Since that time, the housing market collapsed, the banks went bust, unemployment reached historical levels, and now we’re looking at huge budget shortfalls in higher education.

Missouri’s higher education commissioner warned of potential 15-to-20 percent budget cuts to state universities, possibly leading to university closures, larger class sizes and even elimination of athletic teams.

And yet, we are still chugging along about to build a superfluous facility that the majority of students will probably never use and which will cost untold amounts in the future to properly staff and maintain.

Worse yet, those who actually need it the most – athletic teams – are specifically being barred from using the facility.

The times where we could afford to lounge down the lazy river are over.

Sure, it would be nice to have another pool, an indoor track, a rock climbing wall, more basketball courts, more gym equipment, and, of course, a lazy river.

The good folks in Campus Recreation have done a phenomenal job helping plan and design this project. It looks like a beautiful building with lots of great features.

But not here and not now.

Not in these economic conditions.

This project should be re-evaluated immediately. We should not be stuck constructing a building just because students four years ago voted to approve the project. It might have made sense then, but certainly not now.

Let students vote whether they think this is a good idea going forward given the current economic situation.

Student fees already paid into this project could be diverted to other, more vital projects, or perhaps just held in a fund. When economic conditions and higher education budgets improve, this idea is certainly still worthy of consideration.

Now, though, is not the time.

-Zach Becker

For the Editorial Board

If you are against construction of the University Recreation Center, join our Facebook group, “MSU Students Against Construction of the University Recreation Center.”

I took my wife to the Bob Dylan concert last night at the Shrine Mosque in Springfield and left entertained by the historic performer, but highly disappointed with the Shrine Mosque venue, staff, and the strong smell of smoke that left my wife with a migraine still this morning.

I say I took her, but the truth is that she gobbled up the premium tickets online as soon as she heard about it. She’s only probably the biggest Bob Dylan fan in the world, but somehow it was I and not her who heard about the show right here in town. Last time, we drove all the way to Nebraska to see him. Before that, Kansas City. Jenny has been to I believe eight or nine of his concerts and this was my third.

We had probably about as good of seats as you are going to get at the Shrine Mosque (which looks kind of like the ancient high school gym from Hoosiers, only with a stage at one end). I wish they would actually put seats on the floor, though, as these expensive seats were in the bleachers so we had to turn sideways the whole time.

As it was, people with general admission tickets stood (or poorly danced) right in front of the stage on the basketball floor. They could also sit in the non-reserved seating sections. They packed quite a few people on the floor, although beyond reserved areas, less than half of the bleachers were filled.

It was a bit sad to think they couldn’t fill this relatively small venue when a legend like Bob Dylan was performing (the other concerts of his we attended were always sold out), but we soon found out that anyone who has been to a concert at the Shrine Mosque before will never come back.

Quite frankly, unless you are a smoker or entirely unaffected by second-hand smoke, DO NOT GO TO A CONCERT AT THE SHRINE MOSQUE!

Maybe the word is already out, because it seemed over half the audience was lighting up. While the gym had signs posted that smoking was prohibited, many rude individuals smoked anyway. The event was staffed with plenty of ushers and security, but when I pointed out that someone was smoking right behind one of them in the middle of the gym and that my wife is highly allergic to it, the usher looked over, looked at me, acted like he didn’t see it and said nothing. I saw another disgruntled guest inform a security guard about a woman smoking, but he just waved it off and did nothing as well.

However, if anyone one was using their digital cameras or cell phones to take pictures, then look out. Those guards were all over that. Apparently, one guest must have taken a few too many pictures and wouldn’t be taken quietly. As we left, a security guard was lying on the floor with an injured knee and medics were providing care. If the story I overheard as we left the building was correct, a guest being escorted out by him apparently injured him before escaping and taking off back into the crowd to see the rest of the concert.

The whole placed had a haze of smoke. It was bad enough that they allow smoking in the bar area (which is just outside the gym and quite easily seeped into the rest of the place), but it is even worse when they allow people to smoke right in front of your face at a supposedly non-smoking venue. It felt like I was in a bingo hall.

It takes a lot to ruin a Bob Dylan concert for my wife, but last night the smoky venue pretty much did that. Jenny had a horrible migraine by the end of the night, and even I started to get sick from the fumes.

As for Bob Dylan’s performance, it was good. I can’t say I’m the biggest fan, but I’ve learned to enjoy him. Jenny didn’t particularly like his song lineup, especially early. He seems to play a lot of his more obscure songs, when we’d rather hear the most famous ones. He also alters the musical arrangement of his songs greatly from how they appear on his albums. As an entertainer, he doesn’t exactly interact with the audience much, either (that is just not his thing, Jenny told me).

He is obviously a very talented musician, with excellent skills on the keyboard, guitar, and of course harmonica. His lyrics are interesting, too, if you can decipher them. Listening even to his early albums, it is obvious Dylan never had much of a singing voice. At the age of 68 and through years of smoking, he now utters and growls the words to his songs more than sings them.

Still, he’s Bob Dylan. He’s a living musical legend. It’s pretty amazing he still can even perform at his age, let alone at a high level. He definitely entertained and gave the audience their money’s worth with a roughly 2-hour performance.

While Bob Dylan did not disappoint on this night, a legend such as he deserves a better place in which to perform. I truly believe they could have sold this thing out at the much larger (but infinitely nicer, non-skanky, and smoke-free) JQH Arena. Even Bob Dylan could not counteract the headache left by the smoky Shrine Mosque.

Like a lot of people in Springfield, I watched last night’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The episode featured the total destruction of a local family’s run-down 800 square-foot home and the construction of a brand new 3,300 square-foot home. The eight-person Hampton family seemed worthy and appreciative of the very generous gift and I am happy for them.

However, I still have the same problems with this show that I always have. Extreme Makeover is one of those feelgood programs that demonstrate, in true American fashion, that if you are a good person eventually you will be rewarded by winning the lottery and getting lots and lots of stuff (and be famous for it). Of course, you don’t have to buy tickets to this lottery. Instead, ABC execs select the biggest sob-stories out of a large bag of tears. Winner gets  a new house filled with expensive stuff and sometimes even a free car. 

Extreme Makeover makes itself out to be this ultimate charity designed to help the masses of misfortunate struggling people. However, while it tugs at the heartstrings, its real aim are the purse strings. This show has more product placement than the movie Mac and Me. These companies are not trying to help people; they are just trying to pad their bottom line. Granted, I don’t blame them for it, as I’m sure it is effective. I bet the local builder from the latest episode sees a boom in business. Still, the show works hard to be a tear-jerker and make ABC, host Ty Pennington, and the sponsors look like philanthropists, which they are not.

Once the whirl-wind of publicity goes by and the dust settles on these families, how much better off are they? ABC certainly doesn’t help the parents get a better education or learn new job skills. These people are usually low wage earners and are now stuck paying the utility bills and maintenance costs on a home triple the size they had before. Obviously, taxes go up on the property big time, too. (In fairness, according to reports, the show helps families with some of this expense by either outright donation or by helping the family exploit tax loopholes to avoid some of the taxes on their remodeled property).

The bottom line is, though, that you are taking a family and creating a living environment that is well beyond their means. While good at first, unforeseen consequences can arise and families may be left in a lurch and possibly lose that fancy new home. And what about the neighbors? These poor folks now have a mansion in the middle of their rundown neighborhood. The mansion among shacks distorts the property values for everyone in the area.

With all the money ABC spends on these fancy mansions, they could instead easily spend the same amount and create  livable conditions for a whole neighborhood of people. Maybe they could create homes for homeless people, building small, one room apartments that could house hundreds who don’t have a place to live.

The show is just wasteful, too. The old Hampton house they dynamited last night, while far from luxurious, certainly would have made a decent home for a family of two or three. I’ve seen homes in Springfield in much worse conditions than that one.

Extreme Makeover shows us the true American dream. If you wait around and hope enough, eventually some all-powerful entity will bail you out and give you lots and lots of stuff and maybe a big house.

Stuff equals happiness, right? Judging by the euphoric and tear-filled reaction of most Extreme Makeover winners, I guess the answer is a resounding, “OH MY GOD!!! OH MY GOD!!! YES!!”

Photo by Zach Becker. A chipmunk hides in the brush along the trail at the Springfield Nature Center.

For hikers and lovers of the outdoors, the Springfield Conservation and Nature Center can provide a welcome respite from the busy collegiate lifestyle.

With a main central building featuring ever-changing exhibits on wildlife, as well as three miles worth of outdoor wooded hiking trails, volunteers at this free-of-charge Springfield attraction hope to expose people of all ages to the beauty of the Ozarks.

“It’s a really great place to hike,” said Kim Banner, who works as a Naturalist at the Nature Center providing education programs. “Some of (the trails) are a little bit more challenging, a little bit hilly. You see a lot of nature first hand: lots of deer, lots of turkey, reptiles, lizards, turtles, snakes; all kinds of different things.”

Hiking is open to the public year round. However, newcomers to the area may wish to join the Nature Center’s hiking club.

A volunteer naturalist leads this club on hikes through different conservation areas in Missouri’s southwest region.

“If they like hiking and they don’t know where to go and they don’t have a person to hike with, that’s really a good thing for them to do,” Banner said.

The Nature Center hosts a multitude of exhibits and special events each month, exploring everything from insects and venomous snakes to hunter safety and snorkeling.

Located in southeast Springfield, the Springfield Conservation Nature Center is located just west of US-65 off the James River Freeway (US-60). The area is open daily 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The main building is open every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information or to sign up for its programs, contact the Nature Center at (417) 888-4237 or go to www.mdc.mo.gov/2360.

Editor-in-Chief

Mutually assured destruction.

That’s the best way I can sum up why I support the legal right to carry concealed firearms, both on campus and otherwise.

Remember the Cold War? We had two super powers, vying for power and supremacy, both with an arsenal of nuclear warheads capable of destroying the world several times over. What stopped each of them from blowing the other to kingdom come? Mutually assured destruction.

Have you ever seen the classic 1980′s movie war games? The only way to win the game thermonuclear war is not to play the game at all.

It’s pretty simple psychology and is valid at an interpersonal level as well. Really, who is going to rob a store if they think the clerk, as well as the other patrons, may be packing heat? It changes the whole risk-reward equation for a lot of crimes.

Sure, it is always best to call 911 and wait for the police to diffuse a situation, but sometimes that is not possible. Quick action can save lives.

It is well-known that if a person wants a gun, he or she can get one easily through various channels, some legal, some not. If a criminal wants to carry a concealed weapon, no little sign on the door or outside of campus banning the practice of concealed carry is going to deter them. But law-abiding citizens will respect those regulations.

Suddenly, in areas where concealed carry is banned, criminals only have to fear deadly repercussions from other criminals. All the law abiding citizens are now just blanks. So where do you think a criminal is more likely to strike? An area that allows legal concealed carry or one that bans the practice?

A lot of debate has been going on about whether the government should allow concealed firearms at the Missouri State University and other college campuses. Some students argue that allowing deadly weapons on campus will make the school a more dangerous place. But what about the thousands of deadly weapons already here (and out in the open)? Seriously, what is more dangerous than a raved lunatic in a motor vehicle?  Road rage happens. Maybe we should ban cars? Or sharpened pencils (those can hurt)? Really, I’d rather that people not have guns. But we don’t live in a perfect world and I’m a realist.

A drivers license is fairly simple to obtain, but not so with a CCW permit. An individual must be at least 23-years-old, have completed a training program and be fingerprinted at the Sheriff’s office.

Much of the debate has focused on how concealed carry may have stifled a campus massacre like the one at Virginia Tech. While I think it may have made some difference in that situation, these incidents are few and far between. Let’s look at a more likely scenario. Burglary. Assault. Rape. From 2005-to-2007, MSU police reported 144 robberies on campus, 8 cases of aggravated assault and 18 incidents of forcible sex offenses.  Shouldn’t students be allowed to defend themselves?

While I don’t know if I’d carry a gun myself, if my wife was out on campus after dark for classes, I’d feel a heck of a lot safer if she was carrying a concealed weapon. What rapist is going to attack a women if there’s a possibility he gets his dick blown off? If it happens a few times, I bet potential campus rapists might think twice.

Mutually assured destruction. You hurt me and I’ll hurt you. I wish this type of logic wasn’t needed in the world. Maybe someday it won’t. But for now, we should allow concealed carry of weapons in most public places, including campus. It could save lives.

As the Student Government Association transitions into the 2009-2010 session, the new administration would do well to look into record-keeping practices at SGA that are at best suspicious and at worst illegal.

On February 23, The Underground requested SGA budget and attendance records going back to 2005, the year that SGA became wholly funded by student fees.

It took 18 days for SGA to produce this year’s budget, and no explanation for the delay was given outside of being busy.

The attendance information provided for the current year was incomplete, as it didn’t list the names or total number in attendance for many of the meetings.

Courtney Wendell, a junior and SGA’s director of public relations, referred reporters to the SGA archive in Meyer Library to obtain attendance and budget information from previous years. However, there were no recent attendance records on file, and the most recent complete budget in the archive dates back to 1993.

Missouri’s Sunshine Law states that all records of public governmental bodies, with certain explicit exceptions, shall be open to public inspection.

The law also mandates that such bodies appoint a custodian of records, who will respond within three business days in writing to any records request.

It also states that in the minutes of public meetings, a record of members both absent and present will be included.

Currently, SGA minutes do not include information on attendance.

Jon Stubblefield, sophomore and SGA’s sergeant-at-arms, said that sign-in sheets, the method of taking attendance at Senate meetings, are used primarily to track absences and determine if a quorum is present.

“When I first took on the position, I don’t know if I counted everyone in attendance,” Stubblefield said, “but since January I’ve had a numerical count.”

Overall attendance numbers and trends are not collected or reported to anyone.

Additionally, in the Bylaws of the Senate, Article I, Section 2, Paragraph A states that minutes will be available in the Senate office and, “on the SGA website no later than 5 p.m. one day prior to the next meeting.”

The minutes from February 17, 24 and from March 3 were not posted on the website until March 13.
As of press time, minutes from SGA meetings since March 3 are not on the website.

Far from a small matter, Article IV, Section 9, Paragraph D of the SGA Constitution states that SGA officers are subject to impeachment by the Senate for, “failure to uphold this constitution and its bylaws.”

SGA does not have a custodian of records position, but Ashley Hoyer, junior and SGA’s chief of staff, said that she is in charge of keeping records and uploading minutes to the website.

SGA has no equivalent to an inspector general or government accountability office, according to Hoyer.

“Our Senate is our accountability office,” she said. However, in the SGA Constitution, the Senate is not given the power to conduct investigations, compel witnesses, or audit records.

Without a complete record, nor a clear charge of responsibility for checking and auditing records, accountability becomes impossible.

For example, Wendell said there were significant decreases in the amount of payroll taken by the cabinet in the past couple of years.

“I’ve only taken six hours (of payroll) this semester. Whitney (Paul) works entirely for free,” Wendell said.

As of December 2008, salaries in the current budget accounted for 40 cents of the one dollar charge each student pays to support SGA. This is roughly in line with the amount spent in 1993 (thirty-nine percent).

But, without recent budgets to compare, it’s impossible to gauge how much progress is being made in saving money, or even whether Wendell’s statement is accurate.

The SGA Senate Archival Act of 2009, passed on February 3 of this year, begins to address the problem of record keeping.

It mandates that all resolutions, memoranda, executive papers, and Campus Judicial Board decisions be delivered to the library archive and that all those documents from the current session and the past two sessions be available in SGA’s Document Management System, a computer based system.

However, attendance and voting records are not addressed in the act and neither are budgets.

There is also no mention of a system for organizing the records or summarizing their content, making it onerous for students or SGA members to sift meaningful information from the data.

The act does not create a system for handling open record requests, nor does it charge any officer or committee with investigating and auditing records.

In fact, some of its practices may be in violation of Missouri’s Sunshine Law, which requires government entities to make available information about their meetings and activities to the general public.

But rather than pointing fingers and placing blame, we instead are calling SGA to action.

It is time to appoint an independent SGA auditor, a person paid to assist in record keeping, but also given the authority to make sure SGA meets all open record requirements as spelled out in Missouri’s Sunshine Law.

The independent auditor should also generate weekly reports about SGAs activities and provide them online for the students.

It is time to hold our governing body accountable for its actions. It is impossible for students to make accurate judgments concerning the performance of individual senators and SGA as a whole when simple documents like budgets, attendance, and voting records are either unavailable or incomplete.

SGA touts itself as the “official voice of the student body at Missouri State University,” according to its website.
It is time for it to start acting the part and get its house in order with proper, responsible record keeping.

With the upcoming transition to a new administration, now is a perfect time for SGA to make the necessary changes and appoint an independent auditor.

-Zach Becker
For the Editorial Board

What is it with guys at Missouri State?

Now, before you boys bristle up and start claiming that you haven’t done anything wrong, hold on a second.

This is one girl who thinks you’re doing something… right.

I didn’t notice it at first, most likely because I was scurrying around trying to find my correct classes and looking like I fit in with all the determined sweatpants-wearing students around me.

But eventually I started to notice the little things.

The guy holding the door open for a second if I was behind him, the casual glance behind to make sure I got in without being slammed in the face by a glass door, the “excuse me” if he accidentally brushed my shoulder with his backpack.

What is it about this school that has preserved chivalry in men?

When I go home to Kansas City, it’s different.

Maybe it’s the fact that it’s a big city, or that there are more people around, or any other number of reasons, but the fact still stands that I am not treated as well there as I am in Springfield by strangers.

I am sure there are girls reading this article right now scoffing at my words, saying that Missouri State University is full of jerks that don’t treat girls right and don’t care about women’s feelings, etc.

I’m sure that’s true about some people, but as a whole I have come to realize that the courtly love and respect preached in Arthurian novels still exists.

In fact, it exists right in front of us.

So to that guy in the black pea coat who waited a good minute for me to walk to the door so he could open it for me at Brick City, thank you.

To the three boys who rushed to my side in the library when I dropped a few books, thanks.
To the gentlemen who continue to say “sorry” and “excuse me”, to the ones who have remembered their manners, this is for you.

Know there at least a few girls on this campus that appreciate what you do.

Editor-In-Chief

Who is John Q. Hammons?

And why is every building named after him?

As a recent transplant to Springfield (I moved here from Kansas in July), this is one of those questions that has been bugging me.

Finally, curiosity overcame me and I Googled him. Apparently, he is a Missouri State graduate and the company he founded owns and operates 71 top-notch hotels across 24 states.

Hammons Field. Hammons Tower. Hammons House. John Q. Hammons Parkway. Hammons Fountain. JQH Arena. (And the list goes on and on.)

See a theme here?

For all he shows in generosity, he (or whoever names all this stuff) equally lacks in creativity.

Jack Bauer Field. Manute Bol Tower. Gregory House. J.B. Fletcher Parkway. Brokeback Fountain. LOL Arena.

If I was rich enough to donate buildings and such, those are the kinds of names I would pick (my wife says that is one of the reasons I will never be rich). But really, Springfield would be much less confusing if every place had, you know, a unique name on it.

Although in all seriousness, I must send a shout out to John Q. Hammons and his generosity. I’ve been very impressed by all the locales I’ve seen his name on.

In fact, I can’t say there is much I haven’t been impressed with here in Springfield.

I’ve heard some of my friends complain there is just not that much to do here, but I guess they didn’t just move here from the western half of Kansas. The town of Hays, Kans., where I moved from, is a university town with a population of about 20,000.

About all the residents did there was drink (in fact, Hays has the highest alcohol consumption per person in the nation). That’s great if you are a really into that, but since neither I nor my wife are, we were left with the only alternative entertainment: Wal-Mart. We’d go there with our friends about 2 or 3 a.m. frequently. It was either that or play Rockband or Halo.

But now that we’re in Springfield, wow, there are like seven or eight Wal-Marts to choose from.

Heck, we’ve even driven over to the Nixa Wal-Mart. And we’re starting to discover all the non-Wal-Mart activities in town. Ice skating looks cool. As does go-carting and mini golf. And Branson is less than an hour away. It’s also fun going to basketball games at the fancy new JQH Arena.

This town has everything. Heck, I even saw PetSmart is opening a brand new Pet Hotel, where while you are gone your pet can watch “pet themed” television shows and sleep on a lambskin rug and even have personal playtime and training sessions.

That’s not to say it has been an easy transition to Missouri life.

Some of the people here are just plain strange. We decided to shop at Aldi discount grocery store one day. With the accents of some of these people, I swore I was lost in an episode of Beverly Hillbillies.

I was half expecting granny’s chair to be tied to the roof of a car in the parking lot. And speaking of strange usages of the roof of a car, what is it with people here tying a mattress on top of their vehicles?

I’ve probably seen 15 cars with a mattress tied up there, and then as they drive, the mattress gets caught by the wind, raises up and then proceeds to slam back down violently on the roof. Weird.

And then there is West Sunshine Street (a.k.a. Rated-R Lane). Seriously, the police need to set up a checkpoint or something to make sure everyone who goes down that street is 18 or older.

But it’s not just West Sunshine Street. I go down Battlefield and am just in shock by the names of some of these businesses. Kum and Go. Rapid Roberts. Wood You. Fast Lube.

And as I drive down Battlefield, I am equally stunned by some of the maneuvers drivers try. Illegal u-turns. Swerving in and out of traffic. Not yielding to pedestrians. Driving in the turning lane. Slamming on the brakes for yellow lights.

I guess I can forgive them on the last one. Red light cameras have to be one of the worst ideas I’ve ever seen. I’m sure they generate some money in fines for the city, but they must create a lot of rear end accidents when people slam on the brakes for yellow lights.

In Kansas, and I bet to people in a lot of states, yellow means hurry up and drive faster. Not a good combination when the person in front of you is breaking like there’s an old women with a baby stroller crossing the street.

Those accidents are sure to keep the police busy. Unfortunately, I’ve been reading that the Springfield police are going to be stretched more thin after the voters rejected a potential 1-cent sales tax bailout to fund the police and fire pension fund.

Here’s an idea: how about the police spend less time setting speed traps and more time catching criminals or, you know, just helping people in need. That protect and serve stuff. I’ve gone down the James River Freeway and seen two cop cars sitting back to back, the cops standing outside, radar guns drawn, just waiting for some poor speeder to pass. Here’s a better idea: move those red light cameras onto the James River and send tickets to speeders instead of wasting police resources. Sorry, but those dumb red light cameras drive me nuts.

But really, I have enjoyed my brief time in Springfield. And I’ve enjoyed Missouri State as well. It really is a nice place to live and go to school.

Now if they’d just come up with some unique building names.

Contributor

Quick, name your favorite pizza joint. Pizza Hut. Dominoes. Papa John’s. Wheat State Pizza?

Wheat State Pizza is a little known franchise with big plans for Springfield. Owner and Missouri State graduate student Keegan Jones was first introduced to the brand while attending Baker University in Kansas. Keegan is a native of Nixa and when he returned to Springfield to get his master’s in business administration, he brought a bit of Kansas back with him.

He worked for Wheat State Pizza in Baldwin City, Kansas, where he was introduced to the owners and became a big fan of their product. Eventually, Jones decided to transplant the brand to Missouri.

As he says, running a business and going to graduate school “can be stressful,” but he enjoys being in control and setting his own hours. Everything you learn in the MBA program immediately applies, he said, and “It keeps my eyes open”.

The storefront on 3821 S. Campbell is the company’s first location outside of the Sunflower State, and Jones has arranged an area development agreement with the Wheat State corporation. Although the store has only been here since May 2008, the potential is great, he says, and he hopes to put in three or four more stores in town. Right now they’re planning for a possible College Park location downtown, which would make the brand even more accessible to Missouri State students.

But on to the pizza.

What makes it different?

“We have seven different sauces, four different crust options, white or wheat, hand tossed or thin crust, three different cheeses and thirty different toppings”, Jones explained while slicing fresh vegetables. With that many options, anyone can find something they love. The dough is made fresh at the store; they grate their own cheese (mozzarella, provolone and cheddar), and the back room is a professional kitchen. They’re more than willing to make anything, from a Farmer pizza, loaded with bacon, sausage and beef, to a Veggie Dream pizza, with heaping loads of fresh vegetables. “Our product speaks for itself”, Jones said. Once people get a taste, he said, it will sell itself over and over.

Although they are fighting in competition with more recognizable names like Pizza Hut and Dominoes, their local recognition is building with a new commercial and a growing customer base. Wheat State Pizza’s superior product is their biggest weapon, according to Jones. Even with the slumping economy and restaurant sales down across the board in Springfield, Jones shrugs it off.

“We’re doing fine,” he said, excitedly discussing plans to attract new customers and open new locations.

For the discerning pizza consumer, Wheat State Pizza offers a great alternative to the big pizza franchises. Open from 11 to 11, with the last delivery and carryout at 10:30, you can order online and support an innovative graduate student who’s brought a great business to Springfield and the MSU students who work for him. Jones encourages students to come in and give his Wheat State Pizza a try. With all the options available, they are bound to find that perfect pizza.