THE
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014
M I S S O U R I
S T A T E
U N I V E R S I T Y More than 100 years in print
Volume 107, Issue 18 | the-standard.org
Missouri tuition freezes — as long as you’re a resident By Sadie Welhoff The Standard
It’s always music to any college student’s ears to hear their tuition will be not be going up, and Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is playing the siren’s tune. Nixon called on schools statewide to keep their tuition from increasing because of additional funding planned for education in the 2015 fiscal year. Missouri State University is set to receive a 5.2 percent increase, which amounts to about $4.2 million. University President Clif Smart said a goal
for the budget for the upcoming year is to keep tuition for certain credit types at the same rate. Resident undergraduate tuition is set to remain at $6,908, while non-resident undergraduate and graduate tuitions are set to increase. According to Smart, if tuition rates stayed the same across the board, it would leave too big of a financial gap. “Then we’d essentially have to cut half a million dollars out of the budget,” Smart said. Smart said other revenue needs to come into the budget to handle inflation.
Inflation is currently around 1.5 percent and the rate increase will match up closely with the percentage. Smart said inflation affects different costs like utilities and salaries. When dividing up the funding for MSU, 65 percent comes from tuition and 35 percent comes from the state. Smart works with people across the campus like the deans, the provost and the chief of finance to put together a budget outline and proposed changes concerning tuition and fees. The plan is presented to the Board of Governors who is given time to review and make
changes to it before making the final vote in March. The state decides if a school can receive additional funding based on five measures. Every school has an option to submit their progress in the areas of their choice. MSU chose to use graduation rates, students completing 24 credit hours in their first year, licensing for occupations such as nurses or teachers, the percentage of the budget spent on teaching, and research and STEMrelated graduates. Schools are evaluated every year, and they must either increase in an area of focus, such as graduation rates, or sustain excellence.
MSU could have quarterless parking meters, parking lot apps in the future
By Trevor Mitchell The Standard
State of the Union: still strong White House Photo Services
President Obama focused strongly on the economy and didn’t shy away from outlining what he believed to be GOP failures.
Professors comment on Obama’s remarks
By Briana Simmons The Standard
President Barack Obama outlined his goals to the country in his State of the Union address last week. During his address, Obama introduced a few everyday people to the world. John, a restaurant owner who pays his workers $10 per hour; Misty, an unemployed mother of two whose unemployment benefits had run out; and Estiven, a veteran who didn’t speak any English when he first came to the U.S. and will be going to college in the fall all have com-
pelling stories. This year, Obama announced plans for educational advancements, military action, economic recovery and his controversial health care plan. Missouri State officials weigh in on each of the subjects. Obama proposed a plan to redesign high schools and partner them with universities and employers to provide “real-world education and hands-on training that can lead directly to a job and career,” along with an initiative to connect more students to today’s technology. Denise Cunningham, associate professor of early childhood education and family studies, said that, if done the right way, this is exactly what today’s students need. “That’s the direction society is moving… everything is technology driven. We have to
prepare our students in a way that will make them most successful in education, business and their lives. If that means starting at earlier ages, getting them connected with different types of technology, I think we should do it… we need to make sure what we are expecting of them is developmentally appropriate,” Cunningham said. Obama also announced the organization of the College Opportunity Summit, where 150 universities have committed to reducing inequality in higher education. “I hope it impacts us in a positive way — that we can get more diverse students and underserved student populations into our university system. I think they are poorly underu See UNION, page 2
New group aims to help students with mental illness By Annie Gooch The Standard
For Sam Thompson, junior year at MSU was when everything changed. Severe depression weighed down the elementary education major, and he stopped showing up to class, failed most of his courses and had suicidal thoughts. When he finally surrendered and broke down to a professor, he was referred to a doctor and was able to get the appropriate medication to help him get a grip on his depression. Thompson chose not to be one of the 53 suicides that happened in Greene County last year, according to the National Association of Mental Illness Southwest Missouri.
“I think I’ve been able to handle it better, but I know there are many others out there that it’s still horrible for,” Thompson said. “And I want to help make it easier for other people.” So does Emily Culp, a sophomore social work major. Together, they have created NAMI On Campus, a peer based organization focused on helping students with mental health issues. Culp also had problems dealing with her mental health and turned to NAMI in her hometown of San Diego. She volunteered with the group and had a great support system. “For me, it was the real challenge of accepting the fact that I needed to help myself,” Culp said. “We have our own judgments and denials.
INSIDE The Standard’s guide to on- and off-campus housing
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Emily Culp and Sam Thompson, NAMI On Campus founders. There’s this whole stigma involved health issues. and people think less of us. It’s “We are delighted that a group of unfortunate.” students have come together to start Her hope is that this organization a charter on campus,” said Ann will spark conversation and get rid of u See NAMI, page 2 the negativity associated with mental
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How was your last parking experience at Missouri State University? Maybe it wasn’t terrible, but odds are that it involved driving aimlessly around a parking lot looking for an empty space, or putting quarters into an aging parking meter, inevitably forgetting when you need to go refill it. Earl Wall wants to change that. Wall is the parking-transit supervisor at MSU, and there are several new technologies he’d like to implement to improve the parking experience. The one thing you’re sure to see soon is known as a “multi-space meter.” This new piece of hardware enables an entire lot to be serviced by just a few parking meters. Users will use a “pay-by-plate” system, where you enter your license plate number into the meter and then pay, using either coins, bills, a credit card or even your smartphone. The parking meter will even send you a text message to notify you when your time is nearly up. There are also other things that Wall would like to see in the parking lots of MSU sometime in the future. Sensors that can count the number of cars in a lot, for example, would be highly beneficial to students, faculty and staff alike, Wall said. The sensor counts the cars in a lot, and then sends this data to a smartphone app, not only telling you whether a lot is full, but even where empty spaces in the lot are, or which floor of a parking garage is free. In addition, the university’s parking survey — which is currently done twice a year by counting cars in lots at various times during the day, and is used to make decisions about parking lot planning — would no longer be a chore, and would simply be data collected by the sensor. The sensor is solar powered as well, which would cut down on the required costs. Parkmobile, a separate app Wall expressed interest in, would enable students to use their phone instead of a parking meter, simply inputting the lot they’ve parked in and paying. Instead of running outside to put coins in a meter, they can then extend their purchased time directly from the app. Wall admitted that parking might not strike everyone as the most important thing on campus, but he thinks it’s still a critically important factor. “Your first experience here is parking,” Wall said. “And your last experience here is parking. “If you go to a school and you’re digging around in your pockets for change for the meter, and then you go to the next school, and you pay with a card or your phone, that makes an impression.”
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