Coach Partridge speaks about his 16 new recruits including the well known Kevin Hart. Photo by Jason Brown

The Nevada native wanted to so badly that he staged a fake press conference four years ago and falsely stated he was going to California to play for the Bears.

The 6-foot-4 offensively lineman soon met his fate.

He was humiliated on national television, and was called a phony and a liar for his controversial decision. Years later, the otherwise intelligent lineman has a second chance.

Hart decided against playing Division I Tuesday, as teams fought to the final day to sign the best players available on National Signing Day. Hart, who has played for Feather River Community College, was one of 16 players that the Griffons inked Tuesday morning. Western football coach Jerry Partridge said that Hart’s physical, and will compete for a starting guard position immediately. He signed with Western four years to the day of his hoax.

“We did our due diligence. We talked to their coaches. I asked him some very pointed questions on the visit,” Partridge said. “I talked about everything with him, every little element of it; every little lie of it. He said ‘Coach I was stupid. I didn’t know how to get off the merry-go-round.’”

Partridge said he understood the amount of attention this player will draw. He has already received phone calls from as far away as Reno, Nev. that want to do an interview with him.

However, Partridge said he forgives Hart for what he did back in 2008, and said Hart is a much more mature man.

“He’s a good kid that made a very untruthful mistake back in his youth,” Partridge said. ”When you do a transfer like that, you’re hoping they can come in and start, or compete in a hurry.”

After Hart held the pretend press conference at his high school, coaches, family members and fans met with him to take pictures while he stood wearing a Cal hat. He claimed to have chosen Cal over Oregon that day. Not three hours later did people start to second-guess what occurred.

Hart said he was duped and said he had been lied to by a scout. It took over three days for the truth to come out, and he pointed to pressure as the reason he staged the gathering. Now he has a chance to help a team win a National Championship.

According to Tom Friend of espn.com, Hart decided against playing for D1 Appalachian State, and opted to play for Western instead. He had an extra year of eligibility if he went D2.

The Griffons bring back 17 starters, which include All-Americans in David Bass and Michael Hill. They also have reliable starters in Tarrell Downing, Ben Pister, Ben Jackson and Shane Simpson. The Griffons return all five of their starters on offensive line, so perhaps Hart won’t see the field so quickly.

Although Hart is the talk of the class, the 2012 signees boast talent that inlclude 10 defensive players.

Perhaps the most talented player is linebacker Jorge Belcher. The Kansas City native recorded 429 tackles — a school record — and was first-team All-State. Partridge would like to redshirt every freshman player, just as he did in 2011. However, if any player on this list sees playing time this season, it could be Belcher.

Another player that fans will soon notice is defensive end Darrian Bass. The St. Louis native is the brother of David, and was heavily recruited by the MIAA.

“One of our rivals, I’m not going to say which one, did a home visit,” Partridge said. “And that big fellow (David) sat in the room with him as they did that home visit. That really helped our cause, I think.”

Local kids that signed on were a pair of Blakes, both from Savannah High School. Linebacker Blake Burson didn’t jump at the opportunity to play football as many would think, he considered joining the military. But he signed on to be a Griffon after weighing out the options. The other player is Blake Deal, a 6’1, 180-pound wide receiver that has great hands according to Partridge.

In the secondary, the Griffons have Donovan Mathis from Springfield, Mo. Mathis attended the same high school as top wide-out Dorial Green-Beckham, who was the nation’s No. 1 receiver according to espn.com and rivals.com.

Outside of the recruiting class, Western announced its 2012 football schedule, almost. The schedule is not complete, but the Griffons meet Central Missouri at Spratt Stadium to begin the season. They also host Nebraska-Kearney, Central Okla., Missouri Southern and Washburn. They have five road games, which includes a trip up north to Maryville to take on Northwest Missouri State, and also the 2011 National Champions — Pittsburg State.

Soccer adds five players

Football wasn’t the only sport to officially sign players. Soccer added five players, and still have work to do according to coach Chad Edwards.

“I have very high expectations going forward,” Edwards said. “I want to attract players that can come in and start right-away. Those are the players I’m looking for, and I think with this class that’s what we accomplished as well.”

The second-year coach said he went right to work back in August, when he took the job as the head coach for Soccer, and grabbed some talent. Among the five include a top defender in Micheala Rouse, who adds on to the athletic pipeline Western has in Kearney, Mo. Western had trouble scoring goals this past season, and forward Brittany Wagner from Kansas City might help solve the Griffons problems.

She could immediately start and adds another scoring threat opposite of soon-to-be sophomore K.C. Ramsell. St. Joseph native Margot Bergeron has signed on to play. She recently spent time at Iowa Central Community College but has transferred and is currently working out with the team and attending classes at Western. To round out the list, Western nabbed Drew Mantlo and Sydney Andrews, both midfielders.

“[Brittany] is a goal scorer; I’m very excited about her,” Edwards said. “She’s a hard worker. I know when she came and played with us over the fall, some of the girls were like ‘who in the heck is this girl?’ ‘Cause she was working her tail off when she was here.”

Andrews will try out for the United States National Deaf team in the coming weeks. Edwards said Andrews is not completely deaf, but the opportunity is great for her and a neat chance.

Kelly Voigts returns at goalkeeper, but as a senior. Edwards said he anticipates on signing a few more players, and one should be a keeper.

On January 21 at 10:28 p.m., Western basketball player Ashleigh Curry, was arrested for a misdemeanor of supplying alcohol to a minor. The Western guard had apparently rented out Callison Hall for a back-to-school party, which had been advertised on and off campus via flyers.

Ashleigh Curry, Western Women's Basketball guard

In an earlier article written by the St. Joseph News-Press, reader comments alleged that Curry had given alcohol to minors. Other comments suggested that she was a victim of poor circumstances, that minors drank prior to walking into the Callison Hall. Amid these comments were those who were calling for her removal from the women’s basketball team.

Western Athletic Director Kurt McGuffin said that since Curry hasn’t appeared in court yet and that the charge is a misdemeanor, McGuffin wanted to be fair and consistent with the athletic department’s disciplinary actions. He also said that in situations like these, expulsion form the team is always considered.

“I think any time one of our student athletes makes a wrong decision we’re going to consider that part of it,” McGuffin said.

Curry has previous encounters with the law. In March of 2008, Curry was cited for a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. Ten days later she was cited for identity theft.

McGuffin said that when deciding disciplinary action, these past citations were considered. With these actions, McGuffin aims for consistency and follows a three-strike policy, but feels that Curry has not struck out.

“We had to make it known that we weren’t going to put up with that kind of infraction and bad decision,” McGuffin said.

As well as being suspended, Head Coach Lynn Plett and McGuffin have applied other in-house disciplinary actions. Neither Plett nor McGuffin said they could go into detail on these actions and prefer to keep it within the team so they can protect the privacy of Curry.

Last semester, Curry had some eligibility issues with the NCAA concerning her short time with Livin’ the Dream which was believed to had compromised her amateur status. Despite the time that Plett and McGuffin spent working out these issues, neither of them regrets their decision to fight for her play-time for Western.

“[She’s] a very viable individual, I think, and she’s working very hard in her degree,” Plett said.

Curry declined to comment since the situation is not over.

“They hit some big shots, no question,” coach Tom Smith said. “It’s one of those years. I’m sure you get a little snakebite, and when you’re snakebite, people make those plays on you, and they are making the plays while we aren’t making the plays, and that’s the difference between winning and losing.”

The Griffons came out with a sense of urgency and held the Tigers to 8-for-32 shooting in the first half. Western went into the locker room with a 31-21 lead at the half-time break behind 11 first-half points from freshman guard Reed Mells. Western also held the advantage on the boards, out-rebounding Hays 22-14 in the first half.

“We just want to win. We are going to play high-energy defense, focus on finishing plays, and getting other people involved,” Lavonte Douglas said. “That’s our main focus and something we’ve got to do. We have to keep it up both halves.”

Hays guard Moses Dayee hit two 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the second-half to get it going for the Tigers.

With the Griffons up 43-36, the Tigers went on a 10-0 run over four minutes to grab their first lead of the game at the 10 minute mark in the second half. Hays extended its lead to 46-43 before Douglas tied the game up with a 3-point-play after making a lay-up and drawing the foul.

Dayee hit another 3-point shot with two minutes left to push the Tigers out to a 57-52 lead. Douglas hit a free-throw to make the score 57-53 before James Harris hit a 3-pointer to get the Griffons to within one point with 45 seconds left.

The next trip down the floor, Dayee hit a 3-point dagger from the left corner that sealed up the 62-58 victory for Hays. Missed free-throws hurt the Griffons down the stretch.

“I think it boils down to the free-throws,” Douglas said. “I shot bad from the line tonight, and that’s something I have to get back in my game. Lately I’ve been out there like Dwight Howard.”

Hays shot 25 percent in the first half and heated up in the second, shooting 56 percent. The Griffons have lost 10 of their last 11 games but are holding teams to under 70 points and showing improvement.

“We just got to find a way to get over the hump, and I think when we do that we will be fine,” Mells said. “We just got to keep playing together. The most frustrating part that it’s just one or two little mistakes that ends up losing it for us.”

Douglas, who led all scorers with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting, pulled down six rebounds and stole the ball two times. Mells added 13 points, including 8-for-8 at the foul line and dished out three assists. Harris went for 13 points and five assists.

The Griffons go on a four-game road trip, starting on Feb. 4 at Southern Missouri. Western has two remaining home games, Feb. 22 and 25 against Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist.

Sport: Women’s Basketball

Year: Senior

Position: Forward

Stats this week: Points — 42; Rebounds — 18; Steals — 5

Koch scored 21 points in both games this past week. Behind Koch’s scoring, Western split both games and improved to a tie at the No. 8 spot in the conference standings. The leading scorer in the MIAA also recorded three blocks to help out on defense.

The senior forward didn’t abandon the Griffons, and when doubt may have surfaced to do so, she stuck it out.

Koch joined a team that lost its 2006-07 MIAA Championship trophy due to playing illegal players. She is the only that remains that was a part of the team that dealt with the controversy of a new head coach, and what had happened the previous season. The Kansas City native tore her ACL that year, thus granting her a fifth season. She has taken advantage of it.

Her quest to be the greatest Griffon scorer of all time could be the result of her decision to not leave Western. Koch, who has been on the team since the 2007-08 season, is just 131 points away from the all-time leader in points scored. With seven games remaining, the charismatic Koch has remained quiet about the record — either because it quietly happened, or because she cares more about the team.

Koch started the season with just less than 550 points to score in order to receive the record. With a record that averages out to about 19 points per game, it is definitely within reach.

Koch averages 23.2 points per game, which happens to be seven points higher than any other player in the MIAA. She is arguably the player of the year in the conference so far.

Some players that can help Koch achieve this mark include center Brittany Griswold (though she is currently out with a foot injury), guard Alicia Bell and fellow senior Ashleigh Curry. Curry has only played in four games this season, but the speedster currently is the second-scorer on the team since playing and makes shots behind the arc that take away some attention from Koch.

Koch is also helped by playing six 40-minute games this year, and against Southwest Baptist on Jan. 17 she played a 43-minute game.

Whether Koch achieves the feat or not, the final stretch of a glorious career is upon Western. With just two more home games to play at MWSU Fieldhouse, and both at the end of February, Koch may break the record where her career started. And if she happens to come up two points short, she can blame the game clock, as a 60-foot shot dropped in the basket right before halftime Monday night against Fort Hays State, but her hand was on the ball a half-second too long, negating an otherwise improbable 3-pointer.

In doing so, they shot 59 percent from the field as Western defeated Fort Hays State 90-78 Monday night at MWSU Fieldhouse.

Western had been on a five game losing streak after it pulled three straight wins to open the new year. However, with two players — Ashleigh Curry and CC Bozeman — coming off of a team suspension, the Griffons looked out of sync the past week. That all changed Monday.

After going into halftime down 33-32, the Griffons forced four straight Tiger turnovers, three of which turned into points for the home team. Senior Jessica Koch said that it was a team effort that she could only explain occurred because the team fought the whole game.

“The past two games, we played great against two great teams,” Koch said. “We knew that eventually we weren’t going to just get close, we were going to start winning, especially with Ashleigh and CC, that’s just going to take us over the top.”

Koch stressed that in the MIAA, her team knows that if they make a late run, they have a shot at winning more than just one game.

Coming into Monday, Western currently sat as the first team out of the MIAA tournament seeding, sitting at the No. 9 seed. In order to go to Kansas City in March, the Griffons need to place in the top eight. With four wins in the conference, their chances of making it have shot up dramatically.

“Subconsciously, the fact that we were competitive with the top teams should have given us some confidence,” coach Lynn Plett said. “Just because we did this tonight doesn’t mean we’re going to do this the next night. But hopefully we gained the confidence of the last three ball games and carry it on.”

Monday, the Griffons showed that and more.

Reserves players Brittany Casady and Emily Romdenne didn’t miss a shot (combined 4-for-4) and the Griffons shot 40 percent from the 3-point line. Along with a defense that bothered the Tigers all game, Western improved its place to a tie at No. 8 with Southwest Baptist.

“Our goal all along has been to get everything together and start clicking,” Plett said.

Plett pointed to Koch and Curry’s speed as a reason to transition buckets. He also said Kallie Schoonover and Alex Noble had more confidence which resulted in buckets.

Curry came back from the suspension and attacked the hoop, just as she had played before. The star senior, who suited up for just the fourth time this season, came off the bench with just over 15 minutes to play and immediately showed her quickness.

The skill guard totalled a team-high 24 points and went 8-for-13 from the field.

“The team came together and we dominated,” Curry said. “We can surprise a lot of teams with the tempo we had tonight.”

The Griffons do not play another home game until Feb. 22 when they take on Central Missouri. Until that date, Western plays five-straight road games.

With that in mind, the Griffons made a statement the fans will remember until they step back on the court for their next home meeting.

Center Brittany Griswold missed her second-straight game with a foot injury and could be out for a couple more weeks.

With 1:36 left on the clock and down 56-55, Western forced guard Will McNeill to shoot a long-distance 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring. McNeill buried the shot and closed the door on the Griffon’s chances for a win.

“When he hit the 3 was the biggest play of the game,” coach Tom Smith said. “We did a great job, we were sound defensively, forced him into taking the bad shot and he hits it. Good players make good plays, and that’s basically what we ran into.”

McNeill scored a game-high 26 points and hit 13-for-16 from the free-throw line. For the Griffons, it was freshman Reed Mells who led the way with a career-high 17 points and hit five 3-pointers. Mells was in the starting line-up for the second straight game with senior guard Deionta Mitchell sidelined with an injury.

“Deionta is a big part of our team, and he’s the heart and sole of the back-court,” Mells said. “When he went down, somebody had to step up and coach Smith called my number, so I didn’t want to disappoint him, my teammates or the Missouri Western family.”

Senior big man Lavonte Douglas scored 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting, pulled down nine rebounds and blocked a shot.

The Griffons two leading scorers on the season are T.J Johnson and James Harris, but Washburn was able to contain both players. Johnson scored nine points on 3-for-5 shooting before fouling out with five minutes to play, while Harris struggled to find his jump shot against the zone defense, going 1-for-10 from the field for four points.  The Griffons were unable to hit the shots in the second half, going 8-for-24, and connected on just 6-for-22 from 3-point distance for the game.

“If our guys were on, it wouldn’t have been a close game,” Douglas said. “They made up and played solid defense for them being off on offense, so I appreciate the effort with everyone staying together.”

The Griffons gave up 18 offensive rebounds to their 11, and were called for 29 fouls compared to Washburn’s 15. The Western fans didn’t like the officiating and a chant of ‘awful’ broke out late in the game.

Western has fallen to 7-12 overall and 2-11 in MIAA conference play after losing nine of it’s last ten games. Smith said that you can be miserable during a losing season, but he’s not because of the collective attitude of the team.

“I’ve had successful teams over my years that I haven’t liked more than this group,” Smtih said. “I feel bad because as a coach I cannot complain ever about what they have given to me every day.”

According to Baker, who filled Max’s costumed shoes for the past year, the old Max costume was in dire need of some rehab.

“Old Max is beat up,” he said. “He has rips in the arms, his tail’s coming off, his feet are falling apart, the head stinks. It stinks everywhere. You sweat just a little bit in there and you could smell him from probably 15-20 feet away.”

Unfortunately for Baker, the new Max costume was not at all what he had imagined it would be.

“I saw a picture of the new one, and I was really upset about it,” he said.

Baker describes the new costume as completely wrong: the head is so big is hurts the wearer’s neck, the feet are too big to run with and the body is too padded for Max is dance as he typically does. Baker was so uncomfortable in the new costume that he felt he had no choice but to quit.

“For me, it’s like when you put the old [costume] on, you become that Max; you become that character,” he said. “With the new one, there’s no character to it. The character that it builds is like a Barney-type figure.”

Baker said that the head of Max 2.0 is so heavy that it caused him physical pain to wear the costume.

The new Max costume debuted at Coach Smith’s 600th wining game in November. Baker did not make it through the whole game.

“I told the cheerleading coach, Bryan Allen, ‘I can’t wear that thing. I can’t breathe, I can’t run around, my neck hurts from wearing it for ten minutes,’” he said. “So I just couldn’t do it anymore.”

Baker’s departure was very sudden and left the cheerleading squad without its most recognizable member.

“Bryan was kind of upset with me, which I kind of figured he would be,” he said. “I hear now that all the cheerleaders hate me.”

Allen was displeased to lose Baker, who filled the mascot position with a positive attitude and lots of enthusiasm.

“Weston was excellent at what he did. I’m sorry to lose him, but if he’s not going to be 100 percent dedicated, we needed to find someone else,” Allen said.

Allen doesn’t agree with all of Baker’s concerns about the new Max, and thinks that the costume just needs a little getting used to.

“I like the new Max. It looks sharp,” Allen said.

Baker does not think that the new Max can be broken in.

“I think it’s going to be awful from day one to year seven,” he said.

Cheerleader Pierce Karguth wore the Max costume during the second Northwest vs. Western football game of the season. He agrees with Baker: the suit does not feel like Max.

“Personally, I like the old one,” he said. “It [the new Max] takes a little getting used to. The feet are a lot bigger, and the head is humungous. It wears you out real quick. It’s just harder to move.”

Since Baker’s last game, Allen has since found a replacement. Max’s costume is now filled by a different performer. Karguth, who has been off-campus due to break has not seen the new mascot in action yet, but knows him personally.

“But, based on his personality, he’ll do a good job,” Karguth said.

Allen expressed interest in getting Baker back on the squad, but Baker is not interested in being Max is his current form.

“If they switched back to the old Max, I’d pick it back up at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, that’s not the case,” he said. “He was due for a change, but if they would have just got a new Old Max, it would have been ten times better.”

While I was watching Sarah Jessica Parker’s latest film, “I Don’t Know How She Does It,” my roommate walked into the room and asked which “Sex and the City” movie it was. I laughed at her, but she really wasn’t that far off. “I Don’t Know” plays as a sort of alternate-reality “SATC,” where Carrie is a high-powered investment broker and mother of two instead of a perpetually single columnist. SJP’s character, Kate, even fills the movie with inquisitive, open-ended voiceovers, just as Carrie did. The many, many people that aren’t fans of the franchise that made Parker famous will dislike “I Don’t Know How She Does It” just as much.

I am not one of those people. While grossly disappointed by “SATC 2,” I am generally a huge fan of the series; “I Don’t Know” was right up my alley. I’m perfectly aware that this movie will not win any awards, but it was a good way to spend an otherwise boring afternoon.

SJP is her usually bubbly self throughout the film. She giggles and makes breathless pronouncements, but doesn’t do any outstanding acting. She basically plays a slightly older Carrie; I’m not sure that she’s really capable of playing a different character.

The funniest part of the whole movie is Olivia Munn. She plays Kate’s coworker, a woman named Momo who is completely obsessed with her job. Momo fails to understand Kate’s family-centric life-style, ridiculing her for “checking on her kids every day.” Munn plays this role completely straight-faced, and her deadpan delivery helps ground a movie that often veers toward the ridiculous. Parker scratches desperately at her lice-infested scalp during a business meeting, for example. These kind of gags would have become exhausting without the breaks from Munn.

Busy Phillipps is another high-note in this film. She plays the perfect stay-at-home-mom that Kate emulates. The film frequently cuts to Phillipps’ character at the gym, where she supposedly spends the whole day while her kids are at school. Phillips comments on her and Kate’s lives in a hilarious, passive-aggressive way, adding yet another layer of tart to a movie that is dangerously close to being too sweet.

The rest of the movie is pretty unremarkable. Greg Kinnear and Pierce Brosnan, as the men in Kate’s life, are just okay. They’re not especially charming, and their characters aren’t particularly special.

Again, don’t rent this movie expecting to be impressed. If you’re interested in a couple hours worth of distraction, rent “I Don’t Know How She Does It.” You won’t miss the $1.20, and you may just get the perfect chance to paint your fingernails.

Zumba instructor, Jamie Gilpin, sings along as he among other instructors lead the group through the morning Zumba session. Photo by Jason Brown

The participants work in a couple more quick stretches before Bagley screams out “Let’s shake it!”

Then the music begins.

Last Saturday, Jan. 21, 525 people (counting Max the Griffon) made an appearance at the 2nd Annual Zumba in the Room-ba, which was an increase from a total 498 at last year’s event. Unfortunately, 525 was not enough to break the existing record.

“I wish we would’ve set the Guinness, but that’s cool that we at least beat our record from last year,” student Hannah Strasser said. “We’ll just keep getting better, hopefully.”

Although St. Joseph did not break the Guinness World Record, it is still recorded as a personal best at 525, which also led to raising around $10,000 for the YWCA Choices Program (which focuses on issues facing adolescent girls and helps the girls to increase their life skills and to make good life choices) and Western Women’s Athletics.

Wendy Hickman, who works for the Choices Program, was very pleased with how the event turned out.

“I thought it was great; it was fun, it was energetic and everybody seemed to be having a good time — and it was all for a good cause,” Hickman said.

Hickman also said the donations going toward the Choices Program will help by allowing speakers to come and talk to the girls involved in it.

Not only did the Choices Program benefit from the event, however.

After dancing the Zumba for a straight hour, the instructors and contestants were undoubtedly gleaming with sweat and sporting smiles. Strasser, who couldn’t make it to Zumba in the Room-ba last year, enjoyed the event.

“It was really fun,” Strasser said. “All the instructors did really well.”

There were a lot more instructors this year, and Zumba leaders, like Jaclyn Ziesel, were really looking forward to Zumba in the Room-ba this time around.

“It was awesome, we were so excited to do it,” Ziesel said. “Coming from doing it from last year, we were for sure we wanted to do it.”

Although the event is over for this year, Hickman is already looking to the future.

“I’m looking forward to next year.”

Instead of the old padlock keys that have been installed for several years, the departments decided to get brand new key sliders for every front door of the dorms.  According to Key Access Specialist and Assistant Locksmith Clint Barnes, the student’s safety was the number one reason for installing the new key system.

“The largest part of my job is safety,” Barnes said. ““I hold that end very, very high. There is no other way around it. Students have to feel safe. Student safety is number one.”

Residential Assistant Derek Thompson, who stated that he didn’t hear about the new key systems, felt that the lock upgrade might have been a little unnecessary.

“I liked the old ones better,” Thompson said. “They were easier to use. I guess these ones are better for winter weather. We have locks that already worked and I don’t think we really needed them if they were expensive.”

According to Barnes, thousands of dollars were spent to purchase and install the new locks. Last year, the Facilities Department drew up a bid to install the new systems. Barnes also thinks that Residential Life paid for the upgrade.

“I’m pretty sure Residential life paid for it,” Barnes said.

Barnes noted that anytime a department requests for new locks or mechanisms, the department is entitled to pay for it.

“It doesn’t come out of maintenance budget because we don’t have it.”

Griffon Hall Resident Jerrica Brown also felt the new lock upgrade were a meaningless addition to the campus.

“It doesn’t seem like there is a difference,” Brown said. “I think they are really pointless. I think they are wasting money on pointless things that don’t benefit students.”

In edition to the new lock system, the key office has found more efficient ways to insure campus security.  The security is due mainly to students that need or desire access into academic buildings. To achieve access, a form must be signed by the department chair, vice president of the department and dean or director of that department. This form must be filled out every semester.

“Just because you want access into room x,y,z doesn’t mean you are going to get it,” Barnes said.

Barnes also gives a stern warning to students that have access to any academic building about the importance of being responsible of your electronic chip key and not losing it or loaning it out.

“If you loan your chip to somebody, we are going to know about it,” Barnes said. “I can run and audit and tell you exactly who came into that door.”

 According to former Senator Nick Brewer his reason for leaving was school-related, not the lack of confidence in the Senate.

“Partially, one reason I left the Senate was my schedule, and I wouldn’t be able to make most of the meetings,” Brewer said.

Other reasons for Senator’s leaving were not due to a lack of confidence in the senate, but rather for their own benefit.

According to SGA President Alison Norris, only 2 students left the senate who were studying abroad, and those graduating. As stated by Norris she believes it’s time to recruit new Senators.

“We are going to run ads, and asking the current Senators to spread word to others,” Norris said. “The Student Senate has a retreat coming up, and we will hopefully see a few people come out with interest in becoming a Senator.”

The membership rate at the moment for the Student Senate stands at 16, according to SGA Vice President Jacob Scott.

“We just need two-third vote to pass legislations, which we have been able to do.”

Although it’s a positive sign that the Senate is able to pass legislation, having a few new members wouldn’t hurt.

“We are going to recruit, even if we don’t have a full Senate, and we are still able to pass legislation for the Spring Semester,” Norris said.

However, as stated on the Student Governments website a full senate has 20 Senators, but that isn’t stopping the current one in place.

“With the 10 Senators that we have, we only need 6 at the Senate meetings to conduct our business,” Norris said.

According to current Student Senator Brian Shewell, he will wait to see what the plan for gaining membership will be at the first meeting when they return from Winter break.

“By the first meeting we should have an idea on how we plan to get students engaged, and want to participate in the Student Senate,” Shewell said. “I will be spreading word to other students, and let them know how they can bring their own ideas fourth.”

It seems that SGA executives are already getting to work to find ways to get people involved in the student senate. “Our plan is to recruit two men and two women as Senators,” Scott said. “If students are serious about becoming a Senator, then the 3-day retreat would be the best way to gain instant access to the Senate. If students attend the 2 night, 3 day retreat that would count for 3 meetings.”

According to Senate membership requirements, a student must attend 3 meetings to become a senator.

According to Norris, the decline in membership has been an issue the last couple years. “We have a lot of non-traditional students at Western, and students with schedules that don’t fit with our meetings,” Norris said. “We must now show the students how important the Senate is, and how hard we work for the student body.”

Brittany Moses is giving up dairy products to stay healthy, but that is not her top priority.

She is doing it to save her voice.

Moses majored in music business and songwriting at Middle Tennessee State University and is now at Missouri Western for grad school. Currently she is an active artist and is in the TESOL program.

Moses says some professional singers don’t consume dairy, and she claims her dad told her milk is bad for her singing; that’s when she decided 2012 was the time to quit it.

“The reason it is so bad for your voice is because milk creates mucous, as gross as that sounds,” Moses said. “The more phlegm and mucous you have in your throat, (the more it) creates a blockage and prevents getting out the notes.”

So just stop consuming dairy products, it’s as simple as that, right? Not necessarily.

“My biggest obstacle right now is working in a restaurant that most of the entrees have cream or cheese strongly influenced in their menu items…which is hard to resist,” Moses said.

“Another challenge is going out to eat making sure the entree or meal doesn’t have creams or cheeses. Also, some coffee shops don’t have soy or other dairy alternatives. So that stinks!”

Yet Moses has some methods for overcoming her desire to eat dairy products.

“I am actively trying to research some new recipes that have alternate methods of cooking and not using creams and cheese because every recipe has it in it,” Moses said. “I also just try to just tell myself I am lactose intolerant, which I feel like I kind of am at times.”

Moses has also been substituting almond milk for regular milk (which she says tastes better anyway) and margarine for butter.

While Moses is taking the healthy route, another student plans on taking a different route — road routes that is.

Senior Kayla Roumas wants to work on her spontaneity and, as Willie Nelson puts it, “get on the road again.”

Roumas has really only taken one real road trip within the past two years, so she’s itching to drive out of the state to someplace like San Diego, Calif.

However, what she will have to work on for 2012 is allowing herself to do it.

“The hardest part will probably be letting go of my habit to meticulously plan everything and making more time,” Roumas said.

Making more time goes under the heading of school, considering she still has two semesters left.

“I’m not graduating until December, so hopefully I’ll squeeze a few in,” Roumas said.

Another student who is looking to travel abroad and be well-known is aspiring comedian Jeff Jones.

“My official New Year’s resolution would be to make moves,” Jones said. “I want the world, and I can’t get it sitting still.”

In order to have “the world” (not to be confused with Pinky and the Brain’s “taking over the world”), however, he and his friend and colleague Nick Ford are trying “start a revolution” by launching their new clothing line.

“The clothing line is a shout out to real people who do real things,” Jones said.

Jones plans on having shirts with different slogans, their main one standing for “real people doing real things” or “RNDRT” (the “n” is another word Jones uses for people, which you can probably figure out). The point of it is to encourage people to be true to themselves, real to their character.

Jones said Hanna Greenwell, who is an art major at Western, is already coming up with designs, and another friend who will be the accountant and has some valuable connections to help Jones and Ford’s project.

With already having an RNDRT fan base and impending advertising, Jones is hoping the clothing line will boost his standup comedy presence — and it all started with making a move.

“Frankly, it’s already going to be huge; we already have people bugging us about shirts, and I’ve also seen RDNRT on statuses.”

Sport: Women’s Basketball

Year: Senior

Position: Forward

Stats this week: Points — 43; Rebounds — 13; Steals — 7

Koch played 4o minutes for the fourth time this season in Western’s one-point victory over Truman State. Koch, who leads the MIAA in points per game (21.5) also recovered five steals in the win. She followed up that performance with a 29-point night on the road against Central Missouri.

I’ve often wondered what people type in these places and why. Now people can just wonder about me, as always.

Life’s good when you’re strange!

I’ll blog a bit latter today after I get home and unpacked.

Have a great Sunday.

“We want to re-educate students on all the parameters on what Dr. King stood for and what social justice work he did during his life,” Keisha Caldwell, CME program assistant, said.

On Friday, Jan. 20, the CME will host a Candlelight Vigil at 5:30 at the Griffon Plaza, which is located right outside of the Blum Union.  The CME will then host a day of service on Saturday, Jan. 21, which begins at 10 a.m. For the day of service, the CME plans to meet first in Blum lobby, and then break off into groups to serve and provide assistance to community centers such as St. Joe Haven, Habitat for Humanity, the Open Door Food Kitchen and the YWCA. The service day will continue until 2 p.m.

On Sunday, the CME is partnering with local church “Word of Faith” to host a Gospel Celebration, held in Kemper Hall, beginning at 3 p.m. The last event will be the Martin Luther King awards banquet and cultural exhibition, which will be in the Fulkerson Center, beginning at 6 p.m. Though the banquet and the service day are annual events, the CME decided to hold the events over the weekend, instead of during the week, in hope to achieve more student participation.

“The banquet and service day we have done for years,” Caldwell said. “But, we decided to have our events postponed, until students came back because we had low attendance in previous years of having events on Martin Luther King Day.”

CME Intern Leah Hayes feels that all students should take this opportunity to celebrate Martin Luther King, rather then just take the day off.

“As far as a college standpoint, we are all here for a reason,” Hayes said. “We are in college to educate ourselves. We all should learn what Martin Luther King was all about. Let’s not be ignorant and think Martin Luther King day is a day off. Martin Luther King stood for social justice. It’s a day on, not a day off.”

During the banquet, the CME will be giving out a “Drum Majors for Justice” award to certain nominees that demonstrate excellent service and social justice to the St. Joseph community. The CME is also remembering Martin Luther King by co-hosting the candlelight event with the fraternity that he was a member of, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Alpha Phi Alpha member Mark Bush feels that co-sponsoring the event is a great way to remind the Alphas of what being apart of a fraternity is all about.

“Brother King was not afraid of change but rather an agent of change,” Bush said. “He is the ideal Alpha man, which is why we honor him in remembrance of what he did because if we forget where we came from, we will never make it to where we are going.”

All events are free for Missouri Western students. The Gospel Celebration is free for everybody. The banquet, however, is $10 for non-students.

Randy Gingrich is a very personable law enforcement officer and his wife is a teacher. The extended family has of course donated time to Newt’s campaign when ever they could and keep their personal careers on track. Randy seemed comfortable talking to me about his family so I had to ask the very personal questions concerning Newt’s ex-wife and her claims that Newt had asked her for an open marriage during his marriage to her.

His reply seemed very sincere and heart felt. “I remember family vacations with her and how close we were,” Randy said. “I don’t know where this is coming from.” It appeared that he had some answers rehearsed about how the media and others have an interest in seeing Newt’s apparent successes in South Carolina and in the Republican Party diminished.

Local papers here in Charleston put Newt’s debate performance at a B+ and he is favored to win the primary here today.

I can’t help but notice that reading left to right across Yahoo’s opening page today they show photos of Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich in that order. It appears that mainstream media just can’t give Newt his due. The article’s headline claims that Newt will have continuing problems even if he takes South Carolina.

If you have been following me on Facebook and this column you already know that I feel the winner of every debate is the American voter. I am a small part of media who was there and saw Newt Gingrich literally assaulted by CNN on the onset of the debate.

Like Newt, I was appalled at CNN’s opening of the debates with such a blatant attack on a candidates character. CNN is now talking about redemption and forgiveness after the tongue lashing delivered by Newt. I have seldom personally witnessed the power of the American system of government at its best and worst in the same evening.

It is not my job to declare a winner in these debates or the primary. The winner is determined by the voter. We are facing the most important election of our time. If you are not registered to vote you need to educate yourself about the candidates and the issues.

You can register to vote with the aid of any of the student political affiliations at Missouri Western. I’m sure they would love the opportunity to assist you in registering to vote and give you information about their candidates positions.

He laid out his plan and announced how he is using social media and his web site entitled cainconnection.com to promote his 9-9-9 plan from the outside. Tea Party Patriots in the crowd were on their feet more than their chairs during the stirring delivery describing his plans and fears about the future of America.

I took notes so there should be an article coming soon.

“The Debt” tells the story of Mossad secret agents Rachel (Chastain), Stefan (Marton Csokas) and David (Worthington) living undercover in Germany in 1965 to catch a Nazi war criminal. The film flashes back and forth between the characters in 1965 and their future counterparts in 1997. The ramifications of their actions in the ‘60s are catching up to them, and the audience has to sit in suspense to find out exactly what happened to them thirty years earlier.

The true stars of this film are undoubtedly the two women that play Rachel. Chastain has been everywhere in the past year, from her role as Celia Foote in “The Help” to Brad Pitt’s wife in “The Tree of Life.” What prevents audiences from tiring of her is her incredible ability to transform. Chastain’s portrayal of ‘60s housewife Celia is completely different from how she plays ‘60s woman Rachel. Rachel is tough and confused, speaks several languages flawlessly, and is simultaneously sexy and ruthless. Chastain embodies all of these qualities well, making the audience’s immersion into her story simple.

Rachel of 1997 is played with the same panache by Mirren. The audience is not privy to all of the details concerning her skittish and scarred personality, and that adds greatly to the intrigue of the story. Mirren plays Rachel beautifully. All of her characters pain is apparent, and a brutal fight scene is especially impressive. Mirren is 66 years old, and she fights with more tenacity than I’ve seen in many actresses forty years younger. Mirren truly commits to her role.

The Nazi war criminal that the agents are pursuing is the Surgeon of Birkenau, an obvious nod to Josef Mengle, the butcher of Birkenau. The man who plays this “surgeon,” Jesper Christensen, is great in his role. He is creepy and terrible, but just charming enough to make his dominance believable. Seeing him as a mainstream doctor in Germany especially made my skin crawl – knowing that this character hurt and killed so many, and then seeing him practice legitimate medicine was an interesting and affecting contrast.

This movie is absolutely worth the $1.20. The acting is superb and the story is incredibly interesting. Rent this movie only if you’re ready to be completely absorbed for a couple hours; this isn’t the kind of movie you can watch for homework background noise.

If you watched the debate you already know that we witnessed four polished professional speakers and masters of debate. Big deal. Each had many points in the debate that I can agree with. I wish I could take the parts I like from each of them and make for myself the best candidate ever.

Let’s get to the background of the day. First, the stage for these debates had five lecterns this morning and four tonight after Governor Perry dropped. Second, we find that Rick Santorum won the Iowa primary. Santorum had a great night at the debates. Third item, Newt Gingrich’s x-wife is reporting that he asked her for an open marriage while they were married. I don’t believe her story for a minute. Ask any married man. We may think we want an open marriage but we don’t ever ask the wife for permission.

Mitt Romney did well tonight and probably held his lead. He is far to moderate for me. He was forced to explain the difference between his healthcare plan for Massachusetts and Obama care. There isn’t much difference so it shouldn’t have taken near as long as it did.

Then, to the shame of CNN, Ron Paul who practiced medicine for years was overlooked on most responses, even those dealing directly with healthcare.

So, who won? It’s my hope that you the voter won. You were given an opportunity to watch the republican candidates as they attack each other and the president. How much is real? How much is true? It is up to us to find out. If you are looking for me to make up my mind so you can vote the same or opposite because you either think I’m either cool or not, your doing it wrong.

These debates seldom have a clear winner. It is as it always has been. You must get involved and understand the candidates and the issues that are important to you.

It’s possible that these debates, full of displays and posturing, will someday be unnecessary if people begin to get involved and participate in their government. Being there reminded me of the Coliseum in Rome. I watched as these would-be gladiators tore each other’s ideas and policies apart. Sometimes it wasn’t pretty.

There needs to be a better way for candidates to discuss ideas in a more constructive way. There are perks to doing things this way however, I had drinks with Gingrich’s brother. I’ll write more on that later.

If you could only remember one thing about Dr. King, remember that he gave his life to obtain justice for others. His reasoning for enduring assault, arrests and disrespect came from his determination to develop a better future for a more united society where character and personality are more important then color and race. As Dr. King became successful for serving others with peace and respect, certainly we can do the same with our campus and our peers.

Missouri Western students should first be proud of the service and unity established on our campus. Not every school is like our school. From our standing section at every football, basketball and baseball game to our diverse campus organizations that have created a well mixed blend of unity among campus life, our school has created an amazing place for students to feel comfortable, united and respected. Dr. King would be very proud.

Yet, there is more work to be done. This work can and should be done by each and every student. This work involves helping each other out in our classes. Think about how many times you were confused on an assignment or had to miss a few classes. Now think about how many times you needed help to finish an assignment, catch up on work or needed help understanding something. Truth is we have all been there and we all should thank those helpful peers that helped us pass a class which made us another small step closer to graduation. If we continue to help each other out in our classes and academics, we would all be more successful.

Service equals success and success equals service. No one maintains success without knowing how to help others out. Spend just a little more time being useful and available to help others. The reward in return is something better than any ‘A’ you could receive on any exam or paper. Having the feeling that you helped someone become successful assures that you have been an impact to a person’s life. Remember that society remembers greatness not by what a person has done on paper but by how many people a person has touched. Dr. Martin Luther King was an author, activist, global leader and Noble Peace Prize winner. Yet, we don’t remember him for that. We remember him by the millions of people he reached in just one word, sentence or speech. His memory lives on because his words live on and these words motivate us to create a “beautiful symphony of brotherhood” in our school just as he did with our nation. Long live the king.

I filled out the clearance information for CNN a couple of weeks ago and got the word last Sunday that I have been cleared to attend. Look for me in the crowd during the program which will be broadcast live from 8 p.m. till ten p.m. EST tomorrow January 19th on CNN and CNN.com.

I plan to keep everyone at Missouri Western informed about my trip by posting these little stories so follow me on thegriffonnews.com to see how things go.

I have to get up at four in the morning to take the red eye to Chicago and after an hour and a half layover I’ll be headed to Charleston South Carolina to be in the midst of presidential candidates and all that goes with it.

For now I need to get to bed.

Talk to you soon.

I’ve checked in with tonight’s moderator and CNN Anchor, John King. I supplied a question for him to ask. I just want to know how, how soon, and how much can each of the candidates affect the economy in a positive way?

Those of you not following me on facebook didn’t get the part where I hate airports. I love to fly but just don’t like the airports. I think I was meant to have my own private jet.

And, I need an assistant who will work for free.

The Tea Party Patriots have set me up in a very nice three room suite. I will be shooting a video there and have it on youtube soon I hope.

Time is slipping away and I must get ready. The doors open at 5:30 this evening and will close at 7:15. The security is tight as you can imagine.

I will not be allowed to photograph, video, or record anything. I am not even allowed in the area with my cell phone. I’ll just have to go back to tablet and pencil. God I love good old fashion journalism.

I plan to get the information to you as soon as I return to my room tonight.

Stay with me this will get interesting.

Ellis

According to Wheeler, Pearce has extensive experience that will benefit Western. “Her extensive experience in higher education include working with the Missouri Department of Higher Education and the General Assembly,” Wheeler said. “She is a great fit for Western.”

Ann Pearce will not take the title of Director of External Relations; she receives her own title as the Special Assistant to the University President. According to Pearce she will take on many of the same duties as Wheeler.

“The duties include governmental relations at the local, state, and federal levels,” Pearce said. “Also being a university liaison with the greater St. Joseph community and with decision makers throughout the state.”

According to President Vartabedian, Ann Pearce has the experience Western needs.

“Ms. Pearce has 25 years of impressive experience at the University of Central Missouri,” Vartabedian said. “She has a track record of effective performance in the areas of expertise that we were seeking.”

President Vartabedian states that she is responsible for all things governmental from local to federal level. “She is primarily responsible for building and sustaining strong and positive leadership with those in influential and decision making roles,” Vartabedian said.

Though she is the  Special Assistant, rumors have circulated as to whether  Ms. Pearce would  receive her own parking space. According to Pearce the rumors are true.

“I do have my own parking space, and it is justified,” Pearce said. “I will not be sitting behind my desk all day.”  The position requires Pearce to travel quite a bit on and off campus. Pearce states that she must be confident that there will be a space for her when she returns to campus for her meetings.

According to Pearce she is ready to get to work.

“I am anxious to meet as many members of the Missouri Western family as I can, and to work closely with them to hear their views,” Pearce said. “The more I researched the university the more I was impressed by it.”

President Vartabedian stated that Pearce stood out as having both extensive legislative and academic experience. “I have been very impressed with Ms. Pearce’s willingness to ‘go the extra mile’,” Vartabedian said, “and do whatever is needed to be done to further the goals of Missouri Western.”

I’m flying Southwest. It is not my favorite but very user friendly. Also, bags fly for free. I’ll probably send you another message when I reach Chicago.

Sweet dreams.

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“We are curious as to what specific standards of the university Huey-Shi [Chew] failed to meet,” The petition says, “Based upon the information currently available to students, it would seem that Huey-Shi was very satisfactory, and that her future at Western was promising.”

Chew’s departure was one of 13 since the reorganization of Student Affairs. International students have praised her dedication to students and were baffled by her departure.

Gilbert Imbiri, Student Assistant for the International Student Services office, said that the petition was read and approved by the International Student Club, but that the petition is as far as their concerns will go.

“That’s all we can do is sponsor it,” Imbiri said. “We all live with a student visa status so we just don’t want to get in trouble.”

Before the end of the semester, petition organizers sent the signed document to administrators, who did not directly respond to the request. Missouri law protects former employees from their employers by not allowing them to release information about their former employment.

Sharon Moore, one of the students who helped write the petition, said she had mixed feelings about Peralez’s response. Esther Peralez, Vice President for Student Affairs, responded to the petition by stating that Missouri law prevented her from disclosing information about Chew’s employment, but told Moore that if she had any concerns they should discuss them with Tay Triggs, assistant dean of student development or Steve Potter, international student adviser.

“What we were asking for was something that the college could not comply with under the sunshine laws,” Moore said. “So, I understood the response in that sense, but on the other hand, she could have definitely made an effort to find a different way in her power to address our concerns.”

While Triggs respects the students’ right to ask questions, she wishes that students would focus on concerns that affect the entire student body or things that the administration can control.

“They have a right to ask questions,” Triggs said. “I just hate that we can’t answer a lot of those questions.”

While the position remains empty, Imbiri is filling in the gaps by helping new international students adjust. Last week was the start of orientation for new international students. Imbiri also said that Potter has been helping after Chew’s departure. Even with the extra help, Imbiri said that the International Student Services office is struggling.

“It feels empty,” Imbiri said. “There’s no body in charge. This semester just began and a lot of students need help.”

The search committee has yet to fill the position, but Imbiri said that several interviews have been scheduled.

“It’s a field that needs a specific someone to do it,” Imbiri said, “When she left, I’m the one kind of in charge of all the students. It’s frustrating because I’m just a student too.”

Triggs hopes to have the position filled by March at the latest. She also said that the new Director for Global Engagement should have a breadth of knowledge and be able to provide leadership.

“It’s not just about someone having an open door policy and having a great relationship with students,” Triggs said. “You’ll find that all over campus. But we also need someone who can come in a give the university some direction in regards to the international program.”

The night I found out I was staying up late working on our website, GriffonNews.com. In our small community, people knew Quintin worked with Shippert. Somehow, he walked around for seven months, acting relatively normal, with murder on his conscience.

What is done is done. Sadly, the community I call home can’t get passed that. Quintin’s facebook wall remains open and a litany of ignorant, belligerent, and downright hypocritical comments have been appearing on his wall since.

Before I continue it should be noted that I know he confessed to both charges. I recognize that his mug shot, which has been run on national news now, shows no regret in the man’s face. For all intents and purposes, Quintin is a murderer.

What I find further depressing is the actions of the rest of us. We cannot change Quintin. What he has done cannot be reversed. So, when people I went to school with post in his facebook that they will pray for his swift death or hope he gets raped in prison, I want to thank those people. Thank you. I now see how ignorant and soulless you are.

Another posted that if Quintin ever got out, people would murder him. Now, I don’t want to turn this into a column about the death penalty and the moral implications of a society deeming someone unfit to live in it. You, dear poster on his facebook wall, are not society. We have courts, prosecutors, judges and juries to decide those things. Not one man, who has most likely never studied criminal justice or sociology.

Please, for those of you who know Quintin and are connected to his now inactive social networking sites, don’t post there. He’s never going to see it. Do you really think they have facebook in prison? They don’t. You know who does have facebook: his family. His two sisters are finishing their last year at Platte County High and are probably being tortured by their peers already.

My condolences to Miss Shippert’s family, but I also have sympathy for Quintin’s family. For everyone involved, the tragedy won’t end after his sentencing. These things linger, but hopefully not for long.

Another ignorant idea coming out of this is that somehow, Quintin’s rank of Eagle Scout somehow had something to do with his violent tendencies, or that, being and Eagle Scout isn’t as much of an honor as our society says it is. Lighting strikes even the tallest of trees.

I can assure you, that in no way, would the training of the Boy Scouts of America ever play into the amoral killing of an innocent woman. The last line of our Motto is “to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.” Those aren’t just words though, everything in scouting teaches us how to be a good person to ourselves and to each other. I know that scouting has made a significantly positive impact on my life.

Does this mean that Scouting went wrong with Quintin? Not at all. It doesn’t mean anyone around Quintin did anything wrong, including his parents. It means that lightning strikes the tallest of trees, too. Ever since I had known Quintin he was never a violent or angry person. But, sometimes people just aren’t born with something. Our idea of evil is that evil is a possession of some sort, meaning that those who murder in cold blood have evil. Maybe evil is lacking something. Maybe no amount of scouting could fix that ever.

I will defend, protect and adhere to the scouting way of life until I die. The actions of individuals do not reflect on an organization as a whole. If that were true, America, and all countries for that matter, would not be considered great societies to live in.

Anytime Fitness has a deal students should check out if they want to keep their New Year’s resolution of keeping fit alive. While the Baker Center is free to students, the hours may not be fitting for students who have to work late or would like to get up early and work out before class. For just $36 for a yearly membership (because students get a 10% discount with student I.D.), students can have access to Anytime Fitness, a 24-hour gym that has treadmills and ellipticals with TVs attached to them, various machines and free weights as well.

Located at 1209 N. Belt Highway, Suite f (near Panera Bread), Anytime Fitness is a suitable gym for everybody, according to manager Amanda McGinley.

“It’s so convenient,” McGinley said.

Once a member is added, he or she will be given a tiny gray key that unlocks the door once it is waved near the sensor, giving access to all members at any time of the day or night. Plus, once the key has been activated for 30 days, the member will be able to use the key at any Anytime Fitness locations.

Not only is Anytime Fitness convenient, it also offers personal trainers (which costs extra) if you need a little more motivation, a masseuse (separate cost) to help you relax afterward, tanning beds (which costs $15 extra) and classes which are included in the membership.

“Once you’re a member, you can take classes like aerobics, Zumba, cardio-strength, kickboxing and pilates; we have a ton,” McGinley said.

If students would rather just take a class, however, they might find what they are looking for at Zumba in the Room-ba at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, in the Griffon Indoor Sports Complex. (Note: People should show up around 30 minutes prior in order to get through registration; donations are encouraged).

Zumba is a Latin dance that incorporates aerobics with several types of dances including salsa, hip-hop and merengue.

Zumba in the Room-ba is an event open to the public that will raise money for YWCA Choices program, which provides life skills training for seventh grade girls, and could possibly break the current record (held by Missouri Western) of 498 people Zumba-ing in a room for one hour in the “Guinness Book of World Records.”

According to Jennifer Bagley, the head honcho of the event, Zumba will draw a sweat, but it’s still a fun, easy workout.

“Zumba is the best kind of workout because you don’t know it’s a workout until it’s over and you’re sweating,” Bagley said. “It’s just fun; you’re constantly moving, and if you’ve never done it before, it’s not so difficult that a newcomer would be overwhelmed.”

Soccer player Abby Widrig, who attended Zumba in the Room-ba last year, would agree with Bagley when it comes to Zumba being a decent workout.

“It was a nice change of pace from running, yet I still (got) a good workout,” Widrig said.

In addition, this event is a way to meet new people and find a permanent class to join in the future. After the event ends, the instructors will be available for chit-chat and will be handing out information regarding their classes.

So think of Zumba in the Room-ba as a fun gateway to opportunities of keeping in-shape.

“I would say give it at least one try. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it, but I really did,” Widrig said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Click here to see the video of Zumba in the Room-ba last year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBGpujY9-VE

SOPA, or the Stop Online Piracy Act, is an Internet censorship bill that would prohibit websites from displaying copyrighted intellectual properties, or IPs. In theory this sounds like a good idea, but in action it is more detrimental to our country’s freedom of speech than piracy is to the music and film industry.

SOPA states that any website that might “engage in, enable, or facilitate” copyright infringement is subject to penalty under this law. What exactly does “engage in, enable, or facilitate” mean? Simply stated, this means that an IP holder can seek a court order against a website and shut it down due to copyright infringement. This can be anything from a YouTube tribute video, to movie and music download links. What this means for the Internet is that anything the RIAA and the MPAA sees as unfit can be subjected to having their URL blacklisted and made inaccessible to the public.

This doesn’t stop piracy though; the same websites can still be visited and used if a person has the IP address. What this does is create a censored Internet based on what an organization thinks is acceptable. This is way too much power for these organizations, with known agendas, to have.

SOPA feels so much more restrictive and fascist than a country based on free speech and basic human rights should even consider. If we pass this law, our media is no better than the censorship in China. In 1996, China started to ban websites and censor the Internet in fear that information could be subversive to the government. In fact, China employs Internet Police strikingly similar to Big Brother’s Thought Police.

In fact, this not only violates free speech, it also has a negative impact on the economy. Websites that have user submitted content such as Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr could all be affected by this act, not to mention all the future websites that could be affected, or even cease to exist. There’s a good chance that every site you frequent could be affected by this act.

What SOPA is, and what it says it is, are two completely different things. We must act on the rights we have before they are taken away. This is going down a one-way road we won’t be able to return. It’s our duty as US citizens to act against an atrocity that could damage our freedom that we pride ourselves on so much.

There are various foundations that are raising awareness to this bill, the foremost being the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The site www.EFF.org was founded to inform the public about threats to Internet neutrality, which in our technological day and age, is one of our most important assets.

The threat of a censored life has finally come upon us. This doesn’t just affect IP owners, the economy, or some political agenda. This act will directly affect you and your daily life. If you don’t want the possibility of seeing only what a bent organization wants you to see, it’s time for action.

“A lot of times you never know why people wait so long,” Bursar Daniel Eckhoff said. “Why would you wait until today? There is no benefit. I don’t think anybody enjoys waiting in line and the frustration of not into classes.”

Though walk-in registration was a little easier for students this year, as the registration team allowed all students to come in at 1:00 p.m. rather then divide the times by class level, quite a few registration leaders were surprised at the huge number of students in line and the consistent pace of the line.

According to Eckoff, all students that applied for admission by Dec. 1 were eligible to pre-register online. However, those that waited until the walk-in registration date had to go through admissions, advisement, registration, financial aid and payment options in just a few hours; a process that usually takes two weeks to complete.

“We try to make things go as smooth as possible,” Registrar Susan Bracciano said. “We usually get new students that didn’t apply in time and students that decide last minute that they don’t want to go away to another school. Returning students sometimes come in to talk to their advisers. But, we get less of the continuing students.”

According to three-year veteran registration leader Robin Ussher, who is the new student registration intern, a good amount of students that walked in were returning students that perhaps weren’t fully knowledgeable of the process.

“A surprising handful of currently-enrolled freshman seemed unaware of the registration process,” Ussher said. “They took advantage of this day.”

One returning student, Justin Morton, felt that the registration process was extremely long and quite drawn out.

“You stand in line for about five hours,” Morton said. “It takes too long.”

Another student who was registering for the first time felt the day was beneficial overall.

“You get everything done at once, but it is so long,” Valarie Weems said.

Rather early or late, the registration team is happy that students are coming into Western and that Western is continuing to grow every semester. The team is also proud of the great amount of students that desire to attend Western, but unfortunately have to be turned away for numerous reasons.

“Down at Admissions, there are a lot of people that don’t get through,” Ussher said. “I’m sure it’s hard to be the person that says you can’t enroll with us this semester, but somebody’s got to do it.”

The Griffons will travel to Bolivar to play Southwest Baptist on Jan. 17. The Bearcats are 10-6 overall and 3-6 in MIAA conference play. After dropping five straight to start league play, Southwest Baptist got things turned around winning four out of it’s last five including quality wins against Fort Hays State and Washburn.

The Bearcats were beat by 23 points against Northwest Missouri State in Maryville the last time out. The Griffons will look to stop the four players that score in double-figures for Southwest Baptist. 5-11 senior guard Ryan Dogherty leads the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game and is shooting 44% from the field. Guard Preston Guiot is scoring 13.3 points per game while guard Kyle Sloan is scoring 13.2. 6-6 225 Robson Memnon is scoring 11.4 points per game and pulling down 7.4 rebounds while shooting 58% from the field on the season. The Griffons will look to stop Memnon inside with big men Lavonte Douglas and Justin Reid.

On Jan. 21 the Griffons will come back to St. Joseph to play Pittsburg State in the MWSU Fieldhouse. The Gorillas record is 10-6 and 6-4 in conference play.

Western and Pitt. State played in Pittsburg on Nov. 30 and the Gorillas came away for a 77-71 victory in a hard fought game. Pitt State was led by 17 points from JaVon McGee, Drake Green, and Eric Ray. Andra also added 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Griffons had four players in double-figures in the game and the Gorillas defense is giving up the most points in the MIAA at 72 per game. The Griffons will have to keep the Gorillas off of the boards as they were out-rebounded by 20 as a team in the last meeting.

Western scored a season-low 48 points in the last contest at Central Missouri and will need to find some offense. T.J. Johnson leads the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game, James Harris scores 11.9, and Lavonte Douglas adds 11.6 and seven rebounds.

The senior, who hasn’t played in four-and-a-half seasons, came off the bench and scored 25 points, but Missouri Western fell to Central Missouri 72-67.

The five-point loss isn’t too bad as of now for the Griffons. Coming up this week, if they can play the way they have to start the 2012 season, Western (5-9, 3-6) may start a new winning streak, and take down a No. 1 team in the process.

Tuesday, the Griffons hit the road for the second-straight game and take on Southwest Baptist.

The Bearcats (5-9, 1-8) are currently placed at No. 10 in the MIAA. They are the only team the Griffons have not played yet in the conference. It’s a winnable game, and the team knows this. In their games against Northwest Missouri State, Lincoln and Truman State, the exact same situation occurred. Western knew they were the favorites in each game and pulled a win in all three.

There are two differences in this game – this one is on the road. The Griffons are 2-6 on the road and haven’t won an MIAA road game yet. If Western, who started off slow against Central, can start out quick and knock down shots early, the Griffons should pull the win out.

The other difference — Curry is back. She could possibly be the best player in the conference. If she isn’t, perhaps her teammate Jessica Koch is. With both playing, the Griffons are excited about their chances of winning the rest of the season.

Saturday afternoon Western returns home and plays Pittsburg State, top team in the MIAA.

These two teams met Nov. 30, and it wasn’t close. The problem with the first game wasn’t a slow start, but a bad finish. Western was only down by 11 at the half. Leading MIAA scorer Jessica Koch ended the game with 24 points, and now with another scorer — Curry — either, possibly both, can put down 20-a-night.

Alicia Bell, who has been a hustler around the basket, especially on the offensive end as the guard has 47 offensive boards, and Center Brittany Griswold also provide quality help for Koch and Curry.

Pittsburg’s (15-1, 9-1) only loss was home against No. 2 Washburn. Pittsburg leads the MIAA in scoring, but also play tough defense as it is also the leader in blocked shots. Western, who have been better on offense since the calendar year starter, needs to score, hit 3s and not turn the ball over in order to keep the game tight so it can win the game.

“I thought defensively we weren’t too bad,” coach Tom Smith said. “You give up 64 points at home and you have a chance to win most games. Northwest did a good job and they are good defensively, but we didn’t shoot it very well.”

James Harris hit a jumper to put the Griffons up 2-0 but the next five minutes was all Bearcats as DeShaun Cooper and Kyle Haake couldn’t miss from deep and put Northwest up 14-2.

“We have to play better defense to start the game off,” guard Reed Mells said. “We just have to hold teams until we can pick it up on the offensive end.”

Mells and Alex Tuluka-Mfumupembe came off the bench and each hit a 3-pointer to get some offense going for the Griffons. Western cut into the lead with buckets from big men Lavonte Douglas and Justin Reid before Mells hit another 3-pointer on an assist from T.J. Johnson that cut the Bearcats lead to 23-22. Haake answered with a 3-pointer to give Northwest a 26-22 lead at the half.

Western fell down 32-41 in the second half before consecutive shots from 3-point range by Tuluka-Mfumupembe, Harris, and Johnson cut the Bearcats lead to 41-45. The two teams traded baskets and the score was 50-45 with seven minutes remaining.

Cooper hit five straight points off of consecutive Griffon misses and hit four free-throws in the final minutes to seal the game for Northwest.

“They are much more experienced than we are,” Smith said. “They have five or six kids that have been through the league three years now, and I think that showed tonight.”

The Griffons were unable to stop the scoring of Haake and Cooper who led the Bearcats with 21 and 22 points. The two shot a combined 12-for-19 from the field and 5-for-8 from 3-point distance.

Tuluka-Mfumupembe led the Griffons in scoring with 12 points, going 4-for-5 from beyond the 3-point line. Mells added 10 points including 2-for-3 from 3point range.

The Griffons shot 18-for-53 from the field and were beat on the boards, getting out-rebounded 35-23. The starting five shot a combined 10-for-38 including the three leading scorers Harris, Johnson and Douglas shot a combined 5-for-25 from the field.

“Our key kids have got to step up and play,” Smith said. “We’re not going to be able to survive when they don’t give us more offensive production.”

The Griffons were unable to find offense at the MWSU Fieldhouse over the break, dropping games against Lincoln and Truman State.

“Last year I would have said we are getting exactly what we deserve,” coach Tom Smith said after the loss against Truman State. “This team really isn’t. They work hard and they are good kids that do what I ask them to do. Unfortunately I think we are practicing better and harder than we are playing right now.”

Western fell to 2-10 Lincoln 66-63 on Jan. 7 in the Blue Tigers first ever victory at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

“It’s probably the most disappointing loss that I have had here in 24 years,” Smith said.

The Griffons held an 11 point lead at the halftime break, but saw the lead erased with a 15-5 run in the second half that gave Lincoln its first lead of the game at 51-50 with nine minutes to play.

The teams went back-and-forth for the rest of the game and T.J. Johnson forced a steal and tied the game at 58 with with 1:15 remaining.

James Harris drove into the lane and was called for a questionable call charge that set up the winning possession for Lincoln.

“He was inside the circle definitely, that’s why I pulled up,” Harris said. “It’s real frustrating. They played harder than us for the last ten minutes.”

Lincoln forward James Edmond nailed the game winning 3-point shot from the corner with 2 seconds remaining and then a final attempt from Johnson fell short.

“We got back on our heels and started reacting. When you start reacting, you are going to get beat,” Smith said.

Johnson scored a career-high 23 points and was the only player who scored in double figures against Lincoln.

“We didn’t execute at the end of the game,” Johnson said. “We had a chance to win, we were up 11, we just let up and threw the game away.”

The Griffons dropped another close with an 87-86 overtime loss against 5-11 Truman State on Jan. 14 at MWSU Fieldhouse.

“It’s tough as a team,” said Harris. “I know the coaching staff is frustrated and the players are frustrated. We just have to learn how to execute games at the end in the last five minutes and overtimes.”

Harris hit a 3-point shot that tied the game at the end of regulation after the Griffons overcame a seven-point Truman lead with six minutes to play.

Western got out to a four-point-lead to start overtime but Truman went on an 8-0 run to make it a 85-81 game with 20 seconds left.

Harris hit another basket from deep to cut the lead to one, but there wasn’t enough time remaining as Truman went to the line and missed the free throws and time expired.

Johnson led the Griffons in scoring with 22 and added 10 rebounds while Harris scored 21. Lavonte Douglas added 19 points and eight rebounds.

Western extended its losing streak to six games after being defeated by Central Missouri 64-48 on Jan. 14 in Warrensburg. The Griffons will try and get back to winning on Jan. 17 when it travels to Bolivar to play Southwest Baptist.

But it was Alex Noble’s layup and Alicia Bell’s free throws that gave Missouri Western its third straight win, as the Griffons defeated Truman State 65-64 Wednesday night at MWSU Fieldhouse.

The win itself shouldn’t come as a big surprise, as the Bulldogs and Griffons are tied for sixth in the conference with six more weeks to play. But the way the Griffons struggled in the first half compared to the second half definitely saw a change, and the role players proved to be the difference.

“It was so fun having the whole team together and complete something that we wanted to do,” Koch said. “We all wanted to beat that team. We all wanted to play well. We came together and we did it.”

The role players came through when Western needed them to most. Down 60-59 with less than one minute to play, Koch went up for a 3-pointer, only to see the ball dribble around the hoop and bounce out. That’s when Noble jumped up to take the offensive rebound, and scored a quick two-point bucket to give Western its first lead of the game.

Bell went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final 25 seconds, and Kallie Schoonover wrestled away a defensive rebound to give the ball back to the Griffons and maintain the lead.

“We’ve fought back before but we haven’t successfully fought back,” Western coach Lynn Plett said. “I think Truman has really improved. I thought they played really well tonight and for us to beat them was huge for us.”

Western (5-8, 3-5) found itself in a hole early. With Griswold the only offense early, Truman (8-5, 3-5) took advantage. Its tight defense countered with an electrifying offense that scored 29 points in the first nine minutes. Western, down by its biggest margin of the night — 16,  found a little offense after that as Truman took a 41-32 lead into the half.

“We didn’t come out very strong,” said Griswold, who had a game-high 23 points. “We couldn’t let them get a huge lead that we couldn’t come back. I guess that was the drive for me to keep going, that I’m not going to give up on this.”

The Bulldogs never added to its lead, instead went back-and-fourth with a hungry Griffons team that wanted to make a statement at home.

Truman packed on a few buckets to take a 51-44 advantage, but Alex Saxen nailed a 3-pointer to cut the Bulldogs lead from seven to four. Becka McHenry, who led her team with 18 points, matched Saxen’s 3. But the Griffons didn’t let the deficit affect them.

Another reserve, Brittany Casady, put in a 3 to again cut Truman’s lead down to four. Both teams matched five points apiece as the game locked at 59-54 with 6 minutes and 45 seconds to play.

“There was a time where there was a stalemate,” Koch said. “They were playing just as tough of defense as we were.”

Koch was the answer. After a drought of more than three minutes in which neither team scored, Koch threw up a contested 3 that swished through the net, marking the score at 59-57. Less than two minutes later, Griswold joined her teammate as she put in a left-handed two-pointer that tied the game.

After Nicole Gloor made one-of-two free throws, Koch shot another 3 that bricked off the rim, when Noble — a senior — took the rebound and scored to give her team the lead.

“This whole year, even before the new year, we were such a hard working team,” Koch said. “I think finally we’re just starting to play together and it’s starting to show.”

Western’s defense didn’t allow a field goal from from the 6:45 mark until McHenry put in a two-pointer with 13 seconds to play to cut Western’s 63-60 lead down to one. But Bell knocked down both her free throws and McHenry fouled out, leaving Truman without its biggest offensive threat.

The Bullodogs missed on a 3 to tie, and Breanna Daniels made a layup at the buzzer to end the game 65-64 to give Western the win.

The senior grabbed the ball and sprinted down court with less than 5 seconds to play. She put in the right-handed layup at the buzzer and ran over to Missouri Western’s bench to celebrate the victory.

That play was one of four steals Koch snatched as Western defeated Lincoln Saturday at the MWSU Fieldhouse, 74-67.

“We came in knowing they were a good team and knowing what we had to do defensively,” Koch said. “They have a strong post and we all did our assignments, and that’s what gave us the win.”

Koch, who played 36 minutes in the matchup and scored a game-high 28 points, said they are starting to be more like she expected this year.

“Everyone is playing their game, and we are playing our game. We are meshing, and it is working,” Koch said. “There’s still stuff that I’m expecting out of us, like pushing the ball. I expect us to push it way more because we’re a fast team. Even our post are fast.”

Lincoln (9-3, 4-3) came into the game with only two conference losses, good for the top four in the league. The Blue Tigers started the game with a 10-4 lead. But, unlike the beginning of the season, the Griffons didn’t mind the slow start. They instead played their game and began to fluster the Blue Tigers and score on Lincoln’s tough defense. They eventually took their first lead with nine minutes and 25 seconds to play when freshman Alex Saxen put in a 3-pointer to put Western ahead 20-17.

“With Jess on the bench with foul trouble and Bear sitting on the bench for 15 minutes in the first half, I thought some of the players that came off the bench did a real good job for us,” Western coach Lynn Plett said. “(Koch and Bell) have to get a lot of touches for us, have to be around the ball a lot. I thought they did a really good job of leading and also getting everybody involved in the game.”

The Griffons took a 36-30 lead into halftime and looked calm throughout the second half.

The win gives the Griffons two in a row with Truman State coming to Western Wednesday. That game is important for two reasons — one being that if Western wins it will put itself in great position to make it back to the MIAA tournament, as the Griffons will secure its third MIAA win in as many games. The other reason is that senior guard Ashleigh Curry will serve her final game of a two-game suspension that lasted past the first semester.

In an interview with Cody Thorn of the St. Joseph News-Press, athletic director Kurt McGuffin stressed that the suspension was not Curry’s fault.

“It was one of those deals where we wanted to be careful with everything and make sure everything was right with the team,” McGuffin said. “She did nothing wrong. We just wanted to be careful.”

Curry gives the Griffons (4-8, 2-5) plenty of offense outside of already a team that is starting to find out how to score. With Koch, Brittany Griswold and Alicia Bell, Curry adds another addition to the starting lineup that can put up over 20 points any given night.

Saturday, Koch was the offense yet again.

With Bell in foul trouble, Koch hustled for loose balls and controlled the game to make up for the loss of her fellow senior. Still, Bell did not let the foul trouble affect her in the second half, as Lincoln fought its way back in the game.

“It was horrible to get [fouls] in the first half because you almost can’t touch anyone, so you just have to be smart,” Bell said. “As the game progressed, we got our hands on the balls and fought back with them. Jess made a comment at halftime to shove it back down their throats, and I think that was the mentality we came out with in the second half.”

Lincoln started the second half on a 6-0 run to tie it at 36. Bell grabbed the lead twice for Western when Lincoln went ahead off of Freddie Sims 3-pointer. Bell swished two free throws to take a 48-46 lead, then laid the ball in for an easy layup with 8:39 to play to take a 56-54 lead.

Down 57-56, Koch answered again, hitting a 3-pointer that took the lead, which stayed with Western the rest of the game. Koch nailed her second 3-pointer with 3:31 to play to add to Western’s lead. Leading by six, Koch put in two clutch free throws to keep the Blue Tigers at bay, and with one second to play she made the buzzer shot that marked the score 74-66.

Western played 10 players with all 10 scoring. Lincoln’s Vivian Essuon scored 20 points with 23 rebounds, four shy of the MIAA record.

“We just got into a point where we had to fix things or else the whole season, we were going to lose every game,” Koch said. “We collectively, as a group, decided we need to work hard and we need to do things that Coach wants us to do, and we’re starting to buy into that, and we’re getting results.”

Griswold led the Griffons in scoring with 17 points and Koch was second with 12 as they secured their first MIAA win this season in their 62-51 victory against rival Northwest Missouri State at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Koch, who up until Wednesday night had played three-straight 40-minute games, has been the only Western threat on the offensive side of the ball. Needing help, Griswold — a junior transfer — stepped in for the Griffons.

“We saw their heads falling and we took advantage of it,” Griswold said. “We took that high and that adrenaline rush that we had, and we just started pushing it up the court.”

Griffons coach Lynn Plett referred to himself as a “crazy coach” because he doesn’t limit his players from shooting the ball. Griswold was a prime example of that. The junior shot the ball 18 times, including nine 3s. Even when she went 1-for-7 from the 3-point line in the first half, Griswold kept shooting. She made both her 3s in the second half, one which was in the midst of a 19-3 run to start the half.

“Cory [O'Dell] and I talked about it before the game,” Plett said. “One of these teams is going to go out feeling a whole lot better and the other is going to have to wait for another day. Fortunately that wasn’t us.”

Western (3-8, 1-5) only trailed the game when Northwest led 2-0. Koch and Alicia Bell quickly turned the advantage in the Griffons favor when the duo went on an 11-2 run, all points scored by the team’s leaders.

Western came out in the second half leading 34-26, but the intense play favored the Griffons as they halted the Bearcats, who only scored one field goal in the first 13 minutes of the second half. Western jumped out to its biggest lead, 53-29 before Northwest could start much on offense.

“When you’re going up against your rival, the records really don’t matter,” said Koch, who had a game-high 12 rebounds. “It was a clean slate, 2012, and we’re ready to be a new team.”

The rivalry between the two teams continued on the court just as it had in years past. With both teams desperately in need of an MIAA win, the physical matchup was shown throughout the night. Plett said it wasn’t a must-win game, but they wanted it. Northwest coach Gene Steinmeyer, whose team made it to the Elite 8 last year in the NCAA Division II National Championship, told the Saint Joseph News-Press that Plett did a good job of preparing his team.

“I didn’t have the team ready to go,” Steinmeyer said. “Lynn did. I didn’t, bottom line. Put the credit where it belongs; put the blame where it belongs.”

Freshman Stacey Mgbike stepped off the bench and made her biggest contribution to the team so far this season. Mgbike tallied nine rebounds in 16 minutes, the most action she has seen all year. Plett said he went with Mgbike more because he wanted to counter some of the Bearcats strength.

“Stacey, I thought, did a good job,” said Plett, who also mentioned Alex Saxen and CC Bozeman as players off the bench who stepped up. “It’s always nice to get some support help.”

Saxen, who scored 14 points in the loss to Nebraska-Omaha, went 2-for-6 from the field with nine points. Bell scored 10 points and led her team in assists with 5.

The film begins with the main character Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) suffering the loss of his mother after a tragic accident.  His father, Jackson Lamb (Kyle Chandler), is now forced to raise the boy on his own.  While struggling with the loss of his wife, Jackson wants to send his son away to a baseball camp for the summer.  Joe is doesn’t want to go and insists on staying home to help his group of friends direct a zombie movie for an amateur film competition.  Both are forced to change their plans when tragedy strikes their town.

While filming a scene for their movie at an old train depot outside of town, a disastrous train crash occurs that almost claims the lives of the group of friends.  The friends soon discover that the train wreck was no accident and that their lives may be in danger for witnessing it.  Something on board the United States Air Force train is set free and the military will stop at nothing to get it back.

Joe’s best friend Charles (Riley Griffiths) is the director of the zombie film.  He wants to keep making the movie amidst the chaos of what is beginning to unfold in their town.  Meanwhile, Joe is developing a mutual crush on his friend, Alice Dainard (Elle Fanning), the girl set to play the damsel in distress in the zombie film.  After experiencing the train wreck, Alice wants nothing more to do with making the film.  It is up to Joe to convince her otherwise.  However, there is just one problem; Alice’s father is indirectly responsible for Joe’s mother’s death.  Despite the reckless actions of Alice’s father, she decides to keep working on the movie.

With the train wreckage and military swarming throughout their town, Charles decides to use all the commotion in his film for production value.  It’s not long before the kids realize what exactly is going on and the danger they are all in.  After Alice vanishes, it’s up to Joe and the gang to rescue her from whatever was on the Air Force train.

The film is written and directed by J.J. Abrams (“Forever Young,” “Star Trek”) and produced with the help of Steven Spielberg (“E.T.,” “Saving Private Ryan”).  The movie takes us back in time to 1979 when there were no cell phones, World Wide Web or camcorders.  The nostalgia in the film is well portrayed and planned. It makes a great setting for the story.

This film is not your traditional sci-fi movie. In fact, you can’t even tell it is a sci-fi film until well over halfway through it.  The special effects are gripping and will keep you on the edge of your seat.  Although teenagers, Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning’s acting makes the film worth watching alone.  The two are very talented and undoubtedly have successful careers in the film business.  The movie is full of clever jokes and plot twists.

The movie lives up to the claim of being the 2011 blockbuster of the summer.  If you are looking for an action packed film that will make you feel like a kid again, as well as scare the heck out of you, then rent “Super 8.”

In 2009, Missouri Western Board of Governors voted in favor of renewing Aramarks contract for up to eight years.  They say that Aramark could provide Western with nearly $3.5 million over that span.  What they fail to mention is the $3.5 million is not coming from Aramark, but from the student’s pockets.

A hotdog, chips and a drink will cost you roughly $5 at our Aramark eateries around campus.  A simple hotdog that cost them roughly .40 cents to prepare cost the students nearly $2.  Their daily specials are $4.00 without a drink.  The options are very limited and often less than appealing.   As a manager of a steakhouse for the last 10 years I got a pretty good idea what they pay for some of their products.  To me it seems they take the cheapest route on virtually every product and in turn charge us a premium price.

Why can’t they offer a few $1 options for college students living on a budget?  If Quick Trip can make money off selling $1 dollar hotdogs and taquitos then why can’t Aramark? I understand they are a business and need to make money but there is a big difference between making money and being greedy.  It feels to me like they are taking advantage of students, especially the ones that cannot leave campus to eat elsewhere.

Why does our administration at Missouri Western continue to let Aramark charge us ridicules prices for low quality food?  Aramark blames rising food cost, which is true and a good excuse, but the food they are serving us is downright disgusting.  We cannot even have a function on school grounds without having to purchase food through Aramark at an extremely higher price than many restaurants in St. Joseph would cater for.  They have us stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I heard that Aramark’s food is so bad that on the first day of Kansas City Chiefs training camp in 2010, the Chiefs organization had their own services from Kansas City brought in because of Aramark’s low quality.  My informant that was working for the Chiefs that day clearly heard a Chiefs player say “This stuff is dog food.”  If it is not good enough for the Chiefs, why is it good enough Western students?

I don’t want Aramark to be replaced necessarily, but I would like them to ask students what they enjoy eating and offer some higher quality products.  Another thing that would be nice is if Aramark could offer students some value priced items.  Not every student has $1300 on a flex card.  If they could do this they would probably see an increase of students eating on campus and that would most likely even out their cost for better products.

With cold, wet weather in the forecast, students need to dig out those warm clothes in preparation.  For those students who don’t have any cold weather clothes, here are a few suggestions on where to shop for some.

Located at the Shoppes at North Village in St. Joseph is a T.J.Maxx department store.  It is a perfect place to pick up name brand clothing for a fraction of the price.  A coat that may be a J.C. Penney for $150 could be  at T.J.Maxx for $75.  The same goes for all of their clothing.  Cold weather socks at Foot Locker are $12 for three pairs; the exact same socks are at T.J.Maxx for $5.  T.J.Maxx is one of the cheapest stores in town, offering a wide selection on discounted name brand clothing.  So check out T.J.Maxx if you want quality products at lower cost.  As college students we all can stand to save some money.

Missouri Western student Steve Belding says he prefers J.C. Penney and Dillard’s because they tailor to his needs.

“Since I need to shop for Big and Tall I usually try Penney’s and Dillard’s first,” Belding said. “Their Big and Tall sections usually have nice looking things.”

Gordmans is another department store that has a wide selection of winter clothing.  It opened this year in the East Hills Mall, and is loaded with clothing for everyone.  They have a wide selection of women’s warm boots under $30.  This is a pretty good deal, considering the cheapest boots at Dillard’s department store are over $50.  Yes, the ones at Dillard’s may be a better name brand, but no one will notice the tiny little emblem stating what brand they are while you’re trudging through the snow.  All you should be concerned about is if they are keeping your feet warm without breaking the bank.  Gordmans also has a huge sale on warm clothes right now, and a lot of stuff is buy one get one half off.

Those of you looking for some extreme cold weather gear need to visit The Duffel Bag, located in historic downtown St. Joseph.  They offer military grade clothing from armed forces all over the world.  If you want an authentic Russian fur coat or a Russian ushanka, you’ll find it there.  You want some of the highly sought after Austrian military clothing, you’ll find it here.  The Duffel Bag has tons of military grade long underwear, gloves and extreme cold weather Gore-Tex.  The clothing they sell at the Duffel Bag is pennies on the dollar compared to what it cost soldiers new at a PX.

Bill Field, the owner of the Duffel Bag and retired Army veteran, says if it was made by the military it’s usually very good stuff.

“You can find about anything warm down here, regardless of whether you’re a man or woman,” Field said.  “We get different stuff in here every week, so be sure to stop in and browse our goods.”

St. Joseph resident Jesse Cline shops at the Duffel Bag quite often for all sorts of things.  He loves the store and always finds a good deal.

“I come here to get high quality clothing for a fraction of the price,” Cline said.  “The gloves, socks and long underwear a better quality than anything you will find at a department store.”

If you need some warm clothes this winter, definitely shop around.  Don’t just run into a popular department store and buy something because it’s name brand. Even if that’s what you want to do, check T.J.Maxx first because chances are they will have the same product at a lower price.  Don’t be afraid to stop in at the Duffel Bag and take a look around. Just because it’s military doesn’t mean it is not stylish.  What it does mean is that it is quality and will keep you from shivering in the next couple of months.

Released by Warner Bros. in June 2011, “The Green Lantern” stars actors Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard. Reynolds plays fighter pilot Hal Jordan, who is also the Green Lantern. With the inherited power of the “lanterns,” Jordan becomes one of many Green Lanterns united to protect the 3,600 sectors of the universe. A growing evil, called the Parallax, sweeps from universe to universe, engulfing planets. Together the “Lanterns” must find a way to destroy it before all existence is lost.

Lively plays Carol Ferris, vice president of Ferris Aircraft and boss to Jordan. Lively (“The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” “The Town”) is undoubtedly cast based on her looks, but her acting is as equally glowing as her beauty. Lively and Reynolds’ characters clearly have a romantic connection going on. Lively plays her part in the film well by portraying a smart, professional woman as well as the damsel in distress.

Sarsgaard (“Shattered Glass,” “Jarhead”) plays the role of scientist Hector Hammond. After becoming infected by the Parallax, Hammond turns into a mutant with telekinetic and telepathic powers. Unfortunately for the Green Lantern, Sarsgaard’s character also seeks the affection of the stunning Ferris. Sarsgaard does a decent job portraying a villain in the film, but his performance is nothing extraordinary.

Given Reynolds’ success in comedies (“Waiting,” “The Proposal”), he falls short in humor in this film. However, what the film lacks in comedy, it makes up for it in special effects and action. The action in the film relies heavily on mind-blowing special effects that satisfy the senses and get the adrenaline pumping. This is no surprise coming from director Martin Campbell, who directed such action packed movies as “Golden Eye,” “Vertical Limit” and “Casino Royal.”

It’s hard to believe Reynolds as a superhero, but he pulls off playing the Green Lantern with great success, even going as far as getting in top physical shape. It would be hard to forget Reynolds’ Green Lantern character.

You do not have to be a comic fan or sci-fi fan to enjoy this film. The movie has great qualities, like action and romance that are necessary pieces in order to make up a good film. Every guy likes epic battles and things blowing up, which this movies has lots of, just as every woman likes a good bit of romance and a strapping hero to save the day.

This film isn’t necessarily a definite “must-see,” nor can I say that I am excited for a potential sequel, but I did find it very entertaining. Despite poor gross earnings in theaters and poor reviews from professional movie critics, the movie is definitely worth renting if you are in the mood for some sci-fi action and romance.

My book alone was over $200, and then you have to buy the program for the computer. So all together I’m sure I spent around $250 bucks. This is ridiculous for one class that has nothing to do with my degree. However, spending $200 on a book does make me upset, but it isn’t as bad as when you go and return the book. It’s funny, you would think if you spent $200 on a book, that you would get at least $100 back. Well, that would be the case if they weren’t changing the book for the next semester. My Vista Spanish book was brand new, and was only used for one semester. So when I went to return the book to the bookstore, they told me they weren’t taking them back.

I spent over $250 overall on this one class, and get nothing back in return. It makes you wonder why new sites have been created for students to go online and find textbooks at a cheaper rate, and be able to sell them to these sites. Companies such as UsedBooks.com, CheapBooks.com, and eBay are making huge profits and soon they will in my opinion close down these horrible University bookstores.

If students are smart, for the spring semester they will not sell books back to the bookstore, but sell them online. For those who purchased used or rental textbooks don’t expect to see a huge refund from returning your books. I myself have one used textbook and I spent over $100 on it this semester and I can bet you that once I return it, I will be lucky to even get $40. On the other hand, the books that I bought, I will be selling them online to these online textbook sites and in return see an actual profit that I would hope for.

So students don’t make the wrong decision, get smart and do the right thing. Don’t let the bookstore win next semester, and cheat you out of cash for a book that they will sell for the same price or a little lower next semester. Juniors and seniors have seemed to discover that buying books online is the best way to save cash, and they are right. It took me two years to discover that eBay had the books I needed for class at a much lower price.

Miller, a freshman music education major, has a huge, outgoing personality that fuels his energy and passion for music and performance. Miller is a member of Phi Sigma Kappa. He sometimes speaks with a very convincing British accent for fun and to show off the fact that he’s half British.

Students may have seen Miller performing in the percussion pit during one of Western’s football halftime shows. He is the one with the stylish, crazy afro, and  he is usually doing a dance that would make even Michael Jackson blush. He is hard to miss.

“The people at the games really get me pumped up,” Miller said. “I love Missouri Western and believe it is the best college in Missouri. Griffon Power!”

Miller has been a musician since the 6th grade. He graduated from North Kansas City High School in 2011. He plays drums, bells and tambourine. Miller said he first came to Western in 2008 for a Democratic function and immediately fell in love with the university. With his outgoing personality, Miller has probably already made friends with half the students on campus. It seems everyone knows who Miller is.

Western student Lauren Rhodes has become good friends with Miller this semester. They often eat lunch together and talk or joke around about Miller’s favorite NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles.

“He is such a fun character to be around,” Rhodes said. “He is always telling jokes or talking about a funny YouTube video.”

When he is not with friends, he can be found on the football field. Mike Swope, a Western football fan, said he has seen Miller perform during the home games this year. Swope said he feels that the Golden Griffon Marching Band, along with Miller’s standout antics, really gets the crowd fired up and into the game.

“My 88-year-old grandma loves him,” Swope said. “She usually only goes to one warm weather football game a year, but she has been to every game with me so far; she really enjoys the Western halftime shows.”

Miller has aspirations of becoming a touring musician after he graduates. He has working on his singing and hopes to either sing or play drums in a band. Miller says he doesn’t have any hobbies, but several interests.

“Hobbies cost money,” Miller said. “Interests are free.”

According to Miller, he picked up the nickname “Jetman” in high school during the cross country season. Miller loves the nickname, wants to take it from a casual nickname to something more formal.

“It’s going to be my new middle name when I graduate,” he said.

Students at Western are doing all sorts of things, some mischievous and some not so mischievous, such as working.

Elizabeth Hiley, an elementary education major at Missouri Western, says she will be spending her Halloween at the doctor’s office and work.

“I will be working at Subway, but I still plan on dressing up and passing out candy,” Hiley said. “I’ll be getting a sonogram that day, and I’m really excited to find out what I’m having; I hope it’s a boy.”

Most students are doing the same thing they do every year:  dressing up and heading out to house parties or pubs.

Alex Bear, a history major, said he plans on dressing up as the doctor from Dr. Hook and heading to the Flying Saucer bar in Kansas City’s Power & Light District.  Bear said his girlfriend is making him dress up, but he enjoys Halloween.

“I feel it’s a good reason to get together with people; I like hanging out with my friends,” said Bear.

If you are looking for a terrifying scare this Halloween then head to Atchison, Kan.

Less than 20 miles south of campus lays a small town on the banks of the Missouri River.  Proclaimed by the Travel Channel to be the most haunted town in Kansas, Atchison is home to many ghostly attractions.

Atchison offers many ways for people to experience its haunted aura.  One way to experience nearly all of its deadly attractions is the haunted trolley tours.

The haunted trolley takes its victims to the infamous Sallie House, where a young girl who died during an emergency operation continues to terrorize the living today.  The Sallie House has also been featured on the television show “Sightings,” which documented violent attacks on people living in the home by the poltergeist.

The trolley tour also takes its riders deep into the woods of Jackson Park to an infamous location where a woman named “Molly” was brutally murdered and hung from a tree.  The place has for decades been referred to as “Molly’s Hallow.” Local lore has it that some nights you can see an apparition hanging from the tree or hear blood curdling screams coming from the woods.

If the haunted trolley ride is not enough to cure your hunger for a good haunt, then maybe you would enjoy having a meal with the spirits that haunt the Riverhouse Steakhouse, located at 100 Commercial St. in Atchison.

Built in 1870, the Riverhouse building was a depot for the railroad for several years.  In 1908, the building was purchased by Lulu Howard and operated as a brothel.  After much anguish, the City of Atchison was finally able to shut Lulu down in 1913.  Today the building is a restaurant and leased by Dustin Hundley.  Hundley himself has had several strange encounters with spirits in the building.

“I was closing up the restaurant one night and had my first experience with one of the ghosts who haunt this building,” Hundley said.  “Floating across the dining room was a woman dressed in Victorian clothing; it scared the hell out of me.”

Several similar incidents have been reported at the Riverhouse building.  Early one morning in 2008, a craftsman completing renovations in the upstairs bar reported a long, one-sided conversation with a person he assumed to be his co-worker.  When he looked up, the man he had been talking to was gone.  Stories like this make the Riverhouse the most ghostly dinning experience in the area.

If you are interested in some of the haunts Atchison has to offer, such as trolley ride times, restaurant hours or more haunted attractions, all information can be found at http://atchisonkansas.net/HauntedAtchison/home.html.

Much of this abuse occurs in secondary school settings, but even more common finding itself in elementary schools, as well as college campuses, then reaching beyond to cyberbullying. The number of cases is on the rise, being viewed as a leading contributor to homicide and suicide. Most teens believe revenge is the strongest motivation to get back at those who hurt them. Many students find themselves terrified to be in their own school. Some will skip class while suffering from anxiety, depression, withdrawal and low self-esteem which in turn will lead to lower grades or throwing them into social isolation.

The most horrid of these cases will end in suicide. One such case out of many was Jayme Rodemeyer, a 14 year old who killed himself as a result of being taunted for years at school due to his sexual orientation. The torment he endured was relentless. His was a cry for help that came too late. His parents were aware of his suffering. There has to be an accountability held for these bullies and their victims. Programs are being implemented in schools, but it all takes too long. A child must be made to feel secure about talking to a trusted adult. Parents must join forces with the school and devise a plan for their students now.

As long as there is silence, the bully feels he has the chance to do more. Stop him! If a teen is being bullied, get help from someone now. Alert others. Do not stop talking until others listen. Friends, parents and teachers must be on the lookout for these signs. Friends almost always know what a peer is going through. Watch one another’s backs. If you know about a problem, report it. I believe the first course of action is to show a bully no response: walk away, no emails or words. This will eliminate the fuel they need to keep it fun. They will become bored with this and probably stop. Most of all, I believe teens should join in with others who make them feel good about themselves to find true friends. Victims must realize they did not ask to be the target of someone else’s anger. They don’t have to take it. Stay strong. Rise above them. Find courage within yourself, stand strong and hopefully the pain will stop.

Missouri Western freshman sports recreation major Barnett has been Olympic-style weightlifting since she was 9 years old. Olympic-style lifting is in her blood.  Her older brother Brandon used to lift, and most famously, her uncle and 2-time U.S. Olympian, Wesley Barnett, lifted as well.

Barnett is currently one of the top seven lifting prospects age 20 and under in the U.S.  She has represented the U.S. five times in competitions outside the country.  She has competed in Mexico, Peru, Thailand, Bulgaria and Malaysia.

Barnett is currently working hard to prepare for the Olympic Team Trials that will take place March 2 through 4, 2012.  She says she has been training extremely hard to get her strength up and believes that she will do well in the trials.

“I have had five opportunities to represent the USA already, but as far as the Olympics, that is my ultimate goal,” Barnett said. “To represent Team USA would mean the world to me.”

Barnett had the option of moving out of state to train at an Olympic training center, but chose to stay in St. Joseph and attend Western.  Not many people would have turned down an opportunity of that magnitude, but Barnett states that several factors kept her from going.

“There was the issue of where I would attend school while I was there,” said Barnett. “I am happy with the decision I made to stay here because it’s good to train with a coach I am used to, and I also have friends here I couldn’t live without.”

Dennis Snethen is Barnett’s lifting coach at the Wesley Center, which is named after Barnett’s uncle Wes.  Snethen is a Missouri Western Alumnus, class of 1981.  He has been coaching weightlifters in St. Joseph for 31 years.  His accomplishments include coaching over 100 national champions, as well as coaching Olympic weightlifters Pete Kelly and Wesley Barnett.

Snethen says he has really enjoyed coaching over the years, even though it has been a lot of hard work.  He believes that Barnett has the potential to be the best and possibly bring home a medal in the 2012 or 2016 Olympic Games.

“Brianna is a great athlete, and I believe that the 2016 Olympics will be her biggest shot,” said Snethen.

Barnett speaks very highly of Snethen.  One thing she is very grateful for is, when she was having trouble getting back and forth to practice, Snethen and his family let Barnett live with them for a year so she wouldn’t miss practices.  Barnett currently resides in the Missouri Western dorms.  She is without a vehicle right now, so Snethen’s son picks her up and takes her to practice.

“Dennis has been there through thick and thin, and he always speaks the truth,” said Barnett.  “He and his family have helped me out so much.”

Snethen currently coaches over 130 male and female lifters, starting in the third grade.  The cost for lifting at the Wesley Center is $15 per month, but Snethen says that he would never turn anyone who wanted to lift down whether they can pay the $15 or not.  Anyone interested in Olympic-style lifting can contact the Wesley Center at 816-238-4511 or www.inter-serv.org/wesley.htm

Along with Snethen, junior Keri Lorbert, who has listened to Barnett’s unique experiences as a weightlifter, feels Barnett has led an intriguing life and hopes she will do great things in the future.

“I think it’s a really cool thing Brianna’s doing,” Lorbert said. “I wish her the best of luck.”

What I have noticed during my studies is that my major isn’t what you’d call a legitimate major. Missouri Western does not offer a Journalism major. My preferred area of study is actually a concentration of English. That’s what it says on my transcript – Major: English with a concentration in Journalism. It’s really like I’m minoring in the thing I want to do with my life (which I could also do; there IS a Journalism minor).

People who want to major in Public Relations, Botany, or Zoology will run into the same problem. These subjects are only offered as concentrations of much broader areas. And yet students looking to major in French or Spanish (but not German), or Convergent Media, or Music Education have definitive majors. Western also offers the traditional Pre-Med, Pre-Law, Nursing, History, Chemistry majors etc. So why not Journalism?

While Journalism concentration majors (I guess that’s what we’re called) spend most of their time taking classes on literature and textual analysis along with their reporting, publishing, and photography classes, I’m sure other media majors aren’t bogged down by reading and language awareness. And we’re stuck into such a wide category. English majors can minor or have a concentration in quite a few subjects. But there isn’t one large Language major that encompasses all the French and Spanish students.

Don’t get me wrong here – I have NO problem with any students or any majors. It just feels frustrating to people like me (and probably the PR and zoology kids) who are spending our time studying things we may not need, and then maybe getting the job we want but never being able to say, “Yeah, I was a journalism major.”

Starting this fall semester, Students at Missouri Western will be able to dive into the new language for three credits if they so choose. If they are able to pass the course, then they can take the advanced courses just like the other foreign languages.

“The idea is for it to be the same sequent as the other languages,” Foreign Language Coordinator and French Professor Susan Hennessy said. “In the spring semester they will be able to take the next class.”

The new class will be sponsored by the Fullbright Grant. This grant helps colleges and professors help establish programs and pay for them so a college can have the opportunity to adopt a new language to teach.

“The goal is to help schools establish programs,” Hennessy said. “They will cover all the cost.”

Hennessy also said students have been asking for this language for a few years, and with more Chinese students arriving on campus, the school decided to go ahead with the plans.

This class will be available on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1 p.m. until 1:50 p.m. as well as 2 p.m. until 2:50 p.m. The new language will also be available from 6 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. on Monday and Thursday.

Students have been worrying why they can only take one class of language when a student needs at least six credits of foreign language for some majors, but Hennessy said that there will definitely be more courses. She said it didn’t make much sense to add the advanced classes when no students could sign up for it right now.

Junior Aaron Smullin said while there is no guarantee he is going to take the class, he thinks it is a great idea for the new language to be on campus and that he is interested in learning Chinese.

“I never personally had the opportunity to take Chinese,” Smullin said. “It will be something different.

Smullin, a Public Relations major, said he didn’t plan on taking much of the course however. He knows it will be difficult as does Hennessy, who stressed that students have to take this course seriously and try hard because the level of difficulty is far more than the other languages offered at Western.

Also offered in this course will be the study of the culture, foods and the way of life in China and surrounding areas. Anybody interested in taking the course will be able to understand the characters and put them to use in variety of sentences.

Many schools in the midwest are starting to teach Chinese, with Kansas University even offering a major in the language. The culture is rising and now Western will be able to learn more about it.

“First and foremost it is a language course,” Hennessy said.

Perhaps after that, students will likely have a better understanding of the life in China, and that is something Western is really excited about.

Darin Smith is leasing the main floor of the building to open Way2Kewl & Trendy. Way2Kewl & Trendy will be open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM

Darin and his wife Terry Smith have another thrift store that is also called Way2Kewl & Trendy. This store is located at 1824 Fredrick and is open Fridays and Saturdays.
“Here in St. Joe we need more stores like this,” Terry Smith said.

Darin wants to see the United Store come to life again. He also hopes that this store being open again will help the downtown area of St. Joseph come back to what it was when the United building was open.
“What we hope to create down here is buying, selling and trading clothes of the spring and summer fashions with the hustle and bustle of what this historical building used to be, and bring back what once was on Felix street downtown,” Smith said.p>

The United building was constructed in 1918, but was not opened as United Department Store until 1931. The United Department Store remained open until 1987. The United Department store had a nickel and dime basement, but its main floors were higher end than the nickel and dime stores.
“I think it would be really neat to bring back the United Building. I have very fond memories of that story as do a lot of people in St. Joe,” WHO IS THIS PERSON Marty Lawrence said.

Way2Kewl & Trendy will take clothes on consignment and will have different fashion venders in the United Building with them. Some of the vendors will be permanent and others will vary week to week. Smith wants there to be new merchandise in the store all the time so people will come back.

The Smiths would like college kids to both consign their clothes and shop.

“How cool is it going to be for people coming in from out of state to see our fashion, trade with our fashions, make some money while they are at school and do fundraisers and things like that,” Smith said.p>

Smith would like to someday have a cafe on the mezzanine where future artists could put their art work up and sell it with no cost to the artist for the space.
“I am working with other vendors to put in a cookie counter and a cafe,” Smith said.

Smith also wants to start a program called shopping dollars (rather than gift cards) that people can use to buy products at the united building. He hopes with the shopping dollars he will have more repeat business. The hours of operation of the store are meant to draw people in who are going to the downtown area for dinner and drinks.

“Most university campuses have about a 10 percent student population with disabilities,” Disability Services Coordinator, Mike Ritter said. Missouri Western currently has 239 students registered with Ritter’s office, which is a low percentage and usually means that there are students with disabilities that do not ask for assistance.

“There is no such thing as disability month or week,” Ritter said. The only promotion of the department depends on what he generates to make students aware of the services provided to those who need him.

Some students, like former police officer Larry Beatie, prefer to not use the campus services.  Instead, Beatie wheels himself around campus on manual power after losing the use of his legs in a high speed vehicular chase.

“This campus is very accessible for wheelchairs,” Beatie said as he wheeled himself from Murphy to Blum and back again for a burger. “I probably worked it off just getting there and back.”

Ritter is also the advisor for Alpha Delta Alpha a student club dedicated to improving campus accessibility for people with disabilities. They have started putting activities on their website to help involve students with disabilities with each other and advise them about the services offered by the university. To get to their website, look up Alpha Delta Alpha on the A-Z search on Western’s home page (www.missouriwestern.edu/orgs/ada/index.asp).

Another way that Western helps out is by having a good practice of employing those with disabilities. Jay Summers has been working for Western for over 18 years. He has held many positions from the mail room to maintenance. His list of disabilities includes: mild retardation, learning disabilities, hearing loss and muscle and joint problems. He credits his uncle Danny Colgan, who was his superintendent at Central High School, for getting him the help needed to receive his education. Mostly his day is spent picking up and maintaining the grounds of the university.

“The Chiefs like my work,” Summers said. “I took care of the stadium while they were here along with others who helped me.”

Jay has a football with many Chiefs signatures he has collected over the years. The opportunity to work with them has added to his collection.  His “office” is located in the boiler room of Juda Hall and is festooned with memorabilia of pictures and news articles concerning him and other of his favorite sports teams.

Summers’ other duties include cleaning the buses and other campus vehicles after an outing. He also spends much of his time removing trash from the dorms. He is one of those “behind-the-scenes” type of employees that are necessary to university operations, and he is successful with supervision.

“I still make mistakes, but people help me learn to do a better job,” Summers said.

“Phantom” is based on the book with the same title by Arthur Kopit. His book is based on the novel “The Phantom of the Opera” by Gaston Leroux. The leading role is Eric, a tortured soul who lives in the basement of an opera house. He is the disfigured love child of a stage manager and beautiful performer who has died before the time of the opening scene. Eric, played by Raymond Johnson, wears a mask at all times after seeing himself in a puddle of water as a youngster. Only his father, the aging stage manager, knows his identity and has protected him for years from the public and opera house performers.

Eric’s entire world is the basement of the opera house. He plays there as a youngster in a park of artificial prop type trees. He sleeps on a bed from a different production and teaches a costume girl how to sing in a set that must be from an opera of horror genre. After hearing grand opera all his life he knows good performance and talent. Both are developed in his protégé, the lovely Christine with whom he falls in love.

His world begins to fall apart as the new owners of the opera house arrive and promptly fire his father.  The devastation of his world continues to the point that his beloved Christine, played by Morgan Breckenridge and Adrienne Collins (depending on which performance attended), insists on seeing his face.

Eric has no way to repair his world as Christine screams at the site of his face and runs from his artificial park where he planned a romantic picnic. Just before this scene he says he is satisfied with only this walk in his park. She states that there is much more but understanding his position he admits “I’m sure there is more, but not for me.”

MWSU’s President, Robert Vartabedian is credited with the idea for a production involving the music, art and theater departments in Director, Tee Quillin’s program notes. The idea is more than bold. Only perseverance and discipline of each performer could bring about the cooperation of each department on this large scale production.  

This performance was nearly constantly accompanied by a music score by Maury Teston. The execution was so well performed by the live orchestra that the audience could almost forget it occupied the pit.  Conductor Rico McNeela kept each moment of “Phantom” a seamless emotional experience with talented Western students.  The company of artist and actors played four times to a sold-out house.

If that sounds familiar it’s because “Phantom” comes on the heels of Dallas Henry’s direction of “Laughter on the 23^rd Floor” last fall which also enjoyed sold-out performances. Henry was the box office/house manager of this production and shared a funny but nervous curtain speech with Director, Tee Quillin at the beginning of the Sunday performance. Both of these gentlemen are fairly new to Missouri Western but have hit the ground running with these two pieces.

Everyone involved in this performance worked together with each doing his or her part and each deserves highest praise for their efforts. Hats off to everyone from the stage hands to the director. In the words of Eric, “People are born for many things.” The performers have earned their audience’s highest compliment. At the end of the performance most were hoping the house lights wouldn’t come up so quickly that fellow audience members could see their tears.

The new mosque (house of prayer) is located at 2325 Messanie St. where an open house celebration was held Saturday March 5 from noon till 5 p.m. “We are committed to this community,” President, Ramadhan Washington of the Islamic Society of Greater St. Joseph said. That commitment is also evident with the selection of the mosque site. It is literally 50 yards from the old shoe store where the mosque was last housed.

Members of the community were invited into the new mosque to see the building and educate themselves about Islam beliefs and practices. The walls of the foyer were covered with posters explaining how the Islam religion views women, Jesus, children and many other interesting topics.

Literature was available for visitors. Imam, (Spiritual Leader) Omar Hazim was there signing and promoting his new book “Islam in the Heartland of America,” which he authored to inform and educate the public about how Islam is taught in the mosque in Topeka, Kansas. The book’s editor, Kahlil Green sums up the purpose of the book in the publication’s introduction. “For anyone who ever thought about or wondered what is taught in the Friday services at a mosque, for them, this book is a must read.” (ISBN 978-1-4568-5797-4)

MWSU student, Alisher Sharipov (Ali) helped build the mosque and recently was involved in repairing the roof. “There was a problem with the dome; we had to install a slope and put roofing materials on it,” Sharipov said. He was also involved in the construction phase of the project.

“As we worked on the building a few people would drive by yelling things that were not too nice at us,” Sharipov said. “I understand where these feelings come from. Some people are confused about who we are. Islam is actually a religion of peace.”  Sharipov is a junior at Western, and is currently studying accounting on a student visa. He is from Turkmenistan in central Asia.

Not all members are from foreign lands. Self proclaimed army brat, James Rager is a member of the local Islamic group. Rager was reared a Catholic with his military family in Germany then became an atheist until six years ago when he converted to Islam.

“When we come to pray at the mosque we focus on God. That is why the women pray in a separate area. The men can pray without distraction this way,” Rager said. “Our commitment is to this neighborhood and hopefully lowering some of the violence in the area.”

A portion of the violence has been directed at the mosque as reported by St. Joseph Police Officer Roy Wedlow.  He was on hand at the open house during his lunch time. The leaders of the church asked him to stop by during the open house. “There has been one arrest of a man who was allegedly threatening the mosque and attempting to vandalize it,” Wedlow said. “I hope this mosque can educate people and lower the crime rate in the area by helping people and changing the perception of Islam.”

“Actually, I ran my first [marathon] in November,” Taylor said. “I never intended to run a marathon. The thing about running is you start and it’s an ongoing challenge.”

The marathon will take place April 30 in Eugene, Oregon. He said he is really geared up for this one, because it is in the town where he did his graduate work. Taylor got his start at a gym in Portland, Oregon, in 2009.

“It just sort of built upon itself,” Taylor said. “I was to the point where I was running a mile, and then it was two miles, and then I thought well maybe I can run a 5K, which is three miles. Then I ran a 10K, which is six miles. And if I can run six miles, maybe I can run ten miles. It just creeps up on you.”

Taylor said he uses Nike’s six month marathon training course on his iPhone. With this app he can train whenever and wherever he wants.

“It consists of essentially building up endurance for long runs,” Taylor said.

Taylor has even spoken to his students about his imminent departure for the Oregon marathon. Lauren Crabtree is a student in one of Taylor’s courses. Crabtree said he talks about the training in class, and she thinks it is really cool.

“I’d do it too if I was in shape,” Crabtree said.

For students looking to take up running, Taylor had some advice to give.

“Start slow, and pay attention to your form,” Taylor said. “Running is a sport with a high injury rate.”

Despite this warning, Taylor does encourage everyone to try out running. He said there are several rewards in it along with the challenges.

“One is rediscovering the joy of movement,” Taylor said. “And thinking about what we can do, pushing ourselves, taking on new challenges. Talk about it; tell people what you’re doing. And of course eat healthy and get lots of sleep. Those would be my words of wisdom.”

The 2010 tennis season is well behind coach Ron Selkirk and his team. The season is over; done; finished. The 2011 season has started and there could not be better news surrounding the tennis team.

Last year, finishing with a record of 0-7 in the conference and 3-15 overall, Western did not look anywhere near a team ready for the MIAA tournament. They drew the number one seed, Northwest Missouri, and was ousted 5-0.

In just the first two weeks of competition for the 2011 season, Western has won two games, just one less than the total of last season, and already looks more competitive. This is definitely something coach Selkirk can build on.

“We’re doing pretty good,” Selkirk said. “I would have liked to have been (undefeated), but they’re things to build on.”

Western defeated Lincoln (Mo.) on Feb. 25, a team they lost to 8-1 a year ago. Not only did Western get payback against Lincoln, but they also took care of Morningside 7-2, a team that they defeated last year.

Senior Mindy Buschbom, who is planning on majoring in physical education, knows this is her last year and is ready for the rest of the season.

“I want to win more games,” Buschbom said. “For me personally I want to win more singles and doubles.”

Buschbom did not play on the team last year but will be looked at as a leader for her final season. She was not eligible to play last year becaue of credit hours. Being back on the team is great for Western because she will add to the team.

“I like everyone; we all get along,” Buschbom said. “We are all like the same person. As for the coach, he is a great coach. He’s always getting us feed back on what to do.”

Western has a favorable schedule early on. They already defeated two of the four teams they played. They lost 7-2 to Johnson County Community College, a team that finished 4-11 in the regular season last year before making a run for the Region 6 title, taking second. Now they play Emporia State, who finished 6th in the conference last season, and Baker University.

The schedule gets tougher in the middle of the year, as Western has to travel to Iowa to play Graceland University, go to Maryville to play last years regular season conference champions Northwest and also go to Topeka to play the defending conference tournament champions Washburn University.

“Playing the conference as a whole, it’s tough; there are some good teams so good competition,” Selkirk said.

Western has four freshman who were not part of last years dismal season. This includes Erin Ward, Sophia Robertson, Katherine Guinn and Katie Field. Continuing down the roster, Western has the only sophomore on the team, Nicole Kerr and junior Alecia Jenkins. Western has two seniors, the aforementioned Buschbom and Sarah Hatten, a public relations major who transferred to the team after attending the University of Oregon.

Last season, Selkirk talked great about how well Hatten played during her single’s matches. If she can continue donig that this season, she will help Western get more wins.

According to the MIAA website, the women’s tennis division did not have one team finish in the regional rankings last year. However, Selkirk thinks there is great competition for his team this year.

“We beat Lincoln so we’re already 1-0,” Selkirk said. “That is a good thing; getting the monkey off our back because we finally won a conference game.”

Look for Western to rebound from a poor 2010 season and gain great experience from a young team in 2011. With leadership from both Buschbom and Hatten, as well as quailty play, Western is capable of upsetting some teams. If they can do that then the 2011 season will be much more enduring and easier to manage than the year before.

In this tale, young farm girl Christine Daae journeys to Paris to fulfill her dream of performing at the Paris Opera House. She is given lessons by Erik, the mysterious Phantom who lives in the catacombs beneath the opera house. Her voice is so beautiful that the Phantom falls in love with her. This may seem to follow the traditional Phantom of the Opera plot, but there are several key differences.

Dr. Susan Carter, director of vocal studies and associate professor of music, said that although the main idea is the same, Kopit and Yeston have added some changes.

“They’re both based on the same book,” Carter said, “There’s some difference in the characters. Webber’s Christine is a ballet dancer, and in [Phantom] she’s a composer. She’s bringing her songs to Paris and she’s singing them.”

In addition to Christine’s variation, characters like the Phantom’s mother have been added in certain scenes. Although the romance and mystery remain, the story seems to unfold differently than before.

Dr. Carter believes this production will appeal to Western students and residents of St. Joseph alike.

“[The students] will find the same things they find in Transformers and Twilight,” Carter said, “There’s the young romantic couple. There’s that teen angst. The community will see true life in it. And older people will remember the first love they see in Christine.”

Because the role is so big and requires so much work, Christine will be performed by two different students. Freshman Adrienne Collins and sophomore Morgan Breckenridge will each play the part two nights.

Collins has worked with the theater department here at Western even before she started attending as a student. She was already familiar with Webber’s version of the musical, and was excited to work on Kopit and Yeston’s adaptation.

“I thought it was beautiful, and something I’d like to be a part of,” Collins said, “Seeing so many people come together and work so hard is really inspiring.”

Breckenridge was asked to audition by Dr. Carter. As a vocal student, she saw a great opportunity to put her hard work to the test and has continued to work hard on this role.

“[The role] is very challenging vocally,” Breckenridge said, “There are lots of difficult things you have to learn how to do and be comfortable doing in front of a crowd.” 

Breckenridge said working with the cast has been the most enjoyable experience.

“It’s helped me find my place,” Breckenridge said, “It’s reassured me that music is what I really want to do.”

Tickets are on sale now at www.missouriwestern.edu/tickets/phantom/. Adults pay $10, seniors and Western employees pay $8, and Western students get in for $5. For more information, email questions to tickets@missouriwestern.edu or call 816-271-5923.

The small cart in Hearnes is managed by Food Services director Jim Maides. Maides knows Dameron himself, and said that she leaves a lasting mark on students by being someone they can look to for comfort. She always knows the names of her customers, and even their favorite items.

“She’s such a sweet lady,” Maides said, “She’s made a huge impact.”

Even before Java City brought its goods to campus, Dameron was working for Western’s Food Services. For five years she was employed at the food court. In 2006, when the library was remodeled and the coffee cart was added, Dameron was asked to take over at the new location.

“It was the best decision I ever made about a job,” Dameron said, “It is so much fun!”

Besides being a constant landmark for students, she also has a husband and three sons at home.

“I still have one [son] in high school,” Dameron said. “It’s all family stuff when I leave [campus].”

Her favorite aspect of her job, and her life, are the students, her family – all the people.

“And I just love making great coffee!” Dameron said.

Students take notice of Dameron and her service. Java City customers Claire Hendren and Mariah Stegman said they visit the coffee cart two or three days every week.

“We’re here almost every other day,” Stegman said.

“And Pam’s always in a good mood,” Hendren said, “And she makes [the coffee] so fast!”

Dameron’s friendly demeanor and attention to detail, as well as the coffee that the students love, have earned her a place in Western’s heart. As students continue to forge ahead in their studies, they will also continue to seek out Dameron’s positivity, compassion and mocha lattes.

I went to Center for Multicultural Education programs beforehand and I really liked the types of programs they provide to students regarding diversity, so this definitely grabbed my into being in the office and coming up here and talking to whoever was here.

Which black leader would you say is your role model?

Harriet Jacobs. She was born into slavery and her family were slaves. I saw a play last semester – it was a trip that was provided by the Center for Multicultural Education, and the play depicted her life. She was sexually harassed by her master and she stood strong against him. She stood up against him and wasn’t afraid of him. She made the choice to have two children by a white male lawyer and to make her master stop harassing her, but he didn’t. So she pretended to escape to the north, but really she was in her grandmother’s attic for several years. Learning about her story made me appreciate being a young black woman with choices. Back then if you were a black woman, you didn’t have choices. You didn’t have rights. You didn’t have anything to protect you. You didn’t have leverage or anything like that. Her story truly made me appreciate the choices I can make.

In what way do you think that black leaders have had the most impact on society?

Our black leaders are educated and articulate and that they are promoting change in our community and inspiring young black men and women to follow in their steps and push forward. So, to have our very first black President has definitely impacted our community. You have various leaders that have given people in communities that are probably known as statistics; you’re giving them hope. So, they’ve definitely impacted our community.

In the last ten years, how do you think black leaders have affected America?

I think they’ve brought about issues, certain issues in the black community, such as poverty. I don’t think anybody has truly paid attention to poverty in the past 10 years, especially during the 1980s during the whole drug reign. Of course I wasn’t born until the last year of the 80s, but I read up on my history. You would go into the communities and see black people strung out on drugs but nobody really got down to how this was happening. So over the past 10 or even 20 years, you’re starting to see people be aware of issues like poverty. It’s one of the biggest things, as well as education.

How was the election of the first black president effected your life?

That was just amazing. I was a sophomore at the time, a sophomore here. And I remember seeing the “Vote or Shut Up” campaign where they had rallies and events. The night that President Obama was elected, we were over in the CSE watching it. It definitely impacted me because there was so much student participation, no matter what race you were. There were so many students involved in that election, it was amazing. I don’t know how to describe the initial feeling of it. I almost cried when he was delivering his speech. It just gave you hope that you can go above and beyond. In the past there’s always been a white president. Never have you seen a color or anything like that. Now that President Obama is president, you’re starting to see more people of color involved in politics. I truly appreciate that. Him being elected definitely gave me hope that I can go above and beyond what people say is possible. He made the impossible possible.

What does it take in your opinion to be a black leader in America?

You definitely have to stay true to your morals. Because if you’re not, then nobody that helped you get to where you are is going to believe in you anymore. You’ve just got to have integrity and be true to yourself and true to your constituents. Also, you definitely have got to be willing to speak up for yourself. You have to stand up for what you believe in and be an advocate for your community. You need to speak about the true issues at hand. Don’t push your own agenda, push what your constituents want. Know their wants and needs and what your wants and needs are.

What do you hope students or people in general can learn from Black History Month?

I would hope that they would want to learn more about black history beyond Black History Month because, being involved in education and being a student, I only hear about black history during Black History Month. I want black history to be an actual class on this campus. I’ve talked to Dr. Daffron and she’s looking into it; I really want African-American history to be learned on this campus. I want people to learn, beyond Black History Month, about everything. There’s so many things involved in black history that you just can’t fit everything into 28 days. You just can’t; you can’t fit everything. It has to be brought out. It takes a lot. There’s stuff that I don’t even know. I didn’t know about Harriet Jacobs until a few months ago. I want students to go above and beyond to learn about black history – and not just people that are black. People that are white, people who are Hispanic, people who are Indian – whatever. I want them to go above and beyond and learn about black history because we are on a diverse campus and in order for us to grow we’re going to have to learn about people’s heritage. And I think it’s important that if you are another race, you learn about different race’s heritages.

What do you feel is the most important aspect of multicultural studies?

Learning how to communicate with different cultures. Even beyond the language line, but to learn how to communicate with them, how to talk with them and express things to them. We’re going to be out in the world soon. I’ve noticed here that we are so in our bubbles. It’s expected that if you’re black, you’re going to hang out with black students and if you’re white, you’re going to hang out with white students.  In college, it’s still going on. What happens when you go out into the real world and get a job? What happens if your employer might be a different race from you? So how are you going to talk to them if all your life you’ve been around your own culture? It’s important to learn how to communicate with others, learn how to handle situations, learn how to respect people and  be sensitive to some things that you say. Because what you say, you may think has no power, but it may have power to somebody else.

What do you believe is the biggest impact black leaders have made on society?

I think one, education. When Brown vs. Board of Education was passed, it was definitely influential in integrating schools: allowing black and white students to be all in the same school. I think that was tremendously important because before then, you had schools that were for white students that were funded well, they had busses, they did all this. But then you had black schools – they had poor textbooks: the leftovers from the white schools. They didn’t have any busses – black students had to walk miles just to get to school. For schools to be integrated, I think that was one of the biggest things ever. Back at home, I was a part of the desegregation program where they take inner city kids, who are mostly black, and they go out to suburban county schools. I was able to go to a really good school. That was definitely influential because the St. Louis public school system is not a good school district. It’s so behind, and my mom didn’t tolerate that. She wanted us to get the best education. So when I transferred over to my new school district, I had to catch up. I was behind about two grades. I had to catch up, and I did, and it definitely influenced me to go to college to go even higher to grad school. Brown vs. Board of Education was influential. The second thing is voting. For black people to be allowed to vote, I think that’s one of the biggest rights that we have is to vote and voice your opinion. I make sure any time there’s an election, a primary, a midterm election – I make sure I go out and vote. I don’t care if I don’t know the people on the ballot – I research them. I watch the debates. I look up on the internet who’s the best candidate for me.

What do you hope students learn from your particular organization?

I hope people learn that we are what we call “the grass roots department.” We are small, but we are effective. Last semester we did the “what does it mean to be” series. That series was focused on different social identities so, so we did Latino in America, gay in America, black in America, religious, spiritual in America – we pretty much hit everything. And it was very impacting. People are still talking to this day about “are you going to do a part two?” It was so impacting because you weren’t listening to paid speakers, you were listening to people on this campus talking about their adversities, their struggles, and how they overcame. You listened to students, faculty, staff and community members telling you and relating to you. That, to me, was definitely one of the most impacting programs that we have put on and it cost nothing to put them on. It was so impacting. I want students to come to the CME, come in, talk to us, listen to what we have to say, be involved, because they are really going to need it. They may not think they need it right now, but what we teach you in our program is going to help you out throughout your lifetime. Trust and believe.

What impact do you believe culture has on the way people live and interact?

It definitely affects it. Especially your upbringing – what your parents teach you and your friends. Cluture just has a huge impact on you. Hopefully, like for me, I was growing up in a black household and my mom was very strict on family, and I remember one time I said I hated my sister and she slapped the mess out of me. She said “you never say you hate your sister.” So, family values were truly important. Also, with my culture, my mom taught me that I had to respect everybody else. Don’t use stereotypes, because I hear them a lot. My friends might make a joke about someone being white or black. Of course, we have our own stereotypes. Your culture can definitely bring out good qualities in you, but sometimes people take those qualities and turn them bad. But it’s important that within your culture you learn about other cultures so you know how to act around other people.

The President of WAC, Keisha Caldwell, is not only involved in WAC but also plays a role as a program assistant in the Center for Multicultural Education. This places her in a unique position to represent students in both organizations.

“I know what my constituents want and I represent them and their interest,” Caldwell said. She admits that she used to be very shy and claims that serving others has helped her to overcome shyness. It was the second semester of her freshman year when she went to her first WAC meeting. “I loved it and I never left,” Caldwell said.

Q: What attracted you to this line of work?
A: When I first started going to MWSU I attended CME programs and really enjoyed them. I particularly like the way the program challenged my thinking. Before you go to college you have the influence of how you parents have molded you into what they want you to be, what they want you to think, who your friends should be, and what school they want you to go to. The CME programs challenged me to think for myself.

Q: Which black leader would you say is your role model?
A: It actually changed over time; right now it is Harriet Jacobs. I went to a play depicting her life story. She is my current role model because even with years of sexual harassment from her slave master she held strong and never gave in to him. While watching the play I realized, as a black woman, I have choices.

Q: In what way do you think black leaders have had the most impact on society?
A: The greatest impact has been the civil rights issues that were championed by Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Reverend Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, and President Obama; they laid the foundation to where we are today.

Q: In the last ten years, how do you think black leaders have affected America?
A: There are really so many. Even lately I heard that Rev. Al Sharpton went on a hunger strike and lost 40 pounds to bring attention to his cause. For me it is more local. The CME organization has changed me and others by creating good leaders.

Q: How was the election of the first black president affected your life?
A: I was a sophomore when President Obama was elected. I will always remember being in the CME as we experienced him taking office. I thought to myself, how he is taking power in my lifetime. I get to experience it.

Q: What does it take to be a black leader in America?
A: You must be strong and stick to the basics principles you know are right. Speak for your constituents.

Q: What do you hope students/people in general learn from Black History Month?
A: I hope they will continue to learn about black history past February. This month should wet their appetite to learn all year long.

Q: What do you feel is the most important aspect of multicultural studies?
A: It enables you to think outside of what you know and were raised with. You can find out about others and learn from other culture believe and think.

Q: What do you believe is/was the biggest impact black leaders have had on society?
A: The opportunity to educate yourself has had the biggest impact but a close second is the right to vote.

Estes is a prominent sculptor and ceramicist, working primarily with clay and wood. Native to the American Midwest, most of his pieces reflect the irregular and beautiful landscape of Missouri and its neighbors. They even feature roads and trails, as if you are looking down upon a map of the land. His newer works can be seen across Western’s campus in the form of large metal sculptures, most recognizably ‘Passages’ – the red, yellow, and blue sculpture in front of Potter Hall.

Estes was honored to receive the title, but said that he did not set out seeking the distinction.

“My father groomed me to be an attorney,” Estes said, “But I said ‘I think I might try art out.’ I didn’t care how much money I made, I’d rather do something I wanted to do.”

Estes first got started in the field in high school, and was inspired by instructor Joe Neff.

“He was enthusiastic,” Estes said. “He showed me a side of art I hadn’t seen before. I fell in love with the act of making something. And that is the first thing all artists must do.”

Assistant Professor of Art, Geo Sipp worked closely with Estes and even participated in an art exhibition with him. Sipp described the time he spent working with Estes since 2001 as an invaluable experience.

“He was, and still is, a real worker, and generous to a fault,” said Sipp. “Students knew he wasn’t just a teacher. He had their respect and admiration, as well as that of his peers.”

Besides teaching at Western and providing the sculptures that decorate the campus grounds, Estes was also responsible for starting the ceramics program in his early years of teaching. Sipp said it began as a project in a small building on the east side of campus, and, because of Estes, it is still active today.

Dr. Allison Sauls, chair of the art department, said Estes was fabulous to work with.

“He’s sensible, he’s practical, and he gets things done,” said Sauls. “I was sad when he retired, and I miss him very much.”

Sauls said Estes will be leaving behind a legacy in the form of his students who are now working in the field of art, and in the aesthetic improvement of campus provided by his sculptures.

“Just look at the campus. It’s gorgeous,” said Sauls, “It makes a statement. It’s absolutely wonderful to see.”

Estes’ art has also been featured in magazines and in more than 140 exhibits across America. Estes said he does not work for a cause; he creates for himself as much as for his audience, and he wishes to see more of that in art today.

He is leaving Western after 38 years of education and service. His colleagues in the Art Department agree that he will be missed, and that he is indeed more than deserving of this great honor.

The party starts at noon on February 12, 2011, and participants “take the plunge” at 2 p.m. sharp. This charitable celebration will take place at Lake Contrary here in St. Joe. All potential plunge-takers are asked to fill out a registration form online and raise at least $75 dollars for the charity by the date of the event. You can create your own page online to help raise funds, and email friends and family to invite them to donate and attend. Everyone planning to join the party must wear a swimsuit and shoes, and many choose to show up in hilarious costumes.

Since this is a citywide event, and most college students can’t resist a party (no matter how chilly), many of Missouri Western’s students are planning to attend. Some will be participating, and some will serve as spectators. Sophomore friends Ceasera Robinson, Stacey Weidemann, and Sarah Gordon had this to say about the upcoming event.

“It gets people together,” Ceasera says, “They help each other for one cause.”

When asked if they planned on joining in on the frosty festivities, Sarah said, “I will if you guys will.”

“Yeah,” Ceasera agreed, “I’ll do it.”

“I will not.” Stacey laughed.

Even though Stacey’s not planning to swim this year, she does intend to donate to Ceasera’s and Sarah’s team.

In addition to the crazy costumes and shivering swimmers, Polar Plunge offers music, dancing, talking, and laughter – just like any great party! After the event, awards will be given to participants. Awards are presented for Top Fundraising College, Top Fundraising School, Top Fundraising Team, Top Fundraising Law Enforcement Agency, and Top Fundraising Individual. In addition to these honors, one person or team will be bestowed with the Golden Plunger for having the best costumes.

Even if you don’t find yourself in possession of one of these icy awards, every participant receives a gift. Remember that $75 you must earn before Saturday? That guarantees you a Polar Plunge 2011 t-shirt! Plungers who raise $250 will receive their choice of a Travel gift card, music and media pack, or a Polar Plunge 2011 beach towel. $500 gives you the choice of a Polar Plunge sweatshirt blanket, Polar Plunge fleece jacket, Polar Plunge duffel bag, or Polar Plunge hoodie. And $1000 lets you choose a Polar Plunge Columbia jacket, Polar Plunge Men’s/Women’s jacket, or Polar Plunge Travel backpack.

This year the goal is set at $45,000. So far, Plungers across the state have raised $15,876.58. Even if you don’t plan on taking the plunge, you can always donate toward the cause and help the other Plungers reach their goal.

MWSU veteran counselor, Steve Potter has been assisting students for more than twenty years and gave advice Friday Jan. 28 about managing stress in a presentation at Eder Hall. The goal was to help students with the stress they encounter every day

 “We do a great deal of class-schedule type counseling or career counseling but our bread and butter is working with students with personal concerns and issues,” Potter said. There are some differences in concerns from freshmen to non-traditional students but the issues are surprisingly similar. “If you are going to lump them into categories there are three, depression, anxiety and stress.”

Potter also pointed out that stress can come from good things such as weddings, buying a car or having a baby. In some cases these otherwise positive events can lead to negative reactions to stress. The key to stress management he said is to react in good productive ways.

“I would like to redo this event at a better time so more students could attend,” event organizer and Non-Trad Program Assistant, Shannon Ebling said. “The event was so full of information that students really need. I found many ideas for overcoming stress in my own life.”

Potter discussed the “ABCD’s” of the mental chain of events in a stress response. The letter “A” is the “activating” event or stressor. The “B” represents what one “believes” about the event whether it is rational or irrational. Next is the “C” or “consequence” that people feel about an event as a result of their perception. Then the “D” is representative of “disputing” an irrational belief to bring out a more positive consequence. An irrational belief, explored in the hand out material, may be that students feel “just can’t stand it” when actually they can.

Jenifer Gawatz attended the event and said, “I will use the ideas learned at this event to overcome some of the stress that I have. I’m going to get a hobby. I need the distraction because I’m dealing with an ex-relationship.” Gawatz also said she would go again if the event is offered.

Many students, according to the literature, fall into the “fairy tale” response category believing that things should be different. Students in this category think that things should always be ideal or the way they want them to be. This type of belief system is not founded in reality and increases stress. Another category labeled as the “Monster” is a belief that there is danger where no actual danger exists. This is sometimes the stress students feel when experiencing test anxiety. 

Students can have the “I’m no good” or “others are no good,” complex. These are overgeneralizations according to Potters literature and they exaggerate normal failures or imperfections. Another stress factory is the “Doomsday” category which tends to make a situation seem more tragic than it is. These individuals make mountains out of mole hills and find stress at every encounter.

The goal of the presentation was to assist students in identifying the stressors in their lives and plan ways to react to those stressors in a positive realistic way. Potter believes that students need to practice relaxation and do it the right way. He has developed a way of identifying stress by measuring hand temperature. Using this detection method he can not only measure stress but also measure how well his clients are relaxing. Potters theory is that improved relaxing methods with practice can lead to stress relief.

Tips For Stress Relief

The following is a summary of ideas conveyed by MWSU Counselor Steve Potter during his recent presentation about stress management.

The first tip for relieving stress is to understanding one’s self. To do this, listen to the body. Students sometimes don’t know when to quit. People can also use feedback from others. Be aware though, sometimes friends won’t tell friends what is wrong with the way they are acting when asked. People have an obligation to be honest with themselves. Students need to set limits by discovering what they can control in their life and what they cannot. Also, they need to watch and learn how they react to situations. It’s best to actually keep notes of how you react and how you feel when situations arise. Then analyze those reactions to see if they are positive or negative.

Next it is necessary to develop healthy attitudes. Positive thinking is not normal for some without practice. This is where counseling can help. It is important for people to accept what they cannot change and realize that they’re human and therefore are not perfect. Everyone needs to learn to love their self as they are without expectations. Many forms of stress come from past experiences or worry about future events. These are negative actions and keep us from living in the present. It is important to recognize the things that have been accomplished and successes fulfilled. Those events need to be celebrated. Students need to realize that leisure time is important and beneficial if used wisely.  Everyone needs to understand that they and their time are limited and they must learn to say no. Nobody can do everything.

Controlling emotions is difficult for some. People need to ask themselves, how do I feel? Then share those feelings with someone who will listen. This is often called venting. When someone is venting it is not necessary to respond just to listen as the one venting gets it out of their system. If there is no person to vent upon then students can often feel better after writing down the event and how it made them feel. This is done by writing letters that never get sent or keeping a journal. The main idea is to not keep those feelings bottled up.  Find a way to express them.

People who want their way all of the time need to think about others and their point of view. It helps to give in once in a while. Not every issue is a “hill to die on.” It is normal to look for those responsible and attach blame to people for situations but this is negative behavior. People need to learn to share their feelings honestly. Always be willing to find new friends. Learn to listen to others and not give advice until they ask. People need to learn to risk love when dealing with close relationships.

It is important to keep a regular sleep schedule, exercise regularly and eat well-balanced meals. Caffeine and nicotine increase stress. It may feel better to light up but maybe the time to get away from a situation and think is the real therapy. One of the best tips is just learning to relax. Counselors can help you learn breathing techniques and other activities so a little relaxation can go further. Being overweight is an automatic stressor. It is best to keep weight at a moderate level.

Then there is the age old idea of living one day at a time to enhance healthy living. This gets back to living in the present and not worrying about regrets from the past or possible events from the future. It is important to have alone time along with socializing. Try to be more self reliant so others have less of a chance to let you down. Stress really is relieved by having a hobby. It’s a way to escape the stressful situations for a while. Successful stress managers guard their private alone time and let others know that it is valuable to them. It is important to take vacations and breaks to relieve stress. Keeping a variety of activities is important to maintain balance. Keep in mind that it is best to plan changes and don’t make too many at once. It is best to avoid impulsive changes these cause stress for everyone involved. Overall remember to slow down and relax.

It is rewarding to really enjoy the career successes as they come. People should never fear failure but accept it as a normal part of living. Nothing enhances your career and life like improving your skills. The end result is more confidence and less stress.

<h3>Stress Busters</h3>

Taking Charge

People must to realize that they need to handle the situations they face. Other people can help but they make the necessary changes in their own lives. People are stronger than they think. They need to learn to be responsible for the choices they have made and learn from the situations they cause. They can also learn from the good outcomes of making good decisions and doing the right thing.

Be Realistic

No one can do everything or make everyone happy. Students need to realize their limits and set realistic expectations for themselves. Setting unattainable goals only leads to stress and frustration. People need to learn that it is ok to say no.

Be Flexible

Students should not expect perfection of themselves or others. Making mistakes is normal and if mistakes are expected they can be accepted more readily. People can get along better if they keep an open mind and are tolerant of each other. It doesn’t mean that you have to give up your values to allow someone else to have theirs. It is easier to get along when people replace the need to be right with the need to be kind.

Lighten Up

People need to have a healthy since of humor. Students need to take what they do more seriously and themselves less seriously. Students are more productive, happier, and successful when they have a good since of humor.

Stop your “Stinking Thinking”

Students can enhance their environment by just thinking of things in a more positive way. Many need help with this process and help is available at the MWSU Testing and Counseling office. It is better for all when people stop finding the negative in every situation and focusing on only the bad result of an unfortunate situation. Finding something good is harder but much more productive.

Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude

Students can benefit by learning to take a moment and count their blessings. People need to be more thankful for the good things that happen to them and the good relationships that they have with others. When people keep these ideas in focus it is hard for stress to sneak back into their lives. It is helpful to focus on ways of helping others.

Give yourself a “Helper’s High”

Nothing can make someone feel as good as when they come through for someone else. When they do that thing that means everything to another human being, it gives them strength to overcome their own stress. People who have never experienced this “High” need to volunteer or do something so they can get this experience. It could change their life.

Take Good Care of Your Body

As much as people need to take this advice it is more important now than ever. Medication for the treatment of depression, anxiety, and stress are the top three prescriptions written today. Most doctors agree that most could get off of their medication if they just learned to diet and exercise properly. Cigarettes, caffeine, sugar, alcohol and illicit drugs are stress enhancers. Rest is essential for good stress management and good health.

Love Yourself and Everyone You Meet

People need to know that it is ok to love themselves. It is equally important to love others as well as they love themselves. It may sound corny or religious but without love those feelings of loneliness, despair and stress increase exponentially. Students need to learn to risk loving others.

Find the Bless in the Mess

People and situations will disappoint us. It is a given. As people focus on being more open honest and positive it should become easier to overcome the stress related to disappointment. Students can apply this to their lives by learning to expect disappointment and planning how to handle it in a healthy way that doesn’t increase stress in their lives.

Live in the Present

People are healthier when they learn to “give it up,” or “let go of it.” Holding on to something from the past only serves to enhance stress. As well, worrying about something that may never happen is equally destructive. Only when people learn to enjoy where and when they are can they loosen the bondage of stress.

Get Social

People are most healthy and stress free when they feel real bonds to others. It is healthy to share life’s little moments with others even if it is funny or embarrassing it only invites others to share and increase bonds and connections that can fight feelings of loneliness and stress.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Western freshman Brandonne Primous adds input from the male perspective.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In reaction to the cut from state funds, Western will be raising tuition somewhere in the 10 percent range. The Columbia Tribune reported that the schools in the University of Missouri system will be raising their tuition an average of 5.8 percent.

President Robert Vartabedian believes that Western is different from other universities because Western is a growing campus.

“Our circumstances are a little different than other universities,” Vartabedian said. “While I’m thankful that the cut’s not more than [7 percent] still, it will hurt if we cannot offset it.”

Vartabedian said that everyone at Western has suffered from cuts but believes that a raise in tuition will help Western grow even more.

“We’ve made the best of the belt tightening,” Vartabedian said. “But I think we’re at the point where we’re very, very lean and that we really need to move forward with getting more resources for the University.”

Deputy Commissioner for the Missouri Department of Higher Education, Paul Wagner, met with Western administration last month to gather information about the university’s financial situation. Wagner said that when looking at schools and their situations, he doesn’t try to compare.

“Clearly Western has some of the same challenges that other schools do,” Wagner said. “State funding has been reduced, while enrollment has gone up, and of course fixed costs always increase. It doesn’t matter to me what any other school does. I’m simply looking at that school and their circumstances.”

The 7 percent cut to is part of Gov. Nixon’s proposed budget. The governor needed to cut nearly $500 million to balance it. This budget isn’t finalized and must be approved by the Missouri Congress. In the last few years, Congress has approved Nixon’s budget, leaving cuts untouched.

Once the state budget is finalized, Western will be proposing the tuition increase to the University’s Board of Governors. Once approved by the board, Western can begin requesting a waiver from Senate bill 389. Senate bill 389 freezes tuition at 4-year state institutions in Missouri. If the wavier is not granted, Western could be penalized with another 5 percent cut from the state if they raise tuition above the U.S. Consumer Price Index.

In an article in the Springfield News-Leader, sponsor of SB 389 Gary Noddler said that the bill was never meant prevent schools from raising tuition when necessary.

Vice President for Financial Planning and Administration, Mel Klinkner also believes that SB 389 was not intended for the current economic climate coupled with increasing mandatory costs.

“If we grow from 4,000 students to 6,000, and we still have the same staffing levels, how do you cut?” Klinker said. “We’re just at a point where I don’t know where else we can cut from the budget. I mean, everybody has to cut back as much as we can. We cut back our budgets and not added staff. It’s pretty tough.”

On Feb. 2, Vartabedian will be testifying in front of the State Appropriations Committee. The committee has asked Vartabedian to address some specific areas concerning Western and its budget.

The play depicts stories told by women of the reality they must go through on a daily basis, everything from the hilarious to the heartbreaking. The show will be able to grab the viewer’s attention right away with the harsh realities of abuse towards women and keeps going with the stories of how the women can use their vagina as a tool for empowerment.

“If I had to sum up the show in one word, it would be ‘real,’ because it’s just raw material.  It’s just putting it out there, you know. It’s very educational to males and females,” cast member Erin Williams said.

Williams is performing two monologues: “My Angry Vagina,” and “Reclaiming Cunt.”

“The one that I like the most, probably, is Reclaiming Cunt.  It’s basically talking about the word, basically saying ‘Listen, this word shouldn’t be as uncomfortable as people make it feel, you know?’ And that’s my belief,” she said.

The monologues in the play have titles that will surely catch the attention of the audience: “The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could,” for example. Misty Ballew performs that monologue, and believes that its message will reach many audience members.

“She calls her coochie snorcher ‘a sight for mishaps, a bad luck zone.’ I know a lot of women can relate to that,” she said.

Ballew echoes Williams’ earlier sentiment.

“My monologue is so real. That’s what made it so uncomfortable. It’s so real, so believable. People don’t like to think about things like that actually happening.,” she said.

Eve Ensler, playwright of “The Vagina Monologues,” founded an organization called V-Day. According to their website, the “V” stands for “Victory, Valentine and Vagina.”

“VDay basically give volunteers around the world opportunities to put on productions like ‘Vagina Monologues’ for free to raise awareness about violence against women,” director of the Western production, Mallory Edson, said.

V-Day is a global organization whose aim is so stop violence against women.

“When I heard about the VDay organization, I wanted to use my ability with theatre to put together a production to bring awareness to this cause,” Edson said.

Production rights to the show are free between the months of February and April, as long as the proceeds are donated to charities that work to end violence against women. According to V-Day, this violence includes “rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sex slavery.”

While some parts of the play are light and fun, many of the monologues deal with these heavier topics.

“It’s important that people pay attention to this kind of stuff, because a lot of people just kind of brush it off,” Ballew said.

The actresses had one-on-one rehearsals to get deeper into character and to allow them to properly embody their character to the fullest. Ballew’s monologue is traditionally preformed by a black woman, but that does not prevent Ballew from relating to her character.

“Women who get abused like to pretend it never happened. Men don’t like to think that their friends do that. People like to ignore the situation. We need to stop pretending everything’s okay,” she said.

Students should get to the event early to purchase tickets. The Black Box is now able to hold at least 60 audience members. The tickets are only being sold at the door. With a MWSU ID card the ticket is $5 and general admission is $8. The play will have a running time of between sixty and ninety minutes. The show is expected to have a large turn out, so it is a must to get to this event in a timely manner.

Baum graduated from Western last year, with a B.A. in Convergent Media.

“She was one of the most hard working and dynamic students in convergent media because she enjoys the potential of it,” Professor Kenneth Rosenauer said. “She has lots of talent and I’m sure some day I’ll say, ‘I knew her when.’”

Baum is now attending grad school courses at the University of Kansas, and working at Smallcakes, a Kansas City area cupcakery. Their store and staff were featured on the Food Network’s “Cupcake Challenge” twice, and Baum was able to go on the second appearance.

“I was very excited,” Baum said. “It was pretty hard. The network people are helpful but the challenges are real.”

If they had won the challenge, one of the rewards would have been the opportunity to host a Grammy Nominee luncheon. Their motto for the event was “go big or go home,” so they accepted the challenge of making cupcakes to a rock and roll theme. The ingredient options offered by the network were selected considering that theme. They selected potato chips and beer.

“We made potato chip cupcakes with a chocolate stout frosting which has real beer in it,” Baum said. “All the judges liked them; we were surprised when they said we were selected to go home.”

Not all the news is bad though. The store has received over 40 e-mails of support from viewers who claim that Smallcakes was robbed. The exposure the team received from the television program did get the attention of Beautiful Brands International (BBI).

They have signed a contract to market Smallcakes as one of their nationally offered franchises. The Kansas City area stores will train all of the future employees of the new stores planned for Florida and other states across America in the near future. Two of the stores are in Kansas, and a third opening in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

“You can’t really help but smile when eating a cupcake,” said Jeff Martin, owner of Smallcakes, in a recent news release. “That’s really the idea behind Smallcakes; we wanted to provide a product to families and individuals where they can experience joy and happiness all by eating a cupcake. We’re thrilled that we can join with Beautiful Brands to take our successful business and expand it worldwide.”

The television program was filmed at Food Network’s studio in L.A., but Baum has even more plans for the city of L.A. She is moving there in August to attend school.

“I want to become an actress,” Baum said. “This experience cemented my desire to go to school in Los Angeles.”

“It’s just such a hard sport that you can’t ever perfect it,” Feist said. “I mean, you can go undefeated in basketball for a season, but you’ll never win every single tournament you play. Tiger’s probably the best that’s ever lived, and he wins maybe 50 percent of the tournaments he plays in. it’s just something that you’ll never perfect. You’re always faced with really tough shots on the course. The reward to actually hitting the shot how you’re trying to hit it, and the result ending up good.”

Last summer, after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, Feist had to take a nine month break from golf. He’s now preparing for his first season back, after receiving a medical red shirt last season. The NCAA allows players with injuries and illnesses to sit out a season with the red shirt distinction.

“I took a lot of time off,” Feist said. “I stopped playing at the beginning of August for the first surgery and I didn’t really play until the following May. I’d never taken that much time off from golf. Ever.”

In June 2009, Feist began to suffer from unexplained back pain.

“I went to the chiropractor like five different times in two weeks, and it didn’t help at all,” Feist said. “It was really bad pain, the worst I’ve ever had before. Other than that, I completely felt fine.”

Feist knew that the back pain was linked to something more serious; a couple of weeks earlier, he had found a lump in one of his testicles.

“I had kind of looked up on the internet after I found the lump, and was like ‘uh-oh,’” Feist said. “But at the same time, I’m like ‘No, that can’t be it.’ Being 21, you don’t really think you’re going to have cancer.”

Feist knew, however, what his eventual diagnosis would be. All of his internet research pointed him to cancer.

“It was kind of a surprised to think that that’s what it could be,” he said.

After being diagnosed on July 22, 2009, Feist went through months of treatment. His first surgery, on Aug. 3, removed the effected testicle. This operation is called an orchiectomy. After the surgery, he went through 12 weeks of chemotherapy. Following the chemotherapy, effected lymph nodes were still found in his belly and aorta. His doctors were not sure how to handle his treatment.

“I was not a by-the-book case,” Feist said. “They originally sent us home, thinking I was going to start another two cycles of chemotherapy.”

Feist’s doctors contacted Lawrence Einhorn of the University of Indiana, a prominent specialist in the testicular cancer field.

“He is one of the doctors that treated Lance Armstrong,” Feist said. “He’s like the specialist in the United States about this cancer.”

Einhorn suggested that Feist’s doctors wait before performing any surgery. The wait might allow the lymph nodes to die off on their own. Feist’s doctors waited two weeks before operating. During eight hours of surgery, they removed 40 lymph nodes from Feist’s abdomen. They were all dead. The lymph node in the aorta was left.

“The lymph node in my aorta is in such a tricky place to get to, that they didn’t take it out,” Feist said.

At Feist’s most recent check-up his doctor labeled him as “cured.” This is obviously great news to the golfer, who is more than ready to start the new season. He has been playing as much as possible since treatment, and feels he is now in the same shape he was before the cancer. Feist has worked hard to redevelop his skills.

“I lost a lot of weight: a little bit through chemo and most of it through my second surgery,” he said. “Just the effects from that and rebuilding your muscles. It was weird to swing a golf club; you almost lost muscle memory. It took a while to get it back. But now there’s not any difference than what it used to be.”

While he is physically the same as he was before treatment, he does feel that some things have changed.

“Nothing like this had ever hit my family; never really had any disease or anything like that,” Feist said. “No heart attacks, nothing. I’d never dealt with it before. I guess I’m kind of more aware of things like that. I think I’m better prepared to handle it.”

Feist also has a different outlook on life off the golf course.

“You kind of realize you have to take your opportunities when you can get them,” he said. “If you have an opportunity to go on a trip that’s kind of once in a lifetime, you better figure out a way to do it. If I have the opportunity to do something that’s not ‘everyday,’ then I try to do it.”

Testicular cancer is most prevalent in males between the ages of 18 and 34. Feist wishes to spread the education that he does not feel he had on the topic.

“I was kind of mad because I wasn’t really educated,” he said. Even though you have physicals every two years for sports, like in high school, I was never really told. I didn’t know what they were looking for, you know?”

Feist especially wishes to get the word out to his fellow athletes.

“They’re so stubborn,” he said. “Recognize things that could be harmful. Pain that’s not caused by something is not normal. Obviously if you hit your knee on somebody else’s knee at basketball practice, you obviously know where that came from. My back pain came out of nowhere. It’s just not normal. Don’t be so stubborn.”

“We are hiring nearly 40 positions with a wide variety of openings,” Heidi Stock, the spokesperson for the company, said. ”We are looking for business personnel to scientist. This isn’t our first time coming to the career fair. Boehringer Ingelheim is definitely an international company, but we really like to give back to the St. Joseph community and to students who attended Missouri Western.”
Many of the vendors saw it as a poor to moderate turnout at the fair, but some of the students thought the students that did attend may have been unprepared or even inadequate for the positions being offered.

“The students really looking for jobs need to step their game up and dress to impress their future employers,” Zach Slater, a student who attended the career fair, said. ”In the future students should not show up in jeans and t-shirts to a career fair.”
The St. Joseph Mustangs baseball team also had a booth up at the fair, strictly looking for interns to help with the summer program.

“We are looking to hire about 10-15 interns to help out with the team throughout the course of the season,” an intern with the team, Jenna Haecker, said. ”We are not paying, but any student who is graduating or getting ready to graduate should really look into this. It is a great way to get experience in a low stress level setting and just to have some fun. The students who showed up for the career fair are exactly what we are looking for. We have seen some good resumes and the students seem eager and interested for the internships.”
Lexie Humphrey is the people services specialist for Accent Marketing, she believes the fair had a poor turnout and needs more promotional support from the college.
“I remember coming to this career fair when I was a senior, and I expected a lot more out of it than what I got, but it is a good way for these companies to get their name out there and grab some students who need that internship. It’s also a good way for the students to learn some things before going out into the real world and get shot down because they did not come ready.”

The Griffons continue to stay consistent, playing inspired softball. Western played two games against Southern Arkansas and then two games against Henderson State, winning them all in great fashion. The team stays determined to play great defense and to keep improving offensively. Western has now won six straight games and has been playing as team. Western has had plenty of help from their talented outfielder, Toni Dance.

“The games this weekend were a great show of team work,” Dance said. “We hit the ball as a team, which showed with the high scoring outcomes.”

The players all seemed to come together as if they had something to prove. Their last loss was against the University of Arkansas-Monticello who was ranked 13th in the nation. The Griffons got plenty of help from the pitchers, only allowing four runs in the four game span. Ashley Hudson has noticed the consistent play of teammates that the team has used that as motivation to continue winning and playing great softball.

“It was a group effort; there wasn’t just one or a few key players,” Hudson said. “We worked really hard, worked together and sought out the rewards for it and I am proud of the team work this weekend and group effort that allowed us to be successful.”

The Griffons were highly motivated to play well and Hudson said head coach Jen Bagley provided a little extra motivation or the players.

“We don’t get dessert unless we play well or win,” Hudson said. “We’re very motivated by that.”

Toni Dance added to Bagley’s unique motivation by saying, “Coach said she wouldn’t feed us.”

The entire Western team has really stepped it up as of late and the team has taken an emphasis on batting. The players have really stepped up to the challenge and players like Blair Stalder have really taken it on themselves to work hard and get better.

“Our goals were of course to win but also to string together hits. At times we’ll have good hits but they’re really only worth it if they score runs,” Stalder said. “Coach Bagley also wanted us to work on good at bats and not always focus on getting a hit because good at bats will lead to hits.”

Shawv. Metro State
Kyle Inman, Staff
Cinderella is still dancing.

Shaw, an eighth seed in the Atlantic Region, wasn’t supposed to win its first regional game against top-seeded Edinboro. Now, 12 days later, after a last-second upset against Metro State, they’re in the Final Four.

Both teams started out slowly, leading to a halftime score of 26-19 in favor of Metro State. Shaw shot just 7-28 field goals in the first half.

But, the Lady Bears (25-11) fought back in the second half, finding themselves down just one point with six seconds left on the clock. After a pair of missed free throws by the Roadrunners’ Jasmine Cervantes, Brittany Ransom was able to catch a pass that went through a pair of defenders’ hands to make the game-winning lay-up to earn Shaw a 46-45 victory.

“This game came down to whoever had the ball last,” said first-year Metro State coach Tanya Haave. “I thought she traveled on the last play, but I know the officials work as hard as they can.”
Ransom said she didn’t know how much time was left, but she knew the ball was coming to her.

Michigan Tech v. Ark. Tech
Matt Gleaves, Sports Editor
In a matchup of two Elite Eight teams from last season, Michigan Tech used an early second half run to overcome Arkansas Tech 69-58.

Northwest v. Cal Poly Pomona
Matt Gleaves, Sports Editor
In the final game of the night, the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats seemed right at home.

The Bearcat faithful showed up in full support of their team’s 78-65 win over Cal Poly Pomona.

Northwest and its fans–the vast majority of the 2,650 in attendance–traveled only 40 miles for the Elite Eight contest with the Broncos, and the Bearcats used the home court advantage.

“Tonight felt like we were playing in our own arena,” Shelly Martin said. “We really fed off the crowd, so they deserve a lot of credit tonight.”

Martin hit three consecutive three point shots to boost the Bearcat scoring. The rest of the team struggled from the field for the opening 10 minutes of play with multiple turnovers and scarce rebounding on the defensive end.

“Shelly’s hot start really got us going tonight, and we needed to get off to a hot start,” Northwest coach Gene Steinmeyer said.

The Bearcats were able to open up a 17-point halftime lead behind Martin’s 14 points on 4-5 shooting from behind the arc.

Clayton State v. Shaw
Jessica Koch, Guest Writer
The clock struck midnight for Shaw, as the magic of the Cinderella Lady Bears ran out against second-ranked Clayton State in the first semifinal of the Women’s Division II Elite Eight.

Michigan tech v. Northwest
Kyle Inman, Staff
Michigan Tech defeated Northwest Missouri State 89-79 in a physical battle to advance to the championship game.

The Huskies jumped out to a 20-14 lead on the Bearcats after guard Sam Hoyt hit a three pointer with 8:45 remaining in the first half.

Northwest battled back to tie the game at 25 at the 3:59 mark but could not keep that momentum going as Michigan Tech hit a series of jumpers to take a 35-29 lead into the halftime break.

The second half was close as the Bearcats battled back to tie the game on several occasions.

Michigan Tech was finally able to gain some separation on a pair of consecutive buckets by freshman Kate Glodowski, giving the Huskies a 66-57 lead with 5:28 left to play.

The Huskies never looked back after those shots and went on to win the game 89-78.

Michigan Tech coach Kim Cameron congratulated Glodowski for hitting the biggest shots of her career.

“As a freshman, to come in and hit shots like that, Kate has ice in her veins,” Cameron said. “Those are big shots. We are happy for her.”

Clayton State v. Michigan Tech
Matt Gleaves, Sports Editor
Michigan Tech head coach Kim Cameron covered her face with her hands out of frustration on the sidelines, and her team felt the same thing on the court Friday night as Michigan Tech dropped the National Championship 69-50 to Clayton State.