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Undecided: Election hinges on Ohio Vote
Nicole Ford | Staff Reporter

In what has become a tagline of American politics, the 2004 Presidential race is too close to call.
A total of 270 electoral votes are needed for either candidate to win.  At press time, according to NBC, Bush was leading with 269 electoral votes to Kerry’s 211.  However, CBS refused to project a winner in Ohio because of approximately 150,000 provisional ballots that could take weeks to count, putting Bush’s total at 254.   CBS put New Hampshire, Minnesota and Michigan in Kerry’s column, giving him a total of 242. 
According to CBS, Iowa with 7 electoral votes, Wisconsin with 10 and New Mexico with 5 were also all too close to call.
According to NBC, Kerry will decide in the morning how far he wants to pursue the issue of the Ohio votes.
According to NBC, the Republicans, with 52 seats to the Democrats’ 44, maintain control of the Senate.  One seat belongs to an Independent, and three races were too close to call.
Republicans also control the House of Representatives with 210 seats.  193 seats are Democrats, one is Independent, and 34 were undecided, according to NBC.
Locally, U.S. Representative Mac Thornberry was re-elected with 93 percent of the vote.
State Senator Craig Estes was re-elected with 74 percent of the vote.
According to CBS local news, counting was stopped late Tuesday night after officials discovered the automated counting machines were not working properly.  New software will be installed in the machines to remedy the problem.
Before counting was halted, state Representative David Farabee was winning with 58 percent of the vote.  Judge Juanita Pavlick was beating Mark Price with 53 percent of the vote.  A proposition to increase the pay of Wichita county sheriffs was winning with 69 percent of the vote.   


The Sex Issue: Campus doctor Discusses STDs
Paige Dickerson | News Editor

Dr. Keith Williamson, the campus physician, gets a different perspective on students’ sex lives.
He said he diagnoses a reportable sexually transmitted disease every week.
“The three big ones that I would see most are HPV (human papilloma virus,) herpes simplex, and chlamydia,” he said. “But I don’t think you can name an STD that I haven’t seen and diagnosed on this campus.”
One reason STDs can be hard to detect is they don’t always exhibit symptoms, he said.
“Chlamydia and gonorrhea, many times people can be carriers but have no symptoms. You don’t have to have a symptom to have an STD and be infectious,” Williamson said.
One of the symptoms that could occur with HPV, if symptoms are exhibited, is fleshy warts on red skin.
Herpes simplex results in a cluster of blister-like bumps.
“It can be pretty painful. The cold sore virus is very closely related to herpes simplex,” Williamson said.
Chlamydia and gonorrhea could cause vaginal or urethral discharges and a burning pelvic pain.
Williamson said college campuses are a “hot spot” for STDs.
“This is the classic age group for STDs. Not so much because this age group is more susceptible, but because these things are behaviorally driven,” Williamson said. “Once people are older and married and settled they are not as likely to engage in higher risk sex.”
The only way to completely prevent STDs and unwanted pregnancy is abstinence, Williamson said.
“Abstinence is usually a temporary choice. There will come a time when almost everyone is no longer abstinent. The best choice is abstinence and prudence in choice of partners in equal measure,” Williamson said.
Sexually active students should use protection when engaging in higher risk sex, Williamson said. Condoms are a good source of protection for pregnancy and for any disease that is transferred through body fluids.
“Condoms can protect against some STDs and protect very well. But you have to consider, I was at a conference and the doctor spoke about how condoms are only about 80 percent effective at preventing pregnancy and a woman can only get pregnant about three or four days out of the year.  STDs don’t have a dormant period,” Williamson said.
If someone does engage in high-risk sex, the most important thing is to be honest with his or her doctor about it, Williamson said.
“Denial is huge especially when there are big social implications. I’ve seen all sorts of crazy things happen,” he said. “I once had a college student come in when I worked at the ER who was term pregnant and in labor and still denying that she could be pregnant.”
The university clinic is a good place to go for a check-up because confidentiality is very important to them.
“We are very compulsive about privacy. Dr. Rogers could call and ask if so-and-so came in and I would say, ‘I don’t know,’” Williamson said. “We do a lot of diagnosing here, and it doesn’t have the baggage of seeing the doctor who knew you when you were 4 years old.”
An unwanted pregnancy is another risk people take.
“The possibility of a pregnancy has to be considered,” Williamson said. “There are a number of contraceptives for both male and female. They can come up with the best option. Both partners should bear the responsibility for protection.”
There are two primary misconceptions many students have about STDs and pregnancy, Williamson said.
“One thing is ‘It couldn’t happen to me. It only happens to people who have casual sex. I have real feelings for this person,’” Williamson said. “In a non-monogamous relationship it is possible and likely to get an STD.”
Another issue many students deal with is who gave them the STD.
“Blame can be very hard especially in a marriage. The first thought is that the partner has been cheating, but many of these STDs can go through long dormant phases,” Williamson said. “Blame is a hole you should not get stuck in.”
 

How to deal with Sexual Abuse
Abigail Carter | Managing Editor

 First Step is a state-funded organization that works with victims of domestic violence, adults who were molested as children and victims of sexual assault.
More than 40 women and 5 to 10 men come in each week seeking help in dealing with the abuse they have suffered, said Xochitl Pruit, who has been executive director of First Step for the past four years.
   “I recommend anybody that’s had issues, as a child or an adult, seek counseling, whether it’s through First Step or counselors on campus,” said Pruit. Even if several years have passed since the time of the assault, it is still important for victims to deal with it.
  “So many victims think they can just push it to the back of their mind and forget it, but it just festers and grows there, spreading to other parts of your life and affecting your school life, relationships, job, home life, everything,” said Pruit.
Many of the victims they counsel suffer from dual issues, such as adults molested as a child who also suffered domestic abuse.
First Step works with victims of all ages, from those as young as 15 to those older than 60. A parent or guardian must accompany children. Most of the older victims that come to First Step, said Pruit, are older women who have suffered domestic abuse.
Counselors often discover that many of these women have also been sexually assaulted by their husbands for years and didn’t even know it was rape. This is more common among older women because they were taught to be submissive to their husbands.
“Younger women tend to know, because of education, if your husband or boyfriend forces their self on you, it’s rape, plain and simple,” said Pruit. Such a thing would never occur in a healthy relationship.
The most difficult barrier for victims to overcome is forgiving themselves. Many feel they are not worthy of family or friends or healthy relationships. There is a lot of self-abuse among victims, who abuse drugs and drown themselves in alcohol in an effort to numb the pain. There are several victims who had never taken any type of medication but who now take drugs, such as painkillers or sleeping pills, just to get to sleep.
   “Ninety percent of women knew their attackers and trusted them,” Pruit said.
 Those offenders have taken that trust and abused it. Victims of sexual assault often suffer from Rape Trauma Syndrome. Symptoms include lack of appetite, depression, paranoia, insomnia, and night terrors, which are dreams filled with negative imagery that is so realistic, sufferers wake to find themselves in tears, stressed out, soaked in sweat and disoriented. Many of these victims develop insomnia because they are afraid to go to sleep.
   In one particular case at First Step, Pruit said, a female victim had been sexually assaulted in her sleep and as a result, was afraid to sleep alone. Luckily, one of the vicim’s understanding roommates was kind enough to allow the victim to sleep in her room to ease her fears.
Other victims gorge themselves on food and stop taking care of themselves, in an attempt to make themselves as ugly as possible so that in the future rapists won’t be interested.  What they don’t understand is that rape isn’t about looks or attraction. It doesn’t matter what you look like because it isn’t about sex at all. It is about power and control.
   Pruit said she has often been asked about the men who come into First Step seeking help, “How do you know they’re [the men] telling the truth?” Because of the way society is, men are supposed to be strong. It takes a lot of courage for a man to come into First Step because it is so embarrassing for them, said Pruit.  It is degrading to the “macho man” image to show any sign of weakness, such as admitting to having been victimized.
   In these situations, it is usually men who have assaulted the male victims. In such cases, Pruit said, the victims mistakenly believe their assailants must have been homosexual. This is most often not the case. The act of rape, no matter who the victim, is about power and exerting control over another person.
   Though not very common, Pruit said they have had a few cases of women assaulting men. Usually, the female attacker will encourage or cause the man to become inebriated, and then take advantage of his intoxication. Just as in any other instance, this situation is a description of rape.
   Offenders also have major issues that need to be dealt with, like the need to control people. Pruit said that any person who would force their self on another should seek professional help.
   Counseling can take up to 20 years or more, though it doesn’t have to. “Eventually you go from being a victim to a survivor to a thriver,” said Pruit. “But it will always be a part of your life.” A victim may remember the rape 20 years later, but he or she won’t be the same person.
It takes years of healing, and the person victims blame the most is himself or herself. Most victims say, “I should’ve done something.” The No. 1 thing victims need to know, said Pruit, is “it isn’t their fault.”
    Once-a-week support groups are available for those interested. Call 1-800-658-2683 or telephone First Step at 692-1993 for more information on dates and times. If any men who have suffered abuse are interested in a support group, call either number and First Step will open a men’s support group for those expressing interest.
   A 24-hour local shelter is open seven days a week for those victims who need an immediate safe haven. The location of the shelter is a closely guarded secret and victims must call the 800 number for more information. There is also an outreach office, open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., which is staffed with counselors, as well as interns and practicum students from MSU,  to work with victims. Though they prefer if you call ahead of time to schedule an appointment, walk-ins are never turned away.
   All services, including the shelter, counseling, and support groups, are free of charge. Literally, if a victim needs help, it is a mere phone call away. 
 


SGA to Decide fate of Recreation Center Plan
Nicole Ford | Staff Reporter

A proposal for a new wellness center is being prepared for presentation at the Nov. 9 student senate meeting.
Joey Greenwood, director of recreational sports and wellness center, said the student committee is still working on some factual information for the proposal.
“We want the students to have all the facts,” Greenwood said.
He said the proposal got started when Nyian Farrell, former SGA president, came to him with the project.  A student committee was then formed to look into the idea.  Greenwood and the committee spent time looking at various facilities on different college campuses.  Because of limited space in the current wellness center, student activities conflict with athletic schedules. 
“We have five different sports going on right now, and only two gyms,” Greenwood said.  “We don’t have room for students and athletes.  We need a place solely for students.”
The proposed wellness center would have multiple basketball courts, racquetball courts, an indoor, elevated track, an exterior swimming pool, a rock–climbing wall, weight and cardiovascular rooms, among other things.
“There will be something for everyone.  For the student who doesn’t like playing basketball but likes to swim, there will be a swimming pool,” Greenwood said.  “Racquetball is popular in Wichita Falls, but only two places have racquetball rooms.”
Having the new wellness center on campus would be convenient for students as well, Greenwood said.
“It would be a one-stop shop for all students.  They could check their e-mail and get online.  There will be a juice bar,” Greenwood said.  “Having this center on campus will promote health and wellness.”
The proposed center would add a fee of $100-$150 per semester, per student.  If approved, the center would be completed in fall 2007.
“Students would not start paying the increase until the semester before the center is built.  That way, we avoid charging current juniors and seniors for a facility they are not able to use,” Greenwood said.
Even at $100 a semester, the wellness center would be cheaper than joining a local health club, Greenwood said.
The new wellness center would be 80,000-100,000 square feet and would be built overlooking Sikes Lake.
Greenwood has visited many colleges in Texas, and said that all of them either have a facility like the one being proposed or are taking steps to get one.
Greenwood said the new wellness center would be a major benefit to the campus.
“I definitely hope for a positive result.  The Wellness Center is a definite need for the students,” Greenwood said.