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FENCING CLUB

‘Chess at the speed of sound’: MU Fencers discuss their love of the sport

BY JAKE HIPSHER

Reporter The fencing club practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8-10 p.m. on the South Basketball Courts at MizzouRec.

MU Fencing Club is one of many organizations students can get involved in at MU. Its members meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 8-10 p.m. on the South Basketball Courts at the Student Recreation Complex.

At each practice, the team starts with stretches and then warms up together. From there, they break off into skill level-based groups to practice their fencing techniques.

Freshman Harmon Colvett joined the club within his first few weeks at MU. After fencing in high school and competing in local, state and national-level tournaments, Colvett was excited to jump back into the rhythm of the sport.

“Everyone is extremely friendly and approachable,” Colvett said. “I consider everyone in the club not only my teammate, but also my friend.”

MU Fencing Club welcomes anybody regardless of skill level.

“Practices have been extremely well tailored to everyone’s individual needs,” Colvett said. “Beginners receive individual instructions from coaches, while more experienced fencers are able to practice and spar with whomever they want to get better.”

Members are also given the

PHOTO BY HOLDEN GREEN

An epee mask and sword sit on the ground as members of the fencing club get ready for practice on Thursday, Sept. 9 at the MizzouRec in Columbia. Epee is one of the three disciplines of fencing practiced in the club, along with Foil and Sabre.

option to compete at fencing tournaments, which the season ultimately revolves around. Executive officers plan the season.Sophomore Peter Kim, vice president, is hopeful for an active 20212022 season.

“The season differs a lot by how proactive the executive officers are,” Kim said. “For me, I want to get as many tournaments in as possible.”

The bonds formed within the club are a highlight for many members, especially senior Jackson Witt. Witt joined the club when he was a freshman; he first learned about the program at an activities fair and joined even though he had no experience.

“I picked up a flyer and thought, ‘Well, I [have] nothing better to do tonight.’ So I showed up and I am still here,” Witt said.

Witt is able to look back on all of the fun he has had participating in the club’s activities, especially time spent with teammates.

“My favorite part is the people,” Witt said. “It’s such a fun group that gets to hang out regularly.”

Alongside making friends, the club has benefits for physical health. Kim has fenced since the beginning of high school, and said he has reaped physical advantages ever since.

“Fencing is a really good cardio exercise,” Kim said. “It is a whole body workout. Some say it’s more intense than running, as it has a bit of an adrenaline rush to it.”

Colvett said active fencers pick up skills and routines through the sport that translate into their everyday lives.

“After fencing for years, I’ve noticed my reaction times getting faster,” Colvett said. “This improvement has helped everywhere. I’ve realized I’ve been able to take tests and quizzes easier. Being able to make decisions faster has improved my test-taking ability, which is something I was not expecting.”

Another positive aspect that can come with fencing is improved mental stamina. Colvett said he has experienced that firsthand.

“Fencing is chess at the speed of sound,” Colvett said. “There are a million ways to win and a billion ways to lose, and you have to pick one of these million ways in a fraction of a second.”

Fencers are often put into stressful situations where they must respond immediately. This urgency often requires them to better fine-tune their mental endurance.

“In fencing, you always have to think three moves ahead,” Kim said. “Or at least that’s what my coaches have told me. That kind of mindset can really help you in life.”

Kim has made it his mission to teach what he knows to his fellow fencers.

“I love teaching the new fencers how to fence,” Kim said. “The fact that I can introduce other people to it and see them improve from where they first started out is amazing. Overall, I think fencing is kind of a niche sport, and if you’re looking to add excitement in your life, I’d say it’s definitely something I would recommend.”

Edited by Emmet Jamieson, ejamieson@themaneater.com

GREEK LIFE Shedding light on Greek Life with numbers

MU chapter scorecards find telling patterns about Greek Life.

BY ALEX COX

Reporter

Every semester, MU publishes chapter scorecards, a public record of the numbers of Greek Life. These scorecards provide information such as average GPA and average service hours per member, per chapter. The data spans eight semesters, from fall 2017 to spring 2021, covering both sororities and fraternities. The numbers listed are mostly averages taken of averages. This means the data can be heavily affected by outliers and represent broader ideas.

MU collects the data through self-reported statistics and its own data. Only chapters that have 10 or more members and are within the Interfraternity Council, Multicultural Greek Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council or Panhellenic Association are counted on the cards.

When it comes to academics, the data shows that sororities tend to outperform fraternities. The average GPA since spring 2017 for all fraternities is 3.12, while the averages for sororities is 3.47. To put these numbers in context, the average GPA for men in the same time frame is 3.06 and for women is 3.34. So, while both fraternities and sororities outperform their average peers, sororities do so by a slightly higher margin than fraternities.

The data also shows that, in terms of community engagement, sororities log more service work hours, whereas fraternities surpass sororities in monetary donations. The fall 2017 semester doesn’t have philanthropy data, so the numbers start in spring 2018. For service work, the average member of a sorority spends 9.71 hours working, whereas an average member of a fraternity spends 7.47. When it comes to donations, sororities donate $77.5 for every member and fraternities donate $83 for every member on average.

According to the data, sororities tend to report their philanthropic numbers more often than fraternities.

From spring 2018 to spring 2021, there are 78 instances of fraternities opting out of submitting their service records, as opposed to 20 instances for sororities. For reporting philanthropic donations, fraternities have 63 instances of declining to report, as opposed to sororities opting to not report 18 times.

The scorecards also track violations — actions that go against university policies — like sexual assault, alcohol-related incidents and hazing incidents.

Fraternities have 79 violations and sororities have four violations on their cards, meaning that fraternities commit violations at a higher rate than sororities.

The most common violations are those marked as “Other Violations,” such as recruitment and bylaw issues. Out of the total 83 violations, 45 were “Other Violations,” 29 were “Alcohol Violations” and nine were “Hazing Violations.”

In one section titled “Sexual Assault,” there is not a single violation on the column. This category only counts sexual assault, this means instances of sexual harassment, drugging and any other form of sexual misconduct are not recorded on the scorecards. The Rape, Abuse & Incest Network reports in the U.S. that only 310 out of every 1,000 cases of sexual assault are reported to authorities.

A total of 38 fraternities and 19 sororities are counted on MU’s Greek Life scorecards. Out of those chapters, 29 fraternities and two sororities have violations on their card. For fraternities that have violations, only seven chapters have just one strike against them. Between the two sororities with violations, Gamma Phi Beta has three and Delta Sigma Theta has one.

To access the data featured in this article, visithttps://fsl.missouri.edu/scorecards/. New numbers are posted every semester.

CONTENT WARNING:

This story contains content that mentions sexual violence.

Edited by Namratha Prasad, nprasad@themaneater.com

GRAPHIC BY ALEX COX