Volume85Issue7

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Vol. 85, Issue 7

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october 3, 2018

PLANTS

Topping Off Ceremony celebrates East Campus Plant Growth Facility

The East Campus Plant Growth Facility, a $28.2 million project, will finish construction in April, creating new opportunities for the MU plant community.

LAURA EVANS

Reporter

The Plant Growth Research Facility Topping Off Celebration was held Saturday at 11 a.m. in the East Campus Plant Growth Facility, which is currently under construction.

The East Campus Plant Growth Facility, a $28.2 million project, started construction in September 2017 and is estimated to finish in April 2019. In honor of its progress, the Topping Off Celebration was held.

The East Campus Plant Growth Facility is currently under construction and is projected to be done in April 2019. | PHOTO BY SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER EMMALEE REED

“A topping off ceremony is a traditional event,” Robert Sharp, professor of plant sciences and director

of the Interdisciplinary Plant Group, said. “It's meant to recognize when a new building has reached the point where the highest level

of the construction is put into place.”

The IPG, which is made up of 60 faculty members representing seven

departments and divisions from four colleges, has been central in the process of developing the new facility.

“The IPG was created in 1981 to bring the plant biology community together on campus [while] transcending traditional departmental and disciplinary boundaries,” Sharp said. “And so, the IPG serves to promote plant biology on campus for the broader community in things like developing facilities like this.”

Such a facility has been highly anticipated by many players within the MU plant community, including the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Foundation Board of Trustees.

“I sit on the CAFNR Foundation Board of Directors, and on that board, this is something that we've been yearning for for so

plant |Page 4

CAFNR

POLITICS

12th annual South Farm Showcase held to promote research, fun

The Political Communication Institute brings people together through local politics

Approximately 14,000 people attended the event.

LAUREN BISHOP

Staff Writer

The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources hosted the 12th annual South Farm Showcase on Sept. 29 with animals, research and interesting treats.

One portion of the showcase grounds was dedicated to a “Taste of Mizzou,” which included Buck’s Ice Cream, carp tasting, flavors of honey and flavored mealworms to sample. At the Equine Teaching Facility, attendees could pet horses and foals, goats, pigs and milk a cow.

Posters were set up along the walls with animal science research conducted at MU. The showcase also included entry to the butterfly house, fishing, a corn maze and a sunflower maze. Kids could paint pumpkins pink, cut a slice of a log like a lumberjack

and fly kites or blow bubbles.

Tim Reinbott, assistant director of the Agriculture Experiment Station, oversaw the South Farms Showcase this year. He has held this responsibility for three years.

Reinbott said the event has moved from showcasing research to “showing the fun parts of agriculture,” and trying to “educate...in a fun way.”

This year, attendance was gauged at around 14,000 people, including students, families and community members. Reinbott said the South Farm Showcase is a distinctive event to attend as the weather gets colder.

“It is one of the highlights of the fall because of the uniqueness of the event with animals, hayrides, corn and sunflower mazes and a whole host of agriculture related activities such as the Taste of Mizzou with all of our different foods,” Reinbott said. “Where else could you eat a mealworm or watch cockroach races?”

Faculty from the CAFNR program helped in setting up and managing the events and exhibits held at the showcase. Animal Sciences instructor Marci Crosby has been involved in all 12 showcases to date. She currently oversees the animal sciences stops at the event.

This year, the stops included calves from the Dairy Club, horses from the Equine Program and the opportunity to milk a cow from the Block and Bridle Club.

Crosby said she has seen the South Farm Showcase evolve in that the organizers tried to add variety to the events and exhibits each year. “...Over the last decade, we really worked to make sure that we add in more and new educational opportunities each time,” Crosby said. “We see this as an opportunity to let the general public know about, in our instance,

farm |Page 4

“Engaging Your Community: A guide to hosting local debates and forums,” a guide

by The Political Communication Institute, details how to have positive discourse and get informed through local debates and forums.

CLAIRE WILKINS AND LINA SIMPKINS

Reporters

As the 2018 midterm election closes in, candidates from the state to the local level are increasingly vying for the attention of voters.

The Political Communication Institute’s newest endeavor seeks to advocate and prepare communities for what it believes may be the most important facet of a campaign-- debates and local

forums. “[PCI’s] primary purpose is to bring together scholars who are interested in understanding how we communicate on politics and how that communication leads to how we construct politics, and how we make sense of politics,” said Bryan Paul, research associate and graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Communication.

Past research through the PCI, a graduate and faculty research group, led the group to recognize a need for a guide to debates and forums at the local level.

“There are several guides from various international, or other think tank institutions, that provide guides to hosting presidential level debates,” said Josh Bramlett, research associate at PCI and graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Communication. “And we wanted to… provide a guide on how to do it at the local

PCI |Page 4

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T H E M A N E AT E R | N E W S | OCTOBER 3, 2018

INSIDE THIS

PAGE 13 PAGE 6

Local duo Burney Sisters opened the Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival

Taking a look into Mizzou basketball this bye week.

THE MANEATER The Student Voice of MU since 1955

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Online this week: Read more about the latest MU trends and events at themaneater.com.

CAMPUS

Board of Curators meet to discuss plans and goals of marketing strategies, research, funding The meeting took place on UMKC’s campus on Sept. 20 and 21.

LAUREN BISHOP RIDDHI ANDURKAR

Staff writer Reporter

The UM System Board of Curators met on Sept. 20 and 21 at the University of Missouri, Kansas City campus.

The curators discussed different marketing strategies to increase enrollment, investment performance, financial goals and more.

Strategic communications, marketing update Freshman enrollment has increased by 13 percent in fall 2018, the strongest gain in 10 years. 160over90, a Philadelphia-based branding agency helped by focusing on digital marketing, using social media, paid searches and strategic messaging.

MU leaders signed a contract with 160over90 to help fix MU’s brand. Kamrhan Farwell, chief marketing and communications officer at MU said the new advertising strategies for the campuses help direct messages to different audiences.

The 2019 focus is on enrollment media for prospective students and their

The company 160over90 was hired to help fix the branding of MU in five locations. The results are recorded in the graphic. | COURTESY OF UMSYSTEM.EDU

parents; sentiment media that will raise MU’s profile; yield media for students who have been accepted but are not yet enrolled; and website redesign.

Missouri University of Science and Technology

student Avery Welker was sworn in as the new student representative to the Board of Curators.

MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright MU Chancellor Alexander

Cartwright presented on the Flagship of the Future. During this presentation, Cartwright presented and explained goals for MU and explained strategies to achieve those goals.

One of Cartwright’s goals

was to increase the six-year graduation rate from 69 percent in 2018 to 74 percent in 2023.

boc |Page 5

ENROLLMENT

MU among top of SEC in enrollment The university has a record retention rate with 87.3 percent of students returning to MU. NOAH KLEIN

Reporter

Last year, an article was published in The New York Times discussing MU’s drop in enrollment after the events of 2015. Now, enrollment is back up by 13 percent.

While many schools in the SEC saw a decline, MU saw a double digit increase in

freshman enrollment. MU is one of two schools to have this increase in the past year, with Louisiana State University being the other.

“To achieve double digit increase in enrollment right now when so many universities are struggling to break even really shows that our efforts are paying off,” MU spokesperson Liz McCune said.

In 2017, MU welcomed 4,134 freshmen. This year, the university welcomed 4,673 (freshmen are defined as “first-time college students.”)

“It has been a concerted

effort for the university for the last couple of years to focus on enrollment increase,” McCune said. “Our enrollment has dropped and we want to strategically add students back to the university.”

This freshman class is also “more diverse and academically gifted” than previous classes, according to the MU News Bureau.

The university has a record retention rate with 87.3 percent of students returning to MU. First-time college student minority enrollment is up from 778 in 2017 to 1,015 in 2018. There is a

large spike in enrollment among African Americans, Hispanics and those who identify as multiracial.

In terms of academics, MU is currently above average on standardized tests. The MU ACT average is a 26, which is better than both the national and state averages, which are 21 and 20.4, respectively.

The positive trend in academic statistics offers a solid selling point to students and can increase enrollment even more. Some students are feeling more confident knowing their peer’s scores are above average.

“I really appreciate

the fact that knowing I am surrounded with kids that truly care about their education and standardized testing,” freshman Miles Berger said. “It is comforting to know that I will have help from people around me if needed.”

In the past year, MU has taken great measures to bring in new students. MU has introduced new scholarship and affordability initiatives.

The university has created a five-year plan to increase engagement, which was announced by Chancellor

SEC |Page 5

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PLANT continued from page 1

many years to keep Mizzou at the top of the charts when it comes to being on the cutting edge of technology,” Chris Chinn, director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, said.

The facility will also benefit MU’s plant researchers by opening up more space for their work, Jim English, director of the Division of Plant Sciences, said.

“It's going to have a large array of growth chamber space, which is not currently sufficient,” English said. “For the plant community, we're way below what we need in terms of increasing capacity for that kind of controlled environment.

This space here is massive, so you can imagine the amount that can happen here.”

Not only will the space of the facility allow for more research space, it will also open up possibilities in studying different types of plants.

“The facility in particular will include not just an increasing amount of reserved space, but specialized facilities, controlled environment plant growth chambers and some of the greenhouse modules that will have an enhanced height, so we can work on taller plants than we've been able to do before,” Sharp said.

The new facility will also be able to branch out from the conditions that are typical of other plant research facilities on campus.

“There’s going to be a component [of the facility] that's separate that will allow researchers to work with field soils, natural soils and even working with some plant pathogens and things like that. So, we'll be able to expand the capability of the facilities for different types of research than we've been doing in the past,” English said.

With these new research capabilities will also come a range of benefits to MU, Chinn said.

“It has a completion date of April, so we’re going to be able to offer this as a selling point to next year's freshman class,” Chinn said. “We're going to be able to attract better researchers. We're going to have a lot more opportunities here for our students and for our faculty, because there's only about six facilities like this in the world today.”

The creation of such a facility is consistent with MU’s history of excellence in plant science research, Christopher Daubert, vice chancellor and dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, said.

“I think the fact is that our university has a historical commitment to agriculture, to plant sciences and plant biology,” Daubert said. “It truly is one of the cornerstones of this university, and our relationship to Missouri agriculture is strong.

The work that we do here is intended to benefit all Missourians, all of the [agricultural] enterprise throughout the state.”

The celebratory ceremony began with a period where attendees could get refreshments and browse displays related to plant sciences.

Next, remarks were made by a range of speakers, including Sharp, Chinn, Daubert. The other

speakers were UM System president Mun Choi, Donald L. Cupps, curator emeritus on the UM Board of Curators, Latha Ramchand, MU provost and executive vice chancellor and Patricia Okker, dean of the College of Arts and Science.

After the remarks were made, attendees were invited to sign the ceremonial beam which would be used to “top off” the construction.

Throughout the event, there was an emphasis on the new capabilities for research at MU the facility would produce.

“I recognize the importance of this facility and what it represents to our faculty and the citizens of Missouri: to be able to conduct research on innovative approaches to better understand drought resistant crops, to have a better understanding of digital and precision agriculture and, in the process, finding new ways to help feed the world,” Choi said.

The facility will create benefits on many different levels, Choi said.

“While there are very important practical benefits to this research, there's also the intellectual merit of the research that we do to advance the science of better understand the genetics of plants [and] control the growth rates of plants that will help us develop a clearer scientific understanding of the plant biology,” Choi said. “But beyond that, it's important to recognize that there are these other broader impacts of training our students to become the next generation of leaders through this facility.”

Edited by Morgan Smith mosmith@themaneater.com

FARM continued from page 1

animal agriculture and what that means.”

CAFNR students involved with clubs could volunteer to be a part of this event. Anna Tarpey president of the Dairy Club, brought two oneweek-old calves for attendees to see and pet.

Tarpey said this event can help the Columbia community become more exposed to different types of agriculture that are available in close proximity.

“It’s a great opportunity for both parents and kids to have a taste of every aspect of agriculture in one day,” Tarpey said. “You don’t have to go very far out your doorstep to find a different avenue of agriculture. It’s all here for you, and especially at Mizzou we offer it all.”

Next year’s South Farm Showcase is scheduled for Sept. 28.

Edited by Morgan Smith mosmith@themaneater.com

PCI

continued from page 1 level.”

With its guide, “Engaging Your Community: A guide to hosting local debates and forums,” the group wanted to give back to the local community by sharing its political research.

“Academics, in my opinion, have some responsibility to try to make a practical impact in the community and the state. And we believe this debate and forum guide can do so,” Bramlett said.

The guide, according to PCI’s website, “provides insight on the main questions and issues related to organizing and planning (local debates and forums).”

From finding sponsorships to handling press coverage, the PCI’s how-to guide details a practical plan that any interested organization or candidate can easily follow to strengthen political discourse.

“Engaging Your Community” also focuses on informing the public and creating positive dialogue about politics within our community. “[Debates] can make you more informed, I mean that may be the most important part,” Bramlett said. “Even if you watch a debate and you don’t

The MU South Farm Research Center features many teaching subjects including beef research and animal sciences. | COURTESY OF CAFNR FLICKR

switch your vote and you don’t even make up your mind that day, you will know more… you’ll know more about the issues in your community and you’ll know more about the people running to represent you.”

In a world of Twitter wars and viral videos, holding local debates and forums may seem archaic, but the staff at PCI said that debates still remain an integral part of the democratic process.

“There’s something powerful and special about being able to come together, face-to-face, in person, to talk about these things… there’s no computer screen, no phone separating you from the individual,” Paul said. “You’re there, in person with them. You’re seeing them. You’re talking to them.”

Inspiring healthy political conversations in local communities may seem like a lofty goal, but debates have the unique ability to bring legislation home. The PCI said it hopes the guide will one day facilitate this vision.

“If we help improve the activity and the quality of democratic dialogue, deliberation and debate then that would be a success and that would be meaningful,” Bramlett said.

Edited by Caitlyn Rosen crosen@themaneater.com

The Political Communication Institute recently provided a guide titled “Engaging Your Community: A guide to hosting local debates and forums,” which gives insight on questions and issues focusing on organizing and planning. | COURTESY OF MU POLITICAL COMMUNICATION INSTITUTE

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GRAPHIC BY DESIGNER ELIZABETH USTNOV

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Edited by Morgan Smith mosmith@themaneater.com

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visiting ceramic artist

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AYUMI HORIE

University for Missouri.”

MU officials are proud of the increase and are starting to see the hard work they have done payoff.

“A strong retention rate speaks to the effectiveness of the learning environment we offer,” Latha Ramchand, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, said in an MU news briefing in August. “It’s gratifying to see that our students are excelling inside and outside the classroom, connecting with researchers in the lab and with leaders in the community.”

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Alexander Cartwright recently.

MU had to shut down six dorms at one point due to a drop in enrollment. Now, a new dorm has been officially named and all six dorms have been re-opened.

Press conference UM System President Mun Choi addressed the campus climates and how each layer of administration will be accountable to one another and the public.

“We need to ensure... we create a climate and a culture where funded research programs [...] are encouraged and also incentivized,” Choi said. “The accountability for all of us starts with the goals that we establish.”

A question was asked about potential tuition raises. Choi said tuition raises will be “measured and appropriate” for the needs of UM campuses, but affordability must be taken into account.

The next board meeting will be held at UMSL on Nov. 15-16.

Edited by Morgan Smith mosmith@themaneater.com

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Continued from page 3

“We will not take for granted the trust that is placed in us to prepare future leaders or to provide solutions to the challenges facing Missourians,” Cartwright told the News Bureau. “From building the economy to discovering lifesaving medical advances to serving all 114 counties of the state, we strive to be the

Finance Committee During the Finance Committee, each chancellor updated the board on current and future renovation plans.

Cartwright explained an addition to Ellis library’s book depository, along with a plan to replace the Veterinary Medicine Diagnostic Laboratory.

Maples provided the Board an update on the Schrenk Hall renovation, the library/learning commons renovation and the McNutt Hall addition. The campus is also renovating and adding to their engineering research laboratory, the first researchonly space on S&T’s campus.

UMSL recently completed a $150 million project of updating four buildings and roads. The campus will also renovate their Social Sciences building with the help of a $1 million gift from Monsanto.

At MU, Ellis Library will receive a book depository addition. MU will also build a satellite boiler plant and replace the Veterinary Medicine Diagnostic Laboratory. A plan to redevelop Neff Hall and add to the site is also in the works.

UMKC will build a new Conservatory of Music and Dance, renovate and add to Bloch Heritage Hall and will build a new space for 500 beds of student housing.

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New degree programs George Stewart, chairman of the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, talked about the bachelor’s of science degree in

UM Board Chair’s Report UM System research growth halted in 2008 due to financial problems, but the growth in other universities did not stop. Board Chair David Steelman introduced this issue to the Board on Sept. 21, and his presentation pertained to the standing of the UM system’s academic research, in comparison to other campuses and other universities.

Steelman said that even if resources per student and financial aid from the state government decreases, UM campuses must continue in their research goals.

“We frankly know that we

UM System President’s Report A new Office of Research Advancement and a plan for a Transitional Precision Medical Complex at MU were voiced to the Board during the UM System President’s Report. A resolution was passed to thank former Student Representative Courtney Lauer for her service on the Board of Curators.

Cartwright spoke about improving research and faculty relations on MU’s campus through collaboration between faculty and administration and the environment for research that MU hopes to create. MU plans to launch an Office of Research Advancement to coordinate grant opportunities between disciplines and connect researchers throughout MU. A plan for a new Translational Precision Medical Complex on MU’s campus is in the works. Mark McIntosh, MU vice chancellor for research, graduate studies and economic development, said this new facility will

create interdisciplinary collaboration between engineering, medicine and many other schools to create real-world uses of research in a more timely manner.

The TPMC will focus on cancer, cardiovascular and neurological work. There will be a floor dedicated to research innovation and some of the space will eventually be for commercial use with business partners.

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Strategic Plans UMKC Chancellor Mauli Agrawal explained the five pillars of UMKC: provide exceptional student experience, become a thriving discovery enterprise, transform community and region, foster multiculturalism, globalism, diversity and inclusion and develop strong processes and physical infrastructure.

Chancellor Christopher Maples said that Missouri University of Science of Technology plans to eliminate its application fee for current applicants. Maples then presented research goals for 2023.

University of Missouri, St. Louis Chancellor Thomas George said research goals include increasing the number of journal articles, to aggressively increase national award nominations for faculty and increase external research awards by 10 percent each year.

not only desire, but need, as much state funding as we can get. But if we don’t get state funding we can’t just pull in and give up,” Steelman said.

“We have to learn to prosper no matter what the situation is.”

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microbiology at MU. He said having a microbiology major is important because and has a lot of research potential, according to Stewart. The board unanimously approved the program.

Stephanie Reid-Arndt, associate dean for academic affairs at MU School of Health Professions, shared information about a proposed doctoral program, which will prepare students for careers, research, education and leadership, according to Reid-Arndt.

The board unanimously voted to approve the new Ph.D. in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

6 PERFORMANCE

The Burney Sisters kick off Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival Local folk duo, The Burney Sisters, opened on the MO Lottery Stage during 2018 Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival.

ABBY WERNER Staff Writer Folk duo, The Burney Sisters, kicked off the

Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival on Sept. 28 at the MO Lottery Stage after releasing their latest

EP, “Where We Stand,” earlier in the day. The youngest performers of the festival exuberated

confidence and excitement about performing on

band. But even with the additional people on the

The sisters opened up their set with their song

stage, no one could take their eyes off the sisters.

“Ocean Eyes,” which is on their new EP. They

notice how well the girls commanded the stage.

energy up and throwing shout-outs to the audience

Audience member Cindy Prince couldn’t help but “If they weren’t singing, they were smiling,”

Prince said. “It’s refreshing to see young artists

played a mix of old and new songs, keeping the in between songs.

“We are so grateful to be performing at Roots

like them so excited to be performing for a crowd

N Blues, and we want the audience to know that,”

seeing them come back to the festival in the future

thankful for this whole experience.”

like Roots N Blues. I look forward to hopefully because I know they will go far.”

Emma said. “We love them, and we are so so

After their set was over, the sisters were ready

The crowd was a mix of old and new fans of

to watch other groups at the festival perform —

college students and college students dancing next

Since they were the first to perform, it gave them

all ages. You could see toddlers dancing next to

to people who were their parents’ or grandparents’

especially their music idols, The Avett Brothers. plenty of time to be able to fangirl and enjoy the

one of the main stages.

age. Many knew the words to their music, but even

for the 10K, so it was so cool that this year we

time. Olivia says that’s one of the best parts about

happened so far was I got to meet Bob [of the The

Burney, age 10, said. “It was a dream come true

“Many fans have been with us for a long time

it, so I was kind of speechless at the moment, but

“Last year we performed outside of the festival

those who didn’t couldn’t help but have a good

were performing inside of the festival,” Emma

performing live.

to perform in front of so many people on such a

and especially since we’re from Columbia, it’s so

Olivia Burney, age 13, played the ukulele during

the crowd,” Olivia said. “But it’s also fun to know

huge stage.”

amazing to see people who know and love us in

their set while Emma played the acoustic guitar.

that after today, we’ll hopefully have new fans as

In total, The Burney Sisters had a six-person

well.”

festival for themselves.

“One of the most exciting things that has

Avett Brothers],” Olivia said. “I wasn’t expecting I can’t wait to meet the rest of the band.”

“Where We Stand” is now available everywhere

you can stream music.

Edited by Alexandra Sharp asharp@themaneater.com

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PERFORMANCE

Dirtfoot brings raucous genre-bending rock to Roots N Blues after-party The Louisiana swamprockers gave gung-ho live show after first night of Roots N Blues.

SPENCER MENDE

Columnist

Few bands can honestly describe themselves as a fusion of country, punk, folk, blues and old-fashioned rock-and-roll. Dirtfoot manages to compellingly combine all of these genres, even adding accents of psychedelia and gypsy music to create a raucous, foot-stomping sound. Performed at Rose Music Hall, the Shreveport, Louisiana band’s infectious energy was augmented by the venue, building an atmosphere that was perfect for the after-party.

I spent the majority of the performance at the front of the venue, along with the most enthusiastic audience members.

Dirtfoot performed with a chaotic, backwoods swagger that helped characterize the overall mood of the event. The audience was not hesitant about adding their own energy, and soon the room was head-banging and hollering along to Dirtfoot’s propulsive swamp rock.

The band’s own impressive crowdwork contributed to the boisterous atmosphere. Aside from the drums, two guitars, banjo, upright bass and trombone that compose Dirtfoot’s

musical lineup, there is another member who essentially acts as the band’s hype man. Towering over the crowd, the seventh man of Dirtfoot stands on stilts, wearing vertically striped red and white pants, a denim jacket and a rubber pig mask.

He danced adjacent to the stage or walked through the after-party during the entire show, passing out makeshift tin-can shaker instruments to the audience. For their part, the audience was more than happy to participate and readily matched the band’s spirit.

Dirtfoot’s stage presence matched their larger-than-life combination of genres. Frontman Matt Hazelton’s voice oscillated between growls and yelps with charismatic force, making him one of many incredibly dynamic aspects of the performance. An early classic highlight came only a few songs in with the raunchy, bluegrassinflected “Entertain Me.” The crowd’s reaction was visceral, and several fans danced along with the song’s frenzied beat. This helped set the tone for the rest of the evening: “Devil Don’t Care” — a driving, folkrock number and the band’s number one streamed song on Spotify — elicited a similar rowdy response from the crowd.

The haunting performance of “Back of a Stranger” was a surprisingly powerful moment in the set. “Stranger” has a slow, creeping

Rock band Dirtfoot held an after party at Rose Music Hall on Sept. 28, 2018. | PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK @DIRTFOOT

menace that contrasts with some of the more manic songs, which would normally seem out of place at an after-party. Despite this, the song culminated with an instrumental jam that enthralled the crowd. As the break reached the height of its intensity, the entire venue was swaying with the song’s throbbing, hypnotic energy. The experience left the audience breathing heavily and hollering for more.

The peak of the performance was another impressive combination of free-wheeling jamming and musical virtuosity. A rapid drum solo performed by John Hoffman, who was eventually joined by Doug Dicharry on the washboard, added a particularly eerie element to the

performance before the growing crescendo. The result was an allencompassing experience that played off the more reckless facets of roots music.

Dirtfoot showed up to Rose Music Hall with gusto, ready for a night of music that was just as much of a party as a concert. Their genre-combining sound exuded a reckless confidence.

The band showed their years of experience with live performance, but their show never felt tired or washed up. Performing at the afterparty left the band and audience free to cut loose, helping everyone go a little bit hog wild after the first day of Roots N Blues N BBQ. Edited by Alexandra Sharp asharp@themaneater.com

PERFORMANCE

The Avett Brothers headline first night of Roots N Blues From tears to clapping to dancing around, the Avett Brothers definitely moved their large audience on opening night of Roots N Blues Festival.

MARIANA LABBATE Senior Staff Writer The banjos, kick drums and electric guitars of the brothers Scott and Seth Avett, along with Bob Crawford’s bass and Joe Kwon’s cello, brought their folk melodies to the MO Lottery Stage at Stephens Lake Park on the first night of this year’s Roots N Blues festival.

As the first day headliners, the Avett Brothers were probably the most awaited performance of the night. The rock and bluegrass influences of the band from North Carolina made a large crowd dance and sing along to their tunes.

Although some songs made the audience jump and clap to the rhythm, such as the upbeat song “Kick Drum Heart” from the 2009 album “I and Love and You,” their

Scott Avett of the Avett Brothers performs at Roots N Blues N BBQ on Sept. 28, 2018. | PHOTO

BY SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR MADI WINFIELD

best-known works are ballads with

However, the most awaited song

calm, slow melodies. These types of

of the set ended the night being the

like “I Wish I Was,” which is on their

“No Hard Feelings,” also from their

songs brought fans to tears with hits newest album “True Sadness,” and the intimist tone of “Morning Song”

from the album “Magpie and the Dandelion.”

last of the band’s two-song encore.

new album “True Sadness,” really moved the public. The audience sang

along to the sentimental, deep lyrics written by the Avett Brothers. During

the encore, they also played the band’s rendition of “Lucky Stranger”

by David Childers.

The set was really energetic, even though the band does not typically play upbeat songs. The musicians also really interacted with the audience, talking to the fans and responding to people singing along to their lyrics.

Scott Avett, multi-instrumentalist and one of the lead singers, even walked off the stage to sing next to the crowd between the barricades.

“This isn’t really the era in history where you can do that without a laser light show and dancers and all that stuff,” Scott Avett said. “To just stick with music feels really special.

Thank you for making it such a special thing, we appreciate it very much…. we’re working on getting a laser light show, don’t worry.”

By the end of the encore, the Avett Brothers’ set was over, leaving behind an audience that danced, sang and even shed some tears. This stage also had Sturgill Simpson as a headliner on Sept. 29 and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats on Sept.

30.

Edited by Alexandra Sharp asharp@themaneater.com

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TV

The premiere of ‘Saturday Night Live’ promises fantastic season Although Kanye West’s performances were not up to par, the season premiere’s writing was phenomenal.

EMMA BENNETT

Columnist

The best of political and pop culture comedy is back.

NBC’s sketch comedy show, “Saturday Night Live,” returned for its 44th season on Saturday. The episode was hosted by Star Wars’ Adam Driver, with musical guest Kanye West.

Unsurprisingly, the show’s cold open was a take on the Kavanaugh hearings, poking fun at the behavior exhibited by the Supreme Court nominee on Thursday.

Actor Matt Damon made a surprise appearance as Brett Kavanaugh, as well as SNL veteran Rachel Dratch as Sen. Amy Klobuchar. I found the writing of this particular sketch fantastic, as well as the acting. Damon did a

The 44th season premiere of Saturday Night Live featured a skit of Matt Damon as Brett Kavanaugh during the recent trial. | PHOTO VIA YOUTUBE @SATURDAYNIGHTLIVE

phenomenal job replicating the comical nature of Kavanaugh’s tirade, and the jokes made had me chuckling throughout the duration of the skit. At one particular moment, after Dratch asks Damon if he was a frequent drinker in high school, he responds, “Look. I like beer, OK? I like beer. Boys like beer, girls like beer, I like beer, I like beer,” mocking Kavanaugh’s repeated references to how much he likes beer.

My favorite skit of the night was most likely the

“Career Day” sketch, in which Driver acts as a father coming in on his son’s school career day. Driver launches into a description of his life as an oil baron. While his son, Mordecai (Pete Davidson), insists that what his father is describing is not cool, his classmates seem to think differently. The sketch’s humor comes from Driver’s intensity as he describes his job, going on about how the most important part is “crushing your enemies.”

This is, in my opinion, what made the sketch so good.

Driver’s acting was funny enough to cause most of the cast members in the scene to break from character, including Davidson and season regulars Melissa Villaseñor and Aidy Bryant.

The only part of the show I did not like were Kanye’s performances. Recently selfnamed “Ye,” West’s three appearances featured songs “I Love It,” “We Got Love” and “Ghost Town.” West first performed “I Love It” with Lil Pump, resulting in what might have been the worst performance in the history of SNL. The two hopped around stage in water bottle costumes, mumbling the lyrics to the song. Not only was the performance of the song terrible, but the song is so explicit that most of the lyrics were not even sung or changed completely.

This ruined any chance the performance had of redeeming itself.

West’s performance of “Ghost Town” was the only act that lived up to the studio version of the song.

However, West went on a

pro-Trump rant at the end of the performance, which was not seen as it was cut for time.

In videos posted by comedian Chris Rock on Instagram, the cast of SNL can be seen, visibly uncomfortable.

Despite its setbacks with musical sets, the season premiere of SNL was worth the watch and wait. With noticeable changes to the show such as a new introduction sequence, season 44 promises to be one of the best yet. With today’s political climate and current happenings, the writers will have no shortage of content, either. One of the most promising aspects is the promotion of Villaseñor, Mikey Day and Alex Moffat to season regulars, allowing their talents to expand to match those of veterans such as Kate McKinnon and Kenan Thompson.

The second episode of season 44 of SNL airs next Saturday, with host Awkwafina and musical guest Travis Scott.

Edited by Siena DeBolt sdebolt@themaneater.com

CAMPUS

Campus Dining Services emphasizes student employment Campus Dining Services prides itself on being the largest student employer on campus.

BRYNN MCCARTHY Staff Writer With 29 locations and 700 student positions, Campus Dining Services is the largest student employer on campus.

While working in food service may be unappealing to many, the skills you learn and the potential for scholarships make campus dining a great job for many students.

Job positions for students range from dish washers to student managers. The lowest level positions are great for students looking for part-time work. The student managers and highest level positions are a bigger commitment as their responsibilities are opening the dining halls at 5 a.m. and closing them at 2 a.m. The highest level

positions require a semester of work in campus dining services before eligibility.

“As far as student employment, we like to say we select students rather than hire students,” Campus Dining Director Nancy Monteer said. “We are a first job for a lot of students who may not have worked in high school, so we like to focus on transferable skills.”

In all of the jobs, students learn customer service skills and how to work in a team of people. One student selected by Campus Dining was Megan Clark. Clark has worked for Campus Dining for almost three years and is currently one of two student managers at The Restaurants of Southwest.

“I’ve learned a lot about how to communicate professionally and act in a professional environment,” Clark said. “[Campus Dining] is a safe place to make mistakes and learn how to communicate in different settings.”

As a student manager, Clark works closely with both higher administrative positions and students. Her duties include managing students, training students and supervisors and working with Excel.

Clark recommends working for Campus Dining because of the job’s flexible hours, the ability to work around your class schedule and the supportive work environment. Campus Dining also offers reduced meal prices to all employees.

By working for Campus Dining services, you are also eligible to win Campus Dining scholarships. As of last year, Campus Dining has given 212 scholarships worth $125,450 in the past 20 years. Annually, this includes eight $1,000 scholarships and one $1,500 scholarship called the Student Employee of the Year Scholarship. Clark received this scholarship this year. These scholarships are presented to student workers that show exceptional skills

The dining hall Plaza 900 is one of 29 locations that hires students at MU. | PHOTO BY PHOTOGRAPHER LILLY ANNA BRINSO

and improvement in their time working for Campus Dining Services.

This year, about 500 out of 700 student positions are filled, Monteer said. In addition to the 200 parttime openings, there are a few full-time openings as well. Campus Dining jobs

are

available

to

students

no matter their experience

or major. Monteer said this

is a major decrease from previous years, and Campus Dining has no idea why their employment rates are so low.

Edited by Alexandra Sharp asharp@themaneater.com

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9

PODCAST

Chloé Radio seeks to give voice to brand’s image Augustin Trapenard interviewed six French women thought to represent the “Chloé woman” for the brand’s new podcast.

NIKOL SLATINSKA

Columnist

“Hippie modernism” is the term Natacha Ramsay-Levi, creative director of Chloé, used to describe her latest collection for the spring/ summer 2019 season. The assemblage of flowy peasant blouses, floral and paisley prints and ‘70s-inspired accessories exemplified the longestablished aesthetic of the typical Chloé woman. The looks’ carefree and youthful essence, however, clashed with the contemplative and existential nature of Chloé Radio, a podcast series consisting of 20-minute interviews between Augustin Trapenard, a Parisian cultural journalist, and six French women thought to embody the brand.

Trapenard sat with actresses

Clémence Poésy, Ariane Labed and Isabelle Huppert, writer Leïla Slimani, filmmaker Houda Benyamina and Ramsay-Levi herself, discussing the concepts of freedom, femininity and strength in relation to womanhood and fashion. Recurring questions such as, “What does it mean to be free?” and “Did you ever feel any limitations in being a woman?” revealed simultaneous feelings of courage and vulnerability in these seemingly self-assured women.

For example, Trapenard expressed his surprise at Huppert’s claim that she rarely feels confident despite having played a number of bold characters in some of France’s most controversial films. Most of the women asserted that to be free means to be completely in sync with one’s identity, but that they still face obstacles related to self-expression that come from working in maledominated fields.

While the willingness to share one’s conflicting ideas of what it means to be a woman in current Western society is admirable, it feels disjointed in relation to the actual

Chloé brand, which has become more and more solidified in its image with each fashion iseason, despite going through six creative directors in the past 20 years. This most recent collection voiced none of those insecurities, exhibiting a modern, jetsetting Chloé woman who knows exactly who she is and which crowd she belongs to.

Furthermore, the usage of bright colors, stacked jewelry and music festival silhouettes, especially in the first half of the lineup, seemed to pertain to a younger muse, whereas the interviewees ranged in age from 34 to 65 years. The podcast’s mature feeling actually coincides more with Chloé under the creative direction of Clare Waight Keller, who managed to retain the brand’s youthfulness but offered a much more subdued look, fitting an older demographic as well.

Despite the disconnect between the podcast and collection’s respective vibes, one has to give props to Ramsay-Levi for even thinking of marketing the company through such an innovative medium; after all, 67 million Americans listen to podcasts

on a monthly basis, according to Forbes. Ramsay-Levi came up with the idea as a way to pay homage to Radio France, the broadcaster she grew up listening to and still receives much of her news from today.

In addition to the podcast, the fashion show took place at Radio France’s headquarters, Maison de la Radio, on Sept. 27. The juxtaposition between the fashion show, a visual platform, and the audio-based form of the podcast was also interesting.

In the broad scope of fashion, Ramsay-Levi has proven herself a strategic businesswoman and, most importantly, a head designer dedicated to maintaining the aesthetic of one of the most successful brands in high fashion. And in a fast-paced climate where new creative directors are constantly trashing established brands’ defining characteristics in favor of their own sartorial preferences (yes, I’m referring to Hedi Slimane and Riccardo Tisci.

Shade fully intended), that integrity is all we can really ask for.

Edited by Siena DeBolt sdebolt@themaneater.com

PERFORMANCE

Sturgill Simpson offers impassioned, driving performance at Roots N Blues N BBQ The outlaw country hero’s setlist featured fan favorites, as well as deep cuts and covers, at one of his last shows of the year.

SPENCER MENDE

Columnist

Sturgill Simpson is undoubtedly a country artist, but he eschews the glitzy production that defines the genre’s mainstream for a sound that is significantly more classic.

His sound evokes the golden-age of country music in the 1960s and 1970s, with splashes of soul and rock influence. This past Saturday night, the Kentucky-born, Grammywinning, alt-country icon gave an excellent performance at the MO Lottery Stage at Roots N Blues N BBQ. The setlist featured songs from his entire discography, showcasing his outlaw country roots alongside emotionally charged covers and shrieking guitar solos.

Simpson was not a particularly flashy performer: He wore a denim jacket and a Pittsburgh Pirates T-shirt. The only other people on stage were his bassist, drummer and keyboardist. The stage itself was lit with blank, white lighting that clearly illuminated the minimal setting. The absence of technical frills kept the set focused on Simpson and his band and let the music take center stage.

The performance opened with a rousing rock-inflected rendition of the song “Breakers Roar,” the second track from his most recent album, 2016’s “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth.”

The album recording of the song is a delicate lullaby, so hearing an

amped-up version was certainly an unexpected (but not unwelcome) experience. “Bone break and heals / Oh, but heartaches can kill / From the inside, so it seems / Oh, I’m telling you it’s all a dream,” an impassioned Simpson sang over a soaring instrumental.

“Breakers Roar” is one of my favorite songs in Simpson’s catalogue.

The songwriting is beautiful and personal and is enhanced by a soft, serene instrumental. The version played at the festival presented the song as an anthem, rather than a ballad, and brought the emotional impact of the lyrics to the forefront.

The live version heightened the energy of the song and set the mood for the rest of the set.

The next song was When in Rome’s 1987 synthpop hit “The Promise.”

Simpson’s resonant voice flawlessly converted the song to a sweet country ballad. The crowd swayed and sang along to the song. “The Promise” was not the only slow song in the set list. After some characteristically propulsive outlaw country numbers, Simpson performed the deep cut “I’d Have To Be Crazy” from his 2013 album “High Top Mountain.” The song was another sweet and soulful moment in an incredibly dynamic set.

After “I’d Have to be Crazy,” Simpson took a moment to address the audience, mentioning how the performance was his second-to-last show of the year because he is going to spend more time with his family.

The “Sailor’s Guide to the Earth” album was specifically written as a letter to his son. A prominent theme on the album was that Simpson doesn’t want to miss him growing up. Taking a break from touring is

On Sept. 29, 2018, alt-country artist Sturgill Simpson performed at the Roots N Blues N BBQ festival. | PHOTO BY ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR ADAM COLE

in keeping with Simpson’s character as someone who puts family before career.

The speech was followed up with “Some Days” and “Turtles All the Way Down,” two songs that draw heavy influence from classic country music. The energy was palpable, and the audience was grooving along with the music. After “Turtles All the Way Down,” Simpson said, and then launched into one of the peak moments of the show, a devotional cover of Otis Redding’s “You Don’t Miss Your Water.” The sound was colossal, reverberating across the audience with a near-spiritual effect.

The totality of the performance was enthralling, and is the kind of experience you can only get at a live show.

The all-encompassing nature of the performance made it the set’s unquestionable emotional climax, and left the audience filled with a cathartic energy that they readily discharged over the remaining numbers. The rest of Simpson’s set was distinctly up-tempo, featuring propulsive beats and impressive guitar-shredding solos. The final song was “A Sailor’s Guide to the Earth” album closer, the wild “Call to Arms.” By bringing out one of the most reckless and acrid tracks in his discography, Simpson ended his show in a style that was more rockand-roll as it was country—a fitting conclusion for an artist who refuses to keep between his genre’s lines.

Edited by Siena DeBolt sdebolt@themaneater.com

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LGBTQ+

Transitioning into an Ally teaches students how to treat transgender community better Transitioning into an Ally was held on Sept. 27 and informed students on gender, transgender community statistics and correct pronouns.

ABBY WERNER Staff Writer As part of the Citizenship@Mizzou training program, MU hosted a Transitioning into an Ally event for the transgender community on Sept. 27.

The event was led by Shane Stinson, a transgender man and employee of MU. “We put on these Citizenship@Mizzou events to provide great sessions of information to people, so they don’t have to search for it on their own,” Stinson said. “It allows them to come into a space where they can ask questions, which will allow them to be better classmates, students, friends and community members to the people around them.”

The event began with Stinson sharing his story.

He knew he was different from a young age, but it took him until he was in college at MU before he came to terms with who he is and what that means.

“I share my story [with the session] because I think it gives you a better idea of where I’m coming from and what experiences I have had to get me to this point of talking to you,” Stinson said. “I don’t expect my story to be like anyone else’s because every story is different.”

After sharing his story, Stinson explained the definitions of gender, specifically regarding how different websites and organizations define it. He emphasized that gender and gender identity have way more to do with who you are as a person than what’s in between your legs when you are born.

“When you only think of gender in those terms, it severely limits you to so many other factors,” Stinson said. “It leaves out behavioral factors, cultural factors and so much more.”

Stinson had the group do two main exercises: labeling where attendees fall on The Gender Unicorn and discussing it with the people around you. The Gender Unicorn is a diagram that helps people distinguish their gender identity, gender expression, sex assigned at birth and who they are physically and emotionally attracted to. The second exercise was practicing using different pronouns like they/them and zie/hir with the people around you. For many students like freshman Owen Wilson, these exercises weren’t something he had thought much about before.

“I’d never really thought about these kinds of things in such explicit terms,” Wilson said.

The LGBTQ Resource Center, located in the basement of the MU Student Center, hosts many events for MU students. | PHOTO BY STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER PAIGE SAILORS

“I haven’t had to. But this session made me realize that many people think about these things constantly.”

Before Stinson explained how to be an ally, he shared a few statistics about the transgender community. A few of those stats included that 41 percent of people in the trans community will attempt suicide and 67 percent of anti-trans events of homicide were trans women of color.

“I think it’s important that people know these stats,” Stinson said. “That way, they are aware that trans people not feeling like they fit in is a huge deal. They feel so out of place that they actively try to kill themselves, and that has to stop.”

After all of that build-up and background, Stinson finally explained what being an ally to the transgender community entails. He said it includes using the language that a trans person uses for themselves, recognizing that someone’s trans identity is private information, avoiding compliments based on stereotypes and so much

more.

“Being an ally is a lifelong process of building relationships and trust and cannot be self-defined,” Stinson said. “It takes time and a lot of personal growth.”

Many of the students who attended Transitioning into an Ally were appreciative of the eye-opening experience that it gave to a community that doesn’t get discussed very often. One of those students was junior Wensdai Brooks, who was thankful that MU has events like this one.

“I think this event was very refreshing,” Brooks said. “I think it’s really cool that I go to a school that hosts events like this for their students to become better.”

If you want more info on how to be a better ally to the trans community, check out the LGBTQ Resource Center in the basement of the MU Student Center.

Edited by Alexandra Sharp asharp@themaneater.com

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12

BRYCE’S BLATHER

Column: High schools should stop pushing college as a universal solution Despite looming trade labor shortages, high schools focus on college.

Is it time to rethink higher education?

BRYCE KOLK

Opinion Columnist Bryce Kolk is a freshman journalism major at MU. He is an opinion columnist who writes about politics for The Maneater.

College isn’t for everyone. Some don’t enjoy sitting in classrooms.

Others worry about strapping their future with crushing debt. Valid concerns can persuade someone to choose another path, but we ignore those concerns. High schools have pushed college as a one-size-fitsall solution to educational needs without accounting for those with other interests.

Trade school, not college, is a more realistic next step for many young adults. College is prohibitively expensive for many, while trade school offers students an outlet to work with their hands. While college is great for many, taking vocational classes could be the key to social mobility.

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but

college is expensive.

The price of the average bachelor’s degree is $127,000. That’s ludicrous.

While college graduates are paying the price of a family home for their education, trade school graduates pay significantly less at just $33,000.

The average trade school degree is less than a third the cost of the average bachelor’s degree. Trade school also offers a better return on investment. For every $1 spent on education, the average trade school graduate makes $12 later in life. The average college graduate only makes $9 for every $1 spent.

Related is the topic of debt.

Student debt is a full-blown crisis.

Between ballooning tuition and skyhigh interest rates, students and graduates are bearing tremendous financial hardships.

Trade school graduates, however, have had better luck surviving the crisis. The average trade school graduate carries $10,000 in debt after graduation. The average college graduate carries $29,000 in debt after graduation. After interest, that rises to $36,327.

Put into perspective, the average college graduate is carrying a debt larger than the entire cost of a trade school degree.

A large reason trade school is so much cheaper than college is the length of the program.

Most trade school programs last two years. Most bachelor’s degree are four year programs. however, a minority of students at public

universities, 19 percent, actually graduated in 4 years. For flagship universities such as MU, that number rises to a still paltry 36 percent.

Trade school graduates get into the workforce much faster than college graduates. In those two or three years, they can work to earn a paycheck and lower their student debt. Meanwhile, college students will still be accruing more debt.

Still to be mentioned are those who don’t graduate. Almost half, 41 percent, of first time college students don’t graduate from their school within six years, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics..

Dropping such a pretty penny on college is only worth it if that investment pays off. One risks a lot of money on the possibility of them not graduating. That risk is much smaller for trade schools because they are so much cheaper.

The job market is also ripe for trade school graduates. There are more jobs in specialized trade professions than there are people to fill them.

The market is much different for college graduates. 46 percent of recent college graduates are working jobs that don’t even require a degree.

Salaries after graduation aren’t too far off between college and trade school graduates. The average entry level salary of a trade school graduate is about $35,000, while the entry level college graduate makes about $46,000. While there is a significant difference in income, the costs and

GRAPHIC BY DESIGNER SARA MARQUARDT

debts associated with college muddy the waters on value.

College is a better long term investment, while trade school is a relatively immediate ride to a middle class income. College graduates make more, but also pay much more. There is no solution for everyone.

For those who place a premium on higher education and enjoy classroom learning, college may be the answer. However, we neglect a significant amount of people when high schools profess colleges as the only way forward. Many enjoy working with their hands and prefer hands-on learning styles. For them, trade school is a viable option.

HAN-FORMATION

Column: We need to continue to be exposed to social issues and different types of casts throughout television HANNAH CHISNELL

Opinion Columnist

Hannah Chisnell is a freshman journalism major at MU. She is an opinion columnist who writes about social and justice issues for The Maneater.

Not only does ABC Freeform’s show, “The Fosters,” stay up to date with issues regarding the foster care system, but it also features social issues. In regards to politics, The Fosters touches on the struggles of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and immigration laws. They also shine a light on a range of issues that hit home for most of us.

This show not only provides the viewers with quality entertainment, but it also starts to open their minds on topics they aren’t accustomed to discussing. The Fosters features a lesbian couple who have one birth son, and are foster parents to two latinos, a juvenile delinquent and her brother. Not only does the show encourage people to be open to people who they aren’t used to seeing, but it also brings immigration issues to life on screen.

In season five, the episode “#IWasMadeInAmerica” presents the characters at an anti-immigration politicians rally. It depicts them

protesting the politician in favor of DACA recipients at her rally.

“DREAMer” Ximena (Lisseth Chavez) is seeking sanctuary in a local church when Immigration and Customs Enforcement and FBI agents surround the church. Callie (Maia Mitchell) goes on Facebook Live to document what is going on inside and outside the church. In an interview with TV Guide, executive producer Joanna Johnson said that she and the other writers wanted to keep Ximena’s journey in the church long and hard, and not take the easy route with this story. She wanted to do this simply to tell people not “to think that it’s an easy solution for these people be pursued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”

“We really wanted to make people realize that there are something like 800,000 kids, people in DACA, who are awaiting the decision on their fate. It doesn't seem like anyone in Congress is desperate to address this issue,” Johnson said.

Considering the fact that the U.S. was built as a country of immigrants, why isn’t Congress wanting to accept more immigrants into the country?

Being as we are willing to keep with traditions, we should also be willing to accept more people here.

As a mainstream show, “The

The Freeform television show “The Fosters” featured themes of immigration throughout the episode titled “#IWasMadeInAmerica.” | COURTESY OF IMDB

Fosters” gives people an opportunity to be more open minded about things they aren’t used to. There are people on campus everyday dealing with problems with their immigration status that many are unaware of. People are just now willing to be open about their sexual orientation. The Fosters isn’t the only show starring LGBTQ+ characters.

Shows like Modern Family and Glee have also featured characters who are in same-sex relationships. Even The Ellen Degeneres Show’s host is lesbian. With more programs starring members of the LGBTQ+ community

and immigrants as characters, viewers are more open to the idea of accepting them. According to a 2012 poll in The Hollywood Reporter, 27 percent of responders are now more supportive of same-sex marriages after viewing Glee and Modern Family.

Therefore, the next time you watch shows that feature immigration laws, LGBTQ+ characters or social issues, remember there are people around you facing these issues. Whether they are struggling with coming out, being accepted or gaining DACA status, let them know you have their back.

Online this week: More football, women’s soccer and volleyball coverage at themaneater.com BASKETBALL

Editor’s picks: Time to start thinking about basketball Here are four way-too-early observations from MU’s open practice on Sept. 26.

BENNETT DURANDO

Sports Editor

Look, I’m not saying the first four weeks of Missouri football haven’t been entertaining, not by any means. They’ve been as jam-packed with twists and turns as that smoke-cloaked extra point fiasco at Faurot Field.

But this is the bye week. And bye weeks mean basketball.

Missouri men’s hoops tipped off its first official practice ahead of the 2018-19 season on Tuesday.

Local media were permitted to watch the first half hour of practice the next day after hearing from coach Cuonzo Martin and several players.

Any and all observations from said half hour are unapologetically arbitrary, because again, it’s a half hour – a half hour that’s still over a month away from the season opener, Nov. 6, against Central Arkansas.

With that being said, here are four way-tooearly, unapologetically arbitrary observations.

1. Make no mistakes: this is Jontay Porter’s team.

It’s hard to make out much over the cacophony inside the echo chamber that is Mizzou Arena’s

Sophomore forward Jontay Porter talks with members of the media before a practice on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2018, at Mizzou Arena. | PHOTO BY ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR ADAM COLE

auxiliary gym during an MU practice. But one line repeatedly emerged above the noise.

“It’s too easy, ‘Tay!” Jontay Porter may not be one of Missouri’s two scholarship seniors, but the sophomore is

rightfully the face of the program for what may be his last year of college ball. He withdrew from the NBA draft at the end of May to come back to MU.

time |Page 15

BASKETBALL

CROSS-COUNTRY

Top Missouri 2019 target Liddell commits to Ohio State

Usual suspects lead Missouri in respectable performance at Loyola Lakefront

Liddell attends Belleville West High School, where he led the team in scoring last year.

MAX BAKER

Reporter

E.J. Liddell, a fourstar 2019 recruit and top Missouri basketball target, committed to play for Ohio State Monday night.

Liddell announced his commitment Monday night at 6:10 p.m., choosing the Buckeyes over other finalists Missouri and Illinois.

The 6-foot-8 power forward is widely considered one of the top prospects to come out of the St. Louis talent mine in the 2019 high school class. He is No. 44 in the ESPN 100, which ranks the year’s top overall national recruits.

After Missouri landed the commitment of fellow St. Louis four-star Mario

McKinney last Monday, Liddell was quick to follow, saying later in the week that he would be announcing Monday.

Liddell and McKinney are teammates for Bradley Beal Elite, a local AAU team and member of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. They each took an official visit to MU the weekend of Sept. 8, attending the Missouri-Wyoming football game together.

McKinney’s commitment seemed like a positive indicator for MU; missing on Liddell is a big bruise to the Tigers after coach Cuonzo Martin had been frequently praised recently for his success recruiting the St. Louis metro area.

The Belleville West High power forward is often praised for his skill, footwork and defense — particularly to that end, a well-charted propensity

ohio|Page 15

Despite some strong individual performances, Saturday was the Tigers’ lowest team finish of the young cross-country season.

Saturday.

50, leading the team to a fifth

on the men’s side and fifth

continued to play a big role

The Tigers placed eighth

on the women’s side against a pool of 26 teams on the

men’s side and 33 on the women’s.

For the third consecutive

meet, the men were paced

by England natives Thomas

George and Kieran Wood, who finished fifth and sixth,

JERRY DUGGAN

with times of 24:18.04 and

Staff Writer

24:18.11 in the 8K. However,

Looking to build on its

success at the Illinois State Invitational on Sept. 14 and following two focused weeks

of practice, Missouri cross-

the men had no one else finish

and Reilly Revord came in

13th, 27th and 30th places.

Meanwhile, redshirt juniors

Sophia Racette and Jordan Kleve checked in with 24th and 46th place finishes.

The teams will look for

another strong finish, and a

more balanced performance

of the season, albeit still a

National Open on Friday,

the team to its lowest finish

they hit the road for the

competitive one.

Oct. 12 in University Park,

The women had a more

Lakefront

top 10, five placed in the top

on

Tori Findley, Mikayla Reed

on the men’s side, when

balanced attack. Although no

Invitational

for the women’s squad, as

in the top 50, which doomed

country traveled to Chicago to compete in the Loyola

place overall finish. Freshmen

Tiger woman finished in the

Pennsylvania.

Edited by Bennett Durando bdurando@themaneater. com

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BASEBALL

MU baseball stomps softball to even series in annual charity scrimmage The baseball Tigers looked to avenge a loss from last year's game, as both the baseball and softball teams got together to play a game to raise money for Tiger Pantry.

LUCAS SMITH

Reporter

Softball and baseball have many similarities. Three strikes to an out. Three outs to an inning. There’s a first, second, third and home.

Yet for all those similarities, it was the differences between these two sports raising spirited banter Saturday afternoon as the Missouri softball and baseball teams clashed in a charity scrimmage aimed at

fighting hunger by raising money for the Tiger Pantry program. It was the second annual event.

The game was a softball one, but baseball won the clash, 15-3, to even the softball-baseball series at one win apiece. The softball Tigers prevailed 7-2 last year.

While the main point of this event was to raise money for Tiger Pantry and to support the fight against hunger, there were certainly some bragging rights to be had from the result. Much of that regarded the nature of the two sports – which makes each easier? More difficult?

Softball’s previous triumph had been just one example that the sport of softball might be more difficult than baseball.

Baseball has a smaller ball and larger field of play, as well as pitches are thrown from a greater distance and pitches are thrown overhand.

Senior pitcher Danielle Baumgartner meets with senior catcher Trevor Mallett in the circle before pitching the bottom of the first inning of the Tiger Pantry Exhibition game on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018. | PHOTO BY ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR ADAM COLE

Softball has a larger ball and smaller field of play, closer pitcher’s mound and pitches are delivered underhand.

Hitting a softball has many difficulties, including the closeness of the mound and the size of the ball. In fact, softball pitchers themselves come few and far between because of the underhand

motion of delivery. While it’s a healthier motion for the arm, it’s much more difficult to hit because the path of the ball is coming from the ground up. Due to the closeness of the mound, softball players have less time to react to the pitch as well. The combination of the ground-up trajectory and limited reaction time could

make hitting a softball more difficult.

That didn’t seem to be the case on Saturday, though.

MU baseball hit four home runs in the softball game. To their credit, hitting a baseball is also considered one of the toughest (if not the toughest) routine feats in sports. So one would think that if any nonsoftball player could perform well at the sport, it’d be a baseball player. In this year’s charity game, MU baseball proved this fact to be true from the get-go after first baseman Tony Ortiz crushed an early grand slam.

While hitting a softball might be harder, Missouri baseball proved it was up for the challenge. Now, as fall ball approaches for the Tigers, their hope is to go back to hitting baseballs just as well as they hit the softballs Saturday.

Edited by Bennett Durando bdurando@themaneater.com

FOOTBALL

Notebook: Well-rested Missouri has high hopes for South Carolina road task The Tigers follow their bye week with one of the most telling SEC showdowns of the season Saturday at 11 a.m.

BENNETT DURANDO, ANDY KIMBALL

Sports Editor, Senior Staff Writer

Missouri football probably emerged from its bye week with more changes to the Faurot Field south end zone than to the team’s depth chart, and that’s how coach Barry Odom wants it.

“It was a productive week,” Odom said. “I thought our team handled it in a mature way, kind of like most of the things this team has handled so far.”

The Tigers (3-1, 0-1 SEC) were “banged up” after their week four loss in a slugfest with Georgia, Odom said at the time, but no injuries appear to have been too impactful to inhibit anyone’s availability this week when Missouri goes to Columbia, South Carolina to take on the Gamecocks (2-2, 1-2 SEC).

Kickoff is at 11 a.m. CST and will be televised on SEC Network.

Injury Updates Redshirt junior Richaud Floyd, who had been slated to return kicks for Missouri before suffering a broken foot over the summer, has been moved into the third-string

Barry Odom looks to the field before leading his team to the sideline to take on Wyoming on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018. | PHOTO BY ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR ADAM COLE

slot receiver position on the depth chart. He’s also listed as the No. 2 punt returner. He was on the practice field in pads on Tuesday, but Odom said he’s not game-ready yet.

The rest of Missouri’s receivers will be active Saturday.

Seniors Nate Brown and Emanuel Hall were beaten up after week four, Odom said, but the bye week has allowed both to recuperate. Hall is still atop the receiver depth chart despite a lingering groin injury that may have contributed to him getting bottled up against Georgia.

He didn’t have a single reception in the game after averaging 143 yards through his first three.

Senior defensive back Cam Hilton will have no limitations this weekend after undergoing surgery on his fractured thumb this week.

Hilton delayed the surgery until the bye week after injuring his thumb against Purdue. Odom had advised Hilton to have the surgery

because Odom had a similar injury once during his playing days.

“At first, I didn’t know if I wanted to get surgery, and [Odom] influenced me to get it,” Hilton said. “He never got it and he said that he regrets it.”

Hilton had to exit during parts of the Georgia game due to problems with the thumb coming out of place in his cast. Now that the thumb is “fixed,” Odom sees Hilton being more productive the rest of the season.

Georgia brings back memories of South Carolina last year As players have been quick to point out over the last week-and-a-half, it was just a handful of plays against Georgia that might have made the difference between Missouri’s loss and a potential upset.

“It’s hard to think about, but if two or three of those plays didn’t happen, it’s a whole different game,” Hilton said.

Special teams and defensive touchdowns in the first half were particularly damning – and reminiscent of a similar stumble in the first half against South Carolina last year. Missouri led 10-0 in the second quarter before the Gamecocks returned a kickoff for a touchdown, immediately intercepted Drew Lock, then scored again on the next play. The drastic turn of events made it 14-10 and snowballed into a 31-13 MU loss.

“They handled momentum and sort of changed the momentum with really three plays,” defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said when asked what he remembers most about that game.

The ongoing snag for the Tigers, it seems, is how to make those kind of plays go their way.

“Those things are sort of create your own luck,” Walters said. “They allow you to be the beneficiary of other people’s mistakes.”

Walters was the secondary coach last season and was tasked with containing South Carolina standout Deebo Samuel, who scored both game-changing touchdowns within those 15 seconds.

Samuel was called “one of the best playmakers in college football” by Odom Tuesday, but he and the Tigers were more concerned with themselves.

“You can’t kick yourself in the foot,” Walters said. “Can’t have self-inflicted mistakes.

Especially against the type of pedigree we’re gonna play against. When something bad

happens, not allowing that to affect the next play or the next series. That’s just sort of the maturation we see as a team.”

Offense out of comfort zone without deep option Georgia played two deep safeties week four to limit Hall and Missouri’s explosive plays in the passing game, holding the Tigers to under 30 points for the first time this season.

Missouri had to turn to its ground game and ran for four touchdowns, as well as turning to tight ends and running backs through the air.

“The theory is you should have good numbers running the football,” offensive coordinator Derek Dooley said. “Georgia was, I’m sure, hell-bent on making sure we didn’t have a lot of explosive plays.”

After Georgia’s success, opponents like South Carolina could look to replicate the two-safety shell defense in the coming weeks.

Redshirt junior Johnathon Johnson and sophomore Albert Okwuegbunam would see increased roles in the slot and down the seam and need to keep defenses honest in the middle of the field to open up the deep ball.

“We have to execute based on anything they do,” Okwuegbunam said. “If they tell us we’re not going to throw it deep, we have to execute in other ways.”

Edited by Adam Cole acole@themaneater.com

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ANNIE’S WAY

#WhyIDidn’tReport: The epidemic of rape culture.

Defining rape culture and how to educate society.

ANNIE JENNEMANN

Opinion Columnist

Annie Jennemann is a sophomore journalism and English major who writes about politics for The Maneater.

The following column contains sensitive material regarding sexual assault.

To begin, there is a trigger warning for this column. I would also like to add that journalism is about freedom of speech, an important piece in columns specifically. It opens conversation for dialogue. The Maneater’s columns do not represent the views of the paper.

A freshman at MU went to a party, and drank a little too much alcohol. They were intoxicated enough to not make their own decisions. Yes, this is illegal and you should always watch how much you drink. That is not the point here. The cops arrived at the party, and another student took this person back to the dorms, where they were sexually assaulted. This person, although “blacked-out,” had vague memories of this event.

Rape culture is real. It is a severe issue that is arising, especially in the past year. #MeToo and #WhyIDidn’tReport are some of the most common hashtags the world has seen within the past year.

Rape culture has nothing to do with leftist views. This is not a liberal versus conservative argument. It is not political, but it is made political when politicians speak out, claiming allegations of sexual assault are wrong. Once again, rape culture is not political in this context.

Now here we are, present day, where women are beginning to open up about why they did not report abuse. I would also like to emphasize that sexual assault happens to women and men, and this should not be ignored.

The hashtag #WhyIDidn’tReport became a trending topic after Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was accused of sexual assault in high school. Yes, this is related to politics, but the topic of rape culture as a whole is not political.

It is not verified that all freshmen are told that one in every five women are sexually assaulted at MU. And it is true that an article from The Washington Post published a study about one in five women being sexually assaulted on May 1, 2014. However, The Washington Post followed up with this study in December of that year, as it was

uninformative. An article was published to check the facts of the study, and The Washington Post released the information that was found.

“In the winter of 2006, researchers used a Webbased survey to interview undergraduates at two large public universities, one in the Midwest and one in the South,” the study said. “A total of 5,446 undergraduate women, between the ages of 18-25, participated as part of a random sample. The survey was anonymous and took about 15 minutes to complete. (Participants received a $10 Amazon. com certificate for participating.)”

Yes, this survey was voluntary and anonymous.

These two surveys, sent to two universities, are not reliable enough to represent a whole population.

An analogy for this would be if newspaper advertised a survey asking people’s opinion on a restaurant. Since this is voluntary, people who like the restaurant would be more likely to ignore the study, but people who had a bad experience at the restaurant are less likely to participate. So, this cannot be applied to the population. This is the case for the study. It should not be considered reliable or representative of sexual assault victims.

The study was uninformative and wrong.

Survey participants were anonymous and participation was voluntary. This creates bias because some may want to speak out but others might not.

The problem with the survey is that since it is anonymous, people may provide answers that are not true.

They also received an incentive for completing the survey.

As I wanted to fully understand the issues with the survey, I consulted Chris Boley, the AP Statistics teacher who taught me at Affton High School in St. Louis, Missouri. He explained how it was informative, but also pointed out other issues.

“I agree that the lack of a definition of sexual assault is troubling,” Boley said. “If we as a society don't have a definition, how can we believe that these 5000+ people have the same definition?

If not, then that girl that thought the guy was looking at her for too long in the parking lot might say ‘I've been assaulted’ and others might say she hasn't.”

When The Washington Post followed up again on June 12, 2015 about a nationwide poll conducted, it confirmed the fact that one in five women are sexually assaulted in college. This study was much more in depth and striked more questions about not just rape, but unwanted sexual contact and sexual assault.

Personally, I believe sexual assault is not just rape. It is inappropriate touching. It is words implying sexual desires that are unwanted. It is cat-calling. It is saying no over and over, then giving in and saying yes. It is being in a relationship and being emotionally manipulated into sexual actions. It’s so much more than rape, and this needs to be clearly defined in order to educate this entire society.

According to Merriam-Webster, sexual assault is defined as “illegal sexual contact that usually involves force upon a person without consent or is inflicted upon a person who is incapable of giving consent (as because of age or physical or mental incapacity) or who places the assailant (such as a doctor) in a position of trust or authority.”

I want to emphasize on this definition that needs to be clear to everyone.

I want to ignore statistics for a minute. It is nearly impossible to count every woman who has been sexually assaulted, especially since they were afraid to report it.

The person identified in my first paragraph is myself. I have never spoken about this in a public way, except for the day after the incident, when I talked to Title IX about my options. I refused to even use the word rape, after all, I drank too much, so it must be my fault.

Title IX was helpful, telling me I could move dorms, report the person’s name, or even press charges. They also offered therapy. I was scared and avoided every email and call they followed up with.

Why I didn’t _actually_ report, was because said person was a resident from a different floor in my residence hall. All of my friends lived on my floor. If I reported this person’s name, it would be known to all of the people in my residence hall what happened. I felt as if I would be harassed and questioned. That was the last thing I wanted. I carried on with my life and will continue to do so. I will not report because I am afraid of the consequences. I have gone through self healing and have had the help of friends during my recovery.

My trauma is not political. It is not a liberal scheme. It happened and I was ashamed of myself.

Sexual assault victims don’t always speak out because they are afraid, ashamed and more.

People may say that the statistics are wrong, but rape culture is not fake. It is an epidemic and we have a long way to go until everyone understands this.

I WANT TO IGNORE STATISTICS FOR A MINUTE. IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO COUNT EVERY WOMAN WHO HAS BEEN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED, ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY WERE AFRAID TO REPORT IT.

T H E M A N E AT E R | S P O RTS | O CTO B E R 3, 2 0 1 8

TIME

Continued from page 13

He may be a lottery draft pick by next June.

“I think the addition of having the chance to play with profesional guys when he’s training just to feel it different, how hard a level you have to play at,” Martin said, citing Porter’s summer training with professionals and competing in the draft combine. “Though he didn’t get off to a bad start last year, I think he would’ve been even better if he had the summer months.”

Indeed, Porter didn’t have a summer in the weight room with his Missouri teammates last year because just a couple of weeks before his senior year of high school in Seattle was supposed to start, he reclassified to graduate and come to MU a year early.

“I hardly knew the guys on my own team,” Porter said before practice Wednesday.

Then he proceeded to take the floor and warm up with layup lines and a close-out drill. The 6-foot-11 stretch forward got from the baseline to the perimeter in fewer strides than anyone to get a hand in a team manager’s face. Voices echoed.

“It’s too easy, ‘Tay!” Big men then split up with guards for positionbased drills. Porter was fed in the post, defended by an assistant coach walloping the sophomore with a yellow pad comparable to a twice-as-thick umpire’s shield. Porter power-dribbled, spun and scored.

“It’s too easy, ‘Tay!” Porter then rotated with other forwards in a rebounding drill, setting up at the elbow and pouncing as each outside shot was released. This time there were three assistants boxing out, three of the giant pads attempting to pinball Porter through the lane. He maneuvered through the maze with ease.

“It’s too easy, ‘Tay!” Porter’s traditional post presence might have ironically been the weakest area of his game last season. That’s a facet that was scrutinized at the combine, and one Martin now says is a “lot better.

Lot better.”

“He takes full advantage of switches with smaller guys on him,” Martin said, “and now he’s posting up bigger guys.”

Positionless basketball is an idea Martin has prioritized since Missouri’s 2017-18 season ended in March. A unique distributor who often plays around the perimeter despite his size, Porter thinks

he is a perfect fit for that mold of basketball.

“I do have supreme confidence that if I see a dude that I don’t think can guard me, I’m gonna take him,” Porter said. “I think that’s part of the freedom that Coach Martin’s given me this year.

He’s not trying to restrict my shots or make me play passively all the time, although I will still pass.”

2. K.J. Santos “week-to-week” Sophomore guard K.J. Santos was inactive at practice and wearing a protective boot as he recovers from an injury described by Martin as a “foot or a toe or something.”

Martin said Santos’ current status is week-toweek.

That means one of Missouri’s most mysterious potential threats remains just that for the time being. The 6-foot-8 University of Illinois-Chicago transfer has a shooter-with-size appeal that has caused some to speculate that he could even start this season, health permitting.

At the very least, Santos seems poised to be a dynamic sixth man if senior Kevin Puryear and freshman Torrence Watson both start. For now though, he is resigned to watching practice from the sideline seats. His status will be a storyline to watch closer to the season’s tip-off.

Redshirt sophomore Mitchell Smith is also still suspended after being arrested for DWI last Sunday. He missed the full week of practice, and could miss more. Martin had no update when asked about Smith’s status.

3. Pinson can fit in small spaces.

Missouri has one old guard and a lot of young ones. One youngling in particular stood out from the rest Tuesday.

Not Javon Pickett, a scorer whose work ethic Martin has been impressed enough with to bring it up to local media. Not Christian Guess, a recent addition lauded by Martin for his fearlessness in communicating on the floor. Not Watson, the standout talent-wise among the young group who Martin says will be instant-impact.

As a matter of fact, Watson was the guy getting beaten up on in one-on-one sets for a few minutes against Xavier Pinson, a three-star point guard out of Chicago who figures to backup Jordan Geist on occasion.

Pinson looked slippery to defend, sleuthing under and around Watson for a reverse layup. He found spaces that seemed difficult to exploit even with an empty court in one-on-one. He wasn’t

15

flashy with his ball-handling, but he knew how to use his space.

He also knew how to use his size, which is important for someone so small. The 6-foot-2 guard doesn’t have a ton of meat on him, looking miniature even next to Watson. That’ll be a problem that needs fixing down the road, but in the meantime, he stood out at one end of the floor as a pleasant surprise in athleticism and awareness. “[Pinson’s] a smart kid, smart player,” Geist said. “He caught on pretty easily. He knows how to play the game. He’s watched a lot. He’s got a lot of buddies who know how to play the game. He’s right there.”

4. Old man Geist guiding young backcourt.

As for the one old guard? That’s Geist, who will likely start at the point for the Tigers. Never the most athletic but always a tough on-ball defender, Martin was especially proud of how the senior has grown into a screen-heavy offense.

“He’s really been good in the ball-screen offense,” Martin said. “He’s picking guys apart. I just think the way he operates in ball screens now, he’s fun to watch. He forces you to make decisions, because he’s stronger, he reads it better … Because he’s older.”

Leadership was a hot topic when Martin talked with media, and later, Geist himself showed that he has the gathered nature of a leader. He wasn’t the loudest on the floor during the half hour of drills (that mantle goes emphatically to Jeremiah Tilmon), but he was always present.

Especially when the guards split apart from forwards, he was frequently teaching and talking to each younger teammate one-on-one.

“He trusts his teammates,” Martin said. “They respect his ability because he puts time into it. But he’s also been more vocal as a leader. He’s always been a guy who leads by his actions, but it’s fun to watch him out there. He plays hard and plays with a level of toughness. It normally works out for guys like that.”

Geist was part of an offense that struggled to handle the full court press at times last season, especially at the latter part of games when protecting precarious leads was priority. Now he’s the veteran in a group that’s starting over on learning how to solve that puzzle.

“Oh, he looks forward to it,” Martin said of the full court press.

Edited by Adam Cole acole@themaneater.com

OHIO

Continued from page 13

for recording highlight-reel blocks. Last year, Liddell led Belleville in scoring with 20.8 points per game. He also led the team in rebounding and blocks.

For Bradley Beal Elite, Liddell averaged 14 points and 5.9 rebounds in 16 EYBL games over the summer.

Missing out on Liddell leaves a hole in the future of Missouri’s frontcourt, which has a plethora of talent for now but may be murky in the coming years after Jontay Porter and Jeremiah Tilmon are gone.

Liddell was named Mr. Basketball for the state of Illinois in 2018. He became just the second non-senior to win the award, joining elite company with Jabari Parker, who won the award as a junior at Simeon Career Academy. MU’s Mark Smith won the award in 2017.

Missouri still has two scholarships remaining for the 2019-20 season. One could belong to current walk-on Parker Braun, and another could open up if Porter enters the NBA draft next summer.

Edited by Bennett Durando bdurando@themaneater.com

E.J. Liddell, a top 2019 Mizzou basketball recruit from Belleville West High School, has committed to Ohio State. | PHOTO VIA TWITTER @EASYE2432

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