Day of Service, Remembrance

Flags are at half staff today in recognition of the 9/11 tragedy. Ken Kennedy, Director of Public Safety, says the day has been designated as "September 11: National Day of Service and Remembrance."

Bells tolled this morning in New York City in honor of over 3,000 people who died at the Pentagon, Shanksville, Penn. and New York City.

A special website has been established at http://911dayofservice.org/ to let you tell what acts of service you are doing and to learn what others are experiencing on this day.

Southern Theatre to present Emily Carr

Lara Hicks (standing) and Chelsea Prettyman rehearse a scene from Herman Voaden's Emily Carr.

Southern Theatre will present the play Emily Carr at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday, Sept. 15 - 19, 2009 in the Bud Walton Theatre on the campus of Missouri Southern State University.

Admission is free to students, faculty and staff of Missouri Southern. Admission is $3 per person for other adults and $1 for senior citizens and high school students.

Emily Carr, written by Herman Voaden, is directed by James Lile, Theatre. This is a United States premiere that coincides with Missouri Southern's "Canada Semester."

Herman Voaden was a playwright who dedicated his career to the quest for a dramatic voice that was distinctly Canadian. He was also deeply passionate about the power of theatre.

He wrote, "In a world fraught with dissatisfaction and haunted with a sense of spiritual inadequacy the theatre remains a repository for great hope, vision and belief." In famed Canadian author and painter Emily Carr, Voaden found a subject as passionate about art as he was.

The play allows us to share her journey through the trials and triumphs, the sacrifices and successes, of a life lived in the service of art.

A cast list is available online by visiting www.mssu.edu/news/2009/canadasemester_emilycarrplay.html.

Wagner to explore theatre in Canada

Anton Wagner, noted Canadian cultural historian and editor, will deliver two lectures on Monday, Sept. 14.

• “Herman Voaden, Canadian Playwright” will be presented at 10 a.m., Monday, Sept. 14 in Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall.

This presentation examines the career of the pioneering Canadian playwright and director Herman Voaden. Inspired by painters such as Emily Carr and the Group of Seven, Voaden sought to dramatize the Canadian landscape on stage and to create a Canadian culture that would reflect the vision and beauty of a new people in a new land. He was also instrumental in the Canada-wide organizing and lobbying by artists to secure government support for arts and culture so that Canada would not be overwhelmed by American free-market cultural industries.

• Wagner will present “Trends in Contemporary Canadian Theatre and Drama” at 1 p.m., the same day in Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall.

This visual presentation focuses on Canadian theatre and drama in the new millennium. Federal, provincial and civic government support for the arts has enabled companies and individual artists to become less dependent on box-office receipts and to take greater risks in programming and individual and collective self-expression.

The presentation will provide an overview of how theatre is presented to Canadian audiences from super-size companies to the new smaller and experimental theatres. The work of a few international superstars as well as new voices emerging from feminist, First Nations, Afro-Canadian, gay and lesbian, Asian and other multi-cultural and intercultural theatre groups and playwrights will be featured.

Anton Wagner is a Canadian cultural historian and former adjunct professor in the York University Faculty of Fine Arts in Toronto. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto with the thesis Herman Voaden’s Symphonic Expressionism. Dr. Wagner has edited play anthologies, bibliographies and collections of essays such as Contemporary Canadian Theatre: New World Visions and Establishing Our Boundaries: English-Canadian Theatre Criticism. For this presentation he draws on his play anthology, A Vision of Canada: Herman Voaden’s Dramatic Works.

Lawn Party planned

The 2nd Annual Lawn Party: Acoustic Jam Session is slated for 8:30 p.m. - midnight , Wednesday, Sept. 16 on the Oval. The event is part of Wellapalooza (formerly known as Natural High Week).

Come listen to students and fellow faculty/staff perform their acoustical talents while you sip on coffee or hot cocoa!

Last year we enjoyed the talents of Joy Dworkin, English, and Stephen Smith, News Bureau, along with several students.

If you are interested in showing off your talent this year, contact Natalie Bruce, ACTS, at 625-9529.

Eight faculty members to speak today

In the year 2000, a small group of scholars, civic and political leaders, and artists from a dozen nations met to design a program that might help raise consciousness around the realities and possibilities of interdependence. According to the group, both liberty and security require cooperation among peoples and nations and can no longer be secured by sovereign nations working unilaterally.

In keeping with the spirit of Interdependence Day, now celebrated worldwide on Sept. 12, eight MSSU faculty members will share insights into what Canada has in common with the United States and how it is also uniquely different today, Friday, Sept. 11, in Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall.

Moderator: Dorothy Bay, Biology

9:05 a.m.: “Minding P’s and Q’s ─ U.S. and Canadian Ideas About Government,” by Ann Wyman, Political Science.

9:20 a.m.: “The Mouse That Roars: Canada and U.S. Economic Relations” by Chris Moos, International Business.

 9:35 a.m.: “The Rowdy Upstairs Neighbors: The Canadian Geographic Mosaic” by Steve Smith, Geography.

10:05 a.m.: “Benign Opposites: The Juxtaposition of Canadian-American Demographics” by Conrad Gubera, Sociology.

10:25 a.m.: “Hot It’s Not But It Rocks a Lot” by John Knapp, Geophysics.

11:05 a.m.: “The Megafauna of the United States and Canada, Past and Present” by Kip Heth, Biology.

11:20 a.m.: “From Maple Leaves to Monkey Flowers ─ the Flora of Canada” by Dorothy Bay, Biology.

11:35 a.m.: “Bringing Home the Bacon: Michael Moore’s Take on Americans’ Take on Canada” by William Kumbier, English (incuding items to watch for in MSSU's showing of the film Canadian Bacon).

Canadian Bacon slated for showing on campus

The Canadian Film Festival will present Canadian Bacon (1995; 95 minutes) at 9 p.m., Monday, Sept. 14 in the courtyard at Student Residence Halls.

The film is free and open to the public.

When an American president (played by Alan Alda) decides to boost his approval ratings by waging a war with Canada, patriotic citizens respond enthusiastically by boycotting all things Canadian, including maple syrup and ice skates.

Then, a special strike force, led by Sheriff Boomer (portrayed by John Candy) and his deputy, Honey (Rhea Perlman of the television show Cheers), undertake to invade Canada, with hilarious international consequences.

The film, directed by Michael Moore who later produced Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11, pokes fun at a wide range of American stereotypes of Canada and Canadians, while also revealing true differences between the two countries.

Suicide Prevention Week launches program

National Suicide Prevention Week is September 6-12. This year, with funding from the Missouri Foundation for Health, institutions across the state have launched, Ask Listen Refer, a statewide online suicide prevention training program.

AskListenRefer.org is designed to help faculty, staff, and students prevent suicide by teaching them to identify people at risk for suicide, recognize the risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs of suicide, and respond to and get help for people at risk.

Currently, seventeen campuses have launched sites or have sites in development. These campuses include:

· Harris-Stowe State University · University of Central Missouri · Lincoln University · Missouri Southern State University · Missouri State University · Missouri Western State University

· Northwest Missouri State University · Southeast Missouri State University · Truman State University · University of Missouri · University of Missouri-Kansas City · Missouri University of Science and Technology

· University of Missouri-St. Louis · St. Louis University · Rockhurst University · Columbia College · Stephens College

Interested campuses can visit www.AskListenRefer.org ( http://www.asklistenrefer.org/ ) and use the tool provided for viewing a demo site. The site was created by the Partners in Prevention program at the University of Missouri Wellness Resource Center in partnership with the University of Central Missouri. Partners in Prevention hopes to expand the program to all campuses in the state of Missouri. The program is free to any campus in the state.

For more information about the Ask Listen Refer program, contact Kelly Wilson, ACTS, at (417) 625-9363.

Carl Junction Bluegrass

The Carl Junction Bluegrass and Crafts Festival is Saturday, Sept. 26 at the Center Creek Park. Robin Douglas, Lifelong Learning, says Bluegrass bands will play from 9:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. There will be crafts, a car show, food concessions, a chili cookoff, and children's activities.

The CJ Bluegrass Festival is looking for participants for the annual chili cook-off. For information, call Pat Smith at 623-7541.

Bring your blanket or chair, enjoy perfect weather and great relaxing music and yummy festival foods. This is a free festival, bring your kids, parents and grandparents to CJ Center Creek Park! For more information visit http://carljunction.org/bluegrass.htm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health Care Roundtable

The Department of Finance/Economics and International Business at Missouri Southern is hosting the second public economic roundtable entitled “Health Care Reform: What’s In It for Me?”.

The roundtable will consist of economists, legislators and local leaders in the insurance and health care industry discussing the current Health Care proposal and how it might impact both individuals and the local area. The roundtable will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 28 in Cornell Auditorium, located in the Plaster Free Enterprise Center at Missouri Southern.  The roundtable is free and open to the public.  Please contact Nii Adote Abrahams, SOBA, at 625-9536 with any questions.

Panelists include:
Scott Brothers – President, The Insurancenter, Joplin
Gary Duncan – President and CEO, Freeman Health System, Joplin
Dr. Jeffery Milyo – Health Economist, University of Missouri, Columbia
Rep. Kevin Wilson, Chair, Special Standing Committee on Health Insurance, Mo. House of Representatives

Retirement Seminar

Whatever your age or years of service at Missouri Southern, we all need to plan for RETIREMENT! Be prepared for what’s ahead by planning to attend a special event sponsored by the Human Resources Office.

Reservations are required. Please call Judy Wilmoth, Human Resources, at ext. 3167 prior to Sept 28 to register.

A Mosers Retirement Planning Seminar is slated for 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14 and 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15 in Room 413 of the Spiva Library.

State employees hired prior to July 1, 2000, have the choice of retiring under the Missouri State Employees’ Plan (MSEP) or the Missouri State Employees’ Plan 2000 (MSEP 2000). State employees hired July 1, 2000 and after are eligible for the MSEP 2000 plan. The BackDROP Retirement Option will also be discussed.

Come to one of the sessions and learn the information you will need to compare the major provisions of the two retirement plans.

The following topics will be covered in the morning and in the afternoon session: MSEP & MSEP 2000 Benefit Overview and Comparison and Review of BackDROP Program (1 1/2 hrs) Social Security and Medicare (approx. 45 min). If you cannot attend a full morning or afternoon session, please feel free to come and go as your schedule permits.

Lunch and Learn sessions on healthcare

Human Resources and Freeman Health System have teamed up to provide employees important information about how to better control healthcare costs. Through a series of presentations by Freeman Health System representatives, MSSU employees will have an opportunity to learn how to get the most out of each doctor and pharmacy visit.

Kris Drake, Freeman Health System Wellness Coordinator, will be on campus to provide information on managing healthcare and living well. Subjects covered will include the definition of self-care, how to get the most from doctor’s visits, and developing treatment plans. These hour long “Lunch 'n Learn” meetings are scheduled at various times to accommodate differing lunch schedules. Bring your lunch and enjoy an informative and worthwhile investment of your time to learn important tips in managing your health expenses.

Lunch meetings are currently scheduled for the following:

Sept. 14: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Webster Hall, Room 105
Sept. 16: 12 noon to 1 p.m.in Webster Hall, Room 105
Sept, 22: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the “House of Lords” (Room 309) in Billingsly Student Center

Everyone who missed a similar session in July is encouraged to attend. Those with questions should contact Human Resources at ext. 3167 or ext. 9527.

Contemporary Film Series resumes tonight

The first feature film in the Contemporary Film Series for the season will be shown at approximately 7 p.m. tonight in Cornell Auditorium in Plaster Hall. The film is Seducing Dr. Lewis (Canada, 2004; 109 minutes).

The film is a comedy about an impoverished French-speaking fishing community in eastern Canada. The community must lure a doctor from Montréal who, in turn, must convince an industry to open a factory there.

Directed by Jean-Francois Pouliot, Seducing Dr. Lewis won an Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. It has been called "very, very funny."

This film will be shown as part of a Missouri Southern Continuing Education class. The cost of the class is $10 per person per semester and those interested may register before the film Friday evening. Subsequent films will be shown this semester on Sept. 25, Oct. 9, Oct. 23, Nov.13, and Dec. 4.

For further information about this film or the series, contact Bill Kumbier, English, at kumbier-w@mssu.edu or Nick Kyle at kyle-n@mssu.edu.

Trivia night at your library

Are you smarter than your students? Prove it at “Trivia Night @ Your Library” at 6 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 24. at Spiva Library.
There will be great prizes including: MSSU basketball tickets, bowling passes, free movie tickets and rentals, gift cards to restaurants and local businesses and much more.

Teams may consist of 4-8 participants. Entry fee is $10 per person. Please pick up an entry form from the Library and return by Monday, Oct. 19. For more information, please contact: Amber Carr, Library, at ext. 9335 carr-a@mssu.edu or Melissa Forsythe, Library, at ext. 9362 forsythe-m@mssu.edu.

All proceeds will be used to purchase new chairs for the Library computer labs..

Sign the Constitution

Add your name to America's founding document by "signing the Constitution." A link on the University's home page will allow you to place your name alongside those of America's founding fathers. Simply visit the link available at WWW.MSSU.EDU.

FACULTY/STAFF

Willie Edwards, Teacher Education, is scheduled to return to the island nation of Mauritius this September for two weeks. In 2008, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) funded Project ZEP, (a French acronym for the Mauritius school improvement program). Project ZEP targets approximately 35,000 economically disadvantaged students.

This phase of the project involves evaluation of educational practices within the ZEP schools. This will be done through observations in the classrooms, surveying supporting agency staff, and focus group testing of the participating teachers and administrators.

The Mauritius travel was originally planned for summer, 2009 but the swine-flu pandemic closed all the schools on Mauritius for several weeks during that time.

CLASSIFIED

For Sale: 92 red Chevy pickup, 164,000 miles, automatic, 350, sharp!  $2500.  Also 5-year-old female Golden Retriever, spayed, free to good home.  (417) 396-0080.

For Sale: 2200 sq. ft. lake front house for sale in Shell Knob, Mo. on Table Rock Lake. Boat dock available at King's River Marina nearby. 2 - 4 bedrooms, central heat/air. Propane heat, electric water heater and air. 2 baths, 1.5 garages, front and back decks. Newer roof, recent siding, totally remodeled and ready to move into. Includes appliances, window coverings, new carpet, walkout basement, new tile, paint, fans and fixtures. Must see to appreciate. $162,900. Call (417) 540-3423. To see pictures, e-mail gallemore-r@mssu.edu.

For Sale: Set of 4 tires, size 245/65/17, Bridgestone brand in like new condition, the tread still looks new, no damage or repairs ever. Cost $600 new, will sell for $300. Contact Bill Hunt, 625-3183, or cell# 825-2488 or email hunt-w@mssu.edu.

Lessons Available: Beginning Square Dance Lessons will be held at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17 at the Joplin Square Dance Center, 1801 W. 2nd. Subsequent lessons will be held from 6:30 - 8 p.m.,every Thursday and they will be open to new participants through September 24. You are encouraged to bring a partner, if possible. For info call Mary Castleberry, ext. 3133 in the mornings, or 782-0158.

For Sale: Large, well-built dog pen, 6 ' X 10'. enclosed. This is for a large dog and it has a floor that is easy to clean. $150. Call Jan at ext. 9558.

Wanted: Back issues of National Geographic, Martha Stewart, Real Simple, or other travel and food magazines. Please contact Josi Mai at mai-j@mssu.edu or call 625-3115. If you can bring them to campus, she will pick them up.

For Sale: Classy 1994 red Chevy Camaro; automatic; power windows, doors, locks, and driver's seat; remote entry; well-maintained engine; 131,000; good condition; good tires; one-owner; $3,300. Telephone (417) 673-1943.