SOUTHEAST UNIVERSITY'S NEW COMMON HOUR SLOW TO CATCH ON

Southeast Missouri State University's Common Hour is anything but common practice for most students.

Few students attend the Wednesday noon-time events. The Common Hour was started this fall to reach out to students, faculty and staff.

Since the start of the fall semester in late August, there have been four Common Hour events: The first two -- a back-to-school pep rally and a political debate -- each drew about 250 people.

There were 140 at two concurrent programs Sept. 11.

About 800 people attended astronaut Linda Godwin's lecture Sept. 18 at the Show Me Center. But most of them were area elementary and secondary schoolchildren, university officials said.

About 300 Southeast students, faculty and staff attended the Godwin lecture.

The Common Hour events have attracted about 150 to 200 students on average, said Jason Lane, Student Government president.

Lane and others want more students to attend. But Lane said Common Hour is doing well for a new program.

The university has budgeted $10,000 for publicity and other expenses for Common Hour. Additional expenses are borne by university departments and student groups that sponsor various speakers and events.

Those students that attend Common Hour events enjoy them, Lane said.

The program was suggested last year by student leaders, who wanted a way to involve commuter students in campus life.

Dr. Bill Atchley, former president at Southeast, enthusiastically supported the idea and pushed its creation.

His successor, Dr. Dale Nitzschke, also likes the program as a way to strengthen the campus community. But Nitzschke said it takes time to change campus habits.

"What it represents is a little bit of an attempt to change the culture of the institution, and that comes very, very slowly," he said.

He said the university must experiment with different programs to see what lectures or events are most popular with the campus community.

"I still bump into students as I traverse the campus who frankly don't even know about the Common Hour yet," he said.

The university has scheduled few classes during the Common Hour so that students have an opportunity to attend.

But many students prefer to eat lunch, study and hang out with their friends over the noon hour.

A group of Southeast students from Jackson could be found doing just that Wednesday at the University Center.

They said they have better things to do than attend Common Hour events.

"It is a bad time," said Shawna Mattmiller, a junior. "You want to eat lunch."

Students and others can bring bag lunches to the Common Hour programs, but most don't know it.

"We haven't advertised that. We recognize it is a barrier and we are in the process of getting that word out," said Pam Person of the student-affairs office.

Person coordinates Common Hour.

She said students can obtain bag lunches from the university's food services company, Sodexho. But those have to be ordered in advance, Person said.

The Godwin lecture was held at the Show Me Center. Mark Seabaugh, a junior from Jackson, said students didn't want to walk to the far north end of the campus to attend a lecture.

Seabaugh attended because his technology class teacher required students to attend.

Person said Godwin originally was scheduled to speak at Academic Hall, but had to be moved because of a scheduling conflict.

Plans were made to move the lecture to the University Center, which is the student center on campus. But it was moved to the Show Me Center to accommodate the large crowd of elementary and high-school classes, she said.

Most of the remaining Common Hour programs will be in Academic Hall. None of the remaining events are slated for the Show Me Center.

Even then, many students simply don't want to attend.

Sarah Rodgers, a freshman from Advance, commutes to the campus three days a week.

Rodgers said she prefers studying for her classes over the lunch hour.

The Common Hour has little attraction to junior J.J. Wiseman of Jackson. "I think it is kind of useless," he said.

His friend, senior Keenan Kinder of Jackson, said he probably would attend only if Elvis returned from the grave for a final concert.

Kinder said he and other students benefit from the Common Hour even if they don't attend.

"You have an hour and a half off and you can hang out with some of your friends," he said.

Students like freshman Tori Allen of Jackson said they couldn't attend Common Hour events even if they wanted to.

Allen has a part-time job that requires her to start work at noon.

The university has a handful of classes that meet over the noon hour on Wednesday. Students in those classes can't attend Common Hour events unless they skip class.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Oct. 2 Emil Weis Lecture

Presented by Dr. Wayne Fields of Washington University, author of "Union of Words: A History of Presidential Eloquence."

-- University Center Ballroom

Oct. 9 Concurrent sessions

So you want a job? What employers expect of you.

Panel discussion including business owners and managers.

-- Dempster Hall Auditorium

DancExpressions

Performed by Southeast students and members of VisualRhythms, a Texas dance company.

-- Academic Auditorium

Oct. 16 Club/group programs

Oct. 23 Screenplays: From Script to Screen

Billie Letts, Southeast alumna, is author of short stories, screenplays and a novel, "Where the Heart Is." Dennis Letts is a screenplay writer and former Southeast English professor.

-- University Center Ballroom.

Oct. 30 The National Election

Professor Russell Renka of Southeast's political science department will forecast the presidential race and others.

-- Academic Auditorium

Nov. 6 Concurrent sessions

Stage combat demonstrations

Southeast Swords, a club will present short fight scenes and use audience members to demonstrate armed and unarmed combat techniques for the stage.

-- Rose Theatre

Career Services for College of Science and Technology

-- Rhodes Hall, room 121

Student Open Forum

Student Government representatives will solicit suggestions.

-- Academic Auditorium

Nov. 13 Jack Winfield Ross

Ross is an inspirational speaker, nature photographer and writer from Nashville.

-- Academic Auditorium.

Nov. 20 Club/group programs.

Dec. 4 University Jazz Band

- Academic Auditorium