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Regents approve autism center's design and budgetFriday, September 26, 2008Members of the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents took the following action at a meeting Friday in St. Louis: * Approved the conceptual design and budget for Southeast's Autism Center for Diagnosis & Treatment. The $2.6 million, 11,582-square-foot facility will be built on the old Washington School playground. Bids are expected to be awarded in January with construction complete by August. The university, Judevine Center and Tailor Institute will jointly operate out of the center. The Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative is funding construction. * Approved a workplace violence policy prohibiting violence, harassment and weapons. * Approved the fiscal year 2010 operating budget request, which will be submitted to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. The university is seeking $113 million for general operations. It has also requested $2.1 million to cover additional health insurance, utility and student enrollment costs; $7.9 million for miscellaneous maintenance and repair projects; $1.2 million for the Caring for Missourians initiative to train more nurses; and $250,000 for Funding for Results, a grant program for faculty. In a fiscal year 2010 capital budget request, approved by regents in May, the university requested $37 million for an Applied Science Complex. The money would fund construction of an environmental science lab building and the renovation of existing but outdated science labs. The second capital request was for $29.3 million for renovating Academic Hall, followed by $25.5 million for reconfiguring Kent Library. University president Dr. Ken Dobbins acknowledged that with a tight economy, few capital requests from universities would probably be funded. * Approved parking decal rates for motorcycles and motorized scooters. Decals will cost $50 for the fall, spring, and summer semesters; $25 for either the fall or spring semester; and $10 for the summer semester. Previously, students could park motorcycles for free. Comments  Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. If you feel that a comment is offensive, please Login or Create an account first, and then you will be able to flag a comment as objectionable. Please also note that those who post comments on semissourian.com may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
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If it is likely that many new funding requests will not be filled, why not cut what you are asking for to only what is necessary instead of so many pet projects. Enhance the academic programs, not the monuments to Ken.
These morons received State funding approval to build a very much needed autism center for southeast Missouri and look where the idiots build it...one of the least accessible places in the area. The original intent that was even mentioned in this media outlet was to build the center near the new Jackson/Cape interchange so that it might be accessed by individuals and families from the entire area (Perry and St. Genevieve Counties all the way around the area down to the bootheel and over to the Poplar Bluff area). Right now, with no diagnostic center families must go to St.Louis or Columbia for expertise now they have to drive an additional 20 minutes through Cape to the least accessible side of town. Good luck finding it too. Real bright!! I'm sure there was political drama involved in the decision about where to put this center rather than thinking about the needs of the families who already have the difficulty of trying to care for a child with autism.
Why does Southeast need an autism center? Isn't this a medical diagnosis? Why isn't this being funded by the hospital? Shouldn't the funding go to one of the Universitys that offer medical degrees? Mizzou, or Washington University?
An autism diagnosis may be medical or educational. The autism center is needed in Southeast MO to provide services to help with areas of development associated with Autism (language, speech, fine motor, behavioral). It appears that this is more of a research and therapy center and not a medical facility. A child with autism will spend much more time in his/her life getting training with autism specialists than with a doctor. Be happy that Southeast is getting this center.
If you think this is being build in one of the "most inaccessible places" in Cape, you must have a hard time finding your way out to the outhouse to dunk your head in the morning. I live right next to this, and it's a perfect location, and hopefully will create some new traffic in this area besides the few people who work in the offices at the old school.