among athletes. Weight bars wiped down, benches sweat-free before the next athletic group and changes to workout schedules.

“We have pulled back on what we can do,” Nathan Morris, strength and conditioning coordinator coach, said. “Weather has also been a big issue, some days are 90 degrees, then rain and cold the next day.”

Sunday games canceled due to the umpire’s issue with the padding on the back wall. The padding failed to cover a corner of the concrete wall. While the field was playable on Saturday, the new umpire declared that the team couldn’t play on it on Sunday. Ryal explained that he gave the Mustangs’ game times to the other teams, since they came from across the country to play in the tournament.

PHOTO BY LEAH BRYCE | THE WICHITAN

Lauren Lindgren, freshman outfielder, runs to first base in the game against Oklahoma Panhandle State. MSU won both games of a doubleheader, Feb. 8, 2-0 and 8-4.

LAST GAME: Feb. 11, Southwest Baptist, W 10-3 NEXT GAME: Feb. 17, UT-Permian Basin, home, 4 p.m.