Week of

Week of August 21-27 , 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:

Welcome Back!

International Student Population Growing

Lost & Found: If you have lost any items, please come to SU 228 to claim them. You may be required to describe the item.

Click on Tower Topics to submit any story or photo ideas.

Guidelines for Tower Topics: Tower Topics submissions should state time, date, place, sponsor, title of event, name of speaker's and admission fees. Send complete information to the Public Relations and Marketing office (Leah Spratt Hall, Room 207).

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.

Student Editor:

Staff Adviser:
Kent Heier

New Student Convocation

"Please take this educational opportunity seriously," President Vartabedian told nearly 900 Griffon Edge participants at the New Student Convocation Aug. 20. "If you do, you will find here a university that wants to work with you so you can succeed." Vartabedian and other administrators spoke to the students about community expectations and the quality of Western's faculty, staff, students and programs. The students also linked arms to sing the alma mater (right). On Aug. 21, the students went out into the community for the annual Scanlon Day of Service, in conjunction with the United Way. Students helped clean up Mt. Mora Cemetery, build a house for Habitat for Humanity and participated in several other service projects.

Welcome Back!

This is the first edition of Tower Topics for the 2009-10 school year. Last year we conducted an internal communications survey and learned a great deal about what our faculty and staff think of communications on campus:

You have a love-hate relationship with e-mails. You like e-mails for fast communication but you hate to be inundated. In response, the public relations and marketing office revised the news emails so that the subject line carried more specific information. You are also able to sort which e-mails you would like to get.
You also told us you like to read about things that are going to happen rather than about things that have already happened. We are working on that now. You will be seeing old but important information capsulized into News Briefs with links to get the whole story if you so desire.
Another thing you told us is that you would like to know about Western news before you read about it in the newspaper. We are now sending copies of many of our news releases simultaneously to faculty and staff when we send them to the media. Since the media prints well over 90% of what we send and they have hungry deadlines, we encourage you to check for these stories and read them when you get them in order to beat the news reports. In addition, many of these items will appear in Tower Topics or other venues first.

Finally, as you know, communication is two-way, and the public relations and marketing office is always interested in your ideas and suggestions. For more information, please contact either Roger at 5649, Kent at 4124, or Diane at 5651.

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International Student Orientation

Sixteen new international students attended three days of orientation Aug. 18-20. Several returning international students assisted with the orientation. The students met with President Vartabedian and other members of cabinet (left) and gathered at Krug Park for a picnic.

International Student Population Growing

When Dr. Robert Vartabedian assumed the presidency of Western a year ago, one of his stated goals was to increase the number of international students on campus. Though the numbers remain relatively small, they are growing. In fact, the number of international students will nearly double this fall, from 12 a year ago to 23 this year.

The international students represent 10 countries, according to Huey Shi Chew, international student coordinator: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, China, France, Germany, Israel, Kenya, Korea and the Philippines. There are 16 new students from outside the US on campus this fall, Chew said, including four exchange students and Western's first international graduate student.

"These students bring diversity and flavor to the classroom and campus," Chew said.

Chew and several of the returning international students led the newcomers through a three-day orientation process before school started. Most are living in Logan Hall and they appear to be bonding together, Chew said.

In his comments at the New Student Convocation Aug. 20, Dr. Vartabedian encouraged students to extend a warm welcome to Western's international studentts.

"Please do all that you can to create an 'international student-friendly environment," he said. "Give our international students a good first and lasting impression of this country and this university. If you do, I guarantee you that it will be a mutually beneficial experience."

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Move-In Day

Traffic was heavy on campus Aug. 19, as new students were moving into residence halls that day. Once again this year, residence halls are at capacity, with more than 1,100 students living on campus and a small waiting list as of Aug. 21.

Parking and Security Services Offers Parking Tips

With enrollment expected to reach a record high for the fifth consecutive year, parking will once again be an issue, particularly during the first week or two of the semester. Western's office of parking and security services has offered students, faculty and staff a few tips:

Plan to arrive on campus early.
Consider car-pooling or public transportation.
Consider staying on campus during lunch.
Lots B (in front of Hearnes), K (in front of Popplewell) and H (the horseshoe lot north of Downs Drive) generally fill up more quickly than other lots. Check lots J (in front of Looney and Potter), C (across Downs Drive from Blum Union) and F (in front of the residence halls) as they fill up later in the day.
Because of construction associated with the indoor sports and recreation facility, the lot in front of Spratt Stadium is not available for overflow parking. Weather permitting, overflow parking will be established in the grassy area south of Lot C.

Parking lot checks during the first two weeks of the fall semester in the past have shown that Western has never been completely out of parking spaces. So if you don't find a spot right away, keep looking. And remember, parking regulations are enforced 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For a campus map with parking areas marked, visit the police department's website, www.missouriwestern.edu/policedepartment. You may contact parking and security services in person in their office, Blum 100 (next to the bookstore), by phone at 5666 or by email at parkingservices@missouriwestern.edu.

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Faculty Training
	The Faculty Senate offered special professional development activities Aug. 19. Here, Cindy Wells, instructional design services manager, provides training on Blackboard/Web CT. Western's faculty features 28 new faces this fall.

Tower Sports

Fall Sports Begin The fall sports season at Missouri Western begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, when the Griffon football team hosts Northern State, with a free fireworks show following the game. Western volleyball begins play Aug. 28 and 29 with four matches in the Augustana Tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Griffon soccer team begins play at 3:30 p.m. Aug. 29 in Maryville, Mo., when they take on the Newman Jets as part of the Northwest Missouri State Classic.

Griffon Luncheons at United Ballroom The 2009-2010 Griffon Luncheons will kick off at noon Aug. 24 at a new location. The luncheon will be held at the United Ballroom, 602 Felix in downtown St. Joseph. A buffet lunch will be served for only $5. Each of the fall coaches will provide a season preview following the lunch. Reservations are not required.

Student-athletes at Hy-Vee The Missouri Western fall sports teams will be at the St. Joseph Hy-Vee Saturday, August 22 between 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. The Griffons soccer team will be there from 8-10 a.m., the volleyball team will be there from 10 a.m. - noon, and the football team will be there from noon - 2 p.m. Each team will be signing posters along with helping bag and carry out groceries.

Convocation on Critical Issues Mark your calendar for the 2009 Convocation on Critical Issues, featuring Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. His topic is "Our Environmental Destiny." The Convocation will be held at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 1 in the Looney Arena. The annual Convocation Dinner will be held Sept. 30. See http://www.missouriwestern.edu/convocation for details. Posters and postcards are available if you would like to help promote the event. Contact Roger Swafford at 5649.

What Western Did on our Summer 'Vacation' While some of you were away, many important and exciting things were happening at Western. Here are a few highlights (click the links to read more):

May 18: Western announced an agreement with area community colleges regarding two-year programs.
June 12: Western's graduate program in nursing approved by the state.
June and July: The plan to move the summer training camp to the Kansas City Chiefs moved forward with a visit from Gov. Jay Nixon to announce the state's final approval; the selection of a contractor to build the indoor sports and recreation facility; a groundbreaking ceremony attended by Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and officials from the Chiefs, the city of St. Joseph and Buchanan County; and the beginning of construction. You can follow the project's progress at www.gogriffons.com/Construction.asp.
June 30: Dr. Joseph Bragin, Western's provost, announced his retirement.
July 6: Western and the city of St. Joseph were selected to host the 2010 NCAA Division II softball championship.
July 9: Western and Rockhurst announced an agreement to provide Craig School of Business graduates with an opportunity to pursue a Fifth-year MBA.
July 24: Research into bacterial computing by faculty and undergraduates at Western and Davidson University is published, drawing worldwide media attention.

Band Members Wanted The Golden Griffon Marching Band and the Western jazz program are both looking for musicians. The jazz program will hold auditions for its two big bands and combos. Auditions are open to any student on campus. Trumpet, trombone, saxophone, piano, guitar and bass chairs are open. Auditions will be held Monday evening, Aug. 24 in Potter Hall. Contact Bob Long, director of jazz studies, at 4430 for more information. The Golden Griffon Marching Band has openings in the horn and flag lines. Contact Jeff Hinton, director of bands, at 4429. You may also call the department of music for more information about either opportunity at 4420.

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Monday, August 24

Fall classes begin
Western Warm Up - Community Blood Drive, 10 a.m. in the Blum Union lobby
Western Warm Up - Welcome Fair, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Clocktower
Late registration, 10 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., registrar's office
Griffon Luncheon, noon - 1 p.m., United Ballroom, 602 Felix St.
Greek Life BBQ, 5 p.m. at University Plaza

Tuesday, August 25

Late registration, 1 - 6:30 p.m., registrar's office
Residence Council meeting, 7 p.m. in the Commons
Western Warm Up - RC Kick Off Party, 8 p.m. in the Commons

Wednesday, August 26

Late registration, 1 - 4:30 p.m., registrar's office
Western Warm Up - comedian Buzz Sutherland, 7 p.m., Potter Theater

Thursday, August 27

Late registration, 1 - 4:30 p.m., registrar's office
Board of Governors meeting, 4 p.m. in Blum 220
Football game vs. Northern State, followed by fireworks, 6 p.m. in Spratt Stadium

Friday, August 28

Late registration, 1 - 4:30 p.m., registrar's office
Western Warm Up - Ice Cream Social, 6 p.m. in the Commons

Saturday, August 29

Western Warm Up - UJIMA Fair, 1-4 p.m. in the Blum Union courtyard
Western Warm Up - WAC mini-concert by Juice, 7 p.m. in Potter Theater.

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For Sale Ethan Allen dresser with mirror ($200), Kenmore electric clothes dryer ($75). Contact John (4302) or Deb (5957) Ellis.

Wanted: Your want ads!

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

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

Ads for non-campus organizations or professional businesses will not be printed.
Ads can cover items wanted, items to be sold, garage sales, etc.
Ads may be edited for length, style or content. The staff reserves the right to evaluate the appropriateness of ads for inclusion.
Ads received by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday will be included in that Monday's publication. Ads received after the deadline will be included in the next edition.
Ads will automatically run for a two-week period. Extensions are granted by resubmitting the ad.
Ads will only be accepted by email, fax and campus mail. Please send submissions by email to publicrelations@missouriwestern.edu ; to fax 5900 or by mail to Tower Topics, University Advancement, Leah Spratt Hall, Room 207.

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