September 8, 2015

THE

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

M I S S O U R I

S T A T E

U N I V E R S I T Y More than 100 years in print

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Expanding free speech on campus Outside groups will be able to go anywhere on campus to protest

By Nicole Roberts News Editor @NReneeRoberts

Outside groups will no longer be restricted to the “free speech zones” on campus.

The Board of Governors changed Missouri State University’s Expressive Activity Policy to allow outside groups — individuals not associated with MSU — to have the same free speech forum that members of MSU have. This change in the policy, which went into effect Aug. 26, means outside groups can go anywhere on campus (that isn't in buildings) to protest, give speeches or hand out pamphlets.

Originally, only MSU members could go anywhere on campus to express themselves.

Non-MSU members were restricted to three free speech areas on campus: the Strong Hall Amphitheater in front of Strong Hall, the Bear Paw outside of the PSU, and the Trottier Plaza in front of the football stadium.

The change in MSU’s Expressive Activity Policy is due to a recent law passed by Missouri legislature. The Campus Free Expression Act, also known as Senate Bill 93, “designates the outdoor areas of campuses of public institutions of higher education to be traditional public forums.”

While outside groups are able to protest or hand out pamphlets anywhere on campus, there are still rules they have to follow. According to MSU’s Expressive Activity Policy, outside groups can’t do anything illegal or disrupt classes. They can’t block roads or streets or create safety risks. Expression events can’t be more than eight hours in a 24-hour period.

MSU’s Expressive Activity Policy states free speech that is “obscene, defamatory, or consists of fighting words, threats of physical Maddy Cushman & Emily McTavish/THE STANDARD harm, insightful of imminent lawless action or Outside groups will no longer be restricted to the three free speech zones. otherwise” are not allowed. Several students think a well-known speaker who goes by “Brother Jed” vio“It’s freedom of speech, so if you feel strongly enough able to handle the situation. lates this rule. about something that you need to talk to people about it, do Even though DeBoef isn’t worried about problems arising, “There is a mountain of case laws and Supreme Court what you need to do,” Kelly Oshaughnessy, a junior psychol- he said students should be aware of the policy change. cases about what does and does not fall into these categories,” ogy major, said. “You can choose to ignore them if you don’t “While outside individuals were originally on the Bear Chief of Staff Ryan DeBoef said. “Someone like Brother Jed like what they’re saying.”

Paw, Strong Hall Amphitheater, (or Trottier Plaza), they could gives (speeches) all the time, all over the country, so he knows “I don’t agree with it,” Matt Fuller, a sophomore electron- be outside residence halls now,” he said. “You could exactly how to get up to the line without crossing it, and he’s ic arts major, said. “Technically, it makes sense with freedom encounter them on your way to Plaster Student Union or on very, very good at it.” of speech, but I feel like if someone is just shouting things at the way to your academic building.”

Outside groups do not need prior permission to come onto people and it causes people to come up and argue, it just Students who have concerns or questions about MSU’s campus. DeBoef said outside individuals can walk onto cam- makes a scene.”

Expressive Activity Policy can contact the Dean of Students, pus anytime and exercise their freedom of speech, just like DeBoef said students shouldn’t be worried about the poli- Dr. Thomas Lane, in PSU room 405 or 417-836-5527.

MSU students. cy change causing problems on campus. If a problem arises, There are mixed opinions from students about the change. he said the Department of Safety and Transportation will be

Students say goodbye to fall break

By Anita Lumley Staff Reporter @LumleyAnita

A full week of vacation for Thanksgiving is in store for MSU students, but there will be no fall break this semester due to changes in the academic calendar.

The Academic Calendar Committee, with representatives from faculty, student government, athletics, and the registrar office plan holidays, events and activities two years in advance.

Two years ago, David Schneider, former SGA president, discussed the pros and cons of lengthening Thanksgiving break with his cabinet members, including consequences for faculty.

“This may actually affect professors, because the fall break is generally a time when they are used to grading mid-terms,” Schneider said during an interview.

A large motivator for suggesting the change, according to Schneider, was the notion that out-of-state students may enjoy the longer break for travel purposes.

Other factors in the decision were the perceived low-enrollment on the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving and the benefit to international Emily McTavish/THE STANDARD students, according Dr. Chris Craig, associate provost for faculty and aca- Students will have 11 weeks of school between now and Thanksgiving break. demic affairs.

NEWS

Claire McCaskill visits MO State page 8

SPORTS

Bears go 2-1 at Mary Jo Wynn Invitational page 7

LIFE

Once Schneider proposed a longer Thanksgiving break to the Academic Calendar Committee, the idea was discussed and presented to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, the Academic Leadership Council and the Administrative Council before it was approved by the Board of Governors.

This will be the first semester that MSU will have no fall break and a full week for Thanksgiving since the idea was first discussed two years ago.

Dr. Sharmistha Self, professor of economics and faculty senate chair, has reservations about the lack of fall break. Self also expressed concerns about the long break right before finals, and students that may already be in an end-of-semester mode. Plus, faculty will still have to work.

“Maybe once Thanksgiving break comes and goes, I’ll say ‘this is the best thing to happen’, but at this point, I’m thinking I would have really liked that longer weekend in October,” Self said.

The change to the academic calendar hasn’t been brought up in the faculty senate, according to Self.

Ashley Crisafalli, senior political science major and current student body president, hasn’t heard anything from the students concerning the new calendar either.

“Well, I think that a lot of students were just uninformed that we weren’t having a fall break, so it came to a surprise for u See BREAK, page 9

Active Minds

A campus organization helps bring awareness to mental health illnesses page 4

2 | the-standard.org

The Standard

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Calendar Degree Works makes the dream work

Tuesday, Sept. 8

Far Right Groups and Violence Against the Police 3:30-4:30 p.m., Strong Hall room 201 Animation, Digital and Electronic Arts Student Exhibition, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Student Exhibition Center

Wednesday, Sept. 9 Study Away Fair, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., PSU second floor atrium

Animation, Digital and Electronic Arts Student Exhibition, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Student Exhibition Center SAC Films presents “Jurassic World,” 9 p.m.-midnight, PSU Theater

Thursday, Sept. 10

Animation, Digital and Electronic Arts Student Exhibition, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Student Exhibition Center Rally in the Valley, 7-8 p.m., Plaster stadium SAC After Hours: Summer Fun Swim Party, 9 p.m.-midnight, Rec Center pool

Friday, Sept. 11

Ozark Public Broadcasting Career Day, 2-5 p.m., Strong Hall room 115 SAC Campus Events presents Rock-N-Bowl, 7-10 p.m. in the PSU Level One Game Center

Saturday, Sept. 12 Family Weekend, all day

Sunday, Sept. 13 Family Weekend, all day

SAC Films presents “Jurassic World,” 9 p.m.-midnight, PSU Theater

Briefs

Hispanic Heritage Month

MSU will have a variety of events for Hispanic Heritage month between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15.

Sept. 15—Flag parade at 12:30 p.m. on campus Sept. 19—Celebracion Latina at 5 p.m. at Christina Church “Casa deOración,” 3935 W. Sunshine Sept. 26—Latino Dance Festival from 7:30-11 p.m. in the PSU ballroom.

A new degree audit system will offer more resources for students and advisors

By Han Zhao Staff Reporter @hanzhao0620

What can make an already difficult college life easier? Let the registrar office tell you, it’s the new degree audit system.

On Oct. 5, Missouri State University will launch Degree Works, a new integrated degree audit system that will save time, offer more features and serve a broader student body.

Nathan Hoff, associate registrardegree programs and advisement support, gave The Standard a chance to preview some features of the new system.

One of the main features of Degree Works is being able to include graduate students in the degree audit system. It replaces the old-fashioned “program of study,” which was in paper form.

As Hoff pulled up the reporter’s information in the software, he

explained that the same inforHow to access your degree audit: mation would be available to both students and advisers.

“You and your adviser see the same thing,” Hoff said. “If 1. Login to your My Missouri State account. you are on your audit and want 2. Go to the Academic tab. to email your adviser, you can 3. Click on “degree audit” under Student Record. do that; if your adviser is on the audit and wants to email 4. Select “submit an audit.” you, they can do that.”

5. Chose “list all requirements,” “incomplete If there is a hold on a stu- requirements only” or “complete requirements only” dent’s account that blocks the ability to register, the new sys- and click “run audit.” tem allows more resources to 6. Go to “view submitted audits” and click the most resolve the hold. recent audit to view what classes you have completed “You can click on (the hold), and it’ll open the screen and still need to complete. that explains different university holds, what it is, and has the contact information to the Hoff said. haven’t taken care of that item; what office if you have questions about While the colorful screen is we call the ‘blue squiggle’ means what the hold is for,” Hoff said. pleasant, it also has more useful fea- you have coursework either regisThe new system also provides a tures tied in it. tered or incomplete grade.” multicolored visual effect, which “A lot of the symbols are pretty There is one particular feature displaces the black-and-white, text- intuitive,” Hoff explained. “A green that Hoff thinks would be popular only format in the current system. check box is you’ve taken care of u See AUDIT, page 8 “It makes things pop out more,” that item; a red box means you

The Next Five Years at MSU Steering Committee begins early development of 2016-2021 Long-Range Plan

ing Committee—a hand-selected group of diverse faculty members that represent each of the different colleges, as well as various other Though the fall 2015 semester is offices on campus. just beginning, the Steering Committee at Missouri State University is already looking ahead to upcoming progress in the next five years.

The 2016-2021 Long-Range Plan is in its early stages of development to determine further university growth.

“It tells the university ‘these are the things we’re going to focus on,’ so we need to make sure that the areas we choose to develop are the ones that are the most important for the university and for the area,” Dr. Gloria Galanes, dean of the college of arts and letters and chair of the Steering Committee, said.

Zachary Fletcher/THE STANDARD The Long-Range Plan is a broad outline spreading over five years Gloria Galanes will help develop developed by the 12-member Steer- the 2016-2021 Long-Range Plan.

By Emily Joshu Staff Reporter @EmilyJoshu

“The goal is to clearly define our more immediate and longer-term goals to ensure that we remain a premier choice for both undergraduate and graduate students from our own state, other states and the world,” Dr. Paul Durham, steering committee member and a biology professor, said.

The previous Long-Range Plan is reaching its conclusion, drawing much of its emphasis from an increase in STEM and healthcare programs. These programs were successful and proved necessary to the university, providing a stepping stone for the next plan’s growth.

“We knew that those areas were positioned for growth and the university needed to be moving into those areas,” Galanes said. “There are going to be threads that are very similar. But now we’ve been working really hard to make sure that there are health programs that have been included that we’ve worked to

get here at Missouri State, so we’re concluding that phase of it.”

This is reflected by the Taylor Health and Wellness Center. The previous Long-Range Plan also noted changes in recruitment and retention, which are represented by the Welcome Center and the Foster Recreation Center.

As for the new Long-Range Plan, the Steering Committee is already looking to make immediate changes. In the next month, the committee hopes to make changes to the university’s mission statement.

“I think most people think it’s probably a little too long to be an effective mission statement,” Galanes said. “We are going to be taking a look at values. Those values are broad, like respect.”

The details of the Long-Range u See PLAN, page 8

STANDARD

OPINION // 3

THE

Tuesday, September 8, 2015 | the-standard.org

By Emily Joshu Reporter @EmilyJoshu

Last August, my teary-eyed parents and I made the first of many trips down to Springfield from the St. Louis area suburbs, eighteen years of my life in tow. It was about halfway through the trip when my dad pointed out a billboard with a familiar, maroon bear that read “Follow Your Passion, Find Your Place,” and Dad joked that we were driving in the right direction. I felt the excitement, but I wondered when I would find my place.

Finding your place is different for everyone and most likely won’t happen overnight. Contrary to what I believed freshman year, that’s okay. I think what brought my social anxiety through the roof was the idea of instant friends, when really the most instant aspect about college is ramen.

There are fantastic reasons for getting involved with Fraternity and Sorority Life and not–so–great ones. This is one of the two terrible motivations that you can have for wanting to rush a sorority: instant friends and “But my friend is doing it!”

I kept going back and forth on the decision to rush, and, though I didn’t realize it at the time, it was for those two reasons. You need to have the right motivations for making the kind of commitment, and the allure of an immediate family had me feeling pretty lonely during recruitment.

But even though it may seem like hundreds of fanatic girls are finding their families in a matter of minutes, Bid Day is just one day. Social sororities weren’t for me or most of the girls I know; that just means our places are somewhere else.

Go to things by yourself sometimes. Sounds a bit awkward, but I never realized how many things I missed out on

because I was too afraid to go by myself. This definitely requires some trial-and-error because you won’t always like everything you try, but at least you won’t have to wonder. It could take a few days, weeks or even a couple of semesters before something sticks.

As a sophomore, I’m still finding my place, but enjoying the journey. I’m enjoying the trial-and-error method that comes with popping in on new club meetings and trying things that I never would have seen myself doing a year ago. Last year’s Emily never would have seen herself writing for The Standard. She certainly never would have seen herself being so comfortable with the uncertain and the perfectly imperfect. As you find your place along this wonderful path that is college, you will surprise yourself; I certainly did.

There is a lack of communication and lack of authenticity when it comes to the way our generation goes about dating. How do you really get to know someone when you’re laying in their bed watching episodes of How I Met Your Mother? I think there is something to be said for a real first date. When a guy has to approach you and be upfront about his intentions with you. Like, I want to take you out for dinner or let’s go grab coffee.

We’re not asking for some elaborate, romantic date with every single guy who asks us out. I’m not afraid to speak out and say that the way our generation is going about dating is pathetic. We’re afraid. We’re afraid to tell the person we like, that we like them. We’re afraid to ask out that girl or that guy for fear that they won’t say yes.

When in reality, the worst that can happen is they say no and who’s really going to remember that in a few months? I know there is way more than just “Netflix and chill” to blame for the lack of dating. My hope is that our generation can get over this fear of commitment and intentionality and start to be real with ourselves and each other.

By Callie Dunaway Guest Columnist @Callie_Dunaway

I was sitting in my sorority meeting last week while a guy was talking to my chapter about his fraternity. He asked the group of 200 plus women what their ideal gentleman would be. Numerous girls raised their hand, but before anyone could respond, a girl shouted, “someone who wants to do more than Netflix and chill.” Everyone started laughing, but it’s true and it got me thinking. What is this whole Netflix and chill fad that everyone and their mother seems to be talking about? And why is that the first quality they don’t want in a guy when it comes to dating?

I will agree, Netflix is great, but I think there is a bigger issue at hand. This whole unwritten rule of inviting a girl over to watch Netflix being code for hooking up is stupid.

It says so much more about our generation than we think.

I’ll admit, I think it’s hilarious and I catch myself making comments about it, but what happened to real dating?

What happened to asking a girl out for dinner and a movie?

By Spencer Martin Columnist @Spencer_XC

The year was 1894.

Facial hair was great, the author of “Brave New World,” Aldous Huxley, was born and the turnof-the-century boxing match meme was still just a turn-of-thecentury boxing match.

1894 was also the year that Labor Day was established as a federal holiday.

If you’re anything like the average American, Labor Day signifies the end of summer and, supposedly, the last great weekend of recreational boating on lakes.

For the average American worker, this holiday is supposed to be a show of appreciation for American laborers and all the hard work and accomplishments they achieved daily to make America the economic juggernaut it is today.

For Missouri State University students this year, it represented the last day off from the regular school week until Thanksgiving break in November. For those keeping count at home, that’s 11 full weeks of school until you have a significant break from classes and organizational obligations.

So what does this mean?

Well, I’m glad you asked.

It means that Sept. 7 was your last day of true relaxation for a while. I don’t say this to scare you, but rather to help prepare you.

I say prepare you because now — not eight or nine weeks from now — is the time to mentally prepare yourself for the coming homework, projects and tests ahead. By taking stock of your obligations for the rest of semester and noting when major assignments and projects occur, you can preemptively ease some of the stress that is just down the road.

I feel like one of the gravest mistakes college students make is getting lulled into a false belief that projects and assignments aren’t due for quite awhile. Students get comfortable with their schedule, lazy with their time management skills and fail to plan for the rude awakening of project due dates and a looming finals week. The semester really isn’t that long and finals will be here before most people realize.

Which is why I urge you to start getting prepared for that last month before Thanksgiving Break and the couple weeks that follow that beautiful nine day vacation.

You will get stressed. You will have projects due. You will have to take that awful physics test.

So be ready, people. If you know that you will get overwhelmed, plan now to have your workload arranged so that you have some free time to go see a movie and decompress.

Work on that project little by little so that you and your best friends can go push your physical limits at Skyzone. Study for those tests during the week so that you have plenty of time to enjoy game-day tailgates and bear up at our home football games.

You got to have fun — or at least relax, hopefully — over Labor Day weekend. Now it’s time to put in some work and planning so that you can have a successful school semester.

Fun fact — this Saturday is our first home football game.

Be there — Coach Stec’s orders. And BEAR UP.

By Eli Wohlenhaus Editor-In-Chief @eliwohlenhaus

Bacon tastes good to eat.

But is bacon “that good”? Today everything comes with bacon on it, in it or beside it. There is nothing necessarily wrong with that, other than I am a man, standing before you now with my quill, admitting to you that I do not share this love for bacon as society has requested that I do.

Sure, I like bacon, and it is good to eat, but I will not go out of my way to get it for myself, nor will I take a strip from someone else’s plate.

So what is bacon? It is a conversational crutch, like the weather or work. It is something people love to smell and feel cool talking about in

Emily McTavish @EmMcT

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“Take a Chance on Me,” ABBA

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am flabbergasted as to why it is obsessed with asking a question no one cares to know the answer to.

So, world. Help me out here. Next time you get yourself in a situation, be honest and don’t pretend.

If you run into someone and don’t want to know how they are, don’t ask.

If you do, show you care about the response, even if it is a generic “good.” Ask followup questions; show investment because it matters. It may not be convenient, but you never know what that person could be going through.

Pretending to like bacon is one thing, but pretending to be concerned with someone’s well-being is another.

I hope this does not sound like a rah-rah world peace thing, because it isn’t. Practically speaking, though, this is the kind of thing that can catch on and spread from person to person, just like in Seinfeld when the fad of eating snickers with a fork spreads from person to person.

Really listen to people, and, if you must, eat bacon as often as you can.

Bart Anders @bartanders42

“Friends in Low Places,” Garth Brooks

The Standard

public. Bacon is something you have to like.

Although I do like bacon, I am not crazy for it, but I do find myself pretending to be. It’s easy because everyone else is crazy for bacon (or pretending to be, like me). I have no moral issues or subconscious worries about pretending to be coocoo for bacon, this can be an example for other issues in our culture.

Sure, pretending to like bacon more than you do is harmless, but what about the other pretending we do every day?

A prime example is the passing greeting, “How are you?” This quickly becomes a superficial “good” and a “got to run to class,” but why is it not more? I have had a problem with this trend for a number of years now and it is time to speak out against it.

No matter who it is, friend or stranger, when asked how I am I try to give a true response for the moment.

Sometimes, in fact, I don’t answer at all because I know the asker is not waiting for a response.

Therein lies the problem, though.

In this culture I have grown up in, I

“S Club Party,” S Club Seven “Livin La Vida Loca,” Ricky Martin

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4 // LIFE Tuesday, September 8, 2015 | the-standard.org

Sorority makes changes to membership requirements

By Nicole Roberts News Editor @NReneeRoberts

Xi Omicron Iota changed one of its membership requirements to include transgender students.

A proposal was passed last week to change one of the sorority’s requirements from “be a girl” to “identify as a girl.” Kara Venzian, a junior political science major and Xi Omicron Iota secretary, proposed the change in order to modernize the sorority.

“I think it’s important that we give all women a chance to become part of our sisterhood,” she said. “This just essentially brings (Xi Omicron Iota) into the 21st century.”

There are only three membership requirements for Xi Omicron Iota, according to the sorority’s bylaws. Along with identifying as female, a students must also attend MSU full time and have at least a 2.75 cumulative GPA. Danielle Marquard, a senior marketing major and president of Xi Omicron Iota, said the change shows that the sorority is full of “welcoming, open women.”

The requirement change came just in time for Xi Omicron Iota’s fall recruitment, which starts on Sept. 13.

Even though some students won’t like the requirement change, Venzian said a lot of MSU students are trying to be more accepting and welcoming. She hopes students will appreciate the change, and it will lead to more Photo Courtesy of Xi Omincorn Iot progress in accepting others.

“I hope that maybe this is a first step in a Xi Omicron Iota gathers in front of Carrington Hall preceding Bear Bash on Saturday, August 15. Xi Omicron Iota’s memberlong line of improvements that all organiza- ship requirements changed this week to include students who identify as female. tions will take,” Venzian said.

Advancing technology

Professors create thinking machine

By Lacey Curtis Staff Reporter @lncurtis318

Artificial intelligence has always been a hot topic, both in science and fiction. Here at Missouri State University, two faculty researchers, Dr. Steven Younger and Dr. Emmett Redd, are working to create a “thinking machine” that has common sense and can learn and function like an animal’s brain. The research is being done at the Jordan Valley Innovation Center.

The research is being completed in partnership with Dr. Hava Siegelmann at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who has a decade of research and theories about the power analog signals have over digital.

The idea of a robot with the ability to think brings up questions, such as what the researchers have in mind while creating such a machine. One advantage would be more progressive speech recognition. Another, according to Younger, would be pattern recognition.

The analog system they’re creating would function more like an animal or insect brain, and be able to detect patterns despite the circumstances, which could enhance the future of robotics.

“Imagine a lot of little robots that could crawl through disaster areas, find people," Younger said. "That’s well beyond what they can do now. Or robots that can run in your body and detect cancer. I think there’s some possibilities.”

While the end product of this research would be able to detect patterns and figures, right now the goal is to model certain chaotic systems. This branches from the chaos theory, the study of systems that are highly sensitive to initial systems, often referred to as the butterfly effect.

Digital computers are unable to do this whereas the research done by Siegelmann, Redd and Younger shows that this analog machine can––which would be the first step in showing the power analog has and moving towards animalistic brain models in machines.

Redd clarified chaotic systems, saying,

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“This summer we visited with Woodrow Shew down at the University of Arkansas, and he’s actually a biologist studying rat brains and putting electrodes on rat brains. And he was telling us how learning occurs whenever the brain is on the verge of chaos. And so it turns out that chaotic systems are very important to what we have to learn to do. That’s more of an experimental determination in that case, we’re looking more at the theoretical, mathematical side.”

Younger hopes to replicate chaotic systems

by December, and then the next step is to get funding. “People ask what’s the hardest part;

People ask what’s the hardest part; it’s getting funding.

That’s the hard part.”

Steven Younger Research Professor

it’s getting funding. That’s the hard part.”

Redd added that another difficulty is changing people’s minds.

“Digital is so far advanced, even if we do prove some of this stuff, convincing people, ‘Oh but we can double digital in another 18 months, who cares about analog?’ Well we’re trying to convince them that it’s fundamental things,” explained Redd. “Their minds need to be prepared to accept this. And that’s gonna be difficult.”

Younger and Redd have high hopes about implementing Siegelmann’s theories and making them a reality. Advances in speech and pattern recognition could improve the area of robotics and artificial intelligences; but, Younger assures they won’t be creating Skynet anytime soon.

Active Minds gets MSU chapter New organization focuses on mental health

By Mike Ursery Staff Reporter @MikeUrsery

For many college students, going away to a university is a colossal challenge, and the stress associated with it can seem insurmountable.

College life is a period of transition, selfidentification and professional development.

However, it’s also a time of learning to live on a budget and juggling academic responsibilities with recreational activities and social relationships. These factors can have a negative effect on one’s mental health and can even potentially lead to mental illness.

Resources are available for students who struggle to handle college-related stressors and find solutions to overcome those stressors. However, students are not always aware that such resources exist.

For students at Missouri State University who may not know about available resources or who might have trouble going about asking for help, a new organization is emerging to help with those concerns.

Active Minds at Missouri State is a student-run, student-led organization that promotes positive mental health and educates students and faculty about the warning signs of mental health, according to Kelsey Leitner, the organization’s president and founder.

Active Minds at Missouri State is just one of over 400 chapters that make up Active Minds, a nonprofit organization that empowers students to speak openly about mental health in order to educate others and encourage help-seeking, according to its official website.

Leitner, a sophomore majoring in social work, drew inspiration to form a chapter at MSU after a tragic event earlier this year when she lost a friend to suicide.

“She was so positive, vibrant and full of life,” Leitner said. “In the following weeks I felt sad and confused, but I felt bad for being so upset because I knew that her family was going through so much more. Now, I’m putting my energy into Active Minds. This is how I’m grieving.”

Leitner put the word out about Active Minds by publishing a post on Overheard at Missouri State. Leitner said that she received

positive support and questions from students about how to get involved.

“I’m in my fifth year of college, and anything that could have happened during these transformative years has happened to me,” Jessica Pedraza, junior child and family development major and Active Minds vice president, said. “I’m in my fifth year because of personal things that have happened in my life that have prolonged the process of graduating. I feel like we have things that can affect our mental health.”

Pedraza also said that the organization isn’t a place where students will go to complain about things, but rather is a place where students can go to do constructive things, as opposed to going out and doing typical college things.

As for the resources available to MSU students, they can be found at the Missouri State Counseling Center, located at Carrington 311. Lisa Langston, a licensed clinical social worker at the Counseling Center, has volunteered to be the staff advisor for Active Minds at Missouri State.

“Once I read about the group online, I was interested,” Langston said. “I read about its mission and what it does and I was excited about it. So I offered to be the staff adviser.”

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in four young adults aged 18-24 have a diagnosable mental illness, with 80 percent of students feeling overwhelmed by the things they are required to do during a full academic year, and 40 percent dealing with more than an average amount of stress during a 12-month period.

Suicide is the third-leading cause of death on college campuses, with seven percent of students reporting that they have “seriously considered suicide,” also according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

“Coming to college, especially if you’ve never been away from home, is a stressful thing,” Langston said. “You’re going to be forced to rely on yourself more and you’re going to have doubts. Some of those stressors can trigger more anxiety and more depression.”

Active Minds at Missouri State has its first meeting scheduled for Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. in Siceluff Hall, Room 119.

“No Escape” has ups and downs with original plot

By Nathan Momper Movie Reviewer @mompermagic

This movie was intense. Made me bite my nails––a habit I thought I had kicked in seventh grade. From the trailer that I saw of “No Escape” a few months ago, I knew that I was getting myself into a thrill ride, but I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy the trip. Though the one hour and 45 minute action flick had its fair share of aggravating moments that made me want to scream at the screen, at the same time I was captivated by “No Escape’s” brutal style and break-neck pace.

The movie starts out simply enough, with a family moving from Austin, Texas, to an unnamed Asian nation. The first day in the distant country leaves the young couple and two small

girls alienated and pessimistic.

Little do they know, their attempt at starting over is about to be rudely interrupted by a complete upheaval of the national government, sending the country into a revolutionary tailspin of savagery and xenophobia.

Arguably the most interesting aspect of “No Escape” is its fairly original premise––an entire city against one family. The fight for survival is real, yet not impactful enough to really strike me to the core. The film thrilled me but not in a memorable way. While watching this story of survival unravel before my eyes, I couldn’t help but think of another movie that executed the fight-or-flight genre more impressively. That film is “Children of Men,” a 2006 film that has stuck with me for almost ten years because of its superior cinematography and acting. Check it out. Seriously. But

this is not to say that “No Escape” doesn’t have its fair share of jawdropping moments. The visual style of the picture is probably the best aspect of the experience.

Owen Wilson, though known for his comedic roles, was captivating as a father trying to keep his family alive and his sanity intact. But, Pierce Brosnan’s boozy and intriguing supporting character stole the show, while adding some much-needed comic relief.

However, the main issue with the film were the other characters. It makes a lame attempt at a villain with little to go on but the character’s menacing scar and murderous actions. Nevertheless, the biggest disappointment is the mother (Lake Bell) and her two young daughters making poor decision after poor decision.

The main issue critics have had with this film are its political undertones, portraying the people

of the unnamed Asian nation, bordering Vietnam, as barbaric, while Owen Wilson and company are self-righteously looking down upon them. I sensed a hint of these themes, but found the unflattering portrayal of the female leads more offensive.

Given the level of danger they are all in, the whole family should be on the same page of a little book entitled “Survive.” But, every 20 minutes, one of the female members of the family, who apparently hadn’t been reading the same book, would do something that sent my hand from my mouth to my head for a scratch. Let’s just say the writers made a few illadvised narrative choices. When I’m watching a thriller, I want to root for the terrorized, but when they make asinine choices that bring trouble upon themselves, I stop biting my fingernails.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

The Standard

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Things happening in Springfield this weekend

By Sofia Caito Reporter @SofiaCaito

With Family Weekend coming up, there’s plenty to do on campus and off. If you’re looking for different activities around town, check out these events that will be going on around Springfield.

By Rebecca Biundo Design Editor @rebeccabiundo

Bear Battalion Rappelling Exhibitions

The season premiere of Springfield’s late night talk show starring Jeff Houghton is the story of a man’s journey toward selfawareness. Special guests include Jay Jackson from Parks and Recreation and Gina Ekiss, designer of the “jazz” cup.

Join the Bear Battalion as they teach you to rappel down the 50 ft. ROTC Rappelling Tower. Take a moment to meet the Cadets and enjoy interesting exhibits.

Where: ROTC Rappelling Tower When: Friday, September 11 Time: 4- 6 p.m.

Price: Free

Where: The Gillioz Theatre When: Friday, September 11 Time: 7:30 p.m.

Concert Under the Stars

Take a stroll through the Japanese fall festival, presented by Springfield Sister Cities. There will be vendors, artists, food and even a children’s area at the gardens.

Where: Strong Hall Amphitheater When: Friday Sept. 11 Time: 5:30 p.m.

Price: Free and open to the public

Where: Japanese Stroll Garden When: September 11-13 Price: $7 for adults, $3 for children

MSU v. Chadron State Football Game Saturday, Sept. 12 2 p.m.

Plaster Stadium

Weekly Crossword © 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

ACROSS 1 Eastern potentate (Var.) 5 Musical symbol 9 Do some lawnwork 12 Scoop holder 13 Verdi opera 14 Indivisible 15 Newlyweds' trip 17 "- Town" 18 Acute 19 Feel 21 Madison Avenue types 24 Marshy tracts 25 Suitable 26 Horse-drawn carriage 30 Yoko of music 31 Top of a wave 32 "- Got a Secret" 33 Army bigwigs 35 Soon, in verse 36 Crazy bird 37 Mix 38 Khaki fabric 40 Calf meat (Fr.) 42 Tatter 43 The Who drummer 48 Ordinal suffix 49 "Born Free" heroine 50 Pleasant 51 Drenched 52 Use a rotary phone 53 Saxophone range DOWN 1 German interjection 2 Cattle call?

3 Hostel 4 Stunk 5 Arrived 6 49-Across, e.g.

7 Tokyo's old name 8 Splays 9 Backwoods' beverage 10 Burden 11 "The Way We -" 16 Longing 20 Early bird?

21 Eager 22 Finished 23 Hold two jobs 24 Employer 26 Cereal choice 27 Prot. or Cath.

28 Shakespeare's river 29 Repair 31 Bent 34 A billion years 35 Bryn Mawr graduate, e.g.

37 Scrooge's cry 38 Staff 39 Loathe

Lions, tigers and bears oh my! Wear your bear wear to the Dickerson Zoo to get halfprice admission.

Where: The Dickerson Zoo When: September 11-13 Price: $5.50 for adults, $4 for children (after discount)

Japanese Fall Festival

Presented by the College of Arts and Letters, enjoy performances from The Blackberry Winter Band and the HillBenders.

Social Media Photo Booth Friday, Sept. 11 4-7 p.m.

Plaster Student Union

Dickerson Park Zoo

The Mystery Hour

Last Week’s Puzzle Answers

40 Passport endorsement 41 And others (Lat.) 44 Inventor Whitney 45 Lubricate

46 Autumn mo.

47 Ultra-modern

Oktoberfest in the Ozarks Partake in traditional German food while sipping on some local beer. The event is held outside so bring your blankets and chairs.

Where: Mother’s Brewing Co. When: Saturday, Sept. 12 Time: 1:30-8 p.m.

Price: $5, children are free

Dive-In Movie: ‘Finding Nemo’ Saturday, Sept. 12 8:30 p.m.

Foster Recreation Center

Ozark Celebration Craft & Music Festival Sunday, Sept. 13 11 a.m -5 p.m.

Carrington Lawn

6 // SPORTS Tuesday, September 8, 2015 | the-standard.org

Scorecard Volleyball impresses in Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational Field hockey (1-4): W, vs.

Davidson, 2-0 L, vs. Ohio State, 5-0 L, vs. Wake Forest, 2-0 Men’s soccer (0-1-1): T, vs.

Oral Roberts, 0-0 (2OT) Volleyball (5-1): W, vs. Miami, 3-2 W, vs. Oral Roberts, 3-1 L, vs. Marquette, 3-1 Women’s soccer (2-2-0-): L, vs. Tulsa, 3-0

Calendar

Tuesday, Sept. 8

Men’s soccer: 7 p.m., vs.

UMKC in Kansas City, MO.

Wednesday, Sept. 9

Women’s soccer: 7 p.m., vs.

Oral Roberts at home.

Volleyball: 7 p.m., vs.

Arkansas State at home.

Friday, Sept. 11

Men’s soccer: 7 p.m., vs.

Saint Mary’s College of California at home.

Women’s soccer: 7 p.m., vs.

Central Arkansas in Conway, AR. Volleyball: 1 p.m., vs.

Western Kentucky (Holiday Inn University Plaza Invt.) in Bowling Green, KY.

Saturday, Sept. 12

Football: 2 p.m., vs.

Chadron State at home.

Volleyball: 1:30 p.m., vs.

Northwestern (Holiday Inn University Plaza Invt.) at home Women’s golf: 8:30 a.m., Diane Thomason Invt. in Iowa City, IA. Women’s tennis: all day, Drury Invite in Springfield, MO.

Sunday, Sept. 13

Men’s golf: 8 a.m., D.A. Welbring Intercollegiate in Normal, IL. Volleyball: 2 p.m., vs. Middle Tennessee St. in Murfreesboro, TN. Women’s golf: 8:30 a.m., Diane Thomason Invt. in Iowa City, IA. Women’s soccer: 1 p.m., vs.

Little Rock in Little Rock, AR. Women’s tennis: all day, Drury Invite in Springfield, MO.

Briefs

The volleyball Bears are all about legacy, having only two coaches since the program began keeping records in 1972. Linda Dollar was at the helm for 24 seasons before Melissa Stokes was hired as the head coach in 1995. MSU is also fourth all-time in Division 1 women’s volleyball with 1,177 wins, behind only UCLA, Nebraska and Penn State.

The Bears are only 34 wins behind the Nittany Lions (third all-time), who have won four consecutive national championships from 2007-2010 and then again in 2014. The alltime leader is UCLA with 1,221 wins. Missouri State has never won a national title.

Follow The Standard on social media

Eric Knifong Sports Reporter @e_knifong

Missouri State’s volleyball team hosted the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational at Hammons Student Center on Friday and Saturday.

The tournament is dedicated to one of the pioneers for women’s sports at Missouri State, Dr. Mary Jo Wynn. She is a Missouri Sports Legend with the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and was named the first director of women’s athletics in 1975. She first organized women’s athletics at MSU in 1958 with volleyball and tennis teams and coached volleyball until 1972. The tournament was dedicated to her and began in 1983 –– which the Bears have won 15 times.

“Dr. Mary Jo Wynn has been a great person at the university, and she’s done a lot for this university, so I think it’s a good way to honor her,” freshman outside hitter Ashley Ophoven said.

MSU came into the tournament at 3-0, which is their best start since the 2010 season. However, the competition was tough throughout the two days, as none of the teams ended the tournament without one loss.

“This tournament was one of the best tournaments we’ve had here at Missouri State from top to bottom,” head coach Melissa Stokes said.

On Friday, the Bears opened their first home game of the season with a victory over the Miami Hurricanes in five sets to improve to 4-0 with scores of 25-20, 16-25, 21-25, 25-22, 15-6.

The Bears led the Hurricanes in kills at 60-54, as 11 of those kills came in the fifth set which was dominated by the Bears. Senior setter Kinsey Batten ended the match with 47 assists and four kills. One of her kills was the clincher in the fourth set and her other three came in the fifth set.

Miami controlled sets two and three after a close first set. The Hurricanes then took an 11-8 lead in set number four. However, the Bears went on an 11-2 run that put them up 19-13 and they never looked back.

The Bears went on to win the set 2522 and tie the match at 2-2. A 7-0 run in the fifth set helped seal the win.

Also, the Bears led the match in digs at 57-53 with sophomore outside hitter Lily Johnson and freshman

Kristen Stacy/THE STANDARD

The Bears celebrate after winning libero Emily Butters combining for 32.

On Saturday, the Bears faced Oral Roberts first and won the match 3-1.

The Bears lost the first set to the Golden Eagles 18-25 but won the next three, 25-18, 25-21, 25-17.

The third set was tied 19-19 after the teams split the first two sets when sophomore middle blocker Simone House had a kill, giving the Bears the lead for good. Kinsey Batten added 43 more assists, giving her a twogame total of 90.

The Bears improved their record to 5-0 on the season and took on Marquette, who Oral Roberts beat earlier in the day in the championship game.

The Bears lost to Marquette in four sets with scores of 18-25, 23-25,

29.

Johnson added 15 kills and 13 digs against Marquette giving her a double-double in all three matches and 16 in her career. Batten brought her assist total to 131 for the weekend, after notching 41 against Marquette.

Johnson and Ophoven were named to the all-tournament team, having 54 and 35 kills, respectively.

They were joined by Marquette’ Louis, Lauren Houg and Sara Blasier and Oral Robert’s Lucija Bojanjac and Miami’s Alexis Mourning.

The Bears look for their sixth win of the season when they face Arkansas State at 7 p.m. on Sept. 9 at Hammons Student Center.

Football suffers big loss in season opener The Bears struggled to find offense in loss to Memphis Tigers John Robinson Sports Reporter @SaxmanJohn

When Bear fans pictured the beginning of the Dave Steckel era of Missouri State football a 63-7 defeat by the Memphis Tigers was probably not what they had in mind. The Bears are a young team and the loss to Memphis was ugly. But, there were some important takeaways as well as some easyto-spot mistakes from the loss at the Liberty Bowl.

Young offense making mistakes: When Steckel spoke to the media during the 2015 Media Day, he emphasized the importance of a strong running game with the youth the Bears have at the quarterback position.

“When you’re a good running football team, it opens up so many different avenues as far as drop-

back and play-action pass,” Steckel said. “With our stable of running backs, all they have to do is find a crease.”

Missouri State’s stable of running backs had 18 yards on 30 carries against the Tigers, fumbling the ball away three separate times.

The offensive line got little push against the Tigers and miscommunication during the center quarterback exchange, including a snap from allconference senior center Robert Booker which sailed over the head of redshirt freshman quarterback Breck Ruddick.

Ruddick showed nerves and made mistakes you would expect a rookie to make in his debut game, but he also threw for a 60 percent completion rate with no interceptions, which is no small task.

You could see the strategy the Bears want to employ, relying on the run to set up screens and play-action passes from Ruddick-easy throws for a young QB to make. Hopefully, a look at the tape and some words from the coaching staff will help the Bears cut down on miscues.

Defense in transition: The Bears made their debut in the 4-3 defensive scheme and the inexperience showed with several miscues and blown

coverages.

The offense didn’t help, turning the ball over near in Bear territory, but Memphis was able to exploit gaps in the Bear’s coverage all night. Along with some poor tackling by the Bears, Memphis was able to move the ball seemingly at will against the Bears.

There were some bright spots, however. Redshirt freshman safety Jared Beshore was one of seven Bears to make his first start, and he recorded seven tackles with solid defensive back play.

Final thoughts: Turning around a football team takes time, and the Bears certainly weren’t expected to pull off a win against Memphis. While the final score was alarming, it may prove to do more long-term good for the team. The coaches and players now have plenty of tape, and first game nerves won’t be a factor for a young team.

If problems in the offensive line, running game and defensive miscues feature prominently against Chardon State however, it will be a different story.

If Missouri State has a similar performance against the Eagles there won’t be many opportunities to “Bear Up” this season.

MSU offense stale in 3-0 loss to Tulsa Ben Gilbert Sports Reporter @TheGilb24

www.facebook.com/ TheStandardSports Emily McTavish/THE STANDARD

@Standard_Sports

a set against Marquette.

25-23, 24-26. Redshirt freshman outside hitter Taylor Louis led the way for the Golden Eagles, notching 30 kills in the final match. Louis was named tournament MVP. “We definitely needed to slow her down more than we did,” Stokes said.

“She was definitely a game changer.”

The Bears made changes in the match with their blockers coming up a little later and the middle-back staying back more. Louis was finding the empty back spots of the defense, so this change allowed the Bears to make more plays on the ball, Stokes explained.

Ophoven, who is coming off the Missouri Valley Conference freshman of the week, had a team high 16 kills bringing her Saturday total to

Sophomore defender Brooke Zimmerman fights for ball control against Tulsa on Sept. 4.

The Missouri State women’s soccer team faced off against the undefeated Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Friday night and came away with a tough 3-0 loss.

Before a crowd of 279 at Allison South, the Bears (2-2) found it difficult to maintain possession and create scoring chances.

The first score came early from Christina Holmes when Rachel Thun found her on a diagonal pass. The goal came in the third minute after some aggressive defense and quick transitions.

“Our team is still learning how to get off to a good start or at the beginning of a half,” Bears head coach Rob Brewer said.

The best chance in the first half for the Bears came when

sophomore defender Brooke Zimmerman crossed a ball to freshman forward Brooke Prondzinksi, who laid it off for the Bears’ leading scorer Alix Opfer. Opfer’s shot was denied

by Tulsa’s goalkeeper Rebecca Defer, one of her seven saves on the night.

While Tulsa was playing some aggressive defense by pushing up and challenging hard, Zimmerman was finding some space up the near side of the field for some of the Bears’ scoring chances.

“My forwards were getting in the middle and creating some space for me,” Zimmerman said. “I was just taking it up the line so I could cross while they were making some runs.”

The second half saw another chance for the Bears as there was a mad scramble in front of the goal, but after multiple attempts, none could find the back of the net.

Tulsa would add another

goal at the 61st minute, as Darienne Chapman scored her first goal of the year off of a corner kick from Lana Bermel.

Brewer said that it is difficult to play from behind, especially against a team with the speed of Tulsa.

“We felt at half time if we could settle in and play how we wanted to we would be fine,” Brewer said. “We had a little rattle in the back which led to the corner and we were down two and had to play differently.”

The Bears were pushing forward to find one goal to get back in the game. However, a turnover in the defensive zone led to a breakaway advantage for Tulsa, as Rachel Thun hammered home the third goal of the game.

Tulsa outshot the Bears in each half, and 15-10 overall for the game. The Bears also did u See SOCCER, page 7

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

The Standard

the-standard.org | 7

Men’s soccer finds friend in familiar place

Bart Anders

Sports Editor @bartanders42

As the Beatles once proclaimed, “I get by with a little help from my friends.” Now, MSU head soccer coach Jon Leamy may or may not be a fan of the Beatles, but I can assure he is a fan of that lyric and friendship.

So, when he and head swimming and diving coach Dave Collins ran into each other outside of a Kum & Go gas station two years back, it’s no surprise they became friends. But what may be surprising is how their friendship and common interests evolved into what they are today.

“Dave Collins asked me [outside of Kum & Go], ‘What can we do to help each other?’,” Leamy said.

At the time, I’m sure the words “hot dogs” and “Hawaiian shirts” didn’t get blurted out, but the foundation had been laid.

Fast forward two years later, before the MSU men’s soccer home opener against Oral Roberts University on Sept. 1, where fans witnessed firsthand how both coaches support each other’s programs and the school they represent.

Collins, adorned in a Hawaiian button-up, worked along-side his swim and dive team as they passed out hot dogs and chips for two hours before game time to the first 500 fans in attendance at Allison South stadi-

um. The food provided a tailgate vibe as fans played games and socialized awaiting their Bears to take the field.

“Dave gets the spirit of the event, gets the crowd going, and we’re so appreciative and thankful of the support,” Leamy said.

Collins didn’t stop the fanfare once the hotdogs ran out. During half time, he led a dating game in which three of his male swimmers sat in a kiddie pool while a female contestant sat with her back facing them.

Collins asked his swimmers a series of questions that helped the contestant choose a date for the remainder of the game. The result: a crowd of 786 fans rolling with laughter.

“Dave hosting our halftime games is just fun and creates a great environment. I love it,” Leamy said.

Any given swimming and diving meet in the area you can expect to see the support go both ways. The men’s soccer team is frequently in attendance at swimming and diving meets showing their pride, support and respect for their friendly program next door.

Though the Bears tied their home opener in a 110-minute double-overtime affair, the team used the big crowd and cheering swim team to their advantage.

“The guys were very much amped up to start the game. I thought we got stronger and better as the game went on,” Leamy said.

Ryan Welch/THE STANDARD

Sophomore defender Scott Midgley fights to keep the ball in play during the Bears home opener against Oral Roberts on Sept. 1. The next home game is Sept. 11.

The football Bears look to rebound big at home After big loss to start season, Bears are focused on winning home opener John Robinson Sports Reporter @SaxmanJohn

Last Week’s Sudoku Answers

Good news, Bear fans: The Chadron State Eagles are not on the same level as the Memphis Tigers.

Don’t be hasty about chalking this matchup as an automatic win, however. Even though the Eagles are down a level from the Bears at Division II, they will be far from a pushover, having finished as one of the top-three teams of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference since 2012.

The Eagles are coming off a 40-27 win over the Missouri S&T Miners.

Like the Bears, the Eagles start a redshirt freshman at quarterback, TD Stein. Stein was 17-26 Saturday for 206 yards and a touchdown.

The Eagles also rely on a running-back-by-committee approach. Junior Cody Paul led the Eagles rushers with 132 yards on 19 carries, while redshirt sophomore Derek Jackson went 44 yards on 12 carries and three touchdowns.

Senior receiver Danny O’Boyle led in receptions for the Eagles, with six receptions for 75 yards.

Who are the Chadron State Eagles?

They are members of NCAA Division II and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

They have produced six NFL players since 1935.

Alumnus Danny Woodhead twice won the Harlon Hill Trophy (best player in D-II) and has the D-II record for career all-purpose yards with 9,480.

The Eagles hold the RMAC record for touchdowns in a season with 68 in 2007.

On defense, the Eagles gave up 363 yards to the Miners, 213 in the air and 150 on the ground. They also recorded two interceptions and sacks.

Will the Bears fix their mistakes? Botched snaps, missed tackles, turnovers and dropped passes plagued the Bears in the loss to Memphis. Will those prove to be symptoms of first-game nerves?

Also, watch the offensive line and the running game of the Bears. Missouri State wants to be a team which relies on the ground game, and 18 yards on 30 carries probably won’t be the norm. It needs to be a significant low point, or the Bears may need to rethink their offensive options.

While it may not be as much of a blowout as Bears fans may expect, I do imagine the Bears will come out of this matchup 1-1.

Falling to 0-2 here would not be a good sign for the rest of the season.

Soccer

Continued from page 6

not have a corner kick the whole game, while Tulsa had five opportunities.

“Today I just think we had an off day and weren’t all on the same page,” Zimmerman said. “We are going to come out tomorrow at practice and get our focus back.”

MSU, who is used to getting plenty of scoring from their forwards and midfielders, might look back on this game with glee. It usually takes a humbling loss or an out-ofrhythm game for a team to figure out who they really are.

The Bears will conclude their three-game homestand against Oral Roberts Freshman defender Brittney Robinson defends the box. on Sept. 9 at 7 p.m.

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Excellent computer and people skills. Ability to learn quickly and willing to do varied tasks.

Apply in person at EVERGREEN INVESTMENTS, 2100 Evergreen Parkway, Lebanon or fax resume to (417)-533-3007

Jobs Administrative help needed to set up fire engine loaner program across southern Missouri.

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For Sale Great Vintage Vinyl Rock n Roll Records for sale.

Bob 766-1421

Announcing

Center City Counseling Clinic offers individual, couples and family counseling at a cost of $5 - $20 depending on income.

Call us at 417-836-3215

for further information.

Announcing

Emily McTavish/THE STANDARD

Misc

NAMI Southwest Missouri and Christ Church Episcopal are accepting sleeping bags, blankets, etc., to hand out to homeless veterans during the 2015 Veterans event coming up this fall.

Donations can be dropped off at NAMI, 1443 N. Robberson #408, M-F 9:30am-5pm; or at Christ Church, 601 E. Walnut, M-F 8am-4:30pm or Sun 8-11:30am.

Call 417-350-3519 for more information.

8 | the-standard.org

Plan

Continued from page 2

Plan are not just going to be restricted to Steering Committee Members though. It is estimated that a draft of the plan will be completed by March 2016, and this is when students and members of the Springfield community can provide feedback. Tom Peters, steering committee member and dean of libraries, said that town hall meetings and social media will be utilized in order to gain feedback.

“We want input from everyone: students, faculty, alumni, other organizations in the

Audit

Continued from page 2

among the student body.

Students can click on a course they need to take in the future, who they can find the description of the class, the prerequisite course(s) if there are any, class schedule(s), available seats number and who is teaching the course.

“So all that stuff before, you had to go to the class schedule to look up this part, you had to go to the catalog to look up this part,” Hoff demonstrated. “So you don’t have to go to all those places (anymore), you can just click on the audit, and it pulls information from those places. You can see everything at once.”

Faculty and advisers will also find exciting features that benefit them more.

The new system shows the percentage of check boxes under the reference bar for advisers. Not the percentage of classes, but the percentage of the boxes that are checked off.

Advisers can therefore make sure to go over all the information that the student needs to know based on the percentage.

Another adviser-friendly feature is to accommodate the complicated situations and transition them into simple tasks.

Hoff gave an example. If a student was going to do a thesis or non-thesis, there are different things that need to be checked off.

Now the new system allows advisers to set up groups. If the student needed to do one of the two, the adviser could set up multiple items within a group. The new system can now handle situations where the current system was not capable of.

“It gives us more options to program it better and more accurately,” Hoff said. “Not that it wasn’t accurate before. But it gives us less things to do manually, and more things that it can do automatically.”

Speaking of automation, the new system can read test scores.

“When the graduate college enters a test score of a comprehensive exam that was completed, that can check off the degree audit when that’s done,” Hoff said.

As mentioned before, this new system is a major time saver for both student and adviser bodies.

For transfer students, if they want to look up and see how their classes are transferred to MSU before the new degree audit system era, students have to go out to a separate transfer equivalency report on My Missouri State to be able to see that information.

“So again, you’ve gotta leave the audit and go somewhere else to see it,” Hoff reiterated. “On this audit, you can directly see this information in here. Again, just one more step that students don’t have to take.”

Authorized authorities, such as the department heads and other designated faculty, are now able to sign off course substitutions, waivers and approvals electronically, directly to the student’s degree audit.

Sen. Claire McCaskill visits MSU

The Standard

area,” Peters said.

A literature review will also be done to survey the progress that other universities have made. Galanes hopes that the Steering Committee will then be able to present the Long-Range Plan to the Board of Governors in June 2016, though there is no definite timeline in place at the moment.

Though in the early stages of development, the Long-Range Plan serves to benefit the students and the surrounding community.

“I want for people throughout the university community to feel like they have ownership of the plan, that this is their plan,” Galanes said. “It’s not a plan that’s being imposed from the top, but it’s a plan that everyone can contribute to and be excited about.”

According to Hoff, the university started implementing the new system since June, 2014. Before that point, the university reviewed the program for about a year, including visiting other schools in Missouri who switched to the new degree audit system.

The current degree audit system has served the university for 25 years since the early ‘90s. The new system incorporated feedbacks from faculty, advisers and students throughout the years.

Training materials, both written guides and video demonstrations, are available on the office of the registrar website.

Students will have the chance to try out the what-if degree audit and mix and match majors and minors scenarios without actually changing their majors.

Now that the students have the tools to find out what courses to take, the next project, the Student Educational Planner, which is a part of Degree Works, will take the degree audit system one step further—helping students to figure out when to take their courses.

The new module is anticipated to launch by the end of spring 2016.

According to Hoff, the funding for Degree Works was shared between the President’s Office and Student Affairs with the majority coming from the President’s Office.

The original budget projection was approximately $290,000 for the entire project, including training, maintenance, tech support, etc.

The final expense report of the project is not available yet. However, Hoff thinks the final cost will remain under the budget.

“The funding request was made by a Degree Works review team, which consisted of staff from Computer Services, the Office of the Registrar, Enrollment Services, the Graduate College and Admissions,” Hoff said. “We presented our findings and proposal to both Administrative Council and Academic Leadership Council.”

“There was no (additional) student fee (involved) for this,” Hoff said.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

By The Standard @TheStandard_MSU

Agriculture students heard from Sen. Claire McCaskill at a town hall forum on Wednesday, Sept. 2, as part of the politician’s tour of the state.

According to a press release, a concern for students was the issue of student loan debt being a barrier to studying agriculture.

“I learned a lot by talking with these students, because they are the future of Missouri farmers and agriculture leaders,” McCaskill said. “And armed with their feedback, I plan on going back to Washington to develop policies that can help address barriers for young people to stay involved in Missouri agriculture and expand opportunities for them to have long and successful careers in the industry.”

The William H. Darr School of Agriculture had nearly 700 students enroll this semester, contributing to the record enrollment of the university overall. The department has had increasing enrollment for the past several years, according to a press release.

Break

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some,” Crisafulli said. “However, it’s hard to really obtain feedback until after Thanksgiving break and students are able to experience a full week of Thanksgiving off.”

Craig also wants to see how this first semester without a fall break goes, let students experience the longer Thanksgiving break, and then discuss on whether the new calendar is something to continue.

Student government anticipates putting out a survey for student feedback after the break to assess how the students liked having two extra days for Thanksgiving.

Kristen Stacy/THE STANDARD

Claire McCaskill talked to agriculture students about student loan debt.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

The Standard

the-standard.org | 9

Claw away at homework and tests

Maddy Cushman/THE STANDARD

The Bear CLAW and Writing Center offer students with academic help — included in their tuition fees. Students can also work on group projects in this area.

On-campus tutoring center helps students succeed

By Courtney Cramer Staff Reporter @courtneyrcramer

On the first floor of Meyer Library, tucked away behind the circulation desk, is a resource that many students forget exists.

A collection of tables, computers and various work stations, this area is designed to help students when they need assistance with classwork.

This resource, known as the Bear CLAW, or the Center for Learning and Writing, offers students many opportunities to receive help with their studies, including writing consultation at the Writing Center.

According to Missouri State’s website, students can receive tutoring in many subjects at the Bear CLAW, includ-

ing math, business, science, Spanish, economics and others.

While there are drop-in tables available, students are also able to make an appointment with a tutor, which can be done online or through a phone call to the Bear CLAW’s front desk.

John Barron, a senior cell and molecular biology major, has been a science tutor at the Bear CLAW for a year now.

“It helps to sort of talk about an idea in order to wrap your mind around it,” Barron said. “A lot of times, just seeing the way another person thinks a problem through can be really helpful.”

Both the Bear CLAW and the Writing Center are staffed by Missouri State students who have taken the classes for which they are advising.

The Writing Center exists not to help students edit their papers’ grammatical errors, but to develop as writers and to learn more about their own writing. However, there are many resources that can be found on the Writing Center’s website to aid students with any grammar questions.

“We work with faculty, staff and students on their writing needs,” Michael Frizell, director of student learning services, said. “Writing centers don’t traditionally repair grammar, punctuation or spelling issues. Our job is to help you learn something about your writing. If we can make you a better writer by the end of our session, then we’ve done our job.”

Not only can students who take classes on campus receive

consultation, but online students and distance learners can also get help.

“We also work with you online, if you’re an online student, if you study away or if you’re an adult learner who has contacted me directly who has a lot of obligations outside of the university,” Frizell said. “If you’re in a seated class, it doesn’t count. If you’re strictly online, you can email papers in right now and we can do asynchronous online tutoring.”

Not only do these resources exist for the students at Missouri State, but many are also available even when the Bear CLAW is closed.

“After hours, the Bear CLAW is open for student use,” Frizell said. “In other words, all the tables, the computers all those sorts of things, students can come in and form their own study groups and use the space for that.”

According to Frizell, the Bear CLAW was specifically designed by students, for students. The space is meant to give students the opportunity to supplement their learning by fostering peer-to-peer connections and assistance.

Any student wishing to get tutored for a class or consult a student expert on their writing can simply drop into the Bear CLAW to set up an appointment or, depending on how busy they are, receive immediate assistance. Students can view their hours and contact info at writingcenter.missouristate.edu or call 417-836-6398.

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The Standard

Tuesday, September 8, 2015