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Clif’s Notes for Aug. 11, 2020

August 11, 2020 by Clif Smart

An aerial view of Carrington Hall at sunset.

In lieu of our traditional all-faculty luncheon, Dr. Frank Einhellig, Dr. Cameron Wickham and I will host an all-faculty Welcome Back Webinar at 11 a.m. this Thursday (Aug. 13).

Wes Pratt, Dr. Lyle Foster and Dr. Judith Martinez will discuss the challenges facing our university, our community and our country regarding racial equity, police brutality and social justice. Dr. Einhellig and I will also provide important updates and information about university policies and best practices as we start the academic year in a complicated environment.

Board approves masking policy

The Board of Governors met last week. It discussed masking on campus and adopted a masking policy for the fall semester. Under this policy:

  • Masking will be required in all buildings on campus except while eating in a dining hall, while inside residential rooms or apartments, and while exercising at indoor exercise facilities.
  • Employees are not required to wear masks in their own private offices.
  • Exceptions may be granted by the provost for classes where masking is infeasible.

This decision was supported by faculty, staff and students at last week’s town hall meetings. When polled, faculty and staff chose this option with 85% of the vote and students chose this option with 72% of the vote.

Expansive COVID-19 online resources available now

I also provided the board with an overview of our isolation, quarantine and contact tracing plans for the fall semester and our new COVID-19 Information Center website.

We have established a COVID-19 Response Team and staffed it with healthcare and public health professionals. When a student, faculty or staff member tests positive or has been exposed to someone with COVID-19, the team will advise them on how to isolate or quarantine, trace their contacts and inform others who may have been in close contact that they must also quarantine.

The COVID-19 Response Team will also answer questions members of the university community have about whether they should quarantine, whether they should be tested for COVID-19 and similar topics.

We have also redesigned our COVID-19 website into a functional information center and added substantially more information to it. It focuses on providing information members of the campus community need as they encounter pandemic-related situations throughout the semester.

Our new Return to Campus Guide is also part of the new website. The guide has been updated to include significantly more detail than the version published earlier this summer. It includes information like:

  • What to do if you have COVID-19 symptoms.
  • What to do if you test positive for COVID-19.
  • What to do if you have been told to quarantine or have had close contact with someone who has COVID-19.
  • When can you return to campus if you tested positive or were exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

The website also includes Frequently Asked Questions that flesh out the information in the Return to Campus Guide. It includes answers to questions about situations we expect to play out multiple times throughout the semester.

I encourage you to take some time to review the COVID-19 Information Center, the Return to Campus Guide and the Frequently Asked Questions. Feel free to refer students and others to these resources as the fall semester starts and we return to campus.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

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

Balancing rights and responsibilities when our values are offended

June 2, 2020 by Clif Smart

University seal surrounded by flowers

During the past weeks and months, disturbing, racially charged situations and tragic deaths have occurred across the U.S. – including Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Christian Cooper and most recently George Floyd. We are now witnessing protests in cities across the U.S., some of which have been marked by violence.

On our own campus we also recently experienced the impact of racially charged posts on social media made by incoming freshmen.

One student posted a disturbing video to My Story on Snapchat. A person in the My Story group re-posted it on Twitter. Perhaps the intent of the video can be debated. Its impact cannot.

Another student used an offensive racial slur while engaging in a social media exchange with a black student from her high school.

Many of you have reached out to share the hurt, anger and disbelief you experienced upon watching the video. It demonstrates a disturbing lack of empathy and respect for the death of Mr. Floyd, his family and others who have suffered similarly while in police custody.

Many others have expressed anger and disbelief at the nature and tone of the hurtful social media posts.

After seeing these social media posts and viewing the video, I, too, was horrified. My first impulse was to rescind the offer of admission to these students. But then I was reminded of a couple of things.

Missouri State University is a public university with a public affairs mission.

As a public university we are legally required to uphold the principles of free speech embodied in the First Amendment to the Constitution. The video – as hurtful, insensitive and offensive as it is – is protected by the First Amendment, as was the language in the social media posts.

I will admit that it was tempting to ignore the First Amendment in this case. Doing so would violate our legal obligations but, more importantly, it would effectively prevent the university from accomplishing its mission.

Missouri State has a responsibility to educate students on the three pillars of our public affairs mission – ethical leadership, community engagement and cultural competence. The video and the social media posts clearly reveal that these students – and, let’s be honest, many of us – are in desperate need of education, training and experiences that will help us develop cultural consciousness as well as cultural competence.

We cannot expect or require that students come to us fully formed, possessing all of the skills and characteristics that exemplify Citizen Scholars. It is our job and our duty to help them develop these traits through education and exposure.

Recognizing the impact of the video and the social media post, these students have chosen to withdraw from the university. We had planned to allow them to join our campus community in the fall, knowing that this decision would be ridiculed, questioned and second-guessed. But it was under the conditions that they participate in additional education and training to assist them in both understanding the impact of their actions and in developing cultural competence.

Social media is rife with opportunities to damage reputations or hurt thousands of people with one statement or one video. It is important that we are all mindful of its impact and if we choose to participate, to think very carefully before we post.

As one might expect, these students have been bombarded with hate, ridicule and even death threats. Both are 18 years old. While they displayed poor judgement, they don’t deserve to have their lives threatened.

As a university, we are acutely aware that many of our incoming students of all backgrounds may have made poor choices when posting on social media when they were teenagers. These are formative years when people change and grow. As a university, we are not going to police everyone’s social media accounts. We legally cannot and, in my opinion, should not bar a student from entry for offensive comments posted as an adolescent. I believe in grace, redemption and the probability that a college education can change people for the better. It did me.

That being said, we will continue to educate our students on the three pillars of our public affairs mission. And given the current environment, we will continue to give special emphasis to the awareness, knowledge and skills required to be culturally competent in a global society and world.

Thank you for all you do for Missouri State.

Clif

Filed Under: Smart Tagged With: Smart

2019 State of the University address

October 4, 2019 by Clif Smart

Clif Smart and Frank Einhellig answer questions at the 2017 address

Clif Smart and Frank Einhellig will present the State of the University address at 12:15 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, in the Plaster Student Union Theater.

You can view the livestream video here.

Supplemental resources

  • Presentation slides
  • Action Plan for 2019-20
  • Full Speech Text

 

Asking questions

During the speech, President Smart and Provost Einhellig will accept questions in person and online:

  • Tweet with hashtag #MSUChat

Broadcast information

For those who cannot attend in person, the speech will air at 7 p.m. Oct 7 on KSMU and 8 p.m. Oct. 10 on Ozarks Public Television.missouri-state-state-of-the-unversity-2018-presentation sotu-2019-sgf-final

Filed Under: 2019, Presentations, Smart Tagged With: Einhellig, Smart, State of the University Address

2018 State of the University address

August 31, 2018 by Clif Smart

Clif Smart and Frank Einhellig answer questions at the 2017 address

Clif Smart and Frank Einhellig will present the State of the University address at 12:15 p.m. Monday, Oct. 1, 2018, in the Plaster Student Union theater. The Medical Plan Town Hall will follow the address.

Supplemental resources

  • Presentation slides
  • Action Plan for 2018-19
  • Full speech text

Asking questions

During the speech, President Smart and Provost Einhellig will accept questions in person and online:

  • Tweet with hashtag #MSUChat

Broadcast information

For those who cannot attend in person, the speech will air at 7 p.m. Oct. 1 on KSMU and 8 p.m. Oct. 4 on Ozarks Public Television.

Filed Under: 2018, Presentations, Smart Tagged With: Einhellig, Smart, State of the University Address

Missouri House of Representatives recommends budget restoration

March 27, 2018 by Clif Smart

Missouri capitol building against a blue sky

Missouri State University would like to acknowledge the work and support of legislators in the Missouri House of Representatives for recognizing the value and impact of higher education to the state.

Restoration of the budget cuts will ensure students continue to have the opportunity to obtain an affordable quality education. If Missouri State receives the appropriations included in the House budget, tuition for in-state undergraduate students will increase by only 1 percent for next academic year.

Special thanks to Rep. Todd Richardson (Speaker of the House), Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick (Chair of the House Budget Committee), and the Springfield business community for your continued support of higher education.

Filed Under: Financial Outlook, Legislative Session, Smart Tagged With: budget, legislative priorities, Smart, students, tuition

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