1.25.11

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Quite a week

Bears win in last-second thriller, take two honors

P a ge 6

Tuesday • January 25, 2011 • Vol. 104 Issue 17

Briefs Volunteer Fair to be held Wednesday

The 10th annual Volunteer Fair has been scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at Plaster Student Union. The event is co-sponsored by the Campus Volunteer Center, Office of Student Employment Services, Citizenship and Service Learning, and Residence Life and Services. This event invites non-profit organizations to come on campus and exchange information with Missouri State students, faculty and staff. The goal of the Volunteer Fair is to foster a relationship between the Missouri State Community and local non-profit organizations. Prizes will be given away throughout the day, including two $100 Visa gift cards. For a complete list of the possible attendees, go to the Missouri State University website.

Judicial Board has positions open

Applications to become a justice on the Campus Judicial Board are now available to the student body. There are two positions available. The Campus Judicial Board serves as the appellate board for students and student organizations as well as certifies election results and hands down decisions as requested by the Senate or student body president. Applications can be found in the Student Government Association office (PSU 123) or online at sga.missouristate.edu. In addition, students may also e-mail SGA@missouristate.edu for an application. Applications are due back in the SGA office by Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 5 pm. Members of the Campus Judicial Board must have a 2.5 GPA and be full-time students. For more information please contact Kinsley Stocum, director of communications, at kinsley17@missouristate.edu.

Calendar January 25 to January 31

Tuesday

Student Activities Council meeting, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., PSU 113 Student Senate meeting, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., PSU 313

Wednesday

10th Annual Volunteer Fair, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., PSU 1st and 2nd floors Provost Open Forum, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., PSU 400 Interfraternity Council general meeting, 5:15 to 6 p.m., PSU 313 Panhellenic Council general meeting, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., PSU 313 Students for a Sustainable Future meeting, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., Temple Hall pit The Vine, 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Carrington Theatre

Thursday

"How to Control Cash Flow" seminar, 9 a.m. to noon, Glass Hall

Friday

2011 Chinese New Year banquet, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., PSU Ballroom

Monday

Playwriting Discussion Forum, 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Meyer Library 101

How the snow is handled Classes stay in session despite winter weather By Jon Poorman The Standard

Springfield was hit with 2.2 inches of snow late Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service. On Thursday morning, students at Missouri State found that, despite the snow, classes were still in session. Hillary Kozeny, a junior biology major, said one of her instructors had a hard time handling the snow. “My COM 115 instructor said that she couldn’t get her car out of her driveway, so her husband had to drive her to work in his big four-wheel-drive vehicle,” Kozeny said. “While it may be somewhat OK for people on campus to get to class, commuter students and faculty have an extremely dangerous and hard time getting to campus on days like (Thursday).” Larry Combs, the parkingtransit supervisor, said the university has sold 10,186 commuter parking passes this year, which means that a lot of people who had class on Thursday were faced with driving in the snowy conditions. Maggie Everly, a senior biology major, said that she had some trouble getting to campus. “I had to drive from Sunshine (Avenue) and Kansas (Expressway), and I practically slid half the way here,” she said. Students and faculty both have concerns when it comes to winter weather, which is why university officials go through a certain procedure to decide what to do in these circumstances. Ken McClure, vice president for administrative and information services, said there were three main factors that went into the decision to keep classes in session on Thursday: lack of snow accumulation, the passable state of the roads, and the grounds crew saying they could have campus cleared by 8 a.m.

The process

A lot of students may not know the exact process for determining whether or not to have classes in a winter weather situation. Here is how it all happens: McClure said the decision is a complex one that involves several people. He said the process begins early in the morning, or in some instances, such as last Wednesday, it will begin the night before.

Michael Gulledge/THE STANDARD

A grounds crew worker shovels snow from a staircase coming out of the Grand Street underpass.

McClure said he initially consults with two people: Donald Clark, the director of Safety and Transportation, and Bob Eckels, the director of Facilities Management. “We try to get an initial assessment of what the forecast looks like and then what type of resources might be necessary,” McClure said. Beginning early in the morning, usually around 3 a.m., Clark will make an assessment of the forecast and the road conditions. “My responsibility is to check the streets and highways coming into campus and the city and make sure they’re safe to drive on,” Clark said. Meanwhile, Eckels gets an assessment from the grounds crew on what type of require-

ments would be necessary to get the campus cleared. “I give a call to the grounds services guy that is on campus,” Eckels said. “He gives me his assessment of how the campus looks and whether his folks are going to be able to handle the walkways, the loading dock areas, the entrances to the garages and the parking lots.” At about 4:30 a.m., McClure, Clark and Eckels all come up with a decision on what they think will happen, considering the circumstances at the time. McClure then visits with several other people to see what decisions are being made around the city of Springfield. “Usually I’ll visit with the superintendent of (Springfield) schools, OTC and in (last Thurs-

day’s) case I visited with the president of Drury,” McClure said. “Everybody has different requirements they’ve got to go through, but we do talk.” McClure said he also consults with Earle Doman, vice president of student affairs, and Provost Belinda McCarthy. Once everyone has been consulted and a recommendation has been made, McClure calls Missouri State President James Cofer to make the final call. “I called him around 5:30 (Thursday) morning,” McClure said. “That’s always the last call I make, and we talk through it and get his input and his approval of whatever we decide we need to do.” Additional reporting by Rachel Bonar.

Bears Backing Haiti helps once again By Kaycie Surrell The Standard

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti last January, and Missouri State students took action by getting together to raise $50,000 in 50 hours. Bears Backing Haiti fell short of its goal by $7,000 but came together again this year hoping to raise the remaining amount. On Jan. 18, Bears Backing Haiti: Haiti Still Hurts started working toward raising the money needed to reach its 50-in-50 goal by collecting money at different locations around campus, primarily outside Plaster Student Union. Other events were hosted both on and off campus throughout the week that were beneficial in helping the organization meet its goal. The Missouri State Bookstore printed maroon shirts sporting the Bears Backing Haiti logo that were available for a suggested donation of $10 at the organization’s tent throughout the week. Sodexo also joined in the effort

by holding a luncheon. The proceeds of both fundraising events were donated to Convoy of Hope. Ellyn Henderson, a junior special education major and co-chair of Bears Backing Haiti, organized events at Panera Bread and Qdoba that would also help raise money for the cause. Both restaurants donated a percentage of the receipts from orders placed by those backing Haiti. “It’s not in the media anymore at all,” Henderson said. “It’s like we forgot about it. If you don’t talk about it, then no one’s going to think about it. There are people that go down to Haiti and volunteer their time and live in tents, and they see all the destruction. I think just putting this information out there is important for students to see.” All of the fundraisers and efforts made to raise student awareness came together during the men’s basketball game on Saturday when students collected donations at different locations around the JQH Arena. Jeff Roman, corporate relations director for Convoy of Hope, took the floor during half time to thank the university and

everyone involved with Bears Backing Haiti for their hard work. “Since the earthquake happened a year ago, we’ve fed nine million people meals: men, women and children,” Roman said. “We’ve sent 80,000 vaccines over to Haiti as well, partnering with Hope Community Church here in Springfield, and every single school day in Haiti we’re feeding 25,000 kids. “They need the basic stuff that we take for granted. They need food, clean water, livable resources that will make a difference in their lives. It’s a tough, tough place.” Bears Backing Haiti’s main goal has not only been raising money to help Convoy of Hope, but also raising student awareness. Jordan Donaldson, a sophomore biology major, visited Haiti over the summer and saw firsthand the kind of destruction and poverty Haitians now face. “It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen in your life,” Donaldson said. “We’ll do whatever we can. We promised $50,000, and we’ll just go above and beyond to help as much as

Britney Shryer/THE STANDARD

Volunteers collected funds in buckets for Bears Backing Haiti: Haiti Still Hurts.

we possibly can because it’s going to need it for a long time.” A presentation was held on Monday at the Bear Paw where a check of $7,300 was presented to Convoy of Hope.


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