The Standard's 4.2.19 issue

In with the new

Festival of Colors

NCAA run ends

Changes coming to Plaster Student Union restaurants

Missouri State students celebrate Hindu festival

Lady Bears season comes to an end in Sweet 16

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M I S S O U R I S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y

VOLUME 112, ISSUE 25 | THE-STANDARD.ORG The Standard/The Standard Sports

TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

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MSU animation program ranked second in state TINSLEY MERRIMAN Staff Reporter @MerrimanTinsley A recent ranking from Animation Career Review has placed the Missouri State University Art and Design Department as the second best in the state. This makes MSU the highest ranked public university, only beaten by the private university Kansas City Art Institute.

The survey was written on Feb. 28, 2019, by the ACR staff. The ACR website reports that the grading system was based on each school’s academic reputation, admissions rate, depth of the program and how valuable it is compared to the tuition of the school.

Bryan Jennings, associate professor of animation, electronic and digital arts, discussed how the MSU Art and Design Department has won awards in the past, including from the Broadcast Educators Association of America. Jennings said the MSU Animation Group participating took Best of Show for Original Screenplay/Script and Original Score/Composition during last year’s conference. The event was based off nine categories for students all across the nation.

“It’s a big flippin’ deal we won,” Jennings said.

Jennings said the MSU Art and Design Department is split into two sections: a bachelor’s of fine arts and a Bachelor of Science. The BFA covers more traditional animation like drawing and painting, while the Bachelor of Science is also called the electronic arts degree.

“So, if a student comes to me and says to me ‘I want to study animation,’ they have two options,” Jennings said. “They can study in the BFA in animation, and they take a lot of art studio courses — drawing, painting, sculpture — all these different things, or they can study the electronic arts route which is a non-comprehensive degree. They have to have a minor for it, and it takes a lot of those art studio courses and replaces them with media production courses.”

Jennings highlighted the group of senior students who won Best of Show for Original Screenplay/Script the previous year at BEA for their short animated film “Recoiled.” Senior electronic arts animation majors Shalom Simmons and Claire Grim are involved in the project that formed last May. While the script has been written, Simmons discussed how the project’s animation is still being developed. She said the project is also getting help from multiple areas across MSU. “We have people who get our storyboard together, who help get the animatic together, they do like character designs, environment designs,” Simmons said. “There’s also a whole slew of people for audio, and we also plan on using the White String Quartet to play our music.”

Grim said the official product will not be released online for another year.

“So we’re not posting it online for the general public until like a year later because there’s festival season, where we submit to various film festivals to get awards and everything,” Grim said.

Both have put in large amounts of time to the project and have said they plan on showcasing it at the 19th Annual Electronic Art Student Showcase. The event takes place on May 16 from 6:30-9 p.m. in Plaster Student Union. The event consists of six different senior projects from all across the art and design department.

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Abdillahi Dirie, left, and Ethan Schroeder make up the single ticket for student body president and vice president, respectively, for the 2019-2020 school year.

Lone runners Candidates run unopposed for student body president, vice president on ballot ZOE BROWN Staff Reporter @zoe_zoebrown “Elevate MoState” — this is the ultimate goal and campaign slogan for the sole student body presidential ticket of the 2019-20 school year at Missouri State University. Abdillahi Dirie and Ethan Schroeder are running for student body president and vice president, respectively.

The three main platforms of the campaign are campus advancement, student engagement and student wellness.

The campaign is advocating for numerous policies and ideas, including renovations to Craig Hall, textbook rentals in the bookstore, an additional counselor to be brought to the Counseling Center and a new Multicultural

Resource Center.

The campaign platforms range in size from small projects, like providing water at tailgates, to lengthy projects, such as bringing Bird scooters to campus or establishing flat-rate tuition.

Dirie, junior health communication major, has helped with several projects on campus. As an SGA cabinet member, he helped bring hammock racks to campus as well as implement the Bear with Me policy, which allows students to do community service to lessen parking ticket costs.

Dirie said that as student body president, advocating for a new building for the Multicultural Resource Center is the campaign idea closest to his heart.

Dirie was born in Saudi Arabia and lived in Syria before his family immigrated to the U.S. in 2005. He said it is important for

MSU to focus on diversity and inclusion.

“There are a lot of people who would love to be in my position, so I should probably make it as much as I can and be able to be in a position where I can give back in the future,” Dirie said.

Dirie said his job as student body president will be to understand the needs of students, serve as a voice for students and represent the student body on various committees.

“If a student doesn’t feel that something is being done right, it is my job to speak up on their behalf,” Dirie said.

Ethan Schroeder, junior accounting major, is running alongside Dirie as student body vice president.

As student body vice president, Schroeder would work as a mentor to SGA u See SGA, page 9

Legacy of late dean honored by concert MICHAELA SATTERFIELD Staff Reporter @mchaela_s The kind of music that evokes distant memories echoed through Ellis Hall on Saturday night, reminding the audience of another sound that once did the same — the unforgettable laughter of a beloved former dean.

The commemorative concert was held Saturday, March 30, in honor of David Belcher, former Missouri State University Dean of the College of Arts and Letters.

The audience consisted of MSU students who only know David through the retelling of his hilarious stories, along with faculty members who worked closely with him. The

concert featured a variety of performances. Each was significant to David who was an avid music lover.

Months of planning went into the event which featured piano, vocal, violin and organ performances, along with remarks by family and friends.

MSU Music Composition Coordinator and Graduate Coordinator John Prescott, who worked with David as a department head, said he was the one who approached the current dean last September with the idea of doing something to commemorate David. This was about three months after David died of a glioblastoma brain tumor on Sunday, June 17, 2018.

In attendance at the concert, freshman vocal performance major Jack Briggs said it was evident that a lot

of time was put into preparation for the concert. He also said he didn’t personally know David, but could tell that he was a big deal.

Many others would agree that was one way to put it.

David’s wife of 14 years, Susan Brummell Belcher, spoke at the concert about her late husband.

“His sense of humor was one of the things that glued people to him,” Susan said.

Aside from that, it is his passion that people remember him for.

“He had a gift for being able to transfer the passion that he had for whatever he was doing to the people around him,” Prescott said.

There is no doubt that this passion

JAYLEN EARLY/THE STANDARD

David Hays and Minju Choi perform “Melodie” by u See DEAN, page 9 Gluck-Kreisler at the concert on March 30.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

MSU named 6th best nursing program in state JESSICA FLANIGAN Staff Reporter @jessicaf161 Out of 53 nursing programs in the state of Missouri, the School of Nursing at Missouri State was ranked number 6 by the Registered Nursing website’s Annual RN Program Rankings 2019 Edition.

The organization analyzed pass rates of each university’s National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses —a requirement for licensure to become a registered nurse. These pass rates were averaged together and weighted by the recency of the exam, according to the Registered Nursing organization.

Ranked within the top 10, Missouri State received a score of 95.73 out of 100 in the ranking.

A Bachelor of Science in nursing is offered to students admitted to the program, with a limited entry of 72 people each year out of nearly 75-140 applications.

Emily Backs, a senior nursing major, improves her nursing skills and communication with patients at Cox Hospital.

Backs said she agreed with the ranking.

“I know many think a downfall to our program is the lack of clinical time, and though that may be true, they do offer an externship your senior year to just about any floor you would like,” Backs said. “I am currently working in the emergency department as an extern, and I can not be more grateful for having this experience.”

The program offers about 600 hours of clinical rotations in various healthcare settings such as local hospitals, clinics in nursing homes or

nonprofit organizations. While 40 percent of the training is done in hospitals and clinics, 60 percent is collaborating with community partners, according to the Missouri State BSN webpage.

Haley Munn, a senior nursing major, said she expected the ranking to be higher.

“I really do feel like I am being challenged and getting a good education through the nursing program,” Munn said. “It challenges our studying skills, complex thinking skills, communication skills and time management skills.”

State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Missouri, offers an associate’s in nursing and is ranked as number one with a score of 97.05. SFCC offers active learning with multimedia in the classroom, creating a real-life setting for students.

Ranked at number 3, Lincoln University of Missouri in Jefferson City received a score of 96.80. This selective and competitive program offers students either an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing.

At MSU, faculty in the School of Nursing support students as they become caregivers for patients through hands-on experience in simulation labs and clinical rotations.

“I have never felt like I couldn’t go to one of my professors for help, which I am thankful for because there are many times where you may find yourself struggling in a class or clinical and need some extra guidance and tips on ways to improve,” Backs said.

Clinicals give students an idea of the daily demands of working as a nurse in the real world.

“Nursing school is tough and includes a lot of information, but when attending clinicals, all of the

Graphic by KRISTINA KHODAI/THE STANDARD

Missouri State’s nursing program ranked sixth in the state by Registered Nursing. The No. 1 ranking went to State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Missouri. things you learn come together and begin to make sense,” Munn said.

“We interact with patients as a real nurse would and eventually completely care for them while still under the supervision of an instructor or nurse.”

Courses also incorporate a practice tool of mini-exams, called Kaplan exams, to prepare students for the NCLEX-RN exam at the end of their education.

“The Kaplan exams can be very

specific when it comes to their questions so they are helpful because they make you look at the smaller details you may not have thought to study,” Backs said. “Doing practice questions is one of the best ways to study for the NCLEX so they are very helpful.”

MSU’s nursing program might undergo expansion if the Missouri House of Representatives votes to pass a version of the state budget that allocates money to the program.

According to University President

Clif Smart’s Clif Notes for March 19, $2.85 million from the Missouri Excels Program is designated for expanding Missouri State’s nursing program.

“There is still a long way to go in the appropriations process before outcomes are certain,” Smart wrote.

“However, we will continue to work with legislators to advocate that the equity adjustment that is now in the budget be maintained and increased.”

PSU changes: swapping pizza for steakburgers ANDREW UNVERFERTH Staff Reporter @unverferthandr1 Missouri State Dining Services recently announced plans to replace the Plaster Student Union’s Papa John’s with a Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, and Grill Nation with a currently unnamed pasta and salad concept.

According to PSU director Terry Weber, these changes will take place alongside a few minor renovations to Starbucks, Panda Express and Subway that he hopes will provide some

improvements to the customer experience.

The decision to replace Papa John’s primarily comes from the restaurant’s apparent lack of popularity among students, demonstrated by its declining sales in recent years.

“The sales at Papa John’s have been declining for a number of years,” Weber said, “So we were looking to address that particular challenge for us, and also trying to find a way to better make some offerings available to our students.”

While students are bound to have their own personal preferences, some, like freshman entertainment management major Caleb Parks, say the pizza at Papa John’s is unpopular because

it’s simply too greasy.

Others, such as junior organizational communication major Cameron Jordan, have mixed feelings about the switch as they might find themselves going to Papa John’s because, along with Panda Express, it’s open the latest in the PSU. “I eat it occasionally only because it’s one of the later places open,” Jordan said. “I work at the PSU, so if I’m here until 11, maybe it’s a little bit later and it’s the only place open, I’ll go there because it’s there. But it’s usually not my first choice.”

Some students, like freshman middle school education and

u See PSU, page 9

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opinion 3 ‘Us’ turns a mirror on ourselves

TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019 | THE-STANDARD.ORG

DAVID WHEELER Critic @DontTellThe_Elf

Illustration by ALYSSA VANDEGRIFT/THE STANDARD

An open letter to straight people:

Pride is not for you JORDAN PHILLIPS Columnist @jrdnphillips Since the early 1970s, people of the LGBTQ community have celebrated themselves with parades and various activities across the world during the month of June, which is designated as Pride Month because it commemorates the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots of 1969, according to the Library of Congress. Over the years, there has been more support for the LGBTQ community, thanks to the work of activists and politicians both gay and straight.

However, over the last few years, I have seen that Pride has become increasingly commercialized. For example, in a Vox article from June of 2018, corporations ranging from Nordstrom to McDonald’s had some form of advertising for LGBTQ Pride Month. In addition, it seems as if Pride Month celebrations are being overrun by straight people who do not consider what Pride is about and are there just to party.

That does not mean that straight allies are not welcome. According to an article in Rolling Stone from June of 2018, without our straight allies, “straight women who date bisexual men wouldn’t be able to attend (Pride celebrations and events). It would also prohibit a cisgender straight man from celebrating Pride with his transgender wife, or a mother from taking her recently out, 13-year-old gay son to the parade.” What I am saying is that straight people should be able to know that while they can attend Pride and be allies for the LGBTQ community, it is not for them.

There is such a long history that has gone behind the history of Pride as a political act and a celebration of queerness.

Historically, Pride has been led by transgender people of color, such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, and was seen as a political act at a time when there was no acceptance of queer people in the United States.

Now, we have seen transgender people, queer people of color and low-income queer people get pushed to the

wayside in the wake of rising ticket prices to Pride celebrations — according to the official website of Manchester, England’s Pride festival, a weekend pass is 64.50 euros — and the subsequent whitewashing of LGBTQ history.

The one thing I hope to get across to you, a member of the Missouri State University community, is that I do not hate straight people. I am so grateful for our wonderful straight allies and there is always room for you at Pride wherever you live.

However, it is imperative that you understand that if you are straight, Pride is not for you and does not cater to you.

It is for the LGBTQ community.

For the LGBTQ community here on Missouri State’s campus and across the nation, Pride is more than a party. It is a celebration of ourselves and our sexuality, and it is a celebration of our history and the fight for the basic human right to love who we want to love and to be who we want to be.

Remember this as June rolls around and we come to the 50th anniversary of Stonewall.

"Therefore, thus says the Lord, ‘Behold I am bringing disaster on them which they will not be able to escape; though they will cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them.’”

Early in writer-director Jordan Peele’s new thriller, “Us,” we follow a young girl as she navigates a boardwalk carnival with her parents, the family oddly keeping a near-geometric distance from one another. After winning a T-shirt imaged with Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” she is seemingly influenced by some unseen force and begins to wander away from her inattentive parents.

She passes a homeless man holding a makeshift cardboard sign inked with the words “Jeremiah 11:11,” the very same Biblical passage that opens this review, a passage that acts as a prophetic warning for what is to come.

She ventures out onto the Santa Cruz beach where she — taking notice to the approaching storm clouds as lightning and thunder gently fracture the night air — decides to enter a nearby funhouse with the words “Find Yourself” above the entrance.

The little girl enters. The storm steals the lights away. And she finds herself.

With his sophomore film, Peele returns once again to the horror genre, two years after his highly successful directorial debut “Get Out,” a sociopolitical thriller tinged with racially-charged themes and psychological drama.

Before the remodeling of his career into that of the macabre, Peele dabbled in comedy with his friend and collaborator Keegan-Michael Key in the self-titled sketch comedy “Key and Peele.” Traces of horror can be found in Key and Peele’s show, yet it is always overcome by comedy — two narrative genres that are not as different as you’d think. Both aim to exploit the audience through physical reactions like laughter or screams, and both are governed by the set of rules their respective narratives create.

It is no surprise then that Peele’s pivoting from comedy to horror has been so successful. Yet, as much as he handily maneuvers through the conventions of horror and comedy, Peele, being an African American artist, furnishes his work with replete, sometimes subversive, sociopolitical motifs that predominantly speak to the African American condition. Indeed, the film opens with text advising the audience of the existence of abandoned networks of tunnels, subways and mine shafts underneath America’s cities, a proxy, in part, on the Underground Railroad.

“Get Out” explores racial issues and commonplace stereotypes while “Us” probes themes in classism and divides in all hierarchal-like structures, here literalized in the form of doppelgängers, mirrored imagery and symmetrical symbolism — all centralized around Peele’s reappropriation of the home-invasion movie. One could even call this a revisionist zombie film, given the apocalyptic implication, or a cinematic survey of insurgency and revolutionaries.

The film’s central family, the Wilsons, encounter their other selves in murderous, vengeful people who — while wearing red jumpsuits — physically look exactly like them.

Their doubles conduct themselves with rigid stares and vocalize through animalistic growls and broken speech. Clocks and Bible passages read “11:11” while allusions to plastic surgery, spiders, shadows, scissors and paper cutouts of people holding hands represent the film’s study in symmetry and duplication.

Similarly, even the film’s title sports a binary function both in “Us” as an agent for the narrative’s doppelgänger conceit and in Peele’s apparent reference to the sharp bipartisanship at present in the U.S., or us — none the more obvious when the leading villain at one point raspily replies with the phrase “We are American.” What better way to illustrate our nation’s pronounced political divide than through directly dividing the in-film populace?

Peele knows how to deliver the thrills through moody cinematography, and he knows how to employ a bit of laughter in between the shivers. Yet, those pursuits in comedy can sometimes undermine the dread, replacing some deep-seated uneasiness for some unwanted relief.

Likewise, Peele’s storytelling begins to trip and fall on its own scissors when he begins to explain the plot, mythology and character origins in the film’s final act. While the logistics of the film’s world may bother some, doubts instead arise out of Peele’s compulsion to explain nearly everything that happens. A heavier sense of ambiguity would have better served the mystery. u Read the full story at the-standard.org

Not a cook? Here’s why you should learn to cook one great dish HANNAH STASH Special to The Standard Growing up in a tight-knit family, I have fond memories of gathering at grandma’s house with my aunts, uncles and cousins to share a meal and laughter. The women would prepare the food, while the men stood around the grill and the children rode bikes through the fields.

Like many people, I will argue to the end of time that the women in my life are the best cooks in the world, and I am very fortunate that they taught me their special skills. I love food, so it only makes sense that I love to spend time in the kitchen perfecting recipes and trying new ones, but I think it is important for The Standard Physical address: Clay Hall 744 E. Cherry St. Springfield, Missouri Postal address: 901 S. National Ave. Springfield, MO 65897 Newsroom: 417-836-5272 Advertising: 417-836-5524

everyone to have that one dish they can make really well for any function.

Not a cook? That’s OK! Cooking skills can be learned with a little bit of time, and the best foods are usually not fancy ones. Sometimes, the foods we enjoy the most are gooey homemade brownies or Velveeta and Rotel dip.

Why is it so important that you can cook one dish really well? As a college student, how many times have you been invited to a Super Bowl party or Friendsgiving dinner or even had a date? All of those occasions, and many more, usually involve food, so wouldn’t it be great to always have that recipe you can turn to in order to impress others? When we provide food to others, in a way, we are nourishing their

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soul because the soul and food are so connected. Food can do so many good things for us, so it is important for us to remember that when we are in the kitchen.

Maria Meluso, a senior professional writing student, said that her go-to recipe is pasta, and she is great at making her own sauces. I also spoke with Kayleigh Burch, a senior health services major, about what her favorite go-to dish is. She described to me what her boyfriend calls a “meat roll,” which is just ground beef stuffed with Velveeta and cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. She will cook this up with some vegetables, cauliflower rice or sometimes a special cream sauce.

The awesome thing about finding that one

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dish you can cook really well is that once you have the recipe down, you can start changing it up to make it your own. You can serve it with different foods, try new spices, or even just substitute certain ingredients to make it healthier, and it’s like you have a new dish. This will make you more comfortable in the kitchen and help you learn which flavors and textures go well together. This is especially great for a beginning cook who wants to gain more skills in the kitchen.

So, whether you want to learn grandma’s chocolate chip cookie recipe or something you found on Pinterest, I challenge you to get cooking, always practice developing your skills and keep eating good food.

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World Language Showcase teaches high schoolers value of language CONNOR WILSON Staff Reporter @Connor4Wilson Missouri State University hosted the fourth annual World Language Showcase last Wednesday, March 27. The showcase allowed high school students from around the area to learn and participate in expressing various languages ranging from Spanish to Japanese.

The showcase had a variety of events catered to visiting high school students, from events students could watch such as guest speakers and performances, to more participatory events like French and Spanish spelling bees or making various cultural displays.

The Missouri State Department of Modern and Classical Languages hosted the event, with assistant professors Antoinette Barffour and Maria Cerdas Cisneros in charge of co-organizing it this year. Cisneros said this year’s event had around 487 students in attendance.

“I think it’s a really good event because it’s interdisciplinary,” Cisneros said. “We are including the different departments here at MSU. The idea is to collaborate as a community.”

Preparation of the event began in fall 2018.

Cisneros said there was much work to do when it came to planning, organizing and reaching out to people. Cisneros and Barffour contacted schools in the area, as well as individual teachers, and tried to figure out which dates would work best, which activities had the most interest and how to make the event the best it could be.

The showcase had events spread out through the Plaster Student Union Ballroom as well as various rooms in Siceluff Hall from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

One event hosted in the PSU Ballroom was the Poster Contest, where students were tasked with designing a poster that reflected the theme of “Learn languages, discover cultures.” While there were prizes for this contest, Jocelyn Watson, a student from Nixa High School who participated, said the goal isn’t really a competition.

“The judges walk by telling us what they like about the art, and they rate us later on, but we all support each other, and we walk through telling each other how good we did,” Watson said.

For the contest, Watson painted a woman holding up the world. The woman has multiple skin tones and is wearing a dress composed of all the flags of the French-speaking countries in the world.

“I like to draw human figures a lot, and I had seen one model who was acting like she was holding up a very large ball, and I thought ‘Wow, languages kind of hold the world together,’” Watson said. “It allows us to communicate, so I feel like that kind of holds the world up.”

Cisneros said that while she was pleased with the event this year, she and Barffour were still thinking of new ideas and changes for the future, including more competitive contests so that the high school students can be more involved rather than just watching events.

It was a lot of work, Cisneros said, and it would not have been accomplished without help from coworkers and people from the community.

“It’s really rewarding to see everybody collaborating,” Cisneros said.

CLAYTON FRYE/THE STANDARD

Rick Briggenhorst is a Springfield Art Museum assistant. Briggenhorst graduated from Missouri State University with a bachelor’s in fine arts.

Input + Output offers critiquing ground for Springfield artists CARISSA ALFORD Staff Reporter @carissabalford A local art group is supporting other artists in one of the most helpful ways possible.

Artists around the Springfield area showcase their art in a group called Input + Output, and observers critique the artists’ work.

Senior Macy Stevens, art and photography major, said Input + Output is a positive environment where artists from a variety of mediums and backgrounds can present their projects and gain helpful feedback on their work.

“It’s a great opportunity for local artists to get experience talking about their work in a loving and productive space,” Stevens said.

She heard about the group from her friend, Rick Briggenhorst, who is a museum assistant at the Springfield Art Museum where the group meets.

She also said the group welcomes everyone, artists and non-artists alike.

Levi Margolies, 25, attended Missouri State University from 2012 until 2016, majoring in religious studies. He showcased his art at the most recent meeting.

Margolies primarily draws faces using crayons and colored pencils.

“I’ve always used crayons,” Margolies said.

“That’s what has always been available to me.

It’s not even that I got good with them when I was little, it’s just what I’m comfortable with.”

He said it seemed natural for him to use crayons when he first started drawing faces.

Margolies moved to St. Louis after graduation where he works for an online used books company and has started to dive into drawing things other than faces, like fingers and ears.

Sometimes while at work, he will doodle on Post-it notes to practice.

“If people would have asked me if I was an artist, I would have said no,” Margolies said.

“Everyone likes coloring in coloring books when they’re younger or when they’re stressed.”

The reason he never considered himself an artist is that he never had formal training.

Margolies said he is a self-taught artist, having never taken any real art classes outside of high school.

His friends saw his doodles and told him he should consider himself an artist.

“They said I don’t have to know anything about art to be an artist,” Margolies said. “You just have to make things.”

The Springfield Art Museum was established in 1926 by a small group of women, according to their website.

Besides exhibits, the museum offers multiple classes and workshops. But, Stevens said this particular group has expanded her knowledge about the Springfield art community. “(Input + Output) has allowed me to see how much talent there is here, and I’m excited for the future of Springfield, Missouri, because of it,” Stevens said.

Stevens’ artwork focuses on photography and illustrations. Much of her work revolves around subcultures, identity and empowerment.

She said the group gives helpful feedback and creates connections within the Springfield art community in a relaxed setting.

Crystal Skram, senior art and printmaking major, said the group is a call for all artists to be critiqued.

“I wanted a little more feedback on my work because I have my bachelor of fine arts senior exhibition coming up,” Skram said.

Skram is a printmaker who considers herself more commercial-based and tries to be versatile.

She specifically does silk screens — described as “putting a decal on a shirt.”

Although she does not actually print images on T-shirts, she said it is a good way of explaining what she does.

“What I end up doing is putting my stuff on anything from paper, to metal, to wood — literally you can screen print on any flat surface,” Skram said.

She said screen printing is similar to a stretched canvas, but instead of canvas, it is a sheet that paint is pushed through.

She said it can be hard to get true feedback in the classroom due to people either not talking or just taking the class for credit. Skram said she could not get accurate feedback from her friends either.

“Of course you’re going to get all this feedback that’s like, ‘Oh that’s so good, I love it,’ and I’m like OK but why?” Skram said.

Skram said being able to get genuine feedback outside the classroom is extremely relieving, and one of the refreshing things about being a part of Input + Output.

“Ultimately, your product ends up being better from the exposure you get,” Skram said.

“There’s not pressure to be professional. There’s no pressure to be a certain type of way.”

While the group critiques the presenter’s work, it is never in a way that makes the artist feel bad about what they have created, Skram said.

Skram said the artists typically have an hour to present their material however they like.

Input + Output meets every second and fourth Saturday of the month at 3 p.m. Their next meeting will be April 13.

Green Student Alliance at MSU encourages students to live sustainably beyond Earth Hour KATHRYN DOLAN Staff Reporter @kathryndolan98 All across the globe, people engaged in sustainable practices on Saturday, March 30 to bring attention to climate change in an event known as Earth Hour. What originally started as a symbolic, one-hour lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, has turned into a worldwide day of conscious effort to protect the planet.

According to Earth Hour’s official website, “Earth Hour is an initiative to encourage individuals, businesses and governments around the world to take accountability for their ecological footprint and engage in dialogue and resource exchange that provides real solutions to our environmental challenges.”

Missouri State’s Green Student Alliance, a student organization dedicated to implementing sustainable practices on and off campus, did not have anything specifically planned for Earth Hour. However, they did have a sustainable event planned on the day of the holiday.

Members of GSA spent their Saturday afternoon crouched over a bed of composted soil, planting onion seeds. Despite the freezing temperatures, a group of eight people showed up

to a field used by Springfield’s Compost Collective to learn and engage in the process of using sustainable composted soil to grow nutritious food.

Compost Collective is a local nonprofit organization that focuses on educating people on the benefits of composting and collecting food waste from businesses that is converted into nutrient-rich soil.

Once grown, the onions planted by GSA members will be sold to various Chinese restaurants who partner with Compost Collective to be served in their dishes.

Desirae Smith, a junior wildlife conservation and management major, founded GSA in April 2018 and serves as vice president of the organization. Even though Smith is five months pregnant, she did not hesitate to pick up a shovel and help out in the planting process.

Smith said she founded GSA and is majoring in wildlife conservation because she wants to help other people fall in love with the world around them. She said GSA hosts composting events like this to hopefully help students feel connected to the earth and encourage them to be kind to our planet.

“I feel like every hour should be Earth Hour,” Smith said. “We all share this earth to-

SINJIN SANDERS/THE STANDARD

Members of the MSU Green Student Alliance make rows in composted soil to plant onion seeds. The field is used by Springfield’s Compost Collective. gether, we all have to work together to make it a place where we can continue to live.”

Smith says being an environmentalist means thinking about the future.

“Now that I’m pregnant, I’m always thinking about what problems my future child is going to deal with that we don’t have to deal with today,” Smith said.

Megan Brannen, president of GSA, grew up in a big city with little exposure to nature.

Whenever she had the chance to be surrounded by trees or flowers, she said it was always a special treat.

Brannen said as a child, she noticed litter scattered throughout her favorite parks. This drove her to become more aware of the way humans treat the earth, inspiring her to take care of the planet.

She said events like Earth Hour help people realize the need to take more responsibility for their day-to-day habits and be conscious of the resources they use.

“Most people don’t know they are being harmful to the earth,” Brannen said. “It’s hard to change u See EARTH, page 10

TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

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A vibrant celebration of spring Students celebrate Hindu festival of love, positivity with rainbow of colors LAYNE STRACENER Senior Reporter @LayneStracener A diverse group of students gathered in the cold, windy weather to eat pakoras and samosas and play with bright, colorful powder, throwing it at each other until everyone was covered head to toe in a rainbow of colors.

These students were celebrating Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors, a Hindu festival that celebrates good versus evil and uses colors to represent love and positivity.

Holi is celebrated all around the world, but predominantly in India and Nepal. The South Asian Students Association hosted the Festival of Colors on March 30 at the Plaster Student Union North Mall.

Graduate student Harshneet Singh, president of the South Asian Students Association, is an international student from India. In India, his family wakes up at 6 a.m. and spends about four hours getting ready for the festival.

During the festival, they spend about six or seven hours playing with colored powder and water balloons. Singh said he is glad he gets to celebrate Holi even though he is not home.

“Even though you are so far from your family, these festivals make you feel like you are home and connected to your roots,” Singh said. “It feels lovely, even though days like these make me miss my family all the more.”

Singh said introducing the festival to Americans and giving them a chance to be a part of it is important.

Photos by JAYLEN EARLY/THE STANDARD

Missouri State students participate in Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, on the North Mall on March 30.

“Every religion has good parts and bad parts, but people often talk about just the bad parts,” Singh said. “It’s better to cherish the good parts.”

Radeeb Bashir, an international graduate student from Bangladesh, said he went to the Festival of Colors on campus because he is used to celebrating Holi back home with his Hindu friends every year and participating in their culture.

“It’s a nice way to bring the culture here,” Bashir said. “Having this festival on campus is also a very good way to show students what

Big Blanket Co. and the search for the perfect cover ANDREW UNVERFERTH Staff Reporter @unverferthandr1 From shower heads that are painfully low to public seating that leaves your legs twisted and cramped like nothing else, life can be a real drag for tall people. Maybe the worst of all? Blankets that fit like a dishrag.

Luckily, a handful of towering entrepreneurs have taken matters into their own hands and seen to it that the giants of the world can swaddle themselves as they please.

our culture is about in a very colorful way.”

SASA advisor Shadeed Khan, a graduate student from India, said the Holi festival on campus was a minuscule version of the festival in India because India is more crowded and there are more people celebrating.

“Just imagine the whole area is full of people and color in the air,” Khan said. “All the buildings, grass and the street would be stained. That’s how intense it is.”

Holi is important to Khan because it brings people together, he said. In India, his family

Missouri State University alumnus Bryan Simpson, along with Josh Stewart, Anthony Tolliver and Dane Watts, founded Big Blanket Co. in the summer of 2018 with the goal of making a 10-by-10-foot blanket a reality.

It all began in early 2018. Simpson was at a craft show and waiting in line to purchase a throw blanket when he held it up and realized it just would not cover both his toes and head at the same time — a fact that simply wasn’t acceptable for him.

“Whenever I held that blanket up, it opened my eyes to that,” Simpson said. “So I didn’t buy the blanket. I went home and I was kinda just simmering on this feeling of ‘Man, I really wish blankets were bigger.’”

It was a bold idea —some might even say impossible — as Simpson would eventually find out. Nevertheless, he purchased the domain for bigblanket.com and let the idea stew.

Months later, Simpson found himself in the company of Tolliver, an NBA athlete and Simpson’s old high school

gets together every year for Holi, and it is a way for him to see family he does not get to see often. At the Holi festival on campus, he and his friends who he hadn’t seen in months dropped their busy schedules for a few hours and came together to celebrate.

“I like the celebration part of it and how it just brings people together in a very happy, positive environment to celebrate the idea of good over evil in every area around the world,” Khan said. “It’s a good way to come together and share our culture.”

friend, and Watts, who played basketball with Tolliver at Creighton University in Nebraska. The trio met at the Hook Creative office in Springfield where Simpson works with Stewart.

Simpson, who said he is about 6 feet tall, shared his blanket woes and ideas with his even taller friends, who agreed that blankets were simply too short.

According to Stewart, he and Simpson later met with their partners in Dallas, Texas, to form Big Blanket Co. And so this unlikely fellowship, stitched together by comradery and a passion for more comforting comforters, set out on their quest for the best blanket in the world. Perhaps their greatest challenge? Finding someone who would take their dreams seriously.

As Simpson and Stewart tell it, the reactions from U.S. manufacturers ranged from mockery to disbelief and, in one

u See BLANKET, page 10

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THE STANDARD

sports

TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019 | THE-STANDARD.ORG

Lady Bears season ends AMANDA SULLIVAN Sports Editor @mandasullivan14 The Missouri State basketball season is over.

The Lady Bears took an automatic NCAA bid to the Sweet 16 as an 11 seed and brought national attention to Missouri State’s women’s basketball program.

The last time Missouri State had this much national attention was during the 2001 NCAA Tournament when now-assistant coach Jackie Stiles led the Lady Bears to the Final Four.

This team was led by a number of players. Senior Danielle Gitzen was Missouri State’s all-around best player. She scored 44 total points across the Lady Bears’ three NCAA games.

She shot 42.8 percent through the season, scoring 456 points in the season.

Gitzen also eclipsed the 1,000-point mark on March 23 against DePaul.

When she walked off the court for the final time as a Lady Bear, Gitzen had a smile on her face and hugged her coaches and teammates.

“I’m honored to have put on the Lady Bear jersey and represent Missouri State University these past four years,” Gitzen said after the loss to Stanford on March 30.

Junior Alexa Willard was another standout player for the Lady Bears.

The junior, who is known for her 3-point shooting, scored a career-high 30 points against Drake on March 17 in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship game. She continued to shoot well against DePaul and Iowa State in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, scoring 37 total points in the first two rounds.

Willard struggled against Stanford, an impressive defensive team. She only scored two points off 11 shots. The last time she only scored two points was against Mizzou on Nov. 13.

Willard was only able to put up one 3-point attempt because of the Cardinal’s impressive 3-point defense. Every time Willard had the ball, the Stanford bench yelled “Three!” as a signal that Willard was the best 3-point shooter for Missouri State.

KAITLYN STRATMAN/THE STANDARD

Junior Alexa Willard shields the ball from her Stanford opponent. Willard will be one of two seniors next season.

“I thought early on their length created a lot of adversity for us,” head coach Kellie Harper said. “We were shooting over taller people. We didn’t get a lot of clean looks that we’re used to getting.”

On the bright side for this Lady Bears team, they are very young. On a roster of 14 players, there was one senior — Gitzen — and one playable junior — Willard — after Shameka Ealy tore her ACL on Dec. 21. The rest of the team is made up of six sophomores and five freshmen.

The most notable freshman was Jasmine Franklin. The forward for Fayetteville, Arkansas, was a great addition for the Lady Bears.

Franklin averaged 9.2 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game. She led all MVC freshmen in rebounds, blocks and field-goal percentage. She also broke the Lady Bears’ freshman single-season rebounding record with 261 rebounds. She finished with 267 rebounds and 323 points after scoring a double-double against Stanford.

The other underclassmen are huge

for the Lady Bears — even if they aren’t in the starting five.

Five underclassmen have more than 400 minutes under their belt from this season. Freshman Sydney Wilson led the way, averaging 15.1 minutes per game. Wilson was a strong 3-point shooter, shooting 40 percent from behind the arc and 41 percent overall.

Sydney Manning, who is also a freshman, was another big 3-point shooter for the Lady Bears. Thirty of her 48 made field goals were triples.

Baseball team starts conference Improvements need to be made if Missouri State will be successful in the Valley SAM GRUS Sports Reporter @SCGRUS_6 After a rough nonconference start, the Missouri State baseball team is ready for Missouri Valley Conference play. They’ve faced some tough opponents, from Oklahoma State to the University of Arkansas and UC Santa Barbara, so the Valley should be a warm welcome to the struggling Bears.

Over the past five seasons, the Bears have a 69-31 record in the MVC and are always one of the top teams in the conference. Missouri Valley play is either going to help get the Bears back on track, or it is going to bury them further in the cellar of the conference.

If the Bears are going to find any sustainable success this season, lots of things are going to need to change, including the starting pitching.

Three pitchers for Missouri State have made four or more starts on the season, and the average numbers are not the best. They have a combined earned run average of 6.87 and opposing batters are hitting .302 against them. Freshman Logan Thomazin has made four starts this season, and while opponents are hitting .256 against him, he has an 7.50 ERA. While some of the starting pitching problems can be traced back to losing sophomore Ty Buckner and junior Tyler McAlister to season ending injuries, expectations were still high for the Bears pitching.

Junior Logan Wiley has stepped up and made seven starts for the Bears. The right-hander has a 4.62 ERA with 29 strikeouts and six walks in 37 innings pitched. Wiley is going to have to continue to carry the load amongst the starters. The inability to work deep into games and giving up a lot of runs has put strain on the Bears bullpen.

On Wednesday, March 27, Missouri State used five different relief pitchers to cover the final five innings in the 9-5 loss to the University of Kansas.

Sophomore Connor Sechler has been the Bears’ best choice out of the bullpen. In 11 appearances the right-hander has a 2.42 ERA. Sechler is not going to make 37

Sophomore Elle Ruffridge, a 5-foot3-inch guard from Iowa, also gave Missouri State an advantage on the outside. She shot 32.9 percent from behind the arc.

Next year, without Gitzen out at point guard, expect freshman Mya Bhinhar to step up into that role. She averaged 4.9 assists per every 40 minutes.

“Hey, you’re going to want to watch the Lady Bears the next couple years because it’s going to be a good team,” Gitzen said.

Families, friends visit for Spring Family Weekend CLAIRE NIEBRUGGE Senior Sports Reporter @claireniebrugge

Photos by BILL SIOHOLM/ THE STANDARD

(Above) Junior Jack Duffy eyes an incoming pitch from the Kansas pitcher.

(Left) Pitcher Forrest Barnes fields a ground ball from home plate.

The Bears lost 9-5 to Kansas on March 27.

Missouri Valley Conference play started for the Bears on March 29. They won the series 2-1. appearances like Jake Fromson did back in 2017, but he is on track for over 30 for the second time in his career, which could wear on the sophomore.

While the pitching has given up quite a few runs, the offense has been the biggest disappointment for fans. Collectively the club is hitting .209 and have four regular starters hitting right at or below the Mendoza Line.

Coming into the season, junior

Drew Millas was projected as a possible draft pick within the first five rounds, but he has seen his stock fall.

In 21 games played, the catcher is hitting .218 with two home runs and nine runs batted in. He missed five games early in the season due to injury, but has struggled to find a rhythm at the plate.

Missouri State’s offense must produce more than four runs a game for them to have a chance in the Valley. There is no shortage of po-

tential offense in the dugout. Between Millas, juniors Ben Whetstone, John Privitera and Logan Geha, the core will need to turn their struggles around in order to help get the club in contention for the Valley title.

If this Bears club is able to figure out how to get starters to go deeper into games, and the offense starts clicking, this is the type of club that could make a run deep in the Missouri Valley tournament.

With one out in the sixth inning, freshman right fielder Dakota Kotowski stepped up to the plate. Missouri State was down by one as he launched his third homerun as a Bear into left field, tying the game up 5-5.

Kotowski’s dad, mom and one of his sisters jumped up from their seats screaming and cheering, as this was the first time they have seen him play at Hammons Field.

“He works really hard, and we are so excited for him,” said Adam Kotowski, Dakota’s father.

Adam said he drove down to Springfield on Tuesday to surprise Dakota at the Arkansas game – and it just so happened to be his 19th birthday.

As for his mom and Dakota’s three sisters, they made the seven-hour trip from Channahon, Illinois, just in time for the start of Friday’s game. Erin, Dakota’s mother, said they did not have big plans to explore Springfield this weekend. The Kotowski’s said they just want to spend time with Dakota since they haven’t seen him since Christmas.

“It’s baseball, eat, baseball, eat and more baseball,” Erin said.

Another baseball Bear mom had the same weekend plans with her son.

Joy Ely, mother of freshman Mason Hull, said when she comes to Springfield, it’s a very quiet weekend filled with a lot of baseball and food.

Ely said she was planning on working for half of the day on Friday before making the 5-hour trip to Springfield from Effingham, Illinois, but when she found out the game was moved up, she got on the road immediately.

“I just love watching him play,” Ely said. “I’ve traveled to Texas, California, Springfield. I don’t try to miss very many games.”

Mason’s girlfriend, Missouri State freshman Kaylie Allred, has been to every single Bears baseball game since the spring opener on Feb. 15, with the exception of the three-game series in San Diego a month ago.

“My favorite part of watching is seeing him do what he loves,” Allred said. “I love watching him have fun with his teammates and seeing them celebrate when someone gets a hit or

u See FAMILY, page 8

TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

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BILL SIOHOLM/THE STANDARD

Swimmers Blair Bish, left, and Artur Osvath swam at the NCAA Championships as seniors at Missouri State and said they enjoyed their time at MSU.

However, his first couple of weeks on campus were not ideal. Although he has created a legacy now, starting college in a foreign school with the passion to be a star athlete was certainly overwhelming at first.

“It was weird,” Osvath said. “I barely spoke any English, but everyone was very helpful — my teammates and all the coaches. Everyone was super helpful. I feel like the culture barrier wasn’t too bad. It was just the language. School was kind of hard at first, but I got used to it.”

Not only does Osvath impress as a swimmer, but Collins said his academics are impressive as well.

Osvath said before learning English completely, he struggled with courses that required a lot of reading. Collins said Osvath usually has one of the highest GPAs on the team.

“Our coach always pushes us to do well in school,” Osvath said. “It is always a team thing because everyone tries to do well in school.

That pushes me.”

Osvath, now from a leadership standpoint, has been the backbone of the program, Collins said.

“He has gone from doing things individually at about the highest level as you possibly can,” Collins said. “He has really made his teammates better the last couple of years. That has been something that is not always easy to do is when you hit that level as an individual and have that sort of impact on others is pretty special.

“He has given everything he has got to this program.”

Fellow senior Blair Bish and member of the men’s swimming and diving team swam alongside him in the NCAAs. Bish, who swam at Arizona his first two years of college, said he first met Osvath in the locker room at Georgia Tech when both were freshmen at the NCAAs. “I had known so many people (at Missouri

u See OSVATH, page 8

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u See SWIM, page 8

A senior stepped in the pool one last time as a Missouri State Bear at the NCAA Championships, and his legacy will forever be remembered.

“I hope Artur Osvath knows his legacy has already been cemented into our program,” head swimming and diving coach Dave Collins said.

“He will go down as one of the best swimmers we have ever had here. He will be a future Hall of Famer.”

From a lone wolf in the pool to an athlete who has a team to lean on, Osvath’s swimming career has pushed his limitations and proven his abilities in the water.

As an All-American and the first MSU swimmer to qualify for the NCAA tournament when he was a freshman, Osvath has accomplished almost all he can do as an individual at the college level, Collins said.

But Osvath was not satisfied as he entered his third NCAA appearance in Austin, Texas.

“You can always do better,” Osvath said.

“I could always swim faster times. I just want to put everything out there and just swim (for the team) one last time.”

This is not his whole story though. Through hard work, perseverance and a supportive family behind him, he learned to thrive in and out of the pool.

Osvath’s story goes all the way back to his hometown in Budapest, Hungary — where his family has been swimming for generations.

His mother, Angela Horvath, and grandparents, were swimmers in Hungary.

It was his family who pushed him to excel not only in swimming, but also academically so opportunities could start coming.

“They were very supportive,” Osvath said.

“They always push me. They helped me anytime they could.”

Osvath, who competed in international tournaments on the regional and national level when

he was younger, said he knew he needed to leave Hungary in his first year of high school if he intended to keep swimming and go to college.

While swimming is relevant in his country, there were no high school swimming teams, only club teams — swimming for a university was unheard of.

“I was probably 14 or 15, so I contacted one of my coaches from back home,” Osvath said. “He told me about all these opportunities and how good it was for him. That was when I decided, ‘I want to come to the U.S.’” After hearing about the program at Missouri State from former student and swimmer Dora Kiss, who is also from Budapest, Osvath reached out to Collins for a Skype interview.

That was when Osvath decided to come to Missouri State.

“We felt like in the recruiting process we were getting someone that was pretty raw — talented, but raw,” Collins said. “He came with some pretty nice times, but you never know how that is going to transition to college.

“When you recruit an international student, you don’t always know what you are going to get. We hit the jackpot with him. It has been incredible to watch him develop.”

One of the biggest things that stood out to Osvath about swimming in the U.S. was he could finally swim for a team.

“I feel like here swimming is a team sport and back home it was just an individual sport,” Osvath said. “I like it much better here. I enjoy it so much more here.”

Collins said Osvath’s desire to swim for a team was intriguing when recruiting him.

“That is why he is so special because he swims for a team,” Collins said. “He not only wants to perform well individually, but team accolades and team championships is always something that he talks about. He is a very versatile athlete and he has always said, ‘Put me wherever you need to swim for the team to be successful.’”

RI

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Missouri State’s dynamic duo wrapped up their legendary careers as part of the men’s swimming program in style.

Blair Bish and Artur Osvath posted strong performances in the 200-yard breaststroke preliminary races on Saturday, March 30, in Austin, Texas.

“We celebrate the highest finish in Missouri State history and more importantly two program-changing guys competing for the last time,” head coach Dave Collins said in a press release. “It has been an absolute pleasure to be on this journey with Artur and Blair, and I am so proud of what they have done for our program.”

Osvath earned a top-20 placement in the 200-yard breaststroke, touching the wall at the 1:54.32 mark. The time is a season-best for Osvath, besting his previous time of 1:55.88 at the Iowa Hawkeye Invitational.

“I think this was a great last meet for both of us,” Osvath said in a press release.

“These past four years were the best in my life, and I am happy I got to represent MSU at the NCAA Championships one last time.”

Osvath said he was not going to stress about his time too much. His main focus was just to score some points and get some high ranks.

“I just want to enjoy it,” Osvath said. “I enjoy swimming.”

Bish sported a 35th-place finish in the 200 breaststroke at 1:55.57. The senior also added a top 10 finish in the 100 breaststroke.

DEREK SHORE Sports Reporter @D_Shore23

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DEREK SHORE Sports Reporter @D_Shore23

Senior leaves lasting legacy

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Two swimmers compete at NCAAs for final time

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Track team transitions from indoor to outdoor meets MONICA BLAKE Sports Reporter @monicablak3 As the Missouri State women’s track team gears up for their outdoor season, they hope to improve upon their performance during the indoor season. The team placed sixth out of 10 teams at the outdoor conference championships.

“We know our best is going to be better than it was indoor,” interim head coach Jordan Fife said.

Indoor track meets are held at different types of facilities — a 200-meter flat track, 200-meter banked track or 300-meter flat track — whereas outdoor meets are all held at 400-meter flat tracks.

Outdoor meets add many events not held indoors, which change the events of many people on the team. Instead of the 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles, outdoor meets hold the 100-meter dash and 100-meter hurdles. Outdoor meets also add the 400-meter hurdles, javelin, hammer throw, discus, steeplechase and 10,000-meter run.

“Some people will keep their same events, and others are kind of forced into something shorter or longer or with a hurdle,” Fife said.

New events, especially field events, should boost the team’s potential at the outdoor conference championships.

“In the javelin, we’re excited. We think we can have two of the top scorers in the conference with Rochelle Etienne (sophomore) and freshman Rachel Buschling,” Fife said.

Graphic by KRISTINA KHODAI/THE STANDARD

Indoor and outdoor tracks differ in size. Meets also differ in event types.

Etienne placed second as a freshman in last year’s conference meet.

Another key component for a successful season is junior jumper Jamilah James. She punched her ticket to the NCAA tournament last season and was a major contributor throughout the season.

“Jamilah James was an 18-point scorer at

the indoor conference championships, and we think she can score that much or even more outdoors,” Fife said.

Fife went on to discuss the distance runners.

“Distance-wise, we are lead by Grace Breiten again, primarily focused on the steeplechase,” Fife said. “We’re looking for another big year for

her, as she has every year since she’s been here.”

As a cross country runner, junior Breiten will be competing in her third season of the year and is excited to watch the team’s hard work pay off.

“Collectively, we’ve gotten a lot stronger as a team this past indoor season,” Breiten said. “We continue to work on our depth and push each other in races and practices. I’m confident that if we continue working on our confidence and staying calm before races, that we will see big results.”

The sprint group will move from their indoor training in McDonald Arena to outdoor training to better prepare for the different events. Junior Chicago Bains and senior Taryn Smiley will lead the charge for that group.

“Based on previous performances and how they did at the conference meet last year, we know that they can be right there at the top,” Fife said.

The biggest change for the team moving forward is preparation, Fife said. Whether be physically or mentally, they want to prepare even better than they have in the past.

“We have some events that really help us as we transition from indoor to outdoor,” Fife said. “We want to be more competitive when we get to the conference meet.”

The track Bears opened their outdoor season with a second place finish at the Oral Roberts University Invitational last weekend. The successful meet was boosted by first place finishes from Breiten in the 5,000-meter run and junior Madeline Saville in the 1,500-meter run.

The Bears will compete at the Mizzou Spring Open on April 5-6.

FAMILY

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makes an impossible play. They are a really fun team to watch.”

In honor of Spring Family Weekend, the Missouri State Family Association passed out free T-shirts and popcorn at the front gates of Hammons Field.

They also held a food drive to collect items to donate to the Bear Pantry, which partners with Missouri State’s Center for Community Engagement to serve members of the MSU community who face food insecurity. The food drive saw a big turnout, collecting 21 large bags worth of food — enough to fill two rows of a car.

The baseball Bears kicked off Spring Family Weekend with an 11-inning walk-off double from junior Drew Millas, snapping their 7-game losing streak with a win over Indiana State on Friday.

Saturday’s game was moved to Sunday due to weather conditions. The Bears split the doubleheader winning the first game in walk-off fashion, 1-0. The Sycamores got the bats going in afternoon game, winning 12-0 over the Bears.

State) and they told me to reach out and meet him,” Bish said. “He seemed like a nice, quiet and goofy guy. He has gotten a little bit more talkative since I have known him.

“He is my roommate now, so we know each other a lot better than I think we thought we ever would have.”

As Osvath finished up his final swim as a Bear, Collins reflected on his time at Missouri State.

“I hope he feels accomplished and can reflect back at what he has done in his fouryear career here,” Collins said. “Ultimately, one swim doesn’t define his legacy. His legacy has already been defined. You just hope that an athlete can go out on top.”

For Osvath’s future plans, he still has one year of school left. He is double majoring in finance and international business.

Osvath also has an internship lined up in Kansas City this summer and plans on coming back to Missouri State to get his Master of Business Administration.

“I still think I’ll be around for a while longer,” Osvath said.

Bish’s 10th-place finish is the highest for an individual at the NCAA Championships in Missouri State program history.

His efforts earned him an All-American honorable mention nod, becoming the third Bear to accomplish the feat. Osvath was the last All-American for Missouri State when he accomplished it in 2017. Paul Le was the first Bear to become an All-American, which was in 2012.

“Swimming for Missouri State has been a privilege that I will cherish forever,” Bish said in a press release. “I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish over the last two years, and I’m excited to see how the program grows from here.”

Missouri State finished the championships with their highest team score in program history, pulling in seven points to tie for 36th alongside Wisconsin, Denver and Notre Dame.

“I think for me and Artur both of us have set pretty high goals for ourselves,” Bish said. “I couldn’t ask to (finish up my career) with a better guy and representing a team that we’ve both come to love a lot.”

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BILL SIOHOLM/THE STANDARD

Artur Osvath, left, and Blair Bish prepare to swim at practice. The two seniors competed at the NCAA Championships and are both All-American swimmers for Missouri State.

Weekly Crossword © 2018 King Features Syndicate ACROSS 1 $ dispenser 4 “-- Miserables” 7 Trounce 12 Commonest English word 13 Matterhorn 14 Worn unevenly 15 2012 movie bear 16 Savage 18 Midafternoon, in a way 19 Long-legged shorebird 20 Pull an allnighter 22 Freudian concept 23 Use a keyboard 27 Moreover 29 Rodeo outcries 31 Strong adhesive 34 Meal for Oliver Twist 35 Moral principles 37 Larry’s pal 38 Runs from the fuzz 39 Shooter ammo 41 Sharpen 45 Tureen accessory 47 Inseparable 48 Marian, in “The Music Man” 52 “Monty Python” opener 53 Wanted-poster datum 54 Hi-tech SFX 55 Prepared 56 Thick-soled shoes 57 Slight amount 58 Attempt DOWN 1 Storage story 2 “-- Finest Hour” 3 TV, radio, etc.

4 Chemistry classrooms

5 On cloud nine 6 Parsley serving 7 Vegan’s no-no 8 Bobby of hockey 9 Luau side dish 10 “Born in the --” 11 Corral 17 Huff and puff 21 Long skirts 23 Pitched 24 Second person 25 “Ulalume” writer 26 Immigrant’s study (Abbr.)

28 Big Apple letters 30 Past 31 Moray or conger 32 Sch. org.

33 Resistance measure 36 Practice pugilism 37 Sweet Spanish wine 40 Proclamation 42 Jack

43 Go in 44 Irritable 45 Glaswegian girl 46 Novelist Bagnold

48 Varnish ingredient 49 Under the weather 50 Life story, for short 51 Tatter

TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

SGA

Continued from page 1 senators, fill in for Dirie when needed at meetings and act as speaker at SGA senate sessions.

Schroeder said he thinks people can underestimate the influence students have on campus and the impact they can make.

“It’s been really fun to see that administrators are just as likely, just as supportive, of making changes on campus as we are,” Schroeder said.

During his time in SGA, Schroeder also worked on various projects, like replacing paper towels in the bathrooms of the PSU with electric hand dryers.

“The most rewarding part is having people come up to me and say they saw things on our platform that they have wanted for a long time,” Schroeder said.

There is no other ticket running for office, but this

THE STANDARD has not stopped the Elevate team from challenging themselves.

Tara Orr, sophomore marketing major, is the campaign manager for Elevate MoState.

“We don’t want to not do as much or not put in as much effort just because we have no competition,” Orr said.

“That’s not who we said we were going to be; that’s not what our image is.”

She said that the lack of opposition has allowed the trio to focus on their broad campaign goals.

“Not having to worry as much about what they’re doing or what’s happening, we can step back and realize this is what we want to do, this is how we’re going to do it,” Orr said.

The official election will be held April 8-12. Students will be able to access voting through their My Missouri State accounts.

“We’re going to work for it and we’re not going to give up until someone has to tell us no,” Orr said.

DEAN Continued from page 1

went into the students he worked with throughout his life. One of David’s main projects was the Missouri Fine Arts Academy. He was the founding director of the program.

One student from every county in the state of Missouri gets to attend the program, Prescott said. The two-week summer program offers classes and activities for the high school arts students who participate.

Susan said, aside from his work, gardening was David’s favorite thing to do. Once, she asked him why he had chosen plants that would take several years to grow instead of some that were already grown.

“I like to see them grow,” was David’s reply.

This also explained why he had so much passion for his students and others he worked with.

David was part of the MSU faculty from 1988-2003. Much of that was spent influencing

others in his role as dean of the COAL. Media, journalism and film associate professor Deb Larson, who worked with David for several years, said David received high approval as dean.

Larson added that David was familiar with who people were.

“He really made it his business to know and understand all the departments,” Larson said.

His impact as a dean continues today.

Larson said he started many traditions. One such tradition in the college is a yearly meeting in which the dean gives a talk to all faculty members going out for tenure and promotion.

Susan said David regarded the faculty he worked with at MSU as life-long friends. This was evident in the way the audience at the concert burst into laughter at the simple mention of some of the stories he frequently told.

Susan captured David’s humor in her speech at the concert.

“I’m sorry he had to die to get this (concert),” Susan said, “but knowing David, it would have been all worth it to him.”

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PSU

Continued from page 2 language arts major Wren Cooper, are more indifferent about the Papa John’s departure for a simple reason.

“You have to realize there’s a lot of delivery places around here for pizza especially, so even though I say that I’ve never had Papa John’s here, I always get it delivered from Domino’s or something,” Cooper said.

Despite the mixed feelings about Papa John’s, students are generally in favor of having a Freddy’s on campus as the main factor in adding that particular restaurant was student input, including surveys at the President’s Late-Night Breakfast last December.

As for the Grill Nation change, Weber said the switch to the pasta and salad concept is meant to build on the success that Grill Nation has seen while expanding the product line and offering

some healthier options.

According to Chartwells Resident District Manager Quintin Eason, plans have been made to source the restaurant’s steak and chicken locally, while the greens will come from the ZipGrow towers in Kentwood.

If the concept ends up being unpopular, Eason said the restaurant could easily be replaced with another concept from Chartwells that better suits the needs and preferences of students.

Students reactions to the new restaurant have been generally positive though, as is the case with freshman elementary education major Riley Fitzmorris, some are more excited about having a Freddy’s on campus.

“I’m excited for pasta, I really like pasta, so I will definitely try it,” Fitzmorris said. “I’m also kind of sad to see Papa John’s go, but I love Freddy’s.”

The renovations and changes to the PSU restaurants are expected to be complete by next fall semester.

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THE STANDARD

EARTH

BLANKET

a behavior you’re not conscious of — that’s why it’s so important to educate yourself.”

Brannen says she thinks people learn how to live by watching others, making family extremely influential on one’s day-to-day habits.

“My family didn’t recycle,” Brannen said. “I didn’t even know how to recycle until I got to college.”

As she learned the positive effects of recycling and composting, Brannen changed her habits.

Smith said seeking out ways to become more educated on the environmental impacts of one’s everyday life is the first step in living a greener life.

“Notice what’s going on around you and be thoughtful of the things you do day to day,” Smith said. “The responsibility to take care of our planet falls on all of us.”

Students interested in living a more sustainable life can attend a GSA meeting to learn how to become more involved in environmental projects going on around campus or participate in the events happening April 22-26 during Earth Week.

instance, even some rather strong cursing. As the product’s Kickstarter proudly displays, one manufacturer allegedly said “This is the stupidest f------ idea I’ve ever heard. It’s literally impossible to produce."

In the end, the group wound up in China where they finally found a manufacturer that would work for them, along with the perfect material for their blankets.

All that was left to do was acquire the proper funds.

Simpson launched the Big Blanket Co: The Biggest, Best Blanket Ever campaign on Kickstarter Nov. 14, 2018, with a goal of $10,000. The goal was reached in under eight hours and currently has over $90,000 pledged.

That might seem quick, but the group was fairly confident the idea would get the support it needed when they started.

“It was like every single person that we talked to, we told them ‘Hey, we’re creating a big blanket because blankets are too small,’” Stewart said, “and every single person was like ‘Yeah, they are. Duh, that’s a great idea.

I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.’”

Stewart attributes much of the Big Blanket’s

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TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

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Photo submitted by Big Blanket Co.

(From left) Josh Stewart, Bryan Simpson and Dane Watts are three of the four founders of Big Blanket Co. The brand generated $94,000 in pledges.

success to the teamwork between him and “We’ve uncovered this problem that evSimpson, but feels that no small part of it is erybody has but they don’t realize they have,” due to the simple genius of their idea.

Stewart said.