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Mizzou in Review Volume 83, Issue 29 · May 3, 2017 · themaneater.com

MIZZOU IN REVIEW · 2016-17

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Inside this issue

Mizzou’s new faces you should know (pg. 3)

The top five disappointments of the year (pg. 4)

The year in photos (pg. 5)

The quotes and numbers that mattered this year (pg. 6)

The most influential students of the year (pg. 7)

The sports moments we’re still talking about (pg. 10)

Is J’den Cox the best Missouri athlete ever? (pg. 11)

Team of the year: How it all came together for volleyball (pg. 11)

The highs and lows of the year in five words SAM NELSON

Staff Writer

The university’s financial and enrollment woes continued, students protested for a number of social issues, a Tiger won an Olympic medal, and students contracted a childhood illness. Here are the top five words that describe this school year.

BUDGET

MARCH

ENROLLMENT

MUMPS

CHAMPIONSHIP

Mizzou’s budget took center stage this academic year, with cuts affecting programs across the university. In the fall, Ellis Library’s hours were reduced due to a lack of funding in the budget. The library was no longer open for 24 hours and reduced its staff by 18.

Gov. Eric Greitens cut MU’s budget for this semester by $20 million at the beginning of 2017, and the university is now determining how to make changes across each school and college.

The School of Medicine is facing the largest cut at $3.1 million.

This year, members of the Columbia community organized marches to make their voices heard on national issues. The day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, women took to the streets of Columbia and around the world to participate in the Women’s March. On Jan. 29, students and Columbia residents met at Peace Park to show their support for the Muslim community in the wake of Trump’s travel ban. They brought yellow flowers to the local mosque as a sign of friendship. And on April 22, community members gathered at the Columbia Courthouse plaza for the March for Science, protesting funding cuts to science programs across the nation.

Mizzou saw a large drop in enrollment this year, with a 21.1 percent decrease in incoming freshmen from fall 2015 to fall 2016. The School of Journalism saw the largest drop, with a 30.79 percent decrease in freshmen. This decline in enrollment contributed to a $36.3 million drop in tuition revenue. In early April, it was announced that Center, Responsibility and Discovery halls would be taken offline next year due to low enrollment in addition to McDavid, Schurz, Respect and Excellence.

Word of the mumps outbreak on campus spread almost as quickly as the disease itself in the fall.

Approximately 130 students were diagnosed with the disease over the course of the semester, even though all of them had their measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. MU recommended that all students receive a third MMR booster shot in order to protect themselves against the disease. Despite many students relying on the mumps outbreak to cancel exams, finals week went on as scheduled.

Wrestler J’den Cox won his third national championship in March, the only MU wrestler to do so. In March, cross-country runner Karissa Schweizer won her second national championship, this time in indoor track and field, and became the first female multi-sport national champion in Mizzou history.

The volleyball team won the Southeastern Conference tournament while both they and the women’s basketball team made national tournament appearances.

Volleyball made it to the Sweet 16, where the team lost to No. 2 Minnesota.

Women’s basketball lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament, but it had NCAA tournament wins in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history.

MIZZOU IN REVIEW · 2016-17 Fresh Faces

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Mizzou newcomers you should know

Mun Choi

New curators

Mun Choi, the 24th president of the UM System, began his term March 1, filling the spot left vacant

by Tim Wolfe after he resigned in fall 2015.

Choi has a diverse background in higher education, including an extensive academic history in engineering. He served as the dean of engineering at the University of Connecticut before becoming the provost of the university, and later the executive vice president for five years.

Choi began his term after Gov. Eric Greitens’ budget cuts left the system in financial distress.

“We cannot go through this process of having significant budget cuts and decreasing enrollment without having to make the tough decisions,” Choi said at a press conference at the start of his presidency.

— Grant Sharples, photo by Emil Lippe

The Board of Curators often seems like an omnipotent group of Wizard-of-Oz-esque overlords who make decisions behind an emerald curtain.

But who are the new men (and woman) behind this curtain?

This year, three MU graduates joined the board, bringing the membership to seven out of the usual nine total curators. With the advice and consent of the state senate, Gov. Eric Greitens appointed Darryl Chatman, Jamie Farmer (pictured) and Jeff Layman to the board this February. The new curators each have backgrounds in business or law.

The appointees, including Farmer, a woman, and Chatman, an African-American man, will add some diversity to the otherwise entirely white male board.

— Caroline Watkins, photo courtesy of governor’s office

Cuonzo Martin

Jim Sterk

Since his March hiring, Cuonzo Martin has been tasked with rebuilding a men’s basketball program that had a 27-68 record the last three seasons.

Martin is from East St. Louis and accepted the Missouri job, in part, to be closer to home. He joins Mizzou after head coaching stints at Missouri State, Tennessee and California.

Martin has improved every program he has coached. He went from 10th to first in the Missouri Valley Conference in just three seasons at MSU and guided Tennessee to the Sweet 16 in 2014. At Cal, Martin brought in top-ranked recruiting classes but never achieved postseason success.

Martin had a brief professional career in the NBA and Italy, but he was forced to retire after being diagnosed with cancer.

Although Martin has now left three different schools in a six-year period, he has stated his desire to remain at Mizzou for the long haul.

— Brendan Lavell, photo by Nick Kelly

When new athletics director Jim Sterk was hired in August 2016, interim Chancellor Hank Foley described him in a news release as “just what Mizzou needs at this time.” So far, that’s been true.

Before coming to Mizzou, Sterk was the athletics director at San Diego State for five seasons. During that time, SDSU earned 32 team conference championships. For his efforts, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics awarded Sterk the 2015-16 AD of the Year award.

The high point of Sterk’s tenure thus far is the hiring of men’s basketball coach Cuonzo Martin.

Sterk reportedly had his eyes on Martin as soon as the decision was made to move on from former coach Kim Anderson.

Sterk is also working to renovate Memorial Stadium. He has proposed a renovation of the stadium’s south end zone, worth $96.7 million. The renovations would be completed in summer 2019.

— Dru Berry, photo courtesy of Mizzou Athletics

The next chancellor The resignation of former Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin in November 2015 amid multiple student protests and administrative controversies has left MU without a permanent chancellor for over a year and a half.

Interim Chancellor Hank Foley, who once admitted interest in the position, will leave the role vacant again in May when he begins his new job as president of the New York Institute of Technology.

The nationwide search to find a permanent chancellor began in December 2016, and the search committee’s ideal candidate qualifications include interest and awareness in issues pertaining to diverse students, according to the position profile.

According to UM System President Mun Choi, the search will conclude in May. — Nancy Coleman, egg courtesy of Twitter

Michael Porter Jr.

When Michael Porter Jr. announced in March on Twitter that he was “coming home” and committing to the Missouri men’s basketball team for next fall, Mizzou erupted. The team that went 8-24 last year is revamped with a new coaching staff under head coach Cuonzo Martin and the nation’s top recruit.

Porter grew up in Columbia and will return for at least one season to play for Mizzou under his father, Michael Porter Sr., who was hired by the team this year as an assistant coach.

“The great thing about [former head coach Kim Anderson] is he’s had a great foundation,” Martin said in an interview with KTVI on April 3 when asked how quick of a turnaround the team could make to being competitive again. “Obviously, he didn’t get a lot of wins that you wanted, but I think the foundation is great. Everything is intact there. So I think for us … it can be a quick turnaround when you get the right guys on the basketball court.”

— Hannah Hoffmeister, photo courtesy of Porter’s Twitter

MIZZOU IN REVIEW · 2016-17

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Top five disappointments of the year From the police chief’s refusal to acknowledge racial profiling to the closing of Walmart Express, we’ve tallied up the top five disappointing moments of the year.

THE STATE KEEPS TAKING MONEY AWAY FROM MU’S BUDGET

MU’s financial woes have been a prevalent part of the news cycle all year, but after higher education took the brunt of Gov. Eric Greitens’ recent budget cuts and an already-low enrollment projection kept getting lower, it’s clear MU will be in a disappointingly bad spot when it comes to money this year.

MU campus leaders will be required to cut an additional $20 million from the university’s budget as part of the total $57 million in potential cuts that the UM System will need to make during the 2018 fiscal year. Although campus leaders are still creating a plan to address these cuts — which will be approved by system President Mun Choi and released to the public on June 2 — one thing is clear: Students and faculty will be hurt by the state’s habitual underfunding of higher education.

Students in higher-cost or higher-earning majors may end up paying more in tuition, and faculty and staff positions may be in jeopardy. In an email sent to students, faculty and staff last month, Choi said that non-tenure track faculty and staff positions may be subject to cuts in academic units that are deemed underperforming or that have low enrollment.

— Zia Kelly

at best, and none of the bonuses were documented in public compensation information. And on top of lacking both consistency and transparency, the auditor found the whole thing in potential violation of the state constitution.

The system has made some strides to make things right, with UM System President Mun Choi bringing the incentive payments to an end after the audit was released. But if this is how system administrators handle their own finances, we’re not sure how they’re going to move forward and handle running a university — much less four — in a state of financial crisis.

— Nancy Coleman Student Health Center PHOTO BY JULIA HANSEN

Columbia Police Department town hall meeting on racial profiling PHOTO BY EMILY NEVILS

POLICE CHIEF WOULDN’T ACKNOWLEDGE RACIAL PROFILING

Jesse Hall MANEATER FILE PHOTO

UM SYSTEM OFFICIALS TOOK INAPPROPRIATE BONUSES

It’s hard to pinpoint the most disheartening part of the UM System audit that was released in March.

It might have been the $1.2 million doled out in incentive payments to top administrators over several years. Maybe it was the approximately $407,000 spent in “excessive” vehicle allowances.

Perhaps it was the fact that former chancellor R. Bowen Loftin who resigned amid multiple scandals, was still given a salary thousands of dollars above what he should have reasonably made in his post-resignation administrative role.

Plus, he got a $100,000 retention payment — which he kept despite, you know, not retaining his position.

Even then, it wasn’t just the numbers, but the way the money was given out. The audit found no standardized system for giving administrators bonus payments. The goals to meet were basic job requirements, the process for deciding exactly how much each administrator earned was ambiguous

This year, Columbia Police Chief Ken Burton could not have ignored a larger elephant in the room.

Despite data showing black Columbia residents were three times more likely to be pulled over than white residents in 2015 — nearly double the statewide disparity — Burton repeatedly denied the significance of the evidence.

“I’ve got a stubborn streak in me, and when I looked at the data I said, ‘That’s not enough data for me,’” Burton said during a Jan. 30 meeting at City Hall meant to address racial profiling. “I still believe that, and I think we need to look into it more.”

Public outrage initially began after a July 2016 city council meeting, when Burton flatly denied the existence of racial profiling in Columbia.

This statement caused several people to leave the meeting and sparked calls for Burton’s resignation.

Since then, Burton has responded by scheduling four town hall meetings to hear citizens’ concerns and by instituting a consent to search policy, which requires written consent before officers can search a person’s vehicle.

But Burton still couldn’t bring himself to do what the community asked: acknowledge the proof.

— Sam Forbes

STUDENT HEALTH CENTER DROPPED DOCTOR’S VISITS FROM PREPAID FEE

Starting July 1, seeking medical attention on campus will become more of a burden. The Student Health Center is decreasing how much the prepaid

health fee actually pre-pays for, so students will soon have to pay for consultations with health care providers.

As the health center’s website says, with these changes to the pre-paid fee, “your insurance card will be your best friend.” But there are a few key issues with that.

First, not all students’ health care plans are absolute, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Affordable Care Act. Second, some people just don’t have health insurance in the first place, and medical bills are often expensive, especially for students juggling the costs of being enrolled at a university. Slashing the coverage of the pre-paid student health fee might leave students sick of paying medical bills, or sick after they avoid spending money on essential medical treatment.

— Anna Sirianni

Walmart Express MANEATER FILE PHOTO

WALMART EXPRESS’ CLOSING LEFT STUDENTS ON CAMPUS HUNGRY

Walmart Express’ closing on South Ninth Street this past October drew grumblings from local residents — stomach grumblings, that is.

Now, students looking for groceries have either had to pay up at premium outlets like Lucky’s Market or find a ride to cheaper, farther-away stores, like regular-sized Walmarts.

The store’s closing compounded a growing problem in Columbia. As an urban area relatively lacking in affordable, accessible fresh food options, the city earned the distinction of “food desert” by the USDA. — Andrew Withers

MIZZOU IN REVIEW · 2016-17

EDM artist Datsik performs at The Blue Note on Feb. 15. Datsik, known to his family as Troy Beetles, had previously performed at Coachella.

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The Missouri baseball team gathers at home plate to celebrate a home run against UIC on March 5.

The win against UIC was one of the games during the 20game win streak early in the season.

PHOTO BY

DETTE BUR ANE L Y OB OT PH

Veteran Robert Wilson stands across the street from the Islamic Center as community members rally in response to Trump’s travel ban order Jan. 28. “What I’m seeing right now is a lot of racism and fascism coming back into our country, and I want to fight against it,” Wilson said.

PHO TO BY

Andy Hoffmann and Tony Hayeslip face off in the first fight of the Kickboxing for Babies charity event March 17. Hayeslip ended up winning. The event was hosted by Phi Gamma Delta to raise money and awareness for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the MU Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

THE YEAR IN PHOTOS MA D DIE DA VI S

MAD DIE DA VIS

E LIPP MIL YE B O OT PH

MIZZOU IN REVIEW · 2016-17

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The quotes and numbers that defined the year

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14.3

Center, Discovery, McDavid, residence halls closed Responsibility and next year Schurz halls joined Excellence and Respect for a total of seven buildings taken offline for the 2017-18 school year. Sixteen halls will be open next year, including one new hall.

percent

potential loss when using CDS’ Tiger Plan

“I’ve got a stubborn streak in me, and when I looked at the data I said, ‘That’s not enough data for me.’”

A Columbia Police Department town hall meeting in January ended with Chief Burton rejecting that racial profiling exists within his force. This contradicted CPD data from 2015 that found black people were three times more likely than white people to be stopped by police yet less likely to be found in possession of contraband.

— Police Chief Ken Burton

The Tiger Plan, the off-campus dining plan unveiled last fall, gives users discounts between 20 and 63 percent at all CDS locations.

However, these discounts do not apply to the base cost of the plan, which means the user often doesn’t save money. If spent exclusively at a la carte locations, which have a 50 percent discount, an $800 plan is actually worth $700, a 14.3 percent loss.

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Ajay Vinze started Jan. 1 as the dean new deans hired of the business school, since January J. Sanford Rikoon began March 9 as the dean of the College of Human Environmental Sciences, and Lyrissa Barnett Lidsky will start as the dean of the School of Law on July 1. The College of Arts and Science and College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources are still searching for permanent deans.

$2.3

J’den Cox won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He also won his third national championship this year.

“Am i what you fear?”

— A sign worn by Junior Husain Agha the morning after President Trump’s Election

million

excessive compensation found in UM System audit That amount includes incentive payments to top administrators and “significant compensation” to former Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin. The audit, conducted by the state auditor, gave the UM System a “fair” rating, the second-lowest of four ratings.

— A letter to tori schafer about her post-election resilience

— Cathy Cox, Mother of J’Den

$19.82

million

“hearing this made her feel ‘like women could never really lose.’”

“To Me, bronze feels like gold”

“It is often said that history repeats itself, but the ignorance that occurs on the University of Missouri’s campus always seems to be too familiar.”

— LBC’s response to a september instance of racism on campus

A student’s grandparent wrote to Schafer after her MSA electoral defeat to relay the impact Schafer had on the student, who said that Schafer’s message saved her life. The grandparent wrote they would start a scholarship named after Schafer’s campaign.

Agha wore the sign in Speakers Circle, where he received only positive feedback, he said. Agha was raised Muslim in small-town Kansas, where he experienced hate that he said spawned from fear.

cuts to MU budget from Missouri legislature

The Missouri Legislature voted Jan. 16 to cut four line-item restrictions from the state budget, resulting in a $19.82 million reduction of MU’s budget for spring 2017. Administrators have until June 30 to determine where the cuts will occur.

Members of the LBC Activities Committee were called a racial slur Sept. 27, almost exactly one year after multiple similar incidents sparked campus protests about racism.

Graphic by George Roberson Compiled by Anna Sirianni and Katherine Stevenson

THE MANEATER

MOVE’s concert wrap-up (pg. 9)

MAY 3, 2017 • THEMANEATER.COM

The Briefing KATHERINE STEVENSON, ZIA KELLY News Editors

UM Board of Curators discussed tuition rise, facility renovations at meeting last week

Tuition may be increasing by 2.1 percent for both in-state and out-of-state students for the 201718 school year, according to the agenda presented at the April 27 and 28 curator meeting. The final vote was tabled until after the Missouri legislature passes the final 2018 fiscal year budget, which is set to happen later this month.

Additionally, per credit hour fees are proposed to rise for students in the College of Engineering, College of Business and the College of Arts and Science.

At the meeting, the curators discussed transitioning the four campuses to a differential tuition system, which would set higher tuition rates for higher cost and higher earning majors. The curators said more discussion about the possibility would take place at their September meeting.

The curators also began discussion about facility overhauls at all four campuses, including a new building for the MU School of Music and total renovations of facilities in Waters, Mumford, Whitten, Stanley and Lefevre halls.

Though the curators began discussing possibilities for capital funding, they will not request funds from the state for any of these projects until the 2019 fiscal year.

International enrollment applications affected by political climate, U.S. economic conditions

International graduate student enrollment was down 16 percent as of March 15, according to the director of graduate admissions and student services. More than two-thirds of international students at MU are graduate students; the drop in enrollment is the first since 2006 and may affect the competitiveness of MU as a land-grant research university.

The drop in enrollment does not mean a drop in international student population because there

BRIEF | Page 5

INTERIM CHANCELLOR

Provost Garnett Stokes to replace Hank Foley as interim chancellor

Stokes will serve as interim chancellor until a permanent chancellor is hired.

CLARE ROTH Staff Writer

UM System President Mun Choi announced Garnett Stokes as the new interim chancellor in an email to students, staff and faculty Tuesday. Stokes will replace interim chancellor Hank Foley and will begin her term May 3.

Stokes, former executive vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost, joined the MU staff in February 2015. In her time as provost, she has hired eight of the 13 deans on campus, according to Choi’s email. The Office of Civil Rights and Title IX was also established under her direction.

“I look forward to working closely with President Choi as we prepare the campus for a new chancellor,” Stokes said. “We have several important issues to tackle in the coming months, including final budget decisions, programmatic reviews and preparation for our incoming freshman class.”

Stokes will be replacing Foley, who was appointed interim chancellor in November 2015 following the resignation of R. Bowen Loftin, who stepped down after receiving criticism for responses to protests put on by social justice groups on campus.

Interim Chancellor Garnett Stokes MANEATER FILE PHOTO

Foley, who previously expressed interest in serving as chancellor permanently, announced in March that he will be leaving MU to become the president of the New York Institute of Technology. His term will begin June 1.

Additionally, Gary Ward was appointed as the interim vice chancellor for student affairs, though he will also serve in his current position as the vice chancellor of operations. Ward will begin his term in the new position May 8. “[Ward] will work closely with senior university leaders and external specialists to reimagine the comprehensive student experience for the best living and learning

outcomes, with an emphasis on developing student-first principles,” Choi said in this morning’s email.

Ward will be replacing Cathy Scroggs, who is retiring this year after 32 years at MU; she has served in the vice chancellor position since 2003. Scroggs will remain a special advisor to Choi until her July 2017 retirement.

“I’m honored to be able to work with a group that has a history of loving and serving students,” Ward said. “We have an opportunity to review the Division of Student Affairs and be at the forefront of student success in the United States.”

Edited by Zia Kelly zkelly@themaneater.com

BOARD OF CURATORS

Curators stall in naming residence hall after Lucile Bluford Bluford, who was repeatedly denied admission to MU because of her race, would be the first black woman on campus to have a residence hall named after her.

SAM FORBES Staff Writer

Despite a request from the Residence Halls Association to name the newest residence hall after black journalist Lucile Bluford, the UM Board of Curators has not moved on the issue.

Last year, RHA representatives voted on the name and sent their proposal to the board for

The unnamed hall is opening this fall for new students. LANE BURDETTE | VISUALS DIRECTOR

consideration. However, the proposal was suddenly removed from the curators’ agenda in July and has not seen progress since.

UM System spokesman John Fougere attributed the delay to recent vacancies on the board.

“While there is no timetable for the board to take this issue up at this time, it remains under consideration,” Fougere said in an email. “As you know, the board has a variety of

HALL | Page 5

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THE MANEATER | NEWS | MAY 3, 2017 PHOTO BY JESSI DODGE, PHOTO EDITOR

TORI SCHAFER DEFINES HERSELF AND EMPOWERS OTHERS A long-time horseback rider, Schafer is reacting to the biggest loss of her life by getting back in the saddle.

Kyle LaHucik • News Editor

I

n a March 2017 student government election that many observers thought mirrored the 2016 U.S. presidential election, MSA presidential candidate Tori Schafer was compared to Hillary Clinton. For “being a part of the establishment.”

For supposedly being a Democrat.

For being a woman.

She lost the election, another reason people compared her to Clinton, but Schafer hasn’t halted the progress of her campus initiatives.

She knows how to tackle anything — years of playing football have gotten her used to breaking barriers. And she has the horsepower to move forward — a decade of equestrian experience taught her poise and strength.

A junior political science student, Schafer is no longer searching for her place on campus, but she’s not yet ready to leave MU in the past.

She’s rediscovered her roots and is self-aware.

People can — and repeatedly do — say whatever they believe about her, but Schafer no longer describes herself as others do.

Ohioan-turned-Tiger Schafer grew up in a Sylvania, Ohio, home with parents of politically opposite mindsets.

Her mother, who taught special education and is now a reading intervention specialist, is a Democrat, and her father, who is a barber and owns a small business, is conservative.

“In my family, we didn’t grow up talking about politics; we screamed about politics,” Schafer said. “[My parents] love talking about politics because they want to influence my brothers and I to whatever side they see fit. That really helped me growing up to see both sides of the argument, to see both sides of the

decision.”

Her father, whom Schafer says encourages her to shoot for the moon, was the driving force in her decision to attend MU and study politics. When she and her two brothers were younger, her father was the one who would play catch with them on the baseball fields near their home.

She also played lacrosse and football, a sport that she played

Schafer left her small town in Ohio to attend the University of Missouri, where she knew no one. But the Ohioan-turned-Tiger quickly built a Missouri family.

‘This is the place’ Schafer didn’t even know about MU until a friend’s dad, who was a former Missouri football player, said she should check it out.

“TORI FRESHMAN YEAR WAS MORE QUIET. NOT TOO QUIET, BUT SHE WAS MORE IN A SHELL AND MORE OBSERVANT. I THINK IT’S MORE OF WHAT SHE DOES. QUIET AT FIRST, ANALYZING THE SITUATION, WATCHING INTERACTIONS, GAUGING THE ENVIRONMENT AND THEN VOICING HER THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS.” - SEAN EARL, FORMER MSA PRESIDENT until high school, when she decided to pick up cheerleading as a way to stay close to the sport she loves.

Her mother, whom Schafer says keeps her grounded, was the driving force in her decision to take up horseback riding in kindergarten.

Her mother, the first in her family to attend college, also inspired Schafer to stay educated.

Schafer delved into theatre in middle school and high school, going to state her junior and senior years. She wrote songs and poems as a kid, and although she never sang them aloud, she said her parents encouraged her to keep writing. She continues to journal nearly every day.

Walking past the Columns on a campus tour in spring 2014, Schafer’s father looked over at her and said, “This is the place.”

Three years later, Schafer is one of the most visible students on campus. For that to happen, she would have to find her place and her voice at MU. “Tori freshman year was more quiet,” said former MSA President Sean Earl, a good friend of Schafer’s since freshman year. “Not too quiet, but she was more in a shell and more observant. I think it’s more of what she does. Quiet at first, analyzing the situation, watching interactions, gauging the environment and then voicing her

thoughts or opinions.”

In her first month on campus, Schafer joined the Missouri Students Association, became a programming coordinator for the Residence Halls Association and found her biggest role models and supporters after joining the Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

When she returned to campus for her sophomore year, Schafer got involved in ROTC for a short time.

She truly began honing her voice after campus protests in fall 2015, when she realized she wanted to pursue activism. She continued her involvement in MSA, pursuing initiatives such as an international student flag display, more free textbooks in the form of open educational resources and a library fee that, had it not failed, would have transformed the libraries.

The protests from that fall brought MU into national spotlight, and a tumultuous November 2015 MSA presidential election set up Earl and Schafer to run in a special election the following semester.

They knew they were getting into a student government that was struggling.

Haden Gomez and Chris Hanner, the two students who were elected in last November’s election, were pressured to resign the night they were to assume their new roles as president and vice president.

Schafer remembers joking with Earl about running together on an MSA slate as juniors, but the special election gave them the opportunity to run toward the end of their sophomore year.

Earl and Schafer were in the room the night of the resignation in January 2016.

“Sean looks over at me and is like, ‘Are we going to do this?’”

Schafer said.

In the ensuing campaign, Schafer told The Maneater, “I think that having the ability to make peace with your voice is a powerful

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THE MANEATER | NEWS | MAY 3, 2017

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Schafer had reservations about running for MSA president herself.

But by December, because of the support of those around her, she said, she decided to go for it.

“It’s proven that it takes a woman about eight more times to be told she should run for this office position in order for her to run,” Schafer said.

Samantha Franks, who was the original director of the MU It’s On Us campaign to prevent campus sexual assault, has been a mentor to Schafer.

“Every day during the MSA election,” Schafer said, “she’d text me and be like, ‘You’re good enough, you’re amazing, you need to do this, you need to run for it,’ just having more and more people

On a typical day as MSA vice president, Schafer would wake up around 5 or 6 a.m. and go on a walk or run with her yellow lab, Tucker.

She’d get work done and then go to class, when she didn’t have other obligations to tackle. She’d drink plain black coffee –– because it’s cheaper –– and get through midday student government errands.

Some days, she’d work at her internship with a lobbying firm. Other days, she’d work shifts at the Student R e c r e a t i o n Complex.

After late-night meetings, and eating food at some point, she’d finally go to bed.

While Schafer’s typical day as MSA vice president was a full schedule, she made sure to carve out time for one of her most prominent initiatives — It’s On Us, a sexual assault awareness campaign.

She’s been working on It’s On Us since her sophomore year, when Franks left MU and handed her the reins. Now, post-election, she will continue to lead It’s On Us. The day after the election, Schafer was back to work. She discussed her broader vision in a letter she wrote to her “fellow Tigers.” She posted the letter to Facebook on Thursday,

“I’M A FIRM BELIEVER THAT YOUR BIGGEST LOSS IS THE START OF YOUR COMEBACK STORY, SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WRITING MY COMEBACK STORY.” -TORI SCHAFER

M

‘No, you should want to be president’

‘Women could never really lose’

M

and is not afraid to communicate that and represent that,” Earl said.

thing.”

Looking back, Schafer still believes that a person’s voice is powerful and critical when having difficult conversations.

“I believe I was speaking to the power of negotiation and being able to change someone's emotions with your words,” Schafer said. “I still agree that it's an incredible gift to have, especially when you're in a leadership [position] where you have to talk about hot button issues.”

Two months after they decided to run, Earl and Schafer were elected.

She could now use the voice she’d found while running as student body vice president to help lead a campus with heightened political, racial and cultural tensions.

In the last week of their term, in mid-April, Earl described the growth Schafer had made since freshman year as a leader on campus.

“Now it’s she goes in knowing what she thinks and how she feels

But she didn’t shut down.

Her running mate, junior Riley de León, praised Schafer’s resilience.

“She always approaches things with the idea that there’s a bigger goal, a bigger vision, there’s a bigger task to achieve,” de León said. “And I think that’s what makes her a leader, what makes her successful.”

M

Tori Schafer riding for one of the first times in kindergarten. PHOTO COURTESY OF TORI SCHAFER

validate me.”

In her last few months in office as vice president, Schafer created a women’s empowerment caucus within MSA. Though the caucus has since “died off,” it still played a role in Schafer’s advocacy role.

“It started out kind of as a joke because we were like, ‘Oh, we are the only girls here, infiltrating the boys’ club,’ which is the kind of slogan we’d use,” Schafer said.

“When a lot of girls were telling me, ‘I want to be just like you, I want to be vice president of MSA,’ I’m like, ‘No, you should want to be president.’”

The women’s empowerment caucus is an example of the way Schafer helped lead MSA. She focused on elevating the voices of others, even if she didn’t always agree with them.

Some people have said that she’s too similar to Hillary Clinton. Students assumed she was a Democrat.

An attempt to remain in the executive branch of MSA for a second year led some students to claim she was “part of the establishment.” Schafer said members at a fraternity house tried explaining the MSA budget — one that she had written — to her.

But those challenges didn’t deter Schafer, nor did the election, which Nathan Willett and Payton Englert won following the largest voter turnout in MSA history.

“I’m a firm believer that your biggest loss is the start of your comeback story, so I'm looking forward to writing my comeback story,” Schafer said.

The morning after the election, Schafer received more than 400 messages, to the point where her phone would repeatedly shut down.

4 March 9, the morning after election results were announced. But before she got to her bigger vision, she had to address something else first.

“The fact you associate me [with Hillary Clinton] because of my gender shows how far we have to grow,” Schafer wrote in the post.

The week after the election, Schafer received an anonymous letter. The author of the letter wrote that their granddaughter had been sexually assaulted her freshman year on campus. “[My granddaughter] had been struggling with depression and we were doing everything we could as a family not living in Columbia. A few weeks ago she stopped calling me every night and I began to worry. I finally received a call with relief and she told me the story of how your post saved her life,” the letter read.

The author wrote that their granddaughter called them the night of Schafer’s electoral loss.

The granddaughter was “in tears saying, ‘Women cannot win.’” The following night, the granddaughter overheard Schafer laughing with her friends and

THE MANEATER | NEWS | MAY 3, 2017 discussing her plans for It’s On Us with a group of young men.

“She told me that hearing this made her feel, ‘Like women could never really lose,’” the letter read.

Near the end, the letter said that a full-ride scholarship would be set up in Schafer’s name for “women who have experienced domestic violence.”

Schafer took the letter to heart and read it over and over again. After receiving it, Schafer said she was even more motivated to continue the work of It’s On Us. Weeks later, she and the It’s On Us committee hosted a “Week of Action,” which ended April 14, when they collaborated with Mizzou Athletics to host a “Teal Out” Mizzou baseball game.

Junior Nolan Gromacki, a pitcher for the Tigers, worked with Schafer to make the game come to fruition. Their work brought them together, and they are now good friends, Gromacki said.

“It’s kind of one of those moments when you meet someone and there’s just that instant intellectual compatibility,” Gromacki said. “She just has this infectious personality that you want to be around her,

Schafer with her parents her senior year of high school. PHOTO COURTESY OF TORI SCHAFER

and you want to be in her life.”

Schafer’s personality and intellect have allowed her to form connections and working relationships with university staff and faculty all across campus.

Chris Walters, prevention coordinator for the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center,

has worked with Schafer since her sophomore year, when she attended a Green Dot facilitator training.

Since then, Walters has served as a mentor for and collaborator on the It’s On Us campaign.

“I think one of the biggest things that I see with Tori is that she is extremely passionate about the subject matter, these issues and wanting to make a difference,” Walters said.

“I think one of the things that just impresses me about Tori is her willingness to say, ‘Yeah, that’s a big project, yeah that’s a big goal, but we’re going to see change. We can do this.’”

‘Infiltrating the boy’s club’ Earlier in her college career, Schafer wrote an anonymous blog. Going forward, she will be releasing a public blog this summer, tentatively called “Infiltrating the Boy’s Club,” which will be a collection of stories about female leaders.

The goal of the blog is to empower women, and it will be a learning tool not only for Schafer, but also for other women going through tough times.

Beyond this summer, Schafer is unsure of any specific plans –– whether that be graduate school at MU or attending law school elsewhere –– but her friends see great potential in her.

“I think she is a really good public speaker, and that is a really, really awesome tool that she’s going to use in the future to motivate a lot of people into action, whether she’s in a local government position, or a national government position, or even just sitting on any sort of board in the

future,” said Hanna Yowell, a member of the Schafer/ de León campaign and the same ADPi pledge class as Schafer.

Gromacki, too, has high hopes for Schafer.

“Some day, Tori is absolutely going to rule the world, and she is going to achieve a lot,” Gromacki said. “I think the majority of Mizzou knows that, and it’s exciting for me to see what she’s doing and how well she’s doing it and also waiting and seeing what it’s going to turn out and be.”

Changing the world is a theme that runs throughout not only Schafer’s friends, but also strangers around her.

“So many people can see that you will truly change the world, and the smart can see that you already have.

I look forward to voting for you on a real ballot one day,” the anonymous scholarship letter reads.

Until then, Schafer is still growing, but on her own terms.

“I used to just take my personal qualities for what everybody else told me they were,” she said. “Now I’m an extremely –– I would say this about myself –– I’m an extremely independent person and I’m extremely goal-oriented, and that goes a lot, whether it’s like involvement or academics or whatever aspect of my life. I know exactly what I want.”

Edited by George Roberson, Katie Rosso groberson@themaneater.com krosso@themaneater.com

5

THE MANEATER | NEWS | MAY 3, 2017

HALL

issues to address during the course of the year, and would prefer that the board’s three new board members, plus the two additional members that still need to be appointed, would have the opportunity to listen to input, get up to speed and discuss any issue (including this one) before taking an informed vote.”

Bluford, a Kansas City native, was denied admission at MU 11 times because of her race. She went on to become a prominent civil rights activist and editor at the Kansas City Call for 70 years, according to previous Maneater reporting.

Bluford sued MU in 1939 for denying her admission, and she ultimately won in the Missouri Supreme Court. 50 years later, the university apologized and conferred an honorary doctorate degree in humanities.

If Bluford’s name is approved, the new hall would be the first residence hall on campus to be named after a black woman. It is scheduled to open in August 2017.

Some MU students took it upon themselves to contact the Board of Curators to try to move the naming process forward.

“We pretty much just blew up their phone. We left over 100 messages,” MU freshman Catherine Hoffman said.

According to an online invitation, “Call the Curators Day” was held in the Women’s Center last Friday. During

this event, students gathered to leave voicemails on curators’ phones in an effort to convince them to recognize Bluford and approve RHA’s proposal.

Hoffman said she and her friends were inspired by Bluford’s story and that the lack of filled curator spots was not a good enough reason for the delay.

“I think that representation means a lot,” Hoffman said. “This university denied [Bluford] 11 times, and while they did go back and give her that honorary degree, I think that naming this building after her would be a great extra step. I don’t think there’s a need for the university at this point to be embarrassed and shove it under the rug.”

MU sophomore Jasmin Hampton blamed the region’s discriminatory past for the stall, noting that the university

did not admit African-American students until 1950.

“I don’t know, it’s Missouri,” Hampton said. “I just feel like where we are and the political climate definitely plays a part in the reasons why they’re stalling.”

Fougere said the board appreciates students’ input and is “examining its options.”

The board does not necessarily have to approve a name before the new residence hall opens next fall.

Former RHA president Matt Bourke told the Missourian that the hall may be nameless until donors buy it, similar to North, South, Center and College Avenue residence halls, which are all technically temporary names.

Edited by Katherine Stevenson kstevenson@themaneater.com

BRIEF

Resolution asking for a rule change to allow firearms on campus failed in full Senate

restricted or unrestricted concealed carry on campus. Opposition included a senator who argued violent crime rates would increase if the resolution passed.

Missouri does not have a law restricting concealed and carried firearms on campus. The rule banning firearms on campus comes from university administration.

A student with a sign that read “MSA wants the most vulnerable to be defenseless” was escorted out of the Senate.

the Night, an annual event to bring awareness to issues of sexual violence, featured multiple parts.

Attendees first marched around campus, carrying signs and chanting, “Claim our bodies, claim our rights, take a stand, take back the night.” The march ended in Traditions Plaza for the “Speak Out” portion of the event, during which those affected by sexual violence shared their stories.

Organizers also fundraised for True North, a domestic and sexual violence shelter, and Leadership through Education & Advocacy for the Deaf, a resource group for those with disabilities, by selling T-shirts during the event.

Take Back the Night was hosted by the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center.

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

are often more applicants than graduate positions.

MU spokesman Christian Basi said the political climate, including recent executive orders and changes to immigration policy, is possibly a reason for decreasing interest in MU and other American universities. Economic conditions in the U.S. and around the world may also play a role.

The university is working with students who are applying from nations affected by the travel ban. The largest number of these students come from Iran.

A resolution proposed by a senator in the Missouri Students Association asking for the UM System Board of Curators to change the rules to allow guns on campus failed in full Senate on April 26 by a vote of 14-9.

The resolution also failed in committee the previous day but was brought before the Senate because of a 2016 MSA resolution stating legislation with at least 50 signatures on it must be heard before the entire body.

Arguments for passing the bill included statistics from a survey conducted by the Associated Students of the University of Missouri that said 39 percent of MU students favor

Stories shared, funds raised at Take Back the Night

The rally held April 27 in support of survivors of sexual assault, abuse and violence saw about 100 students and community members gather at Traditions Plaza. This year’s Take Back

Summer YOUR

S TA RT S

>> Here << EARN COLLEGE CREDIT IN HALF THE T I M E AT A F R A C T I O N OF THE COST

otc.edu/summer

SPORTS

Online this week: Wrap-up coverage of Tigers baseball and softball.

SOFTBALL

6

TRACK AND FIELD

Mizzou track and field signs 13 during spring signing day The Tigers added three state champions to their class of 2017 haul, including three top-25 ranked athletes.

MATTHEW HOSLER Staff Writer

Kirsten Mack mid-game. MANEATER FILE PHOTO JULIA HANSEN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Catcher, coach, friend: Kirsten Mack brings leadership to the softball team Pitcher Madi Norman: “She’s really done a really great job of making sure everyone’s doing what they need to do, and you definitely can’t slack off with Kirsten behind the plate.”

“Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know…”

It’s the iconic line from “Let It Go,” the anthem of Disney’s hit animated film “Frozen.” It was also part of a pregame video shown at Tiger Stadium that featured several Missouri softball players taking turns singing lines from the movie, some more off-key than others.

Tough veteran senior catcher Kirsten Mack was one of the singers, laughing after each of her lines. The light-hearted singalong was in stark contrast to her on-field demeanor, but that’s just the thing: Mack has many sides.

into college at Mizzou.

“When you come in from high school and travel ball, you know, you have limited experiences,” head coach Ehren Earleywine said. “You have to know so many things about so many different positions and places on the field that it was overwhelming for her at first…

But now she’s to the point here in her senior year where she’s literally as knowledgeable as most of the coaches that we coach against and that we coach with. And so you have another coach out there on the field.”

Mack is one of four seniors on a very young Missouri softball team, which welcomed nine new players this year. As the team’s catcher, she has grown into a role of working with the pitchers and earning the respect of her teammates.

“You can tell that she has a lot of experience behind the plate, which is definitely what we need,” redshirt sophomore pitcher Madi Norman said. “We need someone to step up and show leadership, and she is the perfect person to really control the field and help our team to success.”

The background Mack came to Missouri from Riverside, California, where she graduated fourth in her class with a 4.4 GPA. In high school, she was a powerful bat in her team’s lineup. Both her academic and athletic performance translated well

Leadership style The 2017 season has been a challenging one for the Tigers.

As of May 2, they were 28-23; the last time Mizzou finished a season with less than 40 wins was 2013, a year before Mack joined the team.

“We’ve arisen to the challenge

HANNAH HOFFMEISTER Staff Writer

well, but it’s definitely been different than the other three years that I’ve been here,” Mack said. “I think I’ve grown the most this year just in terms of trying to be more of a vocal leader and just trying to … rally the team.”

Last season, redshirt senior Sami Fagan was a key leader on the team, and Mack has stepped up to fill her place.

“If someone’s not doing what they should be doing, I’ve kind of taken that upon myself to let them know, like, ‘Hey, c’mon, let’s go, you know, we need you all in for this,’ and so that’s been different because that was kind of Sami’s role last year,” Mack said.

She acknowledged that being the one to hold teammates accountable can sometimes be taken the wrong way. One of Mack’s many sides is one that an honest leader.

“Sometimes, you know, it can be taken out of context, and people will be mad at you, but at the end of the day, we all just want to win,” Mack said. “And I think we can forget about it once we step off the field because they know that it was in their best interest.”

The new accountability approach when it comes to being a leader is apparent to the rest of the team.

“She’s really done a really great job of making sure everyone’s doing what they

MACK | Page 7

The Missouri Tigers track and field program officially signed an impressive group of athletes on April 18. The spring class of 2017 signees include a number of strong resumes and will all be valuable additions to the team.

This class brings in a multitude of diverse athletes who will help bolster the roster next season. With this recruiting class, the team is able to bring much-needed help in certain areas and important depth in others. The 13 athletes will join an impressive fall signing class headlined by Missouri native Austin Hindman, who currently is ranked second in the nation in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 8:43.40.

Here is a look into one half of what Mizzou track and field will be bringing to the competition come spring 2018: Jayson Ashford: Ashford, who competed at Saint Louis University High, ran a personalbest time of 21.13 in the 200-meter dash last June. Ashford is currently ranked No. 82 nationally in the 200 with a 21.49, but if his personal best of 21.13 from June was used then he would jump all the way to No. 12 on the current rankings. Ashford also sports a personal best of 10.65 in the 100-meter dash and 48.62 in the 400. He is the current Missouri state champion in the 200. Ashford competed on the national level previously when he ran in the USATF National Junior Olympics.

Richelle Bain: Bain hails from Parkway Central High School in St. Louis. She is a distance runner who will be one of the many additions to the already-impressive women’s distance team. Her current personal bests in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs are 5:25.15 and 11:47.0, respectively, which she ran her sophomore year of high school. Her 5K time is 19:33.1.

Landon Cuskelly: Cuskelly is a junior college transfer from Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas. In 2016, he was the National Junior College Athletic Association runner-up in the high jump with a personal best of 2.2 meters or 7 feet 2.5 inches. After spending two years in junior college, Cuskelly has two years of college eligibility left and will contribute to the jumps team.

Kayla Glowacki: Another distance runner, Glowacki is from Naperville, Illinois, and ran for Naperville North High School. Her personal bests of 11:10.53 and 17:56.4 in the 3,200-meter and three-mile runs, respectively, will make her a great addition to the team as she looks to be a solid contributor for years to come.

Ethan Hanson: Coming from William Fremd High School in Illinois, Hanson will

sign | Page 7

7

THE MANEATER | SPORTS | MAY 3, 2017

MACK

Continued from page 6

need to do,” Norman said. “You definitely can’t slack off with Kirsten behind the plate.”

At the plate Mack’s leadership extends to the batter’s box as well. This season she has been one of the team’s top hitters; she has the second-best average now, batting .338 with a team-leading on-base percentage of .429. In three mid-week games against Southeast Missouri State University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha April 18-19, she had nine RBIs, including two home runs.

Coach Earleywine offered a suggestion during the team’s series finale against Arkansas on April 9.

He encouraged her to take a new approach and try lowering her hands.

“I lowered my hands, loosened up my grip and haven’t looked back, so that was all Coach E, honestly,” Mack said. “I mean, I’m the one hitting the ball, but I think the reason I’m so successful is because of that minor change that I made.”

The team lost the game 4-2, but Mack launched a two-run home run to center field.

Two days later, her offensive upswing was thrown for a loop; Mack injured herself diving for a foul ball and had to leave the game.

She did not play the second game of the doubleheader against Western Illinois University but hit two home runs in her return three days later against Auburn.

“I’ve done a much better job of managing at-bats because I’m swinging at strikes because I’m trying to limit the amount of times I have to swing,” Mack said of her injury’s impact on her offensive performance.

“And just shortening up, trying to have as little motion, little excess movement in my swing as possible. I mean, I think it’s been helpful.”

Behind the plate Sophomore first baseman Rylee Pierce, who took over for Mack as catcher during her brief stint with injury, described Mack’s role defensively.

“The catcher is kinda always your battery,” Pierce said. “I would say her knowledge and experience really helps the whole entire atmosphere of our team because we have a

very young team this year. ... To have someone like that who’s being vocal about the expectation and the standard is a big deal.”

Mack has made only 11 errors throughout her entire softball career at Mizzou. Her career fielding percentage, which is the percentage of times a player makes a play effectively, is .989. Behind the plate, her role is to guide pitchers throughout their starts. This task requires extreme knowledge of hitters, defense and each individual pitcher.

“She’s very knowledgeable of the game,” freshman pitcher Parker Conrad said after her start against Kentucky on April 22. “She’s brutally honest. She’ll let you know when the ball’s not spinning. And I personally love having that because I don’t want to be guessing. ... It’s just, like, a level of comfort, even as a freshman, to pitch to her because you just know she’s all about it.”

A scholar With Mack’s success in softball, playing professionally is a real possibility.

“I’ve had several of the pro teams contact me, their owners and managers wanting to know if she’s

interested in playing professionally, and they want her,” Earleywine said.

But Mack has a different plan: physical therapy school at Mizzou next year.

“I’m unsure what kind of PT I want to do, but I know I will be exposed to a ton of different settings in PT school,” Mack said. “I really enjoyed working in geriatrics in some of my observation that I previously did, so that is definitely an avenue I want to explore.”

Earleywine, known to be refreshingly honest — critical at times, like any coach is — had high praise for Mack.

“Whatever she puts her mind to or studies, she makes an A. It’s just Kirsten,” Earleywine said. “She’s just smart. And she has studied this game over the last four years to the point to where she knows it as well — as well as any player we’ve ever had.”

As the team enters its last two series before the SEC Tournament and with professional softball next year all but ruled out, Mack’s career is starting to wind down. Her leadership, complexity and dedication will not be forgotten by the team and are sure to lead to a lifetime of success.

Edited by Eli Lederman elederman@themaneater.com

SIGN

Continued from page 6

join the throwing team. He is ranked No. 24 in the nation in shot put with a 61 feet 11 inch throw. Hanson was a three-sport athlete at Fremd, where he played offensive line for the football team and lacrosse in addition to his time on the track and field squad. Hanson brings a great deal of athleticism and strength to the team.

Valeriya Kostiuk: One of two international athletes in this year’s signing class, Kostiuk is a high jumper from Ukraine and also comes from Butler Community College. Kostiuk finished second at the 2016 NJCAA Outdoor National Championships and sports a personal best of 1.76 meters in college. Similar to Cuskelly, she, too, will have only two years of eligibility at Mizzou.

Jenna Lutzow: Out of Belvidere, Illinois, Lutzow is the current 2A Illinois Cross Country champion. This past year, she led Belvidere North to a class 2A state championship. Her time of 16:35 at Detweiller Park, where the state championship is held, would have earned her third place in the 3A class, which is the largest school class in cross country. She was the runner-up in the 800-meter run in the 2016 IHSA 3A Track and Field State Championships and is the No. 1 returning runner in the event for this spring’s championships. Her personal best in the 800 is 2:11.80, which she ran at the state championships, and she has a personal best in the 1,600meter run of 5:07.04.

Lexi Maddox: Maddox, from Riverside, Missouri, is another distance runner in this strong class.

She competed for Park Hill South High School. Her best time of 11:44.58 in the 3,200 and 5K best time of 19:15.2 stack up well against

According to Matthew Hosler, Mizzou track and field signed 13 new recruits during this spring’s National Signing Day. ALYSON GARCIA | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

other Missouri recruits.

Polina Makaeva: Another international athlete, Makaeva will join the throwing team at Mizzou and will look to progress in the discus throw. She competed in the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships for Bulgaria and placed 13th in the second qualifying round. She has a personal best of 48.38 meters or 158 feet 8 inches.

Melissa Menghini: Another state champion to add to the list, Menghini is a Missouri native and attended Rockwood Summit High School. She is the 2016 Class 4 800-meter state champion with a personal best of 2:14.45 and also placed eighth in

the 1,600-meter run with a time of 5:12.98. She will be transferring from New Hampshire to return to her home state and compete for the Tigers.

Sydney Oberdiek: Oberdiek is a thrower from Weston, Missouri, where she competed for West Platte High School. Her best in the shot put is 35 feet 11 inches, which she threw this past season. She has a personal best of 117 feet in the discus and 93 feet 4 inches in the javelin.

Maya Puller: Coming from San Antonio, Texas, Puller is a sprinter who primarily runs the 400-meter dash. She set a personal best of 56.76 in 2015 at the University

Interscholastic League Region 4-6A meet and holds multiple individual and relay school records at Brandeis High School. Her 400-meter speed will be a great asset for years to come.

Jordan Speer: Another nationally ranked athlete in, Speer is a thrower out of Dighton, Kansas. She is currently ranked nationally at No. 12 in the shot put and No. 43 in the javelin throw. She boasts personal bests of 46 feet 9.5 inches in shot put and 135 feet 3 inches in javelin. A three-time state champion in Kansas, she will look to continue success this spring.

Edited by Eli Lederman elederman@themaneater.com

8 STUDY SPOTS

Convenience, caffeine and comfort — the top seven places to study for finals RASHI SHRIVASTAVA Staff Writer

Diligence and deadlines aside, effective studying has another crucial prerequisite: the perfect study spot. We all have several terms and conditions that apply to us actually sitting down and getting some work done — the right lighting, a motivational aura and a silence that falls somewhere between the two extremes — instead of dozing off or getting distracted.

With finals week just around the corner, we find ourselves in dire need of a quiet place where we can be one with our books. Whether you like studying indoors or outdoors, or if you are a group study person or a self-study kind, Columbia has the spot for you.

Here is a list of the top 10 places you can consider to get through this spring’s exam marathon.

1. Ellis Library — Silent section Ellis has seen many students plow through rough days and nights typing away and brainstorming. While some sections allow more freedom in terms of having conversations with a group of people, the silent section at Ellis is your golden key if you really need to focus.

Think of the ancient Buddhist practice of the “Vow of Silence” when you come here. This place is the definition of pin-drop silence. The best part is that studying here is extremely productive.

If you need a break, you can also swing

by Bookmark Café for coffee.

2. MizzouRec Not many people are aware of the secluded sections of MizzouRec where students can comfortably sit and get work done. One thing I love about studying at the Rec is that you can have a quick workout and then study with an extremely focused mind. After a long, exhausting day, the steam room works like a magical masseuse. A focused mind and a relaxed body are tools of the trade during finals week.

3. Peace Park The name says it all. If you have a stack of reading to do and you need the right “reading feels,” this is the best place for you. Peace Park, located right in front of the Columns, is one of the most beautiful parks on campus.

Even though it is small in size, the aura is rejuvenating. The benches by the stream are the perfect spot for a good read, or even quiet a study.

4. Student Success Center Practically speaking, acing a test isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. It’s more like practice and practice. Glitches tend to barricade the already treacherous journey toward a good GPA. In times like these, I find that a helping hand can make a huge difference. The Student Success Center is a great place to study, not only because you can find tutors to help you, but you can also meet other students who are in the same boat as you and the Writing Center is a fairy godmother that materializes to save your paper from drowning in poor writing skills.

Ellis Library MANEATER FILE PHOTO 5. Lakota Coffee A plethora of coffee shops located downtown offer a caffeine-laden, musical and cozy study experience for students who prefer studying off campus. Lakota Coffee is one of them. Located on South Ninth Street and is open until midnight, it is perfect for a late-night cram session.

6. Catalyst Cafe I cannot stress enough how great a place this cafe is to study for a couple of hours between classes. Located on the ground floor of the Bond Life Sciences Center, the Catalyst Cafe is a bit underrated, probably because it isn’t open for very long.

Nevertheless, apart from the great food, this cafe is quiet, small and lesser-known, which makes it a great study spot, especially for students who have classes in the building.

7.

Memorial Union to Chemistry Building route Are you the type of person who likes to walk and study? If so, then this is a good, usually empty route for you.

If you walk straight from Memorial Union toward the Physics Building, you will be amazed how serene the walk is.

The walk from Schlundt Annex toward the Physics Building is surprisingly pleasant this time of year. There are also a bunch of beautiful trees right between the physics and chemistry buildings and a ledge to sit and study for a while.

The perfect study spot varies based on preferences, time of the day and workload. Columbia is filled with places to study. You just need to have the eye to find your spot and the motivation to study. So grab your study snack, find a study spot and ace your exams.

Edited by Libby Stanford lstanford@themaneater.com

THE ULTIIMATE // STUDY PLAYLIST SPRING 2017

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“Take It Easy“

BY THE EAGLES “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing”

BY STEVIE WONDER “No Woman, No Cry”

BY BOB MARLEY “Escape (The Pina Colada song)”

BY RUPERT HOLMES “Listen to The Music”

BY THE DOOBIE BROTHERS “The Weight-2000-Remastered”

BY THE BAND “Put Your Records On”

BY CORINNE BAILEY RAE “Lost in My Mind”

BY THE HEAD AND THE HEART “My Girl-Remastered Mono”

BY OTIS REDDING “Walking on Sunshine”

BY KATRINA & THE WAVES “Walk This Way”

BY AEROSMITH “Push It to the Limit”

BY CORBIN BLEU “Bet On It”

BY ZACK EFRON

14. “Firework”

BY KATY PERRY 15. “One Step At a Time”

BY JORDIN SPARKS 16. “The Climb”

BY MILEY CYRUS 17. “Keep Holding On”

BY AVRIL LAVIGNE 18. “I Will Survive”

BY GLORIA GAYNOR 19. “So What”

BY P!NK 20. “Can’t Stop”

BY RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS 21. “Highway to Hell”

BY AC/DC 22. “Sugar, We’re Goin Down”

BY FALL OUT BOY 23. “Terrified”

BY CHILDISH GAMBINO 24. “My Own Worst Enemy”

BY LIT 25. “Help!-Remastered 2015”

BY THE BEATLES FOR MORE, VISIT MOVE.THEMANEATER.COM

BY MATT MCMULLEN // GRAPHICS ASSISTANT

Angles Editor Victoria Cheyne Culture Editor Kat White Features Editor Bailey Sampson Social Media Manager Kaelyn Sturgell Angles Columnists Cassie Allen Nick Corder Ben Jarzombek Ally Rudolph Grant Sharples

Culture Writers Brooke Collier Nat Kaemmerer Michelle Lumpkins Hannah Simon Caroline Watkins Features Writers Michaela Flores Caroline Kealy Mackenzie Wallace Header photo by: Lane Burdette

move.themaneater.com

9

THE MANEATER | MOVE MAGAZINE | MAY 3, 2017 G#’S MUSIC RADAR

MOVE’s top five concerts of the school year Various Columbia venues hosted a slew of great performances.

GRANT SHARPLES MOVE Columnist

Grant Sharples is a sophomore journalism major who writes about music for MOVE. There’s no doubt about it — many amazing artists came to Columbia this school year. Smaller bands and more well-known acts alike treated audiences to wonderful shows and distinctive sounds. St. Lucia mesmerized the crowd with its electro-pop, and The Mowgli’s brought a sunsoaked, energetic atmosphere to Missouri. Without further ado, here are the top five concerts of the 2016-17 academic year.

5. THE MOWGLI’S California natives The Mowgli’s brought beachy vibes to Columbia when it performed at The Blue Note in September. The alternative

The Mowgli’s COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, ARIZONA GEEK

band first entered the music scene with its debut studio album, Waiting for the Dawn, which had singles such as “San Francisco” and “Say It, Just Say It.” The band stopped in Columbia to promote its latest LP, Where’d Your Weekend Go? and put on a lively performance.

4. ST. LUCIA When St. Lucia played at The Blue Note in October, it was my first time seeing its headlining set. Beforehand, I had seen it twice as an opening act, and the headlining set was far beyond what I had previously seen.

The light show was colorful

and the setlist was balanced with danceable tracks such as “Physical,” as well as slower songs like “Love Somebody.”

3. COLD WAR KIDS While I wasn’t the biggest fan of Cold War Kids’ latest LP, L.A. Divine, its live show was absolutely incredible. It is relatively easy to distinguish between a recording and a live performance, but Cold War Kids’ sound was as clear as its studio albums. The indie rockers played fan favorites like “Hang Me Up to Dry” and “Hospital Beds” but rounded out the set with new tunes such as “Can We Hang On?” and “So Tied Up.”

Cold War Kids COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

It was undoubtedly one of the best indie rock shows I have seen in Columbia.

2. BEACH HOUSE This summer, Beach House played approximately a week before classes started and eased the typically jarring transition back into academic responsibilities. Beach House had incredible set fluency, and its closer, “Days of Candy,” took an unexpected turn when the song finished, but the band jammed for a few minutes afterward using the primary chord progression. The band hadn’t been to Columbia for seven years, so it was nice to see it return for an intimate show.

1. LOCAL NATIVES Local Natives not only put on the greatest concert I have seen this school year, but the greatest concert I have seen in Columbia. The indie rockers’ engagement with the crowd was remarkable.

Vocalist Taylor Rice danced with the crowd during “Villainy,” and even crowdsurfed during the set closer, “Sun Hands.” Local Natives surprisingly treated the crowd to old favorites such as “Who Knows Who Cares” as well as its single from March, “I Saw You Close Your Eyes.”

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Learning at MU: A guide to studying in college Editor’s note: In this article from Aug. 17, 2011, senior staff writer Celia Ampel talks about the best way for thenstudents to study. This column has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

CELIA AMPEL

Senior Staff Writer Next time you’re drunkenly stumbling through the Quad and the statue of David R. Francis is wrinkling its nose at what you’ve become, you’ll wish you had studied more.

Here’s our guide to making the most of your time in MU’s hallowed halls.

Take good notes, and go over them frequently. Woody Allen once said 80 percent of success is showing up. But you are not a 75-year-old Jewish filmmaker.

You are a college student, and if you show up for class without taking notes, you won’t have anything to show for it. Outside of class, read over your notes as much as you can. That way you won’t have to cram for the test — you’ll just be reviewing information you already learned. Highlight or underline main points in your notes. Later, when you’re preparing to take a test or write a paper, it will be easy to find the information you need.

Do practice tests. Taking tests is one of the most effective ways to retain information you learn, according to a recent study published in the journal “Science.” Not only do practice tests help you recall facts, they lead you to recognize gaps in your knowledge, so you know what you need to study before the real thing. Practice tests also familiarize you with the test format your professor will use, so there are no surprises. If your professor doesn’t post old tests on Blackboard, it doesn’t hurt to ask for one.

Prioritize to avoid stress. If you prepare yourself well for the big tests, projects and papers, you won’t have to worry so much about the smaller assignments.

Know which assignments are worth most of your grade and devote the most attention to those. Then you’ll have plenty of time to sleep, hit MizzouRec and enjoy time with your friends, all of which keep your stress levels low and your grades high.

Keep track of assignments.

There are a lot of silly excuses for getting a zero on a paper.

Maybe your friends filled your room with packing peanuts and you couldn’t get to the library, or the bookstore was having one of those “Free Clinique Makeover” days and you didn’t have time to start your research. Among the

silliest of these is forgetting to write down due dates. If you’re living in the residence halls, use the planners MU provides, or keep track on your phone or computer. It’s a good idea to transfer all the dates listed in your syllabus to your calendar as soon as you can. Speaking of dates: check the final exam schedule, make a note of when your tests are and don’t sleep through them! It happens.

Study with a group. What they remember from class and the reading might be different from what you remember and discussing the ideas cements them in your mind.

Furthermore, group studying can help you think of concepts in new ways, which can make writing a paper much easier.

Eliminate distractions when studying. People do their best studying when they’re in “the zone”: no phones, no TV, no Facebook. You know what it is that makes it impossible to concentrate, whether it’s your roommate singing show tunes in the shower or the noise coming from the construction outside your dorm window. Whatever it is for you, try to find an environment clear of those distractions so you can make the most of your study time.

Find a place that works for you. Some people work just fine

at their desks. Others prefer the dorm common rooms, and many have to get out of the dorms entirely to get anything done.

The Student Center offers a lot of space for studying, especially if you can only do calculus while snuggling by a fireplace.

Then there is, of course,

Ellis Library. Ellis has a lot of resources, but it can be crowded.

If you can’t find room there, you can always stake out a spot in the the School of Engineering or School of Journalism.

Happy studying!

10

THE MANEATER | MOVE MAGAZINE | MAY 3, 2017

BOOKS

Beyond the buns: Carrie Fisher as a writer NAT KAEMMERER Senior Staff Writer

Carrie Fisher, product of “Hollywood inbreeding,” as she said in Wishful Drinking, was in the spotlight her whole life. However, she was launched to superstardom when she landed the iconic role of Star Wars’ Princess Leia at only 19.

Before Leia, during Leia and long, long after Leia, Fisher was also a writer. Her first book, Postcards from the Edge, was a semi-autobiographical novel written in 1987. She wrote three other novels throughout her career — Surrender the Pink in 1990, Delusions of Grandma in 1994 and The Best Awful (originally titled The Best Awful There Is) in 2004. Postcards from the Edge and The Best Awful follow the same characters.

In 2008 she wrote her first autobiography Wishful Drinking. She followed it up with Shockaholic in 2011 and The Princess Diarist in 2016.

Postcards from the Edge was turned into a movie starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine in 1990, and Wishful Drinking was based on Fisher’s one-woman stage show and became an HBO documentary in 2010.

Fisher struggled with bipolar disorder and drug addiction, namely to cocaine, throughout her life and was very public about it. Later in life, she began receiving electroconvulsive therapy for reasons including that she was “profoundly depressed,” as she said in Wishful Drinking. Fisher was also a vocal advocate for mental health support and treatment and was against the stigma that surrounds it.

Fisher’s books each deal with mental illness or substance abuse in some form. Usually, like in Postcards from the Edge, The Best Awful and all her autobiographies, the main character is herself or based on herself, and the story involves a trip to a mental hospital and quite a few different drugs.

The Princess Diarist pulls from diaries and journals she kept during the filming of the first Star Wars film and recounts her experiences on set.

For the first time, she writes in depth about her affair with Harrison Ford and their secret weekend jaunts to smoke weed and have sex.

“But then who would I be?” Fisher writes in a chapter titled “Carrison.”

“More than likely not someone who, at nineteen, found herself having an affair with her fourteen-years-older married costar without first ever having had with him a linear, meaningful conversation while clothed.”

Throughout the book, she talks about the affair as a “very long onenight stand.” She says that she herself didn’t even fully approve of it, but it happened, so here’s the story.

“Also, if I didn’t write about it someone else would,” she said.

“Someone without direct knowledge of the ‘situation.’ Someone who would wait — cowardly — until after my passing to speculate on what happened and make me look bad. No.” The Princess Diarist includes pages full of poems and rambling musings Fisher wrote during the shooting of the film. Many of them involve her thoughts on Ford, but some have hints of self-doubt and some light foreshadowing of her mental health and drug issues.

The latter half of the book devotes many pages to retelling encounters with fans, many of whom act like they know her personally, or reintroduce themselves as though she’d have remembered them from that one appearance last year. The intense amplification of the spotlight on her whole life would make it easy to forgive her for hating the fans, but she says she never did.

“I need you to know I’m not cynical about the fans,” she said between stories of a fan who acted like an old friend and a kid who cried when Fisher didn’t look like the movie version of herself. “I’m moved by them.”

Her non-hatred of the spotlight baffles me. (I can’t say she loved it, because she certainly did not.

She just didn’t totally loathe it.)

She hugged babies, signed some free

$40

autographs and saw the spotlight as the byproduct of her rockstar fame.

Wishful Drinking might be my favorite of her’s I’ve read so far.

Her first autobiography is expansive, covering everything from the time her grandmother got her and her mother (the late Debbie Reynolds) vibrators for Christmas to the craziness of her family tree (how does Elizabeth Taylor fit in there, exactly?). Fisher also really, really loves her daughter Billie. She’s kind of amazed that her daughter is so wonderful, and that honestly makes me want to cry.

This is also the book in which she makes that famous quip about her eulogy.

“I tell my younger friends that no matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra,” she said.

With or without context, this is one of the greatest eulogies of all time.

However, the backstory is that George Lucas told her that she couldn’t wear a bra under the iconic white Leia dress of the original movie. He said there was no underwear in space. A bra wouldn’t be accurate.

Fisher’s witty sarcasm is rampant in the whole book. No topic is off limits. It’s like she’s reliving all this for the first time and breaking it down for both her audience and herself. She quips about the tragic time a friend died in her bed, her trips to rehab, the reasons she underwent ECT, her second husband leaving her for a man and all the Leia ephemera that’s around the world.

Did you know there’s a Princess Leia sex doll? Fisher did. She got ahold of one once, after someone yelled at her to go do something rather rude and she realized that she had the unique opportunity of doing just what he’d said.

“Anyway, at about 3:30 a.m. I tried to get the doll to something with her hand, and it just fell off,” she says. “So finally at about 4:00 a.m., I think, oh my God, epiphany!

The doll is heterosexual.”

Snarky anecdotes like this make you realize that Fisher probably had

some point in her star-studded life where she just truly, deeply, with her whole entire being … stopped caring.

It’s wonderful.

Fisher characterizes her mother with a kind of breathy eccentricity.

In this book Debbie Reynolds is often described through stories which are strange for someone to have about their mother. Like the time she pitched an opportunity for her and Fisher to smoke weed together, since Reynolds figured she’d do it at some point. Or the time Todd shot himself in the leg with a blank and Reynolds ever-so-calmly informed Fisher. In their later years, Fisher and Reynolds lived next to each other. She refers to this in the book, and it seems like they had fun together.

Postcards from the Edge, her first novel, is based heavily on Fisher’s own life and her relationship with her mother. I’m currently on page 37, and so far it has a lot of the same snarky tone as her autobiographies.

However, this time, it follows Suzanne, who’s based on Fisher, shortly after she gets checked into a mental hospital.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have given the guy who pumped my stomach my phone number, but who cares?”

This is how she opens the book.

Makes you wonder — did that actually happen? Suzanne’s voice is so much like Fisher’s that it’s hard to tell how much she actually fictionalized. The line is constantly blurry in this book, from what I’ve seen.

I think the world still misses Carrie Fisher. Her humor and realness regarding a whole life in the spotlight were different from nearly anyone else in Hollywood. I highly recommend reading any of her books, for a variety of reasons. If you struggle with mental illness, it’ll give you a relatable reason to laugh at yourself and a famous person.

If you like Star Wars, it’ll give you insight to the iconic actress. If you like taking in some quality humor, you’ll never be disappointed.

Edited by Libby Stanford lstanford@themaneater.com

11

THE MANEATER | MOVE MAGAZINE | MAY 3, 2017 MOTIVATION

Four tips to help you stay motivated during finals week From studying with new people to listening to new playlists, these tips and tricks will help you stay focused and on-track when it counts.

HANNAH MCFADDEN Reporter

Finals can be the biggest morale murderer of the semester.

Scratch that — studying for finals can be the biggest morale murderer of the semester. Cramming for finals and wrapping up group projects replace sleep, and free time is just a memory.

It feels like the loop of note taking, review sessions and trips to Quizlet is never ending, and it can be hard to keep studying, even when it will pay off at the end.

The good news: There are a lot of simple ways to stay motivated during finals season.

Talk to your family Sometimes the best motivation comes from other people. When you’ve got a free moment, call a family member or maybe even a friend from another school. Tell them you’re having a hard time staying on track while getting ready for finals and ask them to give you a pep talk. It doesn’t need to be that long, just whatever it takes to

get the inspiration you need to keep going. It’s easy to think that the only people we let down if we don’t study is ourselves, but knowing that there are others in your corner can help you keep pushing through.

Study with new people Following the trend of getting motivation from others, try studying with someone you don’t usually study with. Sometimes studying with friends is more likely to lead to a spontaneous late-night snack run or gossip session than actual work getting done. So, branch out and find a couple new study buddies.

Maybe it’s the kid you sit by in Spanish, or maybe it’s someone in your hall who you know is in your huge lecture classes. Ask them to go over some key concepts with you and set up a time to work together. You’ll get more studying done if someone you don’t know is holding you accountable.

Your new partner might understand something in the class that was more challenging for you. This is also a great way to meet new people.

Listen to some new music If you’re the kind of person that can’t study without getting sidetracked, try putting on some motivating music.

Music can be a great way to stay on track because it can be played while studying to motivate in the moment.

Spotify has some playlists that are

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meant to encourage work.

Its “Deep Focus” playlist is great because it’s all instrumental songs, without potentially distracting lyrics.

Or, if instrumental music is a gateway to a nap to you, try its “Motivation Mix.” With songs from Kanye, Ed Sheeran and Fall Out Boy, the upbeat playlist will fuel any study session. Check out MOVE’s study playlist for even more inspiration.

If pre-made playlists aren’t your jam, it only takes a few minutes to pull together some songs to inspire.

Motivate yourself with notes If music is too much of a distraction,

take a couple minutes to write down some goals on Post-its and put them where they can be seen while studying.

Don’t be too general with the notes.

Most people want to graduate, but what’s a specific achievement that will get you there? If you’re studying to achieve a goal, you’ll be more inspired than if you were just studying to pass the class.

Studying is no easy task. The material is hard enough as is, but staying focused can be even harder.

That’s why it’s important to at least try some different ways to help you study.

You never know what will inspire you to prep for an exam until you try.

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12

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

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

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

EDITORIAL

The UM Board of Curators should vote on new hall name The board should heed the request from RHA to name the new hall after black journalist Lucile Bluford.

Since the end of 2015, MU has attempted to change its image regarding diversity. Last year, MU created the position of chief diversity officer in an attempt to further campus diversity. The shift toward further diversification can also be observed in various student groups through multiple forms of legislation and compromises, one of which being the Residence Halls Association, which is currently pressing the UM Board of Curators to name a new residence hall after black journalist Lucile Bluford. This could only help MUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attempt to diversify the campus, and it should be done as soon as possible.

Bluford, who attempted to apply to MUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journalism school an astounding 11 times, was accepted into the journalism school but not allowed to formally enroll due to her race.

The university admitted that she was in fact qualified and the decision was based off of her race. She has since been awarded an honorary doctorate degree in humanities from MU, but the original decision to not admit her has left an uncomfortable and disappointing shadow on the universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history.

As previously mentioned, MU created a chief diversity officer position in the wake of

protests in fall 2015 that pays approximately $235,000 per year. If MU is okay with paying a position grounded in attempting to help diversify the campus, then it does not seem that farfetched for the curators to name a hall after a black journalist who advocated for desegregation of educational systems.

However, the board has made other important decisions in the past without a full board.

For example, the decision to increase room and board rates was decided under a board that had vacancies earlier this year.

Therefore, the curators are more than capable of deciding on a name if they are able to decide

ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ABOUT TIME A BUILDING ON THE CAMPUS RECEIVE ITS NAME IN MEMORY OF A BLACK WOMAN. ACCORDING TO PREVIOUS MANEATER REPORTING, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE A FIRST AT MU. Blufordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story is inspiring to say the least, and it is about time a building on the campus received itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name in memory of a black woman. According to previous Maneater reporting, this is something that would be a first at MU. The board is currently claiming that it has not yet decided on a name for the residence hall due to vacancies on the board.

on other important issues, and this vote should be a priority.

Student groups have pressed for Bluford to be honored through the naming of the new residence hall, which will open at the beginning of next semester. This would be a symbolic gesture and a physical landmark that would hopefully be a sign of MU addressing issues of diversity and racism.

GETTING DOWN TO BIZZNESS

Greek system pairings should not be gender-based BIZZY EMERSON Opinion Columnist

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

With Greek Week in full swing, I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but notice: Why arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sororities paired with other sororities (and fraternities with other fraternities) during Greek competitive weeks?

The fraternity-sorority pairing during Homecoming and Greek Week has always been tradition. However, I find it outdated. It prevents Greek chapters from potential bonding with chapters of the same gender.

This isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t implying that every pairing doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the potential to be successful. Every Greek chapter at MU has special strengths that make them a powerful competitor. I just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand why these pairings need to follow the heteronormative

structure in society.

Furthermore, I strongly believe pairing sororities with other sororities would foster positive female relationships between chapters on campus.

Likewise, these women-women pairings would help to deconstruct the notion that women need men, or vice versa, to be successful.

I personally would love to work alongside another sorority during Homecoming. I feel it would aid in cultivating deeper relationships between PHA chapters as well as promote unity among women working toward a common goal.

While Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve enjoyed working with fraternities in the past, this is would be an interesting and dynamic change that would make Homecoming and Greek Week totally unique and new experiences.

On the flip side, I could see how this shake-up in the Greek community could cause animosity and pit men against women in competition. To avoid this potential gender battle, I think Panhellenic Association chapters should have the ability to preference fellow PHA chapters, while also still having the option to preference Interfraternity Council chapters if so desired. This simply gives the Greek community the opportunity to align

THE MANEATER The Student Voice of MU since 1955

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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. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t edit drunk, get out of the J-School.â&#x20AC;?

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If you notice an inaccuracy in one of our stories, please contact us via phone or email.

Editor-in-Chief Jared Kaufman Managing Editors George Roberson, Katie Rosso Copy Chief Nancy Coleman News Director Emily Gallion Engagement Director Jake Chiarelli Online Development Editor Reiker Seiffe Sports Editor Eli Lederman News Editors Kyle LaHucik, Madi McVan MOVE Editors Victoria Cheyne, Bailey Sampson, Katherine White Opinion Editor Kasey Carlson Photo Editor Jessi Dodge

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Although many think that when it comes to house decorations or float building during Homecoming, sorority-fraternity pairings lessen the burden on sororities when there are fraternity men around to lift heavy scaffolding or have pick-up trucks that can transfer construction materials from location to location, these are tasks that can be easily completed by women. It is harmful, disrespectful and just ridiculous to think otherwise.

I fully understand that these competitions are extremely trivial and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really speak to MUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campus as a whole. But making bold statements and dismantling a tradition that has existed since the origin of Greek life at MU would be impactful.

This would send a greater message of inclusivity to a culture that often seems exclusive. MUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Greek system should consider this when going into the Homecoming season this upcoming school year.

MIZZOU IN REVIEW · 2016-17

7

Most influential students

MARK E. MCDANIEL “The E. stands for excellence.”

STORY BY GEORGE ROBERSON MANAGING EDITOR

M

ark McDaniel is loud.

M c D a n i e l ’ s conversations carry through hallways in the Student Center. He gets excited about politics in Facebook Live videos.

He shouts over those who interrupt in Missouri Students Association Senate when necessary.

For as long as McDaniel can remember, he’s been loud.

Growing up, people called him “the mouthpiece.” And by continuing to democratize Senate processes and literally using his voice, that’s exactly what the 48th MSA Senate speaker has tried to be for students.

“I think that quality has allowed me to shine in any capacity I have been in,” McDaniel said of his loudness. “If I’m allowing my ability to speak loudly or speak boldly upon things I believe in, I can use that if someone has concerns; I can be that microphone for them. I can be that voice for them.”

McDaniel joined MSA in October 2013, during his sophomore year. He said in his five years at MU, he’s learned

PHOTO BY JESSI DODGE PHOTO EDITOR

self-reliance above anything else, and that’s something he’s tried to help others in MSA achieve.

MSA Senate has been trending toward a more democratic internal culture, meaning fewer projects run entirely through committee chairs, for some years now. He credits his predecessors, Kevin Carr and Ben Bolin, for starting that culture shift and helping fresh members “hit the ground running.”

“By lowering all the pomp and circumstance and the gold nametag culture that has surrounded MSA for years, it’s more beneficial for the students,” McDaniel said.

One MSA member who benefitted from this was Hunter Windholz, McDaniel’s successor as Senate speaker, who started working on the Food Truck Fridays project before he became a committee chair, McDaniel said.

“As a chair, your committee is not going to accomplish half of what it can if you’re the only one doing the work,” Windholz said. “Delegation is a huge part

of success. When it comes down to it, you can’t be a one-man show and find success.”

But during his term, McDaniel didn’t just defer to other students’ voices. He used his own, at times forcefully.

Windholz remembers McDaniel’s commanding leadership in meetings, especially the controversial Senate meeting following the contested presidential election between Nathan Willett and Tori Schafer.

“He knows how to lead a room,” Windholz said. “When we had a couple controversial meetings and we demolished fire code — keeping order in the chamber in those scenarios is very delicate, and it’s something that Mark definitely had a natural talent for.”

Part of that natural talent was using his voice to speak over people from the audience who attempted to interrupt the senator or guest who had the floor. He frequently shouted out parliamentary rules over the course of the two-hour meeting and repeatedly demanded

decorum from the audience.

McDaniel said he wanted to make sure all voices were treated fairly that night.

“It goes back to when you were a kid, and you’re fighting with your brother over something that’s really stupid and dumb,” McDaniel said. “And you both go to your mom, and you’re like [crying noises], and she tells you both to shut up so she can actually hear everyone’s point of view. It’s kind of like that.”

As the Senate speaker — known for his loud voice, small bust of Abraham Lincoln and Facebook tirades about politics or sports — hangs up his megaphone, he said he’s excited for the future of MSA, especially considering all the “fresh energy” infused

by Windholz and the Willett victory.

He also has some advice for young students: “Go HAM.” “You will find your way,” McDaniel said. “You will find your path to success. All you have to do is just kick down the door and go in.”

Raising your voice sometimes might help, too.

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MIZZOU IN REVIEW · 2016-17

Most influential students

ANDREW HUTCHINSON The Columbia native who felt it was his responsibility to create change

STORY BY BROOKE COLLIER AND HANNAH SIMON STAFF WRITERS

P

oetry and politics don’t always make sense together, but Andrew Hutchinson has a passion for both.

Hutchinson, a graduating senior and former MSA and city council candidate, fostered the poetry scene in Columbia by co-founding One Mic, an organization that allows poets to present their work and listen to others’, with T’Keyah Thomas in 2014. “[One Mic] has given me permission to do all of the crazy things I’ve ever wanted to do with poetry, which is bridging gaps across communities,” Thomas said.

Starting One Mic was just the beginning of Hutchinson’s efforts to bring change to his community. The Columbia native ran for Missouri Students Association president in 2016 and for Columbia City Council in 2017.

“It was pretty exhausting,” Hutchinson said. “I was working 40 hours a week, I was a full-time student, and then doing the campaigning was probably another 20 to 30 hours, and then I had three senior projects going on at the time as well, so I wasn’t sleeping much.”

Hutchinson is ready for the next step, Thomas said.

“My dad always told me that you need to do the things you have to do in order to do the things you want to do,” Thomas said.

PHOTO BY JESSI DODGE PHOTO EDITOR “Andrew has done the things that he had to do, that he needs to do, and he’s still doing that in order for him to take it wherever he’s going.”

As Hutchinson grew older, he became more aware of Columbia’s politics. As an MU student, he saw that the city was not looking out for the best interests of its tens of thousands students. He wanted to see more affordable student housing, bigger voter turnout for local elections and better transportation services.

“The government here in the city is slowly but surely disadvantaging the student

strains on the infrastructure and have hyperinflated rent ... those are going to cause financial insecurity for students.”

Next year, Hutchinson will attend Washington University in St. Louis, where he will work toward a master’s degree in social work. Despite the disappointment of losing this year’s election to represent the First Ward, which includes downtown and the campuses of MU, Stephens College and Columbia College, he hopes to come back to Columbia after graduate school and see his goals come to fruition.

“It’s OK to dream big, but try to be

“I THINK I TRIED TO TACKLE TOO MUCH, BUT I DON’T THINK THAT I WOULD BE HAPPY IF I DIDN’T TRY TO DO ANY OF THE STUFF THAT I DID.” — ANDREW HUTCHINSON population,” Hutchinson said. “Whether it be not putting a precinct polling place on campus because [the city] just assume[s] that students don’t want to vote, or allowing student housing to become so expensive and allow developers to come in and put

reasonable,” Hutchinson said. “I think I tried to tackle too much, but I don’t think that I would be happy if I didn’t try to do any of the stuff that I did. Maybe try doing one thing really well instead of doing a whole bunch of things decently.”

MIZZOU IN REVIEW · 2016-17

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Most influential students

JEREMY WIGGINS The youngest Missouri delegate at the 2016 Republican National Convention

STORY BY JACKSON KINKEAD STAFF WRITER

A

t the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, senior Jeremy Wiggins was the youngest Missouri delegate on the floor.

Wiggins has had internships at the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, the Missouri Office of the Attorney General and the Missouri House of Representatives.

So when he was sitting among older, more experienced delegates, including some U.S. senators, he was not intimidated.

He said he was just excited to be around so many accomplished people.

“When you are a delegate, you’re down on the floor and there’s security, so no

PHOTO COURTESY OF JEREMY WIGGINS

nondelegates can go vote or be on the floor,” Wiggins said. “I remember talking to Peter Thiel, the creator of PayPal. There’s just a lot of really cool people you run into on the convention floor.”

Wiggins became a delegate after the primary because he wanted to make sure his district was properly represented in the electoral college. He decided to run because he heard rumors that the projected-to-win delegates were likely to go against the district’s vote for Donald Trump and instead vote for Sen. Ted Cruz.

“When I found that out, that’s when I really started looking more seriously into running,” Wiggins said. “I just think

that’s wrong, in the electoral process, this idea that people overwhelmingly vote for one nominee then these delegates go to the convention and go, ‘Well, we know better the 750,000 people in the congressional district,’ then vote another way.”

Wiggins’ uncle was a state representative, and that helped him get interested in politics, he said. “[My uncle] was a Democrat from Macon, Missouri, in the northeastern part,” Wiggins said. “So I would say [politics] is just something I just drew a lot of interest into and kind of nerded-out on, if you will, and enjoy.”

Wiggins said it is easier to become a delegate in Missouri

than in states like California or New York because there is less competition.

“With me, I ran against a sitting state representative,” Wiggins said. “I think you’ve got to keep your mind open and do those sorts of things [and] step up.”

Looking back on his time as a delegate, Wiggins said he enjoyed his experience and hopes more young people take the opportunities to participate in the political system.

“To anybody just in general, a lot of the things I say in terms of advice isn’t really that partisan,” Wiggins said. “Anyone at any age can really get involved and do some really cool things, especially in Missouri.”

To read about the rest of the year’s most influential students, groups and departments, visit themaneater.com.

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MIZZOU IN REVIEW · 2016-17

Top five sports moments JOE NOSER, NICK KELLY, TITUS WU AND GARRETT JONES of The Maneater Staff

J’den Cox medals at Rio Olympics

The biggest individual moment of the 2016-17 school year for a Missouri athlete may have come two days before classes even began, when, on Aug. 20, senior wrestler J’den Cox earned a bronze medal in the 86-kg weight class at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Cox’s bronze-medal match was one of the most dramatic matches of the Olympic Games. Leading 1-0 on an escape in the final minute, Cox appeared close to pulling out a nailbiter before his opponent, Cuba’s Reineris Salas Perez, earned a penalty point to knot up the score at 1.

Then, with just six seconds remaining in regular time, Cox thought he scored a takedown, but no call was made by the official. Cox’s coaches challenged for a takedown, and after a lengthy review, Cox was awarded the two points. Perez was so upset that he refused to continue the match, giving Cox the 3-1 victory via disqualification.

With his bronze-medal victory, Cox became just the seventh Missouri athlete to medal at an Olympic Games. He also became the first Tigers wrestler to ever take home an Olympic medal.

Cox supplemented his Olympic success with his third national title in the 197-pound weight class on March 18 in St. Louis, but his accomplishments in Rio proved that he is not only a great college wrestler, but one of the best wrestlers in the world.

J’den Cox in a match facing Oklahoma State PHOTO BY EMIL LIPPE

Mizzou football tops Arkansas over Thanksgiving break

Most Missouri students missed the football team’s best showing of the 2016 season.

With many students gone for Thanksgiving break, Missouri put together its best performance of the season in a 28-24 comeback victory

Sophomore Kendall Blanton, scores a touchdown against Arkansas MANEATER FILE PHOTO

over Arkansas the Friday after Thanksgiving, finishing 4-8 in Barry Odom’s first season as head coach.

In the second half, after being down 24-7 at the half, Missouri’s defense found its bearings, and the offense found consistency. Junior Nate Strong rushed for two touchdowns.

The defense picked off Razorbacks quarterback Austin Allen twice. The second interception, which came from senior Aarion Penton, sealed the victory for the Tigers.

The interception capped off the season for the Tigers and Penton’s college career.

“I had a big goal to getting at least one pick to go out on a good note,” Penton said.

The second half was the first time the Tigers had held an opponent to a scoreless half since October 2015.

Men’s basketball pulls off a first-round SEC tournament upset

People thought it would be Kim Anderson’s last game. Missouri had already announced his tenure as men’s basketball coach would be over once the season was.

And it seemed inevitable that the Missouri men’s basketball’s lossfilled season would end with a loss to Auburn in the first round of the SEC tournament.

Even Terrence Phillips embraced his coach with a long, emotional hug when he exited the game the final time.

Phillips’ goodbye was premature, though.

Sophomore forward Kevin Puryear gave Anderson one more day as coach of the Tigers when he hit a 3-point shot as time expired in overtime in Nashville, Tennessee. Puryear’s shot gave Missouri an 86-83 victory after the team fought back to tie the game in regulation.

Smiles spread across Missouri players’ faces as they experienced a small sliver of March Madness, upsetting an Auburn team it failed to beat twice in the regular season.

The Tigers lost the next day, but

the overtime victory over Auburn gave Anderson one last highlight before he left Missouri, his alma mater.

capability to hang with the country’s best.

Women’s basketball upsets South Carolina on Cunningham’s game-winner

Twenty-game win streaks are rare in sports. They don’t come around often, but when they do, their magnitude draws attention from fans and competition alike.

Missouri baseball achieved that feat in the beginning of their 2017 season, storming through its outof-conference schedule. The streak, which ran from late February to late March, established the Tigers as the most improved team in the Southeastern Conference.

The winning streak showed a lot of what this Missouri baseball team is about. The three walk-off wins and four come-from-behind victories were a testament to the Tigers’ resiliency.

Those wins also showed the value of timely hitting in baseball, which has been a key strength for Missouri.

The streak also saw the emergence of new impact players on the Missouri roster, from rookies to veterans.

Freshman Kameron Misner emerged as an offensive threat and a lethal weapon on the base paths. Sophomore Bryce Montes De Oca drew MLB attention with his starts during the streak. Junior Alex Samples provided rock-solid defense and timely hitting.

And senior Kirby McGuire, after receiving sparse amounts of playing time last season, became a solid outfield piece for the Tigers.

After a 26-30 season in 2016, the winning streak also provided the assurance that the program was headed in the right direction.

First-year head coach Steve Bieser has played a massive part in the turnaround. After being hired by Missouri from Southeastern Missouri State, he has implemented a hardnosed brand of baseball that has been upheld by team success.

It’s safe to say that this spring’s 20-game winning streak will be what Tigers fans remember about the 2017 season.

Missouri women’s basketball pulled off one of the biggest upsets in college basketball this season, taking down South Carolina 62-60 on Feb. 19. The win not only solidified Mizzou’s status as one of the SEC’s top teams but made the Tigers the last team to beat the Gamecocks on South Carolina’s way to winning the national championship.

After the game, Tigers coach Robin Pingeton praised South Carolina. “[It’s] an incredible program at South Carolina,” she said at the time. “They’re a team that can definitely compete in the national championships this season.”

South Carolina, at that time, was first in the SEC and ranked No.

Sophomore Sophie Cunningham scores two during home game against South Carolina PHOTO BY JULIA HANSEN

6 nationally in the AP poll. And Pingeton’s prediction was correct: The Gamecocks would be crowned national champions in April.

But on that day, it was the Tigers who would prevail.

Mizzou kept the Gamecocks close in the first half, keeping them scoreless from beyond the arc in the first quarter. Things took a turn when Missouri, dealing with spacing issues, fell behind by double digits early on in the second half. It got worse when senior Lindsey Cunningham, roughly boxed out of a rebound, had to exit the game.

But sophomore Sophie Cunningham made critical plays in the fourth quarter to claw back into the game.

The final few minutes of the game were a back-and-forth affair, but with 0.6 seconds left, Sophie Cunningham hit the winning layup to propel the Tigers to a 62-60 victory.

The win stunned South Carolina and others in the Southeastern Conference, and it catapulted Mizzou into the national women’s basketball conversation. More importantly, it proved that the Tigers had the

Baseball goes on a 20-game winning streak

Junior Trey Harris slides into second in a win against Illinois-Chicago PHOTO BY JULIA HANSEN

MIZZOU IN REVIEW · 2016-17

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Through humility and quiet greatness, wrestler J’den Cox shows why he is Missouri’s best ever Cox’s resume includes three national championships and an Olympic bronze medal.

JOE NOSER

PH O PE IL LIP EM BY

It’s been 46 days since senior and Columbia native J’den Cox capped off his illustrious career as a Missouri Tiger with his third national title in the 197pound weight class.

Cox, who became the first three-time national champion in any sport in school history on March 18, walked out of Scottrade Center that night with another unheralded feat to add to his resume.

But now that the dust has settled on his career, many fans are beginning to wonder: Is J’den Cox Missouri’s greatest athlete of all time?

His career accolades certainly put him in the conversation. On top of being a three-time national champion, Cox is an Olympic bronze medalist, the second four-time All-American in Missouri wrestling history and the owner of the best

Athlete of the Year TO

Staff Writer

winning percentage in program history among wrestlers with greater than 100 career wins.

He boasts a 136-5 career record and had arguably the best season of his career in his senior season, going 28-0.

This season made him just the second wrestler in Missouri history to post an undefeated season.

He also finished second in the 2017 Hodge Trophy voting, an annual award given to the nation’s best overall wrestler and competitor.

There’s no question that some excellent athletes have come through Columbia to compete for the Tigers through the years.

For baseball fans, names like Max Scherzer, a four-time All-Star and two-time Cy Young Award winner, and Ian Kinsler, a four-time AllStar second baseman, come to mind. Phil Bradley, who earned varsity letters in both baseball and as the starting quarterback on Missouri’s football team from 19771981 before going on to

even before he graduated, puts him among Missouri’s greatest.

“It’s almost like we have two ‘Mount Rushmores’ going here — one for accomplishments while competing for Mizzou and one for accomplishments by an athlete after Mizzou,” Hochman said. “Cox is clearly on the first one, arguably the best Mizzou’s ever had.

And with his international and Olympic success, he’s probably in the conversation for other Rushmore too, along with Max Scherzer, Kellen Winslow and others.”

Freshman Matt Carroll, a lifelong Missouri fan, went a step further in his evaluation of Cox’s legacy, declaring him the all-time greatest promoter of the Missouri

athlete from the [revenue] sport that’s the best.”

Cox says he’s flattered by the attention but, as is typical for him, responds with humility when he’s mentioned among Missouri’s all-time greats.

“I do what I do because I want to do it and I love to do it,” he said at his championship press conference on March 18.

“At the end of the day, I’m overall just joyful in doing what I’m doing.”

Just minutes after Cox accomplished something that no other athlete in Mizzou history has ever done on March 18, his mind was moving to the next task: graduating with a degree in psychology, which he’s

“COX IS ... ARGUABLY THE BEST MIZZOU’S EVER HAD.” — POST-DISPATCH COLUMNIST BENJAMIN HOCHMAN earn a 1985 All-Star game nod for the Seattle Mariners, is another prominent name.

Benjamin Hochman, a sports columnist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, said in an interview that Cox’s success away from Columbia,

brand.

“It’s unusual for schools to have a recognizable wrestler,” Carroll said. “It helps me believe in the global and nationwide brand Mizzou has, and shows that it doesn’t always have to be the

expected to do this month.

Missouri fans should appreciate his accomplishments while he’s still on campus.

After all, it’s not often that you have the greatest of all time in your midst.

“With the 5-1, you have more substitutions, more opportunities to put in defensive players; that helped us out a lot,” Kreklow said. “Having one setter, it is easier to get into a flow.”

This particular rotation was an advantage for the Tigers, as they had immense talent in all positions.

PHOTO BY EM IL L IPP Having Eckenrode set from E the front row allowed for more defensive players to command the court, giving more controlled passes to carry out plays.

From an offensive perspective, this rotation presented the convenience of having heavy-duty hitters like Melanie Crow and Carly Kan to attack unexpectedly from the back row.

Having a familial bond o n l y o n e within the team is another athlete on the court playing strong advantage for Mizzou. the setter position. The new During matches, the players offense had junior setter continuously have a sense of Courtney Eckenrode playing trust and can easily motivate all over, setting from both each other. the front and back rows.

“I feel the interpersonal

relationships, they are important and something we work on,” Kreklow said.

“Knowing your teammates is what gets you through tough times and the trust, respect and love for each other is what lays the groundwork.”

The family perception can also attract recruits, making potential players feel welcomed and wanted.

Three highly talented athletes will join the team next season. Mizzou opened up its recruitment with outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh from St. Louis and wrapped up the new class by signing rightside attacker Dariana Hollingsworth-Santana and setter Andrea Fuentes, both from Puerto Rico.

“Going into a new season, we always expect to do well and go deep into the NCAA Tournament, even though we know there are a lot of things we can’t control,” Kreklow said. “We approach every season the same way: We work hard to be successful.”

New rotation, chemistry key to volleyball’s success After making an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2010, the Tigers achieved one of the program’s most successful seasons.

CHELSEA ROEMER Staff Writer

The Missouri volleyball team swarmed the court to embrace each other, sharing laughter, smiles and tears just seconds after defeating Purdue to advance to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.

Three years after falling to Purdue in the second round of the 2013 tournament, the Tigers achieved a victory that was a testament to their development as a team and climb back to prominence over the past few seasons.

Together, the 2016-17 team eclipsed what others had accomplished in recent

years. The Tigers conquered the regular season and won nine consecutive matches against Southeastern C o n f e r e n c e opponents b e f o r e capturing an SEC title. In the NCAA Tournament, the team made its way to the Sweet Sixteen before having its season ended by No. 2 Minnesota.

“I’m really proud of these guys; they have worked so hard for so long,” Missouri coach Wayne Kreklow said after the loss. “It’s really nice to see everyone get where they want to go; we have wanted to get here for a long time.”

The team’s triumph relied heavily on timely rotation adjustments. In previous seasons, the team ran a 6-2 offense, utilizing a setter from the back row to create the option of having three hitters attack at the net.

While the team opened with the 6-2 rotation in the first few preseason matches, the coaching staff quickly made the adjustment to a new rotation, a 5-1. Running a 5-1 offense means there is

TEAM of the Year