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Week of April 20 - 26, 2009 Welcome to the Tower Topics E-newsletter for faculty, staff and students at Western. |
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Missouri Western State University, 4525 Downs Drive, St. Joseph, MO 64507, 816-271- 4200 |
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Click any link for these stories: MTC Official Visits Western's Incubator Eggs and Issues Features Arts Summit Griffon Junior Singers to Perform with KC Symphony 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
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:
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MTC Official Visits Western's Incubator Two New Tenants Announced Gov. Jay Nixon’s nominee to head the Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC) visited the Christopher S. “Kit” Bond Science and Technology Incubator at Western April 15, to tour the facility of the incubator’s first commercial tenant, IMULAN BioTherapeutics LLC. The university also announced two new tenants for the incubator. “This project is a great example of how public-private partnerships can leverage public assets to create high-paying, high-tech jobs in Missouri,” said Jason Hall, Gov. Nixon’s nominee to serve as executive director of MTC. “Missouri is open for business, and we’re thrilled to welcome IMULAN, an exciting addition to Missouri’s world-leading animal health science industry.” MTC provided funding to fit-out and equip the incubator’s first floor to accommodate IMULAN, an emerging animal health company that describes itself as “providing innovative solutions for complex animal diseases.” Their first commercial product is the only approved treatment aid in the United States for feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus. They announced plans to relocate from Arizona to the Bond Incubator last fall, and moved in earlier this month. “Our decision to relocate was based on the cohesive relationship we observed among various state and local entities, including the tremendous support of the county and state for financial assistance.” said Dr. Craig Woods, founder and CEO of IMULAN. “Our proximity to veterinary and medical schools, and the local workforce and personnel expertise of St. Joseph, MO is unparalleled and provides IMULAN the foundation for rapid growth in the coming years.” IMULAN and the Institute for Industrial and Applied Life Sciences (IIALS), a public-private partnership that was the incubator’s first tenant and manages the facility for Western, have been joined by two other tenants: DT Search and Designs LLC, a firm that researches and develops products in military telecommunications, animal waste management and other industries; and the United States Animal Health Association (USAHA), a non-profit organization dedicated to controlling animal diseases in the U.S. “We’re excited about both of these tenants,” said Dr. Gary Clapp, president and CEO of IIALS. “DT Search and Designs received a Missouri Rising Star of Innovation award from the University of Missouri Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship earlier this year and is poised to grow. USAHA is an established organization that is a natural fit with the region’s vital animal health industry.” The Bond Incubator, located on Mitchell Avenue just west of Interstate 29, opened its doors last June. It is named for Missouri Sen. Christopher Bond, who was instrumental in securing a federal grant from the Economic Development Administration to pay for the building’s construction. The addition of DT Search and Designs and USAHA leaves about 10,000 square feet in the 25,000 square-foot building available for another eight to 10 tenants, Dr. Clapp said. |
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“Enjoy yourselves and do your best for the town of Santa Catarina.” With those final instructions from professor of economics, Dr. Cathy Lawson, the video game experiment began. Western students gathered on a Saturday morning in Popplewell Hall this month to be a part of the research on risk aversion relevant to economic choices, conducted by Dr. Cathy Lawson and her husband, Dr. Larry Lawson, associate professor of finance. But rather than having students make choices on paper, which is the way most of this type of risk aversion research is conducted, the Lawsons took their research to a virtual level. The students played a video game that had been modified by the Lawsons for their research. The players were assigned roles as volunteers assisting the local police Drug Strike Force in the town of Santa Catarina. In the game, they are instructed to find pairs of crates hidden in nine locations in their assigned areas of the town. The crates contain unknown amounts of illegal drugs which they are to seize. Students were paid for their time that morning, but there was a catch – their payment was determined by which crates they chose in the video game. For each pair of crates, the players were given the probability of the amount of drugs in each crate and they made their decisions based on those probabilities. For example, the intelligence for a particular location may tell them that one crate contains either $3,200 worth of drugs (with a 30 percent chance) or $4,000 worth of drugs (with a 70 percent chance), while the other crate at the same location contains either $200 worth of drugs (with a 30 percent chance) or $7,700 worth of drugs (with a 70 percent chance). Heather Seever, junior nursing major, said she doesn’t consider herself a risk-taker, and the choices throughout the game were pretty easy to make. “I told myself I would take a couple risks and that’s all.” She said even though she was given the opportunity to change her choices at the end of the game, she stayed with her first instinct and didn’t make any changes. Her choices netted her $39. The Lawsons conducted four experiments that weekend, and they had plenty of students who were willing to participate. The students admitted the money was the biggest draw. “I’m a poor college student and I thought it would be interesting,” said Teresa LaBryer, a senior elementary education major, who likes video games with puzzles. She went home with $37, “way more than I had coming in here!” “I really like playing video games and I needed the money for an Easter dress,” said Becca Weddle. She liked the role playing and was surprised at the quality of the game. “If I’m getting paid to do something I like, why not?” said, Richard Sands, whose favorite video game is Call of Duty. “I’m not great at video games, but it was pretty easy once I figured it out.” He did admit to blowing up one crate, however, before he got the hang of it. (Disclaimer: the game is really nonviolent; the characters in the game wear Kevlar® vests, so no one is injured even if a bomb goes off). “It was actually a lot of fun; I wanted to keep playing, Sands said.” He went home with $38 and was happy with his haul. The Lawsons held four sessions over the weekend. They are also making plans for more game modifications to see if that affects the players’ decision making. “This type of virtual research tool has the potential to advance understanding across a wide range of experimental topics,” Dr. Larry Lawson said. “I’m going shopping!” Weddle said as she left with $43. |
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Eggs and Issues Features Arts Summit A panel discussion about the arts and a performance by the Griffon Junior Singers will be the focus of Western’s next Eggs and Issues breakfast at 7 a.m. April 29 in the Fulkerson Center. The breakfast is free and open to the public, but reservations are required by April 24. Call 5646 to reserve your spot. “Arts Summit: Issues and Opportunities” will feature several leaders of the arts community in St. Joseph: Teresa Fankhouser, executive director of the Allied Arts Council; Karen M. Graves, community volunteer and arts advocate; Martha Greer, director of the Missouri Western’s Center for Community Arts; and Darren Verbick, elementary coordinator of fine arts of the St. Joseph School District. The panelists will discuss arts organizations in St. Joseph, the arts’ economic benefits to the community, arts challenges faced by the public schools and opportunities to participate and volunteer in the arts in St. Joseph. There will be a question-and-answer session. The Griffon Junior Singers Premiere Choir, comprised of students in grades six through 10, will perform promptly at 7 a.m. The Griffon Junior Singers is a choral music education program for children as young as second grade offered through the Center for the Community Arts. Members of the Premiere Choir have been selected to rehearse and perform with the Kansas City Symphony next month as part of the children’s choir for “The Lord of the Rings Symphony” on May 7 and 8 at the Music Hall in Kansas City, Mo. The Eggs and Issues program will be broadcast May 17-28 on Missouri Western Television, channel 39 on St. Joseph Cablevision and channel 97 on Alliance Communications in Atchison, Kan. It will air at 7:30 p.m. Sundays and noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. |
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Griffon Junior Singers to Perform with KC Symphony Western’s Griffon Junior Singers Premiere Choir will perform with the Kansas City Symphony next month. The singers will be part of the children’s choir for two performances of “The Lord of the Rings Symphony” at 8 p.m. May 7 and 8 at the Music Hall, 301 W. 13th Street, in Kansas City, Mo. Tickets starting at $28 each are available through Ticketmaster. “It is very exciting for these young singers to be given such an opportunity,” said Karen Heyde-Lipanovich, director of the Premiere Choir. “I know this will be an unforgettable experience in their lives.” “The Lord of the Rings Symphony,” composed by Howard Shore, was created from the 12 hours of music composed for Peter Jackson’s three film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”: “The Fellowship of the Ring,” “The Two Towers” and “The Return of the King.” The Griffon Junior Singers will join with young women from the Shawnee Mission North Women’s Chorale and children from the Musical Arts Institute in Independence, Mo., to make up the children’s choir. The Kansas City Symphony Chorus will serve as the adult choir. Western alumnus Charles Bruffy ’81, a two-time Grammy winner, conducts the Symphony Chorus. “I consider it a privilege to work with Maestro Bruffy, the Symphony Chorus, the Kansas City Symphony, and the other children’s choirs and their directors,” Lipanovich said. Griffon Junior Singers is a choral music education program offered through the Western Institute’s Center for Community Arts in partnership with the St. Joseph Public Schools. Local public, private and home-schooled students in grades two through 10 participate. Financial assistance for the Griffon Junior Singers has been provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, and by the National Endowment for the Arts. Tickets to the May 7 and 8 performances of the Kansas City Symphony may be purchased from Ticketmaster by phone at 800-745-3000 or online at ticketmaster.com. For more information about Griffon Junior Singers, call Martha Greer, director of the Center for Community Arts, at 4121. |
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Baseball
Softball
Tennis
Men's Golf
Women's Golf
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Cave Presentation and Exhibits William R. Elliott, conservation department cave biologist, and Dr. David C. Ashley, professor of biology, will speak about cave conservation, cave-related education, cave restoration techniques and cave life of the Ozarks during the presentation, "Caves in Crisis," at 7 p.m. April 21 at the Downtown University Center. The program will be followed by a tour of the "Caves In Crisis" photographic exhibit with questions and answers. The photo exhibit will also run April 20-24 at the Downtown University center. The downtown center is open daily from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. to view the photographs. The exhibit will also be open from 4:30-10 p.m. on April 21.This exhibit highlights the beauty of caves contrasted with vandalism and graffiti, scenes not usually witnessed by the public. Nationally recognized cave photographers David Bunnell, Michael Carter, William R. Elliott, Jim Huckins and Rickard Walk contributed to this exhibit. The events are sponsored by the Midland Empire Audubon Society, Missouri Western State University, the Pony Express Grotto and the Missouri Department of Conservation. This free program is designed for ages 12-adult. For more information about the program or the exhibit, call Tom Nagel at 816-671-0826 or David Ashley at 4334. Senior Recital The department of music will host a senior recital for Calvin Haynes at 7:30 p.m. April 22 in the Potter Hall theater. The recital is free and open to the public. Haynes, of Lee’s Summit, Mo., is pursuing a bachelor of science with a business concentration. He will be accompanied by Blas Gonzalez, department pianist, and will perform selections from composers like Brahms, Handel, Mozart and more. Haynes currently is a worship leader at Big Lake Baptist Church. After graduation he plans on living in St. Joseph and working at Anderson Ford. Haynes is the son of Rick Haynes and Jackie Macgirvin. Camp Literature of the Japanese-American Internment Dr. Stacia Bensyl, associate profess or of English, will present, "Camp Literature of the Japanese-American Internment," at 12:30 p.m. April 23 in Eder 210. In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, amid the paranoia that only war can induce, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. With the stroke of a pen Roosevelt doomed over 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry to be detained in hastily constructed camps, ostensibly for the protection of the United States. Taking little with them but their pride and ingenuity, these Japanese-Americans constructed cities amid the deserts and mountains of our country, in the most inhospitable of places. The rhetoric of Roosevelt's Executive Order imposed ethnic apartheid on these citizens, but they did not remain silent. They knew the importance of the written word. Inside the camps they quickly organized newspapers to inform residents of world events and camp activities. These newspapers have been widely researched and documented. However, an adjunct to these publications-small literary magazines and occasional chapbooks - provided them with both an additional outlet for their writing and a literature uniquely their own. Dr. Bensyl has researched the War Relocation Authority records and has collected these literary documents. The presentation is sponsored by the English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism Department. Canvas Reception A reception and reading in honor of the release of this year’s Canvas will be held at 3:30 p.m. April 23 in Hearnes 102. The reception is free and open to the public. Canvas is a student-staffed journal of fiction, poetry, photography and art submitted by students, faculty and staff. The reception will showcase the talent to be found on campus, with journal contributors reading excerpts from their work. Editors will also select the Best Prose and Best Poetry submissions. The reception will be the first opportunity to pick up the 2009 Canvas, which is funded by the MWSU Foundation. Canvas is free to Western students, faculty, staff and alumni. For more information, contact Brean Reiley at breiley@missouriwestern.edu. You may visit the Canvas Web site at www.missouriwestern.edu/Orgs/canvas. Free Tickets The Western Activities Council is providing free tickets for Western students to attend the St. Joseph Symphony performance "A Night On the Town" at 8 p.m. April 25 at the Missouri Theater. 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. on Friday. A student ID is required and tickets are currently limited to one per student. Faculty and Staff Awards Ceremony Western will recognize this year’s recipients of several important university awards and employees who have retired or will retire during this academic year at the faculty and staff awards ceremony at 3 p.m April 28 in Potter Hall theater. The awards include the Jesse Lee Myers Excellence in Teaching Awards, the Dr. James V. Mehl Outstanding Faculty Scholarship Award, the Presidential Citation Awards, and the James J. Scanlon Service-Leader Awards. A reception will follow the ceremony in the Potter Hall lobby. Financial Oversight Committee The Financial Oversight Committee (FOC) was created in order to review proposals and allocate funds to individual students and/or officially recognized student organizations seeking funds. As a member of the FOC you would help appropriate funds from the FOC budget to campus organizations seeking money. It is an excellent opportunity to get some real life experience in finance/economics or just general business. Our meetings will be once a month and based on what time is best for everyone. If you're interested in applying for the FOC or have a question about it send an email to slassen@missouriwestern.edu or call or text 816-676-8329. Homecoming Steering Committee Applications Applications are now available for the 2009 Homecoming Steering Committee. We are looking for student leaders who are dedicated, passionate, reliable, hard-working, and motivated. Students must be willing to put in the time, energy and effort to create a Homecoming Week that every student will be proud of and that everyone can get excited about. If you meet these criteria and want to expand your leadership abilities, then we encourage you to apply for the 2009 Homecoming Steering Committee. The Homecoming Steering Committee members will utilize planning, networking and creative skills to establish contacts and build relationships with student, faculty, administration, corporate and community leaders. This is a unique opportunity to learn about event planning and immediately put the skills you learn to work. You will be working with a very diverse group of people in the months leading up to Homecoming Week and you will be able to demonstrate as well as strengthen your leadership skills. You may pickup an application packet in the Center for Student Engagement in the Blum Student Union, Room 207 or you may request a packet electronically by contacting Don Willis via email willisd@missouriwestern.edu. Important Financial Aid Award Letter Info Students who have completed their 2009-2010 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and who have submitted all required documents to the Financial Aid Office will receive notification and instructions for accepting their grants, loans, and scholarships through their Western e-mail account by May 15. The Financial Aid office is going green and moving to a completely paperless award letter process. This process will expedite the acceptance and certification of financial aid funds and help ensure that funds are available when classes begin in the Fall. Award notifications will be generated after final grades are processed, ensuring that students are offered the maximum amount of financial assistance for their grade level. What do students need to do? 1) Make sure that their financial aid application is complete and that all required documents have been submitted to the Financial Aid Office. Students can check their financial aid status by visiting the MWSU Financial Aid Web page and clicking on "Check Your Financial Aid Status". 2) If the status indicates "COMPLETE," students should check their Western e-mail account on May 15 and follow the instructions to accept their awards. 3) If the status indicates "PENDING REVIEW" - Financial Aid coordinators will be processing the student's file soon. Students should check back to make sure additional information is not required at a later date. 4) If the file is "INCOMPLETE" - students will see a list of documents that they will need to provide to complete their file. Students who completed their FAFSA before the March 1 priority deadline will be considered for ALL sources of financial assistance available. Students who applied after March 1 will be considered for any remaining sources of assistance until funding is exhausted. It is not too late to apply for the Federal Pell Grant and/or Stafford Loan funds, but students must apply now to ensure funding is available when classes start in the fall and before payment deadlines (www.fafsa.ed.gov). Students must check their Western e-mail account throughout the summer for financial aid updates. For the security of our students, we will not send award information to a non-university e-mail account. Should you have any questions or concerns, contact the Financial Aid Office at 5939. Guitar Festival Western
is in the process of securing Home Hosts for visiting artists for the
seventh annual St. Joseph International Guitar Festival and St.
Joseph International Guitar Festival Copy
Paper Costs Rise Every three
months, Campus Printing bids bulk copy paper, specifically, 20#, 92-96
white, 8 ½ x 11 copy paper. Presently orders have grown to 400 cases of
this paper each quarter (1600 cases per year, 16,000 reams of paper).
Despite regular increases in the copy paper costs and significant
increases in demand, Campus Printing has maintained a steady, below-market
price to all University customers. In fact, Campus Printing has not raised
the price it charges since 2002, absorbing the cost increases for the past
seven years. |
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Monday, April 20
Tuesday, April 21
Wednesday, April 22
Thursday, April 23
Friday, April 24
Saturday, April 25
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For Sale: Relatively new twin bed. Has firm mattress and springs. Reasonable price. Call Missy at 816-752-0344 for more information. 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. |
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Wanted: Your want ads! You
are welcome to submit ads to the Western ADvantage each week.
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