Dr. Seuss’ “The Cat in the Hat” is coming to the W

Asia Duren

Reporter

The MUW theatre department will perform Dr. Seuss’ “The Cat in the Hat,” this month in Rent Auditorium in Whitfield Hall. It will be performed four times for schools, along with one public performance.

The show is being presented in conjunction with the Columbus Arts Council and will be performed for more than 5,000 children. The decision to have only one general public performance was easy for William “Peppy” Biddy, director of “The Cat in the Hat,” and professor of theatre at MUW.

“The theatre in Whitfield holds four or five times what our theatre here holds, so one show there [will] be like doing 40 shows here,” said Biddy.

The production is a learning opportunity for many of those involved. Karen Thead, a junior theatre major is playing Sally, and she explained that playing a child has been challenging for her.

“It is my first child role, so it’s drastically different from anything I’ve ever done. ‘The Cat in the Hat’ was such an integral part of my childhood, and being able to look back at the book and imagine myself as that character has been a lot of fun, but it has also been very challenging,” Thead said.

The show has also given younger students opportunities to broaden their horizons. Gabby Lestrade, a freshman, was given the opportunity to work on the technology for the show. She said she has learned this job is extremely important.

“I am nervous about the technology that’s used because one wrong click can turn the whole show upside down. It’s also my first time doing a tech job, and it’s an important tech job. It gives me a sense of responsibility that I haven’t had before,” Lestrade said.

Acquiring the rights to produce “The Cat in the Hat” means that the MUW theatre department is required to use the same props, the same scenery and the same lighting as the original show produced by the National Theatre of Great Britain. However, none of that worries Biddy. In fact, Biddy’s largest concern is rehearsing in one space and actually doing the show in another venue.

“In some aspects this is a traveling show. Even though we’re only going a mile down the road there are things that we’ll have to translate onto that stage. We have a few tricks that we aren’t going to be able to rehearse until we get over there. Of course, I won’t give those away and spoil the surprise, but it will be fun.”

The show will be performed in Rent Auditorium in Whitfield Hall on front campus. The public performance will be on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. Admission for children and students is $5, while adult tickets are $10.

Student Success Seminars Aim to Motivate Students

Joanna Frye

Reporter

This spring semester offers opportunities for students to broaden their horizons. The Student Success Center is reaching out to the student body as a whole, with six seminars planned for the remaining course of the semester.

“We want to develop the students the best we can inside and outside of the classroom,” said Dr. David Brooking, director of the Student Success Center. “The sessions are entertaining, informational, educational, but should not boring.”

How important is Valentine’s Day?

Tevin Arrington

Senior Writer

Valentine’s Day is coming up, and most people typically view the holiday as a day reserved specifically for couples to express their feelings of love for one another. Ideas of the day usually involve presenting loved ones with a bouquet of flowers, a box of chocolates and an extravagant night on the town with dinner and a feature film.

The W has quite a few faculty couples who all had an opinion when asked questions concerning Valentine’s Day. Their answers were interesting, due to the fact that many couples do not place a lot of emphasis on the holiday.

“I kind of see it as a fake holiday, in some ways — and so you feel compelled to do something just because everybody else is, but really you just don’t have a lot of time,” said Dr. Melissa Smith.

A Murder Mystery is Afoot at the W

Ryan Lake

Reporter

The W Leadership program will be hosting a Murder Mystery at the Puckett House at 5 p.m. on Feb. 13.

The program is the brainchild of the director of Student Life, Jessica Harpole, and Kelsey Bowman, a W Leadership intern, who wanted to follow up their success with the haunted house the W Leadership program produced for Halloween.

“We really enjoyed doing the haunted house last semester. So we tried think of something like that. Something that would incorporate everyone. We thought of the game Clue, where everyone would have a chance to develop,” said Bowman.

MUW Takes a Strong Stand against Hazing

Pedro AcevedoPhoto courtesy of Chris Jenkins

Managing Editor

Hazing is nothing new. The action of hazing — broadly defined as any activity that humiliates, degrades, abuses or endangers any individual being initiated into a group — has existed for centuries. Yet, it remains today as one of the prevalent problems among universities throughout the country.

Far from disappearing, hazing-related incidents during pledging and initiation events have caused the death of at least one college student each year since 1970. According to www.stophazing.org, more than half of all college students involved in a club, team or organization experience or have experienced hazing.

According to university president Dr. Jim Borsig, the Mississippi University for Women has not been an exception to this trend.

Je Suis Charlie: Between Freedom of Expression and Respect for Others

Ryan Lake

Reporter

On the morning of Jan. 7, in Paris, two militant Islamists opened fire on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people and injuring 11 others.

Charlie Hebdo was well-known for its irreverent and anti-religious cartoons and articles and had been attacked before in the past. However, such a brazen attack on freedom of speech did not go unnoticed. Four days later on Jan. 11, more than 2 million people including 40 world leaders met in Paris for a rallying day of unity with the rallying cry “Je Suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie”).

Several students at MUW expressed their thoughts on the attacks and its implications.

MUW working toward a tobacco-free campus

Daysha Humphrey

Campus Editor

At this spring’s faculty convocation, Dr. Jim Borsig had an announcement that he saved for last, and the repercussions from it are still rippling through campus.

He announced that he wanted the MUW campus to be tobacco free by July 1, 2016.

While it may not have come as a total surprise, given that other universities have been making this type of change, it was the first official word that the university is moving in this direction.  

Faculty, staff and students who smoke already have some limitations on campus. The MUW Student Handbook 2014-2015 states in section 7.11 that “smoking is prohibited in all campus buildings. Smoking is allowed only in designated areas, which must be at least 20 feet from all building entranceways. Discarded cigarettes should be placed in appropriate containers.”

Some people who have heard discussions about the upcoming change in the tobacco policy on campus have strong opinions about this strategy — especially students.

“American Sniper”: What Does Campus Think?

Charlie Benton

Features Editor           

“American Sniper” follows the story of Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle. The film has been controversial throughout its run, with some critics lauding the film for its realistic, gritty view of the wars in the Middle East and some believing the opposite, going as far as saying that the entire film is based on lies. Even with the controversy, or perhaps because of it, the film has grossed more than $316 million worldwide so far during its run, according to Boxofficemojo.com.

Here is what six W students had to say about “American Sniper.”

Question: Did you like “American Sniper,” and do you feel like it is an accurate depiction of the war in the Middle East?

Faculty spotlight: Wesley Garrett

Asia Duren

Reporter

Wesley Garrett, the director of legal studies at the W, is a practicing lawyer and a professor. She is from Dyersburg, Tenn., and graduated from the W with a degree in Legal Studies. She went on to pursue law at the University of Alabama’s School of Law.  Garrett is the MUW Alumni Association Parliamentarian, a member of the Lowndes County Bar Association, and a member of the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers program. She completes more than 20 hours of pro bono legal services a year and says finds helping people rewarding in many different ways.