Week of  September 22 - 28, 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:

'Well on the Way'

High School Students Tour Western for Dual Credit

Western's CME Hosts Annual Fiesta

Western Hosts Foreign Film Series

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.

'Well on the Way':

Major Gifts Bring Capital Campaign Closer to Goal

The Western Foundation kicked off the public phase of its Achieving Greatness capital campaign with the announcement of two major gifts: a $1 million pledge from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous, and a $250,000 pledge from the Leah Spratt Charitable Trust.

“These generous gifts are a remarkable testimony to this community and this university,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Western’s president, in announcing the gift to nearly 450 guests at downtown St. Joseph’s historic Missouri Theater during the public phase kick-off event. “We are well on the way toward meeting our goal and you are the reason why.”

The gifts will help support the renovation and expansion of Western’s science and mathematics facilities. Construction has begun on Remington Hall, a nearly 60-thousand square-foot addition to Agenstein Hall, the current home for Western’s science and math facilities. When Remington Hall is completed, Agenstein Hall will be completely renovated.

The million-dollar gift will be used to create an endowment to support activities in the new science and mathematics facilities. The donor is a graduate of Western.

The Leah Spratt Charitable Trust, donor of the $250,000 gift, bears the name of a 1921 graduate of St. Joseph Junior College who founded Western’s Writing Across the Curriculum program. Joyce Rochambeau and Rene Rochambeau-McCrary are the trustees and the trust is administered by US Bank Wealth Management.

The gifts bring the total amount pledged or contributed during the advance phase of Achieving Greatness to just over $13 million, said Dan Nicoson, vice president for university advancement. The campaign’s initial celebration goal is $15 million, three times larger than any previous capital campaign at Western. The campaign will raise $7.5 million for the Remington and Agenstein Halls project; $1 million for scholarships; $5.5 million for the school of business; and $1 million in undesignated funds to meet future emerging needs. Money raised beyond that initial goal may be used for other investments in the future of Western, including athletic facilities, fine arts facilities and resources, library acquisitions and other needs.

The million-dollar gift announced Tuesday night was the third seven-figure gift of the campaign. In October, Wes and Patsy Remington of St. Joseph pledged $5 million to the effort. In May, Steven Craig of Newport Beach, Calif., pledged $5.5 million, the largest single gift in school history, to establish the Steven L. Craig School of Business.

“These two respected businessmen wanted to invest in the future of the region, and we’re grateful that they recognized the important role Western plays in developing the region’s workforce,” Nicoson said. “The overwhelming success of the advance phase of our campaign is evidence of the value the community places on higher education.”

Achieving Greatness is the private fundraising component of the $53 million Beyond Excellence initiative launched last October. Beyond Excellence is a strategy to develop state-of-the-art facilities, equipment and other resources. The initiative will receive $38 million in public funds: $30 million from the state’s Lewis and Clark Discovery Fund for the Agenstein and Remington Halls project; $2.5 million from the federal Department of Economic Development for construction of the Christopher S. “Kit” Bond Science and Technology Incubator; and $5.5 million from a bond issue for improvements to athletic facilities.

The campaign has also received a $150,000 gift from the W.T. Kemper Foundation and $100,000 gifts from the Thanksgiving Fund, the Goppert Foundation, the Beavers Foundation and others. In addition, 78% of Western’s employees made pledges to the campaign last spring, totaling more than $200,000.

“We’re very thankful for the gifts we’ve already received, and we’ll be working hard to seek broad-based community support for the final $2 million toward our goal,” Nicoson said.

The campaign kick-off event at the Missouri Theater was a way to say thank you to the community for its support of Western, Nicoson said. In addition to hearing about the success of Achieving Greatness so far, the invited guests enjoyed a free, hour-long performance by award-winning recording artist Deana Carter.

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High School Students Tour Western for Dual Credit Course

Twenty-one students from four area high schools came to Western Sept. 12 to tour the fitness facilities. The dual credit students taking Physical Education (PED 101) through the Western Institute started the day at the Spratt Stadium, worked their way around the trails and fitness center and visited the dorms, the Instructional Media Center and Blum Student Union. They ended the day at the admissions and business offices.

Greg Kriewitz, instructor of physical education, teaches PED 101 by video in conjunction with the high school teachers. He has been an advocate of bringing students to Western’s campus and was pleased with the turnout.

Craig R-3 High School, South Holt High School, Lawson High School and Nodaway High School were the four high schools in attendance.  

For more information about high school college credit or Western Institute programs, please visit or call 816-271-4100.

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Western's CME Hosts Annual Fiesta

Western Center for Multicultural Education (CME) will hold its annual Fiesta from 5-9 p.m. Sept. 22 in the Fulkerson Center.

A salsa performance and salsa lessons will start the event off. At 6 p.m., a traditional Mexican folkloric dance will be presented by the St. Patrick Church.  Afterwards, the professional dance group Brasil Cultura, specializing in samba, capoeira and batuauda, will perform. Their performance features authentic dance moves, exotic music and elaborate costuming.

Throughout the event there will also be piñata making, cookies, popcorn with spicy topping and pan dulce, a Mexican-style sweet roll with sugar topping. Zulima Lugo-Knapp will also be reading poetry in Spanish.

This event is free and open to the public. For further information please contact the CME at 4150 or mgomez@missouriwestern.edu. 

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Western Hosts Foreign Film Series

The English, foreign languages and journalism department at Western is hosting the Foreign Film Series Sept. 19 – Nov. 20. All sessions start at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

The first film, “Cinema Paradiso,” was shown Sept. 19 in the Kemper Recital Hall in Leah Spratt Hall, room 101.

The second film of the series, “Libertarias,” will be shown Sept. 24 in Hearnes Center, room 102. Made in Spain in 1996 and directed by Vicente Aranda, “Libertarias” is set at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. A nun nameed Maria is forced to flee her convent and takes refuge in a brothel until it is liberated by a women’s anarchist group. Maria joins the group and eventually goes to the front. The women’s group faces the problems of fighting not only the nationalists, but also factions on the left seeking to impose a more traditional military structure.

Other films in the series include:

·         “Moliere” (France, 2007) Directed by Laurent Tirard – Oct. 8 in Spratt Hall, room 203.

·         “Time” (Korea, 2006) Directed by Kim Ki-Duk – Oct. 22 in Hearnes Center, room 102.

·         “The Namesake” (India, 2007) Directed by Mira Nair – Oct. 31 in Kemper Recital Hall.

·         “Bolivia” (Argentina, 2001) Directed by Adrián Caetano – Nov. 4 in Kemper Recital Hall.

·         “Persepolis” (France/USA, 2007) Directed by Margane Satrapi – Nov. 20  in Hearnes Center, room 102.

For more information about the Foreign Film Series, contact Karina Vazquez, assistant professor of Spanish, at 4318 or kvazquez@missouriwestern.edu.

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Tower Sports

Football

• Loss vs. Pittsburg State, 40-46, Sept. 20

• Sept. 27 at Washburn University, in Topeka, Kan., at 1 p.m.

Men's Golf

• Placed 9th at Pittsburg State Invite Sept. 14-16

• Sept. 28-30 at Drury Invitational in Springfield, Mo.

Women's Golf

• Placed 10th at SW Minnesota State University Mustang Invitational Sept. 20-21

• Sept. 25-26 at William Jewel Invitational in Liberty, Mo.

Soccer

• Loss vs. Emporia State, 0-1, Sept. 18

• Loss vs. Washburn University, 0-4, Sept. 20

• Sept. 25 at Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo., at 4 p.m.

• Sept. 27 vs. Missouri Southern State at 7 p.m.

Volleyball

• Loss vs. Fort Hays State, 0-3, Sept. 17

• Loss vs. Emporia State, 0-3, Sept. 19

• Loss vs. Washburn University, 1-3, Sept. 20

• Sept. 24 vs. Pittsburg State at 7 p.m.

• Sept. 26 at Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Mo., at 7 p.m.

• Sept. 27 at Missouri Southern State in Joplin, Mo., at 2 p.m.

Gem Society The Gem Society will host a lunch for Western women noon Sept. 24 in the Enright Room, Spratt 214-216. 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.

Pool Party All nontraditional students are welcome to join in the fun for the first annual Nontraditional (Family Night) Pool Party Sept. 26 from 4:30-6 p.m. There will be swimming, games, music, snacks and lots of fun. Contact Ellen Smithers in the Nontraditional Student Lounge or call 4247 by Sept. 23 to RSVP.

Light the Night Walk The eighth annual Light The Night Walk in St. Joseph will be held Sept. 27 at Hyde Park. More than 850 participants are expected to raise $75,000. The two-mile evening stroll is designed to be a community-wide event for people of all ages and athletic abilities. Participants raising $25 or more carry illuminated red balloons during the walk. Cancer survivors carry illuminated white balloons, and those walking in memory of a loved one lost to cancer carry gold illuminated balloons. All attendees will be treated to a fun, carnival-like atmosphere complete with food and entertainment. Last year Western raised $2,653.86 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Right now 65 freshman are signed up to walk with Western, as well as several student organizations. If you would like to join the students of Western for this event, please contact Natalie Bailey at Natalie.Bailey@lls.org or 816-279-5704. To learn more about Light The Night, please visit www.LightTheNight.org/mid.

Convocation This year’s Convocation on Critical Issues at Western may be the most popular yet in the 15-year history of the speaker series. The Convocation at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 30 in Looney Complex will feature husband-and-wife political analysts James Carville and Mary Matalin. It is free and open to the public. The Convocation Dinner on Sept. 29, a reservation-only event held the night before the Convocation, sold out two weeks before the reservation deadline. The university advancement office has established a waiting list for dinner reservations. The good news is that those who are unable to attend the dinner can attend Carville and Matalin’s main presentation at the Convocation Sept. 30. Also, Western students, faculty and staff can have their questions answered by  Washington’s best-loved couple.Because of the size of the audience, questions must be submitted in advance to be read by a moderator during the Convocation. To submit a question, please email the public relations and marketing department at publicrelations@missouriwestern.edu by Friday, Sept. 26, or send it by campus mail to Spratt 207. You must include your name. If you are a student, please include your year in school and your major. If a member of the faculty or staff, please include your title. Your name and identifying information will be read with your question during the Convocation. Because of the greater than usual turnout and large number of questions anticipated for this event, we cannot guarantee that every submission will be used. For more information on the Convocation call 5646.

Convocation Parking Lot Closures Please note the following parking lot closures due to the Convocation on Critical Issues Dinner on Monday, Sept. 29 and the Convocation on Critical Issues Tuesday, Sept. 30. We apologize for the inconvenience.

• 4 p.m. Sept. 29: Parking lot D (south of the Union) will close.

• 5 p.m. Sept. 29  Parking lot C (across from the Fulkerson Center) will close.

• 5 a.m. Sept. 30 The north end of parking lot J (across from Looney) will close.

Autism Awareness Walk The first ever Autism Awareness Walk in Northwest Missouri will be Oct. 4 at Word Of Life Church, 3902 NE Riverside Road. This short one mile walk is to raise awareness for autism that is found in one in every 150 children. Participants raising $25 will receive a T-Shirt. If you would like to join this event, you can call Kathy Kelly at 816-390-7215. For more information and facts about autism and the walk, please visit www.nwmoautismalliance.org

Vote or Shut-Up The Center for Multicultural Education has created “Vote or Shut-Up” for students and others who would like to participate, regarding election issues. Our purpose is three fold:

• to get students registered to vote

• to make them aware of issues that should concern them

• to get them to cast a vote in November

The following events are free and open to the public:

Vote or Shut-Up Rally from 4-6 p.m. Sept. 23 in Lot G of Blum Union, which will have political and motivational speeches, voting rights information for African Americans, women and Latinos, poetry, food, music and information tables T-shirts will also be available to those who will wear them on this day in support of the rally and voter education.

Vote or Shut-Up: Become Aware Oct. 8 where students discuss issues that are important to the American public and that our students want more information about including: immigration, economy, social security and cost of education.

There will be other Vote or Shut-Up events as the weeks get closer to the election.

Bell Ringers Needed Please consider ringing the bells during this holiday season. With the help of volunteers we will be able to assist families in need all year long. Bell ringing will be Nov. 7-Dec. 24 excluding Thanksgiving Day and Sundays. There are 12 locations: Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart, Kovacs, Hobby Lobby, Green Hills; and ring inside K Mart, Hy-Vee, and East Hills Mall. To secure the hours, dates and location you would like, contact LeeAnn Hobson at 816-232-5824 ext. 22 or email her at LeeAnn_Hobson@usc.Salvationarmy.org.

Wesley Center Activities The "Via Media", a ministry initiative of Ashland United Methodist Church, has two new offerings for Western students. The first is to work closely with the nontraditional student center. The first initiative offers frenzy-free time to study, read or just relax. Students can gather at the Wesley Foundation building (5223 Mitchell) between 4-8 p.m. each Tuesday starting Oct 7. Free babysitting (infant-6th grade) and a free meal allow student-parents up to four hours of uninterrupted time to concentrate on their work. The second initiative offers intimate Bible study and accountability
partnerships, fellowship and worship opportunities fom 8-9:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the Wesley Foundation site. For more information contact Mitch, Andrew or Gary at Ashland church at 816-279-7419.

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Monday, September 22

• Senate committee meetings at 5 p.m. in Blum 220

• Orchestra Rehearsal from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

• Griffon Luncheon from 12-1 p.m. in the upstairs banquet room at La Dolce Vita at 36th Street Restaurant

• Student Organization Orientation at 9 a.m. in the CSE

Tuesday, September 23

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

• Student Organization Orientation at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the CSE

• Nontraditional (Family Night) Pool Party reservations due

• Vote or Shut-Up Rally from 4-6 p.m. in Lot G of Blum Union

Wednesday, September 24

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

• Student Organization Orientation at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. in the CSE

• Gem Society meeting at noon in the Enright Room, Spratt 214-216

Thursday, September 25

• Student Organization Orientation at 11 a.m. in the CSE

Friday, September 26

• Student Organization Orientation at 2 p.m. in the CSE

• Nontraditional (Family Night) Pool Party from 4:30-6 p.m.

• Deadline to submit questions for Convocation

Saturday, September 27

• Light the Night Walk at Hyde Park at 6 p.m.

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For Sale: 1978 Prowler – 17 foot travel camper/trailer in good condition. Everything works and it sleeps six. It runs on gas and electric, and comes with air conditioning, stove, oven, microwave, hot water tank, full bath, shower, sink and toilet. For more information call 816-232-8384 or 816-752-2318.

Announcement: Looking for a home for two male kittens that have already been de-clawed and neutered. They have all their shots, have been de-wormed and have city licenses. They do not get along with dogs. Contact bmann1@missouriwestern.edu for more information.

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