I would just like to share with everyone a new website from the makers of The Underground. The Bear Report is a satirical website about Missouri State University. Find it at www.bear-report.com. Fake News. Real Funny.

On Friday, April 9, 2010, I delivered the following speech to the Missouri State University Board of Governors concerning my opposition to construction of the University Recreation Center, a $30 million facility set to break ground later this month. After my speech, Student Body President Chris Polley stood up and delivered an off the cuff speech to the Board explaining how the majority of students are totally behind this project and are “anxiously awaiting” its construction.

I was disappointed that the Board decided to approve the award for contract unanimously shortly thereafter; however, I am glad I had the chance to say what needed to be said. It was a long shot to change their mind at this point, but someone needed to speak out for common sense. Unfortunately, common sense apparently is just not too common anymore among government officials. Students are starting to wake up, though, and I think the next time one of these wasteful projects is proposed, Missouri State students are going to stand up and make their voice heard.

———————

MBA Student Zachary Becker to the Missouri State Board of Regents; April 9, 2010

A storm is on the horizon. Higher education budgets may be cut as much as 20 percent in the near future. Already, legislators are looking to renege on the previously-agreed-on tuition freeze at state universities. You know much better than I the implications these massive cuts will have on Missouri State University and the students it serves. Larger class sizes, elimination of programs, fewer experienced faculty, and tuition increases are all likely.

With uncertainty ahead, I implore you to re-evaluate plans to construct the University Recreation Center. I know this has been in the works for many years, but in these budget circumstances any project can and should be re-evaluated if it is not in the best interest of the university. Economic circumstances have changed drastically since this project was originally conceived in 2006. Spending $30 million on a recreation center and paying to staff and maintain it is an extravagance the university cannot afford right now. I am not necessarily saying we cancel this project. Rather, we should hold off for the time being and wait this storm out. Favorable bond rates and low construction bids are poor excuses to push forward with a building we do not need at a time when administrators are asking each department to make every dollar count in preparation for the worst.

Even on the cusp of construction, when most current students could conceivably use this building before they graduate, many are saying no to the recreation center. We have a Facebook group of 230 students who will attest to this fact, and I have no doubt many more see the folly in proceeding with this project during these economic times. Forward-thinking students understand that Missouri State only has limited resources and some things must be sacrificed to keep higher education affordable. While significant tuition increases appear inevitable, we should not add to this load by asking students to support a superfluous building.

When students originally voted on this measure in pre-recession 2006, it was not a slam dunk. Only 56 percent of students approved it, which was advertised at the time as a renovation of McDonald Arena at a cost of $23 million. With the project $7 million over budget and students tightening their own belts during the economic recession, I think the current student body would vote quite differently today.

Many say this new rec center is going to draw potential students to Missouri State who might otherwise choose larger schools like Mizzou, Kansas, or Oklahoma. But trying to compare the amenities of our university side-by-side with those of larger institutions is an exercise in futility. Students choosing on those criteria are going to pick another school every time, rec center or not. Students choose Missouri State because of the quality and affordability of the education we provide. We should be putting resources towards recruiting top-notch faculty, making our academic departments the best in the nation, and keeping our tuition and fees low. These are areas where we can stand out from our larger competitors.

A cold wind is a blowing, and a storm is almost here. Roughly 20,000 students at Missouri State University are counting on you to make wise decisions on their behalf. You have a duty to make fiscally responsible choices for this university. Tough times call for tough decisions. If you truly believe it is wise to build a $30 million recreation center on the cusp of the biggest cuts in higher education yet seen, then by all means go forward with it. But if you have doubts about the timing or cost of this project, do not be afraid to step up and say no. Do not let the power of group think lock you into voting for an expensive, obviously-unnecessary and poorly-timed project.

The current and future students of Missouri State University are counting on you to make the right decision. Thank you for your time.

“Live bears” across Missouri breathed a sigh of relief this week.

Student Body President Chris Polley announced the University has squashed the Student Government Association’s plans to bring a “live bear” to football games. No reason was given outside the administration’s discomfort with the idea.

I’m glad this “live bear” idea didn’t materialize because I don’t think keeping a bear captive for our amusement is something an institution of higher education should do.

But the effort to capture, collar, and cage a “live bear,” though misguided, was aimed at addressing a legitimate issue. That issue is the lack of school spirit among the students. Granted, every third freshman is wearing maroon, but what does that mean? How does that manifest in a sense of community as students?

The activities email I get every week has events the University is putting on and some by student groups. Where is, for lack of a more precise term, the voice of the students? I don’t mean things done for students, but actions taken by students, as students and not as some group.

For example, there were a few articles about the controversy last year with SGA and the money for Eagles tickets, but widespread protest? Calls for accountability? None.

Earlier this month, many campuses demonstrated in solidarity against a wave of cuts in education funding and tuition hikes. It’s not just California and their 32 percent increase.

Michigan, South Carolina, and Colorado students are looking at increases. Our freeze isn’t going to hold forever. There were over one hundred protests nationwide. Nary a word here.

Now we have this new fitness center being built while everyone holds their breath, waiting for budget cuts. Does this make sense? Even if the fitness center money was “set aside” by a student vote, doesn’t that call for a review and change of the system for allocating these funds? We shouldn’t be locked into spending millions of dollars by students who aren’t here anymore and barely gave a second thought to a building being constructed five years down the road.

RHA is considering converting Brick City into loft style “on campus” housing. Meanwhile, we’re plowing under actual “on campus” land to build special swimming pools in our new fitness center.

We have to slash our budget and risk tuition hikes somewhere down the line so we can fund this fluff. Is housing located further away from campus really what we need? How will that help build school spirit?

Students shrug it off for the most part. They are passionate in their own little spheres, but as a student body, they are uninterested in the course set for the University by the administration.

What would a “live bear” do? Bears live their lives almost entirely alone and spend a good chunk of that time sleeping. It’s somehow fitting that we would think to bring a solitary, territorial predator to try to draw people together.

Low attendance at some sporting events isn’t due to lack of spectacle. It is a symptom of a deeper lack of community among the students.

Until the root problem is addressed, all the “live bears” or maroon t-shirts in the world won’t make a difference.

A group of Missouri State University students are planning to protest construction of the University Recreation Center, a $22.9 building set to break ground next month.

The protest will occur from 2-to-3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23, outside Carrington Hall on campus.

“There’s a Facebook group of over 150 students against the construction,” said protest organizer and Missouri State student Heather Welborn. “The most commonly posted reasons to rethink the project range from, ‘I’ll never use it,’ to ‘I don’t want to pay for it.’”

Welborn believes the construction is a waste of valuable resources during a time when the budget is incredibly tight.

“My goal is to shed light on an issue many at Missouri State feel strongly about,” she said. “This project is largely an awareness campaign.”

Welborn plans to circulate a petition calling for a student body re-vote “to see if this project is still in line with how students want their money spent.” Students originally approved a $16.5 million renovation of McDonald Arena in 2006, which later evolved into the construction of an entirely new building.

Welborn said students who cannot attend the protest but are interested in the cause should join a Facebook group called “MSU Students Against Construction of the University Recreation Center.” Information about further efforts to stop this construction will be posted there, she said.

“A protest is a great way to increase awareness on campus,” Welborn said. “It encourages student involvement in shaping and questioning the policies that directly effect them. If you hear about the Rec project for the first time through the protest, we made a difference.”

]]> http://www.msu-underground.com/archives/1114/feed 3 http://www.msu-underground.com/archives/1112 http://www.msu-underground.com/archives/1112#comments Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:25:04 +0000 Zach http://www.msu-underground.com/?p=1112 by Zach Becker

Chuck Drury, President and CEO of Drury Hotels, will present a speech at 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 25, in the Plaster Student Union. The event is free and open to the public.

Drury helms the family-owned company that has 130 hotels in 20 states. Drury Hotels has received the J.D. Power and Associates award for excellence for the past four years, “which is just unheard of,” according to Melissa Dallas, head of the Department of Hospitality and Restaurant Administration, which is sponsoring the event.

“Definitely (students) will get some ideas for successful entrepreneurship, delivery of quality goods and services, and be able to hear from a very highly respected leader in business,” she said, noting that Drury rarely conducts public speaking engagements.

“We are very, very lucky to have him hear,” she said. “It should be a very dynamic presentation.”

Featuring a live orchestra, five singers, and 10 dancers, this year’s Spring Dance Concert should provide an engaging and fun experience for the audience.

The performance, titled Fault Lines, features student and faculty performers and will be held March 25-28 at Coger Theatre located in Craig Hall.

The first half will feature three short musical dance pieces, according to Ruth Barnes, Theatre and Dance professor.

Tsiganes, which means “gypsies” in French,” features choreography by Sara Brummel and music by Vittorio Mondi and Astor Piazzola.

A Divine Majority is choreographed by Darryl Kent Clark, while music is by Chopin.

Random Acts of Joy is choreographed by Barnes with music by Paul Shoenfield. Emily Brown provides lighting design for all three pieces.

“It should be kind of silly and funny and hopefully fun for the audience,” Barnes said when discussing Random Acts of Joy.

The second half features a performance of The Seven Deadly Sins, a satirical sung ballet written in 1933 by Germany’s Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht during the early rise of the Nazis.

“It is a disconnected story,” Barnes said. “It is kind of a critique of the bourgeoisie and people who say you shouldn’t sin but actually do.

“They encourage other people to sin in order to get ahead in the world and (they encounter) resistance to that on the part of the girls.”

Brummel directs The Seven Deadly Sins, while Amy Muchnick serves as the conductor and music director.

Choreographing duties for the nine-section piece were divided up between Barnes, Brummel and Clark.

“The styles change from one section of the piece to another,” Barnes said. “It’s a real journey that goes around the United States kind of randomly.”

Matthew Wilson is in charge of lighting design for The Seven Deadly Sins, while scenic design is handled by Renee Simmons and costume design by Cynthia Winstead.

“Just having live music is a major change for us,” Barnes said. “It’s great. We’re excited.”

Tickets are $8 for Missouri State students and can be purchased at any box office, online or by calling 417-836-7678.

The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 26-27, and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 28.

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.”

RecycleMania is running wild on the Missouri State campus.

Students better say their prayers, take their vitamins, and separate their glass from plastics if Missouri State is to have any chance of taking home the coveted RecycleMania trophy, along with a year’s worth of bragging rights.

The contest, which ends Mar. 27, pits the recycling efforts of Missouri State against hundreds of other schools across the country. The event will measure both the trash output and recycling efforts of the universities. The “greenest” school wins.

This marks the sixth year Missouri State has participated in RecycleMania. Unlike year’s past, though, where only recycling efforts in the residence halls were counted, this time the entire campus is participating.

The event is intended to add the drive and commitment of competition to the sensibility and necessity of recycling.

Jennifer Cox, the Assistant Director of Residence Life and Services at MSU as well as the coordinator of RecycleMania, is very excited about the competition being taken all over the Missouri State campus this year.

Although the trophy and bragging rights it entails would be nice, this is not the most important focus of the competition in the long run, she said.

“This is not about bringing a large bag of recyclable material to school and depositing them in one of the bins,” Cox said. “It’s about changing smaller decisions that all of us make on a daily basis, such as recycling papers and aluminum cans instead of throwing them in the trash.”

All that is required to make a positive impact on sustainability and spur Missouri State along to victory in RecycleMania is placing certain items like soda cans, plastic cups and food containers and glass tea bottles in those familiar bins labeled “RECYCLE,” which are located in Meyer Library, the Plaster Student Union, and many other spots around the campus.

Cox hopes to show students both the ease of recycling and the impact it can make.

“Hopefully, habits of recycling will become a greater part of the students’ lives in the end,” she said.

What’cha gonna do when RecycleMania runs wild on you?

Terry Walls wanted to know the truth; the ugly, racist truth.

In 1950, his mother, Mary Jean Price, became the first African American applicant to Missouri State University (then a white’s-only institution known as Southwest Missouri State College).

The college failed to respond to her application, and a Greene County judge ruled against her when she filed suit against the school for their inaction. Denied the opportunity for an education, Price moved on with her life, but the scar of the racially-motivated denial have never really healed.

Sixty-years later, after wafting through the Meyer Library Archives, her son found the sordid details of how the Board of Regents was prepared to go to the Supreme Court to deny his mother’s admission to the school. Price found originally-confidential correspondence letters that indicated this intent in the file along with his mother’s original application to the school.

In 1950, four years prior to when the Supreme Court case Brown vs. Board of Education ordered the desegregation of schools, African American students were unable to attend Southwest Missouri State College unless the studies they wanted to pursue were not offered at Lincoln University, the state’s African American college.

Price, 18 at the time, wanted to be a schoolteacher. She submitted her transcripts and a letter, stating her intentions to study library science, which was not offered at Lincoln.

The college registrar, Guy Thompson, forwarded the letter up the ranks to Southwest Missouri State College President Roy Ellis.

According to facsimile correspondence available from the library archives, President Ellis considered her application a “test case.”

While waiting on the opinion of the college attorney, he mailed four other Missouri college presidents.

In a confidential letter dated November 13, 1950, he related the difficulty of trying to formulate a policy on the admission of potential black students who were eligible under the conditional laws of the time.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., fought for equal rights for African Americans during the Civil Rights movement. He worked to erase racial inequalities such as policies that denied Mary Jean Price admission to Missouri State University in 1950.

“The College should ask a local Circuit Court for a declaratory judgment,” the letter stated. President Ellis related the feelings of the Board of Regents and how they were discussing, “carrying the matter on to the Supreme Court in case the local Court decided the girl could be admitted.”

This conviction to preventing her admission proved unnecessary, as events would reveal. After the college failed to respond to Price, Tac Kaplan hired attorney Irving Schwab to file a lawsuit against the school on Price’s behalf.

But in the declaratory judgment the Board had hoped for, a judge of the Circuit Court of Greene County ruled against Price. Her chances of attending Missouri State were finished.

“Can you imagine being an 18 year old kid, and having your ambitions dashed?” Walls said. “Sixty years later; nobody acknowledges it, as though it never happened. It did happen, and we were a part of it.”

For him, and others, the fact that the story has gone untold for so long is a shock. According to Walls, his mother never spoke about it until he found the letter and local television station KSPR ran a story on it recently.

Although it was good for Price to finally speak on the matter, “it opened up old wounds,” according to Walls. Price never went on to teach and worked as an elevator operator before marrying and having children. She is now in her late 70s.

See Related Story: Students debate how MSU should respond to story of Mary Jean Price

Depending on a students course load, the costs can range from a few hundred dollars to well over a thousand.

But what if it did not have to be that way?

The technology exists now to do away with costly textbooks altogether.

Some textbook publishers already provide online e-text versions of their books for interested students, but even these only offer a marginal reduction on the price of a printed text when accounting for the fact that a student cannot sell the e-text back to the bookstore at the end of the semester.

No, current pricey e-texts are not the answer to this problem.

Instead, we advocate Missouri State to spearhead the creation of free, peer-reviewed professional e-textbooks on a multitude of academic subjects.

The software behind the popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia can make this happen. The free, open-source software allows multiple-users to work collaboratively on a project, writing and editing each other’s work.

It saves the changes made by each person in the editing process, allowing writes, rewrites, revisions, and reverts.

Unlike Wikipedia, though, these projects could only be edited by authorized users, which would include professors and select student assistants.

Working under the guidance of professors, these graduate students could write basic content or edit copy in exchange for class credit.

Why would professors work to create a free e-text, you ask?

Well, they have no reason to do so right now, but that can change with the stroke of a pen.

Professors need incentives to work on this project. Contributing to a print textbook provides both financial royalties to the professor and also is factored into tenure and advancement decisions.

Since the e-texts would be free, providing royalties would be impossible; however, the university could easily create job-related rewards for professors who contribute to free e-textbooks.

Better yet, the university could require professors to work on this project as part of their jobs and utilize the books in their classes.

With the professors on board with this project, creation of these e-texts could begin.

The initial technical setup for the project involving the Wiki online software would be minimal.

Writing, editing, and organizing these free e-texts would take a great deal of time.

Professors and graduate students could work from the ground up to create textbooks for hopefully all university classes eventually.

The great thing is that once the ground work has been set, revising and updating these e-texts would be simple, easy and instant.

Each year, professors can take the latest updates they have made and create a new edition for students. Perhaps even an at-cost print edition could be made for students who dislike e-reading.

Most of all, these e-texts would eliminate a college cost barrier, allowing more people to seek a higher education at Missouri State.

- Zach Becker

For the Editorial Board