Revived Popular club, Vintage, reopens downtown
Disability access Student proposes accessibility resources for campus
Game attendance
Homecoming numbers change with weather
THE STANDARD PAGE 2
PAGE 6
PAGE 4
M I S S O U R I S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y
VOLUME 113, ISSUE 9 | THE-STANDARD.ORG The Standard/The Standard Sports
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2019
TheStandard_MSU
IT’S ON!
PAIGE NEWTON | LAUREN JOHNS Staff Reporters @PagesofPaigeM | @lje2017 Photo by KAITLYN STRATMAN After months of anticipation and social media coverage, Missouri State University revealed on Saturday night at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts what “It’s On!� is all about. The university unveiled “Onward, Upward,� a fundraising campaign that aims to raise $250 million dollars. The money
raised will go toward scholarships, building renovations, faculty positions, resource allowances and program support, such as athletics. Specific changes mentioned were three new buildings for the Darr College of Agriculture, construction of a permanent Tent Theatre structure and renovation of the Professional Building. The announcement was kept such a secret that even promoters for MSU weren’t told anything concerning the event. Katie Kubiak, junior nursing major and
issuu.com/TheStandard-MSU
ZOE BROWN Lifestyle Editor @zoe_zoebrown
Of the 50 states in the U.S., Missouri has the lowest tobacco tax of all. Well below the national average of $1.79, the Missouri tobacco tax is 17 cents, according to the Tax Foundation and Department of Revenue. In fact, the tobacco tax in Missouri has remained at 17 cents since 1993. At that time, the national average was 28 cents. For over 50 years, tobacco use has been linked to serious health problems, such as lung cancer and heart disease. Missouri ranks 9th and 10th in rates of these diseases, respectively. Tom Kruckemeyer, an economist
at the Missouri Budget Project and former Chief Economist for the Missouri Office of Administration/Division of Budget & Planning, wrote a report on tobacco in Missouri titled, “Misery in Missouri: How the Alliance of Big Tobacco and Missouri Politicians Keep Smoking-Induced Deaths at Unacceptable Levels.� Kruckemeyer, whose parents both suffered from tobacco-related illnesses, has a personal stake in the cause. “My father dropped dead of a heart attack when I was 12 years old and I later learned it was probably because he was a smoker,� Kruckemeyer said. “My mom actually lived fairly long but she was in poor health much of her life because she was a pretty heavy smoker.� In his report, Kruckemeyer explains
cheerleader, said they were only informed of their duties for the event. “We got no information on this event,� Kubiak said. “We only knew what time to be here and they told us to walk around and get everyone excited.� For the last two years, the campaign was private and earned a little over $150 million from nearly 50,000 donors. In that time, 222 new scholarships were made, bringing the number of scholarships offered through u See IT’S ON, page 10
Graphic by JADIE ARNETT/THE STANDARD
Tobacco
TINSLEY MERRIMAN Staff Reporter @merrimantinsley
u See CRIME, page 10
MSUStandard
Missouri State University tackles its biggest fundraising campaign
Taxes on
Deterring crime on campus Crime is an unfortunate part of college life. During the 2018 calendar year, 16 vehicles were reported stolen on campus while two were stolen off-campus. A recent alert shows an uptick in bike thefts on campus. In a recent Missouri State Alert, the Springfield Police Department and Missouri State University Office of University Safety reported they had received over 20 reports of bicycle theft on campus in the last 30 days. The report said students should register their bikes with campus security, make sure to get a U-lock and when locking up the bike, make sure to secure it to the proper rack. These statements were echoed by Associate Director of University Safety Andrew Englert. “Have a good U-bolt style lock,� Englert said. “Make sure to register it with our transportation office. Those two things can really reduce that crime. Those cable locks are really easy to cut, but if you use that U-bolt, secure it through the frame appropriately and not to the front tire. You’re less likely to be a victim of that kind of theft.� Englert said there are around 700 cameras on campus, which means good coverage for observing any kind of criminal activity. He declined to comment on if the campus has blind spots, saying if there are any, cameras would either already be placed or are awaiting installation. Moving from two wheels to four, Englert said always lock the doors of motor vehicles. Make sure to remove everything of value, no matter how small or big it is. Check the doors and also remember to remove keys. “The criminal element is smart enough to realize that the thing that looks like a backpack with a sweatshirt
@TheStandard_MSU/@Standard_Sports
the relationship between Missouri politicians, the tobacco industry and the health costs which arise from tobacco-related illnesses. According to the report, tobacco use is a net drain on the economy, as Medicaid costs far outweigh the revenue coming in from the tobacco tax. In 2019, Missouri Medicaid spent $295.8 million dollars treating tobacco-related illnesses and only collected $72.9 million in tobacco taxes. David Mitchell, an economics professor at MSU, said the perception of the cost of smoking-related medical treatment fails to account for the lack of social security collection at the end of a smoker’s life. “From society’s standpoint, it’s actually optimal for people to work
Medicaid costs far outweigh the revenue coming in from the tobacco tax.
until they’re 65 and then die,� Mitchell said. From both a public health and economic perspective, raising the tobacco tax could prove beneficial. If Missouri legislators were to increase the tobacco tax, they could potentially deter smokers and generate state revenue to cover the costs of tobacco-related deaths, allocate funds to anti-tobacco efforts and begin to invest in other government funded programs. However, Mitchell said politicians who advocate raising the tax to increase revenue and curb smoking have two competing goals. “Typically what people will do is they’ll say they’re going to increase
u See TOBACCO, page 10
Record? Perfect. History? Made.
 Â?Â? Â? Â? Â? ÂÂ
File photo/THE STANDARD
Senior Stuart Wilkin celebrates a goal with his teammates. Wilkin is one of 11 players on Missouri State’s men’s soccer team to score a goal. The Bears are 13-0, which just surpassed the previous program record for consecutive wins.
Read more on page 6.