Rodney Roberts, President of the Gentlemen of Color Association, actually came up with this idea through his mentorship with Isaiah Collier, director of Greek Life at Missouri Western. Isaiah kind of pointed him in this direction by telling him Western really needed leadership initiative, especially for males on campus.

Roberts began building this organization the first week of school and started spreading the word around campus.

“I started this so black men could get more involved on campus, to just all around better themselves. You see so many guys acting out on campus. We’re not saying ‘Don’t have fun,’ but we want to help them understand that you are now in a collegiate environment so you kind of need to behave as such,” Roberts said.

This is the first semester for the GCA. Roberts said they are focused on building up the members; They began by giving men on campus the information for upcoming financial seminars and professionalism seminars. The group meets on Thursdays at 8:30.

“We have five freshman members and our main goal was to prep them into becoming leaders, not only for themselves but for the campus,” Roberts said.

“Next semester we are going to actually bring those five freshmen to different schools to mentor but we first want to build them up into becoming a mentor, teach them what they need to know to be good leaders.”

In order to be a part of the Gentlemen of Color Association, you have to attend two consecutive meetings and be voted in by the rest of the members. The GCA also has a strict dress code, as members have to dress professionally. When they attend the meetings, members are encouraged to bring paper and a pen and be prepared to take down any information given to them.

They do a lot of hands on work and are very supportive with each other. They make sure they are there for each other, ready to chip in and help.
Dillon Williams also helps Rodney and he’s involved in with a lot of campus activities already.

“I think being involved with different things on campus helps the young men in the GCA just have a look at what it looks like to help and be an asset on campus,” Williams said.

Roberts said that the meetings are going extremely well, and that he’s seeing a lot of progress through our men. The GCA has five active members, Donovan Gilliam, Jared Potter, Creshawn Mcgridder, Cameron Michaels and Jordan Fitzgerald.

“They are just teaching us how to become gentlemen and how to take care of business. This has helped me a lot as a man. It helped me the most with being in order, just being able to be organized with things better,” Gilliam said.

Gilliam has performed many concerts in the past and he actually just performed at the WAC Fashion Show. Mcgridder has landed his first job in St. Joseph and will be staying over the summer to work. Michaels actually won Mr. Black Student Union. Gilliam, Potter and Michaels actually started the Lacrosse Club, the first one Western has had in over 10 years.

“We really pushed them to actually follow through with what they want to do, not just say they want to do something, but to actually go and do it,” Roberts said. “We are just proud of our young men.”

Sharing stories, making friends and saying goodbye was the feeling that many international students felt during their farewell reception.

International Student Services held their farewell reception for several international students who are leaving Missouri Western Monday, April 22.

Coming from several different international exchanges and degree programs at Missouri Western, 17 of the international students from several countries are coming to their last journey of study in United States.

“Many wonderful people and wonderful talents, It is great to get to know some of the students, of course I hate to see 17 of them leaving us in terms of completion of their exchange and degree program, but they represent their country well and we are thrilled to have them on campus,” Missouri Western President Dr. Robert Vartabedian said.

Currently Missouri Western has 64 international students from 24 different countries. International students are enrolling in exchange and degree program on campus. Vartabedian is looking forward to more international students enrolling by the following semester.

“Our next goal is 100 students and long term goal is 200 students at Missouri Western,” Vartabedian said.

Vartabedian was also pleased to know several of the students personally.

The reception was attended by most of the international students, staff and faculties, as well as several members of the Board of Governors.

Leaving Missouri Western State University’s environment has been an emotional experience for some of the students who will be leaving. Maricarmen Teran, graduate student from Mexico, is one of the international students who will be graduating with a Master’s Degree soon. Teran thinks the event was really nice, and she experienced mixed feelings during the event but said that she’s happy and glad she can say farewell to other international students.

“One thing I will miss the most is all of my friends. Sounds crazy but I will miss my graduated classes too. I know classes are really hard, but I have learned so much as a student,” Teran said.

Not only the president of the university, but Alfred Purcell, member of the Board of Governors, was also happy to attend the reception and was glad he got to know the international students individually.

“Listening to and meeting the international students fills my heart,” Purcell said. “It is just terrific for our community and university to be able to invite and learn from the international students. I believe it enriches the people and the culture of this university.”

Missouri Western groups together just after sweeping the double header against Washburn University to enjoy being the schools first MIAA regular season champions.

The Griffons are the MIAA baseball regular season champions for the first time in history, and improve their record to 34-7.

After sweeping the double header against Washburn University in the last regular season home game, and after the ice cold Gatorade shower, coach Buzz Verduzco told his players they get a steak dinner after this one.

“I’m so proud of you guys,” Verduzco said. “I want you to enjoy every bit of it because you guys deserve it.”

Game one was controlled by Western’s pitcher, Jerad Hawkins, as he only allowed one run on three hits in a complete game to get his sixth win on the season.

“It feels great,” Hawkins said. “We’ve worked hard and accomplished it with our work ethic. There’s no more pressure on us this weekend, we’re just going to keep playing hard and win as many games as we can.”

Hawkins told the coach after pitching Sunday that he was ready for this one.
Game two was where the batting really got back to what they often do. Western run-ruled yet another team and did it with incredible energy. First baseman, Spencer Shockley, ended it with a blasted home run over left field.

“It definitely feels good,” Shockley said. “It feels good to be a part of a great team this year and it’s a huge boost of confidence. It’s really something special to be a part of.”

Shockley’s game winning and MIAA clinching home run was his second homer of the day. He finished the double header with four runs, four hits and four RBI’s.

Seven different Griffons contributed runs in the second win.

Third baseman, Grant Fink, batted a run in on a triple and a double and his hitting a .411 average on the season. Second baseman, Kyle Simpson also had two RBI’s, and scored two runs of his own.

Western pitcher, Mark Spreckels, recorded the win in game two. Spreckels went five innings allowing five hits and one run. Kyle Kelly and Mason Queen finished the last three innings giving up no hits and no runs. Kelly recorded four strikeouts in his two innings.

With a team batting average of .363, the Griffons have the second highest team average in division II. Short Stop, Michael Schulze, is leading the high hitting by batting .436, and has the eleventh highest individual average in the country. The Griffons also have the second most home runs in the country.

“It was a surprise,” Athletic Director Kurt McGuffin said. ”It was a family move. His wife is a pharmacist and she got offered a job she couldn’t turn down.  It was a financial thing; he has two little kids. He wanted to spend more time with his family.”

The move comes very late in the year and leaves McGuffin less than ideal time to find a replacement as jobs for fall coaching positions are usually filled in the early winter months.  Despite the timing, McGuffin doesn’t want to rush a new hire. He plans to meet with the players individually this week and come to a resolution of whether to look internally or search for new candidates from outside of Western.

Frederick compiled a 37-72 record at Western after taking over a team that won only four games in the season before he took over the head coaching position.  The Griffons showed gradual improvement each season under Frederick and went 16-16 last season in one of the most competitive volleyball conferences in Division II.

“He did a good job of progressing each year and this fifth year I was getting ready to see good things,” McGuffin said. “They basically have the whole group back so I think they are going to be pretty good.”

Although he would have liked to know sooner, McGuffin still feels he can find the right candidate to replace Frederick and has already begun receiving phone calls from coaches inquiring about the position.

“I think our jobs are pretty well sought after,” he said.

The players usually sign their scholarships before going home for the summer, which is another reason why the late timing presents a challenge for McGuffin to find the replacement.

Frederick came to Western after winning a men’s national championship at Park University in 2008.  He coached nine All-MIAA selections in his tenure with Western including Stephanie Hattey who has been an all conference team selection in each of her three seasons including winning the Freshman of the Year award in 2010.

Plaza 8′s general manager Joshua Hall takes a load off as he takes in the lobby.

When it comes to a night out at the movies, Saint Joseph citizens have very few places to go. They can go to Hollywood 10 Theater where they’ll get to see the newest film for a hefty price or they can go to Plaza 8 Theater, where they can finally see that movie they never got around to seeing when it was first released or relive some old school movie memories from their pasts on the weekends. Joshua Hall, who has been Plaza 8′s general manager for the past two years, is ready for people to see this theatre for the gem that it really is and always has been.

“In 5 years, I want to own the Plaza outright and hold a ceremony for that name as we remodel the bathrooms and put a nice set of color coordinated paints all over the place,” Hall said. “And then when everyone drives past that spot on the middle of the Belt, they’ll see ‘The Theater’ and they’ll see teenagers hanging out. They’ll see college age folk getting a night out they can afford, they’ll see families sharing in a myriad of magical experiences together, they’ll see adults and children alike. They’ll see lights shining in the night, every single night.”

Luckily for Hall, there are people in Saint Joseph that share his dream. For Western alumni Jes Baltezor, Plaza 8 will always hold a special place in her heart.

“Plaza 8 has always been nostalgic for me because it was the place that I saw some of my first films on the big screen,” Baltezor said. “One of my first memories is going with my dad to see Beauty and the Beast, so every time I thought of my first relationship with cinema, the Plaza 8 was always the frame of reference.”

It is this love of cinema that Hall hopes to bring back to Plaza 8 with the direction he wants to take the theater in. He knows that it’s an uphill battle, but he’s not shying away from the elbow grease required to return Plaza 8 to its original glory. To get through college, Hall ran an arcade. Then he helped fix up a local dinner theatre. And it was in acts like these that Hall found what he was passionate about. After college, he spent a lot of time chasing after dreams that he thought he ought to have, based on his degree, instead of dreams that he actually had.

“Douglas Adams wrote ‘I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.’ Why do I love my job? Very few people get a second chance at first loves, it’s no more ‘running an arcade’ than it is ‘running a theater,’” Hall said. “I’m a curator, a historian, a party host, the keeper of precious things and a scientist that understands the magic of moments when time stops. I deal in the intangibles and nothing’s better than sending everyone home happy with something that lasts longer than physical things.”

The theater has become a sort of home for Hall, who has a plethora of ideas to freshen it up and make the movie-going experience at Plaza 8 more enjoyable. He wants to fix up the concession area in the back of the theatre, an area that hasn’t been utilized since the 90s. He wants to put an all-you-can-play retro arcade into one of the pre-existing theaters and rip out the seats in another to install couches and a DVD projector so he can run sporting events and television shows there. On the weekends, Hall is already showing classics like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, E.T., and The Goonies. And the locals can’t get enough of these decade-old favorites.

“With the economy the way it is, it is nice to be able to go see a movie on the big screen and not have to pay a ridiculous amount,” Baltezor said. “And when they show cult classics like Rocky Horror or Night of the Living Dead, there seems to be an unspoken sense of community that you normally don’t see in movie theaters.”

For Plaza 8, the future is bright, and Hall will see to it that the hope of restoring and preserving the theater comes into fruition. He has made this theater his life work and it’s a work he can be proud of. It’s amazing what can happen with a little movie magic.

“I’m excited for the future because the modern times have seen three business models always thrive, churches, bars and theaters,” Hall said. “People want to gather, people want to share. These things won’t change, even in the face of Netflix and online interaction. There will always be a market for spectacle because spectacle is one of the best parts of life.”

During the last senate meeting, April 15, SGA President Jacob Scott presented a finalized proposal to senators that will reallocate funds from the five areas originally outlined to 10 different areas.

The areas outlined in the passed proposal are Baker Fitness Center ($180,000), Esry Health Center (90,000), Student Life ($45,000), International Student Services ($26,250), the Theater and Music Departments ($7,500 each), Blum Union ($262,500), Campus Parking ($108,750), Disability Services ($7,500) and Career Development ($750,000).

While presenting the proposal to senators Scott said the passage of the reallocation would allow students to see changes and “improve the things we want to see improved on campus.”

“I think this is a great step forward for student government and the student body,” Scott said.

Both senators and students in the gallery questioned the proposal; however, senators chose to vote on the proposal rather than table it.

“If you didn’t pass it tonight there would be no opportunity to pass it this year,” Scott said.

Although senate passed the proposal for the fiscal year of 2014, SGA President-Elect Katy Sisco could choose to again reallocate the 2015 funds.

At least at the University of Pennsylvania. The health center on campus at Penn now vends the emergency contraceptive for $25. While I understand that the mores and mindset of the Midwest are more conservative than that of the east coast, I think making Plan B more accessible is a socially responsible action.

Before some irate reader thinks I’m a complete liberal lunatic, hear me out.

Most importantly, I don’t think that Plan B should be the only contraceptive that is readily accessible to the sexually active population. I worked as a pharmacy technician for a couple years and encountering women who were struggling to pay their birth control copays was a daily occurrence. I can even remember turning away customers that couldn’t pay.

Since then, the Affordable Healthcare Act has been implemented to a degree, but the coverage provided under the Act is stipulated by the individual’s health care provider. So the problem persists.

Why should birth control only be available to a select group of women when an unplanned pregnancy can set back or derail any woman’s career, regardless of her health coverage?

We can’t accept this lack of coverage and preventative health care, especially when it could be readily available.

Let me establish that birth control should always be the first measure in preventing an unplanned pregnancy, but Plan B should also be accessible to those who need to use it as a second preventative measure.

Let me clarify. Plan B is not equivalent to a medication abortion. Instead of terminating a pregnancy, Plan B prevents conception and implantation in the uterus. They are two very different procedures.

As a pharmacy tech, I dispensed Plan B, and its generic, multiple times. As nonchalant as a customer tried to be, I always felt that they thought I was judging them. The whole exchange was awkward.

I always felt that I should say something like, “You’re making a responsible decision,” but instead I would just slide the card stock box into a paper pharmacy bag and staple the receipt on top. If I couldn’t reassure a customer, at least I could ensure a little privacy and discretion on her behalf.

I never minded selling emergency contraceptives to customers and it is still something I think I will defend for the rest of my life. Screwing with someone’s reproductive rights is wrong. So if dispensing Plan B in vending machines makes it accessible to students that need emergency contraceptives, I only hope that vending machines also dedicate a row or two to the birth control too.

The formal is free and for students who want to take a night off from school or studying to attend a fun night of dancing. The night will be filled with food, music, making memories and fun. Students will also get the chance step out of their normal attire and show up in an elegant dress or suit at this event.

This year’s theme for the formal is Black and White Affair and the formal is expected to have around 100 to 300 students attending.

The dance will be held in Blum 218 and 219 starting at 10 p.m. and ending at 2 a.m. Finger foods, dessert and a DJ will be provided all night.

Amber Frank, western student,  feels that the WAC formal will not only be exciting but stress-free as well.

“I think it will be a lot like a high school prom and I expect to have a lot of fun dancing with my friends,” Frank said.

Dancing is not the only thing that the event will consist of. A photo booth will be available for students who wish to take silly pictures with friends and dates.

Since the semester is coming to an end, this formal event will allow students to relax, laugh, enjoy a night with friends and also meet new people and make new memories.

Isaiah Collier, assistant  dean of Student Development,  feels students who come out to this event will have fun.

“Students will get the chance to meet new people they wouldn’t normally meet in their residential halls,” Collier said. “It also gives them the opportunity to get out of their rooms and have a great time dancing.”

Ashlyn Powers, western student, believes the formal will be a nice event to enjoy with friends.

“I think the dance will be fun and it will also give students the chance to dress up and have a great time,” Powers said.

Sisco, who will be elected this Friday at the SGA banquet, has selected her Directors of Student Relations, Communications and Finances. She has taken it upon herself to bring both new and old faces to those offices in the Student Government.

“I’m really excited about the new directors,” Sisco said, “I’m feeling pretty positive on the selections I’ve made.”

She has selected Mike Hollander as her new director of Finance. Hollander is unknown to SGA and has no prior experience, which is what Sisco was looking for in the position. She said that eight individuals applied for the position, but believes Hollander brought something fresh to the office.

“He has the experience in finance,” Sisco said. “He’s an accounting and finance double major and I felt that is what I needed, and I wanted a fresh face.”

The directors of Student Affairs and Communications will have familiar faces, which Sisco wanted. She chose Monterio Seewood, senator of SGA, as her new director of Student Relations. She said he had a great interview and believed his ties with students would be beneficial for the position.

“I think he’s a great mediator for SGA and other organizations,” Sisco said.

Seewood sees this as a golden opportunity to get students and organizations involved. As the new director of Student Relations he wants to work with Student Affairs to restructure the PLC. He said he’s spoken to Shana Meyers, vice president of Student Affairs, and they are heading into the process of restricting the PLC.

“A lot of the problems we’ve had this year has steamed towards communication,” Seewood said, “I know that’s a big issue on Katie’s list and I want students and organizations to know they can come to me.”

Ashley Stegall, director of Communications, will be returning to her position after having 10 applicants apply for her position. Sisco said Stegall has the overall experience for the office of director of Communications, and she knows the ins and outs of SGA.

“Honestly, Dillon and I didn’t want to train someone new to come into the position,” Sisco said. “Everyone knows that Dillon and I are new to SGA, so bringing someone in who has experience is just better.”

Stegall said she is excited to return to SGA next year. After serving under SGA President Jacob Scott, she said that her experience would be beneficial for Sisco’s agenda for next year.

“I really enjoy doing this position,” Stegall said. “I think the most important thing is listening to the students, and we’ve done a good job doing that this semester and we want to continue that.”

Sisco will be inaugurated on Friday, April 19 at the SGA Awards Banquet.

Michael Hollander, director of Finance

Ashley Stegall, director of Communications

Monterio Seewood, director of Student Relations

The awards banquet is set to honor those organizations who have contributed to Missouri Western and its surrounding community.

“The SGA awards can be seen as an organizational fair,” SGA Advisor Kathy Kelley said.  “Organizations and students will receive recognition for all that they’ve done for Missouri Western.”

There are many different awards that each organization can receive.  There are awards for the most active organization and the most spirited organization, which deal with student involvement in the community and on campus as well as an organization’s representation at Missouri Western’s sports programs.  There are even awards for the best fraternity and sorority, and a community service and department of the year award will also be given out at the banquet, Kelley said.

“This awards banquet is mainly a celebration of student life,” Jacob Scott, current SGA president, said.  “Awards will honor those organizations that have done community service or have participated in the many events that have been held here on campus.”

Though organizations will be honored throughout the banquet, individual awards will also be given to those students who exemplify the qualities that Missouri Western strives to represent.  The Dean of outstanding achievement award is given to one student from each class (freshman through senior) who is highly involved in their academics as well as in the community.

Not only will awards be given out at this year’s banquet, but both Katy Sisco and Dillon Williams will be officially inaugurated into their positions as both president and vice president respectively by Dr. Robert Vartebedian.  Sisco claims that she is eager to begin her role as the new president of SGA.

“I can’t wait to be inaugurated into my position as the SGA president for Missouri Western,” Sisco said.  “I’m very excited!”

The current and future senate members will attend the event to see the new President of SGA elected. The event will outline President-elect Katie Sisco’s agenda for next school year and what she hopes to accomplish. It will also be the final salute to the out going SGA President Jacob Scott.

Though it’s being held mainly for organizations, students are certainly welcome to attend, Scott said.  The banquet will be held on April 19, 2013 at 5:30p.m.

Usually when pitching a textbook to a college the publisher fails to mention the price and the colleges never really ask up front. I am all for worrying more about content, but the price still needs to be looked at for the student’s sake. There are enough reasons why student loan default rates are on the rise, incredibly pricey books shouldn’t have to be a factor.

Another reason that the prices are kept so high is that the market seems to be working counter intuitively. More and more publishers feel the need to create these books and to compete in the market resulting in fewer and fewer individual sales for any one publisher causing an increase in price to keep themselves profitable. Obviously this is not a productive competitive market and it is we the students that are the captive buyers that have to suffer for it.

Another factor in the market is that the used text book market has done such a marvelous job of undercutting new books thus thinning the market further. Ever wonder the real reason why they are constantly shoving sometimes mandatory new editions down are throats every year? The major reason isn’t educational at all, it’s good old fashioned greed. If they make a new edition every year that we have to use, then we can’t go and get the previous edition for half the price online and they keep on making that cash.

The problem here is that when compared to really any other books of similar size it becomes clear that to cover production costs for a book that size and compensation monies, a book should never be over around fifty bucks and still make profit. The used books are the same price that the new books should be in the first place.

If they would just drop the price and compete like a market should with the best product and most reasonable price selling the most than I really wouldn’t mind so much if they pumped out the new edition every year and I could get it without breaking the bank.

Recently we had a column titled Where’s the gold?, I feel I can answer that question. It’s in Blum, just across the hall from the restrooms.

Missouri Western students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to purchase student art work on April 26 and 27.

The Griffon Art Alliance is a student group on campus who comes together and shares their talents with fellow students at Missouri Western and their community.

The Griffon Art Alliance art sale is a free event that is held to support fellow student artists enrolled in art classes. The event will take place in the Potterhall hallway next to room 101 starting from 9 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. both days.

Missouri Western art students who want or have made something in an art class have the opportunity to sell any of their art pieces at the Griffon Art Alliance event.  Artworks that will be displayed include pottery, paintings, drawings, graphics, print making and more.

Each student prices their own artwork individually. Prices will possibly range from a minimum of 3 dollars to a maximum of around 100 dollars.

Only 10 percent of the art proceeds will go to the Amy Singletons Scholarship Fund. Amy Singleton was the secretary of the Art Department who passed away a few years ago and a scholarship was started in her remembrance. The Scholarship is for art majors on campus and all portions of sales at the Griffon Art Alliance event will be put into that fund.

Ceramics instructor and Assistant Professor of Art, David Harris believes the Griffon Art Alliance event sale will have a great turnout this semester.

“The art sales we have at end of fall and spring semesters always goes well and I hope this one goes wonderfully,” Harris said.

Ceramic student, Patrick Larsen feels students should come to the Griffon Art Alliance sale and support the art students as much as they can.

“They should come to support fellow students and acknowledge all of the hard work that the artists on campus put into their artwork,” Larsen said.

Jane Travis, art student plans on selling around 100 pieces of her ceramic artwork and feels that students who come to the art sale will be huge support.

“Seeing fellow students come support the artists who work hard and sell their artwork would be really nice and they can also buy some really nice artwork at a reasonable price,” Travis said.

It took Shockley less than three seasons to break Javier Martinez’ record of 42 doubles – which stood for 16-years and was accomplished in four seasons – after transferring from Western Iowa Community College after his freshman season.

“Honestly, I didn’t even know I was close to breaking it, but its pretty cool that I will have some tradition with the school now and it means a lot,” Shockley said.

Shockley credits his ability to get so many extra-base hits on his lack of ability to knock the ball completely out of the park. “I just can’t get them over the fence. That extra 10 feet kills me so I end up with doubles.

According to Coach Buzz Verduzco, the reason Shockley has been so successful as a hitter starts with the amount of work that he puts into the game.

“He’s got power and the kid is a worker,” Verduzco said. “He’s always been a weight room kid and does his work in the offseason and during the season to maintain his strength. Any time you have that type of work ethic, it’s going to carry over to the field.”

Verduzco noted that it’s is an unbelievable feat to break such a long-standing record in the timespan that Shockley has been a Griffon.

“It just goes to show what kind of hitter he is and just how tough a hitter he is,” Verduzco said. “He has a superb eye that allows him to go deep into the count. When he’s on, he’s one of the toughest in the league to get out – he’s that good.”

Shockley has the distinction of knowing what it feels like to win a championship as he transferred into Western after his team won the junior college world series at Iowa Western.

“It’s a very similar feeling with the guys we have this year and the guys we had at my JUCO team,” Shockley said. “We’ve got guys that can hit the ball good. We get big hits when we need them so it’s just a good feeling going into the postseason.”

Nothing would make him happier than to win another championship in his final season of college baseball, this time as a Griffon. And he has full confidence that his team can accomplish the goal.

“Having a senior year like this is all you can ask for,” Shockley said. “Just putting yourself in a good position as a team and making a championship happen. If we play like we can play and if we get our timely hits and the pitchers keep throwing like they do, then good things will happen.”

Miranda Elder and fiance Tayla Messa met in 2009 and are looking forward to their future together.

As times are clearly changing and the Supreme Court’s ruling of gay marriage nears, we hear the story of the relationship of Miranda Elder and Tayla Messa.

Elder and Messa, who first met in 2009 and were engaged on August 10 of last year, are one of Western’s several gay couples eagerly awaiting the nation’s verdict of the DOMA Act put into effect by former president Bill Clinton.

“We’re both in support of it obviously,” Elder said, “but it’s just a wait and see what happens kind of thing.”

The couple says that there is nothing they as individuals can really do to help further the cause of recognizing gay marriage but wait and hope that soon more states will see why gay marriage should no longer be illegal.

When asked whether she thought it was just a matter of time before the entire country recognizes gay marriage, Messa said, “I think so. You can clearly see from how people weren’t as in support of it before and now it’s starting to increase a lot.”

In support of her argument that the ban on gay marriage is coming to an end, Messa went on to explain that “as the younger generations keep getting elected into office, people will start realizing it needs to change.”

Recent polls show that the support for gay marriage is up, even since as early as this past December. It seems that the more the government and media address the topic, the more people are swayed to the side of lifting the ban on gay marriage.

For Messa and Elder, it was not easy dealing with the opinions of their family when they first told them they were engaged, more of a testament to the fact that though the tides are turning, this country still has a long way to go.

“It was pretty tough at first with my parents,” Messa said. “My dad is a huge conservative but the first time we talked about it, he said ‘I don’t care. I’ll love you no matter what.”

Though it took her mother longer to come around to the idea of her daughter marrying another woman, she too eventually moved towards the side of accepting gay marriage, as now more than half of the country has.

Messa is a student here at Western studying biology while Elder stays home and awaits Messa’s graduation, when she too will return to school.

The couple says they want to be graduated before they’re married, so they have not decided on what year they will get married, but they do have a date in mind.

“We do know the day but that’s kind of a nerdy thing,” Messa said. “It’s April 22 because of Dr. Who. We’re huge Dr. Who fans and Dr. Who gets married on the same day and that’s when time stops.”

Although most of the states in our country do not recognize gay marriage yet, that doesn’t stop partners like Messa and Elder from making plans for themselves and being together. Once married they plan to adopt children and move from Missouri to, by then, a recognizing state. Although the government may be standing in the way right now, this happy couple knows that love knows no bounds and no court ruling or politician can keep them apart.

Elder and Messa got engaged in August of 2012 and they will wed once they both graduate.

A new Facebook fan page has been created for students to express their needs, both physical and emotional. The group has received much attention since it was created on March 1, 2013. The page has asked Western students to send their crazy, funny stories or a confession they would like to see posted on their page.

Both students and faculty have expressed their views towards the page. Minerva Torres, advisor for the Nontraditional Assosication, said the page, “may be a good way for people to vent or get stuff off their chest so to speak. On the other hand, if there’s not a good moderator, it could get pretty negative.” She has expressed that several individuals on campus have asked her opinion on the page as a faculty member on campus.

“I was asked if I had seen it multiple times ’till I finally pulled it up. Honestly, not my thing,” Torres said.

MOWO Confessions has reached over 800 members on Facebook alone, but they also have a Twitter and Tumblr page as well. Students have reached out and voiced their opinions on the page. Freshman Allie Mayes said that many students have mixed feelings about MOWO Confessions.

“I agree some of them are funny, but I feel like it is going too far and people may get hurt by this page,” Mayes said. “In a way it reminds me of Gossip Girl, where people would send in gossip or confessions.”

She said the group has organized a large base which she feels at first wasn’t harmful, but the more people keep “confessing,” the more hurt and angry people will become.

“I can’t really judge people for sending their information to the page, but at the same time, you never know how what you say might affect how someone else feels,” Mayes said.

Other students, such as junior Jonathan Mullock, have seen a status which included his name. He said the page was a great idea in the beginning, but it becomes something much more personal when you’re the person in the post.

“People started to go too far with what they said about each other,” Mullock said. “I think it’s kind of sad how many people at MoWo will say horrible things about people behind their backs.”

Senior Jordan Carney believes the group has shed a negative light on the University and it could damage the reputation that Western has.

“Even submissions are anonymous, names are still used in the posts, which are often immature and poorly thought out,” Carney said. “Anyone can like the page, and those who view it will not have a positive impression of our students.”

Mary Beth Rosenauer, sophomore and former SGA candidate, has been mentioned on the page several times and believes it was time to express how she felt. She has been mentioned both in a negative and positive manner.

“All I can say is it’s highly unprofessional and gives Missouri Western an immature image compared to other universities,” Rosenauer said. “Feels like high school again.”

The group continues to reach new members daily and the status is updated on an hourly basis most of the time.

“This is going to be a virtual burn book, like a college version of Mean Girls,” Rosenauer said.

Johnson, who is from Pittsfield, Mass., has acted in around 25 plays and musicals, yet music is his first love. He was in the high school band, sings in a barbershop quartet named “Men in Black,” gives voice lessons and says singing overall makes him feel free.

“Singing is like a wonderful, wonderful drug,” Johnson said. “Letting the sound come pouring into my head is a wonderful experience.”

Johnson is back in the spotlight again as he will be taking the stage as Benjamin Barker a.k.a. Sweeney Todd in Western’s production of “Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” The show will take place in Potter Hall and run Thursday, April 11-Saturday, April 13, starting at 7:30 p.m., and will close on April 14 at 3 p.m.

After being convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, sentenced to 16 years in an Australian prison and having his wife and child being taken away from him, barber Sweeney Todd heads back to London to get his revenge on the judge who decided his unfortunate fate.

Sweeney Todd has a “blood lust” because he wants to get back at the people who destroyed what life he had in the first place; during one song in the show, he says “We all deserve to die.”

Johnson said Sweeney Todd has a fear of never restoring the life he once had.

And, as Johnson jokes, “as Yoda would say, ‘Fear leads to anger, and anger leads to the dark side and there you go, now you have Sweeney Todd.’”

This character, Sebastian Smith said, sounds nothing like Johnson.

“Ray’s just a big sweetheart,” Smith, who is playing the character Pirelli, said. “I’ve come to know Ray as this really nice guy, and it’s completely contradictory of Sweeney Todd.”

While Johnson has played the phantom in Western’s “Phantom of the Opera,” as well as Schroeder in Western Playhouse’s “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” he has been able to find his darker side pretty easily as he has given his director chills.

“To see him make that transformation is interesting to watch each night,” Tee Quillin said. “It’s a little frightening at times as a director. There are times when I have to tell him ‘OK, cool, hang tight, pull back, don’t push yourself … we’re just doing this for the blocking tonight, don’t worry about it and he keeps telling me I want to go, I want to do this.

“He’s that type of actor he wants to go, he wants give it everything and he wants it to be perfect now.”

In order to get in the mindset of Sweeney Todd, Johnson said he cannot imagine horrible things that could happen, but recalls losses in his own life, including his dad who died in 2005. He also tries to think about what the character ultimately wants — revenge on the judge.

“Sweeney is a very patient person,” the actor said. “In those moments of waiting, I let it loop — ‘Where’s the judge, where’s the judge, I want him, I want him.’ It spirals and gets bigger and bigger and bigger as it goes, so that definitely helps me pull into some of that more extreme emotion.”

In most ways Sweeney Todd will be nothing like Johnson.

However, he still finds a way to connect to the character in a positive way.

“As for as angry and as vicious as people are going to remember Sweeney being, I live in the happiness,” Johnson said, “because once he sets his mind on a task, and as he finds success in his goals, he just loves it and he enjoys everything about his life in those moments. He’s a barber in from way back so when he gets to work and shave someone, he’s the happiest he can possibly be. So for me, it’s those happy joyous moments in Sweeney’s life that make me the most happy and are the most rewarding.”

This problem is not only unique to Western, as default rates all over the country are climbing. However, the folks at financial aid here on campus are instituting a lot of new programs to keep students up-to-date on their loans and out of collections.

The default rates on loans come out every three years so the 2013 release is still a draft and not public. The most recent trends though show that between 2006 and 2009, the rate here went from only 6 percent to 19.9 percent.

Default rates are so important to our campus because high numbers can lead to federal cuts. Marilyn Baker, director of financial aid, explains.

“We take our default rates seriously,” Baker said, “because it can jeopardize our federal funding if our default rate continues to rise.”

And while the most recent rates are unavailable, it was hinted that the rates are still trending upwards for this past three-year period.

Financial aid isn’t taking it on the chin. They have put into place some progressive programs to help students when it comes time for repayment.

“One [program] that we are focusing on right now and encouraging students to check into is called Income Based Repayment Plan,” she said. “Say that student who borrowed $57,000 can’t afford to make that $600.00 payment, then this income-based repayment plan is a great option for them to check into.”

This program will help out a lot of students who are worried about having to knock out their loans in such big payments. One MWSU senior, who is graduating with about $57,000 in loans, is worried about just that. Rochelle Whitman explains her doubts about her salary being able to keep up with her payments at first.

“Probably not in the beginning,” she said. “I’d say probably not for the first five years because you have to start on the bottom; no, I don’t think so, I hope it pays off in the end.”

The financial aid department also encourages students to return for help if needed even after they graduate, Baker explains.

“Hopefully more and more [graduates return for help],” she said. “We definitely want them to understand that option is there because the student loan repayment process is confusing.”

Financial aid can help former students navigate the process for the best possible results and have people in place to do so.

“We definitely want them to know that we do have people on staff who understand those repayment plans; have worked with the servicers,” Baker said. “People who are willing to do three-way calls with the servicers with the student, to be there with them.”

Student loans are backed by the government and so they are not going to go away in a bankruptcy. Associate Director Cindy Spotts-Conrad explains the importance of keeping aware of what we owe.

“The most important thing for students to know is don’t ignore it,” she said. “These loans are serious, you are owing money to the government; this debt is serious debt because, if you read the news stories, they are garnishing social security when people retire.”

In the income based program, sometimes, depending on income and house-hold size, a payment of $0.00 is accepted as an actual payment and keeps the account in good standing as long as the student is in the program.

“The more we can get people to understand that, really, keeping your account in good standing does not necessarily require payment,” she said. “And that is just so important because we care about our students, we don’t want to see anyone out there who is financially devastated by a student loan.”

It is possible to bypass the student loan office and go straight to the servicer, but to navigate the system and make sure students get the best information and services they should go to financial aid before calling. Spotts-Conrad explains why.

“The federal servicers should offer similar service plans but, if they don’t, that doesn’t mean the student doesn’t have the right to that” she said. “So that’s why we want to make it very clear to our students that those exist; if they say I need to repay on an income based or a pay as you earn then that servicer would need to respond. That’s the law.”

Baker also warns that students shouldn’t accept their entire loan if they don’t really need it.

“Hoping that they put more thought into the process of accepting the student loans,” she said. “Instead of just click, click, click, hit accept, okay, I’m done and I get a refund of $3,000 and go out and spend it however they spend it.”

The great thing about Netflix is that there are thousands of movies to choose from that you can watch instantly. Netflix has a wide range and diverse selection that you can choose from to stream.

“I like Netflix better because there is more of a variety of movies and it is easily accessibly on different game consoles and on Blu-Ray players,” Western student Alex Saxen said.

One of the biggest cons about Netflix is you have to be patient, they do not have all the current seasons of televisions shows available when you want them. They’re always a season behind with the television shows. On top of that, not all movies that are on Netflix are available to stream instantly. With newer films, you generally have to have them shipped to you via mail and return them when you’re finished watching them.

Hulu Plus is just like Netflix to a certain extent. Hulu focuses more on television shows and has a large selection of television shows to watch instantly. New episodes can be watched on Hulu the day after they air. Hulu really excels at having a big selection of television shows to watch. Hulu has roughly twice as many television shows as Netflix does. Hulu also has current seasons, so they are far more up to date with their content.

Student Zack Price said it was really hard to choose but he feels that Netflix has a little bit more to offer, even though he uses and enjoys both services.

A big difference between the two is that Hulu Plus has a very limited selection of movies to choose from. Also, Hulu doesn’t have as many exclusive movies and documentaries as Netflix does. Hulu does have a lot of original shows though, from a web series to a collection of older films or animated shorts.
Similarities between the two are that they both offer a free month trial and then cost $7.99 a month after the free month ends

Stephen Johnson says he likes both Netflix and Hulu Plus. He says that Netflix has good movies but Hulu is like television for college students because you can watch shows that just aired the day before and that gives you the opportunity to catch up on what you missed.

Netflix seems to get more attention from students on campus because although Hulu Plus has way more televsion shows to choose from, students go after watching movies rather than just television shows.

Phi Delta Theta will end the school year with a 5K run on Western’s campus. The proceeds will benefit the victims of Lou Gehrig’s disease and their local Phi Delta chapter. Atkinson said the event is very beneficial for students and members of the community to attend.

The event will take place on April 27, 2013 at 11:00a.m., and the group advises those who plan to participate to check in from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. before the event begins. The run will begin at the Missouri Western State University in the Looney Complex.

The prices for registration are $16 for college and high school students, and for others, the price is $26 to be able to participate in the event.

“This is really something we wanted to bring forth to ALS for the victims, families and the community to show how much Missouri Western wants to give back to the community,” Atkinson said.

The members of Phi Delta Theta expect a turn out of around 150 people from Missouri Western students as well as members of the St. Joseph Community. Jacob Dowell, member of Phi Delta Theta, said the event profits would go 50 percent for Lateral Sclerosis Association to benefit the victims of Lou Gehrig’s disease. He said the chapter will cover t-shirts and all other costs.

The other 50 percent of the gross proceeds will go to our local Phi Delta Theta chapter, which will be used for their philanthropy and fundraising events in the future. He believes the event will bring in more students since it’s on campus this year.

“5Ks are a pretty big thing around here,” Dowell said. “We’ve had a lot of people come up and talk to us about getting involved on campus for this walk.”

Ethan Kelly, president of Phi Delta Theta, said it’s very important to get people from the community out and involved in events like this one. He said Greek organizations can always throw an event together and bring other Greek organizations together, but to get a whole community involved in something like this is a big step for them.

“I’m hoping to get a lot of people on campus to come,” Kelley said. “We are trying to get other organizations involved and having it on campus is a central location for this event.”

If a business would rather donate products or gift cards, the group would appreciate it. There will be a raffle for donated products and top runners will receive prizes. If there are any questions, the group has asked others to contact Jonathan Hund, treasurer of Phi Delta Theta at (816)341-3430 or jhund@missouriwestern.edu.

The historical drama was directed by Steven Spielberg and received much attention last year for its narrative as well as Daniel Day-Lewis’s portrayal of Abraham Lincoln, as he lived out the final four months of his life struggling to pass the amendment that would abolish slavery.  It was nominated for seven Golden Globe awards and twelve Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It won Best Production Design and Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis).

Stan Rippey is an actor who worked on the set of “Lincoln,” and he hopes to relate his experiences working on the Academy Award-winning movie.

R.J. Jackson, theatre and film major, is excited for the opportunity to hear from an actor who was able to work on such a successful movie.

“It’s always exciting when you can meet people who are doing what you eventually want to do,” Jackson said.

Alex Luke, Western student, agrees that students in the film and theatre departments can learn a lot from Rippey.

“In a movie of that caliber, I think Rippey will have a lot of knowledge to offer students who are hoping to be successful in that business,” Luke said.

Rippey also plans to share information on the Civil War as well as the struggles that people had to endure in that time, making this event relevant to film and history students alike.

“Having a unique cinematic experience while being historically accurate would certainly be challenging,” Luke said. “On one hand, you want to make sure that you get the facts right, but you also have to make sure that it’s an enjoyable movie for the audience, and I think Rippey will be able to offer a lot of insight into this balancing act.”

Students are excited that someone who was able to work with Spielberg is coming to Missouri Western to share his experiences.

“As an actor, he has to research his part as well as the details surrounding those people in the film,” Brandon Grieshaber, a student at Missouri Western, said.  “The fact that he was able to work with a legend like Steven Spielberg, who has made many of the classic films that we see today, is impressive.”

Rippey will share his knowledge of film and history on April 23 at 6 p.m. in Potter Hall.  The event is free and open to the public.

You’re probably wondering why I decided to see this production at Western. For one thing, I had to see the production for my theatre class. For another thing, I kind of wanted to see what I’ve been missing. And let me tell you, I’ve been missing a lot. I have seen a handful of productions at Western, and I have to say, this was the best one I’ve seen, hands down.

As far as the casting goes, I was impressed. Ray Johnson, who played Sweeney Todd, was the perfect mixture of creepy and relatable. Even though he was brutally murdering a ton of people throughout the production, I found myself still rooting for him. I wanted him to get his vengeance, especially considering his tragic past. Xan Kellogg, who played the beggar woman, was intensely powerful. It was evident that she had fallen into the role and her character was easy to believe.

I think the show’s biggest strength was its vocal talent. Overall, I was flabbergasted at the level of talent in this production. The chorus performers, who came onstage every couple scenes to perform a short song, were my favorite part of the show. Their facial expressions, morbid make-up, and ability to harmonize well with each other gave me goosebumps at times.

Ray Johnson gave the best singing performance, I thought. He committed to every word and I loved it. Adrienne Collins, who played Johanna, was glowing. Her sweet innocence that competed with her desire to find herself in the world outside her creepy pedophile father’s window was compelling, and vocally, she shined, her soft voice perfectly riding on the melodies of her trademark song, “Green Finch and Linnet Bird.”

Some comedic relief came in Sebastian Smith’s portrayal of Adolfo Pirelli, the world-renowned Italian barber who challenges Todd to a “barber off” of sorts, where the two compete for bragging rights. This scene gave a much needed break to the viewers, who were able to come up for air and get some laughter in before Todd began his killing spree just a few scenes later.

Coming from someone who gets squeamish while watching anything remotely bloody, I have to say that I wish the death scenes had been a bit more realistic. When Sweeney sliced the necks of his victims, a red sash was pulled out of their collars. I wish there had been fake blood or something more visually appealing, as these scenes were a crucial element of the plot. I loved the barber chair though, how each victim would get dropped down a hatch immediately following their deaths. Technically, this was done very well.

At the end of the show, I stood up and gave the cast and crew the standing ovation they deserved. The show was well acted, well sang, and overall, a gripping, blood-stained piece. If you’ve seen Sweeney Todd before, or even if you haven’t,  take the time out of your Saturday night or Sunday afternoon to witness some of Western’s most talented performers bring the treacherous tale of Sweeney Todd to life.

The Griffons’ hitting has been nothing short of amazing this season, and Lincoln found that out first hand Easter weekend. In three games, Western cranked out nine homeruns, 53 hits and 42 runs.

It was just another testament to a great season. The series sweep of Lincoln brought the Griffons’ record to 24-4 overall and 19-1 in the MIAA. After the end of the 17-game win streak, Western was quick to start up another one, as they have won their last six.

Freshman pitcher Kyle Kelly doesn’t pay much attention to the streak part of winning, compared to the focus it takes to get wins against any opponent.

“We maintain focus out of necessity,” Kelly said. “Every team can be dangerous if not taken seriously. We want more for one another, so we stay focused for the guy next to us. During a win streak, we don’t really notice the ‘streak.’ We focus on winning for where we want to be at the end of the year.”

Kelly pitched four innings against Lincoln, allowing four runs and seven hits while recording his second win on the season.

Despite the great start to the season, coach Buzz Verduzco believes the biggest challenges are coming up in the next few weekends.

“Our next month that we have is going to be really tough,” Verduzco said. “It’s going to be Pittsburg State, Lindenwood, Central Missouri and of course Missouri Southern. So those weekends we’re going to start facing everybody’s best, the top portion of the league and we’re going to see what we’re really made of now.”

Three of those teams are ranked in the top four of the MIAA, behind only Missouri Western. Those are the next four weekend series for the Griffons. The last one, against Missouri Southern, will be the last series of the regular season.

In fact, Central Missouri is currently ranked No. 8 in the nation in the same poll that Missouri Western is ranked No. 12 in, according to College Baseball Lineup.

Verduzco has no problem awarding some of this season’s success to Cobb, a player who does most of his work behind the curtain.

“Harrison Cobb is a fifth year senior and we’re going to miss him when he graduates,” Verduzco said. “We’ll take [batting practice] at the beginning of the day, and Harrison Cobb is the first guy to grab a bucket of balls and throw to everybody else. He’s not worried about himself taking batting practice; he’s worried about everybody else getting as much of whatever they need for us to win.”

The conference is being held in the Fulkerson Center. It is sponsored by the Regional Law Enforcement Academy, Department of Criminal Justice, Legal Studies, Social Work, Department of Nursing and Northwest Missouri Child Advocacy Center.

Breakout sessions will be held in classrooms both days. Everyone must preregister. The forms are available online at wi.missouriwestern.edu/conference.

Kip Wilson, associate professor of CJLS,  says that this is their first attempt to put together so many organizations into one learning conference.

“Sandy Hook was a terrible shock, but people forget that weekly approximately that many children get killed,” Wilson stated. “Often by parents who are their caretakers.”

Dr. Gretchen Quenstedt-Moe, assistant professor of Nursing, stresses the value of this conference. Other similar ones charge $300.00. The registration fee for this conference is $80.00.  If you are a field instructor or MWSU adjunct instructor, it is $20.00. Students may attend for free. She stresses that everyone must preregister because there is a limit to class size for each session.

“We are thrilled to death to have this opportunity, especially for our pediatric nurses. They will have a better understanding of how the system works,” Quenset-Moe, said. “It’s about taking responsibility in the community.”

It will be particularly interesting to people involved in law enforcement, social services, healthcare and education. Wilson says it is an opportunity for students and professionals to listen to a wide range of speakers who work to prevent child abuse every day and to focus on the tragedy of abuse.

“We have offered a yearly conference to give back or say ‘Thank You’ to the community for everything they do for our students,” Pam Clary, instructor  of PSS,  said. “This is the first time we are joining many disciplines to host a conference.”

Learning the signs of an abuser is one aspect that can be gained from the conference. One of the 10 presentations on Wednesday will be by Catherine Vannier, Family Violence Resource Prosecutor with the Missouri Office of Prosecution Services. It will cover the signs and symptoms of coercive control and present a link between child abuse, domestic violence and animal abuse. Wilson says an informational video showing signs of abuse can also be viewed at http://atsweb.uthscsa.edu/webdev/Mckee/Anderst/MIC.html.

“The conference will raise the level of awareness for everyone so that we can advocate for our children,” Dr. Mary Jo Gay, assistant professor of Nursing, said. “This conference is interdisciplinary and will be informational and educational to all students.”

Of unique interest to participants will be the special guests, Terry Probyn, Dr. Rebecca Bailey and Jane Dickel, LCSW. They will be conducting a workshop presented by The JAYC Foundation. The foundation was formed by former kidnap victim Jaycee Dugard. Their topic will be on reacquainting law enforcement officers and employees with their culture and mission. This workshop will be the last event of the conference from 1-4pm on Thursday.

“I plan to attend and so do many of my fraternity brothers from Phi Sigma Kappa,” senior criminal justice major Matthew Morris said.

Corporal John Christianson, Highway Patrol Troop H officer and Adjunct Criminal Justice Instructor, says that he has assisted other patrolmen in responding to calls that involved abuse. He keeps a watchful eye during all shifts for signs that indicate a hotline call to DFS is needed to investigate the situation.

“If we save one child, then it is worth it,” Christianson said. “This is a good conference because it pulls from many disciplines and provides a voice for victims that don’t have a voice.”

Kathleen O’Connor has been named the Dean of Professional Studies.

Dr. O’Connor has been at Missouri Western since 1980 and is also a registered nurse in Missouri. She serves as an administrator for the different programs in the nursing department and she is eager to further her relationship with other departments and programs on the campus.

“ I have worked with the chairs in all of the departments in the college of professional studies for a number of years,” O’Connor said. “Over the years, I have learned some things about their departments.  But there is a lot of things that I do need to learn.”

O’Connor said that she knows in order to be an effective leader, she will have to continue to listen and learn about her roles as Dean. With her term approaching rather fast with the semester almost being complete, she already has her mind on improving.

“My first plan is to learn everything I can about the different departments,” O’Connor said. “So I can apply the kind of support they need. Another thing I will be doing is helping with the various accreditation applications for the programs. Including engineering technology, education, and criminal justice. Most of the departments in professional studies have national accreditation from their professional accrediting bodies.”

Achieving accreditation is important to O’Connor but more important is maintaining that accreditation for longevity. O’Connor noted that she wanted all the departments in the university to know that she is looking out for them. She thinks that it will be important for the different units to know that the dean has all of their best interests.

“The role of the dean is to really provide support and resources,’ O’Connor said, “things they will need to do their work. I will be there to help them. I want to convey any of the requests, issues and concerns to the provost.”

Dr. Judy Grimes is the associate vice president of student affairs and she feels confident in O’Connor. She also feels O’Connor has more than what it takes to support the new dean position. Grimes was appointed interim vice president of student affairs this year. She understands that jobs like the VP of student affairs and the Dean of professional studies are jobs that require a large amount of responsibility. She said that O’Connor would be fully capable.

“I have been here a number of years and have always worked very closely with the dean of professional studies,” Grimes said. “So we welcome them on a daily basis. I am confident that O’Connor will have a very good relationship with the chairs of the departments.”

Grimes noted that O’Connor’s has experience in different fields and also with programs in St. Joseph that could be a factor.

“She has a great amount of experience on our campus,” Grimes said. “She has worked in the community, with different businesses, including Heartland Health, which is a large employer in the city. I think that background and knowledge of Missouri Western will be really helpful to her. She is just an excellent person, very fair and I just think she was an excellent choice.”

O’Connor was very pleased to receive the title and more importantly, pleased that the administration had faith in her.

“I feel that I chaired a very busy and complex department for a number of years,” O’Connor said. “There are many similarities so I think I can translate my leadership skills I used chairing the nursing department to being the dean of professional studies.”

Denise Chiao and Meara Smith play a double against tow other players. Joyce Stevenson | Staff Photographer

“The wind today wasn’t steady and it was gusting so you feel like you have a handle on your shots with the wind but its hard to manage and be consistent,” Griffon Women’s Tennis Coach Ron Selkirk said. “I was glad the girls weren’t too cautious and just let the game flow, learning how to manage the elements. It’s just the matter of being patient.”

The match started off with doubles action and the Griffons soared, getting three points with No. 1 Meara Smith and Denise Chiao getting an 8-3 victory.
No. 2 Kayla Dysart and Alyssa Dougan paired up to defeat Kamaria Braye and Ashley Rolling 8-1.

“Everybody is figuring it out and hitting their stride,” sophomore Kayla Dysart said.

Ceara Boldridge and Jody Goers defeated Gabrielle Quine and Jasmine Daniel 8-4 in the No. 3 doubles.

“I think we started off slow but once we got into the groove we started to play better,” freshman Jody Goers said. “The wind was really affecting the balls we were hitting but when we are on our game and believe in ourselves, I feel like we can play with any of the other schools.”

With singles action, the Griffons’ Denise Chiao made quick of her opponent, defeating Gober 6-1, 6-0.

“In doubles, I felt like me and Meara gelled pretty well,” freshman Denise Chiao said. ”I had to really adjust to wind starting off. I feel like our whole entire team is getting mentally tough and positive in every match. “
In No. 2 singles, Kayla Dysart defeated Braye 6-2, 6-0.

“The wind definintly wasn’t a fun thing to play with but soon as I settled down, I felt like I played pretty well,” sophomore Kayla Dysart said.

Meara Smith pulled out a win against Katrevich in No. 3 singles 6-4, 6-2 and Boldridge rolled over Roling 6-1, 6-1. Lindsay Beger won over Quinn 6-4, 6-2 and Alyssa Dougan started off slow but finished her match in a fury over Daniel 6-4, 6-0.
With this win, the Griffons dropped the Tigers to 1-8 overall and 0-8 MIAA match play.

“Coming in today, I feel like we’ve definetly been playing better and playing with confidence,” Selkirk said.

The Griffons’ next matchup is against the William Jewell Cardinals in St. Joseph, Mo. Match play is set to start at 2:00 pm.

Murray was the chief officer of marketing and design at Northwest where she handled the marketing for the university.

She noted that her new job is similar to her former job at Northwest and she hopes to bring that experience to Missouri Western.

“I made ad purchases and I came up with the advertising plans for the university,” Murray said. “I oversaw our designers and our web masters as well. The things I have learned in my career will help me at Missouri Western. My knowledge of division II schools, in particular MIAA, will help advance Missouri Western.”

Murray has plans of furthering and improving the advertising at Western. She hopes to spread the word the best way she can to help benefit the university.

“My goal is to develop a marketing plan for the university,” Murray said. “We want to help support the university goals as well. I also want to improve and increase the social media presence at Missouri Western. And a number of other things.”

Kent Heier, assistant director of Public Relations, will work  closely with Murray as she embarks in her new role.

Heier was on the circuit committee but was not able to attend Murray’s interview.

“It happened when Mallory was interviewed, I was out with medical issues so I actually did not participate in the interview,” Heier said. “But those who did said that they are very excited about her joining her team.”

Heier noted that Murray brings in a good attitude and feels that her experience with ads and purchases is something that Western has been missing for a while.

“I think that she is from all accounts a very energetic person,” Heier said. “She has a lot of useful experience in marketing, and in particular, ads and marketing. Having that wealth of experience will prove to be beneficial for Missouri Western.”

“It is very helpful that she comes from a different school because she understands higher education in general and public higher education in Missouri in particular.”

Jonathan Yordy, executive director of university advancement, said that he is proud to have found someone like Murray for the job. He noted that she brings in a variety of skills that will help take public relations further.

“Mallory Murray is a dynamic individual that we were lucky enough to recruit to Missouri Western,” Yordy said. “The position of director of public relations and marketing is an important one, so we look forward to someone with Mallory’s enthusiasm and expertise joining our team.”

As for Murray, she has been enjoying her experience at Missouri Western. She said that being able to see the students and staff on campus makes her even more anxious to get started with her job.

“Well, I had a great first day,” Murray said. “Everyone that I have seen has been kind and passionate about the university. They seem excited about the marketing and public relations opportunities on campus. I am ready to get my feet wet and help advance Missouri Western.”

Both baseball and softball have shown they have what it takes to win the MIAA, and maybe more.

Baseball has been the scariest team in the league pretty much all season. The (27-5) Griffons are a pitcher’s nightmare. They have been leading for much of the season in almost every statistical batting category.

They have knocked in 275 runs, the most by any team this season, which is 48 more runs than the Central Missouri, the team in second. They have the most hits, 382 total, which is 72 more than the team in second, Fort Hays State. They’ve cranked out 40 home runs. Northeastern State is the closest to that mark with 32, and only four teams behind them have hit over 20. Every other team has hit home runs in the teens or even fewer.

If you just took the home runs from Western’s hitters Grant Fink and Bubba Dotson, they would have 22. That would be enough to be ranked No. 6 in the MIAA.

They are also leading the MIAA in the most doubles, RBIs, slugging percentages and batting averages. Their batting average as a team is an amazing .391. Most hard hitting teams and players also seem to get paired up with the most strikeouts. Western has chosen not to follow those guidelines. Despite being the hardest hitting team, they are currently tied for the second fewest strikeouts as a team.

It’s not just the batting that is getting it done. Give just as much credit to the pitching and the defense.

The pitching has the lowest ERA in the MIAA at 3.74. All other teams are four and above. They have given up 195 hits this season, and are the only team to have given up fewer than 200.

They are clearly the team to beat in the MIAA.

Softball hasn’t gotten off to the best start they could have had, but it’s nothing they can’t move on from. Despite letting a few winning chances slip away, this team still has what it takes to beat anybody.

Currently with a record of 26-10, they are No. 4 in the MIAA.

They aren’t leading in every category, but they are among the top in batting.

Home runs are the trending thing for Western this year. They have 37 home runs of their own, more than any other team. They’ve stolen 48 bases, the second in the conference, and amazingly have only been caught stealing twice, the fewest by any team. They are sitting in the top five in the MIAA in batting average, runs, hits, triples and slugging percentages.

The pitching has the second lowest ERA at 2.23 and is tied for second for the most wins. Every other pitching category is among the top five.

Fort Hays State and Central Missouri are the toughest opponents in softball this year. They both have only lost one game in the MIAA. Western has to prove they can handle those teams if they plan on winning the conference.

They have yet to beat either of them. Western lost to Central Missouri 1-2 and 0-2. They hung with the nationally ranked No. 18 Fort Hays State for 12 innings to lose it 1-2. They got blown out of the water in the second game 3-11.

Both softball and baseball are in the top of the conference and have a chance to go far in the post season. Both being lead by arguably the greatest pitchers in Western’s history at their sport, Jackie Bishop in softball and Brandon Simmons in baseball. If these teams can live up to their expectations, this could easily be the most well-rounded, winning time of the year for the Griffons’ athletic program, and possibly one of the best spring sports seasons in Western’s history.

Twelve tables of students and employees representing various businesses around Saint Joseph filled Spratt on Monday. Sponsors for the program at Missouri Western as well as some of their contributions to the Engineering Department were projected onto a board at the beginning of the event, along with the pictures of students receiving scholarships in the field for their involvement in the department.

“The Engineering Awards Banquet is a fundraising event that celebrates engineering technology,” Dr. Yang, professor and chair of the engineering department, said.  “It’s also a great opportunity for students to get to know the various businesses and industries around Saint Joseph.”

The banquet is also a way for professors at Missouri Western to improve their department. We invite professionals from the industry and incorporate any concerns they have concerning our classes and programs, Dr. Raheem, assistant professor at Missouri Western, said.

Alan Landes, co-chair of MWSU Engineering Technology Advancement Committee, opened the banquet with many compliments to the quality of Missouri Western students.

“The work ethic of students coming from this school is fantastic, making them great candidates for many of the jobs available to them in the future,” Landes said. “They have much more experience than schools that only focus on research.”

Landes also commented that though the different companies and businesses may work in different disciplines, the engineering technology program is what every one of them uses. It’s very important that we support the university in this regard, Landes said.

Ronald Auxier, another co-chair of the MWSU Engineering Technology Advancement Committee, presented the Student Excellence Award to Korbin Von Stentzsch, a junior at Missouri Western who came highly recommended by his professors and peers.

“I’d like to thank Missouri Western for this award,” Stentzsch said, “as well as the engineering department and the rest of the staff for reassuring me that I’m doing a good job.”

Auxier also presented the Community Excellence Award for a member in the engineering technology industry who had shown commitment to advancing the field while supporting Missouri Western in the process.

Dr. Raheem believes that these awards are incredible honors for both students and community members.

“Not only are they great for resumes; these awards come with the support of the entire staff in the engineering department, and will help students and community members distinguish themselves from the crowd,” Raheem said.

The musicians are fellow Missouri Western students, getting some practice playing to the public. The pretzel and pink lemonade came from a bistro operated by Western students. All of the clothes I am wearing, including the Chucks, were purchased in a neighboring thrift store operated by Western students. This could be our future.

Missouri Western has a total of over 700 acres of land. I think we should be addressing ways to join the St. Joseph community to the University. Every day, over 3500 people enter and exit the campus. These people are students, faculty, campus employees, family, friends, vendors and laborers. They eat and shop in the community. Why not develop the land around the school to cater to these people while offering employment opportunities to students?

Since Missouri Western developed the current campus, it has been a separation of city and school. I often hear that St. Joseph doesn’t feel like a college town should. Let’s change that. There are many opportunities that could be researched for business possibilities.

Small shops featuring students artwork, clothing, music, pottery, and crafts could be scattered among bistros, coffee shops, musical venues, thrift/vintage stores and cozy diners. The possibilities are endless. Many other schools our size offer this adjacent to campus. It would tie the students in with the community, making us more supportive of one another. What better way to create jobs in the community than to create them next to or on campus?

Most of the Heartland Health, American Family Insurance, and Mitchell Woods employees pass by our gates daily. Altec employees travel by our campus as well. These are St. Joseph’s largest employers, besides the St. Joseph School District. Let’s address how Missouri Western can help students make money, share their talents and engage the community.

I have suggested this idea over the years to many people, hoping that someday the school will take notice and at least look into the possibilities of creating a more pleasant campus experience for everyone.

President-elect Katy Sisco and Vice President-elect Dillon Williams were elected to SGA. Sisco and Williams received 268 votes, compared to presidential candidate Mary Beth Rosenauer and Derek Thompson, who had 174 votes.

A total of 443 students voted in this year’s SGA election, which showed a decrease compared to last year’s numbers, where 1,065 students voted.

“I feel very honored and excited for this opportunity to be elected the President of SGA,” Sisco said. “I’m excited for next year and ready to get things going.”

Mary Beth Rosenauer, who ran against Sisco for SGA presidency, congratulated Sisco as the next President of SGA and plans to work with her in the future. She said in the debate that Sisco and herself are friends and plan to remain in contact.

“I stay in contact with Katie every day,” Rosenauer said. “We are really good motivators for each other, and I’m very proud and excited for her.”

Since she was elected, Sisco plans on keeping her campaign promise by visiting with organizations on campus throughout the rest of the school year. She wants the students to rest assured that she plans to keep them informed with everything SGA is doing.

“Dillon and I have already started plans for our administration next year,” Sisco said.

This new administration wants students to know they are welcome to come forth with issues on their minds. Sisco said she would try her best to fix any issues that are brought forth to SGA.

Sisco believes her connection with residential life as a Residential Assistant will help the process become smoother when she brings up the issue of bringing back Residence Council to SGA as one of the branches for SGA. She was part of the effort to help RA’s bring back Residence Hall Association. If RHA is able to be reinstated, then Sisco believes RC might be an afterthought.

“It would be beneficial to us to get more students involved on campus,” Sisco said. “We can put in place our representation and students can come and voice their opinions that live on campus.”

Student leaders found the numbers low and the process of voting confusing this time around. Last year, students were able to go to Missouri Western’s homepage and click the “Vote Here” button. This year, students had to click the “Students” tab to vote. SGA Senator MonTerio Seewood said he is happy for Katy Sisco and Dillon Williams. Seewood said Sisco and Williams had no SGA experience, but he believes they are both great leaders and are eager to learn.

“We found that voting this year was quite low, compared to past elections,” Seewood said. “I hope that next year we can find a way to get the students more engaged and interested in SGA and their elected student leaders.”

Jacob Scott, president of SGA, said that he is excited to see the new president and vice president take the oath and start their term. He believes Sisco and Williams will do a great job leading the Senate and are willing to work in the transition with Scott. However, he believes the election wasn’t as competitive as last year.

“The election wasn’t as competitive as the one last year,” Scott said. “I think it was low because of spring break and there wasn’t as competitive like it was between my opponent and I on certain issues.”

The inauguration is set for April 19 at 5:30p.m. in the Fulkerson Center.

It’s the slogan of our wonderful university. this place where Griffons stomp the yard and non-trads roll around with their backpacks, the place that every other university laughs at. “Haha, open enrollment!” Don’t get me wrong, I love this school. But it’s not what I was promised. And that’s what this column is about.

My junior year of high school I was determined to attend Mizzou. I was told by counselors that it was the premier journalism school in the midwest. “And it’s a great college experience.” College experience is just a fool’s gold universities use to attract, well, fools. Mizzou has a rock climbing wall and they used to have tanning beds in their rec center. I’ve been told of (and seen first hand) the underground party scene of Truman State University. It’s all glitter on the biggest turd ever crapped out.

But more often, I see fools on this campus buying fool’s gold. This university no longer values education, but instead the “college experience.” We have an online remedial math program but we have six different greek organizations (and a rock to honor them). We have increasing class sizes but we also have exquisite overpriced coffee in half our academic buildings. We have three counselors to help students transverse growing up but we have nine armed officers hired by Western.

This column is about priorities. It’s time someone answer for all the things wrong with this place. All the things I was told were supposed to prove that Western is gold and all the other universities are just expensive hogwash. I want my gold and if I can’t get it, I’m going to make sure that the freshmen this year get theirs in four years.

This isn’t journalism, at least not like you’ve seen it before. I’m biased; I have an agenda. There will be no apologies for my disillusionment of your fantasies. If it takes me removing the mascot’s mask to make people realize the truth, then that’s what I’ll do.

Some of you will see this as an affront to something you hold precious. I don’t blame you. Western is a magical place. It has some great qualities that other universities don’t have. I’ll leave that pandering up to our Public Relations department.

More importantly, I want to be clear, this isn’t a soap box. I don’t plan on standing on top of a high moral podium lecturing to students who have already been lectured enough. This is a funnel. Who know the illusions of Western better than me; you. As students, you should be willing to join with me in this metaphorical “pitchfork and torch” march of of truth.

Cause we’re not after Frankenstein’s monster, we’re after Frankenstein.

When I look back on my four years of college, nothing amuses me more than the attempt to re-label the buildings I lived in as “residence halls.” There is nothing residential about them.

Let’s ignore the fact that you can’t have pets. Let’s also remove that drinking isn’t allowed in our rooms and let’s also ignore that Logan (the building I live in) has a non-smoking policy, even on our balconies, on the books.

What makes the term “residence halls” so ludicrous is that it makes Juda, Logan, Bashears, Vaseloakos, Leaverton, Scanlon and Griffon Hall sound fancy, as if when you move in, people will be greeting you with a smile, a warm towel and—if you live in Griffon Hall—a full set of kitchenware. None of this is true.

The dorms, as everyone else in reality likes to call them, are the places you have to live in. The only reason anyone lives on campus is for the convenience of not having to pay rent and bills. Maybe they also like being close to their classes. Every student I have ever known with the financial ability to move off campus, does so. And they do it fast.

What makes these places so horrible? Well, they aren’t horrible. I’m not going to complain about my 8×10 foot room while I know there will be several people living in St. Joseph’s downtown parking garages this summer. But what I will complain about it is the need for some people in residential life to pretend that living in the “residence halls” is a glamorous life.

There is nothing glamorous about sharing a toilet and shower with three other men. There is nothing wonderful about moldy heating and AC units. There is nothing magical about door locks that break every time it rains. This is dorm life.

During my freshmen year, a Resident Assistant—using an extremely snooty voice—corrected me when I called Scanlon a dorm. I was on the phone with one of my friends from high school and the RA, who was eavesdropping on my conversation, yelled as I walked by, “You live in a residence hall, not a dorm!”

The fact that you lock the front door of the building, each wing of the building, and tell me that I can’t have a toaster does not make this a place of residency. The dorms are a few steps above a prison and several steps down from a $10-a-night motel.

More than anything, living in the dorms is a nuisance. It seems that every time I’m doing something important, RAs have to stop by to put “door deck” on our doors. For those of you who don’t live in campus housing, these are tiny pieces of paper they place on our doors with our name and some glitter or other fifth grade left over art supplies. To be honest, I’d much rather prefer our G-numbers be placed on our doors so we can stop pretending that residential life actually cares.

If you’re still in your early years of living on campus, I figure you have two choices. Either move off campus or move to the suites. Logan, Juda and Beshears have the most privacy and most space per student. Yeah, all your locks might break at once or your bathroom light might go out and mold starts to move in within 24 hours, but at least it’s less like prison. Since living in Juda, no one has checked my ID as I walk into my dorm and no one really cares what we do.

As long as we play nice with our neighbors, everything is copacetic.

Doesn’t that sound like the real world?

“We started playing live shows right as we started making music, so that’s very important to us,” Motte said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to put a smile on people’s faces and make them have a good time.”

Snagging this notable band for Western’s spring concert was a real success for the Western Activities Council. Every year, the council scours through tons of information to find and book an artist or group that fits within a certain budget and appeals to a wide array of students. 3OH!3 definitely does that.

“3OH!3 is a very mixed genre of music. There are elements of dance, pop, electronic, rap, and dubstep,” WAC president Lauren Dillon said. “It is the kind of music you want to hear when you go to a party because there is a good beat and it is fun to dance to. I think they appeal to a lot of students because they have a college feel to their lyrics because they are words meant for a mature audience and you will be surprised how many songs of theirs you know from going out to parties and clubs.”

For Motte, it’s this “college feel” that rings true in most of their music. The carefree attitude of the band’s lyrics mixed with their gritty dance beats come together for the perfect party playlist. It’s this marriage of fun and release that college students can latch onto. And Motte is very happy about that.

“Honestly, we really love playing college shows. We have a history of playing great college shows,” Motte said. “Sean and I both went to college and we graduated. We had a great time in college, so I think our music kind of applies itself well. Our general montra for our live shows is to put on a party and have fun.”

Doors open at 6 and the party gets going at 7pm. Before 3OH!3 brings the boom, two opening acts will perform, XV and Sammy Adams. With a show this jam-packed, there’s no way students won’t get lost in the music. Dillon is excited for students to see what WAC and 3OH!3 have in store for Friday’s show.

“This concert is different from ones in the past because we usually don’t have three musical acts,” Dillon said. “Students should attend because it will be the biggest party of the semester. We will be giving away giant glow sticks and throwing out beach balls during the concert and all of the performers are the kind that you just want to dance to.”

For WAC, this show is shaping up to be a real bash. Freshman member Sam Morgan, who just so happens to be a 3OH!3 fan, thinks the show is really going to be worth students’ while.

“3OH!3 has a very unique music style and way of writing and performing songs,” Morgan said. “They can really make a crowd come alive through their act.”

3OH!3, who got their name from their area code in Colorado, are really excited to put on a show in Saint Joseph. Tickets are free to Western students and can be claimed in Blum 207. If you like to dance, 3OH!3′s concert is the place for you to let loose and pretend you don’t have a paper to write by Monday morning.

“I think, for us, performing is all about throwing a party and having fun, us having fun on stage and making sure everyone is having a good time,” Motte said. “That’s always been kind of an essential thing at our show and that’s what gets us going.”

Cole, who noted that this 2012 spring break experience was one of the greatest moments of his life, is now on to bigger and better things as he is drumming for rapper and Kansas native XV at Western’s annual spring concert this Friday.

“I think it’s just a blessing to be able to play for someone who’s signed to a label because these things are rare,” Cole said. “I think God’s timing is good because of how this all just kind of laid out. It’s so perfect.”

Cole landed the job through a little luck and having a few connections. A friend he went to high school with, who just so happens to be XV’s cousin, started touring, DJing and producing for XV and eventually brought Cole on board. The three have been great music partners ever since.

“For years I’ve been watching him grow in his music and grow in status and repetition,” Cole said. “I’m proud for him. Right now X is a good friend of mine. I just really want to see my friend succeed.”

Cole also helped in getting XV to perform here as he personally introduced the rapper to WAC vice president Lauren Dillon and invited her to see the two of them perform.

“She saw us perform and just thought it was crazy and amazing,” Cole said. “She was really determined to book XV for the spring concert.”

As Cole and XV impressed Dillon and numerous members of WAC, they are also hoping to do the same with the campus and the St. Joseph community.

“I’m crazy excited,” Cole said about the concert. “I don’t think people really understand how intense it’s going to be. Whenever people see XV for the first time, even if they’ve never seen him before, the shows are always crazy and the energy is so amazing. He’s a really good performer. There’s something different about his shows compared to a lot of rappers that I’ve seen.”

Cole, who’s been fascinated with drumming since he was a kid, as his father is also a drummer, got his first start in church at 12 years old when they were looking for someone to keep a simple beat. After his first church performance, Cole continued practicing and perfecting his craft and eventually landed here at Western, majoring in music technology with an emphasis in performance. Cole was also a part of Western’s jazz band and currently is on Western’s drumline and symphonic orchestra, as well as a campus worship band called CCF.

In addition to his campus accolades, Cole recently landed a drumming spot with Kansas city band and acrobatic dance group Quixotic Fusion who travels nationally and internationally. He also joined forces with Western student and local rapper Louis Erby and local dj Nick Niemeier, also known as DJ SoundNinja. The three will be the opening act at the concert.

“D.Cole is so tight,” Erby said. “I’m a hundred percent supportive behind D.Cole and everything he does. D.Cole is my brother. Me and D.Cole go way back. Everything that we’ve been building is starting to take shape and it’s pretty tight,” Erby said.

Since freshman year, Erby, Cole and Niemeier have been discussing and hoping for a huge opportunity like the one they are being given at the concert. For Cole especially, this is an opportunity for the campus and the community to truly see what fuels his fire.

“Daniel is a very passionate drummer,” Niemeier said. “He lives for the music. He’s an excellent performer – nothing less than professional.”

On Thursday, Erby will host and Niemeier will spin at Hammerjacks to promote the concert on April 11 from 9 to 1 a.m. The concert will be held on Friday, April 12 at Civic Arena with the doors opening at 6 p.m. and the show starting at 7 p.m. An after party will follow the concert at Headquarters Bar and will last until 1:30 p.m. Students can pick up their free concert ticket in Blum 207.

Supporting actress prepares for ditzy role

Professor Quillin has long wanted to direct Sweeney Todd and now, after many long months of preparation, will get the opportunity to showcase his work in the Potter Hall Theatre on April 11-14.

“I’ve been working on it since late July,” Quillin said, “contemplating and putting ideas together in terms of how I wanted it to happen.”

The process for Quillin started long before casting when he would slowly but surely start bringing people into the fold in terms of a production team, including a set designer, costume designer, lighting designer and more.

“We had our first actual production meeting right before Christmas and casted around the middle of November,” Quillin said.

Although he has directed over 20 productions, casting was still a challenge when it came to narrowing down who would play certain roles.

“There were some decisions that sort of made themselves. Some people walked in and did the audition and it was just instantaneous,” he said, “but there were a couple of roles that were difficult decisions because of the ability and talent level.”

Adrienne Collins who plays Johanna, the daughter of Sweeney Todd, says that she knew she wanted the role and had memorized every song for the part even before going into auditions.

“Everyone has worked so hard and we’ve become a family working together on this,” Collins said.

When asked what the most rewarding part of the production is, Quillin said, “The show itself. I’ve had those moments when sitting in the theatre, I’ll look up every now and then and I’ll forget that I’m directing it for a little bit. I have to pinch myself to tell myself it’s true because it’s a show I’ve always wanted to tackle.”

The joy of putting the show together comes with a tiring price for Quillin and his cast and crew. In the weeks following up to the performance, he has been spending 18 hours a week or more in the theatre bringing it all together, and as he puts it, being “the captain of the ship.” While practices have been running from six in the evening to 11 at night for the cast and crew, there is truly no rest for the weary when putting a new twist on Sweeney’s popular character.

“We’re doing a little bit of a different take on Sweeney. Most productions I have seen have approached Sweeney as a serial killer out for blood and that’s it. I think there’s a whole lot more to him than that,” Quillin said. “I think the story was written to show there was a human being that was transformed into something else. So that’s what I wanted to show, that he actually has a level of humanity to him.”

After all the work the cast and crew has put into this, Quillin describes their relationship as having the feeling of old friends, and although there will be a sigh of relief for Quillin and his team, there will also be a feeling of something missing in the days following the final performance.

“There’s always a sort of regret to see something you’ve worked so hard on and put literally blood, sweat and tears into just go away,” Quillin said.

Until then, we can all look forward to the talent-filled production and get a taste of Quillin’s vision of Sweeney Todd. It should be a bloody good show.

Bloody-Disgusting.com

Roger Ebert always said that if a film succeeds at what it practices, it is a good film, whether you like it or not.

The 2013 remake of “Evil Dead” follows that logic, making it a purely phenomenal horror film.

This film is not going to be for everyone. If you are squeamish, I suggest you back away from this blood-fest. Having said that, if you are a fan of horror cinema, this will be one of the best movie-going experiences in your lifetime.

There are certainly issues with “Evil Dead.” The acting isn’t exactly top-notch and there are some minor plot holes, but if you are paying attention to those things in a film like this, you are clearly missing the point.

“Evil Dead” was obviously made out to be a fun experience at the theater and not to be taken seriously. It isn’t so much a film as it is a “love letter” to horror fans.

This love letter is beautifully crafted by first-time director Fede Alvarez, who also co-wrote the screenplay, along with Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody.

Alvarez could have easily taken the cheap way out and just translated the script to film and thrown a dozen buckets of blood at the lens. Instead, he opted to take the audience on a complete, stroke-inducing, thrill ride.

In this version of the cult film,  the story follows a group of friends who go out to a cabin for the weekend to try to rid one of the group’s member of their drug addiction. In the basement of this cabin, they find an ancient “book of the dead” and upon reading from this book, they cast a curse upon their recovering junkie-friend, ultimately leading to a demonic possession.

The difficult thing about remakes is that mostly everyone already knows the story and it’s really hard to pull an audience into a story that they already know the outcome to. What’s great about this particular remake is that it is not dependent upon the twists and turns of the story.

About every eight minutes, audience members will begin to realize that something terrible is going to happen. This usually creates predictability within the narrative, but instead, it produces a feeling of constant anxiety for the audience.

Throw away the fact that this is probably the most nerve-racking horror film that has been put out in about ten years. “Evil Dead” is also extremely well shot and edited.

A lot of modern horror films rely on cheap and predictable jump-scares. There is only one jump-scare in this entire film. This is because they didn’t need them to keep the audience involved. Alvarez remembered that horror films are not about “scaring” your audiences, as much as they are about “scarring” your audiences and making them remember what they saw and hope that they don’t see it again in their nightmares.

The cinematography is just flat-out gorgeous in this gore-fest. A majority of the film is really dark and there isn’t any cinematic lighting until the final scene of the film, but there was a large collection of extraordinary crane shots that proved that this wasn’t just some young kid making some cheap horror film. Alvarez knows what he is doing.

Through and through, “Evil Dead” is easily the most pleasing remake in recent years and easily one of the most entertaining horror films to come out as well.

If you are comfortable with the horror movie environment, go and watch this movie. It will strike you like a drug. You may question your life in the proceeding moments, but you will just be running back for more, and wanting.

Rodney Roberts, a mentor to Missouri Western underclassmen for the past year, doesn’t think that campus is safe for his students anymore.

Campus Police cars sit out side Blum. The officers use the cars to patrol Downs drive regularly. They officers also patrol inside buildings.

After a Feb. 27 altercation between two officers and former Men’s basketball player Lavonte Douglas, students have expressed their concerns with the Police Department’s relations with students.

Editorial: Stand Up for Lavonte

Roberts, a Founder and the President of the Gentlemen of Color Association, a mentoring program for  African-American underclassmen, thinks that Douglas’ situation was poorly handled by the officers on call.

“One of my biggest pet peeves is the fact that students feel endangered by officers on campus,” Roberts said.

Roberts also thinks that students can’t trust officers after the incident involving Douglas. He said that some girls who witnessed the event were crying because they felt so unsafe.

“I can’t stress enough that there is no reason that the students of this school should feel unsafe, threatened or just plain out in fear of our public safety officers,” Roberts said. “Who feels safe around you? You’re not real public safety, you’re bullies. You’re bullies with guns. You’re legal bullies.”

At the time of the incident, Douglas was approached in the food court by Corporal Robert Bidding and Officer Travis Fulton.

Douglas said that he felt threatened by Bidding and Fulton when they approached him in the food court. When Douglas refused to show them his Western ID card, Douglas said they tried to apprehend him. He ran up stairs to the Student Affairs office.

“I feel like some of Lavonte’s actions, like running up to the Student Affairs office, at no point should a student feel like that’s his only option that he needs to run through a building for his safety to another office. If we employ these officers to protect us, then why are we so scared of them?”

Although Roberts said he has never had any problems with either officer involved in the incident, he said he’s seen Fulton become rude and aggressive with other students.

Roberts said that complaints he’s heard from the freshmen he mentors is that Fulton is “aggressive, unfair, racist, stereotypes them and doesn’t really give them a fair shot.”

Roberts said that Fulton has never acted this way towards him, but he has seen Fulton treat other students unfairly. Roberts said he has had problems with Officer Nick Scheidegger.

“I have a history with Officer Scheidegger, the guy legitimately hates me, like legitimately hates me.” Roberts said. “Other police officers have actually told me like, ‘Stay out of his way, he seems to really not like you.’ There should be no reason for that.”

Tobias Pointer, the current president of the Black Student Union, believes there is a gap between officers and minorities on campus.

“As usual it’s always a lack of communication with higher power and minorities at Missouri Western State University,” Pointer said. “I believe the issue could have been solved in a much better way than it was.”

Two years ago, former BSU President Leah Hayes started a petition asking Western’s officers to undergo diversity training. Pointer believes this is something that officers would still benefit from.

“I feel diversity training would definitely help them deal with students that they feel are hostile or aggressive without having to go through the same route they did with Lavonte,” Pointer said.

University President Robert Vartabedian said that to his knowledge, the officers do undergo diversity training, but he is aware of a single issue with Fulton.

“I guess it depends on how you define problems,” Vartabedian said. “I think there was at least one other issue that was brought up but we investigated it and we investigated it to our satisfaction so I don’t think we would necessarily categorize it as a problem, but there was an issue we needed to deal with previously.”

Vartabedian wasn’t aware of any issues with other officers. Chief of Police Jon Kelley was unavailable for comment.

Student Government Association President Jacob Scott believes that Western’s police force is dedicated to protecting students.

“I don’t know if it’s necessarily a problem but it’s an ongoing educational experience,” Scott said. “There’s always a more and more diverse population on campus, people coming from different backgrounds and we operate differently we have a different understanding of authority and it’s important that we recognize our differences and come up with a method in which we handle these situations.”

Scott hopes that the investigation into the Feb. 27 incident is fair and said that SGA leaders could be a resource for Douglas in navigating the student handbook.

Douglas’s formal hearing with Western administration took place Wednesday at 3 p.m. The result of that hearing was not available at press time.

Western coach, Buzz Verduzco, was happy with the hitting Saturday, but disappointed the Griffons couldn’t get anything going against Pittsburg State’s top guy, Matt Stalcup.

“Heading into Sunday we knew we were going to face their best guy and probably one of the best guys in the league, and he was every bit of that,” Verduzco said. “He really did a great job against us; he threw his fast ball hard, his breaking ball was tight and we couldn’t quite get anything mustered.”

Stalcup pitched seven innings, had nine strikeouts and gave up just four hits against the top hitting team in the MIAA for his fourth win of the season.

It was almost as if Western hit themselves out of rhythm after the way they were connecting Saturday. The Griffons knocked in a thundering 10 homeruns on Saturday, six coming in the first game and four in the second.

Western third-baseman, Grant Fink, contributed to those homers, bringing his total on the season to 12; the most by anyone in the MIAA.

“I’m just trying to give my team the best chance to win,” Fink said. “We can’t think ahead, and as hitters we need to take it one pitch at a time and have a plan at the plate. We are a dangerous hitting team that has a lot of weapons and consistency, so just being in the now will keep us where we need to be.”

Pitching continued to be great in the series. Brandon Simmons picked up his seventh win on the season in the first game Saturday. Pitching was also strong in the second game as the freshman pitcher, Kyle Kelly carried four strong, scoreless innings on five strikeouts to help Banks Born get his fourth win on the season.

Verduzco is especially glad to have Kelly available now, after he red-shirted his first year.

“When you’re a red-shirt player, you wait and it seems like that year is forever before you get a chance to play,” Verduzco said. “He’s a very humble kid, he’s a competitor, got a good fastball and he can get in on people, and he learns too. He’s always trying to learn the game and he doesn’t think he knows it all, and he’s always trying to get better every time he goes out. You can see it in his performances.”

Kelly says he loves his role on the team this year coming from the bull pen because he feels it is the ultimate team first type of role, but hopes to one day be a starter.

“Obviously everyone likes to start and I’d be happy if I got the chance in future seasons,” Kelly said. “It would mean I would have learned more about pitching rather than throwing.”

Lavonte Douglas, number 34 on the Missouri Western’s Men’s basketball team, represented Western on the court for two years. He was a 2011-2012 MIAA all-conference tournament player. He averaged 13.6 points per game. Most importantly, Lavonte is a student.

Lavonte isn’t a saint and we won’t pretend he is. Most students at Western have made mistakes and that’s what has lead them here. Former Coach Tom Smith is known for giving his players a second chance and given that Lavonte will be graduating in a few weeks is testament to Smith’s philosophy.

All of Lavonte’s hard work, all the time and energy he put into games to get Western another win and all the effort he put into his studies could go up in flames just because one officer has an aggression problem.

Administration has told him he’s a danger to us, but Lavonte isn’t armed. Officers that flippantly spray students with pepper-spray and then discuss, after the fact, what crime to charge students with are a danger to us. Administration that takes cues from these officers on disciplinary actions and felony assault charges are more a danger to us than a soft spoken former basketball player.

If you care about Lavonte, as a student or an athlete, you should tell the administration that if they expel him no one is safe. If an officer can be aggressive and claim that he was assaulted we are all at risk. If Western administration ensures that every students’ past follows them to St. Joseph, then no one can redeem themselves.

Most importantly you should help Lavonte because he is you. He is like every student who has struggled in a class. He is every student who looks forward to graduation. He is every student who loves his friends and protects them as fast as a 3-point shot when the buzzer sounds. Western isn’t just a university, it’s a community.

Stand up for Lavonte.

Ms. Lovette (Alex Richards) looks into the crown during a music scene of Sweeney Todd.

Johanna is a 16-year-old girl who has had a very sheltered and extravagent up bringing. She’s never really been able to leave home unaccompanied. She has a longing for freedom and she is itching to get out in the world and spread her wings, which really appeals to Adrienne because she says she’s kind of sensing that in her life right now, being a junior in college and wanting to go explore the world on her own.

Adrienne auditioned for Sweeney Todd back in December and the call backs were that same week.

“Basically, I went in and sang Green Finch and Linnet Bird. It’s Johanna’s main song and that’s all they wanted to hear,” Collins said. “I already knew the piece beforehand and had studied the character. It was very smooth. It wasn’t anything daunting or intimidating or anything like that.”

Adrienne says she loves Johanna’s music. She loves who that character is because their lives are kind of playing out in the same way right now.

“At the age 15, 16, or 17 years old, people were married or being courted and seriously persuing marriage, so the fact that Johanna never has had any kind of love interest, I think it has greatly affected her longing of just wanting to get out and be her own person,” Collins said.

When we first meet Johanna, Collins says she seems like a sweet modest woman until she meets a guy name Anythony. Collins said Johanna kind of turns into a Barbie doll or something and falls in love instantly and wants to run away with this man.

“She just has completely lost her mind,” Collins said. ”Johanna is kind of ditsy and ends up at the mad house, so that definatley contributes to it.”

Even though Johanna is a supporting role, Adrienne doesn’t have a ton of lines. The hard part of her role comes with the singing, but it is a challenge she is excited to take on.

“I think the most difficult part was learning the music because the type of songs she sings are tricky.”

“He is quite exceptional, creative and prompt. [Todd] really pays attention to the audience. Todd is very in tune with client needs,” professor Teresa Harris said. “He is accomplished in a lot of different disciplines. He’s very good in illustration, great in graphics, but he also is very proficient in photography and print-making.”

Many of the disciplines that Todd is proficient in were needed to create the advertising packaging project that won Todd the Silver Addy.

The project that Todd submitted for the Addy Awards was a packaging project, packaging what the consumers see on the shelf. Todd’s objective was to create the most creative and captivating packaging for the brand “Duffle Tea.”

Todd’s Addy-winning design was a multi-piece branding and packaging, named “Duffle Tea,” which included logo creation, a business and identity system, packaging items and printed collateral. As described in Todd’s press release, the packaging for the brand has the concept of travel by packing all the items needed in a single compact duffle bag. There are tins of loose-leaf tea and the duffle bag comes with a creative tea bag and instructions for packing.

“I put a lot of work into it. I’m not exactly sure how much time it took. It was all hand sewed and screen-printed. The little container I used had fabric on it and I had to screen-print onto that so it took quite a bit of time,” Todd said about what went into his award-winning packaging.

Student Governor Brian Shewell asks Judy Grimes a question about the current status of the SOS act fee budget. SGA President Jacob Scott presented his new appropriations for the collected fee money to the advisory committee March 28.

While the future of the fee was unclear after the November advisory meeting, Scott has said that repealing the act was never really considered and he would rather like to focus reappropriating the money for the fiscal year of 2014 in areas he feels would benefit students.

“I don’t think I ever told the administration or the president directly that we need to repeal this,” Scott said. “The approach was more, we need to spend the money on things that students want, which I think there is a great amount of difference between those two ideals. The idea was never to repeal the act because the act does a good thing.”

Foreseeing state budget cuts for the 2013 fiscal year, SGA passed the Act in the spring of 2012 in order to keep certain student services that would go unfunded if Missouri Western did not have the funds to support those areas; however, those state budget cuts never occurred. Currently, the five areas that the money have been appropriated to are Recreation Services, the Center for Academic Support, the Student Success Center, Student Life and Career Services.

Scott’s new proposal outlines seven areas in which the money could be reappropriated. Those areas would be the Baker Fitness Center, Esry Health Center, Student Life, International Student Services, the Theatre Department, Blum Student Union, and Disability Services. The seven areas outlined are the areas Scott thinks would benefit students.

“This money is already in place. It could be used for a good purpose,” Scott said. “It just needs some guidance from the students as to how to spend it. So I think it’s important that we spend the money on things that we feel it needs to be spent on and we shouldn’t listen to anyone else that says it should be spent on other areas because after all it’s not anyone else’s fee but the student’s fee. These are the areas that students want to see improvement.”

Senator Travis Hart, who has been present at all fee advisory meetings, shared his concerns with the areas outlined in the new proposal.

“The current proposal that was brought up today, I don’t particularly care for,” Hart said. “I’m not quite sure that we can reallocate money away from the areas outlined in the Student Success Act. Now I would be open to possibly changing it, but the current programs that Jacob Scott put forward, I don’t necessarily agree that we should be putting that money towards that.”

Hart also said he thinks the fee is serving the original purpose that was outlined when the act was drafted.

“I’m also concerned about the Student Success Act,” Hart said. “If we take money away from the five current programs outlined in the proposal then maybe those budgets could be cut because the university is going to have to find about $700,000 that were previously allocated for these departments… I’m really concerned with moving the money away from these areas.”

SGA is currently working on two initiatives that overlap with the areas outlined in the proposal that was set forth by Scott. SGA is looking to pass another fee that would waive the cost for students visiting the health center and earlier this semester they were considering renovations to Blum Student Union. Aside from the overlap in those areas, Hart and committee faculty member Cosette Hardwick questioned redesignation $20,000 of the fee money toward the theatre department.

“I’m all in favor of allocating money to the theatre department,” Hardwick said “But its not included in what you were supposed to help fund which was everything else here so I’m not sure that really the theatre department can be included in that.”

After the meeting Hart shared his opinion on passing another fee and reallocating the money collected through the Studnet Success Act Fee.

“I’m going to vote no on the [Esry Heath Center] fee and I’m going to vote no on anything having to do with this,” Hart said.

With next Fee Advisory Committee meeting slated for April 11 it is unclear if the proposed reallocation will pass. After the April 11 meeting, the proposal will be presented to the SGA Senate and put to a vote at the April 15 meeting.

Sarah Kovac enjoys her morning coffee while out with her family.

It wasn’t until a couple years ago that Kovac decided to put her story to words. After she won a scholarship to attend a writers and speakers conference in North Carolina in 2011, she fell into the idea of being an author when she ended up signing up for a meeting with a literary agent. To prepare for the meeting, she had to write a formal proposal for her book as well as a couple sample chapters, and she only had two weeks to do it. She was overwhelmed, as she had never so much as seen a book proposal before, but after a lot of coaxing from her husband, she decided to go through with it. Not long after that, she was signed and in search of a publisher. After signing with Abingdon Press, she had a mere four months to work up a manuscript, so in the early hours of the morning, when her young son Ethan was still asleep, she wrote the entire book. The book, entitled “In Capable Arms: Living a Life Embraced by Grace,” will be released on September 17th of this year, which just so happens to be three weeks after the due date of her second child. The book is currently available for preorder through Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

“Essentially, in my book I recall one or two experiences from each phase of my life and mull over what we can learn through pain, how we grieve, how we might find peace with our own imperfection,” Kovac said. “I will never be everything I’d like to be for my family, never the perfect wife or mom. But my faith in God gives me space to put my trust in His providence when I fail so miserably. To sum it up, my life and my family rest in God’s arms, not mine.”

It is Kovac’s faith that has pulled her through even her darkest days, like the ones where her differences overwhelm her, where she wakes up not feeling so positive about her disability, when life feels too heavy to bear. It is on those days that she lets herself feel every emotion. She cries, she doodles, she writes on her blog. She uses her struggle to inspire others, and ultimately, to inspire herself.

“Struggle is not a four letter word. In this day when we’re so used to instant everything, struggle is sort of a foreign and scary idea,” Kovac said. “But, as painful as it is, struggle will not kill you. Struggle presents you with an opportunity to grow, to be stronger than you would have been if life was easy. Everyone loves the view from the mountaintop. But it’s down in the valley, in the rain and mud, where stuff really grows. Good will come of your struggle, if you let it. Don’t claw out of it too fast.”

 Struggle or not, Kovac knows that her lifestyle is not ideal. There are things she wishes she could do that she will probably never be able to do, and if she had the choice of taking her disability away, she doesn’t mince words in saying what she’d choose.

“My disability has been a source of blessing for me and others, and I am very, very thankful that that’s the case. But this is not how a body is meant to function,” Kovac said. “Arms are meant for cradling babies, big hugs, helping friends move, playing volleyball, swatting away mosquitoes. My feet can only help with so much of that, and really, feet are a poor replacement for hands. The way I’ve adapted isn’t easy on my body, and I worry about the effects as I age. This is my reality, and I choose to be thankful for it, but this disability is a burden I would not bear, if I had the choice. The fact that so much good has come from my struggle makes it much easier to deal with.”

Even more of that good is about to pour out into the world when readers get their hands on Kovac’s book. Penning her life has been a therapeutic process for her, one that she could have never accomplished without the support of her husband Adam, family, and close friends. Her story is as difficult to tell as it is important to hear, and it’s a story that she feels is worth telling.

“Many people have told me that they’ve never seen anyone do life the way I do it,” Kovac said. “But while they’re reading my book, being intrigued by my differentness, it’s my goal to show the reader that no person is that different from anyone else. Joy is joy. Desire is desire. Pain is pain. Across the spectrum of humanity, we feel life the same. The parts of us that make us human are no different in me than they are in my reader. I laugh and cry like everyone else. So more than anything, I want to connect with people through my story. I want to meet with them in those difficult moments and grieve together. I want to show them that they don’t have to try to be someone else. Beauty is here, in this imperfect moment, to be experienced by our imperfect selves.”

Kovac’s book will be released this September in hardcover. For more information, visit sarahkovac.com.

Saoirse Ronan examines herself in the film version of Stephenie Meyer’s “The Host”

“The Host” received almost no media promotion and that was probably because even the studio realized it was a terrible. That also is the reasoning why the film made next to nothing in box office numbers.

At first look, “The Host” has some promising qualities. It stars Saoirse Ronan who earned herself an Oscar nomination for “Atonement” back in 2007, so there was thought of some strong acting at least. That didn’t happen.

The story was reminiscent of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” which deals with the idea of aliens being able to “invade” the bodies of humans on Earth and take them over. This definitely was an intriguing concept and brought hopes for an exciting and thrilling film. That didn’t happen.

There are two problems with this entire story.

The first is that these “aliens” are just played by obvious former male models who have decided that their modeling careers are dead so now they should try acting, because what else do they have left to do with their lives?

The other issue was that they ran with this idea where while the humans are taken over by these “aliens,” the human self can still communicate with the alien through their subconscious. This has potential for some decent tension, but instead of the humans trying to plead with the aliens on how they need to stop terrorizing, they feel the desperate need to talk to them about their “boy problems.” Hello teenage drama.

The pacing in “The Host” is about as slow as a tortoise in a 3-mile hurdle. It’s unbearable at times. There are moments where the story could have  a decent progression, but any hope of that is ruined by Niccol’s pacing of the film. The audience is bored instantly.

What it boils down to is that this is a science fiction story that is dipped into a boiling pot of a teenage love triangle. It is a bleeding ear struggle for an audience member to have to constantly hear “I want to kiss him!” and then “You better not!” and then “I’m going to do it!” This is what Stephenie Meyer called “writing.”

All horrendous storylines aside, there were some slight positives about the film that kept audiences from walking out of the theater. The cinematography was visually pleasing. They played with a lot of blue and golden tones that made for some really beautiful imagery that distracted the audience from the deafening dialogue.

Despite the poor script, Ronan was still able to pull out some nice moments. She has the uncanny ability to make the audience feel for her without saying a word. No script can ruin that raw talent.

“The Host” is for all intensive purposes one of the worst and most disappointing films this year. If you read this review and still feel the need to get in your car, drive to the theater, and waste $10 on this trash, you clearly have a personal problem.

(left) Dirty Dorthy interacts with students at last years PRIDE Alliance Drag Show.
Photo by: Will C Photography

The Pride Alliance will be hosting their annual Missouri Western Drag Show on April 2. The doors will open at 7:00 p.m. and the show starts at 8:00 p.m.

PRIDE President Kayla Wiedmaier, said the event will take place on April 2^nd, in the Fulkerson center and believes this year’s event will bring in more students and members of the community. Western students will get into the drag show for free with their Western ID. The show will charge members of the community $3 a person to attend this year’s show.

“It gets better every year,” Wiedmaier said. “The theme we’ve chosen is quite different from the years previous and should bring in a large crowd.”

PRIDE has chosen to do this year for their Drag Show will be a 1950’s. Wiedmaier said the design and look for this theme is completely different from their Burlesque theme from last year. The event will headline three drag queens which include Bianca Bliss, Catia Lee Love, Madison Elise and other special guest.

The organization plans to take donations from those who attend the event and all tips that the drag queens receive will be donated to a group in need. Tyler Rhoad, former president of PRIDE and Wiedmaier said they would not release the organization they plan to donate the money they receive for this year’s show.

All the tips that are donated to the drag queens will be donated to a charity,” Wiedmaier said. “You will have to attend the event to hear who our secret charity will be.”

The event has been held for the last couple of years and has seen a significant number of large crowds. Keisha Davis, former president of PRIDE, plans to attend this year’s event. She believes the reason why attendance is why is due to the event being a unique cultural experience that student’s aren’t used to.

Students should go because not only is it a lot of fun,” Davis said. “It’s educational and there’s something in it for everyone.”

Sarah Matthews, member of PRIDE, said that students and those in the community should attend because it’s the one time of the year where everyone can come together for an exciting event.

“Students should come to the drag show because it’s simply a fun and entertaining experience, that most people don’t get to see on a daily basis,” Matthews said.

Tuition will raise $3.74 per credit hour for in-state students, from $188.91 to $192.65. When fees are added, the average cost of tuition and fees per credit hour is $216.60, which is an increase of 1.76 percent. Students who are out-of-state undergraduates will pay $20 more per credit hour.

Cale Fessler, vice president of Financial Planning, explained that the tuition increase comes from the Missouri Senate Bill 389 under the Higher Education Student Funding Act, which limits how universities maximize increases in their tuition rates for undergraduate students.

The Consumer Price Index for this year is 1.7 percent, because Missouri Western tuition is below the state average. It is allowed a slightly larger increase to 1.98 percent which equals out to $3.74 per credit hour.

President Robert Vartabedian said the increases were fair and that students would understand the reasoning behind the increases.

“We hate to do increases,” Vartabedian said. “I think these are justified increases and the biggest effect will be toward the undergraduate students.”

Fessler discussed possible staff and faculty increases, higher utility costs and higher retirement system mandate payments. He combined information regarding Western’s deferred maintenance issue, which was tied together with the Room and Board increases needed at Missouri Western. He said that Western’s departmental operations budget has been cut by 30 percent over the past three years and deferred maintenance has a number of issues that need to be addressed.

“We have a deferred maintenance issue of over $200,000,000” Fessler said. “$60,000,000 of which could be called critical deferred maintenance that is needed now.” Residents on campus will see their room rates rise by 1 percent for those who live in Griffon Hall. The other halls will have an increase of 2 percent and a 4.5 percent increase for single suites.

“We are in need of major renovations for our suites,” Fessler said.  “Juda Hall had major renovations completed this past summer, and we have Logan Hall on the schedule for this summer and Beshears Hall for the next summer.”

Exterior paintings and safety updates such as balconies and stairwells are a few of the necessary renovations that Fessler brought forth to the Board. Board rate increases were brought forth as well and would increase from 3.6 to 4.5 percent based on which meal plan the student chooses.

“Things we really need to do but also we believe precipitate the need for that increase,” Fessler said. “We, like everyone else here, are experiencing increased cost with food and delivery. I think we all understand where that’s coming from.”

Jonathan Yordy, Vice President of University Advancement, said after his remarks to the Board, the University has hired a new public relations director. The position sat empty for over a year and is currently being filled by Kent Heier, assistant public relations director. Mallory Murray, chief officer of marketing and design of Northwest Missouri State University was selected for the position as the Public Relations Director and will begin on April 8, 2013.

“She knows regional institutions well,” Yordy said. “We are happy to welcome her.”

The Education Expo will take place on April 5 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in Fulkerson Center.

The Career Development Center plans to provide college students and graduates in the field of education the experience to reach out to employers in the job market this month. Claire Busby, program assistant at the center, said school district positions, graduate programs and higher education positions could be offered to education majors.

“We have over 40 school districts and 50 recruiters coming in,” Busby said. “It’s all Missouri and Kansas schools that plan to attend and there’s something for everyone.”

Recruiters attending the Expo are employing for preschool positions as well as elementary and high school positions. Students from every line of study such as math, science, English, history and art will have an opportunity to speak with these recruiters.

Coaching positions and performing art teachers are needed and recruiters will be there to speak with students about different types of employment opportunities. All types of positions are looking for full-time and part-time faculty members.

Minerva Torres, adviser of the Nontraditional Association, said students in the field of education who plan to graduate this May or even December need to attend the Expo to receive practice with employers and hopefully have the chance to get their feet wet in the job market.

“It’s good to see who’s out there and what these recruiters are looking for,” Torres said.

The Expo will offer a wide diversity of employers. Busby said that students never know what’s going to happen when you attend the event and see what these employers are looking for in their prospective areas. She said students need to practice dressing professionally and boosting their resumes while making sure it’s updated.

“Any student at any point in time can bring their resume to the Career Center for improvements to be made,” Busby said. “We will work with you to help ensure that you are the best candidate for the position.”

Torres believes the event is a good way for students to boost what they have learned from their classes at Missouri Western and to go out to these expos and show these employers what they can offer in the field of education.

“It’s a good way to get their credentials out there,” Torres said. “The sooner these students get out and network, the better they will be.”

Amanda Felice, instructor of English, said she’s been to the Education Expo more than once. She’s had friends who have been hired by districts through the Education Expo.

“It is a good way to make contacts and to hand out your resume,” Felice said.  “So when these schools start the hiring process, they remember your face.”

No matter what your grades are or how many credit hours are in your major, it’s an opportunity to get some networking with other education employers, Busby said.

“I have a very diverse group of school districts from big to small, urban, private, public and Christian,” Busby said. “You have a ton of advantages available.”

Sarah Waters (right) a art student at Missouri Western is seen here explaining her soundscape to visitors.
Contributed Photo

After an audio tour of the museum, Austin made his students create their own interpretations of a visual art piece using music and sound.

Caroline Clark-Murphy is the coordinator of art education at the museum and she felt that the tour went well and the students came up with good work.

“The purpose of the audio tour was to allow students the opportunity to interpret visual arts through music and sound,” Murphy said. “After the tour, the students each chose a piece to interpret with different types of music and sound. The students created original works, some were more literal and others abstract. The project was a beautiful and engaging way to merge two different art forms. The end results were very impressive in scope and maturity.”

Murphy noted that the students’ work would not go unnoticed and she feels that the relationship with Missouri Western is something that she and the museum are proud to have.

“The project fostered a partnership between the university and the museum,” Murphy said, “which introduced the visitors to a new experience and provided the students the chance to have their work heard by an audience.”

“Additionally, the compositions will be used in the museum’s forthcoming audio tour, which will allow the students’ work to be accessed by many more individuals.”

Austin said that this idea was similar to a class that he took when he was in college. He thought that it would be a good idea to pass along to his students.

“It was actually born out of an idea that I had when I was an undergraduate student,” Austin said. “I was inspired by some paintings by Salvador Dali and others so I composed pieces based on the paintings.”

“As a graduate student, we did some projects in conjunction with the Dallas Museum of Art. We did a real big sound installation that goes with a major exhibit they had one summer.”

Austin noted that  art students do tend to stick with whatever their art major is at the time and integrating art can sometimes be new to students.

He was happy he could broaden his students’ intellect by showing them various ways to make good art.

“In the fine arts, we really focus on our own discipline,” Austin said. “If you are in music, you focus on music. And if you’re in art, you focus on art. But with the Internet and stuff out there, a lot of arts are integrated and there is a lot of multimedia and other collaborations going on. It is really nice for music students to be able to go out and experience other art works, and then relate the work we do to other fields.”

Amber Amaya majors in cinema and minors in music at Western. Amaya thought that the project was engaging and she felt that her painting was perfect for her.

“I was excited,” Amaya said. “I really liked it and thought it was a really fun project. The painting I chose kind of screamed emotion to me so that is what I based my instrumental on. It was really intense and I feel all of our projects made the paintings come to life.”

Graham Hardy said he took full advantage of visiting the museum. He said that he had fun working with others’ work and putting his own spin on it.

“I loved the project and thought it was really cool,” Hardy said. “It was cool going down to the art museum and being able to come up with a full interpretation of somebody else’s work. We had to take into account what kind of emotion the artist was trying to convey with it, while at the same time incorporating my own flavor and style of art.”

Vicky Perez illustrates what she is talking about during the Taste of Spain Presentation. Tevin Harris | Photo Editor.

Beginning with the Northwest corner and circling the coastline then traveling through the interior, guests were shown the highlights of many cities and regions.

“There is a wide variety of languages spoken in the country,”  Calzadilla said, “depending on what region you are traveling in.”

Like the language, the landscape varies drastically from Northern to Southern Spain. Northern architecture is dark and grey with thick stone walls to keep out dampness and cold. Southern architecture is white, bright, and much more airy.

“In the South, you will see flat roofs and large windows,” Calzadilla said. “Many old parts of towns are pedestrian only.”

She showed examples of various traditional celebrations including Las Falles, the celebration of Saint Joseph. Large models are made of wax, paper-mache, and wood then burnt at the end of the celebration, she said. It is a smoky, fiery, five day celebration that involves fireworks and many noisemakers. Some models are five stories tall. They depict a wide range of people from Lady Gaga to President Obama. There is no limit to what is created.

A video was also shown of the historic yearly running of the bulls celebration in Pamplona. Calzadilla explained that tourism is a huge market in Spain due to the large amount of usable coastline. Almost all Spanish cities are tourist destinations due to the huge variety of architectural influences.

“It’s a very exploited area because of the tourists,” Calzadilla said.

She displayed pictures of miles of beaches with hotels nearly on the water. She said that heavy beach erosion has occurred in these areas due to overpopulation and exploitation. Spain sets on the Mediterranean Sea coastline, Calzadilla explained that the water there is similar to calm lake water. It is crystal clear, warm and very pleasant to swim in, she told the crowd.

“This is a unique way of seeing what is native to the land,” assistant professor of Spanish Francisco Castilla Ortiz said. “it shows what the natives would show.”

Calzadilla said the city of Bilbao boasts a Guggenheim Museum built by Canadian-American architect  Frank Gehry. The modern art building is highly recognized because it has been featured in movies, music videos and video games. Built in 1997, it invigorated the Bilbao tourist industry with its wavy, reflective outer walls and innovative interior design.

“Overall, I thought the presentation was very exciting, and it convinced me to visit Spain in the future,” junior Kelsey Samenus, president of the Spanish Club, said.

If you don’t believe me, just turn on the T.V. and flip through the channels. What do you do see? Girls scary skinny; size five and under, some are even size zeros. Or, you might see a thicker girl but the thickness is all in her butt and her stomach is ridiculously thin.  Turn to a few more channels and you’ll see yet another thin girl, this time with boobs so big they are filling up the screen.

With all these women that society continues to obsess over on the T.V., Internet and social media, it’s no wonder that women kill themselves trying to look like them. Women will jump on the media’s bandwagon to try to look like these unrealistic celebrities. They will starve and drink only lemonade for 14 days straight just because Beyonce supposedly does it before she gets on stage. They will do crazy leg workouts and order buckets of cranberries and almonds just because they heard Nicki Minaj does it and they want a frame just like hers. They will order People magazine and obsessively follow every move of Snooki’s to figure out how she lost 42 pounds after having a baby.

It goes way beyond weight. Since the media has celebrated catty women that get together and talk about each other and even fight each other, young girls think it’s okay. Since the media continues to air numerous music videos that feature girls bending over, shaking their butts, wearing shorts shorter then their vaginas, young girls flock to parties and events and wear the same sorts of things, thinking that this is what’s popular and what will get a man to like you.

The media has also celebrated screwing your way to the top. Just look at Kim Kardashain, who is a fine example of what opening your legs to the right person can do for you. She’s been on T.V. for nearly a decade and yet people just conveniently forget about what she did to get there. Seriously, our society needs to do better.

But it all starts with one girl. She must love herself unconditionally and adore her body, no matter what size it is. She must understand that even though culture thinks barely any clothes is okay, she must find her body valuable enough to keep it covered. She has to love herself to know that a man will love her for who she is, not because of how big her butt is or how small her waistline is. It all starts with her.

Women must learn to be confident in their own skin and they must try not to believe in these unrealistic physical fantasies. Let your drive and passion lead you to your dreams, not your body and what you can do with it. Love who you are from the inside out. If you are concerned about your weight, lose weight to be healthy and not to hopefully fit into clothes at a size 5, 7 or 9. Don’t kill yourself to try to be something your not, just love who you are. Remember that each person is created on this earth for a special purpose and in a special way. Don’t take it in vain. Learn to live with your faults because we all have them. Just enjoy life and enjoy who you are, because some people can’t and will never be able to. Enjoy the fact that you can dance around, look into the stars and live every single day. Simple because other people can’t. It all starts with you. So screw the media and love who you are regardless of what other people say.

The Griffons hitting has been nothing short of amazing this season, and Lincoln found that out first hand Easter weekend. In three games Western cranked out nine home-runs, 53 hits and 42 runs.

Western’s coach, Buzz Verduzco was proud of how his players performed under quick schedule changes due to weather.

“Heading into Lincoln, we kind of knew we were going to be dodging some weather in Jefferson City,” Verduzco said. “I felt that even though we traveled and played the same day, I thought we got off the bus and were really ready to play.”

It was just another testament to a great season. The series sweep of Lincoln brought the Griffons record to 24-4 overall and 19-1 in the MIAA. After the end of their 17 game win streak, Western has been quick to start up another one, as they have won their last six.

Freshman pitcher, Kyle Kelly doesn’t pay much attention to the streak part of winning, compared to the focus it takes to get wins against any opponent.

“We maintain focus out of necessity,” Kelly said. “Every team can be dangerous if not taken seriously. We want more for one another, so we stay focused for the guy next to us. During a win streak we don’t really notice the ‘streak,’ we focus on winning for where we want to be at the end of the year.”

Kelly pitched four innings against Lincoln, allowing four runs and seven hits while recording his second win on the season.

Despite the great start to the season, coach Buzz Verduzco believes the biggest challenges are coming up in the next few weekends.

“Our next month that we have is going to be really tough,” Verduzco said. “It’s going to be Pittsburg State, Lindenwood, Central Missouri and of course Missouri Southern. So those weekends we’re going to start facing everybody’s best, the top portion of the league and we’re going to see what we’re really made of now.”

Three of those four teams are ranked in the top four of the MIAA, behind only Missouri Western. In fact, Central Missouri is currently ranked No. 8 in the nation in the same poll that Missouri Western is ranked No. 12, College Baseball Lineup.

Those four teams are the next four weekend series for the Griffons.The last one being Missouri Southern, will be the last series of the regular season.

Perhaps the biggest highlight of the show occurred when the drag queen Catia Lee Love requested that audience member Tyce VanMeter Pull a ribbon hidden in her rear. The crowd Screamed and were very shocked, yet applauded him for doing it. Tevin Harris | Photo Editor

“I think me not being on campus has impacted the show this year and not in a good way,” Rhoad said. “The performers though will be great.”

The event showcased queens in 1950’s drag and modern drag which left a lasting impression on the audience. Kelsey Guthery, leadership programming assistant of Center of Student Engagement, said the event is always a lot of fun. She believes the energy is always good, no matter what the theme is.

“They’re always hilarious,” Guthery said. “The drag queens usually have the funniest senses of dry, sarcastic humor and I love it!”

The drag queens involved the students, faculty and community members in the show and brought down the house in laughter. A child from the audience was selected by one of the queens to get on stage and strut his stuff to earn some cash. The boy was six year old Micah Everall, whose mother, Charity, is a student at Missouri Western.

“I had a lot of fun,” Everall said. “I liked dancing on stage.”

The show brought out several of the Greek organizations, the Student Government Association, The Villa employees and faculty at Missouri Western for one night of dancing divas and sarcastic humor from the queens.

“The drag queens do some outlandish things,” Guthery said. “It doesn’t really represent the gay community as a whole, but I think people understand that it’s just for entertainment.”

The drag queens that headline the event included Sparkle Iman, Bianca Bliss, Catia Lee Love and Miss Gay Missouri Madison Elise. Iman was ready to get the show on the road and got the crowd standing and cheering for the performances the entire night. She brought humor and interaction with the audience.  Iman would call out attendees took out their cell phones and didn’t pay attention, using them as humor to entertain the audience.

“Put up that god damn cell phone,” Inman said. “It’s time ladies and gentlemen, let’s get the show going.”

The queens accepted donations from the audience during the performance and all proceeds went towards the local autism chapter in St. Joseph, Mo.

“There are milestones you have in your career and it’s pretty neat, but when you look at milestones like that there is a lot that goes into those wins,” Bagley said.

When Bagley thinks over her new achievement, she thinks about the dedication and hard work put in by everyone involved with the program, especially her assistant coaches.

The Griffons swept Pittsburg State 5-2,4-0 and Missouri Southern 3-1, 4-3 on Friday and Saturday.

It was the solid pitching of Jackie Bishop and Janie Smith that only allowed two total runs in the first doubleheader. Freshman Smith had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning before it was broken up and she pitched the first shutout of her career.

Homerun hitting carried Western through the second doubleheader with Southern as Tiffany Gillaspy and Maegan Roemmich hit one while Keri Lorbert hit two over the fence. Lorbert is two homers shy of breaking the all-time career record at Western.

“We don’t purposely coach to hit home runs,” Bagley said. “I don’t plan a game thinking that someone will hit one, they are just bonuses.”

This season’s Griffons have utilized scoring runs with one swing of the bat more than teams from the past.

“The whole team is hitting the ball more solid this year and the ball is going over the fence a lot more,” Lorbert said. “It’s good to have runners on base when we do that and they are doing a good job at being on base.”

The homerun ball provides excitement in the dugout and helps to reenergize the players with adrenaline.

“It helps to keep us excited and on our toes during the game,” Gillaspy said.

The Griffons improved to 24-8 on the season after winning 12 consecutive games.

“I don’t think we’ve reached our peak yet,” Lorbert said. “I’m a firm believer that there’s always room for improvement and we come to practice every day trying to become better.”

Midway through her junior season, Jackie Bishop is already the most dominant pitcher to ever step on the mound for Griffon softball.

Within the last week she became the all-time leader in strikeouts and wins at Western.

“When I’m playing, I don’t think about records,” Bishop said. “So that’s just the hard work and the part that pays off.”

Although Bishop is honored to be in the history books, she noted that individual accolades are of little importance compared to team success.

“Records are just meant to be broken and that happens along the way,” Bishop said. “Team wins are way more important than any records.”

Coach Jen Bagley says the records will bring a lot of respect to her program and that despite Bishop’s greatness, there is still plenty for her to accomplish in her final year and a half in terms of team goals like making a deep postseason run.

“I don’t think there was a bone in Jackie’s body that was hungry for that record; she’s hungry to win a conference championship,” Bagley said.

Bishop boasts a win record of 61-14 with a career 1.46 earned run average and has struck out 595 batters. She dominated right from the start of her freshman season, being named MIAA freshman of the year and throwing a no-hitter at the first ever game at the Spring Sports Complex. Bishop credits strong senior leadership for helping her transition to college and Bagley for her coaching her.

“Jonnelle Belger helped shape me into the person and pitcher that I am,” Bishop said. “Learning from her was great and I couldn’t have had a better leader when I first came in and coach Bagley helps me continue to improve by telling me what I’m doing right and wrong.”

There was no drop-off in production as Bishop returned for her sophomore season as she was named the first Griffon to win MIAA pitcher of the year in the 12 years that Bagley has been head coach. She was also named South Central Region pitcher of the year and a second team Darktronics All-American.

So far in her junior season, Bishop is off to a 12-3 record with a 1.78 earned run average while striking out 128 batters.

“There’s always room for improvement and there’s a whole bunch of other goals to set,” Bishop said. “I will just keep continuing to do the best that I can. I’m just here to win as many games as I possibly can.”

Students were encouraged to come and donate as well as pick up anything that caught their eyes during the event.

“It’s viewed as sort of a spring cleaning idea,” Jason Mullin, member of the Nontraditional Student Association said.  “As kids get older their clothes don’t fit anymore, so instead of throwing them out, students can donate them here.”

Along with all sorts of clothes and toys, students who arrived brought their children to the event as well.

“We encourage any students who have kids to bring them,” Delisa Richardson, president of the Nontraditional Student Association said.  “As parents, we realize that when we do anything, it’s important to involve our kids.”

The children who arrived were given plenty of space to run around and brought coloring books to draw in while the parents socialized and laid out their donations.

“This event is more family oriented,” Minerva Torres, advisor for the Nontraditional Student Association said.  “But that doesn’t mean that anyone can’t come in and donate or have a good time.”

A projector was available the children to watch movies or play video games as well as food and drinks for the parents.  Torres said it was important for these students to be able to bring their kids to events like this and have a good time.

The Nontraditional Student Association had been struggling for well over a year since the original leader of the organization had to leave.

“A lot of members will graduate each year,” Mullin said. “When they do, there’s a lot of restructuring, rebuilding and reconnecting, and that was a big problem one semester.”

Under new leadership, the organization hopes to increase awareness of its goals and ambitions through many different events.  Richardson said the organization planned to advertise through word of mouth, fliers and possibly sites like Facebook.

Members of the organization are hoping that the “Playdate and Swap Shop” event becomes successful among the students at MWSU.

“We’re hoping to make this a bimonthly event,” Richardson said.  “We know how difficult it can be for students to go to college while trying to take care of their children, and it’s events like these where we’re trying to give them a place where they feel comfortable.”

Katie McKnight poses for the camera. *Submitted Photo

Katie says a big reason she loves modeling is because she is able to express herself in such a personal way. She takes the same personal approach with every artistic thing she does, whether it’s song writing, modeling, or creating any other form of art. She feels that expressing yourself through art allows you to be the most naked you could possibly be in front of others. It strips away all of your walls and shows people who you really are.

“The hardest thing for me during a shoot, is to know what you look like, to know what your body position is. It’s difficult to know if what you’re doing is going to look good in a photo,” McKnight said.

Katie chooses all of her outfits herself and does her own hair and makeup, which requires her to be very creative. Katie is really into alternative modeling. She loves the type of shots that are super interesting, that catch the eye right away. Katie has been photographed by very open, artistic photographers, and that is intentional. She prefers photographers who are artistic because they allow her to have more freedom and to do odd things. Although modeling is a big part of her life, she’s not sure it’s her main source of income in the future. She’s worked too hard at Western for that.

“I’d like to continue modeling as long as I can, but in no way would I try to make it my career,” McKnight said.

Katie says that double majoring and working towards a minor is not easy, but she has learned how to balance everything out. The biggest help has been deciding to keep a strict schedule. She keeps not one but four different schedules, so if she forgets one for some reason, she’s got three back-ups. Katie is not able to do much modeling right now because she has so much to do for school and she puts that first.

Katie has been photographed by four or five different photographers, some Saint Joseph based and others based in Kansas City, Missouri. A couple of them seem to think the same of her. Fred Byrd has been a photographer since 2009. He photographed one of Katie’s shoots and had a lot of good things to say about her.

“Katie makes it easier to photograph her because she knows angles, what poses look good and she can go through them really quickly. We have similar personalities. We’re both kind of awkward so it makes the shoots really enjoyable,” Byrd said.

Byrd says Katie contributes to every look. She basically comes up with everything by herself.

“Sometimes I like to give a couple ideas on how I want them to look but normally I just let them do what they do,” Byrd said. “I really liked that she’s gotten out there. It’s kind of hard to get into modeling in Missouri and I applaud her for doing so. She’s very different and she doesn’t make it boring.”

Dansare Marks, another St. Joseph photographer, also photographed Katie. Marks was excited going into the shoot because she knew how beautiful and eager Katie was and how easy Katie would make it for Marks to photograph her.

“It was an absolute joy. I’ve known Katie since we were young, so it was very comfortable spending time with her. She’s incredibly cooperative and is eager to make the shoot as creative as possible. It definitely shows in her poses and facial expressions,” Marks said.

Katie’s creative, different and fun personality makes photographers and the camera love her. Many people may think that a photo shoot is nothing more than just going in and moving around while someone takes pictures of you, but in Katie’s opinion, it’s not the easiest thing to do.

“First, you go in and there’s that awkward moment when you first meet the photographer. While getting things situated, the photographer will usually put on music to make it more comfortable. You’ll get dressed, have your makeup on, and then you stand in a booth and that’s another awkward moment because you don’t know what to do for the first pose. Once you get going, within like five or ten minutes, it becomes almost like dancing. You start to get comfortable and it turns out to be really fun,” McKnight said.

When it comes to modeling, Katie isn’t really doing it for any sort of personal gain. There is a message behind her modeling. She wants to show women that all sizes are beautiful, because beauty isn’t only found outwardly, but it lies within as well.

If you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, a drag queen is a man who dresses and often acts like a woman for the purpose of entertainment. It’s basically a man personifying a female through make-up and clothes. A lot of people are confused about what drag is. Adrian said that they are still men, just trying to portray an image of a woman. He said they don’t enjoy dressing up as a woman and that they don’t want to be a woman, but that the act of dressing in drag is just for fun and it’s purely an art form.

Adrian first got started after he attended a Halloween event at “The Shaft” night club in downtown St. Joseph where he dressed up as JWoww from Jersey Shore. He said that he felt like he looked pretty good, so that gave him the confidence to sign up for the drag shows. After doing a couple of shows, Adrian fell in love with it.

“It’s just like a second home to me, just being there and having the whole establishment support you, the feeling of being accepted and not having to worry about if someone approves of me or not,” Adrian said.

Adrian said he likes to do drag because he views himself as a very artistic person. Adrian also writes poetry and paints. He said that he loves to do make-up and hair because it’s something he can do to express himself in an artful fashion.

Every third Saturday of the month, “The Villa,” a new nightclub in downtown St. Joseph, hosts a drag show and a ton of people come to see them strut their stuff. Tyler Rhoad, one of the owners of The Villa, is very excited for the upcoming Missouri Western drag show and he is happy that Adrian will be participating in it because he believes he has a presence that the audience will remember.

“Romeo’s biggest strength is his faith in humanity, to push past the ugly and to see the good in all,” Rhoad said about Adrian. “Vivian [Versace] will be in the show and I think people will remember his unique appearance and will be shocked at how amazing the illusion is.”

In a drag show, the men who participate will choose a song, listen to it, and dress accordingly to match the song. It takes a big personality to participate in something like this, which is interesting, because outside of his persona on stage, Adrian is actually a very quiet, shy person. However, Vivian Versace, his drag queen alter ego, is very outspoken with a classy edge. She is more outgoing than Adrian, not to mention much more provocative.

“Vivian is a wild child, ready to party at a drop of a hat,” Rhoad said.

As fun as Vivian’s personality sounds, she only shows up during shows. Adrian said he never dresses like Vivian Versace outside the show. Adrian does his own make up and styles himself. The day of a drag show, Adrian says it usually takes about two and a half hours to get ready.

Preparing for a drag show consists of designing or finding the clothes you want to wear. Normally, the queens show up to a show ready to wing it when it comes to their time on the stage, so they don’t really practice, unless they have a group number that they decide to do together.

For Adrian, the best thing about participating in the drag shows is that he feels he has a place to go where there are people like him and he can feel comfortable and confident about how he looks without anyone judging him.

Phi Beta Sigma promoted safe sex and provided students with informational statistics about premature babies during their Sigma week, March 4-8. Flowers were passed out for Women’s Appreciation Day and Backpacks to Briefcases Day educated men about life skills and after college life experiences.

Phi Beta Sigma Nu chapter teamed up with St. Joseph’s March of Dimes team to help raise money. March of Dimes was first established by President Franklin Roosevelt and focuses on premature birth and birth defects in infants. Educating doctors and promoting pregnancy screening are a couple of ways that March of Dimes tries to prevent premature birth and defects.

Sigmas around the world volunteered to raise money for March of Dimes. Nationally, Sigma organizations made a goal to reach $75,000. Chapter Alpha Beta Nu of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity Inc. hoped to raise $500 as a starting goal this year and wanted to exceed past that goal and increase the number as the years come. Phi Beta Sigma sold wrist bands, t-shirts and car magnets to help out a great cause. Also, students attended week long events on campus to get further educated on the important cause.

Phi Beta Sigma member Elie Moore feels as though properly educating women about pregnancy is the most important thing that the cause has to offer.

“We wanted others to realize how important and serious premature birth defect situations are,” Moore said.

The group wanted to support others as much as possible. The fraternity’s ultimate purpose and goal was to help raise enough money for expenses of equipment and supplies that are needed for operations or prevention of birth defects occurring.

It wasn’t all about premature babies though. Pregnancy prevention was also a source of education at the events. Western student Samantha Asher feels that attending the events was important and that the motto “Safe sex is great sex” was very educational.

“I learned a lot of great things including how to practice better sexual habits,” Asher said.

Phi Beta member Arian Duncan believes that the March of Dimes event had a huge turnout because of the purpose of the event was so important to the community.

“People realized that we took donations for premature babies to help with the medical evaluations,” Duncan said.

With the weekly events here on campus, Phi Beta Sigma wanted to educate students on how important March of Dimes really is, not only to the organization but to society as well. Students that attended the weekly events learned that there are children who need help with complications and helping makes all the difference.

Senior guard Alicia Bell first developed a hunger-driven work ethic when she started playing basketball in fourth grade, in order to impress her father.

“I didn’t have a close relationship with my dad growing up,” Bell said. “I thought it would be something to get him to really notice me, and have something for us to share.”

Bell isn’t the first athlete in her family to play at Western. She followed the path of her two uncles who both played basketball. Her aunt was even on the volleyball team. Bell was considered the team baby when she was always hanging around the team in the locker room and around campus while her aunt was playing. It wasn’t long after that, when her uncle taught her how to do a crossover. That crossover ended up being what propelled her basketball career.

“I was picked up for an AAU team, which is the most competitive basketball for girls,” Bell said. “I would go away on tournaments literally every weekend. I would go to places like Florida, Louisiana, Texas and other places. Once I went to those tournaments and saw how well I stood against the competition around the country, I really started taking basketball seriously.”

When it was time to play at the collegiate level, she decided to venture away from her home town of St. Joseph, Mo. and attend Northwest Missouri State University. Although she liked the whole situation there, it would be an injury that would make her transfer to Missouri Western.

“After tearing my ACL at Northwest and not getting to play, I just went through something that athletes go through when they get hurt,” Bell said. “I just felt lost and wanted to be home. I went to Northwest to play basketball and I wasn’t playing because of my season-ending injury.”

Tearing her right ACL at Northwest was her second season ending injury, after tearing her left ACL just two seasons before. Those two injuries combined didn’t compare to the pain she had when she gave birth to her daughter, Kamiyah.

Returning home may have been the only thing that could have made being an athlete, student and mother at the same time possible. With what Bell had to go through, she was forced to take off three years of basketball, which is enough to make most people quit.

Senior teammate Kallie Schoonover believes it’s Bell’s heart and intense work ethic that is incomparable to others and inspires her team to sacrifice everything they have on the court in order to succeed.

“She definitely sets the tone for everyone and is a difference maker,” Schoonover said. “She leads by example and sometimes it’s like, ‘Wow, she has been through so much and still plays with that much heart.’ Everyone should play that hard. She plays with more heart than any teammate could ever find or ask for.”

Schoonover isn’t the only one who sees what a special person Alicia Bell is. Western’s coach Rob Edmisson believes that athletes with that much heart are irreplaceable.

“She’s just such a hard working, dependable person,” Edmisson said. “She’s all about her team, and not about individual accolades. She’s had so much adversity in her collegiate career with raising a child, going to school full-time, playing basketball and injuries. It’s just a testament to her toughness and her character.”

After a long, tough collegiate career, Bell finally found what fighting through all the pain would mean for her future.

“I have been a basketball player since fourth grade. That’s what I identified with, that’s who I was and I know it’s what people think about when they think of me,” Bell said. “Now I am a mother. I’ll put my shoes up and use all that I have in me to be the best mom I can be for my daughter. That’s my number one priority. I love basketball and it will always be a part of my life and it made me who I am today. The last six years have been a struggle, but I know after going through everything it has prepared me to be Kamiyah’s mom.”

The meeting was held to speak about what was researched from the data derived from the 2012 transportation study.

The study showed that most of the students at Western do not take advantage of the St. Joseph transit because of their lack knowledge of how the system works.

Nagle noted that students felt that the transportation system was not efficient enough.

“I think that the bus system is most significant to students because the population that comes from out of the city are not used to the transit system here in St. Joe,” Nagle said. “Because different cities kind of have different densities that will support the transit system better or worst.”

The study also showed that students would prefer to take a cab because they did not know where the bus was coming from, as well as the price.

Nagle noted that students would only have to pay 50 cents for bus fare, which is cheaper than most cabs that charge seven to eight dollars a ride.

“The transit operational review that was completed last year looks at how we can facilitate the students better through where they want to go, where they are coming from, and how the system works,” Nagle said.

“A big thing we found was an informational site of our route deviation and how students are actually able to use that more towards taxi services that can come to your door,” Nagle said. “We know through weather conditions and athletic injuries, walking across campus is not that viable.”

Nagle and Gaston brought up the possibilities of starting a student fee for students that would guarantee them a bus pass.

Gaston wants to make sure that students and staff at Western are on the same page when it comes to transportation. She noted that this was the reason the recent transportation study is important.

“We want to implement as much as the study recommendations that were made from the study that they did last year,” Gaston said. “We want to work with the plans the university has. Its important that we get a lot student feedback as well.”

Gaston said that she has not received a lot of complaints from students but people in general would like to have frequent service.

Mike Ritter is the Disability Services Coordinator and the transportations for kids with disabilities were a strong concern for him.

“We have several key parking lots on campus that are highly competitive which means that there is only a few spots there that people compete to get,” Ritter said. “We can’t change everything. But in the areas where we can, I think it is imperative to change what you can and when you can.”

Ritter acknowledges that he felt it was important to have a meeting like the transportation meeting because it shows that the university is focused on all students, including ones with disabilities.

“We just need to put all of our intelligence and enthusiasm behind these projects, and hopefully we can please everyone.”

Fresh out of college, Lara sets out on her first expedition aboard the ship Endurance in an effort to find the kingdom of Yamatai, an ancient kingdom ruled by a queen who held mystical powers. With a crew of engineers and archaeologists, Lara attempts to lead the ship into The Dragon’s Triangle, an area containing brutal storms and harsh waves that are responsible for numerous shipwrecks. Sure enough, the ship succumbs to the violent weather, leaving the crew shipwrecked on a mysterious island. Lara is quickly separated from the rest of the crew and realizes that she is definitely not alone on the island, as mercenaries constantly pursue her.

The game’s biggest flaw doesn’t lie within its story, however.  Rather, it’s the characters that lack any sort of depth. Lara’s voice actor does a fine job, and her transformation from “defenseless archaeologist” to “full-on survivor” is definitely cool (if not a bit sudden). It’s the rest of the crew that fail to deliver. I had a lot of trouble connecting with them and feeling for their cause, mainly because every other sentence that they utter is some form of, “We need to get off of this island.” Their dialogue isn’t great, and when some members of the crew end up getting left behind or lost, I didn’t really care.  On the bright side, this is probably the game’s only notable flaw.

Where the gameplay is concerned, Lara is all about climbing, sneaking and shooting. Platforming (or jumping from thing to thing), is handled incredibly well. Lara’s jumps feel as if they have actual momentum, and the climbing is simple and engaging. You’ll rarely feel frustrated when trying to reach higher areas, because everything works so well in this regard.

Lara will quickly begin to arm herself with a variety of weapons and tools even towards the end of the game. Due to the fact that Lara will constantly be receiving new equipment, you’ll be able to visit and traverse older areas in different ways to find new items for Lara to use. Nearly everything in the game is upgradeable. Lara can find all sorts of salvage in boxes around the island, and even on the bodies of dead mercenaries.  Using this salvage, you can make upgrades to Lara’s arsenal, allowing weapons to reload faster or dish out more damage.  Furthermore, some boxes and soldiers hold weapon parts that Lara can use to increase the amount of upgrades available for a particular weapon.

Lara can also upgrade her abilities through experience gathered from defeating mercenaries to finding hidden items around the island. These upgrades grant her new abilities, such as finding more salvage on a mercenary’s dead body or being able to incapacitate enemies upon dodging their attacks. The amount of customization in this game is unprecedented and incredibly cool.

With all of these weapons and abilities, Lara becomes a competent fighter. She’ll automatically crouch when enemies are nearby, allowing the player to move about the environment largely unnoticed until you either initiate your attack or end up getting spotted. Smart players can even take out enemies without others noticing. When engaged in conflict, Lara will automatically take cover behind any object you attempt to put her behind, which works surprisingly well. Enemies will often try to keep you moving to different cover spots by tossing dynamite your way, which is when Lara’s ability to scramble and roll becomes key to your survival. If enemies get to close, Lara can use a pickaxe, which she acquires fairly early in the game, to stun or even kill them.

Every battle is incredibly exciting, even up to the end of the game, because you’ll almost always be outnumbered and outgunned, but if you use your resources and surrounding correctly, you’ll come out virtually unscathed. In between the firefights and exploration, you can find hidden tombs which will reward you with a ton of salvage, weapon parts and experience upon solving their physics-based puzzles. These puzzles are expertly designed; balancing complexity and solvability beautifully. Needless to say, there’s very little downtime in Tomb Raider.

The graphics and sound design are also phenomenal. Environments are detailed, with various crumbled forts and buildings dotting the jungles and forests that permeate the island. Lara’s animations look great as she climbs tall structures and scrambles to avoid enemy fire. There are a few ugly spots where water is concerned, but they’re hard to notice and easily forgivable given the rest of the game’s fantastic art design. Tomb Raider is easily one of the best looking games to come out on multiple game consoles.

Completing the game should take around 12-15 hours depending on your level of play, and once you’re done, you can freely roam the island to find hidden treasures or upgrade the rest of Lara’s skills and guns. I, personally, am not one to go back and collect everything in a game, but Tomb Raider was so good that I felt compelled to seek out remaining tombs and unearth hidden items upon completion of the game. There are also enemies that still roam around the areas, so you’re free to gain experience in that way as well. There is a multiplayer mode, but it feels a bit tacked on to the overall package and doesn’t feel as if it has any lasting appeal. Furthermore, it’s not the reason you should pick this game up.

Tomb Raider attempts many different things, and pulls them off without a hitch, with the exception of its multiplayer. If there is anything that holds it back, it’s Tomb Raider’s subpar characters.  However, this should not prevent you from experiencing its expertly paced, action packed gameplay. After completing the game in its entirety, I can say that Tomb Raider is one of the best action-adventure games that I have ever played, and you owe it to yourself to give it a try.

Tomb Raider is available for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Microsoft Windows.

The program that is in place is called Vocational Rehabilitation [VR]and it helps students with a variety of disabilities fund college, or many other training programs, to make them more attractive in the job market without breaking the bank.

The list for qualifying for VR can be found at http://www.dars.state.tx.us/drs/vr.shtml along with a ton of other useful information about the program and are as follows.

• mental illness,
• hearing impairment,
• impaired functioning of arms or legs,
• back injury,
• alcoholism or drug addiction,
• mental retardation,
• learning disability,
• traumatic brain injury and
• other physical or mental disabilities that prevent the person from finding and keeping a job. At first, one may think that a student would need something severe to be wrong with them to qualify but in actuality, the qualifications are much broader than they seem.

  I qualify simply because I have ADHD. Others who qualify would be those with depression, bi-polar disorder, and many other relatively common disorders.

  This program is made readily available on campus by appointment via VR counselor Tom Wilson. He can be reached at (816) 387-2280 and appointments take place on Tuesdays.

  With the program being this accessible and easy to get into, students who have disabilities, no matter how trivial they think they may be, need to set up an appointment as soon as possible.

  The only drawback comes if you have not been diagnosed professionally in over three years but it’s not really a big deal, just time consuming.

  In the case of a student fitting that criteria or having never been diagnosed but suspecting the existence of a disability, VR will actually get you diagnosed for free.

  There is absolutely no excuse why students with disabilities should ever graduate college with student loan debt. VR will even pay a student’s rent or on-campus living expenses if they fit the right criteria and they even pay for their books.

  Students who believe that they just may fit the qualifications should check it out. The worst they can say is no, and the best they can do is give students an absolutely free education.

  Students can’t let laziness be their disability when it comes to funding their schooling; that is one disability that will never qualify them for VR and a debt-free start at life.

The PRIDE Alliance has been known by many names in the past. However, students can all agree that they put on one hell of a drag show each spring.

This organization deserves a lot of credit for the amount of work, dedication and community support they bring to the campus. The drag show last year brought hundreds of students and members of the community together for a good cause.

The PRIDE Alliance doesn’t charge the students to attend the event, but they do charge those from the community who attend. It’s a small fee, but  the money they receive all goes to charity.

It’s a great opportunity for anyone who has ever wanted to get out of their comfort zone and see men dressed in long gowns, wigs and lipstick. Though some people don’t agree with the way the event is set up and the sexuality of those who participate, it’s a great way to show the diversity amongst our campus and how far we’ve come.

If you attend the drag show, you will see so much diversity in one room that it’s incredible. No matter who you are or where you come from, the event brings people from all walks of life together. It’s not just a “gay thing”, it’s an event for everyone.

Missouri Western has shown an increase in student support for events, however many organizations aren’t able to keep up with the type of events that PRIDE puts on for the students at Western.

PRIDE has been a developing organization for the past five years and has received much attention recently, considering the latest endorsements, from President Barack Obama supporting marriage equality to Missouri considering a vote for Marriage Equality. The group continues to strive to increase their numbers through fundraising and events. Even though St. Joseph is still a small urban city, it shows increasing support throughout the community.

The drag show is coming up, and it’s for a good cause. The leaders of the group work hard each year and plan all year round for this one night event. It’s a great way to have fun and to show that you stand for all people, no matter who they are.

The album has already gained a ton of fame, based solely on the two singles that have been released so far. “Suit and Tie” and “Mirrors” are both blowing up, each wonderful for different reasons. “Suit and Tie” relies on a classic hip-hop beat with melodious R&B lines floating above it. The fact that Jay-Z is featured in it doesn’t hurt. “Mirrors,” the longest song on the album at 8 minutes and 5 seconds, kicks off with an electric guitar melody that is reminiscent of Queen or indie rock band fun. Once that cuts out, Timberlake’s beat boxing comes in and is a really crisp backdrop throughout the song, even during the catchy chorus.

Upon listening to the rest of the album, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed in some spots. Not even my blind love could hide the fact that the album got a bit boring at times. My least favorite track, “Strawberry Bubblegum,” has almost a full minute of producer and recording artist Timbaland doing a repetitive voiceover at the beginning. Lyrically, the album is not very strong, especially on “Strawberry Bubblegum,” with lines like “Don’t ever change your flavor ‘cuz I love the taste.”

On the plus side, it was nice to not be bombarded with tracks where the subject matter focused on cliché metaphors about a hot girl and a dance club. It was clear that Timberlake’s subject matter has matured and that was refreshing, but the lyrics could use some work. Luckily, the musicality of the album saves it, because every track is unique, with hard-hitting, old school, original beats. I appreciated that.

I loved the adult sound that carried through the tracks, some infused with R&B melodies, or funky guitar parts, and others gliding smoothly in and out of jazzy licks. There were violin solos, synthesizer sounds, and classic drum beats. The songs were very long, averaging about 6-7 minutes, which during my first listen, I thought would be really annoying, but it wasn’t. The length allowed the music to shine and it’s been a long while since a pop artist’s album has done that this well.

Personally, I was not a fan of all the Timbaland voiceovers. I could do without him saying “Uh huh” a million times in “Tunnel Vision.” I know that he was responsible for a lot of the album’s beats though, so I can’t ignore the fact that he did a good job there. I just thought his seemingly useless presence on a few of the tracks themselves got annoying.

Overall, this album is worth buying, in my book. It’s clear that Timberlake has grown into his musical presence and this album proves that. There might be a couple of dud songs but the trance-feel of songs like “Don’t Hold the Wall” paired with the funky undertones of songs like “That Girl” make up for that. All in all, this body of work is cohesive and clean, so if you’ve got an hour and ten minutes to spare, put your glasses on. It’s time for a 20/20 experience.

Brett Weiberg gets his first head coaching opportunity  at a four-year university with Western.

Brett Weiberg plans to bring back the winning tradition that once saw the Western men’s basketball program as a perennial contender under Tom Smith, but there are things that he won’t sacrifice to get there.

“It will be a little bit of a process, but I’m willing to be patient,” Weiberg said of a turnaround after three straight losing seasons. “What we wont be patient with is effort and character and trying to do the best we can do.  Above everything else, we want to do it with good people and develop a culture of just competing.”

The 38-year-old Weiberg’s only head coaching experience is the last seven years at Northern Oklahoma, where he racked up 125 wins including a 27-4 record and a conference championship this past season. However, his experience in basketball goes far beyond what his resume shows.

Weiberg spent his entire life around basketball and took over the Northern Oklahoma program from his legendary father after serving five years under him as an assistant. He’s taking over for a legend once again at Western as Tom Smith held the head coaching position for the past 25 years.

“I’m just looking forward to continuing the winning tradition that he’s established,” Weiberg said. “It’s been done here and been done here for a long time. He will be someone that I will lean on greatly and I’m hoping that will be just fine with him.”

Although Smith built the program into a perennial winner in the past, the team has suffered through three consecutive losing seasons including a 10-17 mark this past season. Weiberg believes he can get the program back to its winning ways by finding the right mix of talent and character.

“We are going to play hard, we will play with passion, we will play together and we are going to have fun doing it,” Weiberg said. “I am a competitor, It’s part of who I am and how I was raised and we are going to have young men in here that will compete every single night.”

Weiberg stated that he will not sacrifice character and integrity when recruiting players. While Smith chose to only get his players from the junior college ranks, Weiberg plans to build a base of players straight out of high school and add transfers to push them over the top.

At Northern Oklahoma, he graduated 80 percent of players with an associates degree and will place heavy importance on making sure his teams graduate at Western.

“It’s the promise that I make every single mom and dad when I recruit them,” Weiberg said. “If they are willing to put the effort in then we are going to get them out of here with a degree. That’s going to be a challenge and something that we are going to do and really push these young men.”

The hire is Athletic Director Kurt McGuffin’s second during his time at Western. The first was women’s coach Rob Edmisson, who took the program from nine to 16 wins in his first season. McGuffin has known Weiberg and his family for eight years.

“They stand for everything I think all of us should stand for in athletics and that’s character, integrity and work ethic,” McGuffin said. “We’re going to get a guy who has been in it, grew up with it. He was born to coach in my opinion, he followed his dad around to many different spots and lived the game.”

Weiberg says his team will play mostly man-to-man defense and will play it tough. His team at Northern Oklahoma led the country in opponent field goal percentage and 3-point percentage last season.   Offensively, the Griffons will run a motion offense tweaked to fit the individual talent on the team.

“The way we play gives you a chance to win on the road too,” Weiberg said. “It gives you an opportunity to get physical, be solid and take great shots and really make it difficult for the other team to score. Those are recipes to win anywhere but especially on the road.”

Western’s one loss to Central Oklahoma came Friday evening and is the only conference loss it has had in their 15 MIAA games so far this season. The Griffons have been playing outstanding all season both offensively and defensively, and have shown every team they’ve faced thus far why they are sitting at the top of the MIAA.

Westerns coach, Buzz Verduzco, has moved on from the win streak talk and is now looking on the bright side of entering into the middle of the regular season.

“The streak is over, so I can say that now,” Verduzco said. “We’ve kind of gotten past that now but it was a great run. Now as far as how we talk to the team and what that means is, we try to get them to be a little bit more consistent minded during the middle part of the season.”

Top pitcher Brandon Simmons saw that loss as a reminder for how bad losing feels, and motivated the team to not want to feel like that again.

“This weekend was a good test for us,” Simmons said. “[Central Oklahoma] was a very competitive team and they gave us kind of a reality check. Their pitching was outstanding and really shutdown our hitters, who have been on fire. I think this past weekend really put the nasty taste of losing back into our mouth and no one enjoyed it.”

Hitting for the Griffons has been off the charts so far in the first half of their season. Westerns hitting numbers are greater than their opponents in every statistical batting category. Runs have been the biggest standout number, having a total of 221 runs scored, averaging out to the team scoring 9.6 runs per game, which is almost twice as many as their opponents 114 runs, at 4.9 runs per game. Western has scored 10 or more runs in 12 games.

Simmons believes that teams that have such dominant hitting are capable of taking the pressure off of their pitchers.

“Having a lineup such as this one it really makes the game so much easier,” Simmons said. “It makes you not afraid to go out and throw strikes and if you give up a run or two, then our team will come up a get them back. It really makes pitching a whole lot easier in general.”

The key to their hitting seems to be coming from their power. The Griffon big bats have already hit 30 homeruns. With seven players hitting over .400, and five players slugging over .600, it’s hard not to get rack up the runs.

Westerns own Michael Schulze, Kyle Simpson and Bubba Dotson are three of the top four hit leaders in the MIAA.

Schulze and Dotson have been the MIAA hitters of the week these last two weeks. Schulze feels that the good hitting between players motivates everyone to elevate their game.

“We are all just very confident and focused,” Schulze said. “Friendly competition is definitely there between all of us. Once one guy hits everyone wants to hit, so it’s actually a good thing. Offense in baseball is contageous so we all definitely feed off each other at the plate. In the end, we all have the same goal and that is to win.”

Although the 17 game win streak ended, another streak still continues. Schulze is currently on a 16 game hit streak. Ever since the first game cancellation, he has recorded at least one hit in every game.

Michael Hill recieves a pass during the NFL Pro-day on Friday March 22. Tevin Harris | Photo Editor

Possibly getting Hill and Bass to the next level is a big achievement for coach Jerry Partridge and his staff. While Zuerlein only spent one season kicking at Western, Bass and Hill were program players who each spent five years as Griffons. Both players were largely unrecruited by other universities coming out of high school, redshirted their freshman seasons and made strides in performance every year.

Bass, a 6-4 262 pound defensive end, came to Western weighing in at only 200 pounds and added 60 to his frame in the weight room. He started for four straight years and broke the all-time Western sack record with 39.5 for his career.

“He looks the part,” Partridge said of scouts looking at Bass after he broke the record. “His measurements are good, he just needs to put some numbers up and he’s already done that throughout his career.”

Scouts got a look at Bass already at the NFL combine and in the East West Shrine Bowl where he competed alongside top FBS Division I prospects and showed promise.

“Bass has room to refine his pass rush moves to be more effective, but he flashed in practice why he was able to be so productive in college,” said Dane Brugler of NFLDraftScout.com.

Bass projects is projected to be drafted sometime in between rounds four and seven.

Hill’s future in the NFL is considered less of a sure thing, but the 5-10 204 pound halfback’s stock has been on a steady rise, which should be no surprise to those who have seen him play.

Hill broke the all-time and single season rushing record at Western and carried for 4,601 yards as a Griffon. He led the entire nation in rushing yards as a senior and was a finalist for the Harlon Hill trophy, awarded to the nation’s best Division II player.

He was a power runner at Western who would hit defenses just as hard as they hit him. He would routinely send corners and safeties from opposing defenses out with injury from hitting them when they were supposed to be punishing him.

Hill dominated at the Raycom College All-Star Classic, which also featured 22 players from the SEC – widely considered the best football conference in the nation at any level. Hill put himself on the map with two long runs for 45 and 54 yards with two touchdowns.

Even if he doesn’t hear his name called in the draft, Hill is likely to be invited to a pro camp and have an opportunity to make a team.

Arian Foster, who went undrafted in 2009, but eventually made the NFL as a free agent and is a three time all-pro. Hill hopes to be a diamond in the rough for any team that takes a chance on him.

“We are starting to put the pieces all together and feel really good about where we are,” Coach Jen Bagley said. “But I don’t feel really good about the fact that we have snow on our field again.”

Western was scheduled to play several more games, but snow forced the cancellation of the Missouri Western Softball Classic and the Griffons were only able to reschedule four.

The Griffons defeat Lincoln University 8-3

After entering the third inning down by a run, the Griffon offense exploded for five runs in the bottom half. Tiffany Gillaspy scored after she hit a triple that drove in two runs and Michelle Stevenson hit a home run.

Western tacked on two more runs as the game went on when Bree Fleschner stole home and Kendall Sorensen hit a triple and then made her way home after an error from the second basemen.

Pitcher Janie Smith got the win after pitching all seven innings and allowing just two earned runs and seven hits. Smith is off to a 9-3 start to her freshman season.

Western edges Emporia State University 4-2

The Griffons pulled away in the fourth inning after three scoreless innings in this non-conference game between two of the top teams in the MIAA.

In the bottom of the fourth, Sorensen hit a double that scored Gillaspy. Taylor Anding and Maegan Roemmich both singled to drive in runs and push the Griffons lead to 3-0.

Emporia fired back with a two-run sixth inning, but it wasn’t enough as Western added another run off of a Roemmich double in the bottom half of the inning.

Jackie Bishop pitched all seven innings and gave up six hits and two earned runs while striking out seven batters.

“I felt really good about the way we approached the plate offensively,” Bagley said. “Their pitching is always among top in the league and we really made it seems easy. It was good it see. All of those things came together and showed us what type of things we are capable of.”

Western outscores Northern University 11-6, Bishop breaks record

Western’s bats warmed up in game one of a double-header as the Griffons put two runs on the board in the first inning when Michelle Stevenson hit a double that scored Gillaspy and Fleschner.

Northern responded and tied the game after a throwing error from the Griffons. Western took control of the game in the third inning with four runs off of four hits to make the score 7-2.

Kat Steponovich and Fleschner added home runs to extend the lead.

Jackie Bishop went all seven innings for the win, which put her in the history books ahead of Cheri Kemp as Western’s all-time win leader. Bishop is only in her junior season and is 10-3 on the year.

“Ever since I’ve been here people ask me if I know who Cheri Kemp is,” Bagley said. “To be able to take a record form her is something that Jackie should be very, very proud of because those records and her name have stuck with this program for many years.”

Bishop is now just one win away from the becoming the all-time wins leader.

Griffons blowout Nothern University 15-1 in game two of doubleheader

Fleschner continued her hot hitting by blasting a homer to right field to open up a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The Griffons scored six more runs in the first inning to make it 8-2 and the route was on.

Smith pitched her way to her second win of the weekend by going all seven innings.

Fleschner had four of the 12 hits for the game for Western and finished the two games against Northern hitting a perfect 8-for-8 with six runs batted in.

“What we need is confidence and consistency and I think we are starting to achieve that,” Bagley said.

Weather hasn’t been kind to the Griffons so far this spring and they are forced to try and keep their momentum from the eight game winning-steak while practicing in the GISC.

“You go into the indoor and we are grateful to have it, but it isn’t the surface we play on,” Bagley said. “Everything looks different when you have the roof on you. Taking the momentum of us being able to practice on the field is something I’m concerned about.”

Western returns to action on Friday, March 29 at Missouri Southern.

Mary Stone Dockery reads some of her work to a crowd at a poetry reading in Kansas.

Though she walked away from Western for a time, she gives credit to her college home for shaping her into the person she has become.

“Missouri Western is wonderful for so many reasons – the classrooms are small, the instructors are interested in the individual students, and as a student, you can get a lot of one-on-one attention if you go after it, if you want that attention,” Dockery said. “I also like how the students at Missouri Western come from so many different backgrounds and education levels, and I do think that meeting so many different people helped me open my mind and see the world in a different way.”

Besides teaching, Dockery also busies herself with her own writing. She is a published writer, predominantly with poetry. She loves to attend local poetry readings to hear what others are doing and to get to read her own work to the world as well. She loves living what she refers to as the “writer’s life,” which means she is constantly writing, day in and day out, and submitting some of that writing to local contests and national journals in an attempt to get it published, as well as spending time in community with fellow writers. But even a seasoned professional writer, who sometimes gets paid for what she produces, can get a wrench thrown at her by the writing process sometimes.

“The act of creating is probably one of my favorite parts of writing, those moments where you feel like you are in a dreamlike trance, and when you wake up, there’s something new on the page that you invented,” Dockery said. “The most stressful part is when it’s more difficult to get into that zone, and to be honest, that zone is harder and harder to come by the more you write.”

There are a few Western writers and teachers that Dockery now includes in that community that were once her professors and are now her colleagues. She credits each of them for different reasons, but she feels honored to get to teach alongside them today.

“Dawn Terrick and Kay Siebler were instructors who, though pretty different teaching styles, showed me how much fun you can have being a teacher and a writer. They challenged me,” Dockery said. “Dr. Russ Phillips from the Psych department took me under his wing and let me take part in his studies and research. He was one of the first instructors I felt comfortable sharing in class for because he truly wanted to hear many perspectives. Dr. William Church was my creative writing instructor, and he was my mentor and the one who helped me learn how to allow my confidence to grow. He also didn’t mind being perfectly honest and telling me when something I wrote was awful, and I think this helped develop the thick skin a writer needs to survive out there.”

Dockery still values the relationship she formed with Bill Church while she attended Western and she is grateful to continue learning from him as she begins her teaching journey on campus.

“[Bill] helped me see that you have to keep growing as a writer, that you can’t just write the same way over and over, so because of him, experimenting and trying new things is not as scary,” Dockery said. “He’s still my mentor and it’s because of him I even went to KU for my MFA.”

The future is wide open for Dockery. She is unsure of what it holds, or how long she’ll be lending her Western-gained knowledge to the students she now teaches. One thing is for sure though. She will continue to write and she will continue to be unafraid of where that process takes her, and that fearlessness will carry her through.

“My dreams are always changing,” Dockery said. “It used to be that my ultimate goal was a PhD in creative writing, but now I’m not so sure that’s what I want. I’m publishing and writing, and this is ultimately the most important dream. But it’s also true that my writing has a long ways to go and I think that’s what keeps me pushing forward. I’m excited to see where the writing goes, how it changes, how I change.”

Ending Black History Month, the Black Mobile Museum traveled to Missouri Western on April 27 to educate students about Black History and the memorabilia of slavery to Hip Hop culture.

Over 100 students came and explored the 50 artifacts that were presented and attended a PowerPoint presentation held by a legendary hip-hop group and future Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Professor Griff of Public Enemy.

Historical artifacts included a variety of slavery items,  Jim Crow era, music, sports, religion, Civil Rights, the struggles, politics, pop culture and rare documents signed by Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X were presented.

The mobile museum was an effective approach to present historical Black History artifacts and the legacy of the struggles. Currently the mobile museum travels to schools systems, communities, colleges and universities throughout the nation.

After being inspired by Dr. David Pilgrim, his former Ferris State University professor, Khalid el-Hakim became an archivist of African-American culture and history as well as the founder of the mobile museum.

Spending the last 21 years going to antique shops, garage sales, flea markets, and auction houses acquiring artifacts, he has a collection of over 5,000 artifacts in his Black History 101 Mobile Museum.

He was invited to Western by Isaiah Collier, student life director of Center for Student Engagement. Collier attended an exhibit at Bradley University and wanted the museum to appear here on campus.

Freshman Allison Rowland felt as though the museum was a very influential event.

“Seeing the struggles is very shocking, especially realizing what people went through in the past,” Rowland said.

El-Hakim, feels as though bringing the exhibit to campus was informational and educational.

“It’s all about teaching students the history that has been forgotten and excluded from the history books in school,” el-Hakim said.

Students learned about the legacy and struggle that has went on in America with African Americans. Also, having the opportunity to understand who some of the heroes were that haven’t been talked about in American History in an average textbook.

Griff feels students who attended the museum learned more than just history.

“A lot of these artifacts tell an untold story and seeing students come alive when they understand the changes is really phenomenal,” Griff said.

The Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority hosted their annual Mr. MWSU male pageant on March 27. Over 100 students and members of sororities and fraternities attended the male pageant called “Sock Hoppin’ Mr. MWSU 2013.”

Male contestants Patrick Putnam, Dillon Williams, Nick Brewer, Nick Williams, Ryan Griffey and Scott Schlesser competed for title while trying to impress an enthusiastic crowd.

Trophies and sashes were awarded to the winners of each category. Category winners included Nick Brewer of swim and formal wear, and Dillon Williams of talent and best outfit.

With a very upbeat and positive connection, judges were able to determine Ryan Griffey the winner of Mr. MWSU 2013 and individual winner of raising the most money. Patrick Putnam received second place followed by Dillon Williams taking third.

The organization hosted the event to raise awareness for juvenile diabetes research and treatment and money for leadership programs for Alpha Gamma Delta women.

The goal this year for AGD was to raise $2,000 between this event and the teeter totterathon that was held in the fall. Out of 17 years that AGD has been on campus, 16 of those years they have raised their goal for their foundation so the sorority could be a jule chapter within national headquarters.

Kelsey Guthery, president of Alpha Gamma Delta, felt as though preparing for this event took a lot of planning and preparation.

“We started preparing for this event as soon as the semester started but what’s really great is seeing how everything comes together,” Guthery said.

Crowd excitement filled Spratt Hall as many gathered to watch six male contestants perform talents, danced, and showed off their swim and formal wear.

Students who bought raffle tickets also had to the chance to win prizes. The drawing offered Missouri Western bags and lanyards, water bottles, gift cards, and bowling passes to be given away.

Julia Buescher, student of Missouri Western, thought the event was fun and very entertaining.

“It was interesting seeing how creative the boys were during all of their performances especially Ryan Griffey,” Buescher said.

Beth Hoffman felt Alpha Gamma Delta did a good job supporting a great cause.

“It’s nice seeing Alpha Gamma Delta support diabetes and it felt good coming to this event to help out as well,” Hoffman said.

With the stress of midterms weighing down on Western students this time of year, many still appreciate them for what they are and feel that they’re necessary for letting us know where we are in each class.

“It really helps me to see where I’m going,” student Shaun Butterworth said. “If I see a low grade, it motivates me to work harder and if I see a high grade, it motivates me to keep working hard.”
This seems to be a reoccurring opinion at Western as Sharon Rodriguez agrees, saying that they show her what she still needs to do in each class.

Most agree that if we did not have these midterm tests, we would be left hopelessly unknowing how we were doing in our classes, therefore floating towards a sea of failure, only to find out we had failed when it is too late.

Although most of us can agree we need midterm grades, that does not make the midterms week any less stressful. While every week of the year is a grind for most, adding the stressful layer of midterms is just something else to worry about, but there are ways to deal with it.

Natascha Kracheel, an exchange student from Germany, says her procrastination doesn’t help with anything, but she has ways of getting through it.

“I need a lot of energy drinks and do a whole lot of running and yoga to cope with it,” Kracheel said. “Still, I end up having too little time so I pull all-nighters.”

While she finds midterms helpful, she says that she is glad that they don’t have midterms at her German university and enjoys not having to deal with the stress of it when she’s there.

Other ways of coping with the doldrums of an impending midterm are utilizing the free tutors in the Hearnes Center, or just spending a few more hours a week studying and preparing. Beyond that, having a normal sleep pattern, though often difficult to achieve, can be beneficial for college students. Eating healthy, and not forgetting to have breakfast, even for just that week, is another good way to be as prepared as possible.

As we near the end of the semester and see the light at the end of the tunnel, some jump with glee at the sight of straight A’s and others sigh with the frustration of falling below their expectations. No matter where you are or what your grades are though, students at Western and across the U.S. are all glad when midterm week is over.

Colleen Kowich, director of Alumni Relations, said what the alumni association is trying to do, is if a business has a service we want to get that out there for others to know about. She said the organization has rebranded their Eggs and Issues from campus and has placed an Eggs and Issues event in Kansas City.

“Any alumni or graduate in the St. Joseph or Kansas City area is able to attend the event,” Kowich said. “The opportunity for seniors at Western to attend can be beneficial in many ways.”

Missouri Western alumni and students will have the chance to network during breakfast and hear guest speaker, Carol Roever, Interim Dean of the Craig School of Business and Leslie Oberg ’10 present on the Craig School of Business’ Entrepreneurship Program. Roever said that the purpose for her speaking is to get individuals updated on the programs the Craig School of Business offers to students. She wants to give the alumni and other guests the basic facts about what the school offers now for students and graduates about their Entrepreneurship Program.

“We want to let them know that they are eligible for the program,” Roever said. “Students will have the chance to meet with our alumni from other regions and have the opportunity to hear about the program we offer at the Craig School of Business.”

Kowich said students need to have that network with older professionals’ who have been in these positions for a while. It gives alumni a better chance to discuss and share their stories about other successful alumni who have made something out of their education at Western.

“It’s a great opportunity to network” Kowich said. “We often talk about our younger alumni, those who are looking for jobs or looking to advance in their careers.”

Dan Danford, former Board of Governor, said as a business school graduate that there are more business school graduates working in the Kansas City area than in the St. Joseph area. He said there is a large block on students who have built their careers down in Kansas City and it would be beneficial to meet with others outside of the St. Joseph area.

“I don’t compare Missouri Western to any Ivy League school, and it’s all about the people you meet,” Danford said. “The networking you create through these relationships makes a big difference in your career.”

The event is set for Wednesday April 3, 2013 from 7:15 AM to 8:30 AM. The location will be in the Kansas City area at the Cafe at Briarcliff Village, 4125 N Mulberry Drive, Kansas City, MO 64116.

A proposal has not been made yet but members of SGA are hoping that administration will make a decision soon.

SGA Senator Travis Hart believes that once they get a sure answer from the administration, the process of proposing extended parking will be official.

“Currently the Student Government Association is waiting on the administration to get back with us to proceed fourth with implementing the solutions to improve parking and accessibility on campus,” Hart said. “The issue is that administration is a little reluctant to get started right away and it’s taking time for them to get back with us.”

Hart noted that parking has been one of the more important issues on campus that students have voiced their opinions about.

“Administration has other things on their agenda and it seems that they put parking, the number one complained issue on campus, basically on the back burner,” Hart said. “In particular, Lonnie Johnson.”

There has not been any accurate estimates but they are patiently waiting to move forward and get something started before April.

“Cale Fessler is the vice president of financial planning,” Hart said. “And I have been working with him to figure out the numbers. I’m waiting to hear back from him about our possibilities.”

SGA hopes to expand parking in different areas, as well as helping with the accessibility around buildings like Potter and Griffon Residential hall.

“We want to put a drop-off zone in Potter because currently there is not one,” Hart said. “We also want to improve residential hall parking by changing the barriers, making it more accessible for students living in the halls.”

Hart and other members of SGA plan to implement a drop-off and pick-up zone for students with disabilities at Potter, Griffon and Scanlon hall, which they state is another top priority when dealing with parking.

Students have been concerned about where they can park and there have also been complaints about the lack of parking spots.

Lot G known as Blum Union parking lot is designated for staff, faculty and non-resident students from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m Monday thru Friday. Parking is prohibited from that parking lot from 2:00 a.m. to 4:30 a.m.

Blum is a popular place for students and sometimes the parking area is full, leaving students having to park somewhere else that they may not be permitted to park at.

Parking Lots H, E, F, O and Q are restricted for students living on campus with the proper decals on the back of their cars, open also from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

After 4:30 p.m. and on weekends, reserved parking lots B,E,F,H,I,J,K and N are open for general parking to all faculty, staff student and visitor parking.

On weekends, parking in Blum parking lot will be open from Friday at 4:30 pm to Monday at 8am. Overnight parking is prohibited at Blum from 2-4:30 am.

These restrictions have caused complaints from commuter students in general because most would like to park close to whatever building their class is taking place.

The idea of extending parking is not far fetched for current SGA President Jacob Scott. He believes in the idea and hopes that it will be addressed by the end of the semester.

“We have a parking improvements proposal,” Scott said. “We are trying to figure out the details, far as enrollment and also concerning specific laws regarding what parking improvements can be made.”

Where the money will come from to pay for the improvements is uncertain at this point, but Scott is almost sure that students will not be issued any additional fees to help pay for the project.

“As far as a fee is concerned, there really is not any in discussion,” Scott said. “It is a possibility, but we are hoping to do it internally through the money we have with SGA.”

“Travis Hart offering the proposal and I am just supporting him,” Scott said. “Any time we have surveys around campus, parking is one of the more complained about issues. It is clearly an overwhelming concern.”

The Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Jeanne Daffon has submitted a plan to achieve two things: splitting the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and renovating Potter Hall.

“Its an area on our campus that is growing. The number of students has probably closed to tripled in the last few years so there’s a lot of energy there, a lot of new things going on, a lot of new students,” Daffron said.

While the original plan included dividing LAS into a College of Fine Arts and Humanities, and a College of Social and Natural Sciences; however, that plan has been reworked to propose a School of Fine Arts instead.

“This is still really in the discussion state so right now it’s looking more like we will end up doing a School of Fine Arts but still could change,” Daffron said.

Daffron went on to explain that although the proposal could change, the proposal would most likely be finalized within a week.

Aside from forming a new school and the renovation of Potter Hall, the administration would also hire a new dean to facilitate the proposed changes. Daffron said the university would like to have the dean position filled by July 1, but realizes this is “an aggressive timeline.”

The new dean would help with fundraising events, writing grants, contacting benefactors, earmarking gifts, and assisting the administration to make the plan happen. The money appropriated will not only compensate for the new position but also fund the Potter renovation.

Potter Hall has needed renovation work for many years. The percussion annex was purchased approximately a decade ago, and was intended to be a temporary fix until funds for renovations were available, but with budget cuts from the state, Potter Hall renovations went unfunded.

Daffron explained that Missouri Western is “lean in administration.” The formation of the School of Fine Arts and reorganization of the LAS school would help even the dean to faculty ratio within the respective schools.

Of the approximately 200 faculty members at Western, LAS has 128 full and half-time faculty members. In comparison, the College of Professional Studies has 64 faculty members and the Craig School of Business currently has 18.

“Having a dean that is more focused on a narrower number of disciplines would lead to more interaction with students and faculty,” Daffron said.

Dr. Murray Nabors, dean of LAS agreed with Daffron that a dean focused on just fine arts would be an asset to the University.

Within LAS the Communication Studies, Theatre and Cinema department would tentatively be reorganized and the Theatre and Cinema majors would be moved to the School of Fine Arts.

“I think they recognized all along that LAS was pretty large and so for a workload standpoint as well as a balance standpoint that LAS was just too big,” said Bob Bergland, faculty senate president.

The dividing of LAS would result in approximately 104 faculty members and nine departments.

Through a lack of taking full advantage of campaigning through social media sites as well as web-based voting problems, the election for SGA president and vice president came to an end with only .072 percent of Western’s student body turning in a vote.

Aside from the low voter turnout, the candidates were only allotted a two-week time frame to campaign and could only disperse posters and banners for the final week leading up to the election.

With an election that is as important to students’ interests and future representation as this was, candidates need to be given a more reasonable amount of time to campaign and let students know what they are about before the voting process.

However, the blame for the low turn-out is not entirely on the campaigning structure.

There was a very limited utilization of social media by the candidates during the process to reach out to Western and that contributed to the low number of student voters as well.

In the future, candidates need to use their available resources to the fullest potential because that is what the rest of the student body deserves.

According to the bylaws for campaigning, although the distribution of posters and materials and campaigning is allocated to a ridiculously small amount of time, candidates can get endorsements from organizations as far as four weeks prior to the election. Working to get endorsements from organizations that reflect the candidate’s agenda is one way that they could efficiently utilize their resources as well as show the students what they are about further out from the election and boost voter numbers.

On top of these two issues, there was also a failure on the website used to vote that caused some issues.

For several minutes, last year’s president and vice-presidential candidates were posted in place of the two current candidates and following that, there were several moments with no candidates on the voting webpage at all.

Neither Northwest State University or Missouri Southern State University’s department of Student Affairs could be reached for a comment on SGA election procedures; however, Northwest has a similar time frame for campaigning. They give candidates two and a half weeks, but one of those weeks falls on spring break.

Campaigning time isn’t the only area in which we lag behind other state universities. In their last SGA election, Missouri State had a voting turnout of nearly 14 percent compared to our less than one percent turnout.

In the future, the whole campaigning and voting process needs to be buttoned up and made much more accessible for the students. It should run smoothly and students should be given a more reasonable amount of time to learn what the candidates that are going to represent them are all about; and we as students need to make more of an effort to vote because 443 out of 6099 students deciding our leadership just isn’t going to cut it.

Mallorie Nighthart is a student at Western and she volunteered to help out with the event.

“It is a fundraising event for the Backpack Buddies program,” Nighthart said. “It’s a program for children from K-12. You go individually or you can have teams. You just walk a mile and whatever donations are given is how the walk-a-thon makes the money.”

Every walker that donates at least $5 will then receive an armband. The team to donate the most money will receive a free dinner for five from either Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, or Dunkin’ Donuts.

“This event will fund children in St. Joseph,” Nighthart said. “And it is for the St. Joseph School District only.”

Nighthart is a Public Relations major and she said she got involved with the program through a class. She noted that that she expects it to be a fairly decent turnout at the event and hopes that a lot of money will be raised to help benefit children in the St. Joseph school district.

“I think that 300 attendees would be quite an accomplishment,” Nighthart said. “However, the objective and the amount of money that we want to make is only $5,000 and if we divided that with $150, it would allow us to sponsor 33 kids a school year.”

It will cost $150 to sponsor a child in the program and Nighthart is hoping that they can raise more money so they will be able to sponsor a bigger amount of students each school year.

Kelsey Corzine is a teacher in the St. Joseph School District and also a former Griffon. She sees the program as a way for Western students to ensure that students in the Backpack Buddies program are given the daily nutrition needed for kids their age.

“I think that it would be great for Missouri Western students to help with Backpack Buddies,” Corzine said. “I teach in the St. Joe School District, and many of our students depend on the food they get from Backpack Buddies as their main source of nutrition outside of school. The more people that take an interest in this cause and can lend a helping hand, the better it will be for the kids. I think it is more elementary kids that are impacted by Backpack Buddies though.”

Western student Kathie Marquart’s opinion was similar to Corzine’s. Marquart understands and remembers how students are made fun of when they are not able to pay for something at school.

“I support it,” Marquart said. “I think it’s a great way to make sure a child gets to eat lunch and can prevent the future teasing because of not being able to pay for a lunch.”

Alex J. Michaels and Kevin Britton deliver a passionate kiss in Western alumni Joseph Franklin’s first film “A Guy For Me.”

“They didn’t even rehearse the kiss,” Franklin said. “They just did it. It had to be [in one shot].”

Franklin, a 2010 graduate, wrote the original play three years ago yet added some bits and pieces along the way to truly make some heads spin. The most head turning part in the film involves a passionate kiss by the two men, which was something that was not the easiest to portray.

“I feel it put a big spin to it because it left the audience questioning,” Franklin said. “They wanted to know what happened between them two and where does it go from there. That wasn’t expected, where in other love films you know what’s going to happen.”

On top of the hard task of casting two men for such a steamy scene, Franklin also had a lot on his plate such as writing the script, shooting, directing, producing and editing, as well as promoting the film and finding a venue to host his release. Franklin took on a tremendous amount of tasks and duties as today’s directors usually have an entire crew to help do all of this work.

“It’s time schedules, it’s rehearsals, its booking venues, it’s very hard,” Franklin said. “You got to have a passion for it and love doing it.”

Franklin was very happy and a bit surprised at his big audience turnout. The movie was released at “The View,” a big community center in Grandview, Mo. At the film’s start, every seat was taken and some people were even standing in the back.

“I’m glad this many people came,” Franklin said. “It was a full house and I believe I sold out.”

The 50-minute film revolves around Sheri, an average young black woman who’s no different from the rest of the single girls in the world, just looking for a special someone to love her. In the first scene, Sheri, played by Kansas City native and aspiring actress Nahmel Simmons, appears to be on a really cute date. She then runs to the bathroom and suddenly bumps into William – a tall, dark and handsome man whose broad shoulders and cute smile seem to make Sheri quickly forget about the lonely date who’s still waiting on her. However, Sheri keeps it casual and classy and though she seems interested in William, who is played by Kevin Britton, she doesn’t give him her number. That is until they bump into each other again and again.

As the movie continues, the audience discovers that Sheri was not really on a romantic date but was out with a close friend, Ricky, played by Alex J. Michaels, who later reveals that he wants her as more than a friend and has wanted her for years. Sheri soon finds herself in a crazy love triangle between her close friend and William, who quickly becomes Sheri’s love interest. The movie soon heats up even more when Ricky questions his feelings and sexuality and kisses William very unexpectedly. From there, the movie becomes a nail-biting whirlwind of high emotions, intensity and pain as all three characters put their true feelings out there but seem to quickly have their hearts broken.

“I liked the plot of it and the storyline. I didn’t suspect that twist that [Ricky] was gay,” audience member Yolanda Jackson said. “My favorite part was when [Sheri] said ‘I’ve know him all my life. I never suspected that.’ I thought that was kind of funny. I knew the first scene,” Jackson said jokingly about knowing Ricky’s sexuality.

Through the high emotion, there was also a lot of comedy that really kept the audience laughing and cheering.

“I liked the funny parts. It was surprising when he went in for that kiss,” audience member Torin Hamlett said. “[My favorite part] was when Ricky was making moves.”

Chemistry was another task that had to be developed between all three of the characters so the audience would really believe that the emotions were real. Simmons, who was also Franklin’s assistant director in addition to having the leading role, explained that the chemistry between the cast was very natural which made her character come to life a lot easier.

“Somehow it all just kind of works out,” Simmons said. “[Franklin] is a great casting director as well because it just fit. Everything just flowed. It was like a family.”

Simmons included that playing Sheri was pretty natural for her because she went through a personal situation very similar to the one Sheri was in.

“Some of the scenes Sheri kind of reminded me of myself at one point in my life,” Simmons said. “I was kind of myself at one point. [The hardest part] was kissing the guys. We’re like fiancés and girlfriends and that was kind of weird. It’s a lot of hard work but when you enjoy what you do, it’s not such a challenge. It’s more fun then anything.”

As his first film jitters are now out of the way, Franklin is already working and holding auditions in late April for his next film, “King’s Daughter,” a story of a young girl who’s crying out for attention from her father. Franklin is hoping for more community support and another full house in the audience. He hopes the crowd will be as surprised as they were for this film.

(Left to Right) Joseph Franklin poses with actors Alex J. Michaels, Kevin Britton and Nahmel Simmons at his movie release.

Released on November 18, 2012, The Wii U is Nintendo’s newest console, geared specifically toward social play. It’s also Nintendo’s first HD console, showing off vibrant colors and animations that rival the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Unlike the Wii before it, the Wii U is being sold in two versions. The “Basic” white model, which costs $299.99, comes with limited memory (8 GB), along with all of the necessities for the console. Meanwhile, the “Deluxe” model carries more memory (32 GB), along with everything in the “Basic” model. The black-colored “Deluxe” Wii U also comes with a few add-ons like stands and a charging station, as well as “Nintendoland,” a game designed to show off the Wii U’s most enticing feature: the GamePad.

The GamePad is Nintendo’s most recent innovation, and arguably the Wii U’s best selling point. Incorporating features from modern tablets, the GamePad features a large touch pad along with a camera and microphone, allowing you to communicate with others online or be shown on the television as you play a game. Of course, it also acts as the primary controller, containing face and trigger buttons along with two analog sticks. The Gamepad is surprisingly light and anything shown on its screen looks very crisp and clear. Yet, it’s the way that Nintendo has incorporated it into video games that makes it so appealing.

It’s true that the Wii U is a social platform. Though it does contain online capabilities, the console is at its best when everyone is in the same room. For example, in a mini-game from “Nintendoland” called “Mario Chase,” five players can play at once. Four players wield Wii remotes, (which must have Wii Motion Plus) while one player uses the GamePad. The goal for those using the Wii remotes is simple: they must catch the one player that is using the GamePad. Those using the Wii remotes have a limited view on the television and must communicate to their fellow players where they see the runner. However, the one player using the GamePad has a view of the entire map, as well as where everyone is. His job is to run away and not get caught for an extended period of time. What follows is a game all about communication and quick thinking. The four players have to find a way to corner the GamePad user while he runs around the map trying to keep his location a secret.

Wii U’s online features are interesting, if not somewhat underutilized at the moment. You can become friends with virtually anyone, and there are certain games where you can write or draw comments or hints into the game for struggling players. Right now, there aren’t a lot of games that can be played online. Both Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Assassin’s Creed 3 have online components and are available for the Wii U, but the majority of players would rather experience these games on the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 because that’s where you’ll find the larger online communities, as of right now. The Wii U is just a few months old, so it will take some time for a large online following to accrue. The features look promising, but Nintendo will have to show us how they can be utilized efficiently with some of its own games.

The Wii U is a solid investment for you and your friends. However, if you’re into more solo-oriented video games, then it’s probably best that you hold off on purchasing Nintendo’s newest console. The Wii U is definitely at its best in a social setting, and if you can’t provide it this, there’s not much to marvel at here. Still, the clever uses of the GamePad are definitely worth experiencing, regardless of your appreciation for multiplayer games. If “Nintendoland” is any indication of what Nintendo hopes to achieve with its newest console, the Wii U has a bright future ahead of it.

We have all heard the stories of our friends and peers getting arrested, being kicked out of a building or having a police officer invade their personal space. Every single time, we must automatically assume that the police officer is right. Unfortunately, we never hear the students’ side. Then after just a couple weeks, when another student has yet another incident with another officer, the situation is never heard of again. This process happens over and over.

Clearly, there are some big problems with our campus police and it goes well beyond what any student did or was accused of. These problems make us truly question what our police officers really do. All we can say is that they write tickets, drive around our campus, and park next to one another to chat for long periods of time. However, there is one thing we can say that they do better than anyone – give students the runaround.

The first problem is that they don’t utilize their security cameras. There are cameras in some of our buildings to ensure safety and, in essence, reduce crime. Yet, the cameras aren’t being fully utilized. Students that would need the footage to prove a theft or a specific problem would often get the run-around and end up spending so much time talking to one person that directs them to another person that they would grow frustrated and forget about the problem.

The second problem is that they don’t frequently update the campus crime log. The campus crime log that is supposed to be updated daily was neglected for almost a month. So those proactive students that want to remain safe are left in the dark about the crimes that occur on campus. This is completely inconsiderate to the students.

The last problem is that we never hear from them. The campus police should be more proactive in what students can do to ensure safety. Simple things, such as informing students about the panic buttons on campus or the proper thing to do when being robbed, would be very beneficial. Though we do have self-defense programs such as Green Dot, and Western Activities Council and the Center for Student Engagement have done a great job in hosting events that discuss student safety, the funny thing is that these events are never held by officers nor do the officers ever vocally contribute to them. Discussing student safety shouldn’t have to be WAC or CSE’s responsibility. It should be done by the police officers. They are police officers, not standing security guards that don’t move unless they specifically have to. It’s time they start acting like it.

After tragic events took place at places like Sandy Hook, Columbine and Virginia Tech, it is more important than ever to make sure our campus is safe. It’s time we stop discussing small incidents and look at the big picture. What do our police officers do? Do they really protect and serve or do they just look the part?

Director of Financial Aid Marilyn Baker recommends that students familiarize themselves with their unique situation. The MWSU website has helpful information found under the financial aid tab. Students need to be aware of their status in order to retain financial aid.

“We try to inform students of their options,” Baker said.

Every student earns a graduation completion rate. This rate comes from data collected by the Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System (IPEDS) to provide national educational statistics on the length it takes a student to complete their graduate requirements. The rate is based on the student completing their program within 150 percent of the normal six-year completion time allowed. The better the rate, the more marketable a student is after graduation.

“Many times a student may think of withdrawing as the easiest way to overcome an obstacle,” assistant provost of Academic Affairs Cynthia Heider said.

Heider advises that students should seek the advice of an academic advisor, study group, the Center for Academic Support (CAS), or the Student Success Center (SSC) in order to make an informed decision. She says there are many steps in place to assist students with reaching the best decision for their circumstance.

There are federal guidelines that stipulate what is required of a student to meet satisfactory academic progress. All students should be aware of the fact that withdrawing from a class may have an effect on their permanent record and financial aid eligibility.

A student must maintain a minimum 70 percent completion rate to keep their federal aid. Baker recommends that a student be constantly aware of where their money is going. Many students take out a large amount in student loans.

“Students need to look at how much they have accumulated in student loans and reconsider withdrawing so that they get their money’s worth per credit hour,” Baker said.

The financial aid office counsels students, and when needed, they host a Student Academic Progress (SAP) seminar in order to help them refocus on their GPA to keep federal financial aid. The student is given an assignment to learn how to be aware of debt, salary required to repay their debt, and the different types of re-payment plan programs available.

“It is so individualistic, we must look at every one separately,” Baker said.

At MWSU, the procedure is almost too simple. You must notify the Registrar’s Office (Eder 102) in writing (they have a form) with your name, student ID number, last date of attendance, signature and contact information. The last date to withdraw this semester is March 29. A “W” will appear on your transcript for that class. No tuition or fee refund is available at this point in the semester. Students should seek counseling before making a decision to withdraw.

If a student chooses to completely withdraw from a class, they still must fill out the formal withdrawal forms in the Registrar’s Office. According to the MWSU website, if the student is receiving financial assistance, they may be required to pay back all or a portion of the funds received, according to federal/state regulation(s) or institutional policies. Financial aid exit counseling is required to be completed within 30 days of withdrawal. Failure to complete exit counseling will result in a hold on the student’s academic transcript and will prevent future registration in classes. There is the possibility of using an appeals process after withdrawal to be allowed to return to class.

Student’s are urged to seek academic advisory before withdrawing from any class.

Lavonte Douglas, Former Missouri Western basketball player.

The Missouri Western case report stated that at 3:10 p.m. campus police approached Douglas and his friend for causing a disturbance in Blum’s lobby.

Prior to that contact, Douglas said he was “just playing around” when he swiped a friend’s earmuffs after she had jokingly stolen his phone. During this exchange Douglas and his friend were approached by Cpl. Robert Bidding. Douglas’ friend was told by Bidding to ‘watch the vulgar language,’ and Douglas suggested he and his friend leave.

“We walked over towards the bathroom area, and then I was messing with her to get my phone back,” Douglas said. “I had her earmuffs so we was just going back and forth and then I finally gave her her stuff and she walked towards the exit and I was walking going into the food court.”

Bidding then asked Douglas to identify his friend, but he refused. When asked by Bidding for his Missouri Western ID, Douglas failed to comply. According to the Western Student Handbook, students must present and surrender their ID upon the request of a university official.

Douglas entered the food court, followed by Bidding and Officer Travis Fulton who, according to Douglas, had been radioed by Bidding for back up. Douglas said he has had negative interactions with Fulton during the past year.

“So I’m walking and his partner [Fulton], I just see him running up to the door with a real foul look, so I just went the other way and walked the other way,” Douglas said. “He came bossing in all real tough like, like he was going to do something, so then I put my hands up.”

Douglas, who has long, dreaded hair, said Fulton first grabbed him by his sweater and then his hair. The situation escalated from there.

“That’s when I spinned this way to get him off of me and he fell… that’s when he started to mace me,” Douglas said. “So as I was turning away from him I see the other officer pulling his Mace out so I turned again and I ran out of there and I ran upstairs to Judy Grimes.”

Chief of Police Jon Kelley and members of the administration, including Grimes, Cale Fessler, Kurt McGuffin, and President Robert Vartabedian, all declined to comment while the case remains under investigation.

Synthia Tunnell, a student in the food court at the time of the incident, shared her account.

“When they went to grabbing at him he threw his hands up and kind of bounced back a little bit like he didn’t want to be touched, and he looked really surprised that they were trying to grab at him,” Tunnell said.

Tunnell said the officers unsuccessfully tried to lower Douglas to the ground, and that’s when the officers tried to pepper spray Douglas.

“I don’t know if he pushed the officer or the officer was knocked down into one of the booths, but from my perspective he was not trying to harm the officers; he was just trying to get away from them,” Tunnell said.

Louis Erby, another student present during the incident, said Douglas reacted “as anyone would when someone attacks you for no reason.”

“When the officer grabbed him, Lavonte put his hands up,” Erby said. “His hands went in the air and the officer couldn’t put him down after he was grabbing around his neck, and then that’s when I believe he kind of was weaving around trying to get out of the choke hold he was in, and then after he got free he stood there. He didn’t try to run away. He didn’t try to flee or anything until the police officers sprayed the Mace.”

Erby added the police officer lost balance when trying to detain Douglas and fell into a booth in the food court.

According to Douglas, after running out of the food court, he went upstairs to Student Affairs to speak with Grimes. There, he was arrested. At the time of his arrest, Douglas said it was unclear why he was being detained.

Campus police have security footage of the incident, which was given to the administration. The campus police denied a Griffon News request for the footage because the case remains under investigation.

According to the St. Joseph Police Department Douglas was booked at 4:15 p.m., and was held until he was released on bond at 8:05 p.m. His preliminary hearing is set for April.

Douglas is a senior majoring in sport and recreation management, attending Western on a fifth-year athletic scholarship. He was a 2011-2012 MIAA all-confrence selection, and averaged 13.6 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game during that season.

Missouri Western Men’s basketball facing the 20 points lost against Northwest. Gilbert Imbiri | Asst. Photo Editor

The Bearcats came out hot right from the opening tip, getting out to a 8-0 lead. The Griffons tried to fight back, but everything was falling for Northwest as it extended the lead out to 25-6.

“It’s incredibly hard to come back,” Jordan Yurth said. “You really have to come together as a team — even when you do that — it’s still hard to come back. We really weren’t hitting shots like we were supposed.”

The Griffons went into the halftime break down 35-14. Northwest guard Alex Sullivan outscored the Griffons by himself in the first half 18-14.

Western was forced to abandoned their zone defense in the second half, but it was Northwest who came out hot once again to start the second half. The Bearcats pushed the lead out to an insurmountable 41-14.

Western never gave up and continued to battle, going on a 9-0 run to make the score 40-23. However, that was the closest the Griffons got to the Bearcats in this one-sided affair.

“It was tough to come back from how they were shooting in the first half,” Dylan Frantz said. “It felt like they had all the confidence and momentum in the world every time they shot it. They were on our throats from the beginning and it was tough.”

The Griffons shot just 4-for-20 from 3-point distance while the Bearcats hit a scorching 15-for-29.  Western turned the ball over 13 times to Northwest’s six.

Cedric Clinkscales and Reed Mells were the only players to score in double-figures for the Griffons with 10 points each.  Dzenan Mrkaljevic added six points and four rebounds, but couldn’t connect on either of his attempts from distance.

The Bearcats were led by Sullivan who scored 27 points on 8-for-16 from 3-point distance and DeAngelo Hailey who went for 21 points and six rebounds including 5-for-7 from distance.  Northwest shot 44 percent for the game and 51.7 percent from 3-point range.

An obnoxious Northwest crowd of over two thousand people played a factor in helping the Bearcats sustain momentum and worked to disrupt the Griffons.

“Just when they are making shots, they feel the momentum,” Frantz said. “If we would have made some shots, it would have quieted them down, but it didn’t happen tonight.”

On February 25, many celebrated the installation of the newest sculptures here on campus. Music of Spheres is the newest outside sculpture, located in front of Agenstein and Remington Hall. The two-thousand pound bronze piece of art adds a new visual and elegant look for the Western campus.

Nearly 70 people filled the seats at the dedication of the newest sculptures. Meaning and beauty was admired, along with special remarks from the sculptor Brent Collins and collaborator Dr. Carlo Séquin.

“I finished the design around Christmas time in 2011, and it was originally supposed to be installed in May of 2012 and it was much harder to design and build,” Séquin said. “They’re all of the difficulties and gravity.”

With years of self-education and self-realization, Brent Collins was able to form an art piece that is both mathematically and scientifically present. His piece, entitled Evolving Trefoil, is also located outside of Agenstein and Remington Hall.

The purpose of installing the two sculptures was that their setting is scientific and mathematical in nature. Agenstein and Remington, which are both math and science buildings, serve as a great setting for the meaning behind the sculptures.

While working on the sculptures, Collins feels as though the process has emerged over a lifetime of events.

“It takes geometric coherent and with Carlo’s software we were able to create the objects,” Collins said.

Students and faculty filled the balconies last week for the installation of the trefoil knot. The indoor evolving trefoil is disguised as a woven structure on a scale that had to be assembled inside the atrium. The triplet of over-under crossings and rotational symmetry not only fills up space but also expresses visual mathematics.

Evolving Trefoil’s design was expected to be installed in May of 2012, but the design was harder to build than expected. Séquin believes that all the gravity made it difficult to build, but the event was a good turnout.

“It was a huge success, and it’s amazing to see what a sculpture can do to space,” Séquin said.

Marie Charmaine Banez, student and member of Tri Sigma, admired and praised the new sculpture at the dedication ceremony. She thought the art work that was created brought something to the campus that students have never seen before.

“The event turned out great and the sculptures are something you don’t see every day,” Banez said.

Dr. Jason Baker, professor of Biology, feels as though the Evolving Trefoil sculpture is appropriate for the space inside of the Remington Hall atrium.

“It’s an imaginative art, knitted with themes of science and mathematics,” Baker said.

submitted photo of Dr. Laurel Vartabedian

Mr. and Mrs. Vartabedian met while they were graduate students at Wichita State University. He had just moved there from California. They married in 1978 and have two grown children and one grandchild. They have collaborated on several published articles. They agree that the purpose of Missouri Western is to enrich the community.

“The origin was as a community college and the community should continue with that buy in,” Mrs. Vartabedian said.

The Vartabedians have traveled extensively and taught at many universities. Mrs. Vartabedian grew up in a small rural Kansas town.

“A small town gives you a deeper respect for differences,” she said.

Professionally, Mrs. Vartabedian is most proud of her work as a mentor for the Cherokee Nation and the Black Theatre Ensemble while at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina.

“I’m very proud of some of my students,” Mrs. Vartabedian said. “Being an adviser for the Black Theater Ensemble was very gratifying.”

A gifted writer, playwright and educator, Mrs. Vartabedian has been an educator all of her adult life. She has taught 16 different undergraduate courses and four different graduate courses. She currently is teaching a hybrid graduate course at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.

“Having been a faculty member for my professional life, I see myself as seeing how crucial faculty is to the university,” she said.

Mrs. Vartabedian has been very helpful in fundraising for the Missouri Western campus. She is called the visionary ‘Goldcoat’ of Missouri Western Arts by Karen Graves, St. Joseph community organizer. Vartabedian helped restructure fundraising for the Missouri Western arts and theater department by creating the Missouri Western Arts Society.She and Graves worked together during the 100th Anniversary of the Pony Express Celebration as well as several other fundraisers.

“She has great leadership skills so you don’t even realize you’re being led,” Graves said.

“What drives her most is her strong passion for students and the arts,” Western’s director of development Gary Pickman said.

Pickman and Vartabedian have worked together raising funds to offset costs in the art and theater departments. They host the yearly “Lights and Tights” fundraiser that highlights theater department students.

“We are really making a lot of progress and it is attributed to Laurel,” Pickman said.

Her love of the arts is reflected in two plays she has written. Her first, ‘American Story’ is a musical about the conflict between coal miners and the Rockefellers that came to a head in the Ludlow, CO strike and subsequent massacre of 1914. The play won the “Best of Festival” award at the Midtown International Theatre Festival in New York in 2000.

The second play is ‘Mother Divine’ a musical based on the real-life exploits of an African-American Harlem evangelist named Father Divine. Inspired by a story written by one of Dr. Vartabedian’s students, this play debuted in New York at the 2003 Fringe NYC festival. It has been performed by both regional and community theaters.

Vartabedian has collaborated on nearly 20 original written works. Her dissertation received national recognition. Her convention presentations have touched hundreds of people.  She has appeared on numerous radio shows and in countless newspaper and magazine articles. However, Laurel is soft spoken and humble.

“She doesn’t do anything for personal recognition,” Pickman said.

The Vartabedians have no plans to slow down soon. They both plan to continue to be active in education and Mrs. Vartabedian will continue to teach and write.

“It is so fortunate that the university has a first lady who is such a tremendous role model for our students,” special assistant to the president Ann Pearce said.

For Mercedes Lucero, who graduated in May of 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in English literature and a minor in creative writing, her background at Western definitely prepared her for her new life in Evanston, Illinois, a college town not far from Chicago. Lucero is currently a graduate student at Northwestern University, where she is in their Master’s of Fine Arts program on the fiction track. Her roots at Western are what made her the motivated graduate student she is today.

“Bill Church and Dana Andrews really had the greatest impact on me during my time at Western,” Mercedes Lucero said. “At the time, I was really unsure of which direction academically I wanted to go. These teachers really reached out to me and genuinely cared about my success as a student. I feel like they believed in me before I really believed in myself.”

In her free time, she makes a little money on the side by working as a private tutor in the Chicago community. The tutoring company that she works for is called Nurturing Wisdom. Lucero works there part-time. She did a Skype interview with the company the summer before she moved to the Chicago area and was given the job, which she found through Northwestern’s career website. The job was a definite bonus, especially since her new school is much bigger and much more expensive per year than Western.

“I definitely miss the familiar faces at Missouri Western,” Lucero said. “I miss the small community of the English department and being able to drop by a professors office with ease. Now, I attend a much larger school where it’s not always easy to schedule time with professors or find a familiar face on campus.”

Another alumni student who is using his Western education to pursue his dreams is Levi Smock. Smock graduated from Western in 2010 with a literature degree and a minor in video production. He is currently a graduate student at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, California and he is pursuing a career in screenwriting and filmmaking.

“Living in LA is expensive. For a young filmmaker, living in LA is simultaneously overwhelming and exciting,” Smock said. “You have all of this access to talented people, equipment, anything seems possible. At the same time, it’s a very competitive place.”

Currently, Smock is filming his twelfth short film. He has produced all of his short films over the course of the last three years. Simultaneously, he is developing and beginning to work shop a number of feature-length scripts he is working on. For Smock, it was his professors at Western and his drive to succeed that gave him the confidence to move to LA and get moving on his goals.

“I have a great support system at Western. It’s really nice to have people who root for you and wish you well,” Smock said. “So many professors at Western really supported me. Patricia Donaher was my adviser and was there for me, no matter what I needed. Kelly Wittenberg pushed me to look outside of my comfort zone for success in the world. Bill Church is a real mentor and friend. Dana Andrews continues to dispense advise and guidance. Stacia Bensyl helped change the way I analyze media and text. Don Lilie, I could go on and on.”

The English department professors at Western also made a lasting impact on English alumni student Brett Kiser. Kiser graduated in December 0f 2010 with a degree in English Literature.

“The professors that helped me the most were Dana Andrews and Bill Church. They always seemed genuinely eager to assist their students. However, the professor that had the greatest impact on me was my adviser Dr. Ian Roberts. His classes were always the most intellectually stimulating, and under his tutelage, I developed an interest for writing critical essays.”

Kiser tries to find the time to write when he can, though after he graduated, he had to focus on something other than his own pursuits. His grandfather became unable to run the family farm alongside Kiser’s father, so he had to step in and “take to the trade of tractors,” he said.

For Kiser, who says his a “pursuit of leisure,” he doesn’t have a lot of time to get lost in his dreams. Instead, he takes a more realistic approach, knowing that even though farming is his priority right now, he can still chisel out some time to do what he loves, write. He has published a few freelance works. His most notable work was published last spring. It is a baseball reference volume titled “Baseball’s War Roster.”

“Farming is my primary occupation, however, I have earned a small income via freelance writing,” Kiser said. “As a freelance writer, my time at Western removed some of the rough edges I had on my writing. Whether we care to admit it or not, we all, as writers, have room for improvement and much of the improvement I received came in the classrooms at Western.”

Ultimately, Western was a launching pad for each of these creative writing alumni students to succeed, in whatever form that may be. Their stories are different, but the lessons they learned are somewhat synonymous. They learned that life beyond Western isn’t without its struggles, that making time to write is crucial, and that pushing full force into their futures can be scary, but that in the end, it’s worth it.

“I think that being a writer requires growth, that if you’re writing, you’re growing,” Lucero said. “I think that you are never the same writer as you are today, that you were yesterday, or will be tomorrow.”

Junior Heather Howard plays tough defense against the lopers of Nebraska-Kearny. Tevin Harris | Photo Editor

Missouri Western started off slow, losing against the Lopers 7-3. After that, the Griffons turned up the pressure and went on a 21-2 run, forcing the Lopers to 20 first-half turnovers. After the Griffons trailed by 4 points in the opening minutes, they never looked back, not trailing at all in the entire game.

Western Coach Rob Edmisson knew that the defensive intensity was going to be a factor to the Griffons winning the game. The Griffons’ defense made the Lopers uncomfortable the entire game, grabbing 13 steals in just the first half.

“Our defense intensity was really good and this was a much needed win,” Coach Edmisson said.

Western forced the Lopers to 39 turnovers. It’s a fun way to play, getting points from our defense and we needed this really bad. It lifted our spirits,” Western forward Heather Howard said. Western had 28 steals from the Lopers leading to many points.With the Lopers under the Griffons stifling defense there pressure was to much to overcome.

The Griffons were energized from the 2071 in attendance, with the crowd roaring when the Griffons went into halftime, leading 37-13.

In the second half, the Griffons didn’t let up, outscoring the Lopers 34-23. The Griffons held the Lopers scoreless from the three-point line in the entire game.

“We played comfortable tonight and this win got us back where we need to be,” Western guard Denis White said.

Denis White was great coming off the bench, shooting 5-6 with 10 points and 2 steals. Western allowed the Lopers to have only eight field goals in the second half. With this win, Western was able to complete their season sweep over Nebraska-Kearney. Western’s largest lead of the game was 37 points at the 4:23 mark in the second half.

With the Griffons outscoring the Lopers in bench points 35-8, the starting five had plenty of help. Sharniece Lewis had 12 points, nine in the first half with three three-pointers. Heater Howard stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, four rebounds, four blocks and three steals. JaQuitta Dever was another spark off the bench, adding 12 points and four steals.

Missouri Western shot 42.4% field goal and 27.6 percent behind the 3 point line. Western shot 70% free throw.

Missouri Western was able to showcase their talents in their first televised MIAA Network home game.

The Griffons next matchup is against Fort Hays State on the road. After that, the Griffons’ last game is next Saturday at home against Southwest Baptist. The MIAA tournament starts Tuesday March 5th at campus sites.

Shana Meyer will begin as the vice president for Student Affairs April 1, 2013.

“I know people are there [at Western] for the right reasons and are working to serve the students,” Meyer said. “I’m really looking forward to getting to know the staff and working with them.”

While at Fort Hays, Meyer facilitated a “Student Life Cluster,” which includes Greek and residential life and other non-classroom related activities. Meyer would like to continue that vision at Western.

“I think from the beginning it will be important to really keep building and repairing a strong Student Affairs team,” Meyer said. “I’m interested in developing some different synergies across campus and just working towards a really comprehensive vision for Student Affairs.”

Meyer continued, saying she looks forward to her position as vice president for Student Affairs.

“I would just say that in all of my roles I have been very student-focused and I’m looking forward to working for and with the students as well,” Meyer said.

Student Governor Brian Shewell met Meyer at a student leader luncheon and hopes she will serve as a voice for the students on the administrative level.

“Based on her experience she had talked to us about she has done a lot to advocate for students which is what we were looking for,” Shewell said. “I think of the four, she was a good choice. She was a really good choice for the position.”

Katy Sisco introduces herself to the audience at the SGA presidential debates. Dave Hon | Senior Editor

“I just feel like I’m different because I’m actually on this campus 24/7 and I’m with the students 24/7. You know, I just live and breathe Missouri Western,” Sisco said.

Sisco went on to say that despite her inexperience, she will bring a fresh perspective to student government.

“[Mary Beth Rosenauer] has a little bit more knowledge of SGA, which I would say is a disadvantage for me, but again, I’m on the outside looking in yet I’m a fast learner and I really think that I’ve already learned a lot,” Sisco said.

Although Sisco and Williams lack SGA experience, Williams is willing to undertake the responsibility of executive vice president.

“I really don’t want anybody to think that just because I have no experience with SGA doesn’t mean I’m not just as capable as somebody within SGA,” Williams said.

The three main topics the running mates would like to address if elected are maximizing student engagement, informing students of the Student Success Act and where the money is going and having organizations support SGA.

“I just see the decline of students involved and I just want to get them more involved and let them know that SGA is an entity that they can use to their advantage. I just don’t think they know that,” Sisco said.

Being involved with several organizations, such as Phi Delta Theta fraternity, Griffon Edge, the VIP student ambassador program and the Gentlemen of Color Association, student involvement is especially important to Williams.

“I really want to just maximize student engagement and increase involvement with the university,” Williams said. “As far as events and stuff are concerned, I know a lot of students that live off campus have no idea about SGA. They have no idea about WAC, WAC being the biggest organization, as far as events go on campus. I really just want to change that.”

The Student Success Act is another significant component of this year’s SGA election. While it is still unclear if the act will be repealed or remain in place, Sisco and Williams support the act.

“I am for the Student Success Act in the spirit that it, as a whole, helps the student body,” Sisco said. “I mean, a lot of people will talk about the fee that’s with it, the $75, and I’m concerned with that; however, I’m also concerned with other things with it, such as the money that’s rolled over.”

Williams supports keeping the fee, but said, “There is no student voice in regards to that money right now.” He would like to have SGA representation during all meetings dealing with the money that fee collects.

“All in all, I support the Student Success Act. I do believe it was created for the students,” Williams said.

Regardless of the outcome of the election, Sisco said that both she and Rosenauer want to enact positive change within the student government.

“I think its just different because we both are really passionate about, you know, not changing SGA. But every organization has things that just need a little tweaking,” Sisco said. “I think we are both just passionate about that.”

Jerrica Brown – Senior

A: Oh my God I would go to Paris!

Taylor McDaniel – Freshman

A: I think I would go on a tour of South America.

Taylor Mathias – Freshman

A: I would go to Disney Land and meet Eeyore.

Matt Ausberger – senior

A: Not a damn thing!

Pepperjax Grill opened in St. Joseph in late October. Since then, it has been packed with Philly-loving customers.

The giant wraps come with steak, chicken, shrimp or veggies. The rice bowls and fresh salads offer the same options. One of the most fun elements of the experience at Pepperjax happens when you walk up to order your food. For starters, the cooks prepare the food right in front of you, behind a glass partition. When you decide what you want, the cooks work their magic getting it ready for you. If you get a Philly, your steak or chicken is grilled and mixed with onions and green peppers. Simultaneously, your bread is toasted and sent down a conveyor belt, waiting for its contents to be shoveled in. It’s not a long wait and the food cooks very fast. You can get your Phillies anyway you want them because they have a lot of complimentary toppings and they have their very own signature sauces. If you decide to go for a spicier option, you can get your toppings marinated in jalapeno juice. This option is called a fireball, and when you order it, the employees yell, “We got a fireball!” from behind the counter.

The first time I went to Pepperjax, I went with my teammates and I ordered a salad with chicken. I also got some fries and I put ranch dressing on the top of my salad. I’m not a big fan of trying out foods I’ve never had before, so I kept it simple. I thought it was cool that you get to watch them cook the chicken or steak and it took them just seconds to prepare. There are a lot of options to choose from but unfortunately, I personally don’t eat the extra toppings they had to choose from. They also cook a large amount of food so whatever you order, you’ll get full.

I personally didn’t enjoy my food. My teammates didn’t either. I’ve heard a lot of great things about the food though. Maybe the Philly cheese steak sandwiches are just better than the salads. I think that the majority of people who check out Pepperjax would enjoy it because there are so many toppings to choose from to make your sandwich, wrap or salad just the way you want it.

“I’m glad our seniors could go out on a good note,” coach Rob Edmisson said. “Our kids played with a lot of intensity and every one of our seniors did something special tonight.”

Western had five seniors playing their last regular season game: KC Clouser, Alicia Bell, Heather Howard, Brittany Griswold and Kallie Schoonover. With the win, Western was able to finish the season 15-11 overall and 8-10 in MIAA play. Heather Howard got a double-double, she has 13 on the season.

Every time the Bearcats inched close in an overall tight game, the Griffons had an answer.

In the first half, the Griffons were trading baskets with the Bearcats until the 12:58 mark, when Western went on a 7-0 run after the game was tied 7-7. After that run, the closest the Bearcats got was two points, but the Griffons never lost the lead.

“Our kids showed some toughness and our speed led us to force turnovers,” Edmisson said.

Going into halftime, the Griffons forced the Bearcats to 13 turnovers and held a lead over the Bearcats 32-26.

After an Alicia Bell lay-up and a Sharniece Lewis 3-pointer, the Griffons jumped out to a double-digit lead over the Bearcats, 37-26.

Southwest Baptist took their first lead of the second half after a made 3-pointer, but the Griffons responded right back with their own 3 from Heather Howard, making the score 48-47 Griffons. The Griffons pulled away, going on a 7-0 run, making it 55-47.

The Griffons didn’t look back the rest of the game and outscored the Bearcats in the second half, 39-38. Western never let the Bearcats’ offense get comfortable, forcing 20 turnovers throughout the night.

Sharniece Lewis came off the bench and went 4-for-6 from the 3-point line, scoring 12 of Western’s 34 bench points. Heather Howard had 14 points and 13 rebounds. Alicia Bell added 8 points and five rebounds.

“I don’t know if it has sunk it yet and I love all these girls; this is my home. Having my whole family be able to be here, it feels really good,” Alicia Bell said. “We all knew we had to get this win when we are getting down to the nitty gritty.”

Missouri Western was able to convert on 22-30 from the free-throw line, which was more than double what the Bearcats made the entire night.

Brittany Griswold added six points and fellow senior KC Clouser was able to add three points and three rebounds.
Kallie Schoonover  added six points and two rebounds.

“Tonight was pretty emotional and of all the gyms to choose from, I wouldn’t chosen anything else than Looney Arena,” Schoonover said. “Everyone came out and did their part and contributed.”

Jacob Scott, current SGA president, asks both candidates a question.

“Derek and I have worked together in the past,” Rosenauer said. “I feel like we both have the ability to take what the students want and do our best to put it into action.”

Student senator Jacob Teasely has thrown his support behind Rosenauer in her bid to become President. He thinks that her leadership and her friendship with Thompson make them a good pair who would work well with SGA.

“Mary Beth has more experience,” Teasely said. “She is good at advocating good ideas and making them clear to the students.”

Communication between student leaders and the students is a top priority for Rosenauer. She said her connection with the administration sets her apart and can be beneficial. Her experience working on issues with University President Robert Vartabedian and Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Judith Grimes is what SGA needs in a President.

“I know how the administration likes to go about doing things and their intentions,” Rosenauer said. “I offer students my service on how to work on the relationship between the student body and the administration.”

The Student Success Act, which was passed by the Student Senate last year, is one issue that Thompson would like to take a deeper look at to see what can be done about it. He believes that better communication between the students and the administration on where the funds are going is an issue that needs to be addressed.

“I remember the student fee going into effect,” Thompson said. “With me not being involved in SGA, I didn’t know what the act did and that’s an issue that we must address.”

Rosenauer who voted for the Student Success Act believes at the time of the vote the administration had good intentions. The information that she received over the fee, with a proposed 10 percent cut from the state, at the time made the act a necessity. She believes that many on SGA now probably would like to back their vote in favor of the fee now.

Thompson said that his experience as a leader in residential life would be beneficial when dealing with students on issues like the student fee or other major issues.

“Students should be allowed to know where their money is going,” Thompson said. “I think SGA would be a good place to continue my service to the students and to hear their voices.”

If elected, Rosenauer would like to continue SGA President Jacob Scott’s mission of finding out where exactly the funds are going. Under her presidency, she would like the administration to come forth and tell SGA why funding is still needed for the act. If no evidence can point to a direction where funding is needed, then she would consider repealing the act entirely.

“We need to find out if the fee is even needed anymore,” Rosenauer said. “If they can’t give us any facts or numbers as to why we need the fee, then we would definitely look into repealing it.”

Rosenauer believes students think the SGA is not seen as a student body organization that connects one on one with the students it elects.

“I often feel that students believe SGA is a puppet to the administration and not really there for the students,” Rosenauer said. “We need better connection and that’s what I plan to do.”

General operating reserves have surpassed $8 million, which is a ten-year high, and the BOG voted Thursday, Feb. 28 to spend down $1 million of it. They also voted to spend another $500,000 of the auxiliary reserves.

BOG Chair Kylee Strough was absent from the meeting, but said in an earlier e-mail, “Keep in mind, reserves should not be used for ongoing expenses, but instead for one-time purchases, improvements, etc.”

“What we didn’t want to do is put an expense on here that is ongoing,” University President Robert Vartabedian said while at the meeting.

With Strough’s absence, BOG Vice Chair Dirk Clark officiated the meeting that allocated proposed one-time expenditures of $850,000 for roofing repairs, $120,000 for new technology, and $115,000 to develop a campus property development master plan, which will include sidewalk repairs.

“The administration has looked at areas where they could spend down excess reserves in smart ways,” Vartabedian said.

Those “smart ways” didn’t include much to directly impact student life at Western according to BOG’s Deborah J. Smith.

“I’m fine with it, but I would have liked to have seen more of the things included that the students requested,” Smith said. Those requests came from three different lists submitted by Student Governor Brian Shewell, Interim Vice President of Student Affairs Judy Grimes and Special Assistant to the President Ann Pierce from her discussions with students.

Nothing on the lists were discussed, except additional lighting on campus. That discussion ended with Dr. Vartabedian saying that funds for that project could come later from other sources.

“I know there were things on your lists you wanted, but in some cases, we couldn’t deliver on the lists,” Vartabedian said.

The proposal passed unanimously.

The meeting was quickly closed, according to Missouri state statute, to discuss legal matters and personnel issues.

Students have been expecting the appointment of a new Vice President of Student Affairs. Griffon News staff reporters and editors waited out the closed meeting in anticipation of the possible announcement. When returning to the room, the motion to accept the personnel proposals were being approved by vote of the members.

When asked about the closed session and if he could talk about anything that happened in closed session, Clark said, “What happens in closed session stays in closed session.”

Junior Cedric Clinkscales goes up for a layup aginst the defenders from Nebraska-Kearney. JQ Dever | Staff Writer

The 6-7 230-pound big-man leads the Griffons in points and rebounds while being the only member of the team to make the Dean’s Honor Roll, which requires a 3.5 grade point average or better.

“It’s big for me,” Clinkscales said. “That’s the first time it’s ever happened. It’s just showing that I’m trying to be committed to school for real this time. I’m serious about it.”

In the past, basketball was his main focus and he didn’t put as much emphasis on academics. It was fatherhood and time away from the game that transformed his outlook to classroom first.

Clinkscales, father of two, put his basketball career on hold when his first son was born. He knew he needed to work and be there for support. Once he was able to save up some money, he gave school and basketball another try. He came back a much more mature person than before.

“I have kids that are going to look up to me now so I have to set a good example,” Clinkscales said. “When I had my son, I noticed how much he looked up to me so I didn’t want him to see me doing anything bad.”

Clinkscales hails from Anderson, South Carolina, which is a very small town. He attended T.L. Hanna High School, which is famous for being the setting for the movie Radio. He played at Roane State Community College last season in Tennessee and averaged 13.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while being an all-conference selection. He was recruited by Western assistant coach Mike Nicholson and committed after taking a visit because he liked the people and the campus.

“We thought we had a pretty good player and several other coaches in the league felt like we got a pretty good player,” coach Tom Smith said.

According to Smith, some coaches won’t recruit players with children of their own, but that issue isn’t of any importance to him when looking for prospective athletes. That policy is paying off for Smith with Clinkscales as he’s shown to be very reliable in doing the things he’s supposed to do.

“I think having kids changes the outlook on things and puts things in perspective for what you focus on,” Smith said. “Some guys in college fool around and have a good time. I don’t think that’s Cedric.”

Clinkscales has been the big man in the paint for the Griffons this season, averaging 13.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and impacts the game defensively with steals and blocks. His great spin move and soft touch around the basket often result in him getting double-teamed by the opposition.

“It’s all about trust, my teammates trusting me and getting me the ball in a position to where I can make some plays,” Clinkscales said.

Smith knows that Clinkscales is going to have to come up big if the Griffons are going to get hot at the end of a losing season.

“He’s shown that he’s as good as big man as there is in the league,” Smith said. “The only thing that has affected his overall performance a little has been some injuries.”

Clinkscales is the only Griffon to start all 25 games so far, but he’s played through several injuries including a hurt hand, shoulder and a sprained ankle that kept him out of action during part of the first half of Saturday’s game. He came back and fought through the injury to finish out the game and relies on trainer Myron Unzicker to help him be at his best physically.

“Myron is my lifeline,” Clinkscales said. “I go to him for everything and he helps me stay on the court. Myron is my best friend right now.”

Clinkscales has learned that MIAA competition is tough and any team in the league is capable of fighting for a win on any given night. He’s seen some pretty good big men this season, but none that he’s scared of.

He plans to earn his degree in Sports Management with hopes that it opens up the door for him to pursue a coaching career in basketball. Until then, he plans to finish out this season strong with a tournament appearance.

Wood was diagnosed with cancer at two years and ten months old and is now a proud 15-year survivor.

“When we first started noticing signs something was wrong, I was seven months old. I got put in the hospital as a seven-month-old baby for a week.” Wood said.

Eventually things started happening to her, like random bleeding and bruising extremely easily at two-and-a-half years old.

“It was not like normal bruises”, Wood said, “Right away, it was black and it wasn’t from getting pushed to the ground, it could be from someone just touching me.”

Eventually, Wood’s mother knew it was time to take her to the hospital. Wood was taken to six different hospitals, but her mother’s motherly instinct took over when disagreeing with the doctors’ opinions. That’s when they ended up at the

University of Missouri’s hospital in the children’s ward, where she was finally diagnosed with a form of cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma.

“At the time I was diagnosed with that cancer, only 18 people in the world had had it,” Wood said.

The only information the doctors really knew about the cancer was that it was an extremely aggressive form and to stand a chance of beating it, they would have to act fast.

“I took three different types of chemo, all adult doses, from the age of two years and ten months to a little bit past my third birthday.” Wood said.

Though she only relied on chemotherapy for a few months, the adult doses were overwhelmingly harsh on Wood’s body. As a three-year-old, she only weighed 24 pounds. Without enough muscle mass to carry her own weight, she was confined to a wheelchair and could not eat because of ulcers in her throat, caused by the chemo.

“I had taken five rounds of chemo before they actually took the tumor out,” Wood said.

When the tumor was removed, it was the size of a Harry Potter book, and although the tumor was gone, they put Wood back on chemo for another three rounds to fight any remaining cancer.

While all of this was going on, Wood’s mother in the same hospital, as she was pregnant with Wood’s little brother and her grandmother was in another wing, in a coma from having cancer.

“My mother went down to my grandma’s room and sat next to her bed. It was the day before they were going to take her off life support. She went down there and just broke down and said, ‘Megan needs you, you need to wake up.’” Wood said.

The next day, her grandma woke up and told Wood’s mom she could hear everything she was saying but couldn’t respond.

She said she prayed to God to let her live another two years so she could see her grandson born and her granddaughter beat cancer; Wood’s grandmother got her wish and passed away two years and three months later.

Now that Wood’s disease is in remission, she is considered to be cancer free. After overcoming all of this, she went on to be an outstanding athlete in high school in Lebanon, Missouri, competing in track and volleyball. It was at that high school where she began dating Devon Zimdars, during her sophomore year. On February 2 of this year, they got engaged on Missouri

Western’s campus after a basketball game, where Wood was a Western Mystic dancer.

“I knew I was going to get engaged, but I didn’t know when,” Wood said. “I had had a dream like eight days in a row I had gotten engaged, and in one of the dreams, I walked out and all of a sudden, there were tons of people and this sign that said ‘Will you marry me?’. And then that’s what actually happened.”

The two plan on waiting until she graduates to get married so she can focus on her major in education and eventually go back to the school that her mother has worked at for 19 years to begin teaching there herself.

After having her life threatened at such a young age, Wood says that she is grateful for being here and gets up every day wanting to live life to the fullest, and she does.

“I participate a lot with Relay for Life. I co-chaired the event as a pre-teen for three years with my mom and chaired it three more years by myself,” Wood said.

Not only has she organized Relay for Life events but she also helps collect shoes for the school her mother works at for kids who cannot afford them.

“We developed this thing and it started out with 100 pairs of shoes,” she said, “What we did was during the summer, my mom and I would go to garage sales, picking up lightly worn or brand new shoes and put all the shoes in the gym at her school. We call it ‘The Shoe Shelf’, plain and simple.”

Any child who didn’t have tennis shoes could pick up their size there and if they didn’t have it, Wood and her mother would go find it.

One may think that all that Wood has gone through may be traumatizing but she says that if she could go back and not have cancer that she wouldn’t because it has made her who she is. The only thing she wishes is for her hair to be as long and glowing blonde as it once was. Not much to ask for for someone who gives so much.