1.
Painful Cuts 2.
War Reaction 3.
Moon Lawsuit 4.
New Dorms, New Look 5.
INS Tracking 6.
Murder Suspect
7. Olympic Rings 8.
Real Food? 9.
Space Tragedy 10.
Good Reading
Plays_____________________________________continued
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15 to 20 minutes long, and can be no longer than 50 minutes. They can have no more than three characters and the students cannot cut a full-length play into a one-act. Other than that, they don’t have any restrictions,” said Laura Jefferson, chair and associate professor of theater. The actual production of the play counts as much as 60 percent of their final grade. “It’s like the Theater Department’s ‘senior exit exam’,” Jefferson said. The plays asses [the students] program to see what their strengths and weaknesses are. The department pays the royalties so that admission can be charged, but the students don’t earn a profit from them. They can use anything in the program, like costumes, props, furniture, etc. but they must do everything themselves,” Jefferson said One-act productions pose as a welcomed challenge for some student directors. “Directing is a challenge, but it’s something you’re proud of. I think this directing class has done a good job taking what we’ve learned in class and applying it to our productions,” said Volsteadt. “They’ve also done a good job working as a team. Theater is all about teamwork.” “I like the one-act plays because the casts are small, so you have more time to work with individual actors.[Working with your peers] is sometimes easier and sometimes more difficult because they are your peers. But the plays are much shorter and they give experienced actors more of an opportunity to do a show they normally wouldn’t,” said White According to Jefferson, the student directed plays have gained wide popularity over the years. “[The student plays] are pretty popular. I’ve taught play direction every year for the past 10 years. We’ve grown from a handful, to just about filling up the house every night. Once we started making them a part of the regular season and getting the word out more, the people started coming,” Jefferson said. “Student directed plays] are more of your plays,” Ferguson said. “It reflects you more than just being in it. People are judging all of the choices you have made instead of just your performance.”
Budget___________________________________continued
from Main closer to the worse case scenario as far as reductions go. Texas Representative Helen Giddings, D-Dallas, said in a press release on the Texas House of Representatives Web site, “Based on the limited amount of money we had to work with, we did the best we could.” Rogers had prepared initially for the 12.5 percent cut from the House side of the budget plan. There is good news from the Senate, however. The primary plan is to reduce funding by 1.3 percent. Chair of the Senate Finance Committee Teel Bivins said in a press release on the Texas Senate Web site. “The bill reduces non-core spending and focuses available revenues on core functions of government.” Whether or not the amount stays that low will be determined by the joint committee when they form a more concrete appropriation bill. Rogers and Maxwell have not received any news from the Legislative insiders in Austin to make them think there will be a miracle. Maxwell said that they would stick to their probable plan for reductions for the next two years budgets. “We still don’t know exactly how much money we are going to get and we won’t know until the legislature is finished,” Maxwell said.
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Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Neely said they choose places to help through coordination with volunteer coordinator Brandi Grimshaw in the Student Development Office. “We asked the students and they came up with some of the options on their own,” Hoffart said. “We do what they want to meet their needs.” The students have had positive reactions to the new Bible study format. “The trip to the Alzheimer’s Unit was especially touching for me,” said junior sociology major Cassandra Hoffman. “My own grandfather has Alzheimer’s and sitting down and talking with one older gentleman there brought me a sense of peace. Going to a nursing home is not the easiest thing in the world, but the satisfaction it brought me made it well worth it.” Neely also shared her experience at the nursing home. “It was especially touching to help out at the nursing home. The residents are so hungry for company and conversation there,” she said. “I visited with one particular woman who was so excited to see the cross on my necklace and even more excited when she learned I was Catholic. She grinned and took my hand and wanted to share her food with me. She wanted to show me the crosses in her room, too.” “The most touching thing is the way the students have come together as a community and reached out so unselfishly and lovingly,” Hoffart said. “In years past we have struggled as a community. Commitment was almost nonexistent. “If you ask me, it’s not the activities or programs that have brought about this community feeling at the CCC—it’s the students,” Hoffart said. “They deserve all the credit. I see a great future coming for the CCC and it’s because of their warm hearts and selfless acts that have made this all possible.” Neely and Hoffart invite everone to come help with the community service regardless of religious preference. The Bible study is held every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. For the remainder of the semester, they hope to help out at the Salvation Army and the Food Bank.
Graduation
speaker’s focus to be on needs of higher education This year’s graduation speaker will be Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Chair Pamela Willeford. “I will address how special and unique it is to receive a college degree because so much of our population has not gone that far with their education,” Willeford said. She has been a secondary teacher and is the founding member of the Executive committee of the Texas Book Festival and member of the Friends of the Governor’s Mansion and Leadership Austin. “I’m very interested in higher education. We need and want more people to go into post-secondary education,” Willeford said. The commencement speaker is invited by the university president. “I look for a political figure or someone who has contributed a lot to higher education,” President Jesse Rogers said. “[Willeford] knows so much about the problems, the future, and the issues associated with higher education.” One of the major problems facing higher education in Texas is the recent budget cut. “Obviously, it is very tough and we need to treat all our resources as effectively and efficiently as possible, but we’ll have to all tighten our belts and work with what we have,” Willeford said. Graduation will take place 10 a.m. May 10 in the D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
Chemistry
students mix fun with learning, yield award The American Chemical Society Affiliates (ACS) received the “Outstanding Chapter Award” for its community involvement and social events at this year’s American Chemistry Society National meeting in New Orleans on March 23. According to Candace Fulton, chemistry instructor and faculty adviser for ACS, this award was given on a national scale by the American Chemical Society to individual student affiliate chapters based on a certain number of community service works and activities completed. “[This chapter] was one of the 31 chapters that were awarded, out of the 950 [national] chapters,” Fulton said. The ACS Student Affiliates is a division of the American Chemical Society that supports undergraduate students, their faculty and local section members in promoting professional development, mentoring and peer support mechanisms for those majoring in chemical sciences. The ACS Student Affiliate chapter of MSU was established in 1962 and since then, it has been a vibrant and active student organization both on and off campus. Some of ACS’s activities include chemistry demonstrations for area preschool, elementary and junior high-school students, a “Chemistry Carnival” for the Boys and Girls Club, Student to Student Chemistry Initiative and Chemistry Olympiad for high-school students, campus food and toy drives, as well as a host of other social functions. “The group has always received honorable mention, but this is the first time that they have been awarded ‘Outstanding Chapter’,” Fulton said. ACS is always seeking new membership. The group holds monthly meetings and offers excellent opportunities for students majoring in chemical sciences to network with top professionals, attend scientific meetings and directly access research. Students who are interested in joining ACS may contact Fulton in the Chemistry Department at extension 4251.
Vandals
deliver truckloads of mischief to campus cops The man who gives parking tickets won’t say if he thinks students could be responsible for vandalizing his personal vehicle. Roy Lee Stone, a police department employee, was forced to replace damaged fuel components after an unknown substance was poured into his Ford truck gas tank. “It could have been anything, water or even beer,” Stone said. He first noticed rust rings around the gas cap of his 2001 F-150. Following inspection, numerous rust stains were found on the fuel liners and fuel injectors. Stone parks his vehicle on Louis J. Rodriguez Drive, adjacent from the campus police station, and he said he is not exactly sure when the damage occurred. Stone said his truck is not the first to be hit by pranksters. MSU police have been targets of vandalism in the past. He listed tire slashing as one of the previous forms of such damaging activity. “I wouldn’t want to accuse any of the [students]. I don’t like to think they would do that,” Stone said. After having the damaged parts of the vehicle replaced at considerable expense, Stone contacted his insurance company. Before his claim could be processed, the insurance company needed official documentation of the incident. Stone then filed a report with the MSU police. His case remains active. Stone continues to park his vehicle in the same area, but he laughingly considers purchasing a lock for his fuel tank to keep future would-be vandals away.
Academic
responsibility
MSU students have a new creed to think about as they attend classes and complete their degree requirements. The Student Government Association, along with the English honor society Sigma Tau Delta and the Public Policy Committee, created an Honors Creed that will be placed in every classroom on campus, pending approval from the college’s dean. SGA Vice President Brandon Dawson said the goal of the creed was not to scare the students into honesty by threatening discipline such as academic probation or expulsion. “The main thing with the creed is that we want to create a level of honor and add value to our degrees,” he said. “We want our students to be recognized as honorable, not only at MSU, but around the community, as well.” The code, which was composed this spring, consists of only four paragraphs, which was the intent of the committee who created it. The committee researched other codes from other colleges and universities from around the United States in order to create a code that fit the needs of all students at MSU. “Other schools have lengthy codes that students never really pay attention to,” Dawson said. “We think that students will eventually memorize the motto and at least remember the ideas of what the creed says. The creed will be easily accessible and easy for all students to understand.” The motto, which reads, “As an MSU student, I pledge not to lie, cheat, steal or help anyone else do so,” sums up what the entire creed says, according to Dawson. Although there will be no disciplinary action for breaking the code, students will have to deal with their own guilt, according to Dawson and SGA President Michael Mills.
Spring
Fling Dr.
Morrow’s Solo Recital Bourbon
and DeNiro Concert Continue
to Learn Summer
School Need
an Internship?
Honoring Retiring Faculty Good
Luck and Congratulations!
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