September 11, 2018

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THE STANDARD M I S S O U R I S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y

VOLUME 112, ISSUE 4 | THE-STANDARD.ORG The Standard/The Standard Sports

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

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Disorder at FSL recruitment causes mass email to parents EMILY COLE News Editor @EMCole19 At the start of every semester, Missouri State University Fraternity and Sorority Life organizations —as well as other on campus organizations — can be found on campus passing out flyers to students, searching for prospective new members. The recruitment process is a normal part of the FSL and university experience. However, this fall, there was a group at Welcome Weekend that wasn’t completely welcomed by the university. A group of students, originally going by the name “Phi Delta Order,” and later by simply “the Order,” were seen handing out cards at Bear Bash, a Welcome Weekend event on Aug. 18 in the Plaster Student Union and North Mall. On Aug. 21, the Missouri State University Family Association sent out a mass email to families of students that included a letter from MSU Dean of Students Thomas Lane. The email informed recipients about the group, and the fact that they were not affiliated with the university. “I wanted to make sure that it was clear that, that particular organization is not recognized by the university,” Lane said. “It’s not sanctioned by the university. There’s no relationship that the university has with that particular organization.” The organization’s activities were brought to Lane’s attention by the FSL office. Kate Roessler, assistant director of student engagement for FSL, said she found one of the organization’s cards, which listed their recruitment events, at Bear Bash. Lane said he felt it was important to inform students’ families of the group due to safety concerns with an unaffiliated organization. “My biggest concern is with the students that have formed this organization, that they currently have no insurance — which our fraternities that are recognized by the university do have —(and) a national headquarters that can assist should something go wrong at a social event,” Lane said. “They don’t have this. So they will be personally liable should anything occur at one of their social events.” Unaffiliated student organizations also miss out on some u See ORDER, page 8

KAITLYN STRATMAN/THE STANDARD

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill spoke to MSU students in the Plaster Student Union Theater on Monday, Sept. 10, 2018, as part of her Your Vote Counts college tour.

U.S. senator speaks to students EMILY COLE News Editor @EMCole19 U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill returned to Missouri State University on Monday to speak to students as part of her Your Vote Counts college tour. McCaskill, the democratic senator from Missouri, spoke in an effort to raise voter turnout for the upcoming midterm election. “I want you to help me figure out what we need to do to get folks excited about voting this time,” McCaskill said to the crowd. “There’s a reason why we’ve spent more time debating prescription drug costs than debating costs of college. There’s a reason.” That reason, McCaskill said, is low voter turnout in the college age demographic. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s reported voting in the 2014 midterm elections, 16 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds voted, compared to 59 percent of 65- to 74-year-olds. “There’s a reason why, when I was talking to an old (pal) one time, I said,

‘Oh I’m excited. I’m going to a college campus,’ and he goes, ‘You’d be better off at a senior center,’” McCaskill said. McCaskill urged students in attendance to realize they have the power to make changes through voting. “I’m a fan of Alice Walker, and one of her favorite quotes is, ‘The most common way that people lose power is by thinking they don’t have any,’” McCaskill said. “If you leave here with one message today, I hope it is that you have power.” This seemed to resonate with the students in the Plaster Student Union Theater, who gave McCaskill a loud round of applause following the statement. Sophomore socio-political communications major Gabrielle Blanchard said the quote validated what she believes many college students think. “When she said something about how you take power away from yourself by saying you don’t have any, I thought that was really cool,” Blanchard said. “Especially as college students, we say we don’t have any power, so to validate that was pretty cool.” Blanchard said it’s important that col-

lege students realize that they are affected by politics, and that they should be active voters. After her brief speech, McCaskill opened the floor up to questions from students. Several students and members of the Springfield community who were attending asked questions ranging in topic from the upcoming Senate vote for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to McCaskill’s vote on the recent Republican tax bill. A common thread through McCaskill’s answers was compromise. She emphasized the importance of being able to compromise in the government in order to accomplish goals. “I talk to a lot of Missourians, and when I talk to them about the fact that I’m not ashamed to compromise — and I’m not ashamed of the fact that I’m not a party-line voter — I get a lot of nodding heads. Some places in my state ... when I start talking about when I vote against my party, they’re not happy.” McCaskill said many voters want their representatives to vote purely along u See SENATOR, page 8

MSU earns silver rating for sustainability Programs help keep campus green RONKEIA BATES Staff Reporter @Lyrie_Lyric Missouri State University recently received a silver rating from the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System program which measures the sustainability performance of colleges and universities. The program, created by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, allows participants to submit data to earn a bronze, silver, gold or platinum rating based on factors like academics, engagement and operations of the university. Missouri State strives for environmental sustainability by creating a healthy environment for students. There are several programs that MSU is currently supporting to make the campus more sustainable. One program is recycling, which is one of the most common sustainability practices that can be seen all around campus. Recycling bins can be found in almost every classroom and in the hallways of many buildings on campus. Jeffrey Brown, the recycling coordinator at MSU, expressed why recycling is different from other sustainability practices. “Recycling is something that just about everyone can participate in. It’s a direct way to reduce waste that goes to landfills and helps us reduce the need to produce brand new materials for manufacturing,” said Brown. MSU has started to use LED lights in the

parking lots, and they have ZipGrow Towers that grow fresh produce. Tamera Jahnke, dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, said that she wants students to know that sustainability is more than just recycling. “Sustainability is education, research and the use and reuse of air and water," Jahnke said. Jahnke said that MSU first started their sustainability practices in 1970. “Missouri State faculty will tell you that we celebrated the first Earth Day in 1970 and that we have been encouraging sustainable practices since that time,” said Jahnke. “In 2007, the university’s public affairs theme was sustainability, and at that time we became more focused. A statement of commitment was adopted, and shortly after this the President’s Sustainability Advisory Committee was formed. In 2009, students implemented a $2-per-semester fee which is a fund that goes toward sustainability initiatives on campus and generates $75,000 each year.” David Vaughan, the director of environmental management at MSU, explains why it's important that MSU adopted this kind of practice. “It is good stewardship to do what we can, both as individuals and as a society, to preserve limited resources,” said Vaughan. “As an educational institution, we can provide opportunities for students to learn directly, and we can also model actions for the community at-large, so people can see not only the action, but the

larger benefit as well.” Vaughan wants students to know that there are organizations they can join to get involved in MSU’s sustainability practices. “There are organizations such as the EcoRep program, the Students for a Sustainable Future organization, the Campus Garden and the SGA Sustainability Commission,” Vaughan said. “For those with a desire to have a real hands-on impact while making a little money the Academic Recycling Program hires students to collect recycling from academic buildings across campus.”

BILL SIOHOLM/THE STANDARD

The Missouri State University Community Garden overflows with vibrant, towering flowers ­— this is a part of their many efforts to increase sustainability.

For more information about sustainability at MSU, you can call the sustainability office at 417-836-4993 or visit the website at missouristate.edu/sustainability. The full STARS report can be found at stars.aashe.org.

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Library offers 3D printing to students Page 2

MSU Gospel Choir takes you to church Page 5

Football prepares for third game Page 6


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September 11, 2018 by The Standard at Missouri State University - Issuu