Vol84issue20

THE MANEATER

FEBRUARY 21, 2018 • THEMANEATER.COM

Mike Eierman frequently reminisces over the names on the wall of his youth club wrestling room, which include J’den Cox, Jaydin Eierman and Grant Leeth.

WRESTLING

PHOTO BY ADAM COLE | SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Inside a garage in mid-Missouri lies the wrestling mat that built a dynasty Mike Eierman’s backyard creation tells coming-of-age stories for Olympic medalist J’den Cox and current Missouri wrestlers Jaydin Eierman and Grant Leeth.

BENNETT DURANDO

Assistant Sports Editor

J’den Cox remembers bounding through the woods with a wolfpack.

He was just 10, worn down by miles of

running, covered in the shine of dirt and sweat, but never more liberated than when he galloped on, surrounded by his young teammates. He was a part of something: his pack.

“We would run in the woods, and we’d run together, and in my mind, I imagined it like a pack of wolves going out there,” Cox said. “We weren’t going to leave anyone behind.”

Along a road off Interstate 70 in midMissouri, not far from the Millersburg exit just outside of Columbia, those woods cast a shadow over a quaint house and its inconspicuous, painted-gray backyard garage.

The short walkway up to the shed is imprinted

with children’s footsteps and an accompanying phrase: “Follow me.” Through the door is an unknown temple to a sport considered to be dwindling in popularity.

Not at the University of Missouri. And certainly not at this place.

For within this garage at America’s heartland is a wrestling mat, simple and small, visibly aged today, but brought to life 13 years ago out of a vision. It has served as a stomping ground for hundreds of wrestlers, the likes of which include current nationally acclaimed Missouri standouts Jaydin Eierman and Grant Leeth, as well as legends such as undefeated MMA fighter

story continued on page 12

SEMINAR

CITY OF COLUMBIA

MU Counseling Center hosts ‘Dating in the U.S.’ seminar Columbia reaches The seminar 2017 renewable explained consent, dating vocabulary, energy goal websites used to meet people and what a “successful” date looks like.

STEPHI SMITH

University News Editor The MU Counseling Center directed a “Dating in the U.S.” seminar on Feb. 14 in Memorial Union.

The seminar was held for international students to get a better understanding of dating culture in the United States.

The seminar was hosted

by Shraddha Niphadkar and Teresa DePratt, psychologists at the Counseling Center, and was the first of its kind at MU. Niphadkar said

she initially set it up to explain to international students the distinctive customs that come with dating in the U.S. Niphadkar said she wanted to increase students’ cultural exposure. There are a lot of misunderstandings that can come with dating in the U.S., and she explained how sometimes students who come from different cultures can feel that difference. For example, she said, in countries like India where arranged marriages are popular, there is essentially no dating.

“If you’re coming from somewhere where you wouldn’t date and you come here [to the U.S.] where it’s a part of social life and you want

DATE | Page 4

The renewable energy goals were established by a 2004 mandate that limits cost increases due to renewable source usage to 3 percent.

EVAN OCHSNER

Reporter

The city of Columbia generated 15.7 percent of its electricity from renewable sources in 2017, meeting the mandated target of 15 percent.

This target was approved by a 2004 voter mandate that requires the city to obtain an increasing share of its overall electrical energy from renewable sources through 2028.

The “Dating in the U.S.” seminar was held in Memorial Union on Feb. 14, 2018.

MANEATER FILE PHOTO

ENERGY | Page 4

2 TAXES

MU Extension offers free tax prep services

TASHFIA PARVEZ

Staff Writer

MU Extension is running Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites to help students, faculty members and Columbia residents prepare their tax return forms for free. This year, the VITA services are being offered in the MU Office for Financial Success, Trulaske College of Business and the MU Family Impact Center.

The free tax prep services do not require prior registration; all sites allow walk-ins only on a firstcome, first-serve basis.

According to Andrew Zumwalt, assistant Extension professor and associate state specialist for financial planning, VITA is a partnership sponsored by the department of personal financial planning and the

The Student Voice of MU since 1955

Vol. 84, Issue 20 G210 Student Center • Columbia, MO 65211 573.882.5500 (phone) • 573.882.5550 (fax) editors@themaneater.com www.themaneater.com

Twitter: @themaneater Instagram: @themaneater Snapchat: @the.maneater 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.

“Well, I would argue that people in college are grown men. Some are, but not me.”

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.

Opinion Editor Hunter Gilbert

Editor-in-Chief Victoria Cheyne

MOVE Editors Claire Colby Brooke Collier

Production Coordinator Cassie Allen Copy Chiefs Sam Nelson David Reynolds Anna Sirianni

Visuals Director Madi Winfield Designers Corey Hadfield Hannah Kirchwehm

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Sports Editor Joe Noser

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Social Media Editor Kaelyn Sturgell

News Editors Skyler Rossi Morgan Smith Stephi Smith

MU Extension offers free tax return assistance through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE

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THE MANEATER

site at Ellis Library where people can use a software to get their taxes done for free, and if they have any questions, they can seek help at the front desk.

“What we realize is that the market is shifting a little bit,” Zumwalt said. “People feel comfortable entering their information online, but they may have specific questions about the tax aspects or a question their software is asking them.”

One thing the program is struggling with is advertising and reaching out to more students, Zumwalt and Gregory-Rives said.

Zumwalt said he has talked to different media outlets about the VITA program, but even then, enough students do not know about it.

“It seems like there’s so much information bombarding students, and so I would be open to conversation about how to better reach students,” Zumwalt said.

The VITA sites will remain open until April 17 but will not operate during spring break.

Edited by Stephi Smith ssmith@themaneater.com

Online Development Editor Michael Smith Jr.

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MU School of Law. It pulls student volunteers from those areas to help clients prepare their tax returns.

“It’s a great service for people who may not want to pay several hundred dollars to get their taxes done or who feel uncomfortable doing it on their own,” Zumwalt said.

“For student volunteers, it’s a huge experience looking at the refund and explaining to clients why their situation might be different from the prior year or the refund is lower than they expected.

It’s a great experience to talk about money so when [students] go to an employer they stand out versus other candidates.”

Michelle Gregory-Rives, a student volunteer majoring in personal financial planning, said client interaction helps students develop customer service skills, especially those who want to go into finance-based careers.

“The tax season is already stressful and a lot of people get nervous when they are filling out their tax forms, and just having someone to help them is really cool,” Gregory-Rives said.

Zumwalt said in the future, he wants to start a

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The sites allow student volunteers to prepare tax return forms for free for students, faculty and community members.

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T H E M A N E AT E R | N E W S | FEB. 21, 2018

NEWS

3

Online this week: MU Socialists holds meeting to organize against proposed cuts to higher education funding, MU task force recommends changes to academic programs and more at themaneater.com.

RESEARCH

MU study finds Instagram users are more likely to engage with social images than controversial images The study finds that users prefer images that are simple and allow them to escape from negativity.

TASHFIA PARVEZ

Staff Writer

A recent MU study has found that a majority of Instagram users are more likely to use the social media platform to engage with social or entertainment images than with political or controversial ones. The study was led by T.J. Thomson, a doctoral candidate in the School of Journalism, and Keith Greenwood, an associate professor of journalism.

According to Thomson, about 4.2 billion likes are exchanged on Instagram each day, but they are not equally distributed. This topic was therefore chosen to further understand why certain kinds of images attract more engagement or why certain kinds of users respond to them the way they do.

For this study, Thomson and Greenwood presented a group of 30 individuals, ages ranging from late teens to mid-40s, with a collection of 50 random photographs that were from some of the most popular Instagram accounts.

They were then asked to arrange those images in an inverted pyramid, starting with images they were least likely to engage with on the left to the images they would definitely

A study by doctoral candidate T.J. Thomson and associate professor Keith Greenwood found that political and controversial images on Instagram are less likely to be engaged with by users than social and entertainment images. PHOTO BY EMMALEE REED | SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

engage with on the right. Thomson also conducted personal interviews with each individual to get some background or depth on their

responses.

The key finding from this study was how users are more likely to interact with social or entertainment

images and are less drawn to political or controversial images.

INSTA | Page 5

MSA ELECTIONS

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

MSA changes filing date for presidential election

Columbia declares support for medical marijuana in Missouri

The change comes following an insufficient number of student signatures from potential candidates.

CAITLYN ROSEN

Staff Writer

The 2018 Missouri Students Association presidential election filing deadline was moved from Feb. 16 to March 1 following an insufficient number of student signatures for potential candidates.

“The bylaws and handbook clearly state that the [Board of Elections Commissioners] must receive 500 student signatures for a slate to be on the ballot,” BEC chair Joseph Sell said. “For that reason, I made the decision to push back the filing date.”

MSA received only one slate before the previous filing date.

The campaigning period for presidential candidates will begin March 5, and both presidential and senatorial elections will be

MARCH

1

presidential election filing deadline held on March 20.

The election date was moved from March 6 following the resignation of former senate speaker Hunter Windholz and former BEC chair Jessica Dennis.

A new handbook was passed in full senate Feb. 7 following the appointment of the new BEC chair.

The original handbook that was proposed would have placed a cap of $1,000 on campaign spending.

However, it was removed after debate in senate because MSA members received a different version of the handbook prior to the last full senate meeting.

“I’m honestly not sure if [not

MARCH

5

presidential campaigning begins

MARCH

20

After voting unanimously in favor of a medical marijuana resolution, Columbia will begin lobbying with state legislators and supporting the New Approach Missouri initiative.

MICHAEL WILMARTH

Reporter

having the spending cap] will have an impact because we haven’t had one previously,” said Mathew Swan, Operations Committee chair. “We’re just kind of going with the status quo instead of

Earlier this month, Columbia City Council members unanimously passed a motion declaring the city’s support for statewide medical marijuana legalization.

The council passed a general resolution stating its “support for legislation providing legal access to cannabis as a medicine together with the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes; endorsing the Missouri Medical Marijuana Initiative.”

MSA | Page 5

DRUG | Page 5

presidential and senatorial elections

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T H E M A N E AT E R | N E W S | FEB. 21, 2018

ENERGY continued from page 1

The 2004 mandate, officially called the renewable energy standard ordinance, limits cost increases due to renewable source usage to 3 percent. Cost increases associated with renewable energy production and implementation in 2017 summed to $2.5 million, more than a million dollars beneath the $3.7 million ceiling for the year.

Lucia Bourgeois, community relations specialist for Columbia Water & Light, said the 3 percent threshold “is a huge part of our consideration” when planning for future projects.

The majority of 2017 renewable energy production — 12.34 percent — came from wind, while landfill gas from the Jefferson City and Columbia landfills accounted for 3.24 percent and solar energy produced the remaining 0.12

percent.

According to the Columbia Water & Light 2018 Renewable Energy Report, landfill gas is “created from decomposing waste at the landfill.” Columbia Water & Light also has a 20-year contract with the Jefferson City landfill and purchases landfill gas energy from it.

Like the agreement with Jefferson City, the majority of the renewable-sourced energy used by the city is purchased, rather than generated from infrastructure owned by the city. Purchasing from another supplier “is the most cost-effective way to expand our renewable energy profile because developing our own infrastructure is very expensive,” Bourgeois said.

While Water & Light had been intensely focused on hitting the end-of-2017 deadline of 15 percent renewable energy usage, the next renewable energy target is set for December 2022 and requires 25 percent of energy to be purchased or generated from renewable sources.

In order to reach this goal, Bourgeois said that Water & Light will likely continue to purchase

from other sources as a means of managing costs.

At a Columbia City Council meeting on Feb.

5, the council voted to approve a $28.3 million contract with Truman Solar LLC. According to the

agreement, the city of Columbia will purchase solar energy from Truman Solar and distribute it directly through Columbia’s distribution system rather than purchasing it on the open market.

Comparatively, Water & Light’s current annual budget for purchased power is $68.5 million.

The solar field agreement would increase solar production by 1.9 percent of total energy.

Bourgeois said the solar field agreement is a

“pretty low risk that could have a huge impact

on our community” and added that “it’s the most cost effective way to increase our renewable profile at this time.”

Edited by Skyler Rossi

srossi@themaneater.com

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF THE CITY OF COLUMBIA

DATE continued from page 1

to engage in that, you need to kind of know what you’re getting into,” Niphadkar said.

DePratt said dating in college itself, no matter the country, can be difficult for people to manage.

“It’s popular and confusing,” she said. “It’s a lot more to balance with school and everything else, and it’s often when people want to start serious relationships.”

DePratt also said there is a lot to consider before going into a relationship.

Something to think about, she said, is what both parties might want in a relationship.

She said she knew a student who wanted a long-term relationship but would “run and leave after two dates.”

In addition, she said it’s important to consider what “successful” dating looks like. For some, it results in a long-term relationship and for others, it might just mean another date scheduled.

The event went through different cultural norms in the U.S., including the unique vocabulary. DePratt explained certain words such as “ghosting,” when one romantic partner will suddenly cease communication with another

for seemingly no reason.

These words can seem like a completely new language to someone who might not hear them in their home country, Niphadkar said.

Technology also plays a crucial role in U.S. dating culture, Niphadkar and DePratt said.

DePratt explained popular dating sites such as Match.com and eHarmony as well as dating apps like Tinder and Bumble.

In college, a lot more students will use apps to meet new people as opposed to the more traditional websites, DePratt said.

Furthermore, there are also risks that can come with dating in a different culture, Niphadkar said. Because there are students who may not know the culture norms or laws, they could accidentally potentially jeopardize their future in the United States.

“If [an international student] wants to take that risk, just remember what it could mean,” she said. “They have their immigration status to think about.”

Niphadkar said it’s important for international students, as well as others, to know the age of consent. She said she advises international students to avoid dating people under the age of 18 because if they’re caught in legal trouble, they could risk being deported.

Niphadkar expanded on the terms of consent and said it’s good to be open and communicative with potential romantic partners about boundaries and expectations from one another.

DePratt said she knows students who might stop talking to another person because they felt they were being pressured to do things they weren’t ready

for. However, she said the other party may not have been aware that they were unintentionally pressuring someone. Therefore, it’s important to know what each person expects and wants out of the date, DePratt said.

Niphadkar and DePratt said the Counseling Center as well as MU’s Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center are resources to help

students with dating issues, such as questions or Title IX filings. According to the RSVP Center’s website, it provides “ongoing case management and advocacy as needed by professional staff.”

5

Session runs March 7th - May 5th (Spring Break week off)

Friday

Volunteers needed Wed 3-5 pm or 5-7 pm, Thurs 1:30-4:15 pm or 4:30-6:30 pm

Proud Philanthropy of Kappa Kappa Gamma

Edited by Morgan Smith mosmith@themaneater.com

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T H E M A N E AT E R | N E W S | FEB. 21, 2018

INSTA Continued from page 3

or controversial images.

“The reasons for this are multifaceted,” Thomson said in his article “I ‘Like’ That: Exploring the Characteristics That Promote Social Media Engagement With News Photographs.”

“Some users said they felt badly about ‘liking’ a photo of a tragedy while others said they get ‘serious’ news from other sources and Instagram is an oasis where they can

MSA Continued from page 3

doing something new.”

The spending cap was proposed by Dennis prior to her resignation in an effort to encourage more students to participate in the MSA election.

“The argument for the spending cap was that it would make the election more accessible and create a way to ensure that all slates are on an equal playing field,” said Tim Davis, Campus and Community Relations Committee chair.

escape from the troubles and concerns of everyday life,” he said in the article.

Another important finding was that because users’ engagement is public, they are aware that their likes have visibility and they consciously promote certain content by “liking” it, Thomson said.

This study helped reveal three main categories of Instagram users.

The “Feature Lovers” are the group of people that are more interested in features or adventurous photographs because that’s something they

can’t see as easily through other sources, Greenwood said.

The “News Hounds” are people who use Instagram as another news source. They try to track visual news and see things about what’s going on in the world, Greenwood said.

The “Optimists” are a group of people engaged most strongly with images that were uplifting, positive, empowering or funny while disregarding photos that showed armed force, military might or weapons of destruction, Thomson said.

“I disagreed with this argument, not necessarily the spending cap.”

Instead of the campaign spending cap, MSA is working to make elections more accessible by having more open discussions in senate.

“We can have a discussion about going through what policies we have during elections and being realistic about how we can respect the concerns about having a spending cap because it is so difficult to enforce,” Swan said.

Edited by Skyler Rossi srossi@themaneater.com

The 2015 MSA inauguration ceremony, held in Ellis Library. MANEATER FILE PHOTO

DRUG Continued from page 3

The council decided to avoid more specific initiatives whose ability to garner support for a statewide initiative was unclear.

The petition that began circulation in early 2016 is called New Approach Missouri. It asks that Missouri physicians be allowed to discuss medical marijuana treatment with their patients.

The petition had over 200,000 signatures as of Feb. 20.

Ward 2 Councilman Michael Trapp, who has worked as a counselor and director of the substance abuse treatment center Phoenix Health Programs, has been a leading advocate of the resolution. Trapp said the resolution’s purpose is to add the issue to Columbia’s lobbying agenda. Trapp has said marijuana is useful in treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and spasmodic illnesses, as well as pain management.

“By adding it to our lobbying agenda, we can engage with state government over implementation issues after the measure passes,” Trapp said in an email.

While Columbia begins lobbying at the state level, there is still much to do for Columbia residents who support the initiative. Trapp said they can continue to sign

The logo of New Approach Missouri, the campaign committee circulating the petition asking Missouri physicians to be allowed to discuss medical marijuana treatment with their patients. COURTESY OF NEW APPROACH MISSOURI

New Approach Missouri’s petition, as well as support its Get Out the Vote efforts.

“Most importantly they can vote for the measure and get their friends to the polls likely on Aug. 2,” Trapp said in an email. “If it is on the primary ballot as I suspect it will be, it will be a low turnout election.”

Twenty-nine states and Washington, D.C., have legalized marijuana for medical purposes. Missouri would be the 30th.

Advocacy groups at MU like the National Organization

for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and Students for Sensible Drug Policy have supported medical marijuana legislation, holding meetings and petitioning in Speakers Circle.

If the measure reaches its goal of roughly 280,000 signatures, New Approach Missouri hopes to get the initiative for legalizing medical marijuana on the ballot in November.

Edited by Skyler Rossi srossi@themaneater.com

Various organizations, especially news outlets, can use this study to determine how to better engage with their target market and reach a greater audience using Instagram.

“The newsworthy or gritty aspects of life can achieve good engagement provided that they are rendered in aesthetic and empowering ways,” Thomson said.

Thomson said starting off with a simple, clean image on the first frame and using the multi-post feature on Instagram can be helpful.

Instagram users are more

drawn to images that are original, authentic and tend to stand out. Getting closer to the subject in the image or isolating one feature helps simplify its composition, Thomson said.

“By thinking about and applying these principles, you can create Instagram content that is more thoughtful, engaging and attractive to your audience so you can differentiate your brand and stand out in the chaotic media landscape,” Thomson said.

Edited by Stephi Smith ssmith@themaneater.com

6

“The Green Duck Lounge” by Michelle Tyrene Johnson will premiere at the Rhynsburger Theatre from Feb. 21-25, 2018. PHOTO BY ELLEN DIAO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

THEATER

MU theatre department’s ‘The Green Duck Lounge’ connects past and present Playwright Michelle Tyrene Johnson brings the 1970 murder of activist Leon Jordan to the stage.

HANNAH MCFADDEN

Staff Writer

Kansas City playwright Michelle Tyrene Johnson brought her play “The Green Duck Lounge” to the Mizzou New Play Series in February 2017. Now, “The Green Duck Lounge” is being performed in the MU theatre department’s 2017-18 season.

The show takes place in two time periods: first in 2015 and then in 1970. Both plotlines relate to the unsolved murder of Leon Jordan, the owner of the Green Duck Lounge and a well-known civil rights activist.

“The Green Duck Lounge” was selected for full production by the theatre department for the relevance of its themes with regards to the 2015 protests at MU, director Claire Syler said.

“The central message of the play is that the same issues have always been there in terms of anti-black racism,” Syler said. “Those varying and competing and sometimes contrasting perspectives are coexisting, and you see them in both eras.”

The themes of the play showcase history’s exclusion of black communities and

why these stories cannot afford to be ignored or silenced. Internalized antiblack racism, as well as the ideological and generational differences regarding its solution, are central to the show, Syler said.

Almost every actor plays two different characters, one in each time period.

“I have encouraged the actors not to create two totally separate characters so that the audience can see those characters as coexisting,” Syler said.

This idea of different yet similar characters is especially important for Ethan Phillips, one of the actors.

In the 2015 setting, Phillips plays Darius, a Black Lives Matter activist. In the 1970 setting, he plays Marcus, a member of the Black Panthers.

In creating the characters, Phillips has found that confidence and a deep understanding of the characters’ motivations are key.

“It comes from moments and lots and lots of researching the characters, from reading the script and understanding the reasons why they say things,” Phillips said.

Phillips noted that a key similarity between his characters is their involvement in activism and their ability to stand by what they believe in.

“They’re not the same person in the way of appearance and mindset, but their message is the same,”

Harvey Williams as Clarence and Ethan Phillips as Darius having a conversation in the play “The Green Duck Lounge.”

PHOTO BY ELLEN DIAO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Phillips said. “A Black Panther and a Black Lives Matter protester are going to go about their recollection of how they want to get things done in two different ways, but it has the same meaning.”

While both the Black Lives Matter and Black Panther movements have related concerns and motivations, Syler said it’s important to prioritize commonalities while making sure they are viewed as distinct movements.

A lobby display with information about Black

Lives Matter and the Black Panthers will aid the audience in its understanding of the evolution of civil rights movements, Syler said.

To further emphasize the importance of the show’s message, the second act is a talk-back session with the audience about the themes and issues the play focuses on. Johnson will serve as the moderator for the post-show discussions.

Syler said she hopes the show will generate a useful dialogue about the political climate of MU, the state of

Missouri and the country.

“My greatest hope is that the production lingers and is something that stays with them,” Syler said. “It can become a kind of experience that is a resource for learning and growing, particularly in their understanding of antiblack racism in the United States and within Missouri.”

“The Green Duck Lounge” premieres Feb. 21 at the Rhynsburger Theatre and runs through Feb 25.

Edited by Brooke Collier bcollier@themaneater.com

T H E M A N E AT E R | M OV E M AG A Z I N E | F E B. 2 1, 2 0 1 8

7

COLUMN

Building up faith in your faith With the torrential amount of work expected from students, this is an examination of where religion comes in, if it does at all.

EVA WALKER

Reporter

Walking down Rollins Street on a crisp, clear January Monday, I find my thoughts wandering toward the events on the previous morning. The hotel ballroom, the extensive range of musicians playing catchy tunes, the changing lights that hinted at different moods. No, I was not at a concert — I was at church.

To many, this is just a normal Sunday ritual, but as a lifelong Jew, this particular experience was a new and unsual one. Never having stepped foot in a church, a fact that has still not changed, I was expecting a solemn pastor preaching the good word with predictable notions of righteousness and the fear of God. There were hints of this sprinkled throughout the service, but the tone was a modern and surprisingly progressive one overall.

After the third religious pop number, we took our seats.

For the next 40 minutes we heard about Galatians and what its teachings had to say, but my mind was not on the New Testament. Rather, I was thinking about those who love it dearly and build their lives around it. As a somewhat practicing Jew, I can understand the comfort found in the familiarity of your native religion. But as an active college student I had to wonder, in the midst of a chaotic college life, can religion be a saving grace?

As someone who does not casually discuss religion or any of its consequences, seeing so many young people feel so strongly about it by personal choice enticed me to entertain its merit. Everyone around me felt so comforted by the words in each song, the pastor’s sermon and especially the reciprocated levels of emotion from one another. Thinking back, I wondered if maybe I did not give enough serious thought to religion when it was brought up. Amidst the discussion of Galatians and the head nodding of the congregants in the room, my mind gets swept away to some place I would never have expected it to go: thoughts of in-class discussions. An exciting topic, I know, but I couldn’t help but remember the tense moments when religious undertones struck

The rosary, a string of beads that represents a common prayer to Jesus’s mother Mary, is prevalent throughout the Catholic Church.

PHOTO BY MADI WINFIELD | VISUALS DIRECTOR a discussion and permeated a classroom environment.

Every time religion or belief systems have been brought up in an academic setting, both the teacher and the students tend to tread rather lightly so as to not offend anyone.

However, this was not a limitation at church because everyone wanted to be there; they came to worship. How free they looked seemed so familiar to me. I recognized it from the faces of those few brave souls that actually divulge their inner religious inclinations in the heat of a class discussion.

Is it academic, personal or both? In public high school, religion was a topic to be avoided at all costs. However, within the freedom of collegiate life, anything can be discussed with equal parts pushback and encouragement. This opens the door for unkind words to be spoken, but it also allows for information to flow freely and ignorance to be abolished. I was ignorant to the extent of what church could mean to people my age. I could not grasp how someone’s faith could be so strong. My good friend Olivia Finley changed that by generously asking me to join her in an experience she knew was foreign to me. However, it was a personal and endlessly valuable ritual to her.

Initially uncomfortable, I shifted in my seat and habitually glanced around the room at the faces of the other attendees. Some looked meditative, while others looked actively engaged in the preaching of the pastor.

However, I did not see a single face that was anything but glad to be there. I knew this

was not a unique occurence, and I definitely knew that this religious influence was not limited to that one hotel ballroom; it was widespread.

To arrive at a more solid conclusion as to what my thoughts were on this excursion, I resolved to go to the source of the experience: the good friend that brought me there in the first place. I decided that if I was having this sort of funhouse mirror experience, she must have had a similar experience at some point in her life, especially given how devout and proud she is.

She spoke of a lecture hall history course she once took and calmly said, “I heard the

“Maybe religion does not have to be about what we believe, but how we believe it.” teacher say once that he did not believe in God.” I asked her how she felt in that class after she heard that, and to somewhat of a suprise, she brought up coexistence. Not some need to convert others, not a personally offended complex claim, but a simple one: He had the right to believe that there was nothing else, just as much as she had the right to believe there was so much more.

This uncomplicated approach to tolerance got me thinking about the other people in my

life who have made religious claims, or sometimes rather unreligious ones.

Looping through campus with my close friend Mia Napolitano, it dawned on me that she has spoken about God in the past and maybe knows something I don’t. With one hand draped on the steering wheel, she gestured along as she shared the idea that in college we actually move away from God. She feels as if this was the furthest apart the two of them had ever been, and in hard times she really feels it. As I listened, I marveled at how easily this other-sided idea fit in my mind along with the ideas of Olivia Finley. I settled on the fact that either and both were worth hearing, as they both gave me perspective on the spiritual opportunities presented to me.

The vast possibility of beliefs on campus is a staggering and potentially divisive notion.

The disagreements such variety could cause has the potential to get personal, making religion a sensitive issue. Yet those are not the only avenues a religious discussion have the potential to head down. As I have recently learned, it can be a renewing experience, even if the religion in question is not yours. It does not have to be about one style of belief or a certain way of expressing love for whatever it is you believe in. Maybe religion does not have to be about what we believe, but how we believe it. It can be a portal to honesty and a gateway to an expansive way of thinking. That is what having something to hold onto can do for people; it gives them courage to go further out

into the world if they have something solid to return home to. it eliminates that sense of risk that can be such a deterrent to adventurous living. Yet, isn’t that a big part of religion? Constant learning, self-reflection and a thirst for life? That is a core of belief and an axis on which faith hinges. Not knowing with absolute certainty what life holds for you but taking the plunge anyway, that is the bravest form of faith.

As the sermon ended and the last two pop numbers were fervently sung, my heart began to soften and become more open to the reason why so many young people find comfort in this weekly ritual. It was positive, intimate and mercifully short. Having gone just once, I make no claim to begin to understand the depth to which religion touches the lives of the people who shared that service with me. I do not know if that will ever be the path I travel down, maybe in another life. Even still, I dont think I will soon forget the ideas that bombarded my stream of consciousness in the days that followed.

Who among us has a set of religious beliefs resting just below the surface only to be fully unearthed during precious moments in church?

Or maybe that is not the case at all, maybe religion never rests; it is always at play, and I have just been blind to it. Whatever the reason, this Jew went to church, and against all odds, she’s glad she did.

Edited by Claire Colby ccolby@themaneater.com

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CONCERT REVIEW

Moon Taxi stops by Columbia for night of alternative rock The band brought its signature altrock flare and an abundance of peace signs to Columbia last week.

JANE MATHER-GLASS

Staff Writer

Lead singer and guitarist of Moon Taxi, Trevor Terndrup, plays one of the band’s most popular songs at The Blue Note on Feb. 15, 2018. PHOTO BY KAYLA LOVELACE | PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT.

Nashville-based band Moon Taxi performed an exciting set Thursday night, complete with keyboard smashing and plenty of hair flips from singer Trevor Terndrup. The Blue Note was the band’s seventh stop on a tour that continues into June, following the release of its most recent album.

The band’s newest LP, Let the Record Play, came out in January of this year, and the group played almost every track from the album.

Terndrup brought energy and life to the stage throughout the entire set, running from one side of the stage to the other, doing lunges in time with the music and lifting his guitar up in front of him. He connected with individual audience members, smiling and making eye contact with

people singing along in the crowd. This made the show feel more intimate.

The band has an alternative rock sound with a slight twang that comes from its Southern roots. The five members came together in Nashville in 2006, and since the formation of the band, it has come out with five albums and played at festivals like Coachella alongside years of touring. Terndrup told the audience Thursday night was the group’s first time in Columbia. It was easy to see that everyone onstage was excited to be there and happy to be performing. Each person onstage has an infectious, positive presence that gave the show a wholesome feel.

Their genuine smiles and the way they interacted onstage throughout the concert showed their close connection.

“Trouble” from the band’s new album was a highlight of the night. The song gave guitarist Spencer Thomson and keyboardist Wes Bailey a chance to dazzle concertgoers with stunning solos, and the crowd was excited and engaged, holding

up peace signs and singing along. Another memorable moment was the song “Red Hot Lights.” The stage was fittingly lit up red, and everyone on the floor was dancing.

Terndrup’s Tennessee drawl came out when he sang “River Water,” a song from Moon Taxi’s 2013 album, Mountains Beaches Cities.

The bridge had the audience singing along as Terndrup repeated, “And we danced in the river water.” The energy of the song built and built in a way that is only possible at a live show.

The first song of the encore was “Morocco,” one of Moon Taxi’s most popular songs.

This was when bassist Tommy Putnam lifted a keyboard above his head and, to the audience’s delight, smashed it on the ground, sending pieces of plastic flying. The band ended with “Two High,” a song inspired by the peace sign. By the end of the night, nearly everyone in the crowd was holding two peace signs in the air.

Edited by Brooke Collier bcollier@themaneater.com

HBO REVIEW

Television show ‘Mosaic’ transcends traditional platforms Steven Soderbergh’s “Mosaic” has reinvented traditional forms of viewing. With an app, you can choose perspectives, watch additional clips and see more information that a linear show would never allow.

SADIE LEA

Staff Writer

Each season, it can be expected that new television shows will try and find a place in popular nightly programming.

This has been seen before with television shows that initially seemed underrated like Grey’s Anatomy, The Fosters, Catfish: The TV Show and many others that eventually gained larger audiences. Steven Soderbergh’s murder mystery Mosaic, however, transcends traditional viewing platforms by bringing interactive content right to your phone.

Mosaic aired on HBO on Jan. 22. The small series

was released with six episodes; however, the free app, that doesn’t require an HBO subscription, for iOS and Android was released on Nov. 8, 2017, and Nov. 21, 2017, respectively, with full episodes and more details built in.

The app begins with one choice: “Meet Olivia Lake.”

From there, the viewer unlocks new perspectives from the two men who are accused of killing her.

The perspectives begin to intertwine as a detective becomes involved, as well as one of the accused’s sisters.

As you travel down the paths, not only do you unlock different points of view, but you also unlock key elements like emails, police documents and news articles as you progress.

This new medium allows for viewers to see the show the way they choose — Do they believe he killed Olivia Lake? Or was it someone else?

Taking on such a unique medium can lead to challenges in and of itself, leaving the show with a lackluster plot, but this was not the case.

From the very beginning, Soderbergh makes you connect with Olivia Lake,

as stubborn as she is. The app allows viewers to see the events leading up to Olivia’s murder from her perspective. Once you find out she’s been murdered, you begin picking up on each clue dropped before the murder itself, creating your own theories on who really killed Olivia Lake.

The character development makes you trust each person then leaves you spinning with confusion as you see the scene from a different point of view, making you unsure of who to believe. Finding the show is almost like finding one of those hidden gem television shows on Netflix. Although the season has aired on television, it still is addicting and bingeworthy. Only half a day would be spent watching six episodes. The innovative features of the app allow you to immerse yourself in the storytelling experience, not just view the show from the outside looking in.

Mosaic is eerie and addicting. If you’re looking for a new show to binge watch, the show’s app is just a few clicks away until you’re hooked.

Steven Soderbergh, Mosaic’s creator, receives an Emmy Award in 2013 for the HBO Edited by Brooke Collier film Behind the Candelabra. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS bcollier@themaneater.com

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MOVIE REVIEW

‘The Florida Project’ is a 21st century ‘The Little Rascals’ A seedy motel painted purple becomes the “Magic Kingdom” for children who live in poverty near Disney World.

JESSE BAALMAN

Columnist

As a child, it is impossible to comprehend the world as adults do. This truth is the nutshell of Hal Roach’s Our Gang short films and their feature-length adaptation, The Little Rascals. While those classic films focused on kids during the Great Depression, The Florida Project deals with the effects of the housing market collapse in 2008. Its specific focus is on those living in budget motels right outside of Orlando’s Walt Disney World.

In the film, Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) lives with her mother, Halley (Bria Vinaite), in a bright purple, fortress-like complex that is appropriately called Magic Castle Inn and Suites. Her summer is spent pulling pranks and getting into trouble with her friends Scooty (Christopher Rivera) and Jancey (Valeria Cotto). She sees surprise and adventure at every turn and remains oblivious to her mother’s struggle to make ends meet, which has the same effect on the viewer. The building manager, Bobby (Willem Dafoe), is the gatekeeper between the characters’ contrasting perspectives and is somewhat of an all-seeing eye on the community as a whole.

Moonee is in awe of everything around her; she goes on a “safari” with cows behind the motel and sneaks into abandoned condos with her friends. It doesn’t matter that she will never get to go to the Animal Kingdom or Haunted Mansion; she’s having the time of her life.

Prince is a tiny superstar in her role that calls to mind other great performances by children like Jacob Tremblay in Room and Quvenzhané Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Sean Baker uses several visual techniques to immerse audiences in the details of the locations. He shoots on 35-millimeter film, exaggerating the size of the kids as the camera sits low to the ground and records them running through wide landscapes along U.S. Route 92. Among those landscapes are an orange-shaped fruit store, a gift shop with a

Willem Dafoe, a star of The Florida Project. PHOTO COURTESY OF SASHA KARGALTSEV VIA FLICKR

wizard on top and an ice cream parlor that looks like the cones it sells.

There is one sequence that winks at the director’s last movie, Tangerine. That film was shot on an iPhone with anamorphic lenses and used saturated colors to express vibrancy in a sex worker’s life as well as the subculture of Los Angeles. In The Florida Project, the colors are still sun-baked, but they are made softer and more primary to echo a child’s perspective. In both cases, color is used as a tool for audience empathy.

Another source of compassion in the film comes from its mixture of veteran, firsttimer and nonprofessional acting choices. Watching a seasoned actor like Dafoe improvise with Vinaite, who was discovered on Instagram, is natural in a way that seems documentary-like.

The Florida Project is a neorealist effort in the vein of last year’s Moonlight (also an A24 picture) because it never resorts to glorification of its subject matter. Baker isn’t condescending toward his characters by sensationalizing their lives or exploiting their environment. The result is a profoundly humanist film that is so authentic in its depiction of sidelined demographics in America that it shatters any notion of us being different from these individuals considered the hidden homeless. Everyone experiences life through a keyhole, but the problem is we are locked behind different doors. Childhood looks the same from any perspective.

MU will hold a free screening of The Florida

Project at 8 p.m. on Feb. 21 in Wrench Auditorium.

Edited by Claire Colby ccolby@themaneater.com

OPINION

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

We want to hear your voice.

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

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

COLUMN

Scandals and lies are defining the Trump administration Major news outlets are reporting that the White House is lying when it comes to the Porter scandal — and yet, if we’ve learned anything about this administration, it’s that little to nothing will be done about it.

MADI BAUGHMAN

Opinion Columnist

Madi Baughman is a freshman journalism and political science major who writes about political and civil rights issues for The Maneater.

Over the past few weeks, it’s become painfully obvious that the

White House’s timeline for the Rob Porter scandal is a straight-up lie; the FBI’s timeline completely contradicts everything the White House has claimed about Porter so far. The White House claimed the FBI security clearance process was ongoing. However, FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed that it closed Porter’s file in January. What should be alarming to the American people is that no action was taken even after learning of the allegations against Porter.

Porter, who served as staff secretary, was accused of abusing both of his past wives. Colbie Holderness, his first wife, claimed she was “living in constant fear of Rob’s anger” and that his abuse chipped away at her independence and self-worth. His second wife, Jennifer Willoughby, had to get a protective order as she was trying to get out of the marriage.

Despite all the evidence, Porter has denied the allegations against him

but still resigned from his position as staff secretary. He is not the first member of the Trump administration to be removed from his position, and I’m sure he will not be the last, either.

Some other, more prominent names may come to mind when thinking of the Trump executives who have left the White House, such as Steve Bannon or Sean Spicer.

However, this specific case caught my attention because major news outlets are reporting that the White House is lying when it comes to the Porter scandal — and yet, if we’ve learned anything about this administration, it’s that little to nothing will be done about it. People are leaving the White House at a staggering rate, and this should speak volumes about the incompetence of this administration.

During Trump’s first year in office, his staff saw a 34 percent turnover rate, according to Fortune; the next highest first-year rate was

Ronald Reagan’s, at 17 percent. This should raise major red flags. People appointed to important positions in our government should be people that we, as American citizens, can trust. If a person in government needs to be removed, then the administration should do so. However, we should keep in mind that it’s not normal to have a turnover rate twice as high as the next one on the list, especially when said administration has a tendency to lie about it.

At this point, it seems easy to brush this abuse scandal to the side because top executives falling from grace has become the norm of the Trump administration. However, we have to remember that we should not accept this as the new normal. We shouldn’t be OK with an administration with incompetent officials, and we definitely shouldn’t be OK with a White House that lies to us about them.

COLUMN

Deporting Emilio Gutiérrez Soto would go against American values The United States should remember the significant role that journalism plays in society before sending a journalist to his death.

TATYANA MONNAY

Opinion Columnist

Tatyana Monnay is a freshman journalism major who writes about politics for The Maneater.

Mexico is one of the most dangerous places to be a journalist. In recent years, organized crime and corrupt government officials have made it a priority to threaten and even kill journalists who have exposed corruption and criminal activity.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 35 of 40 journalists murdered since 1992 were murdered with impunity.

Consider the case of Emilio Gutiérrez Soto, a Mexican journalist fighting extradition from the United States.

Gutiérrez, 54, wrote a series of articles in 2008 exposing the Mexican army’s abuses of people in Chihuahua.

The critical articles caused extreme backlash for Gutiérrez and his family. A friend of Gutiérrez’s who had contacts in the military warned Gutiérrez that he was now on the army’s kill list. In fear for his life, Gutiérrez and his thenteenage son, Oscar, left Mexico for good, in hopes that their lives would be safer across the border.

Gutiérrez spent his time in the U.S. running a food truck in El Paso, Texas.

Not once did Gutiérrez commit any crimes throughout the 10 years he and his son have been in the U.S. However,

Gutiérrez now fears his fate if he is deported, which is extremely likely.

Just this past summer, Gutiérrez’s asylum claim was denied, and he was about to be deported when the Board of Immigration Appeals granted him an 11th-hour stay.

To support the denial of asylum, Judge Robert Hough of the El Paso Immigration Court pointed to the fact that there is no documentation or testimonial corroboration of Gutiérrez’s account of what happened to him. The friend who warned Gutiérrez about his name being on the army’s kill list did not testify and neither did Gutiérrez’s former boss at the Chihuahua regional newspaper. Much of this case is based off of Gutiérrez’s account alone.

But in light of how journalists and people who are critical of illegal activity are handled in Mexico, does the judge truly expect anyone to risk their lives to come forward and speak the truth? It is not unusual in these circumstances for witnesses to not come forward where their accounts and corroborations will be recorded.

Now in a Texas jail cell, Gutiérrez reflected on what will happen to him if he is deported back to Mexico and remains convinced that he will finally face the repercussions of his article unless people intervene.

“Our life is dependent on this process,” Gutiérrez said in a telephone news conference with The National Press Club. “I ask all of you to please not abandon us, please.”

Many organizations and journalists have taken to social media to express their outrage on Gutiérrez’s possible deportation. The National Press Club has created an online petition at Change.org, which has nearly 100,000 signatures in support of Gutiérrez’s asylum in the U.S.

It is insensitive to deport Gutiérrez back to Mexico. Even if there is no official corroboration of the event, the history of how journalists are treated in Mexico is too large and apparent to ignore. To deport Gutiérrez back to Mexico would be delivering him to his grave.

As Americans, it would be unjust to further punish Gutiérrez for seeking the truth and promoting democracy, which are pillars in our own society.

Gutiérrez’s article exposed the truth, something good journalism is supposed to do.

So much of our culture as Americans comes from the relative transparency we receive from news organizations, an aspect that many of us take for granted. The importance of journalism and a free press has been ingrained in us since the inception of our nation.

Now, journalism sits as the fourth estate — an essential part of our society to help keep democracy alive.

This privilege we have is wanted in places like Mexico. Gutiérrez was only trying to promote democracy in his own home and hold his government accountable.

Gutiérrez has abandoned his home, family and livelihood in hopes that the United States, the land of the free and home of the brave, would see his case and grant him asylum.

Rather than deny him of his safety, the United States should welcome Gutiérrez with open arms and show every U.S. journalist that their government stands with them and believes in them as an institution. The U.S. must grant Gutiérrez asylum or take him to another country where he will be safer.

SPORTS

Online this week: Women’s basketball trumps Tennessee in 77-73 win, breaks home attendance record and more at themaneater.com.

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WRESTLING

Wrestler John Erneste balances master’s degree program and All-American goal Head coach Brian Smith: “He’s one of those kids that comes in consistent all the time.”

HANNAH HOFFMEISTER

Staff Writer

John Erneste, Missouri wrestling’s reliable 133-pound starter, did not wrestle at the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 17.

It wasn’t because he was struggling on the mat. At the time, Erneste had a 7-1 record with three falls in eight duals.

It was because he had to graduate.

“I didn’t take him to the Reno tournament because it was the week after the exams, so I know what exam time was going to be for John: really tough,” head coach Brian Smith said.

“He was good about it. He understood it.”

Erneste remembered being on an exercise bike when Smith broke the news to him. “[Coach Smith] cares about more than just the wrestling aspect of being a student-athlete,” Erneste said.

A redshirt junior with Missouri wrestling, Erneste graduated a semester early in December with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics with an emphasis in actuarial science and mathematical finance. He started his first semester in the Crosby MBA program through the Trulaske College of Business this past January.

“The master’s [degree] is really to kind of find what my life is after wrestling,” Erneste said. “So, finding where I can apply the things I’ve learned in wrestling — the

John Erneste faces off against an Eastern Michigan wrestler at Hearnes Center on Jan. 13, 2018, in Columbia. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIZZOU ATHLETICS

competitive edge, that kind of thing — to something in the real world. I mean, wrestling is real, but there’s always something after it.”

Family tradition Math and wrestling are not new concepts to Erneste and his family.

His mom, Patti, teaches math, and his

sister, Sam, wrestled for a freestyle club and then for the high school team for two years.

His dad, Bill, was a college wrestler at Central Missouri State (now University of Central Missouri).

A former high school wrestling coach and math teacher at Park Hill High School in Kansas City, he is now the school’s athletic director and an

assistant principal. He coached John for three years in high school but did not take a formal coaching role with John otherwise.

“I feel whenever I look in the mirror, that I’m a good coach for other people’s kids,” Bill said in a phone interview. “I was one of those

JOHN | Page 13

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Missouri rallies, then beats itself late again to help Ole Miss snap seven-game skid BENNETT DURANDO

Assistant Sports Editor

There was a moment when Missouri should have realized it wasn’t meant to be this time.

The team had just capped another spurt to close in on Ole Miss. A once 13-point deficit was sliced to 3 after Kassius Robertson’s deepest triple yet.

Mizzou Arena was finally rocking.

Then Deandre Burnett banked a 3. It was his only basket of the game and became buried in the chaos that later developed, but at the time it was massive — at the end of a broken possession to double the Rebel lead. Even after Missouri later completed its comeback, even after it emphatically reared its head late to go ahead by 6, even throughout a tight overtime period, the sense was that Tony Madlock had revived the Rebels after a seven-game losing skid.

That ended up being the case, as Missouri (18-10, 8-7 Southeastern Conference) fell short of a necessary win in brutal fashion in a 90-87 overtime loss on Tuesday night. The Tigers rallied from down 13 in the last 15 minutes, squandered a 5-point advantage in the last two and couldn’t lead in the last four minutes of the agonizing extra frame on their way to a second straight demoralizing defeat.

“It’s mind-blowing,” head coach Cuonzo Martin said. “It’s hard to pinpoint one thing. It was a painful game to lose at home.”

The score stood still at 88-87 in favor of Ole Miss for two entire minutes down the stretch in overtime.

Missouri had plenty of chances to flip the lead during that time, but freshman bigs Jeremiah Tilmon and Jontay Porter missed four straight free throws that could have done the job.

“We’re obviously a better freethrow-shooting team than the last two games,” Martin said.

Junior Jordan Geist had a chance to win it for his team but got swallowed as he drove to the basket in the final seconds. After the Rebels made their foul shots, he had one last opportunity but left a last-second 3 short of the rim.

“It seemed like [Robertson] was open,” Martin said, “but we’ll see.”

Junior Kevin Puryear didn’t think that last possession was what cost Missouri the game, though.

“To blame Geist would be a disservice to us all,” he said.

What was the difference in this one then? When the Rebels were the ones playing from behind late in regulation, they didn’t miss their chance.

Missouri’s drastic turnaround peaked at a late 6-point lead and

settled at a supposedly comfortable 81-76 mark with just over two minutes left.

It’s never truly comfortable for this team, though.

“Same thing that it has usually been,” senior Jordan Barnett said.

“Missed free throws, turnovers down the stretch. Same old, same old.”

First came the turnovers. Two of them left the Tigers empty on backto-back possessions, one of which occurred on an inbound pass — something that has happened all too frequently this season. The two mishaps counted toward 21 turnovers on the night, and, more importantly, allowed Ole Miss to cut Missouri’s lead to 1.

Then it was the free throws. Geist stepped to the line with 12 seconds left and a chance to force the Rebels

MBB | Page 13

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MAT

Continued from page 1

Ben Askren. Not to mention Cox, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and the U.S.’s greatest contribution to the sport in years.

For Cox, it represents a beginning, a second home and a manifestation of the magic of memory.

For Eierman, it’s where he found the family he never had.

For Mike Eierman, it was a chance to build something sacred.

That’s what he set out to do in 2005.

A local youth club wrestling coach, Mike aspired to find innovative ways to teach the sport to a new generation. That started with having a small addition constructed onto the back side of his garage. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to squeeze a regulation mat inside the extra space. Now he could coach from home.

“It was all a vision in my head,” Mike said with starry eyes as he looked around the room. “A lot of these coaches didn’t understand it. In their world, they just teach the same, same things, and that’s not what wrestling is. Wrestling is a continuous, evolving sport.

“We set out to change the way people look at wrestling.”

He knew it wouldn’t happen overnight. Starting with 10 or so kids from his “Eierman Elite” club in the confined space, the growth process began to run its course, ever so slowly.

Along the way, one of those kids would change Mike’s life forever.

Jaydin Clayton, as he was then known, didn’t have a family bond in his early childhood. All he knew was that he loved wrestling. Today, he goes

by Jaydin Eierman, and he’s the No. 3 141-pounder in the country with a 16-0 dual record in his sophomore year for Missouri. Mike is his father. “[My birth father] wasn’t around much,” Jaydin said. “He walked out of my life when I was pretty young.”

That’s where Mike came in. Jaydin was already one of his wrestlers, just 7 years old and looking for the father figure he’d been missing in his life.

“I fell in love with Jaydin, and he fell in love with me,” Mike said. “I knew what I wanted to do.”

Mike has raised Jaydin since right around that time. The young competitor officially took the name of his coach and adoptive dad a few years later, and is now known only by it at Mizzou. His birth father died a couple of years ago. “[Mike] took me in as his own son and has raised me,” Jaydin said. “I call him my dad. I took his last name because I think he’s my dad. He was there for everything.”

That meant the good and the bad — but most of all, the growth. Jaydin and Mike both recall one match at the small space in particular.

“I was winning but the kid was coming back, and I started to cry during the match,” Jaydin said. “[Mike] told the ref to stop the match and pulled me out and told me to sit down and watch for the rest of the day. Ever since then, I haven’t broke during a match. He helps so much with the mental aspect of the sport that nobody really has anywhere else.”

Growing up with Mike for a dad and a wrestling mat for a backyard, Jaydin found a family and a life’s passion. On one of the garage walls, his name and updated accolades are scrawled in Sharpie between the signatures of countless other former Eierman Elite kids.

“I have them all sign the wall so I

One of the walls in Mike Eierman’s garage is decorated with the signatures of hundreds of kids who wrestled in the room. Among them are an Olympic medalist, an undefeated MMA fighter and two current Mizzou wrestlers. PHOTO BY ADAM COLE | SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

can remember,” Mike said, pointing at a few of the names and chuckling nostalgically. “All the time, I just walk around, read this and reminisce.”

One of the names he stops on is Leeth.

A redshirt junior at Missouri out of the Kansas City area, Leeth has given the word “resilient” a new meaning this season. After transferring from Duke back to his home state, he missed two years thanks to a pair of untimely and unforgiving knee injuries. Now he’s finally fulfilling a dream that tantalized him for two years — competing as a Mizzou Tiger — and he still hasn’t lost. He just finished an unexpected 16-0 regular season in duals that has him ranked No. 3 in the country at his weight class of 149 pounds.

He says he owes his success in part to Mike’s teachings.

“I was in fifth grade, and I had wrestled some Eierman Elite kid at a tournament in Colorado,” Leeth said.

“Mike approached me, told me to come out to one of his camps, so I went that summer and just loved it.”

So for the next year, he made the 150-mile commute from Kearney to Millersburg three nights a week, all to learn how to wrestle in that garage.

“Grant was definitely one of those kids that just showed a lot of character in his wrestling, a lot of fight,” Mike said. “It was a no-brainer that he was going to have tremendous success.”

His hand moves next to a quote signed from “Ben.” It’s Ben Askren, a former student who went on to win a national championship at Missouri then go pro as an MMA fighter.

“He’s a freak,” Mike laughs. “He is unreal. That dude is a ninja.”

Finally, his hand comes across the prized centerpiece of the wall.

“J’den Cox is the best that our country has to offer,” Mike says. “When he does it right and is feeling it and does what he does, I don’t think there’s anyone in the world that can do what he can do.”

If anyone knows, it’s Mike; he traveled to Brazil with the eventual medalist in 2016, and remains his Olympic coach to this day.

Before any of that, he was coaching just another bright-eyed 9-year-old.

“I’d see J’den Cox crying, nervous, terrified to walk onto the mat,” Mike said. That would change over time.

“When people ask me about him, did I see something physically … it was his mental aspect. The physical aspect‫ ‏‬is phenomenal, but the way he thinks is

what separates him from everyone else.

“I used to tell him all the time when he was little: ‘You’re going to change the world. You’re not just going to change wrestling. Wrestling is going to be your platform, because you’re going to be an Olympic champion, so that’s going to be your door. You’re going to change the world.’”

Cox became attached to the coach, to his teammates, to Jaydin. It all happened in that garage.

“One of the biggest things is not only [Mike’s] technique, which is out of this world, but his way to bring kids to believe in themselves, to be more than what they are,” Cox said. “That’s really what drives that place. You just feel the energy that’s within that place and the passion and the love behind what we’re doing.”

Part of that love originates from the very design of the room. The shed sits at the edge of the woods, not far from the shore of Little Dixie Lake. Mike likes to point out the view from several windows in the room, which extends to the water.

He says he had that added for a reason.

“Usually a wrestling room is a dungeon,” he said. “I wanted to do it where these kids came in here and they looked and you could see outside, you could see the lake. They don’t feel they’re locked in here; they feel. It’s all part of the package.”

That package even included going outside to utilize the unique environment for conditioning. It’s what gave Cox some of his most distinct childhood memories from the place.

“Mike would get us all in the back and we would start running,” he said.

“It was a hard run, especially when you get guys who were six, eight, nine. All the days that we just grinded and went at each other’s throats, and at the end of the day just being like, ‘Oh, we’re cool,’ … it was really awesome.”

No two guys were more like that than J’den and Jaydin. The pair of promising pre-teens were best friends and fierce rivals.

“There were dogfights in here,” Mike said. “They would kill each other. They loved each other and they’re brothers, but they’re so competitive.”

Just as Jaydin had found a father in Mike, he now had a big brother in Cox. “Me and him grew up, since we were little kids,” Jaydin said, his calm demeanor finally breaking as he cracked a grin. “Not many people know that, but that’s where everything started — in that garage in Millersburg.”

Cox didn’t live there like Jaydin, but it was rare to not find him on the mat that dominated the Eierman shed. Mike recalls the future Olympian practicing with 100 takedowns a night in the room, accomplishing challenges his coach thought were impossible.

“Everything was with a purpose, and it was always a mental challenge; show me something I’ve never seen before,” Mike said. “That’s the crazy thing. These kids would do these things and blow me away. I’d test J’den and he would come back smiling at me. I’d be like, ‘You’re kidding me. You’re not supposed to be able to do that,’ and he’d say, ‘I know; I had to get tough.’”

Cox agrees many of those things shouldn’t have been possible. They were for him though, he says, because of great coaching from Mike.

“He’s not someone who just looks to teach; he also looks to learn,” Cox said.

“I think that’s something every teacher and every mentor should take into consideration. He’s always looking to get better and evolve. When you’re looking to better other people, shouldn’t you be looking to better yourself as well?”

He, Mike and Jaydin all believe the magic of the garage mat is just that: the way it has bettered all of them in multiple facets. It brought grassroots development together with a new generation, fun together with hard work, a forward-thinking coach together with a now historic place. It’s why Missouri has become a national hot spot for collegiate wrestling.

It’s why Mike still runs his Eierman Elite club through the garage today.

It’s why J’den and Jaydin still go back to help.

Cox and Jaydin get those same goosebumps every time they go back to the garage that built a dynasty and gave new meaning to so many lives.

“I walk out in my backyard and there it is,” Jaydin said. “It was right where we could reach it.”

The walls all around the room are scuffed and dented, the paint chipped from years of children competing vigorously in the confined space. To its alumni, every scar is holy.

“There’s just something about it that’s just … I don’t know,” Cox said. For once, he was at a loss for words. “It’s magical, and it’s something that only that place can provide. It’s like a home — it’s more than a home.”

Edited by Joe Noser jnoser@themaneater.com

T H E M A N E AT E R | S P O RTS | F E B. 2 1, 2 0 1 8

JOHN

Continued from page 11

people that also knew that when you have this word called ‘love,’ that you love your own child, you better hire someone to coach your own kid because you’re too much involved.”

Smith said the has conversations with Erneste that he wouldn’t have with other wrestlers because Erneste understands both the coach’s and athlete’s perspectives.

“The other thing that’s special about John that I see is that he’s a coach’s son, which I was,” Smith said.

“And I always think coaches’ sons are — they’re just special because they see both sides of it.”

In high school, John came just short of winning a state championship, placing second and third two times each.

“There’s a lot of people that’ll drop off going into college, knowing that they’d accomplished their goals,” Erneste said. “But I think not having accomplished my goal kind of made me even more determined to figure it out in the next five years.”

After John placed second at state his senior year, Bill Erneste said he told his son that he was destined for something greater.

“I told John, I said, ‘Just appreciate the journey. And you can make this happen,’” Bill said.

That “something greater” that Bill Erneste mentioned? John Erneste took it to heart.

The goal now? Become an AllAmerican.

A day in the life Erneste spends almost four hours training and about an hour watching film or reading articles every day.

“You know, he’s one of those kids that comes in consistent all the time,” Smith said. “When you talk about favorite kids to coach, he’s up there as one of ’em.”

On Tuesdays and Thursdays since he’s started his master’s program, Erneste gets to Hearnes Center at 6:30 a.m. to get a lift or drill in before class. His classes go from 8 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. He works out again

MBB Continued from page 11

into needing a 3. He bricked half of the pair, though, and Breein Tyree was able to go to the lane for a gametying floater with 3.9 seconds left. He finished with a game-leading 25.

“Coach all week gave us the confidence to play loose and free,” Tyree said.

Robertson sent up a deep 3 at the buzzer, but it rimmed out, and the the Tigers’ own sense of playing from behind was back for five more minutes. They were cruelly reminded of charity stripe woes during that period when Tilmon and Porter couldn’t get them over the hump.

So what was the matter at the line on Tuesday night? Puryear was straightforward about it.

“We missed 11.”

For Ole Miss, the game marked the turning of a new page. It ended with a beacon of hope.

Even in the middle of the program’s

at 2 p.m. at Hearnes Center — or later if there’s a team practice. After practice, he takes an ice bath or does whatever is necessary to recover.

“I really have to consciously rest,” Erneste said, noting that relaxation often means hanging out at his apartment with his roommates. “I get antsy a lot, so a lot of times I want to get up and move, but I need to realize that I can’t move today because tomorrow’s going to be a lot more grueling … It’s not really that grueling except for those Tuesday/ Thursdays.”

Smith contradicted Erneste’s nonchalance and said the redshirt junior probably trains more than anybody in the room.

Upon hearing that, Erneste paused and thought before he said, “I’m humbled.” After another pause, he said, “I don’t train to, you know, show that I’m training. I come in because I need to get work done.”

His hard work is all done with the All-American goal in mind, which is awarded to the top eight wrestlers from each weight class at the NCAA championships. It is an honor held by only 42 Mizzou wrestlers who have won a total of 69 titles in program history.

“When you’re driven to accomplish something … you don’t feel like it’s work; you don’t feel like it’s something you have to do,” Erneste said. “You go in and you want to do these things because you know it’s going to get you where you want to be.”

Canten Marriott, his teammate and roommate, said that he looks to Erneste for confirmation on whether he’s doing the right thing. Marriott is a redshirt freshman in the 184-pound weight class.

“Even if we don’t have a morning practice, he’ll come in and run — mainly for his weight, but also just to better himself,” Marriott said.

Marriott and Erneste were on the same youth wrestling team and have been friends since before the two were teenagers. Marriott recalled swimming at the Ernestes’ pool and playing basketball and soccer for fun together.

Once this season, the team was called in for a morning drill instead of a lift; Marriott said he was complaining about hitting the mats state of turmoil prompted by former head coach Andy Kennedy stepping down two days ago, interim coach Madlock had the Rebels rearing to go from the beginning. An 11-4 lead stretched to 16-9 to 24-14 to 34-21.

The Rebels looked like a new team.

They couldn’t miss.

“We talked about it Sunday,” said Madlock, who was head coaching for the first time in his career. “It’s a fresh start, a new beginning.”

While the Tigers couldn’t fan a 6-for9 outside shooting flame at one end, nothing would fall at the other. They were 2 for 8 from the same range, while seven turnovers plagued them in the first 15 minutes. It amounted to that 13-point deficit that was as daunting as it was unexpected.

“We have to get out of the gates early better,” Martin said.

Still, Missouri made a push late in the half that included a couple of Robertson 3s and one circus-finish plus one for Geist. The game got as close as 5 before Ole Miss made it to the halftime respite up 42-35.

That was the sense several times:

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John Erneste, a redshirt junior wrestler, is a master’s student in the Trulaske School of Business. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIZZOU ATHLETICS

that early, which Erneste countered by saying that he loved it.

“That kind of mindset or perspective on things is enjoyable to hear, and it’s encouraging,” Marriott said.

The embodiment of Tiger Style Compartmentalizing is something that Erneste has learned as a studentathlete, especially as one with a high level of commitment to both aspects.

“Every time you go into something, you do it the best you can, but you just have to make sure you’re focusing on one thing at a time,” he said.

As a coach, Smith is aware of Erneste’s expectations for himself.

“Everybody has goals, but he has excellence where he wants a 4.0 and he wants to be an All-American national champion,” Smith said. “He’s looking through the clouds, way above it.”

That mindset of excellence affects both school and wrestling. Bill recalled his son’s first semester of college, when he was disappointed to learn that an A-minus was not a 4.0 grade point average. John called that realization “a little alarming” and added that his first B was not until college.

On the mat, Smith said Erneste will train more in the days after a match that Missouri was finally making its decisive run, that Ole Miss was fading back toward its lackluster standard. But fives minutes into the second half, the Tigers looked up and saw the hole had been redug to match its largest yet: 13 points. They had no answer.

So it seemed.

Shots started falling. 7 unanswered points went the Tigers’ way and the crowd was rejuvenated. Barnett’s banked 3 postponed the rally, but only for so long. A Geist triple with 4:56 left gave Missouri it’s first lead since 2-0.

The Tigers had learned their lesson; surely, they were going to get out of Mizzou Arena with a win.

As usual, that’s when it all came tumbling down.

“It’s embarrassing,” Puryear said.

“There’s a bitter taste in all of our mouths right now.”

Missouri will try to wash out that taste at Rupp Arena on Saturday when the Tigers take on a revenge-hungry Kentucky team at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN. Edited by Joe Noser jnoser@themaneater.com

to correct his mistakes.

“He just wants to be excellent in everything, so it makes it easy to coach,” Smith said.

Erneste wrestled only in tournaments his freshman year, his redshirt season.

In his first year counting toward official stats, he again wrestled only in tournaments. Last season he became the starter at 133 pounds halfway through the season. After going 5-1 in MAC duals, he won the 133-pound MAC Championship, also qualifying for the 2017 NCAA championships.

“He prepared himself for that in all the years he was here training,” Smith said. “So he knew when the time came that he had the opportunity to step up, he’d be prepared. And he was.”

Erneste finished the 2017-18 regular season with a 19-2 record and six falls, going 6-0 in MAC duals. He was consistently ranked in the top 10 throughout the season, including two weeks straight at the No. 3 spot by Trackwrestling.

Smith characterizes Erneste as an example of what Tiger Style, Missouri wrestling’s mantra, means.

“I’ve been fortunate to coach some elite kids, but John is a kid that, in his whole life, he’s that way,” Smith said.

“He’s elite in everything.”

Edited by Joe Noser jnoser@themaneater.com

Forward Kevin Puryear shoots against Mississippi State guard Xavian Stapleton on Feb. 10, 2018. PHOTO BY COURTNEY VILLMER | SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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T H E M A N E AT E R | S P O RTS | F E B. 2 1, 2 0 1 8

GYMNASTICS

No. 20 Missouri gymnastics takes second at Mardi Gras Invitational over two ranked opponents The Tigers recorded season-high scores in both beam and vault.

LIAD LERNER

Staff Writer

No. 20 Missouri gymnastics’ excellence on the beam powered the team to a second-place finish at the Mardi Gras Invitational in St. Charles, Missouri, on Friday.

Missouri’s score of 196.025 was bested by No. 4 LSU but the Tigers beat out No. 8 Arkansas and No. 21 George Washington.

Because of the unusual format of the four-team meet, the Tigers’ first rotation was the beam, and its 49.375 was a season high in any event for the team. Missouri’s lowest-scoring routine was a 9.8 and junior Britney Ward’s 9.95 became the team’s jointhighest scoring individual routine this season.

The Tigers also shined in the vault, where Ward and sophomore Aspen Tucker provided two more of Missouri’s four scores of at least 9.9 on the night. The team posted

a season-high score of 49.25 in the rotation.

Missouri struggled the most on the bars, where the team had two falls from junior Brooke Kelly and redshirt sophomore Morgan Porter.

In the end, all of the individual honors were swept by LSU, but Missouri can still take pride in its second-place finish over two ranked teams. The Tigers’ record is now 3-5, and they are yet to face an unranked opponent this season.

“We counted a fall on bars, which obviously we’re not happy about, but I did think we made really great strides in a lot of areas,” head coach Shannon Welker said in a press release. “We stuck five out of six dismounts on beam today; that was a really great beam rotation. There were a lot of great things happening and we’ll put it together. Good things are on the horizon.”

Missouri’s next meet is at Kentucky on Feb. 23 at 6 p.m.

Edited by Joe Noser jnoser@themaneater.com

Junior gymnast Michaelee Turner poses in preparation to begin her floor routine at the GymQuarters Invitational on Feb. 16, 2018, in St. Charles, Missouri. PHOTO BY KAYLA LOVELACE | PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT

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SWIMMING AND DIVING

Five takeaways from Missouri swimming and diving’s performance at the SEC championships After Missouri finished in the top half of the conference at the SECs, there is much for fans to learn about the team ahead of the NCAA championships.

ALEX GELABERT

Staff Writer

The Southeastern Conference championships concluded on Sunday, and now head coach Greg Rhodenbaugh and the Missouri swimming and diving teams will focus their full attention on the NCAA championships.

These championships are what swimming and diving teams across the country work toward all season long. Every meet on regular season schedules was a chance to qualify for the NCAAs, and with the NCAA diving championships beginning in two weeks, time is running out for athletes to book a ticket to Minneapolis or Columbus, Ohio.

Missouri has one meet remaining that Tiger swimmers and divers can use to qualify for the NCAAs, justly named the Mizzou NCAA Qualifier held at Mizzou Aquatic Center this weekend.

Before then, a lot can be taken from Mizzou’s performance at the SEC championships that can provide insight on what fans can expect out of the Tigers at the NCAA championships.

Here are five things of note about Mizzou swimming and diving after the SEC championships:

Started slow, finished strong With the format of the SEC championships being preliminary heats in the morning followed by final heats in the evening, it is tough to recover from a slow first swim. This is what Missouri endured throughout the week.

Many Tigers narrowly missed out on finishing in the top eight after preliminary heats, thus missing out on valuable team points in the “A” final. They then recovered in a consolation “B” or “C” final and improved their times immensely.

An example of this is senior Hannah Stevens’ performance on the final day of the meet. Stevens swam a 1:53.32 in her preliminary heat in the 200yard backstroke. This time placed her in the “B” final for the event, or ninth place through 17th place after preliminaries. Stevens went on to dominate this final heat, placing first in the heat and ninth overall with a time of 1:51.75, two seconds faster than her morning swim.

Rhodenbaugh commended those swimmers who were able to recover after preliminaries and perform their best in the finals.

“The morning was a mixed bag; we had some really good stuff and we had some not very good stuff,” Rhodenbaugh said in a press release

Senior Erin Metzger-Seymour swims down the lane toward victory against Drury on Jan. 20, 2017. MANEATER FILE PHOTO on night two of the meet. “This evening was really good because the people who got it done this morning were in the right frame of mind and were ready to go. They came back tonight and did a really nice job.”

Mizzou swimmers cannot afford to have slow preliminary times in the NCAA championships with a much larger field of teams involved and much smaller room for error.

Some struggle under pressure The team started day one of the SECs slow in preliminary heats and did not recover much at all in that evening’s final heats. This was evident in the overall team standings after night one, when the Mizzou men were in sixth place and the women in 10th.

Rhodenbaugh said he believed his team was struggling to acclimate to the environment and big stage of the venue in College Station, Texas.

“In swimming, we didn't really arrive at the meet until the 800 free relay at the end,” Rhodenbaugh said in a press release on night one. “For some reason we were distracted on the first two relays, whether it was the noise or the venue. We finally settled down and swam like we could on the 800 free relay.”

The NCAA championships loom on an even larger stage. Mizzou will have to be able to get its bearings quicker to stand a chance against the top programs in the country in a larger and more raucous venue.

Upperclassmen have been using their experience well Junior Jacob Wielinski and Stevens finished runners-up in the 1,650-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke, respectively. In diving, senior Madeline McKernan placed third in the women’s platform competition with a season-high score. These were the highest finishes for Mizzou in individual events.

Additionally, senior Sharli Brady was a part of two record-breaking swims in the 200-yard butterfly and the 200-yard freestyle relay team, and junior Mikel Schreuders tied his own school record in the 200-yard freestyle to place third in the event overall.

If the SEC championships were any indication, Mizzou will lean on its more experienced upperclassmen at the NCAAs to score important team points throughout the week.

The team has tunnel vision Going into the SEC championships, Mizzou held a combined 1-6 record against SEC opponents. The team’s lone conference win was back in October, when the Mizzou men barely edged South Carolina in the final event of the meet.

This did not discourage the Tigers at the SECs, with the Mizzou men placing fifth overall and the Mizzou women placing sixth.

The Mizzou men placed ahead of

Kentucky, which defeated the Tigers at a dual meet in November, while the Mizzou women finished in front of South Carolina and Arkansas, two teams that defeated them at a double dual meet back in October.

SEC competition prepared Mizzou for a run at the NCAA championships The SEC is one of the most competitive swimming and diving conferences in the country per the national rankings.

Eight men’s SEC programs are ranked in the top 25 of the most recent CSCAA Coaches poll, with nine receiving votes. On the women’s side, there are also eight SEC schools ranked in the same poll.

Currently, the Mizzou men sit at No. 15 in the rankings, while the Mizzou women are ranked at No. 20.

In a less competitive conference, No. 15 and No. 20 would be more than enough to compete for a conference title.

In the SEC, however, this places the Mizzou men at sixth in the conference and the Mizzou women seventh.

Therefore, the high level of competition seen at the SEC championships and in SEC meets throughout the season have prepared Mizzou to compete with the best programs in the country at this year’s NCAA championships.

Edited by Joe Noser jnoser@themaneater.com