Week of  April 6-12, 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:

Four Math Students Selected for Internships

Griffon International Film Festival Next Week

Extreme Percussion Friday and Saturday

Alumnus Donates Art for Spratt Hall Atrium

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.

Four Math Students Selected for Internships

Four math majors will have a chance to take their classroom experiences into the real world this summer through internship opportunities.

Two seniors were selected from very competitive processes for actuary internships this summer. Brock Schmutzler will complete an internship for Allstate insurance company in Chicago and Jeremy Riley will intern at Coventry Health Care in Kansas City, Mo.

“It’s exciting that MWSU students are getting these positions,” said Dr. Steve Klassen, associate professor of math. “With the current state of the economy, it sounded like some companies would be cutting back on internships, so this sort of success is terrific.”

Sixty candidates were invited to Allstate’s headquarters in Chicago to interview for 15 internship positions. By the time Schmutzler was interviewed, there were 18 candidates competing for three remaining spots. Coventry was only hiring one intern for the summer and selected Riley.

Actuaries apply mathematical and statistical methods to assess risk in the insurance and financial industries. They must demonstrate their qualifications by passing a series of professional exams. Schmutzler and Riley are working with Dr. Klassen in an independent study course this semester to prepare for the first exam they will take in May.

Schmutzler said he didn’t know anything about actuaries until an alumnus who is an actuary spoke to one of his math classes. “I immediately fell in love with the idea of being an actuary,” he said. “Not very many people realize there are so many possibilities for high paying careers in the field of mathematics.”

Riley is looking forward to getting an in-depth look at the actuary field when he serves his internship. “There is no better way to learn if you like something than to try it,” he said. “And, an internship is a great resumé tool.”

Tysa Updike ’08, completed an internship with Allstate in the summer of 2007 and was hired by them after she graduated the following May.

Meanwhile, two underclassmen have been selected for summer internships at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Analysis Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Junior Allison Smith and sophomore Adelaide Quaney applied for the internships over spring break, after hearing Amy Pankau '07 describe her experience as a "career intern" at TRADOC during her college career at Western.
 

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Griffon International Film Festival Next Week

The fifth annual Griffon International Film Festival April 13-17 on the Western campus and at the East Hills Library features films from around the world and presentations by film industry professionals, including the producer of the hit films "The Breakfast Club" and "Fried Green Tomatoes." The festival is free and open to the public.

"The goal is to celebrate the independent filmmaker and give students the opportunity to learn about the industry," said festival founder Deny Staggs, assistant professor of theatre. "Students will learn about the filmmaking process from successful professionals, and will have a chance to network with those in the industry."

About 200 films were submitted from around the world, and festival jurors chose about 20 to be screened in four categories: Junior K-12 (0-10 minutes), Super Short (0-10 minutes), Short (10-20 minutes) and Long (20 minutes or longer). Awards will be given to participants showing outstanding achievement in each category. There will also be a student showcase category.

Films will be screened from 7-9 p.m. at the East Hills Library, 502 N. Woodbine, on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and in the Black Box Theatre, Potter Hall room 106, on Tuesday and Friday.

The festival also features five guest speakers, one each day of the festival at 3 p.m. in the Black Box Theater.

• Monday, April 13: Roger Rawlings, "Making the Independent Narrative." Rawlings is professor and graduate program coordinator at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He has produced several award-winning films, and recently directed his first feature from his own script, "Neurotica," starring Amy Sedaris and Brian D'Arcy.

• Tuesday, April 14: Trey Hock, "Life on the Festival Circuit." Born in Kansas City, Hock has been making films for the past six years. He has a Master of Fine Arts degree from the School of Film and Digital Media at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

• Wednesday, April 15: Lars Pedersen Arendt, "Directing the Actor: Getting the Performance YOU Want." Arendt is a Toronto-based director who grew up in Denmark. He has made about 11 short films since 1999, including the award-winning "A Mind's I."

• Thursday, April 16: Taymar Pixley, "Choosing Documentary Filmmaking." Pixley is a documentary producer and writer whose life and work are heavily influenced by her unusual upbringing on a Navajo Reservation in Arizona. She owns the independent production company Pixley Flix Productions and runs a cooperative for local independent producers.

• Friday, April 17: Andy Meyer, "Breakfast with Fried Green Tomatoes." Meyer has more than 30 years' experience as a film producer, executive and educator. Notable among the many films he has produced, "Fried Green Tomatoes" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and "The Breakfast Club" was named by Entertainment Weekly as the "Best High School Movie of All Time." Meyer has produced many other films, including "The Milagro Bean Field War," directed by Robert Redford, and "Better off Dead," starring John Cusack.

Kelly Wittenberg, assistant professor of theatre, is the festival director. For more information, visit www.missouriwestern.edu/GRIFF or call 816-271-5923.

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Extreme Percussion this Friday and Saturday

The department of music will present the seventh annual Extreme Percussion concert at 7 p.m. April 10 and 11 in the Potter Hall Theater. Tickets cost $6 for the general public and $4 for Western students. They are available in advance from the music department office in Potter Hall, room 114. They will also be available at the door.

Extreme Percussion, under the direction of Dr. Dennis Rogers, professor of music and director of percussion studies, will include 19 percussionists performing on drum sets, marimbas, snare drums, tympanis, congas, bongos and more. The audience will enjoy a variety of styles, including the sound of the Caribbean in the Steel Drum band, the driving rhythms of drum set groups, classical sounds of the percussion orchestra ensembles, early jazz styles on the xylophone, a contemporary drumline and a black light performance.

Proceeds from ticket sales support the Percussion Arts Society and percussion studies at Western.

For more information, call 816-271-4420.
 

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Alumnus Donates Art for Spratt Hall Atrium

When Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Western's president, visited a senior art show last fall, the work of one artist in particular caught his attention.

Dr. Chuck Mullican '08 is a St. Joseph physician who practiced medicine for 30 years. When he retired in 2003, he enrolled at Western to explore his love of art. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree last December.

After seeing Dr. Mullican's work, Dr. Vartabedian asked if he would consider donating his paintings to Western. The three paintings were hung in the Spratt Hall Atrium last week.

Dr. Mullican, a Chicago native, earned his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati and entered practice as a specialist in internal medicine in St. Joseph in 1973. In 1993, he became Chief Medical Officer at Heartland Health and served in that position until his retirement.

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Tower Sports

Baseball

• Win vs. Northwest Missouri State, 8-2, March 30

• Loss vs. Nebraska-Omaha, 4-6, April 1

• Loss vs. Nebraska-Omaha, 4-5, April 1

• Win vs. Emporia State University, 9-2, April 5

• Loss vs. Emporia State University, 5-9, April 5

• April 6 at Emporia State, 1 p.m. April 6 doubleheader

• April 10 vs. Ft. Hays State, 4 p.m. doubleheader at Phil Welch Stadium

• April 11 vs. Ft. Hays State, 1 p.m. doubleheader at Phil Welch Stadium

Softball

• Win vs. Washburn, 6-5, March 31

• Win vs. Washburn, 5-3, March 31

• Win vs. Truman State, 3-0, April 1

• Win vs. Truman State, 7-5, April 1

• Win vs. Ft. Hays State, 6-0, April 4

• Win vs. Ft. Hays State, 7-5, April 4

• April 6 at Emporia State, postponed, no make-up date announced

• April 7 at Lincoln, 2 p.m. doubleheader

• April 10 vs. Southwest Baptist, 2 p.m. doubleheader at MWSU Softball Complex

• April 11 vs. Central Missouri, 2 p.m. doubleheader at MWSU Softball Complex

Tennis

• Loss vs. Washburn, 0-9, April 1

• Loss vs. Missouri Southern, 2-7, April 3

• Loss vs. Lincoln, 1-8, April 4

• April 8 at Truman State, 4 p.m.

• April 10 at Johnson County CC, 2 p.m.

Men's Golf

• Placed 5th at Northern Sun Spring Fling, Lincoln, Neb., March 29-30

• Lost dual meet to Bemidji State University, Fairview Golf Course, April 1

• Won dual meet with Bemidji State University, Fairview Golf Course, April 2

Women's Golf

• Finished 7th at Northern Sun Spring Fling, Lincoln, Neb., March 29-30

• Finished 4th at Bulldog Classic, Kirksville, Mo., April 3-4

International Relations Presentation "Franco-American rapprochement: towards a new transatlantic relationship?" Presentation by Nicole Bacharan, French historian and political scientist at 7 p.m. Monday, April 6th, in Kemper Recital Hall inside Leah Spratt Hall. The presentation will be followed by a reception. This lecture is free and open to the public. It is organized with the support of Co-Curricular Events Committee, la Delegation generale de l'Alliance Francaise aux Etats-Unis and l'Alliance Francaise de Saint Joseph.

Lunch in the Non-Trad Lounge Not leaving campus for lunch? On Wednesday, April 8, you can grab a lunch at the Nontraditional Student Center in Eder 200 - sloppy joes, chips and a soda for only $2! Want dessert? Root beer floats are only $1! Proceeds benefit the Nontraditional Student Association and the March of Dimes. Lunch starts around 10:30 a.m. and will go until they run out of food! The nontrads will also be hosting lunches on April 15 and 22 for only $2!  Come support great causes and have a great lunch!

Spring Concert The Western Activities Council Spring Concert is April 9th. The concert features Blake Shelton with Joey & Rory. Tickets are still available in the Center for Student Engagement. Students receive 1 FREE ticket with ID and can purchase additional tickets for $22. Faculty and staff may also buy tickets for $22. Tickets will be sold in the CSE until 6PM on April 8th. The day of the concert tickets will ONLY be available at the Civic Arena and for the full price of $32. Please note the Center for Student Engagement will close at 5 p.m. on April 9 for the concert.

OSSW Bake Sale The Organization of Student Social Workers will be holding a Bake Sale on April 10th. The sale will be located on the second floor of Popplewell Hall from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. All items will be only $0.50, so bring your change and your appetite.

Hot Wheels Derby Recreation Services will have the first annual Hot Wheels Derby on April 11. Registration will start at 9 am and the racing begins at 10 am. When asking for permission from Hot Wheels donated 4 cases of hot wheel cars to race and give away the day of the race. Individuals have donated hotdogs, cookies, buns and chips. So there will be enough food for at least 198 individuals or more. We have an announcer, racing music that will be playing and games between the races. We hope to have a good turn out and everyone has a great time. The event is open to faculty, staff, students, and community. For more information, call 4247 or 4453.

Student Organization Photos Attention, organizations ... it's picture time! This is your one and only chance to get your organization's photo in the 2008-2009 Griffon yearbook. Pictures will be taken beginning Sunday, April 5 through Thursday, April 9 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. You must schedule your organization's photo session ahead of time. If none of these times work for you or your organization, please contact the (CO) Editor-in-Chief Amy Chastain by e-mail, amy.chastain@yahoo.com or by phone, 816-223-2988. You can also visit the Griffon yearbook office at Eder 220. We can set up a special session for you and your organization, but we must know at least a few days in advance. Organization photos will be taken in the first floor of Leah Spratt by the elevators and winding staircase. Two Griffon yearbook photographers will be on site to take the photo and to get names of organization members.

Griffon Softball Pancake Breakfast Come enjoy free pancakes and meet members of the nationally ranked Western softball team at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 11 in the Blum Student Union. The Griffons have won a school-record 28 games in a row, and ranked 21st in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II Top 25 poll. They are ranked 7th in the first South Central Region poll of the year and are tied with Central Missouri for first place in the MIAA standings with a perfect 6-0 conference record.

Hole-in-one Griffon women's golfer Lexi Webb, a sophomore from Eau Claire, Wis., shot a hole-in-one on the second day of the Bulldog Classic in Kirksville, Mo. Webb used an eight iron on the par 3, 137-yard 14th hole for her second career ace, her first at Western. Webb finished third in the tournament.

Student-Athlete Honors Banquet The department of athletics, in conjunction with the St. Joseph News-Press, will celebrate the successes of its student-athletes both on and off the field as part of the Missouri Western State University/St. Joseph News-Press Student-Athlete Honors Banquet to be held Wednesday, April 15th at 6:30 p.m. in the Fulkerson Center. The event is open to the public at a cost of $25 per person. Western athletics is accepting reservations through April 7. Those interested in attending may RSVP at (816) 271-5926. Seating is limited. Western athletics will honor 11 student-athletes as their respective sports’ “Student-Athlete of the Year” along with numerous team and individual achievements which have taken place over the past calendar year. These 11 athletes are finalists for the Missouri Western State University/St. Joseph News-Press Male and Female Student Athletes of the Year Award, which will be announced during the banquet. Western will also honor two Silver Anniversary Award winners who are alumni of the institution for outstanding achievements and representation throughout the past 25-plus years. Former football student-athlete Tom Early, Vice President of Bank of Lee’s Summit in Lee’s Summit, Missouri as well as former tennis student-athlete Dan Heckman, Vice President of US Bank in Kansas City, Missouri will receive the award which exhibits the characteristics of Integrity, Dedication, Leadership, a Commitment to Excellence and an obligation to serve as a concerned partner in their community. Steven St. John, host of the “Border Patrol” morning show on Sports Radio 810 WHB in Kansas City, will once again serve as master of ceremonies of the event.

National Healthcare Decisions Day Faculty and students from the departments of nursing and history, philosophy and geography will be hosting an informational booth April 16 in Eder Lobby from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. in recognition of the second annual National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD). Information related to advance directives and healthcare decision-making will be available. This effort is sponsored by Heartland Regional Medical Center's Ethics Committee and is intended to encourage all adults to make their wishes known in regard to healthcare decisions. According to the NHDD website, www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday.org, "National Healthcare Decisions Day is an initiative to encourage patients to express their wishes regarding healthcare and for providers and facilities to respect those wishes, whatever they may be"

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Monday, April 6

• Franco-American Rapprochement: Towards a New Trans-Atlantic Relationship?" lecture by Nicole Bacharan, French historian and political scientist, 7 p.m., Kemper Recital Hall

Tuesday, April 7

• Deadline for reservations for the Missouri Western State University/St. Joseph News-Press Student-Athlete Honors Banquet, call 5926

• MWSU Foundation Appreciation Dinner, social at 5:45 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m., Fulkerson Center

Wednesday, April 8

• Lunch in the Non-Traditional Student Center, 10:30 a.m., Eder Hall 200

• Considering College, 2-4 p.m., Eder Hall 200

• Senior Percussion Recital by Joe Hull, 7:30 p.m., Potter Hall Theater

Thursday, April 9

• WAC Spring Concert, Blake Shelton and Joey + Rory, 8 p.m., Civic Arena

Friday, April 10

• Extreme Percussion, 7 p.m., Potter Hall Theater

Saturday, April 11

• Hot Wheels Derby, registration 9 a.m., racing 10 a.m., Looney Complex

• Softball pancake breakfast, 10 a.m., Blum Union

• Extreme Percussion, 7 p.m., Potter Hall Theater

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Wanted: One to two roommates wanted for a three-bedroom house. Five minutes from Western. Very nice home - $400-$450. You would have your own entrance and bathroom. Need someone ASAP. Call 816-387-6510 for more information.

For Sale: NASCAR Tickets! April 2009, Kansas Speedway, Craftsman Truck and Indy Car Series, 4 tickets each race. Half price - $25 per ticket. Email bjm1465@missouriwestern.edu for more information.

For Sale: KAWASAKI 2007 Ninja 250, blue, 2,500 miles, garaged, jacket and helmet included, $2,700. Call 816-671-9338 after 5 p.m. or email saffell@missouriwestern.edu for more information.

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