CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Decisions shaping the future of Southeast Missouri State University and the life of students there may have a definite Jackson flavor this year.

Southeast students are represented by no fewer than five Jackson High School graduates in the student government.

Craig Hutson, 1997-98 JHS Student Council president, is currently vice president of the Southeast student government. Joining him is sophomore senator Kyle Ward and freshmen senators Craig Bohnsack and Chrissie Icaza. JHS alumnae Kristi Keith, meanwhile, is chairman of the SG Finance Committee. The junior is also a candidate for treasurer.

"I saw a freshman (senator) spot advertised and got on it," said Hutson, a sophomore business education major. "I enjoyed it and decided to run for vice president. Things just went my way."

Like most of the other JHS alums, Hutson built on his high school Student Council experience when he arrived at Southeast.

"I was in Student Council in high school and I thought it would be neat to get involved over here," he said.

"I love politics," said Bohnsack, 1998-99 JHS Student Council president. "I love watching the political debates going on right now. I loved doing what I did in Student Council president at Jackson. I thought I'd at least try to get involved in it here. I love being in student government. It's an excellent organization."

"I knew it would help me understand how school worked better," said Ward, a sophomore pre-med major. "This way they get my input on where money is spent and other stuff."

Icaza and Keith were not in Student Council during high school, but have jumped into the mix at the university level. Keith was named to the Funding Board last year, before earning her Finance Committee position and chairmanship this year.

Both Ward and Bohnsack are on the University Affairs Committee.

"One of our biggest things right now is studying the university's recycling program," Bohnsack said. "There are some problems and flaws in the current recycling program. We're trying to revamp the system and make it more efficient and make the university more environmentally friendly."

"Plus or minus grades is another hot topic," Hutson said. "They're not popular with students right now. The Faculty Senate supports it, but it would really complicate things."

Required tickets for graduation ceremonies and a campus cable access channel are also hot topics being investigated by the student government this winter.

"We've done a lot with the athletic program," Ward said. "The student body is getting behind the program again."

"Everyone's been working hard," Bohnsack agreed.

The JHS grads agreed that their time at Jackson helped prepare them for their current roles.

"I think the time I spent as student body president at Jackson led me to learn to mange my time," Hutson said. "That's carried over here."

"Being student body president helped me learn how to delegate responsibility," Bohnsack echoed. "I'm one person and I can only do so much. I had 30 other kids (in Student Council) who wanted to be involved and were willing to do stuff. You can be in charge, but you don't have to run everything. I see how it can help Craig in his role here."

Still, operating within the university government system has forced the Jackson grads to take their game to another level.

"We've had to learn parliamentary procedure," Bohnsack said. "I had no idea what that even was."

"It's an ongoing process," Hutson said, "We're stepping into another ballpark."

"It's a lot different up here," Watson agreed. "The main thing I got (out of high school) was that they pushed being involved in stuff. I came up here and got involved and it's paid off. It's helped me become a more well-rounded person."

Getting involved in university life, the students agreed, is a key to feeling a part of the university. This is not always the case with students attending a college close to home.

"A lot of the students coming out of Jackson tend not to get involved," said Keith, a junior accounting major. "They come here and go home. They're definitely missing out on a lot of the college experience by doing that."

"I would miss out on a lot of it if I weren't here," Bohnsack said. "(Being active on campus) is most definitely part of the college experience. We're learning to manage time and work with people our age. You get to express yourself. You learn a lot more than just what you learn in the classroom."

"It's what you make of it," Keith said. "The opportunity for networking is one advantage."

For many area teens, going to Southeast is not exactly the first daydream fostered for the future. The university tends to be taken for granted.

"We grew up with SEMO in our back yard," Bohnsack said. "We wanted to go off somewhere, away from it."

Yet the five JHS alums have come to appreciate Southeast.

"I know people who have gone to bigger places and have come back," Bohnsack said.

Sometimes the simple proximity to home lessens the appeal to some high school seniors, ready to get far away from all things familiar. This, the student leaders argued, can still be accomplished at Southeast.

"Even though it's only 10 minutes away (from home), if you get involved, it makes it like a totally different place," Ward noted.

"I see my mom on Sundays, if I want," Keith said. "Other than that, I'm here."