Week of August 23 - 29, 2004 

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

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

Tower Topics

Click any link for these stories:

Convocation on Critical Issues Features Bob Woodward

Offering New Students an "Edge"

News Briefs

Calendar

Ads

Archives


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 Tower Topics to submit any story or photo ideas.

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:
Paula White

Staff Advisers:
Kristy Hill and Diane Holtz

back to MWSU

    Bookstore Renovation

Senior business major Kristen Silcott purchases books and supplies for the upcoming fall semester from bookstore employee, sophomore Regan Chavez.  The bookstore has been undergoing renovation for the past several weeks and plans to be done by fall.  Photo by Paula White

Convocation on Critical Issues Features Bob Woodward

Author and journalist Bob Woodward has authored or co-authored more number one national bestselling nonfiction than any contemporary American author, and has won almost every American journalism award. He will be the featured speaker at Missouri Western State College’s 11th annual Convocation on Critical Issues at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 14 at the M.O. Looney Fieldhouse. His topic is “Plan of Attack: President Bush and the War on Terrorism,” based on his recent bestseller, “Plan of Attack.” The event is free and open to the community.

In his talk, Woodward will provide the audience with the inside story of the Bush Administration’s decision to go to war and the efforts that followed to deal with the conflict. Woodward will share with audiences his extensive access to dozens of key Bush administration figures to uncover the inside story that reveals how Washington works and the struggles to determine America’s political agenda. His numerous anecdotes and stories shed light on how the current Iraqi policy took shape, and comments on what the future holds for both the administration’s key players – and the war in Iraq.

Woodward will also speak at a Convocation Dinner at 7 p.m. Sept. 13 in the Nelle Blum Student Union Forrest Hoff Room. To make reservations for the dinner, call 816-271-5646 by   Sept. 6.

Named one of the Best Investigative Reporters in America by the New York Times, Woodward, recipient of almost every major American journalism award, has been with the Washington Post since 1971, serving as an assistant managing editor for the past 23 years.

In 1972, he and colleague Carl Bernstein were assigned to investigate the burglary of the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Washington, D.C. office building called Watergate. In 1973, they won the Pulitzer Prize for this reporting, and their book about the scandal, “All the President's Men,” was a bestseller that was later turned into a movie (1976) starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman.

Western inaugurated the Convocation program in 1993 as part of an overall commitment to offer enriching experiences to students while bringing together the college and community. The Convocation program is sponsored by the Western Foundation and is held in honor of R. Dan Boulware, former Western regent. Past Convocation speakers have included Bill Bradley, David Gergen, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Dr. Joseph Nye, Colin Powell and Patricia Schroeder. 

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Harmony College

Pictured left to right are barbershop quartet singers Max Frickey, Don Kileen, James Serdahely and Phil Wilson from Rincon Beach, Calif.  They all participated for the first time at Western's 31st Harmony College.  Right: This year, Harmony College opened up a store in the Leah Spratt Multipurpose Classroom Building called the Harmony Marketplace.  Items such as shirts, sheet music, barber shop quartet cds, pitch pipes and more could be purchased. Photos by Paula White

Offering New Students an "Edge"

New first-year students at Missouri Western State College will gain an “edge” this fall by attending Griffon Edge, the college’s four-day orientation session Aug. 25-28 geared to give freshmen a jump start on college. Between 750 and 800 students are expected to attend the orientation sessions.

A new component this year is the “Discover Gold through Service” volunteer day, where Griffon Edge participants will conclude the program by engaging in service throughout the St. Joseph community on Aug. 28. Western has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to host a variety of service projects: car washes, trash pickup, information distribution, building housing components and yard work.

“Griffon Edge really helped me, and was where I met my best friends,” said Kylie Lowe, a junior from Blue Springs, Mo. who helped plan the program. “The first day of classes, I saw familiar faces, and I felt like I belonged.”

Throughout the three days, students will participate in sessions on the library, the center for academic support, personal finances, public safety, recreation services, student services, and the center for multicultural education. A Welcome Fair, which will feature over 50 displays of campus organizations and activities, will be Aug. 25.

Those enrolled in Griffon Edge also participate in a common reading program, now in its third year. Students are required to read an assigned book before arriving and share in discussions about it throughout the week. This year’s selection is “Bone Black: Memoirs of Girlhood.” The book chronicles the coming-of-age story of noted African American scholar and poet Bell Hooks. Western is among a handful of colleges and universities in the nation that have instituted common reading programs recently. 

A convocation for new students will be held at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 27 in the M.O. Looney Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building. Administrators, faculty and staff will speak, laying the groundwork for students to become citizen scholars.

Each evening, activities such as swimming, bowling and movies are sponsored by campus groups. On Aug. 26, Griffon Edge participants will attend a “Traditions Night,” where they will learn the fight song and the Alma Mater, followed by a tailgate party and the Griffons’ first football game of the season at Spratt Memorial Stadium.

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New Fulkerson Center

Construction is still underway on the Fulkerson Center, which is adjacent to the Leah Spratt Multipurpose Classroom Building.  It is scheduled to open next spring.  The center will include a large conference room that will seat up to 500 or can be divided into three rooms.  The east wing of the Spratt Building will include breakout rooms, a training and assessment center and Institutional Advancement offices.

  • Identifying Children With Developmental Delays.  September 3, 11-11:50 a.m. in Leah Spratt Hall, 101.  Learn about the effects of early childhood on later success in life, positive outcomes of early intervention for children with developmental disabilities, speech and language development, etc.  

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Monday, August 23

  • Registration/Orientation Program

Tuesday, August 24

  • Faculty Plan Days

  • Freshman move in to Residence Halls

Wednesday, August 25

  • Faculty Plan Days

  • General Session for all employees, 8:30 a.m. 

  • Griffon Edge, 1-8 p.m.

Thursday, August 26

  • Griffon Edge, 1-9 p.m. 

  • Regular Registration

  • Football Home Vs. Winona State, 6:30 p.m.

Friday, August 27

  • Griffon Edge, 1-6:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 28

  • Upperclassmen move in to Residence Halls

  • Griffon Edge "Discover Gold through Service" Day

Monday, August 30

  • CLASSES BEGIN

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  • For Sale: Speaker box that fits in the back of a car. In very good shape. $50 or best offer. A picture can be e-mailed if desired. Please call Jennifer at 816-671-9625.

  • For Sale: Printer and monitor.  Lexmark Printer and NEC monitor, both great condition. If you are interested, please contact Eric at 816-383-6829.

  • Freestanding Fireplace for sale (woodstove with glass doors) with blower and thermostat.  Must sell.  $400 or best offer.  Will deliver, you unload.  Call Ethel Catron at 4330

  • Wooden bunk bed, no mattresses.  $50 or best offer.  Call Ethel Catron at 4330.

  • For Sale:  Complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica 15th Edition and The Annals of America - A chronicle of a nation's history from 1493-1986.  $400.  Leave message at 667-9108.

  • For Sale:  Pentax K1000 SLR camera.  Fully manual.  Original camera bag, strap, owners manual, etc. Original lens is a Pentax with an additional Tamron 20~200 mm lens.  $400.  Leave message at 667-9108.

 

Wanted: Your want ads!

You are welcome to submit ads to the Western ADvantage each week. 

To be fair to everyone, please follow these guidelines for submission. Only ads from campus constituents are accepted. 

  • Ads for non-campus organizations or professional businesses will not be printed. 

  • Ads can cover items wanted, items to be sold, garage sales, etc. 

  • Ads may be edited for length, style or content. The staff reserves the right to evaluate the appropriateness of ads for inclusion.  

  • Ads received by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday will be included in that Monday's publication. Ads received after the deadline will be included in the next edition. 

  • Ads will automatically run for a two-week period.  Extensions are granted by resubmitting the ad. 

  • Ads will only be accepted by email, fax and campus mail. Please send submissions by email to publicrelations@missouriwestern.edu; to fax 4414 or by mail to Tower Topics, Institutional Advancement, Leah Spratt Hall, Room 106. 

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