Current Issue: Volume 16 - Number 19 - Feb.8, 2002
Eighty work on production for Pajama Game
In a year of reduced budgets, students and faculty are learning that "the show must go on." For that reason, student assistants and student volunteers will be spending the next two weeks (including weekends) building the sets for the musical comedy,Pajama Game, scheduled to run Feb. 20-23 in Taylor Performing Arts Center at Missouri Southern. In past seasons, either professional regional theatre sets or even New York production sets have been rented for such shows as Guys and Dolls and Carousel. Alex Pinkston, Theatre, director of the show, says approximately 80 people will work on production elements for the musical comedy. The show includes thirty-three cast members involved in rehearsals six days a week for ten weeks. Six major sets, including huge painted backdrops, and at least two, 24 to 28 foot-long sets on large rolling wagons, must be built."Our goal is to create a series of set pieces to allow for a fast-paced, funny and exuberant evening of musical theatre, Alex says.
Today's Brown BagThe Brown Bag for today, Friday, Feb. 8, will feature Annetta St Clair, Social Sciences. Annetta's topic will be New Tricks for Course Delivery. She will talk about how she embraced the tools of technology for course delivery in a very short amount of time. The lunch will be held in Room 125, Anderson Justice Center. A bus will leave from the BSC circle drive at noon and return at 12:45 p.m. A pizza lunch will be provided at no charge to faculty/staff. Brown Bag Lunches are sponsored by Academic Affairs and Ameri-Serve.
Debaters compete at PKD championships
The Speech and Debate Squad recently competed in the 2002 Pi Kappa Delta (PKD) National Championships in St. Louis, Mo. A total of 17 states and 38 schools were represented at the tournament. The results marked a significant achievement at one of the two national tournaments Missouri Southern plans to attend. At PKD, in varsity Lincoln-Douglas debate, the following students reached elimination rounds: Stephanie Bullard, sophomore, Springfield; Jeremy Hollingshead, sophomore, Webb City; Wes Carillo, sophomore, Parsons, Kan.; and Kevin Reed, freshman from Nevada. All four advanced to the semi-final round where MSSC closed out the tournament. Reed was the national champion. In individual speaker awards, Carillo was top speaker, Reed ranked third and Bullard fourth. In the junior division, Aurora sophomore, Ben Thomas, qualified for elimination rounds. He lost in semi-finals. Jason Edgar, sophomore from Joplin, finished fourth and Tyler Coble, freshman from Webb City, was fifth speaker.
Foreign Film Series announces schedule
The Contemporary Foreign Film series will present the latest in video releases of exceptional foreign films on select Friday nights again this semester. The semester will open with the 1999 Indian film Earth, directed by Deepa Mehta. The film is set during the division of British India into India and Pakistan and explores the impact of the partition on one upper-class Indian family. The film will be shown at 7 p.m. in Room 105, Webster Auditorium. A brief discussion will follow. Nick Kyle, Art, says other films this semester include: Celebration (Denmark), Feb. 22; The Vertical Ray of the Sun (Vietnam/France, 2000), March 8; Divided We Fall (Czech Republic, 2000), March 22; The Circle (Iran, 2000), April 12: and With a Friend Like Harry (France, 2000), April 26. An additional film, TBA, will be shown May 10.
Seattle Café meeting site for new group On Valentine’s Day, a support group for faculty, staff, and students who have family members or loved ones involved in the war on terrorism will begin regular meetings at Southern. The group will meet every other week at 3 p.m., Thursday afternoons in the lounge area near the Seattle Café on the bottom floor of the Spiva Library. Hour-long meetings will be held through late May of this year. If you would like to be matched up with a “buddy” or obtain more information, e-mail Dalenette Voigt-Catlin at voigt-catlin-d@mssu.edu .Thinking about financial aid?
Cheryl Dobson, Financial Aid, says students interested in applying for summer financial should stop by the Financial Aid Office as of March 1. She says Pell Grants are not available for the summer semester and it does not appear SEOG or Perkins loan funds will be available for summer applicants. Students must enroll in at least three credit hours to apply for aid. (Intersession classes do not qualify for aid). She says those wanting financial aid for the 2002-2003 academic year should apply as soon as 2001 tax returns are completed. The "Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)" should be applied for on line at www.fafsa.ed.gov. To be considered for Missouri state aid, the FAFSA must be received by the Department of Education no later than April 1. To hold fees, results must be received here no later than July 1.
Evening with Langston Hughes to air
KGCS-TV will air a tape of the Evening with Langston Hughes presentation made at Southern, Saturday, Feb. 2. In the presentation, MSSC English faculty member, Michael Rodgers, reads and recites Hughes poetry and stories. The program will air at 8 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 17 on KGCS-TV. KGCS can be seen on UHF channel 57 and Joplin/Webb City cable channel 7.
Books go to schools, students recognized
The Langston Hughes Centennial Committee has honored children who participated in a poetry contest for young students in the Joplin School System. Doris Walters, English, says students were asked to write original poems based on the study of Langston Hughes. Four members of the English Honor Society at Missouri Southern, Hollie Doubledee, David Mink, Tammy Cady, and Susan Courtney, judged the works. In addition to sponsoring the contest, the Hughes Committee has spent $3,700 to provide works written by Hughes to local schools. Thirty copies each of Selected Poems and Simple's Uncle Sam were given to Joplin High School. All three middle schools received 30 copies of Hughes' work of poetry, The Dream Keeper and The Book of Rhythms. Every elementary classroom now has a copy of The Dream Keeper. Both Kindergarten and first grade classes in the Joplin R-VIII school system also have The Sweet and Sour Animal Book, written by Langston Hughes.Winners were as follows:
MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION
- First Place: Heather Striegel, South Middle School
- Second Place: Emily Gibson, North Middle School
- Third Place: Melissa Hoffmeister, North Middle School
ELEMENTARY DIVISION
- First Place: Priscilla Taylor, Stapleton
- Second Place: Royce Rickman, Emerson
- Third Place: Evan Ash, Stapleton
- Honorable Mention: Chelsea Wald, Cecil Floyd Elementary
- Honorable Mention: Hannah Ingle, Colombia Elementary
ESSAY CONTEST HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION
- "A Seat of Equality at the American Table"- Logan Skelly, Joplin High School
MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION
- "Keeping a Dream Alive" -Nathan Skelly, Memorial Middle School
FACULTY/STAFF NOTES
The Management Development Institute is offering computer software workshops at a 30% discount to MSSC employees. Karen Bradshaw, MDI says the discounted price is $52 per person. A list of the computer workshops and additional spring 2002 workshop offering was e-mailed to all employees earlier this week.. To register to attend a workshop, please call ext. 3128.Pat Hurley, Career Services, reminds faculty and staff that the Spring Job Expo from 10:00 a.m.to 2:00 p.m. in BSC -3rd Floor, Wednesday, Feb. 13. She say a list of companies/organizations participating is online at www.mssu.edu/career
Bill Kumbier, English, presented a paper entitled "The First, Real 'New York' Musical: Diversity and Difference in Street Scene" at Missouri Southern's Langston Hughes Centennial Conference, February 1.
Wendy McGrane, Library, attended the Missouri State Library - sponsored workshop, "Media Relations for Missouri Librarians." The workshop focused on effective message development and delivery when interacting with the media and the community.
Senior Assessment Day will be held Feb.20 with a session for evening students on Feb. 28, according to Jennifer Weeks, Institutional Research & Assessment. Students need to take the Assessment Test in order to graduate.
CLASSIFIED
For Sale:2 Yamaha Wave Runners, one 1993 three-seater, one 1994 two-seater plus new trailer, very few hours on both. $4,000. For information, call ext. 9770.
