thewichitanyour university n your voiceWednesday n February 17, 2010

ATMs smashed, forcibly relocatedbut left full of cash

Student chargedin fatal crash

Regents vote to raise tuition, fees for Fall ’11Chris Collins

Managing Editor

MSU senior faces up to 10 years in prisonfor intoxication manslaughter

Brittany NormanEditor in ChiEf

See ACCIDENT on page 6

cost&effectWhAT ThE prICE INCrEAsE mEANs for sTuDENTs’ WAllETs

Based on 15 semester hours, in-state tuition

WhAT:nUniversity designated tUitionnenergy sUrchargenacademic sUpport services feen intercollegiate athletics fee

n total tUition and fees (including state-mandated tuition)

sprINg 2010n$1,404.00n $97.50nn/an $60.00

n $3,173.00

fAll 2010n $1,448. 25n $120.00n $60.00n $108.00

n $3,347.75

ChANgEn$44.25 or 3.15%n $22.50 or 23%n $60.00 n $48.00 or 80%

n $174.75 or *5.5%BoTTom lINE

Do you pay with plastic?students who choose to pay their fall 2010 tuition and fees with a credit card will be charged a service fee of 2.75%

of their total bill. that translates into an extra $92.06 added onto in-state students enrolling for 15 credit hours.

Snowpocalypse Campus closes early due to

dusting of the white stuff nsEE pAgE 4

Another snowstorm hit campus Thursday, leading to an early closure and a late start the following morning. (Photo by Brittany Norman)Chris Collins

Managing Editor

Presidents Day more than just a bank holiday

Choosing to drink and drive can be a potentially deadly error in judgment. If a recent study is correct, more than 2 million college students are guilty of it, despite being warned of the consequences.

Allegedly, that worst-case scenario became a tragic real-ity for senior nursing major William “Hunter” Deas early last Wednesday.

According to police, 22-year-old Deas was driving south on Fairway at about 2 a.m. when he crashed his Isuzu Ro-deo into the back of a Time Warner cable truck.

Kevin Becker, a 38-year-old father of three was in the elevated bucket of the truck performing routine mainte-nance, according to Time Warner representatives.

The impact of the collision caused Becker to be ejected from the bucket. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police suspected alcohol was involved. Deas was arrest-ed and charged with intoxication manslaughter.

Becker, a longtime Wichita Falls resident, is survived by his wife of 15 years, Brandy, and their three children:

Two ATMs in Clark Student Center were damaged early Friday morning, MSU Police Chief Michael Hagy said.

One belonging to First American was smashed with some blunt object. Another owned by the Teacher’s Credit Union was removed from its anchor and found in a nearby hallway.

No money was taken from either machine.Hagy said there are no suspects because the ATMs’

cameras only function during a transaction.“Anybody can basically walk up to it and do what they

want,” he said.The crime, charged as destruction of property, was

committed somewhere in between the hours of 2 and 5:30 a.m.

Hagy said one of the machines sounded an alarm to the parent company, but the agent couldn’t get into Clark to investigate – the doors were all locked.

“No one called us, but it’s a learning process,” he said.The university isn’t liable to repay the banks for the

machines, since they are the banks responsibility to maintain.

Currently there are eight cameras in Clark, Hagy said. They are working to install more specifically where the ATM are kept.

The Board of Regents discussed rais-ing tuition, imposing a credit card ser-vice fee for tuition payments, renovating Clark Student Center and other build-ings, and almost doubling the Intercol-legiate Athletics Fee at its meeting last Thursday.

The outcome: overall tuition and fees will be increased in the fall by 3.95 per-cent, about $180 more per student who takes 15 credit hours. This does not in-clude the increase of the Athletic Fee, which will almost double next semes-ter.

A credit card service fee of 2.75 per-cent and an Academic Support Service Fee will add another $4 per semester credit hour.

The energy surcharge is also being raised by $1.50 per credit hour, from $6.50 to $8.

MSU President Jesse Rogers said

these decisions were made in the length-ening shadow stretching over univer-sity decision-makers: $1.75 million in school funds have to be returned to the state of Texas by the end of 2011.

The nationwide recession has finally hit MSU hard, Rogers said.

“There are some things we had want-ed to get done that we didn’t even men-tion here,” he said. “We just said, ‘we cannot do that.’”

“This is nothing near as devastating as what is happening to schools outside the state of Texas,” he said. “The reces-sion has been late in coming to higher education in Texas, and I hope we’re one of the first states to pull out.”

Rogers said most of the money sent back to Austin will be funds used to pay personnel and provide fringe benefits.

“I froze all hiring yesterday because people are asking me to make decisions about positions we’ve filled and posi-tions we need filled,” he said. “This is

See rEgENTs on page 6

Presidents Day has become just one more holiday on U.S. calendars marked by depart-ment store sales and great deals at the local car lot. To most Americans, the honorees, Presi-dents Washington and Lincoln, are but vague memories from history classes.

Americans give little thought of past presi-dents but even less of the office itself.

According to MSU history and political sci-ence professors, the office has undergone many changes since the Constitution was ratified in 1787.

According to the professors, as the nation grows so do citizens’ expectations for the most

powerful job in America. Americans, they said, look to the president to steer the nation success-fully.

“It is easier to look at one person than at 535 congressmen or nine Supreme Court justices,” said Dr. Steve Garrison, chair of political sci-ence.

The image of the president has changed over the years. Eloquence and physical characteristics play an important role in a president’s success. President William H. Taft was the last president to sport facial hair.

John F. Kennedy captured the presidency be-cause of the way he performed in a series of tele-vised debates against his Republican opponent, Richard M. Nixon.

Republicans claim President Barack H.

Obama was elected due to media overexposure on sites like YouTube and Facebook.

The major shift in the role of the president began during WWII. “The president’s task has become impossible for me or any other man,” said President Franklin D. Roosevelt in January 1937. “The president needs help.” Those became famous words.

The Constitution describes the president’s two roles, the chief executive of the federal government and the Commander in Chief of the armed forces. He or she, then, controls the troops, enforces laws, develops policies, repre-sents the nation internationally, appoints fed-eral officials, and also approves or vetoes acts of

See prEsIDENTs on page 6

VEggIE TAlEs: Dining Services attempts to liven up options for meal plan users with

herbivorous tendenciesnpAgE 3

Debora Teixeirafor thE WiChitan

*The rate of change does not break the “MSU Promise” to refrain from raising tuition and fees by more than 5 percent in a one-year period because the Athletics Fee was initiated by a student-body vote and therefore doesn’t factor in. The official change, minus the Athletics Fee, is just under 4 percent

campusvoice2 n The Wichitan February 17, 2010

Cutbacks across the board... almostDepartments, faculty and students feel the effects of budget crackdown on their bottom line

– except, apparently, athletics.

nour view

Josh HoggardJedi guru

Get unstuck and forget negativitynJust Joshin’

thewichitan3410 Taft Blvd. Box 14 n Wichita Falls, Texas 76308News Desk: (940) 397-4704 n Ads: (940) 397-4705

Fax (940) 397-4025 n E-mail WICHITAN@mwsu.eduor EDITOR.WICHITAN@mwsu.edu

editorial board & staffnEdiTor in CHiEF: Brittany normannManaging EdiTor: Chris Collins

nEnTErTainMEnT EdiTor: Lauren Woodnop-Ed EdiTor: n/a

ninTEriM sporTs EdiTor: Josh HoggardnpHoTo EdiTor: Julia raymond

nadvErTising ManagEr: Jamie MonroenCopy EdiTor: phoebe Kurmi and amaka oguchi

nadvisEr: randy pruittnrEporTErs: Kyle Christian, Leah roberts,

Matt Ledesma, debora TeixeiranpHoTograpHErs: patrick Johnston,

Kassie Bruton, Loren Eggenschwiler

Copyright © 2007. The Wichitan is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association. The Wichi-tan 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 Mid-western State University. First copy of the paper is free of charge; additional copies are $1. The Wichitan welcomes letters of opinion from students, faculty and staff submitted by the Friday before intended publica-tion. Letters should be brief and without abusive lan-guage or personal attacks. Letters must be typed and signed by the writer and include a telephone number

and address for verification purposes. The editor retains the right to edit letters.

When the state legislature requested that MSU return near-ly $2 million from the 2010-2011 budget, we expected tuition to increase.

When the Board of Regents signed off on a 3.15 percent tuition increase, we weren’t surprised or upset. In fact, we ex-pected it to be higher – and we probably would have been okay with that, too. After all, MSU has the 5 percent promise in place to keep things from getting too much more expensive any given semester.

An increase in the energy surcharge? Other than the fact that it seems to come a little late – after all, didn’t energy costs peak out a few yearas ago? – it makes sense to recoup more costs, and it’s not that much money in the big scheme of things.

Beyond that, though, we start having problems.Apparently students are going to be paying for something

called “Academic Support Services.” According to Interim Provost Dr. Russell Long, this $4 per credit hour fee will al-low MSU to ... adequately advise students on how to proceed through their academic careers? Yeah, we kind of thought that was what faculty members in our majors were for, too.

Guess we were wrong, because Long got the Board to agree with him that students really do need to pay that extra $60 a semester so they don’t drop out due to bad advising. Couldn’t current counselors in the Academic Support Center just give faculty advisors a little extra training?

One of the biggest complaints we hear from students at larger universities is that for the first four or five semesters of their academic careers, they don’t have advising in their own major. MSU students who choose their degrees early can start out with that benefit.

Advising in the Academic Support Center is great for the undecided folks out there, but it just seems like a step back to subsidize knocking students out of their departments.

And then, the real kick in the teeth for MSU students who don’t play varsity athletics – every other corner of campus is expected to tighten up their belts and shave off extra expense, but the athletic department is asking for 80 percent – yes, 80 – more from the Intercollegiate Athletics Fee, jumping from $5 to $9 per credit hour.

Which was just instated, by the way, in January.Let’s go out on a limb and estimate there were 6,000 full-

time students at MSU this fall. If they took an average of 12 hours, that would mean all 6,000 were paying $60 into the Athletics fund.

In case you don’t feel like doing the math, that multiplies into the neighborhood of $360,000. I think we can also safely assume that athletics was still at least partially subsidized by the Student Service Fee funds.

Increase that amount by 80 percent now.Is $648,000 gonna be enough, you think? Of course, students only have themselves to blame if they

don’t like paying more for their athletes. The reason the ath-letic fee raise doesn’t push this semester’s tuition and fee hike into the MSU promise-breaking zone is because we voted in 2009 to pay for it. Don’t remember that? It’s probably because you didn’t vote. The fee passed with 75 percent approval, but that’s not saying a whole lot when the turnout was far beneath anything resembling full representation.

Too bad. Now we can’t even cry foul we had no say in wheth-er or not the fee was nearly doubled. If students had read the fine print, they’d know that they signed up to pay up to $10 per credit hour to offset the fact that our sports fans don’t tend to buy enough game tickets to turn a profit.

That’s probably because students don’t technically have to pay for tickets to sporting events, but let’s be realistic. You’re pay-ing more into athletics through fees than the average student would spend going to MSU games anyway.

According to Texas State Senate records from May 5, 2009 – less than a year ago – the fee was supposed to begin Spring 2010 at the $5 per credit hour and gradually increase to the maximum of $10 per credit hour, up to $120 a semester.

The exact text from a May 5 Fiscal Note from John O’Brien, Director of the Legislative Budget Board, to the Chair of the House Committee on Higher Education Dan Branch, in-cludes the following:

“The University estimates that if the fee begins in the spring of 2010 at a rate of $5 per semester credit hour and does not increase more than 10 percent annually, 2010 revenue would be approximately $694,691 and 2011 revenue would be $760,731.”

Sources on this report were listed as Midwestern State Uni-versity and the Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Maybe it’s just us, but 80 percent seems like a whole lot more than 10 percent. Like, 700 percent more.

But, again, the administration and the regents aren’t break-ing any promises. Students voted this fee through without adding on any stipulations on how they could minimize the

financial impact for themselves. Some of the other Texas universities with Intercollegiate

Athletics Fees require that, at the very least, the student gov-ernment vote on any year-to-year increase of the fee. At Tarle-ton State University, an increase of more than five percent from one academic year to the next requires a majority vote of the entire student body.

MSU’s athletics fee isn’t bound by any such stipulations. Ba-sically, the Board can raise the fee all the way to the maximum $10 per credit hour without consulting the people who will be footing the bill. If the fee is to be raised beyond that pre-set maximum, the student body will have to vote to approve it.

Not that it would matter. If previous student elections are any indication, only a few hundred students will show up at the polls, and the majority of those will be the students who have a vested interest in whatever they’re voting on.

The moral of the story? If you don’t vote, you don’t have any say in what you pay for. Sometimes it also pays to read the fine print.

And if you want to avoid cutbacks, just settle yourself in the athletics department and breathe easy. The students body’s cash will make sure you get all the improvements you so des-perately need without delays due to some pesky recession. We’ve got your back – whether we want it or not.

1977.One of the biggest cult

movie classics hit the big screen, growing into one of the highest grossing franchises in the history of film.

Low budget and inde-pendently directed, Star Wars: A New Hope hit the big screen.

Though it was the first film chronologically in the Star Wars saga, it was the fourth episode of the se-ries.

Star Wars, Episode 4: A New Hope begins the story of Luke Sky-walker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo, pos-sibly the most iconic figures of the Star Wars saga.

Yet, a returning, legendary Jedi knight is where we get our nugget of wisdom this week.

Obi-Wan Kenobi. He’s no stranger to this column. We ventured into his world last week.

30 years after he gave Anakin Skywalk-er a philosophical nugget of wisdom, Obi-Wan would turn to Anakin’s son, Luke, and offer him some age-old Jedi advice.

Luke was just saved from sand people by Obi-Wan (whom he knew as Ben), and was taken back to Obi-Wan’s house for safety. Obi-Wan began to tell Luke about his father’s past as Anakin, before he turned to the Dark Side.

Luke, who had lived on Tatooine his entire life, was a stereotypical city-kid-stuck-on-a-farm. He had big dreams of

fighting the empire, but the sands of Tatooine held his feet on the ground.

That, and the grip of his uncle.

So, when Obi-Wan hears the famous quote from Leia’s hologram played by R2-D2, “Help me, Obi-Wan Keno-bi. You’re my only hope”, the first person he asks to help is Luke.

“I need your help, Luke,” Obi-Wan pleads. “She needs your help. I’m getting too old for this sort of thing.”

Luke quickly rebuts, “Look, I can’t get involved. I’ve got worked to do. It’s not that I like the Empire; I hate it, but there’s nothing I can do about it right now… It’s all such a long way from here.”

Obi-Wan somberly replies, “That’s your uncle talking.”

Luke wanted with all that was within him to leave that desolate planet and pur-sue his dreams of fighting off the Empire in a star fighter.

Yet, he made up excuses, made little of his dreams and himself, and gave himself every reason to stay when all that is within him is screaming to leave.

In psychology, we call this phenom-enon rationalization. It’s a Freudian de-fense mechanism in which the individual unrealistically and despite his own wants, reasons away the thoughts and desires he has.

Think about it.How many times has something held

you down?For Luke, it was his uncle. His uncle

told him his whole life how he wasn’t any-thing more than a moisture farmer, that he would never leave Tatooine and he’d stay on and work the harvest for his entire life.

Even though Luke dreamed huge, his uncle suffocated him and tied him down.

How many people in your life do that?You have dreams, aspirations, goals that

define you as a person, yet people in your life tell you they aren’t possible?

Parents, professors, teachers, church members, friends, enemies…

They fill your head with doubt and make you think less of your dreams, less of your-self, and eventually, you end up settling.

The worst part?Eventually, you start believing their pes-

simism, and their thoughts become your thoughts.

Then, you start holding yourself down.Had Luke allowed the negativity he

started to believe from his uncle, he may have never went with Obi-Wan to Mos Eisley, met Han, and began his adventure to becoming a Jedi.

You never know what comes next in your story.

Don’t believe other peoples negativity. Don’t let their pessimism seep into your soul and reflect in your actions and be-liefs.

Be your own person.Don’t worry about whether or not it’s

good enough for someone else.Don’t even worry about how ridiculous

your dreams may be.But, whatever you do, don’t keep your

feet on the ground.

featureFebruary 17, 2010 The Wichitan n 3

$385

* Free Wi-Fi

6,056 A record numberof students enrolledin the spring semester.

Sophomore and vegetarian Renee Dubois said she has a meal plan and eats lunch and dinner in the Mesquite Café, but she finds her-self limited.

The resident assistant stopped eating red meat in high school and has been a vegetarian since August. She said she can eat the grilled cheese sandwiches, the steamed vegetables, the pasta, which doesn’t appeal to her or from the salad bar.

“That’s all I can do because everything (else) has meat in it,” she said.

“Being vegetarian is hard,” Dubois said. MSU Dining Services tries to offer enough options that everyone,

including vegetarians and vegans, will have something to eat at every meal, Michael Clifton, director of Dining Services, said. The menu is posted three weeks at a time on the Dining Services Web site, which is linked to the MSU Web site.

Clifton, who has been MSU’s director of Dining Services for six years, said in the last few years, he strived to increase the number of vegetarian friendly options in the cafeteria. Each lunch and dinner menu includes four vegetables, the soup and salad bar and veggie burger by request. Sundance Food Court offers veggie sandwiches and veggie burgers by request.

“We do try to offer as much as we can,” he said.The Mesquite Cafe has to prepare and serve lunch and dinner for

about 800 people a day in the fall, Clifton said. In the spring semes-ter the number of diners drops to about 650, he said. Those numbers don’t include the people who eat at Sundance Food Court. Only about 200 people eat breakfast in the cafeteria.

Clifton said based on the feedback he’s received, only 15-20 of the daily diners are vegetarian or vegan.

Dubois said she knows only one other vegetarian who eats in the cafeteria. “So I completely understand that most people eat meat,” she said.

Even though Dubois doesn’t complain about her limited options, she said “It’d be nice” to see more vegetarian options. She was not aware that the cafeteria grill had a veggie burger option.

Clifton said, in addition to the increased options and veggie burg-er by request, students can bring him requests for options to fit di-etary requirements.

“We do try to make concessions if dietary concerns are brought to us in advance,” he said.

He said most of the time meeting the requests usually means pre-paring an individual meal and holding it for that person.

“We have in the past and will in the future,” he said.Clifton said he welcomes comments and suggestions for improve-

ment. If a student or staff member suggests a vegetarian or vegan recipe, he said he takes the suggestion seriously; however vegetarian and vegan recipes are tough because they don’t have a wide appeal.

“We can’t always do it, but we do investigate it thoroughly,” he said. He has to consider cost and whether or not suggestions will appeal to the majority of the 600-800 diners he needs to feed.

Shhh... we’re hunting wabbits

carrotsDining services strives to freshen up

options for MSU’s herbivore population

Robert FoxFor the Wichitan

Sometimes a non-meat-eating existence can be bor-ing when it comes to mealtime at the Mesquite Cafe dining hall at MSU. Dining Services director Michael Clifton says they’re trying to offer more options for vegetarian and vegan students at the university. (Photos by: Julia Raymond)

feature4 n The Wichitan February 17, 2010

MSU froze over (again),

inspiring epic snow wars,freakishly big snowmen

and quite possiblythe most ginormous

snowball.... ever.

Let the snow balls fly! The unexpected flurry Thursday caused school to close at 12:30 p.m., but it didn’t keep all the stu-dents inside. Instead, they were rolling giant blizzard boulders (top), hurling ice-grenades (left), just running for cover (bottom center) or building towering snow people (bottom right). The fun didn’t stop until school started again Friday at 10 a.m. It was kinda pretty, too (right). (Photos by Brittany Norman)

The Wichitan n 5February 17, 2010

COMING SOON TO A CAMPUS NEAR YOU… Wednesday, Feb. 17 Greek Forum 6:00pm, CSC Shawnee Share your thoughts and ideas regarding Greek Life at MSU.

Thursday, Feb. 18 MSU Theater: And The Rain Came to Mayfield 11:00am, Fain Theater A powerful cultural drama set in a small town in Mississippi.

February 19 & 20 MSU Theater: And The Rain Came to Mayfield 7:30pm, Fain Theater Celebrate Black History Month!

Saturday, Feb. 20 MSU Basketball vs. Abilene Christian 6pm & 8pm, Ligon Coliseum Women at 6:00pm. Men at 8:00pm. Wear maroon!

Tuesday, Feb. 23 Soul Food Dinner 5:00-7:00pm, Mesquite Café Celebrate Black History Month with MSU Dining Services!

Wednesday, Feb. 24 Movie Showing and Discussion: Precious 7:00pm, CSC Shawnee Open your mind to new possibilities. Celebrate Black History Month!

Thursday, Feb. 25 Movie Showing and Discussion: Precious 11:00am, CSC Shawnee Life is hard. Life is short. Life is painful. Life is rich. Life is… Precious.

Saturday, Feb. 27 Alpha Phi High Heel Walk 11:00am, Quadrangle Raising awareness for women’s heart disease.

Saturday, Feb. 27 MSU Greek Night at Wichita Falls Wildcats Hockey 7:05pm, Kay Yeager Coliseum Proceeds will benefit the Children’s Miracle Network.

Tuesday, March 3 Student Government Association Meeting 7:00pm, Bolin 127 Your campus; your voice. Open to all MSU students.

The House that Midwestern Built

During the entire spring 2010 semester, students from MSU can help the local

Habitat for Humanity organization and build a house for a family in need. Individual

students, student organizations, classes, and other groups are welcome to

participate. Students can sign up to work on a weekly basis or just one single day. To

learn more about the project, contact Dominique Calhoun in the Office of Student Development and Orientation at 397-4948.

OutstandingStudent Awards

Nominate a fellow student for the 2009-10 Outstanding Student Awards! Awards are given

to a male and female student of every classification (freshman-graduate). Each award carries a $250 scholarship. Awards are selected on the basis of scholarship, leadership, service,

community involvement, and more. Nomination forms can be found online at the

Dean of Students website (http://students.mwsu.edu/dean/) and are due

no later than Friday, February 19, 2010.

The Spotlight is brought to you by

The Office of StudentDevelopment & Orientation Endless Opportunities. Lifelong Connections.

Clark Student Center, Room 194 (940) 397-4500

http://activities.mwsu.edu

Look for the next Spotlight on Wednesday, March 3, 2010!

Risk Management Workshops

The 2009-10 mandatory Student Organization Risk Management

Trainings have been scheduled. Every registered student organization at MSU must have a representative attend one

workshop. Workshops will be held in CSC Shawnee Theater.

Wednesday, March 3 from 5:30-7:30pm

Thursday, March 4 from 5:30-7:30pm

the Spotlight

A SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS... -To MSU’s newest registered studentorganizations: Colleges Against Cancer,Engineers for a Sustainable World, and the Harry Potter Alliance.

-To all of the student organizations who raised funds and awareness for the Haiti Relief Effort including Alpha Kappa Alpha, Omega Delta Phi,Alpha Phi Alpha, African StudentsOrganization, Caribbean StudentsOrganization, Kappa Alpha Psi, Sigma Phi Lambda, and the Spanish Club.

-To the new members inducted into the Order of Omega national Greek honor society.

Has your organization done something worthy of recognition in the Spotlight? (performed community service, presented a program, traveled to a conference, received an award, etc.) Let us know! Call 397-4500 so your organization can be featured in a future issue.

CongratulationsCongratulations

Greek ScholarsGreek Scholars

Spring 2009Spring 2009 Angelica Alvarado of Sigma Lambda Alpha 

Andrea Berry of Chi Omega Alyssa Edson of Gamma Phi Beta  Kimberly Edwards of Alpha Phi  Kevin Francis of Alpha Phi Alpha Chance Gibbs of Kappa Sigma  Kenneth Gill of Sigma Nu 

Michael Godwin of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Kaleigh Harner of Chi Omega  Scott Hays of Tau Kappa Epsilon 

 Patricia Johnson of Gamma Phi Beta  Cambria Jones of Alpha Kappa Alpha 

Masaru Kamada of Sigma Alpha Epsilon  Todd Lewis of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Andrew Lindsey of Kappa Sigma  Jennifer May of Sigma Kappa  Julia Mushlin of Chi Omega 

 Paul Overstreet of Phi Sigma Kappa  Craig Schweitzer of Omega Delta Phi  Robert Shelton of Tau Kappa Epsilon Sarah Spaniel of Gamma Phi Beta  Dannye Stephens of Sigma Kappa Ashley Tuscana of Chi Omega 

Jessica Walterscheid of Chi Omega Taylor Whatley of Gamma Phi Beta 

     

Spring and Fall 2009Spring and Fall 2009  Kimberley Coleman of Delta Sigma Theta 

Chelsey Fanchier of Alpha Phi Charmaine Harris of Delta Sigma Theta Jory Newsom of Sigma Lambda Alpha Lindsey Price of Delta Sigma Theta 

Fall 2009Fall 2009  Iyen Ajayi of Alpha Phi Alpha 

 Tiffany Alexander of Delta Sigma Theta Nicole Ashley of Chi Omega Kristin Boxell of Chi Omega 

 James Christiansen of Sigma Nu  Lauren Cotton of Gamma Phi Beta Erika Crain of Gamma Phi Beta 

Stephanie Cuellar of Sigma Kappa  Adam Daniel of Phi Sigma Kappa 

 Michael Dunne of Tau Kappa Epsilon  Jena Elgin of Chi Omega 

 Jasmine Ellis of Alpha Kappa Alpha  Amanda Folse of Alpha Phi 

 Sofia Garcia of Kappa Delta Chi  Candice Hale of Alpha Phi 

 Taylor Hankins of Tau Kappa Epsilon  Mark Harkoo of Omega Delta Phi  Tonya Hartman of Alpha Phi 

 Chartoya Jamison of Alpha Kappa Alpha Brandon Jones of Sigma Alpha Epsilon  Courtney Kennon of Sigma Kappa 

 Michael Kimbrell of Sigma Alpha Epsilon  Margaret Kruder of Sigma Kappa 

 Adriana Lara of Sigma Lambda Alpha  Ashley Lebowsky of Gamma Phi Beta  John McClellan of Kappa Sigma 

 Justin McGuire of Phi Sigma Kappa Hilberto Meza of Omega Delta Phi  Marco Morales of Tau Kappa Epsilon 

 Chase Morton of Sigma Nu  Kendall Neu of Alpha Phi 

 Nancy Nino of Kappa Delta Chi  Silvia Patino‐Olvera of Sigma Lambda Alpha 

Stephanie Ramirez of Gamma Phi Beta  Lacey Reneau of Sigma Kappa 

Breanne Sill of Alpha Phi     Christopher Skinner of Kappa Sigma 

 Jenna Svane of Sigma Kappa  Casey Svatek of Phi Sigma Kappa Marieke Van Gaalen of Alpha Phi     Joshua Whittiker of Sigma Nu 

Members of the Midwestern State University faculty and staff gathered February 5, 2010 at the first

Greek Scholars’ Luncheon honoring the scholastic achievements of members within the fraternity and sorority community.

Dr. Howard Farrell, Vice President for University

Advancement and Student Affairs, served as the host for the event at which seventy-one students were recognized. More than 25% of the MSU Greek

population received a grade point average of a 3.0 or higher during either the spring or fall 2009

semesters.

For more information about the Greek community, check out www.mwsu.edu/greeklife.

newsFebruary 17, 20106 n The Wichitan

campus briefsn Today:

WPE PrEP WorkshoP in Pro-thro-YEagEr 101 at 6 P.m.

n THURSday:tobacco cEssation coursE in bridWEll 109 at 4 P.m.

n FRIday:thEatrE: and thE rain camE to maYfiEld in thE fain finE arts thEatrE at 7:30 P.m.broWn bag rEsEarch PrEsEnta-tion: alan dublinskY in thE PriddY confErEncE room at 1:15 P.m.

n SaTURday:thEatrE: and thE rain camE to maYfiEld in thE fain finE arts thEatrE at 7:30 P.m.

n TUeSday:athlEtic lunchEon at thE musEum of art at msu at noon

acadEmic rEcovErY grouP in thE csc aPachE at 3:30 P.m.

guEst Piano rEcital in akin auditorium at 7:30 P.m.

When selecting a major, students rarely take into consideration the cost of textbooks and class supplies.

At MSU, Health Sciences heads up the list of most expensive texts. In that field, books can top out at $1,000 a semester, about double what the average stu-dent pays.

The MSU Admissions Office estimates the average student will spend about $570 per semester for 15 credit hours.

In general, professors require at least one textbook. Some require none. Others ask for several titles. The cost varies from subject to subject. It depends on the publisher, edition, extra material that accompanies the text, and whether it is new or used.

Since the demand for new textbooks de-creased with the popularization of Internet trade of used books, publishers have become creative in finding ways to convince profes-sors to opt for new editions.

Textbook bundles are popular today, espe-cially in the sciences like chemistry and bi-ology. Some students never touch the extras that come with the book, but they do not have the option of buying an older edition that does not come with the material.

Biology 1134, for example, requires the textbook, a laboratory manual that comes with a CD, and another manual that also has a CD and atlas.

The text costs $215.70, compared to about $ 70 for a previous edition.

“Sometimes professors opt for hardcover books that have supportive materials like CDs,” said Dr. Sheldon Wang, chair of en-gineering.

Although paperback editions are cheaper, the most updated information is published first in hardcover format, he said. Texts vary from $40 to $200. Shigley’s Mechanical En-

gineering Design costs $212. “Professors constantly factor in the price

of books,” Wang explained, “but sometimes the most reputable textbooks end up being the more expensive ones.”

“For one of my classes, Family Health, I spent $357.65 on seven required books,” said Debora Alonso, a junior nursing major. “I spent around $700 last semes-ter, but I kept most of my books.”

Alonso bought a pharmacology text that had not yet been published.

“We didn’t get the book until October so I just used the handouts I got in class and sold my book as brand new.

I didn’t even open it,” she said. The cost of a text with color prints can

be as much as eight times more than a book with black and white reproductions.

The wide use of color accounts for why science and health care textbooks tend to be pricy. Some of the most expensive books, however, fall in the business fields.

Cost Accounting retails for $226.35 new, and $169.75 for a used copy. Essential of Statistics for Business and Economics sells for $211.05 new and $158.30 used.

Art students, on the other hand, do not have to worry about the price of textbooks since few are required.

That doesn’t mean art is cheap. “Art supplies can be very expensive,” ad-

mitted Dr. Nancy Steele-Hamme, chair of Fine Arts. “Instructors go great lengths to provide students a list of materials and where to find the best prices locally and online.”

Art supplies can add up to about $150 to $200 for beginner classes. A student may have to pay $12 for a paintbrush when he takes painting I, but he will not have to pur-chase another one for painting II.

Regardless of the field of study, under-graduates spend an average of $500 on books, with a few exceptions.

Words that break the bankStudents hard-pressed to find bargains on textbooks

debora TeixeiraFor the Wichitan

critical. I hope we don’t have to cut $714,000 out of the faculty. We need those positions.”

New fees have been instated to combat the unexpected mon-ey crunch, Rogers said. One such charge is the credit card service fee, which will displace the uni-versity’s cost of accepting credit card payments by levying a 2.75 percent fee on students who pay with plastic.

“We’ve thought about this for a while,” Rogers said. “It’s very common for universities to re-cover their losses with a service fee.”

He said the school currently accrues $500,000 annually in small charges.

“We keep getting small charg-es that are nipping away at our resources,” Rogers said. “We are getting pecked to death by small charges, and it’s costing all stu-dents.”

Originally the Board planned to instate a fee of 2.2 percent, subsidizing the remainder of the cost.

“I don’t think we should do that unless we just feel gener-ous,” Regent Munir Lalani said. “I don’t think we should subsi-dize.”

Not much was said about a substantially higher Athletics Fee next semester, except that much of the increase will go to

helping finish the renovation of D.L. Ligon Coliseum, Athletic Director Charlie Carr said.

The Board also voted to im-pose a $4 per credit hour Aca-demic Support Services Fee.

The Academic Support Center teaches college skills to at-risk students, helps advise students who haven’t chosen a major, and run a supplemental instruction program for some high-failure-rate courses.

“I think as faculty members we’re obligated to provide good, sound advising to students,” In-terim Provost Russell Long said. “The bottom line is this works for the university and also for the students. If the students do well, we get rewarded. If they don’t, we’re penalized.”

Long said the Center has too many hands reaching out for help. It needs additional staff and resources.

“They’re just flooded,” he said.About $140,000 of the fee will

go to salaries and benefits for three full-time academic coun-selors.

Academic counseling is dis-tinct from academic advising in that advisers mainly recommend what courses a student should take, Long said. An academic counselor can give more relevant, educated advice to a student who hasn’t yet decided on a major and

is looking for some direction.“This is beyond just advising,”

he said. “The quality of advis-ing at the university is uneven,” Long said. “Some students get extremely good advising - others don’t get the same quality. This would provide a standard of ex-cellence for all students.”

Next semester MSU will charge students nine fees, more than ever before.

Rogers said, however, that this plan pales by comparison to those of larger institutions.

“The fees at other universities are so complex and lengthy it makes ours look simple,” Regent Shawn Hessing said.

Rogers said the reason the Board is trying to bring in more fee-funded money, as opposed to using tuition money, is MSU is forced to return 20 percent of tu-ition funds to the state.

“If we charge it as a fee, we don’t have to return that 20 per-cent,” he said. “If you look at ev-ery one of the fees, I think they’re justified.”

“By using this approach, we are making a commitment that the revenue from those fees will be used for one and only one purpose,” Hessing said.

Rogers said the current fiscal climate is forcing the university to be conservative, but it hasn’t

halted him from considering to take on big-money projects.

One such project is a new $60 – 70 million library that Rogers thinks might be built where the Ferguson building stands. The project would be funded with tu-ition revenue bonds.

“We need a modern library,” Rogers said.

Instead of tearing down the current library building, the space could be used for the Education Department.

“The Department of Educa-tion needs more space and a dif-ferent space,” he said.

Other renovations discussed were a $17.5 million update in

Bolin and a $10 million facelift for Fain Fine Arts to make the building fire safe.

Rogers said certain buildings might be destroyed to make room for new ones. On the chopping block were the police station and the Biology House.

Housing and dining service rates will rise next semester. Bridwell Court apartments will change the most, with one-bed-room units costing 6.72 percent ($40 a month) more and two-bedroom units increasing in price by 7.91 percent ($55 a month).

The cost for a 14-meal plan will rise by 2.64 percent, about $35.

Congress. As time passed and the nation grew,

additional responsibilities were bestowed upon the president.

Before Roosevelt, the president had few staff members to aid in his day-to-day work. The New Deal brought the biggest change in the creation of Execu-tive Office of the president.

The office today employs over 3,000 staffers, plus the 15 cabinet offices and departments.

The federal government took upon it-self more responsibilities towards its citi-zens in order to improve the quality of life in the U.S. In 1921, Congress passed The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 transferring the responsibility of creating a federal budget for the fiscal year.

With all those changes giving the president more power, the term impe-

rialist presidency became popular. The phrase “with great power comes great responsibilities,” comes to mind.

After WWII, Congress also gave the president more authority to use the armed forces, even though the presi-dent still cannot declare war. President George W. Bush sent troops to Iraq in 2003 without Congress ever declaring war against the country.

“It’s called the paradox of the presi-dential power,” Garrison said. “As Com-mander in Chief, people tend to think the president can do whatever he wants. Military power is associated with politi-cal power. “Likewise, the paradox gives the impression the president can control the economy,” said Garrison.

The president deals, however, with foreign and domestic policy separate-ly. One of the president’s jobs is to make

decisions. Whether his actions are good or bad, the president will most likely be criticized for them. The responsibility for the outcome lies entirely on him. The pressure is always on.

“President Lyndon B. Johnson had to go to war or the Republicans would call him a chicken,” explained Dr. James King, associate history professor.

On the other hand, “President Tru-man was criticized for taking too long to end peace talks after WWII. Americans got this idea that it is as easy to get out of war as it is to get in one,” said King.

He explained that people in general do not want to learn from the past. Wars dragged on for decades sometimes, with great losses on both sides.

“Johnson was very good with domes-tic policies,” said Garrison. “But he was not successful with his foreign policies.”

Nixon, on the other hand, failed in his domestic policy, but developed the right strategy for foreign affairs. The presi-dent does not govern alone. He depends heavily on the Legislative and Judiciary branches of government.

The Congress is not what it used to be in the past either.

“Civility is going down the tube,” said King.

Election or reelection is the new num-ber one priority. Every election, one is-sue steals the spotlight, taking the pub-lic’s attention from the candidates’ entire platform, and even qualifications.

It can be abortion, civil rights, health care, or economic crisis.

Today, “conservatives and liberals go for one issue, ever since Rove vs. Wade,” King said.

Although the president represents the

nation, he does not have the power to create laws that can change the nation. His job becomes persuading Congress to make such laws. Afterward, the presi-dent has to deal with the bureaucracy of implementing such laws.

The media presents, perhaps, the new-est challenges to the office of the presi-dent.

“Media has a great impact on politics today,” explained Garrison. With the ex-plosion of Twitter, and similar message boards, the average citizen relays more and more on sound bites to get their in-formation.

“This condensed news format is not always accurate,” said Garrison. “People do not take the time to check sources.”

PReSIdeNTS................................................................................................................................................................................................continued from page 1

year-old Payton, 13-year-old Kristian and 9-year-old Brady.

Wednesday was Kristianís birthday.

Funeral services were held Sat-urday at Lamar Baptist Church.

A close family member said Deas’ entire family is in shock. She said he was released on $50,000 bond sometime on Wednesday, and has been at home with his family.

“It’s a tragedy for all (involved),” she said, adding that she in no way intends to minimize the grief the Becker family is experiencing. Deas’ family, she said, is in a differ-

ent kind of pain.On Thursday, the family mem-

ber said Deas wasn’t doing well, that he didn’t seem to be able to wrap his head around what had happened. She said his family is having a hard time believing it, too.

“Hunter has been the example to all the other children in the family,” she said. “The fact that this has happened just shows that it can happen to anyone. Hunter is the most admirable young man that I personally know.”

Regardless of strength of char-acter, Deas now faces second-de-

gree felony charges. If convicted, he could spend up

to 10 years in state prison.A court date has not yet been

set.Deas’ SUV was “flattened” in

the accident, according to the fam-ily member. He had to be cut from the vehicle by first responders, and was taken to United Regional Health Care Systems where he was treated for cuts and abrasions before he was taken to jail.

The family member said Deas has sought pastoral care and other counseling since the accident.

While she said Deas will be re-

turning to MSU at least until his court date, his professional future will be in limbo if he is found guilty of intoxication manslaughter.

According to the Texas Board of Nursing Practice and Proce-dure, a felony conviction can pre-vent an otherwise qualified candi-date from achieving certification.

Deas’ family is trying not to dwell too much on the future.

“(Hunter) didn’t deserve this and neither did Mr. Becker,” she said. “The loss (suffered by Beck-er’s family) is not lost on us. Now we’re trying to save a second life, and he happens to be ours.”

aCCIdeNT..............................................................................................................continued from page 1

ReGeNTS.....................................................................................................................................................................................................continued from page 1

The Wichitan n 3

a&eThe Wichitan n 7February 17, 2010

Guns, Revenge and a Pink Guitar

‘Side by Side’ cast charms in Sondheim tribute Cora KuykendallFor the Wichitan

Kelcie Bush and Matthew Griffin both impressed the crowd in the production of “Side by Side.” (Photo by Kassie Bruton)

Making something out of nothing is exactly what the cast of Side By Side did last weekend in the Akin auditorium.

For an hour and fifteen min-utes two pianos, a few props and nine performers entertained the audience with 18 original songs by Stephen Sondheim, includ-ing music from the very popular West Side Story.

Side By Side is a collection of songs from Sondheim’s musi-cals. Some songs are well known, such as Send in the Clowns, oth-ers are un-recognizable to the non-musical theater buff. But, each of them followed a certain

theme, whether it was marriage, whistling or Broadway.

Broadway is definitely where some of our MSU peers may end up in the future. Matthew Griffin was all over the place in the production, not only did he sing in ensemble pieces and in Getting Married Today, he was also a narrator of sorts, spitting off facts about Sondheim while introducing the next act.

Some songs made you laugh, others made you think, and then there were the songs where Parker Arnold’s voice made your heart melt.Rachel Ford did a remarkable job singing I’m Still Here from the production Follies, hitting notes that only a miracle could allow me to hit.

With this production, the performers proved that they have a great range of musi-cal and acting ability. Kelcie Bush and Stephanie Benson both sang a seductive number, and within minutes Bush sang a sweet ballad from West Side Story and Benson sang a comi-cal duet with Arnold.

Everyone involved had great chemistry together onstage. Their chemistry was especially apparent in the ensemble num-bers and the two trios.

In the closing song, Conver-sation Piece was nicknamed as “beast” by those who performed it. Congratulations to the cast, you definitely captured the beast.

Brittany Normaneditor in chieF

Miranda Lambert proved that rednecks can do romance – some-times they just have to sing about shooting people first.

Even the night before Valentine’s Day, mentions of diamond rings and fairytale romance were few and far between. Instead, the singer kicked her show into overdrive from the moment she stepped out with songs about toting (and shooting) guns, getting revenge, and getting one-up on someone who thinks they’re a lot more special than they really are.

In fact, nearly everyone in the audience of about 3,000 fans (and their boyfriends) could take home a lesson or two about love, life and music. n It’s okay to have fun – Really, it is. Everyone knows that musi-

cians are ultimately punching the time clock when they go onstage for a concert, but Lambert’s sheer enthusiasm made that fact really easy to forget. She looked like she was enjoying every minute of the 90 minutes that seemed to fly by as she performed. A lot of bigger-name acts should take a cue from the diminutive blond and pump up the energy. n As long as you smile real nice, there’s nothing wrong with

being mean –especially if they were asking for it. She opened up the show with a track from her new album, Only Prettier, in which she takes on folks with a holier-than-thou attitude, fighting back with a little sharp-edged Southern charm. Why be nasty when a sweet-toned “bless your heart” will do the trick just fine? Lambert seems aware that Texas ladies like herself can come across as a little rough around the edges, what with the drinking and cussing and all. She’ll pass on the little miss perfect routine. “I’ll keep drinking and you’ll keep getting skinnier,” she sang, dancing behind the mike. “We’re just like you – only prettier.”n Guys shouldn’t cheat or beat up on women – and if they do,

they better watch out for chicks with guns. She’s warned the “bad guys” of the world more than once now that mistreating a woman has its consequences. In the old favorite Gunpowder and Lead a beat-up woman decides to even up the fight a little by putting an abusive man on the business end of a shotgun. She performed a newer ad-monition for guys who don’t know how to treat a lady, Sin for a Sin, in which all the Bible’s teachings of forgiveness can’t keep a woman scorned from getting revenge on a cheater, burying her problem six feet under. n Sometimes, you can forget pulling the trigger. Just get even

instead – In White Liar, a man finds out that his lady knows about the other woman – but this time, unlike unluckier guys in Miranda Lambert songs, he doesn’t end up in a coffin. He just finds out that – surprise! – girls can lie and cheat, too. (And sometimes, lying pays off. White Liar was Lambert’s first number one hit on the Billboard country chart, edging out Tim McGraw himself ).n It’s not about being perfect – Lambert’s philosophy, as revealed

in the song Heart Like Mine, is that there’s only one person whose judgment really matters – his name is Jesus, and she’s pretty sure he’d find it in his heart to understand why she smokes the occasional cigarette. Also, your parents might not always approve of every little body-art related choice you make – like when Lambert sang about how her “daddy cried when he saw (her) tattoo” – but in the end, the people who matter still love you even if you get a firearm perma-nently inked onto your wrist.And, finally…n It’s okay to be a little bit sappy… sometimes– Though the set

list could mostly be classified as heavy in the girl power department, the singer didn’t shy away from a little bit of emotionality. She played a few songs that tilted the scale more toward the sweeter side of sugar and spice. And when Miranda came back onstage for an encore, she had a Valentine’s surprise for her fans in the form of her Valentine. Blake Shelton, her longtime boyfriend and fellow country star, was met with the squeals of the female part of the audience. The People Magazine-certified “Sexiest Man in Country Music” performed his new single, Hillbilly Bone, then picked up a guitar and performed the sappy-sweet love song, Home, a Michael Bublé cover that took Shelton to the top of the country charts in 2008.

However, even through the show-ending sweetness, there was a constant reminder for fans that they were dealing with a self-pro-claimed “redneck.”

Something about Lambert’s microphone stand, made out of an honest-to-god shotgun, seems to dare critics to underestimate her.

Crowd gets a lesson in love, life and music from Lambert

Country firecracker Miranda Lambert belted out tunes Saturday night at Kay Yeager. Wade Bo-wen and Blake Shelton also made appearances at the event. (Photos by Brittany Norman)

a&e8 n The Wichitan February 17, 2010

‘Valentine’s Day’ too crowdedMatt Ledesma

For the Wichitan

Above: Bradley Cooper and Julia Roberts are two of the many A-list actors starring in the new romantic comedy, “Valentine’s Day.” Right Cor-ner: Jessica Biel is longing for love in “Valentine’s Day.” Right: Taylor Swift shares the big screen with Jennifer Gar-ner in the film. (Photo Cour-tesy)

Big love for ‘Valentine’s Day’Brittany WalshFor the Wichitan

Go Figure: Figure skating best part of Winter Olympics

Lauren Woodentertainment editor

The beacon is lit and Oh Canada has been sung. The Winter Olympics are finally here!

NBC channels are now filled with snowy scenes with athletes barreling down steep, white-blanketed hills. Hockey, skiing and curling will fill my afternoons and evenings for the next two weeks.

However, despite the enormous amount of talent in all of these events, I have my heart set on only one event: figure skating.

I have been counting down the days until the first figure skating competition was to air on NBC, and this past Sunday, for four hours I endured watching sports such as speed skating, the lug and the moguls, all in order to see the figure skating portion.

NBC nicely intertwined the event with the other sports to hook the avid fans to “stay tuned.”

They even teased us with icons stating “13 minutes till Figure Skating,” just to lead us on.

For those of you who are not avid fans, you are missing out on a beautiful sport. It is full of sequins, soothing music and men wearing extremely tight pants. It doesn’t get much better, ladies.

For you men who make fun our love of figure skating: when else are you going to see a girl, usually wearing a

revealing and skin-tight costume, spin and jump around, with her skate up by her face? Hello, flexibility!

Now some skeptics question whether figure skating is actually a sport. I say, of course it is.

It involves lifts, twists, jumps and putting your leg somewhere uncomfortable, all while having a leotard ride up your behind. And they are smiling through all of this. This definitely qualifies as a sport.

I mean come on, if ski jumping is a sport, (whoever jumps the farthest wins), then figure skating qualifies too.

It is a dangerous sport at that. One competitor had her cheek sliced open by her partners’ skate and she had to have 80 stitches and plastic surgery. Ouch!

Skaters often suffer many injuries such as broken ankles, sprained shoulders and many bumps and bruises that only are natural for being tossed and thrown in the air by a strapping young man.

Now some of us have our favorite skaters, but this year I am trying to be unbiased and make my decision after I’ve seen them skate. However, Sunday night changed this.

I saw a short special on one

of the Chinese couples, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo. They are a married couple who have been skating together for 18 years. They are both in their 30’s and are a truly talented couple who have come back to win gold for China. They have put their marriage on hold, all for the goal of winning first place.

So I admit, throughout that night I hoped other couples would fail, except the Americans, of course, all so this romantic couple could do well. (They came out in first place, by the way.)

Even if you don’t prefer the event yourself, it is amusing to watch other fans watch because even though they personally don’t have any experience in skating, they find themselves holding their breath as the competitors fly across the ice, performing their tricks.

If the couple or person lands it well, your friend may begin smiling and maybe let a little fist pump slide.

So for the next two weeks, almost every night there is a figure skating competition, including pairs, women’s, men’s and even ice dancing. You’ll know where I’ll be.

For some people, February 14 is a day for romance, sappy notes taped onto a bouquet of flowers and of

course, love. For others, however, it means curling up with a big tub of Ben & Jerry’s, a glass of wine, The Notebook and just waiting for Single’s Awareness Day to be over with.

Whatever category you fall into, you can throw all those stereotypes out the door.

Valentine’s Day is a movie that goes beyond all of that. Whether you’re single, kind of single, heartbroken or passionately in love, this movie will teach you one thing: that love goes beyond just a single day.

In this star-studded romantic comedy, director Garry Marshall takes us through the intertwining lives of various people living in the Los Angeles area. We follow them through break-ups and make-ups, young love, new love and long lasting relationships- all focused on the meaning of this one day.

It’s easy to blow this movie off as just another chick flick hidden under the alias of a date movie. On the other hand, I found this movie to be extremely entertaining, witty, light-hearted and just plain funny. I feel like Valentine’s Day is a movie any guy

would be lucky to be dragged to (hey, at least it’s not Dear John, right?).

So, if this is a movie you and your beau are looking into going to see, I say go for it.

With an all-star cast such as Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Julia Roberts and Ashton Kutcher, it’s almost easy to say that the long list of celebrities could trump quality and ratings. However, this is not the case. These seasoned actors only add to the intertwined plot and comedic scenes.

There is one exception for this statement though: Taylor Swift. I am a huge T-Swift fan and love her music. However, that’s about as far as my loyalty goes. I’ll just say this, Taylor should definitely stick with what she knows best, and that is not acting.

There are quite a few story lines for you to follow in the movie; however, they are each captivating in their own way.

If you like movies such as Love Actually, where the plot is intertwined between different lives that are all somehow connected, then Valentine’s Day is a great movie for you. Each story line gives a different example of phases we go through in life, and lessons that we can learn from them.

Take the “new couple” for instance, played by Topher Grace and Anne Hathaway.

In the movie, Grace and Hathaway’s characters, Jason and Liz are just beginning to date. They are both really into each other, but don’t really know a whole lot about one another. When Jason learns something about Liz that she has been keeping from him, he immediately breaks it off with her. In the end, however, Jason realizes that he broke up with Liz for one thing he found out about her that he didn’t like, when he likes everything else about her. What he realized is that you either like someone for who they are and take all of it, or you don’t, and you may end up losing out on a good thing.

For the amount of big name actors who played in this movie (about 20 or so), I feel like it did a really great job in making all of the story lines, and actors work together really well. Compared to the amount of A-list actors that are usually in movies, about two or three, I feel like Valentine’s Day really hit a home run.

It was everything you could ask for in a movie (even some eye candy) and had great chemistry between the actors on top of it.

Another aspect I really enjoyed were all of the great quotes. One of my favorites was the final line in the movie: the narrator says “After all, all you really want to hear on Valentine’s Day are those three words…let’s get naked.”

Guys will do a lot of things in the name of love.

We’ll do even more in the name of lust.

But sitting through 125 minutes of the new movie Valentine’s Day shouldn’t have to be one of those things, regardless of any eventual payoff.

Now, if say, Carmen Electra propositions you with a night of uninhibited passion in exchange for seeing this movie then by all means spend the $15 on two tickets.

But for anything short of that, make sure to steer clear of this hot mess of A-list stars rolled up into one super-sized chick flick.

And really, that is the biggest flaw in director Garry Marshall’s film.

There are just simply too many celebs running through too many different storylines.

In all, there are almost two dozen different actors/actresses who could be the leads in their own respective films.

Some, like Ashton Kutcher and Jennifer Garner, nab most of the screen time, while others such as Queen Latifah and George Lopez are left to fight for the scraps.

Now throw in a healthy dose

of Jessica Biel and Jessica Alba, add in some Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner and top it all off with a big, heaping pile of Jaime Foxx and Patrick Dempsey.

And oh but wait -- there’s more.

I’m not saying every current Hollywood star or starlet is in this movie. But halfway through I was expecting cameos from Hannah Montana and the “pants on the ground “guy.

And what’s worse, the director attempts to intertwine all the various characters’ paths into one, linear plot that wraps up nice and neat by the end credits.

Except the finished product leaves the audience asking WTF just happened -- at least anyone still awake and left to care (i.e. nobody).

This film reminded me a lot of a big box of Valentine’s Day chocolates.

At first, it seems like a great idea to take in as many of the assorted treats as humanly possible in one sitting.

But after gorging yourself on the entire package, you start to feel nauseous and wondering why you even did that to yourself in the first place.

Those were my exact thoughts as I left the theatre Sunday night, wondering what in the world made me think a movie called Valentine’s Day, premiering

on Valentine’s Day weekend, would be anything other than a complete sap fest.

I’m not even going to attempt to explain the plot to you. Not because I don’t want to spoil anything, but due to the fact that I just ate lunch and would like to keep it down.

Suffice it to say that all the usual chick flick clichés are hit early and often throughout the movie.

So there’s a little something for everyone here if you have some sort of sick fetish for confusing and at times just plain silly storylines.

I know what you’re thinking. There’s no way a beer drinking, ESPN watching, heterosexual guy like myself would ever really give a movie like this a real chance to start with.

And in most cases, you’d probably be right.

But I’ve got a feeling that I won’t be the only average Joe forced to endure the horror that is Valentine’s Day just in the hopes of getting a little play.

My only advice. Before making that choice, think long and hard over this one question: Is it really worth it?

The answer, I assure you, will be no.

Meatloaf said it best. “I would do anything for love…but I won’t do that.”

‘Valentine’s Day’: Love or Loathe?

a

u

y

‘Valentine’s Day’ A-list Actors:Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane,

Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Carter Jenkins, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine,

Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts, Bryce Robinson, Taylor Swift

sportsThe Wichitan n 9February 17, 2010

On Deck This Week

n WEDNESDAY, FEbruArY 17 bASKETbALL Women @ TAmU - Kingsville* 6:00 Pm men @ TAmU - Kingsville* 8:00 Pm

n FriDAY, FEbruArY 19 SoFTbALL 11 AM VS. EAST cENTrAL** 1 PM VS. WESTErN N. MExico**

TENNiS men @ DAllAs/iCW ToUrn. Women @ DAllAs BAPTisT

n SATurDAY, FEbruArY 20 SoFTbALL 1 PM VS. TExAS WoMEN’S** 3 PM VS. WEST TExAS A&M**

TENNiS men @ DAllAs/iCW ToUrn. Women @ DAllAs BAPTisT bASKETbALL WoMEN VS. AbiLENE chriSTiAN* 6:00 PM MEN VS. AbiLENE chriSTiAN* 8:00 PM

n SuNDAY, FEbruArY 21 SoFTbALL 1 PM VS. MiSSouri SouThErN** 3 PM VS. NW MiSSouri STATE**

n TuESDAY, FEbruArY 23 SoFTbALL 3 Pm @ ABilene ChrisTiAn (Dh)

n WEDNESDAY, FEbruArY 24 bASKETbALL WoMEN VS. ANGELo STATE* 6:00 PM MEN VS. ANGELo STATE* 8:00 PM

boLD DENoTES hoME GAME * DenoTes ConferenCe gAme ** DenoTes msU holliDAy in AT The fAlls inviTATionAl ToUrnAmenT

LOVE IS FOR LOSERSMSU Tennis teams dominate in weekend tournament

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- The Mid-western State men’s and women’s tennis teams both featured excel-lent showings over the weekend at the Grand Canyon University Paseo Tournament.

The No. 25-ranked men went 5-1 at the Paseo Racquet Center with their only setback coming in a 6-3 loss to No. 35 Univer-sity of California San Diego on Sunday.

The women posted a perfect 5-0 mark in tournament play.

“It was a really great showing for both teams,” Mustangs coach Larry Wiggins said. “UC San Diego is usually a pretty highly-ranked team, and they just hap-pened to beat us to a couple of big match points.

“But these are all good kids who are really hard workers. I was proud of their performances.”

In all, Wiggins said there were about nine or ten different schools represented at the tour-nament, including squads from Montana State Billings and the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

MSU senior Carlos Bataller and junior Vjekoslav Stipanic were the only Mustangs to get a win in singles play versus UC San Diego.

Bataller defeated the Tritons’ Chapman Chan in sets of 6-7, 6-3 and 1-0 in the No. 2 spot. Stipanic followed in No. 3 action with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Jake Fel-low.

In men’s doubles, juniors Chad Meeks and Danielle McMullen took down the duo of Naveen Dixit and Sam Ling, 8-6.

“I really feel like the boys are one of the top two teams in the conference,” Wiggins said.

“They should definitely be able to make the regionals this year.”

Another big win for the Mus-tangs was a 5-4 victory over No. 41 Sonoma State.

Bataller, Stipanic, McMullen and Luke Joyce all recorded sin-gles wins for the Mustangs.

Meeks and Joyce also hooked up for a 9-8 doubles win over Quan Vu and Andrew Khuri-Yakub.

On the girls’ side, Wiggins not-ed the standout play of both Leah Roberts and Monica Graff. Each was perfect in their respective doubles and singles matches.

Both also played a large part in keeping MSU’s tournament record spotless, helping the Mustangs rally from an 0-2 defi-

cit against the Academy of Art University on Sunday.

Roberts defeated Paola Cor-rea Fe 6-4, 7-5, while Graff took down Anna Ritchie 6-0, 6-0. Teammate Lindsey Holcomb capped off the Mustangs’ third-straight singles win with a 6-0, 6-0 victory.

Then, Robert and Graff, Hol-comb and Lauren Huse and Alex Odell-Michels and Kaja Banas all teamed up to sweep doubles play in favor of MSU.

“We have one girl who we still need to get eligible, but so far the girls team has looked very strong,” Wiggins said.

The MSU men will take the court again this weekend at the Dallas/ICW tournament. The women will travel to Dallas Bap-tist on Friday.

Matt LedesmaFor The WichiTan

The No. 9 Midwestern State men’s basketball team was rid-ing an emotional high to start last week.

The Mustangs (22-2, 7-2) were coming off two big wins over Lone Star Conference South division rival Tarleton State.

That translated into a move to No. 1 in the South Central Regional rankings, and getting on the fast track to hosting the regional tournament later in March.

But a scrappy West Texas A&M team put the brakes on the Mustangs’ seven-game win streak, beating MSU 68-58 last Wednesday in Canyon, Texas.

The difference in the game was a 20-2 run by WT to close out the first half, totally eras-ing a four-point MSU lead.

The Mustangs would cut the deficit down to six with just under a minute left to play in the game, but wouldn’t get any closer.

“I felt like we played hard,

but every time we got close we seemed to turn the ball over or miss a big shot,” MSU coach Grant McCasland said.

“To (WT’s) credit, they were all over the boards and really shot the ball well.

“The loss wasn’t because of a lack of effort. We just weren’t able to make our own breaks like we have most of the year.”

Senior forward Anthony Moore led the team with 12 points and five rebounds, while junior guard Chris Hagan fol-lowed closely with 10 points.

But the Mustangs proved earlier this season they could bounce right back after a little adversity.

Last Saturday night versus Eastern New Mexico proved no different.

MSU rolled to a 76-57 win at D.L. Ligon Coliseum, led by the efforts of seniors Craig Green and Jason Ebie.

The dynamic duo combined for 42 points, with Green lead-ing the way with a game-high 22.

Ebie put up 20 points and finished his night with seven

rebounds, five assists and five steals.

Green added four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

As a team the Mustangs shot nearly 50 percent from the field, including an impres-sive 39 percent from behind the arc.

Green nailed four treys on the night, Ebie knocked down three 3-pointers and Hagan and sophomore guard Mel-vin Clark each connected once from long range.

The Mustangs also kept pace with Tarelton over the week.

Both teams sit atop the di-vision standings with identical 7-2 records.

With the win, MSU clinched

a spot in the LSC Champion-ship tournament starting on March 3 in Bartlesville, Okla. Other teams to already secure berths include Central Okla-homa, Northeastern State and Tarleton.

After splitting the week with one win and one loss within their conference, the Mustangs dropped three spots from 6 to 9 in the latest NABC Division 2 national poll, released Tues-day afternoon.

The Mustangs now travel to take on Texas A&M Kingsville (12-11, 2-6) at 8 p.m. tonight, with just two more conference games remaining on the sched-ule after that.

Matt LedesmaFor The WichiTan

Icy roads and bad-field condi-tions brought on by last week-end’s inclement weather post-poned and then cancelled the Texas Women’s Invitational softball tournament.

That means the Midwestern State softball team will next take the field this Friday-Sunday when they host the Holiday Inn at the Falls MSU Invitational.

The games will be played at Mustangs Field and Burkbur-nett High School.

Until then, here are some quick notes about the team going into this weekend:

The Mustangs (3-2) are cur-rently riding a three-game hit-ting streak in which the team has combined for at least 10 hits.

They’ve stretched that mark to four games only twice before in the program’s history (2007 and 2009). Head coach Brady Tigert had previously commented on the improved speed of this unit, something on full display at the St. Mary’s Classic.

MSU stole 10 total bases for the tournament, and was led

by freshman shortstop Natalie Rodriguez (3), sophomore out-fielder Nicki Duff (2) and junior catcher Amanda Potysman (2). Senior pitcher Katie Petersen (3-2, 3.63 ERA) needs just two more wins in the circle to pass current all-time wins leader Brittney Wilson (68 wins from 2004-06).

Petersen logged her 67th ca-reer win in San Antonio against Eastern New Mexico. She can also become the all-time strike-outs leader with another 36 K’s.

Redshirt freshman outfielder Courtney Bingham bounced back nicely from a season-end-ing hand injury suffered in ‘09. She went 6-for-17 (.353) at the plate during the St. Mary’s Clas-sic, recording four doubles in a great start to year.

Other hitting leaders for the tournament included Duff (.400, one triple, five runs scored) and freshman outfielder Elena Ben-nett who went 5-of-14 (.357) as the leadoff hitter.

Junior pitcher Brittany Tanner (1-0, 2.03 ERA) became just the fourth pitcher in the program’s history to log 200 career strike-outs.

Matt LedesmaFor The WichiTan

Softball iced out Win streak endedThis week in sports...

Midwestern State’s men’s tennis team. The team dropped only one game of six in their tournament this weekend in Pheonix, Arizona. Left to right: Vjekoslav Stipanic, octavian Dinuta, Luke Joyce, bozo Zaputovic, carlos bataller, chad Meeks, and Daniel McMullan. (Photo courtesy Carlos Bataller)

sports10 n The Wichitan February 17, 2010

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Nodar Kumar-itashvili, a 21-year-old luger from the Republic of Georgia, died after a high-speed crash during his final training run, casting a pall over the start of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Kumaritashvili was going 88 mph when his sled flew off the course after rounding the final corner of the Whistler Slid-ing Centre track, a course that some Olympians had com-plained was dangerously fast.

He slammed his upper body on an unpadded metal pole and was knocked unconscious. Blood was pouring from his face, according to wire re-ports, and he was placed on a stretcher.

Doctors were unable to re-vive him, and he died at a local hospital.

Olympic and Vancouver officials were nearly in tears as they discussed the trag-edy hours before the Opening Ceremonies.

Kumaritashvili is the fourth Winter Olympian to die, and all the deaths happened dur-ing training runs.

“We are heartbroken be-yond words,” said John Fur-long, CEO of the Vancouver organizing committee.

“This athlete came to Cana-da with hopes and dreams that this would be a magnificent occasion in his life.

“I am told by members of his delegation that he was an incredibly spirited person. He came here to experience what being an Olympian was.”

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge was visibly shaken as he addressed the media.

“Here you have a young athlete that lost his life in pursuing his passion. He had a dream to participate in the Olympic Games. He trained hard and he had this fatal ac-cident.

“I have no words to say what we feel. The whole Olympic family is struck by this tragedy, which clearly casts a shadow over these Games.”

Asked if the track was too challenging for some Olympi-ans, Rogge said: “This is not the time for that debate. This is a time of deep sorrow. That discussion will come in due time.”

The International Luge Federation is conducting an investigation into the circum-stances of the accident.

Training was suspended, and officials want to make ab-solutely certain the course is safe for competition.

Josef Fendt, president of the ILF, said: “This is a terrible accident. This is the gravest

thing that can happen in sport, and our thoughts and those of the luge family are naturally with those touched by this event.”

The track is one of the fast-est in the world, and more than a dozen Olympians had crashed during training this week. Armin Zoeggler of Italy, the 2002 and 2006 gold med-alist, crashed Friday morning but was unhurt.

Violeta Stramaturaru of Romania crashed on Thursday

and was knocked unconscious but wasn’t seriously injured.

Earlier in the week, U.S. luger Tony Benshoof said of the dangers of the sport: “The tracks are getting faster and faster. It ’s getting pretty cra-zy.”

Hannah Campbell-Pegg, an Australian luger, went a step further.

“I think they are pushing it a little too much,” she told re-porters after Thursday’s train-ing runs.

“To what extent are we just little lemmings that they just throw down a track and we’re crash-test dummies? I mean, this is our lives.”

Georgia Minister of Culture and Sport Nikolos Rurua said the Georgian team will stay and compete in their team-mate’s memory.

“We decided to be loyal to the spirit of the Olympic Games,” he said. “The athletes will dedicate their performanc-es to their fallen comrade.”

Michelle KaufmanMCT CaMpus

Tragedy of olympic proportions

Georgian raises their flag in honor of luger killed during prac-tice run, Nodar Kumaritashvilia (Photo Courtesy MCT Campus)