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Week of January 17 - 23, 2005 Welcome to the Tower Topics E-newsletter for faculty, staff and students at Western. |
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Missouri Western State College, 4525 Downs Drive, St. Joseph, MO 64507, 816-271- 4200 |
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Click any link for these stories: Drum Major for Justice Awards Presented Students Push for University Status in Jefferson City Western's Financial Aid Office Issues Caution 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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Drum Major for Justice Awards Presented “It is an opportunity to reflect upon the life of one of America’s heroes, and the chance to celebrate the heroes that are members of the Western community and the St. Joseph community.” That was how Karl Bell, director of the center of multicultural education, described the second annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Dinner on Jan. 17 at Missouri Western State College. The complimentary dinner, which was by invitation only, featured Dr. James Scanlon, Western’s president; Dr. David Arnold, vice president of academic and student affairs; St. Joseph Mayor David Jones and student Macolm Malone as speakers. A video of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech played continuously throughout the program. At the dinner, Bell presented three Drum Major for Justice Awards. One award was given to a Western faculty/staff member, one to a Western student, and one to a member of the St. Joseph community. Criteria for the awards included a commitment to social justice, multicultural education, service to the community and academic excellence. "It was important to recognize the contributions that Western’s faculty, staff and students and community members have made to advance the agenda Dr. King put into motion 40 years ago,” Bell said. Rev. Bill Hedge received the Drum Major for Justice Award as the St. Joseph community member. Hedge graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with a B.S., M.S., and specialist in dducation. He also received his master's of divinity at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Rev. Hedge has served as a teacher, coach and administrator in the St. Joseph School District for 29 years and has served as youth pastor at St. Francis Baptist Temple for 10 years. Dr. Stacia Bensyl, associate professor of English, received the Drum Major for Justice Award as a Western faculty/staff member. She began teaching at Western as an adjunct instructor in 1991, and became an assistant professor in 1997. She earned a bachelor of science in education, English, from Northwest Missouri State University, and a master of arts in Anglo-Irish literature from University College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland. Dr. Bensyl earned her doctorate from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Senior LaTasha Thaxton received the Drum Major for Justice Award as a student representative of Western. She is a criminal justice major with an emphasis in juvenile delinquency and a minor in childhood studies. As a member of Delta Phi Upsilon sorority, Thaxton has done volunteer work in the local food kitchen, with food drives and with Girl Scouts. She plans to attend graduate school for a master's in administration of justice. Thaxton interned at the Riverbend Division of Youth Services facility, and turned that into a full-time position working with young male adolescents. Her goal is to open a center for at-risk youth in the community.
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Students Push for University Status in Jefferson City Western students are doing all they can to ensure that this is the year their college receives university status. With that goal in mind, 18 students traveled to Jefferson City, Mo. Jan. 12 to meet with legislators. Western students had written over 1,600 letters in support of university status, and the students hand delivered them to the legislators. Bob Hughs, Western’s student regent, felt the day was very productive. He said visiting the representatives personally put a face to St. Joseph, Mo. and even more importantly, a face to Western. "Students are interested in their future and the passage of the university bill,” Hughs said. “We were very well received by the legislators. We really appreciated the hospitality shown by Sen. Charlie Shields, Rep. Martin Rucker, Rep. Dr. Robert Schaaf and Rep. Ed Wildberger.” Beth Wheeler, director of external relations at Western, said there are many advantages to Western becoming a university, including attracting more business to the community and encouraging more students to pursue an education after high school. She also said that a university tends to attract more grants, and becoming a university would add more value to an alumnus’ degree. The trip to Jefferson City, the website and the letters were organized by Western students, and student funds paid for all expenses, including the bus and driver. “I believe people should be rewarded when they work hard to accomplish goals, and I feel that Western has worked hard to earn university status,” Hughs said. “The institution provides the excellent education necessary to be recognized as a university.” Western staff,
students and alumni are planning to return to Jefferson City, Mo.
April 13 to revisit legislators. |
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Western's Financial Aid Office Issues Caution This may be the
season of ice and snow, but Angela Beam, Western's financial aid director, said this is also the season for
financial aid scams. She advised college students and their parents to
be on guard for scams that occur more often between January and March,
the season to be thinking about financial aid. “We live in
an era when students and families have to be very careful about their
financial information,” Beam said. “Identity theft is becoming more
common, and financial aid information provides a thief with just what
they want.” She cautions students to not leave the information laying
around for someone to find and take. One scam is
where people will call students and say they are an official from the US
Department of Education. The callers tell students the department can
replace their loans with grants, but it needs the students’ personal
bank information. Beam said the Department of Education will not call
and request personal banking information over the phone. Another scam
that often occurs is where “consultants” invite students to a local
presentation on financial aid. In the presentation, they will guarantee
financial aid for a fee. Beam cautioned that there
should never be a cost associated with applying for grants or loans, and
usually, the financial aid guaranteed by the “consultant” is
a loan. She said
Western’s financial aid office is happy to consult
with students and parents, offering advice and helping them apply for
financial aid. If anyone has any questions or concerns about financial aid scams, they can call Western’s financial aid office at 816-271-4361. |
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Tuesday, January 18
Wednesday, January 19
Saturday, January 22
Thursday, January 20
Sunday, January 23
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are welcome to submit ads to the Western ADvantage each week.
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