Home Page
INDEX
Full Calendar
Weekly Calendar

By Connie Farrow

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. (AP) A group of college students took over a weekly southwest Missouri newspaper when its publisher was called to military duty and its chief staffer fell ill. The Jasper County Citizen in Carl Junction was left short-handed when owner and publisher Michael Myers was told to report to his unit of the Kansas Army National Guard in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Things got worse when Tracie Skaggs, who serves as reporter, assistant editor and advertising sales representative, learned that she needed abdominal surgery."

We couldn't go without a paper," Skaggs said. "I was in a panic, and I didn't know what to do." The paper had only begun publishing in June, and Skaggs didn't want to lose any of its 800 readers. Myers, who had been overseeing layout of the newspaper, had hired someone to cover his duties before he left in December. But Skaggs was solely responsible for content. Skaggs went to Chad Stebbins' community journalism class at Missouri Southern State College in nearby Joplin in hopes of hiring a couple of students to cover for her while she was off. Stebbins did her one better. He volunteered his 14 students as interns.

With guidance from Stebbins, students took over the weekly paper Jan. 24. They wrote all the stories and took all the photographs for the next six weeks, until Skaggs returned. "It's been a fabulous experience. Some of the students write for the college's newspaper," Stebbins said. "Writing for the Jasper County Citizen is a real world experience." Students did everything from covering the board of aldermen and school board to police and fire. They got a taste of covering "breaking news" with the sale of the golf course and country club to a Joplin businessman. Some students are still working to complete their required 20 hours of service.

Skaggs said there's no question Carl Junction, population 5,500, wouldn't have had a paper every Thursday without the students' help. "I'm out trying to sell more advertising now," she said. "I would like to be able to keep a couple of them on part-time."

The story of the students' work on the Jasper County Citizen is expected to be included in a future edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education and, possibly, other publications.

Piano Competition opens with British pianist

Martin Jones, one of Great Britain's most highly regarded pianists, will present the opening concert of the 2002 Missouri Southern International Piano Competition (MSIPC) at 8 p.m., Tuesday, April 23 in Taylor Performing Arts Center. He will perform works of Brahms, Albeniz, Rachmaninov, and Gershwin. Tickets are $10 general admission and $5 for senior citizens and are available at Ernie Williamson Music House, 611 Main, the Billingsly Student Center ticket office and at the door. Students with I.D. are admitted free of charge. Martin Jones has performed as soloist with many of the leading British orchestras, as well as in the U.S., Australia and Russia. He has served on the jury of numerous international piano competitions including the Missouri Southern International Piano Competition in 2000. Jones has recorded extensively for Nimbus Records. He has recently completed recordings of several Spanish piano masters, which won him an "Indi" awarded from the Association for Independent Music in the U.S. The piano competition runs April 23-27 with day and evening competition rounds culminating in a Gala Winners Concert at 8 p.m. Saturday. For ticket information call ext. 9755

Jewish Film Festival next week

The United Hebrew Congregation of Joplin is pleased to present the First Joplin Jewish Film Festival, at 7 p.m. nightly Monday, April 8 through, Thursday, April 11 at Matthews Hall Auditorium. William Tannenbaum, Social Science, says the four films to be screened are intended to reflect the diversity of Jewish communities and experience in the twentieth century. Admission is free. Films include the following

• April 8: The Holocaust, 7 p.m., Matthews Auditorium Escape to the Rising Sun Belgium, 1990, 95 minutes, color English narration and subtitles). Director: Diane Perelsztejn. In 1939, Jews lucky enough to escape the Nazis' reach in Europe had only one place in the world to go that didn't require an entry visa: Shanghai. Escape to the Rising Sun tells the little-known and ironic story of nearly 5,000 Jews who reached Shanghai through the USSR with the help of the Japanese Consul in Lithuania and the Kobe (Japan) Jewish Committee. This documentary features rare footage of the former ghetto of Hongkew, archival material, as well as first-hand accounts from eyewitnesses. Nearly seventy survivors of this amazing escape were interviewed, and fifteen of them were chosen to reveal their story. Escape to the Rising Sun will be followed by a brief service of readings in commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
• April 9: Israeli/Sephardic, 7 p.m., Matthews Auditorium The House on Chelouche Street (Israel 1973 115 minutes Hebrew with English subtitles.) Director: Moshe Mizrahi. Academy Award Nominee, Best Foreign Film This award-winning feature from one of Israel's leading filmmakers presents a vivid picture of family and community during a period of political oppression and national struggle for independence. The film focuses on Sami, a teenager from a newly-arrived and poor Sephardic family growing up in the slums during the turbulent last days of the British Mandate in Palestine, from the summer of 1946 to the War of Independence in 1948.
• April 10: Yiddish, 7 p.m., Matthews Auditorium Green Fields (Grine Felder) (USA 1937 95 minutes Yiddish with NEW English subtitles.) Directors: Edgar Ulmer and Jacob Ben-Ami With a cast from the Artef and Yiddish Art Theaters, Peretz Hirschbein's semiautobiographical play and music by Vladimir Heifetz, Edgar Ulmer created a hit to rival Joe Green's Yiddle. When an orphaned Lithuanian scholar leaves the yeshiva to find "true Jews," he learns some unexpected lessons from the Jewish peasants who take him in as a boarder and tutor for their children.
• April 11: American, 7:00 p.m., Matthews Auditorium The Chosen (USA, 1982, 108 minutes Director: Jeremy Paul Kagan.) Adapted from Chaim Potok's best-selling novel, this film examines the differences among Orthodox Jews and conflicts between fathers and sons. Set in Brooklyn in the 1940's, the story focuses on two sons (Robbie Benson and Barry Miller) and two fathers (Maximilian Schell and Rod Steiger): Danny, the brilliant scion of a Hasidic dynasty in training to succeed his formidable father as Grand Rabbi; and Reuven, the son of a worldly progressive scholar. The boys develop a strong friendship and find themselves influenced by the other's father. When the fathers enter into a bitter, passionate conflict over the issue of Zionism, their devoted and dutiful sons must part ways-until one makes the painful choice to oppose his father and claim his own destiny.

Dental sealant program today on campus

The Dental Hygiene Department is conducting the Joplin R-VIII Sealant Screening Program and Health Fair today on the Southern campus. Approximately six hundred second graders from thirteen area grade schools are taking part. This program is a cooperative effort between the Joplin Health Department, Joplin R-VII school system, Southwest Missouri Dental Society and Missouri Southern. Kay Carlton, Dental Hygiene, says the second year dental hygiene students, the senior nursing students, respiratory therapy students and emergency medical technology will be conducting these nine-minute sessions. All children will be screened for dental disease and the need for sealants. The children that qualify for the federal lunch program that need sealants will return on April 25, 2002 for sealant application in our dental hygiene clinic. The Missouri Department of Health, Bureau of Dental Health funds the sealant program. The senior dental hygiene students will be providing this service. "We want to thank local dentists for taking part," Carlton says.

Southern Theatre's "Magic Riddle" April 20-21

Area children can enjoy a magic quest when Southern Theatre presents The Magic Riddle at 2:30 p.m., April 20-21 in Taylor Performing Arts Center. Directed by Stephanie Belt, Theatre, this uplifting human story is set amid the realities of the 1980s. In the play, written by Jeffry Herman, a social outcast goes on a magical quest in a subterranean world to discover her true powers. She returns with a wealth of knowledge of her own abilities that will help her as she goes on her journey through life. The play is one of the most popular original productions in recent years written specifically for children. Performances will be held on both days at Taylor Performing Arts Center. Admission is $1 for adults and $.50 for children 12 years of age and under. For reservations, contact (417) 625-3190 weekdays between 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Anyone with a disability requiring accommodation should inform the MSSC Box Office at least 72 hours in advance.

Suzuki Violin students to perform

Economic development efforts will be the focus of the quarterly "Chamber Chat" program airing on KGCS-TV, beginning in April. The program features Rob O'Brien and Steve Russell from the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce The first airing will be at 1 p.m., Sunday, April 7. It will air on the second and fourth Mondays at 6 p.m. throughout April, May, and June. Chamber Chat is produced at KGCS-TV, in cooperation with the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce. KGCS-TV programming may be seen on UHF channel 57 and cable channel 7 in Joplin and Webb City. The station operates as a service of the Department of Communications.

Lifetime Sports Academy coming this Spring

This year's edition of the annual Lifetime Sports Academy is scheduled for 12:30-5 p.m., June 10-13 . All children ages 7-12 are welcome to attend. The goal of the academy is to teach the skills and promote the appreciation of lifetime activities. The activities (bowling, golf, racquet sports, frisbee, swimming, etc.) can be played for fun, health, and fitness throughout life. The fee is $65.00 per child, however, children of faculty/staff will receive a $10.00 discount. (Please note this on your registration form). For further information and/or registration forms, please contact the Kinesiology Department at ext. 9316.

Alumni to exhibit paintings in Spiva Gallery

Two Missouri Southern alumni will exhibit paintings in the Spiva Art Gallery of MSSC through March 8. Perry Fleming will exhibit oil paintings which he describes as "more objects than paintings." He received a BSE degree in Art Education from Missouri Southern and manages the Keyes Art Gallery in Springfield. Daniel Scott will exhibit encaustic paintings. The encaustic process is an ancient paint medium involving wax as a vehicle and binder. He received a BSE degree in Art Education from Missouri Southern in 1997 and a M.Ed. degree in Art Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia last year. He currently is a candidate for an MFA degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Regular gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. There is no admission fee. For further information, contact, V.A. Christensen, Art, at ext. 9631.

FACULTY/STAFF NOTES

Heartland-PTAC (Procurement Technical Assistance Center) in the School of Business has just returned from the National Association of Government Marketing Assistance Specialist (AGMAS) convention in Newport Beach, CA. Attending this year's convention were Bernie Franks, Dennis Fitzgerald, and Terri Bennett, Business. Terri was certified with the highest level of contracting certification. As a Certified Contracting Assistance Specialist, (CCAS) Terri Bennett is the Program Manager of Heartland- PTAC assisting small business doing business in federal, state, and local government procurement. Heartland-PTAC helps small businesses with bid opportunities, procurement counseling, and government registrations.

Richard Miller, Social Science, participated in a Round Table on Alpha Kappa Delta International Sociology Honor Society at the Southwestern Social Science Association meetings in New Orleans, March 27-30.

Richard Miller and Sitawa Kimuna, Social Science, accompanied the following students to the Southwestern Social Science Association Meetings: Kelly Samuel, Tammy Priest, Shannon Moller, Natalie Weeks, Travis Dupree, Amanda Taylor, Richard Clay, Jennifer Daniel, Pat Vann, and Amy Rains. Pat Vann presented a paper at the conference.

Art Saltzman, English, has had an essay accepted by Oklahoma Review. "Don't Breathe a Word" will appear in the Spring 2002 issue.

N. Ree Wells, Social Science, organized and presided over two "Sociology of Health and Illness" sessions at the 82nd Annual Meetings of the Southwestern Social Science Association, held in New Orleans, La., March 27-30. The theme of the meetings was "Moving Forward: The Challenges of Diversity." She also co-authored, with Dawood H. Sultan, "Examining the Determinants of Parental Decision to Delay Medical Treatment of Diarrhea Among Children in East Africa," presented at the meetings.

CLASSIFIED

For Sale: Two Yahama Waverunners, one 93 three seater, one 94 two seater, plus new trailer, $4,000. Call ext. 9770

For Sale: 16 x 75 custom mobile home for rent on 7 acres close to town, all appliances, garage, central heat/air, decks, landscaped. If interested, call 623-0025 or ext. 9563

For Sale: Rosedale Community Association membership, $125. Call ext 9791, or 782-5102.

For Sale: Antique white dining room table with 6 chairs. $180. Call ext. 9849.

For Sale 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis. Call 9552.

For Sale: 1981 R100RS BMW motorcycle. $4,400. Call 621-9362.

For Sale: Two-person Walrus Two-Star 3-season backpacking tent with flysheet and Easton aluminum poles. Always pitched in past with full ground cloth. Paid $230, asking $100. Also have Lowe Alpine Systems Contour III internal frame backpack Paid $199, asking $80. Contact: ext. 3010 or ext. 3184.

For Sale: Nordic Track Classic "Walkfit". When new, $800, asking $450 or best offer. Have digital pictures. Please call ext. 9890.

For Sale: 1994 Chevrolet Cavalier. Good condition. Contact (417) 358-9769 or 540-2756.