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G N I L T S E R W U O Z Z I M S L A N O NATI
O T S D HEA
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Unlike leadership styles mesh together
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Mizzou wrestlers' NCAA matchups
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Building a local fan base
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Wrestling 2015
BRUNO VERNASCHI | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Missouri Tigers sophomore wrestler J’den Cox and his 7-year-old friend Brayden Deaver play together following the Mid-American Conference Championships on March 8 at Hearnes Center.
In trying times, Cox finds friendship “Brayden doesn’t run across too many people in day-to-day life that can communicate with him on that level.” QUINN MALLOY Staff Writer He’s restless, draped on the railing and squirming every which way. His small body can easily fit in the crawl space between the metal rung and his seat, so he puts himself there. He looks up to his father as if to ask when the match will be over. Brayden Deaver wants to see his friend. Sophomore J’den Cox, meanwhile, is center stage, wrapping up a 3-1 decision against Ohio’s Phil Wellington. The victory will give him a second consecutive conference championship and a No. 1 seed that will put him on the fast track to winning a second consecutive NCAA Championship. While Cox, whose robust 197-pound frame exudes machismo, is ostensibly very different from 7-year-old, fairhaired Brayden, the two have quite a lot in common. Both play bass guitar. Both like to dye their hair. Both know sign language. And after the confetti settled and the crowd funneled out, both shared the Hearnes Center floor as they tumbled around in a playful heap.
Tony Deaver, Brayden’s father, looked on from the stands. “We just sit back and let them have their time,” Tony said. “They’ve got a great connection.” Brayden, who has a penchant for strongmen, discovered Cox through the Internet while Cox was wrestling at Hickman High School in Columbia. His dad said he’s watched hours of Cox’s YouTube videos, as well as clips of the wrestling team’s workouts. These videos captivated Brayden because he wants to grow up to be a wrestler like Cox. When Tony heard Cox would be signing autographs at their local Hy-Vee, he took Brayden to meet his hero. Brayden didn’t even know at the time that Cox lived in Columbia, and when he met his idol in person, he was starstruck. Then Brayden found out Cox knew sign language. “Brayden doesn’t run across too many people in day-to-day life that can communicate with him on that level,” Tony said. “J’den is a national champion, and it’s pretty cool to let our son know that he can achieve the same thing, that he’s not different than everybody.” Cox started to lose his hearing when he was 18. He began having dizzy spells, and only then did his mother tell him that his father was fully deaf in his left ear and that he might have a congenital condition.
When Cox explained his situation to his high school coach, J.D. Coffman, he didn’t believe him. Coffman snapped his fingers behind Cox’s ear as a test. When Cox didn’t respond, the coach apologized. “He was like, ‘Dude, you were telling the truth,’” Cox said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ve never lied to you.” When he went to the hospital, Cox was told that he had already lost 35 percent of his hearing in his left ear. The treatment available only worked half the time, and Cox wasn’t one of the lucky ones. But he wasn’t discouraged.
Instead, he enrolled in sign language classes. Cox said he isn’t angry about going partially deaf, but grateful. “I can’t complain, because all of the things that have come from it have been so amazing,” Cox said. “I’ve gotten to experience a whole different world. There’s nothing wrong, there’s just more to be explored, more to be done, more to see.” Cox said he’s appreciative of all the people who have offered a helping hand as he adjusts to his hearing loss. He said his deafness hasn’t negatively affected his performance on
the mat because his teammates, senior Devin Mellon and redshirt freshman Willie Miklus, have been his ears in practice. Whenever Missouri coach Brian Smith gives a direction and Cox doesn’t hear it, Mellon or Miklus fills him in. But he said one of the best things that has happened to him since losing his hearing is getting to know Brayden. Cox said that despite their difference in age, Brayden is one of his best friends. “That kid’s got a piece of my heart,” Cox said. “I want to give him everything he needs to be as successful as he wants to be.”
BRUNO VERNASCHI | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Missouri Tigers sophomore wrestler J’den Cox speaks with his 7-year-old friend Brayden Deaver following the Mid-American Conference Championships on March 8 at Hearnes Center.
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Wrestling 2015
BRUNO VERNASCHI | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Missouri Tigers senior wrestler Drake Houdashelt celebrates after winning the 149-pound bracket at the Mid-American Conference Championship on March 8 at Hearnes Center.
A variety of personalities among Tiger Style leaders Cox, Waters and Houdashelt combine for a total of nine individual conference championships. BRUNO VERNASCHI Sports Editor “I’m gonna kick you in the balls,” Missouri wrestler Willie Miklus said to J’den Cox. Cox had told a reporter to ask Miklus about how he got his calves so big — a question Miklus hates, leading to the threat. The sophomore Columbia native is a bit of a jokester for the top-ranked Tigers. His charisma is a big reason why he’s a key leader for his teammates. Two of the team’s other standout leaders, seniors Alan Waters and Drake Houdashelt, are just as vital to Mizzou’s success, despite being the opposites of Cox. “I think what’s kind of interesting about our team is we have multiple leaders,” Waters said. “We kind of work together and build off of each other. The whole team looks up to the starters and really does everything to help us out. We kind of work together as a group.” Although Cox took home an individual championship at last year’s national tournament, making him the most decorated grappler on the team, the Tigers’
upperclassmen leaders have had their fair share of success. In fact, all three enter the upcoming NCAA Championships as No. 1 seeds. During his career, Houdashelt has won four straight conference championships, while Waters has taken home three, along with being undefeated this season. Houdashelt is a notoriously quiet person. The senior tends to avoid the media, and Waters said he doesn’t say much around the team either because “it’s kind of just who he is.” However, his timid persona rarely holds him back from leading his comrades. “He’s a good role model for some of the younger guys,” Waters said of Houdashelt. “He’s always trying to get them in and work out, and he does everything right during the season. How dedicated he is to the sport really gives a good impression, especially (for) the new freshmen coming in.” One of the most memorable scenes from the Mid-American Conference Championships earlier this month, however, was the image of Houdashelt’s celebration. After winning his weight class, the typically quiet grappler flexed his whole upper body and let out a yell. Wrestling may be an individual sport, but it’s team-rooted when it comes down to it. From team points to leaders, relying on others is big. The Tigers’ three main leaders’ different dynamics are clear in
almost all forms. “You see, Drake, he’s kind of the more quiet one, so he doesn’t like to get up and talk and lead that way,” Waters said. “I’m not much of a talker either. But then you’ve got J’den, who could just blabber on for days and days and days. So J’den’s kind of the more social leader, and me and Drake do a lot of leading by example.” While Cox may be an energetic and overall more vocal character, he doesn’t show it quite as much prior to his matches. When asked what he’ll be doing while other Tigers are wrestling at nationals, Cox gave a different answer than expected. “I’ll be asleep,” he said. He doesn’t do it out of indifference or because he’s selfish. "I can't watch matches,” he added. “I get really hyped up. That's probably the most hyped you see me, like when other people on the team wrestle.” Cox is otherwise known as one of the team’s most relaxed members, something that Missouri coach Brian Smith said is “definitely special.” “I just want to enjoy myself,” Cox said. “I’m 20 years old. I’m going to get stressed out when I’m 40 and working, so why would I get stressed out now while doing something I love doing? I’m just chilling, that’s really all I can say.” Houdashelt and Waters, on the other hand, take a different approach. Waters tends to watch the
other Mizzou wrestlers’ matches, although it isn’t easy for him. “It gets your heart rate up when you’re watching your teammates wrestle and the fact that you can’t control what they’re doing,” he said. Before his matches, you won’t find Houdashelt sleeping or watching many others compete. “You’ve got to maybe wake J’den up 10 minutes before his match, where Drake wants to drill and go 100 miles an hour and he’s so tense,” Smith said, “You’ve got to almost calm him down.” Two redshirted wrestlers who have been on a team for the last five years and had their fair share
of success may feel uncomfortable with a true sophomore joining them to lead their program. Not in this case. “I think the whole team kind of builds off (Cox being a sophomore),” Waters said. “I mean, J’den’s a returning national champion. He’s been there, he’s been in the finals. He’s the only one on the team who’s been on the big stage, so he’s definitely one of the guys that a lot of the people on the team look up to. “And I think him doing that even helps me and Drake and the other seniors, because we want to get where he was. We kind of build off each other.”
NO. 1 LEADERS
The Missouri wrestling team is headed by a mix of different leaders – and all three earned a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Championships. With the top ranking going into the tournament on Thursday, the Tigers look to secure their first ever national title. Here are the combined statistics for redshirt seniors Drake Houdashelt and Alan Waters and sophomore J’den Cox.
331-38 COMBINED RECORD
57
PINS
Source: MU Athletics
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INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
235 DUAL POINTS THIS SEASON
TAYLOR BLATCHFORD // GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Analyzing the field for Mizzou’s top wrestlers While a good percentage of America sat down Monday morning and filled out NCAA March Madness basketball brackets, The Maneater sports staff sat down and analyzed the NCAA wrestling brackets. The Missouri Tigers go into this tournament as the No. 1 team in the nation and are gunning for their first team title ever. All 10 starters qualified for the tournament, so we took the time to assess their toughest tests in this “March Madness 2.0.”
Mikey England, 165 pounds England will have to prove himself before the first round even begins. He will be participating in a wrestle-in against Columbia’s Tyrel White, who is 24-14. After that, if he wins, he’ll take on Old Dominion’s Tristan Warner, who only has three losses this year. Mizzou could miss out on important points toward a team title if England isn’t completely on top of his game.
Joey Lavallee, 157 pounds Lavallee will take on Virginia Tech’s unseeded Nick Brascetta in the first round. Brascetta has only wrestled 12 matches this year, going 10-2, so Lavallee’s experience could play to his advantage. He’ll have two of the most unpredictable matches in the tournament however, as his second round will be up against No. 8 John Boyle, who has wrestled 44 matches this year, losing only eight to Lavallee’s 11.
Harrison deGrood and Bruno Vernaschi of The Maneater staff
Johnny Eblen, 174 pounds Alan Waters, 125 pounds The first-seeded Waters' toughest matchup will likely not be until the finals, where he will probably take on Cornell’s Nahshon Garrett in the finals. The only time the two would have wrestled against each other this season was when the two schools went up against each other on Jan. 26. Garrett, unfortunately, failed to weigh in at 125 pounds, so he had to wrestle at 133 pounds, where he lost to upstart Zach Synon. Garrett will look to redeem himself against Tiger Style wrestling.
Eblen should have a relatively easy Thursday, but his Friday will heat up quick. Eblen’s toughest match could be against Virginia’s No. 5 Blaise Butler in the quarterfinals. Butler only has one more loss than Eblen.
Willie Miklus, 184 pounds Miklus’ NCAAs will start off with a bang when he goes up against No. 10 Lorenzo Thomas out of Pennsylvania in the first round. Despite Lorenzo being seeded, Miklus could easily be seen as the best unseeded wrestler for the Tigers in this tournament. If Miklus wrestles to his full ability, he should be able to get through a portion of his bracket despite his underdog status and earn some key points for the Tigers.
Zach Synon, 133 pounds The unranked Synon will have trouble from the start. He starts the competition by wrestling against Purdue’s No. 11 Danny Sabatello (26-8). Synon has experience wrestling against top talent this year, but we will have to see how he stacks up in high pressure situations. Missouri coach Brian Smith said he is confident in Synon’s ability. “(Sabatello’s) a kid that’s seeded that (Synon) can go in and beat,” he said. “And that’s our mindset. How’s he going to beat him? He’s going to do the same thing he’s done all year, there’s no secret to it. He’s just got to go out and do that and execute it.” Top-seeded and undefeated Minnesota wrestler Christopher Dardanes will most likely be the safe bet to take the championship at this weight class.
Drake Houdashelt, 149 pounds Houdashelt's biggest competition on his side of the bracket is Iowa’s Brandon Sorenson, who Houdashelt beat in the National Duals. If the topseeded Houdashelt makes it to the finals, which might be a lock, he would wrestle against Northwestern’s Jason Tsirtsis. Despite being a two-seed in the tournament, according to InterMat, Tsirtsis is ranked No. 1 in the nation, and he beat Houdashelt at last year's semifinals. Houdasheldt has had some troubles at Nationals every year despite consistently winning conference championships. He will look to rewrite the script this year.
J’den Cox, 197 pounds Lavion Mayes, 141 pounds Third-seeded Mayes could have some trouble if he goes up against Old Dominion’s No. 11 Chris Mecate in the quarterfinals. Mayes seems to have trouble wrestling Mecate historically, and it was Mecate who took down Mayes in the Mid-American Conference Championships. Logan Stieber, the three-time reigning national champion out of Ohio State, will look to wrap up his career with a fourth consecutive title.
Reigning national champion Cox is definitely the Goliath of his weight class, as he looks to double-up. But Penn State’s No. 2 Morgan McIntosh could be a test in the finals. The two took each other on in the Southern Scuffle quarterfinals this year, where Cox won by a 2-0 decision. Minnesota’s No. 5 Scott Schiller could also prove to be a challenge in his half of the bracket. Before the regular season began, Cox lost to Schiller in an NWCA All-Star match. “It wasn’t really humbling, but it did give me something to strive for, and that’s to beat him,” Cox said. “And I believe I can. He believes he can beat me, and he has every right to, but I strongly believe that I can come out and do better.”
Devin Mellon, HWt Mellon will have to wait until the wrestlein matches are over to see who he wrestles in the first round. Assuming that shouldn’t be a challenge, Michigan’s No. 6 Adam Coon in the second round could cause him trouble. “Confidence is the biggest thing, and that’s one of the biggest things for him because Devin’s not the biggest heavyweight,” Cox said. “But he goes out there against every opponent and he believes with all his being that he can beat them. And we know he can.” Photos by: Zach Baker and Bruno Vernaschi
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Vol. 81, Issue 24
MARCH 18, 2015
University funding
Library pushes for student fee HAILEY STOLZE, GEORGE ROBERSON, QUINN MALLOY of The Maneater staff
ZACH BAKER | PHOTO EDITOR
MU student Kelly Dobbs studies at Ellis Library on Feb. 17.
Power cords are strewn about the floor of the Grand Reading Room on the second floor of Ellis Library. These cords are a juryrigged solution to the enduring problem of providing power to study stations throughout the library, said Matt Gaunt, director of advancement for MU Libraries. “Things like that are commonplace for other libraries,” he said. “We’ve just fallen behind.” MU Library System officials hope to address these inadequacies and more by asking for funds from students. Recently, library officials proposed a $5 per credit hour student fee to the Missouri Students Association that would incrementally increase to $15 per credit hour over the next six years. The fee would fund improvements to the library including renovations, increased staffing, new services and 24/7 study space. The MSA Senate will vote Wednesday evening to determine whether the fee would be placed on the November ballot for student approval. The proposal calls for an estimated $10,392,000 in new funding over the first two years, in addition to the $17,681,236 annual allocation the library receives from the university. The fee itself will bring in just under $13 million a year once it reaches its target in 2022. Story continues on page 12.
campus climate
Students confront Loftin during second race relations forum TAYLOR BLATCHFORD Staff Writer Students called out administrators for not taking concrete action to address race relations problems on campus in an open forum Tuesday night. “Everything you’re talking about is reactive,” one student told administrators. “There’s very little
that’s actually being done.” They brought up the controversial upcoming showing of “American Sniper” on campus, lack of a diversity course requirement on campus, and the MU4MikeBrown march through Greektown. Media were asked not to record the event and speakers were not required to give their names. Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin
opened the forum before a full audience of students and faculty in Keller Auditorium and said the dialogue began last year after the grand jury decision to not indict police officer Darren Wilson for the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown. “No change of this nature is going to be quick,” he said. “I can’t change the human heart. If we can make
systematic and permanent changes, it’s worth the wait.” A controversial film Several Muslim students in attendance said they do not feel safe walking through campus wearing hijab and asked why the Missouri Students Association is still sponsoring the upcoming screening of “American Sniper.”
One female student said the administration has not been proactive in addressing student safety and mental health. “I do not feel that the administration is there for me or cares about my safety,” she said. Another student said she is ashamed to call herself a Tiger
RACE | Page 6
student life
Campus newsstands to disappear as Readership faces axe
page 3
page 11
In 1997, Pennsylvania State University started a partnership
a pilot program, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Cathy Scroggs said. At its prime, it ranked fifth in the nation of collegiate readership programs, according to a letter
NEWS
Meet your new provost: Garnett Stokes is settling in to MU.
to the editor published in The Maneater in 2008. But at the beginning of July 2015, the readership program will disappear, as campus
NEWS
MU’s Paola Savvidou, a world-class performer, gets a nod for her teaching.
administrators and student leaders deemed the program was not important enough to save. At the beginning of fiscal
read | Page 6
page 21
News Editor
called the Collegiate Readership Program with USA Today to provide access for students to newspapers on campus. MU adopted the Mizzou Readership Program in 2000 as
page 18
ELIZABETH LOUTFI
MOVE
Art earns a night out — we check out two downtown craft studios.
SPORTS
After a slow start, Missouri softball is finally hitting as hard as they’d hoped.
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NEWS
MU, city and state news for students
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ZACH BAKER | PHOTO EDITOR
Provost Garnett Stokes poses for a portrait at her desk March 6.
State politics
administration
Bill hopes to Provost Stokes settles into office address gender pay gap TAYLOR BLATCHFORD Staff Writer
The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Stephen Webber, D-Columbia, would create guidelines to ensure equal pay. JENNIFER PROHOV
When Garnett Stokes arrived in Columbia as MU’s second female provost ever, she immediately noticed similarities to Athens, home to the University of Georgia, where she’d spent more than 30 years as a student, professor and leader. She was back in a college town and back in the Southeastern Conference.
“I feel like I’ve come home again,” she said. Stokes entered the position Feb. 2 at a time when race relations, Title IX and faculty issues are at the forefront of discussion among students and faculty. She is responsible for overseeing MU’s 14 schools and the university’s academic activities and policies. Stokes became a professor, department head and dean at Georgia
after earning master’s and doctorate degrees in psychology there. She left Athens in 2011 to become the provost, and later interim president, of Florida State University. In 2014, she decided she wanted to become a provost again and looked to MU, which had been searching for a provost since Brian Foster retired in Jan. 1 2014.
Provost | Page 4
Philanthropy
Staff Writer The Missouri State House Committee for Workforce Standards and Development held a hearing March 9 on a gender pay equity bill put forward by state Rep. Stephen Webber, D-Columbia. The bill, House Bill 44, would require the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to create guidelines to ensure businesses and organizations have gender pay equality. Another hearing on the bill has not yet been scheduled. One of the bill’s supporters is Wendy Doyle, President and CEO of the Women’s Foundation. The Women’s Foundation has worked with MU’s Institute of Public Policy throughout 2014 to conduct research on the status of women in Missouri. “The Women’s Foundation promotes equity and opportunity for women and girls, using philanthropy, research and policy solutions to make meaningful change,” Doyle said in an email. “We believe that economically self-sufficient women will lead Missouri’s next chapter of economic growth. This bill is an investment
Bill | Page 15
MizzouThon funds hope, breaks records WHITNEY MATEWE Staff Writer As the 13.1 hour mark drew closer, the MU Student Recreation Center basketball courts-turned-dance floor was crowded with dancers, decked out in black and gold, powering through the last hour, or the "Power Hour," of MizzouThon. MizzouThon hosts events throughout the year for the dancers and the Miracle Kids and Miracle Families, but the annual dance marathon, which was March 14, is the biggest event. For its main event, MizzouThon saw more than 900 dancers registered, 14 Miracle Families and their 20 Miracle Kids together raise a grand total of $201,322.68 for the MU Women’s and Children’s
Hospital to renovate their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. This was a consecutive recordbreaking amount for MizzouThon. The funds went to the $1,000,000 pledged goal they set earlier this year to be met within the next five years. Most of the 20 Miracle Kid teams had a change of clothes for Power Hour — faces and bodies covered in glitter, dressed in customized team shirts, tutus, colored leggings, festive headbands and fanny packs. “We rebranded from a random blue to a black and gold, so that helps tie in university spirit,” said Erin Ehlers, MizzouThon’s vice president of logistics. “(The name) ‘Dance Marathon’ was kind of tied to a one-day event, but in reality we have events all year long, we hang out with the families all year long.
We really wanted to have a name that represented what we actually do year-round.”
An event ‘for the kids’
This year’s event included a hydration station for dancers, a silent auction with items up for bid created by several of the Miracle Kids, banner painting, a moon bounce, a tie-dye shirt station, hair donations, a photo booth, hula hoop dancers, several dance-off and sing-off competitions, special musical performances, board games and video game stations, basketball, a ‘Be The Match’ station accepting blood marrow donor volunteers and speeches where the Miracle Families shared their stories throughout the night.
MIZZouthon | Page 8
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Provost Garnett Stokes brings experience with faculty morale and Title IX Continued from page 3. She said MU’s reputation as an exceptional research university attracted her to apply for the position. After receiving an issue of MU’s Illumination Magazine showcasing research with a “stunning” cover, she brought it to the Florida State communications department as an example for them. She also said she was excited about the chance to be involved in community engagement, because it wasn’t a major part of her role at Florida State. She plans to tour the MU Extension sites throughout the state to become more familiar with the program’s role. Stokes found out the provost position was open last summer, and she knew R. Bowen Loftin had recently become MU’s chancellor. “I knew from the search consultant who was trying to get me to consider applying that this was a place that was really trying to rise within the (Association of American Universities),” she said. “That fit the kind of thing that excites me, that motivates me.” After expressing interest to the search consultant in September, Stokes visited campus in November for an open forum with faculty, staff and students. She said Loftin left her a message in late November asking to schedule a time to talk with her. “We talked about his desire to offer me the position,” Stokes said. “I was very, very happy about it.” Her husband, Jeffrey Young gren, a forensic psychologist who works on felony cases for the Department of Defense and a retired U.S. Army colonel, said Stokes told him about the offer over the phone while he was working on a trial in Germany. The two of them first met on an accreditation committee for psychologists about 10 years ago. They said they enjoy traveling to visit their children, from Younggren’s previous marriage: Brad, an emergency medicine physician in Seattle, and Beth Ann, a medical malpractice defense attorney in Redondo Beach, California. Younggren said he admires the steps Stokes has taken in her career, from professor to interim president. “I jokingly refer to myself as ‘arm candy,’ because I go along and watch all this happen,” he said. “Life has worked well for her, and for us. Our lives are very happy at this juncture.” Stokes said she likes to spend her limited free time outdoors and was attracted to Columbia’s opportunities for hiking and biking. Between leisure, work and family, Younggren said the two of them have to work
COURTESY OF JEFFREY YOUNGGREN
Provost Garnett Stokes poses with her husband Jeffrey Younggren.
hard to find balance in their relationship. “We both are accomplished professionals so we’re moving all the time, but when we’re together we reserve that time to be together,” he said. “We spend time home cooking dinner and watching TV. There is some privacy that we create that offsets all that stuff that’s going on. “I can truly say that Garnett is my best friend. We have a loving, supportive family. It gets busy and there are times where it’s moving pretty fast. Those are the times where we stop and take a breath and make sure we have everything organized. Life is good for us. We’re very happy to be here.”
Settling in Stokes said that she’s been warmly welcomed since starting the position on Feb. 2 — and also “coldly welcomed,” with much colder weather than in Tallahassee, Florida. “It’s been impressive the way we’ve been really welcomed here,” Younggren said. “People have literally bent over backwards to make sure that things have worked for us and that the transition is as easy as possible.” Stokes said she has spent much of her time meeting with college and department leaders to figure out which areas to prioritize. She said faculty concern about salaries is one of the most important issues she has observed at MU. “Trying to figure out, with
limited resources, how to really effectively compensate our faculty and staff is a pressing issue,” she said. “We are clearly wanting to move up in the AAU and the metrics for the AAU, and that has involved trying to do some significant faculty hiring. That is a blessing to be able to do that, but it’s also a challenge.” She said hiring new faculty creates a discrepancy in salaries because the university recruits faculty at job market rate, which is often higher than the salaries current faculty receive. Many faculty took the voluntary separation plan option last fall, which led to another challenge: finding new professors to teach. “We’re juggling our resources to make sure that we can keep our students on schedule for graduation and try to remove those barriers to getting those courses that our students need to actually progress in their majors,” she said. Stokes said the issue of salaries and raises is so large that the solution will need to involve a long-term plan. “I think we’re going to have to engage in some long-term planning for addressing that, because to move up in the AAU metrics, we not only need to recruit new faculty, we need to reward our faculty that are really contributing to the mission of MU,” she said.
Gauging the climate Faculty morale has been a recent issue at MU, specifically with discrepancies in faculty
raises revealed by a Faculty Council committee’s recent report. Stokes said she plans to tackle this issue by starting discussions with faculty members. “I think you get a much fuller picture by going to where people are and spending some time listening to what’s on their minds,” she said. “The goal of these visits is really to figure out what those plans should be.” In her open forum in November, Stokes discussed her experience in faculty management. She said she hired over 100 faculty members as a dean at Georgia and made counteroffers to keep valuable faculty at the university. At Florida State, she worked with a committee to increase the base salary of faculty who received awards recognized by the AAU. The humanities had the largest number of faculty who received awards. “AAU cares about having universities with exceptional programs and areas,” Stokes said. “ Those exceptional programs can exist in the humanities just as much as they can in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.” Neither Florida State nor Georgia is in the AAU, an organization of leading research universities. MU has been a member since 1908, but university officials have expressed concerns about MU’s standing within the AAU. In 2011, 61 of its members voted to boot the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln and Syracuse University from the association. Nebraska’s then-president Harvey Pelman blamed the ouster on AAU’s own reviewing membership.
A role model for women in leadership Anne Blankenship, associate vice president for academic affairs at Florida State, remembered a specific time Stokes showed compassion as a leader. “We had a coworker who was very ill ... and she took a great deal of time to reach out to that person, who eventually died of cancer,” Blankenship said. “No matter how busy times might be, she didn’t lose sight of the individual consequences on any level.” She also personally mentored faculty to help them advance their careers. Penny Gilmer, a retired chemistry professor at Florida State, worked with Stokes for two years on a grant from the National Science Foundation to advance women in STEM fields. Gilmer said Stokes was inf luential in developing mentoring workshops to help female faculty get promotion and tenure. They participated in “speed mentoring,” where assistant or associate professors rotated between Stokes and 15 to 20 other mentors to learn how to advance their careers. Several of the women who met with Stokes at the workshops were soon promoted in their departments, Gilmer said.
THE MANEATER | NEWS | MARCH 18, 2015 “It wasn’t just that they shouldn’t have been promoted, it was that they should have been and they were being held back,” Gilmer said. “There was also more recruitment of women faculty.” Gilmer said the best quality of Stokes’ leadership is that she listens and then implements positive change based on the feedback. “When we get women leaders, those ideas get incorporated into the culture and more women see people as role models, then become leaders themselves and encourage other women,” Gilmer said. “By having women in leadership positions, it encourages young women, girls and faculty that are trying to move forward in their careers.” Karen Laughlin, dean of undergraduate studies at Florida State, worked with Stokes to develop a new advising platform there, using the same platform as MU Connect. She said Stokes saw herself as a partner with the academic deans and supported her efforts to enhance opportunities for students. “I felt that she encouraged us to innovate and look for new ways to deal with things and support a good proposal that was brought to her,” Laughlin said. “From my perspective, she was very focused on student success, but I think she was also aware of the research mission of the university and how important that is.” Laughlin recalled attending an Association for Public and Land Grant Universities luncheon with Stokes that was designed to support female administrators in higher education. “I found her encouragement and her participation in that group inspiring and motivating,” Laughlin said. “It was very memorable to see her and be there with her as somebody who is definitely making her mark as a woman in the higher education field.”
Moving forward with Title IX Stokes became Florida State’s interim president on April 2, 2014. On April 3, the U.S. Department of Education announced that Florida State was under investigation for possible Title IX violations following sexual assault allegations against quarterback Jameis Winston. Stokes said the experience taught her about the importance of communication with everyone on campus. She said paying attention
to current national and campus conversations is key to addressing Title IX concerns at a university. “I think what I bring is a real dedication to trying to do this right and to make MU a national leader in the ways in which we engage our students, faculty and staff in addressing issues of sexual misconduct, sexual violence and assault,” she said. “Having the students involved in that is really crucial.” At Florida State, she created a position that oversees Title IX policies and reports directly to the provost, Stokes said. MU recently hired its own Title IX Administrator, Ellen Eardley, who will take office April 20 to replace interim coordinator Linda Bennett. The full-time position was created in June 2014, when Chancellor Loftin publicly acknowledged the need to improve how the university handles sexual assault cases. Earlier in the year, UM System President Tim Wolfe had ordered university chancellors to comprehensively review campus sexual assault policies. “MU has really been engaged in some of the very same things that we were doing at Florida State,” Stokes said. “Really, here at MU, we’re a little bit ahead.” Stokes said her experience as an interim president helps her understand the various issues administrators deal with in the scope of the whole university. “The chancellor loves the fact that I was an interim president because, and he consistently (says) the words, ‘She feels my pain,’” she said. “I think it helps a chancellor to have a provost who understands what he or she is dealing with.”
Leading the conversation on diversity Stokes has experience with initiatives that improve diversity and plans to continue taking action to improve it at MU. She chaired a committee at Florida State that focused on recruitment and retention of diverse faculty and building an inclusive environment. “I come into this position recognizing that there’s an ongoing conversation and wanting to be a leader in that conversation, and wanting to put some things in place that reflect best practices for building and supporting diversity and inclusion,” she said. The campuswide Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) survey conducted
A meteoric rise
COURTESY OF JEFFREY YOUNGGREN
Provost Garnett Stokes partakes in the Florida State Ice Bucket Challenge.
in 2012 revealed that faculty of color were significantly less satisfied than other faculty. Stokes said she believes there are issues of providing sufficient support for people who feel isolated, which is one reason she said she’s working with Loftin on diversity initiatives. “I don’t know at this point the extent to which our faculty of color have been engaged in conversations on the campus level about what their concerns are,” she said. “That is something that I would like to do.” Faculty Council created a committee earlier this year to specifically investigate and improve race relations on campus. MU has also hosted open forums on race relations for students, faculty and staff to discuss campus concerns. Stokes attended Tuesday
night’s forum. Stokes said diversity is a high priority for both her and Loftin, and she has already been in discussions with people working with the Chancellor’s Diversity Initiative. “What I plan to be is actively engaged in the conversations that are taking place on campus,” she said. “I am actively going to work with our deans to focus on issues of diversity and inclusion.”
Vision for MU’s future Stokes said she hopes to focus on a number of goals, such as faculty development and creating a successful faculty hiring initiative. She also hopes to support student research programs and activities that will prepare them for their lives after MU, as well as raising retention and graduation rates.
Over a 30-year career, Garnett Stokes has advanced from faculty to top-level administrator. She began at the University of Georgia, where she had earned her master’s and doctoral degrees.
University of georgia Athens, Georgia
“There are several needles I’d like to see (move) on the research side, on the student success side, and that is what I hope I can accomplish,” she said. “I also hope that we’ve built a more diverse and inclusive environment for faculty, staff and students, and that people look at what we’re doing and they feel good about where we are.” Stokes said she’s not thinking about becoming a chancellor right now — after all, she made the decision to become a provost again after being interim president. “I am fully committed to doing the things that I came here to accomplish with Chancellor Loftin,” she said. “I don’t know what the future holds, but right now I just need to pay attention to what I’m doing here.”
Florida state university
Tallahassee, Florida
University of missouri
1985-1990
1990-1997
1991-1999
1997-2011
1999-2004
2004-2011
2011-APR. 2014
APR.-NOV. 2014
FEB. 2015-today
Assistant professor, Department of Psychology
Associate professor, Department of Psychology
Chairwoman, Applied Psychology Program
Professor, Department of Psychology
Head of the Department of Psychology
Dean, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs
Interim president
Provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs
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year 2014 — last July 1 — it was announced that several departments on campus would be receiving 2 percent less in general operating funds. “We projected that, over the next four years, we would be losing approximately a quarter of a million dollars,” said Mark Lucas, director of the Department of Student Life. Lucas told The Maneater that the the department employs around 52 full-time staff members and 43 graduate assistants. After the 2 percent cut in the department’s general operating funds, which amounts to about $75,000 per year, these staff numbers would have to be reduced. In anticipation of the budget process for the next fiscal year, Lucas began talking with student leaders over this past summer, urging them to ask their constituents about whether keeping the Mizzou Readership Program around was ideal. “They got responses like, ‘Yeah, I’m aware, but I don’t use it,’ or ‘I didn’t even know we had it,’ and everything in between,” Lucas said. “It matched what we have been seeing in the data, which is that consumption is steadily declining.” With that information, Lucas suggested to the Student Fee Review Committee, which is comprised of students and suggests student fee reallocations, raises and cuts to Scroggs, that the Mizzou Readership Program be cut from the Student Life budget and its student fee allocations be reabsorbed. “It was a unanimous decision (to cut the program),” SFRC chairwoman Shelby Catalano said. “This particular (program) has been dying for quite a while now. It’s been cut over the last couple
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because of the race issues on campus. “How am I supposed to see myself at this university for the next three years when I don’t feel safe being myself?” she asked. Loftin said he cared about students individually and didn’t make the decision to screen the film. When he asked the audience if they wanted him to ignore student leadership, people responded with a resounding “yes.” “I don’t have the power,” Loftin said. “There are limits to things I can and cannot do.” MSA President Payton Head said the decision to continue the film screening wasn’t an easy one, and that he wanted to consider the overall safety of students. “We take full accountability for it,” he said. “The last thing I want is for any student to feel unsafe on this campus, because I know what it feels like to be unsafe on this campus.” MSA Vice President Brenda Smith-Lezama said the film provides an opportunity to get students to give more attention to such a sensitive topic. Head also said MSA plans to provide a forum alongside
THE MANEATER | NEWS | MARCH 18, 2015 years and when Dr. Mark came in and asked for that money to be directed somewhere else, it just made sense.” Catalano added that SFRC suggested Student Life look into specific schools within the university using different types of readership that are more specific to their majors. It was also suggested that if the library fee gets established, that maybe they could pick it up. “Given the drastic numbers that have been coming from (the readership program) year after year, I don’t think it’s right to put money into something that students aren’t using vehemently [sic],” Catalano said. “I think that Student Life definitely made the right decision in the fact that instead of extending their resources to multiple different programs and doing the best they can with those programs that they focus on the programs being utilized by all students or the majority of students.” Matt Gaunt, director of development at MU Libraries, said in an email that while their current plan does mention that the student fee would enable the purchase of “popular, current or extracurricular material,” he is unaware of any conversations or dollar amounts specific to the readership program. The program’s budget, comprised entirely of student fees, is roughly $100,000. Lucas’ recommendation to the SFRC is to put 80 percent of the budget toward the Student Life fee as a means to offset next year’s deficit, in order to break even. Lucas said the remaining 20 percent is going toward hiring a new position required by Title IX, an RSVP educator. Readership was allocated $1.73 per student fee this year, roughly 0.31 percent of the entire student fee, and covered the costs to provide The New York Times, the Columbia the film screening to discuss its message, which many critics said contains overt Islamophobia. Calling for change One student said swift change was possible at universities, and pointed to the University of Oklahoma’s response to a recent racist incident involving OU’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. She said she would like forums to extend to a larger scale, specifically to Greektown. “Things can happen and they can happen overnight when we have an administration that’s not afraid to offend white donors,” she said. Another student criticized Loftin for joking earlier in the forum that “something good came out of racism” after a student said that his grandmother moved from St. Louis to California because of segregation. “This is a race forum and that’s what you’re going to say to me?” the male student asked. “This is my life. It’s not a joke.” Others pointed out that every administrator Loftin introduced at the start of the forum was white, and that the significant administrators he has hired in his year here, including Provost Garnett Stokes, have all been white. Loftin defended his choices by citing their gender.
$3.5 In 2015, the fee allotment was approximately 0.31 percent of the budget
$3.0 -25% $2.5 $2.0 $1.5 Source: Former MSA Director of Student Communications Gunnar Johanson
BEN KOTHE // GRAPHICS MANAGER
Missourian, USA Today and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch every weekday. As these publications range in costs per weekly print or full-access subscriptions from less than $2 to nearly $9, the program allowed students the opportunity to read these newspapers in exchange for a single fee, which has been decreasing for several years. The program took a hit in 2009, and in the fall of 2011, MSA even decided to expand readership because campus construction caused a decrease in program use. They added three new boxes located in the Reynolds Journalism Institute, North Residence Hall and the west entrance of the MU Student Center. At the time, readership was allocated $2.31 per student fee each semester. To keep Readership afloat, Gunnar Johanson, former director for the Department of Student Communications for the Missouri Students Association, created the MSA Marketing Team last year during his term. The team’s first project was the rebranding and marketing of
readership. Johanson said Lucas authorized the use of $2,500 of readership carryover to be used by the team. “When I took over DSC under (former MSA President Mason Schara)'s administration, the Readership Program was already struggling by readership numbers,” Johanson said in an email. “Dr. Mark (Lucas) and I had to reconsider summer distribution and ended up cutting many locations from the summer distribution (summer 2015). There was never an issue with money. In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, the program ran a financial surplus the previous year.” However, nothing came to fruition and the MSA marketing team dissolved after Johanson’s resignation. He added that he first heard the readership fee would be eliminated this past summer. “I think it would be a shame for the world’s leading journalism school to lose much of its access to local, state and nationwide news,” Johanson said. “Sure, you can make the argument that more and more
news is online these days.” Lucas said the decision to cut the readership program was “tragic in one sense,” but that it wasn’t a tough decision because the students he spoke to and the data he had showed the impact wouldn’t be huge on a campus of approximately 35,000 students. Student Life had not provided The Maneater with that data by the print deadline. “The elimination of staff, programs and services would be realized if a reallocation of student fees was not implemented,” Scroggs said in an email. Johanson said there has not been a focused effort to ensure the growth of the readership program under any former MSA administration. “MSA administration has not tried to assist the program,” Johanson said. “They haven't marketed (there is _none_). They haven’t taken away locations to save money. Or even dropped a newspaper. No efforts have been made to remedy the problem.” George Roberson and Quinn Malloy contributed to this report.
An unsafe environment One student recalled the time he found a racial slur spray-painted on his dorm room door in 2009, after which he asked for administrative actions on race relations to take the forefront of administrative publications such as MU Info. “I’m sick and tired of having these anonymous threats for my life and for my friends and loved ones,” he said. “I’m sick and tired of this happening on campus. I’m very frustrated because there’s been no transparency and no accountability in this process.” A sorority member said she was told not to go outside or comment during the MU4MikeBrown protest that walked through Greektown on March 12. She suggested making Greek organizations more culturally aware by implementing a required forum on diversity and race relations issues. One leader of the Interfraternity Council said the Greek community is open to having honest discussions on these issues and that the IFC is launching a “campaign” in April. “We want (the Greek community) to reflect the student body and be a place that’s open and warm and welcoming,” he said. Another Greek student said he disagreed, saying IFC is not inclusive and suggested diversity seminars be held in addition to existing ones on
sexual violence prevention. “We earned our letters; why can’t we all be accepted?” he asked. “It hurts to see something I love reject me this much.”
January that a mandatory course is not realistic to implement and “not going to happen.”
Required competency course Several students asked why there is no course requirement for diversity. They pointed to recent Title IX reforms and new sexual violence prevention training programs, suggesting a similar training on diversity for students and faculty be created. Loftin said he wants to see similar changes that have real impact. “A mandatory training takes 20 minutes,” he said. “How long does it take to train somebody to be culturally competent?” Professor Angela Speck, Faculty Council’s Diversity Enhancement Committee chairwoman, said a diversity course requirement was previously voted down by 70 percent of the council, but she is hopeful that current discussion will lead to change. She said many faculty voted against the addition of the requirement because there was a perception that many courses already addressed diversity. “It’s not that they’re against teaching diversity, it’s that there was an understanding about what that curriculum was about,” she said. Speck told The Maneater in
Representation Traci Wilson Kleekamp, a tutor with Mizzou Athletics, said MU has less faculty diversity now than in the 1970s and ’80s. She said she wants every department to publish their faculty recruitment and retention strategy on their websites. “Because our campus lacks diversity at the teaching level, they’re not able to convey those ideas adequately to students,” she said. “It’s not their fault, but some of these people shouldn’t be teaching.” Other students said they are the only minority students in their departments and feel disrespected in the classroom. Loftin said he saw the lack of diversity at every level when he was being considered for the chancellor position in 2013. “There are less than 10 Latino faculty members in the whole school,” he said. “It’s not just about one position, but every position here. We have far too few faculty of color at this institution.” Another forum will take place April 29. The location has yet to be announced.
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Who they are: MU’s prominent women leaders MARILYN HAIGH Associate Editor and Photographer
There is no single way to define leadership. The MU community turns to peers and professors for leadership, as well as our professors and administrators. Leaders don’t always have a title, a paycheck or a corner office. As Women’s History Month events come to a close at MU, The Maneater sat down with a vice chancellor, peer educators, student government leaders, a resource coordinator and two professors. These women make up only a fraction of the prominent women leaders on campus. They were asked about their experiences and thoughts on being a woman in a leadership position.
Brenda Smith-Lezama, Junior, Journalism
Photo of Brenda Smith-Lezama.
Vice President of MSA, member of Delta Delta Delta, former Miss Missouri Teen USA What have you learned about leadership in your roles on campus? The very first thing I did when I stepped on campus was join the Chancellor’s Leadership Class. That was a really cool environment because it was a group of leaders who all lead in different ways. I was able to see that leadership doesn’t necessarily mean being the one that everyone follows. Sometimes leadership means taking a step back and being the
Struby Struble
MU LGBTQ Resource Center Coordinator What have you learned about your style of leadership in your role with the LGBTQ Resource Center? I’ve definitely learned the importance of vulnerability and acknowledging my weaknesses and my growth edges. I think that when you have titled leadership like “coordinator” or “chair” or whatever, there’s a lot of pressure to know everything ... We’ll do our best when we’re genuine and honest with the people around us. What challenges do you think women leaders specifically face? I think one of the most blatant (challenges) that we see playing out on campus, and in our world all the time, is that the exact same qualities in a man seen as leadership is seen in a woman as a bitch. You’re strong, you’re powerful, you speak up; you do what needs to be done; you don’t let people take advantage of you and in a man, it’s like “God, he’s awesome! Let’s
Cathy Scroggs
COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF MISSOURI
make him president!” and in a woman, it’s like “What a bitch.” I think we need to be aware that while we’re capable of the same things, the world sees our abilities in different lights and values them differently. I think for each individual woman there has to be a lot of balance of thinking about ... my end goal. Is my end goal to prove women can do as much as men, because we know that that’s true, it’s just that people don’t recognize it? Or is my end goal to get what I’m working toward. Because I think that sadly, the reality of our world is that we have to work within the systems at play. What can we do to create an environment more welcoming to women leaders? I think the less we can define people by their gender the better … there are more than two genders, it’s more than just man and woman, it’s much more complicated than that. No man does man the same as any other man and no woman does woman the same as any other woman. I think the more we can put everybody as humans and making it based on who we actually
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs How would you describe your style of leadership? I hope it’s collaborative. I like to get input from everybody. I like ideas; I like to get all different perspectives on an issue. What have you learned during your time as a leader at MU? (I’ve learned) how important communication is and how important it is to listen. Listen for people’s opinions and thoughts, but also to listen for how they’re feeling and
LeChae Mottley, Senior, Journalism
President of the Legion of Black Collegians What challenges have you faced as LBC President? (With) all the things that are happening in the United States as far as police brutality against black and brown bodies, it’s always kind of difficult to see where you fit in within that ... During the listening session we had with the administration, I kind of realized that it was more what I see our role as is making sure that the campus climate here is progressing and getting better as far as race is concerned. Definitely when they opened it up, they wanted people to talk about Ferguson, but it really ended up being about how we feel as black students or students of color at Mizzou. I think from there I kind of realized that was probably where LBC fits, to be advocating for
Photo of Sarah Billingsly.
follower. Sometimes being a leader means being a support system for someone else. That was the first time that I really realized that leadership is multi-faceted. How do you know when it’s best to lead by taking a step back? For me, I know it’s time to step up when I’m the best one for the job. If I feel like there are other people leading who are capable of doing a better job than me, I will take a step back, but I think that it’s all about timing. You have to be ready personally. How have your experiences in pageants influenced the way you look at leadership? Being in pageants was something that really changed who I was as a person. Prior to stepping on stage, I was a very shy, very reserved girl. I wasn’t someone who necessarily felt comfortable being in the spotlight all the time ... I loved the power that it gave me, I loved the confidence that it helped build in me. During those five minutes that I was on the stage I felt like I could take on the world. I felt like I was so confident, and that confidence radiated from me. When I watch those videos I can see the transformation.
Photo of Struby Struble.
are as opposed to this arbitrary identity is really important … in policy, systematically, administratively we need to make it less gender-specific but when we’re working with individual people we need to acknowledge that those gender roles are still placed on us and how we work within them.
all those things that are unspoken as well. Do you think MU is a hospitable environment for women leaders? That’s a trick question. I’ve never had any difficulty as a woman leader here. I’ve been given many opportunities and they’ve usually been given to me by men. I think we are hospitable to women. There are only two women deans of colleges at MU. Do you have any thoughts on that? Well, I suspect that we have a provost that’s going to work hard at finding more women to be deans. What do you think students can do to encourage woman leadership on campus? I hear some women say that students sometimes defer to men who are in front of a classroom over women. I think students could remember that the faculty who are teaching them are excellent faculty and their gender is just part of who they are.
students here. What kind of growth have you seen in yourself since your term began in April? I would say I’ve learned to relax a little. When you run for any office, you have this idea of how you want things to run … I’m a student, I’m working with students, we’re all students. So it can go really well ... but it can’t be perfect. So I think kind of trying to relax about that has probably been something I’ve learned I have to do for my own sanity. What kind of legacy do you hope to leave on campus? I want people to (realize) leadership looks different for each individual ... you don’t have to be a super outgoing person to be a leader, it’s really about the work you put in and how you delegate and how you inspire people. Also, just welcoming
people that have a different identity than you. That’s probably something the whole campus could do a little better of.
Sarah Billingsly, Senior, Health Sciences and Psychology
naturally with a lot of encouragement from my supervisors and my peers. What advice would you give someone unsure where they fit in? Try everything. Just go to the random workshop that this org you’ve never heard of is having. Go to a meeting for an organization that you’re not really sure about; learn about something that you might be passionate about and follow the things that light your heart on fire. Follow the things that just make you care and make you sad or hurt or — I love saying that phrase — just the things that light you on fire. The things that make you want to affect change and work toward things. And that will take a bit of trial and error, that’ something I’ve learned. Go to www.themaneater.com for conversations with more women leaders on campus.
SHAPE president, Communications Coordinator for the Peer Educators Program with the RSVP Center, Student Coordinator for the Residential Life Ambassador Program How did you become a leader on campus? It didn’t come easily. And it didn’t come swiftly. I was not enthusiastic or involved or engaged my freshman year. I was with a couple of things but not with what I am now. It came slowly and surely, and with a lot of encouragement and help from people I care about. I got involved with the RSVP Center peer-educator program my sophomore year and from there got involved with the SHAPE program. As I started to learn more about the things I’m passionate about, wanting to step up and take on leadership roles in them kind of came
Photo of LeChae Mottley.
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THE MANEATER | NEWS | MARCH 18, 2015
Paola Savvidou tours the world with music DUN LI
holistic education for me to be able to study music as a major and dance as a minor,” she said. Savvidou landed the opportunity to study piano performance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Even though there was no language barrier because she had gone to an English-speaking high school, her new life on a distant land far from home faced many challenges. “Family is such an important thing, it was the primary support system,” she said. “The hardest thing was to move away from that support, for me.” Coming into a foreign country, she had to find her way to adapt to the various cultural differences. Savvidou also had to adjust herself to a new life in the university where academic work was intense. She said thanks to the “thriving
international community,” she was able to build friendships with other students. This is also where she first met her future husband, School of Music professor Jonathan Kuuskoski. After graduating from North Carolina, Savvidou went to pursue higher education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she attained both master’s and doctorate degrees in Musical Art in piano performance and pedagogy, as well as a dance minor. “I was very lucky to be able to combine two of my greatest passions into my education,” she said. Seeking more teaching experience, she eventually found a job in piano pedagogy at MU, where she remains to this day. “I never went away from academia,” Savvidou said. “It feels like I’m forever a student. My life
still goes by semesters and breaks; that’s never changed.” Savvidou said she has felt a passion for teaching ever since she taught her first student, her little niece, when Savvidou was in high school. “I really love connecting to people,” she said. “Interacting with students is really energizing to me. I find it really satisfying to see students grow and become more mature musicians. It’s a beautiful thing to see them become more self-confident and grow into their unique selves.” As an assistant professor, Savvidou’s duty revolves around teaching and training students across age groups in different settings. She combines her expertise in dance with music performances, through which she attempts to impose analytical approach on both
alignment and body movement in order to establish a more communicative engagement with the audience. “I look at the body as a very expressive tool … I think a lot about how my whole body communicates, not just my fingers,” she said. “I try to find a movement that communicates the music and find a way to physically embody that.” Savvidou’s endeavor in her field has gained international recognition as well, such as her New Muse Piano Duo tour around the globe with Kuuskoski. They toured through the U.S., Norway and Greece while performing at different venues for different audiences including at the European Piano Teachers’ Association conference in Oslo, Norway, and at Ionian University on the island of Corfu, Greece. She said that her goal for the tour was to speak through music, even to untrained ears, to allow different audience members to grasp on the emotions while trying to find a balance between different foci. “As a pianist, she has a strong sense of lyricism and harmonic timing,” Kuuskoski said. “She is very detail-oriented and a great complement to my ‘big picture’ approach.” Savvidou said she views the School of Music as “one big family” where she gains the benefits of a closely knit group as well as access to resources and funding of a larger institution. “I always tell her we won the jackpot with the opportunities we have at Mizzou,” Kuuskoski said. Savvidou now has her eyes set on the future. With a CD project on its way, she said she intends to broaden her horizon. “I want to continue to explore the territory of new music and engage with new audiences,” she said.
The committee’s research included three steps: an analysis of raise data provided by the Office of the Provost, a survey of all college deans and an anonymous survey of all full-time faculty. Faculty had the opportunity to receive special merit raises at mid-year or at the end of the year for high contributions to Association of American Universities metrics, which include federal research funding, membership in the National Academies, faculty awards and research citations. They could also receive a regular merit raise, funded by reallocations within colleges and often called the “2 percent pool,” Lamberson said. He said the 2 percent pool can be misleading because the funds come from colleges’ own reallocations, not the campus budget. “It all came from the college having to close positions,
for example, to have money available,” he said. According to the report, in the schools of Health Professions, Journalism and the College of Veterinary Medicine, more than 95 percent of all faculty members received raises during the 2014-15 academic year, including all tenured or tenure-track faculty. However, in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and schools of Medicine and Nursing, less than 85 percent of all faculty members received raises. The average regular merit raise amount for tenure-track faculty was $2,376. The average total raise amount for tenuretrack faculty, which includes up to three separate raises, was $11,669, Lamberson said. The difference wasn’t as large for non-tenure track faculty, primarily because not many of those faculty received special merit raises.
“The discrepancy is that the individuals who received separate merit raises also received raises from the regular merit pools,” Lamberson said. “When administration presented those data, they didn’t really separate it out that way, so it appeared that the individuals that received raises only from the regular merit pool were ones that didn’t receive raises from the special merit pool.” The faculty survey data in the preliminary report showed that faculty, on average, believed the raise process wasn’t fair and did not improve faculty morale. About 46 percent of faculty disagreed or strongly disagreed that the execution of the special merit raise process was fair. Another 56 percent of faculty disagreed or strongly disagreed that the special merit raises improved overall faculty morale. “There was pretty strong
dissatisfaction, at least among those faculty that didn’t receive special merit raises, about the process,” Lamberson said. Lamberson said he believes raises should be used to retain the best faculty and would be more fairly distributed if they were based on performance in grant support, publications and awards. He also said he would like to see all faculty have a raise to cover the increase in cost of living. “Just out of fairness, it would be nice to see (a raise for cost of living) come from a central pool rather than having to be made up out of reallocation,” he said. “I’ve been told that if the raise was 1 percent or less, because of the increase in benefits cost, we actually sort of lost money.” Lamberson said the final report should be finished in time for Faculty Council chairman Craig Roberts to present it at the general faculty meeting Tuesday.
Staff Writer Paola Savvidou’s life has always been filled with music, and through teaching and mentorship as an associate professor of piano pedagogy at MU, she has aimed to share the music with others. Savvidou’s dedication to mentorship has not gone unnoticed. Two students nominated her for the 2015 Purple Chalk Teaching Award, which she received from the College of Arts and Science. The award has been given since 1974 and recognizes teaching excellence in faculty members who students nominate. Senior Haley Myers, a music major, was one of the two students who nominated Savvidou for the award. Savvidou has been her mentor since freshman year and Myers said that she is an excellent teacher, mentor and friend to her. She said she nominated Savvidou because she “wanted to try to find a small way to return these favors.” “Dr. Savvidou is energetic and highly creative, both as a musician and educator,” Myers said. “Dr. Savvidou gives so much for her students; it was impossible not to feel compelled to nominate her.” Born in Nicosia, Cyprus, Savvidou came from a very musical family. Her father first inspired her and her three older sisters to appreciate the art by teaching them how to play the accordion. Savvidou had a busy childhood. Her parents encouraged her to pursue many artistic opportunities including piano, flute, ballet and contemporary dance. When it was time to attend college, she faced a rather hard decision in choosing which one to major in. Eventually, she chose to venture abroad. “I decided to come to the States because I really liked the idea of a
ASA LORY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
MU music professor Paola Savvidou plays piano March 16. Savvidou recently received the 2015 Purple Chalk Teaching Award from the College of Arts and Science.
Faculty committee finds deficiencies in MU raises TAYLOR BLATCHFORD Staff Writer A Faculty Council committee reported last week they have discovered large discrepancies in faculty raise distribution. The committee, chaired by Bill Lamberson, professor of animal sciences, presented its preliminary report during the March 12 Faculty Council meeting. The report found that the number of faculty receiving raises and the amounts of the raises varied greatly across MU colleges and between tenuretrack and non-tenure-track faculty. “The major concern was that the administration presented mean raises to faculty, and at least the Faculty Council didn’t believe that those actually represented what faculty received,” Lamberson said. “Our work with that set of tables was to identify exactly what the raises were.”
leading up to the THE MANEATER | NEWS | MARCH 18, 2015
12
MU Library System & Student Fees
TO THE vote feb. 25, 2015
Starved and constrained, MU Libraries turn to students for funding HAILEY STOLZE, GEORGE ROBERSON, QUINN MALLOY OF THE MANEATER STAFF Continued From Page 1
Where the money will go Additional funding would allow the libraries to expand its staff, facilities and collections, Director of Libraries James Cogswell said. The MU Library System emcompasses Ellis and its eight branch libraries. Library officials hope to make information at the libraries more accessible with additional funding. MU currently spends about $8.8 million on collections. Most of that money, approximately $6 million, is spent on electronic information. Cogswell said students currently have limited access to several digital scholarly journals, but they could gain full access to the collections with added library funding. Funding for books and journal acquisitions would increase 83 percent from about $7 million in 2014 to $13 million in 2022, when the fee reaches its peak. Journals and collections spending is projected to make up 63.6 percent of the libraries’ expenditures for the first year of the fee and 53.8 percent for the second year. Over the twoyear period, the library projects it will spend $6,092,000 on collections. MU’s libraries expenditures from 2009 to 2014 totalled $88,606,483. The University of Tennessee’s library system spent $167,309,078 over the same period of time, said
Regina Mays, assistant professor and assessment librarian at Tennessee, in an email. MU is a member of the Association of American Universities, which allows schools in “based on the high quality of programs of academic research and scholarship,” among other criteria. The University of Tennessee is not an AAU member. Paltry funding for the libraries is part of the reason MU is at the bottom of AAU rankings, Cogswell said. Recently, administrators emphasized the need to boost MU’s standing in the AAU. “We can demonstrate without a doubt that we are underfunded,” Cogswell said. “We can do more to increase the quality of education on this campus, but we need the funding.” The additional resources would become valuable to graduate students who bump into paywalls when using journals for research, Graduate Professional Council President Hallie Thompson said. “You're missing out on some potentially valuable information for your degree or for your laboratory,” Thompson said. “It makes us a less wholesome, productive research society in general, not having access to (certain journals) … Not having that access is the opposite of wanting to make research progress and more money and gain our AAU standing.” The proposal also envisions a new 24-hour study space in Ellis Library, which Cogswell said was requested by students.
Renewing Ellis
a progressive fee The proposed fee would start at $5 per credit hour and increase by $2 per credit hour each year until it charges $15 per credit hour.
estimated new funding each year +$15 per credit hour
$12,990,000
$15
$12
+$13 per credit hour
$11,258,000
+$9 per credit hour
$7,794,000 +$11 per credit hour
$9
$9,526,000
+$5 per credit hour
$4,330,000
$6
He said the library does not currently have a space partitioned for 24-hour use because it lacks the resources needed to staff and retrofit the building. “I would love a 24-hour study space,” sophomore Kelsey Bryant said. “I come here and stay until 2 a.m. when they close down, and then have to find somewhere else to go after that. I would really like that.” Despite wanting the 24-hour study space, though, Bryant said it wouldn’t be worth the fees, as there are other places on campus where she can go for free, such as the Pershing Commons. Gaunt said the libraries also plan to address inadequate staffing and to enhance staff salaries. He said staffing has not kept up with the university’s growth: Staff decreased by 25 percent while the student body grew by about 50 percent between 1998 and 2013. A proposed $11,915,151 of the funding would go toward salaries in 2022, nearly a 57 percent bump from that of 2014. Gaunt said 51 positions, almost one- third of the current MU Libraries staff, will need to receive a raise by Sept. 1, 2015, as promised in their job description. That’s going to cost just over $50,000. “You wouldn’t know when you go to talk to a subject librarian that they haven’t had a raise in 10 of the last 12 years,” Gaunt said. “But you try and be a good public servant on a daily basis when you don’t get a raise, year after year after year.”
+$7 per credit hour
$6,062,000
The libraries will use about 16.1 percent of funds raised from the first two years of the fee to renovate their space and facilities. About $1.7 million will be spent on repurposing several common student study spaces and administrative offices on every floor of Ellis Library. The new money will house the new Digital Media Lab and Makers Space on the east side of the central area of the library’s first floor, which is currently occupied by bookshelves full of government documents. Gaunt said the new lab will include “technology necessary to facilitate group work in any variety of disciplines.” Bookmark Café, located on the ground floor of Ellis Library, will be extended into part of the adjacent technical services offices. Once the renovation is complete, there will be more seating space and a retrofitted barista station, Gaunt said. He said the library will reconfigure the remaining office space to provide greater efficiency. The Security Services office will be relocated from the ground floor to the first floor of Ellis Library, Gaunt said. He compared the existing office space to a “closet,” and said he hopes that an expanded office space will alleviate some of the pressure of working in close quarters. The staff offices in the southwest corner of the first floor of Ellis Library will be expanded and revitalized. This will spell the end of several silent study rooms, but Gaunt said the library will no longer need those rooms once it reclaims rooms 114 and 202, which currently house several administrative services while Jesse Hall is under renovation. Renovations to the Grand Reading Room will include the addition of outlets and lighting on tables and the installation of more aesthetically pleasing ceiling lights. Gaunt said he hopes these renovations will create a more productive space for student study. Gaunt said the timetable for renovating Ellis has not yet been finalized by the MU Planning, Design and Construction office.
Leading up to the vote
2 21 -2 20
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16 -1
7
$3
Source: Matt Gaunt, MU Libraries Director of Advancement BEN KOTHE // GRAPHICS MANAGER
The fee would begin as a $5 charge for the 2016-17 academic year and increase by $2 per hour each year until it reaches $15 per hour in 2022. Thompson said this allows the library to accomplish smaller, short-term goals like hiring more staff quickly before starting more costly projects like upgrading technology or creating new study spaces. MSA endorsed the student fee referendum on Feb. 25. The proposal for the fee, however, has been years in the
march 18, 2015 MSA Senate votes on approval of referendum (SB 54-30).
november, 2015
how the libraries could grow Proposed fees would nearly double the libraries’ annual budget by fiscal year 2022.
MSA Senate passed SB 54-31, a resolution to garner support for the proposed library fee. It passed with one abstention.
FY 2022
(FINAL YEAR OF FEE INCREASES)
Students vote on referendum for library student fee. If students don’t pass it, the process screeches to a halt.
Debt Service on $20M in renovations
year one (2016-2017)
Library system operations Equipment, maintenence, operations
FY 2014
Books and journal aquisitions
' Create a 24/7 study space at Ellis Library ' Hire 9 new employees:
Salaries, wages, benefits
TOTAL EXPENDITURES:
TOTAL EXPENDITURES:
$17,681,236
$31,584,344
Source: Matt Gaunt, MU Libraries Director of Advancement
making. Cogswell said library officials have been talking with student groups intermittently since 2004. Gaunt said the proposal initially called for a $25 per credit hour fee, but the GPC executive committee, which didn’t want to levy more than $15 per credit hour, believed the escalation was too quick and steep. “We did a lot of work to … figure out what’s the minimum amount of money that we can ask the students for that will still allow us to renovate the space that needs to be renovated and expand the collections to the level that they need to be at,” he said. The push for a library fee was introduced to MSA in 2012, but the initiative never got to a referendum because of what former Senate Speaker Ben Bolin called a "lackluster" proposal. Library officials are confident they have momentum behind the student fee effort this time. “We’re stagnant,” Gaunt said. “We don’t even have the resources to maintain what we’re doing now ... (We hit) a critical mass two years ago and if we don’t get this done next year, it will really be awful. During this process, the students are the ones that keep giving us the hope that we can get this done.”
Rallying the students Library officials are spending this semester gathering student input through open forums and informational sessions, Gaunt said. He said no part of the proposal is 100 percent binding and is subject to change based on student feedback. “The biggest challenge we have in front of us right now is really to get the students to own it,” Gaunt said. “For the students, this is an opportunity to really transform campus.” Gaunt’s own daughter is a junior at MU, and he said he hopes his son attends MU someday. Still, Gaunt said, he believes the improvements to the library are worth the increased cost. If the requested fees make it on the November ballot, Gaunt said they will make sure students’ voices are heard. “It’s going to be a shared vision when we’re done with it,” Gaunt said. “It’s going to have the students’ fingerprints all over it.” Currently, the Library has 59 Ruth E. Ridenhour MU Libraries Student Ambassadors, and the library hopes to boost membership to 100 by the end of the semester. A smaller group, what Gaunt called the communications committee, will provide feedback to library officials as a liaison between them and MSA.
BEN KOTHE // GRAPHICS MANAGER
The libraries tried to raise funds through student tuition in the past, but ran into a roadblock when the 2007 Missouri Senate Bill 389, or the Higher Education Student Funding Act, was passed, Cogswell said. The law prevents public Missouri universities from raising their tuition for in-state undergraduate students by more than the inflation rate each year. Gaunt said it’s difficult to keep up with the rate of inflation for electronic information, given that the Consumer Price Index increased by 0.8 percent in 2014. “It’s going to cost us $500,000 this year to buy the same electronic information we had last year,” he said. MU traditionally funds the libraries by taking money out of the general operating fund, which comes from tuition and state funding, said Alyssa O’Neil, director of fiscal operations for the Division of Student Affairs. She said the limit on tuition levy has made it difficult for administrators to operate under this model, especially since state funding for higher education has declined in recent years. “Senate Bill 389 has been a huge game changer,” O’Neil said. “For the libraries, the money has been coming from a combination of state dollars from taxpayers and tuition. The campus can no longer increase tuition in order to fund the libraries more, and it’s hurting them.” Without additional money available from traditional sources of funding, library officials had to look for new sources of funding. A student referendum allows the university or individual departments to raise funds outside of SB 389’s constraints. So Cogswell and other library officials have turned to students. "When you create revenue for your institution, you can do things that elevate the stature," Gaunt said. "But we have a formula for failure. Senate Bill 389 has restricted the university’s ability to raise tuition and fees. It’s a guaranteed formula for failure unless the students decide they want to vote in fees.” Thompson said supporters of the fee are hopeful that either alumni or the Missouri government will match the funds the student fee raises. "We've been trying to get money other ways," Thompson said. "Nothing is moving, and it hasn't been for awhile. We need to put our foot down and say, 'All right, we're going to invest. What are you guys going to do?'" Thompson said it’s time for the libraries to both revamp and progress. "It probably should have happened before now," Thompson said. "It has been in a deficit for quite a period, and we have been behind. We need the library. Very clearly, we do need to invest in our library."
3 security positions to implement 24/7 access
2
“student experience” positions
1
curriculum support librarian
1
web developer
1
programming position
1
digital curator
year two (2017 - 2018) ' Create a Digital Media Lab ' Hire 7 new employees: digital media services 1years three to six librarian
(2018-22)
1
graphic design position
2
day-to-day operations managers for lab and student staff
1
information services librarian assessment librarian
1
associate director for administrative services
1
years three to six (2018-2022) ' Hire subject and information specialists, digital curators and care and promotion positions. Source: Matt Gaunt, MU Libraries Director of Advancement BEN KOTHE // GRAPHICS MANAGER
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THE MANEATER | NEWS | MARCH 18, 2015
Policing for profit in Ferguson explained Since 2010, CPD has received $349,617 from federal equitable sharing funds. HAILEY STOLZE Staff Writer The Department of Justice recently released its report detailing many problems within the Ferguson Police Department and city government. One key issue the report unveiled was a policing-for-profit, more formally known as asset forfeiture, system in Ferguson, Missouri. Asset forfeiture is the means by which law enforcement can seize private property in relation to suspected crimes. The Columbia Police Department has employed this system to net almost $350,000 since 2010. Since the report on Ferguson’s release, the city manager and police chief have
stepped down amid criticism. In Columbia, despite outcry from local watchdog groups, policing-for-profit continues. Keep Columbia Free founder Mark Flakne explained the differences between criminal and civil types of asset forfeiture. Flakne said criminal asset forfeiture shouldn’t be confused with civil. In criminal cases, property can be seized after a person has been convicted of a crime. Civil asset forfeiture, on the other hand, refers to law enforcement seizing property when no proven crime has been committed. When an innocent owner sets out to reclaim his or her previously owned property, he or she must prove the property’s innocence in relation to the alleged crime. It’s often not worth the hassle, Flakne said. “Let’s say that you have $5,000 cash seized,” he said. “But it’s going to cost you $10,000 in legal fees to fight
the government for your money back. What happens? What are you going to do?” Missouri uses the “lowest legal standard” to seize property, according to the Institute for Justice. An officer in Missouri who attempts to seize an asset is required to prove with reasonable cause that it was connected to a crime. “Generally, some of the political complaints are that things get seized where there is a so-called factual stretch of the imagination, that the thing that is being served is actually being used to further criminal activity,” MU’s Student Legal Services Coordinator Stephen Concannon said. Keep Columbia Free describes asset forfeiture as “the means by which the government circumvents the Fourth, Fifth and Tenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution to steal property from its citizens as it makes unreasonable seizures without due process and overrides the
Missouri Constitution.” Missouri is one of eight states that have laws preventing police from directly benefiting from forfeiture funds. Instead, funds should go toward local education systems, according to the Missouri Constitution. Still, legislation offers a loophole due to federal equitable sharing. This is the “federal adoption of forfeiture proceedings and equitable shar ing ar rangements ,” according to the Institute for Justice. If processed through the federal government, forfeitures will be given almost entirely to participating law enforcement agencies. The Columbia Police Department received a total of $349,617 from federal equitable sharing funds since 2010. Only about 7.5 percent — $26,112 — of the funds received during the past five years were from 2014. This is the lowest amount during this time period. The funds received by CPD since 2012
have decreased by 78.5 percent or roughly $95,000. Equitable sharing fund expenditures since 2010 total $269,534. The money was spent on police force functions, including investigation tools, equipment, a SWAT armored personnel carrier and more. About $80,000 in funds received during this time were not recorded as being spent. “The community loses one check and balance, and the police have a perverse incentive to prosecute profitable crimes or wait to act until certain crimes become profitable,” Keep Columbia Free wrote on its website. Flakne said he disagrees with federal equitable sharing. He said he believes the law should be reformed in order for education systems in Missouri to once again receive their promised funds. “I think it is a heinous abuse of government power and (the loophole) needs to be closed immediately,” Flakne said.
“Life gets hard and you start to get down on yourself,” Newman said, “And then, I’ll see in the mirror the bottom of the tattoo starting to show through, and so it’s like ‘Okay, Zack, take a deep breath, get back to it, and keep going.’” Newman met Zach Lederer, the basketball team’s manager, while covering his boys’ basketball beat for his high school yearbook. During their time in high school, Newman said Lederer took him under his wing and made him feel included in the team. Since Zach Lederer’s death, “Zaching” has been happening less and less; however, Newman plans to change that just as he did before. “My personal plan is to just keep talking about it as much as possible and partnering with organizations, like MizzouThon, who are willing to take up the mantle and make it be even bigger,” Newman said. MizzouThon began promoting “Zaching” this year. At its big event on March 14, MizzouThon had a booth with T-shirts and a sign-up sheet for the picture on the Francis Quadrangle in April. “I’m really glad that we’ve partnered with ‘Zaching,’” MizzouThon President Sophie Lustman said. “We have a lot of kids who I know just have to sit back, and they feel weak sometimes. We don’t want them to, and we want their community to understand that we are here for them and we can be their strength.” Lustman said she believes MU and its community is an excellent area to spread this symbol of hope. “I think it’s important for Mizzou to become a part of the
culture that stands for other people,” she said. “We have so many selfless students, and it’s a really great community to reach out to and get them to stand up for a cause that’s equally amazing.” Newman said the message for the cause is “Hope and Determination.” “(Zach Lederer) beat it once,” Newman said. “He fought and fought and fought, and when it came around again, he said it was just another opportunity. He had so much going against him and he still had a smile on his face.” Julia Lederer agreed, and said no matter how hard the circumstances, her brother always kept a positive attitude. “You never heard him complain or ask, ‘Why me?,’” she said. “He was remarkable.” Newman and Zach Lederer shared a mutual respect for Muhammad Ali, and during Lederer’s last round of
chemotherapy, he shared with Newman his favorite quote from the famous boxer: “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now, and live your life of a champion.’” “He was grateful for cancer,” Newman said. “Because he said that it gave him the opportunity to show God and the world that he was worthy of living this life.” Newman said he strives to model and spread Zach Lederer’s positivity, and described his gestures of kindness to him in high school as the epitome of who Zach Lederer truly was throughout his life. “I simply can’t do him justice,” Newman said. At 12:45 p.m. on April 8, students, faculty and community members will be joining together on the Quad to take a mass “Zaching” photo in his memory. “I’m just excited that there’s a new pool of people who haven’t
heard Zach’s story who will because of this,” Newman said. “And will hopefully be inspired to bring kindness into their everyday life. The potential is mind-blowing, and it could be one of the biggest ‘Zaching’ pictures that people have taken.” Zach Lederer may have left this world, but his memory still lives on through Newman and others who are willing to continue to fight for hope. “Zach has inspired me to bring more kindness into my life and to try to be more positive,” Newman said. “I think that this event will help share just a bit of that optimism with other people, and if they share that with some other people and it spreads, then I think that I’ve done it right. Mission accomplished.”
Friend of Zach Lederer brings ‘Zaching’ back to MU On April 8, 2015 at 12:45 p.m. students, faculty and other Columbia community members will be joining together on the MU Francis Quadrangle to take a mass “Zaching” photo in his memory. KARLEE RENKOSKI Reporter Twenty-year-old Zach Lederer of Maryland lost his life to brain cancer on March 12, 2014. He left his mark on the world, in the form of a pose known as “Zaching.” “The purpose of ‘Zaching’ was to show his family and friends that he was doing well,” his sister, Julia Lederer, said. “Zaching” spread quickly across the Internet. Every day, people across the country and celebrities ranging from CNN’s Anderson Cooper to music artist Lil Wayne posted photos of themselves “Zaching.” “It was to show cancer patients strength and encouragement,” Julia Lederer said. In memory of Zach Lederer, friend and MU student Zack Newman said he got a tattoo that says “LTD” on his right bicep. “I have ‘LTD,’ because whenever you would ask how he was doing he would always say ‘Living the Dream,’” he said. “That’s the sign of positivity that I want to bring into my life.” It is a constant reminder as well, and Newman said he is conscious of Zach’s fight and optimism daily.
COURTESY OF TANZI PROPST
MU students at the MizzouThon dance marathon pose for a photo while “Zaching” on March 14.
15
THE MANEATER | NEWS | MARCH 18, 2015
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She said the state legislature will see this need. “We believe that the real reason (the state legislature) won't pass an equal pay bill is because women are a cheap labor force and this legislature is pro-business, not proworker,” Mosley said.
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Equal Pay Act has too many loopholes, and both it and the state law (Missouri Equal Pay Act) need updating since women still don't have equal pay,” Mosley said. “We think that if there would be a lot of lawsuits that shows how much we need it.”
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TAYLOR BLATCHFORD // GRAPHIC DESIGNER
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hispanic women earn 54 percent of white men’s earnings.
Source: American Association of University Women
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asian-american women earn 90 percent of white men’s earnings.
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WASHINGTON D.C. Women were paid 91 percent of what men were paid, THE BEST PLACE FOR GENDER PAY EQUALITY.
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Louisiana Women were paid 66 percent of what men were paid, THE WORST PLACE FOR GENDER PAY EQUALITY.
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WOMEN TYPICALLY EARN ABOUT 90 PERCENT OF WHAT MEN DO UNTIL AGE 35, WHERE THE GAP INCREASES TO 75-80 PERCENT.
In 2013, women were paid 78 percent of what men were paid.
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House Bill 44 hopes to address the gender pay gap in Missouri, but the problem is national, too.
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GROWING GENDER GAP
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in a stronger economy for all Missourians.” The bill is just a start toward supporting Missouri’s women in the pursuit to earn their economic potential, Doyle said. “There is so much more that we could be doing to further economic development for Missouri and to improve the lives of women and their families,” she said. “HB 44 would direct the Department of Labor to develop best practices for businesses to follow to address their gender wage gaps.” Doyle said she also sees the bill as a step in the right direction when it comes to acknowledging the issue of equal pay in Missouri. “First, our leaders need to acknowledge the issue exists and our recent research with MU clearly shows an income gap between men and women,” she said. “We believe that HB 44 not only brings more attention to the issue but would start the conversation on how Missouri can bridge that gap.” Doyle also cited the economic impact equal pay could have on the state of Missouri. “Women make up 48 percent
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be effective in addressing the issue. “We don’t believe this bill is necessary; that’s the reason we oppose it,” McCarty said. “We believe that right now the Department of Labor could do everything in the bill. If the governor wants to do it, all he has to do is pick up the phone and have the Department of Labor issue these guidelines.” McCarty said he also feels that current federal laws already effectively do what the bill is proposing be done in the guidelines. “We don’t feel this bill is necessary because there are already federal laws in place that state men and women in the same jobs with the same qualifications must be paid the same; otherwise, that is sex discrimination and that is against the law,” he said. McCarty also said the bill could lead to lawsuits against employers who have not broken the law if the guidelines were to be applied to employees who have different job description and titles. In contrast, Mosley said she doesn’t think the current laws are effective, and she feels that the potential for lawsuits is an example of the need for legislation on the issue. “We believe that the 1963
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of the state's work force,” she said. “When women bring home more money, it absolutely benefits entire families and communities. Missouri women who are employed full time lose a combined total of approximately $8 billion dollars due to this wage gap.” If the gap were to close, a working woman in Missouri would have enough money for about 73 more weeks of food for her family, eight more months of mortgage and utilities payments, 13 more months of rent or 2,934 additional gallons of gas, Doyle said. Mary Mosley, the legislative director for the Missouri chapter of the National Organization for Women, supports the bill, but said it does come with some major flaws. “Missouri NOW does support HB 44, even though it doesn't mandate equal pay,” Mosley said in an email. “This bill is a start, at least, but it only provides that the Department of Labor create best practice guidelines. It doesn't mandate that anyone follow them. So the fact is that practically, it will create no change.” Ray McCarty, the president and CEO of the Associated Industries of Missouri, said he supports equal pay, but does not feel these guidelines will
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A PLACE FOR FREE EXPRESSION We want to hear your voice. Submit letters to the editor at: www.themaneater.com/letter-to-the-editor FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
OPINION
EDITORIALS REPRESENT THE MAJORITY OPINION OF THE MANEATER EDITORIAL BOARD
Improving Ellis should be a priority for MSA, students The proposed renovations and additions to Ellis Library are truly necessary to facilitating a positive learning environment for students. The Missouri Students Association Senate will vote Wednesday night to determine whether a push to raise funds for libraries through a new student fee will be on the November ballot. If approved, a referendum will allow students to vote on a fee to increase library funds, from $5 per credit hour, increasing each year by $2 to be capped at $15 per credit hour by 2022. If denied, the libraries will remain in a “stagnant” fiscal state, as Matt Gaunt, director of advancement for MU Libraries, told The Maneater. The current state of our libraries is inadequate for creating a positive learning atmosphere. Students lack access to many databases and journals important to research, and the library requires a number of extensive renovations to meet the
rising need for power within the library. The new student fee could be the solution for these problems. Library officials said the fees will amount to an additional $13 million a year, money which will be spent creating a 24/7 study space in Ellis Library, expand the libraries’ collection of books, journals and databases, hire additional staff and raise salaries for existing employees. Gaunt told The Maneater the libraries hit a “critical mass” two years ago, and that additional funding is the key to addressing inadequacies. The fee would also allow MU libraries to finally catch up with enrollment growth and peer universities. Between 1998 and 2013, MU’s total enrollment grew by about 50 percent, while the libraries slashed 25 percent of its full-time employees, according to proposal documents. The documents also show that MU’s investment in libraries is falling behind its peer universities in the Association of American Universities: MU’s total library operating budget of $17.6 million pales in comparison to the average public university library spending in the AAU of $32.7 million.
We strongly support giving the libraries the funding they need and encourage the MSA Senate to allow students to vote on this fee in November. While adding costs to students is not an ideal approach, it may be the only remaining option; library officials said they have tried to acquire funding elsewhere for years, but as state support for higher education continues to decline, other doors to funding have shut. However, if MSA moves forward with a referendum vote, we encourage students to engage in the informational forums planned by library officials before deciding on the issue themselves. This is a decision that directly impacts the entire student body and could have a profound effect on academic careers of future students, and we implore students to vote with a comprehensive understanding of these factors. A library is essential to having a college education. Having access to as many resources as possible fosters an environment where students can learn in and out of the classroom. These improvements are necessary to modernizing the education students receive at MU.
Student Life is making a major mistake in cutting the readership program. Despite its declining popularity on campus, the readership program gives students the opportunity to educate themselves on current events and become more knowledgeable about the world around them. This program has created positive and vital externalities for our campus. While not all students used the program on a regular basis, or not at all, the program improved our campus and the minds of students that attend this university. Had the readership program been properly advertised and marketed, as junior Gunnar Johanson intended to do while he served as Director of Student Communications within the Missouri Students Association, the program would have been more utilized by students all around campus. But when Johanson left his position, these plans lost direction and the marketing team he created went nowhere under new leadership. We recognize Student Life’s purpose to provide students with fun social activities. The department also claims to “promote student learning beyond the classroom,”
according to its website. If this is truly the case, then why was it suggested to the SFRC and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Cathy Scroggs to cut an entire program that effectively lives up to this very statement? The Department of Student Life’s focus on prioritizing more “fun” activities over meaningful, educational programs like the Mizzou Readership Program is incredibly disappointing. Why not make cuts in less educational programs, such as Mizzou After Dark or on-campus concerts? Why not cut a few of the newspapers from the readership program, and then make additional cuts to other student programs? Why not look to receive an outside grant? This decision was made with little to no creativity, which is disconcerting to see. When making decisions such as this in the future, we implore the Department of Student Life to be transparent and determine what students find important. With no surveys and no polls to measure what students wanted to keep on campus, Student Life effectively has taken away one of the most practical, beneficial programs they had to offer.
Elimination of Readership Program a major error in judgment
With an abundance of other, less beneficial programs to cut, the decision to cut the Mizzou Readership Program is a huge misstep. Effective July 2015, the Department of Student Life has decided to defund the Mizzou Readership Program, which fills MU’s newsstands with daily papers free to students. Student Life will absorb the program’s budget, which is comprised entirely of student fee allocations. The decision came as Student Life faces a 2-percent budget cut, resulting in a loss of approximately $250,000 over the next four years. Eighty percent of the funds from the readership program will be allocated toward the deficit, while the remaining 20 percent will go toward hiring an RSVP educator, a new position required by Title IX. The Student Fee Review Committee and Mark Lucas, director of Student Life, cited the program’s declining consumption among students on campus.
campus issues
‘American Sniper’ screening will make students uncomfortable JALEN MOSBY
A letter to the editor published by The Maneater petitioning to cancel the showing of “American Sniper” sparked conversation and debate on campus last week. A student voiced her opinion on why the film should not be shown through the MSA/GPC Film Committee’s Weekend Movie program. Her argument was that the film glorifies the killing of Iraqis and dehumanizes people in the film who appear to be of a specific religion. Some people did not agree with her argument and claimed that the film did nothing bad and was not meant to be what she made of it. Some agreed with the student and even started a petition that went around by email, which said it would be presented to the Department of Student Activities to have the screening stopped. The petition said it wanted Arab and Muslim students to feel like their identities were celebrated on campus. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion and not everyone is going to agree on issues. It is important that we take the requests of a student seriously and pay attention to things that we do as a campus that may disturb or offend one another’s culture. If the student who wrote is a member of a religion that she feels is attacked in a film, we should be ready to hear her side of things and understand why she feels that way. It is easy for people outside of a religion or race to downplay disturbances and not take seriously the effects certain actions have on that outside group. Being on Twitter when the movie first came out was a personal experience for me and made me not want to see the film. It is more than just this one lone argument that this movie is not productive to society and Muslims all around the world. Many people have said the film was “Islamophobic.” In general terms, Islamophobia, which came to my attention recently on social media, is prejudice or fear of Islam and Muslims. I’d like to think that on a college campus we all could watch a film and not let the underlying messages negatively affect us. But too many times people watch a movie or hear a song and think that what they just saw or heard is acceptable to re-enact. With that being said, I understand and support the student writing the letter to try to stop the screening. Religion, much like race, is a sensitive part of your life that you will protect and defend. If you are not a member of that religion or race, you will never truly understand what is offensive and what is not for the betterment of that group. I understand the point that MU is an educational institution and nothing should be off-limits because we can learn from anything. But I also think being sensitive to people and their culture is imperative. If the movie is going to be shown on campus, there needs to be some kind of educational forum or discussion on what Islamophobia is. Many people don’t even know what the term means and how prevalent it is in our society today and this is a problem in itself. If you’re in an airport and get nervous to see someone who appears to be Muslim on your flight, that is Islamophobia and should be addressed. If a film is going to heighten fears of this group of people, it should be combated with educational lessons on the topic or just not shown. As someone who belongs to a group that is continuously dominated in America, I am sympathetic to the cries of the oppressed. We can’t ignore problems that groups of our campus deal with on a daily basis, especially at a place that prides itself on diversity and inclusivity.
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THE MANEATER | OPINION | MARCH 18, 2015 politics
Beware the danger of a divided government After multiple attempts to diminish the president’s authority, it’s time for Congress to stop being petty and start being productive.
LILY CUSACK
Last Monday, March 9, the GOP took a drastic step in its recent attempts to undermine President Barack Obama before he leaves office. Forty-seven Republican senators — all of them but seven — sent a letter to Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that stated any deal made with Obama regarding their nuclear program would be subject to cancellation by a future administration or Congress. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who drafted the letter, said he has experienced “no regrets at all” over the situation, whereas Obama has expressed embarrassment on their part. The Iranian nuclear talks, which have a March 31 deadline for a basic outline, address the concerns surrounding Iran’s nuclear program. The talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the
U.N. Security Council and Germany aim to make sure Iran’s nuclear program is for peaceful means in exchange for sanction relief. Republicans have disagreed with this stance, as they want to see stricter sanctions imposed on Iran to prevent the country from building nuclear weapons. Cotton’s letter undermines the President’s authority and explains to Iran that sanctions may still be enforced. Republicans were careful to make the letter legal by avoiding the Logan Act, which was passed by Congress in 1799. According to CNN, this act prevents citizens from manipulating “disputes or controversies” between the U.S. and a foreign government without the authority to do so. By not taking a clear position on the Iranian negotiations, the letter narrowly avoided this act. However, this does not mean that the letter is not a burden or extremely disrespectful to the Obama administration. It is actually quite the opposite, and the situation should not be taken lightly. The letter has exponentially increased tensions in an already apprehensive congressional atmosphere. The Iranian negotiations surrounding a momentous nuclear deal have entered their final weeks, and this letter has the ability to potentially compromise the situation. The nuclear deals, which have been meticulously discussed and negotiated between two countries that
have historically had many problems, could be ruined because of this one rash decision on the GOP’s part. Furthermore, this letter comes right after House Republicans invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress without consulting the White House, which was seen as a major rebuff in the Obama administration’s direction. This letter is not the first time Obama has been shown blatant contempt by his government and citizens. President Obama’s terms in the White House have been wrought with disrespect. He has been questioned over his citizenship and academic credentials; heckled during a joint session of Congress over a false charge that would give health insurance to undocumented immigrants by Rep. Joe Wilson; and attacked over whether or not he loves America by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Although not everyone agrees with President Obama and his policies, American citizens should still rally behind him and at least show some human decency. After all, he is our president, and it is only right to show Obama some respect. Going behind the president’s back is also not going to assist in America’s foreign policy goals. Not only will Iran be less likely to adhere to the terms set out by the U.S. because they know those terms can change, Iran can also make a stronger case for blaming the
U.S. if these nuclear talks fail due to the hostility within the American government. This will make it more difficult for economic sanctions against Iran to be upheld. If the U.S. is not able to come together to work things out as one unit, how is it supposed to solve problems concerning other countries? While the letter sent to Iran over nuclear talks is a problem within itself, it represents a broader issue within the American political system that needs to be addressed. The partisanship between the Democratic and Republican parties has reached an unprecedented and threatening high. If the GOP keeps snubbing President Obama by going behind his back, the government could experience major consequences that would put the country’s reputation up for contest. The government needs to work as a comprehensive machine instead of two divided parties. The recent actions of the GOP have been a disappointment to the American political system. They have, on numerous occasions, decided to take it upon themselves to “fix” a situation without the President’s approval. This kind of behavior should not be tolerated, and it is, frankly, immature. American politics is about bringing people of different backgrounds and beliefs together to work out problems. How the GOP has decided to conduct their affairs recently sheds a concerning light on the American political system.
self-help
Make sleep a higher priority and avoid the consquences While finding time to sleep can be difficult for college students, consider the alternative. JORDAN SMITH
time is next to zero. Drowsiness causes a lack of alertness, awareness, reasoning, concentration and ability to solve problems. Also, the sleep you get at night helps you to consolidate the past day’s events, so when you get little to no sleep, your recollection of the previous day will be twisted, if not completely forgotten. Sleep deprivation causes accidents Approximately 100,000 car accidents each year can be attributed to fatigue according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. When you’re tired, your reaction time is slower, your alertness and ability to focus are severely impaired and some studies even show that driving while exhausted is just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. It doesn’t come as a shock that fatigue-induced accidents are most greatly seen in people under the age of 25. These accidents aren’t just car-related, either; people who experience a lack of sleep are more likely to be involved in problems at work and are shown to call in more often for sick days.
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As college students, we’re constantly being torn between studying, working and socializing. But how do we fit sleep into that hectic schedule? Sadly, a majority of us don’t. Sleep has been placed at the bottom of our list of priorities, and it’s affecting our daily lives more than you’d think. Here are just a few ways that exhaustion interferes with our bodies and minds: Sleep deprivation decreases learning
When you’re tired, your ability to pay attention for extended periods of
Sleep deprivation produces longterm health problems Consistent sleep deprivation has been tied to heart attack, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke. Approximately 90 percent of people with sleep apnea (an insomnia-like disorder in which a person has trouble breathing throughout the night and therefore has constantly interrupted sleeping patterns) suffer from another health condition. Sleep deprivation drops your sex drive There’s no denying that exhaustion leads to crankiness, tension and low energy — not exactly the kind of atmosphere you’d like your sex life to be exposed to. In one study consisting of a group of sleep apnea-affected men, 50 percent of the subjects had abnormally low testosterone levels. Sleep deprivation fuels depression Unfortunately, depression and insomnia feed one another. When you’re exhausted, you have little interest in
doing things that typically interest you, leading to days or weeks without socializing. When you’re depressed, your thoughts can keep you up well into the night, creating a habit of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation ages your skin When you’re not getting sleep, your body releases a stress hormone called cortisol, which breaks down the collagen that keeps your skin looking smooth and tight. Aside from that long-term effect, sleep loss leads to dull skin, premature wrinkles and dark bags under your eyes. Sleep is just as important to our bodies as exercise and a healthy diet. Remember that while dozing off on the bus ride to school or taking a power nap in the MU Student Center won’t hurt you, they’re not nearly as effective as a full night’s sleep. Sleeping cohesively for an extended period of time recharges your battery so much more effectively than short bursts of interrupted napping. So treat sleep as if it’s an important event you must attend. Make room for it in your schedule and learn to work it into your everyday routine.
TheManeater.com
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THE MANEATER | MOVE | MARCH 18, 2015 Dear Netflix
‘United States of Tara’ misrepresents illness In real life, we don’t talk about mental illness at the dinner table. ELANA WILLIAMS
Dear Netflix, There’s this funny thing about mental illness: What is very real to the person experiencing it is only as real to his or her loved ones as they allow it to be. Enter “United States of Tara.” Tara is a 40-something mother of two, wife of one, mural painter with dissociative identity disorder. As the show clarifies early on, no, that’s not the same thing as schizophrenia. Tara’s DID, rather, comes to light in moments of great stress. When she gets overwhelmed, she involuntarily transitions into a
different persona. So far (a bit into season one), I’ve encountered three ‘alters’: Buck, T and Alice. But I’ve heard more of them crop up later on. Tara recently made the decision to stop taking her medication. While the meds suppressed the alters, they seem to have made her feel dead inside. Her family talks about this decision quite a bit, and about the alters themselves, and I appreciate the realism here — but I question whether this is where it ends. Tara’s daughter, Kate, resents her mother for her DID. Kate’s already raging teenage angst is 10 times worse around her mom, which in turn often sets off Tara and causes her to change into an alter. For Kate, while she hates it and wholeheartedly blames her mother for it at times, at least the DID is real. Charmaine, Tara’s sister, thinks she’s faking it. In an infuriating “let’s talk alone” scene between
Charmaine and Tara’s husband, she invalidates her sister’s disorder again, even after having grown up with it. I know what Tara feels in this moment, or would be feeling if she knew about the conversation. And it’s the worst feeling in the world. This is what living with mental illness is really like, guys. It’s about hushed conversations across the room about your well-being that you don’t get to be a part of. It’s about your loved ones trying to help the best they can, but getting angry all the same because no matter what they do, things don’t get better. It’s about the people you want to understand most of all refusing to believe anything is wrong. “But it is real, Charmaine,” Tara’s husband says to Charmaine. “I married it.” With that gorgeous statement, reality was broken. Where’s the line between glorifying and glamorizing a life with mental illness, and when is it crossed? I’ve heard that later on Tara
gets six alter egos. For someone with DID, this is about average. OK, box checked. Her alters are extreme. Buck’s a gun-toting, cigarettein-the-house, back-country man; T is a 15-year-old who likes to show skin and run her mouth; and Alice is a ‘50sera housewife. The inherent entertainment value in the disease is obvious, but I believe alters can genuinely be this diverse as well. For me, “United States of Tara” takes it too far with something as simple as talking. It’s silly, and maybe it’s just me, but the fact that everyone in Tara’s life knows about her DID and discusses it openly is what makes the series feel wrong. In real life, we don’t talk about mental illness at the dinner table. In real life, our husbands and boyfriends don’t nonchalantly talk about it at work with their friends. The show’s opener features a lot of paper cut-outs, which I took for a “life is all a construct” metaphor on first glance. What
they really mean is that “United States of Tara” is a construct and that life will never be that easy. In real life, the stigma follows you home. And Tara? I want to stress that her life isn’t easy in the least. But she has a built-in support system that I think unrealistically portrays the lonely realities of living with a mental illness. Maybe I’m just not the target audience. I’m not a 40-something mom of two; I’m a college student. I seem to be grasping at a “United States of Tara” circa 20 years ago, when she was surely more vulnerable and much more broken, right? Perhaps she’s always been stronger than I am. I want so badly for her to be broken and she’s not. In existential crisis mode, Netflix. Love, Elana
beats and eats
Smoked meat heaven in a relaxed atmosphere at D. Rowe’s Columnist George Schramm kicks back at D. Rowe’s for smoked meats. GEORGE SCHRAMM
So, when is spring break? Next week? That is crazy. While I have recently become so chubby that I sat on my roommate's iPhone and it turned into an iPad, I trust that all of you are well along on your spring break panic diets. Just wait for cheat day! You can do it! Or you can just treat every day like it is cheat day. Your choice.
Believe it or not, I have also started a workout regimen, but it's mainly because I can't figure out how to delete the health and fitness app that was preinstalled on my phone. The best part about the app is that it has nothing to do with food intake, only exercise amount. So this week, when my paycheck came, I went to D. Rowe's Restaurant and Bar. This is one of the few places you will have to leave downtown for. D. Rowe's is on the corner of Nifong and Forum and is famous for its smoked meats. The motto of D. Rowe's is to be fun, friendly and the exact opposite of uppity. No hoitytoities allowed: This isn't the first class car of some 1920s train or the executive dining room of NBC. Regardless, D. Rowe's is great for people who like a laid-back atmosphere and
large portions of food. Now, where could we find anyone like that in a college town? What was great when I first entered was that half of the restaurant is self-seating and doesn't require a wait. Cutting down wait time from 20 minutes to zero was great because I was in a rush on Thursday when I went to eat with a few friends. Our waitress was friendly, courteous and quick to refill drinks. Both the bar side and the dining side had quite a few tables with ample televisions on the walls. There was plenty to watch with hockey and college basketball in full swing. The TVs were so great that we didn't have to talk as much. Now, I love smoked foods. When I moved in with my brother, I found out that he had gone dumpster diving and
found a gas smoker. Since then, he has fixed it and cleaned it, and we try to smoke meat at least once a month. When I can't convince him to drop the money on expensive cuts of beef, or when I am tired of smoked trout (because enough is enough, man!), it means I have to go out and find a barbeque place. At D. Rowe's, I had the smoked turkey wrap with waffle fries. The turkey was excellent and, to use a word 20 percent of the world hates, moist. The wrap was filling and the waffle fries paired excellently because, well, they were waffle fries. My friends both ordered brisket sandwiches, which they thought were kind of dry. The difference between their sandwiches and most sandwiches you would see is that the brisket was cut in huge,
half-inch or larger chunks. I am not an expert, but I think that the thicker you keep the brisket, the longer you have to cook it, and the dryer it will be. I was a fan, but they gave me the same reaction as when we saw Disney's “Frozen” for the first time: "Eh, I'd give it a seven out of ten." For a place that says that if you are the type of person to worry what fork to use, then you should try somewhere else, I was a huge fan — both a fan of the sarcasm and the restaurant as a whole. The food was good, the service was fast and the wait was nonexistent. I would say it’s a great place to take a family after graduation, a date on any day of the week or just as a place to watch March Madness and eat some barbecue.
applications for the maneater 2014-15 editor-in-chief and business manager positions are now being accepted. any mu student with a 2.0 gpa and fall enrollment of at least six credit hours is eligible to apply. applications must be submitted before 5 p.m. April 1. Candidates will participate in a debate and election april 8. themaneater.com/applications
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THE MANEATER | MOVE | MARCH 18, 2015
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Photo of paintings at The Canvas on Broadway on March 14.
ART
CLAIRE ROUNKLES | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Look for the next one on April 3. “There’s close to 20 businesses who are all in the business of art or have a passion for art and music that all take part in First Friday,” Bartlett says. There’s always live music, food and wine, for those of age. Bartlett describes it as “a gallery crawl” for the community to come out once a month to see what’s new and what’s going on. “We want to give the whole art experience,” she says. Once you step foot into Artlandish Gallery, you’ll realize it isn’t similar to any other gallery around. It offers a unique spin on art and gives off a relaxed vibe. Make sure to head downtown and experience what the North Village Arts District and Artlandish Gallery has to offer.
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artists sitting in their booths during the day and talking to customers. They also put on demos and host workshops that show others how they make their artwork. The artists all work as a team and give Artlandish Gallery its relaxed atmosphere. “All artists here help everyone else; there’s not any kind of competitive feeling,” Bartlett says. Not only does Artlandish Gallery have this neat, offbeat type of art and closeness among the artists, but they also take part in First Friday, hosted on the first Friday of every month by The North Village Art District — a non-profit organization.
Broadway. Run by Stephanie Hall and Angela Bennett, this studio directs painting classes for the novice and the expert. This establishment plays background music and serves drinks during class to foster a laid-back atmosphere that is encouraging for all who enter through the doors. “You don’t have to have any artistic background,” Hall says. “You don’t have to know anything about art. At the end of the class, you are going to leave here with a finished awesome painting to hang on your wall.” The Canvas on Broadway opened three years ago; the idea was a product of two
friends, one winter night and plenty of painting. Hall and Bennett wanted to replicate their experience for others in the community who want an opportunity to make something beautiful while socializing. “We have customers of all ages and all types,” Hall says. The earlier classes are full of families and younger adults, while the evening classes tend to draw a varied crowd, including people on dates, groups of women and friends looking for a unique night. “Our 9:30 p.m. classes on Friday and Saturday night are a little bit rowdier,” Hall says. “We play the music a little louder, and people are partying a little bit more.” But no matter which class you attend, you are guaranteed to leave with a piece of art worthy of your wall.
A variety of artwork on display at ARTlandish Gallery, located on Walnut Street.
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SPORTS
THE BEST SOURCE FOR MU SPORTS
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BRUNO VERNASCHI | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Missouri Tigers sophomore outfielder Anna Reed (24) focuses on her swing during practice Feb. 24 at the Daniel J. Devine Indoor Practice Facility.
Softball
Missouri softball bats starting to heat up Tigers fight through fatigue to jump-start offense. MICHAEL NATELLI Assistant Sports Editor It’s mid-March, and Missouri has played two home games in their first 22 contests. Both were the same day. “I messed up,” coach Ehren Earleywine said. “When I scheduled the season, I guess I didn’t pay much attention.” But after trips to various parts of Florida, California and the Carolinas, Earleywine has learned his lesson. “I won’t do it again,” he said.
“I’m tired.” The early travel certainly had an effect on the Tigers, who just recently have hit their offensive stride. “They got comfortable this last weekend or two,” Earleywine said. “We’re about 10 games behind everybody else. We’re starting to get to that phase where people are starting to get good timing at the plate, feeling comfortable. I think that’s made a difference.” Missouri really got rolling in last week, thanks to the resurgence of senior Kelsea Roth. “The catalyst was (the South Carolina series),” Roth said. “I finally started hitting the ball as hard as I know I can.” After scoring 13 runs in the first two games, the Tigers put
up eight runs in the final game to run-rule the Gamecocks, returning home with a sweep in hand. Roth picked up three RBIs and three runs in the series. But then Missouri returned home to take on Southeast Missouri State in a doubleheader that marked the Tigers’ first home games of the season. But locking up the first win against the Redhawks wouldn’t prove to be as easy as it seemed. The Tigers trailed for 6.5 innings in the first game, struggling to get hits with runners in scoring position. But with two outs, runners on second and third and down to her last strike, Roth laced a double to left center, driving in two runs and giving the Tigers a walk-off win. “It definitely kept me
motivated and kept me going,” Roth said. The Tigers went on to run-rule the Redhawks in the second game, scoring 10 runs and hitting two home runs. Roth helped the cause by hitting a home run to straight center field off the scoreboard. Earleywine said that the coaching staff has worked with Roth to make several adjustments to her swing, and her teammates are noticing the difference it has made. “Kelsea’s hitting the ball really hard right now,” freshman third baseman Amanda Sanchez said. “She’s more confident, she’s getting good pitches and putting good swings on the ball.” The Tigers haven’t scored less than seven runs in a game in their four games since the
doubleheader, and are riding an 11-game winning streak into Wednesday’s game at Missouri State. But while the power surge may be a surprise to some, Earleywine was surprised it didn’t come sooner. “I was surprised when we weren’t hitting (home runs) early,” he said. “I had seen it in practice; just tremendous power. I was asking myself, ‘Where did those girls go?’ We’re finally starting to see some of the things we thought they were capable of doing.” Roth says the key to keeping the Tigers rolling is being more consistent. With Missouri set to dive into the thick of their conference schedule after Wednesday’s game, they’ll look to keep the foot on the gas.
BASEBALL
Rash finds his place in Missouri pitching rotation The junior currently sits with a 3-0 record in 13.1 innings pitched and a 2.03 ERA. JASON LOWENTHAL Staff Writer Above all, Missouri pitcher Alec Rash is just happy to be a
part of the the Mizzou baseball team. To say the least, it has been a turbulent career for the Tigers’ junior starter. This season, however, Rash is looking to finally solidify his spot in the rotation as the Tigers’ mid-week starter, a role he says suits him well. “( T he coaches) are comfortable with (the rotation), and I’m comfortable with it as well,” Rash said.
He has seemingly nailed down the fourth spot on the Tigers’ staff after being dropped as the third man in the rotation due to the early success of junior Peter Fairbanks, who has compiled a 2-2 record in 29.2 innings pitched with a 1.52 ERA. While Rash has not pitched poorly by any measure, Mizzou head coach Tim Jamieson opted to flip the two in the rotation. To compare, Rash currently
sits with a 3-0 record in 13.1 innings pitched and a 2.03 ERA. Part of the reason for the switch might have been due to a sudden injury involving some discomfort in Rash’s throwing arm. “Alec’s arm was getting a little stiff,” Jamieson said after Rash’s last start, a 9-4 victory over Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. He lasted just four innings in the
game, surrendering two earned runs on six hits with two walks. Uncharacteristic of the rest of the Tigers’ pitching staff, Rash’s strikeout-to-walk ratio has been a bit too low for Jamieson’s liking. Including his start against SIUE, Rash has both walked and struck out nine batters. As a staff, Mizzou has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of
RASH | Page 23
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THE MANEATER | SPORTS | MARCH 18, 2015 wit of schmidt
Q&A with Missouri basketball’s Ryan Rosburg DS: You had a great tweet after that game.
DANIEL SCHMIDT
RR: What was it?
RR: I plan on stopping in St. Louis for a few days before heading down to Gulf Shores with some buddies. Should be a relaxing trip that gives me a chance to clear my head. DS: Speaking of buddies, who are some of your friends on the team? RR: I get along with everyone on the team, but I'm closest with Keanau Post, Namon Wright, Hayden (Barnard), Jimmy Barton, and J3. I'm good friends with Namon Wright because he has swipes, and swipes me into Dobbs all the time. That's the extent of our friendship. DS: What's been your favorite game in your three years?
DS: Anything besides hair?
RR: Occasionally I hear stuff about ex-girlfriends and things like that. But that was only at Arkansas, I guess because so many St. Louis people go there. Also at Arkansas I guess they got my phone number and Snapchat and they were sending pictures of their dumps or mirror selfies. Then, after the game at Arkansas last year, they kept calling me, and eventually Tony Criswell answered instead of me. They didn't call back after that. DS: There's a perception out there that Division I athletes have girls all over them in college. How has the fairer sex treated you since you've been on campus?
RR: A lot of people say that girls come up to you and flirt with you and stuff like that. But I think it makes it easier to be approached and break the ice. I can't tell you how many girls have come up to me and asked, “Oh my gosh, how tall are
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RR: I would say freshman year at home when we beat Florida. I don't know what they were ranked at the time but it was something crazy, and we had a sold-out crowd.
opposed to skills.
DS: Your current girlfriend is a Golden Girl, correct?
RR: (laughs) We went to the Central Missouri camps in high school and I remember when I first heard his voice I was like, “Does he actually talk like that?” “Is he trying to impersonate someone?” You didn't really know. So when he got here, I knew what to expect. It was funny, though, because some of my teammates were like, “He has a really deep voice” and we just laughed about it, and it was funny to hear different guys imitate him. After a while, you get used to it and he sounds like any normal person, but it catches you off guard at first.
RR: That is correct (Megan Brillos). DS: Some people are saying you guys are the poster couple of Mizzou. Would you agree? RR: (laughs) Um, you could say that, sure. Just because it's very stereotypical. Basketball player dating the dance captain. We've known each other for a long time, and it's cool to see her at all the games. Took us a long time to acknowledge each other at all the games, even after we started dating. But now we wave to each other during the games.
DS: Does Coach Anderson's voice weird you out?
DS: What was the coolest thing that happened to you on a recruiting trip?
M M M M MM M M M M M MMMM M M M M M M M M M M MMMM M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M MM M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M MM M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M MM M M M M M M MM M M M M M M M M M M M MM M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M MM M M M M M M M MMMM M M M M M M M M M M M MM M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M MMMMMMMMMM M M M M M M M MMMM M M M M M M M M M M MM M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M MM M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M
DS: As we know, the team struggled this year and failed to make it to postseason play. That said, do you have any plans for Spring Break?
RR: Get hair jokes, mean hair jokes all the time. People telling me I need to start Rogaine. We were at Auburn last year and these guys were talking to me all game, and I was just kind of brushing it off. Then after the game one of them came up to me and said, “Hey I know we were saying a lot of stuff to you, but you're actually a pretty cool dude.”
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Ryan Rosburg: Happy to do it, Dan.
DS: What's the funniest thing a fan has said to you on the road?
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Daniel Schmidt: Ryan, I really appreciate you taking the time to sit down with me. I know we're both busy, what with me catching up on freshman gen ed's and you having to go to Nashville for the SEC tournament.
RR: Factual, got a lot of love on that one.
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I sat down with Mizzou junior forward Ryan Rosburg for an exclusive Q&A about beaches, basketball and babes.
DS: Something about how you wanted fans to expect you guys to win those games and not storm the court.
you?” “Are you really on the basketball team?” “Can I get a picture with you?” You just have more girls come up to you because they want to ask you questions.
MCGUIRE MCMANUS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Junior pitcher Alec Rash pitches for Team Black during the Missouri Tigers' Nov. 7, 2012, preseason scrimmage at Taylor Stadium.
DS: Switching gears, what was you reaction when Coach Frank Haith left?
RR: It happened really fast. I actually got a text from my high school coach saying that he saw a rumor Haith was leaving. Couple minutes later, I got a text from one of our assistant coaches that we had a team meeting, which never really happens out of the blue like that. I never really thought that was going to happen. So my initial reaction was shock, but I completely understand what you have to do for your career and for your family. DS: What's the transition been like from Haith to Anderson?
RR: Definitely certain aspects are emphasized more than others. Just going hard all the time and being defensive-minded and toughness. It's just a different style, as opposed to Coach Haith, who was more modern and — I don't want to say offensiveminded — but he preached skills. Coach Anderson demands a lot of effort as
RASH Continued from page 21
1.63. Rash has walked the most batters of any Tiger pitcher this season. However, despite the drop in the rotation, Rash remains in high spirits. He is currently tied for the team lead in wins with three, and has allowed just one extra-base hit this season. It has been a steady first month and a half of the season for Rash after he had been virtually dropped from the rotation last season. After he spent much of his freshman season as Mizzou’s Sunday starter, Rash was used primarily as a reliever sophomore year after experiencing some elbow discomfort late in his first year. Last season, he appeared in 10 games, but started just two. Now, Rash has appeared well-equipped to handle a midweek spot in the rotation after earning the win in each of his first three starts this season. Part of his success, Rash said, is due to the calming presence of freshman Brett Bond behind the plate. “(Bond) usually comes out (to the mound) to get me to calm down and get back in the
RR: When I visited Tennessee, I went to a football game and a lot of the fans had signs with my name, which was awesome. On visits, a lot of players would see girls they knew and have them come over and say hi to me. That was pretty cool too. DS: What's your favorite part about going to Mizzou?
RR: I would definitely say having friends here, and a lot of people I know from high school and the St. Louis area. So I already had a little support system intact coming in. And then those friends have made friends, and I've made friends, and we have all become friends. DS: Alright, Ryan, thanks again for the time. I think this might turn out to be one of my best pieces. Anything else you want to add?
RR: Just that I beat you in the dunk contest senior year.
right mindset to attack the next hitter,” Rash said. Bond said his advice for Rash is simple every time he checks up on him at the mound. “I tell (Rash) that he just needs to do what he’s (going) to do and to keep pitching well,” Bond said. “I try to tell him things he already knows and things he’s good at.” Rash also credited his early-season success to a new mentality of needing to finish innings strongly, no matter the situation. “Being able to finish an inning is a mental thing,” Rash said. “As a pitcher, just being able to stay focused and realize that attacking hitters is what you need to keep doing, even if you’re almost out of the inning.” Rash’s progress has been critical for the Tigers as they have achieved their best start to a season since 2008, when the team started 17-2. Mizzou is currently 15-4 (3-0 Southeastern Conference) and sits atop the SEC East. Rash will likely get a midweek start this week against Air Force, depending on the severity of his arm discomfort.
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Wrestling 2015
JORDAN KODNER | PHOTOGRAPHER
“Superfan” Larry Wyatt cheers for the Missouri Tigers wrestling team March 7 at Hearnes Center.
The significance of home field advantage Smith: “I have parents coming up to me and they say, ‘We’re going to come back every year and make this a tradition.’” HARRISON DEGROOD Reporter Fifty years. It has been 50 years since the University of Missouri has brought a national championship, in any sport, back to Columbia. There have been nine different presidents and five different popes since, and back then, gas was 45 cents. Though Mizzou has come close in big-name sports such as football and basketball, the sport with the best chance to bring home some hardware is not the most spectated. The Missouri wrestling team has been consistently good for years, but tends to struggle with recognition. When coach Brian Smith took over the program, he remembers calling one of his top recruits’ parents to let them know he was the new coach. “Oh yeah, we’re very excited,” the mother replied. “He’s going up to Missouri. What division are you? Division II? NAIA?” “No, we’re Division I,” Smith
said. “We wrestle in the Big 12.” Years later, and now wrestling in the Mid-American Conference, Smith and the Tigers have won three straight MAC Championships, J'den Cox has won the 197-pound National Championship, and the Tigers as a team have placed in the top-10 at the NCAAs in three of the last five years. This year, the Tigers are
“I told the high school programs and youth programs that they should take their kids to a wrestling match,” he said. Smith explained that exposure to a team or sport early on will impact the future, citing his New York Mets fanhood because “my dad took me to Shea Stadium” when he was young. Smith added that going to events are spectacles for
title they covet. “Our chancellor, athletic director and strength coaches are all going,” Smith said. “I don’t think they know what they’re in for. Most people think it’s a little tournament, and then they get there and all of a sudden, there are 19,000 people.” The NCAA Championships, Smith said, are one of the only NCAA tournaments that
“I don’t think they know what they’re in for. most people think it’s a little tournament, and then they get there and all of a sudden, there are 19,000 people.” — MU wrestling coach Brian Smith
No. 1 in the country and the favorite to win the NCAA team title. They have also acquired a fan base around campus. “It’s been different,” senior Alan Waters said. “We’ve never had this sort of fan base.” Cox agreed. “It’s been cool to have people come up to you and say, ‘Hey, good job,’” he said. “I feel like we’ve been good for a pretty long time and we didn’t have this fan base, so it’s been awesome.” Smith said he believes this is the perfect opportunity to start growing a loyal fan base and expand the popularity of the sport itself.
young kids and can play a huge factor in people’s attitudes towards the program. The Iowa Hawkeyes' fanbase, which has a heavy amount of support from its fans, is something to look up to. “I have parents coming up to me and they say, ‘We’re going to come back every year and make this a tradition,’” Smith said. “That’s how you grow your fan base into an Iowa, where people live for that wrestling team.” Now, coming off a commanding M AC Championship win at home in Columbia, Mizzou will go into another familiar environment, St. Louis, to battle for the team
actually makes money for the organization. It also makes a fair amount of money for the host city. “These people come in on Wednesday, and they don’t leave until Sunday,” Smith said. “In between wrestling, they’re all going out to casinos and stuff. For the wrestling community, this is like a vacation. This is the Super Bowl for them.” Waters expressed his excitement for the NCAAs being in Missouri this year. “We might have the most fans there,” Waters said. “Usually, Iowa brings a ton. It’ll be nice to hear (the crowd) cheering instead of getting booed after
you win.” After the Tigers took home the National Duals title earlier this year in Iowa City, beating the then-No. 1 Hawkeyes in the finals, the team said it was a hostile environment. “I was like, ‘Alright, we won. Now let’s get out of here, because everyone hates us,’” Cox said jokingly. The stage is set, the brackets are out and the team has been able to prepare for the upcoming weekend. Now all that’s left to do is try and accomplish the end goal: a national championship. “It would be great for the university,” Smith said. “It needs to happen. Someone has to have that breakthrough.” Smith went on to emphasize the importance of former Missouri wrestler Ben Askren winning a national championship, which led to a change in the program’s culture. Since Askren’s two titles in 2006 and 2007, there have been two other individual champions. “Askren won a national title, and now it’s become a common thing,” Smith said. “One person has to get to the moon, and then you’ll see a lot of launches. Once somebody gets that first trophy, I really believe it’s going to blow up.”
7
Wrestling 2015
BRUNO VERNASCHI | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Missouri Tigers senior wrestler Devin Mellon celebrates after winning his dual March 8 at the Mid-American Conference Championships hosted at Hearnes Center.
Road to Nationals especially rocky for some BRUNO VERNASCHI Sports Editor You don’t want to know what angry Alan Waters is like. According to Missouri sophomore wrestler J’den Cox, his teammate turns red. It makes it even scarier that he has green eyes. Waters broke his foot before the beginning of last season after falling out of a tree and lost half a year of wrestling. He took a medical redshirt. During his time rehabilitating, Cox, who is known as the most relaxed wrestler on the team, said Waters had trouble controlling his temper, frequently getting frustrated. He said the two of them went to IHOP a few weeks back and he realized something. "We were hanging out, just chilling, and he’s really cool to hang out with,” Cox said. “I didn’t know that. I was kind of scared, to be honest with you. But I enjoyed myself.” Now back and better than ever, Waters is the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the 125-pound weight class with a 30-0 record on the season. The transition from redshirt to one of the team’s frontmen wasn’t easy, however. “It was real hard to get back into the groove of wrestling,” he said. “At first, I lost a couple of matches that I could never see myself losing and it really just crushed me. I was upset about it and getting frustrated, trying to figure out what I was doing it wrong.” But despite having trouble with both his health and his self-assurance, Waters was able
to get back on track for his final season. Heading into the biggest tournament of the year, and arguably of his career, this week, Waters is on a mission to snag his first-ever national championship. “I kind of used (the injury) to improve on some areas, and I think it’s kind of improved me in the long run,” he said. “Once we started this season, I just got my confidence back and just started building from there.” Senior Johnny Eblen has a few things in common with Waters. Not only did they go to the same high school, both faced some difficulties with injuries during their collegiate careers. Eblen has endured more pain than Waters. Suffering a spiral fracture in his fibula and tearing multiple ligaments in his ankle prior to freshman year, Eblen was redshirted. The following season, he tore his meniscus in his left knee, missing a year of eligibility. Everything was set for Eblen to truly begin his career as a Tiger in 2012, but that year, he was beaten out by then-senior Mike Larson in the 184-pound weight class. After Larson’s graduation, Eblen seemed assured a spot as a starter. Then, right before his junior year, he suffered a dislocated right shoulder. Waters emphasized Eblen’s grit. "He’s always been tough,” he said. “And him coming out this year and showing it and (getting) the four-seed at Nationals, that’s awesome.” Missouri coach Brian Smith explained that there’s no need
for Eblen to think about his previous injuries. “You can’t look at what happened in the past,” he said. “This is his opportunity, and he’s making the most of it. He’s made a lot of sacrifices for the program.” The Park Hill High School pair are far from the only wrestlers who have had a rough road to this year’s national tournament. Heavyweight senior Devin Mellon wasn’t eligible at the beginning of the year due to grades. But his troubles went beyond that. “It’s a challenge, but we knew at the end of the summer that
this is the way it’s going to be,” Smith said. “(Mellon’s) dealt with a lot of adversity. He’s had adversity in his personal life, with his mother having cancer, and it hasn’t been easy. So I know he just stays focused, and he’s enjoying his teammates. It’s his last year and he’s enjoying what’s going on, and I’ve really seen his confidence go off the charts.” Mellon took home the conference trophy in his weight class earlier this month, beating Nor thern Iowa’s Blaize Cabell — a grappler who had beaten him twice earlier this year —
snapping his 15-match win streak. The newfound success was no coincidence. “I came here, I had a mission,” Mellon said after his match. “It’s my senior year and I had a sense of urgency. I was just really mentally focused.” Confidence seems to be a recurring theme for these elite Missouri wrestlers, despite any hardships. “I’m confident enough that I know what’s going to happen,” Eblen said. “I believe that I’m at least going to be an All-American this year, and I feel like I could be a national champ.”
BRUNO VERNASCHI | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Missouri Tigers senior wrestler Alan Waters takes on Eastern Michigan’s Blake Caudill in his first match of the Mid-American Conference Championships on March 7 at the Hearnes Center.
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