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@TheMissourian
Northwest Missourian
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NORTHWEST MISSOURIAN Thursday | February 5, 2015
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Northwest drops Booth College Dean position
DARCIE BRADFORD
Chief Reporter | @Darcie_Jeanne_7
After what was thought to be a successful search for a new dean for the Melvin D. and Valorie G. Booth College of Business and Professional Studies, Provost Timothy Mottet announced Tuesday the deal has fallen through. Dr. Jin Wang from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, had verbally accepted the Booth College dean position. However, due to issues during contract negotiations, Wang ultimately turned down the offer, marking the third unsuccessful search for a dean for Booth College. Instead of starting another search for a dean, the University decided to pi-
lot test a new organizational structure within the college effective March 1. Some faculty are expressing concern and posing questions about the changes being made. In a faculty meeting Feb. 3, Dr. Janet Marta expressed her concern with the new structure. “The important thing about doing a pilot is how to evaluate whether it was successful or not. So, as far as I know, we don’t have any criteria to evaluate whether it is successful. It’s hard to imagine that after one year you would have any numbers that mean anything,” Marta said. “We have to figure out what we are going to measure to determine if it is working or not.” The new structure will not require a long term dean, but will turn each
department within the Booth College into its own school. Rod Barr, department chair of Agricultural Sciences, Steven Ludwig, department chair of Business and Matt Walker, department chair of Communication and Mass Media will all act as both the chair and dean of their departments, having more authority than a department chair but less authority than dean. The chairs will be given a new title, an assistant, will report directly to the provost, and be representatives at the dean’s council. In the Feb. 3 news release, President John Jasinski expressed his enthusiasm for the new structure. “We have a prime opportunity at continuing our path of disruptive in-
novation from a position of strength,” Jasinski said, reflecting the theme of his message to Northwest faculty and staff last month during the University’s Spring All-Employee Meeting. “We have been pondering disruption relative to programs and structures, and, with the help of faculty and staff, we will study such via a work group tasked with researching and crafting proposed solutions.” The new structure will call for a visiting dean. The visiting dean will be Michael Faust, former Assistant Chairman of Peter Kiewit Sons’ Inc., based in Omaha, Nebraska. Faust’s responsibilities will include collaborating with University leaders about developing strategies for
building up Northwest’s reputation, facilitating faculty and employer relationships and generating new sources of revenue by developing external partnerships. In the Feb. 3 news release, Faust shared his excitement to be able to work on campus and help to improve the educational experience. “It’s an honor to be asked to serve Northwest in this new role,” Faust said. “The Kiewit culture values those with a ‘divine discontent’ to continuously seek ways to improve our operations. In that same sense, I look forward to working with our academic leadership team in improving an already great educational experience.”
Missouri’s suicide rate raises concerns JAMES HENDERSON III Chief Reporter| @jendersoniii
HANNAH WOODSON | NW MISSOURIAN
For millions of Americans, addiction is a daily and potentially deadly struggle.
Former drug user shares experiences Student details progress from recreational user to addict ANDY CAMPBELL Chief Reporter | @SirAndyCampbell
Imagine being a lab rat, with a scientist continuously injecting your body with experimental drugs and tracking the results. To most, this sounds like a nightmare, but for one man, it was a self-induced reality. Though willing to share his story, the Northwest student asked to remain anonymous, and for the purpose of this article will be referred to as Sawyer. “Anytime you’re going to undergo something like I did, you have to do research to understand what it is going to do to your body,” Sawyer said. “I did months of intense research, looking at medical journals, reading things online and in medical books about potential side effects and what dosages were recommended for certain outcomes,” Sawyer explained. He began his research in the use of psychedelics, examining the effects they would have on his mind. Psychedelic drugs, including LSD and acid, create hallucinations for the user and a perceived expansion of the conscious mind. “I did them in a similar way to how some would say the Native Americans used them,” Sawyer said. “I took them for a spiritual journey, and used them in conjunction with meditation to try and learn greater truths about myself.” This dive into an expanded conscious was seductive to Sawyer. His use of the drugs could be described as unique from most individuals. “I think the problem is, we lump each addict in to one individual case,” said Michelle Jones, certified drug counselor at New Beginnings Counseling Center.
Sawyer began his use of drugs for experimental reasons. According to Jones, while this may not be rare, most addicts start using for other reasons. “A large cause is mental illness,” Jones said. “They use the drugs to self-medicate. This can be meth, cocaine or even over-the-counter drugs that have helped them cope with their illness, but in the long run has turned them into an addict.” Sawyer’s intentions were purely educational and he planned to experience the drug, after which he planned to get away from it. At the start, he was able to obtain his goal. “For most of my vices, I felt I had pretty good control over them,” Sawyer said. “I knew it’s there, I’m gonna use it for whatever need it’s filling, and that’s the end of it.” Sawyer continued to emphasize with every use of a drug, doing extensive research to understand how the drug would affect his body. Jones says this can become dangerous for an addict. “The Internet is a wonderful place for research, but it is also a wonderful place for misuse of information,” Jones explained. “It is the one place that you can go to find anyone to agree with you, or anyone to disagree with you.” The experience of psychedelics is categorized into five stages. The first being a common “high” normally achieved through the use of marijuana. The second is characterized by enhanced colors and sound, and a heightened awareness of one’s past. The third creates a morphed view of the world and distortions in time. Stage four brings strong hallucinations and the presence of voices. Stage five is the most dangerous The user loses complete connection with reality, describing an experience of a universal knowledge.
The suicide rate in Missouri is steadily rising and has recently surpassed the national average. According to a study by the American Association of Suicidology, Missouri’s suicide rate reached 15.9 people per 100,000 in 2012. This is nearly three more than the national average of 13 people per 100,000. Senior Emily D. Smith, who has experienced depression herself, says that Northwest is not exempt from this issue. “We had one student commit suicide on campus in the last year, and a former football player did it too. So, it’s not something we can pretend isn’t a problem here,” Smith said. Unlike diseases like diabetes or cancer, Smith said depression is misunderstood in the Midwest and that misunderstanding may be the reason this is such a problem in Missouri. “I think it may be a Midwestern ideal that the parents of kids with this problem were raised with,” Smith said. “The idea that you need to pull yourself up and move on – that the problems are all in your head and you should get over it. That’s not always something you can do.”
One of the goals of “I Will Listen,” a national campaign devoted to dissolving mental health stigma, is aimed at helping individuals like Smith feel more comfortable speaking out about mental health. “When someone is having situational or chronic depression, they often think someone won’t understand, so they lock it all in,” Smith said. “What I’ve learned is talking about it is the best thing you can do. Finding a friend that would be willing to listen and help with it is important. That friend should then lead them in the right direction. It’s extremely important to avoid the lock up.” Being well educated about the issue is only half the battle. She believes if more people understood what depression was and how to handle someone that is suffering from it, the risk of suicide could be cut down significantly. “If you had more educated friends that could help handle the situation, instead of running away because they are overwhelmed with the information, or don’t want to be the one that deals with it, it can make all the difference,” Smith said.
SEE SUICIDE RATE | A5
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Missouri’s suicide rate reached 15.9 people per 100,000 in 2012
SEE ADDICT | A5
INSIDE: Opinion Editor Thomas Dresslar weighs in on implications of the Booth College dean decision. Page A4