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News

The News
August 24, 2012

Sororities complete seasonal recruitment

Meghann Anderson
Assistant News Editor Sorority-bound women were the first to move into the residential colleges on Aug. 15. Recruitment began at 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 15 and the weeklong process began for the women wanting to join a sorority and for the women trying to find potential new members. Renita Avery-Meriwether, director of Student Life, said recruitment went very well this year. Our numbers were higher this year than we have seen in a while, Avery-Meriwether said. We are very excited for all of our new members to the Panhellenic sororities. Don Robertson, vice president of student affairs, said this is one of the largest groups of young women that have gone through sorority recruitment at Murray State in years. I think this may be the largest group of young ladies weve ever had, largest weve had in many years, Robertson said. They quickly will find something to identify with and be involved with, which is critical for retention and adjustment, if you feel like you belong to something. Robertson said Greek Life plays a major role for the freshmen who are venturing off on their own for the first time. We have some of the current members back meeting the potential new members, and it creates an energy that shows we are gearing up for the school year, Robertson said. Its an exciting time; everyone is having fun. Recruitment also creates this air of excitement, Robertson said. We start to see activity and people on campus, the Curris Center has activities and lots of energy. Them coming back just like the other training programs, First Year Leaders, resident advisors and athletes, it gets everyone excited. Robertson said everyone including the faculty and staff are excited to see the students and start getting schedules underway.

Photo by Murray State Athletics Media Relations

The Pinacle Construction Inc. crew works to finish the new basketball practice facility, estimated to be complete by January 2013.

VICTORY PAYS
Basketball facility nears completion
Alex Berg
Staff writer In March, workers of Pinnacle Construction Inc. began construction on the CFSB Centers new basketball practice facility which aims to enhance the basketball programs already successful team. Allen Ward, athletics director, said the facility was much needed and had been earned due to the mens basketball teams success during last season. If we want to take our basketball program and build on the success of last season, this facility is necessary he said. The facility will serve as an asset to mens and womens basketball training. It will also be the location of the coaches new office suites. Assuming progress continues at its current pace, the facility is estimated to be finished by January 1. Ward said funding for the facility came from the Community Financial Services Bank a couple years ago when it purchased naming rights for the building. The rest of the $4 million needed for the facility came from fundraising, he said. Ward said the primary purpose of CFSBs contribution was to enhance the basketball program, he said the practice facility will offer the team a great facility to use year-round, regardless of any events. Once University officials had the approval from the Board of Regents and President Randy Dunn, Ward said he and many individuals decided to move forward with construction. The CFSB Center hosts a variety of events throughout the year and the private facility will give the mens and womens basketball programs the opportunity to practice whenever they may need. Don Robertson, vice president of Student Affairs, said having a dedicated facility would be beneficial to the team. He said recruits are looking for a school that has a dedicated program as well as a private facility. The center hosts a large number of events, he said it hinders the ability of the teams to practice. With the new facility, the teams will be able to have more practices and it will make the team even better, Robertson said. Having our own facility is important at the level we want to compete at, Robertson said. The team last semester created such a spirit on campus, my hope is that the same happens this fall with the football team. He said he wants to see the same feeling of school spirit to last through the fall into the spring and said it was his belief the football team this year will succeed like last years basketball team. The spirit our success brings is great for our past students, our current students and our future students, he said. Ward agreed with Robertson and said Racer basketball is something the entire campus and community get behind each year. Said Ward: Making sure that our basketball program stays at a high level is something I believe helps all of Murray and tells the community and nation what Murray State is all about. Contact Berg at aberg1@murraystate.edu.

Regional campus underway

Ben Manhanke
Staff Writer Murray States Paducah Regional Campus is still in the process of construction, but is expected to be an appreciated addition to the Universitys network. The campus is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2013, just in time for the new academic year. Students at the Paducah campus will be able to receive both Bachelors and Masters degrees. It is also expected the campus will bring jobs to the region. The official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Murray State Paducah campus was held Thursday, May 31, at the Barkley Property in Paducah, Ky., near the West Kentucky Community and Technical College. Brian Van Horn, dean of continuing education and academic outreach at Murray State, acted as emcee for the ceremony. This campus will meet the needs of those that dont have the opportunity to go to Murray but still desire that strong academic quality that an MSU degree gives to them, Van Horn said. Attending the ceremony along with Van Horn was President Randy Dunn, Board of Regents Chairman Constantine Curris, Paducah Mayor Bill Paxton, McCracken County Judge-Executive Van Newberry and Gov. Steve Beshear. Each of them had something to say about the partnership between Paducah and Murray State. Paxton said the project will be helping two leading communities: Paducah and Murray. This helps Paducah, and thats obvious, Paxton said. But Murray States mission is to grow their students, and this is going to help that mission. Newberry spoke briefly at the event. To paraphrase that old 20th century philosopher Humphrey Bogart, he said. I hope this is the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship. Contact Manhanke at manhanke @murraysate.edu.

Each sorority has GPA requirements that vary from incoming freshman to students who have already been in college. The Panhellenic Council removed GPA requirements last year. The requirement is also different for incoming freshmen and students who are already in college and going through recruitment. Incoming freshman have a higher requirement. Potential members must be full-time students. Full-time is 12 credit hours or more per semester. Bethany Eschman, vice president of public relations and recruitment for Alpha Sigma Alpha, said, as a chapter, ASA is excited to get things rolling this semester. Recruitment went very smoothly this year, even though we had a larger amount of girls go through than normal, Eschman said. Alpha Sigma Alpha gave out 41 bids and they were all accepted. She said the new pledge class is filled with a mix of spunky personalities and they already fit in perfectly with the sisterhood. It should be a thrilling semester and Alpha Sigma Alpha is truly blessed to be sharing these moments with our 41 new sisters, she said. Each of the five sororities took approximately 40 new members. Alix Bloodworth, sophomore from Murray, said recruitment went well with so many new girls. The Greek community is so excited to have these amazing new women and we can't wait to see what they can contribute in their years at Murray State, Bloodworth said. This was my first time on the other side of recruitment. She said all the active sorority members want to congratulate the new members and wish them all a wonderful experience in Greek Life. Said Bloodworth: I still remember how nervous I was, but choosing to go Greek has been one of the best choices of my life. Contact Anderson at manderson22@murraystate.edu.

Across campus
Hammack remembered at banquet
The Department of History will host the James W. Hammack, Jr. Scholarship Banquet at 7 p.m., Sept. 15, in the Curris Center Ballroom. Berry Craig III will speak at the annual Hammack Scholarship Banquet. Reservations for the dinner are $40 per person and should be reserved by Sept. 8 by calling Kay Hays at 270809-2234.

Eracer is erasing gender lines

Eracer is a registered student organization open to students with non-conformist gender identities. The group meets biweekly and does not publicize its meeting locations. If you are interested or have questions, you may contact Morgan Randall, student moderator, at mrandall1@murraystate.edu

Orville Herndon/The News

Public officials dedicate the site of the Murray State Paducah Regional Campus, at a ground breaking ceremony.