An audit report, construction update and two new faces were highlights to the Oct. 17 Board of Governors meeting.

New facesBoard member Douglas Davis and student representative Ivy Love attended their first Board meeting today.

ConstructionBeimdiek Recreation Center update:Complete – block wallsArrived – roofing materialsPoured – floor slabsIn progress – interior framing and risers in the theater area.Enclosed – boardroom and ballroomSheet rock – Willcoxon Student Health Center

Lion’s DenNew sprinklers and the suspended ceiling are finished in the Lion’s Den and ceramic tile is going in.

“I think we can occupy the Lion’s Den before the end of November,” said Dr. Terri Agee, senior vice president.

The area will still need to be cleaned and all the equipment installed and tested before the Lion’s Den will reopen. Agee said Sodexho plans a grand opening in January. She is hopeful it will be operational before then.

ConstructionHealth Science BuildingCompleted – under slab and pipingNext week – exterior framingFinally – tie in to mechanical room is finished. Water outages on buildings surrounding the Oval are over.

Faculty Senate ReportFaculty are ready to “move forward with a shared governance model,” said Dr. Carla Huntington, Faculty Senate president.

Senate members are crafting a response to Dr. Bruce Speck’s presentation earlier this month on the finances of the international mission.

Student RepresenativeIvy Love appealed to Board members to give careful consideration to any further budget cuts to foreign languages, pointing out the low cost to MSSU of Arabic and Russian classes which are staffed by Fulbright scholars

Love said foreign language students are down from over 600 during the past few semesters to 516 this fall and she fingered dropping performance aid awards as part of the cause.

President’s ReportDr. Bruce Speck announced plans are being developed for a storm shelter and prospective athletic complex. A $2 million storm shelter appropriation from the state must be used by June 30 of next year. Plans will appear before the Board before the end of the year.

Audit ReportBKD representative Deborah McCoy guided members through the audit booklet. Bond monies distorted some of the cash reporting. Cash levels dropped from $5.8 million last year to $4.5 million this year.

The report was in compliance except for the case of a deceased student who’s student financial aid representative had not been notified of the death.

“I think the organization has a financial statement they can be very proud of,” McCoy said.

Academic Policies and ProposalsAn articulation of credits policy will allow students to transfer credits from upper-division courses taken at two-year schools these credits, however, will not count for upper-division hours.

A retro-credit policy will allow foreign language students who have knowledge exceeding initial courses to receive credit for those courses after the successful completion of the higher level course with a grade of “C” or better. Students will be responsible for tuition for credit hours granted by retro-credit.

RetirementsDr. Ann Marlowe, professor of English, will retire Dec. 31.