THE
NORTHWEST MISSOURIAN
A7
Celebrating 100 years covering Northwest Missouri
BACKYARD BUSINESSES
Local store owners give insight to their uniqued and local shops
Thursday | September 18, 2014
V90 | N4
Teachers armed for class Missouri legislation begins controversial dialogue about firearms in classrooms SHANE STEELEY Chief Reporter| @shane_steeley
Due to school shootings in recent years, the Missouri State legislature has created a plan that they feel will curtail the possibility of Missouri becoming another statistic. SB 656 allows teachers to voluntarily become school protection officers who will be able to carry a firearm at the school after successfully completing a school protection officer training program. Away from school grounds, SB 656 prohibits local governments from banning open carry for gun permit holders and changes the required age to purchase a gun from 21-yearsold to 19. After Governor Jay Nixon repealed SB 656 in July, the state legislature overturned his veto by a two-thirds vote earlier this month. Even though the bill has been passed, superintendent Larry Linthacum stated that Maryville schools will not be arming teachers any time soon. “Our board policy is no person shall carry a firearm on school grounds unless they are a police officer,” Linthacum said. “I think it is better for our
Jose Palacios
Bobby Tso
teachers to let them do their job of educating kids.” As a future teacher, senior Karl Dailey feels the policy could be beneficial for some teachers but there needs to be a safety net regarding the teachers who choose to participate. “I am a fan of psychological tests. I think trained individuals can make it a safer program,” Dailey said. “There have been people I know who passed gun and hunter safety courses who I would not trust with a gun in a classroom. “I personally would not feel comfortable having a gun in my classroom. But I understand completely why legislation would be thought up to try and prevent violence on students and prevent a shooting from escalating.”
Visa problems delay work for professors DARCIE BRADFORD
Chief Reporter | @darcie_jeanne_7
There are some who believe getting rid of anti opencarry ordinances will make the state safer; one of those people is Nodaway County Sheriff Darren White. “I don’t feel it is that much of an issue,” White said. We live in a part of the country where people own lots of firearms. People hunt, people target shoot, and people want to protect themselves and their property. “I think some places like Kansas City and St. Louis need more guns ... It has been proven that in states where
people promote using firearms, crime has gone down. Violent crime has gone down and maybe if people who live in these larger cities start defending themselves, it will send a message to the criminal element.”
Students studying Spanish this semester began classes like every other student on campus, but some of them found their classroom was missing something important: their professor. First-year Spanish professor Jose Perez-Palacios is trying to obtain his Occupational Practical Training visa before he can begin teaching his four classes. Palacios does not know when he will be able to begin teaching. An OPT visa gives a person 12 to 14 months to work in the U.S., but an extension can be requested if necessary. Palacios is still waiting for the approval process to be completed, a process that can take up to ninety days to be finished. Until then, Palacios has no choice but to wait for the government to come through. “I can’t work so I work on odd things here or there. I cannot do any work for the University,” Palacios said. “If I can help with something, I will, but it is against the law for me to work for the University. I am not getting paid right now either.”
SEE GUN| A5
SEE PROFESSORS | A5
Family Weekend upon us, not all students celebrate events JOSHUA PHILLIPS News Editor | @NewsfromJP
The MIAA conference scored high by US News and World Report for the 2015 Best Regional Colleges in the Midwest.
US News ranks Northwest in top 100 Among the Division-II MIAA conference, Northwest ranked second-best SHANE STEELEY Chief Reporter | @shane_steeley
For the first time in years, Northwest will be ranked in the newest college rankings by U.S. News and World Report. Northwest was ranked 80 out of 109 schools in the midwest region which included schools from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Although that ranking may not seem very celebratory, a Sept. 16 press release stated Northwest is ranked third among Missouri’s public regional universities, trailing only Truman State University and Missouri State University. In comparison to peers in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association only the University of Nebraska-Kearney
ranks higher than Northwest. The ranking gives the University more visibility and could lead to more enrollment in the upcoming years, according to Media Relations Specialist Mark Hornickel. “It is always good to appear on these national rankings,” Hornickel said. “It gives us greater awareness and we are pleased to be a part of this.” President Jasinski feels this was a validation of all the things he and his staff had worked for. “We are proud of our focus on student success and the convergence of so many aspects to continue enhancing the student experience. These rankings are but one indicator of Northwest’s continuing elevation of academic excellence,” Jasinski said. “We are proud of our faculty, staff, students and alumni; thankful for the strong collaborative relationships
with the communities we serve; and pledge to continue our strong contributions to economic development and positively impacting those we serve.” According to the press release, the rankings were based on freshman retention, graduation rates, class sizes, ACT and SAT scores, financial resources and alumni giving. Junior Sports Media Major Bryce Ufken who born and raised in La Mars, Iowa decided to become a Bearcat because Northwest was one of the only schools in the area with his major and thinks it is a really positive thing for the school to be ranked. “It seems pretty cool for a school with only 7,000 students,” Ufken said. “Most of the in-state schools in Iowa are really big, and I just like this small town atmosphere.”
Fri., Sept. 19 9:00pm
Each year, Northwest invites families to the campus for Family Weekend. Families come to campus to spend time at different events with the children who, not too long ago, packed their bags and headed toward their independence. However, some students do not get to spend much time with their parents and family unlike others, as the weekend intends. Students like senior Emily Smith get to “enjoy” working extended hours at an on campus job. Smith works at the Starbuck’s in the B.D. Owens Library. “I already work every Saturday so it’s normal for me,” Smith said. “I was honestly bummed when I found out I worked this weekend, because I found out last minute that my parents will be coming up to visit.” Smith will work 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday instead of her normal 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. shift. While she will be working, Smith’s parents will be out tailgating for the game against Central Missouri. Smith’s manager, Micah Davis, is a senior who will also have to work during the family weekend, but he does not have family coming to town for the weekend. “This (shift) is the devil,” Davis joked about the crack of dawn shift. “I imagine that all of the campus dining areas will also be having more employees than usual working.” For a typical day, Starbuck’s requires at least four or five employees to be working at any given time. Davis said that even with the many events going on during the weekend, that he still expects Starbuck’s to be “crazy busy.”
Friday Bearcat soccer vs. Missouri Western, 5 p.m., Bearcat Pitch Frangela, 7 p.m., Charles Johnson Theater Northwest Volleyball vs. Washburn, 7 p.m., Bearcat Arena
Saturday 5K Run/Walk/Roll, 7 a.m., Lamkin Activity Center Alumni Open House, 9 a.m. Family Fun Fest 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., College Park, Pavillion Bearcat football vs. University of Central Missouri, 1 p.m., Bearcat Stadium. Bearcat volleyball vs. Emporia State, 6 p.m., Bearcat Arena
SEE FAMILY| A5
Wed: LADIES NIGHT!
UNPOLISHED SILVER
Thurs: $2.50 all 20oz draft beers $2 Fireball shots
From Des Moines, IA
Fri: $5/$6 14oz/20oz vodka & Redbull & $2.50 20oz PBR
Fri. ,Sept. 26 9:00pm
Sat: $2 Fireball and $3 moonshine shots, $2.50 Bud draft 20oz
From Columbia, MO
FOR MORE SPECIALS FOLLOW @ThePalms_Ville
HOOTEN HALLERS
www.nwmissourinews.com
@TheMissourian
Northwest Missourian