Vol84issue23

M THE MANEATER The student voice of MU since 1955

www.themaneater.com

Vol. 84, Issue 23

March 14, 2018

MU junior Victoria Vitale, right, carries a banner that reads “Education Is a Right!” in Jefferson City on March 10, 2018. “Save your state,” she said during her speech in front of the governor’s mansion later in the protest. “Fix your budget. Stop the cuts.” PHOTO BY NATASHA VYHOVSKY | STAFF WRITER

HIGHER EDUCATION CUTS

Students, community members rally in Jefferson City against higher education cuts

MU students, high school students and community members marched from the Capitol to the governor’s mansion, where they rallied and gave testimonies against proposed higher education budget cuts.

NATASHA VYHOVSKY

Staff Writer

Around 30 community members marched from the state Capitol to

the governor’s mansion in Jefferson City on Saturday afternoon armed with signs and chants to rally against the higher education budget cuts proposed in the governor’s 2019 fiscal year recommended budget.

The rally was organized by the Stop the Cuts Coalition, a partnership of campus and community groups working to fight against the proposed cuts. Attendees included MU undergraduate and graduate students, working adults and local high school students.

The group began at the Capitol, where MU Socialists President Joseph

Moore spoke about the budget cuts and laid out the plan for the march.

“We are here today to tell Gov. Greitens and the GOP to stop taking money from Missouri’s colleges and universities to fund corporate welfare,” Moore said, “because that’s what this is. It’s corporate welfare.”

After years of tax cuts, Moore explained through a megaphone in front of the crowd, Missouri’s wealthiest 1 percent has benefited from lower taxes, while the state’s revenue base has taken a hit, as have institutions of higher education.

He called for attention on proposed

INTERFRATERNITY COUNCIL

IFC places all new member activities on hold At least nine fraternities have been accused of participating in hazing activities.

CAITLYN ROSEN

Staff Writer

The Interfraternity Council announced March 6 that new member activities will be placed on hold for two weeks. The decision came following hazing allegations in several MU fraternities.

“The IFC and all 29-chapter presidents unanimously decided to pause new member activities for a period of two weeks,” according to a statement released by IFC. “During this time as the University investigates, chapters will work with university officials and their national organizations to review all aspects of their new member program to ensure activities are positive, educational and comply with all policies.”

According to a statement provided by an anonymous source, pledges at Delta Tau Delta, Phi Gamma Delta,

Delta Sigma Phi, Phi Kappa Psi, Sigma Chi, Beta Sigma Psi, Pi Kappa Alpha, Alpha Gamma Sigma and FarmHouse were hazed through a variety of activities.

The statement alleges that pledges from Delta Tau Delta and Phi Gamma Delta were forced to write essays for active members’ homework assignments. One new member was rumored to write up to four essays a week.

It also states that pledges from

IFC | Page 4

further tax cuts, which would put Missouri’s corporate tax rate at the second lowest nationally, as well as Senate Bill 912, which proposes a higher cap on tuition hikes, “shifting more of the financial burden of higher education onto the students.”

After rallying the crowd, he led them through a practice round of chants: “They say cut that, we say fight back.”

Angel Montie, a junior at Rock Bridge High School, was one of a handful of students and community

CUTS | Page 4

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

PHOTO BY MADI WINFIELD |VISUALS DIRECTOR

Baseball beats Wichita State 9-4 page 14

2

T H E M A N E AT E R | N E W S | MARCH 14, 2018

MULTICULTURAL CENTER

Tunnel of Oppression highlights power, privilege experiences Students participated in interactive skits and discussion groups to learn.

The Student Voice of MU since 1955

Vol. 84, Issue 23 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

STEPHI SMITH

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.

“Fuck: Adobe Photoshop, Marry: Adobe InDesign, Kill: Adobe Illustrator”

University News Editor The Multicultural Center hosted Tunnel of Oppression on March 8, an event with interactive skits and discussion groups for students to “learn first-hand the impacts of privilege, oppression and power on Mizzou’s campus and in society,” according to the event’s poster.

The event was advertised as an “interactive theater experience” and involved multiple campus groups, such as the Women’s Center and the Association of Latin@ American Students.

These groups worked with the Multicultural Center to assign Diversity Peer Educators to moderate the discussion and have representatives perform skits.

The event began in Leadership Auditorium, where students were separated into six groups.

Afterward, they left for three presentations, where campus groups performed skits and prompted further discussion with each group. Before the groups left, representatives from the Diversity Peer Educators program explained the community norms that would be in place during the event.

Senior Katie Williams, a coordinator with Diversity Peer Educators, said the event would be considered a “brave space,” in that students should feel comfortable sharing past experiences but also be able to ask questions about something they’re not educated on. She also said the event would be implementing the rule that “what’s said here stays here, and what’s learned here leaves here.”

This is the third year the event has been held.

The organizations began in November signing on to participate and formulating their skits as well as preparing Diversity Peer Educators to facilitate discussions, Multicultural Center coordinator Chelsea Drake said.

During the group

THE MANEATER

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 Production Coordinator Cassie Allen Copy Chiefs Sam Nelson David Reynolds Anna Sirianni Online Development Editor Michael Smith Jr. The MU Multicultural Center held its Tunnel of Oppression event in Leadership Auditorium on March 8, 2018. GRAPHIC COURTESY OF THE MULTICULTURAL CENTER VIA TWITTER

discussion, Diversity Peer Educators prompted students with questions about their initial reactions and responses to each skit.

The Asian American Association presented about what it means to have the “perpetual foreigner syndrome,” or when someone assumes that an Asian individual is from a foreign country and not born in the United States. Its skit consisted of a character, Claire, going through her day and experiencing microaggressions from fellow classmates, such as one person asking her for directions and telling her she speaks English very well.

After the presentation, sophomore Alice Yu, AAA president, asked the group of students how they perceived these interactions. She also talked about some of her own experiences with other people telling her they “love anime” in an attempt to relate to her because they notice she’s Asian, despite the fact that she is not Japanese.

Approximately 130 students were involved in the event, about 80 students attended and about

50 students performed or facilitated through the Multicultural Center, Drake said.

Drake also said she hopes students “gain new perspectives on what privilege and oppression look like on their campus” through the event.

She said these presentations and skits display real examples of oppression in identity and minority groups that other students may not be familiar with. The event also allows students to hear from other people and learn a new viewpoint on a particular topic.

“I hope that encourages students to talk to each other even more about privilege and oppression and how they can contribute to making positive change on campus and in their communities,” Drake said. “The greatest thing that can come from this event is students empowered to change the culture that they live in.”

Edited by Skyler Rossi srossi@themaneater.com

News Editors Skyler Rossi Morgan Smith Stephi Smith Sports Editor Joe Noser

Opinion Editor Hunter Gilbert MOVE Editors Claire Colby Brooke Collier Visuals Director Madi Winfield Designers Allie Greenspun Hannah Kirchwehm Sara Marquardt Social Media Editor Kaelyn Sturgell Sports Social Media Manager Adam Cole Adviser Becky Diehl

Want to work with us? themaneater.com/workforus

NEWS

Online this week: Jim Turner visits campus, City Council approves community policing initiative and more at themaneater.com.

3

STEM

MU study finds more gender-equal countries have fewer women in STEM education The gender gap is more visible in fields like physics, computer science, engineering and mathematics.

TASHFIA PARVEZ

Staff Writer

An MU study found countries that tend to be more gender equal have a significantly higher percentage of male students going into science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. The research was led

by David Geary, a professor in the psychological sciences department, and Gijsbert Stoet, a professor in the School of Social Sciences at Leeds Beckett University in the U.K. For the study, Geary and Stoet focused on finding the root of the sex differences in inorganic sciences such as physics, engineering and other technology-based subjects.

They excluded areas related to biology and medicine, as they did not find significant differences in sex in those fields.

Geary and Stoet collected data from 72 countries and gathered information on

475,000 teens aged 15–16. The subjects were asked to complete international achievement tests that generated data on their math, science and reading competencies.

“We also got a measure of gender equality, which would be things like measuring lifespan, access to education, number of women in parliament,” Geary said.

“Higher equality means women have more opportunities to do as well as or better than men.”

The study revealed that as countries get more gender equal, the sex differences in the number of people getting STEM degrees grows.

“So in countries like Finland, 22 percent [are] women [who] get degrees in physics, engineering, computer science, but in Algeria it is over 40 percent,” Geary said.

Geary explained that part of the sex difference comes from the difference in the students’ best subjects. The achievement test revealed that women are usually best in literature or reading whereas men tend to be better in science or math.

“The more gender-equal countries’ education is more liberal, so students can kind of pick and choose classes beginning in high school,”

Geary said. “When they are given that option, the difference increases. Boys take more science courses and girls take more literature-based courses.”

Sophomore nursing major Maggie Recca said she saw similar differences in her high school.

“Gender roles are everywhere,” Recca said.

“They are ingrained into our education system and our society and the way you interact with people. In high school, my AP physics class had mostly men, and a lot of

CITY OF COLUMBIA

men from my graduating class went into engineering or other fields of science.”

Geary said more developed countries have greater economic niches, so students have more opportunities to choose subjects based on their interests.

Geary and Stoet also looked at overall life satisfaction in less developed countries like Algeria to explain the results.

“Economists have previously shown that things like employment opportunities, income, economic stability and risks are correlated with life satisfaction,” Geary said. “So one reason women are going into STEM in these less genderequal countries might be due to financial reasons and job opportunities.”

Geary said MU, and colleges in general, should focus their recruitment resources on girls whose best

subject is science and math.

Programs like mentoring or summer camps would be more successful if these teens were identified and targeted early on.

“If you want to get women into more inorganic sciences, you might target women who have an ability profile, interest profile of people already in those fields,” Geary said.

Recca agreed with Geary on targeting girls at a younger age and said they need to be appreciated and treated equally, especially because STEM classes are more male dominated.

“A lot of women have passion to study the STEM fields, but it takes some encouragement to do that because those are traditionally men’s fields of work,” Recca said.

Edited by Stephi Smith ssmith@themaneater.com

GRAPHIC BY GILLIAN SMITH | GRAPHIC DESIGNER

RESEARCH

Columbia establishes task force College of Education program improves on climate action and adaptation principals’teacher evaluation accuracy The task force was formed in response to the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement.

The Network for Educator Effectiveness was created in 2011 with the help of Christi Bergin, research professor in the College of Education.

MICHAEL WILMARTH

Staff Writer MANEATER FILE PHOTO

Following President Donald Trump’s withdrawal in June from the 2015 Paris climate accord, Columbia Mayor Brian Treece assembled in February a task force of 16 representatives from around the city to work with the public to develop a climate action and adaptation plan.

Task force members will work with the public

to draft a plan that will be put before the City Council. Concerns and suggestions from residents and business owners will figure into next year’s proposal in order to make the plan as easy as possible for the city.

“We will hopefully deliver a report to the mayor and City Council

by June 2019 that identifies what pathways

Reporter

LAUREN BISHOP

and direction Columbia can take as we move into a warmer and less certain future,” said Jay Hasheider, current chairman of the task force and Columbia Water & Light board member, in an email.

Treece joined the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy on June 17,

TASK | Page 5

Upon completion of MU’s Network for Educator Effectiveness training, high school principals were found to have high accuracy in completing teacher evaluations, according to research from the College of Education.

NEE was created in 2011 by members of the College of Education. The training program provides multiple ways to gauge educator effectiveness, including student surveys, professional development plans and classroom observations of teachers. NEE then provides professional development

GRAPHIC BY GILLIAN SMITH | GRAPHIC DESIGNER

trainings for teacher evaluators. The in-person training sessions are held at multiple locations throughout Missouri.

1,324 principals in Missouri were sampled to rate six teaching practices after completing NEE training.

Though the study found there was high overall accuracy in principal evaluation ratings, individual accuracy varied substantially.

The study also found that different teaching practices within the classroom were more difficult to accurately assess than others.

Formative assessments were found to

TEACH | Page 5

4

T H E M A N E AT E R | N E W S | MARCH 14, 2018

CUTS continued from page 1

members who gave testimonies once the crowd reached the mansion. Montie said he came out to speak because he can’t go to college since his family doesn’t have the money to take on the financial burden.

“I think I deserve higher education,” Montie said. “I think as a human being, I deserve to be an educated part of society, and I think everyone deserves to be educated. To people who are just scraping by, that $1,100 tuition increase a year could make or break their ability to even exist on a college campus. It’s awful … It’s the government just actively saying, ‘We don’t give a damn.’”

MU sophomore Emily Raney also spoke to the crowd, discussing her family’s experience with the cost of higher education.

Her dad was taking his last graduate school finals at MU two weeks after Raney was born just over 20 years ago.

Now, she said, her family is still paying off both his undergraduate and graduate student loans.

“For literally my entire life, the entire 20 years that I’ve been alive, they’re still paying off his student loans,”

IFC

continued from page 1 Delta Tau Delta, Sigma Chi, Pi Kappa Alpha and Alpha Gamma Sigma were subjected to “sleep deprivation that was accomplished through various means, such as scheduling ‘meetings’ at 2 a.m. that would last until sunrise or even the active brothers going into pledges’

Protesters march during the Stop the Cuts rally in Jefferson City on March 10, 2018. Their signs featured serious and lighthearted slogans alike. PHOTO BY NATASHA VYHOVSKY | STAFF WRITER

Raney said. “I think, for me, that paints a very bleak picture for what people’s futures are going to be if they have to spend literally a lifetime paying off student loans.”

Raney, who would like to go to graduate school herself one day to further her studies of anthropology and linguistics, said she fears MU will cut the program, which has been discussed recently.

“I am [planning to go to

grad school],” Raney said, “but probably not Mizzou anymore, since they are cutting that program.”

Moore said he has personal experience with the effect of budget cuts as a graduate student. In response to what he refers to as “poverty wages” in recent years, Moore said graduate students organized, put pressure on the administration and eventually received higher stipends.

rooms to make sure they were awake.”

New members from Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Gamma Delta, Sigma Chi, Delta Tau Delta, Delta Sigma Phi, Beta Sigma Psi and various others were also allegedly “blindfolded at ‘lineups,’ forced to chug various amounts of jungle juice (mixed alcohol), and then forced to do calisthenics,” according to the statement.

During these “lineups,”

pledges were quizzed about fraternity history.

Beer and other substances, like mayonnaise and mustard, were dumped on them during these events. Lineups could last for hours and could sometimes occur early in the morning or late at night.

Pledges were sometimes ordered to drink concoctions of various substances and alcohol (at Delta Sigma Phi, the concoction was reportedly made with chewing tobacco spit). One pledge was allegedly told to lick spilled beer off the dirty floor.

The document accuses Phi Gamma Delta, Delta Tau Delta, Sigma Chi and Pi Kappa Alpha of driving pledges to the off-campus apartments of “active brothers where they [were] told that ‘there are less rules here and nobody will notice.’ There they would have ‘lineups’ with more intensity and greater length. Pledges for one fraternity were told to drink a ‘foul smelling mix’ out of a toilet bowl with a threat to punish their entire pledge class if they failed to comply — they were told not to let down their pledge brothers.”

Pledges at FarmHouse fraternity were allegedly forced to eat ice cream made of human semen. According to the document, FarmHouse is notorious for a more “involved” pledgeship.

“The allegations made

Last year’s budget cuts resulted in 474 jobs being cut from the UM System.

Moore said the potential for more job cuts, as well as the recent non-tenure faculty whose contracts may not be renewed, will affect every student.

“When they eliminate 475 jobs, that doesn’t mean the work’s not there,” Moore said. “It just gets shifted onto other people, and students lose out because they have

more crowded classrooms, they

have

fewer

faculty

grading their papers so it

takes longer and less one-onone attention from faculty.”

SCC is discussing other

efforts to continue the fight for more state funding.

“There will be more to

come,” Moore said.

Edited by Skyler Rossi

srossi@themaneater.com

Pledges were allegedly hazed at: - Delta Tau Delta - Phi Gamma Delta - Delta Sigma Phi - Phi Kappa Psi - Sigma Chi - Beta Sigma Psi - Pi Kappa Alpha - Alpha Gamma Sigma - FarmHouse against several IFC chapters demanded that we immediately address the overall situation,” said Matthew Oxendale, IFC vice president of public relations, in an email. “The health and safety of every community member has to remain our utmost priority. Suspending new member activities across all chapters was a decision that our executive board and all of the presidents agreed upon so that we could pause and take a closer look at our operations.”

IFC has not officially named any specific fraternities, as the investigation is active and being handled as a collaborative effort between the national headquarters, each fraternity involved and the Office of Student

Accountability & Support.

While new member processes differ for each organization, only activities that are specifically catered to new members are on hold for this two-week period.

“The IFC community does not tolerate hazing and places a focus on the safety of all students,” Oxendale said in the email. “We trust that the investigations will be handled accordingly and anyone found to have broken university policy will be held accountable for their actions.”

Oxendale said all new member activities are expected to continue March 19.

All other chapter activities are set to continue as normal.

Edited by Skyler Rossi srossi@themaneater.com

5

T H E M A N E AT E R | N E W S | MARCH 14, 2018

M

M

M

M

M M

M M M M M M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M M M M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M M M M M M

M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M M M M

M M M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M M M

M M M M M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M

M M M M M M M M

M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M

M M M M M M M M

M M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M M M M M

M M M M

M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M M M

M M M M

M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M M M M M M

M M M M

M M M M

M

M

M

M M M

M

M

M M

M M M M

M M M M

M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M

M M M M

M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M

M M M M

M M M M

M

M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M

M M M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M M

M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M

M M

M M

M

M

M

M

M

M M

M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

be most difficult to evaluate, and critical thinking practices were easiest.

Christi Bergin, research professor in the College of Education, is a co-founder of NEE and an author of a study on teacher evaluations that used data from NEE. Bergin said this online resource allows evaluators to assess qualities of teachers in various aspects of strengths and areas for improvement.

“Every professional has room to grow and improve, so this is an opportunity for principals to identify what areas that the teachers in their building are particularly strong on, [and] what areas they need to grow in,” Bergin said. “That’s only useful insofar as the principals are actually accurate.”

More than 30,000 teachers and around 1,500 principals in Missouri use NEE as an evaluation resource, Bergin said. About half of Missouri, 267 school districts, uses NEE. Hickman High School’s Principal Tony Gragnani and his four assistant principals were trained using NEE in summer 2017. This is the first school year that the Columbia School District has used NEE. The Hickman administration’s goal is to visit each teacher at least four times per year.

Gragnani said this increase in visibility can help make teachers more comfortable with evaluations.

“The more [teachers] can see [the administration], the more they get comfortable with us,” Gragnani said. “I think it opens up a venue or

M

continued from page 3

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

to get there.”

Davenport anticipates the input from the community will range from fear of increased expenses to specific recommendations on how to reduce waste.

Mid-Missouri Peaceworks, a nonprofit organization in Columbia, intended on bringing a climate adaptation initiative in front of the City Counsel in July 2017, but Treece joined

a pathway for us to give good feedback where a teacher doesn’t have to worry about their job, and more just see us as instructional coaches.”

The next topic of research for Bergin will be how accurate principals are when evaluating teachers once they return from training. This data will be obtained through NEE and then compared to evaluator accuracy measurements after they complete NEE training.

“Principals are governed by motives besides just strict accuracy, like keeping their teachers motivated and building trust and positive relationships,” Bergin said.

Bergin said NEE benefits MU by accomplishing the school’s research-based mission.

MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright announced on Feb. 27 that the university plans to double research funding to “boost MU’s impact on the state, nation and world,” according to a Columbia Missourian article.

NEE data has been helpful in creating multiple published studies. Additionally, Bergin said NEE satisfies MU’s goal of public service by improving evaluations for the entire education system.

“One of the other goals of MU is to provide community service and outreach to strengthen the community, to share our research and [improve] the well-being of students and teachers and principals across the state and the country,” Bergin said. “NEE helps to do that.

It strengthens our schools, it strengthens our principal’s capacities to be instructional leaders and it improves the quality of teaching.”

Edited by Morgan Smith mosmith@themaneater.com

M

TEACH

M

M

M

M

The cover of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network’s Climate in the Heartland report, which “[assists] cities as they prepare for climate change impacts,” according to the city of Columbia’s website. GRAPHIC COURTESY OF THE USDN

M

“reaffirming the commitment of the City of Columbia to take action to reduce climate pollution,” according to the city’s website.

The task force members are all representatives of Columbia, selected by Treece in February to draft and assist in carrying out a plan to give the city a more sustainable future. During their inaugural meeting on Feb. 20, Hasheider was elected chair.

Hasheider, who worked in utilities for over 30 years, wanted to serve on the task force as a way to give back to the community.

“I wanted to serve on the task force because I felt that I have knowledge and interest in this important issue, as well a great deal of relevant experience,” Hasheider said in an email. “Plus, I’m recently retired and have an ability (with the accord of my wife) to make the time commitment necessary to see this project through.”

Aimee Davenport, another task force member and legal partner at Stinson Leonard Street in Jefferson City where she represents clients in environmental and energy law, is confident in the city’s commitment to the climate action plan.

“That our counsel made an official resolution and ordinance to make concrete reductions in greenhouse gas emissions — that sets the platform right there,” Davenport said. “We are already, in my mind, a city that is ahead of the curve in its intentions. Now we just need to figure out how

M

M

continued from page 3

M

M

TASK

other mayors around the country in the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy in June just days after the U.S. withdrew from the Paris Agreement.

“City Council just took the ball and ran with it,” Mid-Missouri Peaceworks Director Mark Haim said.

Peaceworks had its hand in Columbia’s climate action progress by sponsoring candidate forums, which Haim said most of the candidates on the City Council have participated in.

“Our role is one of an educational organization,” Haim said. “We’ve participated in making our various candidates for city council more aware of these issues.”

As part of the plan, the city has hired Cascadia Consulting Group. Cascadia works with governments to create strategies for climate action.

Davenport believes that a consultant is an essential part of facilitating conversations about climate action, which often contain complicated information.

“It’s completely standard to have a consultant,” Davenport said. “We get a lot of data that goes into models, and rather than just dumping it all in front of every member, they compress it and make sense of it with general findings. Rather than all 16 of us trying to become a climate scientist overnight, we have to work with respected experts in that area.”

The task force’s next monthly meeting, which is open to the public, is planned for Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in Columbia City Hall.

Edited by Skyler Rossi srossi@themaneater.com

OPINION

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

We want to hear your voice.

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

EDITORIALS REPRESENT THE MAJORITY OPINION OF THE MANEATER EDITORIAL BOARD.

6

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

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the editor: Title IX needs to change An MU student retells her experience with the Office for Civil Rights & Title IX. May 18, 2017. My day started as a day filled with friends, drinking and fun. That night, however, is fuzzy in every sense of the word. I remember going in and out of consciousness in an apartment that was not mine while repeating, “I don’t want to make out.” The next morning, I woke up naked. My rapist told me he had had sex with me. I thought this was the most devastating thing that could happen to me, but the level of trauma associated with my Title IX case proved me wrong.

My Title IX hearing had arrived after months of hearing the things my rapist had said about me: “She’s only doing this because I didn’t want to date her,” “I feel she is using her status as a woman to claim that I mistreated her and sexually assaulted her,” “I don’t believe that if you got sexually assaulted you would communicate with someone about getting belongings back” and “She filed the report because I’m black.”

I came to Title IX terrified of the process but wanting justice for myself.

In spite of the anxiety leading up to the hearing, I stood up to my rapist and had told my truth. Then, to even better news, I received the news that the panel had found him responsible, 2-1, for sexual misconduct, underage drinking and failure to comply with directions of university officials. His

sanctions were expulsion from all four UM System schools, meaning he was not allowed to step foot on these campuses unless it was for medical care. I had gotten justice, and I was heard and supported. I could finally heal from the depression, self-harm and lack of self-worth I experienced after my rape. I finally felt some relief. Just a few months later, however, that relief was taken away from me by the Office for Civil Rights & Title IX. Dec. 7, 2017. I was sitting on my couch with my friends before work, feeling genuinely happy and well. I had celebrated my victory; I was starting to feel safe again and I wasn’t feeling so empty anymore.

Then, I received an email that sent my body into panic. In my inbox was an email saying that my hearing was completely appealed. I was informed I was going to have to go through an entirely new hearing. The Title IX office made a mistake in including the rapist’s past Title IX misconduct, earning him a completely new case.

I was devastated. Title IX is meant to support me as a survivor, but instead they made a mistake large enough to result in me having to relive the hardest three hours of my life over again. To read that all the strength you had put into something and all the trauma you had faced was not enough is a feeling I struggle to put into words. It was like reliving the trauma all over again. I felt betrayed by a system made to help me. That is not fair.

Before my second hearing, I felt

powerless. Title IX had given my rapist weeks to prepare for a hearing, meaning he could prepare exactly what to say. He made up new information that was never mentioned in the first hearing. However, I could not make any mention of the first hearing or that he was changing his story.

I could not offer new information about my experience because I was completely incapacitated and in a blackout state at the time of the rape. This man could say anything he wanted about that night and could frame it how he wanted without any repercussions. He rambled on for over an hour, repeating that he’s “not a rapist” over and over again. I was grilled about my Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner exam because they did not understand how to read one.

SANE is an exam that should be thoroughly understood by a Title IX hearing panel. I was asked questions that suggested they already had decided that they believed my rapist, ignoring any of my accounts of what happened.

3-0. After all of this additional trauma, the panel found him not responsible for sexual misconduct.

He was found responsible for underage drinking and failure to comply with directions of university officials. Despite him being found not responsible for sexual misconduct, he was conveniently suspended from campus until the semester after my graduation. My rapist appealed the finding and stated that the sanctions were too strong considering what he had been found responsible for.

He was denied this appeal, and the process is now officially final.

His sanctions still stand. While I am elated that my rapist no longer attends the university, he was not expelled for raping me. His expulsion was degraded to a suspension, all because of the mistakes made during the first hearing.

I cannot change what happened to me. The trauma associated with losing any sense of bodily autonomy is done. But what I can do is speak up. I cannot sit idly by while the Office for Civil Rights & Title IX makes mistakes like these. The office is supposed to support victims. No victim deserves to be put through this psychological abuse because of mistakes made by this office. So here I am, writing this in order to start a conversation at MU that will fuel change. We cannot let these mistakes slip through the cracks. Future victims are in danger. No one should feel this kind of pain. Please help me make change, because victims should always be supported.

Thank you for your time, Casey Campbell

The MU Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention center provides services related to decreasing the ubiquity of rape, sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking and can be contacted at (573) 882-6638 or in room G216 in the Student Center.

COLUMN

Trans people know who they are and deserve to be understood The transgender community faces many obstacles, so we should do as much as we can to help.

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.

Last year, I went to visit a friend of mine who does not live on or near campus. He and I have been friends for almost two years now, and I have known him as a boy the entire time.

He is a transgender person, and I have tried to explain this to my grandma when I’ve talked about going to see him, but it never goes well. It always goes something like this: “Her,” she says, trying to correct

me, like she thinks someone’s genitals are what determine their gender.

“No, I’m going to visit him,” I tell her, although I know she’s never really going to let go of this. I just want people to respect my friend and the way he wants to be seen, but many people don’t give him the respect he deserves.

Of course, this is an unfortunate situation that is all too familiar with a lot of people across the world, and many aren’t just trying to support their friends — they’re trying to fight for their own identity. Transgender and gender-nonconforming people face many obstacles in daily life, whether it be something as big as gender reassignment surgery or something as seemingly small as using the bathroom.

Gender is a very confusing social construct that cannot be based solely on genitals. It is a complicated mix of chromosomes, anatomy, hormones, psychology and culture, among possible other factors. In many Western cultures, the idea that there are only two genders has always been

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS strictly enforced, when in reality, gender works more like a spectrum.

While transgender and nonbinary people have always existed, their rights have only begun to expand in the past few decades. Even then, there is still much progress to be made.

Even if you personally don’t “agree” with people who are transgender, you have to acknowledge that statistics of violence against trans people are alarming. Take trans women for an example. The murder rate by cisgender people against trans

women is 1 in 12, and for trans women of color, this risk rises to 1 in 8. — as a result, life expectancy for a trans woman of color is 35, according to statistics provided to HuffPost by Planet Transgender.

Trans people can also suffer from severe mental health issues, a lot of which can be linked to body dysphoria. According to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, they have higher rates of depression and anxiety and therefore a higher risk of committing suicide, and this is especially shown when they do not have a proper support system to fall back on. Studies have shown that, unsurprisingly, when trans people are allowed to transition and receive the support they need, their mental health greatly improves.

It’s not a question of morals to be supportive of trans people; it’s a question of basic human decency.

Trans people have always existed and always will exist, and it’s time to support them and fight for their rights the way they deserve.

7

T H E M A N E AT E R | O P I N I O N | M A R C H 1 4, 2 0 1 8 EDITORIAL

Editorial: Former MSA candidates’ past tweets are telling of MU’s current struggles Racist, homophobic and sexist tweets from several MSA presidential candidates surfaced during the first day of campaigning.

After platforms were announced March 5 for Missouri Students Association president and vice president, KCOU journalist Brett Stover and MU journalism student Cassie Florido uncovered tweets from candidates on each of the three slates that contained racist, homophobic and sexist remarks. The content of the tweets ranged from racial slurs to a photo of what appears to be one of the candidates posing in front of a Confederate flag.

After apologies were released by the individuals involved, MSA Student

Court decided March 6 to suspend the election.

The actions by the former candidates come at a time when MU is still trying to heal wounds from the 2015 protests. The language that was used by these former candidates was in poor taste and incredibly harmful.

It should come as no surprise that individuals who seek power must be held responsible for their prior actions and beliefs. We acknowledge the fact that people change, however, and as journalists, our job is not to represent individuals based only off of their positive actions.

Rhetoric used by former presidential candidate Claire Jacobs in her apology said Stover was using the tweets as his “journalistic golden ticket.” This statement deflects from the issue at hand and attempts to dismiss his dedication to journalistic ethics. Stover was simply doing his

President: Julia Wopata Vice President: Caius Gillen

President: Claire Jacobs Vice President: Thomas Cater

Joseph Sell is elected Board of Elections Commissioners chairman in full MSA senate. BEC handbook is passed.

MSA filing date is pushed back from Feb. 16 to March 1 and the election is set for March 19-21.

F E B. 1 6

of screening process for candidates.

The more worrisome possibility is that if Stover had not investigated the candidates, these truths could have come to light after the election.

The situation could have been much worse — one of these candidates could have been elected.

The information that came to light is telling of MSA. Something is wrong if these people are deemed as the best candidates to lead our student government and garner so much support without hundreds of students actually researching who they were supporting. The student body should look into past tweets and other online statements made by members of all forms of student-run governments at MU. The university should take time to further examine those in positions of power in order to continue to heal and learn from prior mistakes.

COMPILED BY SKYLER ROSSI | STUDENT POLITICS EDITOR DESIGNED BY MADI WINFIELD | VISUALS DIRECTOR

President: Blaine Thomas Vice President: Chad Johnson

E A R LY M O R N I N G BEC tweets that all MSA presidential campaigning is suspended for the day.

EVENING

MSA presidential platforms are released and the campaigning period begins.

F E B. 7

job, not searching for his “golden ticket,” and the candidate’s statement should not detract from that.

After the 2016 U.S. presidential election, a period in which Twitter was so heavily used by candidates and political commentators, it should come as no surprise that people who could potentially gain positions of power face increased scrutiny based on their electronic footprint.

Everything that an individual puts on their social media, private or not, can be used in the future. People in power need to have an especially clean social media presence.

That kind of behavior was not reflected by the former MSA candidates. It is concerning that individuals with these kinds of pasts feel they should represent the MU student body. The BEC could have more than likely prevented this from happening by enforcing some sort

MORNING MARCH 5

EVENING KCOU Online Content Editor Brett Stover posts candidates’ past racist, homophobic, and sexist tweets. The tweets came from the personal accounts of candidates Jacobs, Gillen and Thomas.

Following Stover’s tweets, Gillen tweets an apology statement from his personal Twitter account. “I deeply apologize for my offensive comments,” he tweeted. “These do not reflect my views or the views of More to Roar. I hope to re-gain your trust and prove I’m committed to creating an inclusive environment on campus.”

MSA senate releases a statement saying it does not condone the messages within the tweets. “We are discouraged by the lack of respect for marginalized communities displayed by members of each slate and we ask these indivuduals to ask themselves how they can truly represent after making comments like those aforementioned,” according to the statement.

“Fight Forward” presidential candidate Thomas drops out of the race.

MARCH 6

DAY

Gillen releases a full apology statement for his tweets. This statement includes a quote from the black man he references in his tweet.

The “It’s About Time” campaign Twitter account posts an apology statement.

The statement is almost immediately taken down.

“It’s About Time” presidential candidate Jacobs drops out of the presidential race.

MSA senators vote on Resolution 57-45 in full senate on March 7, 2018. PHOTO BY MADI WINFIELD | VISUALS DIRECTOR

MSA senator Jacob Addington proposes Resolution 57-45 in full senate, which proposes that BEC and MSA Student Court disqualify current candidates on the basis of a fair election and hold a special election in the future. The resolution passes 11-9-7.

Jacobs releases an official apology statement. “Who I was six years ago is not the person I am today,” according to the statement.

The Maneater postpones the first presidential debate, scheduled for March 8.

EVENING

MARCH 7 “More to Roar” vice presidential candidate Gillen drops out of the race.

Cater, of the “It’s About Time” campaign, announces his campaign for president under the new slogan “Tigers for Tommy.”

The “Fight Forward” Twitter account posts an apology statement.

DAY MARCH 8 BEC announces MSA Student Court’s decision to disqualify all current candidates and postpone the election. The next campaign and file date have not yet been determined.

8

WLC

Women’s Leadership Conference aims to educate and empower local women This year, the Women’s Leadership Conference focuses on “YOUnity,” a term created to embrace solidarity among all women.

SIENA DEBOLT

Staff Writer

With Women’s History Month in progress, students, staff and local businesswomen are preparing for the Women’s Leadership Conference, an annual event held by MU to educate and empower women. This year, the conference is also celebrating 150 years since the first woman was admitted to the school.

Jennifer Fowler, the conference’s executive director and a junior at MU, said the conference is built around four pillars: networking, education, diversity and empowerment.

“So basically what we do is we come together and look to past years and what was important in past years,” Fowler said. “We paid attention to big issues and movements going around right now, like the ‘me

too.’ and ‘TIME’S UP’ movements. We look at what’s important in women’s empowerment right now because we think that’s the best thing that will stick with and inspire the women who come.”

This year, the conference will focus on the “YOUnity” motto.

“Aside from just being a play on words, what ‘YOUnity’ means to us is we want to be a conference that represents all forms of women and representations of women, and even if they go against what is traditionally viewed as a woman, there is so much more to that and there’s a bigger picture,” said Clare Gannon, a marketing chair for the conference.

“We wanted ‘YOUnity’ to be whatever your version of a woman is — if you are a woman, then this is for you.”

At the Women’s Leadership Conference, attendees will start off by sharing breakfast and then going into two breakout sessions. Once they return, they will eat lunch and listen to a keynote speaker, attend another breakout session and then come back for another speaker and a networking reception.

The two keynote speakers at this year’s conference are Lauren Ash and

The Women’s Leadership Conference executive board. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Nadya Okamoto. Ash is a wellness guru and podcaster who created Black Girl In Om, a website and podcast built around black women’s beauty and health. Okamoto is a sophomore at Harvard University who founded the Period Movement, which aims to educate women about their menstrual cycles and provides sanitary menstrual products to women in need.

“We kind of based [the keynote speakers] on the focus of the conference, and we all submitted five women who we thought would be good keynote speakers and representations of women as a whole,” Gannon said. “From there, we narrowed it down and voted as a team for who was going to be the best for the conference.”

The conference’s executive board hopes the conference will help unite women on campus and within the community.

“I’m a senior, and what made me want to get involved during my last year is kind of letting people know that we have this amazing event,” Gannon said. “I really wanted all women to know that they have this opportunity, too. Hopefully I was able to reach other corners of campus that didn’t know we had this event as well.”

The Women’s Leadership Conference will be held at the Tiger Hotel on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. Tickets are available through March 14 at the MSA/GPC Box Office.

Edited by Brooke Collier bcollier@themaneater.com

9

T H E M A N E AT E R | M OV E M AG A Z I N E | M A R C H 1 4, 2 0 1 8 COLUMN

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

6:15 a.m. Sunrise Yoga

6:15 a.m. Sunrise Cycle

6:15 a.m. Sunrise Yoga

6:15 a.m. Sunrise Yoga

8 a.m. Cycling

6:15 a.m. Sunrise Cycle

8 a.m. Cycling

6:15 a.m. Sunrise Cycle

6:15 a.m. Sunrise Cycle

9 a.m. HIIT

8 a.m. Abs & Glutes

9 a.m. HIIT

8 a.m. Abs & Arms

8 a.m. Cycling

11 a.m. Functional Fitness

8 a.m. Vinyasa Level 1

11 a.m. Functional Fitness

8 a.m. Vinyasa Level 1

10 a.m. Adv. Reformer Pilates

12 p.m. Insanity®

8 a.m. Cycling

12 p.m. Insanity®

8 a.m. Cycling

11 a.m. Pump

12 p.m. Cycling

11 a.m. PiYo®

12 p.m. Cycling

11 a.m. PiYo®

11 a.m. Reformer Pilates

1 p.m. Triple Threat

12 p.m. Adv. Reformer Pilates

1 p.m. Triple Threat

12 p.m. Adv. Reformer Pilates

12 p.m. HIIT

1:30 p.m. Meditative Yoga

12 p.m. Cycling

1:30 p.m. Meditative Yoga

12 p.m. Cycling

12 p.m. Stress Reduction Yoga

2 p.m. Cycling

3 p.m. Barbell Strength

2 p.m. Cycling

3 p.m. Barbell Strength

12 p.m. Cycling

3:30 p.m. PiYo®

4 p.m. Zumba®

3:30 p.m. PiYo®

4 p.m. Zumba®

4 p.m. Pump

4 p.m. Cycling

4 p.m. Pump

4 p.m. Cycling

4 p.m. Cycling

5 p.m. Turbo Kick®

4 p.m. Cycling

5 p.m. Turbo Kick®

5:30 p.m. Zumba®

5 p.m. Power Yoga

5:30 p.m. Zumba®

5 p.m. Power Yoga

5:30 p.m. Vinyasa Level 1

5 p.m. Cycling

5:30 p.m. Vinyasa Level 2

5 p.m. Cycling

5:30 p.m. Cycling

6 p.m. Pump

5:30 p.m. Cycling

6 p.m. Pump

6:30 p.m. Turbo Kick®

6 p.m. Power Pilates

5:30 p.m. Functional Fitness

6 P.m. Power Pilates

6:30 p.m. Mat Pilates

6 p.m. Endurance Cycling

6:30 p.m. Turbo Kick®

6 p.m. Cycling

6:30 p.m. Cycling

6 p.m. Functional Fitness

6:30 p.m. Mat Pilates

6 p.m. Functional Fitness

7:30 p.m. Dance Fitness

7 p.m. Insanity®

6:30 p.m. Cycling

7 p.m. Insanity®

7:30 p.m. Adv. Reformer Pilates

7 p.m. Tiger Tease

7:30 p.m. Knockout

7 p.m. Adv. Reformer Pilates

8 p.m. Abs & Arms

7:30 p.m. Adv. Reformer Pilates

7 p.m. Tiger Tease

8 p.m. Stress Reduction Yoga

7:30 p.m. Ballet Boot Camp

8 p.m. Abs & Glutes

8 p.m. SUP Yoga

8:30 p.m. Abs & Arms Xpress

8 p.m. Stress Reduction Yoga

8:30 p.m. Power Yoga

8 p.m. SUP Yoga

TigerX

6:15 a.m. Sunrise Cycle

7:30 p.m. HIIT 8:30 p.m. Abs & Glutes Xpress 8:30 p.m. Power Yoga

Spring semester schedule: Jan. 16 to May 11

$53

Spring Semester Membership

1 p.m. Turbo Kick® 4:30 p.m. Pump 4:30 p.m. Power Yoga 5:30 p.m. Zumba

SATURDAY 10:15 a.m. Pump (Xtended) 10:30 a.m. Stress Reduction Yoga 10:30 a.m. Cycling 11:30 a.m. Turbo Kick® 12:30 p.m. HIIT

SUNDAY

3 p.m. Turbo Kick®

4 p.m. Power Cardio 4 p.m. Cycling 7 p.m. Cycling

$9

One-Class Pass

Turbo Kick at MizzouRec makes going to the gym worth it KATIE HARFF

MOVE Columnist

Finding motivation to go to the gym can be hard. It’s even harder if you go and feel like you didn’t get a workout that made getting out of bed worth it. If you go to Turbo Kick, you will never experience that feeling.

TigerX offers a variety of classes at MizzouRec. Of all the ones I have tried, there is just one that makes me feel like I want to die but in the best way possible.

I usually go to Zumba or Power Yoga, but one day I decided this thing called Turbo Kick seemed like a good idea. I probably should’ve taken a second to think about going when reading the description on the MizzouRec app that describes the class as “the ultimate cardiovascular challenge that’s inspired by dance, Tae Kwon Doe, boxing, Tai-Chi and funk.” However, I went anyway.

I just about died, but it was a good feeling. I could confidently say that getting out of bed was worth the workout that I got.

While you’re in the middle of Turbo Kick, it is easy to keep going because there is constant music throughout the class and the instructors make sure to pump you up as best they can.

MU senior and Turbo Kick instructor Caroline Williams agrees that the atmosphere makes the class easier to get through.

“It’s a party; it’s so much fun,” Williams said. “Everyone has so much energy every time, no matter what. The energy is contagious.”

It may be a lot of work, but it doesn’t feel like work since there is constantly a new part of the

routine to learn or a new song playing, so it never gets boring.

Even better, it is easy to catch on. The movements are repetitive, and once you get the hang of it, you won’t have to think very hard and can focus on getting a good workout.

Every so often, there is a different round of Turbo Kick taught, so it makes it possible to consistently go and not get sick of it since you are doing something different every time.

“Each round is different, which is awesome,” Williams said.

“Turbo Kick, the actual company, releases a new round every two months, but we have a new round every two weeks. We tend to repeat rounds, but only so often.”

I don’t know about you, but if I go to the gym and do the same exact thing every time, my motivation goes down the drain a lot quicker than if I change it up.

If my opinion has scared you off, don’t let it. You can make a Turbo Kick class easier if you want to.

“We have options for everything,” Williams said. “If someone who had knee surgery last fall wants to come take Turbo Kick, they can take options that aren’t high impact or high intensity.”

I don’t think I made use of the options the first time I went, but since then I have definitely taken advantage of them.

If you aren’t convinced, you should give Turbo Kick a try.

You’ll most likely be really out of breath by the end, but you have my word that it’s worth it.

Edited by Claire Colby ccolby@themaneater.com

10

T H E M A N E AT E R | M OV E M AG A Z I N E | M A R C H 1 4, 2 0 1 8

NETFLIX SUGGESTIONS

Supplement spring break plans with one of these Netflix originals As midterms are winding down and spring break is slowly approaching, students could use a study break or a good Netflix marathon. Netflix has been releasing original shows and movies for quite some time, but its quick turnaround on production and releasing allows viewers to always have something new to watch.

Here’s what’s new and what’s worthy of watching:

Sadie Lea Reporter

The Cloverfield Paradox COURTESY OF NETFLIX Queer Eye COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Queer Eye The revival show, originally aired in 2003, has received a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. The eight episodes make it an easy binge, and you do not have to watch them in order.

It’s a feel-good show centered around five men, known as the “Fab Five,” who give a makeover to a different man in each episode.

Seven Seconds COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Seven Seconds A new original featuring Regina King portrays a community in New Jersey when a teenage African-American boy is accidentally killed by a cop. With 10 onehour episodes in the first season, it’s an easy binge.

However, the show makes emotions run high, and watching it in one sitting could be difficult.

These shows and movies aren’t lowbudget programs. Netflix is putting a lot of time, money and good actors into these productions. Pitch Perfect’s Adam Devine stars in a romantic comedy titled When

The Cloverfield Paradox Viewers have been waiting for a new adaptation of Cloverfield. Paramount Pictures originally had the rights before Netflix bought them. Doing something never seen before, Netflix released an ad during the 2018 Super Bowl revealing that the show would begin streaming live directly after the Super Bowl. According to Business Insider, there were over 5 million views in the first week of release. Today, however, the show only has a 17 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Open House The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes For all the Chip and Joanna Gaines lovers, Netflix has released a new show all about homes in the mountainside, forest, coast and underground. This is a new direction for Netflix but not surprising given that Hulu allows full access to House Hunters and other DIY shows.

We First Met, and Jamie Dornan from Fifty Shades of Grey stars in Netflix original The Fall. Actors are signing on for these movies because they have the ability to reach a wide audience — an audience that has all

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

The Open House Lastly, Netflix recently released original horror movie The Open House, featuring Dylan Minnette from 13 Reasons Why. Netflix released a lot of promotions for this movie, but it has fallen short with only a 14 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Although Netflix missed the mark on this one, its ability to craft horror and thriller shows leaves hope for other horror movies in the future.

access to binge watch whatever it pleases, whether it be a romantic comedy, a serious drama, a thriller or even a DIY show.

Edited by Brooke Collier bcolllier@themaneater.com

THEATER

MU theater department production expands discussion on domestic violence “The Drowning Girls” invites audiences to delve deeper into the national conversation about gender and powerbased violence.

HANNAH MCFADDEN

Reporter

Between 1912 and 1914, three women in Great Britain drowned in their bathtubs. It first seemed like a coincidence, until authorities realized that all three women had been married to the same man, George Joseph Smith. In one of the earliest forensic court cases, it was discovered that Smith had murdered three of his wives for their life insurance. His murder victims became known as the “Brides in the Bath.”

Now, the MU theater department is bringing the dark and scandalous tale to life in its production of The Drowning Girls, which runs from March 14-18.

The Drowning Girls is a dramatic retelling of Smith’s trial from the point of view of his three late wives. By giving the power of the narrative to Smith’s victims, the women regain control over their story

and are provided a space to discuss the violence they’ve encountered.

The play will be followed by a talk-back session that will allow the audience to be included in a discussion on gender and power-based violence.

The talk backs will include a panel of representatives from the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center, the Counseling Center and the Office for Civil Rights & Title IX. The panel will also include Heather Carver, chair of the theater department and co-founder of the Troubling Violence Performance Project, and English Ph.D. student Trisha Henderson-Brown.

“These are people who have both expertise in the subject area and experience in this kind of community education,” Director Sarah Senff said. “I really want to hear from the audience what the play brought up for them, what they believe is the same and what has changed since the time that the play is talking about and what is it in culture that still leaves women inclusively considered vulnerable to power-based violence.”

The Drowning Girls was chosen for the theater department’s 2017-18 season last spring, months before the #MeToo

movement and national conversation about sexual violence gained popularity.

Now, the show’s message is more relevant than ever.

“I think the fact that we’re in the midst of a national conversation about gendered violence and the fact that it’s Women’s History Month make it a little more present than it would be otherwise,” Senff said.

“I suspect that the audience will bring bits of that into their experience of the show.”

Senff stressed the importance of staging the show and monitoring the discussion so that it wouldn’t be triggering for the actors or audience members with personal histories of domestic violence.

“I find it really empowering to both provide support to people who are dealing with that and to those who want to better understand how to be supportive bystanders, but you want to be able to have a conversation about these issues without really triggering any histories,” Senff said.

Senff is doing this for her cast by incorporating bodybased acting exercises rather than emotion-based ones. She’s also included different self-care practices in rehearsals such as stretching, guided breathing and mindfulness.

The MU theater department uses the Rhynsburger Theatre as a venue for performances, including The Drowning Girls. PHOTO BY LIA WALDRUM | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Additionally, after each show, the actors have a chance to “derole.” They state out loud that they are not their character and that they are themselves.

This allows the actors to detach from the characters and engage in the discussion.

Senff hopes these measures will help both the cast of the show and the audience members ease into the discussion.

“We’ve gotten a little bit better at talking about sexual assault, partially because of what’s happening nationally,” Senff said. “But we still really don’t know how to talk about domestic and intimate partner violence. They’re both kinds of power-based personal violence, so they’re connected but not the same.”

Senff wants the audience to reflect on the ways women have become more independent yet differently vulnerable with time. Women have become less financially dependent and therefore are less likely to overlook warning signs in relationships. However, new technology has made people vulnerable to harassment and stalking in new venues, Senff said.

“We need to learn to navigate that,” Senff said. “I think it’s important to talk about the ways culture is making us vulnerable and not let the conversation shift to actions of individuals, which can quickly turn to victim blaming.”

Edited by Brooke Collier bcollier@themaneater.com

COLUMN

Awards season leaves some of 2017’s best films out The 90th Academy Awards honored several unconventional contenders, yet some films fell between the cracks.

JESSE BAALMAN

Columnist

2017 will forever be a year of reckoning in Hollywood. Moviegoers responded to artists who, with gleeful abandon, sent up our culture of normalized injustice. Awards associations also caught on as battle cries for inclusion reverberated throughout cinema, but awards ceremonies aren’t the be all end all of film in a given year. So here are my favorite films of last year that may or may not have been recognized.

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

Ivory, Call Me By Your Name

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M

M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M

M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M

M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M

M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M M

M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

10. Columbus Kogonada used to be a video essayist for the The Criterion Collection. His domestic drama shares DNA with Yasujirô Ozu and Hirokazu One of the planes modeled to resemble a Supermarine Spitfire, a British plane used in World War II battles, for the movie Dunkirk. PHOTO Kore-eda, yet it takes place in the COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS architectural mecca of Columbus, Indiana. Featuring a duo of restrained performances, it tells the story of a 7. The Killing of a Sacred Deer 4. Blade Runner 2049 1. The Florida Project Korean American (John Cho) who As his filmography shows, Yorgos Warner Bros. gave a FrenchMaintaining its transparent brand returns home while his father is in Lanthimos does not play by any Canadian director $150 million to of cinema, A24 houses one of the a coma and meets a young woman rules. His career is peppered with make a sequel to an existential art best films of the year once again (Haley Lu Richardson) who is stuck sociological works that can only be film that tanked at the box office after Moonlight and Room. Sean there caring for her addict mother. labeled as absurd. His latest is about 35 years ago. Naturally, Denis Baker’s interpretation takes issue She is an architecture enthusiast, and a surgeon (Colin Farrell) befriending Villeneuve’s science-fiction epic is with the plight of individuals living the unlikely pair slowly form a bond a teenage boy (Barry Keoghan) whose one of the best movies of last year in budget motels outside Orlando’s over each other’s aspirations. Its father he once operated on. When he that few sought out. Starring a dead- Disney World. One such individual visual composition, flowing dialogue introduces him to his family, they inside Ryan Gosling, it expands and is Moonee, (Brooklynn Prince) a and naturalism make it the best fall prey to a mysterious sickness. deepens the cyberpunk universe that spirited child who believes her world homecoming drama to come out of Lanthimos is a hell of a director has influenced everything from Ghost is a wonderland despite its condition.

Sundance in years. whose striking camerawork and in the Shell to The Matrix to WALL-E. The film renders an extremely thin editing build up to a fever dream As androids learn to live, the viewer veil between reality and fiction via 9. Darkest Hour climax that hinges on a fragmented is opened up to new ways of thinking its documentary approach.

With a tendency to focus on talking suburbia. about memory and empathy. heads arguing in rooms, the baity Other favorites include Baby biopic’s heyday is over. However, if Driver, 120 BPM (Beats Per Minute), 6. Phantom Thread 3. Mother! the film is inventive and entertaining, Hopefully Daniel Day-Lewis won’t Polarizing to say the least, Darren Beach Rats, The Beguiled, The Big it can transcend preconceptions to mind that his swansong performance is Aronofsky’s caustic mindbender isn’t Sick, Brigsby Bear, Call Me By Your become a valuable document of a Name, First They Killed My Father, public figure. Together, Joe Wright nearly overshadowed by Vicky Krieps necessarily a marketable awards Get Out, A Ghost Story, Good Time, (Atonement) and Gary Oldman paint and Lesley Manville. In the film, an darling. It’s an allegorical home- Ingrid Goes West, The Little Hours, The a portrait of Winston Churchill that obsessive designer wants to turn his invasion story that makes urgent Meyerowitz Stories, Mudbound, Okja, is hammy in every sense of the word. newest model into a mannequin. Paul statements about the state of Personal Shopper, Wind River and From the director’s ambitious staging Thomas Anderson’s period piece, set mankind. The film is hard to follow Wonder Woman. to the actor’s extensive prosthetics, in the fashion world of ‘50s London, and punishing to behold, but it Edited by Claire Colby Darkest Hour is a riveting, jubilant is as perplexing and layered as The demands a response from audiences ccolby@themaneater.com Master (or any of his work), but like no movie has in decades.

For depiction of the prime minister who resisted Nazi Germany as its power its setting is an alluring departure many, that response was to walk spread across Western Europe during for the director. His through-line of out of the theater midway through. complex power dynamics is evident For some, the horrific imagery (and Oscar winners: World War II. in Phantom Thread, which makes its Jennifer Lawrence’s tour de force Best Picture — The Shape of Water implications on relationships all the performance) was paralyzing in such 8. Lady Bird Best Director — Guillermo Del a way that left a mind-expanding For lack of better words, the media more ambiguous.

Toro, The Shape of Water impression. used to call Greta Gerwig (Frances Best Actor — Gary Oldman, Darkest 5. Dunkirk Ha, Mistress America) Hollywood’s “it Hour In his World War II triptych and 2. The Shape of Water girl,” but everyone knew she was so First there was The Devil’s Best Actress — Frances McDormand, much more than that. For her first best film to date, Christopher Nolan feature as writer-director, she revisits (The Dark Knight Trilogy, Interstellar, Backbone, then came Pan’s Labyrinth, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, the classical teen movie and all of its Inception) deserts narrative structures and now Guillermo del Toro has Missouri beloved tropes to expand on the genre and character arcs that he never completed a trio of transporting Best Supporting Actor — Sam itself. In this ode to Sacramento, a quite mastered previously. Instead, masterpieces about the power of Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside reliable Saoirse Ronan breathes life he assembles a large cast of love and creativity. In the film, a Ebbing, Missouri into a character that is at once oddly characters without much exposition, mute custodian (Sally Hawkins) and specific and entirely universal. Lady and by doing so makes his story an amphibious river god form a Best Supporting Actress — Allison Bird feels groundbreaking in a way all the more convincing. It's an bond that inspires others to take a Janney, I, Tonya that Juno was 10 years ago, and I unconventional approach to the war stand against bigotry in Cold War-era Best Original Screenplay — Jordan can’t imagine this is the only time genre, one that is steeped in suspense Baltimore. Watching a movie like this Peele, Get Out Gerwig will find herself in contention and complemented by impressive set washes away societal boundaries like Best Adapted Screenplay — James for the Oscar for best director. pieces and sound design. waves smoothing over the shoreline.

M

M

M M M M

M M

M M

M M

M

M

M M

M M

M M

M M M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

11

T H E M A N E AT E R | M OV E M AG A Z I N E | M A R C H 1 4, 2 0 1 8

SPORTS

Online this week: Karissa Schweizer becomes winningest student athlete in Missouri history with five national titles and more at themaneater.com.

12

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Women’s basketball travels to Stanford for NCAA Tournament Missouri will play in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season.

ANDY KIMBALL

Staff Writer

Missouri women’s basketball learned its NCAA Tournament fate on Monday night. The Tigers missed out on a host bid but earned its third-straight bid to the Big Dance.

Instead of playing at Mizzou Arena, the Tigers will head to Palo Alto, California, in Stanford’s regional as the No. 5 seed in the Lexington Region.

Missouri (24-7) had been projected to host for most of the season, but late losses to Georgia and Texas A&M cost the Tigers a chance to start the NCAA Tournament at home.

Missouri will start its tournament run by playing No. 12 seed Florida Gulf Coast in the first round on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

If Missouri were to win, it would play the winner of No. 4 seed Stanford and No. 13 seed Gonzaga on Monday.

Looking ahead, the Tigers will face some of their toughest competition in Palo Alto. If they were to advance out of the regional, they would play in Lexington, Kentucky, and likely be matched up with No. 1 seed Louisville on March 23.

Here’s a look at the other three teams that will be playing in Palo Alto this weekend.

Florida Gulf Coast: The Eagles (30-4) are the Atlantic Sun champions and come into March scorching hot.

They have won 21 of their last 22 and dominated the conference with a 13-1 record, winning their three conference tournament games by an average of 27 points.

FGCU has also shown it can compete with Power Five opponents with wins over Illinois and Kentucky earlier this season. The Eagles trounced Illinois 85-61 in its season opener.

Missouri’s first-round opponent has a balanced and dangerous offense that shoots a lot from outside.

FGCU attempts over 33 3-pointers per contest and converts 36 percent of its attempts from deep. It also has nine players in its rotation who shoot over 30 percent from behind the arc.

The team is led by senior forward Rosemarie Julien and redshirt senior guards China Dow and Taylor Gradinjan.

Julien leads the Eagles with 13.4 points per game, while Dow and Gradinjan average 11.8 and 10.2 points, respectively.

One advantage the Tigers will have over FGCU is size.

All of the Eagles stand under 6 feet while Missouri has 6-foot-4 junior Cierra Porter, 6-foot-1 redshirt senior Jordan Frericks and 6-foot-1 junior Sophie

FIFTH | Page 13

Guard Lauren Aldridge avoids a defender during a game against Mississippi State on Feb. 1, 2018.

Mississippi State enters the NCAA Tournament March 16, 2018, as a No. 1 seed. PHOTO BY COURTNEY VILLMER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Missouri goes dancing in Music City, starts tournament run The Tigers will play Florida State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday, but with Jordan Barnett suspended, they’re more depleted than ever.

BENNETT DURANDO

Assistant Sports Editor

The selection show was complete, the grueling odyssey of a speculationfilled season narrowed down to one simple, decisive matchup, Missouri’s fate in America’s most scrutinized bracket at last cemented.

So as junior Kevin Puryear sat at the podium in Mizzou Arena’s interview room, still soaking it all in, he laid it out quite plainly.

After all this, he was just glad the landing spot wasn’t Wichita.

“I was praying to God we wouldn’t

end up in Wichita,” he said. “There is nothing in Wichita.”

For a few days, there was nervewracking potential for a MissouriKansas Border War rematch — but alas, with half the bracket revealed, the Missouri Tiger wasn’t the unmasked logo beneath the blue Jayhawk. Instead, Missouri was given a draw as kind as it could’ve asked for.

The Tigers are a No. 8 seed in their first NCAA Tournament since 2013, taking on No. 9-seed Florida State at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, at 8:50 p.m. on Friday.

The game will be televised on TBS. “I got some pretty good memories at Bridgestone Arena,” Puryear said, referring to his buzzer-beater to top Auburn in the SEC Tournament last year. “I'm really excited to go back there. Nashville is just a really great city for the fans.”

The winner will most likely meet 1-seed Xavier, barring a historic upset.

But if the Tigers have learned

anything from this season, and especially from last week, they won’t give the second round a second thought as long as another team stands in their way first.

They may have been guilty of that in St. Louis last week. While Michael Porter Jr.’s months-in-the-making return brought the team national attention, and a potential MizzouKentucky Round Three loomed ahead of the SEC Tournament, the 12th-seeded Georgia Bulldogs snuck

by Missouri 62-60, handing the Tigers a premature bus ride back to Columbia.

So maybe, just maybe, it’s a good thing that Missouri wasn’t slotted in alongside its distracting Westward neighbor. Yes, the extinct rivalry would’ve been a spectacle on a March Madness stage, and the chance to avenge that preseason scrimmage defeat was a compelling thought for every Missouri fan — but with another game to win first, it would’ve presented nothing but another hypothetical. And those have

rarely turned out as expected for the Tigers this season.

With that out of the way, it’s clear where Missouri’s focus needs to be: Florida State.

“That's the beauty in the tournament," Puryear said. "Playing teams that you never really played before. It's going to be a fun matchup for us.”

The Seminoles (20-11, 9-9 ACC) tied for eighth out of 15 teams in what is widely considered the best conference in the country.

Like Missouri, they lost their first conference tournament game to go into the Big Dance on a sour note. They went 6-5 on the season against teams that made the NCAA Tournament, including impressive ACC wins over Clemson (5 seed), Virginia Tech (8), Miami (6), Syracuse (11) and the crown jewel, North Carolina (2).

They also earned an imposing, 17-point non conference win on the road against then No. 5 in the country

EIGHTH | Page 13

13

T H E M A N E AT E R | S P O RTS | M A R C H 1 4, 2 0 1 8

FIFTH continued from page 12

Cunningham in its starting lineup.

Missouri will be heavily favored over the Eagles but will have to be wary of an upset.

Stanford The Cardinal would be Missouri’s most likely opponent should it advance past Florida Gulf Coast.

Stanford is the host of the regional and will play in front of its home

EIGHTH continued from page 12

Florida, now a 6-seed in the tournament.

Florida is the only common opponent between Missouri and Florida State this season, a team that beat Missouri in Columbia when Chris Chiozza intercepted a Jordan Geist pass and took it for a buzzer-beating layup.

But now, coming into this showdown losers of three of their last four, the Seminoles need to find their winning formula again. What does that entail?

A lot of speed and a lot of scoring.

Florida State has averaged 81.7 points per game this season, ranking 31st in the country. What might be more astonishing is that it has accomplished this without a single player averaging more than 14 points per game. 6-foot6 guard Terance Mann leads the team with 13.2 points per game, and it’s a balanced attack down the line from there.

Mann is also the Seminoles’ leading rebounder, totaling 5.7 per contest on a team that totes two seven-foot players and a lot more length.

Those two giants — 7-foot-4-inch Christ Koumadje and 7-foot Ike Obiagu — aren’t primary role players for the ‘Noles, but Missouri might see a lot of physicality from them and their other bigs, who include senior Phil Cofer.

Cofer averages 13.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, and the Tiger bigs will have to be careful with him as Florida State tries to wear them down and draw fouls by pounding the post.

Missouri can’t afford to get in early foul trouble like it did against Georgia, when five players had been whistled twice or more in the first 15 minutes. After 32 games, the Tigers are already almost impossibly depleted as it is, working with just eight players ahead of Friday’s game — and those include a rusty Michael Porter Jr. and Brett Rau, who averages 3.7 minutes per game.

It certainly doesn’t help that the Tigers will be losing 34 minutes of playing time normally filled by senior Jordan Barnett. Barnett, who was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated early Sunday morning, will practice and travel with the team, but is suspended through at least the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

That means a lot more work for Porter Jr., who shot just 5 of 17 against Georgia and will be playing only his second full game of the year on Friday.

So how can a starved Missouri roster beat an up-tempo, lanky and exhausting Florida State team?

In essence, by doing two things:

fans in Palo Alto coming off its 77-57 loss to Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game.

Stanford (22-10) has a worse record than the Tigers, but the Cardinal had one of the nation’s toughest schedules. Stanford has played 12 games against ranked opponents and is 4-8 in those games, including an 83-71 loss to Tennessee and a 78-53 loss to Connecticut.

Stanford is led by senior guard Brittany McPhee, who averages 17 points, five rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. McPhee is a crafty player who can score from a variety of places on the floor. controlling the pace of the game and shooting the lights out.

Florida State knows Missouri has very little depth left. It’s going to try exploiting that weakness in every way possible. That means getting the Tigers in foul trouble early and running out in transition to tire out the remaining Tigers late.

Missouri is by nature a slower team that prefers to function in halfcourt, so if it keeps the game moving at its own tempo, it will last longer with a short bench and prevent Florida State from finding a rhythm.

The other thing that characterizes Missouri at its best is lethal outside shooting. And there’s no better team to get hot against than Florida State, which was the worst in the ACC at defending 3-point shooting and ranks 235th in the nation with 74.5 points allowed per game.

That means graduate transfer Kassius Robertson will be center stage, trying to bounce back from a 3-for-10 shooting day against Georgia. Even more weight is on his shoulders with the loss of Barnett, unless Porter Jr. is able to shake his shooting rust.

“It will be the next man up,” head coach Cuonzo Martin said, “and we keep moving.”

As the Big Dance nears, Missouri can only hope it’s moving toward having a next game up.

Edited by Joe Noser jnoser@themaneater.com

Stanford is a defensive-minded team, holding teams to 36.1 percent from the floor and 28.3 percent from behind the arc.

Missouri has struggled against teams that slow the game down and are strong on the defensive end, losing to Georgia twice and also losing to LSU. Gonzaga The Bulldogs (27-5) are another mid-major champion, punching their ticket to the tournament with a win over San Diego in the West Coast Conference championship game to

finish the season with seven straight wins.

Gonzaga and redshirt junior Jill Barta could cause a scare for Stanford in the first round. Barta is one of the most versatile players in the country as a 6-foot-3 forward who stretches the floor. She averages 18.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 37 percent from 3.

Barta will cause matchup problems for the Cardinal in the first round and would be the Tigers’ main concern should they play Gonzaga in the round of 32.

Edited by Joe Noser jnoser@themaneater.com

Forward Kevin Puryear shoots during a game against Mississippi State on Feb. 10, 2018.

PHOTO BY COURTNEY VILLMER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

14

T H E M A N E AT E R | S P O RTS | M A R C H 1 4, 2 0 1 8

BASEBALL

Missouri wins ninth straight, defeats Wichita State 9-4 The junior left-hander threw a two-run complete game to help Missouri pick up a 9-4 win over the Shockers.

JOE NOSER

Sports Editor

Missouri baseball is streaking again, but the team isn’t talking about it. Not yet.

“It hasn’t been said around the clubhouse at all,” junior third baseman Brian Sharp said. “We just need to take it one game at a time and keep moving forward.”

On a cold, windy Tuesday night in Columbia, the Tigers rode strong pitching and patience at the plate to a 9-3 victory over the Wichita State Shockers in front of 510 fans, extending the team’s win streak to nine. The streak is the team’s longest of the season but nowhere close to the 20 in a row the team rattled off a year ago.

Missouri (14-3, No. 24 according to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper) continued its winning ways by doing what it’s done best so far this season: staying patient at the plate. The Tigers walked seven times and were hit four times, but no inning showed the Tigers’ patience at the plate more than the first, when the team walked four times and scored twice despite recording just

one hit in the frame.

The inning ran Shockers starter Preston Snavely’s pitch count up, forcing the Shockers to go to their bullpen earlier than they wanted to in the third inning. Snavely threw 2.2 innings, surrendering three earned runs, two hits, four walks and a hit batsman while throwing 59 pitches, 28 for strikes.

Despite scoring nine runs, Missouri struggled to drive in runners on Tuesday. The Tigers recorded nine hits but left 10 runners on base, struggling to get the big hit to put the game out of reach until late in the contest.

Missouri’s runs came on two walks, two errors, a wild pitch, two RBI singles from hot-hitting Sharp and an RBI double from sophomore shortstop Chris Cornelius.

Head coach Steve Bieser said he was not concerned about Missouri leaving lots of runners on base going forward.

“The thing about it is we scored nine runs and left 10 guys on base, so we had 19 guys on base,” Bieser said.

“If we can continue to put 19 guys on base, we’re gonna to be pretty good.”

As has been the case over the course of its win streak, Missouri was the beneficiary of another strong performance on the mound from its starting pitcher. This time, junior Tyler LaPlante was the Tigers’ hurler who pitched well for his squad. The left-hander, who was making just his second career appearance after transferring from Johnson County

Outfielder Kameron Misner is welcomed into the Missouri dugout after scoring off a home run in the fifth inning against the University of Maryland, Baltimore County on March 4, 2018. Misner scored three runs Tuesday against Wichita State. PHOTO BY MADI WINFIELD | VISUALS DIRECTOR

Community College, dominated.

He pounded the strike zone with his fastball and used his breaking ball and changeup to keep Shockers hitters off balance. LaPlante threw eight innings to pick up the win, allowing two earned runs on three hits and three walks to go with five strikeouts. He threw 94 pitches, 67 percent for strikes.

Right-hander Cameron Dulle entered a 9-1 game to relieve LaPlante but proved to be ineffective. He surrendered two hits, three walks and two earned runs in two-thirds of an inning. After his third walk, Dulle was relieved by Nile Ball, who hit the first batter he saw before settling down to get a strikeout to work out of a basesloaded jam and lock down the win.

Bieser said getting such a solid effort from his Tuesday night starter was consistent with the effort LaPlante has given all season long. “[LaPlante] is a crafty lefty that keeps hitters off stride, and he stays within himself,“ Bieser said. “That’s what’s really special about him. He pitches the game according to his strengths.”

Next up for Missouri will be the start of Southeastern Conference play, as the Tigers will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to take on the No. 19 LSU Tigers this weekend in a threegame series. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday.

Edited by Bennett Durando bdurando@themaneater.com

Apply today for Fall 2018!

UCENTREONTURNER.COM

PROUD SPONSOR OF MIZZOU® ATHLETICS

See office for details.

15

T H E M A N E AT E R | S P O RTS | M A R C H 1 4, 2 0 1 8 COLUMN

SEC may be in bad position come NCAA Tournament time Even with increases in ranked teams from a year ago, the SEC’s record against top-25 competition this year will be working against it through the madness of March.

ADAM COLE

Columnist

Last weekend was quite the cap on an incredible year for SEC basketball.

After the start of the SEC Tournament on Thursday — which included a buzzer-beating, game-winning layup by Collin Sexton to keep Alabama in the NCAA Tournament picture and the long-awaited return of Missouri’s highly touted forward Michael Porter Jr. — the SEC continued into the weekend with a conference tournament that saw upset bids from No. 9-seed Alabama and No. 6-seed Arkansas, landing both of them in the tournament semifinals.

But both teams’ runs came to an end on Saturday.

Alabama fell to John Calipari’s talented No. 4-seed Kentucky squad, and Arkansas lost to Rick Barnes’ No. 2-seed Tennessee team, a unit that’s defied expectations after being projected to finish in the bottom of the conference the preseason.

The fun didn’t stop on Saturday, however. The Wildcats went on to defeat the Volunteers for their fourth consecutive conference tournament title on Sunday, but perhaps the cherry on top came later that day, when the SEC landed eight teams in this year’s NCAA Tournament. It’s the second-highest total from any conference in the tournament this season and a conference record for the SEC. All of the postseason activity has certainly emphasized it, but in a conference that’s filled with football schools, this has been one of the best seasons for men’s basketball in a long time. The SEC finished the regular season with four teams in the AP Poll and two other teams receiving votes, eight teams in the RPI top 50 and six in the BPI top 50.

Comparing this to a season ago, when the SEC finished the regular season with two top-25 teams, five teams in both the RPI and BPI top 50s and just five teams in the NCAA Tournament, it shows a significant ascension for the conference in the world of Division I basketball.

It should also be noted that two more teams than last year finished the regular season above .500, pushing that total from 10 teams a season ago to 12 this year. However, the number of teams above .500 in conference record has dropped by one from a year ago. That’s not a huge shift, but it shows an increase in conference competition that’s made for a lot of interesting scenarios throughout the season.

While the conference standings faced a lot of different scenarios throughout the regular season, there may not be a tougher scenario for the conference than this year’s NCAA Tournament.

The only SEC team that isn’t the higher seed in its round of 64 matchup is No. 9 Alabama, but assuming all SEC teams make the round of 32 and play the highest seed possible in those matchups, only No. 3 Tennessee and No. 4 Auburn would definitely be the higher seed in the SEC’s round of 32 games.

On top of that, the eight SEC teams playing in the tournament this season are a combined 21-25 against top-25 competition. That means that when facing a top-25 team, or a No. 4 or higher seed in NCAA Tournament equivalents, the SEC’s tournament-caliber teams come out winning 45.7 percent of the time. That’s a little under half of their games against top competition. That’s not so bad, right?

Well, looking at this year’s bracket, that may be pretty bad.

Of the eight SEC teams in the tournament, six of them are poised to play a top-4 seed in the first two rounds of the tournament. This includes No. 5-seed Kentucky — a team that was 0-4 against top-25 teams this year — possibly playing DeAndre Ayton and the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats in

By the numbers:

SEC’s NCAA Tournament teams NCAA Tournament seed

RPI ranking

AP Poll ranking

Total record

Conference record

Record vs. top-25 teams

No. 3

No. 8

No. 13

25-8

13-5

3-3

No. 4

No. 11 No. 19

25-7

13-5

2-0

No. 5

No. 15 No. 18 24-10 10-8

0-4

(No. 10 overall)

(No. 13 overall)

(No. 17 overall)

No. 6 No. 43 No. 23 20-12

(No. 21 overall)

11-7

5-3

No. 7 No. 30

N/A

23-11

10-8

2-5

No. 7 No. 25

N/A

20-12

9-9

3-4

No. 8 No. 40

N/A

20-12 10-8

2-2

No. 9 No. 41

N/A

19-15

8-10

4-4

(No. 26 overall)

(No. 25 overall)

(No. 32 overall)

(No. 36 overall)

Adam Cole//Graphic Designer

the Round of 32. Arizona is 9-3 over its last 12 games.

Of the six teams poised to play a top-4 seed in the tournament’s first two rounds, four are in position to play a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the round of 32, with potential matchups of No. 8 Missouri and No. 1 Xavier, No. 9 Alabama and No. 1 Villanova, No. 7 Arkansas and No. 2 Purdue and No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 2 North Carolina.

If all six of those teams find their way into the likely scenarios and only 45.7 percent of them come out with a win, at least three teams go home and the SEC has over a third of its chances at a national championship gone just days into the tournament.

With all that being said, the month of March has seen a lot of things from college basketball, and that includes cold teams getting hot and hot teams going cold. After conference tournament runs from teams like the Crimson Tide and the Razorbacks, things may bode better than expected for the SEC. It’s also important to note that six of the eight SEC teams in the tournament are above .500 in their last 12 games.

Crazier things have happened. But statistically, the odds are against the SEC heading into the Madness.

Edited by Joe Noser jnoser@themaneater.com