Archive for the ‘Features’ Category

Broadening the way you think, joining new clubs and getting involved are great ways to start the process of making your horizons more widely spread. But you can start another side to that expansion right here at Western by trying some of the classes that really make your schedule interesting.

In every department, there are classes that most students don’t know about, and wouldn’t believe Western even offered. Trying out a class that doesn’t coincide with your major or past education not only takes you to new boundaries, but they sprinkle in some diversity to a schedule that can get a little lackluster by senior year.

For many of the four-year major and degree programs, the classes required equal about 50 hours, although all major programs differ in this area. For general studies, the hours add up to between 42 to 46 hours. However, for graduation, there is a requirement of 124 hours.

This leaves as many as 28 hours for students to expand their course choices to classes outside their normal realm. Why not mix up your schedule with some of the courses you’d never think to try?

Missouri Western strives to offer not only classes that go into necessary depths to prepare students for their degree requirements, but also expand their horizons in categories that are useful, interesting and also helps them branch out from their comfort zone.

THR130: Stage Combat. This class studies weaponry styles, skills, and methods used in staging violence for theatre and screen. Although this class has additional fee requirements, attendance at a professional combat workshop over a weekend is also mandatory although students tend to feel that these workshops are more play than work.

ENG210: Monster Flicks. This course works with developing necessary skills for reading visual “texts” of science fiction films such as Frankenstein, Blade Runner and The War of the Worlds.

Junior Craig Wilburn found the class easy to get involved in.

“It’s interesting to see the transformation in cinema and how the times have changed,” Wilburn said. “I’m not an English major and I still found it very enjoyable.”

ENG210: Back to Black: African American Lit from Slavery to Rap. Bill Church, the instructor for this section, explained how the course works. “For our section, we will learn not only about various literary genres, terms, and themes, but also about the how those literary forms were adopted and altered by enslaved people of African origin and their descendents.”

LAT350: Civil Rights law. This course examines individuals who claim that their Constitutional rights have been violated, such as the Writ of Habeas Corpus, for example. According to professor David Tushaus, “studying how the law handles these kinds of problems will give students a better understanding of their criminal justice system, and a realization that the law is not always just.” The prerequisite requirement for this class is LAT 101, introduction to law.

PED222: Human Sexuality. This class offers an in-depth look over controversial issues of physiological, psychological and behavioral aspects of sexuality.

HIS245: History of the Middle East in the Twentieth Century. Paying special attention to the origins of current political, social and economic issues in the Middle East, this course offers a closer look into the historical developments since 1900.

BIO116: Naturality Training. This course is a hands on class which analyzes the interpretation of Missouri inhabitants, plants and animals. Certification is awarded in accordance with students passing this class. There is a prerequisite of a passing grade in BIO101 for this class.

GOV380: Asian Politics. By going in depth with Asian politics and culture, this class examines governance, culture and leadership in Japan and Southeast Asia while also tackling the subject of United States relations. The prerequisite for this class is GOV101, American National Government.
These classes are just a few of the many fascinating classes at Western that offer students a new outlet for broadening their horizons. For a complete list of all of Missouri Western’s courses, borrow a copy of an undergraduate catalog from your advisor and browse through it to see what other unusual classes are offered.

Have you ever wondered about the beginnings of salsa dancing, Latino culture, tango, rumba, zumba and the Spanish dialect? Missouri Western’s new organization called the Association of Latin American Students (ALAS) addresses all of this and much more as it plans to educate our institution and embrace the Latino and non-Latino students.

Sophomore and President of ALAS Adrian Cossyleon explains the overall purpose of the organization.

“Our main goal is to expose campus to our culture and do it in a way that portrays us in a positive light,” Cossyleon said. “We want to also expose the myths surrounded by Latinos.”

These myths include immigration and English: Second Language assumptions. Junior and Treasurer of ALAS Pamela Covarrubias expresses how ALAS has been actively working to be a positive advocate for students while representing the Hispanic community.

“We are representing the Hispanic community both on and even off campus,” Covarrubias said. “We are trying to do mentor programs in the community and let students know that they can go to college.”

Covarrubias, who helped found Western’s ALAS organization last year, expresses the major concerns that ALAS has been focusing on and some events that ALAS is planning for the future.

“We are focusing on the Haiti crisis and the Dream Act of 2003,” Covarrubias said. “We are thinking of a lot of ways to do something to help but it’s really hard because there is not enough knowledge about the dream act. We talked about having a teacher teach Latin American Studies and possibly join it with African American studies to bring awareness.”

According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the Dream Act of 2003 entitles undocumented students that have completed elementary and secondary education to not be liable for their immigrant status

However, this act does not provide specific benefits for these students and does not allow them financial aid that could be used for college or training schools.

The revision of this act could allow higher education for many undocumented students that do not have the opportunity to receive education anywhere else. Among raising this concern, ALAS plans to also reach out to Western and let students know that they want to help them and encourage them.

“There is an organization for them,” Covarrubias said. “There is a group on campus that will help them feel good and feel accepted.”

Along with encouragement, ALAS also plans to help students expand their horizons and not make everything such a black and white issue. Western senior and ALAS member Jacely Alcantara expands on this theory.

“I feel that it is really important to try and bring some culture to campus and represent it more than anything,” Alcantara said. “I feel like campus will learn to be a less bit black and white and try to expand their horizons in exploring other cultures other than their own.”

Though currently ALAS only has five members, they still plan to host events and gain awareness and membership in the future. Among mentor programs and communityservice, ALAS plans to have a Spanish table that will consist of fluent speaking Spanish natives and majors, salsa lessons, an XBOX tournament and a talent show in March.
There will also be a churro night witch will be held on Wed. March 24 in the Center for Student Engagement. Cossyleon provides a little more detail.
“We’re going to have churro night for campus and other student organizations,” Cossyleon said. “Anyone’s invited.”

In 1955, a special bus boycott was held for 382 days. This bus boycott was known as the first African American non-violent demonstration. After this event, the Supreme Court ruled the laws of segregated buses as unconstitutional. This event was led by none other than Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a non-violent activist who led successful marches, protests and boycotts that ultimately eliminated segregation and changed our world forever. He was born Jan. 15, 1929. Now, 81 years after the birth of such a powerful leader, we continue to celebrate his birthday on the Monday closest to Jan. 15. This celebration is known as Martin Luther King Day.

As 81 years of celebration have passed us, it’s important to remember how significant Martin Luther King, Jr., was to our society. Without Martin Luther King’s emphasis on equality among all races in our schools, public transportation and working places could still be segregated. As college students, we have the opportunity to embrace equality, diversity and change among our campus and communities just as Martin Luther King embraced these things over 50 years ago. How has Dr. Martin Luther King influenced Missouri Western and what does Missouri Western plan to do to address Dr. Martin Luther King day?
Junior and President of the National Advancement Association of Colored People (NAACP) Michelle Allen feels that the best way that students can embrace Martin Luther King Day is to get involved in a campus activity. This year, the Black Student Union along with the help of the NAACP will host a week’s events acknowledging Dr. Martin Luther King and the positive changes he made toward society.

“I think all students should take the time to reminisce on where they came from and where they are now,” Allen said. “Most people take [Martin Luther King] day and sit around and do nothing. We should do something instead of just sit around. Our week of events helps students honor Martin Luther King.

As Martin Luther King was a member of the executive board for the NAACP, which was the leader of all the NAACP organizations, joining the campus NAACP in certain events could be a way for students to connect with the day on a more personal level. These events include a memorial march on Sunday, Jan. 17, a community service day on Monday, Jan. 18, a discussion event on Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech on Tuesday, Jan. 19, a movie showing of “Glory” on Wednesday, Jan. 20, and a campus banquet entitled the Freedom Fund Banquet.

Sophomore Gregg Harris, who will be reciting a poem at the banquet, describes how these events can help people respect and acknowledge who Dr. Martin Luther King was. He wants his poem to be a gateway of knowledge for students to learn new things and gain a new perspective.

“Martin Luther King plays a big part in history in general,” Harris said. “He put a big mark in American History when it comes to unity. I think [my poem] will help students gain knowledge.”

When remembering some aspects of Martin Luther King, both Allen and Harris agree that his consistency and determination were characteristics that they admired most. For many years, King fought for equal opportunity among all races. He led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, which ultimately led to African Americans being able to vote. He also directed a peaceful march in Washington, D.C., where he delivered the famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Though this speech was delivered nearly 50 years ago, many of his words are still alive today.

“Dr. Martin Luther King was prestigious and consistent,” Allen said. “He didn’t let the naysayers stop him. He was motivated for change. His persistency and consistency are what I admire most.”

“His determination to keep stuff pushing is what I admire the most,” Harris said.

Freshman Karin Schmit feels that all races have something to gain from Martin Luther King Day. She is also very interested in the Freedom Fund Banquet and feels that an event like this could wake the campus up.

“I think [Martin Luther King] was a strong man to take a stand without using violence,” Schmit said. “The world is becoming more chaotic. People should try to accomplish what he accomplished in a non-violent way. This is why they should attend events like this.”

January 1, 12:01 AM: Millions of Americans are making vows to their selves to not eat chocolate, lose 15 lbs, don’t cut class, stop shopping, etc. Flash forward three weeks later and chocolate’s been eaten, pounds have been gained, class has been cut, and we all know there’s been shopping. New Year’s Resolutions are a great idea in theory, but the problem is making them work.

At the beginning of the year, everyone has high hopes in their resolutions. And for the first few weeks or maybe months, most people are pretty strict about sticking to their goals. However, as winter ends, it seems like so too does the desire to maintain these ambitions.

Heather Reeder, a sophomore at Missouri Western, tries to make resolutions each year with the hope that she’ll stick with the new one longer than last year’s.

“This year I am going to try to cut down on fast food and eat healthier.” Reeder said. “But after the first few months I always forget about the resolution.”

Reeder isn’t alone in her feelings of failure with New Year’s Resolutions. Every year these resolutions are made in high hopes of their effectiveness, and every year more than half of these are broken within weeks, or simply forgotten. So what’s the point of resolutions if we are making ones that set ourselves up for failure?

Resolutions need to be made that will inspire us to not break them. The best way to discover whether it’s a goal that is going to be maintained is to decide if it’s important enough to put the effort forth. Before committing to a resolution, ask these three questions:

1. Why should I follow through with this resolution?
2. What will this resolution change in my life?
3. How important is it to stick to this resolution?

After asking these questions it becomes apparent which resolutions will really impact our years, and lives. If the resolutions made aren’t something that is meaningful to our well-being or something we feel passionately about, it’s going to be a guaranteed failure.

Missouri Western junior Jesse Engelken vows that he won’t make resolutions simply to make a resolution, he only creates them if he believes in what he’s resolving to do.

“If you really want to change something about yourself or something in your life, you’ll stick to it until you’ve done what you wanted to do,” Engelken said.

So besides picking resolutions that are meaningful to their creator, the best way to ensure that a resolution will work is to create a realistic plan for carrying these out. If not cutting class is what you really think is an important resolution, which it should be, the best way to get yourself to class is to write down a plan of action. Give yourself a realistic bedtime and set back up alarms, etc.

Missouri Western senior Zach Kinkeade also says it’s a good idea to remind yourself every day of your resolution. “Write it down somewhere you’ll see it every day, so you won’t forget,” Kinkeade said.

Resolutions can be idealistic, but at the same time they need to not ask too much at one time. If eating fast food three times a day is your habit, come January 1 there is no realistic way to cut that habit cold turkey. However, vowing to cut down on fast food to a few times a week, or to completely cut it off gradually over months, those resolutions are admirable and much easier to achieve and stick to.