If implemented, the university research organization, or URO, will allow MSU faculty and students to conduct private research for governmental entities, such as the departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security.

At the Steering Committee’s May 2011 meeting, a task force was established to begin discussion of the organization. This group will identify the structure of the organization and bring up potential questions and problems that might be faced in the future. The goal of the task force is to have an initial report back in time for the Steering Committee meeting on Nov. 1.

Plans for a university-wide addressing project to put street addresses on all buildings also was introduced to the committee at the meeting.

MSU police Lt. Penny Fischer believes adding traditional addressing to buildings on campus would allow for a more precise emergency response, ultimately leading to a safer environment for students.

Creating traditional addresses instead of relying on verbal directions to buildings on campus in 911 calls would eliminate confusion, she said.

“We want you to think of yourself as at an address instead of at a building,” Fischer said.
In addition to a better emergency response time, she said the addressing would benefit the university by providing better customer service to visitors.

The anticipated completion for the MSU addressing project is April 2012.

Also, after much consideration, MSU Provost Kim Wilcox endorsed a change in the MSU Course Repeat Policy to allow undergraduate students to repeat a course a maximum of two times to improve their grade.

However, Wilcox decided to “indefinitely defer” the policy until the university has an efficient way to determine whether a student is enrolling in a course for the first time or repeating a course. The current policy requires students to receive a grade lower than a 2.0 to be eligible to retake the course.

“I can’t differentiate a student’s desire from another student’s necessity,” Wilcox said. “A student who has never taken (the class) should have priority.”

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon also congratulated those involved in the fall move-in process. Simon said for the first time more than 250 alumni were invited to participate in the move-in process.

“Volunteers wanted to give back to the university in a way that reconnects them to their own experience at MSU.”