The Kirksville Socialite

TSU Brings on the Haiti Relief

Looking for a way to help with Haiti Relief? Truman organizations are stepping up all over the place to provide you with that opportunity. Last Thursday, I had the wonderful privilege of attending my first ever poetry slam, and luckily, through the efforts of GlobeMed, it was for a great cause: Haiti Relief.

If you didn't have the opportunity to attend, first of all, I'm sorry you had to miss out, but don't worry. This week many student organizations have collaborated to put on Save Haiti Relief Week for which there have been tables in both McClain and the SUB for donations. If you're finding yourself with extra change or something more substantial, stop by their table in the SUB Thursday or Friday during prime passing times to do a little good in the world.

Be on the look out for other events popping up, namely the Stand With Haiti benefit concert taking place at Journal Printing Building Friday, February 19 at 8p. Tickets will go on sale the 15th, so keep your eyes peeled, and if you hear of other events that you think are awesome, let me know!

Cheers,

Shannon

Presidential Search Committee Open Forum Webcasts

Hello Socialite readers! It's highly liberating to click that "Publish" button on my very first Socialite post. I hope everyone is settling into the bright and sunny Kirksville and getting down to business with that third week of classes.

Last week, the Presidential Search Committee held both student and faculty/staff forums with Dr. Troy Paino, maybe better known as T-Pain these days, and only finalist for TSU's presidency at present. While this forum was maybe held at an inopportune time for students to attend, the committee has made it very easy for us to see what exactly went down at these forums.

So, if, like me, you were unable to attend the student forum due to that annoying thing called class, or if you just happened to miss out and are interested to see what it is that you missed out on, the webcasts of the forums are available on the Presidential Search Committee's website at http://governors.truman.edu/presidentialsearchcommittee.asp.

If you watch, I encourage you to fill out a comment form also located on the website to have your voice heard. Comment forms must be submitted by 5:00p, this Wednesday, January 27, so watch away!

As always, even with new bloggers, Kirksville Socialite is always open to hearing your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and news on what's up in the 'Ville! Don't hesitate to give Whitney or me a shoutout at any time at kirksvillesocialite@gmail.com.

Cheers!

Shannon

Hello! ... from me.

Hello, all you readers and denizens of Kirksville! Whitney here, and since I am just learning the ropes here at the Socialite, I thought I'd try this whole posting thing out. Below I've added a little love letter I wrote to Kirksville at the end of my study abroad time last semester. I hope you enjoy it, and don't worry, I'll get around to more interesting stuff soon. 
 

Oh, Kirksville, my Kirksville... What can I say about a city that I haven't been in for months but, "I miss you?" I know, I know, K-ville is currently experiencing a rather unpleasant cold front, and even though I know that I will probably complain about the place when I'm back there, I still can't get over my slightly demented homesickness for good, ol' K-vegas. As I (increasingly more) frantically pack my (mysteriously fuller) bags in my cramped, moldy apartment in the Kobylisy district of Prague, I am thinking of how glad I will be to "come home" to Kirksville. 

It wasn't until I was gone for so long on my study abroad trip that I realized how many warm, squishy feelings Kirksville inspires in me; after having spent the better part of three years there, Kirksville kind of feels like home to me now. I miss being close to campus, and I miss being within about one square mile of all my friends: Prague, for all its charm, is medieval and frustratingly meandering. I miss walking through the SUB, and I miss jogging down Osteopathy: here, though I can jog past the Vltava River in all its glory, I cannot run into my neighbors while doing so. I miss being squeezed into a corner table at Dukum on a Thursday night, and I miss late night runs to Hy-Vee: bars here often tend towards fanatic/techno/Eurotrash, and almost all convenience stores close down at 10pm. I miss...well, I miss lots of things! As lame as that sounds, yes, I am still capable of missing Kirksville even while being in one of the most photogenic and historic cities in Europe. 

When I first came to Kirksville, I was quick to criticize it. I said there was no way I could live in some po-dunk, backwater town for four years--I would go crazy from boredom, or become involved in serial cow-tipping, or meth-making. But you know what? When I have to leave this 'ville, I won't be thinking of any of these potential downsides; I'll be thinking of how nice Kirksvillians are, and how much I love the people at La Pachanga, and how the wind always blows so hard on that one little thumb of land at 1000 Hills Lake. Kirksville, I miss you. Get ready, because I'm coming home! I can say it in several languages now--miluješ ty, 我爱你, ich liebe dich--but in any language, my feelings are the same: Kirksville, I love you!

Sole Finalist for New University President Announced: Provost Paino, Come On Down!

 Ladies and gentlemen, the BoG hath spoken.  Pending on-campus interviews next semester and a final round of confirmation your new University President is your current Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Troy Paino.

In an email sent out by the Board of Governors this afternoon Paino was announced as the only finalist in the BoG's search for the new University President.  Dr. Paino was selected out of a pool of 65 applicants, which was later narrowed to 5.  Of these 5 offers were extended to the 2 who, in the words of the email, "stood out above the rest," and of these last-standing 2 Dr. Paino was the only party who accepted the offer.

Dr. Paino joined Truman during 2008, just prior to former University President Dr. Barbara Dixon's announcement that she would be resigning from her position as the President of Truman State University.  Prior to Truman State Paino served as the Dean of Winona State University, a Liberal Arts College in Minnesota, where he was responsible for the "leadership and management of twenty academic departments and programs and university's Residential College; supervision and evaluation of 140 full-time and 70 part-time faculty members; and management of an $11 million annual budget," according to his resume.  He also has experience as an attorney, at the Bookwalter and Thomas firm based in Indianapolis, IN, and won his first jury trial during his third year in law school.

Next up for Dr. Paino is a series of on-campus interviews during which the University community will be given the opportunity to ask him questions and hear him speak about his thoughts on the present condition of Truman as well as its future.  These will be held on Thursday and/or Friday, January 21st and 22nd, and more information about the interview schedule will be made available at the Presidential Search Committee Website as it is completed. 

Cheers to potentially being able to say that T.Pain is our President,
Casey

Liveblogging Senate: December 13

It's Sunday, which means it's time to check in on our Student Government.  On tonight's agenda: Perimeter Access System stuff, Local Foods info and Educator of the Year shenaniganry.

6:00pm:  Speaker Tom Hogan calls the meeting to order.

6:04pm:  Brenda Higgins, the Director of the Health Center, is discussing the changes to the insurance plans accepted at the Student Health Center on campus. (All Truman students should have received an email about this on Friday.)  Beginning in the Spring 2010 semester the SHC will be accepting all health insurance plans; this means that they will now accept Truman-sponsored health insurance, private insurance or they can charge your student account.  Many students will now only pay their co-pay amount, and the Health Center will still continue to provide services to students with no health care.

6:09pm:  Starting sometime next semester you will also be able to make appointments from your own computer. (Perhaps by midterm.)  This has been a long time coming, and I'm excited to see this come to fruition.  

6:13pm:  The $25 Health Fee will still be in place as it covers both the SHC public functions and the Counseling Center.

6:15pm:  The SHC is going to try to become a revenue-generating entity.

6:17pm:  Good news: the SHC is going to try to bring back walk-in hours.  Take that, H1N1.

6:19pm:  Carly Rae Carr, the president of the Student Bike Co-Op has presented Senate with Bike Co-Op buttons as a token of the Co-Op's appreciation for Senate's support of it throughout the past couple years.

6:20pm:  Senator Sean Serroque has announced that he will be resigning his position effective at the end of the first meeting of this upcoming semester.  In his resignation letter he cites "anonymous reasons" as the purpose of his resignation. 

6:21pm:  His letter's closing paragraph reads: "Remember: when the emperor looks naked, the emperor IS naked; always ask questions, even if you feel stupid afterwards; never surrender a battle, even if it looks as if you are going to lose; and always look to the facts for guidance."  His resignation is accepted.

6:23pm:  Laura Lusk, the Parking Appeals Chair, has resigned.  Her resignation is accepted.

6:24pm:  Lauren Robinson has just been approved as a voting Senator.

6:28pm:  We have a slew of major appointments this evening so the gallery is going to be hopping in and out of the room for a while.  Lots of standing and sitting, good for the quads.

6:30pm:  Cassie Beard has been appointed as a voting Senator.

6:33pm:  Out in the hallway again.  Have you ever noticed that the Abraham Lincoln in the mural in the top floor of the hallway has freakishly large hands?  I think they're bigger than his head.  They're like bear paws.

6:33pm:  Patrick Zhang has been appointed as a voting Senator.

6:36pm:  Minh Ly Le has been appointed as the Assistant Communications Director.  Minor appointment, don't have to leave the room, woo!

6:40pm:  Out in the hallway again, this time for closed discussion on the appointment of Michael McGill to the Chair of the Parking Appeals Committee.  I swear to god, this is the last time I'm leaving this room.  I will find a way to invoke the Sunshine Law if they try to make me leave again.

6:44pm:  RHA President Katherine Tynan, Student Senator Michael McGill and I are having a very general discussion about Parking Appeals, which apparently used to be coordinated by the Res Hall Association.  We can't discuss the committee in-depth because, to steal a quote from Speaker Hogan/President JoEllen Flanagan, "What happens in Parking Appeals stays in Parking Appeals."

6:50pm:  Due to a "glitch" in the application process (The app wasn't online for the period of time it needed to be before closing acceptance of applications.) Senator McGill was not appointed as the new Chair of the Parking Appeals Committee.  Vice President Robinson will be serving as the Chair of the committee until a new one is selected at the next meeting.

6:51pm:  Devon Hire has been appointed to an Associate Senator, and will be shadowing Secretary Libby Piel to learn how she does her job to possibly take over after Secretary Piel leaves Senate.

6:54pm:  Senate will be cleaning their office this Wednesday.  Apparently it doesn't look so hot.

6:58pm:  Good god the internet is slow tonight.

6:59pm:  Student Rep. to the BoG Cody Sumter is giving what will likely be his final report to the Student Senate.  He says he talked to the UCM Student Rep. to see how they were planning on handling it; a big difference between the way those universities are able to handle it as opposed to the way our University is able to handle it pertains to the large amount of scholarships Truman hands out. (1,600 scholarship jobs, totaling 20,000 hours total.)

7:02pm:  Sumter says he expects on-campus interviews with new presidential candidates to happen on campus within the first weeks of school next semester.

7:03pm:  Sumter gets a well-deserved round of applause from the room at the end of his report.

7:05pm:  There will be a new procedure to submit agenda items for Senate meetings which will be announced along with new election dates over break.  There will also be no meeting the Sunday that students return.

7:06pm:  Finals Scream is tonight until midnight: purple pancakes and a showing of "Elf" in the SUB, free massages and games in the Rec Center.  Facebook event here.

7:08pm:  Truman at the Capitol will be held on February 9th.  Theoretically 48 people could go on this.  External Affairs will be working on the agenda with a new Legislative Director.

7:10pm:  Environmental Affairs Chair Yajie Yu has given a very apt description of the Recycling is Sexy initiative: "PG-13 posters that promote recycling."

7:11pm:  Diversity Chair Dan Heagney tells Student Senate that the MLK Challenge is a "day on, not a day off."

7:12pm:  Greg Goodwin, the nominee for the Legislative Director, has entered the gallery, which means I'll probably be making one more trip out to the hallway tonight.  Damn it.

7:13pm:  There has apparently been discussion of a student-initiated fee to support the Bike Co-Op in the long term, to occur at some point within the next two years.

7:16pm:  Treasurer Stephanie Kwon encourages all members to think about whether or not they support this fee.

7:17pm:  V.P. Robinson promises that there will be more information about this possible fee next semester.

7:17pm:  Speaker Hogan reads aloud a letter from RHA requesting that Senate postpone a vote approving their resolution about the PAS until the beginning of next semester due to RHA's not being able to vote upon the issue due to a lack of quorum (I believe.)

7:19pm:  Senator Molly Troop believes that Senate should vote upon this now.  Senator Christopher Graham suggests removing the word "should" from the resolution to make sure it reads as a motion Senate is confident in.

7:22pm:  Chair/Senator Heagney has asked BoG Rep. Sumter why the last two points in the WHEREAS clause of the resolution deal with topics he sees as being unrelated to the thrust of the main points Senate should be making this resolution.  The points are:

• ResLife states that individuals must check in at the hall desk to ensure their safety in the event they are visibly intoxicated or otherwise disruptive to the residence hall; and
• Of incidents known to the Office of Student Affairs, it was rare (2 instances) that hall monitors were involved in reporting episodes before 12 am.

7:24pm:  The rationale behind this, Speaker Hogan and BoG Rep. Sumter state, is that advocates for the doors have frequently cited the first point in talking about their necessity, and that if an arbitrary time is to be determined for the doors to be locked that the time at least try to be a logical time.

7:27pm:  Senator Sean Serroque has moved that lines 52 and 53, "The Student Government believes that convenience need not be sacrificed to accrue additional security," be struck.  His reasoning is that it makes the Student Government sound like it's more concerned with convenience than security.  It is voted upon and the motion fails; the line stays.

7:29pm:  Academic Affairs Chair Charles Tomlinson has made a motion to remove line 61 as it is, apparently, an impossible thing to do without dismantling the PAS system.  The line calls for "The manual unlocking of red doors during high-traffic periods of the day."

7:32pm:  Line 61 has been struck.

7:36pm:  We're discussing the necessity for Senate to wait on approving this.  BoG Rep. Sumter notes that RHA has been aware of this for ample time (A month, I believe, was mentioned.) and that this resolution calls for the input of students, which will likely be gathered over winter break.

7:37pm:  Chair Heagney asks why the resolution can't say just that.  Sumter responds by saying that, if student opinion is to be gathered over break, that students know exactly what Senate advocates.

7:39pm:  President Flanagan states that she wants to encourage everyone to vote on this resolution tonight, and that not doing so would be "stupid."

7:40pm:  Speaker Hogan notes that this is a joint resolution (Between Senate and RHA.) and that voting on this tonight doesn't rule out further cooperation between Senate and RHA, and that there would be opportunity for them to make a few changes here and there.  He says that as long as the "guts" behind them are the same then all minor changes should be just that, minor.

7:42pm:  By a vote of 16-3-0 the resolution has passed.  Heagney, Serroque and Ohs are the 3 dissenters.

7:43pm:  We've moved onto discussion the Local Foods Resolution from last week, which commends and encourages Sodexo's efforts to incorporate local foods into their menu.

7:45pm:  Chair Heagney has just successfully added a friendly amendment to distribute a copy of this resolution to the Kirksville Socialite in addition to President Darrell Krueger, Dean of Student Affairs Lou Ann Gilchrist, Sodexo General Manager Dennis Markeson, Environmental Campus Organization, The Index, and the Monitor.  Thanks Senator!

7:47pm:  By a vote of 18-0-1 the resolution passes.  Snaps all around.

7:48pm:  By a unanimous vote $400 will be spent on Educator of the Year Budget.

7:51pm:  Onto the final business: appointing Greg Goodwin as the new Senate Legislative Director.  He's a previous Jeff City Capitol Intern who still has connections to Capitol.

7:53pm:  Out in the hallway, one. last. time.  Thanks Greg.

7:55pm:  Snaps all around, Greg is approved.  Huzzah to the new LD!

7:56pm:  Aight homies, I'm done.  Final Senate Liveblog.

Cheers,
Casey

Wear Your Purple!

First, for all you Truman people out there, happy last day of classes!  

Next, don't forget to wear your purple on campus today as part of Purple Fridays to show some school spirit.

Cheers,
Casey

The New Socialite Bloggers

Hey, Socialites, hope you all have been having a great Monday!  It's my pleasure to announce that there will be two new voices joining the blog next semester, and I wanted to take a moment to introduce them to you.  Whitney Fay and Shannon Kelley will be taking over blogging duties for the site beginning January 4th, 2010, and I'm excited about the perspective and coverage they're going to be bringing to the site.  Later on this week you'll get the opportunity to read posts by them, but for now you'll have to make do with a few fun facts about these fantastic ladies.

Whitney Fay

Whitney is a Senior Communication major who hails from Columbia, Missouri.  A fan of pepperjack cheese, repelling, being odd and flying kites, she hopes to work in public relations, for a non-profit or teach once she graduates from Truman.  Blogs she enjoys are Jezebel.com and The Kirksville Socialite (naturally.)  She is deeply interested in time travel, regular travel, dancing to 70's music and giving excellent hugs.

Shannon Kelley

Shannon is a Junior Communication/English double major from St. Louis who can't get through the day without sarcasm, friends, and coffee. She's a lover of great conversation, analyzing everything, context clues, crayola crayons, quoting things, vegetable chopping, and crossing the line from acquaintances to friends.  Quote Shannon: "I love the tight knit atmosphere that Truman State and Kirksville have in comparison to a larger campus situated inside a major city. Not only because you are incapable of having a random drunken make out without the whole world knowing, but because of the sense of the comraderie and mutual understanding that this setting creates. I think everyone that goes to Truman has a reason. I wouldn't be here without Greek Life and the awesome group of friends I have, and I know each of you have a reason as well. I have pride in Truman and the Kirksville community, and because of it, put more simply, I care, and I'm pumped about having the opportunity to blog for KVS next semester and continue to make the Socialite readership care by spreading knowledge and awareness about what's up and creating food for thought."

A very warm welcome (Particularly in light of the winter weather.) to both Shannon and Whitney!  It's good to have them both on board.  Once again, look for their first posts later on in the week to get a teaser for what's in store for the 'Ville starting next semester.

Cheers,
Casey

Liveblogging Senate: December 6

It's Sunday night, which means it's time to check up on our Student Government.  On tonight's agenda we've got resolutions for local food usage by Sodexo, Purple Fridays and the Perimeter Access System, and we've also got discussion happening about the new BoG Student Rep. selections, the new vision document, and scholarship discussion.

5:55pm:  Senators are filtering into the room and grabbing cookies off of the table.  In addition to cookies I see barbecue chips, chips and salsa and Oreos up for grabs.  If you need dinner, and don't mind it being slightly less than nutritional, come to the Conference Room in the SUB.

5:58pm:  I believe that sitting behind me are some student athletes.  The gallery is pretty full this evening, I'm betting because of Purple Fridays and the Perimeter Access System resolutions.* 
(*This timestamp has been edited since the original post.  Any questions regarding the editing should be sent to the Socialite inbox.)

6:01pm:  With the tapping of his gavel Speaker Tom Hogan begins the meeting.  

6:04pm:  Secretary Piel is reading Student Affairs Chair Kristyn Potter's resignation letter.  Below is the full text of the letter.

To the members of Truman State University’s Student Government Association,

After much contemplation and careful deliberation I have decided to step down as Student Affairs Chairman. To some this may come as a shock, to others this may seem quite understandable. It must be noted and explicitly stated that my decision to resign is not deeply rooted in any inextricable conflict with any Senator or member of leadership. Despite the ties that lie between members of Student Senate, these associations are more counterproductive and self-destructive to the body than to my own personal well-being and success.

I imagine a large part of why I was initially appointed as Student Affairs Chair is due to the diversity of my involvement that has evolved substantially over these three years. This involvement has been my gift as well as my curse and, as such, in lieu of overextending myself as graduation approaches, my resignation is due in large part to the necessity to finish projects that I began last year in the journalism and PR field. The foundation of my being lies within the communication field and it is necessary that I indulge in this passion before I graduate and leave this institution.

I believe my role as Student Affairs Chair has been sufficient, if not, satisfactory. My committee and I worked very hard to resolve and explore issues related to sexual assault and the all-campus smoking ban, most notably. I am exceptionally proud of the evolution of characters that has occurred within my committee members and I have the utmost faith that upon reception of directed and motivated leadership they will do amazing things with the committee.

Finally, it is only appropriate that I offer suggestions on Senate for the future. Overall, Senate is doing an amazing job on a vast array of projects yet I believe the divide that exists between members of the group will lead to its demise. It’s imperative to understand, as it has taken me three years and a semester to understand, that you aren’t going to make everyone happy, that you can’t control people and/or their actions, and that you aren’t going to friends with everyone, so it is most important to be proud of the person that you are and your personal contributions to this outstanding university.

I wish you the very best in all of your endeavors, related to Senate as well as social and professional ventures. I am available for advice, networking and resources and I hope the Student Government Association can embark into the future positively and strongly with the utmost and deliberate effort of group cohesion.

Thank you for this opportunity.

Kristyn M. Potter

Student Affairs Chair

The resignation is approved without contention.

6:08pm:  Maggie Fisbeck is approved as the organizational representative for Tri Sigma.  

6:10pm:  Hillary Shoun is appointed as the Communications Director for Student Senate.

6:11pm:  Lauren Massey is appointed as the Deputy Communications Director.

6:13pm:  First up,  the Purple Fridays resolution.  Basically, it's supporting the Student Athlete Advisory Committee's efforts to increase school spirit by starting up "Purple Fridays," Fridays where as many people on campus as possible wear purple.  President JoEllen Flanagan notes that both Dean of Student Affairs Lou Ann Gilchrist and University President Darrell Krueger fully support this. 

6:19pm:  The standing rules have been suspended so that the resolution can be voted upon tonight, given that Purple Fridays are supposed to begin this Friday.  Otherwise this would just be considered a first reading.

6:21pm:  Right now we're making a few technical changes to the resolutions: punctuation, word choices, removing parts seen as unnecessary, redundant or incorrect.  

6:24pm:  Fun fact: did you know that there are about 400 student athletes on campus, in 21 sports?

6:25pm:  Reasonably certain that everyone is going to vote "Yes" on this, no real opposition is arising for any reason.

6:26pm:  The resolution passes 18-0-0.  Now we're having the first reading of the Perimeter Access System resolution.

6:27pm:  Senator Christopher Graham says that while he supports what the resolution says he thinks that by passing it Senate will be giving its approval to a system that most students he has spoken to do not approve of.

6:29pm:  The resolution is about Senate supporting modifications to the system that has been proposed, not supporting the system. Lines 28 and 29 read "Proper implementation can increase both the security and convenience for on-campus residents..." (Emphasis mine.)  Lines 58 and 59 read "The Student Government and the Residence Hall Association believes that convenience need not be sacrificed to accrue additional security."  

Modifications that Senate supports, contained within this resolution, are (Lines 64-67.):

• The use of yellow doors as card access entrances between 10:30pm and 12:00am.
• That green doors in Dobson Hall and the West Campus Suites remain unlocked until 12:00am, given the location of C-Stores.
• The manual unlocking of red doors during some period of the day.

The also are advocating for increased funds to complete the project (Line 69.), getting Student Affairs to involve students in future decisions about modifications to the PAS (Line 71.)

6:37pm:  Quote Senator Molly Stroup, who is bringing this resolution, about PAS: "This is definitely going to happen."

6:39pm:  RHA President Katherine Tynan notes that they are listed in the resolution as supporting the resolution, though they have not reached this consensus.  Apparently an email from someone in RHA sent to Senate incorrectly conveyed their support of the resolution.

6:43pm:  Senator Matthew Ohs, an SA, notes that ResLife is trying to take student concerns into account as best as they can, and that they are going to go ahead and implement the system and make changes one it has been implemented.

6:45pm:  Diversity Chair Dan Heagney notes that Senate's suggestion for ResLife to manually lock doors designated as "red doors" under the system (Those that are currently scheduled to be always locked from the outside.) would be an unnecessary duty for SA's.  There's also an issue with unlocking those doors, period, as apparently it sets off an alarm.

6:49pm:  Senator Hiroki Sato is making several points right now and I cannot hear what they are for the life of me.  I believe I'm hearing him make points about clarifying the system for students and how non-resident students entering the dorms under the influence would be the responsibility of those individuals swiping them in?

6:52pm:  The resolution is considered first read.  Moving onto the local foods resolution, which commends and encourages Sodexo's efforts to bring in local foods for student consumption. (Something they have been doing this semester.)

6:54pm:  The veggies that have been incorporated have apparently come from the University Farm.  That's nifty.

6:58pm:  A five minute recess has been moved and approved.

7:05pm:  And we're back!  Diversity Chair Heagney has made a money motion for $300 to bring the Freedom Writers and their film to campus.  Heagney is explaining that Freedom Writers were students from a troubled inner-city school whose teacher was able to help make a difference in their lives.  This money would be used to bring the former students, now adults, to campus to talk about their experiences.

7:09pm:  The money has been approved.

7:10pm:  V.P. Robinson is discussing the Board of Governor's selection report.  This report was formulated in response to what Robinson calls the "selection disaster."  That's a pretty accurate phrase for how things went this time around.

7:11pm:  We're discussing what the role of the Speaker should be during the selection process.  The Speaker's role is envisioned as being a neutral party.

7:14pm:  We're now discussing making changes to the Constitution and Standing rules pertaining to how the Student BoG Representative should be selected.

7:16pm:  Senator Charles Tomlinson suggests that a way to allow the Speaker to make a contentious opinion regarding the selection of a new BoG Student Rep. would be to allow him to not be a Speaker for that part of the meeting during which he wishes to make that opinion, removing the neutrality obstacle.

7:20pm:  The volume at which Senators are speaking seems to be steadily decreasing, and I'm really wishing that I could just go and sit in the center of the room.  Would Speaker Hogan find that to be out of order?

7:23pm:  Senator Philip Gilmor is now discussing the Student Senate Scholarships, 2 of which are given out per semester.  He notes that the distribution of the scholarship (Each of which is $500.) has not been executed satisfactorily, and that the consensus seems to be that Senate does not need to distribute these.  The recommendation is to abolish the scholarship.

7:26pm:  Senator Gilmor notes that there was a debate between whether Senate should figure out how to make the scholarships work out or just abolish them, and that a contributing factor to getting rid of the scholarships was that each scholarship was $500 of the student body's money given to one student and that that didn't seem fair.

7:30pm:  Senator Lizz Esfeld is presenting the first draft of the new Senate Vision Document, opening the floor up to discussion on the document that was emailed out to them earlier on today.

7:31pm:  Areas focused on in the Vision Document draft are University funding constraints, enrollment issues, Kirksville as a location in which to attend college, environmental sustainability and the University, academics, student affairs and improving Kirksville relations.

7:32pm:  Chair Heagney is making several strong and welcome recommendations to make this document as diversity-friendly as possible.

7:33pm:  Chair Tomlinson has just suggested that added under the Student Affairs section of the Vision Document that a provision be included for supporting on-campus pranks to lighten up campus every once in a while.  I like, who's up for dressing up the Joseph Baldwin statue tonight at midnight?  He also has questions about the section discussing Homecoming and how it could be made to be more inclusive when all organizations on campus (And all students.) are welcome to participate and attend all events.  He notes that the Greek-heaviness perception of it is due to the choice of Greek organizations to participate in it.

7:43pm:  Did you know that they're thinking of restructuring the entire library?  Potential cafe, moving the computers to all be by each other, study areas for people who want to talk with their friends while studying so that they don't interrupt people who actually want to go to the library to study...

7:45pm:  Under Student Affairs new sections that will be added are safety and food services.  These are not in the current draft of the document.

7:47pm:  Senate Faculty Advisor Dr. Scott Alberts has just commended the Vision Document Committee for their outline, which is, indeed, a very clear and straightforward outline.

7:52pm:  As we have less than 10 minutes left for the meeting we're going to focus on Executive Reports primarily.  V.P. Isaac Robinson will be heading up a Perimeter Access Task Force per the request of President Krueger. 

7:54pm:  Start thinking of educators you'd like to nominate for the Educator of the Year (Which Senate coordinates.), the nomination period will be coming up soon.

7:55pm:  Senate Party at Advisor Alberts' house this weekend!  For a sweet outfit idea, see this.

7:56pm:  Senator Hogan: "We WILL be meeting a week from today." 

7:57pm:  Diggity-done, yo.  I'm out.

Cheers,

Casey

For all you coffee addicts.

 

Like your coffee?  You might like this, then.  This Thursday, December 10th, from 5:00pm to 8:00pm, Java Co is having a 50% off all coffee drinks special.  I hear that you should also swing by Edna Campbell's for a holiday fête while you're in the area, and would like to suggest that you check out the downtown holiday window displays that the business owners have set up as part of an annual competition.

Cheers,
Casey

Liveblogging the BOG: December 5

Howdy do, boys and girls.  It's another beautiful Board of Governors meeting day here on Truman State University's campus in Kirksville, MO.  Yours truly is liveblogging the riveting discussion for your reading pleasure.

1:02pm:  Chair Cheryl Cozette begins the meeting.  In attendance are Chair Cheryl Cozette, Mike Greenwell, Vice Chair Matthew Potter, Kenneth Read, Secretary John Siscel, Mark Wasinger, Karen Haber, John Hilton, Peter Ewell (by phone), and Student Rep. to the BoG Cody Sumter.

Potter, Siscel, and Read, have been elected to serve in the roles of Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary, respectively, for the upcoming year.

1:05pm:  Andrew McCall has been presented with a Resolution of Commendation.  He recently received a Rhodes Scholarship, and is the first Truman student to have been awarded one.  Only 32 were selected from an applicant pool of 805.  Dr. Patricia Burton, a Professor of Philosophy, has also been presented with a Resolution of Commendation.  She was also a mentor to McCall.

The final lines of both resolutions reads: "Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to him as a tangible expression of appreciation and felicitation."  Felicitation.  What a great word, that's got to be worth at least triple points in Scrabble.

1:12pm:  President Krueger is issuing his report, calls the awards given out a "milestone for the University" and says that he is quite proud of both McCall and Burton.  It's his one-year anniversary of Board meetings (Congratulations...I think?) and he's quite impressed with the achievement of the faculty in this time.  He wants to thank the Board for their support for Governor Nixon's proposal to limit funding cuts in exchange for keeping tuition stagnant, and delivers an awesome line about "Nixon supporting your support."  

Discussing the budget issue, Krueger says that Truman has been looking at 30 "lines of business" within the University, identifying ways to lower the cost of each line.  He says it looks like we need about $1.4 million in revenue.  It appears that the gap between tuition and the increased institutional aid is decreasing rather than widening, as was previously discussed in the last Board meeting.  Assigned to monitor this gap is Regina Morin, the Associate Vice-President for Academic Enrollment, and Krueger jokes that her new title is "Czar of Institutional Aid."  Sweet deal.  It's also noted that applications for Fall 2010 enrollment in Truman have increased by 8%.  

1:21pm:  Dr. Candy Young, a Political Science (Represent!) professor and Dr. Maria Di Stefano, the Dean of Graduate Studies, are speaking about two upcoming graduate programs Truman will offer.

Dr. Young is speaking on the Masters in Leadership program.  It's going to "piggyback" on a lot of the other graduate programs that currently exist by incorporating a wide array of courses from the Social Sciences.  Ideal outcomes are that it will help make teachers more capable of teaching and provide students a good basis on which to enter the non-profit sector.  Timeline wise, they are looking for this to be available for next fall.  There is an internship component to this program as well.

Dr. Di Stefano is discussing the Professional Science Masters Degree.  This will incorporate advanced science courses which will aim to serve the needs of the science industry, like matching the development of technology.  The current program that has been developed, as an example, is one that would deal with bioinformatics.  There is an internship component for this degree as well.

(A note: Truman's Masters in Counseling is starting this fall.)

1:30pm:  T. Pain--or, as all the boring people refer to him as, Provost/VPAA Dr. Troy Paino--is in da house!  Accompanying him is Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Jeffry Vittengl, and both are issuing the Academic Report, specifically the 2009 Student Interview Project on Quality of Life.

1:37pm:  There's a difference between the Arts and Sciences report and the Student Interview Project pertaining to the quality of life of students at Truman.  Dr. Vittengl attributes to the difference in sample pools: the Arts in Sciences report interviewed prospective students and this report interviewed current students; this observation leads Governor Potter to mention that there is likely only a problem with how quality of life is perceived, rather than the quality of life.

1:41pm:  Czar Morin--who, for the record, is awesome--is giving an awesome and incredibly thorough report on enrollment differences between Truman and other Missouri schools.  We've got the highest graduation rate, higher retention rates, and the highest ACT scores in the state. (Booyah.) She singles out transfer students and graduate students as the most promising sources for enrollment growth, particularly graduate students.

1:50pm:  Dave Rector, the Vice President for Administration, Finance and Planning, is speaking on the topic of financial awards.  Most students coming to Truman, he says, are high quality who are also expecting a high rate of assistance.

1:52pm:  While we've raised tuition during the past decade, Rector says, we've also directed that increase into an increased amount of student aid.

1:53pm:  Today's word of the day is "pipeline."  A noun connoting a system in which a decision might be processed, it can be used in a myriad of ways: "These masters programs are going to be put into the pipeline...", "Once students enter the pipeline, their quality of life...", "The money enters into the pipeline..."

1:55pm:  Rector says we really need to be at about 6,200 students in order to cover cost and need projections.  He also says that the University needs to be talking about "refining" our scholarship system, and that we also need to do a better job of monitoring the institutional aid system as it's awarded from a number of different areas (Athletics, assorted academic departments, etc).

1:56pm:  Rector''s making an interesting analogy: Truman's Res Halls are financially similar to hotels.  Quick poll: standard hotel chain continental breakfast v. Sodexo breakfast?

2:01pm:  Morin notes that students are providing over 200,000 hours of service to the University each year as part of their scholarship renewal criteria.  We might be working at shifting merit-based scholarships to need-based scholarships in an effort to increase underrepresented students on campus, and we also are looking at transferring foundation scholarships to need-based and merit-based scholarships as well.

2:04pm:  Interesting: Morin says that Truman's status as a highly selective liberal arts university is it's only statewide distinction, so it's a high priority to maintain our high selective-ness.  

2:08pm:  Governor Potter expresses concerns about how other universities with whom we compete most heavily have increased their enrollment while our enrollment has actually decreased.  This is in relation to Morin's note that we must maintain our highly selective distinction.  Quote Governor Potter: "We've got to do whatever's necessary to get these numbers up."  (I mean, if we lowered accepted ACT scores to the 17-23 threshold we'd definitely get our numbers.  Let's do it, that should be a fun experiment.)

2:11pm:  Governor Wasinger notes that it's likely that other universities with whom we're competing closely are increasing their institutional aid, which is making our attracting more students more difficult.  Morin notes that, while she can't say so definitely without seeing the data, she concurs that this is happening.  Governor Potter notes that these other universities are "dispensing aid like candy in an effort to get a higher headcount."

2:15pm:  The activities of the Board's Presidential Evaluation Committee, which is reviewing the Presidential Review process, is being discussed by Chair Ewell via phone at the moment.  The first component is a set of University performance indicators (Admissions, enrollment, financial trends, etc.).  Some changes have been made in terms of what the indicators are and how they are presented to evaluators.  The second component is a self-evaluation completed by the President.  The third component is stakeholder input.  Stakeholders include members of the faculty, staff, students, Governor's staff, legislators and others.  

2:25pm: Mmm, housing charge discussion time.  Charges have increased, though not as much as last year, and there was discussion during a morning meeting about getting as much out of room and board as they can while keeping the rates competitive.  Rates in general will be increasing about 3.3% (About $107 per semester.).

2:27pm:  Governor Potter is discussing proposed funding for a cage and bottle washer for the animals in Magruder hall and the Microbiology and Cell Biology classes.  The Board is also considering purchasing a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotomer; Potter notes that they didn't particularly understand what it did but they understood there was a need for it.  A total of $130,000 is approved for both.

2:30pm:  Construction projects are moving along swimmingly, says Governor Wasinger.

2:34pm:  For any of you cool cats staying in tonight, page 54 of the Board Agenda begins the most recent university financial report.  Hot stuff.

2:36pm:  An amendment to the Fiscal Code of Policies has been approved, to streamline the process.

2:38pm:  Open meeting discussion items have been exhausted, as have my fingers.  I'm out. 

Cheers,
Casey