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Week of October 23 - 29, 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: Plaque Marks Former Junior College Building Incubator Serves as Training Ground for Lab Workers Community Chorus Opens Season at Western 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 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:
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Plaque Marks Former Junior College Building One of the highlights of Homecoming 2009 for many Western alumni was the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the building that housed St. Joseph Junior College and Missouri Western Junior College from 1933 to 1969, when Western achieved four-year designation and moved to its current campus. Dr. M.O. Looney, former Western president, recounted some of the political battles that occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, to establish Western as a four-year school and to make it a part of the state college system. “It certainly doesn’t seem like 42-and-a-half years since I climbed those steps right there,” said Dr. Looney during the dedication ceremony outside the building at 10th and Edmond. “But when I got to the top of those stairs, I had a very pleasant surprise. I was met by a very energetic faculty and staff that told me they were willing and able to do anything they could to make Missouri Western a four-year school.” We owe a debt of gratitude to those people, Dr. Looney said, who not only did their jobs to keep the junior college going but did the extra work that was necessary to start the four-year school. “We also owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the people of this community that really supported the college,” Dr. Looney said. “And as they say in the Ozarks, ‘they put their money where their mouth was.’ They voted two bond issues to make sure we got the four-year college.” Former Gov. Warren Hearnes and the northwest Missouri lawmakers of the time also are to be commended for remaining committed to the idea of a four-year school despite sometimes fierce opposition, he said. Dr. James Scanlon, president emeritus, also recounted a political battle: the effort to earn university designation for Missouri Western, which finally succeeded in 2005. “We succeeded despite the cynicism, despite the economics, and despite the politics,” Dr. Scanlon said. “The determination of the people of this community and this region, the determination of the people at Western is what made it possible.” He said the designation as a university affirmed the quality of the institution, and gave Western a statewide mission in applied learning. “We must not forget our past, and this building is a very important part of it,” said President Vartabedian. “It was a very important pipeline to higher education otherwise not available in this community, and also a very important pipeline to lifelong relationships. It represents 36 years of dreams and hopes that were nourished by higher education.” The plaque was donated by Dr. William Gondring, a 1956 graduate of St. Joseph Junior College, in memory of junior college faculty and in honor of his fellow junior college alumni. Following the dedication ceremony, junior college alumni gathered for a celebration tea at the YWCA, exchanging memories while looking at displays of old photographs and yearbooks. Dr. Looney added to the collection, bringing several mementos from his time at Western, including photos, programs and the congratulatory telegrams he received from the faculty and student body after accepting the job. |
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Incubator Serves as Training Ground for Lab Workers A group of students in the Christopher S. Kit Bond Science and Technology Incubator this month may play a role in the continued growth of the life sciences industry in the St. Joseph area. The students are taking a biomanufacturing course developed by the University of Kansas under a federal grant called OneKC WIRED (Workforce Innovation for Regional Economic Development). The 150-hour course provides intensive laboratory technician skills for post high school graduates. "This class is supporting workforce development as well as economic development for the region by giving these people the skills they need to become employed in our local economy," said Dr. Gary Clapp, president and CEO of the Institute for Industrial and Applied Life Sciences. "It helps individuals to be better prepared to interview for entry-level positions in the bioscience industry," said Dr. Elizabeth Wenske-Mullinax of the University of Kansas Medical Center, the lead teacher on the project. KU partnered locally with Hillyard Technical Center to bring the training to St. Joseph, and employees of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., provided additional expertise. One of the highlights of the class was the use of a clean room to experience working in what’s known as an aseptic environment. The clean room’s air is filtered to remove impurities, and students were taught by Boehringer Ingelheim employees how to "gown up," or don the necessary protective gear so that they wouldn’t contaminate the room and its contents. They then filled tubes; those tubes will be incubated to test for any impurities "It was different," said Russell, one of the students who used to work in the construction industry. Dr. Wenske-Mullinax kept a close eye through the glass walls of the clean room and a few times directed students to discard the pipettes they were using to fill tubes because they had come into contact with another surface and might have been contaminated. The clean room isn’t just a training environment, Dr. Clapp said, it's a working facility. "Companies that are tenants in the incubator that need access to a clean room often don’t have the resources to build one themselves," he said. "Well, they don’t have to, because we have one here, and we’ll provide the operational expertise to help this room stay active so they can use it under our supervision." The clean room was built by a grant from the Missouri Life Sciences Trust Fund, Dr. Clapp said. |
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Congratulations to the 2009 Homecoming winners!
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Community Chorus Opens Season at Western The St. Joseph Community Chorus will introduce its new artistic director, Dr. David Benz, at its Fall Concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25 in the Fulkerson Center at Missouri Western State University. Single concert tickets may be purchased at the door. They are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for children. Free tickets are available to Western students through the Center for Student Engagement, Blum 207, courtesy of the Western Activities Council. The Chorus’ Fall Concert is titled “Songs of the People” and will feature folk music from several countries, including Ireland, China, Czechoslovakia, Canada and America. “Folk music expresses the most beautiful melodies and dances ever written. Listeners will love the music of the world in our fall concert, but they will especially enjoy hearing the music of America in this performance,” said Dr. Benz, who is director of choral activities at Western and has served as the Chorus’ associate artistic director for the past five years. The concert features five American songs composed and arranged by Jackson Berkey of Omaha, Neb. Jackson is the featured keyboard artist with the Grammy-award winning group, Mannheim Steamroller. His choral music has been described as being like a freshening breeze. “His writing is so imaginative, so eclectic, so well-crafted, and so different in the world of music,” Dr. Benz said. A special guest performer for the concert is violinist Ziva Patt-Rappaport, concert master for the St. Joseph Symphony, who will be performing Five Hebrew Love Songs by Eric Whitacre with the Chamber Choir. Retired artistic director Frank Thomas will direct two songs with the Chamber Choir. The Community Chorus’ 2009/2010 concert season theme is “The Voice of Community”. The season includes three concerts; the Fall Concert on October 25, a Cathedral Christmas Concert on December 12 and 13, and a Spring Concert on April 25, 2010. In addition to the Concert Season, the Chorus also has a special holiday Messiah performance joining with five area church choirs on December 5 and 6. Season tickets may be purchased at the door or by calling 816-271-4420. Season tickets are $35 for adults, $25 for seniors and $12 for children. |
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Griffon football Western celebrated Homecoming with a 36-21 victory of Central Missouri on Oct. 17, the seventh straight victory for the Griffons over the Mules. Western rolled up 469 yards of total offense while limiting the Mules to 268. With the victory, the Griffons stand at 7-1 overall. They’re alone in 2nd place in the MIAA with a 5-1 conference mark. Western is ranked 12th in both the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll and the D2football.com media poll, and are third in the Super Region 4 rankings. The top 6 teams in the regional rankings advance to the Division II playoffs. Western hosts Missouri Southern on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 1:30 p.m. Griffon soccer Western finished the home portion of their schedule with a winning record, beating Missouri Southern on Wednesday, Oct. 21 by a score of 1-0 on forward Abby Widrig’s seventh goal of the season. The Griffons were 4-3-1 at Spratt Stadium this fall. They are 6-9-1 overall, and 4-7-1 in the MIAA. They are scheduled to play a make-up game at Truman State at 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, then will be at Emporia State at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29. Griffon volleyball Western lost at Fort Hays State on Wednesday, Oct. 21 by a 3-2 score. The Griffons led two games to one, but Hays won the final games 25-20 and 16-14 to take the match. Western is home this weekend, hosting Emporia State at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, and Washburn at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24. They wrap up the home stand with a match against Pittsburg State at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. Pink Out Western volleyball will host their second annual “Pink Out” game in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month when they play Emporia State at 7 p.m. Oct. 23. The first 200 fans in attendance will receive a free Western volleyball pink T-shirt. Pink ribbons will also be sold for $1, with proceeds donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. Griffon women’s golf The women’s golf team finished second in the Avila Fall Invitational in Overland Park, Kan., to wrap up the fall portion of their schedule. The Griffons shot a two-day total of 669, 11 strokes behind winner Truman State. Western was led by Natalie Bird, who finished fourth with a 163. Basketball Tip Off Come meet the 2009-2010 men’s and women’s basketball teams at the sixth annual Griffon Basketball Tip-Off Party following Western’s volleyball match against Pittsburg State on Oct. 21. The teams will be introduced and will scrimmage, the coaches will speak about their prospects for the new season, and Western spirit groups will perform. The first 500 fans will receive free T-shirts, pizza and refreshments. There will also be chances to win fabulous prizes: two students will win up to $500 in second semester books; four students will try to grab up to $125 in the Commerce Bank Money Machine; and one lucky student will try to make a half-court shot for $10,000.
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Volunteer Opportunity For many years, the American Red Cross in
St. Joseph has been going into homes each fall to install smoke alarms and
change batteries in existing smoke alarms for those who aren't able to do
it themselves. You're invited to join "The Cause for Alarm - The Cause to
Have Working Smoke Alarms in All Homes" this Saturday, Oct. 24. Volunteers
will go in teams of two to the homes of older people or the disabled to
provide this valuable, possibly even life-saving service. Free lunch will
be provided. Please note that although the project goes from 9 a.m. to 2
p.m., you don't have to work the whole time. ADA Honor Society Induction The office of disability services awill host an induction ceremony for the Alpha Delta Alpha Honor Society at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, in the Hoff Conference Room, Blum 219. The ceremony will feature a keynote presentation by Dr. Tim Crowley. Alpha Delta Alpha is a student organization created to recognize students with disabilities who have had to overcome significant challenges to pursue their education. The name was selected in honor of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which shares the abbreviation ADA. “The induction ceremony recognizes those students for their hard work, positive attitude and determination to succeed,” said Michael Ritter, disability services coordinator. “Our goal is to shine a light on students who persevere in spite of great challenges in the hopes of inspiring all of our students to work hard to achieve their academic goals.” Western may be the only university with an honor society specifically for students with disabilities, Ritter said, and is definitely the only campus with an ADA chapter, though he hopes not for long. “I hope we create such a healthy and vibrant honor society that other universities will want to follow in our footsteps,” Ritter said. “I would like to see ADA become a nationally-recognized entity that has its roots right here on the Western campus.” For more information, contact the office of disability services at 816-271-4330 or mritter@missouriwestern.edu. Taste of Germany Aramak Food Service will be offering "A Taste of Germany" during the lunch period from 10:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29 in the cafeteria in Blum Union. Once again, the campus community will be able to sample some of the favorite food of one of our German students. The chef did a great job with the Afghan dishes last month and we are confident that he will do well this time around with the German food as well. Computer Skills Night Western's Association of Inofrmation Technology Professionals (AITP) will host a Computer Skills Night rom 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5 in Agenstein Hall. There will be two courses offered, beginner and intermediate. There is no charge, but pre-registration is required. The beginner course will be a hands-on course and will focus on turning on a computer, logging on, working in the windows environment, file management, flash drives and Internet browsers. There are 25 spots available. The intermediate course will be an informative presentation and will focus on photo editing using Picasa, a few aspects of other popular programs, data backup solutions, computer security and social networking. There are 90 spots available. Printed materials will be provided for each class. A $5 freewill donation is suggested to support AITP. For more information or to register for this event, contact Derek Spalding at derek.spalding@gmail.com or 816-558-0678. Cards for Troops The Organization of Student Social Workers will have a table set up from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9 in Popplewell Hall for students and faculty to stop by and show their support for the troops. Everyone is invited to sign cards for deployed soldiers who do not receive mail. Please stop by and sign a few. Toys for Tots Faculty, Students, and Staff it is time for “Toys 4 Tots” new and unwrapped toys and canned goods collection. Cash will be accepted as well for donation at Dr. DJ Champagne’s office in Popplewell 212L. Last year you all assisted me in collecting over 300 pounds of new toys, several boxes of canned goods, and $17 cash donations. I hope you all will help me gather even more this season from now until Friday, December 4. I will deliver all donations to the American Legion Post #359 on December 5 for the annual Community Dart Tournament with our local Marine’s in attendance. I will appreciate all of your help. For Employees Benefit Dinner United Way's annual benefit dinner is from 5 - 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29 at the United Ballroom (602 Felix Street) and is hosted by 36th Street Food and Drink Company. Tickets are $20 per person with all proceeds benefiting the United Way! You can dine anytime between 5 - 10 p.m. with advanced reservations. You must have a ticket to dine and musical entertainment will be provided during the meal. The meal includes Italian nacho, Caesar salad, sausage and peppers, chicken parmesan, lasagna and golden harvest cake. Tickets are available by contacting Tyson Schank at tschank@missouriwestern.edu of 271-4260. National Non-Traditional Student Week The National Association of Non-Traditional Students in Higher Education has declared Nov. 8-14 as "National Non-Traditional Student Week." With this in mind, please take a moment to nominate currently enrolled non-trad students that you believe should be recognized for either academic achievement or outstanding service to the campus. There will be a reception from 3-4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11 in the Spratt Hall Atrium where these students will receive a certificate and a much deserved salute. Their families will be invited to attend. All campus members are invited to attend as well. This is an informal reception with refreshments and you may come for any portion of time between 3-4 p.m. The certificates and comments that have been made about these students will be on display. In your nomination, please include the student's name and a paragraph about what that student has done to earn special recognition. You may nominate more than one student. Nominations should be sent to Ellen Kisker at kisker@missouriwestern.edu or by campus mail. The deadline is Nov. 4. Please note that all nominations will be recognized during the reception. President's Holiday Brunch The President's Holiday Brunch will be held on Thursday, Dec. 10 in the Fulkerson Center. Details about the event will be provided closer to the date. For Students Midterm Grades Midterm grades for the Fall 2009 semester are posted on banner. Spring 2010 Graduates The Registrar's Office would like to remind all students who are planning on graduating this Spring with a certificate, associate, baccalaureate, or master's degree that the graduation application deadline is Nov. 1. Applications are available in the Registrar's Office, Eder 102, or on-line at www.missouriwestern.edu/Registrar/candidate.html. Meeting with your Advisor It's time to make an appointment with your advisor. Students need to make an appointment before Nov. 2 to see their advisor whether you are ready to register or not. If you do not know who your advisor is please check on My Western self-service page under Student & Financial Aid, Student Records, View Student Information. For questions, contact Student Services at 271-5990. Please contact your advisor or the department concerning sign-up opportunities for advisement. Advisement begins Wednesday, Oct. 28. When you meet with your advisor you will be given an Alternate PIN. You will use this 4 digit number to access Registration through My Western self-service page and enroll in classes. Beginning at 7:00 am on each date, the schedule listed below will be followed (degree-seeking students only):
(To calculate your class you may add your cumulative earned hours and the current hours you are attempting this semester.) Students who have a registration hold on their records will not be allowed to register. To check if you have this type of hold access My Western self-service page under Student & Financial Aid, Student Records, View Holds. Remember, a registration hold can be added to you account at any time. If you have any questions please call the Registrar's Office at 271-4211. Schedule Changes The schedule of classes for Spring 2010 will be available only online. No paper copies will be printed. The online schedule will provide greater schedule accuracy for everyone using the system. A link to the online schedule will be posted on Western's home page along with a link to a registration guide that outlines the spring registration process. The online schedule and registration guide is posted, you can view it at www.missouriwestern.edu/schedule. Declaring a Major You may not be aware that students who remain undeclared are subject to any changes that occur in the degree program. Student who declare a major are responsible for the requirements at the time of the declaration; they are protected against program changes and additional requirements. When you declare a major it can help set a clear direction for you for advising purposes and give your advisor clear options for your semester selections. You may not know this but your student financial aid has limits. Taking lots of courses without a declared degree goal can mean that you eventually have lots of credits, no degree and have exhausted your financial aid limits. One option for supporting your degree goal is to declare a major at least by the time you have earned 60 credits. Your advisor will be happy to work with you to complete the major declaration. |
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Friday, October 23
Saturday, October 24
Sunday, October 25
Monday, October 26
Tuesday, October 27
Wednesday, October 28
Thursday, October 29
Friday, October 30
Saturday, October 31
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For Sale: Entertainment Center. The measurements are
49" long by 15" deep. It holds a 27" TV comfortably, has a moveable shelf
and cabinet. If you would like to see a picture of it e-mail Amy at
For Sale: Oak entertainment center. Holds 32 inch TV. Has 3 component shelves with an etched glass door. TV opening has doors that slide back into cabinet. Unit is 26 inches deep, 51 inches tall and 65 inches long at the bottom. In near-perfect shape. Any offer considered. Call Sandy at 4151. Roommate Needed: Junior student here at Western, needs a female non-smoking roommate to move into a two bedroom apartment at Broadmoor, starting from Dec. or Jan. Email: xzhu@missouriwestern.edu or call Evelyn at 816-261-2004For sale: 1 year old female Akita, purebred. Contact Mark, 4567 |
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Wanted: Your want ads! You
are welcome to submit ads to the Western ADvantage each week.
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