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Clif’s Notes for Aug. 23, 2022

August 23, 2022 by Clif Smart

Group of Missouri State students at URSA experience.

Welcome to Missouri State University.

If you are new to campus, I look forward to connecting with you. Feel free to tweet at me (my Twitter handle is @clifsmart) or stop me on the sidewalk and introduce yourself.

I hope you were able to enjoy some of our Welcome Weekend activities as students moved into residence halls and began forming lifelong relationships with one another. We had an excellent New Student Convocation presentation on Sunday by our very own Paige Oxendine — assistant director at the efactory and former MSU student body president.

The next several weeks will provide many opportunities to be engaged on campus:

  • We will dedicate Heitz House — the new residence hall at Holland and Madison — at 2 p.m. today.
  • We will host a Multicultural Networking Reception at 6 p.m. tomorrow in the Davis-Harrington Welcome Center.
  • Next Wednesday, Aug. 31, we will greet our new students with House Calls at 5:15 p.m. You may sign up online.
  • We will dedicate the renovated Kampeter Health Sciences Hall at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 6.
  • We will cheer on our Bears at the first home football game on Sept. 8. Tailgating in Bearfest Village will start around 5 p.m. The game is scheduled for kickoff at 7 p.m.

Other campus events can be found on the calendar of events.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Filed Under: Clif's Notes, Smart Tagged With: football, New Student Convocation

Clif’s Notes for July 28, 2020

July 28, 2020 by Clif Smart

Aerial of Carrington seal in quad area

Last week I presented a draft masking policy for you to review and asked you to send me your feedback.

I received considerable feedback. Some individuals believe the policy is too lenient. Others believe the policy is too strict.

In response to the feedback I received, we have implemented a change to the draft policy.

The policy you reviewed last week did not permit faculty to wear plastic shields instead of a mask when teaching. The policy now permits faculty to wear face shields provided they are able to maintain at least six feet of distance from all students.

As a result of the feedback, I have also asked our general counsel to prepare an alternative masking policy for the board to consider at their August meeting. This alternative would require masks to be worn more broadly throughout campus.

I will seek your input on this matter again at our next town hall meeting (set for 10 a.m. — noon Aug. 5). As I have promised, we will continue to update policy recommendations based on input and current conditions.

Testing policy

We have also completed our draft COVID-19 testing policy. This policy makes testing available on campus for individuals with coronavirus symptoms who have been assessed by a physician.

It also sets out a protocol for COVID-19 testing for certain campus arrivals and through random sampling.

To remove all financial barriers, faculty, staff and students will not be charged for COVID-19 testing administered by the university.

I encourage all of you to review the policy at your convenience and send me your feedback.

Facing this together

Last week you received an email from me about our decision to transition all future SOAR sessions to a virtual format. The email noted that several SOAR leaders recently tested positive following an off-campus gathering among themselves where masking was not observed. The majority of our SOAR leaders are now under quarantine.

I want to make something very clear: I do not blame our SOAR leaders. I appreciate their willingness to wear masks during our on-campus SOAR sessions, and I recognize the difficulty they (and all of our students) face in social distancing and wearing masks as they maneuver their lives on and off-campus.

As we approach the beginning of the fall semester, it is important for all of us to recognize that our students need a campus experience that involves social contact with others. We must do all that we can to provide this experience in a safe way that observes applicable health and safety protocols.

We must also recognize that students will inevitably socialize with one another off-campus, and we must be ready to adapt our operations to address virus spikes and outbreaks throughout the semester.

This situation is also an important reminder for all students, faculty and staff of how important it is to follow guidelines to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19. Wash your hands. Socially distance. Wear a mask.

If you feel sick, seek medical assistance and get tested. If you test positive or were in close contact with someone with COVID-19, follow instructions on isolation and quarantine.

Our ability to remain open for the semester and hopefully return to “normal” in the spring is going to be greatly impacted by everyone’s cooperation in masking.

Fall sports update

Last week I met virtually with the presidents and athletic directors of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) to discuss our plans for fall sports. The MVC universities collectively decided to play only conference games and to delay the start of play to Sept. 18 for all our fall sports except football.

Football is decided by a separate conference — the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). Given the complexities surrounding football scheduling, the MVFC universities decided not to alter the football schedule at this time.

This decision will be re-evaluated closer to the start of football season in light of current information about the spread of the virus. We will coordinate with the NCAA and other football leagues.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Filed Under: Clif's Notes, Smart Tagged With: Coronavirus, football

Clif’s Notes for Jan. 21, 2020

January 21, 2020 by Clif Smart

Bobby and Becky Petrino

Last week we announced Bobby Petrino as our new head football coach.

Bobby previously served as head coach at the University of Arkansas, Western Kentucky University and University of Louisville. He has a career record of 119-56 in 14 seasons. He directed college teams to 11 bowl games and six AP top-25 finishes. He also coached Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. He is considered one of the best offensive coaches in the history of the sport.

A successful football program is important to the profile of a major public university. It also connects the university to its community. The Board of Governors and I believed we needed to make a bold hire that had a real opportunity to change the trajectory of a program which has struggled for almost three decades.

Compliance with NCAA rules and graduation rates of student athletes are equally important to success on the field. Coach Petrino has a strong record in this area as well.

Eight years ago, Coach Petrino made a series of poor decisions that resulted in his dismissal from the University of Arkansas. He has learned from that experience and people who have known him a long time say he is a changed man. He acknowledges these decisions were his responsibility, has apologized to the state of Arkansas for his failures and worked to heal the hurt within his family.

The Bears season begins with a road game at the University of Oklahoma on Sept. 5 followed by our home opener on Sept. 12 against the University of Montana.

I hope you are as excited as I am about the future of the Bears football program and will welcome Bobby and Becky Petrino to the Missouri State University family!

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Filed Under: Clif's Notes, Smart Tagged With: athletics, Board of Governors, football

Clif’s Notes for Sept. 4, 2018

September 4, 2018 by Clif Smart

Home football games and tailgating at Bearfest Village are fall traditions for our students, faculty and staff. This year, our first home football game is in the evening Sept. 6 (this Thursday) against the Lincoln University Blue Tigers.

Kickoff is at 6:05 p.m., and tailgating will start as early as 3 p.m. You can get in the football spirit before Thursday night at the fifth annual Rally in the Valley at 6 p.m. tonight in Plaster Stadium.

Minimizing disruptions

We recognize Thursday night games present disruptions on campus. This will be our only weeknight home football game this year. We have taken a number of steps to minimize disruptions. These steps include:

  • Subject to supervisory approval, all faculty and staff will be released from work at 4 p.m. on Sept. 6. Staff scheduled to work from 4 – 5 p.m. will be paid for that hour even though they will be released from work. Talk to your supervisor if you have not yet been told whether you will be released at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
  • All parking lots will be open all day Sept. 6 with only two exceptions — Lot 4 and part of Lot 22 will be closed starting at 1 p.m.

Join the festivities

Please make time to join the festivities on Thursday. A variety of campus groups will have tents at Bearfest Village, including Staff Senate, Traditions Council, International Programs and more.

For our students, we will be giving away 500 free t-shirts and free Chick-fil-A on “the Cliff” (the outdoor terrace on the east side of the stadium) on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For our faculty and staff, game and season tickets are half price. You can buy your tickets at any box office (the JQH Arena and Plaster Stadium box offices will open at 10 a.m. on game day).

Check out the full schedule for football and other athletic programs on the athletic department’s new website.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Filed Under: Clif's Notes, Smart Tagged With: football

Clif’s Notes for Aug. 30, 2016

August 30, 2016 by Clif Smart

Football spring game

Clif's Notes

The beginning of the fall semester is an exciting time at Missouri State. I hope you will read Inside Missouri State each week to stay informed about events and other happenings on campus.

Looking forward to a wonderful fall19184_1116-Clifs-Notes

We have many important events planned in the next several months, including:

  • Ozarks Celebration Festival on Sept. 9 – 11
  • Public Affairs Week on Sept. 12 – 19
  • Hunger Banquet at 5 p.m. on Sept. 12 in the PSU Ballroom
  • Civic Engagement Conference 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sept. 14 in the PSU Ballroom
  • Fall Showcase on Sept. 24
  • Homecoming activities on Oct. 10 – 15
  • Family Weekend on Oct. 28 – 30
  • Public Affairs Convocation featuring Sonia Nazario at 7 p.m. on Nov. 1 at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts
  • Veterans Day Taps Cascade at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 11 on the South Mall
  • President’s Holiday Open House at 2 p.m. on Dec. 6 in the PSU Ballroom

Support your Football Bears Sept. 1Football spring game

Home football games and tailgating at Bearfest Village are fall traditions for our students, faculty and staff. This year our first home football game is on Labor Day weekend. To allow students to attend the game and be part of Bearfest Village, we decided to schedule the game for the night of Thursday, Sept. 1.

We recognize Thursday night games present disruptions on campus. We have taken a number of steps to minimize these disruptions. These steps include:

  • Subject to supervisory approval, most faculty and staff will be released from work at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 1. Staff scheduled to work between 4 and 5 p.m. will be paid for the time they are regularly scheduled to work during that period even though they may have been released from work. Talk to your supervisor if you have not yet been told whether you will be released at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
  • All parking lots will be open all day on Thursday, Sept. 1 with only two exceptions — Lot 4 and part of Lot 22 will be closed starting at 6 a.m.

Please make time to join the festivities on Sept. 1. A variety of campus groups will have tents at Bearfest Village, including Staff Senate, Athletic Boosters, International Programs and more. Faculty and staff are encouraged to purchase tickets to eat at the alumni tent ($10 in advance and $15 at the door.

RSVP for the tailgate

After the tailgate, cheer on our Bears to victory against Southwestern College, and take in the halftime show by the Pride Marching Band. All employees get their tickets to the game for half price.

Check out the full schedule for football and other athletic programs on the athletic department’s new website.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Filed Under: Clif's Notes, Smart Tagged With: football, Smart

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