NEWS

Students get 411 on Interview Dressing
Ashley Dennis | Staff Reporter

Would you wear a wool sweater to the beach during the scorching summer? How about a halter top and “Daisy Dukes” to a church picnic? Some of same fashion sense you would use for these scenarios should also be used when interviewing for your first job.
The Career Management Office hosted its fourth annual “From Bathroom to Boardroom” program Tuesday night in Comanche Suites, illustrating various fashion “do’s and “don’ts” for the workplace. Students learned how little things, such as the color of nail polish or the kind of jewelry you wear to an interview can play major roles in the job recruitment process.
“First impressions really make a difference,” said Greeshma Kavalasoma, a Career Management graduate assistant. “The smallest detail could mean the difference in you getting the job or not.”
Student volunteers modeled an array of outfits while a panel of judges sat alongside the mock runway giving play-by-play commentaries on what was worn. The panel included members of the Career Management Office and “fashion experts” from Bealls and Joseph A. Banks department stores. Audience members we asked to indicate whether they believed the models’ attire was appropriate by holding up a sign giving them a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down.” The two department stores that were featured also helped sponsor the event, raffling off door prizes such as $25 gift certificates, jewelry, handbags, books, clothing and cosmetic samples.
Student model Aisha Howell, a senior economics and finance major said that, although she already had an idea of how to prepare herself for an interview, she didn’t mind helping out.
“I just volunteered. I saw the flyers and posting around campus and decided to do it.”
Howell said she the Career Management Office has helped her in the past in her job search for post graduate employment.
“I was given an on-campus interview by Wells Fargo Financial. I went to a job fair initially, and was called back for an interview. I got some experience, although I didn’t get the job,” she chuckled.
“A lot of students use our services,” said Dirk Welch, director of the Career Management Office. “Those who did and found employment say they felt more prepared and more confident. The employers that come to MSU look seriously at our students,” he said. “It’s beneficial for younger students to start the job search early because it gives them a chance to network with the employers, because they [employers] come back again and again.”
Welch said that after every job fair, the Career Management Office conducts student and employer evaluations, in order to receive feedback and improve their services. “We take very seriously what is said,” he said. “Last spring, the employers that came were really happy at the level of professionalism of the students and some of them commented on how well dressed they were and their professional demeanor.”
 
Some tips to consider when dressing for an interview:
-Cover tattoos
-Hide or remove unusual body piercing
-Keep finger and toenail polish conservative.
For Gentlemen:
-A dark, preferably single-breasted suit (navy blue or charcoal grey in solids or subtle striped patterns) is recommended. A crisp, white shirt is also best with a no-shine tie.
-The tie should have a small print pattern and meet the belt buckle.
-Shoes should be laced, black or cordovan in color, and well shined. The belt should also match the shoes, and dark socks should be worn.
-Wear a minimal amount of jewelry and cologne.
For Ladies:
-A well-tailored suit with the skirt length approximately to the knees is recommended.
-Miniskirts are not acceptable, but a conservative dress is.
-Suit jackets may be single- or double-breasted in navy blue, charcoal grey or black. - Blouses should be white or light blue cotton silk.
-Always wear a classic low to medium length leather heel.
-Neutral hosiery should also be worn.
-Use a conservative amount of jewelry, perfume and makeup.



Male Cheerleader Breaks Stereotypes
Rachael Jacobs | Staff Reporter

Are you man enough for this sport?
It is the only sport that surrounds you with beautiful women constantly and allows you to toss them in the air like rag dolls and not get slapped for it.
Cheerleading requires strength, coordination and skill, said Casey Page, senior computer science major and MSU cheerleading coach. “There’s also a competitive side to it that most people don’t see.”
Before World War II, cheerleading was dominated by men, so why is it so unpopular for men to cheer now?
Like many athletes, male cheerleaders are branded with stereotypes, such as “gay,” “uncoordinated” and “not really athletic.”
“There are tons of athletes on out team, but since we are male cheerleaders, we are looked down upon and have a bad image,” said Page. “I use to play football, soccer, rugby and lacrosse. There are other guys that are weight lifters and competitive gymnasts.”
Zach Moore, sophomore business major and MSU cheerleader, said there is a big difference between cheering in a big city and a small town.
Moore cheered in Louisville, a suburb of Dallas, during high school.
“In Dallas, that is the cool thing to do,” said Moore. “People around here aren’t use to seeing male cheerleaders.”
“I was the first male cheerleader in the history of Henrietta,” said Blake Brumbelow, freshman undecided major and MSU cheerleader.
“Small towns are not really accepting,” said Brumbelow. “They didn’t want to let me try out at first, but laws make them let me try out.”
“The biggest challenge is the stereotypes. When I first got into it, the stereotypes really bothered me a lot, but after you accept that and respect cheerleading as a sport, then you get past it,” Page said.
“To be honest, there are some really gay cheerleaders that aren’t coordinated and aren’t athletes, but if you go to a school that has a competitive team, there aren’t any of those,” Page said.
“The main focus in mind is competitiveness,” Page said.
There are two art forms to male cheerleading: stunting and tumbling.
According to Page, a good stunter needs to be able to lift about 300 pounds. The girl usually weighs 100 to 130 pounds, but is often moving; moving body weight is a lot different than regular weight.
“Tumblers want to be smaller and more conditioned,” said Page. “They have usually been gymnasts their whole lives and get into cheerleading in college because it’s competitive.”
As in other sports, injuries are not uncommon in cheerleading. Stunters suffer from arthritic pain in their wrist and elbows; tumblers face knee and ankle injuries constantly.
There are not NCAA regulations for cheerleading, because the NCAA doesn’t consider cheerleading a sport.
“If NCAA did regulate it, the talent level would drop because the older guys wouldn’t be able to compete,” said Page. “There were guys 30 years old competing this year.”
The National Cheerleading Association (NCA) organizes MSU’s cheerleaders.
“NCA doesn’t regulate. All they want to see is a piece of paper that is notarized by the registrar’s office that says the cheerleaders are enrolled in school,” said Page. “There are no rules, no regulations, no age limit, no drug testing, but there are scholarships involved.”
According to Page, cheerleaders are given about $50,000 through the Student Activities budget to pay for the coach’s salary, scholarships, traveling expenses and fundraisers.
Each cheerleader receives a $500 scholarship and a chance to go to the National Cheerleading Competition in Daytona Beach Fla. each semester.
“If you’re in collegiate-level competition, you have to have guys; they carry the team,” said Page. “Girls can’t do what guys can do because we are 50 times stronger than them. It takes 10 guys to put up five girls.”
Page practices stunting about four times a week and lifts weights about five times a week.
He says it takes a beginner six months to one year to get proficient enough to not embarrass himself in front of people.
During tryouts, Page looks for certain skills in the men. For stunters, he looks for strength and potential, and for tumblers, it’s good to be an ex-gymnast.
“We have started trying to recruit more experienced cheerleaders,” Page said.
“Cheerleading is the only sport I’ve done that you can always advance and get better, and you can do it as you get older,” said Moore. “You’re also around girls more in this sport than any other sport. Basically, it’s a good way to meet new and different people. It’s a lot more fun and easier crowd to be around. Anyone can get into it.”



Dollars and Sense: Expert, Seminar teach students to Manage Money, Interpret new Jobs in the Real World
Paige Dickerson | Managing Editor

Students in thousands of dollars of credit card debt have almost become a stereotype.
According to Gary Silverman, owner of Personal Money Planning and MSU marketing professor, it is not unusual to find students who graduate with $8,000-$15,000 of credit card debt.
“And that doesn’t include the loans they’ve incurred,” Silverman said.
Although this may seem like a warning to cut up all those credit card applications, having a credit card is almost a necessity for things such as online purchases, traveling and many other situations. Silverman said a credit card is much like a car. “Do they know how to drive safely, then I would say yes, they should have a car. If they know what they are doing with a credit card then they should have one,” Silverman said. “As long as there is learning involved a high school student could have a credit card.”
The major problem with credit cards arises when the total is not paid off every month. At the end of the month the account is charged interest called APR or the annual percentage rate.
The most important thing to remember with credit cards is that it is best to pay them off every month.
“I’m not talking about if you’re mom gets sick and you have to charge a plane ticket. You could take a couple months paying that off,” Silverman said.
Silverman said the problem is when books and clothes and pizza all go on the bill and then it can’t be taken care of at the end of the month. Then interest is incurred and eventually the card gets maxed out and the student is left with thousands of dollars of debt, a more extravagant lifestyle than they can afford and interest mounting up every month.
One way to avoid putting everything on a credit card is to carefully budget. Silverman compares a budget to a diet. Some people don’t need to be on one, but others need to be on a very specialized strict diet or budget.
The first part of a budget is the income. This can be from parents or a job or any other source that money comes in from, Silverman said.
Then you need to figure out expenses. This can be divided into five to fifty categories, but Silverman said. It all just depends on what your needs are. As each month goes by the budget should be reevaluated.
“You will miss something,” Silverman said.
For example, when the initial budget is made out, a student might not think about the annual spring break trip, and once that rolls around they are not likely to deprive themselves of it, Silverman said. Most students will simply put it on their credit cards, he said.
Two seminars today by the Career Management Center and Student development will tell students how to manage money and interpret the first day of work.
Both seminars will have free pizza for students.
The first of the day “Love your money” at noon will talk about how to keep your cash around after receiving your paycheck. The seminars put on by Cap & Compass try to present important issues in a humorous way.
“It will tell how to keep and make the most of your money. It will have credit card tips,” Dirk Welch of the Career Management Center said.
The second seminar at 6 p.m. will be “Translating the first day of work.”
“We felt like this was a timely issue especially with graduation coming up,” Sophia Rodriguez, student development director, said. “We hope to find a lot of students to help. It helps that there are some free refreshment, too”
In order to help out students with finances, MSU already takes some measures such as not allowing credit card companies to have a booth and solicit students, Rodriguez said.

The ABCs of Graduating College
Paige Dickerson | Managing Editor

As is tradition at The Wichitan, I am writing my farewell column before graduation.
But when I tried to think what I should write about, I was at a loss. I couldn’t quite define what exactly college was to me.
Could it be the best time of my life, as some of my friends and family refer to their college years? Well, there have been good times (like taking dorky pictures at the carnival and midnight runs to Wal-mart).
Don’t think, though, that it has been an easy time. Some of the worst things to ever happen to me have come to pass these past few years. (Such as my car catching on fire on the way home from my grandpa’s funeral. Yeah, I didn’t make that up.) All in all, college has been fine, but the good or bad times have not been the important thing.
Even though it is completely corny and a little bit expected in a final column, I decided in the end to tell you some of the things I’ve learned in college. Although most of them were not learned in a class, I concede to one of my esteemed professors (you know who you are) that some of the most important things have indeed been in the classroom. So here they are:
Family changes once you’re in college. I once thought this was a myth because I was very close to my family, but as time has gone by, I have become less dependent on them and unfortunately less close, as well. Many of my friends have experienced the opposite. Some who used to hate their parents are now close friends with them, mostly as a result of the separation of living in the dorms.
Going to class only makes you smarter if you actually pay attention. I may have done just fine in geology, but I don’t remember a word of it. Perhaps it was the stress of the semester or just disinterest, but I didn’t benefit at all from that class. I’m sure that if I had drawn fewer squiggly lines and hearts and flowers on my notes and put more words there, I would know why exactly Palo Duro Canyon has lines of different colors of rocks.
Having fun is essential to studying. Laughing with a few wacky people over pizza and class notes makes studying late into the night infinitely more bearable, and sometimes relieving the stress is just what is needed.
Inspiration for a research paper is NOT best left to the night before it is due. Believe me. I’ve been lucky in some cases, but oh, the stress I could have saved.
Joining in on class discussions is maybe the only way to ensure that you get the full benefit of the class. Sometimes I didn’t realize I had the wrong idea about a class topic until I asked a question or made a comment that the professor responded to and showed me what he/she really meant.
Keeping in touch with reality and your social life is important, even in the midst of midterms and finals. Sometimes I think my sanity would seriously have been lost if I hadn’t had a friend or two to drag me back into the real world.
Learning is actually the purpose of college. Despite some of my honorable peers’ ideas, college is not a place to get an MRS degree or get drunk on a daily basis. We are here to improve ourselves and actually prepare ourselves for work. I have a feeling the work world will be far less stressful if we strive to prepare ourselves instead of trying to improve our social status.
Making good grades is great, but not the most important thing. I mean, I’m an honors student, and an uptight one at that. My first B upset me to no end, but I have to say that I learned more in that class than most of the ones I got an A in. So don’t stress too much if you get a lower grade than you expected in a class. Sometimes it is those classes that teach you the most.
Not everyone can be in a good mood 24 hours a day. This includes professors, so have compassion and try and look beyond the academic façade and see that they, too, are real people.
Opting to take some odd classes can be beneficial. My junior year, I decided to take a class on “Tolkien, Lewis and Barfield” even though I have never been a fan of fantasy or science fiction. But I would say that that class was the most fun and insightful I have ever taken. *note to all those who were in my class: I have to say I got brainwashed for a bit into believing in participation. He he he
Parking is a problem on campus, but no more so than anywhere else. If you really want to see a bad parking situation, try going to Wal-mart on Sunday at lunchtime.
Quick thinking and speaking can get you through many crises. Almost every class has provided me with a conversation topic at some point. I’ve learned how to talk to even the most boring of people.
Reading is the most essential part of enriching the mind and conversation. Maybe I’m biased as an English major, but I’ve heard people of every field make literary allusions, so knowing what they are talking about is always helpful.
Staying on campus on the weekend is an interesting experience. Since I was a freshman, I’ve seen this campus change. I remember nearly the whole parking lot being empty. Now, though it has visibly fewer cars than on weekdays, more people are staying on campus. It has been so much fun to see this campus develop just in the past few years.
Talking to people is another way to improve your education. I used to be very, very shy, but as a reporter, I’ve talked to many people at MSU. This has helped me get a better picture of who I’m writing for and also how to improve myself in my personality and character.
Using all of the information professors try and cram in my head has been an experience. Although I certainly will not remember everything 50 years down the road, I can only hope that I’ll apply something from every class.
Voicing my concerns about this campus is probably the thing closest to my heart. MSU is a wonderful campus, but it cannot improve without someone saying something about the problems. Iron is sharpened and improved through friction and heat.
Watching people is probably the most entertaining pastime for me. I’ve heard people who seem perfectly intelligent outwardly say some of the oddest things. I’ve also seen enough dramas play out in the student center alone to make a miniseries out of.
Xerox machines are prone to break. Especially when you need overheads at 1 a.m. the night before a presentation. Take it from me. Don’t procrastinate.
You can (gasp of surprise and shock) learn from every professor. There have been professors that I have loved, and some that border on, shall we say, strong dislike (I can’t say I hate anyone, really). But all of them have taught me something. Even if it is how not to do something. Pay attention. See how others respond to them. You will learn something this way.
Zooming at 50 mph past the campus police is not wise. I have taken down the police blotter for two years now, and believe me, they really do give tickets for that. Be careful, because there are pedestrians (like myself) who have almost been hit numerous times by less than careful drivers.
As always, I hope that everyone has a great summer. I’ll miss The Wichitan and this campus. I hope you take at least some of my advice to heart.
(Fifty points to anyone who noticed that each paragraph of this column begins with a successive letter of the alphabet.)



The Beat of a Different Drummer
Richard Carter | Dance Critic

A guitar player since high school, I have wanted to play drums since 3rd grade.
I always believed that drums were cool, and that drummers were pretty cool as well. That was, until I started to meet drummers and realized they were, more often than not, dumber than a box of rocks.
While not every drummer is stupid (Alan Black and Mike Collins are bright guys), I felt my IQ shudder downwards a bit when I got my first snare drum a couple of years ago. Piece by piece, cheap by cheap, I kept putting together a set of “vintage” drums. Sadly, these classics wouldn’t stay in tune for beans.
I looked at my set through the rose colored glasses of my wavering IQ, and thought it was good. Learning to play was altogether a different story, though.
Drums are the only instrument I know of where you need to use both hands and two feet a lot. The drummer for Def Leppard and all of his electrical doohickies and stuff withstanding, you really need to have all of your four limbs working 100 percent.
Not only do you need to have coordination, but you have to be able to have each of them doing something different at the same time. I would say that getting this down would be some sort of great mind-over-matter accomplishment. But, again, have you talked with a drummer lately?
They’re mostly dumber than a box of rocks, and that includes the drummer for Def Leppard. Since, according to the real drummers in town, I am no real drummer, I feel confidently smart enough to continue with my essay.
I started to practice.
My next dilemma was playing in my apartment complex. People are completely understanding about their meth-head neighbors doing seriously crazy stuff, but practicing drums is another story.
So, I developed a taste for brushes, which many of the most famous jazz drummers in the world play. I love brushes; they’re quiet, very slick and quite cool. Mind you, you can’t do rim shots with them, and they’re hell to twirl.
So, getting my brush technique down, sans twirling ala Peter Criss, I was quickly developing into quite a sub-adequate drummer. What that means is that the guys who spent all of their junior and senior high school years learning how to perfect their Neil Peart rolls began to sneer at my relatively straightforward technique.
Of course, it’s always annoying having to hear IQ-challenged former band geeks tell me my paradiddles and flams weren’t up to snuff. But then it hit me: what the hell did I care? I just wanted to play smart cool stuff in a fun and fairly simple band or two.
And, as anyone who knows the local music scene can tell you, I do play in a local band or two. And I mostly have quite a blast doing it; that’s what music is really all about: having fun.
If I learned anything from this ongoing experience, it’s that technique isn’t everything but that fun is. And, on a side note, the reason so many players never left this town is because they spent too much time copying records and not enough time writing their own material.
Me? I am way content to play simple beats and do some interesting accents in support of a few new tunes. While I have no intention of going big-time with it, it’s big fun all the same. And you never know when one of your songs is going to get recorded by someone huge, like Tom Petty, Madonna or David Allan Coe.
It’s the song that matters, and some cool playing, and they should never stay the same. That’s why we have free will and lots of cool beats, man.