Missouri Southern State University - Crossroads Yearbook (Joplin, MO)

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Foundation meets challenge and exceeds goal of major fund drive February marked the beginning of a new annual event at Southern. The Missouri Southern Founda¬ tion hosted the first annual Phon-A- Thon this year. The event began February 20 and continued until March 3. Preparation began back in August of 1982. Sue Billingsly, director of the Missouri Southern Foundation and Kreta Gladden, director of Alumni Affairs began compiling a mailing list of approximately 5,000 names. Official Phon-A-Thon stationary, envelopes, pledge cards and the cer¬ tificates of appreciation were design¬ ed by Gwen Hunt, director of Public Information, and Mary Anderson, secretary to Mrs. Hunt. Volunteers were asked to aid in the calling for pledges, addressing envelopes and to help in the canteen. Some 200 volunteers were on hand to donate their time. Tri State Motor Transit donated the first gift. This “kick-off’ ’ dona¬ tion for the campaign was $2,000. The check was awarded to Dr. Julio Leon, president of the college, by Harold Nickels, president of Tri State and George Boyd, Sr. Kenny Bowman and Gilbert Roper were appointed to co-chair the Phon-A-Thon. Their responsibilities included promotion, motivating volunteers, confirming that callers and captains would be there, and keeping a daily tally of pledges. Greg Fisher, one of the first students to graduate with a com¬ munications degree, wrote and per¬ formed the song “Southern’s Special’’. Fisher wrote the song himself but in arranging the music Melissa Perry worked on the basic chords. Debbie Gipson did the final arrangement and sang harmony. Olivia Combs was the pianist and Casey McGinty was the guitarist and third vocalist. The $35,000 goal was reached just one week after the first call was made. By the end of the drive they nearly doubled their goal. A final total of $75,467.90 was pledged. “All of this would not have been possible without the help of Dr. Leon, Mr. Richard Massa, Gwen Hunt, Mary Anderson, Debbie Cable,Pat Kluthe, and the maintenance crew. They’ve all spent much of their personal time helping with the drive.” 1

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“One broken arm is better than two.” This was the comment of one Missouri state college president after being notified that the budget cuts to higher education for Fiscal Year 1983 would be “only” five per cent in total. This typified the year as one of struggle—“belt-tightening” and budget slicing—for Missouri colleges and universities, as well as for the state as a whole. Three per cent of the budget is always witheld after the passage of the appropriations bill, Dr. Julio Leon, President of Missouri Southern, told the College Board of Regents in September. “In early August we received word from the governor that the funds would not be released,” said Leon. By “asking every budgetary unit to cut eight per cent” Leon said the major portion of the $194,000 cut (three per cent witholding) would be borne, but he said that there would still be a “shortage” that would have to be covered. A shortage of some $100,000. And even before a decision could be made as to where the additional cutbacks to Southern’s budget would be made more statewide cuts were initiated. Missouri Gov. Christopher Bond announced in a statewide broadcast on Oct. 4 that a further reduction of $90 million in the state’s budget would transfer into a two per cent budget cut to state higher education instituions. For Southern this meant an additional slicing of $123,330 from the College budget. Southern’s deans described the “budget cutting” in various ways, but the general feel¬ ing was that the budgets had been lean from the beginning. Dr. Michael Land, dean of the School of Education and Psychology said “I don’t think we can cut the individual budgets anymore without effecting quality.” “In my opinion,” said Dr. John Tiede, interim dean of the School of Business Ad¬ ministration during the cutbacks, “is that the last two years we have cut everything to the bone.” James K. Maupin, dean of the School of Technology, said, “We were, of course, on a very austere budget. All departments realized this and were conservative in their purchases to an extraordinary degree. It was necessary for them to use what they normally reserve and carry over tor the next year.” “If we are subjected to additional cuts,” said Dr. Ray Malzahn, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, “I don’t see how the operating budget can be further reduced. It’s already just skin and bones.” And the states budget problems seemed to center around an overly optomistic revenue projection by the State’s Budget and Planning Division and then the General Assembly budget committees, said Mel Carnahan, state treasurer. “‘People receipts aren’t coming in on your present year,’ is what we were telling them,” Carnahan said, as he described the situation during the budgeting process for the 1983 fiscal year. Carnahan described general revenues for the months of July and August as “disasterous” while September revenues came “more in line with what the administra¬ tion had hoped for this fiscal year.” Although general revenues for the remaining months of FY 83 came in stronger , this increase was not enough to offset the effects of the “disasterous” months. And the only bright spot on the year was in relation to the $600 million bond issue which Missouri voters approved in June. The first issuance of these bonds was a $75 million portion of which Southern was allocated $285,000. Of this figure $185,000 went for installation of an elevator in the Phinney Recital Hall Music Building in order to make the Hall more accesible to the handicapped. “Emergency priority” was given to the College’s request of $62,000 to repair ventilation systems in Reynolds Hall as recommended by the North Central Association in the spring of 1982. And this allocation also came from the $285,000. Finally, $38,000 was included for the painting of the interior in four buildings on cam¬ pus. All of these projects were to be completed in FY 84. 7

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SowHerrfil opccial jj A + ' j Even though they already support the College with their fees, students contributed to the Phon-a-thon with their own fund drive . Daphne Massa, left and Lynn Iliff, right manned the fishbowl The highlight of the ‘kick off coffee for phon-a-thon workers was the premier of the song Southern’s Special written by Greg Fisher, center, singing with Debbie Gipson and Casey McGinty. On the piano was Olivia Coombs.