NEW ERA New student presidents for several registered student organizations take charge and set new goals for their organization as the semester kicks off. PAGE 3
PERFECT TIMING
With Eastern in his sights since sophomore year of high school, freshman Jordan Walden was able to avoid the stress and practice for the future. PAGE 7
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Thursday, January 12, 2017 “TELL THE TRUTH AND DON’T BE AFRAID” C E L E BRATI NG A CE NTUR Y OF COV E RA GE E S T . 1 915
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Student Senate to hold special elections By Chrissy Miller Administration Reporter | @DEN_Newsdesk
JUSTIN BROWN | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Mike Shelton, center, talks with visitors during a gathering to recognize the new furniture he donated in memory of his wife, Linda, in the Klehm Hall Cafe Wednesday afternoon.
Furniture donation at cafe continues alumnae’s legacy By Kalyn Hayslett Editor-in-Chief | @DEN_news Eight tables embossed with The Café logo, 32 padded chairs, two reupholstered love seats and an end table were donated to Klehm Hall in honor of alumna Linda Warmoth Shelton Wednesday afternoon. Husband and donor Mike Shelton said he started a memorial fund, so he could purchase furniture that would show her legacy and personality forever. “She was larger than life. She would walk into a room and take charge,” Mike Shelton said. “You didn’t get to know Linda; you experienced her.” Shelton said his wife was a woman who lived and breathed hospitality, a skill she developed at an early age by running the cash register for her father’s restaurant in Charleston. According to an obituary from Butler Funeral Homes, Linda Warmoth Shelton graduated from Eastern in 1972, where she served on the Hospitality Advisory Board. Later, she became the vice president of sales and marketing at the Crowne Plaza. “She never knew such a thing as a stranger,” Mike Shelton said. “Everybody knew Linda. That’s why she was so successful at the Crowne Plaza.” Several faculty members, deans and family friends attended the dedication ceremony where they reminisced about Linda Warmoth Shelton’s legacy while drinking beverages and using the new furniture. Jeanne Lord, associate dean of the College of Business and Applied Sciences, said the room is transformed by the new furniture. “Before it was square tables. It was just very plain, but now it’s so much more inviting. It has a café feel and is definitely something we can be proud of,” she said. Mike Shelton said both the table and chairs were built from solid oak and created by inmates correctional industries. Donation, page 5
JUSTIN BROWN | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Seniors Sarah Anderson (left), and Emily Pattison (right), both family and consumer sciences majors prepare Lattes before the unveiling of newly donated furniture in the Klehm Hall cafe Wednesday afternoon. The furniture was donated by Mike Shelton in memory of his wife, Eastern alumnus, Linda Shelton.
JUSTIN BROWN | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
A table from the recently donated furniture from Mike Shelton in memory of his wife and Eastern alumnus Linda Shelton displays the logo of the cafe in Klehm Hall. A gallery of photos from the gathering can be found at dailyeasternnews.com.
The Student Senate is now having special elections and will start the year off with new members, a new Speaker of the Senate and a new secretary. Student Body President Catie Witt said new senate members are needed to make quorum. Currently, there are 11 Student Senate members not including the executive board. To make quorum there must be a minimum of 15 members. “Without quorum we can’t have a regular business meeting and vote on things, so that’s why we’re having a special election,” Witt said. “Once we get senators we can get a speaker and committee chairs and get rolling.” Witt said to become a Student Senate member, students will have to fill out an application and get fifty signatures before being considered for the position. To get applications students must go to the Student Activities Center in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. I think we’re all having trouble finding members and different leaders who want to be a part of something,” Witt said. “There are a lot of different factors.” Witt said it is her goal to get the general student body morale up through Student Senate this semester and show everyone what Eastern has to offer. “Only a speaker can appoint (members), so that’s why the executive board decided to go the route of special elections,” she said. Luke Young, student vice president of academic affairs, said while the new Student Senate members and the new Speaker have yet to be determined, Kim Kuspa, a communication studies major, has been appointed as the new secretary. Young said Kuspa may be helpful with information regarding the vitalization project Workgroups as she is a member of Workgroup no. 8, Academic Visioning I. Vitalization project Workgroups no. 1-7’s recommendations were released online Monday afternoon. Workgroups no. 8 and 9 will continue working throughout the semester. He said the role of Student Government throughout the process will be to stay informed, stay positive and help the project in any way that it can. “We’ve told everybody on Student Government (to) have an open mind about it, be supportive of it, don’t ‘diss’ it in any way because this is needed,” Young said. “It’s a big undertaking and we want to be supportive of it.” Student senate member Felicia Wagner said her main goals this semester are to increase student engagement and to become the Speaker of the Senate. “I think that communication is the biggest key,” Wagner said. “I really want to get more technology ready and improve social media.”
Student Senate, page 5