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THE MANEATER

Making a Home pg. 8

MOVE has some tips on making your room feel more like home

pg. 10

Breaking down how far along the UM System is on a review of its diversity policies

pg. 13

J’den Cox brings home the bronze from the Olympic Games in Rio

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THE MANEATER | ETC. | AUG. 24, 2016

Table of Contents

a freak in the streets

THE AMERICAN COLLEGE DREAM

MOVE INVESTIGATES

A Way Forward

The new construction zone you’ll now have to avoid (pg. 3)

What it’s like to move to Mizzou from India (pg. 8)

What’s in the tower of Memorial? Good luck finding out without reading this (pg. 10)

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Women’s soccer forward Jessica Johnson is on the rise (pg. 3)

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Editor-in-Chief Jared Kaufman

Sports Editors Peter Baugh, Alec Lewis

Opinion Editor Kasey Carlson

Deputy Copy Chief Theo DeRosa

Photo Editor Jessi Dodge

Social Media Manager Jake Chiarelli

Projects Editor Tessa Weinberg

Newsletter Manager Regina Anderson

Copy Editors Nat Kaemmerer, Bailey Sampson, Jeremiah Wooten

Graphics Manager Cameron Thomas

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Assistant Online Development Editor Michael Smith Jr. Adviser Becky Diehl Cover photo Jennifer Levin

NEWS

MU, city and state news for students

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Partial lane and street closures on Fifth, Sixth and Elm streets were approved by City Council at its Aug. 15 meeting in preparation for construction of a housing complex on the former site of Bengals and Casablanca. (Jennifer Levin | Staff Photographer)

Street closures make way for new housing The city will not charge the developer, Catalyst Design Works, to close portions of Elm, Fifth and Sixth streets for a year.

MADELINE BOCCARDI Reporter Portions of several streets in downtown Columbia will close for a year as Catalyst Design Works constructs an apartment building at the former site of Casablanca Mediterranean Grill and Bengals Bar and Grill.

Catalyst’s request for the complete closure of Elm Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets, partial closure of Fifth Street and lane restrictions for Sixth Street, as well as other partial closures

of surrounding sidewalks and alleyways, was unanimously approved by City Council on Aug. 15.

“I believe the City Council passed this request because we had previously purchased the land about 18 months ago and have been working extremely closely with city staff making sure everything is done the right way,” Catalyst spokesman Jack Cardetti said.

The council currently has no policy in place to force developers to pay fees for road or sidewalk closure, but the council has discussed implementing one.

“I am frustrated because the council sent a very clear message that they wanted a street policy nine weeks ago, and instead of a policy, we get another street closure,” Mayor Brian Treece said at the Aug. 15 meeting.

While Catalyst will not be charged to close streets around their development, the council plans to draft an ordinance in the near future. “We could definitely draft up some options and have an ordinance ready to go by next meeting,” Second Ward Councilman Michael Trapp said at the meeting.

Cardetti said Catalyst would

like the council to be consistent.

“As a local developer, we just want the City Council to be fair,” Cardetti said. “We just didn’t see that to be fair to us to have them change their policies and expect us to pay whatever the fee may be. However, in the future if they do make a policy and set some ground rules, we will be more than willing to follow them and adapt to that policy in future projects.”

In May, the council approved an administrative delay on multifamily housing within a one-mile radius of an “area bounded on the north by Elm

Street, the west by Providence Road, the south by Stadium Drive and the east by Hitt Street,” according to previous Maneater reporting. Catalyst’s development plans were already in the permit process at the time of the freeze, so they were not delayed.

Catalyst closed the streets to make way for its new development Aug. 16, and they are set to reopen by Aug. 15, 2017.

Edited by Kyra Haas khaas@themaneater.com

MSA executive cabinet plans monthly open forums Sean Earl and Tori Schafer hope the forums, called Roar At Us, will provide students a space to discuss controversial issues.

FIONA MURPHY Reporter Missouri Students Association President Sean Earl and Vice President Tori Schafer hope to facilitate constructive discussion of controversial issues in the coming year at new monthly open forums.

The forums, called Roar At Us, will become a platform for more diverse experience and conversation. Earl and Schafer will not moderate the forums.

Students will now be able to openly participate in Roar At Us, creating conversation about

diversity and inclusivity.

“Students will have the opportunity to not only voice their opinions, but be able to see action from their feedback,” Earl said in an email.

Each month, Roar At Us will host themed discussions. These themes will be chosen from the top concerns of the student body.

The first month of Roar At Us will feature administrators from the MU Police Department and MU Alert who will be directly interacting with the students on their expectations and concerns for this school year.

The inspiration for the forums came in part from Earl and Schafer’s experience with

the Student Leader Education Seminar in Israel.

Students from around the U.S. traveled to Israel for the seminar with the organization Project InSiGht, which hosts student senators from universities around the U.S. to gain perspective on the current situation of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The program is designed “to develop ideas about controversial issues within Israeli society,” according to Project InSiGht’s website.

Former MSA President Payton Head attended the seminar last year while he was president.

“Seeing the conf licts firsthand was a completely

different experience,” Schafer said. “Being in MSA we are always given two sides to an issue, but we learned there are always so many other things that go into it, and I think that’s something Sean and I took away from it.”

From Aug. 7 to Aug. 14, over 40 student government leaders immersed themselves in Israeli culture, history, politics, and government. Throughout the week, the students met with representatives from both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority.

“What we saw with the Israeli conflict is, when seeing Israelis and the people who went through

it every day talking about it, it’s much more impactful. You learn about the truth behind their perspectives,” Schafer said.

The experience these students gained from their trip will directly affect the plans Earl, Schafer and MSA have for the student body this school year.

“It was great to go on this trip to learn first-hand what the conflict is about and how we can do our part here in the states and on our campus,” Earl said.

MSA’s executive cabinet will

FORUM | Page 5

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THE MANEATER | NEWS | AUG. 24, 2016

Grad program improves rural health care Health psychology professor Laura Schopp: “We can treat the whole person. We don’t have care fractured off into silos.”

JACKSON KINKEAD Reporter Many rural counties with populations less than 10,000 often only have one or two health facilities and may not include mental health care, according a medical facilities map published by the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services.

But with a federal grant, a new graduate psychology program aims to change that.

MU professors of health psychology Brick Johnstone and Laura Schopp launched a new program in July that pairs graduate-level psychologists with rural clinicians to establish more comprehensive health care.

The goal of the program is to train general clinicians who typically do not specialize in behavioral health services.

The program received a $700,000 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration and supports five students’ internships for three years.

“Our department provided services to almost 1,500 people, and over threequarters of them were from medically underserved areas,” Schopp said of last year. “So that tells us that there’s a need for comprehensive health care services among the patients we serve and that these services are very rarely available in rural areas.”

The program focuses on partnering with state agencies such as the Missouri Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital and Missouri Department of Mental Health.

Schopp said that psychological or behavioral issues often interfere with general health care.

“If [a rural clinician] has a patient that has diabetes and the patient is depressed, we are treating the depression so that they can take care of their diabetes,” Schopp said.

Some of the factors that commonly inhibit the care for physical issues in rural areas are anxiety, depression, chronic pain and adjusting to new disability.

The Missouri Department of Mental Health has also prioritized Community Mental Health Centers, which enable patients with severe mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia to receive their full health care in the same place.

Rural agricultural land located outside of Hallsville, Missouri. Hallsville is a small city located north of Columbia with a total population of about 1,500 people. (George Roberson | Staff Photographer) “We can treat the whole person,” Schopp said. “We don’t have care fractured off into silos.”

This type of integration also saves money on Medicaid significantly. According to a Missouri Coalition for Community Behavioral Healthcare study from 2012, integrated care could save over $30 million.

As a result, HRSA has been especially interested in programs that combine mental and physical health care.

Clinical psychology student Isaac Hunt became one of the interns to participate in the program after transferring from Brigham Young University in order to finish his doctorate.

Hunt said his work so far has primarily been with patients who have head injuries, strokes, Alzheimer’s and other issues with the brain. He chose this program because it also gave him the opportunity to sit in on autopsies and brain cuttings.

He said that the program “has a pretty good focus on rehab psychology and working with individuals in an inpatient setting.”

The interns will rotate among partnered locations.

“Right now I am doing an adult neuropsychology rotation,” Hunt said.

“Later on I will do a geropsychology rotation; that’s working with the elderly.

At the VA, I’m going over there for didactic training where they will bring a speaker to present different topics once a week.”

The program currently does not have an official name yet and is being called the HRSA Rural Psychology Program. The program is receiving additional assistance from MU faculty members Eric Hart, Renee Stucky and Nikole Cronk.

“The program has been really good for me,” Hunt said. “It has been a good training experience so far, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.”

Edited by Claire Mitzel cmitzel@themaneater.com

RHA and ResLife aim to simplify laundry with flat fee The fee is $50 per semester, and some of the revenue goes toward new and updated machines.

ZIA KELLY Reporter Students who live in residence halls will no longer need to save quarters or swipe their cards to wash their clothes.

Beginning this year, students who live in residence halls are charged a flat fee that will allow unlimited use of the washers and dryers in the halls. Instead of paying $1.25 for each washer and dryer load, students are charged $50 per semester and do not pay each time they use their student IDs to activate machines.

Last semester, the Residence Halls Association advocated for the switch, with input from students in halls. Victoria Lee, last year’s chairwoman of RHA’s Residential Living committee, said the committee was advocating on behalf of students who

were frustrated with the per-load charging system that was previously in place.

“A lot of residents were getting very irritated about having to collect quarters to do laundry or have to use the student charge to do any laundry, and we really felt strongly that laundry is a part of living somewhere,” she said. “I am not sure I would rent out an apartment if laundry services cost additional money.”

Students in residence halls were notified of the change in an email from the Department of Residential Life on Aug. 5.

According to the email, students who do at least five loads of laundry a month will save money with the new system.

Freshman Monica Dunn, of the MOVE Magazine staff, said she likes the new flatrate system because it will save her money throughout the year.

“I feel like for us residents, it’s cheaper in the long run, and then it’s OK to do two loads with your lights and darks,” she said. “You don’t have to worry about cost because it’s unlimited.”

The new system may give some students an incentive to do their laundry more frequently.

“I like it a lot. It means I can do my laundry a lot more than if I just had ‘a buck-25’ for everything,” freshman Mac Whaley said.

Former Mark Twain Hall President Caiden Webb, who has been living in the residence halls since last year, said the new system is saving him a significant amount of money on laundry.

“I think it is much more economical because I did upwards of $30 of laundry per week,” he said.

The decision to charge $50 came from several different groups, including RHA, ResLife and university administration. Lee said the committee looked at the prices at other area colleges and the number of loads a student would need to do per month for a flat fee to benefit them.

The amount takes into account not only an estimate of how many loads each student will do a semester, but also for some updates to older and broken washer and dryer units as well as adding new ones within more populated buildings. “[The new and updated machines] should be a lot better better than the ones we had last year,” Lee said.

The new system also includes a feature called Wash Alert, which can notify

FEE | Page 5

5 Incoming freshman class size consistent with projected decline

THE MANEATER | NEWS | AUG. 24, 2016

This fall, however, the retention rate is the third-highest in university history.

OLIVIA GARRETT Reporter The decline in freshman enrollment for this school year is consistent with the drop projected in May, according to a university news release Monday.

MU spokesman Christian Basi said in an interview that the university has been expecting a decline for many years. The total undergraduate enrollment for this year, according to Monday’s reports, includes 25,627 students, 4,799 of which are incoming freshman, Basi said in the news

FORUM

release. This matches projections from the May memo, which confirmed a freshman class of fewer than 5,000 students.

MU’s retention rate is also the third-highest since the founding of the university in 1839.

The retention rate, which measures how many students of a freshman class return for a second year, is 85.4 percent. The highest retention rate, 87.1 percent, occurred in 2015, and the secondhighest, 86 percent, was in 2014.

“That trend, of having the three highest retention rates in the history of the university over the last three years, is very encouraging, telling

us we’re doing the right things,” Basi said. “And it’s telling us that students are returning to Mizzou because they believe that Mizzou is a quality academic institution and it can provide them with the skills, the tools and the resources that they need to be successful in their chosen career field.”

The average ACT score of this incoming freshman class was 26.0, a score that ties with last year’s average score as the highest average ACT score in the university’s history.

“We’re very, very pleased with how the quality of the freshman class continues to increase and has

done so over the past several years,” Basi said. “And it’s very interesting to note because our admissions requirements have not changed.”

Additionally, 134 freshmen were valedictorians of their high school classes. Of the freshman class, “29 percent ranks in the top 10 percent of their graduating high school classes and more than 50 percent rank in the top 20 percent of their graduating classes,” Basi said in the news release.

Along with high retention rates and ACT scores, the news release also mentions the Mizzou Pride Pledge, a new initiative “that was developed by a committee of

faculty, staff and students” who were “charged with better aligning our culture with our core values,” Basi said.

The pledge, which every member of the MU community is being asked to sign, defines the university’s core values of Respect, Responsibility, Discovery and Excellence.

“These statements are mere words until we integrate them as values in our individual lives and reflect them in our institutional policies and practices,” according to the MU website.

Edited by Emily Gallion egallion@themaneater.com

produce a monthly newsletter to follow up on the actions to be taken as a result of the forums.

“You will see a lot more accomplishments than goals from MSA this year,” Earl said.

The first Roar At Us will take place at 4 p.m. Sept. 1 in Leadership Auditorium.

Edited by Emily Gallion egallion@themaneater.com

laundry in his hall because of the new system, but would have done it at home if he could have opted out of the fee.

“It doesn’t really bother me, but it bothers my parents because since we live here we can do our laundry at home and we won’t have to pay the money, even though we still have to pay the $50 when it really isn’t needed,” he said.

Lee said despite attempts by the Residential Living committee to allow students to opt out of the flat fee, they were unable to put it in the contract between ResLife and the company that provides the laundry

service.

A potential problem with the flat fee could be students swiping to allow their nonresident friends to use the laundry.

Lee said that the Residential Living committee considered this issue while deliberating the change, but decided after talking to other universities with flat rates that the act of bringing laundry from off campus to the halls, especially because a resident needs to swipe a card to enter the building, is inconvenient enough to deter nonresidents from doing laundry in halls.

“It is just as much of an inconvenience for people to bring their laundry to a residence hall as it is for you to bring your laundry home to do it,” Lee said. “It’s just kind of a hastle.”

MU spokesman Christian Basi said the new system will be examined regularly to evaluate costs.

“We’re excited about the new system and hope our students will use the system wisely,” Basi said in an email. “We will review the costs on a regular basis and determine if we need to make any changes based on use.”

After the Residential Life

committee dedicated time to the issue last year, Lee hopes to see residents more content with doing laundry in the halls.

“As a committee, it is something that we pushed for the entire year and it was quite the accomplishment, I think, to actually get this changed,” Lee said. “We are hoping that it goes well this school year and all of the school years to come and that people are happy with their laundry services because last year I know people were not happy with their laundry services.”

Edited by Emily Gallion egallion@themaneater.com

Continued from page 3

FEE

Continued from page 3 students the status of their washer and dryer loads via email or text.

While many students in residence halls do their laundry in the halls, students whose family or friends live nearby may not. Since each student has the fee automatically added to their room and board, they have to pay the $50 whether or not they will use it.

Freshman Devesh Kumar is from Columbia and said he will be doing

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7

Five steps to transform your dorm You’ll make it the new home you never want to leave.

VICTORIA CHEYNE Reporter There’s no place like home.

Dorothy really hit the nail on the head with that one. For most of us, moving away from home and into a new space is a jarring and unnerving experience. But there are several steps you can take to transform your dorm or apartment into a bona fide home away from home.

Start by filling your new space. You know, with all the bedding, throw pillows and decorations you and your mom bought at Target. Unpack your clothes and find a place for everything. While doing this, try to maximize the space. You have a lot to fit in one small room, so use shelves, drawers and other storage to stow your

belongings in a way that keeps clutter at a minimum. This will make your room feel larger and more comfortable (Helpful tip: Don’t forget about the space under your bed; suitcases, bags and other large items will fit well and stay out of the way).

Next, put up pictures, mementos and memorabilia that remind you of the people and places you love and miss.

You want this space to be cozy and welcoming, so include the little things that make you smile. Depending on the halls you’re in, Command Strips or push pins could be offlimits. Hang small items with blue painter’s tape, and use a bulletin board to showcase cards, notes and pictures. Make your new abode personal and special, and soon it will start to

Inside MOVE this week

feel like your own.

Making a space into a home doesn’t stop at your door; get acquainted with your residence hall. The entire place is for you, so make the most of it.

Go exploring and find the kitchen, lounges and special nooks where you would like to spend time. Move beyond the boundaries of your small room, and make the entire hall your new home.

It has been said that home is not where you are; it’s who you’re with. Put these words to the test and meet your neighbors and fellow Tigers.

Friendly faces are essential to any home, and your floor will be one big happy family in no time. This may require you to step out of your comfort zone, but you won’t regret taking that

risk once you’ve done it. Who knows; maybe you’ll make a lifelong friend along the way.

As you transform a new space into home, try not to replicate where you’re from. Bring pieces of that initial home with you, but let the new communities you’re now a part of (residence hall or apartment complex, Mizzou and Columbia) shape your new home. You’re here to grow in myriad facets, so let the space grow with you and reflect your personal evolution.

There may be no place like home, but there’s also no place like Mizzou. Through these simple steps, you may find that the home you’ll never want to leave is right here in front of you.

Edited by Katie Rosso krosso@themaneater.com

pg. 8 Millennial Manners: How to survive your year with a roommate pg. 10 MOVE investigates: What is in the tower of Memorial Union

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THE MANEATER | MOVE | AUG. 24, 2016

MILLENNIAL MANNERS

How to survive your year with a roommate Here are some practical tips to make your life together as painless (and fun) as possible.

BEN JARZOMBEK

As the fall semester starts, new and returning students make their way to Columbia to make the city home for the new academic year. The living arrangements for these students are as diverse as the student body on campus itself. While some students may live alone in single rooms or single apartments, the vast majority of us will be living with people.

Whether it’s in a residence hall, apartment or house, living with roommates who aren’t family will be a new experience for many. Contrary to living with your family, your new roommates and neighbors aren’t expected to like you, and they have no obligation to do so. For that reason,

there are a few things you should know about living with other people.

Make an effort Assuming you actually know the people you’re sharing an apartment with, this applies more for anyone living in a residence hall, but it holds true for anyone. Life in a residence hall or apartment complex is a new and exciting thing for most people, and the best thing you can do to enhance your time there is to make an effort to do more than simply sleep there. Take time to get to know the people on your floor, go to floor events and spend time in the hall’s public spaces. It may feel a bit odd at first, but in the long run, it may just make your time there much better.

Hit the ground (rules) running Though many of us would like to

think that a parent-less living situation is an invitation to live without any rules, it doesn’t quite make for an ideal time. When living with other people, setting rules and guidelines — even very informal ones — works to minimize conflict and keep the space as comfortable as possible.

Take an extra step Sometimes a little goes a long way in terms of favors. Doing the simplest things on occasion — texting them to see if they want takeout too, clearing the dishes from the sink, cleaning the bathroom — can make your roommates and neighbors enjoy living with you.

The more you freely do for the good of your home, the more they'll want to do the same. Or, at the very least, pick up the tab on dinner next time.

Conflict resolution Life with roommates is hardly ever perfect, but that doesn't mean every conflict has to turn into a huge ordeal.

When problems arise, it's important to understand that communication is key in fixing issues. Sit down with your roommate (and possibly a mediator) and calmly explain what the problem is. Make sure both sides of the issue are heard, and work together to find a compromise that is acceptable for both of you. Your solution should ideally be long-term to prevent the same issue from arising again.

Living with roommates can be a great experience if you do it right. By setting expectations early and making an effort to really be present in your living situation, you can make your day-to-day life fun and enjoyable for everyone in your space.

FINDING HOME

Adjusting in America: Starting college in a new country “How does one cope with the challenge of self-discovery as well as that of adjusting to a new place?”

RASHI SHRIVASTAVA

The airport smelled like stale air conditioning, and I squinted at the bright lights that shone off the polished floors. I was here, in the United States of America at the Columbia Regional Airport, pulling my suitcase and heading toward a new journey — Mizzou. Getting to this point was no cakewalk, of course; it was a journey in itself. It seems like yesterday I was crossing off items on my checklist, preparing for the SATs, filling out applications, maintaining school grades, learning how to cook and managing all my finances.

Time flew by, I received an acceptance letter from the University of Missouri, and my biggest dream — to study journalism in America — became a reality.

I have been here, at MU and in Columbia, for four months now. It has been quite a roller coaster experience for me. Not only was I thrust into a new phase of young adulthood, but also into a scary and unfamiliar environment. In a tornado of emotions, I have felt happy, sad, overwhelmed, excited, ashamed and proud at the same time.

It would be a huge understatement to say that America is different from where I come from, India. Starting from the most basic difference of vocabulary (calling a dustbin a trash can) to the most impenetrable differences of the American lifestyle, I have learnt that the diversity of thought, attitudes and people here is magnanimous. I have observed and experienced the fastpaced, organized and systematic way of life.

I have found America to be a land of abundance. The abundance of choices, information and opportunities can be

overwhelming, but at the same time enlightening and enthralling. During my first tour of the university, I wanted to participate in every activity, be a part of every student organization and attend every event possible. By day two of Summer Welcome, I was so exhausted that I could barely stand up. I had to decide that I would go one step at a time in this new place.

America’s ability to host opposing and diverging concepts in one place was also new to me. It was like Columbia’s weather — there has been rain, thunderstorms and scorching heat all in the same timeframe. The extremity is not as simple as that.

There are extremes in personality as well. I have interacted with genuinely kind and caring people at Mizzou, people who willingly wanted to help me adjust. There were people whose diligence and willpower was inspiring; these were people who worked over 40 hours a week, giving a hundred percent each day. Some people were superficial or rude, but it showed an array of personalities that this university offers.

Now the question is: What is the right way to handle these diversities? How does one cope with the challenge of selfdiscovery as well as that of adjusting to a new place? I have learnt that there will be hurdles no matter what, you meet

difficult people and have unpleasant experiences, but there will always be that one person who makes you smile, or a stranger who goes out of the way to help you. Benevolence is a whisper and evil is a scream; heed to the whisper.

The first step is acceptance. I chose this life; you chose this life. The mind is like a 5-year-old; it whines, exaggerates, preaches self-doubt and always gets distracted. The mind must be nurtured and kept in control. And sometimes you must cope with the situation you’re in and think of it like pottery: The clay molds itself in a hundred ways to become a divine piece of art.

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THE MANEATER | MOVE | AUG. 24, 2016

Local bands come home for Fall Welcome Never Shout Never and Tidal Volume performed to welcome MU students.

HANNAH SIMON Reporter

Students watch the opening act of the Fall Welcome concert, Tidal Volume. (courtesy of Mikala Compton | Mizzou News)

explosive sound with the chorus, which Zach harmonized with Jansson. The song choice was an appropriate ending to the set as Zach said, “we don’t want to go!” prior to their closing number.

Tidal Volume will be further debuting “MODERN ANXIETY” on Aug. 26 at Rose Music Hall.

As the lights dimmed and Billboard’s top 50 blared, the headlining band, Never Shout Never, set up. While the band is made up of lead singer and guitarist Christofer Drew, bass guitarist Taylor MacFee, and guitarist Hayden Kaiser, only Drew and Kaiser were in attendance. Drew changed between playing a ukulele and a guitar, and Kaiser carried a steady beat on drums.

Drew addressed the lack of members on stage, adding that tonight “is gonna be a chill set.”

A chill set it was, as Drew admitted there was no set list and that he and Kaiser were “making this up as we go.”

A beanie seemed to be the uniform of the band members, with Drew wearing a tie-dye t-shirt and Kaiser wearing black and white stripes. The duo played in front of the backdrop of their 2015 album, “Black Cat.” Though seemingly unprepared for the evening, Drew and Kaiser played each song to perfection. The only reminder of their lack of planning was Drew asking the crowd which songs they wanted to hear. This excited old fans who were just

waiting to hear their favorite songs, and Drew joked that he was not sure if he remembered how to play a requested song.

Drew’s sweet voice and the addition of his ukulele in some songs made for a relaxing, yet spirited night on the quad. Drew also involved fans by calling up a student, who also happened to be wearing a beanie, to work the shaker during a fan-favorite song called “chetercheaterbestfriendeater” from their 2010 EP, “EP 01.”

To conclude the night, Drew addressed the crowd, “You’re young, don’t waste the best four years of your life.”

Edited by Katie Rosso krosso@themaneater.com

M M M M M M MM M M M M M M M MM 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 MM M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M MM 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 MM 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 MM 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 M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M 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 MM M M M M M M M M MM M M M M M M M M M M M M M

Students gathered on Carnahan Quad on Saturday night to listen to the homecoming of two local Missouri bands: main act Never Shout Never and Tidal Volume. Tidal Volume opened up for Never Shout Never, energizing the crowd with moving, flashing lights and an explosive sound.

Tidal Volume is composed of Zach Sullentrup as lead singer and main songwriter, Matt Sullentrup on drums, Andrew Scherping on bass, William Minard on keyboard and Chris Jansson on guitar. The band debuted their new EP "MODERN ANXIETY,” which was released on Aug. 5 under the production of Sawhorse Studios in St. Louis.

“We got the chance to work [with] David McEntire, who’s worked on a lot of St. Louis bands we really respect, like Ludo, and Story of the Year, Big Fire, and he’s also done some stuff with X Ambassadors and a couple of other big names,” Zach said. “We wanted to work with someone locally and we also wanted to make something that was really, really massive in the way it sounds like the music that we love to listen to so we were really happy to make that vision come true.”

Mizzou is or has been a home for four out of the five of the band members of Tidal Volume. Zach graduated in May. “We’re excited to play for a lot of our peers,” Zach said before the show. “We’re gonna have a lot of friends in the crowd, we’re gonna have a lot of people that we’ve probably seen walking to class, and a lot of impressionable new students as well … It’s cool to think that we’ll be a part of one of these first experiences that a lot of students will have at Mizzou in terms of experiencing live music and what Columbia has to offer in terms of music.”

The band closed their set with “Don’t Go,” a more subdued song than their previous played hit “Never Let Me Go,” featuring vocalist and junior Lauren Kohl. Though more mellow, Tidal Volume continued to give “Don’t Go” an

Ballin’ on a Budget: How food in college can become a social experience Food columnist Alycia Washington reminisces about her freshman culinary memories.

ALYCIA WASHINGTON

Let’s be honest: Dining hall food here at MU doesn’t exactly scream “home-cooked meal.”

For me, it screeched “Freshman 15” almost every time I swiped my card during my first year.

Although the dining halls don’t promote the healthiest lifestyle, they do create a sense of home for students.

When I lived at home, I didn’t necessarily cherish the meals I shared with my family.

Naturally, because I wasn't very open to the social aspect of

food at home, I didn’t come to the realization that it existed until I started my freshman year of college. This is due to the fact that a social experience is created when you eat in college because a majority of your meals are shared with friends.

Even just sitting with my friends from home reminiscing about school and the “struggle meals” we ate showcases the social aspect of food.

When I sat and thought about my freshman year, I noticed a common trend during my reflection: food. As I scrolled through my Instagram profile, I came across countless photos

filled with memories of good times with friends. Colorful veggie tacos from Cafe Berlin and savory ahi tuna burgers from Room 38 can be seen on my timeline, both associated with a distinct memory.

Flashbacks of late night Baja runs and movie nights filled with Insomnia and laughter also flashed through my mind.

I came to the conclusion that food is a social experience.

Freshman year is not only filled with trials and tribulations, but it’s also a time when you have the opportunity to find yourself. My freshman year helped me come to the

realization that I wanted to expand on my love for food in a way that would also let me tap into my passion for journalism and social media.

Even though my bank account taking a major toll during my trials and tribulations, my heart was extremely happy. I loved walking downtown aimlessly with my friends, while snapping pics of our meals and posting them on my social media.

My advice to freshmen is to not be afraid to experience what Columbia has to offer.

Although the university is the heart and soul of the town, there are plenty of other places

of interest.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t eat at the dining halls, because let’s be honest: We all are broke and can’t afford to eat out very often.

But I do challenge you to go out and explore downtown Columbia with a group of friends. Stop by Lakota Coffee and get an iced pumpkin chai, or go by Room 38 and share an appetizer. Food is only a social experience if you make it one, so I encourage everyone to try their best to make it so.

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THE MANEATER | MOVE | AUG. 24, 2016

MOVE Investigates: What is in the tower of Memorial Union?

BROOKE COLLIER Reporter Question: What's inside the top of the Memorial Union castle?

Answer: Memorial Union is a well-known landmark at MU. Its grand tower can be seen from almost anywhere on campus.

Which leads us to the question, “can students go to the top of the tower?” Unfortunately, no, not just anyone can go to the top, because it does not comply with the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The act enforces certain design requirements for all public buildings. All three accessible floors of Memorial Student Union follow these criteria, but the tower does not. There is an old, black, iron spiraling staircase that leads to the top of the tower where there is uneven flooring — a big tripping hazard.

Michelle Froese, a senior

staff member at Memorial Union, said that in the 1980s a tornado came through campus and caused one of the hands to fall off of the clock. Whenever the tower of Memorial Union needs any maintenance done, like setting the clock, maintenance staff go to the top to fix it.

The idea for constructing Memorial Union came from students and alumni to honor the fallen students of Mizzou during World War I. Building began in 1921. The first structure built was the tower, completed in 1926.

Construction was paused because of the strain of the Great Depression and the breakout of World War II. After the war ended, construction began again on Memorial Union, adding a north wing onto the tower for student activities and classrooms. This was completed in 1952. A decade later, the south wing would be finished, completing

Tuesday night traffic in front of Memorial Union on Aug. 23. (Jessi Dodge | Photo Editor)

the Memorial Student Union we all know and love today… from the first three floors.

Have a question or a problem? MOVE has your back. Tell us about it at bit.ly/

MOVEinvestigates.

Edited by Katie Rosso krosso@themaneater.com

THE DIRECTION OF DIVERSITY The UM System is currently undergoing an independent audit for its diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

Here’s the timeline for what will happen and when.

june-july

OCT.-NOV. Conduct interviews with administrators, department heads and alumni (20/campus and 20/system level). Conduct randomly selected staff focus groups (8/campus and 4/system level).

AUG.-SEPT.

Source: UM System

Prepare final report of findings and recommendations.

WE ARE

HERE

Conduct surveys of department chairs and deans at each school/college at all four campuses.

Conduct 8 student and faculty focus groups, respectively, at every campus.

Present findings and recommendations to Diversity Task Force, UM System chief diversity officer, UM System president and Board of Curators.

NOV.-DEC.

TORI AERNI // GRAPHIC DESIGNER

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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

THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED BY THE MANEATER COLUMNISTS DO NOT REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OF THE MANEATER EDITORIAL BOARD

THE TENACIOUS TYPIST

Don’t dress up weapons

Self-defense devices made girly are counterintuitive.

JESSIE STALEY There are some dangerous people out there. Violence is so prevalent in society that most universities require students to attend seminars regarding harassment, neighborhoods offer multiple self-defense classes for community members, and cities form organizations for the battered and abused. Self-defense weapons are at our fingertips. Guns, knives, expandable batons, pepper spray and Tasers are there, ready for purchase when we need security. But when it comes time to pick a weapon of choice, some devices are geared more towardcertain genders.

On a trip to Bass Pro Shops, I went to look for a small canister of pepper spray. After finding the rack of selfprotection devices, I noticed a trend.

There were only three color options for pepper spray: pink, black or a pink flower pattern. And despite the seemingly unassuming black options, the packaging only showed women or women’s hands on them. Even if there was nothing but a brand and description on the neutral front, then the directions on the back included images of a male face getting sprayed.

It struck me that the pepper sprays, stun guns and screeching aerosol canisters were all meant for me, a woman. The sexual bias hit me like a truck. Not only was it putting women into a self-protection stereotype, but it also reduced the consumer base to only women. How do men feel? They are limited to only weapons that are deemed “masculine” by society. It is absurd. Come on. Mace is handheld tear gas. What could be more aggressive? Society has restricted both men and women into what they can purchase to protect themselves with.

As I searched the internet, the smaller Tasers show up in pink and “blinged-out” options, while the larger Taser guns come in black or silver.

This brings another point to face.

Why are weapons colorful? Tasers and pepper spray are not toys. They are self-defense weapons. They are meant to cause severe harm to an attacker.

The threat of these devices should not be underplayed by cute colors and sparkles. It is simply counterintuitive.

Defensive weapons are not feminine or wimpy. They are personal weapons and should be seen and treated as such. For any prospective purchasers of weapons, do not feel restricted by these sexist assumptions. Buy what you want in order to feel safe. End the stereotypes of pepper spray and other self-defense devices. Come together and defend your right to defend yourself.

SHE WENTE THERE

Media treats female athletes unfairly HANNAH WENTE At the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, women have broken records, given legendary performances and brought home medals to the U.S., but it seems as if the focus is on their marital status, makeup and bodies instead.

The media coverage of the Olympics has been generating outrage because of the way it treats the female athletes competing in the Games. Some male commentators for Fox News complained about the lack of makeup on female athletes, saying: “I think when you see an athlete, why should I have to look at some chick’s zits? Why not a little blush on her lips and cover those zits?” These women are competitors, not eye candy for viewers.

As Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu finished first, NBC chose to focus on her husband and coach instead of her win. Her success was directly attributed to him, instead of her hard work, with the sportscaster calling him “the man responsible” for her gold medal.

The Chicago Tribune tweeted out an article entitled, “Wife of a Bears' lineman wins a bronze medal today in Rio Olympics,” focusing less on the athlete, trap-shooter Corey Cogdell-

Unrein, and more on her husband.

It’s hard to imagine a male athlete being introduced as a husband first instead of an Olympian. Some of the media seems to be influenced by the old-fashioned belief that women are wives first and that their husbands must be the root of their success.

News outlets also feel compelled to comment on women’s appearances, with Maxim publishing “The Top 10 Hottest Female Olympians of 2016” complete with the subhead “Even if the games themselves prove to be lackluster, we'll still have something to keep our eyes on.”

Apparently, record-breaking victories in swimming, gymnastics and other events aren’t enough to keep viewers interested. Instead, the looks of these “absolute smokeshows” can give us something to stare at.

Male athletes also catch attention for their attractiveness, but the coverage seems a little more tongue-in-cheek. Cosmopolitan published “27 Olympic Athletes Who Are Bringing ~Sexy Back~” featuring shirtless swimmers, boxers and the like. But articles like this never – overshadow their accomplishments. Michael Phelps will always be a swimmer first before a hot body.

Instead of being judged on looks or marital status, sometimes women’s victories are forgotten completely.

A British reporter called tennis player Andy Murray the “first person ever to win two Olympic tennis gold medals,” forgetting Venus and Serena Williams’ accomplishments until Murray set him straight, pointing out they “have won four each.”

The media also infantilizes women instead of treating them with respect as Olympic athletes. As the USA women’s gymnastics team stood laughing and chatting after the qualifying round, a commentator said they looked like they “might as well be standing in the middle of a mall.”

These aren’t normal high school students hanging out on a Saturday; they’re dedicated athletes who have spent countless hours preparing for the Olympics. A comment like that would have never been made about the men’s gymnastics team, regardless of their age.

The sexism may not always be overt, but the coverage is bringing to light the misogyny surrounding media coverage of the Olympics.

There may not be people spewing hate toward the female athletes, but it shows the toxic attitudes that are still present today.

THE FIFTH LAP

As a new year starts, students hold the power KURTIS DUNLAP During these past few summer months, we had the opportunity to digest the campus unrest that occurred last year. We saw the local and national media buzz slowly disappear. But after being away for a couple of months, it could be tempting to ignore what transpired last year, to fall back into a pattern of ignorance and neglect of how students are treated on campus.

Yes, it is true that over the past year we have lost three curators, three deans, our system president, the chancellor and two athletic directors, plus our head football, baseball and tennis coaches. But that only proves all the power is in our hands as students. While national perception of MU may be that we are a campus in turmoil, I think that gives

us, the student body, an opportunity to come together and begin a new era here at MU. If we want to show the country that we are a school that is thriving and moving forward and not one that is self-imploding, it all starts with how we treat each other. It won’t matter who they hire as UM System president or MU chancellor if the student body doesn’t come together and stand as a united front.

This is on all of us, from the peach-fuzzfaced freshmen to the gray-haired seniors.

We all have a responsibility to this school to leave it better than how we found it, to be proud of what we did here at MU and to make MU graduates across the world proud of their alma mater.

Now, to all of you freshmen: You have a lot of this responsibility because you are the ones who will be here the longest and the ones who can enact the most change. College is a place

where you are told that you are allowed to express yourself. It’s a place where you get to start over and become the person you want to be. Embrace the different, be different and love each other’s differences. If we just learn to accept everyone for who they are — except KU, we can never accept them — MU will once again be a place students want to come, a school that people will be proud to call home and a place to fall in love with.

There are more than 30,000 students who attend this university and only a handful of system administrators. Our ability to just treat each other better and accept differences can have more of an impact than 12 administrators in a room dictating policies.

They can make all the policy changes they want, but without us following them or taking the lead in creating a better university, nothing is going to change.

Guest column: LBC President Shelby Anderson on making your home at MU These are the years that you make your memories. Now is the time to make mistakes, learn your truths, and meet the people who can be a part of your life, for the rest of your life. During this time in school, you will learn just as much in class as you do outside of class, and it is important that you keep in mind that every lesson is just as important as the next. With a population of over 30,000, Mizzou can be a big place. As you join

organizations, begin to form study groups, dive deeper into your major and find your hobbies, this place will become your home. A huge, important piece about Mizzou being your home is remembering that you share it with multiple people who also consider it to be their home. For the next four years, this is your safe space and theirs’ as well.

With that being said, freshman Tigers, treat people how you would want them

to treat you in your own home: with respect and belonging.

Welcome to Mizzou! Make your legacy, no matter how big or small, as long as it is important to you.

WITH LOVE AND LIGHT,

Shelby Anderson

PRESIDENT OF THE LEGION OF BLACK COLLEGIANS

SPORTS

THE BEST SOURCE FOR MU SPORTS

13

Missouri senior J’den Cox competes in the 2016 Olympics in Rio. (courtesy of USA Wrestling/Tony Rotundo, wrestlersarewarriors.com)

WRESTLING

J’den Cox wins bronze at Rio Olympics The senior wrestler finished 3-1 in the Olympic tournament.

PETER BAUGH AND ANNE ROGERS of the Maneater Staff After a fast Saturday of competing in Rio, Missouri wrestling senior J’den Cox returned to school Monday with an Olympic bronze medal.

Cox, a Columbia native, took the world by storm when he won a spot on the 2016 U.S Olympic Team in April.

He didn’t stop there, traveling to take on the world’s best in tournaments to prepare for the Rio Olympics.

In the bronze-medal match Saturday,

Cox faced Cuba’s Reineris Salas Perez, which ended in Cox becoming Team USA Wrestling’s second medal winner, earning the bronze. The bout was scoreless until Cox took the lead on a shot clock point.

With one minute left, Cox went for a shot in what appeared to be a takedown, even though the referee never called it.

Instead, the referee called a stalemate and awarded a point to Perez. USA challenged the call, and after a lengthy review process, Cox was awarded the two takedown points, making the score 3-1.

Cox was ready to finish the match, but Perez refused to step back onto the mat. He was disqualified, and Cox became the ninth Missouri athlete in history to medal at the Olympics.

As a four-time wrestling All-American and two-time NCAA Champion, Missouri graduate Ben Askren also knows what it is like to be in the spotlight. The 32-year-old athlete also has Olympic experience: He competed at the 2008 Games in Beijing.

“He didn’t get the color medal that he wanted, but to medal at the Olympics at 21 years old is very impressive,” Askren

said.

Transitioning from the NCAA wrestling style to Olympic freestyle is a difficult task, and Askren said that Cox made it look easy. There are scoring differences between the two wrestling forms, and the crossover between styles normally makes it challenging for college-age wrestlers to make the Olympics.

“It’s a gigantic jump,” Askren said.

“J’den made it look really simple in the last six months. I promise you it’s

COX | Page 15

Q&A: Sami Fagan discusses Earleywine, professional league Fagan plays professionally for the Akron Racers and was named the National Pro Fastpitch league Rookie of the Year.

PETER BAUGH Sports Editor After wrapping up her Missouri softball career this spring, shortstop Sami Fagan joined the Akron Racers in the National Pro Fastpitch league. In her first season, she batted .392 with nine home runs and 39 runs batted in, earning Rookie of the Year and All-NPF shortstop honors.

The Akron Racers are preparing for their first playoff game Friday, but after the news that Mizzou coach Ehren Earleywine would return for an 11th season, Fagan talked to The Maneater’s Peter Baugh.

The Maneater: What were your

emotions when you heard coach Earleywine was officially coming back?

Sami Fagan: Just pure happiness, honestly. It was just a terrible situation that a lot of people had to go through, and it just was hard on a lot of people.

And I think, just for me especially, kind of reliving what I went through at Florida and wanting him to stay so bad because he didn’t deserve anything that happened. Just the fact that he didn’t deserve to be gone and he’s not gone is just the biggest relief ever, and I’m so happy.

ME: So you saw similarities between your situation at the University of Florida [Fagan was dismissed from the Gators team after her freshman year,

and she says she still doesn’t know what she did wrong] and his situation here?

SF: Yeah, definitely. It definitely brought that back.

ME: How did you think the athletics department handled the situation?

SF: I didn’t like how [Mack Rhoades] handled it, because we were in the middle of season and they wanted us to do the interviews and interrogation right after we came off a really good series win against Tennessee and our team felt really good. And then they made us do that, and it just put a damper on the whole entire team, and it didn’t leave us with a good taste in our mouth. It was just really tough as a team to forget about all that and play, because

it affected Coach E. He’s our coach. It’s so hard to just put that away and play softball, so that’s the part I didn’t like about it, but our team ended up coming together and doing what we could do, so it made us better. But I think [Rhoades] could have handled it a lot better.

ME: How has your experience been playing in the National Pro Fastpitch league?

SF: It’s been really cool. I’m just blessed to be able to continue my career … winning Rookie of the Year, that was the coolest thing ever. All your hard work pays off. It was really special and it made me really happy, and I’m really

FAGAN | Page 15

THE MANEATER | SPORTS | AUG. 24, 2016 14 Mason overcomes late recruiting obstacle to play for Mizzou South Alabama elected to pull wide receiver Dimetrios Mason’s offer with two days until National Signing Day. ALEC LEWIS Sports Editor Kenyatta Watson vividly remembers his phone buzzing during a meal back in February.

While eating at a local Chickfil-A in Loganville, Georgia, the town that houses Grayson High School, Watson — Grayson’s wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator last year — picked up the phone to find wide receiver Dimetrios Mason “in complete panic” on the other end.

Just two days prior to the call and a week ahead of National Signing Day, Mason had committed to South Alabama to play for coach Joey Jones.

After signing a linebacker that had been previously committed to the University of Alabama, South Alabama elected to pull Mason’s offer.

“At first, I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’” Watson said in a phone interview. “It was more shock than anything.”

Mason didn’t understand it.

Neither did Watson, although he did admit there were some questions about whether the receiver would qualify academically.

Regardless, Watson, who has helped more than 90 players earn college scholarships and now owns Watson College Consulting, said he “had to hold the pieces together,” which began by talking with Missouri football staffer Ryan Walters.

Watson had spoken with Walters throughout Mason’s entire recruiting process, and interest was again sparked in a conversation about the receiver.

“I kept telling Ryan, this kid is going to qualify,” Watson said. “I asked if he had spots available and he said ‘yeah.’ I sent him the film and he said he was going to get with the coaches and call me back.”

“When he called me back, Walters said, ‘Watson, you’ve been a fair judge of talent and there’s some guys you told me not to touch but you’ve always been on this kid.’ I was like, ‘coach, I promise you man, if you sign this kid, you will not be disappointed.’ Four hours later, he emailed me the national letter of intent and here we are today.”

As Mason ran in a jersey with gold hints and red-tipped dreadlocks swinging beneath his helmet at practice with the Missouri football team on Friday, the 5-foot-10 speedster looked reminiscent of The Flash, though his teammates prefer the nickname “K–9.”

Why? Because, as the freshman wide receiver puts it, “I'm a dog, and dog spelled backward is God, and that's who I play for.” In hearing that, Watson isn’t surprised. After everything the wide receiver has been through, Watson uses Mason’s story as an example.

“Good things happen to good people and Dimetrios is the consummate example because he worked so hard, never gave up and never lost faith,” Watson said. “We talked about things he needed to qualify and I talked to Ryan [Walters] the other day. He said ‘you told me, and golly.’”

Through 16 days of fall camp, Mason’s nickname has emerged as this year’s most talked about. But so too has his play, which has also garnered considerable attention.

Senior linebacker Michael Scherer said “he’s just a playmaker.”

Sophomore quarterback Drew Lock said “it almost feels like you should be watching him in the Olympics.”

Even graduate transfer Chris Black, who at Mason’s age was coming into college as one of the top wide receivers in the

Missouri senior wide receiver Dimetrios Mason (9) catches a pass during practice Aug. 10 at Kadlec Practice Field. (Alec Lewis | Senior Staff Photographer)

country, said Mason reminds him of himself.

Hear the bells of the hype train ringing? Missouri coach Barry Odom did, so he decided to pump the brakes, saying he wasn’t yet ready to build a statue. Wide receivers coach Andy Hill did too, but said that the guy who claims to run a 4.3 forty-yard dash “has been a difference guy since day one.”

“He’s done some nice things, but still, as a freshman, there’s a

lot to learn,” Hill said. “There’s a lot of stuff in the slot that is going to happen a lot faster because people are right in your face, so there is a learning curve there.”

For many, including Mason himself, that learning curve wasn’t scheduled to take place in Columbia. Watson now calls it “a blessing,” and as that curve continues, Watson believes the receiver will have a chance to play on Sundays in the NFL.

“The kid has had a tough life and he’s had every reason to be a menace to society,” Watson said. “He could’ve been angry at the world, he could’ve turned into anything, but he turned everything to a positive and there’s no kid out there that can’t use Dimetrios as an example.”

Edited by Peter Baugh pbaugh@themaneater.com

15

THE MANEATER | SPORTS | AUG. 24, 2016

Johnson has eyes set on a successful season

Junior forward Jessica Johnson: “I just have to play hard, be risky, take shots, take people on and have fun with it.”

JOEY COVOLO Reporter While Mizzou Athletics had its ups and downs last year — between the football boycott, basketball sanctions and an investigation of the head softball coach — the Tigers soccer team quietly pieced together a strong regular season, finishing at 9-5-5.

Much of their success could be credited to their stout defense, despite a lack of offensive success.

The Tigers struggled to get on the board last season, scoring just 25 goals in 19 matches.

Now, as the Tigers lose much of their starting defense, it will be up to the returning offensive lineup to help carry the team.

Even with its difficulties, the Missouri offense was led by one potent forward who looks to be a crucial piece on a successful Tiger team: junior Jessica Johnson.

Johnson, entering her third season at Missouri, started 16 of the team’s 17 games in

COX

Continued from page 13

the last six months. I promise you it’s not that simple. Very few people do it as effortlessly as he did. Honestly, it doesn’t really happen.”

Cox first faced Amarhajy Mahamedau of Belarus on Saturday. Cox started off the day strong with a 7-1 victory,

FAGAN Continued from page 13

SF: Actually a lot of fun, because I get to see them, we get to go out to lunch and dinner and stuff when we play each other, so it’s cool to catch up and see how their experience is and just compare what’s going on with each other. It’s kind of weird when the actual game

2015 and managed to lead the team in points with three goals and four assists. Most notably, each of those three goals were game-winners, a team high.

Now, Johnson will look to continue her fiery finish into this upcoming season.

“I just have to keep practicing hard,” Johnson said. “It all comes from practice, carrying what I had last year, building on that and working on the weaknesses I had to try and get better and win.”

With a new season underway, Johnson has set new goals and looks to not only match her efforts from 2015, but also improve on them.

“I just have to play hard, be risky, take shots, take people on and have fun with it,” she said. “That’s all I can do. It's worked well so far.”

Not only has Johnson impressed the Tiger faithful, but she has also been a vital piece to a Missouri offense that is expected to see major improvements for 2016.

“We have a little more

depth,” coach Bryan Blitz said.

“We have some younger players on the attack and more players where they naturally belong.

We’ve been working with it in practice. We always say games are won in practice. She has

always been working hard to get those skills fine-tuned for the season and improve our offense.”

For the Tigers to make the leap into the NCAA tournament in 2016, they will need more

pivotal play from the offense.

With a strong 2015 in her rearview mirror, Missouri has a key cog in Johnson.

Edited by Peter Baugh pbaugh@themaneater.com

earning him a place in the quarterfinals. He continued to wrestle well against Iran’s Alireza Karimi, winning 5-1.

All throughout, Cox showed his usual style of wrestling: staying busy and on the attack.

With two strong wins behind him, Cox found himself one win away from the gold medal match. Cox’s only slip-up came in the semifinals against Turkey’s Selim Yasar. Cox and Yasar were tied after the six-

minute bout, but Yasar was awarded the tiebreaker point because Cox had been issued a caution earlier in the match.

“I thought I was winning …”

Cox told the Kansas City Star.

“I didn’t know until afterwards that I was even down. I’m not placing any blame anywhere.

There’s nowhere to put blame.

If I score more points, I win the match.”

Askren said that the officials made the correct call based on

Olympic wrestling criteria, and he felt that Cox’s inexperience may have come into play.

Despite the one slip-up, Askren was impressed with Cox’s composure.

“It was exciting, intense,” Askren said. “Obviously I was really into the matches. It was fun. For him, I know his journey’s not over.”

A skren feels Cox ’s accomplishments are a testament to the Missouri

program. He noted that Missouri consistently has All-Americans and a national presence.

Going forward, Askren could see Cox at the top of the podium at either the Olympics or World Championships.

“Sky’s the limit,” he said.

“There’s no doubt about that.”

Edited by Nancy Coleman ncoleman@themaneater.com

happens and you’re playing against them and they’re doing so good and you want to be happy for them, but you want to win. It’s kind of weird when it comes to that, but it’s really cool to catch up with them and stuff.

the best coaching staffs in the country. Coming off of that, we all know the game really well.

And then just coming out of the SEC and playing the best pitchers in the country. I think the conference … just helped us prepare for the NPF.

ME: And it sounds like you all had a good amount of success this season.

SF: Yeah, we did. I’m really proud of them. I think it just goes back to … having one of

ME: What will your role be at Mizzou next year? Will you be a graduate assistant?

SF: I’m going to try to get my strength coach certification and work in the weight room. They

have grad assistant spots in the weight room. But until then, I’ll just be basically a student manager with the softball team and help out with them until I get that, and then I’ll be a grad assistant. I’m studying at Mizzou for two years to get my Master’s degree.

ME: Describe your emotions being named Rookie of the Year and also being named to the All-NPF team.

SF: I can’t even describe it, it just made me so happy. My team, they made it more special for me because I’ve grown really close to them … just having their support and their love meant so much to me, and I couldn’t do it without them. I was just so happy I could bring it back to Akron.

Missouri junior Jessica Johnson reaches to stop and change the direction of the ball against Central Arkansas on Aug. 19. (Jessi Dodge | Photo Editor)

ME: And then will you go back to the NPF team in the summers?

SF: Yes, I will.

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