CON V ERGING CA MPUS & COMMUNIT Y
NORTHWEST MISSOURIAN THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2026
MARYVILLE, MISSOURI
NWMISSOURINEWS.COM
VOL. 114, NO. 13
@THEMISSOURIAN
University experiences difficulties with Amazon deliveries RYAN KING Missourian Reporter | @TheMissourian
FILE
X Ambassadors lead vocalist Sam Harris sings while playing guitar at the Student Activities Council Spring Concert April 4, 2025. The Northwest Office of Student Involvement canceled its annual spring concert for 2026 due to statewide budget cuts.
Annual spring concert canceled RYAN KING Missourian Reporter | @TheMissourian
T
he Student Activities Council canceled its annual springtime concert. This stems from the ongoing restrictions due to budget cuts brought about this summer in Missouri. Gov. Mike Kehoe announced the spending plan for the Fiscal Year 2026 in June of last year. This budget included $2 billion in vetoed money that will be spent improving other aspects of the state. Among those affected by the new funding restrictions is SAC, an agency that focuses on the extracurricular activities available to students. Maggie Wiedrich, SAC president, said the concert cancellation was not an easy decision, but it was necessary. “It was canceled strictly due to budget cuts; our budget got cut for this fiscal year, and it made us unable to put forward a concert,” Wiedrich said.
Among the $2 billion vetoed, Northwest was denied $563,498. This loss in funding has forced many of the on-campus offices to implement changes to account for the denied resources. The decision not to host a concert came about at the beginning of the academic year, after the office concluded it would have to sacrifice other key events in order to keep the concert running. Faith Thompson, the director of student involvement, said it made more sense to keep a multitude of events. “This decision came about in late summer, early fall, when we were divvying up the budget between all of the Student Activity Council directors,” Thompson said. “We decided we still want them (the other directors) to be able to put on all the amazing events that we already have, such as Grocery Bingo, Northwest Week and our other major events.” With this thought process in mind, the
plans to not have a spring concert were finalized, and no other conversations were had regarding the topic. In recent years, the concert has hosted performers like X Ambassadors, Russell Dickerson, AJR and Hannah Ellis. However, in recent years, the concert numbers have decreased. In 2024, the Russell Dickerson concert sold 1,200 tickets, with only 100 of the tickets not being accounted for. However, in 2025, with a headliner who pulls 5 million more monthly listeners on Spotify, only 650 tickets to the X Ambassadors’ performance were sold. However, the Office of Student Involvement remains consistent in its stance to potentially bring the concert back next year, if the proper money is reallocated. Thompson said next year’s concert is still up in the air as of now. “Next year’s concert all had to do with next year’s budget that we are given, and that plan usually comes out in the summer,” Thompson said.
Last spring, the city of Maryville brought a new Amazon facility to aid with deliveries in Maryville. Many thought this facility would enhance deliveries, but for some, it has seemingly done the opposite. As of the opening of the new factory, the drivers have been misinformed about the delivery system on campus. This has led to the disappearance of many packages, which Central Receiving is unable to do anything about. Maryville is served by a multitude of delivery services, including USPS, Fed-Ex, UPS and now Amazon. Mike Striplin, the University’s Central Receiving supervisor, said he thought the addition would create even more efficient package delivery; however, that is not how things have turned out, and he said he hopes there will be some changes in the future. “We have really good UPS and Fed-Ex drivers — they’re excellent.” Striplin said. “The problem we are having with the Amazon drivers is with them leaving packages all over the place. If it gets dropped off here (Central Receiving), I’ll know where it’s at. In 22 years, I’ve lost one package.” Maryville introduced the factory to improve delivery speeds and open up new job opportunities to the community. Prior to this operation, the Maryville area dealt with extended delays due to the other nearest factory being in Kansas City, Missouri. The factory brought 20 new jobs to the area, and Amazon also allows drivers from across the country to pick up jobs in any town where a last-mile facility is. Striplin said the hiring process for drivers is possibly focused more on quantity rather than quality, and their delivery methods are unorthodox and he believes these are primary issues.
SEE AMAZON | A4
NW to change dining services, new contract to start May 15 ANNA BAILEY News Editor | @AmBailey16
Sodexo’s contract with the University will conclude at the end of this semester, leading to a swift change in its dining services provider, as discussed during the Northwest Board of Regents meeting March 12. University President Lance Tatum said Northwest received a 90-day contract vacancy notice from Sodexo in December. He said in February, a request for proposal was issued to find a new vendor, and five potential candidates have since made a visit to campus. “We met with Sodexo, and with the national leadership, and we had some pretty robust conversations about circumstances around that decision, about what the pathway will look like going forward,” Tatum said. “At the end of the day, the institution decided they would probably be better for us if we issued a new RFP and sought new dining services going forward.” Sodexo’s contract with Northwest began in 2023. Tatum said Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Rose Viau, Vice President of Finance and Administration Stacy Carrick and Interim Vice President of Student Affairs Charles Fey have
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all assisted in the search for a vendor. Tatum said the University is in the process of conducting face-to-face interviews with providers who have submitted contract proposals. The new vending contract will start May 15. During the meeting, Provost Rose Marie Ward proposed two new programs within the school of education, both centered around trauma studies. The first is a Master of Science in Education in Trauma Studies. “It’s a need within the state; a big thing happening with children right now is that we see that — I mean, we all went through the pandemic — there’s a lot of trauma going on, and recent literature is saying this is a growing need, and it is resulting in higher than norm anxiety and depression rates in our populations,” Ward said. Ward said Missouri has made it an initiative to have more trauma-informed schools. This master’s program is to be offered online and includes 30 credit hours. Another option for students is to complete a graduate certificate in trauma studies, which Ward also proposed at this meeting. This certificate includes 12 credit hours.
SEE REGENTS | A4
NATHAN NODA PHOTO EDITOR
University President Lance Tatum gives an update on Northwest’s dining services contract at the conclusion of the Board of Regents meeting March 12.
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