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When at school everyone looks for a home away from home. Students look for a place where they can relax, let their hair down and be around like-minded people while miles away from their permanent address. Some students go as far as looking for a “mother” type figure while being here at Western. Well for those of you out there looking for that special woman to call “Mom,” look no further than the Art Office in Potter Hall. In this office resides Gladys Patten, an Administrative Assistant who truly takes care of all of her kids here at Missouri Western State University.

Some would call Gladys Patten a very sanguine woman. She is always a happy, cheerful someone you can go to for help. Gladys Patten is a 44 year old, Saint Joseph native and is an inspiring hand bag designer. Patten is a mother, a grandmother and is living her life to the fullest. Patten talks about her love to help others.

“I just think students need someone to talk to,” Patten said. “They just need someone to listen. [So] we just have to have the willingness to listen to them. ”

Patten goes on to explain why she chose to work at Western. “I just wanted to work with students,” Patten said.

She suggests that students have a lot of stress on them and sometimes just need someone to vent their frustrations to.

After working as a secretary for 20 years in a prison, Patten worked for Missouri Western’s Provost Jeannie Daffern for two years before moving to Potter Hall. Since arriving on campus she has been determined to be a guiding light into a student’s journey to a better education. Art Department Chair Dr. Allison Sauls, who’s desk lies right next to Patten’s, shares her views on Patten.

“She’s like a second mom around here,” Sauls said. “Sometimes she knows what the students need before they even ask her.”

Graphic Design major Tara Sabbert expressed how helpful Patten is and what a joy it is to have her in Potter Hall.

“She is just so nice, and we don’t have a lot of faculty that is,” Sabbert said. “If a student needs help, she’s always there and if she can’t help you she’ll try to find you someone who will.”

Gladys Patten is truly a mother, a friend and a counselor to not only her family at home, but to her family here at Western.

Many students on campus are under the impression that Missouri Western doesn’t have any clubs of interest, and that there’s nothing worthy to do on campus. After consuming their days with Facebook, Twitter, and homework, what else could there possibly be to do? The problem may not be that these clubs don’t exist, but that students aren’t aware of them.

Sandra Rogers, student development program coordinator and advisor for the Western Activities Council, shared her opinion on how she thought the programming was going on campus.

“Sometimes we have a good turnout and other times it’s not as many students there,” Rogers said. “We are getting a great turnout from the community. We ‘d love to have more students come.”

Rogers talked about how much time and preparation goes into planning the programs. “The programs that the Center for Student Engagement and the Center for Multicultural Education plan are good, well thought out, well prepared and well presented. These are real quality programs.”

Although many organizations have well thought out and well planned programs, students still aren’t joining programs or organizations. Some organizations are having trouble recruiting members. This is a struggle that many organizations have faced for years.

Freshman Benjamin Washington talked about his frustration with the lack of advertisement and involvement in student clubs.

“There just isn’t any fun activity to do here,” Washington said.

Washington expressed what kind of programs he feels should exist on the Missouri Western campus.

“I think they should do more fun programs like going out to group movies or just something everyone can go to for relaxation,” Washington said. “No one wants to just sit in a meeting for an hour and do nothing. We do enough of that in our classes.”

Sophomore Brittanee Standard, secretary of The Ebony Collegians, is equally frustrated with the lack of student involvement.

“We set up booths and plan programs that we think will of interest to the students,” Standard said.

Standard also talked about the lack of committed students.

“I think it’s the will of the students wanting to get involved. Personally I just think they’re too lazy or they just don’t care,” Standard said. “You can’t make anyone join your organization. They have to want to join.”

What many students do not know is that if they feel that the organizations on campus are not for them, that they can start their own by going to the SGA and applying and submitting the information necessary to do so.

Junior John Solomon, president of Living Eternally Victorious, expressed why LEV became an organization on the Missouri Western Campus.

“Religion is always a sensitive topic but it’s my duty to share the good news about GOD,” Solomon said.

He shared his optimism about membership.

“People will come when they’re ready,” Solomon said. “Our member has increased over the past year, I’m sure it will get better.”

Many organizations are having trouble getting students to come out to their programs and join their organizations. If students look at the poster boards in each hall, they will see flyers from different clubs and organizations that may interest them in some aspect of their life. The flyers could advertise sports, religion, or major oriented clubs such as the psychology club, which happens to be having a back to school bowling and pizza night from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. on King Hill Avenue.