The Standard's 5.7.19 issue

Graduation 2019 See the special issue inside

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

VOLUME 112, ISSUE 30 | THE-STANDARD.ORG

TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2019

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State senate committee approves $10 million budget increase for MSU EMILY COLE News Editor @EMCole19 In late April, the Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee approved a version of the state budget that would give Missouri State University increased funding for the next school year, and give additional funding to other universities in the state.

According to a press release, the version of the budget approved by the committee includes: • A $10 million equity increase to Missouri State University’s ongoing core appropriation • A $10 million appropriation for the University of Missouri’s precision medicine program • A $1 million core operating appropriation increase for all other universities • A block appropriation for the MoExcels program ($2.85 million designated for expansion of MSU’s nursing program) A version of the state budget was passed by the House on March 26, which included a $4.7 million increase for Missouri State.

Ryan DeBoef, assistant to the president for governmental relations, said a conference committee made up of members of both the House and Senate will meet this week to reconcile differences in the budget.

From there, the budget will go to Gov. Mike Parson for approval. He must veto or approve the budget by July 1.

Missouri State currently receives less government funding than any other university in the state, per student. If fully approved by the Missouri legislature, the increased budget would bring MSU up to a tied position with the next lowest-funded university.

According to previous reporting by The Standard, DeBoef said in 2018 MSU received about $4,225 per full-time student. The next lowest was Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, at about $4,740. u See TUITION, page 9

BILL SIOHOLM/THE STANDARD

Sean Astin, known for his role in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, gave the closing keynote at the Impact Summit on May 1. Astin’s speech focused on being open about mental health.

Community, actor, Yale professor talk mental health at Impact Summit KAYLA CURRY Staff Reporter @kaylalcurry Missouri State University designated May 1 as this year’s Impact Summit College Student Mental Health Conference, a day focused on destigmatizing the conversation around mental health.

This year, the question posed to conference attendees was “What do an actor and a Yale professor have in common?” This question called upon two keynote speakers, assistant clinical professor at Yale, Nance Roy, and American film actor Sean Astin.

Roy’s opening keynote was centered around mental health initiatives, crisis management and delivery of care for college students. The clos-

ing keynote included Astin’s personal stories campus up for those individuals to succeed. and observations related to mental health.

During Astin’s closing keynote, he asked audience members to raise their hands if they were fans of Comic Con, and jokingly responded to an audience member who raised her hand with a quote that blanketed the day’s topic of discussion.

“I don’t judge you. That’s the whole exercise today. We judge each other less,” Astin said.

In efforts to start a dialogue about student mental health, the conference also scheduled educational breakout sessions throughout the day dedicated to sparking conversations about Graduate assistant Jeremiah Halbert, who various topics pertaining to mental health. helped plan the Impact Summit, said Roy’s “Our main goal this year was to schedule the speech discussed how to identify someone going sessions in each block accordingly so that there through a mental health crisis and different ways u See IMPACT, page 9 higher education professionals can set their

“I’d say the ‘Get Out of Jail free card’ when you’re dealing with mental health issues is openness.”

Pieces of the whole: Bears remembered at memorial AMANDA SULLIVAN Sports Editor @mandasullivan14 Every day she walked in and there he sat: a “rough and gruff” employee without a smile on his face in the Property Control office.

In the fall semester before his death on Dec. 29, 2018, Gary Cornell’s boss, Laura Pavlick, got a smile out of him.

Every day, a small smile for a split second between Pavlick and Cornell acknowledged a “hello,” a “how are you” or even a “I know I don’t smile, but I will just for a second.”

Cornell’s loss was felt through the people at the university that knew him, like Pavlick.

He was one of 10 people honored at Missouri State’s memorial service for students, faculty

and staff.

This was the fifth year the memorial has been held.

“This list is too long; many were gone too soon,” University President Clif Smart said.

Eight of the names were students. Cornell and former director of women’s athletics Mary Jo Wynn were also honored at the memorial.

The event itself is put on by the Division of Student Affairs. Debbie Letterman, assistant director of Event and Meeting Services, is cochair of the memorial service committee. She said this event is important for remembering those who stepped foot on the Missouri State campus.

“We need to recognize those that came before us,” Letterman said. “Everybody’s life is short-lived, so we wanted to recognize them

and show they meant something to Missouri State. Every person is important to this university, whether they are faculty, staff or student.”

Dave Embree, director of Christian Campus House and a per course faculty member, spoke at the memorial about each person’s importance to the university. He covered the Missouri State University podium with a quilt, one similar to the quilts his grandmother and aunt made.

“Each bit of cloth has its own attributes and beauty individually, but they gain boldness and they gain power and they gain beauty as they come together in combination with the others,” Embree said. “And the pattern which is created only exists because of the contribution of each individual part.

“We are all accumulations of influences and investments from others, young and old,

powerful and lowly, scholarly and worldly-wise. Individually, we are composites of others’ images.”

Embree presented quotes from Paul Valéry, Thornton Wilder and Philippians 4:4-9.

He quoted Valéry: “A great man is one who leaves others at a loss after he is gone.”

That feeling of loss was true for Priscilla Childress, assistant director of Family Programs and Student Affairs special events, who puts the list of those who died together.

Childress said the process starts in January.

The Dean of Students’ office sends over the files of students, faculty and staff who have died so far in the semester. Childress reaches out to the families listed in the files and sends u See MEMORIAL, page 9

2 THE-STANDARD.ORG

THE STANDARD

TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2019

Mental Health Awareness Month promotes discussion, reduction of stigma GRETA CROSS Staff Reporter @gretacrossphoto Taylor Richardson said she has struggled with anxiety her entire life.

“I didn’t realize it though until last year,” said Richardson, sophomore nursing major.

“The first time I can remember having an anxiety attack, or a lot of anxiety, was probably fourth or third grade.”

The number of children and young adults facing mental illnesses, such as anxiety, has increased within the last decade. In the past 10 years, there has been a 17 percent increase in anxiety disorder diagnoses alone, according to Child Mind Institute.

College students, especially, find themselves battling a variety of mental health concerns when moving into a new environment.

Making friends and balancing the workload, while still having time to care for oneself can be difficult. However, many students enter college unaware of pre-existing mental illnesses, just like Richardson.

“Freshman year, last year, was really bad,” Richardson said. “I would stay up until like 3 or 4 a.m. in my dorm, working on homework, and I would go through crazy periods where I would just come and cry and cry in my bed.

“I finally came to the realization, ‘I need help.’ I tried to do different things. My mom and I talked a long time about how I could journal, and I tried to do yoga. It just wasn’t helping me enough, where I could live my daily life and not feel like my heart was racing 100 percent of the time.”

Last semester Richardson received professional help and was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression. After many conversations with her doctor, Richardson decided to start taking anti-anxiety medication, allowing her to manage regular day-to-day tasks.

Sophomore psychology major Ashley Collins was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder last October.

Throughout her freshman year, Collins said she frequently skipped class, failed one, partied often and spent all of the money she had brought with her to college. Collins soon began to see the negative decline of her actions and sought out the counseling center on campus. By her third session, she was recommended to see a psychiatrist.

“I started showing symptoms around 13 and I just was like, ‘Well, I’m a teenager going through all that stuff. Whatever,’” Collins said.

Mental Health Facts

CHILDREN TEENS 2018 & Mental Health in Teens Statistics Fact: 1 in 5 children ages 13-18 have, or will have a serious mental illness.

1

20% 20% of youth ages 13-18 live with a mental health condition1

11% 11% of youth have a mood disorder 1

10%

8%

10% of youth have a behavior or conduct disorder 1

8% of youth have an anxiety disorder 1

Graphic from National Alliance on Mental Illness

Suicide

Impact

It was not until she spoke with mental health said senior public relations major and Active campus. Students can stay updated on meeting clinician Shaun Fossett at the counseling cen- Minds President Molly Mullen. times, locations and chapter activities by folter that she realized her emotions 50% were deeper Mullen mental health lowing @ActiveMSUMinds on Twitter and of all lifetime casesstruggled of mentalwith illness and affecting her mental health. begin by agethroughout the start of her career. As Instagram.

1 14 and 75% by age 24.college The counseling center is a resource available a senior in high school, she lost a close friend May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Orto all Missouri State students. Students are al- who died by suicide and looked to college as ganizations across the United States have been Suicide is thethe 3rddiscussion of lowed up to eight appointments at no cost. a fresh start with endless possibilities. How- actively working to promote During the 2017-2018 school year, the coun- ever, she said the experience was not exactly mental health leading and reduce the stigma around it cause of seling center provided 3,727 counseling ses- what she had expected it to be. School was since 1949, according Center for Discovery. death intoyouth sions to students, according to its 2017-2018 difficult and making new friends was not as Social media users are encouraged to use the ages 10 -throughout 24.1 The average onset of annual report. This is an over three-fold increase delay easy asbetween she thought. hashtag #BreaktheStigma the month 1 in the number of students seeking symptoms mental healthand intervention Mullen startedisattending sessions at the coun- to start conversations with family and friends 8-10 years. care since 2010 when the counseling center seling center during her freshman year. As a about mental health. only provided 1,415 sessions. sophomore, Mullen roomed with Emily HaarOn May 1, Missouri State hosted the second With this increase, the Counseling Center mann, a senior 37% currently of students withelementary a mentaleducation annual Impact Summit: College Student Mental hired three new staff members over the last major and the Active Minds’ vice president. The Health Conference. The day-long conference health condition age 14 and four years, according to the counseling center two discovered Active Minds together and both included multiple keynote speakers and breakout older out of has school—the director Rhonda Lesley. The counseling center said the drop organization completely changed sessions focused on topics related to college highest dropout rate any also adopted the solution-focused brief therapy their mindset about mentalof health. student mental health. of those whoincluded Dr. model in 2015. This type of therapy is intend- disability “The counseling This year’s90% keynote speakers group.1 center helped, but it was died by suicide hadof the Jed ed to help students in a quick, yet effective way, just nice to have a student group, other kids Nance Roy, chief of Clinical Office allowing clinicians the opportunity to see more who are experiencing it, not just me and a Foundation andan assistant clinical professor at Yale, underlying 70% of youth in state students daily. counselor,” Mullen said. and local along with award-winning actor1 Sean Astin. mental illness.

Along with the counseling center, there juvenile Haarmann transferred to Missouri Students are encouraged to reach out to justice systems have a State her are many other resources on campus that are sophomore year 1when she met Mullen and the Counseling Center with any mental health mental illness. intended to help students better understand joined Active Minds. concerns. mental health.

“I think Active Minds has a direct correlation The Counseling Center is open MonActive Minds and National Alliance on to my comfortableness with talking about my day-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be Mental Illness, also known as NAMI, are two mental health with other people,” Haarmann reached at 417-836-5116. For after-hours student organizations on campus that promote said. “I’m super open with my family about it mental health emergencies, students may call the discussion and removal of stigma around now. In the last three years, I’ve gained a lot 417-836-5116 then press zero to speak with mental health. of confidence with my mental health.” a crisis counselor. For more information about The Active Minds chaptervery is a safe for The every oththe swings counseling www.counselingFeeling sadplace or withdrawn forActive moreMinds than chapter meetsSevere mood thatcenter, causevisit problems students to openly talk about their mental health, er week in a variety of different places around center.missouristate.edu.

2 weeks (e.g., crying regularly, feeling in relationships. fatigued, feeling unmotivated).

Repeated use of drugs or alcohol.

Trying to harm or kill oneself or making plans to do so.

Drastic changes in behavior, personality or sleeping habits (e.g., waking up early and Out-of-control, risk-taking behaviors that can © 2019 King Features Syndicate acting agitated). cause harm to self or others. ACROSS Extreme difficulty in concentrating or 1 Last few notes Sudden overwhelming fear for reason, staying still that can lead to failure in 5 no Med. approval sometimes with a racing heart, org.physical school. discomfort or fast breathing. 8 Fall into a beanbag chair Intense worries or fears that get in the way 12 Last write-up Not eating, throwing up or using laxatives to of daily activities like hanging out with 13 Valentine mislose weight; significant weight loss or gain. friends or going to classes. spelling

50%

3rd

10 yrs 37%

90%

70%

Warning Signs

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Weekly Crossword ! !

!

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!

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14 Actress Turner 15 Missing 16 Past 17 Spore cases 18 Pour wine 20 Time of discontent?

22 Calf’s mama 23 Fresh 24 1/4 bushel 27 Not steadily 32 Vast expanse Play with Talk with your Get a33 referral to a pediatrician mental robots health specialist 34 Anonymous 1 This document cites statistics provided by the National Institute of Mental Richard Health. www.nimh.nih.gov 35 Discontinue Follow Us! 38 Nervous facebook.com/officialNAMI 39 Type of humor twitter.com/NAMIcommunicate 40 Candle material 42 Chemical relative 45 Discount store 49 Ms. Moore 50 Blunder 52 Green land 53 Mideast nation 54 Cartoonist Browne 55 Kvetches 56 Queue 57 Chances, for short 58 Jog

4 Things Parents Can Do

DOWN 1 Frigid 2 Reed instrument 3 Record

Work with the school

4 Have at 5 Platyhelminth 6 Used a shovel 7 Acknowledge 8 Shaved a board 9 Debate closer 10 Previously 11 Duo 19 “Forget it!”

21 Hostel 24 Next-to-last letter 25 Still, in verse 26 Role for Julie, Eartha, Lee, Michelle, Halle or Anne 28 Rapa -(Easter Island) 29 Museum pieces 30 Visibility hindrance 31 “30 Rock” star 36 White weasel

Connect with other families

www.nami.org

37 Catcher’s place?

38 Range 41 Symbol for gold 42 “American --”

43 Big rig 44 Start over 46 Storyteller 47 Therefore 48 Criterion 51 Tear

Answers to this week’s crossword puzzle are on page 9.

THE STANDARD

opinion

TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2019 | THE-STANDARD.ORG

3

GOODBYE, SENIORS

May 7 is The Standard’s last issue of the semester. We asked five of our graduating seniors to share their thoughts. The following columns are what they had to say.

Lessons I’ve learned from The Standard Goodbye to the CORTLYNN STARK Editor-in-Chief @Cortlynn_Stark I once had someone bet me $20 that I would change my major.

It happened during my freshman year at work, so I don’t know the gentleman’s name.

But, he owes me $20.

I came to Missouri State as a journalism major, and next week I will graduate as one.

The one thing I know for sure is that if I hadn’t joined The Standard, I would not be where I am. Everything about who I am as a journalist, and much of who I am as a person, I owe to this student newspaper.

Cortlynn Stark The Standard taught me to ask questions, to be curious, to be persistent when a source doesn’t call me back and how to find public records. I learned that I should take risks, how to handle mistakes and how to cover tragic events in the community, among dozens of other

lessons. Each story, each second spent reporting in the field was a lesson learned.

I could not be more grateful to this student newspaper and to everyone who has taught me along the way.

But I’m also sad to leave them. I put off writing this column because of that. I didn’t want to acknowledge that this will be the last story I ever write for The Standard, that this is my last Monday spending a minimum of 14 hours in Clay Hall, or that it will be my last time writing in front of the poster of a Horace Greeley quote, “Journalism will kill you, but it will keep you alive while you’re at it,” while working. It’s the last time I’ll have to bring all

three meals with me to the office.

I’ve spent more time in Clay Hall over the last few years than I have anywhere else on campus. (So much so that I’ve had a toothbrush in the office for most of the last year).

This year’s editors have been such a fantastic team.

To Nina, thank you for challenging me. You forced me to defend decisions throughout this past year, which forced me to grow up — and exercise occasionally. You are going to do great in Jefferson City.

To Emily, thank you for your dedication as news editor — you’re a talented news u See STARK, page 10

Saying goodbye means saying thank you EMILY COLE News Editor @EMCole19 They say that finding like-minded people is part of the college experience. You’re finally out of high school and, at least in my case, moving away from the 200 people you’ve been going to school with since kindergarten. For some, like me, college can mean moving to a bigger city, and going to school with people who don’t look and think like you for the first time.

From what I remember, my graduating class had only a handful of non-white students.

Starting at Missouri State, I was surrounded by people of different races, cultures and backgrounds for the first time.

Emily Cole I shared classes with Chinese exchange students, a soccer player from England and a few Muslim students, to name a few.

But as I started my sophomore year, having switched majors again for the third time, I wondered how much college had really led me to

finding those like-minded people I’d been promised, and to finding my niche.

Second semester sophomore year, I started my first classes in journalism. One of my professors, Jack Dimond, told me I should join the student paper if I wanted to pursue journalism. So I started the training program, and in mid-October the next semester, I went to my first meeting in the newsroom in Clay Hall.

Immediately, I felt out of place. I think I was the only person there from my group of trainees. I was new. I only knew a few people by their names and where they sat in shared classes. I’d never really spoken to any of them.

I’ll admit, I left that meeting feeling like I’d never fit in.

I thought I’d joined too late.

As the weeks went on that semester, I learned more names. I still didn’t talk much, but I became more comfortable in the room. I could laugh at jokes and felt like I could say something, if I had something to say.

It wasn’t until August 2018, the beginning of my senior year, that I really felt like I’d finally found those people I’d been looking for. I had amazing friends before, of course, but they had their own interests and I had mine.

But as I started spending long days, sometimes up to 15 hours, with my fellow editors, I knew I’d found people who shared my passions. u See COLE, page 10

Stop trying to be ‘perfect’ NINA TODEA Life Editor @Todea_NinaM When I think back to myself in the spring of 2016, a fresh-faced, naive young girl walking into Clay Hall, I have to be honest: I cringe a little.

It was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and I’d just completed my first ever assignment for The Standard. I’d awkwardly shuffled alongside marchers in the brisk weather that morning with a bulky camera, still too shy to ask anyone for their names like I was supposed to.

But I was proud, giddy with excitement, knowing my photo was taking front page of the newspaper that Tuesday. I felt like I’d achieved it all, silly as that sounds. But as the semester progressed, my creativity and photography skills wedged themselves in this rut. I became plagued with the idea of per-

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

Nina Todea fection, of always having everything neat and packaged, of having grand ideas and “frontpage” material.

When I started writing for the paper, that pressure doubled. When I became social media editor, it increased more.

No one ever really knew to what extent, however.

It’s all about the image.

We’re taught to curate our portfolios, resumes, Twitters, Facebooks and LinkedIns. We attend

conferences, shake hands, exchange business cards and smile. We work on tight deadlines with lists of all the right interview questions. We accept awards and recognition without anyone knowing how many lines were crossed out, how many papers were ripped in two or how many tears were shed.

Our professors demand extensive detail, our editors demand quality work and our friends and families demand our time — I wasn’t willing to compromise any of those categories.

Sitting down to write became a chore. I hated the process. I knew what was going to take shape hours later just wasn’t going to be good enough.

It’s weird, really. The very thing I loved to do broke me.

But The Standard, the fellow editors and writers I’ve encountered along the way, have pieced me back

Editor-in-Chief Cortlynn Stark Fax: 417-836-6738 Standard@MissouriState.edu Cortlynn920@Live.MissouriState.edu www.the-standard.org News Editor Emily Cole The Standard is published on Cole221@Live.MissouriState.edu Tuesdays during the fall and Life Editor Nina Todea spring semesters.

Nina909@Live.MissouriState.edu

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together in a way I could have never imagined.

Those who say a newsroom is just a workplace have never stepped foot in one.

We’ve shared meals together, braided each other’s hair, gotten in heated arguments and seriously questioned our ability to work calmly and collectively when we’re all sleep deprived. It’s a family, and like in any family, you learn more about yourself than you might have expected.

Some say the traits we admire in others are the traits we wish we had.

I admire Amanda’s ability to lead and her perseverance when people who have no business telling her ‘No’ tell her ‘No.’ She’s a fighter, and I see her challenging the status quo.

Cortlynn’s voice of reason is inspiring. I joke that she u See TODEA, page 10

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Show Me State TERRY CHAPMAN Staff Reporter @TerryEChapman After five, long years of college, I’m finally done … kind of. While I’ve still got one more class to take over the summer (it’s math, yikes), I’m done with college for the foreseeable future.

My college experience, however, has been nothing short of exciting.

Soon, I’ll be holding my degree, and I’ll have a visual representation of my accomplishments.

I came to Missouri State University with a year of college already under my belt. When I came here, I remember thinking that everything was so big compared to my small university back home in Upstate New York. The summer prior, I had just changed my major to journalism after taking an internship in my new Illinois home.

My time here at MSU has given me so many opportunities to advance in my career field, and I will always be grateful for the people that have helped me to find that

success. Writing for The Standard and being given the opportunity to cover the religion beat has been incredible, while covering religion for KSMU has been nothing short of a dream come true.

I have been able to step into the role that I wanted as a journalist, and thanks to opportunity and hard work, the future is bright.

I was fortunate enough to spend my final year as a resident assistant at Kentwood (the best residence hall). This job was a test in every sense of the word, and challenged me in ways that I never expected. u Read the full story at the-standard. org

Thank you and goodbye, Missouri State University LAYNE STRACENER Senior Reporter @LayneStracener Only a few months ago, I was terrified to graduate. I was in denial, trying not to think about the impending end of my college years and beginning of real adulthood.

Family, friends and regulars at the grocery store I worked at constantly asked what I was doing after graduation.

I smiled and ignored the fear that overcame me every time. I was scared to leave this chapter of my life behind and begin a new chapter of uncertainties.

It seems like these past four years went by too fast until I look back to freshman year and I realize how much I’ve grown, as a journalist and as a person, and how much I’ll continue to grow if I allow myself to. I realize that nobody is “ready” until they let themselves be and that you can’t resist change and growth. I realize that I’m more than ready, even though goodbyes are always hard. There’s no way to find out what the future holds if I stay here forever. It’s been such a great experience, but it’s time to say thank you and goodbye.

Although life is filled

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with uncertainties, there’s one aspect of mine that’s been consistent ever since I joined my high school’s newspaper staff seven years ago. I love journalism. Going into college, though, I wasn’t completely sure that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I stuck with it, anyway. By the end of my freshman year, I was completely sure.

My classes and my time at The Standard grew my passion and solidified my decision to begin a journalism career, and I’m so grateful for it.

Thank you to my professors, especially in the Department of Media, Journalism and Film, for sharing your knowledge and passion and helping me grow as a journalist and as a person.

u Read the full story at the-standard. org

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THE STANDARD

life

TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2019 | THE-STANDARD.ORG

GRETA CROSS/THE STANDARD

An Artsfest attendee plays with a bubble wand in the Kid’s Art Zone on May 4. Leslie Forrester, executive director of Springfield Regional Arts Council, said the demographic range of the festival is wide — from college students, to young couples, to retirees, to people simply walking their dog.

Showcasing artists, Artsfest comes to Walnut once again ZOE BROWN Staff Reporter @zoe_zoebrown From Kimbrough to National Avenue, historic Walnut Street hosted full of original ANNUAL booths artwork, live perforARTSFEST mances by local musicians and people and dogs of all ages this weekend at the 39th annual Artsfest.

The two-day arts festival featured 125 artists, 60 musical performances and 20 non-profit organizations, according to Leslie Forrester, executive director of Springfield Regional Arts Council, who oversaw the event. She describes the event as being the kickoff to spring.

“Walnut Street is such a beautiful place to be in the spring,” Forrester said. “There’s incredible architecture which ties right in to art and culture.”

Walking down the street, there are not only diverse types of art but a wide range of smells — from barbecue to Italian to Peruvian. Passing by the colorful historic homes, singer-songwriters, musical theater acts and rock bands can be heard.

There’s a dual nature to Artsfest — the festival aims to support the community as well as artists.

Artsfest is put on in conjunction with SRAC and the Downtown Springfield Association. In total, about 20 staff members between the SRAC and the DSA help put on the event, along with about 150 volunteers, according to Forrester.

The revenue is split between the two organizations.

The SRAC’s revenue is invested into programming, supporting local artists, managing the Creamery Arts Center and reinvesting into Artsfest for the coming year, Forrester said.

39TH

Tent Theatre to include dedication for 56th season CONNOR WILSON Staff Reporter @Connor4Wilson Tent Theatre is entering it’s 56th season this coming summer. The typical format each season is two plays and one musical, but this season will see one more event: a dedication.

The dedication will honor Byrne Blackwood, one of the co-founders of Tent Theatre, who died in January. While Blackwood hasn’t held the role of managing director of Tent Theatre since his retirement, he held a continued presence in the arts scene of Springfield and was scheduled to design a set for the Springfield Regional Opera up to the day of his passing.

“That tent stands out there partly because of him,” said Mark Templeton, the current managing director of Tent Theatre.

“A lot of it helps fund our arts education programs which are specifically targeted to students who are at-risk and would not be able to afford arts experiences otherwise,” Forrester said. “The proceeds ultimately are being reinvested back into the community.”

However, Forrester said the primary goal of the festival is to ensure that artists make sales.

“We want to support artists to do what they do best,” Forrester said. “We want Artsfest to be a good destination for visitors and artists because if we don’t have artists who want to come, we don’t have a festival.”

Hosting both local and regional artists, Forrester said a lot of the artists at Artsfest tour the festival scene professionally. Each artist booth is different — some showcase paintings while others display pottery, jewelry, screen prints or photography.

“It’s incredibly inspiring to see not only their incredible work that they create, but the true passion and dedication to make that art their life,” Forrester said. “It takes so much work to do that, to be able to be creative and also business-minded, to be able to run a business that’s profitable.”

Janey Greene is an artist from Baldwin City, Kansas. Nearly every painting in Greene’s booth incorporates red, gray and black, making each one stand out against the white canvas booth they hang upon.

“I’m self-taught, so I have a lot of clean lines and bold colors, and the nearest I can come is an art deco style because of those factors,” Greene said.

This was Greene’s first year selling her art at Artsfest in Springfield. She said the organizers were “wonderful.”

“Sometimes, I’ve been to shows where they kind of act like they’re doing you a favor for you to be there, and at this show, they value the artists being here,” Greene said. “I really like that attitude.”

Alicia Mau, Missouri State University

Tent Theatre was founded in 1963 by Irene Coger, Robert Gilmore and Blackwood. There was no air conditioning in the auditorium at Missouri State University where plays were usually performed. During the summer, it was too hot to ask patrons to sit inside and watch. Templeton said Tent Theatre was born as the solution.

The gimmick of the tent had so much success that by the time air conditioning was added, summer plays continued to be performed in a tent outside, where it’s remained ever since.

Templeton said almost every year since its founding, Tent Theatre runs at full capacity, usually sold out. While there are many outdoor theater companies, not many are holding outdoor theater inside a tent.

“It’s very unusual in this day and age for a theater organization, especially an outdoor theater organization, to be around as long as we have,” Templeton said.

Templeton has been with MSU for 23 years, and only one other person has held the position before him— After holding the position for 35 years, Blackwood was ready to retire and began transitioning the role to Templeton.

“Throughout the years of being a friend, leaning on him for knowledge and everything he did for Tent, he was definitely a mentor,” Templeton said. “Just two people span the entire period from a management standpoint. A lot of

JAYLEN EARLY/THE STANDARD

Anna Winette crafts a wool art piece at Artsfest. The two-day arts festival featured 125 artists, 60 musical performances and 20 non-profit organizations, and is described as the “kickoff to spring.” alumna, was selling her art at Artsfest for the first time as well. She’s been selling art professionally for five years.

“I love how original everything is,” Mau said. “You don’t see a lot of commercially made things. This is real artwork here.”

In order to sell their art at the festival, artists must apply in January, provide photos of their work and be approved by a community jury. Artsfest typically receives around 300 applicants and chooses 125 artists, according to Rachel Johnson, director of exhibits and programming of SRAC. “We make sure the work is original,”

Johnson said. “We make sure it’s of high quality because we really want to showcase the best of the best.”

Aaron Inman, senior painting major at MSU, is a resident on Walnut Street. He said he’s enjoyed having the festival right outside his door.

“It’s interesting because I saw them last year, so to see them (the artists) come back and see the new work that they’ve done, kind of how they’ve progressed, I think is a great way to see local artists,” Inman said.

u See ARTSFEST, page 11

things he taught me about Tent Theatre histori“It was a total coincidence that we’re doing cally, things that were important to him, I still this show in his memory,” Templeton said. try to make sure I carry that torch to this day.”

The process to perform in Tent Theatre is a bit different from how students would get involved with performing in a usual play at MSU. As opposed to rehearsing months in advance, Tent Theatre performers have two weeks, six days each week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to rehearse.

Throughout the years of being a friend, Tent Theatre is a professional theater company rather than academic. Students from leaning on him for knowledge and universities all over the country are invited audition. Templeton said they will see upeverything he did for Tent, (Blackwood) to ward of 300 auditions, and they will cast just 33 actors this year. Ten of those 33 are stuwas definitely a mentor.” dents from different universities.

“We are in such a highly competitive field in This year, the three plays Tent Theatre will theater that our students must also be trained to be showcasing are “Grease,” “The Mousetrap,” compete, and there’s no better place to compete and “Catch Me If You Can.” Templeton said for a role than in Tent Theatre,” Templeton said. each play will be something special, with Another difference is that Tent Theatre can “Catch Me If You Can” featuring the star-pow- pay its actors, allowing stars like Crosby to parer of Broadway actor and local celebrity Kim ticipate and student actors grow their network.

Crosby, “The Mousetrap” being performed for Jenna Leavitt, a junior musical theatre major the first time at Tent Theatre, and “Grease” from MSU, is performing in this year’s producbeing the very play that was Blackwood’s most tion of “Grease” as the character Jan. Leavitt successful production of his career. has also performed in several MSU productions In addition to being Blackwood’s most suc- such as “Bare,” and found that she preferred cessful play he ever ran, this year “Grease” also Tent Theatre’s more intensive process. holds a heightened significance: this year’s performance will be dedicated to Blackwood. u See THEATRE, page 11

“

TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2019

THE STANDARD

THE-STANDARD.ORG 5 Macy Stevens, left, stands in front of her series of self portraits titled ‘’Affirmations.”

Stevens said the goal of her exhibit was to bring awareness to how women are treated in society.

Viki Thurman’s artwork, below, hangs on a wall. Thurman said mythological stories helped her express her emotions.

Creating job stability in art

I

Story by CARISSA ALFORD Photos by CLAYTON FRYE, STEVE TRAN

n two crowded, well-lit rooms, dozens of frames fill the walls. Every frame is filled with different colors, shapes and meaning.Brick City hosted a First Friday Art Walk on May 3. In addition to the art walk, Brick City showcased 25 senior art and design students’ work, which ranged from oil paintings, to photography, to cartoons.

Missouri State University senior Macy Stevens’ exhibit, called “Affirmations,” is a projection sheet series. Stevens said the goal of her exhibit was to bring awareness to how women are treated in society.

Six photographs were lined up side-by-side. In black and white, Stevens used herself as the model.

“I took an old projector and projected words onto me that sort of defined how I view myself,” Stevens, an art and photography major said.

In her own handwriting, she wrote words that had been said to her or that she told herself. In the photographs, these words are ominously floating over her figure.

Underneath the photographs were small placards with short phrases ingrained into them that were the opposite

An exhibition attendee, above, views the senior showcase pieces.

Crystal Skram, left, poses in front of her body of work. Student artists graduating with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts exhibited their work in the annual Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Exhibition in Brick City.

of what was projected. Hanging next to every picture The Senior Exhibition is run by seniors in the Bachwas a magnifying glass. elor of Fine Arts program with the help of Gallery Stevens said she wanted to show mental health issues Director Robin Lowe. that stem from the roles society puts on women and The exhibition gives seniors a chance to showcase what is asked of women. their art and connect with other artists in the Ozarks. “(The exhibit) is my working through that and trying One of the bigger challenges surrounding the decision to change my own narrative and take charge of my own story, instead of having that defined for me,” Stevens said. u See BFA, page 10

6

THE STANDARD

sports

TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2019 | THE-STANDARD.ORG

Third school’s the charm

Missouri State’s third baseman moves from Illinois to South Carolina to Missouri for baseball CLAIRE NIEBRUGGE Senior Sports Reporter @claireniebrugge The Bears’ transfer third baseman played organized baseball since the age of four.

“When I was in diapers, I’d be hitting any ball I could off of a tee,” sophomore Joey Polak said.

Baseball is in Joey’s blood. His father, Rich Polak, played ball at the University of Central Florida for four years before being drafted by the New York Yankees in 1989, where he played in the farm system for six years.

Joey said he had the best time playing baseball in high school. He said he was fortunate enough to play varsity all four years and was blessed with a great coaching staff and teammates.

“My favorite memory is when we won the regional championship my junior year because we beat the team who beat us the previous year,” Joey said.

The Quincy, Illinois, product was ranked fifth in the state of Illinois for third basemen in his graduating class and 10th-best overall recruit, according to Perfect Game.

Several Division I schools, including Mizzou, Louisville and South Carolina, looked at Joey.

He chose to commit early to the University of South Carolina.

Joey said he loved it there — from the coaches, to the players, to the environment. He said a big factor weighing in South Carolina’s favor was their sports administration program, which is one of the best in the country, according to Joey.

He decided to redshirt his first year as a Gamecock, due to a knee injury in the fall of 2016, where he had to have surgery to clean up his knee.

After one year on the roster, Joey decided to change things up by transferring to Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri.

Joey’s high school coach knew Jefferson’s head coach at the time, Pat Evers, and everything fell into place from there. Many of Joey’s teammates from summer baseball were playing at Jeff Co, so Joey felt it was the right decision for him. He didn’t want to have to sit another year.

“I knew a bunch of people there, and it worked out that I would get to play right away,” Joey said.

But, Joey said it was not an easy decision for him to make.

“To leave a beautiful environment for a junior college in the middle of nowhere Missouri, it’s hard,” Joey said. “It ended up being a really good decision for me, so I don’t regret it at all.”

While it might have been a tough choice, Joey had an outstanding one-and-done season as a Viking.

After slugging 32 home runs and driving home 107 runners, Joey helped lead the Vikings to a regional title in 2018 behind his .459 batting average.

Following the 2018 season, Joey was named the NJCAA Division I Player of the Year.

Joey’s outstanding junior college debut season did not get past the eyes of both Missouri State head coach Keith Guttin and assistant coach Matt Lawson.

Guttin said he and Lawson went to watch

NCAA adopts new recruiting rules for Division I sports CLAIRE NIEBRUGGE Senior Sports Reporter @claireniebrugge The NCAA Division I council set new recruiting rules in place on April 19, allowing contact between prospects and coaches to begin immediately after sophomore year.

The new changes do not affect basketball, football, baseball, softball, hockey or lacrosse.

They do affect every other sport, however.

Communication, either to or from coaches, may now begin on June 15 after sophomore year of high school, while visits and off-campus contact are allowed starting Aug. 1 before the athlete’s junior year of high school.

Now that the summer before junior year is available to coaches, they will be putting in more work recruiting during the summer months, spending more time visiting athletes.

Missouri State women’s tennis coach Mallory Weber said she’s anxious to see how the new rules play out over the next couple years.

“I’ll almost be recruiting two classes at once because of the overlap,” Weber said. “It’s going to take some time to adjust anyone will be able to tell whether or not these changes were good, bad or indifferent.”

Weber said she will now need a firm list of prospective student-athletes by the time they are juniors instead of after their junior season.

“Normally, I was recruiting heavy at the end of junior year when kids were 17, about to turn 18,” Weber said. “I felt like they had a pretty good idea of what they wanted at that age. I’m not convinced that a 15 or 16-year-old does.”

According to Justin Sell, chairman of the Student-Athlete Experience Committee and athletic director at South Dakota State, the proposal hopes to eliminate athletes who are freshmen and younger from being recruited while still providing access to prospective student-athletes early enough that they can make the best decision for themselves, both financially and educationally. u See NCAA, page 8

Photos by BRENNA LUMLEY/THE STANDARD

(Above) Joey Polak, a junior infielder, makes his way back to third base.

(Left) Polak fist bumps the first base coach for the Bears.

Polak played at South Carolina and Jefferson College before playing at Missouri State.

Joey in back-to-back games and were impressed with him. Guttin was looking to replace former Bears third baseman Matt Brown and said he thought Joey could be the guy to come in and help out.

Joey said it did not take much convincing to come to Missouri State. He said he knew the culture and expectations, and he wanted to be a part of it.

“Once I took my visit here, I knew this is where I wanted to be,” Joey said.

The sophomore has started 42 of 43 games this season and is batting .219 behind 25 RBIs in his first year as a Bear.

Joey’s seven home runs this spring puts him in second among Missouri State players and seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Guttin said Joey has shown a lot of great effort this season, but like his teammates, has not been very consistent at the plate as of late. Guttin said he’s hoping Joey will get hot down the stretch.

Joey said going from junior college ball to Division I ball is not all that different. He said

he faced several great arms at the junior college level — the big difference for him is his maturity at the plate.

“I’ve had to make a lot of adjustments, and I still am making those adjustments,” Joey said.

The beginning of April was a red-hot time for Joey. From April 2-12, he clubbed a 7-game hitting streak and from April 2-6 he collected four consecutive multi-hit games.

On April 5 at Southern Illinois, Joey became the ninth Bear in program history to record three home runs in a single game.

The following week, Joey was named the Missouri Valley Player of Week and one of Collegiate Baseball’s National Players of Week.

The national honor is the first for a Bear since Jake Burger in 2017.

As for the atmosphere at Missouri State, Joey said he has really enjoyed this season so far and there’s nothing he’d take back.

Joey played summer baseball with Ben Whetstone, Drew Millas and Collin Clayton before they became his teammates, and he said

it’s nice when friendly paths cross again.

Clayton said he has been friends with Joey since their sophomore year of high school when they played summer ball for the St. Louis Pirates, though, ironically, they used to play each other in middle school.

“When I saw Joey had committed here, I was so excited,” Clayton said. “I knew he was going to be my roommate.”

Clayton said Joey is his sounding board, the person he can talk through his struggles with.

“He is the dad off the field,’’ Clayton said.

“He manages me and my other roommate, keeping us in line and I couldn’t thank him enough for that. He’s great.”

Guttin sees that side of Joey, as well.

“He’s a really good teammate, well-liked, takes care of business on campus and is such a pleasure to be around,” Guttin said.

Joey was very honest and said he finds it hard sometimes to juggle school with being a Division I athlete.

He said his professors are very helpful and there is an open line of communication between him and his professors. Joey said he met with a professor directly before the Dallas Baptist game on May 2. He said it’s all about balance.

From the atmosphere on campus to the vibe on the field, Joey said he has loved every moment of being a Bear.

“From day one, there’s been a precedent here that we’re determined to be the best team we can be,” Joey said. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Track heads to conference championships CLAIRE NIEBRUGGE Senior Sports Reporter @claireniebrugge Missouri State’s track and field team will travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, for the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Championships on May 10-12.

Back in February, the team competed in the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships, finishing sixth among the 10 teams.

Interim head coach Jordan Fife expects his team to perform better at the outdoor championships than they did at indoor, based on their outdoor season so far.

At the Mizzou Open in early April, the Bears came home with 19 top-five finishes.

Since then, the athletes seem to reset their personal bests at each meet, running faster and jumping higher.

On April 24-27 at the Drake Relays, junior Grace Breiten placed first among collegiate athletes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, the 4x100-meter relay placed second in the finals, senior Taryn Smiley placed fifth in the 100-meter dash finals and the 4x800-meter relay set a new school record.

Fife said Drake Relays was a good confidence booster, showing his athletes they are just as good, if not better than people they have thought of as unreachable in the past.

“It’s key to stay confident these next couple weeks and know that what we’ve done up to this point has been really good, but we’re going to have to do it at the conference championship,” Fife said.

Fife said his team is most successful when every event area is doing well. He said the team feeds off each other, and it’s good to see the distance runners cheering hard during the sprint races and vice versa.

Fife said though he expects the team to be very competitive and perform well in their events, he doesn’t see a top-three team finish in their future this season.

“The fact is, we’re still not a very deep team,” Fife said. “That’s a pretty tall order to Instead of having three or four athletes on finish in the top three at conference. We just the top-10 list, Missouri State may only have don’t have enough bodies competing.” one or two. That makes a big difference when

Photos by JAYLEN EARLY/THE STANDARD

(Above) The track team complete speed workouts to prepare for the upcoming conference meet.

(Left) Freshman Namibia Clavier sprints to the finish line.

it comes to the team standings.

Missouri State has a fairly small roster this spring, compared to previous seasons, due to turnover. Some athletes graduated, some were lost through transfer and some recruits never showed up to campus.

Fife said some event areas were not as heavily recruited as they probably should have been over the summer. The current staff, who arrived in August, is working hard with the athletes they do have.

The outdoor championships begin on Friday, May 10, with the heptathlon, hammer throw, javelin throw, 1,500-meter run, 200-meter dash and 10,000-meter run.

A complete schedule of events can be found online at www.mvc-sports.com on the outdoor track and field page.

TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2019

THE STANDARD

THE-STANDARD.ORG 7

800 wins preceeded by love, kindness, passion DEREK SHORE Sports Reporter @D_Shore23 She has spent the majority of her life living a dream, from playing college softball to coaching the sports she loves.

Good luck trying to pull Missouri State head coach Holly Hesse away from the game she has been around since 1978 — preparing student-athletes for the real world while adding wins to her illustrious resume.

“I came to college and never left,” Hesse said. “It has been an amazing career. I have been very blessed.”

She has certainly been a mainstay as the Bears’ head softball ball coach, and that longevity recently paid off with an elusive milestone.

Hesse, who is about to complete her 31st season as Missouri State’s softball coach, is the second-winningest coach in Missouri Valley Conference history and the winningest coach in the Bears’ softball annals.

With a 3-2 walk-off victory over Northern Iowa on March 24, she recorded her 800th career victory.

Hesse said she never thought she’d make it to this point in her career. She said 750 was the win goal she was after, but as the years piled on and the closer she got to the 800-win plateau, she kept wanting to return as the head coach.

Hesse kept coming back because she was having fun and her passion for the game never wavered. “(800 wins is a product) of a long career — being persistent,” Hesse said. “Hanging in there through the tough years and having a great staff.

I couldn’t be more fortunate to have (associate head coaches) Sue Frederick and Beth Perine.

They have been a huge part of that success.

“I often tell them, ‘Hey as long you keep doing all the work — I’ll keep taking all the credit.’ We complement each other so well and the quality student-athletes we recruit. The talent and the hard work they put in makes it work.”

Missouri State senior Kyana Mason said the passion and the way she prepares players not only on the softball field, but in life as well, makes Hesse a great coach.

Quigley said her passion for the sport and love for her players is what set her apart from the rest.

Hesse’s career records stands at 809-786 and includes two regular-season Valley championships, five Valley tournament championships and five NCAA Tournament appearances. Under her tenure, her Bears own a record of 72 wins in the Valley tournament and have produced 34 first-team All-Conference selections and 10 Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame inductees.

That is not even scratching the surface of her resume.

She won 161 games as a pitcher for Waukon High School in Iowa and she helped Creighton reach three straight College World Series, including the first-ever NCAA Women’s College World Series in 1982 during her playing career.

“Creighton at that time was a powerhouse,” Hesse said.

After graduating, Hesse went to the University of Massachusetts and worked there as an assistant pitching coach under Hall of Famer Elaine Sortino, who won over 1,000 games at the collegiate level.

She then had a two-year stop at Iowa State and returned to Creighton as a coach where she was inspired by her former coach, Mary Higgins.

“Six years as an assistant coach was very positive,” Hesse said. “Those 10 years total of Division 1 softball as a player and assistant, I love being in the college setting.”

However, Hesse said her first season at Missouri State was a humbling and learning experience.

The team went 11-38 in her first year at the helm.

“When I took over the program, the year before they were 16-32,” Hesse said. “I thought, ‘It will be easy to beat that.’ It was the first time I have ever failed miserably. Maybe more than anything it opened my eyes up to, ‘Hey, it is not all about winning.’

BRENNA LUMLEY/THE STANDARD “It is about the journey. It is about the dayto-day grind and enjoying the student-athlete.

Holly Hesse is coaching her 31st season at Missouri State.

I learned as much from that team as I have been “She cares about us as people and not just Former Missouri State standout Bethany a part of.” athletes,” Mason said. “She prepares us for life Sullinger, now Quigley, said Hesse is considered after sports.” one of the greats in the softball community. u See HESSE, page 8

Softball draws five-seed for MVC Championship

Missouri State would tack on two more runs thanks to a two-run double by freshman Rachel Weber.

In the circle, Dickerson was once again lights out for the Bears. The right-hander allowed one run over nine innings, walking two and striking out three to pick up her 20th victory.

“This was a heck of an effort by Steffany,” Hesse said. “I thought she was phenomenal.

Our defense was perfect today, and they came up with big play after big play with the game in the balance. We bent but never broke, and that’s the kind of fight it’s going to take heading into next week’s conference tournament.”

The victory lifted Missouri State to back-toback 30-win seasons for the first time since the program made three-straight NCAA tournaments from 1996-1998.

The Bears will draw the No. 5 seed as they BRENNA LUMLEY/THE STANDARD open play in the 2019 Missouri Valley ConKyana Mason watches the pitch ference Championship in Peoria, Illinois, on from second base.

May 9.

Missouri State will play the winner of No. tie. It came on the heels of an Indiana State 8 Evansville-No. 9 Indiana State game, who error that put Mason aboard with one out. face off in the opening round on May 8.

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Missouri State finished out the 2019 campaign this weekend with a three-game set at Indiana State from May 3-4.

On Friday, the Bears collected 10 hits and received a quality pitching effort from sophomore Steffany Dickerson in a one-sided, 7-1, victory in game one of Friday’s doubleheader against the Sycamores.

Indiana State held off a late surge by Missouri State to win game two, 2-1.

“I thought we really attacked the ball in the first game and put pressure on them for seven innings,” head coach Holly Hesse said. “We barreled up some balls in game two, but just hit them right at them. Eventually they put up a couple of runs, and we really didn’t threaten until the last inning, but I was proud of the way we went down with a fight.”

In game one, sophomore Daphne Plummer went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, and Dickerson went six strong innings in the circle to lead the Bears to the convincing win.

Missouri State expanded an early 3-1 advantage by manufacturing four runs on five hits in the fourth inning to put the game out of reach.

Freshman Alex Boze and junior Darby Joerling started the outburst with base hits before senior Kyana Mason sacrificed them into scoring position. Freshman Payton Minnis then blasted a two-run single to left to put the Bears ahead 5-1.

In game two, Missouri State had the Sycamores on the ropes late. Down by two in the final inning, the Bears loaded the bases, scratching across a run but Indiana State retired the final two hitters of the day to squeak past with the 2-1 win.

Missouri State left seven runners on base and tallied only five hits in the final game of the doubleheader. Junior Erin Griesbauer took the hard-luck loss, throwing 4.1 innings and giving up one earned run.

To finish out the season, sophomore Madison Hunsaker lifted the Bears past the Sycamores 4-1 in a extra-inning victory on Saturday.

Hunsaker recorded a two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth which broke up a 1-1

TH

DEREK SHORE Sports Reporter @D_Shore23

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8 THE-STANDARD.ORG

NCAA Continued from page 6

Casey Hunt, senior associate director of athletics at Missouri State, said while it’s the job of the coaches to make sure they are following their compliance calendars, she reiterates to them when they can begin recruiting and when new legislation is passed.

Missouri State Athletics uses JumpForward, a recruiting and sports management software program, for the coaches to use during

THE STANDARD their recruiting period.

Coaches must log every time they go out to evaluate a prospect, call a prospect, etc. Every recruiting measure a coach takes must be logged into the program.

If a coach makes an illegal phone call or evaluation, during a quiet time or before the recruiting period starts, Hunt receives a message saying there might be illegal recruiting activity.

“Accountability is huge,” Hunt said. “While yes, we’re monitoring it, the coaches are being held accountable. If a coach is out when they aren’t supposed to, I can guarantee I’m going to get a phone call telling me I

have a coach out when they shouldn’t have been.”

Hunt said she keeps tabs on what coaches are doing, but at the end of the day, it is up to them to make sure they are being compliant with the NCAA recruiting guidelines.

She said sometimes there is a new coach or an assistant coach who accidently makes a call when they already called once earlier in the week but those problems are few and far between.

“I have not had any NCAA violations this past academic year with regards to recruiting violations or anything along those lines,” Hunt said.

Small recruiting infractions, such

TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2019 as evaluating an athlete off-campus, are considered level three violations.

These violations are written up and documented. Most of the time, the punishment is rules education, Hunt said.

This means, if a coach plans to visit and evaluate a prospective student-athlete 12 times, they would only be allowed to go 11 times because of their violation.

Hunt said for the most part, these violations are not made public, they are only reported to the NCAA. She would then sit down with the coach who made the error and help educate them on when they can and cannot contact and athlete.

A level one violation would be a severe breach of misconduct where the NCAA would investigate thoroughly and more severe punishments would be given. An example of this would be academic fraud or paying recruits.

“The key thing in the recruiting process is that we don’t just go out and recruit kids,” Hunt said. “Our coaches have the obligation to education prospects on the frontside about eligibility, graduation rates, our philosophy and our mission statement. If you follow all the compliance rules, violations will be very limited in spectrum down the line.”

HESSE Continued from page 7

Four years later, the Bears won the Valley, which would be the start of an excellent run through the 1990s.

From 1994 to 1998, Hesse’s teams averaged 32 wins, won an MVC regular-season title and three tourney championships, plus advanced to three NCAA Tournaments — 1996, 1997 and 1998. The 1996 NCAA appearance was the first for Missouri State since 1983.

The 2006 team earned a program-record 40 wins and advanced to the Los Angeles regional of the NCAA Tournament. The 2011 team was the last Bears’ team to reach the NCAA Tournament.

Hesse said starting out she thought she would only be at Missouri State for five to seven years and then move on.

But she simply fell in love with the school.

“I had great fortune to have (former Missouri State Director of Athletics) Mary Jo Wynn as a boss for my first 10 years here,” Hesse said.

“I felt Missouri State was committed to women’s athletics and very committed to the sport of softball.”

Through all the ups and downs that come with being a head coach, Hesse said establishing a culture based on love, kindness, trust and respect is what has helped create a winning atmosphere.

“We expect everybody within our program to live within those principles,” Hesse said. “I’m a big believer that love and kindness are the two most harmonizing principles.”

Another factor is the challenges of being a college player and recruiting education-minded athletes. She also came out with a coaching book in 2003 called, “The Diamond of

Photos by BRENNA LUMLEY/ THE STANDARD

Holly Hesse talks with her players during a game.

Hesse has over 800 wins at Missouri State.

Success: A Philosophical Model for Coaching.”

“It is the philosophy of our program,” Hesse said. “Everybody in the program knows it. Everybody understands it. It is about developing student-athletes physically, mentally, emotionally, morally and socially. As we develop the total person, they go on to do great things both on and off the field.”

Quigley said the Diamond of Success is Hesse’s recipe, position by position, to help build successful, winning programs.

Mason said Hesse gives the players many tools to use in mental training.

She said mental toughness is the biggest thing she has learned from Hesse.

“This has helped on the field with being able to take deep breaths and calm myself in high pressure situations,” Mason said. “Off the field, I take those same skills and I’m able to handle any adversity that comes my way.”

As a graduating senior, Mason said she will remember Hesse’s competitiveness the most, especially when she is pitching to players in practice.

Quigley said her “all-time favorite” memory of Hesse was in practice when the team was working on bunting. “In true Holly form,” she was throwing 70 mph and expected the players to put down a successful bunt every pitch.

“There must have been something

in the water jug because I swear not one of us could get a bunt down,” Quigley said. “Each time we missed, our punishment was a dead sprint to the foul pole and back. She would yell, ‘Keep on running’ after each miss. It was one of those where you had to be there, but it easily became our running joke for the next three years.”

Quigley said she learned a tremendous amount from Hesse about softball, but that is nothing compared to what she taught her about life.

“Holly is a stand-up woman, who always follows the rules and chooses to do the right thing even when it is not the easiest,” Quigley said. “She

taught me how to balance my love for the game and my love for life.”

After accomplishing her 800th win, Hesse is trying to figure out what’s her next milestone ahead in her career as a coach.

“That is a good question,” Hesse said. “Really, at this point in my career and at the end of every year, I ask myself, ‘Am I really the best person to lead this program? Do I still have the energy and the passion?

Am I still the best person to lead Missouri State softball?’

“As long as the answer to that question is yes, I’m going to keep coaching. And the day when that answer is no, that is the day I will step away.”

TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2019

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MEMORIAL IMPACT Continued from page 1

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invitations to the memorial service. She adds in her contact information and hopes they contact her to share the stories and photos of their loved ones.

“I feel like I know a lot about them, and I feel so much for their families,” Childress said. “I have two daughters of my own and I cannot imagine what these families go through. ... It gets pretty emotional.”

Childress said the hardest part of collecting information for the reading of the names, which was done by the Dean of Students Thomas Lane, is not finding any information about someone.

“Sometimes I can’t find information on people, and that’s what really breaks my heart,” Childress said. “It’s so sad to me that I don’t know who’s here that cared about them.”

Regardless, she makes sure to include something about every person in the reading to ensure no one is forgotten.

“We want to put that human side on it, so you can see that person’s face,” Letterman said.

Whether they were students, faculty or staff, there were little pieces of each person brought to Missouri State.

“We are no one thing — the idea of a uni-versity is odd — we are very much a multi-versity, an effective whole created by many individual parts,” Embree said.

“Missouri State is more than a college — more than a university — we’re a community,” Pavlick said.

was a variety of sessions for people to go to,” Halbert said.

One breakout session, titled “Mindful Spirits,” addressed ways students can use mindfulness to treat substance abuse.

Presenters Calli Romero and Rhonda Ferguson shared that binge drinking is a common coping mechanism for college students dealing with stress and anxiety.

They said it often leads to more problems such as academic failure, memory issues or failing relationships with family and friends.

“When we talk about mindfulness in terms of focusing internally, less on your five senses, when you’re paying attention to what’s going on in your mind, what’s coming up for you, what you’re feeling, it’s just allowing yourself to be where you’re at without trying to change it or judge it,” Romero said.

Ferguson and Romero pointed out that mindfulness leads to improved emotional well-being, social function, and reduces stress and other negative emotions.

Students, practitioners, instructors and counselors from the Counseling Center all joined in on the conversation with some audience members pointing out apps like “Calm,” used for meditation, that can aid in being more mindful.

Other breakout sessions included “Understanding the Effects of TraumaBased Moral Injury” presented by Tommy Goode, “What Parents Need to Know about Athletes and Mental Health” presented by Priscilla Childress and Mary Jane Holmes, and “The Impact of Social Media Usage on Missouri State University Student’s Mental Health” presented by McKenzie Mathewson.

Throughout the day-long conference, Missouri State students also served on panels to talk about their own experiences with mental health.

In a press release from the university, Dean of Students Thomas Lane said the summit’s purpose was to leave attendants with a better understanding of mental health concerns and the best strategies for college students who are dealing with them.

Presentations like Ferguson and Romero’s aimed to accomplish this.

“Some students feel that what they’re feeling is normal. They think it’s normal to be this stressed, and then, they don’t seek help,” Romero said.

Kathy Rigger with Speak Up Springfield hopes that after attending the Impact Summit, students who are struggling with mental health know there is help and that they should reach out.

She said she believes that the key to destigmatizing the conversation around men-

TUITION Continued from page 1

During an April 17 Executive Committee meeting, the Missouri State Board of Governors approved a tuition increase for the next school year.

A 5 percent increase was approved during the meeting. A final decision on the increase will come in June.

DeBoef said this week the university’s executive budget committee will meet to develop budget recommendations to present to the Board of Governors. Specific recommendations about next year’s tuition will be included. How much of an increase students will see depends on the approved state funding.

In a previous article, The Standard reported that increased tuition could see Missouri undergraduate students paying $11 more per credit hour, creating an approximate increase of $374 per year.

However, even with an increase, MSU will remain one of the least expensive schools in the state.

THE-STANDARD.ORG 9

Astin’ all the questions Q&A with actor Sean Astin tal health is by starting the conversation, despite how uncomfortable it might be.

Other organizations in the community also showed their support for mental health awareness by setting up tables in the Plaster Student Union and sharing their organization’s goals.

An exhibit called “It Knows No Face” was also featured at the Impact Summit, and it was comprised of photography from founder of 7 Billion Ones, Randy Bacon.

The photographs included portraits of suicide survivors and family members of those who have committed suicide.

To end the day, Astin, who is known for his role in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, gave a closing keynote speech full of anecdotal experiences and his observations related to mental health.

The PSU Theater was filled with cheering fans in the audience.

Astin said that it’s this “built in affinity” people have for him as an actor that makes the conversation different than most.

Often times when he comes to a university, he speaks about performance, careers and acting techniques, but this time he got more questions on mental health than any other topic.

“This time, 85 percent of the questions had to do with the topic of the day which is mental health, and they were all insightful, right on the point of what it is I’ve experienced and observed, so the conversation is at altitude from the second you start,” Astin said. “I’d say the ‘Get Out of Jail free card’ when you’re dealing with mental health issues is openness, and it’s so scary and hard for people and understandably so.”

One of the points made throughout the day and in the keynotes was to open up a dialogue which includes listening to one another.

Astin shared a story where he met one young fan at a convention who “had a look about her” that told him she wasn’t okay, and how a 30 minute conversation prevented her from dying by suicide that day.

Astin said the point of his story was to show that without inconveniencing one’s self too much one can make a difference in people’s lives.

One attendant of the closing keynote said that although Astin isn’t an expert in mental health, he is “an expert in human compassion.”

“Wouldn’t it be cool if all you needed to be a superhero was to listen to someone’s anecdote,” Astin said. “If we want to destigmatize mental illness, one strategy I arrived at was to deputize people into feeling that they are actually capable of helping other people.”

Q: Why is mental health such a passionate subject for you?

“Like most people, mental illness has touched my family. With me, it would be as a very famous woman who took the opportunity of being diagnosed in line of her fame and made it a part of her life.

I just feel comfortable talking about it. I feel like I know a lot about it. We can all make things a little bit easier if we know just a little bit more. If I can participate in that process, it’s my privilege and honor to do so.”

Q: Why do you think it is important to create a dialogue in the community and, more importantly, in colleges about mental health?

“People are looking for a little bit of support, some tools. Even if the primary thing that people get is, sensitivity to what other people are experiencing, even if it’s the people who are have the mental health challenge themselves. Even that group of people can be sensitive to the issues that folks who don’t know what that’s like are going through. It’s really a question of humility and sensitivity. Where else are we going to learn but when people create forums to explore it?

Human beings have an instinct to care about each other. We often suppress it, but it’s there. It’s in everyone’s interest to nurture the compassion chip. The most effective way to do that is to bring people together in an environment that’s focused and helpful.”

Q: Why do you think it is important to talk about fighting stigma, mental illness in schools and colleges and reaching the younger generation?

“Our communities are different now than they have been before. People go from point A to point B with their earphones in; and they’re looking at their phones, and I don’t judge it. There’s a lot of important stuff happening on a lot of layers when we’re looking at our phones, but it does kinda isolate us a little bit sometimes.

In my experience, students are the most open-minded people and the most agile people to accept new ideas and because mental health treatments are advancing at light speed, it’s important for the communities’ understanding of them to keep pace.”

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BFA

STARK

to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts is the chances of finding a job after school.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2018 the average salary for someone with a craft and fine arts job was $48,960.

However, Lowe said job rates depend on the medium the artist chooses.

She said students who major in animation have multiple job opportunities, but a photographer or an artist has to create their own business.

Stevens said she is looking into art book publishing, teaching, fine art photography or product photography. She said she is overwhelmed with all the job opportunities awaiting her.

“If you look around you, everything had to be designed by somebody,” Stevens said. “It had to be fabricated by somebody, so there are artists everywhere.”

She said most people think fine arts students can never find a job because of their skills, but that isn’t the case.

“We need designers, we need painters, we need big-idea people that had to go through some sort of freedom journey, whether that was college or taking it on themselves to learn their craft,” Stevens said.

She said she creates art for her mental health and does not know where she would be without her work.

On the flip side, senior Jordan Seyer said the career door is not wide open.

Double majoring in painting and art history, Seyer hopes to work at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, and teach painting.

“My job market is fairly small if

writer. You’re also going to do great things in Jeff City.

To Bill, thank you for transforming our website and putting up with my sometimes-scattered brain while planning social media. I’m excited to see what you do with video next year.

To Kaitlyn, thank you for taking some of the best basketball photos I’ve seen and for always bringing great tweets on Mondays. I hope you have fun as photo editor next year.

To Amanda, thank you for your excitement and excellent sports coverage. I know it was exhausting at times, but you did great, and you’ll continue to do so.

And thank you to all of you for your friendship.

Thank you to our entire staff, who’ve grown tremendously as journalists. I’m so excited to follow each of your careers.

But perhaps the person to influence me at The Standard the most over the last four years is our adviser, Jack

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TODEA Continued from page 3

doesn’t have a biased bone in her body, but that’s a serious testament of her ability to listen and discern.

We need more of that.

I admire Emily’s bravery. She’s conquered fears that might’ve held her back from the news editor position two years ago, and I’m glad she did. I can’t imagine working next to anyone else.

I admire Kaitlyn’s creative perspective and humor. She never fails to make me laugh at 8 a.m., and I think most people feel that way

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“Internal Deities” by Arianna Ponder hangs on the wall at the annual Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Exhibition.

I’m being honest,” Seyer said. “I’m still sticking to it because it’s something I love to do.”

She said her aspirations in life do not directly correlate with her fine arts degree, but she still believes what her future holds is crucial for future artists and art consumers.

“I think being in a museum and teaching people about art and art history is really important because without art history, you don’t have a basis for

what is being created today,” Seyer said.

Seyer is a gallery assistant at Brick City; her work was not on display for the Senior Exhibition and art walk.

Even though she did not show off her art, Seyer said she enjoys looking at what other artists have created.

While the job market is not open to all artists, Seyer said the fine arts program at MSU creates a close-knit community who support each other inside and outside the program.

around her. She exudes joy and a bubbling, creative outlook on life and photojournalism.

Bill’s sense of adventure and carefree spirit have a sense of timelessness.

He’s not afraid to step out of his comfort zone and go shoot a wild concert or take an unsuspecting road trip.

Along the way, I’ve also encountered incredible mentors. I owe so much of my journalism ability to Jennifer Moore, who taught me how to storytell with grace and compassion. She was approachable at any hour with words of encouragement and genuine happiness.

Sure, I’ve tailored my writing style, and I know how to critically report and take a good photo. But I

wouldn’t be telling you the full story if I stopped there.

It would be an understatement to say they’ve taught me how to be a better person. It’s in that old office that I learned vulnerability, honesty, patience and kindness. They’ve embraced me with mercy and forgiveness when I messed up and happiness and cheer when I succeeded. I can’t say thank you enough.

Most importantly, I’ve learned that obsessing about “perfection” — however you wish to interpret it — isn’t what brings about the best results.

And if this somehow happened to be the only lesson I took with me from four years and too many credit hours, I would be perfectly happy with it.

COLE

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Amanda, Nina, Cortlynn, Kaitlyn, Bill and Hanna have become one of my favorite groups of people.

I learned so much from each of them, and I owe parts of my growth as a journalist and as a person to them.

We spent way too much time together sometimes, but I wouldn’t take back an hour of it.

I feel like this column was supposed to be about my time at the paper, talking about my work and my progress as a journalist, but when I think about saying goodbye to The Standard, I’m really thinking about saying goodbye to them, and how thankful I am to have worked with them.

I’m grateful to Bill and Kaitlyn for endless puns and funny tweets and Smarties and all the effort they put in to bring visuals to our words.

I wish we had gotten to spend more time together. The newsroom would be a duller place without them.

I’m grateful to Hanna for all of the help she gave me as my deputy news editor in the fall semester. I couldn’t have survived without her,

Dimond. So thank you, Jack. You’ve taught me about saving for retirement, given me vital career advice and written me recommendation letter after recommendation letter. When I was a freshman, you showed me how I could improve as a journalist and have always been around to answer questions, whether those be about journalism or my finances.

To The Standard’s readers: Thank you for reading the work that we put out. We do this work for you: the campus community. Like I said in my first column as editor-in-chief, “We are here to find the stories that matter to you, report the facts and do so with accountability and transparency.” The Standard, under new Editor-in-Chief Sarah Teague, will continue to do so. As you have before, continue to hold The Standard accountable.

After all, it is there for you.

That’s a mission I’m excited to continue serving: the public.

The first point in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics is to “seek the truth and report it.”

I’m going to spend the rest of my career doing so.

I’m glad I didn’t change my major.

and honestly I don’t know how I made it through the spring alone.

I’m grateful to Amanda for her friendship, an inspiring amount of dedication and for indulging my Chick-fil-A addiction. I admire her leadership. I can’t wait to see how far she’ll go.

I’m grateful to Nina for her attention to detail, and for pushing me to be a better designer, editor and journalist. I look forward to exploring the next step in our careers, together, in Jefferson City.

Last, but not at all least, I’m grateful to Cortlynn for her leadership, passion and talent. Of course, I’m also grateful she decided to give me my amazing job. I owe a lot to her. I can’t wait to celebrate her first Pulitzer Prize win 10 years from now.

I’m so grateful for the entire Standard staff, past and present, even those I didn’t know well, for allowing me to be a part of this amazing group. To be led by, and lead, promising future journalists.

Knowing I had any affect on this paper or this staff is the most rewarding thing to come from my time at Missouri State.

I can’t wait to see you all continue to grow and #SetTheStandard for journalism. Thank you.

TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2019

ARTSFEST

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‘High Life’ is an interstellar odyssey steeped in blood, sex

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Inman describes the atmosphere of Artsfest as very easy-going.

“It seems like everybody’s here to have a good time,” Inman said.

Forrester said the demographic range of the festival is wide — from college students, to young couples, to retirees to people simply walking their dog. One artist kept a water bowl in her booth for festival-going dogs.

“We see a lot of young families with kids because we do specifically create activities for them,” Forrester said.

Johnson organized the kids area of the festival. The interactive kids area had crafts, games and giant bubble blowing.

“I would really like to see that grow,” Johnson said. “In the past, we’ve traditionally had just a kids craft. This year, I’m adding a couple big interactives.”

One interactive activity was a mural of blank faces where kids and families could use paint pens to add their own face to the mural.

In the future, Johnson said she’d like to add a kids art area to showcase blossoming young artists.

Forrester said SRAC wants Artsfest to become a destination for tourists and an attraction tool for people who might want to move to Springfield.

“We want you to always want come back and see what’s new,” Forrester said.

DAVID WHEELER Critic @DontTellThe_Elf The new film from French writer-director Claire Denis — here with her first fully English-language feature film — readily signals her reputation as a provocateur. Now, as a female director in her 70s, I almost want to individually — ignoring the film’s merits for a moment — applaud her for making an arthouse science-fiction film that summarily blows everything else out of the water considering the sheer audacity of this film’s content and structure.

It’s almost as if Denis saw Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” and wondered what a similar intergalactic journey across space would be like with disturbing blood and sex.

Robert Pattinson, continuing his exploits in taking on peculiar roles after his stint in the “Twilight” films, plays a death row convict onboard an interstellar vessel doomed and bound for a distant black hole. The rest of the crew are themselves on death row and are all subject to Juliette Binoche’s — herself a convict — doctoral experiments to artificially inseminate one of the female passengers. The setting is populated by deadly people, and such an environment could only lead to treacherous waters.

Pattinson and Binoche liven up the screen in different ways. Pattinson operates in whispers and subdued paranoia while Binoche plays the mad doctor with an almost bestial pleasure and, later, with some tenderness as a member of the crew

meets a slow, brain-devouring death.

A pivotal scene in the film — one where some may draw the line — finds Binoche, one of our finest living actresses, withdrawn into a locked metal room expressly designed for its crew members to pleasure themselves, a system to deter sexual assault. Denis shoots this three-minute sequence with a probing, chaotic camera while an almost tribal score beats in the background. For the squeamish viewer, this is a demanding scene to sit through, but for those with a strong stomach, they may not be able to deny the oddly compelling nature in which it is shot.

While watching the film, I was reminded of Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Solaris,” with the slow cinema approach to storytelling and the deliberate murkiness of the narrative.

Likewise, Tarkovsky’s “Stalker” with the motif of the dog and the dead space, here literalized, where plant life can be found in a habitat seemingly inhospitable to life.

Some more obvious parallels could be found in Nolan’s “Interstellar” with the black hole imagery, deep space dread and themes touching upon the theory of relativity and spaghettification. Additionally, Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin” contends with comparable functions in measured storytelling, ever-present musical drones, and frigid performances.

I think I’m most impressed by the technical prowess here — the utilization of digital, 35 mm and 16 mm film stocks. The minimalist, practical set design hints at the design team pushing that slim budget to the extremity. The claustrophobic, unornate cinematography out-

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Christopher Lynch, owner of Funkand-Flash, diligently works on covering a vintage jean jacket with Sharpie designs during Artsfest.

“My favorite thing to do ever is theater, and so doing it from nine to five and getting paid for it is like literally what I’m going to school for, so that’s really awesome,” Leavitt said.

“During the school year, you don’t get paid, and you’re putting in all this work. It’s still very rewarding, but you don’t get paid.”

Additionally, because rehearsals are so long and performances go on for two weeks, actors have to focus carefully on both building up and managing their stamina. Leavitt said this is

IMDb

Juliette Binoche plays in the 2018 film “High Life.” fitted by Yorick Le Saux stresses Denis’ desire to deeply unsettle the audience while Stuart A. Staples’ ubiquitous, crooning score fills and leaks out of the frame with its low-frequency hums and vibrations.

There is simple beauty in Denis’ precise filmmaking here that remains steadily disentangled from meaning. The film is presented as a broken nebula relayed through the medium of a stream of consciousness narrative mode and traditional narrative storytelling — harkening to the work of director Terrence Malick, for instance, with the protagonist delivering information through narration.

Like the theoretical astrophysics of the cosmos, time in the film is irregular, and not all things coalesce with concrete meaning. Like a tool drifting off into the absolute blackness of the void early in the film, meaning and plot details stray far away, sometimes completely lost.

I’d speculate that my hesitant

something she looks forward to experiencing that performing in regular MSU plays don’t facilitate in the same way.

Students at MSU are also involved in Tent Theatre beyond acting on stage. Graduate post baccalaureate non-degree student Mallory Maggi will be working as vending manager for Tent Theatre this year. For the last two years she worked as an operations assistant and found that Tent Theatre has been valuable as a learning tool for her, and allowed her to work in her field at a young age.

Maggi said Blackwood’s death demonstrated how large Tent Theatre’s community really is, between people sharing stories of him and the impact he and Tent Theatre had on their lives.

“I think this summer will be a celebration

score for the film mostly rests upon the basic framework of the story itself. Perhaps with a more robust and deranged story, the themes of perverse sexuality, deep space cabin fever and social experimentation could be that much more dynamic and intriguing. However, for most audiences, this is reportedly already deranged enough to warrant walkouts and sharp opposition between critics. That said, Denis’ penchant to keep the film’s mood and tone in a very sedate attitude makes me admire the film all the more.

“High Life” is a lethargic film, periodically heightened by scenes of primal, abusive sexuality and primordial violence, stripping most of the humanity away to its most basic architecture similar to William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies.”

However, the heavy thematics and near-impenetrable plotting strangle what is already a not-so-interesting story in this paradoxically-titled, primeval space odyssey. 5.7/10

of all of that,” Maggi said.

For the first weekend of Tent Theatre, June 14 to June 16, Tent Theatre will be holding numerous events as part of Blackwood’s dedication, from a cocktail hour to reminisce, a display of artifacts Blackwood possessed and a special performance of Grease in dedication to Blackwood. A closing brunch will feature many speakers familiar with or close to the late Blackwood, including his son Randy Blackwood.

“I’m hoping that in the end of the event, that people can feel the passion he had for our field of choice, being theater, and hopefully it will inspire us to move forward through our careers, and remember that we have a responsibility too to continue on with that kind of passion,” Templeton said.

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