NEWS

New Dean has big Plans for Business
David LaPell, JR | Staff Reporter

 The construction of the new business building is only the beginning of a brighter future for the College of Business Administration here at Midwestern State University.  To continue on the path to this prospective future, the school has also brought on a new dean.  Since his arrival in July of 2005, Anthony F. Chelte has been a leading force in the business school’s continuing development.    
Chelte was born and raised in Springfield, Mass. and moved around quite a bit prior to coming to MSU.  After high school he became involved with Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) in Danbury, Conn.
“I helped the Spanish-speaking and African-American communities initiate, develop and implement the Forward Action Federal Credit Union so as to create a local base of financing for home mortgages, auto loans, and other activities,” Chelte stated in an E-mail. “In addition, we also helped this community develop and sustain a food cooperative so as to maximize their purchasing power and reduce their costs.” 
After his year of service with VISTA, he earned his Bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.  He went on to earn his Master’s degree from Western Washington University and finally, his PhD from the University of Massachusetts.
Over the course of 23 years, Chelte worked in a variety of different places, and in several fields.   He taught at Holyoke Community College and continued to teach for twelve years at New England College in the school of business.  He was a full-time professor as well as a chairperson of management. 
Outside of being an educator, Chelte was a consultant with various companies, including some Fortune 500 companies and independently owned businesses.  He was also an arbitrator and mediator for the United States Postal Service.   Eventually, his work brought him to MSU.
Chelte’s belief is the continued success of the College of Business is not based upon just one man.  It is the work of all of the faculty and staff. 
“The faculty doesn’t need management.  My job as the dean is to provide them with the support and resources they need to successfully obtain their goals and the goals of this department,” Chelte said.
He said the success of the college and the continuation of its growth are achieved through everyone being a team and having a shared vision of the future.
In just two months of being at MSU, Chelte has assisted in the modification of different areas of the curriculum.  In addition, a mission statement has been adopted and they have developed, passed and implemented a new five-year plan that will carry the college through the 2009-2010 school year. 
Chelte has also delegated authority to the chairpersons of the departments, enabling them to make decisions for their areas to enhance each department’s growth.  
“I would like to see Midwestern State University become the center of excellence in business education and service,” Chelte said.
Currently, the school is waiting to be accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB International), which is the premier accrediting body for schools of business worldwide.  With only one-third of U.S. colleges being accredited, it would be a great honor for MSU.  
Chelte also hopes to continue to heighten quality of the MBA program.  In addition, he will enhance student placement and internship opportunities.  Chelte would like to see the development of an Alumni Advisory Council to establish stronger relationships with the alumni.  He also spoke of having a student advisory so the students may give input as well. 
Chelte said the College of Business Administration would not have its strength if it not for the support of the community, and the team of educators working in the college. 
“We have a wonderful team here who gives significant intellectual contributions to this program.  They care about the students and about developing and strengthening partnerships with the local community,” Chelte said.
Chelte said the College of Business Administration is mission driven and they are focused on expanding the college and continuing the growth in the quality of students’ education. 


University offers Affordable Health Care at Vinson Clinic
Cassie Daley | Staff Reporter

An Emergency Room visit, without health insurance starts out at $1487.15, and goes up from there. A typical prescription usually runs around $130 for 30 pills. It is definitely not a small price to pay to not have health insurance.
Knowledge is the best suit of armor in protecting yourself against the insensitive and extremely disconcerting price tag of healthcare. As a student it is important to know what your options are before you get sick or hurt, in order to make better decisions while you’re under the pressure of these conditions.
One option for students is Vinson Health Center located on Hampstead and Tomahawk Dr.
“We are what you could call an acute care clinic,” said Peggy Boomer the Director of Student Health Services. “We see illnesses and accidents and we only see MSU students”
The Vinson Health Center is a small building that is often overlooked, and sometimes over visited.
“This is a busy, busy, busy little clinic….probably one of the busiest in town.
We do immunizations, we do well-woman exams, we do STD testing and treatment,” Boomer said.
The Vinson Health Clinic is usually busiest around this time of year. According to Boomer. They usually see about 30-40 students a day right now they have been seeing up to 80 students a day. A lot of those students need immunizations for sports and campus programs.
“Now we’re tracking over 1,500 students for immunizations,” Boomer said.
The Vinson health clinic may not be perfect, but it’s convenient and it makes life easier for students who take advantage of it. They never have to pay to see the doctor, they have an initial $15 credit, and everything that students do pay for, they pay at the schools cost rather than a retail price.
“We have a cold pack that’s popular with the students, it’s got Tylenol or Advil its got cough syrup, cough drops throat lozenges and that’s nine dollars…and we write it off,” Boomer said.
Many illnesses call for prescription medicine, or a form of specialized treatment; both of which can be startlingly expensive. Not to fear, the clinic has taken out contracts with Trott’s Drug, Clinics of Northwest Texas, and the Kell West Clinic, so that students can receive meds and treatment without receiving a crippling bill.
“What Trotts does is if you show them your ID card, it is like showing them an insurance card,” Boomer said. “The difference is one kid went to a brand X (pharmacy) and got his prescription and he was calling us and telling us it was real expensive, it was $78. So I called Trotts and I said ‘what would this have been at Trotts’ and it was $5 at Trotts. It’s a major difference.”
Although MSU students may be well taken care of, Vincent Health Clinic is definitely not equipped to deal with everything – especially emergencies.
“It’s called 9-1-1we are not an emergency clinic. We are not set up to respond to emergency. Everyone on campus is advised; if you are not able to seek medical treatment on your own it is an emergency. And students need to call 9-1-1,” Boomer said.
This presents another problem for many college students, what about emergency visits, or the onset of an unforeseen major illness? Many college students don’t have health insurance, and these are very real fears and concerns. 
“Most of the students are really healthy but the truth is you’re never immune to having a catastrophic illness either,” Boomer said. “And if you go and you come down with something that’s just really unforeseen you’re going to cause a huge burden on your parents or someone to get you through it. It’s a very difficult thing to not have health insurance. It’s kind of scary.”
Nothing in life is free, but even still, there is hope. MSU does offer a relatively affordable health insurance plan through Academic Health Plans. With this health insurance plan, students have the option of choosing almost any doctor in town, and being covered. Students also have coverage for things like, hospitalization, emergency room visits, X-rays, long-term (if not related to a pre-existing condition) treatment, and prescriptions.
“Most of the people seem pretty happy, and I think the confidence is building,” said Boomer, a constant advocate for health insurance. “For several years we had a different plan with a different company and we had a lot of trouble getting them to pay, but we’ve had really good results with this one.”
There is more information about this health insurance plan offered on the MSU website.
One last option that students and parents have to ensure that they will be covered for medical treatment is the “Cobra” system.
A group plan is, in fact, the most complete coverage you can get. It is also a well-known fact that most college students are dropped off their parent’s insurance by the age of 23-25.
If you “Cobra” a family insurance plan, you may have to pay more per year, but you will be allowed all of the same privileges of your parents’ health insurance plan. There is only a certain amount of time after the insurance runs out, that students are allowed to take this kind of plan out.
For more information about the Cobra option students can contact their current health insurance carrier. 


Deadline for Graduation Looms
Davis LaPell Jr | Staff Reporter

The time is quickly approaching that all seniors are waiting for, graduation. However, before they can walk the stage, there are a few items that need to be addressed. Seniors expecting to graduate in December must first apply for graduation by October 3. Before applying, seniors need to go to their advisor and get a copy of their completed degree plan. From there, seniors must pick up an application from the registrar’s office. There is a $20 fee students need to pay at the registrar’s office in addition to applying. After paying the fee and submitting the application, the registrar will run a class audit to make sure the student has completed all of the classes required to graduate. The audit can take approximately three to five weeks to complete, so students should make their applications early to get the results back faster.
If everything goes well, the last item will be to check into the financial aid office. If a student has received student loans anytime during their college years, they are required to attend a session on loan consolidation and repayment before they are allowed to graduate. Courses will be on Oct 12, Nov 16, Dec 1 and Dec 14 at 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
October 17 is the deadline for early registration for graduation in May. Febuary 20 is the actual deadline for May graduation.