The Ben Miller Band
Joplin trio brings Ozarkian tune
P a ge 4
Tuesday • September 20, 2011 • Vol. 105 Issue 5
Briefs
Awareness group hosts week for deaf community
Gerontology Club joins in ‘Walk to End Alzheimer’s’
The MSU Gerontology Club has a team to participate in the “Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s” at 10 a.m. at Jordan Valley Park on Sept. 24. The walk includes going to Hammons Field with a chance to meet the Cardinals’ mascot, purple pancakes, and t-shirts. The student on the Gerontology team with the highest fundraising will win a free-fall tandem sky dive. To get involved in the Alzheimer’s Walk, go to http://2011Walktoendalz.kintera.o rg/springfieldmo/ger.
SPD offers citizen police academy
The Springfield Police Department will hold a Citizen’s Police Academy on Oct. 3. The academy will be held in the training unit on the second floor of the old city hall at 830 N Boonville. The academy will be on Mondays from 6 to 9 p.m. and will cover topics including: budget and accreditation, internal affairs, public affairs, community oriented policing, DWI, traffic, special investigations, drug unit, SPD history, patrol functions, crime prevention, legal issues, selection process, academy, investigative procedures, robbery and homicide, and special victims. To fill out an application, go to http://www.springfieldmo.gov/sp d/JoinUs/cpa.html. Seating is limited to 25 qualified applicants.
Circus Spectacular comes to JQH Arena
JQH Arena will host the Circus Spectacular from Oct. 6 to Oct. 9. Acts will include a world-champion bicycle rider Michelle Audrey, Bo the Elephant, The Human Cannonball, a troupe of showgirls, a tiger act and a motorcycle act. Performers from 15 countries will offer family entertainment and a chance to meet the stars, ride ponies and elephants and take photographs after the show.
Calendar September 20 to September 26
Tuesday
Study Away 101 10 to 11 a.m. at Plaster Student Union 309 Jennifer Johnson Cano, MezzoSoprano 4 to 6 p.m. at Juanita K. Hammons Hall Student Activities Council Meeting 4 to 5 p.m. at Plaster Student Union 313 Student Government Association Meeting 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Plaster Student Union 313 GMAT Preparation Course 6 to 9 p.m. at Jim D. Morris Center for Continuing Education 407
Wednesday
Green Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Plaster Student Union 308 AB Chemistry Colloquium “Ionic Liquids Tasked for Separation, Binding, or Detecting CO2” 4:10 to 5 p.m. at Temple Hall 003 Jennifer Johnson Cano: MezzoSoprano 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Juanita K. Hammons Hall
Friday
Grammar Fridays at The Writing Center 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Meyer Library Bear CLAW Dance Bear-A-Thon 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. at Hammons Student Center
Saturday
Walk to End Alzheimer’s 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Jordan Valley Park
By Benjamin Peters The Standard
File photo by Michael Gulledge/THE STANDARD
The state auditor is questioning Michael Nietzel’s $160,423 salary after stepping down as president.
Contract criticized Auditor: Nietzelʼs deal may violate state constitution By Megan Gates The Standard
Former Missouri State President Michael Nietzel’s contract may have violated state law and not been in the university’s best interest, according to the Missouri State Auditor’s Office. In an audit report released Friday the contracts of the nine presidents of the Missouri public four-year institutions and the four chancellors of the University of Missouri campuses were reviewed. The audit said five of the contracts may violate the state con-
stitution because they were paid for past services after they left their positions at the university. Nietzel was president of MSU from 2005 to April 2010, but resigned when he was offered a position as an adviser on higher education to Gov. Jay Nixon. After he stepped down and became an adviser to the governor, Nietzel also become a tenured professor in the Department of Psychology “at an annual salary of $160,423, which is approximately $68,000 more per year than the highest paid fac-
ulty member in the department,” due to provisions in his contract, according to the audit. Nietzel’s contract also allowed him to take a paid leave of absence for a semester for $80,211 during fall 2010. “Although the President might have been involved in activities benefitting the university during the leave of absence, he was under no legal obligation to perform any services,” the audit said. “In addition, the salary paid to the former president when he assumed his new professorship duties appears to have been excessive.” Nietzel returned to teach two upper level classes, PSY 597 and
PSY 695 “Law and Psychology, in spring 2011. He then resigned from the university on July 31, 2011, to become the senior education policy advisor to Gov. Nixon, Scott Holste, said spokesperson for the governor’s office. “He is the senior education policy advisor,” Holste said. “He advises the governor on K-12 as well as higher education issues. He’s a liaison to the education community both in our colleges and universities, as well as public elementary and high schools.” The former president could not be reached for comment on the issue See NIETZEL, page 2
Ag school quiet giant at MSU By Dayle Duggins The Standard
With its calm landscaping and quiet appearance, Karls Hall fools the majority the people that walk past it on campus. A closer look inside will reveal The William H. Darr School of Agriculture, known for its constant research efforts aimed primarily toward meeting the agricultural needs of southwest Missouri. Most recently, the school of agriculture made two major breakthroughs impacting grape and wine industries in Missouri and potentially the entire Midwest. Wenping Qiu, a research professor of agriculture at MSU, specialized in the area of molecular plant virology, and has been a major contributor to the school’s wine breakthroughs, along with students and other members of the department. The first breakthrough revealed the entire genome of Norton, Missouri’s state grape. Now that the grape has been sequenced, its genetic code can be intensively examined. The other breakthrough surrounds the first DNA virus ever found in grapes. A closer look at this virus may lend a better understanding of how to prevent its spreading, creating much healthier and successful grapes. Anson Elliott, director of the William H. Darr School of Agriculture, said the school ultimately hopes to produce a better version of the Norton grape. “Wenping Qiu is truly trying to develop a new
Josh Campbell/THE STANDARD
The Christopher S Bond Learning Center is the William H. Darr School of Agriculture’s buildings. variety of grapes that will Rimal said. Kalyn Stevens, a senior utilize the Norton grape, which has a natural resist- agricultural business, sales ance to pests, but it doesn’t and marketing major, had have quite the quality that the opportunity to work as people are accustomed to an intern over the summer when they would drink the on this project. “Our Mountain Grove French wines,” Elliot said. “The French wines don’t campus was considering grow well in this environ- producing milk, so we ment so we are trying to were going to local grocross our grapes with those cery stores, convenient French varieties and come stores and super markets out with new varieties that within an 80-mile area and meet the public’s taste and getting their feelings on work in this environment.” locally produced milk,” Wine research is one of Stevens said. “The majorithe numerous projects ty of stores said there was a being conducted by the very high demand for school. This summer, pro- locally produced produces. fessor Arbindra Rimal and Stores in Springfield had a assistant professor Ben certain brand that they Onyango began working couldn’t keep in stock due closely on a feasibility to high demand, so they study of a dairy processing were excited to hear about plant in Mountain Grove, a new opportunity.” The project is now in Mo. “We received a little the business plan phase to over $50,000 in funding see if all aspects of the from the Missouri Depart- concept are feasible. The Journagan Ranch ment of Agriculture to examine the market for is another prime example locally produced dairy of the William H. Darr products such as cheese, School’s work toward ice cream and yogurt,” improving southwest Mis-
newest addition to the
souri’s agriculture industry. The 300-acre ranch donation, noted as the second largest gift in MSU’s history, has opened many doors for the agriculture school. “We have beef cattle at the Journagan Ranch,” Elliot said. “We’re next wanting to see if we can produce our beef on grass so that it’s at home and then produce it with less input from grains and make it into a product that is tender and has grade acceptability by the consumer.” All of these projects have the potential to gain major recognition for the school’s successes along with financial rewards for Missouri State. But the William H. Darr School of Agriculture is much more than just a research powerhouse. Above all, it is a place for students to get a hands-on education with real-life application, a story that Elliott said many graduates of the school can confirm.
College life can be rough and even harder with a disability. However, raising other students’ awareness of a disability might make things a little easier. September is national Deaf Awareness Month in the United States. The purpose of this is to bring awareness about deaf people, their culture, language, contributions and issues. It acts as an opportunity to increase the knowledge and interactions with the American public. To help, students with disabilities have access to Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART), a program where someone captions what is happening in the classroom, which the person then reads on their computer. The CART provider types the information into a stenotype machine using machine shorthand, which translates that shorthand into captions. The process is so fast that there is hardly any lag time between what is said and what the deaf person is able to read. Interpreters are present to enable students to keep up with everything going on in classes. While they may be able to take notes themselves, they also have the option to have people take other notes to supplement them. Craig Aslin is a deaf senior at Missouri State majoring in communication sciences and disorders with an emphasis in education of the deaf/hard of hearing. “I am actively involved with Christian Campus House here at MSU,” Aslin said. “Therefore, I am involved in the hearing world for the most part. My friends do not view me as a deaf person. They view me as a person. I am able to communicate with hearing people with little to no difficulties.” Aslin offered some advice for disabled students that are having a hard time at college. “If I have any tips for students with disabilities, I would say that self-advocacy is the key to success,” Aslin said. “If I did not find selfadvocacy early in life, I would not be who I am today.” In an effort to increase Springfield’s awareness, Deaf Awareness Group is hosting Deaf Awareness Week from Friday, Sept. 16 to Friday Sept. 23. The week will feature performances, an expo, a silent auction and a picnic. Leslie Cockrum is the vice president of Deaf Awareness Group and a professor of communication sciences and disorders at Missouri State. “Deaf Awareness Week is an opportunity to invite the deaf, hard of hearing and hearing community to enjoy the variety of events that may only occur one time a year,” Cockrum said. “It gives everyone a chance to socialize, practice their signing skills and make new friends. Our performers tend to be deaf so they are a good example for our young generations to see that they too can be successful in any occupation with perseverance and passion.” The week began with one such performance at Parkview High School’s auditorium by deaf actor/comedian John Maucere, famous for his character “SuperDeafy.” The silent auction also began that night. The Deaf Awareness Group Expo was held on Saturday, Sept. 17. The free event was held at the First Baptist Church gymnasium and featured over 30 booths by local vendors, businesses and organizations that offer services to the deaf and hard of hearing. It also included a meet-andgreet with Maucere, and contests and door prizes. The annual Deaf/Hard of Hearing Picnic will be held on Wednesday at Phelps Grove Park. The event will have food provided by local businesses and the Deaf Awareness group. The cost is $1 per person, and is open to the Deaf/Hard of Hearing community, students, interpreters, See AWARENESS, page 2