Vol83issue22

THE MANEATER

Inside baseball’s hot start (pg. 13)

MARCH 8, 2017 • THEMANEATER.COM

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Wild weather

UM SYSTEM

Audit reveals ‘excessive’ spending The report examined over $2 million in executive compensation by the UM System.

NANCY COLEMAN Copy Chief

From the high 60s to a surprise weekend snow, get ready for a wide range of outfits this week >> pg. 2

Bright Flight scholars may not receive promised scholarships

The UM System spent more than $2 million on executive compensation over a period of two years, according

to an audit of the system released Monday. Of these expenditures, portions “appear excessive,” lack transparency, were made without a clearly defined decision or approval process and possibly violate the Missouri Constitution.

Nearly $1.2 million went to incentive payments to top system administrators, including over $100,000 to former UM System President Tim Wolfe. The rest

of the $2 million was spent on additional payments and allowances for vehicles, housing, relocation and retention.

The audit, conducted by Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway, was released in a time of financial limbo for MU. The university is already facing millions of dollars in budget cuts on top of decreasing enrollment

AUDIT | Page 4

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

STORY OF SURVIVAL story by LIBBY STANFORD · photo by ALYSON GARCIA

There are 1,964 students at MU and 6,685 in the state of Missouri who may find their scholarships cut >> pg. 3

In defense of Beyoncé One columnist’s response to criticism of Queen Bey >> pg. 6

The best of True/False

From March March to the best documentaries at the festival, MOVE Magazine’s recap has True/False covered >> pg. 7

Who will be the next men’s basketball coach?

We have a list of types of candidates to look out for in the search >> pg. 10

How women’s basketball senior class pushed the team to a record year

On the verge of March Madness selection, the team reflects on what has worked this year >> pg. 14

Robin Flemming: “As soon as I started making money and he got me in that club, it was hook, line and sinker. He had complete control over me, and I was terrified.”

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hen Columbia native Robin Flemming was 20 years old, she met a man who seemed like everything she was looking for. He was loving, caring and promised her the world.

It wasn’t until she moved to Texas to live with him, however, that he began using her for profit.

Flemming is among the 20.9 million worldwide victims of human trafficking, the buying and selling of human beings for monetary profit.

Although she is a survivor, many victims of human trafficking are not able to escape their trafficker.

It is an issue that reaches all parts of the United States, including Missouri. According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, there were 7,572 human trafficking cases in the U.S. in 2016, 135 of which were in Missouri.

“We have sex trafficking [and] labor trafficking, which are the two main forms of human trafficking, and they certainly exist here in Columbia and throughout Missouri,” said Nanette Ward, co-founder of the Central Missouri Stop Human Trafficking Coalition.

Labor trafficking is when a person

for the rest of the story, see LIFE on pg. 4

works for little to no pay, often in unsuitable working conditions.

In the U.S., those who are labor trafficked are often foreign-born individuals with little means of asking for help. Victims of labor trafficking can be found working everyday jobs in hotels, construction crews and restaurants.

“They might end up working in a hotel with the promise of a good job,” Ward said. “They get here, and their documents are taken from them. They don’t have access to any kind of support or services and don’t know how to ask for help,

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THE MANEATER | NEWS | MARCH 8, 2017

THE MANEATER Vol. 83, Issue 22 ( 4UVEFOU $FOUFS t $PMVNCJB .0 QIPOF t GBY

FEJUPST!UIFNBOFBUFS DPN XXX UIFNBOFBUFS DPN !5IF.BOFBUFS The Maneater is the official student publication of the University of Missouri and operates independently of the university, student government, the School of Journalism and any other campus entity. All text, photos, graphics and other content are property of The Maneater and may not be reproduced without permission. The views and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily the views of the University of Missouri or the MU Student Publications Board. “There Were No Time For Tricks�

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CORRECTION: A previous version of the story “Meet the ‘Provocateurs’ who make you think,� on page 10 of the March 1 True/False Film Fest issue, misspelled the name of Destiny Watford. MOVE Magazine regrets the error.

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THE MANEATER | NEWS | MARCH 8, 2017

Bright Flight scholars may receive less money than originally awarded by the state Bright Flight scholars will not know until April or May whether they will receive the rest of their promised scholarship amount.

ZIA KELLY Staff Writer

When freshman Reed Wilson’s father opened up her tuition bill from MU late last semester, he was surprised to find that it was $400 higher than he was expecting.

Wilson, a Bright Flight scholar, said she was not aware that a state funding issue left her short almost 27 percent of her guaranteed $1,500 semesterly scholarship until it was reflected in her tuition.

Wilson is one of the 6,685 students in the state of Missouri and one of the 1,964 MU students who receives the Bright Flight scholarship — a $3,000 annual scholarship for in-state students who scored

a 30 or greater on their ACT. Because of a larger-thananticipated increase of students who qualified for the scholarship for the 20162017 academic year, the original appropriation from the state for the program did not cover the cost of providing each student with the maximum scholarship award of $1,500 per semester.

Bright Flight scholars received $1,500 last semester and $1,100 for this semester so far. Liz Coleman, Missouri Department of Higher Education spokeswoman, said the department has requested an additional $1.5 million to cover the rest of the semesterly amount that the students were originally promised.

However, neither the department nor the students will find out if they will receive that money until April or May. Coleman said in an email that they will not know until the state legislature votes on the 2018 fiscal year budget toward the end of their session.

Kate Daino, another Bright Flight scholar, said

that while one semester will not significantly affect her ability to pay tuition, further cuts would.

“If they just cut it back this semester and bring it back I’ll be fine, but if it’s over all four years I am going to have to come up with some extra money to cover that,” she said.

For the students who qualify for the scholarship, Bright Flight can be a central part of why they choose to attend MU. Daino said that though she looked at schools out of state, she ultimately decided to go somewhere closer to home because the scholarship made it the most feasible option.

“I did decide to go to school in Missouri because of Bright Flight, and that was really my only deciding factor,” she said.

Wilson also said that receiving the scholarship contributed to her choice to choose MU over an out-ofstate school.

“I think I kind of got cheated out of the money that I thought I had gotten myself,” she said. “I was

really proud of the fact that I had gotten the scholarship in the first place, and then being defunded was a little upsetting.”

As the number of students who qualify for Bright Flight increases, it is unclear whether each recipient will continue to receive the full $3,000 per year.

Since 2014, there has been a nearly 10 percent increase in the number of Missouri high school students who receive the scholarship, and the Department of Higher Education projects that 350 more students will qualify for the scholarship next year.

Though Gov. Eric Greitens proposed a $4 million increase to the state’s scholarship allocation — which would provide nearly the full amount for all 7,035 projected recipients — it isn’t certain whether this will be passed in the state’s budget until it is voted on by the legislature.

Edited by Kyle LaHucik klahucik@themaneater.com

BRIGHT FLIGHT cut from each Bright Flight Scholarship original amount awarded per semester:

$1,500 amount awarded per semester after cuts:

$1,100 TORI AERNI // GRAPHICS MANAGER

Students try out wheelchair basketball to raise money for MU’s team Wheelchair basketball player Marshall Lindsay: “It’s not just a fundraiser, it’s raising awareness as well.”

CLAIRE COLBY Staff Writer

Alli Grant was determined as she wheeled her chair toward the basketball hoop.

She doesn’t use a wheelchair, but she was shooting hoops in one during the Wheelchair Relay on March 3. When she shot the ball, it hit the rim.

“You have a good handle on the chair — just keep your wheels pointed towards the net,” said Sidney Attiogbe, a player on MU’s wheelchair basketball team and Grant’s self-appointed coach. “She’s my best student yet.”

“It’s really eye-opening,” said Grant, an occupational therapy student. “It’s harder to get around than you think.”

Attiogbe coached her on wheelchair basketball techniques at the relay, in which dozens of participants navigated a variety of challenges while operating wheelchairs.

The event, which took place at the Student

Recreation Complex, was sponsored by Mizzou Wheelchair Basketball, the Disability Center, RecSports, the Student Occupational Therapy Organization and the MU student Physical Therapy Organization. The relay raised money for the wheelchair basketball scholarship fund.

Attiogbe, a freshman, came from France to play for MU’s wheelchair basketball team.

“I think the sport can grow,” he said. “It’s very nice to see people getting involved and taking their free time to be here.”

In addition to shooting baskets, the event featured

a wheelchair relay, a modified volleyball game, obstacle courses and other wheelchair-related activities.

In one game, called “Roll With It,” participants raced across the court while holding miscellaneous items in their lap and operating a wheelchair.

“It’s not just a fundraiser,” wheelchair basketball player Marshall Lindsay said. “It’s raising awareness as well.”

Lindsay, who has been playing wheelchair basketball for seven years, chose to attend MU largely due to its wheelchair basketball program.

In addition to the wheelchair events, volunteers

helped raise awareness for other challenges faced by people with disabilities.

Physical therapy students Tyler Davis, Jill Lucas and Erica Eagleburger ran a “sign language Jeopardy” game, in which participants won points for learning phrases in sign language.

“Having people understand what it’s like to have an impairment is important,” Eagleburger said. “People will have a good time, but they’ll get out of their chairs at the end of the night. It’s a learning experience, but it’s important to realize that this is people’s lives.”

Edited by Madi McVan mmcvan@themaneater.com

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Many travel companies also train their employees to recognize common signs of trafficking.

According to Ward, those who are being trafficked often come off as timid and uncomfortable, have seemingly limited control over their lives and don’t speak for themselves.

“We can all get those indicators at a training or an educational session that can truly make a difference of our awareness,” Ward said.

“So that we truly begin to see things with a different eye for when there might be something suspicious, whereas before we just walk by and not want to be concerned because we’re not thinking, ‘Could that be a crime going on?’”

For Flemming, one of the most important ways to combat human trafficking is to stop blaming victims.

“You have to understand what I went through was horrific,” Flemming said.

“But the way I’m treated after can be just as horrific if you keep treating me like I’m the one that did something wrong. So I think that’s the most important thing, is just people understanding. I don’t want to still be treated like I was a stripper.”

Edited by Madi McVan mmcvan@themaneater.com

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get her life back to normal.

Flemming stayed in exotic dancing for six more years.

After counseling, continuous nightmares and a year of being sober, Flemming’s life has returned to normal. She now lives in Columbia with her husband and daughter and runs a daycare. She is currently trying to repair her relationship with her other daughter, who also lives in Columbia and is married.

Although Flemming was able to get out of her situation, many victims of human trafficking struggle to leave out of fear of their trafficker and getting in trouble with law enforcement. This is often the reason why human trafficking cases can be hard to solve.

“They can be right in plain view, and you would not know,” Ward said. “You could have that person working in the back washing the dishes of a restaurant, and you would have no idea unless you were really inside that network of what’s going on, and who would that be?

It would just be the people who are involved in that or other individuals who are victimized and just as afraid as the next person.”

Organizations such as the Polaris Project and the Central Missouri Stop Human Trafficking Coalition work on both national and local levels to raise awareness of the signs of human trafficking.

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Vehicle allowances Vehicle allowances are specifically cited in the audit as appearing to be “excessive” and lacking transparency.

Approximately $407,000 in vehicle allowance payments

were made to administrators over the two years examined in the audit.

On average, 15 administrators received a monthly vehicle allowance of $1,240, including the system president and all four campus chancellors.

These allowances don’t estimate the actual amount owed to administrators based on mileage and fuel costs — rather, they are based on what it would cost if the system leased a “luxury vehicle” to executives instead.

The audit found that the “costs associated with the allowances are significantly higher than the potential costs of paying mileage reimbursements.” According to the audit, reimbursements for executives cost an average of more than three times as much as if they had been reimbursed for their actual milage with the system’s standard rate. This rate, for all other UM System employees, is a reimbursement of 51 cents per mile. The audit recommends basing vehicle allowances on “reasonable estimates of actual mileage.”

Edited by Katie Rosso krosso@themaneater.com

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than the highest-paid campus research administrator, according to the audit.

In addition, Loftin went on “developmental leave” for six months in 2016 with no reporting requirements for his work during that period, the audit states.

The $200,000 includes approximately $50,000 in “unnecessary salary,” an additional $35,000 annual stipend and over $15,000 in vehicle allowance per year.

The audit notes that no other director-level employee receives a vehicle allowance.

Loftin also received a $100,000 retention payment that was negotiated as part of his contract as chancellor.

While the original conflict stated that he would not receive this payment if he “voluntary terminated employment,” which he did when he resigned from his position, the audit states that Loftin was allowed to keep the same retention payment if he stayed in his new role until January 2017.

Loftin’s transition After former Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin resigned in November 2015, he was given “significant compensation not required by his original chancellor contract,” which the audit found amounted to approximately $200,000.

Loftin transitioned into a newly created role: director of national security research development. His compensation for the new position was set at 75 percent of his salary as chancellor, which is 31 percent more

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don’t know the language.

There’s forced labor in all different types of industries and settings, whether it’s in the city or an agricultural setting or a restaurant.”

Sex trafficking, the other main form of human trafficking, can manifest in many different ways.

In Flemming’s case, she was a victim of intimatepartner sex trafficking, a situation in which someone coerces another person into an intimate relationship and starts selling them for commercial sex acts.

Victims of sex trafficking are not always bought and sold for sex, however.

Flemming, for instance, was an exotic dancer.

Flemming’s trafficker, whom she now refers to as “the monster,” brought her to a club one day and told her she was going to audition to be a dancer. During her first night of dancing, she earned $3,000.

“I was hooked,” Flemming said. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, I can go to work for one night and make that kind of money? Where do I sign up?’ But I didn’t realize it was going to be his money.

It was, ‘You’re going to go to work, you’re going to make

And I started to realize I had no control over my own life, and in a marriage, it should be 50-50 for the most part. … [I realized], ‘this is not the life I want. I don’t want to be with a drug addict or a pimp, and if I’m going to work this hard, make this kind of money, it’s going to be for me.’”

After secretly stashing money at work, Flemming raised about $10,000, which she used to escape from her trafficker. Flemming went to work one day and decided that she would not come back. It wasn’t until two and a half years later that her trafficker finally started leaving her alone.

“The last time I saw him was Oct. 14, 2006, and he came to my day job and hid in the bushes, jumped out, choked me unconscious and bit 18 holes in my face and tore up the inside of my mouth,” Fleming said. “It was kind of the point where, ‘If I can’t have you, nobody will, and you’re not going to be pretty. Nobody’s going to want to be with you.’ That was the last time I had seen him. It’s been 10 years, which has been hard just recovering and telling myself I deserve better. I didn’t deserve any of that.”

Flemming was able to divorce her trafficker in 2007, a year after she saw him for the last time.

She then had to work to

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LIFE

Continued from page 1

that money, and you’re going to make it home, and then you’re going to go back and you’re going to do it again and keep doing it.’”

Flemming’s relationship with her trafficker continued that way for about five years. Out of fear for her safety, Flemming had to send her daughter from a previous relationship back to Columbia to live with Flemming’s mother.

“I mean, of course he married me, and he made me feel like, ‘I’ll take care of you and your daughters.

It’s going to be everything you ever wanted,’” Flemming said. “As soon as I started making money and he got me in that club, it was hook, line and sinker. He had complete control over me, and I was terrified.”

Throughout their marriage, they moved across the country and lived in more than six states. Flemming said her trafficker abused her verbally and mentally, raped her numerous times and occasionally kicked out of her home, leaving her with no place to go. It took a realization of her own worth for Flemming to decide to do something about her situation.

“I had no money,” she said. “I wasn’t even allowed to have my wallet. I couldn’t have my ID, my Social Security card, nothing, because then I could leave.

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Incentive payments Incentive bonuses nearing $1.2 million were approved by either the Board of Curators or the system president. And while these payments were made in accordance with the system’s rules and regulations, the process by which payment amounts were decided and doled out is unclear.

The audit found that the ambiguous process for earning, determining and approving incentive payments is informal and not “clearly defined,” which makes these payments seem like year-end bonuses that could violate the Missouri Constitution.

According to the audit, the irregularity in how much various administrators make in incentive payments “gives

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numbers.

Galloway rated the UM System as “fair,” the secondlowest of four ratings.

Here’s a breakdown of the issues found in the system’s spending and how it can start to make improvements.

incentive payments, and not just performance of standard job duties, can reduce the perception these payments are merely additional compensation, and would make the executive incentive program more likely to be allowable under the Missouri Constitution,” the audit states.

The audit also notes a lack of transparency with these payments. None of the $2 million in incentives and other forms of nonsalary compensation, including relocation and retention payments and allowances for housing and vehicles, are included in public compensation information, according to the audit.

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AUDIT

Continued from page 1

the appearance the incentive payments are primarily a means to provide additional compensation rather than an incentive for high performance.”

In addition, the audit found the criteria for earning these bonuses to be subjective.

There is currently no formal way to measure executives’ performance, and as a result, many of the awarded incentives were given out for meeting standard job requirements.

The audit cites one “goal” for the chief financial officer as an example of a high performance incentive intersecting with an average job expectation. The goal for the officer to receive an incentive payment was “to implement and support the effective use of a new budget system.”

Brian Burnett, the current CFO, received over $56,000 in incentive payments through fiscal years 2016 and 2017.

The audit recommends setting more clear performance goals that extend beyond regular expectations, as well as incorporating data to measure administrators’ progress toward these goals.

“Ensuring the goals to be achieved represent performance that warrants

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THE MANEATER | NEWS | MARCH 8, 2017

OPINION EDITORIALS REPRESENT THE MAJORITY OPINION OF THE MANEATER EDITORIAL BOARD.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

We want to hear your voice.

Submit a letter to the editor by emailing letters@themaneater.com.

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

EDITORIAL

BEC should regulate MSA campaign finances Whether it’s to buy flyers or pizza to give out to potential voters, Missouri Students Association presidential slates raise thousands of dollars to spend on campaigning every year. This year alone, the now-defunct Josh Stockton/Shruti Gulati slate said its budget was $1,500, the Tori Schafer/Riley de Leon slate reported a budget of $1,800, and the Nathan Willett/Payton Englert slate raised just over $5,000 through a GoFundMe page.

The biggest problem with these huge campaign budgets is that the student body doesn’t know where the money comes from or where it goes. The Board of Elections Commissioners requires slates to report donations above $100, but everything else remains a mystery. Students also don’t know how much money candidates are paying outof-pocket for their campaigns or how slates are spending their money.

For the sake of transparency with the student body, the BEC should change its handbook to require slates to report all campaign donations and spending to the board. Slates should be required to show where their donations are coming from and what they are spending those donations on.

Candidates regularly make transparency within MSA a major point of their platforms, but they need to start with their own campaign budgets.

Tracking donations should include individual contributions as well. Some individual donations, including two $1,000 donations to the Willett/ Englert campaign, make up a sizable portion of a slate’s budget. In this case, this could only be known by students if they looked on the campaign’s GoFundMe page — but not all slates

More transparency is The Maneater Editorial Board’s hope for MSA going forward. JESSI DODGE | PHOTO EDITOR

have public fundraising pages.

This level of transparency would not only hold slates accountable for where donations are coming from but would also allow people who are donating — and the student body — to see whether their money is being spent effectively.

The BEC passing rules to support campaign transparency would allow students to see how much money candidates are spending to buy their vote. If students will eventually be paying the salaries of the winning candidate, we should know how much they are spending to get in office.

GETTING DOWN TO BIZZNESS

Celebrities should be held accountable for their harmful actions Giving Casey Affleck an Oscar sends a terrible message to victims of sexual assault.

BIZZY EMERSON Opinion Columnist

Bizzy Emerson is a junior journalism major at MU. She writes about pop culture and student life for The Maneater.

I hate Casey Affleck. I wish I could sugarcoat it, but I can’t.

If you had asked me a year ago what I thought of Affleck, I would’ve sung his praises from the rooftops. His character in “Good Will Hunting” is one of my favorite film performances, and on a more superficial level, I found him a lot more charming, endearing and attractive than his famous brother, Ben. I was a huge Casey fan.

Recently, sexual harassment allegations against Affleck from 2010 have been brought back into the spotlight following the success of his film “Manchester by the Sea,” and the claims are nothing short of disturbing. On the set of his mockumentary “I’m Still Here,” Affleck made inappropriate sexual advances on two female crew members while simultaneously using hateful language towards women.

Although these allegations were settled out of court, it’s difficult for me to shake them from Affleck’s image. Furthermore, Affleck’s recent

Academy Award win for Best Actor in a Leading Role leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.

It can be extremely hard to separate the artist from the art. I grappled heavily with this issue when Woody Allen was accused of sexually assaulting his own daughter. I struggle to listen to an addictively catchy Chris Brown song without thinking of the trauma Rihanna and, more recently, Karrueche Tran both endured. I felt the same way about watching “Manchester by the Sea” — does my viewership of something that inherently supports a sexual predator mean that I, too, support that individual?

Affleck, Allen and Brown have all been awarded for their professional success, despite allegations against their private character. Many will argue that awards should be given solely based on talent and that personal merit shouldn’t be considered. But if we ignore these allegations in the entertainment sector and give accolades to people of poor character, it begins to bleed into other areas of public life.

Take our current president, Donald Trump, for example. He was recorded saying sexually abhorrent things about women, yet he was still elected. I expect my president to have a straight moral compass, one that respects all gender identities. If I can’t receive that respect from my president, why should I expect it from pop culture figures? On some level, I can understand why separating the politics from the politician is important, but when the leader of our nation is so blatantly disgusting toward women, I begin to worry that policy regarding women’s rights will suffer. Likewise, from a holistic perspective, I see rape culture becoming even more normalized than it already is.

No one is forced to partake in entertainment that makes them feel uncomfortable. That being said, it’s unfair that individuals who have been sexually assaulted can’t enjoy awards shows because they see their assaulter in people like Casey Affleck or Chris Brown. Perhaps it’s time to start considering these damaging characteristics when entering awards season, if only to demonstrate empathy with survivors and enforce the fact that men cannot harass women and get away with it.

CASEY AFFLECK COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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THE MANEATER | OPINION | MARCH 8, 2017

HERE’S A WHO

Slander against Beyoncé is never a good choice Don’t come for the queen unless the queen sends for you.

KENNEDY HORTON Opinion Columnist

Kennedy Horton is a sophomore studying English. She writes about student life and social justice for The Maneater.

Currently, I’m taking a black studies class. Last week, we began by discussing Beyoncé’s most recent studio album, “Lemonade.”

It’s a visual album that aired on HBO, encompassing themes of black empowerment, self-empowerment and the journey and experience of being a woman. It really is a thing of art; there’s spoken word, stunning imagery and messages that really speak to what it’s like to be black in today’s America.

I loved it. Not because I’m some droid who worships everything Beyoncé does — although that is warranted — but because it meant something to me. However, some people in my class took a different stance. And though everyone is entitled to their own opinion, some are just plain wrong.

First of all, as a disclaimer, some of the people in my class who negatively critiqued “Bey” ended their piece with, “I’m just not really a Beyoncé fan.” I would just like to say if that’s the case, feel free to just keep your views to yourself.

One major critique that kept coming up was that Beyoncé doesn’t write her own songs — that she either has people writing her songs for her or other people helping her write them.

This is a trash assessment for a few reasons. It’s only half true. Yes, Bey has had help writing some of her music, including tracks on “Lemonade.” Her name, however, remains under the lists of writers. She does write. She is

always a part of her own production in the writing room, and no lyric gets into a song without her OK. Perhaps this was unbeknownst to some, but Beyoncé is a singer. Her gift, talent and purpose is to sing. I don’t understand how people can be mad at her for doing her job. She has help recording her music videos as well, but does that make her output less genuine or less holistically hers?

The answer is no.

It’s the same with actors. Meryl Streep is one of the greatest actors of her time, but she doesn’t write her own scripts. I’m sure that sometimes she has input in her character’s words should she feel so inclined. But her gift, talent and purpose is to act.

Both Beyoncé and Meryl have the incredible ability to transform writing into another art medium, and they should be judged for the artists they are.

Furthermore, there’s something to be understood about art and artists. No great art is ever created alone. To not understand that is not to understand art; if you don’t understand art, then you shouldn’t be offering opinions on it. Art has always been a medley of contributions from other talented people. For example, the late and great Prince himself is a smoother and upgraded blend of Jimi Hendrix, Little Richard and James Brown. Writingwise, he’s also contributed to the lyrics of other greats including Cyndi Lauper, Chaka Khan, Stevie Nicks, Vanity and Madonna. There is nothing new under the sun.

Another one of the ways “Lemonade” stands apart from Beyoncé’s other albums is its active and evident problackness. Members of my class found the record to be contradictory. They felt like they saw pro-blackness in the message of the visuals, but not in the lyrics. This also goes hand in hand with not understanding art. Artwork is multi-faceted. There is the intended message of the creator, and there’s also the interpretation of the audience.

It’s important to keep this in mind and

to remember that the album is made up of distinct kinds of empowerment.

The way I see it, the visuals primarily encompass black empowerment, while the lyrics primarily encompass female empowerment. It’s elementary to call her production contradictory; art and its motives appear in varied and complex ways.

A position some took was that Beyoncé “panders to both sides,” which I took as referring to black people versus everyone else. They felt like since every single track on the album does not overtly celebrate blackness that the pro-black message of the entire production is compromised.

That is an invalid argument. She doesn’t “play” or “pander” to both sides. There are no sides. She’s a pop star, and her music is for everyone, whether certain people identify more closely with it or not. For example, a man can be a Beyoncé fan, but he won’t identify with “Grown Woman” like a woman would. That doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy it.

Not only are her lyrics for everyone, but she covers such a variety of genres that anyone can find a style they like.

Regarding “Lemonade” in particular, the music genres range from R&B to rock to country and even more than that. Her work is a collection of mixed styles with no sides, just favorites.

It also must be understood that Bey is in an industry. Her husband Jay-Z has an applicable line that goes, “I’m not a businessman; I’m a business, man!” There is a game to be played.

When first starting out, a lot of artists are not allowed to be their most authentic selves and put out exactly the kind of music they want to put out.

We know Beyoncé is an independent woman, but she still has to make her money. You know why she’s almost always in a leotard when performing?

Besides liking it, it’s because being sexy sells. Often, it takes artists a lot of time to get to a point in which they have full reign over what they create and how they create it.

Their early music may greatly differ

from their later music. And that’s OK, because people are allowed to evolve.

Beyoncé is allowed to add black rights anthems to her discography, and it makes sense that she would now with all the violence toward black people currently taking place. She’s not the 22-year-old she was when she released her first solo studio album. She’s older, more established and is growing with the world.

I think it’s really bogus to act as if Beyoncé is just now figuring out she’s black. She has always been pro-black.

She performed at both of President Barack Obama’s inaugurations. There are photos of her, old and new, holding up the black power fist. She performed her most pro-black song at the 2016 Super Bowl with all black dancers wearing their natural hair dressed as Black Panthers. In the wake of rampant police brutality, she is constantly urging fans to contact legislators for change and sharing messages on the government shootings. She speaks publicly that she is tired of her community being attacked, heading “Stop Killing Us” on her website. Beyoncé has never forgotten who and where she comes from. Furthermore, every song of hers does not have to be “Formation” in order for her to be a pro-black artist.

Beyoncé is black; all of her songs celebrate blackness.

What I find the most interesting about my class discussion is that most of the criticism came from black females, whom one would think might have the most respect for Beyoncé.

I’m not sure what this means — it’s an exploration for another day. But it is something to ponder. It’s not to say we cannot evaluate our role models, but why be so quick to judge if the person belongs to and stands for all of us?

Like Forrest Gump said, “That’s all I have to say about that.” If you’re not a Beyoncé fan, I can’t force you to like her. But I implore you to examine why you feel the way you do and see if it’s valid. It’s easier if you start with the proposition that it’s not.

THE FIFTH LAP

Contrary to what Hollywood says, America is not doomed Actors, actresses and athletes seem to think the country is the worst it’s ever been, but that is just not the case.

KURTIS DUNLAP Opinion Columnist

Kurtis Dunlap is a fifth-year senior who writes about student life as a columnist for The Maneater.

Over the past couple months, all that people seem to talk about is how America is in such turmoil.

Hollywood continues to use award shows to tell us how awful the country is. Before, during and after sporting events, athletes take a stand on how awful the social climate

is right now. No matter where we go for entertainment, relaxation and peace, the message remains constant: America is doomed.

The reality is that our country is not doomed, it is not in turmoil, and it is not failing. The history of our country is filled with plenty of examples of trials and tribulations that far extend past anything we are facing today. In 1776, our country's Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.

Thirteen tiny colonies broke away from the world’s leading superpower of the time. A revolution was fought and won by Americans.

In April 1861, America began a war with itself. Brothers were fighting brothers, states were fighting states, North was fight South.

The United States joined a world war in 1917 and again in 1941, emerging as a global superpower.

Boys who wouldn’t be old enough to buy a beer today shaped the global landscape of the world by defeating

Hitler and the imperial army of Japan.

Our country has been through a lot: women’s suffrage, the civil rights movement, presidents dying in office or being assassinated. Our country even found a way to survive Prohibition. In our lifetime, we have gotten through 9/11 and far too many mass shootings. When you look back at all the trials and tribulations America has gone through, the ones of today seem so minute.

In today’s society, you either have to be a social justice warrior (in other words, a liberal), or a guntoting, Bible-preaching conservative.

There seems to be no middle ground anymore. The country has become so polarized that if you have a different opinion than someone, they will automatically disregard your opinion or claim you don’t know what you’re talking about.

Mainstream media is at fault just as much as the average person. The media is a content-driven business,

and conflict sells. This means there is a market for people who take strong opinions on mundane issues. We have become a country that needs to argue just for the sake of being in an argument. Liberals don’t seem to be happy unless they are attacking someone for their social climate opinions, and conservatives can’t be happy unless they are complaining about someone taking their guns or freedom away.

In the grand scheme of things, America has never been stronger, never been safer and never been more inclusive. Are there things that we could and should do better?

Yes. Are there social issues that need to be addressed? Yes. Are these things in any way in comparison to fighting a world war or getting through Prohibition? No way. It is time we put all the jargon aside and realize how good we have it. We live in the greatest country in the world, so let’s start acting like it.

7 ‘Step’ will make you want to dance for joy The True/False documentary gives a look into the lives of three Baltimore teens.

REGINA ANDERSON Associate Editor

There is really only one word to describe Step: joyful. The entire 90 minutes are a celebration of life and all the highs and lows that come with it.

The film opens on the aftermath of Freddie Gray’s death. Clips of the protests that ensued, including

Twitter video and newscasts, are pieced together to help paint an image of Baltimore that exists in many people’s minds around the U.S. footage of the step team dancing in military camouflage is interspersed between protests. The images mesh together but still contrast each other, creating the visual representation of the tension felt throughout the film.

Step was Amanda Lipitz’s first time directing a feature-length film. The documentary follows three girls of the Lethal Ladies, the step team of Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women. The girls, Blessin, Tayla and Cori, are about to graduate

in the founding class of BLSYW and leave the team that Blessin founded all the way back in sixth grade.

From college applications to dance competitions, the film paints a full picture of these girls’ triumphs and hardships; you can’t help but grow to love them.

While all the girls have similar lives and things to deal with (boys, step practice, college applications, mother/daughter relationships), their obstacles tend to be different. All of them live in homes that struggle with money. For Cori, that means that she might be able get into her dream university, but can’t afford to

attend. Tayla has to figure out how to balance school, social life and extracurriculars with the strictness of her mom. Blessin struggles in school and must find a way to balance her education and love of step at the same time.

The true power of the documentary is its honesty. The film is visually stunning, the characters become tangible, and the girls’ stories are told in such a way that the audience feels every loss and every victory. The audience at True/False broke into rounds of applause when the girls got into college. There were sounds of tissue packets and stifled sobs as the girls got ready for graduation day.

Step continues to impact people outside of the theater. Lipitz said in a Q&A after the film’s showing that with the money the documentary team received from FOX Searchlight after they purchased the rights, all the girls from the film will be receiving scholarships. In addition, some of the proceeds from the documentary’s time in theaters will be going to BLSYW. Ultimately, the film presents another side to Baltimore. It tells the story of young, black women who strive to achieve success in their own way. No story looks the same. Each girl finds something that works for her, and that in the end is one of the most important messages. Your path may not follow everyone else’s, but it can lead you to a fulfilling life.

Step is an uplifting film where these young women get to blaze trails for the girls and step teams that come next.

MOVE gives Step 5 out of 5 stars.

PHOTO COURTESY OF VARIETY.COM

DOGUMENTARY DAZE MOVE goes dogspotting at True/False.

VICTORIA CHEYNE AND BAILEY SAMPSON MOVE Editors

T

rue/False is great for many reasons: the amazing films, the art installations, the music and the general atmosphere.

The festival brings locals and people from all over the world to the heart of Columbia to be together and celebrate art in various forms.

And with many people come many dogs. The “floofers” may have been the best part of the weekend.

The weather on Saturday was amazing. For that one day, spring had sprung, and Mother Nature was particularly loving to CoMo. Everyone and their pooch came outside to soak up the evening. Because too many $12

films annihilated our bank accounts, we decided to tuck away our wallets and spend our lovely Saturday “dog hopping.” This ultimately meant wasting time meandering up Ninth Street with the intention of petting every dog we saw.

But what started as a broke evening pastime turned into an exciting (and furry) journalistic endeavor.

We called ourselves the “puppy prowlers,” which I admit sounds quite predatory but accurately describes what we were doing. As we worked our way from Ninth Street to Broadway, we jaywalked with reckless abandon from sidewalk to storefront. Over the course of three blocks, we met 12 dogs and their corresponding owners. Here are some of our favorites:

Casey

is a young German pointer mix who made up for his small stature with his personality. He has a chocolate brown face and the most velvety little ears.

LENNY

is a year-old Australian and German shepherd mix who had the most distinctive eyes. He was a sweetheart who worked the camera and loved to be petted.

ROMEO

When we stopped to pet him, his owners informed us that not only was Romeo a wise old soul, but he was also Chief Dog Officer at his owner’s company.

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THE MANEATER | MOVE MAGAZINE | MARCH 8, 2017

‘Whose Streets?’ highlights community behind Ferguson protests The documentary is a vital look at the frustration and anger that followed Michael Brown’s death.

NANCY COLEMAN Copy Chief

It has been over two years since an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. His body stayed on the ground in the middle of the street where he was shot for four and a half hours.

Brown, like so many other young black Americans who came before him and would come after, became the face of a movement.

But Whose Streets? is not the story of Michael Brown’s death. It’s not the story of Darren Wilson, the officer who killed him, nor is it the story of how a grand jury decided not to indict him. This film, at its very heart, is about the people. It’s about a community — not just the community of Ferguson, but the black community as a whole — that had finally had enough.

The emotions of this community in Whose Streets? are raw and uncomfortable. The anger these protesters feel is palpable. Their frustration and grief is heartbreaking. But the discomfort and unrest we feel watching Whose Streets? is essential to understanding the film and the societal situation it depicts. After all, discomfort and unrest, as a general rule, are necessary to create change.

Woven between the stories of tension and

the protesters’ lives. We see their families, their motivations, their personal struggles and what makes them tick.

One family is Brittany and her fiancé Alexis, a pair that is fierce and unstoppable in their resistance but kind in scenes with Brittany’s young daughter, Kenna. Early in the film, Brittany makes her goal as a parent clear: She wants to teach Kenna to stand up for herself and others and use her voice when something isn’t right.

On the first anniversary of the grand jury’s decision not to indict Wilson, some of the original protesters come back together to reaffirm that their efforts are not over. And Kenna, one year after she watched her mother take part in the protests, leads a powerful chant as Brittany watches beside her with a wide grin.

Other lighter moments in the film exemplify the spirit of Ferguson’s citizens and offer glimpses into what keeps them fighting. We see David, one of the more prominent voices in the documentary, playing with his toddler son and trying to teach him to be tough — only to have the boy charge into David’s arms with a big hug instead.

Several scenes show the community building the memorial for Brown on the street where he was murdered, lining the sidewalks and road with candles, stuffed animals, posters and photographs.

And when part of the memorial is set on fire one morning, we see that same community building it right back up again and piling more teddy bears on top of the ashes.

But these uplifting moments don’t distract from

This film, at its very heart, is about the people. It’s about a community — not just the community of Ferguson, but the black community as a whole — that had finally had enough. frustration, however, are stories of love. We can’t understand the protests without understanding the people behind them. Directors Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis have given us a gift: They’ve taken us beyond the national news stories, beyond the fires and the tear gas and the chants, to let us into

the real problems that the community and the protesters faced. Clips and interviews throughout the film show the deep flaws of Ferguson’s police department and its response to the protests.

One subject of the film, at an interview in his home, pulled out a collection of the weapons used

COURTESY OF WHOSESTREETS.COM

against him that he had accumulated. He had multiple tear gas canisters and rubber bullets, not to mention a detailed account of how each was used against him. His collection acted as physical evidence for what he called “chemical warfare.”

Other videos showed police responding to protests with long rifles and tear gas. In some scenes, the officers wore gas masks to protect themselves while shooting the gas at civilians.

And that was just the reaction of local law enforcement — when Gov. Jay Nixon enacted the National Guard, it rolled into the suburbs of St. Louis with tanks. The protesters responded by reminding the Guard that Ferguson was not Iraq.

The film is unabashedly critical of other elements of the Ferguson protests as well. Folayan and Davis send a clear message that national media coverage was sensationalized and not comprehensive of the full story. They also show frustration and disappointment over President Barack Obama’s reaction, which many believed could have been stronger.

Whose Streets? is a vital look into the people behind the protests and the work that still has to be done.

MOVE gives Whose Streets? 5 out of 5 stars.

H C R A M RCH A M True/False weekend opened once more with March March, a parade down Ninth Street featuring Columbia visitors and residents alike festively decorated for the food, films and music that come with the annual documentary film festival.

Volunteer photo team director Stephanie Sidoti takes a selfie after concluding the March March route outside of Missouri Theatre. “I have volunteered the past four years but this is my first year on staff,” Sidoti said. “So why not start my time on staff well by coming to the parade for the first time?” JESSI DODGE | PHOTO EDITOR

Don Zourban, background, makes bubbles after the conclusion of March March on March 3. Zourban has been coming to True/False for eight years, but only started creating bubbles for the parade this year. After graduating from Mizzou in 1975, Zourban chose to stay in Columbia. “It keeps me young,” he said. EMILY NEVILS | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

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THE MANEATER | MOVE MAGAZINE | MARCH 8, 2017

‘Distant Constellation’ juxtaposes quaint and innovative VICTORIA CHEYNE MOVE Angles Editor

“Did I fall asleep?”

The petite woman, who asked to be called Selma in the film, asked after being awakened by a boom from the construction outside.

“I drop like that.”

One minute she was talking about not having the money to get married as a young woman, the next moment she was slumped over.

With Distant Constellation, director Shevaun Mizrahi creates a film that explores the contrast between innovation and idleness by juxtaposing the modernity of a construction site in Istanbul with a neighboring elderly home, where time seems to stand still between the white barren walls.

Mizrahi lets us in on the stories of unique individuals, both in the home and at the construction site—An elderly man, once a famous photographer, who struggles to see through the viewfinder and uses a magnifying glass to see the buttons. Two men who ride the rest home elevator as a pastime, preventing other elderly people from using it. A construction worker who is low on the totem pole and trying to support a family. An irreverent man in his 70s who recalls Parisian sex parties, reads erotic literature aloud and tries to persuade Mizrahi to marry him.

Despite the monumental age differences and polaropposite settings, similarities between the characters featured are highlighted, lending to the notion that some things are constant no matter what stage of life

a person is in.

Mizrahi also came back to the same characters throughout the film, allowing viewers to build a connection with them, notice their distinctive tics and watch their stories unfold.

In the rest home, I felt like a “fly on the wall” at many times, quietly watching the interactions, many of which hilarious, between the elderly individuals.

Mizrahi only listened, allowing them to speak freely to her or one another and for as long as they wished.

This created a strong sense of candidness in the film’s content. Similarly in the construction site, filming took place from a point outside the action, like at the back of an elevator behind the workers or to the side of the table where they ate lunch and conversed, allowing the exchanges and “events” to occur naturally, as if no one was watching.

My favorite element of the film was Mizrahi’s cinematography, which I found appealing in a “less is more” manner. Lengthy still shots allowed viewers to take time to closely observe a scene, noting the smallest details of a setting and the minute features and mannerisms of the characters in the frame.

Zoomed-out views of the entire construction scene created moments of detachment and distance, and drastically zoomed-in shots of a character’s faces allowed viewers to see them in the most intimate way as they told a story.

Natural light (or lack thereof, at times) was also emphasized throughout the documentary. This added to the tone and mood of the content, creating a visual

COURTESY OF TRUE/FALSE FILM FEST

effect synonymous with the tone and mood of each moment.

I would have liked to learn more about the characters’ biographies, because I was left with unanswered questions about each of them. However, Mizrahi said her intentions behind the film were to prompt curiosity and reflection without any political agenda attached. The unfinished product I saw at True/False did exactly that. Thankfully, she is considering creating a website with profile of each featured person, to answer those questions spawned from the film.

With Distant Constellation, Mizrahi proved that a film doesn’t have to have an activist message to be communicative, profound and thought-provoking.

MOVE gives Distant Constellation 4 out of 5 stars.

‘Rat Film’ is about something more profound than just rats CASSIE ALLEN Associate Editor

Rats in Baltimore have a dilemma.

“Norwegian rats can jump 32 inches high,” according to a voiceover in Rat Film. “Baltimore trash cans are 34.”

The idea for the essay documentary came from director Theo Anthony’s “haunting” cell phone video of a rat he heard trying to escape a trash can after he came home one night. From there, Anthony decided to take on the filming of Rat Film.

The futuristic documentary, shown at True/False Film Festival, explores the stark contrast between rats as pets and rats as vermin. Anthony branches from that to compare the high population of rats, the historical context of city planning and the separation in the city. The film also ends with a chilling

message: Even if we started over, the same thing would happen.

Rat Film successfully made the audience think about rats, but more than that, it made viewers think about the way the citizens of Baltimore were trapped in “red zones” that almost always meant poverty, higher arrest rates and lower life expectancy.

Anthony said in the post-screening discussion that he spent two months in a cabin in New York editing the film.

Instead of going back home to Maryland to get extra footage, Anthony stayed in his cabin and decided to explore Google Maps for a picture of the city. In the final cut, he decided to include this footage to show the people of Baltimore stopped in the middle of their lives.

These clips are featured prominently in Rat Film, aiding voice actress Maureen Jones’ intentionally cold voice in

Jesse and Forever, a three-man band consisting of an accordion, saxophone and a bass drum, traveled from Brooklyn to participate in True/False for the first time.

JESSI DODGE | PHOTO EDITOR

creating a dystopian feel throughout the whole film. The chilling voiceover lacks empathy which contrasts with the persona of one of the central figures of the film, Harold Edmond.

Edmond is a member of the Rat Rubout team in Baltimore. He cares passionately about the people who live in his district and works to please his inhabitants. His charming personality is artfully paired with the reality of his job.

When it comes to the actual rat footage in this film, I was expecting to be grossed out. In reality, I was pleasantly surprised that all the live rats in the film were quite clean, as is their nature.

By the end of it, I was actually feeling pretty protective of these creatures from the streets of Baltimore.

I was also amazed at what Anthony told viewers in the post-movie discussion.

The entire editing structure of the film

was based on the pops that can be heard often throughout the documentary.

Those pops? The sound of a rat’s brain waves.

So much of the documentary left me in awe of how Anthony found this extensive rat subculture and then connected it to a virtual reality game and the work of scientists about the planning of Baltimore. The glitches in the game, the hopeless people in society and the rats are all molded into one film.

This film was truly a pleasure to watch, and despite my wariness about the rats, it was a moving documentary.

The words of the director sum it up best: “I’m making a movie about rats … but not,” Anthony said.

Anthony is now working on a documentary called The Body Builder.

MOVE gives Rat Film 5 out of 5 stars.

The parade brought costumes and outfits of all patterns, colors, and materials, like full balloon skirts passed from two marches on to children after the conclusion of the event. LANE BURDETTE | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

SPORTS

Online this week: Continuing coverage of Mizzou baseball’s streak, the softball game against Illinois, and men’s basketball at the SEC Tournament.

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BASEBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Missouri baseball enjoying hot start

Out with the old...

GARRETT JONES Staff Writer

...in with the new

Coach Kim Anderson. PHOTO BY EMIL LIPPE

Mizzou could go in several different directions with its next coaching hire.

ELI LEDERMAN Sports Editor

As Missouri students cram into Ellis Library to prepare for midterm exams (or for tornado drills), first-year athletics director Jim Sterk is now faced with his first real test just nine months after arriving at Mizzou. After asking men’s basketball coach Kim Anderson to step down at season’s end, the athletics department is now left to search for its fourth head basketball coach in seven years and finds itself at a crucial juncture.

The next men’s basketball coach will likely come to define the next

half decade, or possibly more, of Missouri men’s basketball.

Should this coach be a success, the team could find itself once again competing on the national landscape within the next three to five years. But if things go the opposite way and the new hire is a flop, the men’s basketball program will sink even further into the abyss.

So who will that next hire be?

You can find some real long “short” lists anywhere from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to the Kansas City Star to the Columbia Missourian. All of that is at best some really in-depth, really impressive speculation. But that’s all it is. No one in the media knows who Missouri will target, how much money they are looking to spend or how long it will take Sterk to make a decision.

A question that can be somewhat answered is what type of coach

Missouri basketball might find itself ultimately hiring. Among the coaches whose names are being thrown around, there is a vast variety of coaching backgrounds, experience and name recognition.

So which archetype will we see Missouri most likely end up with?

(By the way, the following is basically just as speculative as those shortlists are and is based almost solely on names being put out there by the media and fans.

We likely won’t know anything until the athletics department begins contacting and interviewing candidates. With that said, enjoy 1,200 words on the subject.)

The big-name, big-money hire When a job opens up at a Power Five school (yes, Missouri basketball is still Power Five …

Hire | Page 13

Missouri baseball is turning heads with its hot start to the 2017 season. Taylor Stadium was buzzing over the weekend as Tigers fans came out in full force for opening weekend, rooting Missouri on to a series sweep over Illinois-Chicago. The team’s win over Western Carolina on Tuesday night extended its win streak to 11 games.

On Monday, the team’s achievements received national recognition. In the March 6 edition of the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division I Poll, an independent baseball website that releases a weekly ranking of its top 30 teams, the Tigers came in at No. 26. Despite not being ranked in USA Today’s top-25 baseball poll, the Tigers took a big step, earning the 35th-most votes on the week.

After a season-opening loss on Feb. 17 to Eastern Michigan, the Tigers have ripped off 11 consecutive wins en route to a programrecord-tying 11-1 start to the season.

The Tigers’ offense has been producing at an incredibly high clip, leading the Southeastern Conference in doubles and batting, ranking second in slugging percentage and on-base percentage and third in total bases. Mizzou’s team on-base plus slugging after 12 games is .950, with a team batting average of .344, the second-best mark in the conference.

The statistics are impressive, but what really has put the Tigers in a position to win so often in the early part of this season is a non-empirical measure — their ability to perform under pressure and to win in close games. They are 6-0 in games decided by

Hot | Page 13

Mizzou baseball gathers around home plate to celebrate a home run against UIC on Sunday.

EMIL LIPPE | SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

No. 25 Missouri women’s basketball ready for NCAA Tournament LANGSTON NEWSOME Staff Writer

Despite falling to No. 6 Texas A&M 62-48 in disappointing fashion in the team’s first game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, the outlook is still positive for Missouri women’s basketball. The 2016-17 regular season was strong for the Tigers, and they are still poised to make a run in the NCAA Tournament, which begins March 17.

The Tigers made huge strides this

season, legitimizing themselves as a powerhouse in the SEC with multiple victories over ranked opponents and 11 conference wins.

The team finished the regular season ranked No. 23 in the nation, with a 21-10 record and just five conference losses. Given the injuries the Tigers sustained to begin the season, their success is even more impressive. Senior Jordan Frericks and junior Bri Porter both suffered season-ending ACL injuries before the Tigers’ first game. With the injuries,

Mizzou lost its leader in rebounds over the last three years in Frericks and a key bench player in Porter.

Sophomore Cierra Porter, who now wears her sister Bri Porter’s number as a show of support, helped fill the void. She leads the team in rebounds (eight per game) and blocks (43) and is second in points (13.3 per game) while shooting 46 percent from the field.

Sophomore Sophie Cunningham’s game also continued to grow, as she built off a strong freshman season in

which she was named SEC Freshman of the Year. She stepped her game up even further in her sophomore season, leading the team in points per game (17.7 points) and field goal percentage (48 percent) on her way to a first-team all-SEC selection.

She finished the regular season with 10 20-point performances along with three 30-point games. Her highest point total came on Feb. 23, when Cunningham exploded for 32

NCAA | Page 13

Tucker peaking at perfect time for Missouri gymnastics

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Championships and potentially an NCAA Championships appearance at the regional or national level.

“Our goal as a team would be to make it to the NCAAs,” Tucker said. “Individually, I just want to keep progressing so that I can help my other teammates progress too, so that we keep getting better.”

It seems inevitable that Tucker will soon be filling a leadership role. She is confident in her ability to perform and is already looking to assist teammates.

Welker said he notices that the gymnasts he coaches tend to get even more comfortable in their second year.

“I think she can be one of the best in the country,” Welker said.

“She’s already pushing that as a freshman. I think she’s as good as nearly any freshman in the country right now or close to it.

I think as the years come, she’ll be as good as anybody in the country.”

It is now up to her to stick the landing.

Edited by Eli Lederman elederman@themaneater.com

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The team that surrounds Tucker is close-knit. Within the team, she gravitates toward juniors Kennedi Harris and Tia Allbritten as well as sophomore Xarria Lewis when in need of support or a little advice.

“If I’m frustrated or something, they will come talk to me and get me out of my little funk that I’m going through, so I can keep going with the day,” Tucker said.

During meets, the four interact with each other, offering up words of wisdom or simply their presence to ease any anxiety or nerves.

“There are a lot of times where I’ll have Xarria stand in a certain corner on the floor because I’m used to seeing her, so it will give me a little boost of energy before that last pass,” Tucker said. “Or Ken [Harris] will come give me pep talks before an event. Tia stands next to me on bars so that I can see her in my line of vision.”

The Tigers finish out regular season competition Friday at home against Kentucky. It will be one more chance for Tucker to improve before the SEC

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Freshman Aspen Tucker completes a part of her mount onto the balance beam during Mizzou’s home exhibition on Dec. 10, 2016, at Hearnes Center.

JULIA HANSEN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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specific area Tucker made huge gains in: her presentation.

“Aspen is not super outgoing by nature; she was always shy,” Curtis said. “When she was really little, her routines always looked like she wanted to run. She really overcame that later.”

Welker said it is common for gymnasts to struggle with their presentation when they first arrive at college.

“You know it’s a big change,” Welker said. “I think the performance value is a little bit different going from high school or club level to the collegiate level. I don’t think she’s any different than anybody else, but it’s something we’ve definitely worked on, and it’s definitely improved with her too.”

Tucker was just awarded SEC Freshman of the Week for gymnastics, and is raising her game to a new level when it’s needed most, something her coach has noticed before.

“Aspen has a knack for kind of upping her game a bit when it’s time to go,” Welker said. “You have to have the combination of talent and ability to compete.

She’s got talent, she works hard, and she brings it when it’s time to bring it.”

Outside of a hectic first month, when she was trying to figure out how everything worked between being a freshman and being on the team, it’s been a smooth transition to college for Tucker.

However, Tucker said she noticed the different dynamics of a college team.

“I’d say the biggest difference is that in club, it was more individualized, and you were there for yourself,” Tucker said.

“But now you have a team that has your back that’s always going to be there, even if you make the little mistakes.”

For athletes, considering the amount of time spent together at practices, competitions and classes, the team might as well be family.

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Freshman Aspen Tucker started the meet on bars, looking to lead the Missouri Tigers to a hot start. It was the GymQuarters Invitational on Feb. 17, and the team was competing against three top-10 teams, including No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 LSU. Tucker was cruising through her routine until she lost her grip and fell. She had posted her lowest score of the season on any event to start the meet.

She shook it off and nailed her vault routine, setting a career high.

Tucker exudes calm and poise, not letting the magnitude of a situation get to her. She is engaged but not revealing. The highs and lows come, but Tucker remains unfazed. On to the next routine, the next opportunity.

“I think that’s the beauty of what she does when she competes,” coach Shannon Welker said. “She’s pretty evenkeel. That’s how she is in practice; that’s how she is in the meet.”

But at the beginning of the season, Tucker wasn’t so evenkeel. She wasn’t certain if she could contribute right away to a solid Missouri team looking to make it to the NCAA Championships.

“At first it was a little scary because I knew I had the ability, but I wasn’t so confident in myself as everybody else was,” Tucker said.

That changed quickly. All it took was the Tigers’ first meet of the season against Ball State and No. 24 Illinois for those unconvinced feelings to wash away. Tucker competed in all four events, and as the allaround. She was solid in her collegiate debut, finishing third on floor and taking home the win as an all-around.

“After the first meet, I was more confident in myself and actually started to believe why

everybody was so confident in me,” Tucker said. “I started to settle down.”

Tucker has steadily progressed over the course of the season and is peaking at the perfect time.

During the past three weeks, she has posted career highs on vault, bars and floor.

During that time the team has posted season-high scores in three consecutive weeks, culminating Friday when the team posted the third-highest score in program history against Auburn.

Tucker has been instrumental to the Tigers’ success this season, competing in all four events in all but one of Missouri’s meets.

Tucker said routines mostly come natural to her, but during big moments in competitions, she focuses on the technical aspects of her routine, rather than the overall product. Technique, after all, can make or break a routine.

“I’ve mainly improved on the little things on floor, my landings and where I am stepping,” Tucker said after Friday’s meet.

“And my jump series on beam, because I’ve been struggling with that throughout the week. The little improvements are making the biggest difference.”

Tucker has made these strides by putting in the work. More reps in practice lead to better results on the floor. But Tucker also has something else working in her favor: She’s a fast learner.

Cathi Curtis said that Tucker has always picked up new skills quickly. Curtis coached Tucker at Coast Elite Gymnastics from when Tucker was 3 until she graduated high school and left Lehigh Acres, Florida, for Missouri.

“She was always super talented, loved doing new skills, really loved learning new tricks,” Curtis said. “You could show her something, other kids would take a year to get it and she could do it 10 times and have it.”

Curtis witnessed Tucker evolve as a gymnast and remembers one

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Staff Writer

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DRU BERRY

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THE MANEATER | SPORTS | MARCH 8, 2017

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THE MANEATER | SPORTS | MARCH 8, 2017

Madness level in March to be determined by this week’s games If you are a fan of upsets and Cinderella stories come NCAA Tournament time, then you need to be cheering for the favorites until Selection Sunday.

COLE BOLLINGER Sports Columnist

Cole Bollinger writes about national sports for The Maneater.

When the NCAA men’s basketball tournament bracket gets released this Sunday, fans across the nation will be looking to find this year’s underdog that can make a Cinderella run. The unfortunate fact is that this year, there are going to be far less capable “giant killers” than usual.

It’s no one’s fault that they might not notice what is going on in the Mid-Major conference tournaments.

When you’re passing over the scores at the end of the day, is there really that big of a difference between Milwaukee and Valparaiso? It may not seem like it, but yes, there is.

Valparaiso has beaten Alabama and Rhode Island, while Milwaukee has struggled to get to 10 wins this season. There is a difference, and

the better team lost in the Horizon League Quarterfinals up in Detroit.

The Horizon League has had the most drama of any of the tournaments last week, with the tournament’s top-three seeds all losing in the quarterfinals. Their best hope for a good representative is No. 4 Northern Kentucky. As a native Kentuckian, I hope the Norse do well, but them winning the Horizon League weakens the NCAA Tournament.

These upsets in the lower conference tournaments are going to have a domino effect on seeding.

Along with the Horizon League, the Ohio Valley, Metro Atlantic Athletic, Southern and Summit conferences have all already lost their No. 1 seeds. That means at the least five conferences will not be sending their best representative to the NCAA Tournament. That’s a problem.

These conference tournament upsets are affecting the chances that any top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament will get upset in the first round all together since teams that originally were not supposed to be in the bracket are going to be 16 and 15 seeds, and teams that were going to be in those slots will be moved up to 14 and 13 seeds.

Now, will there be upsets this year? I’m sure there will be a few, and you can put your hopes in North Carolina-Wilmington, Florida Gulf Coast and other conference top seeds that have managed to avoid upsets in their conference tournaments. Those

Kentucky freshman forward Edrice Adebayo, 3, scores two with a dunk during the Mizzou home game on Feb. 21, 2017. Kentucky pulled ahead in the second half to win 72–62 over the Tigers. EMIL LIPPE | SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER teams can still pull off some upsets in the tournament, but if the rest of the best teams in Mid-Major conference tournaments don’t start winning, the underdogs will be weak this year.

If you are a fan of upsets and Cinderella stories come NCAA Tournament time, then you need to be cheering for the favorites until Selection Sunday. Become a Mount St. Mary’s, Texas Southern, Texas-

Arlington and Vermont fan. I know some of you are still recovering from the homecoming football loss, but dust off your favorite Middle Tennessee hat and rep the Blue Raiders this week. You will be glad you did when one of them pulls off an upset in March Madness.

Your Cinderellas are in trouble, March Madness fans.

Cheer responsibly.

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THE MANEATER | SPORTS | MARCH 8, 2017

HIRE

Continued from page 10

barely), it’s natural to wonder about which big-time coaches are available or are on the brink of departing from their current situation — either by force, or by choice.

One such name is Indiana head coach Tom Crean. After nine years at IU, things have sourced for Crean in Bloomington, and according to Yahoo Sports’ Pat Forde, his future at IU is “currently unclear.” He’s just a few years removed from being one of the most coveted names in college basketball, but after several disappointing NCAA tournament exits and a down year in 2016-17, Hoosier fans have turned on Crean, and his time at Indiana may be done.

Crean is not the only coach being discussed. Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall is another big name being speculated about.

Missouri was unable to lure Marshall away from Wichita State prior to hiring Kim Anderson in 2013, and there isn’t much that has changed to suggest that Marshall would be more open to leaving the Shockers now. Tempting Marshall would likely take something of a Godfather offer with significant years and money, and even that might not cut it.

Verdict: A big-name hire along the lines of Crean would be an encouraging next step for Missouri basketball.

But along with a large price tag, he would also bring with him outsized expectations. Missouri is not going to

NCAA

Continued from page 10

points against Ole Miss. Cunningham is the only player to shoot over 80 percent from the free throw line and 45 percent from the field in the SEC this season.

Coach Robin Pingeton became the first Mizzou coach to win SEC Coach of the Year since 1990 for guiding her team through adversity this season. Pingeton led the Tigers to three wins over top-25 teams Kentucky, Texas A&M and South

be a two-year turnaround, and Tigers fans will likely have little patience for a coach making $3-5 million a year.

Throw in the general difficulty of prying a high-caliber coach away, and it’s difficult to imagine Missouri hiring a coach of this magnitude.

At the same time, the university has been able to raise an astounding amount of money for renovations to its football stadium, and if they are truly looking to make a splash with a big-name hire, they may be willing to do whatever it takes, or pay whatever they must, to get a coach like Crean to Columbia.

Overall, the buyouts and ballooning contracts of a big-name hire may scare Missouri away.

The assistant coach hire The idea of Missouri poaching an assistant coach from one of the nation’s top programs is an intriguing one. Northwestern’s Chris Collins and Marquette’s Steve Wojciechowski are two of the most recent examples of coaches who jumped from assistant positions to head coaching roles successfully. Both have produced impressive results, and each should be headed to the tournament with their teams this season.

Missouri could attempt to do something similar, but doing so does come with the risk of an unproven coach.

The consensus top option in terms of assistant coaches would be Kentucky’s Kenny Payne. While John Calipari is the face of Kentucky recruiting, Payne has been Calipari’s top assistant for the past eight years and is recognized Carolina. Dating back to the 201516 season, the Tigers have now won five straight home games versus top25 opponents.

The Tigers now wait for Selection Sunday on March 13, when they will find out their region and first-round opponent in the NCAA Tournament.

This is the team’s second consecutive tournament appearance and its second appearance in Pingeton’s five years at Mizzou. As the No. 25 team in the nation, Mizzou will likely find themselves somewhere around a No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the tournament.

Edited by Eli Lederman elederman@themaneater.com

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as one of the nation’s best recruiters.

As a key cog in Calipari’s staff, Payne has been heavily involved in bringing some of the nation’s top recruiting classes to Lexington. His coaching abilities, though, are somewhat less established, but Payne has served as an assistant for the past 13 years and may be ready to make the jump.

Cincinnati’s Larry Davis would be the dark horse assistant candidate, essentially making him the dark horse of dark horses. The associate head coach under Bearcats head coach Mick Cronin, Davis took over for the final 25 games of the 2015-16 season, when Cronin took a leave of absence due to a health issue. Davis led Cincinnati to a 16-9 record and became the first interim coach to take a team to the tournament since 1989. At age 60, he too could be ready to take over a program of his own.

Verdict: As promising as both Payne and Davis are, it’s likely that Sterk will prefer to bring in a proven head coach to turn the program around. Under different circumstances, an assistant might be a reasonable hire, but right now, Missouri requires stability that a first-time head coach cannot provide.

The young, Mid-Major hire The archetype that leaves the most to the imagination is a coach who has found success at a Mid-Major. And that may be a scary prospect for Tigers fans. There’s no telling how a coach who found success in a weaker, nonPower Five conference will fare once they arrive at a big-time program. But a young coach who has made a name for himself at Mid-Major may be just

HOT

Continued from page 10 two or fewer runs and 4-0 in onerun games. On Sunday, the Tigers exemplified their ability to produce under pressure, driving in five runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning and winning the game on a walk-off home run from freshman Kameron Misner.

“I think we’ve done some things that we should do when it comes to the record,” Bieser said after Mizzou’s

what Missouri needs.

One name to look at is Virginia Commonwealth University head coach Will Wade, who took over the Rams after Shaka Smart left the program for Texas. Wade has amassed a record of 49-18 in his two years leading VCU and possesses a 89-43 career coaching record. While he has continued to keep VCU’s program strong, Wade may be intrigued by the prospect of coaching on a larger stage.

Kevin Keatts, who won a national championship while on Rick Pitino’s staff at Louisville, is another strong MidMajor option. He has gone 72-27 in his three years at UNC-Wilmington with two NCAA Tournament appearances.

If interested, Missouri would likely have to compete heavily for Wade and Keatts with North Carolina State (among others), who will let coach Mark Gottfried go at the end of this season.

Verdict: Mid-Major coaches deal with recruiting disadvantages, lack of respect from the national media and a host of other issues. Sound like a certain team located in midMissouri that you’re familiar with?

It’s an oversimplification to say that a coach from a non-Power Five school could easily step into the mess that is Mizzou basketball just because they’re used to being at a disadvantage, but if the Tigers cannot land a big name, a coach like Wade or Keatts could be a strong hire. And if Sterk whiffs with Crean, a big time Mid-Major coach is likely the next place Mizzou will turn.

Edited by Katherine Stevenson kstevenson@themaneater.com 7-2 victory Friday. “I figured that if we are playing the game the way we are supposed to be playing it that we should have a solid record this time of the year.”

Mizzou baseball has parlayed some early-season strong play combined with a soft schedule into national attention. There’s a lot of good to talk about with this team, and with a favorable schedule ahead, the wins could continue to pile up. The question now is whether the Tigers will be able keep up their strong play once SEC play opens and opponents get tougher.

Edited by Eli Lederman elederman@themaneater.com

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THE MANEATER | SPORTS | MARCH 8, 2017

‘ROLE MODELS’ story by TITUS WU • photo by EMIL LIPPE

With women’s basketball’s regular season done and seniors about to leave, the team’s mentality and emotions have taken the Tigers a long way.

T

he Missouri women’s basketball team gathered around head coach Robin Pingeton for a short meeting during a late regular season practice. Pingeton laid out the pages of stats and talked briefly about the Southeastern Conference standings, the team’s future in the NCAA and other postseason games.

Then, she ripped all the papers to shreds, right in front of the team’s eyes.

“I said there would be no more discussion about it,” Pingeton said. “We’ll take it one day at a time and be the best we can be. Any time you get too far ahead of yourself, you start to play to not lose instead of playing to win.”

It’s that step-by-step, “blue-collar” approach that has propelled Mizzou to two five-game conference winning streaks for the first time in program history and several wins over ranked opponents, including a win over South Carolina that guaranteed Mizzou’s first winning record in SEC play. It’s the approach that helped them to finish third in the SEC. The Tigers accomplished all of this despite the loss of all-SEC forward Jordan Frericks, who went down in the preseason with a torn ACL. Frericks’ injury left an already undersized roster, relative to other SEC teams, even smaller. But the Tigers persevered.

“It’s a physical league, a big league, but I’m a big believer that rebounding comes down to who’s willing to put in the work and put on a hard hat,” Pingeton said.

Overcoming those obstacles, as Pingeton points out, was less of a physical challenge and more of a mental one. And for the seniors, as their last season at Mizzou comes to an end, it will be an emotional one, too.

THE LEGACY OF DOTY Senior guard Lianna Doty has a place in Missouri’s record books. She will finish out her college career with the second most assists in program history.

But for her teammates, she will be remembered as far more than a number.

“WHAT WE REALLY TALK ABOUT WITH THE KIDS IS THE ROLE MODELS WE WANT TO BE. I WANT THEM TO BE FEARLESS WHEN THEY TAKE THE COURT, I WANT THEM TO BE EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE, AND I WANT THEM TO PLAY PHYSICAL.” — COACH ROBIN PINGETON (PICTURED ABOVE) “She’s just an energy sparket,” sophomore forward Cierra Porter said. “You can tell she’s a killer and doesn’t take a day for granted. Part of it is her faith, and part of it is because of her injury.”

Doty was a standout early on in her college career, starting 23 games her freshman year and all 31 of the team’s games in her second year. She earned all-SEC Freshman Team honors.

But after two promising seasons, she missed the 2014-15 season due to a Lisfranc injury.

“It’s just one of those things that happens in sports, and it’s one of those things that are tremendous growing opportunities,” Doty said to the Columbia Daily Tribune at the time.

That try-hard dogmatic mentality continues to this day for Doty, her teammates said, and it has helped Doty get past the injury. Yet the mental approach to her game on the court has changed.

“She’s really embraced being the pass-first point guard,” Porter said.

That selflessness remains the same off the court, serving as a role model for the underclassmen and sharing her five years’ worth of experience at Mizzou.

“She makes a lot of good things happen for us,” Pingeton said.

TEAMMATES BEYOND GRADUATION The sister duo sophomore guard Sophie Cunningham and senior guard Lindsey Cunningham has always drawn crowds in Columbia. They’ve played together for the past two seasons at Mizzou, and before that, they were teammates at Rock Bridge High School.

The Cunninghams are known for their on-court chemistry, but that chemistry will soon leave the team as Lindsey nears graduation.

“It’s going to be different,” Lindsey said. “I knew in high school when we were not playing together that we had college together, but to know this will be the end of us playing together is tough.”

On the court, Lindsey the teammate helps boost Sophie’s stats sheet, but off the court, it’s Lindsey the sister who really helps Sophie.

“As good a player she is, she does come to me a lot,” Lindsey said. “But I’m still gonna be here for her to talk to. I’m still going to be able to watch her games and give her advice.”

Indeed, Doty noted how enduring relationships on the team are, and her plans after graduating are a testament to that endurance.

“I’m going to be in one of my [former] teammate’s wedding this summer,” Doty said.

“Those relationships are going to be something I have for a lifetime, and they impact my life.”

While Sophie may miss her sister on the court, “for someone to lean on and talk to, she still has that,” Lindsey said.

ROLE MODELS Sophie Cunningham’s stardom doesn’t just go one way, benefitting off her sister or other teammates. Her yelling, passion and aggression have helped fuel the team past the many mental struggles of this season.

“There’s not a lot of females that have that alpha trait,” Pingeton said. “She’s one of the most free-spirited, fun-loving kids that you can

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THE MANEATER | SPORTS | MARCH 8, 2017

Senior guard Lindsey Cunningham, 11, takes the court before the Tigers’ home game facing Arkansas. JULIA HANSEN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER be around and off the court. She’s just a fierce competitor. Everybody matches that intensity level.”

It’s not just Sophie, but the senior class as well.

While the seniors and Sophie produce a majority of the points, they help the team in motivation and inspiration as well.

“What we really talk about with the kids is the role models we want to be,” Pingeton said. “I want them to be fearless when they take the court, I want them to be extremely competitive, and I want to play physical.”

It is through this that Pingeton fosters a culture in the locker room that focuses on the present and trying one’s very best. And it is this culture that has helped propel Mizzou to where it is now and, more importantly, where it will be in the future. That future includes freshman guard Amber Smith. “[What] I’m going to miss most about the seniors [is] their aggressiveness,” Smith said.

“They’re not afraid to take chances. They may have three fouls, but they’re not afraid to step in to take that charge or get that defensive steal.”

A JOURNEY OF CONFIDENCE When Amber Smith found out she had won SEC Co-Freshman of the Year and all-SEC Freshman Team honors, she thought somebody had died.

Pingeton had called Smith on the phone one morning, in a stern voice. Then, her parents came in on the phone, with her mom, breaking down and crying.

“I was at study hall, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what did I do.’ I had no idea,” Smith said.

Then her father broke the news to her. “I froze. I gasped. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, thank god, Coach P thank you, thank you.”

Indeed, for a freshman who started just nine games, the honor was relatively unexpected. With this award, Smith follows in the steps of Doty and Sophie Cunningham, who have won in recent years. But more importantly, it adds confidence.

Coming in as a freshman, Smith had difficulty transitioning from high school to Division I basketball. The speed and conditioning was amped up, and in a new situation, Smith was reluctant to make any moves herself.

“I was trying to be the perfect player, but coach told me that nobody’s perfect, so I had to go out there and execute,” Smith said.

Slowly and surely, Smith began to assert herself on the court and had flashes of brilliant

ESPN’s women’s “bracketology” expert, Charlie Creme, currently projects Missouri to be a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. The official bracket will be announced next Monday at 7 p.m. on ESPN. performances in many games. But it was when conference play began that she became a much more aggressive player, Pingeton said.

Through this, Smith’s focus has shifted. “My biggest change is realizing how the mental part plays a bigger part then just going out there,” Smith said.

OUR TOWN, OUR TEAM Part of Pingeton’s mental approach for her squad includes the team aspect. When talking about Sophie, her SEC Coach of the Year award

and anything else, the idea of a team effort is always present.

“It’s a team award,” Pingeton said. “It really is. You think of the great players that you have, the great assistant coaches, our staff, the administration. … Certainly I can’t take the credit for it.”

Pingeton said part of the team includes the fans and the Columbia community as well.

“We took on the hashtag #ourtownourteam,” Pingeton said. “Some of our players take it really serious being role models for the youth of this community. We appreciate the support from this community. It’s been incredible.”

The Tigers will continue to carry this mentality with them into the NCAA Tournament, when teams are mentally and physically exhausted from all the games played during regular season. That’s when the fans are needed.

“This is a village, and certainly our fans are a part of that as well,” Pingeton said.

Edited by Eli Lederman elederman@themaneater.com

Senior guard Lianna Doty, 1, gets around her defender and looks to score against Ole Miss on Feb. 25, 2017.

EMIL LIPPE | SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER