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Discover Mizzou | Aug. 16, 2017
Inside this issue Page 8 Page 4 Jontay Porter reclassifies to the class of 2017 to join his brother Michael Porter Jr. on the Missouri basketball team.
Visuals Director Lane Burdette’s gallery of the best places around Columbia to impress your Instagram followers.
Page 10 Read about what’s happening on campus and learn what you need to watch for in the coming year.
THE MANEATER The Student Voice of MU since 1955
Vol. 84
( 4UVEFOU $FOUFS t Columbia, MO 65211 QIPOF t 573.882.5550 (fax) editors@themaneater.com www.themaneater.com
Twitter: @themaneater Instagram: @themaneater1955 facebook.com/themaneaterMU The Maneater is the official student publication of the University of Missouri and operates independently of the university, student government, the School of Journalism and any other campus entity. All text, photos, graphics and other content are property of The Maneater and may not be reproduced without permission. The views and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily the views of the University of Missouri or the MU Student Publications Board. “Red wine greases my wheels.�
Reporters for The Maneater are required to offer verification of all quotes for each source. If you notice an inaccuracy in one of our stories, please contact us via phone or email. Editor-in-Chief Victoria Cheyne
Sports Editor Eli Lederman
Business Manager Jake Chiarelli
MOVE Editors Claire Colby, Libby Stanford
Production Coordinator Cassie Allen Copy Chiefs Sam Nelson, David Reynolds, Anna Sirianni Online Development Editor Michael Smith Jr. News Editors Olivia Garrett Sarah Hallam
Opinion Editor Hunter Gilbert Visuals Director Lane Burdette Social Media Editor Kaelyn Sturgell Sports Social Media Manager Titus Wu Adviser Becky Diehl
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Letter from the editor-in-chief: Hello! I’m Victoria Cheyne, The Maneater’s editor-in-chief. Whether you’re a freshman or returning student, I’m happy you’re here. I’ll start by answering the question on every new student’s mind: Why is it called
The Maneater? Our humble publication was founded in 1955 by Joel Gold, a then student. In the first print edition, Gold said, “The Maneater is a tiger with fangs bared and claws sharpened ready to analyze the facts and then pounce. A tiger
Intramural sports offer students the chance to exercise, meet new people AIDAN CARLSEN Staff Writer Intramural sports are a great way for students to get involved at Mizzou and to play competitive games while getting a workout in. For some, it can be a special opportunity to try out a sport that they wouldn’t normally participate in. For others, it’s a chance to bond with fellow students while making new friends in the process. For the uninitiated, intramurals are sports leagues that usually meet once or twice a week. You can join or create a Co-Rec team, which consists of both men and women, or opt for a men’s or women’s team, which you can make with your Greek chapter, suitemates, random students or friends. You’re allowed to be on one Co-Rec team as well as one genderspecific team. There are a multitude of sports to choose from, including flag football, sand volleyball, indoor volleyball, three-on-three soccer and three-on-three basketball. There’s even log rolling, in case you’ve ever wanted to experience what being a lumberjack is like. Come spring semester, the sports change a bit. Soccer is expanded to full teams and has a Greek league, as well as basketball. Both of which have
playoffs and a championship. The registration dates, entry fees per team and season dates vary depending on each sport, but log rolling and sand volleyball are the first to open for registration. One can register for a team for the fall season from Aug. 28 to Sept. 7, with the seasons starting on Sept. 7 and 17, respectively. The entry fee for log rolling is $5 and sand volleyball is $99. Flag football registration begins on September 5 and costs $150 per team. The season begins September 24. For a full list of sports and registration dates, visit mizzourec.com. To make a team for intramurals, go to the RecSports office, located next to basketball court four in MizzouRec. Once there, register and pay for your team using a card, cash or check. After doing so, create an account at imleagues.com. You can then invite friends to join the team, which will put them into the league. Imleagues.com will serve as your team’s central hub; the schedule and division standings can be found there. All games for each sport will be between Sunday and Thursday, with no games being played on the weekends. For more information, go to either mizzourec.com or imleagues.com. Edited by Eli Lederman elederman@themaneater.com
exists because it is, and not for one group or another.” 62 years later, we still hold ourselves to this high standard of journalism. And in that same time span, The Maneater has evolved from a small print-focused newspaper to a multi-product publication with daily online news content. It gives students handson journalism experience and allows them to practice various skills, build their resumés, gain institutional knowledge of MU and become an active member on campus and in the community. I’ve been with The Maneater for a little over a year now, and I can honestly say it was a crucial component to my smooth
adjustment to college living and has made me a stronger and more confident journalist. I’ve had the pleasure of working with and learning from talented students of diverse majors, and I have been lucky enough to put my name on a product that truly makes me proud. The whole experience has been invaluable, and I wouldn’t trade it under any circumstances. Despite the trials and tribulations that come with working on a student-run publication, I hope our humble newsroom is a place in which all students can say they’ve had a similar experience. It is very exciting to have a new class of freshmen on campus, and I wish all of you the best as you
start this new chapter of your lives. Stop by our newsroom in the basement of the Student Center sometime; I’d love to meet you!
Here’s to a great fall semester! Sincerely, Victoria Cheyne Editor-in-Chief, The Maneater
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The five-star forward, who was ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the recruiting class of 2018, will join the Tigers for the 2017 season. ELI LEDERMAN Sports Editor After several months of waiting, Cuonzo Martin finally has the cherry on top of his first recruiting class as head basketball coach of the Missouri Tigers. On Aug. 9, five-star forward Jontay Porter officially announced via Twitter that he had reclassified to the recruiting class of 2017 and will join the Tigers this fall. The decision to reclassify comes 80 days after Porter, the brother of the nation’s No. 1 recruit Michael Porter Jr., committed to play for the Tigers in late May. Prior to reclassifying, Rivals.com had the younger Porter ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the class of 2018. According to ESPN's Jeff Goodman, the concept of playing alongside his brother was too hard to pass up and played a significant role in Porter's decision to reclassify. "Playing with Michael was definitely one of the most attractive things about reclassifying," Porter said per Goodman. "Every team we've played on together has had major success, so hopefully that trend continues." With his commitment, Porter becomes the sixth
addition made to the roster under Martin since his hiring in March and only bolsters what was already one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. According to 247Sports.com, Porter’s commitment makes Missouri the No. 3-ranked recruiting class in the country for 2017. Porter's decision to join the Tigers in 2017 now provides Missouri’s roster with even more depth in its front court. The 6-foot-10 big man will immediately find himself competing for playing time alongside fellow freshman Jeremiah Tilmon, as well as with junior Kevin Puryear, sophomore Reed Nikko and sophomore Mitchell Smith, who will be returning from a torn ACL. Whether he starts from the get-go or finds himself coming off the bench, the depth that Porter brings to Missouri gives Martin more flexibility in his rotations. With the Tigers in their best position to compete in the last five years, that added flexibility could prove vital. Without Jontay, Martin may have been forced to primarily utilize Porter Jr. as a big man, using his size on the interior. The addition of Jontay now gives Martin the opportunity to unleash Porter Jr. as a swing man instead of as an inside force, while employing Jontay and Tilmon as the true big men of his front court. More diverse lineup options for Martin will become increasingly important as the Tigers face stiffer competition in conference play. As fall training camp nears and basketball season
“Every team we’ve played on together has had major success, so hopefully that trend continues.”
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Freshman Jontay Porter PHOTO COURTESY OF ESPN
approaches, the addition of the second Porter brother only adds to the mounting expectations for the Tigers' upcoming season. Edited by Joe Noser jnoser@themaneater.com
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COLUMN: The NAACP travel advisory works strategically SB 43 is to blame for the NAACP’s firstever travel advisory.
Farmington, is currently being sued for racial discrimination at a business he owns. So, why issue a travel advisory for SB 43, a bill that would seemingly only affect MATTHEW RILEY travelers should they decide Opinion Columnist to stay in the state, get a job and housing, and then be Matthew Riley is a sophomore discriminated against? To draw journalism major at MU. He attention to it. The NAACP’s is an opinions columnist who move here is a brilliant one. It writes about politics for The made headlines with the hope that people would read beyond Maneater. it and draw attention to SB 43. The NAACP issued a travel But doing so shouldn't have advisory for Missouri on Aug. been necessary. We now live 3, its first for a U.S. state. When in a society in which any and Emmett Till was senselessly every news story must be dire. murdered in Mississippi in 1955, In this age of extremes, we’re the NAACP did not issue a travel perpetually at DEFCON 1, and advisory. During the Ferguson, that’s a problem. In its press release regarding Missouri riots of 2014, the this advisory, the NAACP NAACP did cites recent not issue Not once events of a travel during the discrimination advisory. Not in Missouri NAACP’s 108once during as additional the NAACP’s year history of cause for the 108-year standing up for a d v i s o r y , history of but makes equality and standing up clear that its justice has it for equality primary cause and justice felt the need to is this bill. has it felt The NAACP issue a travel the need to hasn't issued a advisory. So, issue a travel travel advisory why now? And advisory. So, to Virginia, why now? And why Missouri? where white why Missouri? nationalists The warning to potential marched in Charlottesville visitors comes in the wake of and three people died, because legislation by the Missouri state it doesn’t have to. People are senate, SB 43, which makes talking about Virginia; it's it more difficult for those news. SB 43 should be news, discriminated against based too. A piece of racist legislation on their race to sue for such sponsored under suspicious discrimination. The NAACP calls circumstances in a state which the law a “Jim Crow Bill,” while lends its name to the infamous Missouri governor Eric Greitens “Missouri Compromise” claims it brings “Missouri’s should draw headlines, but it standards in line with 38 doesn’t. It takes a historic travel other states and the federal advisory from a respected government.” Suspiciously, national organization to create the bill’s sponsor, Republican a discussion. That’s the story Senator Gary Romine of here.
Pierpont Store, 7650 MO-163, a quaint pitstop in Pierpont, Missouri. VICTORIA CHEYNE | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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How to manage social media in college Don’t forget to update your parents.
Don’t be private This might seem like a bad idea, but it’s not. Many employers hate seeing a private account when they search for you. You might think you’re doing a good thing by not letting anyone and everyone see your account and the (potentially questionable) pictures you post, but you’re not. Even if your account is clean, an employer is going to assume you have something to hide. With that being said...
KAELYN STURGELL Staff Writer Many of us spend hours on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook each day posting aesthetic pictures and tagging friends in memes, but, as a networking college student preparing for the “real world,” you should use social media more efficiently. Update your Facebook This might seem like a lame thing to do, but it’ll save you from having to call your family every few days to fill them in on what you’re doing. Simply posting pictures of you and your friends at a campus event or new restaurant lets them know you’re still alive and having fun. Follow campus accounts It’s unbelievably important to
stay up-to-date on campus news and activities, and the best way to do that is by following Mizzou-related accounts. Besides the university’s main accounts, @Mizzou on both Twitter and Instagram, most academic colleges and departments have individual accounts that post
information on classes and scholarships. On top of professional accounts, there are fun ones like @FreeFoodMizzou on Twitter and @Mizsquirrels on Instagram. Following these accounts allows you to be in the know on current events and campus-wide jokes.
Be professional Your accounts should be public and what you post should be a clean, accurate representation of who you are. Feel free to retweet funny things and post selfies, but try to balance it with news, current events or some more thought-provoking material. Stay true to who you are and your beliefs and opinions, but don’t put it all out there. All of this can be a tricky balance, but if you start doing these things now, you’ll thank yourself later. Edited by Cassie Allen callen@themaneater.com
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MizzouRec offers a variety of wellness options From the pools to the weight rooms, the recreation complex provides new students with a multitude of programs, jobs and facilities. MATTHEW HOSLER Staff Writer For incoming freshmen, exploring everything that Mizzou has to offer is important, and there’s one building that students should definitely take advantage of: the Student Recreation Complex. It’s a place where people go to work out, study, meet new people, join intramural leagues and participate in a host of other activities. While it will become the epicenter of activity for many during their time on campus, MizzouRec can initially be intimidating for newcomers due to its size and all the services it provides. Completed in July of 2005, MizzouRec has become a major attraction for prospective and current students and has found itself atop countless nationwide student recreation facility rankings. It currently has 25 facilities under its command, including 19 indoor facilities and six more outside. The indoor facilities include several weight rooms with names such as “The Jungle Gym” and “Pump Room,” a 50-meter competition pool, a resort-style
indoor pool named the “Tiger Grotto,” numerous courts and an indoor track, among others. While all of these choices may seem overwhelming, they give anyone wanting to improve their physical health plenty of room to explore and find what best meets their fitness needs. Made up of three synthetic turf fields and a one-third-mile track along the exterior, Stankowski Field is easily MizzouRec’s hottest outdoor space. From intramurals and Greekleague sports, to pick-up games and workouts, it is a constant hub of activity. Along with Stankowski Field, MizzouRec offers adjacent sand volleyball courts, nearby tennis courts and several off-site trails. Along with these great facilities are the programs the complex offers, which include a boxing class, multiple pool-related activities and personal training classes. If you’re looking for a specific fitness class, MizzouRec most likely has it or something similar. Students only need to be registered in a minimum of seven credit hours to have free access to the main complex, but for other programs such as club sports, there are fees. For those interested in personal training, the prices range from $29-640 depending on the number of sessions. Not only does MizzouRec have multiple programs students can join, but it also has multiple RecSports leagues, including sand volleyball, three-on-three basketball and soccer,
The West Entrance to the MizzouRec, which is open 5:30 a.m.-7:00 p.m. M-F this week, 9:00am-12:00pm this Saturday, and 3:00pm-10:00pm this Sunday. LANE BURDETTE | VISUALS DIRECTOR
flag football and even logrolling. Many club sports use the facilities for their training as well. Any student seeking employment with MizzouRec must attend a recruitment session which are Aug. 28-31 and Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. in the Legends room. Attending a meeting is a requirement in order to apply. Positions range from lifeguards to business office
accountants to official scorekeepers and everything else in between. For jobs such as lifeguarding, there are multiple requirements needed such as Red Cross lifeguarding and firstaid certifications, which MizzouRec offers. TigerX instructing is another opportunity for students to work while working out. Edited by Eli Lederman elederman@themaneater.com
top places to instagram in#Columbia
The Big tree: Burr Oak Road, Columbia, MO 65203
Pinnacles Youth Park: 850 e. pinnacles road, Sturgeon, MO
Cooper’s Landing: 11505 Smith hatchery road, Columbia, MO The Big Tree is a Columbia classic. Over 350 years old, it has The Pinnacles are a place for adventurers and trailblazers. 65203 lived through the Civil War, World War I, World War II and more. According to a 2006 measurement by the National Register of Big Trees, the bur oak is 90 feet high. The question isn’t whether or not you should take a photo with the big tree, but whether you can fit the whole tree in your photo.
After crossing the creek in your Chacos, follow trails that lead you farther up the bluff before reaching the highest point with some improvised rock climbing. Look out over the water and feel a sense of accomplishment. You earned this view, so post a pic and tell the world about your rugged side.
Past the marina and campgrounds is an old bridge where the Missouri River and Katy Trail meet. Arrive in the evening to see a spectacular view of the sunset reflected on the water and visit on weekends to listen to live music performances.
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Everything you need to know about attending Mizzou Athletics games GARRETT JONES Staff Writer It’s no secret that the University of Missouri is rich with sports history. It’s a history that Tigers past and present are extremely proud of. For newcomers, the prospect of attending some of these events can seem daunting. To help students find their way into the exciting world of Mizzou’s sports teams, here’s a guide to attending athletic events. Mizzou’s sporting events are classified in two categories: those that require a paid ticket for entry and those that only require your student ID upon arrival. Paid Entry As the university’s two main revenue sports, football and men’s basketball are the only sports that require paid entry by purchase of a ticket. The easiest way to ensure you’ll be at these events in person to support the Tigers is to purchase a student season ticket combo through MUTigers.com. Purchasing this package grants the owner a spot in the student sections of every home football and men’s basketball game. For those who chose not to purchase the ticket package, using verified internet retailers such as StubHub or Ticketmaster are other ways to obtain tickets. At many universities, college football is the hallmark of a student’s on-campus experience. It’s no different at MU. Students of every major and background seem to slow down and focus on football when it’s game day. Every home game, students, faculty and alumni from all
around come together to form a common bond and cheer on their Tigers. Each game at Faurot Field offers a new way for students to take part in the outcome along with over 71,000 other fans. Feeling the energy and electricity of the crowd is an experience not to be missed, along with the pride and passion that come with cheering on your team in person. Even as the Missouri men’s basketball team has gone 18-44 over its past two seasons, the team’s struggles have not changed any of the past traditions that loyal Tiger fans have held onto for years. Now as the team finds itself on a major upswing, attending a men’s basketball game may be one of the most immersive experiences on campus. Faithful Tiger fans in Mizzou Arena keep spirit and pride running deep, with chants and yells throughout the game. Free entrance with your student ID Aside from football and basketball, students can enter every other Mizzou athletics event for free by presenting their student IDs upon entry. The most popular free-entry events are women’s basketball, wrestling, volleyball, baseball and softball. Last season, Missouri women’s basketball rose to national prominence when it upset the eventual national champion South Carolina Gamecocks on Feb. 19 at Mizzou Arena. Exciting moments are more than likely to continue this season as the team has added even more talent to surround star guard Sophie Cunningham.
MANEATER FILE PHOTO
Missouri volleyball plays home contests at the historic Hearnes Center, where an electric home atmosphere helped the team to a 2016 Southeastern Conference championship. Students and fans alike can sit within close proximity of the action with the courtside seating arrangements available. The same dynamic allows for an intimate experience during Mizzou wrestling events, which are also in Hearnes Center. The Tiger wrestling team has seen much success in recent years, producing an individual national champion in each of the last three seasons. Hearnes Center also hosts the highflying Mizzou gymnastics in the winter. Come springtime, Missouri baseball takes the field at Taylor Stadium, where fans can enjoy America’s pastime under the Mid-Missouri sun. Last season, the Tigers contended for the Southeastern Conference title after an early 20-game winning streak and look to build on that
success again this year. Softball will begin its second season in the beautiful new Mizzou Stadium in 2018. The state-of-the-art facility features a berm in center field where fans and students alike can picnic and enjoy watching their Tigers take the field. As school starts, Mizzou soccer takes the field at the Audrey J. Walton Stadium, which also hosts track and field. Swim and dive competitions can be seen from the Student Recreation Complex. Finally, Mizzou tennis plays home contests at the Mizzou Tennis Complex. Each event fosters a sense of closeness and involvement for Missouri students, with the electricity that comes from attending sporting events in person. There are plenty of opportunities to experience this energy during in the 2017-18 school year. Edited by Eli Lederman elederman@themaneater.com
Lane Burdette | Visuals Director
Devil’s Icebox: Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
Three Creeks Conservation Area: South of columbia off Deer Park Embrace your dark side with a trip to Devil’s Icebox, a Road cave named for its refreshingly cool temperature. Trails to the cave are well marked and cared for, making this spot easy to reach and worth the hike. Lighting makes the cave a little difficult to photograph but, if you can pull it off, the photo will be well worth it.
Just inside Three Creeks Conservation Area is a field of flowers that — as of right now — is in bloom. Stop by to strike a pose with your besties and hundreds of vibrant black-eyed Susans
Boathenge: West of 11505 Smith hatchery road, Columbia, MO 65203 Just past the Cooper’s Landing bridge is Boathenge: an otherworldly sight created by six boats stuck vertically into the earth. Created by anonymous artists, the boats’ sizes and placement match those of its namesake, Stonehenge.
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UNIVERSITY NEWS
UM System President Mun Choi answers questions following the presentation on open educational resources June 21. VICTORIA CHEYNE | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
In response to budget and enrollment issues, university officials have eliminated jobs, increased tuition and made changes to academic offerings. OLIVIA GARRETT News Editor While students have been away, university officials have been busy. Here’s a refresher on some of the summer’s biggest news updates at MU. Student charge modifications This fall, students will no longer be able to student charge certain items and services, including non-academic purchases at The Mizzou Store and purchases at Campus Dining Services locations and MizzouRec. Instead, the university will be promoting Tiger Cash, a prepaid payment option. This change was intended to prevent students from acquiring unnecessary debt, according to previous Maneater reporting. Open educational resources In June, UM System President Mun Choi announced a new system-wide initiative to promote online educational resources and AutoAccess online texts with the intention of making academic resources more affordable. Faculty will receive a financial incentive to move to online resources.
This will save students across the UM System an estimated $7.2 million on textbooks and works to fulfill a goal that Choi mentioned when he addressed MU at his welcome reception in December. Enrollment drop and budget issues In May, university officials announced in a press release an expected freshman enrollment for fall 2017 of about 4,000 students. That number is significantly less than that of fall 2015, when over 6,000 freshmen enrolled. The enrollment decline is largely attributed to the negative press MU received after the protests of 2015. In April, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Garnett Stokes announced the creation of the Strategic Enrollment Committee, which was tasked with “developing institutional strategic efforts and policy initiatives to advance our collective enrollment efforts,” according to the committee’s website. Declines in enrollment have led to the closure of several dorms and a large drop in tuition revenue. This, in addition to cuts in state funding, has forced the UM System to make a series of changes to address budget issues. Across the UM System, 474 jobs have been eliminated, with 307 of those jobs coming from MU. While some employees were laid off, other positions were eliminated after retirements and empty positions were left unfilled. Additionally, tuition has been raised by 2.1 percent. No longer a separate school, the Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs has been merged into the College of Arts and
MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright shakes hands with attendees before the reception following his announcement May 24. VICTORIA CHEYNE | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Science. Similarly, undergraduate degrees in agricultural economics and agricultural business management have merged. “Our decision-making work is not completed. In order to permanently meet the new fiscal reality, additional changes will occur over the next two to three years,” according to MU’s budget plan for fiscal year 2018. Strategic Investments In MU’s 2018 fiscal year budget plan, many potential opportunities for longterm growth were identified, including expansions of current programs and the creation of new facilities and centers, such as a new MU greenhouse facility, a Student Experiential Learning Center and a Translational Precision Medicine Complex. A center to study translational precision medicine would cost $250 million. The UM System Board of Curators approved a state budget request to partially fund this project in a July meeting. If the university can secure funding, either from state budgets or private donations, some of these investments might actually be carried out. These longterm investments could raise the profile of the university. New Faces Students returning to Columbia will be met with many fresh faces, apart from the class of 2021. MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright officially began work in his new role at MU on Aug. 1. He formerly served as provost and executive chancellor of the State Univeristy of New York System, where he introduced a new diversity, equity and
inclusion policy, according to the Office of the Chancellor website. Cartwright has been attending UM System Board of Curators meetings and started working with campus leaders. Since former Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin resigned in 2015, MU has been lead by interims, including former interim Chancellor Hank Foley, who left to become president of the New York Institute of Technology, and Stokes. In July, Gov. Eric Greitens announced appointments filling two vacancies on the Board of Curators, Julia Brncic and Jon Sundvold, and named Courtney Lauer the board’s nonvoting student representative. Other leadership positions around campus have also recently been filled. Lael Keiser has been appointed director of the Truman School of Public Affairs. Acting director Ann Campion Riley has been named vice provost for libraries, a new position. New Vice Chancellor and Dean of the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Christopher R. Daubert also began work on August 1. Looking Forward This semester, many of these changes will be implemented, and, as it progresses, the effects of these changes on the campus community will become more apparent. In the coming months, the new chancellor, curators and UM System president, who officially began work in March, will settle further into their roles, revealing more about what students can expect in the coming years. Edited by Victoria Cheyne vcheyne@themaneater.com
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Lucky’s Market in Columbia COURTESY OF ALAN LIGHT VIA FLICKR
COLUMN: The receding food desert is a myth Lucky’s does not provide a reasonably priced grocery store option in Columbia’s food desert. DYLAN CAIN Guest Opinion Columnist
Dylan Cain is a senior political science major and a senator for the Missouri Students Association. Currently, he is on the Campus and Community Relations Committee and focuses on food insecurity. A quote that has famously been attributed to Mark Twain states "there are three types of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics." Although the origins of this Twain-ism are foggy, the idea is quite clear: While statistics can serve useful and benevolent purposes, they can just as easily paint an inaccurate picture of people, places and communities.
Statistics measuring food-insecure because of the flawed food desert metric communities in the United States are a being used by the USDA. classic example of numbers stretching Any statistics professor will tell you the truth. to refrain from putting much stock into The U.S. Department the measurement of a of Agriculture once The U.S. concept without first classified large swaths how it Department of understanding of Columbia, including converts an abstract much of downtown and Agriculture idea into an easy-tothe MU campus, as a food once classified digest statistic. The desert, meaning the area food desert metric did not have a sufficient large swaths produced by the USDA number of grocery stores of Columbia, attempts to provide a for the community to measurement including much reliable access healthy, affordable to determine where food. But since the of downtown food deserts exist construction of Lucky's and the MU in the United States, Market in 2014, the spanning from small food desert territory campus, as a farming towns to began to recede in the food desert densely populated section of Providence urban areas. Among Road near downtown. However, this the measure's multiple flaws, one boundary change does not illustrate stands out: There is no distinction made any true improvement in the economic between expensive grocery stores and and dietary crisis facing our campus affordable ones. and community. This discrepancy exists For urban areas, any census-tract
within one mile of a grocery store cannot be considered part of a food desert. This demonstrates a clear problem: Access to food is irrelevant unless one can afford the actual food. Supermarkets like Lucky's provide fresh and healthy produce. However, any claim that Lucky's prices are reasonable for the working class or students is certainly mistaken. Expensive grocery stores create significant issues not just for students, but also for the community's poor. As long as important and commonly used statistics fail to reflect the realities of working people, their needs can be easily pushed aside. I have no qualms with the city; many community leaders I have spoken to, including 4th Ward Councilman Ian Thomas and Columbia Mayor Brian Treece, have shown genuine concern about this issue. However, the construction of supermarkets like Lucky's cannot be seen as a true answer, and I urge all policymakers to continue to search for better solutions.
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COLUMN: America’s next challenge is automation Unaddressed automation is posing a real threat to job security for Americans and will lead to increased unemployment in many sectors. SOLOMAN DAVIS Opinion Columnist
Solomon Davis is a sophomore journalism major at MU. He is an opinions columnist who writes about technology for The Maneater. Technological advances that have occurred in the last two decades have touched nearly every bit of life. For the last 10 years, much of the technological growth has occurred in consumer electronics, with televisions getting bigger, phones becoming more advanced and devices such as tablets exploding in popularity. However, the darker side to the prevalence of technology has resulted in the increased use of automation. In 1908, Henry Ford’s Model T began production and by 1913 was produced via a new method known as the assembly line. The assembly line would allow faster production, automobiles to become cheaper and more cost-effective, as well as lead to the hiring of more workers to man those assembly lines. In a span of 19 years, Ford produced 15 million Model Ts, a feat not many competitors could match, let alone surpass. Fast forward to today and the manufacturing landscape is changing. In the century since the assembly line was first introduced, it has mostly stayed the preferred model of production. But now automation is not just increasing production; it is putting Americans out of work. Tesla sought permission to use public roads to test a fleet of automated vehicles without a human driver present in it, according to leaked email conversations between Tesla and the Nevada Department of
Motor Vehicles published in the Guardian on Aug. 10. If Tesla gets the permission it is looking for, it could be a massive step for the automation world and one step closer to job losses for truck drivers. The example of the potential damage that could occur can be found in the tale of coal, something that receives little attention when it comes to automation. During the 2016 presidential election, President Donald Trump highlighted the loss of jobs in the coal sector, blaming the losses on the regulations imposed during the Obama White House, trade, offshoring and immigration. In March, President Trump signed an executive order that overrode the Clean Power Plan enacted under former President Obama. The rationale was that such a move would get miners back to work, but it could not have been further from the truth. Outside of the losses coal has suffered from the growth of other sectors, it saw a loss of workers even as production grew due to the increased use of automated tools and technologies. According to a statistic from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, coal mines employed more than 250,000 people in 1979 but just 53,000 last year. The 197,000 jobs that have been lost since 1979 are a testament to the dangers of automation and how technology is putting the security of American jobs at risk. During the election, the dangers of automation were largely left out of the conversation; it is a conversation that elected representatives ought to be having but are not. One day we will wake up with automation squarely in our faces, and, rather than having a plan, we will scramble for a solution. While it poses a great risk to the way of life for many, automation should not be killed or put on halt indefinitely. Solutions should be looked at that either minimize the effect on workers, create higherskilled jobs that will not be eliminated or provide basic security to those who lose their jobs.
A possible solution to the dangerous effects of automation could potentially be mitigated via a universal income. Universal income, also referred to as a guaranteed minimum income, could be a way to ensure that automation does not hand a heavy blow to workers. The premise behind it is that every adult in America would receive some form of income for a certain amount of time. This amount would be able to sustain them in the event that they would be unable to earn a job. If you happened to
have a job, workers would earn a salary in addition to the income they would be receiving from the universal income. There are many versions of such a salary being touted as a possible way to offset automation effects. An idea is that such an income could be paid for by the very companies eliminating jobs with automation rather than the government footing the bill. It has yet to be fully explored, but it has been suggested by many presidents. Finland has started a pilot universal income program with 2,000 of its citizens to receive
unemployment benefits in the near future. The industrial age brought forth advances that restructured our way of life and brought many innovations that have had a positive impact, for the most part. Automation, while not yet essential to everyday life, has the ability to strike powerful blows to labor markets, and such a force cannot grow without regulation and consideration for the damage it could have on working people.
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Discover Mizzou | Aug. 16, 2017
COLUMN: Free college tuition would counteract poverty and debt in America “College debt is an epidemic across the United States.” JORDAN BOLTON Opinion Columnist
Jordan Bolton is a freshman business & English major at MU. He is an opinions columnist who writes about politics for The Maneater. Free college tuition had been discussed as a distant possibility until the issue came to the forefront of conversations during the 2016 presidential election, when the U.S. was rife with political polarization and tension. With voters split between two candidates, who many believed were equally
awful, the U.S. had a difficult choice to make. That is, unless you were a millennial. A 2016 Gallup poll shows that a majority of millennials supported neither of the frontrunning candidates and instead backed a third option, Bernie Sanders. Sanders held a 55 percent majority of millennial support, while Clinton had 38 percent and Trump had only 22 percent. In an attempt to explain why millennials were flocking to the Sanders campaign, many looked to his progressive agenda, specifically the idea of free college tuition. Free tuition is certainly appealing to millennials who know all too well the struggle of paying for college. But it’s important to ask: Is free college a reasonable policy? Absolutely.
The cost of college burdens low-income students more than anyone else. In 2015 up to 40 percent of low-income students accepted into colleges failed to attend, and tuition is partly to blame, according to The Hechinger Report. This number doesn’t include the students who did not even attempt to apply because they knew finances would be an issue. The fact that such a large percentage of low-income students are turned away from pursuing a higher education is a key realization in breaking the cycle of poverty in the first place. Due to the significant strain of the cost of college on any American family, especially those who face poverty, it’s no wonder the Sanders campaign earned the support
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY LANE BURDETTE | VISUALS DIRECTOR
of millennials. It becomes clear that the idea of free college tuition is supported by younger people, and the need does exist, but affording such a policy is a different matter altogether. The largest argument for those who oppose free college tuition is the cost. Certainly, paying for college tuition for all students would be a monumental burden on the U.S. government and taxpayers, right? Not necessarily. According to data collected by the U.S. Department of Education, the total cost for all four-year undergraduate students enrolled in state colleges in 2014 was around $62.585 billion. While this number is certainly nothing to scoff at, it’s imperative to keep in mind that this figure, even
if on the low side, amounts to little over 10.4 percent of the U.S. defense budget of $598.5 billion. $60 billion is certainly no joke, but cost is not a very legitimate obstacle when the prizes are relieving millions of students across the U.S. of the massive burden that is college debt and enabling any student to attend college. College debt is an epidemic across the United States. It prevents some students from ever applying to colleges and prevents many other students who do apply from attending. In an attempt to break the cycle of poverty and provide sound access to higher education for everyone, it is blatantly apparent the idea of free college tuition is taking us in the right direction.
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Discover Mizzou | Aug. 16, 2017
The best Mizzou sporting events to attend this year Football and men’s basketball are far from the only sports worth your time. THEO DEROSA Columnist You’ll see it in the last few seconds of the Goodyear commercials that air ceaselessly during football season: one last shot in a busy montage, displaying a jubilant crowd flowing freely onto Faurot Field after some important, late-season Mizzou win, blotting out the midfield tiger logo with their feet. It’s only a two-second clip, but it evokes memories of the past of Mizzou sports — not a distant past, but a recent one. It’s been a couple of years since those bigger moments in Mizzou athletics. As the football and men’s basketball teams have struggled, the same sort of special moments, like the football team’s backto-back Southeastern Conference East titles, have come along far more seldom. As a result, the morale around Mizzou’s top team has dipped. That’s projected to change this year,
as Drew Lock and Damarea Crockett enter the season with another year of experience and team chemistry under their belts, looking to improve on last season’s 4-8 record. As long as the opponent isn’t Delaware State, “The Zou” is loud and rowdy and filled with black and gold. The pure adrenaline rush simultaneously felt by tens of thousands during a big play is unparalleled by any other sport. In the last two years, those moments have been few and far between. It’s been too many Maty Mauk scrambles and suspensions, too many Drew Lock inconsistencies and interceptions and too many defensive bobbles and breakdowns to return the Mizzou program to the SEC Championship Game. Mizzou basketball has been positively transformed, adding two homegrown stars in Michael Porter Jr. and Jontay Porter as new head coach Cuonzo Martin has built a talented squad in just a matter of months. Mizzou basketball is primed for a big year behind both Porters, who, after an eventful recruiting process, will be playing their home games just under six miles from their Columbia high school, Fr. Tolton Catholic.
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In the past two years under the disappointing tenure of ex-head coach Kim Anderson, Mizzou Arena was rarely full. With the influx of talent, it should be packed again. And when Mizzou Arena is packed, as Tiger fans saw during the emotional Rally for Rhyan win over
Arkansas last spring, it’s rocking. The Porters figure to bring the energy back to the building, leading a team that may very well be returning to the big dance come March. The two big-revenue sports teams at the university virtually print money
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Discover Mizzou | Aug. 16, 2017 for a reason: They are (at least, in theory) marquee programs competing with the SEC’s best in sports that are widely popular and always nationally televised. But even when Mizzou football is mired in mediocrity and Mizzou basketball is losing to teams like North Carolina Central — which happened during last year’s 8-24 campaign — there are plenty of enjoyable non-revenue sporting events to be found all over campus. The men’s team will share Mizzou Arena with the Tiger women, a team led by standout junior guard Sophie Cunningham. Mizzou’s women’s basketball team managed to do what the men’s squad couldn’t in 2017, making the NCAA tournament field and winning their first game before a second-round loss to Florida State. Last season, Mizzou women’s basketball games merited more attention than the men’s games did, and Cunningham is certain to put on a show during her junior season. Next door at Hearnes Center, one of Mizzou’s most under-appreciated teams plays its home matches. In the fall, Mizzou volleyball takes the court at Hearnes, a place where it has built one of the strongest volleyball programs in the nation. The Tigers took the SEC title and made it to the Sweet 16 of the 2016 NCAA tournament behind senior Carly Kan. Alyssa Munlyn and Melanie Crow are some of the top returning players for this year’s Tigers. Mizzou volleyball matches are fun experiences made better by the raucous VolleyZou student section, a group that can’t always be counted on to keep their shirts on during times of success. Mizzou baseball at Taylor Stadium is a program that appears to be on the upswing under new leadership. After a disappointing 2016 season, the Tigers replaced head coach Tim Jamieson with Southeast Missouri State’s Steve Bieser. Bieser’s first season included a 20-game winning streak and saw the team improve its record by 10 wins. Starting pitcher Tanner Houck was a first-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2017 after three productive years at Mizzou. The Tigers will look to make some noise inside Taylor Stadium in the spring. The Tigers’ wrestling team, which also competes inside Hearnes Center, lost Missouri legend J’den Cox to graduation at the end of last season. Cox, a Columbia native and a graduate of local Hickman
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High School, won three national championships and a bronze medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics during his time at Mizzou. Even without Cox, the team returns most of its starters and looks poised for another top-10 national finish in the upcoming season. These teams are far from all that Mizzou Athletics has to offer. Track and field, swim and dive, golf and crosscountry each have both men’s and
women’s teams at Mizzou. In addition, gymnastics and women’s tennis teams compete for the school as well. No matter if you’re just being introduced to a new sport or a new team, or if you’re taking in Mizzou’s edition of your favorite sport, the Tigers and their fans will make it fun for you. Any game or match or meet featuring Mizzou is sure to be jam-packed with black and gold-clad faithful.
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While Mizzou football and basketball are the clear highlights, they don’t comprise all of Mizzou’s sporting events. In fact, any other sport is free to attend with an MU student ID. So, look at the schedules, find a home game and head on out. There’s always something going on. Edited by Eli Lederman elederman@themaneater.com
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