Bruge Sunset

“Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to World Travel,” a book written by travel writer, Rolf Potts, is just what the title says it is. It is jammed-packed with advice, encouragement, quotes, and practical and theoretical guidance on surviving world travel, as well as getting the best out of the experience. Potts filled the book with “do’s” and “don’ts” that every traveler should know.

Among the most prominent messages in the book is an active effort of advising against trying to “do too much,” as Potts would say. This past weekend, I believe I violated this most basic of the traveler’s tenants.

The group I went with to Belgium was made up of nine or so people. Four Americans, two Australians, a Hungarian, one English guy, and a Scottish girl. We arrived in Bruges, Belgium and walked out of the train station to a fairly normal sight—a European train station surrounded by department buildings and corporate offices—nothing out of the blue. However, after the bus ride to our hostel (St. Christopher’s Bauhaus for anyone interested; it was a fairly nice one, and cheap as well—about €16/ night), we took to the streets to see what there was to see.

Bruges Skyline

The city is called “The Venice of the North”, and as we walked past canals separating 15^th century buildings decked out in all kinds of amazing architecture referred to by Italian and Spanish terms I am not prepared to attempt to spell (I should of paid attention in Art Apprec.), we discovered why. The city was truly the most beautiful I have been to since arriving in Europe about a month and a half ago. Words truly cannot describe a place such as Bruges, Belgium.

(Side note: Go rent “In Bruges” for a good look at the city. Colin Farrell plays what can only be described as a badass. Seriously. Rent it. Or download it, whatever it is you kids do these days.)

Group photo

After a day of sight-seeing and sampling of fine Trappist and other Belgian beverages, we got a few hours of shut eye and hopped a train to Brussels, the capital city of Belgium, as well as the European Union. In Brussels we took the metro to our hostel (Van Gogh Hostel), which used to employ none other than Van Gogh himself, though I believe it was before his absinthe-fueled, ear cutting escapades of which he became famous for later.

After a short rest, it was off to explore the new city once again. Brussels’ Grote Markt, Parliament building, and the various street art and statues along the way were of particular interest to me. The only perhaps disappointing attraction we saw was the infamous Mannekan Pis, which was, literally, a foot high statue of a baby, yep, you guessed it, peeing. The fact that it was thoroughly not fame worthy notwithstanding, the Pis was, well, it brought a smile to my face in any case.

An afternoon of sightseeing, and an evening of escapades (including a trip to the infamous Delirium Café, and it’s over 2,000 kinds of beer, none more iconic than the 2 Liter “boot”), and I willfully turned in for the night and woke the next morning to one of the brightest and awful (meaning filled with awe, as opposed to something bad) mornings I have ever experienced. Once again, it is difficult to explain it in a few simple words, but it felt to me like I was breathing for the first time, if that makes any sense.

Eric Hemphill

As I walked along the streets attempting to find some coffee, I thought of all the people who had walked along the streets I then meandered through. I thought of a young Vincent Van Gogh, walking down the street by our hostel just after getting off work, towards some café or bar with a pocket full of tip money and thousands of brilliant ideas running through his head. I was captivated by thoughts like these throughout the morning, until the group was ready for our next destination—Antwerp, Belgium.

We took a train to Antwerp, a student and shopping city in the North of the country, and arrived at around noon. We spent the day walking along the cobblestone streets of the city, and enjoying Antwerp’s many cafés and restaurants. A friend of one of my travel companions acted as our “travel guide” for the day. He had lived in the city since a few months prior, and sort of knew his way around, though most of the information he told us sounded more or less like “Uh, this building is important… but I don’t remember why.”

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the city a lot, and had no qualms about knowing nothing about the city two and a half hours after arriving in it. After all, that is what Wikipedia is for. We left Antwerp and headed back to Brussels to spend the night talking, perusing through bars and clubs, and ultimately getting in touch with the city and each other in the process.

After sleeping for about four or five hours, I awoke and prepared for the train ride home, feeling tired and disillusioned, yet pretty satisfied about the way the trip went. But, after returning home, I thought about the things Potts had said about doing too much too fast. Suddenly, it seemed that the whole trip had dissolved into one long stretch of scattered memory, with no real physical location to attach them to. I found myself forgetting what church was in what town, and which restaurant we ate at was located in each town. It was a mildly depressing realization, and I resented my lack of attention to each place immediately.

It seems Mr. Potts has a great point, but surely he had to find out the hard way as well, so I think I will give it another try. I hope that next time, I don’t forget the things Rolf Potts, and other travelers like him, have said along the way. Let me paraphrase: Don’t try to do too much, because it will end up feeling like you didn’t do anything at all.

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George

Last week in my Victimology class, we discussed an interesting news article from MSNBC. Texas has increased the amount of reparations paid to prisoners who are proven innocent. Starting last week, exonerated prisoners will be paid $80,000 for every year they were imprisoned. In addition to this payment, given as a lump sum, they will also receive monthly checks of $4,000 for the rest of their lives.

My teacher brought this article up to show the class how broad and subjective the term “victim” can be. The teacher posed this question: Are these ex-cons considered victims? The class gave an immediate and resounding answer –  no. The class seemed to have very little sympathy for these prisoners-turned-millionaires. Concerns were raised about where this money was coming from, how the amounts were determined, and if there will be any oversight on how the money is spent.

But the biggest issue in my class was whether or not the ex-prisoners even deserved the money in the first place. Many seemed to think that an apology from the state and an immediate freeing from prison would be sufficient. They agreed that what had happened was regrettable, but accidents will happen and they see this program to be a sort of reward for those who did nothing to earn it. The class agreed almost unanimously that these men and women were not considered true victims.

After hearing their opinions, I was surprised to the point of being speechless. I strongly believe that those exonerated prisoners are victims, and they deserve their reparations from the state for their wrongful imprisonment.

This issue cuts deep into the core of people’s views on corrections and how prisons should be run within America.  The fact that we have anyone in prison that should not be is problem number one. Worrying about how much to pay them would come after the fact.

Our corrections system is built around the idea of justice; innocent until proven guilty with the opportunity for redemption and a second chance. When we wrongfully imprison someone, whatever the reason, we are breaking that golden rule. This is not justice.

I can still recall the first thing I learned in criminology class: it is better to let 10 guilty men go free than let one innocent man get punished. 10, 20, 200, it does not matter the number: the focus is on that one innocent person was stripped of their rights for something they never did.

The article talked about men who had served in prison for over 30 years finally gaining the freedom they deserve. That is longer than I have even been alive. Think about how much the world has changed in those three decades. And now we expect those men to easily fall back into a regular life, as if nothing ever happened?

This money will aid them get a solid footing in the real world, ensuring they can rise above poverty and stay out of prison again. Just because they were innocent does not change their odds of returning to prison at some point in their lives. Research states that more than 40 percent of released convicts, innocent or not, will return to prison. In essence, we would be turning innocent men into actual criminals at that point. This money is more than just an apology – it is an investment in society.

These men are being offered a helping hand to organize their lives and start a positive path for them and their family.

Let us continue the debate on the smaller details, like how much money to pay them, how it is administered, etc, etc. But there should be little discourse over the fact that exonerated prisoners not only deserve but need this money to return to a normal life.

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VanSchoelandt

Walking around in Wal-Mart the other day, I noticed dozens of magazines still mourning Michael Jackson’s death and flashing rumors about celebrity relationships. It seems I cannot pass through a grocery line or flip through the channels on my T.V. without hearing the latest celebrity gossip.

More and more it seems our society is concerned with celebrities’ private lives than what truly matters. Almost every magazine cover or pop culture television station is spattered with the intimate details of Hugh Heffner’s divorce or the uncertain future of Michael Jackson’s children.

Why it is so many Americans care more about the status of a strangers’ marriage rather than important issues that, in reality, have a bigger impact on them? The fact that our country is in the deepest recession since the Great Depression or that we are oil hogs and are using up our planet’s natural resources at an ever-increasing rate is pushed to the back burner if a movie starlet is found with drugs in her car, famous sisters are feuding, or a late-night talk show host passes away.

Although it is not unnatural for our country to mourn the loss of a familiar face or great entertainer, it is almost as though the nation forgets how to function with the loss of one person. The fact that the national debt is almost $11.8 trillion or the U.S. troop death toll in Iraq is over 4,000 almost goes unnoticed.

What about the soldiers overseas? Sure, a fatality may be mentioned on the evening news, or multiple deaths may even warrant brief national coverage, but are there day-long memorials for these individuals who are keeping this country safe and free? Do any of these soldiers get featured on the cover of multiple magazines? It is almost an insult to them when a news anchor offhandedly reads off the current death toll from a teleprompter only to quickly move on to the headlining story where some movie star’s child is having a birthday.

What is even more amazing is how short our attention spans are. Once some new drama pops up on the internet our attention is snatched away from one finite rumor to the next, while the whole time our economy is still suffering, and international pandemics are still affecting people worldwide.

Rumors from TMZ that Michael Jackson’s children were all born of surrogate mothers and donated sperm seem to be much more interesting to hear than the fact that 3,205 people globally have lost their lives to the Swine Flu so far.

It seems that not only are Americans addicted to oil, they are also addicted to gossip. Although there is nothing wrong with being interested in celebrities, our nation needs to stop revolving their lives around people they do not even really know, and start focusing on how to fix the issues that continue to plague our country.

-Brianna VanSchoelandt/The Bulletin.

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Illustration by Juhye Bak/The Bulletin.

Last week the Board of Regents placed a salary cap on three collegiate presidents including President Lane. Lane’s salary current salary is $202,540 with a compensation cap at $213,200. The freeze was brought on by the state in light of the current budget situation, in an effort to maintain a fair balance between state employees.

We salute the Board of Regents for taking action in regards to the economy.

We live in an age of mass corporate greed and corruption, and layoffs are occurring everywhere you look – except at the top levels.  CEOs are taking bonuses and raises with no concern for the employees they are pushing into financial ruin. The country is lacking in fiscal responsibility and it’s time to for someone to step forward as a positive example.

The Board of Regents made the decision as a symbol of solidarity between the schools and the faculty within them. While we appreciate the gesture, we hope that the Regents have more in store for restoring economic stability to the state. Capping salaries will only do so much in the long run to battle the deficit, so we are hoping this is just the first in many steps that will be forthcoming in the near future.

CEOs who are taking more than they deserve for mansions and corporate jets should pay attention to those working at the state level.  They might feel like they are coming out ahead now, but the bad apples are always spotted and eventually chucked out.

In the not too near future, once the economy has evened itself out and the country has returned to a state of normalcy, those who are fiscally responsible will be remembered as leaders who took the necessary actions to ensure the campus would continue to grow and flourish.

While the idea for the salary cap was not his idea, Lane has accepted this freeze. He said he believes it will be in the best interests of the school and the state if the cap continues until a stronger budget appears.

Lane, along with the other Kansas Regents collegiate presidents, is leading the way into a positive future through his leadership and principles. Lane realizes that he must be held accountable for his actions as leader of the school. Many would be upset to see him receiving raises while other faculty members are taking cuts in pay, possibly losing their jobs altogether or staying unemployed because of hiring freezes.

In the end, the Board of Regents’ actions remind us what college is supposed to be about – not pay raises and bonuses, not ‘hirings and firings,’ but education. By capping his pay, and that of the other university presidents, the Board of Regents is letting us get back to the most important things so that we can succeed in the future.

-The Bulletin staff

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Xi Chi, Caduceus Society host Blood Drive

Xi Chi and the Caduceus Society will be hosting a blood drive on Oct. 1 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Oct. 2 to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m in Webb Lecture Hall, upstairs in Memorial Union. Those who want to participate can sign up on Main Street in the union Monday – Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The goal for the blood drive is 200 donors. Emporia State will compete against other regents schools to see who can collect the most blood.

Radio stations offer warmth

Kiss 103.1 FM and 96.1 FM The Wave will co-host the 2^nd Annual Project Warmth between Nov. 2 and Nov. 13. Student Organizations wanting to participate and be included on the list of donors needs to contact The Wave by Oct. 2 at 620-343-9393.

The stations will collect new or gently used hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, jackets, winter coats, snow boots and blankets in any size. All donations will be distributed by the Salvation Army to persons in need in Lyon County.

Last year, over 10,000 items were collected.

Dollar Dinner at Didde

The Didde Catholic Campus Center will host dinner for $1 today at 6 p.m. The dinner will be spaghetti. Proceeds will benefit Didde.

Student organizations interested in hosting a dollar dinner should contact Charlie Sigle at 620-343-6765. Volunteers will be required to prepare and clean up after the meal. All necessary items will be supplied by Didde.

OrgSync training offered for RSOs

Associated Student Government will host training sessions to help Recognized Student Organizations become familiar with OrgSync. The system will become the primary means of communication between ASG and RSOs.

Sessions will be held at 7 p.m. on Sept. 29 in the Kanza Room, at 3 p.m. on Sept. 30 in the Greek Room and at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 1 in the Greek Room. Attendees will be provided with information about how to operate and utilize OrgSync.

Emporia celebrates new businesses

Ribbon cutting ceremonies will be held for two new businesses in town over the next two weeks.

Tanner’s Carpet LLC, located at 1925 W 6^th Ave., will host a grand opening celebration at 11:30 a.m. on Oct 1. Tanner’s is open Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Energy Innovators, Inc. will host a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 7 at 719 Commercial St. For more information on Energy Innovators call 620-340-0331 or visit their website at www.energyinnovatorsinc.com.

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The Emporia Arts Council, currently located at 618 Mechanic St., will move to the 800 block of Commercial Street just north of the Granada Theatre. Over the past two years, they have raised $2.8 million for construction of a new center in downtown Emporia. Giri Nam/The Bulletin.

The Emporia Arts Council has raised $2.8 million in gifts and pledges over the last two years for a new building that will be located between 811 and 815 Merchant St., just north of the Granada Theatre.

“We’ve met our fundraising goals to start construction,” said Melissa Windsor, executive director of the EAC. “We’ll plan on starting construction in the next 30 days and it will be about a year long project.”

The fundraising campaign has drawn support from the entire community and surrounding areas with over 340 donors, Windsor said.

“It was beyond our hopes,” said Mel Storm, professor of English and former president of the EAC board. “People contributed. People came back and increased their pledges. People contributed multiple times. We’ve had donors come forward that had not contributed before.”

Two major donors helped meet the final budget requirements for the project.

“The Jones Trust issued a challenge matching grant back in last October,” Windsor said.

The Jones Trust matched what the EAC could raise up to $245,000. An anonymous donor helped with an additional $75,000.

“In the end of the August we were issued a second challenge gift from an anonymous donor that to help us finish out the campaign,” Windsor said. “They would give us $75,000 if we could raise the last $62,000 in 30 days. As of last Friday, we were successful and announced that we were able to meet that challenge in three weeks.”

However, the anonymous donor would like to stay anonymous.

“At the donor’s request we are not announcing who the donor was,” Windsor said. “They’ve chosen to remain anonymous and believe in the community.”

One of the main objectives of the new EAC building is to be more present in the community.

“We’re hoping to increase our presence in downtown Emporia and to enhance the arts and entertainment district in downtown Emporia,” Windsor said. “We know a number of businesses are starting to come to Emporia. It’s starting to grow.”

New features of the building will include a larger gallery, a larger art store with unique gifts and three art studios.

“It will provide a very good companion facility to the Granada Theatre,” Storm said. “It will provide opportunities for students

A clay studio, a small theater, a full kitchen, an art library and upgraded offices and equipment.

“We can host small performances,” Windsor said. “We can also host small groups, group meeting, as well as recitals.”

The EAC hosts a performing arts series that brings a variety of entertainers to several venues in Emporia including the Granada Theatre and Albert Taylor Hall, located in Plumb Hall.

“Every thing that the Arts Council brings to the community, will also have an educational component to it,” Windsor said. “We do free activities to area schools, free performances for area school children.”

Storm was impressed with the efforts of all of those involved in the project.

“We’re a relatively small city, which I think characterizes Emporia,” Storm said. “We’ve been able to fund a multi-million dollar arts complex. It says a great deal about the community.”

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Rampy

When a football player hears the word “injury” or “concussion,” a chill shoots down their spine. In the case of Emporia State University quarterback Zach Rampy, it is all too real. Rampy, a sophomore elementary education major, suffered a concussion against Central Missouri Sept. 12 that will sideline him for the rest of his life.

“It’s tough,” Rampy said. “I’ve been playing football ever since I was little, and not being able to play now is just hard.”

Rampy will not stray far from the gridiron. In fact, he plans to stay on the team as a student-coach.

“It’s tough because I’m not playing, but the actual job I do is stand out here at practice and signal, talk to the quarterbacks and see what they see out there,” Rampy said. “Basically, I’m just there to help if they need help to give signals.”

Rampy’s younger brother, Lukas, freshman wide receiver, will remain on the team. The sudden change will affect him as well.

“It’s a little different,” Lukas Rampy said. “I thought I was going to be coming here and playing with him, but he’s still on the sidelines, he’s just not in uniform, which is kind of hard to get used to. I’ll just have to get used to it.”

Head coach Garrin Higgins knows that Zach Rampy will still have an impact on the team as a coach.

“He’s a very competitive person and is very intelligent with what we’re doing offensively – he can see things,” Higgins said. “His competitive nature, his tough-mindedness just carries over with the football team.”

Zach Rampy said his family has been supportive in his decision to hang up his jersey.

“If anything, it’s brought us closer together because they’ve been so supportive,” Zach Rampy said. “They’re there for me when I need them, they try to be helpful and try to sympathize what I’m going through.”

Lukas also aides his brother in his time of need.

“It’s hard, but they all understand,” Lukas Rampy said. “It’s just for his safety –

if he keeps playing he is just going to further getting hurt. It’s what’s best for him. He knows that whenever he needs to talk that I’m there the listen. He’s going through a hard time right now, and I’ve got to be there for him.”

Higgins also shows sympathy for Zach Rampy.

“It’s been pretty tough on him – anytime you get something taken away from you very quickly, it’s tough to handle,” Higgins said. “It would have been different if he had decided this after football season, but whenever you have to make a decision this quick, and you know that you have to do it and make the right decision, it was just taken away from him very quickly. I think that’s been the hardest part for him, not being able to finish what he started. I think everyone is disappointed that he’s not playing, but he had to make a decision that was best for him and his family.”

Although Zach Rampy will no longer suit up as a football player, he continues to stay optimistic given his current situation.

“The way I look at it, everything happens for a reason,” Zach Rampy said. “As bad as it is not being able to play, I’m going to take this opportunity, take what God has given me, and run with it – try and make the best of it. The glass is half-full baby, the glass is half full.”

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The Emporia State Soccer team has spent the first third of their season on the road, facing opponents on unfamiliar ground. They’re looking forward to a homecoming today versus Southwest Baptist at 4 p.m. and a chance to turn their season around.

The road trip hasn’t been kind to the Lady Hornets. During the month-long road trip, the soccer team is 1-5, with one tie. The lone win came against Missouri Southern, with the Hornets winning 1-0 in a tight MIAA battle. The players are feeling the effects – yet they’re not the only ones.

“I’m happy that for the first time in four weeks I’m not spending my time preparing for the road,” said Jim Schneiderhahn, head coach of the soccer team. “The hardest thing is getting all 20 players, the equipment and myself at one place and ready for a game. I know the girls are excited to play at home, and I hope that we’re able to channel that excitement into some activity when we kick-off on Thursday.”

The Southwest Baptist Bearcats are a team that the Hornets faced and lost to 3-0 earlier this season. The team looks to change the outcome this time around, using home field advantage the best that they can.

“We just saw SBU two weeks ago – it’s always difficult to play teams twice,” Schneiderhahn said. “We lost the first game 3-0, and we made a few physical errors. We didn’t see the work rate we need to see out of some players. This is a team we can match up with pretty well. They play a very hard game and they have some very savvy kids up top that can create for themselves.”

Ashley Hill, freshman secondary education major, is the leading scorer for the Lady Hornets with three goals on the season. Hill said she is extremely excited to play in her first collegiate home game – she will be looking to add to those goal totals and hopes winning this game will give ESU Soccer what it need to turn this season around.

“We need to come out ready to play and play to our full ability,” Hill said. “I think if we can win this game, it will give us the confidence to beat other teams this season.”

The Hornets will need to exploit every advantage they have to defeat a Southwest Baptist team that is 4-1-1. Amanda Miano, senior math education major, knows what it will to take to come away with a W.

“They’re really good in the middle, they win every 50-50 ball and they can shoot the ball well,” Miano said. “We’re looking to take players on, and we need to win more balls in the middle.”

The team has had difficulty putting the ball into the net this season, only scoring four goals in seven games. Schneiderhahn hopes that his game day strategy will be enough to produce goals.

“We need the forwards to create space and create runs for themselves off the ball, and we need the mid-fielders to get the ball there – they both need to step it up,” Schneiderhahn said. “Our wing mid-fielders need to step it up, particularly on the attacking end. They’re doing great defensively, but we’re not getting any punch from them on the attacking end of the ball. Our forwards need to be a little more dynamic up front. They need to be willing to risk a little bit more.”

-Austin Wagoner/The Bulletin.

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Instructional Design and Technology students from Emporia State’s Master’s Program are going to represent ESU at the National PacifiCorp Design and Development Competition closer to the end of October at the Association for Educational Communication in Louisville, Ky.

“Our students going to competition is a testament to the faculty we have here in the IDT and Graduate program,” said Marcus Childress, professor and chair of instructional design and technology. “We have one of the largest and most comprehensive for a school our size.”

The objectives of the competition are to: improve the professional practice of design and development in adult learning and performance-improvement settings; promote collaboration among students, faculty, and practitioners; mentor promising students by leaders outside their home institutions; and, recognize innovative design-and-development approaches to adult learning and performance-improvement problems, according to the competition’s official Web site.

“The competition simulates corporate work problems,” Childress said. “Last competition we had to train loggers on safety practices, and this year we were supposed to be showing how to train trainers in systematic design of instruction.”

Significant figures in the IDT research community are at the competition every year, Childress said.

“People who wrote the textbooks on our field are in attendance at this meeting,” Childress said. “You are discussing, and using, the theories of people who are right in the room with you when you are there. It’s kind of intimidating.”

This is the second year ESU has participated in the competition, the first time being in 2007 where ESU placed as one of the final three schools.

“We compete against schools like Florida State and Virginia Tech,” Childress said. “We are competing with schools with doctorate programs in Instructional Design and Technology when we ourselves only go as far as a master’s program. To be placed in the top three in our last appearance and go to finals again is quite an achievement.”

The students representing ESU are distance learning students Elizabeth Ermis and Jennifer Gibson, and both were unavailable for comment at the time of publishing.

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Comedy hypnotist Ron Diamond tickles the “Magic Monkey” as volunteers under hypnosis mimic laugh as though they are being tickled when told they will feel everything the monkey would feel. Diamond travels all around the country and performs hundreds of comic routines involving hypnosis throughout the year. Jonathan Elliott/The Bulletin.

Inhibitions were tossed to the wind when Bob Diamond, comic hypnotist, entertained and amazed Emporia State with his display of hypnotism on students and community members on Monday night in Albert Taylor Hall.

“I find the people of Kansas fun to play with,” Diamond said. “They know how to loosen up and have a good time, unlike some of the people.”

Diamond, who has performed his hypnotism show for 12 years, began the show by demonstrating the power of suggestion with a hypnotic pattern and vocal distractions. Diamond’s head grew and shrunk as he performed this trick of the mind and eye.

“There are three elements to hypnotism,” Diamond said. “Focusing, relaxation and suggestion are necessary. Some people can’t even be hypnotized because they have difficulty focusing or relaxing.”

The remainder of the show consisted of the use of 30 volunteers in a demonstration of the power of hypnotism in a group. Though the group shrank as some participants lost focus, the group continued to engage in bizarre actions like pretending to be cowboys, elbow inspectors and dairy farmers.

“I thought this group went extremely well,” Diamond said. “Anytime you can pull off 15 people under hypnosis for an extended period of time it’s a good show. That isn’t the norm.”

Those under hypnosis awoke after the show with no memory of what happened during the show. All were supposed to feel rested and relaxed, Diamond said.

“When I volunteered I didn’t know what to expect,” said Becky Nutter, freshman elementary education major. “I remember staring at the lights, then things got foggy. The next thing I remember was me waking up. I feel really relaxed right now, kind of like I just took a nap.”

ESU students who were not onstage assisted in providing support for the hypnotized participants and Diamond. The feeling the audience conveyed was supposed to be reflected in the audience, Diamond said.

“I was shocked,” said Rachel Hull, sophomore music education major. “I couldn’t believe how well he did that and how receptive people were to it. I definitely didn’t feel like I was here for an hour and a half. It was definitely worth it.”

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Cynthia Akers, associate professor for the university libraries and archives, stands with a display of books Tuesday afternoon in the William Allen White Library. A ceremony will be held on Monday, marking the 100th anniversary of the library being a federal documents depository. Giri Nam/The Bulletin.

Since 1909, the William Allen White library has been a provider of federal documents to Emporia State and the surrounding community. Monday will be the 100^th anniversary of a federal collection that has been growing for a century.

“For 100 years, our library has had access to free information from anything that the U.S. government publishes,” said Cynthia Akers, associate professor for the university libraries and archives. “What we’re finding now, is that the government is like so many other places, it’s so much easier to access information electronically.”

A ceremony will be held on Monday, marking the anniversary. Tours of the government documents area of the library will begin at 10:30 a.m. along with demonstrations of how to find government documents online.

Proclamations will be announced from Jerry Moran, first district representative, Mark Parkinson, Governor of Kansas and a representative of the City of Emporia at 1:30 p.m. Ashley Dahlen, librarian for the Government Printing Office, will present a plaque to WAW.

A reception will be held afterwards with cake and punch.

“It will be a very casual come and go affair,” Akers said.

ESU is a selective depository meaning that it does not have to accept all of the documents that the government publishes. Currently, ESU accepts about 65 percent of the federal documents that are available.

“A library can decide at any point in time that they want to be a depository but if you decide that you are going to be a federal depository, you have a commitment to share that government information and make it freely accessible,” Akers said. “Not only to everybody in a university but also to everybody in the surrounding community. That’s one reason that we are celebrating this because we want everyone to know that we have free government information.”

Anschutz Library at the University of Kansas is the only regional depository in the state according to the Government Printing Office.

“Up at KU, they are a regional depository and they have to take everything that is made by the government,” said Sam Rogers, electronic resource librarian for WAW library. “

Being selective helps WAW to cater to the needs of the students.

“Since we are first and foremost a university library, we have a responsibility to you all as the students,” Akers said. “That’s why we take almost everything that U.S. Department of Education would have. Since we have that responsibility to the surrounding community, we have a lot of agriculture, a lot of small business, we tend to take more from agencies such as the Department of Agriculture and the Small Business Association.”

The documents that are accessible through a federal depository would include items that Congress, the Internal Revenue Service or any department of the U.S. government publishes.

“We have a lot of information available from the U.S. Department of Education,” Akers said. “That would just be an incredible source of information for students who are preparing to be teachers. You can find a lot of lesson plans, curriculum guides.”

While the history of how exactly ESU became a depository is shaky, there are a few documents that proves it has provided these services for years.

“I contacted the (Government Printing Office) and they were able to find a document from a book in the ‘50s that was record of when all of the depositories were founded,” Rogers said. “That was the only information that they had, the specific dates of us becoming a depository.”

ESU gets documents electronically and in print.

“The different departments, department of agriculture, department of education, they all publish their own information,” Rogers said. “When they do it online, we get records that link to that information. When they do it in print, the Government Printing Office gets copies of all that information and mails it out to all of the depository libraries.”

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