MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2013
HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY
‘Polar plunge’ first ever at Henderson Shaun Mauldin Staff Writer Last Wednesday, fifty brave people challenged the elements at Lake DeGray. The water temperature was 47 degrees Fahrenheit and the winds were a consistent 20 to 25 miles per hour. The odds were not in favor of any sane person to jump into these waters. Luckily, those who dwell in the campus building known as Newberry Hall are not completely sane. “Come on, the water is fine,” Alex Boyd, freshman accounting major, said jokingly. Boyd is also the president of the Newberry Hall Council. They, combined with resident assistants Matthew Hargrove and Nathan Curry, planned the first annual Polar Plunge. Approximately 100 people attended the Polar Plunge with around 50 of those actually taking the plunge themselves. Those 50 people all received free t-shirts designed by Austin Shurtleff, sophomore accounting major. Those who participated in the Polar Plunge signed liability waivers in the event of an emergency. The program was designed to bring awareness to hypothermia, celebrate Polar Bear Day and to promote the Newberry Hall Council. “The Newberry Hall Council is not a joke,” Boyd said. “We want to improve Newberry to make it more desirable to live in,” Shurtleff said. Shurtleff is the vice president
of the Newberry Hall Council, and he and Boyd encourage residents in Newberry Hall to volunteer and step up by participating in the Newberry Hall Council. Nathan Curry plunged into the icy water along with over 30 others. Matthew Hargrove led the charge with an encouraging speech that roused the group of nervous participants. “I was thinking I want to hurry up, jump in and go completely under,” Nathan Curry, sophomore aviation major and Newberry RA, said. “My breath was slightly taken away after I went in. I wanted to stand up and get to the shore as quickly as possible.” After the plunge, Curry described the Polar Plunge as the stupidest idea ever. Curry went on to add to his experience by saying he couldn’t feel his feet nor could he feel the cold. He said his body was numb and he rushed to place dry clothes on. Curry hopes the Polar Plunge becomes a new tradition at Henderson. He also added that those who went in have a sense of brotherhood and showed the true Reddie Spirit. “My bucket list was to facilitate a Polar Plunge,” Matthew Hargrove, senior athletic training major and Newberry RA, said. Hargrove gave a speech prior to the 35 person plunge. He announced the water temperature was a “balmy 47 degrees” as he encouraged those who had doubts.
“I told them to follow our lead, gave the countdown and we all hit a wall of ice and pushed through,” Hargrove said. “It gave us a boost to hear yells of Newberry.” After seeing the 100 people in attendance to witness this event, Hargrove was left in awe of the scene. “I wanted to let them know that they were all true men of Newberry, they had nothing to fear,” Hargrove said. “This would be exciting and fun, as Nathan and I were the first ones in.” The 35-person group wasn’t the only group to take the jump. More showed up to take the plunge into the icy DeGray Lake. Hargrove did not have time to be cold. He needed to be pumped for the other groups going in. As an athletic trainer, he cares passionately about the health of the student athletes and people in general. Hypothermia is where your body temperature drops below the normal average of 98 to 99 degrees. Early signs of hypothermia are a tingle in hands and feet, teeth chattering, uncontrollable shivering and slow reaction times. The drop ranges anywhere from 1.5 degrees to 4 degrees in extreme situations. A couple of those who jumped into DeGray Lake were shivering, but the issues were resolved quickly as they warmed up.
Photo courtesy of Joshua Lightsey
TAKE THE PLUNGE
Newberry Hall Council hosts the first annual Polar Plunge, in which students submerged themselves in Lake DeGray during one of the coldest months of the year. Next year, the Newberry Hall Council plans to do the Polar Plunge again and want to take donations for a charity to be determined later. Hargrove is a senior, but has made plans to go to graduate
school at Henderson and participate in the second annual Polar Plunge. “In 10 semesters in Newberry Hall, I have never experienced a program like this,” Hargrove said. “Ultimate success.”
Vice president positions to enhance enrollment management Morgan Acuff Editor-In-Chief
Index
The newest vice president positions at Henderson have been appointed, and more are on the way. President Glendell Jones has made an effort to boost enrollment and retention rates since taking the helm. In the latter months of 2012, the administration doled out $82,500 to CREDO, an enrollment management company. The analysis they offered was conducted in order to make some changes. Among those were suggestions to create new positions and fill old ones. An admissions counselor position and an events coordinator position were among those proposed. Dr. Lewis Shepherd, vice president of Student and External Affairs, is taking the analysis seriously. His department has since made approximately $60,000 in wage increases spread over several new positions, including two assistant vice presidents. “The vice president has the authority to shape the organization to the needs of that organization,” Shepherd said. “Student services are changing constantly.” Shepherd wanted to focus on a couple of changes to meet the needs of his organization.
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“The university has never had an enrollment management plan, and we have never had a student leadership center,” Shepherd said. The faculty senate and the administration are considering the student leadership center. The center would focus on creating student leaders. Enrollment management has been restructured to include communication from academic leaders. “We needed deans,” said Shepherd. “By the virtue that leaders of the academic community should have input, students should be number one. It takes an effective enrollment management strategy to produce alumni instead of former students. We need some alumni.” The money that is paying for these changes is coming from the existing budget of the department, Shepherd said. Jordan O’Roark left the position of associate dean of students in August 2012. The money that would have been his salary through those months between now and August was retained. The school hired Dr. Veronikha Salazhar to fill the vacant position of associate dean of students at a salary of $45,000. “She’s a doctor,” Shepherd said.
O’Roark was making a salary of approximately $34,000 a year, and the gap in education had to be reflected in the pay for the two employees. Dan Mabery and Chad Fielding received raises connected to their recent appointment into new vice president positions. Shepherd claimed these positions were part of the suggestions put forth by CREDO. Mabery’s raise came out to about $9,000. Fielding’s raise was approximately $7,000. Both salaries are to be pro-rated for the remainder of the budget period. Existing funds will also help pay for the new salaries, according to Shepherd. The department has housing funds that have accrued from housing fees and other expenses paid by students. This is another area of budget surplus that could be used. Although Shepherd did not say this is definitely the way the salaries would be covered, he mentioned it as an option. Shepherd saw an increase of $23,000 to his salary. His job title changed from vice president of student services to vice president of student and external affairs. “I started doing the work of two folks,” Shepherd said. “I went from about two or three people report-
ing to me, to about 10 or 11.” Combining these two areas could be a frugal investment by the university. More investments are about to be made. To aid fundraising and decision-making, a new vice president for the university will also serve as the executive director of the Henderson State University Foundation. President Jones announced last week that the firm of Gonser Gerber has been hired to lead this search, and the advancement consultants of this organization will help recruit finalists. This represents another instance of third party consult-
Zac Zdanowicz Staff Writer
ingunder Jones’ leadership. Among these changes, there are almost certainly more on the way. The university is taking an active approach to boost enrollment and retain students. Shepherd pointed to a recent report, The American Dream 2.0, to explain how important retention is to universities. The report explains that 22 million degrees will be needed in 2018 to replace the baby boomers that will be entering retirement. At the current rates we will fall short by three million. Shepherd has made this a primary concern of his.
Internet queries
David Epperhart, director of communication and computer services, dispelled fears that the university is surveying student Internet activity. Students now have to download software onto their computers for campus Internet to work. The new system was put in place two weeks after the spring semester started. The three main reasons students are required to download the software is to make sure users are Henderson students or staff, each computer is safe and has anti-virus and to ensure each computer has software that is up to date. With this software in place, the Internet environment can now run faster and safer for students. “The software has been working great,” Epperhart said. “We are pleased with how easy it was to set-up.”