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Famous reporter to speak at lecture series Feb. 1
Katie Poole | Staff Reporter

Burglary, phone taps, scandal; all of this exposed by two determined reporters.  And one of these men, Carl Bernstein, will be coming to MSU on Feb. 1 as a speaker for the Artist Lecture Series. 

When five men broke into the Democratic National Committee’s office in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C., on June 17, 1972, two reporters working for the Washington Post were determined to expose the scandal others referred to as “the Watergate caper.”  Carl Bernstein, along with Bob Woodward, is now considered one of the most famous journalists of the 20th century. 
Information from administration officials, campaign workers and White House staff helped them link Watergate to the Committee for the Re-election of President Nixon. And information from Woodward’s “Deep Throat” source, now known to be former FBI Associate Director Mark Felt, gave the reporters the information they needed to link the break-in to the White House.

The work of the two reporters eventually led to President Nixon’s resignation.  It also led to a Pulitzer Prize.

Chair of the Artist Lecture Series Committee Claire Cotton said Bernstein “was involved in an event that changed history […] and we wanted to bring in someone entertaining and enlightening.” 

Bringing Bernstein here is part of the Artist Lecture Series’ effort to bring in fewer speakers over the duration of the semester.  They plan to bring in bigger, more costly names and Cotton feels these speakers are “worth the trade.” 

Both Cotton and Keith Lamb, associate vice president of student affairs, feel that the move towards higher quality speakers will increase student turn-out at Artist Lecture Series events.  Lamb and Cotton said that it cost the university $19,000 to bring Bernstein here.

“Bernstein is attractive to students because he is recognizable and for his role in investigative journalism,” Lamb said.

Chair of the Mass Communication Department Dr. Jim Sernoe thinks that aside from Bernstein’s reporting of the Watergate scandal his “importance goes beyond the journalism world.”

“Watergate changed what we expect of our public officials and raised the standard of accountability.  I think there are still journalists out there that use that model in their own reporting,” Sernoe said.

Bernstein may not speak about his and Bob Woodward’s efforts to expose the Watergate scandal, but whatever Bernstein chooses to speak about, “we’ll get a firsthand account of what Bernstein sees,” Sernoe said.

“If he chooses to talk about today’s media and criticizes the very surface level reporting we see today, there is a lesson there for students as well,” Sernoe said. “I am looking forward to it.  I’m happy for the opportunity.”

Bernstein and Woodward combined efforts again to write “All the President’s Men” (1974), and “The Final Days” (1976).  Both books were a success, as was the film adapted from “All the President’s Men,” which starred Robert Redford as Woodward and Dustin Hoffman as Bernstein.  The film won four Academy Awards and hit a box office record.

Bernstein, born Feb. 14, 1944, in Washington, D.C., grew up in Silver Spring, Md.  Both of his parents were social activists and members of the American Communist Party, which had them blacklisted by McCarthy in the ’50s. 

He began his journalism career as a copy boy at The Washington Evening Star at age sixteen and after high school attended classes part-time at University of Maryland.  Bernstein eventually dropped out of school and soon began writing stories for the Star. 

In 1965 he moved to New York City to work at the Elizabeth Daily Journal in New Jersey, but after one year he returned to Washington D.C. to be a reporter at The Washington Post.

Bernstein left The Washington Post after completing the second book in 1976.  Since his departure from there, he has written for The Rolling Stone, The New Republic and Time. 

He spent his time from 1979 to 1981 as Washington Bureau Chief at ABC News.  From 1981 to 1984 he was a correspondent for ABC in New York.  Since 1992 he has been a visiting lecturer at New York University. 

He has continued writing books with his most recent being “Loyalties: a Son’s Memoirs” (1989) and “His Holiness: John Paul II and the Hidden History of Our Time” (1996) with Marco Politi.

Cotton and the rest of the Artist Lecture Series Committee hope students will take advantage of this opportunity to hear Bernstein speak. 

“The program is a really good face forward experience that students wouldn’t have otherwise.  Maybe one evening could change their life,” Cotton said.

Carl Bernstein will speak at Akin auditorium at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Students, faculty and staff receive free tickets with a valid MSU I.D. and tickets can be picked up at the Clark Student Center Information Desk.  For more information or for tickets call (940) 397-4291. 

Drinking and Driving
Student learns the hard consequences of DWI
Josh Mujica | Staff Reporter

The butterflies in my stomach swarmed faster as security guards patted me down at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center in downtown Austin on Oct. 13. I gulped with anxiety as I was cleared to walk into the courtroom to face the consequences of drinking and driving. DWI, the biggest mistake of my life.

Flashback to Wednesday, March 23. What was supposed to be a bonding roadtrip with my brother to see our grandmother near San Marcos on Easter weekend turned awry after my brother cancelled at the last minute. I convinced myself to go alone because I sure as hell wasn’t going to spend a five-day holiday in Wichita Falls. I would live to regret that decision.

In San Marcos, I stayed at my grandma’s house that night. After a day of relaxing, I was ready to party. Before I left I had received an e-mail about a party at Club Paradox in Austin. I decided to get a motel room for the rest of the weekend so my grandmother wouldn’t have to worry about me coming in late. I found a Motel 6 in San Marcos off I35. San Marcos is 30 miles south of Austin. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I arrived at the downtown club that Thursday night at about 9 p.m. I had some friends that I was going to surprise there but the place was dead. The only people were the DJ spinning music and two guys drinking beer. I decided to join them and kick back a couple of cold ones myself.

I remember having at least nine Bud Lights before people began to show up at 11:15 p.m. My friends finally arrived and they bought me shots of vodka and tequila. I was there to have a good time, so I down them with relish on a warm, empty stomach. I continued to guzzle liquor as the night grew old, and the DJ played my favorite songs. Drunkenness began to seep in.

About 1:45 a.m. when fatigue drifted over my body like a hawk on road kill. My thoughts turned to relaxing in my bed at the motel. I don’t remember, but I believe I stumbled out to my car without telling anyone.

Documents and police reports tell me I was pulled over for swerving through lines and going straight in a left-turn-only lane. A private citizen had tipped the authorities about my actions.

I have vivid images of being arrested, of bright lights flashing in my face. The Travis County sheriff’s gave me a field sobriety test and a breathalyzer. I blew a stunning .19. The legal limit in Texas is .08. I heard and felt the handcuffs click. Everything was blurry as dizziness consumed me.

Soon, my collared club shirt, jeans, and Lugz were replaced by black and white stripes and sandals. I couldn't believe where I was. Everything was so serene. I slept to escape the reality of actually being in jail. I just wanted to close my eyes and awaken in my motel bed.

Instead, I awoke in cold solitude. Only a steel toilet accompanied me in an eight-by-eight foot cell of concrete and steel bars. The clock through the window in the door displayed 10 a.m. A voice on an intercom told me it was time to eat. The steel door slid open and my eyes squinted at bright lights. The center eating place was like a bunch of picnic tables at a park shoved together only these tables were bolted to the floor. Everyone was dressed exactly like me, but everyone else was much bigger. I remember all the men being muscular. One particular guy who stood out with "Mi Vida Loca" (My Crazy Life) tattooed on the back of his neck. I made it a point not to say anything as he sat next to me. I nibbled on my bologna sandwich and potato chips, but I wasn't hungry. I was trying to ponder a way to escape. I needed my cell phone. I needed to call someone to let them know where I was, but my cell phone was in my towed car in some towing company's yard in Austin. I was scared. I walked to my cell, got into a fetal position on my hard mattress and cried myself to sleep.

About 8 p.m., I was taken to see the judge with about 20 other people. We were being moved to a community of cells, according to the sheriff on duty. He asked us to raise our hands if we had never been there before. I was the only one who raised my hand.

The “community” was a two-story confinement facility with eight cells in it, four on top and four on bottom. Two people inhabited each cell. Upon entering I immediately located a phone and managed to get in touch with my father.

Dad was surprisingly calm. He said he would call my aunt Rosa who lives 15 minutes from Austin. I urged him to hurry and told him I loved him. I broke down crying as I hung up.

As I wiped my tears I overheard two of my community mates discussing a cocaine deal that went bad. I trudged to my cell where I had a toothbrush, cup, roll of toilet tissue, and another steel toilet waiting for me. This time I had a "celly" named Gene.       Gene was a scrawny guy who gave me advice about it happening to the best of us. After a briefing of his hard-luck life, Gene left me alone in the cell to watch the NCAA basketball tournament on the TV in the table area. All the other inmates were playing cards and watching the game, too.

Back in my cell, I stared at the concrete wall, engraved with messages from years past. "Jesus loves you," "Stay Strong," and "Juan loves Maria." There were also explicit drawings of middle fingers pointed at Travis County sheriffs. The wall settled me down because most messages were funny.

I slept with my back towards the wall because I didn't trust Gene. At 1:30 a.m. the door slid open. The deputy on duty said a bail bondsman needed to see me. My heart surged with happiness.

The bondsman said my aunt had paid $200 to bail me out. The paperwork would take three hours. He told me that I was to call her to pick me up as soon as I got out. I returned to my cell for more sleep.

At 4 a.m. my cell was opened with the words, "Mujica, it's time to go." I stumbled out just like I had stumbled in yet this time it was sleepiness that got me. I was given my original clothing and released onto the streets fifteen minutes later.

In my jean pockets I found nothing but my debit card. I tried to bang on the jail entrance to ask to use a phone but they wouldn't abide. I walked seven blocks to a Wells Fargo Bank and withdrew some money. Across the street was a convenience store. I called my aunt from there. She picked me up about 5 a.m. and took me to get my car. It costs about $180 to get it out. I still had my other belongings in the motel in San Marcos.

I thanked my aunt as she gave me gas money. I then drove to the Motel 6 30 miles away. I asked the front clerk about my belongings, but she said I'd have to wait for the cleaning crew to get there at 10 a.m. It was barely 6 a.m.

I ate breakfast at McDonald's, read the San Antonio Express newspaper for about three and a half hours and got my stuff from the motel. I was exhausted as I made my way back to Wichita Falls.

After paying my lawyer, repaying my aunt, and many trips to Austin on class days, I finally got what I deserved The verdict: a plea bargain that kept me out of jail for over half a year. The positive side is that I get to keep my job and keep going to school. I’d rather be out and working than sitting around wasting away. I realize I have to take the bad with the good. My sentence: probation for 18 months, 60 hours of community service, to an alcohol panel discussion, attend a DWI class, pay $775 in court fees, and $1,080 in probation fees. On top of having a DWI on my record, I also have to renew my license for the next three years with a $1,000 surcharge to the Department. of Public Safety each year. Thank goodness for payment plans.

After reading a recent article in the Times Record News in which a young man about my age killed another man by drinking and driving, I know I am truly blessed. The young man blew a .17, .02 below my breathalyzer reading. I later found out that a tornado passed over the jail as I was locked up, so I know someone is watching out for me.

If I drink nowadays, I make sure I’m not driving. I know things happen for reasons and I’ve learned from my mistakes. Hopefully, someone who reads this will too. When drinking, please be cautious at all times. Trust me, you may not think the alcohol is affecting you while you drink it, but give it time and it will. Before heading out to get drunk or wasted, eat a big meal and drink plenty of water to limit the alcohol’s access a little. Make taxi arrangements or better yet have a designated driver. Just like the slogan says, “DWI, YOU CAN’T AFFORD IT.

I'm thinking of getting a shirt that says, "I survived the longest 26 hours of my life" or how about, "DWI, a harsh wakeup call that will keep a hole in my wallet for the next 18 months."

Thief caught after stealing ID, projector from library
Cassie Daley | Opinion Editor

The student suspected of stealing a projector from Moffett Library was apprehended and charged Dec. 30.

Jordon Francis Girard, 18, was arrested following an investigation conducted by the MSU police and the MSU Housing Authority.

Upon discovering that the projector was checked out the MSU Librarian C;ara Lathham contacted the name which it was checked out under. That student then came forward saying he’d never checked out the projector. Then it was discovered that it was checked out using a stolen ID and the housing authority suspected a resident whom had a history of stealing Ids before.

Once Girard entered the dorms he was searched, the equipment was found and he was charged with theft under 1,500.

“The projector basically replaces the need to have a big screen, and that is what is most commonly stolen to be used for,” explained Chief of Police Michael Haggy. “Nation-wide they get removed from places like the ceilings of classrooms all the time.”

It is not yet known weather Girard will be allowed to stay in school, the F=Dean of Students will be making that decision, and due to privacy laws they could not release any information. He will be tried in the Wichita Falls court.

According to Librarian Cara Lathham, theft is not a very big problem in the library.

“It really doesn’t happen at al, at least not in the case of equipment, we’ve lost one digital camera and then this,” she said.

Lathham also reports that there will be no increase in library security in the foreseeable future as they have done all they can, and this incident really had little to do with security.

“Luckily they were able to locate him – it was a matter of timing,” Lathham said.


VisualMPACT artist Richard Hight creates Mustangs for Welcome Week 
Jason York | Staff Reporter

A blank canvas of midnight blue, chalks of many colors, and an idea in an artist’s mind is all it takes to make a mustang come to life. As part of the Welcome Week activities, artist Richard Hight was commissioned to create three images of MSU’s new mascot.

Ronette Hoffart, activities coordinator for the office of student activities and UPB advisor, explained, “One will go in the student center, one in the coliseum, and one is going to be auctioned.” It’s all part of a plan to get more students hooked on the idea of the new mascot.

Hight’s company, VisualMPACT, was contacted because of the performance aspect of the art. Usually, Hight creates his art while selected music plays in the background. At MSU, however, pop music from a local radio station accompanied Hight’s performance.

“We figured if he was doing artwork with the mustang where students could see it, it would help them be more accepting of it and get them more involved in supporting the mustang,” Hoffart said. Many students passing through the student center stopped to watch the artist at work.

Universities usually book VisualMPACT for conferences and other special events. MSU booked Richard Hight to create three large works depicting mustangs.

“They were looking for images of mustangs as part of the new logo,” Hight explained. “The school’s been very fun and good to work with.”

“I’ve done drawings and artwork at concerts for everybody from Grand Funk Railroad to Amy Grant and Brooks & Dunn,” Hight said.

He’s appeared on major television networks from NBC to FOX. He’s even created artwork for Christian venues from TBN programs to Third Day concerts.

“I’d describe myself as a performing visual artist. I do close to 200 performances a year from kindergarten classes to rock concerts.” Hight has created his art in performances all over the world, from Moscow’s Red Square to Branson, MO.

With chalk dust flying, images of running mustangs appeared almost magically before the eyes of fascinated onlookers. Hight’s only visual guides for the drawings were small photos that he stylized and enlarged to fill the oversized six feet tall canvases.

The artist’s speed was incredible, completing entire drawings in just forty-five minutes or less. Usually, Hight is required to do a drawing in chalk or paint in fifteen minutes or less, but the laid-back atmosphere allowed him to take more time with MSU’s mustangs.

The first mustang appears to be galloping right off the canvas. A spray of water flies up from his right front hoof as the mustang steps into a puddle or stream. Watching the mustang appear from nowhere on the canvas, its body filling with color, was a unique experience.

An even larger canvas was used for Hight’s second mustang. The profile of the second running mustang came to life on a black canvas as students sat watching the artist at work. The predominant word from students was “wow.”

The third and final mustang was done once again on a blue canvas. Swirls of chalk lines suggest air rushing past and through the flowing mane.

“I’m very blessed to be able to make a living doing what I love,” Hight said. “Most artists don’t make enough money with art, so they have to have a second income.”

Art has always been a part of Hight’s life. When asked how long he’d been drawing, he replied, “All my life, ever since I was a boy.” Hight is originally from the Oklahoma City area but now resides in Tulsa.

“I pretty much draw anything people need me to draw, but not anything I’d be ashamed of,” Hight said.

As for the mediums he uses to do his drawings, he said, “I used to do a lot of paint, but when I would share the stage with musicians, paint would be flying everywhere. Musicians don’t really like getting paint on their guitars. Chalk doesn’t make as much of a mess.”

Creativity is the heart of Hight’s work. “I think it’s important to think creatively whether you’re an artist, businessman, writer, or photographer – whatever you do.”

Sometimes Hight will draw something upside down, waiting until the very last moment to flip the canvas, revealing the image.

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist, according to Hight, is “the grand finale, when everything comes together.” After completing the three mustangs, Hight demonstrated one of his famous grand-finale drawings.

Beginning with broad, blue strokes that could have been water, clouds, or almost anything, an image began to form on a fourth canvas. White and yellow were added, and as Hight worked, a landscape began to appear. Hills and mountains rose above a valley containing a winding river. The valley came alive in a blaze of color, and as the artist worked, a waterfall magically appeared in the bottom center of the landscape.

Then, dramatically, Hight slashed across the landscape with a dark chalk, drawing gasps from his audience who thought he was ruining the drawing, but that dark line became a tree, and then a rock formation appeared on the other side of the waterfall. More and more color was added until the picture came into focus.

The view looked out from underneath a tree, over a waterfall, past a rock formation, and across a wide valley towards hills rising higher and higher in the distance, blazing with the gold of the sun. The finishing touch was the dark silhouette of a man standing on the rock formation, arms raised skyward.

Why did Hight do a fourth canvas? According to Ronette Hoffart, “We’re getting an extra one because he had extra material and decided to make another drawing.”

In his free time when he’s not touring and giving performances, Hight is still producing art.

“In my free time, I draw, sculpt, paint, and spend time with my kids.”

He is booked to visit at least a dozen universities in the next couple of months from Birmingham to New York.

“I’ll be in Arizona next week,” Hight said. “Sometimes I take my daughter with me to my shows. She’ll be with me in Arizona.”

This wasn’t Hight’s first visit to Wichita Falls.

 “About 20 years ago, I did an event at a church here.” When asked what he thought of the city, Hight replied, “I think I remember a tornado hitting Wichita Falls.”

The artist had a few comments about MSU as well. “I’m impressed to see how big a building the art department has. Typically, art departments don’t receive very much in the way of funding.”

Two of Hight’s mustang drawings will be displayed on the MSU campus, one in the student center and one in the coliseum. According to the Student Activities Web site, one of the chalk murals will be auctioned to benefit the Ringgold community after the destruction caused by recent wildfires.

For more information on Hight’s performance company, VisualMPACT, visit their Web site at www.visualmpact.com.