March 10, 2025 • 6 mins
In this episode of Arrow on the Air, host Alex Barton takes a look at SEMO women's basketball standout Lexi McCully’s journey. Artiz and Neva Wodochek break down the key decisions from the latest SEMO Board of Governors meeting. Hear about the 3.3% increase in room and board, upcoming building demolitions, and the new Vollink Family Observatory coming to campus.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Arrow in the Air. I'm your host Alex
Barton bring you the latest stories from Southeast Missouri State University.
In this episode, we'll take a deep dive into the
incredible journey of SIMO women's basketball senior Lexi McCully, plus
will break down the major decisions from the recent SIMO
Board of Governor's meeting, including tuition increases, building demolitions, and
a brand new observatory coming to campus. Ri Ortiz and
(00:25):
Neva Woodacheck will have more on those decisions later in
the show, but first let's start on the court. Lexi
mccully's path through her senior season at Southeast Missouri State
University has been anything but ordinary. The Grand Rapids, Michigan
native started her college basketball career at Mineral Area College,
a junior college in Park Hills, Missouri, over five hundred
miles from home. After two years there, she transferred to
(00:47):
Georgia Southwestern, a Division two school, adding another six hundred
and seventy miles to her journey. Then, after just one season,
she was on the move again, this time to SIMO,
a Division I program where she's making a name for
herself in her senior campaign. What makes this journey. Even
more special is the connection McCully shares with her first
college coach, Briley Palmer, now the head coach at Simo. Palmer,
(01:10):
as the team calls her, knows McCully better than most.
Here's what she had to say about Lexi's love for
the game.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
And I've just got to see, like this person who
really has joy for the game of basketball and passion
for the game of basketball. It really, you know, drive
her to all the success she's had throughout her four
years in college, and.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
That passion is paying off. This season. McCully is averaging
ten point seven points per game, shooting thirty percent from
the three point range, and leading the team with an
impressive eighty five percent free throw percentage. But her talent
isn't a surprise. It runs in the family. Her sister,
Mariah McCully, also took the JUCO route before playing three
seasons at Wichita State. In her final year, Mariah led
(01:53):
her team in scoring, averaging twelve point nine points per game,
and to Lexi, her sister's impact on the court is undeniable.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
My sister played a JUCO in Division in basketball and
she's since in his day, the best basketball player I
have ever seen live in action.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
And Lexi is proving that greatness runs in the McCauley family.
On February ninth, she had her best game into the season,
dropping thirty points against Southern Indiana while hitting fifty percent
of her shots from beyond the arc. She's led Simo
in scoring in eight games this season for McCauley, winning
is everything.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
I think that I've been blessed with ability to score
just because I just play so much basketball. But I'm
willing to do whatever to win. And if I if
the team needs me to be at the one, I
will be at the one. If the team needs to
be at the two, I'll be at the two. If
the team needs to be at the three, and so on.
I mean, I'm willing to go there. I think that
I would like to describe myself as a winner, and
I would. I'm gonna do anything I can to win.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Now, shifting from the hardwood to the board room, the
Simo Board of Governors recently meant to discuss big changes
coming to the university. ARI or teas and EVA would
a check in following these developments closely.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
The Board of Governors approved a three point three percent
increase in room and board for the twenty twenty five
twenty twenty six school year. Simo's Vice President of Enrollment
Management and Student Success, Debbie Below, said the increase is
due to inflation and rising operational costs and residential life.
Director of the Office of Residence Life, Kendra Skinner, explained
(03:17):
that reasons behind the increase.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
Just like everywhere else that you're seeing is just increasing costs.
So when we look at room rates, there is just
increasing costs for us to do business. For instance, we
pay property insurance, so just like your parents pay it,
you know, for their homes, we paid property insurance, and
our property insurance has gone up about ninety five percent
(03:43):
in the last two years, and so it's increasing costs
like that.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
She also noted that utility rates have increased, with electricity
rising by eight percent in water and sewer by twelve percent,
making the increase unavoidable.
Speaker 6 (03:58):
Our department pays for electric, gas, water, sewer, and so
those costs have been increasing. I know there's it's like
an eight percent increase for electricity and you know about
a twelve percent increase in water and sewer. So those
rates have been increasing every year and so because of
that we've had to increase our rates as well to
(04:20):
kind of keep up with some of that.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
The board also approved the demolition of several buildings on campus,
including Henderson Hall and three buildings in the International Village.
These buildings have been vacant since twenty eighteen, and renovations
would have caused the university over thirteen million dollars. One
exciting addition to campus is the Volink Family Observatory, named
(04:43):
after Dennis and Kathy Volink, who donated funds for its construction.
The observatory will feature a new sixteen inch telescope. President
Vargas noted that Dennis Volink is an engineer, a long
time pilot, and an avid astrophotographer who has supported science
initiatives at CIMO for a year for Erround the Air i'mriorts.
Speaker 7 (05:04):
Another major change coming to campus is the switch from
Starbucks to We Proudly Serve, a Starbucks branded experience operated
in partnership with Nesle. Simo's Associate Vice president of Student
in Campus Life, Bruce Skinner, explained that the switch allows
the university to keep serving Starbucks products without undergoing a
million dollar renovation, which would have increased meal planning costs
(05:24):
by six percent. Instead, by choosing we proudly serve, the
university will only pay one hundred thousand dollars in renovations.
The main difference students will notice is the absence of
Starbucks branded merchandise in large scale displays found in standalone stores.
SIMO President Carlos Vargas stated the university plans to replace
these demolished structures with grass lots for the time being.
(05:46):
He also mentioned that Brandt Hall, home to the Department
of Criminal Justice, Social Work and Sociology, is becoming outdated
and difficult for faculty to work in. While there are
no immediate plans for demolition, discussions about the building's future
are on lad going. For Erro on the Air, I'm
Neva Wittacheck.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
These decisions will shape Simo's campus for years to come.
We'll keep you updated on how these changes unfold. That's
all for this week's episode of Arrow on the Air.
For more on these stories and other campus news, visits
Southeastaro dot com. For Arrow on the Air, I'm Alex Barton.
Welcome to Arrow in the Air. I'm your host Alex
Barton bring you the latest stories from Southeast Missouri State University.
In this episode, we'll take a deep dive into the
incredible journey of SIMO women's basketball senior Lexi McCully, plus
will break down the major decisions from the recent SIMO
Board of Governor's meeting, including tuition increases, building demolitions, and
a brand new observatory coming to campus. Ri Ortiz and
(00:25):
Neva Woodacheck will have more on those decisions later in
the show, but first let's start on the court. Lexi
mccully's path through her senior season at Southeast Missouri State
University has been anything but ordinary. The Grand Rapids, Michigan
native started her college basketball career at Mineral Area College,
a junior college in Park Hills, Missouri, over five hundred
miles from home. After two years there, she transferred to
(00:47):
Georgia Southwestern, a Division two school, adding another six hundred
and seventy miles to her journey. Then, after just one season,
she was on the move again, this time to SIMO,
a Division I program where she's making a name for
herself in her senior campaign. What makes this journey. Even
more special is the connection McCully shares with her first
college coach, Briley Palmer, now the head coach at Simo. Palmer,
(01:10):
as the team calls her, knows McCully better than most.
Here's what she had to say about Lexi's love for
the game.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
And I've just got to see, like this person who
really has joy for the game of basketball and passion
for the game of basketball. It really, you know, drive
her to all the success she's had throughout her four
years in college, and.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
That passion is paying off. This season. McCully is averaging
ten point seven points per game, shooting thirty percent from
the three point range, and leading the team with an
impressive eighty five percent free throw percentage. But her talent
isn't a surprise. It runs in the family. Her sister,
Mariah McCully, also took the JUCO route before playing three
seasons at Wichita State. In her final year, Mariah led
(01:53):
her team in scoring, averaging twelve point nine points per game,
and to Lexi, her sister's impact on the court is undeniable.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
My sister played a JUCO in Division in basketball and
she's since in his day, the best basketball player I
have ever seen live in action.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
And Lexi is proving that greatness runs in the McCauley family.
On February ninth, she had her best game into the season,
dropping thirty points against Southern Indiana while hitting fifty percent
of her shots from beyond the arc. She's led Simo
in scoring in eight games this season for McCauley, winning
is everything.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
I think that I've been blessed with ability to score
just because I just play so much basketball. But I'm
willing to do whatever to win. And if I if
the team needs me to be at the one, I
will be at the one. If the team needs to
be at the two, I'll be at the two. If
the team needs to be at the three, and so on.
I mean, I'm willing to go there. I think that
I would like to describe myself as a winner, and
I would. I'm gonna do anything I can to win.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Now, shifting from the hardwood to the board room, the
Simo Board of Governors recently meant to discuss big changes
coming to the university. ARI or teas and EVA would
a check in following these developments closely.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
The Board of Governors approved a three point three percent
increase in room and board for the twenty twenty five
twenty twenty six school year. Simo's Vice President of Enrollment
Management and Student Success, Debbie Below, said the increase is
due to inflation and rising operational costs and residential life.
Director of the Office of Residence Life, Kendra Skinner, explained
(03:17):
that reasons behind the increase.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
Just like everywhere else that you're seeing is just increasing costs.
So when we look at room rates, there is just
increasing costs for us to do business. For instance, we
pay property insurance, so just like your parents pay it,
you know, for their homes, we paid property insurance, and
our property insurance has gone up about ninety five percent
(03:43):
in the last two years, and so it's increasing costs
like that.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
She also noted that utility rates have increased, with electricity
rising by eight percent in water and sewer by twelve percent,
making the increase unavoidable.
Speaker 6 (03:58):
Our department pays for electric, gas, water, sewer, and so
those costs have been increasing. I know there's it's like
an eight percent increase for electricity and you know about
a twelve percent increase in water and sewer. So those
rates have been increasing every year and so because of
that we've had to increase our rates as well to
(04:20):
kind of keep up with some of that.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
The board also approved the demolition of several buildings on campus,
including Henderson Hall and three buildings in the International Village.
These buildings have been vacant since twenty eighteen, and renovations
would have caused the university over thirteen million dollars. One
exciting addition to campus is the Volink Family Observatory, named
(04:43):
after Dennis and Kathy Volink, who donated funds for its construction.
The observatory will feature a new sixteen inch telescope. President
Vargas noted that Dennis Volink is an engineer, a long
time pilot, and an avid astrophotographer who has supported science
initiatives at CIMO for a year for Erround the Air i'mriorts.
Speaker 7 (05:04):
Another major change coming to campus is the switch from
Starbucks to We Proudly Serve, a Starbucks branded experience operated
in partnership with Nesle. Simo's Associate Vice president of Student
in Campus Life, Bruce Skinner, explained that the switch allows
the university to keep serving Starbucks products without undergoing a
million dollar renovation, which would have increased meal planning costs
(05:24):
by six percent. Instead, by choosing we proudly serve, the
university will only pay one hundred thousand dollars in renovations.
The main difference students will notice is the absence of
Starbucks branded merchandise in large scale displays found in standalone stores.
SIMO President Carlos Vargas stated the university plans to replace
these demolished structures with grass lots for the time being.
(05:46):
He also mentioned that Brandt Hall, home to the Department
of Criminal Justice, Social Work and Sociology, is becoming outdated
and difficult for faculty to work in. While there are
no immediate plans for demolition, discussions about the building's future
are on lad going. For Erro on the Air, I'm
Neva Wittacheck.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
These decisions will shape Simo's campus for years to come.
We'll keep you updated on how these changes unfold. That's
all for this week's episode of Arrow on the Air.
For more on these stories and other campus news, visits
Southeastaro dot com. For Arrow on the Air, I'm Alex Barton.
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