Northwest Missourian

Throughout the past couple of weeks, the Bearcat Commons dining hall has gotten smaller and is offering less options. This has caused backlash from the student body, seen on most social media platforms.

Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs: Residential and Auxiliary Services Rose Viau said the decrease is caused by Aramark corporation and not Northwest’s decision.

“Students are upset, I completely understand, I loved a lot of things that we had,” Viau said. “The barbecue station was amazing, they just can’t do it anymore.”

Budget is the biggest factor in the downsizing of the Bearcat Commons. Aramark cannot provide these stations and anything extra because there is not enough in its budget to do so.

One of the stations that was closed was Mongolian. Viau said it was not supposed to close, and she looked at the contract and made sure that Mongolian came back. This station returned March 27 and will stay because it is required in the Aramark contract.

The other stations, such as the barbecue station, closed because they were extra and not required in the contract.

“Our on ground team is trying to do the best that they can do, and it really bothers them,” Viau said. “... They want students to love what they eat, be able to have somewhere great to eat, and it’s really hard for them.”

The cut in food has also cut jobs. Part-time employees are being let go because of the decrease in stations and budget. This is mostly affecting student employees, who make up a lot of the part-time employees.

SEE DINING HALL | A4

African Student Organization hosts event to celebrate culture

Northwest’s African Student Organization will be having a showcase and celebration called “Taste of Africa” at 6 p.m. March 30 in the J.W. Jones Student Union.

“Taste of Africa” is an annual student-led event that brings African culture to Northwest. Its goal is to share food, music, fashion and awareness to Northwest so students can experience African culture.

ASO is a student organization that makes international students feel more at home. Its goal is to promote unity and solidarity among students of African descent while upholding a unique identity and solidarity among student organizations.

The planning of the annual “Taste of Africa” started at the end of Christmas break.

Oluwadamilola (Dami) Popoola, vice president

of ASO, spoke about the upcoming event.

“Other organizations that kind of help out are the inclusion committee, the (Student) Senate, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and most of the stuff you will see at the events by ourselves,” Popoola said.

Tickets are $10 and can be bought in advance by March 27. They were sold by contacting the Office of Diversity and Inclusion located in the Student Engagement Center on the second floor of the Student Union.

Tickets will be available at the door of the event and students can pay with cash, Cash App or Venmo.

Students may bring guests with no limit to how many may be brought. Guests do not have to pay an additional cost for a ticket and 150-200 tickets are expected to be sold.

Earlier in the year, Northwest announced there would be a compensation study performed, and faculty and staff would be getting a one-time retention payment.

Assistant Vice President of Human Resources Krista Barcus said the total compensation study will analyze the current pay and benefit practices.

“We just want to make sure by using a third-party vendor that we go out and make sure that by doing this analysis with other institutions within the region, that we’re being competitive, so that we can recruit and retain employees,” Barcus said.

The process that went into performing this study had several steps. A team was formed of Northwest faculty and staff to be on the request for proposal committee to choose the company to perform the compensation study.

After the third-party vendor was chosen, data, including job descriptions, organizational structure and a list of positions at Northwest were sent to the vendor.

Obioma Nwuba and Jennifer Aronu presented their ideas at the African Student Organization meeting for “Taste of Africa” March 23. The celebration showcases their culture through dance, fashion, food and music.

SIDDHARTH CHAUDHARY PHOTOGRAPHER

BECKY DAVENPORT Missourian Reporter | @TheMissourian

“Because we always want to get together, express our culture and bring something to Northwest just so everyone on campus can feel that African culture.”

-OLUWADAMILOLA POPOOLA VICE PRESIDENT OF ASO

Mom turns hobby into successful business

Sylvia Chloupek is a stay-athome mom of three girls during the day and a baker at night. She has an online business called Sylvia Chloupek Desserts, making French macarons and modern buttercream cakes.

Originally from Slovakia, Sylvia Chloupek moved to Maryville with her husband, Brett Chloupek, who is an associate professor of geography at Northwest. Missing her traditional Slovakian desserts, Sylvia Chloupek decided to start baking them herself. Her baking journey started slow, dabbling here and there, she eventually decided to take on one of the hardest desserts, the macaron.

When learning how to make a macaron, she had many failed attempts. Sylvia Chloupek said they tasted good, but they were either cracked or lopsided. She would give these out to neighbors and the schools, then people started to ask her if they could order some, which was never her intention.

Before the pandemic, she started her business in January

2020 and said COVID made it easier for her. Sylvia Chloupek said people wanted contactless pickup instead of walking into a grocery store or driving all the way to St. Joseph to visit other commercial businesses. She would leave out her desserts on her doorstep for people to pick up, but she said she missed that relationship with her customers during the pandemic.

“The best part of this is meeting all these Maryville people and making the connection,” Sylvia Chloupek said.

Sylvia Chloupek went to school at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, getting a degree in business management. She was a residential assistant throughout college and always had a meal plan. When having to cook for her family, it was hard because she never gained those skills, so she was quite surprised that now she bakes and has made a business out of it.

When she decided to start selling her desserts to the community, Sylvia Chloupek said it was about a six-month process figuring things out. She wanted her label to be simple black and white, and the bow logo

just made sense because putting it on her packages made it feel like a present for her customers.

Sylvia Chloupek said she wouldn’t want to open a bakery, but you can never say never. She said there are a lot of variables that go into owning a bakery, like having fresh ingredients every day, and she wouldn’t like getting up at 4 a.m. every day. Sylvia Chloupek would like to go to pastry school first to broaden her skills before she even thinks about owning a bakery.

“It’s satisfying to bring joy and bring something different, unique, tasty to people,” Sylvia Chloupek said.

What makes her desserts so special is they are made from European ingredients, which she said makes her desserts less sweet and doesn’t make you feel as sick after eating them as traditional cakes in America. They are also made with no artificial colors and flavor. Sylvia Chloupek said when someone asks for the raspberry flavor, they get the real raspberry flavor.

She offers 14 different flavors of macarons, including a few seasonal flavors like pumpkin spice. The cakes are either

vanilla or chocolate with an option of 11 different buttercreams and eight signature flavor combinations. Sylvia Chloupek said her most popular cake is vanilla cake with salted buttercream.

Baking is a long process so she stays up late making orders. It also needs to be perfected in certain areas, especially macarons where everything needs to be perfect or they will come out wrong in some way. Sylvia Chloupek said it takes three and a half hours for one batch of macarons and five to seven hours of multiple days of work for cakes since it’s not one process.

Each step of baking needs to be done in a certain way: the icing, the measurements and the timing. She said she has somewhat perfected it, but still, to this day, she messes up and a batch of macarons will come out cracked, or the icing will not drip correctly.

“People think it’s so intimidating baking, if I can do it, you can do it,” Sylvia Chloupek said.

Since starting her business, Chloupek said she has learned a lot, like saying no. In the beginning, she would be open to making anything for her customers, but since she uses cer-

tain ingredients and orders in bulk, it makes it easier to stick to what she can do with those ingredients.

She bakes for the St. Gregory’s Gala each year, and people can see Sylvia Chloupek at the farmers market and popups. Sylvia Chloupek also does charity events and donates her treats. She said this has given her the opportunity to get closer to the Maryville community, and she loves it here.

The hardest part about this job is being a stay-at-home mom, taking care of her youngest during the day and getting the family settled at night. When her kids go to bed at night, Sylvia Chloupek takes this time to stay up late and bake. She said it’s not something she always wants to do, but hopefully, when her youngest child starts preschool, she will hopefully have a better work-life balance.

“As a mom, you don’t get much credit or much good job,” Sylvia Chloupek said. “You put the kids to bed today great today. With baking, you know you have a finish product, and it’s nice to look at it, and you get positive feedback, and it’s rewarding.”

Landlords talk about impacts of inflation, rising prices

Rent across the country has continued to soar over the last five years, with Missouri rentals increasing over 8% from 2021-2022. Maryville is no exception to this.

For those renting in town, many rentals have raised prices across the board due to increasing prices of utilities, property taxes and overall cost of living.

Southview Apartments in

Maryville is a low-income housing, tax credit property unit that bases rental prices off of the median income in the community. Southview Apartments Property Manager Christina Villegas said there was an increase for all of the units based on new rates.

She said that many Southview tenants depend on their social security income, so even with the slight increase in those funds, it doesn’t help them cover other costs of living.

“Even with the little boost

that they get for the cost of living, I don’t really feel it helps them a whole lot,” Villegas said. “I mean, rent goes up when cost of living goes up as well. And so basically, when anything they get goes up, it’s not paying for it, you know what I mean?”

These apartments include water, trash and sewer in rent, but with the rising rates of everything across the board, sometimes people aren’t able to come up with the money to pay rent on top of all other costs.

“I mean, I have some of my residents that … live paycheck to paycheck,” Villegas said. “... We’re a family property, and we’re trying to help them the best that we can and not just the rent rate, but everything else. The grocery cost of everything has gone up and so the struggle has been real for quite a few of us. It comes with sometimes they are late on their rent.”

President of Stagner Rental Properties Todd Stagner has been in real estate for about 20 years and has only seen price increases like this in the last two years. He said some of the biggest impacts on rent increase is utilities and property tax.

“It’s the past two years because our property taxes and our insurance have all gone up, as well as utilities — if the landlord pays the utilities — I’m not quite sure the actual property tax rate increase, but insurance has gone up, depending on the property 10 to 12%,” he said.

Hersh’s Rentals Owner Allen Hersh has been in the

business for over 20 years and owns many properties on Fourth Street. He said he hasn’t seen something like this before the last couple of years, and he thinks the rising costs come from a “trickledown” effect that starts with delivering products, but ends with the consumers having to pay the price.

As he does his own maintenance on his properties, he said everything, down to small parts have doubled in price over recent years.

“We go in there to repair stuff, stuff that I used to buy for $5 like a toilet float, now it’s $14,” he said. “It’s ridiculous.” He said he has seen tenants that are concerned with the pric-

es, too. Hersh recently had to replace a water heater, and during repairs, he had to drain the water, causing an increase in the tenants water bill.

“I had to drain the hot water heater two or three times, and I made it right,” he said. “But the mother was concerned. Yes, I can see when it jumps as we run a lot of water, and it costs like 75 bucks.”

When it comes to replacing parts and maintenance on buildings, Hersh said these prices have been outrageous. With costs continuing to rise, he said it doesn’t only affect property managers and landlords.

“It’s affected everybody,” Hersh said. “The young families that have young kids and stuff.”

Valeria Morales, sophomore international student, is worried about her housing situation for fall 2023 as the housing rents in Maryville keep rising. Housing rents have increased over 8% in Missouri from 2021-2022.

SIDDHARTH CHAUDHARY PHOTOGRAPHER

Sylvia Chloupek started her at-home bakery business in 2020 after missing traditional desserts from Slovakia since moving to the U.S. for college. Sylvia Chloupek Desserts started off slow while doubling as a stay-at-home mom. Chloupek has since grown relationships with customers in town while perfecting her macaron recipe and providing specialty cakes.

MALLORY SCHEELK MISSOURIAN PHOTOGRAPHER

ALYNA THIBAULT News Reporter | @alynamorgan_

INCLUSIVITY S H O RTFAL L

Northwest is still working to catch buildings up with accessibility regulations

SIDNEY LOWRY Managing Editor | @sidney_lowry

Over 30 years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law and prohibits the discrimination of people with physical or non-physical disabilities on a spectrum anywhere from telecommunications to accommodations within facilities.

There are federal acts universities have to follow, like the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, as well as Missouri-specific laws. Within these, many standards were set on facilities to ensure the accessibility for those with disabilities.

Northwest, which was founded in 1905, has buildings that were first constructed from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. The oldest building on campus is the Thomas Gaunt House, built during the 1870s and has since been renovated many times.

The second oldest building on campus is the Administration Building. Constructed from 1907-1910, the building has since had reconstruction and renovations due to weather damage, a fire and a need for overall updates.

With the history of Northwest buildings dating back over a century, there are buildings that don’t comply with the ADA. The 1990 act and other standard design regulations that have been updated over the last three decades, outlines specific criteria for construction in order to establish accessibility.

Since many campus buildings were constructed before the act and the 1991 Standards for Accessible Design, which requires all buildings that start construction after January 1992 to comply with accessibility design, there are facilities on campus that do not comply with the act.

Assistant Vice President of Facility Services Dan Haslag said there are some buildings that do not comply with the ADA, but Northwest looks to make accessibility improvements wherever it can throughout campus.

Some of these include bathrooms on the third floor of the Administration Building, where the floor leading into the bathroom has a protrusion where people have to step up to get into the bathroom.

“The third floor restrooms (in the Administration Building) are not ADA accessible,” Haslag said in an email to The Missourian. “We are in the process of adjusting signage to direct users to the location of the nearest accessible restrooms, which would be on the second floor.”

When walking through campus buildings, there are accessibility hurdles that can be seen, specifically in bathrooms.

“In the high majority of campus facilities, there are ADA accessible restrooms available,” Haslag said in an email to The Missourian.

Bathrooms in campus facilities aren’t the only amenities that have to comply with the ADA, on every building there has to be push buttons to open doors for people with disabilities. On every campus facility there is a door that is ADA accessible, but some don’t work as of March 18, like the north doors of the Administration Building, or some that have long delays, like the doors of Garrett Strong Science Building.

Haslag said when a maintenance ticket is submitted, it typically takes 24 hours to replace with the exception of having to order parts for the repair.

One in every four adults in the U.S. have a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In order to ensure accessibility, Haslag said Facility Services works with Student Affairs and the Title IX and Equity Office to work with University funding each fiscal year to determine priorities toward more accessibility within campus facilities.

Within the ADA and other acts for people with disabilities, there are other provisions that public businesses and universities have to comply with for accessibility.

The Title IX and Equity Office has a branch that handles all accessibility and accommodations, where students can find assistance for their disabilities. Interim Title IX Coordinator Marissa Hotujac said the process of receiving a University accommodation is simple.

“If you have difficulty talking and seeing, walking, if you have any, like psychological disabilities, like ADHD or ADD bipolar disorder, eating disorders, anything like that, if that has been diagnosed by a medical professional, then the students come to our office, and they'll fill out an application and submit a letter of support from their doctor,” Hotujac said.

Accommodation and Proctor Coordinator Weston Carter said the Title IX and Equity Office sees around 300 applications for accommodation every year.

“As accommodation applications come in, I reach out to students, tell them what they need,” Carter said. “I kind of help them through that process … any questions that they have, anything that they haven’t provided to us that they need, you know, I reach out and meet with them if need be.”

Carter said some of the most common accommodations Northwest students have are extended testing time, private testing rooms, emotional support animals and private rooms in residential facilities. Students looking for access to an accommodation can go to the Northwest accessibility and accommodations website.

Carter said while every accommodation request is handled in a week, Hotujac is working to get a policy in place that caps the time for a response to an accommodation to 21 days.

“It's important to have those laws because it, you know, kind of enables the people who have disabilities to have equal access to the University and the education programs and activities,” Hotujac said. “Having those laws requires a university like Northwest to comply with it, and it'll protect those students.”

1 in 4

U.S. adults have a disability.

“

“ It's important to have those laws because it, you know, kind of enables the people who have disabilities to have equal access to the University and the education programs and activities.

-MARISSA HOTUJAC Interim Title IX Coordinator

CRIME LOG

for the week of March 30

Northwest Missouri State University Police Department

March 26

There is a closed investigation for a fire alarm in Perrin Hall.

March 24

There is a closed investigation for an alcohol violation in Phillips Hall.

March 23

There was an accident between Steven Mosier, 59, and Alejandro Vega, 23, on College Avenue.

March 22

There is a closed investigation for property damage in Parking Lot 42.

There is a closed investigation for property damage in Parking Lot 42.

March 21

There is a closed investigation for a fire alarm in the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building.

March 20

There is a closed investigation for a fire alarm in Dieterich Hall.

There is a closed investigation for property damage in Parking Lot 43.

There is a closed investigation for a fire alarm in Perrin Hall.

Maryville Department of Public Safety

March 22

A summons was issued to Yutia Guo, 20, for not having a valid driver’s license, failure to register a motor vehicle and an equipment violation on the 900 block of South Main Street. Keys were recovered on the 100 block of North Vine Street.

March 19

A summons was issued to Amber D. Cooper, 28, for larceny on the 1600 block of South Main Street.

A summons was issued to Dezaray M. Henson, 32, for larceny on the 1600 block of South Main Street.

March 18

A driver’s license was recovered on the 100 block of East Third Street.

A summons was issued to Amber D. Cooper, 28, for larceny on the 1600 block of South Main Street.

A summons was issued to Dezaray M. Henson, 32, for larceny on the 1600 block of South Main Street.

A summons was issued to Camden T. Lutz, 19, for a minor in possession and an equipment violation on the 500 block of South Market Street.

There is an ongoing investigation for a lost or stolen license plate on the 500 block of North Mulberry Street.

A summons was issued to Tanner A. Marquardt, 24, for driving while intoxicated and improper lane usage on the 100 block of East Fifth Street.

March 17

A summons was issued to Gage E. Stephens, 22, for disorderly conduct on the 400 block of North Market Street.

A summons was issued to Kaia R. Calloway, 20, for driving while intoxicated and failure to maintain the right half of the roadway on the 200 block of South Main Street.

There is an ongoing investigation for property damage on the 1600 block of South Main Street.

Council hears 2022 budget report

City Council received a presentation about the 2022 fiscal year audit during the March 27 meeting. It received feedback about the improvements that could be made for the next fiscal year’s audit report.

Sikich, LLP Representative Mike Williams spoke to City Council about the 2022 fiscal year audit presentation. Williams was not able to attend and presented from a Zoom call.

Williams presented three reports in total: the annual comprehensive financial report, the single audit report and audit communications. The purpose of this was to inform the council of all the changes from the prior year and give feedback to keep improvements going.

Williams said there were many improvements compared to the prior year’s audit report. The net financial position experienced several improvements throughout the year.

“It looks overall that the city was over budget on revenues and under budget on expenses,” Williams said. “That’s generally the right way to be.”

The biggest changes from the prior year to the 2022 fi scal year were caused by the South Main Corridor Improvement. It is expected for grants received and larger projects to cause fluctuation.

Mayor Tye Parsons thanked

DINING HALL

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those involved for the work that was put into making the report and was happy with the outcomes.

“I’m just pleased as punch at the position our city is in and the work that our staff has done to really put Maryville in a position where we can really stand head over shoulders above our peers and be able to produce some really outstanding services for our citizens,” Parsons said.

The report gave the city some recommendations, being to update the credit card policy and employee manuals. Williams said the updates are being worked on already and will

“As you decrease services, you don’t need as many people to work,” Viau said. “... Hopefully they’re done, but it depends on if the corporate comes back and says ‘nope, now I need you to cut this much.’”

With the contract with Aramark coming to an end May 15, it’s trying to save money and cutting back on many things. Wing Wednesday is another example, this was something extra added by Aramark and now it is not necessary for them to continue providing this because it is not in the contract.

Sophomore Cleo Wills said she is not happy with the cut in food options.

“I already feel like there’s not a wide variety of things that they have, at least healthy things,” Wills said. “I feel like I eat a burger everyday.”

Many Northwest students have taken to social media sites to complain about the cuts. Healthy options is something that students are concerned about as well. Viau said a lot of the feedback she is receiving from students is about the lack of healthy options. She said Aramark is still required to have a certain number of healthier options from all food

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The vendor will come back with a proposal for steps that can be taken to be more competitive to ensure Northwest is in line with others in the industry.

“It was just to help us ensure that we have a true compensation philosophy and consistent practice when it comes to the pay of positions,” Barcus said.

There is not a set timeline for the study to be finished, but it started in January. Barcus said she hopes to have results and feedback to present to faculty, staff and the Board of Regents sometime by August or September.

In September 2022, the Board of Regents approved a

be updated for next year. Positive fund balances were seen in all of the categories, such as assets and liabilities. Compared to prior years, there were significant increases in the amount of capital improvements.

“The city was able to get that information done accurately and on time,” Williams said. “That’s a positive report, I think.”

Williams said Maryville received a Certificate of Achievement for excellence in financial reporting for last year’s audit report.

Other City Council Business:

• Council voted yes on a subaward agreement for funds granted to

groups, and it is still following it.

Viau said it is hard when there is false information being spread, and she is happy to explain to students what is happening and why it is happening.

She said Northwest’s ground team with Aramark does not have a say over what is being closed and that Aramark has full control over that at a corporate level. Viau said the team is still trying to have fun events for the students, and it is doing its best.

The head chef for Northwest from Aramark Sara Tompkins did not receive approval from Aramark for an interview in time for publication.

$1,500 one-time retention payment for all full-time employees, both faculty and staff

The criteria to receive this payment was that the employee had to be employed as of Oct. 1 and still employed as of Feb. 1, and they were not in an active Performance Improvement Plan.

Assistant Vice President of Finance Mary Collins said Northwest was able to use some of the money related to COVID to recognize some of the employees staying with Northwest.

“I really believe that the board gave that retention payment to recognize the people who are staying with the University, working through all of those things with us and doing it all for the good of the students at Northwest,” Collins said.

This is a one-time payment, and Barcus said there is no plan to budget something like this payment again.

Collins said though Northwest did not have to do reductions because of COVID, recruiting new people is always difficult.

Barcus said both of these initiatives will help Northwest and its faculty and staff. She said Northwest’s Leadership Team has its focus on what it can do for Northwest’s people going forward.

“I think the biggest thing for both of these initiatives is we’re really trying to, as a strategic investment, focus on our people,” Barcus said. “... We think that these two initiatives really speak volumes to the value that we put into our employees.”

the Public Safety Department for the new mobile radios.

• Council approved a hay lease agreement with Robert Waldeier for hay harvesting at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park.

• Council approved a hay lease agreement with Fast Farms for hay harvesting at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park.

• Council voted to approve a hay lease agreement with Brian McGary for hay harvesting at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park.

• Council voted to start a contract with United Electric Cooperative for service upgrades at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park.

CULTURE

Obioma M Nwuba is the president of ASO, and spoke about the event. Nwuba helped with the planning of “Taste of Africa.’’

“I have been a member since I got here as my sister was here,” Nwuba said. “So, I knew I was interested in the African Student Organization before I actually came to Northwest because she was the vice president at the time, so she would send us pictures and fun stuff.”

A meal will be provided from authentic African stores in Kansas City, Missouri and neighboring cities. There will be fried rice, Jollof rice, fish and chicken.

“We had a number of options, we’re just saying that we wanted to introduce new things,” Nwuba said. “So, we started with Asaro, which is like yam porridge, as opposed to something like Swallow (cooked starchy vegetables or grain) because people don’t really know how to get that, and we don’t want people extending themselves, so just try to introduce that like that, one after the other, but we have more things people are used to like rice.”

There will be a showcase in which members of ASO will be holding flags that are a delegate of the countries represented.

“It’s something we’ve always tried to do every year,” Popoola said. “Because we always want to get together, express our culture and bring something to Northwest just so everyone on campus can feel that African culture.”

ASO will be preparing transition documents, have elections, applications and interview executive committees.

Council member Benjamin Lipiec and Mayor Tye Parsons listen to the 2022 Fiscal Year Audit report. Improvements have been shown compared to last year’s reports, they ended with positive fund balances in all categories.

KAYLA ALLISON MISSOURIAN PHOTOGRAPHER

“ Students are upset, I completely understand, I loved a lot of things that we had.”

-ROSE VIAU ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF STUDENT AFFAIRS: RESIDENTIAL AND AUXILIARY SERVICES

SOPHIE WILLIAMS Copy Editor @williams2sophie

During conversations lately, I have found myself asking people where they get their information. A common response has been ‘TikTok.’

This isn’t uncommon as from 2020 to 2022, the percentage of U.S. adults who say they get their news from TikTok has tripled from 3% to 10%, according to the Pew Research Center.

Not only do I find less credibility in what they are telling me, but it also blows me away how much people depend on TikTok for information — more so than other websites. It’s not just information regarding entertainment, news or politics, it’s information we should probably be getting from professionals.

Yes, it’s bad to believe every piece of news and gossip you see on TikTok, but that has been an issue across all social media platforms for a while now.

The percentage of U.S. adults, ages 18-29, who get their information on TikTok, has increased from 9% in 2020 to 17% in 2022. This is the age where people are more impressionable and are now getting their information regarding relationships, health, well-being and overall life advice.

Someone is probably out there right now, believing their relationship is in shambles because a video on their for you page is telling them the person with ‘this letter name is getting cheated on,’ and it happens to be the letter of their name.

If you are having relationship issues, I suggest having an honest talk with your partner or going to couples therapy. You know — talking to a professional instead of airing your dirty laundry publicly and taking the advice of strangers on your profile telling you to break up.

Also, what happened to medical diagnoses by professionals? Doctors and mental health providers are concerned about the uprise in self-diagnosis due to misinformation online. Self-diagnosing can be worse for mental health, leading symptoms of the true illness to worsen, according to the Highland Springs Clinic.

A TikTok user will post a 30-second video of themselves and suddenly, they’re being diagnosed with ADHD by people in the comment section. If you think you have ADHD, see a medical professional. Don’t listen to the random ‘experts.’

You don’t need to lose weight if your doctor tells you you’re healthy just like you don’t need to gain weight if your doctor tells you you’re healthy. If you have been feeding your dog the same brand of food for the last five years, you don’t need to suddenly change its diet because TikTok said to do so.

The attention span TikTok has molded for its users is too small, now we rely on short videos to satisfy us. All I can say is, try reading a book. If you don’t like reading, watch a movie — it still requires a longer attention span than TikTok does.

Summing it up, we rely on TikTok for so much — entertainment, relationship advice, medical diagnoses and more. We need to go back to relying on our original sources, like our doctors and therapists.

OUR VIEW:

Northwest needs to value its staff more through benefits

Teachers have one of the most underappreciated jobs. Each one dedicates their career to preparing students for their futures and helping them succeed in life. Despite this, people barely take time to stop and thank them, let alone give them the proper benefits that should come with their job.

Throughout the U.S., it’s no secret teacher shortages became more prevalent following the COVID pandemic. After a survey done of members of the National Education Association, 55 % are considering leaving or retiring the profession earlier than expected. This is due to the stress they’ve faced by attempting to fill in vacancies from sickness. While the problem started three years ago, no steps have been taken to improve benefits or quality of work to encourage a flow of new staff members.

At Northwest specifically, the benefits given with an instructing position does not encourage many to want to work here. While they do receive basics such as healthcare and mental health resources, they are robbed of simple amenities. For starters, professors have to purchase their own parking passes for campus. Let that sit for a second. They have to pay to park near a building so they can do their job.

YOUR VIEW:

They also don’t receive free entry to sporting events like students do.

Faculty should not be excluded from these benefits when the University couldn’t function without them.For a school who prides itself on education and started with a focus on education, we are not giving students any encouragement to pursue teaching.

When an education student is watching their professors receive less than satisfactory benefits with their jobs, why would they want to go through the same thing? The University needs to set the bar, starting with improving the benefit policies.

Instead of denying instructors even the smallest of commodities, we should be improving the quality of their workplace. By valuing staff members, it creates a welcoming atmosphere and encourages instructors to stay. The Board of Regents approved a one-time $1,500 retention bonus for benefit-eligible employees Sept. 14, 2022. Any eligible had to be employed as of Oct. 1 and stay employed until Feb. 1, 2023.

While this is a great first step, teachers should be compensated correctly so there shouldn’t be a need for a retention payment.

Every academic year, it’s not un-

BILLY BROOKS Agriculture Sciences Instructor

“Something to do with parking. Nothing real major, but parking. You know, either eliminate the parking pass as faculty employees, or, you know, especially up here we’re running into that problem where we’re starting to run out of spots. ... I’d say it’s kind of a simpleton answer but one, you know, off the top of my head, at least anyway, that could be beneficial.”

DAVID KIENE School of Education Assistant Professor

common for professors to leave; however, the amount of new faculty coming in is slowly dropping. As of March 24, Northwest has 35 vacant teaching positions including full-time, assistant or associate and adjunct instructors.

Higher education professors in Missouri make an average of $48,115 every year even as the cost of living is going up. Most universities, including Northwest, require a master’s degree to teach at a college level. The problem with this remains while teachers are scraping by on a low salary, they also have to pay off their college education, which increased in cost by 69 % from 2000 to 2020.

Making faculty feel underappreciated by not paying them correctly for the work they’re doing and forcing them to take on more classes due to understaffing is not right. The Editorial Board recognizes the work professors are putting into their jobs and believe they should be compensated accordingly, even with small steps like having free parking and admission into games.

The time has come to value the faculty we already have. It does no good to continue the cycle of replacing vacant positions, this isn’t getting to the root of the problem. Teachers are only asking to be valued — and they should be.

“There’s a lot that Northwest does well. So, it’s hard to nitpick and find one thing that I feel they can do better. I could say being more flexible or up to date when it comes to changes that have happened in higher ed, especially after the pandemic. Being more in tune with virtual instruction, being more reticent to alternative ways of meeting the needs of students.”

JESSICA GILES Freshman Diversity and Inclusion Office Assistant

“One thing Northwest could do to make my life easier is advocating the Diversity and Inclusion events better.”

Your Bearcat wishes they could have a grill THE STROLLER:

Now that it is officially spring, even though it was postponed since that godforsaken groundhog saw his shadow, I’m reminded of one of my favorite activities: grilling.

Some people may look forward to the promise of warmer days and being able to go outside without multiple layers of clothing, but I enjoy turning on the

propane and making a fantastic dinner. You may be asking yourself what kind of person is writing this, a 45-year-old dad? No, I simply just enjoy the little things in life like a medium rare steak. This small pleasure has been taken away from me, though. Living off campus, one of the first rules is that there are no grills allowed.

I had suffered through the absence of a grill while living in the dorms, and I wasn’t about to do it again. Quit all this nonsense of “it might cause a fire.” I’m not going to let my chicken burn, let alone my apartment. But, yet again, another spring time will pass me by without the small happiness of being able to grill.

I’ve been following the rules, but I’ll just leave you with one question: Do you even really have a grill if your landlord doesn’t know about it? The philosophy has proved to work so far with my “non-existent” cat.

The Stroller has been a tradition since 1918 and does not reflect the views of the Northwest Missourian.

HAILEY-JOHNSON NEESER CARTOONIST

“What is one thing that would make your experience at Northwest better?”

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

DOUBLEHEADERS

CONTINUED FROM A12

Northwest is No. 9 in the MIAA standings, No. 3 in the conference in team batting average (.316), No. 5 in home runs (29), No. 2 in total hits (271) and No. 6 in team on-base percentage (.382).

Emporia is No. 11 in the MIAA

standings, No. 11 in team batting average (.279), No. 11 in the conference in home runs (12) and No. 9 in team on-base percentage (.372). Washburn is No. 15 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II Top 25 Poll, No. 3 in the MIAA standings, No. 7 in the conference in team onbase percentage (.377) and No. 6 in total hits (247).

The second-year coach said the game plan is to carry the momentum from last weekend’s games against Central Oklahoma and Newman March 24-25, regardless of the difference in records and statistics.

“We just need to still focus on those timely hits, and our pitchers threw well this past weekend,” Tellez said. “Being able to continue to throw well, get the hits in key moments and just being able to score in multiple diferent ways and not relying too much on the long ball, it’s something that we’re going to be working on.”

With the season being a couple games over the middle mark of the 2023 season for Northwest, the Bearcats are on pace to have the best season for the program since 2018, when they fnished with a record of 27-19 overall and 16-10 in the MIAA.

Love and Tellez said this team is destined for greatness with 22 games remaining on the schedule. Perhaps to the Bearcats’ disadvantage, only 10 of those contests will be at home.

“I think we have so much more growing to do, and clearly I think we can get more wins,” Love said. “I think that we’ve defnitely met our goals already, but I defnitely think we have more things to shoot for going into the future.”

“I always tell them the wins and losses aren’t a direct product of the work we have put in, but it’s obviously nice to see those results,” Tellez said. “At the same time, we do still have so much to go and so much to work for, but it is nice knowing that some of it has already paid of.”

TENNIS CONTINUED FROM A12

For coach Nicole McGinness, it was a great atmosphere for the team to be in for the home-opener and come out with a win.

“It feels great,” McGinness said “I am glad for us to use the courts at Northwest, and it was very special for today to be Senior Day, and it just made the day a lot more special.”

After the Spoofhounds bounced back from their season-opening loss to Savannah — just their sixth loss since the start of the 2021 season — Teale said he wants to see the team continue to improve.

“We are hoping for wins, but also getting better every single day,” Teale said. “From last year, we have gotten better, but we have to keep going in order

-KASON TEALE

to make it to the state competition this year.”

For both Teale and Staples, they said they have a very close bond because they have been doubles partners for two years and that they are involved with other sports as well.They said they believe that they have an edge over most of the other doubles teams because of how in sync they are in practice and during match play.

“We played soccer together and we have played tennis together for two years now, so I think that we have great chemistry as not just teammates, but friends.”

The Spoofhounds are No. 4 in the Class 16 District 1 rankings so far this year, and Maryville will look to build momentum as the team hits the road against Lafayette-St. Joseph March 30 and Bishop LeBlond April 4. Both of the matches will be in St. Joseph.

Junior left-handed pitcher Breck Dickey winds up for a pitch during Northwest softball’s 5-1 win over Newman March 25. Through 13 games played this season, Dickey has recorded 56 strikeouts.

WESLEY MILLER SPORTS EDITOR

Maryville girls soccer freshman Jayda Buck looks to pass the ball to a teammate in the second half of an 8-0 win against Lafayette March 28 in the Spoofhounds’ second consecutive home match. The next contest for the Spoofhounds is against Lincoln College Prep at 5 p.m. March 30 at Bearcat Pitch.

CRAIG MCMULLEN MISSOURIAN REPORTER

“

From last year, we have gotten better, but we have to keep going in order to make it to the state competition this year.”

Spoofhound track coach focuses on generating experience

The Maryville boys and girls track and field teams had multiple top-10 finishes in a multitude of events at the Lathrop Invitational March 28 in Lathrop, Missouri.

Coach Rodney Bade said he took the Lathrop Invitational as a chance to get more competition for his younger and more inexperienced athletes, but also having some of his varsity athletes get their normal workload as the season progresses.

Match-filled weekend next for Northwest

Northwest tennis returned to Maryville triumphantly, as the Bearcats beat rival Washburn 4-3 in the men’s and women’s matches March 25. Next, the men’s tennis team has a four-match homestand March 31-April 4, while the women have a three-match homestand March 31-April 4.

Coach Mark Rosewell, who is in his 39th season at Northwest, said playing at home is fun. So far this season, the women’s squad has played two matches in Maryville at the Frank Grube Courts, and the men have only had one home contest.

“It’s really nice — the only thing is the weather is not going to be good Friday, so we’ll probably be in St. (Joseph) — but Saturday and Sunday we should be fine,” Rosewell said.

The men’s tennis team will kick off its four-match homestand against Southern Arkansas March 31 at the Frank Grube Courts. The Bearcats are 1-5 against the Muleriders all time. In the last match between them, Southern Arkansas came out with a clean, 4-0 sweep over Northwest.

It has been three seasons since the ’Cats defeated the Muleriders — May 8, 2021, in Edmond, Oklahoma. Despite losing to them the last three seasons, No. 6 singles player

junior Simon Birgerson said the Bearcats won’t let that affect them.

“We know that Southern Arkansas is perhaps a little bit weaker than they’ve been the past couple of years, so I think that we’re the favorites,” Birgerson said.

“We’re hungry to beat them, especially considering that we’ve lost to them several times, especially last year. So, I think everybody’s excited and hungry to get a win.”

On the men’s side in tennis, the MIAA combines with the Great American Conference to form a singular conference. Therefore, Southern Arkansas will be the men’s team’s third conference matchup of the season.

Following the match against Southern Arkansas, Northwest will clash with Newman April 1 at the Frank Grube Courts.

“It’s important because it’s a conference match, and it impacts national rankings so we don’t want to flub up,” Rosewell said.

Next on the docket is conference opponent Ouachita Baptist April 2 at the Frank Grube Courts. Ouachita defeated the Bearcats 4-3 in the last matchup March 6, 2022, in Springfield, Missouri. Northwest is 5-5 against the Tigers all time.

To wrap up the four-match homestand, Northwest will clash with another conference foe Emporia State. The ’Cats are 13-0 in the all-time series against the Hornets.

Birgerson said the matches against Emporia and Newman are still important matches despite being undefeated against both teams.

“They’re both conference matches, and that’s enough to motivate all of us,” Birgerson said. “I think if we were able to pick up a couple of wins there, we’re going to be probably the first seed when the conference tournament comes around, and that’s a pretty big deal.”

Northwest women’s tennis shares three of the men’s opponents in Southern Arkansas, Newman and Emporia. The Bearcats will also start their homestand against the Muleriders.

The ’Cats have defeated Southern Arkansas in the last two meetings. No. 2 singles player sophomore Tyffaine Pais won her match 2-1 against Washburn’s No. 2 singles player junior Maja Jung.

“I think we’re really comfortable,” Pais said. “We’re not really doing a lot of strategies, we’re just, like, every time going to play we just know that we’re going to give our best to bring the win home. There is no real key to winning. We just have to play well, and we have to support each other to keep everything sharp.”

Next will be two MIAA matchups for the Bearcats against Newman and Emporia. The ’Cats will face off against the Jets April 1 at the Frank Grube Courts.

To wrap up the three-game home series for the women, they

1 p.m. March 31 St. Joseph, Missouri

NW Men vs. Newman

1 p.m. April 1 Frank Grube Courts

NW Men vs. Ouachita Baptist 1 p.m. April 2 Frank Grube Courts

NW Men vs. Emporia State

2 p.m. April 4 Frank Grube Courts

NW Women vs. Southern Arkansas

4 p.m. March 31 St. Joseph, Missouri

NW Women vs. Newman

1 p.m. April 1 Frank Grube Courts

NW Women vs. Emporia State

2 p.m. April 4 Frank Grube Courts

will host Emporia April 4 at the Frank Grube Courts.

“We have to try to confirm what we did this weekend to try to keep the good results in conference matches to have the best seed we can for the conference tournament,” Pais said. “Also to try and go win the title maybe. For now, it’s still far away, but our goal is to win the conference tournament, then regionals and nationals.”

Golf secures best finish of season in St. Joseph

After back-to-back weekends of consistent improvement for Northwest golf — grabbing third place in the Holiday Inn Classic March 27-28 at the St. Joseph Country Club — the Bearcats prepare for a two-week long break until their next competition at the Virginia Laas Invitational April 10-11 in Joplin, Missouri.

Coach Andy Peterson said the mindset is plain and simple with a two-week long break coming up for the Bearcats — continue to get better.

“Find a couple of areas in each one of our games where we can shave some strokes off,” Peterson said. “Obviously, we did that pretty well this week, but that’s something we’ve gotta continue to build on. Just finding ways as individuals to shave one, two or three strokes off your score.”

The Bearcats have consistently moved up the leaderboards the last three meets, finishing 11th and sixth in the last two contests, and collecting third place in the competition March 27-28.

Northwest took third place with a score of 626, shooting 307 in the first round and ending the meet with a score of 319 in the second. The score of 307 in the first round March 27 in St. Joseph, marked the second-best round in program history.

“Overall, a really good week on a tough course that traditionally we have not played well at, so I am very proud of the girls and their effort the last couple days,” Peterson said after the meet.

Sophomore Paige Hoffman led the way for the ’Cats for the second consecutive week, finishing tied for fourth individually out of 50 golfers at the Holiday Inn Classic. Hoffman had a score of 152, shooting a 75 in the first round and a 77 in the second.

Sophomore Kylie Carey tied for ninth with

a score of 154, scoring a 74 in the first round and an 80 in the second to finish it out. With a score of 157, junior Elly Speece claimed 12thplace, shooting a 76 in the first round and an 81 in the second.

After Northwest finished the competition with three golfers inside the top-12 at the St. Joseph Country Club, Carey said it is all about staying crisp and sharp heading into this two-week long break before its next contest.

“For me and the rest of the teammates, putting together strong wedge play, working on short game, that is really where you cut the strokes,” Carey said. “This is time to clean up our mistakes and head into the next tournament with a strong mindset.”

Junior Taylor Sedivec swung with consistency in the two rounds in St. Joseph. She shot 82 in the first round and 83 in the second en route to a 24th-place finish.

Senior Lauren Wood and freshman Kayla Moline each finished the meet tied for 27th. They both improved, as they scored 85 in the first round and 81 in the second for a total of 166 points.

Northwest was tied for first out of the nine teams in birdies (16) in the two days at the Holiday Inn Classic. Hoffman led the way with five birdies, four ’Cats finished with three — Speece, Sedivec, Carey and Moline — Wood finished with two and freshman Lauren Kohl ended with one.

“Getting birdies is really just a case of getting it on the green and in the spot where you can make a putt,” Carey said. “Off the tee box, you need to just put yourself in a position where you have a good angle at the green.”

With Northwest’s break from competition until the Virgina Laas Invitational April 10-11 in Joplin, Missouri, Peterson said it is about gaining some momentum and confi-

dence heading into this short break.

“As it continues to warm up and we get more comfortable with practice, and taking our swings, taking our hacks and competing, we can just take some of this momentum forward as we get to conference championship play,” Peterson said.

“We brought a mix of (junior varsity) and varsity with us,” Bade said. “We wanted to give more opportunities to our JV kids and new kids before we get too far into the season. We spread the events out so we are not overworking certain athletes.”

Leading the way for Maryville on the girls’ side was junior Ella Schulte. She placed third in the girls 100-meter hurdles with a time of 17 seconds and 95 milliseconds, and her finish of 53.32 helped her claim fifth in the girls 300-meter hurdles.

The girls team also won the 4x200-meter relay with a time of 1:53.48 and claimed first in the 4x800 relay, after finishing with a mark of 11:33.18.

On the boys side, freshman Sadler Viau led the Spoofhounds with two second-place finishes in the boys 100-meter hurdles and the boys 300-meter hurdles. He finished with a time of 17.36 in the 100-meter hurdles and with a time of 45.38 in the 300.

Sophomore Titus McKim also finished with two top-10 finishes. He won the discus throw event with a mark of 36 meters and 13 millimeters. His leap of one meter and 60 millimeters in the high jump propelled him to ninth place in the event.

With a time of 46.20 in the 4x100 relay, the boys team also won the event at Lathrop.

Overall, the girls claimed third place at the meet, and the boys earned fifth in the invitational.

relay teams won their events March 28.

With the early season success, Maryville has already secured three combined top-ten finishes overall between boys and girls after the Bearcat Indoor March 18, the Maryville Time Trial March 22 and the Lathrop Invitational.

For the fourth-year coach, it’s just part of preparation for the postseason

“How we sculpt our season and practices is with the month of May in mind,” Bade said. “The Lathrop meet is great to be competitive, but, about six weeks from now, nobody is going to be thinking about what happened at the Lathrop meet. We focus on getting ready and refreshed for May, and every meet leading up to that is a learning experience for everybody on this team.”

Before the Lathrop meet, Maryville hosted its time trial, where it gave the coaches an opportunity to observe their team after the first meet and formulate their roster to who has the better edge in certain events.

Bade said every opportunity the athletes have to compete is a way to improve, and the time trials were a way to experiment with athletes in different events.

“They are good opportunities for the kids to try new things,” Bade said. “We try to get athletes into different events so that we can utilize them in a multitude of ways.”

Northwest tennis junior Simon Birgerson and sophomore Vinnie Rodrigues swing their racket during practice for the ongoing tennis season March 27. The No. 16 Northwest men’s tennis team rallied for a 4-3 road dual win over No. 38 Washburn March 25.

SIDDHARTH CHAUDHARY MISSOURIAN PHOTOGRAPHER

RIVER BOYD Sports Reporter | @RiverBoyd5

CARSON BREMER Sports Reporter | @CBMissourian

Northwest golf freshman Kayla Moline chips it in onto the green from the rough on the Watson 9 at the Mozingo Lake Recreation Park March 23. Moline tied for 39th and shot 13 over par during the Holiday Inn Express Classic March 27.

DAKOTA WEAVER PHOTO EDITOR

TREY HOUCHIN Missourian Reporter | @NWMSports

Top: Sophomore infielder Cole Silbowski attempts to tag out Washburn center fielder Trevor McCollum at second base during the Northwest baseball’s 4-2 loss against the Ichabods March 29. Slibowski scored one run during the bottom of the fifth inning against the Ichabods.

Left: Northwest baseball senior pitcher Max Spitzmiller lifts his leg before striding to pitch in the 4-2 loss against Washburn March 29. Spitzmiller had a season high of 11 strikeouts against Northeastern March 24.

Bottom: Senior outfielder Ryan Koski loads up in the batter’s box before getting walked during the third inning in the 4-2 loss against Washburn. Northwest baseball lost to the Ichabods 9-8 during their last meeting March 14.

set for third road meet

Northwest track and field began its outdoor season with the Emporia State Relays March 2325 in Emporia, Kansas, and the Spank Blasing Invitational March 24-25 in Pueblo, Colorado. The Bearcats will continue their season with the Southwest Baptist University Bearcat Invite March 31-April 1 in Bolivar, Missouri.

It didn’t take long for some of the athletes to find success in the new season, with two program records being broken and Northwest reaching Division II provisional marks six times at the Emporia State Relays. Coach Brandon Masters said any early success exceeds his expectations.

“We got to see quite a few

great performances,” Masters said. “Weather wasn’t ideal — as is spring in March track and field outdoors — but the kids competed. They warmed up and were competitive during the race. I don’t normally care about numbers in the first few meets, and I just want to see them executing and doing the proper stuff, so I know the numbers will come.”

The numbers came for the women’s 4x100-meter relay and sophomore Joel Dos Santos at Emporia. The quartet of sophomore Ally Hammond, sophomore Lexie Gilbert, freshman Kennedi Cline and freshman Reese Brown finished the relay with a program-best time of 46 seconds and 45 milliseconds.

The previous record of 46.50 was set in 2019.

Dos Santos ran the men’s 100-meter dash in 10.39, passing the previous program-best mark of 10.48 set by John Miles in 2008 and tied by sophomore Enrico Cavagna May 14, 2022. Masters said Dos Santos’ record has sparked some friendly competition between him and Cavagna.

“Of course, Enrico was upset a little bit because Joel took his school record, so I’m sure (Enrico) will be driven to go and try to catch him,” Masters said with a smile.

At the Spank Blasing Invitational, sophomore Reece Smith started exactly where he left off last season in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase — in first place. Nearly 10 months after Smith claimed the national title in the steeplechase May 27, the sophomore won the event in Colorado with a time of 9:19.22.

Pueblo, Colorado, is set to host the Division II Outdoor Championships May 25-27. Masters said he wanted some of the athletes to experience the environment before the national meet.

The sophomore duo of Cavagna and Dos Santos will have a chance to set new records or make good on current ones when the Bearcats make the 232-mile trek to Bolivar, with a majority of the events set for the Saturday of the competition.

The heptathlon is a competition where contestants participate in seven di ff erent events over the course of two days. The event can feature long jump, javelin throw and 100-meter hurdles.

Sophomore Anna Gladstone took fifth place in the women’s heptathlon at Emporia with 4,335 points. She said the first meet gave her a lot of confi-

Almost two months have passed since the start of Northwest’s baseball season and the Bearcats have lost seven of their last 10 games. With just 21 contests left in the season, they will first look to turn the season around against Newman March 31-April 2.

Coach Darin Loe said the Bearcats have lacked confidence this season, which has hurt them, but he said it was different in their three-game series with Northeastern State March 25-27.

“I thought this past weekend we played with a lot of confidence, and that’s where we have to start,” Loe said March 28. “We just were kind of lacking some run support, and, like I said, we swung the bats very well yesterday so hopefully we can carry that over to the rest of the season.”

The month of March has been a wild ride for the ’Cats. They had their first home series of the year against Missouri Southern (237) March 3-5, but their second home series against Pittsburg State ( 21-7) March 10-12 and a home game against Washburn (19-11) March 14 were changed to road contests due to weather.

Then, Northwest played a home series against Emporia State (11-19) March 19-20, before hitting the road to play Northeastern (12-15) March 2527. The Bearcats returned home against Washburn March 29 before, yet again, traveling for a three-game series with Newman (12-18) March 31-April 2 in Wichita, Kansas.

Loe said playing in so many stadiums is tough because every field plays differently.

“I think it takes a little while to kind of figure out how the ball flies and how the ball travels in the stadium,” Loe said.

“We haven’t spent a whole lot of time at Newman. A lot of our guys have never played there so we’ll have to figure that out and

continue playing good baseball.”

The three-game series against the Jets is the sixth MIAA series for the ’Cats this season. Thus far, Northwest has lost every conference series it has been in.

Newman has won two MIAA series, including a 2-1 series win over No. 21 Rogers State.

Last year when the Jets came to Maryville, they lost the three-game set, 2-1, against the Bearcats. The all-time series is 5-3 in favor of the ’Cats. Sophomore infielder Cole Slibowski said the Bearcats can’t dwell on the past.

“Every team is different every year — we have a different team this year and so do they,” Slibowski said. “Knowing that we beat them last year will make us extremely confident.”

Newman has scored 244 runs this season, while the Bearcats have scored 127. The Jets scored 23 runs against Southern Nazarene, while the most runs the ’Cats have scored in a single game is 12 against Minnesota State Mankato Feb. 18 and against Northeastern March 28.

“We’re at the point of our season where we have to start winning some series and moving up the standings,” Loe said. “They’re going to be a quality opponent — they’re very offensive, and they’ve been putting up a lot of runs. Fortunately, looking at that last game in Tahlequah this past weekend, we swung the bats very well, so we just want to continue putting up runs as we did in that last game.”

Northwest track and field freshman distance runner Drew Atkins leads the back during practice March 18. The Bearcats will be competing at the SBU Invite at 3 p.m. March 31 and at 10:30 p.m. April 1 in Bolivar, Missouri.

dence, and she’s ready for the next meet.

“I feel like I did pretty good,” Gladstone said. “I’m just excited to see what my teammates and I do this weekend.”

With seven meets in the outdoor season, the Bearcats don’t have any competition at home — compared to four home meets in the indoor season. In order to be prepared for the long road trips, Gladstone said the team warms up a bit before traveling.

SBU Bearcat Invite March 31-April 1 Bolivar, Missouri

“Once we get there, I always make sure to walk around the track and get my legs moving,” Gladstone said. “We just make sure we’re refreshed and not sitting around too much.”

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SIDDHARTH CHAUDHARY MISSOURIAN PHOTOGRAPHER

DAKOTA WEAVER PHOTO EDITOR

Maryville baseball prepares for familiar foes

Maryville baseball was looking for an opportunity to bounce back after a 7-1 loss to St. Joseph-Benton March 27 in St. Joseph. The Spoofhounds got exactly that in their 21-0 blowout over South Harrison March 28 in Bethany, Missouri.

Against the Cardinals on Monday, Maryville totaled three hits, but the Spoofhounds exploded for 17 combined hits in their Tuesday evening contest with the Bulldogs. Coach Hans Plackemeier said the shutout win was exactly what he wanted to see.

“The guys followed our approach plan to a T, and they sacrificed their bodies — I mean, we got hit by I don’t know how many pitches; quite a few,” Plackemeier said. “They did everything we asked them to do to get the extra base to be a good teammate.”

It was a balanced effort for Maryville (3-1) against South Harrison (1-2). Offensively, the 17 hits and 21 runs are both the highest amounts in a single game for the Spoofhounds through four contests this season.

On defense, junior righthanded pitcher Boston Hageman played the entire game and threw 11 strikeouts — the highest amount by a Spoofhound this season so far. Additionally, Maryville allowed only one hit for the second time of the year.

“Boston did great,” Plackemeier said. “He filled up the zone. … But that’s exactly what we’re wanting our pitchers to do, and he did it perfectly.”

Senior catcher Adam Patton, with a three-run shot over the left field fence in the top of the fourth inning, was one of the Spoofhounds’ key contributors to the win. He totaled two hits against the Bulldogs and said he had to congratulate sophomore infielder Pey-

Runs

ton McCollum and Hageman on their home runs.

“Seeing the bat hit the ball and go over the fence really builds confidence,” Patton said. “Just hope that the rest of the year goes about the same for me.”

Awaiting Maryville on the

schedule next is LafayetteSt. Joseph (2-2). The Spoofhounds and Fighting Irish have met four times since May 2019, and Maryville has lost each meeting.

Plackemeier, who took over the program in summer 2020, has been the coach for three of those losses to Lafayette. He said he expects a tough matchup. Patton said he hopes the

UP NEXT

team maintains its energy from the win against South Harrison.

“I’m really excited,” Patton said. “The season just started, so hopefully we can use the confidence and the energy we got (against the Bulldogs) and use it to hopefully get a win and carry on to the next game.”

“Lafayette’s a great team,” Plackemeier said. “They’re always going to hit, they’ll make the plays, you just gotta beat them. They won’t let you win. You’re gonna have to take it from them.”

After the game with the Fighting Irish, the Spoofhounds will participate in their first tournament of the season in the Plattsburg Tournament April 1 in Plattsburg, Missouri.

Following the tournament, Maryville will return home April 3 to play the 2021 Class 2 state runner-up, East Buchanan (5-0). The Spoofhounds lost 10-0 to East Buchanan last season. Plackemeier said his athletes have experience with playing multiple different sports, so he doesn’t need to help them focus in important games.

“Most of, if not all, our guys play more than one sport, so they’re used to the situation,” Plackemeier said. “They know what it’s like. … They know how to play. They’re ready.”

Maryville baseball senior infielder Cooper Loe throws the ball back to junior pitcher Boston Hageman after Northeast Nodaway senior Dylan McIntyre is called safe at second base. Loe scored two runs against the Bluejays March 24.

WESLEY MILLER SPORTS EDITOR

Maryville baseball scored against South Harrison

Right-handed pitcher Boston Hageman pitches during Maryville baseball’s 11-1 win over Northeast Nodaway March 24. Hageman struck out one batter in the Spoofhounds’ second game of the season.

WESLEY MILLER SPORTS EDITOR

STEP UP TO THE PLATE STEP UP TO THE PLATE

Softball to host pair of doubleheaders

TREY HOUCHIN Missourian Reporter | @NWMSports

As Northwest softball’s long season progresses, the competition continues to rise as 18 of the Bearcats’ final 22 games consist of conference opponents, with Emporia State and Washburn coming to town March 31 and April 1.

Coach Naomi Tellez said the previous 30 games of the season have prepared the team for the rest of the campaign and its matchups with the Hornets and Ichabods.

“I think conference is obviously what we really primarily focus on and what has a little bit more weight behind it,” Tellez said. “Starting out conference a lot stronger than we did last year, obviously it gives us confidence moving into the second half of the season.”

After Northwest surpassed its season win total from the 2022 season (15) against Newman March 25, the Bearcats (17-13, 3-5 MIAA) look to build off that success against Emporia (18-12, 2-4 MIAA) and Wasburn (27-5, 6-2 MIAA).

The ’Cats face off against the Hornets in a doubleheader at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. March 31. The next day, they’ll play against the Ichabods in another doubleheader at noon and 2 p.m. April 1. All four games will be played at Bearcat Softball Field.

Freshman outfielder Omara Love is No. 6 in the MIAA with a .426 batting average and said it is all about continuing to bring the same energy every day.

“We’re looking especially at how we played with (Central Oklahoma), to bring that same type of level of game,” Love said. “Being consistent with our hitting, especially with our pitching — we have been doing really good on that. It’s just to kind of bring that same level of play.”

SEE DOUBLEHEADERS | A8

Spoofhound tennis claims first win with Senior Day shutout

On a crisp, 50-degree spring evening, Maryville boys tennis cruised to a 9-0 win over Cameron in front of a home crowd March 28 in Maryville at the Frank Grube Courts. Since the Benton Tournament April 24, 2013, Maryville has beat Cameron 13 straight times.

The Spoofhounds have their first win of the year, and it partly came from the support of their home crowd on Senior Day. The seniors that were recognized were Colby Bowles, Elijah Hawkins and Nathan Yocom.

Leading the way was junior Kason Teale and junior Jaxson Staples, the No. 1 doubles team for the Spoofhounds, who beat the Dragons 8-1.Throughout the match, Teale and Staples were able to close out back-and-forth

Girls soccer mercy rules

Lafayette, awaits third home match

Maryville girls soccer played its second home game of the season in an 8-0 win over Lafayette-St. Joseph March 28 at Bearcat Pitch.

With 28:32 left in the first half of the match, freshman forward Jersey Ingram started the scoring for the Spoofhounds with her first career goal. Assistant coach Courtney Kennedy said she has seen growth and confidence from Jersey Ingram and some of that confidence comes from the help of her older sister, junior forward Presley Ingram.

“Jersey is a strong and confident player, and it definitely shows on the field,” Kennedy said. “I think her confidence comes from her being on the same field with her older sister.”

Later in the first half, sophomore forward Jalea Price scored two goals in less than 30 seconds to put the Spoofhounds up 3-0 with 14:09 left in the half.

The goals kept coming for Maryville in the first half, as sophomore midfielder Ryesen Steins scored with 12:09 to go, Price scored her third goal with 11:23 left and senior forward Kennedy Kurz snuck in one more goal to put the Spoofhounds up 6-0 at halftime.

“I think we had some good cross passes in the goal box,” Price said. “It took us a while to get some shots to go in, but, after a while, I think we were able to find the mojo and get it going.”

In the second half, coach Jesus Gonzalez gave the junior varsity girls playing time but kept in Kennedy Kurz’s sister, freshman forward Payton Kurz. With 26:27 left in the match, Payton Kurz scored her first career goal at the south end of Bearcat Pitch and added another with 18:33 remaining.

The goal by Payton Kurz ended the match early because of the high school mercy rule, which ends a match any time a team is leading by eight goals after halftime. Payton Kurz said that it was great to get leadership experience in the second half.

“It feels good to be able to play with the upper and lower class because, in a couple years, those girls will be my teammates,” Payton Kurz said. “It’s great to build those connections with my teammates.”

Kennedy Kurz said she has been waiting for the day to play on the same field as her sister and is thankful to get the chance to play with her during her senior year.

“I have never played with my sister before, and, now that it’s here, it feels surreal,” Kennedy Kurz said.

battles at the net.

Early on, the duo came up with a 3-0 lead, capitalizing on key mistakes by the Dragons. They never looked back, keeping the pressure on with serves and volleys. Staples said it was a balanced effort in practice after the season-opening loss to Savannah March 21.

“At practice, we do a lot of hitting in general, and, during the match, we really just work on communication while playing, and it makes it more of a trial-and-error system for us,” Staples said.

SEE TENNIS | A8

The Spoofhounds will play their third consecutive home match at 5 p.m. March 30 against Lincoln College Prep at Bearcat Pitch. The Spoofhounds will go on the road for the first time this season March 3-6 to Smithville, Missouri, for the Round Robin Tournament.

The Spoofhounds won 3-0 April 1, 2021, in Maryville. The most recent match was an 8-0 win for the Spoofhounds in Kansas City, Missouri, at Lincoln College Prep.

UP NEXT MHS vs. Lincoln College Prep

5 p.m. March 30

Bearcat Pitch

Smithville Round Robin April 3-6 Smithville, Missouri

Maryville boys tennis freshman William Sheil serves against Cameron March 28. The Spoofhounds brought home a 9-0 victory over Dragons and will play against Lafayette at 4 p.m. March 30 in St. Joseph.

SIDDHARTH CHAUDHARY PHOTOGRAPHER

CARSON BREMER Sports Reporter | @CBMissourian

Northwest softball freshman pitcher Jadyn Streigle pitches in the top of the fourth inning during a 7-4 loss against Central Oklahoma March 24. The Bearcats will face off against conference opponent Emporia 2 and 4 p.m. March 31 at Bearcat Softball Field.

GRACE ROTHWEILER MISSOURIAN PHOTOGRAPHER

CRAIG MCMULLEN Missourian Reporter | @NWMSports