FHSU University Relations

For a third year, Fort Hays State University has been selected as a National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Lead Initiative institution for its work over the past year and for its plans for the coming year to create opportunities for students to engage in the civic life of the campus and community.

Promoting civic learning and engagement as a major component of higher education is a key mission of NASPA, the primary association for professionals in student affairs. The association provides programs, services and learning experiences to help its members promote learning and student success in their institutions.

“To be a part of the Lead Initiative,” said Brett Bruner, director of persistence and retention at FHSU, “you have to document what you have done this past year and what you plan to do in the coming year to promote civic engagement as a core function of your institution.”

FHSU joins about 100 other institutions in the Lead Initiative for 2014-2015.

Bruner said the Division of Student Affairs took recommendations from the university’s Civic Learning and Community Engagement Task Force and applied them in its work over the previous year.

The main initiatives undertaken by FHSU:

• Created a new module on civic engagement for the Freshman Seminar course;
• Developed a civic engagement curriculum for Tiger[Link];
• Highlighted “serviceships,” an initiative of Vice President for Student Affairs Tisa Mason which provides funding to enable students to give a summer of service; and
• Institutionalized and expanded on recommendations from the task force and applied them to Student Affairs.

The task force was led by Dr. Curt Brungardt, director of the university’s Center for Civic Leadership and Omer G. Voss Distinguished Professor of Leadership Studies, and Dr. Jill Arensdorf, chair of the Department of Leadership Studies.

FHSU has two duties in the coming year as a NASPA Lead Institution:

• For one week, FHSU will run the Lead Initiative blog, filing updates on what kind of measures FHSU is taking to promote civic engagement.
• FHSU will conduct an educational workshop sharing FHSU’s story at one of the coming year’s NASPA conferences.

“One of the new pieces this year is collaboration and idea sharing with other institutions,” Bruner said. NASPA groups similar institutions, and over the year a group’s members meet quarterly, either in person or electronically, to share ideas about engaging students in the life of their campuses and communities.

“This recognition is of the whole institution,” Bruner said. “Many people all across campus contributed to the effort.”

Mostly sunny conditions with highs in 80s can be expected today through the weekend period. The lows each night will be in the upper 50s to lower 60s. The chance for showers and thunderstorms will return to western Kansas late Monday as an upper level trough crosses the central Rockies.

Today Sunny, with a high near 83. South wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 13 to 18 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 59. South southeast wind 10 to 13 mph.
Saturday Sunny, with a high near 83. Breezy, with a south wind 8 to 13 mph increasing to 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon.
Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60. South southeast wind 9 to 17 mph.
Sunday Sunny, with a high near 84. Breezy, with a south wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60.
Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 83.

Beginning Friday, railroad work is expected to snarl traffic in Hays.

From Friday to Sunday, the Vine Street railroad crossing at Eighth Street will be completely closed in both directions as Union Pacific works on the crossing surface.

Through traffic will be detoured around Hays on the U.S. 183 Bypass, while local traffic will be detoured to the Allen Street crossing.

On Monday and Tuesday, repairs will close the Oak Street crossing completely in both directions, as well.

The work is part of a series of four crossing resurfacing projects between Salina and Hays, according to UP spokesman Mark Davis, noting the investment for all four surfaces is $279,000.

By NICK BUDD
Hays Post

As he stepped up to speak, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran called the lecture hall at Hays High School “an intimidating environment.”

“I’ve never felt very comfortable in that environment,” Moran said. “I think it’s important for me as an elected official to make sure I know what’s going on in classrooms and that I give students the chance to talk to somebody who has something to say about their future.”

The first-term Republican senator made another trip to western Kansas on Thursday morning where his agenda began at Hays High School in front of Zach Butte’s Current Issues Class where Moran talked about a variety of issues, including his committee assignments, the role of the government, and topics related to his position as a senator.

In a way, it was another chance for Moran to visit his home area again.

“I married a girl from Kansas City, and I couldn’t get her to live in my hometown of Plainville, so Hays became our home for nearly 30 years,” said Moran, who recently relocated to Manhattan.

One of the main talking points during Thursday morning’s discussion were the attacks against Islamic State militants and the bill passed by the government to help train Syrian rebels to fight against the terrorist group. Both Moran and Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., voted against the bill.

“I’m supportive of the use of our Air Force and the destruction of their refineries,” Moran said, adding he was concerned “President Obama is trying to portray this as something that can be accomplished easily without sacrifice or loss of life. … I think that’s a mistake.”

Moran also expressed concerns with training Syrian rebels, noting at some point, the skills and technology could be used against the United States.

Students questioned Moran about the government’s role in the education sector and whether it was helping or hurting the educational system.

“I have a middle-class background. I went to school using scholarships, loans and by working,” Moran said. “I think student loans are helping. They’re creating a better opportunity for somebody to pursue an education even though your personal or family finances might not allow for that.

“But, we’ve done nothing to deal with the lack of jobs. So you can go out and get a student loan and, after you graduate, you have to pay that money back. The chances of finding a job that will pay sufficient amount of income to pay back that loan … that’s a challenge,” he added. “While I don’t consider education as a right, I consider it as a responsibility on both my part and yours. While it’s your responsibility to  get an education, it’s my responsibility to make sure you have the opportunity to get an education.”

The junior senator also serves as the chair of the Republican National Senatorial Committee. According to their website, the RNSC “is the only organization solely devoted to electing Republicans to the United States Senate.” During this election year, the Republicans need six more seats to gain control of both houses. Two of the closest races are here in the region in Colorado and Kansas. In Colorado , the incumbent, Mark Udall faces Tea Party Republican Cory Gardner and, in Kansas, longtime Sen. Pat Roberts faces a tougher-than-expected race against independent Greg Orman.

But, Moran said the race isn’t about one party gaining control.

“The issues that I campaigned on and the things I told Kansans I would work on … will not get addressed because of the way the United States Senate is run today,” Moran said. “Sen. Harry Reid has really decided that we’re not going to do anything. My efforts here are going to be emphasized toward changing the majority of the Senate so we have a new majority leader and we can get the Senate back to working to solve the country’s problems.”

For more on Moran’s visit, check out Hays Post News, airing at 6 and 10 p.m. on Eagle Channel 14.