Volume85Issue28

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M THE MANEATER The student voice of MU since 1955

www.themaneater.com

Vol. 85, Issue 28

april 24, 2019

TAP DAY

AWARENESS

92nd annual Tap Day ceremony celebrates new members, highlights community issues

Second annual Autism Awareness Walk provides affected families with free autism-friendly activities

Professor George P. Smith was inducted into QEBH as an honor tap. KYNDALL HUBBARD

Reporter

Hundreds of students, faculty and families gathered in the Jesse Auditorium Friday, April 19 for the 92nd annual Tap Day ceremony to discover which friends, colleagues and loved ones had been tapped to join one of the six secret societies on campus: QEBH, Mystical Seven, LSV, Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa and Rollins Society. The event honored the achievements of the inductees, but also reflected on the history of the societies and celebrated the future. “Together we share so many rich values and traditions, but few traditions have such an immense impact on an institution in the world as these honorary societies,” Chancellor Alexander Cartwright said in his opening remarks. “With each passing year and each new cohort, they strengthen our founding mission: our commitment to making a transformational impact on communities across the globe.” In addition to the induction of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty members were honored, including recent Nobel laureate George Smith, who was inducted into QEBH but was unable to attend

TAP |Page 4

The walk is sponsored by MU’s Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders. ELYSE LUECKE

Reporter

The Autism Speaks chapter at MU and the MU Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders have collaborated to raise awareness for autism and its complexities in honor of Autism Awareness Month. The Thompson Center created a calendar for the month with an array of events submitted by various organizations to help spread the word. Upcoming events include the Disability Dialogue Forum and Columbia’s Second Annual Autism Awareness Walk. Nathan Hurst, a strategic communication consultant for the Thompson Center, said the purpose of the event is not necessarily to raise money but to raise awareness. He hopes they will partner with Autism Speaks again in the future when planning these

The Thompson Center staff celebrating World Autism Day on April 2, 2019. | COURTESY OF FACEBOOK VIA @THETHOMPSONCENTER

events. “As big and as broad as autism awareness is, it is difficult to measure the awareness,” Hurst said. “Overall, we have seen an increase in awareness; what autism is and isn’t.”

The Thompson Center’s mission is to improve the lives of individuals and families affected by autism. Through its clinic, it diagnoses and treats more than

SPEAKS |Page 4

AWARENESS

Mizzou Disability Coalition leads Student Accessibility Walk The coalition wants students to be aware of issues relating to students with disabilities. WICKER PERLIS

Reporter

MU students were led throughout campus by members of the Mizzou Disability Coalition on Thursday as part of the first Student Accessibility Walk. Students were educated about issues facing disabled members of the MU community and encouraged to think about how their routes would be different if they were only able to use accessible entrances. Students left from Memorial Student Union and went on a walk spanning most of MU’s campus. Leaders led the tour and pointed out issues relating to accessibility. One such leader was master’s of occupational therapy student and Disability Coalition leader Megan Stober. “We’ve had an accessibility walk for only administrators for the last couple of years,” Stober said. “This is the first one we’ve done for students.”

| GRAPHIC BY MIZZOU DISABILITY COALITION

WALK |Page 4


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