Week of  Feb. 25 - March 2, 2008

Welcome to the Tower Topics E-newsletter for faculty, staff and students at Western. 

Missouri Western State University, 4525 Downs Drive, St. Joseph, MO 64507, 816-271- 4200

Click any link for these stories:

Western Receives the 2008 Conference on Basic Writing Award

Criminal Justice Week is Coming to Western

Creole Fiddler Comes to Western

Western Hosts Step Afrika

Tower Sports

News Briefs

Calendar

Ads

Archives

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.

Western Receives the 2008 Conference on Basic Writing Award

Western has been selected by the Conference on Basic Writing (CBW) as the winner of its award for Innovation based on Western’s “Granting Access and Rewarding Success in a Developmental Writing Program.”

CBW recognizes writing programs for innovations that improve education processes for basic writers through creative approaches. The award recognizes those college and university programs that are implementing new or unique ways to improve the success of their basic writing students.

Western was honored for English 100, Introduction to College Writing, a mandatory class for students who scored less than 19 on the ACT English subtest.  CBW honored Western for innovative elements like a student publication. Instructors select essays for inclusion in a book called, “Discovering the Student, Discovering the Self,” and students, families and friends are invited to a reception where the students read the essays aloud. “Publication validates the students’ writing abilities,” said Dawn Terrick, English instructor and director of developmental writing at Western. 

CBW also recognized Western’s implementation of learning communities in its developmental writing program.  English 100 is linked to one or two other classes with a common theme. “The learning community is very effective in retaining students,” said Terrick. “They tend to learn more when all of their activities are related to a theme that they’re interested in and they form strong relationships with their classmates and faculty.”

A third innovation honored by CBW is the custom textbook created by the English 100 committee. Royalties from the textbook help pay for the student publication.  

Applicants were judged on originality, portability, results and benefits. Western was commended for integrating developmental writing throughout the curriculum, tracking success through assessment data and the excellent implementation of the student publication aspect. 

Western will be presented with a plaque on Thursday, April 3 at the CBW Special Interest Group meeting at the Conference on College Composition and Communication in New Orleans where they will make a brief presentation about their innovative proposal to the SIG members.

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Criminal Justice Week is Coming to Western

Western will be hold fun and informative events March 3 – 7 for Criminal Justice Week.

The Legal Studies Discussion Panel will start the week off at 1 p.m. March 3 in Kemper Recital, Spratt 101. A panel of professionals from the community will discuss career opportunities and experiences in the paralegal/legal assistance field. Following the panel discussion a question and answer session will be held.

The 29^th Annual Criminal Justice Day Career Fair will be 1-3:30 p.m. March 5 in the Fulkerson Center in conjunction with the campus wide career fair. Students from all campus departments are invited to gather information regarding agencies in the criminal justice field as well as a large variety of other professions. Representatives from local, county, state and federal agencies will be present to provide career information to students. 

Dr. Ed Waldrip will present “CSI: The Role of the Coroner or Forensic Pathologist in Death Investigation” at 7 p.m. March 6 in the Hearnes Learning and Resource Center, room 102. This event will have a real forensic expert talk about the role of the forensic pathologist in crime scene investigation (CSI). In this presentation, case studies from scene investigations or autopsies will be used to demonstrate the manner, cause and mechanisms of death. Additional case studies will be shown to allow participants to determine these criteria.

The last event of the week will be another presentation by Dr. Waldrip called “CSI: The Role of the Forensic Anthropologist in Death Investigation” at 1 p.m. March 7 in the Kemper Recital Hall. In this presentation, case studies will be used to demonstrate how the forensic anthropologist provides law enforcement with a presumptive identification when a positive identification cannot be made.

For further information contact David Tushaus, department chair, at 5627 or Barb Harris, department administrative assistant, at 4293.

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Creole Fiddler Comes to Western

Acclaimed Creole fiddler, singer and storyteller, Dennis Stroughmatt, will be performing at Western at 7 p.m. March 3, at Kemper Recital Hall in Leah Spratt Hall. The performance, entitled “La Guillanee: Ancient French Traditions Live in Missouri through Music and Food,” is free and open to the public.

Stroughmatt, brought to Western by the Alliance Francaise and the State Historical Society of Missouri, was introduced as a teenager to American French Culture near Old Mines, Mo. It was here where he learned fiddling techniques, stories and songs that have been handed down for centuries. 

Since 1999, Stroughmatt has been a touring French Creole musician and speaker working across the United States, Canada and Europe. He is not only a musician, but a preservationist who focuses on creating an understanding of French Creole culture and music. He offers workshops, seminars and solo performances that encompass the full range of North American French Music and Culture. 

For more information contact Dr. Susan Hennessy, associate professor of French, at 5813 or hennessy@missouriwestern.edu.

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Western Hosts Step Afrika

The Center for Multicultural Education at Western is hosting Step Afrika March 5 at 7 p.m. in Potter Hall Theatre. Step Afrika is a professional dance company founded in 1994 that is dedicated to the tradition of stepping. The group performs annually on American university and college campuses as well as on stages throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.

Step Afrika describes stepping as an art form that uses the body as an instrument “to create intricate rhythms and sounds through a combination of footsteps, claps and spoken word. It was created by African American college students, growing out of song and dance rituals used by historically African American fraternities and sororities in the early 1900s.

Stepping is considered a rising art form and historian Jacqi Malone calls it “one of the most exciting dance forms to evolve in the twentieth century.” A review by the Washington Post reads, “Performing with no musical accompaniment besides their own stomping feet…the members of Step Afrika gave the evening a commanding, dynamic jolt that was unmatched by anything else on the program.”

The event is free and open to the public. For more information please contact the CME at 4150.

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Tower Sports

Women's Basketball

• Win vs. Truman State, 93-78, Feb. 20

• Loss vs. University of Central Missouri, 49-66, Feb. 23

• Feb. 27 at Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo., at 5:30 p.m.

• March 1 vs. Missouri Southern at 5:30 p.m.

Men's Basketball

• Loss vs. Truman State, 68-73, Feb. 20

• Loss vs. University of Central Missouri, 54-69, Feb. 23

• Feb. 27 at Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo., at 7:30 p.m.

• March 1 vs. Missouri Southern at 7:30 p.m.

Baseball

• Feb. 27 vs. Wayne State at 2 p.m. Doubleheader.

• March 1 vs. Augustana at 12 p.m. Doubleheader.

• March 2 vs. Augustana at 12 p.m. Doubleheader.

Softball

• Loss vs. University of Alabama - Huntsville, 1-9, Feb. 23

• Win vs. North Alabama, 3-2, Feb. 23

• Win vs. North Georgia, 4-3, Feb. 24

• Loss vs. West Florida, 1-7, Feb. 24

• March 1 vs. Quincy at 2 p.m. Doubleheader.

Tennis

• March 1 vs. Newman University at 9 a.m.

• March 1 vs. University of South Dakota at 4 p.m.

Blood Drive The Student Nurses Association in conjunction with the Community blood Center of St. Joseph will be hosting a blood drive from 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Feb. 25 in the Blum Union Lobby. To schedule an appointment, go to www.esavealifenow.org and use sponsor code: MWSTU.

Childhood Obesity Program A presentation entitled, "Development of Programs to Treat and Prevent Childhood Overweight and Obesity" by Mike McCammon, director of the exercise physiology program at East Carolina University, will be held from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Feb. 27 in Spratt 101, Kemper Recital Hall. McCammon will discuss his experience related to the establishment of college wellness programs aimed at helping kids that are overweight or obese.

Gem Society The Gem Society will host a lunch for Western women at 12:30 p.m. March 4 in Blum Union 218-219. Cost is $10 per person. Call 4481 to make a reservation. The Gem Society is an organization whose mission is to get women of influence more involved with our women's athletic programs. The main focus is women inspiring women.

Black Ice A hip-hop flow Poetry artist from Philadelphia known as Black Ice will perform at 7 p.m. Feb. 26 in Kemper Recital Hall for Black History Month on "Contemporary Images of Blacks in the Media." Discovered by Russell Simmons, Black Ice or real name, Lamar Mason, appeared on HBO's Def Poetry Jam and was actually the first poet signed by Def Poetry Jam. He has performed for prominent people such as the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Minister Louis Farrakhan, and Muhammad Ali.

"Vanities" Western presents “Vanities” by Jack Heifner in the Potter Hall Black Box Theatre. Performances run at 8 p.m. Feb. 28 through March 1 and at 2 p.m. March 2. Cost is $4 per ticket. Seating is limited. To reserve Tickets, call 4443. Tickets may be purchased one hour before the performances at the Potter Hall box office. The production is presented by Alpha Psi Omega, the theatre honor society. “Vanities” is a comedy about three small-town women, growing up in the 1960s and 1970s. In high school, Joanne, Kathy and Mary are spirited cheerleaders. Five years later in their college sorority house, they are forced to confront their futures. Almost nine years later, they reunite briefly in New York. Their lives have changed, and their friendship is not quite what it used to be.

Financial Aid Deadlines Financial Aid Applications (FAFSA and Scholarships) need to be completed by the March 1 deadline. Students who fail to complete their applications by this date will not receive all of the financial assistance that they may qualify for. Visit www.fafsa.ed.gov and www.sec.missouriwestern.edu/admissions/app/curstu/Login.asp to fill out the applications.

GPS Workshop Western will host a three-day workshop entitled “Introduction to Global Positioning Systems (GPS) for Mapping and Navigation,” March 12-14. The workshop will be taught by Dr. Cary Chevalier, associate professor of biology and certified Trimble Navigation trainer, and is limited to a maximum number of 10 participants to ensure quality instruction and personal attention. For details including course content and instructions on how to register, visit www.wi.missouriwestern.edu/Seminars/gps_gis/index.html. For more information, contact Dr. Chevalier at 4252 or cchev@missouriwestern.edu.

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Monday, February 25

• Senate meeting at 5 p.m. in Blum 220

• Blood Drive from 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. in Blum Union Lobby

Tuesday, February 26

• Residence Council meeting at 7 p.m. in the Commons Building

• "Contemporary Images of Blacks in the Media" at 7 p.m. in Spratt 101, Kemper Recital Hall. Presented by Black Ice, hip hop poetry performer.

Wednesday, February 27

• WAC meeting at 4 p.m. in the Junior College Room

• "Development of Programs to Treat and Prevent Childhood Overweight and Obesity" at 3:30-4:30 p.m. in Spratt 101, Kemper Recital Hall

Thursday, February 28

• Drunk Driving Seminar at 7 p.m. in Spratt 101, Kemper Recital Hall

• Eggs and Issues at 7 a.m. in the Fulkerson Center

• "Vanities" at 8 p.m. in Potter Hall Black Box Theatre

Friday, February 29

• "Vanities" at 8 p.m. in Potter Hall Black Box Theatre

Saturday, March 1

• Leadership Lexicon from 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. in Blum Union

• Financial Aid Deadline!

• "Vanities" at 8 p.m. in Potter Hall Black Box Theatre

Sunday, March 2

• "Vanities" at 2 p.m. in Potter Hall Black Box Theatre

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For Rent: Large upstairs bedroom and bath for one or two persons, 10 minutes from campus. Non-smoker, no pets. Landlord would provide meals and laundry service if wanted. Call 233-5020 for more information.

For Sale: Solid oak bunk bed that can also be a lofted bed and separate twin bed. Purchased from Colony House. $100. Call 279-7274 or 262-6973 for more information.

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