The WichiTanpage 4

The sTudenT voice of MidwesTern sTaTe universiTy

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2009

Red Dirt Rebels Up-and-comers Whiskey Myers played unique brand of Texas Music at Crazy Horse Saloon

page 5Super SurpriseCardinals unexpectedly reach Su-per Bowl LXIII to battle Steelers for first-ever Super Bowl title

MSU will soon be a greener place if Dr. Jesse Rogers’ hopes come to fruition. The university president has been discussing recycling and sustainability efforts as a jump-ing-off point to making Mid-western more eco-friendly. Last fall, Rogers put these goals in writing when he signed the American College and Uni-versity Presidents Climate Com-mitment. The first undertakingwill be

the development of an effective recycling program. Currently, Midwestern recy-cles some paper and aluminum through the State Hospital. “(Wichita Falls) is discussing setting up recycling systems so that we can take certain plastics to the transfer station,” Rogers said. “We will get into recycling on campus.” This will mean investing in a means to pick up and transport recyclables, as well as contain-ers. “We want to be a leader in sustainability,” Rogers said.

Last summer, Rogers and other university administrators met at South Oregon University, a school that has been designat-ed by that state as a sustainable campus. “Every pen they gave us was made from recycled paper,” Rogers said. “Their cafeteria is operated by a company that serves foods grown locally and organically without hormones or fertilizer.” At the moment, Rogers’ plans for MSU are more focused on getting an effective recycling program in place. However, he

said he would like to see the campus use products from more small farms to reduce MSU’s carbon emissions. “Transportation of food has become a major carbon foot-print,” Rogers said. “We use a tremendous amount of petro-leum for transportation.” Rogers has other concerns as well. “I have another issue and it is reallyinconflictwithaproblemwe have right now on campus,” Rogers said. He was talking about parking. “We have a beautiful cam-

pus,” he said, “but there is very little green space.” He said he would like for stu-dents to have more natural areas to take advantage of and less concrete, but he said he under-stands the need for convenient parking as well. Environmental issues are not just a campus problem, he not-ed. Rogers said he believes ev-eryone is going to have to make sacrifices and come together tofindanyrealsolution. “The major problem we have in solving (environmental is-sues) is a lack of education about

the economics, politics and the science of sustainability,” Rog-erssaid.“Theyseeminconflict,and we’ve got to make rational decisions.” As far as alternative energy sources and greener lifestyles, Rogersbelievesthatthefirststepis to spend money on research. “The environment will be-come good business and create jobs,” he said. A former chemistry profes-sor, Rogers said MSU is a good place to start educating people

Despite increasing costs both on and off campus, enrollment and interest in Midwestern State University study abroad pro-grams in France and London have increased this year, accord-ing to the international student office. Dr. Larry Williams, director of the International Education program, said that the current economy has had no negative impact on student interest. “We have record numbers for our semester abroad programs,” he said, adding that the dollar has gained against both the Brit-ish pound and the Euro, and that students’ money would go fur-ther this year than in previous semesters. Williams said students and parents are looking at the overall experience of studying abroad as an investment, rather than in terms of costs. “There is this illusion that college consists of only direct costs,” he said. “What we over-look is that all the money we spend in college is a college-related cost.” Tuition and fees for the France program are $7,400, and tuition and fees for the London program are $5,500. The international student office estimates thatstudents in France will spend $12,500 total, including airfare and travel expenses. Students studying in London are estimat-ed to spend $7,000 or more. MSU students studying abroad receive a scholarship from the university to help offset the dif-ference in tuition. The scholar-ship money comes from student fees. The amount awarded var-

ies each year, but it is usually about $1,000 per student. Williams said that students set on studying abroad have been inventive in finding waysto cover the cost. Along with scholarships, financial aid andstudent loans, Williams said that more and more students are ask-ing parents, family, and friends for trip money in lieu of birthday or Christmas presents. He also said that students have funded trips through their own initiative and saving money from part- or full-time jobs. “Students can save a lot more money than they think,” Wil-liams said. Alyssa Inman, a junior Eng-lish major, attended the Spring Abbey program in 2008. Inman said she spent about $15,000 for her semester in France and funded her trip mostly through student loans. Inman said that she had ex-pected to come home and have money left over, but that wasn’t the case. “Fifteen thousand seems like a lot, but it’s really not,” said In-man, stressing the importance of planning in traveling abroad. “Budget. Know where you want to go, and budget for it,” she said. “And be careful about dollars to Euros. It’s easy to get mixed up.” Jordan Jacob, a senior art ma-jor who attended the London program last summer, said she also spent more than she intend-ed. “Oh, it was way more expen-sive than I expected,” said Jacob, who was able to study abroad through saving and a gift from her grandmother. “Everything was priced like things are in dol-

Jamie monroe

EntErtainmEnt Editor

Abroadstudiesflourishdespite economy woes

Photo CourtesyA student reads on the steps at the Abbey in Pontlevoy, France.

Rogers makes plans for a greener campusBrittany norman

Editor in ChiEf

Jeff Johnson plans to dedicate his life to helping people in South America.

He’s off to a good start. Johnson left Wichita Falls Dec. 31, 2007.

He spent New Year’s Eve in an airport in Lima, Peru, unsure of what was ahead of him.

Right now, the 2007 sociology major is in Bolivia, South America.

“I’ve decided to dedicate myself to mis-sions in the summer of 2005 when I went on a short-term mission trip to Sri Lanka to help out with the tsunami that occurred there Dec. 2004,” he said.

Johnson, 23, had a few years of Span-ish under his belt from high school and two years at MSU. He decided to put it to good use.

“I really didn’t have a preference for countries other than in South America. Peru is where our team is based so I started there and then got transferred to our Bolivian mountain team.”

Now he is in the town of Sucre, popula-tion 250,000. He uses the city as a base camp in between trips.

Johnson is not alone in this journey. Accompanying him is Javier, a Peru-vian guide.

They live in Sucre with two others, an American named Graham and a Colombian named Efraín.

“Our routine depends on where we are,” Johnson said. “In Sucre, we study the language we will need in the communities as often as we can and meet at the church at least three times

a week. In the communities, we work from sunrise to sunset with the men in the com-munitiesintheirfields,tryingtobuildrela-tionships with them.”

He also shares stories from the Bible with them when he can so they can learn about Jesus”

One of the greatest challenges was learn-ing another language called Quechua, he said. Johnson gave some background on the language. The Incas used it when the Span-ish arrived more than 500 years ago. It is still used in the villages far away from the cities.

“It is nothing like Spanish or English so it’s been very challenging,” he said.

While in Bolivia, the fear of disease is

Jenny oliver

for thE WiChitan

See GREEN page 3

See INTERNATIONAL page 3

See BOLIVIA page 3

Staff Editorial

ViewpointsThe WichiTan

Finalist2004 Associated Collegiate Press

Pacemaker Award

Sweepstakes Winner 2006 Texas Intercollegiate

Press Association

The WichiTan

Copyright © 2008. 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://wichitan.mwsu.edu

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Brittany Norman

Managing Editor Chris Collins Entertainment Editor Jamie Monroe

Op-Ed Editor Alyssa Edson Sports Editor Bobby Morris

Photo Editor Patrick Johnston

ReportersRichard CarterJosh MujicaLauren Wood

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Helping others

Okay, let’s be honest. The campus

has a lot of wide spaces in the side-

walks, sudden drops in the grassy areas

and marble stairs which tend to get

very slippery when it rains or ices.

Basically, if you don’t have, say, the

perfect equilibrium, you’re going to

fall a few times on your rush to get to a

class.

We’re not trying to say that it’s the

school’s fault that some of us are bal-

ance-challenged, but if you’re walking

by someone who bites it while carrying

a pile of books, maybe you should help

out.

It just seems like the right thing to

do.

One would think that if you saw

someone lying on his or her back (in a

spot that they generally would not be

taking a nap) with books, a backpack, a

shoe and a cell phone scattered around

them, it would be a good idea not to

literally step over them and comment

on how it looked like that hurt. Thank

you, Captain Obvious.

It doesn’t even matter if you laugh.

Who hasn’t in a movie scene where the

waiter trips?

After you’ve had your chuckle why

not lend a hand? Help them to their feet

then help them pick up their belong-

ings.

Just remember that person could just

as easily be you.

THINK GREEN:Please recycle The Wichitan

after reading.Bins are located in Clark Student Center and Bolin Hall

Something to say?The Wichitan is seeking guest columnists. If you have something you’d like to write about, e-mail an

opinion piece to wichitan@mwsu.edu. We welcome opinions from students, faculty and staff.

Use your voice!

As of last Tuesday, Barrack Obama of-ficially is the 44th president of the United States. The 47-year-old former Illinois senator was sworn into office after vice president Joe Biden took his oath at the inauguration ceremony. Before the cere-mony took place, the media threw around terms like “historical” to describe how they believed the inauguration would go. Historical seems to be an understate-ment. The inauguration of the first black presi-dent of the United States was an event un-like any other, an event that cannot simply be described by the same word used to modify events like the invention of bread. No, the 56th inauguration ceremony was indescribably powerful. Right when I tuned in to Channel 8 to watch the live coverage, a picture of the estimated 1.4 million people crowding the National Mall and parade route flashed across the screen. It was a truly unbeliev-

able sight, but the man about to become President was proving that nothing is im-possible. The message rang true for more than just citizens of the United States as the station interviewed Canadians and oth-er foreigners who traveled to the Capitol and stood for hours among hours just to be a part of history. In my opinion, Obama’s speech was worth the wait those who had stood since dawn endured. During the speech, the President stated that, “We must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin the work of re-making America.” The memorable line was a bridge between Obama calling out the unfinished business the Bush adminis-tration left and his vision for the future of the United States. His confidence that he would be able to turn America around and get the country out of its economic crisis made his speech more moving than any to date. Obama’s inauguration was different than past ceremonies in many ways, and the theme of Abraham Lincoln that was

carried throughout the four-day celebra-tion made this ceremony stand out even more than the rest. The ceremony’s differences from past inaugurations made it a memorable one, but also made it the most expensive inau-guration in history. The price tag for the festivities is estimated by nydailynews.com to be right under $160 million, a grand total that calls for taxpayers’ dollars. So, my question is, if we are supposed to be entering a “new era of responsibility” and leaving our economic crisis behind us, why are the American people paying three times the amount we gave for Bush’s inau-guration? I’m not sure that this was the best way to start off Obama’s presidency, but I do hope that the actions that did not ring true for what he has promised up to this point are not a reflection of the next four years. Despite a few concerns that I had while I watched the live coverage, I do think that Obama’s speech was truly inspiring and definitely sparked hope that things will be changing for the better in the near future.

Inauguration sparks hope, concernAlyssA Edson

Op-ed ediTOr

News The WichiTanJan. 28, 2009 3

COMING SOON TO A CAMPUS NEAR YOU… Wednesday, Jan. 28th Student Success Series presents Brett Sokolow 7:00pm, CSC Comanche Drunk Sex or Date Rape: Can You Tell the Difference?

Sunday, Feb. 1st Superbowl Party: Steelers vs. Cardinals 5:00pm, CSC Shawnee Free Food and Prizes! Sponsored by UPB & RHA.

Monday, Feb. 2nd University Programming Board Meeting 6:00pm, CSC Shawnee Open to all MSU Students.

Tuesday, Feb. 3rd Student Government Association Meeting 7:15pm, CSC Comanche Don’t miss the first meeting of the spring semester!

Wednesday, Feb. 4th Student Organization Fair 11:30am-1pm, CSC Atrium There will also be a Part-time Job and Volunteer Fair from 12-3pm.

Thursday, Feb. 5th Greek Roundtable Discussion 6:00pm, CSC Shawnee All Greek students are encouraged to attend.

Thursday, Feb. 5th The Real Deal Crazy Game Show—Win $400 in Cash & Prizes! 7:00pm, CSC Comanche Featuring Black History Month Questions!

Friday, Feb. 6th Spirit Days Peer Counselor Applications Due 5:00pm, CSC 194 Help welcome new students and their families to MSU!

Saturday, Feb. 7th Student Trip to MSU vs. Tarleton State Basketball Games 3:30pm, Meet at the CSC Sign up at the CSC Information Desk.

Tuesday, Feb. 10th Multicultural Services Discussion Series 1:30pm, CSC Kiowa Is Black History Month Relevant?

Attention Transfer Students... Are you interested in joining a new

student organization for transfer students? This organization could welcome new transfer students to

MSU and provide importantinformation about the campus aswell as serve as a resource to theUniversity in organizing transferstudent services and programs.Email matthew.park@mwsu.edu

or call 397-4500 if interested.

Want to be a Peer Counselorfor Spirit Days 2009?

The Office of Student Development and Orientation is now accepting

applications for Spirit Days Peer Counselors. Peer Counselors welcome new students to campus and assist in

their successful transition to the University. Applications are available in

the Clark Student Center and various locations around campus. Completed applications are due February 6, 2009.

The Spotlight is brought to you by

The Office of Student Development & Orientation Endless Opportunities. Lifelong Connections.

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

http://activities.mwsu.edu

Look for the next Spotlight on Wednesday, February 11th!

Risk Management Workshops

Any registered student organizations which have not yet attended a risk

management workshop this year must attend one of the following: Wednesday, January 28th

2:00pm or 5:30pm CSC Shawnee Theater

For more information, including a list of organizations that must still complete

the risk management requirement, please call 397-4500.

the Spotlight

A SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS... -To the women of Sigma Lambda Alphasorority for having the highest G.P.A. of all Greek chapters for the Fall 2008 semester.

-To the men of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity for being approved for colonization at Midwestern State University.

-To the Caribbean Student Organization (CSO) Good Neighbor Scholars forrecently volunteering at the Kirby IB World Academy Math and Science Meet.

-To the three newest registered studentorganizations at MSU: ASME, In and Out, & the Student Nurses Christian Fellowship.

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.

Campus briefsWednesday • Theatre production: The Rivals in Fain Fine Arts Theatre at 11 a.m.• Student Success Series: ‘Drunk Sex or Date Rape?’ in CSC Coman-che at 7 p.m.

Thursday• Theatre production: The Rivals; Fain Fine Arts Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; Sun-day at 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 3 • Athletics luncheon at Wichita Falls Museum of Art at noon to 1 p.m.• Faculty Forum: Dr. Stuart McClin-tock in CSC Shawnee Theatre at 7 p.m.• Study abroad: London information by Dr. Larry Williams in CSC Wichita I and II at 6 p.m. and Wednesday at noon.

58

61

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1400 Borton LaneWichita Falls, TX 76305

Lively music anddown home

preaching andteachings.

Sunday School 9:30 A.M.Morning Worship 10:45 A.M.

Bible Study Wednesday Evening 7:00 P.M.

“The Church That Reminds You of Home”

New Jerusalem Baptist ChurchRev. Angus Thompson,

Pastor

We Welcome OurNew Neighbors

BOLIVIA.....................................................................................................continued from page 1ever so present.

“There are many diseases prevalent here – yellow fever, typhoid, and I have heard cases of the Black Plague too,” John-son said.

He also faces the danger of malnutrition and dehydration from all the hiking. They eat potatoes for all three meals.

“There is no fresh water be-tween the villages so we have to stock up beforehand,” he said.

Stocking up came as a learn-ing experience. Johnson said the scariest thing was when he and his partner, Javier, almost died of dehydration.

They had less than one li-ter of water for each of them, and had to walk more than six hours and climb a 2,000-foot mountain. Beyond the inter-nal struggles there are external obstacles, such as the Peruvian government.

Asked about his thoughts on the restrictive Bolivian govern-ment, Johnson said, “Lately, the government has been ha-rassing Americans because the President has said we are trying to cause dissention among the people.

“So there has been tension, especially whenever there are

anti-American protests through-out the country. Right now we are laying low and trying to wait it out before we head into the communities another time.”

Johnson said leaving the United States was one of the hardest things he ever did.

Having a support system behind him made the journey much easier. Johnson admitted it has been quite an adjustment.

“I have been able to keep in contact with my family and loved ones back home, so that has helped immensely,” he said. “My parents have been my greatest support system. They

send me letters, and that has been a great help for me to fin-ish my term here. Also, my pas-tor at Colonial Baptist Church has been a great help as well since I’ve been here. The best part of missions is seeing peo-ple respond to the Gospel for the first time.

“I would really like to go to Africa after I finish my term here (I have 13 more months) and fin-ish seminary when I return to the states. Many have never heard of Jesus before and their eyes light up with hope. It is an amaz-ing transformation to behold.”

GREEN.......................................................................................................continued from page 1

about the science, economics and policy of the environment. “We should do more than produce degrees,” he said. Ac-cording to Rogers, a univer-sity should educate students on health, service and living a good and prosperous lifestyle “consis-

tent with maintaining our atmo-sphere.” “I fully intend to support do-ing that.” Once an effective means of re-cycling is found, Rogers plans to take bigger steps in the future. “I think that the next building

we build will be a green build-ing,” he said. “It will use alter-native energies and be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Envi-ronmental Design) certified.” Rogers said the extra cost of building eco-friendly will pay off in the end.

“There’s just one wall,” he said. “Cost. Ultimately, it will pay its way. I hope the adminis-tration puts significant funds into science and health for alterna-tive energy and sustainability. It would stimulate the economy, to put that money into research.”

INTERNATIONAL.......................................................................................continued from page 1

lars, but with the pound conversion, you paid double.” Williams said that students abroad also typically spend more than students staying at home because they go out and experience the city they’re in. “I guarantee they’re not sitting at home at night, or on the weekends. They’re out and about,” he said. “It’s their one chance to be in Europe for a month.” Despite the cost, Inman insisted that the ultimate experience was worth it. “I’d do it again. I want to do it again,” she said. Jacob called her experience in London “once in a lifetime,” and said that she never expected to be able to attend. Williams agreed that the opportunity to study abroad is a phenomenal experience.

“I had one woman, about fifteen, eighteen years ago, who said, ‘Well, I didn’t think it was that great,’” Williams said. “I’ve taken probably 700 Midwestern students. So I’d say that’s a pretty good ratio.” Williams said that students hoping to study abroad should explore within reason all financial possibilities open to them. “There’s never a perfect time to go,” Williams said. “But if students seriously want to go, we are going to do everything within reason that we can to facilitate that.”

photo courtesyMSU students in the London Summer Program look out of a phone booth in London. Potential candidates for the abroad program will meet this week.

The WichiTanJan. 28, 20094 Entertainment

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‘Bride Wars’ not quite war, not quite entertaining In a nutshell, “Bride Wars” is a comedic chick flick with a bit of a mean streak. If you put “27 Dresses” and “Mean Girls” in a blender and mixed it, I think you would get something simi-lar to this film. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good chick flick. Notice the key word being “good.” Liv (Kate Hudson) and Emma (Anne Hathaway) are best friends who have the same dream: to have June weddings at the Pla-za. Friends since childhood, this fantasy started when their mothers took them for lunch at the Plaza’s Palm Court, where a wedding was taking place. Years and years later, the two

women get engaged and happily plan their dream weddings. But, due to a scheduling conflict, they end up having their weddings scheduled for the same date, time and place. Instead of changing venues

or days, the two friends declare war. Round one. Hathaway, a mel-low school teacher who has al-ways been good at taking care of others, transforms into a Bri-dezilla and sends Liv chocolates

and candies so she won’t fit into her wedding dress. Round two. Hudson, a power-hungry lawyer who is used to getting everything she wants, won’t settle for anything less than her perfect wedding, even if that means spiking Emma’s tan-ning salon formula so she turns the shade of a Dorito. Round three. Still a furious bride, Hathaway also crashes Liv’s bachelorette party at a male strip club and switches Liv’s hair color mix to blue at the salon. And so on and so on. Overall, I would rate this movie a C. The film makes women seem like self-absorbed monsters who will do anything for their perfect day and has lit-tle believability about the whole concept. Do little girls dream about their weddings down to the last detail? And if they do,

do they keep those dreams until they are 26 years old? The acting is decent, but there is little chemistry between Hud-son and Hathaway. They are completely opposite characters who do a poor job of making the audience believe they are really friends. When all is said and done, “Bride Wars” is a romantic tale between two straight girlfriends, instead of the usual man and women. It has the typical ini-tial love and happiness, then the conflict and fight and lastly, the

happy ending. However, this love story is about two women who only love themselves. The men they are marrying play little role in the story. Some men can be dragged to chick flicks and actually enjoy them. This is not one of them. Women, leave your man at home or in another theater. As a matter of fact, leave yourselves at home. Or at least until it comes to the dollar theater or available on T.V.

Best Supporting Actor: Downey vs. Ledger

Months before “Dark Knight” opened in theaters and shattered box office sales, people were already talking about Heath Ledger’s role as the Joker. Fans called for Ledger’s Oscar be-fore they’d even seen the film- and they especially called for it once they had. Perhaps because of Ledger’s death, for once, every major awards show listened to what fans were saying, and nominat-ed Ledger in the Best Support-ing Actor slot. The buzz about Ledger’s Joker wasn’t unjustified; for the first time in Batman movie his-tory, the Joker wasn’t a campy, clown-faced maniac with bad puns. Ledger’s Joker was unpre-dictable, sadistic, and truly horrifying. Ledger’s final, com-pleted role was certainly done well. Next to that, it’s easy to forget that there are other actors up for

the Best Supporting Actor nod- all of whom were extraordinary in their roles. Josh Brolin in “Milk,” Philip Seymour Hoff-man in “Doubt,” Michael Shan-non in “Revolutionary Road.” And not to forget Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thun-der”- who I’m going to jump out and say deserves the win. Downey received the nomina-tion for playing the part of Kirk Lazarus, a brilliant but troubled (white) Australian method ac-tor who completely immerses himself in his latest role as an African American sergeant in the Vietnam War. At one point in the film, Downey, as the Australian playing an African American soldier, dresses in drag to play an elderly Chinese woman that speaks Mandarin. Later, Lazarus experiences a mental breakdown, because he cannot identify the particular “dude” that he is supposed to be. “I know what dude I am,” he insists. “I’m the dude playin’

the dude, disguised as another dude!” And that line sums up why he should take home an Academy Award. Before his comeback role in “Ironman,” Downey was anoth-er tabloid story of a big star that fell hard. This year, he starred in two blockbusters and scored SAG, Golden Globe, and Oscar nominations for his role as Kirk Lazarus. Not to mention that “Tropic Thunder” was not only a com-edy, it was directed by Ben Stiller. It’s unfortunate that Ledger and Downey are pitted against each other this year. Downey, just now making his return to A-list acting, and Ledger, un-der-recognized during his life-time, are both talented actors who deserve the win. But, there really may be no point in discussing it. The Acad-emy has a knack for selecting winners out of a hat, and it may be a complete surprise on Oscar night.

Jamie monroe

enTerTainmenT ediTor

Lauren Wood

For The WichiTan

Photo CourtesyBride Wars, starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson

Red Dirt Rebellion

You probably haven’t heard of Whiskey Myers yet, but if you’ve got an ear for Red Dirt country music, it won’t be long until you do. The up-and-coming Texas coun-try band has had two singles, Road of Life and Lonely East Texas Nights, break high enough on the Texas music charts to gain them notice. They played last Thurs-day at The Crazy Horse Saloon in Wichita Falls. At first glance, it seemed like the five man band from Tyler, Texas wouldn’t draw much of a crowd at all, but as show time ap-

proached the joint started filling up with country fans. According to the band, the far-thest they’ve ever traveled is Chi-cago, a trip they made with no trailer lights (they only got pulled over once), but the home-state crowds seem to appreciate the mu-sic they’re playing. Audience members two-stepped around the dance floor to Thief of Hearts and twirled their partners to the sound of the southern rock/off-beat country hybrid. Whiskey Myers is unique in a few ways. The band is listed as having not one but three lead gui-tarists, and when listening to their album or watching them perform

it quickly becomes evident that there are two lead singers as well, Cody Cannon and Cody Tate. Cannon says he sings the songs that he writes, and Tate sings the lyrics that he pens. Maybe it’s not conventional, but whatever they’re doing is working. The lyrics run the spec-trum from emotive and thoughtful to brash and rockin’, but unlike far too many songwriters, Whiskey Myers doesn’t sacrifice good writ-ing. Just when it seems like you’ve got their style figured out, they throw an unexpected element out that keeps everyone guessing.

Brittany norman

ediTor in chieF

Whiskey Myers plays country with a Southern Rock edge

Photo by Brittany NormanCody Cannon and Whiskey Myers played a show last Thursday at the Crazy Horse Saloon.

The WichiTanJan. 28, 2009 5Sports

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IN WICHITA FALLS!

For a while it seemed like a cruel joke. A franchise that had gone 61 years since its last NFL title needed less than 20 minutes to blow an 18-point lead. But these are Bizarro times in the Valley of the Sun, a parallel-universe that Sunday announced itself to the world. The Arizona Cardinals are go-ing to the Super Bowl. Really and truly. Ageless Kurt Warner threw four touchdown passes, three to unstoppable wideout Larry Fitzgerald, and the last an 8-yard shovel to rookie tailback Tim Hightower with 2:53 remain-ing that pushed the Cardinals to a 32-25 win over the Philadel-phia Eagles in the NFC Cham-pionship Game before a sold-out and success-starved University of Phoenix Stadium crowd of 70,650. One of the most shocking postseason runs in NFL history was eight decades in the mak-ing. The franchise - whether in Chicago, St. Louis or the Phoe-nix suburbs - had won just one playoff game since capturing the 1947 NFL Championship and earned its reputation as one of the most dysfunctional organi-zations in pro sports.

“I always thought this day would come,” said Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill, whose father bought the team in 1932. “I just didn’t know when.” But with Sunday’s thrilling comeback, which answered a game rally by the visitors, the Cardinals (12-7) won a third straight postseason game as an underdog and now will head to Tampa to face AFC champion Pittsburgh (14-4) in Super Bowl XLIII on Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium. “I’m having a hard time even saying it right now . . . much less thinking about,” said safety Adrian Wilson, at eight seasons the longest-tenured starter of the NFL’s longest-tenured loser. “The Cardinals changed their stripes today.” Funny. Just eight weeks ago, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and friends carved up the Cards 48-20 on Thanksgiv-ing night. “And everyone thought they were going to do exactly the same thing,” Arizona defensive tackle Darnell Dockett said. “But this wasn’t the same team that played that night.” Apparently nothing about the Cardinals is the same as before. “I want to say ‘Arizona Car-dinals’ and ‘Super Bowl’ in the same sentence,” Warner crowed

afterward. “I like the way that sounds. How ‘bout it?” Warner, 37, completed 21-of-28 passes for 279 yards and didn’t turn the ball over. His first three touchdowns went to Fitzgerald, who continued his all-world postseason by haul-ing in nine balls for 152 yards, including touchdowns of 9, 62 and 1 yard to help Arizona open a 24-6 halftime lead. But McNabb, playing in his fifth NFC title game in eight years (and losing his fourth), re-bounded from an ineffective first half to hit on 17-of-28 second-half throws for 266 yards and three touchdowns. His 62-yard scoring bomb to rookie DeSean Jackson (despite decent cover-age by rookie first-round pick Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie) gave Philly a 25-24 lead and si-lenced the crowd with 10:45 to go in the game. At that point, the Eagles had outgained the Cards in total of-fense 251-29 in the second half. “The next seven minutes made the difference,” Arizona Coach Ken Whisenhunt said. Despite just one first down since intermission, the Cards marched with confidence, start-ing at their 28 and driving deep into Philly territory, converting a critical fourth-and-1 from the Eagles 49 along the way and a

third-and-1 at the 14. On third-and-goal at the 8, Warner played it safe – a field goal would have given Arizo-na the lead – dumping a short, middle-like screen to Hight-ower, who bobbed, weaved and slammed his way into the end zone to put the Cards up 30-25. Warner’s two-point conver-sion pass to tight end Ben Pat-rick assured that a Philadel-phia touchdown and point-after

would only tie the game. McNabb, facing a deafening din, moved his team to the Cards 47, but three straight incomple-tions set up a dramatic and very loud fourth-and-10. His sideline pass to Kevin Curtis was high and wide, car-oming off the receiver’s hands, sending the Cards into ecstasy and the Eagles home with an-other disappointing title-game finish.

“You never want it to end,” McNabb said. The Cardinals and their fans were saying the same thing Sun-day night. Whatever happens next, it will end in Tampa. In the Super Bowl. “Anyone who doesn’t believe it,” Dockett beamed, “just wake up and read the newspapers.”

McT caMpus phoToCardinals’ star wideout Larry Fitzgerald (11) sparked the team’s emergence into the national spotlight. In Super Bowl XLIII Arizona will be fighting for the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl title against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

McT caMpus

Cardinals look to make history with Super Bowl win

Richardson, Green carry squad during record-breaking streak

Holiday break brings winning into minds of young Mustangs team

Kelsey Fund in need of donations

BoBBy Morris

sporTs ediTor

BoBBy Morris

sporTs ediTor

Nolan Richardson IV eyes his opponent during last Saturday’s game against ENM. MSU whalloped ENM 83-44.

MsUMUstangs.coM

For The WichiTan

Donations to the Brandon Kelsey Fund are being accepted at the Midwestern State Univer-sity Athletics Main Office.

Kelsey’s father, Kevin, died early Saturday morning after being struck by a vehicle just south of the University of Texas at Arlington campus while at-tempting to cross the street in the 1300 block of South Cooper Street about 6:20 p.m. Friday

night.“The purpose of the fund is

to offset funeral costs and living expenses he’s going to incur,” MSU coach Bill Maskill said. “He’s going to have no home after this and will be living on his own.”

Brandon Kelsey served a red-shirt season after completing a stellar prep career as a quarter-back at Arlington High School.

“Brandon is a good kid who is very mentally strong,” Maskill

said. “He’s a well-liked leader and a tough kid. His family has meant a lot to him.”

Checks, which must be made payable to the Brandon Kelsey Fund, can be hand delivered to the main athletics office or mailed to the following ad-dress:

Brandon Kelsey Fund3410 Taft Blvd.

Wichita Falls, Texas 76308

When Noel Johnson and her Mustangs squad went on the Christmas break, all that they could hope for was a sense of consistency.

Five games into the season MSU had seen only one victory, and the extremely young team, led by a first-time head coach was still looking for what could spark them come conference competition.

Led by a pair of some of the few experienced upperclassmen on the team, Andrea Buben and Regiane Araujo, the Mustangs

were able to piece together a few wins in a row and ultimately place themselves right into the middle of the conference tourna-ment picture.

From Dec. 15 through the New Year and until last Saturday, Jan. 24, the Mustangs won six out of seven, including two Lone Star Conference South division vic-tories against Angelo State and Eastern New Mexico.

Buben propelled the Mus-tangs to their first divisional win January 14 against the Angelo State Rambelles with a game ty-ing three-pointer that led to the 79-77 overtime period.

Andrea “Ace” Buben nailed

her career-best seventh trey as the buzzer rang to tie the game and place the game in the hands of Rosy Ofoegbu.

Ofoegbu poured in eight of her 13 points in the extra period to help the Mustangs claim the 79-77 victory.

Cierra Thompson and Katiya Jackson both helped MSU take the win with 18 and 10 points, respectively. The efforts over-shadowed the performance of Camille Perkins who tallied up 23 points to go alongside Lau-ren Weishuhn’s eight points, re-bounds and assists.

Buben’s late-game heroics led to her garnering LSC South

Player of the Week honors for the first time this season.

Thompson and Araujo helped key a second half run January 24 for the Mustangs’ second divi-sional win over the Eastern New Mexico Zias.

The win marked the fourth-straight victory on Gerald Stock-ton floor in D.L. Ligon Colise-um and improved their overall record to 7-11, including 2-2 in LSC South play.

The Mustangs will look to continue their home winning streak this Saturday against Abilene Christian. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and will be followed by the men’s basketball game.

Midwestern State Women’s BasketballDuring the Holiday Break

Dec. 15 - @ Northeastern State L 54-58 Dec. 17 - Texas A&M-Commerce L 72-79 Dec. 18 - Texas-Permian Basin W 73-67 Dec. 20 - Texas Woman’s L 60-63 Dec. 30 - @ St. Edward’s L 51-65 Jan. 3 - Southeastern Oklahoma W 76-71 Jan. 5 - East Central W 68-66 Jan. 8 - @ Cameron W 71-54 Jan. 10 - @ Southwestern Oklahoma L 52-53 Jan. 14 - Angelo State W 79-77 (OT) Jan. 17 - @ Texas A&M-Kingsville L 57-63 Jan. 21 - @ West Texas A&M L 56-69 Jan. 24 - Eastern New Mexico W 66-58

After sputtering to a 3-3 start, it seemed that all the MSU Mustangs and Nolan Richard-son needed was the sound of Jingle Bells and sight of Christ-mas wreaths during the holiday break. Then, after dropping a 56-55 nail-biter at Northeastern State on Dec. 15, the Mustangs reeled off 10-straight wins, including winning 11 of 13 games since the holiday break. Richardson led the Mustangs throughout the break taking in three Lone Star Conference South Player of the Week hon-ors during the five-week sched-ule. After the fifth game of their 10-game winning streak Rich-ardson and the Mustangs looked as in-tune as possible. The shooting guard and the

rest of the squad took no break with East Central as they dis-mantled them by 37, 106-69. Richardson poured in 10 3-pointers while putting up a game-high 32 points. The on-slaught of treys broke Mid-western State’s previous school record of nine set by Damion McKinney on Nov. 30, 1996. Then 10 3-pointers led the way for breaking another school-record of team treys in a game with 19 total long-range shots made. Craig Green put in four 3-pointers, Trajinski Grigsby tallied three and both Marcus Anderson and Melvin Clark put another try in. Green finished with 22 points to help propel the Mustangs to the overwhelming LSC cross-over game. The team finished shooting 50 percent overall from the field, while racking up

33 assists on the evening. Richardson dropped at least 30 points in three-consecutive games during the break to tie a record set nearly 55 years ago when MSU competed in the

NAIA. The Mustangs return to ac-tion this Saturday where they will host the Abilene Christian Wildcats. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.

Midwestern State Men’s BasketballDuring the Holiday Break

Dec. 15 - @ Northeastern State L 56-55 Dec. 17 - Texas A&M-Commerce W 70-67 (OT) Dec. 20 - Northwest Missouri State W 84-78 Dec. 21 - Ouachita Baptist W 77-72 Dec. 30 - Texas-Permian Basin W 67-60 Jan. 3 - Southeastern Oklahoma W 74-48 Jan. 5 - East Central W 106-69 Jan. 8 - @ Cameron W 85-56 Jan. 10 - @ Southwestern Oklahoma W 77-67 Jan. 14 - Angelo State W 95-82 Jan. 17 - @ Texas A&M-Kingsville W 68-65 (OT) Jan. 21 - @ West Texas A&M L 61-67 Jan. 24 - Eastern New Mexico W 83-44

Patrick Johnston | The WichiTan

Here’s a look at the possible adjustments to the BCS format:

Playoff system The pros: President-elect Ba-rack Obama is the highest-profile advocate for a playoff system to crown a college football cham-pion. The likely format would be an eight-team playoff, allowing the top eight teams in the BCS standings to play for a national championship. Most playoff scenarios preserve bowl games for teams that do not qualify for the tournament. John Swofford, ACC commissioner and coordi-nator of the BCS, says a playoff would be more lucrative than the current BCS format.

The cons: University presi-dents are adamant about not playing football games during the spring semester, and the cur-rent 12-game regular season and conference championship games make it difficult to squeeze in a playoff. The Big Ten and Pac-10 do not want to let go of their lu-crative Rose Bowl contract. The BCS schools would likely have to give up automatic bids and share more of the profits gener-ated by the BCS bowl games.

Plus-one system The pros: A mini-four team playoff is backed by SEC Com-missioner Mike Slive. Teams are selected to play in the Fiesta, Sugar, Orange and Rose bowls. They are ranked again after those

games and the top teams play for the title. The cons: The format elimi-nates two teams from the current BCS format unless a fifth bowl game is added to the lineup. Any changes might alter the lucrative television contract with ESPN that runs through the 2013 sea-son. Conference commission-ers and the Notre Dame athletic director rejected this plan last year.

Lineup change The pros: The BCS agree-ment allows all conferences to be evaluated every four years to determine whether they should receive lucrative automatic BCS bowl berths. This is the first of a four-year review of all confer-

ences for inclusion in the BCS. The formula for being added or retained is based on the highest ranked team in a conference, the number of teams a confer-ence places in the Top 25 and the rankings of every team in a conference. The formula is de-signed to evaluate the strength of the entire conference, not just standout teams. The cons: Critics argue this is a convenient way to keep con-ferences without an automatic bid voting to keep the current system because they hope to one day join the power conferences. Sports law expert Gary Roberts said it is extremely unlikely a conference without an automatic bid could sustain that level for

four years to gain a bid.No change

The pros: The BCS generates millions for all Division I foot-ball conferences despite the dis-parity in favor of the six power conferences and Notre Dame. Conferences without automatic bids also recognize they would face a backlash, including possi-bly struggling to schedule games against power conferences in all sports, if they filed a lawsuit or used other means to force major changes to the current format. The cons: College football continues to take a beating in public perception and BCS lead-ers open the door to legislative oversight.

The WichiTanJan. 28, 2009 6 Sports

Mustangs Conference Standings

Lone Star Conference

Men’sBasketball

North

Central Okla. (17-2)SW Oklahoma (11-7)Cameron (7-10)Northeastern State (7-12)Texas A&M-Comm (10-8)East Central (6-13)SE Oklahoma (3-15)

South

West Texas A&M (13-5) Midwestern State (14-5) Angelo State (14-4) TAMU-Kingsville (12-6)Tarleton State (13-6)Abilene Christian (7-10)Eastern New Mexico (4-14)

Women’sBasketball

North

Central Okla. (14-3)Northeastern State (11-6) Texas A&M-Comm (11-6)SE Oklahoma (11-6)SW Oklahoma (6-11)Texas Woman’s (10-7)East Central (7-11)Cameron (5-12)

South

West Texas A&M (15-3)Abilene Christian (11-7)TAMU-Kingsville (12-6)Midwestern State (7-11)Angelo State (10-8)Tarleton State (10-9)Eastern New Mexico (9-12)

WICHITA FALLS 3210 Midwestern Pkwy. 940-692-8080

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Fashion conscious. Budget conscious.

On Deck around msu

SaturdayJanuary 31

Women’s HoopsAbilene

Christian Universityat 6 p.m.

Men’s HoopsAbilene

Christian Universityat 8 p.m.

(following Women’s game)

Until February 28...

MSU 6th Man Club

Autographed Troy Aikman

jersey is to be raffled off at the Feb. 28 game against Texas

A&M-Kingsville. Tickets can be purchased at

any home basketball

game.

February 21-22

Volleyball

MSU will host open tryouts

from 2:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. at D.L. Ligon

Coliseum. Phys-ical examina-tions must be

complete before applying.

Home Events are Bolded

Obama brings hope to college football playoff systemMcT caMpus