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Trail
to undergo $1.35 million facelift
Brighter trails for MSU students will be paved before the summer’s end. The Sikes Lake Pedestrian and Bike Trail will be closed this week, undergoing a facelift that will feature a new concrete trail with lights and two new bridges spanning the lake. Physical Plant Director Dan Williams applied for and received a $1.35 million grant from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for the upcoming project. Reaching the decision to make this plan a reality was balanced on more than a few shoulders. Williams credited Louis Rodriguez, who he said initiated the idea to dredge Sikes Lake, and several former local state congressmen, such as Rick Hardcastle and Tom Heywood, who made the idea feasible with the city. A contractor has already been selected for the project, which should be completed by this July. According to Williams, the trail has endured years of pavement deterioration and was in the need of repair. “The whole thing has kind of evolved from a number of ideas,” Williams said. “(MSU) has wanted to see this project done for some time and wanted to install lights earlier,” Williams said. The lighted trail could be the park’s largest attraction. “(Lights) would give the park more access in the summertime, and they could stay longer,” Williams said. Michael McLeod and Melanie Clark, both sophomore criminal justice majors, usually run on the trails in Lucy Park, but both agreed that a lighted trail would be a benefit. “This is our first time to run (at Sikes Lake) but I would rather run at night, as long as it is lighted. It would be cooler and more convenient,” McLeod said.“We’ll probably run out here more often.” Clark said the extra security of lights would also be a benefit for females who enjoy running at night. “A lot of people work all day and want to run at night but are too scared because there are not a lot of lighted areas and pathways to run on,” Clark said.“I think it would be easier for girls to use.” Williams mentioned a few negatives that would still have to be worked out regarding lighting the trail. “There are some issues, such as how long the lights would be left on,” Williams said. He admits that safety was a prime issue for anyone who would use the facility. “The primary goal is for student use and benefit, but the project fits perfectly with the university’s theme of interlacing itself with the community,” Williams said. Williams expects the park to increase the quality of the entire school, and the city as well. One of the new bridges, measuring 12 feet across, will replace the 3-foot wide bridge on the backside of the lake. A new bridge will better connect the MSU side of the park to the Wichita Falls Art Museum. It will run across the north lake, near Midwestern Parkway, to the peninsula that juts out near the museum. The project is a part of the TxDOT Statewide Transportation Enhancement, whose primary objective is funding non-traditional transportation projects such as the Sikes Lake trail.
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from Main Ron Fishli said he and members of the music department have discussed the present state world affairs and found that extending this option to students was the appropriate thing to do. “We are not planning to cancel the trip, but there are deadlines if they (choir members) personally and individually want to withdraw,” said Chair of the Music Department Ruth Morrow. “I have a few concerns but I’m not really worried,” said music education junior Beth Anthony. Anthony says she is more worried about her brother who has recently joined other U.S. troops in Kuwait. The deadline for withdrawal with a partial refund of $525.53 from the US Integrity Touring Company is April 11, 2003. Students wishing to withdraw must contact Morrow by 3 p.m. April 11. “We are planning to go on schedule but will change the itinerary a little to alleviate student’s fears of potential recrimination against Americans,” Morrow said. “We don’t expect any, but we understand the fears of those going and their parents now that we are a country at war.” Students like Anthony still think the choir’s spring tour is a great opportunity to travel and see new places. “It’s the chance of a lifetime,” Anthony said, “The tour company is doing all it can to ensure we have a safe trip.”
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from Main the Liberal Arts builing,” he said. Registrar Darla Inglish said students shouldn’t worry about any confusion with the new summer classes layout. “It happened before, and we survived it,” she said. “In 1986 we had a budget crisis, we tried the same thing, and it worked.” The staff, Inglish said, will be working 10-hour days, four days per week. The school will be shut down on Fridays to conserve energy. The cooling will be turned off, which will cut major expenses. Inglish also said the Hardin building has to be kept open because there is expensive equipment housed in there, along with animals, which require constant cooling. The smaller buildings will be vacated. The Social Work program in Martin building will be housed on the second floor of the Moffett Library during the summer sessions. “With the two-hour block, we are expecting that students might take less classes but that might not necessarily be the case,” Inglish said. Every semester students are required to spend a certain number of hours in class. These hourse are called contact hours. “To get contact hours, we end summer a day late on July 3 to get 20 class periods,” Inglish said. “The good thing is that non-traditional students can work until six to take care of things after we leave.” Other changes, she said, will be that the week of Memorial Day, classes will be held. Also, Spirit Days, instead of being a two-day event, will be an all Thursday affair.
Wichitan
earns top honors The Wichitan
was named Best Overall Newspaper at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association
competition in Corpus Christi Saturday. The paper placed first out of
19 newspapers. The Wichitan also placed second in the sweepstakes competition.
MSU 2 television placed third. “I’m absolutely pleased,” said Ron Fischli,
dean of the College of Fine Arts. “Excellence breeds excellence. We have
a tradition of excellence, and the students know it and don’t want to
fall down on it. I think it’s a deserved award.” Approximately 450 students
from 62 colleges and universities across Texas competed in live events.
These staged events ranged from a beach-side drug bust complete with helicopter
and boat chases, to a baseball game erupting into a player/coach fistfight.
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