Morningside College and the Sioux City Community School District (SCCSD) announced today that the Roberts Stadium proposal under consideration now guarantees that the current use of the stadium will continue   "in perpetuity."

At issue is a term of the proposal that was intended to protect the interests of the school district in the event that the college would not have need of Roberts Stadium at any time after the initial 20-year period.

"Both the college and the school district have been listening to concerns about this clause," said Morningside President John Reynders. "I want to reassure the community that the college has never had the intention to alter the use of Roberts Stadium from its current use. On the contrary, our donor wants to improve the facility in order to ensure its continued and perpetual use as a top-notch athletic stadium, and he wants to do this to benefit all the students who use the stadium. This proposal is truly intended by the donor to be a 'win-win-win' situation for the community, the school district, and the college."

The college's private donor has pledged $2.35 million for improvements to Roberts Stadium if the SCCSD transfers title to the college.   Reynders said that title transfer is necessary because the donor wants the college to take responsibility for the continued maintenance of the stadium and the surrounding grounds.

SCCSD Superintendent Larry Williams said, "The dominant concern of the community seems to be the long-term use of Roberts Stadium, and we have sought to address this matter in a new way. Attorneys for both the college and the school district recommended finding a simpler way to secure the original intent."

The proposal's new clause, which will be reflected in the legal document, guarantees the following:

* Current use of the stadium will continue in perpetuity.

* To honor that intent, if Morningside College were to decide at any time that it no longer has use for Roberts Stadium as it is currently used, Morningside College will deed the stadium back to the SCCSD for $1, assuming that the school district chooses to take it back.

* If the school district were then to decide to sell Roberts Stadium, Morningside College will have the right of first refusal.

This clause replaces the term in the proposal that read: "At any time after the first 20 years, if the college would elect to change the use of the property, the college will give the school district a five-year notice of its intention. In that event, the college would allow the district to buy the stadium back for $1 or would pay the district $2.5 million."

Williams and college officials are hoping that the college's new guarantee will provide the breakthrough that allows the proposal to move forward.

"The college had wanted to be underway with improvements this summer," said Williams. "That won't happen unless the board brings this matter to conclusion by early April."

As part of the proposal, Morningside College has pledged to begin renovations on the bleachers and lighting this summer, if time allows. These renovations were listed as priority items in an October 2002 study conducted by Schroder Engineering of Sioux City.

The college and the school district will make the final legal draft of the proposal available to the public as soon as it is completed.

For more information about the proposal, please visit the college's Web site at www.morningside.edu or call 712-274-5320.

Morningside College’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble will present a winter pops concert on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 4 p.m. in Eppley Auditorium, 3625 Garretson Avenue.

The concert is open to the public and free of charge.

The symphonic wind ensemble is directed by Dr. Peter Wood, assistant professor of music at Morningside.

The concert will feature guest trumpet soloist Dr. Keith Benjamin, a 1982 Morningside graduate, who is associate professor of trumpet at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). Benjamin, a 1982 Morningside graduate, will be the featured soloist when the symphonic wind ensemble performs Kent Kennan’s “Sonata for Trumpet and Wind Ensemble” and Herbert L. Clarke’s “Bride of the Waves.”

Other selections on the program will include Leonard Bernstein’s “Overture to ‘Candide,’” Robert Russell Bennett’s “Suite of Old American Dances,” Robert W. Smith’s “Spirit of Orpheus: A Sinfonian Celebration,” and selections from Charles Strouse’s “Annie.”

Benjamin, a native of Spencer, Iowa, will teach a trumpet master class that Saturday morning at 10 a.m. in Eppley Auditorium. The class, sponsored by Bach Instrument Company and Ray’s Mid-Bell Music, is free of charge and open to the public. Persons interested in attending the class should contact Wood by phone at 712-274-5217 or by e-mail at wood@morningside.edu.

Benjamin joined the UMKC Conservatory of Music in 1989. He holds a doctor of musical arts degree and a performer’s certificate from the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, N.Y. Benjamin is principal trumpet in the Colorado MahlerFest, first trumpet in the Missouri Brass Quintet, and a member of the St. Louis and Kansas City Symphonies. He is a former member of the Rochester Philharmonic.

Wood, a member of Morningside’s faculty since 1998, is a 1989 graduate of the University of Illinois. He received a master of music degree from the University of Wisconsin and a doctorate in trumpet performance from the University of Indiana. Wood is in demand throughout the Midwest as a soloist, conductor, clinician, and adjudicator. He plays trumpet in the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra and Brass Quintet.

For more information about the Morningside Music Department, call 712-274-5210.

Morningside College will celebrate Black History Month with “African-American Voices” during a special Friday Is Writing Day (FIWD) on Friday, Feb. 20, at noon in the Randolph Room of the Olsen Student Center, 3609 Peters Avenue.

The public is invited to the free event, which is also sponsored by Morningside’s Academic and Cultural Arts Series (ACAS).

The event will acknowledge the black writer’s contributions to American literature. Several Morningside students will read selections written by African-American poets, lyricists, and national icons.

The students who will participate include Chris Cox, a senior from Bronx, N.Y.; Gretna Sanchez, a junior from Bronx, N.Y.; TaRae Evans, a junior from Sioux City; and Amanda Leu, a junior from Spencer, Iowa.

They will read selections from “The American Slave Narratives,” from writings during the time period of the Harlem Renaissance, and from authors such as Langston Hughes and Iyanla Vanzant.

The FIWD series is held almost every Friday at noon throughout the school year. The series, in its 16th year, was designed to feature writers and their works, from journals to published pieces. Writers of all types from the campus and community read their work, followed by informal discussions of the writings.

“Sex Signals,” a show featuring a unique combination of improvisational comedy, education, and audience participation, will play at Morningside College on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 10 a.m. in Klinger-Neal Theatre, 3700 Peters Avenue.

The public is invited to the free event, which is sponsored by Morningside’s Academic and Cultural Arts Series (ACAS) and the Morningside Activities Council.

“Sex Signals” deals with the issues of dating, sex, and date rape on college campuses. The show explores how mixed messages, gender role stereotypes, and unrealistic fantasies lead to misunderstandings between the sexes. The show uses humor throughout to draw audiences into candid discussions about interpersonal relationships.

The show was first produced as “The Sensitive Swashbuckler & Other Dating Myths” at Chicago’s Stage Left Theatre. It has since been performed at over 200 colleges and universities and has become one of the most popular programs on sexual assault awareness among college audiences and educators. The show was recently nominated for the Speaker of the Year award by the readers of Campus Activities Magazine.

The show’s 2004 tour is booked through Catharsis Productions and includes five two-person teams. The team of Amber Kelly and Christian Murphy will present the performance at Morningside.

Kelly, a graduate of Texas Wesleyan University, currently resides in New York City and has been a lead actress in “Sex Signals” since 2003. She received acclaim for her portrayal of Elizabeth in “Six Degrees of Separation” staged by Theatre Arlington in Arlington, Texas.

Murphy co-founded Catharsis Productions in 2000 as a company dedicated to creating educational programs that address important social issues through the use of theatrical techniques. Murphy, the artistic director for the company, is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. He has over 15 years of professional acting experience and is currently a member of the ensemble for Factory Theater in Chicago. Also a playwright, Murphy’s one-man show, “Meditations,” won the 1998 Factory Theater Shut Up and Laugh! One-Act Play Festival.

Morningside College students will examine a variety of products to see if their advertising claims are legitimate during “Good or Bad Science: How Can You Tell?” on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 10 a.m. in the Randolph Room of the Olsen Student Center, 3609 Peters Avenue.

The public is invited to the free event, which is sponsored by Morningside’s Academic and Cultural Arts Series (ACAS).

“The event will be a free wheeling look at how thoughtful persons evaluate the worth of scientific investigations, which students will then emulate by evaluating topics of their own,” said Dr. Roland Stout, associate professor of biology and chemistry at Morningside and the coordinator of the event.

The event will begin with a panel discussion among several members of the Morningside faculty, followed by opinions from students, about President Bush’s proposal for a manned mission to Mars and whether the mission represents good or bad science. The faculty members who will participate in the discussion are Dr. Patrick McKinley, associate professor of history and political science; Dr. Thomas Gilbert, professor of philosophy; Dr. Larry Martin, associate professor and division chair of natural sciences and mathematics; and Dr. Gary Turner, assistant professor of mathematical sciences.

Following the discussion of the proposed mission to Mars, the students will open sealed envelopes at their tables which will contain information regarding a product. The students will be asked to consider the information and determine whether the product is legitimate or not. The products will include such things as weight loss diets, laundry disks to replace detergent, magnets used as pain relievers, gas mileage increasing products, and others.