front 121010.indd

Vol. XXXVIII, No. 5
The student newspaper of Midland College
December 10, 2010
Express
Campus
closes
for holidays
Glowing
Christmas
The Midland College campus
will be closed Dec. 18, 2010 –
Jan. 2. Of ces reopen at 8 a.m.,
Monday, Jan. 3. Faculty members
will return for a week of in-service
Jan. 10. The college will close on
Martin Luther King Day, Monday,
Jan. 17. Regular classes begin
Tuesday, Jan. 18 and meet through
May 6. Finals are May 9 – 12.
Graduation will be held Friday,
May 13.
United Way
MC faculty, staff and students
raised more than $22,000 during
this year’s United Way Campaign.
The annual Silent Auction brought
in more than $6,000; pledges/
donations more than $14,000
and Grubby Days around $1,600.
This year’s total was up from
last year’s, according to Bahola
Edwards, assistant to the president.
Hodge Carillon Tower
glows after being lighted
during the college’s
annual Holiday Evening
Dec. 2. An estimated 400500 people attended a
variety of activities that
evening. For story and
additional pictures,
please see page 8.
Pinning
ceremony
Students graduating from both
the associate degree nursing
program and the vocational
nursing program will receive their
pins in a special ceremony at 6
p.m., Thursday, Dec. 16, in the
Al G. Langford Chaparral Center.
Outstanding nursing graduates
will also be honored. The public
is invited to attend this free
ceremony.
Studio 3600
Each semester, Studio 3600
offers selected long-time students
a place to exhibit their art. It is
usually one 2D and on 3D student
artist. However, in January 2011,
Studio 3600 will host long-time
MC art professor Warren Taylor.
Studio 3600 was Taylor’s idea and
began in the Fall of 2006. So far,
17 students have been honored
by exhibiting in Studio 3600 and
there was a special one-time only
“pet show” that featured both
student and faculty work.
Taylor, who will retire at the
end of the spring semester after
32 years at MC, will exhibit
Thirty Works from Thirty Years,
Works in Watercolor. The opening
reception, Sandwiches at High
Noon, is planned for 11:30 a.m.,
Thursday, Jan. 27. The public is
invited to attend.
Greece trip
planned,
June 4-12, 2011
Pamela Howell, English professor and Carol Bailey, art professor,
will lead an art study trip to Greece
in June 2011. Travelers will visit
Athens, Four-Day Greek Island
Cruise, Acropolis, Crete, Delphi,
Ephesus, Mykonos, National Archaeological Museum, Patmos,
Rhodes, Santorini and St. John’s
Monastery.
Howell said travelers do not
have to be current students or students at all. The community is invited to join the trip. For more information, go to: http://www.acis.
com/tripsite or contact Howell,
[email protected], 685-4628
or Bailey, [email protected]
685-4652.
Photo by Breeann Dunham
Kwanzaa, Hanukkah myths busted
By Chris Henkel
EP Page Editor
Crosses, dreidels and kentes are typical items that can be
found in homes across the country throughout December when
Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are celebrated.
Christmas, a time for people to
spend money they don’t have and
stress out, right? Wrong. That is
what Christmas has become today but its original purpose is different from what it has become.
At its roots, Christmas was the
day set aside to celebrate the birth
of Jesus Christ. Although scientists have been unable to put an
exact date on the birth of Christ,
early church fathers decided that
Dec. 25 should be the day that
Christians remember the birth of
their Lord and Savior. Since then
religious characters have been
added to the holiday such as Saint
Nicholas, a Greek Bishop who
was known for giving his friends
and family gifts. In fact, that is
where the tradition of gift-giving
started.
Johnquez Isaacs, a Midland
College student, said that his family celebrates Christmas in the
“traditional” way.
“My family and I normally
open up one gift Christmas eve,”
Isaacs said. “On Christmas Day
we take the rest of the gifts over
to my grandmother’s house and
we open up the rest of our gifts
there. There is always good food
and good family time involved.”
Before Isaacs moved to Midland from New York in the 7th
grade, he said that they celebrated
Christmas in the same way but
they didn’t go out because New
York was chaotic on Christmas
day.
“There were always a bunch of
By Amanda Mitchell
EP Staff Reporter
Long-time Midland College
teacher Rebecca Watson is retiring at the end of the semester.
Watson has been serving MC as
a full-time teacher since 1975 and
is currently MC’s longest serving
teacher.
Born in Nebraska and raised in
Oregon, Watson made the move
to Midland in 1973 while married
to a teacher from University of
Texas of the Permian Basin. She
began teaching part time at both
Odessa College and MC.
Watson said that her most challenging experience while at MC
was teaching part time.
She said that although she was
teaching the same class at both
OC and MC, they had different
textbooks.
Watson currently teaches freshman composition classes but has
also taught creative writing and
sophomore literature.
She also had a part in the creation of MC’s Creative Writ-
ing Contest that has been going
strong for 35 years. For the rst
contest, she served as a judge.
She also served as an adviser to
Tableau magazine, the creative
writing magazine.
Watson expressed her pleasure
in the campus, and said, “How
many people get to work in such
lovely surroundings? I really enjoy working at such a lovely campus.”
Watson also said that she has
“absolutely no regrets” about her
35-year run at MC.
Proud of her students, Watson
spoke about several students who
currently serve MC.
She said she had a student who
is now a full-time teacher at MC
and another who is a part-time
English teacher while working on
her master’s degree.
Watching movies is on Watson’s list of ways to spend her
free time after retirement because
“some movies are just meant to
be seen on the big screen.”
She said she will go back and
do some of the
things she has
stopped doing such
as going to church
and traveling.
“I plan to be just
as busy as I’ve always been but I
don’t have to do
anything I don’t
want to except pay
taxes,” she said.
A growing MC
and a less personal
work
environment was the most
dif cult
change
through the past 35
years, according to
Watson.
Watson said her
most memorable
moment at MC
was the transition
between a small school and the
big school it is now.
As the campus continued to
grow, it seemed that MC had a
tough time because it was no
Isaacs
people out playing in the snow
and walking around Christmas
day,” he said. “We didn’t want to
get out in all of that snow.”
There is no exact number
on how many people celebrate
Christmas but with more than 2.1
billion Christians in the world,
the number is high.
Today, Christmas is celebrated
by both Christians and non-Christians.
It is estimated that more than
16 million people celebrate Hanukkah or the Festival of Lights.
Despite popular belief, Hanukkah
was never intended to be the Jewish version of Christmas, according to Andree Rosen, MC paralegal professor.
“If you were to go over to Israel
See Holidays, page 2
Watson retires after 35 epic years
Photo courtesy of MC PIM
Watson
longer a little school but was not
quite a big school yet either.
“Everyone knew each other.
We knew each other’s families.
We partied together. We went to
the president for everything.”
Opinion/News
Page 2
Editorial
Ra chel’s Ritches
Get involved
Wake up. Go to class. Go home. Do homework. Hang out. What
kind of existence is this? Not a very fulfilling one.
Maybe if students were more involved then they would find their
college experiences much more fulfilling. Just by being in the journalism program, we students are more immersed in the culture of
Midland College. Just by being involved in one program or club
makes a difference.
Most students have no connection to MC other than the classes
that they take. We challenge these students to get involved and take
an active interest in their college.
Being involved in a particular club or program can change a student’s life. If a student is not sure about a major or just wants to
make new friends, joining a club may be the answer. Club members
participate in campus activities … maybe they attend some sporting
events … maybe they do volunteer work … maybe the watch movies and eat pizza … the possibilities are endless.
Everything that takes place on this campus can impact students’
college careers and lives.
There are so many clubs and programs with which to be involved.
No matter where a student’s interest lay, there is something out there.
MC has an Anime Club that meets to watch anime together. There
is Student Government, Drama Club, Baptist Student Ministries,
Engineering Club and International Student Club, just to name a
few. Some clubs are for majors only, but many are open to all students.
If for some reason students don’t find a club that strikes their interest, it is entirely possible to get a club started. If someone wants
to start a stamp collecting club, go for it. There might be someone
else out there that shares that interest.
There is absolutely no reason for students not to get involved.
Yes, it can be challenging, especially if students have a lot of other
activities. However, the enrichment that one receives from communicating with their peers and being involved in something is worth
the effort.
Clubs are not the only way to be involved. Programs such as
journalism, drama, music, health care, veterinary, child care offer a
lot of interactive programs where students will learn new skills and
make new friends.
MC also has a Club Fair at the beginning of each fall semester
where students can walk around and check out tables set up by many
of MC’s clubs.
A list of clubs can be found at the MC website under student activities. In fact, the website offers lots of information on everything
from academics to clubs to sports. Read about activities or former
students.
When students feel more connected, they attend classes more regularly. They want to stay connected to their friends and instructors.
Some students need that kind of connection to help them become
more responsible citizens.
Finding the right club or program can be compared to finding
your niche in life. There is that one place on campus or those certain
people on campus who offer that feeling of belonging. Find your
niche.
Opinion
Colleges should teach
financial responsibility
By Amanda Mitchell
EP Staff Reporter
“Make sure you work extra
hard and get straight A’s in school
so you can get a high-paying job.”
I have heard this advice for as
long as I can remember. It was
supposed to encourage and motivate me and it did, in a way.
The end result of this motivating advice is that I am frustrated
and angry at the sight of a simple
B.
When class finally lets out for
the day, I sit on my bed in my
dorm room surrounded by homework until it is time for bed.
I fill my evenings with media
literacy, mass communications,
news writing, biology, math and
history.
I run circles for the semester,
driving myself mad, just to have
the high that comes from another
A on my transcript. My quest is
perfection, and there is no room
for failure.
But there is something that I
can’t quite get over, something
terribly wrong.
My older friends work like robots to win that next prize, that
next promotion.
Most people believe a promotion will fix all of their financial messes but really it only
gets them further in debt. Even
though they are holders of a great
mind, they are financially stupid.
I think it is clear that our educational system is antiquated. We
are stuck in our traditional, stubborn ways, yet we live in the age
of information.
We are taught the importance
of knowing all of our presidents,
preferably in the correct order.
We are taught that Mark Twain
was one of the greatest authors
of his time. What we are not
taught is financial responsibility
such as how to open a bank account and balance a checkbook.
Even though most people don’t
realize it, the most difficult way
to make money is by working for
someone else.
In my opinion, our education-
al system is biased towards this
employee state of mind. We are
forced to take too many classes
that we won’t need.
I did not learn anything in History 1301 and 1302 that I did not
learn in my high school career.
The classes I might use are the
ones that don’t exist.
The end product is just another financially stupid generation.
Most people believe that the simplest way to grab that much-needed income is to climb the corporate ladder when in all actuality it
is the hardest.
The people who work the hardest and make the most money are
the ones stuck paying the most
taxes.
They will go to work every
day in the hopes of making themselves wealthy when the government will take away half of what
they make in a day.
If you look at a little financial
history the really wealthy people
got that way from working their
way up from the bottom up. But
where would you learn that in any
of the classes you take?
Society requires knowledge of
accounting, business, computers
and even the stock market; most
schools have not thought to require classes teaching such vital
information. I have even seen
adults who do not know what a
401(K) is.
People need to get in touch
with today’s career needs. Financial literacy classes need to be
taught because students are being
cheated out of great opportunities
because they have not learned
their options in the economy.
I am not insinuating that what
our educational system teaches is
wrong, I am only pointing out that
it is inadequate in today’s society.
If you are not ready for the
world other than with English
math and science, then your hard
earned money will disappear as
fast as you can make it.
Everyone should learn how to
manage their money and assets
but too many people do not.
Midland College Press
El Paisano
3600 N. Garfield, AFA 185
Midland, Texas 79705
www.midland.edu/studentactivities/
studentpublications
December 10, 2010
by Rachel Ritchie, EP Editor
My daughter is a smooth-talker. Well, she can’t actually talk
much yet so I guess I should just
say she’s smooth. Kaylee is just
shy of 18 months. She has shown
a great interest in coloring lately
which would explain why, if you
were to visit, you would happen
upon a great number of broken
crayons.
Thus far we have been fortunate
that she hasn’t shown at interest in coloring on the walls. She
has however, shown an interest
in coloring on, oh, I don’t know,
my iPhone. This wasn’t a terrible
fiasco since she only managed to
get two short lines on the screen
and they very easily rubbed off.
She has also taken an interest in
coloring on her tambourine and
her princess training potty. By
the way, Crisco is great at getting
crayon off most surfaces.
As a parent, I try to be somewhat lenient yet firm. I allow her
to color on her cardboard box that
doubles as a toy box for the overflow of toys and also as a toy in
and of itself.
I even let her color on the side
of the black faux-leather coffee
table/storage bin which is just
about shot.
The other day, she found a ball
point pen and came up to me saying “cawor” which translates to
“color.” In response, I got out her
spiral and turned it to a clean page
so she could draw me another
masterpiece. She sat on the floor
and quietly colored for a while.
Then she got up and started trying
to scribble on the couch so I firm-
ly told her “no” in my toughest
mommy voice and gave her “the
look” which caused her to burst
into tears and drop the pen.
I picked Kaylee up and held
her for the short amount of time
that it takes for her to stop the waterworks. Let me add that she is
SUCH a drama queen already. If
I hadn’t picked her up when I did,
she would have collapsed into the
floor, like literally melted into the
floor, and bawled for several minutes.
The next few hours went on
without anything out of the ordinary. She went from rocking, hugging and throwing her baby doll
to driving her pink dump truck
down the hallway and chunking
the dump truck driver at the wall
to chasing Daddy with her stuffed
Rex from Toy Story.
Her daddy, Shannon, then decided that it is time to go to the
apartment complex office and
sign a new lease. I went over to
Kaylee and put on her Strawberry
Shortcake socks and her knockoff Uggs. This was when I noticed
that my turkey of a daughter had
taken the pen to her bright fuchsia
pants.
I wasn’t really worried about
being able to get the ink out of
her pants, but I did want to let her
know that I wasn’t happy about
her coloring on her clothes.
As I was sitting in front of her
on the living room floor, I turned
on my mommy voice again and
began to tell her, “Don’t color on
your clothes, OK?”
To make sure she knew what I
was talking about I pointed to the
scribbles and said that coloring
on clothes is a no-no. When she
pointed to the scribbles and I was
sure she knew what I was talking about, I continued to repeat
myself to make sure she got the
message. The only problem was
that Nick Jr. was on in the background so the chances of me getting through to Kaylee were zilch.
Shannon turned off the TV.
Kaylee looked down at me and
I pointed at my face and told her
“Listen to me.” This is when she
decided to pull out all the stops.
Kaylee leaned forward, puckered
her lips and gave me a kiss. It was
so sweet that I just couldn’t keep
getting on to her. I pulled her to
me and gave her a great big hug.
Kaylee is not the most affectionate baby. She holds on to her
kisses like they are her means
of survival. She has some days
where she is sweet and gives everyone kisses, but these days are
few and far between.
Usually, the only time I can
count on getting sugar from her
is when she is sick or super tired
and ready for me to put her in
bed.
I would like to take this opportunity to apologize in advance
to all the boys that my daughter
will someday talk into giving her
whatever she desires. I also apologize to her future teachers who
will have Kaylee’s charm used
against them. She’s a charmer,
a flirt and a smooth operator so
watch out world ‘cause Kaylee’s
here to stay.
Holidays
from page 1
special prayers, eating
of fried foods and other
various community and
family events. This year
Hanukkah started Dec. 1
and ended on Dec. 9.
Rosen said that after
her kids are grown and
have moved away from
home more than likely
she and her husband
would stop exchanging gifts. Rosen said she
knows several Jewish
families in the MidlandOdessa area, many of
which have kids, and she
said they all give gifts to
the kids.
“One family even decorates there house with
blue and white lights and
a huge Jewish star, they
really make a big deal out
of Hanukkah,” she said.
Another holiday that is commonly misunderstood, as a way
to replace Christmas is Kwanzaa.
“Kwanzaa was never intended
to replace Christmas,” said James
Fuller, MC coordinator of developmental studies.
Kwanzaa was founded by Maulana Karenga in 1966 as a way to
celebrate African Americans and their history.
Karenga wanted African
Americans to reconnect
with their heritage and
be proud of where they
came from. When Kwanzaa was founded, it had no
religious significance and
was never meant to. It was
only intended as a way
for African Americans to
learn about their past, according to holidays.net.
The
foundation
of
Kwanzaa lies within its
seven principles. Umoja,
meaning unity; Kugichagulia, self-determination;
Ujima, collective work
Photo by Chirs Henkel
and responsibility; Ujamaa,
cooperative economFuller
ics; Nia, purpose; Kuumone day. Surprisingly, the oil ba, creativity and Imani, faith.
burned for eight days, which was Because of the seven principles
the length of time it took to press, Kwanzaa is celebrated for seven
prepare and consecrate fresh ol- days starting the Dec. 26 and ends
ive oil.
on Jan. 1.
Because of the miracle of the
Fuller, who still celebrates
oil lasting eight days Hanukkah Christmas, said that he and his
is celebrated for eight days, with family have been celebrating
right now, it would not be a big
deal,” she said. “Hanukkah is not
a real significant event for Jewish
people. It is not as big as other
days we celebrate.”
Rosen said she thinks that for
some American Jews Hanukkah has become “Americanized”, meaning that much like
Christmas, Hanukkah has been
stretched away from its original
meaning. She said that for her
family they have tried to emphasize what Hanukkah is all about.
However, they still exchange
gifts.
“Usually they [the kids] seven small gifts and one big gift,”
Rosen said.
According to holidays.net, Hanukkah was originally started as a
way to celebrate the rededication
of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after it was desecrated by the
King of Syria and commemorates
the “miracle of the container of
oil.”
According to the Talmud, the
Jewish religious book, at the rededication following the victory
of the Maccabees over the King
of Syria, there was only enough
consecrated olive oil to fuel the
eternal flame in the Temple for
Photo by Chirs Henkel
Rosen
Kwanzaa, for 12 years.
“We were reading some information on Kwanzaa and ran
across the seven principles,” he
said. “We liked the principles and
we liked where and how the holiday came about.”
During all seven days of Kwanzaa, a kinara [candle holder] will
be lit to remember the seven principles.
Along with the candles being
lit, traditional African clothes will
be worn and traditional African
food will be eaten.
Fuller said that he didn’t think
that Kwanzaa has become as
commercialized as Christmas but
wouldn’t mind if it did.
“One of the principles of
Kwanzaa (Ujamaa, cooperative
economics) teaches the idea of
money and gaining a better life.
So, I don’t think that Kwanzaa
becoming a little more commercialized would hurt,” Fuller said.
“Kwanza itself is a vehicle in
which African Americans can
learn about famous and nonfamous African Americans who
have made and are making a difference in America as we know
it,” he said.
Fuller encouraged all African
Americans and even other people
of different ethnicities to learn
about Kwanzaa.
“If a person wants to know about
America’s history and culture as
it is today, then they are almost
obligated to learn about Kwanzaa,” Fuller said.
Look for the next El Paisano on Feb. 11, 2011.
Editor: Rachel Ritchie
Page Editors: Chris Henkel, Ronnie
Marley
Production Assistants: Haley
Carillo, B. Francino, Brian Smith.
Lab Instructor: Karen Lanier
Adviser: Bob Templeton
Dean of Fine Arts
& Communications: Billy Feeler
Reporters: Monica Allen, Colter Bostick, Breeann Dunham, Trey Garcia,
Susanna Karth, Helen Lillard, Amanda Mitchell, Mary Neufeld,
Kirby Wheeler.
Comments and views expressed in Midland College
Press/El Paisano reflect the thoughts of individual
student reporters and do not necessarily reflect the
beliefs or opinions of other students, faculty members,
administrative officers or the board of trustees.
Midland College Press/El Paisano is a member of the
Texas Community College Press Association and the
Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.
The publication and its student staff members have
won numerous statewide awards.
e-mail: [email protected]
News
December 10, 2010
Page 3
MC speech professor runs for MISD school board
By Chris Henkel
EP Page Editor
The old saying goes that silence is approval. In other
words, keeping quiet about any
given subject is just the same
as giving approval. Joe Willis,
Midland College assistant speech
professor, said he strongly believes that his voice was heard
during his run for the District 5
seat on the Midland Independent
School District Board and that
it can make a lasting difference.
During his campaign for the
board, Willis ran under the banner of getting the schools in
better condition and getting
the community more involved.
“We [the community] have to
decide what type of schools we
want. Do we want schools that
are just ok or do we want schools
that are fabulous?” Willis said.
“The commitment for better
schools has to come from the
community. You can’t have fabulous schools unless the community is behind it. If the board of
trustees and the community is not
for it, then it won’t stick,” he said.
Despite some “tough issues” that lie ahead for MISD,
Willis said he is hopeful but
still somewhat concerned with
the state of the school board.
This past year MISD hired
Ryder Warren as the new superintendent. Willis said that
when Warren was first hired
the newspaper ran several articles back to back on how
great and awesome Warren was.
“The school board has this
view that Dr. Warren is the messiah and is going to save the
schools. I fear that he will give
us two or three great years and
move on because he is so good,”
Willis said. “If the changes that
are made to the school come directly from Dr. Warren I think
that they won’t last, if and when
he leaves. They have to come
from the people of Midland.”
The issues that Willis wanted
to deal with most had he won
the bid for school board were to
raise MISD’s TEA rating from
acceptable to exemplary and pro-
By Ronnie Marley
EP Page Editor
Classes, cash and credit. These
are just some of the things you
can get with the Midland College
Chap Card.
“In the fall of 2009, the MC
Chap Card was implemented,”
said Latisha Williams, director of
MC financial aid.
Williams said the Chap Card is
a must have compared to what the
MC campus had previously.
“It’s very beneficial,” Williams
said. “Because what we do is we
apply the student’s financial aid,
meaning grants, scholarships and
loans to their account. The card
first pays tuition and fees, if the
student has a grant, if anything
is left over after tuition and fees,
they can use the remaining funds
to buy books. If there are any
funds available after a certain
point in the semester, we just give
the remaining funds to the student.”
Williams said the new Chap
Card takes the hassle out of giving checks to students.
“In the old days, prior to the
Chap Card, we would process
checks for students and students
would have to come and wait
in line and come and pick up a
check,” Williams said. “It was
usually bad because it took a lot
of coordination between the financial aid office and the business office. We both had to be
there. We had a big production.
We set up a room with computers. We don’t have to do that anymore, so now there’s no waiting
in line.”
Any fees that need to be posted
to a student’s Chap Card will be
posted by 8 p.m. on MC’s disbursement date.
“You don’t have to worry about
students having bad addresses or
not being able to get in contact
with them, Williams said. “We
had checks, it was the hardest
thing sometimes, to give students
their money back because none
of their contact information was
correct. When we couldn’t get a
hold of the student, MC would
have to cancel those checks,
which cost the campus money.”
Williams said students should
find the card very easy and simple
to use.
“For students, it’s convenient
because more than likely they’re
used to using debit cards and
they are personalized, so they
have that access,” Williams said.
“They can withdraw funds from
an ATM machine located on campus.”
Williams said if students don’t
want a Chap Card or can’t get a
Chap Card, they can set up direct
deposit so any funds can be sent
directly to a student’s bank account.
“It works wonderful for distance education students because
they can’t come to campus to get
a check,” Williams said. “The stu-
vide a better atmosphere and work
environment for the teachers.
Since 1994, MISD has been
rated by TEA as “academically
acceptable.” Willis wanted to
change that. He said that acceptable is not ok and that he
wanted to see MISD be rated
exemplary. He said that you do
that by raising expectations.
Willis said that you don’t set
the expectation at “acceptable.”
You
set
the
expectation
at
“exemplary”
and
expect nothing less, he said.
As far as the teachers, Willis described them as the “guts”
of the schools and that he wanted to see a “teacher culture”
throughout MISD. Willis wanted to get rid of bureaucratic
systems that get in the way of
teachers
being
more
effective in the classroom.
Willis ran against Karen Nicholson, board member since 2006. In retrospect,
Willis said that he greatly underestimated her incumbency.
Willis lost the election by only
gaining 35 percent of the vote.
“I think a lot of people thought
‘We’ve had her for four years
and the buildings haven’t burned
down and no one has stormed
the administration building.
So, things must be ok,” he said.
Willis said that his argument
to that thought process was that
“ok” is not enough. He said that
although a good one, his argument ended up not being enough
to beat Nicholson’s incumbency and the fact that she is a
very smart and articulate person
and has done a reasonable job.
Willis’ run for the school board
all started when he and his wife
were on their way home from a
trip to Brownwood. He had been
complaining about the schools
in Midland when his wife finally
said, “Why don’t you get off your
butt and run for school board?”
He had been thinking about
making a bid for the board for
about three years and finally
decided that 2010 would be
the year. Shortly after he made
the decision to run for the
board, he began to gather a
staff and started to raise money.
In total, Willis raised $9,000
for his campaign. He was very
thankful for all of the people
that were on his staff and volunteered for him. He was especially thankful for the “greatest
woman in the world,” his wife.
“She [his wife] is the type of
woman that when she says yes
and wants to do something, she
is going to do it. As a husband, I
appreciate that a lot,” Willis said.
Concerning the possibilities
of running for the board again,
Willis said that he was not sure
yet. He said that he might be getting too old and doesn’t know
that he could handle the stress
of running for the board
and the stress of being on
the board if he were to win.
He did say that shortly after the results were posted his
wife looked at him and asked if
he was ready for the next time.
“I didn’t say it out loud but I
thought to myself ‘Is she crazy’,”
Willis said.
dents can log on to Campus Connect and set up a direct deposit
and the funds would go directly
into the student’s bank account.”
Williams said students need
to remember when you get your
Chap Card to be sure and activate
the card. If the student forgets; the
student may not get their refund
back.
“You can activate your card
at any Herring Bank ATM located on campus,” Williams said.
There are two ATMs located on
campus for students to activate
their card or access their funds.
“The ATMs are located in the
Scharbauer Student Center by
the snack bar, and there’s another
ATM located in the Marie Hall
Academic Building on the first
floor,” said Ryan Gibbs, director
of admissions and recruitment.
For a student to activate their
Chap Card, the student will need
to put their card into the designated slot at the ATM, type in the
four digit pin number that was
picked when the student received
the Card, select balance
inquiry and
print a receipt
to prove the
card has been
activated.
The receipt
won’t say if
the Card has
been activated or not but
if the ATM
prints a receipt with a balance it has been activated.
MC students can also pull out
cash at any other bank ATM, but
there may be a charge to do so.
“Any ATM that takes debit
cards will work, but there may be
fees to process the transaction,”
Gibbs said.
Gibbs said when the Chap
Card was first implemented back
in 2009, student’s didn’t know
that the card can be used anywhere, so students were pulling
out their funds from the ATM’s.
“The first year that we had
the card, a lot of people couldn’t
figure out how to get to their
money, so everyone pulled their
money out of the ATMs and the
ATMs ran out of cash and all
students thought you had to go
to an ATM to get their money,”
Gibbs said. “You don’t have to
pull cash out of the ATM. It’s
there on the card, use it, spend
it, pay bills. The Chap Card
works anywhere MasterCard is
accepted.”
Gibbs said if a student were to
run out of funds, their parent or
guardian can go online and transfer funds directly to the student’s
Chap Card.
“If a student is here from out
of town and mom and dad need
to put some money into the
account, they can go online to
www.chapcard.com and if you
have the checking account and
routing number to the bank, you
can do an account to account
transfer and it’s all electronic,”
Gibbs said. “That’s the easiest,
simplest way to get money transferred on an account.”
If a student loses their card or
it is stolen, Gibbs said to check
with MC campus police and the
Admissions Office. If your card
isn’t there, be sure to call the bank
and cancel your card.
“If a student loses their card,
all personnel on campus are instructed to turn in the card to
the lost and found with MC
campus police,” Gibbs said. “If
it’s not there, check with the
admissions office. If we can’t
find it, call the bank to cancel
your card. The student can then
come to admissions and get a
new card, however, there will be
a $10 fee.”
Students who need a Chap Card
should visit the admissions office
in the Scharbauer Student Center.
Gibbs said a government issued
picture ID is required.
Chap Card makes financial access easier for students
MC students win
12 TCCJA awards
From Staff Reports
Midland College communication and English students won
12 awards from the Texas Community College Journalism Association (TCCJA) at the annual
convention held in October in
Arlington, Texas.
The awards were for student
work from the Fall 2009 and
Spring 2010 semesters.
“Our students continue to
win statewide awards that
spotlight not only their abilities
but also our communication program and Midland College as
well,” said Bob Templeton, Allison Chair of Journalism.
Two students won first-place
awards–Karen Buenestro for
her story on the SIM Mannikins
that appeared in the Oct. 23,
2009 El Paisano and Genelle
Felio for her short story, “The
Faith of My Father,” that appeared in the Tableau 2009 magazine.
Mary Neufeld won two
awards–a third place in news
writing for her story on the safety
fair that appeared in the March
4, 2010 edition of El Paisano
and an honorable mention
for her photograph from the
same story.
Iline Tang and Martin Castaneda won a third-place
award for their sports story,
“Chaps continue dominance,”
that appeared in the Feb. 5, 2010
edition of El Paisano.
Bailee Hennis won an
honorable mention for her
column, “Life in the Fast Lane.”
The column was about her child-
hood dog, Bud.
Freddy Lopez won an honorable mention for a photograph
of MC golfer Neil Gowan.
The Tabeau 2009 staff won
two awards–a second place for
the cover that featured a photo illustration of a roadrunner
and a third place for general overall excellence.
Tableau 2009 also tied for
second in the sweepstakes
award category. Sweepstakes is
awarded by a point system.
The El Paisano editorial
staff won an honorable mention
for an editorial titled “New
semester
brings
opportunities”
that
appeared
in the Feb. 5, 2010 edition.
El Paisano also placed seventh
in the sweepstakes awards for
newspapers.
“To win statewide awards
is a nice perk for our
students. Our program is
smaller than some of those
we compete against so it is
always
rewarding
for
our students to win,” said Karen
Lanier, student publications lab
instructor.
Some of the schools MC
competes against are: Amarillo College, Angelina College,
Austin
Community
College,
Brookhaven
College,
Del Mar College, Eastfield College, Kilgore College, North
Lake College, Richland College,
San Antonio College, San Jacinto
Community
College,
South Plains College, Tarrant County College and Tyler
Junior College.
Happy Holidays
from
Student Publications
News
Page 4
December 10, 2010
MC music teacher gives hope overseas
By Ronnie Marley
EP Page Editor
A trip to Russia isn’t something someone would just take
on a whim, and for Midland
College Music Instructor
Rabon Bewley, the trip was
nothing short of spectacular.
“I got an e-mail back in late
2009 about a group called
Global Missions Project and
they were looking for musicians for several projects
they had going on around the
world,” Bewley said. “When I
made contact with them I was
actually asking about a different project.”
As Bewley found out more
information, he mentioned to
the Global Missions Project
that he was a saxophone player. Bewley then received an
e-mail asking about his experience.
“I got an e-mail asking
‘you’re a saxophone player,
huh?’” Bewley said. “I replied
back saying ‘yes’ and I got an
e-mail back asking if I played
jazz and I said that’s really
my thing and that’s when
they told me about a project
in Volgograd, Russia. I got
hooked up with that project
within a few days.”
According to the Global
Missions Project website, the
Project began in 2003 and is a
mission organization committed to leading Christian musicians in sharing Jesus Christ
with the world, encouraging
believers and ministering to
people through music.
“They (the project) went to
Ukraine last year. They’re in
Israel right now. They’ve got
Lisbon, Portugal next summer
and Cape Town, South Africa
in the fall,” Bewley said.
Bewley was part of a band
called the Metro Big Band,
which is a group of several
musicians from around the
country.
“This group of musicians
has been just everywhere,”
Bewley said.
According to the Global
Missions website, the Project’s main objectives are to
further ministry strategies of
the field missionary through
the mobilization of music
volunteers, to coordinate and
manage the overall Project, to
act as a liaison between field
missionaries, Christian music
leaders, individual Christian
musicians and the ensembles
they represent and to promote
and develop global strategies in furthering the Great
Commission through the use
of music.
Bewley said the group primarily stayed in one area
throughout the trip.
“We were in Volgograd,
Russia,
which
was
Stalingrad,” Bewley said.
“There’s lots of outdoor
arenas and parks, so a lot of
our concerts were outdoors
at places like the Friendship
Fountain, which is located
near downtown.”
Bewley said the trip was
one he won’t soon forgot.
“It was adventurous to me.
There was some culinary dif-
ferences compared to back
home,” Bewley said.
Bewley said that one stop
along the trip was “quite the
experience.”
“We went to a pizza place
and it seems everything is pizzable; you can put virtually
anything on a pizza,” Bewley
said.
“The menu was in Russian
and we decided to point to
an item on the menu and not
have anyone tell us what it is.
But if it was vile, tell us not
to get that. We pointed at the
item and out came six to eight
pizzas. You’re looking at kind
of these purply things on one
pizza and we’re thinking ‘is
it eggplant?’ You take that
first bite and taste something
sweet and sure enough, it was
a prune,”
Bewley said. Bewley also
said the food wasn’t the only
great thing about the trip, the
Russian people enjoyed the
concerts.
“The audiences we saw on
a regular basis were real appreciative of the fact that we
came over,” Bewley said.
“They were very appreciative; they understood the sacrifice it took to go to Russia.”
While the trip was rewarding,
it wasn’t so good on the pocketbook.
“We were all responsible
for our own costs,” Bewley
said. “The opportunity was
worth it. It was a great investment. It was absolutely
phenomenal playing with this
band.”
‘Make a joyful noise’
Photo courtesy of Rabon Bewley
Rabon Bewley plays his saxophone to the delight of a small Russion boy who had walked over and buried his face in the horn. Bewley said that using music to interact with the citizens of Russia
was one of the highlights of his trip.
LRC director speaks of available reference materials
By Helen Lillard
EP Staff Reporter
How are books and reference
materials selected for the Midland
College Murray Fasken Learning
Resource Center and deemed as
educational and beneficial to MC
faculty and students?
What is resourceful and what
is not? Who makes these choices
for the students who will receive
their educations at MC and who
depend on the LRC as a primary
resource center?
These questions might come
to mind when making decisions
based on educational standards.
“Trying to select books everybody will like is impossible,” said
John Deats, director of the LRC.
“[MC] is a two-year college with
a lot of majors.”
Considering the grade levels at
MC and the areas that may need
academic coverage for degrees
earned are a primary source of
consideration, he said.
Deats said he has his own resource for resources. Choice
magazine provides up-to-date
reviews of scholarly material for
academic libraries.
With these extensive reviews
and the costs of these books included, Deats is able to see what
the most recent materials are, the
latest revisions and compares this
with the LRC’s inventory.
Librarians, Aline Collins and
Cecilia Miranda assist Deats with
selecting and documenting reference material for MC.
With thousands of books available to MC faculty, staff and students, Deats and his colleagues
take time to ensure the LRC
maintains community standards,
along with educational ones.
Collins’ responsibility of electronically inputting information
of the books and reference material in the LRC database is also
part of her job description, Deats
said.
“Constraints on budget and
space are [other] factors to consider,” Deats said.
The cost of reference material
can go from a few hundred dollars and up to thousands, Deats
said.
The Dictionary of Art is an
example of the high cost of reference material, with the cost of
about $6,000 in the 1990s, according to Deats.
Deats decided this encyclopedia “connected to the world of
art” would be a valuable addition
to the LRC collection and purchased it for MC.
“We made sure the county library didn’t have The Dictionary
of Art and considered the tie in
on campus as well as demand,”
Deats said.
CDs and DVDs, along with periodicals are available within the
LRC.
Some materials are only available for use inside of the LRC
building, while other material is
available for checkout.
When selecting DVD movies,
Deats and his colleagues consider
what a film is about and how it is
relevant to education. Documentary films receive the same critique.
Michael Moore’s films are
among those not found in the
LRC. Moore’s films address
social and political views; his
films tend to create controversy.
Moore’s films are termed as “propagandistic” and “non-objective,”
according to Tim Dirks, editor of
AMC Filmsite.
“[Moore’s films are] not reference, it’s media. The decision is
not about politics,” Deats said of
Moore’s films not being a part of
the LRC collection.
Another factor is the MPAA
rating. One of the select few films
in the LRC with an R rating is
Apocalypse Now.
Typically, films rated G, PG
and some PG-13 will work, as
long as they stick to the concept
that it is relevant to education or
reference.
The movie Apocalypse Now is
about a time during the Vietnam
War and Invictus, which is about
Nelson Mandela and South Africa, are examples of movies used
as reference.
The LRC also supports classic
films such as Dead Poets Society
and Lean on Me.
“Libraries are central places
with recommended resources
like a public park or a museum,”
Deats said. “Materials need to be
resourceful and continue to be resourceful.”
Faculty and students can recommend material for the LRC,
Deats said.
Texas lawmakers fight texting while driving
By Breeann Dunham
stantly, but if I know it’s a text
EP Staff Reporter
that requires a long response, I
Of the United States popula- usually wait till I’m out of the car,
tion, 81 percent have admitted to pull over, or call them,” Sartain
text messaging while operating a said.
vehicle.
At handsfreeinfo.com, one
People from the age range of 18 will find that the current cell
to 29 are the most likely to suc- phone laws in Texas are as folcumb to their addiction and risk lows:
other people’s lives, as well as
 Learners permit holders are
their own, according to the Inter- prohibited from using handheld
net site, Buzzle.com.
cell phones in the first six months
Text messaging, or texting, of driving.
causes a rise in the chance of car
 Drivers under the age of 17
accidents by about 23 times and is with restricted licenses are proeven more dangerous than talking hibited from using wireless comon the phone. It is even more dan- munication devices.
gerous than being under the influ School bus operators are proence of drugs or alcohol.
hibited from using cell phones
Text messaging takes approxi- while driving if children are presmately five seconds, and a crash ent.
can take place in as little as two to
 Drivers are prohibited from
three seconds. On Buzzle.com, it using handheld devices in school
is stated that about 21 states in the crossing zones.
U.S. have banned texting while
“I think it should be illegal to
driving.
text while
“When you
driving at
are texting and
any time.
driving, you are
Whether
still not focused
you are in
on the road and
a
school
highly distractzone,
a
ed,” said Tori
construcSartain, a Midtion zone, a
land
College
fast-paced
student.
road
or
The National
an
alley,
Safety
Counthe risk of
cil
reported
having a
that around 28
wreck and
percent, or 1.6
possibly
million, of car
injuring
crashes per year
someone
happen
beis not deSartain
cause the driver
creased,”
is texting at the
Sartain
wheel. Surprisingly, the majority said.
of people who send texts while
Daniel Collins, another MC
driving are adults, not teens, with student, also disagreed with the
a ratio of 47 to 34, said Buzzle. current Texas cellular laws.
com.
“Personally I think the laws
“[I text while driving,] con- have a lot of gray areas and incon-
sistencies, like the fact that
you can’t text in a school
zone, but if you are not in a
school zone you can talk or
text. Lawmakers just tried
to get laws in place without
fully thinking through how
they should be implemented,” Collins said.
Different laws for texting and driving versus talking on the phone should be
put into place, Collin said.
“When you are texting while
driving, more of your focus
and concentration is directed
toward your phone, such as
making sure all words are
spelled right, so you can’t devote enough attention to driving,” Collins said.
“People nowadays have an
attention span of nine seconds,
which is the same as a goldfish.
People are distracted enough as it
is; any outside source of distraction is just fuel to the fire,” Collins said.
“When you are texting and
driving, you are not focused on
the road and highly distracted,
similar to being intoxicated,”
Sartain said.
On handsfreeinfo.com, it says
that many texters may even leave
the steering wheel completely
unattended, assuming the car
will continue to drive straight.
Currently, alternatives are being
researched to reduce the texting
while driving trend.
“If I could stop texting and
driving, I would probably enhance the quality of speaker
phone because, let’s face it, everyone sounds like they are in a
tunnel when they are talking on
speaker phone. Along with that, I
would make it illegal to text and
drive at all times. It may not seem
like a serious issue, but your reaction time while texting and
Collins
driving is very similar to your
reaction time while drinking and
driving. Since we have taken so
many actions to stop drinking and
driving, why not do the same with
texting?” Sartain said.
In order to branch away from
texting while driving, there are
things like the Sync system that
Ford vehicles have, or the Bluetooth capabilities most new cars
have. These should only be used
when making a call is unavoidable, Collins said.
“If only phone makers would
make a Voice-to-Text, which is
a system that recognizes what a
person says and turns it into written text that actually recognizes
speech without needing an enunciation coach,” Collins said.
In the last five years, more
than 1,700 people on their phones
caused car crashes in Texas alone.
Many state legislators said they
think a texting ban should be issued, though they think a complete driving-while-using-a-cellular-device will never pass, said
NBC.com.
If so many people die and so
many accidents happen because
of texting, why do people con-
tinue to do it?
“In all honesty, I used to text
while driving all the time but after a couple of car wrecks I quit
cold turkey, for two reasons; one,
because I don’t want to injure
myself. Two, and more importantly, I don’t want to be the reason someone else gets injured or
killed,” Collins said.
“No matter what laws you
put into effect, people will still
text while driving because they
can. We have laws for underage
drinking and on media piracy,
but people think they can get
away with it so they don’t care
what the law says, and the truth
is, they usually do get away with
it,” Collins said.
“Some people are addicted
to being social. Whether people
admit it or not, they want to be
socially accepted. They want to
be ‘in the loop’ and be up-to-date
with the latest gossip (teens and
adults alike),” Sartain said.
A new law is in effect in Texas, according to handsfree.com,
that bans teen drivers (under 18)
from using cellular phones and
text messaging devices.
This seems ineffective since
most of the people texting and
driving are teens and adults, too.
Even if there was a law against all
texters, it wouldn’t be of any use.
No one listens, Collins said.
“Driving takes more focus
than most realize or usually use.
If you think back to your driver’s
education class and remember all
of the things that you needed to
know … most of us don’t even
think of those things anymore.,”
Collins said.
“There is a lot of information
that a person might have to recall
at a moment’s notice, such as in
a car accident. Add texting to the
mix and things get really muddled,” Collins said.
News
December 10, 2010
Page 5
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The pictures above were taken after SIP members responded to the question “what does philanthropy mean to you?”
The Midland College Students in Philanthropy can’t say thank you enough times. They raised more than $1,700 at the 2010 Holiday Evening chili dinner. All
of the money earned will be given back to the nonprofit community in the form of grants in April 2011. Thank you to all who contributed.
Photos courtesy of SIP
Depression survivor relates to current economics
By Haley Carrillo
EP Staff Reporter
“We were so, so, so poor,” said
Great Depression survivor Nell
Thornton. “During the Depression it was rough for everyone
and there really was not anyone
that was immune to it in Big
Spring, Texas.”
This was how many people felt
during the Depression, a world-
wide economic crisis that was
witnessed and felt by all.
“There was not really one set
group that suffered more than
anyone else,” Thornton said. “Everyone was dirt poor back then.”
Thornton said that there were
many different things that people
did back then in order to survive
and support their families.
“My daddy ran a service station
back then to support my mother
and the five of us,” Thornton said.
“Of all the jobs that people had
back then, Daddy’s was considered one of the better ones. He
would trade gas for bushels of
apples, peanuts or other treats for
us sometimes,” she said.
Little things like that were
greatly appreciated, Thornton
said.
“There was nothing better than
a bushel of apples or a pop from
the service station every now and
again,” Thornton said.
“A lot of people thought we had
it easier because of Daddy’s job
but we were really just as poor as
everyone else. Daddy died when
I was nine and things got really
hard after that,” she said.
During the Great Depression
there were many different ways
that families made their lives
much easier.
“Our family always had a cow
at the house so that we could have
fresh milk and Mother could use
it to churn into cheese,” Thornton
said. “I always hated the taste of
that fresh milk and I would never
drink it, but the cheese that Mother made was always good.”
Having animals for food was
only one method of saving money during the Depression. There
were tons of other ways that people made their lives easier that did
not involve animals or food.
“When we would take baths,
Mother would always heat up
lots of water on the stove and fill
up the tub that way,” Thornton
said. “We would only fill up the
tub once so all of us had to share
the bath water. You would always
have to hope that the ones ahead
of you did not pee in the water!”
There were things that were
common during the Great Depression that are completely uncommon during this day and age.
“In Big Spring, we did not have
paved roads or indoor plumbing,”
Thornton said. “We had to share
an outhouse betwixt the seven,
and then later, six of us. Sometimes, as a Halloween prank, we
would go around and turn over
other families outhouses. It was
only for fun so we would always
put them back.”
Little things like that were what
everyone, mostly kids and teens,
did for fun back then, according
to Thornton.
“If we were lucky we could listen to the radio,” Thornton said.
“When we were not doing that,
we would play games like tag
that did not cost any money. We
did not have TVs back then so we
had to make do with what little
entertainment we had. We could
not afford to be picky.”
Though there have been a few
recessions throughout America’s
history, seemingly none can compare to the Great Depression, including the recession that is currently plaguing America.
“I do not feel like this recession
has really touched Big Spring like
it did during the Depression,”
Thornton said.
“I also do not think that many
people in this town know what
it really means to be poor. During school, I only had one dress
to last me all year and most of us
only got one pair of shoes. Once
those tore up you just had to deal
with it.”
Call (432) 686-4219
Midland College ~ 3600 N. Garfield
Portable Buidling 6A
Entertainment
Page 6
December 10, 2010
Play Review
White Christmas surprises, pleases at MCT
By Susanna Karth
EP Staff Reporter
Trees are going up. Lights are
hanging from the roofs. Carols are heard on TV and radio.
Christmas is coming and Midland
Community Theater is celebrating in style.
MCT’s holiday production, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas,
while unlike the famous movie of
the same name, is still a fun-filled
way to spend an evening.
The story is overall enough like
the movie to be familiar to the
audience, but is different enough
that the audience doesn’t know
everything. Bob Wallace (Jaime
Sotelo) and Phil Davis (Ryan McCormick) are still old army buddies turned song-and-dance men.
Movie Review
And they still fall for the beautiful Haynes sisters Betty (Kristen
Loyd) and Judy (Natalie Swanner). And they still try to bring
business to an inn in Vermont
owned by General Henry Waverly (Carl Beery Moore).
But the hilarious chorus girls
Rita (Jennifer Odom) and Rhoda
(Jena Tumlin) are new to the stage
version, as well as the added element of the innkeeper Martha
Watson (Patrice Compton) being
a former singer.
Susan Waverly (performed alternately by Kaylee Campbell
and Lexington Coleman), the
General’s granddaughter, also has
a larger part in the stage version
than in the film.
Familiar songs such as Sisters,
Snow, Count Your Blessings and,
of course, White Christmas are
found throughout, but there are
also songs the audience may not
know such as the brilliant tap
number I Love a Piano and the
finger-snapping Blue Skies.
Tim Jebsen’s direction is almost flawless. All of the scenes
are well-staged, especially the
train car scene. However, the Regency Room scene has one moment that is grating on the nerves.
Bob Wallace has followed
Betty Haynes to New York City
and is watching her perform the
haunting number Love You Didn’t
do Right by Me. He sings How
Deep is the Ocean to himself,
describing what he feels for her.
Sotelo and Loyd both sing flaw-
lessly, but during Sotelo’s solo
Loyd continues to sing her song
silently.
While this lets the audience
know that Betty cannot hear Bob,
it is dreadfully distracting to see
Loyd’s lips moving but to only
hear Sotelo’s voice.
The actors all deliver strong
performances. Most notable are
Compton’s busybody Martha
Watson and Moore’s dry-humored General.
The singing is also strong
throughout the show. There is,
unfortunately, no way any singer
could even attempt to top Bing
Crosby, but the cast makes up for
it.
The best number is undoubtedly Falling Out of Love Can be
Fun sung by Compton, Loyd and
Swanner. Alternating between
singing in unison and three-partharmony these ladies perform
with personality and win over
the audience faster than any other
number including the title song.
White Christmas is a great
way for MC students to spend a
night out. The kids can easily get
restless during the show, so leave
them with the babysitter and have
a date night.
Plus, every MC student can get
one free ticket per show per student ID. That’s a lot less than the
movie theater.
And White Christmas is playing in 3D--the kind that doesn’t
require wearing those annoying
glasses.
Harry Potter saga continues with seventh installment
By Haley Carrillo
EP Staff Reporter
Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows: Part 1 is the seventh
movie in the Harry Potter series
and it is based on the first half of
the book, Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling.
The main stars in this film include Daniel Radcliffe as Harry
Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasely, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger.
Other important characters
are Michael Gambon as Albus
Dumbledore and Ralph Fiennes
as Lord Voldemort.
The movie takes place in many
different places because of the
situation that the characters are
in. There is no specific setting
in this particular movie whereas
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry in London was the
main setting in the other six movies.
The Deathly Hallows takes
place in what would have been
Harry, Ron and Hermione’s seventh and last year at Hogwarts.
I would say that this film is an
action movie with a bit of drama
thrown in.
The Deathly Hallows begins
with Harry watching his relatives, the Dursleys, moving away
to avoid the threat that Voldemort
presents to them should they stay
in Harry’s presence.
Shortly after, members of the
Order of the Phoenix arrive at
Harry’s house in order to safely
transport him to the Burrow, the
Weasely’s house.
Polyjuice potion is used to
make some of the Order members
look like Harry.
Trouble strikes as they are ambushed in the sky by Lord Voldemort and several of his Death
Eaters, who had somehow found
out about the date that the Order
would be moving Harry through
use of a spy.
One of Harry’s old professors,
Mad-Eye Moody, and his longtime pet owl, Hedwig, were killed
in the fray and Fred Weasely, the
brother of Harry’s friend Ron,
lost his ear to a curse.
Afterwards, Harry stays in the
Burrow with the rest of the Order
members for a wedding between
Bill Weasely and Fleur Delacour.
The wedding is interrupted by
a patronus charm that tells the
guests at the wedding that the
Ministry of Magic had fallen to
Lord Voldemort and that Death
Eaters would be there soon.
In the midst of the fray, Harry,
Ron and Hermione escape by disapparating onto a busy city street.
Shortly after, they are forced to
leave the street when they are
discovered and attacked by more
Death Eaters.
Throughout the rest of the
movie they are constantly on the
run from Death Eaters and searching for the horcruxes, even going
as far as to infiltrate the Ministry
of Magic to get a horcrux.
The overall design and direction of the movie was excellent
because they were able to artfully
fit as much content as they did
into a three hour movie.
It’s understandable that they
would have to split it into two
parts because of how long the
book is. It’s amazing that they
managed to get a few hundred
pages worth of story into three
hour movie.
Though some details were
skipped in favor of more important things, none of the important
DVD Review
Saddle up for Toy Story 3
By Brian Smith
EP Production Assistant
Woody and the crew are back
again in the latest, and supposedly
final, installment in the Toy Story
series. Toy Story 3 is on sale now
on DVD, Blu-Ray, or combo pack
As with all Disney’s Pixar
films, the visuals are absolutely
stunning. The detailed animations
and three dimensional renderings
are top-notch. Toy story 3 is truly
the best 3D animation has to offer.
Going back fifteen years to
when the first Toy Story was released, viewers can really appreciate how far this style of animation has come.
Along with these groundbreaking visuals, the script is spot-on
and as witty as ever.
It is easily enjoyable for an
audience of any age with humor,
adventure, and at times raw emotion; elements not typically seen
in today’s cartoons. Though not
quite as ambitious in scale as its
predecessors, Toy Story 3 packs
enough “umph” to keep any movie-goer enthralled.
The interesting element in this
Movie Review
series of movies is the human character,
Andy,
ages
along with the
target
audience.
Being
as
young as the
original fans
of the first
installment,
Andy
ages
and matures
to the young
adult the fans
are today. With
this, Toy Story
3 teaches the
hard lessons
of growing up
and letting go,
an issue that
can be much
relatable
to
this group of fans. That’s not to
say the movie is only for this age
group, as it can be enjoyed by all.
Toy Story 3 is now out on standard edition DVD, two-disc BluRay, or combo pack that includes
all formats.
Courtesy of imdb.com
Behind the Scenes are featured
along with a sneak peek teasertrailer of Pixar’s upcoming Cars
2, sequel to the 2006 movie Cars.
Toy Story 3 is a must-have for
collectors and general audiences
alike and will make the perfect
gift for this holiday season.
‘The boys are back in town’
By Brian Smith
EP Production Assistant
Not for the faint of heart,
Jackass 3D is the latest installment to the notorious Jackass
franchise.
The boys are back, and with
the element of 3D on their side,
their stunts and gross-out performance are as pungent as
ever.
With their famous braindead humor and extreme potty
jokes, this groups of rebels do it
again. And after 10 years from
their television debut on MTV,
Jackass 3D proves they’re still
not afraid to break a few bones.
Just imagine a party whistle
pointed straight at your face
and being blown from a man’s
behind and it stretching right at
you, that’s Jackass 3D.
And I’m glad to say, or sad
to say, that that isn’t even the
half of it.
With a skull and crossbones
disclaimer before the movie, viewers can already predict
they’re in for a treat. Feces, geni-
Though more staged and
less gritty as its predecessors, Jackass 3D still delivers a gut-wrenching blow
and has a more stylized visual along with the pranks
and stunts. Slow motion and
3D effects make the repetition of men getting hit in the
crotch or flying through the
air more enjoyable and adds
a new dimension to the concept.
Unfortunately, Johnny
Knoxville, who has Jackass
to thank for launching his
movie career, and the rest of
the crew seem less enthused
this time around. It could be
the 10 years of aging and
the addition of having children and families, or that
they’re tired of having bulls
run over them, this band of
misfits are losing steam.
Regardless, Jackass 3D
Courtesy of imdb.com
will be enjoyed by fans and
newcomers who can handle
tals, and lots of pain are offered
its
extremity.
And if this is an end
here and it takes an acquired taste
to the saga, it’s a good one.
to enjoy such chaos.
events were missed.
For instance, in the scene of
the wedding in the beginning of
the movie, the book states that
Harry Potter is disguised as one
of the Weasely’s cousins in order
for no one to know who he was
while in the movie they just have
him stay himself. Many little
details like this one were overlooked but the overall point of
the scene still got across.
The various scenes throughout
the movie were also excellent.
Throughout the movie, Harry,
Ron and Hermione go to many
different places and they camp
out in hiding while they continue
their search for horcruxes.
Many of the scenes that were
displayed in the movie matched
the descriptions of the scenes
from the book such as the snowy
riverside scene, where the sword
of Godric Gryffindor was finally
discovered and the first horcrux
was destroyed.
This scene matched its book
counterpart and that helped the
overall movie because three of
the movies most important events
took place in this spot. Ron returned after having left the group
Courtesy of imdb.com
for a short time, the locket horcrux was finally destroyed after
a brief struggle, and the sword of
Gryffindor was found, which is
the only thing they have at their
disposal with which to destroy
the horcruxes.
I give this movie four out of
five stars and I would recommend anyone, whether they be
fans or completely new to the
series, check out this action flick.
Though if one is new to the series I would suggest they read the
book or watch the other movies
so that they can better know what
is going on at the point of time
that the movie covers.
DVD Review
Dragons take flight
By Haley Carrillo
EP Staff Reporter
If you’re looking for a movie
that the whole family can enjoy
look no further than Dreamwork’s How to Train Your
Dragon, based off of the book
by Cressida Cowell. How to
Train Your Dragon is a fun
comedy with just enough drama to keep you wanting more.
The story is centered around
a very unviking-like boy
named Hiccup and a dragon,
Toothless. In an attempt to gain
positive recognition from his
village, Hiccup attempts slay
Toothless.
However, he soon discovers
that he really doesn’t have it in
him to kill a dragon and he becomes friends with the injured
reptile.
Through getting to know
Toothless, Hiccup discovers
that everything Vikings believed about dragons were lies.
While learning how to defend himself against dragons
without harming them, he and
another Viking teen named Astrid are taken to the dragon’s
lair by Toothless where they
uncover a shocking secret that
shakes them to their core.
Hiccup’s fraternization with
’the enemy’ as his fellow villagers see it is discovered by
his father, the village chief.
Hiccup lets slip that he knows
where the dragon’s lair is.
The fight for life as Hiccup
knows it is triggered and despite his father’s words, he and
his friends take to the sky to
save their future.
How to Train Your Dragon’s
plotline is a major part of what
has made the movie as successful as it is. Cowell really wrote
an excellent story that has only
been further enhanced by directors Chris Sanders and Dean
DeBlois. How to Train Your
Dragon has good morals such
as the importance of following your heart and not following the crowd when you know
what they’re doing is wrong.
The plotline is interesting and
touching enough to draw in
anyone from kids to adults with
its cute charms.
Though the plotline leaves
little to be desired, the films animation is where it truly shines
in today’s times. Screenplay
writers Will Davis with the
help of DeBlois and Sanders
produced a masterpiece. The
movie appeared in theaters in
both original and 3D. The 3D
effect only enhanced the great
animation.
From the lush, green forests
around Hiccup’s home to the
desolation of the dragon’s lair,
the scenery is exactly what one
would expect the area and time
in which Hiccup lives to look
like.
The animators also worked
wonders on the various dragons
that are featured in the movie
while offering small glimpses
of other dragons that exist in
Hiccup’s world, but don’t play
a part in the movie.
Overall, I feel that this film
was masterfully done and I
give this excellent family movie five out of five stars.
Courtesy of imdb.com
Sports
December 10, 2010
Page 7
MC volleyball team finishes 37-5 overall
By Colter Bostick
EP Staff Reporter
In the most successful season
in Midland College volleyball
history, the Lady Chaps finished
the year with a record of 37-5 and
a No. 10 ranking in the National
Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) polls.
“Nationals was a really good
experience,” said Kimberly
Boone, head coach of the Lady
Chaparrals. “We had a devastating loss in the first round to Salt
Lake, but looking back, it is very
hard to be disappointed.”
In the opening match of the
tournament on Thursday Nov. 18,
the Lady Chaps were paired up
against No. 17 ranked Salt Lake
Community College out of Utah.
“We were really nervous when
the first game started,” said sophomore Marcella Braz. “But we
adjusted and fought back.”
After losing the first set 12-25,
the girls rallied to take back the
second and third sets, winning
25-19 and 26-24, respectively.
The Lady Chaps were within a
finger’s reach of snagging the
fourth set, but with a late rally by
Salt Lake, ended up dropping the
fourth set 22-25. With the loss
in the fourth set, the Lady Chaps
were not able to regain any momentum over Salt Lake, resulting
in an 8-15 loss.
“The loss was definitely disappointing that night, but the girls
rebounded and came out fighting
on Friday,” said Boone.
With the loss against Salt Lake,
the Lady Chaps were placed into
the consolation bracket and were
paired up against Gadsden State
Community College. The Lady
Chaps came out swinging against
Gadsden State taking the first
set in a 25-15 decision. Gadsden
fought back in the second set, but
their momentum was put down
by the Midland defense, with the
Lady Chaps winning the second
set 25-23. In the final set of the
game, the Lady Chaps finished
off Gadsden State with a 25-14
victory, ensuring another game in
the regional tournament for Midland College.
In their third game of the tournament, the Lady Chaps were
pitted against Wallace State Community College of Hanceville.
The No. 15 ranked team in the nation entered the tournament with
a 52-1 record, but that knowledge didn’t scare the Lady Chaps
away. The Midland girls grabbed
a 25-13 first set victory over Wallace State. Even with the momentum, the Lady Chaps were unable
to suppress their opponent, dropping the second set with a score of
20-25. The Lady Chaps returned
the favor by taking the third set
25-20. With Wallace State one
set away from ending their season
and the Lady Chaps on the verge
of another victory, the final set of
the match turned into “an intense
game of tug-of-war.” In the end,
the Lady Chaps came out on top,
winning the final set 28-26.
“I think that the game against
Wallace showed just how much
we wanted to be at the tournament,” said freshman Sarah Sawyer. “We proved that we could
compete at the national level.”
Despite the momentum from
the game against Wallace State,
the Lady Chaps’ season came to
an end on Saturday, Nov. 20, as
the girls fell in five sets to Iowa
Western Community College. As
in their first match of the tournament, the girls lost their first
set of the game 17-25, rebounded with second and third set
victories of 25-14 and 25-22, respectively, but were then shut
down with 19-25 and 13-15 losses.
“We can’t look at the national
tournament as a loss for us,” said
sophomore Sawyer Schaedig.
“We proved that we belonged
there. And I think that we made
a name for ourselves that weekend.”
Four Lady Chaps, Braz, Schaedig and fellow sophomores Marta
Machos and Karolina Sawaniewicz, were honored with AllWestern Junior College Athletic
Conference (WJCAC) awards.
Sawyer earned WJCAC Honorable Mention honors as well.
This was Boone’s final season
as the head coach for the Lady
Chaps. She will be getting married on Dec. 18 and will be moving to Dallas with her new husband.
“I can’t imagine myself doing
anything else other than coaching,” said Boone. “I hope that
another opportunity comes up so
that I can coach again.”
Five MC volleyball players named to 2010 WJCAC all-conference team
From staff reports
Four Midland College volleyball players were named to the
2010 All-Western Junior College
Athletic Conference Volleyball
Team.
Marcella Braz, Sawyer Schaedig, Marta Machos and Karolina
Sawaniewicz were first -team selections.
Freshman outside hitter Sarah
Sawyer, from Odessa, was an allconference honorable mention
pick.
Braz, a 5’7” sophomore outside hitter from Betim, Brazil, led
the team with 358 kills and was
second on the team in digs with
300.
Schaedig, a 5’8” sophomore
setter from Little Rock, Ark., had
1,445 assists to lead the Lady
Chaps.
Machos, a 6’2” right side hitter from Tomaszow, Poland, was
second on the team with 335
kills and 93 blocks.
Sawaniewicz, a 6’0” sopho-
more middle blocker from Jaworzno, Poland, had 238 kills and
had a team-high 109 blocks.
Sawyer, a middle blocker, was the team’s top freshman contributor with 200 kills
and 76 blocks.
MC was the co-conference
champion with Frank Phillips College, won the NJCAA
Region V West
To u r n a m e n t
and
placed
10th in the
recent national
tournament in
West
Plains,
Mo.
Sawyer
The
Lady
Chaparrals finished 35-7 on the
year.
The WJCAC MVP was Viktorija Jablonska from Frank Phillips
College.
Jablonska was also the WJCAC Volleyball All Conference
Team MVP.
WJCAC All Conference Team:
Kristi Hager, New Mexico Military Institute; Peyton Evan, Western Texas College; Ashlie Klump,
Frank Phillips College; Braz, MC;
Schaedig, MC; Stephanie Brown,
New Mexico Military Institute;
Machos, MC; Sawaniewicz, MC;
Marina Trevisano, Frank Phillips College; Alexandria Kibsey,
Frank Phillips College.
All Conference Honorable
Mention: Agatha Gibbins, New
Mexico Military Institute; Ashton
Garretson, New Mexico Military
Institute; Cherish Tau, Western
Texas College; Sawyer, MC; Kailey Moorhead, New Mexico Military Institute.
From staff reports
The Midland College women’s
basketball
team
improved
their season record to 13-2
after defeating Frank Phillips
College, No. 17 Howard College
and unranked, but incredibly
talented, New Mexico Junior
College during the WJCAC PreConference Tournament held
on the MC campus Dec. 2–4.
The three wins delivered the
Lady Chaps their 13th win of
the 2010 season and put them
in a leadership position in the
women’s WJCAC race.
As MC geared up for its finals
match up against New Mexico
Junior College, Coach Ron Jones
made a point of freeing up the
team on the offensive end in order
to be less predictable. This was
particularly important against
NMJC, a team that entered the
game undefeated on the season
and was as athletic and talented
as any team ranked in the NJCAA
Top 10.
The
Lady
Thunderbirds
were led by a quartet who each
averaged at least 10 points per
game. NMJC leading scorer
Teonna Campbell came in with
a nearly 16 points-per-game
average on 45 percent shooting.
Both teams showed tremendous
ability on both ends of the court
in a contest that was one of the
top two performances of the
tournament. After trading baskets
and with MC taking an early lead,
the Lady Chaps shifted gears.
MC clicked on all cylinders and
began extending their lead over
NMJC to the tune of 44-27 at the
halftime break.
In the second half, the Lady
T-Birds changed their strategy
employing a pressure defense
that seemed to confuse the Lady
Chaparrals. Slowly the tide
turned and NMJC chipped away
at the MC lead. The Lady Chaps
eventually seized control of the
contest late in the second half to
secure a 72-67 win in the WJCAC
Pre-Conference finals. MC rode
the hot shooting of sophomore
guard Jessi Cowden who scored
17 points on 5-11 shooting
(including 4-8 from the threepoint line).
MC expected a much tougher
game against #17 Howard
College. The Hawks roster
featured five sophomores which
32-24, at halftime.
T h e
Lady
Chaps
eventually
beat
back
the
Howard
College charge
to take the
game 64-56.
Howard’s
Tubbs led all
scorers with 21
points on 8-21
shooting. MC
once again used
its
offensive
balance
to
defeat
their
opponent. This
time the Lady
Chaps received
its
scoring
punch
from
Photo courtesy of MC athletic department s o p h o m o r e
guard
MC’s Danesha Long goes high for a shot over a point
T
a
n
i
c a
defender from New Mexico Junior College.
Anderson who
aggressively
contributed strongly to their fast
start during the season. MC led attacked the defense for 16
throughout the first half of a very points.
In the FPC win, MC rode a
competitive contest. Midland
led by an eight-point margin, balanced scoring attack with five
players achieving double-digits
in the contest. Led by freshman
Lindsay Ansley’s double-double
(18 points and 14 rebounds) MC
subdued Frank Phillips College
by a score of 90-59.
The Lady Chaps won all phases
of the game including Field GoalPercentage
(38.4percent-26.3
percent), Rebounds (67-44) and
Assists (20-6). The win moved
the Lady Chaps into a semi-final
match up with Howard College
who entered the game with a
near perfect 11-1 record after
defeating Odessa College 80-74
in their opening round game.
In the second half, Howard
mounted a charge, led by Tasha
Tubbs, that would see the halftime
lead evaporate.
However, the Lady Chaps
always had an answer each time
the Hawks moved to within
striking distance.
The Lady Chaps returned to
action Wednesday, Dec. 7 with a
road trip to Weatherford, Texas
and a game versus the Weatherford
College Lady Coyotes.
The Weatherford game was the
final game of 2010 for the Lady
Chaps.
By Colter Bostick
EP Staff Reporter
The
Midland
College
Chaparrals basketball team has
not gotten off to the same style
of start as they did in the 20092010 season.
The Chaps have dropped
from their first-place seat in the
National Junior College Athletic
Association (NJCAA) polls all
the way down to No.18 with a
record of 10-2.
“I think that [the losses]
refocuses everyone a little bit,”
said Chaparral’s head coach
Ross Hodge. “You never want to
lose, but at the same time, it gives
you some time to address some
concerns that you may have with
the way things are working.”
On Nov. 27, the Chaps
played Jacksonville College.
With a lead throughout the game,
Jacksonville pulled out a win in
the final minutes of the game to
defeat the Chaps 82-77.
“I think we will be just fine,”
Hodge said. “I wanted to schedule
tougher road games and the losses
just allow us to identify some
aspects we may need to work on.”
Before their loss on Nov.
27, the Chaps loaded on the
bus and headed for Dallas to
have Thanksgiving at Hodge’s
mother’s house before playing
Angelina College in Lufkin on
Nov. 26 and pulled out a road win
71-70.
“We got in a dog fight over
there and it was nip and tuck all
night,” Hodge said.
Sophomore
Ty
Nurse
was fouled during a threepoint attempt with no time
remaining on the clock and sealed
the deal by making his first free
throw.
The Chaps travelled to
Coffeyville, Kan., for the
Coffeyville College Classic
that was held on Nov. 18-20.
With an 85-42 victory over
their first opponent, Seminole
State College, Seminole, Okla.,
the Chaps moved on to play
Neosho County Community
College.
“We played Neosho pretty
close,” Hodge said. “They
played within 16 points and
actually got within three points
before the half, but we pulled
away in the second half.”
The Chaps pulled away with
an 89-77 victory over Neosho
and then moved on to the
championship match against the
host team, Coffeyville.
The Chaps jumped out to an
early lead against undefeated
Coffeyville with a 14-point lead.
Despite being on the better half
of the majority of the categories,
turnovers became an issue and
the lead diminished to five
points going into the second half.
“Up to that point, we outrebounded them, shot better and
played good defense,” Hodge
said. “We just didn’t play well
enough in the second half and
ended up losing by 11.”
After coming back from
Wyoming, riding on a three-game
win streak, the Chaparrals hosted
the Midland College Classic on
Nov. 11-13, playing teams from
New Creations Preparatory,
Angelina College and a junior
varsity squad from the University
of the Southwest. The Chaps
made quick work of their weekend
opponents, winning 104-48, 8150 and 100-60, respectively.
“It was nice playing on our
home court,” Hodge said. “We
beat the three teams pretty bad.”
The Chaps will play one more
game against Weatherford College
on their home court on Dec. 15.
The team will have 11 days for
a break over the Christmas and
New Year holidays before hitting
the court again.
“When we get back, we
will have a couple of tune up
games and then we go right into
conference,” Hodge said.
The Chaps will take on
Tomball College and Lone Star
Cypress Fair in Houston on
Jan. 2-3.
The team will play their
first conference game against
Frank Phillips College on Jan. 10.
To keep up with the Chaps,
visit www.gochaps.com for
schedules and updates.
By Kirby Wheeler
team, and despite her lack of time
EP Staff Reporter
on the court for MHS, she earned
Addison Zaya said she never playing time for the Impact.
got the “high school experience”
During spring tryouts, MHS
when it came to volleyball.
graded their athletes’ skills with
“I played vola points system.
leyball at Midland
Points were earned
High as a freshduring drills such
man,” said Zaya,
as agility, the mile
now a freshman at
run, passing, hitMC. “I never really
ting and serving.
got much playing
“I thought I was
time though.”
doing well since
Zaya’s
club
my scores were all
team, the Imhigh,” Zaya said.
pact, was in the
But when the
West Texas Junior
roster was posted,
League. Her club
“Addie
Zaya”
team consisted of
was not on the
many players from
list. With the
Zaya
her high school
highest scores in
passing and hitting on the club
team, she said that the high school
coach did not feel her skills were
good enough to play high school
volleyball.
“No one on the team knew why
I didn’t make the cut so we had
a meeting with the coach,” Zaya
said.
“I showed her my scores
from club and high school tryouts but she said high school
volleyball was way more
competitive and that club volleyball was no where near the same
thing,” she said.
Zaya was disappointed that she
did not make the team and with
the outcome of the meeting with
the coach.
“I thought it was crap,” Zaya
said. “She pretty much told me
that I didn’t have a future in the
sport and I felt that was wrong.”
MC assistant volleyball coach,
Tammie Jimenez, scouted Zaya at
multiple club tournaments in the
Dallas area. Sarah Otwell, former
volleyball player for MC, was
Zaya’s club coach. Otwell spoke
with the volleyball coaches and
MC and had only good things to
say.
“Addie was one our strongest
defensive players and a great
leader for our team,” Otwell
said.
“She played well for us all season,” she said.
After trying out for the MC
coaches, Zaya was offered a college scholarship.
“Even though I didn’t play
much this year, it was a great experience getting to travel together
and it showed me what it was
like to be on a higher level team
that was committed,” Zaya said.
“I think everyone needs to get
their freshman year out of the way
and know what it’s like to play
behind someone and learn,” she
said.
Zaya was part of “the most
successful team in MC history,” as the Lady Chaparrals
finished their regular and post
seasons with a record of 35-7.
“I think everything happens for a reason,” Zaya said.
“It wasn’t just coincidence that I
made the Midland College team
and we went to nationals.”
Braz
Schaedig
Machos
Sawaniewicz
Lady Chaps’ season sets at 13-2 after tourney
MC men’s basketball team off to good start, 10-2 overall
‘Unwanted’ high school volleyball player returns to court at MC
Holiday Evening 2010
Page 8
December 10, 2010
Bert Bostic directs the Chap Singers.
SIP members get ready to serve chili for their annual Frito pie chili supper.
Santa and Mrs. Claus at the student art show.
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Rabon Bewley talks to the audience.
Cegourney Chandler stands by her sculpture.
Students, faculty and the local community came together for Midland College’s 20th Annual Holiday
Evening. Advertisements suggested it would be a fun-filled event for the entire family, and judging by the
outcome, this proved correct.
At the beginning of the night, Students in Philanthropy held their annual Frito pie chili supper fundraiser. The
club also sold hooded pull-over sweatshirts and raffle tickets for items including a 22-inch, flat-screen television
and a free night at the Hilton hotel.
The money raised by SIP will be included in next spring’s grants awarded by the group.
Santa and Mrs. Claus were there giving candy to the children before the raffle drawing.
After the supper, event-goers headed to Christmas at the Dollye Neal Chapel to hear music by guitarist Jacob
Porter. A candle-lit setting gave listeners a feeling of holiday cheer as they enjoyed hot chocolate before the trek
to the Hodge Carillon Tower.
MC Vice President Richard Jolly led the annual “Lighting of the Carillon Tower.” As all the lights on the
tower brightened, carols floated through the air, sung by the MC Chap Singers. With harmonies and smiling
faces all through the crowd, it really was a pleasant sight.
When the caroling commenced, it was time for the opening of the Fall Student Art show. In McCormick
Gallery in the Allison Fine Arts Building, an exhibit is set up with sculptures, paintings, drawings, photographs,
ceramics and digital art pieces.
With a reception full of sweets such as every kind of cookie imaginable including chocolate covered pretzels
and scones, red fruit punch, coffee and delicious hot cocoa, observers were able to view the artwork with a
sense of holiday warmth.
There were other pleasantries such as an incredibly tall tree made up of poinsettias, a lit Christmas tree
covered in all sorts of bells and ornaments and even the famous St. Nick himself.
Visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus were welcomed, and many lucky children jumped at the chance to tell
Santa what they wanted for Christmas. The merry couple walked around in the crowd, making the youngest art
viewers happy.
Throughout the rest of the event, the 16th Annual Midland College Student Art Hallway Sale riveted many
art lovers. A community favorite, the art sale in the relatively small hallway always draws a crowd of anxious
Christmas shoppers.
Some student pieces sold for hundreds of dollars, and many people argued and bartered for the chance to
buy the student artwork. The art sale continued the next day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A portion of each sale was
donated by the students to the art scholarship fund.
If one went down another hallway, toward the Wagner and Brown Auditorium, they would see that there was
only enough room to stand during the annual Christmas concert. This concert, featuring the Chap Singers and
the Jazz Orchestra, was led by Bert Bostic and Rabon Bewley, music instructors.
The Chap Singers opened the concert singing Call to Advent by Jerome Williams, a’cappella. Other numbers
in the concert included holiday favorites Carol of the Bells and Jingle Bell Rock. They also sang Dona Nobis
Pacem (Give Us Peace) for English professor Diane Allen.
The Jazz Orchestra, a combination of the jazz and orchestra groups, the bands opened the night with Kings of
Swing by Mike Story. They also performed three different versions of Frosty the Snowman.
According to Bewley, the band came up with three different names for each of the versions. They were Frosty
the Snowman, Frosty the Samba-man and Frosty the Broke-hard Bluesman.
For a more familiar holiday feel, they also performed the classics Silent Night and Have Yourself a Merry
Little Christmas.
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