Week of Oct. 2-8, 2009

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:

Kennedy Speaks at Western

Back to School: Instructor takes Biology Class

St. Joseph Symphony Season Opens Oct. 3

September Points of Pride

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 271-4124.

Kennedy Speaks at Western

A sound environment is good for the economy, Robert F.  Kennedy Jr. told students, faculty, staff and community members at Western’s 16^th annual Convocation on Critical Issues Oct. 1.

“Good environmental policy is 100 percent of the time good economic policy,” said Kennedy, an environmental activist, lawyer and writer, adding that we should treat the planet as an asset to be preserved. Instead, he said, “we treat the planet as a business in liquidation,” extracting assets for short-term gains. “Our children will pay for our joyride, with denuded landscapes and poorer health,” he said.

Kennedy described the economic prosperity that followed the efforts of Iceland, Finland and Brazil to wean themselves from carbon-based energy sources like coal and oil. He said there are two principal barriers to de-carbonization efforts in the United States: subsidies (direct and indirect) to carbon-based energy sources, and the lack of infrastructure to transmit electricity across the nation. He said wind energy in North Dakota, Montana and Texas could supply all of the electrical needs of the United States, but there’s no good way to get the electricity from those locations to other parts of the country.

Kennedy sits on the board of a large green technology venture capital company, and described some of the innovative things companies are doing in terms of solar energy, smart grid systems and electric cars to help wean the country from carbon. Such firms are ready to boom, he said.

“For those looking for a career, this is going to be a target-rich environment for years,” Kennedy said. “This is something that is coming, and it will restore our national and international leadership, reduce our entanglements with foreign dictators, and leave our children with the clean, wholesome and prosperous lives they deserve.”

The Convocation is designed to expose Western students and the St. Joseph community to nationally-known speakers with expertise on critical issues of the day. Previous speakers have included Bill Bradley, James Carville and Mary Matalin, Sam Donaldson, Steve Forbes, David Gergen, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Jerry Linenger, David McCullough, Dr. Joseph Nye, Colin Powell, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Daniel Schorr, Patricia Schroeder, J.C. Watts and Bob Woodward. The Convocation is held in honor of Dan Boulware, St. Joseph attorney and former Western regent.

“To solve issues, we must come together and work together to serve our society and the world at large,” Boulware said at the conclusion of Kennedy’s speech. “The Convocation is intended to bring everyone together to listen and hear, to consider and contemplate, what the speakers have to say.”

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Back to School: Instructor takes Biology Class

Dr. Kristin Walton, assistant professor of biology, was a little surprised to see one of her students in the front row wearing a tie when she walked in to her pathophysiology class the first day this semester. “That’s not typical of most students in the class,” she said.

And sure enough, it was not a typical student. The tie-clad student was fellow faculty member Greg Kriewitz, instructor of physical education, squeezing in the biology class between his full teaching load.

“I wanted to jump into a challenging science class and I got what I was looking for,” Kriewitz said with a laugh.

Kriewitz, who also teaches dual credit courses at nine area high schools, said he was one course short of a biology minor and a few courses short of a biology major when he graduated with his bachelor of science in exercise science with a health education minor from the University of Central Missouri.  

Since then, he has always wanted to complete the requirements for a bachelor of science in biology, and this semester seemed the right time to do it. He had the prerequisites in place for the pathophysiology class, a 300-level course, so he enrolled.

“The first week I felt out of place, but now I feel like I fit in,” he said. He does find the chairs a little uncomfortable and he struggled with the clicker at first. “It made me nervous, but of course I didn’t show that.”

“I think it’s great that Greg is taking my class,” Dr. Walton said. “I really like having a group of students with diverse backgrounds and different perspectives to contribute, and having another professor in the class really adds to that.”

With his full teaching load (21 hours), dual credit, a 70-mile one–way commute and family responsibilities, Kriewitz said its hard to find time to study, but he is loving it.

“It’s a very pleasant atmosphere,” he said of the class. “Students respect Kristin because it is blatantly obvious she knows the subject.”

“It’s the hardest thing I ever loved,” he said.

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St. Joseph Symphony Season Opens Oct. 3

The Saint Joseph Symphony opens its new season at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Missouri Theater, 717 Edmond St. Rico McNeela, associate professor of music at Western and the symphony’s new music director, will conduct “Made in America.” Audiences will get their first taste of the symphony’s new attitude, including an orchestra infused with new energy, insightful comments about the evening’s music from the podium and musicians dressed in a more casual, modern look.

“Our new season is all about making our audiences more relaxed and comfortable,” McNeela said. “We’re playing some of the best-loved pieces of music you can hear, and inviting everyone to simply sit back and enjoy the work of our talented musicians. It’ll be a fun night!”

Brad Auge, symphony board of directors president, is placing a special emphasis on inviting families to attend concerts this season. “We’ve moved up our curtain time to 7:30 p.m., to allow more families to enjoy our concerts,” Auge said. “We’re also continuing our focus on programming familiar and accessible music to help everyone feel welcome,” he added. “Don’t worry about dressing up. Come in your jeans and relax.”

The program includes pieces from Morton Gould’s “American Salute,” Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,” Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” and Antonin Dvorak’s “New World Symphony.” Well-known St. Joseph stage actor Mark Pennington will provide narration for part of the program.

Tickets are available online at saintjosephsymphony.org or at the symphony office at 120 South 8th St. The theater box office opens at 5:30 p.m. the night of the concert. The Western Activities Council is providing free tickets for Western students to attend. Free tickets can be picked up in the Center for Student Engagement, Blum 207, between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. A student ID is required and tickets are limited to one per student and must be picked up in person. Discount tickets for Western faculty and staff are available from the St. Joseph Symphony, 816-233-7701. The Public Relations and Marketing Office has a free pair of balcony tickets available. The first person to email Roger Swafford, rswafford1@missouriwestern.edu, can claim the tickets.

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September Points of Pride

Excellence in our faculty/staff

• Teresa Harris, assistant professor of art, has recently been awarded a $500 Award of Excellence at the “2009 National Juried Exhibition” at the ACCI Gallery in Berkeley, Calif. There were more than 900 entries for the juried exhibition and 68 pieces were selected. The jurors were Suzanne Tan, Executive Director of the Berkeley Art Center; and John Toki, a respected studio artist and professor at the California College of the Arts in Oakland. The gallery also selected her work to be the front cover of the printed and online exhibition invitation.

• Dave Tushaus, associate professor of legal studies; Joanne Katz, professor of legal studies; and Suzanne Kissock, assistant professor of criminal justice, were awarded $74,807 by the US Election Assistance Commission for a College Poll Worker Program proposal.

• Taye Triggs, multicultural education director, was awarded a $625 mini-grant to serve as a host campus for the MLK Collegiate Challenge in Missouri for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2010.

• Dr. Maureen Raffensperger, associate professor of physical therapy, served as a committee member to the Missouri Physical Therapy Association Board of Directors in Jefferson City, Mo.

• Dr. Jeff Poet, associate professor of mathematics, has been accepted for participation in a research conference sponsored by National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine titled “Synthetic Biology: Building on Nature’s Inspiration.” The conference includes researchers from academic, industrial, and government research institutions.

• Dr. Reza Hamzaee, professor of economics, chaired a section of the National Social Science Association conference titled “Society and Education” and also served as one of the discussants of all the papers in the same session.

• Rico McNeela, associate professor of music, served as a performer, teacher, and administrator for the 29th annual Luzerne Chamber Music Festival in Lake Luzerne N.Y. McNeela was the Director of Student Chamber Music Activities during the first four weeks of the festival, and was a member of the teaching and performance faculty for the entire festival. He performed routinely with the Luzerne faculty concert series, and also on the Chamber Music Festival subscription series concerts. He performed in chamber music works with Raymond Gniewek, retired concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Danielle Belen, soloist and faculty of the Colburn School; Robyn Jones, principal clarinet and Susan Loegering principal Bassoon Louisiana and  Philharmonic; Eric Schweingruber, trumpet Philadelphia Orchestra, and with other professional musicians from New York, Virginia., and Pennsylvania. He has been appointed Music Director for the 2010 Junior Session orchestra.

• Dr. Nathanael May, assistant professor of music, served as Artistic Director for the “soundSCAPE Composition and Performance Exchange,” held in Pavia, Italy. The festival was attended by 36 resident composers and performers from around the world, in addition to a faculty of 12. The festival concert series played to a packed house with 14 concerts over 11 days. Highlights included three concerts of new premieres, featuring music of festival composers; two concerts of new art song performed by artists in residence the “Florestan Recital Project;” an electro-acoustic concert, and a concert honoring the memory of composers of the 20th century. In addition, McNeela  performed as the pianist for the first ever concert reading of chamber opera, “The Letter” by soundSCAPE faculty composer Brian Hulse, as well as the premiere of William Neil’s “Sleep” for tenor voice, piano, and electronics.

• Dr. Ann Thorne, professor of journalism, was elected vice-head and research chair of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication History Division at the national convention in Boston.

• Dr. Jane Frick, professor of English, has been appointed to the national Affiliate Advisory Council for the Alliance for Young Arts and Writers, Inc., sponsors of the annual Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards contests for youth, grades seven-12. 

• Dr. Jane Frick, professor of English, coordinates the Missouri Writing Regional Affiliate, which is sponsored by Prairie Lands Writing Project at Western. Nearly 20,000 students nationwide submitted art and writing entries in the 2009 contest, including students from more than 100 schools in Missouri and the greater Kansas City area.

• Dr. Cindy Heider, associate provost and vice president for academic and student affairs, was a co-author on two recent publications: “Preparing Teachers of Writing: Components of a Successful Course on Writing Instruction,” The Reading Professor, Summer 2009; and “21^st Century Project Based Learning: A Collaboration of the Classroom and the Community, Transescent, September 2009.

• Dr. Durai Sundaramoorthi, assistant professor of business, who co-authored the article titled, “A Data-integrated Model to Evaluate Nurse-Patient Assignments,” with four former colleagues at the University of Texas-Arlington that was published in the Health Care Management Science journal.

• Faculty and undergraduate students from Western and Davidson College published a bacterial computing paper in the peer-reviewed professional Journal of Biological Engineering that is among the top 20 most accessed papers among the 60,000 papers published in the past year in the BioMed Central family of 198 journals.

• Dr. Todd Eckdahl, professor of biology, and former undergraduate research students Steven Hart ’06, and Casey Dillman ’99, co-authored a paper with Frank Durbian on a molecular genetic analysis of massasauga rattlesnakes at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge in the Fall 2009 issue of the Transactions of the Missouri Academy of Science.

• Dr. Tingxiu Wang, professor of computer science, mathematics, and physics and department chair, published a research paper titled, “Some General Theorems on Uniform Boundedness for Functional Differential Equations” in CUBO, a Mathematical Journal, in August 2009.

• Kelly Wittenberg, assistant professor of theatre, was featured in the library’s second faculty author display on the main floor of Western’s Library. Wittenberg’s artist ’zine titled, “Pearl: A Contemporary Foible,” will be on display. 

• Dr. Susie Hennessy, professor of French, contributed a chapter to the book, “Aimer et Mourir: Love, Death, and Women’s Lives in Texts of French Expression,” which has been published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

• Dr. Susan Carter, assistant professor of music, had her article, “Organizing the Alternative Voice Training Practice,” published in The Voice.

• Joanne Katz, professor of legal studies, co-authored a monograph with Dr. Gene Bonham, professor at the University of Central Missouri, titled “Effective Alternatives to Incarceration: Police Collaborations with Corrections and Communities,” which was published by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing. It will be distributed to criminal justice agencies and courts throughout the country.

• Dr. Hyunseok Jang, assistant professor of criminal justice, had his article, “Determinants of Public Confidence in Police:  An International Perspective,” published in The Journal of Criminal Justice.

• Marsha Dolan, associate professor of health information technology (HIT) and coordinator of the HIT program, co-authored the article, “Consumer Health Informatics: Is There a Role for HIM Professionals,” which was published in the summer issue of Perspectives in Health Information Management, an online research journal.

• Dr. Jeanne Daffron, provost and vice president for academic and student affairs, participated in the statewide Chief Academic Officers meeting.

• Dr. Kevin Brown, assistant professor of communication studies and theatre, attended the conference for the International Association for the Study of Popular Music held in La Jolla, Calif., where he presented his paper, “Karaoke and the Performance of Gender.”

• Dr. Reza Hamzaee, professor of economics, presented “A General Perspective of Persian Culture, Religion, and Politics” at the First Christian Church in Savannah, Mo.

• Dr. Reza Hamzaee, professor of economics, presented a paper co-authored by Seth A. Parker, a senior economics major, and supported by Undergraduate Research Summer Institute titled, “An Empirical Assessment & Theoretical Model of Student Productivity in Learning,” to the National Social Science Association conference held in Honolulu.

• Dr. Reza Hamzaee, professor of economics, reviewed “Quality and Economies of Scale in Higher Education: A Semi-parametric Smooth Coefficient Estimation” as a referee for Contemporary Economic Policy, one of the refereed journals of the Western Economic Association-International.

• Dr. Jimm MacGregor, assistant professor of history, presented “Garter Knights, Guild Piety, and the Cult of Saint George in Fifteenth Century England” at the Passages from Antiquity to the Middle Ages IV: Religion, Society, and Participation Conference at the University of Tampere, Finland.

• Dr. Dennis Rogers, professor of music, served as a percussion clinician and instructor for several middle school and high school students. Dr. Rogers worked with the Park Hill South School drum line and marching band and gave clinics to two seventh-grade bands and taught an eighth-grade band percussion section at Lakeview Middle School. The interactive clinics for the seventh-graders included the use of custom rhythm pads designed for use by each student.

• Dr. Matthew Edwards, associate professor of music, performed solo recitals at Antioch Bible Baptist Church in Gladstone, Mo., and at the Kansas City Community College. Dr. Edwards also spoke at the opening of the St. Joseph Area Music Teachers Association meeting.

• Dr. Ben Caldwell, professor of chemistry, attended the conference, Student Centered Education in the Molecular Life Sciences, at Colorado College. Dr. Caldwell co-chaired a session, “Sharing Laboratory Exercises in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Teaching.” 

• Dr. Reza Hamzaee, professor of economics, presented 12 hours of doctoral seminars at the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis.

• Dr. Matthew Edwards, associate professor of music, and Dr. Nathanael May, assistant professor of music, participated in a panel discussion at the Missouri State Music Teachers Association state convention. The discussion focused on practice tips and stylistic issues in performance.

• Pam Clary, instructor of social work and social work program director, and Suzanne Kissock, assistant professor of criminal justice, attended the Child Advocacy Studies Conference at the National Child Protection Training Center on the Winona State University campus.

• Dr. Tingxiu Wang, professor of computer science, mathematics, and physics and department chair, refereed a research paper, “On the Stability and Boundedness of Solutions of Nonlinear Delay Differential Equations of Third and Fourth Order,” for the Arabian Journal of Science and Engineering.

• Dr. Tingxiu Wang, professor of computer science, mathematics, and physics and department chair, reviewed two research papers, “Asymptotic Properties of a Two-dimensional Differential System with a Bounded Nonconstant Delay Under the Conditions of Instability,” and “On the Global Attractivity of Difference Equation of Higher Order” for the Mathematical Reviews.

• Dr. Allison Sauls, associate professor of art history and department chair, participated as a judge in the Art Show at Trails West!.

• Dr. Kevin Brown, assistant professor of communication studies and theatre, attended the Association for Theatre in Higher Education’s Performance Studies Focus Group Pre-Conference held in New York City where he led the Performance and Ethnography Working Group workshop.

• Ramona Finley, assistant professor of criminal justice, presented “Maintaining a Positive Mental Attitude While Working in Corrections” at the National Missouri Corrections Association Conference in Nashville, Tenn.

• Dr. Pi-Ming Yeh, assistant professor of nursing, presented “Influences of Psychological Well-Being, Quality of Relationship and Family Support on Family Caregiver Health of Cancer Patients in Taiwan” at the 20^th International Nursing Research Congress in Vancouver, British Columbia.

• Dave Brown, counseling center director, and Steve Potter, counselor, continued their meetings in Columbia, Mo. and on campus with the Partners in Prevention coalition group. The primary topics of discussion are the group’s improved web presence, data from the 2009 MCHBS attitude survey, and the Drive Safe, Drive Smart campaign.

Excellence in our students

• Undergraduate students and faculty from Western and Davidson College published a bacterial computing paper in the peer-reviewed professional Journal of Biological Engineering that is among the top 20 most accessed papers among the 60,000 papers published in the past year in the BioMed Central family of 198 journals.

• Former undergraduate research students Steven Hart ’06, and Casey Dillman ’99, and Dr. Todd Eckdahl, professor of biology, co-authored a paper with Frank Durbian on a molecular genetic analysis of massasauga rattlesnakes at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge in the Fall 2009 issue of the Transactions of the Missouri Academy of Science.

• Seth A. Parker, a senior economics major, presented and co-authored a paper with Dr. Reza Hamzaee, professor of economics, titled, “An Empirical Assessment & Theoretical Model of Student Productivity in Learning,” to the National Social Science Association conference held in Honolulu.

Excellence in our programs

• Prairie Lands Writing Project (PLWP) received a $5,000 grant, “Through the Looking Glass: Looking at Literacy Through Content Area Lenses,” from the Carnegie Corporation and the National Writing Project to support in-service programs related to reading and writing across the curriculum. The grant will support teams of content area teachers from St. Joseph Central, Lathrop, and Platte County High Schools who will participate in a professional learning community/classroom research cohort related to improving reading and writing instruction in the content areas. PLWP Teacher Consultants directing the project are Valorie Stokes, Platte County High School media coordinator, team leader; Amy Fowler, St. Joseph Central High School math teacher; Jen Vermillion, Lathrop High School Spanish/French teacher; and Michelle Thomas, Platte County High School assistant principal.

• Prairie Lands Writing Project was awarded a $15,000 grant from the National Writing Project (NWP) to provide year two literacy-based in-services for the instructional staff at Excelsior Springs Middle School, as a part of the NWP’s multi-year National Evaluation Study. To launch the second year of the project, Prairie Lands’ Teacher Consultants, Heidi Mick and Kathy Miller, facilitated a week-long Writing Academy in early August for Excelsior’s communication arts staff.

• The Organization of Student Social Workers sponsored “Foster Care Appreciation Days” for area foster children. Each week the students did a different activity with the children and their Family Division caseworker.

• Nearly two dozen students participated in the Pony Express Battalion Army ROTC contracting ceremony in Kemper Recital Hall. Each took the oath of office, swearing allegiance to the U.S. Army upon graduation. The battalion is headquartered at Western, and eight of the new cadets are Western students. 

• A total of 858 students were enrolled in the Griffon Edge Class of 2009. More than 1,700 hours of community service were provided on the Scanlon Day of Service. There were 68 Griffon Edge and registration leaders directing the Griffon Edge program. Griffon Edge students raised $1,700.00 for the United Way Drive for Change Penny Drive.

• Seventy women registered for sorority recruitment this fall. This is approximately 30 more women than last fall and 50 more than the fall of 2006. This is one of the strongest recruitment periods in recent history. Each of the three sororities has the opportunity to increase their membership significantly by adding more than 20 new women to their current totals of 36 - Alpha Sigma Alpha, 36 - Sigma Sigma Sigma, and 19 - Alpha Gamma Delta. The fraternity recruitment also shows strong gains over last year. 

• The International Student Services Office sponsored the first coffee/tea hour for international faculty and students. Nine international faculty, three staff and about 13 students enjoyed an hour of getting acquainted with each other. With the goal of wanting to share some of the diversity in the Western student population, Huey Shi Chew, international student coordinator, is working with Aramark Food Services to feature recipes from the home country of international students. Food will be served in the cafeteria.  Recipes from Afghanistan will be featured in September, and German recipes will be featured in October.

• Twenty-one new online courses were offered in Fall 2009 or scheduled for Spring 2010, developed via incentives to faculty. More than twenty-seven new online courses were developed for Fall 2009 and Spring 2010.

• The Western Institute received two grants recently from the Missouri Arts Council: Griffon Junior Singers, Arts Education grant $7,907; and St. Joseph International Guitar Festival grant, $6,340.

• The Intensive English Program has five Korean students this semester.

• 12 new students have recently enrolled in Pass the Power’s upcoming fall classes. They will join 34 current students when the fall session opens Sept. 21.

• Dr. Sherry Copeland, director of Western’s Regional Professional Development Center (RPDC), attended the Satellite Leadership Academy professional development event dealing with Professional Learning Communities and team building. Dr. Copeland also spoke to the Northwest Superintendents Association meeting, updating the group on Western’s RPDC as well as university highlights, and attended the Northwest Elementary Principals Association, and the St. Joseph School District Administrative Team meeting.

• Residence Hall Activities:

  • Scanlon Hall – Resident Assistants (RAs) Alyson Frazier, Dana Anderson and Krystle Arnold hosted Movie Night followed by a community barbecue during “Welcome Week.”  During “Smart Week,” RAs Brent Lockmiller and Brad Davidson hosted “Food for Thought,” where residents ate together and formed study groups. “Smarties for Studies” provided each student with a study tip attached to the popular candy. Evan Noynaert, assistant professor of computer science and faculty mentor, presented “How Soft is your Hardware” program where residents learned valuable tips on keeping their personal computers safe.

• Residence Council Activities:

  • Griffon Greeters (student volunteers from on-campus clubs and organizations) assisted residents with move-in. More than 700 students returned to on-campus housing.

  • Aug. 19 – Residence Council and Griffon Greeters sponsored an Ice Cream Social for new residents attending Griffon Edge.

  • Aug. 23 – Residence Council partnered with the office of residential life to host the annual Fall Kick-Off. Residents came out and enjoyed pizza and played volleyball and basketball.

  • Aug. 28 – Residence Council, along with athletics, hosted a “meet and greet” where residents met the residence council executive board, student athletes and athletics staff members.

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Tower Sports

Griffon Football The undefeated Griffons host once-beaten Northwest Missouri State at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 3 in a match-up with large implications for the MIAA title. Both teams are unbeaten in conference play. Western stayed unbeaten with a 45-40 victory at Pittsburg State Sept. 26, moving their record to 5-0 for the first time since 1981. Western has moved up to No. 12 in the American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches’ Poll, and No. 10 in the D2football.com media poll. The Bearcats are No. 6 in both polls.

Game Day Information Because of the ongoing construction around Spratt Stadium and the large crowd expected for Saturday’s game, fans are encouraged to arrive early and to carpool to the game if at all possible. The gates to Spratt Stadium will open at noon. The first 4,000 Griffon fans through the gates will receive a free Griffon Gold football shirt. More information about parking, tailgating and other fan access questions is available on the Griffon athletics website.

Griffon Soccer The Western soccer team lost two consecutive games on penalty picks in the closing seconds of double overtime this week. Truman State beat the Griffons 1-0 on Oct. 1, in a game that was moved to Spratt Stadium because of wet fields in Kirksville, Mo. That followed a 2-1 loss at Missouri Southern on Sept. 26. The Griffons are now 4-7 overall and 2-5 in the MIAA. They play at Central Missouri at 7 p.m. Oct. 3, then return home for three straight matches, beginning with Southwest Baptist at 7 p.m. Oct. 8.

Griffon Volleyball The Griffons lost a pair of home matches last weekend, falling 3-1 to Southwest Baptist on Sept. 25 and 3-2 to Missouri Southern on Sept. 26. Western is now 7-11 overall and 0-6 in the MIAA. They return to action for a nonconference match on Oct. 6 at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo., then will go back to MIAA play with matches at Nebraska-Omaha on Oct. 9 and Central Missouri on Oct. 10.

Griffon Men’s Golf Western finished 14^th at the NCAA Division II Championship Preview in Indianapolis, Ind. The Griffons were led by Caleb Carter, whose two-day total of 156 (79-77) was good for a 13^th-place tie. Western wraps up the fall portion of their schedule with the Fort Hays State Invitational at the Smoky Hills Country Club in Hays, Kan., on Oct. 5 and 6.

Griffon Women’s Golf Western tied for 9^th in the Mustang Invite hosted by Southwest Minnesota State University on Sept. 26 and 27. The Griffons were led by freshman Natalie Bird, who shot a two-round total of 164 (79-85) to tie for 20^th place, nine strokes behind the winners. The Griffons are participating in the Bearcat Invitational in Maryville, Mo., and stand in second place after the first day of competition Oct. 1 with a 338, 17 strokes behind leader Nebraska-Omaha and 20 strokes ahead of third place Northwest Missouri State. Individually, Lexi Webb was tied for third with an 82, four shots behind the leader, and Casi Webb was in a tie for sixth one stroke back. The tournament concludes Oct. 2. Then the Griffons will be at the Nebraska-Omaha Fall Classic in Valley, Neb., Oct. 4 and 5.

Dining Survey Aramark Food Services is conducting a survey to better understand your campus lifestyle and preferences. By sharing your thoughts, Aramark will gain valuable insight to help improve your overall campus dining experience. This online survey will take 5 to 10 minutes; your responses are confidential and you'll be eligible to win a $250 gift card from Best Buy. Click on this link to begin the survey: http://www.college-survey.com/mwsu.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month The Organization of Student Social Workers will be joining the YWCA to raise awareness for domestic violence. Thursdays are Black Thursdays and everyone is encouraged to wear black articles of clothing. The organization will be handing out purple ribbons very soon, so please get one to support the cause. Also, soon there will be a shelter wish list and everyone is encouraged to bring an item on the list. Thank you for all of those who are willing to help.

Missouri Court of Appeals The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District will convene court at Western for the twelfth consecutive year at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 7 in Kemper Recital Hall in Spratt 101. Students are encouraged to attend oral arguments. A three-judge panel consisting of Chief Judge Thomas H. Newton, Mark D. Pfeiffer and Karen King Mitchell will hear oral argument in three cases. Newton explained that the cases are appeals from previously held trials in area circuit courts. The judges will hear attorneys argue whether the trials had errors that should cause them to be retired, or the trial court's judgment reversed. The judges will read written arguments before the court session and may interrupt the attorney's with questions. The judges will break sometime during the arguments to explain the judicial system in general and the appellate judiciary in particular.

Convocation Thank You Special thanks to everyone who helped make this year's Convocation on Critical Issues a success. There are so many individuals involved in supporting the event from so many departments across the campus that it is impossible to name everyone who worked months to assure a positive experience for Western's students and staff and the community at large. Here is a huge, Western Solid Gold Thank You to: University Advancement; Physical Plant; Instructional Media; Aaramark; Student Affairs; Campus Police; Law Enforcement Academy; Admissions and the VIPs; the Student Government Association, and numerous individuals who donated their time and effort in support.

For Employees

IT Services Training Information Technology Services has updated its training schedule at www.missouriwestern.edu/compctr/workshops.asp. Classes are available on Groupwise, Microsoft Office 2007, Word 2007, Excel 2007, Access 2007 and Adobe Acrobat Pro 9. If you're interested in one of the training sessions, email Russell Ezzell.

Penny Wars and Office Decorations Departments and offices are still needed to pair up with student organizations for the Penny Wars. If interested, please email Megan Anderson. Organizations participating in this event: if you have a preference, please have that office notify Megan. Also, remember that there is an office decorating contest as part of Homecoming week. Refer to Homecoming Packet available on the CSE's webpage or contact Lolita Murphy for your general homecoming queries.

Post-Parade Party Make plans to join the Alumni Association on Saturday, Oct. 17 for a Homecoming post-parade party and alumni/faculty reception on the first floor of the Blum Union! Everyone is invited to bring their families and join us for visiting, children's activities and refreshments right after the parade.  Dr. Vartabedian has been invited, and former presidents Dr. Jim Scanlon and Dr. M.O. Looney will be in town for Homecoming and have been invited as well. The bookstore will be open. We are inviting alumni to come back to campus, and this event will give them the opportunity to visit with faculty and find out what is happening on campus! Faculty - If you plan to set up a display, please contact Diane Holtz by Oct. 7. All employees - please contact Holtz by Oct. 12 to let her know if you will attend and how many people you will be bringing.

For Students

Yearbooks The 2009 Griffon Yearbooks are here. Early-bird pickup Sept. 24 to Oct. 9. If you were a student in 2008-2009, you can pick your yearbook up early in Eder 220 during the following hours: Mon. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2 p.m.-3 p.m., Tues. 9:30-10:30 a.m. and 12:30-2:30 p.m., Wed. 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Thurs. 9:30-10:30 a.m., and Fri. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Regular pickup after Oct. 9, students may pick up the 2009 Griffon Yearbook at the Library Reserve Desk during regular library hours. The schedule is online at www.library.missouriwestern.edu/hours.asp.

Career Fair Plan now to attend the Career Fair from 1-3:30 p.m. Tues., Oct. 6 in the Fulkerson Center. Besides career positions, there will also be internships and part-time jobs available. Bring resumes and dress professionally. Come and network with employers.

Yell Like Hell Rehearsals The Yell Like Hell rehearsal sign-up sheet is located in the Center for Student Engagement (Blum 207). Rehearsals are 7-9 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Kemper Recital Hall. Time slots available are first come, first serve.

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Friday, October 2

• Griffon Women's Golf at Northwest Missouri State University Bearcat Fall Classic, Mozingo Lake Golf Course, Maryville, Mo.

Saturday, October 3

• Griffon Football, vs. Northwest Missouri State University, 1:30 p.m., Spratt Stadium

• Griffon Soccer at the University of Central Missouri, 7 p.m., Warrensburg, Mo.

• St. Joseph Symphony performance, 7:30 p.m., Missouri Theater, 719 Edmond Street

Sunday, October 4

• Griffon Women's Golf at Nebraska-Omaha Fall Classic, The Pines Country Club, Valley, Neb.

• Griffon Softball at Drake University, 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., Des Moines, Iowa

Monday, October 5

• Griffon Men's Golf at Fort Hays State Invitational, Smokey Hills Country Club, Hays, Kan.

• Griffon Women's Golf at Nebraska-Omaha Fall Classic, The Pines Country Club, Valley, Neb.

Tuesday, October 6

• Career Fair, 1-3:30 p.m., Fulkerson Center

• Griffon Men's Golf at Fort Hays State Invitational, Smokey Hills Country Club, Hays, Kan.

• Griffon Volleyball at Rockhurst University, 7 p.m., Kansas City, Mo.

Wednesday, October 7

• Missouri Court of Appeals, 9:30 a.m., Kemper Recital Hall, Spratt 101

• Yell Like Hell Rehearsals, 7-9 p.m. Kemper Recital Hall, Spratt 101

Thursday, October 8

• Griffon Soccer, vs. Southwest Baptist University, 7 p.m., Spratt Stadium

Friday, October 9

• Mid term break - campus closed

• Griffon Volleyball at University of Nebraska-Omaha, 7 p.m., Omaha, Neb.

Saturday, October 10

• Griffon Football at Truman State University, 2 p.m., Kirksville, Mo.

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