WMU celebrates day at the Capitol

(Photo courtesy of Travis Allen) President Dunn addresses WMU students and faculty at the capitol.

By Meggan Muzzell
Western Herald

Some half dozen charter buses left Kalamazoo Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. and headed for the Michigan Capitol in Lansing for the second annual WMU Day at the Capitol. Like last year’s trip, WMU day is meant to show state legislators everything the university does and stir interest.

WMU Day kicked off with the inauguration of Nate Knappen and Janine Putnam as president and vice president of the Western Student Association. Chief Justice Katie Rollert swore Knappen and Putnam in by on the steps of the State capitol.

Knappen expressed his excitement about WMU day. He said a special senate meeting was held before the start of WMU day and half of the cabinet members were confirmed. Even though Knappen was not directly involved in planning WMU Day, he hopes that WMU will get even more publicity next year.

After the inauguration, students, faculty and staff had a chance to visit the displays set up across the lawn showing off the departments and programs at Western.

Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation offered basic health screenings, measuring body mass index. Joshua Scott, a recent graduate, hopes that the screenings will “help people find a healthy zone and what they can do to get there.”

Bronson School of Nursing students showed off a new mannequin that simulates heart rates and new features to help students learn. Molly Dwyer, a nursing student, said that the mannequins “help us do a lot more in the classroom setting before we go clinical. Each one costs around $8,000, and with more funds, there would be more [mannequins] for nursing students to practice on.”
Hearing screenings were given by the Department of Speech Pathology and Auidiology.

“Legislators need to know we can treat hearing loss and that it deserves funding,” said Teresa Crumpton, master faculty specialist of speech pathology. With recent cuts in Medicaid funding, Crumpton was at the Capitol to stress the importance of access to better hearing care.

The College of Aviation had an airplane on display that people could step into and see the controls.

“One look is worth a thousand words,” said Dave Powell, dean of the college. “This plane gives people a visual of what we do, and we are leaders in what we do.”

Joshua Jackson, an aviation student, said, “a few legislators that used to be naval aviators were very impressed with the program and said they will pass the word on in committee.”

Staff from the Waldo Library archives were dressed as medieval knights and civil war soldiers to advertise original manuscripts that the library has in their archives.

There was a showcase for the Department of Archeological featuring artifacts from Fort St.Joseph, a fort near Niles, MI that had been abandoned since 1781 until WMU archeologists began digging in 1998.

“We want to show people we work hard and are involved with the community and the site,” said Tori Hawley, an archaeology student. On display were 18th century deer bones, pieces of ceramics, jewelry, and coins from the dig.

The College of Engineering and Applied Sciences had many different displays from their respective departments. The Sunseeker ‘05, which runs off batteries fully charged by solar power and built by engineering students, was parked on the lawn.

President Dunn gave a short speech after a group photo of the WMU participants in matching gold shirts. He advised everyone to visit the booths, shake hands, and show off the university. He was prideful in talking about WMU from the orientation leaders, who sang the fight song on the Capitol steps, to the environmental initiates the university is putting into place.

Lygia Mueller, an international graduate student, bought her brother who was visiting from Germany.

“This was a chance to show my brother what Western is about,” she said.

President Dunn felt that WMU Day was certainly a success. He thought the addition of music and entertainment on the Capitol steps was a great addition. He attributed the success of this year’s event to the talented theatre and music students taking the stage, more exhibits, and more people present.

President Dunn realizes that there is lack of revenue in Michigan but is not discouraged.

“The W stands for WMU, not for whining,” he said. “We want to show that this is a great school and we are proud”.

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on May 27 2009. Filed under Breaking, Campus, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
Web Manager: I'm a Communication Student at WMU, a SCUBA Diver, Boater, Ordained Minister, Notary Public, Web Designer, Film Maker, DJ, and of course a Journalist. Born and raised in Port Huron, MI and a graduate of SC4. http://www.codykimball.com