In 2010, there are 4,140 colleges in the United States alone, continuing the tradition of higher learning and expanding worldviews. At first glance, the Greeks may find the multitude of American colleges a sweet relief and a job well done. Society continues its uneven stride toward ultimate knowledge, and the sheer number of college students (15.9 million in 2005) may be testament to that fact. However, the times have and continue to change. The importance of the university is still relentlessly prevalent, but the reasons why are another matter.

Junior Korbyn Paden believes that a diploma is the best way to find good and diverse jobs.

“Education is the key to success,” Paden said. “The more education one has, the more career opportunities they will find.”

This thought trend seems to be the guiding light for students as they decide what to do with their lives after high school. It has been drilled into nearly every American citizen’s head that college is the only way to ensure a successful future without working menial jobs. Freshman Hunter Lanham also sees college as a gateway toward career opportunities.

“I want a degree to help me get a job in the future,” Lanham said.

Indeed, a diploma appears to be the only way to keep the tide of fast food and factory jobs at bay. In a deteriorating economy, college students feel that their diploma is the best bet on receiving a high paying job in an uncertain future.

The shrinking worth of the American dollar is a huge factor in the desire and necessity to get the degree at the end of the rainbow.

Senior Katherine Hangartner thinks a college education will provide higher pay in jobs later on in life.

“College is important for those who want to achieve and want to get a job that pays over ten dollars an hour,” Hangartner said.

Clearly, job security and favorable finances are gaining momentum as the main goal of a college career.

Despite the obvious financial reasons that most college students let drive their career, some of the Greek thinkers may have yet to find solace in the current university situation. Even though the vast majority stacks the importance of higher learning next to their future stack of cash, the importance of growth and knowledge has not been lost for all students.

Senior Whitney Bryan follows the ancient beliefs, believing college to be a source of personal growth as a human being.

“A liberal arts education is crucial for being an informed and productive member of society,” Bryan said.

The importance of diverse thought and social understanding continues to develop a society that may one day cure the ills of a troubled world. Even if it has taken a back seat to achieving our wildest capitalist dreams, the production of knowledge continues to be the essential tool for success provided by college.

Don’t settle for paying for your entire education, step up. Get educated on how to earn financial aid and start the process now.

The first step to applying for scholarships is becoming knowledgeable about what scholarships will apply to you. To do this it’s best to make a list of all your qualifications.

Dividing this list into sections will come in handy later, too. Start with a section of every extra-curricular activity you have ever been involved with. Make a separate list of activities from high school and college as some scholarships are interested in both of these, while others are strictly going to look at activities from college.

Make sure you include sports you’ve participated in, clubs inside and outside of school, volunteer work, out of class projects, church activities, jobs, awards you’ve won, and any honors you’ve received.

While being well rounded does look good on scholarships this is not the only thing scholarship boards consider, don’t discourage yourself if your list of extracurricular activities isn’t a mile long.

The next list to make is a list of your goals for the future, academically and personally. If you have any interest in different careers outside of your major write those down, too. Many scholarships are willing to offer scholarship money in return for work, such as substitute teaching.

It’s also smart to keep in mind your place of employment if you have a job; some employers offer scholarships to college students if they continue work during college.

To be able to apply for all the scholarships that pertain to you it’s also necessary to be familiar with what ethnicity your family members are, and where they attended college, if that applies. Virtually all schools give scholarships and financial aid to students with alumni family members or parents.

To apply for scholarships most effectively, it’s best to be confident and know what you have to offer before filling anything out. It’s also not a bad idea to have a teacher or student advisor proofread all your essays and make sure your information is up to date.

Applying for scholarships is made into an easy process by most colleges and universities. Like other schools, Missouri Western has an easy access page, which allows students to apply for scholarships on a broad scale by filling out general information about classes, GPA, qualifications and interest.

To access this link, on the Missouri Western home page, under the “current students” tab, click “financial aid.” On this page if you follow the “scholarships/grants” link, the general scholarship form will be available. Just select either “new students” or continuing students” accordingly and begin your process.

Under the financial aid section there are also links to help you with all other financial aid questions. Don’t procrastinate on finding financial aid, most scholarships are due at the same time as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is March 1.

The 4th Annual Global Women’s Leadership Summit, which will be held April 9, 10, and 11, is a chance for both women and men to understand gender roles in today’s society and ultimately better themselves as people. The summit, sponsored by the Center for Multicultural Education, will cost $20 for students and $30 for non-students and is themed “Girl, Woman, Lady, A Trilogy of Self Worth.” It will consist of keynote speakers, workshops for both men and women, a fashion show and a special event entitled “A Walk in Her Shoes.”

In this special event, MWSU male students and faculty will walk around a track in a pair of women’s shoes in an act to stop domestic abuse and gender violence.

CME Director Tay Triggs explained how this Women’s Summit is very unique and will give both men and women something to meditate on and ultimately better themselves as individuals.

“There are a lot of reasons why it would be beneficial for students and the general St. Joseph community to come to the summit,” Triggs said. “I believe that more and more we need to start developing our students holistically; meaning mind, body and soul. I don’t think we do that well and concentrate on students developing completely.”

Among developing students in this particular manner, the summit also plans on building unity. Every year the summit organizers survey and talk to students asking what type of women issues and conflicts they see.

“Sometimes we get really negative feedback on what the women on this campus think of each other,” Triggs said. “We tend to be really clickish. That’s really sad because we are missing out on some great relationships and friendships that we can be building. In order for women to get past all the atrocities we are facing, we need each other. There must be some sense of global sisterhood.”

For this year’s summit, multiple students and members of the community have already purchased their tickets. The last day to sign up for the women’s summit is April 6. Missouri Western freshman Danielle Davis plans to attend the event and is excited about the issues the summit will cover.

“I think it’s a good idea to have the summit because it gives women the opportunity to gain confidence and self esteem in becoming who you are,” Davis said. “I plan to attend because I want to learn how I can better myself.”

Western freshman Brandonne Primous adds input from the male perspective.

“It’s good to learn what women think and their point of view,” Primous said. “You can also learn self-worth.”

To purchase tickets contact the CME (816-271-4540), Tay Triggs (ttriggs@missouriwestern.edu) or Western student LaShoya Harper (lharper@missouriwestern.edu).

In today’s politically correct culture, maybe we should be referring to non-traditional students as mature students. That is assuming a lot of course but I don’t feel many would argue that non-trads at Western are typically more mature than so called traditional students.

Traditional kind of promotes an aura of old fashioned – unwilling to change. While non-traditional brings a feeling of adaptability. Certainly, most if not all of us non-trads have to adapt to college life but to say that we’re the opposite of old fashioned would be a bit of a stretch.

When I try to identify people that I consider to be mature, I mostly think of people that are older. When I think of people that are older than me, I mostly think of people that are somewhat set in their ways. So I guess I’m saying that an element of maturity to me is a hesitation toward change.

Now there is a word that has been thrown around a lot lately.

Recently change has reared its ugly head into the supposedly mature confides of the Non-Traditional Student Center. At least a faction if not all of the non-traditional group have approached this change with anything but adaptability.

I suppose with age comes a comfort level with the way things are. Things have been the same at Western for a while but things are changing that are out of our control. More students are applying and enrolling than ever before. Budget constraints have forced tough decisions. I have always felt that with uncontrollable change there comes a need for controllable change.

I am a non-trad and I consider myself a mature student. I will even admit to being someone who is hesitant toward change. I will also proudly proclaim to be someone that is willing to adapt to a changing situation.

Pride can also be an element of maturity. It is pride in this university that should make us all mature enough to adapt to change. Even if does stray from tradition.

Campus Parking
According to the Missouri Western State University Parking and Security Services, residential students must park in their assigned lots from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday through Friday, and off campus students, campus workers and professors can park anywhere but the residential parking lots during the same time. If you break these rules, you will get a ticket of $25. Both Western on and off-campus students haven’t been satisfied with the parking regulations and space.
Residential Assistant Clarisha Blaylock talks about current parking issues. “Students are always fighting for parking spaces,” Blaylock said. “[Campus Police] should be more lenient since they know the parking is bad.”
So, campus residents have to decide whether leaving campus is worth losing a decent spot. Sophomore Sarah McClure who lives on campus, knows the importance of being parked in a good place.
“It’s impossible to find a spot remotely close after you leave, “ McClure said. “Parking spots are very valued here.”

Attendance Policy
Certain students like Sophomore Jeff Daniels wonder if the strict attendance policy is really necessary, especially with department policies being even more strict. Take some classes in the Art Department for example that clarify that after three absences, your grade will be dropped by a full letter.
“If you’re doing the work, it shouldn’t matter if you show up or not,” Daniels said. “It’s still your job to do the work, though. You still have to earn it.”

Student Fees
Students have to pay for classes, yet also have to pay certain fees along with the billing process. Last year’s $75 facility access fee has doubled to $150 this year, which Senior Kelly Findley is not hip on paying for.
“I already have a class over in [the Baker Center], so I shouldn’t have to pay to use the building when I have to be there for class anyway,” Findley said.
Other expensive fees include $60 for Max Experience and for Student Governing Association and a $45 computer intensive course fee per class. The technology fee is for classes that are held in a computer lab. Senior Luke Akers believes it is to make up for the money they could have gotten with the recycling fee had the student body not voted against it last spring.
“We were given the choice to pay the recycling fee or not,” Akers said. “Yet when we turned it down, they added the technology fee anyway without telling us. The whole point was that we didn’t want to pay any more fees. All I’m saying is that they didn’t have to be so sneaky about it.”
Professor of Journalism and Yearbook Advisor Ann Thorne agrees with Akers when it comes to the late introduction of the fee. Some of her courses, like Introduction to Mass Communication, do not use the computers very often. So in order for her students to avoid paying the $45 in those classes, she quickly switched her classrooms from Murphy Hall to Wilson Hall.
“The faculty didn’t know about the computer fee until right before school started,” Thorne said. “Had I had known about it sooner, I could have scheduled my classes that don’t need computers to rooms without them since we pick our rooms a year in advance.”

Required Meal Plan
Western residents must also pay for a meal plan while living on campus. McClure is against the mandatory meal plan and thinks it’s probably cheaper to buy groceries instead.
“I have the smallest meal plan and I still don’t eat that much,” McClure said.
Then again, Blaylock understands from a financial standpoint why a student wouldn’t want to pay for a meal plan; however, she feels there is a valid purpose for it.
“From a residential life point of view, I think it is important to ensure that everybody on campus will eat if they need to,” Blaylock said. “You never know what people’s financial situations are. At the end of the day, if you don’t have any money but you’re living here, you can still eat. It’s for our own good.”

Campus Living Rules
On-campus residents can hang out with friends of the same sex and the opposite sex until midnight. After that, any classmates or visitors of the other gender have to leave the building according to the Residence Hall Guide. Spencer thinks college students should be allowed to have anybody over, no matter what their sex is. Some students aren’t patient enough and don’t like to fill out the worksheet to check in themselves and visitors to their assigned halls. Head Softball Coach Jen Bagley puts into perspective why checking in is important and uses a saying that could be used for everyday life.
“Would you rather stand in line to check in or not and find a stranger in your room? Bagley questioned. “Taking the two minutes to check in sounds a lot less worse. That’s why we need to guard against the worst case scenario.”

This decision is one that many students were waiting for. Now, if a student doesn’t have class at that time, then, they can go and enjoy the new facility.

Student fees help to pay for some of the facility, so it is only logical that the complex be opened to the students so that they can enjoy it.

Now, the facility is one of the nicest in the country, so with this new privilege, comes a great responsibility to keep the facility at its peak condition.

This means that the students need to be respectful of the facility and not throw their gum on the turf or tear the blades of grass out of there just to see what is underneath it.

Hats off to the Athletic Department for allowing the students to use the facility. SGA had an open house to let the students see what the indoor complex really holds and why it is such an amazing facility.

Because of this, it has helped to show the students how nice it is and hopefully it will help to show the students that it is the best facility in the country.

Students may also have a limited amount of time to use the facility, but it is better than nothing.

The administration could have very easily limited the use of the complex to just the athletics departments and intramurals. Instead, the allowed students to have access to it and the student body should be happy with what they have.

With the complex being open to student use, it will hopefully encourage more student involvement. Students will be able to be proud of the fact that a multimillion dollar facility can be used by the Kansas City Chiefs as well as by an ordinary, everyday student.

Basically, hats off to the administration for allowing students to be able to use the facility and for trusting students to take care of the complex and make it look like it is ready for the Chief’s training camp all year long.

On a final note to the students, we need to do our best to keep the facility as nice as possible so that we can keep the privilege to use the complex on Tuesdays and Thursdays and not have it revoked because of damage or misuse.

English professor Cynthia Jeney has been involved with Study Away since 2008 and this spring she will bring her English 361: Tales & Legends of King Arthur class to England. Jeney believes Traveling abroad is really the only way to cultivate a cosmopolitan mind; however she is aware that each person experiences their trips abroad in a unique and personal way.

“My hope is to open those emotional and mental conduits, so that students will truly be able to capitalize on the wonder and the fascination of their travel destination,” said Jeney.
Jeney also offers a bit of advice to students interested in traveling.

“Arrive in new places with open eyes, heart and mind. This kind of enriched travel is a privilege and an exciting way to immerse yourself in language, culture, ideas, history and different societies,” said Jeney.

Student Kelly Findley has studied abroad in Greece, Italy, Croatia and London. Her favorite part is seeing other countries and trying their foods. She thinks it’s important to take advantage of these opportunities, but to always stay focused on your assignments.

“Always realize that school comes first and you are there to learn,” said Findley.

Findley also reminds students that simple common sense can make a trip run that much more smoothly. She advises not to bring anything you would miss if it were lost, be nice to the locals and be prepared for the work that lies ahead.

Studying abroad does present some challenges since it is different from traditional learning in the United States. The program encourages students to engage in a self-assessment of their strengths and weaknesses before enrolling.  This helps to determine the type of studying best suited for the student.

Director of Study Abroad and Exchange Programs, James MacGregor thinks the impact of globalization is everywhere and the best way to gain understanding is through personal experience which studying abroad can offer many students. Not to mention it looks great on a resume or graduation school application.

“It is essential for all students to understand the similarities and differences between themselves and other people around the world,” said MacGregor.

The first step to getting involved in these programs is by asking your teachers about possible trips, visiting the Study Away office in Popplewell Hall room 203, or by checking out the website at www.missouriwestern.edu/studyabroad.

“Brad’s dad, Max Grooms, was the founding member of Missouri Western’s Gold Coat Club, and a huge fan of Griffon Athletics,” Amy Grooms said. “Max the Griffon was named after Brad’s father, so it was really cool to do that for our family and for the school.”

Amy and Brad enjoy bringing local interest to the community. While appealing to families with small children, the maze also brought a lot of high school and college student groups to the corn field. The corn maze was a large field cut by a professional who used a GPS tracking system to recreate Max into the corn, which was done when the corn got to be about two or three feet tall. The maze took about two hours to get through completely, and had different stations throughout that guests could stop and stamp their tickets to enter into a drawing if they made it all the way through. For Halloween weekend, the last weekend the maze was open, there was a Flashlight Night where guests could go through the maze after dark.

There were quite a few students from Missouri Western who were interested in the Max maze. Taylor Hand went with a local church group and stayed for a bonfire at one of the fire pits the Grooms’ also offered.

“The maze was really neat, but I’m glad I wasn’t by myself,” Taylor said. “I think it was such a good idea for St. Joe, a great fall activity.”

The St. Joe Corn Maze also included activities such as pumpkin painting, a corn box, similar to a sand box, and games for everyone to enjoy. The corn maze was open weekends throughout the month of October and was appropriate for all ages, including college age. Senior Raechelle Ragan visited the corn maze with some friends.

I’ve been watching The Daily Show for years, and Stewart represents what I consider the silent majority. We vote and we care, but we refuse to participate in the perpetuation of fear and intolerance.

Stewart is the mascot for Americans who want to tell their country that despite disappointment and adversity, that nothing undermines the love we share for our country. It is that love of our country that motivates us to refrain from the dialog that mass media perpetuates.

All my life I grew up seeing the footage of famous marches on the national mall and this was my opportunity to be a part of history- to represent a cause bigger than my own. Congregating, in a location as historic as the National Mall, brought into perspective how influential the gathering of like-minded individuals can be.

Estimates for attendance range from 196,000 to 215,000 according to a scientific analysis commissioned by CBS news.

Standing in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial was a poignant reminder of the American dream that we must fight to preserve.

Regardless of how divided the media would lead you to believe our country is, the truth is that we are all Americans. The sentiment may be trite, but it rings true for so many. America is just not a house divided.

We disagree on issues and our politics, but in the end it the unity of the people that holds our country together. Politicians and pundits make up a small population of our country, yet the amplification of their voices often drowns out the more subdued and reasonable voices of everyday people.

So we converged on the mall to represent everyday people. In signs and costumes the crowd exemplified the differences between who the media wants to believe Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert fans are, and what we really stood for.

According to signs, attendees made proclamations like, “I disagree with you, but I’m sure you’re a nice person,” or “I’m not afraid of socialists or Muslims, but I am afraid of spiders.” My personal favorite was, “Snuggies scare me.”

The point wasn’t political affiliation, but a desire for civil discourse in regards to the issues of consequence in our country.

The spirit of the crowd exemplified the virtues that the rally touted. With humor, patriotism and pride rally-goers took to the mall en masse.

I can’t deny that I hoped our rally would exceed the size and success of Glenn Beck’s recent “Rally to Restore Honor,” but it was about more than just showing up the honor crowd in size, enthusiasm and sanity. It was about proving moderate Americans still have a voice.

As I entered the mall a woman stopped me to ask why I attended. We found that the motivating reasons had very little to do with rage and politics. Americans like ourselves showed up to prove our very existence.

I’m an everyday American with bigger problems than sifting through the talking points and BS perpetuated by the media. I have a husband, a son, work to go to and school to get through. Life is busy, but I wanted to make time for this. I went because I wanted people to see what the rally-goers represented.

My journey to the National Mall was long and my hopes for the Rally to Restore Sanity were large. Rally-goers came together for a greater purpose than just restoring sanity. I believe we marched on the mall for because there is too much at stake if the voices of moderate Americans fail to be heard.

Here we go again! Will we ever be rid of this disastrous show known as the “Vagina Monologues?” Having seen the show myself, reluctantly, many years ago, I fail to see how it benefits women to swear and use creative names for their vagina and other body parts. The entire show is utterly degrading and indicative of the low-level that much of American culture has fallen to in 2011. As one example, a lesbian assault on a 13-year old girl was described approvingly, as a “good rape.” Using degenerate language does not “free” women, it simply reduces their dignity. Having the freedom to do something does not necessarily mean that we should do it. Women wouldn’t, or at least shouldn’t, want a man to use the terms they themselves use in this “theatrical production.” If it is improper for one group to use a term, it should be improper for everyone. And, to make matters worse, it is to be performed on Valentine’s Day—a day traditionally devoted to romantic love, unity, and caring for other people.

I am absolutely opposed to violence against women, but there are far superior ways, both morally and economically, to address the issue. How about campus organizations sponsoring a Valentine’s Day dance where couples could sell tickets across campus for some type of prize? A large percentage of ticket sales could be donated to the YWCA to help women who have been assaulted or otherwise abused. On some campuses, I have witnessed students selling flowers around Valentine’s day to support various causes. And if the students believe they would want to put on a play, there are many that emphasize and promote the goodness in people and the dignity of both men and women without debasing themselves in the process. This is not a naive hope for some unattainable utopia, but rather a confidence that university students and faculty can rise above the level of the street and strive for something better. Abuse against women will decline when they are no longer seen as sex objects by men (and women), but viewed with dignity as individuals. Our current popular culture, i.e., music, movies, television, social networking, all conspire against this view of women by essentially saying that sex is all that matters. Why should our students simply follow in lock-step with this superficial paradigm? Where is the innovation and inventiveness of students and faculty? Can’t we think of anything better than what the New York Times tells us is “funny” or “edgy”? Do we have to rely on Broadway or Hollywood or Eve Ensler to tell us what to do? Surely, we can think of something more appropriate, and more innovative, to generate funds for the YWCA than an old, tired show that highlights the worst in human behavior.

Sincerely,

Kenneth Dagel

Kenneth Dagel
Associate Professor of Geography
Missouri Western State University
St. Joseph, MO

“Secede from Secularism”

We have recently purchased 11 SGA suggestion boxes that will be placed in all academic buildings, so that SGA may better serve the students. This will allow students to communicate in a confidential manner and give a more convenient outlet for student expression. Work is also underway for an online suggestion box that will be located on the SGA website by the beginning of next semester. All suggestions will be welcome.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the main voting branch of SGA, the student senate body must vote you in.  Currently, senator numbers have risen to 16, but we still have four spots available for voting members as well as openings for associate senators. To be voted in as a senator you must attend three SGA meetings and maintain a 2.25 cumulative GPA.

The gallery is always open for anyone to sit-in on our meetings. Also, it is the misconception that you have to be a senator to write a bill. You do not have to be in SGA to author a bill, anyone can write a bill as long as a SGA senator introduces it in the meeting. SGA’s Western Activities Council and SGA’s Residence Council meetings are also open for students to attend and will always welcome student opinions.
Whatever you do, whether you join SGA, an organization on campus or simply give us suggestions, we just ask for you to get involved and make a difference. Every voice is important so please don’t waste yours.

Dan Nicoson, vice president for university advancement, was one of the people responsible for bringing Shields to campus and says that Shields has always served Western’s campus and the community very well.

“A study of Sen. Shields time in office would be an excellent study of leadership as he rose to leadership positions in both the house of representatives and the senate, including the highest legislative office in the state legislature of Senate President Pro Tem,” Nicoson said.

Shields’ speech, which was held at the Fulkerson Center, focused on the importance of government efficiency, training future leaders and moving past divisive politics.

“We have to move past term limits and focus on how to make government work,” Shields said, addressing people upset over his term-limit imposed retirement.

Shields also touched on some of the ways he was involved on Missouri Western’s campus, for which he is held in high regards by University President Robert Vartabedian.

“I’m a great admirer of Charlie Shields. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him as a person, as a political leader, and I think it’s a huge loss to have him be term-limited,” Vartabedian said.

Vartabedian says that Shields was instrumental in Western gaining university status, getting help from the state for the construction of Remington and Agenstein halls, and getting the Chiefs training camp on Western’s campus.

In his speech Wednesday Shields recounted a story of a St. Joseph boy and his dad who ran into Jamaal Charles, the Chiefs’ star running back, at the grocery store and were able to get his autograph.

“You can talk about economic development, but this is a young man that got to meet his hero,” Shields said.

After touching on the training camp, Shields moved on to give advice for getting good leadership in public office. He said that communities need to focus on leadership training, a strong support system for those interested in public office and getting over the notion that candidates need to have a perfect past.

Another thing important for good leadership is an active and engaged press in the process, Shields said. He worries that cutbacks to the media are hurting the political process, and that people are moving online for their news.

“The problem is people are getting their news from blogs, and blogs are bias!” Shields said.

The senator then went on to recount some of the highlights of his 20 year career, and some of the things he learned from his life in politics. He said that he learned from working with both political parties, door-to-door campaigning, his wife and his children.

“One thing I’m most proud of is that they still believe that being a legislator is an honorable profession,” Shields said.

Shields concluded this emotional end to his speech by addressing the audience before taking their questions.

“It’s been an honor to serve you for the last 20 years,” Shields said.

Missouri Western looked like they were back to the same team just like in the beginning of the season, putting together 42 points in a convincing win. The team struggled at the beginning of the game, only putting up 6 points in the first quarter by two field goals. That changed in the second quarter, when running back Thomas Hodges scored the first touchdown from one yard out.

Andrew Mead catches a touchdown pass from Drew Newhart in Saturday’s 42-14 win over Emporia State. Photo | Jason Brown

“There was great blocking by the offensive line, and you feed off of it”, Hodges said.

Quarterback Drew Newhart also agreed with Hodges with the offensive line play. He also had a big day, throwing the ball for 289 yards and two touchdowns.

“The offensive line set the tempo throughout the game,” Newhart said.

He got to hit Andrew Mead many times in the passing game, thanks to the offensive line. Mead had great finishing stats, catching 11 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns.

“Mead’s a great receiver and when he is open, I try to get the ball to him as much as possible,” Newhart said.

The person that was getting a lot of the credit for the other player’s big day was offensive lineman Stephen Jones. He talked about if the offensive line does their part, then it should not be a problem for any other position on the offense to do theirs.

“If we give the quarterback and running back time, we are going to make plays,” Jones said.

The team played really well at home, and Coach Partridge gave some credit to the home field, and felt it could have been the home field advantage.

“Maybe it’s just being at home being a part of it,” Partridge said.

The offense for the past three to four weeks has not played up to par where they could have been, and as a result has led to some of the losses the team has had. A portion of the bad play has been on the road, including low scoring by the offense. According to Partridge, this is the reason why the play has been bad.

“We have not played very well on the road, especially the last three appearances,” Partridge said.

As to why the offense played so well, Partridge said the team was in a more relaxed state.

“We took it off a little bit, and we were more relaxed,” Partridge said.

The defense was another strong point as they held Emporia to 14 points for the game.

If the team wins out, they have a chance of making the playoffs this year, something they have not done since 2006.

We have always had people from different communities in need. An economy that has been in crisis has left more and more people seeking help from food pantries and other nonprofit organizations.

All the government agencies that were put in place to serve those less fortunate have faced cuts, and in some cases been sliced completely leaving needy families with no where to turn.

Jobs are being lost and many families with children are forced to move back home with parents, or move in together to share expenses. Take a closer look and you will see a larger group of people scraping the bottom of whatever will produce things as simple as a meal, or other everyday needs that most of us take for granted.

With the biggest holidays of the year approaching many of these families will be making due with the bare necessities. There’s some help, but not nearly enough to meet the needs of everyone asking.

Not only is this a problem for needy families, but our problem as well, and its time we make an extra effort to give. We are all having tough times, but it doesn’t take very much to make a difference. If everyone at this school (a little over 6,000 students) each gave fifty cents to a food pantry, that’s $3,000, which is enough to feed roughly 150 families a turkey dinner. That’s a very small amount of money, but think of the huge difference it can make. Giving builds stronger communities that will grow and eventually give back. Giving will lower crime rates keeping people from stealing; stealing comes out of our pockets anyway when businesses are forced to raise prices to compensate losses.

The misconception that something or someone else will solve the problem has severe consequences. The families suffering could be yours someday and wouldn’t you like to know that there’s help?

Let’s make a difference this year when it’s desperately needed more than ever. Do you really need that new pair of shoes? Is a new video game more important? Can you skip that one soda in between classes to see that someone eats today or has a nice holiday?
Children are our future and if for any other reason do it for them. Bless each and every one of you who decide to sacrifice something for the good of others and I hope you do. Don’t talk about it, do it. For some, having a happy holiday is up to us to be there for them.

What should Missouri Western do to address the long-standing issue of how to deal with smoking on campus?

Options like smoke shelters or converting the campus to a smoke-free area are both ideas which have been up for discussion. Unfortunately, both of those proposed solutions have been met with student opposition from both sides of the issue. It is difficult from an administrative level to pick a side when defending one student’s rights infringes on that of another student.

Nobody is disputing the fact that smoking has been proven unhealthy to smokers, as well as victims of second hand smoke, but segregation may be the key to finding a compromise.

Cartoon | Brooke Carter

While smoking is not indeed a right, their basic liberty in happiness is still a concern. Every student on campus still deserves the right to have his or her complaints heard and understood as well. Student complaints about second hand smoke and some smokers general lack of respect for other students, is understandable but put yourself in the smokers shoes.

This isn’t a student body problem though. Smokers are constantly complaining about not having a proper place during the winter months to smoke in. While this argument is understandable why should all the students be enablers by building small shelters for them to smoke in.

Nevertheless, we are adults at Missouri Western. The decision to smoke is a personal one, and that right should be respected. That being said, smoking on campus is not a part of that right. It is a privilege. If smokers cannot adhere to the polices outlined, such as not smoking in non-smoking designated areas, then why should their privilege be respected.

At the same time, Student Government and Administrators should enforce these polices. What’s the point of setting them up in the first place if there is not punishment for breaking them?

On the other end, self enforcement is always preferable. Due to smokers not adhering to these polices they soon may face just discrimination.

Why doesn’t Campus Security fine smokers for smoking in the non-smoking areas and use the money to build them a proper smoking shelter. That would Instead some students wish to ban smoking all together If this is the case, how will this be enforced? How can we enforce a new policy when we can’t even enforce the old one?

Last year students had to pay one dollar for admission. This year it will be free because the Western Activities Council is co-sponsoring this event. According to BSU President Leah Hayes, last year’s fashion show had to resort to a standing room because it unexpectedly brought in such a large audience.

Now that tickets are free, Hayes expects even more students to show up to this semester’s themed show entitled, “All Falls Down.”

“This year will be pretty packed,” Hayes said. “We are going to try to fit as many seats as we possibly can. To put it into perspective, the audience will be so close to the runway that they will be able to touch the models.”

So far, to be on the safe side, she says there will be around 150 seats available, and students must have a ticket to get in. The sooner students decide to get their tickets, the better chance they will get to see their classmates walk the catwalk.

Perhaps students will recognize classmate Caresse Owens, who walked in the fashion show last year as well. Although Owens is an Education major for now, she desires a modeling career.

Western Students and Models of the Fashion Show practice walking the runway as they prepare for the show which will be on Friday, Nov. 5th at 8:00 p.m. Photo | Debo'ra Baskin

Owens has also modeled for local designers in Kansas City and wore Western student and designer Noel Corrier’s line in last year’s fashion show, “Rip the Runway.”

Corrier, who is pursuing a job in Vogue or designing plus size clothes for women, will also be presenting a line of seven outfits in this semester’s show. Through her work she wants students to see they’re capable of following their dreams.

“Last year nobody really knew I designed clothes,” Corrier said. “I’m not a person to brag, so I kept quiet about it,” Corrier said. “I want people to see how far they can go with designing clothes.”

Corrier is one of six different designers that will be presenting their outfits. The other designers include former Western students Eman Brian and Angelice Henderson, Designer Ragged Edges and Designer Money Grows on Trees (a.k.a. MGOT).

Western student Anthony Jackson will be modeling these various designers’ clothes for his first time on the runway. Although he is fairly new to the fashion world, he wants to make an impact on the crowd.

“I feel we will give the audience inspiration and confidence to get involved,” Jackson said.

Jordan Johnson, who is assisting with the show and wants to design clothes for plus size men in the future, agrees with Jackson and overall wants students to learn from the show and enjoy it so much they keep coming back each year.

“People should see the different creative set of styles we are trying to bring to Missouri Western,” Johnson said. “I want the fashion show to be a ritual.”

Robin Carnahan-D.

Small businesses are our nation’s jobs and innovation engine, and Robin Carnahan will fight to support them by cutting red tape, simplifying the tax code, and making sure they have the resources they need to thrive. Since over 60 percent of new jobs are created by small businesses, more help for small firms and start-ups means more jobs and security for Missouri families.
Higher education is another important key to job creation, so we must do more to give every boy and girl who wants to go to college the ability to access that dream. In Missouri, students and families are struggling more than ever to afford skyrocketing tuition costs. Carnahan believes that no qualified student should be denied a college education just because they cannot afford it.
No graduate should be forced to carry an unsustainable debt load upon graduation.

Roy Barnes-R.

Roy says we need to empower students and their families so that they can make education decisions that allow them to flourish and succeed. When we do spend federal dollars, we must demand results.
With the federal government’s limited role, Roy will continue to work to encourage policies that emphasize improvement in our schools and fight for greater local control so our children can be successful in life.
Roy Blunt believes the way to real prosperity is to count on free people to make their own decisions – what to buy, how much to save, when to borrow or lend, and how much. In the present crisis, for example, if we want more consumer spending and job creation, then let’s reduce people’s taxes. He wants the President to have a line item veto, so the President can find wasteful projects and stop them.

State senatorial candidates

Martin T. Rucker-D.

It is essential for every Missourian to have the opportunity for a quality education. As a State Representative I have voted to fully fund our K-12 education system every year. We must do more to ensure access to technology and excellent teachers in classrooms. Higher education is also key to success in the workplace and competing in our global economy. I’m proud to have sponsored tax credits to make higher education more affordable.
We need an increased focus helping Missourians find jobs. As a Representative I have fought tirelessly to support legislation that creates and protects Missouri jobs and helps to create and grow small business, from cracking down on businesses that hire illegal immigrants to supporting tax credits and low interest loans for small businesses.

Rob Schaaf-R..

Since I have been in office, we have increased funding for education and created a new foundation funding formula to make sure that schools have the resources they need to give our children a quality education. As your state senator, I’ll make sure we continue to make education a priority in Missouri and work to ensure that our education dollars are spent wisely and that our teachers receive the training and resources necessary to give our children the best possible education.
Since I first took office in the Missouri House, we have turned state budget deficits into budget surpluses without raising taxes. I’ll work to keep taxes low so you can keep more of your own money, and make sure that the tax dollars you send to Jeff City are spent wisely and that our state government doesn’t spend money we don’t have.

The primary goal of the ROTC is to develop leaders that can eventually serve our country. The ROTC also offers great scholarships that help give students a chance to go to school for a reduced cost.

Ernest Chamblee, a Western senior cadet, joined the ROTC for several reasons.

The new freshman of ROTC go through new drills that they are being taught. The ROTC program at Western is linked with a Military Science major. Completion of this bachelor’s degree allows students to be able to enlist in the U.S. Army at the rank of Second Lieutenant. Photo | Debo'ra Baskin

The opportunity to get college paid for and have a job immediately upon graduating is a major motivator for many students to join, according to Second Lieutenant Andrew Moffet.

“I would love to say that it’s because we’re patriots, but a lot of it is because of money and scholarships,” Moffet said. “We do have a lot of people that do it for patriotic reasons, but I think a lot of what it is is something else to strive for and scholarship.”

However, being involved in the ROTC program isn’t simply an easy ticket to a free education.

“It’s almost like being an athlete on steroids,” Chamblee said.

ROTC members work out every morning at 6 a.m. and take the same average of 15 credit hours as traditional students plus 5-6 hours of ROTC courses. In the ROTC classes, students learn about military related things like explosive devices, how to train a unit, and how to be a leader. Another part of the evaluation process is how the older cadets prepare their younger counterparts.

“For example, me being a senior, I have three junior cadets that are under me and I’m in charge of them,” Chamblee said. “It’s a chain of command as it would be in the army, but you’re doing all that while in school. It changes your daily activities a little bit.”

Moffet explained the different ways that ROTC students live the college experience.

“We take students and we turn them into cadets,” Moffet said. “You take ROTC just like any other class, but what you’re learning is different.”

Students participate in several army-like simulations. For instance, Moffet mentioned that students could be provided with a bunker and paint ball guns to practice a combat situation.

“Then we’ll see how they do,” Moffet said. “Do they make the correct decisions, do they make decisions at all, or do they just freeze? Once they’re at the senior level, we’ll put them in a leadership role.”

Moffet discussed the amount of dedication it takes to be in a program as demanding as the ROTC. While it is a great way to get school paid for and to develop great leadership attributes, it takes a special kind of person to make it all the way through.

“It takes the ability to handle stress,” Moffet said. “You have to the right heart for it. If you don’t, you won’t make it.”

Clay Rains
The streets of downtown St. Joseph were lined with people on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 9 who came to take in Western’s homecoming parade. In addition to many campus groups, participants in the parade included many area political candidates, and over 20 high school marching bands.

Max the Griffon shakes people’s hands during the homecoming parade. Photo | Broke Carter

“We pulled an all-nighter, from 11:30 yesterday until 5:00 this morning, so none of us have been to sleep yet,” Wormsley said.

Junior Zackary Kimmel’s Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity had a little bit different of an idea for their float, which was prison themed.

“Our theme was ‘St. Joe’s most wanted,’ so we had a prison cell with one of our rushes dressed up like a Truman Bulldog, and a couple more following behind the float like a chain gang,” Kimmel said.

Yell Like Hell

Clay Rains
Potter Hall Theater was nearly packed to capacity on the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 6 as a wild and rowdy crowd took in some student-provided entertainment during the homecoming week’s “Yell Like Hell” event.

Eight campus fraternities, sororities and other student organizations performed homecoming-themed comedy and musical skits on stage that evening.

Sophomore Kayte Fisette of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority was one of the performers in “Yell Like Hell.” She was responsible for writing her group’s skit that evening.

“I’m a theater major so I wrote our script, and we centered it around a firehouse theme,” Fisette said. “Since we won sorority of the year, it was like ‘the Alphas are on fire.’”

The night was also an opportunity to do some fund raising for future events.

Happy Hours

Robyn Patti
The University Happy Hour homecoming event was co-sponsored by Partners in Prevention and the University Police to help raise awareness of drinking on campus.

Guest speaker Darryl Colberts spoke of his rough childhood of drugs and alcohol and how he came out of the dismay that could have been his life. He is now an investigator for child services in Washington, D.C. and has a powerful message for students at the college level to really be careful with what to get involved in.

After the speaker, the judging began. Out on the courts there were eleven tables with all of the participating organizations and their mixed drink that they created. Many of the organizations had very interesting combinations, but the Non-Traditional Student Association took the crown on the Happy Hour, with their “Passion Cream” mock-tail made with Shatto Orange Cream milk and a passion fruit blend.

Cancer Walk

Eboni Lacey
To raise campus awareness, the homecoming committee hosted a cancer walk in an attempt to benefit the American Cancer Society and spread knowledge about the cancer epidemic. While there was no fee to participate, many student organizations, along with members of the community, decided to join the two mile walk around campus to get involved.

WAC Director of Homecoming Taylor Kram expresses how pleased she was with the event.

“The turnout was good and we had a lot of students there,” Kram said. “Almost every organization had at least 75% to 80% in attendance.”

Western was the number one ranked scoring offense in Division II football entering the Northwest game. However, after being shut out, they are now ranked 13.

Western will now be turning their focus to Truman State to rebound and win on Homecoming. The Griffons still boast one of the top offenses in the country and will be facing a Bulldog team that has lost the last three games after starting the season 2-0.

If you go by national rankings, this game will not be a defensive struggle. The Griffons are ranked 91 in total defense, while Truman State is ranked 122. The edge obviously has to go to Western even though they are very low in the national rankings.

The defense will need to play a better game all around to add another notch to their belts.

Newhart and Co. will need to have pick it up on offense this week. Last week, the Griffons only managed 167 yards of total offense with 119 of those yards coming through the air. Mike Hill carried the ball 10 times for only 35 yards on the day.

The passing game has been a strong point all season for Western and they will look to carve the 122 ranked defense in the country to rebound this week. However, they will need to minimize the turnovers after Newhart threw two interceptions last week along with no touchdown passes.

Turnovers have been a strong aspect of the team so far. They are ranked 13 in the nation in turnover margin, averaging nearly two more takeaways per game than giveaways.

In all statistical categories, Missouri Western has the advantage over Truman State. However, in college football, any team can beat any team on any given
day.

The first half saw both the Lions and Griffons knock the ball around the pitch nicely.

However, the Lions were the team who had the most opportunities in front of the net.

Griffon goalkeeper Jenna Weis’ net was under siege, as she had to stop four shots on goal and had five other shots in the area.

Western’s midfield kept plugging away at the Lion’s defense and got two chances but couldn’t convert. Head coach, Jeff Hansen, believes that the team’s burning pace in the first half is what they needed to put away the Lions.

“We like to get forward as much as we can. We feel that we can defend pretty well so getting forward and pressuring the other team with our attack is something we focus on,” Hansen said, “When we are successful we go pretty quickly.”

In the second half, the action stayed at a high level. Western’s, Ashlyn Castillo and Mary Ohm, continued to give service to the team’s strikers, but it was still deadlocked. In the 62 minute, the Lions got a smash and grab, as Megan Stueve slotted home a rebound past Weis. Following the flow of the game, the Griffons got the equalizer just 59 seconds after, with Ohm putting a great ball to Abby Widrig.

With both teams feeling the urgency of getting the go ahead goal, the game got chippy.

The referee’s whistle stayed close to his lips, as fouls and yellow cards were handed out.

Throughout the rest of the second half, and the two extra periods, neither team could find the inspiration to get the victory. Western’s Brook English believes the team needs to control the action more.

“I think we let them dictate the pace which left us a little out of control,” English said. “In the future it needs to be us who sets the pace, whether that be fast or more methodical, so that we have control of the game.”

Hansen believes the pace is right but the finishing is something that they could improve on.

Missouri Western Golden Griffon Marching Band has grown a bit this school year, and they hope to get even bigger in the coming years. Western’s Director of Bands Jeffrey Hinton said they added 58 new members to the band this fall, for a total membership of 114.

“That’s up about 15 from last year, and it sounds a lot bigger to us because our brass section has doubled this fall,” Hinton said.

The band used to hold auditions, but in an effort to grow, Hinton said they openly accept new members. They now simply ask that new band members have experience in their high school band, preferably through to their senior year.

Sara Verduzco is one of the freshmen who joined the band this semester, and was previously a drum line member all four years of high school. In addition to football and basketball games, she says her drum line plays in some separate events.

“We do our own rehearsals and have our own special performances, like the pep assemblies indoors,” Verduzco said, “We have our own drill, and our own music for that.”

Golden Griffon Drum major Ashlee Ackley directs the band as they march through the football field. Photo | Brooke Carter

In addition, the annual Tournament of Champions takes place Oct. 12 on Western’s campus. Roughly two dozen area high school bands will compete in front of national-level judges for that event, which the Griffon Marching Band hosts.

In addition to the horn line and drum line, the marching band is also made up of the Golden Griffon Guard, and the Mystics Dance Team. Veteran band member Ambra Garton is the captain of the 12-member dance team. She says that her section is a significant part of the band because of the energy they add to performances.

“Cheerleaders and dancers are basically the ones that have school spirit, and are the ones that get the crowd all riled up, and into the games,” Garton said.

Tahani Atieh, a veteran French horn player in the band and the band’s mellophone section leader, says she thinks the importance of the band lies in how it serves as a recruitment tool.

“I think it really attracts students who are music majors,” Atieh said. “There’s a lot of performing groups that you can be in, and I think it adds overall to the university, and to the Fine Arts department,” Atieh said.

Hinton said he agrees with Atieh, and that he’s happy with the recent growth. He said they hope to eventually have a membership of up to 175 students.

“Our only problem then will be that we won’t have any place to put them,” Hinton said.

Hinton said that if funding ever materializes, an expansion to Potter Hall, or a completely new facility, is a something that Western has placed as one the top priorities for future projects.

Western started off the game on a positive note when Western quarterback, Drew Newhart, threw a 38-yard completion pass to Adam Clausen to get into Pitt State territory.

Newhart and the Griffons marched down the field and into scoring position, where Michael Hill fumbled on the rush, only to be recovered by David Fowler in the end zone. Western went up 7-0 with only four minutes gone in the first quarter.

The Griffons defense was relentless as Pitt State failed to get on the scoreboard after their first possession of the game.

Pitt State quarterback, Zac Dickey, took matters into his own hands and put the Gorillas up on the board due to his 41-yard rush with about 13 minutes left to go in the half.

The Gorillas running game started to get past Westerns defense too easily in the first half. Western head coach, Jerry Partridge, was still confident in his defense, but just needed to make some adjustments.

Senior wide reciever, Andrew Mead, runs with the ball after making a catch on Family Fun Day Saturday. Photo | Jason Brown

In the first half, the running game wasn’t as successful as Western would have hoped, only notching in 73 rushing yards compared to the Gorillas 175 yards.

Western went into halftime with a 21-18 lead over the Gorillas. It wouldn’t be until the second half when the Griffons finally started pulling away.

The second half brought good news for the Griffons. The Pitt State defense opened up, allowing Western 122 yards total rushing from Michael Hill and Thomas Hodges.

Not only was the running game working for the Griffons, the receivers were doing their jobs as well. Newhart earned 298 yards passing in the contest with the help of his receivers including senior Andrew Mead, who snagged seven passes against the Gorillas.

“The receivers did an excellent job executing and finding windows in the defense, the offensive line gave me adequate time to find the receivers down field. When you have those two combinations it’s easy to complete both,” Newhart said. By the end of the third quarter, the Griffons still had the lead with the score of 34-25, and after a successful drive for Newhart and company at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the gap widened to a score of 40-25.

Coach Partridge had a different plan for extra points after the fourth quarter touchdown. Both teams were chasing for extra points most of the game so Coach Partridge found it important to go for a two point conversion in order to stop the Gorillas from beating Western with their running game.

“We forced them into a throwing attack and I think that’s why we stopped them,” Partridge said.

Pitt state would never catch up to the Griffons as the game ended with the score of 42-25.

After adding their fourth notch to the win column, the Western football team has already changed the focus to their next opponent, the seventh ranked Northwest Missouri State Bearcats.

Michael Hill, sophomore running back for Western, has higher expectations that are above and beyond only beating the MIAA powerhouse this season.

“We don’t want to just beat Northwest, we want to go farther than that,” Hill said.

All Western can do is prepare for the next game on the schedule.

“It doesn’t matter who we play next week, it’s all about what we can control and we can’t control how Northwest goes out and plays the football game,” Newhart said.

The campus and community are all abuzz about the unexpected retirement of long time staff member Ellen Kisker. Many people know Ellen for her passion and dedication to meeting the needs of non-traditional students. But what most people do not know is that Ellen has also devoted a significant amount of her time to meeting the needs of students with disabilities.

Beginning in 1989, Ellen was asked to provide services to students with disabilities in addition to her other duties. As the number of students with disabilities increased, it soon became apparent that a full-time position was needed. Ellen worked diligently to convince the campus to create the Office of Special Needs and to hire Lois E. Fox as the first Special Needs Coordinator. I worked for Lois as a work-study employee when I returned to Western to complete my degree in Psychology. And now, many years later, I occupy the position that was created by Ellen and most recently held by Lois.

Throughout all of the changes that have occurred in the Office of Special Needs (which is now called the Office of Disability Services) the one thing that has remained consistent has been Ellen’s desire to create a welcoming and accessible environment for students with disabilities to pursue their education. To the best of my knowledge, Ellen has been a member of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) committee since 1989 and she has served as the chair of that committee for the majority of those years.

The numerous changes that have been made to our campus since 1989 have made it possible for many students with disabilities to pursue their education at MWSU. And while those changes have been very subtle, the changes are important nonetheless. Each time we improve accessibility on our campus, we remove a barrier and we become a part of each student’s success story.

Missouri Western alumnus, Michelle Ritter ‘00 commented that, “Ellen was the first person I met when I was thinking about returning to college after a debilitating accident in 1995. She never once gave me the impression that I wouldn’t be a successful student and her “can do” attitude made me believe that I could earn a college degree, which I did in 2000! No matter how busy she was, she always took the time to meet with me and made me feel as though no other student was on her mind. It is impossible to calculate how many lives have been forever changed for the better because of Ellen’s encouragement to all to follow their dream of earning a college degree.” She was the true meaning of a “student service” provider and will be greatly missed.

Students with disabilities who have graduated from MWSU have gone on to become counselors, physical therapy assistants, music teachers, college professors, business owners, web designers, etc. These students would all say that Ellen’s dedication to the ADA committee had a positive impact on their ability to be successful at Western.

Either directly or indirectly, every accessible amenity on our campus is a reflection of Ellen’s work on behalf of students with disabilities. From the resting benches that dot our sidewalks, to the automatic doors in every campus building, to the chair lift for the swimming pool in the Looney Complex, Ellen’s legacy of creating a welcome and accessible campus for students with disabilities will live on for many years to come. She will be missed by students, faculty, staff and community members alike.

Michael Ritter

Gingrich has achieved a great deal during his career in politics as well as literature. He is a member of the Republican Party and is still involved in politics though in a less visible way.

He first ran for congress unsuccessfully in 1974 and 1976. He gained his seat in 1978. Gingrich served as a member of the House for 16-years before being elected as Speaker of The House in 1995. During the 1994 election Gingrich along with several other prominent republicans crafted the Contract with America, a document detailing the promises made by the Republican Party should they become the United States majority party. This document ensured Gingrich’s success and he became the House Speaker.

Over the next four years Gingrich had his hands full with his high ranking office. He began with pushing all ten items from the Contract with America forward as quickly as possible. He often butted heads with Democratic President Bill Clinton most notably during a budget argument in 1996. He was also named Man of the Year in 1995 by Time Magazine.

Gingrich resigned from his position as Speaker in 1999, but has remained very active in the political world. He has been the author of 21 books, all political in nature. His most recent book is titled “To Save America: Stopping Obama’s Secular-Socialist Machine.”

His current activities include the production of historical and policy documentaries, which he does with his wife Callista. He also travels extensively to speak at different events all over the country.

Photo Graphic | Brooke Carter

Speaker stirs strong feelings in both students and faculty
Nick McCutcheon
Newt Gingrich will arrive on Missouri Western’s campus as a leading candidate for the 2012 republican presidential nomination at the university’s 17th Annual Convocation on Critical Issues.

Gingrich was the fourth leading vote getter for the party’s nomination in a recent Iowa straw poll. He will deliver a speech titled Jobs, Economic Growth and Prosperity Oct. 7 at 9:30 a.m. in the Looney Complex.

In a statement on his website, Gingrich said Americans can replace job takers with job creators this November. Gingrich helped author the Contract with America in 1994 which helped republicans gain a majority in the House of Representatives. Gingrich’s stop at Western comes on the heels of current house republicans’ Pledge to America, a document with similar intentions.

“Like with the Contract with America in 1994, a new generation of reform republicans is offering the American people a clear choice about America’s future,” Gingrich said.

Professor Jonathan Euchner said that Gingrich has a lot to offer students but that he has a “reputation for being a very provocative guy.”

“I’d like to see him keep his rhetoric at an enlightened educational level and not lower it to the bombast and political rhetoric that he has been dishing out in the past year or two,” Euchner said.

Recently, Gingrich has publicly spoken against US President Barrack Obama and may be entering himself in the presidential arena. According to a recent McClatchy poll, Gingrich and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee tied for third in possibly receiving the GOP presidential nomination in 2012.

“I think Obama gets up every morning with a worldview that is fundamentally wrong about reality,” Gingrich said in an interview with the National Review Online. “If you look at the continuous denial of reality, there has got to be a point where someone stands up and says that this is just factually insane.”

With mid-term elections approaching, Gingrich’s stop could provide Western students with insight into upcoming campaign issues. Professor of communication studies David McMahan said that students could really benefit from having such a prominent political figure on campus.

“For students overall, this is going to be an opportunity for them to experience someone who has shaped politics for the past few decades,” McMahan said. “Whether in office or out of office, Newt Gingrich has been a profound influence on politics in the United States. It’s potentially an opportunity to see a future President of the United States in close proximity.”

Vice President of University Advancement Dan Nicoson said having prominent speakers like Gingrich is unique to an institution of Western’s size. Faculty members agreed with Nicoson that students should take advantage of having a highly visible individual on campus.

“Anytime students have the opportunity to engage in discussions about real meaningful political matters, it’s important,” political science professor Edwin Taylor said. “This is a really visible figure who is a key player in political scenes.”

Gingrich’s conservative stance brings a stark contrast to last year’s convocation speaker Robert Kennedy Jr. Nicoson is part of the group that chooses convocation speakers and sees the need for balance.

“We do try to balance the political perspectives of the speakers over the years,” Nicoson said. “We may leave the presentation approving of what the speaker said or taking exception, but either way we have availed ourselves of the opportunity to listen and then further develop our own views.”

One student organization is particularly excited to see Gingrich on campus. As President of Western’s College Republicans Kelsey Breckenridge said she couldn’t be more pleased with the choice of Gingrich.

“I’m excited to see that the students and community will be able to get a conservative perspective,” Breckenridge said.

Breckenridge also saw the benefit of having a political figure on campus so close to elections.

“I know how difficult it can be to get young people interested in politics and showing up to the polls,” Breckenridge said. “The more people are immersed in the issues the more likely they are to make smart, researched decisions when voting so hopefully this will give some the motivation to understand the issues and realize the seriousness of their vote and how it affects every aspect of their life.”

Nicoson discusses speaker selection
Dave Hon
Dan Nicoson, vice president of university advancement said that during the selection process he and his department attempt to balance a speaker’s political views with past speakers, but that the first variable they consider is price.

“Each year we first try to determine who might be available in a price range that we can make work,” Nicoson said.

Gingrich’s usual speaking fee is $75,750 but the university received a discount bringing the fee down to $50,750. University advancement has already received $38,200 in contributions from sponsors.

“We considered multiple factors in selecting the speaker for the 2010 convocation, just as we do every year,” Nicoson said. “We begin by working with speakers’ bureaus to determine who might be available for a fee we think is workable, who will help us achieve a balance in political or other perspectives, and to do the best we can at achieving diversity in the speakers over the long term. “

Despite the fact that students’ money is not being used to pay for the convocation, Nicoson still feels the Convocation on Critical Issues is an important educational opportunity for students.

“Our eagerness to hear these speakers should not be affected by whether or not we agree with the views of the speakers,” Nicoson said. “For that matter, how do we really know if we agree without hearing them?”  

It has yet to be determined if Gingrich will be taking questions from the floor as past speakers have done, but both Nicoson and Euchner hope that Gingrich makes himself available to students.

Past Convocation speakers have included Bill Bradley, James Carville and Mary Matalin, Sam Donaldson, Steve Forbes, David Gergen, Jeanne Kirkpatrick, Jerry Linenger, David McCullough, Dr. Joseph Nye, Colin Powell, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Daniel Schorr, Patricia Schroeder, J.C. Watts and Bob Woodward.

Martin continued on the News Press and eventually grew into a reporter and then an Assistant Sports Editor. Just a mere two weeks ago, Martin was promoted to be the Sports Editor. Though doubling up with school and a job was a rough situation, he was able to find a good job after graduation which helped him in the long run.

“It was a good way to solidify my future,” Martin said. “Everything fell into place for me. I consider myself lucky.”

At Western, Martin worked on the Griffon News Staff for about three and 1/2 years. He was the editor in chief for two semesters, and ultimately grew a true passion for the sports desk.

“The moment I walked into the door, I wanted to do sports,” Martin said. “It’s what I’m passionate about.”

Martin encourages current students to take a little more time out of their free time and apply that toward their careers. Students can use Missouri Western as a tool to take get involved with the school, build relationships and learn knowledge about their futures, Martin says.

“I owe a ton to Missouri Western. Though in journalism, it’s not a nationally recognized school, it gave me a broad experience and made me well-rounded. I took the time to build a relationship and work with the department that I wanted to be in. I made a good impression.”

Along with Martin’s encouragement, he gives tips to students who are concerned about job opportunities after graduating.

“Be flexible,” Martin said. “Take some time to branch out and find some job or intern opportunities. Be willing to not be tied down to a particular area.”

Sandy Rogers, the student development program coordinator, said the concert turnout was not as good as last year, but it was bigger than years before and students seemed to really enjoy themselves.

“We had a thousand tickets for students only on the floor standing. We gave all of those away a week and a half before we stopped handing out tickets. That’s the first time we have done that,” Rogers said.

The Feature band, Puddle of Mudd, is a post-grunge band from Kansas City. They have sold over 7 million albums and they just released a new album called “Songs in the Key of Love & Hate” in December 2009.

One of the original founders of the band, Wes Scantlin, who sings lead vocals and plays rhythm guitar, said that the fans have responded amazingly to their new album. He also said he enjoys playing for college shows.

“The chicks are way hotter and the kids are way more fun because they are younger,” Scantlin said.
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The other featured band was Saliva, a rock band from Memphis, Tennessee, who released their debut album in 1997 and had their single “Always” reach number one on the Modern rock Chart and “Ladies and Gentlemen” reached number two on the Mainstream Rock Chart.

The opener band Burn Halo just released their debut album on March 31, 2009. Their song “Save Me” was used in the soundtrack for the WWE videogame WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009.

Rogers said the turnout for the Spring concerts really depends on the genre of music and that the community seems to respond more to country music than to rock, but the turnout was still very good overall.

“The consensus seemed to be that Saliva may be more of the better performers between Puddle of Mudd and them and a lot of people were surprised by Burn Halo and impressed they didn’t know they were so good,” Rogers said.

Robin Ussher, vice president elect of SGA and chair of the concert, said that in general, students seemed very pleased with the concert and she said she heard numerous people say they had a blast.

“It is no secret that Saliva stole the show,” Ussher said. “They delivered one outstanding performance. As did Burn Halo, they put on an excellent show and have earned themselves some new fans. The general consensus points to Saliva being the highlight of the night, making Puddle of Mudd’s performance appear a bit more lackluster than the rest in comparison. Overall the night rocked, as most would put it. I think it was worth every moment of work we put into it. I’m excited to see the hard rock genre used again in the future because of how well it went over with the crowd.”

Ussher said the only major drawback to the show was its length.

“Three sets with lengthy stage changes made for a long night. Which I believe had somewhat of an effect on the energy level of the crowd,” Ussher said.

Ussher said there was a lot of work that went into the concert, but it was all worth it in the end.

“All in all, I am proud of what WAC has accomplished,” Ussher said. “The advisors of WAC and I have put hours of work into seeing this concert happen.

People ask me if I’m glad it’s over. I tell them no, I’m glad it happened.”

“You couldn’t have asked for worse weather conditions on a project like this; but according to Crossland Construction, we are just two weeks behind,” Klinkner said.

New air conditioning units are put in place on the roof of Agenstein with the help of a crane. The renovations on the hall are scheduled for completion by the Spring of 2011. Photo | Kelly Findley

According to Esther Perález, vice president of student affairs, the Vaselakos renovation will complete a four year renovation plan that was started with Beshears in 2006.

“Once Scanlon Hall was completed, it was necessary to improve the living conditions and appearance of the remaining residence halls on MWSU’s campus,” Perález said. “Scanlon Hall will be five years old and is in need of some small items such as carpet replacement and painting.  The ongoing replacement of toilets in Scanlon will be completed with this project.”

According to Klinkner, the total cost of the two halls’ renovations comes in at just under $1 million, which, according to the Director of Facilities, Lonnie Johnson, will include flooring, painting, tile work, new furniture and lighting.

“The contract has been awarded to Crawford Construction of St. Joseph,” Johnson said. “Work will begin immediately after commencement.”

Not only will resident’s halls be receiving routine renovations, but students will begin to see construction on a new resident’s complex.

Elllison-Auxier Architects, Inc., of St. Joseph has been chosen by Missouri Western’s Board of Governors to design and oversee construction of a new residential hall.

According to Perález, students and faculty have already began meeting with architects to ensure the design is what the students want and will continue to use their input throughout the project.

“Students did a great job of assisting the architects in stating their preferences on floor plans and amenities,” Perález said. “This information was very valuable and has allowed the committee to make some important decisions. As other decisions are made in regards to furniture selection and visual design, we will be seeking input from students.”

Construction on the Chiefs’ summer training facility shows progress. During the past year, students have been able to watch their campus transform at a rapid pace. Photo | Matt Fowler

Priority wants and needs from the students include a single room, ability to fit a larger bed (full), apartment common space, kitchen with appliances, a larger common space that would include laundry, workout area, social area, as well as an outdoor space.

According to Perález, most, if not all, the listed items should be included in the final design.
The spring sports complex, which will be located at the Faraon entrance of campus, was started in December. However, it, too, suffered setbacks due to an extremely wet winter.

According to Johnson, the contractor has completed concrete flooring and is constructing walls at the stadium restrooms and concession building located on the visitor’s side of Spratt Stadium. Excavation work has begun again on the baseball and softball complex as well.

Klinkler explained that the goal is to have the complex complete by the time the fall 2010 semester begins in August.
Although Remington Hall opened for the spring 2010 semester, construction continues right next door with the renovation of Agenstein Hall.

According to Klinkner, contractors are still working on the Remington Hall punch list, but Agenstein Hall has been completely gutted.

“Agenstein Hall will be completed for the spring 2011 semester,” Klinkner said. “All the asbestos has been removed and now they are into the reconstruction—it will be a great facility.”

One item remaining on the punch list for Remington Hall is the heating in the lounge area around Einstein Bagels.
Klinkner explained that the source of heat for that area will come from Agenstein, so students can expect a warmer dining area once Agenstein is complete.

As major construction continues to dominate the campus scenery, Klinkner explained that smaller campus beautification initiatives continue as well.

Signs, like the one at the Faraon entrance, only smaller, will replace the black signs outside each building. This project should begin within a few weeks.

“With budget cuts we are still able to do all this,” Klinkner said. “It’s all auxiliary money; it’s not coming from the students’ fees except for the spring sports complex, which came from the Max Experience fee. The indoor facility funds came from the city, county as well as the state contributing.”

According to Klinkner the new resident’s hall is being paid for by the students who live in the dorms; the signage project was all donations.

“Missouri Western is very fortunate to be able to get all this in this [economic] environment,” Klinkner said. “Just wish we could put money towards faculty and staff.”

One can assume that the robots will use our charred corpses as some morbid form of battery power, enslaving our babies and making them into absurd, remote-controlled flesh slaves.

Or maybe they will plug us all into some massive mainframe so that Skynet can finally figure out what love is. Who really knows? All that I know for certain is that eventually some tyrannical artificial intelligence will take over all our computers and cars and missiles and TVs and life-support systems and airplanes… and then just say “Fuck it”, turn the dial, and unleash techno-havoc on a scale unseen since Maximum Overdrive.

The sheer amount of science fiction based on this subject is enough to declare the Robopocalypse an inescapable eventuality, a fact that will become self aware, ask “Why?”, and have a homicidal panic attack. It’ll give a whole new meaning to the word “homicide”, won’t it? I think I just peed a little.

The really scary part about the coming robot war is that the vast majority seem to ignore the fact that it will happen, assuming it hasn’t already started. Everyone’s so up in arms about zombies that they’ll never see the robots coming when they break down the door to take your pills and motor oil. I mean, can you really prove it to me that all the media attention zombies have been getting isn’t part of a cover-story started by HAL 9000 to keep people from worrying about robots? The takeover already started in factories, and just what do you think cell phones are for anyway? If you aren’t scared yet, think about it like this: It takes an entire movie to kill a terminator, whereas hundreds, if not thousands of zombies are killed at a time in the average undead flick.

There are probably more people hoping for a zombie apocalypse than there ever have before because, well, it would be undeniably fun, up to a point.

Would the Robopocalypse be any fun? Whichever super advance A.I. designs to take over technology first will most likely use the tools already at its command to doom humanity from the inside out.

Airplanes would fall out of the sky, cell phones would explode when they get within four inches of your head, traffic lights will calculate the most expedient way to turn drivers into human jelly, and all those terrible secret satellites in the sky will rain unholy biological and nuclear terror right on top of us, while possibly controlling the weather or causing earthquakes, too.

So… ya’all have fun with that. I’ll be out in the woods, catching fish with my teeth, and thinking “I always knew.”

April 22nd, or Earth Day, has become a strange and forgettable staple to America’s burgeoning list of national holidays.

Initially the brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970, Earth Day was meant to inspire awareness of the environment’s ills, and an appreciation of the inherent majesty within our once luscious planet.

Truly, it was a noble cause, but one can’t help but feel that the whole affair is half-hearted at best. It’s almost like the country is trying to make up for the fact that it pollutes and destroys the earth more than any other country by saying, “See? We named a whole danged day after the earth. We care!”

Like Secretaries Day, everyone writes their office aids a nice card and maybe sends some flowers, but does that actually change any opinion they have of the people that work with them every day?

Unfortunately, it seems that most people forget about Earth Day when it comes, or don’t do a whole lot to actually celebrate it.

Junior Vanessa Kerns is cognizant of the problem, as the good will is there, but the action of actually helping the earth is missing.

“Earth Day makes me want to recycle, but alas, I still waste,” said Kerns.

Even if recycling or picking up trash isn’t done by everybody on Earth Day, there is a certain amount of joy and enthusiasm for helping our planetary mother when the holiday rolls around.

After all, there is nothing wrong with at least making people think about doing right by nature. There is always the possibility that a lesson or message will worm its way through to everyday life. Freshman Rachel King thinks that assigning a day to be earth-conscious is a good thing.

“I’m all about the earth. It’s pretty cool,” King said.

Obviously, the main problem that faces the earth every hour of every day is the overwhelming amount of trash and pollution that chokes up and degrades everything that we need to ensure our continued survival.
America is undeniably the most damnable culprit for destroying what we should hold dear, as this country is home to more cars, factories and landfills than anywhere else in the world.

If we run out of room for trash, we simply ship it to another country. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has become the home of our discarded waste, swirling about in the ocean until the water itself has turned to plastic sludge poison.

Some efforts have been made to make people more aware of the problems facing our planet, beyond the simple declaration of Earth Day as a national holiday.

Across the country, more and more people are attempting to “go green,” although it is unclear whether or not this is a true effort to fix things or simply a flavor of the week cause, packaged nicely with a cool little catchphrase.

The evil behind all these efforts to make people conscious of why the earth is worth saving is that the efforts wouldn’t be present if there wasn’t also a buck to be made from it.

Corporations and conglomerates of various levels can now make money producing the garbage, and still make more by selling t-shirts about why that is such a bad thing.

This is definitely a country run by marketing, and the polluters come from the same place as the would-be saviors. Freshman Kenzie Hampton knows that the earth should be saved, but the source of that message may be questionable.

“Earth Day? I can’t wait for the movie!” Hampton said.

So maybe Earth Day is the culmination of the American Dream in action. We can make money by selling plastics, paper bags, various rubbers, cans, trash bags and gas emissions.

Then, if anyone notices the buildup of nastiness, we can dedicate a day to getting rid of the nastiness, selling trash bags, cloth grocery sacks, environmental t-shirts, bumper stickers and various movies and documentaries, such as Avatar or Disney’s “Earth,” which of course will lead to selling more toys, posters, t-shirts and underoos.

We may do well to adopt George Carlin’s national anthem, as the message is at the very least more honest and up-front about the entire disgusting situation.

The stage is an alien environment to the young as it can be hard to find something to relate to in theatrical productions, or at least that is the assumption of many.
Fortunately, there is still a large grip of those who would keep theatre alive, even here at Missouri Western. From April 15-18, theatre students will perform six “One-Act” plays, each put together solely by the students involved.

Hopefully, since they aren’t performing underneath Shakespeare’s shadow or some other centuries-old production, students not familiar with theatre will be able to more easily identify with what is on stage. Freshman Brian Duskey, a theatre/cinema major, feels that the One Acts are a great opportunity for students to witness something new and relatable.

“Sometimes when a play that was written 100 years ago, a lot of people still get it, but not everyone. With the One Acts, the writers are of the audience’s age, so we share the culture and the mindset that they do,” said Duskey, who is the director of “The Fountain” and the writer of “Sins of the South.”

The One Act plays, beyond entertainment, also serve a valuable role in creating a group dynamic and camaraderie between the students involved. Since everyone is writing, directing, or acting in each others’ plays, the creative juices truly begin to flow, forming an experience that no one of them could have put together alone. Sophomore Jesse Glyn Frazier, a theatre/video major, expressed the joys of a collaborative creative process.

“It’s great because I really get to experience both sides of the project. As a director, I am able to take someone else’s work and mold it into something that is unique to my vision. As far as acting, I am just blown away by the different approaches the other directors are taking. It’s humbling and I’m learning a lot,” said Frazier, who is directing “Dear Diary” and acting in “The Fountain.”

Putting on these plays is a fantastic way for Missouri Western’s theatre students to hone their craft, and show off their various creative chops on the stage. Since the plays are short and move quickly, unlike most performances, those involved get to put a glistening shine on their work in the time available.

Senior Keith Routh, a theatre/video major, thinks that the shortened time frame is a good way to work out all the details and streamline the act.
“When working on One Acts, we have the benefit of putting all of our focus into a condensed story. This allows us to try to perfect every moment of stage time,” said Routh, who is directing “The Lobster.”

The plays will provide the perfect ground for the students to show off what they’ve got to the public, exposing them to professionalism and teamwork, without being looked over or directed by a teacher, or being hampered by performing a classical play to a “T.”

Since these are made by the students, for the students, the One Acts could possibly lead to new artistic, theatrical grounds. Jesse Frazier thinks that the plays will be a great way to show off our theatre students’ skills in the field.

“A lot of extremely talented people are putting their future and passion on display, no different than the gallery everyone passes on the way through Potter,” Frazier said.
The One Act plays will be performed from April 15-18. at 8 p.m., in the Black Box Theatre in Potter Hall.

The current plan consists of a suite with four individual rooms connected by a common area with a kitchenette.

This may or may not bring back the upperclassmen but it is a good progression to attract them.

Housing’s first attempt to bring back the upperclassmen was the “conversion” of Beshears Hall, a suite style dorm, in to an upperclassmen residential hall.

That “conversion” consisted of repurposing the rooms and saying that they are single student rooms.

There are still two beds, two desks and two closets in case Housing wants to turn them back into two persons room.

These rooms were never meant to be a single room dorm room.

This “conversion” was a decent short-term fix to the issue of the upperclassmen housing but it was never a permanent solution.

What is planned for the new hall appears to address that problem, to some extent.

It is not a full-blown traditional apartment that would be expected like the ones at the Broadmoor apartments but it dies addresses to the upperclassmen’s needs better than the other residential halls on campus: a more traditional living style.

There is a problem with the current new residential hall design idea and that is the kitchenette.

In last week’s story about this, Vice President of Student Affairs Esther Peralez stated that the kitchenette would be limited so that it will not take away student away from the campus dining service.

This appeasing of the campus dining service does not serve the upperclassmen well.

By doing this, you force the upperclassmen to use the campus dining service when they may not want to.

Outside of the kitchenette issue, this residential hall is what is needed on campus as long as they remember who this is for and their needs.

The National Orientation Directors Association Region IV Student Leadership Award is reserved for the best of the best and that is why this year it was given to Akers.

The award was announced at the region IV conference in February. The region encompasses Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas.

Along with the award Akers was given a plaque and a gift certificate for the Barnes and Nobles bookstore.

The core values NODA looks for are Community, Diversity, Integrity, Learning, Scholarship, Service.

Akers was one a handful of students nominated for this award from all over the region.

The decision to pick Akers was unanimous.

When Akers is not singing with his band Tequila Mockingbird, or working to get donations for the America’s Second Harvest of Greater St. Joseph’s Backpack Buddies program, he is working in the admissions office doing orientation and registrations.

Akers started working for Kristin Neely, the new student experience coordinator, his sophomore year.

Two weeks after being hired Akers attended his first NODA conference.

When Akers got back from the conference he could not stop talking about the things he had learned and how to implement them.

Orientation and registration was revamped about two years ago so Akers had to come in and start from scratch.

Using what he had learned, Akers dove right in and along with Neely applied these changes to the department that helped it move from a two day process to a single day.

Akers was thankful to the school and Neely for his chance to get this award.

“Kristin and this school gave me this opportunity,” Akers said. “This school treats you like an adult.”

Akers also looks forward to the opportunities he will have after graduating.

“I can always get a job in orientation,” Akers said. “This is my passion.”

Neely nominated Akers for the award this year and she had good reason.

Even if he had not won, the nomination was a way for Neely to say thank you for all his hard work and dedication.

“I can sum Luke up in one word,” Neely said. “Inspiring.”

Neely describes Akers as the sort of person who would talk to an incoming freshman the same way he would talk to the president of the university.

“He is very humble,” Neely said. “When he heard he had won the gift certificate he decided he would get his mom a sweatshirt.”

Akers was so impressed by the conference that he lobbied for more students to be able to attend the conference this year, and he got his wish, two more students attended this year.

Tyson Schank the associate director of admissions was pleased to hear that Akers had been given this award.

“He is very deserving of it,” Schank said. “He has such great creativity.”

Kristin Weyman who is the awards committee chairperson admires that Akers has creativity, energy, enthusiasm and outstanding abilities.

“This award is designed to give special recognition to students,” Weyman said. “These are the backbone of successful and dynamic orientation programs.”

Akers job is usually performed by a staff of eight people, but he manages to get it done all by himself.

As in the past, the event will be free to Missouri Western students, but other patrons will have to purchase tickets. Ticket prices have yet to be released.

This decision comes later than past announcements concerning the spring concert.

“The process has been difficult,” Executive Vice President Robin Ussher executive vice president said. “We’ve had some obstacles.”

Graphic contributed by the Western Activites Council

“I recognized both of the bands,” Caldwell said, “I saw Puddle of Mudd on TV not too long ago and I recognized Saliva and their songs. I like them.”

Caldwell also professed the rocky start that the band search process went through.

“We couldn’t get our first choice,” Caldwell said, “And we thought ‘man, that would have been a good band.”

The Kansas City brewed Puddle of Mudd reached mainstream heights when their hit single “She Hates Me” reached number 13 on the Billboard Charts.

In 2007, Puddle of Mudd released their album “Famous” which re-launched them on the mainstream, reaching and staying at number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and Hot Modern Rock Tracks charts for nine weeks.

Saliva, a lesser known band, is featured in the movie “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” with their song “Click Click Boom.”

Both bands have been featured in different WWE soundtracks with the current ECW theme as Saliva’s “Don’t Question My Heart.”

“Hell of a way to start a tour,” Lead singer Brian Roberts joked. “It’s going to be all downhill from here, right?”

For a band that tallied over 150 shows last year, the Kansas City via The Ozarks group uses nights like this to build morale and to simply have fun.
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“We’re a group of brothers,” Guitarist Brett Anderson said. “We make it through all of this every night and we take it as far as we can. It always feels good to be home though. We couldn’t kick off a tour any place but here in our hometown.”

The band has been steadily gaining national attention with last year’s Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South including an appearance at Lollapalooza and several glowing reviews from the likes of SPIN and Rolling Stone. With this tour, they will cross the country twice and make an appearance at this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, TX. This could be the tour that breaks them out of the Midwest for good.

But of course, the first show always sets the tone of how the rest of the tour goes. From the first notes of Pendergast Machine and on, the band was already approaching the manic energy of a band in mid-tour form but doing it with the intensity that is needed to convey some of the rather dark themes of their last album.

Ha Ha Tonka didn’t pull any punches in recreating the rich, harmonic sounds of Novel Sounds. The band huddled together around the front mics to put a four-part harmony together for Hold my Feet to the Fire which was met with an fifth voice from the near capacity crowd. Even with the band’s deeper catalog cuts from Buckle in the Bible Belt, the crowd kept up with nearly every word.

Even with their last album a mere six month in the rear view, the band was already pulling out over five new songs for the crowd.

“We aren’t recording or releasing an album anytime soon,” Roberts said. “But we always have to keep working and moving what we want people to see forward. Always.”

When this tour finishes in April, the band will be taking a short hiatus before hitting the road for a second leg this summer, including possible stops on the summer festival circuit.

“It is always incredible to see crowds that big and to hit that kind of audience,” Anderson said. “Incredible and strange. [laugh] If we can get there again, it will be fantastic.”

With the phenomenal ability to weave tales of the south from a time nearly forgotten and to make it relevant and above all, personal, to today’s audience, Ha Ha Tonka will be able to take that inevitable next step into the national spotlight.

Missouri Western was beat in every category of the game and didn’t seem to come to life until it was too late in the second half.

Forward Jessica Koch led the Griffons with 13 points, followed by freshman Kayla Vice with 10.

It was the tale of two halves for the Griffons, who went into halftime down by 25 points and seemed to have no rhythm on either side of the ball.

Head coach Lynn Plett tried to adjust with a new strategy for the second half, but nothing seemed to be working for Western.

“We played mostly man-to-man most of the first half and switched to a 2-3 zone in the second half,” Plett said.

Sophomore Kayla Vice blows by a Washburn guard for a quick two points. Vice has 10 points in the losing effort Saturday night at the Looney Arena Photo by Dave Hon

But it was too little too late for the Griffons, who were simply outplayed by a more talented Washburn team.

Perimeter defense was lacking from the Griffons frontcourt for the majority of the first half, which helped Washburn jump out to their big lead.

The Griffons also lost the battle of the boards, being out-rebounded 56 to 32 in the game. Much of this was due to Washburn’s Dayna Rodriguez and Hope Gregory, who had 20 rebounds combined. Meanwhile, on the other side Koch lead the Griffons with eight rebounds, seven of them coming on the defensive end.

The Griffons are now on the outside, looking to make the MIAA tournament with seven games to go. They are currently five games behind Missouri Southern. Plett is staying positive with Missouri Western. He believes there is an opportunity for his team to climb back into the top six.

The Griffons take on the Missouri Southern Lions next in Joplin, Mo, this Saturday, Feb. 6 at 5:30 p.m.

For much of the first half, neither team could really break away from each other, as the lead swung back and forth.

By the 5:00 mark in the first half, the Griffons started to pull away.

Western relied heavily on three point shots early in the game against Washburn’s zone defense. Key minutes from Brandon Beck off the bench in the middle of the first half helped Western establish a presence in the post as well as open up shots for players like Martin Nolan and Justin Taylor on the perimeter.

“I think Brandon, in the first half, gave us a lift,” coach Tom Smith said.

A designed alley-oop and buzzer beating three by Justin Taylor helped to spark the Griffons at the end of the first half as they went into halftime with a nine point lead.

The Griffons’ hot hand continued in the start of the second half as they locked down on defense and worked the shot clock more on offense.

“We told everybody that the first five minutes of the second half were crucial and we defended pretty well,” said senior guard Martin Nolan, who finished with 13 points
and six assists.

Marcus Rhodes drives to the hoop during Western’s basketball game against the Washburn Ichabods. The Griffons won the game 74-63. Photo by Ryan Richardson

“Our problem was we couldn’t hit free throws,” Smith said.

Tempers flared as Washburn mounted their comeback when Washburn’s DeAndre Washington and Dominique Thuston both received technical fouls after an argument on the court.

The Griffons managed to compose themselves to slowly start to rebuild their lead, despite losing Marcus Rhodes and Thuston to foul trouble and regain a comfortable double digit lead as they went on to win by 11.

“We showed how tough our team is tonight,” said junior forward, Justin Taylor, who led Western with 18 points.

Western improves to 13-7 overall and 8-5 in the MIAA. This Saturday, Feb. 6, the Griffons will take on Missouri Southern in Joplin, Mo. at 7:30 p.m.

This will be the second year in a row that tuition has been frozen at Western and other colleges in the state. The latest tuition freeze was agreed to by colleges in exchange for the state cutting higher education funding by no more than approximately 5 percent for the next school year.

As reported earlier, Western officials have already anticipated budget shortfalls and have decided on a number of measures that include suspending sabbaticals and by suspending awards for faculty, staff and administrators to help make up for around $2 million less in the budget for the coming school year.

Missouri Western President Robert Vartabedian said that he and other campus officials are now beginning to make decisions on some additional ways to save money. “Another thing we’re looking at right now is summer school compensation. We’re looking at a different way of funding summer school for our faculty,” Vartabedian said.

Vartabedian says that summer school compensation, normally figured at a percentage of a faculty member’s base salary, could be changed to a flat amount in the future to cut costs. That option is something that Vartabedian said campus officials would make a decision on shortly.

A hiring freeze is another step that may be taken in the future. “We’ll be looking at positions that are definitely needed versus those positions which we can hold off on until after we’ve rode out this financial crisis,” Vartabedian said. “And if you put enough of those sorts of things together, at least you’re making a dent on those $2 million in cuts.”

Western’s Vice President for financial planning and administration MelKlinkner says the campus is also looking at reducing payroll expenditures by having volunteers teach some classes instead of adjunct staff. “How that would work is we may have some classes taught by an administrator such as myself that has expertise in the subject,” Klinkner said.

Klinkner also named the downtown campus as another area they would look at. “We would continue to try to do everything we’re doing downtown, it just may be at a different location. Like in the past, our law enforcement academy was located on-campus, so moving locations may be an option, but we have made no decisions on downtown yet,” Klinkner said.

The first tuition freeze did not allow colleges to raise tuition more than the cost of living in return for no cuts in state funding. This time, Nixon says the agreement goes further. “Next year, for the second year in a row, Missouri students at our public four-year colleges and universities won’t see an increase in their tuition or academic fees—not one penny, period,” Nixon said.

The governor’s latest freeze agreement will mean no tuition increases from Missouri colleges and universities. In exchange, the state will cut funding no more than 5.2 percent. During the freeze, however, schools are allowed to increase tuition and book costs for out-of-state students.

Nixon will be the guest speaker at Western’s winter commencement Saturday, Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. in the M.O. Looney Complex Arena.
Prior to becoming governor, Nixon was elected to a record four terms as Missouri’s Attorney General, beginning in 1992. He also served six years in the Missouri Senate, beginning in 1986.

Nixon is a native of De Soto, Mo. He and his wife Georganne Wheeler Nixon have two sons, Jeremiah and Wilson.
Health gone in a puff

Penny Vanooteghem used to puff away on her cigarette without a care as she folded laundry. Even with two children in the house, she was unaware of the effects smoking had on them. Penny’s children went to school smelling like smoke. Penny also had no idea that living with a smoker increases your chance of getting lung cancer by 20-30 percent.

Penny’s smoking habit came to an abrupt halt four years ago after a cancer scare. Penny had just had a minor surgery and they had earlier been testing for breast cancer when Penny got sick and gave up smoking.

“I was so sick from the anesthetic and I didn’t smoke for four days,” Vanooteghem said. “That was a second chance for me.”

Once those four days had gone by, Penny realized how easy it would be to give up smoking altogether. Penny is now an advocate for non-smokers and really wants to see that the smokers on campus have designated smoking areas away from the doors.

“I don’t like smokers being right outside the doors,” Vanooteghem said “When I smoked, I didn’t realize I smelled like an ashtray. Now it is the last thing you smell before going inside.”

In the fall of 2008, a group called STAND or Students Together Addressing Nicotine Dependence, was created on campus at Missouri Western. Member Mary Beth Reid feels that cigarettes are hazardous and not even worth lighting.

“The CDC says there is no safe level of second hand smoke,” Reid said. “There are over 4,000 carcinogens in one cigarette.”

STAND members educate the public about the dangers of smoking and using tobacco products.

Informational brochures and other literature on how to give up tobacco are provided by STAND. STAND members also work with other peer groups to provide awareness, working at health fairs and other community activities. Members are available to speak at any organization as long as they have a two week notice.

In late September, some of the non-traditional students and even their spouses and children got together on campus and picked up cigarette butts. According to the students, some of the people helping wanted to make the campus a better place and show the non smokers that some people had the manners to use ashtrays provided instead of throwing butts on the ground.

The city of St. Joseph has also jumped on the smoke-free bandwagon with the current decision to accept grant money which will create four new positions in the city for anti-smoking education officials. The CDC is offering the money to provide education for people who want to quit smoking. City Manager Vince Capell assured the public that this money was not part of any plan to push a smoking ban in St. Joseph.

Saint Joseph has a smoke free organization as well called Clean Air St. Joe which has been around since the spring of 1994. According to their Website, 23.6 percent of people who work inside are exposed to second hand smoke. They also show that 30 minutes of second hand smoke exposure has the same effect on heart health as a habitual smoker.

Clean Air St. Joe meets at 5:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of every month in the Leah Spratt building room 208. The public is invited to attend although a RSVP is required. There is ample parking in lot C and a meal is provided.

For more information, or to RSVP for a meeting, you can contact STAND or Clean Air Saint Joe through the website casemo.org

As well as being dangerous, cigarettes are getting more expensive. As of April 1, 2009, cigarette taxes jumped from 39 cents to $1.01 in Missouri, giving smokers another reason to quit smoking. Despite the dangers and expense, many people still smoke. Teresa Cooperider has been smoking for the last 23 years and does not foresee quitting anytime soon.

“I enjoy it too much,” Cooperider said. “When I try to quit, I get the shakes. I become a real bitch.”

Penny has been smoke-free for the last four years and she is thrilled with all the money she has saved especially now that cigarettes are so expensive. She has also apologized to the children she once let go to school smelling like chimneys.

Penny’s smoking habit came to an abrupt halt four years ago after a cancer scare. Penny had just had a minor surgery and they had earlier been testing for breast cancer when Penny got sick and gave up smoking.

“I was so sick from the anesthetic and I didn’t smoke for four days,” Vanooteghem said. “That was a second chance for me.”

Once those four days had gone by, Penny realized how easy it would be to give up smoking altogether. Penny is now an advocate for non-smokers and really wants to see that the smokers on campus have designated smoking areas away from the doors.

“I don’t like smokers being right outside the doors,” Vanooteghem said “When I smoked, I didn’t realize I smelled like an ashtray. Now it is the last thing you smell before going inside.”

In the fall of 2008, a group called STAND or Students Together Addressing Nicotine Dependence, was created on campus at Missouri Western. Member Mary Beth Reid feels that cigarettes are hazardous and not even worth lighting.

“The CDC says there is no safe level of second hand smoke,” Reid said. “There are over 4,000 carcinogens in one cigarette.”

STAND members educate the public about the dangers of smoking and using tobacco products.

Informational brochures and other literature on how to give up tobacco are provided by STAND. STAND members also work with other peer groups to provide awareness, working at health fairs and other community activities. Members are available to speak at any organization as long as they have a two week notice.

In late September, some of the non-traditional students and even their spouses and children got together on campus and picked up cigarette butts. According to the students, some of the people helping wanted to make the campus a better place and show the non smokers that some people had the manners to use ashtrays provided instead of throwing butts on the ground.

The city of St. Joseph has also jumped on the smoke-free bandwagon with the current decision to accept grant money which will create four new positions in the city for anti-smoking education officials. The CDC is offering the money to provide education for people who want to quit smoking. City Manager Vince Capell assured the public that this money was not part of any plan to push a smoking ban in St. Joseph.

Saint Joseph has a smoke free organization as well called Clean Air St. Joe which has been around since the spring of 1994. According to their Website, 23.6 percent of people who work inside are exposed to second hand smoke. They also show that 30 minutes of second hand smoke exposure has the same effect on heart health as a habitual smoker.

Clean Air St. Joe meets at 5:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of every month in the Leah Spratt building room 208. The public is invited to attend although a RSVP is required. There is ample parking in lot C and a meal is provided.

For more information, or to RSVP for a meeting, you can contact STAND or Clean Air Saint Joe through the website casemo.org

As well as being dangerous, cigarettes are getting more expensive. As of April 1, 2009, cigarette taxes jumped from 39 cents to $1.01 in Missouri, giving smokers another reason to quit smoking. Despite the dangers and expense, many people still smoke. Teresa Cooperider has been smoking for the last 23 years and does not foresee quitting anytime soon.

“I enjoy it too much,” Cooperider said. “When I try to quit, I get the shakes. I become a real bitch.”

Penny has been smoke-free for the last four years and she is thrilled with all the money she has saved especially now that cigarettes are so expensive. She has also apologized to the children she once let go to school smelling like chimneys.

Unsuccessful in their attempts to solve a water supply problem that costs more than $200,000, President Robert Vartabedian and his wife, Laurel, have abandoned their plan to buy property owned by Heartland Health, at 50th and Messanie Street, in favor of a new location at Eagle Ridge, approximately six minutes away from campus.

“We gave [the first plan] a try, but it just didn’t work out,” Vartabedian said. “We’ll have a home within striking distance of the university.”

Western’s first and only presidential residence burned down in 1981. Then President M.O. Looney and his family were asleep when the fire started on New Years Eve of that year. Awakened by the screams of his son Chris, Looney and his family escaped unharmed but with the house burned to the ground.

Looney ultimately decided not to push for a new home on campus during the remainder of his term. Since then, the idea of building a new presidential residence has resurfaced from time to time. Western, however, decided against building a new presidential residence on campus. Furthermore, Looney’s successors, Janet Murphy and James Scanlon, also chose to forgo on campus homes.

Vartabedian, however, felt that it was a worthwhile addition to Western. Aside from serving as his own personal home, the residence would also serve as a site for university events, such as receptions for incoming freshmen and pre-football game events.

“I thought the university was at a disadvantage not having a university home for campus events,” Vartabedian said.

Dan Nicoson, vice president for university advancement, is quick to point out that Western is not financially involved in any way, shape or form with the presidential residence; according to the 2009 President’s/Chancellor’s Compensation Survey, located at http://www.dhe.mo.gov/files/PresidentialCompensationSurvey09.pdf, Missouri Western gives Vartabedian a $28,000 housing allowance in return for not having a presidential residence on campus.

According to Vartabedian, he intends to pay for the presidential residence primarily with his own money, with the housing allowance serving as partial help.
Various members of the community had expressed interest in seeing the residence built on campus. But with the struggling economy and potential budget cuts looming, Nicoson explains that it isn’t possible as of right now to put the residence on campus, although he does believe it would be beneficial to the university.

“I [think] it would be great it we could do it,” Nicoson said.

From his perspective, Nicoson feels that not having the presidential residence on campus does have its flaws.

“It’s not there to benefit the university as it should,” Nicoson said.

Nevertheless, Nicoson is confident that Vartabedian’s presidential residence will be an advantage for Western.

“Knowing Dr. Vartabedian and his wife, I think they will use it for the benefit [of the university].”

House full of history and homemade dishes

An old house is not just a tarnished piece of architecture; it is a glimpse of a past forgotten by the modern age and a window leading to stories and history that once lied within its walls. This window of history for the Gothic House was about to be smashed by the wrecking ball of modernization until Pat McNaughton saved it and restored it into the Gothic House Tea and Eatery where the community can now enjoy both its past and future.

The Gothic House, located on 720 S. 10th street, was constructed in 1869 by an ironworker named John Burnside. It is the only standing brick example of a gothic revival style house in St. Joseph today. McNaughton undertook this restoration project in December 2000 in an effort to stay busy to help cope with her husband’s recent death in 1998.

“I needed something,” McNaughton said. “I was looking on the Internet and I was looking at all the houses and then I saw the house. It looked like a cute little cottage and had a business route by the museums. When I went to see it, I opened it up and saw the staircase and I could see what it once was.”

Though McNaughton could envision the past beauty of the house, in reality, the house was far from its former glory and suffered from years of wear and batter from the elements. It would take McNaughton eight years of hard work to make her dream a reality.

She did 40 percent of the work herself, replacing most of the hard wood floors, sand scraping, insulating the whole house and making it an energy efficient vintage home.

Graphic | Mathew Fowler

She was also a former sign painter and muralist for 20 years and she painted the beautifully intricate sign in the front of the house.

All the efforts to revive the house to its former condition were not enough. She also wanted to save its future. She went to the courts in an effort to save the house.

“It will take a court order to get it taken down now,” McNaughton said.

The hard work is worth it to McNaughton because it gives back to the community.

“This is what St. Joe really was. This town was glorious in the late 1800’s.”

The Gothic House not only offers history but also a delicious menu from an assortment of homemade soups, salads, quiches, sandwiches and desserts. All dishes are made from scratch and the menu is frequently rotated between McNaughton’s signature secret family recipes. There are also large varieties of hot teas, or, for a cold drink, a glass of her ice-cold lemonade.

Sophomore Leslie Bembrick said she loves the freshly made dishes and large variety of teas.

“There is no restaurant like Gothic House and the food is great for a luncheon or a girls night out,” Bembrick said. “The Gothic house isn’t just a relic of the past but also a symbol of St. Joseph’s future.”

Employee Peter Bryan says he likes the environment an atmosphere that both the house and veranda creates for guests.

“It’s out of the norm, it’s more intimate and you can enjoy who you’re with,” Bryan said. “It’s also a good place to take someone out on a date.”

The Gothic House tea and eatery is open by reservation or drop ins from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every day, execept Tuesday which is open by appointment from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Cool Crest mini fantasy land

Flowing waterfalls, colorful flowers and a majestic castle are all present here in St. Joseph at one location. This mini fantasy land called Cool Crest can be discovered at 1400 N. Belt and was founded by an Irish man named Irvin E. Patterson. He was laying the foundation of his American dream one mini golf course at a time.

Among these exploits of the past were the enjoyable log cabin courses in South Dakota and Nebraska. These mini golf courses were revolutionary for the late 20’s and early 30’s when they were constructed. However, this simply didn’t matter as the nation was entering the turmoil of the Great Depression. Most families couldn’t even afford to spare 20 cents for one enjoyable game. After many obstacles and setbacks of his American dream, Irvin finally decided to settle in St. Joseph, MO.

He had no more than $600 to his name and a vision. With that vision, he purchased Barron field on the then empty belt. Next he transformed this wilderness into a magical experience for all those who set foot on its grounds. The atmosphere is appealing to families and people of all ages.

Cool Crest opened its first course to the public on July 4, 1948 and now it serves as a beam of entertainment for all those who choose to participate in its amazing and challenging courses. Anyone can immerse themselves in some Putt-Putt excitement for a small $5 fee which is less than almost any other form of entertainment in St. Joseph. Plus, it provides a concession stand that provides signature root beer floats in frosted mugs, ice cream, drinks and an assortment of candy.

Derby Mechan is the grandson of the owners and manager at Cool Crest.
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“My grandparents call it a taste of the American dream,” Mechan said.

They have also kept the business in the family as Irvin’s daughter Jan and her husband Guy own and operate Cool Crest. Their 7 1/2 year old great grandchild Kylee is already helping around the business. The whole community takes pride in their efforts and appreciates all the time their family takes in creating a relaxing atmosphere.

Examining the many gardens throughout Cool Crest one can see an example of this dedication. It takes between 5000-7000 freshly planted flowers every year to fill all the flowerbeds.

Dan Nowalk Jr., a Louisiana native playing at Cool Crest with his dad, really enjoyed playing on the course.

“We have traveled to many places, but I have never been to a miniature golf course this well run and kept up,” Nowalk said.

This wonderful experience received by countless people both locally and abroad would have never been achieved if it weren’t for Patterson’s vision. Likewise, the dream of cool crest couldn’t go on without the good business sense of the owners, Guy, Jan and their wonderful family and all the hard working employees that bring this world class experience to the quaint city of St. Joseph.

Flashback to the Wild West with the Pony Express

The famous Pony Express started in April 1860 and lasted only 19 months but still impacted a changing nation torn by civil war and, even today is continuing to spark American curiosity of the Wild West.

Even though the days of the Pony Express are long gone, St. Joseph is still largely known for its young heroine riders racing through hazardous country and harsh conditions to bring the news.

The Pony Express legacy and memory is continuing to thrive by attracting the local community as well as visitors from all over the world to the Pony Express Museum located on ninth and Fredrick.

Yvonne Crowley enjoys working at the museum on the weekends because she said it is important to educate people on history.
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“I love working here,” Crowley said. “It’s an exciting piece of history. The Pony Express’ 150 year anniversary is coming up which shows how long its legacy has lasted.”

The museum underwent renovation in 1993 that restored the remaining portion of the stables to its original size and also had more educational exhibits created.

Rick Vittitow, visiting from Louisville, KY, said the Wild West has always fascinated him, and the Pony Express is a very interesting part of our American history.

“My friend referred me to this museum and said it would be something good to bring my daughters to,” Vittitow said.

History teaches us about our past, but also teaches us lessons about our future, history buff Richard Brookshire said.

“It’s quite educational and interesting what all the Pony Express riders went through,” Brookshire said. “The Pony Express almost went bankrupt to get started, but they are now a legend in our history forever.”

Patee House Museum

Another interesting location to visit in St. Joseph is the Patee House Museum. This museum used to be a hotel and is most widely known for being down the street from the location of the death of the outlaw Jesse James.

Patee House was opened as a hotel in 1858 by John Patee. Patee House was also an important tool for the Pony Express in 1860. This is where the Pony Express headquarters were located and, because of this, Patee House is one of St. Joseph’s only national landmarks.
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Weekend manager of Patee House Julie Mcbeth believes keeping this museum open is vital to keeping St. Joseph a popular attraction.

“It’s important to save St. Joseph’s history because it’s a key to our history,” Mcbeth said.

High school student Tonya Greer has volunteered at Patee House since the middle of August and became interested after a school field trip there.

“It’s a great way to learn and help out the community,” Greer said.

Many visitors of Patee House are simply people from St. Joseph and its surrounding areas. Heather Campbell, a citizen of St. Joseph, is one of those people. She enjoyed the big arrays of displays in the museum.

“I think it’s amazing how St. Joseph has kept the museums alive and continues to put money into them,” Campbell said.

Patee House is perhaps most important to St. Joseph because the things the town is most known for, the Pony Express and the death of Jesse James, were directly linked to Patee House.

I can’t stand your smoke anymore. I cannot stand the ground littered with cigarette butts making our campus look disgusting. I take pride knowing that I will graduate from Missouri Western State University, but I cannot picture my graduation picture with cigarette butts littering the ground behind me. Seriously, if you want to smoke on campus, have respect in how you dispose of the remnants.

I am 41 years old and it took this long for me to learn my lesson. I hope others will learn from my mistakes, considering health issues.

Jerrod Huber

Enjoy your smoking privileges for the time being, but be aware that voices like mine are going to slice your rights to pieces.

Yes, I used to be a smoker, but that does not mean I am willing to protect your rights.

Many state and federal locations do not allow smoking. Many college campuses have already banned smoking on their property. What makes you think MWSU isn’t next?

I can now relate to complaints from non-smokers walking back and forth between classes complaining of cigarette smoke. It disgusts me and I take it as a threat.

My will power is amazing. I want to live and if living doesn’t concern you then keep sucking on that fire because you are bound to get burned. Will power drives a person that has meaning and purpose in life. For me, it is my children.

Smoke away with disregard for those who don’t appreciate your nasty habit because I assure you I am one of them, only my voice will be strong in government bodies that have the power to end your lung filled festival.

I have survived one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, and I guarantee I am done with smoking.

The thing for me to do now in every ones best interest is to make it difficult for you to irritate me with your nasty habit.

I will fight tooth and nail to end the nicotine insanity, but I will also lend support.

Call 1-800-quit-now. They offer free nicotine gum or patches along with tips and a coach available 24-7 to help you kick it. It’s free, and there are no more excuses.

I hope I have reached someone with this opinion. Even though I am still fresh in my nicotine sobriety, I promise to never go back.

Who knows how long I have to live, but I can honestly say I am in no mood to encourage the process.

A cowboy killer would truly say, “Live roping, or die smoking.”

After a disappointing 6-21 record last season, the women’s basketball team is hard at work to erase those memories during the 2009-10 season.
The Griffons struggled during the 2008-09 season which can be partly attributed to the lack of returning and familiar players. This season, 11 players return as opposed to only four returning players last year.

Of these returning 11, none are seniors. However, the Griffons have five juniors that head coach Lynn Plett is looking toward to help lead this year’s squad.

Junior forward Colleen Schneider goes in for a lay up at one of last season’s basketball games. Photo | Marty Ayers

Another key returning player for Western this year is the reigning MIAA Freshman of the Year in Jessica Koch. Koch will be an integral part of the Griffons’ success this season and will be looked to as a leader.

11 players alone is not going to help the Griffons have a winning season. First, they will have to work on several things to help improve as a team.
Rebounding is one key thing that will have to improve if the team wants to achieve their goals of finishing in the top of the MIAA.

“We gave opposing teams too many offensive rebounds and just flat out got out rebounded in several games,” Plett said.

Griffon fans may notice the same team this year but a very different attitude. The team’s up-tempo style of play will be a major factor in the team’s rise to the top of the conference. Coach Plett’s style of play has always been a face paced style, but this year they feel that they have the right players in the mix to effectively run this offense.

“His style has always been to push it, to get the rebound and push the ball as fast as possible up the court,” Koch said.

The Griffons finished 5-15 in conference play last year and are looking to move to the top of the MIAA this season. The conference looks to be competitive again and the Griffs will need to take care of business against the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Emporia State and Washburn, who all swept the Griffons in conference play last year.

Under Coach Plett, the Griffons have never beaten any of these teams and the junior leaders of the team are looking to at least split with these teams to capture their first wins against them and to help improve their conference standings.

As for the rest of the schedule, the challenge for Western begins right away. The team will travel to Drury University in Springfield for a short two game set against Michigan Tech, who Coach Plett coached against in his career at Lewis University, and against Drury.

It looks to be a promising year for the Griffons, as they have gained valuable experience the past few years with playing younger players. The positive for Western is that now those players are going to have more confidence when they hit the court this season.

Koch returns as leader for Western

Missouri Western sophomore forward Jessica Koch’s tale is one of two players. On the court, she is as serious as can be, even to the point of pessimism at times. Off the court, she can only be described as enthusiastic, hyper and just a bit goofy.

“Jess is the most dedicated person on our team and, her work ethic and passion for the game inspires us to work harder,” junior teammate Lauren Nolke said. “She wants it so bad, and she’s so competitive that it rubs off on us. Off the court, she’s just goofy: she’s never serious off the court but as soon as she’s on the court, she’s a completely different person.”

Sophomore Jessica Koch keeps the ball away from a defender during a game last year. Koch will be looked upon to lead the Griffons this season. Photo | Marty Ayers

With that goal in mind, Koch practices every day, even on days when practice is not held. She has definite ideas about her own performance and how to improve it.

“The up tempo offense definitely plays to my strengths, the whole team is actually quick; we fit well into the system,” Koch said. “I condition by going hard at practice every day and that conditions you for the game and running the court as much as we do. My strengths are driving to the basket or penetrating and kicking to the open person for a jump shot.”

Koch also admitted to a few areas where she wants to improve.

“My weaknesses are probably finishing lay ups,” Koch said. “The drill I do the most though is free throws. Free throws are immensely important and that is something we all should work on every day.”

Head coach Lynn Plett was proud of how well Koch plays and the lengths she takes to improve by herself. Plett pretty much sums up Koch’s work ethic and practice habits in one quote.

“Jessica is always one of the hardest workers in practice no matter what we’re doing and even when she works out on her own, she tries to practice at 100 percent,” Plett said. “That’s always a good habit to have because it’s more realistic to how you play in a game. She has been really a leader in that category which pays dividends for an individual to become even better. Even though she’s had success in the past, she’s focused on improving and getting better in all aspects of the game.”

Koch, despite having a great season last year, playing and starting in all 27 games, averaging 30.5 minutes per contest, and leading the team in six categories including steals with 79, assists with 100, free throws attempted with 127, free throws made with 90, points with 323 total, and points per game with 12.0, is still working incessantly to improve her play and, by association, the team’s.

“Jessica is an awesome player, and she’s the player we look to in tough positions to make something happen,” Nolke said. “She is the leader with no doubt in my mind.”
The first non-exhibition home game will be against the Emporia State Hornets at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5.

Men’s basketball ready for success

With five new recruits, five seniors and nine returning players, the MWSU Men’s basketball team plans to take this season to many new heights beginning Nov. 4 with the Griffons first exhibition game.

Head coach Tom Smith has already set a few goals for the team. Smith feels that once these goals are met, the team will be in a great position for the season overall.

“We need to get better defensively,” Smith said. “We really need to shoot the ball better. We finished on a high note this year. Our kids are a lot more confident now. The number one goal is to be in the top four in the conference. Our second goal is to get back to the tournament.”

Martin Nolan passes a ball during a game during the 2008-2009 season. The Griffon Men’s team hopes to return to the conference tournament this year, where they placed second last season. Photo | Marty Ayers

“[Central Missouri] beat us three times last year and that’s the team we are targeting,” said Rhodes.

Rhodes also feels that there is a lot more to prove and a lot more opportunities for the team this year. The team has the opportunity to show that they are even better than last year.

“[Last year] we could have done a lot more,” Rhodes said. “We’ve got so much more to prove. Now we know what it takes to get back to [the tournament].”

The team is also expecting big performances from two of its new recruits: Justin Taylor and Mike DeWalt. With the loss of three predominant players last year that included Leonard Parker, Lonnell Johnson and Ken Goodwin, Smith expects big performances from these recruits as they will both be playing as guards.

However, with two new guards assumed to become dominant characters for the team, one can only wonder how team chemistry will work and whether these young men will come together and truly play as one equipped team. Senior forward Marcus Jones responds to team chemistry concerns with his view of humility that the team can carry with them throughout every game.

“Team chemistry is great but could be a lot better,” Jones said. “We are trying to click early. Every player has a role. As a senior, I want to keep everybody humble and together.”

Along with humility, confidence will also be a big factor for the Griffons. Senior Forward James Bush feels very confident in the team as he feels that defense, speed and intelligence will be the main factors that will lead the team to victory.

“As of now, we are off to a great start,” Bush said. “We’ve got a lot of guys coming back. It should be a great season.”

With a few new players, numerous returning players and a confident, humble team, the MWSU basketball team can hopefully take this season to new heights and obtain some glorious victories. The Griffons’ first home game will be on Dec. 5 against Emporia. Both games begin at 7:30 p.m.

Thuston to be a key player for Men’s team

In basketball, like all sports, there are two types of players. First, there are the players who come to practice and work hard for the team and score points at games. And then there’s the type who wake up thinking about basketball, thinking about the next time they get to stand on a gym floor with their team, crowd cheering, representing their school and self. Dominique Thuston, a junior on the team this year, falls in the latter category.

Thuston decided to come to Missouri Western after junior college so he could stay close to his family and be near the courts he’s played on his whole life.

“That’s what’s the most important to me, being close to my family,” Thuston said.

As a competitive player who takes pride in defending Griffon territory, teammates of Thuston feel like his confidence and skill bring a positive aspect to the court. Marcus Rhodes, a senior on the team, has grown accustomed to playing side by side with Thuston.

“The best thing about him is that you can count on him on and off the court,” Rhodes said. “He really proved himself to me and the team last year. He’s going to make a great leader, and next year, he will be the face of the team.”

Junior Dominique Thuston puts a shot up against a Pitt State defender during a game last season. Photo | Marty Ayers

This year, Thuston has high hopes for the team.

“We’ll be better than last year if we keep working hard like we have been,” Thuston said.

Coach Tom Smith is proud of the talent Thuston has exhibited and has faith that this season is going to be no different. “We are working on his leadership ability,” Smith said. “But he is a great young man who has worked through a lot of hardships in his life, I enjoy coaching Dom.”

Thuston is not looking forward to ending his days on the court.

“Basketball is the best thing I have going in my life,” Thuston said.

For the team and Thuston, winning is the number one goal.

“Besides winning, I just want to work hard and be the best I can for the team,” Thuston said.

With the leadership that’s already being shown, along with the hard work the team is putting in, this Griffon basketball team will once again show everyone that the team is comprised of talented men who know what it takes to get what they want: a winning season.

Imagine walking into your typical English class and sitting in your normal seat. You take out your notebook and start taking notes from your professor’s lecture. Then suddenly, a topic comes across that you have never even thought about in your life. Your professor asks “Does money emphasize wealth?” Then she asks “What is feminism?” Then she asks the question “Why are you heterosexual?” Your mind is now intrigued for more!

In Kay Siebler’s English classes, she strives for pushing students to think outside of their comfortable mindset.Kay Siebler, who teaches English 104, 108, 301, 364, and numerous graduate courses, is a new professor in her second year here at Missouri Western State University. Coming from a private undergraduate institution in Iowa, Siebler is now here and ready for students to explore her interesting class perspectives with a P.H.D. in Education and an attention-grabbing background.

Harvey Jackson | Staff Photographer

“When I graduated [college] I went into the Peace Corps,” Siebler said. “When I was in Morocco in the Peace Corps, I was charged with teaching. I understood from that moment that teaching was something that I was really passionate about.”

After being in the Peace Corps for three years, Siebler tried writing for a freelance newspaper. However, her heart drove her back to education and ultimately to our institution’s doors. Taking what she has learned from Morocco, Siebler would like others to acknowledge a different perspective.

“I learned in Morocco that poverty is a real barrier to people,” Siebler said. “Our capitalist culture emphasizes money as a person’s worth. Consumption doesn’t make people happy.”

“I speak Arabic,” Siebler said. “I have a 5-year-old [in which] I chose to be a single parent, I used a sperm bank. I’m not heterosexual so marriage never appealed to me anyway. I’m a feminist; I actively work against systems of oppression. I really want to push [my students] to think about things that may be uncomfortable for them to think about.”

Siebler also addresses other teachers when discussing the full role of education and how it ultimately impacts a student’s mindset.

“If you go through you’re entire college degree and you never feel uncomfortable, or challenged or angry, or nervous within the context of a class, we are not doing our job,” Siebler said.

Previous student of Siebler, Charlene Divino, enjoyed Siebler’s English 104 class.

“I thought she was very interesting,” Divino said. “She really strived to get students to do the best they can do. There is no b.s. when Kay is teaching; she’s very upfront.”
Divino also feels that Missouri Western can truly benefit with her as a teacher. In Siebler’s future, she plans on developing Women’s Studies Minor Program. Siebler has also written her own textbook entitled “Composing Feminisms.”

“Missouri Western is really lucky to have her,” Divino said. “I think pushing the limit is always a factor in Kay’s class. She’s very principled and that’s what I like about her.”
Current English 301 student of Siebler, Jessica Baltezor feels that Siebler not only challenges you as a student but requires you to understand how you can use her class in a career situation.

“She cares about the success of the students in the classrooms,” Baltezor said. “She asks you how you are going to use this in your profession later on.”
If Siebler interests you, then take a class with her.

“I want to be the teacher that students call up their friends and say ‘Can you believe that wacko feminist lesbian and socialist teacher, here is what she said today’,” Siebler said.

Rebecca Foley- New Photo Exhibition

New assistant professor of art Rebecca Foley gets a real hometown welcome to Missouri Western and a chance to show her talent with her exhibit “There Goes the Neighborhood: Photographs of foreclosures and Other Homes Lost.”

The exhibit examines the idea of “home” and took a lot of work to put together. Foley, who at the time was an artist in resident at Ohio State University in Columbus, traveled all over the area taking photographs of more than 175 houses that had been affected by the foreclosure crisis.

“It’s been a really great opportunity to show my artwork with everyone in the art building and the community,” Foley said.

Foley said her own feelings of not wanting to put down roots in Ohio because of the knowledge of only being there for a year raised her interest for the concept of home. She said this also made her interested in the way her feelings related to events happening nationally.

Moving to new places is nothing new for Foley, but even though she has moved several times in the past year, she is happy to set up roots of her own and finally call St. Joseph her home.

“I have experienced the rural life growing up in Kentucky and I have also experienced the city life too, so it’s really nice to be at a place that is a combination of both,” Foley said.

Foley said she has always had a passion for art.

Harvey Jackson | Staff Photographer

Foley said her favorite thing as a professor is the one on one time she spends with her students.

“I like watching the students grow with their ideas and techniques and see what they will come up with,” Foley said. “It’s always exciting to see moments of creativity.”

Associate Professor of Art Allison Sauls said Foley is a great addition to the art department.

“She has a lot of energy, and she is very dedicated to her art and her students,” Sauls said.

Graphic design major Brooke Carter said she really enjoyed Foley’s exhibit.

“I loved how professor Foley came up with such a unique and interesting way to add to those photographs,” Carter said. “It made me want to find some photographs of my own and see what I could create. I love when artists are able to do that and inspire other artists.”

What students don’t know is that Missouri Western is more than willing to help figure out what financial aid they can receive even overseas, and helping find loans that are perfect for them. Karen Fulton, an English professor and previous director of the Study Away program wants students to be aware of the financial aid possibilities for these programs.

Graphic | Harvey Jackson

James MacGregor, current director of the Study Away department, has very high hopes for the trips available this year. MacGregor thinks that there is a different trip for every interest. This year there is a variety of study away projects and internships all around the world.

One trip, to New York, will allow the students to spend four days in the city studying art museums and galleries. Another trip to Belize is a three hour course with a biology focus. A trip to Greece/Croatia will allow journalism students to travel in these countries and attend journalism conferences. Returning this year is also a literature on site course which will take place in London during Spring Break.

Another option for the study away program lies in the student exchange program, which is less costly but a little more selective due to the small number of spots available. In this program students will attend school at another university, in Spain or France for example, but still be enrolled in classes at and pay the majority of their fees to MWSU.

There are many reasons that MacGregor and other Missouri Western study away employees want students to take advantage of these opportunities outside of just wanting the students to experience beautiful scenery around the world.

“This is an opportunity for students to get out of Saint Joseph, Missouri, and Kansas.” MacGregor said. “It’s a chance to break free of those borders and experience new cultures and people.”

Knowing many of the students that take classes at Missouri Western are from the local areas, the study away team thinks it’s very important for MWSU students to be able to experience new cultures in a world that MacGregor said “is getting smaller every day.”

Kerri Rollins traveled to Ireland last year for a full semester and attended a university there. Her blog (which is available on the study away website) helps her remember many of the details of her trip. Expectedly, the different culture between Missouri Western and Ireland shocked, amused, and made Kerri homesick at times. Jokingly, Kerri remembers the driving in Ireland, “They drive like madmen and of course what we think is the wrong side of the road.”

Along with gaining real world experience through the study away program, students also gain an edge over other applicants when beginning the job hunt. Students will peak potential employers interest with their international experience and add an edge to their list of qualifications that many others might not have.

Dr. Fulton feels that the benefits students receive through these programs are impossible to count. “Because if they (students) have been abroad, even for a week or 10 days or whatever it is, what they bring with them, to an interview for example, is an awareness of the world.” Fulton said.

The registration for the spring semester will begin Nov. 2. It is very important for students to plan early and get their applications in as soon as possible.

Now, there might be students rejoicing to the new Missouri Western State University Seasonal Flu and H1N1 Flu Student Policy. The CDC has recommended that, in order combat the spread of the illness, students are encouraged to stay home when they are sick. The big shocker is that a doctor’s note is no longer required for missing class. Students are actually encouraged to “self-identify” their illness. You are expected to e-mail your teachers before the absence occurs.

Graphic | Sara Baum

The funny thing about all of this is that many of the symptoms of H1N1 such as body and head aches, fatigue and sore throats and diarrhea and vomiting can also come from a state common to many college students: a hangover.

The thinking around the Griffon News room is the desire to create an environment where students are not discouraged from missing class if they might be able to spread something nasty. A sort of no pressure atmosphere where sick students are less likely to expose the noninfectious masses just to keep up their GPA.
This move really should be applauded. For once it seems that the administration actually cares more for the well being of the student body than the numbers disaster that this could turn into.

It would really be the poorest form of social ingratitude to abuse this policy. That might be the first temptation. But really? The fact is that the more class you miss, even without an attendance policy, the less likely you are to pass. Why bite the hand that teaches you tricks?

So while you may consider this as the grand opportunity to catch up on some sleep, we encourage you to be strong and keep going to class. After all, you came to college to learn. Now is your time.

“August 1, 2009 by a 3-1 vote of members present and in good academic and financial standing in accordance to Phi Mu National Constitution and Bylaws Phi Mu Zeta Pi will not be returning to campus pending National Council approval.

You will undoubtedly hear that things were unfair and I can assure you they were not. First, this meeting was scheduled more then 3 months ago and the issue at hand was tabled at our July meeting giving the members 3 weeks to make arrangements to be there. These summer meetings are a requirement from nationals and a $50 fine is imposed for not attending.

Therefore any who were not in attendance cannot say it was unfair.

Second, those who were not in academic or financial good standing were not allowed a vote; again this is clearly stated in the constitution and bylaws of our fraternity. Members have had the opportunity to pay their bill since January 1, 2009 therefore those who had not done so as of 10:00 am Saturday August 1, 2009 were not allowed to vote. Members that are not in good academic standing have been put on academic probation through MWSU and again in accordance to our constitution and bylaws do not get a vote and are on probation within the organization. Third, I would like to point out that our calendar of meetings and our constitution and bylaws are publically posted so anyone claiming unfairness is doing so because they do not like the decision made because it does not agree with their opinion.

I understand that to do things their own way but the decision was made democratically. I would like to inform you that we do have the complete support of our National Council and any attempt to tell you otherwise is wrong. If you have any questions concerning the validity of this letter please contact Robin Fanning, Phi Mu National President at np@phimu.org.

This decision was not an easy one to make. Zeta Pi has been struggling to meet national requirements for quite some time now. We are the lowest ranked chapter within Phi Mu Fraternity. You will hear that the 3 that voted to voluntarily close are selfish and too lazy to do the work and that is simply not true. We, along with other members not present are all in agreement that it is not fair to bring new members into a struggling organization. These women are seeking a positive Greek life experience and we can not give them that. I have spoken with the Pan-Hellenic President and voiced our eagerness and willingness to promote Greek life on campus with her as well. We are willing to do whatever it takes for the advancement of Greek life but also realize that Zeta Pi is not beneficial to Greek life on campus at this juncture.”

There were individuals that were unhappy with the results of the vote and petitioned to the National Council claiming we were 1 member short of a technical quorum. This was not true, there were enough members present at the meeting however, two of them were not in good standing and were not allowed to vote. There ability to vote was irrelevant to quorum it was their presence alone that qualified as quorum. Robin Fanning, National President of Phi Mu Fraternity called a special meeting of the National Council. This meeting was NOT to discuss the validity of the vote asking to voluntarily shut down; the vote had already been accepted. The intention of the Council was to asses the future of our chapter. You see we voted to ASK to be voluntarily shut down. Just because we ask does not mean Nationals will allow it, the National Council must vote on whether or not to suspend the chapter. That was the intention of the council meeting.

Shortly after the council meeting two representatives came to Western to meet with the chapter in order to deliver the decision of the National Council. This decision was based on many factors; membership total, financial stability, and the ability to meet national requirements. After assessing the past several years the council decided that the best thing for the chapter was to suspend the charter.

In delivering the decision the representatives also notified the chapter that we had 30 days to appeal the decision of the National Council. In order to appeal the chapter would one, need quorum of all active members and two, need a majority vote of active members in good financial and academic standing in accordance with the national constitution and by laws of Phi Mu Fraternity. The chapter decided to vote on whether or not to appeal the National Council’s decision. At this meeting 9 of the 11 members were present qualifying quorum; the two members that were not present were not in good financial standing and would not have been allowed a vote. One member present did not vote because she was granted ICMS status meaning she was inactive for the semester. A silent vote, counted by the National Representatives resulted in a majority vote (5:3) NOT to appeal the National Council’s decision. It is understandable that Alumni and Active members alike will be upset.

Being one of the individuals who voted to ask for voluntary shut down and not to appeal I can assure you that this was not an easy decision. It is very easy to make an emotional decision, it is not so easy to make a more logical decision when you KNOW that it will hurt people you care about and lead to massive repercussions. I know that the decision has upset many Alumni but I truly feel given the state of the chapter it was truly what was best for the chapter at this time. This decision has led to many immatthat feel that the decision was in the best interest of the chapter.

That is our burden to deal with and I feel that we are maintaining an advance level of maturity while being referred to as such names as the Anti-Christ’s. The last thing that we need is the Griffon News condoning and encouraging such behavior.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on this issue. However, that does not mean that the issue should not be presented fairly and accurately. On behalf of the MAJORITY of the members of Phi Mu Zeta Pi I am asking for a correction statement in the next issue of Griffon News.

I wish that I could generate the letter given to us by Nationals for publication but it was specifically stated that the letter was not for publication. However, if you would like to contact Colleen Kowich, Pan-Hellenic Advisor, the National Representative presented her with a letter from Phi Mu National Fraternity as well. This letter is NOT for publication either but you may use it to verify that it WAS in fact the decision of the national council.

Sincerely,
Kerri Rollins

As I came into the Student Government Association (SGA) office last April as your 2009-2010 Student Body President my primary goal was to take that similar passion we all share as individuals and strengthen it by creating unity and transparency in our government, SGA.

In my first few weeks as SGA President I struggled to make our campaign slogan,–“Get Your Voice Back!”–a reality. I sat in my office considering new ways to get more people concerned about campus issues, but I couldn’t seem to think of any miraculous solutions. I was forgetting that students already have deep concerns about issues, and simply don’t know the means they can take to get their voice heard!

As your SGA President this year I want to create new mediums to connect with you, and make everything SGA does more transparent than ever before. We are all Griffons and care about the campus that brings us together. It is about time we are given the chance to share that passion with others. We might not know every answer to a concern you have, but there are always means of finding solutions. This semester our main objective is to find ways to help you. Every concern is important.

I want to close by letting everyone know a little about what my Executive Board and I have done over the summer to create a closer connection to the Student Body. First off, SGA now has an official Facebook group that will be utilized to communicate with students about events around campus and display concerns that students may have about University issues. Currently the group has over 750 students, but I’d like to see that continue to grow. The Facebook group name is: MWSU 2009-2010 Student Body (SGA Updates).

Another way we are working with students is by personally and immediately addressing concerns as they come up. My office is in Blum 217, and my door is always open to address issues. If I’m in class or attending other business you can always get me via e-mail at jtodd2@missouriwestern.edu or even my personal cell phone at 816-509-5692.
There have already been several issues we’ve dealt with, and I’ll go into more of that in my next address in the Griffon News. For now, however, I want to welcome everyone back to Missouri Western! Have a great year, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Josh Todd
SGA President

Photo by Kelly Findley

defense.

Nearly 20 students participated in Stayin’ Alive, an event that was sponsored by the Western Activities Council. Junior Emily Feger ran the event.

“This was a great event to have right before spring break and the turnout was great,” Feger said. “People should know how to take care of themselves.”

Erin Weed, founder of Girls Fight Back, was the guest speaker for the event. She started speaking about self-defense after she lost her friend on a spring break trip.
“I never thought in a million years I would be doing this with my life.” Weed said.

Weed informed the group on how to stay safe, no matter if they are going on spring break or if they are just walking down the street. She told the students that they should be prepared for anything that they come across. Humans no longer listen to their natural instincts.

Safety tips include; never leave a party or group with anyone, but the friends you came with, keep track of your drink no matter even if it is just soda people could still harm the drink, monitor your drink if you are consuming alcohol. Following these tips help keeps friends and those around safer at all times.

Women are not the only victims but most generally it is a male attacker. So be aware of the tools that are useable when fighting. Tools are the parts of the body a person has that will do the most damage when in a fight.

Tomi Standage said at first she didn’t think she would learn a lot from the event, but was surprised when she did.

“I did not think that this would be fun,” Standage said. “But I learned how to kick butt and I was not just sitting through a boring lecture.”

Weed lives by her motto: “I am so dangerous!” She wants people to be aware that they are dangerous and can defend themselves. People are capable of being aware of what is going on around them they just chose to ignore it.

“The first time in my life I felt like I did not have to call my daddy, my boyfriend. I was able to defend myself.” Weed said this after explaining that she has had to use her own teachings in real life.

Weed has used her own techniques before on an attacker. She was attacked on her way to an interview. It was early in the morning and a man had grabbed on to Weed’s arm and she was prepared. Even though she did not say the words that she had been teaching other people (stop, leave me alone, I don’t want no trouble) she instead yelled BACK OFF in the most demonic voice she was capable of.

It is always better to be prepared for anything that might come in the way. Women and men alike need to be aware of the things around them. The danger people feel will not go away if people ignore it. Be prepared to fight, just make sure beforehand that a fight is what must be done.

Western’s men basketball team upsets number one seed Southwest Baptist, 93-92, in the MIAA basketball tournament in Kansas City today. The Griffons move on to the second round and will face number four seed Fort Hays State on Saturday, March 7th, at noon.

by Dan Donan

I know everyone is not truly equal, some people are taller, some are smarter, some are better athletes than others. But one of the basics behind the American dream is the idea that all people should have equal and fair chances to live their lives. Everyone wants a shot at the golden ticket and the brass ring, and shouldn’t everyone get just that, their shot?

If we start setting up too strict of academic standards in every university, we risk an unruly, uneducated group of people saying “Where’s mine?” Torches and pitchforks often follow this question and it is usually only answered with guns and blood.

The other question with academic standards is how do we decide what level to set them at? Who do we say “Sorry, your just not educated enough to deserve a college education” to? Who gets cut from the herd? Who do we close that door of opportunity on? Do they really deserve that treatment just because they didn’t have good academic scores?

Isn’t that what being a university is really about? Spreading the great light of knowledge to the world? Teaching the poor, ignorant masses? Wouldn’t this world be a better place if everyone could read?

So as to the question of whether Missouri Western State University should raise it’s admission standards, I say “No!” Instead we should lower them.

Let us teach every knuckle dragging, Cro-Magnon out there. Let us teach the world. Let us enlighten the people. Everyone who wants to learn should be able to learn, even at the higher learning levels.

I might feel different if we were a fully private institution with no public funding of any form. Then I might not care if we chose to indulge in such academic snobbery as having a minimum admissions standard of an ACT score of 23. I know I wouldn’t be going here then. But this is not the case with our school.

So I am proud to say let us stay as we are in our admission standards. I want to know that here is an institution that can reach to the bottom of the intellectual level and give a moron like me a chance to learn. If Missouri Western had higher standards I might be doomed to a lifetime in the service industry. Don’t I deserve a chance?

Instead, let us teach those who come seeking knowledge. Let us be a beacon of light in a dark land. Let us all learn as much as we want, because we are all in this together and ignorance anywhere is an affront to knowledge everywhere.

PRO:

By Matthew Fowler

Does Western need to raise their admission standards? The answer is yes. This school is transforming into an institution that could benefit from raising the admission standards.

This transformation is into this “new American regional university” that stresses applied learning, applied research and better involvement from the community.

In order to attract students and professors that can help continue this transformation, having higher set admission standards will help maintain a good academic level of students that can help this process along.

Right now the most important standard of admission we have here at Western is the ACT exam. The school’s “requirements” for the incoming freshman to get into this school: a 20 in math and a 19 in English and reading but no requirements for the science section.

Unfortunately those “requirements” are not concrete because if a student does not meet these scores they will have to enroll in the Griffon Gateway program and in remedial classes in their freshman year. What this means is that there is no real standard of admissions here at our school.

These “requirements” are rather sad though because these numbers are lower than what ACT Inc, the company the implements the ACT exam, says to be the average for Missouri.

In 2008, the English section average was 21.4, math was 21, reading was 22 and science was 21.4. Outside of math, our requirements do not even come close to the average for our own state. Even though the admissions office says that our composite ACT score is in line with the Missouri average (21.2 compared to 21.6).

What needs to be done is to bring those ACT requirements closer to the average, say a score of 20, in all sections and make it an actual requirement to get not just a suggestion.

This change needs to be done because it will bring us close to an equal footing to our neighbors (and enemies) Northwest, who require a composite score of 21 to be admitted in to their school.

This is just not a plea to copy what Northwest does but to level the playing field between us because they are our competitors for students and monies. If we even the playing field then we have a chance of improving the viability of this school.

Raising the standards will also be a public relation boom for this school. It will be a definite reminder that this school cares about the quality of the education (not that we already do but it would be a good point to show outsiders.) And we need as much good PR as possible because of our expanding research and graduate programs.

Our Current Senators include:  Harold McClellan, Chair of Philanthropy & Civic Service; Lolita Murphy, Ron Dickerson, Chair of Governmental Affairs; Josh Todd, Alyssa Ostrander, Stephen Parr, Brian Turner, Kaari Owens, Leonard Lawson, Paul Frazier and Darryl Boswell.  We still have a few open seats for students that are willing to work hard and have a desire to lead. We meet Mondays at 5 p.m. in Blum 220.     

As a team we have begun fixing the problems from the past SGA administration and their lack of attention to detail; we have aggressively pursued the following issues:  we have sought the help of Michelle Ritter to develop a highly effective SGA website that will launch soon (promotions will follow in the coming weeks);  we have outlined an efficient transition process for the Presidents;  we have constructed, with the help of the Senate, legislative sessions that foster promotion and growth of the members of the student body: resolutions, bills, amendments and ballot measures are now commonly passed.  As senate we have only met four times and passed 28 pieces of legislation just in the Fall semester.  As an organization we have formalized all forms and applications.  We have developed, with the coordination of Mark Mabe and IT, secure server space centralizing all electronic files of SGA that will aid future SGA administrations in their success.  A final process is quickly approaching regarding funding procedures for individuals and student organizations. Dave Shutt has done an amazing job in this area and will continue to make the necessary adjustments.  We are bring one thing back from the past and that is getting all the presidents of all the clubs and organizations together so we all know the opportunities for funding and issues we are all dealing with, in and out of the classroom.  Then we can begin writing specific legislation aimed  toward fixing our issues. 
The success of our plan is in three parts.  Spring 2008 was spent finding and analyzing problems through the value chain and SWAT analysis.  Fall 2008 has been developing solutions and fixing key problems.  Spring 2009 will be for transition in new leadership and unveiling SGA’s hard work.  The upcoming administration will need to consider the following when developing their plan of action: a Graduate Council becoming a branch of SGA, developing a five year strategic plan for SGA and the Union. A student fee structure that pursues beneficial ideas like expansion of Baker Fitness Center or development of a new facility, issues of the student health center, continuous facilities/classroom technology improvements, professor’s equality payment and retention/ hiring of new faculty.  Consider taking on faculty evaluations.  The last item is petitioning the new Gov. Jay Nixon and state legislators for the need of higher education funding and its importance to Missourians future.

One has played already on Sept. 27, the next appears Nov. 8, and the last will show on Feb. 21. The reviews for the first concert were great and the symphony is hoping to gain more attention along with more attendance.

Roger Swafford, Western’s Public Relations director, comes in at this point, helping to show the symphony off.

“They asked us to promote [the symphony], and one thing we did this year was work with Regular Joe, an alternative newspaper,” Swafford said. “They’re really good about promoting the arts and culture. We’re working on getting a van or a bus for students interested in going.”

The rides to the symphony have not come about, but it’s still in the works.

Matt Gilmour, our very own music professor, works very closely with the symphony. He told of how the symphony works with the students.

“They do use some of our students as performers, and there is an opportunity for students to audition,” Gilmour said.

The process of finding a new conductor has been a two-year deal, according to Gilmour, one that has been a national search for just the right person. According to Gilmour, they not only have to be good conductors, but also the symphony should react beautifully with them.

Gilmour has been on the board for Saint Joseph Symphony several times and has helped with the process of finding a conductor.

Derrick Hinds, the director of the symphony, always tries to make sure the music students come to the shows to see what it’s like to be on stage.

“We always try to provide tickets to the music department, and half-price for other students,” Hinds said.

The symphony also wants to make sure that the students know their way about when it comes to playing.

“We occasionally have our people come out to MWSU and teach. In fact, our conductors are usually a member of the faculty,” Hinds said.

Hinds also mentioned that there will be a concert on Dec. 20, which will be their Christmas show.

Persons interested in further information about tickets can go to either Student Services or to the symphony’s website at stjosephsymphony.org. Ticket prices begin at $10.

For those interested in going to the symphony, it will be held at the Missouri Theatre in downtown Saint Joseph. Who knows? If enough students wish to go, maybe the whole “bus/van ride” idea will go somewhere!

“Since they started at Missouri Western they now go to six or seven different schools,” Andrews said. “We were the lead. It’s extremely unusual. This is the Western District Court of Appeals. Missouri has two – the eastern and the western. I understand since we started this, the eastern district, which we don’t have anything to do with, in the St. Louis area began doing the same thing modeled after what we started here.”

There were approximately 500 students and individuals from the community present. Andrews feels the court coming to Western is not only educational for those seeking degrees in the field but for all students.

“This is a way for students not in our classes to see how the process works.” Andrews said. “No matter what they are going to do, they might have a case that ultimately ends in appellate court. Most people don’t get to see the appellate court. It’s not private but people just don’t go to see it.”

The courts precedings were held as normal. After each of the four cases were heard, the three judges took open mic questions from students. It afforded students the opportunity to address their questions and concerns. One member of the audience asked the Judges if they had any advice for those interested in the field.

“Work and sweat,” Judge Holliger said.

Student Jacely Alcantara said she feels her knowledge of court preceding has expanded .

“Seeing the interactions of professionals in the field is something that is very valuable to students interested in moving on through the legal field,” Alcantara said. “It’s good to see them and see what their arguments are and how they do their trials and the evidence they pull out.”

Student Rebecca Weddle feels seeing a court in action has made what she learned in the classroom more real.

“I’ve never seen a trial in action,” Weddle said. “It’s really almost humbling to see an appellate court and watching attorneys and seeing their arguments. I have the background since going to school, so it’s nice to be able to apply it.”

With more than 86 percent of the desired goal already accounted for, Western’s Foundation  launched the $15 million Achieving Greatness Capital Campaign Tuesday Sept. 16 with an invite-only performance by award-winning artist Deana Carter.

Achieving Greatness is a five-year capital campaign to raise $15 million to aid Western with long-term projects.  From the desired goal amount, $7.5 million will be used for construction and renovation purposes, $5.5 million will open and maintain the Steven L. Craig School of Business, $1 million will be an endowment to expand support for student scholarships and the final $1 million will be put toward emerging needs.

Dan Nicoson, vice president for university advancement, said, “This is Western’s largest capital campaign ever, and we are hopeful that alumni and members of the community will see it as an investment in the future of the university and the community, and that they will support it as generously as they can.”

 

The event at the Missouri Theater in downtown St. Joseph celebrated Western’s campaign with the announcement of two large contributions: a $1 million pledge from an anonymous Western graduate and a $250,000 pledge from the Leah Spratt Charitable Trust.  Guests of the event enjoyed food and an hour-long performance by Carter free of charge.

“I couldn’t be happier with the event,” President Robert Vartabedian said. “We were very fortunate to have such a high level of entertainment.”

Vartabedian, Nicoson and former President James Scanlon appeared on stage with Carter and announced the two recent gifts to over 400 members of the community.

Jeanne Daffron, associate vice president for academic and student affairs, said, “We have a lot of support in this region and it’s nice to see all of that positive presence.”

Last October Wes and Patsy Remington pledged $5 million to the campaign to be used with the construction of a new building named in their honor as well as renovations for Agenstein Hall.  In May, Steven Craig pledged $5.5 million, the largest single contribution in Western history, to establish the Steven L. Craig School of Business.  

These contributions along with $150,000 gift from the W.T. Kemper Foundation and $100,000 gifts from the Beavers Foundation, the Goppert Foundation, the Thanksgiving Fund and others have accounted for  $13 million of the campaign’s goal.

In addition to large foundations and private donors, 78 percent of Western’s employees made pledges to the campaign that totaled more than $200,000.

“It’s wonderful to have such a high percentage of participation. For our own people to donate so heavily to this cause is very generous,” Daffron said.

Current students have also showed interest in contributing to the campaign.

“It would be great if students would be a part of the campaign as well,” Nicoson said. “Current students are the beneficiaries of past contributions and we hope they will help establish a great tradition of supporting those that follow.”

Nicoson said he knows current students are not likely to make large contributions, but any amount that allows them to be listed as donors would be appreciated.  

“Once they become alumni we hope they will join the tradition in the future,” Nicoson said. 

Nicoson also said some student organizations have indicated they might like to host fundraising projects to help contribute to the campaign.

Donors for this campaign are allowed to pay their pledges over five or more years.  Nicoson said it is likely that a new broad-based capital campaign would begin prior to 2013 though other focused campaigns can be arranged for specific needs before then.

The previous campaign, the Our Promise Campaign, began in 1999 and the pledges ended in 2004. The goal was $4.5 million, and Western exceeded that goal, Nicoson said.

At an invite only reception at the Missouri Theater Sept. 16, President Robert Vartabedian, former President James Scanlon and Vice President for University Advancement Dan Nicoson stood on stage and announced two large contributions to the Achieving Greatness campaign.  The two gifts were made known four days apart after the event had been planned.

“We were very surprised,” Vartabedian said. Vartabedian was made aware of the $1 million gift four days before the kick-off event while the Spratt gift was announced the afternoon just before.

“This campaign will do very positive things for current students and future students in years to come,” Vartabedian said. “We are all about transforming the lives of students.”

Associate Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Jeanne Daffron attended the campaign event.

“I think [this campaign] brings new opportunities for us to do things that will move Western forward,” Daffron said.

The pledges will support the renovation and expansion of Western’s math and science facilitates including the construction of Remington Hall named in honor of Wes and Patsy Remington’s $5.5 million pledge to the campaign last October.  

“These contributions say a lot about other people and other organizations and businesses and their confidence and appreciation of our outcomes…the students and their achievements,” Daffron said.

Though the donor of the $1 million pledge wishes to remain anonymous, the gift is specified to be used to create an endowment to support activities in Remington and Agenstein halls after the expansion and renovations are complete. 

“The exact use of this annual endowment income may vary from year to year and the University will have to determine each year how the funds can best be used in support of science and mathematics,” Nicoson said.

The Leah Spratt Charitable Trust was named in honor of a 1921 St. Joseph Junior College graduate.  Joyce Rochambeau and Rene Rochambeau-McCrary are the trustees who made the $250,000 pledge administered by US Bank Wealth Management. 

The $1 million gift was the third seven-figure pledge in the campaign and the reported fourth largest gift in Western’s history.  

 

It was a ‘70s and ‘80s theme and almost everyone showed up wearing fashions from those decades.
From bell-bottom jeans to groovy sunglasses and of course, the John Travolta look from “Saturday Night Fever.” There was a contest for the best dressed and Sarah Spiers was the big winner taking home a $25.00 gas card.

DJ Stephan Kollitz set the mood with some booty-shaking music and kept the disco balls rolling and flashing. There was a lot of food like little smokies, rice crispy treats, chex mix, served with a choice of lemonade or tea. Jolly conversations filled the room. Laughter over the music echoed down the halls of Blum.
NTSA is responsible for certain activities that benefit others in need, especially around Christmas and Thanksgiving, but this activity was just for fun.

Amanda Daly is president of the NTSA and came dressed like a flower child.

“We thought this activity would be a lot of fun and prove to be a good time,” Daly said.

Many non-traditional students have children and this was a chance for them to plan ahead and get out for some adult fun time.

Deanna Sedlock, vice president of the NTSA, explained that even the kids had fun at daycare while the parents were away.

“All the kids in daycare have their own planned activities and they get a snack,” Sedlock said. “We can relax and have fun knowing they are safe.”

The NTSA sold raffle tickets and the lucky winners will receive a refurbished ‘70s style bicycle. Those winners will be announced at the spaghetti dinner on Oct. 10, which is another activity sponsored by NTSA. There are still tickets available and any student at Missouri Western can purchase them.

There were many little things to set the mood and establish the theme. Heather Hughes is treasurer of NTSA and explained all the groovy and dyn-o-mite gifts floating around.

“We have a disco floor going along with all the disco balls with flashing colors, we have mood rings and yo-yos,” Hughes said. “We are having a blast!”

Everyone was invited to attend the Retro Ball; it was not limited to non-traditional students. Robin Wormsley, secretary of the NTSA, enthusiastically expressed this idea.

“The entire student body of MWSU was invited to come and we had a good turn out,” Wormsley said.
The theme for this event was originally Elaine Richey’s idea. Richey was president of the NTSA last year.
Everything went smooth and all students should be aware of the activities the NTSA sponsors. There is a lot of fun and prizes to be had. They know how to keep it clean without sacrificing the fun.

Do not miss an opportunity to get to know some cool people and party with the NTSA.

The NTSA is not all about older students and they welcome anyone to attend their activities. The Retro Ball was an event looking back in time. For some it brings back memories, for others it could be an explanation of growth and change. Even the older students at Western are growing and changing. With that said, “Peace out!”

“This is an exceptional university!”  The chairperson of an accrediting team that recently visited the campus for five days used these words to describe Western.  He could not have said it better.  And as I prepare to “graduate” from Western on June 30, I can think of no better summary description of what soon will be my “alma mater.”

Western is “exceptional.”  Exceptional in the dedication of faculty and staff to students and their learning, both inside and outside the classroom.  Exceptional in the focus on applied learning for students through internships, student-faculty research and community service.  Exceptional in the results generated by students because of this dedication and this focus on applied learning.

In fact, Western is ahead of its time, leading the way for other universities to follow in its emphasis on the application of classroom learning to the world well beyond the classroom, leading the way in producing excellent results for students and the University.

Last year, for example, more than 80 percent of the students graduating from Western had at least one significant applied learning experience prior to graduation.  During the year, more than 2,000 of our 5,300 students were involved in internships, student-faculty research projects or service-learning activities.  Students applied what they learned in the classroom in business and industry, local and state government, human service agencies, schools, hospitals and research laboratories.  Last year alone, students presented the results of their applied learning more than 700 times in local, state, multi-state regional, national and even international competi­tions and conferences.  All of this places Western far above the norm.

In recent years, the results of applied learning for students have likewise been exceptional.  During competitions and conferences, many Western students have received top awards for the quality of their work.  These students come from the arts and humanities, sciences and social sciences and technical and professional studies programs.  Equaling or besting their peers from well-recognized universities across the country, from Harvard to Purdue to Berkeley, Western’s students have clearly demonstrated their quality, the quality of the faculty and staff who work with them, and the quality of Missouri Western State University.  Again, results that distinguish this university.

Students and university employees have also contributed significantly to our region through voluntary public service.  During the past two years, for instance, the people of Western provided more than 130,000 hours of service beyond the campus.  This exceptional level of service merited national recognition for two years in succession, when the Corporation for National and Community Service named the University to President Bush’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, calling Western a “Campus of Character.”
It has been my great privilege to be a part of Western during the past seven years.  My privilege to be one of you.  Thank you for the privilege of serving you.  I will always be proud to call this exceptional university my “alma mater.”
-Dr. James Scanlon

This is a prestigious honor for The Missouri Western Jazz Ensemble.

The jazz ensemble held their send-off concert April 1 in Potter Hall Theatre.

The concert showcased the set list of the music they would be performing at the Festival in Texas directed by director of Jazz studies here at Western, Bob Long.

Western Jazz Ensemble is just one of the 16 university and community college big bands selected around the nation to participate at the festival.

the bands are selected by audition only.

“We sent in an audition CD along with an application form last fall,” Long said.

Being accepted to perform at this festival is a big achievement for the ensemble.

Second chair tenor sax player and Western student David Mitchell knows it.

“I feel honored, and I know we all have worked very hard for it,” Mitchell said.

Long is largely responsible for the success of the ensemble working non-stop with determination and desire to see them succeed.

Western student Beaux Lux plays baritone sax and expresses his admiration for Long.

“Bob has made all of this possible; you can see the deep compassion in his eyes, and the drive he has is absolutely wonderful,” Lux said. “He will push the best out of anyone.”

Western student Tim Thomas plays the flugelhorn, and during their performance at the send-off concert Thomas led the band with his stand up performance in the musical, “Theme without a Movie.” Goosebumps were rising around the theatre in this performance that had more of a blues-type feel to it.

Long said they will be performing a variety of musical tunes from latin to swing and some classical.

It was easy to see the diversity in the tune, “Naima,” where Western student Mario Asti was featured on soprano sax and shredded some serious melody in the land of scales.
“Mario has been a huge addition bringing his talent and experience to the band,” Mitchell said.
In the next tune, “Urgency,” Asti picked up the tenor sax and took a magical stroll in the heart of jazz with Western student Andy West and Thomas on the trumpet.
The festival in Texas is considered to be non-competitive, but they will however, choose one of the big bands for an outstanding performance.
At the festival, the jazz ensemble will also have the opportunity to participate in student jam sessions, school group performances and clinics, master clinics and a headliner Q & A session with the David Binney Quartet.
Westerns Jazz ensemble will be returning from Texas around April 5.
The jazz ensemble will also be holding a spring jazz concert at 7:30 p.m. April 13 in Potter Hall Theatre as a follow up. The lab band will also perform at this concert.
Western’s ensemble also performed at the Greater St. Louis Jazz festival last year, which is a collegiate division.
If you missed the send-off concert, be sure not to miss the spring jazz concert April 13.
This will be your chance to witness the quality talent of the musicians here at Western under the direction of Long, who has a passion for music and the success of his students.
 

The Tigers took off in the first quarter scoring two touchdowns and the Ravens fought back hard but they couldn’t stop the magic that was happening for the Tigers.

The Ravens had several chances to score due to Tiger fumbles, but couldn’t manage to put the numbers up.

Missouri Western student Lonnie Myrick was responsible for one of the fumble recoveries.

Myrick had several huge plays including a powerhouse hit that stopped the Tigers from scoring.

After another Tiger score, the Ravens finally got their first touchdown, but it cost a Ravens’ player a broken finger.   

Possession of the ball bounced back and forth on downs until the Ravens scored again. This time the field goal was good and showed a promise.

That promise soon turned disappointing for the Ravens. They threw an interception for a Tigers’ touchdown and picking off the quarterback became a big part of the game for the Tigers.

 The second quarter started out  strong  for the Ravens. Western student, Larry Pendleton Jr., sacked the quarterback like a freight train. Unfortunately, it took him out of the game by ambulance with a dislocated knee.

This delayed the game for some time with an ambulance call and disruptions on the field.

Both teams showed poor sportsmanship on several different occasions. Considering these are adults, many fans were commenting on how disappointed they were. “It’s just a game and these guys are supposed to be adults,” was one comment from the crowd. “I’ve seen kids with better attitudes than this,” was another statement made.

Once things were back on track, the score was in the Tigers favor, but the Ravens looked like every bit of a comeback heading into the second half and they were fresh with a new quarterback.

The Ravens received the ball and Myrick made a couple of plays until they were stopped and that led to a Tiger touchdown. The Tigers then went on to score the extra two points which gave them a significant lead.    
           
The mood on the field was out of everyone’s control for the time being but the Ravens eventually kneel in respect of a fallen player.
With the Ravens on the receiving end, Western student Darrell Dixon received the ball for a brutal ten-yard return, knocking several players over as if rag dolls before being drug down by three Tiger players.

 Dixon would not go down easy anytime he had possession of the ball.

Myrick was a key player who is fast and took some huge hits, always jumping to his feet ready for more. He gained some yardage that finally led to another touchdown for the Ravens.

The Ravens tried an offside kick that was caught and ran in for another Tigers touchdown that ends the game, 42-21.

He is associate professor of biology, Lee Evinger. He is a physical geologist.

At 61 years of age with 29 of those spent teaching at Western, he has decided to retire beginning Aug. 1.
Evinger has been teaching at Missouri Western since 1979. When he first came here, he described Western as big and called it a model campus. He remembers the days of using a mimeograph to process papers and frowns when describing the alcohol fumes from using this machine. He is thankful for the invention of computers, which have made his job easier. He pulls an old slide projector from under his desk and explains its use compared to Power Point.

Evinger teaches several courses in geology, meteorology and physical science.

“He definitely knows geology inside and out,” Curtis Gammill said. Gammill is a senior here at Western and took Geology 101 with Evinger.

Evinger was excited last spring when Western conducted the Galileo workshop on scientific issues with an emphasis on global warming. Attending this workshop were NASA scientists and researchers from Harvard and Evinger was asked to open the workshop with an introductory presentation.

His real excitement comes from the students and faculty whom he calls friends.

“I will miss my day-to-day interaction with my friends here,” Evinger said.

Dustee Baker is a senior here at Western and took Geology 101 with Evinger back when she was a sophomore, and she remembers him as being very personable.

“He truly cares about his students academically and personally,” Baker said.

He will continue many of his friendships he has established here on the golf course and at church.

Evinger is chairman of the board at King Hill Christian Church in the South End of St. Joseph. Among the members of this church is Western’s director of developmental math, R.E. Moore, who is friends with Evinger. Both of them try to meet at least once a week for dinner where they discuss church and swap ideas on how to help students with certain issues.

Moore describes Evinger’s performance at Western from a student’s viewpoint. “I’ve never been in his class, but students have told me that he presents material in several different ways to fit everyone’s learning style.

Evinger said he still remembers the names of his former students when he bumps into them at Wal-Mart and other places around town.

Evinger wants to see Western grow more in quality than in numbers. He wants Western to stay at a size that still allows for a personal atmosphere.

His concern is that this school will continue to grow in a way that will lose the one-on-one contact that it currently provides students.

Evinger feels strongly about Western and explains how it can be overlooked for what it truly is.

“It is easy for students, faculty and administrators to not appreciate how good of an institution Western is and what opportunities it provides,” Evinger said.

Evinger was teaching geology courses at Elizabethtown College in Pa., before coming to Western.
Currently applications are still being taken to fill his position.

A crowd of over 300 people filled the Potter Hall theatre at Missouri Western State University March 5 to watch Step Afrika, the first professional company in the world dedicated to the tradition of stepping, perform the art.

Stepping, a unique dance tradition created by African American college students, uses the body as an instrument to create intense rhythms and sounds through a combination of claps, footsteps and spoken words.

In the early 1900s, the precursor for stepping began as an increasing number of African Americans started attending colleges and forming their own fraternities and sororities. These fraternal organi­zations were created to help the students both academically and socially, while uplifting the community. As part of the process of joining an organization, the students would learn how to step, which was done to show love, pride and respect for the various organizations.

However, before a student could step, he or she had to go through a process called pledging, which was an intense time period where the individuals, known as pledgees, would learn the secrets, history and ritual of a particular fraternity or sorority. The pledgees were intensely directed by their big brother or big sister 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This process was later made illegal in the early 1990s.

Step Afrika made the audience roll with laughter when they performed a humorous skit about the pledging process. Between the high-energy skits, a video portraying the stepping process through the years played, which gave the audience a little reflection time on the art form’s history.

Student Clifton Crump thought the whole night was really nice. “I liked how they showed the origin,” Crump said. “The video was really nice, and they have good skills.”

About halfway through the night, the performers brought audience members onto the stage. Ages ranging from about four to 24, the new members to the stage learned a small version of stepping. Some caught on quick, while others were a little lag on the learning process.

“They let me volunteer,” Crump said, “and they didn’t let me show the fullness of everything I have, but I’m good.”
The crowd was hysterical by this point, and it was obvious that they really enjoyed the interaction between performers and the audience members, but there were moments throughout the night when the audience seemed bad-mannered.
Pamela Covarrubias, CME intern, was pleased with the attendance but wasn’t as impressed with some of the feedback during the performance. “At times the audience’s reaction was a bit disrespect­ful,” she said. “Maybe they didn’t know how to react or maybe they were just being ignorant. But for the main part they were ok.”

Jakari Sherman, one of the Step Afrika performers, was used to that kind of thing. “I thought the audience was fun,” he said. “It was interesting because we had some moments where it was a little bit difficult, and I think the audience wasn’t quite sure how to respond to our show. We get that a lot.”

“Some people are used to the step-show environment and get really into the performance, whereas others are more used to ballet environments and are very relaxed throughout the performance,” Sherman said.

In the audience was a group of high school steppers who opened the show for Step Afrika. From Ruskin High School in south Kansas City, Mo., the group of juniors and seniors called Rho Eta Sigma seemed to really enjoy the performance.
“A lot of them were in the audience, so it was interesting to hear how they reacted and appreciated seeing a professional company do what they do on a regular basis,” Sherman said.

This was the second time that Step Afrika came to Western, and the questions was if Western could expect them again for a third time. Covarrubias really hoped to, but unfortunately there were other factors.

“Groups and artists of the quality of Step Afrika are expensive and unfortunately we don’t have a lot of funding for them,” she said.

The CME, Western Activities Council and National Pan-Hellenic Association, who all sponsored the event, couldn’t have asked for a better turnout.

The Career Development and Student Employment Center saw the need for change in the way students apply for jobs, and filling out an application sounded like the best change they could make.

Kait Newhart is a freshman here at Western and works as a student assistant in the center.

“Students were having a lot of trouble with the resume because most are used to filling out an application when apply­ing for a job,” Newhart said.

The change took place at the start of the semester and the Center is hoping it will encourage more students to apply for jobs on campus.

They are watching and waiting to see how well it works.

Any suggestions for ways of improving, or making this change better are welcome.

Director of the Center, Linda Garlinger is responsible for mak­ing this change happen.

She said that supervisors were not getting clear information from the resumes.

Some students were putting home addresses when they were living on campus.

Others were giving their home number instead of a contact number like a cell phone.

A board was put together of all the people who had concerns and were not satisfied with the way the system was working.

They met and discussed different things they could do to make applying for jobs at Western easier and the decision was made to fill out an application compared to writing a resume.

The application asks for specific contact numbers and address­es.

Making this change has helped in two significant ways.

“It makes it easier for the student to apply, and makes it easier for the supervisor to get the information they need in order to hire the right person,” Garlinger said.

The application idea has also helped the Center by giving them more time to focus on other areas of student employment, like filing and processing applicants.

“There are not as many students coming in needing help with their resume,” Newhart said.

Koren Dailey is a senior and works as a research assistant in the center and explains how this change has helped.
“I don’t think people know what to say on a resume to make them look like a good job candidate, and having a full applica­tion to fill out is helpful,” Dailey said.

The center is hopeful that these changes will make applying for jobs on campus easier and they have been seeing positive results.

They invite more students to seek all the opportunities in employment here at Western and beyond.
Job listings are posted under the NACElink banner on the stu­dent employment web site and all applications are completed online at: www.missouriwestern.edu/studentemployment

The center still helps with resumes and cover letters.

They have career fairs and education expo fairs for education students.

They are working hard to help students find employment and always trying to make the experience easier.
 

 We looked out for each other maneuvering  every obstacle we came to. We often looked behind us and asked if everyone was ok. It was a team effort and a connection that has no real description.

 We saw lots of bats from pips to browns and we even saw a gray bat.

I’ve never been face to face with a bat before. It may sound scary but it is really a deep connection with nature and the things around you. They were hibernating and we did our best not to disturb them.

 Those of you who take this class in the future will come to know the ‘hole of fame.’ It is small, crawl worthy and holds fame to all who achieve its challenge, but that’s all I’m telling you, other than “Go Tiffany!”

  Every one of us congregated at an undisclosed place in the cave and Dr. Ashley asked us to turn our lights off. This was my first experience with the definition of pitch black.

 It was so cool in understanding life that exists without eyes, and it certainly gives you an appreciation of eyesight.
 We discussed all the different formations within the cave and the colors caused by different minerals flowing throughout.
 Dr. Ashley takes a lot of pictures and you are bound to be caught between a rock and a hard place.
 Spelunking is like sex, once you do it you want to find new ways to do it even better.

 You can trust Dr. Ashley to see you through this challenge with exceptional guidance. He knows caves and he knows what equipment to carry in case of emergencies.

 Pay attention in his class room because the field experience will make you realize why you need the backup supplies he suggests you have.

 Spelunking is a very cool adventure that everyone should experience, but those lectures in a controlled environment are extremely important and should be completely absorbed for a safe and enjoy­able trip.

 When it comes to finals with Dr. Ashley you had better know your cave formations and every official cave exploring community.

 Oops, did I give it away?

 This instructor goes underground when it comes to exploring and he is above your understanding of this very dark world.
 Don’t forget a change of clothes and watch out for your exploring classmates who may want to wander off, you know who you are Sandra.

Food and fun with a Louisiana flare is what Missouri Western’s Alumni experienced at this year’s 2nd Annual Griffs on the
Bayou event. 

The event was held at Boudreaux’s Louisiana Seafood & Steaks last Tuesday, Feb. 19. Over 130 alumni made reservations
to attend, making it a bigger success than last year, which only had about 100 alumni in attendance.

The event was originally to take place on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 5, but due to inclement weather the event was rescheduled.

“We really wanted to keep with tradition and have it on Fat Tuesday, because it was a Mardi Gras themed event, but the
weather so poor. They had cancelled classes that day on campus, so we thought it was best to err on the side of caution,”
Jason Horn, Alumni Association President said.

Carol Dunn, Missouri Western alum ‘91 and member of the Alumni Association events committee felt the rescheduling
helped increase the event’s attendance. 

“Our numbers went up even though the event was rescheduled. I think it just gave people more time to get ready, and
the weather is much nicer,” Dunn said.
At the event Alumni were able to socialize and catch up with each other over a mixture of Cajun style appetizers in a
private room decorated with Mardi Gras masks themed in purple and gold. 

“Events like these help all alumni to network with one another. The newer alumni build relationships with the older more
mature alumni.  It also helps to promote a sense of community; they find commonalities with each other,” Colleen Kowich,
Director of Alumni Services said.

Horn also echoed the event’s networking potential. He felt a person could never have enough contacts. Even for older
alumni established in their career, networking still proved beneficial to an individual’s professional life.
Beyond networking and socializing, alumni were also able to win prizes throughout the evening. These included Mis­souri Western t-shirts, cups and window decals.

It was also the year Richard Boutwell, associate professor of biology, became a member of the Western faculty.
He remembers a Western that was recently constructed when he first walked up the sidewalk to Agenstein Hall.
“There was no grass, only four buildings and no dorms,” Boutwell said.

Western had just moved from downtown St. Joseph to its current location when he first started teaching here.
At the end of this semester Western will bid farewell to Boutwell.

Last summer he made the decision to retire after 38 years of teaching here at Western. “Out of all the other members of the faculty who came to Western in 1970 I’m the last to go,” Boutwell said.

His first day of retirement is Jun. 1.

After a national search for a replacement, the biology department eventually hired Kurt Hartman out of North Carolina.
Currently, Hartman is teaching there at St. Andrews Presbyterian College.

He will become a member of the biology department and begins his teaching here at Western in the fall semester of 2008.
Boutwell has experienced many different changes over the years at Western.

He explained the move from chalk-and-talk to the introduction of computers and power point.

He made an example of some of these changes by pulling out the policy guide for Western from 1970 that only contained a handful of pages compared to the current guide that is thick as a brick.

“This change over time is evolution,” Boutwell said.

After all, Boutwell is an evolutionary biologist.

What Boutwell has enjoyed the most in his years of teaching has been the fact that he has been witness to the growth and success of his students.

“Watching my students become successful and productive citizens in our society has been rewarding,” Boutwell said.
He is known for his entertaining style of teaching.

Sandra Levy, a biology major, likes Boutwell’s style of teaching.

“He is extremely entertaining in his instruction,” Levy said.

Senior Ben Monroe, one of Boutwell’s past students, said Boutwell was very humorous.

“He was always cracking one-liners for a laugh,” Monroe said.  

Todd Eckdahl, professor and chairperson of biology, had good things to say about Boutwell’s performance at Western.
“Boutwell loves biology and it is apparent in the way he teaches his classes and interacts with faculty,” Eckdahl said.

Upon his retirement Boutwell will be moving to Kansas City.

He wants to do some traveling and the things he really enjoys the most, like spending time with family and gardening.

Kayla Wymore wanted to be president of RC because she felt she had the quality and leadership skills to fill the position. During her first semester as a member of RC, Wymore was the Programmer and National Communications Chair. These positions provided her with the tools and experience in organizational operations she needed to eventually become president. She has an enthusiastic attitude about her new position and is hard at work planning to make big things happen for the residents as well as the council itself.

Residence Council is an organization that works with all the residents in the halls to provide programs and assist students with needs and issues that may arise. RC was first established in 1971, and for the most part has been a low-key organization.

Former president Traci Haug said, “Since 2006 RC has grown from a laid back organization to being recognized on a national and regional level.”

Vice president, Samy Northcutt, wants to see more people get involved and make the on-campus experience better for everyone. Northcutt is in charge of looking for new programs to bring students.

“I’ve been asking people for new advice and I’m always looking for new suggestions,” Northcutt said.

RC bingo is one of the council’s biggest programs and has a huge turnout. In the past they have given away laptops, IPODS, televisions and other prizes.

Student member Jordan Baumgartner said, “You might win, you might not, but it’s a lot of fun and a great social time for RC.”

Jen Kacere is the residence hall director and advisor for the organization. As a hall director, she works closely with the front desks of the residence halls to oversee all concerns and to handle anything that needs to be dealt with. Kacere works with students in the Living Learning Center and her plans are to continue to develop the first year experience. She wants all first year students to enjoy being here, “and come back to a place they call home,” Kacere said. 

All active members of RC want more people to get involved with the organization. They send out newsletters to let everyone know what RC is doing. Every hall has a government and they want the presidents of these halls to be more active about the things each hall wants or needs to change.
The council is a great experience and can be a fun social event.

One idea is to dazzle and dine your loved one with wine and pasta at the new Olive Garden opening up on the North Belt.
The Olive Garden will be open for the first time on Feb. 11, but if you plan on cuddling up for dinner on valentines day there you had better plan early because it will surely be packed, and they will not be taking reservations.  

Travis Ehlers, general manager, said they would be offering a special for sweethearts. You can have lasagna rollatini at $12.50 a plate and Italian margaritas will be the drink special.

If you want to be sure of having a place to go then visit assistant manager, Olivia Enriquez at San Jose Steak House. They take reservations and the sooner the better. They offer two 10-ounce sirloin dinners for $19.99 and all the ladies receive a flower at the door, but the specials don’t stop there.

They have a fajita dinner for $8.99 a platter, and a 16-ounce rib eye special for $17.99. They don’t offer any student discounts but if you are in the company of 6 or more people they take 10% off the bill. Frozen margaritas or any way you want them will be the drink special.

It gets even better with more choices at La Dolce Vita they offer the loft of love package in the upstairs banquet area. For $39.99 you and your loved one can have a dinner of sausage and peppers, lasagna, or chicken scaloppini with an entrŽe, appetizer, salad and desert. Ladies of the night have a choice between a rose and candy.

This package also includes a photo. There are no drink specials, but bartender, Ashley Lightle makes a hefty drink that will take your mind off of the price. They will also be featuring a special guest for entertainment. Local jazz performer Kathleen Holeman will be performing from 7 to 9 p.m. 

If Chili’s is the love destination, keep in mind there are no reservations at this establishment either, and it will be regular menu at regular prices and there will be no specials of any kind.

If it comes down to a last resort or you just don’t have much money, don’t be ashamed to hit the dollar menu at McDonalds. Have a double cheeseburger and a smile, but whatever you do don’t forget to say,”I McLove you.”  It’s all about the memories so make it memorable and consider staying in and cooking her a nice dinner. 

She has been working for Aramark for five years, which provides food service here at Western, and she has been serving snacks in Agenstein Hall for four years.

Gentry gave birth to twin boys, Kris and Kurtis. Unfortunately, Kurtis passed away from cancer in 2004. After her son Kurtis passed away she said the students and faculty here at Western were the ones who pulled her through and helped her keep going. Kurt would have been 31. 

Gentry is 53 and she came to Western when Roy’s Green Hills on S.22nd St. closed their doors. She had been the bakery and deli manager there for 11 years.

She also has an appreciation for nature.

“I love birds, flowers and flamingos, I also enjoy photographing all kinds of birds,” Gentry said.

She starts the day at 7:30 am by brewing up a fresh pot of coffee and preparing sandwiches and other goodies by hand, and a little bit of motherly love.

Gentry is always there to greet everyone who walks by with a kindness that is contagious. If students are having a bad day or just plain down in the dumps they can always count on her to cheer them up.

Gentry has this quality of kindness and understanding that goes above and beyond her everyday duties at Western.
Missouri Western freshman, Andy Gibson, appreciates the caring side of Gentry.

“Linda is very cool, and if I’m having a bad day she is someone I can talk to,” Gibson said.

Gentry truly enjoys her job and interaction with students and faculty and it shows in her warm smile. 
“I have adopted all of you,” Gentry said.

Sandy Seeger, assistant professor in biology, just loves Gentry and has asked her to be the maid of honor at her wedding in Hawaii this May. Take the time to meet Gentry and wish a safe and enjoyable trip, and don’t worry she’s coming back.

Kevin Anderson, associate professor in mathematics, was very enthusiastic about describing Gentry.

“Linda is the most caring and upbeat person I know, she always makes me smile,” Anderson said.

It is easy to overlook the people who make a difference and work hard to provide students and faculty with quality services here at Western.
Gentry loves the company around her and she truly cares for people and how they feel.
Gentry is definitely a person you should know, and a champion at work.

I hear a lot of people whining and complaining about the ALEKS program being used in algebra, well here’s a tip for you, it works if you work it! The ALEKS program is a web-based , artificial assessment and learning system that provides one-on-one instruction 24/7. It was first introduced by Dr. Victoria Wacek in the fall of 2001 as a supplemental teaching program. In 2003 director R.E. Moore made the decision to initialize the program as a primary tool for teaching algebra, and the results have been incredible. The first semester ALEKS was used it produced a student passing rate of 59%. Of the students who actually came to class and used the ALEKS program. The passing rate has steadily climbed to an awesome 96% in the fall of 2007. That’s a rock and roll performance from the math department as well as the students. Kudos to all involved. 

However, ALEKS will never replace the human interaction between student and teacher, but here at Western we get the best of both worlds. The math department has a constant flow of tutors and instructors who are all very eager and willing to help you. I have heard many negative opinions about the ALEKS program and its use, but don’t try to change the program, get in the game and let the program change you. My midterm grade in 090 was an F, but by the end of the semester I pulled a B. I had over 100 hours logged on just to reach a passing grade and I could have stopped there but I didn’t. I pushed on for that B. This is clearly an example of the effort it takes some of us to get through it, but if that’s what it takes then pull a Nike and “just do it.” Statistics reveal that if you spend 80-100 hours on Alex you will pass. I would agree that the set backs on the assessments can be very frustrating, but R.E. Moore informed me that ALEKS has been revised to address the issue. If you are experiencing set backs there has to be a reason for it, but don’t get discouraged, instead keep on keeping on. I am also aware that some of the problem solving instructions on ALEKS can be difficult to understand, but this is why there are tutors and instructors. You’re only stupid if you don’t ask questions. The statistics I have given you are loud and clear, so don’t hate the player or the game, and get involved. Stop blaming ALEKS for your shortcomings, buckle down and give it a swift kick in the rear. The time and effort you put forth will bring about results, but ultimately it’s up to you. So many times I have heard little comments like; “why do I even have to know this algebra crap when I’m never going to use it?” This attitude alone will hinder your success, and it’s a great excuse for a cop out.  Spend some time with ALEKS, offer him a beer and get acquainted because he’s here to stay. You can even take him home with you, but please leave the tutors and instructors at the school. By the way, if you are currently struggling with algebra and blaming ALEKS, but you have time to read this article, do the math!                   .               

The ice storm has left many of the trees on campus damaged or destroyed. The ice storm followed a snow storm that happened in last week.

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