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Week of Feb. 6-12, 2006 Welcome to the Tower Topics E-newsletter for faculty, staff and students at Western. |
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Missouri Western State University, 4525 Downs Drive, St. Joseph, MO 64507, 816-271- 4200 |
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Click any link for these stories: Western Slated to Receive $31 Million for Building Addition and Renovation In Honor of Black History Month Scholarships for Neighboring-State Students Lost & Found: If you have lost any items, please come to SU 228 to claim them. You may be required to describe the item. Click on
Guidelines for Tower Topics: Tower Topics submissions should state time, date, place, sponsor, title of event, name of speaker's and admission fees. Send complete information to the Public Relations and Marketing office (Leah Spratt Hall, Room 106). The deadline for all entries is 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, for the next week's issue. Tower Topics will be online weekly during the fall and spring semester. For more information call 271-5651. Student Editor:
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Western Slated to Receive $31 million for Building Addition and Renovation At a press conference Jan. 26 on campus, State Sen. Charlie Shields announced a state initiative that could yield $31 million to fund the renovation and addition to Agenstein Hall, Western’s science and math building. Gov. Blunt is proposing a public-private partnership between the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA) with private enterprise. That partnership could result in the state receiving $425 million. Of that amount, Gov. Blunt wants to dedicate $300 million for capital improvements on Missouri college and university campuses that focus on science and technology research and education. In order to receive the funds, Western must raise approximately $3 million in private funding. The project, which totals $33.3 million, includes a more than 71,000 square-foot addition to the 66,000 square-feet existing building, new instrument rooms, convertible classroom seating, renovation of classroom laboratories and student research areas, new department and faculty offices, and more. Agenstein Hall was one of three original buildings built on Western’s campus in 1969. “It’s not about the bricks and mortar,” said Sen. Shields. “It’s about allowing workforce development and a 21st century economy to move forward. The exciting part is that we are putting that kind of money into math, life sciences and technology.”
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Unless you experience it, you cannot understand the obstacles that face people who live in poverty, said Dr. Patricia Scott, associate professor of social work. To give students, faculty and staff the opportunity to experience poverty, she is coordinating a poverty simulation exercise on campus from 9 – 11 a.m. Feb. 21 in Blum Union, Forrest Hoff Conference Center, 218-219.
The exercise will be conducted by the Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph. Members of Leadership St. Joseph, an initiative of United Way of St. Joseph, will also participate in the exercise at Western.
“The poor are often misunderstood. It’s too easy to judge them if you haven’t gone through it,” said Dr. Scott. “The first step is understanding and getting rid of judgmental attitudes, and the exercise is educational and fun.”
Participants in the exercise are assigned roles, and the first hour is divided into four 15-minute periods, each representing a week. Participants must visit different agencies that are set up as part of the exercise, including grocery stores, schools, pawn shops, employers and community action agencies. The second hour is spent in discussion.
“It’s really eye-opening for those who have never experienced poverty, or for those who have stereotypes about it,” said Liz Jalbert, employment and training program director for the Community Action Partnership. Jalbert noted that the 2000 census revealed that more than 11 percent of Buchanan County's population lives in poverty.
For more information, contact Dr. Scott at 4307 or email scottpa.
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In Honor of Black History Month The center for multicultural education is hosting poet, musician and activist Bryonn Bain at 7 p.m. Feb. 7 in Spratt Hall, Kemper Recital Hall. His topic is “The Power of Social Action.” The event is free and open to the community. Bain is known as a slam poet, and was named Boston’s 1999 Slam Poetry Champion and 2000 Grand Slam Poetry Champion. The adjunct professor at New York University teaches a course that explores the urban poetry movement of the 20th century.
He was named one of “30 Visionaries Under 30 Who are Changing Your Future” by UTNE Reader Magazine. He has lectured nationwide and has performed in Africa, Asia and Latin America. 3
The center will also host "Race: The Power of an Illusion," a three-part DVD series, at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 8, 15 and 22, in Blum Union, room 218. This presentation will challenge the belief that humans come divided into a few distinct biological groups, and it will examine how what we believe is commonsense is actually shaped by our history, social institutions and cultural beliefs.
For more information, contact the center at 4150.
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Scholarships for Neighboring-State Students Students in three of Missouri’s neighboring states now have an additional incentive to attend Western. The Western Neighboring State Scholarship allows out-of-state students who meet certain criteria to pay Missouri in-state tuition. Western’s Neighboring State Scholarship will be awarded to all full-time students who are residents of Iowa, Nebraska or Kansas who choose to live in Western’s residence halls. The scholarship may be renewed annually. “This is an excellent program for out-of-state students who may not otherwise be able to afford to attend Western,” said Angela Beam, director of financial aid. For the 2005-2006 academic year, the tuition cost per credit hour is $146 for in-state students and $267 for out-of-state students. So an out-of-state student enrolling in 15 hours per semester will save approximately $3,600 a year in tuition expenses. Along with living in Western’s residence halls, Beam said, criteria include the following:
Scholarship recipients must continue to live in the residence halls and maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA for renewal. The deadline to apply is March 1. To apply online, go to www.missouriwestern.edu/finaid, and click on “Scholarships.” For more information, call the financial aid office at 4361.
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Men's Basketball Feb. 1 - Western 61, Washburn 67 Feb. 4 - Western 75, Southwest Baptist 77 Women's Basketball Feb. 1 - Western 65, Washburn 67 Feb. 4 - Western 64, Southwest Baptist 50 |
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Monday, February 6
Tuesday, February 7
Wednesday, February 8
Thursday, February 9
Friday, February 10
Saturday, February 11
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