ICHITANWHET WednesdayApril 18, 2007

The Student Voice of Midwestern State University

INS

IDE ‘Disturbia’

Rising star shows talent in new movie.

page 5

Spring Game

MSU football’s offensive and defensive lines battle it out. page 8

‘Robin Hood’

An old legend gets a new twist.

page 4

Spring weather, live music, col-lege students and chili: Put it all together and you have the ninth an-nual Chi Omega Chili Cook-Off.

The event, which will be held April 21, has become one of the most popular happenings on cam-pus for both students and members of the community. An average of 1,000 people fill the grassy area be-tween the Wichita Falls Museum of Art at MSU and Sikes Lake every

year, all in good fun and for a good cause. Proceeds from the sorority-spon-sored event go toward the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children with terminal illnesses. In the past eight years, Midwestern Stateʼs own Chi Ome-

gas have raised close to $60,000, making it one of the most success-ful Greek fund-raisers on campus. Morgan Kennedy, the alumni co-chair of the event, says that al-though the Chi Omega chapter at

Chi Omega cooks up chili fund-raiser

Student allocations carves out $100,000

Students fly far from home, nest at MSU

MSU has been successful in re-cruiting a large number of interna-tional students despite the overall decline in numbers of foreign stu-dents attending American univer-sities after the terrorist attacks in 2001. MSUʼs population consists of ap-proximately 340 students who rep-resent 46 countries including Japan, India, Canada, Nigeria, Germany, Spain, Austria, Mexico, Holland, Australia, Suriname, Venezuela, France, South Africa and Panama. The majority of the international population comes from the Carib-bean. In the fall of 1993, eight Carib-bean students from Antigua, Domi-nica, Grenada and St. Vincent es-tablished a recruitment program to help bring other Caribbean students to MSU. Other special outreach programs are located in Japan, the

former Soviet Union and Mexico. The MSU athletic department recruits many athletes from other countries. Men and womenʼs tennis have the largest numbers of interna-tional recruits this year with players from Australia, Holland, Venezuela, Suriname, Canada, South Africa and Mexico. Menʼs soccer has three international athletes from Panama, Holland and Canada. The only in-ternational player on the menʼs bas-ketball squad is from Georgia. Myron VonDielingen, assistant director of International Services, believes the interactions between foreign and American students broaden learning experiences for everyone. Exposure to different cultures forces students to adapt to a multi-cultural society. Having in-ternational students plays a key role in the well-rounded educational ex-perience schools like MSU provide to students. “From a professorʼs standpoint,

SGA debate presents new candidates

JESSICA COODY

FOR THE WICHITAN

MELISSA DOS PRAZERES-SILVA

FOR THE WICHITAN

See International page 7

Smoking ban could douse campus cigs

In Remembrance

The Student Government Association has partnered with MSU to hold a candlelight vigil in dedication to the students, faculty and staff affected by the shooting at Vir-ginia Tech Monday morning.

The ceremony will be held at 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, in the Sunwatcher Plaza. Everyone is encouraged to attend the event. The SGA also welcomes resi-dents of Wichita Falls and surrounding communities.

See Chili page 7

Critically acclaimed director Wes Craven traveled through the tornado clouds hovering over Wichita Falls to talk about his rise to the top of Hollywoodʼs

food chain. “Someone at dinner pointed out that

it was Friday the 13th,” he said. “I hadnʼt

made the connection.”Since the debut of “The Last House on

the Left” in 1972, Craven has frightened au-diences and critics for more than 30 years with “The Hills Have Eyes,” “People Under the Stairs,” the “Nightmare on Elm Street” series, “The Serpent and the Rainbow,” “Shocker,” “Vampire in Brooklyn” and the “Scream” series as well as his run on epi-sodes of the television show “The Twilight Zone.”

Speaking as part of MSUʼs Artist-Lecture Se-ries, Craven took his audi-ence in Akin Auditorium on a journey of his lifeʼs ups and downs. At one point he was in Pensacola, Fla., training to be a naval pilot, when he became paralyzed from the chest down, struck by a disease that was a sub-family of polio. Slowly, he would come out of the pa-ralysis, but he would spend a year recuperating.

“It was kind of scary,” he said. “It put things in per-spective.”

Years later, his life under-went another radical shift when he went from being a university professor to a messenger and New York City cab driver. Eventually, he got his break in film.

Growing up, the 67-year-old director said his devout Baptist parents imposed their strict beliefs on his en-tertainment.

“We were not allowed to watch movies,” he ex-plained.

Instead, the young “hor-rormeister” immersed his mind into the classics of 19th and early 20th century litera-ture.

While teaching humani-ties as a doctoral student at Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., Cravenʼs graduate professor com-plained that he had not pub-

lished anything. He told Craven that being unpublished was hurting his chances for a Ph.D.

“So, I quit!” he said. During his year at the university, he had

purchased a 16mm camera and began film-ing with students. He also helped start a film club.

He found his passion.

CHRISTIAN MCPHATE

STAFF REPORTER

The MSU Student Affairs Com-mittee floated a proposal Tuesday for a campus-wide tobacco ban. Smoking is currently allowed only outdoors and not within 20 feet of campus buildings. If enact-ed, that would be outlawed. Student Affairs was the first offi-cial committee to hear the proposal, which was recommended by an ad hoc committee appointed last fall by President Jesse Rogers to look

into health. Associate Vice President of Stu-dent Affairs Keith Lamb said he wants MSU students to be happy and healthy. Allowing smoking is the antithesis of what that healthy goal is about, he maintained. “I think (banning tobacco) is the right thing to do,” he said. “Iʼm all for it.” Students have described walking through clouds of smoke as they enter or leave campus buildings, according to Howard Farrell, vice

CARRIE SULLIVAN

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

See Craven page 6

See Tobacco page 6

Fear FactorHollywood heavyweight Wes Craven

talks failure, fame and film

Writer/director Wes Craven signs a poster of his famous character Freddy Krueger for a fan after his speech for the Artist-Lecture Series on Friday.

LAUREN MILLER | THE WICHITAN

The Students Allocations Com-mittee sliced more than $100,000 from student organization budgets Thursday.

This year, the student group had $2.17 million to dole out compared with $2.28 million last year.

Dr. Howard M. Farrell, vice pres-ident of university advancement and student affairs, explained the school had fewer funds this year because of a decline in enrollment. The money

the committee divided up comes from student fees.

“Every dollar of students fees goes to the students,” Farrell said.

Farrell said the decline in enroll-ment is due to many factors, includ-ing the booming Texas economy, which is pulling students out of school and into the job field. An-other factor is it is harder to become a student at MSU due to higher aca-demic standards and a focus on en-rolling students who are more likely to succeed as freshmen.

HEATHER KUMOR

FOR THE WICHITAN

See Allocations page 6

SUNKYU YOO-NORRIS | THE WICHITAN

Candidates for MSUʼs SGA duked it out Monday, proposing their plans for a better campus at the annual debate. Each candidate holds a similar platform. They want unity and to highlight MSUʼs diversity. They also seek a stronger communication between SGA and the student body, as well as the initiation of a stronger cultural awareness. Junior English major Jason York currently holds the office of vice president and is running for SGA president. He said he anticipates the opportunity to change a common complaint of students: The cafete-ria. York is also pushing for longer cafeteria hours that will meet the needs of each student who utilizes the meal plans. He also wants to see more of a reflection of the culture on campus in the cafeteria.

ANDREW WEITNER

FOR THE WICHITAN

See Debate page 7

VIEWPOINTS April 18, 2007

THE WICHITAN Finalist2004 Associated Collegiate Press

Pacemaker AwardSweepstakes Winner 2006 Texas Intercollegiate

Press Association

THE WICHITAN Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief Carrie Sullivan Managing Editor Krystle Carey Entertainment Editor Jason Kimbro Sports Editor Josh Mujica Photo Editor Adrian McCandless

ReportersRichard CarterChristian McPhateMelissa dos Prazeres Silva Rachel Tompkins

PhotographersHershel SelfLauren Miller

Graphic ArtistSunKyu Yoo-Norris

Advertising ManagerChristian McPhate

Copy EditorKonnie Sewell

AdviserRandy Pruitt

Staff Editorial

Copyright © 2007. The Wichitan is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Asso-ciation. 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. 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 in-tended publication. Letters should be brief and without abusive language 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.

3410 Taft Blvd. Box 14 • Wichita Falls, Texas 76308News Desk (940) 397-4704 • Advertising Desk (940) 397-4705

Fax (940) 397-4025 • E-mail WICHITAN@mwsu.eduWeb site: http://www.mwsu.edu/~wichitan

Blonde hair.

Big breasts.

Daddyʼs little girl.

A ton of money.

These are the stereotypes that lie behind sorority

women--stereotypes that must be changed.

In late February, 35 members of the DePauw

University chapter of Delta Zeta Sorority in Indiana

were dropped from the chapter due to a recruitment

problem.

The reason, according to an article in The New

York Times, was the physical appearance of the sorority

members.

When a psychology professor at DePauw

University surveyed students, the sisters of Delta Zeta

were seen as “socially awkward.ʼ̓

Worried that a negative stereotype of the sorority

was contributing to a decline in recruitment, the Delta

Zeta national administration deactivated women from

the chapter. The administration only found 12 women

who upheld the image they wanted for recruitment

purposes.

Sororities should stop emphasizing physical

appearance of its members and focus on potential

members ̓values, morals and character.

Sororities are social networking organizations

where one can develop relationships that will be useful

in both career and personal life. It is a shame some

women are denied this opportunity due to physical

appearance.

According to Alexandria Robbins, writer of

“Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities,” many

stereotypes are unfortunately true.

Robbins went undercover and pledged as a

sorority member for a year at a state university.

In the book, she details the drinking, partying,

hazing and gossiping in sororities.

It is up to sorority members to change their

reputation and stereotypical image. Women should

be judged based upon values, grades and campus

involvement instead of their looks.

Sisterhood

Impatient people need new perspective N o t

even a s e c o n d after the light turns green the guy behind you honks his horn.

You are s t a n d i n g in the gro-

cery line and the lady in the back of the line keeps huffing and puffing because the line is not going fast enough. While sitting peacefully, waiting for your meal to be brought to your table, the older man at the table beside you keeps screaming at the waitress, “I havenʼt got all day.” Do these scenarios sound too fa-miliar to you? I have noticed the impatient be-havior of many people has become increasingly overwhelming. Are we so important that we think our precious time should not be wasted a single second? Almost everywhere I go, I see

some sign of an impatient person. Whether it is on the road, at school, in a store or at a restaurant, people seem to be getting more and more impatient. Everyday I see drivers on the road just whizzing by because they are obviously in such a hurry they feel the need to go 20 miles over the speed limit. I see some drivers running stop signs or even stop lights just to save a few seconds. Just the other day, I was sitting at a stop light and just as the light turned green, the driver behind me started honking his horn. The light just turned green! Are people in that much of a hurry that I should start driving for-ward before the light even changes from red? When I used to work in a grocery store, the evidence of impatient customers was an hourly thing. It never failed that one customer was not happy to stand in line for one minute because their lives were obviously more important than the people in front of them.

I would hear complaints daily from people in the lines. They just did not have the pa-tience to wait a minute or two for other customers to be helped. Has our society become too much of a fast-paced world that many people are no longer patient? Think of the days before tech-nology and gadgets. Do you think those people were able to go through a grocery line in a few seconds flat? Of course not, and Iʼm sure you would not have heard a complaint coming from their mouth because of it. I even notice how students in class like to start rummaging through their bookbags when there is still five minutes left. Everyday I witness a customer at a store or restaurant being rude with the employee because they do not think they are going fast enough. The reality is most of those work-ers have dealt with plenty of other impatient customers throughout the day and do not care to deal with a handful more.

People should take a step back and put themselves in the employ-eeʼs shoes. A little bit of kindness can go a long way. Would you go faster if a custom-er is moaning and complaining that you are going too slow? More than likely you would not, but you would probably go slower because they are being rude any-way. So, you might as well. Yes, we have the luxuries of fast food restaurants, ATM machines and cash registers that give the employee the correct amount of change. However, all these methods of making our lives more fast-paced should not make us all impatient, greedy savages. So, next time you are sitting at that stop light or standing in the line at the grocery store, think about the people around you. If you are running late and need to get things done faster, itʼs not anyone elseʼs fault. Itʼs your fault for not getting it done sooner.

KRYSTLE CAREY

MANAGING EDITOR

Virginia Tech victims will be remembered T h e

coverage of the Vir-ginia Tech shoo t ing has satu-rated the a i rwaves for the last 72 hours.

F o r me, it is a bit over-

whelming. The media is a double-edged sword if you think about it. On one hand, we want to be in-formed but on the other, messages get skewed and sensationalized. With Columbine’s anniversary creeping ever so close, we have yet another school shooting flooding the airwaves. Not only do we have another shooting, but it is also the deadliest killing spree ever recorded in Amer-ican history. What is wrong with our nation? The media is making this horrific and tragic event sound like a Guin-ness world record just waiting to be beaten. After all, records are meant to be broken, right? Therefore, journalists should stop harping on that fact. How about focusing on the vic-tims instead of glorifying the gun-man? With headlines that read MAS-

SACRE, SLAYING, HISTORIC … it just leads to copycats. We are giving him exactly what he wanted: Infamy. He will for-ever be known as the gunman who wreaked havoc at Virginia Tech. After a while we may forget his name or face, but we will forever re-member what happened at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007. The focus should be on the vic-tims. According to MSNBC.com, Ryan Clark, 22, from Martinez, Ga., was a triple major in biology, Eng-lish and psychology. Clark was one of the first fatali-ties on Monday. He worked as a resident adviser on the fourth floor of West Ambler Johnston Hall. His life was cut short with just a month left before gradua-tion. For all of the students who are about to graduate, put yourself in his shoes. Your thoughts are on life after col-lege and your hopes and dreams are at your fingertips. Clark will never walk across the stage nor live out his dreams post graduation. Clark was not only a good student; he was a great student, carrying a 4.0 grade point average. Arielle Perlmutter posted on MS-NBC.com she had been friends with Clark for a decade. “Ryan and I worked at Camp Big Heart, a camp for children and adults with special needs for part of every summer since I was in high

school,” she posted. “Ryan was one of the most amazing, loving and car-ing young men I have ever met. He went into every day of camp, trying as it could be, with a smile and an open mind. I rarely, in the years I knew Ryan, saw him frown.” Liviu Librescu, 76, was the head of engineering science and mechan-ics department at Virginia Tech. He was recognized worldwide for his research in aeronautical engineer-ing. Librescu was a Holocaust survi-vor. His son Joe Librescu said his fa-ther would be remembered as a hero for blocking the door with his body while he told his students to flee out windows to safety. Could you imagine surviving something as horrific as the Holo-caust only to die by the hands of a deranged gunman? Emily Hilscher, 19, was a fresh-man majoring in animal and poultry sciences. Like any other college freshman, Hilscher was probably just getting used to being on her own for the first time. She probably still got homesick from time to time, but the newfound independence slowly be-gan to feel pretty good. Erin Peterson, 18, described her-self as a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl on her MySpace profile. Take a look around this campus. That description fits about 80 per-cent of the girls living in the dorms

or sitting next to you in class. Peter-son was gunned down while she was sitting in French class. Could you imagine sitting in an enclosed class-room with no way out, pretty much waiting to die? Ross Abdallah Alameddine, 20, of Saugus, Mass., also was gunned down Monday. Alameddine had one year of col-lege under his belt and was nearly halfway through his collegiate ca-reer majoring in English. I can only imagine how his day started. Actually, it was probably like any other ordinary day. Like most col-lege students, he probably stayed up late studying for a final test, woke up late, grabbed a quick breakfast and headed off to class … just an ordinary day … Friends have created an online memorial on Facebook.com to pay tribute to a fallen friend. “You’re such an amazing kid, Ross,” Zach Allen wrote, who also attended Austin Prep, according to his profile. “You always made me smile, and you always knew the right thing to do or say to cheer any-one up.” The people who died were not just a statistic. These individuals were someone’s brother, sister, mother or grandfather. Rather than focusing on the hor-rific act, we should take some time to reflect those who died and show some compassion.

ADRIAN MCCANDLESS

PHOTO EDITOR

THE WICHITANApril 18, 2007 3Op-Ed

First Amendment in questionD o e s

the pub-lic have a right to know what the g o v e r n -ment is doing? T h e m i n d s of Texas congres-

sional leaders have begun to debate this constitutional foundation.

Last week, the Senate Jurispru-dence Committee approved Senate Bill 966, the Free Flow of Informa-tion Act, with a vote of 4-0 and has gone on to the full Senate for con-sideration.

The bill provides journalists with protection when pressured to reveal unnamed sources (like individuals in higher levels of government who finally listen to their conscience); however, a neutral party (a judge) can still look over the “unnamed” source.

Currently, Texas takes a “Lippmann s̓” view on journalism and does not protect the free and unfettered media as stated under the laws of the First Amendment.

Since the 1920s, the differing views of Walter Lippmann, a writ-er, and American philosopher John Dewey, have struggled to control the beast of information.

Lippmann believed journal-ists should act as a “mediator” or a “middle man (woman)” between the public and political bill-making elites. In his view, the public was not able to deconstruct the tornado of information twisting forth from the industrial age and growing to unimaginable proportions.

And so a filter was needed to re-lay the news.

“The public is not smart enough to understand complicated, political issues,” he said. “Furthermore, the public was too consumed with their daily lives to care about complex public policy.”

It is a view the government finds more favorable. Dewey believed journalists should take the informa-tion and then analyze it, weighing the varying effects on the public. He thought shared knowledge of the whole was superior to a single individual s̓ knowledge.

According to the philosopher, “conversation, debate and dialogue lie at the heart of democracy.”

This belief is known as “commu-nity journalism.” And it is how soci-ety expects journalists to behave.

Journalists are the “watchdogs” of government, religion, businesses, entertainment and pretty much any-thing else that concerns the public.

In Bill Kovach and Tom Rosen-tal s̓ book “Elements of Journal-ism,” journalists must follow nine rules to inform the public with the needed weaponry to make free and self-governing decisions:

Obligation to truth, loyalty to the citizens, discipline of verification, maintain independence from those they cover; independent monitor of power, provide a forum for public criticism and compromise, strive to make the significant interesting and relevant, comprehensive and pro-portional news, and to be allowed to exercise their personal conscience.

During the early part of the 20th century (before the Internet), small newspapers around the country dominated the public s̓ opinion with the journalists power s̓ of persua-sion and reported and promoted ra-

cial agenda and biased views. Nowadays, large corporations like

the Scripps Howard News Service, located in Washington, D.C., con-trol several newspapers across the country like the Times Record News as well as an additional innumerable amount of newspaper outlets.

One still must question the valid-ity of the reporting or place a lot of faith in the reporters.

Newspaper executives have im-plemented a number of ethical laws for journalists to follow, including ways to avoid plagiarism and biased reporting.

However, a few have broken from the pack, but they have paid the consequences for their actions of deceit. Since the birth of journalism, reporters have faced execution, per-secution and terror, including:

The assassinations of Iman Yussef Abdallah, an Iraqi journalist; Anna Politkovskaya, an esteemed Rus-sian journalist who advocated hu-man rights; Ivan Safronov, a former Russian colonel turned reporter who confirmed sensitive information about his government s̓ “question-able” arms sales; Guillermo Cano, a newspaper publisher from Colom-bia who criticized powerful drug lords ruling his country; and the list continues to grow.

“I think there is a problem with freedom of the press,” former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev said at a Russian-German forum in Kalin-ingrad.

And he is right. So as the bill makes it way through the ravenous jaws of the congressional houses, the citizens of Texas need to send out a message to our state govern-ment and use a “lobbyists ̓ tech-nique” and demand the passage of the Free Flow of Information Act.

CHRISTIAN MCPHATE

STAFF REPORTER

Don Imus ̓firing causes stormB y

now, ev-eryoneʼs got an o p i n i o n on the Don Imus scandal.

Except me. Iʼve a l w a y s been a r a t h e r

indecisive person, and Iʼve always been able to see both sides of every story. On the one hand, Iʼm realistic and skeptical, but on the other Iʼm eternally willing to give the benefit of the doubt.

And to top it off, Iʼm a mass communication major. Doing mass comm has been fun and informative, but it s̓ also ruined me, in a way.

Thanks to my studio classes, I canʼt watch TV or a movie without wondering how a certain shot was filmed or why it was edited a cer-tain way. Thanks to my advertising and television programming class, I canʼt listen to the radio or watch TV without wondering about com-mercial placement and demograph-ics. Thanks to my writing classes, I canʼt read an article or an interview without wondering what questions werenʼt asked.

And thanks to my editing and law classes, I canʼt come up with a rea-sonable solution to the Imus prob-lem.

If there s̓ one thing Iʼve learned during my years in mass comm, it s̓ that journalists are generally expect-ed to look out for different or unique angles. Theyʼre supposed to dig deep into the past and show how then re-lates to now. Theyʼre supposed to be sharp eyed and clever and quick. Theyʼre also generally not supposed to take sides.

Iʼm not suggesting that my Spi-dey senses are more heightened than anyone else s̓ just because Iʼm a mass comm major. It just throws a different light on things is all.

I agree that what Imus said was racist and insensitive. It s̓ not the first time he s̓ said something like that, and it probably wonʼt be the last. But am I the only one who sees a double standard here?

Jesse Jackson, one of the most vocal detractors of Imus, once said he was “sick and tired of hearing about the Holocaust.” He s̓ also referred to Jewish people as being Hymies and New York as being Hy-mietown. He s̓ since apologized, but if it s̓ okay to assume Imus will con-tinue to make racist remarks, can we assume the same of Jackson? Some reports claim Imus will never work

again. If that s̓ true, then why is Jackson still active?

Speaking of work, what has to be taken into account is what exactly Imus ̓job was. He was a shock jock. His entire time on the radio con-sisted of trying to freak viewers out. Most people who listened to him un-derstood that. He was a shock jock who was doing his job (and doing it well, I suppose). But can you legally fire someone for simply doing their job?

Another popular shock jock, Howard Stern, was severely lam-basted for his raunchy and misogy-nistic radio show. Since his move to satellite radio, Stern s̓ doing as well as he ever did on terrestrial radio. Who s̓ to say Imus wonʼt make the same kind of move? And if he did, how much of a punishment would it really be for him to have the same audience, but more freedom in sub-ject matter?

There s̓ the possibility Imus wonʼt take a job on satellite radio. But then, does that mean Americans are more willing to tolerate sexism than racism? Why would both of these forms of hatred not receive the same amount of punishment?

Imus was fired. While this looks like a really noble move on the part of NBC, there s̓ always the chance that since advertisers wouldnʼt want to be associated with Imus ̓ show anymore, they didnʼt want to keep the baggage. I hate to say it, but there s̓ being a really good human being, and then there s̓ being a really smart human being.

No matter what certain people say, this scandal involves the First Amendment. If there s̓ an audience for it, advertisers are going to want to cater to that audience. If there s̓ an audience for it, should they not be allowed to voice their stance and publicly pat each other on the back?

But we as a society must take into consideration the idea of taking an idea too far. How much are people going to put up with? How long does it take before a detestable idea becomes a way of life? Were we supposed to stop Hitler only after 6 millions Jews died, or was it our re-sponsibility to make sure that atroc-ity was prevented in the first place? Were we supposed to abolish slav-ery only after millions of Americans — black and white — were slaugh-tered by one another?

Iʼm a fan of the idea of combat-ing problematic speech with more speech. But when does more speech piled upon more speech lead to riots and car bombs and plotting and as-sassinations?

I also think people — everyday people watching this all unfold in

their living rooms or reading edito-rials about it in their newspapers — need to take a step back and realize exactly what theyʼre wagging an ac-cusing finger at, because it s̓ some of the same behavior they themselves have participated in.

I know Iʼm guilty of it. Iʼve watched a TV show or a commercial and said something of no real con-sequence, yet out of malice or spite. Iʼve made mean or hateful comments about rock stars and movie stars and other well-known personalities. Iʼve said these things (“Look how ugly that girl is!” “That guy looks really gay.” “What a nasty whore, I bet she s̓ slept with everyone on the set of that show!”) not knowing what kind of people Iʼm directing it to.

Everyone has done something like that in the privacy of their own home, or around the best of friends they know they can be frank with. Everyone s̓ had a not-too-nice Freudian slip. Is it right, then, to fire Imus for doing something that happens frequently in homes across America?

Is it right to fire him for what hundreds of CEOs and recording presidents make money off of ev-ery time they sell a rap or emo CD? Both genres are notoriously hateful toward women. Snoop Dogg claims a black man calling a black woman a ho is different from an old white guy calling a black girl a ho. Is it? Does the context of using the word out-weigh the simple meaning behind the two-letter word?

Is it bad for a white person to use the words wetback and spic, but OK for a person of Hispanic or Latin descent to use the word gringo? If a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose, then is a slur is a slur is a slur is a slur?

If Imus is to be fired for saying what he said, then what about some of the comedians on Comedy Cen-tral? Are they included in all this as well? Or even shows like “Family Guy” and “American Dad?” What about “All in the Family?” Archie Bunker was a racist in order for the show to prove a point — but he was still a racist. How does that work it-self out?

I apologize for including so many question marks in this column. Ever since I was taught not to in my high school journalism class, Iʼve shied away from doing it. But I really donʼt know what to think about this scandal, especially when there s̓ so many different threads connected and knotted around each other, but everyone keeps tugging at just one of them.

All I know is that it doesnʼt make being a mass communication stu-dent any easier.

KONNIE SEWELL

COPY EDITOR

– Letter to the Editor –To the Editor,

I have some serious concerns regarding the poorly written arti-cle that appeared in the April 11, 2007 edition of The Wichitan. I feel that the incorrect informa-tion and “quotes” reflect badly on the MSU Dental Hygiene Department. It is quite appar-ent to the faculty and students in the dental hygiene depart-ment that the information has not been accurately presented. However, we are concerned that those who read this article will not see the information for what it is – grossly out of context. I would like to clarify some of the erroneous information.

My name is misspelled and my credentials are incorrect. My name is spelled DeBois, not DuBois and I am a Registered Dental Hygienist, not a certified dental assistant.

MSU students are not enti-tled to free dental service in the Gaines Dental Hygiene Clinic. Dental hygiene services are pro-vided as a courtesy for the stu-dents.

The clinic is basically a self-supporting facility. A fee for use of the dental hygiene clinic is not included with tuition/regis-tration. The majority of the oper-ating expenses are covered with the treatment fees paid by pa-tients from outside of the MSU community. Dental hygiene fac-ulty feel strongly that any servic-es provided in the clinic be done so at no cost to the students, as long as it is financially feasible for us to do so.

MSU dental hygiene students

do not usually perform the ser-vices provided. MSU students provide all services legally per-mitted by the Texas State Board of Dentistry.

The patient classification sys-tem is not based on “dirty” teeth. There are several criteria for which patients are evaluated, one of which is based on the amount and tenacity of calculus deposits. A patient may have what they think are very “clean” teeth, when in fact the deposits beneath the gingival margins (which in many situations the patient is unaware of) warrant a more difficult treat-ment classification level. There-fore, we do not just need patients with “dirty teeth.” We need pa-tients who do not have their teeth cleaned regularly.

I believe “dirty” and “gar-bage” were words used originally by the author of this article and should not have been presented in the form of a direct quote from me.

We do not “rank” our patients. Patients are assigned a clas-sification based on the criteria noted above. A Class 1 level of difficulty is assigned to a child age 10 and under who normally has little to no deposits. A pa-tient who presents with heavy calculus deposits and periodon-tal disease is assigned a Class 4 difficulty level. The term “worse teeth” is a very poor choice of descriptors.

One may be lead to believe that we are actively advertising for all patients. Notices posted on campus, at local fire sta-tions, and the prison (for guards only) have been posted in an

attempt to locate patients for the students ̓ clinical licensing exams only. Current commu-nity support is so great that ap-pointments for treatment in the Gaines Dental Hygiene Clinic are booked for only two to three weeks in advance. This is done to insure there is adequate time for patients to be reappointed as needed for completion of their treatment.

No referral service agreement exists with any area dental “clin-ic” and the MSU clinic. Many local dentists refer individuals to the Gaines Dental Hygiene Clin-ic for x-rays and/or cleanings pri-or to the start of more involved treatment. This is very advanta-geous for both the patients and the students.

The term “dirty teeth” and the poor sentence structure are not mine.

The Dental Hygiene program is not up for accreditation review this month. The site visit oc-curred in November 2006.

The Dental Hygiene program has not moved around “a lot.” In 1979 the department moved into the Gaines Dental Hygiene Clinic which was adjacent to Dillard. In 1999, the department (including the Gaines Clinic) moved into Bridwell Hall, where it is located today. I do not believe that two moves in the past 28 years would be defined as “a lot.”

Thank you,Barbara J. DeBois, RDH, MSChair, Dental Hygiene De-

partment

EntertainmentTHE WICHITANApril 18, 20074

National Library Week This week is National Li-brary Week, and the Moffett Library will be having an Amnesty Week as well. Any patron who has “lost items” can return them with no questions asked and have the fines forgiven. Students with fines can come in personally and their fines will be forgiven in the amount of up to $10 as well. This offer is only valid in person. Amnesty includes media items as well.

Artist-Lecture Series

The Artist-Lecture Series presents the John Jorgenson Quintet at 7 p.m. April 23 in Akin Auditorium. Jorgenson was a founding member of the Desert Rose Band, the Hellecasters and a 6-year member of Elton Johnʼs band.

Jorgenson is known as one of the pioneers of the Ameri-can gypsy jazz movement. At a John Jorgenson Quintet performance, audiences are amazed by Jorgensonʼs daz-zling guitar work as well as by his mastery as a clarinet player and vocalist.

Whether playing his own compositions or classic standards, Jorgenson and his band make music that is equally romantic and ec-static, played with virtuosity and soul.

Tickets are available for faculty and staff at the Clark Student Center Information Desk.

Academic Awards Dinner

The Academic Awards Dinner will be at 7 p.m. April 24 at the Wichita Falls Coun-try Club. Tickets are available at the MSU Business Office, Hardin 103, during operating hours. Cost is $15 per ticket. For additional information, please contact Deb Schulte at 397-4226.

Voter Registration

Register to vote by visit-ing the voter registration booth in the Clark Student Center Tuesday. Registra-tion will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Chili Cook-Off

Chi Omega will hold a chili cook-off April 21 at 11:00 a.m. Tickets are $5 in advance or $7 at the door. Texas Jack will be per-forming live. Come for lots of fun!

Across Campus

Iʼm in love with a guy who doesnʼt know I exist. And what makes it even worse is that heʼs perfect: Heʼs handsome and funny, kind and brave. Itʼs too bad heʼs taken — heʼs been head-over-heels in love with this one girl for ages.

Heʼs also fictional and living in 1192, which poses more than a few problems. But never mind my strange flights of fancy — the point is, the BBCʼs “Robin Hood” is made of awesome.

The problem with all other ver-sions of the Robin Hood story is theyʼre always exactly the same. Robin and King Richard are al-ways very, very good. The Merry Men are always very, very loyal. Prince John and the Sheriff of Not-tingham are always very, very bad. Maid Marian is always very, very boring.

Save for Walt Disneyʼs fantasti-cally anthropomorphic version in the ʼ70s (Robinʼs quite foxy in that one ... sorry, guys, I had to do it) and Mel Brooks ̓insanely ridiculous (in a good way!) 1993 version, very lit-tle has been done to either modern-ize the story or retell it. Thereʼs re-specting beloved characters weʼve all grown up with, and then thereʼs simply ignoring who they are and what they stand for (Clive Owenʼs “King Arthur,” anyone?).

Thankfully, the BBC series breathes new life into the story behind everyoneʼs favorite outlaw. Itʼs brimming with adventure, das-tardly deeds, romance and much swash is buckled.

This version of the Robin Hood legend has Robin (expertly played by a boyishly charismatic Jonas Armstrong), Earl of Huntingdon and lord of Locksley Manor, re-turning from the Third Crusade, where he fought as part of King Richardʼs personal guard and was almost mortally wounded.

When he returns home, he finds that the kind, formerly employed sheriff (who happens to be Mari-anʼs daddy) has been ousted and replaced by the maniacal Vaysey (Keith Allen). Heʼs just as bad

as youʼd expected him to be, but heʼs played marvelously by a very campy and very sarcastic Allen. This is a villain who knows how to strike all the wrong nerves in a hero and can hold the townsfolkʼs atten-tion with his gift of rhetoric.

Life sucks in Nottingham for the villagers for all the old-school reasons: Taxes, persecution, lack of food, squalid living conditions. So of course, in typically heroic fashion, Robin sets out to right the wrongs the Sheriff and his right-hand man Sir Guy of Gisborne (Richard Armitage) have done to the good people of Nottingham.

The plot is mostly predictable (though there are several surprises) and thereʼs some hoity-toity talk about freedom and justice and the peopleʼs rights. The theme song is a little overly bombastic in that make-way-for-the-hero kinda way and some of the “whoosh” and “flit” sound effects during the fight scenes are cheesy. But thatʼs not the point. The point is the reimagining

of these characters and their rela-tionships to one another.

Armstrongʼs Robin Hood isnʼt the Robin Hood your parents grew up with. Heʼs arrogant and heʼs got a dark side that comes out dur-ing some surprising moments. He fights for the poor partly because itʼs the right thing to do, but also partly because he loves the adora-tion he receives. (When a plot of the Sheriffʼs turned the townspeopleʼs affections against Robin, it was just as shocking to him as the Sheriffʼs murdering of innocent folk.)

The series is full of fun and smart dialogue and the characters are entirely likeable and recogniz-able. Little Johnʼs (Gordon Ken-nedy) family presumes heʼs dead because he secretly fights to protect them. Will Scarlet (Harry Lloyd) is the youngest of Robinʼs posse but probably the most level headed and logical. Allan-a-Dale (Joe Arm-strong), a simple minstrel in most of the legends, is a pathological liar with a good heart and even better

sense of humor.Even Gisborne, while associated

with the Sheriff, isnʼt completely black hearted. Heʼs done some ter-rible things, but he shows as much remorse and feels as much guilt as any of the good guys. His affec-tion for Marian (Lucy Griffiths) is, though obsessive, real. All the brother wants is some land a fam-ily name.

As a side note, I will say that when Gisborne first walked on screen, I hoped against hope he was going to be the Sheriff — a Sheriff whoʼs around the same age as Robin? What an interesting dy-namic that would have been! But as it is, the Sheriff is evil but heʼs not a cartoon or a caricature. Heʼs a strategist. Itʼs almost disturbing to see the things he does. For instance, when he captures Allanʼs thief of a brother, he advances the hanging by an hour. When Robin and the gang arrive to save him, theyʼre too late.

The series ̓ take on Marian is an interesting one that sometimes

works, sometimes doesnʼt work. Sheʼs headstrong and doesnʼt know when to keep quiet. Sheʼs not a shield-maiden, but she does masquerade around at night as the Night Watchman, a disguise she took up when Robin left in order to help keep the villagers safe from the Sheriff and Gisborne.

The best aspect of her charac-ter, however, is how cold and aloof she is to Robin. Most versions of Maid Marian (here known as Lady Marian) are one-dimensional. But this Marian is angry with Robin for leaving the town (and her, his fiancée) to fight a war. Why leave to help the king when the people at Locksley estate needed him more? To her it was an act of betrayal not so easily forgivable, and though she still loves him, she wonʼt let him forget it.

So there you have it: A Robin Hood for this generation we can be proud of. Unlike some other Robin Hoods, this one wears buckskin breeches and kicks all kinds of ass.

Series gets Robin Hood legend right

Little John, Much, Allan-a-Dale, Robin Hood, Roy and Will Scarlet prepare to go medieval in “Robin Hood.”

KONNIE SEWELL

COPY EDITOR

Seattleʼs Brandi Carlile thrives despite comparisonsWhen a previous interviewer

tells Brandi Carlile she looks just like Mandy Moore, she thanks him politely and quickly changes the subject.

With her Roy Orbison-style voice and Radiohead-influenced songs, Carlile is one of rockʼs most promising young artists. Her latest album, “The Story,” was produced by T-Bone Burnett, best known for the “O Brother, Where Art Thou” soundtrack.

And like most of his produc-tions, “The Story” is steeped in

folk, country and roots-rock styles.But the 25-year-old Seattle-area

singer says her main inspiration is Elton John.

At age 11, she heard Captain Fantasticʼs music and promptly “freaked out.”

“I went to the King County Li-brary, checked out ʻTumbleweed Connection ̓ and never brought it back,” she said at her hotel before a show at last monthʼs South by Southwest.

“The other day, I actually found the shattered CD, held together by the King County Library sticker on the back. Someday, the lawʼs gonna catch up with me for that one,” she said.

Before her Elton fixation, she was a budding country singer decked out in a Judds jean jacket, singing Patsy Cline songs with her

mom and brother in a band called The Carliles.

Post-Elton, she shifted to rock - first singing backup for a local

Elvis impersonator at age 14, then falling under the spell of Queen, Radiohead and Jeff Buckley.

By 2002, she was opening for Shawn Colvin and Dave Matthews, and two years later she signed with Columbia and released “Brandi Carlile.”

Three songs from that CD wound up on “Greyʼs Anatomy” (the show featured “The Storyʼs” track “Thursday”) and the singer soon caught the ear of Burnett.

Unbeknownst to either of them, the producer had actually inspired Carlile to start dabbling in Irish-English folk music.

“I saw Elvis Costello sing ʻScar-let Tide ̓in Seattle and became ob-sessed with that song,” she said. “One day, I was over at T-Boneʼs house and told him Iʼd written all these melodies after hearing ʻScar-let Tide, ̓ and he said, ʻYeah? I wrote that song. ̓”

The producer had co-written “Tide” for Costello to sing on the soundtrack for “Cold Mountain.”

But that serendipity didnʼt mean

Carlile and Burnett always saw eye to eye while making “The Story.”

When he told her to put away her guitar on the title track and focus on her singing, she got upset.

“I was so frustrated without my guitar - I was like, ʻIʼm gonna bring it! ̓ ” she said. “My voice cracked and I almost laughed and stopped, but I kept going, and it turned out to sound cool.” The song is the CDʼs most passionate vocal.

Carlile takes her own brother to task for not becoming a profession-al musician.

“I felt like he betrayed me be-cause he wasnʼt pursuing his lifeʼs dream,” she said. “I realize how ridiculous that sounds now, but I wrote it when I was 18, and I canʼt go back and change it now.”

She continues: “Even though my songs are contemplative and some-times sad, I hope people donʼt think Iʼm a sad, negative person.

“Iʼm actually a real balanced, happy person because I have this outlet where I write songs to try to make sense of it all.”

MCCLATCHY TRIBUNE

Brandi Carlile

Entertainment THE WICHITANApril 18, 2007 5

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LaBeouf strong in ‘Disturbia’Teens and tweens love crap like

this. You get the hottest new actor to hit the market and put him in an overly-done remake of a classic film (this time it’s Hitchcock’s clas-sic “Rear Window”) and boom! You have a moderate box office success that contributes to the riches of the few.

On the other hand, “Disturbia” isn’t that bad of a flick and lead-ing man (or should I say boy) Shia LaBeouf does more than just hold his own as he proves to be a truly vibrant rising star in Hollywood.

Now that his place in Hollywood is rising higher with huge upcom-ing roles (such as the leading man in “Transformers” and the son of Indy himself in the much antici-pated fourth installment of the In-diana Jones series) it was time for a smaller film to grace the screens showing exactly what he is about, and if “Disturbia” has nothing else to provide its audiences, then it at least proves LaBeouf’s worthiness as an actor and all-around fun guy.

Kale (LaBeouf) is distraught over the death of his unrealistically lov-ing father. He has been in trouble a few times with the law and seems to be unable to pull himself out of his delinquent rut.

One day, during a drab session of Spanish class, Kale punches his teacher in the face after he makes a comment about his father. He is ar-rested and the judge sentences Kale to 90 days house arrest. It’s time for the high-tech ankle bracelet to come on.

Being confined to his home is nothing short of boring. His mother (Carrie-Anne Moss) cuts off his Xbox Live subscription as well as his Internet in order to pay the daily house arrest fees. His friends hard-ly ever come over and the neighbor kids treat him as the neighborhood scary guy who “killed” his teacher.

One day he notices some new neighbors moving in, including the beautiful and sensuous Ashley (Sar-ah Roemer). Thus begins his daily watching of the neighbors with bin-

oculars.It doesn’t take too long before he

gets to know Ashley a little better and gets her involved in the spying, along with his friend Ronnie (Aaron Yoo).

On the news, reports of a se-rial killer and missing women catch Kale’s attention. One report really catches his ear, as it is said the kid-

napper drives a blue vintage Ford Mustang. One of his quieter neigh-bors drives the exact same car and when the report mentioned a dent on the front fender, Kale begins to get even more wary as the neighbor’s car has the exact same dent.

His obsession with the neighbor suddenly becomes an obsession with this particular neighbor, Mr. Turner (David Morse).

Kale knows Turner must be the

serial killer but he has no evidence and with the police having little faith in someone with a criminal record he finds himself S.O.L. in at-tempting to squeal.

So Kale keeps snooping with his two cohorts, getting them into some freaky situations with Mr. Turner and the suspense builds as we get a good look at his life.

If you’re looking for nothing but a pure suspense thriller you might be disappointed, for this film actu-ally has a high degree of character development. We see a wonderfully cheery Kale turn into a sardonic and sad figure after the death of his fa-ther. He is a quirky fellow who fits into the realistic cloth of society fairly well as life hands him a bum hand and he can’t help but let go.

Otherwise I truly enjoyed this movie from start to finish. This is a well-rounded film.

Performances were mediocre ex-cept for that of LaBeouf, who does a superb job. He has always seemed

to hold his own with smaller roles in films such as “Constantine” and it is about time we see him take the reigns and carry a movie such as this. I look forward to his future ef-forts in the film industry.

One real complaint would be that of the up-close shots during the fast-moving action scenes that take place toward the end of the film.

This type of camera work makes the sequences very hard to see and follow and when something sig-nificant happens to one of the sig-nificant characters you really don’t know it happens until a few seconds later.

The story was fairly well crafted, to the shock of this reviewer. Char-acter development out the wazoo and substories that contribute to the film instead of clog provide for a wonderful film.

More mainstream Hollywood flicks should really take a look at what a decent remake should be like if a remake should be made at all.

But alas, this is a remake that still doesn’t quite hold up to the original Hitchcock classic starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly.

Leaving the movie theater, I noticed a lot of disappointed teens who apparently didn’t care for the film despite its degree of scrappy attitude and quality. It shows that even though the cast and marketing of the film were meant for the 10- to 17-year age group, it is much more appreciated by adult film fans who yearn for characters to care about before they are in any sort of dan-ger.

If you care about the character, you care more when the possibility of death arises, thus when that time does indeed come, the suspense is even higher and the gut ties itself in a few more knots than before.

Aaron Yoo and Shia LaBeouf star in “Disturbia,” a remake of the classic “Rear Window.”

JASON KIMBRO

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Entertainment Value: BArtistic Crap: CPlot/Script: APerformances: BOverall GPA: 3.00

SunKyu Yoo-Norris

Mr. Turner’s got some ’splaining to do.

THE WICHITANApril 18, 20076 News

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Hankering for some Verdi? Got a crav-ing for a little Puccini? How about a dash of Donizetti or Vivaldi to spice things up? The music departmentʼs Evening in Italy will be Sun-day, April 29, at Toscaniʼs Italian Restaurant beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Evening in Italy is a dinner concert featuring popu-lar Italian arias performed by MSU students with three ac-companists. All proceeds will go to scholarships for music majors. Tickets are $30 per person and must be purchased at the music department office in Fain Fine Arts before April 25. Anyone and everyone is encouraged to attend. Music professor Don Maxwell stressed those interested in attending should not wait to get their tickets. “Last year we had too many people in attendance,” Maxwell said, “so weʼre lim-iting it to 100 people this year. Last year 130 people showed up, which is good for

the scholarship fund, but this year we want to have a little bit of elbow room.” Scholarships are awarded to mu-

sic students on a competitive

basis after an au- d i -tion. Maxwell said about $1,000 went to the fund last year.

“We are always short on scholarship funds,” he said. “Weʼre always looking for new ways to raise the funds and give the students a chance to perform in public.” Maxwell, who helped coordinate the event, said Italian music and food is the theme because they are so easily recogniz-able. “People are more familiar with Ital-

ian music, I think, than they are with, say, French or German,” he said. “Weʼve thought about doing different venues, but clearly Italian seems to be the easiest to

do.” Maxwell said the Eve-ning in Italy first started about 25 to 30 years ago, but last year was the first time in 10 or 15 years they actually held the event. “It went over well so we just decided to do it again,” he said. “All the faculty support it, which is great to see and be in-volved with. Itʼll be a great atmo-sphere.” Food will be served

buf- fet style with a dessert of choice and cash bar. On the menu will be: In-salata Verdi (a green salad of fresh garden vegetables), Lasagna Caruso (delectable homemade pasta), Pizza Bello (Toscaniʼs best), Spaghetti Estatico (homemade pasta and sauce, with or without meatballs) and Pollo Pavarotti (chicken Alfredo in cheese sauce). Toscaniʼs is located at 507 Beverly. For more information, please call (940) 397-4267.

Evening in ItalyMusic department brings

taste of Italy to FallsKONNIE SEWELL

COPY EDITOR

president of university advance-ment and student affairs. Modeling appropriate behavior is important. But taking steps to move toward a healthier environ-ment will not be easy, he acknowl-edged. “Weʼre working under a cloud of adversity,” he said. SGA President Will Morefield suggested an official survey be conducted before any decision is made. As far as possible ramifications, the committee is not suggesting smokers who violate the new rules be ticketed. Police Chief Michael Hagy said the campus police would in theory ask violators for compliance, then let the administration to take care of it. “We cannot be known as ʻthe smoke police, ̓” Hagy said. Hagy also noted once people know the rules, the number of ciga-rette butts on the ground should di-minish, whether or not ashtrays are removed from the campus. One committee member sug-gested MSU not completely ban tobacco but create designated areas for smokers. Though most people who oppose smoking in general are obviously non-smokers, two members of the committee who are smokers still recommended the ban, Lamb said. It was brought out that smok-ing not only affects health, but also worker productivity.

Peggy Boomer, director of Vinson Health Center, said the number of smoke breaks smokers take a day is a real issue in the working world, which affects the economy.

Lamb reported that $5.5 billion was lost least year from the Texas economy due to unhealthy employ-ees, many of whom are smokers. The proposal is likely to pass through other committees,

such as the Faculty Senate, Aca-demic Council, Enrollment Man-agement Council, Student Senate and Administrative Council before it goes to the Board of Regents.

Tobacco_from page 1

However, this stricter policy is cutting into the funding of student organizations such as athletics, the Disabilities Center, the Vincent Health Center, and the Counseling Center.

The decision of how much each group was cut was the responsi-bility of a 5-member committee of students, each appointed by the president of the Student Govern-ment Association and approved by the entire student senate.

Michael Penny, a political sci-ence graduate student and the chair of the Student Allocations Com-mittee, said every organization re-ceived a cut.

“It was really tough cutting es-sential services like the health cen-ter, but hopefully people will raise to the higher enrollment standards and enrollment will go up,” she said.

Also present at the committee meeting are administrators and fac-ulty members, as well as SGA Pres-ident Will Morefield. But it was the five students on the Allocations Committee who made the budget decisions.

“Weʼre not figureheads. We are serious people who know the chal-lenges of this position,” Penny said. “We make the decision where the money goes.”

Each student group has the op-portunity to present their argument, and then the five student committee members deliberate.

The meeting lasted from 1 to 6:20 p.m. Thursday.

“It was hard to see the cuts, but in the end there was no animosity be-tween the members,” Penny said.

Athletics received the largest cut at $30,000, from a budget of $560,000 in the 2006-2007 school year.

The Vinson Health Center was cut from $262,000 to $248,000.

The Clark Student Center lost

$10,270, dropping from $363,270 to $353,000.

The Artist-Lecture Series took a $4,000 cut, as did the music depart-ment. Student Development was cut from $94,360 to $90,000.

Recreational Sports lost almost $3,000 and the Student Govern-ment was reduced to $34,000 from $37,475.

The cheerleaders lost $2,000, as did the Counseling Center and the Student Success Series. The Team Arrow and Cycling Club took a $2,200 loss. Campus Card Services lost $2,300, and The Wichitan lost $2,700 of funding.

The Disability Support Center lost $1,370, the student handbook lost $1,000, and the University Pro-gramming Board lost $1,475.

Taking cuts of less than $1,000 Family Day, Homecoming, New Student Orientation, Voices and Wai-Kun.

The rugby team is receiving $1,000 after receiving no fund-ing last year, and a new group, the MSU Caribbean Pan Ensemble, will receive $2,000.

The Academic Honors Dinner will no longer receive student fee money, nor will the Student Lead-ership Banquet.

Farrell stressed these numbers could change, as the proposal must pass through President Jesse Rodg-ers and go on to the Board of Re-gents, who will not approve the budget cuts until their meeting in May.

Penny believes the students should be more involved and knowledgeable about where their money is going.

“It is important that students un-derstand that being on the Alloca-tions Committee is a great honor and a great responsibility. It would be nice if people would get involved and learn the process,” Penny said.

Allocations____________continued from page 1

Craven_________________continued from page 1

Thanks for reading The Wichitan.

Unemployed, Craven spent a summer in New York City search-ing for work. It took him two at-tempts before he finally landed a job with a production company as a messenger boy. It was there that he began learning the ins and outs of the film business. At nights, he drove the cab.

“Donʼt try to predict your life,” Craven advised the audience of ap-proximately 200 people. “Youʼll look like such an idiot.”

Three decades, 32 movies and 11 television shows later, Craven is still entertaining people with frights, humor and … love?

In 1999, the maestro of hor-ror shocked critics and audiences alike with his release of “Music of the Heart,” a drama staring Meryl Streep as a music teacher who teaches violin to inner-city kids of Harlem.

Craven said he spent 28 years waiting to make a movie of this caliber, a movie with heart.

“And it stays in her body,” Cra-ven joked in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly. “The more you make a career out of scary films, the more you realize that peo-ple think of you as someone who is scary.”

Of course, Cravenʼs movies usu-ally had a heart … that is until some-one ripped, slash or clawed it out as he explained in an interview for his film, “Vampire in Brooklyn.”

“It beat three times, and it died,” he quipped.

And if shaking labels were not enough, Craven frightened the pub-lishing industry in 1999 with the release of his first novel, “Fountain Society,” a medical horror thriller/love story about a woman, a man and his brain.

In the novel, Cravenʼs creative storytelling delves into current is-sues such as cloning, stem cell re-search and the treatment of terror-ists as well as basic human morality and ethics.

In an interview before the cam-pus lecture, Craven said he did an “excruciating” amount of research for his book.

“A friend of mine in the publish-ing industry came to me and told me that I should pen a novel,” he said. “We went to three different publish-ing houses around New York, pitch-ing the story idea. The last house (Simon & Schuster) accepted the pitch.”

Two years later, he added the title of author to his belt.

“I had forgotten how hard it was writing 300 pages for a novel,” Craven said. “Scripts usually run around 100 to 150 pages.”

The editing process took about 18 months with many revisions of the novel. And like many novelists, Craven encountered the dreaded writerʼs block.

“Donʼt leave the room,” he said as he explained his cure for the plague of many authors.

Craven said he sold the movie rights to the book and the studio spent approximately $1 million hir-ing writers to pen a script.

“They were all crap,” he said. “Hollywood did not like the idea of an older woman in a romance with a younger man.” The movie remains in limbo.

Craven also surprised critics with his romantic-comedy contribution to the upcoming film, “Paris, je tʼaime,” where 20 directors ̓visions of 20 districts in Paris merge into one movie. The studio is releasing the movie later this year.

His passion for films is still go-ing strong, and he plans to reach a wider-range of audiences in the coming years.

Craven believes that filmmaking is “more like a poem,” and films are “visionary” in their contributions toward society.

“The mind can fabricate all these amazing things,” he said. “If people believe in you, they will go through Hell with you.”

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MSU is one of the smallest chapters in the state, it is consis-tently one of the top chapters to raise money for the cause. “Every year we are able to grant at least two wishes and each wish costs $5,000,” Ken-nedy said. Money is raised through tick-et sales, sponsorships, entry fees and a silent auction raffle. Groups wishing to enter the chili contest must pay the $30 entry fee and meet the guide-lines. Each group must have four cookers and everything must be made from scratch. No fill-ers, such as beans, are allowed. Winners are announced at the end of the day and there are many ways for groups to win a prize.

“We have a showmanship award, which has to do with cos-tumes and/or themes. We also have a Peopleʼs Choice Award where people can put money in contestantʼs tip jars and the group with the most money wins. And, of course, we award a first, second and third place. These awards come with money prizes as well,” Kennedy said. No social event would be complete without live music. In the past, the cook-off has showcased local talents such as Casey Pilgreen and the Born South Band and Johnny Cooper. Twister Cain will be playing this year, making the cook-off the new bandʼs official Wichita Falls debut. Tickets for the event are $5 and can be purchased by a mem-

ber of Chi Omega. Tickets will be $7 at the gate the day of the event. The event begins at 11 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. Memorabilia such as shirts and koozies can be purchased as well. The Chi Omegas spend three to four months planning the daylong event, but they find it is all worth it in the end. “Not only is it great that peo-ple are out there having a good time cooking chili and hanging out, but knowing it is going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation makes it better,” Kennedy said. “A lot of times winners donate money back to the charity. Not even coming from a Chi Omega point of view, knowing where the money goes is the best part of the event.”

ADRIAN MCCANDLESS | THE WICHITAN

Lindsey Willis, 20, and Kristin Mullen, 19, paint chili pepper trophies to hand out at the Alpha Chi Chili Cook-off Saturday.

Chili______________________________________continued from page 1

having international students in my class is great. It adds diversity and different opinions and differ-ent mindsets. It also adds some culture,” VonDielingen said. VonDielingen went on to ex-plain how a substantial number of American students have not trav-eled far outside their states, let alone the U.S. Adapting to diver-sity can be a challenge to some. The most obvious difference between internationals and Ameri-cans are ideological and cultural. Some American students feel the pressure to excel even more with the presences of foreign students. “Itʼs awesome meeting people of different cultures. But I also feel it can get to be very competitive,” Whitney Humpert, a sophomore from Windthorst, said. “They (international students) had to go through a lot and work really hard to get to America. When it comes to school they work so much harder to keep high grades. This forces American students to push more,” she continued. Faye dʼHamcourt, an interna-tional student from Suriname (an island situated north of Brazil, also known as Dutch Guyana), said she found it very hard to adapt to a new country. “The international office did help at first with orientation and all but it wasnʼt the same without hav-ing family and friends,” she said. “But I started liking it a lot more as time went by. The benefits of get-ting my education here as opposed to back home definitely outweigh the initial difficulties.” Academics and the flexibility in course curriculum, financial assis-tance, internships and job opportu-

nities are the main attractions that allure international students. The International Students Of-fice at MSU does all possible to ease the transition. “We try to be a service-oriented organization where students feel comfortable to come to talk to us if there is anything they need,” VonDielingen said. Students form organizations and special interest groups, like the In-ternational Students Association and the Caribbean Student Organi-zation, to promote a multi-cultural society to locals. They host many socials and parties to educate oth-ers. CSO (Caribbean Student Or-ganization) hosts many events throughout the year, but the biggest and most attractive is the Caribfest. Caribfest is a representation of a typical “carnival” that is celebrat-ed in most Caribbean countries. Participants dress up in colorful costumes and parade through the streets of Wichita Falls. The Japanese students also pres-ent their culture on Japanese Ac-tivity Day, which is usually held in the Clark Student Center. Inter-national Dance Night is another event that foreign students spon-sor. They wear native clothes and perform traditional dances. These groups also serve as a support system for their members by creating a “family away from home” atmosphere. Offering educational services to foreign students is not only in the interest of students. U.S. schools want international students for their contributions to academic re-search as well as for the revenue they bring in.

Costs for international students attending MSU add up to nearly three times the amount state resi-dents are required to pay. Tuition and fees increase almost every year for everyone but for the current academic year, tuition and fees for internationals is $6,407 per semester. Texas residents pay $2,282 per semester for tuition. These costs do not include liv-ing expenses, food, books or in-surance, which is required for all foreign students. Financial issues are the biggest concern for international students. Tuition is higher and they also have to consider the U.S. dollar exchange rate when compared to their countryʼs currency. MSU provides a lot of financial assistance to help international stu-dents overcome financial burdens. Many scholarships are avail-able like the Competitive Waiver scholarships that reduce interna-tional tuition to in-state costs and are awarded in conjunction with a $1,000 competitive scholarship. Good Neighbor scholarships help students from Latin America and the Caribbean. This scholar-ship offers free state and local tu-ition excluding fees. The university nominates candi-dates for this scholarship. College departments also offer academic scholarships that are based on GPA requirements. MSU also offers op-portunities to American students to enrich their learning experience through exchange programs. Language clubs are available for interested students and summer and semester exchange programs are offered in Mexico, France and Germany.

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York, a Wichita Falls native, has been involved in SGA for four years, serving as senator for three years and vice president this past year. Knowing the responsibility of the SGA president firsthand, York recognizes that past policies have caused raises in studentʼs tuition and fees. He anticipates not imple-menting programs that will cause student fees to rise. York sees the need for MSU to focus on being a more residential university, bringing students from outside Wichita Falls to the cam-pus. He also looks forward to initiat-ing a program that seeks to benefit young mothers with childcare on campus. From this program, he an-ticipates the creation of jobs and an opportunity for hands-on experi-ence with early child development students. Recycling is an issue York rec-ognizes as a neglected necessity on campus. Most recycling posts are in com-puter labs where more students are inclined to throw away paper,

though the campus lacks a strong program for glass, plastic or alumi-num. York also wants to focus on the student health and more opportuni-ties for the campus to get involved in the betterment of students ̓well-being, implementing more programs to encourage exercise. He encourages a stronger aware-ness of MSUʼs diversity by raising flags of each country represented from our student body. York is also a proponent of ban-ning smoking on campus. “I agree that this campus should be a nonsmoking campus and I know that that is an un-popular de-cision to make,” he said. “Tobacco use is just inconsistent with the aims of higher education. We want our students to lead healthy lifestyles and we want to have a healthy and clean campus.” Running against York is junior pre-med major Dominique Cal-houn, who is currently the president of the NAACP and vice president of the Black Student Union. Calhoun also would like to see more opportunities for students

to be able to eat in the cafeteria as well as work and go to class with-out worrying if the cafeteria will be closed, though Calhoun recognizes the difficulty of changing the pro-cess of Aramarkʼs current program. Calhoun stated he is pushing for a more unified body. He was prompted to enter the race for the SGA presidency from the need his friends and himself recognized: A lack of continuity between the stu-dent government and the student body. “I try to make sure that Iʼm doing my part at any cost,” he said. Calhoun recognized a lack of school unity after the MSU menʼs basketball playoffs. “The people here are kind of separated,” he said. ”Our basketball team had home court advantage and we couldnʼt even sell out the sta-dium. We need to get more school unity.” Calhoun pursues the opportunity to bring the presidency back to the studentʼs and be a representation of the MSU student body. Much of Calhounʼs responsibility in his past endeavors has led to cre-

ating a more unified campus. With the NAACP, Calhoun began a men-tor program with the students of the Sam Houston Elementary School and is organizing a play day for the elementary students at Sikes Lake on May 4. He also helped organize a pro-gram for Black History Month that brought together African American and Caribbean students in order to bridge a gap of understanding. Running uncontested for vice presidency is junior Fadil Imo, an international studies and political science major. Senior psychology major Tammi Roberts is running for secretary. The SGA election continues through Friday. Students can vote by going to www.mwsu.edu and following the online voting link. “I highly encourage the students to participate in the student govern-ment election. The student officials not only represent the students here at Midwestern University, but rep-resent the community of Wichita Falls and the state of Texas,” SGA President Will Morefield said.

Debate_____________________________________________________________________continued from page 1

Hot Stuff

KENNY BERGSTROM

FOR THE WICHITAN

Amnesty Week is here once again at the Moffett Library from April 15-21. Amnesty Week is here to promote National Library Week. According to Andrea Williams, associate university librarian, overdue books will be forgiven up to $10. If a fine is over that amount, $10 will be knocked off your current fine. Media items will also be in-cluded in amnesty week. So far this month, the library has given out $2,295 in fines. Of those fines only $606 has been paid. Jason Brezina, circulation

manager, keeps track of all fines given out in the library. “Each day a book is kept over the due date 25 cents is added to the studentʼs file. The first two days a book is kept over it is considered free but on the third day the student has to pay for all three days,” Brezina said. If a book is kept over 60 days then the book is considered lost and the student is charged for the value of the book. The library is also hosting a graphic novel showing today from 3 to 4 p.m. Graphic novels are comic books with a modern twist. The presenters will be Jason Brezina, Ryan Samuelson and Dan Winslow. The event will be

held on the second floor in the History Alcove area of the li-brary. Other events for National Li-brary Week include a demonstra-tion on “Mad Skills: The Hidden Secrets of Google.” The dem-onstration will be Thursday at 12:15 p.m. in the media depart-mentʼs room 212. This will be a brown-bag style lunch and will last about one hour. The Moffett Library is also putting up READ posters with campus celebrities on them to promote National Library Week. Signs and banners are posted all over campus. Information can also be found at MSUʼs Web site, www.mwsu.edu.

Libraries deserve appreciation during annual amnesty week

Please recycle this newspaper.

Survival MSU

ADRIAN MCCANDLESS | THE WICHITAN

Rian Vestal and Erik Shelton compete for the blue team in this year’s Survival MSU, continuing through Friday.